by Ho, Jo
“We know what we’ve done but you’re making it all so much worse. This being nice thing doesn’t suit you, and it’s making me uneasy. Please stop.”
The forced smile he had on his face immediately disappeared to be replaced by relief.
“Oh, thank God. That took a LOT of effort. I could almost feel myself fading…”
“I wish,” Marley mumbled to a sudden grin from Tyler who had overheard her.
“Listen, you’re still learning. As long you ask for help when you need it, as long as the four of you stick together, you’ll be able to pull each other through anything. Trust yourselves and each other, work together and I think we might have a chance of winning this thing.”
The girls nodded, agreeing to his sentiments.
“Absolutely,” Tyler said.
“Agreed,” Eve echoed.
“Ah huh,” Cassie mumbled.
“One hundred percent,” said Marley.
Pleased, Christian rubbed his hands together as Tyler stood up, slinging her bag over her shoulder. “Classes are starting…”
“Yeah, I need to jet,” Eve replied, sliding her chair back.
“Same here,” Cassie said as she shot Tyler another loaded look before heading away.
Christian frowned as each of the four girls took a separate direction and left without another backward glance at each other.
His words having clearly fallen on deaf ears.
Chapter 4
It seemed ridiculous that they were in class, considering all that had happened over the last few days, yet here Cassie was, sitting in the back of her Creative Writing, watching students trickling in as if nothing was wrong.
Christian’s pep talk was kind of sweet though he really didn’t have a clue what was going on. Of course, she couldn’t talk about her problems with the others, not all of them, especially not Marley. It was hard enough having to confide in Tyler, and having seen the looks Eve had shot her when she realized her part in the attack on Marley — even though she had been nice to her after — she felt as if their budding friendship might have stalled. And Marley? She knew she’d never be able to speak to her about these matters. They were on talking terms again but there was a definite strained air around them. Cassie knew it would take some time for Marley to get over everything if she ever could.
Tension gnawed against her stomach. Since the attack in the laundry block, Cassie kept reliving Marley’s anger, but then her face would morph into disgust: disgust at both her actions and the men she had willingly led on only for such disastrous results.
Flicking a pencil between her fingers, Cassie felt the shame flood her body once more as her cheeks flamed red. Seeing those guys from Marley’s eyes, she knew she had been right — they had been disgusting, so why had she not seen that at the time? Was she really as desperate for attention as Marley said she was? Was she really that lame?
Didn’t she know better than that?
Her inner diatribe was interrupted by a coy giggle, a few rows from the front. Standing with one foot on the bench, elbow resting on top of his knee, Trip openly flirted with yet another pretty girl, this one, a flame-haired red-head. Cassie tried not to flinch with envy. This girl had the kind of sultry red hair that guys found alluring, the kind Cassie had always wished her own ginger frizz would be. Maybe if she looked more like this girl, Trip would pay attention to her.
Thinking of this, Cassie took out her phone and shot off a quick text to Tyler asking if she had finished with the “thing.” She’d wanted to ask her that morning when the group had met for coffee, but there hadn’t been a way for her to do that without the others noticing. Rather than to text her the minute they separated, Cassie had waited until now to contact her — just in case. She didn’t think Tyler would be with the other girls right now, but it was best to be safe, she didn’t want to take any chances. She used the word “thing” as typing the word “potion” might raise a few eyebrows if the message was seen by someone else.
Tyler’s reply came almost instantly.
It’s done.
A flicker of excitement coursed through her. She had to force herself not to grin as she sent back a reply.
Great. Meet me outside my English class at eleven.
Putting her phone away, Cassie’s eyes slid back over to Trip. Tyler’s potion would work — it had to. And when it did, Cassie would be so much prettier that maybe even someone like Trip would finally notice her but for a good reason. Smiling to herself, imagining what it would be like for Trip to flirt with her, she erased the redhead from the scene in front of her, replacing the student with how she imagined Cassie 2.0 would be.
Having waited her entire life for a miracle like this, she couldn’t wait to get the potion from Tyler.
Chapter 5
Marley was halfway to her class when her phone chimed. It was a text from the college: her professor had fallen ill and since they were unable to provide a substitute at such short notice, her class for the morning was canceled.
Not knowing what else to do, she went back to the dorm, kicking off her shoes as she flicked the large flatscreen television — another addition courtesy of Cassie — on to her favorite quiz show and went to the wardrobe. The list of results Eve had printed out from Guardian HQ was still here as was the broken seal, both of which sat in a box on the top shelf. Reaching up, she took it down then went to sit on her bed as the game show host supplied the answer to a Jeopardy question: “The 224-mile-long Shannon River flows through this country…”
Without even thinking much about it, Marley answered, “Ireland,” at the same time Christian’s voice sounded close by as he too answered the same.
Marley jumped, not having felt his presence on this occasion. “Would announcing your arrival be so hard?”
“Sorry, I was distracted by the Jeopardy question.” He nodded to the television.
“I’m surprised you actually got it,” Marley replied without thinking.
Christian frowned at her. “Why?”
Marley shrugged, not sure how she should answer. “I guess… with all your Guardian duties, I didn’t expect you to have traveled out of the country much.”
“You don’t have to have traveled to a place to know about it,” he replied, looking somewhat peeved. “There is such a thing called the Internet… and besides, I happen to love watching Jeopardy.”
Marley couldn’t keep the surprise off her face at having something in common with him. “Me too, I watched it a lot with my dad growing up.”
“Same. Though I watched it with Eric.”
Marley felt a burning curiosity in her stomach. Christian had not explained too much about his history other than the fact that Eric was like a father to him, but for the first time since she had known him, she found herself wanting to really know what his past was. Where were his parents, and how had he gotten involved with the Guardians? But Christian seemed as enigmatic as usual, and something about him always made her feel that she couldn’t reach out to him: he would tell her when he was good and ready to.
“Anyway… how are you?” he asked.
Marley froze, staring at him in with something akin to suspicion. She had grown so used to his tactless and demanding personality that the simple question threw her completely. “First the pep talk, now this. Who are you and what have you done with Christian?” she finally managed.
Frown lines furrowed his brow as he stared at her, not understanding the joke. “You’re usually so bossy and demanding, no time for pleasantries… What happened?”
The frown turned quickly into annoyance but it was tinged with something else — embarrassment maybe? Marley couldn’t tell as Christian moved away from her as if she had burned him.
“Nothing happened, I was just being considerate,” he replied, somewhat surly.
Marley tilted her head at him, trying to figure out why he looked so uncomfortable today. Though she didn’t think ghosts slept, he somehow managed to look tired: dark circles ringed his gold-flecked eyes
, and his hair wasn’t perfectly sculpted — he usually looked like he’d just stepped out of a boyband — instead, this morning, tufts of his blond hair stood up on end giving him a somewhat startled look. Marley couldn’t help thinking that it made him seem more human.
Cute even.
Realizing she hadn’t answered him yet, she said, “I’m OK. Trying to focus on moving forward, but… thanks for asking.”
He mumbled something that may or may not have been a reply then left it at that. It was awkwardville to be sure. Finally deciding that it was too early for all this emo-talk, she lowered her eyes to the box, opening it.
“I thought you’d be in class by now,” he said, walking around her to get a better look at the list.
“Class was canceled so I thought I’d do some research,” she replied, gingerly taking out the two pieces of the broken plaque that had been the second seal. In the cold light of morning, it didn’t look very special. The aged metal was dull, no fuzzy cloud or blinking stars surrounded it. Whatever magic it had was long gone.
“I’m getting nothing from this,” she revealed.
“Try the list,” Christian suggested at the same time she was already reaching for the papers. She had to stifle a flicker of annoyance. Maybe it was the way he always turned up just to boss them around, but he could do with working on his personal skills, especially as it seemed that they were stuck with each other.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket, making her jump. Somehow she had missed a call from her dad, but he had left a voicemail. She pressed the voicemail icon and waited for his familiar voice to come over the line. “Hi Hon, just wanted to check on you today, see how you are doing. I’m stepping into class in a bit and won’t be out until noon, but I’ll call you back then. Love you, Dad.”
Anyone looking in from the outside would think that was a normal message between a father and daughter but Marley knew different. Paul’s voice had held a note of strain and seemed far more formal than their usual banter. While it could be that he was just concerned over her recent attack, Marley knew there was more to it than that.
Things were somehow different with them now.
Unable and unwilling to focus on that difficult subject, Marley went back to studying the list though the words seemed to blur on the page. It was a moment before she realized that her eyes were filling with tears. Mortified that Christian might see her lose it like this, she turned to the television. Jeopardy had finished by now, having been replaced by a local news item. A news anchor stood outside a house, speaking with a member of the public. When he turned to face the camera, Marley recognized him immediately.
It was Cassie’s dad, the man who could double for Hugh Jackman if he wanted to. She was struck by the thought that she could find no similarities in his features with Cassie — it was hard to believe they were related really. Shame knotted her stomach as she wondered where that thought had come from. It was thinking like that which had made Cassie the mess that she was today.
Cassie’s Dad was trying not to laugh at the person he was interviewing, a man in his fifties with wide-set eyes that looked too big for his face — especially with the bug-eyed expression he currently wore — who was talking animatedly about recent things happening at the house. A lot of unusual activity that he had previously attributed to a hoaxer, but was growing increasingly convinced that something more otherworldly was going on. It wasn’t until he mentioned that the house had recently turned into a hotbed of paranormal activity that Marley truly paid attention.
Moving around the bed so that he could get a better view of the television, Christian started to watch the news item too.
“Can you explain what kind of things have been happening that has caused so much alarm?” Cassie’s dad asked.
The man — whose name was Philip Glass and the next-door neighbor a helpful headline said — licked dry, cracked lips, looking nervous. “I know how this is going to make me sound, but we hear strange things happening every night. Lights go on and off, taps that turn on by themselves. Just the other day, the bathroom was flooded because a tap had come on.”
“Couldn’t these just be the everyday occurrences of a forgetful person?” Cassie’s dad said.
“Well, no,” Philip answered nervously. “The family was out when that happened. When I saw the water coming out, I rushed in to turn the taps off. I honestly think the place is haunted, it is freaky as all hell. And I wish someone would do something about it! It’s driving down the price of my place and I only got it the last year. Wait, can I say “hell”?” he asked suddenly, staring straight into the camera. Cassie’s dad laughed about how he had used the word twice now, live on air, so it was a bit late if it wasn’t.
Christian’s demeanor had changed while he’d been watching the report. His shoulders were pushed back, his eyes filled with a quiet frustration.
“What is it?” she asked him.
His eyes flicked over from the TV to rest on her. Whatever he saw seemed to trouble him. “Nothing.”
Marley could feel the frown spreading over her face. “If there’s something on your mind just spit it out already, it’s too early for guessing games.”
Christian hesitated, battling with whatever it was he had on his mind. When he finally spoke, it was with regret. “This is the sort of thing I would investigate. These kinds of reports and anything with a supernatural slant. It’s what I do. It’s what Eric and I did,” Christian corrected himself.
Suddenly, it all became clear.
Hearing this kind of news would normally spur him into action… but he was dead now. He wouldn’t be able to solve the mystery, his days of helping people were over. His shoulder’s slumped and he exuded defeat. While the last thing Marley had wanted was to do anything — truthfully, a day vegging out in the safety of her room did not seem like a bad idea at all — one look at Christian and she knew she couldn’t just leave this. Though he would never say it, his death was on her, and if she could do this to help him then she would, comfort be damned.
“Let’s go investigate the house,” she suggested.
His green-gold eyes flashed opened with surprise.
“You can just rest today, take the day off—“ he began, only for Marley to cut him off with a hand.
She knew the out he was offering was legitimate. She could stay in her dorm room and no one would blame her for wanting to take it easy, but she didn’t want to be the girl who hid away after something bad happened to her. If she gave in to that temptation, she might never leave this room again. It was better than she went out and faced her demons so to speak — though any real demons would have to wait until the gang was back together where they had a chance of fighting them off with their magic powers. Right now, however, with Christian’s help, she could investigate that house. And if there were any spooks, she’d be the best person to communicate with them.
“The sooner I get back on the saddle, the better it is. Besides, if I hide away in my room then those slime balls would have won. I won’t give them that. I won’t let them intimidate me or turn me into a victim.”
Her eyes flashed fire as Christian found himself mightily impressed by her attitude. This was a new side of her that he had not seen before, and it was one he admired greatly. Seeing her determination, Christian felt something stir in his chest. Absently, he reached up to rub at it, even though it would do no physical good.
Setting the broken seal carefully back into the box, Marley set the list on top of it, and put the box back into the closet. Since it was already broken, there wasn’t too much she could with it anyway, not without the others help. It didn’t seem likely that the seal had a spirit attached to it… unlike the house on the news item.
Softly, she sang to herself: “If there’s something strange, in your neighborhood…”
Chapter 6
Eve sat fully upright, with her back pressed against the chair, hoping that — despite her outward appearance — today would be the one day that no one would notice her. She
had wanted to stay home, had wanted to hide away playing Warcraft all day, pretending that her world wasn’t one giant mess of fear and confusion. She hadn’t bargained on her brother though, or that stubborn streak of his that rarely raised its head, but when it did, it couldn’t be moved, not even with a tow-truck.
Despite how she’d said it was a bad idea, despite how she thought this would be a one-way ticket out of school, Si sat in the class next to her right now, looking for all the world as if he belonged there.
After their fraught morning, Si had stuck firmly to his decision not to let her be alone not even for a minute. Hearing that the other girls all had their own school commitments, Si had grabbed his laptop and snuck his way into class beside her.
All it had taken was a simple distraction at the entrance and he’d been with her ever since. His laptop was open on his seat’s connected laptop tray, and he was making tweaks to the bar’s website on it now. Though he seemed completely relaxed, Eve was worried that her professor or one of the other students might notice a new face, even if the reality was he was unlikely to be recognized — Eve’s class was huge, with maybe some one hundred students sitting inside the lecture hall.
Her professor was a stern-looking woman in her forties, though when she got into her lessons, her face lit up and it was hard not to be caught up in her enthusiasm. Listening to her now, Eve caught Si flashing a grin at her. It was his way of letting her know that he was just fine beside her, that she shouldn’t concern herself with anything other than her class.
That he was there for her and always would be.
A lump formed in her throat that she cleared away with a cough.
As long as she had Si, she could face anything. As long as they were together, he would be her strength.
* * *
Cassie’s class ended uneventfully but she was so excited, she felt like she could almost burst!
