Curses, Fates & Soul Mates

by et al Kristie Cook

  I turned my attention to the safe. Two silver hinges protruded from the side of the scratched onyx door. The large, chrome handle seemed like a good place to start with the cool down. Or maybe the hinges? Freeze them off? Or maybe the turn-dial thing.

  I opted to press my palm flat across the front of the safe door. Georgia was right, the safe had to be a zillion years old by the looks of the dents and dings. Not that I was an expert, but hopefully, since it was old, it would be easy to break into.

  My fingernails flared blue. Georgia gasped behind me.

  The icy tint crept past my knuckles, then frost engulfed my entire hand. The ice crackled as it spread onto the door, covering the hinges and the dial. I glanced at Georgia. Despite huffing white clouds of breath, she didn’t shiver or anything.

  My concentration intensified, and I hoped to hear something snap soon. Anything to clue me in to when I should stop. All I heard was the ice crackling. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.

  “Try it now,” Georgia said.

  I gripped the handle and cranked. It gave way, and the door creaked open.

  “Did you break it?”

  “I don’t think so. Can’t tell.” I pulled it wide open. At this point I didn’t really care if I broke anything. I just wanted to know what was going on with us and answers might lie inches from my fingertips.

  A book sat in the small space. No papers. No stacks of money like I’d envisioned. I watched way too many movies.

  “Just a book?” Georgia asked.

  I reached in and snatched it, then closed the safe. It didn’t latch. Damn it, I’d probably broken it. “It’s not shutting.”

  “Well, we’re in deep shit already, let’s get out of here.”

  I handed the book to her, then tried to shut the door again. It kind of stuck but hung crooked. If someone looked closely or tried to open it, they’d notice right away. I hoisted the safe into my arms and stepped to the closet.

  “Georgia, can you melt the ice?”

  “Oh, man. I don’t know. What if I start the house on fire?”

  “You won’t. I’m here. I’ll watch you. Remember what you did with the glass at my house, right? If we let it melt on its own, it’s going to make a mess.”

  “I’ll try.” She set the book on the desk then edged toward me, eyes fixed on the safe I’d placed on the floor. “So, do I just touch it?”

  “Do what I did. Palm open right here.”

  “Sure, easy for you to say. You’ve had four years of practice. I’ve had, like, five hours.” Georgia dropped to her knees in front of the safe and touched the door. She sucked in a deep breath.

  I did, too. My heart started a boxing match with my ribs. “Think ‘warm up the door’ or something like that.”

  She eyed me, and her brows raised.

  “I know it sounds dumb, but it’s worked for me—sort of—for years.”

  The hand resting on Georgia’s knee fisted, then relaxed. Her jaw clenched.

  “Nice and easy. Breathe.”

  Her chest caved, as her lungs deflated. “Oh, my gosh.”

  “Keep focusing.” A light shade of pink colored her skin, and her nails flared.

  The ice crackled, and her hand color intensified until it nearly glowed. Then, the ice turned to steam.

  “Mandy?”

  “Pull the heat back in. Concentrate.”

  Georgia removed her hand from the door, and her nostrils flared. “Back off,” she whispered.

  Exactly like I did when I was trying to shut down the cold. I just hoped her heat listened and didn’t spark anything—Wait a minute. The fire up in the woods, after I’d killed the Coats. Georgia must have done that.

  I opened my mouth to tell her but snapped it shut. Then I’d have to tell her about the Coats that might be lurking around Trifle. No need to freak her out. She was doing so well with the heat.

  Georgia’s eyes widened. “I cannot believe I just did that.”

  “You were great.” I closed the closet door. “Let’s get out of here.”

  “I’m so freaking out. Sublimation, girl. Didn’t you take chemistry?”

  “Sure, but you know my grades.”

  “I didn’t just melt that ice. It completely skipped the liquid phase and jumped right to the steam!”

  “Calm down, G. You’re wiggin’.”

  “I know.” She paced in front of the door. “Now. If I could only remember how to breathe.”

  “Let’s go.” I stole the book and dragged her out the door.

  As we made our way down Main Street to my place, my cell phone buzzed in my back pocket. It sent every nerve in my body tingling. Man, I was jumpy. I dug it out, and Scott’s name zipped across the screen.

  “Go ahead and answer. I’ll start going through the book.” Georgia veered off to the bench beside a drug store.

  I tapped answer. “Hi.”

  “Talk.”

  “You might have to cover for us if anyone reports a break-in at Georgia’s house.” I glanced at Georgia. “We found a book. On our way to you now.”

  “Keep your eyes open, remember.”

  “On it.” I pressed end and scanned the deserted streets. Scents of donuts and coffee from the bakery at the end of the block whispered along the breeze. The bright morning sun was the only thing dotting the blue sky. But what I liked most…no Coats.

  “I found something.” Georgia’s voice sent a jolt of fear right through my chest, and I had to cough to catch my breath.

  I slumped onto the bench next to her. She held up a disc of some sort. “That was in the book?”

  She nodded. “No writing or anything. Blank pages, then it was in the middle of the book.”

  Clear cover. No label. “Looks like a DVD or CD.”

  “Could be either. But your laptop can play both.” She stood. “Let’s get back to your place and try it.”

  “Great, it’ll probably blow up my laptop.”

  “It’s your turn to risk something. I’m going to get nailed for breaking into the safe. So there.” She stuck out her tongue.

  We bolted to the apartment and found Scott sitting at the kitchen table. I held up the disc and waved him to follow us to my bedroom.

  I sat on my desk chair, Georgia dragged another next to me, and Scott hovered behind us tugging at his bottom lip. My sweaty, shaky finger pushed the disk into the drive. I couldn’t catch my breath no matter how much air I gasped.

  After a few clanks and a couple clicks, an icon popped on my desktop. No name. Only a white circle. I double-clicked it, and a message came up on the screen: ENTER PASSWORD.

  I seriously wanted to punch something. Answers so close and the dumb computer asked for a password? What password?

  “No.” Georgia flipped through the book. “There’s nothing in here.”

  “Try Georgia’s name,” Scott said.

  I typed it in, then tried her birthday, then her mom’s birthday. After the third entry, an error message flashed, stating we’d entered too many incorrect answers and had been locked out.

  “Like we weren’t locked out before.” I threw my hands up in surrender.

  Georgia looked at my brother. “Now what?”

  “We’ve got to hack through it somehow,” Scott said

  “How? My level of expertise on the computer is limited to Twitter, Facebook, and downloading music.”

  “Mine, too.” Georgia slouched into the chair.

  “I know how to run the register and my phone, that’s about it for me.” Scott dropped onto my bed. “Damn it.”

  I looked at him.

  “Sorry.”

  “It’s okay. Even Georgia’s dropping swear words.” I flicked her shoulder.

  “I think the last twelve hours have merited my foul language.”

  “Who do we know that can help?” I asked. “There’s got to be someone at school. Some computer geek or something.”

  “Probably, but then they’d know what’s up if they read the contents,” Scott said.
<
br />   “If it even holds anything.” I shook my head. “It could be a worthless piece of crap for all we know. Might be a list of your mom’s real estate deals.”

  Georgia sat straight and pointed at me. “Hey, wait. You know who knows computers?”

  “Don’t even say Zach does.” What were the chances?

  “He totally does. Well, I’m not sure if he knows how to hack into things, but a couple of years ago he got busted for something with computers. I heard he sent a nasty message to someone at school. Rumor was that he sent it anonymously, but he got caught because someone ratted him out.”

  “He did?” Man, he was a devious little bugger. Why did that make me like him more?

  Georgia gestured to the laptop. “If he knew how to do that, maybe he knows about this stuff?”

  Both Scott and Georgia looked at me with pleading eyes. “I don’t know, guys. He might find out about us.” I pushed my chair away from the desk. The room suddenly closed in around me.

  This was getting too complicated. Too many people getting thrown into the equation, and they could get hurt.

  Or worse.

  “Maybe we’ll be able to trust him if he does see something,” Scott said. “Dad knew about Mom. He helped her.”

  “Or, Zach could tell everyone, and we’ll have to leave, yet again. I don’t want to leave. Georgia’s here.” I didn’t say the words, but Zach was here, too. That guy was rocking my world right now, and I didn’t want to mess that up. Then again, I didn’t want to get him killed, either.

  “I’d go with you if someone found us out and we had to leave.” Georgia fingered her newly tinted bangs. “We’re in this together. You came to this crappy little town and into my life for some reason. And look, we’re the same.”

  “But opposite. You’re fire, I’m ice.” A smile claimed my face. “Fire and Ice. Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”

  She nodded. “So does Kelvin and Blaze.”

  “Nice,” Scott said, then looked at me. “What’s the plan?”

  “Looks like I’m going on a little hike with Zach.”

  CHAPTER 16

  “I’m glad you called,” Zach said, as we meandered along the packed-dirt trail. “I was starting to wonder if you were going to bail again.”

  “I wasn’t bailing. Needed some chick time with my girl.”

  He raised his hands in surrender. “Can’t get in the way of that. I have two sisters. I know what that’s like.”

  A breeze tousled his chestnut hair and carried a hint of his spicy scent. I glanced around the foliage surrounding us. Satisfied we were safe, I asked, “Two sisters, huh? Yikes.”

  “Tell me about it.” He laughed as he snatched up my hand.

  “So, I’m curious, what landed you in detention last week?”

  “Oh, nothing. Just messing around.” He kicked a small rock from the path. It clattered through some leaves off to the side of the trail.

  The sounds brought me back to when Georgia and I stomped through here. And right into the memory of the Coats I’d killed not so far from where we were walking.

  The thought tried to chase away the elation I felt being here with Zach, but I stomped it down. Mostly. I wanted to see that field of flowers under different circumstances. Make a great memory with Zach to cancel the nasty one.

  “What do you mean messing around?”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “Sure it does. Heck, if you were messing around with Miss Samantha Jones down in the Janitor’s Closet—”

  “Hey. I told you she—”

  “Got to give me something, Zach.” I shrugged.

  His shoulders slumped.

  Was he hiding something? I stopped and crossed my arms over my chest. “Come on man, what’s the deal? I ask one little question, and you get all squirrely on me. What’s up with that?”

  I was probably the most paranoid person on the planet, but I kind of had the right to be considering my circumstances. And Zach was being all evasive about one silly question.

  “I’m sorry. You’re right. I’m just not used to being myself around people. Well, around girls.”

  “And why is that, exactly?”

  “Small town. Everyone’s all up in your business. How far have you gone with her? Are you dating her? Oh, you should date so and so, she’ll make a good wife. Crap like that.” He shrugged. “And the girls at school. They’re looking for someone to latch onto. They want to get married, have babies, and live here forever.”

  “And you don’t.”

  “Right. The chicks here are nuts. That’s why you’re so refreshing.”

  I motioned him to lead on, satisfied—for now—with his answer. What he’d said made sense.

  The trail narrowed, so I hiked close behind him. Not a bad view at all, considering how his cargo shorts hugged his firm butt.

  Though it didn’t help with the concentration.

  The front of my tennis shoe caught on a rock, and I lurched forward, palming Zach’s lower back to keep myself vertical. Good thing he was a big, strong guy. Maybe I’d accidentally fall again real quick here.

  “Go on. I want to know what you got nailed for.” Maybe it was computer related and he really was our guy.

  “I was late to gym, and when Teach went on about the athletes at this school getting to do whatever they wanted, I got pissed and let a few choice words slip.”

  “You rebel.” The side of my left foot clipped a rock—totally an accident. I nearly rolled my ankle. Maybe hiking wasn’t such a good thing for me.

  “The janitor, Jess, he’s my cousin, like, ten times removed through marriage. I forget. Anyway, he rigged his computer to get outside the school network, and we were playing a game over lunch. I spaced the time.”

  The path widened, and we hiked side-by-side again. “And those choice words you let out, would they be bleeped on prime time TV?”

  “Maybe one or two.” He shook his head.

  “And you were gaming on Jess’s computer?” I let out a chuckle. “Is that what you were going to ask me to do when you tried to bring me to the closet?”

  “Maybe.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Or not.”

  “Pretty bold to pick that as your first adventure with me considering you’d never spoken to me before.”

  “Figured you’d be up for the challenge.”

  “You’re so not what I thought. You come across as this big-time prep, Mr. Prom King, do-everything-right-kinda-guy.”

  “That’s what everyone expects. Especially my folks. My two older sisters did everything right. I guess I’m supposed to as well.” He let out a breath. “Gets tiring sometimes, you know? Living up to what everyone else wants.”

  I nodded. Made sense. And how cool was it that Zach was totally opening up to me.

  If only I could, too.

  “We’re almost there.” He took hold of my hand.

  Hopefully it wasn’t sweaty. Had I just wiped my forehead? He didn’t seem disgusted, so I must not have.

  “Georgia told me about something you did a couple of years ago. I’m curious—”

  “Tell me more about you first.”

  “What do you want to know?”

  “Everything.”

  “Boy, you really do have sisters. I thought guys weren’t into talking. Thought they just grunted a lot and scratched.”

  His mouth dropped open. “I can’t believe you said that.”

  “You like me for my honesty, right?” I laughed.

  “Definitely.” He tugged me through the last of the trees. The noon sun kissed my skin. Blooming yellow flowers covered an open space the size of a football field. Honey-filled air tickled my nostrils.

  “Wow.” Oh yeah, Mom and Dad would have loved this place. We would have brought a blanket and basket and spent most of the day here. Dad and I playing Frisbee. Listening to music or watching a movie on the computer together.

  That was our thing.

  “You haven’t been here to hang, have you?” Zach’s
voice broke through my imagination.

  “Besides the adventure with Georgia the other day, I’ve never been here.

  He released his hold on me, and the backpack slid off his shoulder, then he sat on the ground, legs crossed. “I haven’t been here in a while. Forgot how cool it is.”

  I squatted and picked a couple of yellow flowers, then grazed their silky petals against my nose. Man, they smelled good. Like a rose but with a hint of vanilla. Hopefully, I could remember how to get here on my own when I needed some me-time.

  Or maybe Georgia and I could come here to practice her new power. If any Coats were to show up, this would be the place to take care of them. No witnesses.

  I glanced around, specifically in the direction of where I’d handled the jerks the other day.

  “So, tell me more about you, Smith,” he said as he dug out a blanket from his bag.

  “Not much to tell.” I picked another flower, then stood, taking in the scenery again. It felt like I was in a dream. Places like this didn’t really exist in my world. I half expected a crowd of Coats to creep into the edge of my vision.

  He settled on the blanket and patted the space beside him. “You said your parents died in an accident.”

  I sat next to him and leaned back, facing the sun, almost like I needed the energy or something. Stay calm. “They were killed in a car crash four years ago. Scott raised me.”

  “Jeez.”

  “What about your parents?”

  “Dad owns the garage on Main Street. Mom’s a secretary at the medical clinic on 4th Street.”

  “Cool.”

  “Smoothies?”

  I laughed. “It’s Scott’s thing. I’m only along for the ride.”

  “College?”

  “Naw. But you’re going to run track for State, right? So, you’re heading out in the fall.”

  “I guess.”

  “Please, calm down. Your excitement is overwhelming.”

  “Not sure I want to go, to tell you the truth. I want to because it gets me out of Trifle. But it’s where my dad went, my mom, my two sisters…I’d rather go to some place in Colorado or somewhere cool like that.”

  “Lived there for a while once. Cold, but pretty.”

  “You’ve been around.”

  “Scott can’t make up his mind where he wants to live.” More lies to add to the volumes already told.