by K. A. Poe
“So ... we’re just going to have Thanksgiving dinner and pretend nothing has happened or changed ...?
He frowned, his chocolate-brown eyes darkening. “I don’t think any of us can do that. We have to live with the mistakes that have been made, whether they are our own or someone else’s.”
I thought about it, about the possibility of attempting to have a normal holiday dinner with my family. I had never had one with my real mom, and now that I thought of it I kind of did want her with me for Thanksgiving. How would Eila feel about that? Had she recuperated enough to be comfortable with me maybe inviting her? Would I be able to invite my Clan friends, and if I did, would they be welcome?
“And Uncle Mitch?” I asked finally.
Jason laughed, knowing where I was going. “Don’t worry. He’ll be there, sweet potato casserole and all.”
I grinned and laughed. I’d been dreading the thought of Thanksgiving ever since Serena mentioned it that morning, but I was beginning to relax and long for the normalcy of it all. Jason stood up and I followed suit, unsure why he was standing, but I guessed he was about to leave. Before I had a chance to question him, he pulled me forward and hugged me close against him. I laid my head against his chest and felt the warmth of his lips upon my forehead. “I’ve missed you, Madison,” he said in a quiet, almost pained tone. “Blood or not, you’re still my daughter.”
“I missed you too ... Dad.”
He pulled away quickly, almost seeming embarrassed by the display of emotions and affection. He straightened up, cleared his throat, and smiled. “I’ve got to be on shift in about ten minutes, give or take ... so I should be heading out.”
“Oh, right. How’s the new job going?”
“Really good,” he said and smiled. I was relieved to see him looking so happy. “Busy. Stuck on the evening shift since that is when most people come in.”
“That’s good.”
“I’m glad to finally be back at it, though,” he said and smiled again as he headed for the door. He turned the handle then looked back at me. “Listen, you stay safe, okay? I know all of this witch and vampire stuff seems harmless or impossible, even when you’re right in the thick of it … trust me, I know. I mean, I know that you know it’s real, but until you lose someone …”
All I could do was nod mutely.
“Love you, Madison. Bye.” He left and shut the door behind him.
I stumbled over to my bed and crashed onto the mattress, reflecting on just how crazy the reality of my life really was. Witches, vampires, and who knows what else, the damaged marriage of my adoptive parents, Mathias ...
Mathias.
My heart ached at the thought of him. He was being confined to his room, essentially under house arrest and being refused visitors while I was out here kissing Alan …
I wondered where he was. Had Mom caught him in here, or had he slipped away unseen? If Mom had seen him, she hadn’t commented on it or shown any evidence of it on her face. But maybe she’d been waiting until Jason left. If so, I was dreading hearing her opinion.
I shook my head at the thoughts. I was going to break the ‘no visitor’ rule for Mathias. I needed to see him, to know that he was okay, and that he knew I hadn’t forgotten about him. I’d sent him some texts on and off throughout the school day but never got any answers; I told myself that he must have been resting or his phone had been confiscated, but I feared for the worst.
After downing a quick meal, I set off down the hall in search of Mathias’s room. I was afraid that the door would be locked and I wouldn’t be able to get in, or that Tobias would be in there watching his every move and forcing out any intruders.
As I walked down the hall, I thought about my mom — about how I had misjudged her actions. She wasn’t sleeping with Jason, and she didn’t seem to be dating him, either. It was difficult to know for sure, though. I knew, without really knowing exactly, what she was going through. She was lost without Salem … my real father, and Jason was the obvious person to go to. He loved her, and she loved him. Maybe not in the same way, but there was some chemistry between them. It was no surprise that they’d been best friends for so long, and that he’d fallen in love with her.
Then I thought of Serena. I shouldn’t have been so harsh on her this morning. She deserved to be happy after all that she’d been through; regardless if the person providing the happiness was Noah. It seemed like we’d drifted apart a little since she moved into the motel, but I knew that she wasn’t avoiding me, and I wasn’t avoiding her — at least not intentionally. She had a lot going on, and so did I.
Finally, as I neared Mathias’s room, I thought of my aunt. She had been the one that brought me into this world of magic and mystery, yet she failed to fill me in on things that would be vital to helping me. I had a feeling she knew about the Telekinesis gift, and possibly even why I was able to attain it, but refused to tell me. Somehow she expected me to figure all of this out on my own, without any help on her side.
With a shaky breath, I wrapped my fingers around the doorknob of Mathias’s room. I twisted it and it clicked open without resistance. When I peered through the crack in the door, I saw only one person in the room — the silver-haired boy I’d met on Halloween night. The boy who had saved me on more than one occasion.
“Mathias?” I said as I pushed the door further open.
He was lying flat on his back, eyes transfixed on the blank ceiling. The force field around him was barely visible, translucent like a bubble but firm and impenetrable like thick glass.
“Madison,” he said in a weak voice. His head turned slowly in my direction and I gasped loudly, slapping my hand against my mouth.
The bones in his cheeks were prominent and visible as if his skin were becoming translucent; his eyes were sunken and underlined in purple. He looked like a fragile porcelain doll. I shuddered and stepped closer until I was right up against the surface of the barrier.
“You look ...” I paused. “You probably know how you look.”
“Like death, I suspect,” he said with a forced smile. His eyes were liquid pools of silver, staring at me and beckoning me to come nearer, but I couldn’t. “You’re lucky Tobias stepped out for a drink.”
“How do you feel?” I asked, pressing my hand against the cool exterior of the shield.
“I feel like I look,” he said with sigh. “And bored out of my mind. There is only so much one can do when bedridden.”
“I’ve tried texting you ...”
He smiled faintly. “Thank you ... but Tobias has kindly left my phone on the other side. Probably afraid you would try to text me to come save you or something and I would use up all my remaining energy to attempt to force myself through this shield.”
I eyed the device on the table beside his bed, which was not in the force field.
“How are you, though? I heard —” He coughed and winced, gripping the sheets tightly as his body shook.
“Mathias —”
“I’m fine,” he said and shut his eyes, a tear trickling slowly down his pallid cheek. “I heard that you’re gifted even more than previously thought.”
Once he said that, I had an idea. Maybe the force field was impenetrable by people, but what about magic? My eyes were once again on the phone and I pictured it clearly in my mind, hovering above the table and towards Mathias. With a pleased grin, I watched it float upward and for a moment I was sure it would pass through. To my dismay, it smacked into the barrier, then fell with a loud thud beside my foot on the floor. Of course the shield would have prevented magic from going through it — that was its sole purpose. I sighed and picked the phone up, wishing I could just hand it over to him. I set it back on the nightstand.
He looked up at me in disbelief and awe. “It’s true, then?”
“Yes,” I said with a confident grin, despite my failed attempt.
He began to cough again. His body contorted as he rose then slammed back into the bed.
“Mathias!”
; Chapter Twenty-Three
Again he rose. A hand flew out and smacked hard into the force field. His body began to fade as if shimmering, then came back. As sudden as the fit had come, he was still.
“Mathias ...? Please…”
“I-I’m alright.”
“No, no you’re not!” I slapped the impenetrable bubble forcefully. “Damn it!” I couldn’t even go inside to comfort him as he lay in pain. “Artemis … has he figured anything out yet? Has he told you anything?”
He shook his head. “No. Not yet. I’ve not even seen him in a day or two ... maybe more, maybe less. Time sort of blends together when you’re in solitary confinement.”
“I’m going to find the answers myself, then.”
“No,” he said firmly. “Artemis knows what he is doing and he told you not to get involved for a reason.”
“Ugh! Of all people, I thought you’d agree with me — you’re the one laying here … laying here dying!”
“Madison. Just leave it alone,” he said as he tried to sit up. A shudder of pain slipped between his lips and he fell back against the mattress again, his body seemed to waver again for a second.
“I can’t just sit around and watch you waste away, watch you disappear. I’m going to find out something, whether you or Artemis or anyone else agrees or not!”
“W-wait,” Mathias choked out in protest, but I was already turned around and shutting the door behind me.
Once outside, I leaned against the wooden door and shut my eyes tightly; tears streamed down my cheeks. Regret and guilt swelled inside me. The way I’d spoken to him … I was supposed to be making him feel better, not worse. Deep down, I knew that I was right, though; I had to do something … anything. But I didn’t know what.
I left my spot and headed for my room. As I stepped into the lobby on my way, I was unsurprised to find Noah in there — why was it that he always seemed to be in the lobby? Maybe it was the huge TV, the video game systems … I had no idea. But there he was with his feet propped up on the coffee table and remote in hand. I tried to turn around and head back down the hall, but he must have heard me or sensed my presence.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, looking over his shoulder at me.
I stuffed my hands in my pockets and glanced at the TV screen — something animated and flashy was playing on the screen. “I … shouldn’t you be off somewhere chasing my friend around and drooling?”
He scowled then shrugged as I came around from behind the couch to where I could see him clearly. He had a calm exterior now. “She left.”
“Left? Where did she go?”
Noah looked around me at the TV and lifted his shoulders once more. “Dunno. She said she had to go meet someone.”
“Zach,” I stated simply.
His eyes narrowed and the scowl returned, then he quickly composed himself again. “So, are you going to tell me what’s wrong or what?” he asked.
Huffing, I said, “You know what’s going on with Mathias, right?”
“He’s practically my brother, of course I know.”
“Well … Artemis is supposed to be looking for a cure or something. I don’t know what exactly … but it’s been days and he hasn’t said or done anything yet. He’s just letting Mathias die!”
Noah shook his head and muted the TV. I was shocked that he was paying attention to my problems at all. “He won’t let Mathias die, trust me. He’s always been his favorite.”
And I knew exactly why that was, but I wasn’t about to tell him that. It wasn’t my place to say anything …
“Not that he’d let any of us die, though, favorites or not. What did Artemis say he was looking for?”
I shook my head and sighed, sitting on the sectional and staring down at my feet. “I don’t know. He hasn’t said much of anything … just that he didn’t think this was true or possible, that he didn’t think it could happen. He said that there aren’t many Shimmerers alive today because of … whatever it is. He said he only knows of two witches with the ability.”
“Just two?” He seemed intrigued.
“Yeah.”
Noah rubbed his chin, where slight stubble had grown. “Well, if that’s true … I know where number two is.”
I nearly leapt to my feet, but kept myself steady. Of all the places I thought of to look for help or answers, Noah was last on my list. “Are you serious?”
Noah looked amused. “What? You think I’m just all good looks and nothing else?”
He smiled, but I only rolled my eyes in response.
“Well … where is this person, then?” I asked, unsure if he was being serious any more or not. And even if he was, knowing my luck, it was likely someone too far away for it to matter.
“You won’t like the answer.”
“Why?”
He looked me straight in the eyes and said, “He’s a Nefastus.”
“A Nefastus …? Are you sure?” My fingers anxiously searched for something to tug at, but the material of the couch cushion beneath me wasn’t grippable.
He nodded. “One hundred percent.”
“How do you know?”
A shrug. “I just know. I’ve seen him.”
“You’ve seen him?” I asked dubiously.
“That’s what I said, wasn’t it? Look, all I know is that there is a Nefastus guy with that same power and he is old, well, not old, but older. Way older than Mathias, anyway. Probably old enough to be his dad.”
A thought suddenly crept into my mind — what if this guy was his dad? Was that possible? It would explain why Artemis was trying so hard to keep Mathias safe, and what he was afraid of. I dismissed the thought for the time being.
“And he didn’t look sick the last time I saw him,” he added.
I arched a brow in his direction. “The last time you saw him? And when was that?”
He looked slightly uncomfortable. “I don’t know … a while.”
“And how does that help me or Mathias at all?”
“Well, it lets you know that it is curable … or preventable, at least.”
“Yeah, but that still doesn’t help. I can’t very well just walk up to their place and start asking questions or favors.”
“Well, you could,” he said.
I laughed darkly and shook my head. “Sure, if I wanted to get myself killed! I wouldn’t even know the first place to look for them, anyway.”
“Just because there are witches that choose the other Clan over ours doesn’t necessarily make them all evil killers.”
“Every single one of them I’ve met has tried to kill me.”
“Well, it’s like I said … that’s all I know. There is another Shimmerer, older, and definitely not dying, and he is with the Nefastus. Don’t know what you can do with that, but there you go.” He looked at the windows as if thinking about something. “I’ve got to go.”
“Wait, where are you going? Is that all you know?” I asked in surprise.
“Out. And yeah.” He set the remote aside and stood up, glanced at me one final time, and went through the front door.
Frustrated and once again at a loss, I finally made it to my room. When I opened the door, I wasn’t entirely surprised to see my mom was missing. For the briefest of moments, I thought that it was a waste having gotten her out of Littlehaven, that she barely made any time for me in her life, and it was like she wasn’t even around at all. I instantly regretted the thought and tried to force it away.
I stepped further into my room and spotted my backpack leaning against the side of my bed, slumped over and bloated with books. Groaning, I wished I could do some old-fashioned magic and make them disappear … but I knew that I needed to catch up in order to make it through the rest of the school year without failing. First, I needed to eat, though, then there’d be time for schoolwork. Instead of summoning up a pizza, I decided I would order a fresh one and share it with whomever I might find in the lobby. It was the most self-convincing way to continue procrastinating the work.
Elijah and Forrest were in the lobby alone, Elijah with his head resting against Forrest’s shoulder. I cleared my throat as I entered the room so that my presence was known and they both looked over at me in surprise. Iris came in soon after, looking exhausted and completely out of it — she didn’t stay long, only enough to say that she hoped her practice with me the other day had been worthwhile, and I assured her that it had been. The boys chipped in for pizza — I used what little remained of my last allowance — and we waited for the delivery man to show up, only to get a phone call about fifteen minutes later saying they couldn’t find the address and were parked outside an abandoned motel. The three of us shared a laugh at that, then Forrest ran out to pay him.
Throughout the meal, the TV was turned off, and we sat and talked. Elijah proudly told me the story of when he broke his arm, the same tale that Mathias and Noah had shared with me not long ago. Forrest grimaced the entire time and seemed to lose his appetite, setting down his pizza slice more than once, before returning to it once the subject changed. I asked them how they met, and they said it had been here at Haven. Their decision to date didn’t go over well with either of their families, so they spent most of their time at the motel and avoided people outside of the Clan. I didn’t blame them. If my family had shunned me away for whom I chose to be with, who I loved, I would have done the same.
I asked if that meant they had no plans for Thanksgiving and they’d both given me strange looks. Elijah explained that witches didn’t really celebrate the holidays, not the way that ordinary people do. Some still honored the traditions, but for the most part, they focused on magic and training. They both offered to help me with training for physical fighting sometime, and I said I’d think on it — there was someone else I hoped would be well enough soon to fill the position of my trainer.
Forrest suddenly sat up, gripping at his throat in shock. I thought at first that he was choking or something, until he pulled a radiating red amulet from underneath his shirt. With a frown, he glanced down at Elijah.
“Looks like someone’s in trouble,” Elijah said. “Either that or there’s a Nesfastus nearby.”
