Cinderella Complex (18 page)

The girl cried out in anguish as the villagers stepped forward and laid hands on her. My heart shuddered with every step, knowing how badly it jostled the little one.

They carried her into the house. Once inside the cramped space, they laid her onto a table. I had no idea what to do. I wasn't a nurse. In fact, I barely knew how to put on a Band-Aid. Everyone stood watching me.

I cleared my throat. “We need to get the clothes off, then cleanse the wounds as best we can without causing further damage.”

Two older woman set to work while I brushed tears from my eyes. Why would someone do this to a toddler? It made no sense. I put a kettle of water on to boil, then summoned my wand. I closed my eyes. Please let this work. I conjured what I hoped was a sleeping potion.

“Have the child drink this.”

The blue-eyed woman nodded. I shoved my sleeves to my elbows and bent over the tiny figure. My fingers trembled as I unscrewed the lid on the salve. I slipped my fingers into the warm gel, then, as carefully as possible, I spread it across the raw flesh.

The child whimpered.

“It's all right, Tamar,” a woman whispered beside me. “The Godmother's taking care of you.”

The salve glowed green as it seeped into the skin. The wounds closed, leaving only scars. Tamar's head lulled to the side. Panic raced through me as I leaned down. Her chest rose and fell in rhythm. Thank God. She'd fallen asleep. I kissed her on top of her head, and watched a crown of flowers appear.

“Will she be all right?” the teary-eyed man asked.

I closed my eyes. A sense of peace came over me. A smile formed on my lips and I opened my eyes. “Yes. She will heal.” I'm not sure how I knew, but the gentle stirring in my gut set me at ease.

I closed the jar of salve and gathered my cloak.

“Thank you, Godmother, I don't know how we'll ever repay you for saving our daughter,” the blue-eyed woman said.

“There's no need for repayment. Just stay safe.”

I left the house and headed down the road. Dusk overtook the night sky. The crickets and birds fell silent. I gazed at the ominous castle in the distance. The spires reminded me of devil horns, the way they pierced the clouds. A shiver ran through my body.
Time to shut the mind off
.
Darkness seemed to seep from the very crevices of the fortress. My lungs burned as if I'd inhaled smoke.

I picked up the pace, leaves crunched beneath my feet. Tar-like silhouettes oozed from the tree line and screams erupted in the night. I watched in horror as a few people were snatched from the road and thrust into a cart lined with bars.

Click-clack-click-clack.

Hooves stomped the ground behind me. I turned in time to see a lone rider. His armor glistened as the moonlight struck it. A black cloak billowed behind him like a gruesome phantom. His hood fell back and dark hair blocked his face, but even through the inky blackness moving in, I saw the glow of his eyes. The raven-like wings protruded from his back. I stood rooted in place. Without a doubt, I knew
he
was the Grimm who'd saved me.

A growl erupted from the sky as two hulking figures swooped toward me. With a scream, I hefted my skirts and dodged into the woods. Twigs and thorns tore at my skin, brandishing me. Something crashed amongst the canopies of leaves above my head, knocking down debris.

I plunged farther into the forest. Leaves skittered at my feet, while holes and roots created unseen obstacles.

Just get back to the cottage
.

Strong arms ensnared me, jerking me behind a tree. A hand covered my mouth before I could scream.

“Shh. Stay quiet, Godmother.” An unfamiliar voice whispered in my ear.

He pressed me against the tree trunk for several long moments. A short whistle sounded. My rescuer loosened his grip.

“Come, let's get you back to the cottage.” In one swift motion, I was lifted and carried through the brambles. When we emerged from the woods, I spotted Jack and Marcus rushing toward me.

The cloaked knight from earlier set me on my feet, then bowed.

“Thank you,” I said.

Jack reached me first. He shook me. “What part of ‘stay in the cottage' don't you understand? Dang it! You could've been killed.”

Marcus stiffened. His gaze focused on the castle in the distance. “Get her inside before
he
sees her.”

I didn't know who the
he
was, but I didn't want to find out. Without any argument, I let Jack lead me into the cottage.

I walked into the kitchen and sank to the floor. What was going on?

Marcus caught Jack's arm. “You mustn't talk to the Godmother so harshly. We are here to protect her.”

Jack jerked his arm back. “She's still my sister.”

From the closet side of the Godmother room, I heard Dad pounding on my bedroom door.

“Let me in right now, Maggie.”

“That's our cue to leave.” I pushed to my feet. With one last glance over my shoulder, I rushed through the closet with Jack on my heels.

My jeans and sweater appeared back in place as I jerked open the door and burst through. Dad stood there, arms crossed. “You two need to apologize to Thorna. You've ruined the whole evening.”

Jack opened his mouth to say something, but I gripped his hand.

“Fine,” I said.

Dad ushered us into the theater room where Thorna sat wiping her eyes with a tissue. Seriously? The woman deserved a flipping Oscar for her role as a home wrecker.

With every bit of energy I had left, I forced myself to say the words. “Thorna, I'm sorry.”

“Sorry,” Jack muttered beside me.

Thorna's thin lips twitched, her eyes glimmered like she'd just won a prize.“Apology accepted. I only want us to be friends. Close friends.”

Her words slithered down my spine. She met my gaze, and all I saw were endless pools of darkness. Thorna was out to destroy our family. And she wouldn't stop until Jack and I were out of the picture.

 

Rain drummed against the library window. I sat next to Kat. While she applied more lip gloss, I ducked down behind my book. Her gaze took in the expanse of the room. “I'm not sure I can go through with telling Connor where I live.”

“Eventually he's going to find out the truth,” I pointed out. “And he'll be way more ticked that you lied.”

Kat scowled. “I'm not lying.”

“No. You're just not telling the truth.”

“Shh…” someone at a nearby table hissed.

Kat rolled her eyes and scooted closer to me. It surprised me. Because the old Kat would've shoved a book down the kid's throat, or any other hole for that matter.

“You need to be yourself. Trust me.”

“Well, it might not even matter.” Kat flipped her auburn hair over her shoulder, then examined her nails. “He didn't even ask me to Homecoming. And I'm beginning to think it might not happen.”

“I'll think of something.” I gathered my books. “I'll catch up with you next period.” How the heck was I supposed to get him to ask her to the dance? It's not like I could wave a magic wand and make him take her. The whole Godmother Law about freewill.

My boot-heels clicked on the floor tiles as I walked through the hall. I stopped at the drinking fountain. The lukewarm water tasted gross. I spat it out. When I stood back up, I noticed the poster advertising the Homecoming dance. I ripped the colored paper from the wall.

Perfect, now I needed to remember his locker number. Connor's locker was easy to spot, with the array of construction paper footballs taped to the door. The cheerleaders obviously believed if they pasted enough “good luck” artwork on the football players' lockers they'd win.

I folded the flyer in half and stood on my tiptoes to slide it into the slot. But before I got it to wedged inside his locker, someone walked up behind me.

“What are you doing?” Seth asked.

I staggered back, my hand over my chest. “Crap, you scared me.”

He grinned, then took the piece of paper from my fingers. His eyebrows rose. “You're putting this in Connor's locker?”

“I'm reminding him of the Homecoming dance.”

His gaze darkened. “You like him?”

“Wait, what?”

“You and Connor?”

“No. This is for Katrina.”

“Then, you're not going with him?” Seth handed the poster back to me.

I smiled. “No—and no one else has asked me either.”

Seth stepped closer and placed his hands on either side of me, framing my face with his arms. He pressed in closer yet, backing me against the lockers. “Is there anyone you want to go with?”

Thump-thump.

My heart pounded so loud, I thought my head might explode. He stood so close. The heat from his body warmed mine. I inhaled his scent, his essence. All I had to do was move an inch closer and our lips would touch.

I wet my lips, my eyes intent on his. “Yeah. There's someone I want to go with.”

“Who?”

“Mr. Charmaigne—this is not the time or the place to play Romeo,” Mrs. Monteray interrupted. “Save it for drama class.”

We jumped apart. My face flared hot.

A smile tugged at Seth's lips. “Later,” he whispered.

Later? Every time he said
later
I ended up going for days without any interaction. My legs quivered like jelly. I didn't know how much more I could take. Seth intoxicated me. Like a drug, he lingered in my blood long after contact.

“There you are.” Jack hurried toward me as I slipped the flyer into Connor's locker. His face went pale, his eyes intense.

“What's wrong?”

“Grimms are swarming the school. We need to get you out of here.”

“Can anyone else see them?”

“They think they're birds.” He gripped my arm, dragging me behind him.

“This will be the second time I've skipped in a week.”

Jack snorted. “It's hardly the minute to worry about a perfect attendance award.”

As we burst into the main lobby, Jack stopped short. His body stiffened and I glanced up to see Thorna, Blythe, and Georgia. Crap. I forgot she said she'd be enrolling the girls in school today.

Thorna's thin lips puckered into a sorry excuse for a smile. “Where are you two going?”

“Off campus for lunch.” Jack's hand tightened around my arm.

She slid off her black leather gloves and dropped them into her handbag. Her gaze never left us. “I thought you totaled your car.”

Take a deep breath.
And lie your butt
off
.
“It is. But Grandma loaned us hers.”

The lunch bell sounded. The corridor flooded with students.

Thorna made a
tsk-tsk
sound. “Were you planning to skip class?” She frowned. “Maybe your dad should know about your extracurricular activities.”

Dang, who let the witch out? I needed to think, and quick. “Sorry, we need to get to class.”

I took a step back, tugging on Jack's arm. A clap of thunder shook the ground. We hurried away from her, and as soon as we turned the corner, we ran.

The lights flickered. From outside, the wail of the wind grew stronger. I thought the building was under attack. I sucked in a lungful of air, but it didn't calm me. Jack led me to one of the side exits. A teacher stepped in front of us, herding the students down the hall.

“Everyone, get back to class!” the teacher hollered.

Up ahead, Kat caught my glance. “Maggie.” Her eyes widened.

“We're coming.” As the crowd moved in our direction, I linked my arm through hers.

“What's going on?” She held me tight, her shoulder bumping into mine.

“Grimms. We need to leave, but the teachers aren't letting us.”

Kat nodded. “The weather service issued a storm warning.”

Just then the loudspeakers crackled to life. “Attention, students. This is Principal Randolf. You are under direct orders to return to your fourth period classes. Everyone is to remain calm. A storm warning has been issued, and we'll be doing early dismissal. I repeat. Report to your fourth period classes.”

Tornado warning alarms sounded and the lights flickered out. Screams echoed throughout the building. Panic consumed the masses as they shoved to get to class. By some miracle, Jack, Katrina, and I managed to stay together. Fear clung to me as I envisioned everything that could hide in the alcoves.

Dim emergency lights flashed on. “Everyone sit down with your head propped between your knees.” A teacher jerked us toward the lockers. “Cover your heads and necks.”

“I don't think it's a tornado,” Jack said from beside me as we slid to the floor, our heads facing the lockers.

My body quaked. Could the Grimms be powerful enough to cause this? I swallowed, hard. If they were, then I had no idea how to fight them off. For the first time, I realized more than Kat's happy ending was at stake. Our very lives hung by a thread.

After thirty minutes of being hunched over, the all-clear sounded. The halls remained swathed in dusky shadows, the power still out. One by one, the teachers walked out of their classrooms to check on everyone.

Once again, the intercom system crackled to life. “This is Principal Randolf. The superintendent called. Everybody is released to go home. Buses are on their way from the bus garage. Students with their own vehicles may leave now. Please take precautions as you make your way home.”

We didn't need any more prodding. I hoped Seth and Taylor were okay. But in the crowd of people, it was too hard to find them. And through the chaos, I wondered where Thorna had disappeared to. Not that I cared about her wellbeing. But her appearance here today was odd.

As we made our way through the halls, I knew this was just a warning. The Grimms must be growing restless. And soon they'd show me the extent of their powers. I only hoped I'd be ready.