Crushed (14 page)

“Didn’t you finish your homework at Grandma’s house?” Cyndi asked from the doorway of Kristen’s bedroom.

It was late Sunday afternoon. They had returned from San Diego that morning, bright and early. Instinctively knowing what had to be done, Kristen had gone straight to work. Now she glanced up from the dozen or so open books on her bed and explained, “This isn’t homework. I’m trying to find some powerful spells that I can use in case Brittany doesn’t stop attacking me.”

She was also desperately trying to find a reasonable explanation for Zach’s abilities other than the one her grandmother had suggested. Zach couldn’t have killed another person just to become a stronger witch. He wouldn’t do that. She would bet her last dime on it. He was a good person, and she was going to prove it. Unfortunately, she hadn’t found a thing to prove his innocence. According to the books she’d thumbed through, only human sacrifice could give a witch or wizard the ability to transform. Somehow, the books had to be wrong.

“I’ll help you.” Cyndi sat on the opposite edge of the bed and picked up the volume closest to her. “What did I see Grandma Noah shove into your hand before we left the house? I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want Brittany to find out about it, but you can trust me. What was it?”

“This.” Kristen reached into her blouse and pulled out a gold chain with a medallion on the end.

“Is it for protection?”

“Kind of. It’s supposed to enhance my abilities and make them stronger. I should be able to do bigger and better spells now.”

“Don’t let Brittany see it. She’ll want it.”

“That’s why it’s under my shirt. It would defeat the purpose if Britt got her hands on it. I’d be dead within the week.”

Cyndi didn’t argue the point. “Have you tried it out yet?”

“No.” She was actually afraid to use a spell with the magical charm hanging around her neck. What if it fueled her power to the point she couldn’t control it? What if she became more dangerous than Brittany?

Cyndi’s face took on a light of excitement. “Well, do something. Come on. I want to see if it works.”

“Where is Brittany? I don’t want her to walk in and—”

“Don’t worry about her. She left a few minutes after we got home. When I asked where she was going, I got this—” Cyndi stood up straight, changed her expression to one of barely veiled hostility, and did her best Brittany impression. “—FYI, I do have a life outside of you.”

“Stop it. I hate it when you talk like her. You’re too good at it.”

“Thank you. Thank you very much. Now quit stalling and do some magic.”

“Like what? What do you want me to do?”

Cyndi tapped a finger against her chin and gave it some serious thought. A light popped into her eyes. “Well, since you obviously aren’t over Zach, let’s see what he’s doing. Spy on him.”

“That’s impossible.”

“No. It used to be impossible because you didn’t have enough power. Grandma Noah does it sometimes. Go ahead. Try.”

Kristen inhaled deeply. She summoned all of her power into one place and concentrated on Zach. Nothing happened.

She clenched her hands into fists. Straining with the effort, she forgot to breathe this time. Her head began to ache. She released her breath in a frustrated hiss and said, “It isn’t working.”

“Maybe you should hold the charm in your hand.”

Kristen removed the necklace from her throat. She held it like Cyndi told her and tried to do the spell again. It still didn’t work. Her head was beginning to throb painfully, worse with every try. “Oh, forget it. Nothing is going to happen.”

“Do it once more. Please. I think I know what might help.”

Kristen almost told Cyndi to get out of her room and let her rest. Instead, she closed her eyes and forced the image of Zach to the front of her mind. Cyndi reached out and grabbed her hand at the last second. The extra magical connection brought the sound of rushing wind with it. Kristen’s eyes popped open, and she gasped.

There, on her wall, was the most amazing sight. It was almost like watching a giant television. The color was good, brilliant even, and there was incredible sound, as if Zach were in the room with her. Her heart ached, and fresh pain hit her hard at the sight of him, knowing she’d lost him forever.

###

On the other side of town, Zach bent under the hood of his car. He was inside the garage, dismantling the engine. The garage door was up, allowing the bright sunlight to invade even the darkest corners. Too bad it couldn’t drive the darkness from his soul. An image of Kristen came to mind, but he banished it the second it appeared. He would go nuts if he kept thinking about her. It was over. Nothing he could do about it.

“Why are you sad?” Morgan asked from somewhere over his shoulder.

He jumped and struck his head on the hood. His hand went to the wound to check for blood. Turning with a grimace on his face, he bit back the curse words floating around in his mouth. The girl moved like a panther in the jungle. He really should replace the locket around her neck with a bell.

“I’m not sad,” he said.

“You only work on your car when you’re sad. You completely rebuilt the engine when Mom and Dad died. I remember, but I wrote it down, too. I could show you. You only work on your car when you’re sad.”

“Fine. I’m sad. I don’t want to talk about it, okay?”

Morgan’s expression remained impassive. “When I’m sad, you tell me it helps to talk. You make me tell you about it even when I don’t want to. You should talk if you’re sad. It will make you feel better. You make me talk when I’m sad.”

“That’s because when you get sad, you lose control of your powers, and you could hurt somebody.”

Her head tilted to the side, reminding him of a dog upon hearing a strange noise. “Are you sad because you’re stuck taking care of me?”

“No.” Setting the wrench in the open toolbox, he went to his sister. His first response hadn’t sounded a hundred percent positive, so he tried again. It was partly to convince her and partly to convince himself. Sometimes dealing with her was like pushing a giant boulder up a steep incline. Sometimes he resented her, but in the end it came down to one thing—she was his sister, and he loved her.

“Of course I’m not sad because of you.” Hands on hips, he stood directly in front of her. “Why would you ask me something like that?”

“You get sad sometimes because you can’t be normal. You want to do normal things with other kids. You can’t do what they’re doing. It’s because of me. I can’t control my powers. You have to take care of me. I’m sorry I make you sad.”

Guilt and remorse piled on top of the grief at losing Kristen. What was he thinking choosing a girl he’d known only a short time over his sister? First love hurt like hell, but it always ended. If he hadn’t lost her this week, it would have happened at some point down the road. It was probably better to let her go now.

“Don’t worry about me. I couldn’t be normal if I tried. Believe me, me being sad has nothing to do with you.”

Morgan stiffened, and her eyes darkened. “Are you sad because of her? Are you sad because of that girl?”

“Drop it.” He walked back to the car, picked up his wrench, and returned to the engine. Determined to forget Kristen Noah existed, he concentrated every brain cell he had on fixing the car. After he finished this project, he’d find another. Maybe he would take up with a girl at school, someone hot. A few kisses with a pretty girl would help him forget all about Kristen.

###

Was he sad over her?

Kristen tried to memorize everything about him from the way he looked in faded blue jeans to the way he moved his hips while turning the wrench. Her tongue darted out and licked her dry lips. There was no way he could be evil. She didn’t believe it, not for a second. There had to be a reasonable explanation for his dark powers.

Morgan turned cold eyes in their direction as if she’d heard Kristen’s thoughts. She looked straight at Kristen. Those dark eyes, almost black now, pinned her in place. Kristen gasped and stepped backwards. Morgan lifted her hands and flung them in Kristen’s direction. Two things happened simultaneously—the picture died, and the lights went out.

Cyndi shrieked.

It was a good thing it was still light outside or they would have been plunged into darkness.

Kristen put the chain back around her neck and returned to her books, more determined than ever. She had to find a way to prove Zach innocent. But how? There didn’t seem to be anything in the books other than what her grandmother had told her.

“Wow,” Cyndi said. “That was intense. That girl is seriously damaged. If I were you, I’d stay away from her.”

“Morgan has power, too, so it has to be a family thing, right? Even though Grandma Noah said dark powers aren’t inherited, that has to be it. How else would Morgan have them?”

Cyndi shook her head in wonder. “You are completely gaga over this guy. Never thought I’d see the day when Kristen Noah couldn’t think straight over some boy.”

Kristen took a deep breath and admitted it aloud. She needed to tell somebody, and Cyndi was the only one who
might
understand. “I love him.”

“What? Are you crazy? The guy turns into a wolf. I mean, that is kind of cool, and it was ultra-romantic the way he saved you from the owl, but you need to listen to Grandma Noah. He has bad powers for a reason.”

“I can’t help it.” She hugged the book she’d been reading to her chest and stared off into space, daydreaming about a possible future with Zach. “I really, really love him, and I can’t imagine living life without him.”

“Why aren’t you with him, then?” Cyndi asked.

She wanted to call him, ask him to swing by and take her somewhere far, far away where they could be alone without sisters or school or anything else getting in the way. However, there was another problem to consider. She’d seen him accuse her in several dreams. It was bound to happen sooner or later.

Maybe if she stayed away from him she’d be safe.

On the other hand, maybe he was going to ‘out’ her because she’d dumped him. What was she supposed to do when she didn’t know what would lead up to the accusation? No matter what path she chose, it could be the wrong one.

“Did you hear me?” Cyndi asked. “If you love him, why don’t you go get him?”

“It’s not that simple,” she said with a heavy sigh. She returned to her book, saying, “First, I need to find out why he has these powers. Then I’ll work on the other problem.”

With a shrug, Cyndi left, closing the door quietly.

Kristen’s eyes drifted to the phone, and her fingers itched to pick it up. It would be so nice to hear Zach’s voice. How could it possibly hurt just to call him long enough to tell him she wasn’t afraid of him?

The only thing that stopped her from calling was that he might tell her he loved her again. Then what? She couldn’t say it back, not now. Her grandmother insisted Zach was dangerous. She had to stay away from him. A phone call would just invite trouble.

Kristen went to her desk and opened the notebook with her homework inside. She’d finished another essay, three pages of math, and a ten-page research paper at her grandmother’s house. She stared at the blank paper on top and frowned. Hadn’t she set her essay on top? She lifted the first page, the second page, and the third. They were all blank.

Panicking, she tore through the stack. Every single page was blank. Grabbing her workbook, she opened it to the pages she’d completed. They were clean, no flowing cursive in pencil. There was only one explanation.

Someone had used magic to erase her work.
Brittany
? Who else could it be? Kristen had hoped they’d reached a truce, but Brittany was on the war path again. True to form, the girl had lost her mind.

Clutching blank papers in her hands, she screamed.

Monday morning, Kristen decided to take the bus so she wouldn’t have to be in the same car as Brittany. They hadn’t spoken about the homework incident yet. Kristen had fought the urge to confront her sister at home, not wanting to risk their dad overhearing. No doubt, it was going to be a loud conversation. Once the twins had left the house, she hurried down the sidewalk, heading for the bus stop.

Public transportation got a bad rap sometimes, but it sure came in handy when you lost the use of your car. Unfortunately, she’d picked a bad day to walk to the bus stop. When she’d told Cyndi that she and Britt could take the car, she hadn’t considered how much she was going to have to carry. There were two textbooks, three notebooks, and a couple of library books, not to mention her large purse.

If she didn’t move fast, she was going to miss the bus. She stumbled down the sidewalk while trying to juggle everything. The bus was going to show any minute, and she wasn’t even halfway there yet. Then she’d have to wait several minutes for the next one. She’d be late to class.

While groaning over her current plight, she lost her grip on a couple of items. When one thing fell, everything began to fall. She gave up and let them go. The stuff landed on the sidewalk in a messy heap. At least she hadn’t been carrying anything breakable—she was grateful for that small concession. She hunched down to retrieve her belongings. Focused on her task, she didn’t hear the soft footsteps approaching.

She recognized the boots on sight. Keeping her eyes lowered, she continued to retrieve her things as she wondered what in the world she was going to say to him.

Zach spoke first. “Cyndi told me you were taking the bus.”

Good old Cyndi. Kristen silently fumed. Her sister was trying to play matchmaker even though she knew how badly Kristen wanted to avoid Zach. Now he was hovering over her on a near-empty street. Before she could stop him, he hunched down and started picking her books up for her.

“I’ve got it,” she said, but he continued to grab stuff. With a louder voice and more force, she repeated, “I’ve got it!”

“I need to talk to you.”

The sound of his voice brought her gaze up to meet his. His blue eyes locked on hers. They pleaded for her to listen and understand even before he verbalized the desire. The actual words were lost on her because she was busy trying to think of a clever way to avoid the conversation.

“I’m going to miss the bus,” she said.

“I’m driving you to school today.”

It was a statement, not a question. He gestured to the car she hadn’t seen pull up to the curb. The black sports car brought back a bad memory, the last time she’d talked to him, the day she’d discovered he wasn’t an innocent boy under her spell.

“No, thank you,” she mumbled.

“I know you don’t want to be late for class. Stop being so stubborn, and let me give you a ride.”

Giving in was easier than she’d imagined. In truth, she wanted to be with him for as long as possible before the inevitable separation. She allowed him to carry her books to the car and open the door for her so she could slide into the warm interior. He handed her stuff to her before shutting the door and running around the front to get in beside her. He moved fast, as if afraid she might bolt the second he turned his back.

Without saying another word to her, he whipped out onto the road. She twisted her fingers while searching for something to say. Her brain refused to cooperate. How could she talk when she could barely breathe?

Zach spoke first. “You do know that I wouldn’t hurt you, right? Tell me you’ve learned that much about me?”

“Yes.”

“Good. At least that’s something.”

They pulled into the parking lot, and Zach picked the furthest spot from the school. He did it on purpose, and they both knew it. He was trying to fix it so she would have to talk to him. She reached for the door handle, but he intercepted her hand. His skin was hot, slightly rough.

She forgot to breathe again.

One word from him, the right word, and she would be in his arms in a flash. She wasn’t sure what that word was, but she had a bad feeling it existed. Imagining her insides were made of steel, she sat quietly and listened to him. Her hands clutched the books until her fingers were sore. In her head, she repeated two phrases—
I am strong. I will not give into him. I am strong. I will not give into him.

“Sorry,” he said, moving his hand as if the contact had burned him as well. “Even though you may not care anymore, and it might not make a difference to you now, I want to tell you the truth about Morgan.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I know. I want to, but not here. There’s not enough time. It’s kind of complicated—my life story, I mean. Meet me out here at lunch.”

“Can’t we talk in the cafeteria?”

“Sure, and have everyone hear the details of my life as a witch? I don’t think that would be a very good idea.”

She gave in because she just wanted to put some distance between them before she jumped into his arms and kissed him like there wasn’t going to be a tomorrow. She blurted out, “Okay. I’ll see you later.”

He let her get out of the car, but his eyes remained glued to her backside. She felt his gaze burning holes through her thin cotton blouse. Apparently, he wasn’t going to attend classes today. Either that or he wanted to be late. He could probably smile and charm the teacher, whoever it was, into letting him slide.

Zach Bevian could talk anyone into anything.

That’s why she needed to be careful.

###

Since they made it to school a few minutes before classes were scheduled to start, Kristen went to the gymnasium. She had a hunch about whom she would find there.

Sure enough, Brittany was throwing basketballs into the hoop while twelve boys pretended they were trying to block her. She laughed as she darted around two of them and tried to make a basket. The ball hit the rim and bounced off. One of the boys leaped up and hit it into the basket for her.

Kristen went straight up to Brittany and pushed her with two flat hands against her chest. Brittany tossed the ball to the side. She pushed back.

The boys surrounded them in a large circle, watching in silence. Not one of them attempted to intervene. Barely paying attention to them, Kristen didn’t notice they were acting strange.

“What is your trauma now?” Brittany shouted.

“Did you do it?”

“OMG! You need a shrink.” Brittany lifted her hands up in mock surrender. “What is it you think I did this time?”

Hands on hips, Kristen fought the headache that was threatening to override her other senses. “My homework disappeared.”

“Your homework is gone?” Brittany laughed as if she’d heard the funniest joke of her life. “Wish I’d thought of it.”

“So it’s just a coincidence that you keep threatening me and now my homework is blank?”

Brittany shrugged. One of the boys handed her the discarded basketball, and she took it. Passing it back and forth between her hands, she said, “I guess Grandma Noah was right. There’s a new witch in town. Leave it to you to piss the girl off before we’re even introduced.”

“I don’t believe you.” Kristen shook her head slowly and took a step in her sister’s direction. “You’re lying.”

“I always take credit for my work. Anyway, maybe it was your idiot boyfriend. If he can change into a wolf, he can certainly make homework go bye-bye.”

Kristen gasped, taken by surprise at Brittany’s blatantly open comment in front of the twelve boys. Was the girl trying to get them accused of being witches?

“Boys,” Brittany said to the guys around her, “show my sister how to play dodgeball.”

Kristen frowned. “What?”

Basketballs flew at her from every direction. One struck her in the knee and another caught her on the shoulder. Fierce scowls focused on her. Without an ounce of compassion or a strand of hesitation, the boys continued to fire balls at her. They threw them hard, using all of their strength and determination to hurt her while Brittany watched with a satisfied smirk.

“Enough!” Kristen roared.

The twelve boys flew backwards along with Brittany. They landed hard several feet from where they’d been standing. A few of them slid on the slippery gymnasium floor. The balls shot in the other direction, too, as if fired from a cannon.

Stunned, Kristen swallowed while staring at the prone bodies.

She hadn’t meant to launch an attack.

The boys jumped to their feet, and a few of them helped Brittany up. Every single boy asked her if she was okay. No longer smirking, she stared at Kristen with wide eyes and a slack mouth.

Before her sister could start asking questions, Kristen ran out. She hurried to her locker, her entire body shaking in the aftermath of what could have been a disaster. Two truths hit her at the same time—those boys had been crushed, and the medallion had to go.

It was far too powerful. Someone could have been seriously hurt. Protecting herself wasn’t worth the risk to the people around her. She hadn’t even been thinking of a spell when she’d knocked everyone down. Imagine what could have happened if she’d actually mumbled something.

She opened her locker and threw the medallion inside. As soon as she could, she’d return it to her grandmother. Until then, it would be safe in her locker. The last thing the world needed was for Brittany to get her hands on it. That girl was already totally out of control.

###

Kristen and Zach were in the parking lot at lunchtime when the car windows exploded around them. It had started out like any other normal afternoon, kids going to their cars, leaving school grounds in favor of local fast food places. No one had any idea what was about to happen.

Against her better judgment, Kristen had gone outside to meet with him. His car was gone. She didn’t have to ask him what he’d been doing while she was in her classes. He’d driven home and exchanged the car for the bike. Possible reasons sprang to mind. The one that worried her the most was that he knew how irresistible he looked on the bike—the rebellious boy mothers always warned their daughters about, the untamed heart of a wild boy with a good streak deep down.

He was sitting sideways on his motorcycle, legs crossed at the ankles. If the bike tipped in the other direction, he would fall, but he didn’t seem worried. An easy grin appeared on his gorgeous face when he saw her. She had to work hard not to return it.

“Okay,” she said, “I’m here. What did you want to say to me?”

His smile faltered, and his eyes darted around the parking lot. “Maybe we should take this conversation somewhere more private.”

“I am not going anywhere with you. Say what you have to say, or I’m going back inside.”

“You aren’t going to make this easy on me, are you?” His shoulders slumped. Standing, he leaned close and whispered, “My sister and I come from Maine. We were born with powers, just like you, but unlike you, my sister was ill and couldn’t control them. She was easy prey for a strong hand and a flattering voice.

“There was this guy who used to work for my parents, a gardener. We didn’t know he was actually a warlock. He’d heard about my sister and figured he could talk her into anything. He gave her a book with powerful dark magic inside, a book that had been hidden from generations of witches.”

With a heavy sigh, Zach turned and took a few steps away from her.

Kristen walked up behind him, wanting to hear the rest. “What did she do?”

“She killed our parents.”

The words were softly spoken, and Kristen wondered if she’d heard him right. Before she could ask him to repeat it, all hell broke loose.

Several car windows exploded simultaneously. Kristen screamed. Glass flew in all directions like sharp rain in a violent thunderstorm. It happened so fast that neither Kristen nor Zach knew what was going on. She tried to duck, but Zach spun around and grabbed her by the shoulders. Before she could guess what he was up to, they were spinning in dizzy circles again, flying through a black universe.

He had made them disappear again.

Kristen clung to him, scared to death of where they would wind up. Even if there was time for her to ask if he had a plan, if he knew where they were going, she didn’t have the breath left in her body to force the words out. She squeezed her eyes shut and prayed they wouldn’t land in a worse situation than the one he’d rescued them from.