Crushed (16 page)

The last time Kristen had voiced her concern that Morgan disliked her, Zach had blown it off, saying she didn’t understand his sister. Back then, he’d believed Morgan wasn’t capable of those types of feelings. Now he wasn’t so sure. A couple times in the past few weeks he’d seen Morgan react in ways he hadn’t thought were possible. Maybe becoming a familiar was slowly changing her and making her better.

Maybe he wouldn’t have to kill her. If she got better and learned to control her powers, it was possible he could hide her from the council indefinitely.

“She doesn’t know you,” he said. “She isn’t good with change. Once the two of you get better acquainted, she’ll love you as much as I do.”

The sound of a chair scraping the floor was followed by running feet and the slamming of the back door.

Zach frowned at Kristen before racing down the hall to the kitchen. He dashed inside with Kristen right behind him. “What’s going on?” he asked. “Was someone in here with you?”

Morgan glanced up from her half-eaten sandwich, eyes wide. Bear was in the chair next to hers. She had a glass of milk in front of her and a glass of apple juice in front of the stuffed animal. Both glasses were nearly empty. Morgan shook her head. “No one was here.”

He stood over her and stared down at the evidence. “Since when does Bear drink apple juice?”

“I give him juice when you aren’t here.”

“Who ran out the back door, Morgan? I heard it slam shut.”

She shrugged, and her eyes dropped to the plate in front of her. She played with her food, picking the corner of the bread apart.

Morgan was lying to him. It made him wonder how many times she’d lied to him in the past. Zach went to the door and opened it. He stuck his head out and looked around, but saw nothing. Something gritty crunched beneath his boot, and he knelt down for a closer look. There was sand on the floor.

Anger building, he asked, “Did you go to the beach again, Morgan, or did your company bring sand in with them?”

Before he could ask her more questions, Kristen pointed at the window and shouted, “Did you see that?”

“What?”

“Long, blonde hair. I’ll be right back.”

Kristen raced by him and out the door. In a few seconds he saw her sprint by the window, chasing whoever it was who’d been visiting Morgan. He thought about running out the front door and trying to trap the visitor between them, but he decided to stick with Morgan and get the answers straight from her.

He left her alone long enough to get her notebook out of the family room. He returned with it and sat in the vacated chair across from his sister. Opening the notebook, he checked every page. There wasn’t anything about visitors or going to the beach or doing anything she shouldn’t be doing. She was using her notebook to lie to him.

“Do you write down everything in here?” He shook the notebook at her.

“Are you mad at me?” she asked, lips trembling.

“Just answer the question. Do you write everything down in here? Everything you do? Everyone you see?”

She shook her head. “I don’t want you to be mad at me, so I write stuff in my other notebook, too.”

He stared at his sister in total disbelief. She was keeping two sets of notebooks, like some bookie laundering money for the mob. Tossing the useless notebook on the table, he said, “Get the other one. I want to see it.”

“Don’t be mad.”

He sighed and rubbed the place between his eyes. “Just get the other notebook. Now.”

Morgan leaped out of her chair. It rocked backwards, ready to fall, but he caught it with one hand as she raced from the room.

Kristen entered a few seconds later, looking confused. Walking over to the table, she sat in Morgan’s empty chair. “Did you get anything out of Morgan?”

He explained about the dummy notebook before asking, “Did you find the intruder?”

“No, but I’m pretty sure I know who it was.”

Brittany. She didn’t have to say the name. Burning acid churned in his stomach at the thought of Kristen’s deranged sister getting her claws into Morgan. It was like the gardener incident all over again. There was no telling what crazy things Brittany was trying to get Morgan to do.

Morgan returned with the notebook. She handed it to him, eyes on the floor, and mumbled, “I’m sorry. Don’t be mad.”

He flipped through the notebook as fast as he could, scanning the pages. When he found what he’d been dreading, he read it aloud to Kristen. “Went for a walk on the beach. Met a nice girl named Cyndi. She has power, too. Her sister doesn’t want her to use her power. Zach doesn’t want me to use mine. We’re friends now. Cyndi told me we’re going to be best friends.”

The entry ended.

“It couldn’t be Cyndi,” Kristen said, her body numb with shock. “Cyndi wouldn’t lie about meeting Morgan. It has to be Brittany using Cyndi’s name.”

He nodded in agreement as he found another damning entry. “Cyndi and I played games using magic today. She is better than me. She told me I need practice. She says I can be as good as her.”

Zach slammed the notebook on the table.

Morgan jumped. “I’m sorry.”

He reached out to touch her, remembered it wasn’t allowed, and drew back his hand. “You need to stay away from
Cyndi.
Promise me you won’t see that girl again. She’s dangerous.”

Kristen glared at him. “My sister isn’t the dangerous one here. You really need to open your eyes before it’s too late. Morgan is deceitful and crazy, and if she has autism, then I’m a frog.”

Hand on her arm, Zach led her from his house like a party crasher being ejected. Once her foot touched the sidewalk, she jerked her arm from his grasp. She understood he was protecting his sister, but he needed to see that girl for the dangerous psychopath she was instead of blaming it on Brittany.

“I think you should leave,” he said, jaw tight.

“Not before I say something.” She confronted him in a head-on collision, an irresistible force meeting an immovable object. “I know you think history is repeating itself and another powerful witch is trying to take advantage of poor, defenseless little Morgan, but that is not what’s happening here. Brittany is not an evil warlock bent on ruling the universe.”

“No. She’s an out-of-control teen without morals, and she wants to use my sister for… what? Revenge? Power? I don’t even want to know. You just keep your crazy sister away from mine. Take care of her, or I will.”

Her mouth dropped open. “What does
that
mean?”

In a deadly serious voice, he said, “I’ll accuse her in public if she doesn’t leave Morgan alone.”

Kristen shook her head, shocked by his attitude. He wouldn’t even listen to her. How was she supposed to get through to him? “Does a familiar have powers over the witch they serve?”

“Not even close. Why?”

“You believe everything that girl says. She lied straight to your face when you asked who was visiting her. Then, once she sees she’s been caught and gives up her second notebook, you believe everything that comes out of her mouth. Does she have power to blind you, or is it guilt because you didn’t stop her from killing your parents?”

“Morgan has the mental capacity of a child. She doesn’t understand things the way we do. Yes, she occasionally tells a lie to save her own butt, just like any kid would, but she doesn’t have it in her to be that deceitful.”

“She’s smart enough to use a fake notebook.”

Zach turned away from her. He walked along the concrete path only to return to her side. His hardened expression didn’t soften in the slightest. Shaking his head at her, he said, “Morgan is my responsibility, and Brittany is yours. Keep that nutcase away from my sister, or I will.”

Kristen’s voice rose in frustration. “Morgan has already killed three people! My sister could steal presents from an orphan on Christmas Eve and still not be as bad as yours. Brittany might be a bitch at times, but she’s not homicidal.”

He pulled a key from his pocket and handed it to her. “Take my car and go. I need to get back to my sister.”

“Yeah, good idea. You’d better keep an eye on that crazy witch before she kills someone else.”

“Don’t worry. I’m going to pack up and leave, and I’ll take Morgan with me. The council could figure out where we are any second. Brittany might even tell them. We’ll be gone in a day or two. Just keep your sister away from her until then.”

The bottom dropped out of her stomach. For a moment, she thought she must have imagined him saying he was leaving. He was going to run away with his sister, no hesitation. Leaving Kristen behind didn’t seem to bother him in the slightest. If he didn’t care, why should she?

She started to leave, but something stopped her. A solitary thought. This might be the last time she ever saw Zach, and she didn’t want to leave things this way. Unshed tears glistened in her eyes. She blinked them away while pushing hard on the metal key’s sharp points until her fingers hurt. Turning slowly, she faced him again.

“So I guess this is it.”

He rocked back on his heels, hands thrust deep into his pockets. “Looks that way.”

“Do you have to leave town? Isn’t there something else you can do?”

“If you’re suggesting I destroy Morgan now, forget about it. I’m not going to kill my sister just so I can hook up.”

“Is that what I am to you? A hookup?”

Zach covered his face with both hands and groaned in frustration. Lowering his hands, he said, “You know I didn’t mean it like that. I don’t want our last conversation to be a fight.”

Last conversation? Kristen could hardly breathe. She was on the verge of losing him forever unless she could convince him to return for her. Forcing a sad little smile, she said, “I’ll miss you.”

He nodded, lips compressed into a single line.

“Will you come back someday?” she asked. “After you have someone accuse you, will you come back?”

“I don’t know.”

A thousand things floated through her mind, things she could say to him, but there wasn’t any point. Words wouldn’t stop him from leaving. She took a step backwards and turned to go.

“Kristen.” He spoke in such a low, soft tone she almost missed it.

She faced him again. “Yes?”

He didn’t say anything, didn’t even look at her. Shoulders slumped, he kicked at an invisible rock with the toe of his boot.

Not one to give up easily, Kristen went to him and stood directly in front of him. She bent her knees a fraction so she could see his downcast eyes. They glistened just like hers. He
did
care. The idea of leaving her was killing him, too.

In a soft voice, she asked, “What is it? What do you want to say?”

He removed his hands from his pockets and slid them around her, pulling her close. Burying his face in her neck, he shuddered. “I love you.”

Oh sure. He loved her, just not enough to believe her over his sister.

She shoved at him until he released her. His arms dropped to his sides, and she put distance between them. The plan was to race to the garage, jump into his sports car, and drive away without a single glance back. Her mind told her to be strong and walk away, but her body refused.

Choking on a sob, Kristen dropped the key on the ground and ran back to him. She jumped into his arms, and he caught her without hesitation. Arms wound tightly around his neck, she squeezed her damp eyes shut and tried to burn everything about the moment into her memory. She didn’t want to forget a single second.

“I love you,” she said. “I want you to know that, even though you’re leaving. No matter how many boys come and go, I will never forget you, and I will never stop loving you.”

“Gee, that makes me feel better.” He set her back down on her feet and looked at her through narrowed eyes. “Boys, huh? Already thinking ahead? You really know how to make a guy feel special.”

The sarcasm in his voice made her laugh. Once. Then another wave of sadness overwhelmed her. “I promise to compare every date to the one I had with you.”

“And find them lacking,” he added in monotone.

“Of course.”

She bent over and picked up the key. She started to leave again, but this time he caught her hand with his and gently pulled her back in his direction. Hope blossomed in her heart. Maybe he was going to tell her he’d changed his mind about running away.

“There’s one thing I want to know before you go,” he said. “You can be totally honest now, since I’m not going to be here for much longer. Tell me why you kept pushing me away. Why did you say you couldn’t be with me?”

She couldn’t think of a reason not to tell him now, so she did. “My sisters and I all have our specialties. Cyndi fixes things, and Brittany is brilliant with revenge spells. Mine is prophetic dreams. When I have a dream three times, it comes true, and I’ve been having these horrible nightmares.”

“Why do I have the feeling I played a part in them?”

“You were the star.” She took a deep breath and blurted out, “You accused me of being a witch and took away my powers.”

There. She’d told him. Now he knew why she’d been acting strange around him lately, why she was so dead-set against them reuniting as a couple. Losing her powers was on the top of her ‘things that would kill me’ list. She couldn’t function without them. Not much scared her, but becoming a normal girl and having to learn to live without magic terrified the life out of her.

“I wouldn’t do that,” he said.

“I know.”

“Do you?” He took possession of her chin between his thumb and finger and lifted it high, forcing her wary gaze to lock with his. He repeated, “I would never do that to you, not in a million years. I wouldn’t hurt you like that, no matter what.”

He was saying all the right things, but there was still a cutting shard of doubt in her heart. “I’ve had the dream seven times now. It’s going to happen. There’s nothing either of us can do to stop it. I’ve tried to keep my dreams from coming true before, but no matter what I do, the dreams become reality.”

Zach shook his head emphatically. “This one won’t. I don’t care how many times you have the dream. I am in control of my mouth, and I won’t do that to you.”

“I believe you.” She lifted a hand and waved as she backed away.

This time his voice stopped her. A quiet desperation drowned each word like brandy poured over ice. “Meet me tonight.”

Her heartbeat quickened, and her face flushed. “What?”

“Come back at midnight. Morgan will be in bed. We’ll forget everything else, everything keeping us apart. It’ll just be you and me, the way it should have been all along.”

“Okay.”

“And wear a red dress if you have one.”

She frowned and laughed at the same time. “Red dress?”

“Yeah.” He rubbed the back of his neck and looked away, unable to meet her eyes. “It’s kind of a fantasy I have of you.”

Lucky for him, she had the perfect dress hanging in her closet. With a spring in her step, she hurried to the garage and left in his car, promising herself she was going to knock his socks off tonight. It was her last chance to make him love her enough to change his mind and stay.

###

When she arrived at his house later that night, she stood at the end of the sidewalk, unable to move, unable to breathe. Zach had outlined the walk with candles. They burned bright, amazing. She smoothed sweaty palms on the red silk material that covered her upper thighs. Shockingly short, the dress ended just below her fingertips.

She’d spent the entire afternoon getting ready. Her feet were scrubbed clean, encased in her red stilettos with toenails painted to match. For an extra-special touch, she’d put on a shiny, gold anklet. It gleamed against her tanned skin. She couldn’t wait to see the look on Zach’s face.

The dress had a modest front but dropped low in back. Her mom had bought it for her over the summer, telling her it was an original and some famous actress had wanted to wear it to an awards show, but the designer was a friend and owed her a favor.

Kristen hadn’t worn it before, thinking it too sexy and not at all her style, but now she silently thanked her mom for it. It was perfect. She felt prettier than any movie star on the red carpet. Her hair hung down in loose, golden waves, and she’d had her makeup done at a salon.

Lucky for her, her dad was out of town on business again. Instead of sneaking out of the house or coming up with a convincing lie, she’d gone out the front door while Cyndi gushed about it being the most romantic thing ever—romantic and sad—two star-crossed lovers who were meant to be but just couldn’t catch a break.

Music floated around the side of Zach’s house to her—“Lady in Red” by Simply Red. The male singer’s haunting voice sang about her, about her relationship with Zach. She followed the music, knowing it would lead her to him.

She rounded the corner and gasped. Zach waited for her next to the empty swimming pool. He had turned the patio into a dance floor surrounded by flowers and candlelight. Zach had a dark suit on. It looked good on him, incredible even. He started the song over again and walked to her, carrying a red rose.

His steps were agonizingly slow.

Kristen couldn’t catch her breath. She stood statue-still, afraid to move and break the fantasy. Zach circled her once. His eyes didn’t miss a thing. When he made it to the front again, he handed her the rose. An arm slid around her waist, and his cheek rested against hers as they began to move to the music. Zach sang part of the song next to her ear.

“…is dancing with me… cheek to cheek…”

“Is this a dream?” she asked, breathless. She was floating on air and praying she wouldn’t wake to discover she was in her own bed, alone.

“If it were, I couldn’t do this.” With quick feet, he slid to the side and dipped her backwards.