Darkest Day (25 page)

“And you don’t know who did it, either?”

“Only sorta. Maddie had something to do with it.” She twirled the forkful in her syrup, not looking at me.

“What’s wrong, other than the obvious?”

A small laugh came from Alina, standing at the kitchen sink.

“Nothing.”

“That’s a lie, if ever you’ve told one. What else happened last night?” I asked.

She still didn’t say anything.

“Come on, Mackenzie.”

Her head popped up, I figured with the use of her full name.

“You really want to know what’s wrong?”

“Yes.” I nodded to emphasize my point.

She turned toward Alina. “Why wasn’t he heaving his guts with whatever you gave him?” Mac asked.

Alina chuckled. “Darling, his required only a simple solution to correct. And a little time. ‘Twasn’t a very strong draught in fact.”

“But I was going to die—”

“You were
not
going to die. Your body simply reacts more forcefully when given any sort of … shall we say … non-chocolate substance.”

I leaned back in my chair, doing my best not to laugh. Under a cough, I turned to the wall.

“Don’t laugh at me, geek boy,” Mac said.

“I’m not laughing.”

“Now, who’s lying?”

I spun back around. “Oh, come on, Mac. You’re mad because I didn’t throw up?”

The corners of her lips curved.

“You are! How stupid is that?”

She clamped her expression tight and spooned up a dollop of whipped cream. “I’m always the one getting sick with this crapola, and I’m supposed to be immortal!”

Alina came to where we sat at the kitchen table and laid a hand on Mac’s shoulder. “Darling, you are the most unique creature on earth. No one really knows how Changelings are affected by certain elements. As for Winn … he has a strong mind. Sometimes, that’s all that’s needed. I believe he had already begun to revert on his own, in fact.”

“A strong mind will do what? Not be affected by memory loss?” I asked.

“Or allow those memories to return to the surface faster than otherwise might be expected. Strong minds. They are almost as uncommon as Changelings, and very much desired.”

“Strong mind, my—”

“Enh. You lose,” I said.

Mac whirled toward me. “Huh?”

“You were about to curse, and Caroline made you promise to quit or you’d be filling
my
jar.”

Alina chuckled. “You two really are made for each other.” With a wipe of her hands, she said, “Now … as for the ingredients … once again, Mackenzie, it included herbs very commonly found by those who know magic. Winn’s came in a far lighter dose, but again, with a simplicity to it that suggests either care and concern, or very weak skills.”

“I’m going to guess weak, if it was Maddie,” Mac said.

“Why do you keep thinking it’s her?” I asked.

The glare sent my way would have fried me, if Mac had heat vision or dragon’s breath. “I think it’s all her, but I can only prove the drink she gave to Caroline because I was there.”

“There are ways, darling,” Alina said. “Magwa should be able to assist you.”

Mac stabbed a strawberry and doused it in chocolate. I cringed. “I have another question for you, Alina,” Mac said.

“Yes?”

“Suze said I can take Maddie’s little activity to the Council. I played off like I knew what he was talking about, but … huh?”

“That’s in my notes, too,” I said. “Thought you said you read them.”

Mac scratched the side of her nose. “Yeah, well … okay, so I musta missed that part.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. Only Mackenzie wouldn’t know how her own government worked. “The Council is the ruling party on earth, right? And they’re also judge and jury to all transgressions. So … if there is a problem, you file a report—kinda like our police reports—with the Council, and they determine if there will be action.”

“How do they determine that?”

“At least seven have to agree a rule was broken.”

“And then what?”

“And then they bring in both the accuser and the accused, give each a truth serum and ask questions until they make a decision.”

“No lawyers and stuff?” Mac asked.

“Nope. Just he said, she said, where neither party can lie.”

Mac slapped her hands together. “Oh, this is going to be fun.”

“Both, Mac. That means you, too.”

She winked at me. “I have nothing to hide. But I think Maddie does. Guess it’s time to file some paperwork.”

“Yeah, but we have our presentation tomorrow. Maybe we should finish prepping for it first?” Once again, the glare I received would have scorched an otherwise less prepared mortal. “I’m so glad you agree,” I said.

• • •

Looking back at the day Mac and I received our assignments as project partners, I had to say happy did not reflect her attitude. I’d been a little indifferent, too, choosing instead to just deal with it.

That decision had been one of the best I’d ever made.

Standing in front of the class with Mac, setting up our PowerPoint, I stared at Maddie. In only a few hours, Mac would go before the Council and, as she put it, “end the charade that Maddie and her mom had played.”

“Miss Thorne. Mr. Thomas,” Mr. Clark said. “Are you ready?”

We both nodded.

“Excellent. As required, you were to choose a creature, figure or being from your research genre. According to my records, you were to utilize the area of mythology, supposing it exists in the world today. In keeping with past presentations, please confirm your topic.”

I clicked the ‘Enter’ key on the keyboard, and Mac said, “You’re right, Mr. C. Mythology.” She turned to me.

“And we chose Changeling,” I said.

Maddie’s head snapped up.

Mac smirked. As planned, she began. “Suppose a Changeling were to exist? What impact would that have on humanity? On the being? How would a Changeling deal with the real world? These are all questions Winn and I have researched …
thoroughly
.”

Maddie crossed her arms over her chest. She and Ridge had done their presentation on women’s studies the week I’d been sick. I almost, but not quite, wished I could have been there.

With a click of the key, Mac transitioned the opener to me. “Most people think a Changeling is a non-human replacement for an infant. In history and lore, the Changeling is feared by mothers, who think their babies are snatched at birth and replaced with worse ones.”

“Ultimately,” Mac took over, her gaze on Maddie for a second, “Changelings are combinations of humans and non-humans, who are forced to decide their own fate at age nineteen.”

I flipped the screen to a photo of me, Mac, our teacher, Maddie and Ridge. Mac gave me a little smirk. We’d changed out the image the night before. To include Maddie.

“Any of us could be a Changeling, in fact. Well … actually, that’s not true. Mr. C, you can’t be because … you’re already past nineteen.”

I knew she almost said ‘because you’re old’ like when she and I had practiced. My final grade thanked her. I changed the screen to a series of other creatures and took over. “The interesting thing about Changelings is that they have to pick a supernatural form. Any form, as long as it’s one of the otherworldly, then they stay in that for the rest of their natural lives.” I clicked, changing the screen again to a big ‘19’ and Mac’s cue.

She faced the number up on the screen.

Several seconds passed.

She still didn’t speak.

“Psst. Mac.”

Her body trembled as her gaze met mine. For another second her eyes stayed unfocused. A giggle from Maddie’s direction sounded, and Mac turned there, narrowed her eyes, and faced the class again.

“Nineteen. Could any of you pick something to be for the rest of your lives?” she asked as heads bobbled. “Really? That’s what you think? Let me ask you this … have your parents ever changed jobs?” Heads nodded. “Pretend they could never, ever do that. So, if they chose to be a mechanic, and eighty years later, they were still alive, guess what they’d be?”

“Old?” Someone in the class called out and the rest started laughing. Another said, “Dead!”

“Old, yes,” I said, taking my cue from Mac, but wondering at her awkward pause. “But still a mechanic. Like in a jail with no chance for parole. What does that mean for Changelings in our life? They have to blend. They have to be one of us, but they also can’t be. They live. They work. But they never get to change what they do.”

We continued on through some of the other mythological creatures, back and forth from Mac to me. Every once in a while she’d pause longer than normal, as if studying or remembering what information we planned to talk about. In the end, we took questions and got a standard round of applause.

With the ring of the bell, Mac and I packed up, walked out into the hall and leaned into our lockers. I took her hand and squeezed. “Thank you,” I said.

She turned her head my way. “Why? We both had to do it.”

I moved in close and laid a kiss on the side of her lips, not caring if anyone saw or if anyone stopped me. “Because I know this isn’t your thing … school and all. But you were awesome.”

Her smile brought out my own. “Anything for you,” she said, her tone wistful.

“You okay?”

She straightened and smacked her lips against mine. “Oh, yeah. That’s over. Now we can party.” Her demeanor went from worried to pumped like I’d flipped a switch.

“Thought you wanted to file your complaint.”

Her grin grew wider. “Yeah. I do, but we can’t go until tonight. Right now, I want to go to Zoe’s grave site. Will you go with me?”

Mac

Zoe had been buried in my favorite cemetery—about four rows from the big oak tree—the one I’d kissed Winn underneath, the one I’d been attacked near, and the one I’d sketched a hundred times over when I’d been more loner than mingler—when I’d craved alone time, not Winn time.

We walked hand in hand, and I breathed in the beauty of the day beneath the blue skies, big clouds and pre-summer heat, while a fog of uncertainty lingered over us.

“Look at that,” I said.

“Wow. Her headstone.” Winn knelt and ran a hand over the marble. “It’s beautiful. Smooth. They did a great job.”

I lowered to his level. “Zoe Amanda Thorne. Wait. Thomas. That says Thorne. Why isn’t her last name Thomas? Or Enroht?”

Winn leaned forward and traced the letters. “My dad thought this might be … good for you. And your dad. “

Emotion welled in my throat, constricting my airway. I stood and walked away, the tombstone at my back. Around me, the world continued. I’d had everything. I’d had nothing. All at once. A man I’d barely known had given me even more.

Winn’s arm went around my waist and pulled me into his side. “You okay?”

I spun in his arms and hugged him, dropping my head to his shoulder. “It’s like she was mine, even though she wasn’t. She was your … sister.”

“And I’ll always know that, but this is … this is to give you that. Apparently, Thorne is your dad’s real last name. Enroht is just Thorne backward. My dad told me that.” Winn ran his fingers through my hair, soothing me in the process.

How had I not noticed?
“Mom probably had him change it. I can see the value in that.” I nodded against his shoulder. “I had a sister, Winn. And it feels like I’ve lost her all over again.”

His hands slid until they pulled my face away, palms against cheeks. “I know how you feel. I miss her, too.”

We stood there, in silence for what seemed like a few minutes.

“Lovebirdies!” Suze’s silly call out made me laugh. Winn, too.

We turned toward the sound, only to find Suze dressed in a regular black T-shirt and jeans, and Gwen, the only female he’d ever called his girlfriend, walking together. She, too, wore normal clothes, but in a super-bright purple. The few times I’d met her, she’d worn that color.

“What’s going on, Suze?” I asked. “You look … normal. Actually, you’ve been looking normal for a while.”

He tugged on his short sleeve. “I quite like this look. It’s …”

“Simple,” Gwen said in her regal voice.

I noted their hands entwined between them as they met up with us. If Suze weren’t so tall and Gwen not far from his height, they could have passed through town without any stares. Their height alone would have made a few heads turn.

“You see they put in her marble?” Suze asked.

“I did,” I said.

“I watched ‘em. Made sure it got in there straight. Not crooked, or anything.”

“Thanks, Suze. I really … appreciate that.” I let go of Winn’s hand and stepped to my protector. He regarded me with a wary eye as I leaned in and gave him a hug and his hands touched at my back. “Thank you.”

“Wow, Mac. Um … wow,” Suze said as we separated.

Standing in front of him, I also said, “And thanks for everything you’ve done for me over the last eighteen years. You know all the crazy stuff and the nice stuff and the … everything. You’ve been … well … the best.”

His eyes went wide. Gwen tilted up to him and back to me. “May I?” She held out a hand like I should shake it. I reached for her and with her hands around mine, she said, “I predicted this moment many moons ago. You’ve learned well, young one.”

“I have?” I asked as Winn said, “She did?”

“Yes. When I first met you, you were naught but a babe—an opinionated one even at such a young age. While many wondered at your future, I believed greatness would come. Meeting you again last fall, I could see the same as I had many moons before, but now, with your young man, you’ve found your way.” She bowed in front of me. “It will be a privilege to see you lead. You will influence many.”

I wanted to contradict her, but she seemed genuine. “Thanks.”

Gwen smiled, her vampire fangs peeking out from behind her lips. “You are most welcome. And may I ask, Mackenzie? I know it may be presumptuous … but have you made your decision? Perhaps like me?” Gwen had suggested Damphyr to me eight months before, and the vampire-human-shape-shifter combo did have its good side. She could be out in the daytime, she didn’t have to feed from humans, she could still change forms.

“Oh! Or me!” Suze clapped his hands.

If I chose demon, it would have to be Suze’s variety, Abaddon but nice—if that could even be possible.