Not Your Average Happy Ending (4 page)

Kendall

School was back in session and I wasn’t excited at all. I was drill mistress again, but knowing Ash wasn’t going to be following me around and showing up in my classes made me sad.

He had left the night before. I tried to talk him out of it again, but he wouldn’t listen. He couldn’t stand the fact that Dax was walking around somewhere like nothing had happened. I was okay though. Even though I had a nasty scar, I was fine. I didn’t want to be avenged or whatever. But as stubborn as he was—he left anyway. He and Sam were headed to Washington to follow Sam’s lead. I shuddered. I wondered what they would do to Dax when they found him.

Saying goodbye to Ash had been so hard. The feel of his arms around me and his face in my hair made me want to cry. I didn’t want him to go. Not just because he was leaving me, but because I worried about his safety. Dax was just as powerful as he was and I couldn’t stand the thought of him getting hurt.

“Kendall, you ready?”

Ellie’s voice echoed through the house as she bounded down the stairs into the living room where I waited. She held her drill team bag in her hand and her long hair was pulled into a ponytail. She had always been a morning person. Me on the other hand…

I yawned. “Yep. Let’s get this year over with.” I followed her out the door.

***

Misty waited for me by the front doors of the school. She looked gorgeous, but seemed oblivious to half the male population staring at her as they walked by.

The scene reminded me of my best friend Tessa. She had moved with her mom to another state over the summer when her parents divorced. The thought of Tessa being gone made the loneliness return. Misty made me feel a little better, but it wasn’t the same. Tessa was the one support system I could always count on. I really missed her.

“How was your dance or practice stuff this morning?” Misty asked when I reached her.

I didn’t feel like explaining drill team to her, so I just shrugged. “Practice went well. We have a good team this year.”

“That’s good.”

“You ready for your first day of a normal high school?” I asked.

She smiled. “I think so. I do have one question though. Why do all the human males smell weird? Is it natural?”

I chuckled and opened the door to go inside. “It’s just cologne. Well, most of it. Some human males don’t believe in hygiene. It will probably be better if you stay away from those ones.”

Misty wrinkled her nose at that as we walked down the hall to our first class. She didn’t even glance at her schedule. Conveniently, she was in all of my classes, so all she had to do was follow me around. It made me a little happier knowing I’d have someone to talk to. Even if she was only there to protect me.

“Hey, Kendall. Who’s your friend?”

I forced a smile at my old crush Cameron who stood by the lockers, surrounded by his football buddies and a bunch of cheerleaders. “She’s not interested,” I said. I kept my eyes forward, relieved he didn’t press it.

Ever since I’d told him off at prom for trying to take advantage of me in front of everyone, he’d left me alone. Mostly.

“So that’s Cameron, huh?” When she saw the confusion on my face she smiled. “Ash mentioned him a few times.”

I smiled. Ash must have hated him more than I thought. “Yep. A real winner, right?”

She shrugged. “He’s cute, I’ll give him that. He has a strange aura around him though. Can you be lusty and angry at the same time?”

“Lusty is his middle name.” I stopped. “Wait. You can see people’s auras?”

“All half-elves can. But we can only see human auras.”

“Oh. So you can see mine?”

“Of course. You’re human aren’t you?”

“Yes.” I frowned. “What color am I?”

“Yours is blue most of the time. Which means you’re a rather calm person. Which is good. When Ash is around though…” She smiled and winked.

I put up a hand. “Stop. I don’t want to know.” She laughed as my face heated.

“Very well.”

***

We made it through our first day without incident. Well, if you don’t count the seven guys who asked for Misty’s phone number. It was hilarious to watch. She would laugh and start talking to me, ignoring them completely. The looks on their faces were priceless.

I was surprised how comfortable I was with her. She was so easy to get along with. I glanced over at her as we walked back to my house. She looked so calm and peaceful, soaking in the sun.

“So, what’s with you and Sam?” I asked.

Her body tensed and stared straight ahead. “What do you mean?”

“Come on. I’ve seen the way you look at him. He’s pretty cute. Why don’t you do something about it?”

She bit her lip. “It’s not that simple.”

“Why not?”

“We have a history.”

I wasn’t expecting that. “Oh. It doesn’t sound like a good one.”

She shook her head and hugged her books tight to her chest.

I wasn’t trying to be nosy, but I was curious. Since Ash and Sam were best friends, maybe I could see how Sam felt. I could make Ash bug him about it. “What happened?”

She sighed. “At the end of graduation, after all the stuff that went down with Shenelle and Ash, Sam asked me out. I was surprised, but so happy. I’ve had a crush on him for years.” Her eyes widened. “Don’t tell Ash I said that. Sam didn’t even know I existed until last year. I sort of had an awkward stage when I was younger.”

I laughed. “Who didn’t?” I thought of my boy haircut and braces in junior high. That was a nightmare. I still hadn’t forgiven my mom for talking me into cutting my hair so short.

“Anyway, the date went great. Better than expected. He kissed me and told me he’d call.”

“And he never did,” I said, finishing it for her.

“No, he called. He told me to meet him at a party, and when I got there I saw him kissing another girl.”

I stopped. “What?” Jerk. Stupid, stupid, jerk face. And I thought he seemed like such a nice guy. A bit flirty, but nice.

She frowned. “I know.”

“Did you confront him or anything?”

She shook her head. “No. And when he called later to ask where I was, I didn’t answer. I haven’t really talked to him since. Until recently I guess. When you got hurt.”

There had to be some explanation, but I couldn’t think of a logical one. “I’m sorry, Misty.”

She shrugged. “It’s fine. I’m over it.”

She didn’t
look
over it.

We stopped in front of my house. I knew she had to go back to her world, but I wanted her to stay and hang out for a while. I didn’t want to be alone. “Do you want to stay for dinner? My mom won’t be home until after we’re in bed tonight. I want you to meet Ellie anyway.”

Her face lit up. “I’d love to!”

I was glad to have her with me. I missed Ash way too much and it had only been a day without him. Hopefully he was okay.

Ash

“I don’t know why I let you talk me into this,” Sam said as he climbed over a fallen tree.

“I didn’t talk you into anything. You’re the one who insisted on coming.”

“Whatever.” He muttered something under his breath before he continued. “I just didn’t want you to have to beg me, so I volunteered.”

I rolled my eyes and tried not to laugh as he tripped over another tree root. He seemed to be having way more trouble than I was. “Aren’t you supposed to be all ‘one with nature’? You’re half elf for crying out loud. You should be used to frolicking through the woods.”

He shot me a dirty look. “That would be cliché,” he said. “Nature stinks sometimes. Especially when you’ve been wandering around in it for five days.”

“Give it a rest, Sam.” I was in a bad mood. A week had passed and we hadn’t seen even a trace of Dax.

“This sucks,” Sam said.

“Seriously, one more complaint and I’m going to blast you back to the Academy.”

He shrugged. “At least there are girls there to keep me company.”

A movement up ahead made me grab Sam’s arm. “Did you see that?”

He nodded. “It feels strange in this part of the forest. Like dark magic. You feel it too, right?”

“Yes. Definitely feel it.”

The temperature dropped as soon as I said the words. It was so cold I could see the breath in front of my face. Not good.

“Uh…Ash? I think we have company.”

Something moved through the treetops. Too big to be a bird. It flew over us and floated to the ground a few yards away.

I sucked in a breath. I knew exactly what it was. Not good at all.

“Dude. Is that a banshee?” Sam lifted his hands as if preparing for an attack.

She was dressed in white, her wild red hair stuck out in every direction. Like how I pictured Medusa looked, but without the snakes. Her dark eyes glowed and her mouth was turned up in a smirk. She was quite beautiful, and looked more like a human than anything. Well, except for the sharp claws where her fingernails should have been. I didn’t know a lot about banshees, but I did know to steer clear of them. They were dark creatures.

“Yes. Yes it is,” I said. I recognized her. She was at the Academy for a few months when we were younger. I knew she left in a hurry, but every banshee I’d heard of lived in Ireland. Not Washington.

She cocked her head to the side, studying us. We didn’t move. If we didn’t piss her off, maybe she’d leave us alone. I really didn’t want to hear about a death omen.

Her eyes focused on me and her smile widened. “Ash Summerland. I’ve been waiting for you.”

“Gizelle,” I said, giving her a small nod. I heard Sam’s gasp of surprise, but kept my eyes on her. “What can I do for you?”

“I’m flattered you remember my name. I was only at the Academy for a few months.” Her voice was airy and higher than I remembered, with a slight Irish accent.

I nodded. “I’m surprised you remembered mine as well.”

She floated a few inches toward me, her white dress rolling in wispy waves around her. “Everyone knows you, Ash. There are many people looking for you.”

I started at that. “What do you mean?”

“There’s a price for whoever finds you.”

“Obviously I’m not too hard to find.” Why would people be looking for me?

She raised an eyebrow. “You wish to be found?”

“I wish to find Dax. If he’s here, tell him to show himself.”

“Your brother is not here.”

“Then who put a price on my head?” My hands clenched into fists, my whole body on edge.

She laughed. “Who else? Your father.”

“My father?” Perfect. Just perfect. The one person I never ever wanted to meet was out to get me. When Shenelle first told me my father was a djinn, I didn’t want to believe her. But somehow, deep down, I knew it was true. “What does he want with me?”

She shrugged. “No one knows. He just wanted to find you. Says you have something he needs.”

“I don’t have anything he would want.”

“What about Kendall?”

I shifted, feeling a slight breeze flow around us. “What about her?”

She lifted a hand, watching it as she moved it through the air. “You care for her safety don’t you? You care for her life? You wish her to stay far away from harm?”

I clenched my jaw. I wasn’t sure if she was testing me or not. “Yes. More than anything.”

“Then you come with me.” She looked at Sam. “But only you. Your
friend
will stay.”

“What?” Sam said, his eyes narrowed. “Not part of the plan, babe.”

She hissed at him.

I shot Sam a look to stop talking. Banshees and elves didn’t get along. Elves were beings of healing and life. Banshees were bringers of death. Obviously she knew exactly what he was.

“Where would you take me?”

She shook her head. “Secrets can’t be shared. You’ll find out, but only if you follow.”

“And what if I don’t?” My fingertips grew warm. I could feel my magic simmering beneath my skin, waiting to be released.

Her eyes flared red, but changed back to normal just as fast. “Things may get messy. I do not wish to harm you, but if I must…” She smiled.

I was sure she knew exactly where my father was, but I wasn’t about to fall into a trap. There was too much at stake. I wasn’t even looking for him. I was looking for Dax. The one person I hated more than anyone else. I wasn’t going to let a banshee get in my way of finding him.

“Bring it on then,” I said. I thrust my hands in front of me, sending a blast of light toward her. She jumped, high into the trees, though it singed the bottom of her dress.

“Great. You just pissed off a banshee,” Sam yelled.

“We need to get her down on the ground again.” The wind whipped around us and I took deep breaths, trying to calm my emotions. I heard her before I saw her. Her haunting scream of death. “Sam, get down.”

Gizelle’s shadow fell on both of us and I raised my arms to block her attack. Tendrils of darkness flew from her hands, heading straight for my face. She barely missed me as I flattened myself to the ground.

Sam wasn’t so lucky. Gizelle’s claws dug into his shoulders as she lifted him off the ground. He shouted a few profanities before I lost sight of him.

Cursing under my breath, I ripped my shirt off and straightened my wings. I didn’t hesitate, just stretched my wings a bit before launching myself into the sky.

I’m not going to lie. I wasn’t a good flyer. I wobbled and almost fell twice before I reached the treetops. Maybe I should have practiced before I tried saving someone’s life.

My feet skimmed a few leaves as I hovered in the air and searched the sky for Sam. I heard him swear a few more times, but he sounded like he was below me.

Before I made my way to the ground again, Gizelle burst through the treetops, still holding on to him. When she saw me her eyes widened in surprise. I’m sure she didn’t expect me to be flying as well. We stared at each other a moment before her anger was back and she shot up toward the sky and without warning, dropped Sam from her grasp.

All I could do was watch as he fell, knowing whatever I had to do to save him was going to hurt.

And I was right.

I reached out, grabbing his hand as he passed me and something snapped in my shoulder.

Then—we were falling.

“Ash, use your wings!” Sam’s voice was panicked.

“I’m trying!” I focused on keeping both of us in the air and to my surprise, my wings kept us up. They were stronger than they looked. Besides getting a few scratches from the tree branches, I lowered both of us to the ground unscathed. Well, sort of. My arm was killing me. And Sam pretty much looked like crap with blood dripping from his shoulders.

Gizelle screamed again. And I whirled around to see her furious face a few yards away and coming fast.

Sam jumped to his feet as she passed and vines shot out of the ground around him. They wrapped around her ankles and pulled her down toward the earth. “I can’t hold her very long,” he said. His brow was etched with sweat and by the look on his face I knew he was in a lot of pain.

Gizelle hissed, threw back her head and screamed again. Sam and I both covered our ears at the sound and sank to our knees.

The vines held, but a few snapped as she struggled.

For a terrifying moment, Gizelle’s eyes met mine. “Know this, Ash Summerland. She will die. And there is nothing you can do to save her.”

The wind picked up again and I welcomed it. “Hang on to something!” Sam nodded and wrapped his arms around a tree trunk. I focused the wind on Gizelle. Her eyes widened as a small whirlwind formed around her. It spun faster and faster and a smile crept to my lips. Darkness engulfed my mind and I shook my head, knowing the djinn part of me was taking over. I tried to push it away, but couldn’t. The wind picked her up off the ground like a leaf and I sent a stream of light into its wake. The tornado shot into the sky, Gizelle in its grasp. I could still hear her wailing, even after I lost sight of her.

The darkness left as quickly as it came and I sank to my knees, exhausted.

“Well, that went well,” Sam said.

“I should have gone with her. Then you wouldn’t have gotten hurt.” I frowned, remembering her death omen. Kendall’s death I was sure. Who else would she be talking about?

“That would have been stupid. You have no idea where she would have taken you. Did you see her crazy eyes? And I thought sirens were scary. Banshees are insane.”

I nodded, knowing it was true. We were lucky she didn’t do anything more.

We both sat in silence as our breathing slowed. My shoulder throbbed as the adrenaline wore off. I was pretty sure Sam had pulled it out of socket. Or maybe it was broken.

“Dude. I think I need a healer.” He touched the wounds on his shoulders and sucked in a breath. “She had wicked claws. And I’m pretty sure they were rigged with something. Poison maybe? I feel all tingly. Remind me never to go up against a banshee again.”

Poison. That did sound familiar, though I wasn’t sure if banshees were poisonous or not. I couldn’t remember. “I think my shoulder’s out of socket,” I said, wincing.

“Sorry about that. I didn’t know she was going to drop me.” He touched his shoulder again and closed his eyes.

“Neither did I. I’m surprised my wings held us up since I had no idea what I was doing.”

He smiled and glanced at me. “That was pretty sweet, though, how you shot out of the trees like that. I didn’t know you actually knew how to use your wings. I thought they were more for decoration.”

“I
don’t
know how to use them. But I’m going to have to practice now.”

“Well, whatever you did, it was awesome. And thanks for saving my sorry butt.”

I nodded. “You’d do the same for me.”

We sat there in silence, each lost in our own thoughts. After several minutes, my eyes wandered to a darker portion of the forest. Instead of seeing mist, black tendrils of what looked like smoke crept through the foliage toward us.

“I didn’t know banshees even had magic. Besides you know, the whole telling you about your imminent death and all that,” Sam said.

“Me neither,” I said, still watching the smoke creep closer to where we sat. I got to my feet, holding my injured shoulder in place.

“Ash?”

“I see it.”

A dark figure appeared in the midst of the smoke and my breath quickened. He looked just like me, only older with Dax’s golden eyes.

“Ash, my son. What a wonderful surprise.”