Perilous Waters (36 page)

She had to show him.

Her heart hurt and raced at the same time, feeling like panicked bees were trapped inside. She lifted her lashes and held his gaze, raising her hand, palm up. The mark on her arm sent spirals of white magic through the room as she built a pool of light between them. It elevated in a steady beam. Magic fell down around her in shimmers, like the pixie dust she had read about in fairy tales.

He blinked, swallowing noticeably. His hair and shoulders sparkled with her magic.

Heat sprung at the backs of her eyes. “What do you want to see,” she whispered. She brought her hand down in a deliberate, sweeping motion, reaching for a book several feet away. It floated to her waiting palm. She lifted her other hand high above her, twirling her finger in a circle to draw in a wisp of sunlight from the window. The sunbeam changed colors as it skipped along her fingertips. Tears blurred her vision as she created a rainbow.

Tricks. Childhood silliness she used to play with in the privacy of her room.

But enough to convince him.

“You can do magic?”

She nodded, lowering her hands and forcing herself to meet his gaze. “All my life.”

“Wait. All of this time…”

Angie couldn’t speak. He looked so bewildered, watching her as though he didn’t know who she was. “It was a secret,” she managed.

“I see… that makes sense,” he said, sounding both awed and perplexed. “Magic. But…”

His brows furrowed above confused eyes.

“But what?” she whispered.

“I guess—I just didn’t think there were secrets between us. Not ones this big.”

“I didn’t want there to be,” she said, but her words sounded broken. “Kaitlyn and Julia have magic too.

“I—wow.” He ran his hand through his hair, stopping at the back of his head. “Magic was probably the last thing I expected you to tell me.” He paused, his brows coming together. “At prom, when I saw you disappear… you told me lies to cover it up.”

“I did,” she whispered.

“Have you done that… a lot?”

She pressed her lips together and lowered her gaze.

“I see.” He cleared his throat and leaned forward, resting his elbows against his knees as he stared ahead. “It’s hard knowing that you could look right at me and lie like that. About anything.”

“David, I’m sorry—”

“I wish you had trusted me, at least once other people were involved.”

He swallowed noticeably and she had to curl her fingers into her palms not to reach for him. “Are you mad?”

“No. Not mad. It’s incredible,” he took her hands again, “amazing. But, this is something you’ve had your whole life. You and I have been best friends since I moved here in the second grade. Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

She didn’t miss his hurt tone of voice. As children, he had loved pretending at magic. Adventure games about wizards and magic were his favorite. Why had she never revealed her secret to him? Why, even before their friendship had become a romantic relationship, had she never trusted him?

“Angie?”

“I-I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“Help me understand,” he said.

Her throat clamped up, but she forced herself to speak. “I’m a Daughter of Fate, David. It’s more than magic. It’s… it’s an obligation. Revealing the magic exposes us.” Her voice faltered. She lowered her head, bringing her arms around herself.

His gaze grew concerned. “Don’t hide yourself. You never used to do that with me,” he said softly before turning away. “Or, maybe you always have.”

The words stung. David had always been her refuge, a safe place where she didn’t have to think about the magic.

“You’re so quiet,” he said, taking her hands again. “Maybe we both need a breather. We can talk more when we’re ready.”

Angie’s heart froze. She shook her head wildly, hot tears falling from her eyes.

“It’s okay. You probably have a lot to think about. You can hardly talk right now. And I… I don’t know. I need to wrap my head around this. Not only the magic, but the idea that you’ve been hiding things from me for so long.” His eyes lacked their usual brightness as he stood. “I have to let that idea settle in.”

Her heart broke at the sight of his confusion.
I didn’t want to keep this secret from you. Everything was so perfect between us. I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry.

She felt no relief as he kissed her cheek and released her fingertips. He wanted time to think over the past decade of lies she had woven to protect her secret. Why
had
she lied to him? She could have trusted him. She should have. Certainly after Kaitlyn knew, it would have been all right to tell him.

“I’ll call you tonight, okay?”

She wanted to take back his hands and pull him close. She wanted to hold him tight and bury her face in his chest as his arms came around her. But he was asking for time. He needed it.

She forced herself to nod, only managing tight little motions. Would things be different between them now? Would he trust her, knowing she could tell lies to his face?

“Bye,” he said as they reached her doorway, but she couldn’t bring herself to look at him. She didn’t want him to see the fresh set of tears forming in her eyes. She gave him a quick wave goodbye and hid her face behind her hair until the door was shut behind him.

Earlier that year, the month she and David had been broken up had been harder than she could have imagined. But… wouldn’t David be safer without her? The Sorceress couldn’t hurt him to use his pain against her.

Maybe this breach in trust would change things between them, and if that were the case, maybe working through it wasn’t the answer. Maybe, to keep him safe, she ought to let him go.

The thought caused a pain so vicious she started really crying. Hard. Her world was crumbling, and whenever her world crumbled she reached for David. Except this time, he wasn’t there.

He said he needed time to think. And so did she.

~ Chapter 32 ~

Angie

Angie
took another huge spoonful of cookies and cream ice cream, not tasting any of it as she swallowed the bite whole. The other two girls had returned to her house the next morning, Kaitlyn in a black leather mini skirt with a cut-off T-shirt of a band Angie had never heard of, and Julia in frayed jean shorts and tank top.

“How’s this?” Julia said, coming down the stairs. She had gone up to change into her gown.

Angie wanted to suggest that she use magic to fix the torn material and clean the stiff, sandy fabric, but she wasn’t in the mood to explain anything. After her next bite of ice cream she lifted her fingers and sent soft spirals of light toward her friend and did it for her.

“Oh, wow,” Julia said, lifting her arms as magic restored the gown to its original state. She smiled. “Thanks.”

Angie nodded, her mind still full of David and everything that happened. Her silent phone rested on the table, reminding her with every passing moment that he could talk to her if he wanted to. But, he didn’t.

Julia took her own phone out, setting it on the table and starting a game. She rested her chin in one hand. Angie glanced at the screen, watching Julia’s fingertip dart from one brightly colored gem to the next.

“She’s taking forever,” Julia said, glancing at the bathroom door where Kaitlyn was changing. “How much you want to bet she’s putting on fake lashes and a full face of makeup for this?”

The cookie jar was nearby. Angie reached for it, taking out two so she could dunk them in her melting ice cream.

Kaitlyn finally flounced out of the bathroom in her gown, glancing at herself in the mirror near the stairs before heading toward the kitchen.

“Did you sew this?” Julia asked, touching the new ribbon of black lace that edged the bodice. It formed a pattern across Kaitlyn’s waist, which was now cinched in. Cascades of ruffles flowed down the back of the skirt, and the sleeves were made of lace instead of linen.

“Yeah. I sat on a rocking chair in my sewing room, and when I was finished I used the scraps to make myself an apron. Because that’s so me.”

“Then, how—”

She twirled her fingers, skipping magic between them. “Magic. I was bored last night and I had some ideas. I mean, if I have to wear this thing, I may as well improve it.”

“It looks incredible,” Julia said, “like a punk old-timey rock star outfit.”

Kaitlyn shrugged and sat at the table, but Angie caught sight of pleasure in her eyes. “Thanks,” she said, sounding as though she wasn’t used to saying the word sincerely. She flipped her hair and glanced at Angie. Her brows lifted. “Really? You’re sad-eating about David?”

Angie took another bite of her ice creamed drenched cookie. A full mouth was a good reason not to answer.

“Who cares what the boy thinks about you having magic,” Kaitlyn said.

Julia returned to her game. “Caring about what someone else thinks and how they feel is kind of how relationships work.”

“Then he should care about what she thinks and feels. He should have told her how bad ass it is to have magic. Why is he making drama over something so awesome?”

It wasn’t the magic that had bothered him. It was the secret, because the only way to keep a secret was with a veil of lies. It was the fact that after knowing him for years, she could hide something so monumental about her life, lying to his face year after year about who she really was.

“Ugh. You’re going to be as big a downer as Julia was about Ethan,” Kaitlyn murmured. “And probably gain twenty pounds.”

She sighed. If David were here, he would make her an ice cream cookie sandwich. The thought made her miss him. If she really ended things between them, missing him would be her way of life for a long time, but the more she thought about it, the more it seemed… logical. It really would be better for him if she had the strength to break up with him. He would be safe. He could live a normal life without a girlfriend who would be fighting creatures whenever she was summoned.

She put the rest of the cookie in her mouth, feeling as though she were eating stale breadcrumbs.

Kaitlyn released an audible breath. “You’re thinking about dumping him?”

“Of course she’s not,” Julia scoffed as she rolled her hair into a loose bun. “David loves her and she loves him. Why would she do that?”

Angie’s eyes widened on Kaitlyn’s hand, placed lightly on her arm. She moved away and tried not to glare at Kaitlyn. “Don’t go into my mind,” she stated, her words harsher than she usually let them be.

Kaitlyn recoiled. “You’re not talking. I just wanted to—” she didn’t seem to know how to continue and folded her arms across her chest. “Whatever. I only formed the connection, I didn’t go into your mind. I didn’t have to. Your emotions are all on the surface right now.”

“Wait a minute,” Julia said, her voice dropping to a hush. “You’re really thinking about dumping him?”

Angie lowered her head and shrugged a little.

Julia’s jaw dropped. “But, he only said he wanted time to think.”

At Angie’s silence, Kaitlyn said, “Yeah, but the Sorceress could use him against her.”

“So, she’s going to let the Sorceress decide what kind of life she has? She’s going to kick David to the curb so she doesn’t risk losing him? That makes no freakin’ sense.”

Kaitlyn’s lips pursed for a moment. “I don’t know if it makes sense, but it’s only a high school boyfriend. She gets distracted from the mission because she’s worrying about him all the time. I mean, why not just break up with him and make life easier?”

“Because he matters to her. They love each other!”

“Quit yelling.”

“I’m not yelling!”

Angie ate the other cookie, hardly listening to the two of them and not feeling inclined to referee.

“Letting people matter is exactly what turns people into pathetic, weak idiots,” Kaitlyn said, leaning back into her chair. “No offense, I mean,” she added, glancing at Angie.

Angie didn’t hold her gaze, letting her eyes drop as she swirled the tip of her spoon in the melting liquid pooling around her ice cream. David hadn’t called her. He hadn’t called and he had said he would… and maybe that was for the best. Maybe Kaitlyn was right.

“She’s in her own world,” Kaitlyn muttered.

Sometimes being in her own world was better than dealing with this one.

“She’ll be okay.” Julia sidled up to her and gave her a sideways hug. “Won’t you, Angie?”

Angie offered her a smile. Was this how she had acted when she had found out about Kaitlyn kissing David last year? Taking refuge in her mind with cookies and ice cream for solace?

“Can I use your laptop?” Julia asked, releasing her with a final little squeeze.

Angie waved her spoon in response without looking up, afraid of revealing her moistened lashes. Maybe David hadn’t called because after thinking about it, he decided he wanted to break up with her after all. Maybe it was already over.

“The internet says it could take years and years to get
over
a broken heart,” Julia said.

“Are you seriously searching the internet for break-up advice?” Kaitlyn scoffed.

“No. I’m checking for advice on ways for people to get
over
a break-up, for your information.”

“Oooh, big difference.”

“Holy crap. This guy on here still thinks about his first love and he’s
fifty
.”

“You won’t catch me pining over someone who tossed me aside,” Kaitlyn said. “Or chasing after anyone, doing stupid things girls do. I’ll keep my heart to myself and when a guy wants to leave, I’ll send him packing. Or leave first.”

“You don’t always get a choice,” Julia said, her tone sharp enough to make Angie glance up. “Maybe it’ll happen to you and you’ll do stupid things and you’ll just have to feel embarrassed by it. Maybe you’ll want to stop thinking about a guy but your brain will force him to your thoughts all the freaking time.”

“Not me.” Kaitlyn’s gaze narrowed. “Not ever.”

“Love sucks,” Julia said, shoving away from Angie’s laptop.

Several moments of silence passed. Love… Angie thought about the emotions and turmoil that love had caused her. She thought about David’s face when she walked into a room unexpectedly. His eyes lit up. He couldn’t seem to look at her without giving her a soft smile. She thought about her parents, and the quiet moments they shared in the morning over coffee, or at night watching television together on the sofa.