Teen Fury: Unleashed

  She doesn’t grab a cookie, so I put one on a napkin in front of her.

  “Here, this one looks yummy. I’ll try one, too.” I smile at her as I lift my cookie and bring it to my mouth. She looks at me through hooded eyes, and I direct my gaze toward her cookie, encouraging her to pick it up. She does, and I smile.

  “Zane, can I borrow your cell? Mine doesn’t have any bars.”

  “There’s no need for that, my Fury.” Evil Snake Lady speaks up. I glare at her before I remember that I’m kinda sorta at her mercy and maybe should try not to get myself into too much trouble.

  “I hate to be rude, but I need to let my mom know I’m okay. She’ll be freaking out since I disappeared.”

  “Ah, dear. There’s no need to worry about those earthly people any more. We’re done with them.”

  My stomach clenches, a ball of fire lodges in my throat. What does she mean?

  “Honestly, you don’t have to pretend you want anything to do with them. A man who could leave his wife for some sleaze? Besides, I hear he’s having a baby of his own; what would he want with you now?”

  I push away from the table, the chair flinging behind me, thumping on the carpet. The tray of cookies spills onto the floor, and the girl cowers away.

  My snakes pop out, and I want to attack this horrible excuse for a person.

  “Well isn’t this the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?”

  Zane nods in agreement. How dare he respond to anything she says?

  I turn to leave. Screw this place. I’d rather be tested for scientific purposes.

  “Oh, honey, don’t go. There’s so much you can do with this gift! So much we could do together. Technically I’m banned from using my gift on the humans, but no one knew about you when this agreement was made. You could still do it. Think of the power, the beauty of helping innocent victims be avenged.”

  I try to whip the door open, but the knob won’t turn. I pull harder, grimacing at the cackling laughter behind me.

  “Obviously she hasn’t been taught to honor her mother. Take her to her room, Zane. Let her get comfortable. Maybe we can make some progress later.”

  I try to direct my snakes to bite Zane as he grabs my arm and leads me out the door, but they don’t listen. What good are they if I can’t use them for self-defense?

  “Zane, you’ve got to get me out of here. It was a mistake to come. She’s freaking crazy.” He ignores my feverish whispers as he escorts me down the hall.

  “Here’s your room, beautiful.” He kisses the top of my head, oblivious to the snakes dancing there.

  I grab the front of his shirt, desperation making me cling to the one thing I know in this world.

  “Wait, don’t leave me here. Take me back. Please.”

  He untangles my fingers from his shirt and closes the door, putting an end to my pleas.

  I stumble back. Lost. Unsure. So not used to this feeling.

  The door won’t open. I push, I pull, I yank as hard as I can. It’s locked.

  The room I’m in is pretty and comfortable looking, but it’s still a prison.

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Days have passed, and I’m starting to think I’ll never, ever leave this room again. My so-called “mother,” whom I’ve learned is named Meg, short for Megaera, has taken to visiting me at all hours of the day and night. She won’t release me from the room, but she brings me food every time she comes. Her idea of a lovely visit is encouraging me to release the Fury that I’m trying to keep hidden. Maybe if she thinks the snakes died she’ll let me go.

  To her, encouragement is insulting everything and everyone I hold dear. She isn’t always overt; she often tries to manipulate me into thinking she’s the one person who truly cares for me. God, I hope that’s not true.

  She also has serious issues with any kind of mercy. Especially in me.

  Today she’s especially angry about mercy.

  “I never should have slept with that man. I thought it would be a fun challenge, but it’s really ruined my only Furious offspring, hasn’t it?”

  More puzzles. Is she trying to say my biological father was some kind of merciful person? Maybe a judge?

  “You really are dense, aren’t you, girl?” My snakes nearly emerge at that, but I breathe deep like Ryder taught me, and they go to sleep. “Your father. The man who impregnated me. He is the god of Mercy, of all things. What a mistake.”

  She saunters out of the room.

  Is this what Ryder was trying to keep from me? How does he know? What else is he keeping from me? And why?

  I think back to the webpage I discovered. Their story is coming to life, and I wonder if it was more accurate than I thought.

  More alone than ever, I throw myself on the plush bed and sob until I have no tears left. Until my eyes are raw, but not bloody. Until my soul weakens, my head throbs, and my throat feels like I swallowed sandpaper.

  Until I forget that my life is a product of my own bad choices.

  Chapter Twenty-three

  I wake to an early dawn and realize today is the day the grant committee is supposed to observe my activity with the kids.

  My knuckles bleed from banging on the door. My arms burn, but I need someone to hear me, someone to release me. My screams bounce back at me as if I’m the only one left to hear them.

  I’m about to crumple to the floor when Zane whips the door open.

  “Do you have a death wish?” His eyes flash at me, then he looks over his shoulder as he shuts the door. “Unless you plan to use your Fury for justice, I suggest you keep a low profile. Meg is getting more and more pissed every day.”

  “She’s getting pissed? How do you think I feel? My supposed ‘mother’ is keeping me against my will, treating me worse than a prisoner. I’ll never do anything for her.”

  Zane paces the room. “Listen, I’ll get a note to your mom to let her know you’re okay. I know you’re worried about her worrying.”

  A tiny blossom of hope blooms in my chest, but it’s not enough. If he really wanted to help he’d bust me free from this jail.

  He pulls a pouch of crackers out of his pocket and hands them to me. “I know she’s been forgetting to bring food regularly. Sorry about that.”

  I snort but take the food anyway. I sit on the bed and devour the crackers, tears making their way out of my pathetic eyes. How could I have been so stupid?

  All my hopes, all my dreams, all my good intentions. Gone. I’ll never get the grant; they’ll think I’m a total loser for running away and leaving the kids waiting for me. My mom will never forgive me, will never see me as anything other than mentally ill or emotionally unstable. I’m sure my friends will shun me for good. How could they possibly understand what I’ve done and why? My straight-A record will be plunged into failure. No grant, no first-choice college. Then again, none of that will matter if I never make it out of this prison alive.

  The bed creaks as Zane sits beside me, his arm warm across my back. He pulls my head to his shoulder, and when all of the sobs and tears have run through me, he’s still there.

  “She’s really not as bad as you think.” I stiffen at his deep voice vibrating through my body. “I know you find that hard to believe, but I have known her a long time, and she’s been very good to me.”

  I stay silent, waiting for him to make me believe.

  “My mom was raped in the mortal realm, in your world; that’s how she got pregnant with me.” He ignores my gasp, seemingly lost in his history. “Meg protected my mom from further harm and tortured the rapist until he was so insane he could never hurt another woman. She then took us into her realm, here, for safe-keeping. We’ve been protected and cared for since before I was born. She saved us both. I’ll be loyal to her until the day I die.”

  There’s nothing I can say. He knows a part of her I’ve never known. All I see is a selfish woman who will stop at nothing to get her way. Who abandoned me as an infant, then wanted me back when she thought I could do something for her.
I do admire her for protecting Zane and his mom, but I have to wonder at her ulterior motive.

  I pull away from Zane so I can look him in the eye.

  “Please help me get out of here. I need to go home.” Now it’s his turn to be silent. I grab his hand, warm and strong. “How would you feel if you had to be away from your mother? If she was worrying about you?”

  He pulls away from me, pushing his hand through his hair as he walks to the door. He opens the door, but looks at me for a long moment before he speaks.

  “I’m sorry, Felicia. I can’t.”

  Right after he leaves, I go to the door. I pull, not expecting any different results.

  The door flies open. Zane left it unlocked.

  Chapter Twenty-four

  The halls are winding and confusing, reminding me of one of those mirrored maze houses at the carnival. Everything is shiny and perfect like the art gallery Mom and I like to visit. I see pink-haired women every few feet or so, but I hide in the alcoves or behind a pillar until they’ve passed, and with their constant vigilance of the floor, they don’t notice me, anyway.

  I finally tip-toe my way out of the palace and into the fresh air. I want to collapse in relief, but push myself to get to the woods, to cover. I’m not sure how I’ve gotten to this point without detection, but I’m not about to push my luck.

  Before I can acclimate myself to the forest, Zane appears before me. Without a word, he pulls me to his chest. I look at his face, gratitude mixed with worry. Did he intend to leave the door unlocked, or is he now coming to get me? His fingers dig into my upper arms. He leans down and kisses my lips—hard, piercing. I keep my lips clenched tight, despite my body urging me to open to him.

  His kiss softens seconds before he pulls away from me. His voice is deep and husky as he says, “I didn’t see you here.”

  “I won’t say a word.”

  I watch him walk away, his broad shoulders hunched forward as he drives his hands into his pockets. I half expect him to look back, but he never does.

  I shush my pounding heart and get back to work trying to find my way out of this horrid place. Screams echo in my head, and I’m not sure if they are real or imagined.

  I continue wandering through the woods—one tree blending into the other. I can’t find the fog, which is the only thing I can tie to our arrival here in this world. If I could find the fog, I could go into it and pray that I arrive at home.

  My body starts betraying me as I search for the way out. My legs get wobbly, unwilling to support my weight. My head spins, and the trees start moving in on me. I lean against one, trying to catch my breath, focusing on the bark biting into my shoulder. My blurry vision tricks me into thinking I’ve found the fog, but the howling wind begins to sound distorted and I know I’m about to lose consciousness.

  I fall to the ground, my hands digging into the pine needles and soil. I need to regain my strength. If not, she’ll find me. And I may not get this chance to escape again.

  I pull myself up, roots digging into my knees, my palms scraping against the bark of the tree. I’m standing, but my head feels three sizes too big for my body. I fall again, and this time the darkness closes in on me.

  ***

  Warm, strong arms cradle me in their embrace. A steady heartbeat thumps against my ear, and I savor the sweet sound. I know without opening my eyes that Ryder has come for me, if only in my oxygen-deprived, sleeping brain. His scent fuels the dream, and I allow myself to relax into his embrace. I run my fingers up his downy-soft arm hair, feel the intake of his breath and the gentle tensing of his muscles as my fingers trail along his arm.

  “Good, you’re awake.”

  My eyes fly open and I take in the dimpled chin of my rescuer. He’s carrying me. I struggle to get down.

  “Save your strength, Felicia. I’ll put you down when we’re out of here. I don’t want you collapsing.”

  “How did you find me? Where are you taking me?”

  “We’ll talk later. Let’s try to get out of here without interference. I’m taking you home.”

  Home. To my mom. To my friends. To my world.

  “Go ahead and lean back. It will be easier to carry you.”

  I don’t argue. My head still feels too big anyway.

  With one eye open, I see the fog ahead. I guess Ryder does know something about this world.

  Only a few more steps and we’ll be in the whirly, swirly mist, and, I hope, on the way home.

  I know something’s wrong when Ryder’s entire body tenses, and I instinctively try to get down. I’d feel much stronger and better prepared on my own two feet.

  “Leaving so soon, my dear one?”

  Megaera’s voice cuts through my still foggy brain, piercing my hopes and driving my body into intense stress. I can no longer feel my extremities, and I’m pretty sure I’ll fall if Ryder puts me down.

  “Step aside, Fury.”

  My heartbeat quickens when Ryder speaks against Megaera. Does he know how insane that woman is? What will she do to him? What will she do to me?

  Her laugh is musical, beautiful, deeply contrasting with the ugliness inside.

  “You dare to tell me what to do? Are you aware that you are trespassing on my land? What business do you have here, boy? And what do you think you are doing with my daughter? Release her at once.”

  Ryder doesn’t say a word as he tightens his grip on me. I suppose this is his nonverbal way of telling me he has no plans to let me go.

  “Step aside, Fury. She has chosen to leave.”

  Megaera moves to grab me, and as she reaches for me, I bury my head in Ryder’s chest. In one swift movement, Ryder whips me down and places me protectively behind him. He pulls the front of his shirt down just a bit, and I know from Meg’s panicked expression she doesn’t like what she sees. I try to see what he’s showing her, but even standing on my tip-toes, I can’t see over his shoulder. When I try to move around him, his arm forms a barrier I can’t pass.

  Whatever he showed her was powerful enough to make her step back, grimacing. Ryder strides forward, pulling me behind him. My knees feel stronger, more capable of pulling my own weight.

  “She’ll be back, and you’ll have no power to take her.”

  We step into the mist, and as we begin to spin, I hear her words echoing. Words I don’t quite understand.

  Words I try to block out. I will never come here again. Ever.

  Chapter Twenty-five

  “Sweet pea, you need to understand that I wouldn’t have sent you to the hospital. I was telling the therapist I wanted a second opinion. I’m sorry if you thought otherwise.”

  Mom smothers me with her hugs and kindness. She’s been fussing over me since I got home this afternoon, bringing me fluids and treats. She’s afraid I was perishing while not under her care. Unfortunately, that’s not far from the truth.

  I gobble up the attention willingly. Kinda crazy how much I missed her.

  “And no need to worry, I spoke with that nice lady from the grant committee. I told her you were ill, so at first they rescheduled the working interview until you feel better. When time was passing and you weren’t back, they decided to go ahead and interview the kids you work with and check out the website to base their information on.”

  A knot forms in my chest, making my heart pause. The website wasn’t done. Corey and I were supposed to get together to work on it, but we had that fight and I ran away…

  My mom sits beside me and puts her arm around me.

  “Corey finished it for you, lovey.”

  Relief is quickly replaced by guilt. Of course he did—he’s far more loyal than I am.

  “That boy loves you so much, for better or for worse. He and Jade were here every single day, waiting for you to return. They were like private investigators, interviewing everyone they could think of, trying to retrace your steps, searching everyplace they thought you might have gone. But you vanished without a trace. We were all so worried about you.”

  I dr
ift away from my mom as she speaks; first emotionally, then physically. My head hits the pillowed arm of the couch, and the questions that hang in the air, unspoken, trail off.

  Mom reaches over to push the hair away from my face.

  “You go ahead and rest. I’ll call your friends to let them know you’re home safe, and we’ll talk later.”

  I drift off to sleep, comforted by the floral notes of my mom’s perfume and the promise of her unconditional love.

  Chapter Twenty-six

  I awake to a high-pitched shriek and a soft body pushing me deep into the cushions.

  “You’re home!”

  Jade adjusts herself so I can sit up and hug her back.

  “Boy, do I have questions for you. Don’t even think I’m letting you get away without telling me everything. For now I will respect your mom’s wishes not to make you talk, but as soon as you’re feeling even the tiniest bit better, you are all mine!”

  “I’m always all yours, bestie.” I blink the tears out of my eyes. No way will I cry. “Hey, how are things going with Bryce?”

  “Ha, that didn’t quite work out. Remember before you left how I met that guy at the mall? He and I are having a little text romance.”

  I smile, glad some things never change.

  “And how’s—”

  “Corey’s fine. He wanted to be here, but he has a big tech thing tomorrow.” She can tell I don’t believe her, but she keeps the excuse alive. “You know how he gets so caught up in that stuff. Doesn’t even come up for air. But did you see the website he built for you? It’s amazing.”

  “I haven’t had a chance to check it out, but if you see him, please tell him how grateful I am.”

  “You can tell him yourself at school tomorrow. You are going, right?”

  Though part of me would like to avoid the walk of shame, I know I have to face the rumors and the make-up work eventually.

  “I’ll be there.”

  “I suppose I might as well tell you now so you can be prepared.”

  Panic tickles the hair on the back of my neck. What now?

  “Jenny’s project has finaled, too.”

  “I didn’t even know she entered. What is her brilliant idea?”

  “You may need a puke bucket for this one…” Jade pauses for dramatic effect. “She’d like to start a program for providing pedicures to dogs at the local shelter. Something about boosting their self-esteem to make them more adoptable.”