"Not to his face," Amy said and took another bite. "But he might have overheard me say that I couldn't picture us as an item."
"You told Melanie, and he heard it?" I asked.
She made a face again. "That's what I’m afraid of."
Jazmine looked confused. "Wait a second. Time out. Melanie? As in the wolf, Melanie?"
Amy cleared her throat nervously. I had forgotten I was the only one who knew that Melanie was hiding at Amy's house. We had kept it a secret, so Mr. Aran wouldn't find her again.
"When did she come back?" Jazmine asked.
"Yeah, well…" Amy started. "Actually, she was never really gone."
Chapter Forty-Two
Amy told Jazmine the entire story while I finished yet another of her brownies. I was getting thirsty and went downstairs to pick up some sodas for all of us. When I returned, Amy had finished telling her about Melanie, and I handed them each a can.
"We kept it a secret to protect Melanie," Amy said apologetically.
Jazmine seemed to be fine with it.
"So, how are you holding up?" I asked addressed to Jazmine. "Have you visited her yet?"
Jazmine nodded and sipped her soda. "Earlier today."
"Your mom?" Amy said. "How was it?"
Jazmine shrugged. "It was…awful…I don't think I will ever…"
Jazmine paused mid-sentence and looked at Veronika. I turned my head as well. The girl was flickering again.
"What the heck?" Amy said, almost dropping her can of soda when she turned to see.
I exhaled, shaking my head. "She does that. From time to time. Right before she disappears."
As I said the words, Veronika looked up, and our eyes met in the second before she vanished.
"Holy…sh…oot," Amy exclaimed and jumped up from the bed. "Where did she go?"
"I told you," I said.
"Oh, my…" Jazmine said.
They both looked at me for answers, but I didn't have any.
"Where does she go?" Amy asked, eyes still wide.
"I don't know," I said.
"Ask her," Amy said.
I grimaced. "You don't think I’ve tried that? She doesn't answer me. I’m not sure she knows."
"But…but she comes back?" Jazmine asked.
I nodded. "Usually after a short while."
It took a little longer than the two other times, but a few seconds later, Veronika reappeared. She was flickering still at first before she was fully there. She was smiling from ear to ear. In her hand, she was holding something. A stick of some sort that I had never seen before.
I approached her. "Veronika? Are you okay?"
She looked a little confused, then nodded.
"Where were you?" I asked. "Just now?"
She shrugged, then looked at the stick in her hand. It looked like something electronic. She put it on the desk and returned to playing with her doll. All three of us rushed to the stick and looked at it. I touched it with my finger, then picked it up. As I did, a thin plastic digital display emerged, showing some 3D video of a cat playing with a cucumber. I shrieked and threw it back on the table, then looked at Veronika. She seemed not to care one bit and continued her game. I turned to look at my friends when suddenly Veronika lifted her head and stared at the door.
"Anyone hungry?" she said with a small still voice, glaring at it.
We all exchanged a look when there was a knock.
"Yes?" Jazmine shouted.
Her Aunt Tina peeked inside, smiling from ear to ear.
"Anyone hungry?"
Chapter Forty-Three
"Maybe she's psychic?"
We were sitting in the kitchen, eating all the treats Amy had brought us. No one knew how to cook for a party like Amy. It was Amy who asked the question, leaning across the breakfast counter. She was speaking with a low voice, so Jazmine's aunt wouldn't hear us.
"I still think she's like you," Amy continued, addressed to Jazmine. "I think she's a witch."
Jazmine looked at Veronika. I was sitting next to the girl who didn't seem to be bothered by the fact that we were all staring at her. She just gobbled down the treats like she hadn't eaten in weeks. I knew she had to feel that way, living in my house, eating the food my mom served. I couldn't stop eating either. This was my idea of heaven.
Jazmine shrugged. Aunt Tina left the kitchen and went into the living room, where she turned on the TV.
"I think she might be something different," Jazmine said
"How so?" I asked.
"I’ve read about this," Jazmine said and walked to the bookshelves by the fireplace. She pulled out a book from the top, then walked back to us and flipped the pages. "In one of my mom's books. Here it is," she said and showed us a page.
"Time travel?" I asked, baffled.
Jazmine nodded. "They're supposedly these creatures with the ability to move through time. For us, it seems like she's gone for just a few seconds, but she can spend a long time somewhere else in another time zone."
"She did know that Duncan was about to come before his car even drove up into the street," I said. "But she doesn't really seem to know what is happening to her."
"My bet is she can't control it," Jazmine said and closed the book. She grabbed a soda and opened it.
"Because her parents aren't here to teach her," Amy said. "Like me when I found out what I was; my mom had to train me because I didn't know how to do any of it. I’m still not very good at most of it, but with her help, I’m getting better at not getting hurt so much and at controlling when and where I change."
"So, you're telling me she just accidentally goes back and forth in time without knowing how or when?" I asked.
Jazmine shrugged. "That's my guess, yeah."
I took in a deep breath and drank from my soda. I wasn't really sure how to take this news. I didn't want to tell the others that Veronika had also predicted something else.
My death. My death caused by Duncan.
I grabbed a gummy worm and ate it, wondering how to take this. My heart was pounding as I stared at Veronika next to me. Was she right about everything she said? Couldn't she be wrong about some things? Was the future set in stone? Or could it be changed?
Chapter Forty-Four
With our bellies full of junk and sodas, we went back to Jazmine's room. I wasn't feeling too well as I walked up the stairs. Not so much because I had overeaten—which I definitely had—but more because I was worried. Anxiety had started to grow inside me, and I couldn't seem to calm it down. Duncan had shown a side of himself that I hadn't cared for. He had scared me. Was Veronika right? Would he end up killing me? I couldn't even bear to think about it.
"Who wants to play Twister?" Amy asked and opened the door to Jazmine's room.
Jazmine and I both nodded, thinking that it might take our thoughts off things and walked in behind her, when all four of us froze. Someone was in the room. A shady figure was waiting by the window.
"Adrian?" Jazmine said and stepped forward. "What are you doing here?"
Adrian stepped into the light, and we could see him now. Something was different about him, and it scared me slightly. There was anger in his eyes so deep it felt endless.
"Adrian?" I asked, but he didn't look my way at all. His eyes were only fixated on Jazmine.
"I don't want to see you, Adrian," Jazmine said. "I told you that."
"Jazmine," he said, speaking in almost a whisper. "I miss you. I can't…I can't…I…"
Jazmine walked up to him and stood really close. He touched her face.
"We are so good together."
"I told you," she said. "I can't be your girlfriend anymore."
He let out a low snarl, then grabbed her by the neck. She pulled away.
"I know I was weak the last time we saw each other," she said. "I let my guard down. I’ve been so angry with myself for that. I told you it was the last time."
"You…you can't just throw me away like that," he said, his voice growing louder, his tone aggressive
.
"I am sorry, but I have to," she said. "You're going away, and I can't let myself get hurt like this. I can't sit here and wait for you to come back."
"Why not?" he hissed.
She exhaled. "Because I don't want to. I don't want to ruin my teenage years. You're going away, and you're gonna have a great time, Adrian. You're going to meet lots of girls, and I'll just be a chain around your leg. I don't want to be that. I don't want to end up being that."
He shook his head. It was getting awkward for the rest of us, and we sat on the bed, staying out of their way.
"You will never be that for me," he said and grabbed her arm. He pulled her close and tried to hug her, but she pulled out of his grip.
"Adrian, stop it. I told you to let me go. We had fun together, but our time has run out."
"I won't accept it," Adrian said with a low growl. He grabbed her arm once again and pulled her close, forcefully. Jazmine grunted.
"Adrian, stop it. You're hurting me."
He held her tightly, and she couldn't get loose. I felt my heart begin to race in my chest. Would he hurt her?
Just as he grabbed her by the shoulder, there was a knock on the door, and Aunt Tina peeked inside. Adrian let go of Jazmine immediately, and we all looked at her.
"Someone is here," she said.
Chapter Forty-Five
"Kipp?"
Amy jumped up from the bed as Aunt Tina let Kipp inside, then said she was going to visit a friend for a few hours but would be back before midnight. Kipp looked a little awkward but smiled and greeted them as the door was closed behind him.
"Hello, ladies."
Amy rushed to him. "What are you doing here?"
"I was looking for you. Melanie told me I could find you here."
Amy sighed. "What do you want?"
"I wanted to talk to you."
"And it couldn't wait?"
"No."
Amy exhaled. She looked back at the others, then pulled Kipp with her into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. She threw out her arms.
"Okay. Make it fast. What do you want?"
"I want to be your boyfriend. Clear and simple."
Amy stared at him. She couldn't believe him. "Are you for real? You come here…to my sleepover with my friends and tell me you want to be my boyfriend? Who the heck do you think you are?"
Amy felt a burning sensation in the bottom of her throat and had to calm herself down.
He looked surprised. "I thought you'd be happy."
"Oh, because the big and mighty Kipp has decided to bless me with his presence and his desire to be my boyfriend? Now, listen to me, mister. I know what you are and how you dazzle all the girls around here, and I am sure any of them will fall for your little lines and tricks and songs and whatnot, but I am not one of them."
Kipp looked at her, confused. "What is wrong with you?"
Amy's eyes grew wide. "What is wrong with me? With me?"
"Yes. You. I come here and tell you that I like you, and I want to date you, and you act like I told you I wanted to rob you or steal your grandmother's gold teeth."
Amy shook her head. "What?"
Kipp stomped his foot. "Why aren't you happy? I heard what you told Melanie the other day. I heard you tell her you didn't believe I wanted you, and now I’m telling you I do. Why can't you just be happy about that?"
Amy felt so furious; she wasn't sure she could control it much longer. The burning had reached her mouth and nose, and she was blowing out smoke in small puffs when she spoke. The faucet next to her was squeaking.
"So, now you're doing me a…a favor?"
"I’m taking the first step is what I’m doing," he said snorting. The faucet was squeaking louder now. "You think you're not good enough for me, huh? Well, who are you to determine that you're not good enough?"
"And who are you to say that I am, huh?" Amy said, small spouts of fire emerging from her nostrils. The faucet was whining now, like water was trying to escape, putting pressure on it from underneath it.
"The guy who likes you, that's who!"
"So, you like me, huh? Well…well, I like you too," she yelled. In the same instant, it felt like she exploded, and fire spewed out of her nose in a big ball. Meanwhile, the water inside the faucet pressed so hard upward that the faucet was shot up in the air and water spurted out on both of them, drenching them and putting out Amy's fire.
Startled, soaked, and a little dazed, Amy turned her head toward Kipp. She grabbed him by the collar and pulled him into a wet kiss as his fishtail was flapping on the floor.
Chapter Forty-Six
As soon as the doorbell rang, Jayden rushed down the stairs and opened the door. Ruelle smiled her beautiful smile from behind the door and made Jayden feel warm and fuzzy.
"Going out with Ruelle," he yelled at his parents in the living room, then rushed out to her. He grabbed her face between his hands and kissed her. The kiss was long and warm, and he closed his eyes and took in her scent. In this very moment, he felt happier than ever.
"So, what do you want to do tonight?" he asked.
"How about pizza?" she asked.
"Sounds good to me."
He put his arm around her shoulder as they walked to the car and got in. They were going in her car since Jayden didn't have his own. She put the key in the ignition and turned it. The car roared. She looked at him, her brown eyes alluring him and pulling at him. He couldn't help himself; he simply had to kiss her again, so he leaned over her and did. They made out for a few seconds, when she stopped him.
"I'm getting hungry," she said.
He chuckled, feeling like he was in a haze. That was how she made him feel. Like he was constantly flying on a cloud of happiness.
"Me too."
"So, do you want to go to Make-out Mountain afterward?" she asked.
He laughed. "I thought you'd never ask."
She put the car into drive and was about to pull into the street, when Jayden saw something that caused the blood in his veins to immediately freeze.
"Wait. Stop," he said.
She stopped the car. "What?"
He looked out the window, then pointed into the cul-de-sac where there was a figure moving under the streetlamps.
"That man," he said.
She looked. "The guy who looks like a spider?"
"Yes. He's the man who killed my brother."
Ruelle wrinkled her forehead. "I thought there was a stampede of animals."
"That was the official story," he said. "Truth is, this guy took his soul. He sucked it into that black vacuum cleaner-like device, the very same one he’s holding in his hands right now."
"Where do you think he’s going?" Ruelle asked with a small gasp.
Jayden exhaled. Mr. Aran was walking with very long and determined steps. There was no doubt in Jayden's mind where he was going, and it terrified him more than anything.
"He's heading toward Jazmine's house," he said, holding his breath.
Ruelle looked at Jayden. "The witch?"
Jayden nodded. "Yes, but she's not the only one there tonight. If any one of them uses their powers, they'll be in trouble. I have to warn them."
Jayden grabbed his phone and texted all of them in Snapchat, using their code for danger.
RUN.
Chapter Forty-Seven
I had given Veronika my phone to play with while I was keeping a close eye on Adrian and Jazmine. Amy and Kipp had disappeared into the bathroom, and I heard strange sounds coming from in there, but at least they had stopped yelling at each other. I wasn't so worried about them as I was my brother and how he was treating Jazmine. She kept refusing him, and that made him more and more angry. A raven came in through the open window and landed on the windowsill. Soon, a second followed, and then three and four and five till there was a small flock. It almost seemed like Jazmine was somehow summoning them. I wondered if she was. Her cat, BamBam, was sitting on a shelf, watching the entire thing from above. It too seemed ready to in
terfere, should it be necessary.
"I told you, Adrian. You need to leave me alone," she said and pushed him away.
In return, Adrian grabbed her and pulled her close and forced her into a kiss. He held her tightly, and I could hear her scream behind her closed lips. That made me jump to my feet.
"Adrian!"
He turned his head and let go of Jazmine. "What?"
"You've got to stop this and go home."
He approached me, fast. He grabbed me by the throat and pushed me up against the wall. I fought to breathe. Jazmine screamed.
"A-Adrian," I gasped. "I…I…can't…breathe…"
He stared at me, his eyes ablaze. "Don't you ever tell me what to do…little…sister."
The anger started something inside of him, and I noticed his skin was changing. So were his eyes and, worst of all, his fangs and claws were poking out. He accidentally scratched me on my neck, and some blood was running down my throat. The smell and sight of it caused his eyes to fill with madness. He was changing fast now, and he was fighting his desires, but losing the fight.
"Adrian!" Jazmine yelled from behind him. "Let her go!"
The flock of ravens lifted into the air and darted toward him. Soon, they were in his hair, pecking at him. Adrian let go of me, and I fell to the floor, crying and gasping for air. Jazmine rushed to me and knelt next to me.
"Are you all right?"
I coughed, then nodded.
Adrian grabbed one of the birds and bit its head off. Looking at Jazmine and me, he drank its blood, sucking it completely dry with a grin. With his claws, he fought off the rest, ripped them open and soon they were all falling dead to the carpet below. He darted toward Jazmine and grabbed her by the arm. He slung her through the room till she hit the wall behind her. The air was knocked out of her lungs, and she sank to the floor with a deep moan. Her cat then jumped Adrian with a loud scream and scratched his face. Adrian grabbed it like he hardly cared and threw it through the air, where it hit the door with a hiss before it fell to the carpet.