Chapter 19 #2
“I think a break and some food is a good idea,” said Iris, reaching down and grabbing her bag. “You probably have low blood sugar. No one can conjure up super portals on an empty stomach.” She adjusted the strap on her shoulder. “That’s basic magical science.”
I smiled at her. “You’re probably right.
And speaking of food, I’m pretty sure my kid is starving too.
” He’d been really quiet this whole time.
Had he heard everything my mother said? Of course he had.
He had his father’s super wereape hearing abilities.
And then I realized something. I hadn’t had a real talk with my son since this whole thing had happened.
Part of it was because I was still in denial, hoping that it was all just a bad dream and I’d wake up to find my son looking like a four-month-old toddler again.
Or at least wake up and discover yesterday had been some bizarre magical food poisoning incident.
I needed to sit with him and explain what happened. Answer any questions he might have. Was he frightened? Curious? I had to know. He’d been so unruffled through all of this that it almost worried me more. Kids weren’t supposed to handle spontaneous aging better than the adults around them.
“Darian?” I called toward the staircase. “Aunt Ruthy’s making lunch. Come on. Let’s go.” After all the shopping he did with Beverly, my son was probably starving. Growing ten years apparently came with an appetite the size of a small nation.
“Is she making her famous lasagna?” Ronin walked past me and headed toward the front door. His entire personality shifted whenever Ruth cooked. It was a little disturbing.
“I don’t know,” answered Iris. “Just be grateful we’re invited.”
“I am grateful,” said Ronin, patting his stomach. “After we’ve had two servings. And two beers.”
“Darian!” I called again. “What’s he doing?” Usually he answered. Or crashed into something while answering. Silence wasn’t his thing.
“You want me to go get him?” offered Ronin.
“No, I’ll get him.” I started up the stairs, trying not to replay my mother’s accusations in my head. I failed. Because deep down, I knew she was right.
But I’d fix it. I’d find a way. Portal magic or not, I was going to find Addison.
Yes, I’d punch her. Probably a few times.
But I’d make her tell me what she did to Darian.
I had to know. Had to know if this was just temporary, or if he would change again.
I know what my father said, but it wasn’t enough.
Not for me. I needed real answers. And the only way I’d get them was through the person who started all of this.
Addison knew something. More than she admitted in that laboratory.
More than she’d told me when she was standing there holding that stupid syringe.
Every instinct I had screamed that there was another piece to this puzzle.
A big one. The kind of piece that changes everything once you find it.
Unfortunately, finding it required locating a homicidal wereape scientist, which wasn’t exactly a service offered in the Hollow Cove phone book.
Maybe Iris was right. Maybe all I needed was a little break from everything and some food.
Carbs would be awesome, lots and lots of carbs.
Possibly enough carbs to qualify as a personality trait.
Maybe Ruth had made lasagna. Or garlic bread.
Or one of those casseroles that contained enough butter to shorten your life expectancy but somehow made existence feel worthwhile.
If someone handed me a loaf of warm bread right now, I might cry.
Not because of the bread. Because of everything else.
The bread would just happen to be there when it occurred.
I reached the landing and headed for his door. “Darian, let’s go. Mommy’s hungry and…” I pushed open the door with a smile already forming. I was halfway through imagining Ruth’s lasagna.
The rest of the words died in my throat.
Because Darian wasn’t in his room. The smile vanished instantly. The world seemed to tilt sideways.
I ran in. “Darian? Where are you? This isn’t funny.
” No not at all. I checked under his bed and in his closet, but he wasn’t here.
Which was ridiculous because there was nowhere else to go unless my son had suddenly developed invisibility powers on top of everything else.
At this point I wasn’t ruling anything out.
“What’s going on?” said Iris, appearing in the doorway with Ronin next to her. Their expressions changed when they saw my face.
My heart thrashed in my chest. “Darian’s not in his room.” The words barely sounded like my voice.
“Did you check the other rooms?” Ronin was already out in the hallway going toward my bedroom. The joking mood had vanished from him instantly. That scared me almost as much as the empty room.
I ran past him and shoved the door open, but my son wasn’t there either.
I fell to my knees, my pulse racing, and checked under the bed.
Nothing. Then I ran to our closet. Still nothing.
My breathing came faster. Too fast. The walls felt smaller.
Every horrible possibility started lining up inside my brain and demanding attention.
“Tessa!” called Iris.
I bounded out my bedroom and ran back inside Darian’s room. “What?” I could barely hear myself think with all the pounding of blood in my ears. My hands were shaking now.
“Look,” said Iris, pointing to the window. “It’s open. The screen’s gone.”
All the blood left my body as I ran to the window and leaned out. “Darian!” I hollered. But there was no sign of my son anywhere. No movement. No answer. No laughter telling me this was some misunderstanding. Just the breeze moving through the trees and a silence so heavy it felt wrong.
Darian was gone.