CHAPTER TWELVE
~
“There she …. Oh, no, wait,” Amy said, gripping both front seats as she shoved her head forward and stared in disbelief out the car”s front windscreen. “What the hell?” she said, her voice screechy.
“That’s something I’ve never seen before,” Dani said, shaking her head fast but keeping her eyes fixed on the car ahead – Faith was riding on the roof like it was a surfboard.
“That was something,” Drew said in awe.
Amy snorted a chuckle. “Let’s go surfing now; everybody’s learning now…” She stopped singing when Dani jabbed her in the ribs with her elbow. “Stop jabbing me!” she snapped but didn’t turn to look at Dani.
“You’re being insensitive,” Dani said.
“Insensitive?” Amy screwed up her face.
“You told me to tell you when you were being a witch with a B, and it’s now,” Dani replied, solemnly nodding at her words.
“If you jab me again, you’re going to see a witch fly firsthand out that window beside you,” Amy replied.
“Insensitive,” Dani said, not giving ground.
“Don’t start with me,” Amy warned.
“Then take the advice and reboot yourself,” Dani said.
“Speaking of the boot,” Hope snapped back over her shoulder. “There is room for two in there.” Drew snorted a chuckle. “Maybe three.”
“What do you want me to do?” Drew asked, lifting a hand from the steering wheel and motioning ahead.
“You think I know what’s going to happen next?” Hope said with a sigh.
Drew grunted. “We’ll just keep going then.”
“Looks that way,” Hope said.
~
“Break!” Evie said from the back seat, her hands still over Jennifer’s eyes as the young witch squirmed in her seat, trying to pry Evie’s hands off.
“I wanna see!” Jennifer demanded.
“She’s on the roof,” True hissed.
“Aunt Faith is on the roof?” Jennifer said excitedly. “Cool. How’d she do that?”
“Well, somebody had better tell her,” Heath said.
“Now is not a good time,” Evie hissed.
Heath shrugged. “And if someone peels back the roof and grabs her when would be a good time to tell her?”
“That’s not,” Evie shook her head in dismay. “You think she might?”
“I think all bets are off right now,” True said. “But don’t give her ideas,” she added, pointing to the roof. “Walls have ears.”
Heath grumbled. “But…”
There was a sound like metal scrapping metal, and it echoed inside the car. True looked up. “See!” she snapped.
“Technically, not my fault,” Heath grumbled.
“Okay, Jennifer,” Evie said, taking her hands away and watching her ward blinking against the light of day. “I need you to big it up because you need to listen and understand, got it?”
“Not yet,” Jennifer said, slowly shaking her head. Then she wiggled in her seat. “Can I see Faith on the roof?” she asked excitedly.
“No!” Evie snapped.
“Let’s hope not,” True bit out.
“Aunt Faith isn’t the Faith you know any more,” Evie said, grimacing. She wasn’t sure how to handle things; it was new territory, but she ploughed on when the scrapping happened again. “Aunt Faith died and came back as a vampire!” she rushed out.
For one long moment, Jennifer didn’t react. She was taking in the information and processing as best she could. “Cooool!” she said, trying to pull herself over Evie to get a look out of the window. “Can I see?”
“No!” Every barked back.
“Ah, come on!” Jennifer said, disappointed.
“Hit the brakes,” True whispered so only the shifters in the car could hear her, and hopefully not Faith.
“But?” Heath turned a questioning look on his mate.
“Now!” she mouthed.
Heath pressed his lips together and slammed on the brakes. Parker’s arm shot across the chests of the females in the back, keeping them in place. True had braced her body and kept her eyes on the sky ahead.
Sure enough, a heartbeat later, Faith was flying through the air.
“Go around her!” True screeched. She didn’t have a clue where Faith was going to land, but they needed to get out of there.
“Geez,” Heath bit out, mindful of the child in the back and bad language. They might have been trying to shake loose a newbie vampire, but he didn’t want to get dinged for swearing.
~
“There she goesssss!” Amy said, bracing against the front seats when Drew hit the brakes, but she was determined not to miss a second of what was unfolding.
“Holy crud!” Dani screeched when she was thrown back in her seat and bounced forward again. “What’d I miss?” she asked, gripping the front seats and peering out.
“Faith being shot out of a cannon,” Amy said, watching her friend fly. “I’m like a bird…” She sang until Dani elbowed her in the ribs.
“Stop!” Dani warned.
“Right back at ya,” Amy grumbled.
“Drive!” Hope screeched, pointing to the car in front as it took off.
Drew hit the pedal. “I know how to do this, but if you’d like to drive…”
“I can drive,” Hope snapped.
“You want to?” Drew shot back.
“Pull it over, and I’m there,” Hope snapped.
“Mummy and Daddy are fighting,” Amy said in baby tones. “Cover your ears, Dani, it’ll be okay.”
Dani snorted a chuckle. “Okay, now that was funny.”
“Oh, not insensitive?” Amy asked.
“Okay, now that’s insensitive,” Dani replied.
“Ugh!” Hope bit out. She wanted to turn and glare at them but didn’t want to take her eyes off Faith. “Can you two stop it?”
“Are we there yet?” Amy asked, and Dani snorted a chuckle.
“Witches,” Drew grumbled, shaking his head.
“Seriously?” Hope demanded, jabbing him in the arm.
“Mummy hit Daddy while daddy is driving,” Amy said. “That’s not good.”
“I’m going to kill someone,” Hope bit out, miffed.
“Skeet shooting,” Amy said, pointing to Faith. “Hit her while she’s flying.”
“Amy!” Dani said, looking horrified.
“She’s a vampire; she’s not going to die,” Amy said.
Hope hit the button on the armrest and smoothly rolled down the window. “Nope, she’s not,” she said, pulling on her magic and thrusting it out of the window at Faith.
“Whoa!” Amy screeched.
“Shot!” Dani said, impressed.
Hope’s magic had taken a swing at Faith and hit her off the track ahead and towards the woods.
“Batter up!” Amy said, chuckling.
“What now?” Dani said, unable to fully close her mouth as Faith let out a screech of annoyance.
“I’m guessing she goes splat unless someone else wants to take another swing?” Amy said. “Faith ping-pong.”
“Insensitive,” Dani said, almost a whisper.
“But funny,” Drew said, chuckling.
~
“Who did that?” True demanded, watching her sister as she sailed through the air to the right of their vehicle.
“It wasn’t you?” Heath asked, confused.
“Not me either,” Evie said.
Heath looked in the rearview mirror at the car approaching them. “Hope’s window is down – maybe?” he left it there.
True watched Faith disappear into the woods and tore her gaze away. She hoped there wouldn’t be an almighty thud as her sister hit a tree or the ground. “Sounds like a Hope thing to do,” she said, keeping her gaze ahead. “Keep watching the mirrors, just in case, but floor it and get us home.”
“But, Aunty Faith,” Jennifer said.
“I think she’ll catch up,” Evie said, sighing. “But you must never invite her in.”
“But we’re playing a long game…”
“Jennifer, vampires don’t get invited into the house,” Evie said.
“But it’s Faith,” Jennifer said, pleading.
True turned in her seat. “Honey, it’s not the same Faith, and until she is – better - you have to keep her outside.”
“Like a bad cat?” Jennifer said, huffing as she folded her arms.
“A very bad cat,” True said, turning back. She was unable to keep her eyes ahead and searched out the side window for signs of Faith. But the coast was clear, and they kept going.
“How long?” Jennifer asked quietly.
“Until Uncle Lex says it’s okay,” Evie replied.