Chapter 15
Merrin insisted on going through the refrigerator and cleaning it before they put the leftovers away. Dylan chuckled at her predictability before she even started throwing out the open containers.
She shot him a glare and muttered. “If anyone stays here, we may have to run to the store and stock up.”
Gabriel cleared his throat. “We all probably need to pick up a few things, too. Good thing this place has enough room for all of us.”
Dylan smiled, understanding that none of them had planned to stay the night. “Mom, Gabe and I will go to the store and swing by his place and your place so we can get some stuff. Do you want me to pick anything up at your house?”
She waved him off. “Nah, I’ll get it when I take mom and Tinah. Just be sure to bring your car back. We should all probably pull all the way around, so it doesn’t look like anyone’s here. I’ll be done here in a few, anyway.”
He shook his head. “At least there’s nothing that can’t easily be identified. I’d hate for us to throw out something important.”
As soon as the house had faded from the rearview mirror, Gabriel looked over at him. “What the fuck?”
Dylan turned. “What? What’s behind us?”
“Nothing! I mean, what the fuck is going on? None of this can be real, can it?
Dylan closed his eyes and let out a sigh. “If you’d asked me yesterday, I would’ve said no . Now…” His voice trailed off.
“Is it just the shapeshifting? Is the dog the only thing you can turn into?”
Dylan shrugged. “Honestly? I don’t know. Mamaw seems to think I have some sort of psychic ability, too, but I’m not so sure. Either way, I don’t know how to use any of it. According to Homer’s letter, could be any of the others that have shown up in my family on his side, but no way of knowing what I would get. He seemed to think it was possible that there could be a combination.” He let out a chuckle. “His letter did give a little info on the shapeshifting… apparently he could turn into any animal he wanted.”
Gabriel considered for a moment. “This just sounds crazy. Do you know about any of the others?”
“The letter said Dad and Homer’s son both had some kind of elemental magic.”
Gabriel smirked at him. “Seriously? Have you tried any of it?”
Dylan shook his head. “No, and honestly, I’m scared.” He lit a cigarette. “Like part of me wants to see if I can control fire, but what if I can and I burn the house down? I mean, I could try now, but what if I turn your car and you into a fireball? I’d never forgive myself if I hurt you.”
Gabriel cocked his head and smiled. “I know why your mamaw wants me to stay. She didn’t say it, but it was pretty obvious, and more than just to keep me safe.”
Dylan looked at him and raised an eyebrow, wondering if he was really changing the subject on this topic. “And why’s that?”
“Your mother screwed all of this up, not letting you know what’s going on, so you’re going to have to explore and learn with just those books as guidance. Homer seemed to think I have something in my background. She wants me to help research… and see if we can awaken some latent power no one knows about.”
He shrugged. “Maybe.”
Gabriel turned away from town.
“Where are we headed?” Dylan asked.
“Figured we’d go to my place first. It’s a little out of the way, so we need to get out of there before it gets too late if this shit is as dangerous as it seems.”
“Mom’s place is a little out of the way, too.” His eyes flew open. He pulled out his phone and called his aunt. “Tinah. When you were researching, did you see anything about the protection magic stuff? Your house is on land that connects to the property. If we can figure out what it was, we may be able to extend it beyond to that property.”
Tinah replied. “There was something about it. Too bad there’s not a road. I don’t think mom could make that walk. There used to be a path out into the woods. I’ll go through the books tonight and see what we can figure out, though if it were that easy, I bet Homer would’ve done it to protect Mom.”
“Thanks. I’ll talk to you later. We’re heading to Gabe’s first.”
He disconnected the call as Gabriel pulled into a long, muddy driveway. Dylan slipped the phone back into his pocket and looked at the ramshackle single-wide in front of him.
“Sorry to disappoint, but we can’t all inherit mansions. I’ll be lucky if my parents don’t leave everything to the church. They’ve never told me they’ve disinherited me, but I wouldn’t be surprised.”
Gabriel shook his head. “You know I don’t care about that shit.”
Gabriel didn’t respond. “The place is a mess. I know you said you don’t care, but I do. Mind staying out here while I grab a few things? Maybe you could practice breathing fire or some shit over in the yard. No one’s around and you can’t hurt shit out here.”
Dylan nodded with a laugh. “Sounds good. Just hurry. Please.”
Gabriel’s face flushed. He nodded as he climbed out of the car. “I will.”
Dylan watched him climb onto the porch and go inside. He stepped out of the car, looking around to make sure no one else could see.
He stepped into the center of the yard. Something felt different. He’d noticed it earlier, but now that he was outside and away from town, his skin tingled, as if an electric current were flowing through him. It felt right. He closed his eyes and inhaled. The air here was wet, filled with humidity from the summer shower that had fallen while they ate. Small puddles of water were everywhere around them. He could feel the water. He exhaled and drew in a deep breath.
“Holy shit!” Gabriel’s shout echoed off the trees surrounding the property.