Chapter 9
Skully
My bags are packed, and my flight is booked, yet I still can’t wrap my head around the cross-country move.
Simple. Unworthy. Playtime. Were all words my dad used to describe the life I’d been building here in California.
He looked down on my choice of education at the community college and reiterated that this was the reason Aunt Loreli shouldn’t have ever been my guardian.
He forgets that he abandoned my mom when she was pregnant with me in order to protect his family name.
As much as I want his approval and love, I will not sacrifice who I am to get it.
Right as I shove my favorite pair of boots into the suitcase, there’s a knock on the front door, followed by a chime of the doorbell.
“Skully, can you grab that?” my aunt calls from the back of the apartment, where she’s washing the last load of clothes before I’m done packing.
Hurriedly, I jog down the hallway and open the door.
“Oh my gosh! You’re alive! You’re here! I missed you!
You look so tan!” A girl about my age, with rich, olive tan skin and light blonde hair jumps up and down, clapping her hands.
My eyes widen, taking in her bright yellow sundress and white cardigan.
The heels on her feet click against the floor with every step she takes.
The little pearl earrings she wears glint in the lights.
She watches me expectantly, waiting for me to recognize her, but I don’t.
Slowly, the realization dawns on her, and that big, hopeful smile dims. Her eyes turn glassy, like she might cry.
“I’m sorry,” I blurt out, just hoping she doesn’t break down outside my front door.
She waves me off and blinks rapidly. “It’s okay. It was stupid and impulsive of me to just fly here without checking to see if you might remember me. I thought that was just another nasty rumor.” She pulls a hankie out of a hidden pocket in her dress and dabs under her eyes.
“You’re from River Falls, I take it?”
She nods her head and gives me another huge, tearful smile.
“I’m Baylee. We were pretty much best friends when you lived there.
I heard that your dad and the council wanted you to come back.
My dad is on the council too, and I had him get your aunt’s address so I could surprise you.
I hope that doesn’t sound creepy or anything.
I hadn’t heard from you and was worried. ”
I wait for her to be done; her hands move the entire time she talks until my lips kick up in the corners. “I wish I remembered. There were some interferences, and I wasn’t able to contact anyone in River Falls.”
I explain the best I can without mentioning Madden and his curse. Baylee nods her head and gives me another warm smile. “After the way things ended, it’s nice you had the reprieve. Still, I missed you. Freshman year of college was not the same without you and the plans we made.”
I hear my aunt moving in the apartment behind us, followed by the sound of packing tape.
Even though I have tons more to pack, part of me really wants to talk more with Baylee.
My brain may have forgotten her, but my magic is getting warm fuzzies in her presence.
Lately, I’ve been trying to reconnect and trust my magic. With Baylee, I think I can do the same.
“Do you want to come in?”
Baylee lights up and nods her head. “Yes! Do you need help packing or anything? I can help.”
“I think we got it covered.” Loreli comes breezing in and holds out her hand to Baylee. “I’m Skully’s aunt. It’s so nice of you to come out and see her.”
“I missed her. Thought maybe it would be nice to see a friendly face before coming back. It’s been a long time.” Baylee smiles at my aunt, and we both follow her farther into the house.
“Well, if you girls want to go hang out, I was planning to just order Chinese for dinner. Baylee, would you like to stay?”
I glance at the girl claiming we’re best friends and see the way her eyes round; it looks like she may drool a little bit. “You should definitely stay.”
“I would love to. Can we get General Tso’s chicken? Do you eat that?” Baylee is practically bouncing on her toes, and it hits me suddenly that yes, we are friends. I don’t need a memory; I can feel it.
“It’s a staple in this household,” I reassure her before leading her upstairs. “Thanks, Aunt Lore!”
Baylee follows behind me, taking in the pictures hanging on the wall that document my life growing up with Loreli.
It isn’t until we get to my room that I remember how bare it is.
Everything is packed away except the bed and the vanity chair.
Loreli plans to keep my room set up for me if I come to stay, though both of us know there’s a chance my dad might not let me leave again.
Baylee sits gingerly on the edge of my bed, and I lean against the now-empty dresser. I don’t know why I feel nervous, but I do. “So how are things back in River Falls?”
Her perfectly-shaped blonde brow lifts. “River Falls is the same as ever. The council is preparing for the annual fall festival. At the university, classes are starting next week, so everyone is getting ready to head back to campus. Except the athletes. They all went back this week.”
My eyes flick to the window while I process what Baylee has told me so far. None of her words have pierced my memory. “I don’t remember.”
Baylee sighs, and I watch as her hands move into her lap, folding neatly. “Honestly, it might be better that way before you come back.”
“Was I an awful person?” I ask the one question that’s been eating at me since I woke up, when I came face-to-face with Madden.
She’s silent, and it’s enough to bring my eyes back to hers.
Baylee’s thoughtful gaze flicks over my face, and I see the way she’s contemplating her words.
“Not to me. I never saw you be mean or awful to anyone. You’re different.
Or you were different then, maybe. You were more prickly but never mean.
It was like you carried the weight of the world on your shoulders, and you were trying your hardest to take on the role of a future council member that your dad wanted for you. ”
“No wonder I was probably a bitch all the time,” I scoff, a smile tugging at my lips. Baylee giggles lightly before taking her cell phone out of her pocket.
“I never believed the rumors. I didn’t for one second think that you’d hurt yourself, especially not because of Madden Danvers.”
My fingertips run over my bottom lip. I can feel my magic tingle along the sensitive skin while contemplating my next words.
“I’ve thought about it a million times. My brain just refuses to move past the barrier that it’s created.
No matter what anyone says, I won’t know if they’re telling the truth. I don’t have the memories, you know?”
She tilts her head, understanding pulling her features. “How about I don’t fill in the gaps. How about I show you? And if you have questions, I’ll only tell you facts.”
“How will I know you aren’t lying?” I ask and see her lips frown. I can feel the ripple of disappointment in her before it slides away, and she offers me a small smile.
“Since you don’t remember, I’ll tell you. We have a no-lying pact. You can sense if I’m lying, and I can with you, too. Our first week, we made it after an incident—”
“Lie. It wasn’t the first week,” I correct, my palm prickled when she said the first week.
Baylee’s smile grows bigger. “It was during the fall festival. It was the only way we were going to make it through the haunted house.”
I don’t remember, but I also don’t feel the weird sensation on my palm again either. Feeling somewhat free to explore this new information, I nod eagerly at her phone. “Show me.”
Baylee taps on the screen, and I move to sit next to her. She flicks through her apps until she pulls up her social media, and dozens of images flood the screen. “I just have to scroll back to high school now. So weird.”
We both laugh, and I playfully shove her arm.
Eventually, she lands back almost two years ago, and the first image I see is of the huge, monstrosity of a high school.
I do remember always passing by River Falls High when I lived in North Shore.
The day my aunt told me I was going to go there, that my father requested it, I felt hollow.
The school is filled with rich kids and kids with magic and abilities just like me.
The outside is gothic, almost scary, with its dark, stained-glass windows, stone siding, and iron gates.
The next picture flipped is of Baylee and me.
Only I don’t recognize the girl staring at the camera.
Her lips are pulled tight in a smile. Her eyes are dull and almost pinched.
The school’s standard uniform is a short plaid skirt with a white button-up and a solid navy blazer.
Her hair is partly down, curled, and a giant white bow is tied in the back.
What really kills me is the four-inch heels that look like they cost more than our rent.
“I don’t recognize this,” I mutter under my breath, feeling Baylee’s eyes on me.
Her fingers swipe the screen, and another image surfaces.
My body is tucked under Madden’s arm, while he glares at the camera.
Next to him is an attractive man with unruly light brown hair, eyes that appear to be an icy green, and tan skin.
His arms are crossed over his chest, and the carefree smile he wears doesn’t look practiced.
Next to him is a thin, tall, blonde girl with bright blue eyes.
She looks nervous, and while she is smiling at the camera, her gaze is off to the side.
“I only recognize Madden from the hospital.”