Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Izzy
Reid and I decide to walk to the nearby town.
We were both feeling antsy about this whole mission and wanted some time and some space.
So we asked Mr. Time if we could go to the little city and try to casually find out anything about the other gods.
He’d reluctantly agreed, but told us to teleport back at the first sign of trouble. Which we’d agreed to.
Stuffed into our jackets, shivering against the chill in the air, we move faster and faster to keep warm. For a while, all we see are fields of grass and big trees, along with the occasional sheep or cow. But when we hit the main road, the small town comes into view, and Reid takes my hand.
People give us strange looks as we pass, but they also offer us smiles, which is nice to see. I get the impression they don’t see a lot of visitors here, but even with the cold, it feels like the kind of place I’d waited my whole life to visit.
“There’s a coffee shop!” I point out, spotting it.
“The perfect place to listen for rumors!” Reid says, grinning.
I squeeze his hand, and we take off to the shop.
Inside, we find a cozy place filled with little tables, mostly full.
In the back is a small station for the workers, with large display cases full of goodies.
I see Reid’s eyes widen as they land on the freshly made donuts, and we both rush the counter.
We pick out way too much stuff, then hand the cashier a wad of money that Mr. Time gave us.
She lifts a brow, but rings us up, and hands most of the money back.
Then, we go and find a table tucked into one corner.
A few minutes later, the cashier brings me a big coffee and Reid a mug of hot chocolate.
Another barista brings us each two plates filled with pastries, donuts, and cookies.
For the next few minutes, we dive into all of it like rabid animals.
Reid keeps looking at me like he’s kind of proud of me, even though I can’t exactly be that impressive with a donut in one hand and a cookie in the other.
But I can’t help myself. These are easily the best sweets I’ve ever had in my life. And the coffee is liquid heaven.
At last, I just can’t eat another bite. I plunk my half-finished treats onto my plate and groan, putting my hands on my bulging stomach. “That was amazing.”
Reid looks like he’s holding back a burp, then clears his throat. “More than amazing. We should do recon a few times a day.”
A woman rises from the table next to us, grabs her purse, and starts to head to the door. I see her gaze fall onto me, and suddenly she freezes, her mouth hanging open.
“You’re…you’re the woman from the castle.”
Reid speaks before I can. “We just got here today.”
Suddenly, I’m glad he was the one to answer. I’d kind of forgotten just how much I look like my sister. If she is causing trouble in this town, the last thing I want is to be blamed for it.
The stranger draws herself up taller. “You’re sure? Because you look just like her…”
I shake my head. “I am, uh, looking for my sister here though. My long lost sister. I don’t really know anything about her, but she’s my only family left.” It’s not a lie, but it’s not completely the truth either.
The woman looks around, as if afraid of being overheard, grabs her chair, and pulls it up to our table. In a low voice, she whispers, “Do yourself a favor and head back to the states. I’ve met your sister, and you don’t want any part of her.”
“She can’t be that bad,” I say, trying and failing to force a smile
The woman looks nervous as hell as she leans in even closer. “I think…I think she might be a witch.”
“A witch?” Reid asks, sounding surprised.
She nods. “Since she arrived, there have been…so many storms. So many boats lost. Animals are disappearing, and there’s just this…sense that something’s wrong. You might have come here to find your family, but you don’t want anything of that woman.”
I can’t hide my disappointment. “Surely she can’t be the reason for storms and boats being lost…”
The woman leans even closer, crowding us. “She’s a witch. Mark my words, if you go to see her, you’ll never be seen again.”
Then she gets up and heads out the door, her movements jerky and rushed. I watch her push open the door, and the cold wind sweeps around her, and then she takes off down the sidewalk and disappears. When I glance back at Reid, I know I look as disappointed as I feel.
“We knew she was dangerous,” Reid starts, not seeming to know what to say.
I know I look sad when I say, “I just can’t believe that there’s nothing good in her. I might not remember her, but she’s my own flesh and blood. She can’t just be all evil. Can she be?”
I’m asking him just as much as I’m asking myself. The notion that my own sister could be evil…not just bad, but truly evil, is unsettling. It’s like I’m tied to this person I don’t even know out in the world, and I feel responsible for who she is and who she’s become.
“Honestly, I don’t know, Izzy. I just think you have to prepare yourself for whatever we find out.
” Reid seems to struggle to say more. “We’re still those same kids who just graduated.
This god stuff has changed a lot, but it shouldn’t turn us into bad people.
We’re not going to hurt anyone we don’t have to hurt. ”
I nod and wrap my arms around myself. “I think I’m ready to go back.”
We came here for answers, but the strange woman’s words were like throwing stars. They’d lodged inside of me, and I couldn’t seem to stop them from hurting. Even the people here thought she was evil? Was I naive to think she could be anything else?
“I think I might ask around a little,” Reid says really slowly. “You want to wait outside and enjoy the fresh air?”
I’m so grateful he’s willing to still finish our mission and give me a way out. But then again, that’s Reid. He always knows just what to say and do to make my life easier.
“That would be perfect.”
We rise and clean up our cups and plates.
The barista thanks us, and then Reid goes up to the counter and flashes one of his smiles.
The woman blushes under his attention, and I have to push aside the wave of jealousy that moves through me.
These guys can’t have made it clearer that I am theirs and only theirs.
But they are also unbelievably hot. I’m going to have to get used to women falling all over themselves with them.
Heading outside, I move until I can lean against the wall of the building without having my back to the window. My mind wanders as I stare out at the cloudy grey sky. This place…it’s like nowhere I’d ever even imagined. Even the air tasted better.
The hairs on my neck suddenly stand on end, and my stomach drops. Like being caught in a nightmare, I push off of the wall and turn on the sidewalk to watch as a car pulls up outside a shop. I don’t know why I know the weird feeling is because of the person in this car. I just know.
A second later, a man emerges from the car.
He has to be in his mid-forties, with a clean-cut haircut and a smooth face.
He instantly strikes me as both an intelligent man and a cruel man.
The wind catches a little of his pale brown hair, and he reaches up with a leather-gloved hand to smooth it back into place as he rounds the car.
Transfixed, I watch him. A strange anticipation crawls down my spine. Will he see me staring? Will he look in my direction?
And then, he does.
He instantly freezes, and his eyes widen. The wind seems to slip between us, and I can’t tell if it feels like I’m standing just a foot in front of him, or if it feels like we’re miles away.
A cold look slips over his face, and he continues onto the shop and disappears inside.
I release the breath I didn’t even know I was holding, and then jump when someone taps me on the shoulder. Whirling around, I suck in a ragged breath when I realize it’s just Reid.
“You scared me!”
He looks instantly regretful. “I’m sorry…I just…are you okay?”
I shake my head, then nod, then shake my head again. “I don’t know. There was this weird guy who went into a shop--”
A thunderous expression comes over his face. “Did he say something to you? Did he touch you?”
His instant defense of me makes some of the anxiety inside fade. “No. I just had the weirdest feeling about him.”
Reid tugs me into his arms and holds me close to him. “It’s been a long…well, a long life as a god. Maybe we just need to head home and get some sleep.”
I sigh and snuggle deeper into his arms. “Sleep sounds perfect.”
“Let’s get somewhere private and teleport back to the castle.”
“Okay,” I mumble.
He laughs. “Should I let you go?”
I smile against his jacket. “Not yet.”
So, he holds me for a while, and the panicky feeling fades. The strange man was just a strange man, nothing more. And my sister could be good or evil. I’d know soon enough, either way.
Overhead, a bird caws. I pull my face from Reid’s jacket and frown up at the bird. The falcon soars above us, but far closer than most birds would have.
This place just keeps getting weirder.
“I think I’m ready to go now.”
Reid sighs. “I guess we could only escape reality for so long.”
“Let’s pick up something for the guys and head back,” I say, because I don’t want them to feel left out. “And someday maybe we could come back to Scotland for an actual vacation. No enemies, no drama, no gods.”
“The gods will always be--” he starts to say, then cuts himself off. He smiles that lopsided Reid smile that melts my heart. “Yeah. A real vacation together. Sounds like a plan.”