Chapter Eleven
Ifinished getting dressed as someone knocked on my door. I walked over, still wrapping my hair in a towel, and cracked it open. Toya pushed a wine glass into my hand and stepped in before closing the door.
“What’s wrong?” I sat down on my bed and took a sip. I knew Toya, she had something on her mind and she came in here to talk it out, before bringing in the others.
“I’ve been thinking about what you said…about the first families.”
I nodded. “What about it?”
“What if you’re right? What if we were all pushed together by the Gods we descended from and now we are here?” She paced the room.
“What if we were?” I shrugged and took another sip. “Does that bother you?”
“It doesn’t bother you? We were pushed together, forced to be in each other’s lives, and now we are here.” She faced me. “Do we not get free will?”
I eyed her as I took another longer drink this time. “Do you not like being friends with me?”
She sucked her teeth. “Of course I do.”
I tilted my head. “Are you unhappy with the others?”
She threw up her hands. “That isn’t it either.”
“Then stop bouncing around and tell me what the issue is.” I felt my anger rise, and I had to bite the inside of my cheek before I said something that hurt her.
She stopped, and I could see panic behind her eyes. She came over and slid next to me on the bed. “What if…”
I interrupted her with a wave of my hand. “Nevermind what ifs. Talk to me, Toya.”
She stared at me for a minute and I could see her gathering her strength before she looked away from my face. “If we were forced together…wouldn’t that ruin everything?” Her words were soft and I could see her biting her lip.
I watched her for a moment. “Ruin everything, how?”
She turned to me, and I could see her anger getting the better of her. “Stop it. Just answer the question.”
I rubbed in between my eyes and my forehead.
A headache was building, and I just wanted, needed, to relax.
“Ruin what? Are you saying you wouldn’t want to be my friend if you knew we were pushed together?
” I felt my anger snap. “Are you so willing to throw away the last almost three years of friendship, all because of how it started?”
Toya reeled back like I hit her. “No, of course not.”
“So you think the girls would toss all of what we have built together because you felt the need to sit down at my table?”
“Of course not.”
“So it’s me. You’re afraid that I would walk away because of a little meddling in the beginning. That you saving me, taking care of me, it all meant nothing?”
“NO!” she screamed. I stood and walked out of the room. Toya followed. “Where are you going?”
“I’m going to ask everyone.” I looked at her as I started down the stairs. “Girls.” Everyone turned as I walked into the kitchen. Wendy and Micca were putting a meal together, and I was about to cry before Toya stomped in behind me. “We have questions.”
“We don’t have to do this.” Toya shook her head, but I disagreed.
“No, you have questions and now so do I.” I grabbed the open bottle of wine and refilled my glass.
I took another long pull from it before I faced everyone.
“If any of you are like Toya, and I know one or two of you might be, you might have questions about what we discussed just now, about the Gods.”
Wendy put down the spoon and came around the counter. “What do you mean?”
I looked at Toya and gestured. “You explain, and then I’ll ask.” She glared at me for another second before she seemed to fold in on herself.
“The Gods, if we are all descended from them, and we all became friends. It seems too coincidental, too organized.” She tossed her hands in the air.
“What?” Hanna looked at me. “I’m confused.”
“She thinks that if you are all descended from the first families, that it is too big of a coincidence that we all became this close. That it is more than likely that the Gods pushed us together.” Toya pointed at me and nodded.
“Exactly that.”
“Ok…so what?” Micca stirred whatever they had in the pot.
Toya reeled back again. “What do you mean, so what?”
“Exactly what I said. So what?” She looked up. “We might have been pushed together, but that doesn’t mean we weren’t given a choice. We decided to become friends. We chose to be this close. And so what if a God pushed me to be friends with you all? You’re my best friends.”
Everyone nodded and turned one by one to look at Toya, who was staring back at us in shock. “I thought…I thought you would throw it all away.”
We all stared at Toya. Then Wendy came over and got into her face. “What’s wrong with you?”
Toya pulled back, but her eyes were filled with panic. “Nothing.”
“No, Wendy’s right.” Hanna came closer. “You are Amy’s biggest supporter. We are all close, but you and Amy have always had that extra bond. You have never once worried or questioned your spot here, or Amy’s decision. But this…” She waved her hand, gesturing wildly to Toya. “This isn’t you.”
I felt my eyes narrow as I leaned against the table. “They are right. In the last three years, you have never once questioned your place here. You have questioned my decisions, but I always appreciated your opinion, but you always did it away from everyone.”
“I came to you to discuss this alone, but you brought us down here.” Toya pointed out.
“You’re right, but so are Hanna and Wendy. This isn’t you.”
Toya pointed at all of us. “You’re not buying this, right?”
Wendy grabbed her hand. “Calm down Toya. We are just trying to figure out what’s going on.”
Toya threw up her hands. “Nothing is going on.” She whirled on me. “You’re poisoning them against me.” She snarled, and that’s when I knew for sure. Someone or something was attacking Toya.
I lifted my brow. Nix, tell Micca to look for some rope. I waited for a minute, but then Nix snorted. What?
There is a bag on the table behind you. Micca said she had it in her room. Carl left her a note telling her we would need this stuff tonight, so she brought it down.
I turned, and Toya snarled again and lunged for me but I danced away.
“What the hell was that?” Wendy and Hanna had stepped between me and Toya, stopping her from trying to attack again. Wendy was in her face in an instant. She was searching Toya’s eyes. “When did you start questioning Amy?”
Toya finally pulled her eyes from me. “Wendy, she wants to use magic against us. We can’t trust her.”
Wendy cupped her face. “You are my sister, and I love you.”
Toya's eyes softened. “Then believe me. She has been planning all of this today since the graduation ceremony.”
Her words put me on edge. “Did you guys go anywhere, or do anything after we sat down? Before the ceremony started?”
“Shut up.” Toya screamed.
I stared at her for a moment; the wheel turning. What the hell was happening?
I can’t reach her wolf. It’s like there is a wall between us. Nix’s voice was on edge.
I refocused on everyone who was shaking their head no. But then Wendy turned to me. “Toya ran to the washroom before we sat down. Alone.” I nodded as I turned back to the bag. There were candles, herbs, a few crystals, and then two spools of thick rope.
I smiled softly. Carl, you crafty man.
“Believe me, she brought up finding out if everyone comes from a Goddess because she is going to use her magic to make us mindless followers.” I wanted to argue, but the tears in her eyes stopped me. She fully believed her words. Micca and Hanna looked at each other, and then at me.
A tiny nugget of doubt was taking hold in them. I could see it. Something was eating away at our bond, our friendship, like it was rusty links in a chain trying to force it to break. If I didn’t act soon, I would lose all of my friends.
“Amy…” Wendy turned and I could see the doubt there, too. All of them were turning on me. Wendy shook her head, and I saw anger enter her eyes. “What the fuck is going on?” She turned to Hanna and Micca. “Guys?”
Hanna shook her head. “Amy, something’s wrong with my head.” She looked a little scared.
Micca stepped back, raising her hands. “I don’t know what is going on, but I don’t want to figure out about the Goddess and the first families anymore.” The nugget of doubt had taken hold in her.
Nix, reach Wendy and Hanna before their wolves are closed off from us. Have them grab Micca, and I’ll grab Toya. We are going to tie them down and figure out what exactly is going on. She nodded, and I watched as their eyes grew round.
Wendy stepped closer to Micca subtly, instantly believing me, but Hanna glanced at me, biting her lip. “Amy…” Her words were soft, but I saw Toya vibrate again. We had to move.
“Do you trust me?” I looked at Hanna. “Like really, trust me?”
“Of course I do.” Her words trembled, but she was trying.
“Then listen to me. We need to figure this out before everything we built is destroyed.” She looked at me for one more moment before she nodded. Wendy was on her toes, and Hanna shifted closer to Micca.
“What are you guys doing?” Micca stepped back just as Toya lunged for me.
“Die witch blood.”
Toya jumped over the table at me but I was ready.
She shifted her hands as she tried to tackle me, but I jumped out of the way.
She sailed past me and I wrapped my hands into her braids and yanked her back.
She flew off her feet with a snarl. “I’ll kill you.
” She snarled again, but I was already moving.
I slammed her to the ground as I slipped my hand into the bag Micca brought down.
I pulled the first length of rope out and turned to the girls.
They had grabbed Micca by the arms and were holding her.
“Get her into a chair.” I called back to them and slid a spool of rope to them.
“Tie her to it.” Toya tried to slice at my throat.
Whatever had eaten away at her was digging in deep, removing any and all love she had for me, and left only anger and fear.
I pulled my hand back and punched her as hard as I could without breaking anything, dazing her.