No matter what anybody tells you, hot water is still the best remedy for achy muscles in my book. As I stood under the spray, I rubbed at my sore neck and shoulder with one hand, the other was braced against the tile wall.
It was my birthday and in a few short hours, my 'inheritance' would be complete. I ran my tongue over my teeth, noting the distended points of my canines. They weren't overly noticeable but they were longer than normal for human teeth.
With a sigh, I turned off the water and grabbed my towel from a hook on the opposite wall. Wrapping it around me, I stepped out of the shower and padded back to my room. My thoughts were focused on my father's visit. I stroked the amulet that hung from my neck. It was a smaller, more feminine version of the one Daddy wore. He'd given it to me that morning as a birthday gift. One of many, he'd promised.
I let myself back into my dorm and after dropping my towel onto the chair began to dress for the day. I slipped into a pair of distressed, low rise jeans and pulled a long sleeved black tee shirt over my head. A snap of my fingers dried my hair and left it falling down my back and over my shoulders in soft waves.
While I could also snap my fingers and use magic to apply my make up, it was something I enjoyed doing for myself. Since it was Saturday and I'd just washed my face, I opted for a little eyeliner, a quick brushing of mascara and a dab of lip gloss. I slid my feet into a pair of black, canvas sneakers, grabbed my favorite suede jacket from my closet then set out for the hospital.
I walked into the woods behind the school auditorium then sifted to the gas station a few blocks down from the Gloucester Medical Center. I materialized in the ladies' bathroom which thankfully was empty. It was a reckless move on my part but I couldn't find Sarah before I left.
Any question I had as to where she could have been was answered when I stepped into the hospital waiting room. Still dressed in her evening gown from last night's dance and with Caleb's suit jacket draped around her shoulders, Sarah sat off to the far left.
When she saw me, she smiled and waved me over. Her smile froze and she dropped her hand a second later. I looked over my shoulder and saw Caleb standing at the foot of the stairs, his posture rigid and his hands shoved in his pockets.
I looked back at my friend and wondered what had happened to make her so afraid of him. Thinking back on what Reid had told me the night before, I remembered that she had been right in the middle of whatever had happened between Caleb and Chase.
Having grown up around magic, I couldn't imagine what it must have been like for Sarah to witness it like that. For me, magic was something pure and elemental. It was a part of me. But for someone like Chase, who had been corrupted by the power he hadn't understood, it would have been something dark and ugly.
I glanced back at Caleb who looked stricken by the fear that was so evident in Sarah's eyes. My heart suddenly ached for them. I was reminded painfully of my parents.
"How's Kate?" I asked as I sat down next to her.
She smiled a little. "She's good. The doctor said she's made a miraculous recovery." She glanced at Caleb again then. "Pogue is fine too. They should be releasing them both later this afternoon."
I smiled back. "How are you?" I gave her a meaningful look.
"I..I'm fine," she stammered, then ran her hands over her stained dress. "I must look terrible."
"You're beautiful," Caleb said. I hadn't heard him approach and neither had Sarah. She gasped and paled slightly.
Taking her hand, I leaned close and whispered in her ear. "Don't be afraid. If you love him the way I think you do, don't give up." I squeezed her hand gently then let go.
Sarah stared at me for a long moment then nodded in understanding. She stood and wrapped her arms around Caleb. I heard her whisper that she was sorry just before she grabbed his hand and dragged him away.
"Isn't that sweet?" I heard someone say. I looked up and found myself looking into Reid's laughing eyes.
"She's terrified," I said flatly. "What happened last night, Reid?"
He stretched his hand out towards me and answered, "Come on. Let's get outta here."
I placed my palm in his and followed him out of the hospital. We walked for a few minutes until we reached a small play park. It was the kind of place families went to have picnics, complete with towering oaks, a wooden play set built in the shape of a castle, and side by side swings.
It was empty which surprised me given that it was a Saturday. There were times when I missed New York terribly. All the quiet stillness of Ipswich and Gloucester were sometimes a little too complete for my comfort.
We each sat in a swing and pushed off a bit. The sand was damp from last night's rain and it stuck to my shoes.
"He's gone," Reid said at last.
"What do you mean 'gone'?" I asked. "Is he dead?"
He shrugged. "Caleb doesn't know. He just disappeared. The fire department never found a body."
The idea that Chase could still be out there and possibly bent on revenge sent a chill down my spine. It wasn't something I wanted to contemplate.
"I heard someone say that Putnam Barn burned down last night. Is that where it all happened?" He nodded. "How's Caleb holding up?"
He shrugged again. "He hasn't said much. I think he's still feeling like he's somehow at fault. Fucking hero complex."
We looked at each other then and immediately burst out laughing. He was right. Caleb did tend to take things way too seriously. He was Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne, and Hermione Granger all rolled into one. I said as much and Reid laughed so hard he fell backwards out of the swing, landing with a soft thud in the moist sand.
When I offered a hand to help him up, he gave it a hard tug and pulled me down. I fell gracelessly to land in a sprawled heap across his chest. Laughing even harder, he rolled us both until he was lying on top of me. Our laughter died when he pushed back and looked into my eyes.
At that moment, my mind was wiped clean of anything that wasn't Reid Garwin. My eyes were fixed on his face, taking in the high, angular bones of his cheeks. The chilly
yet beautiful grey depths of his eyes. The fullness of his lower lip.
It was his lips that were my undoing. Without warning, he ducked his head and closed the distance, crushing his mouth to mine. And then sensation took over. Heat coursed through me at the first sweep of his tongue against mine and I arched up against him before curling my arms around his neck.
One of his hands fisted in my hair while the other cupped my jaw. We kissed. And kissed. And kissed. I couldn't seem to get enough of him, nor he of me. I'd never been kissed like that. In truth, I'd never been kissed before, period. And as first kisses go, it was off the charts.
Someone coughed, the clearing of the throat to get your attention kind of cough. Reluctantly, I slipped my arms from around Reid's neck and gave him a little push. I looked over his shoulder and froze.
Standing not ten feet away in all his Underground glory was my father and he wasn't happy.
