Perfect? If only she knew. “So you’re never going to tell her about your special ability?”
“No way.” She shook her head. “Not until I have to. Despite her excitement over all this,” she waved to indicate the Celtic symbols in her room, “she’d freak out.”
There was a light knock at the door. “Sweetheart, are you asleep?”
“Still up, Mom,” Kylie yelled.
Her mother said something, then her dad’s deeper voice answered. “Can we come in?”
Kylie looked at me and cocked an eyebrow in question. I shrugged.
“Sure,” Kylie responded
The door opened and her mother peeked inside the room. A smile lit up her heavily made-up face when she saw me.
“Hey, Lil. I didn’t know you were visiting. Jim, look who’s here,” she called out and opened the door wider. Kylie’s dad moved from Jesse’s doorway to his wife’s side. He was the lumberjack type, tall and big-boned with a hearty laugh. He topped his petite wife by at least a foot.
“Howdy, Lil,” he said with a broad grin. “We haven’t seen you around lately.”
“I’ve been working. I mean, I have a summer job,” I fibbed, my face warming up.
Kylie rolled her eyes. “Daddy, I told you she works with her grandfather.”
“So you did.” He looked around the room and frowned. “Did you two move the furniture around on your own?”
“It was nothing,” Kylie said.
“Jim,” her mother scolded, giving her husband a censuring glance. “You didn’t move it for her? They shouldn’t carry such heavy things on their own. They could have gotten hurt.”
Kylie smothered a giggle.
“They’re fine, Charlene.” He dropped a kiss on her temple then leveled us a stern look, “No hauling heavy things behind my back, you two. I didn’t see your truck outside, Lil, so if you need a ride home, let me know.” He whispered something to the wife, turned and ambled down the hall toward the living room.
Kylie’s mother smiled at us. “Do you girls want something to drink or eat? We brought some takeout.”
Kylie glanced at me. I shook my head. She grinned at her mother. “Thanks, Mom. We’re fine.”
“Then I’ll leave you alone.” She glanced around and smiled. “The room looks amazing.”
“I know,” Kylie called out before the door closed.
I groaned and gave her a resigned look. “I can’t teleport home now and Bran is still not back to pick me up.”
“Leave it to me,” was Kylie’s mysterious response.
We hung out until a truck pulled up outside their home, music blaring and disrupting the tranquility of the quiet Nibley neighborhood. She peeked out the window and smiled.
“Stay away from the window.” She raced out of the room, closing the door behind her.
I lay on her bed and closed my eyes, picking out energies in the house. Then, I scanned the valley. The Cardinals and their guests were gone. Bran hadn’t returned yet, and Izzy and Kim were no longer at the guys’ house.
Voices drifted from the hallway, interrupting my telepathic searches. The engine of the truck revved, then the music grew faint.
Kylie slipped inside her bedroom, a broad grin on her face. “I just escorted you to your grandfather’s truck.”
“What did you do?”
She plopped beside me on the bed. “That was the older brother of one of Jesse’s friends. Mom saw me walk toward the house after I talked to him, and I told her your grandpa’s truck was behind theirs. You can teleport now. Text me or come over whenever. I want to know what happens next, and if I can help.”
“You don’t want to get mixed up in our mess again,” I warned, giving her a hug.
“Last time I had no choice,” she reminded me. “This time will be different.”
I’d never knowingly use her. “We’ll see. Later.”
I dematerialized.
The lights were still on in my room, just like I’d left them, but the rest of the house was in total darkness. Grampa and the Cardinals weren’t back. Since the attack, they had always made sure two senior Cardinals stayed in the enclave while three left to search for the Summoners. Bran was still not back either. I was starting to seriously worry about him.
My headache was gone, but I wasn’t fooled. It could be back. Then a thought occurred to me and I chuckled. Maybe the meds Kylie had given me actually worked. I changed into my pajamas, brushed my teeth, and crawled into bed.
I was on a beach, the sun shining bright in the clear blue sky, waves slapping against the sands, students frolicking in the water, throwing Frisbees, or sunbathing. A shirtless group of Guardians played a mean game of volleyball to my right. I recognized Bran, Remy, Sykes, Izzy’s boyfriend—Rastiel, and teachers from the Academy.
I stood on the beach next to Izzy and Kim. We were laughing about something when a shadow fell over us and we looked up. Lightning demons were everywhere, spreading darkness over the island and the surrounding waters. We didn’t get a chance to react before they attacked.
Screams split the air. Feet pounded the ground. I tried to move but I couldn’t. I called out, shouted, begged, but no one came to help us as Guardians screamed and the clang of metal filled the air. Wings and feathers fell around me and on me, making it impossible to breathe or see. My screams mingled with the echoing screeches, but when I tried to cover my ears, I couldn’t move my arms either.
Then a woman’s voice rose above the din. She sounded familiar, yet I couldn’t place her voice. Her words didn’t make sense, but I tried to do as she instructed.
I woke up gasping, my heart slamming hard against my ribs. I sat up, then realized I wasn’t alone. Two figures in long coats stood over me my bed. A scream rose from my throat.
“It’s okay, Lil,” one of them said, reaching for me. “It’s us—me and your grandfather.”
Aunt Janelle. Relief washed over me, and I started to shake. She pulled me into her arms and for a moment I clung to her, my breathing harsh in the silent room. Someone turned on the bedside lamp, and I sat back and squinted, pushing back the hair that was plastered with sweat to my forehead and neck.
“Are you okay, sweetheart?” Aunt Janelle asked.
“No…yes,” I mumbled. “They killed Guardians. So many of them and I couldn’t help. I couldn’t move. There were screams and bodies, but the woman said it wasn’t real. How is that possible? I saw them fall. Feathers…wings…” I shuddered.
Aunt Janelle rubbed my arms, then took a wet cloth from Grampa and mopped my brow. I hadn’t even noticed him go to the bathroom. After a moment, I took the cloth from her and pressed it against my neck.
“Why didn’t you wake me up?” I asked accusingly, my gaze bouncing between the two of them. “I was terrified.”
Grampa sat on my other side, his brow furrowed. “Your mind blocked what happened to you on that beach, and we knew that seeing the dream—”
“Nightmare,” I interjected.
“The nightmare in its entirety would provide you some answers.” He swept unruly strands away from my face and peered at me. “Can you tell us what you saw?”
Hearing the concern in his voice, I forgot about getting mad. “I was at the beach with the others and the Academy students when the demons attacked us,” I said, my gaze volleying between them. “Everything went black. They were killing Guardians and I couldn’t help. Something held me back. Paralyzed me. It was awful. You should have woken me up, you know,” I added peevishly. A quick psi scan confirmed Bran was still not in the valley. “Bran would have woken me up.”
“That’s true. He thinks with his heart and not his mind where you are concerned.”