car.
My mind drifted to Ms. Moor and her goons. We weren’t safe, even though we joked as if we were. Soon, one way or another, the Blood Spirits would find us. It was only a matter of time. I wished Jacqui wasn’t involved in it; I didn’t need someone else close to me getting hurt. Those blood spirits wouldn’t have let her live, from what Amar told me. With the death of my mom, I was barely holding on. I wouldn’t even get to say goodbye or kiss her forehead at her funeral. Emptiness settled in my chest as if something was lodged there, and I couldn’t take a deep enough breath.
Yet I’d rather Jacqui be with me than some human—who’d probably still be in shock that there were such beings as shifters. Hell, I was one and I still had a hard time grasping it.
***
I was rummaging through the bag for some gum when excitement skittered over my skin. With a jerk, I glanced up. We were surrounded by the ocean and driving on the freeway. The water was blue-green, like pressed jewels. And clear. Even the water in California had never been this clear. Every reststop, Amar or Jacqui would give me a shooting lessen in a remote area. None of the cans or waterbottles ever moved and I’ll I got for my troubles was a headache and eyestrain.
A sign we passed read ‘All-American Road Florida Keys’, along with a picture of the sun with the ocean on both sides of it, and a black road driving off into the sunset. Florida Scenic Highway was stamped over the image.
I rolled the window down more and inhaled. The ocean, with its freshness, salt, and baked sand, filled me. I closed my eyes briefly and pushed aside the nagging thoughts of Amar, Ms. Moor, Mom’s death… everything.
When a chuckle sounded behind me, I turned my head to see Amar studying the view outside the front window.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
He glanced at me before answering. “Very.”
Stop it, Beth. He isn’t talking about you. After another five mile marker, there was a sign with a man dragging a really large fish behind him. Over the sign was written ‘Fishing is fine along the overseas highway in the Florida Keys’. Too bad we weren’t here for pleasure.
“Maybe when we find your old man, he’ll be able to teach you about your gifts and how to use them.” Jacqui handed me back the bag of potato chips, which now only held crumbs. “I don’t know the first thing about octopi, except they love the ocean, and swimming, of course.”
Right. That is if we found him. The freeway stretched over the ocean for miles. I remembered seeing it for the first time when my mom watched the old 90s movie, True Lies. It looked gorgeous in that movie, but seeing it in person was all 4D. The sea wind blew through my open window and ruffled my hair. I wanted to roll it all the way down, but Jacqui would probably say something about it tangling her hair or getting in her face so she couldn’t see to drive.
The bridge stretched out before us for miles. I was glad Jacqui was driving, so I could look over the patches of ocean. Another sign said seven miles over the ocean. I fidgeted in my seat, wanting to dive into the salty water, to bask in the warmth of the sun while I swam lazy laps.
Despite Amar and Jacqui trying to teach me, I had not been able to summon the phantom arms at will. I feared I’d have an aversion to aluminum cans if they continued to insist we practice every rest stop. Once again, I’d have been better off if my dad had stayed with me and Mom. Together, maybe we could have destroyed or at least delayed Ms. Moor, and helped my mom escape.
A sob tore through me. Mom might be alive now if it hadn’t been for him and him being a damn shifter. I needed him to show me everything he knew, then we’d leave.
The ocean surrounded us.
Behind me, Amar made a sound between a choke and a grunt.
“What now?” Jacqui asked not even bothering to look into the rearview mirror at him.
“There is nowhere to land.” He waved his hand
My mind drifted to Ms. Moor and her goons. We weren’t safe, even though we joked as if we were. Soon, one way or another, the Blood Spirits would find us. It was only a matter of time. I wished Jacqui wasn’t involved in it; I didn’t need someone else close to me getting hurt. Those blood spirits wouldn’t have let her live, from what Amar told me. With the death of my mom, I was barely holding on. I wouldn’t even get to say goodbye or kiss her forehead at her funeral. Emptiness settled in my chest as if something was lodged there, and I couldn’t take a deep enough breath.
Yet I’d rather Jacqui be with me than some human—who’d probably still be in shock that there were such beings as shifters. Hell, I was one and I still had a hard time grasping it.
***
I was rummaging through the bag for some gum when excitement skittered over my skin. With a jerk, I glanced up. We were surrounded by the ocean and driving on the freeway. The water was blue-green, like pressed jewels. And clear. Even the water in California had never been this clear. Every reststop, Amar or Jacqui would give me a shooting lessen in a remote area. None of the cans or waterbottles ever moved and I’ll I got for my troubles was a headache and eyestrain.
A sign we passed read ‘All-American Road Florida Keys’, along with a picture of the sun with the ocean on both sides of it, and a black road driving off into the sunset. Florida Scenic Highway was stamped over the image.
I rolled the window down more and inhaled. The ocean, with its freshness, salt, and baked sand, filled me. I closed my eyes briefly and pushed aside the nagging thoughts of Amar, Ms. Moor, Mom’s death… everything.
When a chuckle sounded behind me, I turned my head to see Amar studying the view outside the front window.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
He glanced at me before answering. “Very.”
Stop it, Beth. He isn’t talking about you. After another five mile marker, there was a sign with a man dragging a really large fish behind him. Over the sign was written ‘Fishing is fine along the overseas highway in the Florida Keys’. Too bad we weren’t here for pleasure.
“Maybe when we find your old man, he’ll be able to teach you about your gifts and how to use them.” Jacqui handed me back the bag of potato chips, which now only held crumbs. “I don’t know the first thing about octopi, except they love the ocean, and swimming, of course.”
Right. That is if we found him. The freeway stretched over the ocean for miles. I remembered seeing it for the first time when my mom watched the old 90s movie, True Lies. It looked gorgeous in that movie, but seeing it in person was all 4D. The sea wind blew through my open window and ruffled my hair. I wanted to roll it all the way down, but Jacqui would probably say something about it tangling her hair or getting in her face so she couldn’t see to drive.
The bridge stretched out before us for miles. I was glad Jacqui was driving, so I could look over the patches of ocean. Another sign said seven miles over the ocean. I fidgeted in my seat, wanting to dive into the salty water, to bask in the warmth of the sun while I swam lazy laps.
Despite Amar and Jacqui trying to teach me, I had not been able to summon the phantom arms at will. I feared I’d have an aversion to aluminum cans if they continued to insist we practice every rest stop. Once again, I’d have been better off if my dad had stayed with me and Mom. Together, maybe we could have destroyed or at least delayed Ms. Moor, and helped my mom escape.
A sob tore through me. Mom might be alive now if it hadn’t been for him and him being a damn shifter. I needed him to show me everything he knew, then we’d leave.
The ocean surrounded us.
Behind me, Amar made a sound between a choke and a grunt.
“What now?” Jacqui asked not even bothering to look into the rearview mirror at him.
“There is nowhere to land.” He waved his hand
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