we’ll talk this out; with any luck, maybe we can leave in the morning.”
“I’ll go after you get to Draven’s safely,” Madison said as she laid back on her bed and prepared to wait for me to take a shower.
“And who’s going to make sure you get to your mom’s safely? I’m n ot the one that’s been ‘called,’ ” I said, trying to find the words to tell her how bad this really was, how she was a bigger part of this, more than she could ever imagine. I tried to balance the anxiety that was building, but it was clear she felt it. She looked down at the necklace that the w itch had given her that was laced around her hand.
“I’m not afraid of it, Charlie...of any of it.”
I tried to force the words, or at least open a door for her to see all that I knew, but I couldn't, and all that did was invoke the emotion of betrayal. I waited for her to feel that, to demand that I show her, for her to force me to let that wall down, but she refused to look me in the eye. That told me that she wasn’t ready to know.
“Pack,” I said as I went into the closet.
I grabbed one of my large bags and pushed a few outfits into it before I grabbed a change of clothes and went to the bathroom. In the shower, I just tried to breathe, tried to put everything in perspective, to understand if the one thing I’d been waiting on wasn’t Austin, my escape, but an elaborate trap laid out by the devil. I’d always been one that relied on my gut feelings, and my gut feeling was telling me that al l hell was about to break loose. I t was also telling me that I needed to help those boys, that if I helped them they would help me. T hat they were the missing piece to the puzzle. H olding the answers I needed to understand who I was.
I was putting away my blow dryer when my mother appeared out of nowhere beside me, still wearing one of her business suits.
“Did you just see your way here?” I asked breathlessly.
Her silence told me she did.
“You know, Mom, I still don’t get why you didn’t teach me what you know. Why you waited for me to stumble on it.”
“Charlie,” she said calmly, “we don’t have time to go over what I should or should not have done as I raised you.”
I looked down nervously. “I know. Are you upset?” I asked, looking up at her, noticing that she seemed more tense than usual.
“No,” she said as she tried to smile.
“Listen, if you come home this weekend, you may find some broken things in the house. I’m sorry about that. I’ll find a way to replace that stuff when I can.”
“Charlie, you fought a demon and survived, and you’re apologizing for a few broken material things?”
“You know about that?” I asked, sure that she did.
“I felt it,” she answered , looking over me.
“Dad was there,” I said, looking around for any sign of him. I couldn't even hear his guitar anymore.
She nodded once. “I want you to pack, take what you think you need, and I don’t want you to come back to this house until I tell you that it’s safe.”
“What do you mean?” I asked nervously. “Can that demon come back?”
“If he does, you won ’ t be here.”
“What about Kara? She’ll be back on Monday.”
My mom moved her head slowly from side to side.
“What are you not saying?” I asked as every part of me tensed.
“Kara isn’t meeting an old friend in the city; she’s meeting Robert. By midnight, she’ll be on a flight to Paris.”
“What? Why didn’t she tell me?”
“She doesn’t know. I called Robert; we planned this.”
Robert was Kara’s husband. He was a journalist that worked overseas more than he worked here. Kara kept no secrets from him. He knew about me, about all of us. None of it bothered him; in fact, he found us fascinating.
“Why?”
“Because for her, it will be easier to say goodbye if she’s the one leaving.”
“Did you know I was leaving today? Tomorrow? What else do you know? What has Dad told you? Mom, don’t hide anything from
“I’ll go after you get to Draven’s safely,” Madison said as she laid back on her bed and prepared to wait for me to take a shower.
“And who’s going to make sure you get to your mom’s safely? I’m n ot the one that’s been ‘called,’ ” I said, trying to find the words to tell her how bad this really was, how she was a bigger part of this, more than she could ever imagine. I tried to balance the anxiety that was building, but it was clear she felt it. She looked down at the necklace that the w itch had given her that was laced around her hand.
“I’m not afraid of it, Charlie...of any of it.”
I tried to force the words, or at least open a door for her to see all that I knew, but I couldn't, and all that did was invoke the emotion of betrayal. I waited for her to feel that, to demand that I show her, for her to force me to let that wall down, but she refused to look me in the eye. That told me that she wasn’t ready to know.
“Pack,” I said as I went into the closet.
I grabbed one of my large bags and pushed a few outfits into it before I grabbed a change of clothes and went to the bathroom. In the shower, I just tried to breathe, tried to put everything in perspective, to understand if the one thing I’d been waiting on wasn’t Austin, my escape, but an elaborate trap laid out by the devil. I’d always been one that relied on my gut feelings, and my gut feeling was telling me that al l hell was about to break loose. I t was also telling me that I needed to help those boys, that if I helped them they would help me. T hat they were the missing piece to the puzzle. H olding the answers I needed to understand who I was.
I was putting away my blow dryer when my mother appeared out of nowhere beside me, still wearing one of her business suits.
“Did you just see your way here?” I asked breathlessly.
Her silence told me she did.
“You know, Mom, I still don’t get why you didn’t teach me what you know. Why you waited for me to stumble on it.”
“Charlie,” she said calmly, “we don’t have time to go over what I should or should not have done as I raised you.”
I looked down nervously. “I know. Are you upset?” I asked, looking up at her, noticing that she seemed more tense than usual.
“No,” she said as she tried to smile.
“Listen, if you come home this weekend, you may find some broken things in the house. I’m sorry about that. I’ll find a way to replace that stuff when I can.”
“Charlie, you fought a demon and survived, and you’re apologizing for a few broken material things?”
“You know about that?” I asked, sure that she did.
“I felt it,” she answered , looking over me.
“Dad was there,” I said, looking around for any sign of him. I couldn't even hear his guitar anymore.
She nodded once. “I want you to pack, take what you think you need, and I don’t want you to come back to this house until I tell you that it’s safe.”
“What do you mean?” I asked nervously. “Can that demon come back?”
“If he does, you won ’ t be here.”
“What about Kara? She’ll be back on Monday.”
My mom moved her head slowly from side to side.
“What are you not saying?” I asked as every part of me tensed.
“Kara isn’t meeting an old friend in the city; she’s meeting Robert. By midnight, she’ll be on a flight to Paris.”
“What? Why didn’t she tell me?”
“She doesn’t know. I called Robert; we planned this.”
Robert was Kara’s husband. He was a journalist that worked overseas more than he worked here. Kara kept no secrets from him. He knew about me, about all of us. None of it bothered him; in fact, he found us fascinating.
“Why?”
“Because for her, it will be easier to say goodbye if she’s the one leaving.”
“Did you know I was leaving today? Tomorrow? What else do you know? What has Dad told you? Mom, don’t hide anything from
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