Wicked Sense Read online

  But my sister is no little kid. She is a tough, tough girl.

  That’s the only reason I let them take her away from me. If it were up only to me, she wouldn’t leave my sight. It may take a couple of hours so I wander around the hospital, drifting like so many others tonight.

  The TV in the ER waiting area catches my attention. Many people with small injuries await triage, and we’re all glued to the news. The earthquake wasn’t catastrophic. No fatal injuries have been reported so far, but many are in the hospital, and the material damage is significant. The report says some people are having trouble locating family and friends. They are careful not to use the word “missing.” Everything is chaotic, a few cell towers are down, and they don’t want to cause panic.

  The seismologists are surprised by the absence of aftershocks, especially when the earthquake was so close to the surface. They can’t understand how an earthquake was produced at such shallow focal depth, whatever that is. They say the city of Seattle was unlucky, because the epicenter was right inside the city limits. On the other hand, it was a minor event, only a 5.0.

  Boulder and Sean call from Eugene to check on me. Their families are okay, but they are coming back anyway.

  I realize there’s nobody else I need to contact. Or that needs to call me. The Hunters are a small, isolated family. When bad things happen, I feel even lonelier.

  The atmosphere in the waiting areas of the hospital is one of solidarity, though. The common cause to our misfortunes brings us together, and we share the apprehension about our close ones.

  Some people look more anxious than others. A lady can’t stop crying, but five or six people surround her—maybe her family. A big guy about my age seems shell-shocked, tentative, looking completely out of place next to the elevators.

  Suddenly he stiffens up and looks at the elevator doors. His sudden reaction makes me follow his gaze. When the doors open, Skye is inside, looking straight at the guy. She has a glint of recognition in her eyes.

  Chapter 52: Skye

  Before I leave, I call Priscilla. We assure each other we’re okay. I tell her about Mona, and she asks me to send her best wishes to Drake. I end the call and drive to the hospital.

  The parking lot is full, but I squeeze Drake’s Volvo between two SUVs. As I’m leaving the car, I sense the tingling. A Sister is around.

  Judging by the low intensity, it’s somewhere in the hospital. I get in the elevator with other people. As we move up, the tingling intensifies.

  It’s odd. I felt it before, every time Judi and Mum were together close to me. It’s coming from two sources upstairs. And increasing.

  The elevator door opens. After everybody leaves, I see Connor staring at me from the waiting room.

  When the doors begin to move again, I come out of my stupor, and extend my arm to stop them from closing. I get out and march to Connor.

  He doesn’t even let me ask. “Jane listed me as her emergency contact. I didn’t even know about it.”

  “What happened to her?” I ask. A myriad of questions swirl in my mind. Is this another one of Jane’s ploys? Is she here because of our break-in? Is Connor with her?

  Now, why would the last one come to mind?

  “Motorbike accident. Apparently she was riding when the quake hit,” he says.

  I nod, trying to piece the puzzle together in my head.

  “Did you see her?”

  “I did, but she’s unconscious. The doctors didn’t see anything too worrisome in their tests. But she has a few bruises, even cuts on her face. She doesn’t look good.”

  Goddess, the guilt is sudden and overwhelming. Yes, she tried to kill me, amongst other lesser attacks. Still, it’s not like I want to kill her. I did want to harm her at her house, and self-defense was only an excuse then. I’ll never tell Connor I’ve been there. I don’t want him judging me, or reporting me to the Mothers.

  Once again, I feel this is going too far. It wasn’t supposed to go like this.

  “Are you kidding me?” Drake’s voice behind me makes me jump out of my skin.

  “Drake!” I say. “I…” I point to me. “Connor…” I say, pointing to my ex. It’s too much to process, and I sound stupid.

  “I’ve been listening to you two for a while,” Drake says with a menacing tone totally not his own. He turns to Connor. “So, you’re the English muffin? The idiot who cannot control Jane?”

  Connor is unfazed by Drake’s barbs. His eyes dart between Drake and me.

  “Excuse us,” Drake says to Connor. “I need to talk to Skye.” When Connor doesn’t move, Drake yells, “Now!”

  The waiting room crowd glances at our group. Connor, ever the Veil protector, looks around nervously and walks to the nurse’s station.

  The thoughts in my head are a little more organized now. “Listen, Drake,” I say, “I didn’t know he was here.” I have no idea why I feel compelled to explain it to Drake. It’s not like I did something wrong.

  “I’ve heard you. I saw you. I know you were both surprised,” Drake says, calmer now.

  “Are we okay?”

  For a moment he seems about to lose it, but he sighs deeply. His voice is bitter. “No, Skye. We’re not okay. I’m not. Mona isn’t either. I couldn’t protect my sister. I can’t protect you. And everything is conspiring to pull you and that… guy together. Oh, yeah, and the witch thing.”

  Connor is coming back to us. He clearly overheard Drake.

  “You broke the Veil?” Connor whispers to me, sizing Drake up.

  Drake steps in. “I broke it, fish-and-chips. As you three just prove over and over, you witches are not that smart.”

  Connor must have Teflon ears, because his priority is clear. “Lower your bloody voice,” he says in a growl.

  “I need to see Jane,” I say.

  This finally breaks their staring contest.

  “What?” Drake asks.

  “Why?” Connor asks.

  “I just need to do it.” My eyes seek Drake’s approval.

  “Is it about the search?” Connor whispers.

  “Does it matter?” I say.

  ***

  Somehow Connor agrees, and somehow he makes the staff let me visit Jane (his Trust Charm is handy) in her private room.

  The tingling is intense so close to her.

  Does she feel my presence? Even when I’m sleeping, I can sense the physical sensation if a Sister is nearby, but the tingling might not bother witches that don’t possess True Sight. Mum and I have rooms away from each other in part because I can’t sleep with her magical energy so close to me, but she has no problem with mine. Sleeping next to Connor was equally impossible.

  I shake the thought from my mind.

  I stay by the door, hesitant. Afraid of seeing what permanent damage my attack caused to her good looks. Guilty about unhinging her so thoroughly that she crashed her bike.

  And yes, I’m concerned that she’d snap out of her coma and attack me, Carrie-style.

  I get closer to her bed. She’s still, breathing with no help from machines. A blanket covers her, except for the arms. I see deep red and black wounds on her left forearm and elbow.

  When I’m close, I dare to look at her face. There it is.

  Her left cheek has two big gashes where I hit her with the flask. Several minor cuts adorn her once lovely face. All of them caused by me.

  I expected a serene look, but her eyebrows are wrinkled with a crease of concern. Even when she’s blacked out, Jane’s personality surfaces on her harsh expression.

  It doesn’t stop me from, in a kindhearted moment, touching her face tenderly with the back of my hand. I feel for her.

  I caress her face with my fingertips. I want her to feel it, to know that she’s not alone. That we call each other Sisters for a reason.

  My hand stops at those two big gashes. The rough tactile sensation of the wounds makes me sad. Her face is ruined.

  Then I see tiny green sparkles coming off my fingertips. A small, visible el
ectric current flows from my hand to Jane’s face.

  Startled, I withdraw my hand. I’m not sure of what I just saw.

  It had no effect on Jane’s sleep. The wounds on her face, though, glow a light pink.

  What is that? I dare to reach my hand out again, mimicking its previous position.

  There it is, the electric current. It begins with tiny sparkles, but as I leave my hand over the wound, the flow increases. Not much. It reaches a stable stream.

  The scabs turn a darker shade of pink and start to vanish. Fascinated, I put my hand over her other cuts. Soon they disappear.

  The scabs are gone now, and the two sides of one of the gashes slowly close the cut’s gap, creating new flesh, new skin out of the green stream of magic.

  Yes, magic. What else could it be?

  But it wasn’t supposed to work like that. It’s never visible.

  And I’m sure I don’t have a Healing Charm.

  Nevertheless, I let Jane use my magical energy to heal herself. She is doing this. But I let her.

  I owe it to her.

  The second big gash is gone. Her face is perfect. Out of curiosity, I still leave my hands close to her face. The green flow is steadfast.

  Color comes to her face. I look closer. A very thin patch of facial hair over her lips disappears.

  I remove my hands in horror. I realize what is going on.

  I rush to the bathroom and look at my reflection in the mirror. Only it’s not me I see. Or, rather, it’s not the prom queen version of me.

  What I see is what I should have looked like all my life. Not gorgeous, no-imperfections-Skye. The real Skye. A plain British girl.

  Jane has just stolen my Allure Charm.

  Chapter 53: Drake

  Mr. Darcy and I are waiting for Skye. At least we’re on opposites sides of the waiting room. I’m not that modern of a boyfriend.

  I should stop calling him Mr. Darcy. It’s a bad omen. Mr. Darcy always gets the girl.

  The jerk suddenly looks around, confused. His eyes stop on me, but after a while, he goes to the patient’s room area.

  He’s not beating me up there. He probably wants to talk to Skye alone. I start to move, but my cell dings. Frowny faces look at me; I forgot to turn it off. It’s Skye.

  “Take the elevator and come down to meet me,” she says in a rushed voice. “I’m at P2, waiting for you. Don’t ask.”

  I’ve been through enough with Skye. I know that if she could, she would have said more. I do as told. The English dude doesn’t notice me sneaking out.

  When I arrive at P2, Skye is in my Volvo, the motor running, parked right in front of the elevator. I sneak a quick glance to the cargo area of my car before jumping into the passenger’s seat. After I close my door, I look at the back seat.

  We leave in a hurry. Skye asks me, “What are you looking for?”

  “For a moment, I thought we were kidnapping Jane,” I answer, finally seeing her up close. She’s different. “Wow, was it rough in there? You look like hell.”

  We took the ramp up out of the parking lot. Her eyes are on the driveway. We reach daylight, and I take a closer look.

  Her face is different. What is going on?

  She goes four blocks without a word, maneuvers around a piece of road blocked by the earthquake debris, and then parks in a strip mall’s lot. She turns to me.

  Skye looks like she just got out of bed after a rough night. Her eyes are puffy. Her skin’s dry.

  It’s weird. She is still beautiful, but she lost that gloss, that sparkle. It’s like seeing a movie star without make-up and flattering lighting.

  It doesn’t matter to me. “What happened?” I ask.

  She stares at me, no doubt looking for clues, but she finally relents. “I’m not sure,” she says. Her voice becomes throaty once again. “I think Jane might have stolen my Allure Charm.”

  This is one weird sentence. I try to wrap my mind around it.

  “Is that even possible?” I ask “Wait, wasn’t she in a coma?”

  A frayed Skye shakes her head. “I don’t know what’s possible anymore.”

  She tells me how green sparks flew from her hand and healed Jane’s face. She points to her face when she explains all the signs of Allure left her.

  I laugh.

  She gets mad.

  “Sorry,” I say. “But… This is just insane.” She turns her back to me, staring out of her window. “Try to see it through my eyes. Imagine you weren’t trained since you were a kid to see magic as natural.” I want to touch her, make her turn to face me, but I just talk. “To me, it’s easy to accept when we’re talking about potions and… and… feelings. It’s unlikely, but it’s somewhere between, I don’t know, homeopathy—to me, very plausible—and horoscopes.”

  “Is that how you see me? A New Age weirdo?” Her voice quivers.

  No sense hiding it. “In the beginning, a little, yes. I mean, can you blame me? Since then I’ve seen enough to believe in you. But now we’re entering the realm of special effects.”

  She turns to me. “Look at me,” she says, tears streaking her face. “Look at me!”

  I stare into her eyes.

  She takes a long time. “I’m changed. Can’t you see it? Can’t you accept it?”

  “You look different,” I say, wiping a tear from her cheek. “But you’re still Skye.”

  She tries to back away from me, but my hand cradles her face. My other hand reaches behind the back of her neck, and I pull her gently toward my chest.

  She lets out a few hiccupy sobs. “I’m not vain,” she says without moving, her voice muffled. “I’m not one of those girls. I know it’s easy to say this when I never had to worry about it, really. But I’m not shallow. I’m not.”

  It’s not a question. I want to give her some reassurance. “I know,” I say.

  After a long pause, she becomes less agitated. She says, “It’s just that she took away something that’s been a part of me forever.”

  I nod. I understand her pain now, but she can’t see me.

  “I’ve never seen anyone do it, Drake. It can’t be done.” She moves away from me, wiping her face with her sleeve.

  She’s a mess, yes, but at the same time she looks so… real, so much like a person, and not someone supernatural. Vulnerable. I didn’t know it was possible to want her more.

  “It can’t be done, Drake,” she repeats.

  “What do you mean?”

  She untangles herself from my embrace and faces me. “She must be the Singularity. Can you imagine Jane with all that power?”

  Chapter 54: Skye

  After I share my suspicions with Drake, he stares at me, speechless.

  “Do you understand?” I ask.

  “I do,” he says. “But you’re wrong. Jane told me she was twenty. The witch you’re looking for should be seventeen, right? Or even a boy.”

  I shake my head. “Jane could be lying. Or maybe the Singularity operates differently, maybe her Daybreak comes at a different age. The Singularity does have magical shields up, and that’s unheard of.”

  He sighs. “There’s also the logical explanation. If she were the Singularity, she would have used her power against us. She wouldn’t hang around Mr. Stuffy, who’s searching for her. Or she would’ve been gone, doing whatever it is almighty witches do.”

  Drake has a point. It still doesn’t explain how she stole my Allure. I point that out to him.

  “Can’t you ask someone? Maybe it is possible and you just didn’t learn it yet,” he says. “Your mother would know, wouldn’t she? Or your ex?” Drake adds, reluctantly. “Why didn’t you tell him about it? Why did we have to run away?”

  My mouth creases. I’m ashamed of myself. “Because it’s Jane. All the Sisters will worship the Singularity. She would have extraordinary power.” I stare at him. “Jane.”

  He puts his palms up in a helpless gesture. “But what can you do? If she is the queen of magic, she is. There’s nothing you can do about it.”


  I lower my eyes. “I thought about… preventing it.” I wouldn’t say it aloud to anyone else.

  As I expected, he looks at me with surprise, his mouth agape. But he recovers quickly. “Sorry, Skye,” he says with a soothing voice. “That’s not who you are. I know you.”

  “But isn’t it the right thing to do?”

  His voice is firm. “No, it isn’t. Sometimes we just have to let things play out.”

  ***

  I call Mum in England. It’s morning there. She doesn’t answer. Nor does Judi. I leave a message for each of them to call me back ASAP.

  Drake convinces me to go back to the hospital. I call Connor and ask him to meet me at the outside parking lot. It’s on the far side of the hospital, opposite the ER, but we need some privacy to discuss things under the Veil.

  While Drake goes check on Mona and talk to her doctor, I will tell Connor the news.

  When Connor first sees me, he can’t hide his shock. Apparently, my former good looks were important to him. He wants to know what happened, but I ask him to answer some vital questions first. I try to shake off his magical energy signature so I can focus on our conversation.

  An ambulance siren catches my attention—another one. I look around the full lot, so many injured people coming to the ER.

  Focus, Skye.

  “Connor, when you were with Jane, was anything different?”

  His expression darkens. “Sod, Skye, are you sure you want to go there? Again?”

  “Don’t be a smart ass. I’m not talking about being horny. Was anything different? With your magical energy?”

  “What do you mean?”

  I search for the right words. “Did you feel, I don’t know, a disconnection of some sort? Magical energy flowing?”

  He looks at me startled. “Yes. Yes, I did. I mean, I sensed her and all, but sometimes I felt like a decrease of my personal magic… I thought it was just this generic bad vibe she had.” He shrugs.

  That’s when I tell him about the Jane incident, my Allure, and my suspicion.