Dark Realms (35 page)

He bent down and kissed my lips, taking my
breath away once again. “Kendra,” he whispered, resting his
forehead against mine.

I smiled. “Tyler.”

He let out a ragged breath
and stepped back. “I’d better watch myself
.
My mom would kill me if she knew…”

“Knew what?”

He smiled, darkly. “That I was kissing you
when I was supposed to be feeding you.”

“I won’t tell.”

He raised his eyebrow. “Are you flirting
with me?”

Oh, my God, I was.

I put a hand over my mouth. “Yes,
sorry.”

He threw his head back and laughed.

“What?”

“You just looked so flabbergasted there for
a minute. Like flirting with me was so… horrific.”

“No, I just don’t want to
be one of
those
kinds of girls.”

“What do you mean ‘those’ kind of
girls?”

I looked down. “You know – a tease.”

“Listen,” he said, tilting
my chin back up. “You’re unlike
any
girl that I’ve ever met.” Then he brushed his lips
against mine.

“Is that good or bad?” I whispered, when he
pulled away.

He nodded. “Very good. Now,” he stepped back
and patted his stomach. “I’m starving. Let’s eat”

“Okay. Um, one more thing, though – I was
just wondering, did your dad have any special abilities?”

He smiled proudly. “My dad was also an
Enchanter.”

For some reason, his answer didn’t comfort
me one bit. “So he was a pretty powerful guy, but still couldn’t
beat Vivian?”

He sighed. “To tell you the truth, Vivian is
already so fierce that if she finds your mother and steals her
power, we’re all doomed.”

Chapter Seventeen

I followed Tyler to the kitchen and he
grabbed a frozen pizza from the freezer.

“What, no magic involved in making lunch?” I
teased, sitting down at the counter.

“You heard my mom, no more magic, except for
the teleporting and maybe a cup of cocoa. So, until this thing with
Vivian is over, I have to do almost everything the hard way,” he
answered as he removed the wrapper from the pizza. He licked his
fingers. “You like pepperoni?”

I nodded. “So, why can’t you perform magic?
Will Vivian know?”

“The stronger the sorceress, the easier it
to sense the energy created by magic, whether it’s hers or someone
else’s.”

“I hate to change the
subject,” I said, looking around the immaculate white tiled floor
and marbled kitchen counters
, “but your
house isn’t anything at all like I expected.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, your mom’s a witch and you’re an
Enchanter, right?”

He nodded.

“Well, this place is so white and crisp;
it’s just too contemporary for a witch’s pad. I’d have expected
something more mystical and I don’t know… old school, I guess? I
mean, where’s your herb garden for creating potions or steaming
witch’s cauldron? I haven’t even seen a black cat or any pickle
jars containing creepy things to make potions. I mean, come
on!”

Tyler chuckled. “You really do read too many
books.”

“Maybe, but your mom’s shop seems a little
closer to what I’d expect to find under a witch’s roof. This place,
though, it’s like something out of an architectural magazine, I’d
never suspect the homeowners were… magical beings. More like yuppie
interior designers or something.”

He smirked. “Well, then we’ve covered are
tracks pretty well. My mother didn’t want to draw any unwanted
attention. So this is kind of our hideout when things get bad.”

“Well,” I said, nodding, “if Vivian is aware
of my family being in Bayport, then she’ll find ‘Secrets’
blindfolded.”

He shrugged. “It was a risk we had to
take.”

“Is your mom safe in the shop by
herself?”

“She’s used a spell for protection and we
have some friends that are helping to keep any eye on things, just
in case. She’ll definitely know if Vivian is getting close.”

“Friends…like Trixie?”

He nodded. “Like Trixie.”

“Well, then I think it’s time my mother
knows you’re here.”

He let out a long, drawn-out sigh. “Believe
me, she probably already does.”

~~~

Tyler teleported us straight to my house
after lunch. We landed on the floor in my bedroom, this time, with
him on top of me.

“We have to quit meeting this way,” he said,
his eyes smoldering.

“Off,” I said, pushing him away.

“Sorry, you just have this effect on me.
Being a gentleman is getting harder by the minute,” he said.

Pleased, I smiled. “Really?”

“Really, so let’s get what we need from your
bedroom and then find your mom.”

I looked at my alarm clock and it was just
after one o’clock in the afternoon.

“Okay. Turn around,” I said, moving to my
sister’s underwear drawer.

He nodded and turned around.

I grabbed a pair of Kala’s new panties and
rushed to the bathroom. After slipping them on, I walked back into
my bedroom and froze. “Do you hear that?” I whispered.

He shook his head and stared at me in alarm.
“What’s wrong?”

“It’s too quiet,”

I walked out of the bedroom and he followed
me downstairs. “Mom runs a daycare and nobody’s around crying or
screaming their head off.”

The kitchen, which was usually stacked with
dishes and chaotic children, was spotless and empty.

“Could she have taken the children outside?”
he asked.

“I hope so.”

We hurried to the backdoor and I opened it.
The yard was filled with outdoor toys and the new jungle gym we’d
recently installed. Other than that, it was also empty.

“Okay, this is weird,” I said, stepping back
inside. “Where in the world is she?”

He rubbed his chin. “Does she ever take the
kids on field trips?”

“Sometimes, but she usually lets me and my
sister know ahead of time, in case of an emergency.”

“Then this
is
very bad. I think we
should be prepared for the worst,” he said.

I stared at him in horror as I realized what
he was suggesting. “Do you think it’s too late?” I asked in a
strangled voice. “That maybe... Vivian’s gotten to her?”

“I don’t know,” he said, avoiding my
eyes.

A sudden knock at the door startled us and
we both jumped.

“I’d better get that,” I whispered.

“No, let me do it,” he said, already heading
towards the front door.

When we opened the door, a pretty blond
woman stood beaming at us. “Oh, hello. My name is Michelle Evans
and I was wondering if your mother is home? I sell Beauty Life
Cosmetics.”

“Um, no,” I answered, eyeing the woman
suspiciously. “She’s not home, sorry.”

“Oh, that’s too bad,” she said, pouting. “I
spoke to her on the phone earlier and she told me she’d be here all
day. She sounded really interested in trying our new line of
lipsticks.”

“We’ll let her know you stopped by,” said
Tyler as he began to close the door.

Michelle stuck her foot in the doorway and
her eyes narrowed. “Aren’t you kids supposed to be in school?”

I cleared my throat. “Actually, we’re
homeschooled.”

“Well, how nice,” she said, studying my
face. “Would you mind if I wait for your mother inside? It took me
almost forty minutes to get here and she promised me she’d be
around. Would it be okay if I just waited ten minutes?”

“No, I’m sorry. My mother is very adamant
about not letting strangers into the house when she’s not
home.”

Her lips curled into an ugly scowl. “Is that
so?”

My breath caught in my throat when our eyes
met. Not only were they the same color as my mother’s, but they
were now filled with such malice, that I instinctively took a step
back.

“We’ll let her know you stopped by,”
repeated Tyler firmly.

Michelle, who looked like she was going to
explode just a moment ago, regained her composure and smiled
sweetly at us. “Yes, of course. Well, I’m sorry to have bothered
you. Have a nice afternoon.”

As she turned away, Tyler shut the door and
locked it quickly.

“What’s happening?” I whispered. “Who was
that?”

He looked at me. “That, my dear, was death
knocking at your front door.”

Chapter Eighteen

“We have to get out of here,” stated Tyler,
grabbing my hand and pulling me towards the backdoor. “She’s going
to be watching for your mother and we need to warn her before she
gets back home. Do you have any idea where she might be?”

I shook my head. “Honestly, Tyler, I don’t
know. She’s normally home right now. This just doesn’t make any
sense. Actually, nothing about today makes sense.”

“Does she have a cell phone?”

I shook my head. “No, she says they give you
brain cancer. She refuses to even allow them into our house.”

Tyler nodded. “They are also an easy
tracking device, probably the real reason she doesn’t allow
them.”

Now that made much more sense.

“Is it possible that the school called my
mom and she’s there looking for me?”

“I guess it’s possible. I did persuade the
attendance clerk to forget about contacting your mother
though.”

I narrowed my eyes. “How did you do that
when you were with me the entire time?”

“If I told you how, I’d have to kill
you.”

My eyes widened in shock.

He laughed. “No, I’m just messing with
you.”

I smacked him in the arm and then pushed him
out the back door. “Let’s go back to school, just in case she’s
waiting around there.”

As we snuck away from the house towards the
back alley, he looked up into the trees. “Vivian’s probably
watching us right now,” he said in a low voice.

“From the trees?” I whispered in horror. I
thought about how dangerous this woman was and it chilled me to the
bone. Now, as I watched the wind blow the leaves around on the
trees, everything seems so much more ominous.

“The birds, usually ravens or crows. She’s
been known to manipulate them to do her bidding.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat and
grabbed his hand. “I’m scared. I mean really freaking scared. Are
you?”

He shrugged. “Nah. Whenever I encounter
imminent danger, I try to concentrate on the solution, not the
source.”

“Well, have you found a solution for this
problem yet?” I mumbled.

He stared at the sky. “Yes,” he answered
sucking in his breath. “Run!”

~~~

I’m not sure why he told me to run at that
particular moment, but I wasn’t about to argue with him. We both
took off running down the alley.

“Hurry!” he barked when I stumbled over a
break in the pavement.

“Trying!” I yelled back.

Just then hundreds of sharp “kraking” noises
filled the air and I glanced behind us. “Oh, my God!” I shrieked in
horror.

The sky was a blur of black, with thousands
of birds screaming towards us, the sound of their wings flapping in
the wind entwined with the roaring in my ears was deafening.

“Come on!” yelled Tyler, pulling me towards
one of the neighbor’s garages.

We crashed through the side door and I threw
my arms around him. “Teleport us or whatever it is you do, right
now!” I cried.

He nodded and began to chant.

“Going somewhere?”

I opened my eyes to find Michelle smiling
coldly at us in the darkness of the garage, her blond hair now a
vibrant red, her facial features totally changed. It was unnerving
to see my mother’s familiar, loving features twisted into a look of
pure hatred.

“Please, don’t hurt us,” I whispered in
horror.

She held up a wand and pointed it towards
us, chanting some type of spell. Fortunately, however, Tyler had
remained diligent in his incantations so we disappeared before she
could finish.

Chapter Nineteen

We landed in the bathroom of “Secrets.”

“That was close,” I gasped, trying to stand
up. My legs were trembling so much I thought they’d give out any
minute.

He closed his eyes and released a ragged
sigh. “You have no idea.”

“So, did you recognize that spell she tried
to use?”

He nodded. “Oh yeah, she almost annihilated
us, both.”

My eyes widened. “Wow. It’s that easy, to
kill someone?”

“With the right spell and sorceress,
anything is possible.”

The door opened suddenly and old Mrs.
Buchaard stood staring at us curiously.

“Oh, I’m sorry, do you need to get in here?”
asked Tyler.

She shook her head. “No, but you’d better
get your butts moving if you’re planning on helping Adrianne.”

I stared at her in surprise. “What?”

She wagged her finger at us to follow her
and said. “Let me introduce myself, I’m your mother’s cousin,
Clarice.”

“What?” I repeated, this time in total
shock. I glanced at Tyler who was smiling in amusement.

She grinned. “Oh, I know you weren’t aware
of it. We kept it from you and your sister for a reason. It was
much too dangerous.”

I stared at her and recognized some of my
mother’s traits. Cat-like eyes and high cheekbones. Otherwise
Clarice’s hair was completely white.

She patted her hair. “I know. I messed up a
spell many years ago and it turned my hair white. I kind of liked
it so… I kept it.”

“Tyler!” called his mother, who was now
rushing to close the shop. “What’s happened? I’ve received some
messages that there’s been trouble.”

“Trouble?” he snorted. “I’d say. Vivian
showed up at Kendra’s and we barely made it out of there.”

She rushed over and threw her arms around
Tyler. “Thank the stars above you’re both safe. That woman is so
unpredictable.”