Djinn (10 page)

"I don't believe you," I said, catching Will's eyes in the rear-view mirror. "I don't believe you."

"It's true," Will said. "That man you've been living with, the one you've been calling Dad. He was the one who kidnapped you."

"You're lying! I know who my father is!"

"You shouldn't have told her," Mia said, giving me a sideways glance. "Of course she wouldn't believe us. That Blooder has been filling her head with lies for sixteen years. A few words from you isn't going to change that." She turned to Will. "No matter how charming you may be."

"Keep it in your pants," Pyke said.

"Shut up, Pyke," Mia replied and turned back to her drawing on the window. Her finger traced more swirls on the fogged up glass.

I couldn't understand what their angle was. Why tell me my dad wasn't my dad? Mia was right, I wasn't going to believe it. They must be crazy to think they were rescuing me.

Everyone was silent as Will drove us to wherever to hell we were going. I had so many questions but I couldn't bring myself to ask them, so I stared out the window for a while thinking about Dad. I wondered if he'd woken up yet to find I was gone. I hoped he was alive.

Will turned the heater on in the car, and slowly the cabin filled with warm lulling air. I think he did it on purpose, because I could barely keep my eyes open. I tried to fight it, but I was exhausted from all the craziness of the night. My eyelids dropped shut.

* * *

I stood in my front yard, the ground soaked. Puddles splashed like rain was falling, but the sky was clear and red as blood. My house was frozen in a block of ice, like a statue on display. I ran to the giant ice cube and pounded my fists against it, trying to break in. I wanted my photo, the one of Mum and me. I couldn't leave without it.

"There's no time!" I heard Dad's voice echo through the air, but I couldn't see him. "Get to the car."

I turned to search for Dad, but the next thing I knew I was sitting in the black car with a young Dad driving. His face was bruised and bleeding, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Dad?" I leaned over from the back seat to help him, but someone pulled me back.

It was Mia sitting beside me, her make-up running down her face like she'd been crying.

"You have to sit down," she said.

"But my dad," I replied.

The car jerked as Dad swerved. I looked through windscreen and saw we weren't driving on a road at all. We were driving on ice. Dad's hands were moving fast on the wheel, trying to keep us from skidding.

"Dad!" I screamed. "Let me help you!"

Mia pulled me back again.

"You have to sit down," she urged. "It's too dangerous. Don't look."

I stared at her. "What are you talking about?"

But she didn't respond. Instead she turned to the window and started drawing dogs on the frosted glass with her fingers.

Dad's control over the car became worse and worse. I struggled not to slide around. I gripped hold of the passenger seat and swung myself in next to Dad.

"Dad!" I said. "Dad, please stop the car."

He didn't say a word and continued to drive recklessly.

I didn't like being ignored, I never had. I grabbed Dad's shirt and pulled his attention to mine.

"No!" Mia shouted from the back seat.

She hugged herself into a ball trying to hide. I turned back to Dad, only to see his eyes were as red as blood. He looked at me differently, not as his daughter.

"Dad? What's wrong?"

He looked crazed and out of control. This wasn't my Dad. This wasn't how he acted.

"Stop the car," I ordered, but Dad only turned back and continued driving. I looked to Mia still huddled in the back seat. "Mia?" I said with caution. "Mia, I need to get out of here."

She looked up to me with golden eyes. "You shouldn't have looked," she said and proceeded to rock back and forth.

I realised no one was going to help me so I would have to help myself. I turned back to the front to see Pyke standing in the middle of the road.

"Look out!" I shouted, but Dad didn't slow down. I grabbed the wheel from him and turned us out of Pyke's path. The car sped off the ice toward a forest. Trees streamed past and I wasn't sure why we didn't hit any of them. I looked around and it was like we were invisible, passing through like a ghost.

The trees cleared and our house appeared, still frozen solid. The car headed straight for it and there was nothing I could do to avoid it. I closed my eyes as we made contact.

Chapter Ten

I woke with an alarming jolt and yelped. Mia shouted in surprise next to me. I gripped hold of my seat belt as my eyes adjusted, trying to work out where I was.

"What the hell?" Mia said. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"Is she okay?" Will asked, looking back through the rear-view mirror.

"Is she okay?" Mia repeated with offence. "What about me?"

"Mia, she's hyperventilating," Will said with the slightest hint of annoyance.

Mia took my hand in hers and looked me in the eyes. "Calm down," she said, like that would help.

"I think she's crazy," Pyke remarked, but everyone ignored him.

"Kyra. It was just a dream. You're safe," Will soothed.

I realised what Will had said was true. At first, I couldn't be sure what was real, but when I thought about it and all the other crazy things that were going on, I knew it was a dream. Realising that, I was able to calm my breathing to steady ins and outs.

"Feeling better?" Will asked.

I nodded, even though I was still completely unsettled. Once I was calm enough Mia released my hand and rested back in her seat.

"Unbelievable," she muttered under her breath. She seemed to think I was doing it as some sort of attention-seeking stunt.

The real Mia hated me with a passion, and maybe Pyke did too. He hadn't looked at me in a long while, though he seemed to not like anyone. What did I care? What Pyke had tried to do to Dad …

Will was different, though. Sure, he had leadership, so the others had to listen to him, but he was kind, at least to me. I didn't trust him, or any of them, actually, but at least I knew how Mia and Pyke felt about me. I just wasn't sure if Will was pretending or not. Was he just following orders, or did he actually care?

I rested back and stared a hole into the back of Will's seat. He'd kept driving all through the night, even as I slept, it seemed, as I saw the sun rise over the hilltops. The scenery had changed dramatically. My old town had been surrounded by trees and forests, but now we were somewhere with a lot of countryside and hills. It was too open for my liking. I wanted closed off areas with places to hide.

We passed field after field, cow after cow. I could feel myself wanting to drift off again, if it wasn't for my overwhelming urge to pee.

"I need to go to the bathroom," I said, breaking the hours of silence.

Mia glanced at me, raising an eyebrow.

"There's a gas station a few kilometres ahead. We'll stop there and you can go," Will replied.

"You know that's the oldest trick in the book, right?" Mia said. "First they need to pee, then they plan some stupid way to make a break for it."

I hadn't even thought of that. It actually sounded like a good idea to me, though now Mia had mentioned it, it probably wouldn't work.

"She's not going try anything," Will replied. He glanced at me through the mirror. "Right?"

"Sure," I said. "Where would I go anyway?" I turned my attention back to watching farm animals fly by.

* * *

Will pulled into a gas station about half an hour later. It was clearly just a place to stop between towns, with only one gas pump. There was a small store, too, probably with some seriously overpriced food.

"Pyke, you fill up the car," Will said, once he'd parked the car next to the pump.

"Me? Seriously?" Pyke pointed to himself, like there was another Pyke Will could be confusing him with.

"You can drive the rest of the way," Will persuaded.

"Wow, thanks boss," Pyke said sarcastically, but exited the car and headed for the pump.

"Mia, you can pick up some snacks and water." Will leaned into the back seat and handed her a handful of money.

"What about you?" Mia's eyes glanced to me.

"I'll be fine. Just get something good, I'm starving."

Mia smiled as she took the money and bounded from the car. Will waited until Mia was inside the shop and Pyke was leaning against the side of the car, pumping gas. He turned his gaze on me, sending a shiver down my spine.

"I'm going to take you to the bathroom," he said, in a voice that was both soothing and authoritative. "I don't want you trying anything. Just do what you have to and then we'll get back in the car."

This guy kidnapped you, Kyra.

He is not soothing.

"I make no promises," I warned and hopped out of the car. I'd meant it to sound threatening but Will only smiled, like it was all a big joke.

Stepping out, I had to stretch my legs at bit before I could go anywhere. They ached from hours spent in a car, plus the fight from last night. Judging from the sun's position in the sky, I figured it to be about midmorning.

I glanced at Pyke, who leaned casually against the side of the car. His attention was focused on the numbers spinning up on the gas meter. Another car pulled in beside us and Pyke gave them a quick glance. A woman stepped out of the small red hatchback and ran into the service station. She was in such a hurry, she left the car running. I heard the click of Will's car door closing and turned to face him.

He was beautiful. I mean, I'd seen hot guys in movies, and even a few at some of the schools over the years, but Will was stunning. I hadn't had the chance to check him out properly since we'd met. He'd been drenched in rain and hidden in darkness a lot of the time, but now the sun was beaming down on his face, lighting up his spiky, golden hair in a blaze of glory. His eyes, though they matched mine, seemed somehow completely different, like they saw everything. He wore plain jeans and a white shirt and, though they were stained with mud and blood, he pulled it off. He shrugged on a leather jacket, which seemed to be a trademark for these people. His olive tan rivalled my own and with clearly defined muscle tone, it was easy to see how beautiful and dangerous Will was.

"Oh please," Mia groaned breaking my gaze. She was standing a few metres away, hands full of chip packets and water bottles. She glared at me, staring daggers, but Will didn't seem to notice. His gaze was locked on me.

"The toilet's this way." Will pointed around the side of the gas station.

He led the way and I followed on behind. Mia bumped my shoulder as I passed by and it was then I noticed it. Mia had the same golden eyes as me, too. Just like in the dream I'd had. How come I hadn't seen it before? I could have sworn Mia's eyes were brown and Pyke's were … my gaze moved to Pyke as I thought of him. He turned his head in response and shone me a pearly smile, lighting up his golden eyes.

"Your eyes …" I said, my head flicking between them.

"I think we blew her mind," Pyke said.

"Maybe you should have left the contacts in," Will suggested.

"No way," Mia replied, throwing food into the back seat. "Those things itch like crazy. She can just deal."

Will manoeuvred my body away from the others and toward the toilets. I snapped from my surprise and walked on my own, though I didn't understand why we all had the same coloured eyes.

We headed around the corner of the service station where a small portable toilet sat.

"After you." Will gestured with a smile.

He held the door open for me and I stepped inside. Any thoughts of escape left me. There was only one way out and Will was guarding it. Plus, where would I go? We were miles away from anywhere I recognised, but I couldn't do anything.

I didn't want to admit it, but a part of me didn't want to escape because I wanted to know who these people were, and why Dad had been running from them. I'd wanted to know the answers to those questions my whole life, and my curiosity seemed to have finally taken over.

But I had to try … for Dad. I had to somehow get past Will, get into the service station and ask for help. The clerk could call the police.

What could the police do against people with superpowers?