Djinn (8 page)

"Don't worry, Mia. I got her," he said as she arrived.

"I had things under control," she replied, bending over to catch her breath.

"Didn't seem that way to me. How's the face?" He reached up to stroke Mia's bleeding cheek, but she swatted his hand way.

"Back off, Pyke," she said. "Let's just get Will and the car and get out of this backward town."

A rumble of thunder coursed through the sky and the clouds opened up, spilling rain down on the earth.

"Just great," Mia said over the rain, and pulled her leather jacket around her body. "Where's Will?"

"He's on his way," Pyke replied.

I watched silently. Dad must have been looking for me by now, and the first place he would check was the house. I had to get to him and away from these people.

The good thing was they were ignoring me, which gave me the element of surprise. Unfortunately, Pyke had taken my knife, crushed my phone and was holding my arm so tight I thought I might lose circulation.

I had to think: what weapons I did have? I was trained to fight, but my arm was incapacitated. Then something Dad told me popped into my head: sometimes, all your training goes out the window and you have to rely on instincts.

I decided to take that advice to heart and shut off my brain, letting my body take over.

I bit Pyke's hand and he yelped in surprise, his hand flying back to his chest in defence. I grabbed his shoulders and kneed him, hard, in the groin. He dropped to the ground, tears welling in his eyes. Mia came up behind me in Pyke's aid, but I was ready. I elbowed her in the face, deliberately aiming for her open wound, and down she went.

I bolted down the street in the pouring rain. I couldn't see if Pyke or Mia were following me, and I couldn't hear them over the storm. It didn't matter, though. I had to find Dad and get away from this town as soon as possible.

Water sloshed in my shoes as I ran with everything I had. Even when I reached our driveway I didn't stop to rest. I trudged through the slick mud bog that was beginning to form where the driveway used to be. I struggled the last few metres to the front of the house.

"Dad!"

I saw his Ute in a skidded park. The front door was ripped open and Dad, dripping wet, burst out.

"Kyra!"

"Dad." I ran toward him and he embraced me in a damp hug.

"Are you alright?" He looked me over, checking to see if I was unharmed.

I grabbed his hands. "I'm fine. We need to go."

"You're right. How many are there?"

"I don't know, but they're not like the others." I held Dad's gaze. "Dad, they're my age. They're teenagers."

The news didn't shock him as much as it did me. His face remained unreadable.

"Dad?" I said.

"I should have known they would try something like this." He shook his head. "I shouldn't have let you go to school."

"Really? I don't think we have time for this!"

Dad's mind seemed to be elsewhere, his hand fingering close to his throat. I'd never seen him like this before. I wasn't sure if it was just because they'd gotten so close to us without either of us noticing, or if it something else. Dad had always been the strong, level-headed one, but looking at him now, he seemed almost unhinged.

"There's no time to grab anything," he said.

My photo of Mum flashed in my mind, but I remained calm. "I know."

He squeezed the sides of my arms like he wanted to tell me something.

"Dad, what is it? You're acting strange."

"They're too close," he muttered and I'm not sure if he meant for me to hear. "They've never been this close."

"Dad," I grabbed his arm, forcing him to focus. "This is as close as they get. We are getting out of here."

He nodded. "Here." He handed me the keys. "Get in the Ute and start it up."

"Aren't you coming?" I asked.

"There's something I have to do first."

I noticed his eyes weren't on me, but focused on something in the distance. I turned to see Mia and Pyke approaching through the veil of rain.

Dad clasped my shoulder and shook me like a rag doll so I would focus. "Kyra!" he said. "Get to the car."

I ran to the old blue Ute, watching Mia and Pyke with sharp eyes. Pyke leaned over and said something to Mia and she nodded.

I glanced back at Dad. Pyke had his eyes set for the attack, while Mia's were on me. I slowed my run, stopping metres from the car.

Mia moved with a casual stroll that made me think she had something up her sleeve. Rain dripped from her hair and onto her face, yet her make-up seemed unharmed. The only thing marring her complexion was the cut across her right cheek, which dripped with rain and smeared blood.

Mia's chest rose as she took a deep breath. I didn't know what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn't what happened next.

Mia opened her mouth like she was about to speak but, instead of words, an ear-piercing screech filled my head. I clasped my hands around my ears, but I couldn't stop the sound coming in. I felt blood trickle from my eardrums and I dropped to the ground, screaming in pain. The disorientation was affecting my vision too; everything was blurring, in and out. When I tried to focus on Mia, the skin around her eyes appeared blue and veiny. I must have really been losing it.

I turned my attention to Dad who was in hand-to-hand combat with Pyke. They seemed to be moving fast, but I could see the strain on Dad's face mixed with something more primal, more dangerous. He punched Pyke knocking him to the ground.

"Stop playing around, Pyke," Mia said, though it sounded like a muffled hum to me against the intense ringing.

Pyke wiped some blood from his lip and smiled. He slammed his hand to the ground, splashing water that quickly froze on his hand. The water between him and Dad turned to ice, as if by his will.

Dad stepped back, but the rain was too heavy. There wasn't anywhere for him to go that wasn't covered in water. The ice grabbed his boots, freezing him in place. He tried to free himself, but the frozen water only attacked his hands when they got close with needle sharp spikes. Pyke's skin was showing the same blue tinge around his eyes as Mia's had.

"Dad!" I screamed, or at least I think I screamed. My ears were still ringing from whatever Mia had done to me.

My mind was blown, to say the least. Mia and Pyke had supernatural powers, actual supernatural powers. I think I might have gone into shock if I wasn't so worried they were about to kill my father. I crawled toward Dad, but a swift boot on my back from Mia had me pinned in place.

I looked up at her and, though I couldn't quite hear what she was saying, I did my best to read her lips.

"Stay down," she said. "It's better for you if you do."

I had no clue what Mia was talking about and, really, I didn't give a damn. All I wanted to do was save Dad and get the hell of this town, but I couldn't move under Mia's weight and I could barely focus on anything.

I turned to Dad. Pyke was moving toward him with a devilish smile. I wanted to scream or fight back, anything, but I could only watch. Pyke pulled the blade I had used against Mia from his belt and held it, ready to strike. I thought I was crying but it was hard to distinguish whether the wetness on my face was rain or tears. Pyke drew closer with every step and Dad remained motionless. I couldn't believe he would just stand there and let someone kill him.

Dad moved his hand to his throat and pulled a long chain up from around his neck. The chain had a small vial of something red inside it.

Pyke's face flooded with colour at the sight of the red vial. He bolted toward Dad with all haste, but Dad had already tipped the contents down his throat and swallowed. Flinging his hands out, a sudden gust of wind erupted from Dad's hands, blowing Pyke clear across the yard and into a tree. Dad turned his focus toward Mia who was about to take a breath when he shot a gust of wind at her, too. She flew backward, straight into the Ute's side window, shattering it. As she fell to the ground, glass showered down on her.

Dad thrust his hands at his feet and wind tore away the ice binding him to the ground. He ran toward me, reaching down to help me up. My eyes were locked on him and he must have seen how clearly afraid and confused I was.

"It's okay." I read the words from his lips. Though Mia wasn't screeching anymore, I still couldn't hear. "I'll explain later."

He guided me to the Ute, tossing Mia aside, and opened the passenger door. Two spears of ice struck at the door, missing my head by inches. They shattered on impact, shards of ice leaving small cuts over my arms and neck.

I looked out over the yard and spotted Pyke crouched in a kneeling position, teeth barred and a look of fury in his eyes. He lunged into a sprint and Dad, in turn, dashed toward Pyke. I was left standing in stunned silence, holding onto the Ute's door frame for support.

Pyke shot another two spikes of ice at Dad's head, but with a punch of his fist they shattered in the gale-force winds erupting from his hands.

The ringing noise started to subside. I could hear the pounding of the rain and the crack of thunder from the storm, but everything was still slightly muffled. I rubbed my ears, clearing out the blood in an attempt to hear better.

I saw Mia stir into consciousness, her head lolling about. I didn't want her screeching at me again so I bent down and gave her a swift blow to the head. She stopped moving.

I looked up just in time to see Dad punch Pyke in the face. It must have been a punch wind power combo, because it knocked Pyke back with such force his heels left a trail in the mud.

Dad turned to me. "Kyra," he said.

"I know. Get in the car," I replied, almost smiling. We'd actually fought them off. I had no clue how everyone seemed to have magical powers, but the important thing was that Dad had stopped them.

I slid into the passenger seat and watched Dad walk toward me through the windscreen. The raindrops blurred my vision so I leaned over to start the car and turned the wipers on. I sat back up, catching sight of Dad, mere metres away—but he wasn't the only one I saw. Standing in the driveway was another figure, not Mia and not Pyke.

Terror rippled from my body, making it difficult to scream as the figure came up behind my father.

Chapter Eight

"Dad, look out!"

I didn't think he heard exactly what I said, but he knew something was wrong. Dad turned to see what I was screaming about, but the figure was already behind him.

It was a boy, older than me, maybe nineteen, with hair that shone blond despite being drenched and a face with an amazing chiselled jawline. He was scary angelic, and I hated that I thought he was hot.

He grabbed Dad from behind in a bear hug, pulling Dad's arms back so he couldn't use them. Dad flicked his head back to knock the boy in the face with a headbutt, but the boy simply let go of Dad so as not to get hit.

The pair circled one another, watching and waiting for the other to make a move. Dad punched out several gusts of wind, but the boy dodged them with elegant ease.

Their standoff seemed to go on and on. Dad attacked, and the boy dodged like a dancer with nimble feet.

"I know what you're doing."

My hearing had improved significantly after clearing the blood away. It was still muffled a bit, but I could make out Dad's words.

"Just give it up," the boy said, sidestepping to dodge another gust of wind. "You couldn't keep her forever. You must have known that."

Dad paused, off guard, and the boy took the opportunity to strike back. He moved swiftly and struck at Dad in the stomach and sides, dozens of punches performed in a blur of precision. Dad fell to one knee, but continued to punch wind in desperation.

I wanted to help, but I wasn't sure how. All I knew was that I had to save Dad.

Then I remembered my blade. It lay in a puddle of water next to Pyke's ice slick. I kicked open the car door with a rusty creak and dashed toward it. I stumbled a bit, not completely on balance yet, but managed to reach the other side of the yard and grip the handle and pull it from the water.

Dad was beaten and bloody in the face as the boy circled him, like a predator stalking prey. I trod carefully, keeping low, until I was just behind him. Perhaps if I'd had time to think about the situation I would have contemplated the act of stabbing someone, killing them, but sometimes you just have to let instinct kick in and deal with your emotions later.

The boy knocked Dad in the jaw and he fell backwards in the mud. I knew then it was time to strike. I lunged at the boy, taking him by surprise with a tackle.

"Kyra!" Dad shouted, but the boy and I were already flying through the air, sliding through the mud like it was just some football game and I was stopping the touchdown. The force of my tackle sent us skidding across the yard at extreme speed and I gripped onto the boy's shirt for security. Funnily, I felt his arms on my shoulders too, holding me close.