Starbound (12 page)

“I don’t know anyone with your strength, and I haven’t said it enough…but thank you, Seth, for keeping her alive. For thinking of her first. I won’t ever forget this.” Her eyes misted with fresh tears.

“I would never do anything to jeopardize her future. That hasn’t changed.” I scuffed my foot on the worn-out red carpet.

“Watch yourself, Seth. When my daughter wants something, she won’t give up, and I can see that she has her sights set on you. I don’t envy you. Not. One. Bit.”

“I can handle Kat.” I sounded a lot more confident than I felt.

A small smile curled on her lips. “I have to believe that one day you will both find happiness. Take care, Seth.”

She breezed out of the shop, a bouquet of lavenders lingering. I closed my eyes and squeezed the bridge of my nose with my thumb and index finger. I had a complex relationship with Kat’s parents. Every so often they would pay me a visit just to make sure I was keeping my end of the deal. At one time, we had all been in agreement, including my parents, on what was best for the Kat and me. I didn’t know if they’d ever found out that Kat and I used to sneak around to see each other, before things got hairy. My guess was they had, but it had been harmless then.

Harmless until there was desire.

Lately, everyone was on edge. Between her parents and mine, I felt the weight of the world. It was bulldozing me. There was this unspoken sense of foreboding among us, like they all thought she and I were doomed. Goners. Dead meat.

I had to believe that somehow, someway, Kat and I were stronger than all the others. We were going to pull through this and live a merry life. Just not together. We would each go off to college, move on with our lives, and try to forget the other and the curse that hung over our heads.

It was nice to have dreams.

Because the truth was, I couldn’t envision a life without Kat in it.

I had once tried the whole dating scene. It had ended badly. My parents had harped me about moving on. Kat had just starting seeing some d-bag, and they thought it would be a great opportunity to explore
other options
. Meaning other people. The thing was, I already knew there would be no one else for me…so what was the point?

However, I got tired of the endless badgering and started seeing Missy Hastings. I always thought Kat would be my first kiss, funny how things never worked out like we imagined. Missy was a fun girl. She had a great sense of humor, an infectious laugh, and we had a blast together. The problem was, she was like a friend, a cool chick to hang out with.

Our first kiss had been extremely awkward, and I still cringed when I thought about it. In the end though, it had been destined to fail before it really ever had the chance to bloom.

Kat came between us, which was ironic since she was the girl I’d been trying to forget, but using Missy to do just that was mean, low, and selfish. I ended up hurting someone who I had come to really like.

Missy told me that I was obsessed with Kat. Called me plenty of colorful names and dumped my sorry butt. Apparently, I had done a shitty job hiding my feelings. It had been harder then. The feelings were still newly developed and fresh. All I could think about was Kat. All I had wanted was Kat.

As much as it sucked to lose a friend like Missy, I had felt such relief. I hadn’t learned to build a defense against my yearning for Kat, but luckily I was a quick learner. Missy still gave me the stink-eye every time we saw each other.

I headed home that night feeling dejected and bogged down with an excess of despair. It was one of those days where I didn’t want to give two-shits about the curse. I didn’t want to fight what I was feeling. What I wanted was just one day without the curse whispering in my ear, and the opportunity to spend a whole day with Kat, a day where I could be free, without restraint.

Clicking on the TV, I dialed Zeke’s number after I’d shut myself in my room. He answered in his surfer-boy tone on the third ring. “It didn’t work, Zeke.” There was a long pause as if he was trying to process what I was talking about, so I figured I’d better enlighten him. “You are either losing your touch or you just plain suck,” I said.

“Real funny, man,” Zeke answered, thinking I was full of BS.

Pulling off my grungy shirt, I tossed it in the hamper and stretched on the bed. It felt good to be off my feet. “I’m serious. It didn’t work. She remembered everything.”

“Are you sure?” Zeke asked, full of disbelief.

Oh yeah, I was sure. “There’s no mistaking. Kat got her memory back, and I got the claw marks to prove it. She is on a bitch roll.” I closed my eyes, seeing flashes of Kat.

“Oh shit.”

He could say that again. I ran my fingers through my scraggly hair. I needed a shower. “Her first victim was me. How long do you think it will take her to figure out it was your spell, if she hasn’t already? She damn well knows that I can’t do it. You’re next on her list, Zeke…and watch out; she’s lethal,” I warned. Not because he needed it, but because it was fun.

I could hear him pacing the floor. “I don’t understand,” he stated, conflicted. “There is no way on holy ground that spell shouldn’t have worked.”

I switched hands, holding the phone to my other ear. “Well, Zeke, I hate to break it to you, but you’ve lost your mojo.”

“The hell I have,” he defended. “I’m telling you, Seth, there has to be another reason it didn’t work, and it’s not my mojo.”

“Fucking curse,” I swore. It was the only logical explanation.

“Yep. Couldn’t have said it better,” he added. “Do you really think it is the curse interfering?” he asked.

“I don’t have a clue, but I am not ruling it out, and it is just like something I would expect from a curse. Twist the rules of the game.” I was aggravated beyond belief.

“What are you going to do?”

Wrong question. “You mean what are
you
going to do,” I stressed.

“Seth, you can’t be serious,” he argued, leaping to what I was implying. He knew me well.

“Zeke, this time…you make it stick. Her life depends on it,” I stressed, trying to make him understand how monumentally important this was.

He sighed heavily, his reluctance loud and clear. “Yeah, yeah. I got it. No pressure, right? I don’t like it, but I got it.”

“Thanks man. I owe you.”

“You owe me for life,” he responded, not happy, but he would do it nonetheless. Zeke was a great friend.

I stared at the ceiling. “Maybe, but only if Kat lives.”

Chapter 12

Katia

I was completely turned up inside regarding what happened with Seth and me, which was sort of a pattern that we had going. It felt like my stomach had been scrambled. At least I knew why I had this irrevocable pull toward him. What should have been a joyous, heart-stopping discovery was turning out to be an epic fiasco.

Neither of my parents was home when I walked through the door, just Collins, and she was exactly what I needed. Girl time with my little sis. I plopped down on the couch next to her, sinking into the cushions.

She looked at me from the corner of her eye, long lashes shading her hazel eyes. “What, no hot date or raving party?” she asked.

“I do more than party, Collins. And it’s a weekday.” However, that had never stopped me before. I couldn’t blame her for the attitude. I also hadn’t been the greatest big sister. It sucked just now realizing how much time I had wasted on stupid and useless things.

“Whatever,” she replied, turning attention back to the boob tube.

“Why are you here?” I asked, thinking she normally hung out after school sneaking around with Seth’s little sister.

“Duh. I live here.” She had her coffee-colored hair pulled back into a side ponytail, curls in wild disorder.

I rolled my eyes. Why had I thought some sisterly love was what I needed? “Mom and Dad still have no clue you guys are friends?”

She blew a giant grape bubble with her wad of gum, and I stuck my finger in it, popping the purple balloon in her face. Picking sticky remnants of gum off her face, she said, “Zlitch. We are so much more pro than you and Seth ever were.”

“Is that so?”

She shifted on the couch, hugging her knees to her chest. I could see that there was something bothering those cat-like eyes. “What’s going on, Katia? Why is everyone acting so weird?”

I angled my head toward her, straightening up. “What do you mean?”

She rolled her eyes. “How can you be so oblivious? You. Mom. Dad. Seth. And Mya’s parents.” She listed off the involved parties.

I still had no clue what she was implying, but if there was one thing I’d learned, it was you didn’t discredit little sisters. They heard things their little ears shouldn’t, and my sister was the queen of eavesdropping. “I don’t know. Tell me why you think something is going on,” I prodded.

Her eyes bored into mine, the TV forgotten in the background. “Mya and I think it has something to do with you and Seth.”

If she only knew
.

She had my full attention now. Was it possible that my sister knew that we were starbound? Did our parents know that we were fated? I chewed on the idea, tapping my chin lightly. “What could it possibly be?” I muttered, thinking about confessing everything to Collins, but I wasn’t sure I was ready to talk about it. Not when my heart was still confused and battered.

“Something bad. They are always whispering when they think no one is around. I’ve heard your name and Seth’s too. So has Mya.” There was fear in her voice. She was afraid for me.

“Hey, it will be okay. Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out, especially if Seth is involved. He won’t let anything happen to us.” I believed that wholeheartedly. Seth might not want me, but he was an exceptional guy. It was in his nature to protect, even me. Always had been.

She gave me a small, reassuring smile. “I miss you, Katia.”

I ruffled her curly ponytail. “Me too, bug.”

“I’m glad you’re not a bitch anymore,” she added, grinning.

My lips curled. “Don’t let Mom catch you talking like that.”

“I’m a lot smarter than you.”

For an eleven year old, I would have to agree. “Oh yeah…”

She snapped her gum with a thoughtful look. “I guess if I can’t have Seth, then it’s okay if you want him.”

My heart lurched then sloshed to my belly. “I’ll keep that in mind.” I barely got the words out.

“And Katia…”

“Yeah.” I glanced up, meeting her big, innocent hazel eyes.

She gave me a grin far beyond her years. “Don’t break his heart like the others, or Mya and I will have to hex you.”

I gave her a sad grin, doubting that was ever going to happen. Seth would have to care for me to break his heart, and he had been crystal clear about not wanting me.

***

The next day, I arrived at school at an ungodly hour still as twisted up inside as ever. My brain felt like it was going to short-circuit. I think I’d even beaten the teachers to school and that was pathetic, but I wasn’t here because I was looking to get some extra credit. I was hoping that I could catch Seth before classes.

We needed to talk.

Not argue. Not play tonsil hockey.

But dear God, the latter sounded much more fun than what I had in mind. He might have said things that had caused me pain, he might have done things that sent a bolt of anger through me, but I still couldn’t control my irrational need to see him. It sent a thrill of excitement through me.

Get a hold of yourself, Katia
.

I was not some horny teenager.

My knee bounced with nerves, and I nibbled on a cuticle. God, he better not make me wait long. I was sitting on a bench just outside the entrance doors. Overhead was a massive weeping willow blanketing the morning sun and offering privacy—the perfect spot to discuss unusual matters. Was it sad that I knew which entrance he used?

I brushed aside wisps of my hair, trying not to bite my nails and screw up my manicure.

“Hey, Katia, got a minute?”

I looked up at the sound of my name and found myself staring into Zeke’s boyish grin. His sky-blue eyes were jam-packed with unease as he shuffled his feet.

I shook my head. “You heard you are on my shitlist, huh?” I said as he finally decided it was safe to take a seat beside me on the marble bench.

His brows lifted. “I figured I would come and accept my punishment before you strike me down when I least expect it.”

My lips twitched. I knew that I should have been mad at Zeke, but I just couldn’t muster up the effort. First, I was tired of being angry. I seemed to reserve that all for Seth. And second, Zeke was just too damn adorable to be seriously upset with. “Smart move,” I replied, letting him know I really wasn’t that angry and wouldn’t be turning him into a toad anytime soon.

Gazing out into the courtyard, he apologized. “I really am sorry about what happened, about what I did.” He laid a hand on mine.

It was warm and nice with just a tiny undertone of magick at his touch. I interlaced my fingers with his and gave his hand a squeeze. “Don’t stress, Zeke. I know it wasn’t your idea.” Okay, so I was totally letting him off the hook, but I couldn’t stay mad at a baby-face like his.

Regret shadowed his powder-blue eyes. “Yeah, maybe not, but I am just as much at fault. Still friends?” he asked, giving me a charming and harmless smile.

A shot of warmth climbed up my hand and through my arm. It took me by surprise, and I examined Zeke’s hand covering mine. I knew that feeling. It was right there on the tip of my comprehension, and then…it slipped away.

“Katia?”

“Huh?” I replied, my eyes felt glazed over as I met the confusion on his tan face. What had we been talking about? I couldn’t remember.

His brows slammed together, and he kept my hand steady in his. “Are you are okay? You look a little pale.”

“I-I’m not sure,” I stammered. “My head feels weird. Christ, I hope I am not getting sick. Claudia will probably kick me off the squad if I miss practice.”

Speak of the devil. “What is this geek doing here?” Claudia interrupted, coming out of nowhere. She squeezed between Zeke and me, planting her butt down on the bench. Her jean skirt rose up on her thighs, showing a sinful amount of skin.