Little 15 (Cities In Dust) Read online

  “Excuse me?” They ignored me at first, until the girl turned her head slowly. Holy crap she was unworldly and uncommonly beautiful with the bluest eyes and palest skin I’d ever seen on any California girl. She looked like Cameron Diaz in Charlie's Angels.

  “You said she wouldn’t notice, Liam. I think you need to lie a bit better. Sorry, little girl, we’re in a hurry.” The girl told me and Liam turned to face me, though looking over me.

  “I think you’re ride left.” His British accent was to die for and all I could hear was my heart pounding, he was the best looking man I had ever seen. “And we’re hungry.”

  I looked over my shoulder so as not to lose my place in line and sure enough, Todd’s Subaru was gone. When I called Becca it went straight to voicemail and I was waiting for her to respond via text, though nothing. This was not the way I wanted to start my first week in a new place and I sensed from this moment on that Becca was potentially a problem, not this BFF as she proclaimed. I had to make another call, an embarrassing one, feeling those crocodile tears dropping down my cheek.

  Liam, the handsome Brit bore his hazel eyes into mine, “You don’t need to call your parents, we’ll take you home.”

  I arched my brow and responded, “Um, no, I need to call my father, but thanks.” Stranger danger, helllooo! As beautiful as these two were, I sensed something different about them.

  “It didn’t work, Kaysee.” Liam whispered to Kaysee, apparently unaware I had an acute sense of hearing. Did they know I was a witch? Because I am beginning to think these two aren’t human.

  “What didn’t work?” She asked, glancing back at me.

  “I couldn’t compel her.” I heard Liam tell Kaysee. Ooooooh, crap! You know what? I've seen Vampire Diaries, like all eight seasons. I kept my excitement to myself, these two were vampires and I was their appetizer. Yet, they sensed I wasn’t human and now they’re freaking out.

  Suddenly they were gone and I was next in line. I ordered my food and as I was waiting, I called my father in tears asking for a ride. I’m sure Becca’s father will hear about this Monday and knowing my father, he will say something along the lines of, ‘Sammie has a hard time socially and it’s hard for her to make friends.’ He would have to lie, but then so would Becca’s father for I am quite certain he knows his daughter is a witch too. Though right now, she is a witch with a capital B and on my list of people to avoid.

  As I sat at the table, eating my tacos and waiting for my father, I felt a pair of eyes on me. “May I help you?” I asked without turning my head. The boy sat down without an invitation. OMG! He was adorable and could be a twin of that guy in the Kingsman movies.

  “Are ya lost, little girl?” He asked with a little accent. “I’m Brendon Finnegan from, um, uh, Dublin - Ireland.”

  “I aced Geography, I know where Dublin is. Nice to meet you, Brendon Finnegan, but I prefer to be alone. It’s been a terrible night.” I took a bite out of my taco and yelled when all of the fillings ended up in my lap. This was my breaking point and I covered my face, while sobbing uncontrollably in front of this stranger. He scooted in next to me and started cleaning the mess off my lap, until I smacked his hand away. “Wh-what are you doing? Bold much?”

  Brendon smiled at me, which, I admit, warmed me and altered my mood. He wasn’t trying to compel me, that I knew of - not like the vampires. “I noticed you made a couple new friends earlier.”

  “I was only a potential meal to them, nothing more until the guy learned he couldn’t compel me.” Brendon nodded his head to the right and carefully peered around him, the two vampires were still standing there.

  “Would you like me to get rid of them for you?” Brendon asked as he started to get up, until I grabbed his arm.

  “No, I think they’re harmless, really. They could have overpowered me and taken me as their hostage, but they took off when they discovered I wasn’t human.” My eyes widened and I looked at him, feeling like an idiot for just blurting that out. But there was something different about Brendon. It wasn’t just his cute brogue or his handsome face, there was a different energy I felt with him. No, it wasn’t love, it was hard to describe.

  He chuckled and leaned in, “I’m not human either. I am a warlock, the same as you except for I have different moving parts. I understand you’ve been making a mess of things with your powers and I am here to train you, as well as be your guardian.” I burst out laughing at the thought this was the dumbest thing I’d ever heard.

  “My father’s here already, he must have raced here,” I told Brendon, “we live a half hour away, well, at least, I think. I am new here and don’t know my way around yet.”

  “Can I get your number? So we can meet tomorrow to start your training?” He was so business like in his demeanor, with the exception of the glimmer in his eyes.

  I blurted out my number and he tapped it on his phone, instantaneously I got a text from him. ‘Bonvoy Park by your house after school.’ I smiled at him and ran toward my father’s car. Could I decline Brendon’s invitation? Maybe. But why would I want to go another day without being subjected to this adorable, congenial fellow who lifted the clouds on this dreary evening?

  MONDAY MORNING BLUES

  As much as I wanted to avoid Becca, I needed to know what her problem was. It was too soon at the new school to be bullied, especially by another witch. Hmm, I wonder if Brendon knows anything about her. I also wondered what he was going to wear today and if he liked junk food as much as I did. I figure I would bring a picnic basket in case we needed the fuel during our training. No boy would refuse food. My mind was flooded with Brendon Finnegan that I had forgotten my mission until I saw Becca with Todd by her locker.

  “Hello Becca? Todd?” They started to walk away until I demanded they stop.

  “We’re going to be late to class, Sammie. What do you want?” She was rude and it was not a deterrent, it only escalated my annoyance more, as well as my courage.

  “Why did you leave me at the taco stand?”

  The two looked at one another, more than likely trying to think of some lie to tell me. I had been lied to so much during my teenage years that it was easier to tell a lie than the truth. I crossed my arms over my chest, waiting for them to tell me.

  “Well, we - uh. I - uh,” Becca stammered.

  “Well, you uh - had been cold to me all night, all of you for some reason that is abundantly unclear to me. Thank you for making the new girl feel welcomed, Becca. Or is there something else?” I arched my brow and she dragged me into the girls’ bathroom, looking under stalls to ensure we were the only two in there.

  “Okay, I got a bit freaked out when I found out you were like me and it was too late to uninvite you to our outing.” I rolled my eyes at Becca’s response, not convinced that she was freaked out, when that afternoon she was over the moon. All I got from her behavior was that this girl was bi-polar, nothing else.

  “Why would you freak out after I admitted to you what I was?” The bell blared out in the hallway. “Saved by the bell, Becca. Let’s talk later when we are not so pressed for time.” She smirked at me and walked out of the bathroom, letting the door slam behind her. The moment I reached for the door handle, an invisible barrier blocked me from going any further. I could panic, I mean, I would if I were a human girl locked in the bathroom but this is a moment Becca underestimated me. Holding out my hands, I chanted, ‘evanescet,’ which simply meant disappear in Latin. I walked to the door, and stormed out, booking it down the halls was pointless as the last bell rang. I was already late to Chemistry class by about one minute. Even so, that wasn’t the best impression to make on the second week of my sixth school.

  BECCA - THE CAULDRON

  How ingenious of my father to come up with the name of this coffee shop? It is gimmicky, I admit, but it draws in a ton of business. This, however, is one of the slower days and a perfect opportunity to speak to my father. He had to call in sick at his architecture gig to cover the shop while my mother took a sick day,
which is rare. But the food poisoning was kicking her ass and leaving her to pay homage to the porcelain goddess all day.

  There was a sparse amount of customers in the cafe when I walked in, but they all had their orders, so this was the perfect opportunity to have a chat with my father in the store room. “Why aren’t you in school?”

  I heavily sighed and arched my brow defiantly, “you must think this is funny, Aidan, that I have to attend school. I am two-hundred and fifty years old. But we have a problem...Sammie Flowers, are you familiar with her?”

  Aidan nodded his head, “of course, I am. Why do you think I offered her father a job? I had heard about her from other guardians who watched her from afar and she had no control over her magic. It’s odd, her father is human, I don’t get a surge from him. Not sure about her mother, we’ve yet to meet her.”

  “Oh, so now you want me to make nice with Sammie in order to persuade her to invite me into her home?” Aidan pursed his lips and nodded, our conversation was interrupted by the buzzing of his phone. “Oh, come on, can’t we have one conversation without,” he interrupted me, raising his finger at me.

  “That sounds great, Marc. Sure, we’ll be there. Would you like us to bring anything?” This clearly sounded like a dinner invite to me. “See you Friday night at six.” He slipped the phone into his pocket, “that was too easy. We are having dinner at the Flowers’ home Friday night, that way I can test Mrs. Flowers to see if she is the carrier. In the meantime, be nice to Sammie.” I groaned at his suggestion, “and if I hear of you leaving her alone again-you’re grounded.”

  “Nothing happened, so what’s the big deal?” Aidan ignored my comment and rushed to the counter to help a customer that just walked in. “I’ll see you after school, DAD!” It took some time to get used to calling him that, but it was easier since he didn’t look like Aidan. He looked like a handsome Polynesian with his olive-toned skin and perfect smile. Yes, my ‘dad’ was handsome but he was kind of a dick.

  BRENDON AND SAMMIE - BONVOY PARK

  Sammie sits as I instructed her, legs crossed, eyes closed with her hands flat with palms up. “Relax yer mind and you’ll be on a path. Do ya see it, in the middle of a forest?” I instructed her to give a single nod when she saw what I asked, she gave a single nod. “Keep walking down that path until you reach a crossroads with two signs. One says ‘Smacht,’ the other says ‘Anord,’' I chuckled lightly, “the sign that says ‘Smacht’ means control. ‘Anord’ means chaos, both in Irish. Will ya choose anord?” She shook her head. “Good girl, now, head down the right path.”

  I knelt in front of where she sat. Her breathing was normal and as I placed two fingers on the side of her neck, her heartbeat was steady. Both good signs she went down the correct path. “When ya reach a castle gate, open yer eyes.” It took a few minutes for her eyes to fly open. She never moved from her position, her eyes facing forward, giving me time to make a couple small towers of rocks, varying in size. “Sammie, we’re going ta start off small. Now the reason fer this exercise is fer ye ta control the magic, even when yer angry. Yer temper is what got ya in trouble in the past, am I correct?” She nodded, at least she wasn’t in denial about the cause of the chaos. “There’re two piles of rocks, going from small ta large. When I say the word, make the small ones float. Three, two, one, levitate!” The small rocks rose easily and stayed afloat for thirty seconds, “send them around the tree.” The rocks did a graceful flight around the tree for thirty seconds, before I called out the next task. “Use one hand ta keep the smaller rocks flying around the tree. With the other hand, lift the next size rocks. Three, two, one levitate.”

  The second pile floating effortlessly, after it was time, I gave her further instructions, “make those rocks fly around the tree in the opposite direction of the smaller rocks.” I cheered silently at how quickly she learned, but now I had to give her reason to lose her temper. “Have ya been bullied because yer a witch?” The smaller rocks twitched a tiny bit. “Were ya called names like, freak? Abomination? Devil? Witch?” All of the rocks twitched and if she lost that control, they’d fly off randomly toward us. I waited to say another, smiling when the rocks stopped jerking and continued with a smooth, gliding motion.

  I sat next to her, leaning into her ear, as I rested a hand on her cheek. “Sammie, yer special. Yer an angel. Yer positively the most beautiful being I’ve ever seen.” I shook my head, realizing I was overstepping boundaries as a trainer and guardian. But I couldn’t help it, Sammie was a beautiful girl and if I were to fall in love with her, it’s natural or I can be super punny and say, she bewitched me. “Okay, Sammie, put the rocks back where I put them.” She moved her hands and I watched, in awe, as the rocks lightly landed back into the piles.

  “Did I pass?” She asked with a bashful grin on her face and blush on her cheeks.

  “With flying colors,” I told her, okay it was another pun, so sue me. “That’s it fer our lesson today, now I want ta spend this moment noshing on junk food and hearing about ye.” Her cheeks blushed even more and she looked away from me. I was failing here and only making her uncomfortable. It’s not like I took classes in how to behave appropriately with a girl, maybe we’ll have to train one another. “Am I freaking ye out, Sammie?”

  “Nah, yer not freakin’ me out, Mr. Finnegan,” she said, failing at an Irish brogue. I laughed and she pushed me to the side as she slid off the picnic table. “I wasn’t sure what kind of sandwich you liked, so I made two of each, PB&J, turkey with swiss cheese and tuna.” I shuddered at the tuna sandwich, even the smell was off putting and she placed two sandwiches on a paper plate, along with cookies and chips.

  “Ye were right about the junk food,” I teased her until she slammed an apple on top of my sandwiches. “Hey, just because ya can control rocks, don’t take yer anger on ma sandwiches, Samantha.”

  She laughed, which gave me the notion she was playing around when she killed my food. “I have a little brother. I would’ve done the same to him since he thinks he’s so funny to shoot off his mouth.” Sammie continued laughing but tossed the flat sandwiches in the trash before replacing them with fresh ones.

  “So, tell me about yerself,” I said before I took a large bite of the turkey sandwich.

  “There’s not much to tell. I was born in Tennessee, lived in Chattanooga until I was a freshman in high school. We lived in Memphis for a few months until I set the girls’ locker room on fire, then to Athens, until I destroyed a local restaurant. Then Atlanta and now Santa Barbara, with the hopes this will be my last school for a while.” Sammie told me and now I know why I was recruited to take care of her; this girl had a hothead and she was a loose cannon, having no way to hold the anger in nor how to control the great powers she has.

  “We will meet everyday until I’m satisfied ya can get yer magic under control,” I washed down the sandwich with a swig of water. “Who is the magic carrier out of your parents?” Sammie gave me a blank stare when I asked. “Sammie, I already know. It’s yer mother, Mavis Byrne.”

  Sammie choked on her water, coughing to catch her air. “She hasn’t gone by that name in a long time and for good reason. A while ago she told me about her twin brother and how she’s been hiding for years from him. He’s dangerous and tried to merge his magic with hers, which would either make him all powerful or it would kill him. It never happened, as she is hiding her magic elsewhere and when she tried to teach me, she used nature. However, about my uncle, last we heard he was killed in a car accident near San Francisco.”

  It was interesting that she didn’t tell me his name. So, either she didn’t want to say his name or she didn’t know his name. But, I wasn't going to get that information from her. Sammie told me enough when she said twin, it had to be Aidan and I had to be vigilant when protecting her. “Sammie, if your uncle is alive and he’s who I think he is, it would be in your best interest to stay far away from him. He’s a lunatic, if he was unsuccessful in merging with your mother, who's to say he won’t try it with
you.”

  “It has to be his twin, doesn’t it?” I shook my head and she plopped down on the bench, stuffing an entire cookie in her mouth. Covering her mouth, she waited until she swallowed the cookie before she finished what she was saying. “He’s much stronger than I am, he’ll kill me. Wouldn’t it better serve him to merge with some sorcerer who is much stronger?” Sammie bore her eyes into mine with a smirk. “No, I like you too much to let you sacrifice yourself.”

  “How about neither of us attempt to merge with him? We’re better off avoiding him.” I reached over her and pulled the basket to scrounge for more junk food. This girl had enough food to last us for days, or in our case, hours. “Let’s not even dwell on that. I’d rather stuff ma face and look at yers all day!”

  “What am I going to do with you, Brendon Finnegan? You need to get your mind off what you see on the surface and guard me, not flirt with me. How old are you, anyway?” Sammie asked, never taking her eyes off me.

  “Technically, about one hundred fifty years old.” She arched her brow and I burst out laughing. “I’m not immortal and I just turned seventeen. So, here’s the upside, we’ll be able to grow old together.” Sammie rolled her eyes and turned away, smiling. One can dream, can’t he?

  “Let’s head to your folks place. I am looking forward to having dinner with Don Ho and his daughter, Breakneck Becca.” Brendon laughed and stopped when he noticed how confused I was by his names. “Um, Don Ho was a famous Hawaiian celebrity several years ago.” I shrugged. “Tiny Bubbles?” I shrugged once more, shaking my head. “Ah well, anyway. I - um, heard a couple of guys call Becca ‘Breakneck Becca.’ Don’t ask how she got the name, it’s fitting.”