Little 15 (Cities In Dust) Read online

  “Well, then Brendon - we both will work together too - once I get more training after I get my mother’s powers.” I held out my hand to shake his, “Do we have a deal?”

  “Begrudgingly, yes, but ya’ve no idea what yer getting yerself inta.”

  Arrogance seeped through my pores and I smiled at him, condescendingly, “I have every notion of what I am getting into. It will be dangerous and I will be sacrificing my own life to save the lives of the ones I love. But, wasn’t that what I was put on this planet for?”

  He threaded his fingers through his chestnut hair nervously, while shuffling his feet in the dirt. “Aye, nah - I dinnae. Ya have to be really serious when going inta this or yer as good as dead, Sammie. But - but, I’m not gonna let ya do this on yer own. I am with ya till death do us part.”

  “Dude, we’re not getting married, we’re just getting the one up on two casters who think all others are beneath them.” I teased Brendon. I think some of this ridiculous stuff he says is deliberate just to see my reaction. But then again, I started to learn day by day that he wasn’t from here nor was he from this time. For all I knew, he may not have been from this dimension. I came to this conclusion that I knew nothing about Brendon, but he knew so much about me and my mother.

  Sammie walked into my bedroom with a purpose, in fact, she always had a purpose. I was in the middle of putting on make-up to get ready for my girls’ night out with a few co-workers and already running late. “Do you have time to talk, Mom?”

  “Make it quick, I have to meet Krista and Sarah at the grill in a half hour.” She plopped on the edge of my bed and stared at me through the mirror. “Samantha? What’s going on?” The more I looked at my daughter’s beautiful face, there was calm in her eyes and I credit her friendship with Brendon for that. Although, I think there was more than friendship between the two of them. A mother knows these things and I see the way Brendon’s eyes followed her and vice versa. They were smitten with one another, nothing more and certainly nothing less.

  “I’ve been invited to go to Ireland with Brendon. He got the tickets before even talking to me. I suppose it’s too late to get permission.” I put down my eyeliner pencil and turned to face her, shaking my head.

  “He got the tickets already to Ireland, is this kid’s parent loaded?” She shrugged at my question. “I guess you can go, so long as his parents are with you.”

  “Oh, they are and they are happy to have me travel with him.” She gave me a half-smile but I sensed there was something else she needed and I resumed putting on my face.

  “Your name isn’t really Melody, is it?” Cars crashed in my head as if this one question led to a multiple car pile up. I shook my head. “Mavis Byrne and you have a twin, now thought to be deceased, named Aidan?” The only thought I had was who was Brendon Finnegan, for only those from the old stomping grounds knew about us.

  “Sammie, I am not trying to lessen the importance of my lineage, but we need to take a raincheck until tomorrow. Can we do that?” It seemed an acceptable answer when Sammie slid off my bed and shuffled her feet to the door.

  “That is fine, Mom! I have so much to ask you -but please enjoy yourself and keep in mind - stranger danger.” I laughed when she left the room, although I was curious what she meant by stranger danger.

  Three Hours Later

  Brendon

  When Sammie told me where her mother was going ta be, I had no choice but ta wait outside the restaurant in case anything went awry. Well, I was going ta wait outside, but the heavenly aroma of charred steak made me hungry and I grabbed a table inside, adjacent ta the bar, where Mrs. Flowers and her friends sat.

  I ordered the biggest steak they had with a loaded Baked Potato and side salad. I was surprised I had room for the molten lava cake. All the while I was stuffing ma face, Mrs. Flowers was drinking her fill of the bar. Are ya suicidal, lady? Ya drove here, guess who I was going ta drive home? Yup, I wanted to show Sammie I was a hero and worth keeping around for a bit.

  After two hours, the three finally decided it was time ta leave and I followed Mrs. Flowers, trying ta be discreet so as not to look like a stalker to her. No sooner did she fumble toward her car, there was a man approaching her. I couldn’t see his face in the dark but the way he held his hand was a very good guess it was Aidan Byrne and I counteracted his magic, watching as he flew onta his back. Rushing over, I pulled Mrs. Flowers to her car, dodging whatever item Aidan tossed at me. Once I stuffed her in the car, I reached for her purse, removing her keys. “Ya know, Aidan, ya need to be mindful of yer surroundings before ya go after an unarmed dame.”

  “She’s armed, she chooses not to use what she was born with,” he hissed before he charged me. I opened the driver’s door in an effort to stop him. It did and gave me plenty of time to put a sleeping spell on him, before I tossed his body across the parking lot. I had to rush to get her home, get her inside and put a protective barrier around the entire house. Perhaps, it would be in their best interest to find a house across town and get away from their not so hospitable neighbors. That is a challenge on its own ta even suggest, but it won’t hurt in doing so.

  I didn’t take her home and now was as good a time as any to get some information from her so Sammie and I don’t travel to Ireland half-cocked. I took her to the pier, which was deserted as it was the middle of the night. “Why are we here, Brendon? You said you’d take me home.” I didn’t answer her and slid out of the car to assist her out in order for her to get some fresh air. “Brendon? Why are we here? I am super buzzed and need to go home and sleep.”

  “We need ta talk, Mrs. Flowers.”

  “Oh, please don’t tell me that Sammie is with child and you two are running away today?” She moaned and I laughed at her question. As much as the idea of being with Sammie in the biblical sense intrigued me, hers and her family’s safety were more a priority.

  “Nah! We aren’t a couple, we’re just friends and I would never think ta overstep my boundaries with Sammie. Do ya know who I am?”

  Melody shrugged, giving me an indifferent expression on her face. “You’re Brendon Finnegan, an Irish foreign exchange student. That’s what Sammie told me anyway.”

  “I am Brendon Finnegan, though not a foreign exchange student. I was sent here by Professor McCullough from the Draíocht Coven to be a guardian for Sammie. A guardian and trainer, of sorts. It’s my understanding that her temper would lead to the use of dark magic, in turn, destroying property and hurting people. Hence, why you’ve moved so often.”

  When Melody braced the railing, she bent over as if to heave the overconsumption of alcohol but she broke down in tears. “It’s all my fault, I had no way of teaching her how to control the magic she has.”

  “Does she know about your history, as Mavis Byrne?”

  As though I hit a nerve, she glared at me, gritting her teeth. “How dare you even utter that name? It was buried the moment I hid my magic and left Ireland.”

  “Mrs. Flowers, Sammie’s future, as well as yours, depends on your magic. Legend has it that you sealed it in a lockbox, am I right?” I had to probe her and try to get the type of talisman and exact location, even though she was in no shape to carry on much of a conversation.

  “Why can’t we talk about this tomorrow over dinner?” She asked as her body swayed. “I am really tired and feel sick now.”

  “We can’t talk about it in your home, I don’t trust your neighbors.” I debated if I should tell her about Becca and her father, but she was not in the right frame of mind to hear such news. “All I need to know is where you hid your magic, only for your daughter’s use, not mine or anyone else’s.”

  “I suppose I can tell you, since Aidan is dead and there is no longer a threat. It’s in a necklace, buried in a hidden cave in the Dorcha Forest behind the Draíocht fortress. But, I need to let you know that I put a curse on it. If I have a child she cannot release the magic until her eighteenth birthday. If my twin were to find it first, the magic is locked and he woul
dn't be able to siphon it.” Melody sighed and chuckled, “So, even if you find it, you need to rely on Sammie’s magic and yours only for the next couple of years. There could be consequences if she siphons it before she is eighteen and I am not going to risk my daughter’s life for her to have extra magic.”

  “Thank you, mrs. Flowers. I can assure you that this necklace will not get into the wrong hands.” I said nothing else and led her to the car. I was satisfied with the information she gave me, now the wheels were turning with ideas of taking a trip to Ireland with Sammie.

  Later

  When we arrived at the Flowers home, Mr. Flowers was awake and helped me take his inebriated wife to the bedroom. Once behind closed doors, I headed toward the stairs that were blocked by Sammie. She gave me a sleepy smile and said, “you’re our hero, Brendon Finnegan.” I smiled at her and shook ma head at what a goof she could be at times. “Thank you for being there for my mother.”

  “Anything for ya, Sammie Flowers,” she gave me a friendly embrace, well, an embrace that seemed to linger before I rushed down the stairs to put the protective barrier around their house. Once I was finished, I rested ma hands on ma hips, “Anything for ya, ma Sammie girl!”

  Sammie’s Dream

  “Over here, Brendon, in this cave, we can hide in here from them,” I shouted as I reached out my hand to Brendon. He was busy using magic weapons to slow them down and suddenly, chanted something I didn’t understand and we stood there. “What are we doing?” I whispered and he shushed me.

  Both Aidan and Aisling were five feet from us and circled around the area, with confusion set in their eyes. “Where did they go? They were here, like, seconds ago,” Aisling whined, her shoulders slumped in defeat as she stuffed her wand into her boot.

  “The boy is using a cloaking spell and it could last fer hours. Let’s go, we don’t need them,” Aidan said as he pulled a piece of aged parchment from his pocket. “If this map is correct, the cave is just yards down this path.” Aisling bounced while giggling and clapping.

  “I’ve never been so thankful for an alteration skill. Good job, Sammie. Now, if my memory serves, this is the cave and Mavis’s box is in here,” he leaned into her. “But first, I have a confession.”

  My heart pounded as his lips grazed mine and I woke up before I heard his confession or even felt that kiss.

  Well, dang it, come on, take me back to that part of the dream. As if I needed a dream to remind me that I am crazy about Brendon, but I was more curious about the exact location of the cave my mother’s necklace is hidden in. I closed my eyes trying to go back to the part of the dream where he told me he loved me before he kissed me. But then again, maybe his confession was that he didn’t have the exact location of the necklace. Who knows? A dream is just a part of your subconscious telling a person what they wanted to see or what they didn’t want to see.

  I sat up since I was wide awake now. Was this what I was expecting from the trip to Ireland? It was a treasure hunt only? It was fine with me but I hoped our friendship would flourish into much more. No no no, Sammie! You’re too young to know what love is and that is not your priority. I know Brendon expects some sort of magic chaos is going to occur, but all I had seen from Becca or Aisling, whoever she is, was my books flying out of my hands. She wasn’t a threat and neither she nor Aidan had ever attempted to hurt our family. On the other hand, I needed to take what Brendon told me seriously, he is more knowledgeable about the history and what these two were capable of.

  Curses to being a witch whose mother had a dangerous past with her twin. But be still my heart for meeting the boy of my dreams...who will be done with me when this is all over. It’s young love, which is always doomed, because teenagers know nothing about love.

  The Following Day

  There was no way I was going to let this girl out of my sight. I was woken to chatter from next door and rolled over to see it was only six in the morning. Who makes this much noise at six in the morning. I slid out of ma bed and slinked over ta the window, ta see Sammie, along with Brendon tossing suitcases in the back of her father’s SUV.

  ‘I wish I could go to Ireland with you two. I miss it so much,’ Sammie’s mother told her before she embraced the girl.

  ‘Maybe next year, Mel. Let’s get some things squared away before we take such a major vacation.’ Her father moaned about it, he didn’t seem pleased that Sammie was going with a boy, from what I could tell anyway. Before the two hopped in the vehicle, Sammie gave her mum one last hug and told her she’d see her in one week.

  I rushed out of my room to where my father was supposed to be sleeping but his bed was empty; until the aroma of eggs and blood sausage wafted up the stairs. “DA?” I called out and joined him in the kitchen. “What are ya doing up so early?”

  “I want ye ta fill up, we are taking a trip to Ireland. I heard the same as ye and we need ta see what those two are up ta, with the hopes of finding ma sister’s talisman before they do.” I reciprocated ma father’s grin and happily sat down, waiting patiently for ma good old-fashioned, artery bursting Irish breakfast.

  “So, Da! What is going ta happen if they beat us to the box?”

  I waited for ma father ta swallow his food before he responded. “We can’t let the wee lass absorb her mother’s magic, she and her little Brendon will need to die or better yet, we get into a magic fighting match. Someone will die, it won’t be me.”

  In Ireland

  The flight was the longest I’d ever been on, thank goodness Brendon got us first class seats or it would have been uncomfortable. He was so sweet and let me rest my head on his shoulder, though when he would reach for my hand, I’d pull it away. I adored him, but we were not at that point in our friendship. I had to respect my parents wishes and not show interest, also I am not sure how they would feel if my boyfriend -WHICH HE’S NOT- was a warlock or wizard. Whatever he was, my parents would be less than pleased that I was interested in a freak. Then again, they never considered me a freak nor do they think Brendon is a freak. Okay, Sammie, you need to stop, you are completely overanalyzing this ‘friendship’ with Brendon.

  “It’s a shame it’s night time, wait until you see this place during the day,” Brendon told me with so much enthusiasm it was exhausting, though adorable.

  “I picture Ireland with rolling green hills, am I right?” I said to meet his enthusiasm. It had been a dream of mine to travel abroad, especially Ireland where my mother is from, but I suspected this was not a pleasure trip.

  He flashed me a smile that made my insides melt, “aye. It is gorgeous and the Draíocht Coven is surrounded by lush, green forestry. It’s a beautiful setting ta behold and I think you will love it there. The professors and students will love ya, I can guarantee it although, they may be taken aback by your accent. We don’t get a lot of American visitors to the school.”

  “I hope you don’t use some magic to change my voice to an Irish brogue, that is a bit extreme.” I chuckled and he shook his head, as he pulled my hand through the airport.

  “Sammie, yer the daughter of Mavis Byrne, yer like royalty to the coven and they are anticipating yer visit. But don’t be surprised by the measures they will take to guarantee yer safety. We’re prepared with the idea that yer cousin and uncle will not be far behind us.”

  I stopped in front of him, “How can you be certain they will follow us?”

  Brendon shrugged, raising his eyebrows, “she is yer neighbor and I saw her staring out the window as we were getting ready to leave. It is a safe bet she heard every bit of our conversation and set the wheels in motion with her father.” He stopped and then chuckled, “after doing a bit of research via yer mother, she has it blocked to where Aidan can’t siphon her magic, additionally, you and Aisling can’t siphon it until yer eighteen. So we will look for the necklace and if it is found, we will keep it under lock and key until yer eighteen.”

  “How come my mother never told me any of this? What am I? Chopped liver?” This annoyed me to no end t
hat I am the last to find out anything centered on MY future!

  “No, no, Sammie. We couldn’t trust that you’d get the urge to run next door and rip off Aisling’s head.” I pressed my hand on his chest, giving him a look of complete disapproval of his answer.

  “It wouldn’t have mattered my reaction, right now I am offended that you didn’t bother telling me and it tells me that you couldn’t trust me with this information.”

  He sighed heavily, rolling his eyes, “I trust you, I couldn’t trust Aisling or Aidan for that matter. Also, your mother has no idea he’s alive.”

  “WHAT?” I held out my hand, “here is an imaginary shovel so you can start digging a hole so I can bury you alive. Why didn’t you tell my mother that her twin was alive?”

  “Sammie, I couldn’t make your father uproot your family again.”

  “That answer is not any better. So, we are living next door to our enemies who want my mother dead and this is okay with you?” A thought occurred to me that this was our first argument. We weren’t a couple, but as much time as we spent together we may as well have been and we were totally having our first disagreement. I am getting sidetracked here and needed to get back to the real issue at hand - saving my mother’s life.

  “I’m sorry! You need to understand my position in this. I cannot have your family move or the Byrnes would suspect that we know who they are.” I arched my eyebrow and shook my head.

  “I have a feeling they know already, you daft boy or they would not think to follow us to Ireland. Let’s drop this discussion, I am tired and need a proper bed to sleep in before we look for my mother’s necklace tomorrow.” I said, walking away from him. I was angry now and wanted nothing to do with him for the rest of the night.