Chapter 144: The Lake House
Neither Alison nor Mrs. Morgan said a word about our detour after I returned. I wanted to pinch my friend for her lack of caring but knew there was more going on with her. Besides, I was still wrapped up in what I'd seen. I had to reach Mom and tell her what happened. I had to go home. But Mom already made it very clear I wasn't to show my face until the Wild Hunt issue was settled one way or another.
I could only hope Pain would be okay until then.
Mrs. Morgan spent the next hour on her cell phone either talking to one annoying person after another or texting the same annoying people. How did I know they were annoying? I didn't, not really.
But I was annoyed. So they had to be, right?
Alison stayed totally silent and I was wrapped up in my own crap, so it was a pretty quiet ride otherwise. That is, until Mrs. Morgan finally put her phone away.
"You'll adore the lake house, Sydlynn," she said. "I had it custom designed. Maybe I could invite your mother to come visit sometime."
The idea that Mom and this woman could be friends or even spend more than the hot minute they had in my kitchen without tearing each other apart seemed ludicrous. So I smiled and nodded.
"I think she'd love that," I said. Served Mom right.
"The view is simply to die for," Mrs. Morgan went on. "Roger wanted to buy the small property next to the marina, but I insisted he take the five acres on the lake." She rolled her eyes at me like I knew exactly what she meant.
"Can't wait." My enthusiasm was absent.
Her cell phone beeped. She whipped it out like a weapon and checked her screen. "Well, that's bad news."
"What?" Alison and I asked together. I glanced at her and she at me and we giggled.
It made me feel better.
Until I heard Mrs. Morgan's bad news.
"Storm coming this way," she pouted. "Stupid weather."
Was this woman that self-absorbed she didn't know about the hurricane watch? Seriously? My opinion of her dropped another hundred or so points while I fished out my own cell phone and checked the radar. Not good. One minute it looked like the entire eastern coast of the continent was covered in storm front and the next it broke up. While Mrs. Morgan might not know where it was coming from or consider it more than an inconvenience-if a natural weather disaster could be called an inconvenience-I knew better.
The struggling, appearing and disappearing storm front meant the Wild was almost awake.
If I was going to find my demon, I was running out of time.
The most frustrating part? I'd done nothing physically to track her down. I'd left the ground search to everyone else, treating myself as normal as they did. I'd given up and given over my power to Quaid and Mom and Sunny.
What was I thinking? Not that I didn't trust them. Even though I now knew why Mom held off. But what about me? Sure I didn't have useable magic. But that didn't mean I was useless. And despite my failure in the past to find Demetrius and his cronies online, they had to have a trail. I just wasn't being creative enough.
Everyone left their mark. All I needed was a sniff and I knew I'd find them.
And her.
I watched the sky darken outside the tinted windows and prayed for rain, feeling the first surge of real hope I'd had in a long time. A downpour like the ones that had been happening lately would give me an excuse to spend the days indoors. On the computer. On the Internet.
Finding my demon.
Having a plan made me feel a whole lot better.
We finally turned up yet another driveway through lush trees where yet another enormous house awaited us. Mind you, this one wasn't quite as big as the first. Not quite. Very close, but who's keeping score?
Mrs. Morgan, obviously. And from the way she watched me, like she expected me to freak out and tell her how amazing it was, I had the feeling she was trying to impress me.
Me? Really? Maybe my mom had a bigger impact on her than I first thought.
"It's lovely," I said. And stopped. What else was there to say besides, Holy Crap, your second house could hold the entire coven and my demon cat.
This design was slightly more rustic, but the pillars were still there so they totally killed the country charm look Mrs. Morgan might have been going for.
The foyer was still marble. Double staircase. Definitely a theme happening.
"Rosetta will get you girls settled." Mrs. Morgan was already sweeping her way grandly up the left staircase and was soon out of sight.
Ah, Rosetta. Delightful the way she glared at me and made me feel like a leper. Her hands moved in an odd gesture it took me a moment to recognize.
No she did not. She did. That was a warding sign against evil.
What was this woman's problem?
I didn't get a chance to stand up for myself before Alison butted in.
"Rosetta!" She stepped between the small maid and I, face flushed with anger. "Take our bags upstairs right now."
The woman shot me a sullen look, but obeyed immediately.
"Sorry," Alison said. "She's so weird. But she's the first maid Mom's been able to keep."
I followed Alison upstairs, wondering what it would be like to serve Mrs. Morgan for a living. And shuddered away from the very thought.
If this was permanent, if I never retrieved my demon or my power, I had to go to college. There was no way I'd end up working for a woman like that.
Alison's room was in the same place as her one at home, far end of the hall. The one she chose for me was just next to her and even had a connecting door. It was smaller than hers, but decorated to perfection. It actually made me stop and gape.
The room was all in blue. My favorite color. All different shades dressed the bed, the windows, the carpet. The bed was big and even canopied with a pale blue mosquito net.
Alison tried a smile, shoulders scrunched up, eyes hopeful. "What do you think?"
I turned and hugged her. "I love it."
She beamed. "I decorated it myself." She rushed in then spun and made a face. "Well, I picked everything. And designed the layout."
"You have real talent," I said. "You didn't tell me you wanted to be a designer."
Her enthusiasm faded. "Well, it's just a hobby."
Okay, that was weird. While I tried to come up with a way to ask her what that meant, I drifted to the window and looked out.
"Alison," I said, almost breathless.
"Yes?" She came to stand beside me as I looked out over the beautiful back yard and the shining lake just beyond it.
"Wow."
She laughed.
"Whatever. Come on. It's better up close and personal."
She dragged me downstairs and through the back of the house into what looked like a living room big enough for a football team and out the glass doors to the yard.
No, not yard. I have a yard. She had a princess garden fairy tale. With giant flowers and perfectly sculpted bushes. Intricate paths made of multi-colored stones. The grass looked pristine. I didn't dare step on it.
She didn't stop dragging me, so I kept moving. Within a moment we were standing on a wooden dock looking out over the water.
It was peaceful, the surface glassy. The sun shone across the surface. It was almost enough to make me forget the bank of stormy darkness hovering in the distance.
"The best part." Alison drew a deep breath and hugged herself before grinning at me. "As much as I hate leaving home in the summer, the lake makes it worth it."
I agreed with her, at least to a point. If I was like her and had her life, this would totally be my favorite place.
The sound of a boat engine roared toward us. I was sad at the loss of the glass sheet of water as a speedboat cut through the perfection. Alison smiled and waved as a small group of teens yelled her name and waved back. The boat swerved and came toward us.
"Alison!" One of the girls, with dark mocha skin I instantly envied and long, shining brown hair, sat on the front, clapping her hands. "You're back!"
The boat's engine cut and the driver, a tanned and handsome brunette, expertly maneuvered it in to just bump against the pier. His hazel eyes met mine and he winked.
Why was I blushing?
The girl leaped from the boat and hugged Alison before giving me the once over. Her eyes were so brown they were almost black and reminded me of Quaid's while her dark skin definitely aroused my envy. She looked very exotic and stunningly beautiful and it made me suddenly realize I'd barely grabbed a shower and a ponytail that morning before leaving the house.
"Gwen, this is Syd. Syd, Gwen."
Gwen bobbed her head, flashing me a perfect white smile. "Al told us about you," she said. Alison rolled her eyes and grabbed my hand.
"Nice things," she said.
"All nice." Gwen's laugh was lovely too. So were the other two girls and the very handsome guys hanging out on the boat. It was like some kind of beautiful people convention.
"Party tonight," Gwen said. "Regan's pier." The charmer at the helm, Regan I assumed, winked at me again.
Really? Okay, it was cute the first time. Maybe still cute. But fading fast.
It's not like I didn't know his type.
"Love to." Alison's enthusiasm faded a little as she turned to me. "Syd? Is that okay with you?"
Like I was going to make her back out in front of all her summer friends. That term suddenly made me sad.
"I'm in." Was I nuts? I hated parties. But this group seemed a bit more refined, so I was hoping maybe they would at least not be total idiots. And it would be a good distraction for her if I decided to head back to the house early for a little Internet searching.
Perfect.
Alison practically squealed and hugged my arm. "What time?"
Gwen was already leaping over onto the boat, Regan firing up the engine so she had to shout over the sound.
"Tenish," she said, waving elegantly at us. "See you then." She blew us a kiss, her smile still visible as they sped away.
"Thanks, Syd." Alison beamed at me. "I know you're not a big fan of the party scene. But these guys are really fun, I promise."
I was willing to give anything a go. Maybe it would take my mind off of my family.
It didn't take much to convince Mrs. Morgan. She was already tipsy when we got back and by the time ten rolled around she was stumbling to her room, Rosetta under one arm.
Alison led the way around the lake path while I hugged myself and wished I'd brought a sweater. The night was lit with stars, the bank of clouds holding off, but I knew that could change at any moment and I still hadn't had a chance to check the Internet for the Chosen's trail.
A bonfire led us the rest of the way to the party. I had a brief flashback to the field party where Suzanne was possessed by Cesard and almost killed everyone there. But this was just a regular old fire with yet another group of popular kids hanging around it.
Only these ones didn't know me. Maybe that would make the difference.
Gwen rushed over, hugged Alison first, then me. I was a little surprised by her openness, but hugged her back anyway.
"Come on in, join the party." There were more people there than I'd seen earlier in the day, easily thirty or so, and the number kept growing. Alison dragged me into the middle of the group, all smiles.
She introduced me to so many people that by the time I was seated by the fire on an old log carved as a sofa the only name I remembered was Gwen's.
Oh, and Regan's. He planted himself next to me, bare leg touching mine where my shorts ended. His hazel eyes smiled at me and I couldn't help but smile back.
I wasn't above a little flirting with a cute guy. I was only human.
"Alison says you're quite the soccer player." Regan reached into the cooler at his feet.
I shrugged. "Not really playing anymore." I didn't want to remember my disastrous last season.
It still pissed me off.
"You'd never know it." He winked at me. Again. Sheesh, talk about a limited arsenal.
My eyes fell to the can he lifted to his mouth. Beer. Great.
He must have noticed me looking. "Want one?" Regan already had one hand in the cooler.
"No thanks." I sat back, disappointed for some reason. But why should I think these kids would be any different? On the other hand, I wasn't a witch anymore. I could drink and not have any ill effects. Like having it trigger a power surge in me that would probably destroy everything in a fifty-foot radius. Why the hell not? "On second thought..."
Regan grinned and handed it to me. I cracked it open and tried a sip.
People drank this stuff?
Ew.
Gwen and Alison collapsed next to us, giggling. Gwen held a joint. I could smell it, almost taste it as the smoke carried toward me. She took a deep drag and handed it to Alison who copied her. I was so shocked I just stared at them.
"Sharesies?" Gwen held it out to me.
This one was a no brainer. I shook my head. I liked my brain cells. I took another sip of my beer, hoping the flavor grew better with time.
No such luck. I tried not to groan as I realized I was the biggest prude I knew. Aside from Simon and Beth. But that wasn't saying much.
I forced myself to stay even though I just wanted to go back to the house and do my research. But I didn't want to just leave Alison there. Not that these weren't her friends, but now I was worried. She drank quite heavily and smoked a lot of pot.
I tried not to judge her or the rest of the people there, but it was harder as the night went on. Right about midnight, my still full beer warm in my hand, I decided it was time to go.
Regan had other ideas. His hand slid over my bare knee and he leaned in to whisper in my ear.
"Want to go for a ride on my boat?"
If my demon had been with me, she would have shot so much energy through his offending hand he would have been tossed at least a mile. Then again, if my demon was with me, I wouldn't have been there in the first place.
Another one I owed her for leaving me.
"No thanks." Like I was going anywhere with him in his condition, on his boat or otherwise. All of a sudden I wanted Quaid.
I got up and tossed the beer on the sand. Alison whispered with Gwen, but staggered to her feet when I approached. She hugged me, slobbering drunk kisses on my cheeks.
"Syd!" She swayed as I held her up, breath a stinking combo of weed smoke and some kind of hard liquor. "You are so beautiful." She was serious, standing there with me supporting her, blue eyes barely focused. "I love you so much." Her arms wrapped around my neck again and I had to pry her free.
"I'm heading back." I ignored Gwen who now stood next to Alison, just as drunk, holding my friend's hand.
"Aw." Alison stomped her foot, almost falling over. She giggled and managed to right herself with my help. "Stay and party, Syd."
"No thanks." I stepped away from her and Gwen. "Are you coming?"
Gwen whispered something in her ear and Alison shrugged. "Nope."
Whatever. I turned away and headed back up the beach to the walkway. I'd go without her.
"Need some company?" Regan waited for me just beyond the edge of the light in a pool of shadow under a large tree. For a moment I felt a snap of anger. Whatever. Then it hit me. I didn't have any power. If he decided to try something, I was on my own.
For the first time I understood just how helpless I was. My panicked mind tried to remember the self-defense moves I'd learned in gym last semester, but it was all a jumbled heap of nothing. I'd heard the stories, about girls being attacked, trying to fight back. What was wrong with me?
"No thank you." I hurried past him, felt him lunge for me. I spun, heart pounding, hands up, not sure what I was going to do if he tried to touch me again.
I needn't have worried. He was as drunk as Alison and when he reached out to take my arm he totally missed. I dodged him easily and left him behind, checking over my shoulder a few times to make sure he didn't follow.
I hated being so nervous. Hell, scared. I was a witch, the daughter of a demon lord. But at that moment, trapped inside the fear driving me to finally run the last few steps to the patio doors, I was nothing.
It was so time to get my demon back.
***
