61
Lucy
My heart leaped as I met her gaze and nodded. She smiled and nodded, and leaned away before taking another bite of her sandwich. Her eyes drifted over the area before she dug into her purse.
“I love your sandals,” she said, looking at my feet. “You know I didn’t know what a gladiator sandal was until a few days ago… Do you mind?”
I shook my head as she lifted her phone and angled it toward my feet. She leaned closer. I felt her tug at the straps and glanced down. I saw something small and white slipping between the straps until I couldn’t see it beneath the back of the sandal. My heart raced as she took a photo.
“The studs are a nice touch,” she said, grinning. “I’ll have to go looking for a pair like them. Maybe in a nice cream… Also, the pixie cut totally suits you! Do you use curlers, or are you just unnaturally blessed?”
I smiled at her. “Blessed, I guess, though, it feels a lot more like a curse.”
She laughed. “You probably just need more moisturizer! Ooh, I might have some…”
She opened her clutch and rifled around before pulling out a small bottle. It was marked with a brand, but the bottle didn’t have any liquid inside it. Inside it was another piece of paper.
I smiled at her. “Thanks. I’ll have to give it a try. Maybe… the curls will go in the right direction.”
“That’s the spirit!” Then, she looked up and waved at someone. “I’ve got to pretend to care about an old man’s feelings. Part of the job, I’m afraid. I’ll check back in with you before you leave to get your number. I wanna know if that moisturizer works out for you.”
“Okay, thank you.”
She waved and hurried off across the backyard. My eyes burned with hope. Even if Tina wasn’t here, she’d talked to someone that was on my behalf. Now, if only Dagon would deliver some good news. I turned my head and took a sip as I saw Matt turn and look at me. I tried to breathe through the panic as I drank some more juice.
The textbooks said that werewolves, even in their human form, had a very wide range of hearing. He had probably heard the entire conversation.
I waited for him to come over, but soon, he turned to a group of women who approached him. I ate another sandwich even though my stomach kept twisting in knots. It was light enough that I didn’t feel like I would throw up, but soon, I just sipped my apple juice and waited for a chance to slip inside the house. If I could get to the bathroom, then I could figure out what the notes said. The paper in my shoe felt like it was burning against my skin.
I held the clutch in my lap like a lifeline. I glanced across the backyard and saw Tony and Matt, both of them were talking to different groups of people. Matt was surrounded by women. Tony was surrounded by men. They looked too involved in their conversation to notice me, so I walked quickly to the nearest door. I glanced back once more, then slipped inside the house.
“Excuse me?” I asked one of the staff members. “Could you point me to a bathroom?”
She nodded me down the hallway, and I hurried that way. Once the door was closed, I opened the bottle the woman had given me and pulled the note out.
If this makes it to you, she’s your ticket out of there. I’m at the party, but we can’t be seen together. I know that they’re probably watching you, and we only have a little time to make this happen.
My number is below. The woman in red, call her Diana, and she’ll give you the rest of your escape plan. The paper inside your shoe is for Diana.
My heart swelled. I considered calling her using the communication crystal, but then it flashed with a message. I opened it, and I could barely breathe. The message was from Dagon.
You’ve got full clearance. Let me know when you want to leave. I can pick you up tonight if you want.
I pulled the piece of paper out of my shoe and took a deep breath. All I had to do was find Diana. I turned to the bathroom door just as someone knocked on it. My heart jumped into my throat.
Was it Matt? Was it Tony? I glanced at the door handle and realized that I hadn’t locked it. Before I could get to the door, a woman in red walked in. She smiled and pressed a finger to her lips as she pushed the door closed behind her.
She held up her phone screen.
Are you Lucy?
I nodded.
She typed another message. I’m Diana. The car is waiting outside for you. License plate XY9345G.
My eyes filled with tears and slipped down my cheeks. She brought me into her arms and squeezed me close. She rubbed my back as I tried to keep myself from crying too loudly.
She held up a finger to me just as she opened the bathroom window. Then, she pulled another bottle out of her bag and held out her hand. I gave her the piece of paper out of my shoe and watched as she stuffed it into the bottle of liquid she had and shook it. It started to glow, and my eyes widened.
She had to be a witch.
She winked at me and sprayed a patch on my neck before swiping her hand over the spot. She took another bottle out and sprayed me all over. I felt the mist settle on my skin. It started to tingle. She watched her phone screen, flushed the toilet, then turned on the water.
Then, she nodded at the window with a little waving motion.
I turned and hurried to the window, climbing up on the bench and climbing out of the window, just behind the shrubs. I hurried towards the cars, looking around for the right license plates until I saw the right numbers and letters.
In between a bunch of really shiny cars was a little silver car. It looked just as nice, but there was something about it that I couldn’t place. I tapped on the window and heard it unlock.
I opened the backseat and climbed in, closing it behind me and shuddering. I pulled in breath after breath. My vision went blurry and hazy. I could barely breathe. My heart was pounding in my chest so hard I could feel it through my whole body.
“I-Is it over?” I asked. “I-Is it really over?”
Then, I saw a note on the backseat.
Breathe. You’ll be all right. I’ll see you soon. – Karlie
“It’s all right,” a woman’s voice said. “No one can hear you in here.”
The sob that escaped me rattled through my whole body. Memories flashed through my mind. I could barely breathe around them.
“Hey,” the woman said again. I couldn’t even look up. My vision was spiraling and shaking. “Keep breathing. That’s it. Keep breathing. Slow. Follow me… In… Out… In… Out…”
I tried to follow. I tried so hard, but I couldn’t. I sat up. My vision started to go black. Everything swam around.
Then, I heard Matt’s voice.
“Lucy!”
I sucked in the sob and froze as he and Tony ran toward the car. I couldn’t. I couldn’t.
I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t even scream.
Their eyes flashed red.
Then, they turned into the forest. I saw fabric fly into the air. Two white figures shot off into the forest and disappeared into the distance.
One of the women in the front seat let out a soft whistle.
“Wonder how the SCF is going to feel about that.” She chuckled. “Those two idiots will be too busy dealing with the Council to even think about mates or any of that other bullshit.”
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