Catalyst (Forevermore, Book Two) (15 page)

Traveling
alone so early in the morning, when the sun hadn’t even risen yet, wasn’t the smartest idea. I’d been told already that there were probably Nefastus witches scouting the area in search of me thanks to somehow having two gifts instead of one. Without Mathias following me for protection, I felt vulnerable and paranoid. Every movement or sound made me jump, and my eyes were constantly flicking from one place to another, searching for things that weren’t even there. Would I even know ahead of time if an enemy witch was approaching? This was a time where one of those fancy radar amulets would come in handy.

Fresh snow had begun falling, illuminated by the moon and streetlights, and I was instantly grat
eful that I had changed clothes. Even in my new outfit I still shivered and my teeth chattered. I wished I’d remembered to bring a pair of gloves to keep my hands warm, then felt at ease knowing I could have a pair any time I wanted.

Two thick lavender gloves appeared in my hand and I slipped them on, almost instantly feeling relief from the cold. My ears were sheltered by the hood of my coat,
but unfortunately there wasn’t much I could do to prevent the rest of my face from freezing.

As I continued along the way, I wondered what Artemis knew about Mathias
’s condition. He obviously knew something, whether it was big or small, it was more than I knew. That left me feeling empty and helpless, like I couldn’t do anything to save Mathias when he dedicated so much time to protecting me, even when I felt that I didn’t need it. Then again, there were potential enemies all over the place. School had seemed perfectly safe until the whole James incident ... if there could be Nefastus roaming around there then they could literally be anywhere.

So much for calming the paranoia.

I could see the apartment complex in the distance and breathed a sigh of relief. All I had to do now was cross the street and walk through the frost-covered grass and I’d be there. Yet, I still felt uneasy, as though something was following me or watching me silently from the shadows. With a shudder, I raced across the empty road and stepped onto the field. The frozen blades of dead grass crunched beneath my boots and I was comforted that they were the only ones making any sound. Surely if someone else was around, I’d have heard their footfalls.

I n
early slipped on the slick ground, then steadied myself and slowed my pace just enough so that I wouldn’t fall. The door to the apartment was right ahead of me and I finally felt safe. I knocked and waited for Hannah to let me in.

To my surprise,
I didn’t have to wait long at all.

“
Oh, hey, Ezra,” I said with a hint of disappointment and tried peering around him to see if I could catch a glimpse of Hannah in the background.

“
Good morning, Madison,” he said and frowned. “It is awfully early for you to be awake. Hannah isn’t home, if you were in search of her. Is everything all right?”

Just my luck. Could anything
else go wrong?

Shaking away the negative thoughts, I forced a smile
and tried my best to hide the truth. “Everything’s fine ... any idea when she’ll be back?”

“
Soon, I suspect.”

“
Is it okay if I come in and wait?”

With a nod, he opened the door wider and let me inside.
“How are you enjoying your time with the other witches?”

I shrugged.
“It’s good. Like I said last time I visited, I haven’t really learned much yet ...”

He led me into the living room, where he sat in the armchair I had summoned during my last visit. At that, I had to smile. I made my way over to the futon and sat down.

“I am sure you will soon enough. How is Alexis?”

“
I don’t really want to talk about it ... nothing’s turned out like I thought it would.”

He nodded
again and clasped his fingers over his lap. “Yes. It is a rare occurrence that things turn out as they are planned or expected in this life.”

“
Yeah, no kidding,” I grumbled.

The sliding glass door slid open and Hannah
glided in. Her eyes were a startling shade of crimson that made me shiver — I was yet again reminded of the red-eyed boy: my
brother
. It still seemed unreal.

My aunt looked
shocked to see me, which was surprising. I had come to believe she knew almost everything that was going to happen when it involved me. She knew my future better than I did. Looking her over, I noticed she wasn’t wearing a jacket or anything to keep her warm ... in fact, she was dressed in a tight-fitting tank top and black leather pants — which to my horror were splattered with blood. She grimaced when she saw where my eyes were settled.

“
Pity, isn’t it? I have always been a bit of a messy eater, though,” she said teasingly and I caught a quick glimpse of her fangs.

I withdrew an unsteady breath.
“Aren’t you cold?”

Hannah laughed her
melodic, almost musical laugh. “Vampire, remember? I don’t get cold.”

“
Right ... what were you doing out at four in the morning, anyway?”

“
Eating.”

“
I thought you didn’t eat food, and isn’t it kind of early ... or would that be late? ... to be going out for food —”

She rolled her eyes
— the seemingly signature move of Hannah Young. Or whatever her last name was since she was married to Ezra. “Blood, child.
Blood
. Honestly, you have the shortest memory —”

“
Right …” I interrupted. “Look, I just have a lot on my mind and —”

She interrupted me again,
“Don’t we all.”

“
No. This is different. It’s about Mathias.”

My aunt
’s lips twitched. “Oh, please. You want my advice about your boyfriend? Stay away from him. If you back track enough, love is the root of most evil in this world.”

Ezra looked bothered and shifted around uncomfortably.

“Oh, you know what I mean,” Hannah said as she looked at him. “Get over it.”

With a disgruntled sigh, my uncle rose from his chair and left the room. It wasn
’t long before I heard the unmistakable sound of him walking upstairs.

Hannah scoffed and plopped down into the armchair.
“See what I mean?”

“
He’s not even my boyfriend. We’re just —”

“
Yeah, yeah,” she said and I was beginning to get annoyed with her interruptions. “That’s how it always is, but whatever. What’s wrong with your pretty little boy-toy now? Did he get his precious little face beaten by the mean, nasty, bad witches?”

Her taunting sent my anger overboard.

“No! And would you stop being such a bitch all the time?! Why can’t you just listen to me?!”

To my surprise, she looked taken aback, and yet oddly happy about my outburst. I wasn
’t sure what that could possibly mean, and I didn’t expect her to explain it to me either.

“
Well then.” She smiled. “Get on with it.”

I filled her in o
n everything that had happened — the way Mathias’s eyes changed so drastically from one day having a ring of silver around them to suddenly being completely engulfed by the color, how his hair had turned whiter than before, and how afraid he seemed of this unknown ailment. “Do you know anything about this? About witches with shimmering gifts?”

“
Nope.”

Her plain, simple answer only further annoyed m
e; it was like she didn’t care. I wouldn’t have doubted that being the case. “How is that even possible? You’ve been a witch forever.”

“
Yeah, but I never felt the need to join any of their stupid little clubs. I have had better things to do. You and your mother seem to like to point that out a lot, how I may as well not be a witch; I’m surprised you didn’t remember ... then again, there is that short memory of yours.”

I said and slumped back on the futon.
“Can you help in any way?”

“
We don’t need the boy.”

“
What?” I mumbled, at a loss for words.

“
Mathias. He’s not part of any of this ... not that I have seen. He’s pointless.”

Speechless, all I could do was stare at the girl with the golden ringlets of hair
who looked so innocent. How could she be so cold?

“
It’s true. Whether you like it or not, your purpose is to stop your psychopathic brother and, preferably, Cassius as well. Nothing else.”

I had to grit my teeth to avoid saying or doing anything I might regret.

“Now, now ... don’t look at me like that. It’s not my fault. You have mommy dearest to blame for that. All of this is her fault, after all. Speaking of which ... where is she? Why didn’t you go to her?” She paused for a brief moment, the slightest hint of a smirk hidden in the corner of her mouth. “Ahhh, that’s right, she’s probably out ...
comforting
Jason. If she hadn’t been locked up, she’d probably have been with him before my brother’s body was even cold, assuming he was dead, and all.”

I rose from the futon and slapped my aunt hard across the face
; she seemed completely unaffected. My hand throbbed and I stepped away, stumbling over the crooked coffee table. I forced myself away from my aunt and the satisfied look on her face, then stormed out into the bitter cold. As I slammed the door behind me, I could have sworn I heard her girlish laughter yet again.

The snow was falling harder now as I made my way back to Haven. Shivering and crossing my arms over my chest, I returned to my constant glancing around in every direction to ensure I was alone. My thoughts immediately went to Mathias once I calmed myself from the visit with my aunt; she had been less than helpful. Was he asleep now, or was he staying with Artemis? Maybe my Clan leader felt that Mathias wouldn’t want me to hear the truth and that’s why he refused to elaborate on what he knew. My thoughts went down a darker path when I remembered that Artemis mentioned knowing of only two living Shimmerers. Who was the other one, and why hadn’t I ever seen them at Haven? There was the possibility that whomever they were no longer lived there; it was common for witches to move on after they grew accustom to their gifts and comfortable enough in the real world to adapt to normal lifestyles. Then there was the possibility that they were on the other team — a Nefastus witch – or maybe even an Exile.

A strong, cold breeze tried to pull my hood away, but
I tugged it back, covering my forehead, then hunkered down and continued walking.

A few minutes passed and a sound caught my attention.

I glanced around searching high and low for sight of another person or even an animal. Nothing stood out. I shrugged and resumed my pace; it was only the wind and snow.

“
Maaadison.”

I had no doubts that this time I heard something, a
nd not just anything, but my name.

“
M-Mathias? Is that you?” I said through chattering teeth, my breath coming out in a puff of white mist. I knew without a doubt that it had been a male’s voice, but beyond that, it was impossible to tell with the sudden gusts of wind all around. “Ezra?” I turned around to see where the voice had come from.

Leaning against the wall was a boy with pale blonde hair that seemed to glow beneath th
e flickering streetlight above; it wasn’t Mathias, nor was it any other witch that I recognized. He was dressed unusually for being out in the snow — similarly to how Hannah had been inappropriately dressed for such weather — but nothing about him said
vampire
to me. Lacking a coat, gloves, and earmuffs, he looked prepared for a summer day in his shorts and T-shirt.

“
Did you … did you say something?” I asked, standing my ground and observing my surroundings. There was an alleyway up ahead and to the right that I could run down if I had to.

“
You’re Madison, right?” he said, ignoring my question.

I
wasn’t sure how to answer him. If he was my enemy, I shouldn’t confirm my identity to him. “Who wants to know?”

He
smirked and stepped closer, out of the shadows and into the dim light. “Well, that answers my question, doesn’t it? I suppose I should give you my name, seeing as I know yours.” Another step. “I’m Terry.”

“
How do you know my name?”

“
I know a lot more than just your name,” he answered. “I know that you’re a member of the Castus Clan. That you possess not one, but two gifts. I know that you are
very
desirable to Constantine.”

“
You’re one of them, then? A Nefastus?”

There were
only five or so feet dividing us now. “One of the many, yes. Coming out here all alone at such an hour was a dumb move on your part. Either you really are powerful or you’re really stupid.”