Eye of the Storm (The Charmed) (15 page)

“Yes, I’ll call in sick.” He picked up his phone and dialed work. He spoke firmly and then hung up. “They were sorry I was sick.”

Chase felt relief. Nobody would think about Hank then.

Hank drove as fast as his car would allow. Two times the police turned their lights on behind them but chase made their minds divert to other causes like animal shelters and the need to break free the caged dogs and cats. Chase didn’t feel bad about that but did feel bad about Hank, he genuinely seemed like a great guy. He was slightly bald with a bushy mustache, a white short-sleeved shirt tucked into a pair of brown pants. Chase leaned back and took Lyla’s hand again. “We have to make it disappear.”

“I don’t know if I can.”

“Of course you can, we’ll do it together.”

Lyla held tight to Chase’s hand, closed her eyes and focused. The car vanished. It was a good thing too because they were easily doing one hundred and ten miles per hour.

J
aden stopped by the house to get Kayla. She was waiting outside, bags in hand.

“What’s wrong?” Jaden could tell something was amiss.

“My parents just texted me, they told me to go home.”

Harley jumped out of the car. “You can’t. Come on, we’ll fill you in on the road.” Harley pushed a confused looking Kayla into the car.

“Dad, does Mr. McGillicuddy know? Will he be safe here alone?”

“He’s leaving town, there’s a friend of ours in Seattle, and he’s going there to stay with her for a while to finish up detoxing. Don’t worry Harley, he will be in fantastic hands.” He turned to Harley.

“Do you trust this person?”

“With my life. Let’s go Jaden, time is a wasting.”

Harley filled Kayla in on what happened. Kayla was shaken mostly about her parent’s involvement. They were in Mr. M’s SUV, Jaden and Mr. M up front, Kayla and Harley in the middle and Brendan was stretched out in the back, head back and eyes closing already. Harley lowered her voice. “Kayla, why didn’t you tell us about your summers?”

“How did you know? Did Jaden tell you?” Her face grew red with rage, Jaden’s seat belt started to tighten across his body until he finally pulled over and calmly said, “Kayla, please, I didn’t tell her, the men that were there were talking about it. Kayla, you’re hurting me.”

Kayla put her head in her hands and released Jaden. Jaden made a mental note to never piss Kayla off.

Kayla looked at Harley, a single tear working its way down her cheek. “You heard it from strangers? In my house?”

“Yes.”

Kayla leaned her head against the window and closed her eyes. Harley figured that was the only answer she would get and let it alone.

They drove for five hours without stopping, hitting the Georgia border around one. Signs for pecans and peaches were everywhere. Mr. M turned on the radio just before Jaden turned the car into a gas station. A person over the news was laughing, Mr. M turned the channel, “I think it’s just wonderful!” The tinkling sound of a woman erupted through the car. Mr. M turned the station again. A man with a booming voice said, “No word from Georgia PD on why their officers let the animals out of the shelters.” He turned the station again. “Dogs everywhere, hundreds of cats and one iguana, all loose over the State of Georgia, people are urged to stay in their homes…” Mr. M kept turning the station, each one had a similar story. “This could only mean Chase.”

Jaden laughed. “Yeah, right, dogs running crazy over Georgia.”

“Do you remember nothing?”

“What?”

“The first week you met Chase, he had a dog. Do you remember him?”

Jaden pulled into the gas station and shifted the car into park. He stared at his father. “Barely, he only had him a week.”

“Yes, I know. Maybe you were too young. His parents sent him to the pound, he was so little, he used to wiggle and lick you two over your faces. Man that was a great dog. I went there to get him, I thought Chase could at least see him at our house. The people there said when they came in that morning, all the cages were empty and every single lock was still on.”

A cold chill went up Jaden’s neck. “I remember that. His parents were mean even back then.”

“You also remember when I talked to him and he confessed? God, Jaden, that was just an indication of what was to come. He’s always known what kind of power he was capable of, even at that age.”

“Yeah, but he never used any of it against anyone, that’s why we have to find him, now.” Harley piped up, always the practical one. She opened her side door and stepped out in the muggy Georgia air. “Man it’s a hot one today.” She fanned herself with a tourist pamphlet sitting next to the gas pump.

Everyone was out of the car stretching their legs. Mr. M looked around. “Who’s done that paper thing in a while?”

Jaden was pumping gas and looked over. “Not with Chase in a while.”

“Someone get me a piece of paper.” Mr. M looked around. He snatched the tourist pamphlet out of Harley’s hand, who didn’t seem to notice because Brendan was playing with her hair and talking low to her.

“Okay Jaden, you do it. I’ll take that.” He walked over to the pump and continued putting gas in the massive car. Jaden took the pamphlet, muttered the charm over the paper and looked for words to appear. Only three words appeared on the paper. Waterfall State Park.

“Anyone know how to get to Waterfall State Park?” Everyone shook their head no. Jaden walked into the gas station and asked. He came out with written instructions and they were on their way.

Chase felt a sigh of relief. He was grateful for the likes of Jaden, who remembered their childhood enough to keep playing the game. “Hank?”

“Yes?” He was sitting behind the wheel still concerned for his dog. Stress etched across his face.

Chase placed a hand on him. “Fiona is safe, all the bad guys are gone. Go home and spend the day with your sweet puppy.”

Hank’s face relaxed, Chase hadn’t realized how much stress he had put on the old man. Hank smiled at Chase. “She’s a good doggie. Will you be alright?”

“Yes. You’ve helped us a lot, thank you.”

He smiled and shook Chase’s hand. Chase and Lyla got out of the car at Waterfall State Park and waved. Lyla watched the car, a worry spreading across her features. Chase put a hand on her shoulder, he guided her to a picnic bench overlooking the falls concealed in a clump of trees. They sat and waited for the others to arrive.

Jaden turned off at the exit for the Falls, he turned right and headed down the remote road, trees lining the street, civilization just up ahead. They passed a small band of shops on the right.

“There! There’s a sign for the falls!” Kayla perked up beside Harley.

Jaden pulled in to the park. A ranger station was located up a small hill overlooking the lake. They parked and all exited the car in search of the two. Jaden smiled. “Over here guys.” He motioned everyone to the patch of trees where he spotted the two sitting on the picnic bench top, Chase with his arm around Lyla. Lyla’s head was resting on Chase’s shoulder.

Brendan shouted, “Chase!” In a hoarse goofy yell. Chase looked over and the two of them jumped down from the bench. They walked smiling toward each other. Jaden wrapped Chase in a big bear hug. Mr. M next, Brendan patted him on the back, Harley cried, Kayla stood back from everyone, arms crossed and looking uncomfortable.

Harley hugged Lyla as did Jaden, Mr. M and Brendan. “My my little girl, what happened to you?” Brendan was looking down at her noticing the dark circles under her eyes.

Chase looked over. “The guy, Tom, he killed Lyla. But then he killed himself and Lyla was brought back. I’m still trying to figure out how.”

Mr. M raised his eyebrows. “Drained her life force?”

“Yeah.”

“Lyla, how do you feel right now?”

“Tired.”

“Understandable. Probably hungry too, looks like you both could gain a few pounds. Come on, let’s go find some place to eat and get filled in.”

Jaden looked around knowing exactly why his father was rushing them back into the car. They were sitting ducks here and last thing they needed was to have Chase and Lyla attacked again. They piled into the car. Chase spoke up. “You guys came to get me, what happened?”

Jaden spoke up from the passenger seat. “The spell hit us hard, we weren’t expecting anything like it. We turned around and drove all through the night to get home. For two weeks we didn’t know where we had been. Dad came back from a trip and found out you weren’t there, he quickly took the spell off us and here we are.”

“Nobody has explained why Harley and Brendan have the marks though.” He turned to Lyla. “Think that’s why we had that painful shock?”

Lyla smiled, “Let’s hope it was.” She turned around and stared at the two sitting in the back seat with Kayla who clearly looked uncomfortable.

“Dad? Care to explain?”

“At lunch. I found something in a book but I don’t know if it’s real or not. Mr. M turned off at the next exit and drove behind a gas station to a large restaurant called The Country Sausage Store. They piled out and went in to the quaint restaurant past two elderly singers holding banjo’s on the front porch singing old country music. Once the door was opened, the assault to their senses were mouthwatering. A café was located to the right and an old fashioned country store packed all around it. Sauces, homemade bread, donuts and a butcher shop completed the space. Mr. M’s stomach growled.

Kayla was last to make it in, she looked over at the elderly people and smiled. “Hello.”

“Hello dear.” The older woman said.

They walked in and dished up a southern buffet of food and sat down at a table near the window.

Kayla was seated opposite Jaden. “Man, I’m so hungry.”

“Me too.” Jaden said back.

Kayla looked at Jaden and then toward Chase. She looked down at her food.

Jaden was never going to compete with him. Kayla was hopeless. He pushed his food away and took a long drink on his sweet tea. “Dad, the tables yours. What did you find in Seattle?”

“A book. I believe it’s one of the first about, well, our subject.” He looked around making sure nobody was within earshot. “Jaden, my coat is right next to you. Pull my notebook out of the coat pocket, will you?” Jaden did as he was asked. “Turn to the last page and read the text.” He flipped the book open to the last page and read the words slowly. “Occlumency will continue until the cycle is broken. Two such as never before, two such as will be and two to end the score.” Jaden read the words silently again to himself and looked up. “Dad, has there ever been a record in history of two couples getting this?”

“No.” Was all he said.

Jaden looked back at Chase and Lyla, then Brendan and Harley. It was possible he and Kayla were the ending. He couldn’t see how because she had grown sullen every time Chase was around. “So that’s why.”

Mr. M looked over at his son. “Why,what?”

“Why people have been hunting us. It’s not for the power, it’s to stop it from ending. We’re the end. Who knows what will happen once Occlumency is done? Does it keep everyone with powers? Does it create super human people only? What’s the reason? There has to be more to it than this.”

“I’m sure there is, I just haven’t figured that part out yet.