Flames in the Midst (The Jade Hale Series) (2 page)

What was the next rule?
  Your first journey in time travel has to be a trip back to your traumatic event.  You have to be called there by your former self.   I always thought it would be creepy to come to my own aide.  I had no idea how that would work.  Since I didn’t remember ever having seen myself, I assumed if I were lucky, time travel would not be among my secret hidden gifts.  Standing outside this bar, I knew in an instant I had been wrong.

I just want to go home.  How can I get home?  How can I get out of here?

The third rule, once time travel has been activated, the witch will be able to travel through time somewhat freely.  That was it.  I knew I read more seven years ago, but I couldn’t remember the rest of the notes. 
What did “somewhat freely” mean?
  There must be some restrictions, but I couldn’t remember what they were.  The main point was my time travel had been activated, so now I was free to travel.  I didn’t have to go through that door.  I wouldn’t have to see my mother and my aunt, their younger selves, sitting at the bar.  I wouldn’t have to witness my mother’s death.  I wouldn’t have to kill her all over again.  There was no reason to put myself through such torment.  I was fairly certain I could not change my past.

Yet, my three-year-old self wanted help.  There was no smoke coming from the building so she, I mean I, hadn’t started the fire yet. 
Why would I be calling for help already?  How could I leave a three-year-old vulnerable to a danger strong enough to start my journey into the world of time travel?  Was there something I was missing from this night?  Could it be possible my aunt was correct…that I was not responsible for the tragedy of this night?
There was only one way to be sure. 

If I didn’t want to know, I could keep walking past the unlocked door.  I didn’t have to live through this again.  It occurred to me that walking through the door might
mean death.

Wiping the tears from my face,
I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, opened my eyes, and stepped into a nightmare.

Inside the bar, both my future and my past waited for me.  The door to the bar resisted my efforts.  It was not meant to be unlocked or used, but somehow, it was open.  I pushed against it with all the force my trembling hands could bring forth, still uncertain if I wanted to face what my aunt had surely known all along was my destiny.   I didn’t expect to hear the laughter drifting across the empty bar.  As the door swung shut behind me, I peered through the stale smoke still hanging in the air from earlier in the evening.  I began to make my way across the recently swept floor, between the tables stacked with old wooden chairs.

As I got closer, I could make out six people sitting at the bar.  A seventh person, the bartender, stood behind the bar, pouring drinks before the glasses emptied.  He looked at me, his dark eyes piercing mine before anyone else realized I had joined the revelry in the room.  He did not look surprised to see me there, and I wondered at this.  He did not say anything or draw attention to my presence.  He just continued to stare into my eyes.  I did not realize I held my breath until I exhaled sharply. 
I was close enough now that my sounds and my movements interrupted the celebration at the bar.  The immediate quiet filled the room with tension.  My mother turned to look at me first.  Her eyes betrayed her alarm. 

For an instant, I thought she recognized me, but then I remembered what I must appear to be.  A room full of witches being approached by a stranger.  If I didn’t say the right words, I would be taken for a Hunter or a Shadow Ruler, an enemy and an immediate danger.  I did not know the skill level of these men and women, nor did I know the spells they might have ready on the tips of their tongues.  My mother, however, was known as a powerful witch even after her death.  I searched my memory for words I had never used, words for which I thought I would never have a use.

“I am,” I began in a quivering voice, “a stranger seeking solace.”  A knot in my stomach tightened.  I wanted to cry again, to run from this place or to run to my mother and cling to her as if this were a nightmare I could wake from.  The other witches at the bar turned and looked at me.  I could tell from the looks in the eyes of the two closest to me they had no idea what I had just said.  They must be Unknowns.  Sometimes, a witch does not realize his or her abilities with no one to guide them.  Families went into hiding after the witch-hunts of the 1600s, but some continued to teach each generation out of either a quest for power or a sense of responsibility to protect those who knew nothing of true good or evil.  Other families went into hiding and stopped talking about their abilities and their family history.  After a few generations, the abilities lay dormant and the people became oblivious to the world of which they were once a part.  These were the Unknowns. 

My mother had the ability to find these people.  She was in the midst of a battle between good and evil, and she needed to find more recruits.  Some of them needed protection as well.  My mother and my aunt were members of a group called the Guardians.  They considered themselves guardians of mankind and, more specifically, of the Unknowns. 

My mother’s light brown eyes softened when she heard my words.  She did not recognize me, but I had spoken a code indicating I was a witch looking for safety and protection.  The words neither confirmed my allegiance to the Guardians nor to the Shadow Rulers, but they did indicate I was a witch in need of help, and not a Hunter.  Experienced witches heard not only the words but also the intent behind them.  If I had been a Hunter masquerading, if I had known the words but did not have the ability to back them up, they could have spotted me from across an arena at an American Idol concert.  I could not have hidden what I was from them.  I could hide if I was a Shadow Ruler, though, but after saying the words, I would not be able to cause harm to those accepting me during my refuge.  The spell was binding.

The woman closest to me looked jittery and terrified.  She stared at me, gripping her glass in one hand and her bar stool with the other.  Her knuckles were white and she inched back on her bar stool, closer to my mother.  In the haze of the bar and the dim lighting, I couldn’t really make out anyone’s aura.  It was strange, but I didn’t know how time travel really worked, so maybe I wouldn’t be able to read anyone’s aura tonight.  Either way, I could tell she was no danger to me.  She was scared and obviously new to this.

My mother stood up and placed her hand on the woman’s arm.  Her tense muscles relaxed a fraction, but not entirely.  She must not be sure of my mother’s intentions yet.  She must not be convinced she was safe.  This was the night her world changed.  We had something in common.

“What danger are you seeking solace from tonight?” came my mother’s reply. 

I obviously couldn’t tell her the truth.  I wasn’t seeking solace from danger; I was walking into it.

“I, I can’t remember,” I stated tentatively.  “I woke up in the parking lot outside.  I’m not sure how I got here,” I finished with a partial truth.  It was enough to gain entrance into the bar, but not enough to put my abilities in danger.  A witch cannot break any of the rules of her abilities without losing them.  If I broke the rules of time travel, which I couldn’t completely remember, I would lose the ability to time travel.  In essence, I would be stuck here, so I had to be cautious. 

“You are safe with us,” my mother spoke to me, but her words were meant for the woman as well.  “I am Diana, and this is Madilyn.  We just rescued her from peril tonight.”  Madilyn brought her drink up to her lips, but the ice clanked in the shaking glass.  She was not ready for the world she had been thrust into, but she didn’t seem to have a choice.  She was probably trying to figure out how to wake up.

“Jeffery was rescued a week ago,” she indicated the skinny man sitting next to Madilyn.  He smiled cautiously, almost sinisterly at me and then turned back to the bar.  My aunt stood up and walked towards us.  “My sister, Lynn, and I have been working to rescue as many as possible from the changing tide.  Someone is targeting the Unknowns and either killing them or recruiting them.”  I couldn’t take my eyes off her, and I couldn’t find the words to speak.  I heard her words, but I could only think it had been
fourteen years since I had last seen her.  She was so beautiful and sure of her purpose.  As much as I hated the life we were both a part of, I envied her self-assured nature.  I envied her confidence this was a gift, not a curse, her confidence she had a greater purpose in the larger battle of good and evil that made all of this worthwhile.

“Excuse my sister
,” Aunt Lynn interrupted, “She’s a little excited.  This has been a good night for us.”  She glanced at Madilyn who didn’t appear to think tonight had been a good night.  “It’s been a successful night,” she corrected herself, “I’m sorry.  I didn’t catch your name.”  She was staring at me inquisitively again.

I had to find the strength to speak.  “Ja,” I began, nearly making a monumental mistake.  I didn’t remember all of the rules of time travel, but I was remembering there were specific rules about this first incident.  I couldn’t tell them outright who I was or what I knew.  I could help, but not the way I wanted to help. 

“Jasmine.”  I corrected myself with the first name I could think of that would fit in with the first two letters I had already stuttered.  A stupid cartoon character. My aunt stopped for a moment and eyed me suspiciously.  I hoped she would figure it out, but then she continued with the introductions.

“Amy and Justin,” she pointed to the couple at the far end of the bar, “have been with us for a few months now. And Cameron is like a part of the family.  He and his father, Evan, let us use this place as a refuge on nights like tonight.”  The bartender smiled at me, but there was something behind his smile.  It didn’t seem sincere; it was just off somehow.  Now that I was closer to everyone, I could make out faint auras around them, more like a slight tint of what I could normally see.  They faded in and out.  Maybe it was the pina colada fruit smoothies interfering with my one constant ability.  It could be the combination of the alcohol and the time travel. 

I looked back at Cameron.  What I could see of his aura frightened me.  It was dark and murky like a heavy cloud before a hurricane, but it wasn’t the midnight black I thought I saw at the party.  The party at Zach’s felt like eons ago.

“Cameron?” Aunt Lynn asked casually, but with a hint of urgency in her voice.  “Can you lock up the door Jasmine came through?”  Then she turned to me, “I’m glad it was left unlocked so you were able to get in, but I hope you will understand we need to keep this place secure.  There is always the chance we were followed, and the locks on those doors will keep the bar hidden from those who wish to do us harm.  You are welcome to stay or go, but once you leave, you will not be able to
reenter.”

I watched Cameron as he walked over to the door.  He
didn’t take his gaze off me as he walked towards me, making me feel as though I was his final destination.  As he passed me, he made no move to look away, our arms almost touching.  When he reached the door, he looked back, but then he concentrated on the door and began reciting an incantation.  I knew that a lock, just like the other three, was forming on the other side of the door.  I couldn’t figure out why there had not been a lock on the fourth door in the first place.

I turned back to my aunt who was waiting for me to reveal my decision for this evening.  She was studying me, wondering if I would be joining them, or perhaps wondering from where she knew me.  Before I could determine my next words, I heard my name, my real name.

“Jade!”
My mother must have realized who I was.  If she realized that, then she might realize I was here because they were in danger.  Maybe we could change this past, this reality.  Maybe I could get her back.  I wouldn’t even care if I had to grow up entrenched in a battle of good and evil.  I wouldn’t care if I had to become a Guardian.  I could save her from the fire before it was too late.
  My heart raced as all these thoughts collided in my head at once.  I inhaled, trying to calm myself.

“Did you have fun with Professor Michaels tonight?” my mother was asking.  Professor Michaels?  She wasn’t talking to me after all. 
My hope crashed to the floor, and I felt like the room would begin spinning, but the dizziness never came.  She was addressing the thigh-high redhead who peered out from behind the bar with my green eyes.  Such a distinct combination.  My aunt told me they knew from the minute I was born I was going to be blessed with many gifts.  I had soft tufts of red hair on my head and mysterious green eyes.  The nurses had been astounded, telling my mother most infants were born with either dark eyes or blue eyes that changed as they grew.  They were sure the bright green in my eyes was either a trick of the fluorescent lighting or the effects of some street drug my mother had taken.  However, my mother knew the truth.  I was a witch with a legacy.

“Let’s call her Jade,” she had told my unsuspecting father.  My name was supposed to be Gretchen, after my mother’s grandmother, so my father was utterly confused by my mother’s sudden alteration to their carefully planned moniker.  “Her eyes are such a beautiful shade of green,” she explained to him in a dreamy voice sure to persuade him to her way of thinking, “I
think she should have a name to match them.”  Whether he agreed to please her or for another reason, I would never know.  He had no idea my mother was a witch or his new baby girl was also, most definitely, a witch.