Winter's Dream (The Hemlock Bay Series) (4 page)

“That is not what happened last time,” he said, holding a hand over his heart. “I thought you understood that. I didn’t make those changes, they happened because you were coming over here. We look like this as a way to warn off humans.” I took in his sharp features, his too big luminescent eyes and admitted to myself his good looks were more than attractive, they were alarming. Jordan continued explaining while I drooled over him. “It protects them. How frightened were you when you saw my face in that room? That’s why I’m changing your face to look more like ours now, to scare people away.”

I hesitated at his reasonable explanation. Well, as reasonable as a jinn could give. “Um, having every one run from me screaming would not be helpful.”

He tilted his head, inspecting my cheekbones. “It’s subtle, just to keep the other people from bothering you.”

I looked at him in surprise. “Wait, you’re taking me back?”

He flushed a little. “Well, I’m not, I don’t know how. My uncle forbade me from learning. And ripping holes in reality isn’t exactly the best way to travel between worlds but it just happened when I realized …” He saw my confusion and halted his rambling explanation. “Yes, you are going back.”

“Why?” Where was my hot-tempered Jordan who had to control everything?

He sighed and squared his shoulders. “I told you. I play by your rules now.” His voice cracked just a little. “I know you hate me now but I promise I will make it up to you. We will be together again. The right way this time.”

That broke through my anger and fear but not in a good way. “Jordan,” I said sadly. “I don’t hate you.” His brilliant smile pierced my heart. “But we are not going to be together again.”

His smile didn’t dim. “I’ll change your mind.”

I unconsciously rubbed my wrists, wondering if it could be changed after everything he had done.

Jordan’s eyes widened a little as he caught a glance of the delicate scars left around my wrists after he burned off the bracelets. “Let me fix that,” he said, reaching for my hand.

“No,” I said, snatching it back. “I want them to stay.” I needed them to stay, as a reminder.

He seemed to take it as something else and darted in to kiss my cheek. “You’ll see,” he murmured in my ear and then he was out the door.

Confused, I waited in the empty room for a minute. “Hello?” I finally called out. “How am I supposed to get back?”

David strode in the door and my guts turned cold. He somehow seemed even bigger, his scarred face scarier. One crystal bright blue eye flashed next to a dull milky one.

“He’ll take you back now, if that’s still what you want,” Jordan said sadly from the doorway.

I nodded my head and forced myself not shrink away from his imposing uncle.

Jordan wouldn’t look at me. “You won’t change your mind? There’s really nothing I can do to help?” he asked, remembering my harsh words.

I opened my mouth to say no and then paused. His head snapped up hopefully. “There is one thing you can do,” I said, regretting the words as soon as they left my lips.

“Anything,” he swore.

I took a deep breath before speaking. “I have a friend, a new friend, that’s stuck in that awful place and shouldn’t be. Her name is Minnie.” I paused, praying I was doing the right thing and not just bringing more trouble down on her head. “Maybe you could find a way to get her out of there and to somewhere better. Not her home! Her dad is evil. Maybe a foster home with nice people, or—”

“I’ll take care of it,” he interrupted softly.

I stared at his face for a moment, lingering over his dark curls and perfect mouth. Then I turned to David. “I’m ready to go back.”

He nodded and reached for me.

“Wait,” I gasped. “What about Clint? What did he see? Is he just waiting for me to come back so he can kill me?”

David glanced at Jordan. Jordan gave me a carefully bland look. “Clint is gone.”

“Gone where?” I asked, the already familiar unease settling deeper in my stomach.

“Nowhere. Just gone.”

I knew what he meant. “Jordan, you can’t do that,” I said, wishing I didn’t feel a little glad Clint wouldn’t be bothering me or any of the other girls again.

“I did. And I’m not undoing it.” His face was unreadable.

I stepped closer to him and touched his arm. “Jordan, you don’t understand—”

“Bixby,” he breathed in my face. A warm shiver travelled down my body and I fought to control myself. “You don’t understand. We can play by your rules but that doesn’t change the fact that I love you, that you belong with me. And another man raised his fist to you, tried to—” he shook his head in disgust then smoothed his features out again and bent his face to mine. “No one does that to you and lives. And no one will miss him, they won’t even remember him.”

I opened my mouth to argue but the flames in his green eyes told me not to. We stood like that, face to face, gazing for what felt like an eternity. A small, stupid part of me wanted to close the gap and put my lips to his. I closed my eyes to break his hold over me.

“Are you ready?” David rumbled. I nodded my head, still not opening my eyes. I felt his giant hand cover my shoulder and a warm gust almost knocked me over. “Easy,” he said as I stumbled into him. My eyes flew open and I jumped away from him.

We were in the storage room. Neither Jordan nor Clint was there.

“I thought you were going to stay away,” he said, crossing his tree limb arms over his chest.

The empty room and Jordan’s empty promises temporarily fled my mind. “What? You think I did this on purpose?” I narrowed my eyes in fresh anger. “I did what you said; I broke it off with Jordan and now look where it’s gotten me.”

He glanced around, taking in the dusty, depressing settings. “Have you learned anything more about Gatekeeping?”

“From who?” I snapped. “The only one who maybe could have told me a few years ago when she still remembered is locked up in a nursing home. And
her
mother died before I was born. So, who would I have learned from?”

“The townies won’t fill you in?” he asked. Was he starting to look nervous? No, not possible.

“Last time I saw them they were pretty angry with me, but I haven’t seen them since I got here.”

“You haven’t been there in a month?” he thundered.

“Shut up,” I hissed, praying no one heard and came to investigate. Not that they could open the door with the metal shelving unit still in front of it.

“Bixby, I told you how serious this was. I can’t believe you haven’t been taking care of things.”

My rage went to a whole new level. “How am I supposed to get to Nightmare Town and figure out what the hell is going on when I’m stuck here? I can’t sleep here! No sleep means no dreams. Nightmare Town is going to have to wait until I can figure out a way to get out of here.”

To my surprise he nodded his agreement. “Then I’ll leave you to your scheming.”

I glared at him and resented having to ask a final favor. “Whatever. But uh, can you move that?” I asked, pointing to the shelving in front of the door.

Without looking he pushed one arm out and shoved the unit from in front of the door almost like Clint had done. But then his face softened slightly and I grew warm under his gaze.

“What?” I mumbled.

He just shook his head, his long knotted hair shaking with it. “I know you think I hate you, but I don’t. I didn’t mean for you to be hurt.”

I stood for a moment, processing. “You?” I finally accused. “It was you in the bushes? You scared my grandma? You got us into this mess?” I shrieked.

He motioned for me to lower my voice and I exploded. “No! Why would you do that? I did what you asked, I took you seriously and I broke up with Jordan!” Rage radiated from within me in hot, ugly waves.

He grabbed my hand and held it between his two enormous ones. He was trying to soothe me and was completely failing. “Bixby, I had to be sure you stayed away. I thought if you blamed Jordan for this you would. I didn’t know you would find your own way back to our world.”

“I don’t really think getting smashed in the head and knocked out by some asshole really counts as ‘finding my own way’,” I snarled, snatching my hand from his.

He took a tiny breath. “I’m sorry.”

“Apology not accepted,” I hissed. “Now get out.”

His bizarre eyes met mine again and the sadness in them thawed my anger a little. “I think you little ones get enough hurt heaped on already. I wouldn’t try to add to that. I went about things the wrong way, and I
am
sorry.”

I had no idea what to say to his bizarre little speech so said nothing. When I blinked he was gone.

Chapter Four

C
lass was thankfully still in
session when I slipped out of the storeroom door. I snuck silently down the dark quiet halls, praying no one would see me. I breathed a little prayer of thanks when I finally slipped into the girls shower room. It was empty and I made my way to the mirrors. My jaw dropped when I saw my reflection. Not only were there new coppery waves sprouting from my head but the dark bags under my eyes were gone and my skin was flawless. My shining eyes were rimmed by thick lashes again and my eyebrows were perfect.

And there was something more, something that wasn’t quite seen. My reflection made me uneasy, as if I wasn’t quite human, wasn’t quite safe.

The slam of the door broke me from my fearful thoughts. I raced to hide in the dormitory but was stopped by a shout.

“Bixby!” Minnie called. Panic filled my heart and I froze, too scared to turn around. “Bixby, oh my gosh, I was looking for you everywhere. I thought for sure …” she trailed off in puzzled silence. “Well, I don’t know what I thought had happened, but I was worried.”

Her small, warm hand touched my back and I turned around with my face down.

“Bixby,” she breathed. “What did you do to your hair?”

I opened my mouth but no words came.

“Did you dye it?” Minnie wondered aloud. My panic receded a tiny bit. “Or cut it?” She pulled her fingers through a copper curl that wasn’t there an hour before. “Well, whatever. I’m glad you’re okay.”

I risked a glance up at her and she pulled back. I watched her eyes dart over my features and her little pink tongue lick the corner of mouth like she always did when nervous. But she just looked, and then met my eyes and smiled. “Anyway, you better hope they didn’t miss you in class, you know how they are about—”

“Student seven sixteen!” blared out of the antique bullhorn on the wall.

We both jumped and Minnie grabbed my hand.

“You’re not skipping, are you?” I asked.

“No, I’m in the bathroom,” she said with a little grin. “Are you going to be okay?”

“Sure, it’s not like they can beat me, right?” But my heart was slamming painfully against my ribs and doubt flooded in. They had to know something or they wouldn’t be calling me. Was I the last one seen with Clint? Did they already know he was gone? Hope bloomed in my chest before I could squash it. Or maybe it wasn’t bad; maybe my dad had finally come to get me.

On shaky legs I ran to meet the guard at the cafeteria door once again. He jumped a little when he saw me and looked me up and down with an ugly scowl before roughly motioning for me to follow him. I expected to go to one of the little offices I usually met Sophie in but to my surprise he deposited me outside the headmaster’s office. My knees were slamming together as I imagined every possibility of being called to this curious meeting. I raised my hand several times to knock but chickened out. As I steadied myself to knock one more time, the door snapped open and I jumped back.

“Bixby,” Sophie greeted me with a tight-lipped grin. Was this her trying to be friendly? And why was she here?

“Hi,” I squeaked out, my mouth suddenly dry. Behind her sat the headmaster at her desk and two older women in the expensive seats in front of it. Everyone was peering at me like I was some sort of unusual specimen.

The silence lengthened as the two new women inspected me, one curiously and one with a sour expression. The headmaster finally broke the silence. “Well, take a seat,” she said, exasperated. Sophie shot her a look, as if to say, “See? She’s terrible.”

I cautiously sat down in the only free seat, next to the women I didn’t know.

“I expect you know why you’re here,” Sophie said, snatching some papers up from the desk.

I began to sweat. How could they already know about Clint? Did they think I had something to do with it? I was going to kill Jordan even if I had to knock myself out first to do it.

“I’m not sure,” I hedged.

The kinder looking woman with the dark hair wound around her head gave a little laugh. “Well, it’s not like she’d recognize us, she hasn’t seen her since she was a little girl.”

I stared, taking in their faces. The other woman had lighter hair streaked with grey wound around her head in the same fashion as the other. They were thin and probably taller than me. They each had on a simple, single color dress.

I had no idea who they were.

I gave them a hesitant smile but it was met with blank stares. My relief over not being dragged in to explain Clint’s disappearance faltered. “Sorry, I don’t know you.”

Sophie sighed. “These are your great-aunts; they’ve come to collect you.”

I looked from Sophie to the women. “Uh, I don’t have any aunts.”

“
Great
-aunts.” She glanced down at the papers in her hand. “From your mother’s side.”

I shook my head. “My grandma only had brothers.”

“From your grandfather’s side then,” the more severe looking woman snapped. As if it didn’t make a difference. I started to shake my head but Sophie swooped down on me.

“Take a look for yourself,” Sophie said, shoving the papers in my hand.

I looked at the first one, and then shuffled to the second, third and fourth. Cold sweat began beading on my forehead. “These are blank,” I said slowly.

They all stared at me and I stared back, wondering what was going on but pretty sure I already knew.

Sophie let out an agitated huff and rolled her eyes. “Seriously Bixby, is there any moment in time where you aren’t trying to make trouble?” she snapped. The headmaster just sat back and listened, nodding.

I turned to the two women in the plain dresses. “I’m sorry, I don’t know you, we’re not related, I think someone may be trick—”

“Can we have a moment with her?” the dark-haired woman asked. The two women looked so similar I was having a hard time telling one from the other.