Eye of the Storm (The Charmed) (13 page)

“Uh, kids?”

Harley and Brendan pulled apart but didn’t let go of one another.

“It appears we have bigger problems.” He motioned toward Brendan’s arm. An intricate series of black sharp lines wove around his left arm from wrist to shoulder. It was easy to tell where they stopped because he was wearing a tank top. Brendan raised his arm, his face paled at the site.

Harley looked at her right arm and gasped. The same marks were woven around hers as well. Harley began to shake. Brendan scooped her up in his arms and sat on the bed, cradling her on his lap.

Jaden looked at his father, “Dad, what do your books say about that?”

Mr. M scratched his new beard, took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes, then replaced them. “It’s what they don’t say that worries me.”

C
hase and Lyla walked down the mountain carefully. Lyla was still weak from being first hit with a spell and then put under by one and drained. “Chase, we have to stop.” Lyla held onto a tree and slid to the ground.

Chase walked over to her. Her face was more pale than usual. He sat next to her and picked up her right hand in his left. Their lines matched perfectly again. Lyla laid her head on Chase’s shoulder.

“People are coming, aren’t they?” Lyla questioned.

“Yes”

“How much time do you think we have?”

“Probably an hour, most likely there was someone in the area keeping an eye on this place. I don’t know. I’m so tired.” He looked down at her. He ached to kiss her but worried how fragile she was.

She saw the worry flit across his face and smiled. “I won’t break, Chase.”

“How did you know what I was thinking?”

She smiled brighter this time to the point of sparkling. Chase knew at that moment she would be okay. He leaned in and kissed her and after a few moments pulled away and pressed his forehead against hers. “God, I’ve missed you.” A pain snaked its way down each of their arms shocking them apart. “What was that?”

Lyla was holding her arm. “I don’t know!”

Chase pulled his sleeve up the marks were moving, slithering along his arm. Lyla pulled her arm forward and witnessed the same. They watched their arms until the marks finally died down and stopped altogether. They were both breathing heavy. Chase leaned against the tree and stared up at the sky. “So help me, if that happens every single time I kiss you, I’m going to be pissed.”

H
arley, Brendan, Kayla and Jaden were all sitting around the dining room table back at Jaden’s house. Mr. M was in talking to Harley’s dad about what happened. Harley looked up at Brendan. “So, do we have to go through the same thing as Lyla and Chase?”

Brendan looked over at Jaden.

“You were around Chase when this happened to him, what do we have to do?”

Jaden swallowed hard. “I’ll tell you what happens. Once the marks complete, you’ll have two hours to marry and uh, consummate before…”

“Yeah, death. I know.” Harley looked out the window.

Brendan let go of Harley’s hand and walked out of the room. He opened the slider and walked into the garden. This summer was a muggy one no matter what time of day it was. He sat in the rose garden on a bench. Harley came up and sat quietly next to him.

“Brendan, what’s wrong?”

He turned to her but she couldn’t read his features, so she waited patiently.

Brendan took a box out of his pants pocket, he looked down at it. “I’ve always loved you Harley. When we broke up I was nearly destroyed by it.” He waited a beat. “I think there was a part of me that held out hope my parents would come around, then I would know it was okay, that we could be together.” He was silent again. “I’m ashamed it took a battle for me to realize it doesn’t matter what they think, that you’ve always been the one I wanted and now, I don’t give a shit what they think. They tried to hurt you.” He took a hand and rubbed his face with it. “I bought this ring the first day I met you. At the time I didn’t know why I had to have it. Now I realize my heart knew what my head didn’t, that you’re mine. You always will be. Harley, will you marry me?”

Harley drew her breath in quick. Tears sprang to her eyes. She put a hand to her mouth to stop from crying. Brendan wrapped her up in his arms. She cried for a while until he could hear her giggling. Pulling back to look at her she smiled up at him. “Yes Brendan, I will.” Her smile was lighting her eyes up. Brendan pulled her fiercely to his chest and kissed her passionately.

Kayla and Jaden didn’t mean to be voyeurs but they couldn’t help it. They were at the kitchen table, overlooking the rose garden where the two were sitting. Kayla looked over at Jaden. “Ever feel like everyone around you is figuring out their life while you’re still a mess?” Kayla didn’t wait for an answer. She got up and walked out of the room.

Jaden looked after her. Sadness crept into his bones, an ache that was starting to feel cold. He had made leaps and bounds with Kayla this summer but they had a long way to go. He looked back over at Brendan and Harley, still making out. Yep, he thought to himself. A long, long, way to go.

W
ithin the next few hours, Mr. M and Harley’s father had worked a plan out. Mr. M had also eased James pain of withdrawal considerably by placing a talisman around his neck that would absorb any negative energy left over from a decade long spell. The entire house reconvened in the kitchen around the table where Kayla had busied herself prepping sandwiches for everyone.

Harley and Brendan smiled from ear to ear and whispered in each other’s ears things nobody wanted to hear. Kayla looked over at them. There was something really annoying about how happy they were. Kayla lost her appetite and pushed her plate away from her. Harley and Brendan were completely oblivious to the tension through the room.

James McGillicuddy was last to come to the table. He walked on shaky legs and pulled up a chair next to Harley. Before he sat down, he extended a hand to Brendan. Brendan looked up shocked, extended his hand to shake the elders hand.

“I know it was your parents who did this to me.” Brendan started to pull his hand back but the older man held on tight with a surprisingly strong grip. “I also know you are nothing like them. You’ve been at my daughter’s side through all of this without judgment. I want to thank you and welcome you to our family.”

You could have heard a pin drop. Harley began to cry, Kayla turned from the table and Mr. M smiled from ear to ear. Things progressed fast after that. The marks were almost complete on them. And Chase and Lyla were still missing.

“I’ve heard some rumblings.” Mr. M held the table’s attention. “A safe house has been destroyed in Tennessee.” Gasps were heard around the table. “I don’t know what it means but I do know we have to get there as fast as possible. We will have to leave by Friday.”

Harley’s face scrunched up. “Why not tonight or tomorrow?”

Mr. M looked Harley directly in the eyes, “Because we have a wedding ceremony to perform.” Harley blushed, putting a hand to her face.

Brendan smiled. “Not too often Harley’s taken by surprise. What do we need to do?”

“We need space. I don’t think being under the microscope here will benefit anyone. Kayla’s parents are still gone so she’s been kind enough to let us use that house. The spells on it have been stripped by someone, we’ll go over tonight.”

Harley shot Mr. M a quick look. “Tonight?”

Mr. M looked at his watch. “Yep, in about an hour actually. Why don’t you two go get packed?”

“So soon?”

Mr. M leveled his gaze at Harley. “Chase and Lyla didn’t have the benefit of time, they almost died. I’d prefer to not go that route.” Mr. M stood and walked out of the room.

Brendan looked over at Jaden. “Dude, was it horrible?”

Jaden stood. “Worse than horrible. At the end of the ceremony, they had forty-five minutes before death. It sucked to know that and not be able to help.” Jaden followed his father to prepare for the ceremony.

“Harley, I picked something up for you.” Kayla motioned for Harley to follow her. They went into the bedroom and there on the bed was an elegant dress in white.

“Oh, Kayla! It’s beautiful!”

Kayla beamed. “I was hoping you’d like it. Try it on!”

Harley picked up the delicate dress and fingered the beads and embroidery and ran to the bathroom.

Jaden walked into Kayla’s house with all the items they used for Chase and Lyla’s ceremony. He was wary about the house, knowing what had transpired here every year of Kayla’s life. He looked around the home. There was nothing to be done for it, they needed a place to go and this place was empty. They both walked through the home clearing the negative energy and invoking the spells necessary to perform the marriage. They prepared a spare room off the living room that was hidden from view behind a fake bookcase door. Kayla had explained how to get in, apparently she had spent more time than she liked holed up in there while her parents were away. When everything was done, they called for the two lovebirds.

Kayla couldn’t bear going into the house again. She stayed behind while everyone went over. Jaden’s house was quiet finally. She wandered through the house and found herself in Jaden’s room. She didn’t know why, her heart had been for Chase for so long it felt strange to think of Jaden. But here she was, walking in without permission. He kept his room somewhat tidy. She chalked that up to having only a father. With only two of them, everyone had to pull their weight. She walked over to his dresser; it was tall but had a mirror attached. Slid into the sides were pictures, one with he and Chase as kids in a go-kart, another where he looked to be ten with his father. An old picture of his mother in high school; she had been a cheerleader. Jaden looked more like his mother, she thought to herself. The same eyes and smile, the cheekbones and nose were his dad. She put the picture back. She was about to turn away when another snapshot caught her eye. The photo had two pictures taped together, both of her. One when she was five; she remembered the dress. It was red on the bodice and flared out in a white overlay to her knees. She thought of the occasion she had met Jaden for the first time. The smile was a bit sad having had her innocence taken from her just that year. The second picture was from last year at school. She sat alone frequently but this picture was even sadder. She saw herself looking far away like something was on her mind. Kayla could hear a key in the lock and hastily ran out of Jaden’s room to the hallway.

Mr. M, Mr. McGillicuddy and Jaden walked through the front door smiling.

Kayla peeked around the corner. “That was fast.” Kayla stepped out of the hall to greet them near the front room.

Jaden smiled. “It is, the ceremony just takes a few minutes. We’ll go back tomorrow morning to finish it up.”

Mr. M walked up to Kayla and patted her on the shoulder. “Too bad you weren’t there, even though it was quick, you couldn’t see two happier people.”

“It was beautiful.” Harley’s dad sat down on a nearby chair. “I thought I would hate the boy but it’s impossible. Harley has him wrapped around her little finger, she’s so much like her mother.” He stared off into another time.