 
# Enchanted Chaos

## (Enchanted Detectives Series, Book 1)

## Jessica Sorensen
Enchanted Chaos

Jessica Sorensen

All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2018 by Jessica Sorensen

This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.

No part of this book can be reproduced in any form or by electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without the permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer who may quote short excerpts in a review.

Any trademarks, service marks, product names or names featured are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if we use one of these terms.

* * *

For information: jessicasorensen.com

Cover Design by MaeIDesign

  Created with Vellum

# Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

About the Author

Also by Jessica Sorensen

# Chapter 1

I've always had a pretty normal life. Well, except for maybe the fact that my emotions tend to cause... strange things to happen. Despite that, my life hasn't been too terrible. Is it perfect? No, not at all. But, is anything really perfect?

Still, imperfections and all, saying goodbye to the life I lived for the last seventeen years hasn't been easy. I'm not ready to let go yet, not ready to accept what everyone keeps telling me. That my parents are gone. That no one has a clue as to where they disappeared. That they might not come back.

I've heard rumors around town that they could be dead. That maybe they got into trouble with the wrong people and were murdered. That they overdosed on drugs. I refuse to accept any of those theories, even though my parents did have a knack for getting in trouble.

_They'll be fine. I know they will._

_I'm not going to say goodbye yet_.

_This is only temporary. Your parents will either be found or come back. Don't freak out, Sky._

_Just stay calm._

_Reach a state of Zen._

_If you don't, bad things will happen._

Unfortunately, my friends are freaking out, which is complicating my attempt at reaching a state of Zen.

We're parked at the town park with the windows rolled down, although the temperature is pushing below freezing. But it's either freeze our asses off or let Nina, my best friend since grade school, get grounded for stinking up her mom's car with cigarette smoke. Again.

"This fucking sucks." Nina takes a drag off her cigarette. Wisps of her short, blonde hair blow in her face as she balances the cigarette between her lips while zipping up her jacket. "Can't you just keep living in your house or something? You're a senior in high school, for fuck's sake—you're old enough to take care of yourself."

Gage, my other BFF, rolls his eyes then tugs his beanie lower onto his head. "That's not how it works, hon. They have laws and shit." He leans over the console and steals the cigarette from her.

Gage doesn't consider himself a smoker because he never lights up or buys packs, always bumming off half-lit ones from other people. But if he actually took the time to add up all those half cigarettes he inhales, it'd probably tally up to more than Nina's half a pack a day. Telling him that is a moot point, though.

Gage thinks what he thinks, and there's no changing his mind. I like that about him. He does what he wants, speaks his opinions, and doesn't care what other people think. Part of me wishes I could be like him—more outspoken, bolder, less self-conscious. Unfortunately, I don't usually speak up when I'm surrounded by more than a couple of people. I blame this partly on being an only child. I never really learned how to deal with large groups and the chaos that comes with it. Then again, Nina is an only child, too, and she's about as blunt as they come, so maybe it's just me.

Or maybe it's the fact that being surrounded by people means I have less control over my emotions, which can lead to very bad things.

Very, _very_ bad things.

"Maybe if you talk to a lawyer, you can figure out a way to get guardianship of yourself," Nina suggests while restlessly flicking her lighter on and off.

"It's called emancipation." Gage relaxes back in the seat with the cigarette between his fingers. "And Sky might've been able to do that if her parents didn't have a will that gave guardianship over her to someone else. But they do, so..." He frowns.

The two of them have been bummed out for a few days now, ever since I announced the news that I had to move to another town to live with some family that my dad was apparently close to, although I've never met them.

I'm not thrilled about the relocation, but the lawyer in charge of my parents' will made it pretty clear that I don't have a choice. Even if I did, I can't afford the rent to keep living at my parents' house. So, not only am I moving, but I have to pack up the house and put everything in a storage unit. The real shitty part is my parents have only been missing for a couple of weeks, and I'm supposed to just what? Pack up and move to a town over three hours away? How can I keep searching for them if I'm not here in Honeyton? Plus, this is where I grew up. Honeyton is all I know and leaving it behind is freaking me out. But, in typical Skylin fashion, I've kept a lot of my worry bottled up.

My mom used to tell me, if I didn't stop doing that, one day I was going to have a panic attack. I wanted to tell her that, if I ever did have one, the whole town might ignite in to flames. But, since she isn't aware of my supernatural ability that is attached to my emotions, I've always kept my lips zipped.

"Her parents haven't even been found dead yet," Nina grumbles as she reaches for her pack of cigarettes on the dashboard. Then she suddenly pauses, her worried gaze flicking to me. "Sky, I'm so fucking sorry. That was totally insensitive."

I zip up my leather jacket and prop my boots up on the dash, remaining calm. Because calm is easier than actually feeling what I feel. "You're fine." I hug my arms around myself as the winter air seeps into my bones. "My parents aren't dead, just missing. I tried to point that out to the lawyer, but he said I didn't have a choice. My parents have a will, and that will states that, until I'm eighteen, if anything should happen to them, I have to go live with these Everettson people." I rest my head against the headrest and take a deep breath to steady my heart rate. "What I don't get is why they put these people on the will when I've never even met them before."

Gage inhales from the cigarette. "Aren't you related to them?"

I shake my head. "No. The father is supposedly my dad's best friend. But, how can they be that great of friends if I've never even heard of him?"

It's been bugging me since the lawyer told me. Why would my parents decide to leave me with people I don't know? Then again, the only remaining relative still alive is my mom's sister, who I haven't ever met. From what I understand, she currently lives at some mountain retreat with a bunch of middle-aged, free-spirited people who believe in a simplistic lifestyle. When my mom told me this, I stated that it sounded an awful lot like a cult. She only laughed and patted my head, saying, "One day, you'll understand why not everyone wants to live in this modern day, technology-driven world." Maybe she was right, but right now, I can't even imagine parting with my cell phone or laptop.

"Don't you have someone you're related to that you can go live with?" Gage asks, flicking the cigarette out the window.

I shut my eyes, the chilly air burning my lungs, but inside, I feel a hot spark in the center of my chest.

_Shit._

_Calm the fuck down, Sky._

I gradually exhale. "Just my aunt. But I... I don't even know how to get a hold of her or I would've tried already." I would've tried the day I realized my parents weren't coming back from the bar.

They had told me they were going to go out for a while to get a couple of drinks at the bar a few blocks down from our neighborhood. That was nothing new. My parents usually spent Saturday nights drinking there with their friends.

They left around nine o'clock at night, and I fell asleep around midnight. When I woke up around ten the next morning, their bed was empty and still made, which I thought was odd but not completely out of the ordinary. There had been a couple of times when they'd gotten too drunk and passed out at a friend's house. And sometimes they'd take off for a few days to go on road trips, but they usually checked in when they did that.

Around three o'clock on Monday, after two days of not hearing from them, I started making calls to everyone I could think of. No one had seen them since early Saturday morning. Not even at the bar.

When I realized they'd never made it to the bar, I panicked, which led to a fire erupting in the middle of the living room. After I put it out, I took a few shots of vodka to calm the hell down. Then I called the police.

It was another twenty-four hours, three exploding light bulbs, and two small fires before I could fill out a police report. My emotions had been all over the place that night, along with my ability. In fact, I hadn't felt so out of control since I was six years old and discovered my emotions set off elemental-related reactions—fire, wind, water, ice, etc.

No one knows about my ability, not even my friends. If someone did find out, I might end up becoming a lab rat for scientific experiments or be put into a psych ward, which is part of the reason I'm so worried about moving in with a strange family. The change might disrupt my emotions too much... and my ability right along with it.

But the only way I can get out of moving in with them is if my parents just simply return home or the police find them. The latter seems unlikely since, so far, the police have only asked around town and did a quick search through the house. None of the evidence they found indicated any signs of foul play.

I overheard an officer telling another officer that he thought my parents had just bailed on me. When I told him he was wrong, he looked at me with pity and said, "Kid, as much as I hate to say this, you might not know your parents as well as you think you do. A lot of kids don't."

I got what he was saying, but that doesn't mean I believe him. Sure, I live on the other side of the railroad tracks, the lower-class area of Honeyton where the drug and crime rates are higher, but that doesn't mean my parents would just bail on me.

They're decent enough parents. They have jobs. They put a roof over my head and food on the table. And yeah, they aren't home a lot, but they'd never just leave me.

Knowing that doesn't make me feel any better, though, because it means something bad has more than likely happened to them.

I suck in a breath as tears sting my eyes and ice begins to spiderweb across the windshield.

_Crap. I need to calm down._

_Calm down, Sky. Calm down now!_

I inhale another deep breath, then another, and the ice crackling finally ceases.

"Earth to Sky." Gage waves his hand in front of my face.

I tense, worried he noticed the ice on the windshield. "Yeah?"

"You seriously spaced out for, like, five minutes straight."

"Sorry," I apologize, breathing in relief. "I was just thinking about stuff."

Gage and Nina trade a concerned look, and then Nina's gaze zeroes in on me. "You know what I think we need?"

"A time machine so I can fast-forward six months into the future to when I turn eighteen?" I crack a joke.

She cranks up the defroster. "Nope. Although, that'd be awesome."

"Yes, it would." I straighten in the seat and lower my feet to the floorboard, watching the ice on the windshield melt away. "So, what do we need?"

She gives me a sly smile. "What's the one thing that you've been wanting to do but have never had the balls to go through with?"

As I figure out what she means, I hastily shake my head. "Nope, not going to do it."

"Aw, come on, Sky." She taps the steering wheel with her palm. "This might be your last chance."

"Yeah, the last chance to humiliate myself." The last thing I need right now is to set off my emotions.

She steers onto the icy road and toward the center of town. "You won't know that until you try."

"I may not know how it'll go down, but I have a pretty good idea of how it'll end." I roll up my window and recline back in my seat. "With me talking to him and then looking like a loser when he laughs in my face."

She pops the end of a cigarette into her mouth and signals for me to light it for her. "Dude, Grey so messed up your head."

I pick up the lighter and flick it on. "This isn't about Grey." That might be a lie.

Truthfully, I'm not sure if I'm just shy around guys or if Grey's overdramatic rejection of my dance invite—Nina's idea, not mine—in eighth grade permanently dented my self-esteem. And when I say overdramatic rejection, I mean he turned me down for the dance by standing up on the lunchroom table in front of the entire eighth grade and announced it to everyone. Even worse, I reacted by crying, which resulted in the pipes bursting and the entire school flooding.

_Yeah, thanks for that, Grey._

Still, I can't blame my lack of a dating life completely on him.

Dating sometimes leads to falling for someone, which can lead to heartbreak which, in my case, can then lead to what I can only guess would be flashfloods and wildfires. I mean, look at what happened with Grey. I barely knew him at the time and his rejection caused my ability to flood the entire school.

Of course, it doesn't help that after Grey turned me down, he's spent years relentlessly tormenting me, along with his friends. While I try to avoid him as much as possible and he generally doesn't bother me when I'm around Nina and Gage, there have been a couple of incidents where he's tormented me to the point where I've lost control over my ability and disaster soon followed.

As for the guy Nina wants me to talk to right now, I'm unsure if he's an asshole or a nice guy, since I know nothing about him, not even his name or if he even lives in Honeyton. The only thing I do know is he visits the auto shop on the corner of Main Center Street and Winter Mourning Road every Friday evening around four o'clock, right when I'm heading home from school. I'm not certain what he does there or how long he stays there, just that he goes there. That's it. Well, that and he's extremely good-looking and mysterious, but the latter might only be because of my lack of information on him.

"You know Grey's a jerk, right? He's a cocky, arrogant douchebag who loves to humiliate women." She inhales then exhales a cloud of smoke. "Do you know how many times I've heard him putting down a girl or slut-shaming them? He's probably done it to at least half the girls in our school."

I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. "I already told you this isn't about Grey."

She removes the cigarette from her lips and gives me a disbelieving look. "Do you understand, though, that Grey's just an ass? Because, if you did understand that, I think you'd be more willing to do this."

Gage squeezes my shoulder. "Don't listen to her. If you don't want to do it, don't." He reclines back in the seat. "Don't let her use her peer pressure bullshit on you."

She throws him a glare from over her shoulder. "I'm not trying to peer pressure her. I just think talking to this guy might be easier for her if she understands that she'll never have to see him again. And it might help her get over her fear of rejection." She looks at me. "But, if you don't want to, just tell me to shut the fuck up."

"Shut the fuck up," I say with a small smile. Deep down, I know she has a point.

Ever since the fiasco with Grey, I've been afraid and have never dated anyone. I've never even kissed a guy.

Besides, I could use the distraction from the constant worrying of where the hell my parents are. And the emotions attached to that worry. As long as I don't panic while talking to this guy, everything should be okay. What would I even have to panic about? Nina is right. I'll never see him again.

"You know what? Let's do it." I glance at the clock. "If we leave now, we should get there right as he's showing up."

"Really?" Nina perks up.

I nod. "Yeah, really."

"Awesome." Grinning, she steers the car toward the shop.

I grin back, but my stomach kickflips. God, I really hope I can keep my shit together for this.

# Chapter 2

"Maybe this was a stupid idea," I mutter as Nina pulls into the auto body shop's parking lot a couple of spaces away from his 1968 Chevelle.

Usually, I only see the mysterious stranger when we're driving home from school. The first time I spotted him was a couple of months ago when I was walking home. Nina had been sick that day, and Gage had afterschool detention.

The distance from my school to home is about five miles, and I had decided to trek on foot instead of suffering through a bus ride and dealing with the mess of emotions that comes with that. I don't mind walking, but I'd worn uncomfortable shoes that day and was cursing my decision. But then I had spotted the mystery guy and was sort of glad I had opted to walk, even if my boots were dirty, evil bastards that made my feet bleed.

As a fan of classic cars, his vehicle was what drew my attention first. But then he had climbed out of the car, and I immediately became distracted by him.

Tall and lean with short, dark hair, he wore all black, a chain dangled from his belt loop, and he had a couple of tattoos inked on his arms. Even from afar, I could tell he was good-looking, but that wasn't what made me keep watching him.

It was the way he rounded to the back of his car, leaned against the trunk, and lowered his head into his hands, as if he was crying. I started to feel awful for him.

I might have stuck around and struck up a conversation to see if he was okay, if Grey hadn't driven by and shouted something foul at me.

After that, I hightailed my ass home.

I thought I'd never see the stranger again, but then, the next Friday, his car was parked at the auto body shop again.

It became like clockwork after that. Every single Friday, his car is at the shop and sometimes he's standing out by it. I don't know who he is or why he goes there. While he looks around my age, he doesn't go to my school, so he either graduated already, dropped out, or he lives somewhere else.

"You need to throw up before you do this?" Nina asks as she shuts off the engine. "You look pale as shit."

"Shit's not pale." I grin nervously as I sit up straight in the seat and peer out the window at his car, trying to keep a grasp on my nervousness. _He's just a guy. Chill out, Sky. You're never going to see him after this_. "He's not even out here."

Nina reaches for her phone. "So, we wait then."

"Doesn't that seem sort of stalker-ish?" I flip down the visor and examine my reflection.

My long, wavy brown hair is swept messily to the side and looks like I just ran a mile in a windstorm. My kohl eyeliner is smudged, and my lips are chapped. Where my makeup is minimal, my piercings stand out; a stud above my lip and a series of earrings trim my ears. My outfit consists of a leather jacket, a plaid shirt over a black shirt, and torn jeans tucked into a pair of clunky boots. Nothing that screams, _hey, look how sexy I am_. Then again, dressing up has never been my style. I like grungier, edgy clothes, and usually wear dark colors.

"You look great," Nina assures me. "You always do."

"I look like a hot mess, but thanks for saying that." I flip up the visor and crinkle my nose as a thought occurs to me. "What if he's short?" My long legs put me taller than the average guy, and since I prefer a guy taller than me, it makes finding one difficult. Not that I've tried. "I mean, I've seen him from a distance, and he seems like he's not. But, what if I get out and he's like only up to here?" I hold my hand flat below my chin.

"Then I guess..." She trails off as her gaze drifts out the windshield. "Well, if that's him, then I don't think the short thing is going to be a problem."

I track her gaze to the mysterious guy I've been obsessed with for the last couple of months. He's standing beside his car with his attention fixed on his phone, and when my eyes settle on him, the sky grumbles with thunder.

_Calm down. He's just a guy._

"That's him, right?" Nina asks, glancing at me.

I nod, my pulse accelerating. This is as close as I've been to him, and I realize he's better looking than I thought. Too good looking.

_Way out of my league._

Another boom of thunder that matches the quickening of my heart.

Shit, this was a really bad idea. I need to get out of here.

"I changed my mind." I reach to refasten the seatbelt. "I can't do this."

"Oh, come on, Sky," Nina gripes. "We drove all the way over here."

"From two miles away," I gulp as the auto body shop sign flashes on and off.

"Yeah? So? It was still out of our way." She turns to me with a stern look on her face. "You've been obsessed with this guy for months now, and this might be your last chance to talk to him."

"You act like I'm never coming back to Honeyton." I swallow down a shaky breath. "This move... it's only temporary. As soon as my parents are found, I'm coming back. And I plan on visiting you guys, and I was hoping you'd visit me. I don't—can't lose you two. Not with everything going on..." Tears burn my eyes, but I suck them back.

_Chill out. Breathe._

Her expression softens. "I know." She grips the steering wheel. "Fuck, I'm the shittiest friend ever."

"No, you're not," I assure her. "In fact, you might be one of the best."

She slightly relaxes. "Yeah?"

I nod. "Yeah."

"I'm trying not to feel left out here," Gage remarks from the back seat, "but what about me?"

I smile at him. "You're pretty awesome, too."

He smiles but then frowns. "You know we're going to visit you, right? We won't let you go through this alone."

"Plus, you have all the good shoes, so I'll have to visit at least to borrow them," Nina jokes, but her eyes start to tear up. "I'm really going to miss your jokes and shitty pep talks."

"And I'm really going to miss your bitchiness and dirty jokes." Tears flood my eyes, and even though I try to fight them back, a few escape down my cheeks.

When rain begins drizzling from the sky, I curse my ability. Seriously, it's bad enough just to have a strange, supernatural ability, let alone one that's like a surprise grab bag. I never know what's going to happen with it, whether my tears will cause floods, rainstorms, fires, or electricity to go haywire. If I could just figure out why I have the ability to begin with, perhaps it wouldn't be too terrible. But I've tried countless times to find info on it with absolutely zero results.

As rain trickles from the clouds, the mysterious stranger glances up at the sky. His brows knit before he goes back to staring at his phone, letting the rain drip down on him.

Nina traces her fingers underneath her watery eyes. "I don't want to say goodbye."

"Me neither." I blink back the tears and exhale slowly. And just like that, the rain stops.

The moment is pretty heavy for Nina and I—like me, she keeps emotions bottled up a lot—so when Gage sniffles in the back seat, we both seize the distraction.

"Aw, look, we broke Gage," Nina teases with a wicked grin.

He turns his head, discreetly wiping his eyes. "You didn't break me. I have something in my eye."

She snorts a laugh. "Okay." But her laughter fades as she looks back at me. "Look, if you don't want to talk to this guy, then say the word and I'll leave, okay? But I just have to say one final thing first." She holds up a finger. "You've been scared of guys forever, but this can be your chance to get over that fear." She nods at the guy. "You're probably never going to see him again. Whatever happens, good or bad, is going to end here. He won't be able to pull a Grey on you. He's not going to humiliate you at school." Her hand falls to her lap. "You're never going to get good at talking to guys until you start actually talking to them. That's generally how things work in life."

I let her words sink. She has a point. This issue I have with guys—with people in general—is always going to remain unless I rip off the Band-Aid and learn how to keep my shit together while I'm around others. I've done it with Nina and Gage for years now. Perhaps it's time to branch out. And what better way to start than to strike up a conversation with a guy who I'll never see again? It can be like practice.

"You know, for someone who can't make up their mind about anything, you're awfully good at helping others do it." Blowing out a breath, I reach for the door handle.

She perks up. "So, you're gonna do it?"

My palms are so fucking sweaty. "Yeah, I'm going to do it."

Grinning, she reaches for her pack of cigarettes. "Damn, I'm good. I really should start charging an advice fee or something."

Rolling my eyes, I push open the door, then pause. "Wait. What should I say to him?"

She shrugs as she lights up. "Just tell him he has a nice ass or something."

Gage rolls his eyes. "So much for giving good advice."

Nina narrows her eyes at him. "If you're so smart, then what's your advice?"

Gage lifts his shoulders. "Just talk to him about his car."

I raise my brows. "His car?"

Gage shrugs again then steals Nina's cigarette. "He drives a Chevelle and spends a hell of a lot of time at an auto body shop. Clearly, he's into them."

"But I'm not a car expert," I point out as I lower my feet onto the puddled asphalt.

"Yeah, but you like classic cars, enough to know a little bit about them, right?" A cloud of smoke circles his face as he exhales a drag from the cigarette.

_So much for not stinking up Nina's mom's car._

"I guess." I peek up at the sky and the sign to make sure everything seems calm at the moment. When no rainstorms, electrical shortages, or random flames are evident, I climb out.

As I make my way toward him, he doesn't look up from his phone, so he doesn't notice me coming. Probably a good thing since I can barely keep a rein on my nerves.

_Just breathe. You got this._

I take an uneven inhale as I reach him. "Nice car."

He looks up and his gaze scrolls across my body and face. He has these crazy blue eyes. Mine are blue too, but his shade of blue is more vibrant, almost otherworldly, and reminds me of a cloudless sky.

"Thanks." He reverts his attention to his phone.

As impending rejection begins to sting, the puddles below me ripple. I inhale and exhale, then press on for God knows what reason. Probably sheer stupidity.

"What year is it?" I ask, even though I know the answer.

He sighs, clearly annoyed. "A '68."

I open my mouth to ask questions about the engine, but he cuts me off.

"Look, whatever you think is going to happen here, isn't. I'm not interested. And I'm not going to be interested, no matter what you say. So, quit wasting my time and yours." He stuffs his phone into his pocket then hops into his car.

Humiliation burns underneath my skin and ripples through my body, powerful, potent, sharp. While I'm use to the feeling, of rejection, his hurts worse, the sting potently piercing—

A lightning bolt snaps down from the sky and zaps the auto body shop sign, sending sparks shooting everywhere.

The guy glances up with his brows crinkling, glancing from the sign to me. My eyes widen then I reel around and jog back to the car without so much as glancing back.

"Holy shit, did you see that?" Gage's wide-eyed gaze is fixed on the low, lightless sign.

I nod, shutting the door. "The damn rainstorms here are crazy sometimes." I play it off the best I can, but holy crap, this is bad.

"Fuck the lightning." Nina stares at me worriedly. "What happened with him?"

I shrug, sinking lower into the seat, forcing myself to stay composed and refusing to look over at the mysterious stranger. _No more losing control_. "Nothing, other than what I thought would."

"Sky..." Nina says with pity.

"Can we just go?" I beg as I buckle my seatbelt. "It's our last night to hang out together, and I'd rather do something fun than obsess about that asshole. Plus, the storm's getting pretty intense."

As if responding to my words, the wind kicks up, sending leaves scurrying through the air.

Nina glances up at the greying sky then drives forward onto the street.

The three of us remain silent for the next few minutes until Gage finally breaks the silence.

"Sky, you're a beautiful girl, whether you believe so or not." He places a hand on my shoulder. "Guys are just assholes sometimes."

I force a tiny smile. "Thanks for not falling into your gender stereotype."

"And just remember, you never have to see that jerk again," Nina adds in an attempt to cheer me up.

The reminder does make me feel better. Unlike with Grey, the embarrassing encounter will never get thrown in my face again. I can just move on.

_Move on, Sky, move on._

If only things were that easy. But moving on is never easy. Life isn't easy. And the rain pouring from the darkening sky reminds me of that.

Not wanting to be a downer, I do what I've been doing for the last two weeks. I plaster on a fake, shiny smile and pretend everything is okay. Maybe if I keep pretending long enough, I'll start believing it myself, and then the rain, fires, and electricity will finally go away.

# Chapter 3

_Darkness circles me, wrapping around me like snakes. I can't breathe. Can't think. I need to get free, need to protect myself._

_I dig deep inside me, for the first time ever, begging for my powers to manifest._

_Lightning flashes above me and fizzles across my skin, as the wind kicks up, sending darkness swirling through the air. A fire ignites from somewhere. Ice crackles. And then the mysterious stranger appears in the center of the chaos—_

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

_KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK._

The obnoxious noise pulls me from my trippy dream.

"Oh, my God, what the hell is that?" Gage groans from beside my feet.

After the whole disaster with the mysterious stranger yesterday, we decided to spend the night at my house and have one final hurrah before my new guardian shows up to drag me away. I was nervous for half the night as the wind continued to howl and rain flooded the streets, but then Nina got a bottle of whiskey out from my parents' stash and one thing led to another, and then... Well, let's just say I passed out right about when Gage started throwing up.

_KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK._

I try to force my eyelids open, but my entire body feels heavy. "I have no idea what that noise is," I mutter. "But maybe, if we ignore it, it'll self-destruct."

"If it doesn't self-destruct soon, I'm going to destroy it myself," Nina grumbles. "It's making my fucking head hurt."

"You should stop talking. It'll help with the noise a bit." Gage rolls onto his side and accidentally kicks me in the shoulder.

Why his feet are so close to my face is beyond me. Then again, I'm unsure what room we're even in. Or house. For all I know, I could be lying in a car right now.

"Shut the fuck up, Gage," Nina growls.

"Make me," Gage quips through a yawn.

"Guys, I'm too tired and hungover to listen to you two bitch," I intervene before their fight escalates.

_KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK._

"For the love of all sanity," Nina whines, "Sky, please make that noise stop."

Sighing, I pry my eyelids open and take in my surroundings. Relief washes over me that I'm not in the car but lying on the sofa in my living room. Gage is curled up at my feet like a cat with one leg stretched out across me, and Nina is sprawled out on the floor with a mountain of throw pillows surrounding her, along with a half-empty bottle of whiskey and several boxes. The place is a mess, but at least we went out with a bang.

I smile a little at that. But it's a bittersweet smile.

_KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK._

My gaze darts to the door where the annoying noise is coming from there.

I pick up my phone from off the table to check the time.

"Shit. That's probably that Mr. Everettson dude," I mumble as I stumble to my feet.

Combing my hair out of my face, I trip around the mess of pillows, pizza boxes, and the empty beer bottles that I don't even remember drinking and throw open the door. Then I instantly cringe.

Standing on the other side is a tall, middle-aged man with short brown hair, a scruffy beard, and crazy silver eyes. He has on a T-shirt, worn jeans, and worker boots, looking as though he's about to go to work at a construction site. But that's not what has me cringing.

The front yard is covered with fallen tree branches and the grass is so soaked it looks like a swamp. The street isn't any better. Tree branches and large puddles cover the asphalt.

_Lovely, Sky. You destroyed every tree within a mile radius._

"Skylin?" the guy asks with hesitancy.

Tearing my gaze away from the street, I blink at him. "Yeah."

A smile breaks out across his face. "I'm Gabe Everettson. It's so nice to finally meet you." His smile slightly fades. "Although, I wish it were under better circumstances."

A beat of silence passes. My head pounds, and my throat is as dry as my frizzy hair. I want to tell him to leave, that I'm fine living here on my own. That I'm fine.

_Fine. Fine. Fine._

Maybe if I repeat the word in my head enough times, it'll actually come true.

The sky grumbles as if warning me that I need to at least pretend to be fine.

He studies me with his lips pressed together. "Look, we don't know each other, and I can only guess how hard this must be for you, but I promise my family and I are going to do everything in our power to make sure you feel comfortable living with us." He massages the back of his neck while muttering, "I owe your father that much. Maybe even more."

My brows dip. "Owe him for what?"

He drops his hand to his side as a drop of worry flickers in his expression. "For saving my life once."

My brows rise toward my hairline. "My dad saved your life?"

He nods. "He never told you the story?"

I shake my head. "Honestly, up until my parents' lawyer read the will, I didn't know you existed. Or that my parents even had a lawyer. Or a will." My parents have never been the type to plan for the future. Or, at least I thought so. I guess I was wrong.

Maybe that officer was right. Maybe I don't know my parents as well as I thought.

I hastily shove the thought from my mind. No, I knew—know them. They wouldn't just take off and leave me on my own. At least not for this long.

"Yeah, your father and I sort of drifted apart after college," Gabe explains. "But, up until then, we were pretty close. And he did save my life once. If you want, I can tell you the story sometime."

I smash my lips together and nod. "All right."

"Good." He claps his hands together, matching the clapping of thunder. Then his gaze wanders over my shoulder. "Let me get my sons, and then you can show us what you're taking with you and what we're putting in storage, okay?" He turns to walk away.

"Wait... Sons?" My gaze flicks to the truck and trailer parked in the driveway where I can make out two figures inside, one in the back seat and one in the front, but the windows are too tinted to make out faces and ages. "You have kids?"

He stops at the bottom of the stairs and faces me. "Six actually. Six sons. But don't worry; they're not too scary." He smiles, but it looks a bit forced.

Lovely. He's afraid of his own kids.

Being the only child, the idea of living in a house with _six_ other kids, not to mention all guys, just seems straight-up crazy. And emotionally challenging.

"Do they all live with you?"

He nods. "My youngest are seventeen, and my oldest is twenty-one and in college, but he hasn't wanted to move out. Hunter and Holden are in college, too, though Max, the second oldest, isn't. But they all still haven't moved out yet. I blame my wife. She spoils them all too much." He laughs it off, but again, a hint of nervousness edges into his expression.

Considering I have plans with Nina and Gage to move out the moment we graduate and then travel, the idea that even one of his kids wants to stick around after they turn eighteen is mind-boggling. Don't get me wrong; my parents aren't terrible, but I've been taking care of myself since I was old enough to work the stove, so moving out of the house won't be that much different. Nina is the same way. Gage, too. We've practically run wild since we were kids, which is fine—I enjoyed the freedom, for the most part anyway. It's part of the reason I am so agitated that I can't live on my own now.

I can take care of myself. My parents know this. Yet, they decided that, until I'm eighteen, I can't live on my own? That living with some strange family will be better?

I don't want to live with strangers. What I want is for this unsettling feeling of unknowingness that's been plaguing me to go away.

I stare at the road, as if expecting my dad's truck to suddenly appear. It doesn't. But a lamppost flickers on and off.

Blinking a few times, I focus back on Gabe. "How old are your other kids?"

He actually has to think about it. Really, I guess I can't blame him. He has six kids for crying out loud! He probably has a hard time keeping track of them all.

"Porter is twenty-one, Max is twenty, Holden and Hunter are nineteen..." When I pull a funny face, he adds, "They are twins. Identical, too. Can be sort of a problem telling them apart sometimes, but the trick is to never refer to them by their names. That way, they don't know when you've confused them." His eyes glint with humor. "I'm just kidding. Holden actually has a small scar above his right brow. And I brought Easton and Foster with me. They're the youngest and twins, too. Not identical, though. And they're seniors, like you, so they should be able to show you around school and stuff."

"You have _two_ sets of twins?"

He nods then steps forward to pat my shoulder. "I know it's a lot to take in, but trust me; after a while, you'll get used to it."

I bob my head up and down, kind of in shock. Six kids. Two sets of twins. That's eight people in one house. Nine counting me! _Jesus, how big is his house?_

"All right."

He points a finger at me. "You're kind of a quiet one, aren't you?"

I shrug. "Not always, but sometimes." Around people I don't know.

"Well, I don't want to frighten you"—he backs for the porch steps again—"but you might want to consider being a little more outspoken, or the chaos of the Everettson family is going to swallow you up." He smiles then turns around, leaving me with a huge lump of fear wedged in my throat.

Might want to be more outspoken? Yeah, every time I've tried that, I ended up humiliated.

_Zap_. The lamppost on the street sparks.

_Dammit._ I'm already an emotional wreck. Makes me worry how the day's going to end.

As he jogs back to his truck and opens the passenger side door, I step inside and attempt to collect myself. I'm still wearing the plaid shirt and T-shirt I had on yesterday but traded out the jeans for a pair of cut-offs sometime during last night's drunkenness. I smell like beer, whiskey, and stale pizza, just like this living room. Hopefully, Gabe doesn't have issues with the mess or the evidence that I was drinking last night. My parents never cared, just as long as I never drove drunk or got arrested.

Gage sits up on the sofa and rubs his bloodshot eyes. "Who was that?"

I pick up the half-empty bottle of whiskey from off the floor. "Gabe. My... temporary guardian, I guess."

Nina buries her face in a pillow. "Did you tell him to go away?"

"I wish I could." I rotate the bottle in my hand as an unspoken silence blankets over us. "God, I can't believe this is really happening."

"Me neither." Nina sniffles then staggers to her feet and wraps her arms around me. "You have to come back every weekend, and we'll drive out there when you can't come here. And promise that none of our plans will change. We're still moving in together after we graduate, okay?"

I nod, giving her an awkward hug back. "Nothing's going to change. I promise." But I feel like such a liar. Because things are changing.

Everything is changing.

Too quickly.

And I can barely keep up.

As tears threaten to pour out, I start to pull back when Nina abruptly stiffens.

A jolt of static currents through my body. Why are my powers going off right now? I'm fairly collected...

"What the fuck are you doing here?" She crosses her arms as she glares at someone behind me.

"Who are you talking to?" I ask, twisting around.

Then my heart slams against my chest and another burst of static hums through me.

_No. No, no, no, no, no. This can't be happening._

I blink. Then I blink again. I blink so many times my eyes begin to water. Yet, the guy standing in the doorway remains.

The mysterious guy I tried to hit on yesterday.

# Chapter 4

He appears as stupidly dumbstruck as I do—his eyes wide, his expression frozen.

_Well, at least he remembers me._

_Yeah, remembers how he told you to get lost._

_Wait. Do I smell smoke?_

I peer around, silently demanding my anger and embarrassment to simmer down. Luckily, no flames are anywhere, but I still need to get my emotions under grasps.

"So, what are we moving out first?" A guy around my age suddenly steps through the doorway with a smile on his face. He's dressed similar to the mysterious stranger—all in black—but instead of short, dark hair, his hair is chin-length and blond. He also has silvery eyes like Gabe. When he enters, he takes one look at me, Nina, and who I'm assuming is his brother, then frowns. "Aw, hell, Foster. Please don't tell me you've already fooled around with our new sister?"

The shock that had swept across the room rapidly thaws.

"I'm not your sister," I say while the mysterious stranger—Foster—bites out, "I didn't mess around with her, and you know that, asshole." Then his gaze zeroes in on me and his jaw ticks. "And even if I could, she's not might fucking type."

My jaw nearly drops.

_What a fucking asshole._

The blond guy openly checks me out. "Maybe... She's definitely my type, but I'm not really interested either."

Now my jaw nearly ninja-kicks the floor.

Great, they're both assholes. The only difference is Blondie does it with a smile on his face, while Foster just seems irritated. Well, that and I feel more hurt about Foster's rejection. Who the heck knows why. After yesterday, I should be over him—I need to get over him.

My insides coil as Blondie's smirk widens. Then the floor quivers, just slightly, but no one appears to notice. If I don't get my emotions under control, I may start an earthquake. Luckily, Gabe strolls in and deflates the situation with a clap of his hands.

"Have we done introductions yet?" When he notices Nina and Gage, his asks me, "Are these your friends?"

I nod, continuing to glare at Blondie. "Yeah, they stayed over last night to say goodbye."

Gabe's attention drops to the whiskey bottle in my hand, and a frown etches into his face. "I see."

_Great. Am I in trouble?_

Blondie smirks at me while Foster stares at me with his brows arched.

"Well," Gabe starts, shaking the frown away. "How about we get this little moving fest going so we can get you home and let you know all the house rules, okay?"

Awesome. My bet? Rule number one is no drinking.

Gabe starts to walk across the room but then pauses, turning toward Foster and Blondie. "Did you guys introduce yourselves yet?" When they shake their heads, seeming bored, he sighs. "Skylin, this is my son Easton"—he gestures at Blondie who has the audacity to wink at me, then motions to Foster—"and this is Foster."

So, these are the non-identical twins who are my age and who are supposed to show me around my new school. _Lovely._

I force a smile. "My name's Sky. No one really calls me Skylin, except for my mom, and only when she's really pissed off."

Gabe smiles at that, Foster continues to look irritated, and Easton, well, he looks amused, but I have a feeling that might not be a good thing.

"Okay, Sky it is," Gabe interrupts the silence, seeming a bit uneasy as he looks at me. "Why don't you show me everything that needs to go with you, and then what needs to go in storage. That way, we can load up the storage stuff last so we won't have to move all your stuff around.

Nodding, I turn for my parents' bedroom, figuring that's the best place to start. As I pass by Nina, I hand her the whiskey bottle and tell Gage and her to wait a minute before taking off.

After I get done showing Gabe what goes where, he suggests the strangest thing.

"Why don't you go have lunch with your friends and say goodbye," he says. "Foster, Easton, and I can handle getting everything packed and cleaned up."

I peer around the messy house crammed with furniture. "Are you sure? There's a lot of stuff."

He pats me on the shoulder. "With everything you're going through right now, you deserve to say a proper goodbye to your friends."

I nod gratefully, but a drop of uneasiness stirs inside of me.

He acts as though I'm saying goodbye forever, as if he knows my parents are never coming back. But even if my parents don't return—and that's a huge if—I'll eventually come back to Nina and Gage. My time with the Everettsons is only temporary. I know this, so why doesn't Gabe not seem to?

# Chapter 5

Before I leave the house with Nina and Gage to grab a bite to eat, I change out of my smelly clothes, wash my face, comb my hair, and put on the necklace I almost always wear. It was a gift from my mom on my fifth birthday. She told me her sister had once given it to her.

The teardrop-shaped pendant is made out of steel and is supposed to bring the wearer good luck. But, considering how unlucky I've been, I don't buy into the story.

After I get cleaned up, I head out. Easton makes a point to smirk at me again, and Foster simply ignores me.

"Well, they're an... interesting family," Gage comments from the back seat of Nina's car as we drive toward the center of town.

"Interesting?" Nina glances at him in the rearview mirror. "They're a bunch of assholes."

"Gabe doesn't seem too bad," I attempt to find the silver lining in all this.

Maybe the rest of the family will be like Gabe? I sure hope so, or else my time with the Everettsons is going to be all rain clouds, fires, and sporadic lightning zaps.

"Yeah, except for the fact that he looked upset you were holding a bottle of whiskey," Nina reminds me as she pulls into the parking lot of the local burger joint.

"So, he's a normal parent then," Gage chimes in with a shrug. "That might not be that bad."

"Have you ever had a normal parent?" Nina questions, knowing very well he hasn't. "Because my ex-stepfather was like that—all about rules and normalcy—and it sucked ass." She steers into an empty parking space then unbuckles her seatbelt. "I was so glad when my mom divorced him and things went back to normal."

"And by normal, she means she got to return to her evil vixen ways of running wild, drinking, and doing drugs." Gage shares a teasing smile with me as he slides across the seat to get out.

Laughing, I climb out of the car and meet Nina and Gage around back.

"I still can't believe you're going to be living with the guy you've been crushing on for the last couple months," Nina says as we head inside.

" _Was_ crushing on," I clarify, splashing through puddles. "The crush ended the moment he opened his mouth."

"Well, asshole or not, at least you'll have something pretty to look at every day," Nina muses. "That Easton guy was pretty hot, too."

"They're twins," I tell her as I pull open the door.

She grins as she steps inside. "Even better."

Gage and I share an amused look as we follow her in.

"You know she's going to hit on him at least one time, right?" he whispers to me as we wander toward the counter.

"As long as she comes and visits me, I don't really care," I whisper back.

"Are you two bitches talking about me?" Nina grins. "It's cool if you are. Just make sure it's all good things."

A smile touches my lips. Man, I'm going to miss this—miss them. Even on the shittiest days, the two of them can make me smile.

The smile remains on my face as I skim the choices on the menu. I'm dithering back and forth between a hamburger and chicken tenders when Gage lets out a sharp cough.

"Creeper alert at five o'clock," he hisses under his breath.

I casually tilt my head, glancing to my right to see what Gage is yammering about. Standing a little ways to the side of us is a tall man, maybe a few years older than us, with dark eyes and black hair that reaches his chin. He has a scar across his forehead, a series of unrecognizable star patterned symbols branding his neck, and strangely, he is wearing slacks and a button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up and the top button undone. Even businessowners in Honeyton rarely sport suit attire, so he stands out like a ballerina in a mosh pit. What really makes him creepy, though, is the way he's staring at me, as if he's attempting to burn a hole into my head with mind powers or something.

"Do you know him?" Nina glances from the stranger to me.

I shake my head and start to look away when the stranger approaches us. I tense as he nears us, wishing I brought my pepper spray.

"You're that girl moving in with the Everettsons, right?" His voice is shockingly deep.

I feign stupidity because there is no way in hell I'm about to tell him the truth. "Who?"

"Don't lie to me, little girl," he warns, a bit of an accent seeping into his tone. "I know you're moving in with them. I came here to warn you to be careful." He looks at my friends and then leans in and lowers his voice. "They're not who you think they are."

"I have no idea who you're talking about." I resist the urge to gulp as my pulse accelerates and the lights above me flicker on and off.

The stranger glances upward then back at me. He stares at me confusedly as he reaches into his jacket pocket.

Fearing what he could possibly be grabbing, I instinctively step back. But he only retrieves a card.

"When you want to find out the truth, call me." He urges me to take the card.

I keep my hands at my sides. "Look, I don't know who you are, but I'm not sure what you're talking about..."

He drops the card at my feet, spins on his heels, and then strides out the door, glancing at me one final time before walking outside.

"Holy hell," Nina breathes out. "That was beyond creepy."

"Agreed." Gage bends over and picks up the card. "Okay, this just got even creepier."

"What?" I take the card from him, and my brows knit. "It's blank."

"Yeah, I know." Gage scratches his head. "That was really strange, especially how he knew you were moving in with the Everettsons." He looks at me with worry. "Do you think we should call the police and report him?"

"It wouldn't do any good. Technically, he didn't break a law. And considering how interested the police have been in finding my parents, who are _missing_ , yeah, I don't see the point in telling them." I restlessly pat the card against the palm of my hand.

While the entire ordeal with the man was bizarre, the strangest part was when he glanced up at the lights then at me when I made them flicker, as if he knew about my strange ability.

But, how could he possibly know about that when I've never told anyone? How did he know I was moving in with the Everettsons? And what did he mean by the Everettsons aren't who I think they are? I'm not sure, but the whole ordeal has me on edge and really wishing for my parents to return.

# Chapter 6

An hour later, Nina pulls up in front of my house to drop me off. We spend about fifteen minutes hugging and saying goodbye while promising to visit each other every weekend. Then as I'm getting out of the car, they give me a goodbye gift.

"Because I have a feeling you're going to need it," Gage explains as I glance in the gift bag that is full of an assortment of mini bottles he must have stolen from his mom, along with a small, wooden box. "There're a couple of joints in that box, in the false bottom. I'd recommend keeping them in there, too, until you're ready to light up." His gaze travels to the Everettsons' truck in the driveway. "That Gabe guy seemed like he could be pretty strict."

"Yeah, it's definitely going to be interesting living with him." I hug the gift bag against my chest.

"The gifts are from me, too." Nina rummages around in her purse. "But I also got you this." She hands me a small box.

I lift the lid and smile at the gift inside—a silver lighter with my name engraved on it. It's totally a Nina type of gift.

"Thanks, guys."

We sit there silently for a moment and everyone's eyes begin to water. I should get out of the car. I _need_ to get out of the car before my waterworks gets the best of me and the clouds begin to cry as well, ruining all my stuff piled in the back of the Everettsons' truck. But getting out means it's time to go.

_It's time to go, Sky. Get out of the car._

Sucking back tears, I push open the door.

"Best friends forever!" Nina shouts.

We used to say that all the time when we were kids.

"Best friends forever," I repeat then shut the door and walk away, making my way across the grass and toward my house.

Walking away from my old life and toward my new.

"About damn time," Easton says as I wander through the front door and into the living room.

He's sitting on the floor, resting back on his hands, with a soda bottle beside him. He's the only thing in the room, the furniture and boxes now gone.

"You guys got everything out of the living room already?" I ask in surprise.

"And the rest of the house." The corners of his lips tug into a smirk. "We've just been waiting around for your slow ass to get back so we can hit the road."

"But I was only gone for a little over an hour?" I shake my head. No, there's no way they could've cleared out the house already. He has to be screwing with me.

I march back to the bedrooms to check for myself with Easton's snickers chasing after me. As I stick my head in one room after another, I start to wonder if maybe Easton was telling the truth. When I reach the final room—the washroom—I find the answer.

That room, like all the others, has been cleared out.

Confusion tap dances in my head.

How on earth did they get everything out so quickly? Sure, they're three decently sized guys, but my parents had a lot of stuff crammed into the house, along with a few huge pieces of furniture. With how small of a trailer Gabe brought, I thought we were going to have to make a couple of trips to get everything in storage

"Oh, good, you're back," Gabe greets me with a smile as I return to the living room.

Easton is still stretched out across the floor, and Foster is leaning against the front doorjamb with his arms crossed. The door is open, and his gaze is fixed on the street outside.

"You got everything loaded up already?" I ask the obvious, still a bit skeptical. "I didn't think it was all going to fit on the trailer."

"We actually already made one trip to the storage unit," Gabe explains, taking a sip from a water bottle. "We just need to drop the last load off, and then we can go. I thought, if you were ready, we could lock up and drop the keys off at the landlord's on our way." He twists the lid back on the bottle. "Of course, that's only if you're ready. If you want to stay here for a little bit while we drop off the last load and say goodbye, I completely understand."

My gaze skims the bare, patched-up walls, the stained carpet, and the empty space around me. Say goodbye to what? This place is no longer my home anymore. It's just a house. That's it.

_I don't have a home anymore._

_Don't have a family._

I smash my lips together, battling down my emotions as thunder rumbles outside.

"We better get going soon. It looks like it's going to storm again," Gabe mumbles with his forehead creased. "Although, the forecast said it was supposed to be sunny all day." He looks at me. "So, did you want to stick around here for a bit and say goodbye?"

Bottling down the pain, I shake my head. "Nah, I'm good. There's nothing left to say goodbye to anyway."

I turn and walk out of the house that was once my home. Walk away from everything I've ever known and toward the frightening unknown.

# Chapter 7

After we leave, we stop by the landlord's house to drop off the key then we head over to the storage unit. During the drive there, I remain stuck in my thoughts of how the life I once knew is no more. But the instant we pull up to the storage unit, my thoughts shift back to how quickly the guys moved my stuff out of the house. One hour. That's how long it took for them to clear out a three-bedroom house and the attic. And that includes driving to and from the storage unit ten miles away.

Something doesn't add up. Did they maybe have other people come over and help? If so, why didn't they say something?

_They're not who you think they are_ , the stranger's words echo in my mind.

Who the hell do I think they are? Because I sure as heck don't know.

"So, are you this quiet all the time?" Easton asks from the passenger seat after his dad climbs out to unlock the storage unit.

Foster is sitting in the back seat with me and has been silently staring out the window the entire drive.

I shrug.

He studies me with a glint in his eyes. "Well, just a warning. Being quiet at our house means being eaten alive."

I pick at my fingernails. "Yeah, your dad already warned me about that."

"Did he?" Easton grins at Foster. "What do you think about that, Fost? Sounds like Dad is trying to play favorite with our new little sis."

"Please don't refer to me as your little sister," I say. "This situation is only temporary. The moment my parents are found, I'm moving back to Honeyton."

"And what if they're never found?" Easton asks with his brow cocked. "Then what, little sis?"

"I'm not your little sis." I twist toward the window as I mutter, "And if, for some crazy reason, my parents aren't ever found, I'm taking off the moment I graduate and never looking back."

"Sounds like a great idea," Foster mutters. "Maybe you should take off now. Easton and I have some money we can give you, if you can't afford your own place."

I breathe in and out, my fingers curling into fists, and stabbing my fingernails into my palms in an attempt to keep my emotions under control—physical pain over emotional pain always seems to affect my powers less. "That's a great idea, and one I'd love to do, but since my parents left my guardianship rights to your father, I'll be considered a runaway if I try to take off before I turn eighteen."

I catch Foster's reflection in the window as he shares a look with Easton.

"What if we could help you disappear?" Easton suggests. "We're really good at that."

I slowly turn my head and measure them up. Easton's lips are curled into a grin, while Foster has a frown etched onto his face.

"Is that an offer?" I glance between them. "Or a threat? Because, if it's a threat, you should know that I have a can of pepper spray in my pocket that I've used more than a handful of times, and I'd love to use it again. Practice makes perfect, right?"

Easton sinks his teeth into his bottom lip as his gaze glides to Foster. "I don't know, Fost," he says with amusement. "She might just fit in with us after all."

Foster's narrowed eyes bore into me as he shakes his head. "No way. She'll never fit in. Newbies never do."

I raise my brow. "Newbies? How many people have you guys had live with you?"

"You're the first person we've ever had come live with us," Easton replies with hilarity.

Foster shoots him a dirty look, to which Easton's smile magnifies.

"You're walking on thin ice, East," Foster warns. "Be careful."

More than done with their cryptic conversation, I push open the door.

"Hey, where are you going?" Easton calls out with laughter ringing in his tone.

"To help your dad unload the truck." I start to shut the door when anger waves over me and, I add, "And to get away from your stupid asses."

As I slam the door, a cluster of lightning bolts illuminate across the sky, bright enough to burn my eyes and make my heart jump.

"Wow," Gabe mutters from near the back end of the truck with his head angled up toward the sky. "I've never seen anything like that before."

"Me neither," I divulge truthfully.

I may have spent years setting off crazy lightning storms, floods, and windstorms, but never have I seen anything quite like what just occurred in the stormy grey sky. Makes me wonder how upset I truly am at the moment.

Makes me worry what sort of disasters I might set off the longer I'm around Foster and Easton.

# Chapter 8

I help Gabe unload the truck to the best of my ability, but eventually, Foster and Easton get out and take over. It takes us a while to get everything unloaded, and Easton and Foster start to complain about how slow I'm moving, as if all this is my fault. Technically, I guess it is, considering they're only here because of my parents' will. Still, it's annoying. They're annoying. This entire situation is annoying.

By the time we're finished and climbing back into the truck, I'm bursting with annoyance and the sky is more than reacting, raining hail down upon the earth.

"Man, this is some shitty weather," Gabe remarks after we all hop into the truck. He turns on the engine then flips the wipers on. "We're lucky we're done."

Foster nods in agreement as he fastens his seatbelt. "What do you think's causing it?"

I find his question somewhat strange, unless he's some sort of science person and is asking his dad to literally explain what causes hailstorms.

His dad shrugs, worry creasing his face as he peers up the sky. "I'm sure it's just a... cold front or something."

Okay, so he did mean it in the literal sense.

A bit of relief washes over me. I'm not even sure why. It's not like any of them could possibly know about my ability.

"Yeah, I guess it is December, isn't it?" Foster mutters, seeming perplexed.

What a weirdo. He acts as if hail in December is some rare occurrence when it's not. Not really anyway. At least not when I'm around.

"We should stop by Nelly's on our way home," Easton suggests as Gabe steers the truck forward and out onto the road. "We haven't seen her in forever, and I need to talk to her about some stuff."

"You can text her then," Gabe says, his gaze fleetingly straying toward me before returning to the road. "We really just need to get home."

"Texting is so overrated." Easton groans dramatically. "And I'd rather not have every goddamn thing I say recorded into the system." He flops back in the seat. "Some conversations are private, for fuck's sake."

System? Wait... Is he one of those people who believe the government is secretly spying on us through technology?

"Watch what you say," Gabe warns, giving Easton a pressing look.

Easton rolls his eyes. "Fine, Pops, I'll chill for now. But eventually, you're going to have to let us be us or shit's going to get complicated."

Gabe rubs his lips together, clutching the steering wheel. "I know."

The cab grows quiet after that, tension lacing the air.

I'm not really sure what to make of their cryptic conversation... If it has anything to do with me or not.

Just exactly who are the Everettsons? That's quickly becoming the million-dollar question, isn't it?

Well, that and a hundred other things.

# Chapter 9

No one says much for the rest of the drive, and by the time we reach the Everettsons' house, the hail has toned down a bit. Of course, the moment Gabe pulls up in front of the massive, three-story home, my pulse quickens with anxiety and the sky ignites in response.

"Damn this weather," Gabe says as rain drizzles from the clouds. "Hopefully, it'll ease up a bit before tomorrow's... tournament."

"Shit, I didn't even think about that." Easton shoves the door open to get out. "What'll we do if it rains?"

"Still have it probably." Gabe starts to get out but pauses, glancing at me. "Our family participates in baseball tournaments every Sunday."

Unsure why he's telling me this, I nod. "Sounds cool."

He offers me a stiff smile. "We'll be gone all day, which means you'll get the house to yourself."

That thought sounds nice, although I feel a bit hurt he didn't invite me to go. Then again, I'm not part of their family. Just some strange girl they got stuck with. I'm not even sure if my dad talked to Gabe before he listed him in their will to be my guardian.

What if he didn't? What if all Gabe's tense smiles are because I'm not really wanted here. Foster and Easton don't seem too thrilled about my presence. Maybe that's how the entire family feels.

Forcing a smile, I say, "Okay."

His lips part, appearing as though he wants to say more, but then he gets out of the car.

Easton and Foster follow without saying a word, and none of them wait for me as they start up the paved walkway that leads to the double-doored, column-lined entrance of the colossal house.

Sucking in a breath, I steady my nerves and climb out of the truck. My boots splash in the puddles as I trail behind them, taking in the massive house, the spacious yard, and the five-car garage. I can't even wrap my head around how big and fancy this place is, and it leaves me feeling confused.

How does my dad know someone who can afford a place like this? As far as I know, he grew up living in poverty in Honeyton.

I really need to talk to Gabe and hear the story, but maybe after a few days when I've gotten settled and used to the idea of all this.

"I hope Charlotte made dinner already," Easton announces as he pushes open the front doors. "Moving shit makes me hungry."

"It's not even five o'clock," Foster says as he steps inside. "It's not going to be ready yet."

"I can request an early dinner," Gabe tells them. "Just let me check in with your mom first and see if she's okay with it."

"Who's Charlotte?" I find myself asking as I step inside and take everything in.

Holy shit, this place is huge, with a high, peaked ceiling, a wide staircase, black and white tiled floors, and the glitteriest chandeliers I've ever seen—maybe the only chandeliers I've ever seen.

_I'm never going to feel comfortable here._

"She's our cook and housekeeper," Gabe tells me. "If you need anything to eat at all, you can ask her."

Yeah, I'm not sure I feel comfortable with that.

"Can I just make my own food?" I ask, feeling very uncomfortable at the moment.

_Is this how I'm going to feel every day?_

Gabe gives me a strange, concerned look. "You're more than welcome to if you want, but just know the option is there."

I force yet another strained smile. "Thanks."

His smile mirrors mine but morphs into a real one when a woman with flowing blonde hair appears at the top of the stairway.

She looks around the same age as my mom, but that's about where the similarities stop. Where my mom is all torn jeans and leather jackets with wild curls, this woman is sporting a flawless white pencil dress, matching heels, and a string of pearls decorates her neck.

"That took you longer than I thought." She starts down the stairway, each of her steps graceful.

Her words make no sense at all. How could she think we'd be back sooner when I'm not even sure how the guys managed to move everything so quickly?

"The weather slowed us down a bit." Gabe meets her at the bottom of the stairway and places a kiss on her cheek.

The scene makes me miss my parents even more than I already do, and thunder booms in response.

"Was it storming over in Honeyton all day?" the woman wonders while smoothing Gabe's hair into place. "Because it's been great weather here up until now."

"It rained almost the entire time we were there," Gabe says, his gaze traveling to me. "It looked like a pretty bad storm blew through last night, too?"

I nod, even though I'm not sure if he's directly asking me. "It storms there a lot."

I'm not sure what the big deal is. So it's storming? It's freakin' December and totally normal. Sure, I know the real reason behind the storms, but they don't.

Before he can say anything more, the woman's weird but beautiful shade of lavender eyes light up. "Oh, my gosh, you look just like your parents." She swings around Gabe and puts a hand on each of my arms, her gaze scrolling over me before zeroing in on my eyes. "And those eyes... Jesus, they're gorgeous... You look just like her."

Two things puzzle me about her statement. 1). My eyes are far from gorgeous, the color is just a simple blue. Well, a bright blue, but still, blue eyes are really common. And 2). I don't look very much like my parents, both of them having blonde hair and green eyes.

She must read the confusion on my face because she adds, "I met your aunt Aurora a couple of times, and she looks a lot like you."

"You've met my aunt?" Hurt stabs my chest. _I haven't even met her_.

"It was a very long time ago," she explains, smoothing my hair away from my face, acting very motherly. "As far as I know, she hasn't had any contact with the real world in ages."

"My parents haven't spoken to her in years." I pause, deliberating my next words carefully. "They've also never mentioned you guys."

"We've seen each other a couple of times over the years, but we haven't been close since college. I wish that had never turned into the case, though." She sighs sadly. "I was so upset when I heard what happened to them."

"So, you know my parents, too?" I ask, and she nods but makes no effort to embellish. "Who are you exactly?" I'm assuming she's Gabe's wife, but she hasn't introduced herself, so I'm not positive.

"Oh, my goodness, I completely forgot to introduce myself, didn't I?" She laughs then steps back and sticks out her hand. "I'm Emaline, Gabe's wife and the mother to the six hellions who live in this household."

"It's nice to meet you." I mean my words. Emaline seems nice enough.

We shake hands, and then she casts a quick glance at Foster and Easton. "I hope everyone's treated you wonderfully today."

Easton and Foster smile at their mom, but then Easton smirks at me when she turns back around. Foster's smile dissipates, too, as he gives me a hard look. It almost makes me want to tell Emaline the truth, but I also don't want to deal with drama, so...

"Everyone's been awesome," I lie with a plastic smile.

She visibly relaxes while Easton's smirk magnifies and Foster rolls his eyes.

"That's great to hear. I was a bit worried..." She shakes her head and smiles at me. "Would you like to see your room? I'm sure you've had an exhausting day and probably need a bit of a break from the chaos."

I nod, more than eager to lock myself up in a bedroom where I can pretend this isn't my life now.

_Pretend._

_Pretend._

_Pretend._

"Great." She turns to Easton. "Do you mind showing her to her room while I go make sure Charlotte is getting everything ready for tonight's dinner?"

An exaggerated smile takes over Easton's face. "Of course, Ma."

"Thank you, sweet boy." She ruffles his hair like he's still a little kid then heads off toward a door located on the far back wall.

"I'm going to get started on bringing in your stuff," Gabe tells me. Then he pulls open the door and steps outside, leaving me standing in the foyer with Easton and Foster.

That stupid smirk instantly consumes Easton's face. "Come on, Fost; let's go show lightning eyes her new room."

Great. He's given me a nickname.

Foster rolls his eyes. "Mom said you had to do it, not me."

"Trust me; you're going to want to be a part of this." His smile makes a chill trickle down my spine.

And that chill only grows colder as a small smile touches Foster's lips.

"Fine." Foster starts toward the stairway.

Easton follows him, motioning for me to come on. But I hesitate. When he notices my lollygagging, he sighs.

"Hurry your ass up, lightning eyes," he says. "We've already wasted half the day taking care of you."

Foul words tickle at the tip of my tongue, but I bite them back and trail after them as they walk up the stairway. When we reach the top, they lead me down a hallway lined with closed doors. The deep blue walls are decorated with family portraits, and the light from outside filters in from the occasional skylight. The farther I get into the house, the more in awe I become. It's so big and nice and lavish and completely the opposite of what I'm used to, but not in a good way.

_I want to go home._

Tear sting my eyes, but I force them back as we stop in front of a shut door at the end of the hallway.

"Welcome to your new home." Foster grins as he twists the knob and shoves open the door.

My stomach instantly drops at the sight of an old, rickety stairway on the other side.

"Well, aren't you going to go in?" Easton asks when I make no effort to step over the threshold.

Wrapping my arms around myself, I summon a breath and step inside, staring up at the top of the stairs. The lights are off, so I can't see where they lead to, but cobwebs line the railing.

Are they being serious or just messing with me?

"There's a bed up there and a dresser." Foster slants against the doorframe with his arms crossed. "Our house is already full, so this is the best my parents can do. You can either take it or leave and go live somewhere else."

My fingernails stab into my palms as I battle not to lose control of my anger. "I already told you that I can't leave."

Mustering up every ounce of strength I have left, I start up the stairs, telling myself that maybe it's not as bad as I think it's going to be. That the stairway is just a dusty mess because who cleans stairways anyway? But then I reach the top step and realize how wrong I am.

Honestly, I probably wouldn't have been able to see anything if, at that precise moment, lightning hadn't zapped across the sky. With all the skylights on the roof, the entire room lights up with a bright blue glow, giving me a brief glimpse of the dusty floorboards, the unfinished walls, and the twin bed perched in the corner.

A thunder boom of a second later, a light flips on above my head.

"The light switch is down here," Easton calls up the stairway with a snicker. "Enjoy your new home, lightning eyes." At that, a door slams shut.

Part of me worries maybe they locked me in, but at this point, I don't think I care. Not when I'm on the verge of crying.

A wave of sadness rolls over me as I inch farther into the room, the floorboards creaking beneath my feet. Part of me really wants to believe this isn't my room, that Easton and Foster are screwing with me, but then I note the fresh blankets on the bed and the clean pillows. Someone has made a bit of an effort to clean this up, for my arrival, I'm sure.

Sighing, I walk over to the bed and sit down, looking around. The only other items occupying the space is a dresser, a lamp, and a wooden trunk. Curious, I get back up and try to open it, but it's padlocked shut.

_Weird..._

Why put it up here in my room if it's locked?

Scratching my head, I move back to the bed, lie down, and stare up at the windows above me. Rain sprinkles across the glass in light drizzles, lightning occasionally flashing and thunder booming. The longer I lie there, the more tears threaten to pour from my eyes, and the more the rain increases. When a sob manages to escape my throat, thunder rumbles so hard the entire house shakes. Something about the movement unleashes a pain from inside me.

I start to cry uncontrollably, the sound louder than even the hail clinking against the glass. I try to get myself to stop, knowing the streets are going to flood if I don't, but I can't seem to find the willpower I used to possess.

# Chapter 10

Somehow during the mad chaos of hail and tears, I manage to doze off. When I wake up, the entire space is dark and quiet, the thunder and lightning gone.

Blinking dazedly, I peer around, attempting to get my bearings. I can't see a damn thing, other than a bit of moonlight trickling through the windows. That's when I realize the storm toned down during my nap, but that's not too uncommon. Night has also fallen while I was out, leaving me to wonder what time it is.

Rolling over, I dig my phone out of my pocket, and a drop of light trickles through the darkness as I swipe my finger across the screen. Shit, it's ten thirty, which means I've been asleep for over six hours and missed dinner. With how quiet the house is, I'm betting everyone's gone to bed already.

What doesn't make sense, though, is why my bedroom light is off. Did someone come up here when I was asleep? I'm not sure how I feel about that... No, actually I do. I feel really, really uncomfortable. In fact, this entire day has been nothing but a series of uncomfortable occurrences.

_Maybe I should just go back to sleep and pretend I'm someplace else until tomorrow morning..._

My stomach grumbles in protest, reminding me that I've barely eaten all day.

"Fuck, I need to eat something," I mutter, rolling out of bed.

Turning on my flashlight app, I make my way across the room and down the stairs. Then I try to turn on the light, but it doesn't come on. Great, the power's out.

Beaming my phone around, I glance around at the cobwebs covering everything. Thankfully, I can't see any spiders or else I'd be running out of here screaming.

Sucking in a shaky breath, I reach for the doorknob, crossing my fingers I'll be able to find the kitchen on my own so I can at least grab a snack and some water. But I freeze right before I pull the door open as voices flow in from the other side.

"Sky, are you sure you don't want anything for dinner?" Emaline asks over the sound of a knock.

The strange thing is, the knock isn't on my door.

I start to open my mouth to reply to her when I hear Easton say, "She was acting really weird when we showed her to her room."

"She would barely talk to us," Foster chimes in. "I think she might just want to be left alone."

"She's probably so terrified," Emaline mutters. "I can only imagine what the poor girl is going through."

"I bet she wants some time to herself," Easton tells her. "I know I would if I was in her situation."

"I agree with East," Foster says.

A beat of silence trickles between them.

"What did you guys do?" Emaline asks suspiciously.

"Nothing," Easton and Foster say simultaneously.

Emaline heaves an exhausted sigh. "I'm going to try to find your father. Maybe he can talk Skylin into coming out of her room, if nothing else, at least to eat something."

Silence lingers in the air for a moment, and then an unfamiliar deep voice asks, "All right, what did you two assholes do?"

"Nothing," Easton says. "We did nothing at all."

I hear a _whack_ and then an, "Ow, fuck, that hurt."

"Yeah, well, it's going to hurt a lot worse if you don't fess up and tell me what you did to Skylin," the deep voice says.

"Whatever, Max," Easton grumbles. "We didn't do anything to her, other than make sure she stays out of everyone's way."

"Which needs to happen," Foster emphasizes. "You know it does."

"Maybe," the stranger—Max—mutters in agreement. A long pause passes between them, and then he sighs. "Look, I know this situation is complicated but, for whatever reason, Mom and Dad seem pretty set on taking this girl in. And we need to respect that and trust they'll keep our secrets protected."

I slant back from the door. _Secrets? What secrets?_

"Mom and Dad aren't thinking clearly," Easton points out. "All they care about is that they owe Skylin's parents. They're not considering what it's going to be like for all of us having her live under the same roof." He spits out the word _her_ as if it's vile—as if _I'm_ vile.

"I'm sure they considered it and figured we were smart enough to be able to keep our shit under control." A warning rings in Max's tone. "So, we better make sure that happens, got it?"

"Whatever," Easton mutters. "I can't make any promises."

"Just tell me where she is," Max says tiredly. "Because I know she's not in the room Mom's been knocking on."

Silence skips between them.

"We may or may not have put her in the attic," Easton admits with a surprising hint of guilt in his tone.

"With my _trunk_ ," Max hisses, and then the doorknob in front of me begins to twist.

I step back as the door swings open and a guy who looks a couple of years older than me appears in the doorway. Max, I'm assuming.

From what Gabe told me earlier, Max is twenty years old and the second to oldest. He's also not a twin, although he looks a lot like Easton, only his chin-length hair is black. And like Easton and Foster, he's sporting all black attire, except for a grey shirt. He also has leather bands on his wrists and a couple of intricate tattoos weaving up his forearms that create strange symbols and markings.

_I wonder what they mean..._

His vibrant green eyes widen when he spots me, and then he nearly trips over his feet. "Hey..." He looks me over, question marks flooding his eyes. "Okay, you so weren't what I was expecting." He glances at his brothers with his brow arched, not saying anything, just staring them down.

Strangely, Easton and Foster both squirm, something I didn't think could be possible with how arrogant they both are.

"We told you she has eyes like lightning." Easton shrugs as if this answers whatever silent question Max is asking.

When Max continues to stare him down, I smile to myself as Easton gets all squirmy. When Foster notices my grin, his lips curve upward, but then they hastily falter.

What is with this guy? And what secrets was Easton talking about? And what the fuck is in that trunk?

So many questions dance around in my mind, but evaporate as Max offers me a charming smile.

"You must be Skylin." He sticks out his hand. "I'm Max. I'm the second to oldest in the fucking litter that is my family."

"I know. Your dad told me who everyone was." I eyeball his hand dubiously.

After the shit that's gone on with Easton and Foster, I'm reluctant to shake it. Perhaps he's going to pretend to be nice only so he can push me back and lock me up in the attic. Which, from what I just overheard, I'm guessing isn't really where I'm supposed to be staying.

"It's okay. I promise I don't bite." He holds back an amused smile as he urges me to take his hand.

Still a bit hesitant, I slip my hand in his. "It's nice to meet you," I mutter.

He smiles, but a crinkle forms between his brows as he holds my hand. "You're like a blank canvas," he mumbles confusedly. "I can't read you at all."

"Max thinks he's a people reader," Easton clarifies, nudging Max in the side. " _Thinks_ being the key word."

Max winces, but then his lips tilt into a smile. "Sorry about that," he apologizes then reluctantly releases my hand. "I'm not really good with introductions. "

"Me either." My gaze skims the three of them, their rigid posture and the smirks are no longer evident on Easton's and Foster's faces. In fact, they're all staring at me curiously.

Oh, now I'm a curiosity, huh? What happened to hating me?

_Something feels off..._

"But anyway." Max clears his throat, causing Easton and Foster to look away from me. "I'm not sure what my brothers told you, but this"—he points up at the stairs behind me—"isn't your new room." He steps toward me, and I have to tilt my head up to meet his gaze. Good God, I'm tall, yet he makes me feel short. "I'm sorry for whatever they said or did to you. I'd like to say this isn't how they normally act, but that'd be a huge fucking lie."

"Oh, shut the hell up, Max," Easton says with an eye roll. "Don't pretend like you haven't ever pulled a prank on a newbie."

"Newbie?" I question. "You guys keep saying that... Easton said you don't take a lot of people in, though..." I trail off, so lost.

"People?" Max muses with a genuine smile. "No, we really don't."

What a weirdo. Granted, a hot weirdo, but still...

Easton and Foster are hot, too, and if I've learned anything from them today, it's to never trust a hot Everettson. Honestly, at this point, I'm starting to believe maybe I shouldn't trust hot guys in general, considering my track record with them.

Max grins, watching me with interest. "Your confusion's adorable."

Easton lightly smacks his shoulder and hisses, "Dude, Mom said not to hit on her."

He was hitting on me? I nearly snort a laugh. Yeah right.

But when Max continues to stare at me without protesting, I wonder if maybe he is. The question is: why?

Wait. Maybe this is a prank?

"Yeah? So? Mom's not here, is she?" Max says to Easton without taking his eyes off me. "And if you don't tell her about this, then I'll make sure not to tell her that you two jackasses told this pretty girl that the attic was her bedroom." He glances at something above my head, then a frown forms on his face as he reaches over and flips the light switch off then on again. When not a drop of light flows around the room, his frown deepens. "Were you stuck up there with the power off?"

"I wasn't stuck up here. I could've walked out at any time," I point out. "And the lights were on when I fell asleep, but when I woke up, they were off." I shrug. "I just figured maybe someone turned them off."

"The storm probably tripped the breaker." Max turns to Easton and Foster and smacks them on top of their heads. "Fucking hell. What is wrong with you two? Making her sit up there in that dusty piece of shit room in the dark? Do you know what could've happened if it found...?" He trails off, gulping.

Easton swallows audibly. "I'm sorry. But in our defense, we didn't realize the power went off."

Foster yanks his fingers through his hair, his gaze flitting from me to Max. "It was just a prank, okay? We didn't mean for the damn power to go off."

"A prank that could've gone very wrong," Max says in a low tone, tension flowing off him.

"What's going on?" I eye them over skeptically. "Do you guys have a bat locked up in the attic or something?" I stiffen, realizing that could very well be it.

"Or something," Max murmurs. Then he wiggles his shoulders, clearing the tension, and turns back toward me, pointing to the shut door to the side of him. "This right here is your room. Would you like to see it? I promise it's way better than the attic."

With everything that's happened over the last handful of hours, I'm not sure if I trust him. Sure, he seems nice enough, albeit a bit weird. Then again, so am I...

What do I really have to lose at this point? Besides, anything's better than sleeping in an attic, right?

I sure hope so.

I will my lips to turn upward. "Sure."

He smiles then offers me his hand.

Seriously, he wants me to take his hand? Half of me really wants to, mainly for the sole reason that I've never held a guy's hand, let alone a guy this gorgeous. But the other half of me worries this is all a prank.

"Relax. I already said I'm not going to bite," Max assures me then slips his fingers through mine and tugs me down the last step.

Easton and Foster trade a look, and then Easton rolls his eyes.

Max ignores them, steering me in front of the shut door. I reach for the doorknob with my free hand, but Max stops me, placing his hand over mine.

"Before you go in," he says, "I want to ask, if you could have your dream room, what would it look like?"

I shrug. "I don't know. I've never really thought about it."

He wets his pierced lips with his tongue, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Humor me, okay, and just try to picture it."

I cast a sidelong glance at Easton and Foster and find their eyes hold the same amusement.

_Great. This has to be a prank._

For a flash of a second, an image of my dream room materializes in my mind. Black and purple walls, a massive four-poster bed enclosed by curtains, a gothic chandelier, and a couple of dressers.

"What does it look like?" Max asks, observing me curiously.

"I don't know," I lie, not wanting to give them any sort of ammunition. "I like purple and black, so maybe something with those colors." I leave it at that.

"Really?" A smile lights up Max's face. "That's so weird, because everything in this room is pretty much black or purple." He pushes open the door and gestures for me to look.

As I tentatively step in, I half-expect the room to be painted in bright-ass orange or something, but nope. Almost everything from the walls to the bed to the chandelier is either a deep purple or a shimmering black. The room is huge, too; almost as big as my old living room and bedroom combined.

"Wow," I mutter as I turn in a circle, taking in the lavender curtains enclosing the bed and the ebony ceiling that shimmers like stars. "This is..." I glance at Max. "Are you sure this is where I'm supposed to be staying?"

Max points at the boxes piled near the closet—my boxes. "I'm sure." He crosses his arms and props his shoulder against the doorjamb. "Please don't let what happened with my brothers affect you too much. I promise my family isn't a bunch of douchebags. We're all pretty nice. Foster and Easton are just..." He wavers, tilting his head from side to side.

"Assholes," I offer.

He laughs softly. "I was going to go with spoiled brats, but assholes works, too." He nibbles on his lip, his eyes scanning up and down my body.

If I didn't know any better, I'd wonder if he was checking me out. But I do know better. I know there's no way this gorgeous guy could be checking me out.

"Do you want me to show you where the kitchen is?" he asks. "You've got to be starving."

I nod. "Yeah, actually. That'd be great."

His lips turn upward, then he nods as he retreats back into the hallway.

Foster and Easton are no longer lurking around, something I'm grateful for.

"I really am sorry for what my brothers did to you," Max says as we walk down the hallway. "Give them some time, though, and I'm sure they'll warm up to you."

"It's fine if they don't," I say. When he gives me a perplexed look, I add, "It's not like I'm going to be here for very long. I turn eighteen in six months."

His brows furrow. "And then what?"

I lift a shoulder. "And then I move out."

He combs strands of his hair out of his eyes with his fingers. "But, where will you go?"

I shrug again. "College maybe. I might do a road trip with my friends." I scratch my arm. "I actually really need to get a job so I can save up some cash. This town looks really small, though."

"It is really small. And the people here are really wary about hiring newbies," he says. _There's that word again_ _..._ "If you want a job, you're probably going to have to look in Star Grove."

"How far is that?"

"About forty minutes from here."

I let out a weighted sigh. "Is there a bus that goes there?"

He chuckles, shaking his head. "Nope. The only form of transportation here is by your own car. Or, in my case, a motorcycle."

"Oh." I crinkle my nose.

"If you need a ride somewhere, I'm sure one of us can give you one." He slows to a stop in front of a shut door and lifts his hand to knock. "Or you can just borrow one of my dad's many, many cars."

Yeah right. I'm nowhere near comfortable asking to borrow a vehicle. I'm just going to have to figure out another way or beg for someone to hire me here.

"He won't mind," Max insists, knocking on the door. "My dad's a nice guy."

"Yeah, he seems like it," I agree, but that still doesn't mean I'm going to ask to borrow his car.

Smiling, he leans closer to the door. "Hey, Mom, I got Skylin out of her room. I'm going to take her down to the kitchen to get her something to eat."

"Oh, thank goodness," Emaline says breathlessly. I hear a couple of loud crashes, and then the door is cracked open and she peers out.

Her hair is a wild mess, her cheeks are flushed, and her breaths are coming out in a rush.

My mom once opened her bedroom door like that and looked the same way. I think it was because her and my dad were having sex.

My discomfort goes from a ten to an eleven hundred.

An ounce of relief washes over her face as she sees me. "Skylin, honey, I am so sorry for whatever happened. Rest assured, though, all my children are going to be extremely nice to you from now on."

I nod, even though I highly doubt that's going to be the case. But I'm not about to protest because, for one, I'm a guest in this house; and two, I'm pretty certain she was just in the middle of having sex with Gabe and I want this conversation to end as quickly as possible.

She smiles at me, but when her gaze glides to Max, her lips sink. "Can you do me a favor? After you show Skylin where the kitchen is, can you run out to the garage and get me that box we picked up the other day."

Max tenses. "You need that right now?"

Emaline nods, pressing him with a look of urgency. "It's kind of an emergency."

Max bobs his head up and down, worry masking his features. "Yeah, give me a second."

"Just try to hurry—" Emaline winces. "Please."

With a brisk nod, Max spins on his heels and hightails it down the hallway.

As Emaline shuts the door, I rush after him.

"Is everything okay?" I ask, practically jogging to keep up with his long strides.

He nods as he trots down the stairs. "Yeah, I just need to hurry and get that box up to my mom before she... has a fit."

Emaline doesn't really seem like the type to have a fit over something so trivial, but I've only known her for a day and I barely know Max, so I opt to keep my thoughts to myself.

Max seems content with my silence as he rushes through the house, hurrying across the foyer and through a door located at the back of the house. He motions me inside then flips on a light, revealing a spacious kitchen with marble countertops and stainless-steel appliances.

"Just wait right here," he says in a rush. "I'll get my mom's box then have Charlotte come in and make you something to eat."

"I can fix something myself..." My words fade as he dashes out of the room.

Wrapping my arms around myself, I make my way across the kitchen, heading for the fridge. I feel weird just going through their food, but I feel even weirder about the idea of someone cooking something just for me.

When I open the fridge, though, I immediately regret my decision.

"What on earth...?" My eyes widen at the glass jars covering the shelves, each filled with oddly textured substances, like glittering purple liquid, oozing green cream, and... Wait. Is that a jar of...? "Eyeballs? Oh, my God." I slap my hand over my mouth as I slam the fridge shut, breathing profusely and fighting back the urge to vomit.

Once I get myself calmed the hell down, I dig my phone out of my pocket and send Nina and Gage a group text.

**Me: So, is there any reason in particular why someone would keep a jar of eyeballs in their fridge?**

**Nina: Oh, my God, please don't tell me your new parentals have eyeballs in their fridge!**

**Me: I could tell you that, but I'd be lying.**

**Nina: Gah! So gross! What a bunch of freaks! The bodies those eyeballs belong to are probably buried in the basement or something.**

My gaze instinctively drops to the floor as images of what Nina said flood my thoughts. Then the vibration of my phone pulls me back to reality.

**Gage: Will you chill out? They probably just have them in there to eat.**

**Me: And that's better because...?**

**Gage: Well, it's gross, for sure, but in some cultures, eyeballs are a delicacy. Well, animal eyeballs are anyway. I'm hoping you're not talking about human eyeballs.**

**Me: I'm not sure. I barely got a look at them before I nearly puked.**

**Nina: Maybe you better check.**

**Me: No thanks.**

**Nina: Sky! You have to look! If they have human eyes in their fridge, then they're probably murderers and you won't have to live with them anymore.**

**Me: Yeah, probably, because they'll kill me.**

**Nina: I'm sure they won't...**

Yeah, the ellipsis at the end of her message is making me feel super great right now.

**Gage: Sky, don't listen to her. I'm sure they're just animal eyeballs. But just for peace of mind, you should look.**

**Me: How am I even supposed to tell if they're human?**

**Gage: Animals will probably be rounder.**

**Me: What are you? An animal eyeball expert?**

**Gage: I'm an expert of everything. I thought you knew that already. ;)**

A small smile forms on my lips but promptly fizzles when I look back at the fridge.

"Gage is probably right. They're just animal eyeballs," I mumble as I wrap my fingers around the handle of the fridge and pull the door open—

"What're you doing?" a low voice asks from behind me.

"Fucking hell." I reel around, startled, and press my hand to my chest.

The instant my eyes find the owner of the voice, my pulse speeds even more, and thunder grumbles from outside. I'm not even positive why my heart rate spikes, other than this guy is shockingly pretty in a way that I thought only existed in fairy tales or some shit like that.

Short, blond hair; full, pierced lips; and lavender eyes a similar shade to Emaline's. He's also tall and lean, and his skin is heavily inked with similar tattoos as Max's.

Good Lord, are all the Everettsons gorgeous? And, why are all their eye colors so vibrant? It makes all other eyes I've ever seen seem dull.

He cocks his head to the side as his gaze sweeps up my body. Then his lips spread into a grin that I can't tell for sure if it's friendly or malicious.

"You must be Skylin."

I nod, shifting my weight. "Yeah."

His grin magnifies. "I'm Porter."

"Oh." I relax a smidgeon. "You're the oldest, right?"

He musingly smiles for some reason. "Yeah, I guess I am." He studies me for a thunder boom of a second before gracefully rounding the island and coming to a stop in front of me. "So, what exactly were you doing in there?" He nods at the fridge without taking his eyes off me.

"Um..." I'm finding it really hard to concentrate. "I was just going to make myself something to eat."

"But something scared you, right?"

How the hell did he know?

"I'm guessing it was the eyeballs," he says with a grin.

I bob my head up and down. "I've just never seen eyeballs in a fridge before... or out of a head..."

He chuckles. "Most people haven't."

"So... why do you have a jar full of them in your fridge?"

Wetting his lips with his tongue, he reaches for me—or, at least I think he's reaching for me—but then he places his hand against the shut door of the fridge so his arm's resting right beside my head.

"What would you say if I told you they were in there because I like to occasionally eat them?" he asks amusedly.

Wait... Did he somehow see the conversation I was having with Nina and Gage? No, there's no way.

"Um, I'd say... cool?" It comes out more of a question.

He studies me intently with his head tilted to the side, then a chuckle slips from his lips. "Cool, huh? That's the only reaction I get?"

"What do you want me to do?" I wonder, my heart thumping in my chest for some crazy-ass reason.

He bites down on his bottom lip hard. "That, honey, is a very dangerous question." He tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear, his eyes fixed on my mouth as he...

Wait... Is he _purring_?

"Porter, what're you doing?" The sound of Max's voice makes the haziness that's clouding my mind dissolve.

I blink, realizing how loudly I'm breathing and how hard my heart is knocking against my chest.

Porter rubs his lips together, his gaze briefly descending to my lips before he pushes away from me. "I was just introducing myself to our new, adorable houseguest." When he glances at Max, Max quirks an eyebrow. "What?" Porter says innocently, but the grin on his face suggests he's anything but innocent.

I just wish I knew why.

These guys are odd. For reals, I feel like I've just moved in with the _Addams Family_ or something.

"Fine, I'll back off," Porter says through a laugh. Then he turns to me and lightly tugs on a strand of my hair. "If you want something to eat besides eyeballs, there's another fridge in the pantry."

I'm still not certain if he's joking about eating the eyeballs, and the confusion on my face only makes his amusement double.

Grinning, he strolls away, lightly nudging his shoulder against Max's as he passes. Max responds with a shake of his head and a small crack of a smile.

Once Porter has exited the kitchen, Max focuses on me. "The fridge behind you? That's where we keep Holden and Hunter's science experiment stuff."

"They need eyeballs for experiments?"

"They're... science majors," he says as if that explains everything.

Maybe it does. I'm not too into science, so I'm not an expert. It seems weird to me, though, to keep eyeballs in the fridge. And what was all that other stuff in there?

"Okay... Sorry I got into it." I feel the need to apologize.

He relaxes, a smile breaking out across his face. "You don't need to apologize. You're welcome to anything in this house. I'd just recommend staying out of that fridge. The stuff Hunter and Holden store in there can be sort of..."

"Vomit-inducing?" I suggest.

He chuckles. "Yeah, probably to most people." He assesses me briefly before signaling for me to follow him as he enters an alcove. "This is where we keep the more edible stuff." He points at a fridge tucked into the corner. "You can get whatever you want out of it, but Charlotte will be more than happy to make you something whenever." He slants against the fridge and crosses his arms. "She's an excellent cook."

"Thanks for the offer," I say, "but I'm not really used to people cooking for me. In fact, I've been cooking for myself since I was about five or six."

His expression plummets. "Please tell me it was all microwaveable stuff."

I shake my head. "But it's not that big of a deal. My parents taught me how to use the stove before they started letting me cook with it." The frown remains on my face, and my defenses go up. "My parents were—are good people," I state defensively. "They just like to go out a lot, so I needed to learn how to cook for myself or I'd have ended up living off PB&J sandwiches, which are yummy and everything, but not really a good source for dinner."

His lips tug into an artificial smile. "Well, if you want to cook for yourself, that's fine. But promise me you'll at least let Charlotte cook for you one time, preferably dinner." He smiles for real this time. "She makes some killer pesto pasta and potatoes."

"All right," I say. "That sounds doable, I guess."

He's all amusement again as he moves away from the fridge and opens the door. "There are some leftovers in here from dinner if you want me to heat them up. It's spaghetti and meatballs and some garlic bread." He pulls out a couple of Tupperware containers.

"I can heat them up." I take them from him.

He sighs, shaking his head. "You're stubborn, aren't you?"

I crinkle my nose. "Am I? I mean, I know my friend Nina always says I am, but she's stubborn, too, so I can never trust her opinion."

"You are a little bit." He nudges me back into the kitchen then walks over and opens a cupboard above the sink and takes out a plate. "It's probably a good thing. Us Everettsons are known for our stubbornness, and if you were too much of a pushover, we'd probably end up walking all over you." He sets the plate down then takes the containers with the spaghetti from me, popping open the lid. "You should probably push back the most with Foster and Easton. They're the most likely to stomp all over you if you let them. Like with the attic thing. When they told you that was your room, you should've told them to go fuck themselves."

"I may have if they were one of my friends or maybe even my mom or dad, but..." I dither, chewing on my bottom lip. "I'm not as stubborn and pushy with people I don't know very well."

"Are you saying you're shy?"

"I don't know... A lot of people say I am, but personally, I just think I'm quiet." I pause. "I've always kind of sucked at socializing."

"Any particular reason why?"

"What do you mean?"

He opens a drawer and collects a spoon. "Sometimes when people have trouble socializing, it's because of a bad, perhaps even traumatic, experience." He shovels a spoonful of spaghetti onto the plate.

"Are you a psych major?" I question, opening the lid on the container with the garlic bread.

He chuckles as he piles more spaghetti onto the plate. "Actually, I'm not in college. But I do get that a lot, probably because I'm a know-it-all." He winks at me then picks up a piece of garlic bread, puts it onto the plate, and then places the plate in the microwave.

I realize that, whether intentional or not, he just made dinner for me.

"I could've heated that up myself."

"It was just as easy for me to do it." He closes the microwave then pushes some buttons.

And he says I'm stubborn. Clearly, he's just as bad.

Sighing, I plop down on a barstool. "So, if you're not in college, what do you do?"

From the other side of the island, he rests his arms on top of the counter, his eyes glistening mischievously. "What if I told you absolutely nothing? Would you think less of me?"

"No, but I do think that sounds sort of boring." I cross my arms on top of the counter. "But I'm guessing you're lying to me."

His eyes twinkle again. "And why's that?"

"Because of that little twinkle in your eye." I point at his face.

He struggles not to grin. "What twinkle?"

I roll my eyes. "Like you don't already know."

"Maybe I don't," he teases. "Perhaps you're the first person to ever point that out to me."

"I highly doubt that." The lightness in my voice is a bit unfamiliar, but talking to Max is surprisingly easy. "I have a feeling you have that twinkle in your eyes a lot."

"And I have a feeling you're going to be a very amusing addition to this household." He pushes back from the counter as the microwave beeps. "For the record, though, you're right. I don't just sit around and do nothing." He removes the plate from the microwave and sets it down in front of me, along with a fork. "I have a job."

I twirl the noodles around my fork. "What do you do?"

"Hmm..." He leans back against the counter behind him and rubs his jawline. "I think I won't tell you yet."

"Why?" A teasing grin touches my lips. "Are you, like, a secret agent or something?" I'm only kidding, but when he doesn't answer right away, I have to wonder. "Wait. Are you?"

He shakes his head, strands of his hair falling into his eyes. "Nah, I'm way too rebellious to work for the police. Not to mention, I'd get bored."

I'm about to point out that a secret agent doesn't seem like a boring job when a loud shriek echoes across the house. Max's body immediately stiffens.

"Stay right here, okay?" he says as he hurries toward the door.

"Why? What was that?" I hiss, clutching my fork.

"Just stay here." He rushes out of the room, the door swinging shut behind him.

As another shriek ripples through the air, I retrieve my phone from my pocket and tap open the group message.

**Me: Okay, shit's getting crazy here. Now I hear screaming! And Max, one of the guys who lives here, just told me to stay in the kitchen, then ran out in the direction of the screaming.**

**Gage: Holy shit, dude. Maybe you should, I don't know, like leave or something.**

**Nina: Or call the effing police! What the hell? First eyeballs in the fridge and then screaming?**

**Me: I also overheard them whispering about how they're worried I'll find out their secrets. This family is weird. I mean, the mom and dad seem nice, and Max is okay, but Porter seemed weird, and Foster and Easton are asshats. They made me think the attic was my room!**

**Nina: Jerks. I knew they were gonna be like that, though. They're totally Greys.**

**Me: Yeah, I think so, too. Man, guys, this sucks. I already miss home, and it hasn't even been twenty-four hours yet.**

**Nina: We miss you, too, and we're really worried.**

**Gage: Has the screaming stopped yet? Do you know what it was?**

I glance up, realizing the house is silent now. Eerily silent, as if no one lives here.

**Me: Yeah, it stopped. I'm still not even sure what it was, though.**

**Gage: Makes me really wonder what kind of eyeballs those are in the fridge.**

**Nina: Gage, why would you say that! She's already freaking out!**

**Me: I'm not freaking out. I'm just... uneasy. Maybe I'm being paranoid, though.**

**Nina: No fucking way. If I found eyeballs in the fridge and heard screaming, I'd have bolted by now.**

**Me: Oh, trust me, I want to.**

"Hey." Emaline pops her head into the room, smiles at me, and then walks all the way in.

**Me: Gotta go. Someone just walked in. TTYL.**

**Nina: You better. Seriously, I'm worried.**

**Gage: Please be careful...**

"Are you talking to your friends?" she asks as she makes her way into the kitchen.

I nod, stuffing my phone back into my pocket. "Yeah. I was just telling them I got here safely." A lie, but I'm not about to confess what I was really talking about.

"They must be good friends if they're worried about your safety." She walks up to me and folds her arms. "I just want you to know that, while there's a lot of chaos in this house, you're still safe with us. And if you have any questions at all, please ask. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable." She places her hand on mine. "I've always wanted a daughter, and while I know I can never replace your mom, I'd like us to be friends."

"Okay... I do have one question." Well, one that I'm daring to ask. "What was that shrieking I heard earlier?"

At first, she appears clueless, but then recognition lights up her eyes, and she chuckles. "That was Easton."

"Is he okay?"

She gives my hand a squeeze. "While my boys love to pull pranks on people, they don't handle it well when they're on the receiving end." A wary look crosses her face. "Do me a favor? Lock your bedroom door tonight, okay? While I'd like to believe my boys won't try to prank you, there's always a tiny chance they'll try."

"Okay." I eye her over, questioning if she's being serious.

She sure looks like she is, and that makes my worry skyrocket.

So, I have to lock the door when I'm sleeping. Yeah, if I wasn't already uneasy about living here, I sure as hell am now.

# Chapter 11

That night, after I change into my pajamas, I slip into bed with the door locked. My belly is full of yummy spaghetti and garlic bread, and the mattress is more comfortable than any I've ever slept on. Maybe that's why the sky is so content, just stars and moonlight twinkling against the darkness.

Even though I had a pretty long nap today, my eyelids feel extremely heavy. I'm so close to dozing off when I hear voices just outside my window.

Confused, I climb out of bed, pad over to the window nook, and peer outside. The view from my bedroom is directly into the backyard, which is acres and acres of land that stretches toward a thick forest. And hurrying across the land toward the trees are three figures, one significantly taller than the other two, although all appear on the taller side. And all are wearing hoods pulled over their heads, as if they're trying to keep their identities concealed.

I start to back away, worried they're thieves or something, when one of the figures comes to a stop and turns to look at me.

Bright, glowing, green eyes collide with mine.

Max?

_Sleep..._

That's the last thing I remember before darkness overcomes me.

Have you ever woken up feeling as though you have a hangover, yet you never drank the night before? Well, that's about how I feel the next morning when my eyes blink open.

It takes me a second to get my bearings, to remember that I moved in with the Everettsons. Then, a second later, my head begins to throb.

"God, I feel like shit," I mumble, rolling onto my side and retrieving my phone off the nightstand. When I note the time, I wonder if I somehow did get drunk last night and just don't remember.

"Two thirty in the fucking afternoon? How did I sleep so late?" I rub my eyes and blink a couple of times, attempting to clear some of the disorientation from my mind.

It takes a couple of minutes before I have a clear enough head to get out of bed. Then I grab a pair of black pants and a grey tank top before heading toward the bathroom to take a shower.

Emaline showed me which bathroom was mine last night. And I mean _mine_ in the literal sense. Apparently, there are enough bathrooms in this house to go around, so I get my very own. I've never had my own bathroom, so it's a bit weird, but I'm pretty grateful I don't have to share with any of the Everettson brothers.

After I shower, get dressed, and comb my hair, I make my way downstairs to get some breakfast. By the time I make it to the main floor, I begin to wonder if perhaps no one is home. When I push into the kitchen, I realize my assumption is correct.

Taped on the front of the fridge is a note:

_Hey Sky!_

_Just wanted to let you know that we'll be gone for most of the day for a baseball tournament (I think Gabe mentioned it yesterday). Help yourself to whatever you need, and if you'd like Charlotte to make you some lunch, just push the buzzer near the fridge. You can also wander around and get familiar with the house. Just steer clear of the basement because we're having issues with mice. There's a pool out back in the garden room if you'd like to go for a swim._

_If you need to get ahold of any of us, there's a list of all our numbers in the note section on the iPad on the counter, along with the passcode to the house alarm in case you need to set it. If you wouldn't mind adding your phone number to the list, that'd be fantastic. That way, we can get ahold of you, too._

_We won't be home until late this evening. If you're not awake by then, know that we'll be leaving for school around seven thirty tomorrow morning. I'll drive you tomorrow so we can talk to the principal and whatnot. After that, you can ride with Easton and Foster, who have assured me that they'll show you the ropes of Farealee Land Academy._

_And if you need anything at all, just let me know! That's what I'm here for!_

_— Emaline_

Crap, somewhere between the madness and moving, I completely forgot that I'll be attending a new school. And an academy apparently. Not that I'm even sure what the difference is between one and a public school. Still, it makes me nervous.

"Please say you're here for me," a succulent voice sails over my shoulder, startling me so badly I nearly jolt out of my skin.

Whirling around, I find a tall, lean guy with short brown hair standing near the door. He's wearing a long-sleeved, grey shirt with the sleeves rolled up, black pants, thick boots, and his intense golden eyes are meticulously skimming over me.

"Um..." I shift my weight, scratching at my arm.

The edges of his lips kick up into a grin. "You might be the best present I've gotten yet."

I blink. "Huh?"

He grins, his lips parting. "I think I—"

The door behind him swings open and in walks a guy who looks like the other guy's doppelganger. The only visible difference I can see is their outfits; the guy who entered sporting a navy blue, long-sleeved shirt instead of a grey one, and he has on jeans and Converse sneakers.

So, these are the identical twins.

"Hey, Hunter, what do you think about...?" He trails off as his gaze finds mine. "What is this?" he asks, deliberately scanning me over in confusion.

"I think Max got us an early birthday present," the other guy—Hunter—sucks his lip between his teeth. "He did good this year. Way better than last year."

Holden's brows dip and I notice the scar Gabe was talking about. "Are you sure that's what she is? She's unreadable."

Hunter tips his head to the side as he assesses me. "Yeah, I didn't notice that before, but she is, isn't she?"

Holden nods then asks me, "What are you?"

Puzzlement webs through my mind. _What am I? Doesn't he mean who?_

I cross my arms over my chest. "I'm Skylin."

Holden's lips form an _O_.

"My, my, when Mom and Dad told us they'd be taking in someone as a favor to an old friend, I didn't expect this," Hunter says with a grin.

"Careful, Hunt." A warning seeps into Holden's tone as he throws a sharp look at his brother. After staring down a grinning Hunter for the most awkwardly silent minute ever, Holden sighs then focuses on me. "Hey." He steps toward me with his hand outstretched. "I'm Holden, and this"—he nods at the other guy—"is Hunter. I'm sorry for being weird. We were just a little bit confused... We thought you weren't going to be here until tomorrow."

I guess that sort of explains their confusion, but I still don't understand what they meant when they said I was unreadable. And Max said something similar to me last night.

"It's nice to meet you." I shake his hand, getting distracted by the sparkly warmth flowing up my arm.

Through the skylight above, the sunlight suddenly seems brighter.

_What the hell?_

Holden casts a glance upward, his brows knitting, but then he returns his gaze to me and a smile graces his lips. "I know the circumstance of you having to stay with us isn't great, but I just want you to know that we're glad to have you here."

Thank God. He's actually nice.

"Thanks."

A bit of relief douses over me until Hunter steps forward, snatches my hand from Holden, and kisses my knuckles.

"Tu mi, sint satis est splendidis stellis."

"Oh, for the love of gods," Holden groans. "Sky, just ignore him."

"Since I have no fucking clue what he said, that's pretty doable," I say, eliciting a chuckle from them both.

"She's cute," Hunter says to Holden. "Can I keep her?"

_Cute?_ No guy has ever called me cute. Well, except for Gage, but he doesn't count.

My cheeks flood with heat.

Shit. Am I blushing?

Hunter grins. "Yeah, I'm definitely keeping her."

Holden heaves a sigh. "Hunt, you can't keep her." He looks at me. "Sorry, he doesn't come with a filter. You get used to it, though. Or, well, you learn to just ignore it."

I nod, my skin growing hotter as Hunter's gaze continues to devour me.

A phone buzzes from somewhere, but Hunter's eyes never waver from me, even when he sticks his hand into his pocket and pulls out his phone. Holden does the same thing, and I let a gradual breath ease past my lips as they both focus on their phones.

"Shit, we're late," Holden mutters then stuffs his phone back into his pocket. "We need to get out there."

"Nah, I think I might skip this... tournament," Hunter replies, giving me a strange look that I can't quite decipher. "I'll stay here and keep Skylin company."

"No, you won't." Holden elbows his brother in the side, causing Hunter to blast him with a dirty look. "You need to be part of this _tournament_. You're way out of practice."

Hunter rolls his eyes but backs toward the door. "Sky, it was a pleasure meeting you. We'll have to do something together soon. Something fun that'll make you blush again." He winks at me then pushes through the doors.

Holden blows out an exhausted exhale then shakes his head. "It really was nice meeting you, and I hate to take off like this when we haven't even properly met, but this tournament is really important."

"I totally understand," I say, waving him off.

He wavers, chewing on his bottom lip. "Maybe I could show you around town tomorrow night and show you where all the good places to eat are and the places to avoid."

"I'd like that." And I mean it. Holden seems nice, and I'd really like to look around town and see if anyone's hiring.

"Awesome." He smiles then pushes out the door.

The sparkly warmth that was flowing up my arm instantly fizzles, leaving me to wonder what caused it to begin with.

Maybe it's a new, little trait to my abilities?

Frowning at the idea that my abilities could be growing, I turn toward the fridge to get something to eat, but pause when I glance out the window and spot Hunter and Holden hiking across the field out back.

I squint against the sunlight as I lean toward the window. Is the tournament out there somewhere? That'd be kind of weird, though, since there isn't much out there except a forest.

My suspicions only grow when Holden and Hunter reach the border of the trees. As they're about to slip into forest, they glance back at the house the lift their hands in front of them. The air ripples like water, making the trees sway and the sunlight flicker. Then they lower their hands and step forward into the trees.

My jaw just about smacks the floor.

What the heck did I just see? Because it almost looked like they walked through... well, like a portal or something.

Backing away from the window, I massage my temples.

_I'm losing my damn mind. What I saw couldn't be real._

But as panic sets in and the sky abruptly shadows with clouds, I'm reminded of the strange occurrences that I see every day. Maybe other strange things exist out there, too. Maybe the Everettsons are strange.

They sure as hell seem like it.

Sucking in a breath, I leave the kitchen. Later, looking back to that moment, I'll wonder what on earth compelled me to do it. Maybe it was the simple fact that I was tired and emotionally drained. Or maybe it was something more than that. A feeling. A whisper begging me to go see.

See that I wasn't as alone as I thought I was.

# Chapter 12

The wind picks up as I stride across the grassy field, the chilled air nipping at my skin. I probably should've put on a jacket, but if I turn back now, I'll more than likely talk myself out of doing this. So, wrapping my arms around myself, I hurry toward the forest where the trees sway with the wind.

When I reach the border, I pause, just like Hunter and Holden did, and move to elevate my hand.

Part of me questions if I hallucinated the rippling effect, that when I place my palm in the air, nothing will happen. But just like with Holden and Hunter, the air ripples like waves. It also feels warm against my skin, as if begging me to touch it longer.

My insides jitter with nerves, and the sky more than notices, lighting up like the Fourth of July.

_Calm down, Sky, or you're going to start a fire._

Summoning a deep breath, I step forward and through the rippling, clear wall.

_Swoosh._

The second my foot enters the trees, sparkling warmth waterfalls over me. I'd be more concerned about it, except the scene in front of me has me very distracted.

The trees are taller than I've ever seen, the grass is greener than the greenest of shades, and the number of colorful flowers sprouting from everywhere is unnatural.

When I look up, my lips part in shock. The sky is an electric blue, not a single cloud evident.

"What is this place?" I whisper, peering around.

A few butterflies flutter around a rose bush, but other than that, I can't see any signs of life. Water is flowing from somewhere close by, and when I listen closer, I hear faint voices drifting through the gentle breeze. I can't make out what they're saying or who they belong to so, putting my guard up, I endeavor deeper into the trees.

With each step, the colors of the forest sharpen, as if I've stepped into a portrait. And the voices also get louder, the faint murmurs turning into actual words.

"Just get in the middle, okay?" Gabe sounds as if he's losing his patience.

A flutter of a second later, I slam to a halt as I reach the edge of a small clearing where all the Everettsons are standing in a circle. They're dressed head to toe in black with hoods pulled over their heads, which I find odd for several different reasons, one being that Hunter and Holden weren't wearing hoodies when they left the house.

Before they can spot me, I hunker down behind a tree and trap my breath in my chest. I'm not even sure why my instinct is to hide, or what I'm afraid of, other than this entire situation is straight-up crazy.

Maybe I'm crazy.

Maybe I'm hallucinating.

Maybe I'm still asleep in my bed, dreaming.

I pinch my arm to check and wince. _Fuck, that hurt._

"I don't know why we have to do this," Foster growls out. "I've been getting better."

"We know, son, but with all the storms that have been blowing through..." Gabe gives a short pause. "I think it's best if we practice containing your powers, okay?"

"I already said I'm not causing those storms," Foster bites out. "Something else is doing it."

Silence momentarily stills the air.

"Sweetie, as far as everyone knows, you're the only elemental enchanter alive right now," Emaline says. "So, if the storms are being controlled, it's probably your doing. Not that we're mad at you—we know you've been stressed out lately. But we need to get your powers under control before you draw too much attention, which can't happen. And while we'll do anything to protect our secrets, I'd rather just make sure they stay secret."

"Fine. Whatever," Foster grumbles. "Let's just get this over with."

A quietness settles across the land.

Wondering what they could possibly be doing, I muster up every ounce of courage I possess and peer around the tree trunk I'm hiding behind.

Nothing could prepare me for what I see.

Foster has moved into the center of the circle, and his hands are crackling with lightning bolts. That's not even the strangest part. Each Everettson has their hands out in front of them, and a ray of light is streaming from their palms and toward Foster. Even crazier? The rays of light match their eye colors.

"Holy shit," I gasp out as I slowly back away.

Blue and silver electricity cracks across the sky, and I tense, trying to get my breathing under control.

_Calm down. You're going to be just fine._

Foster's eyes snap open, and his lightning charged gaze welds with mine. He looks possessed. Demonic.

I recall the screams I heard last night.

Just who the hell are the Everettsons?

Panicking, I reel around and run like hell in the direction I came from, not looking back, even when I hear cursing from behind me.

When I stumble from the trees, I rush back toward the house and barrel inside. Then I sprint straight up to my room and start shoving my clothes into a backpack.

I need to get the hell out of here. Now. I can't be here... not after what I just saw. Not when I have no clue what they were doing. Plus, I'm worried they might hurt me for finding out their secret. After all, I heard Max, Easton, and Foster verbalizing their concern for me discovering their family's secrets. This has to be to what they were referring. I mean, what else could it be?

The idea that there could very well be even more to this makes me shiver.

Grabbing my phone, I send Nina and Gage a text.

**Me: Can someone pick me up? It's an emergency.**

I move to hit send when my phone powers down. And not because it has a dead battery.

"Fuck. I need to get out of here." My heart thumps in my chest as I shove my phone into my pocket, sling my bag over my shoulder, and hightail it out of the house.

My plan is to run to town and borrow someone's phone so I can call Nina and Gage and tell them to come get me. Where I'll go from there, I haven't got a clue. But I'll figure it out.

But what if they come looking for me? What if they find me? What will they do to me?

I swallow hard at the many ideas flowing through my mind and accelerate from a run to a full-on sprint.

By the time I reach the gated entrance, which is thankfully open, a hailstorm is blowing in. With how upset I am, I'm not shocked. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if a blizzard soon blew in.

Positioning my bag over my head, I squeeze through the gates and run out onto the street. Chips of ice plink against my body, pelting my arms and legs, but I continue on, my breaths fogging out in front of my face as the temperature plummets.

I don't make it very far before Gabe's truck pulls up behind me, the windshield wipers moving a million miles a minute against the hail.

I quicken my pace, refusing to slow down, and deliberate whether or not to duck into the trees lining the road to escape them.

"Sky!" Gabe calls out over the hammering hail.

Doors slam shut, and then footsteps thud against the asphalt behind me.

I run faster, the sizes of the hail growing bigger.

"Sky, wait up!" Max shouts. "Fuck, what is with this hail?"

"You don't need to be afraid of us," Holden yells after me. "Please, just slow down so we can talk."

Jesus, are they all here?

Daring a glance behind me, I see Gabe, Max, and Holden. That makes me feel a drop better, since the three of them have been fairly nice to me.

"Sweetheart, just relax, okay?" Max jogs after me, the hood of his jacket pulled over his head. Hail is plinking off him, yet he appears unbothered—they all do. "We know what you saw looks really..." He wavers. "Odd."

"And it is odd," Holden clarifies, jogging beside Max. He's pulled his hood down; little drops of ice cover his hair. "But we promise we won't hurt you."

As a hail pegs me straight between the eyes, I slow to a stop. "Mother effer, that hurt."

"Are you okay?" Holden asks worriedly as he jogs up to me.

I hold up my hand and skitter back. "Just stay away from me."

They all slow to a stop and cautiously raise their hands in front of them.

"Sky, if you'll come back to the house with us," Gabe says, walking toward us, "we'll explain what you just saw."

Max's and Holden's heads whip in his direction, surprise flickering across their expressions.

_They weren't expecting him to say that._

"Dad..." Max starts with reluctance, his eyelashes fluttering as hail pegs him in the face.

Gabe holds his hand up in Max's direction. "Your mother and I already talked about this and decided that we can't keep this from her. Not when she's going to be living with us for months." He lowers his hand to his side. "We should've just told her to begin with, but we were waiting for the right time..." He presses his lips together and shakes his head. "I'm sorry you had to find out that way, Sky. I'm sure what you saw was... frightening."

Actually, what I saw wasn't necessarily frightening. It was the worry of what they'd do to me if they found out I saw that sent me running.

"Dad, humans can't understand." Max presses, crossing his arms. "You of all people should know that."

_Humans?_ So, they aren't human? I guess, when I really think about it, I'm not that surprised.

"Actually, they can." Gabe looks at me while wiping melted hail from his face. "Skylin's father and mother knew about us."

My jaw drops. "They did?"

He nods, inching toward me, ice crunching underneath his boots. "I was once captured by some hunters who wanted to do experiments on me. Their experiments almost killed me, and probably would've, if your father hadn't rescued me."

Hearing his story makes me relax enough that the hail shifts to rain.

My dad and mom knew about this? He saved Gabe and kept Gabe's secret? That means they won't hurt me... I hope.

I lower my bag from my head, and raindrops dot my skin. "And, what are you exactly?"

Gabe glances at Holden and Max, who are bursting with tension, then redirects his attention back to me. "We're elemental protectors. Max is wind, Porter and my wife are ice, Easton and I are water, Holden and Hunter are fire, and Foster is... well, he's complicated, but I'll explain that later."

_"You're the only elemental enchanter alive right now,"_ Emaline had said to Foster in the forest.

They had also blamed the storms on him. Could it be that Foster controls storms? Could I be like Foster? Do the Everettsons know about my ability? Doubtful since, not only did they just refer to me as human, but they think Foster is responsible for all the storms.

"Foster really needs to practice controlling his abilities more," Max utters as he peers up at the cloudy sky.

Yeah, they definitely don't know about me. I could tell them, but something holds me back. I'm not even sure what. Years of silence? The fear of knowing the truth about myself? The fear of finding out I'm not like them and am a freak of nature?

One thing is certain; I have a choice to make right now. I can run away from them and the truth, or trust Gabe and find out what exactly it is that I saw in the forest.

Part of me wants to keep on running, but deep down, I know that isn't what I'm going to do. I need to trust Gabe and go back with him. After all, if my dad knew about his powers, then he can't be too horrible. Plus, maybe I can find out more about my ability. That is, if I'm like the Everettsons.

"All right, I'll go back with you." I sling the handle of my bag over my shoulder and walk toward them.

Fog laces from their lips as they exhale in relief then turn back for the truck. Me? I'm a nervous fucking wreck as I climb into the truck with them.

All these years, I believed I was the only one with strange powers. Now, come to find out, I'm not. It's a lot to take in. All of this is.

We remain silent for the short ride home. Max and Holden keep throwing worried glances at me, as if expecting me to dive out of the truck or something. Their attention makes me feel squirmy inside, for several different reasons.

By the time we pull up into the driveway, I'm a jumble of nerves.

When Gabe parks the truck, everyone hops out and hikes up the pathway toward the front door, boots splashing in puddles.

Holden slows down when he nears the steps and waits for me to catch up.

"Are you okay?" he whispers lowly.

Max pauses by the front door and glances over his shoulder at me, waiting for my answer, I'm assuming.

I shrug as the image of them in the forest with their hands lit up flashes through my mind. "I'm really not sure."

Holden squeezes my hand. "Everything's going to be okay, Sky." Despite his words, the hesitancy in his expression has me questioning if he believes his own words. But I don't get too much time to stress about it as he folds his hand around mine and glittery warmth kisses my fingertips.

I bite down on my tongue to keep a gasp from fumbling past my lips.

_I don't... What is that?_

Holden doesn't seem to notice my reaction, holding my hand as he steers me past Max.

Gabe pushes the doors open then ushers us through the foyer and into the massive living room where the rest of the Everettsons are waiting. A fire is crackling in the fireplace, and the air smells of hot chocolate and cinnamon. The scene would feel homey, except for the nervousness trickling through the air.

"Go ahead and have a seat," Gabe tells me while shucking off his jacket.

Swallowing nervously, I peer inside the room.

Easton and Foster are sitting on a sectional sofa, along with Emaline, and Hunter is lounging in a chair, his boots kicked off and his feet kicked up on an ottoman. Mugs are on the coffee table, along with a plate of cookies. And all their gazes are fixed on me. Well, not me per se, but mine and Holden's interlocked fingers.

Shit, I forgot we were holding hands. Probably because the warmth of his touch makes me feel so relaxed.

I wiggle my hand from his grip and stuff my hands into the pockets of my jacket to hide how bad I'm trembling.

"Oh, sweetie." Emaline rises to her feet, whisks across the room, and wraps her arms around me. "I'm so sorry you had to find out this way. We should've told you the moment you came to our home." She hugs me tightly. "I just hope we didn't scare you too badly."

"It's fine." A partial lie, but what else am I supposed to say? "I just..." I sigh as she pulls back and looks me directly in the eye. "I just don't understand why my parents never mentioned stuff like... well, whatever you were doing in those trees." If they had said something, maybe I would've told them about my ability a long time ago. Not that we spent a lot of time talking to each other, but we did speak about important stuff sometimes. Now I can't even tell them anything at all.

"They probably didn't mention it because we asked them not to." She smooths my hair out of my eyes. "It's very important that no one finds out about us. If the wrong people did, we could end up experiments in some lab."

"Like Gabe was?" I slip my hands out of my pockets.

Her wide eyes land on Gabe. "You told her that part already?"

He ruffles his damp hair into place. "I thought, if she knew what her father did for me, it'd help her feel a bit better about this."

Emaline nods, her gaze traveling back to me. "So, you understand what's at stake if anyone finds out about us?"

I nod, even though I don't know all the details about what happened to Gabe or who these scientists are. But I've felt that fear myself of someone finding out about me, so I understand where they're coming from.

"I won't tell anyone. I promise." It's the truth. I have no plans of telling anyone about what I saw in the woods. If I did, people would think I was insane.

She smiles. "Thank you. You don't know how much we appreciate this."

Foster glares at me. "Yeah, _if_ she keeps her word." His eyes have returned to their normal shade of sky blue, but his gaze is still piercing.

"Foster," Gabe warns in a cold tone. "I trust that Skylin will keep her word, and you will, too."

"Why should we trust her?" Easton asks his dad. "We don't even know her."

"But your mother and I knew her parents, and they've kept our secret for decades." Gabe hangs up his jacket on a nearby coatrack, walks into the room, and then sinks into a chair with his shoulders slumped. "Scott, Skylin's father, was the man who rescued me from the hunters." He rubs his hand across his head. "He saved my life and was—is the most trustworthy person I know. Her mother is equally as trustworthy, and I have no doubt that their daughter is the same way."

The room grows so quiet I can hear the embers in the fire hissing.

"I trust her," Holden utters from beside me.

"Me, too," Max says with his eyes trained on me.

"I really don't know her." Porter shrugs. "However, she let the whole eyeballs-in-the-fridge thing drop pretty easily, even though I could tell she was freaked out by it."

"And the screaming last night," Max adds. "She didn't question that too much."

Yeah, speaking of which, I really want to find out what that was because I'm starting to question if it was because Easton was pranked.

"Maybe she's insane then." Easton smirks at me as he reclines back in the chair with his hands tucked behind his head.

I've seriously had enough of his crap, and with the day I've had...

Anger bursts through like a zap of lightning.

"You know, you've smirked at me so many times that, at this point, I'm actually starting to wonder if it's just how your face looks. Perhaps you did it so many times that your lips just got stuck in that stupid position. Well, either that or you secretly want to look like the Cheshire Cat. Which, if you do, good job. You're almost there." I bite down on my tongue to stop myself from saying anything else.

Easton's brows lift to his hairline in surprise while Max chokes on a laugh, and Emaline grins.

"Good job." She smiles at me, leaving confusion twirling in my mind.

_She's glad I basically told Easton to fuck off?_

"He'll be easier to deal with now that you've pushed back," Max whispers, leaning toward me.

"You know what, maybe you're not half bad," Easton confirms Max's words.

Foster gives Easton the hardest look ever, but Easton ignores it, grinning at me.

"Why don't you come sit down?" Emaline takes a seat on the sofa again. "I'm sure you have questions."

I make my way into the room and sit down on an empty sofa, feeling as though I'm going to need as much breathing room as possible. But Max and Holden take a seat on either side of me, so there goes that plan. They sit really close to me, too. So close I can feel heat emitting from their bodies, seeping through the fabric of my wet clothes.

Instead of saying something, everyone remains silent, as if waiting for me to speak first.

I pick at my fingernails, trying to figure out what to say next. "Gabe said you're elemental protectors and that you are wind, fire, water, and ice... But I'm not really sure what that means. Well, not completely anyway."

They all look to Gabe to answer.

He scrubs his hand across his jawline. "Well, to put it simply, it basically means we're able to control the elements. So, for instance, I can control water and channel my powers from it. So, every spell I cast has to be directly related to the water element. Same with fire, ice, and wind."

"Oh..." Wow, that was so not what I was expecting. Honestly, I thought he was going to say they were witches or something—it's what it looked like. "So, what were those rays of light you were shooting out of your hands and into Foster? Because I sort of noticed the color of them matched your eyes."

"The color is a representation of our power," Gabe explains, sitting back in the chair. "When you run into other elemental protectors, you'll be able to tell their power just by the color of their eyes."

My jaw nearly bitch-slaps the ground. "There're more of you?"

Gabe gives a nod. "There's a lot actually."

This would be a great time to tell them about my ability, but the words won't pass my lips.

_Just say it aloud, Sky. Tell them!_

But it's as if my lips are being controlled by an unseen force, and my mouth won't even open.

"You're very tense," Max whispers, rubbing my back.

Everyone is staring at us now, and for some stupid reason, I blush.

Easton smirks, his lips parting, but thankfully, Gabe cuts him off with a string of curses as he fishes his phone from his pocket.

A second later, all the Everettsons are taking out their phones.

"The council at headquarters has called an emergency meeting," Gabe mutters as he reads a text. He glances up at Emaline, and they trade a cryptic look. "It says everyone needs to attend."

Worry floods Emaline's face. "I wonder what it could be about."

"I have no idea, but we need to go." Gabe stands and puts his phone away.

Emaline pushes to her feet. "We can't just leave Sky here by herself."

"I'll be fine," I lie. I'm not sure I'll ever be fine again.

I'm not even sure if I was ever fine.

Gabe rakes his fingers through his hair. "Actually, the council is requesting that Sky come, too."

Silent tension electrifies around the room.

"Why?" Holden finally breaks the silence.

"I'm not sure." Gabe casts a worried glance in my direction. "I guess we'll find out, though." He looks at Emaline. "We just need to make sure we're careful while we're there... you know how things are there." When she nods worriedly, I gulp. Then Gabe turns to me. "I know this is going to sound a bit weird but, would you mind putting on something that has a bit of steel in it?"

_Like my necklace?_

"Why?" I ask warily.

He scratches between his brows. "Where we're going... your body will be able to handle it better if you have steel on you."

My nervousness slams through the roof, my palms beginning to sweat. "Where are we going? And what is this council?"

They all exchange an uneasy look, and then Emaline says, "We're going to our homeland, which technically isn't in this world. And as for the council... They're basically like our form of government is the best way to put it. Well, they have been for the last couple of decades."

And just like that, I become painfully aware that nothing is what I ever thought it was. It also makes me question why my mom gave me the steel necklace to begin with. Because she knew that people like the Everettsons existed? Or is there more to it?

Hopefully, I can find out some answers soon because I feel like I'm losing my damn mind.

"Okay, I'll be right back." Since I never put my necklace on after I got out of the shower, I go upstairs to do so.

I feel like I'm in a daze as I return back downstairs, my mind crammed with too many questions. But I immediately get distracted when a shriek cuts through the air. It's kind of like the noise I heard last night, but sounds more inhuman.

Maybe it's a bat in the attic?

_Seriously, Sky? Like bats can scream. And besides, after what you just learned, you should probably be thinking more creatively._

"Just ignore it," I whisper to myself.

But as I pass by the room Emaline was in last night, it's pretty clear the noise is coming from in there. Beyond curious, I step toward the door. I almost feel bad for snooping, but not enough to back out. Wrapping my fingers around the doorknob, I push the door open. Or well, try to push the door open, but it's locked.

As the shrieking grows rambunctious, I crouch down and peer through the door lock. What I see makes me question if I am insane, if maybe I did a hit of acid somehow without knowing and have lost my mind. Because on the other side of the door is a room covered in trees and flowers, so thick it looks like a forest is growing in there. But that's not even the craziest part. No, the craziest part is the blond haired man... creature with glittery purple skin and pale blue lips screaming at the top of his lungs.

I gasp, slapping my hand over my mouth. _What is this?_

The man/creature pauses, his gaze flicking toward the door. A grin curls at his lips, and then just like that, one of his beady, purple eyes is peering through the lock at me.

"Hey little enchanted one, why don't you let me out of here?" he purrs.

A chill slithers down my spine, and I trip back, shaking my head. "No way."

"Oh come on," he begs hypnotically. "I promise I don't bite."

I shake my head again, and he completely contradicts himself as he snaps his teeth.

_Fuck this shit._

I take off sprinting down the stairs, my feet hammering against the steps.

"Are you okay?" Emaline asks as I enter the room, panting.

Only her, Gabe, and Max are in the room. The rest of the Everettsons are MIA, and a circle of rainbow-tinted light is now funneling in the center of the fireplace instead of a fire.

"Um..." I struggle to catch my breath. "Were you aware there's a screaming... man in your room?"

Her expression drops. "That's not a man. That's a... faerie?" She says it more like a question.

My eyes snap wide. "Faerie's exist?"

Max finds my reaction amusing. "They do. And there's a lot more than just faeries wandering around in this world and other worlds too."

"Oh." I have so many questions yet not a damn one seems to want to leave my lips.

"Will explain more when we get back, okay?" Emaline steps toward me. "Right now, we really need to get going." She nods at the rainbow-tinted light swirling in the fireplace.

I'm uncertain what I expected when Emaline said we'd be leaving this world, but I didn't consider it'd be through some sort of portal in the fireplace.

"Go ahead and walk through the portal, Sky." Emaline points at the circle of rainbow light then offers me an encouraging smile. "My boys are waiting for you on the other side, and Gabe, Max, and I will be right behind you."

I stare at the shimmering light moving like a tornado into the unknown. I attempt to will my feet forward, but my boots feel as heavy as bricks of lead.

Max steps up beside me. "You'll be fine. Just hold my hand, okay?" He laces his fingers through mine.

He doesn't give me any time to back out, tugging me into the light. And all I can do is hold my breath and hope I make it out of this alive.

Hope that I can trust the Everettsons.

# Chapter 13

Portal traveling? Yeah, if you'd asked me a few days ago if I thought stuff like that existed, I'd have gone with a um... are you crazy? Yeah, I may have powers, but I've also spent most of my life believing I was the only one who did. Turns out, I was wrong.

Way, way wrong...

Entering the portal is a lot like stepping into a hot tub. Bubbly warmth immediately engulfs me, and I swear water seeps through my clothes. Yet, when I stumble out of the rainbow light, my jeans and shirt are dry. Apparently, though, my feet have forgotten how to work, and I end up losing my hold of Max's hand as I trip forward. But arms enclose around me and stop me from falling to the ground.

Whoever is touching me, their nearness causes a jolt of electricity to zap through my body.

"Gods, do you have two left feet or something?" Foster grumbles as he wraps his arm around my waist.

Grimacing, I shove him away. Out of all the Everettsons to catch me, why did it have to be him?

"Your klutziness is going to get you hurt here," Foster continues, crossing his lean arms and glaring at me.

"I'm not that klutzy," I argue. "And even if I am, there're six of you to keep me from getting hurt, so I guess I don't have too much to worry about, do I?" I smirk but, deep down, I'm a bit surprised.

I've never been one for smarting off to people I don't know, but I've done it a couple of times since I've been with the Everettsons. Is it the stress of the situation making me do it? Or are the Everettson brothers bringing out a different side of me? A side I'm not sure I hate or like. Maybe a bit of both.

"You really trust us to protect you?" Foster questions with a raise of his brow.

I shrug. "Sure."

He leans in, his eyes darkening. "Then you're stupider than I thought."

"And you're a bigger asshole than I thought," I quip, curling my fingers into fists.

He smirks. "I thought you would've figured that out after you tried to hit on me back in Honeyton."

My face stupidly floods with heat.

Since he hadn't mentioned the incident before, I assumed he either forgot about it or was just going to pretend it never happened. That was probably pretty damn stupid of me.

"I wasn't hitting on you." Not a total lie. I was planning to hit on him that day, but his immediate rejection put an end to it before it even started. "I was just being friendly."

"Liar." His smirk magnifies as he slants closer, the rainbow portal reflecting in his eyes. "I could tell you wanted me. You still do."

"Actually, I don't." That part is true. Do I think Foster is hot? Absolutely. But I'm in no way attracted to a guy who has called me stupid and treats me like shit. "The second you opened your mouth, any attraction went _poof_." I make a _poofing_ gesture with my hand right in his face.

His grin remains. "You do realize you just admitted you were attracted to me, right?"

I lower my hand to my side, my blood boiling. "Yeah? So what? I'm sure you've had a lot of girls attracted to you, but I doubt you've ever had any of them like you for your awesome personality. In fact, I bet most girls lost their attraction to you the second you opened your mouth."

I must have struck a nerve because his smile fades.

I should feel good about pissing him off, but I don't. Nina calls my inability to be a straight-up bitch my weakness, but I'm glad I'm capable of feeling bad. Well, most of the time. Right now, I wish I could hang on to my vindictiveness for a bit longer, but unfortunately, that's not my MO.

I'm about to apologize when Easton appears out of nowhere. "You know, when I first met you, I thought you were sweet. Now I'm wondering if you were just hiding your claws."

"I'm not usually this mean. You guys just bring it out of me." I turn away from them, and my jaw drops. "What the hell?" My eyes widen as I take in the scene before me: the trees that are so tall they appear to touch the sky, the giant mushrooms covering the grassland, the kaleidoscopic sky, and the hundreds of light orbs dancing through the air.

We appear to be standing on a podium with a pearl-like texture. On one side of me is the rainbow portal and standing on my other side is Holden, Hunter, Max, Easton, and Foster. Porter, Emaline, and Gabe are nowhere to be seen.

As I start to ask where the missing three are, Emaline and Gabe leap from the portal and onto the podium.

"Are you okay?" Emaline promptly surveys me over. "Sometimes portal traveling can do... weird things to your body."

"What sort of weird things?" I ask worriedly.

Emaline gives a wary glance at Gabe, who shrugs.

"We might as well tell her," he says. "Things are only going to get stranger from here on out."

Emaline directs her focus back to me. "Sometimes portal traveling can alter the construction of a human body. Like, for instance, your legs could end up where your arms are and vice versa. You seem fine, though, since you walked through with Max. But if something did get messed up, we can fix it."

"Why would walking through the portal with Max make it so I'm fine?" I wonder. "Because of his power?"

She nods. "The side effects of portal traveling are less severe if a human walks through with an elemental protector. Or any paranormal, I guess."

Hearing her so casually say the word _paranormal_ wigs me out, but something else she says distracts me.

"So, only humans get side effects from portal traveling?" I ask.

"Humans get side effects from most things in our world." Foster is the one to answer, his cold gaze burrowing into me. "Which is why they shouldn't be a part of our world."

"Foster," Gabe reprimands. "You need to lose the attitude."

Foster rolls his eyes. "And we need to lose the human. But no one seems to want to listen to me, so why should I listen to you?"

"Foster!" Emaline gasps in horror.

She's acting as if Foster has never acted so rude in his life, but my bet is he's an asshole most of the time, except for when he's around her.

Foster shrugs her off. "What? It's the truth."

"Young man," Gabe warns, scowling at him. "You will lose the attitude right now and apologize to Sky, or else you'll be grounded for the next two weeks."

"Go ahead and ground me. I'm not going to apologize for something I'm not sorry for." Tossing one final icy look at me, he hops off the podium and drops into the grass. Then he hikes off across the field where the shimmering light orbs are dancing.

"I'll go check on him," Easton says then leaps down into the grass.

"I'm so sorry about that," Emaline apologizes to me. "He's not usually like this."

I catch Hunter and Max rolling their eyes, so I'm betting my early assumption of Foster is correct.

Emaline doesn't notice her sons' eye rolls, though, as she turns away from me to Gabe. "Do you want to take the long way or the short way?"

Gabe's gaze flicks to me then back to her. "With how busy the city is and how unfriendly everyone is getting toward humans, we better go the long way, just to be safe."

"Am I safe here?" I question nervously, glancing upward as a bolt of lightning blazes across the glittery-blue sky.

"As long as you stay with us, you are," Emaline assures me, but a drop of hesitancy rings in her tone. Then her attention drifts upward. "Is Foster really this upset?"

Again, my lips part to tell them about my powers, to explain that I'm fairly positive Foster isn't causing the lightning storm. But, like before, no words pass my lips.

What is wrong with me? Why can't I just say the damn words aloud?

"I'm not sure Foster's doing it," Hunter mutters, silvery-blue flashes of lightning reflecting in his eyes.

Max glances at him with his head cocked. "Why would you say that?"

Holden lowers his gaze from the sky. "I'm not positive, but it feels like there might be another energy nearby."

They all stiffen, darting their gazes to the trees, their hands crackling with the same light that I saw earlier when I snuck into the woods. Only, up close, I can see it's not just light radiating from their hands. Holden's and Hunter's palms are actually on fire, golden flames emitting from their flesh. Emaline has flakes of ice twirling in the center of her palms that mixes with the light, and Gabe has droplets of water dewing on his skin, while a small, funneling tornado is twirling around Max's arms.

As the air crackles with heat and the wind howls, the atmosphere grows humid yet somehow chills. I anxiously step away from them, getting sensory overload.

The movement catches Gabe's attention. Frowning, he curls his fingers inward and the light and water dissipate. "Easy, everyone. I think we're making Sky nervous."

"You're fine." But I'm far from fine. Seeing them on edge is making me aware that danger is likely lurking out in... well, wherever the hell we are.

"How could another energy cause lightning?" Max asks, turning his back toward the trees, the light and wind around him dimming as he looks questioningly at Holden. "Only an elemental enchanter can do that."

So, elemental enchanters are the only ones who can create lightning?

I gulp at the realization.

"You guys said that Foster is the only elemental enchanter, right?" If my mouth would've allowed me to, I may have asked if I could be one.

They grow extremely uneasy, shifting their weight and scratching their arms and brows.

"Yeah, he is," Max finally answers, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

Great, if I am like Foster, then that means we're the only two of our kind. I don't want that at all. I don't want to be stuck in a rare category with a guy who's a fucking jerk.

Max glances at Emaline, who chews on her bottom lip worriedly.

"Elemental enchanters have every elemental power inside their veins, which means they're very powerful." She takes both my hands in hers, nervousness emitting from her. "And in our world, the more powerful you are, the more in danger you are of either someone trying to manipulate your powers or being eliminated because of them. It's why no one can know about Foster's powers. The only elemental protectors who do know about him are us and a few others we trust. Well, and Kash." She must note the puzzlement on my face because she adds, "He's the faerie you saw in my room."

"Is that why you have him locked up?" I ask. "Because he found out about Foster?"

She nods. "He found out during one of our missions to the fey realm. So, I bound him to me with a binding spell, then locked him in my room." She lets go of my hands with an exhausted sigh. "But it's not a long-term solution."

Gabe places a hand on her shoulder. "Sweetie, we'll figure something out."

"I know," Emaline whispers. "I'm just worried; that's all." She lowers her hands. "You know as well as I do that Kash will use Foster's powers to benefit him. And anything that benefits Kash will cause harm to our world."

"I promise everything will be fine." Gabe pulls her against his chest and hugs her.

Emaline clutches him, her eyes glazing over with ice. The temperature begins to drop, causing goosebumps to sprout on my arms.

"Come on." Max takes ahold of my hand. "Let's give my parents a moment, okay?"

I let Max lead me to the ledge of the podium. Then Holden moves up beside me and threads his fingers through my other hand while Hunter stands behind me.

Crowded. That's the word that comes to mine as I peer left to right then over my shoulder. When my gaze collides with Hunter's, a smirk plays at his lips.

"There's no need to be nervous, little human." He winks at me. "We'll take good, _good_ care of you."

I blink at him. Did he just call me _little human_?

"Good gods, Hunter," Holden mumbles. "You don't need to hit on everyone."

"I don't," Hunter replies without taking his eyes off me. "I only hit on the pretty ones."

I roll my eyes.

Hunter's smirk widens. "You know, I think you have some very fun potential in you, if we could just get you to let it out a bit more. I bet it'd help if we cracked through that invisible wall you have around you. Or well, break open that tiny crack in it."

My brows pull together. "What wall?"

He traces his palm in a circular motion in front of my face. "A few humans have invisible walls around them, or barriers, as I like to call them. But they're basically invisible walls that protect creatures like me from seeing someone's true self. A lot of creatures have them, but they've had them put around them purposefully and by magic, while human walls are usually created by traumatic, emotional experiences. It's a defense mechanism that few possess. And I'd say you should be proud to have a wall around you, but I'm concerned about what experiences created it and what caused the crack in it."

"I really don't know." Sure, my life hasn't always been sunshine and rainbows, but nothing traumatic happened to me. Well, except for... "Maybe it's because my parents disappeared."

He shakes his head, his gaze scrolling from my feet to the top of my head. "The wall around you is very old. Maybe even as old as you are."

Confusion webs through me. "As far as I know, the only traumatic thing that's happened to me is my parents disappearing." Well, and the day I became aware that I had powers, but that part won't pass my lips.

_Dammit, this is so frustrating! Why can't I say anything about my powers?_

Hunter studies me closely, which causes heat to sprinkle across my skin. "Maybe you've forgotten what happened to you."

"How could I forget something traumatic?" I point out. "Those types of things usually stick with you."

"Not necessarily." He contemplates something before stepping back and launching himself over the edge of the podium, landing gracefully in the grass.

I glance between Max and Holden, who are looking at me with a hint of perplexity. "So, if Hunter can see this invisible wall around me, then I'm assuming you guys have some sort of powers not related to your elements."

Max and Holden trade a look then chuckle.

Heat creeps across my cheeks. _Are they making fun of me?_

"Don't worry; we're not making fun of you," Max says, as if reading my mind. "We've just never been around a human who knows about our world, so we didn't realize how entertaining these sorts of questions could be."

"And to answer your question," Holden says. "Yes, we do have powers that aren't related to our elements. We actually have a lot of different powers."

"Like what?" I cross my fingers, hoping they can't actually read minds. Although, there have been a couple of times when I wondered that, so...

_What if they can?_

"Like being able to create portals." Holden hitches his thumb at the rainbow portal.

"Or like being extremely graceful and strong." To prove his point, Max picks me up and leaps off the edge of the podium before I can even take my next breath.

I barely feel the impact as he lands weightlessly in the grass.

"Wow," I breathe out, clutching the front of his shirt.

Grinning, he lowers my feet to the ground. "And there's plenty more where that came from." He spins on his heels and starts across the field in the direction Easton, Foster, and Hunter took off in, light orbs twirling around him.

I start to follow him when Holden drops down beside me.

"Are you okay?" he asks.

I nod, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"Because this—this world, our powers—it can be a lot to take in."

"I'm fine," I assure him. But, am I? I'm not sure I know the answer to that.

Offering me a small smile, he pulls me with him as he starts across the field. "My brothers and I haven't ever been around a human who knows about our powers, so I'm guessing there's going to be a lot of showing off." The orbs of light magnetize toward him, but he doesn't seem to notice, his gaze welded to mine. "If you get uncomfortable at any time, just say so, okay? Don't let them do things to you that make you uncomfortable."

Worry crawls through me. Just what sort of things does he think they're going to do to me?

"They'd never hurt you," he promises, as if sensing my dread. "That I can promise you."

I hate to ask, but I need to know. "Does that statement apply to Foster, too?"

He nods with zero hesitation. "Foster is complicated, but he'd never hurt you. In fact, I think if he could, he'd like you."

"You make it sound like he has to hate me."

"He doesn't have to, but it's probably for the better. It always is." He doesn't elaborate, leaving me to wonder what he meant.

Leaving me to wonder a lot of things.

# Chapter 14

"So, what exactly is this place called?" I ask after a few minutes of silence have drifted by between Holden and me.

Max is walking farther ahead, playing with the orbs of light. And, by playing, I mean that, every so often, he plucks a green one from the air and tosses it around like a baseball.

Green, just like his eyes and his magical light powers. I doubt that's a coincidence.

"We call this place The In-Between," Holden says as a golden orb of light lands on his shoulder. "But it's basically the place that links all the worlds."

It takes me a gulp or two to process his words. "So, what world are we going to now?"

"Our world." He pets the light with his fingertips. "Also known as Elemental."

"Just how many worlds are there?"

"More than even I know about." He gives me a sidelong glance. "I know it's a little overwhelming, but when you start going to the academy, you'll learn all about our world."

"Are all humans that go there aware of your powers?"

He shakes his head, collecting the light in his hand. "No. Actually, most of them don't know about us."

"But, how do you keep it a secret from them?"

He winks at me. "With magic."

"Oh."

God, this is so much to take in. Powers. Worlds. Orbs of light that act like pets.

"What are these light thingies anyway?" I point at the ball of light in his hand.

Smiling, he sticks his hand out toward me with the light resting in his palm. "This is what we refer to as essences. They exist only in The In-Between and, like our eyes, their color represents their power."

"So, they have the same powers as you guys?"

"Yes. Only, they never connected to a body."

"Connected to a body...?" My confusion morphs into shock. "Wait. Are you saying these things are what create people...? Creatures like you?"

He nods, somewhat amused. "Although, not all of them will connect to a body. Some will always just roam The In-Between. Those we refer to as wild essences."

I glance curiously at the wild essence in his hand. "What does it feel like when you hold it?"

Pressing his lips together, he moves his hand in my direction again. "Touch it and find out."

"Will it...? Can it hurt me?"

"No. Wild essences are as pure as untainted souls. I'm not sure if you'll actually feel anything since you're human, but I'm curious to find out."

It seems as if I should be afraid, but every single part of me is begging to touch the orb of light. So, like a magnet to metal, my fingers drift forward, the tips slipping through the light. A wave of heat and iciness courses through me, then a gust of wind kicks up, blowing through my hair and across my skin. Seconds later, the clouds begin to shower rain as lightning bolts zap and thunder booms, rumbling the ground.

"What the hell?" Holden peers up at the sky.

I gasp as electric energy surges through my veins, and Holden's attention whips to me as rays of light swarm around me, like a multicolored tornado.

"Hold perfectly still," Holden whispers as the rays of light eddy around me.

"Are they going to hurt me?" I whisper, my voice shaky.

"No, they're drawn to you." A crease forms at his brows. "Sky, is there any way you could have powers?"

I swallow hard, willing the words to leave my lips. But again, I remain silent.

The crease between his brows deepens. "Sky, can you hear me?"

I nod. "Yeah."

He surveys me over. "Can you not talk about something?" When I say nothing, he nibbles on his bottom lip. "If you think you have some sort of powers, nod your head."

I attempt to do just that, but my head won't budge. Frustrated, I ball my hands into fists. The movement captures his attention.

"You can't talk about it, can you?" he asks, frowning.

"I... Why... can't I?" I manage to strain out.

"I'm not sure." He taps his finger against his lips. "There've been a couple of instances when elemental protectors had spells cast on them to keep their identity and powers hidden. Usually, though, it's because they did something illegal and wanted to hide from the council. I know my grandparents did it once when they were younger, but that was to conceal that they were elemental enchanters..." His eyes abruptly widen. Then his gaze travels across all the orbs of light whirling around me in a colorful stream. "Oh fuck." He snatches ahold of my hand and drags me back in the direction we just came from.

"What's going on?" I ask as I stumble after him.

He doesn't answer, taking longer strides, and I damn near eat dirt as I struggle to keep up with him. Finally, he scoops me up in his arms, and then we're moving so fast that the sky, trees, and light around us become nothing but blurs of colors.

Before I know it, we're back on the podium. Emaline and Gabe are still there but look as if they were about to leave.

"What's wrong?" Gabe asks immediately as Holden rushes up with me in his arms.

"All the essences are drawn to her," Holden hisses. "I think she might be an elemental enchanter."

Hearing him say the words aloud causes adrenaline to soar through me.

" _What?_ " they simultaneously say, their eyes bulging as they gape at me.

"And she can't talk about it," Holden adds, "which means someone went through an awful lot of trouble to keep her powers a secret."

"But," Emaline sputters, "it can't be possible. Her parents are human."

"Unless they're not her real parents," Gabe states, avoiding my gaze.

Wait. _What?_

"Th-They're my parents," I sputter. "I know they are."

His eyes convey pity. "I know you've been through a lot lately, and this is probably the last thing you want to deal with, but humans can't have children with elemental powers. It's just not possible. And an elemental enchanter..." He shakes his head. "They almost always come from a line of very powerful elemental protectors."

"Maybe my parents had powers and you just didn't know it?" I say. "I mean, no one knows about me... Well, until now."

Gabe and Emaline exchange an unreadable look, then Gabe cautiously says, "Maybe." But I can tell he doesn't believe it.

My heart sinks in my chest. What if what they're saying is true? What if my entire life has been a lie?

"We need to get her out of here." Holden says with urgency.

"Why? Foster's here, and he's one, so..." I'm so lost.

"It was odd enough that headquarters requested you come with us today," Holden tells me cautiously.

"Which means if someone knows what she is, this could be a setup." Gabe shakes his head with his jaw set tight. "I should've suspected it the moment I got the message."

Emaline places her hand on his arm. "Honey, you couldn't have known. None of us suspected she had powers."

"All the extra storms make sense now." Holden stares down at me with the strangest look on his face.

I become hyperaware he's still carrying me. "You can put me down if you want."

Strands of hair fall into his eyes as he shakes his head. "Nah, I'll carry you through the portal." He looks at Gabe. "So, what're we going to do?"

Gabe glances at the trees, the portal, me, then at Holden. "Take her back to the house. We'll find your brothers and send them back. Then your mother and I will go to headquarters."

"You think it's safe?" Holden asks, his arms tensing around me.

Gabe wavers. "I'm not sure, which is why we'll go to Gabby first. She'll be able to give us a sense of what's going on. We'll make our next decision based on that."

Worry crams Holden's expression. "Just be safe, okay?"

"Of course." Gabe forces a smile.

Holden sighs, striding across the podium toward the rainbow portal.

Guilt weighs down on my chest. If something happens to them, it'll be my fault.

Before I can verbalize my feelings, though, Holden jumps into the portal and rainbow light swallows us up.

# Chapter 15

After Holden transports us through the portal and back to the Everettsons' living room, he sets me down on the sofa. "Stay here. I'll be right back." Then he spins on his heels and strides out of the room.

My palms are sweating and my pulse is soaring as I process everything I discovered over the last day. Powers. Paranormals. Me being some rare creature. That my parents might not actually be my real parents. How is this possible?

I'd probably be more in shock if I hadn't already been dealing with my powers for most of my life. While some of what I just learned is frightening—and frustrating, if it turns out my parents aren't my real parents—I also feel a trace of relief that, after all these years, I'm finally starting to understand why I can make lightning and fires ignite from out of nowhere, why I can sometimes start flashfloods, why light bulbs burst when I get angry. I've spent years believing I was crazy. Years thinking, if I really did have powers, I was the only one in the world who did.

"All right, I want to try a couple of things," Holden announces as he returns to the room. He has a small, leather bag in his hand and his sleeves are rolled up.

"What sort of things?" I dubiously eyeball the leather bag that looks an awful lot like an old-school doctor bag.

"Nothing bad. I promise." He sinks down onto the edge of the coffee table and opens the bag. "I want to see if I can get that invisible wall around you down. If I can, it might allow you to talk about your powers. It's got a tiny crack in it already, but we can use that to our advantage. Although, I'm curious what caused the crack."

"I have no idea." I pause. "You think this wall is what's restraining me from talking about... Well, you know?"

"It could be." He retrieves a thick, leather-bound book from the bag. "It could be a spell, though. If that's the case, we're going to need to bring in an elemental witch."

"Is that like a normal witch?" I pause as what he said sinks in. "Wait... Witches exist?"

"Everything exists." He fans through the pages of the book. "But elemental witches are a bit different from normal witches. Where normal witches gain their powers from spells, elemental witches' powers come directly from the elements."

"So wind, fire, water, and ice," I list the elements I've heard about so far. "Are there any more elements?"

His throat muscles work as he swallows hard. "There's one more... Darkness."

"I'm guessing from your tone that darkness isn't a good element?"

An uneven exhale eases from his lips. "Our history is filled with wars and dark periods caused by the elemental protectors of darkness. There's something about controlling darkness and being connected to it that makes a lot of them almost insane. It doesn't help that darkness is linked to dark magic, which is the most evilest form of magic."

"Do...? Um..." I nervously wet my chapped lips. "Elemental enchanters have all the elements, right? So that includes darkness?"

He nods. "Don't worry, though. Even though darkness is a part of you, elemental enchanters are known for doing more good than evil. And usually, they only cause evil when forced by the hand of another."

"Oh." I can't help thinking of Foster and the unkindness he's shown toward me.

"Foster isn't as cruel as he comes off. There's just a lot to being an elemental enchanter, which you'll learn about soon. That is, if I'm correct about you being one." He returns to skimming through the book.

Again, it's as though he can read my mind.

"You don't have mind-reading abilities, do you?" I ask while observing him closely.

His eyes crinkle around the corners as he chuckles. "No, but I can read people fairly well. You're a bit more complicated, though, with that wall around you." He sets the book down on the table and cracks his knuckles. "Hopefully, I can get it down so that can change."

"Yeah, I'm not sure I want you to be able to read me clearly." I anxiously eyeball his hands as flames spark from his fingertips.

"Don't worry; I can teach you how to block out elemental protectors, like me, who possess the gift of seeing. But we do need to get that wall down so we can see what's hidden behind it, okay?"

I nod, but my stomach ravels in knots. "Okay."

"Good. Now, I need you to hold still, and if at any time you feel like my powers are burning you, let me know, okay?" He waits for me to nod then glances down at the opened book. He skims over a page before looking at me again. Then he moves his hands toward my wrists. "Remember, let me know if it burns," he says as he brushes his fingertips over my skin, causing sparkly warmth to tingle up my arms and swim through my veins.

He examines my expression closely. "Feel anything?"

"It feels sparkly, but I've felt like this before when you touched me."

"Good. That's good." Sucking in a breath, he lays his palms on my arms.

The warmth intensifies, but not in a painful way. In fact, it feels good. Really, really good.

"Does it still feel sparkly?" he asks, and I nod, fighting the urge to close my eyes. "If it doesn't burn, then you for sure have elemental powers. But I still can't tell for sure."

"The wall's still up?"

"Yeah..." He glances at the book again. "We might need more energy."

"More than what's pouring through my body now?" I choke out.

His gaze darts to mine, and then he hastily withdraws his hands from my arms. "Was I hurting you?"

"No, but it's..." _Fucking weird and kind of wonderful._ Yeah, I'm not about to say that aloud. "Intense... But not in a bad way."

He hesitantly places his palms back on my arms. "I have an idea, but we need my brothers here for it. Especially Foster, since he has the most power."

"What sort of idea?" Apprehension drips into my tone.

He doesn't get the chance to answer since the rest of the Everettson brothers come barreling through the portal.

Porter is the first to materialize, with Hunter right behind him. Then Max is next, Easton is second to last, with Foster hanging out near the back, appearing as irritated as he was the last time I saw him.

Porter takes one look at Holden and me sitting with our knees touching, Holden's hands on my arms, and his brow cocks up. "What'd we miss?"

Holden releases my arms and rises to his feet. "Mom and Dad didn't fill you in?"

Porter shakes his head, his gaze bouncing between Holden and me. "They just told us there was an emergency and we needed to get back to the house. That you and Sky would be here and could fill us in on everything."

All five of them glance between Holden and me.

Holden glances at me, and I shrug. "You know what's going on better than I do," I point out. "Honestly, I feel completely fucking lost."

"I know... I was just..." Holden glances worriedly in Foster's direction then looks back at me. "I'm trying to figure out the best way to break the news to everyone."

Great, I have a feeling he thinks Foster is going to be upset that I might have the same powers as him.

"Come on, brother; just spit it out." Hunter motions for Holden to get a move on while plopping down on the sofa. "I'm sure whatever it is can't be that bad."

Again, Holden sneaks a glance at Foster.

Foster notices this time, and his brows furrow. "What's up? Why do you keep looking at me like that?"

Holden scratches the back of his neck. "Well, while we were in The In-Between, in the essences' field, I talked Sky into touching an essence."

"Really?" Intrigue sparkles in Hunter's eyes. "What happened? No, let me guess. It bit her?" His eyes glint mischievously. "I know I would."

Max rolls his eyes then winds around the table and takes a seat next to me. "I'm guessing a little essence bite isn't what caused Mom and Dad to make everyone return home."

"Nothing bit me," I stress, fidgeting with the leather bands on my wrists.

"That could be changed right now. All you have to do is say the word." Easton grins as I glare at him. Then he flops down on a chair and kicks his feet up onto the coffee table. "I, for one, am glad we got to come home—whatever the reason." He kicks off his boots. "I really wasn't up to dealing with the council today."

"Nobody ever is." Max reclines back on the sofa and fixes his gaze on Holden. "So, are you going to tell us what happened?"

Again, Holden's gaze strays to Foster.

Foster narrows his eyes at him. "Stop giving me weird looks and just spit it out."

"You might want to sit down first," Holden tells him warily.

Foster crosses his arms. "No thanks. I'm good right here."

Jeez, is it really that big of a deal? So what if I'm an elemental enchanter?

Holden must think it's a big deal, though, because he frowns.

"Can you at least move away from the portal?"

Blowing out a frustrated exhale, Foster strides across the room and plops down on the end table near the sofa next to Porter. "All right, spill it."

Holden rakes his hands through his hair. "When Sky touched the essence, every single essence in the field swarmed up to her." Shocked silence sweeps across the room, but Holden presses on. "So, Mom, Dad, and I think that... well, with all the essences drawn to her... she might be—"

"Like me," Foster finishes flatly, his expression neutral as he rises to his feet. "Awesome. Glad you dragged that out for an unnecessary amount of time." With that, he storms out of the room.

Holden pinches the bridge of his nose. "Will someone please go get him and convince him to come back here? I need his help trying to get this wall around Sky down."

"Can't you do it without him?" The last thing I want is to let Foster put his hands on my arms like Holden did. "Because I doubt he's going to help."

"He will." Max smiles tightly at me. "He's just... He's thought for years that he's the only one of his kind, and it's going to take him some time to adjust to the reality that he's not."

My gaze skims across the five of them. Holden appears worried. So does Max. And Porter, Hunter, and Easton are staring at the doorway that Foster disappeared through, tension flowing off them.

"You guys aren't telling me something," I say. "Is it bad that there're two elemental enchanters?" Or is Foster just being a brat?

Maybe he likes being unique, and now that he's not, they're all worried he's going to throw a fit.

"No, it's not a bad thing." Max rotates in the chair to face me. "It is a bit dangerous, though, to be an elemental enchanter. Not that I want to frighten you, but you need to understand that, because of your immense powers, your kind are always at risk for being... hunted."

"Holden explained a little bit of that to me." I hug my arms around myself as chills break out across my skin. "So, how does Foster stay safe?"

"He has us." Hunter winks at me, but the typical glimmer in his eyes isn't present.

"I'm not going to be, like, restricted to the house or something, am I?" Not that I'd ever agree to that. In fact, I still plan on continuing with my plans of leaving when I graduate. And I need to visit Nina and Gage soon. "I don't want my life to change."

"You're not going to be restricted to the house," Max reassures me, sliding his arm along the back of the sofa behind me. "But not everything's going to be the same. You'll have to learn to control your powers..." He pauses, his forehead bunching. "Wait. How long have you had your powers anyway?"

I stare at him, my lips refusing to allow me to answer.

"She can't talk about anything directly related to her powers," Holden explains, resting his arms on his knees. "I think the wall around her might have some magic laced into it, keeping her from doing so."

"Meaning someone went through a lot of trouble to keep what she is a secret," Porter says, his gaze glued to me. "Your parents maybe?"

Again, I can't answer. And not just because my lips won't cooperate, but because I honestly don't know the answer.

When I make no effort to respond, Holden yanks his fingers through his hair. "We really need to get this wall down. I've already tried, but I think I need more power."

"Well, there're six of us. That should be enough." Max points at the doorway. "East, go get Fost."

Easton arches a brow. "You think he's going to listen to _me_?"

Max presses him with a firm look. "Make him understand the bigger picture."

"Fine." Easton pushes to his feet and hurries across the room, casting a weird glance at me before walking out.

"You know it's not going to be that easy, right?" Porter tells Max as he props his boot-clad foot onto his knee. "It's going to take Fost a while to get used to this."

"I know." Max roughly drags his fingers through his hair. "But, right now, he needs to suck it up. He can have his meltdown later."

Thunder abruptly booms, and the entire house quivers.

"Well, I think Easton just repeated your message to him," Hunter quips to Max then flashes a grin in my direction. "Unless you're doing that?"

"Nope, that's not me." I'm surprised I can say those words aloud, seeing as it has to do with my powers. Then again, it's sort of me denying I'm using my powers, so...

I'm so damn confused, among a million other things, and that confusion only magnifies when Easton returns to the room with a pissed off looking Foster in tow.

Seriously, what's the deal with this guy? Why does he seem to hate me? Because he finds me repulsive? So what? That doesn't give him the right to treat me like shit.

"So, what the hell are we doing?" Foster grumbles as he crosses his arms.

"We're going to try to get this wall around Sky down. But I think it's going to take all our powers, especially yours." Holden approaches Foster then leans in and lowers his voice, whispering something to him.

Foster absorbs his words, his gaze skating in my direction.

Awesome. They're talking about me. That's okay, though. At this point in my life, I'm used to guys being jerks toward me. At least, that's what I try to convince myself. But the truth is, having Foster hate me is going to suck big time since we're living under the same roof.

"Fine," Foster says after Holden is done whispering to him.

Holden nods, gives him a pat on the shoulder, then moves back and turns to address the room. "So, I've been looking through Mom and Dad's book of secret spells, and there's one that suggests our powers can break a blocking spell."

"You think that's what she's got around her?" Porter asks.

Holden gives a wavering nod. "It's my best guess."

"I think you're probably right." Max tosses a glance at me. "I noticed she was unreadable the first time I met her, which I thought was pretty weird. Since I thought she was human, though, I didn't think it could be a blocking spell. Now that we know she's probably not human, I'm betting that's what it is. I also know that disintegrating blocking spells can be complicated and sometimes nearly impossible."

"I know." Holden stuffs his hands into his back pockets. "But it can't hurt to try."

"I don't know about that," I chime in. "Disintegrating anything sounds kind of dangerous."

"You should get used to danger," Foster says in a neutral tone that throws me off a bit. _Where'd the snippy Foster go?_ "Our kind are always in danger of something." A strange, horrifyingly puzzled look flashes across his face before he looks away from me and swallows hard. "It's what killed our grandparents."

Fear lashes through me. "What happened to them?"

"Let's save that story for another time," Holden says before Foster can reply. "Right now, we need to try to get that wall down." He collects the opened book from the table and hands it to Max, tapping the top of the page. "That's what I want to try."

I lean over to get a look, but Max is already slanting forward and handing the book to Porter. After Porter reads the page, he gives the book to Hunter.

"It could work," Porter says. "But we need to be careful that we don't overload her with our powers."

"Elemental enchanters are made to absorb powers," Max reminds him, resting back on the sofa.

"Is that what you guys were doing to Foster in the woods?" I ask as the memory of them all blasting their powers into him flashes through my mind.

Holden nods. "Because elemental enchanters have so much power, my family and I go into the woods at least once a week so he can practice using them without being seen."

"Why did you even go into the woods anyway?" Hunter asks me with curiosity sparkling in his eyes.

I shrug. "Because I saw you and Holden go in there, and you didn't look like you were going to play baseball."

"So, you thought we were doing what?" he asks, unzipping his hoodie.

I shrug again. "I wasn't sure, but between the weird conversations I overheard, the strange screaming from last night, seeing Max in the backyard with his eyes glowing, and the eyeballs in the fridge, I had a feeling something was... off about you guys. And then I saw you and Holden walk through that rippling, clear wall and into the trees..." I pause. "What are the eyeballs for anyway?"

"Holden and Hunter's science experiments." Porter tells me the same thing he did last night. "I wasn't lying about that."

"Oh." I open my mouth to ask what sort of experiments, but Holden speaks first.

"We should probably get this spell started," he says. "The sooner we can get that wall down, the sooner we can find out what Sky really knows and maybe even why the wall was put up to begin with."

They all nod in agreement.

"Are you sure this is safe?" I question.

Holden nods. "It'll be similar to what I just did to you earlier, only it'll be all of us. And like I said before, if at any time you feel too hot or too cold or too anything, just say so and we'll stop."

"You were nervous before when you first put your hands on me," I remind him.

"I know, but you handled my powers just fine." He offers me what appears to be a genuine smile. "I promise we won't let anything happen to you."

"Our parents would kick our asses if we did," Easton adds, standing up and tossing the book onto the coffee table. "So, how exactly are we going to do this?" he asks Holden. "Just stand in a circle around her?"

"I think that'd be best, but maybe..." Reluctance creeps across Holden's face. "Maybe have Foster stand in the circle with her."

I grind my teeth, wanting to protest, but since I have no clue what they're about to do, I decide not to.

Holden glances over his shoulder at Foster. "Is that okay with you?"

Foster lifts a shoulder. "I guess." He stands in the same place for a flicker of a second then walks up to me and sticks out his hand.

I should be cooperative—I usually am—but this guy has gotten under my skin. So, instead of taking his hand, I scoot to the side of the sofa, stand up, and wind around him.

"Where should I stand?" I direct my question at Holden.

Holden's gaze shifts between Foster and me, then he sighs and points at a wide area on the other side of the room. "Over there works."

I walk over to the spot he pointed at, and the rest of them join me, creating a circle around me. All except for Foster who moves in front of me, standing so he's facing me.

"You're going to have to touch me if this is going to work," Foster says, pushing up the sleeves of his hoodie.

I glance at Holden for confirmation.

He gives me a nod. "He's telling the truth."

Blowing out a breath, I return my attention to Foster, who has his hand out. I make no move to take it, though.

"Stop looking at me like I have cooties," he gripes.

"Maybe you do," I retort. "And when I touch you, they'll leak all over me."

He rolls his tongue in his mouth, fighting back what looks like a smile. But it's hard to say for sure since I'm fairly certain I've never seen him smile.

"I'll tell you what. If you take my hand, I'll try not to spread my cooties to you." He urges his hand at me.

"You better." I know I'm being ridiculous, but he's been such a jerk to me. Plus, I'm feeling very stressed out right now. But, knowing I don't have another choice, I suck it up and place my hand in his.

Nothing could prepare me for what happens next.

I gasp as sparks of electricity surge from him and crackle across my arm. Foster's eyes illuminate as they widen, lightning-blue light piercing across the room.

"What the hell?" I hear one of the Everettson brothers say, but the howling wind makes it hard to figure out who spoke.

Water pours through the room and splatters across the floor. Light bulbs burst, snowflakes flurry from somewhere, and a fire erupts in the fireplace.

I should pull away—whatever is happening between Foster and me is going to end up destroying the house—but the power running through my veins... the warmth... the sparkling... it feels so wonderful.

"Good gods," Foster breathes out, his chest rising and crashing as he gapes at me. "I've never felt anything... like... this—"

He gasps as a lightning bolt crashes through the room and zaps the floor right between us.

We both stumble back, the chaos settling as ours hands separate.

Then my eyes roll into the back of my head and everything goes dark.

# Chapter 16

_Darkness everywhere. Calling to me. Begging for me to own it._

_I want to let it wrap around me. Want it to become a part of me._

_"Can you hear me?" darkness whispers. "If you can, just give in. We need a queen..."_

_I'm not sure what queen it's talking about, but I find myself reaching farther into the darkness, letting it take me away—_

My eyelids snap open, and I bolt upright, panting for air as I frantically glance around, half-expecting to see nothing but darkness. Then I relax a drop when I see black and purple walls.

I'm in my bedroom at the Everettsons' house. I'm safe. There's no darkness.

_But, how did I end up here? The last thing I can recall is being in the living room... the lightning... Foster. And what was that dream? Why did darkness call to me? And what queen was it talking about?_

Climbing out of the bed, I check myself over to make sure the lightning that struck between Foster and me didn't do any damage. My skin is smooth, not a single injury evident, although the hem of my shirt looks singed.

_I really need some answers._

Sweeping my fingers through my tangled hair, I make my way out of my room and down the hallway. The atmosphere is quiet until I reach the top of the stairs. Then I hear voices floating up from the living room.

I stop at the top of the stairs as Holden says, "So, the council just wanted to call her in because they think she's a human who knows about our world and wanted to make sure we had everything under control?"

"That's what they told us," Emaline replies.

Some of the tension I've been carrying unwinds from my muscles at the sound of her voice. Holden seemed worried when we last saw Emaline and Gabe, as if something bad might happen to them.

"We're not sure if they were telling the truth, though. You know how corrupt everything's gotten back in our world. It's hard to trust anyone these days," Gabe says then sighs. "I'm going to look into it some more. Until then, we need to keep an extra eye on Sky."

Easton snickers. "I don't think that'll be a problem for Foster."

I hear a _whack_. Then...

"Fuck off, man," Foster growls. "You don't know shit about this."

"Language," Emaline scolds.

"Sorry," Foster mutters. "I'm just a little stressed out. What happened in the living room with her... that was... intense."

"Intense in a good way?" Max asks curiously. "From what it looked like, I'm guessing so."

When Foster doesn't answer right away, Hunter chimes in. "Bro, it's okay to admit you liked it. Despite what you've had to tell yourself for the last several years, it's actually not a bad thing to like a girl."

Wait... Are they talking about _me_?

I promptly shake my head. Hell no. There's no way Foster likes me.

Of course, the next thing Foster says gives me one scenario where he could. A scenario that makes my stomach churn and frustration roar through me.

"I understand that," Foster replies quietly, his tone crammed with fear and agony. "But it's hard. I spent most of my life believing I was the only elemental enchanter, and that I will never be able to get close enough to anyone to have a romantic relationship—at least, not without my powers killing them—so I shut almost everyone out." He releases a shaky breath. "Now I find out I'm not the only elemental enchanter, and that I can possibly have what I thought I never could..."

I back away, not wanting to hear the rest, my mind racing as I rush back to my room.

What Foster just said... Does it mean only an elemental enchanter can date another elemental enchanter? If that's so, then that means...

I slip inside my room, shut the door, and yank my fingers through my hair. "Goddammit! How did everything get so messed up? Why did I have to come here? I just want to go home." Tears of frustration flood my eyes, and the sky weeps with me. "I need to get out of here... take a break, get some answers," I whisper as I hurry into the closet to grab a bag.

As I'm packing, I dig out my phone, glad to see it's working again.

I text Nina, begging her to come get me. She replies almost instantly.

**Nina: I can leave now. Just send me the address.**

I do what she asks then finish packing, taking a couple of outfits, my toiletries, and a couple of the joints Gage gave me. I'm not running away or anything. I just need a break. I also want to go to the storage unit where my parents' stuff is and see if perhaps there's anything in there that'll give me some answers as to what the hell is going on.

I should probably go tell Emaline I'm leaving, especially since I'm supposed to be starting school tomorrow, but I can't seem to bring myself to face any of them right now, not after what I just heard. So, like a coward, I sneak downstairs to the back door, passing through the kitchen on my way so I can get Emaline's phone number off the iPad. That way, I can text her and let her know where I've gone. From what I can tell, the Everettson family is still discussing the issue at hand as I sneak out the back door.

I feel awful for bailing. Sure, the entire situation is fucked up, but most of them have treated me decently. All except Foster and sometimes Easton.

Foster, the only other elemental enchanter in the world.

The only person I can ever have a relationship with.

Fuck, what if that's true?

That question repeatedly streams through my mind as I hurry out the front gate and wait for Nina by the side of the road.

The sky grows dark as time passes, and rain drizzles from the clouds, soaking through my jacket. But I remain standing out in the storm, without shelter, strangely content with the rain. Well, that is until I get the strangest feeling I'm being watched.

The rain is coming down too hard to see much around me, and as the feeling increases, I debate going back into the house. Right as I'm turning to go back in, though, Nina pulls up.

Sighing in relief, I climb into the passenger seat.

"Holy shit, this is where you live now?" she asks as I shut the door.

I nod, fastening my seatbelt. "Yep, this is home sweet home," I reply dryly.

"It's gorgeous," she says, unable to tear her eyes off the house. "Seriously, what's it like living here?"

I peek over at the Everettsons' home, only one word coming to mind when I think about the last couple of days. "Chaotic." I sink back in the seat. "Let's get out of here before they realize I'm gone."

It takes her a raindrop of a second before she drives forward into the night.

Strangely, the farther away I get from the house, the more unsettled I feel, as if some unseen force is begging me to go back. But I'm not ready to face any of them yet. Not until I process what I just heard. So, I ignore the inkling. Just like I ignore the lightning in the sky. Lightning not being caused by me.

# About the Author

Jessica Sorensen is a _New York Times_ and _USA Today_ bestselling author who lives in the snowy mountains of Wyoming. When she's not writing, she spends her time reading and hanging out with her family.

# Also by Jessica Sorensen

**Guardian Academy Series:**

Entranced

Entangled

Enchanted

Entice

The Forest of Shadow and Bones

Charmed

Untitled (coming soon)

* * *

**Monster Academy for the Magical:**

Monster Academy for the Magical

Monster Academy for the Magical: The Deadly Four

Monster Academy for the Magical: The Monster Trial

Monster Academy for the Magical: The Monster Clique

Untitled (coming soon)

* * *

**Harlynn's Mystery Investigations:**

Sugar Cookies & Zombie Secrets

Untitled (coming soon)

* * *

**The Sunnyvale Mysteries:**

The Year of Secrets & Cupcakes

The Year of Lies & Cotton Candy

The Year of Truths & Sugar Cookies

Untitled (coming soon)

* * *

**Signed with a Kiss**

Accepting the Deal

The Start of a Mysterious Mystery

A Truthful Kiss

Untitled (coming soon)

* * *

**My Life with the Band**

Discovering Zhara

Untitled (coming soon)

* * *

**The Mysteries of Star Grove:**

Heat

Untitled (coming soon)

* * *

**Rebels & Misfits Detectives:**

Spies, Lies, & Cupcakes

Untitled (coming soon)

* * *

**Lexi Ashford Series:**

The Diary of Lexi Ashford

The Diary of Lexi Ashford: The Agreement

Untitled (coming soon)

* * *

**Enchanted Detectives Series:**

Enchanted Chaos

Charmed Chaos

Entangled Chaos (coming soon)

* * *

**My Cursed Superhero Life:**

Cursed

Untitled (coming soon)

* * *

**Chasing the Harlyton Sisters Series:**

Chasing Hadley

Falling for Hadley

Holding onto Hadley

Untitled (coming soon)

* * *

**The Heartbreaker Society:**

The Mysteriously Complicated Life of Ashlynn: Volume 1

The Mysteriously Complicated Life of Ashlynn: Volume 2

The Mysteriously Complicated Life of Ashlynn: Volume 3 (coming soon)

* * *

**Tangled Realms:**

Forever Violet

Untitled (coming soon)

* * *

**Curse of the Vampire Queen:**

Tempting Raven

Enchanting Raven

Alluring Raven

Untitled (coming soon)

* * *

**The Unraveling Mysteries Series:**

Unraveling You

Raveling You

Awakening You

Untitled (coming soon)

* * *

**A pact Between the Fogotten:**

The Art of Being Friends

The Rules of Being Friends (coming soon)

* * *

**Shadow Cove Series:**

What Lies in the Darkness

What Lies in the Dark

Untitled (coming soon)

* * *

**Mystic Willow Bay Series:**

The Secret Life of a Witch

Broken Magic

Stolen Kisses

One Wild, Crazy, Zombie Night

Magical Whispers & the Undead

Untitled (coming soon)

* * *

**Standalones:**

The Forgotten Girl

* * *

**The Unexpected:**

The Unexpected Complications of Revenge

Untitled (coming soon)

* * *

**Rebels & Misfits:**

Rules of a Rebels & a Shy Girl

Untitled (coming soon)

* * *

**Broken City Series:**

Nameless

Forsaken

Oblivion

Forbidden (coming soon)

* * *

**The Coincidence Series:**

The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden

The Redemption of Callie and Kayden

The Destiny of Violet and Luke

The Probability of Violet and Luke

The Certainty of Violet and Luke

The Resolution of Callie and Kayden

Seth & Greyson

* * *

**The Coincidence Mysteries:**

The Evermore

Untitled (coming soon)

* * *

**The Secret Series:**

The Prelude of Ella and Micha

The Secret of Ella and Micha

The Forever of Ella and Micha

The Temptation of Lila and Ethan

The Ever After of Ella and Micha

Lila and Ethan: Forever and Always

Ella and Micha: Infinitely and Always

* * *

**The Secret Star Grove Mysteries:**

The Secret Grove Mysteries: Road Trip Interrupted

Untitled (coming soon)

* * *

**The Shattered Promises Series:**

Shattered Promises

Fractured Souls

Unbroken

Broken Visions

Scattered Ashes

* * *

**Breaking Nova Series:**

Breaking Nova

Saving Quinton

Delilah: The Making of Red

Nova and Quinton: No Regrets

Tristan: Finding Hope

Wreck Me

Ruin Me

* * *

**The Fallen Star Series:**

The Fallen Star

The Underworld

The Vision

The Promise

The Lost Soul

The Evanescence

The Mist of Stars (untitled)

* * *

**The Darkness Falls Series:**

Darkness Falls

Darkness Breaks

Darkness Fades

* * *

**The Death Collectors Series (NA and YA):**

Ember X and Ember

Cinder X and Cinder

Spark X and Spark

* * *

**Unbeautiful Series:**

Unbeautiful

Untamed
