Hunted

- 10 - NIGHTMARES

Screams echoed in the dark, yanking me into consciousness. I thrashed against the restraints around my arms. Strands of my curly hair stuck on my sweaty forehead and blocked my vision, adding to the images tumbling through my mind—wings and feathers floating to the ground, daggers flying through the air, swords clanging. A rational part of me told me I was in my room and that the arms wrapped around me were Bran’s, yet the nightmare paralyzed me.

“It’s just a dream,” he whispered over and over, running a hand through my hair, pressing my head against his chest.

I clung to him, my screams becoming whimpers. What was happening to me? It was bad enough I had to deal with headaches while awake. My nights were filled with dreams I couldn’t explain.

“Is it the same nightmare?” Grampa asked from somewhere inside my room, my bedside lamp turning on at the same time. Concern knitted his brow as he stared at us. If he was surprised to find Bran in my room, he didn’t show it.

“I don’t know, but she woke up faster this time.” Bran squeezed my shoulders and asked, “Do you want me to get you a wet cloth?”

“No, I’ll get it.” I got up and staggered to the bathroom, Bran following me as though I’d collapse or something. At least he stayed by the doorway as I splashed water on my face. Then I stared in horror at my reflection in the mirror.

Three straight nights without sleep, four if I didn’t catch some shut-eye during what was left of tonight, had turned me into the girl from The Grudge. Dark shadows clung to my eyes. My hair was wild and untamed. My usually glowing skin looked pasty and grey. I needed uninterrupted REM cycles.

The nightmares had started on Saturday, the night the demons had attacked me. Grampa and Bran had teleported into my bedroom at the same time, both thinking I was being attacked. Though I’d like to think I wouldn’t scream like a demon on its way to Tartarus. We Guardians were tougher than that.

Grampa had left after Bran reassured him he’d stay until I fell asleep. And he had. The night after, he hadn’t left after I woke up screaming again. Just as well. Immediately after I’d fallen asleep, the dreams had started again.

It was terrible fighting what you couldn’t see, being surrounded by a dense fog while lightning speared the air around you. Then there was the carnage, the cacophony of sounds. Shrill, brain-numbing, ear-piercing screams.

By the third night, Bran hadn’t even bothered going home. Grampa never slept. He came and went during the night, so I knew he was aware of our new sleeping arrangement. That he didn’t say anything said just how worried he was.

Voices came from bedroom and I realized Bran had disappeared from the doorway. They were talking in low tones, but I heard them anyway.

“I don’t like it,” Grampa was saying. “Maybe a long break might be better.”

Don’t like what? I angled my head to catch more.

“She has shadows under her eyes and looks so fragile,” Grampa continued.

“You shouldn’t ask her to stop, Cardinal. The only times she doesn’t feel the pain is when she trains,” Bran said.

How dare they discuss me? I opened my mouth to protest and closed it without speaking. Lack of sleep was making me cranky. I splashed more water on my face, then dried off.

“What does Master Haziel say?” Grampa asked, his voice fainter. “He and I haven’t spoken since he started the new regimen.”

“He wants her to control the powers and pushes her hard, but she likes that, which is very unlike her. It’s like she craves it. She and I train between group lessons, too.”

“Interesting,” Grampa mumbled. “I wonder if the adrenaline rush helps her block the pain.”

“Endorphins,” Bran corrected.

Endorphins? When his energy soothed mine, it eased my headaches. Making out worked wonders, too. If they were talking chemicals, I’d vote for dopamine. I derived some pleasure from training with him. He was a better fighter than me, but because of my new powers I’d acquired more stamina and went toe to toe with him. Izzy called it foreplay. Too bad it never led to anything.

Walking back to my bedroom, I waved my hand and turned off the bedside lamp, then slipped under the blanket. Sleep wasn’t going to come easily. I turned my head and buried it in a pillow. It had the woodsy scent Bran favored. I smiled, but that soon changed to a scowl.

Why was I having these nightmares? Were they residual memories from the attack, or something the dagger’s powers induced? Considering how many demons it had killed over the millennia, there was no telling what was stored in the writings that usually covered the dagger’s blade. All I knew was that they were somehow connected to the powers of the dagger.

“You still haven’t found Gavyn, Cardinal?” Bran asked.

Grampa and Bran’s voice grew stronger or maybe hearing Gavyn’s name pulled me out of my funk. If there was a demon I wanted to hurt, it was Nitwit Gavyn.

“I’m afraid not. Without him, tracking down the Summoners is impossible.”

“You should let us give it a try, Cardinal. I know you said you didn’t want us out there, but—”

“I still don’t. As long as the Tribe is on the loose, waiting to catch you young ones unaware, I want all of you inside the valley.”

“What if I went alone? I work faster and I promise to be discreet. Gavyn is also more likely to come out of hiding when he hears I’m looking for him without the Guardians.”

I held my breath as I waited for Grampa’s verdict. He wouldn’t dare let Bran go. Surely, he couldn’t be that desperate.

“I’ll discuss it with the Cardinals and Master Haziel.”

Unbelievable. I jumped out of bed. “What is there to discuss, Grampa?”

“Lil—”

“He’s not going out there, period. What are you trying to do? Use him as bait?” Grampa closed the gap between us as I continued. “If you haven’t noticed, the Tribe only comes out to play when we are out there. They don’t want you. They want us. Maybe it’s Bran they are after. Or maybe it’s…me.” My voice broke just as he pulled me into his arms.

Grampa didn’t speak. He held me as I cried, something I’d avoided doing since the attack. Lack of sleep had reduced me to a whining ninny. Of course he would never use Bran as bait. Grampa had integrity. He was likely to use himself first before sending anyone else.

He leaned back and studied my face.

I swiped my cheek and gave him an uncertain smile. “I’m sorry. I’m exhausted and not thinking straight. You’d never do something so despicable.”

He smiled and kissed my forehead. “No, I wouldn’t. So? How are you feeling?”

“Like Tartarus swallowed me whole then spit me out.”

He chuckled. “What do you remember of your dreams?”

I frowned. “Why? Do you think there’s a reason I’m having them?”

“I don’t know, sweetheart. The Psi-dar didn’t give us anything to work with.” He let go of me and pushed his hands inside his coat, making me realize he was dressed for hunting. He must have either just arrived home or was about to leave when I screamed. “I’m trying to understand what is happening to you.”

That made two of us. “The fog appeared out of nowhere, then the lightning and the sounds.”

“And the woman’s voice?” Grampa asked.

“I still can’t understand what she says. The sounds and the screams always swallow her words.”

He touched my clammy forehead. “I don’t know what is going on, but you can’t go on like this forever. Bran says training is good for you, but—”

“No,” I protested. “I need to train. It burns off the excess energy.”

Grampa sighed. “Okay. We’re going to have a joint conference of High Council members and senior Cardinals from all the sectors starting tomorrow, to discuss our next move. The High Council members love wasting time listing useless diplomatic solutions where a pre-emptive strike is needed. I will be in and out as usual, just not as often. Will you be okay?”

I nodded, then a thought occurred to me. What if they were attacked during the meeting? The attack by the nature-benders had decimated the Guardians. Having the High Council and senior Cardinals in one place could be disastrous if the Tribe attacked them.

“Where are you meeting?” I asked.

“Rio, headquarters of the Southwest Sector.” He pulled out a pocket watch from his coat pocket and glanced at it. “It starts in exactly twenty minutes. It might be 5 a.m. here, but it is eight in Brazil. Since I’m opening the meeting, I think I’d better head out.”

“Could you change venues every few hours?” I asked.

Grampa frowned. “We could. Why?”

“All those psi energies in one place are bound to draw attention and make you guys sitting targets.”

“Sweetheart, every High Council has an impenetrable security created by its Psi-dar,” he reminded. “No demon can breach it.”

“Yet the Tribe found us in Bermuda despite the high-security shield,” I said.

“She has a point, Cardinal,” Bran added, coming to stand by my side. “The Tribe might not have known the exact location of the island, but they were drawn to our combined psi energies. I think you should do as she suggested.”

Grampa’s frowned deepened then he palmed my face and pressed his lips to my temple. He reached out and gripped Bran’s shoulder and nodded. “I think we’ll do just that. Now try to rest. Both of you. Help her go to sleep.”

“Of course, Cardinal.”

Grampa patted my cheek then teleported. I glanced at Bran. “What did he mean by help me go to sleep?”

“He knows that my presence calms you down.”

Ah, the curse of having a powerful Psi as a grandfather. Nothing ever escaped him. Bet he’d know when I finally lost my virginity. I cringed at the thought. Or maybe now that I was a stronger Psi, I could compel him not to read me. I turned and eyed Bran. Maybe I should practice on him. We had two hours before the training session with Master Haziel.

I took Bran’s hands in mine and looked into his emerald eyes. You must do my bidding without questioning me.

“What are you doing?” he asked, scowling.

Compelling you to do my wish. Come with me.

He chuckled, dimples flashing. “Nice try. Do you want to head to the pit for an early workout?”

“How come I can’t compel you?”

Bran tapped my head. “I hear your thoughts, Sunshine. And the calculating gleam in your eyes told me you were up to no good before you spoke. Come on, change into your gym clothes and meet me at the pit in three minutes.”

I pouted. “You are no fun.”

“I don’t mind being your guinea pig, just not now. Training will get your mind off seducing me. Not that you need to. The first person at the pit gets to choose the first weapon,” he added, then teleported.

I made a face. Lack of sleep might make me cranky as a hellhound, but he wasn’t beating me.

Being able to see psi energies had its perks. I noted that Bran wasn’t in the pit before I materialized. Although lights were on in the Academy’s rotunda, the pit was in total darkness. I willed the light crystals to turn on as soon as I arrived.

I was choosing a wooden staff when Bran arrived.

“I won,” I said with glee.

“I should have insisted on proper dress code,” he said, staring at my feet.

I glanced down and grimaced. We all had several pairs of lightweight leather martial arts shoes, in black or black and red, for use in the pit. He wore all black. Mine didn’t match.

“Nitpicking, sore loser.” I threw one stick to him.

He caught it and rotated it while moving, already anticipating an attack. “We’ll see about that.”

“After the sticks, we’ll use knives then swords.”

“Bloodthirsty this morning, aren’t you?” He teased, circling me slowly, knees bent and feet angled away from each other for stability, eyes on me. While I held the long staff with two hands, knuckles up, he rotated his in one hand.

“Scared?” I asked.

“Shaking in my shoes.” He rushed me.

Ducking, I blocked, twisted my stick and disengaged it from under his and attacked, aiming for his feet. He teleported out of the way and appeared behind me, but I’d anticipated his move. I turned and knocked the staff from his hand.

He caught it and cocked his right eyebrow. “Very good.”

“I know.”

Next time around, I wasn’t so lucky. He had me on my back in five moves.

“Stop goofing around,” he scolded, offering me his hand. “Don’t ever let me get inside your head and anticipate your next move.”

I hated it when he talked to me in that superior tone. Ignoring his hand, I teleported to my feet and swung, aiming for his ribs. He blocked, shifted his weight and leveled a kick at my exposed side. I ducked and jumped back. Anchoring the stick down on one end, I swung on it and caught him in the chest with both feet. He staggered backward and grinned.

“Could be better,” he said.

There was no pleasing him, so I pushed harder. There was no more talking as we tried to outmaneuver each other with moves and counter-moves, the sounds of wood hitting wood echoing in the pit. Adrenaline pumped in my veins and euphoria buzzed through me. Soon we were both breathing hard and sweating.

We stopped for a water break and a change of weapons. Bran’s gaze shot to mine as he reached out to take his dagger from my hand. I had kicked his butt in the last round.

“Don’t worry,” I said. “I promise to go easy on you this time.”

Smirking, he took the dagger and flipped it around. The blade gleamed as it whipped in the light. He flung it in the air, then grabbed it backhand and lunged for me, the blade directed at my throat. I batted his arm away and surged toward him.

He used my weight and threw me over his head, but I teleported and reappeared on his side. He was waiting for me and I barely managed to block his attack. Another bout of strikes and counterstrikes followed and it seemed like forever before I tackled him and had him at a disadvantage. I loomed over him, my pulse quickening.

“You are enjoying this?” he said.

“Oh, you have no idea.” I pressed the edge of the blade to his skin, loving the way his eyes widened. I could never hurt him and he knew it. Still… I nicked him. He sucked in a breath.

“You’re playing with fire,” he warned in a voice gone suddenly husky.

Heat pooled like warm honey low in my belly as I responded. “What are you going to do about it?”

He grinned.

“This.” His free arm looped around me and pulled me on top of him. Eye locked with mine, one hand skated along my arm while the other reached for my face. He pried the dagger from my hand before I realized his intention, then he pressed both blades against my neck. “You are dead.”

“You don’t play fair,” I protested.

“You lost focus.”

“You cheated.” Giving him an annoyed look, I jumped up and went to get swords. I handed him one and willed a second one from the wall. Using a move Master Haziel had taught me, I focused on the powers inside me, willing them to move.

Heat shot from my lower back, up my spine and spread through my core. The ancient words raced to my hands, making them tingle. I grinned. We’d practiced controlling the Kris Dagger’s powers, but I didn’t know I could bring the powers forth without being attacked.

“How was that?” Bran asked.

“Effortless.” I removed wet strands of hair from my sweaty forehead. “Should I be worried? I don’t want to get comfortable with them.”

“I’m sure the headaches will continue to remind you they don’t belong inside you. Ready?” He attacked.

We moved across the floor, thrusting, cutting, and parrying. Bran was a better swordsman, and he didn’t cut me any slack. He pushed me hard, landing blows several times when I messed up, but I got him several times too. Luckily, the carbon steel training swords didn’t have sharpened edges despite having the balance and weight of real swords.

“Slowing down your teleport has made you a better fighter,” he said during another water break.

“Praise from the master, yippee.”

He rolled his eyes and looked at his watch. “It’s six-fifty. Do you want to stop or move to hand-to-hand combat?”

Gutter fighting involved lots of body contact, which was both exciting and frustrating, because he distracted me way too easily. Not needing another lecture on self-control, I plopped down on one of the mat and stared at the crystals on the ceiling.

“Nope. I’m done,” I declared

He squatted beside me. “Come on.”

“No,” I said with a pout, then saw Master Haziel near the entrance. How long had he been watching us? “We have an audience.”

Bran followed my gaze, got to his feet and wished the trainer good morning.

“You could not sleep again?” His ancient face scrunched up with concern as he studied me.

I nodded. His scowl deepened.

“I wanted you to try something different this morning, but it can wait. Go home and rest.” He glanced at Bran. “Stay behind.”

“But I’m not tired,” I protested.

“You look tired, and your responses a few minutes ago were slower,” Master Haziel said. “Have you had time to read the book I gave you?” he asked pointedly.

“Uh, yeah. I’m out of here.” I jumped to my feet and teleported.

After a shower and breakfast, I curled up on my bed with the book on the Goddess. Boring couldn’t begin to describe it. Half the book was things I already knew. My eyelids grew heavy. I must have dozed off because the sound of my cell phone woke me up. The clock said it was quarter to nine and the streetlight fell into my room through the window. My stomach growled.

I’d slept the day away without having a nightmare. A quick scan told me Bran wasn’t in the valley, but Grampa and the Cardinals were at HQ. They weren’t alone, which meant they were still having the conference. Izzy and Kim were at the guys’ house.

I picked up my cell phone and chuckled at the text message from Kylie. She had an emergency and needed my help. I texted her back, promising to be at her place in a few minutes.

I got dressed and checked my cell phone again. Kylie hadn’t texted me back, so I slipped the phone in my pocket and headed to the kitchen for food. I chewed on an apple as I warmed leftover lasagna. I hated eating alone. Usually, I ate with Bran. Where was he?

I checked in with the others as I ate. What are you guys doing?

Talking Guardian business, Remy said. Happy you are awake. Now get here ASAP, and bring Bran. We need his input.

Guardians business always came first. Kylie would have to wait. Bran is not in the valley.

Then join us, Sykes added. We stopped by your place twice, but you were asleep. You looked cute, Red. No drool or anything.

You watched me sleep? I screeched

Just for a few minutes. You don’t snore, just in case you were wondering, he teased.

I’m going to kill you, Sykes, I vowed.

He chuckled and broke the link. I teleported to their place and was met by raised voices.

“Oh, come on,” Remy was saying.

“No way,” Sykes retorted. “I’m not changing my routine because of new roommates. I love free Sundays.”

“What’s free on Sundays?” Izzy asked.

“I am. It’s laundry day.” He saw me and waved me over. “Hey, Red. Rocking that Gypsy outfit. Did I mention you were smiling while you slept? Must have been dreaming about me.”

I shot him a mean look.

“Don’t listen to him. We stopped by your place but you were out. How are you feeling?” Izzy asked.

I shrugged. “Better, I guess.”

“Back to the subject,” Kim said, snapping her fingers in front of Sykes’ face. “Why are you free on laundry day?”

Sykes smirked. “Use your imagination, Goldie.”

“He walks around naked,” Remy said.

“That’s so…so…” Kim couldn’t think up a word.

“‘Liberating’ is the word you are searching for,” Sykes said, still smirking.

Izzy made a disgusted face. “Does he really?”

Remy nodded. “I usually just ignore him, which is not easy because he’s a morning person and often wants to recap everything that happened the day before while I make breakfast. Thank the Goddess for kitchen counters.”

I imagined the scene and laughed.

“Come here, Red.” He patted the seat beside him. “Knock some sense into their heads. Tell them it’s wrong and unfair to move in with us. I don’t want to watch chick flicks and forgive snippy comments at a certain time of the month.”

“That’s insulting,” Izzy said indignantly.

“Who’s moving in?” I asked, my gaze volleying between the girls.

“Izzy and Kim,” Remy said.

Sykes gave a mock shudder. “Don’t you mean Miss Rules and Miss Stuck Up? The things that go on in this house stay in this house. My women won’t, uh, you know, be themselves with you two around.”

“What women?” Kim said in a disparaging tone. “Don’t you mean the poor human girls parading in and out of here like it’s a cheerleading camp?”

“We can have our bedrooms upstairs,” Remy continued. “You girls can take downstairs.”

“We get upstairs,” Izzy corrected him. “And we get to redecorate the living room.” She and Kim laughed and high-fived each other.

“You two are actually thinking of moving in?” I asked, sitting on the bench by the TV. “With them?”

“My parents are bending the rules again to suit themselves,” Kim explained, a defeated expression settling on her pretty face. “When Cardinal Guardian trainees turn eighteen, which I did a month ago, they are supposed to get places of their own. My parents insist there are no houses available, yet Kenta’s house is empty.”

Kenta was our disgraced former master trainer. He had betrayed us by feeding my father information about me, and been banned from our Council.

“And even if his house wasn’t empty, it takes Guardians…what? A week to build a house?” Izzy rolled her eyes. “Hardly a reason to keep us under their thumbs.”

Izzy had lived with Kim’s family since her family moved back to Xenith. “You too?” I asked.

Izzy shrugged. “They can’t allow me to move out and refuse Kim, so I’m being punished too. Worse, they’re trying to find Kim—”

“Don’t,” Kim snapped and slapped a hand over Izzy’s mouth.

Izzy teleported and appeared beside me. “Amate.”

Kim growled. “You need to mind your own business, Isadora Salazar.”

I expected the guys to burst out laughing because it was absurd. No one arranged marriages anymore. But everyone went quiet, their expressions serious. Immediately after joining the Guardianship program, Izzy had told me something interesting about Kim’s family—the Larsons had a history of arranging marriages to produce powerful offspring and future Cardinals, which was why every generation of Cardinals included a member of their family.

“That’s messed up,” Remy said, frowning. “You can pretend to choose one of us to get them off your back.”

Kim smiled. “Thanks, Remy, but there’s no need for that. Can we discuss something else?”

“I second what Remy said,” Sykes added, his expression earnest. “It might mess up my rep with the ladies, but we’re friends and friends help each other out. So, yes, count me in for as long as you want me.” He stretched and pretended to check Kim out. “But if you want to upgrade it by adding benefits, I’m calling first dibs, bro.”

Kim laughed and leveled Sykes a mocking glance. “You couldn’t handle me.”

“Try me,” Sykes said, then he winked.

“So? Should we rearrange the rooms for you guys?” Remy’s glance bounced between Izzy to Kim as he spoke.

“Whoa, slow down, dude. We are still in the maybe-it-might-happen-depending-on-the-ground-rules stage.” Sykes pointed at Remy, then tapped his chest and indicated upstairs. “Let’s go.”

They disappeared upstairs.

“Are you guys really thinking about moving in with them?” I asked, not buying it.

“Do you have a better idea?” Izzy asked.

“I can talk to my grandfather. As the head of the Cardinals, his ruling trumps Kim’s father when it comes to Cardinal Guardian business. Because of him, you guys lived with your parents when you moved here from Xenith, instead of rooming with members of the High Council like the new students.”

Kim studied me with narrowed eyes as though thinking about my suggestion.

“There was no ‘Academy’ at the time and parents weren’t willing to send their kids to this High Council after the demonic raid, which, your father led, princess,” Izzy teased.

I stuck out my tongue. “It was just a thought. Don’t call me princess.”

Izzy shook her head, her ponytail whipping left and right. “Princess… princess…princess…”

She could be so annoying sometimes. I waved a hand, and a pillow from one of the gaming chairs shot toward her. She caught it and flipped it back at me. I stopped it before it reached me and sent it her way again.

“Stop it, you two,” Kim snapped, then nodded at me. “Do it.”

I blinked. “Really?”

Kim arched her right eyebrow. “You offered. Let’s see if Grampa really is putty in your hands, princess.”

With a lift of my chin, a pillow shot up and flew toward her. Air shot past me as the pillow reversed directions with a whoosh. The guys came back to find a pillow fight and giggles.

Sykes laughed. “Now this, I can live with. Saturday night strip poker and pillow fights are a must for roommates.” He ducked when four pillows flew toward him.

“We’ll pass for now,” Kim said. “Lil will talk to her grandfather about getting us our own place.”

“Now, or after this Tribe mess is over?” Remy asked.

Just like that, the playful mood disappeared. The discussion moved to the Tribe.

“They’re still discussing what to do?” Izzy asked, outraged.

“From what my grandfather said, the Cardinals would like us to face the Tribe head on, but the High Council prefers diplomacy.”

“I wonder what the CT has to say about all this,” Kim murmured. “Do they even know what’s going on?”

“It’s been four days since the attack and Academy students and their teachers are still in Xenith,” Remy said. “Someone must have explained their presence.”

“Meanwhile we train without knowing the Tribe’s weaknesses and strengths,” Izzy added.

“Master Haziel knows something but he’s being so close-mouthed,” Kim griped.

“Did Bran tell you what they discussed this morning?” Remy asked. “It seemed intense, but they were both grinning like they’d found the Holy Grail.”

I shook my head. “I haven’t seen Bran since our morning training session.”

“You trained this morning?” Izzy asked.

“Around five o’clock,” I said.

Kim reached out and rubbed my arm. “The nightmares again?”

Surprised by the gesture, I nodded. “I agree with Remy. Master Haziel knows something. Remember how he pointed out a passage on the book on Mediums before we knew Kylie was a medium? He gave me a book…” My cell phone dinged. I fished it out of my pocket and read the text.

Is Bran with you?

I typed. No. Why?

When I pressed the send button and looked up, the others were staring at me with annoyance. Making a face, I put the phone back in my pocket. “Sorry. It’s Kylie. Uh, where was I? Yeah, Master Haziel gave me a book on the Goddess and he keeps pushing me to read it.” I shrugged. “So are we going to continue hiding and waiting?”

“We should sneak out and do our own investigation, beat the senior Cardinals to the punch like we’d planned before,” Sykes said. “Like we did with Coronis and on Jarvis Island.”

Silence followed his announcement, then everyone started talking at once.

“I don’t know, guys,” Izzy said.

“Live a little, Izzy,” Sykes said with a gleam in his eyes. “We can round up demons and torture them until they talk.”

“Or ask Darius and the Brotherhood to help us,” Remy added. “The problem is how to contact them without the senior Cardinals knowing about it.”

“Don’t worry, Keiran and his friends will help,” Kim said confidently.

“How do you know that?” Sykes asked then he smirked. “Ah, I forgot you two are joined at the hip now.”

“We’re not,” Kim protested.

Everyone laughed while she blushed. My cell phone dinged again. I reached inside my pocket and muted the phone.

“Dante and Kael might help too,” I said, “if they don’t hate me for hurting him.”

“The big guys can handle pain,” Remy said dismissively. “They’re nature-benders. Who wants something to drink?” He got to his feet.

Everyone nodded. While he went and got sodas, my phone dinged again.

“Give me that,” Kim snapped and stuck her hand toward me.

I cocked my brow. “What?”

“Your stupid phone keeps making that annoying ding,” she explained. “I know you and Kylie are tight, but she can’t monopolize your time. She’s always calling with some cockamamie excuse about needing your help or…”

I tuned her out, pulled the cell phone out of my pocket and checked the last text. Kylie was desperate. Her ‘get here now’ had exclamation marks. I powered it off. “Are we done? Because I’ve got to go.”

“Did you hear anything I just said?” Kim asked.

I grinned. “No. See you guys tomorrow morning.”

Izzy gripped my arm. “Wait a sec. Do you know that Kylie’s family moved?”

Another lost memory. “When? To where?”

“Beginning of summer. They live in Nibley now. I’ll show you. We’ve had to drag your behind from her house a few times in the past few weeks.”