Hiding from the Shadows

Chapter 4

Dizziness and nausea roll over me, and I'm dimly aware of voices arguing.

The memories start pouring in and I do my best to hold them at bay. I try to keep from seeing the blood. My stomach is churning and I feel like I'm going to be sick.

I start to stand up from the table, shaking and leaning on the chair for support, the ground swaying below my feet.

"Dae?" someone says. I'm not sure who. I can't focus beyond trying to keep my food in my stomach.

"Bathroom," I whisper. I don't know how anyone could have heard me, but someone must get the message because I feel an arm on my shoulder. They lead me to the bathroom and help me lean over the toilet.

It takes a few minutes for it to pass, but eventually I'm able to sit up and look at the person with me.

Layla is staring at me, strangely calm. I take a few deep breaths, making sure the nausea has truly passed before standing up and going to the sink. I splash some water on my face, letting the coolness calm some of my remaining nerves.

After I throw the paper towel out, Layla hands me a bottle of Tums. I look up at her, surprised. She sees the question in my eyes and explains.

"I specialize in Enlightenment, and one of the branches is Divination. Sometimes I get a feeling that I need to go somewhere or bring something with me. I saw that-" she points to the bottle in my hands, "-and felt that I would need it, so I threw it in my purse." She lifts the strap of her green beaded purse in indication.

"What else do you have in there?" I ask. It looks like it has quite a few things since it's bulging in several places. She peeks her head in and rummages around a little.

"Bandaids, spray paint, confetti, hot sauce, and a hammer. Oh, and some honey," she lists.

"Hot sauce?" I laugh.

"Hot sauce," she affirms, nodding her head in a very official way.

"Does Divination always come in random feelings?" I ask after a pause. She shakes her head.

"No. I've just been practicing it for so long that sometimes it happens to me. Not too often, only with important things."

Once my stomach doesn't feel like spitting itself up, we head back to the others. The others are waiting for us at the booth in silence, having finished their dinner. It looks like the food was paid for.

"We boxed up your food," Logan says, pointing to a black styrofoam box sitting on the edge of the table. I nod at him in thanks.

"Well, I should probably get going," I mutter, grimacing slightly. "Sorry for..." I drift off, not really knowing how to finish that thought. I go to grab my bag but Rikki beats me to it. Aria surges forward a little, but Rikki just hands it to me.

"I'm sorry," she quickly says. "I didn't realize and I shouldn't have... I'm just sorry." She doesn't look at me at all, and takes a few steps back once she's finished.

"Thanks," I murmur.

"I'll walk you home," Aria says, stepping forward and leaving no room for arguments. I wave weakly at the others before following her out the door and onto the street.

It's dark now, and silence stretches between us the entire way. She must notice how skittish I am around the alleys, especially now that it's dark, but she doesn't say anything. It's actually kind of nice. Or at least, less awful than I thought walking home in the dark would be. Having somebody else with me helps to not think about what terrible things could be lurking in the shadows.

When we get to my apartment building, she stops and turns to me.

"Sorry about Rikki. She told us about the article beforehand and we told her not to bring it up, but she's bullheaded. We should have warned you." I shake my head, frowning slightly.

"It's not your fault. I get why she did it. It's an honest mistake." I go to walk in Sadie, but she stops me again.

"So what do you think?" she asks, eagerness in her voice.

"What?"

"About joining our coven. Have you decided? I know tonight wasn't the best trial run, but we could try again and-"

"Actually," I interrupt, "I don't really want to be part of a coven." She blinks at me surprisedly. I continue. "The only reason I even agreed to go to dinner is because of my familiar. He's convinced that I need to join one." She stares at me, apparently shocked that this is the reason why I agreed to dinner.

"Saar, right? He wanted you to join a coven?" She seems even more shocked by this.

"Um, yeah? I really just want a mentor." She's looking at me like I'm crazy, and maybe I am. I don't really know any witch norms, so not wanting to be in a coven might as well classify me as crazy.

"The others are still going to want to do it again," she says. "And honestly, I do think you should, even if it's not ours. Especially if that cat of yours thinks that you need to."

"I'll keep that in mind," I say hesitantly. Of course, I won't actually keep it in mind, but it seems to please her. She nods her head, almost to herself, and waves at me.

"Well, Dae, it was nice to meet you. I do hope that I'll get to see you again." And with that, she starts walking away.

"Bye," I say, only a little late, and wave at her back.

I walk up to my apartment and all but fall into bed. Saar keeps pestering me with questions, but I ignore him. I'll answer his questions in the morning. That was probably the most socialization I've had in a long time, and I am exhausted.