promised / arranged sequel

03.

I was fairly certain of three things.

1. I had wizard blood
2. My parents had been hiding huge pieces of their past
3. Nothing was permanent

I planted myself in a place I assumed would be constant. I never imagined my world would be flipped and twisted and shaken up several times in a harsh manner.

Mum had knocked on my door fifteen times within the last hour and I pretended to still be sleeping each time. She grew more anxious with every knock and her voice sounded more urgent. She was set on going out today for wizard things. She threatened to send Dad up, but never did. Instead I got Julia.

I'd argue Julia is more threatening than Dad. Her wrath is undeniably cynical.

I threw my legs over the edge of my bed at the same moment my door flew open. I jumped at the sound and met eyes with Mum. "Good, you're up," she said, "We can get going soon." She pulled the door shut as she left, but not before flicking my light on.

I glanced at the window, the sound of the window shattered playing an encore in my brain. I wished they were lying. I wished they would change their minds. I don't know anything. I'll be lost. Entirely lost.

I rushed myself to get dressed and made my way downstairs, a group of people standing around the landing. I paused for a moment in shock, eventually looking Julia who sat proudly on Dad's shoulders.

"Right, are we ready?" Mum turned to the dark haired woman beside her, who nodded promptly before taking the hand of the man who stood beside her. Dad dropped Julia off his shoulders and held her with a tighter grip in one arm, taking Mum's hand. A girl, who seemed slightly older than me, stepped forward and joined the line. Mum beckoned for me and held her hand out.

I slowly walked toward her and gripped her hand as I felt her twist quickly. I was pulled through a dark tunnel, my shoulders being pressed against. I struggled to keep my breathing normal and I felt my heart pound against my chest. Before I could even question the feeling, my feet hit the ground and a breeze hit my skin.

We stood in an alley, Dad pressed against the brick wall still clutching Julia. "Where's Pansy?" he asked, putting his hand on Mum's shoulder.

"Don't know," she mumbled. "We'll find her. Lets go." She sounded confident, but I can't help but think the tone wasn't for us. It was for her. She seemed to have hyped herself up and I could see a hint of fear in her eyes as she watched the people walk the street.

I watched the strangely dressed figures pass by my eyes—my whole world exploded. Nobody even noticed us, they were all focused on their business and things to do. I glanced over at Julia who must have had the same expression I did. Her eyes were wide and she grinned widely at the people. I could see the shine in her eyes as she watched them with the same amount of shock.

This was wild.

I felt a hand on my back and felt Julia grasp my hand, her small fingers locking onto mine. "Stay close, follow us," Dad whispered in my ear before pushing me forward.

We emerged into the crowd and followed the flow of humans. I let my gaze wander around and allowed myself to question every small detail. I kept a tight grip on Julia and made sure my parents were still in view as we walked.

I could see Mum tensed her shoulders and she gripped the sleeve tight over her left arm specifically. I narrowed my eyes at her and let everything around me vanish.

As soon as I did, my body collided with someone else's.

I fell back onto my dad's arm and he stopped his pace. I looked up at the person I hit, meeting eyes with them. They took a second, staring back at me and it felt like I had been punched in the gut. After a moment they pushed past everyone around us and disappeared as fast as they appeared.