Her First Mistake

Chapter Seventy-Eight: You Smell

    Three days later, and I still had trouble grappling with what had happened. 

   It wasn't as if there wasn't enough evidence. Twenty-one dead Enforcers. One dead Council member. Nearly seventy dead Dark Star members. And one captured dark seer and one dead dark mage.

   Caze was among the deaths. Daniella was found unconscious once the bodies started to get cleaned up. Erlan was half-dead, a knife buried in his spine. Zain had run herself to pure exhaustion. She was hospitalized for the time being. Gene was under watch because the link to Kingsley hadn't been broken yet. 

   It was pretty obvious that I shouldn't have been alive, either. The poor witch that was given the task of healing my wounds fainted from exhaustion before she could finish. The nearby Enforcer had given me a bewildered look. I'd shrugged it off.

   The general attitude about the fight wasn't good. The Enforcers that had survived the attack didn't really like me. I didn't blame them. Most of their friends were dead, and a lot of the blame could be attributed to me. I'd been irrational and ignored the fact that the Council had a plan. Granted, we had no way of knowing if their plan would've worked any better, but it didn't matter. I felt the scrutiny anyway. Even Zain hadn't talked to me yet. She seemed more upset than most.

   The Council hadn't spoken to me yet, but I knew that it wouldn't be long. They'd be wanting to make demands and yell about the whole ordeal. I'd be the scapegoat for the numerous deaths.

   I left Anchorage within two days of the fight. Honestly, there was no reason for me to stick around. I couldn't heal the wounded. I couldn't help rebuild. My magic's reserve was still empty, even after two days of rest. And no one wanted me there. I bought a bus ticket and departed before anyone could say anything.

   The seat beside me was empty as the bus rumbled down the road. Tate hadn't come with me. He'd stayed behind with the Enforcers to help recover from the attack. I'd told him that I needed to leave. He seemed to understand that it was best if I disappeared for a while and allowed the community to sort itself out. 

   The bus took me to a Canadian bus stop where I boarded another trip for the border. With a dark hoodie and my hair braided into the back, it was practically impossible to recognize me. The addition of sunglasses and a cap made it actually impossible. Traveling back into the States wasn't hard at all.

   My thoughts whirled all throughout the week-long trip. The sight of no ink on my arm still startled me every time. Dani was dead. She was gone. I was no longer tied to anyone. My magic was purely my own. Every time I thought about it, I couldn't really wrap my head around it. From the minute I'd discovered magic, it had been under threat. Now that it wasn't, now that my power was safe, I didn't really know what to do with myself.

   I'd spent the past days consumed with hatred and revenge. I'd gotten what I wanted, but I didn't feel like I could go back to the way I had been. Roxie the waitress, with a fiery temper and only a pair of fists to back it up. That version of me died when Dani made the link. But I wasn't Roxie the apprentice, either. The girl Alexie knew vanished when he did.

   I arrived in Carson City in ten days. I didn't look far from a hobo, with my dirty clothes and unkempt appearance. Uncaring, I moved through Simone's front yard and knocked on the door. My heart thudded in my chest rapidly. A few minutes later and a dog barked as the chain rattled. The door cracked open. A weary eye peered through.

   Simone gasped and tried to open the door. The chain banged against the doorframe. Swearing, she slammed the door shut, unlatched the chain, and wrenched it back open.

   Her body slammed into mine. I staggered backwards, but I wrapped my arms around her tightly. Simone shouted into my ear, "You bitch! Disappearing on me like that -- you absolute asshole! And then you have the audacity to just leave? For God's sake, Roxie, people are worried about you--"