Shift

SEVENTEEN.1

Kayden would have spent a lot more time ogling Room 495—the fantastic view, the sleek sitting area, the sparkling kitchen—had she not been completely entranced by the idea of finally taking a shower. "Dibs!" she shouted as soon as she peered inside the spa-like bathroom, locking herself inside. She stripped out of Blaze's clothes, leaving them in a sweaty pile on the floor, and stepped inside the sleekest shower she had ever seen. It took her a little while to understand all of the different knobs and nozzles on the shower, but once she found the hot water, it didn't matter. She massaged her aching side and turned up the water until it was nearly scalding, imagining all of her problems disappearing down the drain along with the soapy grey water.

When she finally emerged from the shower, clad in soft white towels, she felt clean and fresh and strangely happy. She grabbed her clothes off the floor and entered one of the bedrooms, prepared to change back into the only clothes she had, but then her eyes fell on the king-sized bed. Next to a towel folded into the shape of an elephant was a stack of brand new clothes.

Kayden held her towel to her chest and plucked a thin blue shirt and pair of jeans off the bed. She checked the tags and saw that they were roughly her size. There was also brand new underwear included in the pile, still wrapped in plastic.

Kayden didn't hesitate before changing into the new clothes, relishing the feel of clean cotton on her skin.

She headed back into the living room, her hair neatly combed and dripping tiny rivulets of water down her back and onto her new shirt. Blaze was sitting on the leather couch next to Lexi. "Geesh, someone took their time. Did you use up all the hot water?" he asked.

"Not all of it, but a good amount," she said, sitting down on one of the side chairs. The flatscreen television was on, playing some new sitcom. "By the way, I found these clothes on one of the beds. They were my size so I just put them on. Do you guys know where they came from?"

"Lira Fallon had someone run them up for us," Lexi said. "I think she saw how filthy we look and wanted to do something for us."

Kayden blinked. "That was nice of her."

"I know. It was really sweet."

Kayden glanced around the suite, finally taking it all in. It was a large space and quite lavish, but it felt strangely empty. "Where are Helio and Walter hiding? Don't tell me there's a hidden swimming pool in here too."

"Helio said he had to go do something," Lexi said, flipping through the channels on the television. Kayden knew Lexi wasn't much of a television person; she had never seen her watch anything besides the cooking channel. Sure enough, after a few more clicks she sighed and passed the remote to Blaze.

"And Walter?"

"He went off to find an herbal specialist," Blaze explained, murmuring "Aknah" as he hit a few numbers on the remote simultaneously. The screen buzzed for a moment and then switched to a news channel that Kayden had never seen before. "Has your stomach been hurting by the way?" he asked, looking away from the TV.

"A little bit." She rubbed her side, which throbbed gently. "Actually, it felt worse in the shower."

"Yeah. It hurts if we're even feet apart now," Blaze said. "Walter thought it'd be a good idea to find someone who can stop our stomachs from hurting, especially since the Congregation thinks it'll take about a month to write the magic shift spell."

Kayden blinked. "Wait. The Congregation approved the plan to shift magic back? Already?"

"Yeah," Lexi said, picking a white envelope up off the coffee table. She was grinning. "The letter just appeared here a few minutes ago. By magic. They're still working out everything with the Global Conference—some countries are more on board than others—but they're already gathering scientists and spell writers to come up with a rune and incantation, maybe a potion component. And there's going to be a press conference about it tomorrow, to alert the public. They need as many people as possible casting this spell for it to work."

"A lot happened during my shower, apparently," Kayden said, reading the letter. It was a quick statement just addressed to them, letting them know that the Congregation had voted in favor of this new spell and also asking them to keep quiet about everything until the press conference. It was signed by all four members, even Russ Naven.

"And Lira sent us another letter," Blaze added, pointing to another piece of paper on the coffee table. "She said we can stay here at the hotel until the spell is cast. The Congregation extended their reservation here for another month, and she thinks it'd be easier for us if we stay nearby. She said we could even help out if we want, too, doing some of the volunteer work to pass the time."

Kayden frowned. She didn't have a month. Her mother had given her three days to come back home, and those days were running out. "I can't stay that long. My mom would kill me," she said, massaging her aching back with the palm of her hand. Maybe I should give her another call and try to extend my stay? Or maybe I can ask Lira if she could just send me home. After all, I'm not needed to cast this spell... but then Blaze would have to come too. As she tried to puzzle it all out, she heard a small click—the sound of someone inserting a key into their room—and then the smooth whoosh of the hotel room door opening.

She turned her head, expecting to see Helio or Walter, but it was neither.

Blood rushed to her face, hot and burning, and Kayden clumsily stood up. Her mouth flopped open as she stared at the doorway. "Mom?"