Midnights

Chapter Fourteen

Peter

I stood there, blinking against the bright light. It had been blinding, and I didn't know where it came from. I thought it was a flash bomb at first, but as the light faded and my eyes adjusted, I saw the broach Madam Goldenbreath had given me. It was in the snow, melting what it came in contact with. There was a glow to it that slowly faded. It must have fallen out when Anna Lia was grabbing me.

My head snapped up, I looked around. My heart started racing. "Anna Lia!" I shouted. "Anna Lia!" I couldn't see her anywhere. I did see the Pendens and the Nathans rubbing their eyes, getting their bearing back as I had.

The Wolf was gone as well. "Fuck..." I said, then as the anger built I yelled, "Fuck!"

"I told you!" I turned to see Madam Goldenbreath brushing herself off. "I told you to use the broach."

I gripped the shotgun, grinding my teeth. "You expected me to know what that means?" This crazy bi...this lady had a terrible habit of assuming things of people.

The Madam walked up to me, her orange eyeshadow was smudged. "You didn't have to. If you had just pulled it out in time, it would have worked. Now Anlia and-"

"ANNA LIA!" I shouted, "Her name is Anna Lia not Anlia!"

The Madam blinked at me. "...We'll why not one or the other? Heavens her parents were indecisive."

I threw the shotgun. It landed and let out a round. Kyle Penden shouted, "Ey! Pete get a grip! You could have killed someone."

"Yeah!" his brother echoed.

I knew I was hyperventilating, or at the very least working up to it. I looked around, trying to find any sign of her. "Anna Lia!" I shouted.

"She's not here!" Madam Goldenbreath said impatiently."

I whirled to face her. My frustration was burning so hot I was sweating, even in this cold. "I can see that! Where the hell did she go!"

"To the Spirit's World, fool." She said it as if she was explaining that the sky was blue, that humans needed air to breathe. "We couldn't have killed that wolf here, in our realm. That would have been impossible. That broach was supposed to take you there with him, where that shotgun could have actually gone damage. I don't know how it happened, but it took Anli - Anna Lia instead."

The shock of her words was enough to calm my building rage. "What...then...she's gone? She's dead?"

The Madam flicked that question away with an impatient wave of her hand. "No, no she's not dead. In fact, she should be right here," she gestured around us with her hands. "Just not...here. We can get her back Peter," she walked closer and put a hand on my shoulder. Everything inside of me wanted to shake her off, but I didn't. I just asked,

"How? She's with that wolf...she could be dead by now."

The Madam pressed her lips together, her eyes shifted down. "Hmm...I don't think so. It doesn't...feel like she is."

I didn't say it, but I agreed with her. I don't know what it meant, but I had the same feeling. In my heart, I knew Anna Lia was still alive. "How...can we get her back?"

The Madam patted me on the back. "We're going to need more than shotguns to do it, but yes. We can and we will."