Awakened (Unbound, Book 3)

Chapter Five

At lunch my stomach began to cramp, ruining my appetite. I told Calin and Maible that I needed to go for a run—alone—and clear my head, which was true. Only instead of running circles around the track at the back of Grimas, I ran a straight line down the streets of Wickenton, sprinting corners at a forty-five-degree angle, until the jingle of Celestial Java's front door sounded above when I entered the café. Besides, they couldn't be mad when I didn't return since they hadn't asked if I would.

Only three tables were occupied, but still. I didn't feel like putting myself on exhibit. Once Luna recognized my presence, I grabbed a cup of coffee and nodded to the back room, and then disappeared through the hanging beads behind the till. Gulping my coffee in the hall, I took off my shoes and set down my cup and entered the minimalistic room without furniture to settle on a pillow in the corner.

Ten minutes later, Luna appeared, dressed in faded bell bottoms and a knitted pink poncho with flowers at the collar. She closed the door behind her and turned, full of smiles, which turned into a frown once she picked up on my emotions. She grabbed a couple of the large pillows and sat down facing me, positioning them for support behind her back.

I pointed to the door and nodded, and I asked while she glanced behind her, "Don't you have customers?"

She turned back and raised her lip and eyebrow to the left. "Don't you have school?"

"Technically?" I rolled my eyes. "I have lunch, but I'm done for today. I'm not exactly... happy with a couple of changes in my afternoon classes, so why bother?"

"To graduate?"

"Trust me, that's covered. This is just Devland being whatever polite word covers what he is."

"Which is why I closed the café for a little bit," she said, and then leaned forward to take my hands in hers. "Now, tell me why you're coiled to spring, and I may get to feed the dinner rush."

I laughed. If every dinner rush was like last night, it was surprising that she had enough supplies for another. But businesses like that must mean early retirement. If she could get Mrs. Renaldi in her kitchen, they'd be relocating to a beach in ten years tops. I'd probably still be here, dealing with crap. Or, what I'd started referring to as my mother's leftovers.

"If you need time, I can hire you to bus tables. We can talk while serving customers."

"And you think your condiments can handle Duvessa's reaction to that?" I snorted. "Right. The last time she assumed I was getting a job—when she got pissed that I could stay, and she couldn't? –she used magic to smash things together."

"Well, how else was I supposed to get you to confirm your abilities?" She laughed. "Someone had to clean it up."

"We need a new plan," I said, pulling my hands free to rest them in my lap. "I can't concentrate on what happened to my mom right now, though we still need Zachariah. Eventually, I'll have to face what happened and butt heads with my father, but I have to get the menial stuff out of the way first."

"Menial?"

"I was trying to find a polite term for Duvessa."

Luna tilted her head to the side and studied me, narrowing her eyes.

"A prank was pulled at the dance while we were at the clearing. It cost a lot of people money, though miraculously, Calin was spared."

"Duvessa." She nodded, all the pieces clicking into place.

I shrugged, grimacing as my cramps grew stronger. "Who else?" Looking up, I held Luna's gaze, and sighed. "Problem is, Duvessa's tires were slashed like everyone else."