Salvage: Book 3 of the Magic Mutations Series

20: Lukas

April, 2019

Creeeeeeeeeeak! The door let out a long, whining protest as I opened it, causing my brows to furrow.

It never did that before.

The house was dark as I stumbled inside, though my eyes needed no adjustment thanks to my immaculate night vision.

Kicking off my shoes, I crept through the house, dodging the temperamental floorboards we were still yet to fix as I made my way up the staircase.

Step-by-step, the house grew more eerily quiet.

Normally there's always someone up, even this late in the evening. Normally the faint sounds of Ivan's snores echo through the house. Is he out? Is everyone out?

Step-by-step, my surroundings got darker and darker.

Did the moon disappear in the sky? I wondered.

Step-by-step, I walked the flight of stairs. Each step got steeper as I headed up. Each step got creakier.

As I reached the top floor, my feet automatically came to a halt.

So far, I had been focussed on watching my footfalls, wary of whether I was being too noisy. But as my gaze turned upwards at the top landing, my heart almost stopped.

Every spare bit of space was filled. Shoes—sneakers, sandals, heels, uggs, boots—lined the floor, making it impossible to walk through to my room.

And they weren't just any shoes. They were Loren's, Ivans, Erica's, Jayce's, Drake's, Emma's, mine, Jade's...

My eyes ticked off every person I knew, heart now pounding in my chest as my gaze zeroed in on the back row.

Anja's.

Ben's.

Hers.

"What the fuck is going—" I started to whisper, until a scream from my room cut me off.

Instantly recognising the voice, I pushed my curiosity aside and ran for it.

Weaving a bit of magic into my touch just in case it was locked, I yanked at the door handle and threw it open.

Thud!

The wood slammed against the plasterboard, sending an echoing noise travelling through the house.

"Emma?" I frantically called into the vacant room.

But the room was dark.

The large, blood-red moon shone through the opened window, highlighting the made bed, the vacant shelves, the foreign furniture. It was as though I hadn't lived here in a while.

As I tried to ascertain what was going on, my whirling thoughts were cut short once more.

Another scream pierced through the house. This time in Ben's old room... in her room.

Spinning on my heel, I was off again, running as fast as I could, tripping over the shoes on the way.

Once more, I channelled magic to my grip before I reached for the handle of the next door. And, with as much force as I could muster, I threw it open.

It didn't take long for my eyes to lock on her.

Wearing an emerald green dress and adorning a red wig, Emma stood in the middle of the room, holding a pair of familiar white shoes... her favourites.

"W-what is going on?" I almost whimpered as I glanced between the item in her hands and Emma's golden eyes.

But she just stared blankly ahead. Not at me. Not behind me. Not at anything in particular.