Dark Summer (Book I, Witchling Series)

Chapter Two

"Hey, Decker."

On the porch lining one side of the dorms, Decker turned at his twin's voice. Beck was in the doorway of their shared dorm room. Dawn, Beck's blonde girlfriend, winked as she slinked from the room back towards the teens in the Square, the barbecue and hangout area between the two dorms. Beck watched her then disappeared into their room.

Decker altered his course and entered the room. Beck closed the door behind him.

"What're you doing?" Beck demanded.

"Talking to you."

"Cut the crap. You're making moves on the new girl. You know you can't influence her decisions."

"You're welcome." Decker replied and folded his arms. "Your little friend would've been eaten by a cougar if I hadn't found her in the forest. But you wouldn't know that, because your head is in Dawn's tits."

Beck looked surprised then grew red. "I'm in love with her. I can't really help it."

"She's using you the same way she used me. Dawn doesn't love us. She loves our family's money."

"No, Decker. Your soul is too black to understand."

It was Decker's turn to grow angry. He flung himself on his bed to keep from punching his brother, who'd gotten on his nerves too much lately.

"You should leave Summer alone," Beck said with more firmness. "She's a good girl. She doesn't need you corrupting her."

"I don't corrupt anyone, anymore than you do. Sam told me to look after her, and I will."

"Sam did? When? Why?"

"You know he only tells us what he wants us to know," Decker snapped.

"You didn't ask him what you were protecting her from?"

"Why? I can handle anything that comes here."

"No, Decker, you can't! You're not eighteen yet. We're no different than any other witchlings until we turn eighteen and go through our ceremonies."

Decker knew as much, but said nothing. There really wasn't anything the two of them couldn't handle, if he could get Beck to take his responsibilities seriously instead of acting like the lovesick fool. Still, they didn't have the magick they would when they inherited their titles. Beck would become the Master of Light, and Decker, the Master of Fire and Night. Each was responsible for claiming the souls of witchlings to balance the scale between good and evil in the world.

The ceremonies marking the transition from the current Mistresses to the new Masters were slated for their eighteenth birthdays: Decker's as soon as midnight hit and Beck's during the day. Any gap between the old guard relinquishing its duties and the new guard taking over made the witchlings more susceptible to Darkness, and the Darkness harder to contain if it were to slip free with no one to counter it.

Highly competitive, they'd both begun to dig their claws into newcomers a year before. It escalated into a fist fight one night three months ago, which earned them both disciplinary action at the school and suspension of privileges from their parents. Both were forbidden from getting their driver's licenses, and Decker had his motorcycle taken away. They'd both been forced to stay at the school for the summer, instead of joining their jet setting parents on their summer vacations to Europe.

"She belongs to the Light," Beck said.

"I can't disobey Sam."

"I'm telling you, Decker, back off. Whatever is after her, it can't get her on school grounds. They're protected."