Magic & Desire (Clint Barton Fan Fiction)

Chapter 24

Inhale.

One. Two. Three. Four.

Exhale.

One. Two. Three. Four.

Inhale.

One. Two. Three—

"Uh, Shyla? Why's the door locked?" Clint spoke from the other side of the door to the hotel room.

"Go away for a while longer." I kept my eyes shut as I continued to meditate, needing more time to relax and stay calm and composed.

"We're back with food though."

"What's wrong, Shyla?" Levi asked. He and Clint both had gone out for food a while ago, leaving me to meditate in the hotel room. I sighed out and unlocked the door with my telepathy then opened it too.

"I was meditating."

"Where did you get that candle from?" Clint pointed to the blue candle I had lit on the little dressed in the room. Another blue candle was lit on the stand by me.

"A witch never tells her secrets." I leaned back against the headboard of the bed I was on.

"You should be getting ready." Levi said. "You'll take a lot longer than us."

"Can you tell them I died or something?"

"You've already chosen to do this, Shyla. You've gotta go through with it." Levi shook his head gently as he sat down on his bed and began to pull out his food from a bag.

Clint sat on the bed beside me and handed me my bag of diner food, but I put it aside. I didn't feel very hungry right now.

•*•*•

"So do I have to call you Julianna?" Clint asked me as Levi drove through Portland. We were making our way from our hotel room to the funeral home for the viewing. The actual service would be tomorrow at the church my parents were a part of.

"Yeah." I nodded my head lightly, eyes sticking to the buildings as we passed them. "I don't want them to know about Shyla Vexx."

"Don't be ashamed of who you are, Shy." Levi glanced over his shoulder to me.

"I'll keep that in mind, Ezekiel."

"Oh God." He let out a pained groan. "Zeke. Please."

"Zeke and Julianna." Clint smiled lightly from the passenger seat. "Why didn't you guys go back to those names?"

"It's not who we are anymore." I shrugged my shoulders. "Julie was someone far more innocent than me. She had no blood on her hands and a free conscious."

"There goes that drama queen." Levi chuckled.

We pulled into the funeral home and I took in a deep breath. Levi found a parking spot and turned half way in his seat to look back to me.

"So I told mom and dad that I had you with me and I'm sure they told Kate and Vince."

"How will I know what they look like?" My voice was just a whisper when I spoke. I was ten last time I saw them.

"I think you'll know. Come on."

Clint helped me out of the large truck and held an arm around my waist as we neared the funeral home. I wore a long black dress with a slit half way up the thigh. I loved dresses like that. And of course, I wore my usual jewelry. My silver hair was curled and I wore smokey eyeshadow.

Standing at the doorway of the funeral home were two people, one male and one female. The male had a buzz cut dark hair and a scruffy jaw and he wore a suit with a black and white striped tie. The woman had curly brunette hair and a modest short black dress. Tattoos covered the woman's arms and her chest.