Twenty-Five

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After the revelation at the library in Little Rock, we thought any moment could bring Armageddon; around any corner we'd find Luna lurking in wait to attack me. But nothing happened.

It's been a few days since we returned from our trip, and things have been utterly uneventful. Rose is still ignoring me, but that's the only thing out of the ordinary.

"Do you think it's over?" Julian asks, tangling his foot with mine as they both rest on the coffee table in my living room.

I glance over at him and raise an eyebrow as I cross my leg over his. "Really? You, Mr. All Things Creepy can't see what's going on here? The calm before the storm?"

He shrugs and pauses the movie we've been watching. "I mean, yeah, but I was hoping you'd be able to convince me."

I scoot a little closer to him on the couch and put my hand on his neck, running my fingers through the hair at the nape. "No, but it's possible I could convince you of something else," I say, dropping my gaze to his mouth.

He smirks and turns to face me, lifting his hand and brushing the pad of his thumb over my lower lip. "Oh yeah? And what would that be?"

"To spend the last fifteen minutes before you have to leave in the best way possible..."

He pulls me to his lap and presses his lips to mine, and I instantly feel the electricity between us flow through my veins.

"You mean like this?" he whispers against my skin, and a million goosebumps spread over my body.

"Something like that," I reply, running my tongue along his bottom lip, needing to feel him open to me, wanting him to let me in.

He does, and as we melt into each other, my heart swells and overflows, all thoughts of magic and death slipping from my mind, replaced by passion and an overwhelming adoration that a kiss has never once ignited within me.

Just as his embrace tightens, a vision flashes through my consciousness.

The crunch of gravel outside.

My dad's footsteps on the creaky wooden porch stairs.

His angry voice commanding Julian and I to separate.

I spring off of Julian's lap and straighten my shirt, pulling it down where it had ridden up past my bellybutton.

"You gotta go, Dad's almost home."

"What? I thought we had fifteen—"

Grabbing Julian's hand, I pull him off the couch and toward the door. "He's coming home early. He'll freak if he finds you here without supervision."

"Wait, how do you—" His mouth drops as he realizes what just happened. "You saw the future again."

I nod. "Except it wasn't just a murky vision this time...it was crystal clear. I am grounded for life if you aren't gone when he gets here. I'll call you, I promise," I say, kissing him on the cheek and practically pushing him down the stairs.

And sure enough, Julian had just rounded the corner—going the opposite direction from my father's usual route—when Dad pulls up in the driveway.

I close my eyes and sink down onto one of the ancient rocking chairs on the front porch, my heart hammering in my chest.

Through greeting my father and giving a made-up reason I'm sitting on the porch, there's only one thought bouncing around in my mind.

If my powers are getting stronger, what's happening to Luna?

"Cam?"

I shake my head and focus my attention on my father and his curious blue eyes.

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay? You seem distracted," he says, sitting down in the other rocking chair, crossing one of his long legs over the other.

I shift and pull my knees to my chest. "Yeah, I'm fine, just tired, that's all. It was a long day at school." I pause and offer him at least some insight to my life, even if I can't tell him everything. "Remember my friend Rose?"

Dad nods. "The redhead."

"Yeah. She pretty much hates me now."

Cocking his head to the side, Dad pokes out his lower lip. "Why?"

"There was some kind of misunderstanding, and she thinks I said some nasty things to her...but I didn't." I realize now that saying it out loud sounds unexplainable, and I hope he doesn't ask me for more details.

Luckily, he doesn't. Instead, he reaches across the space between us and opens my palm, closing his hand over mine. "It'll all work out, ladybug. I promise. Until then, I know what you need."

He releases a small object into my hand, a familiar crinkling sound fills the air, and I grin despite myself. "Thanks, Dad."

I pop the peppermint into my mouth and go inside, feeling a fraction better as I head upstairs for bed.

The night breeze caresses my skin as I cross the threshold into my bedroom, and it doesn't even strike me as odd until the wind pulls the door closed and I hear the low, guttural chuckle from behind me.

"You were correct, Camryn; it was the calm before the storm."

My breath catches, and my lips part in sudden shock.

Swallowing, I turn around, expecting to see the perfect reflection of myself in the face of Luna Blackwood. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up, fear rising in my chest. 

But there's no one there. Had I imagined it? The coolness of the mint in my mouth fades, replaced now with the taste of stale cotton candy.

The window slams shut, and I'm alone again.

The window slams shut, and I'm alone again

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