For the first time since, well... ever, I was taking Zach's suggestion under advisement.
It was all I could think of, though I had to distract myself with something meaningless in order to put my true thoughts in order. So, I found myself soaking in the tub, jets working at maximum speed while I talked to Nancy on speakerphone. She had gone to her family's cabin for the week. Even though she couldn't stop telling me how beautiful it was, she sounded homesick for her friends.
"So. It sucks?" I asked, leaning back into the bubbles. After a half-hour of venting—basically, Nancy whining about being there while I cussed her for not being here—that was what I'd been able to sum her side of the conversation as.
"Pretty much, yeah." She sighed. "Not at first, but it's not enough to be in a beautiful place—"
"I think it would be."
"That's because you're artsy. It's not like that for me. I can't even make stick figures."
"So, what's the cabin like?" They'd invited me to come, but like every year since they purchased it three summers ago, I'd declined. I'd love to just get away from it all—my mom, Zach, my powers—but I would hate it more if I unbound myself without my mother there to help me.
"I swear, Nora, I can jump off my deck and into the water. We don't even need a dock, though dad insists on getting one because he's trying to talk mom into allowing him to buy a boat."
"You must feel like you're in prison!" I laughed, only half-joking.
"Hey, you had the chance to come!"
"I know, but—"
"You can come next year, since you won't have anything to worry about, right? We always go in August and grad... Well, graduation is in June."
"I'll have over a month to learn to control my abilities."
"At least," she said, and I could hear the smile in her voice. "But if you unbind yourself before graduation—"
"Let's try to avoid that, Nance." We both knew it was a long shot that I'd last until then. I'd be lucky if I lasted until the first day of school.
"I know. It'd be cool, though."
"Maybe." The water splashed as I sat up, the jets' cycle complete.
"Noreena, you'll be fine."
I spat water as I splashed my face and quickly changed the subject. I was supposed to be clearing my mind, not adding things to dwell upon. "So, any hotties out there? What happened to that neighbor guy from last year that you gushed about?"
"Oh, he's here."
"And?"
"He's better looking than last year."
"Why doesn't that sound like a good thing?"
"Oh, I don't know," she drawled. "Maybe because he brought a girlfriend this year?"
"Are you serious?"
"Yep, and it sucks."
I laughed. "You played too hard to get. You couldn't expect him to wait all year for you on the off chance that you'd be available, or even willing, to hook up this summer."
"So, what if I did?" she asked with Nancy-logic. "If you play hard to get, the boys want to get it even more. It's the chase, you know?"
"No, I don't know." I stepped out of the tub, my skin wrinkling from over-exposure in the water. "Sometimes a guy will just move on and maybe find someone they like more."
"Like, better than me?"
"Not better, Nancy." I paused to wipe my towel across my face. "But maybe better suited?"
She snorted. "Not possible."
"Nancy, don't be so—"
"Nora, are you still in the tub? I hope you don't have the phone in there with you." My mother knocked on the door. "Zach needs to get ready for his meeting."
"Ugh." I rolled my eyes even though she couldn't see me. It was just one more thing that I disliked about Zach, though I had to give him credit for getting help. I didn't understand how he'd been such an awesome mentor if he'd been drunk all the time. "I'm getting out now, Mom! And Nancy's on speakerphone so I could put it on the toilet and away from the water." I looked into the mirror and said, "I'm not an idiot."
"Okay, please hurry."
"Whatever," I mumbled and wrapped a hair-drying towel on my head. "I'm almost done."
"I'll let you go," Nancy offered.
"Okay." A part of me was glad that my mom had interrupted us. Whenever Nancy was away from the friends that adored her, she whined—a lot. "When are you guys coming back?"
"Three more sleeps."
"Then I'll see you soon."
"Nora!"
"Jeez, Mom, chill already." I dropped the phone into the pocket of my robe and opened the door to face her. "There are other bathrooms, you know."
"Zach's shaving kit is in this bathroom."
"So? Doesn't he have his own home where he can get ready?"
"Noreena—"
"Does he?" I insisted and put my hand on my hip. "Because it seems like he lives here."
"Yes, Noreena, he has his own place to live." That was a relief. "But I've also asked him to stay here for a little while. A few weeks, maybe."
"What?" I blinked. "Why?"
"Because it's my house and he's my friend," she snapped.
Onyx and Opal appeared behind her in response to the raised voices, both looking between us as though they didn't understand what to do. It was obvious from their positions—Opal beside my mother and Onyx beside me—that they had picked sides.
"Look, I know you don't like him," she continued, "but he's here at my request. Respect that, Noreena, or you will not like the consequences."
"But Mom—"
"No." She sighed and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "Zach is here and that's that."
I stared at her, stunned. Zach was staying at our house? Zach is staying at our house. There was no getting away from him. I didn't care if he'd given me what seemed like good advice. It hadn't proven valid yet, and I didn't like him enough to share my home.
"Do you understand me?" my mother persisted. "You will treat him like a guest and refrain from sniping when you see him."
"For how long?"
"Until I say so," she warned and turned on her heel.
I watched her walk away without a glance over her shoulder to see my reaction, but I didn't have one. Why was Zach staying at our house? More protective measures? Why was there so much, and why now? What had happened to make her do all of this? What had scared her? First Onyx and Opal, and now Zach. Not to mention the eight-foot-high fence she'd erected on a whim.
"Bathroom free?" Zach asked, surprising me from behind.
I turned and glared at him, shocked to see him in a suit and tie with no gloves or distracting woolen hat. The one hint of the man I knew was the beard overwhelming his face, making him look sallow and old. How he managed to survive summer in his trademark outerwear, I didn't know, but I couldn't remember a time I'd see him without it.
"Uh, I, um..." I stammered, forgetting what he'd asked me. I shook my head and blinked, unable to get over my surprise. For an old man, he was pretty when he cleaned up.
"Can I use this bathroom?"
"Yeah, I-I'm all done." I gestured to the open door.
"There's still water in the tub."
"Oh!" I ran in and pulled the plug. "Sorry. It's all yours."
"Thank you, Nora."
I nodded and took a cue from my mother, turning on my heel without a backward glance. If Zach was going to be staying here, I'd have to learn how to deal with seeing him all the time. The best that I could come up with was to ignore his existence. That is how I would survive his forced presence in our home.
*****
The fire roared, surrounding me.
Despite the wall of heat rushing toward me, my feet were frozen. The smoke choked me as I gasped for breath. My hands slowly reached up to cover my mouth, my chest heaving. Still, my feet wouldn't move. My eyes grew wider against the burn.
This can't be happening.
As I watched the fire devour my clearing, my decision to remain bound was solidified.
The magic inside of me was too strong, too... uncontrollable.
With a gasp, I woke and sat so fast, a wave of dizziness engulfed me.
No!
A single tear ran down my cheek. I swiped it away, angry. Even without a closet door to destroy, I felt the power flowing through my tired body. As expected, my dreams had undone everything that I'd worked so hard for all summer.
I rolled over and slammed my fist into my pillow. Damn it. I pulled my head from beneath the blankets and stared at the clock. It was four in the morning and the sky was already growing lighter as the sun began to rise. With a deep, fortifying breath, I pushed the blankets off my too-warm body and slid my legs off the bed so I could get dressed.
It was time to take Zach's advice and face what had become of the clearing.