CHAPTER FIFTEEN
WARMING UP
THE LIGHT THAT'S coming from the window in front of me makes my eyes squint as I wake up. My back is turned to the rest of the room and I want to turn around, when I feel something stopping me. Seth's back is centimeters away from mine. The silence around us makes me suspect that we're alone, but the closeness of our bodies makes me freeze for a moment.
It's strange to have him this close to me, but in a good way that gives me a sense of comfort. I spend a few seconds watching his sleeping body rise and fall with each deep breath he takes, before stretching my neck further and carefully leaning up on my elbow. Kate is nowhere in sight, though the bed looks like it was slept in and I know she was here when I woke up last time.
Carefully, I stand up, relieved to see that the movement hasn't woken Seth. That's when I hear a voice outside. It says nothing more than a 'Buenos Dias' to someone who passes by, yet I can easily recognize Kate's voice. It causes me to stand near the bed for almost a minute, going through my options — avoid her or face her.
Finally, I make a quick visit to the bathroom to make myself presentable and quietly get out of the motel room in hopes that Kate is still out there. She's sitting on the short stone fence that's separating the motel from the parking lot and I think twice before walking towards her. The sound of my footsteps draws her attention and she turns around and meets my gaze. She looks slightly scared.
"Hi," I say when I gather the courage to try and break the ice between us. I come to stand next to her and lean against the fence. "Did you get any sleep?"
Kate looks at her hands, but says, "Yeah, I did."
Neither of us says anything for the next few minutes. I tell myself that I'm giving her time to form an apology — or maybe get angry with me again, who knows — but truthfully, I'm also trying to decide how to address our fight. Obviously, Kate was honest about her thoughts and feelings yesterday, even if she was somewhat overreacting.
"I'm sorry, June," the teenager says and glances at me. "I was horrible to you. I know my behavior doesn't have a justification, I just want you to know that I'm not normally like this. I mean... it's been hard without my dad and Scott..." She makes a long pause. "I'm sorry."
Kate both looks and sounds honest and I feel myself softening. It's been a wild ride in the past three weeks and her loss must make it more difficult for her. On top of that, she is still so young and nothing prepared her for such a tragedy followed by such an experience.
"I know," I assure her. "And putting everything aside, what you said are things that crossed your mind at one point or another. I don't want you to let all these emotions and thoughts gather up inside of you until you explode because that's the problem. If something is bothering you at least tell me." She nods. "And we gotta clear things between us because that wasn't the first time you brought up my behavior and what I'm capable of."
"That was me acting like a brat, okay? I don't blame you—"
"You do," I cut through what she was about to say.
The things that she said have been running through my head for almost an entire day now and I honestly do want to talk to her about some of the things she said. Kate stays quiet, letting me talk and I take a deep breath.
"I'm not a cop anymore, but I can't quite get out of that state of mind yet. Of course, I will forget about any laws if Seth or you will be in danger, but unless that happens I don't think I can just go and rob a bank. I don't see myself as some sort of saint that does no wrong, but you're right — I am selfish because I don't want to feel the guilt of committing a crime. It's who I am and I can't change it this easily."
Kate listens patiently to everything I say, her hair framing her face as she looks at her hands again, possibly still uncomfortable with her own behavior. To comfort her, I put my hand on her arm and squeeze gently. Then, when she looks at me again, I give her a small smile.
"Maybe," she responds eventually, "but it doesn't justify how I lashed out on you."
"That's true but let's agree to put all of that behind us, okay?" I say rather lightly. Kate's expression finally relaxes and she nods. "Us three have to do our best to get along because we're in this together."
After the girl says 'okay', we stay in silence for a while. My stomach grumbles hungrily but I ignore it for now, wanting to enjoy the silence and not do anything for a little while. I follow people who pass in front of the motel with my gaze, slightly jealous that they have a normal life and a normal daily routine.
"June," Kate's voice snaps me out of my thoughts and I meet her gaze. "How was it, to be a cop?"
The question surprises me and I take a few moments to form an answer. When I was a cop, it was a question that I was asked rather often. Now, thinking about that time makes me feel and think all kinds of things, but I focus on the feeling of nostalgia.
My gaze wanders around us as I say, "I think that it was one of the most special things I was ever a part of. It wasn't easy, especially at first and I'm not talking only about the physical aspect of it.... but once I got used to it, I liked being a part of the police."
"Would you want to be a cop again?" Kate asks curiously.
The thought of it makes me slightly smile. "I would, but realistically speaking, I won't be able to join the police again because of how things ended there for me. I doubt anyone will hire me for anything that is even a simple security job."
At first, after I was dismissed from the police, it was difficult for me to let go of the environment that I grew to know very well and I dwelled on the fact that I could probably never get back to it. However, I went over the rules to get evidence. I was aware of the risk I was taking and now, I'm paying the price for it.
"Once we'll get those fake IDs, maybe you could start over," Kate suggests.
The idea makes me chuckle, even though it's a rather good one. Potentially, I could start over when we'll get back to the States, whenever that will be, and I have to admit that the idea is very tempting.
"It's a little too far away to think about that, but yeah. I, um— I wanted to talk to you about something else you mentioned yesterday." I say and notice how the muscles in her face tense "You said that I could use my magic very easily, so I wanted to explain it to you because I think it will make it easier for you to understand the situation as someone who sees it from the side."
"I was like you, I thought magic can be done very easily because... it's magic," I say sympathetically. "But it takes energy from me and I can't do it in every given moment. At least not from what I know. And it's actually frustrating that I can do something extraordinary without knowing how to do it properly. You have no idea how much I wish I could have some sort of guidance."
It's relieving to say it out loud. Practicing my magic has been a struggle and since I know no one else who has these abilities, I've been bottling my frustration inside. Of course, Kate can't understand me, but at least I have someone who can listen.
"It must be a lot to take in, finding out that you're a witch.... I'm sorry that I was quick to judge," Kate says with a shake of her head. I start reminding her that I already accepted her apology, but she doesn't let me interrupt her. "Can you really just forgive me this easily after I mistreated you like that?"
"The things you said hurt," I admit. "And the way you behaved can't be justified only by the loss of your family, Kate, but right now we only have each other and Seth. So, I'm not holding a grudge and I know you're not a bad person, which means I think you can and will get better."
Her green eyes shine with tears as I speak and when I'm done, I hold her hand. She sniffs but the tears still fall on her cheeks and fall down to stain her shirt. My heart goes out to her and I tighten my grip on her hand before I decide to pull her in for a hug. Her crying doesn't turn into sobs, but by the rather tight grip she has on me, it seems like she needed someone to be there for her.
When we break apart, I smile at Kate and she wipes away the wet stains on her cheeks. She returns the smile, even though it doesn't reach her eyes. I hope she'll feel better after this and work on herself so we won't have to fight anymore.
"I was thinking about some eggs with bread for breakfast, what do you think?" I ask casually.
Kate nods and says, "I'll be there soon."
Allowing her to have some time alone, I head back into the motel room. Clearing things up between Kate and it makes me feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I walk in carefully to see that Seth is still asleep and take a seat on the armchair, hoping he'll wake up soon on his own so we can eat without making him wake up from the noise.
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It's a bit over a week later that loud Spanish music is filling the street as I keep touching my hair, moving it over my shoulder, then back, then tucking in behind my ear. I'm not in a situation where I need to care too much about how I look, it's not like someone here knows me aside from Seth or Kate and yet, going to a public place like a bar suddenly makes me feel self-aware.
Next to me, Kate's eyes practically shine as she looks around, her lip-gloss shining under the light of the street lamps. Taking her to a bar might not sound like the best idea since she's barely eighteen, but nothing bad will happen to her under Seth's and my watch. Also, I think it will be a good way for her to loosen up a little and put on hold everything she's dealing with, even though she seems better since we talked.
Speaking of Seth, I catch him looking at me. A five o'clock shadow is covering his jawline but doesn't make him look any less good and he has also been growing out his hair. I don't think that these two changes are a simple change of look but also have to do with Seth's mental state, yet I can't bring myself to talk to him about it.
We squeeze in behind each other when we walk into the simple looking bar. Fairy lights are decorating the ceiling and wooden bar stools and tables are spread around. The smell of cigarettes fades away the deeper we go, but the looks we get from several people don't stop. Seth might be able to come off as Mexican when he isn't talking, but I'm rather sure that Kate and I don't look like locals at all. Also, Kate is the youngest in the room and I notice the looks she receives for that from both men and women, who look at her for different reasons.
About ten minutes later we have four drinks on the table, only one of Seth's glasses is already empty. It's easy to see yesterday's robbery is getting to him. He came back with what seemed to be a lot of money, only to find out that he was given a rather big bunch of rejected checks. He looks tired and bothered with something, but this was his initiative and a short change of scenery sounded good to everyone.
"This is nice..." Kate breaks the silence.
While I slowly nod, Seth looks around us tensely, like he's waiting for something bad to happen or like he's looking for someone or something. Kate notices it too and we exchange glances, not sure what to do about him.
"Seth," I say and luckily, it's enough to draw his attention back to us. I decide to take my shot of vodka and raise it for a toast. My partners follow. "To getting what we need?"
"Yeah," Seth replies distractedly and we drink up.
My throat momentarily burns as I drink and I hear Kate coughing a few times. It brings a smile to my face and I look at her with amusement. I glance at Seth, but he's looking somewhere around the room again. I don't know what's going on through his head but his behavior is making me feel tense.
"Seth," I say once again and he turns back to us. "What's going on?"
He quickly replies, "Nothing."
The answer doesn't satisfy me. There are a lot of things that I allow to slide in regards to Seth, like letting him sit for long periods of time outside or simply staying awake for reasons that he doesn't share. I don't ask him about these things because I know that he'll talk about if he'll want. He can't be pressured. However, now it's the three of us surrounded by strangers and I can't relax if something is bothering him, because maybe Kate and I aren't aware of something important.
"You're making me nervous, so I'd appreciate if you'll tell us what's going on, especially if there's something that's putting us in danger," I insist.
"Well, in case you forgot, April," Seth says, sounding annoyed. "I've took some things from several towns, so sorry but I gotta be careful everywhere and watch my back."
His tone makes me irritated, although I try to ignore it. The last thing we need is another fight in our trio, but I can't stop myself from saying, "Maybe you should do a better job at not looking suspicious and not drawing attention to yourself."
Aside from glaring at me, Seth leaves our conversation at that. Kate is looking rather uncomfortably between us, which I can't blame her for. Instead of staying awkwardly quiet, I turn my attention to her. We've been getting along since we cleared things up between us and I think we're even closer now than we were before.
"How is your drink?" I ask, referring to the beer in front of her. It doesn't seem like she drinks a lot since Seth and I had to advise her on what beer to take before she ordered.
Her expression indicates that it wasn't very good. "I need to get used to drinking, but it's fine."
I'm about to ask her if she's already tipsy when someone walks up to our table. He seems to be around my age with a nice jawline, long dark hair that reaches his neck and with good smell of cologne that follows him. He smiles and looks between Kate and I as he speaks quickly in Spanish, making it hard for me to understand what he's saying.
"Umm," Kate says awkwardly once he's finished. His gaze is set on her. "English?"
It's either because Kate is smiling at him or because he's rather confident that the guy doesn't seem embarrassed. He laughs, before speaking again.
"Sorry, I didn't know you're tourists. There are three of you, so my friends and I hoped that at least one of you, beautiful ladies, is single and would play..." he stops, struggling to find a word, before pointing at something to my left. Turning in my seat, I realize he's referring to the pool table. "With us."
Kate and I exchange a hesitant look, although I'm ready to make him go away. "Who are your friends?" I ask the guy.
He turns around again and points and two guys that are dressed similarly to him — simple t-shirts and jeans — and are watching the entire scene. "I'm Gido, by the way," he adds, still smiling with a lot of charisma.
"I'm not pretty enough for you?" Seth asks and I can feel the disdain for Gido radiating off him.
The younger man doesn't seem threatened by Seth and continues smiling. "You're not exactly our type." Then, he looks at Kate and me again. "We bet fifty pesos, you bet fifty pesos and the winner gets all one hundred pesos."
"No fucking way," Seth states.
His objection to the risk of losing our money doesn't surprise me. I understand it — Seth has been risking getting into jail to get most of the money we have. Betting it on a game with strangers is not safe, but I think that if we'll be smart, we can benefit from it.
"Can we take a minute to think about it?" I ask and push a few strands of hair behind my ear to, hopefully, get Gido to agree.
"No, we don't need a fucking minute—" Seth interrupts and I give him a sharp look, wishing my magic could make someone shut up.
Seth's involvement in the conversation seems to make Gido unsure and I tell the latter, "Ignore him. We'll think about it and get back to you."
With a nod, Gido accepts my answer and walks back to his friends. I can hear his voice even through the music. I guess he's explaining to them what happened since the three of them look at us at one point and I turn back to the table, feeling mischievous.
"Kate, are you any good at pool?" I ask.
Before she can answer the question, Seth speaks up, looking very annoyed. "The alcohol must have really gotten into your head if you think I'm going to let you play against these guys, May. You want to spend some time bonding with these guys or whatever? Go for it, but don't involve our money. Don't involve me in it, in general."
"I'm not interested in them, Seth. I'm interested in their money. They're counting on Kate and me to be bad players, so if they find out we're not that bad and can even beat them, we might be able to get some money out of their determination to win," I explain, more focused on my plan than on being annoyed with his shitty mood. "We won't get rich out of this, but we can get a decent amount of money and we definitely need anything we can get."
The disdain on Seth's face is soon replaced by a calculating look that makes me satisfied. I wait for his response, hoping that he would trust me. His love for challenges can play in my favor this time and get him on board, but you can never be too sure with Seth.
"How good are you two at pool?" he asks eventually and I smile.
"I don't know if I'm good enough to pull something like this," replies Kate and looks between him and me.
"You don't have to be good at it. You just need to make sure they're bad at it," he says and his gaze moves to me before he starts explaining.
A few minutes later, Kate and I leave Seth alone with a new plan and approach the three Mexican boys. We agree to their offer and two of them come with us to the pool table. They let us take the first hit, but not a single ball gets into a hole, which is exactly our plan. As planned, we take turns and play badly to let the guys' confidence get into their heads.
The bet goes up to one hundred pesos when it's a little over forty-five minutes of us playing. Seth gives me a look, which I respond the smallest nod I can possibly make. He has been watching me half of the time we've been playing, making me feel very self-aware, but now his gaze means something different. Kate and I have been playing horribly on purpose, making our money pile up on Gido's table, only now it's time to make things interesting.
"How about this — you win, we double the amount you already got from us. But if we win, we get double the amount that we lost to you," I offer Gido.
A handsome smile crosses his lips before he translates the offer to his friends. They discuss it among themselves, while Kate and I exchange glances. I smile at her, happy with the good job she has been doing in being a rather bad pool player and keeping the conversation with Gido and his friends light and nice.
When they face us again, Gido gestures with a small nod at Seth and says, "Okay, as long as he doesn't have a problem with it."
Everyone's attention moves to Seth, who smirks and raises his hands up in mock surrender. "I'm just watching, amigo."
And so, another game begins. Kate makes most of the shots when it's our turn because she's the better player and because I'm busy using my magic on Gido and his friend. The two start feeling very hot very quickly and chug on their drinks from a sudden thirst when they can. I feel a little bad for doing it, but they're the ones who initiated this game and I merely making them feel weird. There's no harm done here aside from them sweating like they're in the middle of the desert and having headaches from it.
"I can't believe this is happening," I giggle when Gido misses another shot several minutes later.
It leaves us with only the 8-ball to put into one of the holes and fortunately, Kate manages to do it from her first try and finish the game. Kate smiles at me widely and I return the smile. I wasn't sure this was going to work since I don't have any experience with using my powers on people, but I believed it could work and now I feel proud of myself for being right. We hug and I almost laugh at how much our opponents look upset. I already stopped using my magic, so they now don't look as red and I'm glad that my work is done.
"One more game?" Gido offers tiredly.
Seth suddenly appears between Kate and me, and smugly says, "Sorry, Romeo, but we're going to call it a day. Maybe we can do this another time, though, when you'll be more... focused."
Then, he gives the guys an expectant look that makes them start gathering the money we won. I'm a little nervous about them trying to pull something to get away with the money, but I guess Seth seems threatening enough that they don't do anything like that. We wait patiently while they count the bills and don't pay any special attention to our great joy.
When they hand Seth the money, I reach out and take it. They might see him as the dominant one in our trio, which is true, but this was my initiative. Luckily for Seth, he doesn't object. Gido and his friends have a hard time looking away from the money until the moment I tuck it under my waistband to make it difficult to try and steal it.
"Are you sure you don't want to stay and talk a little?" Gido asks Kate.
"We really do have to go," Kate lies with an angelic smile.
My body starts feeling tired once we leave the bar and head back to our motel. My energy drops rather quickly from this long day, and especially from the events of the night and from using my powers. Carrying the bills tucked above my left thigh isn't too comfortable and it's noticeable that I have something hidden under my pants, but it's safe to keep them there for now.
"Poor boys," I sigh but smile. My partners mirror my expression. "Well, look who stopped being grumpy," I tease Seth, who looks completely opposite to the way he did at the beginning of the evening, his face glowing happily.
"You were amazing, June," says Kate as we reach our car and get in.
Putting one leg behind the other and leaning forward, I bow jokingly. Kate laughs and the two of us spend the short way back to our motel recall some of the amusing moments of the series of pool games. Even though Seth doesn't say anything, I catch him looking at me in a certain way — dare I say fondly — a few times and it only makes me feel prouder of myself.
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I have no idea what that second part is but I though it could be a cool part ?? Idk. Tell me what you think, though.
Here's a little edit I made and there are more planned coming: (for some reason it looks blurry on PC but it's fine on the app)
AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 3K VIEWS.