Disclaimer:
Everyone in the story is 18 years old or older at all points. Any resemblance to an actual person, alive or dead, is happenstance.
The first half hour of the trip, Lynn spent popping between mirrors in the car, trying to scare me. Honestly, the first time she did it, I jumped and almost went off the road as I jerked the steering wheel.
"Boo," Lynn said, appearing in my rearview mirror again.
"Damit Lynn! Cut it out," I yelled at her, trying to mimic how my mother would do it if I bounced my image around between mirrors while she drove. The chastised look on her face caused me to start laughing; before long, we were laughing together.
I glanced at my cell phone. I had tried to call my dad, but it went directly to voicemail. So I tried the office and was told he had a family emergency and had left yesterday.
Lynn noticed the glance, "He will be ok, Tina. After we find the assholes that took your mother and siblings, we will find him too."
"How much further?"
"We are getting close," Lynn said, her eyes losing focus as she compared the location of the man she had linked with and the map she held in the mirror.
"Turn right at the next street."
I slowed down and turned the corner as instructed. The street was narrow, with tree limbs crossing overhead, giving it the illusion of a tunnel.
"The road deadends ahead at a house," Lynn cautioned me.
I turned the lights off and slowed the car to a crawl before stopping the vehicle on the road. I closed my eyes and checked for any wards or traps, realizing too late that I had broken several of the wards along the road.
"Crap, they know I'm here," I muttered as I felt something shift toward me.
"Maybe, but do they know it's you or just some lost driver?" Lynn asked as she shifted out of the mirrors and into the ring I wore.
"Good point," I said, opening the door and leaving the car.
I could feel the wards contract, slowly closing around me as I walked towards the house's front door.
Forming the necessary constructs to cut through the wards, I continued letting them wrap around me, pretending that I didn't feel them as I climbed the steps on the front porch.
I had just raised my hand to knock on the door when it swung open, revealing a middle-aged, dark-skinned woman.
"Can I help you?" she asked, her eyes traveling over my body before returning to my face.
"Sorry to bother you, but I think I'm lost. My Aunt gave me directions, but I am beginning to realize I didn't listen to them well enough.
I could feel the wards tighten as she watched me. To an ungifted person, the sensation would have felt uncomfortable, causing them to incorrectly assume that the issue was having a conversation with this stranger.
To me, it felt like my skin was on fire, and I had to fight the desire to sever the wards.
Patience,
I heard Lynn say. Easy for her to say. She wasn't being squeezed.
"What's your aunt's name?" the woman asked, leaning against the door.
Susan Miller. According to the map, she lives about a mile from here
,
Lynn supplied.
Really? That is the name of one of the witches that attacked me!
I guess we need to go over some details so things like this don't happen again,
Lynn replied.
I guess the conversation pause was too long because the woman shifted slightly, causing the wards to contract further.
"Sorry, I was trying to remember her last name. Susan Miller," I told her, smiling.
The woman frowned, "Susan never mentioned having a niece."
"I can understand that. Aunt sue and my mom had a huge fight when they were younger, something about a guy they both liked. Anyways, as far as I could tell, they haven't spoken in years. About a month ago, while going through some old boxes at Mom's, I found out I had an Aunt, so I wanted to meet her."
"Does she know you're coming?"
"No, after I confronted Mom about it, there was a big fight. So I thought it might just be better to show up."
The woman thought about it for a few minutes, making me very uncomfortable.
I had been pulling apart the wards while we spoke in case I had to make a hasty departure.
"Can you help me?" I asked, making one last plea before I knew I would have to leave.
"Sure, sugar, any family of Susan is like family to me. So why don't you come in while I see if I can get Susan on the phone," the woman said, stepping back and motioning me to enter.
Letting out a breath I didn't know I was holding. I walked into what looked like a living room and felt the wards around me relax.
I realized that I had let my guard down as I felt a sharp pain in the back of my head, and the world faded.
I don't know how long I was out. I only knew that I was cold and had a thumping pain in the back of my head, almost drowning out Lynn's shouting.
Thank God you're awake,
Lynn said, dropping her volume as I winced.
I tried to open my eyes but couldn't see anything.
Something is covering my eyes
, I guessed.
I tried to move my arms and legs, quickly figuring out that my arms were bound behind me while my legs were tied together.
What did I miss?
I asked her, trying to stay still, both for the headache I had and to keep some element of surprise.
Your body was stripped and bound before you were thrown into a cell.
That explained why I wasn't able to move my arms or legs. I could feel Lynn's ring still on my finger.
I was able to hide, so they missed me
, Lynn said, answering my unasked question.
"You can stop pretending to be unconscious," a woman said from somewhere in front of me.
