Sequel: One Apology ›
One Look
He had to
Daniel kept his eyes on Emily. She was only nine years old, but Gabriel had gone after her and two others within the past month. Somehow, they’d all survived. From what he’d heard, they hadn’t known about magick before meeting Gabriel.
That didn’t make sense to him as he’d seen the way magick flowed around them. They might not understand how to control the way it circled them, but there was nothing particularly awkward in their attacks. At first, all they would do was cry and hide behind Anna. Then Raven, the second oldest of the three, started talking and the other girl listened.
Raven treated Emily as if she were a toddler, but Daniel knew better. There was no way she survived a confrontation with Gabriel simply by standing there and staring at him blankly. He knew no one would believe him before he approached Anna as her green eyes earned their trust with every blink. They stopped listening to him even when he pointed to the protective nature they had around her that went beyond what was their normal.
What he didn’t expect was Jasmine to believe him. She’d caught him sitting at the top of the stairs watching Emily. The girl was staring at Raven as the girl told her how to use the magick around her. Turning towards her, Daniel had told her the truth angry at everyone’s blind spot when it came to the girl. Not once did he raise his voice, but she sat next to him and told him to calm down. Uncertainty filled him as she stared at the two girls in the other room just as he had before she’d arrived.
Jasmine was the first of the three girls to meet Gabriel and find themselves learning about magick. He’d barely spoken to her over the past two months since their arrival, but he’d heard quite a bit. She was twelve, just like he was, and would jump into a fight before knowing what was going on if she saw anyone acting rudely to the other two girls. She was the one who would rather use her fists than depend on the magick floating about her.
He tried not to stare at her as his cheeks brightened. She kept her back straight as they sat side by side and he wasn’t sure if she always sat like that or if she was just as paranoid as he was around others. His stomach did an odd flip when she laughed at the tantrum Emily had and he sighed. He could help Jasmine more than Raven could. If he got the words past his lips, he could probably save her life.
They watched Raven try to calm the girl down, reminding her of the dangers they faced with every passing second. Emily didn’t even look at her, screaming at the top of her lungs until the older girl’s own temper snapped. With a wave of her hands, the younger girl fell mute. His shoulders tensed as Emily let the magick go inside her, her light brown hair beginning to float as she glared at Raven. He knew this was what he had waited to see, but the smile on Raven’s lips confused him.
A blast of energy shot out of Emily, the sound echoing in the house. Daniel got to his feet and faded, appearing right where Raven had stood moments before. Someone groaned and he turned to find Raven standing behind the younger girl. She didn’t seem worried at all, completely ignoring him as she pointed out how the girl should’ve controlled how damaging her attack was on their surroundings.
Jasmine faded into the room next to him and whistled when she saw what remained of the couch. Turning to him, she grabbed his hand and dragged him down the hall. Minutes later, they could hear Anna yelling and Jasmine laughed, but with the flip happening in his stomach at the sound, he could only stare at her.
Swallowing the fear inside him, he asked her to follow him as he walked towards a different room. She didn’t say anything and for that he was grateful. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to tell her that his father would show up and take Anna away from them all. It didn’t make much sense to him, but there were times where one simply had to accept things and his father’s obsession with Anna was one of them.
The room had nothing inside it and Jasmine stopped right outside it, eyeing him warily. With a nervous smile, Daniel told her that this is where he trained. She didn’t understand him and while part of him was happy she didn’t trust others easily, the other part wanted to shake her for not realizing just how much danger surrounded them all. Surviving an attack by Gabriel was no small feat and he couldn’t wrap his mind around everyone’s ability to see it as coincidence that the three girls ended up at the same place.
She came inside and he closed the door, not wanting others to see that someone else was in the room with him. Before she could ask, he mumbled something about nosy people, but that caused her to laugh. He looked up at her, getting used to the idea that his stomach wanted to practice for the circus, as she mentioned his earlier actions with Emily. Shifting his weight from foot to foot, he ran a hand through his hair before looking into her dark brown eyes.
He knew she could see how uncertain he felt and her laugh stopped. It took him a moment to get the words out of his mouth and with each passing second the acid in his stomach threatened to make its way up his throat.
When she finally answered him, he laughed. It sounded so odd to his own ears that he coughed to cover it up, walking to the middle of the room before calling on the magick around them to make it easier to use. Daniel was sure he’d regret it if his father ever found out, but he couldn’t hide his happiness as he smiled at her. She smiled, too, and his stomach continued to flip as he watched the color rise up to stain her cheeks as they stared at one another.
He had thirteen days to come up with a plan. He’d find a way to keep her safe.
That didn’t make sense to him as he’d seen the way magick flowed around them. They might not understand how to control the way it circled them, but there was nothing particularly awkward in their attacks. At first, all they would do was cry and hide behind Anna. Then Raven, the second oldest of the three, started talking and the other girl listened.
Raven treated Emily as if she were a toddler, but Daniel knew better. There was no way she survived a confrontation with Gabriel simply by standing there and staring at him blankly. He knew no one would believe him before he approached Anna as her green eyes earned their trust with every blink. They stopped listening to him even when he pointed to the protective nature they had around her that went beyond what was their normal.
What he didn’t expect was Jasmine to believe him. She’d caught him sitting at the top of the stairs watching Emily. The girl was staring at Raven as the girl told her how to use the magick around her. Turning towards her, Daniel had told her the truth angry at everyone’s blind spot when it came to the girl. Not once did he raise his voice, but she sat next to him and told him to calm down. Uncertainty filled him as she stared at the two girls in the other room just as he had before she’d arrived.
Jasmine was the first of the three girls to meet Gabriel and find themselves learning about magick. He’d barely spoken to her over the past two months since their arrival, but he’d heard quite a bit. She was twelve, just like he was, and would jump into a fight before knowing what was going on if she saw anyone acting rudely to the other two girls. She was the one who would rather use her fists than depend on the magick floating about her.
He tried not to stare at her as his cheeks brightened. She kept her back straight as they sat side by side and he wasn’t sure if she always sat like that or if she was just as paranoid as he was around others. His stomach did an odd flip when she laughed at the tantrum Emily had and he sighed. He could help Jasmine more than Raven could. If he got the words past his lips, he could probably save her life.
They watched Raven try to calm the girl down, reminding her of the dangers they faced with every passing second. Emily didn’t even look at her, screaming at the top of her lungs until the older girl’s own temper snapped. With a wave of her hands, the younger girl fell mute. His shoulders tensed as Emily let the magick go inside her, her light brown hair beginning to float as she glared at Raven. He knew this was what he had waited to see, but the smile on Raven’s lips confused him.
A blast of energy shot out of Emily, the sound echoing in the house. Daniel got to his feet and faded, appearing right where Raven had stood moments before. Someone groaned and he turned to find Raven standing behind the younger girl. She didn’t seem worried at all, completely ignoring him as she pointed out how the girl should’ve controlled how damaging her attack was on their surroundings.
Jasmine faded into the room next to him and whistled when she saw what remained of the couch. Turning to him, she grabbed his hand and dragged him down the hall. Minutes later, they could hear Anna yelling and Jasmine laughed, but with the flip happening in his stomach at the sound, he could only stare at her.
Swallowing the fear inside him, he asked her to follow him as he walked towards a different room. She didn’t say anything and for that he was grateful. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to tell her that his father would show up and take Anna away from them all. It didn’t make much sense to him, but there were times where one simply had to accept things and his father’s obsession with Anna was one of them.
The room had nothing inside it and Jasmine stopped right outside it, eyeing him warily. With a nervous smile, Daniel told her that this is where he trained. She didn’t understand him and while part of him was happy she didn’t trust others easily, the other part wanted to shake her for not realizing just how much danger surrounded them all. Surviving an attack by Gabriel was no small feat and he couldn’t wrap his mind around everyone’s ability to see it as coincidence that the three girls ended up at the same place.
She came inside and he closed the door, not wanting others to see that someone else was in the room with him. Before she could ask, he mumbled something about nosy people, but that caused her to laugh. He looked up at her, getting used to the idea that his stomach wanted to practice for the circus, as she mentioned his earlier actions with Emily. Shifting his weight from foot to foot, he ran a hand through his hair before looking into her dark brown eyes.
He knew she could see how uncertain he felt and her laugh stopped. It took him a moment to get the words out of his mouth and with each passing second the acid in his stomach threatened to make its way up his throat.
When she finally answered him, he laughed. It sounded so odd to his own ears that he coughed to cover it up, walking to the middle of the room before calling on the magick around them to make it easier to use. Daniel was sure he’d regret it if his father ever found out, but he couldn’t hide his happiness as he smiled at her. She smiled, too, and his stomach continued to flip as he watched the color rise up to stain her cheeks as they stared at one another.
He had thirteen days to come up with a plan. He’d find a way to keep her safe.