Page 66 of Scarred

“I’m sure Flix will follow me to Suni’s village. I can always come back through him and teach her things. If not him, another bird or animal.”

Jo sighed. “You’re right. Taking Shelly away from another mother figure wouldn’t be good. Besides, Auntie Charlotte did want me to keep an eye on her.”

Amma’s heart jumped. She couldn’t wait to see her auntie again. “You saw Auntie Charlotte? Where is she? Why wasn’t she in the middle of the fighting?”

“I am sure she was watching,” Jo gently said. “She has joined my mother beyond the veil.”

“Are you serious?” Amma gasped and blinked back tears. She had hoped everyone had made it out of the house to safety. How many other women from her family had joined everyone on the other side of the veil? “She had so many years left to teach us. What happened? Did those assholes get to her?”

“She didn’t tell me the details. Mourn her like we should, but remember she gave her life so we could get away. That is the way of our family.”

“I know, but I don’t like it.” Amma glared into the distance. She wanted to return to Earth and make every wild creature around their home turn on the town. Now she understood why her ancestor had done the same. “Why did those assholes attack us? We weren’t bothering anyone!”

“I have asked myself the same question too many times to count.” Jo scanned the area. “I know we will have to have time to honor those of our family who have crossed over, but right now we should celebrate life. I hate the way we came to this world, but if we hadn’t, we wouldn’t have met our mates. There’s not a man on Earth who could measure up.”

“Especially not Grim.” Amma said and burst out laughing at Jo’s growl. “What? We all told you that man was a snake.”

“Yes, and I left him.” Jo rolled her eyes. “He was one of the group of people who attacked our home. I had to jump through the portal to get away from him.”

“Really? I always thought there was something off about him.” Amma had always hated the way Grim was always perfectly put together. “Did he follow you?”

“Not that I know of. Actually, I wish he had. Ru promised to stomp him to pulp and present me with his head.”

“When the fuck did you get so bloodthirsty?” Amma’s stomach flipped at the thought of hanging a human head on a wall like a trophy.

“When our home was destroyed for no reason.”

“I get that. How many of us do you think made it here? I was thinking about the aunts and cousins who had left early to go back to their own homes.”

“I want to believe everyone made it,” Jo sighed. “But in reality, maybe a hundred or so. The hunters are always on the lookout for humans. I’m worried some of the fanatics might make their way here and cause trouble.”

“When I reach Suni’s village, I will ask the chief if we can have hunters on the lookout too. I will also warn them about the fanatics and the weapons they may carry.”

“That’s what I fear. These warriors are powerhouses, but they have no idea of the damage one bullet can do.”

“Maybe guns won’t work in this world.” Amma could hear the hopelessness in her own voice. “It’s almost like we were dropped into this world at the right time.”

“Or the wrong time. I keep thinking that we may be the reason the witches are coming down from their mountain. When I asked Ru, he said he hadn’t ever seen a witch in his life. Suddenly he’s married to one and has a whole coven coming for his people.”

“What did Auntie have to say about it?”

“You know seers,” Jo snorted. “If I have a seer, I’m going to drop kick them back to the family still on Earth. I’ve never heard of one speaking plainly.”

“Remember Zuri from the celebration? I wonder how her mother is handing her powers.”

Jo’s shoulders slumped. “I hope she and her mother either made it home safely or are somewhere in this world. So many of our family could have been lost that night. We may never know.”

“I think our parents' generation knew this would happen. The survival packs we all carried were too precisely filled to prepare us for anywhere other than this world.”

“I had to abandon mine when I ran from Grim. What was in them?”

“They each had a way for us to escape, and all led to the same world. The mode of transportation was fast, but it could have been more comfortable.”

“You’re telling me,” Jo laughed. “I fell at Ru’s feet and almost got crushed.”

“I landed on my back with Sam and Mike on my chest.” Amma joined Jo in laughing at the undignified way they had entered the new world they called home. “I think the best thing about this world is we can use our magic openly, and no one looks at us funny.”

“I got some looks after my first battle,” Jo smiled, remembering. “But using my magic for good makes me feel like I am part of something. Maybe my magic isn’t all bad.”

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