Page 18 of Calling Quarters

Tabitha and Callista's calmness was unsettling.

“They're trying, but The Movement is too strong.”

“Why would The Movement want to do this?”

“Hush, girl,” Tabitha spit.

She turned her attention to her daughter, and they began to have a silent conversation. I watched their faces change as questions were asked and answered without words, until a final decision was made.

It was bizarre and chilling to watch. There was clearly information they were keeping from Blaire and I, though I had no idea if that bothered me anymore. It seemed like the more I knew about this place, the farther I wanted to run.

“Hold my hand,” Callista's soft voice whispered to her daughter, who took her outstretched hand without hesitation. “You too,” she said to me.

Just as my fingers brushed hers, Tabitha swatted me away.

“We don't know what kind of effects she'll have on this. It's best to keep her out of it.”

“Worst case, she strengthens us. Come on, Mom. We need all the help we can get.”

Tabitha huffed out her frustration and shook her head but when Callista grabbed my hand again, she allowed it. The moment our fingers touched, I felt a jolt of electricity course through my body. I recoiled, trying to pull my hand away, but Callista only held on tighter.

“It's okay,” she assured. “That's a good sign.”

The three of them started speaking out in a language that I recognized but couldn't place where I'd heard it before. Their eyes remained focused on the table we circled around, each of them staring into the dancing flame of the black candle that Tabitha had already lit before we got there.

I couldn't focus on anything. It was like a part of me was somewhere else and my mind kept trying to take me there, but the words they were mumbling were grounding me back to my physical body. It was a feeling unlike anything I'd ever experienced before. I was ripped in half, my feet stuck in two places at once and it only got stronger as the women around me chanted louder. I tried to ask them to stop, but my mouth wouldn't say the words.

My vision finally flashed between Tabitha's living room and a view of the ocean, its waters angry and black with white caps spraying all around. Waves crashed against dark gray rocks in fury, and the longer I allowed myself to sink into the vision, the heavier my chest felt.

My head was pounding. I wanted to scream, but nothing in my body was working. My arms and legs were no longer under my control, and I could feel my energy being drained from inside me, like someone had somehow tapped into the source and was sucking me dry. I was stuck in the prison my mind built with the chanting that was floating in the space around me.

Then, just as fast as it began, everything stopped, and I was surrounded by blackness.

Chapter 11

Remy

Beacon Grove was buzzing with excited anticipation as the final countdown to Mabon had officially begun. Out of towners were rolling in, taking up vacancy in Tabitha's hotel and any spare room that our residents rented out for the occasion. The town's square was filled with tents for every business and hobby we had and the parking lot to the city buildings was taken over by carnival rides. This was one of our most profitable times of year, and the coven often poured that money into the Quarters’ pockets as a thank you for making it all possible.

I'd strolled into town to reprieve from my father's constant nagging. He and the other elders made their expectations of us for Mabon very clear. If we screwed this up, they were going to step in and take over as Quarters.

Their constant pestering was only making us lose confidence even more and fed the insecurities we were already fighting to keep at bay. Rhyse, Lux, and Enzo were somewhere around here, waiting for me to join them so we could come up with a plan for the next twenty-four hours. We still haven't gotten access to the Book of Shadows and the library provided us with no new information.

We were stuck.

We needed a sudden shift in power to happen if we wanted this to be successful, though it seemed the gods weren't willing to budge. Our Counters needed to be found and eliminated if we were going to reach the next level of our gifts.

Just as the thought crossed my mind, the new girl walked by with Blaire Granger at her side. They appeared to be inseparable since the moment she walked into town. I'd overheard Marta digging into Julia again just this morning about befriending her. I'm not sure why the old maid had such an interest in Storie, but it always made me more suspicious to hear her name mentioned between the two. Since she entered Beacon Grove, I realized I was losing trust in everyone around me.

Our time alone only fed my confused, jumbled thoughts. While she appeared to have no intention of coming after me or the others, her dramatic reaction to my telling her I was a Quarter was peculiar. And the way my blood practically boiled anytime she was near didn't help the uncertainty and mystery that surrounded her.

We were supposed to have been prepared to meet our Counters, yet I felt far too incompetent to take her on.

I took three steps in her direction to follow them before Lux called my name from behind. Ignoring the pull I felt toward the strange girl, I turned and jogged over to the cafe table the three of them were sitting at.

“Our best bet is to draw power from the spirit world,” Enzo was saying as I pulled out the chair beside him and fell into it. They all nodded in agreement, then looked at me expectantly.

“What?”

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