Page 10 of To Hell and Back
“That’s fucking bonkers! Were the gods hot? No, never mind. We can talk about that later. I’m totally down to help you get revenge against your asshole relatives and that fucking bitch of a witch, but I guess that part has to wait. Right now, we just have to focus on not dying. So, me, your parents, and most of our friends are wiped out by the storm? How exactly do we stop that? What do you need me to do?”
Seneca swallowed hard as emotions welled up inside of her. Shadow was a ride-or-die friend, and she was so grateful her rebirth had given the people she loved most a second chance at life as well.
“I don’t think we can stop the storm. That might fall under thedo not fuck with anything that might put us on the gods’ radartype of shit. However, we should be able to decrease the damage it causes. Leave that part to me. What I need you to do is go find your brother.”
“Why? What’s wrong with Thane? Oh, fuck. Does he fucking die tonight too?”
Seneca could tell her friend was close to reaching her breaking point by the number of “fucks” she interjected into the conversation. In order to prevent her from reaching critical mass, she hurried to explain.
“No, but he gets injured pretty badly, and that ends his snowboarding career. He is training up on the mountain today. They thought they could avoid the rain, but the storm was larger than anyone predicted. Once it hits, they stop to help some people on their way home, and Thane ends up getting hurt in an accident. I’m not exactly sure what happened, but there were rumors that someone in his group caused the accident, so you have to warn him to be careful.”
“Don’t worry, no one is going to hurt my brother. Dad can do a locator spell, and I’ll drag my mom with me to go get Thane.”
Although Shadow could teleport, it was still difficult for her to visit places she’d never been before. Since her mom was a powerful demon, Seneca felt relieved that she would be accompanying her.
“Once we’ve collected Thane, we can—”
“Contact everyone you invited to my surprise party tonight and tell them to stay the fuck home.”
“You know about that? Duh. Of course, you know about the party since you’ve experienced this day before. Okay, I’ll contact everyone. Should I warn them about the flood or is that too risky?”
“I think that would be okay. As long as you don’t tell them you got the info from a dead girl.”
Shadow snorted.“God, that shouldn’t be funny, but—”
“It is.”
“Yeah, it really is. But I don’t want people thinking I developed the ability to speak to ghosts or something like that. People already think I’m weird enough. I can meet up with you after—”
“No, I need you to stay home tonight. Find your brother, then go home. I wouldn’t be able to handle it if something happened to you again,” Seneca said honestly. “Stay home and keep your parents and brother there with you. That way, I won’t have to worry about any of you. Please. Just…do this for me. Consider it my birthday present.”
“That was fucking tricky of you. Fine. But what about you? What are you going to be doing?”
“I’m going to head to The Manor to warn them about the mudslide and try to convince Arson to weaken the storm a bit,” she said, mentioning the owner of the private club.
As a dark angel, Arson Altera was probably the most powerful supernatural who lived in the area. While there were many people who feared him, he was a close friend of Shadow’s family. Through that connection, Seneca had gotten to know him as well. Calling him wasn’t an option since The Manor was laced with strong magical wards. Technology and magic didn’t mix well, so phones never worked inside the private club, and he rarely ever left the grounds.
“I could teleport over there and warn him for you,”Shadow offered.
She considered that for a few seconds. That would make her life a whole lot easier, but ultimately, she decided against it. “I don’t know how to explain it, but I feel like I need to speak to him.”
“Did you get a vibe? Is this your luck magic? How is this possible if you haven’t gone through your awakening yet?”
That question made her gasp.
Scrambling off the bed, her bare feet slapped against the hardwood floor as she raced toward the bathroom. Turning on the light, she ignored the bright yellow melting smiley face printed on the oversized gray T-shirt that she’d slept in and focused on her own reflection.
Her platinum blonde hair was back to being shoulder length instead of the long, unkempt mess it had been when she’d died, and there were dark circles under her gray eyes. Added to that, her skin had a healthy glow from the hikes she and her friends liked to go on during study breaks instead of the pale, shallow appearance she’d had before her death from lack of sunlight.
After her awakening during her previous life, a tiny birthmark in the shape of a star appeared on the left side of her neck right below her ear. She hadn’t realized it at the time, but the mark was like a physical reminder of the luck she had stored inside of herself.
Sure enough, the star birthmark was there.
The mark was small enough to be overlooked by most people, but its significance was immeasurable. Closing her eyes, she sought out the magical lantern she used to visualize her luck and found it burning bright.
That confirmed she had been sent back with her magic intact.
Relief flooded her. This time, there would be no need to experience a traumatic event to force her awakening. She had her magic and was armed with the basic knowledge she had learned during her previous life. Now, it was time to truly embrace her destiny as the lucky star she was always meant to be.
