Page 15 of Air Of Mystery
“What’s that, Grandma?” I asked sleepily.
“It can wait,” she said. “Go take a nap, Skye and I’ll check in with you tomorrow.”
“Okay,” I replied. “Talk to you then.”
We said our goodbyes, and I ended the call. After placing my phone on a charger, I chugged the sports drink and stretched out on my sofa. I shut my eyes and figured I’d zonk out in seconds...and I did, but I did not sleep peacefully.
Instead, I had horribly violent and vivid dreams. And when I woke at two in the morning, I couldn’t go back to sleep at all.
***
Kenna came home the next evening. I tried to speak to her and was informed that she had decided to stay clear of Tyler for a few days to allow him time to come to terms with everything that he’d witnessed. I figured I was currently in no position to lecture anyone on their love life and so, I nodded, reminded her again to do a cleansing, and left her alone to mope.
Which she did for three solid days. Eventually I got tired of her brooding and asked Brynn to intercede. With a nod, my big sister squared her shoulders and went out to confront Kenna in the vegetable gardens, where Kenna was hard at work trying to stay busy—and to keep her mind off Tyler.
From the window in my attic apartment, I watched as Brynn talked to her, and also saw the moment that Tyler arrived. I kept watch over Kenna until I saw that she and Tyler were embracing and had clearly worked things out between the two of them. With a sigh of relief for Kenna, I turned away from the window.
“Not everyone is destined for an epic love,” I reminded myself. “Some of us have other things...like adventures, excitement, and a career.”
Squaring my shoulders, I went back to work and tried to put romance out of my mind.
***
All too soon it was July and blazing hot. Cranking up the extra window unit in my rooms, I added an oscillating fan to keep the air moving in my attic apartment. I spent a good solid week meticulously editing the next installment of my show. I’d barely spoken to anyone for days, but the episode was loaded up right on time—which would make my two hundred thousand subscribers very happy.
Worn-out, and sporting an eye-strain headache, I headed downstairs in a tank top and shorts to see what was for dinner, once again ready to interact with other humans. It was Brynn’s turn to cook tonight, and I wondered what she was making.
It hadn’t escaped me that I’d been using the intense editing of the past week to keep myself distracted from the fact that I hadn’t heard from Charlie… not since the day I literally disappeared on him.
I suppose the witchcraft had spooked him or angered him to the point where he wasn’t interested in being with me anymore. Which was a damn shame, because I bet the sex would have been amazing—not that we’d ever managed to get that far. There’d been too many interruptions. Still, it was a disappointment to be sure.
There was a part of me that kept wondering why he’d seemed to handle seeing Cordelia unleash her elemental powers without freaking out. He’d also caught the tail end of Kenna’s protection magick and seemed to have taken it in stride. Yet when I had tried to talk to him about magick, it hadn’t gone well.
Not at all.
Me goingpoofhad apparently tipped the scales firmly and permanently against me.
My musings came to a sudden halt when I walked into the kitchen and discovered that it was empty—except for a note from Brynn left taped to the fridge where I’d be sure to see it.
It informed me that Kenna was out with Tyler, Cordelia and Tim had an appointment to go see a house, and that she was over at Austin’s having barbeque with him and Robbie. She invited me to join the three of them if I wished, but I passed on that offer. I truly wasn’t in a sociable mood.
“I’ll find something to fix or reheat,” I muttered, tugging open the fridge door.
I spotted some mixed vegetables and a piece of left-over grilled chicken. Slapping it on a plate, I nuked it and stood at the counter while it heated. I poured myself a large glass of water and sat at the island in the kitchen to eat my meal in solitary splendor.
At least that’s what I told myself. The longer I sat there in that too quiet house, the lonelier I felt. I ended up pushing the majority of my food around on my plate, eating very little.
“For goddess’ sake,” I muttered. “I’m acting like some mopey teenager after a bad breakup.” With a grim sense of resolve, I pulled my cellphone from my pocket and called my cousin Soleil.
Soleil, orSunnyas the family called her, was perpetually cheerful, smiling and as her nickname implied, filled with sunshine. If anyone could snap me out of my funk, it would be her.
She answered on the first ring. “Sunny’s Dog Grooming Salon, how may I help you?”
“Hey, girl,” I said.
“Skye! I was thinking about you.”
“Psychic connection,” I agreed. “Whatcha doing tonight?”
