Page 15 of To Teleport, or Not to Teleport?
“What if I don’t want to help him?” I whispered.
Cami laughed. “We both know that’s a bold-faced lie. You would have done anything for him when we were kids, and I doubt that’s changed much. He may have broken your heart when he left, but you’re still in love with him.”
“What if he leaves again?”
“Did he say he was here temporarily?”
You’re my mate.
I shook my head, willing his words to fly out.
“For what it’s worth, unless he tells you he’s leaving, I think he’s here to stay. He’s setting down roots with his business, and my witchy sense tells me he’s got his eyes set on a certain witch.” Cami enveloped me in a tight hug. She smelled like sugar, vanilla, and home.
As an only child, life could have been lonely, but it wasn’t because I had Cami, and later, I also had Grayson. Some of my best childhood memories included one or both of them.
“I love you.”
“And I love your sugar-addicted ass.” She squeezed me tighter and smacked my bottom with a giggle.
Chapter 6
I slept like garbage.
Images of Grayson, the stone, the house, and slashed tires of an F250 truck I’d never seen in my life floated in and out of my dreams. I woke restless and exhausted and surprised, finding a severe thunderstorm howling outside of my windows.
To add to my cruddy morning, I had to cancel the running club’s run from the turbulent weather. Rain was common enough, but the lightning felt ominous.
By the time I got to work, the rain had become a drizzle. Students gossiped and theorized what had caused the heavy downpour. It wasn’t until I learned the storm had been rather awful in the center of town did I feel a shiver of unease.
Aileen: You okay?
Cami: Been better. Not sure WTF caused that storm but it damaged two of my ovens. Gray’s over here now seeing if he can fix them.
My stomach twisted and tumbled at the sight of his name.
Aileen: That’s nice of him. Did he have any damage?
The bell rang, and I was forced to set my phone inside my desk until lunch. Except, lunch became a working lunch, as we’d received an impromptu visit from Baba Yaga and her bangs, which had been hair-sprayed to within an inch of their life. It seemed my ominous feeling about the storm hadn’t been far off.
“Since that rad light show this morning exhibited an immaturity I expect only from Zelda or youngins, and Zelda swore it wasn’t her, that leaves the kiddies. Normally, I’d chalk it up to kids screwing around, but one of those bolts singed my tease job,” Baba Yaga said, her eyes flashing as a bright-green swirl of smoke pooled at her feet.
Fabio, an auburn-haired man dressed to the nines, who was also Baba Yaga’s beau, leaned toward her ear and whispered something.
Baba Yaga nodded slightly, and the smoke, which had begun winding its way up her legs, started to dissipate.
“Make sure these rugra—children understand the proper use of their magic. With great power and all that.” She paused and inspected her long, manicured fingernails before waving one hand around. “Look, make sure they keep a lid on their pranks. Fabio? I’m ready to pick up my new shoulder pads.”
The room filled with glowing purple smoke as everyone stumbled at the force of Baba Yaga’s departure.Shoulder pads?I wondered to myself as I recalled the hot-pink Jazzercise outfit with legwarmers the powerful witch often wore.
“I don’t get the big deal. It’s not the first time one of these kids got bored and pulled something like this,” Angelica said. I’d come to think of the math and potions teacher as a Cruella.
“Wanda said a bolt took out the dumpster behind the diner. Went up fast with all the grease. Thankfully that McCune boy saw the smoke and called for help,” said Bob, a beaver Shifter who came in a few times a week to work with the drama kids.
Grayson.It seemed I couldn’t escape him if I tried.
“Thankfully indeed,” Angelica said. “I suppose I better go prepare my lesson on not creating lightning storms.”
“Is Cami okay?” Kenny asked. “Mother called to tell me the bakery was closed.”
