Alia
woke up to the sound of a perversely happy bird chirping in a nearby tree. She
was soaked to the bone and uncomfortable, though no longer cold. She was not
in the mood to listen to cheerful little birds, whose only purpose in life was
to tweet infernally pleasant tunes to those people of the world who could wake
up at the crack of dawn.
She
pulled at the blanket and fluffed the pillow, though her choice of bed was
apparently a cold hard surface that was in no way comfortable. She adjusted the
blanket again and rolled onto her back to try and find a better sleeping
position.
“Do
you often sleep in cemeteries? ‘Cause if you do, you’re weirder than I am.”
Alia’s
eyes shot open and she leapt up from her cold slab. Spinning around, she found
the source of the voice: Coray was leaning against a headstone, arms folded, a
twisted smirk on his face. She stared at him in disbelief for a few seconds,
then realized what he had just said was dead accurate. She had fallen asleep on
the steps of a mausoleum. She relaxed a little and grabbed the blanket. “Where
am I? How’d you find me?”
“You’re
at Green Knoll Cemetery,” Coray answered. “Apparently, napping with the dead. I
was at Vincent’s last night when you busted in.” Coray leaned up from the
headstone. “We tried to run after you, but the sky opened up on us as soon as
we walked out the door. I ran to your house, and your mother was standing in
the doorway, looking horrified. The front door was shattered, and the car is
going to need some attention as well.
“Your
dad showed up on the porch looking a touch panic-stricken. He told me you ran
and wanted to know if I knew where you’d go.”
She
sighed. “This is all so screwed up. I guess the rest of them will be here in a
few minutes?” Alia wrapped the blanket around herself.
Coray
shook his head. “They don’t know I went to look for you. They think I left and
went home. No one knows you’re here.”
Alia
slumped in relief. “Thanks, Coray.” She sat down on the tomb she had just leapt
off of.
“You’re
welcome.” He took a seat next to her.
Alia
looked at him. “Why did you tell me to let my parents know about the hogrodan’s
wound?”
“I
knew your parents would know how to take care of it.” Coray shrugged.
Alia
shook her head. “Dad was really upset this thing was after us. And you
said something about stopping it for good.”
“Yeah,
I did,” he said. “Well, since I was the one who forced the hand, I guess I
should explain what’s going on…” Coray looked over at her. “And I would guess a
damn right better than the half explanation you got last night?”
“The
half explanation?” Alia laughed sardonically. “You are joking. All I got
last night was really confused. A brother I never knew claiming he was
somewhere around nine hundred years old just appeared in the middle of my living
room. My parents are lying to me.”
Coray
shook his head. “They aren’t lying to you, Alia. What did they tell you last
night?” Coray said.
“That
I’m a witch and have four siblings. There was something about wolf’s bane?
Hen’s bane? Royalty? By the time they got to that I wasn’t listening. These
mysterious siblings are about as fond of my mother as I am. Especially Jacob.”
Coray
nodded. “Okay. Well, they lied to you about a part of your life, not the whole
thing. I would blame them, but I wouldn’t completely blame them for
that. It’s some sort of stupid tradition that has gotten them in trouble
before. You’re a witch, Alia. A full-blooded, natural witch. Just like I am.”
Alia
sighed. “For some reason, I didn’t think they were lying about that part.”
“Pissed
me off too,” Coray commiserated. “Here.” He produced a cup of steaming tea,
complete with tea bag still steeping. “Earl Grey?”
Alia
looked at the cup as though it were poison, and after realizing how cold and
thirsty she was, took it from him. “You?”
“Yeah, me.” Coray nodded. “When Vin and I were
in the accident this summer, I was scared beyond reason. My powers popped out
in a moment of desperate need, to save my own ass in that car. That’s what
happened to you last night." 
