Alpha Divided

“So, what now?” I asked Daniel.

He held up the book of knots. “I brought another box of glasses.”

I laughed as I shook my head. “You’re a glutton for punishment.” I rubbed my hands together. “One box of glass powder, coming right up!”

As Daniel set everything out, I wondered how I was going to figure out expanding my visions. If Rosa was right and she could help me, then maybe it was worth facing Luciana to get permission to leave the compound.

I thought about it for a second, and I imagined how many ways that confrontation could go wrong.

I’d wait until I really, really needed to go see Tia Rosa before approaching Luciana.

Until then, I’d just go with my gut. That was what Grams had said to do, anyway. And when has that ever gone wrong for me…

Maybe this wasn’t such a good plan after all.

Chapter Thirteen

After turning the entire box of glasses into dust, I hid in my room to read for a little while. I was a total failure, but we’d had a good laugh about it.

The doorbell had sounded twice and voices echoed from downstairs. It was time for me to go meet people, but all I wanted to do was stay in my room.

I reminded myself that I had to branch out, and if I stayed inside my cousins’ place for the rest of my time here, I probably would go insane. Even if I tended to be a homebody, I still got out, took walks, went to the bookstore…went to school.

Nothing could ever be as bad as school in Los Angeles.

I pulled on my big girl panties and went downstairs.

Three people had joined Raphael, Claudia, and Daniel. I was nearly shocked to see Raphael. He was almost never at home. He worked long hours with a friend from school. They had a web design company, which seemed odd. Spells and witchy stuff felt like the antithesis of technology, but apparently that was a stereotype that had been proven wrong.

“Teresa, this is Cosette. She’s been visiting from the Colorado coven for the past few months.” Cosette’s curly, dark-blonde hair ran down her back in soft ringlets. Her eyes were dark brown, and a little large for her face, but the rest of her features were small.

“Oh. Hi.” I never shook hands, so introductions could be a little awkward, but Cosette didn’t offer.

Instead, she gave a regal nod. “I’ve been begging Claudia to introduce us.”

I focused on not making a face. Why did she want to meet me? “Oh.”

“I hear that you and I have a few similarities.” Cosette twirled a curl around her finger, and I couldn’t imagine anything we possibly shared. “We both have some form of second sight and are torn in two directions.”

Torn in two directions? “You’re a Were?” She didn’t look like any born Were I’d ever met, and I knew I was the only one who’d been bitten in ages.

She grinned, and I would’ve sworn she glowed a little. “No! Fey.”

I must’ve heard her wrong. “I’m sorry. Did you say fey?”

“Yeah. Only we’re not anything like Tinkerbell.”

“Right. Of course.” I thought my eyes might pop out of my head. I knew there were other supernatural beings out there. I’d found that out on my first day at St. Ailbe’s, but I hadn’t actually run into anything other than vampires. I’d put it out of my head a little.

“I wanted to say hello. There aren’t many of us who understand what it’s like balancing two supernatural worlds.”

“True.” And I really didn’t know what else to say to her about it.

Someone tapped my shoulder and I turned. “I’m Shane. Live two doors down.”

Shane had his dark hair buzzed short, and a big colorful tattoo ran up his arm. I wanted to stare at it, but didn’t want to be rude. He was also tall and ripped to the point that he would’ve fit in perfectly at St. Ailbe’s. Boy must work out hard for that body.

I realized I was staring after all, and awkwardly shoved my hands in my pockets. Way to check out the neighbor. Real slick. “Cool,” I said, trying to go for nonchalance but once again, failing.

“And this is Elsa.” Claudia motioned to the girl in curled up on the couch. She looked like a child with a pair of large, green glasses. “She doesn’t talk much.”

Raphael walked to the front door and muttered something so softly, that I wondered if he was merely mouthing the words rather than saying them. Then he ran a finger along the painted wood, and I knew exactly what he was doing.

When the ends of the knot met, the pressure in the house suddenly increased, making my ears pop.