“I need things to stop for a sec.”
“Really stop?” Julia asked, her voice hushed. Angie nodded and Julia touched her arm. The power formed between them, warm and bright as it always was. Comforting. In another second, everything became silent and still.
Angie released a deep breath. Kaitlyn and David ... Kaitlyn, the third Daughter. Angie couldn’t bring her spinning thoughts under control. She tried counting, but she couldn’t find anything to count. She thought of kittens. Three little kittens they lost their mittens, and they began to cry ....
“Are you okay?”
The nursery rhyme repeated itself in her mind. She willed the muscles in her face to relax. “Yeah, thanks,” she said, forcing her lips into a smile. Even through tears, she knew she could fool everyone if she just smiled.
Everyone but David. No matter how perfectly she crinkled her nose, David could see right through it. But she couldn’t keep thinking about him. And she couldn’t think of anything else.
Julia put away her history book. She glanced up, her eyes too wide. “I don’t need that book after all.”
Angie sniffed. Julia was the worst liar she knew. “You’re acting strange.”
“Don’t I always?”
She let out a breath. Secrets, lies, Kaitlyn-Kaitlyn-Kaitlyn-Kaitlyn-Kaitlyn. Every beat of her heart seemed to pump out the name like a vicious stab. “We found the final Daughter. We can keep our powers forever,” she whispered. “You were right, Julia. A lot can happen in two days.”
Julia’s eyes were steady as she watched her.
“I like the world this way. Everything stopped. Nothing moving forward or taking us to places we don’t want to go.” She wrapped her arms around her middle and began pacing the still earth. “You have the best power out of the three of us.”
“We don’t even know what Kaitlyn’s power is,” Julia said, dropping her gaze as she trailed off. “Not that I care what her power is.”
“Her power is going to be seeing into the future,” Angie said, trying very hard to keep the gloom out of her voice. “The ancient texts have our powers outlined, remember?”
“Yeah, I guess,” Julia said, pulling out a binder.
Angie braced herself against a tree. Frozen students dotted the lawn, midway through their lunches or walking or making out. She had asked Julia to freeze time so she could give her thoughts a chance to catch up with her emotions. It wasn’t for selfish reasons. It was to determine whether she could go through with marking Kaitlyn and releasing her magic.
And because her heart was on the brink of shattering.
“We don’t have to tell Kaitlyn anything,” Julia whispered.
“Yes, we do,” Angie said, hearing the woeful tone of her voice but unable to curb it. “We have no choice.”
“We have a choice. We can choose to let your birthday come and go. Just let our powers fade away.”
“Fade,” she murmured. She couldn’t let the magic fade. It was her birthright. Her destiny.
If they brought Kaitlyn to Indira, they would keep their powers. Then Kaitlyn would be sealed with her and Julia forever.
Angie let the idea settle over her mind.
“But then the creatures of Mythos will roam through time for another generation. Just because I don’t get along with one of the Daughters.” She shook her head. “I can’t be that selfish.”
Julia blushed. It made the glints of red in her hair seem brighter. “Well, it doesn’t have to be today. Your birthday’s on Saturday, so mark her tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow is prom,” Angie answered, surprised she could breathe through the ache in her chest. “I don’t think we’ll be able to mark Kaitlyn, find Indira, ask her to seal us, and get ready for prom all in one afternoon.”
“Sure we could, if we froze time. Do you even think about our powers at all?”
Wait until tomorrow. Maybe Julia was right.
“It’s the best thing,” Julia said, taking out a math book. “Sleep on it. If you still want to mark her
“Really stop?” Julia asked, her voice hushed. Angie nodded and Julia touched her arm. The power formed between them, warm and bright as it always was. Comforting. In another second, everything became silent and still.
Angie released a deep breath. Kaitlyn and David ... Kaitlyn, the third Daughter. Angie couldn’t bring her spinning thoughts under control. She tried counting, but she couldn’t find anything to count. She thought of kittens. Three little kittens they lost their mittens, and they began to cry ....
“Are you okay?”
The nursery rhyme repeated itself in her mind. She willed the muscles in her face to relax. “Yeah, thanks,” she said, forcing her lips into a smile. Even through tears, she knew she could fool everyone if she just smiled.
Everyone but David. No matter how perfectly she crinkled her nose, David could see right through it. But she couldn’t keep thinking about him. And she couldn’t think of anything else.
Julia put away her history book. She glanced up, her eyes too wide. “I don’t need that book after all.”
Angie sniffed. Julia was the worst liar she knew. “You’re acting strange.”
“Don’t I always?”
She let out a breath. Secrets, lies, Kaitlyn-Kaitlyn-Kaitlyn-Kaitlyn-Kaitlyn. Every beat of her heart seemed to pump out the name like a vicious stab. “We found the final Daughter. We can keep our powers forever,” she whispered. “You were right, Julia. A lot can happen in two days.”
Julia’s eyes were steady as she watched her.
“I like the world this way. Everything stopped. Nothing moving forward or taking us to places we don’t want to go.” She wrapped her arms around her middle and began pacing the still earth. “You have the best power out of the three of us.”
“We don’t even know what Kaitlyn’s power is,” Julia said, dropping her gaze as she trailed off. “Not that I care what her power is.”
“Her power is going to be seeing into the future,” Angie said, trying very hard to keep the gloom out of her voice. “The ancient texts have our powers outlined, remember?”
“Yeah, I guess,” Julia said, pulling out a binder.
Angie braced herself against a tree. Frozen students dotted the lawn, midway through their lunches or walking or making out. She had asked Julia to freeze time so she could give her thoughts a chance to catch up with her emotions. It wasn’t for selfish reasons. It was to determine whether she could go through with marking Kaitlyn and releasing her magic.
And because her heart was on the brink of shattering.
“We don’t have to tell Kaitlyn anything,” Julia whispered.
“Yes, we do,” Angie said, hearing the woeful tone of her voice but unable to curb it. “We have no choice.”
“We have a choice. We can choose to let your birthday come and go. Just let our powers fade away.”
“Fade,” she murmured. She couldn’t let the magic fade. It was her birthright. Her destiny.
If they brought Kaitlyn to Indira, they would keep their powers. Then Kaitlyn would be sealed with her and Julia forever.
Angie let the idea settle over her mind.
“But then the creatures of Mythos will roam through time for another generation. Just because I don’t get along with one of the Daughters.” She shook her head. “I can’t be that selfish.”
Julia blushed. It made the glints of red in her hair seem brighter. “Well, it doesn’t have to be today. Your birthday’s on Saturday, so mark her tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow is prom,” Angie answered, surprised she could breathe through the ache in her chest. “I don’t think we’ll be able to mark Kaitlyn, find Indira, ask her to seal us, and get ready for prom all in one afternoon.”
“Sure we could, if we froze time. Do you even think about our powers at all?”
Wait until tomorrow. Maybe Julia was right.
“It’s the best thing,” Julia said, taking out a math book. “Sleep on it. If you still want to mark her
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