Chapter 3: Chapter Three

I stayed up most of the night reading the journals. I didn’t learn much more than those first few entries. Demons had some kind of magic, which manifested in different ways. From what I read, I got the impression that they could do more than their specialty, but not much else. They all had the boost in physical abilities, like the vampires, and enhanced senses as well. At least that explained something about me.

My parents had stolen the money from the facility they had been raised in and then they had run away. The journal didn’t say what happened to vampires in the sun, but I had a few guesses. Arizona hadn’t been an accident. They’d chosen to live there as a way to keep the best of the trackers away. Mom thought they wanted to breed me. That I’d be the key to making more like me. She made it sound like making soldiers “This is a bad idea,” I sighed as I shoved a few million bucks into the trunk.

“What else can we do? We have to carry it.” Phin shut the trunk. “Where to, Jules?”

She put her hands on her hips. “I’m taking you to Washington. First, I think you need some clothes.” She glanced him up and down. “Two days on the road and you’ll be miserable. Thankfully, Willow was able to squeeze into mine.” She smiled at me.

I glared. I didn’t weigh that much more than her. I had extra in my hips and chest, and that made the clothes a bit snug. I hated them, too. The tiny denim shorts and white tank-top looked great on Juliet. They made me looked like playdough.

“Is your place safe?” he asked Juliet.

She opened the driver’s side door and looked back at us. “Safest place I know.”

***

We stopped as little as possible on the way up to Washington. The drive took forever, but we’d left early and Juliet liked to speed. We stopped at a motel that night when Juliet couldn’t take anymore driving. She had gone fourteen hours and said we’d be at our stop the next day.

For the whole car ride, I spent my time reading the journals. Unfortunately, Mom hadn’t mentioned much more about vampires and demons in her notes. I’d never truly understand what I was. I had a painful twinge for not hating that I was special, Strong. I knew I shouldn’t feel that way. My parents died because of it.

Maybe I didn’t have to run. Maybe I could fight back. I could hurt the ones that had hurt us. I needed to get Phin to safety first.

“Here we go.” Juliet pulled into the parking lot of a chain store. We’d left the hotel a couple hours before, not wanting to waste more time.

It had a sign in the window that announced a clearance sale. She dragged us inside and started throwing clothes in a cart. I hated everything she picked.

She threw in two big suitcases for us to fit everything in and we headed to the check stand. I stood back and let her do all of the talking. Not only did the woman look unhappy to be there, but I would stumble all over myself trying to make small talk.

We packed everything up in the suitcases and stuffed it in the back of the car. It would comfortably fit four, so us three, with the bags, worked fine. I went back to the journals for the rest of the drive. When we crossed into Washington, the sun still hadn’t gone down.

Phin’s excited voice woke me from a drowsy state. “Candy? Cool. Why are we stopping?”

“I thought maybe some candy would be good.” Juliet said.

She put the car in park, and I yawned myself awake. I forced myself out of the car and leaned on it while I took in our location.

The little shop had kids painted on the side, eating candy. A sign above it had the word Poison written in bright letters, designed to look like old-school candy.

“Did you come here a lot when you were a kid?” I asked Juliet.

She turned back to me. “Yeah.” Her lip-gloss sparkled in the dimming sun. “It was my favorite place.” Her hips moved as she headed into the little building. She took Phin’s hand and pushed the door open, making a bell chime.

I stepped in and the scent of pure sugar hit me. Every inch of the store had bright, garish color searing my eyes. Stacks of candy lined the middle of the shop, while even more stretched out along every single wall.

“This place is ridiculous. It’s like they wanna make damn sure you’re never unaware of the fact that you’re in a candy shop. I’m surprised they don’t have someone at the door sprinkling you in pixie dust. I think the decorations could cause a blind man to throw up.”

Someone snorted from the corner of the room, causing me to look over. A man sat behind the counter with his black, booted feet propped up. He wore all black, making him a smear on the bright colors. His wiry muscles and bulky chest showed through the tight sweater. He looked more than a foot taller than me and terrifyingly wider. He would hardly need to stand in front of me to completely eclipse my body with his.

He had his nose buried in a book. It completely covered his face, but I could see his messy, chestnut brown hair behind it. I couldn’t see all of it, but the top looked long enough to get messy easily.

He turned the page and reached his hand into a little bowl on the counter. He grabbed a couple gummy bears and popped them into his mouth.

“It’s not that bad,” my brother said, shoving me lightly and removing my gaze from the man behind the counter.

I stared at Phin. “It is. I’m getting a cavity just breathing in the air.”

He rolled his eyes and started walking. “Whatever. I’m shopping.”

Juliet followed behind him and they left me alone to wander around. I hadn’t planned to get candy, but then I found the sour worms. They sat in little baskets up by the front of the store and I tentatively walked over, hoping the man behind the counter would be nice enough to not talk to me. He stayed hidden behind his book while I took a basket from the side of the counter.

“Willow!” Phin shouted.

The moment Phin yelled my name, the man lowered his book and his eyes met mine. They looked dark blue and a darker grey mixed together. I felt like I had been caught doing something wrong.

“Am, am I allowed to take this?” I held up the basket.

“I’m not your mother. Do what you will.”

He covered his face with the book again and I caught sight of his nametag. It just said ‘name’.

“Thanks,” I muttered and turned back to my brother.

He stood in the aisles, using his shirt to hold candy. “Willow! These candy bars are buy eleven get one free!”

I sighed. “But you have to buy eleven.”

“So?”

“Phin, are you really gonna eat twelve candy bars?”

He looked at me with a blank face. “I can share.”

I smiled and sighed again. “Why do I love you so much?”

His grin beat mine. “I’m your big brother and you have to.” He disappeared into the aisles.

To myself, I muttered, “I’m a year and a half older…”

“But I’m taller!” he shouted. How the hell did he hear—

“Excuse me,” the man behind the counter snapped. When I looked over to him, he said, “Can you move? You’re blocking the light.”

I put my hand on my hip. “You could be a little nicer and maybe I’d consider it. Dick,” I said under my breath, unable to control myself.

He slowly set his book down and stood, proving that he was as big as I thought he would be. He set his hands on the glass counter and leaned into me. I flinched a little and he held my gaze.

Slowly, he said, “Please, oh please. Can you find it in your heart to step to the side so that I can read my book? The torture scene is coming, and I’d like optimal light to fully enjoy it.”

I cocked an eyebrow. “You don’t have to be so snippy about it. Is it not in your job description to be friendly and accommodating?”

He sat back down. “I wasn’t the one who called you a dick.”

“I wasn’t the one being a dick.”

He glanced me up and down. “Fair enough. Now get the fuck out of the way. Please.” He beamed, exaggerated and irritating.

I lingered for a few seconds before I started shopping. I filled up my basket to the top as I went through the selections. Turns out, I wanted more than I’d thought I did. I picked out some candy that I’d never tried before, but it looked chocolatey and amazing.

When I went to switch aisles, I looked back to the man at the counter. I thought he’d be reading, but no, he watched me. I couldn’t tell if he judged me or waited for me to cause trouble.

It felt strange as I prepared to spend way too much money on candy. I’d never been shopping like that. Not only because I had been trapped in the house, but also because we’d had so little money. It had been a rare occasion that I’d gotten any sweets, so I might have gone a little overboard.

“Will, bring up your haul,” my brother called.

I peeked over the shelf I hid behind to see him at the counter with the man. I walked up and stopped in front of the counter, watching my brother. He had his twelve candy bars and a couple of other things.

I decided to put on a fake judgmental voice and say, “Really? Have you no self-control?” I set my massive basket on the counter and held my serious face until Phin laughed.

The man started ringing us up, not looking amused. “Trying to kill yourself, Sugar?”

It took me a few seconds to realize he meant me. I narrowed my eyes at him. “Don’t you want this place to make money?”

He shrugged. “Don’t care either way.”

“Wow. Your enthusiasm for your job is mildly overwhelming. Can you tone it down a little?”

He almost smirked at me. “Sorry, I’ll do better.”

“Thanks, gloomy.”

He did smile at that one.

The man bagged everything and left it on the counter while Phin handed him the upsetting amount of money it all cost. Juliet stood at his side, holding onto his shirt.

“We should go now. I don’t wanna be on the road when it’s dark,” she said quietly.

The man behind the counter glanced at her, but she never looked at him.

“Don’t worry, babe.” Phin kissed the top of her head. “We’ll make it out okay.”

“Babe?” the man snorted.

Phin looked up. “I was nice enough not to kick your ass for calling my sister ‘Sugar,’ so why don’t you lay off on what I call my girlfriend.”

The man crossed his arms. “At least ‘Sugar’ refers to something sweet. It’s acceptable to call a woman. As opposed to ‘babe’ or ‘baby.’ It’s more than a little gross to refer to the woman you’re screwing as a baby.”

Phin took a step forward and Juliet grabbed his arm. “Drop it, Phin. Let’s get out of here.”

He finally noticed her demeanor. “All right.”

The man watched us as we left.

I took the bags from Phin and started loading them into the car. Juliet took her seat behind the wheel and she locked her eyes on the store window. She squeezed the wheel tight enough to turn her knuckles white.

I got everything loaded up while Phin took his seat and closed his door.

Juliet continued to stare at the shop when she spoke. “Damn. I think I dropped my wallet. Willow, can you get it?”

“I’ll go.” Phin offered and went for the door.

She took his arm. “Wait. I want you to stay with me. Can you do that?”

He scrunched his brow, but he said, “Yeah. Always.”

She smiled tightly.

I said I’d be right back and closed the door before I headed in. I didn’t like being in the shop alone with Jerkpants McGee, but it would be quick. How long could it take to find a hot pink wallet on a white floor?

The bell rang as I walked back inside.

“Miss me, sugar?”

The man smiled as he rose from his seat. “No. My friend dropped something. I’m trying to find it.”

“Willow?” he said. “Is that your name?”

I turned, and I saw him leaning against the glass window. “Um, yeah.”

He nodded; expression blank. “I like it.”

“Thanks…” I looked back to the floor, but I couldn’t find that damn wallet. “You have a name?”

“Yeah, but I go by something else.”

“Why?”

“Hard to go by a name you don’t know. I’m Fitz.”

“What kind of name is Fitz?”

“Dunno. I didn’t pick it.”

I rolled my eyes and traveled down the next section of the store. I heard the sound of a lock engaging and whipped around. Fitz flipped the open sign to closed.

Uh oh. Red alert!

Fitz had blocked the door with his body. Even if he took three steps to the left, I didn’t stand much of a chance getting out.

Fitz must have caught the petrified look in my eyes because his stance softened a fraction. “I’m not going to hurt you like you think I am.”

A sharp breath left me. “But you are going to hurt me?”

“Nothing personal.”

He moved closer to me and I screamed. Phin looked over at me through his window two seconds before the car peeled out of the lot.

Abandoning me.

Fitz grabbed me around the waist, and I screamed again as I thrashed around. I scratched and hit the psycho, but nothing seemed to affect him.

“The harder you fight, the tighter I have to hold you,” he said over my shouting. “And I was really going to try not to hurt you.”

Tears fell from my eyes as I realized I couldn’t win, but that didn’t stop me. I kept kicking and hitting him as we passed through the employees only door.

He hit a button and I heard an elevator ding. We started moving underground and Fitz looked more annoyed with me than worried I’d get away.

“Well, you’re a fighter,” he sighed. “You look more like a runner to me.”

I’d stopped screaming by that point. The elevator opened into a hallway. Bare walls led down to a metal door. He threw it open and we went inside.

A white room with no windows and only one door greeted me. We stood at the bottom of a short staircase.

A chair sat at the center of the room, pointed directly at a glass wall that divided the space, leaving it only a third of the size. Two cots sat on either side In all of the white, one piece of color stood out violently against the blankness— a girl with bright pink hair.