Chapter Twelve

I wasn’t sure what was louder now—the sound of my heart trying to beat its way out of my chest or the jarring noise that surrounded us, brushing, scraping, closing in from all sides.

“What is this?” Tom asked. “More of your black magic?”

“No.” I glanced up at the golden hue of twilight filtering through the trees. “They’re painting it over. The city.”

“How can you be sure?” Nick asked.

“It has to be! Why else is it getting dark in the morning?”

There was another lull in the swishing. Nick leaned against me. “We have to get out now,” I told him. “I need to open the portal before there’s nothing left of the mural.”

He squeezed my hand. “You got this.”

This time I closed my eyes by choice and let my mind fill with thoughts of Mom. I wondered how things might’ve been different if she’d still been wearing the locket during the fire. Her Vista power wouldn’t have been activated, and she might have made it out in time. At times I missed her so much I felt sick to my stomach. I pushed that feeling to the forefront now, allowing my deep sadness to overshadow everything else. My breath hitched, and one by one, tears leaked from my closed eyes and slid down my cold cheeks. There were no sobs, no wailing as I cried—just a quiet outpouring of grief and regret.

I waited for the dizziness to hit, expected my eyes to seal shut.

But neither of those things happened.

I opened my eyes. Nick was watching me with concern. Luke let out a grunt of impatience, while his father eyed me with suspicion.

And there was no portal.

“What happened?” Nick asked. “When you cried yesterday that glowy thing appeared.”

“It didn’t this time? You didn’t see anything at all?”

“Nothing.”

“What’s the deal, Princess? Get us out of here.”

My teeth clenched. “I’m trying, Luke. I don’t know what’s going on. Maybe too much of the mural is gone already.”

Luke balled his hands into fists at his sides. “Try again, dammit.”

Tom gave a bitter laugh. “If you came in here to help save me, Lucas, this is a pretty pathetic rescue attempt.”

Luke ignored him. “Just get me and my father out of here.”

I let out a shaky breath. “I’m doing what I can, okay?”

Nick ran his hands down my arms. “Hey, it’s—”

He didn’t get to finish the sentence because Tom talked over him, glowering at his son. “It’s your trust fund, isn’t it? That’s why you want me back so badly.”

“Trust fund?” Nick echoed.

“His grandmother left it to him when she died, with instructions that he receive it when he turns eighteen, which is next month. The catch is he only gets it after I sign it over. So he’s not here for me. He just wants to make sure he gets my signature.”

Suddenly it all made sense—how Luke desperately wanted his father to get his memories back, how he kept threatening me to get them home. That greedy, vengeful prick wanted his inheritance.

“It’s worth a half a million dollars. He’d do anything to get his hands on that money. Believe me… That’s all he’s after. He doesn’t give a damn about me.”

Luke rolled his eyes. “Oh, give me a break. Don’t pretend like you’re father of the year. You were too busy getting drunk to pay attention to me.”

“I would’ve done anything for you, Lucas, but you’ve always made things so difficult for me!” Tom jabbed a finger in my direction. “Ever since you exposed him to magic, he’s been a troublemaker. That hole did something to him that day. I just know it.”

“I told you,” I said, swallowing my anger, “it was an accident.” I shot an uneasy glance at the sky. For the moment, it was still that same shade of grey, and the brushing sound had stopped. But I knew it could start up again at any second. It was only a matter of time before more paint was rolled on the wall and we’d be goners.

“Just shut up, old man, and let Julia do her hocus-pocus.”

I turned to see Luke take out his lighter and box of cigarettes again. “Do you have to do that now?”

“Yeah, I do,” Luke said, lighting up.

“Wait a second.” Nick took a step towards Luke. “Let me see your lighter.”

Luke narrowed his eyes as he took a long drag. “Why?”

“Come on, man. I just need to look at it.”

“That’s his memory trigger,” I said. “He can’t give it to you.”

“That’s not what I’m asking,” Nick replied, his gaze trained on Luke. “Just hold it up for a second.”

Luke grumbled but held the lighter out with a mocking flourish. After a few seconds, he slipped it in his pocket. “Satisfied? It’s just a damn lighter.”

As he’d stared at the silver object, a faraway look had come into Nick’s eyes. Now he shook himself a little, as if coming back to the present. “I recognize it. I remember those initials.”

I laid a hand on his arm. “Did he have the lighter with him the day of the fire?”

Nick pursed his lips like he did when he was trying to solve a complicated math problem. Then he put his hands to his temples and closed his eyes as if he had a headache.

After a moment, he opened his eyes and focused on Luke again. “The day you came to Julia’s house, I was lying there, in and out of consciousness. But now I remember hearing you ask Charlotte where she sent your dad.”

“Wait a minute,” I said. “He was still asking about Tom when my house was burning down?”

“No, I don’t think there was any smoke at that point.”

“But then, why were you unconscious before the fire broke out? Luke said you breathed in smoke and—”

Luke puffed on his cigarette. “Who cares about those pesky details?”

“I care,” I said. “What did you do to him that day?”

Luke held up his hands. “Hey, I didn’t do anything. It’s not my fault if he hit his head on the table when I pushed him out of my way.”

I let out a shuddering breath, for the moment forgetting all about the clock that was ticking closer towards our deaths. “You knocked him out? You told me he was unconscious because of the smoke!”

Luke shrugged, flicking his half-smoked cigarette on the ground. “It was a busy day. I can’t keep it all straight.”

“That’s not all he lied about,” Nick continued, his voice quaking with anger. “When I came to, he was waving that lighter around, threatening to burn something if Charlotte didn’t go get his dad.”

I whirled on Luke, my heart in my throat. “It was you. You started the fire.”

Tom gasped. “Is that true, Lucas?”

Luke ignored his father and flashed me a chilling smile. “I’d like to see you prove it, Princess.”

“Tell us what really happened, you asshole.” Nick’s hands shook as he took another step closer to Luke. “Or we can arrange to leave you here.”

“You’re just trying to pin the fire on me because you couldn’t protect your girlfriend’s mother.”

Nick’s face turned beet red and his eyes darkened. A warning light went off in my head. I knew that look.

“Nick,” I said sharply, “this is not the time. Don’t do anything you’ll regret.”

Ignoring me completely, he hurled himself at Luke.

Luke lifted his forearm in one quick move and easily deflected the punch. But Nick followed up with a swift knee to his groin.

Luke’s face crumpled in pain. He bent over, his hands covering the injured area. He spluttered, his breath coming in wheezy gasps.

“You son of a bitch,” Nick said, panting. “Charlotte died because of you, didn’t she? You— You’re psychotic.”

Luke staggered to his feet. Even as he struggled to draw breath, he flashed Nick a vicious smile. “Well, maybe it’s true what my old man said. Maybe Julia here made me that way.”

Nick rushed at Luke again. This time his fist made solid contact. Luke flew backwards with the force of the hit. He landed on his butt in the snow, rubbing his cheek. It didn’t take long for the dazed expression on his face to turn into one of utter contempt.

“This is the last time you get in my way, loverboy.”

He jumped to his feet just as Nick reached him. They lunged for each other, grappling and twisting. Nick managed to land a punch in Luke’s stomach. He dragged him to the ground, where he straddled him, raining blows on his head as Luke fought for breath. Then the two of them were rolling and grunting, fists flying. At some point, Luke gained the upper hand, launching a series of punches to Nick’s face. Nick fought back, but I could tell he was losing energy as Luke, bigger and faster, overpowered him with a force that terrified me.

“Stop it!” I shrieked.

Tom, who’d been watching the fight in shock, suddenly sprang to life. “That’s enough, Lucas!” But Luke didn’t slow, even though Nick was barely moving now.

“I said, break it up!” Tom threw his body in between Luke and Nick, which was the stupidest thing he could’ve done, because the second he did, Luke’s fist connected with his jaw. He swore and fell to his knees.

“Oh, for God’s sake,” I said.

A medley of emotions flowed through me—anger towards Luke, fear for Nick’s life and an overwhelming sense of panic at the out-of-control situation. It wound through my insides until I felt like I was choking. Sobs clawed at my throat.

No. You haven’t come this far just to lose him all over again.

I rushed at Luke from behind, flinging myself on his back.

“What the hell…?” He tried to throw me off, but I twisted one of my hands in the collar of his leather jacket, grabbed a handful of hair in the other and pulled as hard as I could.

Luke howled and stumbled through the snow away from Nick, with me still clinging to his back. My stomach gave a lurch as he spun me around wildly, trying to shake me off. His feet hit a patch of ice and he pitched forward onto the ground, taking me with him. Together we slid down a small slope. When we stopped, I extricated myself from him and scrambled to my feet.

“You bastard. What is wrong with you?”

He curled his mouth in disgust. “What are you talking about? Your boyfriend attacked me! Pretty shitty timing since we’re supposed to be getting out of here.”

As if on cue, the brushing sound resumed and the earth quivered beneath my feet.

Then the grey sky darkened to a shade of midnight blue.

I took one step up the slope, desperate to see if Nick was okay.

But Luke clutched my arm, stopping me. “You’re wasting time. Open the damn portal and get me out of here!”

“I don’t have to do anything!” The scraping was louder now, more insistent, but I yelled over it, straining my vocal cords until my throat burned. “I can leave you here to die, just like you let my mom die!” Fresh tears filled my eyes. “Nick and Tom can go home, but not you.”

Raw anger stung my body. The world began to tilt on its side. I closed my eyes and pictured Tom and Nick on the grassy area across from the mural. After a few breathless moments, I opened my eyes again.

Once again, there was no hole in the mural. There was no way out.

Then I saw it.

A narrow shaft of light filtered through the darkness. It was faint but steady, laying a golden hue over the snow beyond the slope. And as I hurried up the hill, I caught a glimpse of Nick and Tom captured in its whirlwind, their bodies a blur. A second later the portal swallowed them whole.

Even after they’d gone through, the doorway to home remained open. I ran towards it, Luke at my heels.

The ground started shaking. I lost my balance, teetering in the snow as the mountain vibrated around me. I slammed into a tree, scrabbling at the bark for a hold. And my heart skipped a beat because in the spot where I’d just stood, the ground split open, creating a gap about six feet wide. The portal stood open on the other side, unreachable, its light dimming with each passing second. The vortex, already weakened substantially, was not strong enough to pull me in from this far away.

The shaking stopped. The shuffling abated. I stared down at the chasm in the earth.

In the sudden silence, Luke called out from behind me. “What’s going on? It’s not enough that we’re being painted over in here, but now there’s a fucking earthquake?”

Aunt Karen’s words came back me, about the force of opening a portal. It was amplifying the tremors that I assumed were caused by the weight of the paint roller. “I think the portal’s causing it.”

“Well, how do we get in there?”

I turned. Luke’s dark shape was bearing down on me. “We’ll have to go around,” I said. “Just be careful. The ground’s not stable.”

But before we could move, the ground started to shake again. Luke stumbled backwards. The scraping had morphed into a horrific crashing sound. Luke cried out as he was tossed in the vibrations. I held onto the tree with all my might.

The quaking stopped once again. A hush fell over the mountain.

“Luke?”

No answer.

Damn it, what was I waiting for? The bastard could stay. I had to get out.

“Julia!”

It was the desperate tone that gave me pause, made me take a few tentative steps in that direction. The crack was now about ten feet wide.

“Julia, down here!”

He’d tumbled into the gap, somehow managing to grab onto a ledge jutting out from within it. I knelt at the place where his fingers curled over his tenuous handhold. He looked up at me with pleading eyes.

“Help me up!”

I hesitated. He was responsible for the fire and, ultimately, Mom’s death. He was a monster who didn’t give a damn about anybody but himself.

I glanced at the dying portal. By this time, it’d shrunk to an opening about three feet wide. If I crawled around the gap in the earth, maybe I could still get through it. I could save myself, while leaving Luke to his demise as the mural crumbled around him. I’d leave him, just as I’d said I would. I didn’t care that he’d claimed to know some secret about eliminating the Vista magic. It had to be a lie, just like most everything else that came out of his mouth.

“You have to help me,” he grunted, purple veins popping out on his neck as he struggled to maintain his hold. “I’m sorry about your mom. It was an accident, I swear. I just meant to scare her a little so she’d bring my father back. But she tried to knock the lighter out of my hand and I fell against the curtains. They caught on fire.”

Hot tears stung my eyes and my heart broke all over again. Mom was gone because of a stupid kid with a lighter.

The rumbling resumed, bowling me off my feet. Chunks of rock began to rain down. A few of them glanced off my head, making me cry out. The ground heaved and fell in all around me, new cracks opening up. I lifted my head. Luke’s hands were slipping.

The world that was my mural began to spin like a Tilt-A-Whirl. Fear struck me like a blow to the stomach—fear that I wouldn’t get home alive, fear that I’d never see Nick again. Mixed with this fear was a flood of love and relief. If I were going to die, at least I’d die knowing Nick had made it home safely. He was alive, and that was all that mattered.

With my emotions rolling through me in waves, my eyes were glued shut. When I was able to open them again, I sobbed with relief.

Because I’d breathed new life into the portal.

A shimmering door now reached to the tops of the fir trees and stretched as far as the eye could see. It burned as bright as a thousand suns melted together as one. I squinted into the light and what I saw took my breath away. There was a sun on the other side, an autumn sun whose rays touched maple trees bursting with red and gold.

They paled in comparison to the colors of my painting, but they were real and true. They were the colors of home.

Then the vortex was back, reaching out for me.

“Julia!” Luke screamed.

I glanced down at him and caught a glimpse of the terror stamped on his face. And just like that, I decided. No matter what he’d done, no matter what lies he’d told, his death wouldn’t be on my hands.

Just as the whirlwind enveloped me, I leaned down into the crevasse and grabbed Luke’s hand. He found purchase on the rock face with his other hand and clambered up beside me, panting.

And we were pulled into the portal together.

Time stood still for me as we made the journey.

The crashing and shaking faded. I moved up and away, captured in a mind-numbing spiral as the last traces of the mural were obliterated. As I rode the wave, a vision of Nick came to me. He was waiting for me across from the wall, his crooked smile soft and tender. He was my end goal. He was home for me.

With this thought, the ride became smoother, slower. A balmy autumn breeze lifted my hair and caressed my cheek. A low whistling sound drifted towards me. I landed softly, sinking onto the bench, right on target. I opened my eyes.

Luke was slumped on the bench next to me, semi-conscious. A thin stream of blood oozed from a deep gash in his head where a rock had struck him.

“Julia?”

I turned in the direction of the voice. Nick sat on a patch of grass to the right of the bench. Tom stood a few feet away, pacing, but he stopped when he saw us and descended on Luke.

Nick struggled to get to his feet, but I was already launching myself at him. “Thank God you’re all right!”

I threw my arms around his neck. He gathered me into his chest and I melted against him. But when he winced, I eased back. “Are you all right?”

As I studied his facial injuries, something yanked at my heartstrings. His right eye was swollen half shut and puffed out in a disturbing shade of purplish-black. Deep red welts marked his cheeks, and his nose sat at an odd angle. Blood caked his lips.

“Actually,” he said with a little smile, “I feel like I’ve been clobbered with a baseball bat.”

“Don’t worry. You got in a few good hits of your own.”

He let out a choked laugh. “Oh, good to know.”

I ran my hands up and down his arms. “At least you’re in one piece. When I saw you lying on the ground, not moving, I thought I’d lost you all over again.”

“Nah. You’re not getting rid of me that easily.” He caught one of my hands and squeezed, and his voice dropped to a whisper. “I was so scared you weren’t going to make it out in time.”

“I didn’t think I was going to. The portal was closing fast and… I don’t know. It was like with the mural starting to disappear, even my worst emotions weren’t enough to make the opening bigger.”

“So what happened?”

“I thought of you, and the portal got about as big as a football field.” I touched his cheek. “A Vista’s power is triggered by strong emotions. Love is pretty damn strong.”

He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to mine. My head tingled in response.

When we drew apart, I murmured, “I could’ve left Luke in there. After everything he did, I was so mad. And I was going to. But—”

“But what?” he prompted.

I glanced over at the bench, where Tom was speaking quietly to his son. “I just couldn’t do it.”

“Turns out you didn’t have it in you, huh?” He gave me an affectionate nudge. “I’m not surprised. You’re nothing like him, Jules.”

The whistling I’d heard on the way down grew louder. We all turned towards the mural—or what was left of it. A man stood at the wall, whistling, paint roller in hand, in the process of covering up the snowy village with a thick coat of grey. He wore headphones and was so intent on his task that he had neither heard nor seen our arrival. I wondered how he could’ve missed seeing the portal open. Maybe with the paint rapidly covering up the mural, it hadn’t been visible from this side.

My gaze swept over the mural, and my breath caught in my throat. The mountains were almost painted over. Talk about cutting it close.

“I’m fine, old man. Just give me some space!”

I exchanged a look with Nick. Obviously, Luke was fully conscious again.

“You’re not fine. You need medical attention.”

“So does Nick.” I dug in my pocket and pulled out my cell phone, which had miraculously survived the journey in and out of the village. “I’m calling Aunt Karen. She’ll pick us all up and take us to the hospital.”

“No way,” Tom said. “We’re not going anywhere with you witches. Let’s go, Luke. We’ll walk.”

Nick shook his head. “Come on, man. He’s bleeding and probably needs stitches. You can’t walk to the hospital.”

“We can and we will.” Tom’s eyes were cold and hard as they fixed on me. “God knows what effect your witchcraft is going to have on my son this time.”

Nick got to his feet with a grunt. “Excuse me? Who was it that went in there after us? Who worked her butt off to save us? You wouldn’t be standing there if it weren’t for Julia.”

“I can expose her for what she really is, you know. She’ll be locked up for life.”

“Oh really?” Nick said, folding his arms over his chest. “And what would you say to people? That there’s a girl who can open doors into paintings? You really think anyone is going to believe that? You start going around telling everyone stuff like that and you’ll be the one thrown in a padded cell.”

Luke, who’d been strangely silent, pushed to his feet with a sigh. “Just forget it, old man. This is a waste of time.”

“Maybe for you, Lucas, but I’m the one who’s had to watch his son throw his life away after a little witch—”

“Or maybe,” I broke in, “maybe you just needed someone to blame for Luke’s personality and bad choices. Or here’s an even crazier idea. Maybe your drinking was part of the problem. It was easier for you to blame Luke’s behavior on me than to take responsibility and be a real father.”

For a second, my words seemed to hit home. Something like regret passed over Tom’s eyes. But it was gone as suddenly as it appeared, and the look of scorn returned to his face. “Don’t you tell me how to parent.”

“And you know what else?” I continued, my voice harder now. “You should be grateful that I don’t turn Luke in for arson.”

“Or send him through another portal,” Nick added. “Actually, if you ever bother either of us again, she will.”

At that, Tom’s mouth opened and closed like a fish. Then he shook his head. “Come on, Lucas. We’re out of here.”

Luke took a step after his father, who was already hurrying down the street. Then he stopped and turned back to me. He cleared his throat, hesitating. “Listen… I am sorry about your mom. I never meant for it to go down like that.”

I nodded. At least he sounded half-genuine for once.

“And…thanks,” he said in a gruff voice, “for helping me get through the portal.”

“Is it true?” Nick asked. “You wanted your dad back for his signature?”

Luke shrugged. “Well, yeah. With that trust fund, I can do whatever I want. I can move far away from him and never have to deal with the bugger again.”

“Good,” Nick said. “And we won’t have to deal with you again, either.”

“The feeling’s mutual, man.”

I narrowed my eyes at Luke. “You lied about what happened on the day of the fire. Did you also lie about knowing a secret about my magic, about how to get rid of it?”

“Actually, that part was true.” He paused. “After your mom explained what she’d done to my dad, she told me she was hoping to stop the magic. She said she was investigating Frank Marsten.”

“The head judge for the mural contest?” I said. “What does he have to do with anything?”

“Your mom found out that Marsten’s ancestor—a great, great, great-grandmother or something—was responsible for starting your freaky magic in the first place. He put a curse on one of your ancestors so that every firstborn child down the line would open paintings if they had a meltdown.” He shrugged. “Don’t know why, though.”

My knees turned to Jell-O, and when I spoke, my voice was hoarse. “Marsten is the one who changed the day for the mural to be painted over. Originally it wasn’t supposed to happen until next week.”

Luke dabbed at the cut on his head, grimacing. “Well, your mom thought Marsten also carried on his family’s magic. She was convinced he could reverse the curse.”

“But how did she find any of this out?” I asked. “And why did she tell you about it?”

“Sorry, Princess. That’s all she said.” His cheeks flushed. “I was getting impatient by that point and all I wanted to know was how she was going to get my old man back.”

In other words, that’s when he’d started waving around the lighter and threatening Mom.

“But, for what it’s worth,” he continued, “I hope you get some answers.” Luke turned to follow his father but stopped and glanced back over his shoulder, curving his lips in a wicked smile. “Oh, and just a friendly warning. You might want to drop the whole aspiring artist thing. It worked out better for Bob Ross than it ever will for you.”

* * * *

Ten minutes after I called Aunt Karen, her Corolla pulled up in front of us with a screech of tires. She flew out of the car, and before I could say a word, caught me up in a bear hug, sobbing. “Oh, thank God you’re okay.”

Good. She’s relieved.

Then she held me at arm’s length, her forehead furrowed as she sniffled. “I nearly had a heart attack when I got your text. I told you to wait for me!”

And also pissed.

“There wasn’t time,” I said. “Jennifer called to say the mural was going to be painted over in the next couple of days.” I bit my lip, still reeling from the news that Marsten might know how to take my magic away. “I couldn’t wait for you. If Nick and Tom were alive, I had to try to find them.”

Aunt Karen turned to Nick, her hand flying to her mouth. “She found you. We thought you were…”

“Dead,” he finished. “Yeah, I know.”

She squeezed his hand. “We’re glad to have you back. I can’t imagine what you’ve been through. What happened? You look like you’ve been in a fight.”

“Luke happened,” I said with a tight smile. “It was his lighter that started the fire.”

She drew in a breath. “What? How?”

“It’s a long story, but here’s the Sparknotes version.” I briefly filled her in.

“What about Tom? You didn’t find him?”

“Oh, I found him. He already left with Luke.”

Her eyes widened. “You just let them go?

“What was I supposed to do, Aunt Karen? Turn Luke in for arson? Like the police would believe me. No one saw him that night. He snuck out through the backyard.”

She pursed her lips. “I’m just worried. What if Luke’s father comes after you again?”

“Somehow, I don’t think that’s going to be a problem,” Nick said, putting his arm around me.

* * * *

That evening I sat on the edge of my bed, staring down at Nick. He was tucked under my comforter, sound asleep.

It was hard to believe that just that morning I’d watched, terrified, as Luke had pinned him to the ground, hitting him over and over again. Sighing, I smoothed a strand of hair off his forehead.

At least he looked a little better now, with the dried blood washed off and his broken nose realigned. The ER doctor had advised him to take over-the-counter pain relievers and apply ice to his face to help the swelling go down.

When we’d gotten home from the hospital, I’d urged Nick to take a nap in my bed. He hadn’t argued.

Aunt Karen had coaxed me to lie down in her bed and get some rest, too. I couldn’t think about sleeping yet, though. I was too wired. Too much had happened in the past few days, too much to process. And maybe it sounded crazy, but I didn’t want to be apart from Nick. I’d just gotten him back. I wasn’t ready to let him go just yet.

There was a light knock on the door frame. “Julia?”

Aunt Karen stood in the doorway, frowning. “I thought you were going to sleep.”

“No,” I said in a low voice. “I can’t.”

She massaged her forehead, but the lines only deepened. “Then come downstairs and have a cup of tea with me.”

I hesitated, glancing back down at Nick.

“He’ll be fine. He’s not going anywhere, okay? And I really would like to talk.”

I eased myself off the bed. “I guess I can take a few minutes.”

“I’ll go put the kettle on.”

As soon as I heard her footsteps going down the stairs, I leaned over Nick. “Don’t worry,” I whispered, lightly tracing his jawline with my finger. He stirred but remained in a deep sleep. “I won’t be gone long.”

Down in the kitchen, my aunt was arranging cookies on a plate. Her hands shook a little. “Aunt Karen? You all right?”

She jumped, startled. “Yes, of course.” She turned her back to me to open the fridge but not before I noticed the glimmer of tears in her eyes.

“Hey.” I crossed the room and put a hand on her arm. “What is it?”

Her shoulders sagged. “Nothing. I just… I was so worried, Julia. When you went in there, I had no idea what was going to happen or if I would ever see you again.”

“I know,” I said, hugging her. “It was pretty scary.”

“I told the school you had to go away for a family emergency, and Roxy’s been pumping me for details. All I could tell her was that it was a personal matter and I didn’t know when you’d be back.”

Roxy. How in the world was I going to explain all this to her?

The kettle whistled, and she wiped her eyes. “Now let’s have some tea. It’s like I always say, a hot beverage makes everything better.”

I stared at her. Now it was her turn to look at me with concern.

“What?” she asked. “What did I say?”

“There was a woman in the mural. Her name was Susan. She reminded me of you. Then there was this real bitch, Stacey.” I shook my head as I got two mugs down from the cupboard. “She was a lot like Trisha from school. It made me wonder if I was thinking about people from my life when I painted these characters.”

“It makes sense. You poured so much of your heart and soul into that mural. I can’t imagine what it must’ve been like, seeing it come to life like that.” She peered at me. “What exactly happened in there, Julia?”

She listened in shock as I told her the story—minus some of the more private moments with Nick—over cups of hot tea. When I finished, she leaned back in her chair and drew a long breath. “Restoring memories through touch? That’s incredible.”

“Yeah. Good thing we figured it out, too. After losing the picture, I didn’t know what I was going to do.”

She took a sip of her tea. “And all along, Luke wanted his father back so he could sign over his trust fund? I’m sure there must be a stipulation in place where if Tom disappeared or pre-deceased him, he could still get the money. Eventually.”

“Yeah, the key word there being ‘eventually’. Luke is too impatient to wait for red tape like that.” I tapped my nails against the ceramic mug. “You know, his relationship with his dad is so messed up. Our family isn’t what you’d called ‘normal’, with the whole witch thing. We have our secrets, and Mom hid a lot from me. And I was so mad at that. I still am, in a way. But then I saw how Luke and Tom were with each other.” I gave a little shudder. “And it made me think that no matter what she hid from me, at least Mom and I had a good relationship. I have a lot of happy memories, you know?”

She squeezed my hand. “I do know.”

I paused. “There was something else Mom hid from us.” I explained what Luke had told me about Marsten and the Vista curse.

“How in the world did she find that out?”

“That’s what I’d like to know. I think I’m going to do a little digging into the Marsten family.”

“Julia…” Her forehead was creased with concern.

“Don’t tell me you don’t want me to look into them. I have to know, Aunt Karen.”

“No, it’s not that. I’m all for finding out a way to end of the curse. It’s just… I want you to be careful while you’re looking. You can’t let anyone know about your powers. You saw what happened when Tom and Luke Mercer found out.”

She had a point. But I had no intention of broadcasting my abilities to the world, now or ever. “Believe me,” I said, “I don’t want anyone else to know about them, either.”

“That includes your friends.”

Before I could respond, the doorbell rang.

“Expecting someone?” I asked.

She shook her head and rose. “I’ll get rid of whoever it is.”

A minute later, Roxy’s voice drifted down from the foyer. I leapt up from the table and rushed into the hallway.

“And she’s not ready to—”

“Roxy?” I interrupted my aunt’s excuses. When my best friend saw me, her face broke into a huge smile. She held a plain white envelope in her hand.

“Jules! There you are. What’s going on? Are you okay?”

“I had to go away for a few days, but yeah, I’m okay.”

“Good. I wasn’t sure if you’d be here or not but…”

Aunt Karen cleared her throat. “And I was just telling her you weren’t up to having company. It’s been a long day for you.”

“No, I’m fine. Really.” I gave my aunt a pointed look, hoping she’d clue in to the fact that I had no intention of spilling the beans about my powers.

“I can’t stay long anyway,” Roxy said. “Mom needs the car to go to her Pilates class.”

“Well, all right then. I’ll leave you girls to it.”

As soon as my aunt disappeared up the stairs, I pulled Roxy into the living room. She laughed as we fell together on the sofa. I slung an arm around her. “You’re a sight for sore eyes, Rox.”

“What’s going on, Jules? Your aunt acted like you were on some top-secret mission. I couldn’t get anything out of her.”

I bit my lip. “Well, it’s a long story, but…” I took a deep breath. “I went to find Nick.”

She stared at me. “Nick.”

“Yeah. Um, I know it sounds insane, but he’s alive. He didn’t die in the fire.”

“What?” She gripped my hand. “What are you talking about? Where is he?”

“Upstairs.”

Her eyes, round as saucers, roamed over my face. “Are you serious?”

“Completely. Turns out he…well, he got out of the fire alive, but he kind of had amnesia.”

“You’re pulling my leg.”

“No, I swear. It’s the truth.”

She didn’t say anything for a long moment. A myriad of expressions crossed her face. Disbelief. Confusion. Shock. “How did that happen? Where has he been all this time?”

“I’ll explain everything when we have more time.” Before I saw her next, I’d have to come up with some kind of cover story. “The main thing is that he’s okay and he remembers everything now.”

She let out a relieved breath. “Well, thank God for that. When can I—?” Her cell phone rang, cutting off her question. “Hang on. Hello? Yes, Mom. Okay. I know. I’ll be there soon.” She tossed the phone back in her bag. “Ugh! Sharing a car with Mom is a pain in the ass. She needs me home ASAP. Sorry, Jules. I want to hear everything, though.” She clutched my arm again, her nails digging in. “This is unreal. I can’t believe Nick is alive. After all you went through, you must be going crazy with relief.”

“Yeah.” I smiled. “I guess I am.”

“Oh, I almost forgot.” She picked up the envelope she’d set down beside her. “This was sticking out of your mailbox when I got here just now.”

I took the envelope from her, frowning at my name printed in sloppy letters on the front. Inside I found a small white box. I lifted the lid.

My locket lay in a tangle in the bottom of the box. The silver heart caught the light streaming through the window. I felt the locket calling out to me. It wanted me to wear it.

“Who’s it from?” Roxy’s voice broke through my reverie.

I put the lid back on the box, effectively stifling the locket’s voice, then dipped my hand in the envelope again and pulled out a folded piece of paper. My heart gave a lurch as I scanned the note.

“Well?” Roxy prompted.

I stuffed the paper in my pocket. “It’s from Tara, one of the student aids in the school office. Someone turned the locket in.”

Roxy wrinkled her nose. “Weird that she just left it in the mailbox without calling or anything.”

I shrugged. “Yeah.”

“Well, I’m glad you got it back it, Jules. I know how much it means to you.” She peered at me. “Aren’t you going to put it on?”

“Of course. Um, I just want to show Aunt Karen first.”

She threw her arms around me with a giggle. “What a crazy day. You’ve got your locket back, Nick’s back… I can’t believe I have to go before getting to hear the whole story!” She got to her feet. “Amnesia? Sounds like something from a cheesy movie.”

I forced a laugh as I walked with her to the door. “I know, right?”

After I closed the door behind her, I pulled out the note and reread it.

Julia, I found this on the floor outside history class the day of that lively discussion about freaky magic in the mines. I held on to it, planning to pawn it. Then I realized it was yours. I couldn’t let you have it back until my old man was out of the mural, kind of like insurance that you wouldn’t lock away those magical emotions of yours while I needed them. Anyway, now you can control your magic until you get the curse undone. Of course, this will mean you’ll go back to being the ‘Ice Princess’, but I figure you won’t mind too much.

Luke I clutched the box in my other hand so tightly that my fingers hurt. I should’ve known Luke had stolen my necklace. But he was wrong. I did mind going back to being the Ice Princess. I minded a lot.

I went upstairs to my bedroom and stopped short in the doorway. A pair of caramel-brown eyes watched me from my bed.

“Hey there, stranger,” he said.

“Hey, yourself. How are you feeling?”

“Better. Though I’m pretty sure I look like I’ve been in a bar room brawl. Did I hear the doorbell?”

“Yeah, Roxy stopped by. I told her you were here, but she doesn’t know the whole story. Aunt Karen thinks we should keep it a secret. And, as much as it’s going to suck to hide this from my best friend, I think she’s right. The fewer people who know, the better.”

“Then we won’t tell my parents, either.”

“What will we tell them?”

“That I hit my head on my way out of the fire and lost my memory. Then I wandered around until my memory came back.”

I rubbed my forehead. “You think they’ll buy it?”

“I don’t know. But at least it’s partly true.” He flashed me a grin. “And the best thing about amnesia is that I can say I don’t remember how it all went down. So, we can be fuzzy on the details.”

I smiled back. “You’re a pretty smart guy, Nicholas Allen.”

“Hey, I didn’t lose all my brain cells while I was trapped in your painting.” He nodded at the box in my hand. “What’s that?”

“My locket. Apparently, Luke found it. He left it in the mailbox.”

“Oh my God, that’s great!” He swung his legs over the side of the bed, his grin widening. “You can control your power again.”

I set the box on top of my dresser and wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans. “Yeah, I guess.”

His smile dimmed. “What’s wrong? Why aren’t you happy about getting it back?”

Heaving a sigh, I came to sit down beside him. “I am. I mean, it’s all I really have left of Mom. And if I wear it, my emotions will be in total control all the time. I know how important that is, to keep my power at bay. It’s just… I don’t want to rely on a charm to do it.”

He nodded. “You want to find out if Marsten really can take the magic away.”

“Yeah, I do. He might be a psycho who wanted to keep you and Tom trapped in the mural for some reason, but I have to find out if there’s a way to get rid of this power. I don’t want to pass this on to my firstborn.”

“Yeah, I get that.”

“And in the meantime, I want to control my emotions myself, so I don’t have to be totally numb anymore. If I could find a balance, you know, like let myself feel some things without going into total freakout mode. Do you think that’s possible?”

He smoothed his hand over my hair. I leaned against him. His touch had a calming effect. “I do. But you don’t have to make a decision right now, Jules. The important thing is you have it. If you need it, if you do find yourself having a meltdown, it’s there. You have the option.”

“That’s true,” I said softly.

Nick cleared his throat. “Not to change the subject, but I’d really like to get in touch with my parents now. You said you have their new number, right, Jules?”

Sitting up straight, I gazed at him intently. The evening sun seeped through the window behind him, its golden rays moving through the glossy folds of his dark hair. It was something I never thought I’d experience again. “Are you sure you’re ready?” I asked, pushing down a rush of emotion. “We can wait until the morning.”

“No.” He shook his head. “I’d like to see them.”

“Do you want Aunt Karen to call them? She could invite them to come over.”

“Yeah. Yeah, that’d be good.”

I gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. “Everything’s going to be okay.”

“I know. You’re right. It’s just that…” He let out a weak laugh. “For some reason I’m nervous about seeing them.”

“Don’t be. They’ll be freaked out, but in the end, they’re just going to be happy to have you back.”

* * * *

We were in the kitchen when the doorbell rang about thirty minutes later. Nick shot me a nervous look across the table. “This is it,” he said.

“I’ll go,” Aunt Karen said, pushing her chair back. “You kids wait here.”

We listened to her footsteps as she walked down the hallway to the front door, and a moment later, muffled voices when she let in Mr. and Mrs. Allen. Nick took a deep breath and stood just as his parents appeared in the kitchen doorway.

Mrs. Allen took one look at her son and her face crumpled. “Nick?”

“Yeah, it’s me, Mom.” Nick turned to give his father a shaky smile. “Hi, Dad.” For his part, Mr. Allen stood with his mouth agape, blinking as if he couldn’t believe his eyes.

Nick’s mother rushed over to him, tears sliding down her flushed cheeks. “Karen told me that you were here, but I didn’t believe it.” She patted his arms and shoulders frantically, as if trying to assure herself that he was real. “I don’t understand. How is this possible? We thought you—” She broke off as her voice caught on a sob.

“We thought you were dead,” Mr. Allen finished for her. He remained rooted to one spot on the floor, unable to take his eyes away from his son.

“No,” Nick said softly. “I made it out of the fire.”

“Oh, thank God. Thank God.” Mrs. Allen threw her arms around him. A lump rose in my throat as I watched.

Finally, she drew back, her red-rimmed eyes moving across his swollen face. “Are you okay? What happened? Have you been in a fight?”

“Nick and Julia will tell you the whole story,” Aunt Karen said, as Mr. Allen took his turn to grip his son in a tight embrace. “Why don’t we sit in the living room where it’s more comfortable? I’ll make coffee.”

In the living room, Nick’s parents sat on either side of him on the couch, their eyes scarcely leaving his face for a second. Aunt Karen and I took the chairs opposite.

“I feel like I’m dreaming,” Mrs. Allen said. “I just can’t believe you’re here.”

“Where have you been the last two months?” Nick’s father asked.

I exchanged a look with Nick. Then we began to tell his parents our cover story. As Nick had suggested, we kept the details sparse, ending with the lie that when Nick’s memory finally returned—after he got in a fight, meaning the details were fuzzy on that too—he called his parents’ old phone number. When he found out it was disconnected, he then called me and I picked him up.

By the time we’d finished recounting the concocted story, Mrs. Allen’s face was pale and drawn. Mr. Allen clung so tightly to his coffee mug his knuckles turned white. They’d been quiet as they listened, both of them wiping away what seemed to be an endless supply of tears.

“Amnesia,” Mrs. Allen said in a dazed voice. “I just can’t get over it.”

Mr. Allen shook his head. “This does feels like a dream. A damn good dream.”

After setting her mug down on the coffee table, Nick’s mother crossed the room to me. Startled, I put my own mug down just as she enveloped me in a bear hug. “Thank you for picking him up. We’re so grateful. Thank you,” she repeated in a whisper. “We’re so happy to have him back. We thought we’d lost him.”

“So did I.” As Mrs. Allen released me, tears pricked my eyes. I dashed them away with my hand before they could gather any momentum and swallowed the lump in my throat. A deep breath helped settle the swirl of emotions—relief, pride, happiness and sadness that Mom wasn’t here with us.

And as those feelings settled, safely under control again, I made a decision.

* * * *

Sometime later, I found myself alone in the living room with Nick. Mr. Allen had excused himself to make a call and Aunt Karen and Mrs. Allen were in the kitchen making more coffee.

I’d joined Nick on the couch, and as I leaned my head on his shoulder, my thoughts turned to the mural.

The snowy village remained imprinted on my brain. I could still see every detail in my mind—the lines and colors, the shapes and contours. I closed my eyes, and I could still feel the blustery wind on my face, hear the crunch of snow beneath my feet, smell the firs dancing on the mountains. But they were just memories. The mural was gone. So was Mom.

Nick knuckles brushed my cheek. “Hey,” he said softly. “You okay?”

I opened my eyes. “Yeah, I was just thinking about the village. It’s really gone now, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, I think it is.” He put his arm around me. His touch helped warm the cold ache in my chest.

We were both silent for a moment, lost in our own thoughts. Then I lifted my head and asked, “So what do we do now?”

“We move forward together. It’s what your mom would’ve wanted.”

As he enfolded me in a comforting embrace, I held on tight. In the midst of all that seemed surreal, he was my anchor. He was solid and real.

I pulled away with a smile. “You okay here? I need to go upstairs for a sec. Be right back.”

“Sure.”

Back in my room again, I picked up the box. I ran my fingers over the lid but didn’t take it off. I knew that if I did and caught sight of the locket inside, the pull of the charm would be too strong for me to resist. Instead I strode purposefully to my closet and tucked the box far back on the top shelf. Then I stepped back with a satisfied nod.

After the fire, I’d been numb. And at the time, I’d been okay with that. I thought things were better that way. But now, having gotten a taste of what it was like to really feel… I wasn’t sure if I could ever go back to being the Ice Princess, to being closed in by that wall of numbness. I knew if I worked at it, I could experience emotions and keep my magic in check at the same time. I’d done it just moments before while listening to Nick’s mother, and I could do it again.

Hopefully, I wouldn’t have to struggle with that balance for long. I’d find out if Marsten really was the key to reversing my power, and maybe, before long, the Vista magic would be eliminated…forever.

Confident in my decision, I went back downstairs. Nick looked up as I entered the living room. His crooked smile sent butterflies skittering through my stomach.

When I reached out for him, I didn’t feel numb.

I felt alive.

THE END