Midnight Runes (The Bestowed Ones) (16 page)

He put the car into gear and backed out of the parking space. We were quiet as he turned at the light, heading to the expressway. “Do you want to go straight home?” When I glanced at him, he continued casually, “We could spend some time together.”

How could I say no to a fantastic proposition on a beautiful day? I wanted nothing else but to feel normal, if only for a few hours. I’d just confessed my little problem to yet another person, and he didn’t act like I’d suddenly sprouted tentacles. The air held the promise of adventure. Plus, driving with Landon in a nice car was a thrill.

“What did you have in mind?” I asked.

A smile danced on his lips. “You’ll see,” he answered.

I texted my parents to let them know we had run into some friends, so I’d be home a few hours later than I originally thought. They texted back to have fun. Okay, so it wasn’t the complete truth. I briefly wondered who I was turning into.

I reached over and turned up the radio.

I didn’t keep track of how long we drove, but as the area became more and more rural, I wondered what he was up to. We were on a country highway in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nothing but farms and undeveloped land.

He slowed and turned onto a road I never would have noticed. We passed beneath a tunnel of thick trees. The overgrowth on both sides was as tall as the car. We passed a dilapidated sign with an equally weathered “CLOSED” sign placed on an angle over it. I could barely distinguish that the large sign showed what looked to be an oval track, a straight one, and a winding one. Clearly, we were about to trespass on some old proving grounds.

The tunnel disappeared, and the space opened up into a huge arena without grandstands. I still couldn’t fathom why we were here. Based on the condition of the signs, the tracks would be rubble, and at best, he’d ruin the rims on the car he swindled out of his friend.

“Okay, I give. What’s going on?” I asked.

“I have track time now. We’re going to have some fun with this car.”

“You can’t be serious. You’re going to destroy it.”

“Not a chance. The tracks are in pristine condition. The sign we passed is to deter any curious types who might find that road from trespassing. It’s the only entrance. We deliberately left a half-mile of forest around the perimeter as a buffer, too. The only people who know this is here are the ones who are supposed to, and maybe pilots who fly over it.”

We headed toward the oval track, and he pulled up to the starting line. He reached behind my seat and grabbed a helmet that matched the charcoal grey detailing of the car. The girlie-girl in me noticed. Handing it to me, he said, “Not required, but it would make me feel better.”

I frowned but put it on. “Are we racing?” I asked as I fumbled with the chin strap.

“Just ourselves,” he said. “We’ll be the only ones on the track. Ready?”

I nodded.

He floored it, and the car responded immediately. We shot away from the starting line, the force of the acceleration pressing me into the seat. He didn’t hold back because I was in the car, and I appreciated it. I loved driving fast. I loved the thrill of it, but I was always too conscious of receiving tickets as a consequence, and the repercussions of getting pulled over prevented me from putting myself at risk.

There was no arrogance in this trip, though. He just wanted me to experience this with him. And I loved it because it was a safe place to speed. The entrances were blocked to prevent anything from wandering into the area. The only worry was crashing into the fence if a tire blew, but I had a helmet on.

We lapped the track several times. He eased off the throttle and looked at me. “Want to give it a shot?”

“I’d love to, but I’ve only driven automatics.”

He exited the track and drove to a garage on the property.

I shot him a questioning look when he parked next to another new car.

He shrugged. “I keep an extra one here in case something breaks. I hate to waste track time.”

“How many cars do you have?”

“In total, four plus a truck.”

“You have to tell me how you do this. A normal guy my age doesn’t have access to any of this stuff. And if he did, he would be home-schooled on flights between skiing in the Swiss Alps and boarding the family yacht in the French Riviera, not going to a public high school in Michigan.”

“I’m sure you would agree that I’m not normal.”

I pivoted in my seat when he didn’t continue. “That’s it? That’s your answer? What’s it gonna take for you to share information with me?”

He smirked. “Didn’t you read your horoscope today? It had something to do about revelations and dreams.”

“You’re beyond frustrating. Do I still have to wear the helmet?”

“Depends on how fast you drive.”

I took it off. I had only put it on because he asked.

We exited his car and sat in his other car. I adjusted the mirrors and seat.

“We don’t have to go on the performance track again. There’s a winding one behind this garage. It’s supposed to represent a European road. Hills, but mostly curves.”

I backed out of the space and drove to it with his direction. I was suddenly nervous.

He suggested that I drive around it at least once at a normal speed to become familiar with the layout. The second time around I went faster, and by the third lap, I sped just a little faster than I was comfortable with. I had to push my limit. How many times would I have the opportunity to do this?

I realized that driving a manual would mean less braking around the turns and commented that observation to Landon.

“Yes, you’re able to handle the turns better. I’ll teach you if you’d like to learn.”

“I’d like that.”

“I have a friend who owes me,” he said, a smile in his voice again. “We’ll use his car.”

I
was in the dream again, the same dream that haunted and mocked me. I stood close to the edge of the tree line with the moonlight illuminating me like a performer on stage. Its pale blue light cast faint shadows behind me onto the open yard. The contrast between it and the dark trees made it hard to see into the woods, but I welcomed the dream. There was a reason I was brought here, a message to receive. I knew that now. I anticipated it.

I heard leaves rustling. He was near, maybe just inside the safety of the darkness. I sensed movement just beyond reach and took a step toward it, knowing the routine. Last time he had spoken only after I touched his hand. He must need my effort to communicate. Before I walked under the shadow of the trees, he put his hands out to slow my advance. This was unprecedented. I heard him take a deep breath and release it.

He stepped into the light.

“Landon!” My surprise transformed into relief.

“Brynn!” he mocked.

“Why didn’t you tell me it was you a lot sooner?”

“A few reasons. One, I just intended to use it to get close to you. Two, I had to know you would be able to handle it.” I detected the slightest bit of uncertainty, as if he was waiting for me to reject him.

“Why can’t I feel your emotions?” I expanded the sensation, expecting to feel something. Was he blocking me? I thought back to my time around him. Did I purposefully not try to read Landon? Was I so overwhelmed with what he made me feel that I overlooked how he felt about me? I sighed. I couldn’t dwell on that.

“Let’s not complicate the moment. It took you longer to figure out how to control the dream than I anticipated.” He had to throw in a little jab.

“Yeah, well, I thought I did pretty well considering you didn’t give me anything to work with. It’s not like you gave any hints. It’s not like you showed yourself, or talked, or provided any clues to help me out.”

“I couldn’t do any of those things.”

“You say that like you exhausted all possible means.”

“You wanted me to hold a big sign saying that I was a nice guy and to trust me?”

“Ha.”

“The intricate layers of repelling runes around you prevented me from approaching you. They’re weaker during sleep—whoever put them on will learn from that oversight. Perhaps I could have approached you at the parties with great effort, but I wouldn’t have been able to utter a word without you initiating the conversation. Even then, it’s a tricky landscape to navigate.”

“I’m guessing a rune is a magical thing?”

He drew on his palm, then held his hand open. The sketch became three-dimensional and slowly rose off his hand, shimmering in a bright light. It levitated in the air. “It’s basically a symbol with special power. They can be used individually or layered, if the originator has enough skill.”

The rune faded. I absorbed the enormity of what he was saying. It was confirmation that not only did spells and magic and mystical things exist, but he knew how to use them.

“You’re a wizard.”

He laughed. “Wizards have long grey hair and beards. And magic wands. Anyway, runes can be created for any objective. The ones on you…the repelling ones, well, simply put, someone wanted to keep you hidden—”

“Or protected,” I interjected.

“Protected is highly debatable. They kept you
hidden
from anyone in the know. Anyone who would look for you, even if they happened to find you, wouldn’t be able to do much about it once they did.”

“Why would people be looking for me?”

“Next.”

“So all this time I was walking around basically invisible to anyone with…whatever you have? Knowledge of supernatural power?”

“Basically.”

I did my best to not sound accusing. “And yet you found me anyway…” I could feel the conversation approaching a dangerous topic. I had a sudden insight. “I was supposed to stay away from you.” I didn’t feel endangered, but someone else thought I was. Maybe it was beneficial to consider the possibility.

He raised an eyebrow, confident I wouldn’t run away screaming.

“You found me and you figured out how to disengage them…” I mumbled, letting my sentence trail off, hoping he’d finish it. Instead, he patiently let me process my thoughts. “Did you modify the runes so they wouldn’t work on you, or did you completely destroy them?”

I could tell he didn’t want to answer. He said, “I replaced them with enhanced versions. Your contact completed the breaking and replacing.”

I thought I had felt something change in that moment. I chewed my lip. There was too much to manage. I speculated the method that had allowed me to break the original ones. “So I had to be curious enough to pursue you. That was the only way,” I said.

“Right. You overrode their purpose,” he clarified.

“Well, now that I know they’re on me, I can override yours. Doesn’t telling me defeat the purpose?” I challenged.

“Mine are multidimensional and woven together.”

“So you’re saying it’s not an option?”

“And they’re not really
on
you, like a physical object would be. They have been absorbed into your energy field.”

My eyes narrowed. I had several issues with this. I hated that people took it upon themselves to mess with me without my knowledge.

Landon crossed his arms. “Go ahead.”

“Who put them on in the first place?” I said.

“I suspect Trevor.”

I laughed. “Finally! See, it’s not that hard to share. How can you access my dreams?”

He smirked. “Next.”

“Why would I have to be hidden?”

“I’m not going into this topic yet. And before you make your case, yes, I know you’re trustworthy.”

“Will you continue the dreams?”

“It’s safer here to discuss certain things,” Landon said.

“I’m not attached to this particular scenery.”

He laughed. “Somewhere different. I’ll remember that.” He inclined his head as he faded, “See you around.”

I awoke slowly, wanting to stay in that hazy area between sleep and awareness. I didn’t know how to approach Trevor about his protecting me without telling me why. Inquiring about the runes would bring unwanted attention to the fact that I had found out about them. Was it possible Trevor already knew they were no longer active? What about Landon and the consequences he’d have to pay for not only going beyond their intended purpose, but enhancing them and changing them?

Then there was the fact that Landon admitted to replacing the runes with his own complex ones. I didn’t know if I should take issue with his tricking me into breaking the repelling runes or just take it in stride. Could you get mad at someone for interfering with something you didn’t even know about? Perhaps the answer lay in what else the runes meant.

I had to find out all I could about them. The problem was that I only had Landon to ask, and he’d only answer the questions he wanted to.

On the other hand, he had orchestrated it very well. He injected himself into my life by selecting a schedule to accommodate mine—I was sure he had tampered with the school’s computer system to do that. That seemed like a piece a cake to someone who could orchestrate dreams. But he hadn’t done anything to make me afraid of him. More accurately, I didn’t feel in personal danger from him. There was no doubt he could be dangerous—if anything, he was the one person I would not want as an enemy.

W
e met Thursday after school to decorate our hallway. I disbelievingly stared at the eight giant garbage bags that contained the supplies. Maybe I should have gone shopping with them. I could have edited.

There were streamers to hang, balloons to inflate, and posters to tape to the wall. Student council members and others from my grade emptied bag after bag of confetti onto the floor despite my hesitation. I knew the foot traffic would distribute it throughout the school, adding extra work to the janitors’ jobs. Despite this drawback, I had to admit it looked festive.

The temperature dropped and grey clouds moved in, threatening rain. I had just enough time to head home and change for the powder puff game. I had declined the offer to be on the team and play against the juniors, knowing my football-throwing skills hadn’t improved since last year.

I added warm layers, grabbed a poncho from the closet, and drove back to school.

I easily spotted Elyse, Lauren, and Samantha and sat by them. The availability of bleacher space was a stark contrast from the guy’s games. Really, the juniors and seniors were the most invested in the outcome of the game. We each wanted bragging rights.