The Man in the Box (The Box book 1) Page 19

  Chapter Nineteen

  I have no idea how long I sit on the bed with my cell in my hand. I need to get a hold of Mom and the only way I know how is to call her. There must be some way of using magic to make it work, even though we’re in a different world. Isn’t magic meant to do things like this?

  Problem. I have no idea what numbers I’m dialing. Too be honest, I’m not a hundred percent sure it’s turned on.

  No, it must be. I manage to accidently access my music, one of the songs blaring louder than I’d ever play it on purpose. Al’s mother comes rushing in, completely freaking out and shouting about magic in the house, though I’m not sure if she was more worried about me being in trouble or me causing the trouble.

  After a few apologies and awkward attempts explaining what the noise is, she leaves. She seems all too happy to go.

  I bring the phone up to my face and press the cool plastic against my forehead. If only the pressure would make something inside my brain click. How am I supposed to figure out how to use magic if I can’t dial a damn phone?

  It’s not only the phone stopping me. I have no idea how magic works. Before I could see the magic in Cindy’s pockets and the net around Al...

  I wish I hadn’t thought his name. It’s easier to avoid thinking about what he is if I don’t think his name.

  Al.

  A wizard.

  And Rose. She wants me gone, and she’s right, I need to go. But I’m not sure I’m ready to leave, even if I could without Cindy. Too many things are unresolved.

  Al.

  I need to focus on my magic. Somehow. If I don’t figure it out then I can’t warn Mom. She needs to know about Stewart and at the very least, she needs to know we’re safe. There’s no way she’s not going berserk.

  But Al could have taken my magic. The entire time while we were together, he could have easily taken it and I wouldn’t have realized until it was too late. The fact he didn’t has to mean something.

  Except, maybe he’s the same as Stewart. Maybe he’s biding his time, waiting for the best moment.

  And yet, I don’t think so. Rose’s description about him being different feels true. He’s definitely not like the other two wizards I’ve met.

  But then again, maybe they were like him before they took their first bit of magic.

  I should be worried. I should be finding weapons and running for my life. Instead I continue to sit here, pawing at my phone and feeling more comfortable than I do in my own room.

  Which is odd. Being at ease in a wizard’s room is strange enough, but I also feel physically cozier than I ever have. The bed isn’t as soft, the room is kind of drafty, musty and damp, and there are creaks and groans no house should make. Never mind the strange sounds of mythical creatures coming from the other side of the window. With my nerves, I should be ready to pounce at the first thing to walk through the door.

  Instead, my skin feels something between goose bumps and warmth. The only part of me not enjoying the energy of the room is my hand holding my phone. It registers only the cold metal and plastic. I bring my other hand to press against it to hold it flat between both palms. The warm goose bumps disappear against the normal feeling of technology. I bring a single hand to my cheek and the heat triples, though I’m not sure if it’s my hand or face feeling the change. The more I think about it, the more I realize it might be both.

  My skin’s not the only thing causing the strange hot and cold sensation. I run my fingers over the quilt and enjoy the light tingling from the contact. There’s more to the texture against my hand than the threads making up the blanket, though I can’t quite place the feeling. The wood headboard tickles the inside of my wrist and a plant set in front of the window causes my entire arm to feel itchy and relaxed at the same time.

  Two knocks on the door and I find myself yanking back my hand from a folded pile of clothes. I’m not sure what I was touching, but the sudden thought I might have been fondling Al’s underwear causes my face to burn.

  “Lou?” Al tentatively says through the door when I don’t respond to his knock. “Can I come in?”

  I think I’d rather be stuck in a room with my sister and that’s saying something. But, I’ll have to get this over with at some point. I can’t hide in here forever. Besides, if he wanted to come in and take my magic, he could easily do so without my permission.

  “Fine.”

  I sit back on the bed as he opens the door and clicks it shut behind him.

  “I’m sorry,” he says the moment he’s inside.

  I’m surprised. I expected things to be silent and uncomfortable for a lot longer.

  “For what?” I bite back. “Lying to me or for being a wizard?”

  “I didn’t exactly lie.”

  He must have known from the look on my face his excuse wasn’t going to hold up.

  “Fine. I didn’t exactly tell you the truth, but would you have helped me if you’d known?”

  “Of course.”

  Though it’s easy to say the words now, I’m not so sure how true they are. At least not now I understand what I am capable of. I wouldn’t have released my magic if I’d known the threat sat there next to me, and I definitely wouldn’t have made him big again as my first act with my power. Then again...

  “What other choice would I have had? Kill you?”

  “You might have.” The idea seems to be much easier for him to process than it is for me. “You would have, if you were from my world. Why do you think I was so afraid when I first fell onto your lap?”

  I throw my arms out in an exaggerated shrug. “Oh, I don’t know, because I was a gajillion times bigger than you? Besides, you didn’t seem very scared. You didn’t freak out half as much as I did.”

  He chuckles at the memory, only for a second, but the sound is so soothing. Better than the magic of a hundred boxes.

  “Yeah, I probably should have taken the hint you weren’t a fully trained sorceress. Or a killer.”

  “You knew though.” I remember the cautious way he always watched me, and only now realize he was waiting for me to use my magic. “Right away, before I ever opened the bag, you knew what I was. What I am. Why didn’t you ever say anything?”

  He sounds as though he’s afraid of upsetting me as he says, “I wasn’t entirely sure. I could sense some magic, but barely enough to make you anything more than a witch. Besides, I got the feeling Sin would have killed me if I had said anything.”

  He’s probably right. Cindy isn’t one to let other people give away more information than she thinks is necessary. Especially if she thought she was doing what Gran wanted.

  I need to know more about what happened to me, and the only person who might give me some answers stands before me. I know I shouldn’t trust him, but it’s hard to feel betrayal when the energy passing between us is so intense.

  “You’ve seen magic taken before. Your sister.” I remember my anger while adding, “And who knows how many others like her. When their magic was taken, or when Stewart took mine, I wasn’t me anymore. Right? So how was Gran locking my magic into bags any different?”

  His voice is soft and unsure as he says, “I honestly don’t know.”

  I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I certainly hoped for more information than ‘I don’t know.’ He should, shouldn’t he? After all, he is a wizard.

  I pick up my phone and concentrate. Mom’s what matters. Not who I might or might not be.

  “Can you get it to work?”