“I would appreciate it, Xar.” She put the mop away and stepped over to hug me. She never asked why I didn’t date, just continued to be my friend and likely waited for me to tell her if I ever found someone. She’d seen Declan and one other guy since we’d become friends, and I was always there to help her with her broken heart, watching silly movies or whatever she needed.
“Consider it payback,” I teased. I kept telling her I owed her for taking me in as an employee all those years ago, and every time she would roll her eyes at me.
“You don’t need to be my date as a thank you, Xar. Your friendship has been enough, especially in the weeks following the break-up.” She was the sort of person who never cried, but Declanhad truly hurt her feelings. She’d been looking forward to their future together, but little did she know her fiancé didn’t have a spine and as soon as his family told him they would cut him off financially, he’d dumped poor Julie.
“Being your friend is hard work,” I teased, shooting her a grin as I evaded the towel she threw at me. “So violent!” I gasped, cackling as we chased each other around the empty shop. We were opening in a few, making this way too early to run around.
“Customers!” she yelped, then stopped chasing me. “Truce!” I nodded, then resumed making my morning coffee, hoping the machine wouldn’t attack me again.
“This is so wrong,” I whispered into Julie’s ear. “Like she could be your twin!”
“Just shows he might have cared a little for me,” Julie replied sadly. “Or at least my looks.”
Declan had shown up with a date that looked exactly like Julie, but unlike Julie, she was clearly from a family that had money, wearing a disdainful expression on her face that let people around her know they were beneath her.
“At least you don’t look like you smell something foul,” I muttered, trailing after Julie as she made her way over to the smiling staff who were accepting donation checks. She liked to do it anonymously, but since she knew the charity workers, she was always invited. They didn’t care how much each donated, treating everyone as equals as they greeted people, thanking them for coming.
I was wearing a rented tux, looking damn good if the mirror in the bathroom could be trusted. Julie wore a golden dress, imitating Belle perfectly with her brown curly hair. At least her dress wasn’t as fluffy and big as the Disney princess, but still beautiful.
I spotted Declan again and caught him staring at where I held Julie’s arm in mine. It was obvious that he didn’t like that we were close, likely thinking we were dating now from the angry scowl he sent me. He’d never liked me in the first place, questioning why she was friends with one of her employees. Like it was frowned upon to be friends since I worked for her. With my black hair, ice-blueeyes, tattoos, and piercings, I was the exact opposite of Declan, with his light brown hair, brown eyes, and lack of any body art. He was boring, nothing compared to how awesome I was.And he knew it.
“Thank you so much for coming with me, Xar. I don’t think I would be able to stay if I’d come alone.” She tightened her hold on my arm as she wrote down her donation, then moved into the huge room where we would be eating and watching the speakers. I’d been with her once before, and I liked how people here fought against diseases, something we didn’t deal with back home. Could I really still consider it home? I did miss my mothers, but I was determined to return someday. Determined to get my revenge.
Remembering to reply I smiled at her, “I’ll be your date for the future ones, too,” I assured her, even though I had no idea if I could keep that promise. My mother had told me I would need to help other magicless mages find their match, too, and I would, without a doubt. But that also meant not being there for Julie anymore, even though I really hoped she would somehow remain in my life. She was like a sister to me now, not just my best friend, or only friend really.
She just smiled back; her appreciation clear. “Hey,” she said pointing to my chest. “Is your phone ringing or something?” I lookeddown and then everything around me seemed to freeze. The locket had a dim glow.
My soulmatch had arrived on Sutiner.
Chapter 3
Niam
“Seriously!?” I exclaimed indignantly. The portal had taken me to a forest and I had zero clue how far I was from civilization. I guess it was safest to dump me somewhere no one would see a freaking portal appear. But I was still angry at them. But mostly, I was resigned. I would make a new life for myself here. Find real friends and maybe start a family one day.
I started walking straight ahead, thinking it was best to start walking before it got dark. The temperature was comfortable for now, which was at least something. I went over my preplannedsurvival guide in my head. Step one would be finding a place to work. If I didn’t escape the forest before it got dark, I would have to sleep somewhere safe until the morning. I really hoped there were no bears here…
The forest around me was filled with pine trees, huge, tall trees, making me feel even smaller and insignificant. Had my father spoken with the council after I disappeared? Were they talking about me now? Did they even care I was sent here? I sighed. It didn’t matter. I wasn’t a part of their world anymore. I wasn’twantedthere.
Please, please, let me be wanted here, I silently begged, urging my cheap sneakers to stay intact as I began what I could only hope was a short trek. Ever since I’d turned fourteen my parents had stopped investing in me, which meant cheap clothes and shoes. Because why would they waste their money on someone like me.
An hour later and I was over walking. There were no tall buildings or anything in the distance, only mountains and trees, so many fucking trees. The mask of confidence I’d put on back in my home world was long gone. I was lonely, afraid, and honestly, starting to get tired of it all. I had used so much of my energy these past fewdays, mentally preparing myself for getting banished, that now, I had nothing left.
My stomach growled and I hugged my arms around my waist, willing the tears to retreat. I would not cry. Not yet. I refused to give into the tears. I was stronger than that. However, when the first tear escaped, I gave up the fight, allowing the rest to follow as I continued walking.
I had no idea how long I’d walked when I could finally see past the trees. A road was near and that had to mean I was getting close to civilization. I hoped. Quickly erasing the distance, I reached the road. It was a two lane and I started walking alongside the one where the cars would be coming towards me. I liked seeing cars approach instead of them sneaking up on me from behind. But maybe they did things differently here? I shook my head. There was no time for worrying about that. I finally had a road I could follow, and it looked like the sun would set soon. I had maybe two hours, three if I was lucky, before it would get dark.
The road had forest on both sides, and I saw a few signs with deer on them, alerting drivers to be cautious when they drove past. Only five minutes of walking and the first car came into view,thankfully from the direction I was headed, allowing me to think about my possibilities. Should I wave and ask for directions? Or just keep walking and hope to reach a town or a city soon? The car slowed down as it approached and I started panicking. Was I going to die? Stranger danger was likely a thing here, too, and I had nothing to defend myself with. I realized it was a van, and it only made me more afraid for my life.
The driver rolled the window down. It was an old woman with grey hair and a kind smile. “Hi there, hon, you need a ride to town?” Would a grandma want to kill me? I wished I could say that all grandmas were sweet, but all serial killers grew old eventually, so maybe… “You won’t be able to get there before it gets dark,” she informed me, looking slightly worried about me being out here. I decided I could trust her enough to give me a ride. I could likely defend myself against her if it came to that.Maybe.
“Thank you,” I said, walking around to the passenger side. Once inside I offered her a smile and gave her the fake story I’d so masterfully come up with while I’d planned for this at home. “I’m not from around here,” I started, hoping I sold the lie perfectly. “My boyfriend wanted me to move in with him after having dated long distance, butthen he broke up with me and left me on the side of the road, and I have no idea where I am.” I held my breath and begged for my lying skills to work.
“You poor thing,” she shook her head. “Men,” she muttered, and I tried not to get offended by that. I’d never dated a man so I couldn’t really speak about that part, but I did know I was only into men. “Oh dear,” she said, slamming her dashboard, then sighed. “We need to stop at the gas station. I swear this thing is leaking or something. I had a full tank just yesterday!” I couldn’t help but smile at her. I was glad she’d been the one to find me.
“My son works at the gas station so it won’t take long at all. He’s also the one who gave me this van, so he’ll be the one who has to deal with it,” she muttered. I could only smile at her, feeling more at ease having met my first person here. I knew we spoke the same language but I feared I would end up somewhere I couldn’t be understood. The council didn’t seem to care what happened to us anyway so why would they bother picking a good location. But I was pleasantly surprised.For now.
“I’m Betty, by the way,” she said after a few seconds of silence. “What’s your name, hon?”
