The bakery was busy for most of the day. Coco barely had a moment to say hello to Charlotte and Zach. They usually received steady business but today was beyond normal. Customers were flocking to the doors and a long line formed about an hour before closing.

“I swear if these ass—”

“You can’t call the customers ‘assholes’, Charlotte.”

Coco smiled at the teasing sound in Zach’s voice.

“Why not? They’re acting like the world’s ended because we put a ‘be back in ten’ on the counter.”

“There’s not much we can do. Everyone got sick. Us three were the only one’s available.”

Coco wondered at that. While it was possible to run the bakery with three people, they usually had six to ten workers on each shift. All their usuals called in sick with a stomach bug. Maybe it would have been better to close the bakery until everyone recovered.

“We close in thirty minutes.” Coco reminded Charlotte. “Zach still needs to prep for the morning.”

“Might as well close up in fifteen.” Zach groaned. “You need to pick up your brother and I know you have a date with a gorgeous woman tonight.”

Charlotte opened her mouth to object but stopped when the noise from the front suddenly disappeared.

The three of them froze. Confusion lined their faces.

“Did everyone leave?” Charlotte whispered.

They all exchanged a look and inched closer to the small window that looked into the front of the bakery.

“Hello?” A man’s voice rang out in the seemingly empty building.

Coco grimaced. “I thought I told him to meet me at home.”

“Pulser?” Charlotte guessed.

“Who else? He won’t let up about doing something for my birthday.”

“What an ass.”

Zach double-checked the front, a severe frown on his face. “Still doesn’t explain where the people went.”

Coco gave him a hard look. She wanted to meet his gaze again to check what color his eyes were. She had no idea where this urge came from.

“Coco? Are you here? Where is everyone?”

Zach was the first to move. He entered the front of the bakery and gave Pulser a stiff smile. “You happen to see where the customers went?”

“What customers? It was empty when I entered.”

“Oh, my mistake. They must have left before you came.”

“You doing okay, Zach? You don’t look too well.”

“I’m doing just fine, Pulser. My workers all caught a stomach bug. Be careful when you go out.”

The entire exchange was odd and it left Coco and Charlotte sharing a long look.

“Don’t worry, girlie. I’ll push back my date and help Zach with morning prep. I don’t know what happened to all those people. It makes me worried leaving him alone.”

“Thanks, Char. Message me if you need anything. I’ll be at home with Ray.”

Charlotte wrapped her arms around Coco. “Be careful. I have this awful feeling something bad is going to happen.”

“Same to you.”

Coco slipped out to the front. “Hey, Pulser, I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”

He smiled. “Thought I’d give you a ride home when I saw your car sitting in your driveway.”

“Oh, thanks for that.”

Zach placed a hand on Coco’s arm. “Call me when you get home.”

A surge of warmth spread through her. His blue eyes expressed a genuine concern for her well-being. Something that was often lacking in her childhood.

“Thank you, Zach. I will.”

Coco waved goodbye and followed Pulser out to his car. She sat down in the front passenger seat. She was feeling self-conscious because the cloak Pulser gifted her was hidden in her bag.

She really didn’t want to give him any encouragement for ignoring her wishes about her birthday, so she didn’t take it out. While she appreciated the gift, she didn’t appreciate his constant disregard for what she wanted.

Her wish was to spend the evening with Ray, but Pulser had been insistent that she spend it with him. She consented. It was the only way to get him to stop.

Pulser looked smug. “I know you have the cloak with you.” He inclined his head towards her bag. “You can put it on if you want.”

Having been relentlessly asked about her birthday, she figured the easiest thing at this point would be to humor him. Although she had no idea how he knew she had it. She didn’t remember stuffing it in her bag before heading to work.  

However, the cloak still amazed her. It felt silky to the touch. She pulled her arms through the sleeves and clasped it together.

Nothing changed. She was still chilled from the brief walk to the car and, honestly, felt a bit ridiculous wearing a cloak.

“Do you like it?” Pulser asked. Coco nodded. “I couldn’t think of what else to get you.” 

“Thanks.” She was on edge. “I feel like you’re hiding something from me.” She hadn’t meant to be so abrupt.

“Um…a party actually. All your friends are going to be there.” His voice wavered.  

Annoyance shot through Coco. “How many times do I have to say this, Pulser? I do not celebrate my birthday. Why are you constantly going against me? This hasn’t been an issue before. I don’t understand why you’re being like this.”

She looked at him only to see traces of a blush disappear on his face. Whatever. He could be embarrassed for all she cared.

“I’m sorry. I’m not going about this the right way. When I said party, I meant for just you and me.”

“Is there something wrong with your ears? I’ve told you repeatedly now that I’m going to spend this evening with Ray. We should be picking him up from school, not heading to your place.”

“I already asked your neighbor to pick him up. She’s probably already dropped him off at home.”

“You did this without my permission?” Coco inhaled a deep breath to steady her anger. “He’s ten. I don’t want him home alone.”

Pulser’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. “Salley said she would stay with him until we got there.”

“You’re really starting to piss me off. What do you want from me? Spit it out.”

He was making her feel agitated and it bothered her that she didn’t know why. Besides, he had no right to dictate what happened to her brother. He was her responsibility. Pulser was overstepping by a lot and starting to cross the line.

She yanked off the cloak and leaned against the seat. 

“I need to explain something to you. I’m worried it would freak your brother out. That’s why I want to stop at my place first. It’s better to be alone.”

Coco rolled her eyes. “Sure. Fine. The moment you finish, I’m going home.”

“Why are you acting like this?”

 “Excuse you? Nothing is more important than my brother, Pulser. How many times do you want me to repeat myself? I doubt whatever it is you have to say is something that can’t be done on the ride to my place.”

“Please, trust me.”

Coco held back the harsh words sitting on the tip of her tongue. Trust? Don’t be ridiculous. Why would she have blind trust towards anyone that didn’t put her little brother first?

It didn’t take long to arrive at Pulser’s. When they got to his living room, Coco jumped at his sudden exclamation.

“We went back in time.”

Coco made a face. “That’s not possible.” 

He laughed. “Yes, it is. You’re the one who turned it back. Well, the reason behind it. Casting a spell to travel through time takes years to learn followed by years of practice before one can even attempt to cast it. Even then, magic might not allow it. I’m amazed it granted such an action for a human.” 

“Magic doesn’t exist.” Irritation filtered through her voice as she met Pulser’s bright gaze. 

“You saw my house collapse and you were kidnapped by a man named Evil. Tall, menacing, bearded, and blue eyed. He put a curse on you. Somehow, you managed to escape and, in the process, turned back time. Not an easy thing to do, mind you.” 

Coco stared at him. How did he know what happened in her dream? 

Like a switch, everything clicked together.  

“But…it wasn’t a dream? Everything that happened was…real?” Coco couldn’t wrap her head around the idea of time travel. Especially if I was the one who did it. A massive headache plagued her. All her memories rushed back at once. 

Her thoughts were a jumbled mess and she was having a hard time telling reality from fiction. What was real and what was fake? It all made sense yet none of it did. She had so many questions. Pulser started speaking before she could ask them.

“What happened to you never should have happened. Evil poisoned you. He poisoned your soul! The weight of his cursed necklace will always be upon you. I have to kill him.” 

“Pulser, calm down…I remember.” She inwardly let out a sigh of relief. She was glad to know the reason behind her discomfort around him. Though that didn’t erase his actions towards her. She should be at home with her brother, not here with him.

Asher came unbidden into her mind. His steady, obsidian gaze and calming voice eased her erratic nerves. While she wanted to talk to Pulser about him, her intuition told her it wouldn’t be a good idea.

It might be better to wait and see what he does, just to double check if what Asher said is true. Forgive me, Pulser, but I have to push you a little to find out the truth.

Pulser looked at Coco with an emotion she couldn’t decipher. “Really? That’s good.”

“There’s nothing wrong—”

“Everything is wrong, Coco! You should have been trained. But you’re an ordinary human.” There was a panicked, uncontrolled anger that resided just below the surface of his control.   

“There’s nothing wrong with being human,” Coco snapped.

Did he view her and her brother as simple and weak just because they were human? And didn’t he tell her that she had been born a sorceress? If everything was true, and Asher wasn’t lying, then she needed to see how far she could take this. She knew Ray was waiting for her. And it was because of him that she needed to find out the truth.

If Pulser was lying to her all these years, then that meant she needed to get Ray to a safe place. It was evident through Ev—Raen’s actions, that staying with Pulser was a bad idea.

She had no desire to push in the direction of becoming a sorceress, but she needed to know.

Reality as she knew it was dead.

That frightened her.

What would happen if she remained ignorant and Raen attacked again? Even if magic was beyond her capabilities, she needed to know the dangers she’d be facing from the sorcerers coming after her. By the sound of it, the Council was determined and Raen more than capable.

“I’m not a human. You said so yourself. Untrained—” 

“No. Sorcerers cast out from our realm cannot be trained. That is the oldest law of sorcery.” 

“There are probably dozens of reasons why people like me aren’t trained, Pulser. I want you to teach me.” 

He jerked his gaze away from hers. “I can’t. If I teach you, I’ll be breaking the law.”

“You can show me.”

He looked at her in alarm. “No!” 

“Pulser—”

“No, Coco. It’s too risky. Evil is furious you turned back time. We have to find a way to break his curse that he put on you.” 

“But—” 

“Coco, if I could freely teach you, I would. I can’t. That’s my final word.” 

Coco groaned, frustrated. “I’m going home.” 

“No, you’re not.” 

“Yes, I am.” 

“I said no.” 

“You can’t control me, Pulser. What’s the harm anyway? I’m a weak, defenseless human, remember? So what if Evil takes me? I escaped from him once; why should a second time be any different?” 

She hated doing this. Lying was not one of her strengths. And the scary part was, deep down, a part of her actually wanted this to be real.

 “If Evil took you, I would be devastated. Not only that, he would unlock your magic and steal it from you.”

“Then teach me.”

“No.”  

“Why?” 

“You’d be too powerful. Everyone would want your magic. They’d kill you for it!”   

“I’ll fight back! I want to become who I was meant to be. Is that so wrong? Pulser, is it wrong for me to want that?” Coco didn’t fully know why she was pressing the point of something she didn’t understand. In part, it had to do with Asher’s lingering words. The other part, not so much. She knew she wanted a taste of the world that rejected her, no matter the cost. 

If she knew what the price of joining that world would be, she might have walked away right that second. But, as history will show, time has a funny way of working its strange magic. 

“Of course not! It’s just…I…I…” Pulser sighed. “You’re too special to lose. If you were to die—no. You will not die because of me.” 

Coco couldn’t stand it. She was frustrated with Pulser for keeping her in the dark. How could she learn more about herself if she couldn’t act on his information?

A sudden memory flashed through her. 

“Who’s the Golden One?” Curiosity burned in her voice. 

“What?”

“The Golden One,” she pressed. “Who is it?”

“A very dangerous sorcerer. Why?” 

“I’ll only tell you if you promise to train me.” 

“Coco!”

“I can’t be weak, Pulser. Not after our encounter with Evil. I want this.” Coco’s voice was sharper than she’d intended. 

 “Fine, then. I’ll train you. Let us hope neither of us come to regret my choice.” Pulser looked none too happy about his decision. He knew Coco wouldn’t rest until she got her way.

“Promise?” 

“Yes…why?”

“Evil mentioned using me as a bargaining tool for the Golden One. I just wondered who he was talking about.”

She didn’t think there was anything wrong with revealing that much. The more information she had, the better her chances at figuring out the situation and keeping her brother safe. Because, despite her conflicting emotions about learning the truth of who she was, Ray always came first. She’d give up her magic, or potential for it, in a heartbeat to keep him safe. He was all she had left.

Pulser looked irritated. “Combat first.” 

Surprise flickered across her face.  

“If you want to learn sorcery you must first learn to fight. The faster you are at defending yourself physically, the stronger you’ll be when using your magic. This house is, thankfully, still protected. Evil won’t get to us while we’re here. There’s a training arena below in the basement. That’s where you’ll learn to fight.”

Coco raised her eyebrows. Her? Fight? She let out a snort which quickly turned to worry. “I won’t start tonight. I need to get home.”

“I understand. It’s better that you sleep on this. Once you enter this world, there’s no way out.” A shiver traveled down her spine. “One more thing. Just because time turned back, doesn’t mean what happened in your memories didn’t happen.”

“Right…”

Then that proved Asher was telling the truth about her magic and time travel. However, it still didn’t prove Pulser was a liar. He was being an obnoxious ass right now. But a liar?

For now, she could rest easy knowing she’d be with her brother soon. She wasn’t sure if she’d be able to protect him from this life.

That terrified her.