“Did you make it home alright?”

“Yeah, Zach. Thanks again for checking on me.”

“Anytime, Coco. Char and I worry about you. We know you have a lot on your plate, so if there’s anything you need, just let one of us know.”

“I appreciate that.”

“Enjoy your evening.”

“Thanks, Zach. See you.”

“Later, Coco.”

The tension lining her shoulders relaxed by a fraction. Talking to Zach, no matter how long or short their conversation, always managed to ease the ball of stress tangled up inside her.

She imagined if she had an older brother, Zach would definitely be it. From the moment they met, he had been nothing but kind and compassionate. It was so hard doing everything herself. Having a bit of extra support made all the difference. She often thought of how their lives might have turned out had they had an older sibling.

After she finished her phone call, she headed into the living room where she found Ray curled up on the couch. He was wearing pajamas with dancing pineapples on them.

“I’m sorry I didn’t pick you up from school.”

Ray rolled over onto his stomach. “Why didn’t Pulser join us?”

“He…” Her throat tightened. “He’s busy this evening. I’m sure he’ll be able to join next time.”

“Okay. Can we watch a movie?”

“Sure. Did you have anything in mind?”

“Yeah! That one about dinosaurs and aliens taking over the world!”

Laughing, Coco got everything ready and settled down on the couch with her brother. If she could, she would stop time and live in this moment forever.

“I love you, Ray.”

“I love you, too.”

Coco ended her nineteenth birthday on a somewhat positive note. While she had yet to prove or disprove Asher’s accusations against her friend, she wanted to give Pulser the benefit of the doubt.

So far, everything Pulser told her was the truth minus what he said about Evil. It didn’t seem right calling him a liar for an action that looked like he was trying to protect her.

The next morning, she met up with Charlotte at one of Summerville’s popular cafés. The Roosting Hen was well-known across many towns with tourists coming to taste its renowned coffee. Located in the center of the city among the bustling shopping district, the wait to get in was often long.

Coco and Charlotte met around six in order to grab a good spot. They managed to get a window seat on the fourth floor overlooking the shopping district. It was the perfect place to people watch.

Despite feeling calmer, Coco was still nervous about seeing Pulser in the afternoon. Her mind was made up, but something was still holding her back.

She sipped at her black coffee, smiling when Charlotte returned with their order of a massive coffee cake.

“You can thank me later.”

“Sorry?” Coco looked behind Charlotte and groaned. “No, Char. I told you I didn’t want to date.”

Giggling, Charlotte sat down across from her friend. “He’s a catch.”

“Char—”

“Hi,” a nervous voice interrupted Coco’s poor attempt at whispering. “Mind if I join?”

On a good day, Coco might have said yes. However, she had a lot on her mind and didn’t care to entertain a man she wasn’t interested in. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what my friend told you, but I’m not looking to date.”

“Coco!” Charlotte exclaimed. Her eyes were glued on the blush overtaking the man’s face.

“N-no. It’s fine. S-sorry.” He turned around and rushed towards the stairs.

“What was that?”

Coco took another sip of coffee. “Char, come on. You know me better than that. Sure, he was attractive. But I need to see what’s on the inside before I even contemplate dating a man. Looks aren’t everything. They help, but it’s not a requirement where I’m concerned.”

“Would it kill you to be more polite? I look like a complete—”

Coco raised her eyebrows.

Charlotte tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “Don’t give me that look. I got all dressed up in this beautiful burnt orange dress. I intend to use it.”

Laughing, Coco picked up a knife and cut them both a slice of warm coffee cake. “Maybe you should wait until after breakfast.”

Charlotte’s gentle laugh joined Coco’s. “Perhaps you’re right, girlie. So, tell me what’s on your mind. It sounded urgent last night.”

“Always so quick.”

“Shut up,” Charlotte playfully poked Coco. “I worry about you.”

“I know,” Coco smiled. “I want your opinion about something. It’s not urgent, but I need another person to chime in.”

“Sure, I’m all ears.”

Coco gave a brief rundown of Pulser lying to her about his brother and family. She left out everything related to magic. “I don’t know what to believe. Or who to trust.”

“Can’t you ask Pulser? His face is pretentious. And obnoxious. And he always has a look of disapproval. But he has a good heart. The two of you are like family. I find it hard to imagine him getting angry at you over something like this.”  

What she said made sense. It was a conclusion Coco would have made before her birthday. “I shouldn’t have to coax it out of him. That isn’t trust.”

Charlotte looked out the window. Her eyes were thoughtful as she people watched. “Maybe Pulser has a reason for hiding it. You won’t know unless you ask.”

“True…” Coco pushed around the leftover crumbs on her plate. The problem with asking Charlotte for advice lay in the fact she couldn’t tell her the whole story. That the man he claimed to be Evil was, in fact, a man out for her blood. She felt that complicated things.

Hiding her frustration behind a large gulp of coffee, Coco leaned back in her chair. “Thank you, Char. I’m sure I’ll figure something out.”

“Anytime. Sometimes it helps just talking about it. I know you’ll do what’s best.”

Coco doubted that. After what happened between her birthday, the kidnapping, and turning back time, she didn’t have much confidence in herself. “How was your date?”

“Amazing! She was drop dead gorgeous and so considerate. We’re testing the waters to see if a relationship will work.”

“I’m happy for you!”

The two moved on to lighter topics which helped relax Coco’s nerves. By the time they parted after lunch, their conversation having run much longer than planned, she felt more at ease as she made her way to Pulser’s. She asked Charlotte yesterday if she could watch Ray this afternoon. A heavy burden lifted off her shoulders when she agreed. Knowing her brother was in a safe place allowed her the ability to relax, if only a little.

“Someone’s in a good mood.”

Coco smiled when she saw Pulser standing outside his front door. “It’s a new day.”

She felt better after getting a good night’s sleep. Spending the morning with Charlotte also helped clear her mind. Whatever happened next, she knew she could trust Pulser.

“Have you decided?”

“I have.” She looked into his serious gaze and knew, without a doubt, she was making the right choice.

“Let’s begin.”

Ignoring his apprehensive expression, she followed him down to the basement. It was much larger than she expected. It had a high ceiling and the space took up about half a football field in size. The wall at the far back was covered with a curtain.

Pulser asked her to change into sweatpants and a T-shirt. When she was ready, she went through stretches and some warmup activities.

 “The key to defense is: be on guard. Don’t ever let it down. If you are not one hundred percent focused, your magic won’t be in balance with your body and you’ll be left defenseless. Defend yourself, Coco. Rely on nothing but your instincts. Don’t question it.” 

He started circling around her. He lashed out, grabbing her right wrist, and made a choke hold around her neck using her arm. He ended up behind her. “Focus, Coco.” He released her with a smile. 

She didn’t understand the whole ‘let your instincts take over’ bit. “You aren’t teaching me anything.”

Pulser chuckled. “I never said you couldn’t move.” 

He lunged at her from the left. Coco backed away. He grabbed her left wrist and tried twisting it behind her like he had moments earlier. She pivoted away from him, tripping over her own feet and falling. Pulser tripped over her and they fell to the floor in a tangle of limbs. 

“Well, that was interesting,” Pulser muttered as he got up and offered his hand to Coco. 

“Glad you think so.” She snapped, annoyed. She accepted his help and got back to her feet.

Pulser squeezed her hand before letting go.

Coco backed away from him. Her mind started analyzing his every move…how his eyes were playful instead of focused.

She tried to repeat what he’d done to her. She grabbed his right arm and pulled it behind his head only to find herself bound and restricted by the same arm. 

Frustrated, she let out a sigh, trying to figure out what she did wrong.  

“Don’t make your moves so obvious,” Pulser stated. “Always hide them. Besides,” he added, holding her longer than necessary and grabbing her left wrist. “You did it the wrong way.” 

He slowly pulled Coco’s arm up and over his head while maneuvering her body into the correct positions she needed to make in order to lock her arm around his throat. It was a bit uncomfortable since Pulser was taller than her. “That’s how it’s done.” 

“Why didn’t you tell me that earlier?” She released him; folding her arms across her chest.  

“Practice makes perfect.” He teased. “Now, I know what you need to work on. Instead of wasting time teaching you things like this, you first need to master the basics. I will create a schedule for you and we’ll go from there.” 

“What was the point of coming over today if we were only going to practice for fifteen minutes?”

“I needed to see your potential. We don’t have school tomorrow. I can teach you everything I know. Defense first. You’re terrible at it.” 

Coco let out a strained laugh. “Tomorrow is my only day off to spend with Ray. He’s my priority in all this.”

“I understand. But sacrifices must be made in order to train and become a proper sorceress.”

She held back any arguments and went through a quick cooldown. If she didn’t know better, she’d think Pulser was stalling for time. She couldn’t come up with a reasonable explanation for that theory. He was her only link to sorcery. Without him, she doubted she’d get very far on her own.

As they were climbing up the stairs to the first floor, Coco clutched at her chest. Something heavy was weighing her down. Her breath came in short spurts. She fell to her knees. 

I told you that you cannot escape me; Raen’s voice rang through her mind. It matters not where you are. We will meet again.

The pain in Coco’s skull increased and she screamed aimlessly, trying to clear it. 

Pulser held her close. “Can you hear me?”

She couldn’t move. Her body wouldn’t let her. Something cold and metallic squeezed her throat closed, cutting off her airway. She pulled away from Pulser, clutching her neck. The black stone entwined in golden vines was growing hotter by the second. Coco pulled her shirt away to see the stone had changed to white and blazed with heat. 

It had a mind of its own.

It shot backwards, searing into her skin, causing her to scream in agony. The necklace tightened, making breathing impossible. The stone went further into her chest then, without warning, pulled itself out. It disappeared into a memory again, leaving nothing but a horrible burn as the only proof it was ever there. 

She collapsed to the floor. 

Pulser bent over her, looking at the burn. She gasped for air, clutching Pulser’s shirt in a death grip. Her lungs struggled to get a proper breath.

The only comfort she could give herself was remembering Asher’s words. The curse was lifted. It was only the aftereffects she felt. At least, that’s what she hoped for. And who’s to say that what happened in her dream actually happened?

She shook her head, having no desire to go down that dark and confusing path.

Pulser picked her up and carried her to his room. He laid her on his bed. After a handful of seconds, green light filled the room.

Coco felt the burn on her chest disappear. One second, there was agony, and the next, relief. In disbelief, she looked down at her skin in awe. The injury was gone. The green light. Was that magic? She was too stunned to give any form of gratitude.

Pulser made a suitcase appear out of thin air and started packing clothes and books in it. He yanked open a desk drawer and dumped all the contents inside a smaller bag.

“Where are you going?” Coco managed to ask. 

“We are going to White City. You must train and master your magic. If you do not, the Council will hunt you down and kill you.” He met Coco’s searching gaze with one of his own. “We also need to remove Evil’s curse. Your magic should protect you better once we’re in the sorcery realm. We can’t do that from here…how are you doing?” 

“Fine.” She lied. There was a lot she was feeling and it didn’t have anything to do with her aching body. Why didn’t Pulser tell her all of this sooner? Why did his attitude change about training? Why did he bother telling her about sorcery in the first place? She had been content with the humble life she created with Ray. But why did she now feel like something was missing? 

When she thought back to that painful time when her and Ray were almost separated by two foster families, she remembered feeling a strange, warm tingle throughout her body. Ultimately, she won that terrible fiasco. Now she wondered if she hadn’t done something more in order to keep Ray close to her. In order to keep her small family from breaking apart. 

She never felt like a piece of her was missing during all those terrible transfers and tedious paperwork. All the families said the same thing when they were given back to the orphanage. Strange things that hadn’t occurred before their arrival starting happening after.

Was it a good thing that she now understood, if only a little? Should she tell Ray or keep it secret? Did she have a right to keep this information away from her little brother? She didn’t think she did.

Could she protect him from this cruelty? If Raen hadn’t cursed her, would that have allowed a clean break from this chaos?