“Huh,” I said, seeing her point. The only reason I hadn’t been forced to go here from day one was because my dad was an ordinary. Everybody figured I was completely ordinary, too, until I came into my powers. Just why they’d shown up so late, nobody knew. Or at least they hadn’t told me. Halfkinds were rare, and a part-ordinary halfkind even rarer. I was probably the only one of my generation.

For once, gym was uneventful. Instead of war games, we played basketball, which gave me the chance not to look like an idiot. With the class as large as it was, Coach Fritz split us up into four random teams, and we played two half-court games at the same time. I got a double shot of luck as Eli ended up on a different team and a different court altogether.

After class, I had just enough time to take a shower before heading off to Jupiter Hall to meet Bethany Grey. Only when I came through the door into the classroom, it wasn’t Bethany waiting for me but my mother.

The sight of her made my legs feel as if someone had replaced the muscles with jelly and the bones with wet noodles. What was she doing here? Not once in my life had her unexpected appearance signified anything good. I glanced around, half-expecting a police force to come bursting in to arrest us.

Moira was pacing back and forth across the room, her eyes fixed on the floor in front of her. For a moment, she didn’t know I was there. Run away now while you still can! a voice shouted in my head.

I would’ve, too, except Mom was muttering to herself, “How can they do this? She’s just a child. They’ve no idea what they’re asking. The sheer arrogance.”

She spotted me and stopped. “Destiny.” From her, my name sounded like a curse.

“Hi, Mom.”

Moira strode over, the spiked heels of her tall black boots striking the tiled floor like tiny hammers. She was wearing a fitted black jacket over a short skirt—she must’ve been at the office earlier. Mom owned a highly successful therapy practice, famous across the region for its unique, ahem, dream therapy techniques.

She grabbed me by the shoulders. “Finally. We’ve no time to lose. We need to get you packed.”

I blinked at her, a bit alarmed at her panicked state. My mom was usually the definition of calm and cool, like a female James Bond. “What for?”

“You and I are running away. Now.”

5

Basic Training

“Say what?”

“We’re running away,” Moira repeated.

“Come again?”

She rolled her eyes. “Honestly, you’d think I never taught you English. What part of running away don’t you understand? You, me, Mexico.” She nodded to herself, as if this plan was news to her, too. “Yes, that’s it. We’ll wait it out with sun and cocktails until this thing with Rosemary is over.”

I glared at her, furious at her audacity in thinking she could swoop into my life whenever she felt like it and start dictating. She gave up that parental right when she abandoned me and Dad a long time ago. Sure, she’d been coming around more often now that I’d inherited my Nightmare powers, but fair-weather mothering didn’t count. And we weren’t “girlfriends” or BFFs, either. Cocktails indeed.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I said. “Besides, I’m not old enough to drink.”

Moira put her hands on her hips, assuming her “I’m the boss” stance. “You are coming with me. You’re not getting involved in this murder business. It’s too dangerous, and you’re too young.”

My mom, a study in contradictions.

I decided it was time for a subject change. “Where’s Bethany?”

Mom scowled. “Don’t worry about it. I took care of her.”

“Geez, Mom, what did you do now?” I looked around for cops again.

“She’ll be fine. You don’t want to learn from her anyway. She’s a horrible woman.”

“But where is she?”

“Taking a little nap. Long enough for you and me to get out of here.”

I groaned, certain she had used a sleeping spell. I kept hoping Mom would give up her habit of breaking The Will, but apparently, it was never going to happen. Just how she got away with it was a mystery, although most of the rumors suggested she was friendly with a lot of high-ranking Will-Workers, those weirdo magickind whose job it was to keep The Will running smoothly, and who made sure the spell knew who it needed to keep in check by maintaining the registry.

“I can’t believe you! You’re going to get us both in trouble,” I said.

“Don’t be ridiculous. We’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Come on. Let’s go.” She reached for my arm.

I pulled away. “No.”

Moira frowned, a look of momentary surprise in her pale, almost white eyes. She wasn’t used to people defying her. Shame. If she’d stuck around more often, I’d have given her loads of practice.

“You’ve got to come away with me, Destiny.”

“Not until you tell me why.”

She blanched. “I can’t tell you.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not five anymore, Mom. You can’t just make demands and expect me to obey without question.”

“Fine. Because it’s dangerous, and I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Well, there was a satisfying response. Common sense told me I should be afraid of anything that provoked this much anxiety in my mother, but as usual I felt the opposite. My curiosity skyrocketed, and for the first time, I envisioned myself solving the mystery, saving the day. Being the hero.