Shadows (Book Two of the Royals Trilogy)

Chapter Four

SKYLAR

To say that I was surprised to see Melissa was an understatement, I was beyond confused and freaked out. The last time I had seen her was three years ago when I still lived with my family... Back in Mexico when our only worries were if we passed the last exam, our friends' parties or boyfriend issues.

I got out of the vehicle and stood in front of her. I eyed her closely and realized she had bleached her hair, she still looked thin, maybe a little bit too thin, under her washed-out jeans and pink tank top. "What are doing here?" I asked a bit harsher than I intended and I saw as her eyes widened in surprise before returning to their previous, emotionless expression. She sighed and shook her head as if she were trying to formulate her thoughts into words.

"I have been looking for you Ana, after I found out what happened with your family, I wanted to be there for you, but you distanced yourself," she began and I interrupted her.

"I had just lost my family, I'm sorry if I wasn't in the mood for talking about Victor or Daniel, whoever he was," I said calmly but a bit coldly. I wasn't angry at Melissa, I was just unprepared to see her after all those years and, either way, I had a mission to focus on.

"I know but that's not the point. Since then I wanted to talk to you, face to face and I found out just last year that you were saying with your aunt and I came to this house only to find that you had ran away," she said but I could see confusion and wariness in her eyes as she spoke. She probably thought I had run away with some guy and that I was off getting high and ruining my life like some of the people that had gone to school with us.

"Well I'm here although I am not planning or staying and since you have seen me, I should probably go," I said and began to turn away.

She grabbed my arm tightly and said, "wait, please. I need your help."

I sighed and turned to look at her, "I have my own problems to take care of, Melissa. I'm not trying to be rude but it's the truth, I need to go."

"Then I will just follow you," she said quickly, and I saw the desperation in her dark eyes.

Blair, who had been staying quietly in the truck, got out and slammed the door to make her presence known. Startled, Melissa turned to look at her as Blair glared at her. She was probably annoyed because of the time we were wasting and because Melissa had interrupted our conversation.

"I am sorry to interrupt but we didn't come here to chat, doll, and Sky, I am annoyed, you said we were only to take a quick stop before leaving," she said while walking towards us.

"Sky?" Asked Melissa confused.

I sighed, I was becoming more irritated by the minute. "Enough. Melissa, I'm sorry, I really can't help you. Blair let's get some of my stuff and then we'll go." Blair nodded and started walking towards my aunt's house.

I followed her and opened the door with the key that was hidden in a nearby pot. Blair chuckled, "I could've easily opened the door without a key."

I laughed and murmured, "I know but I thought it would be more prudent to use a key since we are being watched." Melissa was following us a bit further behind, but she was persistent. I walked up the stairs with Blair by my side and opened the door to my room. Everything was still the same and for a second nostalgia filled me; everything was easier back then.

"I don't get it, what exactly are we doing here?" Asked Blair as she looked around and her eyes stopped on Melissa who was now standing at the doorway.

I opened the closet and hoped that my jeans that I had been wearing when the brothers had kidnapped me, were still there. "Bingo," I said when I found them under my sketchbooks. I looked in t**s pockets until I found what I was looking for.

"You've got to be kidding me, we drove all this way for a stupid USB?" She yelled and looked ready to strangle me.

I turned to her, "I'll explain it on the way." I was about to close the closet but before I did, I took my sketchbooks and the jeans before getting up. "Now we can go." Blair smiled and started to walk out of the room.

When we were walking by the kitchen I stopped and took out the cookie box from one of the cabinets and followed Blair. When I was about to get in the truck, Melissa appeared on my way. "Listen to me Ana or Sky or whatever. My family is in danger, I was sent her to deliver a message to you from the Witch of Shadows. She sent me here to stop you, or else she'll kill my family."

My eyes widened, and I was about to respond when Melissa held up a gun and pointed it at me. Her scared eyes looked at me as they began to fill with tears and I saw as her arms began to shake. I held up my arms and kept my eyes on the gun, one sudden move and she could hurt me. "I'm sorry, I don't want to do this, but she has my parents hostage. I need to do this," she said in between sobs.

I saw as Blair slowly reached for her gun. Melissa saw that too and quickly turned the gun to Blair, "stop or I'll hurt you too." Blair smiled and contained her sarcastic laughter before she said, "oh sweetie, I have dealt with many more frightening creatures than you."

"Stop Blair, if the neighbors hear a shot we'll have the police searching the whole area for suspects and we need to avoid as many interventions as we can," I said trying to stop a bloodbath between the two girls. "Melissa, look at me," I ordered calmly, and she turned to me, she was still crying and shaking uncontrollably, "I will help you if you help me. Take me to the witch."

Melissa shook her head, "I can't, she'll kill them, and I don't know where she is. She is everywhere, watching and listening to everything we're saying."

I nodded, "I understand but we can help you track her down, we're also looking for her."

Melissa sighed and turned the gun to me, "I'm sorry, Ana." Everything happened so fast after that, I heard a gunshot and metal slamming into something hard before Melissa fell to the ground. Blair was standing behind her with her gun in hand and I realized she had knocked Melissa unconscious. I searched my body for some kind of bullet wound or pain but found I was unharmed. I looked for the bullet and found it had landed on my car's tire. "Oh man, I was planning on selling it."

Blair rolled her eyes, "i***t you were almost hurt, and you are more worried about your old car?"

I laughed, "I was just kidding, it's not like anyone uses it now." I walked over to the car and pulled out the bullet and put it in my vest. "I think we should take her, I know she can help us find that witch and if she sent Melissa to kill me it means that we're close."

Blair laughed and shook her head, "your friend here was right, she could be anywhere."

I walked over to my partner and smiled, "oh Blair, don't you remember that all witches left were cursed to a specific area, they can't leave."

Blair looked bewildered but nodded as she remembered our history class back at camp. "Fine then, but she'll be tied up from now and on," Blair said as she grabbed Melissa by the arms.

I chuckled, "I agree with you," and then I grabbed Melissa's feet and the two of us placed her in the back seat of the truck before tying her hands together with special cuffs that paralyzed the prisoner's body.

Blair and I got into the truck, "alrighty then, now explain what the hell you know," demanded Blair as she closed the door.