Gabriel pounded on the door of Nate’s penthouse apartment. He could hear loud music, gunfire and general chaos inside.
Awesome.
When Nate didn’t answered, Gabriel pounded again. “Nate! It’s Gabriel.”
“Not now, dude. I’m in the cave!” came a muffled voice.
Gabriel rolled his eyes. “I need you to come out of the cave, Nate.”
“No can do, buddy! I’ve almost….defeated…the great wizard….”
Gabriel pounded again. “If you don’t answer this door, I will knock it down and pour soda all over your computers.”
The door immediately swung open. “No need for threats, man. Computers are our friends.” Nate, dressed in mismatched socks, basketball shorts, a Wolverine T-shirt and a set of headphones with an attached microphone, stood before Gabriel looking like he hadn’t slept in days.
With noise still blaring in the background Gabriel said, “Sorry to interrupt your—” Gabriel looked at the large TV screen where an elf was stabbing a dragon, “…
cave
, but I need your help.”
“Aw,
maaan
.” Nate rolled his eyes, and motioned Gabriel in. He turned down all the noise and pulled his headphones off. “I don’t want to be ‘serious’ Nate right now, okay? I want to be ‘gamer’ Nate…or ‘rock star’ Nate…or, even ‘crossword puzzle’ Nate. But
not
‘serious’ Nate. ‘Serious’ Nate is always getting involved in weird curses and trying to find fountains and watching people die, and blah, blah, blah. It sucks. So, why don’t
you
be ‘party animal’ Gabriel,” Nate pointed at Gabriel with a wink, “and I’ll be ‘funny guy’ Nate and we’ll go bowling. I’ll go get my coat.” He turned on his heel.
“Nate.” Gabriel pulled the black band from his pocket and set it on Nate’s coffee table. “Someone broke into Scarlet’s house last night while she was sleeping. And they had that. Do you know what it is?”
Nate turned back around and looked at the band. His happy countenance fell. “So much for going bowling.”
Gabriel looked at his friend. “Why? Do you recognize it?”
Nate nodded. “Yep. It’s a Head Ghost.”
“A what?”
“It’s used to extract information from the brain. Whoever snuck into Scarlet’s house was probably after her memories.” He sighed. “Which means, they probably know about her past.”
“Who would know about her past? She’s only been alive for two years and
she
barely knows.”
Nate shook his head. “I dunno, man. But Head Ghosts are illegal, and very hard to come by. Whoever came after Scarlet means business. Maybe they know about us being immortal. Or maybe they’re looking for the fountain.”
Gabriel’s head was spinning with questions.
Was someone else trying find to the fountain of youth? And how would anyone know about them being immortal in the first place? Or Scarlet, for that matter? She was, essentially, brand new and knew nothing about the fountain’s whereabouts.
Why were they after her memories?
Panic rose in Gabriel’s chest. “Nate, pack your things, we’re going to Georgia.”
“Aw,
maaan
. Why does the drama always happen when I’m in my cave?”
Gabriel looked at him. “Screw the cave, Nate. Someone is after Scarlet! There’s no time for games.”
“There’s always time for games!” Nate said with passion, pointing a finger into the air.
Gabriel looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
Nate sighed. “Fine. I’ll get my coat. But I’m bringing my gaming system with me.”
“Whatever.” Gabriel waved him off and pulled out his phone. He needed to call Tristan.
The following morning, Tristan spent two hours shooting arrows at his target and tried to clear his head.
After his rendezvous with Scarlet in the kitchen last night, Gabriel had called and filled Tristan in on the Head Ghost thing.
Not good.
Someone was after Scarlet’s memories, which meant Tristan couldn’t proceed with his suicide plan. At least not until they figured out what the intruder was looking for in Scarlet’s head and figured out how to keep her safe.
But everyday that passed without the curse being undone was a day closer to Scarlet’s death.
Tristan swore.
She was already getting worse.
Last night in the kitchen her eyes had practically glowed in the dark as she looked up at him with her plush lips and longing soul.
He couldn’t let that happen again.
Whoosh.
Bull’s-eye.
Gabriel needed to come home.
Soon.
Tristan didn’t think he could keep himself away from Scarlet much longer. Last night had been a mistake.
He shouldn’t have made pancakes.
He should have just let her plunder the kitchen and find her own snack.
He’d been careless and, because of it, her blue eyes had burned for him.
And she’d had a flashback.
Fortunately, it was a rather insignificant memory, but still.
Her memories could ruin his plan. He couldn’t take anymore chances.
Whoosh.
Bull’s-eye.
Starting today, he was going to practice better self-control.
Scarlet watched TV for a few hours in the morning, trying to distract herself from thoughts of Tristan.
Last night in the kitchen, she’d
felt
something with him.
Something ancient, strong and ,,, beautiful.
Tristan didn’t hate her.
And she didn’t hate him. At
all.
But she probably shouldn’t ever have a late night snack with him again.
The back door opened and Scarlet kept her eyes on the TV as Tristan passed by the living room.
Yesterday, she wanted to avoid him because he was a jerk.
Today, she wanted to avoid him so she didn’t do something stupid.
Like lick his ear.
He went into the office and shut the door behind him.
Scarlet sat for another two hours in front of the TV watching infomercials and Scooby-Doo, but not once did her head stop spinning with all things Tristan.
She was a rotten, rotten girlfriend.
While cartoons played in the background, Scarlet looked around the Archer’s living room. A large fireplace took up most of the back wall and there was a bench seat made of stone running along its length. Above the fireplace hung a hand-carved clock, beating steadily into the warm room. The sofas were tan and sat atop a giant rug, and a hand-carved coffee table stood in the center of the room.
All in all, it was cozy.
If Scarlet hadn’t felt so much like a prisoner in the woods, she probably would have loved the cabin. Her eyes fell to the end table beside her and spotted a pen.
She grabbed the pen and absently started drawing her practiced symbol on her ankle. She traced the design around the corner of her foot, leaned back and looked at it. It looked good at an angle.
Out of boredom, she decided to sketch the design on her hip as well. She lifted her shirt a few inches and drew out the circular strokes along her waist. After a few minutes, she lengthened the design and let it crawl up her ribcage before scooting down the waistband of her pants and letting the artwork trail down her lower belly.
A picture flashed in her mind and she decided to add something new to the bottom of the symbol. Biting her lip, she scribbled the new strokes low on her hip and—
“What are you doing?”
Scarlet immediately pulled her shirt down and her pants up, covering her exposed skin. She looked at Tristan with a blush.
“Are you drawing on yourself?” He sounded mad. More mad than he had a right to be.
Scarlet wrinkled her brow, confused. “Yeah, why? Have you…?” Scarlet looked at him hopefully. “Have you seen this symbol before?” She pointed to her ankle. Maybe Tristan would have the answers she was looking for.
Tristan, standing across from the couch, crossed his arms in front of his chest. He ignored her question. “You’re not in kindergarten, Scarlet. If you want to draw, draw on a piece of paper. Go wash it off.”
Scarlet raised her brow, her blush completely disappearing at his tone. “No,” she said, and lifted her shirt again. She started giving more detail to the design on her hip.
“Yes.” Tristan said with a warning look.
She tried to reach into him, to feel what he was feeling…all she got was anger and fear.
He was mad.
And now, so was she.
“No way,” Scarlet snapped. “You don’t get to tell me what to do, Tristan. If I want to draw on my body with pen or cover myself in tar, you can’t stop me.” She kept scribbling. “Why do you care, anyway? Geez.”
Tristan let out a frustrated sigh. “Wash it off.”
“No.”
“Wash. It. Off,” Tristan bit out.
“You’re. In. Sane,” she countered, waiting a moment before looking at him.
Tristan looked at the ceiling. “Please?” His eyes pleaded with her.
Scarlet narrowed her eyes and paused. “Is there something about this design,” she pointed to her side, “that you’re not telling me?”
Tristan tucked his lips in and shrugged. “Gabriel’s going to be home any second.”
“So?”
“Whatever.” He threw his hands up with a groan before leaving the living room.
Scarlet continued drawing on her hip and lower belly, determined to complete the symbol in defiance.
Tristan was so weird.
And bossy.
And…mean.
So much for Pancake Tristan.
Regular Jerk Tristan was back.
Gabriel tapped his fingers impatiently on his armrest. The flight back to Georgia was taking too long. He needed to get back to Scarlet immediately. She was in serious danger.
“So, Scarlet doesn’t remember anything at
all
this time?” Nate scratched the back of his head.
“Not really.”
“That’s odd.”
“Yeah.”
“What’s the deal then? Are you and Scarlet dating now?” Sitting beside Gabriel, Nate clutched his backpack like it was filled with lost treasure rather than video game equipment.
Gabriel sighed and leaned back, forcing his fingers to stop moving. “Yeah.”
“Then why did you leave her at home with Tristan? Why didn’t you just send
him
out to get me?”
Gabriel shrugged. “He’s in too much pain. It’s worse this time or something.”
Nate raised his eyebrows. “How bad is it?”
“I guess he can’t sleep anymore. But Scarlet only lives ten miles away, so I don’t get it.”
“And you left her in the cabin with Tristan?
Alone
?”
“Well, yeah.” Gabriel wrinkled his brow. “What was I supposed to do? Bring her with me? Tristan would have been in pain without her. And I certainly wasn’t going to travel with both of them. Airports and big cities aren’t secure and it would have been impossible to keep Scarlet safe in crowded areas.”
Nate blinked rapidly. “Maybe. But if he can’t be away from her, that means their connection is stronger than it’s ever been. His presence could make her really sick.”
Gabriel shook his head. “But not in just two days…right?”
Nate twisted his lips. “No. Not unless they touched a lot,” he looked away, “or something.”
Gabriel closed his eyes briefly, refusing to think about Tristan touching Scarlet. A shiver ran through him. “Maybe it wasn’t the best plan, but I needed your help with the Head Ghost thing. It couldn’t wait.”
Nate nodded.
Gabriel’s gut churned.
Tristan wouldn’t touch Scarlet…would he?
Gabriel swallowed. “We’re almost home. I’m sure Scarlet’s fine.”
Even as he said it, worry filled his veins.
Gabriel started tapping his fingers again.
Scarlet was drawing on a paper towel when Gabriel entered the cabin with a guy she’d never seen before.
“Hey.” Gabriel smiled and walked over to where Scarlet sat at the kitchen counter. He pulled her into his arms and started kissing her all over.
Relieved he was home, Scarlet started laughing. “What’s gotten into you?”
“Nothing.” Gabriel pulled back from her slightly, looking at her eyes with interest, followed by a look of relief. “I’m just glad you’re safe. Oh, and I totally forgot to ask you something very important.”
“What?” Nervousness shot through her.
Great. More life-and-death curse stuff.
Gabriel gave her a cheesy smile. “Will you go to the winter formal dance with me?”
Flooded with relief, Scarlet laughed. “No.”
“What? Come on. I haven’t been in high school for years. It’ll be so much fun.”
“It will not be fun. It’ll be lame. And full of dancing people.” She smiled. “I don’t dance.”
“Oh, but you
do
dance.” He wagged his eyebrows. “I happen to know for a fact that you, Scarlet Jacobs, are a dancing machine.”
She laughed again. “Is that right?”
“It is.” The guy standing next to Gabriel nodded. “I’ve totally seen it.”
Scarlet raised her eyebrows as Gabriel moved to the side. “Scarlet, I’d like you to meet Nathaniel Fletcher.”
Nathaniel was a goofy-looking fellow, with thick hair matted on one side of his head like he’d just woken up, and a haphazard outfit thrown against his body.
He had no fashion sense whatsoever.
Scarlet immediately liked him.
Nathaniel held his hand in the air. “Good to see you, girl! High-five!”
Scarlet awkwardly high-fived him. “Do we…know each other?”
“Yep. You just don’t remember me. But no worries. I’m super awesome and you’re gonna love me.”
Scarlet laughed. “Okay.”
“
Anyway
. So, your answer is…
yes
? You’ll go with me to the dance?” Gabriel nodded emphatically.
She shook her head with a smile.
“Pleeeeease?” He started kissing her all over again.
After being stuck in the cabin with Tristan and his broodiness, Scarlet was grateful Gabriel had come back in such a cheery mood. She needed happiness.
“Okay, okay, fine.” Scarlet laughed again. “I’ll go with you. But only if you stop slobbering on me like a puppy.”
Gabriel immediately leaned back and threw his hands in the air. “Ha! Victory.”
“You are such a nerd.” Scarlet shook her head with a smile.
“I’m a nerd with a date to formal.” Gabriel said proudly.
“High school dances. Yay.” Tristan walked into the kitchen, bringing his dark mood with him, and greeted Nathaniel. “What’s up, Nate?”
“What’s
up
? Well, I’m supposed to be in my cave right now but, apparently, you guys had another one of your ‘emergencies’.” Nate shook his hands in the air, like an intruder in Scarlet’s house was frivolous.
“The cave’s no good for you, Nate. You’ll thank us later.” Tristan stood next to Gabriel.
Seeing the twins beside one another, Scarlet’s heart squeezed. Nothing had changed in their appearances; they were both still ridiculously attractive. But, as she looked at them side-by-side, Scarlet’s soul screamed for the green-eyed brother.
Which made her a traitor.
What is
wrong
with me?
Tristan’s eyes shot to hers and she instantly looked away.
“Tell us more about the Head Ghost.” Tristan looked at Nate and crossed his arms in front of his chest.
“I’m sorry…‘Head Ghost’?” Scarlet looked around questioningly.
“The black object Tristan commandeered from your intruder is called a Head Ghost,” Nate explained.
“Commandeered?
Really
?” Tristan lifted a brow.
Gabriel said, “It’s a device designed to draw out memories from the brain. We believe your intruder intended to capture either some, or
all
, of your memories. Most likely, any memories pertaining to the fountain, or the curse…maybe even about us.”
Nate pulled the black band out of his backpack.
Scarlet swallowed. “Can that really be done? Does that…thing really work?”
Nate nodded. “Oh yeah. I’ve been hearing about Head Ghosts for a few years now. Pretty high-tech stuff. Really only moved underground. See this thing?” He pulled the tiny, sharp crystal from the band. “This is actually a very tiny syringe, holding a sleep serum.”
“Creepy,” Scarlet said.
Nate nodded. “Yeah, well. It’s useful. You can’t put the Head Ghost on a sleeping person and expect them to just surrender their memories to you. You have to put them into a deep sleep first. The sleep serum is injected right behind the victim’s ear, like a shot.” He pointed to a spot just behind his left ear.
“Ouch.” Gabriel made a face.
Nate shrugged. “It doesn’t hurt—the needle point is too thin and sharp, see?” He held the crystal up so they could all look at it. “The victim immediately falls into a deep sleep and remains there for four-to-six hours—or until they’re given the antidote.”
Scarlet’s eyes bulged. “That guy was going to put me into a deep sleep for
hours
?”
“Probably,” Nate said. “But the antidote is right here,” he pointed to one end of the band where another crystal—a black one—was latched, “so, maybe not. Maybe he planned to pull you right back out of it. I dunno.”
Tristan rubbed the back of his neck as he exhaled.
Scarlet took a deep breath. “Okay, so what does that mean?”
“It means you’re in danger,” Tristan said.
Scarlet swallowed.
“It also means you probably have a memory—or
memories
—that someone wants.” Nate smiled weakly. “You don’t, by any chance, remember any juicy secrets that someone would be after, do you?”
Scarlet shook her head. “I wish. Trust me, no one wants to know what’s in my head more than I do.”
Nate nodded. “Well, then, we need to assume your perpetrator has every intention of coming back. Which means we need to keep you, and your memories, safe.”
Gabriel shifted his weight. “I think Scarlet should stay here with us until Laura gets back.”
Tristan paced to the far end of the kitchen. “No way.”
Wow.
“You’re a jerk.” Scarlet snapped at Tristan.
He shrugged.
Nate stepped over to Scarlet. “How have your eyes been? They look pretty healthy right now, but have you noticed any sparks in them lately? Any changes in color?”
Scarlet looked at him in utter confusion. “What?”
Nate raised his eyebrows and looked at Gabriel. “Please tell me you told her how her eyes change.”
Gabriel shook his head. “She was already freaking out about dying and I didn’t want to—”
“
Dude
.” Nate held his palms up. “That’s, like, an important thing to tell her. She needs to know.”
“I need to know what?” Scarlet asked, panic rising in her chest.
Nate came over and smashed both his hands against her cheeks, making her look like she had duck lips. He leaned in and stared at her.
So. Weird.
Scarlet froze. “Uh…what are you doing?” Her words came out distorted through her awkwardly-puckered lips.
“Looking at your eyes.” He used his thumb to pull down the skin below her right eye and examined her like she was a foreign creature.
“They look healthy.” Nate released her face and stepped back. “Tell me, Scarlet, have your eyes been burning lately? Have they felt hot?”
Scarlet rubbed her face where his hands had been. “Uh…no, not really.” She thought about it. “Well, maybe a few times. Like when I have flashbacks, or when….”
She remembered how her eyes felt hot when she was standing so close to Tristan in the kitchen the night before.
Tristan makes my eyes hot.
Yeah, she wasn’t going to broadcast that.
Nate looked at her. “When what?”
Scarlet shook her head. “That’s it. Just when I have flashbacks. Why? What’s wrong with my eyes? Am I losing my sight?”
Wonderful.
Not only am I dying, but I’m going blind as well.
It’s like the curse that keeps on giving.
“No,” Nate said shaking his head. “You’re not going blind. You’re dying.”
Scarlet blinked at his bluntness. “I know.”
“And the closer you get to death, the weaker your heart gets. Over time, your eye color intensifies, indicating your heart is close to failing. So, your eyes will get brighter and brighter…until you die.”
Scarlet;s mouth dropped open. “Seriously?”
Nate nodded.
She darted from the kitchen and into the hall bathroom to look at herself in the mirror.
The guys followed her.
She leaned in and looked at her irises closely. “Oh my g—they’re
different
. My eyes didn’t used to be this blue! They’re different now. They’re…
weirder
.” Her heart started to pound.
Tristan’s mouth tightened as he leaned into Gabriel. “I
told
you.”
Scarlet whipped her head around and looked at Nate. “What does this mean, then?” She pointed to her eyeball. “Am I almost dead? Could I die any second?” Her voice was rushed and high-pitched.
She was officially freaking out.
“No,” Nate said.
She calmed down a tad.
“But you are definitely
going
to die,” Nate continued.
She freaked out again.
“Unless we find a way to cure you.”
Scarlet looked at the three immortals in the bathroom with her. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go find that freakin’ fountain and cure me!” Scarlet nearly shouted, moving past the wall of boys and out into the hallway.
There was no time for bathroom pow-wows and paper towel doodles. Something had to be done. Immediately.
“It’s not that simple,” Nate said, following her into the living room.
“Why not?”
“Because we don’t know where to look. We can’t just pack up today and find the fountain tomorrow. I think our best bet is to come up with a new plan, and find a way to keep you safe and alive in the meantime.”
“I already have a new plan.” Tristan cocked his head to the said.
“Nobody likes your plan.” Gabriel didn’t look at his brother.
“Your plan sucks,” Nate agreed.
Scarlet couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Who cares if a plan—
any
plan—sucks? Let’s just fix me! I could die any second.”
“Oh, no. You have at least a few weeks left. Maybe even months.” Nate nodded.
Through her teeth, Scarlet said, “That’s not very comforting.”
He dropped his head. “You’re right. I’m sorry. But if you want to be healed, what we need to do is come up with a plan. I put a call in to one of my old contacts, looking for pictures of a recently-discovered map of the New World, so that might be a good starting place for us.” Nate looked at his watch. “I should hear back from him in the next few hours. Maybe then we can come up with a new search strategy. But for now,” Nate unzipped his backpack, “I need to set up my video games.”