Anew

9

The next morning, Tristan rinsed blood off the ancient dagger as he tried to control the rage and fear curling inside him.

So much for magical voodoo.

He would have to try again.

Gabriel, whistling Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah, entered the kitchen.

As annoying as Gabriel and his incessant good moods were, sometimes Tristan wanted to be like him. To walk around life, joyful and carefree, while whistling ridiculously optimistic songs.

Tristan’s circumstances, however, didn’t really allow for nonstop happiness.

“Hey.” Gabriel entered the kitchen and eyed the watered-down blood swirling in the sink. Carefully, he asked, “So…how did it go?”

“Rough night,” was all Tristan said.

Very rough night.

“Okaaaay.” Gabriel leaned against the counter. “Did you do it? Is it over?”

“Nope.” Tristan finished wiping down the dagger and began cleaning blood out of the sink.

“What happened?”

“Nothing.”

“But there’s blood…lots and lots of blood…everywhere. How did the sucker not die?”

Tristan didn’t answer. He just kept scrubbing the sink.

Gabriel waited a moment before saying, “Fine, whatever. Be secretive.” He cleared his throat, his typical cheeriness returning. “So, I’ve decided to enroll in Avalon High.”

Tristan looked up. “What?”

Gabriel nodded. “That’s where Scarlet goes to school so I’m going to start as a senior.”

Tristan twisted his face. “And do what, exactly? Turn in homework? Join the chess club? Go to prom?” Tristan shook his head. “This isn’t a game, Gabe.”

“I know it’s not a game. That’s why I’m going to school—to be closer to Scarlet.”

Tristan rolled his eyes. While he was out swinging heavy daggers and undoing curses, Gabriel would be taking pop quizzes and gossiping in the hallways.

Fantastic.

“I think that’s a bad idea,” Tristan said.

“Well, Scarlet seemed pleased by the notion.” Gabriel leaned against the kitchen wall and smiled, looking off to the side. “She still bites her lip when she’s nervous.”

Tristan clenched his teeth and scrubbed the sink vigorously.

He hated it when Gabriel got all smitten.

It was obnoxious.

Gabriel continued, “We went out last night. I forgot how pretty her eyes are—”

“You know what?” Tristan interrupted, looking up from the sink. “I don’t care. I don’t want to know about her eyes. Or anything else, okay?”

Gabriel raised his brows. “Wow. Someone’s in a bad mood.” He pushed back from the wall and crossed over to the kitchen counter. “You don’t want to know about Scarlet at all?”

Tristan shook his head and went back to the sink. “Nope.”

Gabriel looked confused. “You don’t want to know anything? You don’t care what she looks like or if she introduces me to her family?”

Tristan finished with the sink and tried not to throw the nearby dagger into his brother’s heart. “I don’t care if she introduces you to a leprechaun. I don’t want to hear about it. So, shut up.”

Gabriel shrugged. “Okay.”

Tristan sighed. “Did you tell her anything yet?”

“What exactly would I tell her? Guess what? I’m from your past!” Gabriel mocked a cheesy smile. “No. I’ve decided to wait until the curse is broken.”

You might be waiting a long time.

Tristan picked the blade up and walked to the den. “It would have been much more convenient for you to have decided that before you entered her life as a hunky love interest.”

Gabriel shrugged. “What’s done is done.”

“I hope you know what you’re doing, Gabe. You’re playing a dangerous game. It’s not like you have much time. You can’t just keep hanging out with her and expect her not to remember anything. It’s going to happen. Her memories are going to come back and when they do, she’s going to be pissed you lied to her. Not to mention, totally freaked out that she’s dying.” Tristan’s heart throbbed at the thought. “You should have waited until everything was fixed before meeting her. Now everything’s all screwed up.”

Gabriel trailed him down the hall to the den. “Why are you so stressed? We’ll figure it out and everything will be fine.”

“Do we?” Tristan whipped around, his green eyes meeting Gabriel’s brown ones. “I just came home with a bloody weapon and no corpse. Things aren’t going well, Gabe.”

Gabriel scrunched his face. “Don’t get all moody. It’ll work out. If your plan continues to fail, then maybe we’ll just go back to our original plan—”

“No,” Tristan said, entering the den and hanging the dagger on the wall alongside their many other weapons.

“Fine. Whatever.” Gabriel turned to leave the den, but stopped in the doorway. “You know what? I’m glad your plan’s not working out. You shouldn’t have to kill someone to save Scarlet, it’s wrong. And she would never be okay with it.”

The truth in Gabriel’s words stung Tristan, but he shrugged. “Then I guess it’s a good thing she doesn’t know.”

Gabriel shook his head and disappeared from the doorway.

Tristan blinked few times and ran a hand through his dark hair. The continual ache in his chest flared up—a constant reminder his body could only handle so much time away from Scarlet without suffering.

The sooner the curse was lifted, the sooner he would be free of his torment.

And the sooner Scarlet would be free to live.

With renewed determination, he pulled out his cell phone and called their friend, Nate. After last night’s debacle with the dagger, Tristan was having second thoughts about his plan.

Nate answered on the third ring. “What’s up, dude?”

Tristan could hear gunfire and creepy music in the background. “Are you playing video games?”

“Of course I’m playing video games. How else am I supposed to win the Major League Gaming championship?”

Tristan shook his head. “Listen, I need to know how sure you are about breaking the curse.”

“Hold on…I’ve almost killed the demon king….” Nate’s voice faded, replaced by more gunshots.

Tristan rolled his eyes.

“Take that!” Nate laughed at his game in a crazy voice. “Who’s King of the Underworld now, sucka? Okay,” Nate’s voice took back its normal tone. “The curse? Oh, I’m one hundred percent certain the fountain of youth will heal Scarlet’s heart, thereby undoing all effects of the curse. You just need to find it.”

Tristan sighed. Finding the fountain of youth was a preposterous idea. And completely out of the question. “No, I mean the other way to undo the hex. The deadly way. How sure are you about that?”

“Whoa.” Nate must have paused his video game, because the gunshots and music suddenly went dead. “You’re not honestly thinking about trying to kill—”

“Yes,” Tristan said. “But I need to know that it will actually work.”

Nate squawked, “You’re crazy.”

“I know.”

He heard Nate sigh. “Tristan, listen to me. I know you’ve got a thing for Scarlet and, trust me man, I get it. You don’t want her to die and yada, yada, yada, but what you’re thinking about doing is insane.”

“Just tell me if it will work.” Tristan said.

“I don’t really feel comfortable with you—“

“Will it work, Nate?” Tristan’s voice rose. He waited in silence for his old friend to answer.

Nate swallowed so loudly Tristan heard him through the phone. “Yes. Yes, given the right weapon…it will work.”

Tristan inhaled. “Then I’m going to need your help finding that weapon.”