An image of Cady flashed through her head. She dismissed the thought quickly. Why would Cady want to scare her? No, it had to be something else.

"Agreed," he said. "Do you know anyone who hates you?"

Sasha sunk her fork into the dessert. "I'm too young to have enemies."

Evan snorted. "You're never too young."

Sasha frowned as she shoved a mouthful of cake in her mouth. The chocolate frosting was very sweet. She chewed and gave his comment thought. She didn't have many friends but she was sure she had no enemies.

"My mother probably does but not me," she said and then stopped stricken with a revelation. Her mother had not denied she was in danger. She said the pendant would keep her safe and it had. Sasha wondered if her mother's silence meant she knew what was going on. Unconsciously her hand reached for the pendant and stroked its smooth gla.s.s.

Nefar had said something about her grandmother and a curse. He said something about 17 years and Sasha turned 17 tomorrow. Sasha suspected Nefar was trying to kill her before her birthday but that didn't answer the question as to why her grandmother hired Nefar to kill her. It didn't make sense that a grandmother she'd never met would want to kill her. She didn't even know this woman and had thought she was dead.

She couldn't tell Evan any of her suspicions. He wouldn't believe it and it sounded crazy. She thought it was nutty so it wasn't much a stretch that he would too. A part of her felt like she was on the right track ant that she'd found some pieces of a puzzle and just needed to put them together.

A million unresolved questions raced through her head as she stared at her cake. She needed to figure out how to find the answers and decide who to trust to help her.

Evan noticed her trance-like behavior and scuttled his chair closer to hers. "Hey," he said touching her shoulder lightly. "You there?"

Sasha scrambled to her feet. "Listen, thanks for all your help-," she said moving toward the door.

"Wait, you haven't finished your cake," he said.

Sasha shrugged on her coat and smiled at the handsome boy who had saved her life twice. She ran up to him and threw her arms around his neck. He was stunned by the move and lightly wrapped his arms around her.

"We haven't talked about what you're going to do? How are you going to stay safe?"

She squeezed him tight and then let go. She stepped back and gave him a peck on his cheek.

"I don't want to get you involved anymore. You've been my savior, twice now. I don't want to put you in any more danger. I'll see you tomorrow at dinner."

She turned and ran out the door. She didn't live far away and jogged home, peering frantically over her shoulder the whole way.

CHAPTER SIX.

Sasha woke up on her birthday not having slept much the night before. She tossed and turned for hours before dropping off and having nightmares. In her dreams she was being chased in turn by two men. One had a gun, while the other threw flaming red energy b.a.l.l.s that scorched everything in their path.

She pulled on her school uniform and brushed her hair. She was grateful that she didn't have to agonize over what to wear. She wore the same outfit of white shirt, navy and grey plaid skirt and blue sweater every day. She may change it up and wear a grey turtle neck and blue pants otherwise it was the same clothes.

She stared at the dark bags under eyes as she brushed her teeth. This was not a good beginning. She was living in fear and couldn't tell anyone about it.

She wanted to ditch school but her mother would catch her. As a realtor, Willow Bean was in and out of the house all day. Her schedule was unpredictable. She always seemed to be around when Sasha least wanted to see her and was never available when Sasha was desperate to find her.

Normally Sasha biked to school but today she just didn't feel like it. She was tired and lacked the energy to push the pedals. She called Jenna to get a ride in her yellow VW Beetle.

Jenna was one of her closest friends from childhood. They used to hang out, play video games and talk about everything. Then came high school and everything changed. Now they hardly had anything in common. Sasha was on the track team, while Jenna avoided exercise and extracurricular activities.

Sasha volunteered once a month at the food bank unloading trucks and stocking shelves. Jenna drew dark disturbing pictures of demons and castles and posted outlandish fan fiction on the Internet.

Sasha has never dyed her hair while Jenna changed her color weekly. Yesterday it had pink stripes mixed in with the bleached blond. It looked like candy floss.

She clicked off the phone and headed downstairs. Hannah was already in the kitchen sitting at the breakfast table gazing out the wall of windows that framed the room. It was Sasha's favorite place in the house. The backyard was wooded and an attraction for wildlife. Occasionally a bunny or squirrel ran by and lightened her mood. Otherwise it had a peaceful view especially soothing during a hectic or drama-filled day.

"Happy birthday," Hannah said spitting food across the table.

"Gross," Sasha responded slipping into her chair. "Swallow please."

Hannah smiled with her mouth full of food. Cereal was lodged in her braces. Sasha closed her eyes, trying to block out the disgusting image. Little sisters were revolting.

Sasha inhaled her own breakfast of oatmeal. She didn't see any evidence her parents were home before a horn honked out front signaling Jenna's arrival. Sasha grabbed her bag and ran out the door. So far it was a c.r.a.ppy start to her birthday.

Sasha dashed to the car and scanned for Nefar. Seeing no one she opened the yellow Beetle's pa.s.senger door and eased into the front seat, scattering CDs off the seat to make room.

Jenna's hair was still candy floss pink, although her uniform was as plain as Sasha's. She was wearing a white T-shirt and plaid skirt. At school, hair was the only way Jenna could express her rebellious nature. She also occasionally smoked and drank.

Sasha couldn't stand smoking, although she'd snuck beers from the fridge to take to parties. She wasn't always obedient, especially lately since she started hanging out with Cady. Sasha loved the feeling derived from breaking the rules but struggled with the punishment side.

There was nothing worse than enduring Willow Bean's disappointment. She didn't scream and yell but she was great at laying the guilty trip on thick and making Sasha feel ashamed. Sasha loved her mother but sometimes Willow Bean made it hard for Sasha to like her.

"Please come tonight," Sasha begged Jenna. "I want you to meet someone."

Keeping her hand on the wheel, Jenna turned to Sasha with raised eyebrows.

"I'm coming. I'm coming," she said making a turn. "Who is this someone?"

Sasha was fairly positive Evan was coming to her dinner although he may have changed his mind after she darted from his house yesterday.

"He might be there. I invited him but you know me, I may have scared him away."

Jenna laughed. "Your desperation is not pretty."

"You think?"

Sasha sulked in her seat and turned away.

"Do you think I want this?" she said in a low voice. "My mother does these things I don't want and I'm just supposed to smile and be happy."

"Tell her no," Jenna said signaling her turn.

"I can't."

"Why not? I say it all the time. It's not hard."

Sasha sighed. "Yes, it is."

Jenna pulled into the parking lot and found a spot at the back of the lot. Despite her rebel appearance, she was uber practical and didn't want to get her car scratched.

"You gonna tell me about the guy?"

She told her about Evan and the robbery but left out her suspicion that it was connected to her pendant.

"Wow," Jenna said reaching for her bag in the backseat. "Are you alright?"

Sasha got out of the car and spoke over the hood. "Yeah."

She didn't tell her about the fireball attack yesterday. It had not occurred to her to call the police and Evan hadn't suggested it. The attack was hard to explain especially considering the burn on Evan's chest was the only proof anything had happened.

A breeze blew across Sasha's neck making her shiver. She surveyed the school grounds as she walked to the front doors. She felt like someone was watching her but nothing seemed out of place.

She dragged herself from cla.s.s to cla.s.s, slightly paranoid. She left each cla.s.sroom cautiously, peering out of the doorway before stepping into the corridor. The crush of students flowing in the hallways gave her protection but also prevented her from spotting any surprise attacks.

At lunch she found a secluded desk in the library. Her back was to a wall so no one could surprise her. She needed to review her biology notes because her exam was the next period. The last thing she needed was to fail a test on her birthday.

"There you are," a voice said from out of view. Sasha recognized Cady's Texas southern drawl. Sasha and her family didn't speak with accents. Austin was famous for being a city where people came from somewhere else.

Cady put a cup on the desk and took the chair from a neighboring desk. "Bottoms up and happy birthday," she said.

Sasha grabbed the cup and slurped eagerly. "Thanks," she said. "Where have you been? I looked for you this morning."

Cady pulled a compact out of her purse and checked her image. "I skipped first period," she said. "My sleep is more important than Spanish cla.s.s."

Sasha frowned and kept sucking on the drink. It was the most unique flavor. It had the scent of roses and the taste of vanilla and orange. Cady wouldn't tell her what was in it so that she could make it herself.

"Are you gonna give me the recipe for this as a birthday present?" Sasha said slyly.

Cady laughed. "Then why would you need me?"

"That's not the only reason I'm your friend," Sasha said.

"I hope not," Cady said. "I like to think I'm a good influence on you too. How else would you have gotten that date with Sean? Have you seen him since?"

Sasha flushed. Cady had set her up on a date a few weeks ago with one of the school's basketball players. They'd seen a movie and then Sasha fended off repeated advances in the car. Sean didn't seem so much interested in her than interested in her for that night.

"I have not heard from him-," Sasha said before Cady cut her off.

"What did you do? It took me weeks to convince him to give you a chance."

Sasha felt her face go hot. "I didn't do anything."

Cady shook her brown curls. "I don't believe that. I put all this work into trying to get you a date and you blow it."

"I did not," Sasha said and heard someone shushing her from the other side of the part.i.tion between desks. "He wasn't right for me, ok?" she said in a loud whisper.

Cady snapped her compact shut in a huff. "Don't ask me to help you again. I can't keep putting my reputation on the line to help you out."

"Don't worry I won't," Sasha said angrily. How did this argument start? "Are you coming tonight?"

Cady rose from her seat and pushed the chair into the desk with a bang. She faced Sasha, her mouth an angry line. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. A moment pa.s.sed before she opened them.

"Yes, I'll be there," she said. "But I can't stay too long. I pushed my appointment back but couldn't delay it entirely."

Sasha was elated. "That's ok. I appreciate it." Sasha gulped down some more milkshake and felt a surge of energy. She decided not to mention Evan to Cady. She'd wait until they met at dinner tonight.

Cady bent down and gave Sasha a hug. "I'll see you tonight," she said and left the library.

Shaken by the disagreement, Sasha couldn't concentrate. She didn't understand why she and Cady argued so much. Was that normal? Jenna and Sasha hardly ever disagreed although they didn't spend that much time together anymore so was that really a fair comparison?

Sasha was torn. She didn't want to lose Cady as a friend. She hoped she could make up for her transgressions and be forgiven for all the mistakes she made. Why was it so hard?

At the end of the school day Sasha changed into her workout clothes and jogged out to the track for practice. The coach made her run laps in fast and slow intervals. Once warmed up the team left the school grounds and ran through the neighborhoods to get in a hills workout. The surrounding rolling hills provided plenty of opportunity for elevation changes.

Sasha stayed in the middle of the pack, again peeking over her shoulder, staying hyper aware of her surroundings. She thought she saw a dark sedan following the group of 20 students, but it sped ahead when there was room to pa.s.s.

Sasha was relieved there was no threat. She felt weary with all the energy she was devoting to being alert for another attack. She thought she was safe being around so many people but she couldn't predict what Nefar and his cohorts would do. She was just guessing. She knew nothing about what a Mukoo was. Since he and his buddies had tried to kill her twice, she a.s.sumed it meant he was an a.s.sa.s.sin.

She needed to do some research. Her mother was being sketchy about her background. She obviously knew the purpose of the pendant, which everyone wants to take from her. She probably should force her mother to tell her the truth. Nefar did say something about a curse and her grandmother. Maybe she should confront her mother again and get answers.

The coach called out a quicker pace and the group ran faster. Sasha turned her attention to her breathing and trudged up a hill. There was nothing worse than gasping for breath at the top like an asthmatic.

After six miles, the group headed back to school. Instead of showering in the locker room, she snagged a ride home with one of her teammates. She was waving goodbye to her friend when she ran into her mother at the front door.

"You better go shower honey, our reservations are in half an hour," Willow Bean said.

Then, as if she suddenly realized it was the first time she'd seen her daughter all day, Willow Bean yelled to her daughter's back as Sasha climbed the stairs.

"Happy birthday sweetheart. I love you 17 times as much as I did the day you were born."

"Mother you are so cheesy," she yelled back. She hopped in the shower and washed away her anxious day. She put on a party dress lying on her bed. Her mother must have put it there sometime during the day because it wasn't there this morning.

The dress was a midnight blue with tiny embroidered flowers. It was casual enough that she could wear it to parties too. She yanked it over her head when there was a knock at the door.

"Just a second," she yelled.

"It's alright," a man said. Sasha quickly got decent and ran to the door.

"Daddy," she screamed and threw herself into his arms. "I thought you were away on business."

She felt tears well in her eyes as her father wrapped his arms around her. She never felt more loved and safe than when she was being hugged by her father. He was the one steady source of affection in her life and she clung to it.

"Well I was," he said. "But I told those finance guys that I had to come back. I wouldn't miss your birthday."