Chapter 2

TWO

INDI

The train bounced and swayed as we sped along. I'd been on countless trains in my life, some were fancier than this one and some were much dodgier. This one felt more like a commuter train, meant to just bring people to and from work without going super long distances. Which was the actual use of the Neverland Express. This train was only about an hour-long ride to and from New York City's Penn Station with no other stops. A proper express train. I still wasn't sure if that was the official name for it or if everyone on the Island referred to it by the nickname. Megelle Island residents had quirky senses of humor.

Though I'd heard some of the other people on the platform discussing other stations they'd opened during the heightened lockdown of Covid, I didn't know anything about it and was the first I'd heard of it. Granted, I'd become no better than my mother in the last year with how out of touch from the world I'd been. I hadn't even known about the pandemic until mid-April, then again, I had been in animal form for nearly six weeks straight trying to track down my flighty mother. My sister had been furious when I finally called to check in. She'd been worried sick that I'd fallen to the virus, even though supernaturals were immune to it. However, her emotional reaction had begun this life change I was attempting and was the sole reason I'd made sure I came home for the big Halloween season on the Island.

Well, not home. I didn't have a proper home. Mom moved us around too much. Jinns aren't meant to stay in one place, to stay in one form. I sighed and leaned my head against the glass. Home for me was a dream worthy of a song by Rapunzel and the thugs at the Snuggly Ducking. That I've Got a Dream song was now going to be stuck in my head for months. Thanks, brain.

But the truth was, Megelle Island had felt more like home than any other place I'd ever been. And I'd been nearly everywhere in the world. It was a decent sized island but never lost its quaint small-town charm. The lack of humans really made a difference because we got to be free of fear of exposure. Not that I disliked humans in any way. I adored them and their mundane lives. Some days I envied them to the point of making myself sick. But I would never be human. I was a jinn, a hybrid species created by accident when fae had children with vampires. We were just as immortal as them, but we could shift into any animal at will. We could also become invisible.

No one had ever been able to explain the why of that to me, though I supposed it didn't matter. I wondered if anyone knew.

There weren't many jinns in the world. In my short time living on Megelle Island a few years ago, I'd been the only resident jinn. Now my baby sister, Torren, was the only jinn. Torren. My heart hurt with how much I missed her. Yet the prospect of seeing her had me squirming in my seat with excitement. My stomach was a ball of knots and butterflies. I had no idea what she was up to, what life on Megelle Island had brought for her. I was nervous and excited to hear. When I'd sent her to live on the island of supernaturals so she could be free to be her uncontrollable self, I prayed she'd make friends and make a home for herself there.

Because if Megelle Island was home for Torren, then maybe, just maybe, it could finally really feel like home to me.

One day I hoped to be able to settle down more. To be less like my mother and more like Torren—who hadn't left Megelle Island in the two years since. Or maybe I could be somewhere in the middle like Goldilocks, not a permanent resident but also not missing-in-action for months at a time.

As the train slowly pulled into the station on the Island, I gnawed on my bottom lip. I was more nervous than I'd even realized. Two years was a long time. Would the Island welcome me back? Would anyone remember me? Is Torren going to hate me for being away so long? Will she still have room for me in her life? The train's brakes squealed as we slid to a stop. I rose to my feet and my stomach turned. There were already lines of people waiting at the doors to get off. I frowned. That didn't seem normal to me. Everyone was anxious and impatiently looking at their watches, practically dancing in place like they were going to sprint the second the doors opened. Interesting. I wonder what's on the holiday agenda tonight.

I looked down to collect my stuff and found my best friend's book sitting on the seat beside me. Follow the Arrow, by Liam Arrow. I'd been reading it since I left India— was that yesterday? It was only as we'd approached the Island that my emotions had distracted me from the book, but that wasn't a review of its contents, nothing would've kept my attention at that point. Liam's book was a first-hand retelling of his most interesting adventures as a travel writer. I'd heard most of them over the last five years, but there were some he hadn't relayed that I'd loved finding inside. Not to mention the ten years of trips before we'd met. This book had single handedly kept me sane since I left my last dig. I was so damned proud of him.

I smiled and flipped the book closed and ran my fingers over the smooth cover, remembering the hours we spent chatting online over every detail. Then again, Liam and I handled everything in life that way. Our chat thread hadn't been deleted since we started talking five years ago. It was full of endless conversations about nothing and everything all at the same time.

I pulled my Prescott Tech phone from my pocket and snapped a quick picture of the book sitting on the seat, then opened up our chat in Facebook Messenger and sent it to him with a message that said, ‘ Okay, I'll admit it. You were right. Follow the Arrow was definitely a clever title.'

He responded within seconds. ‘I KNEW IT! WELCOME TO THE DARK SIDE, ANDI JONES!'

I snorted as I shoved the book into my purse and hoisted it onto my shoulder. ‘ The dark side is full of cheesy puns? No wonder I couldn't find it.'

I pulled my bag from the rack above my head and slung it over my shoulder. I usually traveled light and kept few possessions in case I needed to leave any place quickly. The world outside the Island wasn't as peaceful and my flighty mother always instilled a need to be able to run at short notice, which I both loved and hated at the same time.So, with my big tote-sized purse and my duffle bag draped over my shoulders, I made my way toward the train doors just as they opened. The others in my car raced out onto the platform. Some of them sprouted wings and took off flying. I sighed. Fae had it so lucky. If I wanted to fly and carry these bags, I'd have to be an eagle . . . or a dragon. Neither of which would be appreciated on the train platform. So stuck in my human form I was.

My phone vibrated in my hand, and I glanced down at his message.‘ I do love cheese. Man, I could go for a plate of cheese and crackers right now.'

‘A plate of cheese and crackers?'

‘I mean . . . a big juicy burger . . . because I'm a man?'

I smirked and stepped off the train, then typed back. ‘ Gross.'

‘I know. I cringed as soon as I typed it. But you questioned me and I reacted?'

‘Yeah, because you left out the apples.' I shook my head. ‘ That's a key ingredient to your favorite little snacky snack.'

‘Andi. I'm being hunted by bears. I left the damn apples for them.'

I frowned and stepped onto the escalator to bring me up to the main part of the station. ‘Do bears prefer apples to cheese and crackers?'

‘Look, I'm fragile right now. It's not the time to question my logic.'

I laughed so loud people around me turned to look, but they went right back to their own business, like it was just a knee-jerk reaction. The escalator let us off at the far end of the station, and just like the first time, I stopped in my tracks in absolute awe. There was no train station in the world like Megelle Island's, or maybe I was biased. The white marble floors and walls made it look so grand and elegant. Gold etching was carved in intricate floral patterns all along the wall up to the ceiling. It gave me rich European vibes, and not for the first time, made me wonder just where the Vaunteros came from if this was what they designed for the train station.

"Excuse me, miss?—"

"Oh shit, sorry!" I jumped out of the way and smiled with a friendly wave, hoping no one would hate me for blocking traffic like that. My cheeks were flushed and warm. I exhaled a deep breath. Dozens of people were racing off the escalator, all glancing back at me with scowls because of my rookie mistake. I grimaced. "Sorry . . ."

‘ I just said I was being hunted by bears and you leave me on read? I SAID I WAS FRAGILE RIGHT NOW, ANDI.'

I giggled. Somehow Liam always made me laugh right when I needed it, without me telling him. ‘ I almost just killed a few dozen people on an escalator . . . I might be more fragile right now than I realized.'

‘Well, shit, we can't BOTH be fragile. That doesn't bode well for us.'

‘Matthew's comments about our codependency might have some warrant.'

‘He's literally just jealous.'

I rolled my eyes and headed for the porter's desk. ‘ . . . and you're not, even a little?'

‘Listen, I support your need to play in the dirt, but that does not mean I also need to.'

Oh, sweet summer child . I laughed and shook my head at the innocence of his response. He thought I meant he was jealous of us on digs . . . in the dirt. Matthew, my ex-boyfriend, was crazy jealous of my friendship with Liam to the point that it had ruined our relationship—despite the fact that I'd literally never met Liam in person. He was jealous of our emotional connection, how we could be as close as we were without ever seeing each other in person. Not that I hadn't ever tried to meet him, but we seemed to be jinxed in that department so we'd both given up.

I'd be lying if I pretended I wasn't thinking about suggesting it again though. We hadn't tried in years.

‘Play in the dirt lol. Yes, that's what I'll write on my resume for my next job . . . likes to play in the dirt,' I sent back, then looked around to see where that delicious smell of baked goods was coming from.

Again, I was caught by the beauty of this place. One might've expected the station to be quainter, but the roof was so high it made the station seem luxurious and airy like a cathedral. Stained glass lined up all the way across the ceiling. The colors rained down in shining streams that moved and danced over the white marble like a slow ballet.

My phone vibrated, bringing my attention back to it. ‘ Are you putting out new resumes soon?'

My stomach tightened into knots. ‘ Dude, I thought we were fragile today? Don't get serious on me.'

I wasn't lying either. I was feeling fragile. People, animals, and all kinds of supernaturals moved in all different directions. Fae zoomed overhead with their fluttering wings. Wolves darted through the crowd like dodging people was a fun obstacle course. No one gave a second look at the way they sprinted through the crowd. It was just sensory overload for a girl who hadn't been around more than three people at one time in months. Mistakes were made. I should have come back in September or November when the crowds were smaller. October and December brought in tourists who lived in First Realm with the humans, like me.

"JIMBO! SAL! DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!"

I froze at the sound of Lexington Prescott's voice, scanning the crowd for him until I spotted him standing in the middle of the sliding doors that led to the outside. He stood tall and menacing. I didn't need fae magic to read the furious aura radiating off of him. Nor did anyone else apparently as everyone scurried away from the near five-hundred-year-old vampire. His sapphire-blue eyes were glaring at something over my shoulder.

And then I registered what he'd said. Jimbo and Sal were two senior citizen mages, one of whom was my ex-boyfriend's grandfather. My pulse did weird things just thinking about Willem Bow, but I pushed that aside. Will was always off photographing supermodels and celebrities with his older brother, Archer. He definitely wouldn't be bothered with Halloween festivities on the Island.

Lexington's gaze landed on me and his eyes softened. "Indi Chase? Is that you?"

My cheeks warmed. I tucked my pink hair behind my ears and stopped in front of him. "Hi, Lex. Yes, it's me. Nice to see you—didn't realize you frequented the Island anymore."

He leaned in and kissed my cheek, which was usual for him. Then he arched one black eyebrow at me. "I could say the same to you."

I grinned. "It's been too long. I'm home to see Torren. You?"

"Home. Felt nice to say that, didn't it?"

I rolled my eyes. "Maybe. You didn't answer my question."

"Ah, yes . . . well, when I came home last December for my sister's engagement party, I wound up meeting my soulmate: a young mage named Carter who happens to be the Vauntero's new favorite event planner . . . so I'm here often now." He leaned around me and pointed. " CHILDREN . I CAN AND WILL CALL RIVEN. I HAVE HIM ON SPEED DIAL?—"

"There's no such thing as speed dial anymore, old man!" Jimbo said with a squeal of delight as he raced by us and out the front doors. I saw only a glimpse of a trench coat and a floppy hat before he vanished.

Sal skipped up to Lexington, wearing the same outfit as Jimbo, and wagged his bushy white eyebrows. When he grinned, I saw fangs. Fangs. On an old man. My jaw dropped. I was so shocked I'd missed whatever he'd said to Lex that caused the elder vampire to snarl and growl like he was going to bite him. Sal sprinted away.

"I'm sorry, did I see fangs on Sal?"

Lex groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yes. For reasons none of us can fathom, Prince Riven changed those two into vampires, and it has been chaos since."

I whistled and shook my head.

"The Halloween parade is starting now, so my job for the night is to help Carter by babysitting those wrinkled old children."

I nodded. "You better hurry then."

"Good to see you, Indi. You should stick around this time for good." He started to back away. "Drop your bags at the porter. Torren is in the parade."

Then he was gone.

Torren is in the parade? Oh boy. What has she gotten herself into? Then again, Lexington hadn't been introduced to my sister by me, so if he knows her by name, then he must actually know her . . . hell . . . maybe she DID make friends. That thought made me smile. But I needed to hurry. I definitely wanted to see her in this parade.

I looked up at the porter counter and spotted a friendly, familiar face and a wide smile spread across mine. Rick was an elderly member of the wolf pack and probably the nicest guy I'd ever met. When I'd first come to the Island, I'd been a little shy and had trouble making friends, so I wound up hanging around the station with Rick, who then introduced me to his pack.

His light-brown eyes widened when he saw me heading toward him. "Well, bless my soul! Is that you, Indi?"

"It's me!" I hurried over and threw my arms around him. "I missed you, Ricky!"

He hugged me tight, the way he always did. The way I'd always wished my grandfather would—if I'd had one. When he stepped back, he looked me up and down with a wide smile. "You look wonderful, dear. Oh, I can't believe you're finally home. Wait ‘til I tell Susan. She'll want to see you, of course?—"

"Of course." I grinned. "I hope to be here a few weeks at least, unless Torren doesn't want me to?—"

He laughed in a short, loud burst. "My dear, you have no idea. That sister of yours has been looking for you. And waiting patiently. You were gone too long."

My heart sank. That sister of yours has been looking for you. That made me want to vomit. "I know. I know. But I'm here now. And Lex just mentioned Torren is in the parade that's starting like right now?—"

"OH, my goodness me. Yes! Yes, she is! You better go." He pointed to my bags I'd sat on the ground. "Are those your bags?"

"Yeah, I realize I have no idea where Torren is living. She mentioned she'd moved but hadn't told me where, so I don't know where to go. I was going to call her?—"

"She won't have her phone on, but luckily, I know where she lives now." He shooed me toward the door with a jolly Santa Claus kind of chuckle. "Go on! Get over to Main Street where the view will be the best. But don't let her see you. She'll get flustered, and you know how that goes?—"

"Oh no. She's still doing that?" My poor baby sister had a knack for losing control of herself and making a mess. "Okay, I'll fly over as a bird. She won't see me until after. And my bags, I'll come back?—"

"Don't be silly. I'll have them sent to Torren's place. They'll be there before you will. Now go!"

"Thank you, Ricky! Tell Susan we'll have dinner!" I kissed him on the cheek, then took my cellphone and hurried out the door.

I was about to shift when my phone vibrated in my hand. When I looked down, I found about ten messages from Liam. With a curse, I opened them up and found him in a near panic that he'd unintentionally offended me. My heart sank.

‘ Sorry, Liam!! A few old friends stopped me and I missed your messages. You didn't upset me in any way.' And then I frowned. ‘ It's not like you to react like that . . . are YOU okay?'

Those bubbles popped up immediately. ‘ It's been a weird day . . . month . . . year. It's been a weird year for me.'

‘Well, given the pandemic, I'd say it's been a weird year for everyone. But anything current I should be worried about?'

He sent a gif of a person sighing. ‘ Honestly? IDK. I'm feeling weird about going home. Mixed feelings, conflicted feelings. But I'll be fine. Are you fine?'

‘We're always fine, aren't we, Arrow?'

‘lol fair. So I take it you made it home?'

‘Yep! I've dropped my bags and I'm off to surprise my sister at some event she's in.'

‘Well go on, GIT. Don't let me mess you up. Besides, I've gotta literally run back to my campsite and pack up so I don't miss my red-eye flight.'

I gnawed on my bottom lip as I walked to the corner of the train station. ‘ Can you PLEASE let me know when you get back to your car so I know you weren't eaten by a bear?'

‘Will do. Oh, and Andi . . . take a deep breath. It's just Torrey. She's going to be so excited to see you.'

‘Thanks, Liam.'

‘Go have some fun. Talk later!'

I smiled and shoved my phone in my back pocket. It took me a moment to rein in my erratic pulse, but once I did, I easily shifted into a colorful parrot—my go-to bird form because not many birds had the color pink in their feathers, so I tended to look really strange. A pink parrot was my perfect natural disguise. When humans did spot me, they just assumed I was somebody's pet that got loose.

It only took me a few minutes or less to fly over to Main Street, but the Island was in full Halloween swing already. The festival was up and running, though it looked mostly empty as almost everyone was surely at the parade. Everywhere I looked there were Jack-o'-lanterns with flickering flames, and the trees were gorgeous shades of red, orange, and yellow. Even at night their colors were breathtaking. Fake spiderwebs hung from the trees and decorated the doorways of the shops along Main Street. Candles magically hovered in the air along with bespelled brooms that flew through the night. The air was crisp and fresh, perfectly cool but not cold. I closed my eyes and let myself glide. I'd forgotten just how perfect the weather on the Island was this time of year.

" Okay, Ria. Headless Horseman has arrived. Send in the Torren."

I gasped and opened my eyes, then swooped down to where a pretty brunette stood holding a clipboard in one hand and a walkie-talkie in the other.

" THE Torren?" The woman on the other end of the line chuckled. "She's gonna love that. Roger that, Carter. THE Torren is on the way."

Carter. Lexington Prescott's soulmate.

She rolled her silver eyes. "Just be ready, Ria."

"For THE Torren. I know. We put her at the end for a reason. All of the Vaunteros are accounted for and conscious."

What the hell does THAT mean? I almost shifted back to ask Carter when a group of kids gasped and pointed to me. With a mental curse, I flew up and landed on a tree branch so no one else would spot me. My gaze was locked on the parade approaching this end of the street. Just as Carter had said, the Headless Horseman was galloping right up the middle of the street. For a moment, I forgot I was looking for Torren. This headless horseman was a cool new feature for the parade. With the smoke and fog and real fire on the horseman's torch, it was super cool-looking. That was definitely a mage under that costume because there were magic sparks all over the place.

Impatience ate at me and my feathers ruffled with my nerves. They'd said Torren was at the end, so I hopped off the branch and flew over the parade. At the front there were wolves followed by giant dancing skeletons and what looked like a reenactment of the Thriller music video. A fifteen-foot-tall pumpkin with a bonfire raging inside of it rolled down the street—I had to dodge those embers expertly. People dressed as zombies followed behind it, pretending to go up to the crowd to look for brains to eat, which made the little kids scream and giggle. It was spooky but definitely not scary. A float that looked like a massive cauldron went down the street next with a few mages standing on top and throwing potion bottles inside to make it splash with light and color. There were floats designated for dancing ghosts and several dedicated to horror films, with a few Mardi Gras style floats throwing light-up bead necklaces and candy to the crowd.

But I wanted to stop and watch Torren. More specifically, I didn't want her to see me. If she saw a random pink parrot, she'd know it was me, and the last thing I wanted to do was fluster her. I knew from experience how chaotic those results could be, so I found a low hanging branch with only a few leaves to sit and watch from.

A float went by that was just a cornfield on wheels—a scarecrow jumped out and everyone on my side of the street screamed, including me. But everyone laughed after as the float kept rolling with the parade. I smiled to myself. This was definitely a step up from the last Halloween parade I'd seen here. Carter had skill. My sister was still my focus. I looked to the right toward the end of the parade and spotted a giant panda bear skipping down the middle of the street. Every few feet the panda would trip and roll before landing flat on its back.

Torren.

She was still a few buildings down, so I quickly lost sight of her. I flew up to a higher branch, except when I looked, the panda was gone. My sister had turned herself into an alligator—who was playing an air guitar. Then she switched to a gorilla who darted from side to side to slam on the ground in front of kids just to make them squeal with delight. I shook my head. Torren. What a goofball. That patch of teal hair changed with her from gorilla, to rhino, to giant snake that made everyone cringe.

As the float in front of her rolled by me, I realized it held the entire Vauntero family. In the front, King and Queen Vauntero were standing with gorgeous crowns on and waving to the crowd. Queen Zenobia had little babies perched on each hip, and I wondered if they were twins. King Ailwin had a toddler sitting on his shoulders. Constantine was on the lower level of the float just below his parents, glaring at everyone. It had to be his favorite event of the year, where being a monster was exciting.

Mateo gasped from the side of the float, his eyes wide and his jaw dropped. " TORREN! "

But then he threw his head back and laughed along with the rest of his family—most of whom were watching my sister instead of the crowd. I followed their stares to find Torren had shifted into a Christmas reindeer and was running circles around the float. Even the crowd was laughing. When she emerged from the other side of the float, she did a little spin and shifted into a massive elephant.

She threw her trunk up and let out a few trumpets as she danced along with the parade. There was purple and orange fog swirling around her. She seemed to be totally in her element as she spun around and skipped. I'd never seen a full-grown elephant dance before, and judging by the reaction in the crowd, they hadn't either.

But with every spin and jump, the fog grew thicker and spread to the edge of the sidewalks. Torren hadn't noticed. She was too busy having the time of her life. My pulse quickened. I felt it coming before it happened. I knew my sister's luck too well. A split second later she trumpeted and did a pirouette . . . and her big elephant body landed right on top of the fog-concealed fire hydrant.

Water shot into the air like a geyser at Yellowstone.

People screamed and dove away from the water as Torren's elephant form went slip and sliding. A wave of water splashed onto the crowd of women in front of me who were trying to flee. The second the water slammed into them, they screeched and their legs turned into siren tails. In the beat of a moment, there had to be two dozen sirens flapping their colorful tails in the water spraying out of the broken hydrant, all of them looking rather defeated.

Everywhere else it was chaos and mayhem. People were trying to run but the water's force kept sweeping their legs out from under them. Everyone was screaming. Kids went flying left and right. I probably should've helped but I didn't know what to do. I also wasn't sure I'd ever seen a fire hydrant pack this much water power then again I didn't see them in action often.

"NASH" Torren screamed with little trumpets. She was trying to catch her footing, but those elephant feet weren't meant for that, so she just kept sliding. "NASH!"

How did she speak out loud while in elephant form?

" What do you want ME to do?" the guy I'd thought was Mateo yelled back, which meant yet again I'd confused the Vauntero twins. Nash laughed and shook his head as he held his arms out to the side. " SHIFT, TORREN!"

Torren's elephant eyes widened. There was a flash and then she was— oh my GOD. She's a KRAKEN! I laughed so hard I fell off the branch and had to catch myself on the lower one so I wouldn't fall to the ground.

There was my baby sister, a giant teal kraken throwing her tentacles out to catch people. Little kids were diving for her now, wrapping their arms around the tentacles and giggling like this was a ride at a carnival.

Torren threw one tentacle over the hydrant and plugged the hole. Her big kraken eyes blinked. "We're fine. Nothing to see here!"

Nash hung his head and laughed. The other Vaunteros were chuckling and clapping their hands, not phased even a little bit by my sister's chaos. Then a tall, gorgeous girl with long black hair and dark eyes came running up the sidewalk. She carried a clipboard and walkie-talkie in one hand and a wand in the other. Without wasting a second, she flicked her wand at the broken hydrant and everything went back to normal.

"We're good. Everything is fine back here," the heroine said into her walkie-talkie between breaths. I recognized her voice from before.

The walkie beeped, then I heard Carter say, "Ocean back in its containment area, Ria?"

"Ocean has been kicked off Main Street, roger that." Ria wiped water off her face and looked to Torren. "There is a kraken staring at me though. That's creepy, Torren. I will have nightmares from this."

"TORREN!" Nash yelled between laughs. He wiped at the tears in his eyes from laughing. "Shift please?"

It was weird to see a giant kraken flinch. But then it was my actual sister standing there with her long teal hair soaking wet. She grimaced at the sirens. "Sorry, guys?"

A redheaded girl standing between all the other sirens just waved her off. "Just another day in paradise for us."

"Easy for you to say, Reese!" A siren with purple scales on her tail groaned. She flicked black hair over her shoulder. "You didn't shift!"

Reese just shrugged, ignoring the other girl. "You're good, Torren. Keep going! Still a lot of parade left!"

Ria sighed. "Maybe cut the fog around Torren."

"Roger that, Ria," Carter said with a chuckle. "Send The Torren back in."

Torren buried her face in her hands, then lunged forward, shifting right back into her lovable panda form. The fog around her was barely there now, but at least the water was gone. The crowd had rallied around her and were now cheering her on and clapping.

"That's it. That's what makes our entire business." The black-haired siren with the purple tail slammed her palms into the ground, then pointed to Reese. "We need those necklaces to rent out to clients."

Reese shook her head and smirked. "Well, Chip, Peggy Bow made this."

"Then we need Peggy." Chip nodded and snapped her fingers in front of another brunette's face. "Pickles, are you listening?"

The other girl, Pickles as she called her, was looking up at the sky with a frown. "Is that the Fruit Loops bird?"

I gasped. Uh oh.

The other sirens all looked right up at me with wide eyes.

"No," Reese said with a laugh. "That's a pink parrot. Though I have no idea how it got here."

That's my cue to leave. I squawked, then flapped my wings and took off. This time I followed right behind Torren but up above her so she wouldn't see me. If she saw me now after what had just happened, she'd be mortified and that would make it worse, so I just followed behind the parade so I could follow her home.

I had a lot of questions.