need to talk to you about something.”
“Not happening,” Kaitlyn answered.
“It’s important.”
“Then talk.”
Angie twisted her fingers together. “It’s private.”
Julia almost groaned. Angie made it sound like she needed to ask for a tampon.
“How sad,” Kaitlyn said with a fake laugh. “She wants to make nice, maybe have a sleepover and invite me to join her in hideous hair color.”
This was so pointless. “Forget it, Angie. Let’s go.”
“No. We have to show her.”
One of Kaitlyn’s snobby friends pulled her away. “Ignore them, Kaitlyn. It’s like when people try to sell you phones at the mall. You just keep walking.”
“No,” Kaitlyn said. Her eyes narrowed on Angie. “Show me what, Angie?”
“We found a picture of you on the internet,” Angie said.
Kaitlyn’s lovely face turned white. Her friends hung back, delighted and appalled. “You have two minutes,” Kaitlyn said, storming to the locker room.
They followed Kaitlyn to the shower room, the only sure place no one ever went in. “I’ve been waiting for you to drop your too-good-to-be-true act,” Kaitlyn spat. “Where is it? What website is it at? I won’t be blackmailed.”
Angie looked to Julia. “Go on, show her.”
“Okay,” Julia said, digging through her backpack. Why did she get the feeling this would not turn out well?
“This is going to sound strange,” Angie began, “but have you ever heard of the Fates? Past, Present, and Future?”
Julia couldn’t believe Angie wanted to tell Kaitlyn the whole freaking story. She pulled out the printed picture.
Kaitlyn snatched it from her hands. “What the hell is this?”
“It’s a painting. Of you,” Julia said, her stomach turning to jelly. This sounded lame. Lame, lame, lame.
“But it’s not just any painting, it’s over two hundred years old,” Angie continued. “We have a connection.”
Kaitlyn looked at the picture for a long second. “This is incredible.” Her gaze went from Julia to Angie. “Take a couple of dumbasses, mix in boredom and a photo cropping program, and you get a sad, pathetic attempt at a joke.”
“It’s not a joke.”
“Good, because it’s not funny.” She crumpled the paper and tossed it into the sink. “This must be awkward for you both, so I’ll leave. Bye, losers.”
“Wait!” Julia called. They couldn’t let her leave! When would they have her alone again before midnight? She grabbed Kaitlyn’s arm. The mark on Julia’s shoulder grew deliciously warm. “Oh my gosh,” she breathed. Julia’s eyes closed as power flooded her. Kaitlyn really was the third Daughter.
“Get your hands off me!”
Julia and Angie’s eyes met. The time had come. No more questions. No more talking. Angie placed her hand on Kaitlyn’s other arm.
“What are you doing?”
Angie’s eyes closed. Julia grabbed her free hand so the three of them were all connected. The power was so satisfying, so ... right.
Kaitlyn struggled, but Julia couldn’t let go now. Not if someone offered her a treasure. Not for anything.
“Get the hell away from me or—” Kaitlyn broke off as anawful sound ripped from her throat, and Julia knew the magic had found its way to the final Daughter.
Chapter 6
Kaitlyn
Kaitlyn choked back another cry. Waves of heat flooded her. She struggled against Angie and her bushy-haired friend, but their hands tightened around her arms, their fingers biting into her flesh.
How dare they?
Her vision flashed white. The world spun. She squeezed her eyes shut at the rush of blazing energy. It buzzed through every muscle in her body, deep inside her until it seemed to tear her apart. The power filled her with excruciating heat. She couldn’t help crying out. Her skin would melt if she didn’t break free. She thrashed around, but these girls were freakishly strong. They kept pumping her full of pain and fire. It was a prank gone too far and her heart filled with panic.
“ No ,” she screamed, yanking
“Not happening,” Kaitlyn answered.
“It’s important.”
“Then talk.”
Angie twisted her fingers together. “It’s private.”
Julia almost groaned. Angie made it sound like she needed to ask for a tampon.
“How sad,” Kaitlyn said with a fake laugh. “She wants to make nice, maybe have a sleepover and invite me to join her in hideous hair color.”
This was so pointless. “Forget it, Angie. Let’s go.”
“No. We have to show her.”
One of Kaitlyn’s snobby friends pulled her away. “Ignore them, Kaitlyn. It’s like when people try to sell you phones at the mall. You just keep walking.”
“No,” Kaitlyn said. Her eyes narrowed on Angie. “Show me what, Angie?”
“We found a picture of you on the internet,” Angie said.
Kaitlyn’s lovely face turned white. Her friends hung back, delighted and appalled. “You have two minutes,” Kaitlyn said, storming to the locker room.
They followed Kaitlyn to the shower room, the only sure place no one ever went in. “I’ve been waiting for you to drop your too-good-to-be-true act,” Kaitlyn spat. “Where is it? What website is it at? I won’t be blackmailed.”
Angie looked to Julia. “Go on, show her.”
“Okay,” Julia said, digging through her backpack. Why did she get the feeling this would not turn out well?
“This is going to sound strange,” Angie began, “but have you ever heard of the Fates? Past, Present, and Future?”
Julia couldn’t believe Angie wanted to tell Kaitlyn the whole freaking story. She pulled out the printed picture.
Kaitlyn snatched it from her hands. “What the hell is this?”
“It’s a painting. Of you,” Julia said, her stomach turning to jelly. This sounded lame. Lame, lame, lame.
“But it’s not just any painting, it’s over two hundred years old,” Angie continued. “We have a connection.”
Kaitlyn looked at the picture for a long second. “This is incredible.” Her gaze went from Julia to Angie. “Take a couple of dumbasses, mix in boredom and a photo cropping program, and you get a sad, pathetic attempt at a joke.”
“It’s not a joke.”
“Good, because it’s not funny.” She crumpled the paper and tossed it into the sink. “This must be awkward for you both, so I’ll leave. Bye, losers.”
“Wait!” Julia called. They couldn’t let her leave! When would they have her alone again before midnight? She grabbed Kaitlyn’s arm. The mark on Julia’s shoulder grew deliciously warm. “Oh my gosh,” she breathed. Julia’s eyes closed as power flooded her. Kaitlyn really was the third Daughter.
“Get your hands off me!”
Julia and Angie’s eyes met. The time had come. No more questions. No more talking. Angie placed her hand on Kaitlyn’s other arm.
“What are you doing?”
Angie’s eyes closed. Julia grabbed her free hand so the three of them were all connected. The power was so satisfying, so ... right.
Kaitlyn struggled, but Julia couldn’t let go now. Not if someone offered her a treasure. Not for anything.
“Get the hell away from me or—” Kaitlyn broke off as anawful sound ripped from her throat, and Julia knew the magic had found its way to the final Daughter.
Chapter 6
Kaitlyn
Kaitlyn choked back another cry. Waves of heat flooded her. She struggled against Angie and her bushy-haired friend, but their hands tightened around her arms, their fingers biting into her flesh.
How dare they?
Her vision flashed white. The world spun. She squeezed her eyes shut at the rush of blazing energy. It buzzed through every muscle in her body, deep inside her until it seemed to tear her apart. The power filled her with excruciating heat. She couldn’t help crying out. Her skin would melt if she didn’t break free. She thrashed around, but these girls were freakishly strong. They kept pumping her full of pain and fire. It was a prank gone too far and her heart filled with panic.
“ No ,” she screamed, yanking
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