The girl’s head jerked backward, her expression incredulous. “No, I don’t. It’s a translation charm. All those with magic possess it. Any idiot knows that.”
I blinked. “Oh. Um, sorry. Listen, could you help me? I’m in a lot of trouble.”
The girl chewed on the inside of her lip and raised her eyebrows at me. “Like everyone else isn’t in trouble right now? Have you noticed the war?”
I shook my head. “Right, sorry. Sorry. I just—I, um, cast a spell that went horribly wrong. It was a teleportation spell.” How do I explain that I’m from the future? Even for a witch, that’s far-fetched.
Before I could continue, she interrupted. “You really are an idiot. There is no teleportation spell. Don’t you think we would’ve evacuated more civilians that way?”
My head reared back in surprise, and I laughed awkwardly. “I’m sorry. I’m not from this time period. Or even this country. There might not be a teleportation spell now, but there will be in a hundred years. I used it, and I ended up here.”
The girl’s eyes narrowed as she scrutinized me. With an eye-roll and a groan, she jerked her head behind her to indicate I should follow. “I’ll bring you to Alba. She’ll know what to do.”
I hesitated. This girl is super hostile. Do I really want to just blindly follow her?
The girl faced me again, her eyebrows lowering. Then she stepped closer to me, her voice an undertone as she said, “We’re already in enough danger with this battle going on. I can help you, but your presence here threatens everything we’re trying to protect. I need you to come with me now before someone finds out you’re here.”
Swallowing, I nodded. “Right. Okay, thanks. I’m Desiree—call me Desi. What’s your name?”
“Elena,” she said shortly without looking at me. “Try and keep up.”
Chapter 5
ELENA STRODE BACK DOWN the road, and I hurried to match her pace, my head spinning from fatigue and dehydration. She led me back past the courthouse and down a wide main road. We passed a huge, towering church with beautifully sculpted columns and domes followed by a subdivision of two- and three-story houses with ornate staircases, circular gardens, and iron fences.
For what seemed like hours, I followed her in silence, my shorter and feebler legs struggling to keep up with her brisk pace. Exhaustion pulled at every muscle in my body, but my legs shuffled forward of their own accord.
Elena led me along a smaller side road, and the farther we walked, the less impressive the buildings looked. The front yards disappeared. The houses squashed closer and closer together. We turned down a narrow, dirt road with a long, uniform stretch of concrete apartments, all connected like some tiny, ghetto strip mall. A thin sidewalk lined the buildings, leaving no space for any kind of foliage or curb appeal.
When we reached a particularly nasty building with rust, chipped paint, and a foul odor that smelled a lot like vomit, Elena stopped and raised her hands. She placed her palms against the faded red door and closed her eyes.
A faint warbling sound prickled my ears, and Elena’s hands started to glow like the sun. The surface of the door rippled like water until her arms slid through, followed by the rest of her body.
I took a step backward in surprise before her impatient voice echoed, “Come on.”
Swallowing, I stared at the door, which still rippled. Then, I pressed my hand into it. I crashed through the door as if it were a waterfall, and my torso and legs flopped forward with all the grace I could muster while falling.
Elena stepped aside to avoid my fall, but I caught myself in time to prevent another faceplant. I cleared my throat and straightened, trying to ignore Elena’s smirk. Before I could manage a witty reply to save face, I noticed our surroundings, my mouth hanging open.
The area was identical to the road and apartments we’d just come from, but it was somehow different. The air smelled fresher and crisper, and I couldn’t quite place why. It smelled like someone was making some homemade meal from my childhood, but I couldn’t remember which one. The sun and sky looked just a shade greener than the blinding yellow from earlier, and it was a welcome relief on my eyes.
I glanced behind us, and the same red door stood there innocently. My mouth curved into a half smile.
Screams echoed in the distance. Explosions thundered, but they were different from the battle on the hills. Energy and electricity tickled my nose. The scent was so familiar, like fireworks mingled with lemon zest and cinnamon.
They were magical explosions.
The smile slid off my face. I looked at Elena, whose teeth were clenched. She tugged my elbow and said, “Follow me.”
I stumbled forward to keep up with her quickened pace. She weaved through alleys and narrow streets we hadn’t been down before, clearly avoiding the main roads. We entered what appeared to be a small, abandoned restaurant. Chairs and tables were overturned and broken, and shutters covered the windows. Murmurs and whispers reached my ears, but the area was empty.
I squinted as my eyes adjusted to the darkness. Then Elena spoke next to me.
“Magic above and powers from there,
Reveal what has been hidden from me.”
I frowned and was about to say that her spell hadn’t rhymed when I remembered Elena was speaking Spanish. My brain ached to think about it—did that mean, to her ears, I was speaking Spanish, too?—so I pushed it from my mind.
Magic rippled around me, and the chairs and tables righted themselves, like an invisible hand was cleaning up the room. The shutters fell from the windows, and people materialized in the chairs in front of us.
My jaw dropped as I gazed around with wide eyes. Several pairs of eyes scrutinized me, some with suspicion and others with mere curiosity. Most were women clad in long, flowy dresses and skirts like Elena, but
