C3 THREE

The Mind's Construction

ROSE

There's no art to find the mind's construction in the face.

— William Shakespeare, Macbeth

WATER DRIPPED FROM Jasmine’s short brown hair as she shivered on the front porch, her backpack at her feet. Her pale skin and hazel eyes with smudged mascara made her face look haunted, fragile.

For all her teenage attitude and sauciness, she was still just my little sister. I pulled her into a hug. “Jasmine, I’ve missed you. I’m so glad you’re here, but how...?”

She stepped back, tears in her eyes. “Buses, mostly. Walked some. You guys aren’t on any bus routes here.” She peeked around me into the foyer where Derek and Tammy stood. “Nice house.”

“Come in.” I grabbed her backpack and ushered her in, closing the door against the rain and cold.

Derek brought her a towel. “You can dry off with this, and we’ll get you a room set up.”

She snatched the towel, staring at Derek, her body stiff. “Thanks. I hope it’s okay I’m here?”

I wrapped my arm around her. “Of course it is.” Looking at Derek, I arched my eyebrow and hoped I hadn’t overstepped my bounds. “Right?”

Derek nodded. “Of course.”

Tammy huffed, arms crossed over her chest. “How do we know we can trust her? She stayed with the coven, with Rainbow, after they attacked us. She helped them get the roses.”

Jasmine dropped her head. “I’m sorry. I know that’s not enough, but I didn’t know how bad she’d gotten. I was scared.” She sought my eyes. “Mother’s been acting weird. Talking about blood magic and claiming the power of the roses. She even... she talked about a sacrifice. I think human.”

We, of course, already knew that. Blake had told me that Rainbow needed a human sacrifice to seal the deal. It was going to be me, but when I left, Jasmine was the next in line. Did she know who Mother intended to kill?

“You were right," Jasmine said. "I never should have stayed. It’s just not easy to defy her; you know that. At least you had Derek and Ocean. You’re an adult. I didn’t have anyone.” She shivered again and I led her upstairs to the room Lauren had prepared for her.

“You’ve always had me and Ocean.” I put her backpack next to the double bed. “This is your room. There’s a private bathroom attached. If you need anything, Derek and I are just down the hall. So is Ocean.”

Ocean came in and hugged Jasmine. “I’m glad you’re here.”

Derek stood at the door. “I know you want to get cleaned up and in dry clothes, but we need to learn where your mother and Blake are. Where the roses are.”

“We were staying at an abandoned warehouse near the harbor, but they were about to move again when I left. I don’t think you’ll find anything.”

Tammy had joined Derek, still scowling. “So why leave now? What changed?”

“I just told you, it started getting creepy.” Jasmine looked like she was fighting back tears. “Mother turned dark, angry, messing with things she shouldn’t be. I realized you’d been right all along and came to find you.”

“Can you write down where this warehouse is? I’ll take a crew over to see if we can track them.” Tammy still didn’t look happy about having Jasmine around, but at least she had a new lead. They had some hope.

Jasmine wrote down the directions and handed the paper to Tammy. “I hope you find her.”

Tammy nodded sharply and left. Derek reached for my hand, squeezed it in unspoken support, and followed his sister out.

While Ocean went to ransack her own closet to bring Jasmine some dry clothes, I walked her to the bathroom and started a bath. It had been so long since Jasmine and I had talked, that I found I didn’t know what to say to her anymore. She’d become a stranger to me and that broke my heart.

“How’s Blake?” It was all I could think to ask, and as angry as I was for his betrayal, I also knew that the demon he’d become had been more a friend to me than the real Blake had ever been. He’d spared our lives and given us vital information about Rainbow’s plans.

Plus, the memory of my time with him, of the attraction I’d felt, still lingered. I loved Derek and would never want to be with anyone but him, but that didn’t mean I’d stopped caring about Blake entirely.

“He’s having a hard time. He and Mother argue a lot. It gets pretty violent. I think he misses you.” She stood, towel in hand, bath ready.

I took the hint and kissed her on the cheek. “I’m glad you came, Jasmine. I was so worried about you.”

Closing the door behind me, I thought about how much our lives had changed in such a short period of time. I still missed my dog, Sandy. She’d been my constant companion, one killed by a fire when the old Blake had burned down Derek’s family cabin. I missed the day-to-day routine of coven life, the familiarity and comfort of that community. And, if I was being honest with myself, I missed my own innocence and ignorance. It weighed heavy on me, facing how evil Mother truly was. Seeing my whole life through new eyes, I didn't want to go back to the past, but I mourned its loss nonetheless.

But having Jasmine back made everything so much better. My new life with Derek and his family and Ocean had almost been perfect, but for worry over my sister. Now that I knew she was safe, a weight of worry fell off my shoulders, even as other worries replaced it.

Ocean brought an armful of clothes and dropped them on the bed. “That should get her by for awhile.”

“Thanks, Ocean. I could have given her some of mine, though.”

Ocean made a gagging face. “Don’t you think the girl has been through enough, without subjecting her to your wardrobe malfunction on top of it?”

I laughed and swatted her arm. “You over exaggerate. I’m not that bad. Derek hasn’t complained.”

“From what I hear, you aren’t wearing much of anything when he’s around.”

Blood rushed to my face, burning my cheeks red.

Ocean giggled at my embarrassment. “For all your kink, you’re still such a shy school girl. Get over it. Embrace it. You certainly deserve it.”

“Thanks. Things are going well with him.” Understatement of the year.

“Seems so. You two are absolutely adorable together. Now, about tonight... ”

My face fell. “I’ll have to cancel, now that Jasmine’s here.”

“I knew you’d say that, and I forbid it. You need this. Derek needs this. I'll keep Jas company and make sure she gets settled in. You are not changing your plans, you hear me? By the way, I laid out some clothes for you as well. They’re on your bed. You’re welcome.” She sauntered out, hand on hip, and I thought once again how blessed I was to have such an awesome best friend, even if she did treat me like her own personal Barbie Doll.

With some trepidation, I left Jasmine to her bath and went to see what new torture Ocean had planned for me.