Sara sat down again and looked at her hands folded in her lap. Tears slowly slid down her cheeks to land in wet drops on her khaki pants. “I don’t know if you can fight it. I wish we could postpone this until you are older, stronger.”
“I’m both, Mom. You did great, but now it’s my turn to take care of the family. But I’m going to need your help.”
Sara wiped at her own tears, and nodded her head in understanding. “Okay. What do you need me to do?”
Chapter 6
Walking to school the next morning, Mina felt like a completely different person. She had answers to questions that had been plaguing her for years, though not all of them. She knew why her family moved so much, why her mother always discouraged her from trying out for sports, from submitting to her school paper, or trying to get noticed in any way. She felt as if her crazy teenage life now had meaning, a purpose. She was a Grimm and had a legacy to uphold. The fate of future generations of Grimms depended on her to finish the Story and break the curse on her family.
Mina had plenty of time to think everything over as she walked to school. She had told her mother about the mix-up at the Carmichaels’ and the fate of her bike, but had convinced her not to call up the Carmichaels in a fit and to let it go.
“Really, Mom, it was my fault, not theirs. I left the bike in the middle of the driveway. Plus, I wouldn’t have been there if your boss Terry hadn’t gotten the families mixed up.”
“I don’t understand—there’s only one Carmichael family. And you said they weren’t expecting us? Pretty strange.”
Mina darted out of the door the minute her mother picked up the phone to call her boss. When it started to sprinkle, she wished she would have checked the forecast.
A tingling sensation on the back of Mina’s neck alerted her that she was being followed. Picking up her pace, Mina kept her head up and tried not to make eye contact. She was preparing to bolt when a car pulled up next to her and rolled down its window.
Mina wasn’t sure what to expect: robbers, kidnappers, perhaps someone who was going to ask for directions and then force her in their car. What she didn’t expect was the polite way in which the driver asked, “Need a ride?”
“No, thanks,” Mina shot back. She picked up her pace, refusing to look at the driver. The rain started to come down in bigger droplets, making her squint.
“Mina…please.”
Mina’s head turned in surprise to see Brody Carmichael driving alongside her in his SUV. She faltered in her footsteps but kept moving. How did he find her? How did he know where she lived? She knew her phone number and address were unlisted.
“Mina, I’m so very sorry about your bike. It was an accident.” Brody looked apologetic. Mina stopped walking. “The least you could do is let me give you a ride to school. It’s raining.”
It was raining, hard.
Mina blinked the rain out of her eyes and shivered. Whether it was from the cold or the idea of sitting less than a foot from Brody Carmichael, she wasn’t sure. But when her teeth started to chatter, Brody darted out into the rain and ran to the passenger’s door to open it for her. “Get in, before you get sick.”
Mina bobbed her head in answer and slid in, her wet jeans sticking miserably to the leather. Her hair was now soaking wet, and large drops of water were dripping onto the seats of his car.
“I’m sorry.” Mina’s teeth chattered as Brody ducked back into the car.
His large hand went to the console and turned on the heat. He twisted in his seat and reached behind him to pull a clean shirt out of his gym bag. “Here, use this.” He took the shirt and gently tried to wipe the water from her face.
Mina jumped from the touch, and he held out the shirt in a peace offering. “Sorry,” she said again.
Brody smiled out of the corner of his mouth. “You sure do apologize a lot, when it’s not even your fault.”
“I’m getting your seat all wet.” She tried to use the shirt to wipe off the pools of water on the leather, but he reached out and touched her hand, stopping her efforts.
“It’s just a car. It’ll dry.” He looked at Mina, and her heart fluttered. He meant it; he wasn’t lying or trying to appease her. He didn’t care about the car at all.
Mina let the heat of the car soak into her bones—no, wait, those were Brody’s heated seats. She was so nervous; she didn’t know what to say or where to look. Should she talk to him, look at him, ask him about his family? She couldn’t decide, so Mina did none of these things, staring quietly out the passenger window instead.
Brody cleared his throat. “You know, you’re one hard person to find.”
Mina turned to look at him. “What do you mean? You were looking for me?”
Brody cast her a quick glance before focusing on driving again. “Well, I tried to call you to apologize, but you were unlisted, and then no one I knew had your cell number.”
“I don’t have a cell phone.” Mina felt her cheeks turn pink; she must be the only girl in high school without a phone. “I’m also not friends with anyone you would know.”