The Palindromes Book 1: Palindrome
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Morgana Ville
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Prey
HANNAH
MAY 1
This is it.
The knife slipped, slicing my finger. My heart pounded as the blood mixed with the lemon juice, creating an intricate pattern that held me hypnotized. She had never spoken before, never like this.
My mom said she heard her in moments of danger, but what could be the danger here? I dragged my eyes from the crimson blood and let them glide over the diner. Nothing seemed amiss.
Evans drank his lemonade, an empty plate in front of him. Oscar, my coworker for four years, was singing softly to himself as he wiped down a table. A road crew waited for breakfast.
Instead of calming down, my pulse quickened. What was happening?
A small bell sounded, alerting me that someone was approaching. Before I could see who it was, Oscar came behind the counter and gasped when he saw all the blood.
“Hannah! Are you okay?”
I’d forgotten about the cut. Now that he’d reminded me, I could feel the pain humming from my finger. I shook my head, dismissing his concern.
“Nothing to worry about, I wasn’t thinking. The knife slipped.”
He pulled me to the sink and held my hand under cold water. His thumb caressed my arm in what was supposed to be a soothing gesture, but it just annoyed me.
I loved Oscar; he was my best friend, but I didn’t want more. He often hinted at it, but never said anything straight to my face. I pulled my hand gently from his grip and pretended I didn’t see the hurt in his eyes.
“It’s okay, it’s stopped bleeding. See?” I held out my hand as evidence.
He nodded once and turned to pull out the first aid kit.
The diner had fallen quiet. The sound of small laughter made me look up, and there he was.
I didn’t see anything beyond his eyes. They dragged me into an abyss. How could they hold so much?
In the pale blue, I saw wisdom, anger, love, humor, fear, desire, hatred, and curiosity. I know I didn’t blink, but suddenly he was gone, and an eternity had passed.
Oscar reached for my hand again, and I let him take it. Confusion made my head spin.
The chatter in the diner was back to normal, or maybe it never had been quiet? Nothing seemed wrong. Just a tingling on my back told me something had happened.
Who was he?
As Oscar put the bandage on, I leaned sideways. There was a table down the back that hadn’t been occupied earlier. Now I saw two people sitting there.
How did they get there so fast? Who was the one with the eyes?
“Hannah?!”
Oscar’s tone suggested he’d said my name several times. I shook my head and smiled.
“Sorry.”
He stared at me. “Are you sure you don’t need to sit down? I can manage.”
I patted his hand and told him not to worry. “We have customers.”
My hand shook as I pulled my notebook from the little pocket in my apron. Three deep breaths, and I felt more grounded.
The walk down to the table seemed to take much longer than usual. The sun made little rays of light dance on the wall, and one of them hit his hair, igniting it. Mahogany, gold, and amber, all hidden in the dark brown.
I heard my ragged breath as I stopped, turned, and faced them.
They were brothers, that was clear. But very different. The one to the left was big.
His muscles threatened to pull the seams on his sweater. He had a shit-eating grin as he sized me up. The other one was slighter.
Still muscular, but more compact. He seemed to be in more control of his body. He kept his head down.
Why did I already miss his blue eyes?
“What can I serve you on this fine morning, Sirs?”
Two pairs of eyes looked up at me simultaneously, the intensity in them making me feel like prey. I recognized the blue eyes, but it was the other one who spoke.
“We’ll have two steak sandwiches, rare, and two lemonades. With freshly cut lemons.” He smirked at the last part.
I wrote it down, without meeting their eyes.
“That’s all?”
The one who ordered—I imagined him as the oldest—looked at Blue Eyes with a question on his face, but they both shook their heads.
As I walked away, I couldn’t resist glancing back. Blue Eyes sat with his back to me, but the other one followed my movements.
Blue Eyes dragged his hand through his dark hair and said something that made Big Brother focus on him.
I closed my eyes in prayer; I knew something bad was about to happen. If I had believed in the Devil, I would have found my silver cross.
I delivered their order to Mary, the chef, before excusing myself. In the bathroom, I tried to summon someone to give me answers, but it was quiet—I was on my own, it seemed.
Well, I wasn’t powerless; I would manage. Manage what? my brain screamed at me. I could look in the books when I got home, but I didn’t know what to look for; I needed to know more.
My few moments alone had strengthened me, and my back was straight as I ventured out.
I prepped the lemonades, checking the lemon slices for blood, and walked over with more confidence this time. I opened my mind to the energy coming from the two men and studied them as I got closer.
The eldest was good-looking, about twenty-five years old, with dirty blond hair. His eyes were brown, but he avoided meeting my gaze.
I could see the veins popping out from his arm, and the T-shirt was tight around his biceps. The ladies in town would go berserk over this one.
As for the other… I hesitated before glancing his way, but he wasn’t looking at me. He studied the glass in front of him as if it were a Ming dynasty vase.
He’s reciting something. My brow furrowed. Could they be witches? No, I would have noticed that.
Not to mention, they would have come to me first, out of respect.
His hair was like an updated fifties style, his eyebrows a nice bow. Since he had his eyes cast downward, I could see his long lashes.
Straight nose, soft stubble. In a flash, I saw his lips against my neck. The image disappeared as soon as it came, thank the gods.
He could be around twenty-two or twenty-three years old. His hands gripped the glass, and I saw he had tattoos on his fingers.
They both gave off a bad boy energy. There was nothing more to find; they were closed off, making them feel even more dangerous.
I smiled at them and took a step back.
“I’ll be right over with your food.”
The smiles in return felt like predators baring their teeth.
I felt the need for more protection, so I cast a small spell as I waited for the food, after taking a glance around me. I took some salt in my hand and murmured so nobody would hear me.
Elements of the moon, elements of the Night
Please come to sight
Powers of Night, powers of Day
I summon thee
I call upon thee
To protect me
So mote it be.
I repeated the chant three times and had just finished when Mary put the plates in front of me. She gave me a weird look but said nothing.
As I came closer to the table, I saw Blue Eyes look at me with raised brows, his lips curling into a smirk. I tilted my head. Could it be that he felt I’d cast a protection spell?
Then I was right to do so. I put the plates down before them, blood dripping off the meat. I smiled at them and wished them a satisfying meal.
The eldest started digging in at once, but Blue Eyes finally met my eyes. They were filled with laughter and admiration.
***
I cleared tables and chatted with Evans, one of our regulars, while I kept an eye on the brothers as they ate. They spoke occasionally but mostly focused on their meal.
Evans distracted me by taking my hand. “You look tired, kid. Is everything all right? You tell me if you need some help at the house, you hear me?”
Evans had known my parents, and he felt an obligation to check up on me from time to time.
I squeezed his hand. “I didn’t sleep well last night, that’s all. But I could use some help trimming the hedge; I don’t know if I’m strong enough to hold the cutter up that long.”
Evans looked pleased that I’d asked for his help, and he promised to stop by later in the week.
Mom had imprinted on me this notion from when I was little: everyone needs to feel useful. If someone offers help, then say yes.
You don’t need spells to make a person feel good about themselves.
I topped up his coffee and froze. I turned slowly—both men were standing there, waiting. I could see that the spell had worked; they kept a certain distance.
The brothers were dressed casually, but their clothes were obviously of excellent quality—designer jeans and sneakers that would make Kanye West jealous. Blue Eyes wore a leather jacket that looked vintage; he stood close enough that I could see the Rolex on his wrist.
I clapped my hands together, feigning nonchalance. “Leaving so soon? Are you visiting someone in town?” I tried to sound innocent, but they weren’t fooled.
“Ahh, moving here actually,” he said.
This was the first time Blue Eyes had spoken to me. I swallowed hard; his voice felt like forbidden fruit.
“Really? Where?” I didn’t care if I sounded rude or out of breath.
The smirk appeared again. “We’re moving into the old Pevensy house.”
My eyes widened in surprise. Pevensy had been the wealthiest man in town—at least, he had been; he’d died a month ago.
The heirs had quarreled over the estate, but now they’d reached an agreement. The grand house was too big for this town; it would have fit better in Beverly Hills, but Mr. Pevensy had liked his luxury.
“Well, good luck with that.”
He smiled and handed me his card so he could settle the bill. I went behind the desk and snuck a glance at the name on the card before I swiped it.
William Adamson. He reached for it before I could see the year he was born. I handed it back to him, his index finger brushing mine briefly beneath the card, making my cut burn again.
Before they left, William glanced at my nametag, which read, HANNA. Paul, my boss, had given it to me, and I hadn’t bothered to correct it.
“I’m sorry if I seem rude, Hanna. But isn’t your name spelled with two H’s?” He met my eyes again; the laughter was gone. Now they held only darkness.
Game on, the voice inside me whispered. Instead of revealing my fear, I smiled my meanest smile at him.
“Well, yes. Yes, it is. William.”
I watched as they got into a shiny black Shelby Mustang, one of the new ones. To my surprise, it was William who got behind the wheel.
I would have guessed the older brother would be the driver. His eyes were hidden behind dark sunglasses, but he nodded at me when he saw me looking.
Luckily, my shift was ending soon, and this whole incident had thrown me off, even though nothing had really happened.
Evans got up to leave and patted me on the shoulder. “Who was that?”
I kept watching the car until it was out of sight. “They’ve just moved into the Pevensy house.”
Evans made a guttural noise. “Really? Hmm, must be a wealthy family then.”
I didn’t respond, and he grabbed his hat and said goodbye, promising to stop by soon to see to the hedge.
As I took one last look out the window, I was sure of one thing. They weren’t entirely human.
