Page 51 of Rejected Nanny Mate
“Help me!” Rhie was shouting, and it sounded like she was on the verge of collapsing. “Please! I can't keep running!”
I started off toward the sound, but something held me back. “Rhie?” I called, but there was no answer. Rose whimpered in my arms, and I clutched her tight. “It's okay, sweetheart,” I murmured. “It's okay.”
Was it, though? Chasing anything down with the baby in my arms was reckless, but if I waited, it might be too late for Rhie. I exhaled slowly, making up my mind. I'd see if I could easily find her, and if there was danger, I'd go back for Joe. But if Rhie had just fallen and broken her ankle or gotten caught in an old bear trap, I'd free her first.
I took off at a run, and even though Rose was a baby, her reflexes were fast. She wrapped her arms around my neck and tucked her head into the crook of my shoulder. I couldn't tell where Rhie was, but I did my best to follow her voice. It wasn't hard, though. She kept yelling.
“Help! Please! I need help!
“Rhie, keep talking!” I called out. “I'm coming to help you! Just tell me where you are!”
“Gwen? I'm over here!”
I ran in the direction of her voice, and finally, my eyes caught sight of the pale form of my friend, her back pressed against a tree, hiding. Her face was tear-streaked, and she was panting as if she'd run multiple miles. I gasped when I saw the blood covering her clothes and the dirt all over her, like she'd been digging through the ground.
“Rhie,” I whispered. “What happened?”
She shook her head, unable to speak for a moment, and then finally choked out, “The surge.”
Before I could respond, Rhie's eyes fixed on something over my shoulder, and she screamed hoarsely. “It's right there! We have to run!”
I could smell the ozone and feel the pressure of the air around us changing as it grew closer. Without thinking, I shoved Rose into Rhie's arms and called my power forth, whipping around to face the surge. It was a foolish move. I wasn't well trained, and my magic was still weak, but I had to do something to protect my friend and my precious Rose. Even if it killed me in the process.
“Rhie, run!” I told her, voice thin, “I'm going to handle it. Get Rose back to the cafe and tell Joe where I am!”
I didn't hear her leave, but she could have been waiting for just the right moment. I was afraid. Of course, I was afraid. But as much of a house mouse as I was, I was still willing to fight if it meant protecting someone I cared about.
My palms glowed, and I held them forward just as the distortion became visible, barreling towards us—
And then I was being shoved out of the way, and another taller, beautiful woman stepped into my place. Where my power glowed white or light pink, Mia's was a brilliant jewel-toned green, and her power was so strong that it kicked the leaves up around us in a whirlwind. When her magic met the surge's, they crackled, and Mia screamed in pain as her feet were pushed back across the forest floor, but she didn't give in. Her magic rose, and she pushed back hard. Step by step, Mia managed to drive the surge away, and then, with one guttural yell, she swept her hands hard to the side, and the distortion in the air vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
The shockwave of Mia banishing the magic made my ears pop, but she'd done it. We were safe.
Mia, panting, blood running from one of her nostrils, held her hands out to Rhie. My friend handed Rose over instantly, but I didn't miss how Rose looked towards me with worry as Mia took her. It made my hands itch to pluck the baby out of Mia's arms, but what sort of monster would I be to snatch her baby away when she had just saved us?
“Thank you...” Rhie breathed, looking at Mia in awe. “Thank you so much. I've never seen anything like that before.”
“You're welcome,” she said, almost dismissively. Most of her attention was on me, and she wasn't happy. “Why in the fuck are you out here in the middle of the woods with my baby?”
I bristled. “Excuse me? I was taking care of her until you got here.”
“Like hell you were!” She shouted. “You were endangering her life! That thing could have killed all three of you! What would you have done then, huh?”
“That's enough,” Joe's voice cut through the night like a knife, and his appearance made both Rhie and me gasp. His eyes were golden, and he was shaking, barely keeping himself from changing. I'd never seen him this upset before, and he had always been so careful about not scaring Rose.
But Rose didn't seem scared of her father. If anything, she was leaning toward him and away from Mia. I filed that image away to mull over once things had calmed down.
“Gwen, what were you thinking?” Joe snapped, coming to stand in front of me, but he couldn't look at me. He was still staring at Mia, who was glaring back at him. “Why didn't you come get me?”
“I heard Rhie screaming, and I panicked,” I mumbled, looking down at the ground. “I thought if I wasted time,something terrible would happen to her. And I had no idea that it was the surge. I just wanted to do something—”
“You are doing something,” Joe told me, finally taking his eyes off Mia to meet mine. “You're taking care of my daughter. That's all I need from you. I don't need you to be a hero or a soldier. I just need you to keep Rose safe. She needs you. Do you understand?”
“Joe—”
“Do you understand?”
I didn't answer for a moment. “I do.”
