"She doesn't take her job seriously," Erin says. "She hasn't trained for it. She's a liability."

"Says the one dressed like she's about to sell a house to a teenage boy," Natalia says.

"Are you drunk?" Erin demands. "Why did I ask that? Of course you are."

"It's called living, little girl. You should try it."

I pant at the ground as sweat drips from my forehead. I stare at Natalia and Erin, and they look back at me with concern. I place a hand to my chest, I have no idea why, but I feel as though something important just happened and I can't remember what it was.

"Theresa?" Natalia says. "You okay?"

"I think so," I say. "I'm just getting. . . a really strange sense of déjà vu. Have we been here before?"

"Where is here?" Erin says. "Why did you bring us to the middle of nowhere?"

I glance around at the empty desert. There's nothing out here for miles and I have no idea why I'm here.

"Were we looking for something?" I ask.

"Why would we be looking for something in the middle of the desert!" Erin complains. "Can we go back to the house now? You still have a new head of security to interview."

"Yeah," I say. "I guess so."

"May I meet you later? I was in the middle of a pretty heated debate which I really want to finish," Natalia says.

"Yes. Sure."

"Okay. Bye."

Natalia jumps into a portal and vanishes, leaving Erin to observe me in curious detail. I wrap my fingers around the amulet, wondering if I'd just dreamt being parted with it. But I slept hours ago. That makes no sense.

"There must have been a reason that we came here," I say. "Why can't I remember it?"

"I don't know. I can't, either. We were talking about Taylor and you wanting to give them privacy for a little while, and then you just jumped on me and brought me here."

I squint at the sun, the more I try to remember, the more my head hurts. Something isn't right, though, as a witch I feel it, and as the Elder I know it.

"Can we go now?" she says.

"Yes," I say. "I'll meet you back at the house."

"Thanks."

I wait until she's gone and I stare at an empty space of air in the distance. I can't help but sense that I'm back from somewhere. Somewhere far. I came a long way. I stare up at the sky, and I don't understand why the only person I can think of is Sam. He's a thousand miles away from me, and I feel as though he's standing right beside me. How odd. The longer I stare at the sky, the colder I become.

And, somehow, I know nothing will ever be the same again.

TO BE CONTINUED...