Imprisoned Gods - G. Bailey Page 0,26

turn around and throw up into the water, coughing up everything I've eaten today before shakily picking myself up off the floor.

"Karma!" I hear Mads shouting my name just before she comes around the corner and sees me—and the dead higher god who is now floating in the water filling up the room. Oh my god, they will take her in as a witness or even blame her if they find her here with me. I can't have that happen. I shake my head and run to her as she stands shocked, looking at the dead body as water pours from the gaping hole in the ceiling. I’m well aware that fish are swimming around my legs, and thankfully the hole isn’t big enough to let the shark in here. I’m not going to stay long enough to test that theory though. I stare at my best friend, knowing that I’ve not only threatened my life tonight but hers. If anything happened to Mads because of me, I couldn’t forgive myself.

"How did he die? Is he dead? Did you check his pulse?" Mads starts rambling out questions as I grab her arms. "We should call someone or help him! Karma, for god’s sake, talk to me!"

"I'm sorry this is how you have to find out the truth, but we need to leave right now before someone comes for him and finds us," I try to explain, but she stares at me like I’m crazy. I use my one hand to skim through my charms on my necklace until I find the bird charm and carefully press it into my burnt palm, flinching from the pain.

"What are you talking about? I think we need to get out of here, and then when the shock of seeing a dead person wears off, we can talk about what happened. I’ve heard shock can do crazy things to people," Mads mumbles on, trying to pull her hand from mine as I whisper to the charm.

"Bird, fly me home, to the place where I am safe and I feel I belong. Bird, bird, take me home. To Madison Grey's apartment. To her home." I hear Mads’s frightened scream as we disappear in a swirl of green dust, reappearing right in the middle of her apartment. She looks around her apartment as I drop the charm, and then to me with wide eyes before her eyes roll to the back of her head and she passes out. I just about catch her before she slams onto the floor, and I groan when I hear my high heel crack as we fall to the floor together. I pull Mads’s head onto my lap, hot tears streaming down my cheeks as I know she won’t forgive me for this. No one will. In one stupid second, I’ve ruined my entire life. What the hell have I done?

My family is going to kill me—if the higher gods don't get to me first, that is.

9

I tuck Mads into her bed after dragging her across the apartment before sitting on the edge and dropping my head into my hands. The burn on my hand sends another bolt of pain up my arm, and I can’t remember the last time I’ve been hurt this badly. I had almost forgotten what it felt like. Glancing over at Mads, I feel another pang of guilt at having dragged her into all this… whatever this even is. I don’t know whether it was the shock of seeing what happened, being slammed with a tidal wave of frigid water, or the fact that magical transportation can sometimes be a shock to human systems the first few times it happens, but she passed out more or less the moment we arrived at my place. Normally I would bring her back to her place and then leave her to sleep off the night of partying, but I don’t feel comfortable leaving a human alone at home when there could be supernatural forces after the both of us. If I have to spend the night on the couch tonight, then so be it - at least she won’t be alone.

I glance down at my burnt hand, at the swollen red mark that snakes up my palm. How did this even happen? I think. This all feels like a bad dream, like I’m going to wake up at any moment, and I’m not sure if the severity of the situation has really sunk in just yet.

I killed a higher god.