“I know why you are here,” Henrik said. He didn’t glance up from the cauldron, but merely reached closer to stir it.
“Good,” I said. “That means we can get this over with. I’m done.”
Henrik chuckled under his breath. “This is not that simple, Monica. You have obligations. You cannot escape as easily as you think.”
I groaned. “I don’t give a shit,” I said honestly. “I’m never coming back here again. This is too crazy. It’s changing too many things in my life.”
Henrik finally turned to face me, raising one eyebrow. In the light of the fire, he almost looked young.
“You think that we are to blame for all of the upsets in life?” Henrik chuckled.
“Yeah,” I said. I crossed my arms over my chest, suddenly feeling foolish. “I do. Ever since the first time you kidnapped me, things have been completely crazy, and I’m sick of it! I want things to go back to normal.” Tears came to my eyes, and I sniffled. “My parents don’t even care about me because of your stupid spell! They don’t even care when I’m gone for weeks at a time!”
Henrik narrowed his eyes. “It isn’t fair to pin that on me, Monica,” he said calmly. “Your parents have always been like that. I was only able to sway them with the power of suggestion. Nothing more, nothing less.”
I felt like someone had punched me in the gut, but I didn’t dare react.
“It’s true, Monica,” Henrik said. “I wouldn’t be able to change them completely. I’m not that powerful.”
My shoulders sagged, and I closed my eyes, sighing heavily. “I don’t care,” I whispered hotly. “I’m not doing this anymore. I just want my regular life back.”
“You’ve never had a normal life,” Henrik said coldly. “You’ve been destined for this for hundreds of years, Monica. You are the true heir to the coven, and nothing will change that. No amount of anger on your part will reduce your role.”
I glared at him. “I hate this,” I mumbled. “I’m going home, and I’m never coming back here ever again. And if you try to make me, well, fine. Then I guess you might as well kill me.” I grabbed Henrik’s athame from the table and held the blade to my neck. The tip was so sharp I didn’t even feel it slice my skin, but seconds later, warm blood was pooling around my collarbone.
“Go ahead and try,” Henrik said. He shrugged. “You can’t kill yourself, Monica. You’re immortal.”
I rolled my eyes. “That’s fucking insane,” I snapped. I gritted my teeth, pressing the knife harder into my skin. No matter how hard I pushed, the blade wouldn’t budge. Groaning in exasperation, I threw the athame to the floor.
“I know you are weary,” Henrik said. “That will not change. But I promise, you will learn to cope better with these stresses.”
“I’m not doing this anymore,” I said. But I could already feel my resolve weakening. I glared at Henrik. ‘Damn you,’ I thought. ‘You may be able to manipulate my parents, but you can’t manipulate me!’
Henrik’s lips curled into a faint smile. “You are correct,” he said slowly. “I cannot manipulate you. I can only make you see what will happen when you refuse to obey your destiny.”
I frowned. “What are you talking about?”
Henrik used an iron poker to lift the cauldron from the fire before setting it down on the stone hearth.
“Come here, child.” Henrik beckoned toward the fire. I swallowed a lump in my throat and walked closer until I could feel the heat of the flames burning my face. Henrik gave me a stern look, then reached into his pockets and tossed a handful of herbs onto the flames. Purple clouds of smoke billowed through the room, stinging my eyes, and I coughed until I felt like I’d spit up my lungs.
When I opened my eyes again, I saw modern-day Jaffrey. There were cars and people walking with cell phones on the streets I recognized. I gasped as the scene shifted to the inside of a church. Andrea’s petite figure was standing at the pulpit, glaring angrily and screaming. I couldn’t make out the words – everything was hazy – but the congregation was going crazy for whatever she was saying. Everyone was screaming and cheering and fervently clapping their hands.
Andrea smiled wickedly. “Go forth,” she called loudly. “Go forth and do what you must!”
Everyone stormed out of the church. I gasped when I saw they were carrying flashlights and weapons – guns, knives, and even a few crossbows. The view shifted to the road outside of my parents’ home. Everyone was screaming and running down the road, waving their guns in the air.
“No!” I cried loudly. The scene shifted to my kitchen. Jamie and Brian were sitting at the table, their mouths moving. My ears were filled with the sounds of glass shattering, of guns being fired.
I couldn’t take it anymore. I covered my eyes, holding my hands tightly to my face. “No!” I cried out again. “I won’t watch this!”
Henrik clapped his hands. The smell of smoke stung my throat and eyes once more, but the sounds died down. When I could hear nothing but the roaring flames, I slowly pulled my hands away.
“What … what was that?” I asked in a choked whisper. “What’s going on?”
Henrik looked at me very seriously. “That is what will happen if you don’t pledge your loyalty to the coven.”
I shook my head. “No,” I said quickly. “No. There’s no way that’s gonna happen!” I squinted. “Are you crazy? This isn’t the seventeenth century anymore! Things like that don’t happen!”
Ligeia stepped out of the shadows, and I gasped.
“Why do you always have to do that?” I grumbled. “Would it kill you not to surprise me once in a while?”
Ligeia raised her eyebrows. “It isn’t intentional,” she said dryly. “Perhaps you should learn to pay more attention to your surroundings, Monica.” She shook her head sadly. “I am beginning to think that extra time you spent with us was wasted. You have not learned a single thing.”
“That’s not fair,” I shot back. “Everything is going fucking crazy at home. What I am supposed to do?”
Ligeia narrowed her eyes. “You must do as Henrik says,” she said calmly. “You must pledge your life to the coven. You must devote yourself to helping us rid the true evil of the world.”
I swallowed. “You know, you sound just like Andrea,” I muttered.
Ligeia’s nostrils flared in anger. “I resent that comment,” she said icily. “I do not understand the problem, Monica. What is your hesitation? From where does it come?”
“Does it matter?” I tangled my hands in my hair and yanked until my scalp ached.
“Yes,” Ligeia and Henrik spoke in unison.
“I just want things to go back to normal,” I said. “I don’t care what has to happen.”
“Henrik has shown you what will happen if you do not help us,” Ligeia said. “Monica, we are not trying to punish you. But you are strong, and if we survive, it will be because of you.”
“That’s a heavy thing to lay on me,” I grumbled. “Why me, huh? Why not anyone else?”
“I think you know the answer,” Henrik said gently. “You have always been known as something of a prodigy, have you not?”
“It’s not about that,” I insisted. I sighed and flopped down on a rock. “Look, I know how it sounds. I know I’m coming across as selfish. And I don’t mean to, really, but I can’t just give up my life for something I never even knew existed until now.”
Ligeia gave me a sad smile. “You are lucky to live in an age where you have the luxury of such options,” she said. “Had you been born in another other time, you would have no choice.”
I blinked. I knew she was right, but I didn’t want to admit it.
“Besides, people do the same thing all the time.” Henrik raised an eyebrow. “How many people say they will never marry, until they fall in love? Suddenly, it becomes the most important thing in their life – one of the only things they care about.”
“That’s different–”
“It’s not that different,” Henrik said. “Or
how about those who feel a sudden calling? What about human urges, Monica? You dismiss those so easily.”
“I didn’t choose this,” I argued. “No one asked me whether or not I wanted to become a witch, okay?! You just fucking kidnapped me, and now here I am.”
“Do you realize that this is the first time you’ve found the coven on your own?” Ligeia asked quietly.
“Yeah, but–”
“No one but a true daughter of the coven could have done that,” Ligeia said. She and Henrik exchanged a glance. “And that proves your abilities.”
I swallowed. I felt helpless.
“You must pledge to join with us for all eternity,” Ligeia said. “If you do not, your immortality will be lost. You, and everyone you know and care for will be slaughtered like sheep.”
I sighed. Why did I suddenly feel as though I had no choice in the matter of my own destiny?
Chapter Seven
Elizabeth
After that night at the D’Amicos’ church, everything changed. I’d barely woken up the next morning when Mom came into my room and closed the door behind her. Her eyes were grave.
“Elizabeth, we need to talk.”
‘Shit,’ I thought. ‘Someone must’ve told her about that party.’
But if only it had been that innocent.
“What’s wrong?” I tried to keep my voice cheerful, but my heart was sinking with every passing nanosecond.
Mom sighed. “You’re a good kid, you know that?”
I narrowed my eyes. “That’s…that’s why you came to talk to me?”
Mom shook her head. “No,” she said softly. “Not exactly.” She sighed, running a hand through her long hair. “Elizabeth, I know this isn’t fair to you. You’re just a kid; you don’t really deserve any of this.”
“Mom, you’re gonna make me have a heart attack,” I said. “Just spit it out, okay?”
My mom looked almost relieved as she cleared her throat. “The Jaffrey police put out a bulletin. There’s a seven-thirty curfew for all people under eighteen.”
My stomach twisted into a knot. “What?” I wrinkled my nose and frowned. “That’s…crazy. That’s stupid. Did some kid get busted for something?”
My mom shifted on my bed. “I don’t know, sweetie,” she said. “It came this morning with the paper.” She handed me a canary-yellow printout. It looked like a joke, like the kind of thing a kid would’ve created. But the words chilled me to the bone.
“As of December twenty-second, all juvenile residents of Jaffrey must observe the local curfew. All persons under eighteen years must be at home, with their parents or guardians, before seven-thirty in the evening. This curfew is in effect seven days a week until further notice. Violators will be punished to the fullest extent of the law.”
I shuddered. “Mom, this is so creepy,” I said softly. “Why are they doing this?”
My mom shrugged. “I don’t know,” she said. “Your father…well, I don’t know,” she added.
“What? Dad thinks what?”
Mom shrugged. “Your father thinks that maybe someone went missing,” she said. She dropped her gaze. “You know, honey, like what happened to Monica?”
I sighed. “Okay,” I said softly. “Thanks for letting me know.”
---
It was the last day of school before winter break. Everyone was buzzing about the curfew memo. I tried listen in whenever I could, but the other kids’ ideas were way more implausible than anything my mom or dad had suggested. One kid thought it was aliens. Another actually suggested an invasion of killer bees.
I was standing in the cafeteria, listening to bits of conversations around me, when Steven sat down next to me. I cried out in surprise and jumped. Steven grinned. I blushed.
“Sorry,” Steven said. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
I nodded. “Look, do you know anything about this?”
Steven shrugged. “No,” he said. But there was something in his voice that made me wonder.
“Are you sure?” I narrowed my eyes. “I won’t tell anyone, I swear. This is all just really weird, Steven.”
Steven nodded. “Yeah,” he said, in the same distant, far-away voice. “Look, you busy tonight? You wanna go for a drive or something?”
I narrowed my eyes. “What about the curfew?”
Steven shrugged. “I’ll get you home by seven-thirty,” he said. He grinned, looking for a moment like the old, irresistible Steven. “I swear.”
I felt my resolve melting like a puddle of wax inside my chest. “Okay,” I said. My heart thudded. “That sounds good.”
Steven grinned. “Good,” he said. “I’ll pick you up after my family has dinner – say five-thirty or so?”
I nodded. “Okay,” I said. “Thanks.”
Steven cuffed me lightly on the shoulder before getting up and strolling over to his football buddies. I couldn’t stop thinking about Andrea and Monica and Steven and the curfew for the rest of the day. My thoughts were swimming around my head like sharks in a goldfish pond – too big and dangerous for the atmosphere.
When I got home, I ate a quick meal of soup and a grilled cheese. As I waited for Steven, I did my homework. By the time he pulled up in my driveway, I was so restless that I practically sprinted out to the car.
“So, where do you wanna go?”
I buckled myself in. “Anywhere,” I said. “I don’t care. Just as long as it’s not in Jaffrey.”
In the end, Steven drove out to the lake. I thought he would want to park and make out, but instead he kept one hand on the gear shift and stared straight out the window. We talked a little, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of nervousness that was creeping over me like the chill outside.
“This is all just really weird,” I said. Part of me was dying to ask him about the church thing from the other night and what the hell Andrea was playing at.
“Yeah,” Steven said. He sounded distant again, and I sighed. “It’s all strange.”
“What are you doing over break?” I shifted in the seat. “Going anywhere for Christmas?”
Steven cracked a smile. “No,” he said. “Not after last year when we got stuck in Maine at my grandmother’s place. My mom wants to stay home.” He swallowed.
“Me, too,” I said.
We fell into silence.
“Oh, shit,” Steven said quickly. “It’s already twenty past. We should get going.”
The car didn’t start at first, and by the time the engine rolled over, it was past seven-thirty. Steven and I drove through Jaffrey; it was a total ghost town.
“You can just park at home,” I said. “I’ll take the shortcut through the woods.”
“You’ll get there faster if I drop you off,” Steven said.
“Yeah, but your parents are home. I don’t think mine are,” I said. My stomach twisted. “I’ll walk. Don’t worry about me.”
“Elizabeth, it’s freezing outside!”
Anxiety swelled in my chest like a balloon, and I shook my head, suddenly wanting to be as far away from Steven as possible.
“Don’t worry about it,” I said quickly. “I’ll be fine. Just let me hop out now.”
Reluctantly, Steven reached across me and unlocked the passenger door. His sleeve brushed my chest, and for a moment, I thought he’d kiss me. Instead, he gave me a half-smile.
“See you after break,” Steven said. “Have a good holiday, Elizabeth.”
“You, too.”
We stared at each other, and again, I thought he was going to kiss me. Finally, I blushed and nodded, ducking out of Steven’s car and into the cold.
I regretted walking almost as soon as Steven pulled away. The arctic wind chapped my lips and face, and I shivered, tucking my hands into my pockets. It had started to snow, and I walked as quickly as I could, my boots slipping and sliding on the icy pavement.
When I heard a car pull up behind me, I grinned. ‘I knew he’d come back and get me,’ I thought as I turned around, waving to Steven.
‘He’s too much of a gentleman to just let me walk home in the cold.’
But it wasn’t Steven.
It was a Jaffrey deputy.
My heart sank as the siren flared cherry and blue-raspberry on top of the squad car. The driver’s side door flung open, and a male deputy stepped out.
“Elizabeth Hartsell?”
I nodded and squeaked a ‘yes.’
“You’re to come downtown, with me,” the deputy said in a deep voice. “You’re in violation of the Jaffrey curfew.”
“I was almost home,” I protested. “I live right on this block!”
“Now.” The deputy’s voice was stern and unwelcoming. “Don’t make me cuff you, Elizabeth.”
Shivering, I walked over to the car. The deputy opened the backseat for me and guided my head into the car. As the car drove silently through the snowy streets, I felt more ashamed and embarrassed than I ever had in my entire life. I couldn’t help but feel angry with Steven. I knew he hadn’t done this on purpose, but if only he’d insisted on driving me!
Then I felt a pang of guilt, remembering how quickly I’d wanted to get away from him.
By the time the squad car pulled up at Jaffrey Police Station, I was a nervous wreck.
“What’s going to happen?” I asked the cop nervously. “Are you going to call my parents?”
The cop didn’t reply. He parked the car and got out, leaving me in the backseat. I tried the door – obviously, it wouldn’t budge – and watched with a sinking feeling as the cop strolled inside the police department. By the time he came back outside to get me, I was shivering and my teeth were chattering with cold.
“Come on,” the cop said. He opened the backseat door. “Come with me.”
I’d barely stepped onto the ground when the cop took my wrists and gently forced them behind my back. I cried out when I realized what he was doing, but not before he placed plastic cuffs on my wrists and fastened them together.
The Uprising (Moonlight Wolves Book 3) Page 34
