“Some witch you are. You can’t even protect your own mother.”
I turned to face Charlie again, or whoever she really was. That was when I glanced over at Annabelle. Her features were changing too. Nothing had been as it seemed. She changed into the man who had been with the fake board.
“I swear if you hurt one of them this will be the end of you,” I warned with a point of my finger.
They all laughed in unison. Every time the sound came from their mouths it made me angrier and more determined to stop them.
“You won’t get away with this,” I said.
“Watch me,” Charlie said.
When I looked over at Uncle Fitz I noticed the same look and change. He was changing too and sure enough he morphed into the other member of the fake board. Now they had all changed. We were surrounded by these people who I didn’t know. I also didn’t know what they had done with my mother, Annabelle, and Uncle Fitz and that scared me to my core. I had to get away from there and find them.
“What have you done with my mother, Annabelle, and my uncle?” I asked.
Charlie laughed again. “I guess that’s for me to know and you to find out. It seems like you have a lot to figure out. There is plenty of time for that after I get the book, though. I promise I won’t be too hard on you when I am the leader. And I most definitely won’t ignore you. Then again, maybe I should ignore you and you would get a taste of how it feels. It’s not fun.” When Charlie moved her arm, I noticed a tattoo on her wrist. It said ‘witch’ just as Dave had described. So she was Chelsey.
“What is going on, Charlie? You know you can’t get away with this,” Liam said.
“Oh, shut up. You’re not even involved in this. Go back to New Orleans.” She waved her hand.
That reminded me of the address on her license in New Orleans. Who was the real Charlie? Was it the girl I’d seen at the gym? She hadn’t had the tattoo on her wrist.
“Why do you have a place in New Orleans then if he isn’t involved?”
She glared at me. “What are you doing snooping around my place anyway?”
“Your friends asked me to find you. What kind of game was that?” I asked.
She unleashed her evil cackle again and her face completed the transformation into the other witch.
“We were just trying to lure you away from the book. It was fun to watch,” she said. “I figured if I had a place in New Orleans I could take over and be the leader there, but then I found out about you and set my sights a lot higher. I knew I could be the leader of the Underworld.”
It hadn’t been much fun for me.
“Again, we will ask you to give her the book,” the woman beside her said.
What was her name? Oh yes, Emily. She was the member with the short dark hair. Now I knew she was really just one of the vampires. They all loved showing off their fangs as they glared at us.
“What is in it for you all?” I asked. “Why should you care if I give her the book? It won’t make you all the leader. She will just continue to tell you what to do.”
“You know what is in it for us?” the man asked.
I shook my head. “That’s why I asked you.”
He gave me an annoyed look. That was when the three of them showed us their fangs. “We’re not witches. Charlie just used her magic to change our appearance. We told you we would get revenge on the witches of Enchantment Pointe.”
This was all a plan just to get Charlie the book?
She waved her arms. “See, if I help the vampires, they help me get the book.”
The vampires flashed their fangs again. When I looked over at Nicolas and Liam they were showing their fangs too. At least I had witches and vampires on my side too.
“The witches of Enchantment Pointe have done nothing to the vampires. There is no need to get revenge,” I said.
All that got me was more laughter. I was sick of hearing their mocking laughter. I had no idea how we would get away from them though. It was three against four—one with powers and the rest with fangs. They had more powers than we did.
The little power Nicolas and Liam had was probably starting to fade because the binding of the necklace was no doubt wearing off. I needed to get the necklace back and returned to the person who had given it to me. But technically that was the woman in the occult shop. How would I ever find her?
“What about the woman in the occult shop? We stopped by there and spoke with your aunt. Such a nice lady. It would be a shame if something happened to her.” I smirked.
Charlie glared at me. “You wouldn’t do anything to her.”
I flashed a huge smile and then said, “And the other woman we talked to there. She must be a friend of yours. We have her too.”
Of course I was just making this stuff up as I went.
Charlie guffawed. “You have the witch who gave you the necklace?” she asked.
I placed my hands on my hips. “That’s right, with your aunt too.”
“You can’t have the witch who gave you the necklace.”
“We can and we do,” Nicolas said, backing me up.
“I don’t know who you have, but the witch who gave you the necklace was me. I had a great disguise then too, don’t you think?” Her voice vibrated with glee.
Damn. I should have seen that one coming. She stared at me, which, along with the vampires watching me, was making me a wee bit apprehensive.
I really didn’t know how we would get out of this one now. How had I let her get the upper hand?
“I also found a hidden spell in one of the books at my aunt’s shop. I don’t think anyone knew about it. That spell allowed me to stop all the witchcraft in Enchantment Pointe,” she said with a smile.
“Not all of it.” I smirked. “Why did you take that girl’s identity?”
“I don’t know what you mean,” she said innocently.
“Angela. The witch from Enchantment Pointe,” I reminded her. Even though I knew she was fully aware of who I meant.
“She came into my aunt’s shop. She just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Funny how that works.” Pleasure flashed in her eyes.
“Who is the real Charley Scott?” I asked.
She shrugged. “Charley was the first name of the guy who made the fake ID for me. My ex-boyfriend’s name is Scott.”
“Your ex really dodged a bullet. I guess I know why he’s an ex.”
Without warning, Charlie raised her arm and pointed at me. A blast of energized light zoomed across the air in my direction. Liam jumped in front of me, blocking her magic. He landed on the ground with a thud. I rushed over to him.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
He seemed dazed for a moment while he held the side of his stomach. Nicolas was trying to help him up.
“I’m okay now.” Liam pushed to his feet.
“Oh, would you like another?” Charlie asked, blasting another bolt of light our way. This time we ducked, avoiding her magic. How would we fight them? Her magic was too strong for us right now. Our only choice was to get away from them. It would give me a fighting chance to get the necklace and give it to her. That seemed like an impossible battle.
When Charlie tried to blast us with her magic again, Nicolas raised his arm up and zapped magic her way. Unfortunately, all it did was spit and spatter until it fizzed out. It didn’t come anywhere near her. Of course she released another deep belly laugh that sent a chill down my spine. Every time I heard her laugh it was like nails on a chalkboard.
She wiped away fake tears. “That is so sad. It’s just too bad that you’ve lost your powers. Maybe someday the leader of the Underworld will let you have your magic back.”
The vampires laughed as if they were at a comedy club.
That was what set me off. For some reason I had forgotten that I still had my magic. Why was I taking this off her? I raised my arm up and sent a blast of magic at her. She landed on her butt. She wasn’t dazed for too long though, because she jumped back up before it even gave us a chance to
think about running away. She would easily catch us with her magic as soon as we turned to run away. I had given it a shot, but fighting her with my magic just wasn’t going to work. Plus, now I’d just made her even madder.
“Now I have you exactly where I want you. You have no choice but to get the book for me.”
She was right. It looked as if I wouldn’t be able to get out of this one. I’d let down not only the witches of Enchantment Pointe, but witches everywhere. Charlie didn’t want to be the leader for the right reasons. She just wanted the power. There was no telling what kind of chaos she would cause before they could get rid of her as the leader. When I looked at Nicolas and Liam I’d never seen those types of expressions from them. Worry had settled in their eyes and frowns on their faces.
My time was up. Charlie and the vampires slowly moved toward us. I could tell she was getting a lot of satisfaction from this confrontation. And the vampires were happy too. They’d finally gotten their revenge on me just as they’d said they would. I tried to think of ways I would be able to keep her from getting the book once I returned to the manor, but I was completely out of ideas. Charlie was right in front of me now. I wouldn’t be able to avoid her magic. This was the end of my time as the leader.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Being the leader had been fun even though I hadn’t realized it. I had just started learning how to use the magic and read the book and now it was over.
Charlie wrapped her hands around my arms and shook me. “Get me the book now.”
Her eyes glowed red and her face was like a demon. How had she gotten so much power? Nicolas reached out and grabbed her and one of the vampires snatched him and slammed him to the ground.
“Don’t touch him,” I yelled.
Of course that would do nothing to stop them.
“I will ask you one more time to get me the book before I have to hurt Liam and Nicolas.”
My stomach turned. There was no way I could let that happen. I had to agree to get the book.
“Okay, I will get the book for you.”
An evil grin spread across her face. “It’s about time you came around. Now let’s go before it gets any later. I want to get this wrapped up.” She gestured for me to start walking.
After a brief pause so that I could attempt one last time to come up with a plan to get out of this, I turned around and began walking toward the graveyard’s exit. Liam and Nicolas walked beside me.
As we approached the gated entrance, I noticed people walking toward us. When I saw Annabelle, my mother, and Uncle Fitz, I didn’t know how to react. Was it really them? Or more of Charlie’s tricks? Charlie paused when she noticed them. I guessed by her reactions that this was not part of her magic. I couldn’t believe that they had shown up.
“Halloween, are you okay?” my mother asked.
My mother always called me Halloween, so I still wasn’t sure if that was her.
“Hallie, we’re so glad we found you.”
At least Annabelle had called me Hallie. Now I knew it had to be them.
“I don’t know why you all bothered to come. You can’t stop me. You have no magic. I have all the power and soon I will be the leader.” The wind had started to pick up and Charlie’s hair whipped around. She wanted to show off her power.
My mother’s eyes widened. I wondered how they had found me. Annabelle made eye contact with me. I knew she was trying to give me a message. She lifted up the necklace from her pocket only slightly and briefly, but it was long enough for me to see. She’d gotten the necklace. I had no idea how she’d known. Whatever the cause, I was grateful. But how would I get it from her? Furthermore, how would I give it back to Charlie?
Movement caught our attention. More people were walking toward us from the entrance. That was when I realized that it was a bunch of witches from the Enchantment Pointe coven. By the frowns on their faces I knew they were not happy. They had formed a line and were now marching toward us. Charlie laughed when she saw them, but it was a nervous laughter. She now longer seemed full of confidence.
“The witches are here. What a joke,” one of the vampires said. I remembered he’d pretended to Gregg. Now I had no idea of his real identity. He was probably one of the vampires who had been at the manor with Shawn.
I had to get the necklace from Annabelle. She was staring straight at me. I couldn’t believe she’d risked her life to bring me the necklace. I had to make a run for it. That was my only chance. I hoped I could get the necklace before Charlie could do anything.
I still had some powers and I needed to collect as much energy as I could to fight Charlie. With one quick movement, I burst forward, running with all my speed toward Annabelle.
My action had been so swift that I’d caught Charlie totally off guard. I reached Annabelle and she slipped the necklace into my hand. Nicolas and Liam had blocked Charlie from running after me, but she then zapped them with bolts of magic. They fell to the ground and the vampires immediately lunged forward. They were ready for a fight.
The witches rushed forward, blocking the vampires from getting to Liam and Nicolas. The vampires flashed their fangs. It didn’t look as if they were going to give up that easily. Everyone was standing frozen waiting to pounce. Who would be the first one to move? I was trying to form a plan.
So far I had very few ideas. The witches gathered closer and held hands to do magic. They were just waiting for the magic to come back. But Charlie knew they wouldn’t be able to do anything as long as I had the necklace. She had the upper hand. She looked around. She was probably planning her attack.
I looked to my mother and Uncle Fitz. “Please don’t do anything crazy.” I knew I had to warn them, not that they would listen though.
My time was running out to get the necklace back to Charlie. Soon the witches would be fighting with the vampires and since they had no magic I was sure it wouldn’t end well for the witches. The vampires’ eyes had turned red and their veins pulsed. They wanted the witches’ blood. There would be little I could do to stop them. I had to protect everyone. I’d never be able to live with myself if I let them down. The vampires stepped closer, inch by inch. It looked as if they were enjoying the hunt.
The vampires were closing in on us. And Charlie was moving toward me. Did she forget that I had the necklace? If she got close enough I might be able to get the necklace on her.
“Charlie, did you forget about this? I have something for you. Come closer and I’ll be able to give it to you.” I dangled the necklace in the air.
“Get them!” Charlie pointed toward us.
The vampires ran forward. Nicolas and Liam stopped two of them. A couple other witches attacked the other vampires. I had to hurry before the vampires drained the witches.
As the vampires attacked, Charlie took off in a sprint. She weaved around a tombstone like a bullet. I took off with full force after her.
“You won’t get away from me, Charlie.”
I knew she had something else planned. I just had to outsmart her. She was probably going to hide somewhere and try her magic against me. I stayed close to the stones, using them as barriers against any magic she might try against me. I spotted her up ahead as she weaved around a tall stone. There was only one way in and out of this graveyard.
I had to keep her from getting out. Chasing Charlie through the graveyard couldn’t last forever. She would have to get too tired eventually. I was already getting that feeling. Would she be able to outrun me? If only I could get her back to the other witches and they could trap her in. She would use her magic though and I didn’t want anyone to get hurt. If anyone had to be hurt it would be Charlie or me. I had the necklace still clutched firmly in my hand. My feet pounded against the ground.
I tried staying on the pathway, but the pavement was uneven. The grass would probably be even worse. I still had Charlie in my sight, but in an instant I fell to the ground. The uneven pavement had made me twist my foot and fall forward. Luckily nothing was hurting.
Charlie continued through the graveyard. I had to stop her before she got away. She glanced back and laughed when she saw me on the ground. That made my blood boil. She got such great pleasure from everyone else’s pain.
“You won’t get away,” I yelled.
I reached my arm up even though I was still trying to crawl up from the ground. I pointed at Charlie and then chanted words. “The magic will stop you in your tracks.” I repeated the phrase until the energy inside of me had whipped to a frenzy. I felt the energy move to my arm and into my hand. It pooled in my finger until it finally shot out of my fingertip. The bolt of light flew across the air. It had taken everything I had to form this magic. It was my one shot. I had to make it work.
The magic made contact with a tree branch. It crashed to the ground right in front of Charlie. She stumbled forward and finally fell to the ground. Now it was my turn to laugh. Of course I didn’t think this was any laughing matter. Lives were in danger and she was crazy. Charlie was on the ground and she looked back at me. Now I was gaining on her.
“You can’t get away from me now,” I called out.
She was trying to crawl up but the branch was on her leg, holding her down.
I ran toward Charlie, weaving around the stones and hoping that I wouldn’t fall again. Charlie kept glancing back at me to see how close I was. She was tugging on the branch but still couldn’t break free. It had a good hold on her. I think the tree was holding her for me. My spell had worked better than I had imagined it would.
Charlie was in a panic to get away now but nothing she did would move that branch. It wasn’t even that heavy or big, there was no reason why she shouldn’t be able to move it.
I ran faster and finally caught up to Charlie. I’d gotten there just in time because she’d finally gotten the branch off her leg and was pushing to her feet. She glanced back and started to run, but I grabbed her. We tumbled to the ground. She landed on top of me. But she was trying to get away. I had my hands firmly around her arms. The necklace was still clutched in my hand. If Charlie just even touched it then it would be all over for her. The spell against the witches would be broken. At least that was what I kept telling myself.
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