“Yes. I do, and I’m not surprised,” Elijah said. “It’s what you creatures of good magic do.”
“You’re right. It is what we do,” Sky said, as he squeezed lemon into the cauldron, adding the rosemary, the lavender, and finally the toadstool. “Okay, Jami. Sit, and drink this,” he said, placing the glass of liquid in front of her. “And drink all of it.”
Jami crinkled her nose in disgust, but raised the glass to her lips, taking a sip. She winced, the taste of lemon, lime, almond and ginger almost making her gag. She took another sip. Chugging the drink until it was gone.
“Look! She’s glowing!”
“We gotta do this now!” Sky cried. He grabbed the knife from where it was sitting on the table. “Sorry, Jami,” he said, before slicing the knife across her hand.
“Ouch!” Jami jumped, glaring at him. “You know, you could be a little gentler!”
“I said I was sorry,” Sky said, raising her arm, and squeezing the blood into the cauldron. “Now stand back!” He shouted, as the pot boiled. A loud crackling noise filling their ears as smoke rose from the cauldron.
Boom!
The loud blast rippled through the house, shaking the floor underneath them. They all stumbled, grabbing a hold of the island to keep their balance. The smoke detector going off above them.
“Are potions always this messy?” Josi asked, grabbing the towel off the table. She jumped on the chair to wave it beneath the smoke detector.
“And loud?” Jessi asked, plugging her ears. “I think I’m going to go deaf!”
“The simple answer… yes,” Sky said, laughing, as he poured the potion into a bottle and sealed it with the cork. “Here, Elijah. Here’s your potion.”
“Much obliged,” Elijah said, taking the potion from him. “And I promise you, I will take care of Julie.” He turned, disappearing in a whirl of wind.
“I still don’t trust him,” Josi said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “I mean, I know he did the right thing coming to us for help, but he’s still a demon!”
“I don’t trust him either,” Sky said, pouring the rest of the potion into a couple of bottles and sealing them with a cork. “Which is why we have extra.”
“And a good thing too, considering I can’t give any more of my blood,” Jami said, as the yellow glow faded from her skin. “That drink certainly does not last long!”
“No, it doesn’t. But now, I need some blood from one of you,” Sky said, pointing to Jessi and Josi.”
“What for?”
“To find the rest of our family,” Sky said, pulling a map from underneath the island. “And get things back to normal.”
“Order up!”
Jade blew out a breath, staring out the window of the kitchen, and narrowing her eyes on the customers piling into the restaurant.
“This is insane!” she cried, glancing at the staff around her. “Where are all of these people coming from?”
“We’re in Boston, Jade. There’s people everywhere!” Serena Bickerman said, as she rushed up to the window, and picked up the basket lying there. “And stop yacking, would you? You’ve got orders to fill!”
Sure. I’ll just go ahead and be a slave to a boss I don’t like, Jade said, seething inwardly as she glared at the girl. Hating her life. Why was she even working here? She hated his job!
“Jade, stop it! You need this job, remember? It’s not like money grows on trees!”
She sighed, turning back to the stove, and grabbing the bowl of onions. She poured them into the pan, watching them cook, and smoke rose from the pan.
“I asked for my burger well done!” a feminine voice screamed nearby. “I got medium-rare! Get this right now!”
“I’ve been waiting for over forty-five minutes,” a man was saying, as he glanced at his phone. “I have a meeting to get to!”
The voices echoed around her, and she felt anger rush over her. “Screw this!” she cried, spinning around, and ripping the apron from her waist. “And go to hell!” She flung her hand out, electricity flying from her hand, and striking the floor in the center of the room.
“Ahh!”
Screams sounded, people scattered, and she laughed. She lifted her land, lightning, flickering from her fingers. She turned, shoving through the door. Loving this feeling. This power.
“Jade!”
The male voice sounded behind her, and she glanced over her shoulder. “Who are you?”
“The name’s Sky,” the blonde man said, stepping forward. “And I know you, Jade, even though you don’t remember me. And I know you don’t want to hurt anyone!”
“First of all, I don’t know anyone named Sky. Second of all, you don’t know me. I love killing! It’s in my nature.”
“No. That’s the evil taking over, Jade,” a soft, feminine voice said from behind her. She glanced over her shoulder, watching as a young girl walked up behind her. “Don’t listen to it.”
“I can’t fight it! It’s who I am!”
“No, Jade, it’s not,” Sky said, reaching a hand forward. “You’re good, Jade. You come from a line of good, strong, witches who would never hurt anyone. I know because I know all of you! And I know, in my heart, you’re good.”
“No. I can’t be good. If I am, I killed all those people, for nothing!” she shouted, nodding to the bodies lying on the floor. “I’m a murderer!” A sob rose in her throat, and she glanced down, as a purple hue suddenly washed over her body.
“Jade, you’re glowing!”
“You need to get back!” Jade shouted, stumbling back. “I… I’m going to… ahh!”
She screamed, ducking, just as a stream of lightning zinged from her body. Jessi ducked, as the bolt zinged over her head. Watching as rays of electricity shot every which way.
“Jade!”
“Oh my God!”
Jade opened her eyes, staring around her, at the dust surrounding her. “The building! Where’d it go?”
“You demolished it!” Sky cried, his eyes widening. “You were like a human bomb! What the hell happened?!”
“I think it’s the flux in the dimensions,” Jessi said, pulling herself up from the rubble. “Her body’s not meant for all that evil, and it… exploded.”
“And I almost killed you!” Jade cried, rushing toward the girl. “Who are you, anyways? And what’s this nonsense about a flux in time? In dimensions?”
“You’re in a different world, Jade,” Jessi said. “In a different time. You’re not meant to be here, and your body knows that. It’s trying to tell you that something’s wrong.”
“I have been feeling a little weird lately. Like I’m forgetting something.”
“It’s your memories,” Sky said. “They’re trying to break free. Or at least, your power is trying to get them to. And that’s Jessi, Jade. Your niece.”
“My niece? But that’s not possible! I don’t have a family!”
“Not in this world, but in our world, you do. A big, loud, obnoxious family,” Jessi said. “We just have to get you to remember. Just take my hands, Jade, and let me show you just what you’re forgetting.”
“Are you sure it was such a good idea to split up?” Jami asked, as they walked down the sidewalk. She glanced up at the sky, watching as the sun set in the distance. “It’s going to be dark soon, and with these demons roaming about…”
“We don’t have a choice, Jami,” Josi said, raising the map and looking down at it. “It’s not like all four of us can go find each sister. It’s a complete waste of time! We’ll cover more ground this way.”
“I still can’t believe this is happening to us. I wanted a normal, first day, Josi! Not this craziness!”
“Well, crazy is all that we have,” Josi told her, pointing. “Look. There it is.”
“Jasmine works here? In a freaking law office?” Jami rolled her eyes. “Figures.”
“Don’t be like that. It’s not like she knew about us,” Josi said, grabbing her by the hand. “Come on. We have to go find her!”
“Easier said than done.”
“You think you can just do whatever you please?” a young, blonde woman was yelling as they walked through the glass doors. She grabbed the cup off her desk, tossing it at the young man. “You think you can treat these kids as if they mean nothing? Well I’ve got news for you, buster! I’m going to show you a thing or two about pain!” She strode across the room, grabbing the man by the throat, and slammed him against the wall.
“Jasmine!”
“What? You want a piece of me too?” Jasmine snapped, swiping her hand, and toppling the bookcase over, blocking the view of the other lawyers in the office. She turned back to the man. “You’re nothing but a pathetic waste of space. These children trusted you! They trusted you to take care of them. To treat them right. To treat them as if they had a home, but instead, you treated them as if they meant nothing! Well, I’ll show you what it’s like to be nothing!” she shouted, raising her hand, and squeezing her fingers.
“D-don’t do this!” the man shouted, gasping. “P-please! I can’t breathe!”
“Tell that to the children that died under your watch! The girls you stuffed in that box. Struggling to breathe! Tell that to them!”
“Jasmine! Stop!”
Josi rushed forward, wrapping her fingers around Jasmine’s, pulling her back. “This isn’t you!”
“Get off of me!”
Jasmine jerked her elbow back, striking Josi in the eye. Josi gasped, stumbling back. “Ouch!”
“Josi!” Jami rushed forward, as she flew back, falling back against the wall and crumbling to the ground. “Oh my God! Are you okay?”
“No! I’m not okay!” Josi snapped, holding a hand to her eye, and grasping Jami’s hand. “She just freaking elbowed me in the eye! And tossed me against the wall! So much for her being the easy one!”
“It’s your fault,” Jasmine said, propping her hands on her hips, and glancing over her shoulder at the two girls. “If you hadn’t interfered, you wouldn’t have gotten injured.” She raised her hand, stopping the man in his tracks as he tried to run away. “Oh no you don’t. You’re not getting away that easily.”
“Jasmine! Stop.” Jami said, blocking her path, and locking eyes with her aunt. “This isn’t you!”
“The hell it isn’t!” Jasmine stopped. “I didn’t get these powers just so I can make little, tiny changes in the world. I got them to make a difference, and what I’m going to do is make this man, and any others like him, pay for what they’ve done!”
“That’s not the reason you got your powers, Jasmine,” Jami whispered. “You got them, because you are a good person, and a good witch. A witch, who’s meant to do great things in this world! Who is to use her powers to fight the forces of evil, not human beings! We have a law, Jasmine. A law, and justice system to fight the sleazy humans of this world. You know this! You’re a lawyer for goodness sakes!”
“Like the law has ever made a difference in anyone’s lives. Especially a child’s.”
“Normally I would agree with you, but lately, I’ve learned that things happen for a reason, Jasmine. That everything that’s happened to me, has had a reason to it and now I finally know where I belong. With my family.”
“It sounds like a bunch of bull crap.”
Jami laughed. “Maybe it is, but Jasmine, you’re forgetting something. You’re forgetting who you are and where you come from. You’re forgetting your family!”
“I don’t have a family.”
“Yes you do!” Josi cried, hurrying up next to Jami. “Because we are your family. We’re your nieces! Josi and Jami.”
“My nieces?” Jasmine lowered her hand, watching, as the man raced out the door. “But that’s impossible! I don’t have any sisters!”
“Maybe not in this world, but in the real world, you do,” Jami said. “Here. I can show you,” she said, holding up the picture. “Look. This is you, and these are your sisters. Josslyn, Jade, and Julie. And that there. That’s Sky. Your boyfriend.”
“I have a boyfriend?”
“Yes.”
Jasmine stumbled back, leaning back against the desk, shaken. “But… but I haven’t dated anyone in years!”
“It’s the flux in the timeline, Jasmine. It’s messed everything up, and made you think that you’re evil. It’s made you forget who you really are.”
“And you can help me?” Jasmine asked, staring at the girls. “You can help me remember?”
“We can certainly try,” Jami said, grabbing her by the arm, and dragging her to the door. “Look at this, Jasmine! Look at the sky. Look at the darkness. That’s not the way it’s supposed to be. When the spell separated you from your sisters, everyone was thrown into a different dimension. Separated from one another, and it created a paradox. A break in the timeline, and because of it, demons are roaming the street. Preying on the innocent. Innocent, you and your sisters have sworn to protect.”
“So what do we do?”
“We get you and your sisters together,” Josi said, glancing at her watch. “But we have to hurry! It’s almost midnight.”
“What happens at midnight?”
“The real monsters come out to play.”
“Julie.”
“Elijah?”
Julie groaned, creaking her eye open. “You’re back?”
“Yes. I told you I would be,” Elijah said, taking a seat on the bed next to her, and stroking her cheek. “I made a promise to you, didn’t I? That I would take care of you.”
“I know, but…” she trailed off, pushing herself up on the bed, and leaning against the pillows. She wiped a hand across her forehead, sweat dripping from her hand. “But why am I so hot? And I feel sick. What’s going on? What’s happening to me?”
“A dear friend of mine betrayed us, Julie,” Elijah said, clenching his fist. “But don’t worry. She’s been dealt with.” He withdrew the potion from the pocket of his leather jacket, popping the cork. “And I have a way for you to get better, but you need to drink this.”
“What is it?
“A potion from your family.”
“My family?” Julie frowned. “Elijah, I don’t have a family. Just you, remember?”
“Right.” Elijah smiled, tightly. Remember, Elijah, it’s the curse for her choosing the dark side. It created a paradox when you two were wed, wiping away her memories. He felt a twinge in his chest, but he ignored it, shoving it to the side. It’s what you want, remember? It’s the only way for you to be crowned leader of the underworld… officially.
“Elijah.”
“Let’s just say I got it from an old friend then,” he said, handing her the vial. “Now, drink.”
Julie stared at him a moment, uncertain. Why was he lying to her? What was he keeping from her? Ever since they’d gotten married, something had felt off. Like she wasn’t living life to the fullest of her potential. What was she missing?
“Julie. Drink the potion. It’s the only thing that’s going to make you feel better.”
And the only way I’m going to get an answer to my questions, Julie thought, sighing. She took the vial from him and brought he potion to her lips.
The dark liquid washed down her throat, and she gasped. She jerked forward, the vial falling from her fingers, and falling to the dark carpet underneath her, rolling under the bed.
“Julie?” Elijah lunged forward.
“Elijah! Wh-what’s happening?” she asked, clutching her stomach as a wave of pain rolled through her. She cried out, her body flopping back onto the bed. Her body jerked up, then down, shaking vigorously as if she were having a seizure, and then suddenly the pain was gone.
“Whoa…” She stared up at the ceiling, feeling clearer, then she had in a very, long time. She sat up on the bed, staring at Elijah. “What… what was that stuff?”
“Apparently one hell of a potion,” Elijah said, grinning, despite his hatred for the witches and their angel. He leaned forward, brushing her hair to the side, and staring at the spot on her n
eck. “The mark’s gone.”
“What mark?”
“The vampire bite.”
“What?” Julie jerked back. “I was bitten by a vampire? Why? How? I thought you were supposed to keep me safe from those things!”
“I needed your blood for the ceremony,” Elijah said. “It was part of the ritual, for us to get married. Talia… she and I have been friends for a long time, Julie. I thought Satan was just being paranoid, when he banished her. But it turns out, he was right all along. Vampires, they can't be trusted, and they only want one thing.”
“Power.”
“Yes, power, and what she wants is your place as queen,” Elijah said. “She’s jealous of you, Julie, and she’ll do everything she can to get rid of you.”
“But you said you’ve taken care of her?”
“Yes. I’ve banished her. Put a protecting spell around the underworld, keeping her from re-entering, but she’ll find a way around it. She always does. Which is why I have to go.” He leaned forward, brushing a kiss across her lips. “I’ll be back later, and you. You need your rest. I’ll see you soon… He turned, and disappeared out the door.
Rest? He wants me to rest? I’m sick of resting! Julie thought, pushing herself to her feet, and peering out the doorway. What I really want is some answers!
“Seer,” she whispered. “Seer! Are you there?”
“You called for me, my queen?” the seer appeared in front of her, in a cloud of smoke, twirling, her light, purple dress flowing around her ankles, as she regarded Julie.
“I need your help,” Julie said. “You can help me, right?”
“I’ve been told to help you with anything you need.”
“Then I need answers,” Julie said. “I need to know the truth. About me. About my family, and about the day I married Elijah.”
“Of course,” the seer said, holding her hand out, a crystal ball appearing in the palm of her hand. “Come here,” she said, gesturing her forward. “And let’s get the answers to the questions you seek.”
Shattered Dimensions Page 7
