Replacement

by Wojciech Cram

  see her face when she first walked in, taking in the grandeur of it all. It was a big upgrade from the pokey house she'd lived at in Briar Creek.

  Maybe I'd still get the opportunity to show it all to her when she woke up. She'd still be stunned at the place I'd been living in for the past two weeks. I couldn't wait to tell her about

  everything I'd done, about all the good things I'd achieved. Most of all, I couldn't wait for her to open her eyes, giving me a full view of those snapping blue pools, filled with such

  life. I couldn't wait to hear her speak again, her real voice, not the one I'd heard through the link, although that was a pleasure in itself.

  Without thinking about it I took her to my room, laying her down on the unmade bed. Pulling the covers over her sleeping form, I tucked her in nice and tight, before plumping the

  pillow under her head. She looked adorable wrapped up in the duvet, all peaceful and snuggly. I allowed myself a smile, as I pulled over an armchair, placing it next to the bed.

  As I watched the steady rise and fall of her chest, I heard a floorboard creak behind me. Twisting in my seat, I looked to see Thea leaning against the doorframe, watching the

  sleeping girl with a small smile.

  "Thank you," I began, staring at my cousin, who wasn't really my cousin at all. "I appreciate_" I was cut off before I could finish, as she raised a hand to stop me. "Don't," she said.

  "I was glad to have been able to help."

  I smiled, turning back around, resting my eyes on my soul mate. I was aware of Thea walking through the room, but didn't acknowledge her until she pulled a wooden chair up next

  to my own.

  We sat in a comfortable silence for a little while, before I finally spoke up. "How did you know where to find us?" I asked, glancing over at her. The light from the open window,

  spilled over her features, framing her in a golden glow. She didn't look at me when she answered. "I figured you'd bring her here." She paused for a second, a small smile tugging

  at the corners of her mouth, before muttering, "Presumptuous bastard."

  I laughed at that, a real full laugh, not the half one that I usually offered. She joined me, and we both just sat there chuckling to ourselves, because we knew that while the old Ash might have brought a girl up here for certain reasons, the knew Ash would never dream of it. Nothing that was anything but concern for Mare had even crossed my mind when

  deciding to bring her to my room. Although now I was wondering what she'd think of her surroundings when she woke up.

  After a while we both sobered, Thea tilting her head to look at me. "It's a good job she has someone like you, Ash. I saw how worried you were for her, and how much you love

  her. I hope she knows how lucky she is."

  "Should I tell Eric that you're paying me such compliments? Will he be jealous?" I teased, nudging her with my shoulder. She shoved me back, chuckling. "Jerk."

  "On a more serious note," I continued, leaning forward to clutch one of MaryLynette's hands, encasing it between both of mine. "I think I'm the lucky one. I can't even bare to think

  about what I was like before she came into my life. It was like I'd been asleep all of my life, stuck in the darkness, and then when I met her, I woke up. And, Thea, I like living in

  the light. If anything, it's a good job I have someone like her to whip my ass into shape."

  Another bout of silence ensued; the only sound was MaryLynette's breathing. I couldn't help but remember the look of puzzlement on Thea's face when she'd first checked Mare

  over, or the way she couldn't look me in the eye. I know that she wasn't one for lying, or being manipulative, but she was definitely hiding something.

  "Thea," I began gently, not wanting her to close up before I got my answer. I deserved to know anything related to MaryLynette and her health. "Hmmm," she replied, giving me

  the confidence to carry on.

  "Earlier you seemed…put off, by something." I had to pause, struggling to find the right word. "You never answered me when I asked what was wrong. And don't tell me it's

  nothing," I added, seeing her begin to protest. "I know it's something. What are you not telling me?"

  She stayed silent for a couple of minutes, and I let her because I knew she needed time to formulate an answer. I could see the indecision warring on her features as she internally

  debated what to say. I was about to ask again, when she spoke up.

  "It's probably nothing," she started, making me raise my eyebrows. Seeing my look, she shrugged her shoulders, but continued. "Like I said, it could be nothing, but when I was

  checking her over, I found something."

  "What kind of something?" I prompted, receiving a look that told me not to interrupt. I lifted my hands in apology.

  "This kind of something," she said, reaching forward, to grab one of Mare's arms. Before I could question her, she held out MaryLynette's wrist, giving me a full view. A faint scar

  of an intricate design stood out a vivid red against her pale skin. Even as I looked, the scar was fading, making me wonder how recent the it was. I trailed a finger over the scar

  and the surrounding skin that also looked a little pinkish, feeling that it was slightly puckered.

  A sharp intake of breath from the bed made me drop the hand, and shoot out of my seat standing over MaryLynette. My heart picked up a notch, beating uncontrollably at finally

  seeing a sign of life from her. My excitement was short lived when I saw that her face was contorted in pain, her teeth clenched. But as I dropped her hand, my fingers no longer

  touching the scar, her expression soon softened back into that of a peaceful slumber.

  "What the hell is that?" I demanded, angry that whatever it was had caused MaryLynette obvious pain. Thea ignored my anger, retrieving Mare's arm and studying the design,

  being careful not to touch.

  Her look of confusion increased, but a hint of worry also tinged her features, making my own fear rise up to the surface. Just when I'd thought we were out of the water and MaryLynette

  was safe, a new problem just had to occur.

  I let Thea study the complicated lines and symbols that had been carved into my soul mate's arm in silence, knowing she needed to concentrate. I was surprised that I hadn't

  noticed the mark scar earlier, but it had probably been coated in a layer of blood. I was just about at bursting point, waiting for Thea to speak, when she looked up.

  "So?" I prompted. She sighed, leaning back in her wooden chair, looking completely exhausted. "I don't know what it is, I've never seen anything like it before, and nothing so

  complicated. I do know that from the way the scar is fading, and by some of the symbols, that it's a witch's mark."

  I felt my brows draw together in confusion. I really didn't understand witchy things, or how their magic worked, but a 'mark' really didn't sound good. "You mean a mark as in she's

  been branded? Like cattle?" I stared in horror at the scar on MaryLynette's arm, and it looked even more terrible as the rising sun illuminated it.

  "Not exactly," Thea said, pausing to think of the right words. She held MaryLynette's wrist in front of me giving me a better view. I had to fight the urge to look away. "You see this

  here?" Thea asked, indicating a point in the design where numerous different lines connected, splaying out to form a sort of twisted star. I nodded my head to say that I saw what

  she was pointing at.

  "Well, I've never seen it in person, but I've seen a variation of it in a book once. The way all of those lines interconnect forming that pattern it's usually only a sign for one thing,"

  she said, gently positioning Mare's arm back on the bed, still careful not to touch the mark.

  "What thing?" I asked, and although I felt like shouting in my urgency to find out, my voice came out in a deadly whisper.

  Thea turned her head to face me, brushing her blonde hair back from her face. She loo
ked as if she wanted to be any place other than here; about to tell me what she had too. She

  looked as if she wanted anything but for what she was about to say to be true. Her brown eyes filled with sadness as they met mine.

  "Ash," she said slowly. I wanted to shake her to hurry up and tell me, whilst simultaneously wanting to be kept in the dark for as long as possible. "That sign is only usually used

  when a witch wants to imprint something bad. Whoever this witch is, and whatever her purpose, the mark she put on MaryLynette's arm is a curse. And from the complexity of it,

  it's a pretty bad one."

  The other voice I knew all too well. Rich and velvety like honey rolling lazily down my skin, it was the most beautiful voice I'd ever heard. It was almost too perfect, leaving me to

  wonder if I was still dreaming. How was he here? Where was I?

  "You said she'd be awake by now," Ash said. His voice was filled with worry, tainting the perfection of the lovely sound coming from his lips. I heard a sigh and felt someone begin

  to straighten the covers around me. "I said in a few hours, Ash. I didn't give an exact time. It just depends on how the individual reacts to the solution, there's no need to worry

  yourself. She'll wake up when she wakes up."

  "Gillian, it's been more than a few hours." I had to fight back a smile at Ash's persistence. Why was he so worried anyway? And who was Gillian? Whoever she was, her frustration

  was growing increasingly at Ash. I didn't blame her, although I found Ash's concern kind of adorable, Gillian obviously didn't.

  "Like I said, it's down to the individual. But I hope for her sake that when she does wake up, you're not this annoying." It took all the selfcontrol I had not to laugh at Gillian's

  words, because it was so much like something I'd say myself. I had a feeling I'd get along nicely with whoever this girl was.

  Just as I could begin to hear Ash coming up with a protest, I decided that it was the right time to finally open my eyes.

  They still felt a bit heavy, as they often did after I'd been asleep for too long, and my mind was still waking up, resulting in my recent memories being shrouded in fog. Not only

  that, but I could feel the beginnings of a headache pounding at my skull.

  As I took in the room around me, the first thing I realised was that I'd never been here before. It was definitely not my bedroom from Briar Creek, nor was it the hotel room we'd

  booked into. The room, whilst simple, was expensively decorated with polished wooden furniture and plush fabrics. The bed I was on had an incredibly soft duvet and comfortable

  down pillows.

  The second thing I realised was that it was extremely messy. Despite the large oak wardrobe on the wall opposite me, clothes littered the floor, as did a variety of other objects.

  Empty mugs and cups lined every available surface, and piles of paper were spilling off of the desk.

  "Hey," a voice said from beside me. I turned my head to meet a pair of golden eyes, their everchanging colour deep enough to get lost in. Ash's voice was filled with so much love

  and tenderness, that I couldn't help the smile that pulled up the corners of my mouth. "Hey," I whispered back.

  For the past six months I'd pictured Ash's face constantly, my memories being the only source to pull my imaginings from. But now, I knew that my daydreams didn't do justice for

  the real thing.

  The morning sun spilling in from the large windows hit him in just the right way, encircling him in a ring of light that looked like a golden aura surrounding him. His long ash blonde

  hair was all mussed up, creating a halo around his head. He really did look like an angel backed by the light of heaven in that moment, though it might have been my still groggy mind exaggerating his appearance.

  "How are you?" He asked, placing one of his pale hands on top of mine. Subconsciously, I entwined our fingers together as I answered, revelling in the contact that I'd been

  deprived of for so long. "I'm good," I replied, still not able to wipe the smile off of my face. How could I be anything but good whilst he was here?

  "You sure?" He asked, and despite that he was also smiling, some of that earlier concern crept into his voice. "You got pretty banged up last night." As he finished his sentence, a

  dark looked washed over his features, but was gone within seconds.

  I felt my eyebrows drawing themselves into a frown. "Last night," I repeated, trying to get a grasp on a solid memory from the night before. I found that I couldn't. When I tried to

  picture any specific event or conversation it slipped through my clutches like water. Focusing on the night as a whole felt like looking through a thick veil. I could just about make

  out the outline of things, and feel a hazy memory of my emotions at the time, but the details were blurred, faces distorted.

  "What happened last night?" I asked at last. Ash's look of worry intensified, a crease forming between his brows.

  "You don't remember?" It was the girl who spoke. I'd almost forgotten she was there, since I'd been too preoccupied with the man in front of me. But now she came to stand beside

  Ash, giving me my first view of her.

  She was small, with fair skin, her silvery blonde hair cut into a ragged St Joan bob. Although in essence her beauty was rather childlike, her natural good looks were that of a

  Parisian model. Her strange violet eyes were kind but tinged with worry.

  I shook my head in response to her question, not helping the pounding in my skull. "I…. I don't remember anything," I said. I looked from the face of Gillian, to Ash, and back again.

  They both shared a look, a secret message passing between them.

  When they didn't fill me in straight away, I began to grow frustrated. "What happened last night?" I asked, more firmly than was probably necessary. The lack of solid memories

  was extremely disconcerting, and was making me uneasy. I didn't like not being able to have complete control of my own mind.

  "MaryLynnette," Ash began slowly, as if not sure how I might react. "You were attacked by a vampire outside the club you were at. The attack was vicious, savage even. You were

  pretty torn up and lost a lot of blood, got your head hit up good, too. You don't recall any of that?"

  "Wait, I was attacked?" I asked in shock, pushing myself up into a sitting position. My world swayed at the sudden change in position, and my muscles screamed in protest. I hadn't

  realised how sore I was until that moment, every limb feeling as if it was on fire. I groaned in pain, as I put a hand to my head in an attempt to stop the world from spinning.

  "Whoa, Mare, are you okay?" Ash asked worriedly, placing a hand on my shoulder. The pressure and contact felt nice, and I found myself leaning into his touch.

  "Yeah, I'm fine," I said, waiting a few more moments before everything returned to normal again. Carefully, I leant back so that I could rest against headboard. Ash reached out to

  prop my pillow up beneath my head, and I gave him a look of gratitude as I leant back onto it.

  "Here," Ash said, picking up a bottle of sky blue liquid from the nightstand. Very carefully he poured the liquid onto a teaspoon, hovering it in front of my face.

  I felt my features twist into a look of distaste. "What is it?" I asked, eyeing the liquid warily. It didn't look like any type of medicine I'd taken before, whenever I'd gotten ill. Ash

  chuckled at my expression, shaking his head.

  "It'll help with the pain," Gillian supplied. I still wasn't too sure about the suspicious solution that was being waved in front of me. Human medicine I trusted, strange witchy

  concoctions I didn't. "Can't I just take some ibuprofen or something?"

  Ash rolled his eyes, raking a hand through his already messy ash blonde hair. I noticed for the first time that it was messier than usual, as if he'd repeated this gesture multiple

  times. I also noticed the shadows under his eyes, as
if he hadn't slept a wink. Despite his angelic appearance, he looked as if he'd to hell and back. Concern began to build in my

  chest.

  "Do you really think I'd try to poison you? Trust me, Mare, it'll do you good." Ash said, oblivious to my observations. I still didn't particularly want to ingest the medicine that was

  far too bright for my liking, but gave a weak nod. I didn't want to cause my soul mate any more stress than he needed.

  Reluctantly, I opened my mouth, and the teaspoon was popped in, as Ash emptied the contents into my mouth. The density was that of syrup, gloopy and heavy on my tongue.

  Although the taste was only faint, vaguely reminding me of plants, the way the solution slid down my throat was enough to make me screw up my face in disgust.

  "That was…" I began once the medicine was swallowed, trying to catch the right word. "Unpleasant." I could think of a few other more choice words that would better describe the

  stuff I was just given, but decided to play civil.

  Gillian let out a tinkling laugh, resting a small dainty hand on my knee. "Trust me, I know what it's like. I've had my fair share of doses and I think unpleasant was an

  understatement." I smiled, but nodded my agreement. She gave me a look of sympathy as she delivered her next piece of information. "I'm afraid that you'll have to take the same

  amount every morning for a couple of days, but I promise it will help with the pain. I've already told Ash this, but if the soreness or anything gets worse, just come and find me. I'll mix up something a little stronger."

  I gave her a smile. "Thanks, you really don't have to, I really am fine." Even as I said the words, I could feel the medicine setting to work, numbing the aches and pains all over my

  body. Whilst the headache didn't disappear completely, it made the constant pounding bearable.

  Gillian waved off my gratitude, standing up and making her way to the door. "I don't know what's up with your memory, but it should hopefully come back in bits and pieces. If it

  doesn't I can try making something, or Thea can, to help. If you need anything else, let me know. Someone will be back here to check up on you later, but for now I better be