“Abbs, that’s what stalkers do – they take pictures and act like creepers,” Danielle deadpanned.
“Thanks Captain Obvious, I know that. I’m just wondering, why? It doesn’t make any sense. Mom said they murdered Georgina for her magic, so I guess if she wanted to try and steal mine, that would be a motive, right?”
“I suppose, but you never know with her. She’s been a raging psycho since she found out we were together. She was crazy as hell before, but our relationship must have pushed her over the edge,” Danny said.
“What’s her obsession with you? You two never even dated –”
“Crazy bitches don’t need a reason,” Danielle said cutting me off. “They’re just insane and there’s no real motivation behind it. She has some sick twisted version of what her life was supposed to be and she’s pissed it didn’t work out the way she planned. She turned to dark magic and it made her bat shit.”
“I guess you’re right, but if she shows up here, I’m not going down without a fight. Her dad can kiss my ass too,” I said, anger boiling inside of me.
We discussed the situation for a little while longer before I decided to take a nap. Danny and I had stayed up late the night before and I was exhausted. I left them in the living room and went to what Danny now called “our room” and I was perfectly fine with that. If I wasn’t working, I was at his apartment. Nearly all of my clothes were in his closet – I guess you could say I lived there; unofficially, of course.
I crawled into our massive, king-size bed and closed my eyes. I tried not to think about the fact that Crystal was stalking me again or the fact that she was now a freakin’ murderer. That just blew me away. As I began to drift off, I heard a light noise near the en suite bathroom. It sounded like someone was in there messing around. At first, I thought it was just Danny, but then I heard him and Danielle talking in the other room.
I sat straight up in the bed, my heart pounding in my chest – was Crystal in the apartment?
How the hell did that psycho get past Danny or me for that matter?
I kept looking around, but saw no one. I crept out of the bed without making a sound and started toward the bathroom door. I wasn’t ready for what I was about to see, although I felt an unfamiliar energy tingling my spine.
It definitely wasn’t Crystal or Franklin or a person with a corporeal body for that matter – it was a freakin’ ghost! Not one, but three – just hanging out in Danny’s bathroom. I couldn’t even scream, I was paralyzed – they turned around and looked straight at me. I quickly rubbed my eyes thinking that maybe I was hallucinating – I did, after all, have a few drinks last night. But no, they were still there, waiting as if they wanted me to say or do something.
These boys couldn’t have been more than eighteen or nineteen years old when they died. I had no idea what I was supposed to do or if my mind had finally snapped. I smiled, waved and firmly shut the door. I told myself, if I ignored them, they’d just go away or I would wake up – one or the other. I felt like I had just entered the set of The Sixth Sense and was playing the part of the kid who could see dead people. I was going to sleep – screw that.
I hopped back in the bed and pulled the covers over my head. I kept praying it was just a dream, because no one I knew saw ghosts and I sure as hell wasn’t telling anyone. The only people I knew who saw the dead were necromancers and um, just no! A necromancer I was not… I tried not to hyperventilate and bring attention to myself. I could just forget I saw anything and move on. I had a crazy stalker who wanted to kill me and it wasn’t the time to lose my head. I’d think about it tomorrow.
With that settled, I rolled over and began counting until I fell into a blissful sleep.
Two hours later, I woke with a start. I realized we needed to set protection wards on the apartment just in case psycho Crystal and her father decided to pay us a visit. I didn’t want to take any chances. I was in no mood to be killed with dark magic; I needed time to think and come up with a plan.
Danny and Danielle were playing two-handed spades when I walked into the living room. Apparently, Danielle was kicking Danny’s ass and he was being a sore loser – the perfect time to break up the game before things got heated.
I wrapped my arms around Danny and gently kissed his neck, knowing it would bring him out of his foul mood – it always did. He looked up at me and smiled.
“Hey gorgeous, did you have a nice nap?”
“Only dreams of you, hot stuff,” I said kissing him again.
Danielle made a gagging face and got up to make herself a glass of sweet tea.
“That’s enough, you two. I’m right here, you know. Some of us don’t have the luxury of sex on demand,” she snickered to herself as she walked toward the kitchen.
“Hey guys, I was thinking we need to set up a protection spell around the apartment just in case Crystal decides to rear her ugly head. It’ll at least give us a heads up. With her using dark magic, I want to be prepared,” I said.
“Already thought of that, chic. We were waiting for Sleeping Beauty to rise so we could do it together. Our spells are much stronger with the three of us,” Danielle chimed in.
“Great minds think alike. No time like the present, let’s get started.” I said.
When Danielle came back from the kitchen, she placed three candles in the centermost part of the apartment. With each candle lit; one by one, we stood behind them, focusing on our magic. Cleansing our minds, we stretched our arms forward, palms up, and chanted a prayer to the ancients and ancestors to bring forth their powers of protection.
Ancients and Ancestors we call upon thee.
Bless us with yo
ur powers
Us Witches Three.
Protect this sacred place
Where evil cannot dwell.
Strengthen our magic with this Blessed Spell.
A Circle of Light only we can see.
So we have called it.
So shall it be.
All at once, gold, yellow and purple streams of magic spread throughout the apartment from floor to ceiling, encasing the entire space in a protected shimmer of magic. We thanked the powers that be for their protection, blew out the candles and took a seat on the couch to plan out our next move.
Feeling a bit safer than before, I wondered to myself if the spell would keep my new friends from entering as well. The last thing I wanted to do was run to bathroom and check. I knew I was being irrational, they were just ghosts, but damn.
“Earth to Abby. Come in Abby…” Danielle said, waving a hand in front of my face.
“Huh? What is it?” I asked, realizing I hadn’t been paying attention to the conversation going on around me.
“Where did you go? We’ve only been trying to come up with a strategy about the “what if’s” for the past five minutes. You checked out. Are you feeling okay?” she asked, looking at my face like I was possessed.
She wasn’t far from the truth – well, not possessed, but I was freaking out over seeing ghosts, hoping it was a one-time occurrence. I just wanted everything to go back to normal; ghosts were not normal in my world, not “Abby World” anyway. I wished I could talk to my mom about it, but I was afraid she’d think I had dipped into some kind of dark magic. I was terrified of the ramifications of what that might mean. I would have to look into later.
“Oh, sorry… I was just thinking about Crystal,” I lied.
“And? Do you have any theories about where she might be hiding out? I know Jaqueline told us to stay here, but I’m not feeling it. We can stay here for a few more hours, but I say after ten o’clock, we create our own little search party,” Danielle said.
“I have to agree with Danielle. We have the wards set in place and we’re safe until then, but we’re not one’s to just sit back and wait for danger to come to us. My apartment is the most logical place she’ll show up if she’s looking for you. If we leave and set a trap for her, we’ll have the upper hand,” Danny said.
“Sounds like a p
lan to me. You know I’ve never been one to sit around and I want a piece of that bitch. We need to be careful, though. We have no idea what kind of dark magic we’re dealing with here. Mom’s Book of Shadows would come in handy right about now,” I agreed.
“I know, but that’s out the question at this point. It’s warded in Mystical Magic and your mom will know if we just show up,” Danielle added.
“Looks like we’ll have to just use what we know, make a few protection potions and we still have our magic. Like you said, we’re more powerful together. We’ll just have to let it play out. I’ll reign down the fires of hell on that bitch if I have to,” I said.
The potions we needed were simple to make and only needed the combination of our magic to strengthen them. Thank the blessed ancestors for lending us a boost of power, because if we were to make it through the night, we’d surely need it.
I was still mildly concerned about what kind of powers Crystal and Franklin had absorbed, but I knew I couldn’t focus on my fear of the unknown. I had to do everything within my power to bring them down once and for all. I was done being stalked and I wasn’t about to be brought down by a power-hungry, jealous lunatic.
By the time we were finished, it was almost ten p.m. and we needed to get ready; we had to wear something to accommodate a few weapons, just in case. I decided on a pair of black leather pants that were easy to move in, a dark red tank and a black leather coat with pockets to hold our potions. My boots had a few places where I could stash my knives.
Danielle was dressed in almost the exact same outfit; black was fitting not only for being inconspicuous, but our mood as well. Danny, wore his usual black t-shirt and dark jeans. He did, however, throw on a leather jacket for potions at my insistence. We were ready to kick some evil witch ass.
We were about to walk out the front door when Danielle’s cell phone rang; it was Helen. She had texted earlier, but Danielle ignored it because we were busy making potions. This time, Danielle answered.
“Hey Helen, what’s up? I’m kind of busy.”
“It’s Jeanie – she went into labor and she’s bleeding. They have to do an emergency cesarean, but they don’t know if she or the baby will make it,” she cried.
“What do you mean, they may not make it? Jeanie was fine this morning,” Danielle replied with fear in her eyes.
“The bleeding started two hours ago – she’s hemorrhaging and they’ve lost the baby’s heartbeat. Jeanie’s blood pressure dropped and she passed out from all the blood loss. It doesn’t look good, honey. I need you to get down here as soon as possible – we could lose them both,” Helen sobbed.
“Okay Mom, which hospital? I’m on my way,” Danielle said with tears streaming down her face.
“Tulane Medical Center. Please hurry, I don’t know how much time we have – she’s in surgery now. I love you, Danielle,” she said ending the call.
“I’m sorry, but I have to go… I love you, Abby. I need to be with my mom and sister right now – I just can’t…” Danielle began sobbing uncontrollably.
“You listen to me, sister. Your family is more important – don’t worry about us, okay? We’ve got this. I love you too and please be careful,” I hugged her, with tears in my eyes.
I couldn’t believe how a perfect day could go to shit in a matter of hours. First Georgina, then finding out we were being stalked by murderous witches, and now Jeanie? My heart was breaking and I knew I had to hold it together for Danielle’s sake. I couldn’t let her see me break down – she needed my strength and support.
“I’ll text you when I find out what’s going on. Just say a prayer that Jeanie and the baby will be alright. Abbs, I don’t know what I’d do without my sister,” she said, sniffling.
“I know, sweetie. Come here, it’ll be okay. I’ll definitely be praying for them, you don’t even have to ask. Danny and I have everything under control. Get going. We’ll talk to you soon,” I responded, then Danny and I brought her in for a group hug.
When Danielle walked out of the door, I looked to Danny and began to cry. I held onto him for dear life, sobbing for my friend. I couldn’t imagine the torment of waiting and poor Helen… I wanted to be with them too. She had always been like a second mother to me and Jeanie was the annoying big sister I never had. We didn’t hang out as much after she found out she was pregnant and I felt like a horrible person. If she didn’t make it and I didn’t have the chance to say goodbye, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever be able to forgive myself.
“Hey, look at me. I’m sure everything will work out. I know what’s running through that pretty little head of yours and you need to stop. None of this is your fault. Things happen beyond our control with pregnancies all the time. Jeanie will be fine,” Danny said, trying to reassure me.
“I can’t help but worry about them, ya know? I feel torn. I know what we’re doing is important, but they’re my family too,” I said, drying my tears.
“I know, but you’re in real danger and we have to do what’s necessary. I’m sorry, Abby. It’s getting late and we should go. Are you going to be okay or do you need a few more minutes? You might want to blow your nose, though. You have a little snot right… there.” he reached to touch my face, smiling and I smacked his hand away.
“You’re an ass, but I love you anyway. I’ll take care of the snot,” I said, smiling a little at his attempt to make me laugh.
After I took care of the ick on my face, we headed out the door toward the stairwell. We decided against the elevator because who knew if they’d be lurking inside or around the corner. When we reached the second level, I saw an apparition of a young, blonde female wearing what looked like a white sun dress. I nearly jumped out of my skin.
“What is it? Did you hear something?” Danny asked.
“Nope. Thought I saw a mouse, but I’m good,” I lied, feeling like I was about to have a heart attack.
Part of me wanted to tell Danny about the ghosts, but I had no idea how to deal with this new development myself. I didn’t know what it meant or what I was supposed to do. I felt that I needed to keep it hidden until I knew more. What if I had lost my mind?
What was up with the damn ghosts today anyway? I decided I was most likely stressed out and it was just my mind playing tricks on me – the only logical explanation. I was not seeing ghosts. I was not seeing ghosts… I thought if I kept repeating it in my mind, it would be true, but no. The blonde followed us to the bottom floor, trying to get my attention. I continued to ignore her as we walked outside. I was so not in the mood for lost souls or whatever they were.
Danny’s apartment was located in the downtown area of the Garden District. We decided to stay on foot and walk toward Eighth Street, keeping to the shadows as much as possible. It was a bit cooler than usual outside and pitch-black, with only the street lamps lighting our way.
We needed to find a spot to hide out, but where we could still see the apartment complex clearly. The problem was, making sure no one saw any sort of magic being displayed if psycho one and psycho two showed up. We didn’t want to have to explain to unsuspecting humans where the magic had come from or start another Salem Witch Trial. Not to mention, the coven had told us to stay put.
We rounded an alleyway and out of nowhere, I heard Crystal’s screeching voice, “Well, look what we have here. I didn’t think you two would be stupid enough to leave the safety of Danny’s apartment – too bad for your friend.”
I looked around, but couldn’t see where she was. “What the hell is that supposed to mean? Why don’t you show yourself, bitch!” I yelled into the darkness.
Danny’s hands were flaming gold and I was ready with my fire, raging and mad as hell. If Crystal had harmed Danielle in any way, I’d kill her where she stood as soon as I saw her face.
“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that if I were you… but I think you’re in over your head, witch. You stole what was mine and I’m ready to take him back. We were always meant to be together. You’re nothing – your family’s noth
ing! Danny and I can have it all once you’re out of the picture,” Crystal said with a maniac smile as she rounded the corner.
Holy Hell! That bitch looked like she’d been lit on fire, doused and fired up again. Her previously blonde hair was now black, blowing every which way and her skin had seen better days – she looked ten or fifteen-years older. Her normally peach colored skin was wrinkled, looking like the darkest shade of brown leather, and her eyes were glowing in an orange hue. Her clothes were in tatters as if she’d been caught in a barbed wire fence several times over.
It was Danny’s turn to respond. “Crystal, you’re crazy. There’s no chance in hell we would ever be together! I don’t know what’s been going through that sick, twisted mind of yours, but your little fantasy is just that, a fantasy. It’s always been Abby and I’ve never given you a reason to think otherwise. This game ends now. Leave!” Danny shouted.
“Shut up! Just shut up! I’ve done everything for you! I’ve ruined my life by going along with my father’s stupid plan to kill Georgina and take her magic, and for what? So he could abandon me to take the fall? He was supposed to take over the coven! I’m not leaving here without you – you’re mine!” she screamed, pulling her hair and shaking her head.
I interrupted her crazed tirade. “That’s enough, Crystal. No one ruined your life, but you. I can’t steal someone who never belonged to you. You need help – just look at you.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. If I can’t have him, no one will!” Crystal shouted.
Everything seemed to go in slow motion as I watched Crystal rise from the ground, wind whipping through her hair. A red blast of magic shot from her hands, slamming Danny to the ground. I screamed and went to him; he still had a slight pulse, but was out cold with burns from his shoulder to his abdomen… and the whole world stopped around me.
Burning rage, unlike anything I’d ever felt before, rose to the surface – magic I didn’t even know I was capable of came forth, radiating throughout my entire body – I was going to kill her. I shot to my feet, hands aglow with unfamiliar magic as pain and streams of yellow, blue and white magic flew from my fingertips, throwing Crystal against the brick wall.
Winds of Change (Delphine Rising Book 0.5) Page 6
