by Gwynn White
When the phone rang, it scared her half to death. She jumped, holding an arm across her chest to keep her heart on the inside. She thought for sure it was going to burst out right in front of her eyes.
The phone kept ringing, she suddenly remembered it needed answering. She didn’t even check the caller ID before hitting the accept button. “Hello?”
“Ariel,” Gabe said. With just that one word, it sent a flood of relief through her. She shook off all the horrible thoughts she was having.
“Gabe, is everything alright?”
“We had to move again.” There was so much sadness in his voice that Ariel didn’t know whether she could handle the details. Still, she had to know.
“Was someone…” Her voice trailed off, she was unable to finish the sentence.
“Killed?” Gabe did it for her. “No, thank God. My dad left before he did anything but it was close. We couldn’t stay there any longer, they would be able to identify him.”
Ariel sighed with relief, it wasn’t Gabe that had hurt someone. It still wasn’t good but at least it wasn’t Gabe that was going through the pang of regret now.
“Where are you living now?”
“You know I can’t tell you.”
Ariel shrugged to herself, it was worth a shot. She’d work out where he was eventually, hopefully before he had to move yet again. “Have you started at a new school?”
“Yeah, today was my first day.”
“What was it like?”
Gabe sighed. “Just like the rest of them. I don’t want to make any friends because we’ll just have to leave again before long. But it doesn’t matter, it’s not like I can go around to their place anyway. Where have you been this past week? I’ve tried calling you like a million times.”
Ariel described the pain of her punishment in great detail, making sure he knew she was sorry she wasn’t able to contact him. “I only got my laptop and phone back a few days ago,” she finished. “The first thing I did was try to call you but you went offline.”
If he had done it on purpose, he didn’t let it slip. “I thought you might have given up on me.”
“You know I can’t do that.” Ariel smiled into the phone, wishing they were speaking face to face instead of being so far away from each other – at least she guessed they were anyway. He could have been on the other side of the planet and she wouldn’t be any the wiser.
“You’d be justified in forgetting about me,” Gabe replied. He spoke with conviction, Ariel never doubted he really meant it. She just wished he didn’t.
Instead of replying, she decided to change the subject. She needed to discuss something with him anyway. “What do you know about dark magic?”
“I know enough to think you shouldn’t mess with it. Why?”
“No reason.” She crossed her fingers, hoping he wouldn’t probe further.
“Ariel, what are you up to?” He was serious now, a tinge of authority in his voice.
She knew she wouldn’t be able to keep it from him, not when he had answers she needed. “It’s to do with lifting the curse. A witch told me it could only be done with dark magic.”
“Then you need to stop. We’ll find another way.”
“There is no other way, Gabe, this is it. She’s willing to help me if I’m fully committed to seeing it through. I want to do it.” Ariel didn’t realize she had already made up her mind until she spoke the words out loud. Hearing of Gabe’s latest move had cemented it. His life would just be a merry go round of running from his victims. She couldn’t let his future fall that way. Not when she had a shot at changing it all.
“I’m not going to be able to talk you out of it, am I?” Gabe sighed with resignation. He didn’t need to hear her answer to know it. “If you’re going to be stupid enough to do it, then I’m going to be stupid enough to help. You’d better tell me everything.”
Ariel grinned, he already knew her too well. She filled him in on everything the witch had said from the heritage of the Morbose people to the protection spell they had cast over themselves. She ended with the challenge the witch had laid down for her.
“Dark magic is going to be the only way to lift the curse,” she ended, already feeling better for having offloaded everything to someone else. “But we have a chance of fixing everything. Can you imagine having a normal life? Your parents too?”
“I’m not going to lie, it would be amazing. But I don’t want you to sacrifice yours to make it happen,” Gabe hesitated. “Promise me that if you ever find yourself in danger or a situation that you aren’t comfortable with, you will stop. You will just walk away from it all. Promise me, Ariel.”
Ariel didn’t know whether she could keep that promise. Everything already made her uncomfortable, but she wasn’t in any danger – yet.
“Ariel, promise me.”
“Fine, I promise,” she finally replied. Of course she would try to stay out of danger, she didn’t have a death wish. What she wanted above all was for her and Gabe to be together, living a normal life without the curse. In order to do that, she had to survive it too.
“Good, now tell me everything else that’s going on in your life,” Gabe asked. She settled into her chair and started telling him everything that had happened in the past week, from her argument with Cassidy to their makeup. She didn’t leave anything out.
By the time Ariel got to bed, she couldn’t keep the smile off her face. Gabe was the sweetest guy on the planet, he didn’t deserve to be cursed for the rest of his life. He was nice and kind and caring, he had so much to offer the world and yet he was hidden away from it. It wasn’t right.
But she could make it that way. Ariel had the power to change everything and was now certain that she would do whatever it took to make sure it happened.
Chapter Seventeen
The clock wasn’t just going in slow motion, it felt like it had actually stopped altogether. Ariel tried to focus on the History teacher and what Miss Perry was trying to educate them about but it was nearly impossible. The day had been long and seemingly endless. How was she expected to focus with thoughts of the curse and dark magic running through her head?
When the bell finally did ring, Ariel wanted to run out of there as fast as possible just in case she had dreamed it.
“Miss Cole, please stay back, I’d like to have a word with you,” Miss Perry said over the sound of backpack zippers and rustling paper.
Ariel quickly looked around, there were no other Miss Cole’s in the class, she figured it must be her she was talking to. Dread suddenly started growing in her stomach, was she in trouble? Did Miss Perry notice she wasn’t paying any attention? Did she completely miss something in the lesson? Nothing good ever came from being asked to stay back after class.
She finished packing away her books and headed to the front of the class. “Yes, Miss Perry?” She tried to look poor and innocent, hoping the woman would show some mercy. She liked the teacher – so far. She couldn’t be more than twenty-five and still had a sense of humor that all the years in the education system had beaten out of all the other teachers. All the boys particularly liked her because she was beautiful. Her honey blonde hair and curvy figure captured their attention much more than her lessons about the civil war.
“Ariel, pull a seat over, I want to have a chat about something,” Miss Perry said happily. It didn’t sound like she was about to dish out some severe and unusual punishment. Ariel relaxed a little and dragged a chair over to sit at the desk.
“Am I in trouble?” The words slipped out before she could stop them. Her nerves were too much to contain.
Miss Perry laughed, a giggle like one of her students. “No, nothing like that.” She got up and closed the door, making sure there was nobody else to overhear their conversation before she continued. “My Aunt Lilia said you had visited her and were in a bit of a situation.”
Ariel tried to work out what she was talking about. Aunt Lilia? She didn’t know any Lilia, let alone one that could be related to he
r teacher. “I don’t think I know anyone by that name.”
“You didn’t visit her trailer yesterday?”
Realization hit her, Lilia was the old woman, the witch. And she was Miss Perry’s aunt? She felt like her worlds were colliding. “Oh, I didn’t know her name, sorry. I also didn’t know you were related.”
“Aunt Lilia and I have always been close,” Miss Perry smiled kindly. “She was worried about you, she told me about your decision. Which is why she asked me to have a word with you. I’m assuming you don’t have many people to discuss this with?”
“Like, no-one.” Ariel stared at her, trying to assess whether she could really trust her or not. She may be saying the right things, but she was still a teacher and still an adult. She could relay everything to her parents with one little phone call.
As if she could read her mind, Miss Perry continued, “I want you to know you can trust me, Ariel. Whatever we discuss stays between us. Nobody here knows about my ‘extra-curricular’ activities, if you know what I mean.”
Ariel didn’t have a clue what she meant. She felt like she had been lost at ‘hello’. “I don’t think I follow, exactly.”
“I’m a witch, Ariel, Lilia is the leader of my coven. We are practicing Wiccans, it’s a very big part of our lives. And in your situation, you are going to need the entire coven to help you.”
She was taken aback at the open admission. Everything she knew about Miss Perry pointed towards a conservative librarian-type, not a real live witch. It didn’t reconcile in her head. She realized Miss Perry was staring at her, waiting for an answer while her head spun.
“I’m sorry, I’m just having a hard time taking this all in. It’s all very new to me.”
Miss Perry placed her hand on Ariel’s arm, trying to convey her understanding. “It’s okay, not many people believe in our religion so it can take you by surprise. Just be assured that we are here to help you. We think it’s a selfless thing you are doing and it’s about time people stopped dying at the hands of the Black Eyed People.”
“They don’t mean to kill,” Ariel said defensively. She didn’t want them thinking they were just predators that randomly went around committing murder. They couldn’t help it, they had the inbuilt compulsion to kill. They were just as powerless to stop it as their victims.
“I know, that’s why we want to help you lift the curse. Have you given it any more thought?”
“It’s all I can think about.”
“Dark magic is powerful, it shouldn’t be played with lightly. I’m glad you are taking it seriously. Is there anything you want to talk about?”
There were so many things but Ariel didn’t want to get into them right away. She suddenly remembered why the day had seemed so long – she had a prom committee meeting with Cassidy. And now she was seriously going to be late.
“Can I think about some questions and get back to you? Would that be okay?” She asked, hoping the offer would have a rain check associated with it.
“Of course,” Miss Perry assured her. “You can also speak with Kourtney Brennan or Karen Maddison, they’re both a part of the coven. You might feel more comfortable speaking to someone closer to your own age.”
“Thank you,” she managed to stutter out. First Miss Perry and now Kourtney and Karen? Did everyone have a secret life apart from her?
She thanked Miss Perry and hurried out, her mind spinning out of control. She wondered what other secrets the students and teachers of Central Heights High School held. Were there some undercover vampires? Werewolves? Wizards? If she had considered that possibility a year ago, she never would have even entertained the idea. And now she was actually seriously considering it? She couldn’t get over how everything had changed so dramatically.
But she didn’t have time to dwell on it, not when there was something far scarier than the occult waiting for her. She ran through the school to A block and didn’t slow down until she reached the prom committee meeting.
Stepping inside, Ariel saw they were already in full swing. She tried to pretend she was invisible, but every eye in the room watched her take her seat. She crept next to Cassidy and took the empty seat.
She could feel the anger seeping from her at her side. She turned around, seeing how bad the look was. Cassidy gave her the look, the scary one that yelled at her through the silence. Ariel mouthed a ‘sorry’, hoping she would calm down in time. At least she made it there, she didn’t blow it off altogether. Better late than never, right?
The female gym teacher, Ms. Thatcher, was standing at the front of the class, trying to get everyone excited about the prom. Looking around at the other faces, everyone looked bright with the anticipation. Everyone except Ariel anyway. She tried to focus on the words, something about needing to team up and be allocated a particular task.
Ariel didn’t know what all the fuss was about, it was just a dance. Throw around some streamers, pour some punch, turn down the lights, and turn up the music. Surely there couldn’t be anything more complex to it.
“Let’s brainstorm some themes and then we’ll assign jobs. Who’s got some ideas?” Ms. Thatcher looked around eagerly as hands shot up. Ariel expected that to happen, all the other girls were the participating kind – the cheerleaders, the popular ones, and those that signed up for every club. Cassidy and Ariel were definitely the odd ones out.
“How about we make it all things love related? Like hearts and stuff,” Niccolette, the head of the cheerleaders went first. Ariel had to suppress a roll of the eyes, could you get any cheesier?
“I’ll put that on the list. Anyone else?” Ms. Thatcher wrote it on the whiteboard and looked around, pointing at the next eager beaver. “Katie?”
“Fairy Tales, like Cinderella and Snow White. We could decorate with snowflakes and glitter so everything looks magical.” It went on the board before the suggestions started being thrown around quickly.
“Enchanted forest.”
“A zoo theme.”
“Come as a famous person.”
Ariel stopped listening, figuring they wouldn’t need her input. She let her mind wander instead while still appearing to be interested. So Miss Perry was a witch, and the niece of the old woman. If Ariel knew there was a chance her secret visits could get back to her parents, she would have thought harder about whether she should go there in the first place. Miss Perry had a direct line to her parents which was never a good thing. It could have been more dangerous than dealing with dark magic.
The most curious thing about her newfound knowledge was that Miss Perry seemed so normal. The old woman was creepy, it wasn’t a stretch to imagine her casting spells and praying to the moon. But her History teacher? The same woman who could get excited about talking about the descendants of King Henry VIII and who discovered the country? It didn’t seem right.
But, then again, what was a normal witch meant to be like? Should they all have green skin and warts like in the movies? The practice of witchcraft had been around for centuries and as far as Ariel knew, none of them had been green monsters. Perhaps people like Miss Perry were the new face of the religion? Maybe they always looked and acted like her but that’s not what people wanted to believe? It was all too difficult to think about.
As strange as her conversation with Miss Perry had been, Ariel still felt better for having it. Just to have someone to talk to about Gabe and not think she was an absolute lunatic for considering helping him was a relief. With help, perhaps she really could free Gabe and all of the Black Eyed People from their curse.
“What do you think?” Cassidy asked, pulling her from her thoughts. Unfortunately, she didn’t have any idea what she was talking about.
“I, uh, I’m not sure. What do you think?” Ariel asked, hoping that throwing the question back at her would work.
“I think I like the fairy tale theme. It would be kind of fun to dress up like Cinderella, even if it’s just for one night. What are you going to vote for?”
Ariel smiled, she could answe
r now she had a clue. “I’ll go fairy tale too, every girl should be a princess.”
Cassidy beamed. “Just for that, I’m not going to go ballistic over you being late. All is forgiven.”
They waited until Ms. Thatcher took the vote. The fairy tale theme won by just one vote. The look on Niccolette’s face when she didn’t get her way wasn’t pretty. She silently fumed in the front row. Ariel wouldn’t have expected anything less. Niccolette always got her own way, she had done ever since Ariel knew her.
Ms. Thatcher dished out duties straight away, her eyes continually flicking to the clock over the door. Ariel wanted to laugh every time she saw her do it, obviously she wasn’t the only one who wanted to get out of there at a reasonable time.
Ariel and Cassidy were assigned ticket duty. They had to sell all the prom tickets and make sure people paid before the night. It wasn’t exactly the most glamorous of tasks, but at least they didn’t have to use glitter for anything. Ariel considered it a win.
They walked home together as the sun was starting to set in the distance. They would still make it home before dark, but long shadows were starting to form over the sidewalk.
“Thanks for coming today… eventually,” Cassidy started, smiling at the jab.
“It wasn’t so bad,” Ariel conceded, only lying a little. The committee meeting was bearable and that was more than she had expected. “Selling tickets won’t be too hard, I think I’ll be able to handle it. It’s all for the good of the prom, right? We’ll be making memories.”
“Oh, I don’t care about the prom.” Ariel stopped to stare at her. Cassidy took a few more steps before looking back at her. “I care about getting on the cheerleading squad.”
“What?” It was all news to Ariel. As far as she could remember, Cassidy had never even mentioned the cheerleaders. Not unless it was to make fun of them, anyway. “Since when do you want to be a cheerleader?”
