Charmed to Death

by Rose Pressey

  “She could be anywhere and in trouble. Or they could’ve already done something unspeakable to her,” my mother said.

  I shivered at the thought. “I can try a spell to see if that gives me a clue to her whereabouts. It might be clearer now without the vampires trying to interrupt,” I said.

  “Well, it’s worth a shot. What do we have to lose?” Nicolas asked.

  “Wait just a minute. I think I have something that could help,” Thomas said.

  “What’s that?” I asked.

  “Well, I have a special talent. I can pick up on scent.”

  “Like a dog?” I asked.

  Thomas furrowed his brow. “I am not happy being called a dog.”

  “I didn’t call you a dog. I just said like a dog.”

  My mother waved her arms. “All right, let’s not argue right now while we’re standing out in the middle of this graveyard wondering where another vampire is.” She held her hand to her forehead. “Oh, heavens. I can’t believe I’m a vampire.”

  “It’s not so bad,” Liam said. “It has its advantages.”

  My mother sighed. “I suppose. I don’t look at it that way.”

  “Anyway, back to this little trick you have. Can you explain, please?” I asked.

  “Just like it sounds, I can pick up on a scent. Do you happen to have anything of hers?” Thomas asked.

  “Oh, yeah, I just happen to have something of hers lying around,” I said with a flick of my wrist.

  “Well, I just asked,” he said.

  “Wait. Did she leave her jacket here the other day?” Annabelle asked.

  “I had completely forgotten about that. Thank you, Annabelle, for remembering. I’ll go get it.”

  I ran toward the house, glancing back at the strange scene standing out in the cemetery. It certainly was odd the way things had turned out. As I ran toward the house, I was on the lookout for any more trouble. What if another vampire or witch popped up? The surrounding dense trees didn’t help my anxiety. Someone could be lurking around out there and I wouldn’t even see them. I rushed inside the house, through the rooms to where she’d left the jacket. As I moved along I kept glancing over my shoulder. It felt as if someone was following me, but it must have been my imagination. My mind was only playing tricks on me. I grabbed it, and hurried back outside. I had no idea if Thomas was telling me the truth. Could he really pick up a scent? I thought that was dogs, not cats. It sounded crazy, but then again, it was no crazier than the fact that I had a familiar now. Thomas was waiting for me by the gate when I returned. I handed him the jacket. He pulled it up to his nose and inhaled deeply. After breathing in the scent, Thomas looked around. An eerie still had settled over the graveyard.

  “Well, do you pick up anything?” I asked.

  Without saying another word Thomas started walking. If he actually found her then I would seriously be impressed. With my luck he’d only sniff out a dead mouse. Could he push the cat instincts aside when he was in human form? A squeaking noise carried across the wind and then a loud bang. I spun around with my hands thrust forward, readying to fight. I released a big breath. The wind had closed the iron gate causing it to bang. A cool breeze whispered across my skin. It was odd since the weather had been so warm. I focused my attention on Thomas again. He weaved around some of the old gravestones and then ended up in front of what looked like a freshly dug grave. My eyes widened.

  I looked at Nicolas and said, “Do you think?”

  “I guess anything is possible with the vampires,” he said.

  There was no way she could still be alive. I mean she would be dead like permanently. Not just undead.

  Nicolas looked at Liam and Thomas. “There are shovels in the shed over there. We have to get them and get this dug up.”

  They took off for the shovels.

  When I looked at Annabelle, she was physically shaking. I went over to her and wrapped my arms around her. “Things will be fine, Annabelle, there’s no reason to be scared. I promise I’ll make sure that you’re okay.”

  She nodded and tried to keep a stiff upper lip. A few seconds later the guys returned with the shovels.

  The guys started using the shovels, dumping the dirt to the side. We stood back a bit, waiting anxiously. My stomach tumbled as I waited to find out if she was really under the dirt. Why else would there be a freshly dug grave? Was someone else under there? It could be terrifying to discover the contents. Finally after some time, they reached the wooden coffin. Nicolas climbed down there and attempted to rip off the top. Nothing happened.

  “This this is stuck,” he said.

  Liam jumped down into the hole. “Let me try.”

  After several seconds of Liam tugging, they both tried. The top still didn’t move. No matter how hard they tried to get the top off that box, it wouldn’t budge. They looked up at me with fear in their eyes.

  “It’s stuck,” Nicolas said.

  I knew I had to do something, but what, I had no idea. I suppose another set of hands might help, but I wasn’t exactly superwoman. Nevertheless, I‘d give it a shot. Of course that meant I needed to climb down in that hole with them. I moved closer to the gaping hole in the earth and stared down at the guys. They looked back at me as if I was crazy.

  “Hallie, you can’t come down here. It’s too dangerous,” Nicolas said.

  Of course when he said that I had to do it. It was almost as if it was a challenge, but not really. I honestly just wanted to get Cassandra out of there. If she was really in there at all. I would forgo my stubbornness if it meant she would be safe.

  “You guys can’t get that open so we have to do something else.” I got down onto the grass and then lowered myself into the hole.

  I was surrounded by the smell of damp earth and fear.

  “You try to pull down their bottom.” Liam gestured.

  I grabbed ahold of the casket lid and we yanked at the same time, but still it didn’t budge.

  I wiped the dirt off of my hands onto my pants. “There’s only one thing we can do. We’ll just have to use magic.”

  I should’ve done that in the first place, but I hated resorting to spellcasting all the time. It was as if I couldn’t do anything without magic. I didn’t want to have to rely on it so much. For Pete's sake I even needed it to bake a cupcake. This was getting out of hand.

  “We can’t it down here though. We have to get out of this hole,” I said.

  “Halloween, you have to hurry,” my mother said.

  No pressure, no pressure at all.

  I reached and tried to grasp my hands on the side of the hole, but the dirt slipped right from my hands. The earth crumbled under my fingers. No matter how hard I tried to climb up there, I couldn’t get a grasp. I was just too short to climb out of there. Nicolas climbed over to gave me a boost. Thank goodness I wasn’t down there alone. Sadly, there was one person down there alone at the moment, and that was possibly Cassandra.

  I motioned for everyone to come close. “We have to do you spell. Hold my hands.”

  I hoped that we could get Cassandra out of there. Time was slipping away.

  “I’m not so sure that we need to do magic,” my mother said. “It will take too long. We need that lid off there now. Why don’t you let me give it a try?”

  “Have you lost your mind? You can’t possibly get that of. Nicolas and Liam couldn’t.”

  She narrowed her eyes. I’d seen that look many times.

  “You want to bet,” she said.

  Oh, no. Now she was mad. We’d never talk her out of it.

  “Mother, a woman's life is in danger. You can’t do this,” I said.

  Of course she didn’t listen, but I hadn’t expected her to anyway. Next thing I know she had jumped down into the hole. I didn’t even know she could move that fast. My mother grabbed hold of the top of the casket and made a few grunting noises. It didn’t budge.

  “Okay, that’s enough. Get out of there.” I motioned.

  She didn’t look up at
me, acting as if she didn’t hear a word I said. We stood around, peering down at my mother. She was in a zone. She grunted a little more. This time all of a sudden the lid popped off. Sure enough Cassandra was in there. I couldn’t believe that my mother had actually gotten the top off. This was totally embarrassing for Nicolas and Liam, but I wouldn’t bring that little detail up. I’d always known my mother was a tough woman, but I was seriously impressed.

  Cassandra looked just like she had the last time I’d seen her, so peaceful and restful. Her eyes were closed of course.

  “This is terrible,” my mother said.

  Suddenly her eyes popped open. She gasped for air.

  “I can’t believe she’s alive,” Annabelle said. “Or undead… whatever you want to call it.”

  Liam and Thomas rushed over. They helped her up from the grave. She stumbled around for a moment until she finally got her footing.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  She finally focused on my face. “You saved me. Thank you, Halloween. You are an awesome witch.”

  “Well, it wasn’t all me,” I said. “Mostly it was Thomas. Plus, my mother, Nicolas, and Liam.”

  She hugged my mother and then looked Thomas up and down. “Thank you. I can’t thank you enough. Where are the vampires?”

  “Being taken away by the detectives,” I said. “They’ve been taken care of.”

  “Would you like some blood?” Nicolas asked. “Do we still have any in the fridge?”

  “Yeah, I think there’s a couple bottles left,” I said.

  While Nicolas ran for a bottle we continued talking.

  “They were just so evil. They wanted me to die a long, slow death by no nutrients from blood. They were the ones responsible for killing the vampires.”

  “Yeah, I figured that out,” I said. “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you sooner.”

  Soon Nicolas returned and she grabbed the bottle from his hands. She chugged the thing in a matter of seconds.

  “Yuck,” my mother said.

  Cassandra brushed the hair out of her eyes. “Thanks, I really needed that.”

  “Cassandra, why would all the vampires have left the building? When we went there looking for you the place looked as if it had been evacuated.”

  “Marissa told everyone we were closing the building early. I guess she wanted me alone so she could get rid of me.”

  “Until I came around looking for you,” I said.

  “Exactly,” Cassandra said.

  “So I guess everyone’s wondering about Thomas and how he found Cassandra.”

  “Not really,” my mother said.

  . You see this brooch here?” I gestured toward my chest.

  “Oh, it’s lovely, dear, but what does it have to do with the crime?” Just then it looked as if they thought clicked in her mind.

  “Yes, well, the cat can talk to me through this brooch.” I tapped the piece of jewelry with my index finger.

  Everyone stared in silence.

  “I know that sounds crazy. I don’t understand it either, but it is magic, after all, and we’ve seen a lot of crazy things, for heaven’s sake.”

  “A lot of crazy things… Like the fact that you can cook now,” Annabelle said.

  Everyone laughed.

  “That is crazy,” Liam said.

  I smirked. “Very funny, guys. All right, so maybe eventually I’ll figure out exactly how this whole thing works, but in the meantime, I have a familiar now. It’s how Thomas found Cassandra.”

  He smiled and waved.

  “I thought there was something special about him,” Annabelle said with a smile.

  He winked at her.

  Animals always had loved Annabelle.

  “Yes, but what does Thomas have to do with the cat?” my mother asked. “By the way, where is the cat?”

  Chapter 28

  Thomas touched my arm. “Halloween, may I speak with you for a moment?”

  I eyed him suspiciously. This couldn’t be good. “Okay, I suppose.”

  Thomas and I walked a short distance away from the graveyard.

  I faced Thomas. “Why didn’t you talk to me about your abilities and reason for being here earlier?”

  He looked down at his feet and then finally back up at me again. “I suppose I was just shy.”

  I frowned. “I’m sorry, but I don’t believe that for two seconds. You don’t seem exactly like the shy type. You’re outspoken and opinionated. And to be honest a little annoying.”

  His eyes widened. “What? I’m offended.”

  “Oh, come on, you know I mean that in the nicest way possible,” I said. “I said you are opinionated and annoying, but I didn’t say I didn’t like those things.”

  Thomas pointed. “See, that’s what’s wrong with you. You shouldn’t like those things.”

  “But on you it’s endearing and charming,” I said with a smile.

  “Yeah, right, I am charming, but I don’t believe you.”

  I shrugged. “Well, I guess you’ll just have to be upset with me.”

  “I’m not upset,” he said. ‘You’re right, I am opinionated and annoying. And I love every minute of it.”

  “At least we agree on that,” I said.

  Thomas draped his arm around my shoulders. “We’re practically family now. This is going to work out so well.”

  “Why did you take me to that house? You were in the back of the car and you told us where to go. It seems like you took me there on purpose,” I said.

  He peered down at his feet again. “Yeah, about that… perhaps that wasn’t the best idea now, as I reflect upon it. I thought I knew where I was going. The witch tricked me too. I’m only half-human.”

  “Oh, you think it was a bad idea? I think I need a better explanation than that.” I placed my hands on my hips.

  He shrugged. “So sometimes I’m not the best familiar. I make mistakes.”

  “Oh, why am I not surprised that I would get the familiar that admits to making mistakes?”

  “From what I’ve heard you have no room to point fingers at me.”

  I pointed. “Hey, that’s all behind me now. That’s why I need someone who’s really on their game. No mistakes.”

  “Everyone makes mistakes, Halloween,” Thomas said.

  “Just don't make mistakes that will get me killed, okay?”

  “You’ve got yourself a deal.” He stretched his hand out for a shake.

  Leave it to me to get stuck with a familiar who was prone to mistakes. They had to some sort of database where they matched people up because that would explain this collaboration.

  Something along the tree line caught my attention. It was just a streak of gray, and I wondered if I had imagined it. As I stared into the woods, I saw nothing now. I just hoped that it wasn’t the witch returning. I thought for sure that we had gotten rid of her now. I watched the area, scanning for any kind of movement. Nothing happened, so I just assumed that it had been my imagination. I was a little on edge right now anyway, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if my mind was playing tricks on me. Yeah, I needed a long bubble bath and relaxing book. Maybe a nice chocolate dessert as a reward for all of this stress. As it turned out, it wasn’t my imagination though because I saw the gray streak pass another tree. I soon realized it was a living creature.

  “Did you see that?” I whispered.

  “I didn’t see a thing,” Thomas said.

  As the animal raced toward us, I realized it was a wolf, not a small one either. This was a huge animal with gray and white fur and glowing green eyes. Its gaze was fixed right on us. There was no doubt he wanted us. It looked as if he was a tad bit hungry. Fear raced through my body. We had to get away from him, but there was no way we would out run him. I would have to use magic if I wanted to stand a chance of fighting this beast at all. Apparently, it was his dinner time and I was the main course.

  Thomas had been beside me. Now he’d turned back into cat form. I suppose there ws a reason for that, but I had
no idea why. A huge screech escaped his lips. He had every right to be afraid of this thing. I was torn between preparing myself for an attack, casting a spell right on the spot, or turning around and bolting out of there. However, I knew I stood no chance of running fast enough, so I had to stay put, despite my urge to want to flee. I proceeded to cast a spell against the animal.

  With energy and wind whirling around me I knew the spell had worked. It zipped off my hands and whizzed through the air, across the way toward the animal. I didn’t expected what would happen next. The wolf zipped to his right, missing the spell completely. Oh, how clever of him. Wow, he was sharp one. That was a bit shocking for me because usually no one thought to do that. They usually just kind of stood there in a weird transfixed state and ended up getting hit with the spell. I would have to widen my reach. I realized then that he had his sights set on the cat. Thomas took off to his right. The wolf was chasing right after him. I couldn’t let this happen. I couldn’t let him get Thomas, as annoying as he was. I took off after both of them, preparing my spell as I ran, making sure to widen its reach.

  I cast the spell again, and this time the wolf didn’t get a chance to miss it. Though the magic didn’t totally take him to the ground either. The cat meowed, as if I had just run over his tail with a rocking chair. I was nowhere near him. The wolf went to his left, made a turn, and then loped toward the trees again. The spell hadn’t frozen him, but it had made him leave us alone, which was fine with me.

  I ran over to Thomas. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

  My life flashed before my eyes. I’m traumatized over that guy, I mean wolf… beast, whatever.

  I quirked an eyebrow. “What is going on? Do you know why it looked like he was chasing you specifically… on purpose?”

  Well, I am a cat…

  “True. But still, I’m suspicious,” I said.

  Thanks for saving me. You’re my hero. He strolled over and rubbed his body against my leg.

  I backed away. “All right, that’s enough of that. I know you’re up to something, but we have to get back over there. They’re all staring at us.”

  When I looked back at the tree line again I spotted something out of the corner of my eye. As I squinted, I saw him. The man was peeking out from behind one of the oak trees. I hadn’t expected that at all. He had dark long hair and he was staring right at us. I froze on the spot. I wasn’t sure what to do next.