“What about my sister? What about RemyAnne?” I asked him, wondering if it really was my sister who I’d met that night or just another mean trick from the shadows.
“Oh, they couldn’t find her anywhere. Clamora really did bring her back, but they don’t know where she is. They wanted her more than they wanted Clamora, so that way they could ensure she wasn’t like you,” he said simply.
“There is nothing about her in the stories, though.” At least that’s what Sebastian told me.
“No, there’s not. But that’s why they were so desperate to get her when they found out she was alive. The leader of the u da yv la dv is looking for any possibility that she is like you. What better way to prevent there being two of you than to kidnap her and kill her just to be on the safe side?” He shrugged again.
“Why not go after me, then? If I am the one that they know of, that legends speak of, so why not me? The likelihood of her being like me is slim. Everyone knows that,” I shot at him.
“They have tried to go after you. But you are so damn protected and powerful now. They can’t touch you even if they wanted to. You’re more immortal than everyone wants you to believe,” Luke spoke honestly.
“What do you mean I’m more immortal than everyone wants me to believe?” Every time he brought up something new, I got confused with the new information.
“It means what it sounds like.” His cool tone told me that he was done talking about my immortality.
“How do I get Clamora back from the u da yv la dv?”
“Ha! That’s a good one.” He laughed at me.
“Hey, I’m being serious, and I don’t get why it’s funny. Can you stop laughing at me now?” I was starting to get frustrated with him.
“Sorry.” He wiped the tears from his eyes. “Unless you have a half-blood hanging around, there’s no way you can get her back. She’s as good as stuck where they have her.”
“Oh,” I answered. “How would I have one if they don’t exist anymore?” I asked him. Even though I felt like I could trust him, there was something that held me back from showing him my hand.
“Yeah, that’s why I laughed so hard.” He smiled at me. “I’m sorry for laughing. Sometimes I forget that you don’t really know much about the u da yv la dv.”
“It’s okay. Now how am I supposed to protect you?” I smiled before changing the subject.
“If you can somehow replace the protection Clamora put on the warehouse and keep it safe from the u da yv la dv, then I could stay there safely,” Luke offered up.
“I don’t know how to do those spells. She did the one on my home here. All I know is that she needed the blood of any supernatural that I wanted to be allowed to enter my home,” I answered him truthfully. After the u da yv la dv searched my house, Clamora did a protection spell to keep them out. Thankfully, it had worked.
“I don’t either. But she was a psychic.” He handed me that piece of information as if I knew what to do with it.
“Okay, what does that have to do with anything?”
“You really don’t know too much about supernaturals, do you?” he asked me incredulously. “Clamora was a psychic, which means she kept a grimoire, which you should start doing too.”
“A what?” I shook my head at him in utter confusion.
“I cannot believe no one has told you about a grimoire. It’s a book of spells and how to create important objects and potions. I’m sure it all sounds like you just stepped into a Harry Potter novel, but trust me, you have not. Anyway, a grimoire is very important to any magical supernaturals. Some families even have them handed down through generations,” he explained.
“All right, where would she have kept hers?” I stood up, a plan already forming in my head.
“I’m not sure. In a secret hiding place somewhere, I would assume. She wouldn’t want it falling into the wrong hands, because if it did it would mean danger for a lot of innocent people.”
“Okay. I will get it and do the spell on the warehouse soon. In the meantime, you have my number. Call me if you need anything immediately.”
“Will do, and thank you.” He stood up and headed for the door.“Thank you for what?” I asked.
“Listening, and helping to protect me from them.” Luke turned and walked out the door before I could respond to his words.
After Luke left, I went upstairs into my old room and stared at everything that I needed to throw in boxes. I sighed and plopped on the floor. This was definitely the wrong time to be packing everything up and moving away from my family. Even though it was important, it still felt like bad timing. Everything was falling apart and somehow falling together all at once. I’d met a half-blood and I was hoping to help save her race. I also hoped she would help me save Clamora. Luke had officially betrayed his creator, something Aphrodite had told us would happen. The u da yv la dv had managed to break through Clamora’s spell and set up an attack for Willow to witness, and they had continued to play the cards as if the fake Clamora was the real one. But that was where it got sticky. I somehow had to prove that it wasn’t the real Clamora in order for Sebastian to believe me.
I gave up trying to pack all of my stuff by myself so I texted Sebastian, asking for help. When he finally replied, he said he would be arriving in an hour. Instead of asking him why it was going to take him so long, I put my phone down and went to my bookshelf. As I packed away the endless number of books, I thought about ways to undo the u da yv la dv’s plan. The sky began to darken outside, and a heavy thud on my floor caused me to turn around with my heart hammering in my chest.
One of the floorboards had somehow popped up slightly. It was the same board that constantly creaked and wobbled when it was stepped on. At first I thought that after all these years it had finally came loose, but something kept making me turn from my shelves to look at it. Curious, I got down on my hands and knees and peered through the tiny crack. The light from my lamp reflected perfectly into the crack, which allowed me to see that something was in there. Luke’s words flashed through my mind. Families sometimes passed grimoires down through the generations. With my heart pounding, I reached my fingers into the space and yanked the board up as hard as I could. I fell back into the wall but successfully removed the plank. My head ached as I crawled to the hole in the floor. A dirty and stained cloth covered what looked like a box. Reaching in to grab it, I snatched my hand back. I thought about waiting for Sebastian so he could kill any possible spiders, but I didn’t want to wait. Trying not to think about eight-legged creatures roaming about, I reached in and quickly pulled it out.
The cloth itself was soft, like silk. It slid through my fingers easily as I carefully unwrapped whatever it had been protecting. Intricate designs and filigree covered the wooden box. In the center of the lid was a design that was oddly familiar: a rose with wings with a crescent moon and the sun on each side. I traced the design and a clasp on the box opened, startling me. Slowly, I opened the lid and gasped. What was inside fascinated me. A thick leather-bound book took up most of the space, but other small objects littered the box.
“I see you found your grandmother’s secret box.” I jumped at the sound of the voice, almost dropping the box on the floor.
“Huh?” I looked up as I asked.
“Your grandmother, my mom, she was like you. She was a witch,” my mom answered with a soft smile. “I always wanted to be like her, you know. But when the time came and I didn’t change, I ran away from the thought of supernatural creatures. Hid them away from my mind, and my mom hid it away from me as well. Until she found out I was pregnant with Zany. She went a little off the deep end, said that one of my children was going to be like her, that one of you would be the greatest thing the supernatural world had ever heard of. I didn’t want to hear it. I shut her out. When she promised to never speak of it again around my family, I agreed to allow her to see you.
“It was only after a year that I found out what she had done. She had snuck up here, it was an office then, and pl
aced that box in here. Somewhere in the floor, and she wouldn’t say where for fear of me throwing it away. She said that when the time came and whoever it was needed it, the floor would open and they would be able to open the box.” She laughed a little and came to sit next to me on the floor. Even though my grandma had been around when I was a child, I had never thought that she was a supernatural. I had never thought that my mom watched her do magic when she was little. I had no idea that my mom even knew about supernaturals until I became one.
“How come you never told me?” I asked her.
“Because it never seemed right, and I was ashamed that I had turned away from my own mother because of what I wasn’t.” My mom looked down at the box and traced a design on the side. “She seemed to know who you were before any of us did. Grandma was always proud of you whenever you did something that amazed us all.” She blinked away tears at the memories of my grandma.
“I can’t believe she knew. Did you know about the stories of me? Who I was going to be?” My mind was still reeling at the fact that she had known.
“She told me a story about a special girl, like you. But when you were born, we had no clue. We didn’t even understand completely when the psychic told us what had happened. And most supernaturals believed it was just a bedtime story, a legend that would never come true.”
“What was the story? How did it go?”
“You really want to know?” she asked with a smile.
I nodded and she sighed.
“All right. Let’s see if I can even still remember.” She chuckled and thought hard about it for a moment. “I think I’ve got it. ‘In a time where the world is in danger from the shadows, when they are ready to burst through the opening, when all hope is almost lost, a child is born. She is born of light and peace; she is the greatest hope anyone in this world could ever have. With no knowledge of the world she truly belongs in, she grows up learning and playing like a mortal, like a human. During a hot summer when she is seventeen, she changes into three supernaturals all combined into one, a unique combination that will save everyone and everything on this planet. When she is eighteen, the world ends. Fire, devastation, and bloodshed consume her home, her world. Yet as broken as she feels, she perseveres through it all and rises to the challenge. As she strikes the shadows down one by one, she heals any she crosses paths with, creating hope and light everywhere she steps. And she will win.’” My mom finished the story and smiled at me. “That’s how grandma told it to me when I was a little girl, anyway. I don’t know if it varies in different families,” she offered up in case some of it was told differently.
“Wow. So it has been told that I am going to win?” I felt a little bit of pressure from the ending of the story.
“That’s what it says. But I can say that even if it is just to make a happy ending for a nice bedtime story, I still believe you can and will win.” She smiled proudly at me and got up to walk away.
“Hey, Mom?” I called before she left.
“Yes, Auby?”
“Thank you. And I love you.” I smiled at her.
“Anytime, and I love you too.” With that, she left and headed down the stairs.
I turned back to the box filled with secrets of past witches in my family. So much history of where I came from lay in a box that had been hidden my whole life, placed in waiting for me or my siblings. Officially distracted by what was in the box, I picked it up and took it to my bed. Careful not to damage the delicate items, I lifted everything out and splayed it across the covers. The last thing I took out was the grimoire itself. It was surprisingly heavy and felt powerful. Something somewhere inside of me clicked when I held it close, connecting me to those years of hidden magic, centuries of spells and abilities that no one knew of. Visions of the past and future filled my mind: witches being burned before they could hide; spells of healing, love, restoration, and even discovery of people and things; potions made in secret, candles used for many different rituals, stones and crystals placed for protection—all of it flooded my vision. Once it was over, I looked down at the book with a newfound respect for everyone who had used it, written in it, and passed it down safely.
A soft knock on the doorframe startled me out of my thoughts, and I looked up immediately. Sebastian stared at me in shock. At first I wasn’t sure where the shock came from, until I realized I was sitting in the middle of a magical storm. I smiled softly and began placing everything back inside the box. I wrapped it back up after I closed the lid and placed it in an empty box. “Sorry, I found my grandmother’s grimoire. I got distracted and started looking through it,” I apologized quickly.
“You don’t have to apologize. I’ve just never seen one. I know Clamora kept one, but she always kept it hidden and never talked about it. If you’re ready, let’s finish packing this stuff up and we can head home.” He smiled brightly at me and went to finish throwing books into boxes.
“Maybe we should search for her grimoire. Then we can bring it to her or keep it safe until we can get her into a safer place,” I offered up while I tossed the rest of my clothes and shoes into plastic bags.
“I guess we could. But I would think she would have it with her.” Sebastian sounded a bit hesitant.
“I don’t think she would, Sebastian. Think about it: Between getting attacked by the u da yv la dv and getting moved from the hospital to the hotel, when would she have had the time to safely get it? And besides, I want to use her spell on our home, as well as on the grounds of the warehouse so nothing like that ever happens again,” I explained to him.
“All right, we can do that tomorrow after school.”
We finished packing in silence, with the occasional question about tape or Sharpies. After two hours, we headed out with Sebastian’s car filled to the brim with boxes and garbage bags. When we were finally at home, I headed upstairs with my magical box and started thinking about hiding it. I knew that it needed to be kept in a secret spot. As I paced the room, I thought about where to hide it. Not in a safe or a hidden compartment in a wall, somewhere only I could open. If only I could hide it the way my grandma had done. Then it hit me: I had her grimoire where she recorded her spells. I quickly pulled it out of the box and opened the book. Papers fell out as I hurriedly searched through it for the spell when I noticed a photograph on the floor. I forgot about searching and picked everything up.
There were letters, notes, and photos. I shuffled through each until I came across a letter addressed to me. It was scribed in my grandmother’s intricate cursive. I smiled as a tear fell on my cheek at all the happy thoughts and memories of her. With shaking hands, I opened it and read it, her voice speaking every word in my head.
My dearest Aubrie,
You, my sweetheart, have grown up beautifully. I am probably dead if you are reading this and wondering what exactly it is that you are looking at. This box contains many secrets and spells from many incredible witches that are from our bloodline. There are many people who would kill to have our secrets. Keep them safe. Keep them close to you and memorize special spells that you may need in a moment’s notice. Don’t be afraid of what you have in your hands. It is a great power and responsibility that I know you will keep dear care of.
I need you to know a few things. First, you cannot blame your mother for not knowing who you were going to be. And do not blame her for turning away from me and the world in which you belong; after all, I don’t. She wanted so badly to be like us, to be a magical person who could take the pain away from everyone. When you were born with that dear sweet soul of your sister’s, I tried to tell your mother who you were, but she wouldn’t hear it. I already knew that one of her children would be the one, so I hid the box away with the purpose of keeping it safe for you. Anyway, I need you to understand something: This life of yours is precious, and it is beautiful.
I watched you grow into a fantastic and caring young woman; you have a strong soul that will change the lives of all—that will change the world. I’m so proud that I got the chan
ce to watch you grow, to watch your first moments. You have always been in my heart and you always will be. You made an old woman’s heart beat proudly and stronger than it ever did before.
As I said previously, there are things you need to know. The next thing is that nothing is as it seems. Nothing is black and white; there are many different shades of gray in between. Each group of supernatural has heard of you and is suspicious that you are not real. After all, you are a myth in our world, which is silly because in the human world we are myths. Anyway, there are still some who believe in each group. Find them, and they can help you form allies in every group. You need these. Some of these allies will be your greatest help. Another thing: The shadows are terrible beings, in case you don’t already know. They will destroy each and every person who wants to help you, as well as those you care about. Keep them just as safe as you keep the box and grimoire.
Tell your mother that she will be one of your greatest helpers. She knows more about our world than you do at this time. Although my sweet daughter probably does not want to remember, she knows many things that I taught her when she was a young girl. She has to dig deep, but those memories are there.
I love you, my sweet angel. You have a great duty ahead of you, and I know you will do more than anyone else out there. You’re a hero but you don’t know it quite yet. Be good, be brave, be strong. And remember, even though I may not be there anymore, you will ALWAYS have our memories and these words, plus many more that are hidden in this box.
Oh! And before I forget, there is a secret compartment in the bottom of the box. Just run your fingers along the seams of the box, and you’ll find the way to open it.
Always your dearest,
Grandma
Tears streaked my cheeks as I finished the letter. My grandma had left me a few instructions, but she had also given me words of encouragement and love. I missed her so much. She was one of the greatest women in my life. I clutched the letter to my chest, curled up on our bed, and let my sobs shake me to the core. Her words let me feel feelings that I hadn’t felt in years. They left me afraid, proud, and so sad. Every emotion that wracked my body in that moment felt earth shattering.
Chasing Shadows Page 24
