Swift

by Heather London

  “Hmmm … Well, let’s just say that I had a book similar to that many years ago. So did your mother.”

  My mother. She knew about my mother. I wondered what else she knew. I stood up and began to back away, not knowing if she was someone I could trust.

  “Don’t be afraid of me. I was once like you, although I don’t practice anymore. After your mother died, I couldn’t bear to use magic anymore.”

  “What do you know about my mother?” I asked.

  “Ah, well, I was her teacher, you see. We are all given one at one point or another. I had one when I was about your age, and then when I grew into my powers, I was given a student. Your mother was the most powerful witch I had ever seen. She had possessed powers and qualities that I had never witnessed in all my life. Her life as a witch was so promising, but she quit practicing after she had you and your sister. She wanted to shield you girls from magic until she thought you were ready. She wanted you both to have a magic-free childhood. See, your mother had the ability to sense things before they happened; it was a quality I had never seen before. Unfortunately, she became distant to me toward the end. I knew she was in trouble, but she was very secretive and I never knew who or what she was running from. But your father was her protector, and I trusted that he would do the right thing if it came down to it. I know he tried his hardest that night to get you all away from here. I just wished they would have come to me. Maybe I could have helped.” She sighed, looking away from me, staring into the dark library.

  I felt my eyes grow wide with shock. Ms. Donaldson had been my mother’s teacher. My father had been my mother’s protector. Just like Abby and Blake were to me. My mind was swimming. Ms. Donaldson had known about me all along.

  “I’m assuming that something is going on since you had to come all the way over here this late at night,” she said, staring at me with curious eyes.

  I was careful about how I answered, still not knowing if I could fully trust her. “Yes. I’m trying to help someone.”

  “But you’re not in any trouble?” She questioned.

  I shook my head, not wanting to tell her what I had been trying to do.

  “I’m just curious because I’ve sensed a change in you over the last few weeks. When the accident happened, it was almost like you were wearing some type of armor, I couldn’t sense any energy from you. I assumed it was your mother’s work; it had her name written all over it.” She smiled proudly at that comment before continuing. “That’s all she ever wanted for you two girls, to grow up without all of this magic, and when the time came she would tell you about it and let you make the choice to follow your destiny or not. But I also knew that no spell lasted forever. That the spell she had placed in order to protect you would eventually fade and you would be left vulnerable. I know she tried her hardest that night and did the only thing she could. That’s why I asked Rose about you a few weeks ago. I knew your 18th birthday had just passed, and I wondered if maybe that was the day when the spell would finally lift. Sure enough, the first day you walked into the library, I could sense the energy inside you. It was magnificent. Now, I can feel an even more amazing energy from you, which leads me to believe that you have summoned your powers. You have chosen to follow your destiny.”

  I felt my eyes grow wide. How did she know about the summoning of my powers?

  “Don’t look so alarmed, dear. We are connected now by an even deeper bond, one that can never be broken.”

  And it was in that moment that it all came together. I knew what I had to do. A part of me wanted to stay and talk to Ms. Donaldson about all the things she had just told me. But I was running out of time. If I had any chance of saving the Harpers, I had to act now. I hugged Ms. Donaldson goodbye, promising her that we would talk again soon, and thanking her for everything that she had just told me.

  I ran out the double glass doors and didn’t stop. The more I ran, the more confident I felt. It was going to work; it had to work. Blake had said himself that all witches were connected … dead or alive, good or evil. And I know Abby said the Council only intervened if the craft was in jeopardy but it was, wasn’t it? I was apparently going to be a powerful witch but my protector, teacher, and guardians were all in danger of dying. I was not sure if this qualified as a major threat in their eyes but I had to at least try. I ran faster, pushing through the pain in my lungs and legs.

  I turned the corner onto Shore Drive, and I waited for the pain in my stomach to appear like it had so many times before. But it never came. The gates to the cemetery were closed, so I threw my backpack over and started to climb. I pulled myself up and over the top of the gate and jumped down to the other side. After grabbing my backpack, I raced down the familiar path, passing right by the Harper graves and on to my family’s.

  When I arrived at the gravesite, I collapsed down to it, gasping for air. About a minute passed, and I felt like I was ready for what I had come there to do. This was the one place I felt the closest to her, it was the only place I could think to ask for her help. I wanted to travel back to 1905 in order to warn the Harpers about the fire. It was the only way to make sure they were safe. Sure I could try and get a message to them, but then I would always wonder if they got it and if it worked.

  “Mom.” I paused for a moment, not knowing quite how to say what I needed to say or if she was even going to get the message. “I need your help. I know you are out there somewhere, and I’m hoping you can hear me. The Harpers need me. They are all in danger, and I need to get back to 1905 in order to warn them. Please.”

  I sat there waiting. Waiting for something, anything to happen. But there was nothing. No sounds, no magical lights, no ghostly spirit of her. Ten, twenty, thirty minutes passed with still no sign of her. No sign that I would be getting the help that I had asked for. The way Abby and Blake explained it to me, the Witch’s Council had asked them for help. Maybe it was just wishful thinking that I could somehow contact them. Maybe this wasn’t going to work like I had originally thought.

  I sat with my back up against the gravestone and tried to think of anything else I could do. Another hour passed, and I pulled myself up from the ground. Half of me was in a daze as I walked out of the cemetery. I didn’t think I could make it all the way back home that night; I didn’t have enough strength left. The only place I really wanted to be was at the Harpers’, anyway. The sun would be up in a few hours, and I knew that I would have to answer to Aunt Rose when I got home, but it just didn’t matter.

  As I approached the estate’s tall wooden gates, my heart began to ache, knowing that I had failed them, knowing that it was for certain I would never see them again. I unlatched the lock and pushed open the gate. Standing there, I stared at the large, empty, dark house. My knees almost buckled under me, but I found the strength to continue moving. The comfort of Blake’s bed and his scent that I hoped still lingered on his sheets lured me forward. Once inside, I dragged myself up the winding staircase and curled up onto Blake’s pillow. It was not long before exhaustion took over, and I quickly fell asleep.

  At first, my sleep gave me relief from the pain. Then came his voice. He sounded so close, almost as if he were in the next room, just a few steps away from me. But as much as I wanted it to be true, I knew that it was just my cruel dreams, torturing me ruthlessly. But I didn’t care, so I listened as hard as possible, wanting to hear his voice, even though it was agonizing to hear.

  Next, I heard a door swing open and a loud gasp.

  “Meredith!” He called.

  More than anything, I wished I had the power to answer him. Tell him what was going to happen to him and his family. Tell him that I loved him. Tell him that no matter what happened that I would never give up on us. But I couldn’t. There was nothing I could do to quiet the alarm in his voice. And there was nothing I wouldn’t do just to be able to touch him again, and save him from the terrible tragedy ahead.

  His voice spoke up again. This time it was no higher than a whisper, right into my ear. “Meredith, pleas
e open your eyes.”

  No, I thought. If I open my eyes, then his voice will disappear and no telling how long, if ever, it will take for me to hear it again. No, I would rather sleep forever.

  But then I wondered if he was trying to give me a message or a warning. Maybe he had found a way to communicate with me through my dreams.

  “Please, please open your eyes,” he whispered to me.

  Then I swear I felt his touch, brushing my hair back across my head. The one touch sent chills over my body, and I yearned for it again. Then, as if a miracle had occurred, I felt his lips brush upon mine. His lips were gentle, and I couldn’t stop myself from enjoying the moment. It felt real, too real. I wondered if this was some kind of punishment. Was some higher power trying to torture me to death?

  Then he pulled back, leaving me desperate for more. I was too afraid to move a muscle, not knowing what would happen if I did, scared that the dream would go away. And even though I knew eventually my eyes would have to open and I would be heartbroken all over again, it was worth the price.

  “Now do you believe me?” he asked.

  Did I believe him? What was that supposed to mean? But I could tell his voice held a smile in it, and it warmed my insides. This is how I wanted to remember him: sweet, happy, smiling, and alive. There was a part of me that wanted to live in that moment forever, never wanting to open my eyes and see the emptiness of his room. But then I realized that I wanted to lock the moment in my mind forever and be able to look back and remember him just like this.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  With much internal conflict, I opened my eyes and saw two sparkling blue eyes staring back at me. I opened and shut my eyes again, trying to wake myself from the dream before anything bad happened, ruining my memory of him forever. But each time I opened them, he was still there. I wrenched forward in bed, realizing I was not dreaming. I was awake.

  I gasped. “Blake? Is it really you?”

  “It’s me.” He took my hand and placed it on his cheek, allowing me to feel the warmth of his skin. “See, I’m real.”

  “Are you back ... or did I go back in …” My mind was so jumbled from being there with Blake that I couldn’t get the right words out.

  “You’re here, back in my time.”

  “It worked. I can’t believe it! My mother, she must have done this,” I cried.

  “But I don’t understand. Why didn’t you just wait for me to come back for you? I told you I would.”

  “The church, you and your family …” I trailed off, not able to finish my sentence. My mind was still spinning at the fact that I had traveled back in time and that my mother had helped me do it.

  “It’s all going to be fine, Meredith. Isaac has agreed to meet with us. He said he’s willing to help us defeat Alex.”

  “What? Isaac is going to help?” I asked, confused.

  “Yes, he contacted Abby, and we are meeting him at the church on the outside of town. Don’t worry, we are all going and will be prepared if things go wrong.”

  “No! That’s why I came here. Things go wrong, horribly wrong. I saw it in the papers. You die, you all die in the fire at the church. Somehow you all get trapped inside and can’t get out. Please, don’t go,” I screamed.

  Blake’s door swung open, and Abby stood there staring at me, much like she had the first day we met.

  “How did—you—get here?” she asked.

  I couldn’t help but smile, just seeing her made it all the more real. “My mother, I think.”

  She ran toward me, pushed Blake out of the way, and hugged me. “I was scared I would never see you again.”

  “Me, too,” I said, feeling tears welling up in my eyes.

  “Abby,” Blake said, picking himself up off the floor. “Meredith has come here for a reason. She saw something. She saw that we were going to die in a church fire.”

  “What?” Abby looked at me with a tortured expression. “No, he said he wanted to help. He wouldn’t do that to us … to me.” She shook her head and gazed down at the floor.

  “It’s a trap, Abby. Isaac is luring us there to kill us,” Blake said. I was thankful he was the one who told her, so I wouldn’t have to.

  She continued to shake her head. “I don’t believe it.”

  “I saw it, Abby,” I said. “In the newspaper, it said that you all were trapped inside, unable to get out. It only makes sense if they were trapping you in there with magic.”

  She sat next to me on the bed and stared down at the floor for a long minute. “Well, if that’s the case, we know what has to be done, don’t we?” She held her head high and stood up. “I have spent the last couple of years loving him and fighting for him but I won’t do it anymore, especially not at the expense of losing my family.”

  I looked toward Blake, and by the expression on his face I knew what he was thinking. Then my heart broke as I looked into Abby’s tortured eyes. The pain she must be going through right now must be unbearable, I thought. She was left with choosing the man she loves and her family.

  “Let’s go. He is expecting us there by sunrise, and if we’re late, he will start suspecting something,” Abby said, standing and walking toward the door.

  Blake stood up and faced me. “Meredith, you’re staying here.”

  “The hell I am!” I said, jumping off the bed. “There is no way. I have come this far to make sure you all don’t die out there, and there’s no way I’m stopping now,” I said with irritation.

  “Understood. Let’s go and get this over with,” he said, not even bothering to put up an argument.

  We all went downstairs and found Annette and Samuel in the kitchen.

  “Meredith?” Annette gasped.

  “Meredith came here to warn us. We don’t have much time, I’ll explain when we get there.” Blake said as he scooped me up in his arms. “Close your eyes, it’s probably going to be a bumpy ride.”

  I obeyed, and before I knew it, we were flying through the air. It was the fastest he had ever flown with me, and it took every part of me to fight back the nausea. The trip didn’t last long, and when I opened my eyes, we were standing in front of the church. Blake quickly filled in Samuel and Annette when we arrived.

  “Let’s finish talking over there,” Abby said, pointing toward the large pine tree in the distance. “Isaac should arrive any minute now.”

  We all followed her and gathered together, out of sight from the church.

  “We will somehow have to get Isaac, Alex, and whoever else comes with them inside the church before we enter. Then we will have to combine our powers to seal the doors and ... start ... the fire,” Abby said, barely choking out the last few words.

  “Are you sure about this, Abby?” Samuel asked. “We can think of another way.”

  “No. We will always be running from them. This may be our only chance,” she answered.

  “And here I thought you loved me.” A voice from behind us spoke.

  “Loved you is correct,” Abby snapped, whirling around to face him. “How could you do this? Plan to kill us all?” Her bottom lip quivered and it was clear she was suffering terribly.

  The five of us stood facing Isaac, the man I knew from my dreams as Alex, and four unidentified men. We were outnumbered.

  My eyes scanned the group and stopped on Alex, the last one to the left. Alex was the oldest of the group, whereas all the others were closer to my age. This was the first time I had ever come face-to-face with him in real life. His eyes were locked onto mine. Blake stepped in front of me to shield me from the glare Alex directed at me.

  “It was the price I had to pay.” Isaac’s words drew my attention back to him. “Lose a family to gain a family.” He shrugged. “But this is an unexpected surprise,” Isaac said, pointing to me. “After all that work in trying to get you all to the future so we could use your powers … and yet here she is.”

  So it was true then. They had used the Harpers in order to get to me.

  “What happened to you?” A
bby asked Isaac, forcing back tears.

  “What happened? Do I really need to go into details with you?” His voice was full of anger and frustration.

  “I just can’t believe it,” she paused. “You! You did this to him,” Abby shouted toward Alex, lunging toward him. Samuel grabbed her by the shoulders and held her back.

  Alex turned toward her and smiled. He was smiling the same evil smile that I had seen in the woods that afternoon, the last day my family was alive. That memory made me question how he got to my time all those years ago. Whose power did he and Isaac use to cross time? Could they have somehow channeled my mother’s power? Then all the puzzle pieces in my head began to fall into place. Then another memory flashed into my mind.

  I saw Alex standing in the middle of the road, on the outside of town. It was him that had caused my dad to swerve the night of the accident. My body shook with rage. The longer I stared at him the more I remembered from that night. All the memories that I had blocked out because of the pain, began to come back to me. I remembered my mother surviving the initial impact of the accident. She was awake and speaking coherently. She was saying something over and over again … a chant of some sort … or now that I knew she was a witch, it was probably a spell. I couldn’t remember the exact words but I do remember seeing Alex approaching the car but stopping a few feet shy of it. He met my gaze and new that I was still alive. But he looked confused and irritated that he couldn’t get any closer to me. It all made sense now. Before my mom died, she had said some sort of spell in order to protect me from him. But the spell went far beyond just that night; it had protected me until my 18th birthday.

  I felt an indescribable feeling come over me. Anger ripped through me and a craving of revenge twisted all around me. Before I knew it, I felt an overwhelming feeling of power coursing through my veins.

  Just then the church doors flew open. Alex, Isaac, and the rest of their group focused their eyes on me. Blake still stood in front of me, but I pulled my head around and focused on them. I focused on pushing them toward the open doors. It took all the courage inside me, but I tried to focus on using the one spell I had learned. It was a simple spell and I had only been able to move a leaf and rock but now my focus was on all the men before me. I could sense resistance, almost as if they were all combining their powers and pushing against me. I was not sure how much longer I could keep this up, the power I felt inside me felt strong but I wasn’t sure if I could possibly lose it all at any second. My eyes remained focused on Alex and I slowly began to see all the men before me move toward the opened church doors. I closed my eyes in order to concentrate. I breathed deeply, seeing them moving in my mind, toward the open church.