He gazes straight into my eyes, his irises like pools of honey against the sunlight. “It’s a force field. It should protect us from harm… But it may not last too long, so we better hurry,” he explains, grabbing my hand protectively.
“Okay, let’s go,” I reply, yanking him towards the entrance, hoping that Akiko’s stayed put.
Running into the darkness is disorienting, but the faint glow from our bodies, helps us navigate through the crowds, dodging as best we can, but occasionally bumping and bouncing off some faceless person. The lights continue to flash, and though the screams remain constant, the intensity seems to dwindle as the minutes go by.
When we’re nearing the other side of the room, jostling through the last few bodies before reaching the entrance, the hiss and crackle of electricity approaches us from behind, so loud and intense, that I’m compelled to look over my shoulder even though I know the force field is there to protect me. At first, I can’t tell what it is, but as the shadows shift I spot it: a slate black plume surrounded by sparks, shooting across the room towards us. It looks so horrifying, that I can only guess that it’s the harbinger of death. With every step, I whip my head back and forth, looking ahead and behind as the plume nips at our heels.
Finally a flash reveals Akiko’s trancelike stare, her body motionless like a ghoulish zombie in a horror movie. I scream, but my fear renders me mute, and nothing comes out of my mouth. Andy’s voice booms across the room, “Get down!” as he tries to warn her.
But it’s as if Akiko is deaf to everything around her, the shock, killing her senses. Just as we’re about to reach her, only a few arm lengths away, we’re slammed. The plume hits our backs so hard it feels as if a car has rammed into us at full speed. The force lifts us off our feet, but the shield around our bodies prevents us from absorbing the effects of the spell. As we’re flying though the air, careening towards the floor, I catch sight of the plume, now heading towards Akiko after bouncing off of us. I scream and this time my voice echoes loudly, a shrill, high-pitched, “Nooo!” escapes.
My eyesight is spinning, and even though the sensation of falling is blurring, I’m lucid enough to catch snippets of clarity, a chandelier crystal glimmering in the shadow, a shuffling foot as someone runs past me, shards of broken glass glinting on the floor. It’s during this onslaught of imagery that I spot the wink of a gem encrusted cufflink, and the satiny sheen of a perfectly knotted cravat, right before I hit the ground with a thump, crumpling like a fallen rag doll. As I lay on the floor, stunned by the impact, the acrid smell of burning hair jolts me out of it. I push myself up on my knees, and this time, it’s my turn to be shell-shocked. My limbs are slack and my mind numb as I watch Akiko twitching, her body consumed by the electrical plume. Wisps of smoke flow from her orifices, even her pores, before finally collapsing on the cold tile floor, lifeless. I hear a scream from the other side of the room, “Akiko!” and in my confused haze I actually think it sounds like Samir. But I ignore it, knowing that it can’t be him.
I crawl on my knees, big wet tears cascading onto the tiles as I inch my way across the floor. When I reach her body, silky black strands of hair cover her face, and I sweep them aside with my hand. It’s at that moment, as her hollow eye sockets stare back at me that I know she’s really dead. I collapse from the inside out, all I can do is cry; long, ugly, wails escape my lungs as my face crumples with sadness. My fingers caress her cheek, and for an instant, I think that maybe I can bring her back to life. I hover my hands over her face and heart, willing my power to heal her, but nothing happens. Not one tingle, not one ounce of heat, not one thing I can do to save her.
I grasp her body, embracing her close while I sob uncontrollably. It’s not until I hear Andy’s voice whispering in my ear, “Hazel, I’m sorry…” that I actually look around the room and realize it’s eerily quiet. Seconds pass before the lights return, brightly illuminating the scene. I gently place Akiko back down, and stand, scanning the room for Louise, but she’s gone. Vlad stands alone, helpless, as he stares out in a daze. I walk away from Andy, into the now half empty room, and realize that every single shape-shifter is gone except for me. The remaining witches and wizards in the room are stunned, frozen in place, not knowing what to do or what to say.
A siren goes off and the doors to the ballroom slam open. Sybil, Maya, Jared, Brad, Alicia, and several others I do not recognize blast into the room, staring wild-eyed as they assess the situation. Jared sees me, and breathes a deep sigh of relief, the storminess in his eyes receding little by little. But then he sees Akiko’s dead body. The fear on his face is undeniable, and I realize that things have gone from bad to worse. Even Jared seems shocked by the turn of events, eyeing the others silently. Sybil whispers into Maya’s ear, then gazes at us, her blue eyes glowing intensely.
“We must leave immediately!” she shouts. The trance is broken, and everybody rushes out of the room, like a herd of spooked horses.
Brad looms over Akiko’s body, blocking her from getting trampled. It’s the first time I’ve seen his face so vacant, the sparkle in his eye extinguished, his smile replaced with a deep frown. He bends down and scoops her up in his arms, protecting her body with his broad chest even though she’s already dead. Jared sidles over, his eyes like angry gray clouds as he stares at Akiko. He glimpses over his shoulder straight at me, and I can tell by his faraway gaze that a deep, dark memory is making him even angrier. But suddenly, he snaps out of it, and his eyes are clear, focused and ready to take charge.
“Let’s go everyone! Follow me!” he commands with a bellowing voice.
Andy holds my hand tightly, keeping me by his side as we follow them out of the room. “Hurry, Hazel,” he says breathlessly as we run through the glass hallway, past the many corridors and rooms until we finally reach the entrance. Maya opens the doors and cautiously peeks out. She turns to Sybil, nodding her head.
Sybil sweeps her glowing eyes at the frantic crowd, soothing them with her magnetic gaze. “The buses that were supposed to bring everyone to Federation Headquarters tomorrow morning are already here. I want all of you to get on board quickly. We cannot risk using portals right now… Security has been breached, and we do not know if more attacks have been planned…”
Sleek, unmarked buses, painted in a matte black finish are waiting outside. We hurry, down the front steps, Andy protecting me with his body as we run to the nearest bus. When we reach it, the massive vehicle hisses, the hydraulics screeching obtrusively as the door swings open. I’m about to hop up, when suddenly I remember the wand hidden in my pencil case. A panic sets in, and a pulling sensation grips me, as if the wand is beckoning me to retrieve it. I halt, and step back, bumping into Andy’s chest behind me.
“Hazel, we have to go now,” he says, nudging me forward.
I manage to snake my body past him. “I’ll be right back. I have to get something…” I blurt out in between nervous breaths.
He lunges for me, attempting to catch my wrist before I’m out of arm’s reach. “Hazel! No!” he says, this time more insistent.
Jared appears out of nowhere, positioning himself between Andy and me. “What’s going on? This isn’t the right time to be messing around okay?” he declares.
I stare at Jared in the eye, trying to evoke the urgency of the situation. “It’s important Jared, I just have to grab something in my room.”
There’s a pause, Jared’s eyes dart back and forth between me and the bus, until finally he exhales and squints at Andy. “Get on the bus. I’ll go with Hazel,” he orders.
I glimpse at Andy, just as he sticks his chest out defiantly, the vein on the side of his neck puffed out and angry. “She’s my familiar, she’s my responsibility!” he growls.
The electricity between them is fully charged, and for a minute, I think they might actually lunge at each other. But Sybil butts in, her shimmering aura releasing a sense of calm.
“Andy, get on the bus. Jared, accompany Hazel to her room. Quick. You have five minutes,�
�� she dictates with an air of superiority.
Jared pulls me before I can even see Andy’s reaction, his effortless sprint, inspiring me to keep up. When we reach the dorm, he pushes the door open, and holds his hand up, signaling for me to wait outside while he checks to make sure it’s safe.
“Okay, c’mon,” he says before charging in.
We climb up the stairs two at a time, and I lead him to my room. Again, he opens the door, checking first before allowing me to enter. Inside, it feels shockingly vacant. Louise’s impeccably made bed slaps me in the face, reminding me that she’s gone. From the corner of my eye, I spot her pink eye mask, the tears well up, but I push them back, swallowing the lump in my throat as I grab the satiny mask and stuff it into my pocket. Jared tilts his head impatiently.
“We better hurry, grab whatever it is that’s so important and let’s go.”
I yank my empty backpack from the closet and pull the nightstand drawer with my back facing Jared, hoping he doesn’t see what I’m doing. The pencil case is right where I left it, and I open it quickly, pushing the pencils aside till the glimmer of metal greets me. I snap it shut, and stuff it into the bag along with my sketchbook, then zip the backpack, spinning around when I’m done.
“Okay, let’s go.”
There’s no time for questions, so Jared doesn’t even bother asking before we take off again. By the time we reach the line of buses, they’re rumbling restlessly, eager to depart. The door of the first bus opens, and we leap in just as it begins inching forward. I’m barely inside, still catching my balance on the walkway when I feel a searing heat on my forehead, and without looking, I know that Andy’s gaze is burning holes through me, the intensity of his stare putting me on edge. My line of sight catches his, and even though he’s all the way at the back, I can sense every emotion: anger, betrayal, jealousy, fear and love, all mashed up together.
From the corner of my eye I notice Jared sit next to the driver. I’m sure he’s already sensed Andy’s hostility and has wisely decided to keep his distance. I amble to the back, grabbing onto a seat here and there as the bus lurches from side to side. When I reach Andy, he averts his gaze, but exhales, as he moves over slightly to make room for me. I’ve never seen him throw a tantrum like this, not even when we were kids, and it catches me by surprise.
His body is tense, easing only slightly when I settle into my seat. I lean into him, subtly at first, but when he lifts his arm over my shoulder allowing me full access, I nestle my head on his chest, my body suddenly trembling as the shock of everything that’s happened finally sinks in. I’m too stunned to cry, and he pulls me closer, trying to comfort me.
While I listen to the hum of the engine, Andy’s heartbeat thumps rapidly in one ear and I try to block everything out, concentrating only on the rhythmic sounds around me, but it’s no use. Images of Akiko’s pale, lifeless body, the fear in Louise’s face, that haunting voice that sounded just like Samir, all play over and over in my head like a garish nightmare that I can’t escape. Then I remember something: the sparkling cufflink, teasing me in the shadows, that unmistakable sheen of a satin cravat, and I suddenly believe. Mom was right. Rufus White is alive.
I want to jump up in my seat and scream it out at the top of my lungs. But I don’t. I sit back and lean my head on Andy. As I feel his warmth against my cheek and his arm pulling me close to him, that knot of determination inside of me grows stronger, twisting and turning until it fills my insides completely.
It’s only then, as the bitter taste of revenge clings to my throat that I remember the last thing Akiko said to me, “Hazel… No matter what, make sure they find Samir… I’m counting on you…”
I swallow hard, close my eyes and make a promise.
The End
About the Author
Tatiana G. Roces has lived all over the world but currently resides in Barcelona, Spain. When she’s not writing, reading or doing the bidding of her feline companions, Tatiana wanders the streets of the Gothic Quarter looking for inspiration for her next book. THE FAMILIAR is her first novel.
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