by Karen DuBose
I laugh again because I know he is right. “What makes you say that?”
He snorts. “Because you always get what you want, when you want it. That’s why I love hanging out with you. To watch the people, beg for their lives. It’s quite entertaining to watch.”
“You know I think your mind is worse than mine. I do enjoy it, but I think you enjoy a lot more.”
He shrugs his shoulders giving me my answer. This is why we get along so well. I push off the tree I’m leaning against to look around again. There has to be a way to get to her. I need to see her, make sure she is ok.
Uggg! What the hell is wrong with me. I don’t need her, I don’t care about her. Why can’t my heart just stop with all this crap already?
I pace back and forth to get these feelings to go away. They are making me miserable and I hate feeling miserable. I should have killed her when I had the chance. I don’t even know why I didn’t. I had her where I wanted her, and I let her go.
“Why don’t you find a way to bring her to you. I know you can do that.”
“Because she isn’t asleep, or I would have. Don’t you have some place to be? I want to be alone. I need to figure this out and I don’t need you interrupting me every two minutes.”
He raises his hands in surrender. “Ok, mister moody, I will leave you to it. Call me if you need me.” I don’t even bother to watch him leave. I know he does. One good thing about him he knows when to leave me alone and when to push me.
I lean back on the tree again and try to figure out what the goddess is up to. She never gets involved with us down here. Why is she keeping me from her? What’s in it for her? Searching for the pull, I can feel her so close yet so far away. It’s driving me mad. Wait until my father hears about this. I will never see the light of day again. He has been trying to kill her since the day she was born. “No son of mine is going to be destroyed by anyone unless it’s me.” It might just come true if he only knew.
Sitting down against the tree, I close my eyes. If I have to stay here, I might as well get some sleep. Who knows how long I will be stuck here. I still don’t even know why I’m here. The next time I see her, I’m going to kill her. I don’t want these feelings any longer. Once she is gone for good I can go back to the way things used to be. I was happy and living. This is not living, this is torture in its finest. Having feelings against my will is not something I’m used to.
I’m about to fall asleep when I feel her slip into her dreams. It’s gotten easier to know when she falls asleep. I quickly pull her to my dream realm. I don’t have to be asleep for me to pull anyone here. They just have to be asleep. What they don’t know is I can kill them whenever I like or torture them.
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the White Witch at her finest. You thought you could hide from me?”
She whips around to stare at me. The moment she does my heart skips a beat. I get angry at that and I’m about to take it out on her when she speaks.
“Well, if it isn’t the Dark Source himself. For your information I’m not hiding from you. I don’t see the point. You will always know where I am, even if I don’t want you to. What the hell do you want? I have better things to do than talk to you.” She crosses her arms across her chest. I couldn’t help but stare at her breast.
“My eyes are not down there. You can stop staring.”
I force myself to look up. My manhood has other ideas, but now is not the time or the right person or maybe it is. Maybe if I get even closer to her, I can kill her even easier. I stop my mind from going down that path. I can’t get any closer to her, I know what will happen.
“Are you going to talk or are you going to stare at me? You are the one who brought me here remember.”
She is a feisty little witch. I kind of like it. “Why do you care if I talk or not? I wanted answers and I got it. Now go before something bad happens to you.”
She laughs at me. “Why do I get the feeling you brought me here for another reason? I can feel you outside this place. Is there something else you want? I’m sure you have evil to cause than to be here.”
“You’re right I do want something else, but are you willing to hand it over?”
“Hand what over?”
“Your life of course. What else did you think I would want from you?”
“Good question. You will never have my life, I promise you that.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, little witch.”
“Stop calling me that you, baboon. If you can’t call me by my name than don’t call me anything else.”
“Baboon? Really? Do I look like a baboon to you?”
I see her thinking about what she is going to say, and I also see the stubbornness come to life.
“If you must know yes, I think you look like a baboon and you’re an ass for bringing me here for no reason. GOODBYE!”
I open my eyes to the dark night. I don’t know how she did it, but she is gone. I didn’t even give her permission to leave. No one has ever been able to do that ever. This makes me want her even more. I shake my head and stand up. There’s no point in staying here. She is going to make this more difficult than I thought. It’s time to come up with a different plan.
Chapter 17
I sit up in bed, after getting myself out of his realm. The nerve of him to talk to me that way and for disrupting my much-needed sleep. He is such an ass munch.
Getting out of bed, I head to the bathroom to splash cold water on my face. Hopefully it will help with my nerves. He seemed different somehow. Like he is ready to kill me right then and there. I can tell something is holding him back, I just don’t know what it is yet.
There is a soft knock on the door. I turn to look at it. I wonder who in the world would be knocking when they know I went to bed. Walking out of the bathroom towards the door. “Who is it?”
“It’s Chase. Can I talk to you for a minute?”
With a heavy sigh, I open the door. “How did you know I wasn’t asleep?”
He shrugs his shoulders. “I didn’t. I’m just hoping.”
Opening the door wider and stepping aside. “Might as well come in.”
He pushes past me and take a seat on the edge of the bed. He hasn’t made eye contact with me yet. “What’s up?”
He still refuses to look at me and that makes me worry.
“I feel like I don’t belong here. I don’t mean here in this place or town. I mean with you guys. I feel like I don’t have a place here. You were pulled here for some reason, so you have a purpose here, Lex will follow you anywhere to make sure you are safe, and your mom, well I don’t know where she fits in either. What am I supposed to do?”
His words send guilt through me yet again. I really don’t have an answer for him. “I think you are going to have to figure that out. Like you said Lex is here to make sure I’m safe. Maybe you are here to make sure she is safe? For my mom, she is here to support me and guide me. I never asked Lex to come with me. I’m sorry you are feeling like you don’t belong here, but I can tell you, you’re wrong. It may not seem like you belong with us, but you’re wrong. We all need you in our own little way. I need you to keep the stress and the tension away. You do that by making jokes and getting us to laugh. You help Lex by being here. Don’t ever think we would never want you here with us.”
He looks up at me with sad eyes. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe I’m just the class clown with no other purpose in life.”
“That isn’t what I meant. You are more than that and you know it. Give this town a try. I bet you anything you will find your purpose. Not everyone has a purpose in life and not everyone gets a chance at love, but you got a chance at one of those. Hell, look at me. I’m almost twenty-one and have never had a boyfriend. I think you need to figure out what you want out of life before something big lands on your shoulders like I did before I was even born. You don’t want the weight of the world on you, trust me.”
He stands up, cross the room towards me and wraps me up in a b
ear hug. “Now that you mentioned it, you’re right I don’t want the weight of the world on my hands. I’m sorry you do. I think you’re right about one more thing. Maybe I just haven’t found my purpose it. I’m still young right. I might as well live life to the fullest.”
With that he walks out of my room leaving me standing here. I stare out the door after him. What just happened?
I shake my head and walk to the bed. Climbing on top of it, I lay there trying to figure out what I need to do to keep Drik from bringing me into his realm. I’m over his hot and cold crap. I know he feels the same feelings I do. Why else would he think I was hiding from him? Why else would he all of a sudden be that way towards me? He is trying to fight his feelings for me. Just like I’m trying to. I don’t know what will happen the next time I see him, but I know I’m not going to let him treat me that way again. I turn twenty-one in three weeks. If I could just keep him away until then it will be a miracle.
Turning over I watch the moon beams dance on the wall of the room. If only I could be that peaceful for once. I wonder what that would feel like. Would I find happiness, or would I go crazy? It can’t be any worse than what I am feeling right now. Right?
What am I going to do about him? There has to be a reason why we are feeling this way. Am I supposed to seduce him, so I can get close enough to kill him? I wish I knew the answer, it would make life a lot simpler. Knowing anything at this point would make this a lot easier to handle.
Since there is no way I am going back to sleep anytime soon, I get out of bed and grab the old book from the Wiccan store. As soon as I touch it more memories flood me. The pictures are going so fast I don’t have time to process what I am seeing. Just as fast as they came, they stop.
I look down at the book, noticing my hands are shaking and the book is open. I read what is on the page and about drop the book.
My dearest Skylar,
I know we have never met and I’m sorry for that. I wish I was able to be with you and your mom to help you through all of this. I know you are wondering how I know you will read this someday. I was told by a very powerful seer you would find her, and she would give you this book. I just pray you get to read it before you turn twenty-one. There is a lot of information in these pages that will help you understand what you are dealing with, specially the prophecy. I know if you are reading this book you are no longer in Starburn. I never wanted you guys there to begin with.
I’m sure you’re confused about a lot of things and I hope you will find your answers here. Goddess, you don’t know how much I wish I was there to teach you about your linage. There is so much to teach you and I hope I explained it enough when you read it.
Remember I will always love you and your mom. You guys mean the world to me and I’m sorry I am no longer with you. Things had to happen for a reason to keep you safe and I would do it all over again to make sure you stayed safe.
I love you more than the stars, both of you.
Take care and I will see you guys one day. Just don’t make it to soon, ok?
Best wishes,
Dad
Tears rush down my face as I read the last word. I fall to my knees and cry my heart out. Why did he have to die? Why couldn’t he be here to help me? Why did the goddess take him from me? Why did life have to be so damn hard?
Arms wrap around me and held me tight. It only made cry harder. “Shh, it’s ok I got you. It’s ok.” I hear my mom whisper as she rocks me. We sit there for hours while I cry.
When I don’t have any more tears to cry, she pulls me away just enough to look at me. “Are you ready to tell me what made you so upset?” I shook my head no. Instead I brought the book over for her to read it. I hand it to her and scoot over a little, so she could read it. I watch her as she does. Like me, tears stream down her face along with the pain and sadness.
She doesn’t say anything for a few minutes after reading it a few times. Each time she reads it, the strength comes back to her. It’s like his words are giving her the strength she needs. When she looks back at me, she has a smile on her face.
“Well, that was unexpected, but he is right. You do have a lot to learn from him. Something I can’t teach you. I know this is hard on you. I can’t say it’s not hard on me, but he died to make sure you could follow your destiny.” I watch as another tear falls from her eyes.
“Mom, if you could go back, would you change anything?”
She looks at me with sad eyes before she answers me. “Yes, there is a lot I would change, but having you with your father would not be one of them. If that is the answer you are looking for. I love too much to do that.” She scoots closer to me to wrap her arms around me. Leaning my head on her chest, I listen to her heart beat.
Things have changed so fast and I’m scared things will come crashing down around us before things will ever be normal again.
“Skye? Are you ok?” Lex says as she sits down with us and wraps her arms around my mom and me.
I turn my head to see her. The tears are streaming down her face. “Lex, I’m ok. Why are you crying?” I turn so I could hold her.
“I had a horrible dream that you were dead.” Her shoulders shake as she cries harder. I can feel her tears starting to soak my nightgown. Holding her tighter I whisper in her ear. “You are not going to lose me. I’m too stubborn for that.”
She lets out a small chuckle. That is what I want to hear. I need her to believe every word I’m about to tell her. “The dark source feels the same way I do about him. This feeling between us is protecting me somehow. I don’t understand it, but I hope reading that book,” I pointed to it laying on the floor. “will give me the answers I need. My dad knew I would find it and he left me a note inside. Do you want to read it?” She sits up wiping her tears away and nods. I reach for it and hand it to her.
As she reads it, she brings her hand up to cover her mouth. More tears fall from her eyes and the sobs rock through her. When she is done, she wraps me up in her arms. I look up and see Chase standing there staring at Lex with pain in his eyes. He looks at me, and with my eyes I tell him to take her, she needs him. He bends down and take Lex into his arms. She wraps her arm tightly around his neck. He sits down across from me as he rocks her, whispering into her ear.
I can’t hear what he is saying to her, but it’s working. Her sobbing has calmed. She nods her head at whatever he is saying. I turn back to look at my mom and she is lost in thought or in a memory.
I grab the book again, this time I can see my dad writing in it. I watch him as each word he writes. When the memory stops, I look for the page he has written in. I didn’t have to look long because the books pages turn on their own until my dad’s handwriting is staring back at me. Taking a deep breath, I start to read.
I did the most selfish and most precious thing. Selfish because now the weight of the prophesy lays in the hands of my daughter. If I had known me and her mother were going to be the parents of the most powerful witch that would destroy the Dark Source, I don’t think I would have done what I did. It’s too much for one person to take on, and I just did that to my little girl. I did the most precious thing because I already love that little girl more than the world itself. She’s not even born yet, and I would do anything for her. Her mother is just as precious to me. They are my world, the breath I breathe, and every heartbeat that beats in my chest.
Tabitha, if you are reading this with our little girl, just know I love you even now.
“Mom I think you need to read this with me.” She looks at me funny and scoots closer to me.
I will teach her everything she needs to know about her sorcery side. I just need one thing for you to do to accomplice this. I need you to find Jolena, the lady who gave her the book. She will need her to show her how to access her sorcery powers. She didn’t say anything to you then because it wasn’t time. You can reach her by calling her name into the seashell I gave you when we went to Mexico. I’m sorry I am not there to teach her myself. You have no idea how much I wish
that, but it wasn’t meant to be.
Skye, I need you to openminded with everything she will teach you. It will be hard to access your sorcery powers because they were blocked before you were even born. It was to protect you, I wouldn’t have had it done if it wasn’t. Tabs, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I did it. If you knew, they would have found out. Please don’t be mad. It was to protect you as well. If anything, ever happened to either of you, I don’t even what think about it. It breaks my heart too much.
Jolena will help release the bond we placed. It has to be done slowly or it might overwhelm Skye too much. We don’t want that. It could fry her system.
Skye, I’m so sorry you are the one who has to be burden with all of this. I’m so proud of you. I know you will do everything you can to protect this world. The pages you read from here on out will give you the spells, history, and the answers to a lot of questions you may have. I wish you both the best of luck, and please listen to Jolena. She will teach you the physical part of your magic. I love both of you.
I sit here stunned. I have no words for what I just read. I understand why he did what he did, and I’m scared to death to release my sorcery side with his warning. What if we do it too fast?
Mom stands up quickly and rushes out the room. I stand to follow her, I didn’t even take a step when Lex grabs my hand. I look down at her, she shakes her head no. Understanding dawns on me. My mom needs a moment to herself, probably to call Jolena.
I sit back down and face Lex and Chase. She is still in his lap. He still has her wrapped in his arms giving her the comfort she needs. It’s a lot for all of us to take in. I tell them everything me and mom had just learned.
Lex grabs my hand again, squeezing it to bring me comfort. “I will stand beside you every step. I may not know that kind of magic, but I will help as much as possible. You are not in this alone and never will be.” I nod my head, there wasn’t anything to say. I’m still reeling in all this information that got slammed into me.
