by A. N. Sage
“Hello there,” she purred.
The room closed in on me and I could feel every cell in my body screaming for me to run for the door. I had never met a boy’s parents before and I had no clue how to act. Do I shake her hand? Do I bow? My thoughts jumbled. Do you bow? Are you serious, she’s not a queen. Geez. My jaw clenched and I stretched out a hand to shake hers. “Hello, Mrs. Hunting,”
“Oh, my,” River’s mom said, her tone sugary sweet. “Evanora is fine.”
She twirled around the two of us and positioned herself close to the window, eyes never leaving me. “I haven’t seen you before, are you new in town?”
I nodded.
“Where from?”
“Oh my god, mom! What’s with all the questions? We’re studying.”
“Actually,” I grumbled and jumped to my feet, “I forgot I left my house keys in the Crystal Cauldron so I should go get them.”
Beside me, River stood, but I waved him down. “I can drive you there,” he offered.
“That’s okay. You should stay here. I can walk, it’s not that far.”
My intentions were faster than my legs and I tripped on my boots as I bolted for the doorway. “Nice to meet you, Evanora!” I yelled over my shoulder and ran down the staircase.
It took me a good few minutes to regain my balance but once I did, I spiraled down the stairs like I was trying to win a gold medal. My legs pumped as I ran through the house and back to the front door. Each step that took me further away from River and his mom felt like a tiny piece of freedom. Sure, she seemed nice enough, but this was the same woman who forced River into witch-hunting. Which meant she knew about witches and I would not stick around until she figured me out. Fooling a hormone-filled teenage boy into looking the other way was one thing; but a grown woman that spent her entire life prepping her son to be a killer? I was not ready to take that on.
As I ran down the driveway, I could feel eyes on my back but after turning around several times and seeing nothing, I shook the feeling off. My magic gnawed at the back of my mind and I wanted to put some distance between River’s house and myself as soon as possible. Something about this place gave me the chills. It could have been the overabundance of elements that gravitated toward my magic but I had the good sense that more likely than not, it was the house of hunters I left in my wake.
Something flashed in my peripheral and I spun on my heels. The trees that lined the driveway rustled their leaves and the low glow of twilight settled around me. My eyes tightened as I searched the driveway when I noticed a shadow zoom behind the tree line.
You’ve got to be kidding me!
I took off after it, chasing in the direction I saw it move. It zigged and zagged, so fast I couldn’t make out its form, but I didn’t have to see it to know what I was chasing. A shadower. Something quick and small. A coyote? I didn’t have time to guess as I ran after it down the sloping streets of River’s neighborhood. The shadower was impressively fast, but I had no trouble keeping up; all those years of training with the coven was paying off.
It zigged to the right and I followed, pumping my arms to pick up speed. When it disappeared from sight, I traced its path, my eyes widening over the familiar parking lot I found myself in.
The creature led me straight to Shadowhurst Academy.
Arrest
The shadower lunged for my throat and I kicked my legs back, my head hitting the legs of a library table with a loud thud. I cursed under my breath and pushed back again as I tried to wrestle the beast off me. I still had no idea what kind of shifter I was dealing with but it was for sure bigger than a coyote. Whatever it was, it was damn impressive and had me locked down in a brutal hold on the floor. I kicked its side again and twisted my body. My fingers stretched in the direction of the dagger it knocked out of my grip. I inched them closer to the hilt.
Above me, the creature growled, its warm saliva dripping on my face.
“Ew! Gross!” I yelled and kicked again.
This time, my fingers made contact and I could feel the cold of the silver in my grasp. I tightened my grip around the dagger’s hilt and flipped it to point. I had no time to change my position as the shifter threw its jaws my way. Without thinking, I pointed the dagger up, burying the tip into its collarbone.
The shifter screeched and loosened its hold on me and I took my chance. My hand reached for the amethyst pendant around my neck and I tore it off, looping the chain around the shifters neck and pulling its ugly face away from mine. It thrashed above me, the bones of his hind legs punching my shins. Everything on my body hurt but I couldn’t stop.
I had to vanquish this bastard and get back to the body of the student that lay only a few feet away from us.
My eyes jerked to the girl and I shuddered at the sight before turning my attention back to the shifter. In one swoop motion, I pushed it away and twisted to the side. Scrambling on the floor, I beelined for the amber crystal that rolled under the table. Close to me, the shifter screeched again and I could hear its claws rip at the wooden planks of the floor as it charged for me once more.
I turned and let my magic guide me.
My eyes closed and I forced every source of magic I had in me into the crystal. Fire burst from my hand and when I looked up again, I could see confusion roll over the shifters wolf-like face. I didn’t hesitate.
Swinging my hand forward, I blew at the ball of fire and pushed the flames its way. They spiraled from my hand, twisting and turning at a furious speed before crashing into the beast’s chest. The shifter flew back, knocking into the case of books behind it and sinking to the ground. It rolled on the floor in a pathetic attempt to put out its burning fur. My face darkened and I crouched halfway before shooting the dagger into its chest.
My eyes followed the blade as it tore through the air and impaled in the shifter’s heart. On impact, the creature’s eyes met mine before it let out an agonizing scream and fell motionless to the floor. I ran toward it and yanked the silver from its chest before backing away to let nature run its course. Bones snapped and limbs thrashed but I didn’t stick around to see who the shifter would turn into; its human form was of no interest to me.
My heart was elsewhere.
With more speed than I thought I had left in me, I ran to the girl that lay motionless on the ground.
“NOOOOOO!”
This was all wrong. There was too much blood. Why is there so much blood?
I dropped to my knees to inspect her body and my head swam. Peyton said the other students were mummified, not brutally torn apart. Could it be that this was the act of a shifter and not the witch I’ve been looking for? There were cuts all over the body—some deep and some superficial—but all looked awful, nonetheless.
It wasn’t until I wiped some blood off the girl’s face that I saw it. Beneath the pool of deep red were glassy eyes; eyes that were once the brilliant color of the ocean. The girl couldn’t have been older than me but her skin was that of someone who had been dead for ages. Mummified.
The walls closed in on me and my knees buckled under my weight. I fell over the girl, my loose hair dragging in the blood that covered her chest. Tears fell from my eyes and crashed unto her dried-out skin. I swatted them off, forgetting the blood was still on my own hands. The smell of iron reached my nostrils and my stomach turned. It was as though my body was fighting against me and I couldn’t keep myself from turning around and retching on the floor.
That definitely didn’t help.
With blood all around me and a pile of puke on the side, I was sicker than ever. My fingers reached for the girl’s jeans and I pushed my hands into the pockets to see if I can find something that would tell me who she is. Was.
I felt the edge of something hard and pulled it out. A cell phone. Shaking, I pressed the home button and a picture of what I was sure was this girl and her boyfriend popped on the screen. She looked so different, blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail and a full face of makeup on. I traced my finger over the screen a
nd let out a sob before swiping to unlock her phone.
“Goddess help me”, I whispered as the fingerprint protected password screen came on.
I took a deep breath and reached for the girl’s hand. “I’m so sorry,” I choked out and pressed her index finger to the home button. The phone’s screen lit up and I dropped her hand with a thud on the floor. Crawling back, I put some distance between me and the body and flipped through her contacts. Names I didn’t know flashed through the screen until I spotted the Facebook icon on the bottom right corner. I pressed it and read the name in her profile.
“Ariana Willard Stameson.”
Arrows shot through my heart as I realized that Ariana would never post on Facebook again. She would never see that hunky dude from the picture again. She’d never see her parents. My eyes flooded with tears and I gagged on my spit, tossing her phone to the side and reaching into my jacket pocket to pull out my cell. I had no clue who I could call or what I should say. I couldn’t call Peyton; not like this. Not until I cleaned myself up from all the blood that dried on my clothes.
My brow furrowed and I pulled up my text messages, tapping on the only other name I could think of. Something happened. I need your help. I typed and waited for the three dots to appear in my conversation thread with River.
Where are you? He responded and my heart sank.
School. It’s bad. A girl was killed. Please come quick.
I bit my lower lip and typed out another message. I’m scared, River.
How many more kids had to die like this until this bitch got what she wanted? I couldn’t let it go on; I had to stop her! I had to—
Sirens echoed outside and my eyes snapped to the library windows. There were lights everywhere, dancing across the glass until it looked stained in color. I didn’t have time to move when the library’s door burst open and I was met with a bright, white light shining into my eyes. I shielded my face with a blood-covered hand, my heart racing. Around my finger, my moonstone ring dug into my swollen skin and for a moment, I swore I saw it light up. What the—
“Stay right there!” A deep voice shouted from the doors.
My gaze snapped in its direction and my eyes widened as I took in the four uniformed policemen lining the entrance to the library. They pointed their flashlights my way like they were trying to burn me with them. I lowered my hand from my eyes and tried to stand.
“I said don’t move!” The same officer shouted, cocking the trigger of the gun he pointed at my head. “What’s your name?”
I strangled on my tears and swallowed hard. “Billie,” I answered, my voice trembling. “Billie Stonewall.”
The officer looked from me to his three partners and lowered the flashlight. He made his way toward me and I didn’t fail to notice that the gun was still pointed right between my eyes. “Billie Stonewall,” he said when he reached me, “you’re under arrest.”
Peach Wood
Shouts and screams echoed down the corridor from the cell they tossed me in and I tried to muffle them with the sleeves of my jacket. It had been hours since the police pulled me out of the library, slapped me in cuffs, and took my information before leaving me alone. I stared at the bars that lined the cell, fighting the urge to lie down on the stained, thin mattress of the cot I sat on. These suckers would not see me relax, not if I could help it.
Thank the Goddess, there were no mirrors in the cell; not that I expected any. But regardless, I was relieved that I didn’t have to see the state I was likely in. The girl’s blood had already dried on my clothes and skin but at least I scored a bottle of water to rinse the taste of puke from my mouth. The cop that made the arrest was nice enough and I could tell he felt sorry for me even though I couldn’t understand why. I was the prime suspect in a murder. I was found with blood literally on my hands, for Goddess’ sake! My fingers reached for the moonstone ring and I gasped when it wasn’t there before remembering where I was and what landed me here.
My head throbbed and since they stripped me of all belongings when they booked me, I had no way of using magic to relieve the tension. Shit! My dagger! I cursed under my teeth as my hand reached for the empty slot in the hidden compartment in my boot. I left it at the library, not that it mattered now. That dagger was locked into evidence by now; just another thing to make sure I get locked up for good.
How did I let this happen?
I was an idiot to follow that shadower and not leave as soon as I found the girl’s body but I couldn’t just run away. This was my job. It was what I was born to do and I had to vanquish the beast before it hurt anyone else. Still, it was way too coincidental that a shadower showed up when it did and led me to the body, even by my standards of weird.
Out of all the times it could have attacked me, why did it choose then to do it? And why bring me to the library?
Things weren’t making sense; there were pieces of the puzzle missing and I kicked myself for not knowing what they were.
Something clattered in a cell next to mine and my ears perked up. I wasn’t alone in here. I wondered who else shared the agony of this space with me and if they too were innocent of their crime.
The holding cell was small—and smelled like mildew and piss—and it made me want to retch all over again. The walls, all concrete, were covered in stains and I tried not to think about what they might have been from. This was actual hell; with a capital freaking H.
My thoughts landed on Beatrix and I couldn’t help but picture her sitting somewhere in a place just like this at that moment. A heavy pain tugged at my heart as I considered how ironic it was that I should end up just like the woman I swore to leave behind. Yet here I was, the spitting image of her, behind bars like an animal awaiting their death. Except there was one thing that separated me from Beatrix—I was innocent. At least I liked to think so; what the police had in mind was a whole other can of worms.
Someone coughed and cursed down the corridor and I hunched myself over my legs, resting my head in my hands. My long hair was a matted mess and it hung over my face like car-wash curtains. I could see black streaks of blood in the blonde locks that reminded me of Peyton. Knowing my friend, she’d like this fresh look of mine. I had to admit, this was pretty badass. Jailed and covered in blood; it was like something out of a movie.
I groaned into my palms and tried to retrace the events in the library. Might as well make the most of your time here. It might be a hot minute.
Instantly, my mind replayed everything I saw. Flashes of my memories snapped into my thoughts and I tried to reel them in and focus on the important things. The girl’s body and how it was left. What did I remember that could have been important? There was blood, lots of it. Yeah, okay, good. We know that already, think bigger. I urged myself to dig deeper and see the details. Something was off and I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Was it her clothes? No, that wasn’t it. What was it?
I rubbed my eyes and sat up. Think, Billie, THINK!
Then it hit me. I knew something was wrong as soon as I walked into the library but I didn’t know what it was at the time. Peach wood. I could smell it all around me but I was too busy with the shadower to notice. This was the work of a witch and judging by the girl’s mummified body, it was a powerful witch that knew what she was doing. But why would a witch drain the energy of a student and why leave them in the library for anyone to find? Unless…
Horror struck me frozen and my mouth dropped.
Unless she wanted me to find it.
It made perfect sense and I couldn’t believe I didn’t see it sooner. The cops showed up way too quick; like they knew the body was there. Like they knew I’d be there. Their scapegoat.
I didn’t know how, but the witch had somehow got the shadower to lead me to the library just in time for them to make their arrest. It was planned; it had to be! There was no other explanation. My temples throbbed as the dots connected.
The witch knows I’m in town and she knows I’m just like her. Worse, she’s using me as a decoy to
buy her more time.
It was a good hypothesis and I was pretty proud of myself for reaching it, but it still didn’t explain what the killer wanted. I had to figure it out but I couldn’t do it from inside this cell. I wished Peyton was here so I could bounce these ideas off her; that girl was made for mysteries. Maybe the cops would let me call her if I asked nicely?
Wait, wasn’t I supposed to get one phone call or some crap like that?
I tried to remember what I knew of law enforcement but I limited my knowledge to what I’d seen on TV or overheard the high priestesses discuss.
Shit!
I tilted my head back and it banged on the cold concrete of the wall behind me. How was I supposed to explain this to the High Coven? Our entire race depended on secrecy and staying under the radar and here I was getting myself arrested on my first week undercover. This was such a disaster!
In my defense, I didn’t even want the job so they can suck on that while they figure out how to get me the hell out of here.
Whoever shared this row of cells with me coughed again and I almost lashed out at them. My hand pressed over my lips to stop myself from getting into a fight I’d likely later regret and I choked on the smell of dried blood that flooded my nostrils. The High Coven will figure something out and when they do, I’ll be free to go. This wasn’t the first time a witch had a run-in with the law and it wouldn’t be the last. Our job wasn’t exactly clean-cut and there were protocols in place to handle situations such as this. I had no clue what those protocols were, but I knew they were there to protect me and my people. The High Coven will help; I was sure of it.
I dug my nails into the mattress and took a deep breath as I forced myself to count back from a hundred—a nifty trick I learned from Theodora. She used to use to calm her nerves before going on stage back when she still had time to perform but it should work just fine for the situation I found myself in.
I was down to thirty-nine when heavy footsteps boomed down the hall and I stared at the officer that so eagerly snapped the cuffs on my hands hours ago.
