Ana Awakens: A YA Paranormal Murder Mystery Novel (The Clermont Coven Trilogy Book 1)

by Alina Banks

  I needed to talk to Alex. He had questions I was certain I wasn’t going to be able to answer, but he deserved to at least ask them. Pulling my jacket on, I stepped out the front door to find that he was already standing there.

  “Come on.” I gave him a smile. “If we’re going to talk about this, then we might as well do it in comfort.”

  Stepping back into the house, I hung my jacket on the hook. He followed me, not looking too certain about the choice, and then I led him into the kitchen.

  Alex cleared his throat. “I know you’re not going to tell me anything.”

  I shook my head. “I’ll tell you what I can.” I looked around the room. “Do you want something to drink?”

  “Not right now, thanks.” He raked a hand through his hair. “I’ve been dreaming of what happened. Of cutting off that creature’s head, only to find that it was Principal Woods, and I don’t quite know how I’m supposed to come to terms with that.”

  “Honestly, I don’t know either, but what I can do is tell you that you did the right thing. For all of us. He would have killed us to do what he believed needed to be done, and he would have taken our lives, the same way he had others. He didn’t care who he hurt.” I reached out to touch Alex’s hand. “I’m grateful you had the sword. Without it, I’m certain things would have turned out very differently.”

  “With all of us dead?”

  “Possibly.” I ran my tongue over my bottom lip. “I can’t tell you for certain, but that is definitely what he wanted.”

  “What was it you were doing with the wall? You could have been helping us instead of focusing on that, but James said it was a necessity, so I left you to it.”

  “Remember how I talked to you before about the old superstitions? About how there are those who believe there’s a demon trying to come to Clermont? I think I told you that those were the reasons why there are people here to protect it.” Alex nodded without saying anything, so I took that as a sign to keep talking, and I thought for a moment about how I was going to put what I needed to say into words. “Okay, so, that demon was trying to come through a door, and the wall I was so obsessed with was that door. I needed to stop him.”

  Blinking, Alex stared at me. “I thought you said you weren’t one of those guardians yet.”

  “Technically, I’m not. I don’t know anywhere near enough, but being there…I had to try, even when I wasn’t sure exactly what I was doing, because I couldn’t let him come through.” There were other parts to the story I could have told him, but I didn’t want to tell him too much. Dad might have been willing to stay with Mom…and that thought was one I was going to stop right where it was, because I didn’t need to be thinking about it. Alex was just a friend. Nothing more. “I didn’t think the door was going to be there, and when it was…well, I did what I could, until Miss Cane turned up, and then she took over, because she knew what we needed to do.”

  “You aren’t telling me everything.” Alex studied me. “I can tell. There’s a part of me that wants to push you for more details, but there’s also this voice in the back of my head telling me I don’t know how much I really want to know. That sword…it’s an heirloom passed down from one generation to the next. I don’t know exactly how it came to us, but I knew when I went to leave, that I had to bring it with me. It was something we would need, going up against the creature. I don’t know how I knew it, in the same way I don’t know why I know you’re not telling me everything. It’s obvious there’s more to Clermont than most people know. I don’t want to be one of those people in the dark, Ana. Not if you’re not going to be.”

  “Alex…”

  “I know. I barely know you. That doesn’t change how I feel right now. Seeing you fighting that creature…I knew you were special. You didn’t run. You stood against it because of who you are, and I know now that I need to do something more than I did before. If you need me, all you have to do is ask, and I’ll be there. I promise. No matter how hard it is, I’m going to be there, because I know you need the support.”

  “You’re free.” I gave Sabrina a hug. “How are you feeling?”

  “Better.” Her eyes met mine. “I know it’s thanks to you. Somehow.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Miss Cane didn’t want me to know why I wouldn’t stop bleeding, but that didn’t mean I didn’t listen in to conversations I shouldn’t have listened to, in order to learn more. The creature that attacked me needed to die before I could heal, and since I’m healing now, I have to assume it’s dead. I’m certain James would have helped, but I know you did what you had to do, and I don’t think you’re ever going to know how grateful I am.” She smiled. “Please don’t think people don’t know more than they’re letting on at times. We know weird things happen here, and there are people who stop those weird things. I’m going to assume you’re one of those people. If I’m wrong, then I’m wrong, but I’m certain I’m not.”

  Slowly, I nodded. “Do you want to know anything more than you do?”

  “As stupid as this may sound, I’m happy with things the way they are, Ana. I don’t think I need to know how my best friend’s a superhero. It’s just enough to know you are.”

  I shook my head. “I’m not a superhero.”

  “To me, you are.” She smiled. “James is planning on meeting up with us a little later, but I wanted to have some time alone with you.” The smile faded. “I know he was worried, and he had a lot on his mind, but he’s been distant recently. I haven’t been able to get him to tell me why, so I was hoping you might be able to explain it.”

  “With what happened, I know he was more worried than he was letting on, and there’s a chance he might have let that come between you a little. He knew there was something we could do to help you, so he was focused on that, because it could well have worked out very differently. We were lucky Alex came with us. He helped us more than I thought possible.”

  “James told me he was there and that he had a sword.” Sabrina shook her head. “I wish I could have been there to help you, instead of being stuck in hospital because I was stupid enough to get caught out by the creature.”

  “Don’t. None of us knew what we were walking into back then. You survived, we survived, and it meant we had a chance to finish the fight another day. Things could have been so different.” I grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “Next time, should there be one, I promise that you can be involved from beginning to end.”

  Fortunately, she laughed. “I think, Ana, unless it’s really necessary for me to be involved, I’ll take a step back next time. I know better than to think things are going to be normal here, and there was no reason for me to think that the serial killer we were dealing with was human.”

  The three of us sat in the room, hands joined, and I couldn’t stop myself from looking at the door. From remembering what the demon had said about my family. That we were related to it by blood. I did my best to push the thought aside. I knew I was meant to be focusing on gathering power, but it was harder than I wanted it to be. Its voice kept echoing around my head.

  Miss Cane looked at me. “Best thing we can do is talk about what’s on your mind, and then we can go from there.” She dropped Mom’s hand, but kept hold of mine, studying me. “You can talk to us about anything. Even things the demon might have said to try to get under your skin.”

  I nodded. “How did the Conways come to exist?”

  Both Mom and Miss Cane were silent for a few seconds, sharing a look with each other. “Honestly, Ana, we can’t be certain.” Miss Cane shrugged. “There are stories of a woman who slept with the human form of the demon, but I don’t know if the child she bore was from him or from her husband.” She shook her head. “From what we know, the demon killed the woman’s husband and then took his place for several weeks before the body of her real husband was found, and she…well, understandably, it was hard for her to come to terms with what happened. After the child was born, I believe she ended up living out the rest of her days
in the hospital, and the child was brought up by her grandparents. We do know she was the first Conway witch, so there is a chance she might have been the daughter of the demon. There’s an equal chance the Conways came to be in the same way the Canes did, but unfortunately, we can’t go back to that time to be sure of how it all happened.”

  “The demon told me it wanted me to work with it.”

  “Of course it did. The demon has been trying to get one of the coven to work with it for centuries now, but every one of us has turned him down so far. Since you slammed the door in his face, I’m assuming you made the same choice.”

  “How could I not? I just…will it make it harder for me to say no to him if he comes through into Clermont, because there is that possible genetic bond?” I looked at Mom. “Have you ever felt it? Is that why you thought about giving your power to your sister?”

  “Ana, the demon was never interested in me.” Mom sighed. “He knew I was weak in comparison, and I also know it tried to convince my sister to join forces, because she had more innate power than I did. She just wasn’t able to use it. Mom was right when she said it was dark magic, and my sister didn’t want to be involved in something like that. She told me it was better for me to learn to use my powers. On the day she died, she told me about the dreams she’d been having, and she thought, finally, that the demon had come to understand that she was never going to work with it. I think she was right. When it realized she was never going to be convinced, it used her power to get the door open instead.”

  “From what it said, it tried the same thing with Grandmother. He went on and on about how much power she had and how much of a waste it was to kill her.”

  “You don’t need to worry about that genetic link getting the better of you, Ana.” Miss Cane squeezed my hand. “Being related to a demon doesn’t make you more likely to make choices that will lead you to dark magic. That is a choice we all need to make daily, and, as hard as it is, it's a choice that most people are successful with. There are a few people like Principal Woods, who give in to the belief that dark magic will get them everything they want, but there are more who turn the darkness away. You’re going to be one of those people. You have already made your decision. You turned him down when the demon offered you more power than you could even imagine. Just take each day as it comes, and I promise you we’ll be there to help if things change.”

  “So there have been dark witches?”

  “Over the years, there have been a few of us who have made use of darker powers and some who’ve made the decision to help the demon, but those cases are incredibly rare. Most witches don’t want the demon to exist, let alone be in Clermont. If he took control of the power source, we would lose a part of our being. Most of those individuals who’ve made the choice didn’t want to be witches in the first place, and they thought that helping the demon was the only way to get rid of their magic.” Miss Cane glanced at Mom. “Fortunately, that’s not a path most choose, which is why that spell was created. Now, witches who don’t want to be witches have the freedom to remove their magic, should there be someone they can pass it on to, as long as there are no other issues in the way of that.”

  “Like there were for me.” Mom shrugged. “It is what it is, and I’m dealing with it better now than I was before.” She reached out to take Miss Cane’s hand again. “The sooner we get this done, the better it will be for all of us.” Her eyes met mine for a moment. “You are always going to make the right choices, Ana. You will, because of who you are. I trust you to be the best witch you can be.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Pushing all thoughts aside, I managed to then focus on doing what needed to be done. Getting that door fully closed was the priority, because the demon had been closer to coming through than I could have imagined. Miss Cane looked at me, and I was almost certain she could feel what I’d just thought, as she nodded. “Principal Woods knew who to choose, Ana. He went for people who had the most hidden power within them, due to how close they were in relationship to the coven.” She shrugged. “That was probably part of the reason he was chosen to be one of the demon’s minions. It is possible he might have been working with someone else, considering how close the demon was to getting free, but it’s also possible the demon decided to only have one minion right now. From where this door is, I have a feeling he was trying to sneak out without us noticing.”

  “That would have been easier if the bodies hadn’t been so obviously used for a ritual.” I shrugged. “I’m sorry. I’m having so much trouble focusing.”

  “We’ve all been through it. We’ve all had those questions to ask. You were just unlucky due to the timing.” Miss Cane looked at Mom. “Had things been different, you would have been told at the same time we were - when our powers started to become more obvious. We’ve had all our lives to learn. You’ve got some catching up to do.”

  “Catching up that should happen after you’re done with school.” Mom smiled. “I know you feel like this is a priority, but it’s focusing on school that’s going to get you a good job.”

  Even though I wanted to move, I stopped myself. The circle had been built carefully, and I didn’t want to do anything to damage it, no matter how annoyed with Mom I was. “Do you really think a good job is my priority, Mom?” I looked at her and then at Miss Cane. “There are three of us to keep the demon from breaking through, and I have no reason to think he’s going to stop now. He knows there’s only three of us. He knows this is his best chance, and he’s going to do what he has to, which means the best thing I can do is to spend my time learning how to stop that from happening. If I don’t, then I’m not going to have a future.” I shook my head. “You made your choices, and I’m going to make mine.”

  Breathing in deeply, doing my best to get my anger under control, I closed my eyes, and focused on using that to strengthen my power. I could use my anger at Mom to help close the door, in order to keep the demon from coming through. Fortunately for me, both Miss Cane and Mom took my reaction as a sign that we should get the door closed. I opened my eyes to watch, and the slit of light I could still see was slowly snuffed out. For a lot longer than I expected, I was able to feel the power of the other world, but, after what felt like hours, that faded away too. When the air was still, I knew we’d managed to actually close the door. It wasn’t until Miss Cane let go of my hand that I let go of Mom’s, though. I needed to be certain. I didn’t want to make any mistakes that might make it easier for the demon to recreate the door. As Miss Cane stood, I did the same, stretching out muscles I barely knew existed until that point.

  “All I ever did was try to do what was best for you.” Mom sighed. “I know you don’t agree with my choices, and now, I don’t agree with them either, but throwing yourself into this…”

  “Is the only logical thing I can do.” I gestured at where the door had been. “There’s a demon trying to come through into our world, Mom. A demon who doesn’t care who gets hurt by what it’s doing. That is more than enough of a reason for me to throw myself into this. You never would have. I know that. I guess all I can say to that is sorry, I’m not you, and I am going to make different choices.”

  Someone knocked on the door to the sanctuary, and when I turned, Miss Cane had already walked into the room. “Lilah told me where I’d find you.” She brushed a hand through her hair. “We need to talk.”

  I turned back to what I was doing. “If you’re here to tell me Mom’s right, I really don’t want to hear it.”

  “That’s not what I’m here to say.” I could hear the smile in Miss Cane’s voice. “Ana, I get it. Lilah doesn’t, and there’s a chance she never will, because she never felt the pull. She never needed to be the one to help Clermont. It didn’t matter to her that we’re witches, and she can’t know what it’s like to deal with it, so she can’t help you to find a balance. She wants to believe it’ll be easy for you to focus on living a more normal life, since that’s what she did. She was a part of the coven because she had to be. T
hings are the same now. She’s doing what she has to in order to save Clermont, but not because she feels she should. Not in the way we do.” She sighed. “Magic is complicated, and not just due to how much there is to learn. It’s complicated because we’re all different. Lilah…I still remember her screaming at her mom about how she didn’t want to be a part of the coven, and she was going to do whatever she had to in order to live a normal life. I know that if things hadn’t worked out this way, she would have made it happen.”

  “Leaving Clermont after what happened was her attempt at doing that.”

  “Which failed, mostly thanks to the fact she had a daughter. The time was always going to come when you needed guidance. Your abilities were going to become stronger, no matter how hard she tried to pretend they weren’t, and then you probably would have felt the pull to come to Clermont even if she didn’t bring you back. I was ready to help you if that happened. I honestly didn’t think I was going to be able to convince Lilah to come home. For a long time, she was very against it. It wasn’t until I told her that someone was in the process of creating a door, she made that choice.”

  “Do you know why?”

  “No matter what, she’s still one of us. It might not be something she wanted, but she knew she couldn’t let the demon out. Not when it would mean both of you would be in danger, and being out there, alone, with a demon coming after you…it’s definitely not what I would have wanted either.”

  “Every time we moved, I think it was because Mom knew they were coming after us. Even if the demon wasn’t free, it still wanted the two of us dead.” I shook my head. “I hate that she made the decision to hide this from me, Miss Cane. I hate that she didn’t tell me the truth the first, third, or even the twentieth time I asked. I knew there was something unusual going on, and she didn’t want me to know the truth because she never wanted this.” I bit down hard on my lip. “I’m not going to say I wanted it either, but this is just something I have to accept.” I turned to look at Miss Cane again. “Is Mom still the leader of the coven?”