“I think we’re clear,” Jeffery said as he took Rebekah’s arm and began to lead her back to her room. Yet, something made him stop, and the claws sunk deeper into his mind.
And then, one of the Bewitched appeared at the end of the hallway. All Jeffery was able to see were those long, venomous claws slick with blood before Henri wrenched him away.
In a move that wasn’t of his own volition, Jeffery violently shoved Rebekah back into the closet, slamming the door behind him. He barely heard Rebekah give a strangled cry, though whether it was because his push startled her or because of the Bewitched, he didn’t know.
Nor did he care, not with the current threat looming outside the door, sharp nails raking along the walls as a body thudded against the door. He needed her to be safe despite Henri’s influence over his mind.
“Jeffery!” Rebekah shuddered with each violent lurch of the door. Jeffery turned his attention towards her. At some point, she had fallen onto her butt, and her back was pressed all the way against the wall. She was shivering, her eyes never leaving the door.
“I’ll blast it,” Jeffery said, turning back towards the door. “I won’t let it hurt you.” He felt his magic flair up, the incantation for his spell on the tip of his tongue.
“Freeze,” Henri’s voice commanded in his mind.
Jeffery felt his body involuntarily go rigid, and any incantation he was about to say died on his lips. Oh no, he thought as dread flooded his body. He was oddly aware of Rebekah breathing heavily behind him, her palpable fear nearly suffocating.
And then, a dark thought entered Jeffery’s mind. Perhaps Henri changed his mind and decided to let the Bewitched destroy Rebekah right then and there.
“I have not changed my mind, Jeffery,” Henri said, reminding Jeffery the immortal warlock still had complete access to all his thoughts. “Consider this an experiment.”
And then, Henri made Jeffery yank Rebekah to her feet and hold her tightly against his chest. “It’s going to be fine,” he murmured into her hair, reassurances that Henri made him say. “We’ll get out of here.”
And then, the claws pierced the door as the hissing commenced. Jeffery pushed Rebekah behind him as one of the claws sliced through the skin on his arm. He cried out in agony, the venom already pulsating in his blood stream.
“Jeffery!” Rebekah cried.
And just like that, Henri’s claws vanished, and Jeffery was free to use his magic. Before he collapsed onto the ground, his magic slammed into the door, knocking both it and the Bewitched back. There was scurrying as the Bewitched, dazed, began moving away from them.
Rebekah let out a breath as she crawled to Jeffery’s side. “Jeffery, oh god!” She took his wounded arm into her lap. “Why didn’t you blast it sooner?”
But Jeffery barely heard her as he was dipping in and out of unconsciousness. His wound throbbed tremendously, but with that came the numbness that was the venom’s doing. “Rebekah…” he said weakly, but then, he felt Rebekah try to drag him across the floor.
“Stay with me,” Rebekah pleaded. “Please, Jeffery! Jason will heal you. I just need you to stay with me!”
The hissing started up again, and Jeffery turned just in time to see Rebekah nearly get speared by one of those claws. Yet at the last moment, something batted the Bewitched away as if it were nothing, and it slumped to the ground before scurrying off again.
“Andre!” Rebekah pleaded, and Jeffery barely registered that Andre was here, that it was her magic that saved Rebekah. “Please! Jeffery needs help! One of them scratched him, and…”
It was at that moment when Jeffery lost consciousness.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-THREE
Rebekah: Munich, Germany
J
effery managed to survive the wound through healing magic, which Rebekah was grateful for. Yet, his survival came with a cost: Rebekah was no longer allowed to see him.
“The one night of the week I decide to sleep, and you sneak out with Jeffery,” Andre said coldly when they returned that night. “You’re lucky I found you when I did.”
“I’m sorry,” Rebekah replied. “But Jeffery—”
“Jeffery endangered you, Rebekah!” Andre shouted. “One of them was this close to making a meal out of you!”
Fresh tears came to Rebekah’s eyes. “I know.” And she did. In that moment, she felt her life flash before her eyes, sure she was about to meet her demise.
Andre’s expression softened. “I can’t protect you if you pull stunts like that.”
“Again, I’m sorry,” Rebekah cried. “I wasn’t thinking.”
Andre just shook her head. “Also, you and Jeffery are done.”
“What?” Rebekah bellowed, sure she had heard the witch incorrectly.
“He endangered your life, Rebekah!” Andre repeated. “I can’t in good conscience let him near you after that!”
“Jeffery didn’t know!” said Rebekah. “Please, Andre!” Immediately, she remembered the incident with Dimitri, and she shuddered to think Jeffery could end up like that.
Andre sighed, exasperated. “Something is wrong with him, Rebekah. And tonight only proved that fact!”
But Rebekah just shook her head. “No! You’re lying!”
“When have I ever lied to you?”
Rebekah opened her mouth to speak, but no words came to her. Because the truth was Andre hadn’t ever lied to her, and anything the witch did was for her and Holly.
“What do you think is wrong with him?” Rebekah asked suddenly.
“I don’t know,” Andre said. “Something about his story doesn’t make sense, and I think Henri willingly let him go.”
Rebekah felt like Andre just backhanded her. “Why would Henri willingly let him go?” And then, realization struck Rebekah. “You think Jeffery is the third person.”
Andre’s silence was what answered Rebekah’s question.
“Do you have any proof?” Rebekah demanded.
“No,” Andre said. “But I have a hunch, and usually my hunches are—”
“You’re wrong,” Rebekah said adamantly, and before Andre could get a word in edgewise, Rebekah returned to her room and pretended to sleep.
~~~
A week had passed, and when the morning of the cheer portion finally dawned on Rebekah, she patiently waited for everyone to be out the door before standing on the ankle that was supposed to be injured and dressing in all-black attire. All week, Jeffery had been contacting her behind Andre’s back, filling her in of a place in the rafters of the ICW stadium where she would be able to watch the competition from above—and where she would have a good view of what her revenge would entail. All she knew was that Jeffery made sure Eternal Division would be the last clique to perform in order to give her more time to prepare her stunt.
All week, she had played the injured card, only walking when no one who didn’t know her injury was fake was around. Today, she knew she had to be extra careful in order to ensure that none of the members of Eternal Division saw her walking. Then, they would know something was up and that she lied to them in order to get out of the competition.
She waited patiently until the noise in the ICW hallways died down, revealing that everyone was at the last portion of the ICW. In a little over a week, Rebekah knew she would be leaving this place, and for a moment, that made her sad. That meant she wouldn’t get to see Jeffery nearly as much.
Rebekah let Jeffery consume her thoughts. Since the incident with the Bewitched, she hadn’t been able to see him, since Andre was always around. She didn’t think she would miss him as much as she did, and it pained her to be so close to him and yet also so far away.
Focus! Rebekah commanded herself as she approached the ICW stadium. Wasting no time, she ducked into the preparation room and took a sharp right before stopping in front of a set of stairs. Then, she quietly ascended and emerged into the rafters, peering down into the actual dome-shaped stadium.
Then, the actual competition started as
Jason announced each of the teams. The cliques filed into the stadium one-by-one in the order they would be performing—and Eternal Division was the last one to enter. Rebekah watched them, feeling anger resurface. She still didn’t know what to do for revenge.
Then, the first clique started to perform—the Italian one. As they performed to the beat of the music, Rebekah couldn’t help but think she could have been performing a routine she felt ridiculous doing.
Rebekah heard someone climb up the stairs just then, and her pulse quickened. The last thing she wanted was to get caught while being up here.
She spun around, prepared to lie her way out of the situation. Yet, it was Andre who stood before her.
“What are you doing up here?” Andre demanded in the same tone she used after the incident with the Bewitched.
Rebekah let out a bitter laugh. “Sprained ankle, remember?”
Yet, Andre didn’t look amused. “Remember what I said about pulling stunts—”
“How did you find me?” Rebekah questioned suddenly. She had been so careful, making sure no one knew where she was going.
“I followed you,” Andre admitted monotonously. “You’re not as sneaky as you think.”
Rebekah turned away from Andre and surveyed the cliques below. “I need to do this.”
“You don’t need to do anything!” Andre pleaded before softening her tone. “Come back down with me.”
Instantly, Rebekah thought of Jamie’s marijuana use and how that could damage her reputation as well as guarantee a loss for Eternal Division. Yet, she instantly thought against it. Jamie was right about one thing: if Jason found out, he would have no choice but to send Eternal Division home. And the more she thought about it, that included her, Holly, and Mandy, for she knew there was no way Jason would be able to explain keeping them there while sending the others home.
“No,” Rebekah said coldly. “I have to do this. It’s not just about me anymore. It’s about everybody that Jamie has ever hurt…and that includes Holly.”
Andre went to stand by her as the next clique—the one from Estonia—was getting ready to perform. “I know what you mean,” she said. “I feel the same way towards Arizona—but I’ve come to realize that even if I managed to hurt her as much as she hurt me, I wouldn’t have been completely satisfied.”
Rebekah sighed. “Holly said you tried to kill her.”
“I let my anger take over, and I couldn’t control myself,” Andre admitted. “Yeah, I tried to kill her, but now, I’m glad I didn’t.”
Rebekah chuckled a little. “I wasn’t planning on killing Jamie.”
For a while, they stood there, watching each of the cliques perform and listening to Jason score them. France managed to score a ten, and Rebekah suspected that was Jeffery’s doing to ensure a French victory was inevitable.
Then came Eternal Division’s turn, and Rebekah prepared herself to watch them. She still had no idea what she was going to do for a revenge plan.
“I’m going to head back down,” Andre said as she turned to leave. “You’re welcome to come, if you want.”
Rebekah quickly shook her head. Then, it hit her. Her revenge plan, or the only thing that would come close to a revenge plan. “Wait,” she said. “Could you…possibly…make them topple over?”
Andre smiled a little. “You want me to use a spell to make them fall,” she noted, amused. “I’m not going to do that.”
“Please?” pleaded Rebekah. “That’s as close to a revenge plan I have.”
Andre took another look at the clique, sighing.
A crash sounded below them.
Those who were in the stadium fell silent.
And as Eternal Division were forming a pyramid as part of their routine, Holly slid out from underneath it, making the human structure topple to the ground.
Rebekah watched Holly in shock as her back made contact with the concrete wall. “Shit, Andre!” she said. “I didn’t mean for you to do that!”
Andre didn’t say anything at first. To Rebekah, she looked just as mortified.
“I didn’t do that,” she said finally.
“Then, who—” Rebekah soon got her answer when four people entered the stadium. Instantly, she recognized Kat, who was with Melissa, Rhiannon, and one other she didn’t recognize.
“Kat returned,” Andre noted, staying rooted to her spot. “She’s with the rebels.”
Horror struck Rebekah’s face when she realized the cameras were still rolling. “This is live,” she said. “There are people who are currently watching this from home. My family is probably—” Her voice suddenly stopped when she saw who they were going for: Mandy.
Andre seemed to have noticed the same thing, for she immediately turned around to head back downstairs. Rebekah made a move to follow her, but Andre stopped her. “Stay up here,” said Andre. “For all I know, they could be after you, too.”
Despite the protests that came to mind, Rebekah complied, and Andre left her to go downstairs. Glancing into the stadium, she noticed the chaperones and the Speirs family made their way down to where the rebels were as well. Each mortal spell that had been casted was successfully blocked by the immortals, and before the mortals could get close enough to do any significant damage, the immortals disappeared in their cloud of black smoke.
And they took Mandy with them.
Once they were gone, Rebekah tore down the stairs and entered the stadium. She kept running, trying to get to Holly and ignoring the fact that the true members of Eternal Division were giving her shocked looks. So much for keeping my injury being fake a secret.
“Holly,” she said as she kneeled beside Holly. By that time, Andre was already there.
“W-what happened?” stammered Holly.
“The rebels,” Andre explained. “They took Mandy.”
“They…did?” questioned Holly, and Rebekah could tell she was slightly out-of-it.
Rebekah nodded.
Before she knew it, Jeffery went to join their group. “My father’s going to have the remaining members of the Royal Guard look around the world for Kat’s group,” he explained.
“But what about the cameras?” wondered Rebekah. “This competition was live! Whoever was watching it saw everything!”
“I know,” said Jeffery. “My father is working on fixing that as well, starting with the memories of the normal clique participants.”
Rebekah couldn’t think straight. With the magic world being exposed and Mandy being kidnapped, she looked for a quick solution—a way to know for sure Mandy’s current location and a way to erase the memories of a large amount of people. But she knew there wasn’t an easy solution to those problems.
Only one week remained until the Massacre—and they had already lost someone whom they may never see again.
~~~
Mandy: Barcelona, Spain
When Mandy had finally awoken, her head and back ached due to the fact that she was lying on a cold, hard, concrete floor for a long period of time. When her eyes finally opened, she had a panic attack as to where she was. In front of her was a set of bars, indicating that she was in some sort of cell.
She pushed herself off the ground and raced to the bars. Peering through the bars, she tried to pinpoint where she was, but she had no idea. The place where her cell was seemed dungeon-like with no windows. There was no one in sight.
She didn’t exactly know how long she’d been asleep, but in that very moment, she stifled a yawn. Before she knew it, she collapsed once again onto the ground and began to dream.
She traveled through the deserted hallways at Witchcraft Academy, heading towards the headmaster’s office, who also happened to be the king of all mortal witches and warlocks on the planet. She needed to tell him something.
Her long, blonde hair cascaded in waves down her shoulders. She was nervous; yet, she forced herself to enter the headmaster’s office.
“Excuse me,” she said, speaking to the headmaster.
The headmaster spun a
round, revealing himself as William Cavanaugh. His face lit up when he saw who came to visit him. “Hermione Rose,” he greeted her, calling her by her full name.
“Please, sir,” Hermione replied. “I came to ask you about the Foreseers.”
William just stared at her. “What do you want to know?”
“Well, I know they have the ability to see into the future…” Hermione’s words faded away.
“There’s more to them than that.” William paused. “First of all, unlike the Innocents and the magic users, Foreseers cannot see and talk to spirits. They are extremely rare to find, since the Foreseer gene is genetic, and most of the Foreseers have been killed. They are in high demand to aid the witches and warlocks into battle, and the immortal ones especially want them, including Henri Anderson.”
Henri Anderson. The name itself was enough to make Hermione shiver. After all, it was Henri who had tortured and killed so many of her kind.
“It is extremely rare to find a Foreseer,” William continued. “You’d be better off searching for an Innocent. After all, even though the Innocents are also in high demand, they aren’t as wanted as the Foreseers, since there are more of them.”
Hermione thought about this, but she continued to listen to William.
“Why are you asking me this, anyway?” William turned to look at Hermione.
“I was just curious,” Hermione started to say, “because I believe I already found—and befriended—one.”
William froze; his gaze shifted from Hermione to his desk. “What is the name of your Foreseer?” he asked in a faint whisper.
“Her name is Irina Sanchez, and she currently lives in Athens, Greece,” Hermione explained.
“Yet, she sounds as if she is from Spain,” William mused.
“She is of Spanish decent, though she also has some Greek blood in her as well,” Hermione said. “I was wondering if she would be able to stay here where it is safe.”
“I can’t allow that,” William replied. “I’m sorry.”
Bleeding Misery (Threatening Souls Book 2) Page 36
