by H G Lynch
The crop-haired witch stared at Ember for a long moment, but Ember couldn’t tell what expression was in those creepy eyes. Then the witch smiled, sending a shiver down Ember’s spine, and said in a sugary sweet voice, “We want to awaken your powers, Ember. But first, let us introduce ourselves. This is Ginger, Rainbow and Willow, and I’m Moonstone.” The crop-haired girl gestured and Ember almost snorted at the uncreative names. Defiantly, she arched a brow. Moonstone didn’t look pleased. She frowned, a thin line reaching across her forehead.
“Well, that’s just lovely, but I don’t need to know your names to know you’re going to be begging for mercy when Reid gets a hold of you lot,” Ember hissed. Her heart was thumping harder and faster in her chest, but she doubted the witches could hear that. Or, at least, she hoped not.
“Really? We’ll see. I’m not so sure he’ll do your bidding…or that you’ll turn to him for help, once we’re done here. Maybe we should explain…” Moonstone crossed her legs in mid-air and floated to sit on the end of her branch. The others remained floating around her like eerie, weightless guards. Ember continued to glare, her stomach in knots. Whatever these witches wanted with her, they weren’t going to get it. She’d let the tree squeeze her to death before she gave them anything that would help them kill Reid and Ricky.
The crop-haired witch spoke in a slow, calm voice. Her hair flickered with highlights of silver and blue as the moonlight swept over the short strands. “You see, you’re not who you think you are. Surely, you’ve wondered why Compulsion doesn’t work on you? And I’m betting you have strange dreams all the time, don’t you?” Moonstone gazed at her keenly and Ember flinched in surprise at her words. The witch smiled faintly, a little smug. “Yes, that’s what I thought. That often happens when a witch hasn’t had her powers awakened.”
For a long moment, Ember stared blankly and then she raised her brows in a sceptical expression, stunned. They all stared at her, hard, apparently waiting for her response. They thought she was a witch. Seriously? Then she snorted and said the first thing that came to mind.
“What the hell are you on about? I’m not a witch!” she blurted, disbelieving. These witches were freaking crazy. I’m human, she wanted to yell, Just a little human girl. There is no way in hell I’m a witch. I’d have known already…right?
“Not yet you’re not, but once we awaken the magic in your blood–”
Ember cut off the creepy girl with a snarl. “No, not ever! I’m not a witch! I’m freaking human!” she shouted, mindlessly struggling against her bindings, hardly realising she was doing it until a sharp pain in her wrist made her stop. She could feel blood welling under the restricting, harsh wires of bark around her hands. Willow suddenly leaned toward Moonstone and whispered something Ember didn’t catch.
The leader nodded. “Ah, yes. Thank you for reminding me, Willow. Ember, you’re right. You aren’t really a witch. You’re…well, I don’t think there’s a word for it…” Moonstone looked thoughtful for a moment and then smiled a sharp little smile. Ember kept her mouth shut, biting her tongue to keep from hurling insults and expletives at the witches. She was curious now, as to what these idiots thought she really was. Maybe they’d decided she was a faery? Or, better yet, a mermaid!
“You’re not human, I assure you of that,” – yeah, that’s really reassuring, Ember thought sarcastically – “You are part witch…and part vampire.” The crop-haired girl grinned abruptly, pausing for shock value. Ember gaped incredulously for a few seconds, sure they were joking, but then she saw they were perfectly serious and she began laughing hysterically. Her sides ached from the force of it, and tears formed in her eyes. She gasped for air between spasms of giggles, trying to choke out words.
“I-I’m a…v-vampire?” she choked. “Are you-c-crazy?” She gasped, feeling a tear roll down her cheek. Her hair flew into her face, but with her hands restrained, she couldn’t brush it away. She was left grinning at the crazy witches through strands of gold hair, still hiccupping.
“Part vampire,” Moonstone corrected her, like it made a difference. “The power is in you, in your blood, but it has been lying dormant your whole life. We can awaken the witch in you with a ritual, but the vampire in you…it’s even more easily roused…” The girl looked completely serious, believing what she was saying entirely. Ember felt like she’d stumbled into a group of clinically insane people. God, this is going to make a great story for Reid and the guys, she thought, amused more than scared now.
She rolled her eyes. “Riiight. I–” She only had time to arch a brow before the lead witch silenced her; she waved a hand, and suddenly Ember’s jaw snapped shut against her will. She glared, furious. Moonstone ignored her death-glower and held out a small metal cup that had seemingly appeared from nowhere. She tipped it slightly and Ember saw it was filled with some strange smelling dark liquid. All four girls began chanting.
“Espertar o poder dentro desta bruxa, despertar a maxia no seu sangue, espertar o poder da súa alma, awkaen a maxia que debería controlar.”
Ember glanced from girl to girl in horror. She didn’t know what they were saying, but she’d seen them casting a spell or whatever before, and didn’t want to be the target of their witchy attentions. Moonstone waved her hand again, and Ember’s mouth popped open. She gasped, panicked. “What?! Stop it! What’re you doing!? Stop it!” Ember shrieked, fear setting in and making her head whirl. The girls repeated the chant, again and again, looking strange and pale in the milky forest light, ignoring Ember’s protests.
She was starting to feel light-headed and her whole body was starting to tingle and burn, like her blood was fizzing in her veins. The tingling was intensifying, becoming like pins-and-needles, swelling in her limbs and chest…It was starting to hurt. “Ah, Stop!” Ember struggled sharply against her bark bindings, feeling them scratch and cut her skin. But they kept chanting, and the waves of dizziness and painful stinging washed over her repeatedly.
And then Moonstone grasped her chin and forced her to drink the dark liquid in the cup. She tried to spit it out, but the witch wouldn’t allow it. She choked it down reluctantly, and was hit with nausea. It didn’t taste bad, but it didn’t exactly taste good. They kept chanting.
It seemed a long time before they finally stopped chanting and the buzzing in her blood resided. She was tired and sore and nauseous, out of breath and weak as she hung limply in the wooden shackles. She gasped for breath and spat meaningless curses at the witches.
“Let me go!” she whimpered roughly, tugging pathetically at the twigs around her wrists. To her surprise, the twigs melted away and she nearly toppled off the side of her branch. Somehow though, she was floating too. She drifted to the ground with the witches and slumped in the dirt, exhausted.
“When you want to learn to master your powers, come back here and call for us. We’ll help you. And trust me, you’ll need it, from what I know about what you’re likely to experience,” Moonstone said with a chilling laugh. And then the girls were gone, and Ember was left sitting against her tree in the damp dirt, too weak and dizzy to stand.
“Reid,” she whimpered softly, feeling tears slide down her cheeks. She could feel the cold now, and the drizzly grey of the sky was darkening. She was scared and felt ill, and she wanted desperately for someone to come and get her. Surely they’d come looking for her soon. Reid! She used as much energy as she could to try to send a telepathic S.O.S through the foggy haze of her mind. She heard a crackle and a swish, and whipped her head up. But she couldn’t see anything. The sharp movement made her head spin. And then she passed out.
*
The next thing she was aware of was voices, talking around her and above her. Voices that were thick and distorted, as if coming from the bottom of a very deep well, echoing in her head, reverberating painfully despite the low volume. Slowly, like a radio being tuned to the right frequency, the voices became clearer.
“…over twenty-four hours! We should call a nurse or something!” A girl’s voic
e. Sherry, she thought vaguely.
“Not before we know what happened. If it was the witches, they could have done something serious to her that would react with medicine.” A guy’s voice, sharp and fierce with protectiveness and worry. That voice she’d know anywhere, anytime: Reid.
“He’s right, Sherry. We need to know what happened first. Calling a nurse in could make things worse.” Another male. Ricky.
“But, look at her! She looks awful, like she’s dead, not sleeping!” Sherry hissed, panic in her voice as it cracked. Ember heard soft sobbing and guessed that Sherry was crying.
Ember wanted to tell her friend not to cry. Instead, she croaked, “Thanks for the compliment.” Her voice was little more than a whisper. She pried her eyes open slowly and blinked against the light. She let out a hiss and turned her head away from the window. Her head was throbbing, her throat hurt, and her limbs felt like wet pasta, but at least she could still crack wise. That was something.
“Oh, Ember! You’re awake!” Sherry yelped and grabbed her in a tight hug that hurt, tears spilling into Ember’s hair. Ricky dashed to the window and closed the curtains firmly. Ember relaxed a little in the dimness, and managed to raise a hand to hug Sherry back. God, she was so weak. Even breathing took so much effort.
Someone beside the bed shifted, and Ember glanced over, meeting anxious blue eyes. “Ember,” Reid whispered. His voice was full of both relief and concern, and it made Ember’s chest ache. She tried to smile at him, but wasn’t sure she managed it.
“Oh God,” he breathed, pressing his knuckles against his mouth. He shook his head, lowering his hand. “Are you okay? What happened? When you didn’t come back before it got dark, I went looking for you and you were passed out against a tree. I was so worried; I thought…God, I’m just glad you’re awake.” Reid suddenly enveloped her in a gentle hug, his breathing ragged. When he pulled back, Ember saw his eyes were blood-shot and bruised with purple smudges, and his hair was tangled and messy like he’d been tugging at it. He’d never looked such a mess, but he was still lovely. It was a little startling to realise he’d been so worried about her.
“What happened? What did the witches do?” He planted tiny kisses in her hair and hugged her again. The feeling of his soft lips in her hair scattered her brain for a second.
Dazed, Ember began thinking again. Slowly. “Wh…What time is it? How long was I sleeping?” she asked in a whisper, her throat dry and hoarse.
Sherry stared at her, her fingers pressed to her mouth. “Ember, it’s nearly seven o’clock. You’ve been sleeping for ages! I was starting to think you weren’t going to wake up!” She was close to tears again so Ember forced a weak, trembling smile.
“Well, at least I got to skip school today,” she joked, but nobody even smiled. They were all gazing at her with serious eyes and concerned expressions. She sighed. It was never a good sign when three people collectively gave you the same, solemn stare like that.
“Ember, you have to tell us what happened,” Reid said softly, brushing her hair off her face and looking at her with deep blue eyes. God, she could fall into those eyes forever. His spiced-apple scent tickled her nose, and she had to swallow before speaking.
Looking away from his eyes so she could keep her thoughts straight, she said, “The witches…they did some sort of…ritual on me. They said I was…I wasn’t human. They said…” Ember stopped and squeezed her eyes shut, remembering the pain and dizziness. She took a deep, shuddering breath and tried to keep going. “They said I was part witch and part…vampire,” she whispered tensely, her lips trembling.
The room was filled with a thick, buzzing silence for a long time.
“And…?” Ricky breathed, sounding stunned. His gentle aqua eyes were intense, his eyebrows raised toward his scruffy brown hair.
She said softly, “The ritual was to ‘awaken the witch in me.’ They said I’d go back to them for help eventually. And they said it was easier to awaken the-the vampire in me,” she stumbled over the words and went on, “than the witch, but they didn’t tell me how.” Ember frowned and blinked back tears. This was pathetic. She shouldn’t be so weak. It frustrated her; all her life, she’d fought not to be weak. Proved people wrong when they assumed she was fragile just because she was small. And now, a group of goddamned witches had sapped all her strength in one night.
“You believe them? That you’re…?” Ricky asked, his voice low and soothing, and she merely nodded. Oh, that simple action was draining. “But…how? It’s never been heard of before; a half-vampire, half-witch. It’s impossible…” Ricky was grimacing deeply, but he wasn’t really disagreeing with her. He didn’t tell her she was stupid for believing such an impossibility, and from the witches no less. Not that Ricky would say those exact words anyway – he was far too polite.
“Apparently not,” Reid said, tilting his head. He eyed Ember, looking intrigued. “It does explain some things. Have you noticed anything different about yourself? Do you feel any different?” he asked her, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear and resting his palm lightly against her cheek. His hand was cool, but not cold, and it felt good against her feverish skin.
She shook her head slowly. “I just feel…weak. Really damn weak,” she hissed, feeling a spark of anger. She put all her energy into trying to sit up, but it was like she was weighted to the bed with lead blocks. Reid hesitantly helped her sit up, propping pillows behind her. She glowered at nothing in particular, irritated by her own helplessness, holding back a growl. Suddenly, the glass in one of her photo-frames on the dresser cracked. They all instantly looked across at it and Ember blinked tiredly, confused.
“Uh…well, I’m thinking that just maybe…the witches really did tell the truth about…” Ricky said slowly, his eyes fixed on the photo-frame on the bedside table. He looked oddly shaken. He shook his head, and then pulled his hand through his hair, clutching at the strands. “Yeah. This is…yeah.” He didn’t seem to know what else to say.
Ember groaned. “How can I be part-vampire when I just feel so weak? Too bad they didn’t ‘awaken’ that part of me instead. What good is being a witch? I hate freaking witches!” Fury built uncontrollably in her chest despite her fragility. Abruptly, the bookcase jarred and books toppled down to the floor. She jerked in surprise, and Sherry gasped, flinching away.
Reid looked at the bookcase, his eyebrows drawing down. He glanced at her and then the bookcase again, his expression contemplative. Evenly, he said, “Ember, calm down. It’s okay. We’ll fix this. You’ll be okay.” He tried to soothe her, but the fresh wave of dizziness that came over her just made her angrier. Things started rumbling on the dresser and the lamp began to flicker on and off. Sherry looked terrified and Ricky looked confused. Reid just stared at her with his lips pursed thoughtfully. She was just so angry that the witches had done this to her, that she’d been stupid enough to give them the chance to do it. Something in the room cracked.
“Ember, stop,” Reid said in calm voice, but she could see the anxiety in his eyes. Things kept shaking and Sherry whimpered, curling into Ricky’s chest. Ember curled her fingers into the duvet, her fists shaking. She knew she needed to calm down, but she just…she wanted to hit something…she…
And then Reid’s mouth was on hers, his lips crushing hers sending shivers down her spine and transforming the heat of anger into a different kind of heat. The kind of heat that made her tremble all over until she thought she might melt. Slowly, Ember felt all energy leave her body, but everything around the room stopped shaking and the lamp stopped flickering. Her head spun, but she wasn’t sure if it was dizziness from whatever the witches had done to her, or from the intoxicating taste of Reid’s lips. Everything went still and silent, and Reid pulled away from her, his hands holding her face delicately, like she might break. His eyes were wide and glinting, the blue pale as ice. She licked her lips, now tender and tasting like Reid.
“Ember, you’re going to be okay,” he whispered, his mouth still close to hers. Oh
God, she wanted to kiss him again. But she couldn’t lift her head. She could barely find the energy for each breath, for each blink. The anger that had energised her was gone. Reid seemed to know what she wanted, though; he smiled a knowing little smile and pressed a tiny, chaste kiss to her lips before leaning back.
“Um…did you know that would work?” Ricky muttered, sounding a little embarrassed.
“Not for sure,” Reid replied quietly, his eyes still on Ember’s. She pouted, wishing he’d kiss her again. She felt better when he kissed her. Reid chuckled, but his voice was shaky. Ember sighed and closed her eyes briefly.
When she opened them again, Sherry was holding out a glass of Coke to her. Ember forced a smile, truly thankful that someone had thought of it, and tried to lift her arms. When she could only raise them a few inches off the bed, she frowned and felt a stinging in her eyes again. Oh, it was awful to be so weak. Like being a baby, who needed fed. Sherry smiled sympathetically and raised the glass to her mouth, tipping it so she could drink. Ember gladly swallowed the fizzy, sweet liquid and growled when Sherry took it away.
“Well, she’s still Ember,” Sherz said with a smile. Ember expected the Coke to take effect quickly, give her a boost of energy. But after five minutes, she still felt utterly immobile. She decided more sleep was what she needed, and asked the boys to leave. Ricky agreed quite easily, though frowning. He was probably worried she’d hurt Sherry somehow, like drop the lamp on her or something. Reid took more convincing, and Sherry had to all but physically throw him out the door. He left with the promise he’d return as soon as she was awake again.
Once the boys were gone, Sherry helped Ember lie down again and covered her with the duvet, tucking it up to her shoulders. Ember felt like a small child, but she didn’t protest. She gave a small yawn and settled back to sleep quickly, falling into nightmares about witches and blood and fire.
