Violet Blood

by Sophia Stafford

  She shook her head, turning to look at him. “I’m not leaving her.”

  “You should have been a boy,” a voice said, a deep masculine voice.

  Slowly, Jaycen’s head turned to look at her mother, the voice sending chills down her spine. Her mother was looking at her, her eyes black and her face pale, but she was looking directly at Jaycen.

  “Did she say that?” Jaycen whispered, already knowing the answer.

  “Why aren’t you a boy? Mm? What went wrong?” Her mother’s head tipped to the side, contemplating the question.

  “Mom?” Jaycen gave her hand a squeeze, unsure of what was happening. Was this the spell?

  The room around her was eerily quiet, until Zena shouted, “Someone’s in her head, they’ve taken over her body. Benedict, pull them out!” Then, everyone sprang into action. Thornton’s arms locked around Jaycen, pulling her away from her mother, and letting Zena take her place.

  Benedict’s large hand landed on her mother’s head as he muttered a spell over and over again, her mother’s body starting to thrash on the bed.

  “You’re a powerful mistake,” the male voice spat from her mother’s body, her eyes still holding Jaycen’s from across the room.

  Realization dawned. “You, you put the spell on my mom.” Jaycen stated, pushing out of Thornton’s hold.

  “Get her out of here, Thornton,” Zena ordered, not taking her eyes off Benedict as he repeated his spell. Her mother’s body was now shaking like crazy, but her eyes were fixed on Jaycen.

  “Jaycen.” Thornton tried to hold her hand.

  “No.” She pushed him back, and before anyone could stop her, she ran forward, grabbing her mother’s shaking face in her hands. “Who are you?”

  “Jaycen, no!” Benedict’s cry was the last thing she heard before she was pulled into an abyss of coldness, her body falling through the air, being tugged from left to right. Until she landed hard, everything still black around her. Then, she heard the voice of a man, a young man.

  “This is going to sound crazy, but I feel like we’re meant to be. You know? Soul mates.”

  Jaycen looked around, she still couldn’t see anything.

  “That does sound crazy.” A girl laughed, sounding a little uncomfortable. “We barely know each other.”

  “I know, it’s just how I feel,” the guy answered.

  Then, as quickly as they came they were gone, and it was silent. Jaycen stood, her body still aching from the thrashing she was put through. What the hell had happened? She opened her mouth, wanting to call out to the others, but nothing came out. She tried again, wanting to scream for help but completely unable to. Now, she was afraid.

  “I need space from you, ever since we met you’ve not left my side. It’s too much, you’re smothering me.”

  The sudden voice made Jaycen jump as she turned around, following the voice. Relief flooded through her at the speck of light in the distance, she ran towards it. She opened her mouth to shout, but still nothing came out. The speck of light grew until she could see a woman, no, a girl sitting on a bed talking to a guy whose back was facing Jaycen. Her mom, it was her mom. She ran faster, now so close she could see her mother in detail. Could her mom see her? Who was she talking to?

  Jaycen hit something hard, her body flying backwards as pain seared through her nose. She wiped it, smearing her bright blood over her sleeve and hand. Gross.

  “Baby, that’s the last thing I want to do. I love you,” the guy, the guy that Jaycen couldn’t see, said.

  Jaycen stood, holding out her hand and stepping forward until her palm met a cold, clear surface, because there was no way in hell she was making that mistake again. It was like a sheet of glass sat in between her and the scene that was playing out in front of her. Again, what the hell was happening? Was this a spell?

  Placing her other hand on the screen, Jaycen just watched, unable to do anything else.

  Her mother stood up from the bed. “That’s what I’m talking about,” she shouted, running her hands over her messy bun. “You don’t know me. We’ve only just met and you’re throwing around words like that. I’m travelling with my friends, we start back at school in a month, all of this was just supposed to be fun before our final year. You are ruining this trip for me.”

  The guy, who Jaycen still couldn’t make out, stood up as well. “I’m sorry. I’ll leave now.”

  “Yeah, I think that’s best.” She opened the door for him, and slammed it shut once he had left.

  Her mother looked great. Jaycen smiled, clocking her Yale jumper and half-emptied suitcase. Oh yeah, this was a spell alright, a spell that was showing her a memory, her mother’s memory to be precise. This must have been when her mother had been travelling. She even sounded different, stronger. A twinge of sadness hit her hard. She didn’t know this version of her mom. The scene quickly disappeared and was replaced with darkness and silence.

  The next one started quickly. They were in the same room, but it was dark. There was a lump in the bed that her mother had just been sitting on, so Jaycen assumed that was her. There were also two other beds near her, her friends possibly? At some point her mother had had friends. She smiled to herself, wondering what they were like. The wondering came to an abrupt halt when she noticed a figure walking out of the shadows of the room, looking like something out of a horror movie. Jaycen’s back straightened, her fingers absently scratching the glass as the figure walked up to her sleeping mother. She clenched her fist, banging on the glass as hard as she could, wanting desperately to wake her mother up, to tell her that she was in danger, to do something, anything but watch.

  Of course, her mother didn’t move, and the figure held out his hands over her sleeping body. His hands started to glow, but he didn’t speak. Was this the spell that Zena was talking about? The spell that had changed her mother’s life? That ruined it. Her mother twisted in her sleep, moaning a little, but stayed asleep. Then, he stepped back, and the scene vanished.

  Jaycen stayed completely still, not even daring to blink, just in case she missed something.

  Another scene started quickly, opening in the same hotel room. Her mother sat on the floor, holding a pillow close as her two friends stood over her.

  “Are you serious? You’re staying?” one of them said, dropping to her knees next to Jaycen’s mom. “Our plane is in four hours, we start class on Monday. When will you get back?”

  “I’m not. I’m staying.” Her mother sobbed, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “I’m staying, me and Terry are going to have a baby and get married.”

  “Have you lost your mind?” One of her friends laughed, her face showing that she wasn’t sure if Jaycen’s mother was joking or not. “You barely know the guy.”

  “And you didn’t even like him last week, you told him to beat it. What the hell has changed?” her other friend asked, moving a stray piece of hair from her mother’s face. “You can tell us; Lucy, are you pregnant?” Jaycen was confused at them calling her mom Lucy, but quickly shook it off to continue watching.

  Her mother smiled, a smile that Jaycen recognised, a smile so full of wonder and hope. A smile that now broke Jaycen’s heart. “Not yet, but I will be soon. We’re going to have a boy. I want to call him Jason, Terry likes it, too.”

  Her friend took her by the arms, shaking her a little. “Look at me. Have you taken any drugs? I think we should take her to the hospital or call her parents. We have to do something.”

  Her mother’s carefree smile morphed into rage as she pushed her friend hard. “No, this is my choice. Get away from me, both of you.”

  Both friends stood. “Lucy, we’re just trying to help you. We don’t understand what is happening. I don’t understand why you’re being like this.”

  “Because he chose me! Me, not you.” She pointed at one of the girls. “Not you. You’re jealous, both of you are. Now, leave me alone.”

  Her two friends stared at her, both completely in shock and both unmoving.

&nbs
p; Her mother reached for the nearest thing she could find, a small bowl sitting on the bedside cabinet, and threw it at her friends, hitting one hard on her leg.

  “Ow, what the hell!” she yelled, hopping on one foot and reaching for the other.

  “Just leave me alone, both of you. I don’t want you here,” her mother screamed, then curled back into a ball, pulling her legs close.

  Both friends shuffled to the door. “We’re calling your parents, we’re calling Kieran and Michelle. They can deal with you,” they threatened, already walking out of the door.

  “I don’t care.” Her mother smiled, tears falling down her cheeks. “I’m going to be in love and have a baby.”

  Jaycen fell to her knees, sobbing as she laid her forehead against the glass. She had just watched her mother’s life be turned upside down, whoever she had been before the spell long forgotten or buried deep. Maybe, both.

  Jaycen was crying so much she hadn’t even realised that she had been pulled from the spell, not until Thornton grabbed her head, forcing her to look at him.

  “Jaycen? Can you hear me?” he demanded, his bright eyes filled with worry.

  She nodded, but then burst into tears again. He pulled her close to his chest. “She’s okay.”

  “Oh, thank god,” she heard Zena cry.

  Jaycen could feel someone kneeling beside her, she lifted her head, her heart stopping at the sight of her smiling mother. “Hey my love, why are you crying?”

  Chapter 27

  “You have brought an unmagical being into these greats halls, possibly exposing the magic. Putting us all in danger,” an older man with bright red hair shouted, pointing one chubby finger at Benedict.

  “Her name is Lindsey Reece and she has just woken up and is currently being held in a room. No one is in danger. She has no idea where she is, nor what magic is,” Benedict shared, running his tongue over his teeth. Jaycen wanted to raise her hand

  and tell everyone that was now standing around them that that wasn’t completely true. Her mother was under a spell, what if she did know what magic was? What if she knew exactly what magic was but forgot?

  After the spell had gone completely wrong, but had luckily left her mother completely unharmed, Benedict had brought them all to the Cure. “The spell is a lot more complex than we thought, we’re going to need more help,” he had said, leading her mother to his car. “We’ll keep it under wraps, and not tell anyone that she’s there.” That idea had lasted approximately ten minutes—apparently someone had seen them entering through the underground entrance, and then spread it round like wildfire. Now, they were being surrounded by what felt like every member of the Cure, all demanding to know what Benedict was up to.

  “Isn’t this the mother of Jaycen Reece? The girl who is currently under investigation?” This came from a woman as she eyed Jaycen with small, squinty eyes.

  Jaycen did speak up this time. “Hey, I object to that. I’m not a spy. My mother is not a spy. We’re just really unlucky.” She pushed past people who had gathered in the main hall.

  “Interesting, I didn’t say she was a spy,” the woman muttered under her breath, sharing a knowing look with another woman. Jaycen clenched her teeth together, she needed to get out of there before she did something drastic.

  She pushed past the last few people and headed to her room where her mother would be waiting. Her mother, Lucy Anna Somerset—because, as Jaycen had just found out, that was her mother’s real name—had been an English Literature major at Yale until her third year, and then she’d taken a trip to Europe with her two best friends, where she fell pregnant. Subsequently, she dropped out of school, losing her perfect attendance record, and her shot at valedictorian.

  Jaycen didn’t know her mother at all, because this woman who she had been reading about wasn’t her mother. She hadn’t even known her real name, for heaven’s sake! She wasn’t ditzy and funny, she was serious and smart. She was seriously smart. What had happened to her?

  Jaycen rounded the corner, stopping short when she saw Thornton talking to his father and a small, dark-haired woman.

  “I don’t want to talk about this right now,” Thornton hissed, turning away and running his hands through his hair.

  “I am sorry that you can’t fit us into your ever-so-busy schedule, but we need to talk about this, Thornton, because let me tell you, everybody else is,” the woman said, crossing her arms over her chest and turning to look up at Thornton’s father. “Tell him George, make him see how important this is.”

  “Maybe, right now isn’t the right time to talk about this,” George suggested, placing his hands in his pockets and nodding at a man who was walking by. Was the woman Thornton’s mother? She looked around the right age, and with her pearls and a perfectly pressed suit, she definitely looked the part.

  “No, you’re right, we should just ignore this. It’s not as if your only son is walking around singlehandedly ruining the family name or anything.” Then, she laughed, a laugh that said she did not find anything funny. “Oh wait, he is.”

  Thornton twisted back round to face his mother. “You cannot be serious.”

  “Deadly, Thornton, I am deadly serious.”

  “I ended it, I’ve done what you wanted me to do. What else could there possibly be?” Thornton hissed back.

  She and Thornton had only briefly spoken since their encounter at her mother’s house, and neither of them had mentioned their argument. She desperately wanted to know what they were talking about now though, but on the other hand she knew she shouldn’t be eavesdropping. So, before anyone saw her, Jaycen turned and took the longer way to her room. She was nearly there when she saw her mother walking towards her, her mother who should be locked in her room. The only thing between them was two young men, magically juggling books in the air. Jaycen couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Why were they doing that? She had never seen anyone do that, so why were they doing it now? Right in front of her mother?

  She rushed forward, past the two guys, and grabbed her mother by the arm. “Mom, it’s alright. I can explain everything. This is just, it’s…” What the hell could she say to try and explain this?

  “Jaycen.” Her mother smiled. “Explain what? What are you talking about?”

  Slowly, ever so slowly, Jaycen looked over her shoulder at the floating books. Surely, she wouldn’t need to say it?

  Her mother was still smiling at her, even as the two guys walked past them, floating books and all.

  “Do you see that?” Jaycen squeaked out. Maybe, it was Jaycen who was losing her mind.

  “What?” her mother asked again, looking around, and still not seeing the floating books.

  “The floating books, mom.” Jaycen took her mother by the shoulders and turned her, so she was directly facing the two men. “Do you see the floating books?”

  “Floating what? I see two men, maybe they are carrying books.” She turned to face her daughter again. “Are you feeling okay, love?”

  She couldn’t see it. Magic was right in front of her eyes and her mother couldn’t see it. Jaycen needed to tell Benedict about this.

  “Mom, you need to go back to your room. I need to go and speak to someone.”

  “But after that, we’ll go and explore New York? I haven’t been here in years and I love this place.”

  Was that even true? Jaycen wondered. Benedict had insisted on bringing her to the Cure, wanting to keep an eye on her after Zena’s spell wore off. Her mother woke up fine, completely oblivious to what had happened before she had passed out. Was that normal? According to Zena, no. Which was worrying. So, it was either the spell that her unknown father had apparently cast, or a brain tumour. Jaycen was hoping it was the former.

  “I know, mom, me too. We should go and explore later, but right now I really have to go and speak to Benedict.”

  “Okay, I’ll wait back in the room.” Jaycen waited until her mother was out of her sight before she rushed back down the hall to Benedict. She found him exactly
where he was when she had left, surrounded by everyone. She motioned with her hand, trying to get Benedict’s attention. He caught her eye, his whole face lighting up as he excused himself from the crowd.

  When he was close enough, he took hold of her elbow, and led her away from the group of people that were still very outraged. “Thank you for that, I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to get away.” He let go and stopped walking once they were around the corner.

  “Oh yeah, that’s fine.” She waved it off. “But I have something to tell you.”

  He stayed silent, watching her closely.

  “My mom can’t see magic, or like, she doesn’t process that it’s magic. It could be right there, right in front of her face, and she wouldn’t be able to see a thing.”

  Benedict looked like he was processing what she was saying.

  Jaycen really wasn’t explaining this right, so she decided to start from the beginning. “She was out of her room, I saw her in the hall as two guys were walking past with, floating books! They were juggling them, for goodness sakes”

  Benedict frowned in complete confusion.

  “They were using their magic to make their books float, and juggle them,” she corrected, needing to get this conversation moving because this really wasn’t the important part.

  Benedict’s frown ironed out and he smiled. “We really need to work on your magical vocabulary.”

  She waved her hands. “Yeah, well, my mom saw them.”

  He stood straighter, his eyes more alert—now she had his attention.

  “She saw them walking past but didn’t notice their floating books. She didn’t see their magic at all.”

  “Another spell.” He ran his hands thorough his hair in frustration. “There must be so many spells on your mother, I don’t understand how she could have survived that for so long.”

  Now, it was Jaycen’s turn to look alarmed. “What?”

  He ignored her completely and motioned with his head. “Come on, I need to speak to a few people.”

  He didn’t wait for her as he sped down the hall. Jaycen was almost jogging to keep up with him. Finally, he stopped at two wooden doors and just let himself in.