Wolf Spell 1 Page 2

  The black suits and dresses blurred together. The cream-colored coffin was the only thing I could see as I blinked back my tears. It sat in the middle of the small crowd. Pink roses draped over the top—her favorite.

  I sat up straighter, holding my breath to stop the tears. I grabbed the handle and forced myself to open the door. Once I was sure I could stand without the support of the car, I closed it. I spotted my dad greeting people and shaking hands with the bishop. He stopped to glance over at me. His look pleaded for me to come over and stand with him. I forced a fake smile for him, but it didn’t last long. The whole scene in front of me seemed surreal.

  The grass was stiff and crunched as I walked. The fresh scent of dry autumn leaves smelled cold—it smelled like death. My balance was not steady, and I teetered as I reached the edge of the burial plot. I reached out to touch the casket. I guess I needed to feel the hard steel under my fingers, knowing my mom was inside. I closed my eyes and remembered her smile, her laugh, her warmth.

  A hand covered mine, and I opened my eyes to another set staring right back at me. I gasped. To see him here surprised me. His slicked back black hair gleamed in the afternoon sun. His jaw clenched, and I could see the muscles in his neck flex, but his brow line etched in worry.

  I met him at the hospital after my mom’s accident. He was one of her doctors that I swore never left her side. I shivered thinking of the hospital. That whole week was still a blur. The memory of the phone call was vague. I could remember my dad telling me there was an accident, but on the rest of the conversation I blanked out.

  “Dr. Walsh?”

  He gave me a sympathetic smile. I recognized it because I had gotten them all week. “Come sit down with me,” his voice was low.

  I slid my hand down the casket before turning to follow him to the front row of folding chairs and sat next to him. I glanced over my shoulder. More cars pulled in next to the cemetery. Most of the people I saw arriving were my dad’s friends.

  I averted my eyes from the crowd back to the casket. The roses on top looked stiff in the cold, with the edge of the petals frosted over. The sight made my heart ache even more, and I wished I could make them all appear revived, as much as I wished my mom were alive.

  I stared at the flowers, closing off the world. The petals filled out and lifted as the roses bloomed anew. I shook my head. Maybe my eyes were playing tricks again, like with my hands earlier.

  “You shouldn’t do that in front of mortals.” A hot whisper warmed the side of my face as the doctor leaned close to me, causing me to jump. It unnerved me to be that close to him.

  The flowers had enthralled me so much that I hadn’t thought about anyone else seeing them. A shiver ran down the length of my back. Without saying anything more, he sat back in his seat and stared at the casket.

  “What?” My breath came out in a white fog. I decided to play dumb. It was easier than trying to give an explanation I didn’t have.

  He leaned forward facing the casket. “The roses, you shouldn’t do that while mortals are around.”

  “Mortals? What are you talking about? I didn’t do anything.”

  He stared at me, not breaking eye contact. “We need to leave.”

  I raised my eyebrows. Just like that, he wanted me to leave with him? “Excuse me?”

  “Your mom is waiting, but we need to be discrete.”

  I hugged myself tighter. “I’m not going anywhere with you. Besides, my mom is right there you freak.” Fresh tears welled in my eyes. Why would he do this to me? She was his patient—he of all people should know she’d died. Maybe he couldn’t take losing a patient and refused to believe she was gone.

  “Ara, it’s crucial that you come with me. It is not safe for you here. You don’t have a choice.” In his seat, he twisted to see me better, and then looked over at my dad who congregated with more of the growing crowd.

  I shook my head. “Leave me alone.” He scared me. His voice held an ominous tone that seemed more than threatening.

  He looked over his shoulder, and I followed his gaze over to two more guys dressed in the same black pinstriped suit that he wore. They both gave a nod to the doctor and started our way. I tried to swallow the lump that formed in my throat, but my mouth had gone dry. I needed to move. Fast.

  I stood up, but he grabbed my hand and pulled me back down. “Let me go!” I struggled to release my hand from his grip, tugging until his fingers painfully dug into my wrist. “Help!” I shouted louder and glanced over my shoulder, but no one even looked my way. Why don’t they hear me?

  I spotted my dad’s car as I twisted my arm again. I needed to get there. A soft glow emanated from my hands. My eyes widened, but I didn’t have time to register what happened.

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. I placed a ward around us so no one will even notice what’s happening. No one here can even see you right now.”

  That’s not possible. How could my dad not see this happening to me? I glanced back down at my restrained wrist. Thankfully, no light came from it. I was not sure what was going on, but I knew it wasn’t good.

  I didn’t know what he talked about. What was a ward? What did he mean no one could hear me? I glanced around at the mingling grievers. “Help!” He was right—nobody even looked my way. I slapped him with my other hand across the face, but then he grabbed it too.

  I focused on keeping myself from shaking so he couldn’t see how scared I was. “What do you want with me?”

  “You can’t guess?”

  From behind me, hands grabbed around my waist, and the doctor let go of my wrists. I swiveled, throwing my weight into breaking the hold, but the man held me tight and lifted me from the ground. I screamed and another hand clamped my mouth shut. Another man came from the side and received one of my wild kicks in the gut.

  The doctor chuckled, making anger boil in my veins. I struggled harder, only to have the hold on me tighten to the point where air squeezed from my lungs. Stupid! Why did I let the doctor distract me from the two goons? They were kidnapping me from my mom's funeral. My mind whirled with everything ranging from torture to death. Would my dad find my body chopped up in little pieces left in the desert? He lost my mom. Would he now loose me too?

  My energy went into overdrive as I tried to protect myself. I fought with everything I could muster, kicking out and twisting my arms, but the men who held me were strong, and it was like trying to move a mountain. Quickly, I scanned the cemetery and looked for anyone to become aware of what was happening—nothing. Even with a small crowd, there were too many people not to notice. How is it even possible they were dragging me across the cemetery kicking and screaming, but no one saw a thing?

  They continued to drag me toward a running car that sat idle in the high school parking lot while the doctor opened the door to the backseat ahead of us. The hand moved off my mouth enough for me to bite down hard. “HELP! Somebody help!” I screamed again, still hoping for anyone to hear me before it was too late.

  Dr. Walsh glanced at one of his goons. “Joe, get her in the car,” he said before he jumped into the backseat on the other side.

  No! This couldn’t be happening. Not to me, not right now. The two men held me from the sides as they tried shoving me into the car. I kicked out at one of the men again, this time my toes met his shin, causing him to let go of me. It wasn’t hard enough because he had his hands wrapped around my arms again before I could fight off the other guy. I stomped on his foot as hard as I could with my heel.

  “Ouch! Would you stop it?” the man grumbled.

  I twisted enough to spit in his face and struggled against them both again. The two men who restrained me were unmovable and even though I resisted, they pushed me into the car next to the doctor. After slamming my door as soon as my limbs were clear, they both climbed in the front, and we drove off, away from the cemetery.

  Magic is Real

  – Arabeth –

  My breathing became sporadic as I panicked. It was hard to think t
hrough the fuzzy thoughts that raced through my head. I would have to keep a calm mind to find a way to escape. Familiar streets went by in a blur as we sped through the backside of town.

  He pulled at the tails of his coat to straighten it as he settled into his seat better. “I think a new introduction is in order. My name is Victor, and I am not a doctor.”

  “What? Then why did you act like one? Did you kill her?” The questions came out fast, but I needed to know.

  “Whoa, settle down. What if I could prove to you that your mom’s alive?” His question was absurd since we just left her funeral.

  I glared at him and muttered through clenched teeth, “She’s dead.” I focused on my breathing, trying to calm myself.

  He settled back into his seat. “What if she is still alive?”

  I threw my arms up in the air. “Then where is she at?” Great, a serial killer psychopath kidnapped me.

  He didn’t say anything but remained relaxed with his hands folded together in his lap.

  “Yea… That’s what I thought.” My mind flew a hundred miles an hour, thinking of how to escape. My head pounded as my blood pressure catapulted, and my level of anxiety reached a capacity I was certain I couldn’t handle any more without throwing up.

  After several moments, he cocked his head. “What if she is?”

  I could taste the bile that now burned in the back of my throat. “Am I gonna die?”

  He had a wide grin. “Not today.”

  I squeezed my eyes shut, and clenched my hands into tight fists. What was that supposed to mean—not today? Did that mean he would torture me for a week before killing me?

  I glanced up but avoided his eyes, not wanting to meet his gaze. “You’re crazy.”

  “Oh really? I’m the crazy one? Who exactly made the flowers bloom in front of everyone? That wasn’t me.”

  The heavy feeling from stress weighed my body down. “If I’ve gone off the deep end, then you pushed me there. Maybe you drugged me at the hospital while you took care of my mom.” I had no explanation for the darn flowers. I couldn’t give him one even if I wanted to—which I didn’t.

  He tilted his head. “How would I have done that? You need to calm down.”

  Calm down? Was he serious? I looked down at my shaking hands. A soft light hovered around them again. What was going on? Ugh! “I want to get out of this car!”

  “Let’s change the subject a little, and talk about your mom.”

  I refused to talk. Glancing around the car, I looked for anything to hit him with. Of course, the car was clean, nothing anywhere.

  “You’re just like her, except for your red hair and green eyes.” He swallowed and stared at the grey–carpeted floor. “The afternoon she—died—was supposed to be the day for me to help her get away, but your dad found out before I could get there to help. I should have been there and then she wouldn’t need to do this…” His eyes brimmed with tears that threatened to overflow.

  I scrunched my eyes. “The day for what? What are you talking about?”

  “I met Meadow long ago. It was fate. I’ve been searching for you both the whole eighteen years. I couldn’t believe it when I saw her.” His mouth curved up, tugging at the corners of his lips, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

  “I’m not sure I understand.” Then it was as if light bulbs flickered in my head. “Wait—you were searching for me?” Oh, that was just terrific. My kidnapper was also a stalker! I shuddered at the thought of how many times I left my bedroom window open growing up.

  He spoke up, breaking my thoughts. “She said that she couldn’t leave.” His lips tightened in a straight line. “I can’t say too much right now, but I’ll tell you that she is drained. It took every ounce of magic she had to keep you concealed. Among other things.”

  “Magic? You’re saying my mom has—or had—magic? And it’s because of me that she has no more?” This was insane. He was insane.

  “You have it too, don’t forget the flowers, and no, it is not because of you that she won’t have her magic anymore.”

  “My hand…” I mumbled under my breath, grateful that it went unnoticed by him. I didn’t want to play into his delusions.

  He leaned back in his seat. “To help answer some of your questions, I wanted to help her, but the wards around your house were too strong for me to break. The warlock who placed the spell over her and the house is exceptionally talented and has more abilities than even I do.”

  “A warlock?” Oh, he undoubtedly was delusional.

  He chuckled a little, holding his hand up. “I mean no disrespect to you witches, trust me—there are some of you who can put us warlocks to shame. I just speculated since your dad is one.”

  “I didn’t mean that. I just meant… oh never mind.” I wrapped my arms around my middle tighter, and leaned over in my seat, trying not to throw up. I could imagine the sick and twisted games he would play before killing me. Oh God, he probably thought he lived at Hogwarts. I hugged myself so tight I was sure I bruised my sides. My fingers tingled from lack of oxygen as I held my breath.

  “You know you’re special,” he continued, placing a hand on my back.

  Opening one eye, I shrugged off his touch. “Yeah, yeah, I’m a witch.” I couldn’t restrain my need to be sarcastic.

  “Your mom was a zealous witch at one time…” He trailed off in silent thought, still looking out of the window.

  I could not believe he honestly thought this was real. I love Halloween and all, but presuming witches were real, was too much. I glimpsed down at my hands. Or, maybe it was real. I decided at least for right now that I would play along with what he said. Maybe it would keep me alive longer.

  I looked up at the darkening sky. This day went by so fast. With the daylight departing sooner now that it was almost winter, it gave the impression of being even later in the day than it was. My eyes were heavy from such a long day of stress and crying. I tried to settle myself in the seat, but I was too tense to get comfortable.

  “So if my mom isn’t dead, then where is she?” I prayed he wouldn’t say she was a hostage, bound and gagged in some abandoned cabin.

  He hesitated before talking. “Before I tell you where she is, let me say a little about what happened first. Clear the air so to speak… Your dad found out about our plans to meet, but he was not about to let her walk away.”

  I nodded. That wasn’t something new. My mom and dad argued all the time. It bewildered me that they’d stayed married as long as they did. My mom running off and having an affair didn’t seem like a big deal to me.

  Victor’s nostrils flared and then he looked out his window. “On her way to meet me is when the truck hit her.” He glanced back over at me. “I went immediately to be by her side—you have to understand, I only have so much power and my magic alone can’t heal her.”

  I grabbed my head in my hands, releasing an aggravated sigh. Everything was so confusing. With my face still buried in my hands, I managed to mumble something that resembled words through my fingers. “I don’t understand. Why kidnap me?”

  “Would you have come willingly?”

  “No.”

  Peeking through my fingers, I watched as he rubbed his neck.

  “What do you know about magic?”

  I raised my eyebrow and lowered my hands away from my face, letting them drop to my lap. “Seriously—magic?” He was persistent I’d give him that.

  “What do you know?”

  I couldn’t help but smirk at his serious tone. “It’s kid stuff. Things fairytales thrive on and make the imagination scream for more, but if you’re looking for a real answer, it simply isn’t real. Magic is not real.”

  He snorted. “You seem to know everything about magic, except for the truth.”

  I rolled my eyes at him. He exasperated me. There was no getting through to him.

  He flashed me a grin as he fidgeted with the ring on his right hand. “I wish you had been given the opportunity to know the truth. You’d be one
heck of a witch by now.”

  I didn’t hide my scoff at the mention of me being a witch this time. “Do you honestly believe that? Because I think you’re delusional. I’m sure there is a good hospital we can take you to.”

  “I could show you if you’d like.”

  My heart lurched with his words. I couldn’t decide if he was serious or not. “No, I’m good without visuals.” I remembered my glowing hands from earlier, and a small shiver ran through me from the thought that what he said could be true.

  “Your mom is special, but she only has days left before she changes.”

  “Changes? You’re confusing and scaring me more.”

  “The only way she can survive is to change into a … half vampire.”

  My breathing hitched. “A what?”

  “Vampire. Magic cannot heal her. It has gone too far. A rare and venomous plant is killing her. In other words, she was poisoned. It either happened before or right after the accident. I was the only one who knew about the poison. It is something doctors would never be able to detect, but to a witch it is deadly. So her magical life is ending, and her new life is beginning as a dark creature of the night… a vampire.”

  “You are sick. Vampires? Really? First witches and now this? You need help.”

  “I know it must be hard to accept since your whole life everyone kept the truth from you, but it’s real. All of it. You’re a witch, I’m a warlock, and there are vampires, among other supernaturals. It’s hard to accept this I know. Vampires are dark creatures who care for no mortal. They hunt for blood. It will be hard to see her change, but she thinks she can remain the same person. I hope she's right.”

  I wouldn't argue with him anymore about his imaginary magic life. “Just get me to her.” Desperation settled itself into my soul. I didn’t care anymore. I just wanted my mom back.

  “You don’t know what it means to save her, what is entailed, or even how I will forever be grateful if it works...” His eyes softened as he finished speaking.

  “I honestly don’t care, as long as she’s okay.” For the most part, that was true.