Apprentices: New Moon

Protection For Humans

As I’m about to pass one of the entrances to the high school, I almost bump into the rest of my friend group. Katie and Sheila are just coming in, clearly done with their magic training for the moment.

They’re both surprised at how much of a hurry I’m in. “Hey, Evelyn, nothing’s burning behind you, you do realize that, right?” Sheila calls after me, making me stop and turn around just for a few moments. I shake my head.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t have time. Something’s going on,” I explain quickly, making their otherwise cheerful faces fall. They glance at each other worriedly.

“What’s going on? You know that you can talk to us,” my best friend speaks up next, her eyes searching mine for answers. But I don’t have the time to chit-chat. I really need to look for my aunt.

“I can’t right now. Just go to the Headquarters, the boys are there. I’ll explain it all later,” I assure them, already starting to walk mid-talking. I don’t give my friends the chance to try to find out more, because I’m already gone by the time their thoughts start forming. I’m coming, auntie.

I find her just where I thought I would. She’s standing on the rooftop, watching over the treetops that are swaying in the light summer breeze. Her eyes are overwhelmed with emotion, and she doesn’t even turn her head as I open the door. Nor when I stop right beside her.

We stand there in silence and I try not to push her into anything. If she wants to talk, she’ll talk. I just want her to know that I’m right beside her, wanting to be there for her just like she’s been trying to be there for me my whole life. Despite spending most of it on the other side of the world.

I don’t know how long this lasts, but finally, I feel like we’re getting somewhere. Because she starts crying. I don’t say anything. I simply put my arms around her, everything inside me aching because she’s sad. My first instinct is to try to make her feel better, but I know talking might only make it worse.

She needs to get it all out. It’s the first step of coming to terms with what’s about to happen. We both know it deep inside. Our paths would divide sooner or later. But now that she’s here, now that we’ve gotten used to seeing each other every day, it’s only harder.

Her sobs are the only thing cutting through the air. Everything else around us is silent. No one is standing outside in the heat of the day. I can literally feel the sun burning my skin, but I don’t mind it that much. My aunt is the one that’s important now.

I’ve never seen her like this before. Not even when the whole Seminary was trapped inside the wards, because Amelia cursed them with dark magic. She must be really desperate. Or it’s simply that everything she was holding in until this moment, is bursting out right now.

“Sweetie … I’m so sorry that I was never there for you,” she suddenly squeals, her voice barely audible. I’m taken aback by her words, but I still keep my arms around her, because she’s clinging on me like her life depends on it.

“What are you talking about? You were always there for me, whenever I needed you. Just a phone call away, remember?” I tell her slowly, trying to get her to understand that I don’t resent her for anything. In fact, I can only be grateful for having her in my life.

I can feel her shaking her head against my shoulder, her tears starting to run down my bare arm. “That wasn’t right … It wasn’t enough … I should’ve been here, I can only see it now,” she breathes out, swallowing nervously.

This time, I pull away to take a look at her face. She stares at me in shame, like she thinks that she’s failed me. Now I’m the one shaking my head. Firmly and with determination. “I’ve already told you that I’d never change the way things were. You’re here now and the past couple of weeks with you have been like a dream. Despite the way we spent them. I wouldn’t change that for anything in this world.”

She draws in a shaky breath. “But I … I might be leaving soon … I might be ordered to go protect a human city … I might … I might …” she trails off, unable to finish the sentence, because she bursts into tears again. My lips tremble, but I have to force myself to push the emotions back down. This was supposed to be about making her feel better, not letting myself fall apart too. I need to be strong for the both of us now.

“Auntie, listen to me. No matter what happens, we will always have this,” I tell her, pointing between the two of us. “Nothing can break us apart. Not distance, not Amelia … And not even death,” I breathe out, despite having difficulties with spelling out the last word.

Aunt Marion stares at me with wide eyes for a moment, stunned at the way I’ve just said the inevitable. She sobs, then hugs me again, holding me so close that I’m barely able to breathe. But I don’t mind it. If this is the last quiet moment that we might get, then she can squish my lungs out, for all I care. I want to remember it. The feeling of having family, right here beside me.

“I love you, sweetheart. I love you so much,” she whispers into my ear, clearly unable to use her voice anymore. I breathe in the hot summer air and place my hand on her sun-heated hair.

“I love you too, auntie. And despite anything that might happen, I’ll keep referring to you as my auntie,” I inform her. Finally, the heavy conversation that we just had seems to burst like a bubble, because she chuckles at my words.

She pulls away from me on her own now, taking a deep breath. “I’ll haunt you from the other world, you do know that, right?” she attempts to joke too, despite her lower lip trembling as she says that. I tilt my head, then nod.

“I look forward to it,” I tell her, making her chuckle through the tears once again. “Now, please, let’s get off this burning sun, because we’re literally the only two lunatics, frying ourselves in the middle of the day,” I add, trying to keep the light-heartedness up.

She keeps a smile on her face as she nods. Then suddenly, her face falls. “Are you not wearing any sunscreen?” she asks, and stupid me, I shake my head in response. She sends me such an icy cold gaze, that I could almost go jump off the rooftop voluntarily.

“Evelyn Pierce, what did I tell you about the damage that the sun does to our skin? I thought you’d be wise enough to take care of yourself, now that you’re full-aged!” she already starts lecturing me, drifting right back into her old self.

“But I didn’t think I was going out during the day! If I did, I’d use it,” I try to defend myself. It’s pointless though. She’s already rambling on and on about how irresponsible I am, when it comes to looking after myself.

Despite listening to a whole lesson about the importance of sunscreen, as we walk back to the Headquarters, I’m happy. I never realized what a blessing it was to have someone, who can lecture you about life. What if I were a true orphan? What if I really had no one in my corner?

She keeps talking about the damn sunscreen, but as I glance at her secretly, a small smile appears on my face. This is it. I know that our whole future is blurry, but if it ends anytime soon, I want to remember her like this. Like the woman, who tried to replace my parents, and did an amazing job at it.

Once we get back to the Headquarters, she finally stops giving me a hard time about the use of damn sunscreen, but the place looks a little different from how we left it. It’s a lot more chaotic. I can barely find my friends in the crowd of warrior witches, that are running from one end to the other. Did something else happen, while we were gone?

We exchange a look, then start making our way through the desks, trying not to knock someone over in the process. It’s a good thing the werewolves are so tall, otherwise I have no idea how I’d find them.

I can soon spot Jake’s and Marcus’s head, so I grab my aunt’s hand and drag her with me, so I don’t lose her in the crowd. It’s so loud that I can barely hear my own thoughts. Seriously, what’s going on in here?

I get my answer the moment I come close enough to see who is gathered around my friends. They’re with Hugh and a couple more warrior witches that I don’t recognize. They’re all wearing their uniforms, just like half of the Headquarters.

Then, I see someone else wearing the warrior uniform as well. I freeze, having to blink a few times to make sure that I’m seeing this correctly. “Cyrus, what are you doing?” I ask, making everyone turn their attention to us. My aunt seems just as confused as I am.

Cyrus meets my eyes, then takes a deep breath. I can tell that by the way his shoulders rise and fall. “I …” he trails off, not knowing what to tell me. I realize everyone is waiting in complete silence, probably wondering how he’ll get himself out of this. But he doesn’t say a word. And no one else does, either.

But I can’t take it anymore. “Is anyone please going to tell me what the hell is going on here?” I ask, raising my voice a little because I’m trying to tone down the panic inside me. They’re all sharing a few looks, while my aunt and I stand there, completely dumbfounded.

Finally, Cyrus gathers the courage to explain what’s happening. “We came up with a temporary solution for the attacks on human cities. We’ll be going out in shifts. Two days out, two days in. Everyone will get their turn, so it’s as fair as it can be … Including the Elite.”

I stiffen as I listen to him, his words slowly starting to sink in. Then, I start shaking my head. “No. No way,” I protest, making him press his lips together and look at Hugh, like he knew exactly what was going to happen. “Then I’ll be going too. Since we’re trying to be fair,” I continue, glancing at Hugh.

He looks pale as he lifts his gaze towards me, then turns it to someone beside me. “No, Evelyn, I won’t let you do that. You’ll stay here,” my aunt decides, making me send her a nasty glare.

“I’m full-aged, you don’t get to decide for me. I’m going,” I repeat more slowly this time. Her jaw clenches, but I can tell she’s looking for a response that would turn me away from this.

However, before she’s able to come up with one, another rejection cuts through the air. “No,” Cyrus says determinedly, making me turn my head towards him. “Only warrior witches with completed education are going to be counted into the schedule,” he then concludes.

I stare at him angrily, then remind myself that he’s only doing this, because he’s trying to protect me. Not just from soulthieves, but also from Amelia. He knows she wants to sacrifice me to gain immortality and he sure as hell won’t let it happen. I can see it in his eyes.

I rub my temples, knowing that there’s nothing else I can do. He won’t change his mind. “Why this? Who the hell thought of this so-called solution?” I think out loud, wanting to know whose ass I need to beat up right now.

But the answer I get is completely unexpected. Because the one, who raises their hand, is none other than Katie. I blink in surprise. “I did,” she squeals in a frightened tone. “I said it was only fair this way … I’m sorry, Evy,” she then adds.

I let out a long breath, unable to believe that this is truly happening. But on the other hand, it only makes sense that my best friend came up with something like that. Justice is her fuel, after all. “I’ll be back before you know it,” Cyrus then assures me, and I have to force myself not to get mad.

“What if you don’t come back at all? You have to know that it’s a possibility,” I remark, making everyone observe in complete silence again. I really don’t like that everyone is witnessing this, but I can’t help myself. I’ve been gone for what, half an hour? Maybe even less. And this is what I come back to?

He walks over to me, until he’s standing directly in front of my face. “I am coming back,” he then tells me slowly, like he wants to make sure that every single word sinks in. Then, he grabs my face and kisses me. In front of everyone.

I hold his wrists, kissing him back, but I can’t really relax in front of all these gazes. He only pulls away, once my aunt clears her throat in a not very discreet way. Still, I ignore her and stare into his eyes, as I tell him: “You better. Because if you don’t, I’ll be annoying you in the other world every day, for as long as I’m alive.”

He chuckles, then presses a kiss on my forehead. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from you,” he murmurs.