Embers & Spells

29 – Blood of a Witch

I pulled out Erin’s matchbox, getting one stick and lighted it.

“Arawn,” I called out.

The now familiar smell of sulfur and ashes lingered inside my room, the Hunter appearing like a ghost. He was standing beside the door, wearing a white sweater and jeans, too human, far from his real persona.

“Are you not tired, Tana Axle?” he asked, tone low and gentle, far from his usual voice lacing with sarcasm. “We literally had a journey to somewhere out of this world and gone back the same day.”

“Am I calling you in a bad time?” I asked, looking at him curiously.

His smirk showed on his face as he shook his head. “I’m sure you have my phone number, right? Can’t you just call me like how humans do call? Do you really have to summon me here? In your bedroom.”

Now I realized where he was coming from. He had a point.

“I don’t want to talk on the phone,” I replied, shrugging my shoulder. “Besides, I remember you offering help about my soul and Erin’s. I just want to make sure that I can trust you with that.”

He looked boyish and calm, his hair seemed wet from the shower, brushed back. He walked toward me, sitting at the blue sofa facing my bed. He crossed his legs, a picture of ease, assessing me.

“Do you?” he asked.

My brows furrowed. “Do I what?”

“Trust me.” He wet his lips, tilting his head, as if trying to better understand me. “Do you trust me?”

I blinked, getting confused. “I don’t know. Should I?”

“You already know who I am. What I do and what I can do. Would you trust someone like that?”

There was this voice whispering at the back of my mind, telling me to trust him, silencing the other scream to get myself out of his radar.

“I trust the one who risk his life to save mine.” I swallowed the lump in my throat, returning his now intense gaze. “I know you told me not to trust you. And I’m probably adding another mistake by betting my soul in your hands but I will do it anyway. You ripped it off my body, now you put it back.”

The air seemed to thicken at my words, the room started to spin.

Arawn stood up from my sofa and closed our distance, sitting at the edge of my bed. His close presence made my heartbeat pummeled under the thing fabric of my pajamas, my hands getting cold.

Now I got it why he felt familiar the moment I realized the color of his eyes. We had the same eyes, but his were lighter than mine. He used to be a dragon-man in his past life, for sure, before he became a Hunter. His skin was so fair he could pass up as an angel.

He slowly lifted his hand, placing it on my chest, making my heartbeat skyrocketed. His touch almost froze my heart, the spinning room became steady, the chaotic ringing in my ears faded. “Did it hurt?” he asked, almost in a whisper.

His palm felt soft against my skin, his fingertips touching my collarbone. I felt a cold air blew down my shoulder, hearing the subtle turmoil in his tone.

I tensed, sensing the heaviness of his question. “It hurts a lot.”

He breathed out slowly, his nose flaring. Averting his eyes, his gaze fell on me, giving me a solemn look. “I’m sorry I did that, Tana Axle.”

Was an apology enough for the gravity of his actions?

“I should have known there was something going on, that I shouldn’t have followed orders blindly.”

I nodded, lost for words. His eyes had tears in them, his voice raspy. Looking at him, he looked resigned. Like he was done with everything that had happened.

“You have my word, Tana Axle, I will get your soul back. Yours and Erin’s. I don’t know if you should trust me, but I will do anything to get it.”

His face was only a few inches from mine, that I could literally felt his breath. Again, I just nodded, believing him.

****

It felt like it had been ages since I last step foot in Michaelson High. Now I envy the other students, hearing them whine about the simple of things, like how they didn’t like how the dye in their hair turned out. How their boyfriend didn’t bring them to a concert they wanted for years.

“Hey, Tana, you listening?” Agatha snapped her fingers, getting my attention.

The cafeteria was packed as always, chattering of students swarmed the place. Sometimes, it felt like being in a jungle. But I welcomed the distraction, craving for the tiniest normalcy I could have in between the maze of conflicts I have in my life.

“Yeah?” I asked. “Sorry?”

Carmela shook her head at me. “Are you in to camp at Tip Café tonight? News said there’s meteor shower. I’ll bring my telescope and set it up on the rooftop.”

Agatha chimed in. “It’ll be cool, Tana. You should come with us. You can invite Inigo if you want to.”

“Oh, yes, please!” Carmela giggled. “Bring a hot guy to make it more memorable. Please bring Arawn as well, seems you are friends with him.”

I looked away, not wanting to meet Agatha’s eyes.

“Plus, it’s full moon tonight. So, the sky would be so surreal, for sure. This meteor show will not happen in, like, the next hundred years or so.”

Only three words registered to my ears. Full moon tonight.

If that was the case, the werewolves would turn to their cursed form. Inigo would be a danger to us.

If they were eager to witness the meteor shower, then I should be there to secure the place.

Therese gasped as she looked at her cell phone, eyes wide, mouth hung open.

“What’s wrong?” Agatha asked, turning to her.

Therese looked at us, face getting red. “Claire’s gone. She’s dead.”

****

Everyone at school was devastated at the news of Claire’s death. Her parents mourned the untimely death of their daughter and wanted the authorities to dig deeper at how she got attack.

The hair at the back of my neck stood as shiver ran down my shoulder. Tonight at full moon, I knew the possibility of a werewolf attack was high and I wished they would not hurt humans this time. I knew their transformation hurt a lot, maybe as painful as getting the soul ripped off the body. I could only imagine.

I called Inigo but he was not answering his phone.

Darkness dawned, the sky clear, thin clouds scattered above. Just as Carmela planned, we were up on the roof top of the ruined school building, but this time, to just remember Claire. Therese made sure we had blankets and snacks while Agatha had thin white candles with her.

Claire and I weren’t the best buddies and I had never wished for her to end up dead like that. I hoped she had couple of years to live more, so she could find her personality and be better. But no. Life liked to throw its weight around, giving jokes like no other.

The four of us lighted the candle and Agatha said a little prayer. We settled the candles at the side, letting it burn there for a while.

“Some says she was attacked by some sort of beast,” Carmela said, her tone low.

“Like, what, werewolf?” Agatha replied with a raised eyebrow.

“Are they even real?” Therese asked.

Their curiosity was wide in the open. Agatha looked at me, as if awaiting me to join the conversation.

I cleared out my throat. “Maybe they are real.”

“I hope not,” Carmela waved her hand. “’Cause if they are, we’re all in danger. Don’t they have control in their actions when they’re in werewolf form? That’s how they are in Pack of Strays.”

“So, we’re comparing them with fictional characters in TV show?” Therese chuckled.

Before she could answer, a light was casted upon us, a loud yell from a security guard rang out. “What the hell are you doing out here?”

We all stood up, Agatha signaling for us to flee. Each one grabbed the things within reach and run to the opposite exit, escaping the security guard. Carmela and Therese giggled as we strode down the fire exit, voices bouncing off the walls. The guard chased us, shouting for us to stop. When no one else was looking, as we were all running away, I waved my hand, whispering a spell, creating a white smoked to give us some advantage.

The guard coughed, his footsteps stopping as we all made our way down the building and into the exit gate. Therese rode with Carmela’s car, while I climbed inside Agatha’s.

I had never felt that kind of thrill and excitement before. Agatha had grin on her face, shaking her head as she described the man’s face the moment he discovered we were on the rooftop.

As we hit the road, I glanced at her, wondering what she thought of different races from hers. “Do you believe in werewolves?”

She shrugged her shoulder. “I don’t believe in things I don’t see. I mean, I need proof that they exist.”

I nodded. “How about in witches? You believe they exist?”

She was silent for a moment. “Yeah, I think they do.”

I nodded, considering her answer. If I wanted to protect her from werewolf’s attack, I should do a spell, or make a charm for her. In order for me to do that, she needed to know the truth.

Agatha told me about her vulnerabilities because she felt safe with me. In all honesty, I wanted to fully open up myself, see how far she could understand my back story, or if she was willing to accept me or not.

“Can you keep a secret?” I asked, breathing in deeply.

“Yes, of course, Tana.”

I bit my lip, my palm getting sweaty. I had no idea if telling her my secret was okay. But I knew that telling it to her would make us closer together. “I am a witch.”