‘I want to see her, please tell him… I mean the doctor that I’m okay to get up.’ I tried to get up, but Mum pushed me back to the bed.
‘You’re not going anywhere, Julia. You are dehydrated and you need to stay in bed. Mr. Van Rooyen, please tell my daughter that she is unreasonable.’
‘But—’
‘Julia, your Dad is going to kill me if I let you leave this bed in that state. Do you really want to see your boyfriend strangled?’ Quentin asked. He was beside my mother, who was pulling the covers over me.
I wanted to scream, letting them know that it didn’t matter how I felt. This was all about Ella and the fact that I was the one that caused this. I slumped back on the bed trying to think about a spell that could help her, but the guilt was spreading in my body like cancer.
Quentin and Mum stayed with me for another hour. Around nine o’clock in the evening the healer asked them to leave as the visiting hours were over. Mum was trying to talk to me, but I couldn’t stop thinking about what I had done, so I kept ignoring her. Quentin kissed me while Mum commented on how well he was looking after me, before she threw some lame joke about meeting all my boyfriends in the hospital.
Once they left I was relieved, although I couldn’t pull myself together. I had gone to see Ella with good intentions. Now she was here hurt and no one knew if she was going to wake up. Around ten o’clock a nurse came in to give me another set of charms. Physically I felt that I could leave, but the nurse didn’t even want to hear it. Apparently the doctors wanted to keep me for observation.
‘My human friend is in another ward. Please, can you find out how is she?’ I kept asking the nurse, who looked fed up with my lack of cooperation.
She had a kind face and, like most giants, she was taller than most humans.
‘Julia, I told you already. She is stable but unconscious. Healers are dealing with her. I’ll let you know as soon as she wakes up. Now get some rest,’ she muttered.
When she finally left I was ready to sneak out of my room to see Ella. The doctors were probably taking orders from Dad to keep me in bed. My system was empty, my magic wasn’t there anymore. I hated being so hopeless. It was like someone had emptied me out and only left my humanity, removing all my magical genes.
I couldn’t get out of bed. A healer placed a spell on me forcing me to stay in one place. I shouted at another nurse when she came in, but she refused to lift the spell, knowing that Dad ordered hospital staff to keep me in my room.
I didn’t touch the supper and kept staring at the door praying for Ella to wake up. I tried to sleep, but I kept tossing and turning, worried, my mind bringing up the fire in my parents’ home. I’d hurt my best friend, and it was clear that I could hurt Mum as well.
Finally, a nurse came to give me some sleeping pills. But the pills didn’t work for long. I woke up later, probably around four in the morning, close to dawn. When my eyes got used to the darkness I thought I was hallucinating seeing someone standing by my bed.
I rubbed my eyes a few times, but whoever it was, he was still there.
‘Calm down, Julia. It’s only me.’
I laughed, not quite believing that Tron was in my room in the middle of the night.
Yawning, I put the light on next to my bed. Tron had cheek to show up in my room outside visiting hours. I guessed that I should have expected it. He seemed like a paranormal that didn’t follow many rules. I was angry that he could find me so easily, but when I needed him he was always out of reach.
‘You were with the Dhampir. He triggered your source again. That’s why you had another blackout.’
I dropped my head onto my clenched fists, angry at myself that I didn’t tell Nathaniel to go to hell.
‘But that was weeks ago. Nothing has happened since then. You didn’t mention this at our last practise,’ I protested, feeling like a little girl being reprimanded by a teacher. ‘Besides I tried to find you, but your phone was out of order.’
‘He only added oil to the fire. After a few sessions your magic obeyed you, but when you visited Ella you hadn’t shielded your emotions,’ he said, ignoring my last sentence, like it wasn’t important at all.
I tried to think about what he was saying. Digging deep down, I recalled all the events from the past couple weeks. I’d seemed to make progress on my last training session. Then I went to that shifter packs meeting with Kelsie. Everything went from bad to worse after that. Nathaniel showed up, letting me know that his whole engagement was in shambles.
As soon as I had his image in front of me, I felt a tingle of energy running down my spine.
He has to go back to Geneva; otherwise I’m going to turn into a serial killer.
Tron was watching me closely, but I didn’t want to show him that he was right about everything.
‘I took some control of my power when Kelsie’s ex-boyfriend attacked me, but my spell was weak.’
‘Julia. I know that it’s hard to keep your emotions at bay, but your blackouts will only get worse. We need to intensify our visits even more now. Your darkness is getting out of control. I thought that my lessons would help a little, but it looks like you source is sending you a clear signal to start using more magic than you can handle. From what you told me, for years you didn’t believe that you could use it right and now you’re at that point where your magic is harming people. It’s hard to predict what could happen next; that’s why you should stay away from Ella for now until we figure out what to do. Your friend is going to recover, but you obviously cannot restrain your emotions around her.’
My stomach made a small contraction and my memory brought a dream from that night when Craig attacked Kelsie. I felt terrible. I was a killer and now my own friend was in a coma because of me.
Finally I managed to swallow my tears and said, “I had another vision about my mother and the fire. I remember being in a car with a man. It was like he had a full control over me,” I started explaining, hoping that maybe everything wasn’t lost yet. Ella was my best friend but I was prepared to stay away to make sure that she was going to be all right.
“It’s dark magic. Either you have someone who wants you to see this or your better side is giving you a warning. Think, is there anyone that wants to harm you?”
That was a good question. Caleb McGregor would have been the first person, apart from the fact that he was already dead. Fiorillo, he dealt with the rival agency for paranormals. Last year Kate and I used a spell on him to find out if he knew anything about Rufus’s disappearance, but Kate’s spell was strong, so he couldn’t remember it.
“I don’t know,” I said to him.
“Don’t give up on your memories. Think. I’ll give you a potion that you need to drink in order to keep your power at bay. I don’t know if it will do what it is supposed to as it’s an old family formula, but it’s worth a shot.”
I agreed because at that point I was desperate to do anything to stop blacking out and hurting people. Tron was right. I avoided magic most of my life and now my own energy was turning against me.
I had many more questions for Tron, but the rest of the night went blurry. I woke up in the morning aware that he shot me up with a sleeping spell and left. Too many people wanted to manipulate me. At least once I wanted to show others that my own charms weren’t useless. I was lucky that Tron agreed to train me and I was eagerly waiting for his potion.
A nurse showed up in my room early in the morning to check my temperature. I told her that I felt much better, but I had to wait for the main healer to get discharged. An hour later I was ready to sneak out of my room to check on Ella, but my plans were shattered when Dad arrived earlier than I anticipated.
‘And where do you think you are going?’ he asked, folding his bulky arms together.
‘To check on Ella.’
‘Hun, stop being so stubborn; sit down and listen to me. I’ve got something important to tell you,’ Dad said in an unusual tone of voice. Then I remembered his conversation with Quentin and fe
lt like I was going to be sick again. Was he here to tell me that he discovered the truth? Was he here to arrest me?
‘What it is Dad?’ I asked quietly. My life seemed like a total mess.
‘Jennifer was the one that broke into your apartment.’
‘What?’
In the course of recent events, the burglary didn’t seem important anymore, but this news was unbelievably shocking. Dad’s sixth sense was working amazingly well.
‘Jennifer Griffiths?’ I asked, just to be sure. ‘The one that was found murdered in La Caz Corporation?’
‘Yes, the same one. A few of my guys found my mother’s magical artifacts in her apartment. She kept them under the bed.’
My stomach turned upside down. Jennifer had worked for McGregor, so maybe this made sense. She probably broke into my apartment to find something that could help him with my kidnapping. On the other hand McGregor knew what he was doing. Getting his hands on some magical artifacts that weren’t even important didn’t add up.
‘I don’t get it. Why would she need Grandma’s old artifacts?’
‘I was hoping that you would tell me. When she got fired from Paranormal Personnel, she got the job with that other agency called Spell or something—’
‘StaffSpell? She got a job with StaffSpell?’ I hissed, feeling the oxygen sapped from my lungs.
‘Yeah, that’s the name. I meant to write it down,’ Dad muttered, taking out his notepad.
‘I sent Stewart to have a chat with a couple of guys from there, but they all said that Miss. Griffiths was quiet and she never got herself in any trouble. She was hired straight after Rufus got rid of her.’
‘What? Jennifer wasn’t quiet. And as soon as Rufus fires her StaffSpell takes her on? They’re all covering someone up in that agency.’
Dad agreed with me. I wanted to ask him a few more questions, but he took a phone call and vanished shortly after that. There was one positive outcome of his absence. I could now leave the hospital as soon as the morning rounds were over.
‘Surprise! We all thought it was time to see how our dear friend is doing!’
Kelsie, Nicky, and Kate barged into my room unexpectedly. At first I was gobsmacked seeing the girls in my hospital room. Mum probably called Nicky and Quentin no doubt told Kelsie and Kate that I wasn’t doing so well. As soon as they closed the door, I burst into tears. I didn’t know what was wrong with me, the tears just started pouring out of me. The girls surrounded me, looking startled.
‘Julia, pull yourself together, you silly mare, and tell us what is going on.”
Kelsie was right, but I couldn’t stop sobbing, howling like someone was tearing me apart. There was so much I wanted to tell them.
‘So I guess that you all met?’ I asked, blowing my nose. They nodded.
Nicky eyed me suspiciously. ‘I dreamed last night about you being in the hospital. You had a stranger around your bed and you seemed very upset. I woke up and I tried your mobile, but it went straight to voicemail. Then I spoke to your mother and got here as soon as I could.”
There was no point in dragging this on any longer. I had to tell my friends that my life had turned over one hundred and eighty degrees and I wasn’t sure what to do anymore. I started right from the moment when I blacked out with Quentin. I had to come clean. Kel, Kate, and Nicky were my friends. I couldn’t keep this away from people who cared about me. They had to know that it wasn’t safe for them to be around me. The curse was real and my magic was lethal. I had to get that potion from Tron as soon as possible.
I went through what had happened with my unsettled power, the visit from Tron, my first training session. Of course, I couldn’t leave out my encounter with Nathaniel and Kelsie’s ex- boyfriend. My story seemed like it was never going to end.
Chapter thirteen
Kelsie and Michael? No this can’t be possible. She doesn’t do relationships.
There were no more tears by the time I finished my tale. They all looked surprised at how closely Jennifer was tied up to StaffSpell. It took them a couple minutes to digest everything. Three of them were shaking their heads in disbelief. I realized that they might all be scared of what I could do to them, because my magic was so unpredictable.
‘Why didn’t you say anything before about the blackouts?’ Kate demanded, after the initial shock.
‘I was scared and I didn’t even understand what was going on myself.’
‘Yeah, but we would have figured it all out together,’ Nicky said.
‘There is no point dwelling on what Julia could and couldn’t have done. We have to think about what next.’ Kelsie looked worried but she was making sense.
‘So how is Ella? The healers are positive, right?’ Nicky asked.
I sighed. ‘Ella is stable at the moment. She’s in some kind of magical coma because of me, but Tron told me that she’ll recover.’
‘Julia, think what are you saying for a moment,’ Kate said in a serious tone. ‘You’re convinced that you are hurting others, but you can’t be sure. You need help to control your magic. That curse is just a myth. That old elf isn’t doing a very good job with your training. What if he isn’t telling you everything?’
“Kate, I have done it. I’ve seen myself with the knife and if my visions about my mother’s death are real then I have to keep the rest of my family out of this mess. I’ll concentrate on these lessons, learn to control my power and keep taking that potion,” I said, pausing. “And I keep bumping into Nathaniel. He is bad news, bad for my magic and for me.”
“Yeah, from what I can see. Your hot, hot, hot and rich ex-boyfriend is drilling his way back to your faint heart.’
‘Kelsie!’ Kate snapped. ‘He isn’t drilling his way anywhere. Julia is with Quentin.’
‘Oh, please, it’s a lot of bollocks,’ Kelsie fumed, with an innocent expression on her face. ‘She still loves him. And what about the fact that he won’t be getting married to that fancy hoe?’
‘Shut up, Kelsie,’ Kate said. ‘La Caz isn’t your problem at the moment, Julia, and as long as you stay away from him you will be fine. You have more important things to worry about. These murders and your power. I’m sorry, but I’m not convinced that you would be capable of something like that.’
‘Yeah, Nathaniel isn’t in my life anymore, but all the evidence points at me,’ I sighed. ‘Everything seems so messed up. Now I have to stay away from Ella, and all of you are not safe with me, not even my mother. What if I’m cursed? What if my own grandmother was right all these years ago?”
The girls looked at each other exchanging silent thoughts.
‘Shut your trap, Julia. You’re not cursed; you just aren’t very good with spells. We will figure this out together,’ Kelsie assured me, rolling her hair over her finger.
‘Yeah, you have to take control of your darkness. I’m a decent witch, so I can help you with training. There must be a way to stop these blackouts and visions about your mother’s death.’
‘Then there is Jennifer. It’s only a matter of time before the police figure out that I was involved. God, can you guys imagine what will happen to Dad’s reputation?’
‘Julia, you’re exaggerating, darling. You have no idea what happened during that night, and your Dad knows less than you,’ Nicky said.
‘What about Craig, Kelsie?’
‘No idea. He hasn’t been seen since Michael kicked his butt,’ Kelsie said, smiling dreamily. I narrowed my eyes. For at least a minute I didn’t want to talk about what had been happening to me and just enjoy normal girly conversation, so I nudged Kel.
‘Right, spill it, Kel. What have you two been up to?’
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about, Julia.’
‘Kelsie, just tell us. It’s obvious that you can’t hide your new romance,’ Kate nagged.
‘Fine,’ Kelsie said. ‘I’m dating Michael, and before you even say anything I need to let you all know that we haven’t had sex yet and I really like him.’
My
jaw dropped; so did Kate’s.
Kelsie and Michael? No this can’t be possible. She doesn’t do relationships.
Nicky raised her left eyebrow, shooting me a questionable look. She didn’t understand why Kate and I were so surprised about Kelsie’s new relationship. Now I felt a little guilty that I didn’t introduce her to the girls before this, but she was always so busy with her kids.
‘What? No sex? Are you sure that you’re feeling all right?’ Kate asked, laughing.
‘Shut up.’
‘What do you mean that you’re dating?’ I asked. ‘You don’t date!’
‘Very funny. Yeah, I’m taking him seriously, and thanks for your support, by the way,’ Kelsie snarled back, getting off my bed.
‘Oh, come on, we’re only joking. You’re not really dating him are you?’ I asked, trying not to laugh.
That was it. Kel shot me a furious look and left my room, muttering something about the value of the friendship and hypocrisy. Kate and I were gobsmacked but aware that Kelsie probably wasn’t going to get married to him anytime soon.
We talked a bit more about my options, but Kate had to get back to work to check on an update from Lucinda. Apparently the agency was expecting a large order from her for tonight. She assured me that she would talk to her mother about visions like mine and get back to me. She was a good friend and I could use any help I could get.
When Kate left, Nicky stayed with me for a bit longer. By the time I caught up with Nicky on everything that was going on in her life, Quentin showed up to take me home.
‘You abilities aren’t quite back yet, right?’ I asked him when we were alone. He brushed his hand over his brown hair, kissing me passionately before he gave me an answer.
‘Not all, but I can live with it.’
His answer didn’t help me feel less guilty. It’d been at least four weeks since my blackout that sent him to the hospital and his abilities hadn’t regenerated yet.
Paranormal Personnel Saga Box Set - Books 1-3 Page 61