by Neva Bell
I put my cellphone away and steal a glance at Daniel. He is staring straight ahead, not moving. I skootch closer to my door anyway. We cross a bridge, I’m not sure which one, and we are out of the city. I keep checking my watch to see what time it is.
“Will we make it on time?” I ask when my watch says 9:15.
“Yes. We’re almost there,” James says. “Our turn should be coming up any minute.”
Chloe glances back. “You ready?”
I want to scream, “No! How can I be prepared for the completely unpredictable?!”
But instead I say, “Yes.”
A couple minutes later, James turns off the main road and onto a dirt path. The car bounces as we make our way through the thick trees. Once beyond the trees, we come to a clearing.
An old farmhouse sits to our left. Its once-white paint is chipped and peeling. The wraparound porch is missing several planks and leans awkwardly. The house shows no sign of life and appears uninhabitable. The large red barn to the right, however, looks brand new.
Two men walk out of the barn as James stops the car. Neither of them is my father.
“Is that Rawley?” I ask from the backseat.
“Yes,” James confirms. “I don’t know the other guy.”
We look around for a second to make sure there aren’t any more wolves coming out of the barn or from the woods behind us.
“It’s show time ladies,” James says. He and Chloe hold hands for a brief second and exchange a loving glance. Then they move for their doors.
“Daniel, get out of the car,” James instructs. Daniel does as he’s told and opens his car door. Once outside, James tells him, “Shut the door Daniel and follow me.”
I watch from the other side of the car as Daniel shuts the door and walks behind James. I swallow a huge lump in my throat and shut my own door.
From ahead of me, I hear Chloe say, “James? Where are we? I thought we were going to Vermont to ski?”
“Just a pit stop sweetie,” James answers back.
They are already playing their parts. All four of us walk up to Rawley and the other man.
“James. You made it,” Rawley says, pleased.
“Where is my father?” James asks.
Chloe feigns shock. “Your father? Your father is here? Are you crazy? He wants to kill me!” Chloe turns on her heels and runs for the car.
“Daniel, grab Chloe,” James says without turning his head away from Rawley. Daniel does as told and grabs Chloe by the arm as she tries to run past us. He drags her back to James.
Chloe is kicking and screaming. “Get off of me you loser!”
Oh, she’s good at this. Chloe can stop Daniel easily, but the rogue wolves would never know it watching this show.
Once Daniel drags Chloe to his side, James says, “I’ll ask you again, where is my father?”
“He’s watching,” Rawley answers.
James flexes his jaw. “Seriously? He still doesn’t trust me?” James puts his hands on his hips. “He asked for her, and here she is. He still won’t come out here?”
Rawley starts to talk, “James, I assure you…”
James puts up his hand to interrupt him. “Fuck this. I’ll kill her myself. Maybe that will be enough to earn his trust.”
“Wait? What?” Chloe asks, her eyes wide. “James, no! This isn’t the plan!”
James gets a shark-like grin on his face. “You never knew me sweetheart, but it was fun while it lasted.”
James pulls a large knife out of his coat and walks toward Chloe.
I gasp. What is going on? Chloe never mentioned a knife to me. Or my brother acting like he was going to kill her.
Chloe struggles and zaps Daniel. Daniel drops his hands, but doesn’t fall to the ground. Chloe runs away, sheer panic on her face. My heart is pounding. Chloe isn’t pretending anymore!
I step in front of my brother. “James! What are you doing?”
He gives me a menacing look and throws me to the ground. “Get out of my way bitch!”
I land hard on my hands and butt, cringing from the pain. I reach out to grab James’s ankle, but he is too fast.
“James! Please!” I plead with him.
He growls at me, his eyes wild. He turns his attention back to Chloe. “Daniel! Get her! Now!”
Daniel takes off and tackles Chloe from behind. I hear her grunt as she slams to the ground.
“Get off of me!” she screams when Daniel pins her down. She zaps him again and he lets go momentarily. Just as Chloe is about to get up, Daniel grabs her throat and squeezes. Chloe is strong enough to fend him off and the two start wrestling. They roll around on the ground.
“Use your magic!” I yell.
Chloe struggles to keep Daniel pinned to the ground. “I can’t! Willa’s spell is too strong!”
Huh? Oh no… Willa’s hypnotizing spell. It must be blocking Chloe’s magic!
Chloe and Daniel continue to roll around on the ground, both covered in mud. For a second, it’s hard to tell what is going on. James circles the two of them until Daniel is on top of Chloe. Daniel sits on Chloe’s midsection and pins her wrists to the ground.
“Do it now James!” Daniel yells.
I see James raise the knife, a wicked grin on his face.
“No!” I scream. I jump up and run for them.
“James, what is happening? Don’t!” Chloe pleads, “Please don’t! Wait!”
I watch in horror as James plunges the knife into Chloe’s stomach. He pulls the knife out, then stabs her in the chest. Blood spews from Chloe’s mouth and runs down the side of her beautiful face. Deep red stains spread across her white coat. Daniel stands and looks down at Chloe’s body, a satisfied smile on his face.
I fall to my knees. I can’t breathe. My stomach turns and I throw up. As I’m wiping my mouth on my jacket, I see the silver watch. The Inspector Gadget watch! I press the panic button a few times before realizing it’s useless. I’m too late.
James hands the knife to Daniel and walks back toward Rawley. I don’t recognize the sinister look on his face. I stand up on shaky legs and go after him.
“You monster!” I yell as I launch myself at him.
He turns just in time and grabs my arms. I kick my foot and connect with his shin. He winces in pain, but throws me to the ground again.
“Daniel!” he yells. “Come get my sister. Put her back in the car. Don’t let her leave.”
Daniel comes up behind me and grabs my arms. I push myself hard against him, but he squeezes me in a bear hug.
“Let go of me you piece of shit!” I kick my legs into the air and try to get loose.
“Hey!” he protests. “Cut it out Whitney!”
I continue struggling as I watch my brother, Rawley and the third man walk into the barn. I throw my head back and connect with Daniel’s nose. Daniel loosens his grip. I take advantage and break free, running for the tree line. My feet pounding the ground as I run as fast as I can.
When will the Guard show up? Will they even want to help me when they see what’s happened to Chloe?
“Whitney! Stop!” Daniel yells.
I make it to the tree line and dive into the woods.
“Whitney!” Daniel yells again.
I find a hiding spot between a tree and a small bush.
Daniel walks by me. “Whitney, please! It’s not what you think.”
I huddle against the tree and try to control my breathing.
“I know you’re here Whitney. Come out!”
I close my eyes and pray the Guard will get here soon.
“For the love of God Whitney!” Daniel shouts. Then mumbles to himself, “I should have told her everything.”
I open my eyes and look out at Daniel from behind the bush. What did he just say? That he should have told me everything? Hold on a second…Daniel isn’t supposed to be talking at all. He’s hypnotized.
While I’m processing all of this, Daniel closes his eyes and moves his lips silently. Suddenly, he’s
no longer Daniel. He’s Chloe!
Without thinking, I mumble, “Chloe, is that you?”
Chloe rushes over to me. “Whitney! I’m so glad you’re okay!”
I step back. Chloe is alive? I need to test this, make sure it’s truly her.
“What is Bane’s real name?”
Chloe looks surprised by my question but quickly answers, “Sue.”
I come out from behind the bush and grab her. I give her a big hug. “Oh my God! I thought you were dead!”
She squeezes me back. “It was glamour spells – one on me, and one on Daniel. Willa and I weren’t one hundred percent sure it would hold after Daniel died, but it did. He still looks like me.”
Chloe’s white coat has grass stains, but it isn’t covered in blood. She holds the bloody knife in her right hand.
“So James really killed Daniel?” I ask.
Chloe lifts the knife and looks at it. “Yep. This is his blood, not mine.”
“And James was in on it the whole time?”
Chloe nods. “I’m sorry we didn’t tell you. It had to seem as real as possible.”
I let out a huge sigh of relief. “Thank God you’re okay.”
Chloe grabs my hand. “Come this way. We have to watch the barn.”
Chloe crouches down and I follow suit. “What are we looking for?”
“As soon as your brother comes out of the barn, I’m going to blow the place up.”
“So that’s the big plan?” a deep voice asks from behind us.
The voice is so familiar. I look up just in time to see my dad bringing down a giant rock over Chloe’s head.
“Chloe!” I shout, but the rock connects. It makes a sickening noise and Chloe falls forward onto me, a small trickle of blood coming from her forehead.
Four werewolves in their human forms surround us. Crap! What do I do? The Guard hasn’t shown up yet. James is in the barn. Chloe is passed out on top of me. It’s all on me. Think Whitney, think!
Then it comes to me. I’ll do what I do best.
A huge smile crosses my face. “Daddy!”
“Hello baby girl,” my dad coos. “It’s been a long time.”
I move Chloe off of me, laying her flat on the ground. I stand up and brush dirt off my clothes. “Ugh, I’m so dirty,” I whine.
Dad shakes his head and turns to one of his men. “Go back to the barn. Get my son. I knew this was too good to be true. He’s always been a disappointment.”
The wolf takes off for the barn. Dad turns back to me. I start talking before he can say anything.
“It’s so great to see you Dad! I had no idea where you went! You didn’t leave a note, or your number. I have to say it really hurt my feelings when you reached out to James, but not me.”
I ramble on and on about how much I missed him. He’s watching the barn, but he occasionally looks my way and says, “Uh huh.”
He doesn’t suspect a thing.
I smile wide. “Can I get a hug Daddy?”
He shifts his eyes from the barn to me, then back to the barn. “Yeah, sure.”
---
Chloe
The good news is Whitney gave me enough of a warning to start a protection spell. The bad news is the rock still hit me pretty hard. When I land on top of Whitney, I do my best to lay lifeless and pretend to be knocked out.
I help Whitney a bit as she lifts me off of her, but no one seems to notice. I’m confused at first when she starts talking sweetly to Julian, but quickly realize she’s buying us time. I crack one eye open to survey my surroundings.
Julian looks a lot like his children. The dark hair, brilliant green eyes and attractive features. He is shorter than James, but they’re built the same. As I watch him, I notice a darkness in Julian’s eyes, an underlying insanity.
“Can I get a hug Daddy?” Whitney asks.
What is she doing? She shouldn’t get anywhere near this man!
Julian mumbles, “Yeah, sure,” but his attention is focused on the barn.
Whitney lifts her arms from her sides and I see something shimmer. What in the…she has the knife!
Julian isn’t paying any attention to Whitney as he opens his arms to her. His gaze shifts back and forth between me and the barn. Like everyone else, he has underestimated his daughter.
Whitney reaches for her father, but instead of giving him a hug, she shoves the knife as hard as she can into her dad’s stomach. Julian’s face twists in shock, and then pain. His eyes wide and desperate. Whitney uses both of her hands to pull up on the knife. Julian tries frantically to free her grip, but it’s no use. The knife is so deep in his stomach, all I can see is the hilt.
The other wolves are watching the barn and have their backs to Julian. They are completely oblivious to what is happening until Julian says, “Help…” in a feeble voice.
The wolves turn just as Julian starts coughing up blood. I sit up and freeze them in place before they can spring into action. Disbelief on their faces.
Whitney lets go of the knife and Julian collapses to his knees. He reaches out to Whitney, but she steps back. Without Whitney there to catch him, Julian falls forward. When he hits the ground, the impact forces the knife even further into his body. The back of his leather jacket sticks up like a tent.
Whitney stands over him quietly. I get up and walk over to her.
“Damn Whitney.”
Tears spill from her eyes. “Think he’s dead?”
“Oh yeah. He’s dead.”
“Make sure.”
“What?”
She turns to me. “Make sure he’s dead. I don’t want to take any chances.”
I nod my head. I shoot fire from my fingertips, careful not to set the nearby trees ablaze. Julian’s body ignites into flames. I stop the fire when he is unrecognizable.
I’m about to say something comforting to Whitney, she did just kill her father, but she speaks before I do. “Alright, let’s get moving.”
I’m shocked by her indifference, but Whitney’s right. We have to get back to James.
Whitney pauses next to the frozen wolves. “What about them?”
I’m not sure what to do with them. I don’t know anything about them. They could be harmless henchmen. Or teenagers who lost their way.
“They’ll be okay like this. We’ll come back for them later.”
Whitney nods in agreement.
As we run toward the barn, black Escalades roar up the dirt drive.
“It’s the Guard!” Whitney exclaims.
“Did you hit the panic button?” I ask, not breaking my stride.
“Yes! As soon as I thought you were dead!” Whitney yells back.
The SUVs stop short of our Cadillac sedan. Frank jumps out of one of the cars and runs to Daniel’s body. Except it still looks like me. Frank falls to his knees next to my fake body.
“Frank!” I yell, running toward him.
He can’t hear me. He picks the body up and cradles it in his arms.
“Frank!” I yell again, waving my hands in the air.
This time he looks up. He glances down at the body confused, then back at me again. He sets the body on the ground and stands, relief on his face.
Frank jogs toward me. “Chloe?!” When we meet, Frank grabs me in a big hug. “Man you freaked me out! I knew the plan, but I was still afraid it was you.”
I stare at the body and remove the glamour spell. Instead of a fake version of me, Daniel is now laying in the grass. Frank squeezes me again.
“We have to get James,” I tell Frank. “He’s in the barn.”
Frank yells to the rest of the Guard, “To the barn!”
I holler back to Whitney before following Frank. “Take a few of the guys into the woods. Show them what we left there.”
She nods and pulls aside two Guard members.
“What did you leave in the woods?” Frank asks.
“Julian and two of his men.”
Frank smiles. “Nice.”
We’re about to enter
the barn when the doors fly open. Frank and I retreat fifteen feet and take our fighting stances. Two werewolves have James, one holding each arm. Walking directly behind them is Rawley.
I lunge forward, but Frank grabs my arm. “He has a gun Chloe.”
Frank’s right. Rawley is holding a gun to the back of James’s head. The group comes to a stop ten feet in front of us. The men holding onto James let go. They stand on either side of him with their arms folded across their chests. Rawley stays behind James, using him as a human body shield.
Wuss.
“Well, well, well. This just got interesting,” Rawley says over James’s shoulder. “Looks like the Guard showed up for our little party.” James winces when Rawley presses the gun further into this skin. “You really had us. Your dad will be so disappointed James.”
I square my shoulders. “Julian is dead.”
“Sure he is,” Rawley says unconvinced.
“His charred remains are in the woods, right next to two of your other men.”
Rawley lowers the gun enough to lose contact with James’s skin. I take a step forward.
Rawley raises the gun again. “Not another step. I’ll pull the trigger.”
“Go ahead. I want you to.”
Rawley smirks. “Don’t call my bluff princess.”
I roll my eyes. “I’m tired of this.”
I shoot electricity from each of my hands and hit the wolves standing on either side of James. They fall to the ground and flop around like fish out of water.
Rawley stares at them, terror in his eyes. He looks back at me, teeth clenched and eyes filled with rage. “You bitch!”
“You guys keep making that mistake. I’m a witch, with a ‘w’.”
Rawley cocks his gun and aims for James’s head. “This is on you.”
James closes his eyes and prepares for the worst. I pray my plan works as Rawley pulls the trigger.
In a flash, Rawley is on the ground. A bullet hole in his forehead.
“What just happened?” Frank asks with disbelief.
James opens his eyes and lets out the breath he was holding in.