by Alex Apostol
*
“Mommy?”
“Yes, sweetheart,” I spoke in a whisper as I lay in bed and held Danny in my arms.
It used to be a bedtime tradition of ours. I would tell him fairytales until he fell asleep, sometimes bringing me with him into slumberland.
“When is she going to leave me alone?” His voice was tired and full of sadness.
“Who, honey?”
“The lady…she’s always calling my name…it makes me so sleepy,” Danny heaved a huge yawn as he wrapped his arms around me tightly.
I knew who he was talking about and it sent fiery rage through my entire body. Lamia was still using his soul to reverse her aging and it wasn’t going to stop until I put an end to her.
“Don’t worry. Mommy’s going to find her and end it,” my voice waivered as I thought about my son being held back from his rest; his soul slowly being sucked dry until there was nothing left. There was no way I was going let that happen. I was furious with myself for letting it go on as long as it had.
“Promise?” he asked as he drifted to sleep.
Maybe if I stayed with him a little while longer, he could have a few moments of peace. Maybe if I stayed with him forever we could be at peace together and no one would ever harm him again.
“I promise, baby.”
Off in the distance I heard a high pitched shriek, unable to make out what it was saying. The sound was too far away to pierce my ears, but still made me shudder, as if nails were being drug across a chalkboard. I felt Danny’s grip loosen on my arm until I couldn’t feel him at all. When I opened my eyes he was gone, called back to Lamia to give another piece of himself to her for her youthful benefit. I let out a wild cry filled with anger and grief. It slowly brought me back to reality, where my cry could still be heard.
*
“Well, looks like little miss reporter is up now,” Adena said.
I struggled to move my arms and legs, but they wouldn’t budge. My hands were tied together behind my back, where there was a large wooden beam. Where was Sari? How could this have happened with him by my side? Why wasn’t he getting us out of this somehow? We shouldn’t have drank their damn tea. As if reading my mind, Adena snapped her fingers, producing a small flame to flicker from her fingertip.
“Looking for this?” she asked as she pointed into the darkness.
Tied to an old wooden chair was Sari with all but one hand restrained. The one free hand was holding a gun, pointed at his own head. My eyes shifted back and forth as I tried to understand what was happening. I didn’t know what these women wanted, but it was clear they had figured out who I really was, without figuring Sari out. He was an angel, not a regular human. There was no killing him in any mortal way. He’d just come back in the end.
“Alright, not the response we were looking for…” Adena sighed. “How about this?”
She kicked the chair hard, signaling Sari to do something. Echoing through the dark, damp holding room that I could only assume was their basement was a terrifying small click. Sari had cocked the gun and was ready to shoot. I kept myself calm as I thought about what to say in response. I knew Sari would be okay. What I didn’t know was how long it would take for him to get back to me. In the meantime, I would be at the mercy of these twisted sisters.
“Now here is a bit of knowledge I’m sure you’ll be tickled to learn,” Adena started with a malicious smile. “If your precious little angel boyfriend here kills himself, he won’t be coming back. Apparently suicide is unforgiveable to these not so immortal immortals. He wouldn’t be an angel anymore…just a regular old dead man.”
My jaw dropped before I could stop it. Could this be true or just a rouse? I looked at Sari for conformation as he lifted his defeated gaze to mine. He nodded his head once and looked back down at the floor.
“How did you know who we were?” I asked, not quite thinking clearly.
“Let’s see…not many reporters carry guns in their coat pockets for starters,” she said while running her hands through her hair, engulfing her curls in bright red flames.
She blew out the small fire attached to her finger and looked back at me, locking her eyes onto mine. With the light from the roaring flames atop her head, I spotted the other sisters standing close by. Aura and Brook stood next to each other facing me with their arms folded, ready to take any order Adena barked at them. My eyes shifted back and forth, looking for the youngest sister but I couldn’t find her. Another soft click from behind my head told me where she was. Now it made sense how they got Sari to hold the gun to his own head. If he didn’t, they were going to kill me instead.
“Brook…go ahead,” Adena smirked.
As soon as the beautiful blonde closed her baby blue eyes, water started to drip from the ceiling. Quickly, it turned from a small drizzle to a rain storm. The licks of fire in Adena’s hair fizzled out, causing steam to rise from all around her.
“This basement is water-tight. We’re going to let it fill and then lover-boy here can watch you drown before he has to…well you know.” Adena gave a little giggle as she walked around to the back of Sari’s chair and rested her hands on his shoulders. “It’s such a shame you were out to kill us, Sari. You and I could have really gotten along.”
Adena grabbed a handful of Sari’s hair and tugged his head backwards. With great force, she smashed her lips against his. Sari struggled under her mouth, trying to break free from her grip with useless effort. I was hoping Sari had enough sense not to fire the gun, worried he would miss Adena completely and end up shooting himself. I had so much rage inside me. I could have killed her with my bare hands if they had not been tied behind my back.
The water came up to my shins and was quickly rising. My mind was racing, trying to figure a way out of this situation. I couldn’t think. My eyes were focused on Adena and Sari. As soon as she pulled herself away from him, he turned his head to wipe his lips across the shoulder of his white soaked t-shirt. Red lipstick stained the collar.
“Brook? Aura?” Adena called, turning her glance to her obedient sisters. “Could you go upstairs and get our bags ready? I have a feeling we will be leaving quite soon.”
The two women turned on their heels and climbed the stairs to normalcy. Up there it was just another day to everyone else. The sun was probably shining, people were walking by unaware of what was going on below this seemingly quaint house. I looked at Sari, sure that it would be the last time I would see him. His large brown eyes glanced up at me through his thick lashes while he mouthed something softly.
“Goodbye.”
A deafening shot rang through the basement and echoed all around me while I clenched my eyes tightly shut. My heart was pounding as the panic rose inside me. My chest tightened as if someone were sitting on it. I barely noticed the ropes holding my hands and feet falling to the floor as they were loosened. I forced my eyes open to face what had happened.
“Kamlyn, come on!” Demi’s voice called out to me with urgency as Sari grabbed me by the waist.
I turned just in time to see Adena lying still on the floor before an avalanche of mud rushed through the walls, engulfing the entire basement. We made it up the stairs and slammed the door behind us without a moment to spare. Brown gooey sludge oozed through the crack under the door before slowly coming to a stop at our feet. It had all happened so fast, my brain was just beginning to process what had actually happened. I threw my arms around Sari’s neck and held on to him tightly.
“I thought you were gone…” I whispered, fighting back my urge to cry.
“I know, me too.”
His voice was so quiet, so serious, and so glad it had ended the way it did. His arms tightened their grip around my waist, warming my cold, wet, and shaking body. I hadn’t even realized I was soaked all the way through until our bodies were pressed against each other.
“Come on, you two. We have to get out of here before my sisters find us!” Demi shouted as she rushed for the front door.
“Wait, why
did you do that?” I asked, too curious to contain myself. “Why did you help us?”
Demi raised her radiant face to look at me. She cocked her head, allowing her bangs to fall to one side and show her beautiful brown eyes as she smiled.
“Adena was evil, but not all of us witches are. It’s people like her that give us a bad reputation.”
I could see that she was having some moral dilemmas about killing her own sister and was trying to justify her actions light-heartedly. She knew she had done the right thing, but inside she still seemed sad for her loss. She really was a good person at heart.
“I couldn’t let her kill you. There’s something very special about you, I can feel it,” she said, taking a small step closer towards me. “I was more of a slave to her than a sister anyway. Now I’m free.”
I decided to leave it at that and follow her to our escape. As we approached the front door, though, our paths were intercepted. At least we had a fighting chance this time.
“Demi, what’s going on?” Aura asked, tears welling up in her eyes.
Brook stood there next to her with a bewildered look on her face, as if she had no idea where she even was. Their confusion slowly started to make sense to me. They had not been acting on their own free will. Adena had put them under some sort of spell in order to get them to do the things they did. As their younger sister confirmed my suspicions, the two girls who once looked fearless to me now looked defeated and betrayed. They turned and hugged each other while silent tears streamed down their faces.
“I really thought she had changed,” Brook wept quietly, releasing her grip on Aura and holding her hand instead.
“Yea, I thought this was going to be our home…Guess we have to leave again, don’t we?” Aura asked, taking in a ragged deep breath.
“It’s too risky to stay,” I told them with sympathetic eyes.
Sari rested his hands on my damp shoulders, sending a wave of relief and content through me. The whole ordeal was over. I wanted nothing more than to change into some fresh clothes and call Cara and Don. I hadn’t talked to either of them since Tom had died. I was slightly angry with myself for not contacting them this whole time. So much had been going on that the thought never had a chance to cross my mind. I don’t know if now was the time to tell Cara she came close to losing her best friend as well, but I had to tell someone I had almost ceased to exist.
“Do you want to borrow some clothes?” Demi asked me, bringing my focus back to the present.
Under normal circumstances, I would have toughed it out till I got back to my hotel to change, but all I wanted in that moment was comfort. I accepted and let her lead me back into one of the bedrooms. Taking one glance around, I knew it had been Adena’s. I stared at the deep red wall that was the focal point of the room as Demi walked me over to the mirrored closet doors. My face was pale and tired looking. The dark bags under my gray eyes made my face look gaunt. My soaked, scraggly hair and damp clothes made my body look frail and weak. I had been so close to death it showed in my face.
“Can you pick out something while I dry my hair?” I asked Demi, only thinking about getting completely dry again before I left.
There was no way I could afford to get sick now. Danny needed me more than ever. I could feel it.
“Sure. The bathroom’s right through those doors,” she responded, pointing to another set of mirrored doors in the room.
I shut them behind me for a little privacy and began looking through the cabinets for the hair dryer. I found a small red one shoved in one of the vanity drawers next to a wide tooth comb and curling iron.
Once plugged in I let the hot breeze warm me all the way through. My long tousled hair hid my eyes from my own reflection and let me drift off for a bit. I kept seeing Danny, picturing what was happening to him. I could see his sweet little face, his blushed rosy cheeks fading to pale white…his once brilliant eyes turn worn out and tired. I could see Lamia, perfect in her form and younger than ever, wrapping her snake-like arms around Danny and pulling him closer towards her. A knock at the door pulled me back.
“Kamlyn, I found an outfit for you.”
“Thank you so much, Demi,” I responded, shutting off the whirring sound of the dryer and opening the door.
Demi’s face was flushed as she smiled and looked at her feet. I could tell that she wasn’t used to being praised or thanked. I really felt bad for the life she had been forced into by her sister for who knows how long. She really did deserve the freedom she had now. She stepped out of the room to let me change, smiling to herself the whole time.
The outfit she had picked out was as unrevealing as one could get from Adena’s closet. The jeans took some wiggling to get into. They hugged my leg the entire way down and tucked into a fuzzy pair of white snow boots. The sweater was form fitting and a soft pink. I felt like a ski-bunny in the fluffy outfit. Looking at Adena, I could have sworn she had more curves than I did, but her clothing fit me perfectly. The sweater, of course, dipped down into a low V-cut, showing off my rarely seen cleavage. I thought about changing it out for another, less revealing sweater, but decided I probably wouldn’t be able to find one in her closet anyway. I pulled on the billowy white down jacket Demi had laid out for me before leaving the room. I left the jacket zipped only halfway, even though I was still cold. How often did I get the chance to show myself off like this? And in front of Sari no less.
When I joined everyone in the entryway, they were all wearing color coordinated fuzzy winter boots and jackets like mine. Sari was still wearing his white t-shirt and jeans, which were now dry as well. I was too tired to question what was going on or where the girls would go. Without a word, the five of us walked out the front door and down the porch steps.
“You might want to step back,” Aura suggested as Demi and Brook led the way out of the yard. “And hold on.”
Seeing Demi and Brook kneel down and grip the base of the tree next to them, Sari and I followed. He wrapped his arms around my body first, hugging me close to him before holding onto the tree. The wind began to pick up until it was a challenge to keep my eyes open any longer. I closed them tightly after I saw a large black funnel form in the clouds and make its way down to where the sister’s house stood. Before I knew it, everything was silent and still again. There was destruction where the perfect white house had once stood. Somewhere amongst the rubble lay Adena’s body to be found. We all stood up slowly and checked ourselves over to make sure we were all okay and untouched by any debris from the tornado.
The three young witches smiled at us before turning to walk away. Sari and I smiled back before turning to walk in the opposite direction towards the truck. I looked over my shoulder in time to see the sister lock hands and turn the corner, out of sight. I didn’t know where they would go, but I hoped our paths would cross again someday.
13
“Earth angel, Earth angel, will you be mine?”
–Death Cab for Cutie, originally by The Penguins
“You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice, Cara,” I said into the phone.
I knew she could tell something was wrong with me. My voice sounded exhausted with a hint of relief.
“What happened? Are you okay?” Already her voice was softening into her familiar comforting tone.
“It’s nothing,” I said not wanting to worry her with things that had already passed, especially after all she’d been through. “We just got into a sticky situation earlier, but we’re fine.”
I had forgotten about the fact that I hadn’t had the time to tell Cara about Sari or why he was with me yet. She hadn’t seen him like Don did before we left. She used to always tell me she didn’t understand why I chose to be alone when I could have any good looking man by my side, and she was ecstatic to hear that now I did. Don’s such a blabbermouth. I should have known he’d tell her all about me and Sari.
“Yea, I heard you were traveling with a hottie these days,” she giggled, waiting for me to spill the juicy details.
I could feel my cheeks turn bright red just thinking about how I would describe Sari to her; gorgeous, sweet, perfect…tempting.
“It’s not as scandalous as you think, I promise. He’s just…”
This was the part I had trouble saying. As great as it was supposed to be, it sounded so cliché.
“…my guardian angel, I suppose.”
The silence on the other end of the line was deafening. I could picture Cara sitting at the kitchen table with her mouth hanging wide open in shock. Immediately I regretted telling her the truth. What if she thought I was crazy? How could she not? Up until a week ago, I didn’t even believe in angels. Now I have one following my every move, practically joined to my hip. I looked around the small empty hotel room Sari had driven us to; two small twin beds, separated by a large end table and a gaudy decorated lamp. Sari ran down to the vending machine a few minutes before, saying he wanted to make sure I had something to eat and drink. Really he had been giving me the privacy I wanted to call Cara.
“So…” Cara finally piped in. “No sexy encounters then I’m guessing?”
She couldn’t help herself. She giggled again before falling silent. I knew she wanted me to explain all the burning feelings I had for him, but what was I supposed to say? Nope, no sex, but boy do I wish there was! Then she would really think I was insane. If she had met him and we were having this conversation in person it may have gone that way. It’s a little hard to think of Sari as anything but a perfect human being when he’s standing right in front of you. The angel stuff flies right out the window.
“You like him, don’t you?” Cara asked as if she already knew the answer.
“Yea, I like him,” I confessed while my cheeks burned.
“Like who?” Sari asked, causing me to practically jump out of my skin.
I hadn’t heard him come in, but now he was standing right beside me as I sat Indian style on the teeny tiny bed.