Dad wouldn’t understand, so I didn’t call him. He married a human, but Mum had no clue what was going on.
Ella woke a few hours later. For the first couple of minutes she didn’t say anything; she just stared at me with those wide green eyes.
"Was that a dream?" she asked. I couldn't lie to her anymore. The look on her face told me that she remembered everything, and I shook my head. "Why didn’t you tell me?"
"Ella, I wasn't supposed to. There’s a protocol that all supernatural creatures have to follow." My voice was small and uneven.
“I’m your best friend. I can’t believe you didn’t say anything," she said, standing, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Ella, it doesn’t work like that. The paranormal world coexists with the ordinary one. It’s been like that for centuries. People would freak. Look how you reacted when you saw that cat turn back into a human-like form."
"I don’t want to listen to your excuses," she said through gritted teeth. "You ruined our friendship with your lies."
What felt like large stones, flopped around in my stomach, but I should’ve expected it. I’d been telling Ella lies for over a decade.
"Please don’t say that, Ella. I love you. We’ve been friends since we were five years old!"
"Friends don’t lie to each other," she spat.
"Ella, please, I can’t let you leave—not like this."
She laughed. “Don't worry, I won’t rant about what I know; I don’t want to be locked up in some mental institution. You and Nicky aren’t welcome to set a foot in my house anymore."
"You can’t just cut me off like that," I gasped, approaching her, but she stepped back, obviously scared.
"Stay away from me! I want nothing to do with you," she snapped. "I can’t believe I was ever your friend."
I wanted to stop her, charm her, but she was already gone. I couldn’t believe I agreed to tell her the whole truth. Ella had always been there for me, and I couldn’t brush off what she said—that I’d fed her with a multitude of lies for so long. And now she was fighting back.
She was furious with me. In time, she might consider forgetting that I was paranormal and just live with it. But I knew Ella hated when things changed; she would hate having this new knowledge. I honestly didn’t think that she could cope. I tossed the glass on the floor, roaring with frustration. My best friend was gone, but the world I was living in still existed.
Chapter 11
Sabbath.
When I rolled into the office on Friday, I was already exhausted. I hadn’t slept much, so I woke up with dark circles under my eyes. Thinking about the situation with Ella didn’t bring any new solutions; she was gone.
"Rough night?" Kate asked, taking a good look at me.
"Yeah, something like that." I sighed and went to the kitchen, hoping that a dose of caffeine would help. Sara was already cleaning glass from the floor; she probably dropped another cup, but today I just didn't care.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Kate asked, as I plopped onto my chair, closing my eyes.
"Yes, but not right now," I said sitting back. “I've got a shit tonne to do today and if I start talking, we will be here all night."
"Well, we can go out for lunch. I’m sure Sara will be fine."
I nodded, getting busy with my emails. Dad had called before I went to bed, but his investigation hadn’t revealed anything new. Rufus was still missing. Nothing in my life was going as it should. Things with Nathaniel were even more complicated than before; Ella cut all ties with me, and this morning I got my period. I didn't want to be at work today. Instead, I dreamed about my bed.
When the phone started ringing, I was glad to throw myself into work. I stayed busy until lunchtime, when someone entered the office. I was too preoccupied with the advert I’d been working on, so I let Sara deal with whoever was at the door.
"Julia, I think this is for you," she said. I lifted my head from the boring paperwork and stared blankly at a bunch of red roses. A tall, human delivery guy placed them on my desk and asked me to sign the invoice.
“They're stunning! Who do you think sent them?" Sara asked, as she and Kate gathered around my desk.
"I have no idea," I replied, looking down at the card. The roses were intense, scary, and beautiful, but I already knew who they were from. The card only confirmed it.
“They're from Nathaniel." Kate raised eyebrow brow and her lips inclined in a smile.
"La Caz?" Sara asked, clapping with excitement. "Alexandra mentioned that you two were dating. Oh my, he’s so romantic."
I rolled my eyes, and she moved away to take care of a potential candidate. My heart fluttered in my chest.
"Why is Nathaniel La Caz sending you flowers? Don’t get me wrong, I don’t listen to gossip, but I thought you guys broke up?" Kate asked.
"We did, but he wants me back." I put the flowers on the other free desk. Desire flew through my veins when I thought about what happened between us on the lift, and, suddenly, it was too hot in the office.
Kate exhaled. She didn’t have to say anything—I already knew what she was thinking.
"That’s thoughtful, you know, flowers," she said. "He’s working you well and he obviously still cares about you."
"We aren’t getting back together," I declared, but even I could hear the uncertainty in my words.
"Whatever you say." Kate chuckled and started reversing her way back to her desk.
"Hey, Miss Smart Mouth, I’m serious. Me and him—it’s just a bad idea. You saw the reaction of my grandmother," I hissed, affronted.
She waved her hand, still smiling. I kept saying that I couldn’t give him another chance, but when I thought about him my heartbeat quickened and my magic came alive. Everyone and everything was between us. He hurt me, he could do it again, and I wasn't sure if I could cope with the pain a second time.
We didn’t talk about Nathaniel for the rest of the day. Our director called to find out if there was any news about Rufus, but I didn’t have anything new to tell him.
During lunch I told Kate about Ella. We didn’t treat each other like co-workers anymore; we were friends and Kate understood my dilemma. She agreed with Nicky—I needed to give Ella time; I had to let her come to terms with what I was. By the time we were on our way back to the office, Kate invited me to a family barbecue. I agreed without even thinking about it. I needed some kind of distraction and taking part in a family affair could do the job.
Close to five, Kel texted me, proposing a dinner with me and Kate next week. Her message didn’t lift me up, maybe because I was still thinking about Ella. At some point, I wanted to introduce them both, but now Ella was gone, and she wanted nothing to do with me.
I kept looking at the roses, planning to send Nathaniel an email telling him I had plans for Sunday, but in the end, I didn’t. After a shitty day like yesterday, I needed to take the edge off my stress. The truth was, I wanted to know what he was going to say next. "Sorry" and “let's try again" wasn't going to work.
I missed him; I couldn’t deny it. Our intense and passionate moment in the elevator was pulling me right back to him.
I had a lazy Saturday. In the past week I cursed off the gym; I needed a good yoga session, but I couldn’t find the motivation to go. In the end, I rolled out of bed around two o’clock in the afternoon. Yeah… lazy much?
Negative thoughts kept passing through my mind. Rufus was out there somewhere; I refused to believe he was dead. I kept telling myself that he was needed, so they wouldn't kill him.
After a shower, I wasted more time watching depressing TV shows. By late afternoon, I’d dressed and asked Roberto to take me to the address that Kate gave me earlier on. I’d already agreed to show up at her family affair, and even if I wasn't in the mood for partying, I couldn’t let her down.
I’d never tried to make friends in the office. Even though I was close with Rufus we never focused on our private lives, apart from that one time when he asked me about Nathaniel. Kate a
nd I always had common ground. We sort of understood each other and now I had a chance to meet her family. Her invitation proved that she was trying to make an effort. Nicky called while I was on my way to Kate’s.
"She still doesn’t want anything to do with us," I told her.
"What? Did she say that?"
"Yep. She said that I ruined our friendship; she couldn’t believe we lied to her for so long." I sighed. Nicky was silent for a moment. My heart ached when I thought about Ella.
"She will come around; she’s just upset and scared."
"She was serious. I’ve never seen her so angry."
"I didn’t expect her to react any other way—we’ve been friends for so many years," Nicky answered quietly, sounding fed up.
“I'll call her in a few days… we will see."
"Yeah, give her time," she advised me. “I'll call you tomorrow."
"Okay, bye." I slid the phone into my pocket, wondering if my friend was right. I needed to stop thinking about Ella. I just had to be patient and let her figure out what she wanted to do.
"Have a good night, Miss. Taylor," Roberto said.
"Thanks, I’ll try."
Kate’s house was situated in a cul-de-sac of a quiet neighbourhood near a large park. As far as I knew she lived with her parents. I lifted my hand to knock on the pink door to her house, when it opened suddenly, and a very petite person embraced me in a tight hug.
"Oh, dear, Katie said that you would be coming," the woman said, squeezing me tightly, cutting off the circulation to my legs.
"Mum, what are you doing? Let go of her!"
Once I was freed—and able to breathe—I found myself standing in front of an older version of Kate. The woman in front of me had the same purple hair sticking out in every possible direction, wide green eyes, and a small, long nose. She was dressed in a long gypsy skirt; her magic wand tucked behind her ear.
"You must be Julia," the woman sang, smiling widely.
"Yes, nice to meet you. You must be Mrs. Bloomfield," I replied lightly, taken aback by her enthusiastic welcome.
"You, too, dear. We need to hurry up. We don’t want to be late," she said, walking away. I was even more confused when I saw two younger girls pass by me following Kate’s mother.
"Always late, Claire. I told you to prepare everything earlier," a man said, emerging from the house; he was about a few feet taller than me. I assumed the people who were gathered around the van were members of Kate’s family.
"Everyone, this is Julia. She’s coming with us," Kate announced, pulling me toward the van.
"Lovely to meet you, Julia, but we really need to get going now," the man I presumed was Kate’s dad, said.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
“I'll explain in the car. Come on."
I sat with Kate in the back. Kate’s dad was dark haired and very good looking; he was talking quickly with her mother. They looked like they were arguing about something and trying to keep their voices down.
"Hi, I’m Maria," the older of the two girls introduced herself. She was the only one with black hair and thick glasses. "So, are you excited to go to the Sabbath?"
"Come again?" I asked, a bit confused.
"Maria, stop talking," Kate warned.
"What in the world is she talking about?"
"I meant to call you, but you’d already shown up. My dad was ready for the barbecue when my parents received a message about the Sabbath."
I didn’t quite understand what she was talking about. Her father was driving way too fast, not paying much attention to the other cars on the road, breaking all the traffic rules that existed. This was rather bizarre. I got the impression that they’d done this often. I couldn’t possibly believe that we were all going to a Witchy Sabbath.
"This is my younger sister, Carol," Kate continued, pointing at the younger girl who looked like she was trying to charm the box she was holding in her lap. “Don't worry if she ignores you, she doesn’t talk much."
"Where are we actually going, Kate?" I asked again, still perplexed.
"To a Sabbath."
"Are you for real?" I narrowed my eyes.
“Don't stress. It’s just a large gathering with music, magic, and good food," she explained. "I know it’s sort of last minute, but Mum insisted on bringing you with us and I couldn’t say no."
"Yes, dear, we thought that you might as well enjoy yourself," Kate’s mother said from the front.
"But it’s the twenty-first century… I thought witches didn’t organise those sorts of things anymore."
Kate laughed, and her two sisters looked at me like they were seriously considering striking me with a spell.
"Well, we do."
“It's going to be amazing. Last time a few hundred witches and wizards turned up, so they had to cancel it. Some humans called the police." Maria chuckled, her eyes dreamy.
"You’re exaggerating," Kate said, rolling her eyes. "Julia isn’t a human, she’s magical, so she knows what to expect."
"Actually, I don’t."
“Don't worry, the Sabbath is like a large evening festival. I didn't mean to throw you into this, but my parents are in a wizard committee, so we all have to attend. Plus, it would be good for you to get out and socialise a little with some magical folks."
"But we’re in London… humans will notice that something is going on." I was completely bewildered.
“It's outside of the city, dear. We don’t want to draw anyone’s attention," Kate’s mother said, and I began to wonder if she had a third ear. I had to hold on to the seat because I was afraid that we’d crash. I was glad the traffic wasn't bad, as Kate’s dad would most definitely kill us all the way he was winding his way through the streets.
"So, why doesn’t your sister talk much?" I stared back at Carol who now looked like she was in some kind of a trance.
"Oh, Carol, she’s in her own little world. My mother thinks she will be the next fortuneteller in the family." Kate rolled her eyes. I found out later on that Kate also had three brothers. Carol was only sixteen and Maria twenty. I always thought that my family was crazy, but now I wasn't so sure.
"How many people are going to be there?" I continued asking questions.
"At least a hundred. The committee only invites witches and wizards from the London area."
"Right."
I was hoping to have a quiet afternoon in a garden, drinking some magical cocktails with Kate, instead I was driving to the middle of nowhere to attend a Sabbath, and I wasn't even a witch. Soon we left London, driving through the countryside. We stopped twenty minutes later in a large field. Other paranormals were already there and it took Kate’s father another ten minutes to find a parking space. I was the only one who wasn't wearing a cloak. Kate’s parents kept greeting every second person that passed by. The small village was only a few hundred meters away and everyone was heading toward the forest. Kate kept telling me about the local traditions and the fireworks at midnight. It wasn't a small gathering; I had to keep my eyes and ears open. I was probably the only elf there.
"The food is always exceptional here, dear. Last year we had flying frogs," Kate’s mum said, sending me a quick wink.
The sun was hiding behind the horizon when we reached the trees. Twenty minutes later, we blended into a crowd of very excited paranormals. Kate was right: the small field between the trees was transformed: stores had been set up, and the aroma of various spices encircled us. I was surprised to hear cabaret music. It was hard to find space or buy food; it was extremely busy. I assumed that whoever organised this must have relied on magic. The setup wasn't too close to the village, otherwise people would complain because of the noise.
"Stay close, it’s going to get crazy here when they start the fire," Kate shouted over the noise as we continued to walk. The rest of her family had vanished somewhere. My jaw dropped when I saw a pile of wood stacked together standing about ten meters high. This fire was going to be huge; I wasn't surprised that people were exci
ted.
"How are you keeping the party away from humans?" I asked, curious.
"Spells; a few members of the committee have been here since the early hours of the morning,” Kate replied. “Dad left at five and didn’t come home until twelve."
"Impressive."
"Yeah, we do like to make a statement."
I couldn’t believe that my dad never mentioned that things like this were still going on in the paranormal community. On the other hand, he was an elf and this event was created by wizards and witches. Kate told me to chill out and just enjoy myself, so that’s what I did. We went to a few food stores and soon I forgot that I wasn't part of the circle. Kate’s mother was right; the food was mouthwatering. There were many variations of meats flavoured with oriental spices, edible insects, frogs, and snails. I couldn’t keep up with Kate who’d been eating almost everything, pointing at a rabbit stuffed with rosemary. I tried an odd-looking punch which had a real kick to it. We both ate, danced, and met a few other gothic-looking witches from America. Two hours later I was slightly drunk, but I felt amazing, chatting away with Kate’s mother. She’d had more to drink than me, but she looked like she was having fun. Magic saturated the air; my own energy tingled between my fingertips.
Just before midnight everyone gathered around the fire. I stood by a tree watching how the masses of red and orange flames danced in the navy sky.
"Julia, hey Julia!" someone shouted.
I turned, seeing a blond-haired woman approaching me. I was tipsy; positive I was hallucinating.
"Georgiana?" I asked, but already knew I was standing face-to-face with Jasper’s sister.
Chapter 12
Hearts and flowers.
A Nightly Howl Page 10