Charmed to Death

by Rose Pressey

  Someone opened the door and took a couple steps. I held my breath, hoping they wouldn’t look under the bed. I went through the spells in my mind. Which one could I do to get rid of them? Then again, what if I didn’t know who it was? I wanted to peek from under the bed to get a look. I also didn’t want to risk being caught.

  After a few seconds, the footsteps sounded again and then the door closed. Had the person really left or were they still standing there trying to trick me into coming out? I could peek out from under the bed skirt, but what if they saw me? I couldn’t stay under there much longer. I had to get the brooch and then back downstairs before the spell wore off. I would have to take my chances and look out from under the bed. That was when I figured I could ask the cat to do it. Of course the person would hear me talking to the cat. Scratch that plan. The cat couldn’t do it.

  Then again, maybe the cat read my signs. I motioned toward the door with a tilt of my head. The cat was watching me. He immediately went out from under the bed. A few seconds later he came back. He meowed. I took that as the all-clear to come out from under the bed. Even so, I peeked out to look for the person. Nobody was there, so I got out all the way from under the bed and then ran back over to the closet.

  “Thanks, kitty, I really appreciate the help,” I whispered.

  Now the cat just needed to tell me who he was because I knew he was too smart to be just any regular cat. I just hoped the person didn’t come back. I was fumbling with the lock again. I always got this way when I was nervous. I moved the dial once, twice, and then the third time. Thank goodness it clicked this time and I opened the door.

  Chapter 24

  I grabbed the brooch from the safe. I had to lock it again because the Book of Mystics was still there. I secured the lock, double-checking to make sure that it had really closed, and then closed the closet door behind me. I wanted to leave everything exactly as it had been so that if any more vampires showed up they wouldn’t be suspicious. I didn’t know how many I had to deal with other than the ones I’d found in the kitchen and in the bedroom up here. I could be dealing with more for all I knew. I was going to take my chances.

  The cat followed me over to the door and meowed. I held the brooch in my hands. My fingers were already starting to tingle and I felt the buzz going up my arms. It certainly was a strange feeling and I wondered what would happen if I actually pinned the thing to my shirt.

  On my way to the bedroom door a thought popped into my head. I looked at the cat. I knew immediately it had come from him. I don’t understand why you never liked me.

  “I never said I didn’t like you. You just showed up a short time ago,” I said.

  I couldn’t believe I was reading the cat’s thoughts. Of course the brooch was still a little spotty in working and I hoped that changed by the time I got to the kitchen because I couldn’t read any more of the cat’s thoughts. Maybe that would come back. I held onto the brooch tighter. The thought popped into my head. You certainly acted as if you didn’t like me.

  “Well, that’s just not true,” I whispered as I opened the bedroom door and closed it behind me.

  If anyone saw me talking to the cat like this they would think I had officially lost my mind. And maybe I had officially lost it. If the cat opened his mouth and actually started speaking to me then I knew I had a problem.

  Now I had to get down that hallway and past that room without the vampire seeing me. I assumed the spell was still working, but he could have been the one who’d stepped into the room. I inched down the hall, trying to avoid the spots in the floor that I knew squeaked. It was tough because it seemed as if the whole floor made a noise. I stayed close to the wall because that was less likely to make the squeaking noise. I made it to the door and then stopped, knowing that I had to peek in there to see if he was still standing there. I eased my head over to the door opening and looked inside the room.

  He wasn’t there. My stomach sank. This was what I was afraid of. The spell hadn’t worked. He was probably the one who had come into the room. Now I had to worry about where he was. I glanced over my shoulder to see if the vampire was behind me. Thank goodness the only one back there was the kitty. I eased past the door and over the landing. Once at the top of the stairs I headed down. I was careful stepping on each tread, making sure that it didn’t squeak.

  Once I reached the bottom, I paused. Before stepping down into the foyer, I wanted to get a look around to see if maybe he was standing nearby. I never knew what corner he might be lurking in, ready to jump out at me. No, he hadn’t gotten a look at me, but he had to feel the magic. Once free from the spell he’d probably gone downstairs into the kitchen and saw the others like that. I was in big trouble. I peered to the left into the library and to the right into the parlor. I didn’t see any signs of vampires so I made the last step down to the foyer.

  I hurried across the floor, making sure to keep my eyes out for the vampire. I went through the parlor and on to the kitchen. I released a deep breath and then opened the kitchen door, hoping for the best—that they would still be under my spell. Sure enough, they were still standing in the same spot. I had really gotten this one right. I wished that the spell on the upstairs vampire had had the same effect. I could feel their eyes on me. They moved as they watched me cross the room. I still had the brooch, of course. It was buzzing and humming in my hand. Now I had to find out the truth.

  “So you guys are going to answer a few questions for me,” I said, sitting down on the stool in front of them. “We’ll have a little question-and-answer session.”

  I gave a forced smile that I knew looked completely fake.

  “Well, I suppose there’s only one question I need answered right now, the most important one. I don’t care about anything else at the moment. Where are they? I know you can speak. I left that part in the spell, so let’s have it. Where are they? You can try to hold off and not answer me, but I’ll only make this worse for you. I have control now, so if you ever want to get out of this spell I suggest you tell me where they are right now.”

  Threaten them with lots of sunlamps. The thought popped into the cat’s head.

  “How devious. I like it.”

  That’s what I’m here for. To help you. They sent me here for that reason, but I never got a chance to tell you.

  A cat was sent here to help me? And who sent him? Never mind that now. I had to find out where they were first. More about the cat later.

  Marissa eyes locked on me and her mouth opened. “They’re in the graveyard in the back.”

  My stomach sank when I heard that. I hoped she didn’t mean the worst. I feared the worst though. I made a dash for the door and burst outside with the cat following me. Once beside me, he thought, Try not to think the worst. I’m sure she’s just trying to scare you.

  The brooch was still in my hand. The graveyard was in the back of the manor, a bit away from the house, but before the riverbank. Tall oak trees covered the area and there was a small black wrought-iron fence around. As soon as I reached the cemetery I spotted them on the ground. This was just as bad as I had imagined. I screamed as I ran for the gate. I ran to my mother first.

  I practically fell as I crouched down beside her. “What have they done to you?”

  I gasped when she opened her eyes. She looked terrible but she was alive. I couldn’t believe it.

  “Are you all right?” I asked.

  She just stared at me and she didn’t speak. I started checking her out to see where she might be injured. That was when I saw her neck. The vampire had bitten her. I knew what this meant. Oh, no. I couldn’t believe it. I looked around at everyone. Nicolas, Liam, Annabelle, and the detective… they were all there. I raced over to Nicolas. He opened his eyes. He looked confused, but he sat up.

  “Are you all right?” I asked.

  “Where am I?” He looked around.

  I couldn’t believe they were all vampires now. Of course Nicolas and Liam had already been vampires. My mother would not handle this
well. And Annabelle… what would she do? She freaked out at the mere mention of the paranormal world. Now she was going to be a vampire too. I didn’t know how she would handle it.

  The detective managed to get to his feet.

  I raced over to him. “Are you okay?”

  He stared at me for a moment. “Who are you?”

  Everyone was completely out of it and acting strange. How long would this last and what could I do to fix it? Did I have a spell for this? It had never come up before, so I didn’t know how to handle it. I would need to check the Book of Mystics for this. Surprisingly, the brooch wasn’t helping me read anyone’s minds right now. Except for the cat again.

  You need to get them more blood. It will snap them out of this and they’ll be acting more like themselves. I know you can’t believe they are vampires now, but you’ll have to deal with it. They need your help.

  “Okay, how do you know this?” I asked.

  Remember, I came here to help you.

  Was that what the brooch was all about? So that I would be able to interact with this cat? The cat that had somehow come here to help me? I looked around at all the confused faces as they rubbed their heads and necks. I had to find a way to get all of them back to the manor. I wasn’t even sure if they would follow me.

  I went back to Nicolas. “Do you know who I am?”

  His brow furrowed. “Yes,” he said hesitantly. “Halloween LaVeau.”

  “Right, and we’re engaged to be married.”

  He quirked an eyebrow. “We are? Lucky me.”

  Oh, dear, this was worse than I thought.

  “Can I have your attention, please?” I waved my hands. “I need everyone to follow me back to the manor, okay?”

  Maybe I can round them up and herd them back to the manor. That was the cat’s thought.

  Chapter 25

  They’re coming for you. The cat let me know.

  I spun around and saw the vampires had hurried out from the back door and made their way near to the cemetery gate. They moved slower now that they’d arrived outside. I guessed they knew that the newly turned vampires weren’t going anywhere, and it looked as if I was outnumbered. They were pretty safe in knowing I wouldn’t get away from them. They forgot I had magic though, even if it hadn’t worked last time. I wasn’t going down without a fight this time. I would try as hard as I could with every ounce of fight I had in my body. I wouldn’t say that I needed a miracle, but I needed a miracle.

  How was I going to fight all of them? There were about ten vampires here and I was just one witch. I had Nicolas and Liam. They seemed to be a little bit better, so maybe I could get them to help me. I turned around to see what they were doing. They still looked dazed. I would try a spell without them and see if that worked. If nothing else, I could try to get them to help me. I wasn’t sure how easy that would be though.

  I recited the words and pointed at the vampires. They crossed their arms in front of their chests and smirked at me, as if this was humorous. The spell did nothing. I had just bound them. Why wasn’t it working now? I supposed that was because there had been fewer of them then. What were they doing to me? I had to keep trying. I had no other option. I had to save everyone from the bad vampires.

  ”What do you think you’re doing?” I asked. “You won’t get away with this.”

  That was when they all laughed.

  “I’m glad to see that you think this is humorous,” I said.

  I’d find it funny when I knocked them on their butts. I didn’t even know what spell to do.

  You should try this spell. The cat had another thought that came through the brooch. He gave me the exact words to try.

  I looked at him. “How are you doing all of this? Who are you?”

  Just do it. Don’t question why.

  All right, I’d give it a try, but I wasn’t quite sure how much this would help. Where had he gotten the spell from? I recited the words just as he had thought them, and then waved my arms. I hoped that the energy would zing off them and hit the vampires, knocking them to the ground. Unfortunately, it didn’t work. I looked at the cat.

  I told you what to do. Just try it again. Maybe you didn’t do something right.

  “Oh, sure, blame me and my faulty witchcraft skills.”

  How was doing it again going to make this any better? Obviously it didn’t work the first time, and I didn’t think it would work the second. Now I was just full of negativity. I had to snap out of it.

  So I prepared myself to try the spell again. I raised my arms and recited the words, focusing all of my energy as hard as I could. Again, nothing happened. The vampires kept laughing at me.

  “You’re really bad at this,” Marissa said.

  Yeah, she didn’t have to tell me twice. I glanced back and realized that Liam and Nicolas were still standing there like zombies, completely out of it. There was no way they would be any help. I looked at the detective. He was the same way, and, of course, my mother was freaking out. She was holding her neck as she talked to Annabelle. I wondered what they were discussing. Probably the fact that they were vampires now. I didn’t know what I would do with Annabelle. But it didn’t look as if there would be any future to worry about. I was pretty sure the vampires were going to get rid of us… permanently.

  No negative thoughts. I had to try again.

  They made me so angry. I felt the anger bubbling inside of me. I was losing control. I didn’t know what I was going to do. I was so angry I wanted to burst.

  Do the spell again. Use your energy.

  More cat thoughts. Okay, I would do the spell again. I was so mad. I wanted to make it work this time. I had to make it work. I raised my arms and recited the words.

  The wind whipped so wildly that it almost knocked me over. The tree branches swayed violently. A loud thunder rumbled, shaking the earth under me. Lightning flashed all around the vampires, illuminating their angry faces. I’d never felt this much anger and rage before. They’d made me so mad this time that I hadn’t known my own strength. They weren’t going to get away with this. I used all of my energy, blasting it toward them. My body shook, and I felt as if I might collapse from the spellcasting.

  Come on, you can do this, Halloween, I thought. I was the leader of the Underworld and I wouldn’t take this treatment. All of a sudden the vampires fell to the ground.

  I can’t believe you did it. I really didn’t think you would be able to pull it off.

  The cat was a bit on the snarky side.

  I wouldn’t even acknowledge that right now. I was just happy that it had actually worked. To be honest, I hadn’t been sure that it would work either, but it had and now I had to do something to stop them for good. The spell would only last for so long. They were just lying there, unresponsive.

  Oh, vampires, how do you like that? The leader of the Underworld stopped you in your tracks. Yeah, take that.

  Okay, now the cat was talking smack. One minute he had no confidence in me and the next he was gloating.

  Should I move closer to them? No, that was probably a bad idea. They could be waiting for me to do something like that. Once I got closer they would attack. I didn’t know what to do next. Still I was tempted to move nearer. Should I really walk over there and check on them? Maybe they were just playing possum.

  “What were you doing in my house?” I asked. “Other than trying to destroy my family and friends. I know you want to take over as the sole vampire in charge of the National Vampire Association, but there is another reason why you were here.”

  I wanted Marissa to confess to everything. She stared right at me. “We’re looking for the brooch.”

  “And what brooch would that be?” I asked.

  She looked down at my shirt and the brooch that was attached to it. I would continue to act like I didn’t know what she was talking about. If she thought she was getting this brooch then she was crazy. It was not going to happen.

  “The brooch that you’re wearing,” she said. “Don’t ac
t like you don’t know what I’m talking about. Now hand it over.” She stretched her hand out in my direction.

  That was when my eyes focused on her shirt. I realized she was wearing another brooch. It had to be the missing piece, the one that the witch claimed to have—the matching one that went with mine. What did she think she was doing with that? She wasn’t getting mine too. Actually it was going be the other way around. She would hand over the brooch to me. She saw me looking at it and she just smiled, exposing those shiny pearly white fangs.

  “Hand over the brooch,” I said.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said with that same smirky smile.

  “I’m looking right at it. I think you know what I’m talking about.”

  “I can say the same about you,” she said, looking at my brooch again.

  Okay, we could go on like this all night. I wasn’t going to let that happen.

  “What are you doing with that?” I asked.

  “It’s mine,” she said.

  I laughed, as if that was one of the funniest jokes that I’d ever heard. “Once again I’m going to ask you nicely to hand over the brooch. We can do this the easy way or we can do this the hard way.”

  “Yes, as a matter of fact, that’s true. We can do this the hard way if you want. Hand over that brooch.”

  “You seem to forget that I have the upper hand right now.”

  What made her think that she was in control? She was delusional. Okay, maybe it was the small army of vampires around her and I only had a small cat who was currently licking his front paws. Minor little setback.