The Thirteenth

by G. L. Twynham

  No one seemed to be paying her any attention on the street so she felt relaxed as she made her way to Shane’s. When she arrived she saw that the shop was already shut. She peered through the glass and was about to knock when Shane came to let her in.

  “Hello, how’s your day been?” Shane asked locking the door behind her.

  “Well, apart from Wendy confessing to being a witch and my guardian, it’s been very boring,” Val answered.

  “Goodness! How did that come about?” Shane sounded intrigued. They entered the gym to find Jason, Fran and Sam all talking at the table.

  “She gave me some stupid story about some witch trials in Essex in sixteen forty-five and how her relative had helped a coven, and now they are the guardians of the chosen one,” Val smirked.

  “Just a minute, that’s right,” Sam told her.

  “What!” Val exclaimed.

  “Yes. There were massive witch trials in Essex at that time. The pictures I sent you were originally from that area. Do you remember the woman with the tattoo that matched yours?” Sam rummaged around in his bag. “This one.” He waved a picture at Val. “And I don’t think you are in any position to disregard anyone at this moment in time, do you?” Sam looked Val straight in the eyes.

  Val felt slightly ashamed that she had forgotten these facts and chased Wendy from her door.

  “She said that a traitor was coming. What do you think she meant?” Val looked for support.

  “Call her and ask,” Fran chirped up.

  “I don’t have her number,” Val replied.

  “Well, let’s go to her house.” Jason grabbed his motorbike keys from the side.

  “I don’t know where she lives.” Val was now pushing dust around on the floor with her shoe, hoping this line of questioning would soon be over.

  “So, let me get this straight. This girl tells you all this information and also says that she is here to help you, and you kick her out.” Sam put his hand on Val’s arm, which under different circumstances would have been pleasant.

  “Yes,” Val said, “but I still have my suspicions.”

  “And what are they based on?” Sam asked, still holding her.

  “She is the one who, out of the blue, turned up at the shop and told us the book was Theban. I think she’s on the other side.” “Why would she give you such a valuable clue if she’s on the other side?” Shane asked, shaking his head as though he could hardly believe what he was hearing.

  “OK, putting aside the fact that you have probably scared off an ally, do you think she will come back?” Sam smiled kindly at Val.

  Val nodded. “She said she’d come back.” Val wasn’t sure that Wendy would come back after the way she had treated her.

  “Well then, we will just have to wait until she does.” Sam patted Val gently on the arm. Val nodded, Sam was stronger than he looked; his gentle pat had hurt her arm.

  Val went to get herself a drink. “Can anyone hear music?” she called out to the others who all turned, shaking their heads. As the music got steadily louder, Val raised her sleeve and saw that one of the remaining symbols was red. She looked around, searching for the image that would send her to her next mission. She returned to the others and saw, in the middle of the glass table, something that looked like a circle of ice, almost as if the centre of the table was frozen.

  “She’s going to go.” Jason warned, grabbing Sam who was moving closer to Val. “Don’t touch her or you will get dragged along.”

  Sam stood and watched.

  Val was now focussed on the image. “See you soon.” She smiled, touched the table and was gone.

  The next thing Val was aware of, was the bitter cold. She was sitting on the floor, with a view of a wooden barrier and a row of plastic chairs. She quickly pulled herself up and was greeted by a full size ice-skating rink. Val fumbled in her pocket, pulling out her earpiece just in time to hear Sam’s voice.

  “Val, can you hear me?”

  “Yes,” Val replied scanning the area. “I’m at an ice rink. I’ve never been skating.”

  “What’s happening?” Sam asked.

  “There doesn’t seem to be much going on at the minute. I’m not even sure that this place is open.” Val looked around her.

  “Do you have your light sword with you?” Sam asked.

  “Yes, I’ve got everything. There’s just no victim at the moment.” Val sat on one of the chairs prepared to wait, confident that the she would soon find out what she had to do.

  Then it started. Several doors all around the rink suddenly crashed open and the music got louder. People rushed in, like a small herd of buffalo heading to water. A huge, reflective disco ball lowered itself over the ice rink.

  “Is that Abba I can hear?” Sam asked in Val’s ear.

  “Sam, I do believe it’s seventies night,” Val giggled.

  “What’s so funny?” Sam asked inquisitively.

  “It’s fancy dress disco night. There must be a hundred John Travolta look-alikes.” Val was now mesmerised by the dancing on ice extravaganza unfolding before her.

  “Anyone look in trouble?” Jason chirped up from the background.

  “Not the sort I can help them with.” Val laughed. She was now leaning on the wooden barrier, tapping her foot to Dancing Queen. Her attention was suddenly caught by one of the lycra-clad men.

  “Wait a minute, something’s wrong.” Val realised that he was the only person not swinging to the music. “There’s a guy who looks as if he’s up to no good. I need to investigate.” Val edged her way round the barrier and placed a tentative foot on the ice. “Oh dear God I’m going to die!” she exclaimed as she wobbled into the disco slipstream. Trying to keep her eye on the guy while not falling over was becoming harder by the second. “This is impossible. I’ll never get him like this,” Val moaned, falling with a thud that rattled her whole body.

  “Val, you OK?” Sam hoped his voice wouldn’t betray the fact that he was grinning. They had all heard the thud and grunt as Val hit the ice.

  “Well, if dignity is a feeling, I’m wounded.” Val pulled herself onto her hands and knees. “It’s amazing how cold this ice is.” She lifted one hand off and blew on it. She got onto her knees, wondering how on earth she was going to stand up. Each time she tried, she lost her balance and fell back onto the ice and now she was a couple of feet away from the barrier. She was seriously considering scooting to safety on her backside when she felt a pair of hands going under her arms. As she slid forwards, she was lifted onto her feet.

  “Hello Alien.”

  “Delta!” Val squealed, holding tight to her friend and gliding like a swan on the ice.

  “Stay calm, princess. I was shopping in the nearby mall with my mum when Jason called, so I came to give you a hand, although I didn’t expect it to be literally.”

  Val hadn’t stopped grinning. “Thanks goodness for you! I don’t know how to stay upright on this ice.”

  “So what are we doing?” Delta asked.

  “I spotted this guy moving suspiciously. I want to get to the centre of the ice to check him out. Look, there he is.” Val pointed towards the man.

  “OK, let’s do it.” Delta started to move in receding circles towards the centre. As Val watched her quarry, she noticed that he seemed to be moving in on an Olivia Newton John look-alike who was dancing with another girl, directly under the disco ball. The song had now changed. Val didn’t recognise it but the effect was that all the skaters had slowed down, and were moving towards the sides in couples.

  “Delta, get me in as close as you can, then let me go.” Delta nodded. The guy, Val had been watching seemed oblivious to Val’s presence and this gave her the advantage.

  As she got closer, she saw that he was pulling an implement from his pocket. “Delta you need to get to safety, OK?” Val pulled herself up straight and with a final push, Delta sent Val off in the man’s direction.

  The girl was still dancing completely unaware of the events unfolding around her.
Val was now almost behind him, she slid to a stop, the momentum gone. She was still five feet away, but could now see that he was brandishing a knife.

  Val knew that he was going to get to the girl first and was at a loss as to what to do next. For the first time, she wasn’t doing well.

  Val’s next move was purely instinctive. “Hey you! Stop!” she shouted at the top of her voice. The music was so loud that no one heard her.

  “Val, can you hear me?” Sam was calling in her ear, but she didn’t have time to chat right now. Val tried to run and ended up on her knees, scrabbling across the ice.

  The man was already raising the knife. “Please stop!” Val screamed again.

  “Val!” Sam was yelled into her ear, but she couldn’t answer. It was too terrible to watch. She was going to fail and that poor girl was going to die.

  What followed happened in slow motion.

  The guy was moving in on the girl who was still oblivious to her fate. Val knew what was going to happen next. She really couldn’t bear to look. She was about to turn away when Delta appeared from nowhere. She moved like a swan, gracefully, every movement controlled. Val froze. The blade thrust forward. NO!!!

  The pain in Val’s body was something she had never felt before. It started from the pit of her stomach and rumbled up inside her, and her whole body started to shake. She could feel the ice below her cracking. Then she was at least an inch above the frozen ground and moving towards the body lying on the ice. Val could no longer hear the music and the people around her were screaming. It was like watching the TV with the volume off. All she could see was Delta’s still body and the blood that was slowly spreading out around her.

  The assailant was already skating away, but Val put an end to that within a second. Her head snapping in his direction, she pointed her finger at him. He lifted off the ground and smashed into the solid concrete wall, then lay still.

  As she got closer, Val saw that her friend’s eyes were shut. She let out a howl of despair, like an animal in pain. In a split second the dazzling disco ball turned to dust and filled the air with a thick coat of glitter.

  Val collapsed onto the ice, managing to crawl close to Delta and then throwing herself on her like a protective dog, snarling at anyone who tried to get close. The woman who had been the original target, approached Val warily.

  “I need to help your friend, I’m a nurse.” She edged a little closer, visibly terrified of Val.

  “If you touch her I will kill you,” Val hissed, still under the influence of her anger.

  “I don’t want to die, but I don’t want her to either.” The woman moved another step closer and was almost in touching distance.

  Val breathed deeply. She could sense that she was trying to help and she was also immensely brave after what she had just witnessed. Val slumped backwards onto the ice and the girl moved in. She examined Delta quickly then turned to Val. “She’s going to be OK. I promise I won’t leave her.” She placed her hand on Val’s, then jumped back with a scream as Val vanished.

  Val landed on her feet in the gym.

  “Val!” Shane rushed over to her throwing a blanket around her shoulders as she proceeded to collapse to the floor.

  “Delta got stabbed and I couldn’t help her.” Val was shivering.

  “Jason and Fran are already on their way to the ice rink. We’ll know in a minute what’s going on.” Shane hugged Val.

  “Delta was bleeding. I think she’s dying.” Val was deeply frightened. It had gone too far. The thought of losing her friend was too much to contemplate.

  “Sorry to change the subject, but what the hell happened to you back there? You have completely messed up the computer and all our kit.” Sam came over to Val on the floor.

  “I don’t know. I lost the plot. I was so angry I couldn’t control my powers. It was as if they were controlling me.” She shuddered with the memory. “Get me to the hospital, please Sam.”

  Sam gave Val his hand and pulled her to her feet.

  “Are you sure you are OK to travel?” Shane interrupted like a protective father.

  “I need to get to Delta, Shane. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I’m not the one who has been stabbed.” Val moved towards the door. “Let’s go.” She opened it and Sam followed her.

  “Sam, take care of her, mate,” Shane called.

  “Aren’t you coming?” Sam asked.

  “No, I have things to do here,” Shane responded.

  Jason arrived at the ice rink to be met by ambulances, police and hysterical people. Fran grabbed one woman by the arm. “What’s happened?” Fran asked her sternly.

  “That girl off the TV was here. She just went mad. She’s not human. She was floating off the ground.” The woman was shaking and trying to get out of Fran’s grip, but Fran wasn’t ready to let her go.

  “What happened to the girl?” Fran demanded.

  “She blew everything up and threw this guy across the rink. I think he’s in an ambulance and a girl got stabbed.” The woman stopped to breathe.

  “Who got stabbed?” Fran tightened her grip, dreading the answer.

  “Some blonde girl.” The woman felt Fran’s grip loosen for a moment and took advantage of it to run.

  “Jason, I think we have a problem. I think Delta’s hurt,” Fran called to Jason. He grabbed her hand and pulled her through the crowd, which was moving in the opposite direction.

  The full extent of Val’s anger was apparent the moment they entered the rink. The ice had been completely cracked from one side to the other. There was a crater in the wall, which they could only assume was where the man had hit it.

  “I think she may be getting more powerful.” Fran gave Jason a concerned glance.

  “Look at the ice in the middle.” Jason pointed to a large pool of blood. Fran put her hand to her mouth.

  “That’s a lot of blood,” Fran whispered. They headed back outside trying to find out what had happened. “Hello strangers. Come to rescue me?” said a voice from behind Jason.

  “Delta!” Jason exclaimed, spinning around to come face to face with a paler than usual Delta.

  Delta smiled back at him.

  “Are you alright? You’re very pale. What happened?” Jason put an arm around Delta’s shoulders, as a man pushed past her.

  “It’s just a long graze.” Delta pulled at her top to show an elongated bandage around her upper back. “It’s nothing, but look at the lump on my head. Do you think it will be worse tomorrow?” Delta pulled up her fringe to show a small egg on her forehead.

  “But there was so much blood.” Fran looked confused.

  “Can’t answer that one, sorry. I was out cold.” Delta looked around. “Where’s Val?”

  “She left from the tattoo parlour so I assume she will be back there by now. Let’s give her a ring and find out.” Jason pulled out his mobile.

  The speed at which Val moved was disturbing. It was only when Sam managed to catch her up and informed her that she had walked past his car a few moments earlier, that she snapped her out of her shocked state. She stood still, looking lost and vulnerable.

  “I need to get to Delta, Sam,” she said, her voice breaking on a sob. “She’s my best friend. I can’t let anything happen to her.” Sam grabbed her hand and led her back to his car.

  “Wow, it’s so small and green and cute.” Val stood next to Sam’s car.

  “This is Sandy; she is a Racing Green Sagaris TVR. She goes from zero to sixty in three point seven seconds and her maximum speed is one hundred and eighty-five miles per hour. She is not cute. We will never have this conversation again and check your shoes before you get in.” Sam got into the car without looking back at Val who was standing on the curb not sure whether to laugh because Sam’s car was called Sandy or cry because he was truly a geek. She did neither, just checked her shoes and got in.

  On the way to the ice rink, Val received a call from Jason. She was relieved to hear that the blood had looked worse than it was. She sat back and relaxed
as she chatted to Jason. Then she spotted something that made her look back.

  “Stop, now!” Val shouted, shoving her phone in her pocket and cutting Jason off. She could feel Sam’s body tensing up as he slammed on the brakes. Val jumped out of the car and ran across the road.

  “Wendy!” Val yelled, but she was already too far away, entering a shop about fifty metres down the road. Sam was now hot on Val’s heels. They burst into the shop together to find a startled Wendy and shop owner gaping at them. Val felt a flush coming over her; they looked like Miami Vice on a bust.

  “Wendy, I need to talk to you, please. I am so sorry for the way I acted earlier on. I just don’t know what’s going on and who I can trust. Could you please tell me exactly what you know.”

  Wendy was still looking at her in shock. As Val got closer, it dawned on her just how much the woman behind the counter looked like Wendy.

  “This is my friend, Sam.” Val turned and Sam waved a hello. “He backed up the story you told me. I was under a lot of stress; I should have listened to you. I’m sorry.” Val gave a meek grin and touched Wendy’s arm. Wendy still hadn’t spoken and Val was starting to think she had burnt her only bridge.

  “Hello Sam.” Wendy smiled meekly at Sam. “Val, this is my mum.” Wendy moved over to let the woman through.

  “Val, I’m so honoured to meet you at last.” Wendy’s mum came around the counter slowly as if she was meeting the Queen.

  “Hello Mrs Whitmore, please accept my apologies for not listening to your daughter.” Val walked over and shook hands with Wendy’s mum who was now almost in tears.

  “We have waited for so long: all my life and my mother’s, and her mother before. We just didn’t know when you would arrive. All we knew was that we had to believe you would get here eventually.”

  Val was amazed. This woman seemed quite ordinary and yet her whole life had been spent waiting for someone who might or might not appear.