The Spark_What does death feel like?

by R. Mason

  They were civil, offering food or drinks, saying excuse me when they needed to get past, please and thank you. Other than that, there was nothing. Amethyst missed it. She knew it was for the best. They were better off without each other. Whenever Amethyst looked at Faye, she felt guilty, and whenever Faye was with Amethyst, she was in danger.

  Not that Faye knew, but if she was nowhere near Amethyst, she was less likely to be used as bait. It was better. That was what kept Amethyst going, telling herself that. It was like a mantra. She’s better off without you. That’s what she told herself before going to sleep, consumed with thoughts about her best friend. That’s what she told herself when they passed each other in the corridor, not acknowledging each other.

  “What’s happening between you and Faye?” Yeva had asked her one day in Chemistry, twirling her pen between her fingers. Amethyst had frowned, not knowing what to say. How could she explain what was going on in a way that gave nothing away?

  “Lovers’ tiff,” Amethyst said lightly, trying to sound joking. Yeva had just nodded understandingly, her gaze moving to the front of the class again. Amethyst’s frown deepened, “Wait, Yeva, you didn’t think that me and-”

  “It’s okay,” Yeva patted Amethyst’s forearm comfortingly, “You don’t have to explain. If you’re not ready to tell people about your relationship, that’s your business.”

  “We’re not in a relationship,” Amethyst shook her head, “We were never in a relationship.”

  “Really?” Yeva smiled, sounding as if she was about to laugh, “You don’t have to lie to me. I’m around you all the time in classes, and Faye at football practise. All you do is talk about each other. It’s pretty obvious how you feel.”

  Amethyst’s heart dropped. Was it? Was she so transparent to everyone, including Yeva and Leon? How had they all seen through her so easily? She slouched into her chair, staring at the front of the class without focusing on anything.

  “It’s obvious?” Amethyst asked quietly, her voice sounding more broken than she meant it to.

  “Wait,” Yeva turned to her eyes wide, “You’re really not together? What the hell? You’ve just, like, ruined my view of the world.”

  “Oh God,” Amethyst put her head in her hands, her cheeks burning, “I’m so see through.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Yeva gushed, “I didn’t mean to out you like that, I just-”

  “It’s fine, just-” Amethyst groaned- “Never talk about it ever again. Please.”

  “Of course,” Amethyst heard Yeva make a zipping sound, “My lips are sealed.”

  For the rest of the day, all Amethyst could think about was the fact that her feelings for Faye seemed to be known by everyone apart from Faye. Unless she knew too, and that was why she was being so dismissive to her. Maybe she had figured it out when she was taken. Why else would they take the friend of the person they’re targeting? It’d make more sense to take the mother, or the stand in brother, maybe the father if they could even find him. But the best friend? No, that motive was obvious.

  Dylan caught up to her after school on the third day. His eye was nearly completely healed, but there was a gnarly cut on his upper lip that stretched up halfway towards his eye. It almost made Amethyst wince, seeing it all cleaned up and bare, instead of scabbed over and surrounded by bruises. She didn’t know why it was worse, but it was.

  “Me and Harper are going to Volkov’s if you want to come with,” Dylan said without preamble, matching Amethyst’s pace as she walked down the front steps of the school, “We’re going to look through his dusty book collection and see if they have anything on Kamini.”

  “Why would they have something about Kamini?”

  “Well, not Kamini specifically,” Dylan shrugged, tugging on the straps of his backpack, “On more powerful werewolves. In Volkov’s passage about it, he said that there was something more powerful about her. And you.”

  “Let’s not bring me into this,” Amethyst spotted Volkov’s car, and could see the silhouette of Harper sat in the driver’s seat, “I’ll come. But we talk about Kamini, not what she might’ve done to me. Capeesh?”

  “Totally,” Dylan nodded, then opened the passenger door and gestured for Amethyst to get in.

  “Not calling shotgun?” Amethyst raised her eyebrows, and Dylan smiled.

  “Nah, I like to sprawl out in the back like a cat.”

  “Don’t talk about cats in a car full of werewolves, D.”

  “As if you’d do anything to hurt me,” Dylan said with confidence, but Harper didn’t reply, instead turning to look at Amethyst when she sat down.

  “How’re your knuckles?” Amethyst held her hands up instead of answering, and looked at the healing scabs, “You haven’t picked them. You are a stronger man than I.”

  “Sexist,” Both Amethyst and Dylan said at the same time, and smiled at each other.

  “It’s a phrase!”

  “Should I text Faye and ask her to meet us there?” Dylan asked innocently, and Amethyst winced.

  “No,” Harper answered for her, clearly having noticed her reaction, “We’ll do this just the three of us.”

  “Okay,” Dylan said slowly, leaning back in his seat, “Put some tunes on!”

  “Tunes, tunes, tunes!” Amethyst chanted, banging her hands on the dash, trying to wash Faye away from her mind. Harper smiled at them both before turning the radio on, and both Amethyst and Dylan cheered, dancing to the crappy song that was playing, even though neither of them knew the words.

  ◆◆◆

  It all seemed like fun and games until they actually got there. Amethyst was handed three large books that let out a cloud of dust when they were dropped into her arms. She coughed and spluttered, then dropped them onto the desk at the front of the florist’s. It was closed at the moment, and Volkov was having a nap in the back room. Harper had a few books in the back room where Volkov was sleeping, Dylan was in the room where they had all gone on that first day to look in the book of weird psychic passages. Amethyst was glad to be in the front. There was some light coming in from the blinds, and the flowers smelt strong enough for her to appreciate them without being so strong that Amethyst would want to tear her own nose off.

  The three books she had were titled:

  THE WERE AND WHEN,

  THE SPARK: VOLUME ONE,

  And,

  WEREWOLVES FOR DUMMIES

  Amethyst wasn’t sure if these were all written by people involved with the supernatural. If so, they were good at marketing, even if it was a very niche market they were appealing to. For some reason, Amethyst always had this image of books about werewolves and other magical beings being old, grey, brown and pull of parchment paper. Probably written by monks, too.

  It turns out that the supernatural updated their information just like everyone else did, with pun titles and google catch-all terms. Go them.

  She started with THE SPARK: VOLUME ONE.

  It has been said that in the ancient times, before werewolves and other supernatural creatures, there were simply those with the spark and those without. Those with the spark could perform magic, those without were referred to as ‘The Sparkless’. In the Salem Witch Hunt, those with the spark were hunted and killed. Before this, there were many places that prosecuted those with the spark. It was an evolutionary progression, but it was not accepted. Like a human sprouting gills, those with the spark were snuffed out.

  Amethyst frowned. It made sense, that these people genuinely existed. The sudden fascination with witches couldn’t have just been sexism, after all. She read on.

  Though The Sparkless believed that they had ridded the world of those with the spark, it was not so. During these hard times, those with the spark passed it on in discrete and evil ways. Some turned humans into bloodsucking monsters, giving them some of their spark so they could create chaos in the human world. Some allowed people to pass from human form into animal form at will.

  There was a reference on the next page, to choose to go to sp
ecific magical events or creatures. They weren’t referred to as magical of course, but as ‘spark filled’.

  The Werewolf

  Amethyst pressed her lips into a thin line. It would’ve been interesting to read about something like this before she was reading about herself. It was surreal. She shook the feeling away, and turned to the page about werewolves.

  Those with the spark turned many people into ‘monsters’, giving them gifts that should not have been bestowed upon the Sparkless. One of these creatures was the Werewolf. At first, they were given the gift to turn into animals at their own will, but the gift became warped, and turned into a curse. Whether this was the doing of a collection of witches, or just a side effect of the Sparkless being spark-filled, we cannot know. Over time, the Werewolf became uncontrollable. Instead of turning at will, into whichever animal they pleased, it was only the wolf. Only on the full moon. It happened gradually, as it is said that there are some out there that can still turn at will, or into other creatures apart from the wolf.

  Amethyst turned the page, fascinated. Was it possible that the reason Kamini was so special was because she could turn at will? Could she turn into other creatures apart from a wolf?

  It was worth it to the spark-filled. They would let their spark³ carry on, even though they may die.

  There was a reference number above ‘spark’, and Amethyst turned the page to see where it led. It said to turn to another page in order to get more information on how the spark affected the curse, and Amethyst followed the trail until she reached a passage of information on it.

  If someone with the spark has this curse passed onto them, then they are more powerful than any before them. Depending on the strand of the spark, they may be affected differently. Some may get the abilities that were first intended, or have amplified versions of those that have evolved. These Werewolves are extremely dangerous, and should be killed if hostile.

  “But how are they killed?” Amethyst muttered to herself. There was no further reference, nowhere for Amethyst to go next in the book. Did Kamini have the spark before she was turned? Was that why she was so powerful? Amethyst put a piece of paper from the desk into the page she wanted to keep, and closed the book so she could go show Dylan, “Dylan!” She shouted, walking into the next room. The boy in question was sat at a scruffy desk, engrossed in a book, wearing glasses. Amethyst’s eyes widened, “You wear glasses?”

  “Not all of us have werewolf vision,” Dylan smiled slightly, looking up from his book, “Found something?”

  “I think so,” Amethyst slammed the book down and opened to the page she had saved, “This said that if someone already has the ‘spark’, or a strand of it, when they’re turned into a werewolf, they’ll be a more powerful version. It says more powerful than ever before, but I’m assuming that means in the chain of the curse and not, like, ever.”

  “That could be something,” Dylan read the passage for himself, then nodded, “This is definitely something. Harper!”

  “Ssshhh,” Amethyst scolded him, “Isn’t Volkov sleeping?”

  “Who cares?” Dylan scoffed, “That man sleeps for three quarters of his life.”

  “Yeah?” Harper’s head popped out from the doorway on the other side of the room, and Dylan beckoned him over with a wave of his hand. There was something easy and natural between those two, like they were Yin and Yang, fitting perfectly. Every time Amethyst saw them interact, it was like they were the same person, bouncing off each other’s ideas like they were their own.

  “Amethyst found this,” Dylan said, “We think this could be why Kamini is so,” He shrugged, “Powerful, I guess.”

  “Hm,” Harper leant over Amethyst’s shoulder to read the passage, and his body was warming her side. She swallowed, hoping her heartbeat wasn’t audibly speeding up, “Does it say how we can kill her?”

  “No,” Amethyst said, her voice shaking slightly. She cleared her throat and tried again, “No, there’s no references from there out.”

  “Crap,” Harper chewed on his bottom lip, staring at the book as if it would start writing itself, giving them all the answers they needed.

  It felt like a dead end, like this was where they stopped, gave up, and did what Kamini wanted. If Amethyst went with her now, there was a guarantee that everyone would be safe. It’s not like Kamini was holding anyone hostage anymore. The only thing Amethyst had to stay for now was her mum, but she was just a burden on her anyway.

  Her phone buzzed in her pocket, breaking her out of the destructive train of thought.

  PAIN IN MY ASS

  Yo, are you busy tonight? There’s a new movie with that bendydick collywobbles in it. Wanna go see it with me?

  Amethyst smiled. Ash. Of course, there was Ash too. And now she had Dylan, and Harper. Her life needed to stop revolving around Faye. It wasn’t healthy, really, to have her happiness depend completely on a friend she was hopelessly in love with but could never have.

  She tapped out a reply.

  Only if you pay. And it’s Benedict Cumberbatch, bitch. Have some respect for my future husband.

  PAIN IN MY ASS

  I think you mean MY future husband

  Amethyst laughed a little, and both Harper and Dylan were looking at her when she put her phone away.

  “Funny text?” Harper asked at the same time as Dylan saying, “Are you talking to Faye again?”

  “Yes,” She said to Harper, “And no,” She said to Dylan, who looked more disappointed than he should, “You need to stop being so invested in my life.”

  “I don’t have one, so yours is the only entertainment I have,” Dylan pouted.

  “We’re at a florist/psychic’s shop, looking at books about werewolves and other supernatural beings to find out how to defeat a sexual predator werewolf who wants me to be her sex slave, and who has already kidnapped one of your friends. You’ve also managed to get a bad guy turned good guy werewolf to save your life, and your best friend is a born wolf that you have a weird flirtationship with,” Amethyst said all in one breath, “I think your life is plenty interesting.”

  “Wow,” Harper breathed, “That was quite concise, and accurate.”

  “We don’t have a flirtationship,” Dylan looked at Harper in the corner of his eye, his ears bright red.

  “We kind of do,” Harper shrugged, looking smug. When Dylan’s blush deepened, he pulled the boy into a hug turned noogie and grinned, “I’ll go wake Volkov and ask him about killing werewolves with a spark. Wait here.”

  “Have you made it your life mission to embarrass me?” Dylan asked bitterly, sorting out his hair and completely failing.

  “Yes,” Amethyst said completely seriously, keeping her face blank. Frustration getting the best of her, she hit Dylan’s hands way from his hair and sorted it out for herself. Damn kid would be lost without her.

  ◆◆◆

  Harper didn’t let them in the back room. Apparently Volkov was grouchy when he had just been woken up, so it was safer for only one of them to bother him. Dylan and Amethyst just sat at the desk, twiddling their thumbs, until Dylan suggested making flower bouquets. It didn’t take long for Amethyst to agree.

  “That’s pretty,” Dylan commented, coming to Amethyst side, “Very blue.”

  “Yeah, it’s my favourite colour,” Amethyst smiled. She didn’t mention that it was Faye’s favourite colour too. Maybe she could give it to her, to say sorry for everything. It reminded her of a day they spent together a few years ago, hanging out in Faye’s back garden while her dad made them dinner.

  “There’s a bunch of wildflowers back there,” Faye pointed out past the gate that separated her garden from the field, “Come pick them with me?”

  Amethyst laid down her skipping rope and looked at where Faye was pointing. She had bad allergies, and sniffled just at the thought of having all that long grass near her nose. But Faye was smiling at her so sweetly, so excited to get her hands on some wildflowers. Amethyst just nodded.

  They scurried
over to the fence, and climbed, before falling not-so-gracefully onto the other side. It grazed Amethyst’s knees but she didn’t mind. Brushing her fingers, over the grass, breathing in the fresh pollen-y air, Amethyst almost didn’t think about how much sniffling pain she would be in later.

  “Here!” Faye called out to her, and Amethyst ran over, feeling the rocks and mud beneath her feet, wishing she had worn her boots instead of pumps. The pumps had Batman stickers on, though, so it was worth it.

  Faye was standing by a collection of flowers, grinning at them, already stooping to grab some in her hands. For a moment, Amethyst just watched her. She didn’t know why. Everything Faye did was fascinating. The way she moved her hands, the way her mouth tilted into a smile on the left before the right, that glitter in her eyes when she talked about something she liked. There were butterflies in Amethyst’s stomach, and fizziness in her head. She joined Faye in her crouch just to make it go away, and made sure to pick all the blue ones just to see her friend smile.

  Amethyst didn’t know why she felt that way at the time, but later, she’d realise she felt for Faye what other girls felt for boys. She liked boys too, sure. They were cute and funny, and she’d had plenty of crushes in the past. Faye was different. She was a constant. Throughout her life, every time a crush faded, Faye was still there. No matter how cute the boy, or girl, that caught Amethyst’s attention, she always just came back to Faye.

  “Think fast,” Harper’s voice came from behind them and Amethyst was hit in the face with a wad of paper, “You were- um- you were meant to catch that.”

  “I didn’t,” Amethyst stated, slightly annoyed. She rubbed her face, bending down to pick up the offending object, “What is this?”

  “Ingredients.”

  “Long list or big font?” Dylan looked at the paper over Amethyst’s shoulder, his bottom lip sucked into his mouth. From what Amethyst could see, it was just a really freaking long list. How were they meant to find all this?