by R. Mason
Kamini ran.
She crunched through leaves, swatting branches out of her way, feeling a growl low in her throat for reasons she couldn’t understand. When she reached the spot, the overwhelming smell of blood nearly made her throw up. She looked around, dizzied by the scent, and spotted a shadow in front of a tree.
Without even approaching it, Kamini knew who it was.
Ayita.
She ran again.
Blood seeped into her jeans when her knees hit the ground. The smell was even worse here, but now it was mingled with the familiar smell of Ayita. Her love. Her love surrounded by blood.
“Who did this to you?”
All her senses were running wild, tingling with too much stimulation and emotion. Tears were running down her face before she could even listen for a heartbeat or a breath. There was nothing.
“No,” Kamini leaned in closer, her eyes adjusting to the darkness.
There, against the tree, Ayita’s head was lolled to one side, her eyes half closed, her skin deathly pale. Her love. Her Ayita. Her everything. Dead. Dead dead dead.
“Who did this to you?!” Kamini grabbed her face between two hands, like the lifeless body could answer her questions. Even with the half-closed eyes, Kamini could see the same look that was in them before. No fear. There was no fear. Why wasn’t she scared?
Her eyes fell to Ayita’s arms, fearing the worst. She retched.
Two deep slits. One in each wrist. Blood stained hands. A broken razor blade in a loose palm.
Kamini couldn’t think. She couldn’t breathe. She blinked. Once. Twice.
She was still holding Ayita’s face.
That beautiful auburn hair, those hazel eyes, the crooked teeth that used to be seen in a small smile. Gone. Taken by her own hand.
“Why?” Kamini pulled the girl close, uncaring about what may happen to her, “Why, why why.” She rocked, no more tears left, only the coldness of Ayita’s body to match the chill of the air. There was nothing she could do but shout until her throat was spent.
No thoughts, no pain, nothing. It was all going. Kamini could feel herself slipping. Her only reason, her only love, gone. Forever.
‘Just promise you’ll come with me?’
This is what she meant. This is what she had planned. That day, in the flat, that was when she decided. And Kamini let her.
“No, no, no,” It was nothing more than a harsh whisper. She looked up at the tree Ayita had been leant against, and saw an engraving. Initials in a heart. Now this tree would grow with Ayita’s blood. It was hers now.
“They will pay for this,” Kamini breathed, “One day, everyone who wronged you, everyone who hurt us, they will pay.”
She let Ayita’s head fall back, so she could see her face, the mouth agape, her skin almost grey.
“Then I will come with you,” Kamini brushed a hair out of her face and kissed her cold forehead, “It will be okay, little one.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
FAYE
There wasn’t much to do in the back room of Volkov’s other than panic.
It had been a while since Faye had texted Amethyst, since she’d said she was on her way to get her. The way she said it made Faye panic even more.
It’s Harper. Don’t say a thing.
How was she meant to react to that? She trusted Amethyst, of course, she always had. But this wasn’t like a trust fall, or getting to a football match on time. This was different. If Harper had something to do with Volkov disappearing, then did that make him a bad guy? Did he hurt him? Was Volkov even alive?
Fay couldn’t breathe. Again.
Shaking her head, she tried to keep herself from going to that dark place again. To the crypt. She wasn’t there, she was just trapped. There was no one coming to hurt her. Unless Harper was working with Kamini, and was just waiting for the monster to get there. What if Kamini got here before Amethyst did? What if she took Faye again? What if Leon and Harper were working together to capture all of them and-
“Faye?” The voice was accompanied by banging on the door.
“Amethyst?!” Faye ran to the door and jiggled the handle, but it still wouldn’t budge.
“Here,” That was Harper’s voice, and Faye reeled back, “I have a key.”
Her stomach dropped. He was coming in. The boy who had trapped her here in the first place was the one getting her out. What had he done to Amethyst to convince her he wasn’t evil? Or was she hurt?
“Hey,” Amethyst said gently, and Faye relaxed minutely. Amethyst, Harper, Dylan, and Leon had all piled into the room, looking at her with concern. Without realising it, Faye had started glaring at Harper, and Amethyst clicked in front of her face, her other hand on Faye’s shoulder, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” Faye moved her eyes to the girl in front of her, and remembered what she had been told to do. Don’t say anything, “I’m fine.”
“Good,” Amethyst looked like she was trying to communicate something without saying it, “Harper said Volkov texted him and said he would’ve been back soon to look after you,” She said, “He locked the doors to keep you safe.”
She didn’t look like she believed it, her lips pulled into a thin line. Faye nodded, though, and acted relieved.
“Thanks,” She said, glancing at Harper just briefly, knowing any more would make her sick to her stomach.
“No problem,” Harper shuffled nervously, looking around the room like something was about to jump out at him.
Amethyst’s hand was still on Faye’s shoulder, but she was looking at the desk behind her. She frowned. The wrinkle Faye had lovingly named the ‘I’m thinking’ wrinkle appeared in Amethyst’s forehead, and she addressed the room.
“You guys wait outside,” Amethyst said, “I want to talk to Faye for a second.”
“Let us know if you need anything,” Dylan said with a small smile, then led the other two out of the room.
Faye watched Amethyst instead of the others and tried to guess what this was about. She was still staring at the desk. As soon as the others had left, she walked over and picked up the pot of tablets Faye had seen earlier.
“What are they?” Faye asked, “I mean, I didn’t think some magical guy would need vitamins.”
“They’re not vitamins,” Amethyst breathed, “They take your powers. Only for a little bit of time.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because I was given one before I saw Kamini again,” Amethyst held the pot in a tight fist, and looked like she was about to throw it, but put it in her jacket pocket instead. She took in a deep breath, then met Faye’s eyes, “Let’s go.”
“Wait,” Faye grabbed her arm before she could leave, “What are we doing?” She dropped her voice to a whisper, “Is Harper evil or not?”
“I don’t know,” Amethyst said, “I just- I don’t believe his story about Volkov and now that these are here,” She looked down at her pocket, “We have to be careful.”
“What about Leon? What did he tell you?”
“Enough,” Amethyst’s eyes shuttered, and Faye knew she wouldn’t get much detail, “We need to go back to Dylan’s with Leon, and we can talk about it more then. But we don’t have much time. We need to kill Kamini before the Summer Solstice.”
“But that’s in two days,” Faye gaped, “How are we-”
“I don’t know,” Amethyst interrupted, “But we have to.”
“You can’t fight her on the full moon.”
“I might have to,” Amethyst sighed, “Unless you want to do it today.”
Faye hated the determined look on Amethyst’s face. Her Amethyst. Her Amethyst that was kind, hilarious, light-hearted, and loyal. There was something cruel in her eyes, something that Faye didn’t recognise. Ever since Faye was taken, something had changed in her. In the way that she looked at Faye.
Instead of the lightness of before, there was fear. Amethyst was scared for her.
Of all the things Faye wanted Amethyst to do for her, killing s
omeone wasn’t one of them. It wasn’t even close.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Now that they knew what Kamini was planning, or, at least, what Leon wanted to tell them about what Kamini was planning, there was only so much they could do.
It was all about the Summer Solstice. Her, Volkov, all magical creatures. The Summer Solstice controlled it all. Harper said that for Volkov, he lost his powers. It was different for werewolves. They became more powerful.
Kamini was waiting for the Summer Solstice to slaughter the entire town.
Leon didn’t know why, and hadn’t dared ask, but that’s what was happening.
In Amethyst’s opinion, there had to be more to it. If that was what Kamini had had planned all along, then why did she want to take Amethyst away when she had kidnapped Faye? Why had she tried to leave? What was her motive for slaughtering an entire town of people she didn’t know? If it was out of pure malice, then it’d be a random attack. A killing spree. That wasn’t what this was. This was personal.
“You can sleep in there,” Dylan said to Leon, gesturing at the basement door, “I have duvets and pillows in my cupboard upstairs, and I’ll tell my mum you’re a friend passing through,” He crossed his arms, looking bored, but Amethyst could tell it was a façade, “Good enough?”
“It isn’t a five-star hotel,” Leon mused, “But it also isn’t a forest floor, so I love it.”
“Good,” Dylan smile was fake and wide as he opened the door, “Now go down there, while we talk up here.”
Leon looked around at all of them with a pinched expression. Amethyst couldn’t tell if it was because he wished he could help more or regretted helping at all. Without another word, he went down to the basement. Dylan slammed the door behind him and rolled his eyes.
“Now that he’s gone,” He said, “We need to actually make a plan. We can’t wing it.”
“No,” Harper agreed, “Kamini must’ve been planning this for a long time, so she’ll have back up plans.”
“Ones we couldn’t predict,” Amethyst added, carefully not meeting his eyes.
“Exactly,” Harper said, unaffected.
“We know that Kamini is impulsive,” Faye said, “She took me based on what Leon said, and she can’t have planned the attack on the football field because it was a spontaneous practise. We need to give her something to get distracted by. Bait her into going against her plans.”
“But this plan is bigger,” Harper argued, “She wouldn’t be swayed.”
“I can sway her,” Amethyst said, and all eyes turned to her.
“No,” Faye shook her head, “Not happening.”
“I can ask her to meet me. Say that I want to see her. If she’s fixated on me because of her ex then she’ll want to see me. Above anything else.”
“You can’t guarantee that,” Dylan said, “If she didn’t turn up, then all of it would happen anyway and we wouldn’t be able to stop it. We have no idea how she’s actually planning on killing everyone. Is it a massacre or something else?”
“We have to take that risk, Dylan,” Amethyst groaned. She needed them to see things from her point of view, “She’s not the only one who can have a backup plan. Think about it, if she did meet me, then we’d have her where we wanted her to be, and we could leave a trap for her. Something to stop her until the Summer Solstice is over.”
“But then what about next year?” Dylan argued, “And the year after that? If we don’t have a way to kill her then she’ll just come back for more.”
“Then we kill her,” Amethyst shrugged, “We find a way.”
“How?” Faye asked, and the cogs whirring in Dylan’s head were almost audible.
Harper was silent, staring at the floor tiles with a thoughtful frown.
“Harper?” Amethyst grabbed his attention, and his head shot up.
“I think-” He pursed his lips- “I think it’s a good idea. You’re the only leverage we have.”
That was what Amethyst wanted. If they had to include Harper in the planning, then he could know the surface of it. That way, if he was working with Kamini, he would go running to her with the information. She would know it was a trap. Then whatever the real plan was could start.
“Thanks,” Amethyst said, instead of voicing her thoughts, “Have we thought about just killing her normally? That it doesn’t require something special?”
“I don’t know,” Faye tilted her head, “How do you normally kill people?”
The room fell into silence. Presumably, none of them had killed anyone before. It was a safe assumption to make. None of them even had any weapons apart from kitchen knives. Even the thought of killing someone made Amethyst nervous. She had never wanted to do it. Now she had to.
“I could kill her,” Amethyst bit her lip, “If I was a wolf. If we did it on the full moon.”
“You’re not in control when you’re a wolf, Ace,” Faye reminded her gently, “If you can’t think properly, then I doubt your instincts will tell you to kill the wolf that bit you. Isn’t there some sort of control they have over you?”
She was right. Amethyst couldn’t trust her wolf to know to kill Kamini. If anything, it would flock to her, help her. It wasn’t a good plan. Unless-
“But on the full moon, you can get to me,” It felt odd to say it aloud, to admit that Faye was the only one that mattered when she was turning, “If you can calm me down, I could be coherent enough to know what to do.”
“But what if you’re not?” Faye gaped, “I can barely get through to you when there’s only me at stake. If we’re talking about the entire town?” She shook her head, “I can’t do that.”
“You might have to,” Dylan said, “We don’t have many options.”
“So,” Faye held a hand up, “Our plan is to lure Kamini into some kind of trap by telling her Amethyst wants to see her, keep her there, then sic wolf Amethyst on her with the hope that I will have been able to get her consciousness back,” She scoffed, “No offence, but you never remember full moons, Amethyst. Even when you’re not actively trying to maul me, you aren’t thinking like yourself.”
“Well, when you say it like that, it sounds ridiculous,” Dylan muttered.
“It is a ridiculous idea,” Amethyst said, “But unless you have any better ones, we should probably get started.”
Again, Amethyst felt the odd sense of being a leader. Harper, Faye, and Dylan were looking at her as if waiting for orders. She raised her chin, and looked at Harper first.
“Go buy a whiteboard and some pens,” She said, “And snacks. We’re going to be a while.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
With Harper gone, Amethyst had to update the other two on what was going on inside her head. Faye was up for it immediately, but Dylan needed some convincing.
“What?” He asked incredulously, “You’re kidding.”
“No,” Amethyst replied, “We’re not. Harper isn’t trustworthy right now, so I need to you to trust me instead.”
“This is stupid,” Dylan stepped away from the kitchen counter, as if wanting to storm out of his own house, “He wouldn’t- he wouldn’t hurt Volkov. Harper wouldn’t hurt anyone. I don’t know what that carving means, but it doesn’t mean that Harper is working with them. It just doesn’t.”
“It doesn’t mean that,” Amethyst held a hand out in front of her, like you would for a stray cat, “But it does mean that we have to keep some things to ourselves. Just in case.”
“I can’t keep things from Harper,” Dylan shook his head, eyes filled with pain. Amethyst tried to think about what she would do in this situation, if someone had just told her that Faye was plotting against her. She wouldn’t believe them. Even if Faye plunged her hand into Amethyst’s chest and clawed out her still beating heart, Amethyst would manage to convince herself there was some other explanation.
There was no convincing Dylan that his best friend was a traitor. She needed another approach.
“If he isn’t working with Kamini, and we are comple
tely wrong,” Amethyst said slowly, putting her hand down, feeling condescending, “Then this will just keep him safe. Someone who doesn’t know what is really going on can’t be hurt.”
“It’s better this way,” Faye said from where she was leant against the counter, a cup of tea between her hands, “We don’t feel like we can trust him, and you want to keep him safe.”
“Not telling someone something doesn’t keep them safe,” Dylan shook his head again, still disbelieving, “We learned that from you, Amethyst.”
“This isn’t about me,” Amethyst gritted her teeth, “This is about the fact that your best friend’s name is carved into Volkov’s desk, who hasn’t been seen since the first time I met him. He might not be up to something, but he has given us plenty of reason to think he is.”
“This is Harper we’re talking about,” Dylan pleaded, “He helped save you,” He pointed at Faye, “And he convinced you to fight,” He blinked rapidly, wiping at his eyes, “He wouldn’t hurt any of us. He wouldn’t hurt me.”
“We don’t know that,” Amethyst said gently, all her anger draining out of her. Dylan groaned, his forearm covering his eyes, “I’m sorry, Dylan.”
“We can trust him,” He said, voice breaking, his eyes still covered, “Please.”
“There isn’t much time before he gets back,” Faye put her cup down, and walked over to Amethyst’s side, “We need to get started.”
“Dylan?” Amethyst couldn’t look away from the boy practically falling apart in front of her. He sniffled, and dropped his arm. No one commented on his red rimmed eyes.
“I just- just give me a minute.” He turned away from them both, clearly embarrassed, and ran upstairs. They watched him go, silent. Amethyst’s stomach felt heavy.
“He needed to know,” Faye said quietly.
“If we’re wrong,” Amethyst clenched her fists, “Then we just broke his heart for nothing.”