A Night without Stars

by Sabrina Albis

  Mr. Garrison grinned, clearly impressed by Autumn’s passionate explanation.

  “You are headstrong and a born leader, all excellent qualities,” he tapped his pen on his desk rhythmically. “So if it’s not the other kids, what has you stressed out Autumn?”

  Autumn said nothing. This was where the honesty ended. She couldn’t tell anyone about her secret life. Nothing could be said about hunting monsters or Eric’s spell. She couldn’t explain the overwhelming urge to fight things that lurked in the shadows. She couldn’t say despite her fear of death she soldiered on.

  Mr. Garrison would ask her why. Why did she put her life at risk?

  She didn’t want to give him the answer.

  That it was because no one else would.

  Or because it made her feel superhuman. She felt exceptional, like she had a reason for being, for breathing, for living.

  She didn’t walk her lonely path alone. However, not being able to tell Mr. Garrison the truth, made her feel more alone than ever.

  “Autumn?” Mr. Garrison said, breaking into her reverie.

  She looked up at him and saw the worry in his eyes. Did he sense she wanted to tell him the truth? Did he realize he had almost broken down her barriers?

  Still, almost just wouldn’t be enough.

  Either way, she needed an answer. She needed a believable reason for acting so jittery.

  “I think it’s just exams,” she lied, looking into his eyes with some effort.

  “Really?” Mr. Garrison sounded unconvinced. “Are you sure?”

  “Yep,” Autumn said with as much certainty as she could muster. “Everything else is just peachy.”

  She forced a smile.

  “Well Autumn, in that case, you have nothing to worry about. You are a straight-A student. If you keep it up, you will graduate with flying colors. Probably even make the honor roll.”

  “Thanks,” she said gratefully. “Exams. They just strike fear in my heart.”

  “I understand,” he said, smiling. “Only the best students worry about exams, but you are gifted. You have nothing to be concerned about. Just keep strong notes and study hard. Did you want,” he was cut off by knocking on the door.

  Mr. Garrison and Autumn looked over to see Rick watching them through the small square window.

  Mr. Garrison waved him in and Rick opened the door, stepping inside the office.

  “Can I help you Rick?” Mr. Garrison asked. Rick shook his head as he shut the door behind him.

  “Nope. Just here for moral support. For my girlfriend Autumn,” he said loudly, taking a seat beside her.

  Mr. Garrison looked confused. “Alright then. By all means, join us.”

  “I will,” Rick replied, snatching Autumn’s hand.

  Mr. Garrison looked at the ceiling. “Where were we Autumn? Oh yes,” he reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a pamphlet.

  “Its got some good studying tips. Most of them are pretty basic but I always feel better when someone leaves my office with a pamphlet.”

  “Oh no,” Rick said. “She doesn’t need any pamphlets from you Romeo.”

  Mr. Garrison looked stunned and perhaps amused by Rick’s outburst.

  “Rick, it’s a pamphlet not my phone number.”

  “Oh it starts with pamphlets then its flowers and candlelight dinners,” Rick said accusingly. “Come to think of it, maybe your number is written somewhere in the pamphlet.” He grabbed it and leafed through it wildly.

  Autumn nudged Rick in the arm sharply.

  “Ouch!” he barked.

  “Rick! What is wrong with you?” She looked at Mr. Garrison apologetically. “I’m so sorry.”

  Mr. Garrison cleared his throat brusquely. “Not a problem.”

  “I should go,” Autumn said, standing up. She had never been more humiliated in her whole life.

  “Yes we should go,” Rick added. Autumn shot him a deadly glare.

  She looked back to Mr. Garrison, her face hot with embarrassment.

  “I’m so sorry again,” she said inaudibly. “And thanks for the pamphlet.”

  Then she turned on her heel and left Rick in her dust.

  “Goodbye Autumn,” Mr. Garrison called out behind her. “Come back anytime!”

  Autumn raced through the empty halls, fuming and eager to avoid Rick.

  How dare he be jealous, of her guidance consoler nonetheless? She picked up her pace and heard Rick’s footsteps behind her, getting closer.

  “Aut, wait up!” Rick called out.

  When she finally made it to her car, she spun around. Seeing Rick behind her, grinning like a foolish child who just did something naughty, ignited the anger inside her, causing it to explode.

  “What the hell is wrong with you?” she asked sharply as she opened the driver-side door. “You were acting really immature in there! You made me look ridiculous! You made you look ridiculous!

  “I did not!” Rick shouted back.

  “Oh! Very mature response!” Autumn said getting into the car and slamming the door shut. She took some deep, steadying breaths as Rick got into the passenger side. She didn’t want to drive angry, so she sat there, staring out the windshield, stone-faced.

  A few moments passed, and Rick reached over and gently brushed Autumn’s hair away from her face. His blue eyes searched for some clemency, some weakness in her protective wall. She tried her best to be stubborn, but he always tore down her defenses, even when they were little.

  “I am jealous of him,” Rick admitted, his voice inaudible.

  Autumn turned, facing him. She met his gaze for a second, reeling from his revelation.

  “He is faculty Rick.”

  “All the girls swoon over him,” Rick muttered. “And he seems especially fond of you.”

  Autumn frowned. She didn’t notice Mr. Garrison giving her any extra attention.

  “He does not.”

  “He flirts with you.”

  “He doesn’t flirt with me,” Autumn said defensively.

  “He does,” Rick said, looking towards his feet. “Or it looks that way I guess.”

  “You shouldn’t say those things Rick,” Autumn said, trying her best to stay calm. “If that gets around not only will Mr. Garrison be in trouble. I’ll be the girl he flirted with.”

  Rick sighed, defeated. “I’m sorry.”

  “You are just being insecure,” Autumn said sympathetically. She knew the feeling of self-doubt all too well. Besides, a small part of her did enjoy the fact that he was jealous.

  “And you have no reason to be. All I want is you.”

  “I know,” Rick said softly. “But it’s not like I’m really good at anything.”

  “What are you talking about? You are good at things Rick.”

  “Like what? Fighting and hunting? When Eric uses that spell to seal the caves,” Rick stared out the window like he was lost. “I won’t even have that anymore. I’ll be back to boring, useless Rick.”

  “You aren’t boring or useless,” Autumn interjected as she took his hand and squeezed it. “Monster hunting is something you excel at Rick but when that’s over, you will go back to exceling at other things.”

  “Like?” Rick asked, the ghost of a smile upon his face.

  “Like skateboarding, or training with your sword,” she paused. “And being my boyfriend, which you do very remarkably, may I add.”

  Rick’s lips spread into a huge smile.

  “So it’s official huh? We are together now.”

  “I tried to resist it,” Autumn confessed. “But I just can’t anymore.”

  Rick took her face into his hands and kissed her gently.

  This was where she was meant to be, she thought to herself. This was home.

  22

  When Autumn and Rick pulled into Er
ic’s driveway after school, Nathaniel’s van was already there, and the gates were wide open. To Autumn, this was symbolic.

  Eric, once a secretive, closed-off teenager, finally let her in, beyond his walls.

  It could be metaphorical or literal.

  Her heart swelled with joy. She had taken the chance to reach out to him and now she couldn’t imagine life without Eric.

  As they exited the car and headed towards Eric’s front door, Autumn realized everything had finally come together.

  The spell was ready. The caves would soon be sealed, and Whitan would be safe once again.

  Eric’s old demons would be banished with the actual demons.

  They rang the doorbell once and were instantly greeted by the sound of Eric’s voice over the intercom.

  “Eric, it’s us.” Autumn said.

  “Perfect,” he replied and the intercom buzzed. Not long after, the front door swung open, with Eric behind it.

  “Come in guys,” he said, holding the door open. “Nate and Mand are here.”

  As they followed Eric into the now-familiar great room, he turned, grinning at them.

  “I have a surprise for you both,” he said, looking quite pleased.

  “A new car? Oh Eric you shouldn’t have,” Rick teased.

  Eric chuckled. “Do you think I’m loaded Jacobs?”

  “You are,” Rick replied bluntly. “So. What is it?”

  “Rick, hasn’t anyone ever told you that patience is a virtue?” Eric asked as they approached the entrance to the great room.

  “Yes, but it’s not my virtue,” Rick admitted.

  They walked into the great room where Mandy and Nathaniel sat, awfully close together, on a cream colored couch.

  Autumn and Rick exchanged greetings with them, then proceeded to sit down.

  Autumn loved this room almost as much as the library. The floor to ceiling windows, the red velveteen drapes and the hardwood flooring. All of it reminded her of the old-fashioned mansions they featured in movies.

  “So how was your meeting with Mr. Sexyison?” Mandy asked, leaning towards Autumn eagerly.

  “Can you stop calling him that?” Nathaniel said, deflated. “It’s truly repulsive.”

  “He wanted to know why I’ve been stressed out. No big.”

  “And then he offered you a tantalizing back rub to relax you?” Mandy asked, her brown eyes wide with anticipation.

  “Yes. Then the school board came and carted him away for fondling a student,” Autumn said sarcastically. “Really. He just wanted answers. Answers I obviously couldn’t give him.”

  “That’s all?” Mandy grumbled, looked disappointed.

  “Afraid so,” Autumn replied. “The boring life I lead. Now Mister King,” she turned to Eric. “The floor is all yours.”

  Eric who, as always, had been listening to his friends intently, smiled gratefully at Autumn.

  “You are a peach sweetie,” he winked at her, taking a seat in a high-backed ivory chair.

  “As I told everyone, I have a surprise for you all,” he began.

  “And it’s not a car!” Rick said, looking downtrodden. “I already checked.”

  “Oh it’s better,” Eric said, and he reached into his shirt, pulling out a necklace. Upon closer inspection, it was an oval amethyst amulet. As Eric held it up into the light, it glimmered like a thousand diamonds.

  “It’s beautiful,” Autumn said, mysteriously transfixed by it.

  “That it is,” Eric said. “But beauty is only part of its appeal. This amulet was passed down in my family for generations.”

  “There were two. One was my mothers and the other my fathers,” he explained, his dark eyes wandering to each captivated face. “Arabella, has the other. They basically allow us to use magic to communicate with one another mentally.”

  Autumn’s mouth hung open. An amulet that made Eric telepathic? If she hadn’t already witnessed the scrying bowl and Eric’s other tricks, she wouldn’t have believed him for a second.

  “So if I wore one and you the other, we could communicate telepathically?” Autumn asked.

  “Yep,” Eric said, clutching the necklace tightly. “It’s usually how Arabella and I communicate.”

  “That’s one way to beat long distance bills,” Autumn joked.

  “It is also a tracker,” Eric went on. “Say I was unconscious in the middle of nowhere. This amulet would allow Arabella to find me.”

  Of all the magic items Eric had shown them, this one was by far, the most interesting. Eric went on to pass around the amulet for everyone to see.

  When Autumn finally handed it back to him, Eric placed the amulet around his neck.

  “Watch this,” he said.

  His eyes closed, and the amulet began to glow. A gentle humming sound resonated around them, and the air shifted and when the glowing and humming stopped, Eric opened his eyes. Seconds later, a shadow began forming in the middle of the room.

  The shadow began taking shape, lazily morphing into a large rectangle.

  A bright light throbbed and it was like staring directly into the sunlight. Autumn closed her eyes and when she opened them she saw Arabella standing there, hands on her hips, the shadowy portal slowly fading around her.

  Dressed in a black lace top and jeans, the matching amethyst amulet dangling down her chest and her auburn curls framing her tan face, she looked at Eric.

  “You rang brother,” she said flatly and Eric went to her, hugging her tightly.

  “Ara,” he whispered into her shoulder. “It’s so good to see you.”

  Autumn looked around at her friends. She didn’t need telepathy to know what they were thinking.

  What the hell just happened?

  “Likewise, Eric,” Arabella went on, eyes glimmering with mischievousness. “You know I love you, but you have the worst timing.”

  Eric pulled back from her and crossed his arms over his chest defensively.

  “Oh do I?”

  “You do,” she said, her lips spreading into a wolfish grin.

  Eric rolled his eyes, obviously understanding his sister’s connotation. “What’s his name?”

  “Dominic,” she said, violet eyes lighting up. “Tall, dark, handsome and not at all magically inclined. Well, he does some magical things to me but that is a different story.” She stopped abruptly, like she had just noticed the others in the room.

  She smiled, amused.

  “Oh how adorable. The ragtag gang is here.”

  “I’m sorry,” Nathaniel said, not missing a beat. “But how the hell did you get here?”

  “I teleported,” Arabella deadpanned.

  “You teleported?” Nathaniel repeated.

  Arabella nodded. “Yes.”

  “You teleported?”

  Arabella looked at her brother, exasperated.

  “He’s not the sharpest knife is he Eric?”

  Nathaniel stood up, his face flaming, as Mandy grabbed his arm.

  “Don’t bother Nate. She would destroy you.”

  Eric smirked. “She really did teleport here. I don’t have that ability yet, but I’m trying to learn.”

  “I am older,” Arabella said, as she placed a hand on Eric’s shoulder. “I learnt far more magic from mom and dad then you did. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Everything in time.”

  “Besides,” she said, a glimmer of pride in her eyes. “Eric learns magic quicker than any sorcerer I have ever known. The most advanced sorcerers never would have figured out that cave sealing spell. I cannot wait to see it in action.”

  “And you will,” Eric said firmly. “Through the scrying bowl, at home, safe and sound.”

  Arabella looked at Eric defiantly. “Oh hush,” she said sighing before turning her attention back to everyone else.

  “Eri
c is worried because I am out of practice when it comes to some of my magics,” she said, taking a seat in an old-fashioned wooden rocking chair.

  “But you just teleported here,” Autumn said, brow furrowed with confusion.

  “Autumn, please don’t encourage her.” Eric said disapprovingly.

  “Well, you never completely forget how to use magic of course,” Arabella said. “But I am rather rusty. I barely use my magic nowadays. I try to live as normally as possible. So if I ventured into a cave full of monsters, I would probably be more of a hindrance then a help.”

  “So I will be doing what I did last time. I will be watching through the scrying bowl and healing people.”

  “I also want Arabella alive if I should perish,” Eric added in. “Then she can try to seal the caves with my spell.”

  After the hubbub of Arabella’s appearance died out, everyone refocused on why they came to Eric’s in the first place: Creating a plan of action for when they ventured into the caves.

  By the time they were done, a couple of hours had passed. Eric ordered pizza, and they all ate while ironing out the final details. The date was set for next Saturday. As Autumn ate her pizza slice, she couldn’t help but imagine the worst outcome. They were after all, heading into the belly of the beast this time. They were no longer on the outside, peering down the rabbit hole. There would be no hiding spots and nowhere to run. There were only two options for escape. They were either walking out, alive and well, mission accomplished, or they weren’t walking out at all.

  23

  Another week had come and gone, and the weekend had finally arrived. Autumn spent her Saturday relaxing and reading, even though she wanted to train. She wanted to run for miles or spin around like a top. She had so much nervous energy to burn but she couldn’t wear herself out. She had already spent all week with Rick training relentlessly in preparation for tonight.

  It was time.

  She sat in an armchair looking out Eric’s living room window. The sky was pitch-black. The trees were swaying, and she saw nothing beyond the huge stone wall wrapped around Eric’s mansion.

  The one thing she could see was the pristine yard with its large, ceramic fountain and the garden, which housed withering, frail plants and dead, drooping flowers.