FAUSTINE (Bonfire Chronicles)

by Imogen Rose

  “Taylor? What’s the matter?” I asked, noticing her eyes welling up.

  “I’m going to have to do it, aren’t I, Mom?” she sobbed. “I’m going to have to stop him. No one else will be able to get close enough to him to stop him.”

  Alexandra went over to her daughter and put her arms around her. “You and Fitch will have to work together to destroy him and Katerina.”

  “Why them?” I asked.

  “Since she has imprisoned Kismet and the others, we can’t just destroy Katerina,” Alexandra explained. “We need someone to harness her spells and powers before we destroy her.”

  I nodded. That made perfect sense. But, how? It wasn’t like Katerina would share her spells with anyone.

  “In order to do that, someone will have to demonize her: possess her and absorb her powers.”

  “How will I do that?” I asked.

  “You can’t,” she said simply. “Sure, either you or I could possess her, but we’re not witches, we can’t harvest her powers and spells.”

  “I can, though. I can do both,” Taylor said, reminding us that she was part demon and part witch. “But how will I get close enough to her? And even if I do, she’ll never relax enough in my presence to allow me an opportunity to occupy her.” She paused, then opened her eyes wide. She nodded.

  “How?” I asked perplexed.

  “Through Dad.”

  Alexandra nodded. “He’s probably the only one who can get close enough to Katerina, if he is indeed involved in her scheme. If he is, she must trust him. That trust will make her vulnerable to him. It would be fairly easy for Taylor to possess her dad; he trusts his daughter.”

  “Taylor, how do you feel about this?” I asked.

  She welled up again. “Are you going to kill him?”

  I considered the question. Did I need to? He had Neave, but Taylor would release her when she controlled him. Then, she’d leave his body to take control of Katerina. How would Robert react when he was free again and realized what Taylor had done? I guessed that’s what would determine whether I would kill him or not. So, I just shrugged. A tear fell down Taylor’s cheek.

  “I don’t want to,” I assured her. “And I’m really hoping not to. But, if he goes nuts when you leave his body, I’ll do what I have to.”

  “Could we get Edith to restrain him with a spell after Taylor leaves his body?” Fitch asked. “I don’t want to see him hurt, either.”

  “I’ll call her and see what we can do,” Alexandra said. “I guess you’ll want the same for Katerina, Faustine?” Alexandra asked.

  Honestly, we’d probably all be better off with her dead. But I didn’t want to make that call. I wanted Dad to do that. So, I nodded. Having Edith confine her until we found Dad seemed like the best option.

  The hardest part in this scheme was taking the backseat. I was going to have to leave all the action to Taylor, poor thing. We were basically sending her in on her own to deal with my issues, just because it was her dad that was involved, and she was the only one with the combined powers to deal with it. We decided that Fitch should be around for the first part of the operation, demonizing their father. Taylor and Fitch would invite Robert for dinner at their home tonight, and that’s where phase one would play out.

  “You look stressed,” Ryker remarked, once Taylor and Fitch had left.

  I nodded. “I feel helpless. I want to be around Taylor to help her out if anything goes wrong.”

  “And why can’t you?”

  “What do you mean? How?”

  “Make yourself invisible.”

  “I wish. I don’t have that power,” I said, regretfully. Most demons did, but not me. It sucked.

  “Oh. I didn’t realize,” he said, surprised. “I do.”

  “Must be wonderful!” I snapped.

  “Faustine, it means that I could make you invisible as well...” he explained.

  “Really? That would be awesome! Can you bring me to the dinner at Taylor’s this evening?”

  “Yeah. But you have to promise to be quiet. I can make you invisible, but I can’t mute you,” he warned.

  I nodded. I could manage that. Probably.

  Alexandra looked mildly aggravated when she returned from her phone call with Edith.

  “She won’t do it?” I asked.

  “It’s not that. She’s in London. She said that she’d try to make it back in time. When are we planning on completing phase two?”

  Phase two was taking down Katerina. “I don’t know. I was going to play it by ear, let Taylor take the lead and set it up once she has Robert under control,” I said. “What’s Edith doing in London?”

  “Cassandra called her in. Something big is going down, and they needed her powers. In fact, I’ve had a message from Annabel asking me to come to London, too, and bring you with me.”

  “They must have made some progress on the killer vampire situation. Fly over. I’ll have Ryker bring me as soon as phase one has been taken care of here. Taylor will need some time to figure out how Robert would interact with Katerina, anyway. I want to be back here, in New York, when she meets with Katerina.”

  I had a few hours to kill before we went to Taylor’s. I tried calling both Mom and Dorian for an update, but they weren’t answering their cell phones. I was sort of relieved. A few hours of not knowing is what I needed. I should probably have called Alfred and the others, but I procrastinated, instead. With Ryker. We went back to my apartment, made ourselves comfortable on the couch, and turned on the television. CNN images of fresh killings in London lit up the screen.

  “Do you mind if I change it?” I asked. I should have watched it, but I couldn’t bring myself to look. I needed to unwind for a few hours, and then I’d catch up with real life again. I flicked through the channels and settled on Sesame Street. I wasn’t going to watch it, but it was perfect background noise.

  Ryker had his arm around me as I snuggled up against him and closed my eyes. What did I know about this guy I felt so close to? Nothing really. I felt like I had known him for years, but that was only because we’d been at Bonfire Academy together. I had seen him practically every day for two years. He had arrived a year after I started, but we had never spoken. I hadn’t had any classes with him, nor did we have any common extra-curricular activities. He was mainly into soccer and tennis. I spent my free time skiing, snow boarding and playing field hockey, depending on the season. But I had noticed him, mainly because he would look at me intently whenever our paths crossed. It was like he wanted to say something, but held back. It was definitely not shyness that held him back. He was popular, always surrounded by a bunch of beings; the vampire chicks in particular seemed really into him. Blech. Maybe he was one of those blood junkies. Double blech.

  “Ryk, how come you were so friendly with the vamp girls at school?” I blurted out before I could duct tape my overactive mouth.

  He laughed. “I’m a blood junkie.”

  Stupid shield! I had relaxed so much in his company that I had brought down my shield. My thoughts were totally naked to him. How humiliating!

  “It’s okay!” he said, as I protected myself again. “There’s no need to do that, you know. You’re safe with me.”

  “I know. It’s just... embarrassing.”

  He shrugged. “I was in a lot of the vamp classes. That’s why I knew so many of them. The vamp guys kind of kept to themselves, though.”

  “What sort of classes?” I asked curiously.

  “Can’t talk about that, as you well know,” he smiled.

  “Did you have common classes with any other paranormals?”

  “Yeah. Seeing that I was the only Sigma-W student at the school, all my classes were with other paranormals, even some demons.”

  “About that. Why were you sent to the academy? Spencer told me that only two Sigma-Ws have attended the academy in the last five years.”

  “He actually told you that?” Ryker asked, surprised.

  “Yeah. Are you angry?”

/>   “No, just surprised. Spencer isn’t the sharing type, and I’m surprised that he shared Sigma-W business with anyone outside his circle.”

  “So, it’s true? You were one of two? I’m not going to press you, but I am nosy, so I’d love to know why,” I said, batting my eyelashes for effect.

  “Cute. I’m a hybrid,” he said and stopped.

  “And?”

  “That’s all I can tell you.”

  “Oh, come on!”

  He looked over at me and laughed. “I can’t tell you, but you’ll figure it out yourself.”

  Very, very annoying! A hybrid? Vampire? Demon? Shifter? Angel? Troll? I looked him over carefully, looking for signs. There were no obvious ones, like fangs or red eyes. I guess that’s why he’d been sent to the Academy, to control any manifestations. I put my head back on his chest and closed my eyes again, listening to his heartbeat. It sounded comfortingly human. My head started hurting as a bazillion different thoughts crashed through, mostly images of mayhem in London, combined with Taylor and Fitch turning on us and siding with Katerina. Images of Ryker transforming into a vampire added to the mix. Yikes. I had to block those before my head exploded. I turned my concentration to the feeling of Ryker’s fingers as they gently massaged the back of my neck, shoulders and head. I emptied my mind, eventually relaxing into a deep sleep.

  “Babe, wake up,” Ryker said, kissing me awake. I opened my eyes to find a juicy bit of steak, cooked to perfection, in front of me.

  “Eat up, demon girl.”

  “Mmm, thanks,” I said, and dove in. “Have you eaten?”

  “Yeah. I had a snack while I was cooking. Your mom sure keeps an impressive supply of steaks,” he smiled.

  When I finished eating, I decided to shower.

  “Ready to go?” he asked when I came back into the living room after freshening up and changing my outfit. “Taylor just texted me to let me know that her dad is on his way over. She said she’ll call us once she’s in control of him. I didn’t tell her that we were coming. Shall we go?”

  “How is it going to feel, Ryk?”

  “Feel? You mean, being invisible?”

  I nodded.

  “It’s not going to feel any different. We won’t be invisible to each other, just to people around us, so it’s easy to forget. So remember! Also, they can hear us, so don’t talk,” he reminded me.

  “Okay. Let’s go.” I felt queasy as Ryker put his hand on my shoulders. We wandered to Taylor and Fitch’s home. We arrived in the kitchen and sat down together in the corner. I sat in Ryker’s lap, his arms around me, and watched Taylor and Fitch getting dinner ready. They were actually cooking. Had I been a witch, I would totally have used a spell to magic up a delicious dinner! Taylor was stirring a red sauce in a big pan on the stove. I took a deep breath, bolognaise meat sauce; I nearly drooled. Fitch was busy expertly chopping vegetables for a salad on a large, wooden cutting board on the middle island counter. The room smelled divine. I was glad I had eaten before we came, or Fitch and Taylor would have been subjected to mysterious disappearances of food. Ryker and I sat and waited while the table was set in the dining room. We quietly made our way to the dining room and found another suitable spot to sit.

  My heart almost jumped out of my chest when the doorbell rang. Ryker held me firmly, making sure that I didn’t react.

  It was hard to believe that the man who came walking in was anything but harmless. His smile was wide as he greeted Taylor and Fitch. He was obviously happy to see them. It was the same guy, though; he was the Robert married to Tessa. How did that marriage figure in his plans?

  “Taylor, Fitch, it’s good to see you. Sorry I haven’t been around much,” he shrugged.

  “You’re here now, Dad. I’m pleased you managed to get some time off. What’s been keeping you so busy?” Taylor asked, her expression not betraying what she must be going through on the inside. I was proud of her.

  “Something smells delicious,” he remarked, avoiding the question completely. “Pasta?”

  “Yes,” Fitch replied. “Sit down and relax you two. I’ll bring the food over. Wine, Dad?”

  “Some Shiraz, please,” Robert replied, slumping into his chair and stretching his legs.

  “Busy day?” Taylor inquired.

  “Yeah, just work. But you don’t want to listen to me go on about stocks and bonds. How’s school?”

  “It’s good. I did well on our first math quiz. I’m thinking about auditioning for the school musical,” she volunteered, as Fitch came in with Robert’s glass of wine, placing the bottle in front of him.

  “Which musical?”

  “South Pacific.”

  “Good one! I look forward to it. Are you auditioning as well?” he asked Fitch.

  “I want to, but the practices clash with soccer, so I’m going to have to skip it.”

  As dinner progressed, Robert continued to sip his wine, which Taylor kept topped up at all times. It wasn’t long before the bottle was empty and a yawn escaped Robert’s mouth. He had prattled on like any other dad during the dinner; he even seemed more interested in what his kids were up to than most parents. Could this man really be involved in a scheme with my deranged half sister? It was hard to believe as he stood and made his way to the sofa.

  “I’m going to have a short nap before I go,” he announced.

  “Dad, you’re welcome to stay. You know that.”

  “Thanks, hon. G’night kids,” he mumbled and fell into a deep sleep.

  I saw Fitch nudging Taylor, who shot him the death glare.

  “Do it,” he whispered and nudged her again.

  She looked hesitant. I hoped she wasn’t going to back out. We needed to know what was going on. Was this man even involved? He sure didn’t look like the type.

  She finally walked over to Robert and laid her hand on his forehead. He didn’t stir. She looked over to Fitch, who nodded. She put her other hand on Robert’s forehead, too, and closed her eyes. Then, she disappeared. Vanished.

  Robert twitched and squirmed, then sat bolt upright. He opened his eyes wide and looked at Fitch.

  “It’s me. Taylor,” he said in his normal voice. It sounded eerie for Taylor to be talking through him.

  “You okay, Taylor?”

  He–she–nodded.

  “Is he still sleeping?”

  “Yeah, he’s totally out,” Taylor confirmed.

  “What now?” Fitch shrugged. “I guess we should get Mom to come over.”

  “Ryk, make us visible,” I whispered, leaning back into him so I could reach his ear.

  He nodded.

  “Fitch, Taylor,” Ryker announced, standing up.

  “What the heck?” screamed Robert, as Fitch nearly jumped out of his skin.

  “Where in the bejeezus did you two come from?” Fitch asked, gaping.

  “We’ve been here the whole time,” I explained. “Invisible. Just in case you needed backup.”

  “Thanks, but we did just fine, as you can see,” Fitch said pointing to Robert-Taylor. “Now what?”

  “Taylor, can you read his thoughts?” I asked.

  “No. He’s fast asleep and totally drunk. Maybe the thoughts will become less foggy once the alcohol wears off. You know, this really sucks! I hadn’t taken into account that I would have to live in a male body. Yuck! I can’t believe I’m going to have to use the restroom in this condition.”

  I fell into the couch rolling with laughter. Now that would be a pain! The boys just shook their heads in disgust.

  “Yeah, laugh, Faustine! It’s not funny!” Taylor whined.

  “I’m sorry. Hopefully, it won’t be for long.”

  “Yeah, I’ll get to exchange this body for a decrepit old witch’s soon. Lucky me!”

  “I promise you a spa weekend when we are done,” I offered.

  She sighed. “I guess we have to wait until this wine is out of his system. I think we overdid it on that score. We should call Mom and tell her to come over.”

 
“Alexandra had to go to London. In fact, I have to go as well. I just wanted to make sure you were okay, first.”

  “Okay? That depends on your definition of the word. I am far from okay, but I’ve done what I was asked. Now what?”

  “You need to figure out if your dad is involved in Katerina’s scheme. If he is, make contact with her; get to know Katerina through your father. Once you have a sense of her, we can move on to phase two.”

  “How do I make contact with her? What do I say to her?” Taylor asked, confused.

  “You need to tap into Dad’s entire being,” Fitch said. “That will become possible once the wine wears off. Then you can become him. You’ll be able to read every thought running through his mind. You’ll be able to manipulate both his thoughts and his actions.”

  “I’m going to need Mom,” she interrupted. “I feel so alone in here,” she said, Robert’s eyes welling up.

  “Taylor, I’ll ask her to come back as soon as I get to London. In the meantime, you have Fitch. Get some sleep and your mom will hopefully be back by morning.”

  It was time for Ryker and me to go back to London.

  All hell had broken loose in London. A councilman’s daughter had been found murdered, in true vampire fashion, outside Buckingham Palace. This time, the culprit had been apprehended, thankfully not by Scotland Yard, but by a pack of wolves–shifters–who happened to be patrolling the area on behalf of Shaefer and Hickman.

  The culprit was actually culprits–two of them. They were now locked in Alfred’s basement, awaiting my arrival.

  I spotted Alexandra as soon as I walked into the conference room in Alfred’s Surrey mansion. “Alexandra, could you fly back to New York right away? Taylor needs you,” I said.

  “Is she okay?” Alexandra asked, concerned.

  “Yes, but she wants you.”