by J. L. Ostle
“Who are you seeing?” Celia interrupts me.
I don’t know what to say. I feel my face turn bright red. “I am actually kind of seeing…” I pause. I look over to the band, and they are watching me.
They are waiting to see which name I choose, which one of them I choose to say I’m publicly with? I could never choose between them. “I am with someone in the band.” Someones.
“Holy crap, you are seeing a vampire,” JD says.
“JD.” Clive gives him a look. “Well, again, sorry for putting you on the spot.” He looks at the ground and then he turns to look at the band to see they are all watching. Clive quickly looks back at me. “I bet they don’t like the fact I asked you out, huh? Again, I’m sorry.”
I wave him off. “Stop apologizing. They are just overprotective, and they should learn that staring is rude.” I know they can hear me, so I’m hoping they take the hint.
“Well, we better get going. Enjoy being back home.” He walks with his children to the exit and they wave before they are gone.
I turn to the guys and storm over there, giving them my best stern look. “Did you have to look over at us like you were ready to jump him?”
“We were just making sure you were okay. Besides, people need to know that you are with us. I am sick of men looking at you like they have a chance, like they are waiting and planning to get in between your legs,” Rush says, crossing his arms.
“I am with you; you trust me, right?” I look at each of them, and they all nod. “Then stop looking at me like I’m going to cheat on you when I do talk to a guy. It’s not nice that you feel you have to watch my movements when it’s something innocent.”
“We get it. I guess the cavemen in us comes out when a guy comes in a few feet of you. We will do better,” Zeke says.
“Thank you.”
“I know how men think, I know what men want when they come close to you. I think we should tattoo ‘taken’ on your forehead.” Rush touches my forehead jokingly.
“Rush, you are such a pain in…” I don’t get to finish my sentence when this pain comes shooting through my body, the pain making me fall to the ground.
“I hardly touched her,” Rush says in a panic.
“Ivory, what’s wrong?” Slate asks me, his hand on my head.
The pain stops. I look up at the guys, ready to stand back up. “I don’t know what happened; I just felt this…” The same pain shoots through my brain again but an image appears in my mind. “What’s happening to me?” I cry. This shock shoots through my brain again, more images coming through.
“Ivory, what is it?” I hear Slates voice but it’s a little distant. “Fuck, Ivory, what’s happening?”
I cry out, the pain unbearable. Images are coming through my head like a slide show, one after the other. My body is screaming at me, telling me to do something but I can’t hear it or understand it.
I start hearing whispers.
Voices.
Telling me to use my power. To become my power.
I don’t know who is saying it, but I know I can trust it. It’s this feeling that I know I can. I switch to my other self and the pain subsides until it is gone.
How does that work?
If we are the same person, then why does my normal self feel that kind of pain?
“Ivory, speak to us,” Caspian pleads at me.
I look at him and when I close my eyes, it’s like I’m seeing a movie being played out, but I know it’s not.
Am I seeing the future?
A premonition.
“I think I am having a vision,” I tell them, my eyes staying closed.
“A vision? Of what?”
I open my eyes, looking at the guys; they are all looking at me with concern and worry. The person I am having a vision of, I can feel her emotions. I can feel her fear.
“A girl, she’s in trouble.”
Chapter 2
A Vision
Walking through my door, I lock up the three deadbolt locks once I’m inside, making sure no one can break in. I’m not in a good neighborhood, and people break into people’s home all the time.
I don’t have much, but the things I do have, I don’t want people to steal.
I live in a one-room apartment. I mean, literally, one room. My kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and living room are all in the same space. My bed takes up the majority of it. I have a small chest of drawers to the left. To the right is one counter, a stove, opposite that there is a curtain that I put up to divide up the bathroom.
I live alone, but I want a little privacy when I bathe or use the toilet. I head over to the kitchen part, putting away the few groceries that will have to keep me going until I get more money.
I grab a tin of beans and cook it on the cooker. Once nearly ready, I butter a slice of bread and place it all on a plate and sit on my bed while I turn on the TV that I found in a charity shop going really cheap. It’s an old-fashioned TV but it works, and it has a built-in DVD player. Once a month I look for cheap DVDs that won’t break my bank.
I found a film called 10 Things I Hate About You for fifty cents, and it has to be one of my favorites from my collection.
Well, a collection of six.
Finishing my meal, I clean my plate and fork in the bathroom area sink and put it away. I lay on my bed watching the rest of the movie when I notice my crystal near the window ledge glowing red.
Someone in the building is after me.
I keep under the radar, but someone always tries to come looking for me. I grab my emergency bag from under my bed and take my crystals. I open my window, look down, and begin climbing out the window. I am just getting my second leg out when there is a loud knock on the door, making me jump.
I look down one more time before I jump from my tenth-floor window; my magical gift helps me float slowly down until I land gently on my feet, and when I look up, I see a man looking down at me. But you could see his eyes from a mile away.
They are bright red and send chills through my body.
His eyes connect with mine, sending me a clear message.
He’s coming to get me.
I start to run, unsure where to go. But I know I need to get as far from here as possible. I just hate that I have to find somewhere else to live. It took me ages to find that apartment, one I could afford.
Running down the streets, I take a lot of turns, running through crowds of people. I open my bag, grabbing my crystal, and when I notice it’s clear, I sigh in relief. I just need a few minutes.
Noticing an alleyway, I head there, keeping the crystal in my hand. Kneeling, I open my bag and pick up a rare flower. Closing my eyes, I wave the flower above my bag. When I look back down, I see all my personal things from my apartment, including the food that I just bought, and I smile. They are all miniature, but they are safe.
It’s a bonus for having magic.
I place my flower back in my bag. I take the crystal, placing it on my wrist until it turns into what looks like a watch.
Putting my bag back on, I start jogging, trying to figure what I’m going to do now. I hardly get away when I feel an electric shock on my wrist where the crystal is, and I see it flashing red again.
I look in all directions, but I don’t know which way to go or where the person is coming from. Knowing I can’t just stay still; I just run forward. I keep running until I feel a hand grip my arm.
I yelp. I am faced with a different man from the one I saw at my apartment, but his eyes are red just like the other one. I try and pull my arm back, but his hold is too strong. He just holds me tighter, causing me to cry out in pain.
“You have been hard to find missy.” He smirks at me.
“Let me go,” I yell at him, I raise my hand trying to use some kind of magic to push him away, but nothing happens.
“Your magic won’t work on me, I’m afraid, doll,” he laughs, and he drags me with him until we are back into the busy crowd. I think about screaming. Crying rape, anything. “If you
make a scene, I have no problem killing these people,” he answers like he read my thoughts.
“What do you want from me?”
“My boss wants your magic, your gift, that’s all.”
“What would happen to me once he has it?” Maybe he will take it and let me go. But I know it won’t work that way. It will never work that way.
“You die,” he answers like he’s answering a question about the weather.
This is how I’m going to die.
I know I don’t have much of a life, but I am living it.
I don’t want to die.
I’m not ready to die.
I look up at the bald goon. He is quite big, like a bodybuilder on steroids who has been out in the sun for too long. He is covered in tattoos. I’m trying to find a weak spot, anything I can do to escape.
I look at his hand on my arm. I close my eyes for a second, taking in a deep breath before I quickly move, so I have space to bite his arm. I bite as hard as I can, causing him to yell out, but his hold on me loosens, and I quickly run again.
I hear him behind me, cursing every name under the sun. I know he will be faster than me. I keep running, wishing I’d trained myself more in how to make myself fly. I can float down but fuck my life, I haven’t learned how to float up.
I can hear his feet hitting the pavement right behind me; I know he is getting closer, but I can’t lose hope.
I can’t give up.
I push myself with all the might I have, tears flowing down my cheeks.
I cry out when I feel this pain hit across my head, making me fall to the ground. I’m on my hands and knees when I feel my hair being pulled, forcing me to raise up.
“That wasn’t very smart girlie; it was a huge mistake.”
I cry out when he bangs my head on the ground, causing my vision to go blurry. I barely lift my head when I feel liquid slide down into my eyes. I try and cover where I’m bleeding with my hand, but I know it’s no use.
“Someone…” I try and shout, but the words are stuck in my throat.
I am spun around facing up, seeing the clouds in the sky before that goon is in my line of vision. He smiles triumphantly at me, his hand sliding down my body, causing me to go on high alert.
“You are really pretty for a stinking white witch.” He licks his lips. “I am sure my boss won’t mind if I take your body.” He leans down, licking up some of the blood off me before he is near my ear. “If you’re a screamer, I don’t mind.” He sits back, his hands on my legs then moving back up, going to the button on my jeans.
I close my eyes, wanting death to take over. I feel his hands on me, and even though my eyes are closed, I still notice a flashing light. Opening my eyes, I see the guy is gone. I try and lean on my elbows to see what is going on, and the woman in front of me is not what I expected to see.
Who is she?
Chapter 3
Ivory
Every time I close my eyes I see the girl. She is a fighter; I can sense it. The beginning of the vision played on repeat, but now it’s different. I feel like I’m watching what is happening at this very minute. I look at Rush, driving the car as fast as he can. I just pray that we get there in time. I don’t even know how I know where they are, but I’m going by what my gut is telling me.
If I could get an address, I would zap us there, but nothing in my vision gives me any clues.
Giving the directions from my gut feeling, I close my eyes again to see she has been taken, he has her. No, he can’t have her; I shouldn’t be going through this, seeing this if I can’t help her.
“He’s got her. Hurry,” I say in a panicked voice.
It’s like I’m watching a scary movie. I’m watching it all play out, and I am on the edge of my seat, wanting the happy ending. I cheer when I see her escape, but I can also see him right behind her, gaining up to her. When he hits her across the head with a brick, I feel tears prickle behind my eyelids.
Watching him hurt her, I almost feel sick when I hear him tell her he is going to rape her.
Anger soars through me.
I swear he is going to suffer for this.
Rush stops the car when I tell him to stop, and I jump out, looking around me when I hear a noise.
I run toward it, and just like my vision, I see it right in front of me: her lying on the ground, her eyes closed, his hands on her. I don’t need to raise my hands for my magic to work.
A light shoots out of me and hits him. He is lifted from the ground and thrown against the wall. He groans, kneeling up; when he looks in my direction, he looks confused. It’s the red eyes I notice first. I saw it in my vision but seeing it in person is so much creepier.
“Who the fuck are you? How did you use magic against me? I am shielded,” he roars at me.
“Let’s just say I am above the norm.” My body glides toward him, and I hover over. “You said you have a boss, who is it?”
He laughs. “Like I would tell you, princess. I don’t answer to witches.”
I smirk at him before he is lifted once again and pinned against the wall. “Good thing I’m not a witch then, isn’t it? Now, answer me, who is your boss? Who do you work for?” I know he won’t tell me, it would be too easy if he did.
“Fuck you.” He winks.
I put my hand on his chest, my magic vibrating through me. “Who are you working for?” I use my power for him to tell me, and light wraps around him.
“I guess your magic isn’t as strong as you think, sweet cheeks.” I step back, annoyed. Urgh, why didn’t it work? I can turn a vampire into a human, but I can’t get a demon to tell the truth? There must be a higher magic protecting him from revealing his secrets.
I need to start training my magic more.
“You are really starting to annoy me. Just tell me and get this over with,” I say in a stern voice.
“I’d rather die than tell a whore like you.” He spits, but it stops mid-air before it is pushed back into his mouth, and he chokes a little.
“Spitting is just disgusting. I don’t need to kill you; I am sure my magic is enough to make you suffer.” Hopefully. “First, I wonder what supernatural being you are.” I look him up and down.
“He’s a demon,” Slate says behind me, coming to my side. I look behind me and I see the girl, she is watching me, looking at me in fascination and awe.
“Demons. Haven’t really dealt with them, well apart from those at the trial.” I circle the demon; his eyes stay on me. “What do you know about demons? Is that why my magic won’t work on him?” I ask Slate.
“They are scum, tricksters. Some of their main goals are to try and take humans, souls, powers. As for your magic not working on him, I have no idea why it didn’t work. You can move him with no problem, so there must be something that stops him from saying who he works for.” My thoughts exactly, but he’s after this girl’s soul? I’m not very religious; I know we all have a soul…I stop my train of thought. Vampires don’t have souls. I look back at Slate then to the guys. I think of Finn, the band’s sire, their manager; they are good people, so what does a soul actually do?
Must be important though if demons want them.
“He wasn’t after my soul, he wants my gift, my magic,” I hear the girl say from behind me.
Okay, that makes sense.
I look back at the demon—his eyes are still on me, and it’s like he is trying to figure me out. He is probably wondering what I am.
I don’t know what to do now. The girl is safe; I will take her back home with me, keep her safe there. I just don’t know what to do with this guy. I need to make an example to the supernatural world that this isn’t acceptable.
Killing innocent beings for their magic.
“We need to punish him, we need to show that I won’t let this continue,” I say to the guys as well as to myself.
“We will go to court.” Caspian comes toward me, taking hold of my hand. “We will do it the right way, where we all agree on what to do together.”
> I nod in agreement. “I have to use my magic to transport us there; I don’t want him knowing where our home is.” I don’t want to take any risks with him ever telling anyone where we are, the place I want to be a safe haven.
Rush lifts the girl into his arms. I watch as she looks at him with big eyes, and I see her cheeks blush a little. I try not to chuckle. Once Rush and Zeke are at my side, I let the energy soar through me, and with a wave of my hand, in half a second, we are in the basement of our home.
“Holy crap,” the girl says looking at her new surroundings.
“What the fuck?” the demon says. “Where the fuck am I?”
“A place where you will face a trial to see what we will do with you, so don’t get too comfortable.” I look at him as a chair scrapes along the floor from the other side of the room, and he is magically pushed down. I know he won’t be able to move.
I walk over to Rush who still has the girl in his arms. “How are you feeling?” I ask her, and her mouth opens then closes again like she can’t form any words. “Are you okay?” I ask, concerned; her eyes are open so wide.
“I think you need to tone down the Goddess looking appearance,” Zeke says playfully behind me. I look down at my body forgetting what I look like.
“Oh sorry.” I switch back to my normal self, and the girl’s mouth drops open. “This better?”
“How did you do that?” she asks me.
“Magic.” I wink at her. “Are you badly hurt anywhere?” I look her over.
“Just my head mostly.” Her hand lifts to the top of her head. I place my hand where her hand is, healing her, and when I feel her hand move, I move my hand away. “Is there anything you can’t do?”
“That I’m still figuring out.” I shake my head. “This is our home, yours if you would like to stay. Whoever sent this ass after you will probably send others, so I think it’s best you stay here, but it’s completely up to you.” I watch as she looks around.
This is the place I plan to have any future meetings and trials. The walls are mocha, the floors are black and gray tiled. One end of the room is five chairs, my chair in the middle and two seats either side of me for the guys.