by Dima Zales
"Don't jump to conclusions," Adam said. "We'll stick to our plan for now."
"Do you want me to start now?" she asked.
He looked at me for a moment and then turned to her and said, "Let's start with the first spell and see how it goes. You say that you've performed spells on royals before?"
"It's been several centuries, but yes."
"It worked?"
"Of course."
"Good enough. Get to work."
She gave him a look and then pulled out a bag from her coat and laid some candles, flower petals, and other odd objects out on the floor. She arranged the candles into a circle and placed the petals all around the inside of it. She placed the other objects directly next to one of the candles.
She spoke in what sounded like an ancient language, and the candles all lit themselves simultaneously.
"Place the girl in the middle of the circle."
Adam looked at me and said, "You will walk into the circle and stand directly in the middle. You will do exactly as we say, or I will give word for Samantha to kill your human friend. Got it?"
My heart sunk and I nodded in agreement.
He unlocked the shackles, and I walked into the center of the witch's circle and stood in place.
She started speaking in the strange language again and began walking around the circle. She pulled feathers and twigs out of a pocket and let them fall into the circle as she spoke.
She stopped when all of the objects had all landed in the circle and shouted unfamiliar words. The candles all went out at the same time. All of the items on the floor flew up into the air around me, swirling and tickling me. When the last object had fallen back to the ground, I fell, too.
I tried to get up, but couldn't move.
"It is complete," the witch said.
"Good," Adam said. "Gather your things and I'll chain her back up."
She touched the top of my head, and I was able to get up. Adam grabbed my arm, yanked me up and threw me down on the hay.
"What did she do to me?" I asked as he chained me back up.
"She removed the blessing that protected you from the sunlight. Now you are just like every other creature of the night. No more walking around during the day."
"What will happen to me if I go into the sunlight?" I asked.
He laughed. "You'll find out if you try to escape. I'll let you use your imagination for now."
"Is that it for now?" the witch asked.
"Yes, you can take a break before performing anymore. In the meantime, we can get something to eat. I'm starving." He smirked at me.
My stomach rumbled, and they left, laughing. The door closed with a loud thud.
I didn't bother getting up from the hay. My mind raced with the possibilities of what the sun might do to me. It would really make escaping so much more difficult.
With depression coursing through me, I closed my eyes and gave into to sleep.
I was running around a field full of beautiful, golden sunlight. I had several flowers in my hand and was singing a song that I made up as I went along. My hair was whipping around behind me as I ran, and the sun felt warm and loving as it hugged my skin.
I heard the sounds of horses and ran behind a couple of trees at the edge of the clearing. I wasn't supposed to be outside, and I was afraid that I would get into trouble.
The two horses rode into the middle of the field, and the riders got off their horses and removed their caps.
It was a young Cliff and his father.
I was so excited to see Cliff that it was difficult to keep myself from running out to give him a hug.
"Clifford, I need to have a serious talk with you," his father said.
"What is it, father?" Cliff asked.
George Montgomery set his cap down on the saddle and said, "I've received an alarming message from one of the prophets."
"Father?"
"Before you and Marguerite get married, there are going to be some…complications, son."
"What kind of complications, Father?"
George sighed and said, "It saddens me to have to tell you this, but she is going to fall in love with another and…."
"What?"
"Please son, let me finish. This is difficult enough."
"I apologize, Father."
"She is going to fall in love with another, and as a result, she's going to suffer a great deal. I don't know the details, but what I do know is that you must stay true to her no matter what. You will need to keep your head clear, because that is the only way that she will return to you, and you will get our family line on the throne."
"This is a lot to take in."
"Yes, son, I know it is. You are young still, and it is hard to imagine sweet Marguerite having eyes for another. I do not know why this must be."
"But she will return to me?"
"So long as you don't act out of jealousy and you are able to keep calm and stay true to her."
"This sounds difficult, Father."
"I could not imagine going through that with your mother. It will be very painful for you."
"I will do it, father. She is everything to me and no matter how hard it is for me, I will stay true to her and never stop loving her. I will fight for her, and I will fight with her. We will rule the kingdom together. It will be a test and training in compassion to make me into a better leader."
They were silent for a few moments before George said, "You are truly wise beyond your years. I can see why you will be a king that will outshine all others."
I sat up on my pile of hay. Cliff knew that this would happen? I knew that this would happen?
Did he disappear because he knew that he could do nothing about it? Or so that he would not get jealous and risk losing everything? Was it possible that he wasn't angry but instead was disappointed that the day of my betrayal had come so soon?
The depression that was starting to overtake me when I fell asleep was now gone, and I had renewed energy and a new sense of purpose to keep fighting. I wanted to escape before I was handed over to the Morettis. I didn't think that I was ready to face them yet.
I knew that I had to come up with a plan to get out of that place, and the sooner, the better.
Looking at my chains I said, "Get off now."
I watched as they fell to the ground. I walked quietly to the wall opposite the door, thinking that it might be an outside wall.
I leaned against the wall and imagined myself outside. Suddenly, I felt a breeze blowing by me. I opened my eyes, and I was standing outside an ugly stone building in the middle of some creepy woods.
I took a quick look around in every direction. I saw no one, and there weren't any windows for anyone to see me. In a split second, I started running as fast as I could in the opposite direction of the building. I ran soundlessly on the forest floor, and my bare feet didn't slow me down in the slightest.
After about ten minutes of running, I bolted up a tree to get my bearings. I had no idea where I was, nor in which direction I was heading.
I sat quietly and listened for anything that would indicate danger or my location. I didn't sense that I was in any kind of danger. I didn't want to stay where I was very long, because I knew that it would not be long before Adam and his crew were after me. His witch might even have added ways to find me. I didn't want to take any chances.
Since I didn't believe that I was being chased, I decided to find something to eat. It had been entirely too long since I had eaten.
I listened for large animals. I heard mostly small creatures and even a coyote, but even the coyote would only be enough to tease my appetite. I decided to move on and search for something bigger. I jumped out of the tree and ran in a slightly different direction than I had been running before. I was listening for animals as I ran, which was much trickier than when I was sitting in a tree.
I stopped in my tracks when I heard something that sounded like a bear. That would be perfect. I followed the scent and sounds, found it, and spied on it
for a few moments. It knew that it was being watched, and I could smell its fear. I was convinced that it was alone, so I rushed in and bit down. It didn't even stand a chance, because I didn't give it one. I was too hungry to toy with it or enjoy the hunt.
When I had drained the bear of its blood, I was satisfied, so I thought I should be able to be on top of my game. I ran and I ran until I heard the faint sound of freeway traffic.
I ran in the direction of the noise, and as I ran out of the woods, I felt as if my eyes were being stabbed with thousands of tiny knives. I had never felt anything so painful, and I ran back into the thick woods before I dropped to the ground and fell victim to the sun.
I leaned against a tree and allowed myself to recover from what felt like a vicious attack.
How was I going to get out of the woods if I couldn't go out into the daylight? Even though it was November, it was still going to be hours until the sun went down. I did not want to be tied to these woods for even a second longer.
As I stood there trying to find a way out of this mess, I imagined Adam and his jokers discovering that I was missing and then laughing at me, knowing that I couldn't leave the woods anytime soon.
I shoved them out of my mind and decided to attempt being in the sun again, even though I knew how much it was going to hurt. With my arms covering my eyes, and my eyes shut tightly, I slowly stepped out into the sunlight again.
My skin felt warm and began to get warmer and warmer. I was doing a good job of keeping my eyes protected under my arm, because I didn't feel any of the knives stabbing them. I knew that I wasn't going to get very far without being able to see, and my skin was becoming uncomfortably warm.
I sighed, backed up into the woods again and opened my eyes in disappointment. I was stuck in these woods, and I needed to decide whether I was going to camp out somewhere and wait for it to get dark, or if I was going to travel further in the woods.
Since I still didn't know in which direction home was, I decided to find a comfortable tree and save my strength. My only point of reference was the direction that I come from, and I would avoid that building with everything in me.
I walked as close to the edge of the woods as possible, looking for the perfect tree to hide out in. I kept trying to look out of the woods to get an idea of my location, but even looking into the light felt like daggers in my eyes.
When I found the perfect tree, I climbed up as quickly as I could and made myself comfortable on some branches that were nestled together. I sat and listened to the sounds of both the traffic and the forest for a long time.
I needed a plan, especially since I could only travel in the dark. My first priority was to find Tanner and get him away from Samantha. Then I had to find Clara, because she would know where to take me to get my sun blessing back. There was no way that I could go back to my family without being able to go into the sun. There was no way to explain that to them.
I thought about how Brooke had visions when I was in trouble. I wondered if Brooke had any knowledge of this mess. Why hadn't she known about Adam coming to town? Were her visions unreliable or was Adam somehow impervious to them?
I peeked out of the branches and saw that the sun was beginning to go down. I would wait until it was at least dusk before I attempted to leave the woods.
I wondered what my parents and sister were doing. I had been gone at least a couple of days. I was sure they were worried out of their minds, because it was so unlike me to disappear. Sure, I had been late a lot recently, but had never completely disappeared.
I thought about Tanner's family and how much his mom depended on him to help with his brother. Did people think that we had run off together? I hoped that it didn't look like he'd taken me. I knew that people often jumped to conclusions like that. Significant others and parents were usually the first suspects when someone went missing. I really hoped that nobody was interrogating any of our parents.
Several years earlier, a little girl in Delphic Cove had disappeared, and the whole town came together to put up signs and get the word out nationally so that she would be found. They did find her, and she too had been kidnapped, but I doubted she was kidnapped by vampires. I wondered if the town was doing anything like that for Tanner and I or if they thought we'd just taken off…without our cars.
Did my vampire parents know what was going on? That I was missing yet again before they even got to see me after my first kidnapping? I wondered if Cliff knew what was happening, since nobody seemed to know where he was either.
My mind wandered to Hailey and Emma. I wondered if anyone blamed them for our disappearances. Their recent behavior did give reason to suspect them. The thought of them taking some heat brought a smile to my face, but if Hailey was still playing scared little victim, then she was probably off the hook. I thought about Amanda and wondered what she was thinking, since we hadn't talked after I got mad at her for not believing in me. Even at that, I could easily imagine her helping with whatever community efforts were being made to find us.
I hoped that Brooke and her family were searching for me and any clues that might have been left behind. I really hoped that they didn't think that I had run off with Tanner. I did not want to be alone in this. I wanted them to show up and fight with me. I had no battle training, and I was sure that I was going to run into Adam and his gang before I made it home. It was a strong feeling.
I looked through the branches again and saw that it was nearly dusk at last. I felt as though I had been in that tree for too long. I stretched my legs and arms, and got ready to get out of the tree and try walking out of the woods again.
I took a deep breath and climbed down the tree, keeping my senses aware of any danger that might be lurking nearby. I walked toward the edge of the woods and looked at the setting sun. If I looked at the outer edge where the colors were dark blues and purples, my eyes were fine. If I looked at the oranges, I could feel the tiny daggers again.
I walked out further so that I was completely out of the woods. I was on a stretch of grass overlooking a freeway. I watched as the cars zipped by not too far below.
I didn't see anything to reveal my location. The freeway signs were not facing me, and I didn't see any other kind of indicator.
I knew that I had to act fast and that any decision was better than no decision. I decided to go in the direction that the freeway closest to me was headed. I hated to be so close to the woods, but I had no choice, being stuck between the woods and the freeway.
Running as fast as I could, I focused on getting to the nearest populated area. I was hoping for a mall or someplace similar. That might also help me to figure out where I was, which would be a huge help.
I sensed that something from the woods was watching me. I ran even faster, and felt that who or whatever was watching me was keeping up with my speed. The hairs on my neck and arms rose and I knew that it was a vampire.
There was a park about a mile ahead of me, and I made it my goal to get there. It appeared that there was some kind of gathering there, and if I could mingle with humans, I would have a net of safety. My pursuers wouldn't be stupid enough to kill a bunch of humans, I hoped.
Going faster than I ever thought possible, I ran behind a pole in the park near the humans. I stopped and ran my fingers through my hair, trying to make myself look presentable.
It looked like some sort of wedding celebration. People were eating and dancing, and a bride and groom were lovingly feeding each other dinner. I could not imagine wanting my wedding to be outside in late November as a human. As a vampire, it would be fine, because the cold didn't bother me. I was wearing a dress with leggings and no shoes, and I was fine.
Doing my best to act naturally, I slipped in amongst the people. Fitting in would be tricky with my clothes being a wreck and my bare feet. I got in the food line and listening to people talking so that I would know what to say if I needed to pretend to know either the bride or groom. As I was filling my plate, I scanned the horizon for vampires and was sure that
I saw Adam hiding at the edge of the woods, watching.
I sat down at a table with a couple that was only paying attention to each other. I tried to act normally as I scarfed down my food. The blood did help, but I still needed actual food.
Another couple sat down at the table.
"Wasn't this the most beautiful wedding?" the girl asked me.
I smiled and nodded with my mouth full of food.
"It couldn't have been anymore perfect with the sunset as the background," she said with a sigh. "I thought an outdoor evening wedding in November was insane. But what a great idea."
"I wondered that too," I said. "Tonight's sunset was perfect. It must have been meant to be."
"I can't wait to see the pictures. They are going to be stunning."
The guy turned to me and looked like he'd seen a ghost. "You look just like that girl who's all over the news."
My face went white. I was sure of it.
"What girl on the news?" his girlfriend asked.
"Right, you don't watch the news." He rolled his eyes. "There's a high school couple from Delphic Cove that disappeared without a trace three days ago. They were last seen kissing in a park when some thugs showed up. They all went into the woods, and none of them came back out. You seriously haven't heard about any of this?"
"No, I didn't hear any of it," she said. "So someone saw them go into the woods with the thugs and nobody went to make sure that they were okay?"
"Apparently, the eyewitnesses didn't know them and didn't think about it. They said that they figured they were all friends. They didn't put two and two together until they heard about the missing couple. Then they came forward to the police."
"It sounds like you've been following this pretty closely," she replied.
"I have," he replied. "It's so scary. The boy reminds me of my younger cousin, and I couldn't imagine anything happening to him. The community has come together, and it looks like everyone has been searching. They've got piles of flowers at the park where they disappeared, and people have been holding candle light vigils each night in the park that they disappeared at."
"Do they have any leads?" the girl asked.