***
She had made it.
The small white building in front of her looked so clinical, even the pretty flowers in the pots outside didn’t deter from the finality of the place.
It was time to go in and say goodbye. Was it really that simple?
Why did her feet feel like lead? Why was it so difficult to make those few steps through that door? She wasn’t ready, she wasn’t ready to say goodbye. Tears blinded her and she leaned against the wall outside. How did she do this?
She had to do it, just one foot in front of the other.
She owed it to Clara to say goodbye, they had been through everything together.
She pushed herself off the wall and pushed the door open.
The scent of a shifter hit her as soon as she entered the chapel. To her surprise the scent came from a young girl who looked about seventeen. She was dressed very formal, wearing a grey trouser suit; her dark hair was pulled into a neat ponytail.
She introduces herself as Sarah.
She leads her to a door with soft couches outside.
“When you feel you can proceed, Clara is in there. If you need anything I am just out here, I am so sorry for everything,” the girl says, her voice laced with empathy.
Emmie offers half a sad smile and nods her thanks. She can’t speak. She doesn’t meet the girl’s gaze – she doesn’t want to see the compassion in this young girl’s face. She needs to hold it together and not crumble before she says what she needs to say to her sister.
Emmie turns the handle of the door; it creaks as she pushes it open, entering the room and stepping in, letting the door close behind her. Her eyes are closed, dreading the sight she is about to see.
She opens her eyes and stops dead.
Clara.
Chapter Fourteen
Emmie “Emmie...”
No, no, no.
It had finally happened, the madness had set in, she was hallucinating. Clara was standing right in front of her looking all beautiful and alive, but she wasn’t really there, Clara was dead.
She takes a step towards her. Fuck. She had heard of people seeing ghosts but this was unbelievable, she looked so real.
Just your mind playing tricks.
She walks to the coffin expecting to see Clara’s body lying there.
It’s empty.
She looks from the coffin to Clara and back at the coffin again.
“You died, y-you died.” Everything becomes too much and the devastation of the last week brings her to her knees. Warm arms wrap around her, it’s the arms of a person she never thought she would see again. She clings on for dear life, terrified to let go, too scared that this was a beautiful dream.
“I am so sorry, Emmie, this was the only way we could get you on your own without them finding me.” Clara’s sweet voice is like music to her ears.
“My god, Clara, it broke my heart into pieces thinking I would never see you again. I haven’t stopped looking for you, even when they told me it was useless I never stopped... Then they told me you died, I saw a photograph, your beautiful face was – was...” More tears poured down her face as her voice broke again.
“Hey, I’m alright. I am so sorry you had to go through that, you are the last person I would ever want to cause pain. I’ve missed you terribly, Emmie.” Clara had tears in her own eyes.
They held each other and cried for all the time they had been separated and for all the pain they had both endured.
Emmie spoke first.
“What happened to you, Clara?” she asked.
“There’s so much to tell you, we’ve got a room we can go and talk in, Sarah is keeping watch out front but I don’t want to chance anyone seeing us.”
“Ok? You don’t know how happy I am to see you, Clara, I thought I was coming to say goodbye to you today,” Emmie said. Fresh tears rolled down her face.
“I know, it was an awful thing we had to do but it was necessary, I promise. Come, there’s a hidden room just through there,” Clara said, pointing to a wall on the other side of the room.
“Colt, we’re ready to come in now,” Clara said, standing up.
She’s really here, she’s not dead. The wall on the other side of the room slid to the side, exposing another room with computers and monitors. On the screens was CCTV footage of all around the building.
Whoever this Colt was finished sliding the wall across and came into view.
It was the ruggedly handsome policeman who brought her the bad news last week. Her eyes widened. “You – you’re...” She couldn’t get her head around all this. “Yeah, sorry about all of this, it was the only way we could get you alone without anyone getting suspicious... I’m Colt, by the way. The other woman with me was my sister Iris.” He offered Emmie his hand to pull her up. She looked at his hand for a second and reluctantly took it, not sure how she was supposed to react to all of this.
“Wow, this is all insane.” Her whole body was on edge as she followed them both into the room with all the computers.
There was a sofa along the opposite wall which Clara led her to and she sat down. Her legs were like jelly, this was so surreal; her head spun.
“Do you want some water or anything? You look like you’re about to pass out,” Colt said. “Yes, please I -I think I am just in shock.” Colt handed her a bottle of water out of the mini fridge which sat on the desk next to one of the monitors. She thanked him, her hands shaking as she opened it and took a big mouthful.
He slid the wall back over, locking them in the hidden room.
Clara sat down next to Emmie and held her hands; her lip quivered as she began explaining everything. “I was snatched by bad people, Emmie. They kept me locked in a cell for weeks. I had blood and urine samples taken once a week. When I fought against them or begged for them to let me go I was punished. After two months of hell in there one of the women servants helped me escape.”
“Oh my god, Clara, they didn’t.” Please no, please. “No, they didn’t rape me. I was beaten pretty badly, thethey whipped me.” Tears form in Clara’s eyes as she remembers her torture. Emmie’s heart sinks and she squeezes Clara’s hand as she continues explaining. “They said they needed to keep me pure, they said it was for the Master. I have only found out recently what they meant and who this Master is. I’ll explain all about him later but first I need to say something... Please don’t freak out. I know what you are, I know you’re a familiar.”
Emmie feels her heart drop to her stomach.
Clara
Clara watched all of the blood drain from Emmie’s already pale face. She knew this was going to be tough. When Heather had come up with the plan, she had said no at first because she didn’t want Emmie to suffer anymore, but when it came down to it there wasn’t any other option than to pretend she had been found dead. It was the only way to get Dominic believing he had lost her and he would hopefully stop looking.
Her heart had broken so many times over the last week knowing what Emmie must be going through. If it had been the other way around she didn’t know if she could survive thinking Emmie had been murdered by some sicko.
Emmie looked like she was about to have a nervous breakdown.
She gripped her shoulders and shook her slightly, offering her a reassuring smile.
“Emmie, it’s alright, I understand why you couldn’t tell me,” she said.
“How did you find out?” Emmie asked. Her eyes met Clara’s – she could see the conflict in them. “Colt is a familiar too, he and his companion found me in the woods after I escaped. He took me to his sister’s sanctuary, they took care of me and fixed me up. I was a mess, Emmie, they saved my life.”
Emmie looked over to Colt who was typing something on one of the computers, looking deep in thought. He looked like he wasn’t listening but she knew he had heard every word.
“Thank you for saving my sis ter and making sure she came back to me, you don’t know how grateful I am to you.” Tears wet her cheeks again. Colt offered Emmie a
smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
“Please don’t thank me, Clara is special to us all. I would gladly die a thousand deaths if it meant she was safe.” He spoke with such passion, if only she believed him.
A blush formed on Clara’s face and her eyes met Colt’s. The tension fizzed between them and she swore his eyes darkened a little, but then he looked away, breaking eye contact. She felt like screaming and shaking him.
They hadn’t made love again since the night he took her virginity.
After Heather had turned up, whatever was going on between she and Colt had taken a backseat. She had thrown herself into her spell training and he had shut himself off from her and avoided her like the plague.
Jake had come home the same day she had met Heather; she had gotten on with him straight away. He was like a younger, clean shaven version of Colt. He was always goofing around and making her and Sarah laugh when they were out in the woods together, practising and conjuring magic spells. He would hide behind trees and jump out and scare them or pull silly faces at her while she was chanting; it always ended up with them all doubled over laughing.
The same day Heather had turned up Colt had become distant. He had avoided physical contact and only really spoke to her when there were other people around, and even then, it was just menial chit-chat. He spent a lot of time out on ‘missions’ or brooding in his room.
She didn’t know what she had done wrong. She wasn’t sure if she had pissed him off or if he had just decided sleeping with the daughter of his companion was going to be too much hassle.
She felt so conflicted because she wanted to be so angry with him, but there were moments like this that confused her. She had seen the affection and need flash in his eyes before he turned away, she didn’t understand what his problem was.
She turned back towards Emmie who was looking at her strangely. She could obviously sense the tension between the two of them.
“Well, I am glad you were there for her,” Emmie said to the side of Colt’s head. Clara cleared her throat trying to clear the awkward silence, this was the bit she had been dreading, telling Emmie everything.
How do I do this? “Emmie, I have a few things I need to tell you, and I am not sure how you’re going to react. But first can I ask you one question?”
Emmie nodded.
“What do you remember about our birth mum?” Clara asked.
Emmie looked puzzled, her brows furrowed in to a frown. “I don’t remember a lot, just she had blonde hair like me and she was a loving parent until she abandoned us and didn’t come back... Why do you want to know about her, Clara?” Emmie asked, the frown still on her face.
“Because, she’s back and she wants to see you an—”
“I don—” Emmie interrupted but Clara needed to get it all out before she lost the nerve. “Please let me finish this... She didn’t stop looking for us, Emmie, she searched for us. She didn’t abandon us, she was protecting us from the man who killed our father.”
“What?” The torn look on Emmie’s face made Clara’s next decision a little easier. “I want to show you something... I want to show you what happened to me and what I’ve seen... Put your palms against mine and close your eyes. Please don’t be afraid and don’t let go.”
Clara held out her palms in front of her and Emmie placed her shaking hands on top. As soon as their palms touched Clara linked their fingers and gripped Emmie’s hands tight and closed her eyes, she began chanting.
“Memoria mea tua sunt.
Memoria mea tua sunt.”
All of her memories from the day she was kidnapped transferred into Emmie’s memory, giving her sister a glimpse into their new world.
Highlights of Clara’s last few months play out in Emmie’s mind.
When Clara opens her eyes Emmie’s eyes are tightly closed. Tears stream down her face, as new images appear in her mind. Little gasps leave her mouth. Emmie is so beautiful, with her delicate features and natural light blonde hair. Clara had often wished as a child that she could have had blonde hair just like her big sister, but she never had the nerve to dye hers in case it went wrong.
Emmie had lost weight in these last few months – this was a worry because Emmie had always been naturally slim anyway. Now her clothes hang from her frail-looking body and her cheekbones are a lot more prominent. All the stress has obviously had a massive effect on her. She has little dark smudges under her eyes and her lids are red and swollen from crying; she looks so exhausted. Guilt gnaws at Clara’s insides.
I am so sorry, Emmie.
Emmie opens her eyes and covers her mouth with her hand in shock. “Clara, that – you were hurt, my god, Clara, your back, our mother, you’re a – she’s a – a...” Emmie’s eyes are wide and full of a million questions.
Clara dives straight in with an explanation. “We are normally called companions by your kind as we need one another to conjure up powerful spells. We are otherwise known as witches or Cailleach... Some people refer to your kind as familiars, but we are all part of the spectral community. Our family is special because we are the last remaining few ancestors of Annabelle Vandran. Annabelle was an enchantress who lived in a little place called Hunterscove in Ireland in the early seventeenth century, she was believed to be an ancestor of a Celtic goddess named Airmid who practised in herbalism and healing. Annabelle was murdered by a cult ran by a psychotic asshole, and apparently, I am a reincarnation of Annabelle, that’s why they took me. Sorry, I know I am rambling, it’s a lot to take in, but we haven’t got much time,” Clara said, hoping Emmie didn’t think she had lost her mind completely.
She needed to try and convince her to go into hiding with them, and laying everything on the table was risky but she couldn’t be anything but honest with her no matter how crazy it all sounded.
Admitting to herself what she was had been the hardest thing for Clara; she was still coming to terms with everything that had happened since her kidnapping but with Heather’s help and her new friends’ support she was making progress.
The way Emmie was looking at her at this moment was like she was seeing her for the first time. “So, what happens now?” Emmie asks, taking Clara by surprise. She was expecting her to either get angry or burst out crying again, but the look on Emmie’s face wasn’t one of fear, it was acceptance.
“Will you and Hope come into hiding with us?” Clara asked, hopeful. “Clara, I’ll have to think about how all this will affect Hope, so much has happened in her little life. Her favourite person in the whole wide world disappeared and two weeks later her dad left, she’s too young to have so much put on her,” Emmie said, her voice strained.
“What do you mean her dad left?” Clara snapped. “He was having an affair with someone from work,” Emmie said. “I’ll kill him. Who the fuck does he think he is...? Bastard, he’ll never find anyone as beautiful and amazing as you, Emmie. Oh my god, I am so sorry you had to go through this alone.” She was seething.
“It wasn’t your fault, Clara, it was his, and that skank he put his dick in. I am over it now, he’s at Kevin’s. Me and Hope have a good routine. Our relationship is finished but he’s been good the last few days helping with Hope and stuff.”
“Well, so he should, the snake...Ugh, I feel like haunting the asshole, and dick punching him.” Clara’s rant earned her a snort from Emmie who proceeded to burst into uncontrollable laughter. It was infectious and Clara started laughing along with her. Colt even cracked a grin.
“I so needed that,” Emmie said, wiping her eyes. “You always did have a way with words, Clara. I have missed that mouth of yours.”
Clara took Emmie’s hands in hers again, a hopeful look on her face. “Come with us,” she said.
“I don’t kn—”
“Go home get Hope and come with us. Emmie, Hope will love The Sanctuary, she’ll be safe and looked after there... Hope could be like us, Emmie, she may have the same spectral gene as me. I don’t want history repeating itself before we have a chance to
beat the asshole who seems set on destroying our family. Please, Emmie,” she begged.
Emmie chewed on her lip, conflicted.
“Can I go home and think about it, and call you tomorrow?” Emmie asked. “We’ve got transport coming for us tomorrow night. I can’t stay in Chester long, Emmie, it’s not safe. They have people watching you. I can’t risk being seen alive until I finish all of my training and I’m strong enough to face him.”
“I’ll call the Chapel first thing. If I decided to come I’ll arrange a visit. What do I tell Will?” Emmie looks nervous.
“He can’t know anything, Emmie, you can’t tell anyone I’m alive. If you decide to come just leave him a message and let him know you and Hope have gone away for a few days to get your head together. You won’t be able to bring your phone or anything electronic, they will be traceable, and just a small bag of essentials. If you look like you are going away they will follow you. We won’t be gone forever, just until we can end this once and for all.”
“Won’t it look suspicious if I am not at your funeral? And won’t the coffin be empty?” “You can put in the letter that you couldn’t cope with the funeral. It’s going to be a quiet one anyway, you know I’ve never really had many friends. A few work colleges might show up. Heather has already sorted everything so it will be real. I was scared to ask about the body in the coffin, I don’t think I want or need to know who or what might be inside there. She is very resourceful and a powerful witch so it will be all done using magic,” Clara says.
“Wow, Clara, it’s all a bit morbid and you really have thought of everything. Alright, if I decide to come, I will leave him a letter. He’s in work until nine on Tuesdays so he won’t get it until Wednesday afternoon when he comes to see Hope. The funeral is on Thursday,” Emmie says.
“If you decide to stay, you’ll have to go along with the pretence that I am dead. I won’t be able to contact you for a while though.”
Unfamiliar (The Vandran Legacy Book 1) Page 15