Violet Blood

by Sophia Stafford

  “Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap,” she chanted, wiping her hair away from her face. “Mom? Are you okay?”

  She looked up just in time to see Thornton try and reach them, only to be thrown away, just like Benedict. The room around her was in panic, the men not knowing what to do or where to stand.

  “Get in your circle,” Zena called, the large book already in hand as she started to chant. The others quickly followed suit, both Benedict and Thornton back in position as if nothing had happened.

  Her mother’s body jerked again, and then slammed back onto the stone floor. This time blood seeped out from under her.

  “She’s bleeding!” Jaycen screamed, trying to put her hand under her mother’s bleeding head as her body was continually lifting and then slamming into the ground below.

  “We need to stop this, Zena. We need to stop this now!” Benedict ordered, breaking the circle and holding out his hands, trying to assess the space in front of him. “I can’t get in. There’s a barrier here.”

  “I can’t stop this now,” Zena sobbed, but carried on with the spell, her words quiet and broken.

  They couldn’t stop now, Jaycen thought, panicking as she felt her mother’s body crumbling under her hands. They needed to finish this, it was now or never. The next time her body lifted, Jaycen rolled under her. She turned her head to the side as her mother’s body came crashing down on top of her. She moved fast, wrapping her arms and legs around her mother and held on for dear life.

  “Jaycen, what are you doing?” someone called, she had no idea who. Jaycen’s body lifted with her mother’s, and she braced for what was about to come.

  “Zena, hurry.” Jaycen and her mother both fell to the ground with so much force that it was as if someone was pushing them down and then pulling them back up.

  “I don… I don’t know what’s happening. It’s not working. The spell’s not getting through,” Zena called out, panicked.

  Well, isn’t that just great? Jaycen thought, holding on tighter as her body was slammed into the ground, taking the impact for her mother as best she could. Jaycen squeezed her eyes shut, words spilling out of her mouth, words she’d never heard before and didn’t understand. She felt a pull and opened her eyes in time to see herself being pulled into darkness. She was alone, but she wasn’t afraid. No, somehow, she knew what was happening. So, she let herself be pulled further and further into the darkness. A small, dim light shone, getting brighter and brighter the further she was pulled in. Then, there, surrounded by a small light, was her mother, sitting on the floor with her legs pulled to her chest. She was young, just like she had been in the last memory Jaycen had seen, but it was definitely her mother.

  “Mom?” Jaycen flung herself forward, her arms wrapping around her mother, latching onto her before she was pushed off.

  “Let go of me.” Her mother tried to pry herself away, hitting and kicking her violently.

  “Stop, please.” Jaycen tried to hold on tighter, wrapping her legs and arms as tight as she could.

  Then, the kicking and fighting stopped. “Jaycen, oh my sweet baby. Is that really you?”

  They were still being pulled into complete darkness, Jaycen’s body still wrapped tight around her mother’s much younger body. She turned her head to look her mom in the eyes.

  “You are so beautiful.” Her mother reached up, taking Jaycen’s face in her hands. Their movements slowed, before finally stopping, still in complete darkness, floating in nothingness.

  “Do you know who I am?” She leant into her mother’s touch, marvelling at her stillness, something she had never seen from her mother before.

  She nodded. “I’ve seen your face for years, only snippets here and there, but I’ve seen you. Now here you are, a grown woman. You’re so beautiful, so strong.”

  She had only seen snippets? Jaycen’s heart broke into a million pieces right there. Who had been the woman who raised her? Had it all been a spell? Had any of it been her mother?

  “It’s okay mom, we’re going to get you home. I promise.” Tears were falling down her cheeks and gathering at her mouth.

  Her mother shook her head. “You know that can’t happen. You know it in your heart.” She let go of Jaycen’s face and reached for her hands. “But I am so proud of you, I want you to know that. So proud.”

  “What are you talking about? We can get you out of here. I know what happened to you, I saw it. You going to Europe, not going back home. I saw it all and it’s going to be okay.”

  Her mother stayed silent, squeezing Jaycen’s hands with tears in her eyes. “I can’t leave this place, I never could.”

  Jaycen shook her head wildly. “No, we can get you out. There are people helping me, powerful people.”

  The darkness around them shook, like an earthquake. Jaycen and her mother both reached out, holding each other close.

  “You need to leave, now. Before we both die here.” Her mother took hold of her arms. “You said you know everything, do you know who your father is?”

  Jaycen shook her head. “I didn’t see that part, I could only see his back. Who is he?”

  Her mother pulled her close, wrapping her arms tight around her and whispered in her ear, “I can’t say his name, I could never say his name.”

  “That’s… that’s fine…. We can just…. When we get out of here...” Jaycen stammered, the darkness around them now violently shaking. “Please, mom, just hold on to me. We’re going to get out of here.”

  “No my dear, you are going to get out of here. Be careful, my strong girl. Be so careful. Your father will show himself to you soon enough. Do not trust him and do not let him get close. You must do whatever you can to stop him.” Her mother’s voice was strong and firm, her arms so tight Jaycen could barely breathe.

  Everything shook again, a crack forming above them, letting light seep in. Surely, that was a good sign?

  Her mother didn’t seem to think so. “I love you, Jaycen. I’m so sorry I couldn’t save you.”

  “You can come with me, we can leave together,” she cried, pulling her mother close, not caring about the pressure around her waist. Something slammed into her body, jolting her forward, letting her mother step backwards and out of Jaycen’s reach.

  “No, I could never come with you. I love you, Jaycen, I love you so much. Remember that, remember me. Remember me like this, and know that if I could, I would have killed for you. I just didn’t have the tools.”

  “Mom, no!” Jaycen cried, her vision now blurred by her tears. The shaking continued, and the crack above them got bigger and bigger until light was streaming in. Her mother blew her a kiss, she then placed her hands over her heart. Something slammed into Jaycen’s body again, pain shooting from her head. She was being pulled back.

  “Mom, take my hand.” Jaycen moved forwards, but her mother moved back.

  “I love you Jaycen, please know that.”

  The darkness around her vanished and was replaced with a blinding light. Jaycen’s body was again slammed into the ground, her mother still wrapped tightly in her arms.

  “Mom? Are you okay?” she cried, letting go of her mother’s body and rolling her off, needing to see her face.

  “The spell is over,” Zena said from somewhere behind her. “But who was performing it?”

  Her mother still didn’t answer. Jaycen leant forward, brushing her hair away from her closed eyes, trying not to notice the blood seeping from her head. “No, no, no, no, mom, please. Please wake up.” She sobbed, holding her mother’s lifeless body close, rocking her back and forth. “Please.”

  “She’s dead.” Benedict fell to his knees, his hands slowly reaching out to touch her palm. “I don’t…. I don’t understand.”

  Zena cried out, as did the men, all of them in shock.

  Jaycen just cried, screaming her pain out as she rocked her mother’s lifeless body back and forth. Her last words replaying in her head, over and over: “I love you, Jaycen, please know that.”

  Just like th
at, Jaycen’s world fell apart.

  Chapter 29

  Benedict didn’t know what had gone wrong with the spell, neither did Zena. They both blamed themselves, trying to offer Jaycen words of comfort but neither able to.

  “It wasn’t your fault, it was just how it was meant to be,” were the only words Jaycen had said since, muttering them quietly to both Benedict and Zena before crawling into her bed, waiting for everyone to leave before she cried herself to sleep. Thornton had come to visit her, staying completely silent as he sat at the bottom of her bed, bringing snacks that she didn’t touch.

  In an odd way, she was lucky. Her mother’s empty life made it easy to plan a funeral, no friends or family to be invited. It made it easier for others to plan it. They had asked Jaycen to help, but she had declined with a silent shake of her head. So, they had done it all without her, the flowers, the songs, they even decided where she should be buried.

  Now, Jaycen sat on a pile of newly tossed dirt, staring at a dark gray gravestone with her mother’s name engraved on it. Benedict and the others all waited behind her, their cars running, and ready to go. They were trying to give her time, time to grieve. She didn’t know how to start. Would her mother have liked the ceremony? Would she have approved of the songs that everyone sang? Everyone but Jaycen that was. As much as it hurt to even think, Jaycen had come to terms with the fact that the woman she knew wasn’t her mother. Not her real mother. The woman she knew was a spell, an illusion created by a man she could only guess was her father. Then, in the most confusing way, she had found out that she and her mother were more alike than she thought. Her mother had been smart, really smart from the looks of it. Just like Jaycen. She had always assumed her brains had come from her father’s side, apparently not. She should have found some comfort in that, but she didn’t. It was just another part of her mother that she’d never got to know.

  Carefully, she laid a single red rose on the dirt in front of the stone. Brushing the dirt off her black trousers, she walked back to the car. Benedict was on the phone as she approached, his head bent, and in deep conversation.

  “When do you think the murder happened? A week ago? Three days ago? Why are we only finding this out now?” He stopped talking as soon as he saw Jaycen, giving a small nod, his eyes full of sadness. All of it was for her. She hated that, but at the same time welcomed it. It meant no one tried talking to her. She needed to be left alone.

  She climbed into the back, right next to Thornton, only half listening to Benedict talk a few meters away. So, there had been another murder. A few weeks ago, that would have shocked her, now it was just a sad part of her new life. Just like the red-haired woman had said. Carefully, to make sure no one saw, Jaycen looked down at the burn on her hand. It was deep and black, covering the cut that Zena had given her twice now. Jaycen assumed the woman with red hair had given it to her while kissing her hand, but she didn’t really know. Jaycen traced the thick, black lines with her pointer finger, the shape already memorised. She didn’t know what it was, and now she didn’t care. She also hadn’t shown anyone, covering her hands with gloves most of the time. What was the point now? To save her mother? Find out who her father is? What was the point of violet blood if you couldn’t change anything? If you couldn’t save the ones you loved?

  Benedict got into the driver’s seat, Zena getting into the passenger side. “We need to go to England. I’ve called Azrael, he’s going to meet us at the school with Lilliah, we’ll all leave from there,” Benedict instructed as they drove off. Zena stayed silent.

  Jaycen stared out of the window as they left her mother’s grave, the lump in her throat tightening the farther they drove away. Her mother was now lying in the dirt, completely alone.

  Thornton’s hands reached out, taking hold of hers. She pulled away, holding her own hand on her lap. He kept his hand where it was, and instead of holding her hand he held her knee, still letting her know that he was there. She didn’t move it but didn’t acknowledge it either.

  Someone had decided to bury her mother in New York State, not far from the school. “So, you can visit as much as you like,” Zena had told her at some point. She liked that, having her mother close. It also meant that they were back at the school within an hour.

  They pulled into the grounds, the two guards waving them through. Benedict was still talking about the possible murder in England. They tried to talk quietly, but Jaycen could hear everything. It had been brutal, savage even. Nothing like the rest. It was getting worse, etcetera etcetera. It also reminded Jaycen of the weird dream she’d had while training with Drake. Or, when Drake beat her up. Had it been a dream? Could it even be classed as a dream if she was awake? Again, what would sharing this really solve? So, she kept quiet.

  They pulled into the school grounds. The car had barely stopped when Jaycen opened the door and got out.

  “Jaycen, wait.” Benedict rounded the car, catching up with her before she could leave. “I’m going to have to take a trip. I shouldn’t be long.”

  To England, yeah, she knew. She didn’t voice this though, instead she nodded at Benedict and Zena.

  “I want you to call me, even if it’s just to talk. I don’t want you to feel alone. You could even come with us, if you wanted?”

  Didn’t he get it by now? She had always been alone. Even when she had thought she’d had her mother, she hadn’t. “I’ll be fine,” she promised, turning and heading towards the nurse’s office. She only looked back once, and only saw Thornton watching her leave. He smiled and her lips tugged upward a little. Tomorrow. Tomorrow she would sit down and tell him everything about the spell, everything she had seen. But not today, today all she wanted was to be left alone. Or at least to have silence. She walked into the nurse’s building and straight to Gemma’s room. To a Gemma that was still unconscious, with no new signs of waking up. She was alone without being alone. She closed the door behind her, falling to the floor in tears.

  She had no idea how long she stayed there, mostly in silence, but sometimes she spoke. She told Gemma about her mom, and how she really had no idea what kind of funeral she would have wanted. When Jaycen opened the door again it was dark, and the building was completely empty. She took another look at Gemma sleeping. The only sounds in the room were the machines telling everyone she was alive, just not well. Tomorrow, Jaycen would start demanding answers from people: Why wasn’t she waking up? How long would it take? Tonight, she was going to go straight to sleep, but tomorrow she would start demanding more for her friend.

  She walked across the only lit path in the campus, following the light until she reached her dorm.

  Jaycen closed the door behind her, and slowly made her way towards her room. She’d barely been at the school since her mother’s death, only returning to change for the funeral. She was going to start her classes again tomorrow, it was time. Time to get back to reality.

  She opened the door to her dorm, slammed it behind her, and fell down on her bed, passing out immediately.

  ********

  Jaycen wasn’t sure what woke her up. She knew it was still late, she could tell from how dark it was outside, and how much her eyes stung when she opened them. She rubbed her eyes, noticing a soft light coming from outside. There weren’t any lights her side of campus. Slowly, she stood, stumbling across her room until she reached her window. Her heart seemed to stop at the masked figure that was staring up at her from the ground, a flaming torch in one hand. Jaycen had seen that mask before, it was the same black, white, and red smile that the murderers had worn weeks before. Judging by the persons build, it was a man. Could it be one of the killers?

  Jaycen reached for her phone and ran out of her dorm, taking the steps two at a time, all while trying to call Benedict.

  “This is Benedict, I can’t get to the phone right now…”

  Damn it. She disconnected and tried Thornton immediately, he answered on ring two.

  “Jaycen? Are you okay?”

  “There’s a guy on camp
us, he’s wearing one of those scary masks. I need help, meet me in the courtyard.” She heard him curse before she disconnected, pushing open the doors so she was outside. Jaycen ran around the building, trying to work out which side her room was on. By the time she got there, the man was gone.

  She cursed, turning around, about to go to the courtyard and meet Thornton when she came face to face with the terrifying mask. The attacker’s arm shot out, latching onto her neck and squeezing tight.

  Jaycen panicked and clawed at the gloved hand currently stopping her from breathing. Then, she held up her hand, her magic pouring out of her, and sending her attacker backwards. He didn’t fall to the ground, instead just stumbled, but quickly found his footing and stared back at her. Oh god, she was in trouble. She knew that behind her was a dead end, the only way out was past her masked assailant. As fast as she could, she shot out spell after spell, taking small steps everytime she pushed him back. The masked guy deflected the spells, only stumbling a few times. Through all of this, he didn’t retaliate. That panicked Jaycen more than anything—what else did he want if not her life? She lifted him up, smashing him into the wall. His body had barely connected when Jaycen ran past as fast as she could. All she had to do was make it to Thornton. She could hear him running after her, his feet heavy on the grass.

  “Thorn!” she frantically screamed, rounding the corner and almost dropping to her knees with relief when she saw Thornton standing under a light. She picked up her pace as Thornton started running towards her.

  Jaycen looked over her shoulder just in time to see the attacker launch himself forward, knocking her to the ground, all of his weight now on top of her. Jaycen gave him no time to get into position and began kicking him off, she was able to roll him over so she was now on top. She managed to hold his struggling hands down, her face inches away from the mask.

  “Who are you?” she spat, just as Thornton approached.

  All she got back was the throaty laugh of a man, but no name.