Jaycen’s heart was breaking at the mention of her mother, she hated hearing this coming from his lips. He didn’t deserve to even talk about her.
“Don’t you dare talk about my mother.”
“Well, now you know why that spell could never work. I made sure of it years ago. Your mother knew this. She was either under my spell, or dead.”
Jaycen screamed, twisting in her restraints. Why wasn’t she more powerful?
Grabbing hold of her hand with the burn on it, Darius demanded, “What is that?” Jaycen balled her hands up tightly, but he managed to pry them open. He stared down at the black burn in the palm of her hand, shocked. “This is the Izya crest.”
“Get off me!” she cried, trying to kick away from him. She couldn’t move at all.
“How did you get this?” Darius demanded, finally letting go of her hand and stepping back.
Jaycen stayed silent, staring him dead in the eyes.
“Tell me!” he roared.
The door flew open and José appeared in the doorway. “Jaycen, get down.” He flung out his hand, sending a spell towards Darius, a spell Darius stopped with a click of his finger. José hadn’t seen Luke, so he wasn’t expecting him to jump out. Luke grabbed José’s head, giving it one hard twist. Jaycen screamed as José’s lifeless body fell to the floor.
“See, now that was a waste. Such a waste.” Darius shook his head slowly.
Jaycen was crying, screaming, and kicking. Luke looked pleased with himself as he stood over José’s body. She could hear an enraged scream from outside, a scream she knew to be Thornton’s. She knew he had seen his friend fall to the ground, dead.
“Luke, make sure everything is under control out there,” Darius instructed, and both Luke and the dark-haired man left the room.
They stayed silent for a minute, the only sound in the room was Jaycen’s sobs.
“You will tell me about your hand,” he told her, ignoring her cries. He then took a long deep breath, the anger on his face melting away. “I had no idea you were this powerful, I would have come for you sooner if I had known.” Darius spoke calmly now as he leant forward, tucking a piece of Jaycen’s hair behind her ear. “As soon as I heard you had powers, I knew, I knew you were going to be the strongest of all my children.”
She tried to pull her head away, she didn’t want him touching her. The pain of the burn on her hand intensified, as did her rage. She was unable to look away from José’s lifeless body.
“I want you to join me. Join us. We could do so much.” Darius leant forward, grabbing her face in his hands, and forced her to look him in the eyes. “We could save magic. Don’t you see? There will be blood at first, but after that there will be peace.”
Jaycen’s body started to violently shake, her vision getting blurry. A woman, the same red-haired woman that she’d seen while under the spell, stood in the corner of the room. Jaycen couldn’t take her eyes off her. She blinked a few times, trying to figure out if she was real. Darius, still holding her gaze, looked at where the woman was standing.
“What are you looking at?” He stood, cautiously looking down at a shaking Jaycen.
Jaycen was still watching the woman, Isabella Izya. That was who she was, the woman whose power was given to her. She didn’t know how she knew, she just did. It was as if the woman was speaking to Jaycen, telling her everything she needed to know. All without saying a single word. It was as if a million locked doors in her head were now open, all of them leading to information about her magic. How to use it. How to control it. They held each other’s gaze from across the room, Isabella nodding her head and Jaycen understanding her immediately.
Jaycen’s body shook faster, her power flowing into her hands, breaking the bonds that kept her magic at bay.
“What is happening?” Darius stepped back, swallowing nervously. He eyed the open door, about to make his exit. Jaycen saw this, and with a blink of her eyes the door shut.
The shaking of her body stopped, and Jaycen stood. Isabella was now next to her, her presence somehow enhancing Jaycen’s magic, the magic they both shared.
Darius lashed out, sending spell after spell at Jaycen. They all fizzled out as they hit her body.
She raised her hand, lifting Darius into the air.
She was going to end this right here and now.
“No, don’t do this Jaycen. Please,” he begged, kicking the air.
Had he listened to pleas and begs when he killed all of those other people? Would he have listened to pleas and begs of her mother had she been given a chance? No.
Her body felt like it was on fire, Darius’s life now in her hands. She’d be able to end it with a single thought.
“Jaycen no, stop.” Thornton was now in the doorway, walking around José’s body. Tears welling up in his eyes at the sight of his friend, the pain in his eyes reinforced what she had to do—Darius had to pay for this.
“He needs to pay for what he’s done,” she cried out, Isabella still standing silently next to her. She could end his reign of terror right here, the only way to make sure he would never kill again was to kill him.
“Don’t kill him.” Thornton stepped forward, his eyes on a panicked Darius as he hung in the air. “He needs to stand trial for what he’s done.”
Torn, Jaycen looked into the eyes of the man who had fathered her. A man she hated. A man who had killed her mother. A man who had ruined her mother’s life.
“If we kill him, we’re no better than he is,” Thornton tried again, walking up to Jaycen, his face tense.
Jaycen looked at them all, especially Isabella who stood by silently, a small smile playing on her lips. She also didn’t want Jaycen to take his life. Jaycen knew this, deep down. Slowly, Jaycen dropped him to the floor and pushed him up against the wall.
“I can’t… I can’t move.” He tried to twist away, his eyes wide.
“That’s the point.” Jaycen dropped her hand, her tears still falling. “I can’t kill you, I’m not a murderer. But you will face trial for what you’ve done.”
Darius looked petrified at the thought. “If I go to trial then I’m dead all the same.”
She shrugged. “I’m not going to be the one who kills you.”
Thornton took her hand and pulled her away. “The authorities are on their way.”
She silently nodded, rubbing Thornton’s arms as he turned to look down at José on the floor. She stood as he dropped to his knees, reaching for his friend’s neck to feel a pulse. A pulse they both knew wasn’t going to be there.
“He’s dead. He’s really dead.” He looked up at the ceiling, squeezing his eyes shut. Jaycen’s heart broke for him, for José and for José’s family. She had to leave, she needed to put distance between her and Darius. It would be too easy to turn and kill him right there.
“I’m so sorry, Thorn.” Her voice broke as she slipped out of the room. Taking one more look at Isabella before she vanished into thin air. Had she really been there? Or had it all been Jaycen’s imagination? No, she knew it now. She knew that woman was real. Why she had chosen to come then, Jaycen didn’t know, but she had been real all the same.
Jaycen walked out of the small room, realising they were in the school gym almost immediately. The large room was packed with crying students. That was when she saw the small group of students lying on the floor next to the blood drop, her blood ran cold as realisation set in. They were dead. These were the students that they’d killed. The students who weren’t violet enough.
Lara, Thornton’s friend, sat on the floor. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she stared at the door that Jaycen had just come out off, José’s body still lying in the doorway. Her friend was sitting next to her, loudly sobbing, as were most of the students. Jaycen pressed her lips together tightly and looked away, her heart breaking.
“He ran that way,” she turned at the voice. A shaken Stephen stood and pointed to the door. “Luke.” His voice broke saying his name. “He got away from Thornton, and he
ran that way. He’s killed so many people, I saw him do it. He… He… He’s a monster.”
Jaycen stared into Stephen’s face. She saw the terror in his eyes, saw his tear-streaked face. They held each other’s eyes, and guilt flooded through her. Stephen had done some bad things, but how had she thought he was capable of this? Somehow, he understood her unspoken apology, and nodded his head, even looking slightly embarrassed. Without saying anything, Jaycen turned and ran out of the open gym doors. Passing her dark-haired attacker from earlier where he lay unconscious on the floor. She ran as fast as she could, spotting Luke running towards the wooded area of the school. She followed as fast as she could, gaining on him quickly.
“Luke,” she screamed once she was close enough. He stopped and turned, not expecting her to have carried on running. Her body slammed into his, knocking him to the ground.
“You murdered those people. You killed them.” She hit him as hard as she could, letting her tears fall as she screamed.
Luke twisted them around, so he was on top. “They deserved to die. All of them!”
Jaycen was about to twist him back over when she heard a thump, and Luke’s body sagged against hers. His heavy weight not moving, what the hell had just happened?
“Jaycen? Are you okay?”
She pushed Luke’s unmoving body off hers and sat up, looking at Gemma who held a bloodied rock in her hand. “Did he hurt you?” she cried out.
Jaycen shook her head, looking down at his body. He was unconscious, but still very much alive, and just like Darius, he would stand trial for what he had done.
“No, I’m fine, Gemma.” Jaycen stood, wiping her eyes. “Are you okay?”
Gemma shrugged, still holding on to the rock and her body shaking. “I don’t know.”
Just then cars sped through the school gates, ambulances and fire engines all following.
Jaycen reached out, pulling her friend into a hug. “It’s okay. It’s going to be okay,” she said into Gemma’s hair, even if she did only half believe it. The worst of it was over. Finally.
Chapter 33
Three weeks later.
“I think it’s safe to say you’re in the wrong classes.”
Jaycen turned to look at Drake as he approached her, she was standing outside of the school building deciding whether or not to go in. This was her first day back at the school, and she wasn’t sure if she was ready for it. The past few weeks had been a whirlwind of testifying and interviews. She had told Benedict everything, all of the information that Darius had told her. Which was great, because he then told everyone else. It really saved her having to explain it to everyone individually. She knew who he had spoken to, she could tell by the way they looked at her. It was a mixture of wonder and awe, maybe a little bit of fear. Darius and the others were her family after all, she hated that. She hated that she had finally found her family, and they were all psychopaths. What bothered her the most was that they didn’t know how many children Darius actually had, he refused to say. Which means the attacks might not be over just yet.
“Excuse me?” She twisted her head as Drake approached. She thought he had died in the attack, he and every other teacher they had come across. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case. What she later found out was that they had all been stunned with magic. She thanked God they were all alright, she wasn’t sure if the school could have handled that much death. She wasn’t sure if she could have handled that much death.
“You’re in the lower classes, aren’t you?” Drake clarified, coming to stand next to her.
She nodded her head. “Yeah. I was supposed to be doing the test, you know that one that decides what class I fit into?” She had no idea what was happening with that now. But if she was honest, she really didn’t care. At least she was in the school.
Drake smiled. “I spoke with Benedict this morning, you’re in the top classes for everything. It’s official.”
Jaycen pursed her lips. “So, I’m in your class?”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “Yes.”
She shook her head. “I’m not sure how I feel about that. The bruising has just gone down from the last beating you gave me.”
Drake snorted and walked around her. “I think that fight might end very differently now,” he called out, not looking back.
Jaycen smiled to herself, watching him leave. As she turned she saw him, in the distance was Thornton. Turning away from the school building Jaycen made her way towards him. She had barely seen him over the past few weeks, but they’d spoken a lot, mainly via phone. He called every night, just to make sure she was okay. She then called him every morning, just to see how he was doing. He’d lost his best friend after all, something Jaycen could never forget. Her heart got heavy when she saw what he was doing.
The school had put up a memorial wall after the attack, in memory of the nineteen students who had lost their lives, and for the three guards who had also died protecting the school. Thornton was standing by it, his hands in his pockets as he looked at the engraved names.
“Hey,” she greeted once she was close enough.
Thornton turned his head, smiling a little at her. “Hey, thought you weren’t getting back until later?”
“We got in earlier,” she said, walking to stand beside him. She and Benedict had just come from the Cure, the trial was finally over.
They had all been sentenced to life. That meant none of them would ever see the light of day again. Jaycen couldn’t have been happier with the result, Benedict couldn’t either. Somehow, he had been the prosecutor in the case. Jaycen didn’t really understand it. She was just in the court each day, watching him take them all down, one by one. It had been amazing. Also, because of the case, the Cure’s election had been put on hold, again.
“Would you ever run to be leader?” Jaycen had asked Benedict on their drive back to the school.
He’d grinned. “No, I’d be too bored.”
She’d rolled her eyes, only Benedict could get bored with running an entire magical community.
“Besides, why else would I be training Thornton? He’s the only witch or warlock that I’d ever vote for.”
Now, that had been a bombshell. She wondered if Thornton knew about Benedict’s plan. Was there a chance he didn’t know? His whole non-apprenticeship now made sense.
Jaycen looked up at Thornton as he silently looked at the engraving on the wall. He’d be a great leader, one day.
Jaycen turned back to the wall in front of her, reading each name in her head. Her heart squeezed when she got to José’s. He had come into the room to save her and died because of it. No matter how much time passed, she doubted that it would ever get easier knowing that.
“I realised today that I haven’t said it yet, but thank you.” Jaycen took a long deep breath, not taking her eyes away from the marble wall in front of her. She’d give anything to say those words to José as well. She hoped that he knew how grateful she was. How her pain was almost unbearable, at the thought that he had died trying to save her. She’d give anything to bring him back. Anything.
She could see from the corner of her eyes that Thornton was looking down at her. “What are you thanking me for?”
Jaycen quickly wiped her tears. “Because if it wasn’t for you I would have killed Darius. I would have been just as bad as him. Like father like daughter.”
Thornton snorted. “No. You could never be like him. Ever.”
Pressing her lips together, Jaycen shook her head. “No, I am. In that moment, I had never felt so much rage. So much anger. I wanted to kill him, and I wanted it badly.”
Thornton didn’t say anything, just slipped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to his side. “But you didn’t.”
“I didn’t because you stopped me,” she corrected.
Thornton shook his head. “If all it took was me asking you not to, then you weren’t really set on it in the first place.”
She doubted that, she really doubted it. She didn’t voice h
er concern though, she didn’t voice out loud how worried she was that the hate and rage she felt in that moment was still inside of her. They’d all been through so much, too much, to even think about that yet. But she’d tell him one day. Or, she’d tell someone at least.
“Have you eaten yet?” Thornton asked, suddenly changing the subject. She shook her head. Still keeping his arm around her, he guided her up the school path and to the cafeteria.
A few students stopped to look at them as they passed. Were they looking at them, or her? A few days ago, that would have mattered, now she just didn’t care. A few days ago, she’d have wanted to know what was happening with her and Thornton, she’d have been thinking about his arm around her shoulders for days, trying to figure out what it meant. What she now knew was that they shared a closeness, a bond that she hadn’t thought was possible before. She knew they both understood that. She also knew it was too soon to take things further. Everything that had just happened was still too fresh. But that was okay. After everything that had happened, it was kind of nice to take things slow. For her to take time to mourn everything she had lost.
They made it to the cafeteria and Thornton pushed open the door. It was as if the entire room fell silent. Everyone, teachers included, turned to look at them. Completely unfazed, Thornton walked into the room and towards Gemma, who stood and waved.
“I didn’t know you were back yet.” Gemma smiled easily, passing Jaycen a drink as she opened her own and took a sip.
“I got back early.” Jaycen smiled, letting Thornton slide into the seat next to her. He and Gemma chatted about the soup of the day, and everyone around them turned back to whatever they had been doing before they had walked into the room. For a minute, everything felt normal, it felt nice. Jaycen took a sip of her drink. The can had barely touched her lips when she heard the scream of a man.
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