17Hi all,
I can see this story is getting quite a few reads even if only my friend is reviewing thus far, so I wanted to say thank you to everyone following along, and I hope you're enjoying it :)
After getting dressed in my room, sitting on the bed hyperventilating for ten minutes, then working up the courage to leave my room, I step outside into the cold morning, wrapping my arms around myself. Misty stands right beside the porch beside me, smoking and watching as Ash and Gary change Dawn's tire.
"Drove over a nail or something," Misty says, no greeting. My breath is clouding in the air in front of me. Summer is definitely over. I glance around for Serena, but I can't see her. I sigh loudly, which earns an eyebrow raise from Misty that I pretend I don't see. I can't handle answering anyone's questions right now. I need to get away from here. I need to figure out what to do, because I have no idea.
"Hey," Dawn says. "You're freezing." I didn't even notice her approaching. She's holding a cup of hot chocolate in both hands.
"I'm fine," I lie. Then something occurs to me. "How come you were out here so early to notice your flat tire?" I ask. Dawn's hands tighten around the cup, and it doesn't go unnoticed. I didn't mean the question as an accusation, but I can see her becoming defensive.
"I came out to get something I wanted," she snaps.
"Wasn't it a big nail though? Surely the tire would be flat last night if that's the last time you used the car, but it wasn't," Misty says beside me. I suck in a breath, ready for Dawn's wrath, but it doesn't come. I blink over at her. She looks panicked, almost. Like she's scrambling for an explanation, but she can't find one. That's when I know. She was out in the car after we went to bed, or very early this morning. I just don't know why.
"Hey!" Gary calls over, waving his hand. I don't dare look over. I can't handle seeing Ash's face. "It's done."
Dawn scurries away, and I dare a glance at Misty, wondering if she's figured it out. All she does is smirk back, a mischievous glint in her eye. I start to wonder if all of us are keeping secrets.
"Where did you go last night?" I ask Dawn over the kitchen island. The others are gone. I never got the chance to speak to Serena, and I think she might be avoiding me. Dawn questioned why I didn't ask Ash for a ride home, but I told her I wanted to spend more time with her, and she was more than satisfied with that answer.
"I didn't go anywhere," Dawn says, taking a bite of toast. "The tire must have gone flat overnight."
I don't believe her, but I don't say that out loud. I want to believe that when she's ready, she'll tell me if there's something going on. Instead I slide down from the barstool and stretch my arms. I'm pushing back all thoughts of Ash and Drew for now. "Let's go shopping."
Dawn's face lights up at the prospect of spending all day shopping in the city. She's grabbing her car keys and nodding before my arms even come down.
She drives us down the freeway and across the bridge into the city. We spent the rest of the day in the mall, spending stupid amounts of money to distract us from what's going on in both our lives. I bought a few sweaters for the colder weather. She bought a few new dresses, for whatever reason. We ate pizza at a restaurant then went for coffee after. Then, we watched a movie. By the time we decide to go home, it's already dark outside. I wonder how time can pass so quickly when I'm with her. I glance at my phone, which tells me it's eight. There's also a text from Mom, which I open.
Going to stay with grandma tonight, text when you're home safe. Love you.
My grandmother lives an hour away. They'll have taken Max too, which means I'm going to be home alone. Great. I type a basic response and sit back in the seat. Dawn sings along to the radio as she drives us back, and her singing voice is pretty good, so I just sit and listen, letting it distract me until we pull up on my drive at 8:30.
I grab my bags out of Dawn's trunk and wave bye to her as I fumble for my keys. I dare a glance at Ash's house, but obviously, there's nothing to see. As soon as I'm inside, I turn and lock the door again. I go around to the back door and check that it's locked too. Then I check all of the windows are closed. Even then, I can't relax. My mind is racing, switching between thoughts of Ash last night and the fact that more than one person is trying to kill me, and both know exactly where I am.
I space out in my room, half watching the TV, until there's a knock at the door. I freeze, glancing sideways at the clock. It's midnight. No one would knock here at midnight. I climb silently out of bed and creep downstairs, taking the stairs slowly. I can see the silhouette of a person, waiting on the other side, through the frosted glass. My breath catches in my throat. Whoever they are, they're tall. I race into the kitchen, fumbling in the drawer for a knife. The knock sounds again, and the sound sends a pulse of pure terror through me, gluing me to the spot. I don't have to answer, I tell myself. I can just ignore it. Yet when they knock for a third time, I find myself walking to the door, the knife held tight in my right hand. I unlock the door with my left hand quickly, then throw the door open, the knife poised to strike.
It goes slack in my hand. I look down, and see Drew, who's dropped to the ground now, just sitting there, his eyes closed. I can smell alcohol instantly. I try to calm my shaking hands, and place the knife on the closest surface, hoping he didn't see it.
"Drew," I say sharply, and he opens his eyes, but he can't seem to figure out where my voice is coming from. He's very, very drunk. I step out into the night and step in front of him. He spots me, and his face crumples. "What are you doing here?" I ask.
"May," he slurs. I cross my arms over my chest and sigh. What the fuck am I supposed to do now? He starts crying, his face in his hands. My chest tightens. I can't call his parents. Despite everything he's done, I can't do that to him. I could call Gary and ask him to take him to his house, but it's late, and I'm not even sure he'll be awake. I groan, rubbing my temple. I look back down at Drew, ready to ask him if he can walk, but he's… he's asleep. I blink in disbelief. He's actually fallen asleep on my front step.
I kick him gently in the side, but he doesn't move. I want to laugh, but not because this is funny. I take a step towards him and crouch down beside him, grabbing him by the shoulders and pushing him back. He seems to wake up, but I can't be sure.
"Put your arm around my shoulder," I order him sharply. He looks scared of me, which I find kind of funny. He throws his arm heavily around my shoulder, and I put mine around his waist, trying to lift him up. It takes more effort than it should to get him to stand, and slowly I walk him into my house, taking most of his weight. I consider my options as I kick the door shut behind us. I could put him on the sofa, but then if he wakes up in the middle of the night, he'll probably be confused. Sighing, I steer him towards the staircase and start to help him up. It takes a few minutes to reach my room, but once we do, I let go of him. He leans back against the wall pathetically while I rummage through my wardrobe, pulling out a sleeping bag and throwing it down on my floor.
"You can sleep on that," I say, pointing at it.
"Okay," he slurs, giving in completely. I wonder if that's the only word he can manage right now as he all but falls onto the floor and crawls inside the sleeping bag. I run a hand over my face, groaning. Why me? Remembering the door is still unlocked, I quickly run downstairs and lock it. When I get back upstairs Drew's asleep, snoring lightly. It's going to be pretty awkward when he wakes up in the morning, but that's tomorrow's problem, so I settle in bed and try to ignore the fact that he's there. It's hard to get to sleep when your ex-boyfriend is asleep on your carpet, but after a while, I must drift off, because the next time I open my eyes, the clock reads 7am.
Groggily, I put my arm over my eyes and try to go back to sleep when I realise what woke me up: rustling. I sit up, forgetting the situation for a moment, ready to throw my hands out, but it's only Drew, folding the sleeping bag up, sober. He hears me sit up and turns to face me, embarrassment written all over his face. I blink up at him, unsure what to say, waiting for some sort of explanation.
"Sorry," he says, sighing. "I shouldn't have come here last night."
I nod. "Probably not."
He rubs the back of his head, and I can tell he's debating saying something. "I miss you all. I miss my friends," he says, his eyes burning into mine suddenly.
"It's your own fault, Drew," I say, not wanting to feel any pity for him.
He takes a step towards me then sits on the edge of the bed, right beside me. I scurry back a little bit. "I know this is going to sound completely crazy, May, but I need you to hear me out. I didn't mean to do it. I just… I was looking for you, but then she found me. It was like my brain switched off. She told me what to do, and it's like I had no choice but to do it."
I twist my face as I listen, fear creeping into my chest. "That's a next level excuse," I say, but it doesn't come out right, because for some reason, I almost believe him.
"I know how it sounds. I even thought I was bullshitting myself, but then it happened again, the next time she saw me. Then I knew I wasn't crazy. I swear there's something wrong here, May. I can feel it, ever since it happened. Something's wrong."
He's right, he sounds crazy, but perhaps not to me. It's tugging at the corner of my mind, the realisation I'm coming to, but I don't want to believe it, because it's just too insane. "What are you suggesting?"
He waves a hand in dismissal. "I said too much already. I just needed to tell you that, May. I really do love you. I never meant to hurt you." He stands, getting ready to leave. I throw the covers off myself, standing, watching him approach the door.
"Drew," I say, stopping him. "Are you sure?"
He pauses, his hand on the doorknob. "About what?"
"Solidad," I say quietly. He looks back at me. I clench my fists at my side. I can feel the tides are about to change, and I'm scared.
"Yeah," he says, nodding. "I've been avoiding her for days, but every time I see her, she makes me stand with her, and acts like nothing's happening."
I let out a noise, crumpling a little. "She's a witch," I say out loud, bringing my hand to my face. It's trembling like crazy. Unless he's lying, it's the only explanation. There's someone else like me.
"May?" Drew asks, taking a hesitant step towards me. "What do you mean?"
I can't answer him. My mind is racing, considering what this means. She's clearly malicious, at least towards me, but why? Does she know about Ash, and the others? Is she working against me? If so, why? All the questions give me a migraine, and I sway on my feet, almost falling, but Drew catches my arm, keeping me steady.
"I looked into it. There's a history of witches in this town, but they're just stories or twisted history. Witches aren't real."
I should probably consider it more, but I've held back long enough, and somehow, I know I can trust him to keep my secret. I take a deep breath. "They are."
He lets go of my arm. "Huh?"
I'm terrified, but I've started down the path now, so I might as well keep going. I close my eyes slowly, holding out my hand, and pull forward on the energy inside me. When I open my eyes again, there's a ball of light in my outstretched palm, illuminating the dim room, the mildest form of magic I could think of to prove my point. Drew's face is white, his jaw hanging open. I clench my hand shut, and it disappears.
"You-" He stumbles on his words. "I can't- You're a witch?"
I nod. He runs a hand through his hair and blows out a breath. "Okay. Okay." He turns away from me and puts his hands out, resting them against a set of drawers.
"Don't panic." I take a step towards him.
He shakes his head. "I'm not, I just… How long have you known?"
"Not long," I say truthfully. "It started when the janitor died, and I know why, too. I couldn't tell anyone. I didn't know what would happen to me."
"What else can you do?"
"Anything."
He turns to face me, eyebrows furrowed. "Anything?"
"Pretty much, I think."
I hold out my hand and use magic to pick up a candle from the other side of the room and bring it towards me, catching it in my other hand. Then I look at it, and it lights, just like that. Drew watches in awe as I wave my hand over it slowly and the flame extinguishes. I send it back to where I lifted it from.
"That's incredible," he says, then he grins. He takes a few steps towards me, then places his hands on my cheeks. A heat floods over me, remembering the last time we were this close together, at the Halloween ball. My heart skips, but I know this can't happen now.
"Drew," I say gently. "I believe you, about Solidad. I believe you didn't mean to. But we still can't be together. We weren't good for one another. We argued all the time. We… There was something missing. I know you know it too."
He sighs, but doesn't drop his hands. "I know. I just have one question." He finally drops his hands and looks away. "Is it because of him?"
"Who?"
"Ash."
I realise then that I've left out a big part of this whole revelation. I swallow hard, considering how to tell him. I'm worried that when I tell him, he'll try to kill Ash himself. Still, I could keep Drew by my side, as someone I trust, so Ash can't get to me. Maybe we can be friends.
"No," I say. "Listen, there's something you need to know."
I explain to him as much as I know about witches, and about the janitor's house, and the diary I found there. When I get to the part about the witch hunters, I see him piece it together in his head, and his face twists in anger. I tell him about the knife to my neck, but I don't mention that I had been in bed with him.
"I'll kill him," he hisses, glancing at the door like he's planning on going there right now.
"No," I say, grabbing his arm. "You can't. Nobody will believe you, and you'll be charged with murder. It's the same for me. We can't get rid of him."
He curses under his breath. I feel his frustration. "There has to be something we can do," he says. "We should look into it. There's books at the library. Or online. Anything."
It warms my heart that he's taking this up as his fight. I still care for him, but it's better if we stay friends. I just hope he sees that too. Taking a deep breath, I know what I need to do. I hold my hand out and reach for my phone, catching it mid-air as it flies to me. Drew raises a questioning eyebrow at me, but I ignore him. I call Dawn.
She answers, despite the time, but sounds as though she's just woken up as she says, "you better have a good reason for calling me this early."
"I do," I say. "I need you to come to mine. It's urgent."
"Are you in trouble?" She asks, sounding awake and alert now.
"No, not right now, but yes. I'll explain when you get here, okay? Hurry."
I hang up, hoping she's not too mad. I hand Drew my laptop and he sets about trying to find some information while I pace back and forward across my room. Everything seems to be happening at once, and it's taking all my strength not to lose my mind. Despite everything, my mind keeps wandering back to sleeping in Ash's bed, how warm he'd been, how safe it had felt. He'd just been letting me get my guard down before he struck. If Serena hadn't interrupted, I might be dead right now, at his hand. The thought tears chunks from my heart, and I swallow back tears.
It's less than fifteen minutes before I hear her knock at the door. I race down and unlock the door. She pushes past me into the house, dressed in black joggers and a t-shirt, the most casual I've seen her dress in a while. She looks around as though someone's going to jump out from the shadows.
"What's going on?" She asks after I shut the door.
"C'mon," I say, taking her hand and leading her up the stairs. She's on edge, but so am I. I'm scared to tell her. I can't predict how she'll react. I just hope she remembers who I am.
She freezes at the door, dropping my hand, and I follow her gaze to Drew, still sitting on the edge of my bed. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me," she says. She storms past me before I can say anything and towers over Drew, pointing her finger in his face as he shrinks past.
"How did you weasel your way back in here?" She asks, raising her voice.
I shake my head. "It's not what you think, Dawn. Please, you have to listen to me." She turns to face me, but she's still fuming. "I'm in danger, and I don't know what to do. I need your help. Both of you."
"What's going on here, May?" She asks. "How are you in danger?"
I take a deep, shaky breath. "I'm a witch."
A long silence follows, then Dawn laughs. "Didn't know you were into pranks," she says, and she sounds a little annoyed. I don't know what to say, so I look at Drew, which is a pathetic move. He opens his mouth and closes it again. He's scared of Dawn's judgement. That she won't believe Solidad is a witch and that's why he did what he did.
I think about telling her about Ash, and my heart crumples. I look back at her, and she's still staring at me, waiting for a response, her arms crossed over her chest, her foot tapping on my carpet. I don't think there's any words I can use to explain myself, and so I do as I did with Drew- I raise my hand. My heart beats hard against my chest and I suck in a deep breath as I conjure light again. The sphere hovers an inch above my hand, pulsating slightly, and I'm too afraid to look at Dawn and see her reaction, but I force my eyes up. She stumbles back, catching herself on my dresser, almost knocking everything off. Her eyes are wide, her jaw slack. She's trembling.
"I don't understand," she says, her voice barely more than a whisper. I snap my hand shut, and the orb disappears. It doesn't calm her.
I start to explain, starting with the night I woke up in the backyard, and ending with my breaking into the janitor's house. She stares ahead at the wall the whole time and says nothing, her face blank. She's in shock, but I need her to say something. Anything. I need to know she doesn't see me as a monster.
"I found something," Drew says from the bed, grabbing my attention. He scrunches his face and gets closer to the screen, reading. "Witches of Mauville: Fact or Fiction?" He turns the screen for me to see, and it's a whole article, complete with strange drawings. I hurry over and sit beside him, reading the screen, leaving Dawn standing, still stunned.
"Rumors of the first witch ever started right here in our own town of Mauville, creating a nationwide frenzy and mass elimination of many women, most of whom were innocent of any crime. Witchcraft spread like a plague, with women being accused for any reason at all, and some even posing as witches, happy to take that title. While witches were likely just women competent with medicines or trickery, the stories are still worth talking about." I pause, glancing sideways at Drew. The first witch, right here in Mauville, our small town? I look back at the screen and keep reading. "Witches were, supposedly, women gifted with an affinity for magic, an arcane secret that gave them all sorts of abilities. Witches had a specific affinity- they were gifted in one particular area of magic. Some witches had telekinesis, others telepathy. Others could possess another human being's body for short periods of time."
"Wait," Drew says, stopping me. "But you don't have an affinity, right? You've been able to do anything you've tried to do?"
I nod, dread seeping through me. I have no idea what this means, other than that I have a massive target on my back, more so than other witches.
"This is crazy," Dawn says, shaking her head. "This is absolutely crazy."
"I know," I say slowly, not wanting to freak her out more.
"Inevitably, with the arrival of 'witches' came self-proclaimed witch hunters, mostly men dedicated to hunting down and ending the lives of all witches. Some started clans, and some were even in power positions, like mayor of Mauville. This reign of terror lasted a little over a hundred years, before mention of witches and witch hunters became nothing more than a fairy tale." Drew finished reading the article. It carried on, but the rest was useless. He clicked off the page, back onto the search, and an article immediately caught my eye. Witches are real and they were here in Mauville.
"Click on that," I say, pointing at it. He does, and we're greeted with a lengthy article. I skim read over what we've already heard before, hoping for some useful information, when I come to a paragraph that makes me stop. It describes the place witches nationwide supposedly gathered their covens annually, and it's right outside Mauville, in the woods. Behind my house. I know Drew's read the same thing, because he's looking at me, anticipation in his eyes.
"What is it?" Dawn asks, taking a step towards us. My heart floods with relief when I see she doesn't look afraid.
"There's a place right outside Mauville where witches would meet, a cabin an old witch lived in called the 'Trick House', supposedly."
"Are you being hunted?" Dawn asks. "Is this all real?"
"Yeah." I nod, frowning. "And… Dawn, there's something else." I wait for her to ask, but she doesn't. She just stares at me. "Ash is a witch hunter. He tried to kill me yesterday."
A long, silent moment drags out. "No, that can't be true." She's shaking her head.
"He arrived right before the murder, right before I was revealed. He held a knife to my throat last night. I'm sorry, Dawn."
She raises her hand and puts it over her mouth. A silent tear rolls over her cheek. "Wha- What are you going to do?"
"I don't know," I say, looking down. If only she knew. As much as I hate to admit it, there were some sort of feelings blooming there for Ash, even after I found out what he was. I wanted to be wrong about him so badly. It's why I let him hold me all night. It's why I want him to hold me right now. I want him to pull me into his chest and tell me it's going to be okay, that I'm going to make it through this somehow, but he's the enemy I'm facing.
"We should go to that cabin," Drew suggests, closing the laptop. "We should leave before it's totally light out, in case he's watching somehow."
I nod, trying to pull myself together, though I don't trust myself to speak without breaking down into a sob. Dawn's furiously wiping away her tears, but they keep falling quicker than she can get them. We're a mess.
My phone starts ringing in my lap, and I jump. When I look down, I see Serena's cheery face lighting up my screen. Why's she calling so early? I shoot the others a puzzled look before picking up.
"Hey!" She shouts down the line, and I wince, holding the phone a little farther from my ear. "Did you hear the news?"
I blink. "News?"
"Homecoming is back on! It's late, and they haven't given us much notice, sure, but I thought I should ask because you need to get your dress!" I sit there silent, unsure what to say, flabbergasted at the fact she's called me so early to gush about homecoming, something I'd completely forgotten about until now. When I don't speak, she carries on. "I thought I should warn you, cause you know, you'll get asked."
Confused, I say: "Huh?"
"You know, er, well I figured since, you know, you and Ash yesterday morning, he-"
I laugh loudly, cutting her off before she can drop me any further in it. "Oh! Well um, maybe." I cringe, remembering her face in the doorway. I just pray I haven't gone completely red. "You should tell Misty, too," I say, hoping that will make her hang up.
"Oh shit, yeah. Gary might ask her. I'll do that. See ya tomorrow, May!"
Before I can say anything, she's hung up. I drop my phone onto the bed and sigh. Drew's raised an eyebrow at me, and Dawn looks confused, so I know they heard her, but I don't have the strength to confront their suspicions right now, especially Drew's.
"Homecoming's back on," I say gloomily, giving a mocking wave of excitement. Dawn laughs a little and sniffs. "We should go. Are you coming?"
She nods a little reluctantly. I grab a change of clothes and get dressed in my bathroom. When I walk back in, I hear the tail end of Drew explaining the Solidad situation, and Dawn seems to believe him. The sun's quickly rising, and we need to leave, so I stand in the doorway and wait for them to join me. As we leave and I turn to lock the door, I dare a glance at Ash's house, but his car isn't there.
"We should hurry," I say, heading down the street. At the end is a lane that leads to a fence that marks the start of the large expanse of trees stretching for miles. We hop the fence and land noisily in the mess of leaves. Most of the trees are dying or dead in the colder weather, so it's easier to see ahead of us, at least.
"What are we looking for?" I ask Drew.
"The start of a trail, or that cabin," he says. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a pack of gold drawing pins I recognise as my own, for sticking things in a board on my bedroom wall. "Here, I brought these so we can mark which way we go."
It's clever. They're small enough that someone else might not notice them, but bold enough for us to see when we're looking out for them. Dawn wraps her arms over herself and shivers. I can tell she's still processing everything. I glance back over the fence one last time before we head off into the woods, dead leaves crunching under my boots. We walk for a minute before Drew sticks the first pin in the trees.
"These woods are huge, we could be going in the total wrong direction," Dawn grumbles. Drew pauses and whirls, facing me.
"Maybe you have some, like, tracking ability?" He suggests. I raise an eyebrow at him and shift my weight.
"You've gotta be kidding me."
He throws his hands up. "I'm not! You're like some sort of witchy god, so you might. Worth a try, right?"
I sigh. It's a waste of time, but I can see the look on his face, and he's not going to give in until he's convinced I've tried. I'm not even sure what to do, so I close my eyes, hoping I don't look too dumb, and try to picture the cabin, or push my energy out. I feel nothing but the breeze pushing my hair past my ears and the tickling of the leaves that brush past. I push a little harder, and then I realize, there was no breeze beforehand. I've created it, and now it's turned into a gust, whirling around us, sending the leaves flying in a tornado. I sigh, open my eyes, and then I see it. Like a vision, the cabin in the distance, just for a split second, and I know where it is. I laugh, a little manic, and grin.
"Did it work?" Drew asks. Dawn's jaw is hanging open as she watches the leaves slowing down and returning to the soil. I nod, once, and point in the direction- north. I'm not sure how far it is, but I know it's that way.
"You should still use the pins, in case it won't work on the way back," I say. He nods, and we say nothing more before heading north, speed walking in anticipation. I'm not even sure we'll find anything, but the chance is better than nothing. We keep walking, saying very little, stopping only to make sure we're still heading in the right direction, until I see it. Decayed, moulding, but still standing in its own little clearing. When I catch sight of it, I break out into a run. I break through the trees and freeze, taking it in. It's… Well, it's nothing. There's nothing but rotten wood planks and mildew. Drew walks past me up to the door, which is barely hanging on by its hinges. He gives it a push and it swings open with an eerie creek, and inside seems darker than it should.
"I don't like this," Dawn says, coming up beside me. She looks terrified. I feel terrified. I reach out and take her hand in mine, squeezing it for reassurance. Drew takes a step inside, then another, and then the door closes behind him. I hold my breath, waiting for him to shout something or come back out. I know I shouldn't be such a coward. I'm the one with magic, after all, but I can't make myself move yet.
After a moment, he reappears, and I let out the breath. I feel Dawn relax beside me. Drew waves something around, and I glance at Dawn before starting to walk over, taking her with me. When we get closer, I see he's found a picture, cracked in a wooden frame and very, very old. It's a lady, probably in her thirties, and she looks… Well, she looks like me.
Drew pulls the photo out of the frame and turns it over. There's faded writing on the back that I can't make out from where I stand, but I see Drew's eyes widen, and I know before he even turns to show me. The name is written on the back, and her surname is what catches my attention. Maple. My surname.
"What does it mean?" Dawn asks. Drew shrugs. I take the photo from his hand and turn it over, studying the woman's face again. She's beautiful. She's likely my great, great, great grandmother, or someone even older than that, yet I can still see strong resemblance.
"We should look for more," I say, folding the photo up to put in my pocket. I'm about to step inside myself despite my fear when I hear branches cracking behind us. We all freeze, and I shove the photo in my jeans quickly, wanting my hands free, pulling my magic forward, ready. My eyes scan the trees, flicking between them, until I see him. I open my mouth to shout when a dart hits Drew in the arm. I scream, reaching out for him, but he's already falling to the ground, eyes closing. I hear the rush of the second dart before I can react, and Dawn squeaks my name as she goes down too.
I whirl, throwing my hands out blindly, stopping the third dart mid air and sending it right back where it came from. He jumps out of the way just in time, coming fully into view, and it's… It's not Ash. It's the other one, minus his balaclava. I see now that he's a little older. His violet hair is long, tied up in a bun on top of his head. He grins, and it's menacing. He takes a few steps closer, and I take a few back. There's still a decent amount of distance between us, but I can't concentrate enough to formulate a plan.
"Selfish of you to bring mundanes into this." He tsks and shakes his head.
"Mundanes?" I say, still glancing around, planning my escape, wondering how to get Dawn and Drew out too.
"Non-magic people." He laughs. "You really don't know anything, do you?"
"Who are you?" I spit at him. He laughs again.
"You can call me Harley, darling. Or master, or daddy. I like those too."
"You're disgusting," I hiss.
"Thank you." He smiles, showing his teeth. "As much as I enjoy flirting with you, I'm going to have to cut it short, my love." He stands up straight and I bristle, ready for a fight.
"Sorry to see you go," I say sarcastically, and he laughs, again. The sound sends a shiver down my spine. I take another step back and raise my hands, preparing for whatever move he's about to make. Harley grins, and flies forward, so fast I hardly see it happen, until he's standing over me.
"Let me show you what I can do," he hisses into my ear. I stumble back and throw out my hands, but he catches them with his, blocking my magic, so I kick out, aiming for between his legs. I catch him and he grunts, dropping my hands. I take advantage, throwing them out and sending him flying a few feet back. He lands roughly in the dirt and I turn, preparing to run. I hear him snarl behind me and take off, but he's faster, and he knocks me to the ground.
I scream, praying for Drew or Dawn to wake up as he flips me over and pins my arms down with his hands, straddling me. It's then I notice his belt. There's an assortment of knives strapped to it. He catches me looking and grins.
"I see you've noticed my collection. These are special. They're made to end magical beings, ensuring you die instantly. Neat, right?" He speaks of them with genuine fondness. He leans down until his face is inches from mine and I snarl, trying to wriggle free. I can tell it amuses him, and I'm ready to headbutt his nose when he brings his head down to my neck and drags his tongue up it. I freeze, stunned, disgusted, unable to move, even as he brings his head back up and smiles.
"You taste good. Shame you're a filthy witch. I think we would have been so good together, baby." He says, and I open my mouth to scream when he suddenly releases one hand, grabs one of his knives and raises it in the air. I don't have time to react. It's already too late as he's plunging it down through the air, aiming it right for my heart.