Witch (12 page)

Sam shook his head as Lorri slapped his cheek again. The
sting of his cheek was the only warmth he felt.

“Don’t tell me that Hanna's mom committed suicide because
of Marcus. It was never because of Marcus you tool. She had matched with Dr.
Jekyll. The problem was that when he shifted into Hyde she lost her match. It
was transferred. No one knew that could happen. Suddenly she loved Marcus and
he loved her. Terrified of having an affair she went to Lydia. She struggled
with the emptiness for years. Then they had Hanna. Imagine being a mother and
feeling nothing for your child.”

Sam felt nothing. He started to worry.

Lorri nodded, “Now you get it. Marcus assumed she had
chosen the doctor and threatened to kill him. She felt nothing for either of
them though. She took her life before either of them was ruined from her
mistake. The spell has a cost Sam. Every spell has a cost. Look at the guards
that keep the darkness out. They cost Annabelle her life. So now you see how
stupid you are.”

“I don’t feel anything. I don’t feel regret.”

“Do you love anyone Sam? When you think of your mother
being held captive by Jonathan as his fun time girl do you feel anger?”

He shook his head, “I feel nothing.”

“Then you are as useful as a tit on a bull. You feel no
anger? You feel no love? What will drive you to help us in the fight for your
mother’s freedom?”

He shrugged, “I don’t really feel like fighting.”

She laughed bitterly, “All this on day one. Great news
Sam. Now the best part, this spell grows. The nothingness you feel today will
intensify. In a month you will feel even less. Soon you will not even feel
pain.”

He looked at Lorri, “This is bad.”

She laughed harder, “No shit. Now go find Ophelia and get
her scrying for a solution to this little problem before you hang yourself and
can’t die so you just hang there like the idiot you are.”

He should have felt worried. He knew that.

Ophelia

“You want to go for a walk?”

The redhead nodded blankly.

She got up from the armchair and followed Ophelia from the
room.

“My name is Ophelia.”

“Hanna.”

“Nice to meet you.”

They walked from the castle in an awkwardness neither of
them tried to fix. They walked along the bushes in the back garden.

“I’m sorry. I never would have done it if I knew what he
was asking.”

Hanna shook her head, “I deserve everything I’m getting. I
let my powers get the best of me. I swore I would never but I did.”

Ophelia sighed, “I just wish it could be last week again
and all of this was gone. I want my friends and my parents and my sister. I
want normal.”

Hanna burst into laughter, “Oh god you have no idea. You know
Aimee was a nerdy science geek who was going to University and had finally
landed the boy of her dreams before she became a death dealer. Ari had a nice
little café with her uncle in the desert before her abilities kicked in. I had
a best friend named Rebecca. My aunt and uncle murdered her and triggered my
dormant freak genes from my dad’s science experiments on himself. We all just
used to be people.”

Ophelia felt sad. Tears formed in her eyes, “What are we
doing? Why are we waiting?”

Hanna smirked at her, “Dorian told me your brother is as
strong as you are so we can’t use you to our advantage. Plus your dad lives in
Alaska in this place we checked out the other day. It’s like a fortress.
Impossible to get into. We don’t have the numbers we used to. They have the
advantage. It would be a slaughter fest. The only advantages we have are me and
Aimee and Ari. They don’t have anything like us.”

“My sister is there.”

She nodded, “Yeah my boyfriend Sam, his mom is there. He
doesn’t think I know, but Dorian told me.”

Ophelia cleared her throat, “That sucks. Who is this
Dorian?”

Hanna paused in the grass, “I meant my ex boyfriend.
Sorry. It just hasn’t really hit me yet.”

She didn’t say anything. She just gave Hanna the quiet
moment she needed.

“He won’t ever be my boyfriend again.” She sat on the rock
outlining the garden beside them. She bent her face into her hands.

Ophelia put her hands on Hanna’s back and rubbed it like
she had done to her sister millions of times. She had dated a lot of boys who
always ended up being dirtbags.

Ophelia was about to speak when she saw movement in the
forest behind them. She squinted to see a man walking amongst the massive
trees.

“I’ll be right back. I think I see someone spying on us.”

She walked away leaving Hanna to sob on the rock. The girl
was a mess.

Ophelia pointed at the man, “Who are you?”

He stopped walking and spoke with an English accent,
“Oliver. The resemblance to your mother is remarkable.”

He didn’t look like he belonged in the woods. He wore
jeans and loafers and a light blue dress shirt with short sleeves that hugged
his biceps. He had a tattoo just poking out of the collar of the dress shirt on
the right side of his neck and short dark blond hair.

She glared at him, “You know my mother?”

He smirked making her knees wobble, “Everyone knows who
your mother is Ophelia. That’s why I’m here. To help you.”

She held her finger up, pointing at his face. He never
even flinched, “You must not know much about me.” She wanted to laugh at
herself for being such a noob but he could be her father for all she knew. None
of the others seemed to age beyond thirty-ish. He looked twenty-five, but she
knew that meant nothing.

“I know all there is to know about you. Born July 7th,
1994 at seven minutes after seven. Your brother was born a minute after you,
making you the older twin. You’re part of a prophecy to end the world or heal
it, depending on how you choose. I know I'm drawn to you. From the minute it
was discovered you were alive I have felt you at every moment.”

“That's creepy. You are not welcome here. This is the
Vampire queen’s property. She eats strangers.”

He laughed, “You are much cuter than I thought. I had
feared you would look like your father. He’s not the handsomest of men.”

“You know my father how?”

“I fell with him.”

She gulped realizing he would then of course be as strong
as Lorri. She held her finger pointed at him, “You’re an angel?”

He gave a short nod.

“Why are you here?”

“For you.”

She took a step back and shouted over her shoulder, “Hanna
come meet my friend.”

He looked nervous seeing Hanna, “Is she a Siren?”

Ophelia beamed, “Don’t like Sirens? Pretty sure that makes
you racist.”

His laugh grew nervous, “Oh I like them just fine. In fact
I have a rather hard time not liking them. Tell her to stay over there.”

Ophelia smiled as she heard the crunching of Hanna’s
footsteps on the gravel and branches coming closer, “Who is he?” She asked.

“He is like Lorri only he must be one of the bad ones.
Lorri never mentioned an Oliver to me.”

Hanna wiped her face, “Dorian mentioned one to me. He’s
Jonathan’s pet. He let the darkness take him the way your father did.”

He smirked, “Of course Dorian would know you. He’s always
liked Siren’s. I recall he had one a while ago. Never got over her I’m afraid.
She was lovely.”

Hanna sneered, “Why are you here?” She pulled her phone
out and sent a message.

Dorian appeared instantly just behind them, “Oliver. What
on earth could possibly posses you to come here?”

Oliver smiled, “Brother. It’s good to see you again.” He
crossed his arms making the shirt seem constricting.

“Why are they all so hot?” Ophelia leaned in and whispered
to Hanna who giggled.

“I think I could have gone a little longer before I saw
you again. You’re a traitor to your own kind and to our father.”

Oliver’s eyes flashed at Ophelia again, “I cannot say you
misjudge me brother but I can say I was wrong. Wrong in my betrayal and wrong
in the side I chose. The dark is a tempting seductress.”

“You’re boring me. Out with why you’re here?”

He shrugged, “I came to help. Jonathan has taken it too
far. He’s mad.”

Dorian laughed, “He’s always been mad and you’ve always
been a wanker so please stop wasting my time. Go back and tell Jonathan your
pathetic little attempt failed. We won’t be tricked by you two.”

Ophelia felt like she was out of the loop. She glanced at
Hanna who seemed to be following along well enough and sighed, “Well I’m going
inside. Nice meeting you Oliver. Please tell my father I said hello and thanks
for raping my mother for a thousand years so I could be born to this wonder and
excitement.”

His words floated into her mind, ‘I need you Ophelia. We
need to be together’. She turned back to him and frowned. He smiled again, “I
can get you guys inside.”

‘Your sister Abbey is still alive, for now. We need to
hurry’ his words licked at her mind. She watched him. His blue eyes seemed
honest. His beautiful face was sexy. She couldn’t be sure if she wanted to say
yes because he was gorgeous or because he was a good guy.

Hanna glanced at her and nodded, “We do need help getting
in there.”

Dorian also crossed his arms, “It’s a trap. We follow him
in and then Jonathan gets you.”

Oliver cocked his head, “Brother he has the upper hand.
Why would he need her to come to him?”

Dorian shrugged, “Look I’m not playing at this Oliver.
I’ve sent a message to Lorri who will no doubt be here any minute, with Aimee.”

Oliver grinned, “Ah yes the dealer you made. Quite the
intelligent move. You’ve made something bigger than us all there. Can she take
us out?”

Dorian nodded, “She can.”

Oliver shook his head and chuckled, “You made something
that can kill you? You’ve always been the reckless one.”

“At least he has honor and integrity. At least he is
willing to fight for what is right, even if it means creating something that
can kill him.”

Ophelia looked to where Lorri walked across the rocks with
Aimee behind her. She still looked a mess.

“Why hello love. Long time no see. I suppose not as long
as it has been since you’ve seen me.”

Lorri squinted.

Oliver cracked a boyish grin, “You think you were that
stealthy? You brought the Siren with you. Jonathan has a taste for them. He
smelled her from ten miles.”

Lorri shrugged, “Maybe we brought her for him to smell.”
Her eyebrows arched.

Hanna took a step toward Oliver, “You want me to show him
inside Lorri?”

Lorri shook her head, “No I don’t want you breaking him
until I get some answers.”

Oliver looked at Aimee, “So you’re the dealer?”

Aimee looked confused, “I guess. What does that make you,
the player?”

He chuckled again. His smiles and carefree attitude only
made the attraction to him worse for Ophelia.

“Oliver there must be a reason for this, now.” Lorri
looked annoyed.

Seeing he was getting nowhere his face lost its joy. His
blue eyes hardened like steel. He pursed his lips and flexed his jaw. After a
moment he spoke, “He’s murdered my son.”

Lorri looked back at Dorian whose jaw dropped, “Phillip?”

Oliver nodded.

Lorri crossed her arms. Dorian looked at Hanna and
Ophelia, “Leave us. You too Aimee.”

Ophelia watched a single tear fall from the face of the
man. Where it landed on the ground a small white flower instantly grew.

‘Help me Ophelia. I need you. Help me get my vengeance
Ophelia’ His eyes met hers for a second. She turned and walked back to the
house in silence with Aimee and Hanna.

Aimee glanced at Ophelia and Hanna and walked ahead of
them.

“She hates me.” Hanna whispered.

“She doesn’t hate you. She just loves Sam like family I
think. They all seem really close. Have they been together long?”

Hanna shook her head, “A couple years, not long. Long
enough that they formed a bond. You and I won’t ever be welcome members like
they are.”

“Where is your father?”

Hanna blushed, “Aimee killed him.”

Ophelia felt her face scrunch into a ball of disgust, as
Hanna opened up to her and spun a story Ophelia wasn’t certain she would ever
believe, not fully. She was grateful that her parent's weren't the only
fictional characters in the story of their lives.

Sam

He sat staring out the window. The sun was shining and the
birds were singing but he felt closed off from it. It was as if he had taken
drugs that inhibited how he felt. Everything felt thick and sluggish. His mind
moved as if it too were impaired.

“Sam I need your help.”

He looked at Lorri and shrugged. He didn’t feel like
helping. He made himself get up. He imagined the years when Hanna was a little
girl and how hard her mother must have faked loving her and enjoying being with
her. It must have been exhausting to pretend.

“I need you to hang out with this guy for the night. You
can’t come with us, obviously, but you can hang out with him. If he tries to
get away from you, flash him to this picture okay?”

He looked at the water fountain, he had seen it before. He
knew the area well. He nodded, “I guess.”

“He’s chained in Hanna’s room for the night. He’s in the
chains we have left over from Marcus. The enchanted ones. He can probably get
out of them but not without you seeing what he’s doing. If he flashes, follow
his trail and text me.”

Sam shrugged, “Why?”

“He’s a bad man. I need to double check his story.”

Sam left the room and walked the great hallway until he
reached Hanna’s room. She stood in the corner twirling her red hair around her
finger and smiling at the man chained to the corner.

“How uncomfortable do I make you on a scale of one to
ten.”

The man looked at him and sighed, “It was a nine but since
he got here it’s an eleven, maybe fifteen.”

She turned to see Sam and dropped her hair and her smile,
“Lorri wanted me to pester him. He hates me.”

Sam shrugged, “It’s cool.”

She frowned, “It doesn’t bother you?”

He shook his head, “I feel nothing for you, or anyone.”

Her face twisted, “See you later Oliver.” She walked out
trying to maintain her composure. He’d seen that walk before. He wasn’t usually
the recipient of it.

He glanced at the guy in the chains and smirked, “I’m
Sam.”

He nodded, “Oliver. So you’re the entertainment are you
Sam?”

He shook his head, “I’m the tattletale. If you escape I
rat you out. I have this weird gift with my flashes, I can track another
persons flash. Like you leave a scent for me to follow.”

Oliver laughed, “You really are the perfect man to watch
me then.”

“I guess.”

Oliver raised an eyebrow at him and nodded toward the door,
“What’s with you and the Siren? She has no effect on you at all?”

Sam shook his head, “Nope. Used to. Used to be my match.”

Oliver scowled, “Oh that was a mistake son. No one can
live through the darkness that comes to eat your soul when there is no love in
it.”

Sam shrugged, “Hope it doesn’t come before I’m done
watching you, then you’d get away.”

The man’s face looked proud and sad simultaneously, “My
son would have loved you. Same dry sense of humor.”

Sam noticed the way he said son and would have, “Is he
dead?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

“You really have no emotions anymore do you?”

“No. How did he die? Was he Nephilim?”

Oliver ran his hands over his face and sighed, “Yes. He
was murdered.”

Sam new the appropriate response, “I’m sorry.”

Oliver turned his bright blue eyes up to him, “Are you?”

“No, but it’s the right thing to say.”

“I dare say it is and before you ask, it was Jonathan. He
is a man I have known longer than mankind has existed and he murdered my son. My
son took a bite of the forbidden fruit.”

“The fruit the snake warned about?”

“The fruit the snake held captive to torture and force
unwanted sex upon.”

Sam nodded, “Yeah sleeping with another mans sex slave
will anger him.”

“Tis too true lad, too true.”

“How old was he?”

Oliver looked at him, “You really are a chatty thing for
an unfeeling monster, and why do you smell so good? Are you a Siren?”

Sam nodded, “Half Siren.”

Oliver’s eyes grew wide, “You are not Anthony’s son?”

Sam nodded again, “I am.”

His eyes grew hardened again, “I was so sorry to hear
about your father. He was a truly great man. What Lorri did to him was a crime.
I know you feel nothing but you don’t even have an ounce of loyalty to your old
man?”

Sam frowned, “He was with the dark ones. She doesn’t
discriminate on that one.”

Oliver’s mouth curled into a grin, an evil grin. “Sam my
boy have I got a story for you.”

Sam frowned at him, “You know you can’t make me angry.
What’s the point in trying to provoke me?”

Oliver shook his head, “When you hear this you’ll find the
witch who cast that spell and have it reversed.”

“It can't be reversed. Can it?”

“Just as your father was never an evil one, your spell can
be reversed. Though I doubt you’ll hear the truth of either thing from the
people you call friends. They don’t dabble in dark magic.”

“You’re a traitor and a liar why should I believe you?”

Oliver put a hand out on the bed next to Sam’s thigh, “I
loved your father like a brother. I would have died for him. I wish I had died
for him. He never had an evil bone in his body. He was guilty of the one thing
I have never felt, love.”