Chapter 34- Wicked Forest

Bang, she hit the hard floor. Seconds later another thud told her Levi had made it through. Her muscles ached and her legs felt weak. Music blared all around them. When she opened her eyes and sat up, the music became clearer.
“I will walk you home,” Levi said pulling her up. Both of them walked in silence.
Levi led her onto a familiar path. She ran and kissed her favourite rock. She had missed home, even though she was dreading facing her mother.
“What are you doing?” Levi asked.
“Being grateful,” she responded spinning around. Crystal began to skip down the well-worn path.
“Can you stop skipping and jumping about like a leprechaun?” When she glanced at Levi, he had a hint of a smile.
Facing back in the direction of home, she froze. The lights from Halloween still remained. The music still played.
“Levi?”
“What’s wrong?” he asked scanning the surroundings.
“The lights, the music. It is like we never left,”
Both of them took a couple of minutes to let it sink in.
“That’s impossible unless time is different in Athens.”
“Maybe,” she replied.
They soon reached her back gate.
“Crystal, take it easy on your mother.”
“No way,” she responded.
“Goodnight,” Levi said turning to leave.
“Levi?” he stopped and turned back.
“You knew what Drake was going to do,” she found it hard to say the words, betrayed. They were there on the tip of her tongue yet refused to surface.
“I had a feeling.”
“Why, why did he do it?” she could feel the sadness and raw pain eat away at her heart.
“Drake is a Halfling. Being half witch is not a good thing. You don’t really fit in and finding a match is impossible. The blood has been diluted and no one wants that for the next generation. Drake’s father was killed when Drake was just a baby. He had a choice to make, him or Drake. He chooses himself to allow Drake to live. His mother is a pixie therefore being a trickster is part of his nature.”
“Wow,” Crystal didn’t have any words.
“What Drake did is unforgivable. But in a way I know why he has done it. He just wants to belong somewhere. I hope he finds a place he feels he belongs.”
“You’re a good man Levi. Nothing like the rumours.”
He laughed. “Good night.”
“Night,” she whispered as he disappeared from view.

***
Levi shifted once he was out of view and ran full speed. His father was going to hit the roof. Drake had done the unthinkable. He thought about not telling him. However, that could backfire. He had no choice, right? He stopped running and walked at a slow pace. Before he reached home, he needed to sort through his confusion.
The lights to his village came into view and still not knowing what would be for the best Levi decided to say nothing at all. He walked through the streets with his head low. He was ashamed of himself and the coward he was.
He reached his home and shifted in order to open the door. He could hear the clattering of pots and pans and knew the servants were busy cleaning up. Neither his mother, nor father came to greet him so instead of facing them he went straight to his room. Crystal’s words haunted him, “you’re a good man.” She didn’t know how wrong she was. A good man was something he had never been. However, he wanted to be that for her. He had never felt like he wanted to change, not for anyone. There was just something about her.
The first thing he did had a shower, and then he collapsed from the physical drain of the last few weeks. Time had stood still on earth; it had carried on while they had been fighting for their lives. It was strange, but to Levi it proved that Athens was no longer their home.
***
When Crystal walked into the house she made her way to the living room, she was prepared to have it out with her mother. Demand an explanation. She was determined. Her life would become her own. Not her mother’s to dictate any longer.
Crystal’s face dropped when she saw her father’s body. His head was held in an unnatural way and his eyes were wide in shock or fear. His skin was pale as snow with a greyish tint and dried blood was at the corners of his mouth.
Crystal ran to him and began to shake him. His head flopped to the side. “Wake up, wake up,” she chanted while she felt for a pulse. Nothing. She heard a deafening shriek as her heart shattered.
“What the?”
“Henry? Oh no, no, no,” Crystal looked at her mother and the tears that crept from her eyes. She looked at her with hatred. She had killed before. What was different now?
“You did this!” she yelled as she took her father’s hand in hers. She felt something scrape her hand. Opening his hand, she found a crumpled piece of paper.
“Dear family.
I am sorry but I can no longer do this. The lies and secrets are eating me alive. I can’t bear the thought that as a father I will be putting my daughter in grave danger. It is not the person I am. No matter how hard I try I cannot bring myself to go through with what has been asked of me.
The things we have done. The people we have become, is too much. We have become the monsters.
My journey is at its end. I no longer can offer the coven my guidance therefore I must end my life and make the ultimate sacrifice before I bring shame to my family.
I am sorry for what I am about to do, and I hope one day you can find it in your hearts to forgive me.
Henry Hudson.”
Tears ran down Crystal’s face as sobs raked her body. She shoved the letter into her mother’s hand and ran.
***
For a long time, Jeanette stood frozen with the letter in her hand. They were so close, why did he do it? She knew the letter would hold the answers. However, she didn’t want the truth. She knew he had been struggling, but it was all down to him. From the start of their marriage, it was all him. If only her daughter new the truth about the man, she called father.
Slowly she opened the letter and began to read, as she did her heart turned to stone. He had killed himself out of love for his daughter. Jealousy raged through Jeanette’s body. Crystal had been nothing but a nuisance since the day she had been born. She knew Henry didn’t love her and their marriage had been forced. But why Crystal? They had eighteen daughters and he choose to give his love to the one that was nothing but a nightmare and embarrassment.
How could Jeanette compete with the innocence that Crystal held? She couldn’t. She tossed the letter onto her husband’s body and called in the clean-up team.
Good riddance to him she thought as she calmly made herself a cup of tea. No longer would he make her feel guilty. No longer would he be the voice of reason. She would rule without that little voice whispering in her ear. Listening to his constant whines and pleas. She was free of the demon. The man that had ruined her life.
***
“We can’t do this anymore,” Ruby tried to hide her tears, like a dam they broke free. Gripping her chin, he turned her face to look at him.
“Is that you don’t want too, or you are scared?” Mason asked her.
“It is neither,” she whispered. She had to end it. If not, then her mother would see him dead. She could never know of his existence.
“Ruby, you shouldn’t stay in a marriage you’re unhappy in. There’s always divorce. I love you,” Ruby wiped away her tears. Divorce wasn’t an option. But she knew he would never understand. He was human and they played by a whole diverse set of rules. Rules that she would trade hers for any day, however all she could do was walk away. Ignore the pain in her heart, even though it felt like it was breaking into a million pieces. Walk away from the man that made her feel love, and the only happiness she had ever known. It was the only way to keep him safe. If anything happened to him because of her, she wouldn’t be able to live with herself.
“I love you too,” she whispered as she walked away, her heart had broken, her life had been shattered. Ruby felt like an empty shell. Nothing good in the world lasts forever, all good things came to an end. She just wished she had more time to enjoy the happiness that once flooded her heart.
***
News of Henry’s death came as a shock to Levi. All he could think about was Crystal. She had already been through so much and now she had lost her father.
He quickly dressed and headed into the forest. He would go to her.
Many times, he turned back and then continued. He fought his inner turmoil. His brain told him she didn’t need him. His heart needed to see her. In the end his heart won.
He didn’t need to go to the house as Crystal sat on the rock, she had kissed just hours before.
“You love this rock eh,” he asked sitting beside her. She didn’t look up at him, her gaze stayed glued to the floor. No number of words would cheer her up and he knew it.
Gently he put his arm around her and just held her. Crystal cried for hours while they sat in silence.
She rested her head on his chest and his heartbeat faster. As he glanced down and saw the pain written across her face, he wished he could take it all way just to see her beautiful smile. It was that moment he knew that Crystal Hudson had stolen his heart.
Her green eyes met his and he drew in a deep breath.
“We have to end this,” she whispered.
Levi put his finger to her lips.
“No one knows we have been to Athens.”
“We keep it that way. Help me,” her eyes pleaded with him. The raw sadness, pulled at his heart strings.
“What do you want me to do?” he would have died for her in that moment if she had asked him too, the look in her eyes tore at his heart. Leaning down he placed a kiss on her forehead.
“I will do anything for you,” he whispered. He wasn’t sure if she had heard his words. His hearts confession, but when he looked in her eyes what he saw was determination and he sighed. She was too pure for him; he would only bring her more heartache. Yet his heart ached for her to acknowledge his words. To see how he felt about her. What she had done to him. It was her words that made him froze.
“Destroy that vortex.”

End Of Book 1