Chapter 24 pt. 1

I gave Alizya the silent treatment.

I was upset that she moved me again without my permission and I didn’t get to say goodbye to Leo. I texted him but it wasn’t the same and I felt like a prisoner again.
After a second week Leo came to my window early in the morning with packets of blood. I was so excited to see him, I practically forgot that we needed to be quiet.
He put his arms around me through the window but didn’t come in even though I tried to motion him in. I wanted him to hold me for as long as he could be there while I told him everything that Alizya had put me through.

“I can’t stay. Kris is waiting,” he whispered as he let go of me. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. I love you.”

Before I could even reply, he was gone and my depression hit a little harder than it had before. I stared out the window until I had goosebumps and forced myself to close it before drinking blood with tears rolling down my face.

The next morning when I finally came down to the kitchen to eat the breakfast Alizya insisted I needed, she had news for me.

“Good morning! Did you sleep well?” she asked as I reached for the coffee.

I looked up at her, my eyes pink and puffy from crying. I didn’t sleep at all after Leo left.

“Oh, sweetheart, this isn’t forever. You’ll see him again soon. You’re doing so well in your training.”

I sighed, then poured myself a cup of coffee and took a long sip. I didn’t care how well I was doing in my training. I wanted to be out with Leo and Kris. I wanted to be useful.

“I have some exciting news for you. I just got off the phone with your aunt and she and your cousin Mariella will be over this afternoon. They’re staying for dinner. Doesn’t that sound like fun?”

I didn’t reply. I just looked at her while I drank my cup of coffee. She would have to do better if she wanted my forgiveness this time.

"I'm also giving you the morning to yourself. No lessons for today."

I could give her points for her effort to make me happy but she still wasn't getting me to forgive her.

"We could go get our nails and hair done if you wanted. I know a good place in witch territory,” she continued. “Maybe a massage will take the edge off.”

I got the feeling that she wasn’t going to stop trying so I gave in to make it stop. “You know that I’m still mad at you but not talking to you is getting us nowhere. I’m not yet willing to forgive you but we can go wherever you want. I’ll be grateful to get out of this damn house,” I grumbled before finishing off my cup of coffee.

She looked pleased with herself. “I’ll make appointments for us.”

After she left, I ripped apart a muffin to make it look like I ate something then threw the majority of it out the window for the birds. I wasn’t interested in food and to be honest I wasn’t entirely interested in going to get my nails done or anything like that either. I simply wanted to see something other than the interior walls of my prison for a change.

After a shower and throwing my hair in a ponytail, I met Alizya in the living room so she could jump us to the salon or whatever it was. I was fine with going up until the moment I was stabbed with something in my shoulder from behind and people were screaming.

“What the heck?” I grumbled as I tried to grab the thing that stabbed me.

“Willa, it's Alizya, I called you!”

Witches armed themselves around Alizya and me. After two failed attempts to reach whatever had stabbed me, I gave up and let both hands rest at my side while I looked at all the terrified faces.

“What are you doing with one of our elders, vampire?” someone demanded from a corner. “Leave her and leave us or we will destroy you!”

“What’s going on here?” I hissed at Alizya nervously.

“I’ll handle it, just stay still,” she returned. “She means you no harm. She’s one of us. Where’s Willa? I just spoke to her on the phone.”

Someone opened a door behind us and dropped everything in her arms as she cursed in surprise. I turned slowly to see the new woman but didn’t take my eyes off those to the front of the salon who looked hungry for violence. Even the one with her hair covered in hair dye looked ready to kill.

“Willa, finally, can you help me resolve this situation before someone gets hurt?”

“Alizya, why is there a vampire in my salon? You said you were bringing your granddaughter,” the woman questioned.

“This is my granddaughter and I would appreciate it if everyone relaxed. She’s not a threat to any of you.”

“Alizya, we don’t turn. She’s a vampire. She’s compelling you to believe something that isn’t true,” the woman continued.

Alizya looked at me. “Show them,” she whispered.

I was confused. I thought I was learning to control and hide my magic, not show it off.

“Just summon fire to your palm and hold it for a few moments,” she hissed in response to the face I must have made.

Nervously, I obeyed, raising my hand slowly with a small ball of fire in my palm. Just as I had my hand up near my face, someone new came through the door with a crossbow and shot it at me. My automatic reaction let the flame catch and devour the bolt from the crossbow before it could hit Alizya. This led to a collective gasp from the ladies around us and a grimace from me as my shoulder screamed in pain from the stretch and reach I did to protect Alizya.

Alizya saw my face and grabbed me to her as I let the flame disappear from my hand. Her hand brushed over the blood as she grabbed me and she gripped me tighter. I tried to push out of her arms but she held me there.

“Don’t move, Raven,” she hissed in my ear.

“I’m fine, just pull it out so I can heal,” I tried quietly.

“I’m going to pull it out but you need to sit on the floor before you fall over,” she instructed cryptically.

I obeyed again, lowering myself to the floor slowly as fear crept over me with a trail of goosebumps.

“It’s going to be alright, Raven. I’m going to take it out then send you back to the house. You should stay in bed if you can and I’ll be home as soon as I deal with this.”
“What is it?” I asked shakily.

She yanked it out of me instead of answering my question. Pain shot from the spot down my arm to my fingertips and made tears well in my eyes enough to blur my vision.

“You’re not bleeding too much. I think you’ll be okay until I get home. Just try not to move around too much, okay?”

I bit my lip and nodded because it hurt too much to try words. Then she sent me back to the house where I let out the tears I was holding back. Whatever had stabbed me was working its way through my system and it hurt. It hurt so much that I was pretty sure I was going to pass out.

I remember sitting on the bed and I remember feeling like I was going to puke but I don’t remember Alizya getting there before I passed out.