52: Right? Right.

Gabriel doesn’t wait long after I wake up to hussle me out the door. We have another dreadful meeting with the coven. Not to mention, two days. I have two days to change the spell before the ritual. I’m sure Phillip won’t postpone it again, so the pressure is on. Everything is riding on me. Either I’ll get us through it or I won’t.

We stop for breakfast again at Droplet and this time I actually get to have my food while it's hot. Between my mouth full and sipping on coffee, conversation is at a minimum. Maybe Gabriel can sense my turmoil and the stress of the pending ritual weighing down on me. But then again, he’s bringing me straight to the coven, who I hate with a passion.

My heart gives a stutter as the manor gradually gets into view. I expect to see something, feel something to deter me like the first night. Something that tells me that I shouldn’t be here, but I’ve been here so much that instinct has took a backseat.

So much so that the halls are becoming more and more familiar. The lack of Phillip piques my interest as always, but I don’t bring it up. Is he sleeping in his satin lined coffin? Is he draining the blood of an innocently stupid girl? Is he doing more business in anticipation of his favored outcome?

I walk into the same coven designated room down in the dungeons. This time there’s four of them here. Two I’m not quite fond of and two who I’ve never had any interaction with. But all of them have that same unpleasant gleam in their eyes. It’s uncomfortable to be the subject of their hateful stares, but I’ll never admit that and I just give an equally worthy glare back.

“How’s your arm?” I ask.

She mindlessly rubs at the mark that’s hidden under the sleeve of her shirt. “How’s your face?” She retorts.

I want more than anything to tell her that I got my wound by putting myself between a dangerous ghost and everyone in that basement, while she got her wound from her own stupidity, but I bite my tongue and keep my eyes on the floor. I played into the unfriendly banter by bringing it up, but I won’t take it further.

“Did you get to work on the ritual yet?” Brooklynn snaps.

“Not yet.” Gabriel replies for me. A little more sincere than I would’ve.

“Are you even sure you can do it?” One of the unknown coven members blurts out interjecting herself into the conversation.

I don’t take her hatred seriously considering she hasn’t been around for a lot of eye opening situations. She thinks that Brooklynn and the coven and Phillip are amazing and I’m just some outsider stepping on their toes.

And my silence is taken as a cue to start nonsense chatter, asking question after question or pointless accusation after accusation. The room quickly fills with sound, but it’s hard to hear each and every word. Several blur together creating a hum that’s deafening.

“Everyone, shut up.” I shout as too many questions are thrown my way. “I don’t know if I can do this, but I’m all you got, so shut up. We have one option and one option only even if it isn’t the correct one. I can change out the words that directly apply to the dead and swap them out with more vampire related text, but that doesn’t change the fact that this is in demonic language, a demon’s ritual. It may have to be performed in demonic language.”

“And that’s a problem?” Another unknown oblivious coven member blurts out.

My eyes look to Gabriel to Brooklynn to the girl. “Uh, unless you’re familiar with the language, yeah, it’s a major problem.”

“We’ll get a demon and get them to translate for us.” Brooklynn chimes in as if she was the smartest person to have thought of such a simple answer.

“Good luck with that. Unless you’re willing to offer a fairly big trade.” My mind flashes to when Gabriel made a trade. “No demon will be willing to cooperate with you and if they were involved in this set up, they won’t play nice and just let you change it. We’ll have to do it in english and pray it works.” I glance at each of them, my eyes coming to a halt on Brooklynn, “you better hope you’re strong enough.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” She argues.

“I thought it was obvious. We all know you’re not proficient in dealing with ghosts, so don’t get me wrong if I think you suck at other things too.” I huff in frustration. “In the end this is on you, not me. I’m going to go do my part and then I’m out.” I turn my back on her narrowing eyes.

It’s so quiet in the room that I can hear her lips smack together as she readies herself with a comeback. “I hate you more and more everyday.” She viciously says to my retreating back.

Gabriel doesn’t follow me immediately as he hangs back probably with his eyes locked on Brooklynn. But as soon as I reach the threshold and take one step out into the hall, he’s there right behind me.

Once we’re back on the first floor of the manor I ask, “does Phillip have witchcraft books in his library? If not I need to go to Mystic Moon.”

“I would think so, he made room for a bunch of books when he created the coven. They have to have something there that you can use.”

“Take me to ‘em.” I stop in place letting Gabriel take the lead and this time I follow him in silence.

It doesn’t take much time to weave through the halls and emerge into the large library once again. It looks exactly like it did the first time I was here. I wondered what books were on these shelves and today I get to find out or at least find out about a few.

And a few is an understatement. Gabriel brings me to the furthest corner of the library and points to one five shelved bookcase. “That’s it?” I ask.

“Yup. The coven never really requested more, so Phillip found it unnecessary to fill up the shelves with books that he doesn’t have an interest in.”

“O-kay.” I scan the shelves looking for one that will help. Just one, but as I read the titles it doesn’t seem like that’s going to happen. “And what about vampire books? Does Phillip own books about vampires?”

“No.”

“What? Why?” I’m completely shocked. I for sure thought that Phillip would be so full of himself and his almighty immortal species that he would have every book known to vampires in his collection.

“He doesn’t want to have any…” Gabriel pauses searching for the correct word, “incriminating evidence, details that could harm vampires just laying around for prying eyes. He knows everything there is to know and he keeps it locked away in his head, only divulging it his closest confidants.”

“You.”

“Some.” He replies.

“So what are all these books then?”

“Just fiction and nonfiction that he’s grown to love over the years. He’s somewhat of a hoarder.”

Great. “I need to go to Mystic Moon. I have better books there, more true witch books than these.” I turn my back on them refusing to look at all the cheesy titles. How To Invoke Your Magic. Keeping Balance To Your Magic. Calling Upon Your Inner Magic.

I don’t know if Phillip ordered these for his coven or his coven requested these, but...these books are awful, no true content in them at all. Magic isn’t always about invoking or balancing or calling upon some hidden talent buried inside your soul. Magic is dark and tricky and needs to be tamed.

They should know that unless they’re not born witches and are self proclaimed witches. In that case, we’re doomed.

Gabriel opens his mouth to protest leaving the manor, but he quickly shuts it because he knows I won't change my mind. “Maybe I can offer that helping hand today.” He offers instead.

“If Monty or Gretchen catches me, it’s best if you weren’t there. Your helping hands are just going to have to wait for another day.” I catch a twinge of rejection in his eyes. “Trust me, Monty will always need help.”

Halfway to the shop, I grow restless from being in the car for too long in one day. There’s no way that I’ll willingly go back to the manor after work.

I walk into a semi packed store. Apparently the news of a possession or hauntings hasn’t spread too far or no one cares. Then there’s the fact that it could bring in more customers, curious, strangely-obsessed-with-the-dead kind of customers.

Monty comes walking out from around a bookshelf. “What? He’s not staying again?” She stands with her arm crossed, slight pout to her bottom lip. “I’m starting to think that he lied to my face.”

“He didn’t lie. I told him to go.”

“Why would you do such a thing?” She whines.

“Because I have work to do and so do you.” I wave my arms showcasing all the customers.

“Work. Since when.” She retorts. In a whispered hush she says, “half these people never buy anything anyways.” Just then one of her regular customers comes walking in. They each squeal a hello to each other and walk off to Monty’s room leaving me up front alone.

I divide my time up between the shop’s customers and my room. Every second I get I dig through my drawers, shelves and every other nook and cranny searching for something to help me. Nothing stands out though. I know how to write a spell, but I don’t know how to change a demonic spell that centers around demons and ghosts to benefit vampires.

Hiding in the corner of my room, I playback the video I recorded with Georgio and quickly write down the translated version. Every time I emerge from my room, I feel as if I have a bomb strapped to my back, a loaded gun pointed at everyone. Customers eyeball me and I immediately get anxious from crazy thoughts of them being about to see right through me, knowing that I have something that will change the world as we know it.

Once back in the confines of my room, I stare at the spell, reading and rereading each and every word. The old version is so ominous and vague that I’m not sure what needs to be changed and what can stay.

*All hail the sun and the darkness it brings
The damned, the loyal and the subservient will obey you
For the blood of the lost, will break the binds of the dead
They will rise and those will bleed
They will stride and those will be devoured
The soulless will reap victory
For darkness of the sun and shadows become one as the world is cleansed*

I copy down the first two lines, because it could apply to vampires. I mean it sounds more vampire-ish than ghosts and demons considering it’s talking about the sun. I pause on the obeying part though. They don’t want to obey it, they want to overcome it. And then I begin to second guess the three types, the damned, the loyal and the subservient.

My head drops down with a thud on the table. The more I think about it the more it doesn’t make sense. Trying to fix every little thing in this is going to kill, but then again, if I don’t fix every little thing it will most definitely kill me.

“Ugh.” I groan into the empty room. Just as I brush the hair out of my eyes my papers go flying off the table and scatter across the room. Even more greatness. I get up my chair to retrieve each piece and the room goes cold.

Jezmin stands before, blocking my way to the paper that holds the spell on it. Obviously, her banishment has already worn off. “I really don’t have time.” I groan.

“You will regret this. The vampires are untrustworthy and they have a much more sinister plan than just walking in the sun and taking over the world. They will start an evolution, a shift in the human race.”

“Well aren’t you suddenly all full of information. Care to elaborate on any of it?” I mean I already know that this could end badly. I saw the outcome of what happens, but I can’t stop it because death is the only ending to the story. If I don’t get the spell right, death. If I refuse to do the spell, death. At least, if I cooperate I may be able to get out of this alive.

“Why don’t you ask your vampire. He knows. He did pick a perfect specimen. You.” Then she disappears.

I stand speechless, mouth dropped open in the empty room. My heart quickly picks up its pace. I have no idea what she’s talking about, but my mind races thinking of something terrible. I can’t even formulate a specific reason or situation. It’s just an overall feeling.

I shake off her haunting words meant to scare me and get back to work. Nothing is more scary at this moment than being frozen to death by a ghost and Phillip. My motivation. Once again I stare at the paper. Line three just needs a little tweaking, but lines four, five and six need a major overhaul.

We don’t want bleeding or devouring...well at least I don’t. And the soulless bit is a definite no go. I’ve been through every book from my personal collection to the books out on the sales floor. Nothing. Vampires are very secretive. We don’t get many in the shop, because apparently vamps like Phillip pass their knowledge on to only worthy ears and eyes.

My pen taps with a quick rhythm as I think of vampire related keywords. Tap. Tap...tap. Tap.

“Are you closing up tonight?” Gretchen asks as she stands in the doorway. Her eyes roam to the table and scan all the papers and open books.

“Yeah.” I say with a nervous jitter as I quickly stack up the papers. “Are you heading out?” I ask as she’s been holed up in her room all day.

“I was unless you needed me to stay. The coven’s usual meeting in a couple of days is being moved to tonight because Brooklynn is unable to make it Thursday night.”

I wonder why. “No, I’m fine. Go.”

She gives me a small, almost sad smile before she turns away and leaves. My panicked banter didn’t prove my sanity to her. I won’t be alone though, because Monty is around here somewhere, but it’s best to not have her curious eyes on me either. I keep in my room as long as I can. When I spot her out front, I’m so close to asking her for help, but I stop short.

It takes nearly until closing time to think of something that could pass under Phillip’s inspection. He probably would prefer the bleeding and the devouring, but I never agreed to being his pet and if my words save a few people it’s the least I can do.

To my surprise Gabriel isn’t waiting for me after I lock up, but Caleb is. He leans against the building right next to the palm reading neon sign. It tints his face a white-ish blue, his features even more pronounced from the shadows the light creates.

“Caleb.” His name comes out unintentionally breathy.

“Do you have time to talk?” He asks as he pushes himself off the building. “It’s important.”

I’m a muttering mess as I reply. “Sure. Okay. Yeah.” What the hell is wrong with me. First Gretchen now Caleb. “I’m a little hungry, we can go to Lola’s. Late night bite to eat like old times.”

There’s a flash of something, despair, hurt, pity that flashes across his face before he regains his composure. “Sure.”

Was he hoping for somewhere more private? It’s probably for the best seeing as Marcus is hellbent on ending me and Gloria is all up his business still. We’re friends and friends go out to a diner at nearly three in morning to discuss important things with an ex.

Right? Right.