56: I Did My Part

We spend the rest of night pacing the floor waiting for something to happen. Maybe they’re behind schedule. Maybe they got attacked. But nothing happens. No pulse of energy, no visit from any pissed off demons, no unannounced pop up from a ghost.

It had to have worked. My heart races from the thought.

The sun slowly peeking over the horizon doesn’t relieve any of my nervousness. “I’m gonna go to Avery’s. She’s probably freaking out from my text last night.” I stretch my stiff joints from falling asleep in a chair. A strong hiss slips through my clenched teeth as my knee refuses to straighten.

I order a cab and arrive at Avery’s place within twenty minutes. All is quiet. My knock on the door seems ten times louder than it should be, but everything is so hushed in the suburbs compared to the heart of the city.

A faint click can be heard seconds before the door knob slowly turns. The door creaks open a crack before swinging open so quickly that a gust of wind blows Avery’s hair straight behind her. Her shell shocked face changes to a smile and a breath of relief rushes from her mouth. “Thank God.”

She backs up and I follow her inside where I see Avalos and Quinn huddled up on the couch, that’s in the middle of the living room floor with a circle of salt around it, sleeping.

“It’s been a rough night. We could’ve used a little more instruction.”

“I’m sorry.” And I am. “I didn’t know exactly what would happen.”

“But, you’ll tell me all about it, right?”

I give one firm nod in compliance. “Maybe wake them up, so I don’t have to say it twice.”

She follows my command. She wakes Avalos and Quinn up quite hostility by slapping them on the legs and arms before taking a seat. Their eyes on me, wide and concerned, but sleepy. With a deep breath, I spill every last detail, even more detail than I gave Gretchen and Monty.

The blood oath, Gabriel, the lying and the secrets, the ritual and the supposed outcome, the other potential outcome.

Avalos is stunned silent with his mouth dropped open. Avery is deep in thought with her brows scrunched together and her lips open and close as she thinks about what she wants to say. And Quinn says one word, wow.

“That son of a bitch.” Avery spits out several seconds later. “Who does he think he is? Who do any of them think they are?”

“I had a friend that got mixed up with a vampire.” Quinn admits. “She went batshit crazy after two months. Ended up throwing herself off a bridge.” Silence. “Worst part was…” She leans in, “she didn’t die.” She gives a huff of disgust. “That’s vampires for ya.” She knows better than anyone how vampires can be. “Always changing the rules and not giving a damn about anyone other than themselves...or their makers.”
“So it’s not over?” Avalos asks after some time.

“No. I’m sure this is just the beginning.” I reluctantly admit.

“That son of a bitch.” Avery repeats. “Both of them. Both sons a bitches.” All eyes are on her and when she notices. She gets a little red and quickly apologizes with a sheepish smile.

A small bit of laughter is shared between us before everything goes silent again. Only with my mostly human friends would I laugh at the trouble that is waiting ahead. Only with my mostly human friends would I laugh at vampires.

I stand up from my chair, “I should get back to work and you guys should get some decent sleep.” I take a few steps out of the room. “And keep your heads low, don’t draw attention to yourself. I’ll whip up another batch of my repellants for you to use that will block everyone out unless invited in.”

“Since when have I drawn attention to myself?” Avery chimes before flashing me a mischievous smile. “Promise.” She says in a child-like voice.

With a return ride called, I get dropped back off at the shop not too much later. There’s still hours before we close up. That doesn’t stop Gretchen and Monty nearly shoving me out the door the second I arrive back.

“Go get some rest. We’ll be fine.” Gretchen orders in the motherly tone and I know there’s no arguing with her.

“But-”

She cuts me off, her arms crossing her chest. “No buts. Rest.”

“Fine...but I just need to grab some supplies to whip a few batches of my repellant for Avery and Avalos.” At least it’ll keep my hands busy while I lie in wait. “And I will be here tomorrow."

“Of course you will. I have something special planned for you tomorrow.” Gretchen replies perking up my ears as well as Monty’s.

“Why does she get something special, she just brought on the vampire apocalypse.” Monty retorts. Her words should make a twinge of guilt burrow painfully in my gut, but they don’t. I know she means well.

“See you tomorrow.” Gretchen says one more time ignoring Monty’s comment.

Walking home in the daylight with the sidewalks filled with people going about their business should give me a false sense of safety and calm. But it doesn’t. A creepy, crawling feeling snakes over my skin. It feels as if someone is watching me. My feet nearly run to my apartment complex where a true sense of safety seeps into my bones the second I lock myself in.

It’s just my mind playing tricks on me. It’s just my imagination running wild, driving me crazy with what could be. It doesn’t mean that’s what it is. Phillip will keep his word. Gabriel will listen to my unsaid words and leave me alone. Demons will pick a fight with the vampires instead of a stupid witch. The ghosts will go back and rest until their time comes again.

I don’t waste a second before I get to work on the potion. I whip up bottle after bottle after bottle. I douse the threshold and windowsills more than once. I apply a first layer, let it dry and go back and apply it again, only to let it dry and reapply three more times. The liquid melts into the wood and carpet, getting deeper and deeper with each application.

By the end of my panic attack, I have fifteen bottles for Avery, Avalos and Quinn to share. That’s plenty, they even have enough to share with some friends if they want to. Or maybe I can sell it at the shop.

A small smile quirks up the corner of my mouth. I can just imagine the look on Phillip’s face, Gabriel’s face if they were to find out. They’re so called witch, used to be member of the family, now selling vampire repellent, counteracting their progress to mainstream.

I did my part. I’m not bound to one side anymore.

I go to work the next day in the most content mood I’ve been in since before the night of the ritual. I try not to think about that night, but nothing keeps the thoughts away, nothing keeps the pain from seeping into my bones.

“Ah, Hazel. Are you ready for my special surprise?” Gretchen chimes as she makes her way up to the front of the shop.

Monty remains quiet and rolls her eyes, still pffted that I’m getting so called special treatment.

“Sure.” I reply even though I’m not sure.

“Follow.” She says in a way too happy voice. A skip in her step.

What does she have planned? A nervousness jitters through me as I follow her to my room where she immediately turns on me.

“Surprise!” She hollers as her arms wave, in a showcase manner, over the table where stacks of books load the tabletop.

“What are these?” I ask as I’m not impressed or pleased with my so-called surprise.

“I think you would be a great palm reader.”

“This is my surprise? More work?”

“It’s not more work. It’s expanding and sharpening your magic.”

“It’s more work.” I admit. “And my magic really doesn’t work like that.”

“Sure it does. Your magic speaks to you. All you have to do is mold it.” She walks to the doorway, turns back, “I have your first few clients scheduled in a couple of weeks.” She must see my face drop. “I believe in you , Hazel.” She flashes me a smile before leaving me alone.

Great. At least she believes in me.

I can only be with the books so long. After the fifth one they all seem the same. Life line, heart line, fate line, head line, sun line. Venus, Mercury, Jupiter. Earth, water, air, fire. So many lines, some overlapping, some barely visible.

My phone goes off for the third time and I decide to look at it. Three texts from Avery. My daily check-ins. If anyone knows how un-okay I am, it’s Avery. And she texts several times a day just to see how I’m doing. As if I would reply back ‘terrible’. I tap a quick reply of my wellbeing before ditching the books to go back to inventory counting.

I sneak around hiding from Gretchen and her request of going back to said overwhelming books. With one aisle down and just about to start the second, I hear Monty holler for me. I’m torn between answering her call and ignoring her, but I know she’ll just keep yelling for me. “What’s up?” I ask as I approach the front counter.

“We have an order for bottled euphoria.” She flashes me a large smile. “I know you love it.”

“Coming right up.” I reply with clenched teeth and fake smile.

It doesn’t take long to mix the ingredients and send the customer on their way. I linger up front not wanting to go back to work. It’s all jokes and smiles about my slacking and apparent unwanted promotion until we hear a loud tap tap against the windows of the shop. A prominent shadow of a person walks along the building out front. Even though I can’t see their face, I know what they are. Demon.

“That’s the third one today.” Monty says.

“What?” My mind goes fuzzy and it’s hard to understand her unsaid words.

“The third one to pass by and knock.” She physically shivers. “Gives me the creeps.” She pats my shoulder and heads off to do whatever she was doing before the customer made a request. “It’ll be fine. If we have to have you make a demon repellent we will.”

Where was I when these two other demons stalked the store and knocked on the window? Holed up in my room reading about wrinkles in one’s hand? Zoned out counting merchandise?

My heart races at the thought of lurking demons. Suddenly, I feel so alone, so weak and vulnerable. If they’re getting antsy then I should be getting antsy too.

If I thought my anxiousness was bad during the day, it tripled when the sun went down. On the way home, I hear phantom knocks and any little skitter down side streets or along storefronts spook me to the point of where I stumble on my feet. Sometimes there’s eyes to witness my skittishness, other times I’m alone.

And if I think for a second that being locked inside my apartment will keep the bad stuff out, I’m wrong again.

*I wake up in my own bed, not surprised and slightly groggy. I shuffle underneath the covers looking for that perfect spot that will put me back to sleep. Then my hands feel an icy chill, a body lying next to me.

“It’s just a dream, Hazel. Go back to sleep.” Gabriel’s voice crushes me from the inside out. He drapes his arm over my chest pulling me closer to him.
My chest burns as my heart forgets to beat, my head gets dizzy with lack of oxygen, but at the same time my stomach fills with butterflies from the sight of his messy hair and bare skin. “Gabriel?”

He perks up from my quivering voice. “What is it? Did you see something?”

I remain speechless, lost in a void, unable to think. This has to be a dream, but it doesn’t feel like a dream. It kinda feels like a memory, but a memory I never recall happening. “Nothing.” The word comes out of mouth without me really wanting it to.

“Hey,” he props himself up on his elbow, concern filling his voice as he looks me in the eye. “It’s okay. Nothing's gonna hurt you as long as I'm around.” He places his forehead to mine and for a second my hatred is gone and it’s just Gabriel and I. No lies, no Phillip, no ritual...just us. “But you have to come to me Hazel.”

My head snaps back from his and this time I look him in the eyes, like really look him in the eye and I notice that his golden gaze looks more black in the dark. Something isn’t right. This isn’t right.

“Come to me Hazel.” He says again before he leans in and places a kiss to my lips.*

The points of his fang dig into my bottom lip startling me awake. I’m left heaving for breath confused as hell to what just happened. “It was just a dream. Not real. Not gonna happen.” I chant knowing full well that it wasn't just a dream or my subconscious getting what it wants even though it isn’t real and will never be real again.

I lay down in bed, eyes wide open unable to sleep. My tongue dabs at my bottom lip and I freeze up as I feel a faint sting and the tinge of blood. My tongue rubs harder at my lip, at the two small cuts. Afraid to close my eyes, afraid to see him again, because my dreamself isn’t as strong as my awake self. Hell, she might not even be a dreamself.