The Ambrose Clique - now published on Amazon

15 - Matters of Consent

- updated -

"That's impossible." Aurel's eyes were tight with strain.

"How so?" Thea's grey eyes studied her. She ran a hand through her hair. This was the first time I'd seen looking like her hair was naturally grey. She looked tired, almost old, though she couldn't be over thirty.

"She's a witch," Aurel replied through gritted teeth.

"Not yet," Cal taunted her in a sing song voice. "Unless you would like Skye to change that for her?"

"It's not my decision."

"Why are you letting her make it? You've heard what'll happen if she stays human. This is best for her."

"Because I care about her, alright? I'd never take that away from her."

I tried to muffle my squeal, earning a thump from Clover in the process.

"You obviously didn't care about me then," Cal replied. His expression was smooth but there was a hitch in his voice. "You never gave me the choice."

"Deal with it, Cal. You knew I didn't care. You love your life now, you love the girls and your power. You just want to hurt May."

"I can't deny the latter. The first time she spoke to me, she insulted me. That was also the last time she's spoken to me, too." I silently willed Aurel to bite her tongue.

"What can I say to you? I want her to choose, we are not making her a witch without her consent. But I can't let my father kill her," her voice rose a few octaves as panic set in.

"She doesn't have to know," Skye suggested.

"How? Being a witch is having powers."

"Well, I could awaken her myself, whilst she sleeps and we could just leave it. Charles won't take her then, she won't be human and as long as she doesn't actively try to practice magic, her life won't change."

"I'm washing my hands of this whole thing," Aurel sighed as she stood up. "None of you are really listening to me so from now on, it's all of your doing. If you'll excuse me, I have more important matters to attend to. Like looking after the girl who watched her best friend's throat get torn out tonight by a faerie. She needs me way more than you do." She stalked out, leaving the group wide eyed at the table. Cal smiled, pleased with himself for pushing all the right buttons.

"Well, I believe that's that then. Skye, I believe it is a marvellous idea, but I want the whole group to agree with me. No use any of you pulling an Aurel. We don't need another." Thea's words made me bristle.

"Pulling an Aurel?" I muttered to Clover.

"I think she means turning another person without consent, or something." Clover had her eyes on the door. "We should go now, before they all leave."

I nodded in agreement and we crept out of the door. Without Gallya to guide us, we were faced with a corridor that stretched endlessly on either side of us.

"Well, what do we do now?"

"Did you forget you're in the company of a witch?" Clover's eyes gleamed. I grinned and stood back to give her space. She grinned at me and clapped her hands, before rubbing them together. They were soon covered in a glowing red layer of light, just as Skye's were covered in white. "Magic is mental and physical."

She clicked her fingers and the red layer started to move, running towards her index finger before leaving her skin and floating into the air. Once leaving her skin, it formed little wisps of flames; three, palm-sized flames that bounced in the space in front of us.