Losing Battle

Ch. 26 What Next

I paced in the room for hours until a man walked in. I stopped walking and faced him.

"Ms. Jones wishes to see you," he said not waiting for me to respond before walking out. He expected me to follow as he led me into the room next door. I gasped as my mother turned to me. I felt a glimmer of hope that she asked for me, maybe she did believe me. The man shut the door leaving us alone. My hands shook beside me as I look into her blue gaze.

"Sit," she ordered as I complied. I looked around her office. The room was big with several books on witches. I turned my gaze to her desk seeing no pictures the only thing on her desk was a dog. A strange item for a hunter to have in their office. A flash of memory hit me as I looked at the stuffed dog on the desk.

"She's beautiful," my father smiled as my mom looked at me. She placed the stuffed dog in the crib next to me.

"She is perfect, I just hope our jobs don't catch up to her. I would hate for an angry witch to hurt her," my mom said softly as my father pulled her close.

"I won't let that happen," Freya said from behind them.

"Thank you Freya," my mom smiled.

I reached toward the dog picking it up as my mother watched me.

"You kept it," I whispered as another memory floated through my mind.

Freya scooped me up into her arms as my dog fell from my grasp. She rushed from the house without looking back.

"You are so cute Drake can't help but love you!" She said firmly. I watched my mother rush toward us calling for Freya to stop.

"Freya what are you doing with my child?" My mom questioned. Freya didn't hesitate before knocking her back into the house. My mother crumpled to the floor unconscious as I screamed out for her.

"Chrystal," my mom said as I dropped the dog. "What just happened?"

"I think I remember what happened that night," I muttered as she stiffened.

"I didn't bring you here to allow you to pretend to be my child. I asked you here to discuss how long until your execution," she snapped as pain rushed through me. I wanted so badly for her to believe me but she didn't and the only way she would was if I lost my witch powers. My mom grabbed the toy off the ground putting the toy as far from me as possible. "By the end of the week you and your entire coven will be dead. Because you helped us you can pick to be the first or the last."

"I want to be first but you should put me last," I said softly. "If anyone of them escapes I'm the only one who can stop them." Shock filled her blue eyes as I spoke.

"Then you will be last," she said after a minute.

"Can I talk to Brad?" I asked her. "Or maybe my friend?"

"Here," she said handing me her phone. "Put the phone on speaker." I paused debating who to call before settling for my dad.

"Hello," he said as tears pooled in my icy eyes.

"Hi dad," I spoke carefully. I didn't want him to hear the sadness in my voice. I couldn't stand to let him get hurt.

"Chrystal, are you... well... you?" He asked as guilt filled me. I had hurt him when I turned dark.

"I'm back dad. I'm so sorry for what I did to you. If I could take it all back I would," I said firmly.

"Come see me!" He said as I winced. How could I reason away a visit without worrying him? My mind raced trying to come up with an answer.

"I have to beat the witches first. They are attacking the hunters because of me," I said after a moment. The lie rolled off my tongue quickly. I had lied so much since I embraced the darkness but this lie felt wrong. My mom watched me and I saw the confusion in her eyes. She thought I would ask for help but I didn't. "Dad I have to go but I'll call you later. I love you."

"Love you too Chrystal," he said as I hung up. Tears spilled down my cheeks as I covered my face with my hands.

"Why didn't you tell him the truth?" She asked as I looked sadly at her.

"You know why!" I snapped and when she didn't respond I continued. "You are watching him and I'm not letting him get hurt because of me. Once I'm dead you can tell him the witches killed me that way he can still have a life."

"I'll tell him myself," she said firmly with nothing but love in her gaze. After all these years she loved him. I wondered if my death drove them apart and if he knew mom lived through the abduction?

"Does he know you are alive?" I asked suddenly. The words came out before I could stop myself.

"No but I'm the only one he will listen to and believe about your death," she said as I got to my feet. I looked at the dog once more before heading for the door. She watched but didn't stop me as I headed back to my room. I flopped on the bed as my mark began to pulse with magic. Confusion filled my body as the power grew. I conjured a flame and this time the magic didn't fight me. That meant the other witches might have access to their powers too. If the witches noticed the hunters were in serious danger. I had to warn the hunters and hope they would listen. I ran from the room and back to my mom's office.

"Mom!" I yelled as she looked up at me. I started to explain what was wrong when there was an explosion. I gasped as my body blasted  out of the room. I fell to the ground as pain filled me. My mark burned as I winced. I looked into my mom's office to see a fire. I ignored my pain scrambling into the room. I spotted her through the smoke her body on the ground unmoving.