Coven - Book I

☆ 50

☆ fifty

That night, Chloe sat on the bottom step near the front door, waiting for Rose to show up. She drummed her fingers against the black fabric of her jeans while resisting the urge to finger the tiny gold key sitting on the step beside her. She was beyond tired. It felt like she hadn't slept in weeks, regardless of the nights she spent by Alec's side. It was going to be over much too soon. Chloe closed her eyes and rested her head against her knees. She imagined herself as a heroine of a television show, brave enough to give her life for the sake of her friends, and right at the last minute as is in every teenage drama, her coven would find a way to keep her alive. 
But this wasn't a television show, and Chloe was feeling anything but brave. Suddenly she wished it was Rose who was facing these dilemmas; Rose was stronger, much closer to the hero-type than Chloe would ever be. But as soon as the thought appeared, it vanished. There was no time for that kind of thinking, and Rose was the reason Chloe was involved in the coven in the first place.
Or the reason I'm going to die. She couldn't bear to say it out loud; it would make it that much more real. Light poured through the window as Rose's vehicle pulled up. 
"Get it together," Chloe muttered to herself. The tired feeling in her chest grew, but so did the exhilaration of being able to possibly solve another part of the prophecy. If they figured the whole thing out, would it save them or destroy them? The thought stayed in her head as she opened the door.

"I can't believe we're walking," Rose said incredulously as Chloe pushed another foot into ankle-deep snow. Chloe rolled her eyes. It was a five minute walk to Meredith's and Rose was acting like an overgrown baby. The strawberry blonde winced as snow piled over the edge of her boot and down into her sock, shaking her curls around wildly.
"I hate snow!" She wailed.
"Shhh!" Chloe turned her head and smacked the other girl on the arm. Rose jutted her lower lip out and crossed her arms across her chest, fists clenched inside her thick wool mittens.
"I shouldn't have let you convince me to do this. We're going to get caught, Chloe."
"If we get caught, it's going to be because you opened your big mouth."
Rose was quiet for a few moments, and Chloe almost felt bad until she said her next words.
"You know, you've been acting ridiculous ever since the dance. What's up with you?"
Chloe stopped. She opened her mouth once, twice, three times before clenching her teeth together. She started to move again, only to have Rose pull her back.
"I'm serious," she said, "what happened?" The strain in her voice was clear, and even though Chloe was small, she was pretty sure she could take Rose if she wanted to. She tried to calm her suddenly erratic heart as she chose her words.
"What happened? How about I really liked Nick, and then at the dance, you swooped in like a hawk and stuck your tongue down his throat?"
"What are you talking about?"
"You kissed him, Rose! While I was clearly with him."
"I never kissed him. And what would it matter since you're dating Alec? Nick didn't belong to you." Rose dropped her hand from Chloe's elbow, probably a wise move. Chloe was visibly fuming, but what was she supposed to retort with? There was truth in Rose's words; Nick had never belonged to her. Sure, she was interested, but she had been going back and forth between the two guys in a mental game of Ping-Pong for a long time. So long that Meredith had been the one to call it out before Chloe had even realized what she was doing.
She ran a hand through her dark curls.
"Can we not do this?" She whispered. The weight of the last few days felt like a demon that was starting to inhabit the stretch of her shoulders. Rose was immediately sympathetic.
"We don't have to go to Meredith's tonight, Chloe. We can do it tomorrow. You look exhausted."
Chloe started up the driveway, careful to keep her voice as light as her footsteps.
"There's not many nights left to waste. I'd rather do this now, please." 
Rose didn't object.


          The house was just as dark and eerie as the last time Chloe had crept in. Rose made a whimpering sound of protest while Chloe dug her fingers under the edge of the window sill on the main floor and lifted upward. 
"Who doesn't lock their windows?" she whispered. Her brown eyes darted from side to side faster than Chloe could keep up. 
"Probably because the windows don't have locks, Rose." 
"Oh." 
          Rose shook her head in disbelief as she lifted her knee onto the sill and pushed herself into the room, kicking her boots against the outside of the house to shake the snow off. 
"I've known Meredith since we were born and this is the first time I've ever been here." 
Chloe glanced over her shoulder to see Rose standing by the window, calmly taking in the whole scene around her. Her face was contorted in something resembling sadness, but also close to anger. There was nothing Chloe could say to make that feeling go away, the pain of knowing someone forever but never being able to reach through to them completely. Rose snapped out of her moment soon after, and the two girls made their way silently up the steps. Meredith's bedroom was at the end of the hall. Chloe's hand shook when she pressed it against the door. This was much, much too easy. Something was off, something had to be. Yet when the door slid open, they were greeted by nothing. The blankets were flat against the bed. The curtains were drawn shut. There was no light seeping in from the adjoining bathroom. She almost couldn't believe their luck. She wasn't even home! She spun around in the dim light to smile at Rose, only Rose wasn't there either. 
"Hello?" Chloe hissed. Her heart was hammering in her chest. Oh, God, they shouldn't have done this. She should have left Rose at home and come alone. It was her who should be facing any consequences her actions caused, and look what had happened! She wished she'd never left Franklin County. She wiped her clammy palms against her pants profusely. What the hell was going on--
"Boo!" Two arms grabbed onto Chloe's shoulders and spun her around.
"Rose," Chloe smacked the other girl and gasped for air. "Not. Funny."
"Sorry, I couldn't resist!" Rose flashed a smile that glowed in the dark.
Chloe ignored her and focused on calming her heart. It was so stupid to scare people like that. What if she had gone into cardiac arrest? She could have died. The joke almost made Chloe snort out a laugh.
"Okay, okay, let's go." Rose pushed the door open once again and the two girls hurried into Meredith's bedroom, sliding the door closed after. Chloe was surprised when Rose immediately went for the discolored floorboard.
"How did you. . ."
"It's a common hiding place. If you're trying to be sneaky, there are tons of better places than a floor."
Chloe raised an eyebrow but said nothing. She'd have to remember to ask Rose just what kind of spots later. Rose used the same technique as Chloe had the other night by jamming her fingernail under the edge of the board and popping it out. The chest sat inside, jewels glimmering in the dull, early morning light. Chloe pulled the key from her pocket with trembling fingers.
"I'm scared," she admitted. She expected Rose to nod in agreement, but the blonde just tilted her head and gave Chloe a soft smile.
"There's nothing to fear about magic itself; it's simply the people who use it." Then she winked, effectively ruining the wise moment. Rose took the key from Chloe's shaky hand and expertly slid it into the lock. The only sound besides their labored breathing was the sure click of the chest unlocking.
"Holy shit," Chloe breathed at the same time as Rose said, "I didn't think it'd actually work."
The dark haired girl tried to glare at her friend, but the happiness of getting into this chest was overwhelming.
"Open it," she commanded.
"Yes, ma'am!" Rose gave a mock salute before flipping the two golden clasps on the sides up. The top of the chest slid open and the grin slipped off Chloe's face.
"What is. . . Is that a. . ."
"I'm going to be sick." Rose tried to set the chest down without throwing it away from her and bounded for the bathroom. Chloe herself was trying to resist her gag reflex. She had to know for sure if she was right on what she thought it was. Leaning over the chest without touching it, she peered down. Inside was the familiar necklace of Racquelle's that had been in Chloe's floor, something wrapped in red silk, and a few small, loose orbs of white. 
They were human teeth.