Tammy
''Keep your family on lockdown. Cecilia and I are going to go after Tammy's murderer with her to restore her. That way, she'll be able to help us and she'll awaken Tiffany who will also be less...'' Margaret looked across the room to where Tiffany was sitting with her mother eating breakfast. ''Less of a burden.'' she muttered before she turned around, grabbed her bag and left the house.
Cecillia waved a short goodbye and followed after her grandmother. I took a moment with Fred before I followed behind. ''Next time we see each other I'll be different.'' I whispered. Although I know it was supposed to be a comforting thought, I didn't know who I was trying to comfort.
''Everything will be fine, you're in good hands.'' Fred smiled encouragingly at me, looking out the door at Margaret and Cecillia who were waiting by the car.
I looked towards them too and frowned, a thought suddenly crossing my mind. ''Did it ever cross your mind that maybe we shouldn't trust them? Being uninformed as we are, it could after all have been easy for them to slip their way into this lie.'' I was still looking at the grandmother and granddaughter. Although the thought had occured to me, I couldn't find it in me to actually believe it.
Fred shook his head and looked at me again. ''There's something about them that helps me trust. Plus, we don't know how they made their allyship agreements back when it was made, but it sure as hell wasn't just words and paper like we do today.'' He reached out and his hand grabbed at my arm – but he grabbed nothing, and he frowned but quickly shook his head and dropped his arm back down. ''Go fix what was broken – your life cycle. We'll figured out a way to have you settle in again.''
I nodded and went after Margaret and Cecillia, climbed into the car and followed the road. A few hours earlier, Cecillia had woken everyone up claiming that she had found where my killer lived. Margaret proceeded to securing the house with protection spells and prepared everything needed for my counter-curse. In a few hours, I would be facing with the man who killed me. I would stand by his side as Margaret or Cecillia recited a few words, accompanied by whatever was hidden in the pouch Margaret held on tightly to and then I would be 'restored'. I would become flesh and blood again. Would it hurt? Would I be young or old?
Cecillia
For the first time in my life I couldn't help but remain quiet during the entire trip. Grandma wasn't much of a talk-machine either and Tammy seemed as nervous as a ghost could be. I was afraid for her. Grandma had never said this but the counter-curse was not fail-proofed. Ever since it had been created everyone had tried to stabilize it and make it perfect. And yet, it didn't work as we wished every time.
I personally had only had the chance to witness it being used once. I was a young teenager and grandma was helping to protect another family of witches in France. Not directly our allies from the salem wars, but they had seeked us out and having no reason to refuse them, she had agreed. Apparently the Morel clan had been known for having their fingers in everyone's affairs.
The casting had gone as expected, however the person hadn't been 'restored' the way grandma claimed it should have gone. It was expected that those who could see this would see a blue light stretching between the murderer and the victim. This light would be the exchange of life. As the light drained from the murderer, the victim would slowly become flesh and blood again. We would know the spell was complete when the victim would scream in utter pain and fall to the ground. The blue light would disappear and the murderer would collapse, drained of their life - dead.
Instead, the light had transfered so fast that the ghost had literally exploded. To tell you the truth, I have no idea what happens to a ghost that explodes. The person disappeared from our sight but the family confirmed that they were never restored. The murderer was however dead indeed. The family was sad that their loved one wasn't returned to them, but they were happy that they were not stuck anymore.
I looked at Tammy over my shoulder and contemplated her. She was looking outside, not paying attention to us. I wondered what she was thinking about, but considering the situation I had a pretty good idea of what the main thoughts going through her mind were.
Up until now, she had always been a simple ghost to me. An uncolored ghost but now that I had met her brother, niece and nephews and seen pictures of her parents, I tried to imagine what she looked like in flesh and blood. With a final sigh I turned around and faced the road again.
''Whats up, darling?'' Grandma asked, only throwing a quick glance at me.
I smiled encouragingly at her, I didn't need to share my worries with her. Not her fault I had grown attached to a ghost. Something she had taught me not to do years ago. But Tammy was different and I really hoped things worked out and we could be friends. ''Nothing, just anxious to get this over with.'' With a simple nod her concentration went back to the road and we finished the ride in silence.
Mr. Kaiser was, like most other family heads, quite wealthy. I wasn't really surprised when we turned onto a road twisting and turning between fields of grapes. Red on one side, green on the other. Apparently he also either enjoyed wine or found a good way to make it profitable. I guessed a mix of both.
Grandma stopped the car in the driveway but didn't make a move to get out immediately. I felt Tammy stir behind us, most likely finally giving her attention to us rather than her thoughts.
''You ready girls?'' Grandma whispered. ''This is it. Tammy's final destination.''
I didn't feel the need to answer and the pure terror visible on Tammy's face gave her an answer. Probably not the one she was looking for, but one none the less. We got out of the car and grandma took the lead, walking confidently up to the front door and ringing the bell. I stayed a few steps behind and I knew without looking that Tammy was even farther behind. The door opened to a well dressed man in his early to mid-thirties. From his outift I guessed that he was some sort of butler or house attendant.
''Yes, how may I help you?'' he asked politely with a strong english accent.
''We're here to see Mr George Kaiser?'' Grandma requested.
He nodded and stepped aside, indicating for us to sit on a small two-place sofa by the entry. Grandma and I took a seek and he quickly disappeared inside the large estate. I repeated the necessary spell in my head, making sure I had it memorized. I didn't want to have a memory blank when the time came. Grandma looked calm compared to earlier in the car when she had appeared a little nervous.
The moment Mr. Kaiser appeared at the top of the staircase his eyes landed on Tammy and a flicker of recognition showed on his face. It was quickly replaced by a sneer which he aimed directly at grandma. ''Who are you and what do you want?'' He grumbled not moving from the top of the staircase.
She glanced between him and Tammy. ''You've met before?'' she raised an eyebrow. The butler stood beside Mr. Kaiser looking confused as he tried to see who his master and my grandma were looking at.
''Alright, don't need the who are you. Obviously you're on her side. Lets skip to the next question, what do you want?'' he turned his glare to his butler who didn't take a second more to scurry away.
''If you guessed so easily who I am, can't you guess what I want?'' she asked starting towards the staircase. I noticed that his foot slid back ever so slightly as if he was resisting the urge to run away.
''You don't smell like a witch.'' he simply stated.
''What do witches smell like, Mr. Kaiser?'' grandma started on the staircase and I started to walk towards the staircase. I didn't want to put too much space between us and yet I knew that I had to stay far from him.
''They smell like herbs and incense.''
''You smell like blood. Yet I know that you are a witch.'' She was now standing one step below him. Even if she had been standing on the landing with him, she would have had to look up to look at him. Her confidence didn't waver in front of their height differece.
He glared at her and I saw his lips quiver. Immediately I took a small glass bauble filled with the necessary herbs for a protection spell and threw it at the feet of my grandmother, whispering the accompaning words. My spell casting caught him by surprise and he finally took a first good look at me. ''You came prepared I see.'' his eyes turned to Tammy who stood behind me and I don't know what he saw, but it made him grin. ''But we're never prepared enough to relive our worst nightmares.''
His lips started moving again and I was pulled down to my knees and hands as if there was a magnet under the floor and I was metal. I couldn't free myself but I could still talk which meant when the time was right, I would still be of use to grandma.
''I actually have a proposal to make. Didn't think we'd start with the violence so soon.'' Grandma spoke calmly, glancing at me with a sad smile. ''A truce. It seems as though one of your family members has fallen for a Rose. Shall we end this never ending war with a uniting marriage?'' she proposed.
''Ha, I finally get the answer to my question. You're a Rose and you know of bad blood between us and yet you come straight into my home?'' he smirked as if he had made the brightest discovery of all. Too bad for him he was wrong.
''Actually, we're not Roses. I'm Margaret Morel and that girl you have pinned down is my granddaughter, Cecilia Morel.'' she introduced us.
''What are you doing with a Rose ghost then?'' he watched Tammy who still hadn't moved from behind me.
''Hmm, I guess the Morels have a bad habit of sticking their noses in everyone's buisness.''
There was a moment of silence as the two stared each other down. It didn't stop Mr. Kaiser from throwing another spell in my direction causing my to crumble to the floor in pain, ripping a scream for me. It felt as if my inside were burning.
''Don't waste all your energy just yet, Mr. Kaiser. You already weak enough as it is.'' I heard grandma tell him. Her tone was teasing and a little too confident in my opinion but it had the desired effect; the pain released and I was able to catch my breath. However, I was still magnetized to the floor.
''Enough with the games already.'' He grumbled. ''I don't believe you're really offering a truce with a wedding. Even if you were, they never work out.''
I regained enough of my strength to look up to them again, watching their exchange. I couldn't permit myself to miss the moment when grandma would throw the bauble for Tammy's spell. It was after all, the main reason we were here.
''I thought you wouldn't agree.'' She nodded, shrugged, turned around and started descending the stairs.
''Thats all?'' He asked a little too loudly considering the fact that we were all within easy hearing. ''You come here, disturb my peace, make a useless proposal and walk-out? No, you've got something else planned.'' He glared at my grandma's back before his eyes twitched over to Tammy and me before going back to glaring at grandma.
Grandma stopped midway in the staircase and kept her back towards him as she replied. At the same time I noticed that she retrieved the small bauble and I quickly recited the spell in my head. ''You're right.'' She toyed with the bauble in her hands. He couldn't see it. ''The proposal was in hopes of taking the easy way out of all of this but I was prepared for you to refuse.'' She turned around but crossed her arms behind her back, the bauble held between her thumb and index. ''I think you recognized my ghostly friend here.'' She tilted her head backwards to indicate Tammy. ''You see, you stole her of her life fourty years ago. Cut her life short at a young seventeen years of age. But as fate would have it, she managed to find us and I'm here to return what you took from her.''
She threw the bauble to his feet and the moment it broke I recited the spell. He didn't have a chance to react. Throughout grandma's little speech he had stared at Tammy with wide eyes. Sure he had seemed to know her or at least some bell was tinkling in his head but now he knew who she was. He also knew why we were here. He also knew what would happen next.
The spell seemed to proceed as expected. The blue light lifted out of him and gently went to meet with Tammy. The minute it started lifting from him, I was released from the magnetizing spell and stood up. Tammy took a few steps back as the light started reaching for her. Poor girl looked way past terrorized at the moment but I still couldn't help the smile forming on my lips. Soon she would be returned to us.
The light envelopped her and I took a moment to look back at the old man that was being drained. His mouth and eyes were wide open as if stuck in a surprised scream with no sound and looked pretty much paralysed on the spot. Grandma seemed content with the way the transfer was going but like just like the first time I had witnessed it, it wasn't meant to be completed.
Both targets began screaming in high pitched voices. One of their scream alone could have rivaled that of a banshee's. Put together – the windows blew up and grandma and I fell to the ground covering our ears but it did little to ease the pain. Eventually the pained numbed out and it felt like I had huge cotton plugs in my ears; most likely a spell grandma had cast to help us. We stood up again just as Mr. Kaiser's wife, maid and butler appeared at the top of the staircase, covering their ears. The spell had only been targeted to grandma and I.
The scream kept going and the light transfer kept going. ''The transfer is taking too long!'' Grandma yelled at me. ''We have to cancel it!'' I dug through my memory for a cancelation spell for this one but didn't remember one. I didn't even think there was one. Grandma seemed to realize this too as she gazed at me with a sad expression of appology. It wasn't going to work.
I saw a movement in the corner of my vision and turned to look at the top of the staircase to where the maid, butler and wife had collapsed with blood dipping slowly from their ears, eyes and nose. A moment later there was an explosion of blue light and I was thrown backwards into a wall. I bumped my head and struggled to remain conscient. The explosion had thrown grandma against a wall too, but her landing had caused her to tumble down the stairs and finish up crumpled in a ball beside me.
I wanted to reach out to her to make sure she was alright but I was losing my fight with my consciousness. I imagined that grandma had lost consciousness too because I could once again start hearing the scream which hadn't ended yet. Before I could feel the pain from the scream that would most likely cause grandma and I to bleed like the other sad victims, everything went dark. The last thing I saw was Mr. Kaiser falling to the ground and Tammy no where to be seen, however both of their screams still lingered.
Tiffany
The freaks were gone and I refused to spend my birthday locked up in here. Weeks of having those frenchies hovering around the house and somehow getting my parents to believe in their lies that I was in danger. While eavesdropping I had even found out that they had suspected Yohan of wanting to kill me. How crazy they were.
The frenchies were gone but my parents were still on my back about keeping me 'safe'. My brothers who were usually all about getting me to be more rebellious had also turned against me. And that was why I was crawling out the window at two in the morning. Everyone was asleep and I had been invited to a party – my own birthday party, how could I miss that?
I was lucky enough that they had never suspected me of running away and decided to stick me in a guest room on the second floor. I dashed across the yard and left by the back exit of the gate. Things had been weird ever since my fainting spell. I blamed that on the fact that I had stupidly tried annorexia – I had hallucinated that floating cup. No way were ghosts real. Even if everyone seemed to believe they were, even Yohan.
I signaled a taxi and got in and soon enough I was standing on the sidewalk in front of the house pouring with teenagers and college students. This was my birthday party. My eighteenth birthday. I was legal now. I was a woman.
I started marching slowly towards the house and the music and wondered if Yohan would be here. I had invited him but he hadn't given me a straight reply. With a shake of my head I smiled and kept on my way. I couldn't let thoughts of him ruin my night. This was MY night.
''Hey! Tiffany is here!'' I heard someone yell and it was soon echoed by others. The information spread throughout the people present quickly and I was greeted at the door with hugs, kisses and drinks.
Of course the party had already been running for a while and I had arrived rather late so I wasn't surprised to see some people already curled up in corners passed out. I would join them shortly. I took the drinks offered and downed them. Within the next hour I quickly ended up really drunk. Some guy from my class came up to me and I think he asked something about why I hadn't been in school for a few weeks. I just laughed and reached out to grab him and pull him to me so that I could plant a kiss on his lips.
He didn't resist and grabbed my waist in return. He didn't hesitate to pick me up and walk away from the crowd to an empty room where he dropped me on the bed and drunken make-out session began.
The straps of my dress had fallen off my shoulders, one side of my casual summer dress almost revealing my bra, the skirt of the dress was not even trying to hide my panties anymore and the guy whom I didn't even know the name of was currently kissing his way up my thigh. ''Stop.'' I managed to slur. I didn't want anything more than the make-out. I realized that it was probably cruel to him to have more or less lead him on like this but I thought that I could maybe save him the worst by stopping now.
The fact that he pulled away immediately made me think that perhaps this was a good guy that I shouldn't hurt. He leaned down on my and resumed the simple make-out having apparently understood that I only wanted the make-out.
There was a knock on the door and I heard him grumble something, barely taking the time to pulls our lips apart. The person on the other side of the door probably didn't hear it over the blasting music or didn't understand what he grumbled because they still opened the door and came in. As I heard the door click shut again I pulled up, pushing the guy away and stared at the person who had come in.
''Having fun?'' She asked, grinning wildly.
''Uh, yeah. Something like that.'' the guy slurred. I didn't bother to reply.
She looked sort of familiar but in my drunked state I couldn't figure out why.
''Want to have more fun?'' she asked with a wider grin if that was possible.
The guy looked at me and I shrugged so he turned back to the girl and nodded. I took a moment to lay back down and close my eyes. The room remained silent aside from the soft shuffling of their movements and exchange for whatever they considered 'more fun' but most of it was drowned out by the music still blasting outside. I was faintly aware that it was my favorite song that was playing at the moment.
The door clicked shut again and I pulled myself up wanting the make-out session to start over. It had somehow managed to make me forget about Yohan and all of my family issues. ''Pink for the girl. Blue for the boy.'' he guy whispered in my ear handing my a test tube filled with pink liquid. It was probably sour puss or something. I smelled it and indeed it smelled sweet and fruity. Without a second of hesitation we clincked the test tubes and downed their contents. The test tubes were discarded to the floor and I straddled his waist to resume kissing him.
I have no clue what was actually in those tubes but I was obviously getting a lot more from it than my partner was. Within moments I started feeling more frisky than I have ever felt in my entire life. Being a virgin, that should be saying something. Suddenly the thought of just a make-out session wasn't fine anymore. Clothes were ripped away and he didn't hesitate to proceed however this was supposed to go.
I lost track of time and events, when the blackout faded, he was falling over on his side and gasping for air as if he had just run a marathon. I quickly guessed that he had just taken my virginity and I wouldn't even remember it but that wasn't what was worrying me most. It was the fact that where he was out of breath from the excercise, I simply couldn't find my breath. I couldn't seem to move either. I was slowly suffocating and unable to express the pain from the lack of air.
As I stayed still, my eyes wide open struggling to breath he was smart enough to at least pull himself up on his elbow and look at me with a frown, ''Are you okay?'' his voice wasn't as slurred anymore but it was edged with worry.
I couldn't move but I could move my eyes. I thought that the only way to tell him I wasn't was by moving my eyes from side to side. The message seemed to get through to him.
He reached over me, grabbed his pants and pulled out his cellphone. I didn't have time to know who he was calling – although I deeply hoped it was the ambulance – before I finally slipped into unconsciousness due to lack of air.
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I'm sorry to have used three points of view in this chapter but as you see they were sort of necessary.
No, this is not the end of the story yet. I may be anti-happy endings but not this much -_- this is just cruel >_<
Anywho, hope it was worth it!
Look forward to the next chapter!
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