Chapter 21: Twenty One

Red was pain, white hot pain that shook my body when the waves crashed against my skin. It was so inhumanly powerful that I’d wish for death each time the flames crawled against my body.

Five things seemed to happen simultaneously; it felt like I was being hit by a train, axed into pieces, sunken into acid, squeezed by a python, torn apart by a sharks.

I was twisting and tossing my body but the pain made it hard to move.

My body was splitting, cracking, coming apart – I was in deep suffering. The darkness subsided and gave way to a wave of torture. I couldn’t breathe – my eyes, nose, throat, stomach – burned. Something sharper than knives ripped through me, black spots clouded the redness as a bitter summit of fresh pain stabbed bitterly into my abdomen. My lungs ached, I struggled to keep breathing. I couldn't hear. I still couldn't see, either, but I could feel air grating in jagged suds up and down my throat. I blinked and the heavy fog lifted.

A knock sounded at my door.

“Come in.” I swallowed. My voice cracked at the edges. My throat hurt and felt dry. Maybe I eat something at the party. Maybe someone spiked my drink.

“Oh Be - Elizabeth.” Janice said motherly. “You look horrible. You must be coming down with something.” She observed. It was the first time I'd ever heard my mother talk to me so tenderly. If I wasn't in pain then I would've been surprised.

For the rest of the day I slept in. Janice made some soup and herbal tea before she gave me some medication. Nothing helped. Instead of healing, my condition seemed to worsen.

“Maybe mom should take you to see Dr. Sprigs.” Zack said later that day.

I shook my head. I hadn’t opened my eyes once.

“What did you eat last night?” he asked.

I shook my head. Talking wasn’t an option. I only had some soda and cake. And then Bradley and I spoke about…

I wasn’t sick. Bradley had warned me. It would be physically painful for you if I stayed away. Those were his exact words. I should’ve taken him seriously.

That brought on more questions, spiking my curiosity. What was he? And what did that have to do with me?

“If you’re not better by tomorrow morning then you leave me no choice,” he negotiated. He was always too mature for his age. Even as a toddler when I'd make baby sounds at him, he would merely frown and look at me like he would say (if he could talk) ; what the hell are you doing Elizabeth? Now stop embarrassing yourself and talk normally.

I nodded for his benefit. I was in too much pain to argue. I’d leave the arguing for tomorrow.

“Can I bring you some soup?”

I shook my head.

He closed the door with a promise to come check on me in half an hour. When he came back with mom I pretended I was asleep.

“Elizabeth.” She called.

Silence.

“Elizabeth?” she called again, more frantic this time.

I rolled over to my side. I didn’t want her to think I was dead.

“Shh, sleep.” She cooed. She came to sit on the edge of my bed. It was silent for a few minutes. I was almost dozing to sleep when she spoke again.

“Oh Richard.” she cried. “How do I do this without you?”

I held my breath.

“I hope you’re listening.” She continued. “Look how much she looks like you. It’s hard you know, raising two kids on my own. She looks more like you each passing day. She even walks like you. Everything about her reminds me of you. Please don’t take her away from me. She’s the only thing that keeps me sane, the only proof I have that you actually existed.”

My heart broke for my mother. I wanted to envelop her in a hug.

“If only you’d come back to us.” She said. “We need you.” She broke between sobs.

It was a good thing I was facing away from her. Tears betrayed me.

That night Janice slept in my room. I think it was more for her benefit than mine. She wanted to make sure that in case something happened in the middle of the night her therapeutic skills would be nearby.

The next morning, I opened my eyes to a bright light.

“Don’t tell me you’re going to school today.” Janice said hopelessly but she already knew the answer. I've never missed school before, not a single day.

I smiled at her.

“You look much better.” She observed. “The injection helped.” She said more to herself than to me.

I didn’t want to crush her by telling her that my only cure was Bradley. That meant he’d been here last night.

I wondered how my mother would feel about him spending the night at her house, in my room, unsupervised. It would be more insulting if I were to tell her that she’d slept through the whole thing last night.

Janice was a light sleeper. I wondered how he’d walked in and out of my house undetected.

“Can I make it?” I asked.

She nodded. “You still have an hour.”

I nodded.

At school I still looked for Bradley’s car, it was silly for me to be disappointed when I didn’t see it in its usual parking spot.

“I brought you your usual cup of tea.” Benjamin said, taking the seat next to mine.

I smiled and extended my hand towards him. “Thanks.”

“Benjamin.” I said.

He looked up at me and nodded stiffly. I think my tone of voice already told him, this is one conversation he’d rather avoid.

“The Soul thing.”

He cleared his throat uneasily.

“Don’t worry; I’m not going to ask about that.” I smiled. My plan would work. It had to.

“Okay.” He mumbled cautiously.

“You and Bradley don’t get along.” I stated.

He nodded, a deep frown covering his forehead.

“Why?” I asked ingenuously.

He glanced at the ancient clock on the wall. Disappointed that we still had more than thirty minutes before school started he sighed. “You can’t ask me that.”

“What will you do with it?” I asked. "My soul?"

He laughed nervously. “It’s my job.”

I stared at him unblinking. “Warlock’s work for…”

“That’s very insulting, Beth.” He sighed. “I’m a witch.”

He looked back at me. “Bradley and I as you already know are not human. This…” he motioned with his hands. “Dates back to when our kind was created, as far back as the humans.”

I tapped my foot impatiently. The seconds ticked by.

He didn’t meet my gaze as he continued with a heavy sigh. “I’m not authorised to tell and don’t ask what that means.” He waited for me to nod and then said, in a low controlled voice. “My kind and his kind are natural born enemies.”

I shook my head. “No, you and Bradley may be natural born enemies but I’m not blind, it’s much more than natural, it’s personal.”

“Roger that.”

“So?” I edged.

“Many years ago, Bradley befriended a human.” His eyes turned dark, his face rearranged itself to a scowl. It was as though he was reliving the moment again in his head. “It was a dark and stormy night, I was hungry, and in pain. Kermit, Bradley’s human friend was walking down the street towards me. You have to understand …” he said, his eyes pleading with me as though my opinion meant the world to him. “I was weak, and drunk with lust. I’ve been avoiding feeding for two days but when he walked past me, his scent overwhelmed me.”

I held my breath. “Witches drink human blood?”

“The more lives you take and souls you possess, the higher up the rank you move. I’m in level ten.”

“How many levels are there?”

“Twelve.” He groaned. “Your soul was no use.”

“What?”

“It’s incomplete.”

“I’m confused.”

“I had to give it back.”

“What?”

“The other half of your soul is unattainable.”

“What happens to Zack now?’

“Once I grant someone something, I don’t have the power to take it back.”

“What now?”

“You’re forever in debt.” It didn’t matter, what really mattered was that Zack was fine.

I didn’t dwell on that much longer; afraid that he’d change his mind about Zack I changed the subject. “But still that only explains why Bradley hates you not why you hate him.”

His eyes narrowed, jaw tightened and his lips thinned to a fine line. “He avenged Kermit.”

I gulped. “Avenged?”

“He murdered my wife.”

“You’re too young to marry…” I frowned. “Oh, yah, you’re a war…witch.”

“Mm.”

I sucked in a breath.

He balled his fist, his face, for a split second changed to something animalistic. Something foreign. I’ve never seen anything as scary. I jumped up in my seat and blinked. Benjamin’s face was back to normal. I had to wonder if I hadn’t just imagined what I saw.

“He killed Sara over a bloody human.”

Bloody human. I tried not to be offended. “He must’ve cared for Kermit.”

“Sara was my soul mate.” The look in his eyes said what he wouldn’t utter. This was far from over.

“Can’t you guys find a way to move past it?” I didn’t get why more lives would have to be lost when they’d both done something unforgiveable to the other.

Benjamin laughed then, evilly and blood chilling. Goose sized bumps covered my arms. “Befriending humans is forbidden.” He told me. “Killing someone’s mate is an act of war.”