Chapter 97 Chapter 97
Sighing to herself, she grabbed her purse and left her home to go and take care of today’s interview for the newspaper. She wasn’t ready to work since she had no energy and no motivation to do anything at all, but she couldn’t leave Thorne hanging. He counted on her to do the job, and so she got herself together, sat in her car, and drove off.
It was the first day of many that she spent without Maxwell, and it would take her a long time to finally accept that he was gone.
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In the first two weeks, the pain in her heart was overwhelming and difficult to endure. She isolated herself from everyone—Esther, Vaughn, Thorne, Hope, and Naomi hardly ever saw her, and they ended up worrying so much that they appeared at her doorstep one after another, demanding to know what was wrong. They were shocked when they learned what had happened, and although Naomi didn’t know about the supernatural world, even she could tell that something was very wrong.
Vaughn and Thorne had been furious at Maxwell, the latter going so far as to enter hell to look for him. He was disappointed and wanted to know why the demon had left her without prior warning. Valerie wasn’t surprised when he couldn’t find him, not even when asking his other friends. They didn’t know where he went either, but some of them came by to visit her, and she found that surprisingly kind of them, considering they were demons.
Shawn, Xander, and Wade checked in on her first. They visited late in the evening when she had been busy staring gloomily at the tv without really seeing the movie she had been watching. The demons had distracted her and taken her thoughts away from her sadness. For a while, she didn’t feel as lonely anymore; finally, there was life in her flat, and finally she had someone to talk to. Eventually, the conversation had drifted to Maxwell, but they hadn’t been able to tell her anything about his whereabouts.
Only a day later, Brian, Benjamin, and Liam had come by, though sadly, they couldn’t tell her anything either. They made an effort to distract her, using their elemental magic to cause a little chaos.
The three demons reminded her that she shouldn’t neglect her own magic, and now that she was alone and had nobody to depend on if it went out of control again, it was more important than ever that she learned how to use it. Not knowing who she should ask for help, she ultimately decided to call Esther, and the young witch told her that she would gladly help her out. They decided to meet in a secluded part of the forest where nobody would see them.
Vaughn had accompanied her, looking worried and angry at the same time. Valerie assumed that this was Maxwell’s fault, even though he never stated anything of the sort. His piercing eyes surveyed their surroundings, and his wind magic flared dangerously whenever a weaker demon dared to get close to them.
They stopped on a clearing in the middle of the forest where they wouldn’t be bothered by anyone. Vaughn sat down on a rock nearby and watched the two women with mild curiosity in his eyes. Esther put her violet hair up in a bun and got right down to business. Her eyes were sorrowful and serious as she studied Valerie, noting how much she had changed. It was plain to see that she was a different person now—being stabbed in the back by the one she had trusted most had left its mark on her. She had gotten thinner, and the shade of her skin appeared unhealthy, reminding Esther of grey. No longer did she smile or make funny remarks, no longer did her eyes light up when they met. If Esther ever got her hands on Maxwell, she would kick his selfish ass.
“Judging by what you told me, you have trouble controlling the flow of magic,” the young witch said, furrowing her brow.
“Yes, that’s the problem. It goes out of control every time I try using it,” she answered hollowly. “Usually, he would help me, but…”
A tense silence fell over the clearing, bringing an extremely uncomfortable awkwardness. Esther cringed, attempting to steer the conversation in another direction. “I’ve brought something for you that will help you with that,” she explained and pulled something from her purse. “It’s an accessory infused with magic. It will help dim your magic, and consequently, it will be easier to control.”
She put a bracelet with colorful beads in Valerie’s hand, expecting her to put it on.
“Thank you,” Valerie mumbled and turned it in her fingers for a moment before she slipped it over her wrist.
“Try using your magic now,” Esther said, but she received a doubtful glance from Valerie, who wasn’t sure if this was a good idea. She didn’t want to accidentally hurt her friend, knowing how bad this could turn out if she wasn’t careful.
“Come on, do it. You won’t hurt me,” Esther added optimistically. “Besides, I have my own magic to protect me. Trust me on this, the bracelet works well.”
“If you say so,” Valerie whispered, triggering the flow of magic that was asleep within her. She coaxed it to come out, expecting it to shoot off in all directions, but she was surprised when that didn’t happen. Her hands were enveloped by warm light, glowing softly. She found it much easier to control it all of a sudden, the magic feeling like a calm lake instead of a flowing river. It wasn’t as strong as before, did not possess the same raw power, but to Valerie, this was more than enough.
“This is… different,” she breathed and glanced at her hands in wonder, forgetting about her anguish for a moment. The otherworldly sight in front of her captured all her attention.
“See? I told you it would work,” Esther smiled. “Now you just need some practice, and it should be fine. As long as you wear the bracelet, your magical power is reduced, so it can’t get out of control that easily anymore.”