Chapter 32: Desperate for Help

Sage had successfully gone past the figures, but that didn’t mean they were safe. She grew worried as she watched the red light of the fuel gauge blink, indicating she was running low on gas. She still had miles to cover before she could get to town, but with the gas low, she doubted if she would be able to drive that far.

Looking to her left, she remembered that Xavier also lived in the woods with his family. She wasn't a close friend of his, but they had talked on a few occasions and his mother had also rescued her once. She didn’t want to just show up at his place like that, but she had no other choice. They’d provide shelter for her and her cousins and also give treatment to Jane like they did with her. She only prayed she could locate the path he drove out from that night as it was dark and she wasn’t focused on the road.

She’ll have to trust her instincts, something she rarely did. Sage took a turn onto a path she vaguely recognized, praying it led to safety.

“Do you even know where we’re going?” Clara asked, eyes wide with concern as they drove deeper into the forest.

Sage ignored Clara, who had just sat back up. Suddenly, “Oh no!” Sage exclaimed. She had met a dead end; there was no path again for her to drive through. The trees in this area grew really close to each other, and the one in front of her was particularly large. Sage got out of the car, frustrated. She punched the glass window, and it shattered. She was stranded and didn't know what to do next. She could only cry in a hushed voice.

****

Zayn had walked Kashina to the dining room where he and his father had shared a meal. When they came in, Zayn ordered the ladies who were about to take away the dinner plates to leave the room.

Kashina observed Soren’s meal but couldn’t find anything wrong with it by just looking. She wouldn’t dare try to taste it to see if anything was wrong with it as that could be where the poison was placed.

“Did your father complain about his meal in any way?” Kashina asked, hoping Soren had made a remark on the taste of the food.

“No,” Zayn replied. “Well, except for the time he found a string in it. He got infuriated about it, and that was when he started to develop the symptoms of this poison.”

“String?”

“Yes,” Zayn responded as he walked in the direction his father had flung the yellow string to and picked it up. “This string,” he raised it up, showing it to Kashina, who took it from him.

“What?” Zayn asked Kashina, who had looked at him in a strange way immediately after she felt the string.

“It doesn’t feel like just string,” Kashina responded. “Where did he get it from?”

“From his wine cup. But I suppose it would be from the jug of fresh blood. Kashina, we don’t have time to be worried about strings. It was a mistake from the cook, which I’ll address later.”

“Sure, while you address that, I’ll examine your father's drink in the coven.” With that, Kashina picked up the jug and quickly walked out of the dining room.

“Where are you going to? We still hav—” Zayn followed Kashina out of the room, but she had disappeared into thin air.

****

Xavier was seated in his living room with family and friends when a broad man walked in, seeming to have information.

“What is it?” Ian asked.

“There’s a car parked outside the veil. It hasn’t left for a while now and it isn’t moving forward either,” the broad man replied. He was one of the guards who had a view of everything going on outside the veil. They stood at the entrance and could see everything happening outside the veil, but those who were outside only had a view of high trees.

The broad man felt like it was important information for the alpha family as humans never drove this deep into the woods, and anyone who did would somehow have information about the veil.

“Just let them be, they don’t sound like a threat,” Ian ordered.

The broad man was about to leave when Xavier stood up. “I’ll go check it out,” he stated, following the broad man out of the house.

Leo and Edward also stood up and followed Xavier out. In case it was an attack, Xavier wouldn’t be alone.

At the entrance, Xavier stared at the car outside the veil and wondered where he had seen it before before he and his friends stepped outside the veil.

While Leo and Edward walked around the right side of the car, Xavier walked towards the left side. There he saw a girl crouched down with her head between her legs.

“Sage?” Xavier said, confused as to why she was here, but relieved to see her Now he knew why the car looked familiar.

Sage had sat there for minutes, consumed by the events of the last night and this day. Everything that was happening was so fast, and she hadn’t had time to sit quietly and think about why exactly this was happening.

She sat there with her back against the car’s door and only looked up when she heard her name. Sage looked up, her face a mix of exhaustion and hope.

Joy filled her heart when she saw who it was. Just the person she had come looking for. “Xavier, thank God. Jane’s hurt. We need help.”

“Oh my god! Sage!” Clara’s voice trembled. “Jane is not moving.” As overwhelmed as she was, Sage quickly dismissed her feelings of joy and ran to meet Clara in the back seat.

“What happened?” Sage questioned.

“I accidentally put too much pressure on the wound. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I just wanted to check who it was approaching the vehicle,” tears streamed down Clara's face as she stared at her twin.

Xavier, who got the hint of what was happening, ran to the other side of the car where he could access Jane more easily. He opened the car door and felt Jane’s pulse on her neck.

After that, he lifted the cotton jacket that was placed over her wound. Right there on Jane’s wound he could see black, long, slippery creatures like fat worms moving inside Jane’s open wound. He quickly closed it back and looked at Sage, wondering what the girls had been through, as that was not just an ordinary wound.

Sage's mind raced as she saw the black, worm-like creatures in Jane’s wound. She fought back tears, feeling a knot of guilt tighten in her chest. ‘Did I fail to keep my promise?’ she thought, biting her lip to stop it from trembling.

“Leo, lead the girls inside,” Xavier said as he pulled Jane out of the car and carried her. “And Edward, drive the car inside the veil.” Xavier didn’t want anyone to find an empty vehicle out in the middle of nowhere, especially if the person who had caused Jane’s injury was looking for them.

****

Xavier had carried Jane into the house and asked his mother to send for help quickly. Luckily, Xavier's mother was available this time around.

When Mitchell, Xavier’s mother, sighted the wound, she knew she needed to question Sage about what had happened to them, how her sister got the injury, and more. Jane was being treated in a room downstairs while Sage and Clara were asked to stay in Mitchell’s room.

Mitchell had left alone to focus on helping the young girl and came to her room to see the other girls. Clara’s eyes were red from crying, and Sage sat in silence.

“Sage, are you okay?” Mitchell asked as she sat beside Sage and put her hand over her shoulder. She didn’t get a response from Sage except for Sage’s attention. “I told you before, you’re safe here. What happened?”

“We were attacked, my aunt…she died tonight protecting us,” Sage sniffed as tears rolled down her eyes.

Mitchell sympathized with them, but she needed to know what happened. When Sage told her all that had happened and gave a description of who was responsible, Mitchell finally understood. Sage’s aunt was a witch and they were attacked by a vampire.

She also got a piece of information about Sage’s identity. Earlier in the day, they had discussed who Sage might be. From previous data gathered, Mitchell could tell that Sage was also a supernatural being and the twins were born witches, but Sage’s aunt must have meddled with these girls’ destiny as the energy around them felt like nothing supernatural.