Authors: April Smyth
I gulp, ‘I need a minute to take this all in.’
‘Understandable,’ Garrett nods.
The plan seems seamless. It had been well planned. There are no obvious faults in it but a part of me wishes there was to buy myself more time. ‘When would this be?’ I ask, shakily.
‘Tomorrow,’ Arrow and Garrett say in unison.
‘Tomorrow?’ Rose and I exclaim back at them.
There is no way I can make a decision by tomorrow. I haven’t even told my dad about the plan. I can’t just arrive home, give him a hug and say I’m not a Healer anymore. It’s not fair to surprise him like that; he deserve to be a part of the plan too.
What if it goes wrong? There are only a few days until Christmas. I don’t want my dad to wake up on Christmas morning to be told his daughter is dead. I need a few more weeks. Rose squeezes my hand tighter as she hears my breathing quicken or maybe my heart is beating so furiously that she can hear it through the walls of my chest.
‘I know it’s soon but we don’t want to waste any more time,’ Rose says. ‘And the stars are in a perfect alignment. We can draw so much energy from them.’
I bury my face in my hands. I’ve been ignoring this for the past seven days. I’ve known that, yes, eventually I will have to make up my mind but I didn’t think it would be in a matter of hours. This is the biggest decision I’ll ever make in my life. Bigger than getting married or having kids, this is life or death and I could be losing everything if I make the wrong choice.
‘How safe is it?’ Rose asks.
‘We can’t be sure, obviously, but the witches here are the best witches in the whole world. We haven’t had any mishaps in years, Rose,’ Arrow says although her words don’t offer me any comfort. If I go through with this, I could die tomorrow. If I don’t, my death is almost as certain. The question is do I choose to die at the hands of witches or vampires. All I need to do is think about my mother, Lucinda Mueller, who died because of vampires and I know what I have to do. I might be taking a huge risk but I won’t let the vampires win again.
Rose is in the middle of telling Arrow and Garrett that it is too soon and that I need more time to think when I say, ‘No. I’ll do it. I want to do it tomorrow.’
Rose’s head snaps around and she frowns at me. Rose might be good at making light of bad situations but I’m great at surprising people. Later, I’ll explain to her that, no matter how risky it is and how much it might terrify me to not be a Healer anymore, I’m going to be brave and I’m going to honour my mother by doing this.
‘Well, we should all get to bed early,’ Arrow says. I am putting faith in this odd, witchy woman and I don’t find that too scary. Arrow has done nothing to warrant my doubt. This year she has put her own life on hold to fix mine. She saved Gabe from vampirism and he has came out of it happier and healthier than ever and now she is going to perform a similar spell on me and I pray that I get my happily ever after too.
There is no more discussion but it doesn’t feel like there needs to be any more said. Rose gives me a kiss on the cheek goodnight and I promise her that I’ll talk to her properly in the morning. We all go into our separate bedrooms and for the first time in months my head hits the pillow and I fall into a dreamless sleep all on my own.
I’m woken up at seven in the morning by an apparition or that’s what I assume it must be when I see Oliver’s hairy, handsome face up in mine. His rough lips pressing against my neck in a gentle kiss feels very real. ‘What are you doing here?’ I jump up and place my hands at either side of his face.
‘Arrow phoned me yesterday afternoon, not long after you called, and told me the plan. I got the first flight over here,’ he pulls himself underneath the duvet and wraps his leg over me, trapping my body underneath his, which makes my heart swell. He dropped everything to be here with me. He took a ten hour flight to be with me on my day of need. I’m glad that he’s here, even more glad that I didn’t have to beg him to do it. He just knew that my heart was calling and he picked up.
I hear Arrow call my name from the kitchen. It’s time to do the long march towards death. ‘I’m so happy you’re here,’ I say. I kiss him fervently and inhale his familiar smell.
‘Me too, I’ve missed you so much,’ he leans over to kiss me on the cheek. To say I’ve missed him would be underselling the feeling that is riddling me. His presence fills me until I feel like I’m going to overflow.
Walking into the lounge with Oliver beside me makes me feel proud, I don’t look at Rose and Channing with that pinch of jealousy and hurt instead I look at them cuddled up on the sofa with rosiness. I gaze around the room: Rose and Channing are holding each other, Arrow and Garrett are relaxing with a stack of dusty books between them and one person unaccounted for. Gabe is perched on the end of the couch.
I freeze. Well, it’s not even nine o’clock in the morning and I’ve been taken by complete surprise twice. First, Oliver shows up to make my morning very special and now I’m coming face to face with a real ghost.
‘Morning,’ he nods at me. I can’t believe he’s here. I’d just come to terms with the idea that I wasn’t going to see him again. Fortunately, I feel completely different from last week as I hold on to Oliver and look at my ex. I am content with the man that holds my hand and I look at Gabe with a sense of completeness. I’m glad to see him. His illuminated eyes make me happy but I don’t depend on them any more.
‘What are you doing here?’ I ask.
His story emulates Oliver’s almost exactly, ‘Rose called and explained what you had to do today and I wanted to be there for you.’
‘Why?’ I ask. Gabe wasn’t my boyfriend. He didn’t have to hold my hand and comfort me through the pain. If anything, he had caused me much more travesty than eased.
He looks hurt by my slight indignation, ‘I wanted to be here. I owe you a lot, you’ve given your blood to me twice and saved my life in many ways. I owe you this, Bullet.’
The sound of my nickname sounds the best coming from his lips, the originator, but I feel uncomfortable hearing him talk about what he owes me. He has came here to be a sacrifice for the spell. He just wants to pay off his debt to me. Can I let him be a part of this sacrifice? I gave him my blood out of compassion. I saved his life because my life without him seemed unbearable, to a certain extent I would still do anything to protect my old friend because a world without Gabe Greenall seemed like a dull, less happy place to live in, so it prods at me to know that he is helping purely as a returned favour.
Everyone talks amongst themselves while Oliver fixes me up coffee and a breakfast bagel with cream cheese. His touches are electric, he kisses, he caresses, he brushes my hair and I forget that Gabe is a couple of metres away, I almost forget what this day holds for me.
After I have slowly chewed my breakfast, I’m trying to drag out time before things have to get serious, we all sit down to talk. ‘So we had planned to get blood from unknown sources but now Gabe is stepping forward as the human...’ Garrett starts.
Rose clears her throat, ‘I’d like to be the witch.’
I stare at her, ‘No!’
I don’t want all of my friends to be involved in this spell. It could be dangerous for them. They will have to be subject to the magic and if something goes wrong they could be killed too. I won’t let Gabe and Rose do this, no matter how much they think they owe me.
‘I’d like to be the werewolf,’ Oliver states. I look up at him and grit my teeth. I could’ve seen that one coming but it doesn’t stop me getting annoyed. There is no way I’m putting Oliver in danger like this. ‘Don’t hate me, Cassie, but it seems right that we do it for you.’
‘There is some evidence showing that if loved ones are involved in the spell then it will run more smoothly,’ Arrow tilts her head. ‘The connection will be closer and it will be easier for the blood to bind.’
There is no way I can justify putting the three most significant people in my lives danger. There will be a trapped vampire there, what if he gets lose and hurts one of them? What if the magic turns sinister and they get hurt instead of me? I can’t. I simply cannot and will not put them in that situation.
‘If it’s safer, I’m definitely doing it,’ Rose nods eagerly.
‘Without a doubt,’ Oliver pulls me in closer to him and puffs his chest out. I make him so proud and I wish I understood why.
That was that. I had no say in it. As usual, my freedom was taken away from me and they were making the decisions. I guess I shouldn’t complain. None of them are happy about the swiftness and rashness of this situation but I have chosen to take the leap and try the spell despite the possible repercussions. If something happens, they’ll be devastated so the least I can do is let them feel like they’re in control.
The afternoon is spent rehearsing. It’s like an extravagant play and we are learning our lines. Arrow has picked a small team of witches, the best and most powerful of her friends, to perform the oral spell. She and Garrett will light the candles and supply extra energy. There are other witches already out scouting for a vampire; when they find one, which turns out to be a lot easier in America where vampires are on every street, corner they will bring them to the Healer girl. Rose, Oliver and Gabe are instructed to rest until the ritual begins at eight o’clock. Amusingly, I have the least stage time to worry about. I just have to show up.
I snuggle up next to Oliver. He promised Arrow he would get a few hours sleep before tonight but I’m keeping him awake. ‘How are you feeling, angel?’ he asks, brushing my hair with his fingertips. I’ve missed this.
‘I don’t know. Nervous, I guess,’ I shrug my shoulders. I have spent the last ten minutes listening to Oliver’s heartbeat and praying that nothing happens tonight to stop it. ‘I’m worried. Should I call my dad?’
‘It’s up to you. This is a huge step. You will be quite different after tonight,’ Oliver has decided to erase all doubt from the conversation. It’s too late to wonder if this is a good idea or not so he is using most of his energy to convince me that I’ve made the right decision.
I think about his words. I will be quite different. How? I’ll still be stubborn, selfish at times, crazy, wildly passionate about the people I care about. I don’t see how anything will change; sure, there will be more bumps and bruises but I’ll still be me. ‘Do you really think so?’
‘I won’t love you any more or any less and neither will your father, if that’s what you’re asking,’ he half-smiles at me. ‘But it’ll be quite a shock for him, you should warn him.’
I wish I’d called him when I’d known. My father has been the most wonderful, consistent person in my life and I’ve brushed off his importance by keeping him in the dark. He deserves much more than this kind of ignorance. I had been scared how he would react, frightened that I might get hurt and he wouldn’t be able to cope but he’ll be more hurt that I’ve hidden things from him again. I jump up from the bed and grab the phone.
I pace back and forth holding the phone tightly in my hand and looking at Oliver who lies peacefully on the bed. He looks so calm. How can he be so relaxed at a time like this? Rose was right when she shook me up to make me see how dangerous magic can be. We could die. This isn’t fun and games. This isn’t about broken hearts or first crushes anymore; this is life or death.
‘What do I say?’
‘Start with ‘hi dad, it’s me, how you been?’’ Oliver grins goofily.
‘And end with ‘by the way I might die tonight or I’ll come home and I won’t be your daughter anymore,’’ I snap back at him but find myself hugging him for comfort.
‘You’ll always be his daughter, are you worried about that?’
‘I’m worried. I’ve always been a Healer. It’s who I am. Everything is about me being a Healer. You, Rose, Gabe, all because I’m a Healer. What happens when I’m not anymore? I know you’ll all still love me but I’ll be lost,’ I say, holding the phone close to my chest, hoping that my heart will be able to talk to my dad and tell him all the things that my mouth can’t.
Oliver looks at me pityingly, ‘It’ll just be the start of a new adventure, Cassie. It will be so exciting and once these hideous vampires are out of your life, well, we can get lost together.’