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It had been a year, 18 days, 5 hours and 23 minutes since he’d been ‘killed’ by Caleb Danvers but she knew he wasn’t gone. She could still feel his presence, that echo of him in her mind, body and soul. Once in a while she felt like he was watching silently from the shadows. The other night for instance she felt his eyes on her while she was in the shower then a light bulb blew out and in the dim lights she noticed a shadowy figure hovering in midair in the corner of the bathroom, it vanished before she could fully acknowledge it though. Right now, she was in the kitchen washing what little dishes had accumulated during the day. Which wasn’t much since she never ate right or well after his disappearance. She still stayed in his house though since it was the only home she had after the accident.With her arms elbow deep in soapy dish water, she remembered their first meeting and the weeks after.
That night had changed her life forever as fate or the powers that be intervened, although being in a car with a drunk driving behind the wheel could’ve ended a lot worse. As it was it did end in an explosion that only left two survivors, her and before she passed out a young man who told her his name was Chase Collins. Chase seemed to take it upon himself to become her caregiver; she supposed that her having a broken leg and a severe head wound might have had something to do with it. After she came to he stayed with her while she was on bed rest and moved her to a lower level room once she was in a wheelchair. When she evolved to crutches well that was when they had their first blow out fight and he filled her in on everything including how and why he caused the accident.
As you can imagine that went over exceptionally well (not). She turned on her heels as much as the crutches would allow her and rounded on him. “You cannot just tell me that you caused an accident that almost killed me and try to walk away.” She snapped almost toe to toe with him as she pointed a finger over his heart. “I told you why I did it and I saved your life which I didn’t have to. That man, your father would’ve have killed you that night with or without my interference.” He retorted smugly. “Right well as noble and honorable as your intentions were. Why did you do it? Save me?” She asked voice higher than she intended. “I saw you there bloody and broken because of me. I thought vaguely about leaving you there for emergency services to find but the fact that I hurt you with my power was unsettling. I felt a tug on my heart, a heart I didn’t even know I still had.” He said as his face softened and he cupped her cheek. A gesture that wasn’t new, he did it all the time when she was bedridden.
She gasped fighting back the sob that threatened to escape at the memory. A sudden shift in her peripheral had her turned on the spot, the plate she had been washing still in her grasp. The shadowy figure began to advance toward her and she knew immediately what it was, it looked like Chase but its mouth was open in an unnatural way and as it rushed to her she dropped the plate. It stopped a few inches from her; she was trapped between it and the cabinets behind her but it merely closed the short distance and let out a horrible gurgling, rattling breath before disappearing. “No…” She breathed out and it sounded loud in the deathly silence of the kitchen. A darkling? She may not have known much about the power but that was a bad omen, she knew that much. Someone had sent her a darkling in the form of him. She had thought that he was using his powers from wherever he was but a darkling meant that it was one of the other boys. They weren’t supposed to know that she existed he had always been adamant about that.She crumpled to the floor and sobbed as she curled into herself remembering the last time she had seen him.
He was dressed in all black for Fall Fest a formal dance held at Spenser Academy, the school he went to. “Are you sure I can’t come with you?” She asked for the millionth time. He simply shook his head. “They know about you now. I just think it’d be easier to get to Sarah if I went.” She said voice barely above whisper. “I know but if they connect you to me they’ll use you against me and I don’t want you to get hurt.” He stated as he placed a kiss on top of her head. “Like you did with Kate, Sarah and Pogue?” She asked before she could stop herself. His eyes flashed black in anger before returning to their normal beautiful blue. “I… I’m sorry. I know why you’re doing it. I get it. Sometimes it just seems hypocritical for them to take loses that you won’t allow yourself to. Sarah knows you; she knows what you look like even figured out what you guys were. I just think if you want to use her as bait then let me go with you at least till you have her then you can send me back here.” She stated matter-of-factly. “No, you’re right of course. What would I do without you? Go get dressed before I change my mind.” He sighed out.
She had the perfect dress, not that she had planned this. Him saying yes to her idea was actually quite a surprise. She pulled on the simple yet daring black formal dress, a body chain which closed around her neck, did her hair into a messy up do and stepped into her heels. She did a quick check in the mirror to make sure everything was just so then descended the staircase to find him waiting patiently at the bottom. She cleared her throat as his back was turned toward her. “Oh, 'Mrs. Collins' whatever will I do with you?” He teased as he took her in. “Hmm, whatever you want Mr. Collins.” She quipped as she turned so he could put her fur shawl around her, if the intake of breath was any indication he was very taken with her dress choice. He took her arm in his and teleported them to their desired location. She leaned heavily against the wall once the world righted itself willing herself not to throw up. “Oh, we’re up really high.” She noted as she took in the area. “Mmhmm. I have a huge vantage point from here but I’ll bring you down in a minute.” He said as he grabbed her and pushed her into a nearby wall. “Chase…” She hissed. “Oh, princess. You didn’t think I’d let you wear something like this and not make sure you were mine. Did you?” He asked voice thick with arousal.
He made sure alright. He took her from behind up against the wall roughly as her hands dug into the brick. “I’m gonna do something and I need you to just go with it, okay?” He asked before his lips descended unto the juncture between her neck and shoulder. Through her clouded mind she let out a small meek 'yes'. He bit her as they both came and his teeth sunk deeper breaking the skin and letting a few droplets of blood stain her skin. She gasped as his power surged through her, this was new. She could feel what he was feeling in her mind. He pulled away and cleaned her then righted her dress and jewelry. “It’s a spell, I’m not sure how long it will last but it’ll let us know where the other is and if we’re safe. Plus I’ll be able to hear and see you in here.” He said as he tapped his temple. She nodded an affirmative. He levitated her down and vanished before she could think twice about it. She looked around before walking into the crowd of students and entered the throng in the room. She sought out her target and saw Sarah flanked by two boys, a blonde and a brunette. She saw the other girl go towards the bathroom. As she rounded the corner to follow her, she bumped into Reid (the blonde one she noted) and muttered an apology. She continued on and ran straight into Sarah knocking her down. “Sorry was just trying to escape my date figured the girls room was a good place.” She laughed out. “I know how you feel. Hey, you wanna get out of here?” Sarah asked. “Oh, sure.” She replied. The other girl yanked her by the arm and ran out the nearest door into a clearing. They kept running till they were out of breath. A figure popped up in front them and Sarah told her to run before Chase used a spell to knock her out.
All three appeared in the Putnam barn. Something was worrying her though. Sarah seemed nice and she didn’t want the other girl to remember her betrayal. “Will she remember me?” She asked him. “I can use a spell to wipe her memory of you but she’s smart and if you touch her after this it will counteract the spell.” He stated. “Okay. Take me home please.” She said before he pressed a hungry kiss to her lips. The barn fell away as their room came into focus. “I love you. Once I get what I came for we’ll leave here.” He said before he wrapped her into a bone crushing hug. “I love you too. Be safe. Come back to me.” She told him as he vanished while an ‘always’ left his lips.
She didn’t remember passing out on the floor but when sunshine filtered through the kitchen window it woke her. Her whole body ached and her head was throbbing. She sat up gingerly as she took in the broken ceramic shards on the floor before her. “OW! Son of a bitch…” She whimpered when she stood up and dug her foot onto an especially sharp piece she hadn’t noticed. ‘Don’t bleed on the floor. Don’t bleed on the floor; it’ll just be a huge mess you’ll have to clean up later.’ She thought to herself. She hobbled quite hilariously toward the nearest full bathroom; she had a vague thought that if he was there he’d be laughing his head off at the sight. She felt like it took an insane amount of time to actually get to her destination; the damn house could be like a maze sometimes. Once in the minimally decorated bathroom she stripped bare before hobbling into the large shower that thankfully had a bench seat which she sat down on.She reached over and turned the shower on as she waited for the water to heat up she pulled the offending object of her foot with a wince. As she stepped underneath the spray and watched the water go from red, to pink to clear all the while absentmindedly rubbing her fingers over the thin silver bite scar. The small bit of power that he transferred to her that night still thrummed through her whenever her emotions got the best of her. She washed herself as she remembered the feeling of losing him.
She had fallen asleep waiting for him to come back. She could see and hear everything happening from the fight in vivid 3D Technicolor surround sound behind her eyelids, it was like a horrifying nightmare. She saw Caleb ascend both times and he looked like he was in pain, a fleeting sleep filled thought of if that was what Chase went through hit her. She felt a shock of great loss hit her when Chase was sucked through that fiery portal. She woke covered in sweat and screaming his name. When she managed to open her eyes fully she realized that their room was in complete disarray. “Shit did I do that?” She mumbled sleepily before she passed out.
She had thought that when she found out that every other spell he cast was seemingly wiped away with his disappearance the binding spell and power within her body would be too, maybe he was ensuring that a small piece of him remained she wasn’t sure anymore honestly. She huffed out as she finished her shower then she gingerly dried her injured foot off not bothering with the rest of her body intent on just air drying. She limped slightly as she wrapped the towel loosely around herself and went to fetch a first aid kit. Before she could register it the lights started to flicker off and on as the same darkling from before floated towards her with one arm outstretched reaching for her throat, without warning it slammed her hard into the tile wall behind her. She had a small thought of whether or not a non-corporeal being could hurt her just as its gripped tightened and began to cut off her breathing. She went to grab its wrist but when her hands went through it, she pushed her arms out toward its chest and screamed the best she could. An invisible force came from within her and flung the darkling back before it dissipated into thin air, she crashed unceremoniously down to the floor on her hands and knees with a resounding thud that nearly cracked the tile beneath her.Her head hurt so much; she looked down and noticed she was bleeding onto the floor. Two vague figures popped up in front of her before she blacked out. God, she was in so much pain it felt like lightning was coursing through her body. She couldn’t see even though she was pretty certain her eyes were open and she couldn’t move even though she was convulsing in pain she felt restrained on some hard surface. She heard voices whispering but they sounded so loud in her head.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“We need to get Sarah here in the meantime none of us should touch her. I’m not sure what’ll happen if we do.” Caleb said to Reid and Tyler. He looked over towards the young woman currently wearing one of Tyler’s t-shirts as she thrashed around on the altar that usually held the ‘Book of Damnation’. “She Used. How is that possible? We don’t have witches in our Coven, do we?” Tyler asked. The oldest boy simply shook his head. “She was Chase’s girl, right? I mean we were called to her after she collapsed and she was in his house.” Reid interjected finally contributing to the discussion at hand. “I think so, yes. He cast some kind of binding spell between them but he infused her with some of his power and it’s not compatible with her life force. I believe he wanted to ensure his bloodline survived as in he wanted her to get pregnant the night he did it. If we don’t find a way to reverse it she’ll die.” He said somberly. “Pogue is on his way.” Sarah stated as she descended the stairs to the cottage basement. “I need you to hold her hand, touch her face or something just anything to anchor her to a physical touch while I put in blockers to stop the power till we find a counter curse or cure.” Caleb commanded before moving to the side of the girl in question. Sarah grabbed the other girl’s hand and gasped as the memory of Fall Fest came back to her. “I… I know her. She was at Fall Fest. I ran away with her. I think maybe that’s what led Chase to me that night.” She said as the other girl convulsed in more pain this time from the blockers. “I’m sorry.” The exhausted girl breathed out before she fell unconscious once again.“I told Kate that I needed to help you guys with a situation. Why did no one mention that the situation was a half-naked girl?” Pogue asked as they all waited for said girl to come to again. “She’s not half-naked. She’s wearing my shirt, my shirt.” Tyler beamed. “Okay, Baby Boy take the possessiveness down like ten notches. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t think it was relevant. She needs us to heal her, take her temperature down and various other things once she regains consciousness. You and I are the most powerful plus you’re the best healer out of the four of us.” Caleb informed the second oldest boy. The two oldest boys discussed the situation at hand while Reid ventured off for some fresh air and Sarah and Tyler sat vigil over the girl in middle of the whole thing. “So, those two seem pretty taken with her.” Pogue said as he nodded towards the youngest boy and Sarah. “Mmhmm. Sarah sees someone that was in love with a person that manipulated her to no end to get what he wanted and Tyler’s always been a softie for a pretty face. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle though I think Chase loved her in his own way but he condemned her to death in the end.” Caleb sighed out as frustration coated his voice. “Would she have died in childbirth if she had gotten pregnant that night?” Reid asked as he came up behind them. “Maybe. I suppose he did the binding spell as a precaution against that. Probably didn’t want to see the girl he loved die that way.” Caleb answered. “Will that happen to our girls if we try to continue the bloodlines?” Pogue asked as worry became evident in his features. “I don’t think so. If our chosen is compatible with us than it shouldn’t. I believe that as much as they deeply cared for one another, she was ultimately destined for someone else in the bloodline.” Caleb surmised as he inclined his head towards the youngest brother. “He hasn’t left her side since we found her. He gave her the shirt off his back for God sakes.” Reid huffed out. “I think someone’s jealous.” The second oldest quipped as he dodged an elbow aimed at his ribs.Sarah who had picked that moment to turn around smiled at the exchange between the coven brothers. “She wouldn’t have Used if she wasn’t scared out of her mind because of the darkling we sent. This is our fault.” Tyler said softly. “What do you mean?” Sarah asked voice barely above a whisper. “Reid and I sent a darkling that looked like Chase to his old house once or twice. We were just pranking the people that lived there now. We didn’t know it was her. We didn’t know it was going to cause her to get sick.” He admitted as he broke down in tears. “Are you serious? You two Ascended this year and that is how you chose to Use!” Caleb shouted at Reid as Tyler was clearly the only one consumed with guilt. “It was just meant to be a bit of fun.” The blonde shrugged. “Oh I can see again.” She said in a soft voice. Suddenly she found five concerned faces looking down on her. “I take it something bad happened?” She asked just as a sharp jolt of pain seared through her.Tyler seemed as though he was going to crumple down onto the floor in pain himself, he had never seen the blockers effect before as they had only used them once on Reid the day before his 18th birthday and he was pass the stage of constant pain. “I’m sorry, we’re gonna heal you the best we can but I have to keep blocking the power until we can find a way to reverse it or take it out completely.” Caleb soothed her as she nodded in understanding the best she could. “This might hurt or feel uncomfortable so I recommend you grab Sarah and Tyler’s hands and squeeze hard if it’s too much. Tyler is the one that can heal though so feel free to squeeze his the hardest.” Pogue laughed out. She simply nodded and did as recommended but Tyler gave her both of his hands cupping them around the one he held. She felt a slight discomfort settle over her as she was encased in a transparent bubble but the pain came when they tried to lift her fever and headache, she clutched Tyler’s hands past the breaking point as his eyes went black to heal himself. As suddenly as it began it stopped and she felt better for the most part.Tyler’s eyes went back to their usual blue as her grip loosened. “I’m sorry for that night Sarah.” She apologized as the other girl smiled. Reid cleared his throat from somewhere in the small room. “Right, we’ll leave you girls to talk. Sarah will fill you in on what we’ve figured out so far.” Caleb said as Pogue and Reid followed while Tyler reluctantly let go of her hand and lingered before he was dragged out by the irritated blonde. “I thought I was doing the right thing by him. I knew he hurt Kate, Pogue and you but he never fully explained why. He made it seem like if he got more power his addiction would be curbed and he wouldn’t age. I had no idea that it would have killed Caleb to will his power to him until that night when we were connected. I can still feel him like an echo but maybe that’s just his power. I really did love him.” She rambled out. “It’s okay really he was quite charismatic.” Sarah stated. “Whose shirt am I wearing by the way?” She asked as she noticed that her towel had been replaced. “Tyler’s.” The other girl answered with a smile. “I’m going to die aren’t I?” She questioned as a sudden sadness took over her. “God, no. Caleb would never let that happen. I um... I think the spell has corrupted or lived out its purpose and because the power has nowhere to go it has latched onto your life force. The boys will find a way though, I promise. He intended to get you pregnant that night, I wasn’t sure if you knew that or not.” Sarah soothed. “It was consensual not forced the sex anyway. He never Used when we were intimate and I was on birth control then so maybe he thought it would override it. The only other time he Used on me was the accident that killed his parents, my dad and nearly killed me. That was just to heal my injuries to make them more manageable though.” She said somberly as it still hurt her to think about it.A comfortable silence fell between the two of them till a door slammed in the distance and they cocked theirs toward the ceiling as they heard two of the boys arguing. “You can’t bring her there. She may not even know where it is. We scared the crap out of her and triggered the power within her and you want to bring her to a place where it could all fall apart!” Tyler shouted as the girls looked at each other confused. “We need the final book to figure out a cure and she may know where it is, he trusted her more than he trusted anyone.” Caleb amended calmly. It took her longer than it should have to connect the dots by the time all four boys had come down the stairs into the basement. She clutched Sarah’s hand as she tried to sit up fully before Caleb even opened his mouth to ask anything of her. “I’ll do it. I’ll go retrieve the book from cellar of the Putnam barn. Before all that though I need someone to take me back to the house to change.” She said as she looked pointedly at Tyler who nodded in return. To his credit even though he wasn’t as adverse in the ways of women as Reid or any of the other boys he seemed to pick up on whatever hint she was throwing him, he rushed to her side and took her hand in his before they disappeared in a plume of black smoke.The pair appeared in the bathroom it seemed and as she willed away the uneasiness that came with teleporting, she surveyed the damage and it was extensive to say the least. The wall she had been slammed into was cracked, the floor was cracked from where she had fallen and the mirror and shower door were broken into shards least of all there was a fair bit of blood near the towel she’d left behind. “Well, I sure did some damage didn’t I?” She laughed out before she went off to get some clean clothes. Tyler took the opportunity to put everything right and then wander around the place for a bit. She stood in front of the full length mirror in their room, her room, the room she wasn’t sure what to call it now even over a year later but she noticed how gaunt she looked and it was easy to tell that something was killing her from the inside out except she’d just thought it was depression from his absence. She moved to the shared walk in closet and searched for things to wear. The thing about Ipswich was that this time of year it was usually rainy, windy or chilly but it never snowed. She picked out a pair of black leather leggings, a flowy tank, a leather jacket (that once belonged to Chase but she had always loved the damn thing and stole it) and some combat boots.She descended the stairs to find Tyler at the bottom and she sucked in a breath cause from the back he looked like Chase, they were the same height and everything except his hair was jet black. “Hey, Ty. I’m never coming back here am I?” She asked as he turned toward her, his eyes bulged a bit at her attire. “No, I think you’ll stay with Pogue and Kate. We’ll figure it out.” He replied as he held his hand out for her to take which she did and with that they were gone. They appeared in a field next to the spot where the barn once stood, now it was just planks of wood in a random spot on the ground. “Go, I’ll be here. Just shout if you need me.” He told her as a small smile crossed his face before he let go of her hand. She walked the few feet to what use to be the floor of the barn which had vegetation vastly overgrown across it. There was a trap door he’d taken her down there once to show her his bloodlines book if she could just remember where it was. An eerie mist settled over the field obscuring her vision as she walked across the planks and when she looked back to see if she could still see him all she saw was his silhouette. That was clearly a mistake since she missed the gaping hole in the floor in front of her before she unceremoniously fell onto the altar below.She would have screamed if the air hadn’t been knocked out of her and she wasn’t coughing because of the dust, ash and whatever the hell else was down there. “Jesus that could’ve been worse or better.” She wheezed out. When the dust and ash settled she could finally look around and make out the bookshelf on the far wall. A dark figure in the corner had her attention though, it was dripping as if wet but the features were burned not beyond recognition as she realized it was Chase or it looked like him at least. She dismissed it as another darkling as she pushed herself up off the altar and walked toward the bookshelf when she was within a breath of reaching the book, the figure lunged at her. It forced her back into the nearest wall before it spoke. “It won’t matter that you have all five books. They’ll never figure out what I did to you before it kills you. I saved you that night just for you to serve the purpose of continuing on my bloodline but you failed and now when you die I’ll be able to come back. You won’t last the week, princess.” It said before it flitted through her and disappeared. She took a calming breath before grabbing the book. “LIAR!” She bellowed just as the power pushed past the blockers. It encased her in a protective bubble before pushing outwards until it took down the rest of the barn floor and basement.A gasp or a cough, a strange sound from above caught her attention. Tyler, how had she forgotten he was there? He looked ready for a fight, defensive posture and eyes black as night. With a sigh he jumped the several feet down to her. “Don’t. Don’t touch me. The blockers wore off and the last thing I want to do is hurt you. I can teleport right? Chase could, you all can. Tell me how.” She said. “Just think of where you want to go. Really focus on the cottage and you’ll appear there.” He told her as she nodded and took a deep breath. He watched as she disappeared in a puff of smoke before him. He followed suit a few moments later and appeared in the foyer of the cottage where Pogue was standing awkwardly. “What’s going on?” He asked the older boy. “She’s freaking out. She and Reid got in to it when she told Caleb what happened. Caleb had to restrain her to put the blockers back on.” Pogue answered. The youngest just walked off toward the basement entrance but stopped short of entering when he heard the heated discussion from within. “I already told you everything Reid. I don’t know where he actually is. I’m not even sure if that thing was him or not. I feel like I’m going to throw up so unless you want to get covered in vomit back the fuck off.” She practically screamed at the boy. “You know, it’s so frustrating that you seem to know so much about us but we don’t know anything about you.” The boy seethed at her. “Yeah, well I read a lot and he did tell me about you guys. He wanted it that way; keep me under the radar so you didn’t know anything about me. The only reason you know about me now is because apparently I failed and am being punished for it.” She retorted. Tyler could almost see the standoff between the two, this beautiful raven haired girl that was a little spitfire toe to toe with his blonde best friend despite their height difference.With a heavy sigh he pushed the door open all the way and descended the stairs but stopped dead when he heard retching and coughing. “Jesus, are you okay?” The blonde in front of him asked her. “That can’t be good. Oh no, your shirt. I’m sorry.” She answered. He cleared his throat and as Reid turned he could barely make out the damage on his friend’s shirt, it had a huge dark shiny mess on it. The blonde made a non-committal sound as he shrugged and presumably went to go find a clean shirt. He managed to take a look and she was worse for wear, she had whatever it was she threw up all over her chin. The longer he stared at her it finally clicked; they all got sick like that when the power emerged in them. “Can you please tell me what happened in that basement?” He asked. “I… I don’t know if I can. I already told all of them.” She sighed out as she gestured to the ceiling. “But I’m different. I was there and I couldn’t help you. I genuinely want to know, please.” He practically begged as he wiped off her face with his jacket sleeve.