Beware the Violet Read online

  After walking for a while, Khalid told me to wait and entered a coffee shop only to return with a bagel and hot chocolate for me, and some coffee for himself. I smiled and welcomed the warmth in my hand and the bagel’s soft smell wafted through my nose, making my mouth water. “Coffee?” I said, taking a bite.

  He shrugged. “Gotta act natural.”

  Now he thinks of it, I thought. Vampires, well, normal vampires couldn’t digest anything but blood and they got burned by the sun and died if decapitated. Bells, holy water, and garlic were some of the ways to keep them at bay. Since vampires didn’t believe in a higher power, any object from any religion could be used. This applied to normal vampires, but I supposed Khalid with his talisman was protected so now, I had to find out how to bypass it. First step though was to learn anything I could.

  “So, you can taste it?”

  “Well, not really. I just feel a liquid going down, but that’s about it.” He shrugged. “My talisman protects me from the typical weaknesses vampires have and that’s enough.”

  That made my task even more difficult. Fluttering my eyelashes, I said, “So, you’re not really a vampire?”

  “Of course, I am.” He gave me a dangerous smile while his pointy teeth lengthened at a moment’s notice. “I have strength, speed, and my deadly weapons. All the great things minus the drawbacks. Who wouldn’t want that?” he said and crossed the pavement. “Come, there’s a lot to see!”

  Don’t I know it? I’ve been living here since I was born. Waiting for the green light, I noticed the library across the street and I had a sense of déjà vu. Turning to the coffee shop, I remembered my bagel getting knocked away by the motorbike dude. The green light flared, and I walked slowly where Khalid was waiting. He couldn’t be the same guy as the motorbike dude, could he? Shaking my head, I smiled. No, their personalities were way different and Khalid’s aura was…nonexistent. Blinking, I narrowed my eyes, but I couldn’t see it. Where was it?

  The rest of the day, Khalid took me to the town’s most prominent sights, and I pretended to have fun, but my facial muscles were sore from all the fake smiling and I was exhausted from all the aimless walking. Maybe he wanted to impress me, but I didn’t care and I was upset I couldn’t find one weak point even though I asked all the questions I could without raising his suspicions. It made me restless. Finally, twilight descended over our little town and Khalid led me back to our meeting point.

  “It was fun today, let’s do it again,” he said, and I grinned.

  “Sure!” Today is not over yet and he asks for another one? Either he has a crush on me or something is off.

  “Great!” he said and brushed a kiss on my cheek.

  What the heck? Staring at him, I blinked as I watched him give me the same charming smile as before and strode off whistling. Something in the way he walked creeped me out, and then, the darkness came.

  One minute I was seeing the sun sinking below the mountains, painting the mountain peaks silver and the next, blackness invaded my vision. It seemed like the elemental lessons I did with Madelena but this time, I couldn’t breathe and I felt invisible ropes tying up my hands rendering me unable to do anything. Coughing, I pulled my hands, but the invisible ropes held me tightly and if that wasn’t the most terrifying thing, looming before me was a woman without a face, bloody fingernails, and crimson fangs. Her deformed face was in front of me and when I lifted my eyes to meet hers, I wanted to scream. Her eyes were empty and I could only see sockets of flesh.

  I was so petrified that even my lips didn’t obey and no sound came out of my mouth. The terror that stood so close to me that I could smell her rotting flesh, said in an ancient voice, “The sacrifice, you’re the sacrifice.”

  Against my better judgment, I spoke, “The sacrifice?”

  “The darkness comes, and no one sees it. Only you can save the creatures of this realm from eternal darkness. Soon, the Evilship will be freed and her loyal minion is on board. No one sees him as he changes forms, but the medallion protects him.”

  My eyes widened. “The medallion! How do I get rid of that? What can I do?” I yelled. I didn’t know what kind of creature that was, but I figured to ask questions first. I sensed that she wouldn’t stick around for too long.

  “Only the power of the shapeshifter and the power of the Believer can win the battle with the evil force, but a sacrifice must be made, justice will be served, a heart will break, the sky will crack…” With that, she disappeared in a puff of smoke and I was finally able to breathe.

  Inhaling the air greedily, I quickly went through our conversation. At first, I thought she was mad or something worse, but after careful consideration, it seemed like it was some kind of prophecy or maybe a warning. A light drew my attention and lifting my eyes, I noticed the darkness was gone and I was standing in the same spot I last saw Khalid. Was it a dream? Or did I go to an alternative reality? Another realm, perhaps?

  Walking home, I couldn’t get the warning out of my head or the terrifying images it elicited. The more I thought about it though, the more complicated it seemed. What did all this mean? A heart will break? The sky will crack? What sort of nonsense was that?

  Suddenly, a giant white rabbit appeared in front of me and I tried to back up. Every time it jumped, the ground shook like an earthquake had taken over. I liked rabbits, but this was way bigger than usual and could probably eat me alive. I hoped it wasn’t a carnivore. Staring at me, it said, leaving me speechless, “Violet, wake up.” Its voice was loud and my ears hurt.

  Finding my voice, I squeaked, “How do you know my name?”

  “You’re dreaming, Violet. Wake up!”

  Dreaming? Casting a look around me, I saw pink trees with blue trunks and mushroom-shaped houses. This can’t be right. I closed my eyes and instantly, the sensation of falling down overwhelmed me. The smell of wet soil reached my nose, and I opened my eyes suddenly only to be greeted by a pair of blue eyes, staring back at me.

  I screamed and thrashed, but strong arms held me in place. “Violet, Violet! It’s me!” The arms turned me and I faced…

  “Jacques?” I said breathlessly. “What are you doing here?”

  Casting me an odd look, he said, “What are you doing here?”

  Now, it was my turn to look at him strangely. I looked around me and through the dark foliage of trees, I noticed we were on the path to the Blessed Realm. “How did I get here? I can’t remember,” I said and his expression grew concerned.

  Holding my hands, he said with a certain voice, “It’s all right. We’ll figure it out. Come on, now. You’ll catch a cold.” He helped me up and then he walked me home without a word. He just held me with his arm protectively around my waist as if he was afraid I was going to pass out again. Was that what happened and if so, how? Why?

  All the way home, I tried to find a subject for conversation, but my tongue was stuck in my throat. I couldn’t get a word out, but I was also confused. What was he doing outside of the Blessed Realm? He had never left except the two times I saw him. Nostalgia poured inside me as I thought of how things could have turned out if he was not so abrupt. Maybe we could have taken walks under the moonlight… Violet, what are you thinking? I chided myself.

  Arriving on the corner, he stopped, and I was sad to see my home glowing brightly just a few feet away. Turning to face me, he said, “Are you all right?”

  Arching my eyebrows, I didn’t understand why he would ask. “I’m fine.” Shrugging my shoulders made his eyes flash as his fists clenched.

  “You. Were. Not. Fine. I was passing nearby and saw you collapse and then, you were hallucinating. That doesn’t seem fine to me. What happened?”

  Was I really acting that way? “I was on my way home when I saw some kind of mummy.”

  His expression grew even more concerned. “Mummies don’t exist. It’s just a human tale.”

  “She was not a mummy exactly, but she was definitely scary.” I told him about the weird-looking woman and her dire warnings,
but omitted any part concerning Khalid. He was mine to take care of and I didn’t want him or anyone else to be in danger. If the woman’s warnings were legit, then we were in deep trouble.

  Jacques nodded, but didn’t offer an explanation or comment which was not like him. Observing him, I saw the prominent dark rings under his eyes were deeper and the overall sight of him had me staring. From his ragged breaths to his tousled hair, I felt that he was barely holding on. How have I not noticed how tired he looked? The answer was simple: Because I haven’t seen him in the Blessed Realm recently. I was so focused on my training, Khalid, and my dreams that I haven’t had time to deal with him. It was like he had disappeared completely. I was still mad about what happened between us, but I didn’t want him to disappear. Kristy said that he had confessed to being interested in me, but I didn’t quite believe it. His actions defied that. If he was really that interested, he wouldn’t have given up when faced with my denial. Given time, I might have changed heart but his disappearance showed the complete opposite.

  “So, where have you been? I haven’t seen you in a while in the Blessed Realm,” I prompted. If he kept on with his disappearing act, then this might be my only chance to ask questions.

  “Around. I was busy,” he said, dismissively.

  “Is something up?”

  “No more than usual.” He avoided my question swiftly, and I wondered what he was hiding. “So what did you think I was? A vampire?”

  It took me a while to comprehend he was asking about my hallucination. “No, a giant rabbit.”

  He chuckled. “That would be cool, but I can only turn into a small rabbit.” His words made my mind spin a mile a minute. Why wasn’t he in rabbit form? I haven’t seen him as a white rabbit since the day I found him inside the cage. I opened my mouth, but he quickly said, “I’ll leave you here. I trust you can find your way home without passing out, Mademoiselle. Be careful,” he said and shot me one of his sarcastic smiles. Giving me an intense look, I noticed for the first time that his sapphire eyes had darkened. He nodded and disappeared under the velvety shadows of darkness, leaving me staring at the place where he stood a moment ago.

  Blinking, I tried to understand what on earth had just happened. He didn’t shapeshift this time either but rather he used his feet. His whole demeanor was strange as he showed a distant behavior and took off as soon as he could. I wished his old self was back where he would make sarcastic jokes and mix his English with French. His accent was almost gone, and I missed it. There was only a moment where he gave me a piece of his old self. What had gotten into him?

  Before I opened the door, the woman’s words came back to me and it was like I found some pieces of the puzzle: “Only the power of the shapeshifter and the power of the Believer can win the evil force.” Lovely. If I have to work with his new self, we are doomed.

  Chapter 6: Crush Me

  When I met Kristy outside of the school and Diane was out of earshot, she said, “So, what happened?”

  Had Jacques told her already? “Nothing, I am fine.”

  Kristy shot me a strange look. “What are you talking about?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Your meeting with the new vampire,” she said with glowing eyes.

  Of course, she would think of the gossiping first. “Oh, well, nothing much. Took a stroll around the town. All in all, not a really noteworthy morning.”

  Kristy narrowed her eyes. “Really?” I nodded and then she said, “And what were you talking about before?”

  “I kind of passed out, I’m not sure. Near the gate. I had a vision.”

  Kristy’s eyes rounded in surprise. “Are you all right? Were you hurt?”

  “Yes, I’m fine and I didn’t feel like I was passing out. One moment I was walking and then darkness surrounded me and this bloody woman appeared in front of me. She was terrifying.”

  After I told her about the vision omitting the same information I had with Jacques, Kristy said slowly, “I see.” I had decided to keep the information to myself unless I absolutely needed to share it. “Visions can be tricky. You can pass out on the same spot or stay in the same place, but the fact that you sleepwalked into another location and near the Blessed Realm…that is huge.”

  While we walked to our classes, I stopped short. “Violet?”

  “His aura…” I mumbled. “His aura was like the other one’s…”

  “His aura? You’re not making any sense. Whose aura?”

  “Khalid’s. I have the impression that Khalid and the motorbike guy are one and the same person, but I’m not sure and his medallion is too powerful,” I said, completely lost in my thoughts. Raising my head, I met Kristy’s worried look. “I’m fine, really. I’m just worried about all the new things that keep popping up. Did you learn anything about the medallion?”

  “No.” She sighed. “I looked in every possible book in the Enchanted Forest and even in other creatures’ related books but nothing. Not a mention! Whatever that is, it must be original magic.”

  I nodded and headed to my seat.

  “How are the lessons going?” Kristy said and my shoulders slumped.

  “I have mastered all the elements and spaces according to Madelena but the last element is fire.” I sighed. “I have a fear of fire, but I don’t know where it is coming from.”

  We watched as the teacher entered our class, carrying books. “Good morning, children. I trust you have finished your essays by now. Please, place them on the desk right here so we can get started.”

  As we carried our essays up, Kristy whispered to me, “You might want to try the dreamcatcher.” Seeing my puzzled expression, she quickly explained, “The dreamcatcher is a real thing in the supernatural world and can capture the dreams while you’re sleeping. Then, with the correct spell, you can review them. If you need to review a specific dream or memory, you just have to place it firmly in your mind. Even a grain will do. Think about it.”

  We returned to our seats and while the lessons carried on and I tried to focus on the here and now, a part of my brain dwelled on the possibility of using a dreamcatcher. If I used it, then I could find out the reason I was afraid of fire and discover other stuff I didn’t remember.

  After our classes ended, we walked to the gate like always but I didn’t want to go today and I was trying to find ways to slow the inevitable. “Jacques found me,” I said, and I immediately regretted it.

  “Jacques?” Kristy’s eyebrows rose. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, of course, I’m sure. Why?”

  “No one has seen him for a couple of months. What did he say?”

  “Nothing much,” I said and then decided to share with her my thoughts even if that meant an exhausting in-depth conversation. “He’s changed. He’s not the same sarcastic person I met.”

  “Well, of course, he’s changed, Violet. I think he’s experiencing rejection now.” She giggled. “It’s not funny, but before you came, I’m sure he wouldn’t have cared for a girl or thought someone would change him that much.”

  “You can’t blame me for every phase he’s going through,” I objected. He couldn’t be in such a state because of me, could he? Have I damaged him so much? I never meant for this to happen, but he didn’t approach it the right way either.

  “It’s not a bad thing, even though sometimes, I miss his old self. It was time he grew up and finally got involved with people.” She touched my hand. “Don’t worry, he’ll be back soon.” Kristy started walking, but I didn’t follow right away.

  “Are you sure? He seemed tired and worn out.”

  “Yes, I’m sure. Don’t worry about it, he’ll be fine. Now, come on! You’ll be late for your lessons.”

  Sighing, I put Jacques out of my mind for the time being and jogged to catch up.

  A minute hadn’t passed since we stepped foot into the Blessed Realm before Khalid came to greet us. Gritting my teeth, I grinned, and I hoped he didn’t see through my fake smile. Giving me a huge grin, he star
ted talking about places and things imaginable and of course, our meeting. He painted it with such colorful words, you’d think it was a canvas and not just a meeting.

  When I turned to leave, I froze. It can’t be. Blinking, I prayed just for once that I was dreaming, but the shapeshifter was there, sitting on a stump watching me. It would have been like the time where we first met, but the only difference was that his sarcastic smile was missing. Pain was etched on his face along with anger, but it was directed at Khalid.

  “Uh, oh,” I heard Kristy mutter.

  Khalid, unaware of the situation, continued talking without a care in the world.

  “You seem too sure you have done these amazing things, but how do we know you have actually done them?” Jacques’s cold voice cut through Khalid’s vivid description.

  Khalid turned and when he saw Jacques, he snorted. “Why would I care what you think?”

  “Oh, I couldn’t care what you’ve done or not, but I don’t think it’s nice to narrate fairy tales and make them seem like fact. Someone can get confused,” Jacques said and my face turned pink. Why was he like that? I was not confused, but what I did or didn’t think shouldn’t concern him. I couldn’t believe he had publicly humiliated me.

  Kristy was watching like it was a tennis match at play. Khalid and Jacques were in opposite corners seemingly relaxed but they threw vile threats at each other. As displeased as I was, I couldn’t get those two killed for no reason.

  “Come on, let’s go,” Kristy whispered to me and I stared at her in disbelief.

  “What? Are you out of your mind?” I said in a low voice. “They’re going to kill each other!”

  “I’m sure someone will stop them before that happens,” Kristy said and firmly grabbed my hand and guided me away from the scene. Glancing from my shoulder, I realized she was right. Creatures had gathered in a circle to watch and at that moment, they didn’t differ much from humans.