“And while we are contemplating this impossible task,” Sofia said, “more people could be being abducted as we speak.”
“Mona,” I said, “you really believe that Lilith is the key here?”
Mona nodded slowly. “I just don’t know how we could—”
“If you can’t figure out how to end her, then nobody will be able to. Please, go now and take some time. Think back to all those years you spent with the black witches. Think back to your meeting with Lilith. Try to figure it out. The rest of us wouldn’t even know where to start.”
Mona’s eyes fell on her husband as she gulped. Then she nodded, and although there was no confidence in her expression, that nod alone gave me some hope. She stood up from her chair and left the Great Dome.
I looked now at Sofia, her forehead creased with worry.
“In the meantime,” I continued, “we must try to prevent more kidnappings. It’s impossible to know exactly where they will strike next. But I think we can all be confident that they will strike again. And they will not travel far when they can find what they need nearby. It seems they are targeting younger people. We need to make it more difficult for these witches to get access to them.” I paused, steeling myself for what I was about to say. “We need to do what we have never done before in the history of this island. We need to make contact with the police.”
“What?” a chorus of voices gasped.
“We need to make contact with the police,” I repeated steadily, “of all our neighboring shorelines, and call for a closing of schools. Children and teenagers alike should be kept inside and people should avoid going out. Each household should be equipped with guns, with instructions of what to do if a black witch shows up—”
“Gun or not, a human family wouldn’t stand a chance in hell if a witch showed up in their living room,” Landis said.
“I’m not saying they would,” I replied. “None of these measures will stop them. We can only attempt to slow them down. You all heard what Mona said. These witches are on a blood hunt unlike any before. We can’t let them perform whatever ritual they’re trying for. Because if it’s successful, I suspect that the white witches of The Sanctuary will only be the first among many to feel their wrath…”
Ashley looked at me, disbelieving. “What, so we’re just going to show up randomly at a police department and tell them that all the schools need to be closed? Why would they even listen to us in the first place? What if they ask for ID? What if they ask where we’re from—?”
“There is no need to reveal The Shade, and there is no need to reveal our identity. After this violent introduction to the existence of supernaturals, not only by the black witches but also by Ben, I believe that they will be open to talking with us. I suggest that a human and a vampire go.” I looked at Sofia and she nodded, as if reading my mind. She stood up next to me, placing her hand over mine on the table. “My wife and I will go. We will also need a witch so that we can travel quickly.” My eyes rested on Corrine, who nodded. Next I turned to Xavier and Vivienne. “My sister and brother-in-law will take over ruling the island during our absence. You have the dragons here now helping to protect us. While we’re gone, I don’t think anyone needs to be worried about our safety. It’s the world around us that is in jeopardy now.”
Chapter 15: Sofia
We had no time to lose. Neither Derek, Corrine nor I knew how long this was going to take. Hopefully, if the humans weren’t too difficult to convince, we wouldn’t be gone more than a day.
We decided to head to the place where the first abduction had taken place in California. After the meeting was adjourned, Derek and I hurried back to our apartment to get ready for the journey, while Corrine returned to the Sanctuary to make her own preparations.
We hoped that by the time we returned, Mona would have formulated a plan on how to get rid of Lilith once and for all. In the meantime, we had to do what we could to prevent more human lives being lost.
We hurried about in our bedroom, stripping out of our pajamas and changing into comfortable and durable clothing. I pulled out a large umbrella from one of the cupboards and tucked it beneath my arm.
It was still early in the morning and we had no desire to wake Rose up. We would be back soon and Caleb would inform her of where we’d gone.
“Are you ready?” Derek asked.
“Yeah. I think so.”
We left the bedroom and made our way toward the living room to find my father standing there. He looked at us with concern. He drew me into a hug and kissed my cheeks.
“Be careful,” he said. He squeezed Derek’s shoulder before stepping back from both of us.
We descended to the forest ground and parted ways. Derek and I headed straight for the Sanctuary to pick up Corrine. We found her standing on her doorstep, lost in a passionate embrace with her husband. We waited until they were done before approaching. Corrine left her husband’s side and came to stand next to us. She had a map in one hand, and a thick cloak was wrapped around her shoulders. She breathed out heavily. “Okay, let’s go.”
She held onto both of us, and the peaceful courtyard of the Sanctuary vanished.
When we stopped spinning through the air and my feet touched solid ground, my vision came into focus. We were standing outside a large rectangular building, lit by fluorescent lighting. After adjusting my clothes, I ran my hands through Derek’s hair, smoothing it out. Then we headed straight for the entrance.
A plump, baldheaded man was sitting behind a wide wooden desk in the entrance area. He looked up as we entered. Surprise showed in his eyes. We had tried to wear clothes as plain as possible, but I supposed we still looked odd to him with our rather old-fashioned cloaks, especially me with my pale skin, and at this early hour of the morning.
He stood up, all five foot of him. “What can I help you with?”
“We have some information that will be of interest to you,” Derek said.
“Regarding what?”
“The school incident.”
The man’s eyes widened. “Please take a seat,” he said, gesturing to the seats around his desk.
We did as he’d requested, watching as he picked up a phone and dialed a number.
“Three people are here regarding the incident at the school,” he murmured, looking over us once more. “Can you see them now? Okay.”
He put the phone down and beckoned us over again. Retrieving a ring of keys from one of the drawers in his desk, he got up and pushed open the narrow door directly behind him. “Alex,” he called inside.
A young man appeared in the doorway wearing a uniform.
“Take these people straight to Wilson’s office,” the bald man said. “He’s stayed late.”
Alex nodded and led us out of the room toward a flight of stairs. We climbed two levels up before stopping outside a door labeled twenty. He knocked.
“Come in,” a deep voice called.
Alex pushed the door open. We stepped inside and found ourselves in a small office, lit by bright strip lights. A tall man stood behind a narrow desk. He had grey-streaked hair and deep lines in his forehead.
The police officer held out a hand for each of us to shake. “Officer Wilson. Your names?”
Derek replied before Corrine or I could. “My name is Kyle Ardene. This is my wife, Claudia Ardene, and this is our friend, Ashley Novalic.”
I would have fought back a laugh at the mishmash of names Derek came up with had my stomach not been in knots. Corrine scowled discreetly.
The man’s gaze fixed on Derek. “Mr. Ardene, what can you tell me?”
“There will be another attack. Likely more than one. Schools need to be closed. Adults and children alike need to stay in their homes. Each household must be equipped with at least one gun.”
Before Derek could continue, Wilson held up a hand. He reached into a drawer and pulled out a camera and a mini-tripod.
“I’m going to record this, if that’s okay.” He set up the tripod so that the camer
a was pointed toward the three of us and pressed record. Then Wilson folded his hands on the table and leaned forward in his chair, watching Derek intently. “Please repeat what you just said.”
Derek acquiesced.
“How do you know this?” Wilson asked. A deep frown settled in on his face.
“By now you may have realized that there exist beings who are very different from you. Nonhuman, supernatural beings. The three of us are such beings. That’s how we know.”
Wilson’s frown deepened. He looked from Derek, to me, to Corrine, then back to Derek again.
After almost a minute’s pause, he said, “What exactly do you mean by… supernaturals?”
“The type the world has already seen in the news. Vampires. Witches…” Derek placed an arm around me. “My wife here is a vampire.” He caught my eye and nodded. I raised my lips and bared my fangs.
“Dear God,” Wilson whispered, gaping at me in disbelief.
“And Ms. Novalic here,” Derek said, gesturing toward Corrine, “is a witch.”
With a flick of a finger, she levitated a pen on the man’s desk into the air and made it do a twirl before setting it back down again. The man’s mouth opened and closed like a fish’s. He looked at the three of us as though he still couldn’t believe his eyes.
“And you?” Wilson said hoarsely, addressing Derek.
“My powers are not safe to display in this room.”
Wilson stood up, his legs shaking. “W-wait here, please. I need to make a phone call.”
We watched the man leave his office and walk into the adjacent room. I heard him pick up a phone and begin talking to someone—a superior of his, by the sound of it.
“That was really the first surname that entered your head for me?” Corrine muttered.
Derek ignored her, his eyes fixed on the door.
Wilson returned about twenty minutes later.
“I have spoken with my superiors and called for an urgent meeting.”
“Your superiors need to issue a warning nationwide,” Derek said, standing up. “And they need to do it as soon as possible.”
“When and where do you believe that they will strike again?”
“It’s impossible to say exactly when, but I’m certain that it will be soon. As to where, we don’t know. Hence, you must not delay in this.”
“Those black hooded people in the schoolyard footage, you say they are… witches?” Wilson asked, still looking as though he was in a daze.
“Yes. The worst kind,” Derek said, looking straight into the camera as though addressing Wilson’s superiors directly. “The best chance of surviving an attack by them is to shoot them through the palms. That’s where their powers emanate from.”
“And y-you three. Where have you come from?”
“That’s not important. Just understand that not all supernaturals seek to prey on humans. We are here because we want to help you.” Derek turned once more to the camera, his eyes boring into it. “You must heed our advice.”
“Mr. Ardene, you must come with me to headquarters. My superiors will have many more questions for you. We would like to conduct an extensive—”
Derek shook his head, cutting him off. “Perhaps in the future, but we don’t have time for that now. We just came to deliver this warning.” Derek held out a hand, gripping Wilson’s so firmly Wilson winced slightly. “I trust your superiors will make the right decision and do what is needed. Goodbye, Officer.”
Before Wilson could say another word, Derek looked toward Corrine and nodded. She held both of us by the hand and the brightly lit office disappeared.
When we reappeared again, it was on a beach.
“We’re still in California?” I asked Corrine.
The witch nodded. I looked up and down the empty shoreline, the sun still hours from rising above the horizon. I caught sight of the promenade behind the beach, lined with beautiful houses, not unlike Derek’s and my dream house that we’d spent the first five years of our twins’ lives in. I was overcome by a bout of nostalgia. The life we’d lived in that house seemed so distant now, like a past life. I swallowed hard, forcing my thoughts back to the task at hand.
“So we’re just going to assume that Wilson’s superiors will take care of things?” I asked.
Derek nodded. “We’ll have to. We did our part. Wilson filmed the meeting. He has proof of our display of powers, so there’s no way that his superiors can think he was hallucinating. After two displays of supernatural existence broadcast on mainstream media, we have to hope that his authorities will be more open-minded than to completely reject what we had to say.”
“And now,” I said, “what about South America? The countries lining the Pacific Ocean also aren’t far from the witches’ base.”
“We’ll start trying to meet with authorities in Mexico and make our way down along the coast,” Derek replied. “But we simply don’t have time to visit all of them. We’ll go as far as Panama. Hopefully our warning will start spreading to other countries.” Derek must have caught the doubtful expression on my face. “Sofia, I know this is a pathetic situation. We just have to try to do what we can.”
“What if the witches start moving to other parts of the world for easier targets?” I asked.
Derek heaved a sigh, casting a worried glance out toward the horizon. “We have to hope that Mona will find a solution before it comes to that.”
Chapter 16: Sofia
The South American authorities proved to be harder to get through to, mostly because of the language. A lot of the lower officials didn’t speak English and Corrine’s knowledge of Spanish was rusty, as was mine. We certainly weren’t anywhere near as fluent as my twins.
The process took us longer, but eventually we managed to reach an authority along the coast of each country who could grant us a reception. By the time we reached Panama, the sun was almost setting. I was glad to have remembered my umbrella. I’d had to use it a lot throughout the day.
The heat was suffocating as we arrived outside the police department in Panama City. My mouth was parched and my skin felt rough and dry. My body just wasn’t used to this type of heat. We entered through the main doors into a small entrance area, and then took a right through a door into a reception room. I groaned internally at the sight of huge windows letting the evening sun stream through into the room. It was crowded in here, and I didn’t want to risk opening up my umbrella in case I ended up poking someone in the eye. Rather than disturb Corrine and ask her to put a spell on me to shield me from the sun, it was easier for me to step outside while Derek and the witch waited in line to be seen.
I made my way back into the small entrance area. It was much darker here with fewer people. I leaned back against the wall, relishing its coolness, and took deep breaths. I closed my eyes, resting my stinging eyelids. Although I’d been careful to keep the sun from shining directly onto me, the brightness still affected me.
A beeping opposite me broke through my moment of peace. It sounded like it was coming from the pocket of the fair-haired man standing opposite me with his head buried in a newspaper. He cast a brief glance my way, then folded away his paper and walked toward the exit. I leaned my head back against the wall again, closing my eyes and trying to find a moment of peace again.
I rested for a few minutes before Corrine poked her head through the reception room doors and called me over. The three of us walked with an official into the back offices and we repeated much the same process as we had with Wilson with the dark-haired, mustached police officer we sat in front of here. He spoke better English than most of the others we had seen in South America, which helped things move along.
Once we had shocked him enough to agree to film us and pass on our message to his superiors, we left. Since he didn’t try to insist that we stay, Corrine didn’t need to vanish us. We walked back to the entrance hall, where I pulled out my umbrella and opened it. The sun had almost set now and the light was much softer as we stepped outside.
&n
bsp; “So,” Corrine said, “we’ll go home now?”
“I’m up for that. Derek?” I looked to my husband.
His eyes were fixed on a spot on the pavement on the other side of the road. His eyes widened. “Sofia, duck!”
Before I could register what was happening, Derek knocked me off my feet and a smash behind us filled my ears. Shards of glass rained down upon Derek and me. As I tried to sit up, he forced me back against the ground.
Winded, I gasped, “Derek, what—?”
Corrine had ducked beside us now too, her face marred with confusion.
“Corrine,” Derek said hurriedly, “that cluster of trees further up the beach. You see it? Take Sofia there and wait for me. If anyone approaches, vanish her further up the beach.”
“What—” I choked.
“A man across the street just tried to shoot you, Sofia,” he hissed. “A man I’m sure is a hunter.”
Chapter 17: Derek
I wanted nothing more than to scorch that man to ashes. The fire burning in my fingertips was begging for release. But I had to reel in my temper. I had to see the bigger picture.
As soon as Corrine vanished with my wife, I threw myself against the car nearest to me and peered over the roof. I caught sight of the man’s blond head hurrying away down the pavement. I wasn’t going to let him get away. Ignoring the commotion behind me that was forming at a bullet having just been shot through the window of the police department, I raced across the road and began chasing the man.
He looked over his shoulder and stopped as he saw me. He didn’t raise his gun again as I had expected him to, perhaps because I was clearly not a vampire.