I clutched the steering wheel tightly, feeling my legs shaking. I parked in front of the center and hurried inside.
I wrapped my arms around my middle and frowned. I walked over toward the front counter and rang the bell. One of the witches came toward the front and smiled. “Gabriella, hey. What brings you here?”
“I came to just check on Hazel. Makes sure everything was okay since the alarm went off.”
She frowned. “We haven’t seen Hazel for a couple of days.”
My body felt cold. “What?”
“Yeah, we haven’t seen her for a few days. She’d been acting a little weird the last time we saw her. We figured maybe things were going on, and she needed a little time to get stuff together.”
I shook my head, not understanding. How could she not be there? “So, you’re saying she isn’t here?”
She nodded. “No, she’s not here.”
Panic made my heart rate spike, and I turned, practically running out of the center. I quickly tried to think of what she would be, but nothing came to mind. She was always here. She always seemed to come here, so where else would she possible go?
I chewed on my cheek and scanned the parking lot for her car. I looked further down, checking the road for her vehicle. But there was nothing.
And then I spotted her car. It sat near the woods on the road right in front of it. I panted for air, feeling fear like the day we lost everything.
I ran across the street, my legs moving faster than I ever thought was possible. I arrived at her car and quickly scanned it, finding her phone and purse inside. I looked back toward the woods.
“Hazel!” I yelled her name, tears building in my eyes.
I stepped around her car and headed into the woods. I moved quickly, pushing past bushes and over rocks. I was practically running as I looked around, yelling her name over and over again.
I knew this was wrong, and I had no idea what was out here. I had no idea why the alarm bell was going off, and I could be running into danger. But I couldn’t stop myself. I needed to protect her even if it meant getting hurt myself.
I came up the incline and found a person standing a few yards away from me. I felt like I could suddenly breathe because I knew it was Hazel. She was standing with her back to me, staring into the woods.
“Hazel!” I yelled her name, starting down the incline, but she didn’t move. She didn’t even look over her shoulder like I expected.
“Hazel! What are you doing!” I finally made it down the incline, just a few feet behind her now. “We shouldn’t be out here.”
Hazel didn’t move, almost like she was frozen. I started to walk closer, feeling something was coming off of her. The hair on my neck stood up, and I stopped just a foot behind her now. “Hazel?” Her name came out softer this time, almost a whisper.
Her head moved as she looked at me. My body froze because I was looking at my sister, but at the same time, I wasn’t. She looked through me like I wasn’t even there. Her eyes were darker than usual, and her skin was paler, as if she were sick.
I then felt it. It was a dark energy emanating from her. I took a step back, trying to process what was happening.
Hazel smiled, but it wasn’t hers. It didn’t reach her eyes like it normally did. Then Hazel spoke. “You are so easy to read. I knew you would follow me. You couldn’t deny looking to make sure your sister was safe.”
“Who are you?” I asked, taking another step back.
She continued to smile, and then I watched as her face shifted, her skin slithered like an animal, and a new person stood before me. She had dark black hair that reached her back, with pale skin. I watched as fangs poked out from her lips and realized she was a vampire hunter.
“This will make it easier for me. I won’t have to hunt you down.” She took a few steps toward me, and I stumbled back. I wanted to scream, but my throat seemed to close, leaving me voiceless.
Just then, I watched as a pair of hands came up, smacking the back of her head. The woman tumbled forward, and I took in Lucia as she stood holding a rock.
My mouth dropped in shock as she hurried past the women toward me. She grabbed my arm and spoke in a hurry. “We need to move now.”
But the woman was already pulling herself up. She looked at us, pissed now, her fangs protruding further out. Her eyes were a deep red now, and blue veins seemed to pop from her skin.
“We need to run,” Lucia said, tugging harder on my arm. But I knew we wouldn’t get far if we ran. She would catch up to us in no time, and we would be screwed. The only thing we could do was fight.
I pulled Lucea behind me and took a deep breath, focusing on my magic. I felt that sensation roll over my fingers and through my palms. I knew that feeling and found I loved it the more I used it. It was something I knew I could use to keep me and the people I loved the most safe.
