I have not been updating well for this. Sorry, more frequent updates from here on out! I hope!
Chapter 3
Jerome's head was spinning. His vision was blurry and his mouth was dry. He found himself more irritable and all he wanted was to feed. Usually vampires feed like five times every three days, and they could leave the body anywhere because it would turn to dust. His friends and him took pity on the humans because their werewolf friends wanted them to. So instead of having about fifteen meals a week, they only have seven. Because vampires usually eat so much during a week, if really needed they could go up to two weeks without feeding. Because they didn't feed as much, missing a day was not good.
Jerome tried to get what he needed, but something always stood in their way. Alfie, Amber and Joy were helping him at this point.
"Ok, we'll distract Julia" Joy said to them referring to the house mother who would not let Jerome out of her site. "And you run"
"Just hurry up" he growled.
"Gonna ignore the fact that you're being rude to us even though we're helping you-" Amber started. She stopped once seeing the homicidal look on their faces. "Right, let's go"
Jerome was just about to head to the door when Julia called him. "Jerome, come help me please"
"We'll help you" Joy said.
"That's ok" Julia said and called him over.
"How are we gonna distract her?" Amber asked.
"What are the three things that Julia hates most?" Joy asked.
"Messes, fights, and PDA" Alfie said.
"Exactly" Joy said. She took the jelly, apologized in advance, and dumped it on Alfie's head. He caught on quickly.
"Hey!" He yelled. He threw the eggs at her face, which she avoided. Years of meals with Alfie and Jerome helped her with that.
"Just think of it as payback for all of the food fights before" Joy laughed.
"Stop!" Julia yelled. Joy threw more eggs and it landed on Amber who screamed very convincingly. In reality she was so used to food fights, that eggs were nothing to her.
"You messed up my hair!" She screeched.
"Aw boo hoo poor little princess has eggs in her hair" Joy mocked.
"Just cause you don't care doesn't mean you can mess with people who do" Amber said. "I put time into my looks"
"So do I!" Joy said.
"Do you? Do you really?" Amber asked. "Because it looks like you just hopped out of bed"
"You bitch!" Joy yelled at her.
"Stop this now!" Julia yelled at them.
"Yeah Joy, stop!" Alfie said.
"You're just saying that because of perfect princess Amber" Joy rolled her eyes.
"So what if he is" Amber said and gave Alfie a kiss.
"Ugh get a room" Joy said.
"No! Stop! Sto- Where is Jerome?" Julia said. Looking around she saw that the boy was gone.
"Go Team Hathor" Alfie said quietly and they high-fived.
Jerome ran out the door and straight for the forest, when suddenly he ran into a sharp branch. He cried out in pain and pulled it out of his leg. He knew because he was hungry it would take a while to heal. Almost as long as it would if he were human.
"Jerome?" Mr. Sweet's voice called out. "Is that you?"
"Great, just what I need" Jerome mumbled.
"Oh you're hurt! Come inside so we can clean you up" Mr. Sweet said.
"I'm fine" Jerome said.
"Nonsense" Mr. Sweet said as he dragged him to the school.
Amber was walking to school while brushing her hair. She didn't get her ten minutes of brushing from helping Jerome that morning.
"Amber!" Patricia said running up to her with Willow following closely behind. "Let's skip classes today"
"What? Today? On founders day?" Willow shrieked.
"Wait, today's founders day? Since when?" Amber said.
"Since about forever" Willow said
"Who cares, my parents aren't coming" Patricia said.
"My daddy probably is" Amber said. "And he would expect me to be there"
"Then lets skip the first couple hours" Patricia said.
"Why do you want to skip so badly?" Amber asked.
"I want to practice my powers" Patricia said.
"Then do it tomorrow" Amber said.
"Please!" Patricia begged. "Every day I don't have my powers kills me a little more"
Amber hesitated. "Fine, but only the first two hours"
"Yes!" Patricia said dragging her to an open field with Willow in tow. They sat in a circle and held hands.
"Ok, now let all of your thoughts escape your head. Just relax" Willow said.
"Um hello?" A woman said. They all looked at her. "I'm sorry, I'm lost, do you know where I am?"
"Uh, you're in a school" Patricia said.
"I'm sorry, I'm Nicci" she said holding her hand out. Willow, being the polite one, got up and shook. As they joined hands she looked at her with wide eyes.
"You're... Something" Willow said.
"Yes dear, I'm a witch" she said. Patricia jumped up.
"Hi, I'm Patricia and as it just so happens, I'm a witch" she said.
"Oh, hi there" Nicci smiled.
"We're elements" Willow said. "Elements are creatures who take energy-"
"Energy from the four elements and sends the power out" Nicci said. "I know"
"You know a lot then" Amber muttered.
"Yes, years of experience" Nicci said. "Come with me, I'd like to show you something" she said as she walked away. Patricia and Willow went to follow her and Amber pulled Patricia back.
"Do we really want to trust her? She seems a little... Uh... Untrustworthy" Amber said. "And a little full of herself"
"Why would she be untrustworthy?" Patricia asked.
"I don't know, she just gives off a bad vibe" Amber said.
"Who are you? Willow?" Patricia joked.
"Ignoring that" Amber said. "I mean, don't you find it weird that she was lost? Can't she fly up and just see where she's going?"
"You mean on a broomstick?" Patricia asked.
"Yeah!" Amber said.
"Sure. And she just has a mask over her nasty green skin and her pointy hat and cauldron are at her house" Patricia said sarcastically.
"Either way, she was lost, but now she magically knows exactly where she is and where she's going enough to lead us around. That's not weird to you?"
"She probably made a locater/map spell" Patricia said.
"Why didn't she do that before then?" Amber asked. "I don't like her"
"Well I do"
"Ugh come on Patricia!" Amber groaned. "Trust me, I have good people judgement. It's like a six sense"
"And trust me, she's completely trustworthy. She's a witch! I feel her good energy" Patricia said as she ran to follow Nicci and Willow. Amber huffed and sighed but ran after her.
They found a meadow with about six other people there.
"Vicci!" Nicci called. A woman who looked very similar to Nicci came over, her mole was what told her apart from Nicci. "This is my sister Vicci"
"That's cool! Nicci and Vicci" Willow said.
"Well, my real name is Victoria and hers is Nicolette" Vicci said. "Our full names don't rhyme quite as much. So who have we got here?"
"Patricia, Willow, and Amber" Nicci said.
"I never told you my name!" Amber said.
"She's a witch honey, figuring out your name is the easy part" Vicci said.
"Let's introduce you to the others" Nicci said. They walked them over to a girl with long blonde hair and piercing blue eyes.
"Hi, I'm Amy" the woman said.
"She's a witch" Nicci said.
"No kidding" Amber mumbled. The next woman they were led to had light brown skin and dark black hair.
"This is Nagumi" Nicci said.
"Hi" she said.
"She's a witch as well" Vicci said. They led them to two women next. One had tan skin and black hair, the other had strawberry blonde hair and fair skin and they both had electric purple eyes.
"This is Maya and Teresa" Vicci said. "Both elements. Just like Elenor over there"
She pointed to a woman with long brown hair and fair skin.
"So you witches and Elements work together?" Willow asked.
"Yes, we are one circle" Vicci said.
"That's unusual" Patricia said. "Witches and Elements usually stay away from each other. Not because of hatred, but because of the amount of power they have once together"
"Yes, true. But that's the reason we came together in the first place" Vicci said.
"So you're a witch?" Nagumi asked Patricia.
"Yes" Patricia said.
"Not really" Amber mumbled. Patricia glared at her.
"Well, I lost my powers, but I'm trying to regain them" Patricia said. "Do you think I should just give up?"
"No! Witches are the most powerful beings on Earth" Amy said. Amber scoffed.
"It's true" Eleanor said. "As much as we Elements like to believe we're equal to them, we aren't"
"But that doesn't mean we're not powerful" Maya said. "Elements are another kind of Witches"
"Really?" Willow asked.
"Yes, we have what they don't" Teresa said. "The only things they can't control are the elements"
"But we can" Maya said.
"I didn't know that" Amber said.
"How much do you guys know about your history?" Nagumi asked.
"Uh..." Willow said.
"Not much I guess" Patricia said.
"Well then!" Nicci clapped her hands together. "I think it's time for a history lesson!"
Amber felt her phone vibrating in her pocket. She left the group and went in a private area.
"Ambs, where are you?" Alfie asked. "Your father is grilling me about your current whereabouts. I'm not sure how long you can be 'in the bathroom'
"I'm… fixing my hair. It's just one of those days where it's just not looking right" she answered.
"You mean it looks perfectly fine but you're nervous about seeing your dad so it doesn't look right to you" Alfie said. Amber smiled at how well he knew her, and knew that's what would be the case if she were in fact fixing her hair. "Speaking of fathers, my dads here"
"Did you make yourself look 'presentable'?" Amber mocked.
"No" Alfie said. "I'm gonna tell the truth"
"Beau!" Amber squealed. "I don't think I have ever been more proud of you?"
"Really? Thanks Ambs!" Alfie said. "I'll see you later"
Mick walked along the campus border, in no rush to see his father. He reckoned Nina, Alfie, and Joy were all together, possibly with that new girl doing something. Amber and Patricia were a given. They were definitely together, probably with Willow and having a seance or something. The vampires were causing havoc somewhere. They were separated into groups. That's always how it was in Anubis.
The girls away from the boys. Sibuna and then the Oblivious. The Trouble makers, Jerome, Alfie. Patricia, Eddie and the hard workers, Himself, Nina, Mara, Fabian. They are all in different Houses now. Mut, Isis, Hathor. And of course there's the vampires and the witches and the werewolves and then him. They were all in their own little groups. But they would always come together to eat, chill in the living room. Now there was nothing to bring them together at the end of the day. And Mick was afraid they would venture off their different ways and eventually just nod at each other in the hallways. It hurt.
And it hurt that he didn't know who to be with. Everyone was always always fighting at Mut. He couldn't hang out there. Everyone had another 'creature' they could hang out with. He was alone. Totally and completely by himself. He didn't even know what he was! He wasn't alive, but he wasn't dead. Undead? What? A zombie? Somewhere in the middle? It became so frustrating.
"You look stressed deary" Trudy's voice rang.
"Yeah Truds, I could uses some of your famous hot chocolate" he said.
When he realized, he basically shit bricks.
"Trudy!" Mick said.
"Hello dear" Trudy smiled.
"I really need to get used to this whole 'seeing dead people' thing. It's so creepy" he said. "Can I touch you?" he tried to touch her, but she had no physical form. "I was hoping for a hug"
"I'm sorry"
"No I'm sorry I couldn't heal you" he said. "I was too late for you and Victor"
"It's not your fault it's no one's fault. This was my fate" she said. "I need to tell you something"
"Ok"
"Keep an eye on your housemates. They're experimenting with fire. It's not good for them" Trudy said.
"What do you mean?" Mick asked.
"It's time for you to go to Founders Day" Trudy said, and just like that, she was gone.
"The first witches and the first elements were hand and hand. People were afraid of them. After burning lots of them, people thought they were extinct. but really they were in hiding" Vicci said. "They used to use their magic to frame innocent humans and have citizens believe they instead were the witches. The existence of Elements are mostly unknown, even in old legends and folktales.
"Why is that?" Willow asked.
"Because anyone with a power is automatically classified as a witch to other people. Witches and Elements used to work together, long ago. But it ended it chaos. A nuclear war. One we had to wipe memory of. Ever since, it was illegal for witches and elements to come together"
"But you're..." Patricia said.
"We know, but we're not supposed to" Maya said.
"So keep your mouths shut" Nagumi said.
"Nagumi, they're here for guidance, not threats" Nicci said.
"Guidance?" Patricia asked.
"Well wouldn't you like to practice while you have four experienced witches and three experienced elements?" Eleanor asked.
"I want to get my powers back. I know I can" Patricia said.
"Of course you can" Nicci said.
"I want to become a full element" Willow said. "I know it's probably what every element wants, but I want to be enveloped in nature sooner than later"
"And what about you Amber?" Nicci asked. She looked at her feet, mumbling something no one else could hear. "Speak up"
"I want to learn how to control two elements at the same time" she said a little louder, praying that Willow didn't hear. To her relief, she didn't.
"Very specific, easy start, you can work with Eleanor" Vicci said.
"Ok Willow" Teresa said to her taking out a lighter and flicking it on. "Let's see what you can do"
Willow to the flame right from the lighter making it grow in the air. She lifted it up as what looked to be a cloud was forming inside of it.
"Ok wonderful!" Teresa said. "Now, most problems young elements have are when they try to control another element, they forget about the ones they were already controlling. So what I want you to do is keep half of your mind focused on that fire cloud up there, and the other half focus on water"
Willow heard what she said, though she didn't break concentration once. With her left arm lifted towards the cloud, she used her other hand and lifted little droplets of water out of the ground, they circled around the cloud, before Willow's head hurt and lost concentration.
"That was amazing!" she said with a hand on her forehead.
"Yes it was!" Teresa said. "Everyone listen up!"
Everyone turned to her.
"Willow has just controlled three elements at the same time for the first time ever!" Teresa praised. Amber saw red as everyone applauded Willow. She didn't want to sit around and see Willow succeed and see herself struggle to learn how to use two elements. So when everyone was paying attention to Willow, she left.
"Hey Eddie" Mick said to him. "You will never guess who I saw"
"The Ghost of you need something better to do with your life in the Present?" Eddie snapped.
"What's your problem?" Mick asked.
"I'm hungry!" he exclaimed.
"You still haven't fed yet?" Mick asked.
"Obviously not" Eddie snapped.
"This is getting ridiculous!" Mick said. "Just feed now"
"Don't you think if it were that easy I would have done it you idiot?" Eddie asked. "Something's going on here"
"Why do you mean?" Mick asked.
"None of us have fed" Eddie said. "Jerome, Mara, Fabian, we're all starving! Something keeps getting in our way. you think the dogs are up to this?"
"No I do not think the werewolves are the source of this. Why would they, you guys made a truce they wouldn't try to hurt you" Mick said.
"Well someone is!" Eddie said. "Someone is trying to kill us"
"You think she's back at school?" Willow asked Patricia.
"Yeah I do"
"Why'd she leave?" Willow asked.
"Amber doesn't take well to being upstaged" Patricia said.
"Who upstaged her?" Willow asked.
"I'm just annoyed because she had to be a drama queen and I didn't get a good session with Nagumi and Nicci"
"Well let's practice now" Willow said. They sat down across from each other. "Ok, clear your mind"
"Why? So I could be like Amber?" Patricia asked. Willow glared at her. "Sorry"
"Clear your mind and focus your energy" Willow continued. Patricia took a deep breath and focused on something simple. She opened her eyes and looked at Willow's hair, same color. A simple trick she learned when she first found out she was a witch. She was about to try again, when she felt a burning in her pocket. She quickly reached in to see the red rock they found the other day, glowing. She felt a wave of energy flow through her, and suddenly Willow's hair went from red to brown. Willow opened her eyes and looked at her hair, but her attention was quickly diverted to the glowing rock in Patricia's hand.
"Wow! You're making it glow!" Willow gushed. "And changed my hair! Now change it back"
"I'm not making the rock glow" Patricia said. "I think it's giving me energy"
"Enough to change my hair back?" Willow asked. Patricia tried to change it back, but the rock stopped glowing, and the energy was gone.
"It's gone" Patricia said. "But this rock is the key to me getting my powers back"
"I don't like my hair this way" Willow said.
Mara growled, feeling faint. It had been too long since she fed. She had never experienced a hunger like this, and it made her desperate, and also very angry. She was being dragged all through the school helping people with some things, forced to do what people say, too weak to fight back. She tried to bite anyone, but something kept getting in her way. Just as she was sure she was gonna die, she smelt something. Something sweet and familiar. Blood. She forced her out of the seat she was currently in and nearly dropped to the floor trying to walk. She went in the direction of the smell. She saw an old man in a classroom. Her site was too blurred for her to see the face, but he pricked his finger on a thumb tack. it was the most miniscule amount of blood, but it was enough to bring her in, and he was conveniently alone. She closed and locked the door and just as he saw her, she pounced.
"That looks dangerous sir" Eddie's voice startled the man who was in the bathroom cleaning a wound.
"I got it awhile ago" he said. "It opened up again"
Eddie paid no attention to the words that he was saying, not even looking at his face, but instead the blood dripping down his leg. His mouth began to water.
"Are you ok?" the man asked. But it was almost like he suspected him. If he did, Eddie didn't give the guy time to react.
Jerome limps to the smell, it was getting stronger and stronger, he stood outside the girls bathroom. It wasn't like he had never been in there. He pushed the door open and saw an old woman tending to a nose bleed.
"I don't think you're supposed to be in here" the lady said. Jerome walked to her slowly, almost recognizing her from somewhere, but couldn't figure out where. He pushed the thought aside and went for her neck. He muffled her scream, enough that even he could barely hear it. Soon she was dead and he dropped her to the floor and ran out of the bathroom without looking back. The wound that was on his leg was now closed and he was better, enough that he could wait until tonight to feed again.
Fabian was so angry, but he was also smart. He found a way to slip away from everyone and was now slowly making his way to the forest. But he felt that he could not wait long enough to get what he needed. He fell to the ground, coughing and choking.
"Young man!" a voice said. It was so perfect, there was his dinner walking right up to him "Are you ok?"
"No" he said. The man helped him up. "I am... semi sorry" At once he bit the man, drying him out, and left him to die.
"Have you seen my dad?" Alfie asked Joy.
"No, have you seen mine?" she asked.
"No sorry" he said. She sighed and made her way outside. She found a peculiar pile of dust on the ground, being blown away by the wind. There was one thing it could be. A victim of a vampire. Joy sighed and shook her head. She was about to leave, when two things caught her eye. One was a pin. It said 'first place'. It was a pin she recognized. Fabian's. He won it three years ago during a spelling bee. He had it with him always. So it was Fabian who killed the person. The second thing was a ring. A ring she also recognized. A wedding ring. Her fathers.
"No" she said. She picked it up taking a closer look at it. "No! No way this can't be happening. No! NO"
Nina had been looking for her Gran for a while now. She knew that she got a nosebleed, but every bathroom she checked her Gran wasn't in. The last bathroom was the one by the drama room. She went in and her heart stopped. She saw her gran on the ground, holding on to life. Her gran looked at Nina, before her eyes became empty and slowly turned to dust.
KT went into the drama classroom, expecting to see Jason, who she was looking for. She did not expect to see her grandpa clutching his neck. She raced to his side as quickly as she could and held his hand.
"My time is over" He said, his voice very weak.
"What happened? Who did this?" KT asked.
"Vampires"
"You can still live as one right?" KT said. "Maybe you'll change"
"The venom will not get to my heart in time" he said. "I've loved you, as if you were my own"
"I love you too"
Alfie looked everywhere for his dad. He hadn't seen him all day. He had worked up the muster to tell his dad the truth and he wanted to do it before he chickened out. He was getting more anxious as the day went on.
He went into the bathroom to see the person he was looking for.
"Dad?"
He was still alive.
"What happened?" Alfie asked. Mr. Lewis reached into his pocket and pulled out a letter.
"I never got a chance to send this, so I brought it with me" he said giving it to Alfie.
"What is going on?" Alfie asked.
"You turned out to be just the man I have always wanted in a son" Mr. Lewis said.