Chapter Fourteen - We'll Be Counting Stars

Alright guys, here's the next update! I'm pretty sad that we're almost at the end of this story. ;-; However, I'm really happy too! Hopefully you guys are going to like it!

Guest 1 : Haha, ya, Mina is very insane. Hopefully Teague can help her with that. Nix and Ever will be found out about this chapter, so you can find out about that this chapter. c: As for Teague running off without alerting Jared, do you really think it would've been a good idea to tell Jared? Jared is stronger than Teague - not in Fae magic, but in stamina/strength for right now - and could've ditched him, as he seems to be doing whatever is in his best interests.

LZ18 : I'm glad you like it so much! :D That means so much to hear that. ;) And don't worry, it's not over just yet.

booknerd00 : Hm, I'm not sure what to say. Maybe reread the last few chapters? What exactly is disorienting/confusing to you right now? We'll find about Jared and Ever and Nix this chapter, along with darling Teague and crazy Mina with Grimorie. :) Hopefully it'll all make sense

Evx : Ha, I'm glad you like it so much! Crazy Mina is one of my favorites. And ya, Teague might want to go help with that.

heywassuphelloo : I'm glad you like Crazy Mina! And yes, we'd best hope Nix and Ever are okay. It's a bit worrisome that Ever is screaming. I'm glad you like this trilogy, but don't die over my updates! D: Then I'll be in prison and nobody will see my updates! xD

Guest 2 : Ya...Grimorie has caused quite a few different problems. But a story wouldn't be a story without a bad guy! We'll just have to see what happens, won't we?

lamiaz384 : Teague is actually pretty close to the castle, and if you were running to go save your girlfriend's/boyfriend's life, I think you would have the energy to do it. Plus, he's Fae, so that just sort of helps the process. The dock isn't that far away, and you have to remember they were near there. ;)

LZ18 : I know, I know, I'm sorry. :c Hopefully this update makes up for it, because we're nearing the end!

Captainswanshook : I'm glad you like it so much! Sorry it took so long to get this out. :) And by the way, I love your name! Captain Swan is amazing. 3

Also, I apologize that I haven't been updating a lot. I've had some problems I've been dealing with (which I've realized might actually be helped a bit by writing) and I also am trying to write a novel myself. Hopefully this makes up for that. c:

"Mina, stop being stupid!" She can't hear me, I know. But I have to say it anyways.

"I have a name, idiot. I don't want to be called anything remotely close to your name."

The Grimorie almost says something probably relating to names, but seems to decide against it. I actually always wondered if Grimorie was actually her name. It's a strange thing to name a child, after all. Maybe she actually has another? She doesn't say anything about that though. Instead, she raises an eyebrow. "Are you ready then?" She doesn't actually mean for Mina to answer, - she'd never play by the rules and give Mina a chance to win - because a kaleidoscope of colors swirls around her hands.

"Come and find me!" Mina chuckles, and then suddenly she's gone.

What? "Mina!" I scream her name as the Grimorie blows her cell door open with Fae magic, as she shoots her color ball at that. And then? She rushes off, but she seems weaker. I don't know if Mina's stronger or weaker at this point though. And I'm not about to make bets on who's going to die and who's going to live here. I'm stressing out that Mina was getting a bit too cocky for her own good.

Everything goes black, and I open my eyes to see the woods again. I have two choices. I can follow after Jared - or more accurately his trail, as he has long since disappeared - and find out what happened to Ever. Or, I can head to the castle and find out what's going on with Mina and hopefully keep her from getting herself killed.

That choice is simple. I don't even hesitate before I make my choice. Instead, I turn around and start off in a dead spring towards the castle. I'm still too weak to just appear myself there. So I'll have to do this the old-fashioned way.

"I'm coming, Mina." I whisper.

Ever's POV

I continue to scream in agony, clutching my head. Ah, it hurts! It hurts really bad! I'd been feeling minor pain on the human plane, but this takes it to a whole new level. And it hurts! Why do I feel such pain? Is it because I'm connected to Mina? Is that why? Is she in pain? Am I failing my job as being her Fae Godmother? I struggle to even think, because the pain is flooding through me. What on earth is happening?

Someone's voice - hardly able to be heard over the screaming - comes from nearby. "Ever?"

Nix's POV

I clutch my face, groaning. I think I must've splinched myself going through the seam ripper - is that even possible, to have something from the fantasy world of Harry Potter happen in real life? - but I can't tell what I did. I just know there's hot and sticky blood on my face, and that leads me to assume I'm hurt. How on earth did I manage to splich myself going through a seam ripper

"Ever?" Someone's voice from nearby. But who's? I've never heard them before.

As I turn slowly, someone breaks through the trees. Black hair and black clothing. Where have I heard that description before? Oh, that's right. That description fits Teague to a T. Is this him?

"What happened?" The boy kneels down beside Ever, and glances over at me. The grey eyes give away that it's not him. Is this the Jared Mina spoke of, who she came over to save when I first met her?

"She st-started screaming whene-whenever we crossed ove-over." I don't move, watching him warily. Ack, my head hurts...

"You guys crossed over? Why?"

"Ever wanted to fin-find out wha-what happened to M-Mina...Sh-she said she wa-was being a hor-horrible Fae godmother..."

"Because Mei is dead." He says quietly. "She must be connecting with Mina like all Godmothers connect to their Grimms."

"So Mina is in pain?" I raise the eyebrow that's not on the bleeding part of my face.

"Yes, and we need to find her. But first, we have to see how we can help Ever." He pauses. "And you." Sitting up a bit taller, he glances around. He also raises his voice to a shout. "Teague, come on! I need your help!"

Teague's POV

I race through the woods. I'm closer now. I just know it. I have to reach Mina, before it's too late. Worry pounds at my head, eating me from the inside and filling in the gaps it makes. I don't know what's going on with Mina, and it's starting to worry me. I have to find her, and now.

Forcing myself to keep going, I keep my mind off of how tired I am by focusing on Mina. Fae don't get tired easily, but being around silver drained me, plus I'm thinking that I'm being affected by Mina. Again. So, being worried is better than tired. I can't stop now.

"Please don't die on me, Mina." I whisper the words as I run.

I'm not sure why I whisper them. Maybe because it seems more appropriate right now. Whatever the case, I whisper them, and can only hope that somehow, Mina hears them, and heeds them.

Mina's POV

The Grimorie and I chase each other around for awhile, with me constantly disappearing and reappearing in different rooms. She's getting frustrated, and I'm getting madder - I'm not exactly positive which one I mean - every time.

Finally, I appear and sit in the kitchen. Or, to be more specific, I sit on the wooden table in the middle of the kitchen. The same kitchen that I had a food fight with Teague in, before the stupid Grimorie came and ruined everything. Crossing my legs, I wait patiently for the Grimorie to arrive. Because she will, sooner or later. I'm betting on sooner, because somehow she always seems to find me somehow. Or she could just be very resourceful. I prefer to think that it's luck or that she's got a tracker on me. Actually, on second thought, I don't like the thought of her having a tracker on me. That's just weird. So, I decide that she's just lucky.

While I wait, I begin to trace the different lines swirling up my right arm with my left hand. I trace maybe three different ones all the way to my shoulder and am half way up the fourth when the door bursts open.

Sure enough, there stands Grimorie.

Rage covers her face as her hands have colors dance around them. As she launches a ball of Fae magic at me, I duck and roll, coming off the table with a thud. Jumping upwards, I shoot a ball of my own, golden Fae magic at her. She nimbly dodges it, and looking even angrier, doesn't even bother to try and toss some magic at me. Instead, she tackles me to the ground, clawing at my shoulders.

I slap her in the face, and roll so that I'm on top. It's like a classic fight, and Grimorie is not winning. No, it's not just that she's not winning. It's that I refuse to let her win. I continue to tussle back and forth with her, and in a rage, throw her backwards. She slams off the wall as I jump to my feet, and I reach for the first thing I can on the counter. A silver knife.

In that moment, Grimorie gets to her hands and knees, and her eyes meet mine, before trailing down to see the knife. I can see everything drain from her eyes, to be met with cold dread.

"You couldn't leave me be, could you?" I hiss the words, stepping forward. Grimorie steps backwards, but there's a wall there, so she only succeeds in pushing herself against that. My mouth can't decide if it should smirk or snarl, so it keeps flickering back and forth between both as my eyes glare at the girl before me. Suddenly, with all her mightiness stripped away, she is a lot less frightening. A single, silver knife that she can't tear from me without taking my hand with it scares her. My human blood helps me not have to deal with most of the nasty side effects silver can inflict. "You couldn't just take Jared and leave. You had to kill me. Maybe he wouldn't have ever grown to love you. Maybe he would've. We'll never know now, will we? Because I'm going to kill you, Grimorie. I won our little game."

I step forward, and Grimorie cowers. "Wil-Wilhelmina-"

"Don't call me that!" I hiss, raising the knife slightly.

She cowers at my anger. "-you've lost your marbles completely!"

"Maybe I have. I've been thrown into absolutely ridiculous circumstance thanks to you, because you decided it was a good idea to try and attempt to kill me! So yes, maybe I've gone crazy. I don't really mind though. I've found it's better to...embrace it than fight it." The ache in my chest that's been slowly starting burns a bit. I ignore it. Instead, I wrap one strand of hair around a finger of my free hand while I clutch the knife.

"P-Please..."

"Jared loves me. Does that hurt to hear, Grimorie? Jared. Loves. Me. Not you. Me."

This comments brings all her rage flying back, and once again she jumps at me. This time, I'm not defenseless, and I'm not using magic that I'm still getting used to. She falls into me, and I ram my knife into her shoulder. A scream of pain leaves her lips as she tries to pull away, and I pull the knife out as she falls away, grabbing at her shoulder. Her attempts at magicing it away don't work, which she should've realized would happen due to it being inflicted with silver. I suppose her desperation makes her mind not think straight. I drop the dagger on the counter with a victorious smirk, and dance away as she shoots a color ball at me, even though the magic itself is weak.

"You missed!" However, my gleeful taunt stops whenever I realize she didn't miss.

She wanted me to move away from where I set the knife. She picks it up, and while the pain on her face intensifies, it doesn't stop her.

"If I'm dying, you are going to die with me." She snarls the words with even more anger than I've seen in her any other time.

The knife flies from her grip, and my eyes are locked on it, because when it hits, it'll hit me in the face. It's one of those moments where your life flashes before your eyes. As I stand there, watching this thing hurtle towards me, lots of things pass before my eyes. Mainly my time with Teague.

I see myself walking into school two days after the fire at the Recycling Plant that killed Mei, and seeing Teague sitting across from Principle Ham. I remember being told that I was to guide him around the school, that he had the same schedule as me, and finding out that he wasn't here for the dagger. I relive him stealing the Grimorie, and then being told that he was here for me. I feel myself get hit by that car again. I remember Brody breaking up with me, and then me finalizing it. Once again, I watch Teague pull up and get me to get in his car, only to drive me off to an arcade and to dinner instead of my house. I remember seeing him having broken into my house, and seeing that Brody punched him in the face. I remember lying to Brody and getting myself a date with Teague to the dance because I slipped up. I remember the first time the Grimorie wrote to me. I remember not-so-agreeably skipping school with Teague to go to an amusement park, and kissing on the Ferris Wheel while the fireworks boomed around us. I look at the face of the Grimorie for the first time all over again, and relive throwing the book Grimorie out the window. I remember yelling at Savannah to get away from my man, hearing about Jared's lovers, and then finding out Nan was helping Teague win me over. I remember Teague getting me ready for the dance, and then I remember standing in the alley after the Grimorie dragged me into the alley. I feel the darkness that held me captive after she hit me with her magic.

I remember my panic when I found out that I couldn't leave the Fae plane when Teague brought me there to heal me. The horrid nightmare I had that was warning me of what was to come echoes in my head, sending chills down my spine. I remember following the voice in my head to the cracked mirror containing Jared, and once again being knocked out by Fae magic, although that time it was the magic that released Jared and not the Grimorie's colorful balls. I remember talking with Jared, and then heading out to meet him at midnight to leave, only to turn back because of what happened in my dream. I remember being in my room for days, waiting for Teague to arrive, and watching as the black lines swirled up my hand from my palm. I remember Jared coming back for me, explaining that I was tied to the two Fae Princes as well as the Fae Plane, and being taken away with him. I once again watch Jared morph into the Grimorie as she reveals that she switched spots with him days ago, and then see myself tumble overboard into the water. I remember being dragged under by the Grimorie, and calling for Teague before blacking out. I remember lying on the beach and begging him not to leave me again, and then hiding my face in his shoulder as he brought me back to the castle. I see me trying to ice a cake, and then shooting the icing at Teague, which resulted at a full out battle before he helped me finish icing it. I then remember him carrying me off to a balcony picnic, so that we could stargaze together. I remember smacking the Grimorie in the head with a chair, and then being knocked out by the Grimorie again.

And then the worst memories resurface. I remember laying in my cell, drifting between consciousness and unconsciousness, unable to recall basically anything about myself. I remember myself screaming over and over again from the pain filling me due to the black tendrils that nearly covered my right arm, and then being carried away by a rather weak Teague. I remember collapsing with him very near the castle, and getting dragged to the same lake I was nearly drowned at before by the Grimorie and being chained to a tree across from Teague. I remember learning I could feel Teague's pain - although I don't know if he can feel my pain or how much of my pain he can feel - and then deciding that I would be the first to walk off the docks. I can feel myself plunging under water and thinking that that was how I was going to die, only to be pushed under the docks by my slow Fae magic. I remember the feel of the cold water as I made myself bob there for hours, until I was sure it would be safe to climb out, with pain rushing through me every now and then from Teague as he struggled somewhere else. I once again kneel on the raft, and once again I lost my oar for moving my makeshift ship along only to come face to face with a black and purple, seven-headed hydra. I remember ditching the boat and trying to flounder away as the heads began to attack, and how my siren call came into play and saved my life. I hear Coral - a very strange and a bit problematic princess mermaid - blowing her conch shell and stopping that beast from killing me, and then dropping the whole 'You are a Siren' thing on me, although I didn't believe her then. I remember meeting siren-hating Tide - and the dislike I had for him - and seeing the awful-screaming abaias, as well as my near-death experience while riding my abaia thanks to his hatred. I see the Siren City all over again, and hear Kino tell me once more that my audience with the King and Queen is accepted. I remember Coral making me scream to prove that I was a siren, and my angered outburst that made me mention that I was a Grimm, only to find out that the siren king and queen are my grandparents. I remember climbing down the dungeon stairs after slipping into the all-too-quiet castle, only to find Teague was gone and the Grimorie was down there. I relive the way I started this crazy game of madness, and me disappearing away from the Grimorie. I see the entire game play out of us fighting, and the entire kitchen match that leads to where I stand now.

All this passes through my hand in a fraction of a second, yet it seems like an eternity. And just as I brace myself for it to hit me in the face, it freezes in the air. I stare at it, confused. Is my life glitching? Am I bleeding on the ground and my mind is just keeping me from realizing it? Thousands of scenarious and reasons flash through my head in a second, but none seem right. However, I get my answer.

"Game over, Grimorie." Could it possibly be?

I turn, and there's Teague, with his hand up. He's panting, and he looks weak, but he stopped the knife from hitting my face. The Grimorie falls to the ground, gripping her shoulder and screaming with pain. I almost pity her. Almost. It's a painful death. But, part of me relishes in the pain I've caused her. She tried to kill me. Now I've killed her. Now ignoring her writhing and hurt cries, I rush over to Teague, throwing my arms around him. Tears sting my eyes, and I try to blink them away as I bury my face in his shoulder.

"Sh, it's okay, Mina." Teague's voice is quiet. "I told you I was coming back for you."

Wow, that was long and very fun to write! Hopefully the length makes up for how long it took me to update. There is - unless I split the next chapter - one last chapter of this story! :D I really hope you guys liked it!

I won't update till there are at least three reviews. I don't know how long that will take, or how long it will take me after that to update, but I don't think it'll take almost a month again! c:

Let me know what you guys think of all this! It'll all be wrapping up next chapter, but I'd love to know what you think will happen in this final chapter and what your opinion is of this current chapter!

~ Dagger