Chapter 25-
Blood and Magic
I believe it was Jack Welch that said 'Control your own destiny or someone else will'. That quote had never run so true than in this moment. I followed behind Samantha, flanked by James, deep into the woods of Forks. I had allowed someone else to control my destiny.
It was my own fault. After the first time, I should have done something. I should have tried to find a way to control myself and my destiny. However, what I'd done was ignore the problem. I'd pretended that I was normal and that my magic wasn't out of control. I had neglected my powers. I hadn't learned to use them, to control them, and now they were being used against me.
What I was still trying to comprehend was Samantha's involvement in all this. The girl who'd held me as I cried myself to sleep on many occasions, the girl who had been my rock since I was eleven years old, was now the catalyst for my destruction. Her betrayal hurt more than anything. This cold, calculating girl walking in front of me was not the Samantha I thought I knew.
I watched from behind my barrier as Samantha led us deeper into the trees. She was radiating smugness and confidence. It was alarming, but what worried me more was the confidence I was radiating. From experience I knew that this personality was full of rage and hatred. Right now, it was acting too calm and controlled. My instinct told me that this wasn't a good thing and I was probably plotting something. No good would come of this.
I had given up trying to penetrate the barrier. I had banged my fists, kicked it, I even tried head butting it at one point, all to no avail. So, I had taken to trying to gain control over some aspect of my brain. If I could break through enough to control my arms, I might be able to stop any upcoming attacks I would administer. I wasn't having much success; I was literally in a prison.
Ahead of me, some tree roots got tangled into Samantha's boots, sending her plummeting to the ground, her head smashing against a tree on her way down. My immediate thought or instinct was to help her, check that she wasn't seriously hurt or bleeding. However, my body did the opposite. I felt my body lean onto my back leg, my hip shift to the side, my arms fold in front of my chest and a cruel smirk grace my face. I was amused, taking enjoyment in her pain. If I could shudder, I would have. She was my best friend, what kind of person took enjoyment out of their loved ones pain?
"You alright down there, Samantha?" a cold, bitter, distant voice asked. It took me a few seconds to realise that the voice was mine.
"I'm fine, thank you." Her reply was snappy as she detangled the roots.
"Good. Get up then." She glared at me, pulling herself off the ground, brushing away the dirt from her trousers.
"Thanks for your help, James." She snarled. My head whipped round to see the vampire, I had been ignoring.
"It's not my job to save you," he grinned tightly, leaning against a tree.
Samantha's hatred filled eyes flicked between me and James, and I wondered who she hated most in this moment. "You both make me sick," she decided.
"We know," James and I spoke simultaneously. Identical evil smirks on our faces. I found it a little unnerving how similar we were acting.
"Come on, we're nearly there," she rumbled, before turning and stomping away.
James grabbed my upper arm, trying to get me to walk forward. His ice cold grip was familiar, yet so wrong. I looked at his hand in disgust before sending strong bolts of electricity through my arm. James screeched in pain as the currents shot through his body. He instantly released his grip.
"You bitch!" he shouted, his voice bouncing off the trees.
"Touch me again and I will burn it off." I said sweetly, yet the threat was very evident. Even when I didn't have proper control over my body, I still hated vampires. Well, not all vampires. My thoughts shifted to Edward as I continued after Samantha. I could only imagine what he was going through right now. Did they even know I was missing? They must, I decided, since I only went to find a ball. Was he looking for me? My heart squeezed at that thought. We both had been dodging our feelings, avoiding talking about the kiss, the way heart raced when he touched me, the subtle current that ran through the both of us when the other was near. Neither of us wanted to be responsible for making the first move. Now I was going to die without ever really expressing those feelings.
All thoughts vanished from my head when I stepped into the open clearing where I first met Edward.
"What is it with this bloody field?" My eyes rolled.
Samantha turned to me; she had regained her twisted, sarcastic smile. Those marbles were officially loose again.
"Let's get started," she said pulling out a knife from her bag.
The rational part of me was shaking. I may be a witch, but I still had a body that could bleed and feel pain. However, the rational me wasn't in control at this moment, so instead of feeling fright, I just eyed the knife fearlessly.
"Are you going to stab me, Samantha? Why such mortal methods? We both know your wand could do more damage."
"Oh this isn't for you, Izzy." Her arm snapped outwards, holding the knife out to James. "Carve out the symbol like I showed you."
James growled, clearly not liking being told what to do. However, my darling best friend wasn't in the mood to play games. Rage filled her eyes, turning them the classic red which signifies that a witch or warlock is primed for a fight. I could feel the hum of magic in the air as she summoned a fire ball. James got the message. He reluctantly took the knife from Sam before he ran off to carve a symbol into the ground. My black eyes stayed locked on Samantha's as James blurred around the field.
"You have no idea how long I have waited for this," her eyes turned desperate again, like she was pleading with me to understand, "how much I need this."
The evil smirk was back on my face. "No sweetheart, what you need is a padded cell." The desperation in her eyes changed to loathing as her hand connected with my face. Yet I continued to smirk.
"Feel better?"
"You're too brave for your own good, Bella."
"This isn't bravery honey, its confidence. This is what it feels like to be powerful, to be strong." My voice was full of steel, full of cockiness. "I could have killed you the second I surfaced if I wanted to. You don't hold a candle to me; you never have. I have always been more powerful, but you know that, otherwise I wouldn't be here."
"So why haven't you killed me?" she questioned me confidently. I had to give her credit, she wasn't backing down.
"I'm curious," I shrugged, stepping past her and walking into the open field.
James stood to the side of the clearing, the knife jammed in the tree next to his head. The symbol he had carved into the ground was something I hadn't seen before. Three identical spirals were connected to each other.
"It's called the Triple Spiral or the Spiral of Life." Samantha informed me, walking into the middle of the first spiral.
"It's not Latin." I stated, watching as she summoned three identical bowls. She removed three vials from her bag, placing them on the ground.
"No, it's Celtic," she replied absently, pouring clear liquid from one of the vials into a bowl. She gently laid the bowl onto the start of the first spiral. Then she emptied the other two vials into the remaining bowls, one containing dirt and the other twigs. She then set fire to them. Water, earth and fire. She gently laid the bowls at the start of the other two spirals before joining me in the centre. She conjured a cauldron of boiling water then started adding all kinds of ingredients from her bag. I recognised some of them, but not all. Some were dry and others were slimy. I hope she didn't expect me to drink that, because it wasn't going to happen.
For five minutes, silence hung around the field, as Samantha added a variety of ingredients and mumbled to herself. Her red eyes were fixed on the solution she was controlling. When she finished, her eyes shot up to James. Both me and the personality controlling my body took great enjoyment in watching him flinch. He really had no idea what he had gotten himself into.
"Knife," was all she said. James growled again, his lips pulled back exposing his sharp teeth. I rolled my eyes at his dramatic behaviour, before magically removing the knife from the tree. I was tempted to slash him across the face with it, but it would probably do more damage to the knife than to his skin.
"I need your blood."
"I looked at her in confusion "Excuse me? Isn't he meant to be the blood sucker here?"
"I'm not going to drink it," she snapped her temper building. "It's for the potion. It requires the blood of the caster. Now give me your hand or I will have James take it."
"Well when you ask so nicely, how can I say no?" I said shaking my head with a small smile on my face. The second my hand was close, she slashed the knife across my palm before shoving it over the bubbling cauldron. A few drops fell from my cut and within seconds she had copied her actions with her own blood.
I healed my hand as quickly as I could, using a spell I shouldn't even be able to use. Medical magic was beyond my skills. For the first time I was grateful for my other personality's powers. She was powerful, and there was still a blood thirsty, crimson eyed vampire not three meters away from us. His horrific eyes focused on the small cuts on Samantha's hand. Best not to tempt fate.
"The final ingredients," Samantha whispered, removing a gold chain from her neck. Hanging from that chain were two gold rings. Her parent's wedding bands. I looked on in disgust as she kissed each ring and dropped them in.
The reaction was immediate. The potion turned bright purple before bubbling at an alarming rate. Judging by the look on Samantha's face, everything was going to plan. She grabbed both of my hands, yanking me towards the cauldron so it was in between the circle of our arms.
"Think of my parents; remember their faces, the way they smiled, the way they spoke. I'll transfer the spell to you as it is in Celtic and I don't have time for you to learn it. It took me a year to learn the spell for this."
For some unknown reason, I did what I was told. I could feel something diving into the deep parts of my brain summoning images and memories of Catherine and Robert Price. At that I started to panic. I had to do something. This was my body and mind yet I couldn't stop it from partaking in this nonsense. I smash against the barrier restraining me, with as much force as I could muster but it didn't even shift. I racked my brain, trying to remember how I got free last time. What had snapped me out of it?
Edward.
Edward had snapped me out of it. Well, the fact that I was about to kill him. I was screwed. As realisation crashed around me, my determination grew. This spell wasn't going to work. No matter how powerful the caster is, no magic can wake the dead. When the spell falls through, Samantha will lose her temper. Then who knows what will happen? She would be a danger to herself and anyone who happens to be around her. Therefore, I need to break through my prison before she realises that this is all in her head and she lets loose on the citizens of Forks.
As I pondered my escape, searching and seeking for a hole in my barrier, my magic flowed effortlessly through the air, connecting with the potion and Samantha's magic. The result was an ever-growing cloud of violet smoke. The three spirals started to glow bright and the ground began to shake. After transferring the spell into my head, Samantha released my hands, backing away from the cauldron, allowing me to take full control of the spell.
"Bella?" my whole body tensed at the sound of my name. Can you say déjà vu? My head snapped up, peering through the violet smoke, I saw the group on the other side of the clearing. The looks of relief shifted to looks of fear and anxiety.
"Please not again," I heard Edward say over the roar of the spell.
I spared them one last look before focusing my attention back to the spell I was casting. The foreign language of the spell ran through my head over and over again. I could feel the magic flowing from my hands, expanding the growing cloud of smoke.
"Samantha? What are you doing here? What have you done?" I could hear Renee's angry voice. She was pissed.
"Hello Renee, Charlie. It's good to see you again. It's a shame it had to be under such circumstances."
"What have you done?" Alice spoke and for the first time ever she sounded dangerous. Emmett took a step towards us but was intercepted by James. I could hear the ripping and scraping as the two vampires fought.
"Taking back my life," Sam bit back. She took a step to stand directly in front of Edward, blocking him from getting any closer to me. "None of you will stop this."
Once I saw spells and enchantments flying around the field, I blocked out their fighting and focused on the growth of the spell. It was powerful and strong. My body was shaking trying to control it, the three elements at the centre of the spirals were adding strength to the spell. I wasn't even sure what was meant to happen but I could feel something. Something was attempting to push its way through. Could she be right? Could I really bring back the dead?
"Edward!" Esme screeched. My head snapped up automatically, I took notice of everyone around me. Carlisle was holding on to Esme and Charlie onto Renee. Zephyr was standing to the side, mumbling what sounded like some kind of counter curse. Rose and Alice stood on the side lines, their eyes fixed on me, like they were trying to find a way to get to me.
Emmett and Jasper had James in a death grip but were just holding onto him. What were they waiting for?
However, that's not what had my attention. It was Edward and Sam.
The image of Samantha sending Edward flying across the field seemed to snap something within me. How dare she put her hands on my…my what? What exactly is he? It doesn't matter! She has no right to touch him.
I finally felt myself snap. The rage I expect to accompany this personality rose in me at an alarming rate. I was so angry, my vision turned red and all I could think about was hurting her. I finally managed to punch a hole through my barrier. I wasn't free but just enough to feel the rage with in me and for once I was more than happy to use my new found power to punish her for putting her hand of Edward. Well, her magic anyway. With my mind now occupied with murderous thoughts, the spell I was casting complete forgotten, the power cloud smoke I had conjured, dispersed.
The smoke cloud was gone; I simmered in my rage as silence echoed around the field. The air was thick with tension and magic. My now brown eyes were fixed on Samantha, who was fuming. After all, I'd just destroyed her dream.
"What did you do?!" she screamed storming towards me. However, I couldn't have cared less about the girl in front of me. My black eyes were locked on my family. Esme, Carlisle, Alice and Rose were standing around Edward as Renee's hands were hovering over Edwards's chest, healing whatever damage had been done. I could hear her mumbling to him, reassuring him that everything was going to be okay, that he wouldn't feel anything.
I felt myself growl loudly. Since when did I growl? Before I could really think about it, I raised both my arms creating a big white bubble, a shield.
"What are you doing, Bella?" Samantha's frantic voice echoed around the field but her eyes were fixed on the white dome that now covered the clearing, boxing all of us into one isolated place.
"Oh this isn't good." Emmett murmured, his eyes also fixed on shield but his grip in James's neck tightening.
"Can you counter act it?" Carlisle asked Charlie and Zephyr but they both shook their heads.
"She is too strong," Zephyr answered bluntly.
"We're screwed then?" Rose's voice was full of anxiety and fear. I hated hearing her talk like that. It was unnerving that I could make someone so strong break down so easily.
"Bella?" Alice called, her eyes locked on my face. She had noticed that my eyes had changed back to my normal brown. "Is that you? Can you hear me?"
Everyone turned to look at me. There were gasps of relief but they were short lived. As my anger took over again and I felt my eyes turn black and I slipped back behind my barrier and for once I didn't fight it. I wanted Samantha to pay for that.
"Bella stop it! Stop it now!" Sam stomped towards me but before she could get close enough I magically gripped her neck, hauling her off the ground.
As I choked the life out of my best friend, James started to struggle in Emmett's arms. He was fighting against Emmett's grip, struggling to get to me. Was he trying to help Sam? Why? From the corner of my eye is saw shock register on Jasper's face. Clearly I was missing something.
James was becoming frantic and Emmett was losing his grip. I spared him one last look before sending a bolt of fire towards Emmett. It landed direct on the floor a few feet from them. The bolt of fire connects with a dry ground, expanding into a massive bonfire.
There was a vicious growling, followed by shocking snapping sound, and a high keening, that suddenly broke off. That was the end of James.
My attention returned to Sam. I didn't want this. I didn't want to kill her. I just wanted to hurt her for everything. For kidnapping me, trying to kill me, bringing me here, and hurting Edward. I was one of her closest friends, yet she still had attempted this. I understood that she was suffering and she missed her parents. She clearly needed help and support. Right now I was angry with her, but I still loved her like a sister and I didn't want her to die. I tried to break through again, desperate to stop this before I did her some serious damage. I punched and kicked and screamed but nothing was working.
I tightened my magical grip on Samantha's neck, depriving her of air. She gasped louder, trying to force oxygen into her lungs.
Let go! Please let her go! I screamed, banging on the barrier. My mental hands were throbbing. Not that I cared. I was about to kill my best friend!
"Bella! You're going to kill her." Edward's voice broke through the red haze but it was already to late.
Samantha's eyes rolled back into her head, her struggling stopped and her body went completely limp. When she was deathly still, I finally released my magical grip on her neck and she fell to the ground, lifeless.
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of the characters or locations from the series.
Happy Halloween! Hope you all have fun celebrating it!
What do we think?
Please leave me a review.
Thank you for all the reviews and support I got for the last chapter.
Next chapter will be up next week or maybe sooner.
Here is a small preview:
"Enough of this," I giggled darkly, the sound of it made me nervous. I shuddered before firing a deflect spell, sending Zephyr and Renee flying across the clearing. I didn't even see where they landed before my magic was hitting Jasper and Emmet.
See you all soon
xxx Red as a Rose xxx
Recommended Story: Why Did You Stay by CharlotteAshmore (OUAT Story). I just watched the second sneak peek for this weeks episode of OUAT (S4 E6) and I think my heart is breaking. I have a very bad feeling about this series for Rumbelle. So I decided to drown myself in Fanfiction stories about my favourite couple before they get torn apart on Sunday.
Authors Note; I am please to announce that Bouquet of Dreams is back in business. So to any of my readers who follow the story...go check it out.