Penelope

By the time Baz drops me off to get Shepard at his flat, it is already late in the afternoon. He offered to drive us back to my place, but I told him we could manage back on our own. He was looking more gray than usual. I'm not sure if it's from exhaustion or thirst, but I thought it better not to ask.

He said something about wanting to go hunt before he came home to review his books on combat spells, and then drove off almost as soon as I was out of the car.

Outside Baz's building, I hear the very faint sound of metal clanging coming from the roof. I assume that's where Shepard's training and make my way up the stairs.

I'm not sure what I was expecting to see when I finally got up here, but it was not Shepard looking like one of bloody King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table.

He's on the attack, swiping at Nicodemus skillfully as he pushes him back towards the edge of the roof. When Nicodemus manages to swing back, Shepard is always ready to block him. I thought Simon was decent with a blade, but this is something else. Shepard almost looks transformed. He's shed his signature jean jacket and you can see all of the thorny tattoos covering his arms as sweat soaks through his black tank top.

Shepard doesn't falter or back off until Nicodemus is cornered and putting his free hand up in surrender.

"I think that's enough for today," Nicodemus tells Shepard. "Plus your girlfriend is back."

This snaps me out of staring open-mouthed at Shepard right before he turns around.

"Penelope! You're back already? How did it go?" he asks as he walks over to me excitedly. He's still energized from the match.

"Our families are going to help us," I tell them both. "We're all going to meet at Watford tomorrow night at sundown. My mum says if we try to go before then they may escape with Simon and we won't be able to find them in time."

Nicodemus nods in agreement. He picks up a wooden staff from the ground and points it at his sword. "Into thin air!" he calls as it disappears.

"You DO have Ebb's staff!" I nearly shout as I point at him.

He doesn't respond. He just shoves past my outstretched arm to the door. Before he walks through it, he turns around to Shepard. "I expect you to clear away as many as you can tomorrow night kid." Then he looks at me and smirks. "You're welcome by the way."

I'm about to respond, but he's already gone.

Shepard

Penelope and I walk back down to Baz's apartment. She unlocks the door using her ring and then pulls out some clothes from the bag she was carrying.

"These are my brother Premal's. He's tall like you. They should fit okay." She hands me a dark green t-shirt and some black sweatpants.

"I thought we were going back to your place?" I ask as I take them.

She stares at Baz's room worriedly for a second and then looks back at me. "I don't want to leave Baz alone. He'll say he's fine, but I know him. Being away from Simon….not knowing if he's okay…" Her voice starts to waver.

I drop the clothes, put my hands on her cheeks, and kiss her before she can finish her thought. I think she starts kissing me back for a split second, but then I feel her pull away from me sharply.

"What was that for?" she asks accusingly, taking another step back.

I run a hand through my hair sheepishly. "Well you're amazingly stubborn and extremely powerful, but you also truly care about people." I smile. "I like that."

She looks at me confused, as if I've spoken in another language. Her face slowly starts to spread into a smile and she lets out a small laugh. "I think Christopher messed with your mind more than you think." She leans back over her bag to dig out her phone.

"I didn't meet Christopher in Nebraska," I say. She freezes as she processes what I've just said. She slowly stands up again and then folds her arms across her chest and raises her eyebrows at me.

"Was it my beheading of vampires or wrestling a skunk that seduced you?" she asks sarcastically.

I shrug. "Probably both."

She rolls her eyes, but a hint of a smile plays across her lips. I want to kiss her again, but I decide to leave her to her thoughts and grab the clothes she brought me off the floor so I can clean up and change.

Baz

I was hoping to get back earlier, but it's nearly 10 pm by the time I pull up to my flat. It's harder to hunt during the day. The animals can see me coming. Eventually I managed to wrangle a stag and a doe in the woods outside the city. It was more than I usually drink, but I need to be at my strongest when we try to take down the Mage tomorrow.

I didn't want to come home after dark because I knew it would remind me of returning last night and finding Simon gone. I stop outside my door and stare at the spot where I cleaned up his blood less than 24 hours ago. Then I hear a soft sound coming from inside my room- like someone breathing a little too heavily or snoring.

I carefully unlock my door and stare inside. Shepard is spread out on my sofa completely asleep. The Sword of Mages is resting next to him on the floor. There are a couple bags from the local burger takeout place scattered on my coffee table. I see one untouched container holding a half-pound cheeseburger inside and take a bite. It's cold, but I don't care. I haven't eaten anything today. Well, besides the deer.

I finish the burger in the kitchen and quietly throw away the empty takeout bags. My door is closed, but there's a light on in my room.

When I walk in, Bunce is sitting up on my bed, her head leaning back as if she dozed off a while ago. One of my old spell books lays open in her lap. I pick it up and nudge her with it. She startles awake and adjusts the glasses on her face.

"What are you doing here Bunce?" I ask as I move over to my dresser to get some pajamas.

"I wasn't going to leave you alone," she says as if it's the most obvious answer in the world. She opens the book that I left beside her and tries to find her page again.

"Bunce I'm fine," I say as I head into the bathroom. "Take Shepard and go home. I need to rest."

When I finish showering, Bunce is still in my room. Apparently she's given up on reading. The book is laying on my nightstand and she's turned the light off and settled in under the covers on the right side of my bed.

I sigh heavily and get in on the other side. I lay awake on my back with my arms behind my head and stare at the ceiling. I'm afraid to close my eyes and dream of Simon. Or maybe I'm afraid I won't and I'll waste the remaining minutes I have to remember him.

I try to take a deep, calming breath but it comes out shakily. Bunce rolls over toward me and nestles into my side.

"Don't make me magic you to sleep," she mumbles. "We can't save Simon if you're dead on your feet tomorrow." She pokes my rib cage weakly, and I hear her almost immediately fall back asleep.

I take a steadier breath this time, and put my arm around her back. I try to think about the first time I worked with her and Simon back in our room at Mummers House. I replay that afternoon in my head and by the time I get to the part where she told me about her parents being bound together in five dimensions, I relax just enough to fall asleep.

I'll never tell her, but I'm grateful she stayed.

Agatha

I fell asleep soon after my parents and I came home yesterday, but when I wake up this morning, I'm full of nervous energy about what's to come tonight.

I should have probably drank some chamomile to calm my nerves, but instead I find myself parked outside the nearest Starbucks to my house. My plan is to get the largest Frappuccino they have with extra whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Might as well ride this sugar high throughout the rest of the day, I think to myself as I walk in the front door.

I can already hear Ginger protesting at all the dairy and stimulants in this monstrosity of a drink when the barista hands it over. But it tastes delicious and I regret nothing.

I settle into a small lounge chair in a corner and pull up my mobile to scroll through Instagram. I'm not ready to go home yet and deal with my parents' looks of impending doom.

Ginger posted a few pictures of herself out with Lucy yesterday. It looks like she took her to the nearby dog park. I swipe through the photos. In the last one, she's posing with another guy who has golden retriever sitting at his feet with a Frisbee in his mouth. The angle of the photo shows Lucy trying to jump and grab the toy. Ginger is leaning into the guy so they all fit in the shot and her smile takes up her whole face. He's smiling, too.

She's tagged the guy in the photo, so I pull up his feed. Apparently his name is Alex and his dog's name is Bailey. Based on his posts, Alex enjoys being outside as much as possible. Windsurfing, hiking, and something called ultimate Frisbee (those photos tend to include Bailey quite often). The fact that he's tan and likes being outdoors makes me relieved that Ginger hasn't found another vampire to date.

It only took Ginger a week to get over Josh. Good, I think. He didn't even deserve those seven days, but I'm glad she's happy again.

I'm about to text Ginger to ask about Alex (even though she won't see it until much later), when a shadow falls over me and I hear someone say "Agatha?"

I look up from my mobile. Even though it's been several years, I'd recognize those hazel eyes and dark curls anywhere. "Sacha?!"

A grin spreads across his face and I hastily put down my drink so I can stand up and hug him. He's filled out since I last saw him when I was fifteen. We met at one of my show jumping competitions. His sister competed against me in her age group. Sacha was a couple years older.

"What are you doing in London?" I finally say when I let him go. His family lived outside Paris when we started dating. Our relationship was mostly sending secret love letters back and forth, but his dad had to come to London for work often, and I'd try to see him whenever he accompanied his father for the week.

"I got accepted into the Royal Veterinary College here. I start next term, but they offer some seminars over the summer and my friend knew someone looking for a flatmate nearby, so…here I am." He holds his arms out as if presenting himself. It's been so long since I've heard his lovely French accent that I almost swoon a little. "Can I join you?" he asks, gesturing at the seat across from mine.

I shake my head slightly to clear it. "Of course." We both sit down and then I continue. "That's amazing that you got accepted to RVC!" Sacha hadn't just come to the show jumping competition to support his younger sister. His family had their own stable in the country, and he loved caring for the horses. He used to talk about going to RVC one day to join their equine research program.

Even with his darker skin, I see a slight blush cross his cheeks when I compliment him. "Thanks," he says lightly. "How have you been? Finally escaped that stuffy boarding school you couldn't stand?"

His mentioning of Watford makes my stomach churn for a moment. There's a big clock on the wall behind Sacha. In twelve hours, I'll have to drive through those gates again.

Sacha can sense something is wrong and reaches over to put a hand on mine. "It's really good to see you Ags," he says softly.

I smile at him and then carefully pull my hand away to move some of my hair behind my ear.

Then I go on to tell him what I can- mentioning that I left school early and moved out to California. That my friends "visited" me recently and talked me into coming home for a while to see my family. I tell him about Lucy and show him pictures of her on my mobile. He tells me about how his sister Julie is doing- apparently she's still dominating show jumping competitions across Europe. He casually mentions he's currently single, while I try to conceal my delight.

He excuses himself after about an hour to get something from the barista. When he comes back, he hands me a napkin with his number written on it. "I have to run to make this networking luncheon today," he says, "but I'd really like to see you again tomorrow if you're still here."

His words make my heart stop for a second. Not because I am so eager to see him again soon, but that he said "if you're still here." I know he means if I am still in town, but a part of me wonders if I will really be here tomorrow. Or if the timeline will change. Or if I'll even survive whatever we face tonight.

But if I am here tomorrow, I want to see Sacha again. So I smile and take the napkin, and I don't flinch when he kisses my cheek on his way out.

Simon

The Mage didn't return until late in the afternoon on the following day. By the way the light was filtering in the room, I figured I had only a few hours left until sundown. A few hours left to live.

Christopher had stayed with me yesterday, but we didn't speak again. He left for part of the evening and came back with a sandwich and more water for me. Once again I took the water and tossed the food aside.

He walks over now to meet the Mage by the door. "Are the vampires in place?" the Mage asks.

"Yeah, they're ready," he nods. "There were so few guards left, it was easy to slip them into the catacombs under nightfall."

I stand up. My chains rattle heavily against the floor, causing both men to look in my direction. "Vampires?" I ask.

"They aren't for you," the Mage says. "They are just here as a….precaution."

I realize he means to use them against anyone who might try to save me or stop him. I move forward, but the chains yank my wrists back. "You made a vow!"

"I made a vow to keep those you love safe when I go back," the Mage emphasizes. "I can't do the spell if they interfere. It won't matter if anyone gets hurt because it will all be reversed anyway. You'll be with your mother again-"

"You told me we were going to be honest with each other," I interrupt him, though I keep my voice even.

Christopher looks at me and then back the Mage, unsure of what I mean. The Mage knows. I can see it in his face. He stays quiet. There's regret in his eyes, but it's not enough to overpower his resolve.

"What's he talking about?" Christopher asks the Mage.

"Forget it," I say, moving a step back so the chains won't tug at my wrists so hard.

The Mage speaks next. "I'll make sure she doesn't remember…I'll make sure she's free and happy and far away."

"Simon won't survive," Christopher says, which I think he meant as a question, but it comes out more like a statement.

The Mage takes out his wand and brings it to his side. He narrows his eyes at my uncle. "Does this change anything for you?"

Christopher looks back at me. I hold his gaze for a moment. He looks truly conflicted of how to proceed. But I've already forfeit my life. I break away from his eyes and stare at the floor.

"No," Christopher says finally, but his confidence is gone.

The Mage goes over the spell with Christopher again for the next few hours. He magically raises a platform up from the ground that looks like the top of a tomb with hooks on either side. It's where my wrists will be chained down. There are brass basins on either side of the platform by the hooks to collect my blood as the transfer of magic takes place. Once complete, he'll be able to cast the time travel spell within minutes.

The Mage also mentions something about extra reinforcements to Christopher, but they are farther away from me now by the window and I can't hear them very well.

I raise my shoulder to wipe the sweat sticking to my forehead. Baz's cedar smell is faint, but I still get a hint of it from his football shirt when it is near my face.

Suddenly the Mage is in front of me. "Simon- it's time," he says as he unlinks the chains from the beam.

I walk over to the platform and lay down. The stone is cold against my back, even fully clothed. The last bit of sunlight disappears from the windows and Christopher lights candles around the room with "Let there be light!"

As the Mage connects my shackles to the hooks on either side, I see him pull out a dagger. He's centimeters away from cutting my right arm when I hear the familiar sounds of stones piling on top of each other. It signals someone accessing the front door of the nursery.

Christopher and I turn to face the door, but the Mage drops the dagger to his side and puts his wand up to his throat before calling out "Hear Ye, Hear Ye." His next sentences come out so loud, the walls shudder around us.

"Fish out of water!" and then "Fight to the death!" Everything is silent for a moment. And then I hear a horrifying sound. Like dogs barking and choking on water at the same time. Merwolves.

I'm about to shout a warning to whoever is behind the nursery's door, but I get distracted by a sharp, burning pain as both my wrists are cut in rapid succession.

The Mage leans over me with his eyes closed "Easy come, easy go…" he begins, as my magic- and life- begin to drain away.