AN: I refuse to give up on this story, lol. It's just too good! :)
"Okay, Caleb, got it." Tyler was saying as he stepped back into His and Reid's dorm room. He flipped his phone shut, and threw a pillow at Reid, who was laying on his bed listening to his iPod.
"What's up, Baby Boy?" Reid sat up, pulling the earbuds out of his ears.
"That was Caleb. He wants us to grab Mel and head to the Colony House, says he and Pogue have found something important." Tyler pulled on his jacket and he and Reid left the dorms, hoping to catch up with Mel before she left Spenser, because Tyler's parents were already starting to complain about how much gas his Hummer took.
As they were coming down the steps, they heard an eerily familiar scream coming from the trail leading to school. It was familiar because they had heard it a long time ago. When Reid had thrown a garden snake on Mel when they were eight.
"Mel!" they said in unison, and both boys took off running towards the sound.
They ran down the trail, calling her name.
"There!" Tyler said, pointing. Someone was leaning against an old oak tree, breathing heavily. As they got closer, they saw that it was Mel. Her black hair was plastered to her face with sweat, and she was extremely pale.
"What happened?" Reid asked, wrapping an arm around Mel's waste to steady her as she got to her feet.
"We need to get to Caleb, call Pogue, too." She said, her voice was weak, but she was regaining her usually vibrant attitude rather quickly. "I'll explain when we get there, I don't want to go over this twice."
"Good." Tyler said, as Mel handed the keys to the Mustang to him. (She was still kind of dizzy so she didn't want to drive.) "Caleb actually just called. He wants us all to meet at the Colony house." Mel nodded, and began walking towards the Mustang, which was, mercifully,still sitting in the parking lot. She'd half expected Chase to steal it.
The car was quiet as they drove down the small access road that led to the gates of the Danvers' Colony house. Mel stared out the window, mulling over everything that had happened in the last few days. Reid did something very un-Reidlike and took her hand, which was resting on the console, near the gearshift. He gave it a reassuring squeeze as she stared out into the darkness, eyes a million miles away.
When they finally reached the Colony House, Mel was recovered enough to walk by herself into the ramshackle old building and down the steep, creepy stairway into the dank cellar the Covenant only used for official meetings that required them to consult the book of Damnation, or...
Mel stopped that thought in it's tracks. She knew she was being a horrible daughter, but the thought that her forty-two year-old father sitting upstairs, shriveled and on a respirator, scared her. She was terrified of ending up like that. So addicted to the Power that even the love of her family wouldn't be able to bring her to stop Using.
As she stepped into the Meeting room, she realized that Caleb was ready for anything. His sculpted face was a blank, unreadable mask made even more unreadable by the flames that encircled the altar.
He's bringing out the Book? Mel thought with a trill of fear. The Covenant only consulted the Book of Damnation in dire circumstances, as it was full of ancient magic and not to be taken lightly. Caleb looked up as he saw the three newcomers, and motioned for them to sit. Mel sat on the cold stone bench between Pogue and Reid. Reid automatically wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
Caleb's eyes sparked as, without preamble, he launched into a speech about how the book contained the names of the people who had brought charges against John Putnam during the Salem Witch Trials. He pointed out one name in particular: Agnes Goodwin Pope.
Goody Pope! Mel thought, restraining a groan. Why's he telling us this, we already know all this stuff from what Dad and Goreman taught us.
"...Mother to Hagan." Caleb continued, not noticing that Mel wasn't paying attention and Reid was secretly playing a game on his cell phone. "She claimed that John Putnam came to her as a succubus."
He then explained that Hagan Pope was born much too late for him to be the son of Goody Pope's husband.
So that means...what? Mel thought, not seeing how this affected any of them. Wait a second...Pope...Chase Goodwin Pope...Holy Shit! She could literally feel her face drain of color.
"So if Hagan Pope really was the bastard son of John Putnam, then the fifth family didn't die in Salem." Tyler piped up, voicing Mel's thoughts.
"And Chase is one of us." Caleb said quietly, almost at Reid he said "Last night someone was using, enough to wake me. When you said it wasn't you, were you lying?"
"It wasn't me! I swear." Reid said, and Mel could tell he wasn't lying.
Caleb was about to say something else when his phone rang. Mel could tell by the look on her brother's face that it was Sarah, and tried to hide a smirk. However, when Caleb failed to break into that goofy smile he got when talking to Sarah, she knew something was up.
"Okay, just go back to your room and wait for me. I'll be there as soon as I can." Caleb finished, ending the call.
"It's Kate." Caleb said heavily. "Chase put a spell on her."
"What do you mean?" Pogue said, jumping up instantly. "What kind of spell?"
"Creation." Caleb said hesitantly. Pogue had no sense of reason whenever Kate was brought up, and always tended to overreact. "Spiders. They're taking her over to the hospital in Gloucester now."
When Pogue jumped up and went for the stairs, Caleb tried to stop him. "Pogue, we don't know-"
"You're talking about Kate!" Pogue exclaimed. He ran up the stairs, accidentally knocking Mel onto Reid's lap.
"Hey, there, Baby Girl!" Reid said with a smirk. Mel rolled her eyes and followed her brother and Tyler up the stairs, thinking 'well this night just went to hell in a hurry.'
Before she could follow Caleb out the door,she felt a withered hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see Goreman.
"What's wrong, Gorman?" she asked.
"Melanie, your father would like to speak with you." the old/young man said, gesturing her towards the rickety staircase that went upstairs to where her father sat in front of the fire, barely able to move. With a gulp and a deep breath, Mel nodded and followed Goreman up the steps.
So I am sosososososo sorry for the EXTREMELY late update, but things got in the way (ie college, work...) but i promise more updates!