"So you and I will always be friends? Because were bonded and all?"
A real smile broke across my face. "You and I would always be friends even if we weren't bonded. I believe that completely."
Her grin spread, too.
"I've never had a friend, and I haven't really had a family since my mom and dad died. It all seems too good to be true. Everything I've dreamed of is suddenly happening. I've lived in a room with a mattress on the floor for most of my life. Now I have a real bedroom with an actual bed, and friends, and family. There's food in the fridge, and no one yelling is at me. There's no one hitting me. I can just breathe in without worrying about what's going to happen when I exhale. I never thought I'd feel this way. For the first time in my life, I'm not scared. I probably should be, considering all the crazy soul stealers that want us dead, but I'm not. I'm not afraid, because for the first time in forever, I'm not alone. Things just don't seem as scary when you don't have to face them alone."
I had never felt the pain that she had. I had wonderful parents. I'd always taken my family for granted. I couldn't imagine everything she had gone through. I was so happy that I could help her find a place where she actually felt wanted.
"I never really had a true girl friend before you. Ash and I were close, but she was always older, and of course there was sibling rivalry. All of the village kids were much younger or much older than I was.
"I'd never dated anyone until I came here. Everything in my old home was set up to keep me isolated. The guardians could only harbor one family of witches at a time. I was home schooled on top of that. It's nice to be able to have a real friend. It feels good to have someone I can just talk to. And it's nice not to have to hide anything from you anymore, too. I don't feel like I am going through this all alone now. It's hard to be a mortal in a house full of immortals. Sometimes I just want to have a regular conversation. It's nice to now that we can learn together."
She threw her arms around me, initially catching me off guard with the spontaneous affection, but then I returned the embrace. I didn't even realize how badly I needed this hug. Maybe magic did know a little bit about what it was doing, because Amelia was my only lifeline right then.
We had been swimming, and talking for about thirty minutes when we heard something. It sounded like someone had walked in, but we never saw anything. Then we heard something again.
Then I smelled it—that foul, unmistakably putrid smell. I felt my body cringe. Someone dark was in the room, and it didn't take long to spot him when he strolled in without any resistance.
He was a stocky-built man, with the same black eyes I had seen so many times now. It didn't make any sense. Our house had just been recrested. There were guards posted all over the yard. How did he get in?
I swallowed hard as his eyes turned to menacing slits, and his eerie voice broke the silence that was suffocating us.
"Good evening ladies. I suppose I should introduce myself. After all, I am a civilized person. My name is Warren."
His creepy grin spread as he sl
owly circled us. I half expected him to lick his lips. Amelia said nothing. Then Warren laughed for no obvious reason.
"I find such magnificent irony in the fact that there is a pool here. Not too many witches keep a body of water so close by. Too bad I can't put it to good use little mortals." He continued laughing—an ominous, skin-crawling, dark laugh.
Amelia stepped in front of me, but I pulled her back as I spoke. "I don't know how you got in here, but you should leave now before one of the others turns you to dust," I bluffed.
"I don't think so, little girl. I happen to know they're all gone, leaving you two unattended. Not very smart. But lady luck shined down on me tonight, it seems."
"There are guards all over the place," I countered, cringing when my voice broke and betrayed my fear.
How had he break through our barriers? I couldn't think of anything at all. It didn't make any sense. They had given that house all kinds of protection with the new crests. Tallis had slaved himself into a near coma.
Suddenly, he stopped pacing and smiled demonically. I felt every hair on my body rise.
"Well, I guess that's enough chit-chat." With that lone warning, he lunged into the water, his sights set on me.
He threw Amelia out of his way, making her crash into the far side of the pool. I prepared for death, embracing my fate with dignity and refusing to cry. But something I could have never expected to happen surprised everyone there, especially Warren.
He never even made it to me. The water stopped him in his tracks and glued him in place like concrete just before it pulled him under. It was as if the pool had suddenly come to life.
With frenzied motions, I climbed out quickly, gasping in shock as the water swirled around him like a cyclone, pulling him down deeper and deeper. Amelia ran over to me and we hugged each other in a terrified embrace, staring on in horrified amazement.
What just happened?
We could see him struggling under the water that seemed to be attacking him. Garbled gasps of disbelief and muttered threats escaped him, but he couldn't fight hard enough. After what felt like an eternity, the struggle ended.
His body surfaced, motionless. He was dead. I thought back to how everyone had told me the pool was the safest place in the house. Now I knew why.
Amelia and I both sighed, feeling safe again. But the reprieve was short lived when we heard more footsteps. We held each other tightly, terrified, as Taryn appeared. I exhaled, in relief. Amelia still looked scared though. She knew Taryn from school, but I'm sure meeting Warren had her on edge.
"It's just Taryn. She's on our side," I said to comfort her.