When Audrey woke up the next morning someone was standing over her. She jumped up and sucked in air to scream when a strong hand covered her mouth and muffled the noise.
“There’s no need for that.” Audrey recognized the voice and reached over to turn her bedside lamp on. A tall figure wearing a black tee and matching black jeans stood over her, blending in with the shadows that filled her room. She pulled their hand off her mouth and huffed.
“You scared me!” She hissed through her teeth. The boy shrugged.
“Sorry.” Was all he said.
Pushing James to the side, Audrey got out of bed and opened her curtains. Hardly any light filtered through the heavy, grey rain clouds that hung low in the sky. “So, does it have to be night when she does this whole sacrifice thing?” She looked over her shoulder at James, who was ruffling his hair.
“Yeah, just cause the moon is gone from the sky that doesn’t mean she’s going to just slaughter you in broad daylight. It’s still a night ritual.” Chills swept through Audrey and she looked back out the window.
“So she’s done this before?” There was a long silence, Audrey could feel the tension floating off of the young man behind her.
"Probably. I'm not usually around when she casts her magic since I'm not part of the coven. Either way, I’ll make sure you remain unharmed but we need to leave." James gently grabbed Audrey by the upper arm and pulled her to the window.
“Wait, what the hell? You’re going to throw me out of my window?”
“Well, your family is downstairs and I think they’d be a little concerned if a boy walked out of your room.” Audrey stared at him in astonishment.
“Then let me go down by myself. I’ll meet you outside.” James thought a moment.
“That sounds reasonable.” He let go of her arm and she took a couple steps back.
“You weirdo.” She teased him playfully before turning to her dresser. Audrey started to get changed as James lounged in her window seat. At first she was shocked with herself for undressing in front of a boy but when she glanced over her shoulder she saw that he faced straight ahead towards the bed. Of course he’s not sneaking a peek at you dummy. As She pulled her jeans up she noted that this was the first time she’d really seen his bare arms. His skin was a beautiful Ivory colour and though he wasn’t built like Hulk Hogan, he did boast some muscle. Wasn’t surprising after the story he told her last night. Suddenly her heart ached as she thought of everything he told her. The hardships he had to go through, the pain and fear he felt. He was alone through all of it. No wonder he had steeled his heart and let go of his emotions. They were probably tearing him apart. After tugging on a comfy camisole and pushing her feet into a pair of ballet flats she walked over to James. He had closed his eyes and was enjoying the warm kiss of cool air flowing in from outside. His hair gently brushed the bridge of his nose as it moved with the air. She didn’t stand there long before the boy spoke without opening his eyes.
“Ready then?” Without waiting for an answer he kicked his legs out the window and dropped from the second floor. Audrey stuck her head out the window to check on him. He had landed on his feet and rolled to take some of the impact into his shoulders then swiftly stood up and crammed his hands into his pockets, strolling around to the front of the house. She couldn’t help smiling as she turned to her night stand and shot Brandon a text. But he never replied. Feeling somewhat disheartened she dropped her phone into her back pocket and finished running a brush through her thick hair. Five minutes later she met James outside. They walked silently all through town. When they finally reached the lake she stopped and looked at him. His face was turned up towards the sun as it peeked through the heavy clouds.
“I’m scared.” She finally admitted. James tilted his head down but didn’t look at her.
“I told you nothing was going to happen to you.” And with that both of them fell back into a comfortable silence. She liked how they didn’t have to use words to really communicate. She could feel his reassurance through his energy. They spent the rest of the day out by the lake, waiting for dusk. When The sun finally started making its descent they got up and made their way back across town to Aunties.
The old woman was sitting in her chair outside, a very serious look in her eyes as the two stopped in front of her.
“It’s time to choose Audrey. You can either join me and James on our travels or be wiped out.” Audrey shook her head. Absolute lunacy.
“No.” Was all she could say. Auntie stared at Audrey for a long time, eyes cold and calculating. Those sapphire eyes used to be so warm and kind. Now they sent chills up Audrey's spine. Suddenly James jerked away from Audrey, falling to the ground with a startled grunt. A tall, lean figure was grappling with him in the grass and Audrey sucked in a sharp breath when she realized it was Brandon.
The blond boy trapped James on the ground and looked up at his girlfriend, eyes wild.
“Run Audrey!” Her legs were shaking as she took a couple of steps back towards the woods. What was she supposed to do? James was already overtaking Brandon, who had a vicious expression as he fought for control. But Audrey already knew he wouldn't get it. James was just putting on a show. His face almost matched Brandons, except there was no fire in his eyes like the other boys'. In one swift motion, James flipped Brandon off of him and pinned him face down in the dirt and his sightless eyes snapped to Audrey's direction. He jerked his head toward the woods and suddenly she got it. He was telling her to run. Hesitantly she turned and ran into the woods. Her feet pounded the soft earth as she ducked and wove through the trees. Fear for Brandon stabbed through her chest. He didn’t know that James was on their side. But she couldn’t tell him. Auntie would have heard. The undergrowth grew thicker and thorns tore at her legs as she continued to run. She couldn’t help but think back to when James had chased the two of them through these same trees, unaware of who or what he was. Just the fear of the unknown pushing her forward. Suddenly the undergrowth vanished and the trees spaced out more and then the washout yawned before her. Audrey violently started backpedaling, praying that she stopped before falling over the edge. She slid to a halt at the edge, her bottom hitting the soil with a thud and scurried back. As she stood up she slammed into something. Spinning around Audrey met deep sea blue eyes staring at her.
“Brandon! Where have you been? I haven’t heard from you. I was getting worried! Thank god you’re ok!” The two hugged tightly and only broke apart when another set of footsteps raced towards them.
“James! Are you ok?” Brandon swung a fist towards the other boy but James was ready for it. He threw up his arms in a block and took a step back.
“I’m not your enemy." James said in a calm, cool voice. He put his arms down, showing he was not going to fight. "I'm here to help Audrey."
“Wait what? Aren’t you working with the old lady?” James crossed his arms over his chest, lifting his chin.
“Not anymore. I quit.” Brandon didn’t seem convinced, so Audrey took a tentative step forward and placed her hand on his arm.
“He’s telling the truth. I trust him.” Brandon looked between his girlfriend and the strange boy, eyes clouded before letting go of a soft sigh. Audrey could feel the tension slowly fading between the two young men when James suddenly froze. He stared into space, focusing on something that only his senses could pick up.
“She’s coming.” All three of them turned to the direction they came, both boys standing protectively in front of Audrey. She took a couple steps back and looked over her shoulder at the sheer drop behind her. The washout looked more like a cliff than it did anything else. The drop was a solid twenty feet. Usually washouts aren’t that large. But a sinkhole opened up years ago and swallowed up some of the earth in a massive cave in. It was a dangerous fall that anyone would be lucky to survive, despite the sandy floor. Suddenly a loud shrieking split the silence. Audrey clapped her hands over her ears and looked around. The old woman was nearby, but she couldn’t see where. Suddenly James’ feet left the ground and he was hurtled sideways, he rolled a couple of times and got to his feet.
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