In a lifetime

Chapter 11: Joseph Flores

After waiting the entire night for Veronica's mom to wake up she finally does around 3:38 in the afternoon the next day.

I'm happy that Veronica gets to see her mom another day, wish I can say the same for myself but this isn't about me anymore. "Oh you all didn't have to stay," said Veronica's mom, and in response, we smile and leave the room for her and Veronica to be together.

Daniel tells me he has to go but will talk to me later, I walk with him to his car so I can get home to get the locator spell prepared.

He drives me home and again tells me he'll talk to me later, not feeling a good vibe from that, I nod and head inside my house.

I open the basic magic grimoire and begin gathering the ingredients needed for the locator spell which really is just a map, a piece belonging to whom I'm looking for and a knife but I don't really feel like cutting my hand open so I substitute it with a pendant instead.

I text everyone that the spell is ready and I'll be waiting for them, they all agree to head over in about five minutes.

Before everyone arrives I practice a little light manipulation spell "lux curvata est mihi" I speak and with the movement of my hands the lights in my house begin to get dimmer and brighter, I'm getting better at this.

Putting my hands down as my friends walk in, ready to find Laurel, I realize Daniel isn't with them but I move on and warn them that this would be the second biggest spell I'll be using so it might not work they nod in understanding but I was really directing it towards Veronica.

Placing the map on the table I hold the pendent directly above it and speak the words "locate populus volo invenire" the pendant doesn't move but I can feel another spell being used, something stopping me from looking any further, I push a little harder to break through the spell,

In doing so I can feel myself using more energy and concentration, the fires on the candles grow taller and wilder, blood trickling down my nose, the faint sound of Nessa's voice saying "Joseph you need to pull back now!" I listen and before pulling away I hear "found you" by an unknown voice and if I was to take a guess it'll be Laurel.

Nessa and Eli move me to the couch and begin working on another plan to find Laurel but I tell them we don't have to because she's already headed here but Veronica steps in "I know you tried to find her for me but you shouldn't hurt yourself and why would she say that to you if she already knew where we were" and that gets me to question her motives but Nessa is already one step ahead.

"That's because when she found you she didn't know Joseph was in the same area, her only real target is the witch and then rest of us," Nessa says and now I feel a little more stress now cause she's after me first, when can anything go my way.

I get up to the kitchen to clean away the blood on my nose and I hear a knocking on the door, I go ahead and open the door and it's Daniel and he looks a little sad. I tell him to walk in and he questions what had happened and I explain everything that had just occurred in the last 2 minutes.

"So yeah now Laurel is heading this way to kill me and I just learned a cloaking and invisibility spell thanks to her," I say with minor humor in my tone. Daniel looks even more confused but goes back to his sad look and asks if we can talk outside, I follow him and my heart is racing, I don't know what he wants to talk to me about but it can't be good.

"My parents are planning on moving to another state to look for another myth," he says and I don't interrupt so he continues "but I just met you and I really like you and if what you say about Laurel heading here is true then I want to be with when she comes, with all of you, so can I live with you? I know we've only been on one date but hey it can mean more bonding" he finishes and I'm taking by surprise, as much as I want him here with me I don't know if staying is safe for him.

After ten seconds of staring at him in silence and I smile and say yes like he asked me to marry him and he hugs me with full impact and when he backs up he says "good cause I already told my parents I'm staying" I- what he did what, how persistent of him.

We both head inside I helping with his luggage and I tell everyone "Daniel is moving in with me" with humor and everyone is happy he's staying and help him get settled in the guest room near mine.

As everyone is upstairs with Daniel I find Veronica looking out the window and I walk up to her and say "you should be with your mom, we'll deal with Laurel when the time comes, don't pass up the moment to be with your mom so go" I say and she smiles and hugs me, everyone's hugging me today I see, and she heads over to the hospital.

That's one problem solved and now I got to deal with the one upstairs but I am really happy he is here with me.