The Broken Raven - A Paradox Of Two Worlds Series Book 1

Chapter 71 - Brie

As the week progresses, I see Raven resembling Clay before he fell in love with her in more and more ways. It's almost as if Raven has no humanity left inside her. She's become cold and calculating, with no regard for the feelings of others and lacking any empathy or warmth. It's a little unsettling to watch, but I can't look away. We finally gave up trying to get her back, until the day she attacked me. That day, we decided we had to take action. We knew we couldn't let her continue to harm others without consequences. Unfortunately, it didn't go well for me. Raven was too powerful, and we were no match for her. As I lay there, wounded and defeated, I couldn't help but wonder how we had let it come to this. We had loved her so much, but in the end, it seemed love wasn't enough to save her from herself.

—We walk into the apartment to find Raven sitting there, making out with Jamie. I see Clay's heart drop into his stomach. "Get out!" I shouted at Jamie. Raven stands and starts to head toward her room. I follow, telling the boys to wait and that I will talk to her.

"Ray, we need to talk. You need to fight whatever this is and come back to us."

"What are you going on about, Blondie?" She snarls.

"I mean this," I wave my hands all over the place, "this isn't you!"

"You mean the killer? The cold-hearted bitch? The one who doesn't care? Which one?" She stands up, her eyes glow blue, and I start to feel anxious. I've never seen her like this.

"No, you're more than that. You're my best friend. You're like a little sister to Logan, and you're Clay's true love. That has to mean something." I pleaded with her. I just want my best friend back.

"Deep down, it probably does mean something," she says as she walks towards me, "but right now I'm hungry." Her fangs sink into my neck as I scream in pain. I don't remember anything after that. I woke up in bed with bandages covering the marks she left behind. Logan says I'm allowed to hate her for this, but I don't because this person isn't Raven.—

It's been awful lately, and I've been missing my best friend. Last night, I had no sleep at all. I stayed up all night thinking of a method to reactivate her humanity, and I think I know how. I get out of bed and walk over to Clay's room, lightly knocking on the door.

"Come in." Clay replied, his voice groggy from lack of sleep.

"Hey," I say, stepping inside.

"Hi." He sounds so sad. The whole time I have known Clay, he has never been like this. For once, I feel sorry for the bad boy. He is still in the clothes he wore yesterday as he lays there, throwing a ball to the ceiling.

"Did you sleep at all?" I ask him, trying to hide my concern.

"Nope," he says as he throws the ball again. "What do you want, Brie?" He sounds agitated, but I don't blame him.

"Yeah, sorry, I was up all night. I think there might be a way for us to turn Raven's humanity back on." I finally blurt out.

"How?" He asks, sounding sceptical.

"That's the thing. It involves killing you, or, I should say, her killing you." I nervously tell him.

"So I need to die for her to come back. You don't see the problem with that, do you? She kills me, her humanity comes back on, then she realises what she did, and she will find a way to shut it off again."

"Okay, but hear me out: what if you don't die?" I say. It's a risky solution, but it's the only one we have right now.

"I'm listening." He sighs. He sits up and rubs his face. I explain everything I thought of to him, and he reluctantly agrees.

"So, how do we get her here?" He asks, looking at me with a mix of concern and determination in his eyes.

"I'll think of something. I also spell the door to the basement, so she can't get out. I'll need Mr. Michaels's help, but I think we should sedate her. After that, it will be a while before her powers are at their full strength again." He shakes his head at my idea but, nonetheless, agrees. I run downstairs and search for my phone. I call Mr. Michaels and explain what is happening. I head up to wake up Logan and tell him we have to get to the bookstore.

⁂

Once Logan and I arrive, Mr. Michaels has everything we need to take Raven hostage. "Once she is downstairs, Clay will take this and inject it into her neck. She will pass out, but only for a little while."

He pulls out plants I have never seen before—individual black and red plants bound together. "This dark plant right here is called Raven Colewort, it binds witches' powers, and this red plant is Fanged Lilly, it suppresses the vampirism in vampires. I'm hoping that combined efforts can keep Raven tamed, but remember she is the first of her kind; this may not work."

"I'll take my chances," I state. Logan nods in agreement, his eyes scanning over the plants with a mix of fascination and apprehension. Mr. Michaels hands us a small vial of the concoction Clay will use to inject Raven. "Be careful with this," he warns us, "it's potent and can have side effects if not used properly." I nod, tucking the vial safely in my pocket. "We'll be careful," I assure him, eager to get this over with and save our friend from herself. As we head out the door, Logan turns around and looks at Mr. Michaels.

"Mr. Michaels, I think we need you for this." Logan says. I look at my boyfriend and agree with him.

⁂

The car ride home is quiet as I sit there and think about how this will all play out. Can we really bring her back? Or will we lose her forever? We arrive home, heading inside, when Clay walks out of the kitchen.

"I think I can get Raven here," he says with a cynical smile. He's going to fight fire with fire.

"Okay, great, go do that while we set up the basement quickly," I tell him. He walks upstairs, and we get ready to trap my best friend. As we gather supplies and set up the basement, I can feel my heart pounding in my chest. The idea of trapping Raven seems so wrong, but we have to try everything we can to bring her back. I can't bear the thought of losing her forever. I just hope she forgives us.