THE END

Chapter 16

"When things change inside you, things change around you."

         -Unknown.

She gasps. "This was you?"

I nod and wave towards the vine. It detaches from the house and springs backwards to wrap around my ankle, gently, almost lovingly.

I swallow.

Bekah takes a hesitating step backwards.

"How did you do that?"

"The book from the basement was some kind of journal written by mom. It only had one entry. And it was about me. Like a...a...prophecy." I whisper the last word.

Her eyes go wide. "And it mentioned how you can do that?" She nods at the vines around my ankles.

I shake my head. "It just said some stuffs."

I walk back into the house, to the room my things are in and pick up the book. I hesitate for a moment, then hand it to Bekah. She flips through it silently.

"Wow." She whispers when she's done reading.

I nod.

"Bee this is huge. Like huge."
I look down at my hands, gaze locked on my smooth palms. Then I tell her how I made the vine.

She moves closer to me and lifts up my palm, she turns it this way and that.

"Incredible. It's completely healed, there's no sign of an injury at all." She says in awe. "Can you do it again?"
We go back outside, knife in hand. Not even five minutes later another vine is lying on the ground beside the first one.

Bekah claps in excitement. I smile a little, her excitement is contagious. So I cut myself again, and again, until the pavement is littered with vines.

"You know." Bekah starts an hour later. "Each time you cut yourself the vines springs up faster than the last one did."

I nod, having noticed myself.

She chews her bottom lip. "What if with practice you can get them to grow without spilling your blood? Using just your mind."

"I tried it last night." I shake my head "I was only able to summon fire." I shake out my palm and like a match being ignited the fire licks out, hovering over my palm.

"What if you're going about it the wrong way?" Bekah insists. "Of course fire and plants, or whatever you want to call your vines, are completely different elements. You can't control them the same way, or get them from the same direction."

I'm silent as I contemplate her words. She's right of course.

I direct my focus on the vines. Focus on them. Deep breath in. Deep breath out. You got this Bee.

I shake out my wrist, then flick out my fingers towards the vines.

Instantly they rush towards me, around me, at my back. They climb up my body, caress my neck, and wrap around the crown of my head. My palms to my elbows, my glyphs are a luminous green.

"Holy shit." Bekah chokes out her eyes like saucers.

A large thud comes from somewhere behind Bekah. My hand shoots out and some of the vines follow my command wrapping around the neck of the culprit. Bringing him towards me, legs dragging on the ground.

"Deborah! Drop him. He's a friend. You're going to hurt him. Drop him Bee." A familiar voice calls out, as a figure runs towards me.

Dad looks slightly panicked as he stretches his hands out to me in entreaty. Behind him are a crowd of people with their mouths agape, eyes horrified.