The Immortal Stone

Chapter 19

That night, everyone showed up to the garden at 11:45. I was leaning against the boulder Devon and I had been leaning on together in what seems like only yesterday. My eyes were closed as I thought of what would happen in the next fifteen minutes.

Would we be ambushed? Would a group of people come and lead us to where Devon was? Would our parents come and take us back to our houses? No one was sure. But everyone was prepared for anything.

There was one thing that I really wasn't prepared for though. And that was Jake showing up, willing to help.

"I can't risk letting anything happen to you. So I'm only going to make sure that you'll be okay. Got it?"Jake looked completely serious but relief washed over me and I couldn't help but hug him tightly.

"Thank you. I didn't know if I would have been able to do it without you."I squeezed his torso and he gasped.

"Amber. Let. Go."

I quickly stopped hugging him so that he could breathe. "Sorry," I muttered.

"Amber it's five minutes until twelve. What do we do?"Suzy came up to me with a somewhat worried expression.

"You still have that charm on everyone, right?"I looked around the group nervously before my eyes landed back on her.

"Which one? The one where they can transport back to their home if anything happens or the one where no one can read their thoughts? Or the one where their senses are heightened? There are so many charms you and Mira had me use that I sort of lost track."She wrung her hands.

"The third one."

"Oh yeah. I had Blake remind everyone to say if they sense anything strange. So far nothing."She shrugged.

"None of them will sense anything."Christopher climbed onto the top of the rock and looked over the group. All eyes turned to him."No one is coming."He spoke a little louder so that everyone could hear him.

"That's insane. It would be pointless to bring all of us out here if they didn't want anything to do with us."Michael shook his head.

"Unless they just wanted us away from our parents. So that they wouldn't have to fight off more than they needed to."Zach thought aloud and people started to freak out.

"So all of this was a diversion so they could go after our parents?"Janie's white face and red lips seemed to contrast more than usual.

"No,"Christopher shook his head as he looked down at me."Trust me, this has almost nothing to do with all of your parents. There's no one coming because he is already here."

"No..."All of the girls backed away from the other boys. Admittedly, even I was afraid that it might possibly be one of the people I had only just become friends with. But, I didn't back away from anyone. I crossed my arms and peered at Christopher.

Him.

"What are you planning on doing with us then, Christopher? There are clearly more of us than there are you."I felt all eyes turn to him with pure fear and burning hatred.

"That's where you messed up, Amber. I heard all of your plans. I knew how to combat every single one of that witches little spells or charms."His smile was full of pointed teeth and his eyes went completely black.

There were screams. I turned and saw men in suits stepping out of the shadows of the dark garden. They completely surrounded us now. My wolf growled inside of me and my muscles coiled under my skin.

"Oh dear. Are you all angry at me? Pity. I was becoming fond of you all."

I was the first of the werewolves to lunge at Christopher. I couldn't change though. My wolf clawed at my insides trying to get out but it was to no avail. I was trapped inside myself.