The Phoenix Witch

Chapter 24

Christine's P.O.V

'Emily, you okay in there?' I asked as I knocked on the door of our hotel room's bathroom softly, 'Emily' I called again when I got no answer. Worry flooded through me and thankfully the door was unlocked, so I rushed into the room.

Water was running through the tap of the sink, the glass of the mirror was shattered and a terrified Emily was curled up in the fetal position in the corner of the room.

I gasped and ran towards her, trying to take her trembling body in my arms, she flinched away whispering 'Please, no don't!', I observed her for a moment, noticing her closed eyes, her rambling, her short breaths and realised she was having a panic attack,

I held her shoulders tightly, bringing her to a sitting position and ordered 'Emily, listen to me. Breathe in deeply through your nose and breathe out slowly through your mouth' Guiding her while taking deep breaths myself, she followed breathing deeply.

'Very good, repeat, Em' I said and we sat there breathing deeply until she relaxed. 'How do you feel now?' I asked, she gave me a brief nod before a sob tore through her throat, I pulled her into me and comforted her as she cried, whispering soothing words to her.

'Hey' I said as Emily woke up, I handed her water and sat next to her. 'Thank you' she whispered, her eyes avoiding mine, 'If you don't mind me asking, do you have these panic attacks often?' I asked, and she shook her head in a no, I nodded and said 'It's nothing to be ashamed of, I had them when I was small too', she turned to me in shock and I said

'Yes, I went through some traumatic shit but someone taught me to control them a little, all you have to do is close your eyes and breathe deeply a couple of times. It's not a permanent cure but it helps'

She nodded again, 'Are you hungry?' I asked, realizing she must have been starving after all that crying, 'Yeah' she said and I passed her the plate of food I had bought from the kitchen.

I felt a pang of pity for her, she had been through something that no one deserved. An experience I wouldn't wish upon my enemies, I would make sure this trip wouldn't break her, and I wouldn't fail. Not this time.
'We have to leave now but it-' I trailed off when she shook her head no
'Okay, I'll be down' I said and left.

The tension was palatable when I walked into the living room and as soon as my presence was felt, an angry Rose glared at Will and stormed out of the room.

'You aren't going to tell me what that was about, right?' I asked after a few seconds.
He closed his eyes in frustration and I could see that he was trying to control whatever he was feeling and was aware that he knew that I was suspicious.

So when he opened his eyes, any trace of his conversation with Rose was gone, 'Nope, is everyone ready?' he asked, I raised an eyebrow and assessed him but I couldn't read anything off of his expression so I scoffed and said 'Yes but I'm not sure if Rose is coming anymore'.

He picked up on my meaning and said 'She will be there' and walked out of the room. I stared at his retreating figure and sighed, fighting amongst ourselves while trying to find a precious book and a killer was not advisable but was it my place to pry into their lives?

The world blurred in front of me as the car roared forward, an awkward silence filling it as if we could all sense the tension between Rose and Will.

I glanced at Will who was humming along to the song playing in the car and then glanced at Rose who was staring at the moving trees,

What was going on between them that had ignited so much anger? I wondered, not able to help my curious nature. Did they know each other from before? Were they enemies? That would be common, vampires and werewolves were known to fight each other, that's probably it, I concluded and before I could complete my train of thought the car stopped.

'We are here' Matthew said breaking the silence and waking Emily, she blinked a couple of times and yawned probably tired from her panic attack and I felt a rush of guilt and anger for her.

She shouldn't be here, she had described what the house she was held at looked like and it was enough for us to find Gallimore and still for some sadistic reason Aurora wanted her to be here and we listened like good little children.

'It's your choice, you don't have to come further, Emily' I whispered to her but she shook her head and whispered 'I have to face him sometime, Christine. Face your fears, right?' With a wavering smile on her face. I smiled back at her in pride, like a big sister who was watching her sister stand up for herself.

'You are very strong, Emily, very strong'  I said and turned to the others who were giving us some privacy by turning away,

'I, Will, Christine and Emily will go in through the ground floor windows and the other three through the first floor, neutralize any enemies and be careful, they are highly trained' Matthew commanded and we all nodded, getting out of the car.

Castro Street looked nothing like I had imagined it to be, it was a neighbourhood filled with homes and shops, and I was pretty sure there was a park around the corner too, it was all too simple for a place to have an evil villain's lair.

'This is where a scoundrel like Travis Gallimore is operating from?' Charlie asked, incredulously looking at the two-story brick house.

'I suppose if he was looking for being inconspicuous, this was the best place. Who would've thought to find him in a place such as this?' Rose said and I nodded in agreement, this indeed was a smart move.

'Not me' Charlie snorted and continued 'Let's begin then, guys?'
I held Emily's hand as we neared the home, I squeezed it in assurance and she squeezed back.

'Game faces on, Emily' I whispered and climbed into the house. We froze when Matthew held a hand up, confusion swarming our faces. 'What-' I started to ask but he held a finger to his lips and looked at Will, talking with each other through their eyes.

Just as I was going to ask what the hell was happening, Eli came running downstairs with a concerned expression, 'What's wrong?' I asked in panic but it was Emily who answered,

'They are gone' she breathed out and backed into the wall, sliding down and falling to her knees. Her eyes were white as she Saw the future and anxiety filled me as I helplessly watched her. After a few seconds, her eyes turned normal and she whispered,

'He is dead'