COVENS

Chapter Eight

Clara-

I stumble as my bearings return to me. What happened?

My head aches. I feel Cerulean nuzzle into my hair with something like a whimper.

I look around dizzily.

I'm in the dining room of Nettles' house. My eyes turn around the room, finding all the other students of Ravenwood looking around with a similar confusion.

Then someone screams.

I look down where Irene is pointing wordlessly, her face white.

No.

I see my cousin, lying on the ground in a pool of blood, staring unseeing up at the ceiling. His face is white.

"No..." I mumble. I drop to my knees at his side. "NO! Fletcher!"

Nettles acts all confused and concerned, but she- she did this! She killed Fletcher! I scream at her as Ellis takes both my arms and forces me back. I don't remember much of what happens after that. We're all forced out of the house, told to go to our cabins. Ellis is dragging me away. Someone is sobbing, screaming. The other students stare and stumble around in shock.

Ellis just holds me to him as we tramp through the grass. I feel tears pouring down my face and I realize that terrible sound is coming from me.

I try to break free from Ellis to run back to the house. I have to find Fletcher, he can't be, he is not gone!

He was just with me!

Ellis is too strong.

"Clara!"

I look over and see he's holding back tears too. "We have to go to the cabin..."

I force myself to look into his eyes, I jerk my head from the lit up house and back. "She did this, Ellis... She-"

I think I might throw up. The whole earth is swaying under my feet.

"I know! But she'll hurt us too. The spell is done. There's no need for us now. She'll kill us..."

"It doesn't matter!" I burst. "Fletcher is dead!"

But we're finally inside the cabin. I stand by the door.

It's done?

Fletcher is gone?

The questions rattle in my head. I sway against the door frame. Ellis sits with glazed eyes down on his bed. I take the door handle. It won't open. I rattle it with all my might, but it refuses to budge. I scream with frustration.

The window won't let me past either. There is another invisible wall blocking me in. I can just see Nettles and Gafydd walking into the woods, carrying something between them. A body. My hand flies over my mouth, and I hold in a retch.

They disappear into the trees.

I sink onto the bed next to Ellis.

"We... We didn't even use my potion," I say. My face is wet with tears.

Fletcher didn't even have a chance to drink the To Cheat Death potion. My eyes flicker to the mantel, where the potion is still sitting. It was completely ready to use and we...

We....

I blink right as Ellis chokes out, "Clara, the potion is empty."

I shoot to my feet and pick up the bottle. The bluish liquid is gone from the vial. The stopper has been replaced but... But it's all gone.

"He drank it?" I murmur.

Ellis comes up beside me.

"He... He must have."