Love Like Winter ❄️ Xavier Thorpe

Chapter 29 (Tyler's POV): I'll Protect You

(Tyler's POV)

When the three of us get back to my house, Wednesday and Acantha go right back to what they were doing before we left earlier, playing weird supernatural games. Wednesday got bored with the ouija board she found earlier, so she asks Acantha if she knows any more games we could play.

"Ooh, have you ever played Charlie Charlie? Or Bloody Mary? Let's do Bloody Mary!" Acantha grins and pulls Wednesday into the little bathroom in the basement.

"Don't you have to do the chant by yourself?" Wednesday asks and Acantha frowns. "Alright, fine, we'll do it together."

They close the door and I hear them saying "Bloody Mary" three times slowly before it goes silent. I don't normally believe in this sort of thing, but with everything that's happened in the last two years, I really wouldn't have been surprised if Bloody Mary came out of the mirror. I stand by the outside of the door in case they need me and wait.

"No, you gotta spin in a circle three times to make her appear," Acantha says. "Like this."

More silence, followed by Wednesday groaning and saying, "Ugh, this is pointless. It isn't working."

"Try spinning the other way," Acantha says with a little giggle in her voice.

"Oh my god! What the hell is that!" Wednesday yells and runs out of the bathroom and I catch her in my arms.

Acantha comes out behind her, laughing her ass off. Wednesday's heart is racing and when she realizes that Acantha is laughing, she scowls but it almost instantly turns into laughter. "Acantha, you did that?"

"I'm sorry, Wenny! You were getting so exasperated and I just wanted to mess with you!" Acantha giggles. "You're adorable when you're scared."

Wednesday rolls her eyes and lets out a single laugh. "Okay, that's fine. We're gonna play the Midnight Game then and see how cute you are when you're scared."

"Bring it on," she grins at Wednesday and then me. "Oh, you're playing too, Ty."

"Do I have to?"

Wednesday glares at me and that's my answer, so I nod and follow the two of them to the couch. She gives Acantha and I little slips of paper and a candle and sits between the two of us, as she begins very thoroughly explaining how the game works. She's so cute when she's this invested in something.

"So we all write our full name on the paper and then take the pin and prick your finger so you can put a drop of your blood by your name," she keeps turning between Acantha and me to make sure we both fully understand.

I nod and smile at her. "Uh ... this sounds dangerous already if we're giving this ... thing our blood."

Her face falls and she blinks at me. "Please?"

I gesture to her assortment of materials laid out on the coffee table and shrug. "Go ahead. I just don't really want demons coming in here."

"Then listen to the rules, Tyler." Wednesday grins at him and continues, "All the lights have to be off in the house and then we place the papers with our names on them in front of the closed door with the lit candle on top. We have to knock on the door 22 times and the last knock has to be at midnight. Then we open the door, blow out the candle, and shut the door."

Acantha puts her hand on Wednesday's leg and asks, "What if we lose count when we're knocking?"

Wednesday lets out a laugh. "I honestly don't know, so let's not find out."

Acantha furrows her eyebrows and cringes, but sits back and continues listening to Wednesday. "Then we relight our candles and have to keep them lit until 3:33 in the morning. We also have to keep moving until that time so the Midnight Man doesn't catch us."