In the city of Ashbourne, Darcy Blaze warned her best friend, paranormal investigator Silas Ember, about a dangerous case,
Ignoring Darcy, Silas delved deeper. The same night, Silas was found dead.
As dark secrets surface, Darcy confronts the malev...
Nope, I'm not wearing that short dress again. Today, I'm at the library, supposedly working, but in reality, I'm sitting at my favorite spot behind the shelves. I couldn’t stop thinking about yesterday—the black figure, the man. I still feel his teeth graze over my ear. How did he know what I was thinking? And most importantly, what does the figure want from me?
My phone buzzed in my pocket. It was a text from Si. I slowly took it out and read the message.
Si: I want a favor Me: Of? Si: Come to meet me, and I'll tell you Me: K, how's Ava? Si: She's fine. She slept yesterday after I gave her a sleeping pill Me: Are you giving her the pill today as well? I'm worried it might affect her health Si: Obviously, duh. Don’t worry, it’s doctor-recommended pills. Me: Okay, I'll see you tonight
She replied with a thumbs-up.
I slid the phone back into my jeans, my mind darting back to that man again, and something warm formed between my legs. He's a freaking stranger, Blaze. A stranger.
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I headed to Silas's place after my shift ended around 8. She’d sent me a bunch of texts saying she needed to talk. So, here I was.
"What is it you wanted to ask?" I said as I took a seat on the couch.
"First, I need your help with something," she said.
"And what could that be?" I asked.
"I... uh..." She was stuttering.
"Spill the beans," I urged.
"I wanted you to use your spells and summon a spirit that could help us. This was my idea, but I didn’t ask because I thought you might throw a fit."
My eyes widened. Did she realize what she was asking?
"You don't know what you're asking for, Si. Why would you want a spirit to help us?" I asked, disbelief in my tone.
"I get it, Blaze! But I just want to help Ava. Do you know how I felt when our parents blamed me for what happened?" Her voice cracked, eyes pleading. This time, her puppy eyes wouldn’t work on me.
"It could cost a life, Si. I'm not putting you and Ava in danger."
"You know it won't. Stop being dramatic, please, Blaze."
"I'm sorry, Si, but I can't."
I stood up to leave but glanced at the stairs leading to Ava's room.
"When you're done with this idea, call me and tell me how she's doing," I said, turning to go, but Si grabbed my hand, stopping me. I turned to her, ready to yell, but her eyes were filled with tears.
"Please, Blaze, don't deny me. Please."
***
I sat on the couch with a candle lit on the tea table in front of me, taking a deep breath. Why did I agree to this? I looked at Si, who sat across from me, looking anxious.
I didn’t know what I was about to summon, good or bad, but as long as it obeyed the one who summoned it, we should be fine.
"Shé Ro Vé," I said, the candlelight flickering slightly.
"Shé Ro Vé," I said louder. With a click, the power went out. What the hell? The candlelight flickered in the dark. I took another deep breath.
"Vé Ro Shé," I said, taking the chalk from the table and drawing a star, placing the candle in its center. "Come, Shi Ré."
Just as I said it, we heard a loud thud from Ava's room. We immediately stood and sprinted upstairs. Si held a flashlight in her hand. We banged on the door.
"Ava!" I yelled.
"Ava! What the heck? Oh nonono!" Si yelled too.
We banged the door more until it slowly opened by itself. It was dark inside.
We both stepped in, and my blood ran cold when I saw Ava wasn’t there. Where could she have gone? Si told me she’d given her sleeping pills. Si was frozen in her spot, trembling.
"Don't panic, Si. We'll find her."
She nodded, still scared.
We rushed back downstairs. When we reached the bottom, I stopped in my tracks. Si bumped into me.
"Ouch! Why'd you—" She stopped when she saw Ava on the couch, sleeping peacefully.
