Clipped Wings

Sacrifice

We arrive at my house, and McDougal helps me carry Tommy in. His breaths are fast and shallow as we place him on one of the couches. I don't see Victoria, but I'm not really worried about it at the moment.

"Um," I subconsciously scratch my forearm as I think, "do you know how to get dog and human blood?" It's weird, two months ago, my life was perfect, but it all came crashing down with just one interview. My perfect, normal world was suddenly twisted with magic and witches.

"Yeah, but how are we gonna pendulum blood or whatever?" McDougle stresses. "What does that even mean?"

"Pinnarum," I correct him, "and that's what we're called. Victoria and I, that is."

"You expect to give a pint of your blood? That's an awful lot," he looks doubtful.

"Yeah!"

He shakes his head, "I won't let you. What about that girl?"

"What about her?" I cross my arms.

"She could give some of her blood too, you don't have to loose so much blood." He raises his eyebrows authoritatively.

My arms drop, "oh, yeah." I pause, then, "where is she, though?"

McDougal shrugs, "how should I know?"

I frown, then begin to look around. I find her pretty quickly, she's in my storage room, looking through a photo album. She glances up when I come in and blushes. "I-I'm sorry," she starts, "I know I shouldn't have been snooping around, I was just curious and I-"

I interrupt her, "it's fine, just listen, it's kinda an emergency."

She shrugs, "sorry, okay." We head back, Victoria is still naive about our life or death complication.

McDougal sighs when he sees us, "I'm gonna run to the hospital," he says, "I'll get everything but pendulum blood or whatever it was. I don't have a car with me, can I borrow yours?"

"Yeah, but hurry." I hand him the keys. He leaves, and I turn to Victoria and explain what's going on.

She nods, "I don't mind giving a little bit of my blood, if it will help you."

"Are you sure? You don't have to do this." She nods again, and I grimace, "I know for sure that I don't want to do this, but Tommy has been nothing but helpful, and he's my best friend, I can't let him down." I look at him on the couch, sweat had started to accumulate on his forehead, and he looked incredibly uncomfortable and oblivious to his surroundings. "Should we wait for the sheriff?" I ask her, as if she would know.

She shrugs, "honestly, if we're in this much of a hurry, I wouldn't, but how do we even tell how to give a pint of blood?"

"Over a bowl?" That's what they do in movies, right? I run my fingers through my hair. What the hell am I supposed to do?! I didn't know if I said that out loud, but the look Victoria gives me says I did.

But, Adam, you know what to do.

I close my eyes and sigh, crap, not again.

Don't pretend that you didn't miss me, Adam. I see right through your little act. I feel the voice smirk, but it doesn't use my lips this time. It doesn't even sound like me any more, it sound almost like Char, but still with a hint of my own voice. I still feel like this Char-Adam is part of me, though, and it makes me sick. I suppose he has a name now, instead of just the voice inside my head...

I was quite happy without you, I snap to him in my mind, I would really appreciate it if you would just leave me alone.

Char-Adam pouts, you really don't want my help? I just want to help you.

Well I don't want your help, I never figured out a pattern for the voice, he just seems to come and go. I guess now he decided to go, because I don't get a reply.

Just then I realize someone had been calling my name. I open my eyes, Victoria right in my face. "Adam, are you okay? You weren't responding, and you looked angry."

I shake my head, "no, I'm fine. Sorry about that. Let's just use a bowl for now."

"Is that even safe?" she worries.

I shrug, "dunno, but we need to act quick." I quickly Google how much a pint of liquid is on my phone so that we can get an approximation on what we need, then I grab a couple hand towels, a large bowl, and a steak knife. Victoria looks unsure of herself as I take the blade and press it into the palm of my hand. The pain is sharp, and I have to close my eyes, maybe I'll feel better. I don't, and I subconsciously press down harder.

"Adam!" Victoria shrieks, ripping my hand holding the knife away from the other.

"What was that about?" I scoff.

"You just kept going!" Her voice was raised, "I wasn't going to let you keep pressing down deeper and deeper, you'd cut your hand off!" She looks angry, but I'm not sure what for.

I look at my hand, and there's a deep gash running from between my thumb and index finger to the pad underneath my little finger. It just looked like a cut, but if I look a little deeper, I could see a little bit of bone. I feel my nostrils flare, and the sent of blood fills my nose. I pull my hand up towards my lips, but she grabs my wrist with a look of disgust.

"No," she says firmly, then she pulls my hand out over the bowl. I should've been more careful, but I don't really care. I close my eyes as Victoria works, letting her do what is needed. After a while, I feel a soft towel wrap around my hand, and Victoria says, "when the sheriff gets back, you need to go to the hospital. Don't worry about Tommy, we'll take care of him."

I open my eyes, and meet her gaze, "I don't need to go to the hospital."

"What is wrong with you?" she scoffs, "you really do! I'm not making you go now because the sheriff has your car. You're so stubborn."

She moves me to a couch and has me sit there. Again, I'm being treated like a child, but again, I brought it upon myself. I sit there for what feels like forever until I hear the front door open. Victoria helps McDougal unload, then she tells him, "can you please rush Adam to the hospital? I'll explain it later." McDougal nods, and Victoria takes my coat off the edge of the couch and wraps it around my shoulders.

I feel kinda out of it as I am lead to the car, almost dizzy. McDougal gives me a worried look, but then my eyelids start to droop, and guess what? I fall asleep once again.

**A/N: Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed! I've got good news, I've finally got the story's plot mapped out in my head, and I no longer am suffering from writers block. Please comment/vote, because even something really small can make my day, and they're what make me want to continue writing this.**