Casters

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

New Orleans

“Hi, I’m Kathy and I’ll be your server today. What can I get you?” Kathy the waitress asked. We had stopped at a diner on the highway because my belly was making strange noises.

“A stack of pancakes please.” I smiled in reply and passed her the menu.

“Sure thing sugar, do you want bacon with that?” Kathy asking in her perky tone.

“Please.” I answered. After beaming one more smile at me Kathy walked away from our booth and tendered to another couple on the other side of the room. They were the only other people apart from us in the diner which didn’t surprise me as it was ten pm.

Robert was staring out of the window with a brooding look on his face. He’d been acting on edge all day. I watched him for a minute, I watched his chest move up and down without reason, and I watched him fidget with a zip on the sleeve of his leather jacket. He was obviously deep in thought and didn’t want to be disturbed so I just waited for him. As he thought I noticed the watch I had brought him on his wrist and a designer black t-shirt Viola had brought him back from Italy. He wore this with his dark jeans, buckled boots and his sun glasses hung on the neck of his shirt. Every so often he would run his hand through his perfect dark hair never taking his eyes off of the highway.

“Okay what’s wrong?” I sighed placing my hand on his. That’s when I realised what was wrong. He finally looked up at me as I felt his icy cold hands. He was hungry.  “Go, I’ll wait here for you.” I said rubbing his palm with my thumb.

“I’m not leaving you alone.” He said in a stern voice.

“I’ll be fine here, and by the time you get back I would have just finished my food. Go, I know you’re in pain.” A small smile appeared on his face as he rose from his seat and kissed my forehead. “I love you.” I said as he pulled his leather jacket on.

“I love you too.” He grinned before walking out of the door and into the night to go and feed on an innocent person unless he could find a blood bank nearby. The thought of him drinking from an innocent person made a shiver run up my spine but I knew he had to do it to survive.

“Here you are.” Kathy said placing the stack in front of me. “Oh and well done on him.” She said winking. I assumed she was on about Robert and giggled.

After I had finished the stack of mouth watering pancakes and had ordered a coffee I pulled Amelia’s spell book out of my brown leather shoulder bag. I stroked my index finger across the moonstone in the centre and the clasp once again popped open.

“Amelia?” I called out to her.

“Yes?”

“I need to track down a witch called Bethany in New Orleans. Can you help me?” I asked.

“If you really look in my spell book and think about it you will find it. Now I must go Carmen, I am sorry I cannot be of more help.”  Amelia replied before leaving me alone in my mind.

‘Okay, I need locater spells.’ I thought to myself over and over. On the fourth time of repeating it in my mind the pages flew open and revealed a page with a sketching of an old map, a dagger and a lot of symbols at the side of the illustration. I read the words carefully making sure I wouldn’t make any mistakes. The ritual said you must chant the words written down and then as you’re doing that slit the palm of your hand and let the blood drop onto a map and it will give you the exact location. Robert still wasn’t back yet and it was getting close to midnight. So I put the book back into my bag, pulled my leather jacket over my blue t-shirt I’d paired with jeans and grey converse and said goodbye to Kathy.