He Said We'd Be Stars

ALEXA

We sneak up the back stairs after Rachel lets us in. I can't see anyone thanks to the invisibility spell, but I think Jason is leading. He walks down the hall, but a door to my right catches my eye. I wander into the room. It's a large room, with a ceiling to floor window, which has to be magicked because we didn't see it from outside the building. The room is otherwise empty, save for a pile of books in the center. I peek my head out into the hall. I still don't see anyone. I don't risk casting the reversal spell for the invisibility. I forget the words for the original invisibility spell, so reversal would be permanent. I go back into the room. A small, pristine book on top of the stack catches my eye. I pick it up, sit down, and flip through it. It's full of writing and diagrams. I flip to the first page. They're letters. From a man named Phil to a man named Walden. I think they're important to what we're doing, but I've never heard the names. Jason texted a few days ago to tell me to go to the library to help him. And to bring Priya. She left before I got the text, and I can't contact her now. (She doesn't have a phone.) (If she did, I doubt her dad would let her come.) I continue reading the letters. All of them end with "I'm doing what you wanted. Pushing magic further. Helping destroyed people. I miss you, brother."
I wonder where Walden went. Phil can't be anyone other than Quendon; it doesn't make sense that the book is here. I read further. Phil writes all about his love for a girl named Dina. I skip a few diagrams, and I find one saying they had a daughter named Rachel. I skip a few more, and find one saying Dinah was murdered. By a group of vampires. He says he protected himself and Rachel, but that they had drained the blood from Dinah before he could protect her, too. The sorrow emanating from the writing is so intense, I have to resist the urge to wipe a tear from my eye before I continue reading. Phil laments about how all of his favorite people died from vampire attacks, Walden included. I skip ahead a few more, and land on one about a visit Quendon did, to an eleven year old boy, the son of a distant relative. He writes the boy was the same creature that destroyed his life, but magical. The distant relative refused to allow Phil to test on his son. I'm glad the guy said no. Then his boy would be dead. (More dead, I guess.) 
(Are vampires technically dead?)
A scream that sounds suspiciously like that girl Penelope interrupts my reading.
I put the book in my pocket and bolt down the stairs to where I saw Rachel disappear. I run straight into someone, who casts a "Come out, come out wherever you are!"
It's Jason. We both say, "Did you hear-" at the same time. Then we continued running. Damian is a few yards ahead of us, running towards a staircase. We all meet at the top, silently agree to be quiet, then sneak down the stairs.
We end up behind Quendon, who's holding a bloody knife over a body I can't see. Simon is leaning on Baz like he can't stand on his own. (Which he probably can't. Who knows what Quendon's done to him.) There's a gash down the side of his face that looks nasty. Penelope and Micah are surrounding him, wands drawn. Penelope still very much so looks like she wants to scream. Micah looks like he wants to grab her and run. I realize with a jolt that the body is Rachel. Jason must realize this too, because his eyes are the size of the moon, and he looks like he wants to scream. Damian looks back at us, shakes his head, and goes back invisible. I stare at the spot where he was. He's going to abandon us? Now? I think.
Quendon's laugh cuts into my silent rage against Damian. "Now the game can finally be played! My dear boy, I underestimated you. I knew you were off, but I never realized how much. I could have helped you. I still can. Tell these intruders to leave my humble abode. I only need you to stay here. Your friends can leave. But if not, I do know a few helpful spells. Like 'Come to me, my sweetest friend!'" He yells the last bit and I feel his spell yank me and Jason off our feet and on to the floor in front of him. Somehow I miss the broken pieces of what looks like a table on the floor.
That spell shouldn't have worked.
Not like that.
Quendon smiles maliciously and casts, "Rise up!" Jason flies up into the air and hits the opposite wall. He slides down the wall and slumps in a heap on the floor, his glasses shattered. I can't help myself. I scream.
Baz looks like he wants to stab Quendon, which I'm sure he does. I want to.
Before Baz does anything though, a familiar voice from the corner of the room says, "No. You will not murder another innocent person."
Damian finally takes the invisibility spell off of himself. Always the one for dramatic flair, Damian. Quendon's face goes from pure evil to blank shock.
"Walden? You're dead! I saw you!" Quendon screams in outrage.
Wait, Walden? I think. The murdered brother?
It makes sense. The letters. The reason Damian knew Quendon.
Twisted, maniacal sense.
Why, though?
"No. I left after your idiot of a wife tried to kill me for doing what was right. For testing magic and exploring its abilities."
Quendon screams hysterically, "Leave Dina out of this! And I suppose you killed her, too? Her and those people you said were vampires." Quendon looks like he want to laugh at what he's said, but horror dawns behind his eyes as Damian smirks. Quendon's face falls in shock, then hardens in anger. "And to think I should have tested your spells. You're a murderer!" he spits.
"And so, it seems, are you," Damian gloats, tilting his head towards Rachel's outstretched body. "You certainly were an interesting test subject, brother. This disease took you more effectively than I thought. "
Quendon shakes as if he's just realizing what he did to his daughter. "R-Rachel..."
I can't stand this anymore. The two men are face to face. No one has stepped in, and I realize it's because they're frozen magically. Only I can do anything now. I'm scared to death, but pure rage at the fact we were tricked eclipses it. I'm trying to find a spell, but I'm so angry at the whole situation I can't think. Luckily someone steps in for me.
"Back on track!" Priya shouts, sliding down the banister of the staircase like a merry little schoolgirl (which, in a sense, she is), wand aimed at Simon, Baz, Penny, and Micah. She grins like she's having fun, and her relation to her older brother is very visible. I don't know how I didn't see it.
Baz is the first to snap into motion. He lets go of Simon's shoulders, ignites the air above his hand and throws his newly formed fireball. The fireball goes directly for Damian's face, but Damian almost lazily sends it right back at Baz's feet. Baz  jumps back nimbly, but there's a bit of panic in his eyes. Simon's the one this time to support. He puts an arm around Baz's shoulders.
Priya runs to the side of the room and casts, "Lightning never strikes the same place twice!" and Damian and Quendon are struck apart. Penelope and Micah look at each other and spread out to either side and begin to duel one brother each. Penelope fights Damian with such a fire I'm surprised she isn't spitting in his face. Micah on the other hand is fighting methodically and almost calmly. He looks like a machine. He casts a "Wrap it up!" on Quendon and ropes shoot out and surround him. Quendon falls back, and Micah quickly takes his wand.
Quendon cries, "What now? You might as well kill me!" Micah grimaces and casts a "Lights out!" Quendon falls asleep instantly and almost peacefully. His moustache flutters as he snores. I fight back the urge to laugh. Then I remember that Jason is unconscious by the wall. I run over to help Jason, avoiding the spot where Penny and Damian are dueling. Baz is simultaneously trying to support Simon and help Penelope. Simon's trying to tell him something, but I don't have time to see what. I finally reach where Jason fell and crouch down next to him. He hasn't regained consciousness yet, but he has a pulse. Priya rushes to me and Micah rushes over to Rachel. He starts casting healing spells.
Jason opens his eyes and blinks. I sigh gratefully. "Alexa," he coughs. "Alexa, is Rachel...?" I lift him to his feet and Mordelia helps me help him over to where Rachel's lying.
Rachel gives a feeble cough. Her emerald eyes look faded and sad as she looks at Jason. "This should not have happened. Should not," she coughs, pressing a hand to her stomach.
I cast a "Get well soon!" but nothing happens. Which means that nothing will help.
Jason kneels down next to her and puts his arm behind her shoulders to prop her up. "Hey, none of that. This isn't your fault."
She smiles sadly. "It may not be, but I did not stop it when I could. That is worse than committing all of these crimes."
Jason brushes her hair out of her face. "Don't blame yourself. This wasn't you."
Rachel looks into his eyes, tears staining her own eyes, which shine like shattered gemstones. The light from her eyes shuts out, and Rachel goes limp.
Jason looks up at me, crying. "She didn't deserve this. No ones deserves this."
I pull him into a hug. "I know," I whisper.
An explosion of floorboards on the far side of the room distracts me. I shield my face as one flies towards me, but it misses us by centimeters. When the dust clears, I see that Penelope and Baz are both fighting Damian, but Damian easily overpowers both of them. (I guess it's experience.) (It's not like any of us have fought like this.)
Priya springs up from next to me and heads over to Simon, who fell in the blast. (Penny blew up the floor by Damian's feet.) She pulls him to his feet and he pulls out a wand. I let go of Jason, and he looks at me, shocked.
"I thought Simon gave up his magic," he whispers in awe.
Baz screams out a spell in French but Damian dodges the bolt of energy radiating from Baz's wand.
Jason and I run over to stand behind Baz. Penelope yells something in Hindi, and Damian's feet are spelled together.
Micah turns to her and says, "Where did you learn that-" His voice is cut off by a tell from Damian, who pulls out a knife and throws it at his arm.
Micah screams and falls. Simon bends down next to him quickly and casts a "Get well soon!" The skin around the blade heals a bit, but the knife is still lodged in his arm.
Priya aims her wand directly at Damian's face and casts, "We're driving towards the morning sun where all your blood is washed away and all you did will be undone." It's not a spell I've ever heard before, nor one where I know where the words are from. Damian whitens and falls swiftly into the hole Penelope blew in the floor.
Penelope whips out her phone and calls a number. I can't hear what she says exactly, but it's something along the lines of "Come here, now!" (She probably called her mom.) (She's on the Coven.)
"Priya! What did you do?" Penny yelps, looking into the hole and hanging up her phone. There's no sign of his body.
"I- I don't know! I didn't mean to! It was just the first thing that popped into my head," she cries, running over to Penny. She puts his arm around her. "I told you not to use song lyrics as spells. They work strangely. But there's no evidence of anything, so it's not like you can be punished by the Coven. And Mum will make sure you get off scot free."
I roll my eyes and run over to Simon, who's trying to get the knife out of Micah's arm still. Penelope is holding his other hand, casting healing spells. Simon also tries to cast a healing spell, but the knife is still in Micah's arm, so nether his nor her spells will work until it's removed. I kneel down next to the boys and gently slide the knife out of his arm. Micah gasps in relief and Penelope looks at me in shock.
"What?" I say. "My mom was a doctor. She taught me this stuff for emergencies."
"This definetly qualifies as an emergency," Simon says, the corner of his mouth twitching. Penelope casts a healing spell on Micah's arm, and the cut closes up.
Just then we hear voices upstairs. A woman who I assume is Penelope's mom charges in, wand drawn.
She looks shocked that there's just a group of twenty-somethings, her twelve year old daughter, and a tied up, sleeping, middle aged man.
It takes a while, but everyone clears out and goes home. (Ms. Bunce took Priya home. She did not look happy.) (I don't know where Simon and Baz are going. They don't have a flat...)
Jason drives me home, and I fall asleep halfway home.