Dark Familiars

Chapter 15

"My parents were masters. They are still alive but they kidnapped by these people who burned down our house. I died in the fire when I was nine and was reborn as a familiar. For two years my masters would abuse me and call me useless because I didn't know my power. It got to the point to where I couldn't have a master anyone and my soul and heart is fractured. The people who burned down my house started coming after me to finish off what they started but I killed them. They would use hostages and I didn't even think about them and killed them too. They once got to me and kidnapped me. They took me away and-" she freezes. She was talking so fast. I was trying to get everything. Her fists were now clenched. I take her hand into mine. "They- made me do it. They made me and used me too. They stopped when I was exhausted and on the floor. They would use my power to hurt people and when they finished they just threw me out into that ghetto place. I was soon left to fend for myself and when they came back I killed them all. I was left for a year alone." She whispers. She was sobbing again. I pull her to me and hug her. I stroked her head. She was shaking in my arms. "My parents were murdered when I was 10. I was forced into girls homes that didn't treat me well. The girls would hurt me physically and mentally." I whispered. "I got to my foster parents who adopted me and sent to me school. I was bullied a lot but then I got here. A fresh start." I whisper. "Do you get bad dreams too?" She asks. I shake my head yes. "Every night. My familiar has to wake me up. He sometimes sees my dreams." I whisper. She nods. "Thank you." She whispers. "For saving me."

I tell George and Gray everything and they go tell Mr.Jackel. I figured out Maya is new here but lost her familiar recently. No other familiar for Maya showed up, so we can go ahead and do a ritual to bind Joy to Maya. Mr.Jackel would be doing it of course since it's a very dangerous thing to go. It takes a lot of magic energy and if done wrong it could kill the familiar and hurt the master. I walk in and see Joy sleeping. George was behind me. "Poor girl." I whisper. "Yeah." He replies. He hand is on my shoulder. "She'll be happier with a master." I whisper. I close the door behind me. I feel myself getting anxious by the day. In four days would be my parents death anniversary. I always hated that day. Dreaded it. When I was at my parents house I would lock myself in my room not willing to get out. The next day would be the same. I didn't know what to do. It was winter time three weeks to Christmas. I can't believe I left school in November and have been here for almost two weeks. Maybe in the holidays we are allowed to go to our parents house to celebrate the holidays. I would have to bring Gray with me of course. I have three weeks to figure that out. "Taylor, Mr.Jackel is ready." Gray whispers to my mind. I walk into my room. George was outside the door. "Hey.. Joy wake up. It's time to wake up you're going to go see your new master." I whisper lightly pushing her awake. Her eyes slowly open. She stretches and yawns. "Ok." She says. She slowly gets up. I look at her. Her clothes were filthy. "Gray... Ask Mr.Jackel if I can let her take a shower and change into some new clothes." I whisper to him. Silence. "He said it was fine but be quick." He whispers. "Thanks. See you soon." I bend down to be face to face with Joy. "Mr.Jackel said I can let you take a shower and I'll let you borrow some of my clothes. They might be a bit big in you but it's better than these dirty clothes right?" I ask. She just nods sleepily. I get some black pants and a white t-shirt. Then we go to the bathrooms. I turn on the showers. She quickly gets undressed with her back to me. I see the scars on her back along with bruises that would stay there forever. Her spine was sticking out of her back and I could see her ribs. She gets into the shower and quickly washed up. I hand her the clothes and she puts them on. She walks out. I brush through her long hair and braid it into a simple side braid. The pants were to long and huge on her and the white shirt was big and baggy. "Alright let's go get you a new master." I whisper. She smiles. A smile you couldn't replace. A smile of Joy.

We get to Mr.Jackels office which had a huge rune painted with chalk on the floor. He was not wearing a suit but his uniform. It was odd seeing him wear it. I walk in with Joy and see Maya. She was probably my age. She was taller than me and had long blond hair. "Maya this is Joy. She is a death caller. Do you accept this familiar?" Mr.Jackel asks. His voice booming. "Yes." Maya answers. "Joy. Do you take Maya as your master and swear to protect her?" Mr.Jackel asks. "Yes." Joy replies. "Do you promise to both protect and treat each other with equality?" He asks. They both say Yes. "Please step into the circle and hold each other's hands. They step into the rune. Mr.Jackel was now holding a book in his hands. The two girls were holding each other hands. Mr.Jackel started saying these words I couldn't understand. George was behind me whispering and translating what he was saying. "I call upon the gods to bond these to souls together. One as master and one as familiar will be bonded and will fight and die together. Fix these souls to become one." He whispers into my ear. The circle was glowing bright now. An aura of colors gleaming from the chalk lines. Then it was like wind pasted through here. The chalk was blown away. The light was gone and the two girls were panting. Mr.Jackel even looked uneasy. "You two are now familiar and master. Congratulations." Mr.Jackel said catching his breath. Joy looked up at Maya smiling. She then hugged her and Maya hugged her back. They both stood up slowly. Joy ran to me and hugged me. "Thank you!" She yells. I smile and pat her head. "Go be with your master. I'm sure she will treat your right." I whisper. She nods and goes to her master. They walk out of the office together. Master and Familiar.

I spent the rest of the day with the boys. Since tomorrow was Saturday and the weekend I would probably be with them. Then I would have school again for two more weeks. We meet up at the library. We were going out to have dinner all together. As we walk the streets of Liverpool I notice their was a celebration going on. Streamers hung across the lamps. Live music booming through the streets. It was amazing. George takes my hand and pulls me into the street. We dance in the street with random people. Gray and Henry stare at us shaking their heads. I just smile. I dance against George. Putting my hands in the air and swaying my body against the music. George's hands hold my waist. Then I see a random girl pull in Gray. She dances against him. I felt so jealous. I shouldn't feel this way I had George but the feeling didn't go away. I feel George pull up my face to his. I kiss him. Our lips touching barely. My heart was racing. It felt amazing. Once the music stopped and we were all tired we headed to George's house. The streets were now vacant. I held George's hand. I hear a grunt. I felt a huge pain go through my head. "Shit." I hiss. I turn around I see Gray pushed against the wall. There was another person on him. His knife coated with blood. "Gray!" I scream. I was panicking. I think about the person. His lungs. I squeeze my fists. I then hear the person wheezing. Then he starts choking for air. "Taylor." I hear George's distant voice. "Taylor stop." He whispers to me. "Taylor, this isn't like you." He whispers. Flash backs of the girl from the girl's home goes by my head. I unclench my fists. The guy was on the ground. George takes his dagger and stabs him under the skull killing him. I pull off his jacket hood. A random person. I look up and see Gray clenching his stomach. I gasp. I felt his pain. It echoed through me. I get to Gray. He gasps for air. "shit." He hisses. "I got a taxi. Guys come on." George yells. We get in. "Where too?" The taxi asks. "Brushwood academy." He says. Gray groans. "Can you drive any faster!?" I yell. "Speed limit." The taxi driver says. He was bleeding out. "Please if you die...ill die too." I whisper to him. My forehead against his. "Almost there Taylor." George whispers. "Gray please don't go I love you too much. Don't leave." I whisper to his mind. I felt it slowly drifting. How was he dying so fast? How didn't he detect that guy coming? So many questions were running through my head. The taxi stops. "We are here." He says. I throw twenty dollars at him. "It's only ten!" He yells. George and I help carry Gray. He was so heavy. Nurses come and help us and put him on a stretcher. We follow. "Only the master is allowed." The nurse says. George stops in his trek. I look at him and walk with the nurse.

We lay him in the bed. The nurse cuts off his shirt. I see his bloody abdomen. "Miss you'll have to stand over here. If you feel him loosing let us know." She whispers. Her voice so calm. "Gray please stay alive. You can't die yet." I whisper. He gasps. "Taylor!" He yells. I get to him and hold his hand. "Taylor.. Please listen to me." He gasps. Then I feel his voice enters my mind. "I love you." He whispers. I gasp. "We are loosing him!" I yell. I start to get really light-headed. "Miss you have to sit down." A nurse whispers pushing me down into a chair. I clenched the seat of the chair. I see someone come with a blood bag. They put the IV in his arm. Then they start stitching his wound. He drips the sheets in pain. I see his teeth gritted. I felt so nauseous. Blood was everywhere. I heard his heart beat. Steady but slowly going down. My does the same following his. Beep...beep..beep.. Then flat line. I soon see light.

I gasp for air when I awake. I was laying in a bed. In a gown. I look over and see Gray motionless in the bed. Gray. "Gray." I rasp. George was in a chair next to me. "Gray." I say again. George looks up. He had bags under his eyes. "Taylor." I soon try to get up. "Gray." I say. "Taylor stay down." George warns. "Gray!" I yell. George holds me down. "Gray! Gray!" I scream at the top of my lungs. "Nurse! Nurse!" George calls out. "Gray! Gray!" I scream again and again. I was frantic. I wanted to hear his voice. I wanted to know if he was alive. To know he was breathing. I couldn't sense him. "Miss calm down." A nurse says. "No gray! Gray!" I just kept screaming. They tried to calm me down but I wouldn't. A nurse comes over with a needle. She Injects it into my arm. "Gray!" I scream. Then my body relaxes. I couldn't move. My eyes felt so heavy. They soon fell causing me to go into a sleep I didn't know when I would wake from.