Wolshire

Chapter 24

Victoria

"Victoria, would you like to try?"

We had been there for an hour, and I was tired of watching him fail. I got this so quickly. The wand did not do anything except tunnel the magic until one could learn how to direct it correctly. I slid off the table and plucked the wand out of Casper's hand. I put my right foot in front of my left like I was throwing a punch and positioned my hand with the wand just above my head.

"Avada kedavra!" I leaned slightly forward and pointed the wand at Brooklyn, firing an imaginary death curse.

She started to clutch her heart and collapsed backward. She cackled, "Not bad form for a vampire. Where did you learn it?"

"I have learned a couple of things in 500 hundred years." I was not going to tell them anything.

Casper's phone began ringing and showed Jacob on the caller ID.

"Pick it up. Just do not tell him about the curse, please." I begged him.

He knew he was about to betray his friend, and his face revealed his dismay. "Jacob!" He said in his normal happy voice.

"Yeah, I'm at Brooklyn's. Victoria's here, too. Mmm-hmm... see you later." Casper clicked the phone off. "He's going to be coming here, so you're going to explain to me why I can't tell him about something that threatens all of us!"

"Because Moore does not want him to know."

"Bullshit," I shouted at Victoria.

"No, it is true. I promise. Casper, trust me." I tried to evoke some pity from him, knowing how he felt about me.

"Fine, but if it comes down to it, it won't matter whatever the hell Moore has said."

"It will be your funeral."

After a silence, Brooklyn finally spoke. "Casper, come on. We're taking this outside."

I stood still until they'd left through the trap door. "Do not wait for me, Brooklyn."

I slowly got into my stance and pointed the wand at a spot on the wall. I closed my eyes and focused. I flung the wand at the wall, and a jolt of lightning flew out of the tip. The bolt hit the wall and exploded. I lowered the wand and out of the corner of my eye, I saw a mirror. I glared at my eye reflection, the color in my eyes as black as the irises. They slowly melted back into a regular brown.

"Victoria, what are you doing?" Brooklyn was halfway down the stairs with her hand on the top of the trapdoor, leaning in. "We're all waiting for you."

"Sorry," I tried to make my voice perkier. "I am coming!" I laid the wand down carefully and sped to the surface.

A Few Failed Spells Later

"You almost killed me this time!" Casper cried out.

"You would have survived." Brooklyn shrugged.

Brooklyn and Casper continued their magic lesson, and I watched them, reclined in one of the outside chairs. The wind began to blow in, and the crunching of leaves marked where they stepped.

"Okay, let's start with something really easy that I'm pretty sure you've already done. You're going to levitate me."

"I levitated a belt, not a person!"

Brooklyn ran her fingers through her hair, "Ugh! I was taken from my family as a child and didn't complain about it half this much!"

Jacob burst through the trees and landed on the ground.