Back to Human

Chapter Eighteen

Lauren left early the next morning with a promise to call after she had confronted Johannes. The wait was torture. Charlie left with Lauren to go to work, leaving me alone in the unit that was far to large alone.

I flipped on the TV and climbed back into my bed. A morning show was on but it didn't hold my interest. I got up and stretched just for something to do. It had only been an hour but I was already bored. I didn't make the conscious decision to let my mind wander but in no time at all I was deep in thought while the TV played quietly in the background.

As soon as the person from Almusilaa arrived, we would be freeing Cooper, Grace and any others that Eleanor had captured. We would all be getting our bodies back and we will be able to go back to our families. Soon all of this will be over and I was relieved. I would probably have to repeat year eleven but as long as I was with my family I wouldn't mind.

Would I still visit Charlie, Lauren and the rest? How will my life change now I know that vampires crawl in the shadows and both witches and wizards exist? What will it be like to meet the human versions of Cooper and Grace? Will they get their original bodies back like me or is there some other way that the witches and wizards can get their bodies back? Will there be more familiars than we thought? I didn't know the answers to these questions.

I focused more on the TV as something caught my attention.

"...another person has been found murdered. Police say that this murder may be connected to a string of murders that have plagued the city in the past six months." The ever present peppy news anchor said. A photo of a smiling young man hung behind her. I stilled in horror. Surely this isn't what I think it is. "All victims were found with similar injuries and were dumped in public places. The police detective in charge of this case has issued a statement." She said before the screen jumped to footage of a man in uniform.

"We believe this may be the work of an individual person or group." The man said in a gruff voice. "Police urge you to please take necessary precautions such as making sure doors and windows are locked and don't go out at night. Please check in on family members and make sure not to go to strange places alone." He continued.

A little information on the case was revealed and a plea for information was given before they switched to a different topic. So far five murders were considered suspicious, including Grace's, Cooper's and mine. A man named Daniel was the latest victim who was found in the same way. He was found yesterday. He had probably watched his body be discovered as well. I spent a couple of minutes ruminating in the implications before I heard a loud knocking on the door. I got up and walked to the window to check who it was.

Lauren stood with a tear stained face and Ben at her side with an arm around her shoulder. They saw me and Ben yelled through the glass.

"Hey, do you mind if we let our selves in?"

I nodded before Ben disappeared from view. Lauren was a mess, and I had a guess as to why. Ben came back and brandished a key before letting him and his sister in.

"Hey, how did it go?" I asked before turning off the TV.

Lauren sniffed but no tears came. She sat down and Ben sat beside her.

"She confronted him," Ben started to explain. "He denied it at first but as soon as he realized that we weren't falling for it he turned nasty." He said sadly.

I frowned. "What did he do?" I asked as I looked at Lauren.

"He started calling her names, insinuating some things." Ben said angrily. Just then I realized how angry he was. His fists were clenched like his teeth and he looked ready to punch someone.