A Coven's Rebirth

Chapter Four

Howls erupted simultaneously in unison, as the moon traveled its slow course across the morning sky. Flashes blurred as quickly as they came, vanishing into the unknown. Lights lit up the small restaurant as the jeep pulled into the narrow drive through.

"One burger, fries, and a water please.." a voice trailed off, watching the empty parking lot in front of them. Purple, red, and orange pavement clashed together as the slim surf board statue claimed its place in front of the small building.

"$3.50 at the second window," a husky voice replied, a yawn escaping his lips.

Resting her palms against the tough surface of the steering wheel, the girl inhaled a deep breath and searched for the sound of her friend's heartbeat, the one which had made itself aquatinted to her over the course of their friendship.

Rhythmic strides flowed in slow, steady beats drowning out her every thought. The melodies his heart sang only grew louder, stronger as each second ticked by.

Retracting her hand quickly from its position on the steering wheel, she reached for her head. Prickles of pain rained down on the girl's temples before slowly spreading to other parts of her mind.

"$3.50 at the second window," a voice repeated, annoyance riddled into his tone.

The jeep strutted forward, arriving next to the drive through window. Money flung forth towards the fast food worker, who grabbed it in anticipation. The woman sighed before going to grab the food.

Bags emerged from the window in seconds, a similar surfboard printed on the front. Confusion struck Gaia as she was handed three bags. The woman gave her a smile before closing the glass doors.

Score, a grin slowly crept up on her face. Free food.

But as her eyes scanned the contents in each bag, she realized the worker had place each item of food into a separate bag: including the water.

Who bags cupped water, her face scrunched up at the thought alone before focusing on something else.

I have to tell him the truth when he awakes no matter what.

*** ***

Flames encircled the boy, their touch sending burning sensations throughout him. His screams extended its reach far towards the sky above where the vacuum of space consumed it in one endless gulf of time. Being trapped and alone began to freak him out as the fire began to expand closer to him, drawing its heat with it in the process.

Shadows lingered around him, just barely out of sight. Eyes watched the boy from the other side of the bright glow on the opposite side of the flame. Their faces void of any emotion.

Pounding erupted in his head as his eyes shot open, noticing the dash board he had smacked into moments earlier. Darkness surrounded the jeep, quietness seeking through the gaps in the windows from each angle.

Dominic rubbed his sweaty palm against the surface of his head, blinking in an attempt to take in his surroundings. A sigh of relief caught his attention causing him to meet Gaia's gaze.

"Look who's finally awake," her grin beamed brightly in the dark interior.

"Where are we?" He asked, scanning the ground which was riddled with garbage bags leaking over, the stench causing his nose hairs to slightly burn.

Gaia shifted her body uncomfortably, in an attempt to face him. Bags of food we're handed over to him quickly, before the girl spoke again.

"Eat," she pointed at the bags. "It'll help get your strength back up."

He grabbed the burger and took a huge bite, the cheesey mess melting in his mouth.

"Please tell me what's going on, the last thing I remember was..." He trailed off, looking at the broken abandoned car to his right. Memories flooded his mind as imagines began to resurface of the previous night's events.

"Before you mention what happened back there," she began, throwing up her hands. "Just know that I was able to contain the fire you started."

A sigh escaped her lips as her eyes came to a close. "You did quite a bit of damage to the wildlife in the area, the news will likely be reporting on it soon."

"This can't be real." The car door flew open as he fell to the ground, scrawled out and gasping for air. He clinged at his head not willing to accept the reality his friend spoke of.

"It's hard to take in at first trust me." She placed a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him. "But it gets easier with time."

Grasping the dented bumper in an attempt to lift himself up from the ground, an empty chip bag clingered onto the bottom of his boots, disrupting his footing and knocking him off balance. His palm jerked to the left causing the car to go flying over their heads and crashing into a pile of old worn out televisions and other such appliances.

Screeching of metal slowly clashing into the rough terrain echoed throughout the whole area. Dominic watched as a pile of junk came tumbling down towards them.

Gaia shifted her body in front of him, her hands raising to meet the falling debris. Objects slowed until fully stopping midair just a few meters above their heads.

"This can't be happening," he said jumping to his feet. "Things like this just simply don't exist. Fairy tales that are told to children to frighten them at night."

"Dominic, I may not have all the answers to the universe but trust me on this I know what I'm talking about. You harbor magic just like I do."

He watched her serious expression as she turned her back to him.

"You seriously want me to believe in magic? Vampires even?"

"Choose to believe it or not," her voice echoed. "But the truth is, you are buried just as deep as I am into this mess. They'll come after you again, especially after what you did back there to them."

The throbbing in his head prevailed as he caught a glimpse of something in the distance. Dominic pushed passed Gaia, his focus on someone he hadn't noticed before until now.

Her face was concealed by the dark greenish floppy hat that covered most of her frame. He couldn't make out much other than the dark cloak that covered most of her body. Something inside him felt off but before he could confront her, she vanished; slipping away into the unknown.