Misplaced Magic (Book 8)

Chapter 21

"And once the storm is over, you won't remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won't even be sure whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won't be the same person who walked in. That's what this storm's all about."―Haruki Murakami

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'This is weird.' Dani said as they stood on the pavement outside their childhood home.

'Very weird.' Lauren said. The once bright exterior was faded and covered in overgrown foliage. The purple window paint had cracked and peeled, some of the shutters hanging from their hinges if not gone altogether. The garden had been left to grow wild and the trees were so tall they hid most of the house from the sun.

'Not quite as homely as I remembered it.' Lisa said as they started to walk down the path. Katherine ran her hand over the old rope swing that still hung tentatively from one of the trees.

'Dani fell off this thing so many times. Katherine smiled and let go of the fraying rope.

'I had bad balance, and I was like six.' Dani defended. Christina had made her way up the porch and was standing in front of the door, willing herself to open it.

'You okay?' Lauren asked coming up beside her.

'Yeah, memories.' Christina said. 'Lot's of stuff is coming back.'

'I know.' Lauren took her hand. 'We've got this.' Christina smiled at her. The rest of the girls had joined them on the porch.

'Everyone stick together, okay?' Christina said.

'Got it.' A few of them confirmed and Lauren squeezed her hand before letting it go so their weapons were free. Christina pushed in on the door and it creaked open. She stepped inside. The entrance way was as grand as they remembered it. Christina tried to avoid the flashbacks of her mother leaving with Belial, the last time she saw her alive. She swallowed before taking some more steps forwards.

'I don't recognise any of this furniture.' Dani said.

'Probably left by the last family.' Amy said.

'So, do we wait here for him?' Lisa looked around nervously.

'Mum said it happened in the conservatory.' Katherine reminded them.

'Are we sure he's going to be that specific?' Lisa wondered.

'Won't know until we get there.' Amy said. They walked down the hall and into the kitchen.

'This has definitely had a remodel.' Katherine said. 'The countertops were wooden, not granite.'

'They were put through a lot, with all of mums potion making.' Lisa said.

'I'm really glad we don't make potions in the kitchen by the way, be a shame to drink a potion instead of a smoothie.' Dani joked. Christina smiled as she opened the doors to the large conservatory.

'Everyone keep your eyes open.' Christina said as they stopped in the centre of the room. After a moment of silence Bathin crashed into the room from above. He hit the ground in the middle of them and sent out a blast of power, sending them off in all directions. Dani and Lauren hit the kitchen doors and landed on the ground with a thud. Amy went skidding across the floor, only stopping when she hit a large concrete flower pot. Katherine, Christina and Lisa all went in the other direction, smashing into the glass of the conservatory windows. Luckily it was quite sturdy and they all managed to stay in the room. The glass cracked under the pressure as Katherine and Lisa hit the same pane. Lisa gripped her elbow after landing on it hard. Christina slid to the floor after her back made contact with the wooden window framing, the wind knocked out of her.