Covens and Proxies

6

POV

I wake up with an aching head and pounding heart. I'm in my room. It's late. And I feel as if I've been sapped of my blood, which I guess I have in a way. I quickly snatch my phone, checking the time and date before sighing with relief. It's only been two days. Thank god. It's also three in the morning. Normally, I would just go back to sleep, but after two days of doing nothing but it's not much of an option.

Instead, you slip out of bed and head for the kitchen. There's hardly anything in the fridge. Of course not. Zemra can't shop for shit, unless it's clothes, make-up or other accessories. Then she's a total must-have companion.

Well, there's an AM-PM just up the road. It should have SOMETHING worth while. Some kind of trail mix, you guess. Just until the grocery store opens.

You grab you satchel, in it is your source of magic; an ancient family book of spells. You slip you wallet and a pocket knife in, not that you'll really need it. You hesitate at the door, Toby's words ringing in your ears.

"If anyone tries to touch you, kill them." You shake it off and head onto the street.

The bell of the store rings through the cool summer night air. You browse through the shelves, grabbing a handful of bags of trailmix, some containers of nuts and a small bar of chocolate. It'd have to do this morning. There's an old woman with a cigarette at the desk.

"Ain't you a little young to be out so early, sweety?" She asks in the raspy voice of a long-time smoker.

"How old do you think I am?" You question, cocking an eyebrow.

She shurgs. "Twenty. Maybe nineteen." She takes a guess, missing by five to six years.

"I'm twenty five, thanks." You correct, slamming the money onto the counter and tucking the food into your bag.

You leave without another word, almost jogging towards home. Feet shuffling a few yards behind you catch your ears. You don't stop. Instead, you walk across the street. Another block more and you turn down an alley, stopping when you reach the shadows.

Turning, you see three guys blocking your exit and coming steadily closer. "Alright, toots, here's how this is gonna work. You give us that food, your money, and whatever weapons you got in that bag and we'll go easy on ya." The leader sneers, that foul lust in his voice making you sick.

Still, you play the damsel well. "If I don't?" You force yourself to stammer.

They all chuckle. "We're gonna get real rough." A second growls.

The third snaps, and all of them lunge. In the next half a second, you've grabbed your book and thrown it in front of you. It flips through pages, time seeming to slow down when it lands on a gruesome curse. You swallow, reading the description of the spell. You need another second. So, you mutter a quick leaping spell, shooting a little further back into the alley. Drawing your knife, you slice your forearm and paint your fingers with blood. You draw a cross inside a pentagram in the air with two fingers before plunging them through the center and ripping upwards.

While you do this, the men have landed and had rushed forward, only to stumble to a halt when they see the picture painted in blood floatinf in the air.

The blood turns to living tentcales, lashing out and wrapping up the men up at your command. Your hand is extended. Your slowly turn your hand palm-up and pull it closer until your elbow is bent 90°(degrees). The men are now a yard away.

"You will never harm another human being." You command. They all whimper. Narrowing your eyes, you clench your fist tight. The blood tendrils crush the men, making them explode before it dissolves into the remnants.

No sound comes, other then the splashing and slapping sounds of flesh, bone and blood hitting the pavement. You head out of the alley, only to stop when slow clapping sounds from behind you. Slowly, you turn around to see Toby jumping down from a fire shoot.

"I was just o-on my way back from yo-ur place." He sounds incredibly pleased as he makes his way over. When he's in the light, he stops. He regards you, eyes dancing down your body, stopping at the spots of blood from the scene. "Blo-od looks good on you. Really brings out your ey-eyes." His voice screams smirk, but his face is even louder.

The realization of what you just did hits you like a wall. "I... Didn't really mean to..." You whisper, backing into the lightpole.

He chuckles. "Of-of course you did." He walks over, bending down and taking your chin; forcing you to look up at him. "Own i-it. Or you'll nev-er be able to keep yoursel-self." He growls before letting you go and heading down the street. "Jeff sends his love, what-atever the fuck that means." He calls.

You push yourself to your feet again, only glancing at the scene before heading home. He's right. If I don't except this, I'm going to become worse then them. And I have to start with my father. You steal your resolve.