Octoberwood

Chapter Twelve
“Reunion”

I got little to no sleep that night as exhausted as I was. It was an emotional exhaustion like the life had been sucked out of me as much as it had my grandmother. I lay on my side clutching the locket around my neck. It had been there all this time but I paid little to no attention to it before now. It was a gift from my grandmother on my 18th birthday last year. She said it was passed down from her grandmother to her mother and now from her to me. The little piece of silver shaped like a heart hanging from a silver chain was now the most valuable thing I owned.

There was a light knock on my door and I lifted my head slowly facing the door. Quartz appeared in the doorway, she was wearing a black lace top and a pair of red leather pants with a corset belt around her waist. Her hair was down now and she was wearing makeup. It always astounded me how beautiful she was even when she didn’t look like a goddess. She kept hold of the handle and gave the best smile she could.

“Come downstairs, someone is here to see you”.
She said in an inviting tone. I wasn’t much in the mood to see anyone, getting up I followed Quartz downstairs when a distantly familiar musk filled the air. It brought back thoughts of scraped knees and learning to ride a bike. It also brought tears to my eyes as I rounded the corner and saw my dad.
“Dad!”
I sobbed flinging my arms around him. He hugged me tight cupping his hand to the back of my head as I cried in his arms.
“Shh, it’s ok. I’ve got you”.
Dad whispered easing me down to the couch. He sat next to me and dried my eyes with his thumbs like he always did when I was smaller. I held his hands in mine as Quartz excused herself.
“I tried to save her dad, I really did! I’m so sorry!”
I cried, Dad shook his head cupping the sides of my face.

“Listen to me Kristen”.
He soothed. He was the only one who still called me that. He was the only one I allowed to call me that. He gave the best smile he could.
“Your grandmother did what she knew was right. She gave her life for you while lashing out at the one who wanted to harm you. If she hadn’t been manipulated Gwen would be dead!”
I looked down shaking my head.
“I don’t understand what’s happening here Dad, why do they hate us?”
Dad sighed.
“Gwen has her reasons, she’s always hated you, but the real reason is because we descended from the Witch Queen bloodline. The royal family commanded the affairs with witches and warlocks and humans. She believed we could live peacefully among them while others believed humans were meant for slavery and a war broke out among our own kind. Until we were betrayed by our own. A coven of witches and warlocks abandoned us and started killing people. Blaming us for their crimes”.
Dad sighed.

“The witch trials”.
I gasped as I realized the end result of their actions on my own. Dad nodded to me.
“That’s right. Some of the people weren’t even witches or warlocks. They were humans. But they didn’t stop the madness. From that point on the covenant remained in hiding until it was able to build itself up in secret. They posed as doctors and nurses to win humans over and began invoking demons to consume the humans bodies and homes. Thus the exorcism age arrived and again we were villainies by the humans. Now they have humans who side with them, humans who have been trained to kill us and they use them as weapons. But their hate for humans has never died”.
Dad continued. I nodded to him.
“So, it has something to do with humans?”
Dad sighed lightly.
“I don’t know, I haven’t been able to get any more than that out of the people we’ve talked to”.
I gripped his hand in mine.

“Dad, please tell me. What am I? Why are they doing this? And why did Isis choose me!”
Dad smiled at me.
“You are like me, you are a rare breed of witch with heightened awareness and a prism user. An immortal breed known as an exorcist witch. Your reason for being is to destroy evil at its core. And there is no stronger evil that the one that pulls the strings of these organizations. The government is tainted with evil, anyone who is not loyal to that evil is a threat. Anyone stronger then this overlord is a threat as well. You are every kind of threat they fear in one body. That is why you were a high risk and that is why they skipped the testing and just went to torturing you”.

I looked down sighing to myself. Dad kept hold of my hand.
“But, you and your friends are safe now. I’m here to take you back with me, back to Rebellion”.
I looked up at him feeling confused.

“Rebellion?”
Dad eased me to my feet smiling at me.
“Rebellion is an underground organization that trains witches and warlocks away from the eyes of the government. It is a fugitive group and I’m their center”.
Dad said. I looked to Quartz as she leaned on the door frame smiling at us.
“Good to see you again Dean”.
She said to my dad. Dad smiled at her.
“And you Olivia”.
I blinked looking at Quartz.
“Olivia?”
She laughed lightly coming off the wall.
“My human name before I was given my witching name by the High Witch. Your grandmother”.
I blinked looking between them. Dad shook his head at my expression.
“The government got rid of the “High Witch” status. They’ve taken everything royal about us away but our blood. Anyway I trained Olivia back when I was at a school”.
Quartz nodded.

“He was my mentor. Anyway the car is ready and I’ve got some clothes for Krissi to change into”.
Quartz said. Dad looked me up and down raising an eyebrow.
“Is that a boy’s shirt?”
I blushed modestly. Quartz laughed taking my hand leading me from the room. I followed her frowning a bit.
“What happened to Octoberwood?”
Quartz looked back at me and sighed.
“Lux is the center there now. I’ve gotten as many students as I could out of that place. But I couldn’t get to all of them. We’ve got plains to go back for the others. Your friends and the guys are safe, they’ve made themselves at home in rebellion”.
Quartz explained handing me the bag. I took it and walked behind the changing screen. I pulled out the tank top seeing it was red.

“Shit!”
Quartz realized.
“Give me that I’ll get you a new one”.
I shook my head looking down at the red top.
“No, I’m a threat, I want them to see me coming”.
My voice was cold and hard as I thought about my grandmother. I pulled the top on and the black leather pants. Adding the leather jacket. I got the boots from Quartz and pulled them on lacing them up.
“So, are you coming with us then?”
Quartz nodded.
“I am. Your father’s taken me on as his second in command. Saphrin and Amethyen are staying with me as my left and right.”
I smiled at her getting to my feet, she really did feel like an older sister to me.

“Great, I’m glad”.
We walked from the room together and dad froze seeing me wearing red. He looked at Quartz but before she could speak I answered him for her.
“It’s ok dad, I’ve adopted the color”.
Dad smirked to himself shaking his head.
“That’s exactly what your grandmother would have done”.
Dad said taking me into a hug. I smiled hugging him back. We walked outside together.
“I’ll meet you girls there”.
He said walking over to the motorcycle. Quartz and I got into her speed demon of a car. I looked over at her.
“So um, since when do you drive cars like this?”
Quartz laughed to herself.
“Since I could drive. That stuff about witches having brooms, is B.S. this thing is way better and faster than any broom”.

She started it up and we sped away from the beach house. I couldn’t believe this was my life now, I watched the sun coming up from behind the water as Quartz and I were driving. I thought about everything I’d experienced and how far I’d come from the person I was now. That was when the questioned dawned on me. This Tyler Kendrick I hadn’t asked anyone about him and I got the feeling Quartz would know more about him than anyone.
But something inside me told me to hold off on the questions just yet. It wasn’t time. We pulled into an underground parking lot that got lower into the ground. When we came to a stop there were other cars like this one all around us. Quartz smiled getting out of the car.
“Pretty amazing huh?”
She asked as we walked.

“There’s my girl”.
An unfamiliar voice said. I turned to see a breathtaking good looking guy, he was like Christian Bale and Ryan Gosling all in one. Quartz smiled at him as he took her in his arms. Kissing him lightly, the guy looked at me and smiled.
“And this must be the girl I’ve heard so much about”.
He said holding out his hand. I smiled back at him shaking hands with him.
“Krissi this is my Fiancé Tyler Kendrick”.
My heart fell as I gaped at him feeling his tight grip on my hand grinning at me. Suddenly behind those movie star good looks I saw the evil that radiated from him. And the red of his aura.

“I’ve waited a long time to meet you, Krissi”.
He said with a sinister undertone to his voice. Quartz smiled between us.
“I’m glad you finally get to meet him”.
Quartz turned back to Tyler and kissed his lips again.
“I’m going to find the others. I’m sure you have a lot to talk about”.
Quartz said. My stomach turned and I looked at her.
“Actually I should find Brian”.
I said fast not wanting to be alone with this guy. Tyler laughed draping his arm around my shoulder.
“Brian’s busy with training right now. It would be rude to interrupt him. Why don’t I give you a tour”?

He ushered me away from Quartz and before we could be alone together another voice spoke.
“Tyler, how did I know you’d be the one to show my girl the ropes here”.
Dad smiled as he approached us. My stomach twisted into knots as Tyler and my dad hugged like family. He looked back at me.

“Well she’s practically my sister”.
Tyler laughed looking at me.
“I may as well show her around”.
I moved quickly again thinking fast.
“Dad I was hoping you’d show me around”.
I said smiling as I took his arm. Tyler smirked at me like a villain besting the hero before speaking again.
“Actually, Fayth was looking for you. She had questions about the wedding”.
Dad sighed and I looked at him.
“Wedding?”
I asked. Dad turned back to me.

“I’ll explain later”.
He said turning to Tyler and smiling.
“I’m trusting you kid, take care of my girl”.
He clapped Tyler on the back before walking away. And then the underground garage got very dark as I stood across from the one person I never expected to find in a place like this. The enemy was inside the walls of what was supposed to be our safe haven and now as his eyes fixed on me I braced myself for what was coming next.