Into the Light

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Ash looked at us expectantly, like we were supposed to know what that meant. "I only mention this because, as you know, the Darkness is also magical. Her power will be increased, as well. We have to play this exactly right, with no mistakes. Even then, it's a roll of the dice." His gaze drifted off somewhere else, as I'm sure his thoughts did too. After a couple of minutes, Sam cleared his throat to get the man's attention. "What? Oh, yes, Colby, are you ready for your acting debut? Ready to make the Darkness fall in love with you?" Again, my stomach roiled just thinking about it, but I nodded. I swallowed and felt the large lump of fear get lodged painfully in my throat. I glanced over to where Anna was standing with a couple of the robed witches, mimicking their hand movements. I wondered what they were teaching her. "She knows what you have to do," Ash said. "She understands." I sighed and nodded at his words. "Still doesn't mean that either of us have to like it," I responded. Anna seemed to feel me watching her, because she looked up and met my gaze across the clearing. She gave me a little smile and a wave of her hand, before she went back to mimicking the witches. "How much time do we have?" Sam asked, holding Kat close to his side. "Anna and I are about to call the spirits again. Some of them went off to ask their friends to join us, to give us more strength. I just hope it's enough," Ash replied. He didn't show any signs of nervousness on the outside, but his eyes were a different story. They jumped from us, to Anna, to the Coven, and back again. He glanced out at the trees and looked at a watch that I hadn't noticed he was wearing. "We have half an hour. We have to start the summoning ritual soon. I need you three to get into position. Come with me." I felt like I was on autopilot, as I followed him back over to where Anna and the Coven stood. I was there, my body was there, but my mind was off somewhere else. I couldn't seem to think straight, as the multiple horrible scenarios of what could happen flooded my brain. Once we reached the others, Anna came to my side and slid her smaller hand into mine. I took a deep breath to calm myself and looked down at her with a small smile. "Hey," I whispered. "Hey," she whispered back. It was stupid, but it somehow calmed me, just having her there. Ash went into explaining where we would stand, where I would stand, and exactly what order we would hit her in. I, of course, would be the first step. I would walk towards her, like I couldn't help myself, until I reached her side. I prayed she would be too curious to know what I wanted, instead of just blasting me away right then and there. There were way too many ifs in this plan. I listened and I remembered, but I felt the panic rising again. I didn't know if the others were feeling like I was, but I assumed so. This wasn't normal. When Sam made Never Normal his YouTube brand a while back, I was sure he didn't mean this. The thought caught me off guard and it brought a tiny grin to my face. I guess we had never really been normal. Ash looked at his watch again, then motioned at us. "It's time. You three will start over there, with Colby off to the side. Remember, once you feel that first hit, you have to move," he replied, looking at me. "Your body won't be able to stand multiple spirit hits. Okay?" I nodded and licked my dry lips. What had been a cool night in the forest, under the moon, now had sweat popping out all over my body. "You can go ahead over there," he said, when none of us made a move. "Come on," Sam murmured, pushing me a little. I heard Ash talking to Anna, as we walked away. "Wait!" I exclaimed, then turned and jogged back to where they were. I cut Ash off and turned Anna towards me. I wrapped my arms around her waist and brought her body flush with mine. "For luck," I murmured, then pressed my lips to hers. She let out a small squeal of surprise, with how fast it had happened, but melted into me instantly. I took my time, savoring her taste, the feel of her tongue against mine, her lips soft but forceful. Her scent enveloped me, that fruity citrus scent that I had loved before I met her. I inhaled deeply through my nose and pulled her even closer. If this was to be our last kiss, then it was going to be an amazing one. One that she would remember forever. Her hands clenched in my hair, pulling my lips harder against her own. A deep rumbling sound started in my throat, without my control. She let out a small whimper, clinging to me like she just couldn't get close enough. "I'm sorry, I truly am, but we need to get started if we want to use the moon and time in our favor," Ash said, after he cleared his throat to get our attention. I broke the kiss and lay  my palm against her cheek, as I looked into those emerald green eyes. Wherever I was when I died, those eyes would be in my memory forever. "I love you," I whispered, then pressed my lips to hers again, once, twice, three times. She lay her head over in my palm and gave me a sad smile. "I love you too." It physically hurt me to let her go and back away, but I did it. I gave her one last, lingering look, then turned my back on her. My stomach felt empty again, along with my chest. Like I was leaving my heart behind. I jogged back up to Sam and Kat, who were still waiting on me. "You good?" Sam asked, as we started walking to our spot again. I shook my head and kept my eyes straight ahead. I couldn't let him, or anyone, see the tears that were threatening to slip out of my eyes. "Not at all," I replied. Sam and Kat took their positions and held hands tightly. I walked a few more feet out and stood alone by the clearings edge. I felt so separated from everyone that I loved. It didn't feel right to be over here like this. Nothing about this felt right. I heard a loud bang and glanced over to where Anna and Ash had moved too.