Midnight Rituals

2. Do it right or don't do it at all

Atticus:

I was looking through the car window. The sun was almost sunset, fortunately. I hadn't drunk enough blood today to be able to walk under the sun for a long time.

"Rosemary is always getting us into trouble, I need to upload a new photo or my followers will be disappointed," Lucas complained while driving.

"I'm sure they can wait until we finish it. This could happen to anybody, it's bad luck," I sighed.

My heart wouldn't stop beating. I wanted to see her, but at the same time, I didn't want. Too many unprocessed feelings between us.

"By the way, can you repeat for which you have broken up?" he said looking at me, taking his eyes off the road which made the car do an S and we almost got off the road.

"Do you want to kill us?" I said the sentence so worried that we both laughed; as if a minor road accident could kill a lord vampire and a shapeshifter. "Okay, you park on this side of the road, we'll walk the rest. They are a few kilometers inside the forest."

I outed the car rapidly when he parked. I wasn't in the mood to speak about my breakup with Rose and Lucas had been trying for a few days to get me to open up. He's my best friend but this's something that I want to share with others.

"Dude, you don't answer me about Rose," he said while he closed the car.

"It's not your business..." a scream interrupted me.

The birds began to fly frenetically in the opposite direction of the scream. Lucas and I looked at each other with decidedly. He turned into a shape half human half bear and we started to run at full speed.

Fenix:

I was very dizzy. It was like getting out of bed fast and then you feel like your room would be a Mario Kart racing. It wasn't yet night although the sun had almost set,  my trick had worked enough.

Strong winds that lashed around caught my attention. The witches were making the stupid ritual and the magic forces were collapsing. The girls and Kevin were in the second circle in black tunics while Rosemary was in the center in a white tunic with golden embroideries. All of them sang together a strange canticle. The aesthetics of a satanic cult from a bad terror movie were achieved, point for them.

I tried to get up and a snake head started to hiss. Well, a cord with a very bad spell of illusion started to hiss. Most people would think this an animatronic or a toy before a real snake; amateurs.

Suddenly, they began to scream in unison. They were four people but they were so synchronized that seemed like one. The birds flew away. I began to push with my body trying to untie me. It wasn't complicated, who tied me needed to learn about knots.

They were in silence after that strange scream. I approach Kevin. "oh, shit" I yelled. They had their eyes rolled and cried blood, very disgusting. The rest of them were the same. The magic was getting more chaotic by the second.

I should balance this shit, shouldn't I? I thought.

I checked the makeup case searching for something useful. Lapislazuli not, Himalayan salt not, little iron bars, maybe. I took the iron bars and a compass. The corner was orienting to the magnetic north as I had supposed, a rookie mistake on their part.

I began to stick the bars into the ground, the magic surrounding me was overwhelming. I was having a horrible headache. But I could put the bars without problems until I need to stick the last bar in the center, near Rose.

I approach the center slowly, the magic was stronger and I felt worse with every step. I fell to the ground and was dragging myself to get to my objective. I used my last strength to stick the bar in front of Rose's knee. The wing stopped and I felt calm for a sec until I saw a black shadow coming out of one crack in the sky.

We are screwed was the last thing I could think before I passed out.

Lucas:

I had left Atticus behind, although both of us are faster than normal people, he don't even come close to me. I followed the smell, it was complicated to distinguish the people's smell because of the sulfur odor which spread throughout the forest.

Finally, I smelled Rosemary perfume, the magic rose scent is very unique; the twins who always accompany her; someone I don't know; and a familiar smell but I couldn't realize who.

I arrived in the small glade. The twins were helping to get up at each other, while Rose tried to flip a guy who was in the ground. The guy didn't smell like a witch but maybe he was using a spell.

"What the hell happened here?" I asked.

A black guy who was trying to get up started to yell when he noticed me, my bestial form usually has this effect, even in witches.

"Shut up, Kevin!" Rosemary yelled with an angry look. "It's a friend of mine."

"Well more like a friend of a friend," I said turning into my normal form.

I had broken my sneakers again. I never remember taking off my shoes when I change. My father was going to kill me. I took off my shoes and threw them away because they were a rag after my run through the woods.

"Where is Atticus?" Rose asked me when I approached her.

"He was following my tail, but I'm faster," I helped her to move the guy, then I realize why there was a familiar smell. "Shit, why is Fenix here?"

"He followed us, for this reason, we called Atticus. Then the summoning got out of hand, and..." She stayed staring at a bar stuck in the ground. "Who made this?" Everyone shook their heads. "It's impossible that it made him," she whispered.

I give a soft slap to Fenix, but he was totally unconscious. Then Atticus arrived with his red iris and black veins. This guy, Kevin, almost started to yell again, but Rosemary made an angry face which was more terrifying than a vampire or any other creature.

Atticus approach us, "Thanks for coming," Rose said in a sweet tone, I felt a chill down my spine.

"Always," Atticus answered with a smile.

I cleared my throat because this began to fill annoyance and we had an unconscious human in our hands.

"We need to do something with him," I said.

She moved her hands trying to make a spell "I have used too much power, I'm dry for two hours at least,"

Atti approached his ear at Fenix's chest "His heart sounds well. Although I could try to erase his memories when he wakes up, a witch has to check him. We should go to the foundation," he said.

Rosemary only nodded and I took Fenix in my back. He was still a featherweight.

Rosemary:

I changed my clothes rapidly and gave orders to pick up and go home. Atticus, Lucas, and I started to walk toward Luca's car. I would go pick mine up in another moment.

This has been a total disaster, Mother will be so disappointed, I thought.

Atticus round me with an arm and smile at me. "Don't worry, everything will be alright."

I felt more myself when we are together. I missed him more than I could admit.

"You're a bad liar for someone who can manipulate people's minds," I joked.

"Not really, I think that Fenix is well. We only need to erase his memories.."

"And find out what happened," I interrupted him

"What do you mean?"

"I think he broke the spell," Atticus looked at me confused. "The spell was wrong. I don't know what happened, but the energies were so chaotic that we all went into a trance. These iron bars weren't our thing."

"I don't understand, he's human, isn't he? He cannot make magic."

"He didn't make magic, but he balanced the forces in a way that I don't quite understand. However, I'll get my answers before the end of the day or my name isn't Rosemary Booth."