A Witch's Life: Great Discoveries (Journey to Destiny series #1)

CHAPTER 9: Late Nights

HIS movements were quick but they were never rushed, they were relaxed, controlled and it made me feel useless. I am the only natural-born immortal witch and I can't do a damned thing about it. I can't control my thirst or my movements like Harley can. I have every single disadvantage of the species and the advantages seemed to have been lost in translation. "Now your turn," he gestured. I gave him the same face that I had given him five times before. The one that says I'm not sure how to do it but I had known after the first demonstration. This time he didn't act as if he believed me, he had now given up on waiting. I sighed and tried to concentrate. "I want you to phase just in front my desk, I want to see your ability to control," he sits on his kitchen bench feeling proud to be there.
When the girls saw that I had a text from Harley with his dorm number in it they squealed like little toddlers. That high-pitched scream of excitement almost burst through my ear drum to split my brain in two. They couldn't believe how lucky I was to being going to his apartment and apparently they slipped a surprise in my bag but I never bothered to check. When they found that I wasn't thrilled about the arrangement I thought that they were going to hang me.

"I don't really need to learn this. I do just fine without it," I complained, sagging my shoulders, already feeling the defeat. I groaned before standing up properly. I could feel the rush begin while everything around me slowed right down. The clock was frozen and Harley was still. I was phasing, or vamping in other words. Changing the time around me. The real power of speed. It didn't last, it never does. I ended up losing control, the time around me jumping. I flipped over the desk and bounced off the slick tiles. Slap! Crack!

My rib stuck out of place and bit my lip trying not to scream everyone awake. I screamed through my closed mouth in muffled huffs. Blood spurted out my mouth from biting so hard. He was by my side in a second hoisting me up. "Oh my god!" he exclaimed and ran into the kitchen in search of something. He rushed through the cupboards, even tearing one off its hinges when it wouldn't budge. He phased over with a jar of orange mush which smelt like food. He slapped it on the rib that poked out, dragging my skin along with it. The pain began to feel numb as if non-existent. He then popped it back into place and it tickled.

"Are you okay?" his eyes were popping out of his skull in alarm. "Never better," I heaved out still feeling a bit winded by it all. "I think that shall be enough for tonight. We shall try again tomorrow when you have healed," he looks uncomfortable and embarrassed because he believes that it is his fault. Which it is. I have never been ready for phasing. Every time I try, I fail. However, it would help me out a lot in my job. Everything will be faster and easier if I could phase, especially against other vampires.

"It will be healed in half an hour, that is when we can try again," I stumble to the couch and flop down. "That's right. I momentarily forgot that you are a vampire. You seem to be a witch in my eyes. Half an hour though is a bit soon, more like two to three hours, tops," he takes a seat next to me and drags my legs onto his lap so that I can lay down. "Half an hour, max," I repeat, "I've been...trained to heal quickly." Images of Harley flashing through my brain. My bones cracking under one his demons tight grip. Them patiently waiting for me to heal for breaking another set of bones.

"Painful," Harley murmurs to himself, unwanting me to hear, however forgetting about my vampire hearing. So he knew what I had to go through to be able to get to this stage of healing. It was brutal but nothing you could ever imagine. The screaming echoed through my head once again, haunting my mind.

"I'm going to head to the bathroom," I stated and his eyes were reluctant as well as the grip on my leg. Then he just released me and I hobbled down the hallway with my body stabilised against the wall. I almost fell into the bathroom but had grabbed the sink just in time. I gave the mirror a long, hard stare.

You just have to make it through the week. That is your goal right now. Make it through the week.

I turned the tap as it shrieked, splashing my face with the iced water. When I came back up to ask the mirror what in the world I should do with my life I saw a dark figure in the back corner. It was still and just staring at me. Smoke came off of his body in waves and his entire figure had been painted ebony. The only colour that was not of a shade was yellow and piercing. They were two orbs of this sickly, radioactive yellow that beamed towards me. I shifted my back to lean up more but it began to move. When I paused, it froze. It was fascinating to me as well as being utterly petrifying.

I stood up completely, straightening my back and it took a lunge forward in one step. I reached for the doorknob and it took another step towards me. It was now right behind me. It's breath, steaming my neck. It's smoke, burning my skin. It's eyes, judging my soul.

You can do this Melody. You need to prove that you can look after yourself.

His hand clapped onto my shoulder making me jump.

Actually you can't do this. This is insane. Every time I move, it's closer. The only way to get out of this is to move faster than him. I need to phase. Is this Harley? Is he testing me? What if he has lost control and is now a screamer? I have never seen a screamer before. No one has and been able to live to tell anyone about it. I am going to die?

I deeply inhaled, breathing in the smell of smoke, staining his body. It has to be him. I was about to do it. I was about to phase. I could feel the time around me shift and in that moment I could sense him. I couldn't tell. It's Harley but it's not Harley. It's not even his screamer but it's related to him. The scariest thing is that it is also related to someone else close to me. Does Harley have a kid?

The point is that it didn't matter. I didn't prove that I was able to take care of myself because as I phased I felt every shred of impact. I felt every painful moment as his claws tear through my skin. The shirt I wore did not slow him down as he sliced through it like softened butter. From my right shoulder blade across to my left hip. The phasing was uncontrollable but his talons kept me stationed to him. The phasing made the torture greater.

"You will save him! You will us! You will save everyone!"

The voice was cracking, like a bad cell phone connection. Then he let me go and everything went black.