~BOOK 3/PART TWO~ Paranormal: A Vampire's Time Is Now (Multi-Bandom FanFic)

Chapter 13

Brendon sat on the edge of the bed Rachael was lying on, his back slightly hunched over and his head tilted back as he watched the second hand on the clock move painstakingly slow around the face. He heaved a sigh and glanced back at the girl behind him. The cuts on her face had almost disappeared completely, only a faint scar left behind. Her eyes were closed and she exerted a sort of peacefulness, lying there unconsciously.

Brendon realized that his throat was dry so he ascended from his spot next to Rachael and left a gentle, tender kiss on her hand that was entangled in his before releasing it and going downstairs to the kitchen. The wizard rubbed his tired eyes while searching through the cabinets for a glass, then pulled one out of the cabinet. He turned on the faucet and positioned the - what he now realized was - dirty glass underneath it, water filling the cup. He shut it off and tossed the glass down in the sink, frustrated. He rested his elbows on the counter and put his head in his hands.

Time was ticking. It wouldn't be long before the world changed, before the way things had been done prior to this would no longer be the same. Change was undoubtedly coming, and Brendon was unsure of which side he stood on. He just wanted to be with Rachael, but he found it hard to share her views - be them her own or the ones she believed in because of Patrick.

A creak sounded on the old wooden stairwell that led to the upper level of the home. Brendon walked out of the kitchen and peered around the corner to see Rachael holding on to the railing and slowly walking down the stairs. He quickly rushed up to her, seeing that her legs we shaky and not wanting her to fall.

"Get away from me," She murmured, rejecting his assistance and pushing him away from her. She wanted to become stable herself.

"How are you feeling?" He asked her, noticing that there was a youthfulness to her face that replaced the scar. It was almost as if Pete's blood had made her younger. There were no dark circles underneath her eyes, and the blue of her irises seemed more vibrant.

"I'm fine," Rachael responded tersely, her ankle bending the wrong way and causing her to grip onto the railing for dear life. Brendon flinched as he went to grab her but remembered what she had said, as well as what Pete had said. She heaved a shaky sigh and leaned forward, resting her forehead on the railing. It was evident she was far from fine.

"What were you thinking back there, Rach?" He inquired softly, attracting her attention, "You could've gotten killed."

The witch remained silent, her eyes locked on his and her eyebrows knit together.

"You know, it's like I don't even know you sometimes anymore," Brendon admitted, shaking his head, "Ever since you left the coven, it's like I've been chasing after the wrong person. You're nothing like you used to be, doing things that the you I knew would never be stupid enough to do. I don't know what happened, but it's like you purposely choose all these things - where you live, what you do, who you associate yourself with - to upset me or something. Is that it? Is that what you're trying to do? Because if it is, then congratulations, because you're succeeding."

Rachael took in a deep breath and peeled herself away from the railing, swaying a little as she tried to find her balance. Once it was found, she turned to her long-time friend and crossed her arms. "Have you ever thought that maybe I didn't want to live the life the coven had planned out for me? Because that life locked me down to you, Brendon. They wanted us to do everything together - master our powers so that we could take over the coven one day, have children so that when we die they'll take our places and keep the legacy going forever and ever and ever. Can you honestly tell me that that's the life you wanted to live?"

"I just wanted to be with you, Rach," He indirectly answered her question, shortening the distance between the two of them and taking her hands in his. He looked deep into her eyes and continued, "That's all I've ever wanted. I didn't care what I had to do, as long as I got to be with you, that kind of stuff didn't matter."

"But it mattered to me," She argued as she slipped her hands out of his and lost her footing, falling back on the stairs so that she was sitting on one of the steps. The wizard looked at her with wide, fearful eyes. She sighed and put her head in her hands, fighting to keep herself from breaking down into tears of frustration as she went on to say, "If I stayed at that coven and did what my mother wanted me to do, we would be just like Kenya is - brainwashed and under everyone else's control. I mean, hell, you're already halfway there."

"Like I said-"

"I know what you said," Rachael interrupted him, glancing up at him, "But that's your problem, Brendon, you're willing to do whatever to be with someone who doesn't even want to be with you."

Brendon scoffed. "Did you completely forget that I was the one you went to after Patrick hurt you? Or that after I came back, you told me you never stopped liking me?"

"I came to you because you're my friend," She clarified the reason behind her actions, ignoring the second part of his interrogation, "You're always there for me and I can't thank you enough for that. But you want something that I don't. You even said it yourself, I'm nothing like I used to be. Why can't you just accept that?"

"Because I love you!" He shot his hands in her direction. "I love you and I know that the person sitting before me isn't...you." His hands dropped to his side and his shoulders slumped down. "You tell me I'm halfway to being like Kenya, but what about you? You're practically all the way there. You're brainwashed and under someone else's control, even when they're not around." Rachael didn't have to ask who he was talking about, she knew it was Patrick. "So if anyone's fallen to the same fate she has, it's you."

A silence fell over the two of them, Rachael hanging her head in defeat, unable to argue with him, and Brendon moving so that he was sitting down beside her.

"You know, I want to tell you I'm sorry for casting that spell on Kenya, but if I did, I'd be lying." The witch looked over at the wizard. "I think it's for the best that she doesn't know who you are. Look at this way, with you erased from her memory, she'll go on living on her life as if she never met you. And you? You can start over, move far away from here and work on that new chapter you've been dying to write. The key thing is that you'll both be happy. Kenya will be with Bruno, protecting this fucking pack together, and you...I don't even know what you'll do. In the end, though, maybe it's time you go your separate ways."

Just then, the front door near the bottom of the steps was kicked in, the doorknob hitting the wall with so much force that it created a dent. Pete stepped through the threshold, his chest rising up and down and his fists clenched by his sides.

"We need to end this war," The vampire growled, "Now."