HOURGLASS

CHAPTER TWELVE - Finally the Finale

I awoke with a jolt, my mom and friends kneeling next to me. My eyes didn't feel used to the bright lights of the physical world, so I closed them and just smiled. I felt like I been thrown off a cliff and punched in the face by Thing from Fantastic Four. I didn't feel like moving at all, but I forced myself into a sitting position and blinked heavily.

"Oh, honey don't hurt yourself. You've been through a lot in the past two days and I am so happy that you're okay!" She smiled and hugged me gently. "We had better get you to a hospital. Magic is great for situations like this, but I don't know how to use it so-"

"Don't worry your pretty little head Emma. I am an experienced magic user myself, and I can heal Robin in a jiffy. I just needed him to wake up. Let me see him." Amy appeared from my right and leaned over me. She took my hands and placed them in hers. She whispered something that sounded like latin, but I couldn't understand it. "Poof! You'll feel good as new in a few minutes."

My mom thanked her and started talking with the others. Charlie was sitting on a stool near the door and Nessa was leaning on it. I sighed and started to drift off. I had been through a bunch of stuff lately. I had my mom back, made friends with a couple of vampires and saved a few worlds.

I deserved a rest.

. . .

I was in my room when I woke up. I tested my arms, then my legs. They felt good as new, and the rest of me felt wonderful as well. I heard voices talking and laughing downstairs. The clock on the wall said that it was four in the morning. I had been asleep for about five hours, but I felt more energized than I usually did, even when I slept for my normal amount of time, eight hours. I made my way downstairs after I took off the tacky church costume that I was still wearing

I'd better return that later. I thought to myself. When I finally was standing on our ground floor, I could tell that the voices were coming from the kitchen. I meandered in and was met with an uproarious round of applause. Amy, Charlie, Nessa, my mom, dad, and even Olivia were all lounging in various parts of the kitchen.

"We thought that we'd throw a party in honor of you exorcising a demon and gaining one of the seven stones of creation." My mom said.

"Uhm, two things. Why is Olivia here? Does she know about all the supernatural? Also, what the heck is a stone of creation? How'd I get one and why are there seven?" I asked, my mind racing faster than Nessa's driving.

Olivia smiled and stepped forward. "I, uh, was a worker at Lexicon for the past few months. I never told anyone because of what Zephyras told us. I didn't want anyone to go there, so I told all my friends that I hated horror. I succeeded in making the ticket sales go up in other parts of the state because that was my job, but I made it as hard as I could for people in Portland to get tickets. I think you know why now." She laughed and said, "The people were so frustrated."

Charlie moved next to me as Olivia finished speaking. "Yeah, mate. It also turns out that most of the workers at Lexicon were under some sort of spell of the queen's doing. It made them love her without any thought for themselves. KInda scary, if ya ask me. That many people, obsessed with one person? Ergh." He shook his head violently, making everyone in the room laugh. Amy came over next and brushed my messy hair out of my eyes.

"You feel okay, right?" I nodded and said that I'd never felt better. She beamed and went to go sit next to Nessa, who then ran over and tackle hugged me. "We did it! I am so mad at you for getting yourself hurt though. If you make us almost die ever again, I swear I will kill you." Her eyes were filled with false anger and happy tears, and as she buried her face in my shirt I felt some of the salty liquid touch my skin.

I hugged her close and put my chin on her shoulder. I saw my mom and dad holding hands in the corner of the kitchen, nearly oblivious to the rest of the world. I relaxed my unknowingly tensed muscles and released Nessa.

My parents came over and hugged me.

We stayed that way for a while.