Blood and Magic

Chapter 8 - Well This Isn't Awkward Or Anything

Beyond The Veil - Lindsey Stirling

~Jade~

I woke with a start.

Fight, Caleb, smoke, man, danger. I looked around, I was in a totally lilac room. Everything in the room was nice and pricey. Whoever owned this place had no money issues.I shoved the purple blanket off me and stood up. The fabric moved with me and swayed against my legs. I looked down at myself to find that instead of my t-shirt and pants I was wearing before I was wearing a long lavender dress that flowed nicely. The straps were thin so the only thing keeping my shoulder warm was my long hair, which seemed to have been washed as well.I wasn't much interested in the room, I was interested in finding a door. Once I spotted one in the corner of the room I walked fastly to it, surprised it opened. I quietly crept into the hallway and just the door behind me. I was now standing in a big hallway almost like I was in a castle. The ceiling was about fifteen feet up and it must have been seven feet wide. The floor was wood but had a skinny long rug that trailed the entire hall. To my left was more doors and I could see the start of stairs. Not a way out.

To my right, I could see an opening to a living room, there could be a door outside that way. I started to walk down the hall, the carpet felt amazing on my bare feet, I should have looked for shoes. The closer to the end of the hall I got the more I could hear. Someone was speaking, maybe two.
"They should be waking up soon, we should get ready," A woman instructed.
"What we should do is go find Hale, she's the one who awakened her power. She needs us,"
That voice sounded desperate, and worried.
I recognized that voice from last night, it was the man who spoke to me last night.
"And we will find her. Right now we have three very confused, very powerful teenagers that need us here,"
Three teenagers, that meant two other people were here beside me.I peered just a bit over the wall to see what they looked like. The women were in her mid-thirties, short honey-colored hair and determined eyes, she was maybe 5'6. I was to busy looking her over that I hadn't realized she was looking right at me.
"Jade I'm glad you're awake,"

Well shit...

~Ryker~

I woke up without hearing my mom screeching my name, odd. I opened my eyes and found out why, I wasn't in my bed, I wasn't in my home. I was in a small room with blue walls that were cracked with brown. Everything was made out of wood. The desk, dressers, bed frame. I drew back the blankets and found I wasn't wearing my normal sweatpants and shirt. Instead, I was wearing brown slacks and a navy button-up. This was a crime, who the hell put me in pants instead of sweatpants! My thoughts were interrupted by a creak of a floorboard outside. I headed to the door and quickly went outside into a large hallway. Where was the woman who brought me here? Where was I? As I started to walk down the hall I noticed that about 20 feet ahead me was a girl with long brown hair and a purple dress. She was slowly making her way down the hall, like me. She must have been brought here last night too. The more I walked the louder I could hear voices. Someone was talking at the end of the hall, probably the woman from last night. As I neared the girl she tensed up and I was expecting her to whirl around and come at me, but instead, she reached to the table near her and grabbed a long candlestick and raised it ready to swing.

Something told me this was not gonna end well.

~Peyton~

I woke up completely awake for the first time ever. Memories from last night hit me like a train. I bolted straight up. I was in a small room everything in the room was a light pink, the walls, carpet, blankets. I scrambled out of the bed and realized that I wasn't in the clothes I had on from last night. I found a full-length mirror on one of the walls and I looked over my appearance. I was wearing a light pink dress that went down to my ankles. It flowed with every movement I made. Thin straps went over my shoulder. My short hair was curled into slight waves. If It wasn't all so creepy I would be happy with how pretty I looked. I turned to the door, ready to leave this weird place and go home to my parents and little brother.

I was a little stunned to find that the door did open, I crept into the hallway and was amazed. I couldn't help but want to linger and look at the old paintings and decor. Ahead of me, two other people were going the same way as me, a boy and a girl. To the table next to me was a few books and some letters with a letter opener sitting on top of them, I grabbed the opener just in case. I held it firm in my hand and kept my pace slowed as I neared the others. They both were walking slow and close to the wall like I was, maybe they were taken here last night too. I

walked a little faster and kept looking over my shoulder to see if someone was coming. The velvet carpet made it easy to keep quiet. I was a few feet away from the boy when the girl raised the candlestick, I rushed to her side and held the letter opener in front of me ready to try and defend myself. A man and woman were sitting in chairs next to an unlit fireplace, their eyes wide and alarmed.
"Jade, Peyton, please put those down," the woman said calmingly. I flicked my eyes over to the girl next to me, Jade, she didn't move so I didn't either.
"Ryker, can you please disarm these young women? You have nothing to fear, I promise," The man asked in the same calm voice. I turned to the boy to see if he would listen. I felt like I could trust him, I don't know why he was a complete stranger. Ryker put his hand's palm up to take the objects. I nodded and turned to Jade.

"It's okay, give it to him," I started handing him the letter opener, she hesitantly followed.
"Lovely please have a seat we have much to discuss," the woman said in a cool tone as she leaned back in her chair.

~Jade~

We were slow to move, Ryker set the objects back on the table and sat down. There were four chairs in front of the man and woman. Ryker occupied the second to the right. I looked over to Peyton and she slowly took the chair farthest to the left. I gave a reluctant sigh and took the one next to her.
"It's so good to see all of you, in the same room, next to each other," the woman cooed.
"Expect for Hale," the man muttered. The woman gave him a mean grimace.
"Hale, she was the girl in the ring last night," Ryker spoke sounding very interested. I looked around.
"Where is she? Is she here too?" I asked gripping and the armrests.
"No, during last night commotion, we lost her," the woman confessed, tight-lipped.

"And why exactly are we here?" Peyton asked almost annoyed, her face set in an emotionless mask.

The woman cleared her throat and straightened her back.
"Let's start over, my name is Mayline, this is my brother Jack," She motioned her hand to the man beside her. " Your Mothers left you in our care,"
"That's not possible," I stuttered. " My mother died years ago,"
"Not your adoptive mother, your birth mother," she corrected herself.

I flew up onto my feet and started to pace, chewing at my thumbnail, my go-to thing to do when I was stressed or nervous.
"Seventeen years ago your mother's left you under our protection," Jack added.
"Protection from what?" Ryker asked with a concerned tone.
"We will explain everything I promise, but we need to wait until we find Hale," Jack urged. The door flung open drawing everyone's attention.

"Then I guess it's a good thing I'm here,"

We all looked at the front door to see Hale, who looked almost uncomfortable to be here as the rest of us.