Lunar's Curse

18- Escape

     Taking the same path back, we found it surprisingly empty. Luck was on our side. It seemed that everyone had rushed to the Witch town to surround us moments after we left. As we passed the Cattle Farms, I was relieved to see that it was still empty.

     Finally, Xavier's looming castle soon came into sight and I let out a sigh of relief. We had almost made it. Now came the harder part. Quatan claimed that he knew where the room was. All we needed to do was sneak into the castle and try not to catch anyone's attention. I couldn't use my freezing spell anymore. I had tried it on my way here but it didn't seem to work anymore and I was too afraid to try harder in fear that I would pass out. I had given the Witch Bracelet to Justine for fear that she would ever be captured. I quickly told her the power it had when we were walking to the castle.

     Justine and Quatan took the lead while I stayed behind with Claire. Now that we were out of Meredith's cottage, I could see that Claire was shaking, her blue eyes wide with fear. Her glasses were speckled with dust motes and her ginger hair was frizzy and scattered. In all, she looked like an insane terrified mouse.

     “Claire?” I asked her, wondering why I had even dragged her into this. She could have been in the Light Realm now, not caring about anything except for homework and exams. How much time had passed in the Light Realm? I wasn't sure but it couldn't be too long. Would we be able to resume our usual lives once we got back? I wasn't sure.

     “I think something is happening to me,” Claire whispered, just low enough for me to hear. She shuddered, looking up at the full moon. “I... Something is wrong with me.”

     Was this the quarter-breed in her speaking up? I didn't want to tell her and yet, I knew it was probably best for her to know about it.

     “You were bitten,” I said slowly and Claire nodded, blue eyes wide and afraid.

     “By a...a werewolf,” Claire whispered. I didn't bother to correct her on the term, I just nodded slowly. Her eyes grew shiny with tears and she bit back a sob, a sad noise coming from her throat. Why did I drag Claire into this? Why?

     “I'm sorry,” I told her immediately, feeling extremely horrible, watching as the once impeccable girl fall into pieces. “I'm sorry.”

     I thought she would strike out at me but she didn't. She sobbed harder, wiping away tears. Quatan and Justine turned around once to look at us but they didn't say anything else which I was grateful for. “Claire, you were bitten by a half-breed,” I finally told her when her sobs had softened a tad. “You're a quarter-breed.”

     “That doesn't make it much better, does it,” Claire said, her voice choked with tears. “God, I didn't want this. I just wanted to pass school and do good on exams and go to collage and have a normal life—I, I—” She stopped, due to the fact that she was crying even harder now.

     “We're almost there,” Quatan said, pretending to be oblivious to Claire's sobs. “The guards will most likely be posted around. Stay aware. We'll travel in a group.” He looked up at the castle/mansion. “The Vampires have put a protective charm over it. Any spells and we'll be uncloaked and a trap will be set in motion. Don't do anything with spells.” He looked deliberately at Justine. She just smiled and shrugged.

      Claire and I nodded. Claire sniffled a little more and then closed her eyes and opened them, the tears clearing away. The time for weakness would have to wait.

     “Ready?” Quatan asked us. We nodded.

     “Ready.” And it was Claire who had replied.

* * *

     It was easy. The doors to the mansion was unlocked and we slid in without anyone seeing us. The hallways were desolate and empty as it had always been but something about the emptiness didn't feel right this time. Something was wrong.