Chapter 31
31
Esther
E sther refused to think about it.
Finals were a month away, then weeks, then days. She doubled down on her studies, spending every daylight hour, and most of the night, finishing her final report. She hated avoiding Ashley, but Ashley had her own finals to look to. If there was ever a time to buckle down and stay busy, it was now.
But she still couldn’t escape the dreams. She stood in the shallows, but instead of August with her, it was Ashley laughing and splashing in the waves. As Esther drew near, the sun brightened, a burning blaze lapping at their skin, until they were both set aflame.
She woke up screaming and sweating.
Esther avoided sleeping over, not wanting to worry Ashley with her nightmares.
The day wasn’t any better. Anytime she leaned over her desk for another paper, the vial beat at her chest like a drum, reminding her of the choice she was given. She started keeping it in her pocket, only taking it out when Ashley was around.
She didn’t tell Ashley what August had said about the cure. She didn’t need to. She knew what Ashley’s answer would be—a firm and resounding no. There was no way Ashley trusted witches with a cure. Which was exactly the answer Esther was sticking to. But a part of her worried about keeping a secret from Ashley. That she would want to know, even if the knowledge of Esther considering the option might hurt her.
Needless to say, when Esther stepped out into the rain that afternoon, she was actively not thinking about that day at the beach.
She’d forgone an umbrella, opting instead for her black hooded raincoat. She was in the mood to feel the rain pounding against her hood. Water filled the gutters, streaming down the sides of the roads so she had to leap to cross the street, and still, her boots splashed on the landing. Her black jeans were soaked through by the time she made it to campus, and she was sure the lecture hall’s air-conditioning would freeze her, but maybe the sensation would keep her mind from wandering.
She gave up navigating around puddles and was clomping through an especially irksome moat when she found a flowering purple crocus sprouting through the cracks on the brick path. Esther first considered how strange it was to see a crocus in May before considering that crocus were not weeds and someone had to purposefully plant it under the sidewalk for this flower to sprout here.
“Esther. How lovely to see you.” The woman in front of her wore a bright yellow raincoat and white rain boots spattered with flowers. She smiled at Esther, as though they knew each other.
There was something familiar about her, but for the life of her, Esther couldn’t place her.
It wasn’t until the woman behind her joined in, that Esther recognized them as a set. The witches from the island on the lake.
“We’re here for the necklace, Esther.” Meg had on her usual Carhartt with the hood pulled up and a scowl across her face. As though Esther, through some unknown negligence, had inconvenienced Meg’s day, and now she was in the middle of setting it right again as quickly as possible. “You’ve made your point. Now hand it over.”
“Made my point?” The request was so out of nowhere, Esther could only parrot a response. They shouldn’t even know about her necklace and what was inside.
“You have no people skills,” sighed Gwen. “You’re supposed to build up to the request.”
“It’s not a request,” Meg said. “We’ve waited long enough. She may know that August is a pushover, but I’m not as patient.”
The pounding rain on Esther’s hood made it hard to make out what they were saying, but she was certain she’d heard August’s name. Her eyes widened in understanding followed by a tightening in her chest as she pieced the information together. August had told them about Ashley’s blood.
“I need to get to class.” She changed course to walk around them, but Meg shifted to block her path. So much for the easy route. “I already told August you can’t have it.”
“I know,” replied Meg. “And I’m not August. We need that blood before the situation gets worse.”
“Get your own blood.” Esther shoved past Meg, and this time, Meg let her pass.
“Esther.” Gwen jogged to keep up. Esther tugged her hood tighter over her head. She reached her building and pulled the door open. “The vampires are taking people.”
Esther froze in the doorway. The eaves blocked the rain from them, but there was still the enveloping sound of rain. Esther wished it would wash Gwen’s words away. The disappearing people. Uther had noticed months ago, but that didn’t mean it had to do with the vampires.
“You’re just speculating,” Esther said.
“They’ve been doing it for years,” said Gwen. “It used to be just one missing person a year, but the numbers are growing. They’ve gotten greedy. That’s why we were trying to find the spell. We knew the Platt grimoire had to have an answer, and it did. It doesn’t even kill them. It just reverses the effects of the vampire curse. We’ve collected everything to make it except the vampire blood, which you have on you right now.”
“Why can’t you get your own blood?”
“We’ve tried. It’s rather difficult.” Gwen kicked her rain boot at the sidewalk. “They don’t bleed. Not unless they’re bitten by a vampire. Something to do with their venom. So, you can only get it from a cooperative donor, and vampires don’t usually cooperate with witches.”
Esther touched the swell in her pocket where the charm rested, seeking comfort in the knowledge that it was still safe. “I can’t give it to you.”
“More people will be taken, Esther. You could save so many with one simple act.” A trail of water slipped down Gwen’s cheek, and Esther couldn’t tell if it was rain.
There was no proof. That this spell would work, that Ashley and the other vampires would be safe, that the vampires were even involved in the missing people. And even if the vampires were responsible, she didn’t want to be involved in their deaths. She had a choice before her with no clear correct answer.
“I have to get to class.” Esther closed the door on the witch’s face, but not before her words slipped through the crack.
“Make the right choice, Esther.”
But what was the right choice? Not even the freezing blast from the air-conditioning on her wet clothes could distract her from this new fuel. She could talk to Uther, see if he knew anything more about the missing people. He’d followed leads for weeks. Surely, if there was a connection he would have a lead by now. She’d call him after class.
She took notes robotically, but it was a review class, and reviewing best practices on ingesting data and the pros and cons of different digital storage options was not keeping her gaze from flicking to the clock every couple of minutes. She started packing her bag five minutes before the bell.
“Esther.” A voice hissed in her ear.
Esther barely had time to grab her bag before August was dragging her out of the room.
“August, what’s going on?” She couldn’t see his face while he navigated them back into the rain and under a window eave, but she felt the panic in his motions. What had happened in the time she was in class? “Is it Ashley? Is she okay?”
Esther regretted not calling Ashley that morning. She used to be so diligent, calling Ashley each night before she went to sleep, but with Esther’s fear of sounding suspicious, she’d fallen out of the habit. If something happened to Ashley, Esther would never forgive herself. Or August, for that matter, for involving the witches to begin with.
August finally turned to her but didn’t meet her eye as he raked his hands through his hair. “Uther’s missing.”
“What do you mean?” A million questions raced through Esther’s mind, each less helpful than the one before it. “Did you try calling him?”
“Of course I called him. I’ve been calling him for hours, and he hasn’t picked up.”
“He probably let his phone die again.”
It wouldn’t be the first time, but the way August was pacing made her think there was more to the story.
“He went to the damn beach again. I told him it was getting risky, his questions were drawing attention, but he wouldn’t listen to me. He was supposed to be back hours ago.”
“Hey, listen. We’ll go to the beach. We’ll retrace his steps.” She tried to speak calmly, but August’s pacing was getting to her. “He’s fine. We’ll find him, okay?”
“Okay. Okay, okay.” He was nodding, taking in what she’d said. He still wasn’t himself, but he didn’t seem as hopeless.
“I’ll get us a car.” She pulled out her phone to order a rideshare and sent an update to Ashley. The clouds were thick, but the sun was still up there somewhere, so she doubted Ashley could help for another hour or more.
Still, this conversation only made Esther realize how much she missed her. She’d see Ashley tonight and explain everything. The witches, the cure, everything. Keeping the secret was keeping them apart, as much as she tried to compartmentalize. She wasn’t going to lose Ashley because she couldn’t communicate properly.
August’s anxious demeanor had turned darker, but he was determined to continue with the search. “If they touch him, I’ll kill them. I’ll kill every last vampire.”