Confessions of a Black Witch

Nineteen

We were hours from the cabin where we had left Chad standing there, watching as we got away. I was left with more answer than before and with little sleep, I didn't want to think about what had just went down. My eyes threatened to close, the truck's movement down the long, quiet road rocking me to sleep. But I needed to stay awake. I needed to know where we were heading next.

The truck slowly pulled over to the side of the road. I sat up in my seat looking around to see why we had stopped. Kelsie seemed to be in a daze in the drivers seat. Even Velvet looked confused as she watched her sister sit in silence staring out of the window. "Kels?" Melonie reached for her. Kelsie pushed open her door and climbed from the truck. She turned and opened my door, standing staring out me as if waiting for me to get out too.

"Get out." She demanded.

"What? Why?" I asked confused.

"You're going to answer some questions." Kelsie now looked angry. Was she angry with me? I looked from the road back to her.

"I probably don't have answers..."

"Get out!" She shouted.

"Kelsie, calm down!" Velvet said. She climbed out of the truck and ran over to Kelsie.

"No! That hunter knew her! He refused to talk to anyone but her! I want to know why!" Kelsie continued to shout.

"I don't know why, Kelsie!" I told her, jumping from the vehicle. Melonie joined her sisters in silence. "I didn't know his name until yesterday!"

"Bullshit! He barely touched you! If that was one of us we would be dead!"

"I think you're forgetting that he attacked me with a knife!"

"I'm with Kelsie on this one," Melonie said, her eyes on the ground. "He only gave her the answers when we asked questions. He refused to speak with any of us but her."

I rolled my eyes in frustration. "Maybe because I haven't killed any of their people in the past, Melonie! Maybe because I didn't shack up with one of their own and got him killed!"

"f**k you, Nevaeh!" Melonie jumped towards me but Velvet held her back. I didn't move from my spot. I was too exhausted to care what I was saying. "We would still be back in New York if it wasn't for you!"

"Then why did you beg me to join?! Because I was pretty content where I was before you guys came along!"

"Enough!" Velvet shouted, ending our argument. I shook my head, turning away from them. The sun was bright in the morning sky and the grass was wet from the fresh dew. Birds flew above our head chirping and settled in the pine trees that surrounded us. "We can't break down right now! If that hunter has a connection with Nevaeh then we can use it to our advantage. We need to find a place to stay for a couple nights and get refreshed."

"Where are we?" I asked, ignoring Velvet's words.

"A couple hours from the Vermont state line. Why?"

I closed my eyes and sighed. "I know where we can go."

My knuckles hit the wooden door reluctantly. There was shuffling on the other side of the door before it opened to a familiar face. A face I never thought I'd see again. "Hey, baby sister!" Davon greeted me with open arms. I pushed him away when he got too close.

"Hey." I said. "We just need a place for a couple nights." I pushed him aside and walked into his house. It looked and smelled the same since the last time I was here seven years ago. The last place I wanted to be was my brother's place but if we wanted to get off the grid, this was the place to do it.

"Okay, just come right in," He said sarcastically.

"Davon, this is Velvet, Melonie and Kelsie," I introduced them as they each walked through the door. Velvet and Melonie looked around at the surroundings without a single word to Davon but Kelsie stopped in the doorway in front of him.

"Hi," she said, pushing her hair behind her ear. She held her hand out to him. "I'm Kelsie."

"Davon..." He took her hand and stared at her for the longest time. I groaned at them.

"Don't get too involved with my brother. He tends to disappear in the middle of the relationship."

Davon slowly turned to me, glaring. "Thanks for the vote, sis."

"Brother? Your record said you were an only child." Velvet turned to me.

"Technically she is. I learned to hack the government's system at a young age. Got into a little trouble and wiped myself from the computers completely. I officially do not exist." Kelsie's face lit up. "So whatever you are running from, they cannot find you here because I do not live here."

"But it's in such an open place. You have neighbors. Wouldn't someone recognize you?" Melonie asked.

"The best place to hide is in plain sight. But no one is looking for me. Trust me."

"Yeah, trust him," I shot over my shoulder in a nasty tone. "He faked his death for ten years. Totally messed up mom and dad's lives. But you know, anything to play with a computer."

"I left for you," Davon said, stepping closer to me. I narrowed my eyes, anger rising through me.

"Oh, stop! You left for yourself! I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for-"

"If it wasn't to save your own ass?" Davon walked into the living room and grabbed the t.v remote, turning on the television. Immediately the News filled the house and my face was plastered on it. Under my picture and name was the words "Dangerous" and "Do not approach". I walked over and stood in front of the t.v in disbelief. "You didn't think I was going to find out? You don't think mom and dad were going to find out that their perfect little angel is now on the run from the law for murdering her fiancé?"

"I-I didn't-" The tears stung my eyes.

"I know you didn't, Nev," he said calmly. "What did you get yourself into?"

My mouth opened to speak but nothing came out. Staring at my self on the t.v, the man telling the world that I was a dangerous killer...It didn't hit me until that moment. It didn't hit me until now how much I had messed up. I couldn't hold back the tears. I didn't want to face him knowing I failed him. Knowing I failed our parents.

Davon grabbed me and pulled me into his arms. I just let it happen and melted into him. It's been so long since I had seen my brother and with everything happening, I broke down in his arms.

I sipped my coffee slowly, letting it go down my throat and wake up my soul. It was heavenly. After a long nap, I needed it. Davon joined me on the back patio and together we sat in silence for the longest time, staring off at the world before us. Davon's place was in the suburbs behind a fancy gulf course. It was a really nice place for just one person hiding from everything the world had thrown at him. I stole a glance at him and noticed he looked different than when we arrived here hours ago. The sun was setting into evening and I had slept most the day away. This morning I could see the fatigue on his own face, the facial hair that he seemed to neglect and the unruly hair. Now, he was cleaned shaved and his hair was trimmed nicely and combed back. He looked good. "Did you clean up?" I asked.

He looked at me for a second before giving a quick shrug. "I wasn't expecting company..." He took a sip from his coffee mug. I continued to gawk at him.

"I called you hours before we got here..." He just shrugged again, refusing to look at me. "Oh my God! You did it for Kelsie!"

"No! I just needed a shower! You're looking into it too much!"

"You like her don't you?!" He glared at me with his baby blue eyes. I shook my head, smiling in amusement. "You are the one that always said don't fall for somebody because eventually they all leave. You know that's why I never dated, right?"

He gave a sideways smirk, looking at me from the corner of his eyes. "Yeah, a lot of good I taught you, Mrs. Peters."

The amusement wiped off my face and I could feel a coldness fall over me. "Don't call me that," I said darkly.

"Sorry...What hap-"

"Davon, just don't ask questions. Okay? I'm still trying to wrap my head around everything that's happened in the last twenty-four hours and it still doesn't seem real. Being here with you, with...them..." I glanced over my shoulder at the girls, who were hovered over Davon's laptop. "It doesn't feel real. None of this. Half the time I don't know if I'm dreaming or awake. It's like someone else is walking in my shoes and I'm watching as they control my every move, unable to take back control of reality."

Davon set a hand on my shoulder. "This is real. As unfortunate as these last few days have been, this is real life and you need to face it. You're running from the law, Nev. That's as real as it gets." I knew my brother was right, as much as I hated to admit it. I couldn't run from this forever. Maybe believing all of this was a dream would be easier. I could go back and change everything in a dream. But if this was a dream, why couldn't I warp my life the way I wanted it? Was I stuck in a nightmare?

"Hey guys." Kelsie called from the dining room. "I may have found a solution to our little issue." Davon and I got to our feet and joined them around the computer.

"Lucid dreaming?" I asked, confused.

"Astral projection," Kelsie corrected me. "I've done it a few times. It takes a lot of practice and hard work. Meditation, clearing your chakras...It's difficult to execute in a day."

"Okay...So why are we on the topic then?" I asked.

"Because, if we do this right we can take a soul from the body and let it walk free around the world unseen. The soul can jump from one place to the next with just a thought. In real time."

"We can figure out where these hunters are, what they are planning and make our next move," Melonie exclaimed.

"Wait...Hunters?" Davon questioned.

I shook my head. "That's possible? Like full on ghost?"

"Well, you wouldn't be a ghost. Ghosts are the dead's souls. With a lot of power and concentration we can pull your soul out of your body and let you walk free." I raised an eyebrow at her. She looked up at me with her large puppy dog like eyes.

"Oh no! I'm not doing that!"

"Come on, Neveah! You have less tying you to this earth!" Kelsie begged.

"Thanks," I said, rolling my eyes and crossing my arms in front of my chest. "Why can't one of you do it? You're more powerful than I am!"

"It'll be easier for you. You're spirit is in mourn. Right now you are closest to the spirit world because of Gregory's death. It will be a lot easier for you than anyone else in this room," Velvet said. I glanced around at the eyes watching me. Even Davon stayed silent, watching me, waiting for an answer. I groaned in defeat and fell back into the chair behind me.

"Fine."

"I'll get the candles," Melonie skipped out of the room.

"It's not going to be a pleasant ride. Ripping a soul from the body could feel a lot like peeling your skin from your muscles." Kelsie turned to me. "You'll feel every pull and tear, but you must give in to the process. Do not fight it or your soul could be ripped into a million pieces. You won't wake up from that."

"Great. Because I wasn't nervous enough."

"Is someone going to tell me what the hell is going on because I'm very confused." Davon looked horrified at our conversation. He had no idea what we were about to do or why we were really here. He had no idea there were hunters following us, trying to kill us.

"Kels…" Velvet nodded her head towards him, ordering Kelsie to explain everything in private. Kelsie stood up from the computer and grabbed his arm.

"How about some more coffee?" She asked him. Once they were out of the room Velvet took Kelsie's seat, her eyes watching me. She had no idea I was panicking on the inside. How much I wanted to turn and run out the door.

"It's going to be okay. I've seen this done before."

"By a group of witches?"

She laughed. "No, but you'll do fine. Once you're on the other side it's a hell of an experience. You'll feel like you could do anything."

"Have you done it before? Astral projection?"

"I've done it through a much simpler process. This...This can be very dangerous. It uses much more power. Things can go wrong fast."

"You're not helping," I groaned, dropping my head to the table.

"You've got to know these things, Nevaeh. Because you have to do this right. Those hunters know where we are. They now know where your brother lives." My head shot up to look at her. "It's just a matter of who gets to who first."

"Are you planning on killing them?" I asked, afraid of the answer. Her eyes fell from mine and her body language changed. Suddenly she seemed more tense.

"We'll do what we have to..."