Hidden Magic

An Ally

Rosie and Shane walked home in the darkening evening. It was chilly out, and the cardigan was barely warm enough around her arms. She felt especially bad for Shane. He was only wearing a thin black top and blue jeans, but still, he looked like a super hot male model, even with the goose-bumps.


They walked in step with each other; neither of them said a thing. There still seemed to be a kind of awkwardness between them. Rosie had clearly been afraid of him earlier, and he was acting different now, like he was taking it personally. It wasn’t Shane that scared her; it was what the magic did to him that did.


She also felt increasingly nervous about the fact that they were nearing Amber’s house with every step. She hadn’t been there for a while, and the last time hadn’t been such a great memory. Rosie remembered it now, mostly everything. Starting with Amber’s Mum, which made her skin crawl for so many reasons. She wondered if Lorraine would be there. She stopped dead in her tracks.


After a few more steps Shane seemed to notice he was walking alone, and turned around. He gave her a questioning look. “What’s the matter?” He asked, and then something seemed to go through his mind and he looked warily around the streets surrounding them.


“It’s not... that,” Rosie said, voice cracking slightly. “I... I don’t think I can... face Lorraine.”


Shane smiled understandingly, and walked towards her. “There’s no need to be afraid of Lorraine. I promise I won’t let her hurt you. Plus, she’s not there.”


“Why?” She asked, moving her chestnut-coloured, windswept hair from her face and tucking it behind her ears.


“I don’t know, she’s just not home tonight.” Shane shrugged. “Come on, we’ve got to go. Now.”


He started walking again, and Rosie picked up the pace after him.





Shane hesitated before unlocking the front door with his own set of keys. He turned to face Rosie. “You okay?”


Rosie nodded, not trusting herself with actual words. He smiled reassuringly, and put the key in the lock. He turned it and opened the door, ushering her inside. Rosie stepped over the threshold, and a wave of memories flooded over her once again. Except this time they were brighter, clearer. She remembered the spell book, its enchanting star on the bound book. She remembered the awful stomach pains, which had been explained to her as warnings, put there by Amber and her Mum. She still didn’t know if Shane had had any part in the spell, but she knew he’d known, which was enough to hurt her. Rosie deeply hated the fact they’d taken away her memories, and had been close to destroying her free will. It made her sick, but that wasn’t what was important anymore. And, in a way, she kind of understood.


“Hello?” Shane called, throwing the keys on a small table beside the door. “Did you manage not to get mauled by vampires on your way home, because that would be such a shame?”


Amber’s head poked out of a door to the right of them. She scowled at Shane, and shot back, “Don’t be jealous! They find me much more attractive than you. Sorry.” Amber smiled playfully, and winked when Shane stared blankly at her. She turned her attention to Rosie. “You,” she said, and pointed one red-painted fingernail in her direction. “You were supposed to stay by the wall. Would you mind enlightening me on why you’re suddenly as stupid as Shane?”


“Hey,” he said, putting on a mock hurt voice, and even sniffling for dramatic effect. She would have laughed aloud, if it weren’t for the heaviness of Amber’s glare.


Amber stepped out of the room and walked up to Rosie. “Don’t you ever do that again. And don’t go getting yourself attacked by creepy vampires either. You had me seriously worried!”


“I’m sorry,” she said truthfully. “I couldn’t just stay there.”


Amber sighed. “I’m just glad you’re okay.” They quickly hugged, and exchanged another glare, then everything was okay again.


Shane chuckled beside them, and muttered, “Girls.”


Amber rolled her eyes, but otherwise didn’t give Shane the banter she usually would. “I have something to show you guys.” There was a dripping guilt in Amber’s voice, and it made her ridiculously anxious.


“What did you do?” Rosie asked slowly.


“Um... Let’s just say I got us some leverage... or possibly an ally.”          


Shane spoke up, “An ally?” His voice didn’t portray a particular happy reaction to this. “What the hell did you do?”


“Look, it’s smart.” Amber shrugged. “We don’t have another choice. Plus, I bet you he knows where they’ve moved her.”


Rosie’s heart sunk all the way to the floor. “I guess you didn’t find Amy then?”


Amber shook her head sadly.


Shane cleared his throat. “Are you going to tell me what you did? I’m sensing it’s bad.”


Amber turned to look at him again. “It’s not a bad idea, it could work. Shane, please, don’t fight with me on this one. Trust me. Please.”


Shane stared at Amber, for so long that Rosie thought he was going to yell or storm out of the house in anger. But he just sighed, and bumped past her, up the stairs.


There was a glistening tear in Amber’s eye, but she didn’t say anything. “Come on,” she said, “let me show you.”


Rosie followed her down the hall and into the room Amber had emerged from. It was a square-shaped, large study. It had bookcase’s surrounding the perimeter of the walls of the whole room, and a big, dark wooden desk, complete with a Mac laptop, and lots of paperwork. Amber turned a fancy lamp on in the corner of the room, which made the walls look like they had a heated, caramelised effect, and the wood of the floor gleam.


“Sit down,” Amber said, gesturing to the small, black leather sofa, and the two, matching chairs on either side. Rosie sat down on the small sofa, and looked curiously across at Amber, a puzzled look on her face.


Amber was blocking the view of something. Rosie’s eyes widened with terror, when she saw that it looked like a human shape, covered by a big white cloth.


Seeing the look on her face, Amber said quickly, “No, no, no. It’s not like that. It’s not dead. It’s just kind of, um... out.”


Rosie looked up at her, barely breathing. “What is it?” She asked, not daring a glance back at whatever it was.


“It’s...” Amber paused uncertainly. “James.”


Rosie groaned in disbelief and had to look away from Amber for a moment. “James? Why Amber? Why?”


Amber slumped down next to her on the sofa. “He might be willing to work with us, and...”


Rosie interrupted her, “If he’s so willing to work with us, why did you have to...?” She couldn’t even finish the sentence.


“I didn’t want him going out of there kicking and screaming. I had enough with you being attacked. Just, listen to me, okay?”


Rosie sighed and nodded. “What’s your plan?”


“We talk to him, maybe make a deal. Then, if he’s not willing to be our ally, we use him as some kind of leverage to the other vampires. I know its sinking low, but what choice do we really have?”


“And if the vampires don’t come for him?”


Amber looked uncomfortable, and looked down at her hands, nervously picking at her red nail polish. “Then we offer him a choice. He tells us the location of Amy, or he dies.”


Rosie was suddenly seeing Amber in a very different light. She didn’t like this light. It was dim and cold. She really didn’t like this Amber. “Who are you?” She asked, feeling betrayed.


Amber didn’t answer; she just got up and went to stand by James’s sleeping body.





Shane came in about ten minutes later. When he saw the body to say he was surprised would have been a lie. To say he was furious would have been a massive understatement.


He sat down in the chair beside Rosie, and stared at Amber with dry, disappointed eyes. Rosie just looked at her feet on the floor. Amber stood by the body, still picking at her red-painted nails.


Rosie’s head shot up at the gasp that came from the vampire, and she nearly passed out when she heard his dead bones crack as he moved. Amber took a step back, and watched. She looked across at Shane, he wasn’t watching, he was staring out of a window at the night.


The white cloth of the cover moved away, exposing James’s face. He looked around, blinking in confusion. His eyes looked from Amber, to Shane, and then finally settled on Rosie. They didn’t move from there. His eyes were just blank, and she felt uncomfortable under them.


He pulled his leg out from under the blanket, which resulted in more disgusting cracking sounds, and then slowly got up. Once completely stood, he finally took his beady, green eyes off Rosie, and stared at Amber. “What gives you the right to spell me, child?” His voice was terrifying.


Amber didn’t look scared. “Don’t try and act like the big, bad vampire, James. We all know you’re just a messenger boy at the best of times.”


“You’d be wrong then,” he stated firmly, and looked back at Rosie. His eyes were full...of remorse? She couldn’t believe it. She wouldn’t. “I apologize for your injuries, I wasn’t thinking.” He walked towards her, and Rosie could feel Shane tense in the chair next to her.


James took her right hand, and lowered as he kissed the top of her hand softly. “I hope you can forgive me?”


Rosie was speechless, but it looked like it didn’t matter much.


“Hell can see,” Shane said, rising up from his chair and getting in the vampire’s face. He was fearless. “You better get the hell out of this house, otherwise I won’t be able to control what I might accidently do to you with fire. Vampires don’t like fire, right? At least that’s what your friend said.”


James looked from Shane to Rosie, then back at Shane again. He had an amused smile on his face. “Oh, I see,” he said, and dropped her hand.


The look on Shane’s face was pure fury, and she seriously thought he was going to do something stupid like punch him...or much more worse. But he surprised all of them by stepping back and sitting back down in the chair. His vicious eyes didn’t move from James’s though, and Rosie thought she could see the tiniest glint of orange in them.


James turned around to face Amber, still smiling. “So what’s your proposition?”


Amber looked away from Shane to sit on the sofa next to Rosie. “I want you to help us.”


James raised his dark eyebrows. “Help you? Do you think I have a head condition, young one?”


“No, but we need you. Rosie does.”


James blinked. “Why would I care about some human child?”


“Why did you come over earlier?” Amber asked with a smug smile. What the hell are you doing? Rosie knew Amber could probably hear her, and when she looked across at her and gave her a small shrug, she knew for sure.


“I came to deliver a message.”


“Oh,” Amber said, and gave him a fake, sympathetic look. “I feel bad for you, James. All those vampires ever do is order you around to do their communications. It’s quite sad, really.”


Rosie knew what Amber was doing now, she was messing with him. She was trying to manipulate him into helping them by twisting everything the other vampires did. But for all Rosie knew, it could be true. He had come by earlier with a message, and it did seem to Rosie that he wasn’t finished with her. Not yet.


James looked down, and she saw the weakness in him. Amber did too, and she went for it. “James, if you help us, I promise that it won’t be that way anymore.”


“How would you make sure of that?” He asked.


“Oh, you know my Mum, right? I could get her to sort some things out, and there is me... and Shane.” Amber didn’t sound sure about that last part at all. “If you help us, I’ll help you. And we won’t treat you that way. I promise.” Amber stuck out her hand. Everything about her in that moment oozed respect, but Rosie knew it was a fluke. James easily fell for it though, and took Amber’s hand, giving it a surprisingly gentle shake.


“Deal,” he said.


“Great.” Amber smiled in cruel triumph.