Freak.
She’s speaking a language I understand again, not chanting or speaking in tongues and I want to tune in and to concentrate, I don’t want my death sneaking up on me while my mind was wandering elsewhere – I have a real tendency to do that.
But I can feel the weight of Thea’s stare on me, I know she’s looking at me, staring at me, barely blinking and I can’t stop looking at her, and then looking away, and then looking at her. Why is she being so odd and creepy? And, truth be told, a little bit pervy.
Honestly, I haven’t had a lot of boys look at me in this way in my life, but I watch films and TV and read books, and I have caught Fletcher once or twice with this look in his eyes. If you’ve ever watched Dirty Dancing, and if you haven’t you ought to. My mum made me watch it, but I’m so glad I did! Anyway, see – mind wandering – it’s perfectly described by a song in the film, hungry eyes. That’s how Thea is looking at me, and it’s weirding me out.
How can I concentrate and savour the last moments on earth when she is looking at me in that way? It’s very-
Oh.
I stare back at her, not getting embarrassed or awkward or squirmy, but really look at her and I know.
It’s Fletcher!
Am I crazy?
No, it is, it really is.
But if that’s true, if he’s switched places with Thea, why isn’t he rescuing me? He knows Ember will kill me and have Lincoln invest Talia as head witch. Why isn’t he helping?
And then my stomach sinks to my shoes and even lower. He isn’t rescuing me because he doesn’t know I’m minutes from my death. He’ll wait. It makes so much sense. He’ll wait until Ember has finished this spell, setting the other species free, and then he’ll step in and save the day.
And by then it will be too late.
And there’s no way I can tell him... no, I can. I can talk to him without talking to him, like how his mum called him, silently, without saying a word, when she found Sadie at the coven.
Fletcher. I call out to him in my head and watch Thea to see if he hears me. Fletcher! Nothing. Is it because he’s disguised as Thea? I silently scream his name over and over and over, while keeping my face passive, which is harder than you might think.
He doesn’t flinch.
I close my eyes. Stupid, pointless, rubbish witch. I really am terrible at this.
You’d think something in my witch brain would realise this was pretty important and figure out a way for me to tell Fletcher that he needs to step in sooner rather than later.
Ember throws her arms open, sparks flying from her fingers, the air changing from boiling hot to freezing cold, a wind whistling through the room, despite the windows and doors being closed.
We’re getting close to the end of this, I can sense it.
“The time is now!” Ember calls out and there’s an answering crash of thunder. She closes her eyes, and I close mine.
I don’t need to see this; I don’t need to see Fletcher’s face when I die, however I die. I don’t need to see Ember’s disappointment when she realises that she doesn’t get to call the shots on this, and her glee when she realises that nothing can stop her ambition for Talia. I can’t resist, though, and I open my eyes to glance at Talia who is bright eyed but quiet, and Thea who is still trying to convey through pervy glances that she is actually Fletcher.
I roll my eyes – he is as subtle as a brick and just as useless. Why not come in and save me before letting Ember do this stupid spell? Why not act a little quicker? Why can’t he hear me calling him? I will die, and he’s just going to sit there and watch. The pillock.
A shiver runs through me, head to toe, and I feel faint and woozy all at the same time. I take a deep breath as the energy drains out of me, and I slump a little in my chair.
This is it; it’s coming. I can feel it.
Tears spring in my eyes, and a skull-splitting shriek booms through my brain, causing a pain like I’ve never felt before. Despite trying to act relaxed while waiting for my death, I cannot ignore this pain. I cry out and hold on to my head, tears pouring down my face and flooding my vision. I’m going to pass out, and probably never come around again.
This is the end.
I know it.
Thea jumps out of her seat and rushes to my side. Ember stands up, her face angry. Talia hovers behind her mum. Vann stays at the door; he doesn’t look too concerned.
Ember probably thinks I’m trying to screw up her spell, delay my death at Vann’s hand, but she doesn’t know.
I can’t help this. I cry out again and fall to the floor.
I’ll miss my mum and dad, and Isey. And of course, Fletcher. A sob breaks out of me and then my vision is swimming from more than just tears. I get to see Molly again. That’s a good thing. I get to hug her and tell her all about Fletcher, and all about being a witch. She won’t believe me.
I can feel a dreamy smile cover my face. I’ve
