VIVIAN I got a text message. From Isla’s mom.My heart skipped a beat because I hadn’t heard from her since that horrible day. My hands shook a little as I opened the message.“It’s Isla’s mom. I want to tell you who paid me to kill you that time. But I’ll only tell you if you help my daughter be free from the Circle forever. Please don’t tell anyone I contacted you.”I stared at the words on the screen for a long time. I didn’t know what to feel. So many thoughts filled my head all at once.Why now? Why reach out after all this time? Why would she trust me to help Isla, after what she did? And would she expect me to trust her?But then again, I understood. Isla was her daughter. Maybe this was her way of trying to fix the mess she caused.Still, I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t tell anyone about this message. Not even Zander. Not yet.“Vivian?”Caroline’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts. I looked up at her quickly, trying to hide my shock.She was seated beside me with a smal
VIVIAN I stared at Priestess Tanya, waiting for her to explain what she meant by “getting me ready.”My heart was already beating faster. I didn’t like the sound of it, and the serious look on her face made it worse.She folded her hands in front of her and spoke calmly. “You need to be ready when the Circle makes their next move.”The moment she said those words, I felt a shiver run down my spine. I swallowed hard and looked at her, not sure if I had heard her right.“The Circle?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.She nodded. “Yes, Vivian. They will strike again. It’s only a matter of time.”I frowned deeply. My heart suddenly felt heavy with dread. “How do you know that?” I asked, honestly confused and a little scared. “Has something happened?”Priestess Tanya simply shrugged and said, “It’s just my instincts. And my instincts never lie.”Her words didn’t calm me. They made me even more nervous. But I knew better than to question her.Priestess Tanya was rarely wrong about
VIVIAN I stood right in front of the cottage door, ready to walk back inside but my heart was beating fast, but it was a happy kind of fast. The kind that comes when you’re about to see if something big actually worked. The others stood behind me, waiting just like I was.I could feel their eyes on me. Even Zander looked more alert than usual, his brows were raised just a little.When I tried to pass through the open door, I felt something push back against me preventing me from getting in.It was something I couldn’t see.It was like I had walked right into a wall made of air. A strong, invisible wall.Then I laughed.Not just a small laugh. I actually squealed and jumped a little like a kid who had just gotten a gift.“Oh my gosh!” I shouted, turning around to face everyone. “It worked! It really worked!”The joy inside me tripled. It was the kind of joy that made you want to dance in place or hug someone tightly.I had really done it. The protection spell worked just the way I ha
VIVIAN “I need everyone to please step outside,” I said softly but clearly. “Except for Priestess Tanya.”They all turned to me with confused looks. Even Priestess Tanya raised her brows slightly.Zander tilted his head and looked at me like he wanted to ask something. But Caroline being Caroline, frowned and was the first to speak.“Why, Vivian?” she asked, glancing between me and Tanya. “Why do we have to go out?”I gave her a soft smile and tried to keep my tone calm. “Because the protection spell I’m about to cast can only allow Priestess Tanya to walk freely into this house.”Their expressions changed. Now everyone was clearly puzzled.Derek’s mouth fell open and he looked even more confused than Caroline. “Wait,” he said, pointing toward the floor, “Do you mean none of us will ever be able to come in here again?”I chuckled a little. “No, Derek, not like that. You’ll still be able to enter,” I said gently. “But only if Priestess Tanya invites you in. Without her invitation, you
VIVIAN We all stood still, watching Priestess Tanya as she finished praying at the spot where Selene faded away.But then, something strange began to happen.Right above Selene’s grave, the sky started to darken.It wasn’t like a full storm or anything, but the clouds over that one spot began to darken.And it was only in that area. The rest of the sky was still clear. But just over where Selene had disappeared, was the only place where the clouds had grown thick and dark.I held my breath.Zander moved closer to me, and I noticed Lucas and Derek stepping forward too, all of us watching with wide eyes.Caroline looked just as confused, and even the moving company workers had stopped what they were doing. Everyone’s attention was fixed on the sky.Then, at that very same moment, something else happened.A single ray of sunshine broke through the dark clouds. The color was warm and golden, and it shone directly on Selene’s grave like it had been placed there on purpose.It didn’t touch
VIVIAN I stood beside the car with Priestess Tanya, Zander, Lucas, and Derek. The morning sun was bright but not too hot.I watched the maids walk in and out of the house, carrying boxes and bags. They were packing Priestess Tanya’s things into a large van that the moving company brought. I folded my arms and let out a small sigh.Today was the day Priestess Tanya would finally move into her new cottage. It felt a little strange watching everything happen so fast.Just yesterday, we were trying to cheer Zander up because of how sad he was about her leaving. But now, everything felt calmer, lighter. I looked at Zander and smiled quietly to myself.He wasn’t sad anymore. He was talking with Lucas and Derek, nodding and even chuckling a little. The dark cloud from yesterday was gone and that made me feel proud because Project Cheer Zander up, had worked.Last night had been something else. We all laughed so much I thought Zander’s ribs would break. Lucas and Derek had really given it th