Realistic or Modern the magic within

[demonology]

As soon as lunch started, Estrella popped into her car and drove home. Pulling into her driveway quickly, she was out of the car and in her house in a matter of thirty seconds. Yet, her father wasn't home. She headed over to the counter and found a green sticky note from her dad. Just went to the store. I overheard your mom. Don't worry, kiddo. You're the one with magic, remember? Estrella's eyebrows furrowed. What the hell was the point of tending to her father if he was just going to be laissez-faire about the whole ordeal anyways? Rolling her eyes, she pulled out her phone to text her mom that Dad already knew. Huffing, she went up the stairs and dropped off her backpack, which dangled with her little keychains of animals and talismans The Coven gave her.

Grabbing her beginner's spellbook, she tried to look for any mention of vampires. With none to be found, she moved onto the book about The Coven's history. Bingo! She began to read all about vampirism, noting the insatiable hunger and uncontrollable urges. Her brows furrowed as she learned of something she thought was unreal. Slamming the book shut, Estrella fussed with her hair.

Stomping down the stairs, Estrella whizzed past her dad, who called out "Wait!" Getting in her car, she revved the engine before whipping out of the drive-way. She knew that Oliver hadn't been at school today, and she desperately wanted some form of normalcy and to vent about her crazy mother. Pulling up in front of the Bell residence, she walked up the front steps before lightly knocking, noting that Vincent's car was home so she'd have to deal with him.

 

[Walliver]

Oliver heard the knock before Vincent, rushing to peek through the curtains. “It’s Estrella. We’re all good, you can let her in.” he yelled down to his brother. Vincent opened the door for Estrella, but didn’t let her enter immediately.

“Hey, uh, what’s up?”

 

[demonology]

Estrella frowned a little, looking at Vincent. “My mom called me out of school early and I thought I might as well come see Oliver.” She tried to get rid of the furrow in her brow. “Having some teenage drama stuff,” she added. Peaking around Vincent’s shoulder, Estrella tried to see if she could see Oliver.

“Let me in?” Her eyes were wide in an attempt to plead with Vincent, who felt more like a knight instead of Oliver’s brother.

 

[Walliver]

“It’s fine.” Oliver yelled down the stairs. Vincent got out of the way, shutting the door behind Estrella once she was inside. Oliver came down the stairs, looking like a wreck. His clothes were rumpled, the just-barely-missed wooden stake was still in his shoulder, and he was covered in bloodstains.

“Hey Estrella.”

His knees buckled. Vincent caught him, setting them both down on the floor. “Sorry, it’s been a long day.”

 

[demonology]

"Jesus fucking Christ," she mumbled as she practically ran over to Oliver. Delicately, Estrella placed her hand on his uninjured shoulder. Examining the wound, her breath caught. There was a wood stake, already half splintered, in his shoulder. "Who did this to you?" Looking into Oliver's eyes, concern darkened her brow. Then, clarity. "Oliver, where were you earlier?" Her stare was unrelenting as she began to put together many of the puzzle pieces she was missing.

 

[Walliver]

Oliver took a deep breath, preparing to tell the short version of what had happened. “So, my mom was a witch. And I think my dad was a warlock, but turned sort of evil so he cursed me when I was born. My mom made sure I didn’t die from it but that kind of came at the cost of my soul given to a vampire queen. And here we are now. I turned 16, started getting weird cravings for blood. You should ask Vincent. I’ve nearly killed him once or twice. And uh...couldn’t tell you, even before I knew you were a witch.”

“Didn’t want to ruin our friendship. Wow, that hurts...” Oliver looked over to his shoulder. “That vampire in the apothecary was me. I...I wanted to know more about witches, so that I could help you get through things and maybe ask you to not kill me. But your friend Jessie served me garlic tea and tried to stake me through the heart and-”

Oliver coughed into his hand. Blood trickled through his fingers. “Sorry. Garlic’s a bit deadly to me and my kind. Oh, did I tell you that Vincent made a....barrier...enchantment....” his eyes rolled back in his head. Vincent swore, looking to Estrella. “Are your witch friends coming or are we safe?”

 

[demonology]

Estrella tried to process all of what was happening, what Oliver was saying. All the sick days, his absence at her birthday party, and even how weird he was starting to act towards her. Watching him cough blood, she put her hand over his. Her heart was beating frantically and she put her hand around his head to protect him as he started to pass out. Looking back at Vincent, she stuttered at first, saying, "I- I- I-..." before finally answering, "No. I don't think my mom even knows who- what Oliver is." She looked at Oliver, and her eyes welled with tears. Wiping at her face, she returned her gaze back to Vincent. "Hold on."

Jumping up, she hurried out the door and to her car, where her backpack sat with her spellbook, potions book, and Coven history book. Grabbing both, she slammed the VW bug's car door shut and jogged back up the stairs into the house, letting herself in. Plopping back down near Oliver, she mumbled to Vincent, "There should be something in one of these about whatever Jessie did." Her eyes scanned, looking for any mention of vampires or garlic. Finding the same pages she read about vampires at home, she scoured looking for a spell. A potion. Or something. Anything.

Finally, Estrella stumbled upon something about a potion to reverse the effects of garlic. It was written in tiny print, almost like a mistake or a secret. Tossing the history book aside, she moved onto her potion book and flipped to the section about potions made with mint and parsley. Looking around the entry, her eyes set upon a pot of soil containing a near-dead plant. Shuffling on her knees near it, she stuck her hand on the dry soil, focusing her energy on growing mint, parsley, and eye of newt. When she opened her eyes, there was a handful of the herbs growing. Quickly, she plucked them. Turning to Vincent, she said, "Bring me a pot."

Working fast, she grabbed a knife and started cutting up the leaves. Plucking a piece of Oliver's hair, Estrella mumbled an apology to him before sprinkling it in the pot Vincent brought. Walking over to the fridge, she grabbed some orange juice. Pouring it into the pot, she turned the stove on up to high heat. She knew there was a way for her to magically boil things, but all she could manage was to expedite the process by putting her hand on the handle. In a matter of moments, she finished the potion. Quickly, she stuck her finger in the boiling liquid, adding her magic to the mix of household herbs and liquids. Putting some of it in a cup, she returned to a slumped Oliver.

"I don't know if I did it right," she whispered. "But I made you something that hopefully should help." Estrella tried not to let on how out of touch she was, especially because it seemed far too simple to make.

 

[Walliver]

Vincent did whatever she asked, bringing her what she needed. The growing a dead plant thing... he wondered if he could do that too. But the potion looked a little questionable, considering the recipe was made by a community that despised Oliver’s kind. Still, they had to try something. Vincent tapped Oliver’s cheek.

“Hey man, you gotta wake up. Your girlfriend says you gotta drink this.”

“Not...girlfriend...” Oliver grumbled, blinking a few times. “Looks like poison.” he squinted at the cup. “But orange juice. So, I’ll drink.”

Vincent took the cup from Estrella and poured the contents down Oliver’s throat. He nearly choked, but he drank it all. “Eugh...that was gross.”

 

[demonology]

Estrella glared at Oliver, though in a loving way, as opposed to how she looked at Vincent when he called her Oliver’s girlfriend. “Oh hush up.” She smiled smugly, though not without a hint of irony. “I just saved your life, stupid.” She winked, trying to keep the mood light despite spending the last few minutes worrying about Oliver’s life.

Getting up off her knees, Estrella moved to find the bathroom and the first aid kit. She knew Oliver’s house like the back of her hand. Grabbing a few herbs from the kitchen and returning to the potted plant to grow a few spots of moist moss, she quickly put together a poultice, which soaked in the left over potion that was cooling. Setting the pot on the floor, Estrella set out all the supplies she would need to sew up Oliver’s wound. Kneeling again, she moved in between Oliver’s legs, which laid sprawled out. “Now, while I fix whatever is going on here, care to explain in a little more depth what the hell you told me?”

 

[Walliver]

Oliver took another deep breath, preparing. “Okay, so I noticed that you had been acting strange and well...your scent had changed. Instead of the normal way it was-strawberries and sunshine- there was something mysterious. Something as old as time. I didn’t want to bring it up, because I didn’t know if you’d....well, let’s say what just happened today.”

He shook his head, still disoriented. “But then it got worse. You started to change. You were angry, short tempered, and it scared me. So I started my research. My mom was a witch, she wrote journals about witchcraft and other things, but one journal in particular had pointed to the apothecary. I went there, tried to seek out the witches, and it didn’t work out well.”

“That’s all, I think.”

 

[demonology]

Working diligently yet gently, Estrella first pulled out the stake in his shoulder. Thankfully, only the tip had punctured her best friend, but it still turned her stomach to have to remove it. Quickly, she grabbed the poultice and put it on. She listened carefully to Oliver, nodding as she sat back to rest, her hand touching his thigh. When he finished, there was about 30 seconds of silence before she came up with a response.

“Well then,” she whispered. Looking at Vincent, she said with the same quiet tone, “Can you please bring me some thread, alcohol, a lighter, and a needle?”

Returning her gaze to Oliver, Estrella blinked a few times before she spoke any more. “Do I really smell like sunshine?” It seemed like the easiest thing to discuss and process first.

 

[Walliver]

Vincent nodded, getting up to retrieve what she had asked for. From the look in her eyes, he could tell that she really did care for Oliver. It wasn’t the overly sugared joy that had come from his father, nor the fleeting care that had come from their mother. She really did care. Vincent smiled, going to get the supplies.

Oliver nodded to her question. “Yes, you do. Sunshine because of how warm and bright you are. Strawberries for how sweet you can be. Things that I use to identify you. That’s what I sense, what I smell. And taste, if I were to, you know, drink your blood.” he blushed a little at the last part. “At least that’s what Vincent’s like. Smells like apples, blood tastes like apples.”

 

[demonology]

Smiling at the description, Estrella brushed Oliver’s hair out of his eyes. However, she stilled at the mention of blood. Cocking an eyebrow slightly in question, she said, “What about Vincent’s blood?” As though she summoned him, the older brother came back with the supplies in hand and set them up by her.

Shaking her head, she remembered what she was sitting practically in Oliver’s lap for. Grabbing the alcohol, she first dipped the thread and then the needle into it before setting it next to Oliver. Then, she threaded the needle and used the lighter to completely sterilize the needle. She paused, however, remembering that she only knew how to embroider, not suture. Well, she knew the stitch to do it, but Estrella was still no surgeon. “Hold on,” she said before Oliver could fully answer her question. “Try not to screw.” Though, it wasn’t clear who she was talking to- herself or her best friend. Then, she covered the open wound in alcohol before quickly sticking the needle through the skin, hoping the shock of the alcohol would distract poor Oliver from the needle.

 

[Walliver]

The alcohol was quite shocking, quite distracting from the needle. Maybe a little too shocking. Vincent held Oliver still while Estrella worked. It was nauseating to look at the needle going in and out of his skin, wincing when Estrella slipped. His older brother was there to comfort him, hold him back from accidentally hurting himself.

“Shh shh, it’s okay. We’re going to make it all better, okay? Everything’s going to be fine.” it reminded him of the times that Oliver had gotten sick. The kid had a terrible immune system, always contracting random things. Not that long ago, right after he had fully turned, Oliver had been so sick. Vincent had to play mother again.

Not that he minded. Oliver stopped struggling, still worked up and breathing heavily. “We’re okay. Just a little while longer, Ver.” Vincent brushed his hair back.

 

[demonology]

Estrella tried her best to work quickly, working the needle in and out of Oliver’s skin. Her stomach was queasy and kept doing flip flops. She listened to Vincent comfort her friend and wished that she had the capacity to patch him up and offer something to help, even if it was just a few words. Instead, she worked silently and focused on keeping her hands steady and her vomit down.

Finally, Estrella sewed the last stitch and used her teeth to cut the thread. It wasn’t the most sanitary, but it got the job done. Sitting back, she mumbled, “I’ll cover it up with some gauze in a minute.” She wiped at Oliver’s forehead, removing the hair that got caught in his sweat. Then she kissed his temple lightly. Her upper lip was a bit sweaty, and she hoped Oliver didn’t notice. Her heart was starting to quell a little. “Please don’t try to talk to anymore witches.” She spoke gently, though exasperated. “If you have any questions, just ask me, you silly goose.”

 

[Walliver]

Oliver smiled. “Of course.” his voice was breathy and weak. He was in pain and sweaty, but the kiss was appreciated. “No more talking to strangers, yes ma’am.” he giggled. Vincent frowned. “Okay, let’s get some gauze on that and then get you to bed.”

Vincent carried Oliver up to his room, whispering soothing words to the semi-coherent boy. He came back down a few moments later, after tucking Oliver in. “He’s our like a light, so we can talk about what happened. First off, what on earth did you get my brother into?”

 

[demonology]

After she watched a delirious Oliver go upstairs, Estrella picked up the miscellaneous supplies and quickly put them in their proper places. She sensed that just because Ver was going to bed, she wasn’t going to get out of talking to Vincent. In fact, she had some questions of her own, given The Coven had kept her pretty in the dark until today. Even then, she sensed her mother wasn’t supposed to tell her about the attack on Oliver. On that note, she checked her phone to discover a text and a call from her dad.

I know you’re at Oliver’s. Please come home. I know you trust him, but your mom doesn’t.

Quickly, she tapped out a response, telling her dad not to worry. She had a few things to take care of and she’d be home soon. Then, she turned her phone on silent.

Sitting at the wood table, Estrella’s head peaked up when she heard Vincent enter the room. Placing her phone down, she sat up straighter before answering his question. “I don’t have many answers, but whatever his involvement is, it was an accident.” She tried to keep her heart rate down, though it was difficult since she felt guilty. “I mean I’m pretty new to this whole witch thing. I just learned about vampires today, for Christ’s sake.” She paused. “My guess, though, would be that they knew we’re childhood friends and thought they could use that to lure him in and...” She gulped. “Exterminate him.”

Brushing her hair out of her face, Estrella looked Vincent in the eyes. “What’s this about this stuff about the deal your mom made with a Vampire Queen? And your mom being a witch?” She didn’t know if it’d help, but it might add some important pieces to the puzzle.

 

[Walliver]

Vincent sighed, shaking his head. “I was five years old when it happened. Oliver had just been born, but he was dying. Our father had cursed him somehow. So, mom did the only thing she could think of: sacrificed his soul to a vampire queen. Oliver remained alive, but the curse was too powerful for even a vampire queen.”

“He has always had a weakened immune system because of our father’s curse, but at sixteen I noticed something changed. Oliver was angry all the time, hungry all the time. I thought it was late puberty, but then he attacked me. Nearly ripped my throat out. I managed to...I think I cast a spell or something, but anyway, he was knocked out. He’s been like this for two years, and it just keeps getting worse. Something they never tell you in the books: vampires need magical blood. Whether it’s innate magic from shifters, developed magic from witches, or stolen magic from necromancers, vampires need blood from creatures that use magic.”

“Hence why he’s looked so sick around you. Even I, a low level warlock, can sense that you have a lot of power. Vampires are naturally drawn to that sort of thing. Has he ever attacked you?”

 

[demonology]

Estrella listened carefully to Vincent, attempting to keep track of everything he was saying. She nodded here and there. It amazed her to hear everything about Oliver and his father. She wondered how someone could do that to their child, and she shuddered at the thought. It also frustrated her to know that Vincent, who wasn’t even in The Coven, was giving her more information than the witches who claimed her as one of their own. It hurt her heart to know that Oliver was suffering through so much without telling her. How long had she ignored the signs? Brushed them off as him being sickly, as per usual?

At the mention of Oliver attacking her, her eyes widened. “Ver would never do that.” She’d never felt more sure of anything in her life. She ignored any mentions of her powers, as now she wanted nothing more than to not be a witch. Estrella would give anything to be a normal kid again with a normal friend.

“Like I said, I don’t know much. Mom has kind of kept me in the dark about a lot of this stuff, and I’m just learning about me and magic and The Coven and-“ Her breath caught and tears started to well. “I have to get home, but I can try to some more about whatever’s happening. I’ll make up some lie to my family about where I’ve been.” She knew she was treading a fine line, but hopefully Leola would buy her lies.

 

[Walliver]

Vincent’s expression softened. “Hey, everything’s going to be fine.” he touched Estrella’s arm in a comforting way, unsure of hugs were safe or not. “Don’t worry about Oliver either. I’ll be dropping him off and picking him up from school every day from now on. No more walking home for him.”

“Just...watch over him at school. Make sure nothing bad happens to him.”

 

[demonology]

Estrella rocked back and forth a little, slightly afraid to go home. She didn't know if her mom would believe her, but she knew it was necessary. She smiled sadly at Vincent, reaching to give him a small hug as she stood up to leave. "Of course I'll watch over him." She spoke softly, almost in a whisper. "I love him."

Moving towards the door, she said a quick goodbye to Vincent, got in her car, and drove home. Leola met her out front with Julius, Estrella's dad, standing in the doorway. Her mom put her arm around her and practically ran her into the house. Forcing Estrella to sit on the couch, Leola sat across from her with a scowl.

"I know you were with Oliver." Her mom's tone was low and serious.

Estrella quelled her heartbeat. Nothing was wrong, she thought to herself. "Actually," she said with an attitude. "I was with Emmy, the girl I've been tutoring." Crossing her arms, she continued, "We've actually become quite good friends." Glaring, Estrella conjured up the anger and betrayal she genuinely felt, making what she said next quite easy. "Given what's happened today, I needed someone normal and who I know will tell me the truth."

Leola's face darkened with guilt. "I'm sorry, Estrella. I thought I had more time to explain things." Sitting next to her daughter on the couch, Leola put a hand on Estrella's knee. "I don't know how much you know, but I can't tell you all of it. At least not until you promise me one thing."

Estrella's eyes widened, looking innocent on the outside even though internally she sensed where this was headed. "What?"

"Dump Oliver as a friend."

 

[Walliver]

Oliver did not go to school for the next few days. Partly because it still hurt to breathe and move around, mostly because Vincent was being a helicopter-older-brother. Even if he was fine for the moment, Vincent was a constant presence. “You don’t have to hover. You do know that, right?”

Vincent stopped, looking over to Oliver. “I’m not hovering. I’m just making sure you’re recovered before you go to school.” he explained, helping Oliver up. “Fine, but I am going to school tomorrow. I need to see Estrella.”

And he did. But it seemed she was avoiding him. “Hey, Estrella?” he caught her by her locker. “What’s going on with you today?”

 

[demonology]

What Leola had told Estrella the other night stuck with her. She was at her locker, staring off into space. She only had one bouquet in her locker, given it was for Oliver. It was dying. She looked down, a bit sad to see it but she didn’t have the heart to throw it away. That was when she hear Oliver’s voice and her heart felt lifted and then sank. Turning to him, she gave him a sad smile. “Hi. I can’t talk to you.” It was blunt, but it was necessary.
“I want to see you though. I just can’t because there are girls here that are in The Coven so they’ll rat on me.” She turned away from him as she saw Lila from The Coven walk down the hall. “Can I come over after school? I have a friend who’s willing to lie to my mom for me. I have info.”

 

[Walliver]

“Of course.”

Siblings, whether in blood, in name, or by clan, were supposed to take care of each other. He couldn’t understand how sisters could turn on each other so easily. Oliver and Vincent would never hurt each other. Siblings had bonds that nothing could break, but her coven members would betray her in a heartbeat.

He went about his day, avoiding the eyes of everyone at school. His blood cravings had been stronger, urged on by the upcoming full moon. He felt wrong in his skin. On edge all the time and so angry. Oliver thought he would pass out before the day was over.

“Estrella is coming over. Come get me when she arrives.” the short greeting was all he gave to Vincent before running upstairs to hide.

 

[demonology]

After moving through the daily slog, Estrella got into her car and proceeded to drive over to Oliver's house. Parking the petite vehicle two streets over, where her friend, Brittany, vowed to keep her secret. She had told Britt that her mother didn't like Oliver due to his 'drug use', banning Estrella from seeing him outside of school. Of course, Leola knew nothing about any drug use, but it was important that Britt knew everything up until the part about him being a vampire and Estrella being a witch.

She walked up the steps to the door as she had a few days ago, knocking on the door before simply letting herself in. "Hello? Vincent?" She figured he was the best one to call to first, given Oliver was likely in his room.