Page 18 of Vampire so Virtuous
“I have a spare,” Eve said, passing Cally a needle in a plastic bag, then whispered, “It’s sterile.”
Cally swallowed a sigh as she fished it out and pricked her fingertip, squeezing it to make a drop of blood appear. Feeling foolish, she wiped it across her polished obsidian—which, this week, she’d remembered to bring.
“Crystals, please, ladies,” Zara instructed.
Obsidian wasn’t a crystal, of course, but Cally hadn’t mentioned it again after the cool response the first time. They all held them out, arms extended into the center of their circle, the gleaming black stones catching the candlelight. There was a gentle clink as Cally touched hers between Eve’s and Lily’s.
“Eve, are we using your spell?”
“Of course, Zara, thank you.” Eve cleared her throat, affecting a solemn air. “Focus, please, gang. We wish to know what the future brings.”
Across the circle, Zara and Priya closed their eyes, and Cally quickly followed. Eve began the spell she’d shared with them.
“By the moon’s gentle glow and the stars above,
In this sacred circle where all are beloved,
We align as one, in this mystic hour,
To seek insights the future empowers.”
To Eve’s left, Zara spoke in the mystical voice she reserved for such times.
“With elements aligned and energies clear,
Grant us visions: make the path appear.”
In contrast, Priya’s words came as a nervous mumble.
“As we weave our words in this mystic rite,
Grant us glimpses of the coming light.”
From beside Cally, Lily took her turn.
“Ancestors’ whispers, spirits near,
Share with us what we need to hear.”
Cally had learned the lines Eve had prepared, but it had been before their session two weeks ago, and then they’d done a finding spell instead.
“With blood and trust, we now decree,
Um, foresight revealed for us to see?”
She kept her eyes closed, expecting Eve to finish the spell, but nothing came. Wasn’t there supposed to be a ‘so mote it be’ by now? She frowned as the silence lengthened, then went to sneak a glance at her friend.
But her eyes wouldn’t open. Instead, a light appeared against the darkness of her closed lids, growing rapidly, spinning as though it were coming toward her. Then it enveloped her, surrounding her, and it was no longer a light but a whole room. Cally blinked in surprise, looking around. She wasn’t in Zara’s apartment anymore. She was at a concert, with a crowd moving beneath her to the beat of loud, thumping music, beams of multi-colored lights shooting from the ceiling and walls.
She was floating in the air above them, looking down, seeing it all as if she were really there.
Which was freaky.
What the hell?I’m hallucinating?
It wasn’t a concert; it was a nightclub, the floor packed with writhing, dancing bodies. Ripped jeans, cropped tops, hands wandering, drinks being spilled. The sweet smell of weed drifted through the hazy air, over the acrid bite of a fog machine and the stench of sweat and too many bodies.
This is too damn real.
