Mia
The boys finally moved in and we got settled to business. I avoided looking at Quinn all through the meeting as I couldn’t get over the news I had heard about him. I couldn’t stop imagining seeing the grim reaper behind him.
Albert growled at them. “Why were you late?”
Jack grinned in his usual carefree manner. “We saw Mia walk into the study and we thought to give the two of you some father-daughter bonding time.”
Albert and I scoffed at the same time at his words and then smiled at each other. I knew they wouldn’t have been late to show up without a good reason. If only they hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t have asked Albert any question and wouldn’t have known what I did. I wouldn’t be tempted to look at him with pity as I wanted to do and I knew doing that was the fastest way for me to get my head off my neck.
Quinn hated pity and wouldn’t tolerate it if I looked at him with pity. Even if he liked me to the moon and back, he would have dealt with me.
“Let’s get to business.” Albert said and waved at the guy to sit.
He turned to me. “What was your nightmare about?”
I sighed as I lowered my head, ashamed to look at any of them even though I knew that I had done nothing wrong. “It was the dark wizard. She kept appearing in my dreams and it was the same thing she was saying. She wants me to betray you all and would hurt me when I refuse. That was when I scream and wake up.”
Albert sighed. “Would you betray us?”
“No. You are family.”
The boys laughed at that but I ignored them. Albert also did. “Had to get that cleared.” He turned to the boys. “What do you think?”
Quinn sighed. “I think she knows that she is our weakness and wants to use her to hurt us.”
I felt odd to know that I was their weakness and I knew that they meant it.
“The dark wizard knows that we wouldn’t hurt Mia if she attacks us. She is trying to use her as a mercenary and also as a shield for herself. She is trying to play us and also ruin us without lifting a finger.”
“The bastard.” John growled.
Albert nodded. “You are all right. Mia is human so she is a weakness that we would rather protect than attack. The dark wizard knows that.”
I was uncomfortable with being called their weakness. “I hate being your weakness. I would like to fight with you.”
“Don’t get involved.” Albert shook his head.
“I want to fight with you.” I insisted.
Albert was about to refuse me when Quinn talked. “Let her, dad. She can get stronger if she fights with us. Hopefully, she can stop the dark wizard from entering her head if she fights with us and build her mind.”
I looked at Quinn and nodded at him. “Thank you.” I muttered to him.
Albert nodded. “Maybe,” he agreed. “But tell me if you feel you can’t go ahead with the plan.”
“Yes, sir.” I nodded, smiling at him for his consent. “Thank you.”
He nodded at me again. “We have to find out if the dark wizard has a connection to the house. That is how she can still enter the dream of someone living in the house.”
“Why does she appear only in my dream though?” I sighed. “Does she enter your dreams?” I asked them.
They all shook their heads. “We are werewolves, human.” Jack laughed.
“Stop that, Jack.” Albert hissed. “Don’t tease your sister. Why do you keep on teasing your sister?”
“Sisters are meant to be teased, dad.” Jack grinned, looking unrepentant.
“They are meant to be protected, Jack.” Quinn grinned at him.
Albert smiled. “Would you listen to that? Listen to your brother.”
Jack nodded and hissed under his breath, his word directed to Quinn. “Traitor.”
“You are human as Jack had said. She can’t enter our heads because we are supernatural beings. You are the only human in the house she has a connection with because you know of her and she took your blood when she had her claws on you that night. I’m guessing that she has made a link to you when she touched you that day.”
I sighed. I shouldn’t have gone to that cave.
I smiled with them. Albert ignored them and continued talking. “We would be going to the cave at night to find out if she left anything behind to connect with the house.”
At night? My heart started running fast and I felt like swooning. Why did we have to go in the night? I had avoided going out at night in the house ever since I discovered the dark wizard in the dungeon.
“Can’t we go now?” I asked her.
“Why?” Jack teased me. “Eager to break free of the hold of the dark wizard?”
I snorted. Wouldn’t he be eager if he was in my shoes? Though that wasn’t the point.
“Jack,” Albert hissed at him.
“I’m sorry, sister.” Jack apologized to me though he had a glint in his eyes that told me he wasn’t sorry for what he had done.
“Your mum can decide to look for us if she didn’t see us. That is why we can’t search for it now. I wouldn’t want another human to be tainted by the magic of the dark wizard.”
I nodded. That was understandable.
“We leave by nightfall. Once I’m sure that your mum is asleep, we move.”
“Noted.” We all nodded.
He gave me a long look. “Are you sure that you can go with us, Mia. You can decide to stay back and no one would hold you to it.”
I smiled, shaking my head. I was stubborn and determined. I wasn’t going to back out of it. I knew that Albert would want nothing more than for me to say that I would be staying back. It was too bad that I wouldn’t be giving him that satisfaction.
We all left the study, finding how to keep ourselves busy as we waited for nightfall. I spent time with mum and when I got to my bedroom later that night, I knew that I wasn’t going to sleep. I was wide awake with my eyes fixed on the ceiling as my mind traveled far and wide, thinking all sorts of things.
What was keeping mum awake? She should sleep on time, I prayed. She had an habit of reading before she slept and I hoped that she didn’t do that tonight. I snorted at myself. Who was I kidding? I had no doubt that my mum was going to read before she slept. She hadn’t seem tired when we had wished each other a good night rest. Her eyes were shining brightly with energy and I knew she wouldn’t be sleeping as soon as she hit the sheets.
She should sleep. The faster she slept, the faster we could move on with our operations. I was so nervous about going out in the later part of the night that I couldn’t sleep even if I had the chance.
I knew Albert would want her to sleep early too but it wasn’t like he could force her to sleep. He would have to wait just as I was waiting.
I didn’t know waiting could be this hard. Either that or I was the impatient one.
I jumped off the bed immediately I heard a knock on my door. I checked the time before I moved out. Eleven pm, I grimaced as I saw the time. That was late. It was almost getting close to midnight.
I shivered in fright as I moved to the door. Why couldn’t mum sleep two hours ago when we wished ourselves good night?
I got to the door and met the boys there.
“Let’s go.” Quinn said as soon as he saw me. “Dad is waiting for us.”
I couldn’t believe that he was going to die. I shook my head. Oh no, let’s not think about death tonight while we are afraid, Mia.
“You can stay behind if you don’t want to go.” Quinn said, giving me a chance to stay back.
I suspected that it was Albert who had told him to tell me that. I shook my head, raised my chin up and moved forward, walking outside and left them behind.
I heard a snicker behind me and I didn’t look back even though I was eager to find out who it was.
We got outside where Albert was waiting for us. We moved to the cave and it was hard for me but I pretended like I was fine. I wanted to run back into the house many times especially when we were walking into the cave but I held my breath, stamped down on my fears (or at least I thought that I did) and moved with the men into the cave.
When Albert called the operation off after a fruitless search, I was glad when we finally moved back to the house. I breathed a sigh of relief as I got to my bedroom and leaned on the door, pressing my hand on my chest as I tried to calm my racing heart.
It was said that one should confront their fears but no one mentioned how hard it would be to do so.