Chapter 43

Thank you @temiyemitemienor for being such an avid reader.

Author's Note:

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!!!!

Today marks the third month anniversary of the publication of this book and I could not have done any of it without the special people I've met on wattpad along the way. Please know you have become family to me. There are some special dedications at the end of the chapter just for you. I just want you to know I appreciate every vote, comment, add, and share you've given this humble book and there is nothing in the world I wouldn't do for you. Hugs

__________________________

Lauren stepped through her travel portal into Zach's room at exactly midnight as promised. She was dressed in a pair of high-tops, heavy jeans, a long sleeve top, and thick knit hoodie. It was supposed to drop down to the low fifties tonight with a sixty-five percent chance of rain. So she toted an umbrella too.

She broke through the abyss to see that Zach was dressed in much the same way, but he was wearing a more sensible pair of hiking boots with his black jeans, long sleeve AE shirt, paired with an A&F hoodie. How good he looked sitting in his computer chair at his desk was almost distracting enough for her to miss the state of his room.

It was IMMACULATE not a thing out of place and as neat as a pin. Every item was ordered with surgical precision.

This was not Zach's room!

Maybe in an alternate universe, but this wasn't the room of her sloppy friend.

Lauren's heart began to pound in her chest. She rushed to him. She couldn't help it. In letting down her guard she had somehow trigger the same effect in him and she was rewarded by the flash of severe pain in his eyes, which he quickly hid behind a stony façade.

"Zach," she begged, "You've got to go see Helsing he can help you. I think you might be suffering from PTSD from the bombing. You need to stop pretending everything's all right and get some help."

"Which do you want to be the pot or the kettle?" he asked scathingly.

"Your little act today may have fooled the others, Lauren, but I know you, and I know you're not all right, not one bit." He laughed coldly.

Lauren jerked back feeling like she'd been struck.

"Is this how it's going to be between us now?" Lauren tried, but failed miserably to keep the hurt from her voice.

He seemed to soften somewhat at her tone, and stood up, helping her to her feet as he did. Their eyes locked for a moment as he brought his hand up to cup her face. She was transfixed by his gorgeous blue eyes. Whoever said: that the eyes are the windows to the soul, hadn't got it half right. His mirrored his usual tender self until he seem to catch himself then they turned cold again as he swiftly turned away from her to grab his backpack.

He cleared his throated and announced, "We better go; don't you have a boyfriend to pick up?"

Lauren took a quick intake of breath thinking if he'd stabbed her in the chest he couldn't have done a better job. Well if he wants to be like that screw him. She took his hand and led her ex-best friend through the portal.

***********************************************

When Zach and Lauren arrived everyone, but Quinn, Kelly, and Xander, were there to greet them. Lauren quickly ducked through her portal again to grab Quinn, but Xander and Kelly were still nowhere to be found when she returned. And they were late.

They had arranged to meet everyone in the parking lot that marked the entrance to the woods at midnight. It was closed at night to drivers, but not foot traffic so the kids would have to hop the fence.

It was a rare cloudless night for November in San Fran and full Moon to boot, so they could see just fine under the lamps in the lot, but as soon as they got any kind of cover Lauren would have to cast a witch globe spell.

Witch globes are tiny globes of light about the size of a softball that can be made to hover over your head and follow you everywhere until the magic is dissolved. She couldn't conjure them now, because the rangers would see. They would have to wait until they were in the cover of the trees for that. Thankfully until then, the moon and the parking lot would provide enough light for the none night seeing magical creatures in attendance.

The kids stood impatiently waiting and talking quietly with each other, while Zach paced angrily. They were trying to keep a low profile so that the park rangers didn't hear them, but that was ruined pretty thoroughly when Xander rounded the corner on one of the loudest most audacious motorcycles Lauren had ever seen.

Kelly was sitting on the back dressed from head to toe in a skin tight Black leather get up. Looking like the Barbie version of Trinity in the Matrix, while Xander sported dark leather pants, a tight fitting biker jacket, and biker boots as well. When he pulled up next to them Kelly swung her leather clad leg over the side and disembarked with an ease that her four inch spiked biker boots belied. She removed her helmet looking like one of those movie moments when the super sexy girl removes theirs and not a hair is out of place. Oh yeah she'd pulled that off perfectly.

Zach marched angrily over to the pair, snapping Donnie's jaw shut as he walked by, and turned to reprimand Xander for showing up late and on a device loud enough to wake the dead.

"Nice one Xander. Why don't you erect a neon arrow right on this spot for the park rangers while you're at it?"

"Sorry guys. I wanted to try out my new purchase. It's a birthday present. I just turned sixteen today."

"There was a chorus of Happy Birthdays all around from the gang before Zach quieted them again.

With a, "Come on guys, we're supposed to be incognito, remember?"

Everyone had the good sense to look sheepish, but couldn't help, but laugh when Kelly said to Donnie.

"Keep staring sugah and I'll pick up that bike over there and beat you upside the head with it."

There was no one in attendance that thought she couldn't or wouldn't do just that.

"Mio dio sei molto forte la mia belezza!" Donnie said with a shudder as he crossed himself.

Fortunately for him Kelly didn't speak Italian and thought he was just praying for his life or he wouldn't have had one.

"How far in do we need to go," Cameron asked in concern, as he snuck a look from the corner of his eye at Meg's crutches?

"We'll have to go in far enough to hide the light of the fire." Brenna announced.

"But please be careful everyone my spirit guides will never forgive me if I burn down the oldest old-growth redwood forest in the world."

Just then Kyle held up a canvas bag and announce. "I brought the hotdogs.

And Travis added, "I brought the ingredients for S'mores!"

When Brenna said, "Guys this is not a camp out."

They both said in stereo, "What? We might get hunger later." With the exact same arm raised in the air shoulder shrug.

It was comical when Kyle reached in Trav's bag and pulled out a jumbo marshmallow and stuffed it in his mouth.

Zach pinched the bridge of his nose and said, "Remind me to write your parents a note requesting they start feeding you." He said caustically.

Travis just smirked around his mouthful of graham cracker.

Cameron said to Meg as he crouched down in front of her, "jump on my back Megan, I'll carry you in."

Meg looked mortified at the request, "do you honestly think I can't make it in on my own?"

Cam looked pained; it was obviously a touchy subject, but he wouldn't let it go," Bae it's been raining on and off for a week, the ground's too soft, your crutches are gonna get stuck," he pleaded.

Just then Meg put her fingers in her mouth and let out an ear piercing whistle Lauren had to envy, she had never learned to whistle.

When Zach looked like he was going to warn them again about the need to be quiet Megan silence him with a look. She was more than a little pissed at Cam right at that moment and it looked like she might not mind taking it out on Zach.

He was a smart guy and apparently he knew when to shut up, because the words that looked like they wanted to spill out were never spoken.

The gang heard it then the clopping of hooves in the distance and the sound of snapping brush.

Then they saw a beautiful stallion as dark as night with a coat that looked sleek like the shimmer of water in the moonlight breaking through the trees.

When it got closer Lauren realized she was wrong it wasn't a dark-as-midnight-black but a dark-as-midnight-green. The darkest green she had ever seen and its mane was not made of hair but seaweed. When it got close enough she could sense everyone was drawn to it, but no one more so than the girls.

Liv squealed with delight, "You've got a horse," and she made to stroke its flank when Marley used her vampiric speed to stop her just before she touched the gorgeous creature.

"Don't!" She uttered urgently, "that's not a horse that's a Kelpie."

"They come from the deeps, Marley explained," They are as beautiful as sin for a reason. If a human touches them their hand will stick to their coat and they will be dragged to a watery grave."

Liv shuddered when Marley said, "it's a good thing I stopped you."

"I don't think Meg would have been happy if I had to kill her horse." She had whispered the last part intimately in Liv's ear, but most of them had supernatural hearing so they'd heard it easily enough.

A tight shiver danced down Lauren's spine at the promise of violence. That was so F'N hot, she couldn't help but wish someone cared that much about her.

Zach cleared his throat nervously and said," We're wasting time people. We need to get this ritual done by dawn. Let's go."

Megan vaulted on her deadly steed using her crutches, and said coolly to Cameron," I'd offer you a lift, but I don't think Midnight would like it that much."

Oh yeah Lauren thought he is defo in the doghouse.

Apparently Cam knew he was too, because he just hung his head and trudged along unhappily behind her.

********************THANKS FOR READING***************

If you liked this chapter Vote, Comment, add this book to your reading list, or suggest it to a friend.

Please know that if I left you out it was purely an oversight on my part, because you too have helped make my dreams of sharing my stories with the world possible. *HUGS*

25cabDrivers

Aerolegend

Makevela_30

-_TheGoldenOne_-

SillyAlexis

BillieCinnamonRoll08

theAceoverall

francoba90

Jesius01

glitterheart_

Shmur51

lyxncynder

cammidori

Seldum

SkyeWitch

FatedLife

katycage

Hishma_Rizqi

RizaParker

wordsbleed

LegendaryTuxedocat

Alexandrine_Ploys

hagrahashem

scentedletters

mauragreenlife

GreenFlame000

CarolineAndrus

NyomiHarless

Momo_197_Katsuki

kaninga_duh

_Deadly_Poison_

bitandpieces

Nads1615

nelliepaige

emmath71

eleftheria_13

jaja09

treesh_merai

Shiro_The_Dragon

DA0088

OMTRobbie

KeriFromDa6

XimFaex

Mad_Ink

Last_Apprentice

screaming_into_void

BC1066AD

GumGumitea

SplendidDraggy

Naveria_Dragneel

WritingHorror

KitKatLovesUT

thebutterflycrown

SO204_

Ghost_Girl_13

VivaChee245

summermurong

Animelover0721POP

JadaBruner123

toallpplbckhome

fanatic_jo

makelpearce

CreationofDarkness

imasadunicorn

cottoncandice11

FaithLackey

JWCMaher

bloodmoonlust

Sufiya0108

RachAnniston_101

StorianPen

ryterbee

denareez

looking_for_books

nightmflight

EvaGrace9

ObsidianWars

Insanelonized

Sawera_Dedar

OnionFan

Entermyimagination

Umm_Donno

anndentonauthor

Fatridaib

greggerguy

Avarez7655

EdemCedar1

shaniathebookworm

Kaminka26

Lunaxkl

ReaderXWriterX

RainyDaysLikeThese

MaliaChase

Csteptoe

Khadijahhafil

nehahazel12

BrettHicks

Wildheart911

rainorchid

CatsMeiow

BrandiFortier

Lauren_Courcelle

Catlen1

bLaMeThEdArK

melmon72

LuisPetrizzoRengel

RahulSrinivas1

Sarah_Alvi

Jasmunaqua27

TheRedMark

BoxOfCookies04

RuthlessPoison

Linettedee

InkyRose45

camron7752

rkrab7

Enerespage

agoldenpanda

OblivionHamster

Senei_Kyryllius

riacarol010602

tinyhurricane

hish_r

vkbloodgood

dahfne22

DrakeSlayer

ZeinaHowls

AshBlueblood

ALegendaryAuthor

Saki_Cupcake

Rockaway26

Somnomnom

iShip

ZarinLyss

byugancrystal

majesticpheonix

delanciematthews

NightmareWritezZx

NinjaKittyZombie

KamishardRiachards1

aj181890

Brooklyn3433

AmeliaDeath-chan

Cooili055

SaWrY17

NeverrEndinggStory

JTDaniels

BooksbyLwordpress

LadyBritish

BrownEyedEmmerly

SKEKamazing

MarkTaverna

Miraak-ulous

Vampy_Adeen

ErinTsambouris

DannyPerrier

cassiopeia_writes

Grady2000

st3v3ngriff

Larka_Writes

Chey9267

duh_dolann

Sparky886611

RizaParker

Tryparatest

Kendrick1992

Angelaiia

JaxonBlossom

KAsbury

ShatteredFalcon

sweet_sultana

darkeyeAroma

OrpheusOwl

Sugar_Skull606

Bummblecat

NathaliaFerrante

ORCHIDBLUE

MGreyson

lmlycollins

lainee79

jassian17

MissCutieAaron08

-helluva

harrilat

NightCourtofTerrasen

nor88111

TheKillerOmega

The_Thief_123

pompompurin

xx_bluebird_xx

trove2345

e_K_salvatore

werewolflover_xx

TheMcNoots