Spell for the day

**** Accio ! *****

Gets me anything I ask for without me having to move a muscle .

Here is to all the lazy bums out there, this chapter is for you. I got like a 100 votes for this book. Thank you to everyone who supported and voted for this book. Means a lot ❤️

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I was running through the forest, hoping to find a way out of this mess, when I see the blood on the side, not really whole loads of it but a little of it every here and there .

I so want to turn around and go back, but I hear another gunshot and silently keep walking. I pause for a while and contemplate going back, given this blood is freaking me out and my gut tells me not to go this way. But something, some weird idiot sense in me was curious to see where would I land up and I slowly walk this way. The climate changes from a bright sunny day to a breezy one within a few minutes.

The weather here changes even faster than a chameleon changes its color.

I hear my name; I guess Emily finally caught up to me.

"Em, is that you?" I ask, turning around.

No one, nada. I do not see anyone.

"Hello?" I ask hoping whoever that was shows there face. Don't tell me it's the cops again.

No reply again.

This person is getting on my nerves, I scan the area around again and do not see anyone .

I turn around and plan to keep walking, the weather however turns from a breezy wind to a strong one and it drizzles. What is wrong with this weather?

I look for shelter and run behind a tree. I try not to get wet; I hate these rains. They make me wet and I get all irritated because of them. The minute I step inside the trees I feel warm, like a toaster warm. Wow, I didn't know these trees could be so warm. I sit on the ground and something pokes me on my butt; I remove it and turns out it is a bottle of alcohol. Oh, lucky day !

I open it to drink, to keep myself warm against this insane weather which now changed from drizzling to heavy rain. I open the bottle and get it to my lips only to realize it smells weird, not the alcohol weird but like a stink. I get it close to my nose and sniff it .

"Fuck, this is blood " I say throwing it away from me and getting up.

Shit, who the fuck puts blood in a bottle and roams. This is crazy. I'm positively scared and get out from the shelter of the trees and walk the opposite way.

Someone is looking at me, my instinct tells. I turn around and there is no one as expected. This day is definitely crazy. I still feel those lasers like eyes burning holes in my back.

I feel a cool breeze hitting me and feel someone brush past me. I turn around again, no one. Is my mind playing games with me. I hear a devious laugh. It was a woman mischievously laughing. I look at my surroundings and see a huge banyan tree, the kinda that looks weird and is usually seen in movies near a haunted house. I hear my name again .

I panic, this is crazy. I close my ears, hoping I can get over this. I bend over on the ground, covering my ears and screaming. The rain still incessant. I was positively shivering. I swear this is so not like me, nothing scares me. Something in me finally kicks in. My senses return, or maybe more like my fear hides .

I get up and make my way with a determination to end it once and for all. I ignore my name being called and the devious laughs. I focus my energy on creating a shield around me. I used to do this as a kid, to keep away the monsters under my bed. My mom taught me this. I would somehow feel safe inside it. I mean yeah, it is childish but my mom used to tell " If you believe strongly in it, you can do it" .

I could literally feel the shield around me, maybe it was my imagination, but I definitely felt safe. I look around me and see that it has stopped raining now. Finally .

I keep walking and I see a house appear in the distance. Phew! Civilization. I see that it was a relatively small house, and the garden was well kept but the flowers were dying. Looks like it wasn't being taken care of in the recent times .

I go closer, but something in me tells me not to go further. I feel the same laser like burns, as if someone was watching me. I look around but there was no one. I approach further and the burns increase, like I could literally feel them. I see a fallen name plate. Mr & Mrs Potts, it read. I look around, Mrs Potts lives here ?

She was at my place and her husband died quite some time back, so who was staring at me? I look up to the first floor and see a shadow of someone by the window. Who could live here? I take a step further, curiosity getting the better of me. I see the car parked in front. I go up the porch steps and was about to ring the bell, when I hear my name being called again. It wasn't like a whisper; it sounded real.

The voice sounds like someone I know and has an old, raspy feel to it.

" Ingrid dear, what are you doing here. Everyone is searching for you ."

I turn around to see Mrs Potts mysteriously coming from around the corner.

Where did she come from ?

" Oh, we were looking for you since morning. Emily told us what happened "

"Emily, you met her? Where is she ?"

"She reached home some time back. Now, come on, let's hurry back home ."

"Your home is right here, can we like go inside and can I wash my face?"

"How do you know I live here, you never came by " she sounds suspicious but covers it up with a smile.

"The nameplate at the entrance "

"Oh yeah, my dear husband made that with his own hands," She says, reminiscing the past.

"So let's go in?" I ask, desperately needing to get to a warmer place.

"Sure." She says searching for her keys in her purse .

"Uff ."

"What is it?" I ask.

"Looks like I left my keys at your place. We got to go back, and by the looks of it, it might start raining again. "

" Okay then, let's go. I do not want to get wet. Let's hurry." I say, not mentioning about that person I just saw. She is definitely hiding something for sure and I just found another reason to look further into this .

While leaving, I see a similar bottle like the one I saw in the forest with blood in it, lying near the car. What if it is the same one with blood in it ?

Oh God, something is going on, and I need to sort this out.

We reach home in less than the time it took for me to get lost in that woods and we came out from the same place we went it. Like the same place we saw the carcass and the same place that person last night disappeared.

Shit, wait! What if...

"There you are Iddy " Lili says interrupting my thoughts. She comes over and hugs me .

"How long was I gone for ?"

"Since this morning."

" What is it now?" I ask, turning around I see that the sun is almost about to set.

" Oh great, it's already evening. " I say answering my own question.

" Where were you all the while? You scared us " Em asks, coming out with a blanket.

" In the forest, on the road, less taken." I answer, grabbing the blanket. I was shivering, and I needed to get warm after the crazy weather, I think I might need a warm drink .

" Come on in girls, I'll make you all hot cocoa and you can talk inside " Mrs Potts says as if reading my mind. Her phone rings and she was rummaging through her purse and some things fall down.

"Oh, silly me! " She says picking them up.

I catch a flash of metal and hear the clinking of keys. She had her keys with her all the while? Things are just getting more suspicious around her.

We walk inside and I walk up to my room to change into something warmer and by the time I come outside I see Lili and Em already camping themselves near the fireplace with cocoa mugs and I walk up sitting beside them.

"So where did you go without telling me " Lilia asks, hurt lacing her voice.

"There was apparently another dead body, we went to check it out, I was sure you wouldn't let us " I answer her honestly.

"And look what that did to you." she says .

"Well, it was only because there were police over there "

"Police, where?" Mrs Potts asked, interrupting us .

This woman!

"Oh, nothing serious Mrs. Potts, they were just investigating a case of burglary, that's all," I say lying so easily. I rarely lie, but something made me do it this time.

Lili and Em give me confused looks.

"Oh. I better go to the kitchen, I think I forgot to turn off the stove." she says hurrying up.

"Why did you lie?" Em asks.

"Not here, let's go to my room," I say.

"Aunty we are going up," Lili shouts and then follows us. She likes Mrs. Potts a little too much, I agree she is a good person but lately things seem bad on her side.

I tell them my story and then Lilia finally says

"That person knew Mrs. Potts and met her last night after which the killing happened what if...?"

"My doubt being the same ."

"But I'm sure it could not be the same person. I mean why would she even put up a guy like him at her place, considering that you actually saw him"

"Okay, I remember seeing him at the ball, but I don't really remember his face. I just saw a bit of him. "

"Nor did I see him, the last time I did he was unrecognizable with blood smeared all his face."

"How are you sure they are both the same person ?"

"Not sure, but if it isn't, then we are in for double trouble ."

"So we know nothing about this guy or guys, but they are dangerous ?"

"Could be."

"Oh, by the way, the cops mentioned something about our mum too "

"Mom? What did she do ?"

"No clue, but apparently they have their own meeting today "

"Let's see if we can get anything from that meeting !"

"How ?"

"My mom is at that meeting and I'm sure I'll find a way of getting it up and asking her what was it about " Em answers.

"Oh, and the barn was already clean by the time I went there "

"What? Wasn't it a mess "

"I know right! But Mr Clark checked and told it was clean, I obviously didn't go inside considering what happened the last time."

"Last time? What did you guys do " Em again asks .

I feel too lazy to answer and just look at Lili, who narrates the story .

"You guys are crazy for reading shit from a book. For all you know, you guys could be dead "

"Em, chill. I don't believe in all that stuff "

"What about all the weird stuff that's been happening ?"

"Like someone calls me. I could be hallucinating. Either way, we got bigger fish to fry. Let's focus on this mysterious guy, now shall we ?"

"Yeah, but let's not ignore this. Okay ?"

"Okay, what do you want me to do, " I ask my voice coming out stronger than I intended, I somehow feel angry and get irritated again. The temperature around me turning from cold to warm.

Em and Lili look and each other and look scared. Why do they ?

"Nothing Iddy, nothing at all. Let's just stay together for now. Shall we? And focus on this guy. Okay?" Em says, as if talking to a kid.

I was too tired to argue. So I nod my head and was lost in my thoughts, not aware of their conversation. I have no clue when did I fall asleep.

I hear whispers against the wind, slowly brushing past my ears like a soft call, and this time I don't get scared. I feel safe, maybe because I still feel the surrounding shield.

AUTHOR'S NOTE :

Hello people, another update !!

Well, courtesy to my new readers I felt obliged to give them quicker updates. So this one is for all my new readers. Thanks for the love and support <3

The cover has been updated and so is the title, do let me know what do you think of it.

Until the next update,

Lots of love
~ Vaishnavi .