As Rose was forced to lay on the stretcher, an officer approached me. I could hear my sister swearing at the EMTs, telling them she was fine to walk, but they insisted.
The officer looked pale as he came near to me, but spoke in a monotone voice.
"So what exactly happened here?"
"Well, uh..."
I glanced over to Jesse who was shooting a serious, rather stern look in my direction. I recalled him lifting a finger to his mouth earlier, and decided better than to explain the whole thing.
"My sister let this guy, um, Ian, into the cafe to talk.
He...knocked her out and then hit Jesse when he tried to help her up. He cornered me but I, um, pushed him against the door."
He looked unconvinced at my story, but said nothing. Instead, he looked at Jesse, who nodded frantically.
"It was insane, dude, I'm telling you! Outta nowhere, he just got violent."
I bit my tongue as I watched Jesse play it up.
I know it was unbelievable. But to lie to the police...
Why am I lying?
I mean... They won't believe me if I say what really happened.
But Jesse... He seems... Unfazed.
"Would you two be willing to sign a report saying what you saw? A description would be nice, too."
I simply nodded, briefly looking at Jesse once more.
"Okay, come down to the station tomorrow and we'll get it sorted."
He left, to speak with Rose no doubt, but I rushed to Jesse who stood there solemn and unswayed.
"Jesse..." I whispered.
"Did you... You definitely saw that."
He said nothing, watching the police talk from a distance. I glanced back at the ambulance and back to him once more.
"Do you...know something?"
He kept his lips sealed, barely even looking at me. My eyes turned to the ambulance once more, but I wanted a few more answers from Jesse before I got in with my sister.
"Why did you tell me to be quiet about... What do you know?"
"Miss, are you taking the ambulance with us or would you rather follow us to the hospital?" The EMT was now behind me.
I glared at Jesse as I walked towards the ambulance, leaving him behind.
He knows something.
After Rose was cleared at the hospital, my mom was kind enough to bring me back to my car. She couldn't stop crying long enough to have a conversation, but I was glad. With our rocky relationship, it was better that way.
As soon as I got to my car, I locked the doors and took out my phone.
I need to talk with Jesse.
I dialed him, but he didn't answer.
And again, three rings and to voicemail.
The third time sent me straight to voicemail, and I knew he was dodging me.
Maybe, if I can tell him what I saw before...in the alley.
Oh my God, the alley.
In my panic, I'd nearly forgotten what happened the previous day. I sighed and made my way home.
I parked in the driveway for what felt like hours, running the scene in my head. I thought back to the woman in the alley.
That could have been me.
The police were going to be after him, but it was more than that.
He wasn't... Human.
And what I did... Was that human?
Nothing made any sense to me.
Not anymore.
Even when I went inside, I couldn't sleep. Something was seriously wrong, and I just knew Jesse had an answer for me. I would just have to get it out of him.
After leaving the police station the next day, I tried calling Jesse again. Three calls straight to voicemail sent me spiraling. I'd doubted it before but now I knew. He definitely knew something.
I was exhausted from the long night, and with the current questions, I wouldn't sleep for a while.
I thought for a moment where I might be able to corner him. Somewhere public, a place he goes often.
The problem was that I hardly knew the kid. We weren't exactly friends. Coworkers, acquaintances at best.
But I recalled a conversation we'd had previously where he mentioned his mom's bar. It was a long shot, but I might have been able to catch him there. It was worth a try.
I started up the ignition and drove to the other side of town. It was about a fifteen minutes drive to the run down Misty's, whose sign hadn't been able to light up for a good few years.
I was careful to dodge broken bottles in the parking lot, and at one in the afternoon, the sound emanating from the bar was a rowdy one.
I parked safely at the far end of the lot, and locked my car before approaching the noisy building.
Upon stepping inside, I caught the eyes of the bartender, a woman in her forties with curly red hair and hazel eyes.
"Come on in, honey. Whatcha feeling today?"
I smiled awkwardly as I approached her, sitting down at the bar. She fluttered her eyelashes and bent down a bit, showing her cleavage in her low cut top.
"Is uh, Jesse here?" I asked.
She smiled at me, showing a bit of surprise.
"You know my son?"
I studied her again, looking for a resemblance. I supposed their face shape was similar, but otherwise, they didn't look alike at all.
Jesse had a dark blond head of curls, and bright blue eyes. But the pale skin, that was the same.
"I work with him. I was just trying to get ahold of him."
She smiled even brighter at me, pouring a shot and sliding it to me.
I politely refused and she took it instead.
"He's out with his friends right now. You could probably catch him at the park in town. They like to smoke pot there."
She whispered the last sentence and giggled, turning to the man beside me quickly after.
"Another one, Mr. Garrison?"
I stood up swiftly and waved goodbye as she tended the rest of the bar. She waved back as I left.
Okay, the park. I can corner him.
Jesse must have seen me pull up to the park because he began to usher his friends off. I didn't care.
I parked quickly to avoid him running off, and bolted to his direction. I caught up with them in no time, they were presumably too high to care much, despite Jesse's rush.
"Hey Jesse, got time to talk?"
He ignored me, instead turning to a girl and asking her to wait for him.
He began to walk in another direction, prompting me to follow, which I did.
We made our way to a clearing in a patch of trees before he finally turned back to look at me.
"What do you want me to tell you?" He said, exasperated.
I stood dumbfounded.
What do you mean?
I want you to tell me what the hell you know!
When I didn't respond immediately, he added,
"You think knowing will make you feel better?"
"Jesse, I threw someone without touching them. I know you saw that. Why did you tell me not to say anything? And Ian... He was... You saw that, too. I need you to tell me what you know."
He rolled his eyes.
"Blair, it won't change what happened. You better forget everything and stay away from this. You don't want it."
"I saw him eating someone, Jesse. I can't stay away. That could have been me, or my sister. Or you."
His eyes were dead serious at that, his glare turning into understanding. He paused, seeming to process what I'd said.
He clenched his fists, gritting his teeth as he scoured the surrounding area for anyone who could be listening. Then, he released his hands and the tension also drained from his face.
"You won't believe me."
"Maybe not before, but... I saw things I can't explain. I have a feeling that you can."
He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes. He opened as he exhaled, tapping his fingers against the side of his leg.
"There are things in this world... You can't even imagine, Blair."
He lifted his palm and demonstrated something I'd never seen Blues and pinks and yellows, pulling out like lightning, all dancing and buzzing in his hand. I couldn't look away as they shimmered and sparked, zapping up like he was generating electricity.
"Magic. That's how you threw him. It's called lucid magic."
The energy pulled back into his hand as if on command, and he returned his hand to his side.
I kept staring at it, with no words to explain what I had just seen. Nothing I could have said in the moment made sense.
Lucid magic?
What is... No, no, that's not real.
It's a trick. He can't be serious.
"I told you that you wouldn't believe me."
"How did you...?" I continued to stare.
"I'm a witch. By birth, not by choice. And you... You're probably the same."
I recalled the buzzing sensation after the incident, the energy I swore I could see... It couldn't be real.
But... It was.
And even if that were true...
"What about him? What... What is he?"
He rolled his eyes, putting his hands in his pockets and leaning against a tree. He raised his brows as he waited for me to say something, but I stayed silent.
"Come on, you know this. He wasn't eating her, he was drinking her blood. Snake eyes, sharp teeth, drinks blood... It's pretty obvious."
No, not vampires.
I don't... I can't do witches and vampires.
I know I asked but... I know I saw and did things that aren't natural. I wanted answers. But it's just... What was I expecting?
I knew the answer was going to be unbelievable. But this is just... So much harder to believe than I thought.
"Blair, just go home. Forget everything. Do yourself a favor and pretend it never happened. Walk away from this and just keep walking. You don't want this. I promise you."