The wind which blew and threw everything away stopped when Gladys completed the spell. Almost all vampires who were present or just passing in town were sucked inside the basement, weak and affected by the air filled with vervain. "You can kill them now" said Gladys to the Sheriff and his all team of the secret members, but Lucy wasn't available during that particular night. She had other things and couldn't be present.
"Is it safe?" Mark asked.
"I wouldn't tell you to go in if it wasn't safe"
The Sheriff took out the bag which had stakes, each took one and rolled down the hill to the basement. They passed Gladys and entered inside, no vampire was in a good state. They were battered and coughing blood, the air was heavy inside but it didn't affect the sheriff and his team and they staked some vampires through their hearts.
Nina couldn't help but oversee it all, she was afraid for her life. Even being a nine hundred years old vampire, she was still weak and vervain had done a number on her. Gladys turned back and looked at her.
"Mistress…" She mocked her with an evil laugh, taking pleasure in seeing her at the weakest point. She tried to stand, but her knees gave up. Mark walked to Nina, he wanted to stake her but Gladys stopped him.
"She's mine"
"Just make she dies. She killed my daughter! She is the one who did it."
"Mark…" Nina tried to speak "I…didn't…" She coughed and coughed and couldn't speak any longer. Mark left her and carried on killing another vampires.
"Where are your friends Ninarivera? Have they abandoned you?" asked Gladys and Nina used her last gas to try to escape the seal but she bounced back. Gladys laughed at her. "You are not going anywhere. I made a promise to you, that I will kill you and if you thought I was blushing about it perhaps you should read my resume again"
As she fell down, Nina saw how the other vampires were killed in front of her without any mercy. Then she heard "We are done!" from the sheriff and he got out of the basement followed by his council. Nina thought if she had blood, at that instant it would make her strong so she waited for the last council member to make his way out and she grabbed him.
But Gladys was faster than her, just when she got her fangs out Gladys shouted "Hazkaar" and pointing her hand to Nina which pushed her further to the bottom of the basement and when she fell down, a heavy old refurbished machine made out of iron fell on top of her and crushed her.
"She nearly killed him" Mark said to Gladys.
"But she didn't detective, did she?"
"You better kill her now."
"Go home Mark. All of you, leave now"
Gladys walked inside the seal, the whole secret council left the scene and she surveyed all the dead vampires and when she was sure they had all turned to dusk. She walked outside again, and that's when she saw Regina standing in front of her. They came face to face with each other.
"I know you" said Regina.
"You do? Do you know me or this body, for I've had quite a lot of them?
"You are the one who can jump between bodies. A Salem witch, I heard you are an anchor between this world and Lunara's"
"Your sources are positive"
"I know she has Alice right now, in the witch realm. Making the spectators so as to bring hell on earth"
"Hell? Child, more like heaven. We shall be free of the vampires, only witches will run this realm and not abominations of nature" Gladys said and she started getting closer to Regina who was a bit scared of her, hence she took steps back.
Gladys was a powerful witch who was immortal, she can't be killed because ultimately she always has a body to jump to. And when she wakes up, the last person who killed her always end up dead.
"I'm here for my friend" Regina said and straighten her arm forward, ready for war of spells between her and Gladys, even though she knew she might never win but it was worth a try. She could hear Nina alive inside, coughing and struggling to find balance. She called out "Nina! Nina can you hear me, hang on"
"She can't hear you child. The seal is meant to block any interactions between the inside and the outside and you will not be able to break it"
"I can try…"
"You will die. But…" Gladys said and then she snapped her finger and then the whole basement came out in flames. "Let's see if you are fast enough" she finished and vanished into the thin air.
Regina without thinking straight, she raced inside the basement which was in flames and picked up Nina. The smoke was huge but she managed to bring her at the entrance of the basement, but still she could pass outside and Nina bounced. "Wait, I'm going to do a spell"
"You'll die…just…go Regi. Leave me…" Nina struggled with the words and then she fell down. The fire was growling and Regina tried every single spell to put it out but she couldn't.
Every spell she has ever read in her grimoire didn't work, she started panicking when she saw all the vampires burning and the fire was just minutes from reaching her friend. "Hang on Nina, don't give up just yet" she screamed her lungs out and tears rolled down her cheeks. Nina was unconscious, more like fainting but then suddenly the fire was put out and it was quiet. Regina looked around and she heard a movement, it was a vampire she could smell it.
"Who's there?" She said panicking and when it was still quiet, she raced to Nina's rescue and this time the seal was down and she pulled her outside. "Oh, you are okay, you are fine…" she said holding her in her arms.
Suddenly, appeared Antonio standing in front of Regina. He was serious unlike most of his usual days, he bent down to have a look at Nina "The seal was held by Gladys's coven, I killed one of the witches and their connection broke" he said.
"You broke the seal?'
He didn't reply to Regina but kept looking at how battered Nina was. If he had been late even for a second and she would have been dead. After all this time, he was still in love with her and he couldn't have let her die.
"Take her home" He said.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you" shouted Gladys. She was angry after Antonio killed one of her witch, her remaining ten witches were behind her and one of them was carrying Alice. Amiya was nowhere to be found.
"Gladys, I don't want to do this…"
"I am stronger than you Antonio! I am the fastest and unlike you, I am immortal"
"She didn't have to die. You killed all the vampires to prove your point to the town's sheriff, now let it go. She's mine"
"You are stupid! After Lunara releases the spectators none of you will live to even see another day" She said and moved closer to Antonio, while her coven remained intact. "There was no meaning of saving her from the fire and leaving her open for spectators to tear her limb by limb. She's as good as dead, and so are you and your brother"
"Leave Gladys. Don't make me do this"
Antonio's threats had no effect on Gladys but she slowly retired back to her coven and they vanished. Regina released a long deep breath she didn't even knew she was holding, he looked back at Nina one more time and she was still unconscious.
"I don't understand. You wanted her dead for years, and yet you saved her"
"Because I love her. When you love someone, really deep it never goes away. You try to mask it with anger and threats but deep down you know you wouldn't lift a finger on them" He said emotionally and then vanished.
Regina stretched her huge wings and then she flew still holding Nina in her arms. As she was in the air, everything looked different and yet familiar. It had struck midnight and she knew Lunara won.
And win did she, Alice opened her eyes exactly at six o'clock midnight on her warm bed with two blankets on top. She was wearing a black legging, a football t-shirt and black socks. She didn't get up but had a closer look at her room which was a bit messy as always, then harsh memories of what happened during the sacrifice came to her. She remembered how Antonio snatched her at the airport, made her drink this strange beverage and from there she blacked out.
Then she saw a werewolf killed, and a vampire. They were killed by Antonio and from there nothing. "Perhaps it was a bad dream" She said and shut her eyes closed.
She woke up at 7 am and she had a hot shower, put on her best fabrics and walked downstairs. She found her dad sitting on the kitchen with an empty cup of coffee and he looked miserable.
"Morning Dad" She greeted him while busy searching for cereals and milk from the cupboards. Mark had no clue when did she get back.
"Alice?"
"Yes?"
"You are back!" He said and to his shock, he dropped the cup and hugged his daughter close to his arms "Oh, I was so worried. Where have you been?"
"Did I disappear or something?" Alice asked and Mark just smiled and hugged her again. He didn't believe that her daughter had come back. He even drove her to Warlington High and promised to pick her up when she gets out.
Everything looked normal to her, or at least they were but she had no idea how the twenty-four hours she missed had created a lot of chaos for her friends and nearly killed them. She passed through her locker and opened it, a note fell down and she picked it up. It was from Hawaii written "I can't feel my face when I'm with you" and a bouquet of flower along with it.
She chuckled softly and smelled the flowers, then she returned them inside the locker and looked on her right arm side. Her eyes came in contact with Hawaii's who was leaning on a door with a smile on his face. He was very happy seeing Alice again, it almost fell like a dream come true for him and maybe finally they can be together since the sacrifice had already happened, and she wouldn't be a liability no more.
She walked to him holding her books, and carrying a small blue bag.
"Morning" She started a conversation.
"Good morning princess"
"History?"
"I was feeling more of a genius today; I'll go with Physics"
"Physics? Interesting…"
They started walking in the corridor holding hands. It was a bit awkward between them for a moment and silence engulfed their presence. Each had words to say, and things to bring out to light but at that particular moment silence was more preferable.
"Are you alright Ali?" Hawaii asked after a long silence.
"Yeah, couldn't have been better"
"Do you remember what happened to you?'
"What happened to me? Wait, something happened to me?" asked Alice and a red flag struck Hawaii's head and at that instant he knew something was wrong. "Oh! The sacrifice right?" she asked.
"Yes, do you remember?"
"Antonio was behind it, that's all I know. He took me up and brought me to this place where there was a vampire and a werewolf in a circle surrounded by a fire. And then, there was a witch she casted a spell and killed herself"
"What happens after that?"
"It's blank! I don't recall" said Alice but with curiosity and trying her level best to remember but it was like she blacked out.