ALL NOVEL Chapter 19: One by One – Part 6.
Bright flashes of blurring light gave way as her body’s defenses cleared the spinning feeling in Casey’s mind. Vaguely aware that her hand still had managed to maintain a grip on her knife, Casey quickly jammed the thick blade into the back of Brian’s thigh. Airborne for a split second, Casey slipped off of Brian’s shoulder and destroyed a banister as she landed. Sharp and immediate pain shot through Casey when a thick splinter bore its way through the weaker part of her leather and deep into her side. “Fuck your flowers…” Casey grunted and started to crawl down the hallway. “Water.” Casey told herself and started to sniff the air as she heard Brian rolling down the steps like a boulder. “Rivers, clear your eyes..get this thing out of your side..” Sighing a shallow breath of relief when her hands touched tile, Casey felt her way along the wall until she found the sink and turned on the faucet. Grimacing as she pulled he wood fragment free of her side, Casey took a measure of comfort when the open hole started repairing itself. Knowing that she probably only had a few seconds, Casey tilted her head to the side and flushed her brown eyes clear of the salt and quickly wiped her face, allowing the water to trickle from her puffy cheeks.
Squeaking metal and a rush of water permeated Brian’s ears bringing the football player back to reality. Brian felt a rush of adrenaline and a jolt through his body just as he sucked in a deep breath of air. Brian pushed himself up from the base of the steps and was reminded by the sharp pain emanating from his leg that there was a knife deeply embedded and oozing blood. “It’s okay, Casey…I know you don’t have control over yourself and you don’t know what you are doing.” Brian hissed under his breath and twisted until he could see the hilt. Lowering his magical hand to the grip, Brian visualized the blade as glowing with a tinge of red and the edges ash white. “Heat..more heat.” Flashes of green jumped across the metal and brought the steel's temperature well past boiling and staunching the flow of blood to the injury. Needing the dagger free of his leg, Brian attempted to pull it free and another shot of pain ricocheted from the wound. Recalling his first encounter with his magical ability and how without a thought the condiments and cups lifted off the table in the coffee shop. “Telekinesis…first manifestation..” Wendy’s voice echoed in Brian’s mind and before he could complete the thought, the knife pulled itself free and fell harmlessly to the floor. Hobbling quietly as he could, Brian made his way to the kitchen and poured peach tea into an empty milk jar then secured it with a quick twist of the tiny metal cap. Slowly rubbing his swollen knee, Brian happened to catch the smooth feeling of a rock in his pants pocket. Nodding with determination he pulled the kyanite free and glanced first to the ceiling and then to the back door of the kitchen. “Time to take your medicine like a good girl.”
Icy water flowed from the little tap and into Casey’s cupped hands. Leaning over the porcelain basin, Casey slowly sipped and let the cool feeling wash down and refresh her dry throat. Quickly grabbing a nearby towel, Casey wiped her hands and face before turning the squeaky handle. Leaning heavily on the sides of the sink, she let the wave of turmoil swim through her mind. -Is this really all my fault?- Casey asked herself and replayed the last few days in her head. -I kissed her, drunk. I woke up, patched up. I was out with another vampire- Casey took a deep breath and closed her eyes, the events still playing out. -Did Vivienne charm me or did I charm myself?- Casey shook her head and a few tears slipped down her cheeks. -The band's music started it. Maybe this is my fault.- Slamming her fists on the side of the sink, Casey felt the heat of her anger pulsing in her veins. -No.- Casey clamped her hands on the back of her head and walked a few steps. -Vivienne offered me the choice. She would have let me go. Brian and I made peace.- She opened her eyes and looked into the mirror that hung on the wall. -I confessed to him everything I could.- “I loved him.” She told herself as the bones in her cheeks fused back into place removing the blemishes. “Nothing gives him the reasoning to do this.” Nodding to herself, Casey studied the rest of the bathroom noting the cast iron bathtub and the window covered with green. “Outside isn’t an option Rivers.” Peeking her head out of the door, Casey saw the long rug and how it was still in a small ball at the edge of the steps. “Let’s look around while he’s out.”
“I’m not out.” Brian casually mentioned before grabbing Casey with a stone-fisted hand by the neck and slamming her head against the sink, cracking the porcelain. “What I can’t seem to understand is why you keep forcing my hand in this.” Brian released his grip and watched the young woman fall to the floor, her head bleeding profusely. “Sorry, I had to Casey, you left me no other choice.” Brian twisted and sent his magic across the bathroom and sealed the portal he’d used. Brian placed the bottle of tea on a small shelf near the sink before picking up Casey’s limp form and carrying her to the tub. Positioning Casey so that her head was laying gently on the back of the tub, Brian walked to the mirror and pulled on it to open the cabinet hidden behind it. Poking around until he found some gauze and tape along with a small capsule. “Ammonia. Thank you, Loved One.” Brian knelt down and cleared away the blood that had drained from the wound to her eye socket. “Good. Closing up like it never happened.” He snapped the small module and waved the pungent pellet under her nose. “Wake up and take your med…”
Awake the second that the glass cracked, Casey swiftly balled her fist and waited for him to get in range. Enhanced strength and reflexes surged and she swung her fist with all her might, connecting with the bridge of his nose. The crack echoed in the small room and blood poured across her knuckles as Brian fell backward and grabbed his nose in pain. Casey hopped to her feet, “Medicine, fucker.” Pushing herself up, Casey felt the hair stand up on the back of her neck when thick black mud bubbled up from the drain forming a hand and stuck itself to her feet. Clamping her hands to the side of the tub, Casey pushed with all her might in the effort to escape the filthy sludge. While the tub bent and buckled under the force of her strength, she found herself sealed to the tub with the muddy grip now encompassing her calves.
Glue and mud were the two words that sprung into Brian’s mind as he fell backwards holding his nose in pain. He was aware that the magic flared from his hand and hit the tub, but he couldn’t see due to his fuzzy vision. “You broke my nose!” Brian angrily growled. Hearing the metal of the tub whining, Brian commanded the muck in the tub to lash out and cover Casey’s hands.
“Fuck!” Casey exclaimed and fruitlessly tried to free her hands from the solid goop.
Slow to get to his feet, Brian swayed for a moment to get his bearings and wiped the tears from his eyes so he could see again. Surging forward, the large man grabbed the wads of gauze he’d intended for Casey’s forehead and stuffed them up his nose, staunching the flow of blood. “This is for your own good, you just don’t know it.” Brian’s alien voice muttered through his clogged nose. Grabbing the bottle of tea and in one fluid move, twisted the lid free. “Checkmate.” Brian half smiled and jerked Casey’s hair and forced her head back. “Open wide, this won’t take long.” Brian watched as Casey clamped her mouth shut and closed her eyes while trying to wiggle free. “I love you, Casey. Sorry it came to this..” He grabbed her jaw and pressed until her lips popped open.
Glass shards went racing through the air along with pieces of copper pipe and splintered wood as Sylvie’s blurry form hit Brian with the force of a truck. Sylvie’s claw swiped Brian’s hand and the tea bottle slipped from his grasp shattering on the tiled floor, its tan peachy flowing harmlessly away. Planting her other claw into Brian’s shoulder, Sylvie pushed off and the two went crashing through the wall and rolled into the neighboring bedroom.