The Accidental End (The Accidental Witch Trilogy Book 3) Page 6

  “If there’s no other way to do it?” I ask but find that I know the answer. There is no other way to do it. And then I know something else.

  “Fletcher, go over to the filing cabinet.”

  He gives me a funny look but does as he’s told. Good boy!

  “Third drawer down, right at the back, under the folders, there’s a box. Bring it here.”

  He brings over a plain black box, about the size of an A4 folder.

  “Open it.”

  He opens it. It’s full of papers, and I watch his face change as he reads them. He looks at me, his eyes wide, full of tears. “You were right. The only way to change it is to go back in time. No other head witch tried as hard to figure it out as my dad, but he did. These are his reports; he figured it all out. And... he was planning to go back in time.” He reads more, his mouth moving as he takes in the words. “Mum.” He looks shocked, sad, confused, all in one go. “Dad wanted to go back in time, he really was planning to do it. Before his death.”

  Silence fills the room, and Elodie takes the papers from Fletcher, reading through them, crying, looking at me with something like amazement, or awe, on her face.

  Fletcher kisses my cheek. “I can’t believe you figured it out.”

  I shrug. I have to be bashful, because I can’t take credit for it. This is pure head witchery at its finest.

  But then I know it just as clearly. “We have to do it. We have to go back in time and change the original magic. Then the council members, all the supernatural creatures, will see that we mean no harm. It will fix everything.”

  “He’s written out the exact magic. It won’t even be hard.”

  “Can we change other things by going back in time? Bring back Griff or...” My mind goes to Molly. Could we go back in time, to when she was alive, before she got leukaemia, and... what? It’s not like a car hit her and I could make sure she didn’t take that fateful step off the pavement. Suddenly, I’m crying more than either of them.

  “Are you okay?”

  I nod. Lying.

  “Looking at it, we can’t bring dead people back to life. We can’t do a lot of things – there’s a list. Mum, we need to look at this carefully, make sure we don’t do anything stupid.”

  “Give me a minute,” Elodie says. She is still reading through the papers, running her fingertips over her dead husband’s familiar writing, tears clouding her vision.

  Fletcher turns his back on her, giving her much needed privacy, and flings his arms around me. His hug is so tight it hurts a little bit, and my shoulder is wet from his tears. “Thank you. For a million things, but for this most of all. I knew my dad was a good man, and you’ve proved it. He wanted to change our world and make it better.”

  “And now you can finish what he started.”

  “With you.”

  I nod. I’m going back in time! That’s not actually that weird compared to everything else we’ve been doing. “With me.”

  I let him cry and I’m crying too. If we can go back in time, change the original magic, undo the head witch-ness, then speak to the council, we’ll have absolute proof that we want to make things better – we’ll have done it.

  “Thank you, Ellis.” Elodie has tucked all the papers back into the box. “This means so much to me, to us, to all of our people. We can make everything that has gone wrong, right. Let’s go home, I’ll contact Ember, tell her what we’ve found out, and we can do this tomorrow. After a good night’s sleep. I think you need to be well rested to go back in time and change the world, don’t you think?”

  Fletcher and I nod, and I’m grinning like an idiot.

  I made a lot of the witches’ problems worse. The rebels had been working in secret until I came along and ruined things by becoming the first accidental witch in the world's history. I brought their anger and need for revenge out into the open, and too many people have died because of that. But now I get to make things better.

  We head outside, Elodie with the box and a few more papers besides, and then I’m in Fletcher’s arms once again. It’s absolutely my favourite place to be.

  He’s so strong, and his body fits mine just perfectly, and I’m more than happy to put my trust in him and fly away.

  6

  Back inside the house, Ellis heads up to take a shower, and Fletcher makes tea for his mum and a coffee for himself.

  “Are you okay?” He reaches across the table to touch her hand.

  She nods but cries.

  “Sorry.”

  She shakes her head. “You’ve nothing to be sorry for. I feel sad that I didn’t know as much as I thought I knew about your dad. Why didn’t I know about the rebels? Or that he was planning to go back in time? I wish he’d shared more with me.”

  “He wouldn’t have wanted to worry you.”

  “I know it came from a good place; I don’t doubt that. But it still feels like I’ve done something wrong. I wish...”

  “You could go back in time?”

  She laughs. “I know I can’t go to him. I know there’s an entire list of things we can’t do if we go back in time.”

  “If?”

  She sighs. “I want to do it. I know we have to do it. It’s atonement if nothing else. The other supernatural creatures have wanted their freedom for the longest time, and maybe we can give it to them. There’s no way we won’t do it, but I’m exhausted. You know? I’m on my own, I have to worry about you. Then I have to worry about Ellis. Then there’s a war, Zeta... I still can’t believe how things have turned out. I suppose you never really know anyone. No matter how much you think you might.”

  “You know me. I love you. And I loved Dad. He loved you, and he only wanted to protect you. There’s no other reason he would have kept anything from you. Now we get to finish what he started. Doesn’t that sound good?”

  “It sounds wonderful. Then maybe I can sleep at night instead of worrying.”

  “Do you think we’ll be able to make me head witch?”

  “I don’t know. Lincoln said we couldn’t fix this accident. What does Ellis want?”

  “I think she’d like to be normal again.”

  “With a witch for a boyfriend?”

  “I hope so.”

  “You should ask her. Look at everything that happened because your father didn’t want to worry me, or trouble me, or whatever reason he had in his head for not sharing everything with me. Don’t assume.”

  “I won’t. I will ask her. I want her to be happy.”

  “That’s sweet.”

  He laughs and takes a drink, trying to hide his blushes.

  Elodie smiles and drinks her tea, already worrying about what’s next. Demons today, time travel tomorrow. Will it ever end?

  “I’m going up to talk to Ellis.”

  “Just talk.” Elodie raises an eyebrow at him, and he shakes his head, refusing to say another word.

  He knocks on his bedroom door and slips inside. Ellis is sitting in fresh pyjamas, hair wet, tears streaming down her face.

  “Hey.” He rushes to her side, wraps her in his arms and lets her cry, finds that he’s crying too. “Stupid question, but are you okay?”

  She nods, even though she’s still crying, although her sobs have died down. “I was just overwhelmed suddenly. I was in the shower, washing my hair, and then realised that any of those demons could have gone rogue, and killed us. We were so close to them. It could have gone wrong so easily. Then I thought about Zeta and Efa – they were so desperate to kill me.”

  “It’s all scary, I know.”

  They stay in each other’s arms, just enjoying the warmth and the safety, the comfort and the cuddling.

  “I felt like I couldn’t breathe, and I panicked.”

  “But you can breathe now, I mean?”

  She nods and smiles at him. “Until the next time.”

  “I’m so sorry. I know you don’t let me apologise and I know you won’t want to hear it, but I am sorry. I’m sorry that you’re caught up in it all.”
>
  “I don’t want to hear it because it’s not your fault. You didn’t cause it and you can’t undo it. Besides, one good thing has come from it. I’m here with you.” She looks down at her hands, unable to meet his eyes, but he tilts her head up, a finger under her chin, forcing her to look at him.

  Then he leans in and kisses her, kisses her and kisses her, one hand on her leg, one hand cupping her face. And then they fall back on the bed, mouths kissing and hands roaming. Ellis pulls away and sits up, her face flushed and her breathing a little ragged.

  Fletcher stands up, facing the window and brushing his hair off his face. “I want to kiss you forever. Touch you forever. Be with you forever.”

  She stands up, hugging him from behind, laying her cheek against his back, feeling the softness of his t-shirt, breathing in the smell of him. “Really?”

  He turns and takes her in his arms. “Really. Will you stay with me after all this? Even if we turn you back, even if we make me head witch, will you stay with me?”

  “Yes. I can’t imagine being with anybody else.”

  “Do you want to stay a witch? My mum told me I should ask you. I think she’s overthinking all this stuff with my dad – worrying about the things she didn’t know. She wants me to make sure I talk to you. That I never assume I know what you want. Do you want me? Do you want to be a witch?”

  Her voice breaks a little. “I want you. And... I don’t know. If I could go back to being just me and not being a witch, I wouldn’t hate it. But... would you want me if I wasn’t a witch?”

  “I don’t want you because you are a witch. I’d like you to stay a witch... not that it makes a difference. Not now that you know the truth.”

  “Can a witch fall in love with a human? Is that allowed?”

  He nods and kisses her again. “It’s allowed. It’s rare. Mostly we fall in love with other witches, because it’s easier, I suppose. But I don’t want a witch. I don’t care if you’re a witch or not. I just want you.”

  “I want to go back to normal, but I know I can’t. I want to be home with my family, and I suppose if I could stay a witch, that would be cool. I won’t ever be a brilliant witch, but I’d be able to magic up chocolate any time I want. That would be good.”

  “That would be good. Let’s go back in time, see if we can change the magic, see if we can give the other creatures their freedom from us, and then see if we can change you. Once we know, then you can decide.”

  “If the other creatures get their freedom, will there even be a head witch anymore?”

  He shrugs, a frown on his face. “I think so, but just head of the witches, maybe. Not of everyone else...”

  “That makes sense.”

  “Ellis, none of this makes sense!”

  They laugh and hug and kiss again. “True. There are so many weird things going on in my life right now. I’m a witch. I’m head witch. Of all the supernatural creatures in Britain. I was nearly killed, but then also rescued, by a vampire. I’ve been millimetres away from hundreds of demons during a dark magical ceremony, and tomorrow I’m going back in time, to see if I can change the world.” They laugh. “Oh, and to make things just a little better, the most handsome, gorgeous, sexy witch in the universe – that’s you, in case you didn’t know – likes me.”

  “He doesn’t like you,” Fletcher pauses just long enough to watch her eyes widen. “He loves you.”

  She squeals and hugs him. “I love you too. You know that, right?”

  He nods. “I do.”

  “Good. And I’ll stay a witch. If you don’t mind.”

  “Why would I mind?”

  “I don’t know. I just worry.”

  “About everything?”

  She nods. “Pretty much. Life’s been hard since Molly. I can’t believe it might be okay. I might live through this, I might be with you, we might be witches together. It’s not what I thought would happen to me. Brilliant things don’t happen to me.”

  “Well, they do now. Great and weird and scary and stranger than fiction. All of it. And, I know you’ve been sad since Molly, but you deserve good things, happiness, love.”

  She shakes her head. “Not always.”

  “Yes.” He refuses to hear any more and cuts her off with a kiss. Or two. Or a hundred.

  Ellis

  If only he knew. I don’t deserve good things. Not really.

  That sharp needle of guilt and shame is back, digging into me, stopping me from breathing easily and stopping me from enjoying my life.

  The guilt of wishing your best friend dead. Oh, I know I didn’t really wish her dead, but I enjoyed her being out of the limelight, I enjoyed being free from the coldness of living in her shadow.

  I pull back from Fletcher’s kisses; I don’t deserve them.

  I deserve to be killed by demons or vampires or shifters or evil fairies.

  Don’t I?

  I’m so confused and emotional that I know what I really need is sleep.

  Fletcher loves me and I love him, and tomorrow we go back in time to deal with some crazy witch who decided that all the supernatural creatures should be under her control so she could kill them and kill the humans at the same time.

  Nice.

  I can’t wait.

  “I need some sleep.” I am reluctant to let him go, and I can tell he’s reluctant to leave me. What did I ever do to deserve this? The best-looking boy on the planet reckons he’s in love with me!

  It must be the witch thing. I am definitely staying a witch. No way I’m going back to plain old, boring old me and giving him a chance to fall out of love with me.

  I’m not as gorgeous and glossy as the true-born witches, but being head witch must give me some allure. There’s no other reason a witch like Fletcher would fall for me, otherwise.

  Not really.

  I feel crap, so when he shuts the door, I magic up some chocolate, pop and crisps and have a little feast on the bed before letting myself snuggle under the covers that still smell of him, and drift off to sleep, remembering his hands running over my body, down my thighs, across my shoulders, along the top – very top – of my chest. Nothing to get too excited about, but still the most exciting thing to ever happen to me.

  Boys don’t kiss me or touch me or fall in love with me.

  Not before all of this, anyway.

  Yeah, it’s the witch thing. Has to be.

  I wake up feeling a little better. Who am I to question if a gorgeous witch wants to fall in love with me? Let him fall! And if it’s the witch thing that’s helping me, so what? I didn’t ask to be a witch, or choose to be a witch, or deliberately trick him into falling for me.

  I’m taking it, and running with it, and enjoying it.

  I shower, dress and head downstairs, ready for whatever madness the day will bring.

  I feel like we’re getting somewhere, that maybe the end of this nightmare is in sight. Ember is sorting out any lingering rebels, and we’ll placate the council by figuring out how to undo the whole ‘head witch in charge of them’ thing.

  Easy!

  I can smell the bacon before I reach the kitchen, and my mouth is watering, my cheeks puckering at the thought of it. Delicious!

  I love how much Elodie cooks, my mum, bless her – and in fairness she is busy with dead people – does not cook much. Especially not for breakfast. We get croissants but they’re shop bought. Elodie’s are fresh, and not magic ones either.

  Not that it’s a competition. I love my mum, but bacon for breakfast is definitely welcome.

  Fletcher is already eating. As much as I might have liked him to, he didn’t sleep in with me last night. A text from his mum reminded him that there were pillows and a blanket on the sofa for him.

  He kisses me good morning and pours me a drink of orange juice.

  “Thank you. What is the plan for today?”

  Elodie pops another plate of fresh pastries on the table, and I grin at her before helping myself. I’ll miss this once all this palaver is over. I might ha
ve to marry Fletcher.

  Just for excellent food, mind you. So, only if we can live with his mum.

  I shake my head, my brain is getting ridiculous now, and take a swig of juice, pouring it so much that it ends up down my chin and over my top.

  Excellent.

  I wipe it quickly and refuse to look at Fletcher. His mum answers my question.

  “Ember won’t be coming with us, but we don’t really need her. It’s probably best that only the three of us go. The less of us that go, the less chance of something going wrong. I think we’ll eat and then set up the spell. Do it first thing.”

  I nod. It makes sense. See, in my old life, my before-people-were-trying-to-kill-me-and-I-was-a-witch life I always put stuff off. Why do something today if you can put it off? Delay? Stall? Dilly-dally, as my mum would say. But I am actually a little excited about this adventure this morning.

  Who hasn’t imagined going back in time? Only last week I wished I could go back in time and not try to buy the stupid bar of chocolate from the stupid vending machine, so that stupid Thomas wouldn’t have made fun of me. But that was before delicious Fletcher brought my chocolate back to me. So maybe it’s a good thing that we can’t go back in time.

  Anyway, Fletcher’s dad’s notes came with an entire list of things you cannot do if you go back in time. And trying to stop someone dying is a big no-no, apparently. Molly. I feel better that I’ve seen her, and forever grateful to Fletcher that he showed me how, but it also made me ache for her, when I had stopped. Well, not stopped but slowed down a bit.

  Maybe.

  Anyway, we are ready. Fletcher’s mum nods at him and he raises his eyebrows at me, and I nod back. Is this so serious now that we cannot speak?

  And then when I try to speak, I really can’t. This is serious. This could be the end of the war, the end of the battle, the one thing that shows the council members that we mean no harm and gives them their freedom.

  It’s momentous, really.

  I follow the two of them into the front room, trying not to eye up Fletcher’s backside, happily failing, and take a seat on the floor.