Present day, Ellen had waited until Winona had finished her story of how she had become a vampire hunter before speaking.
“So Blue Moon didn’t even send you here,” Ellen quickly took note of.
“No,” Winona admitted. “Other than giving me my training dreams, Blue Moon has been quiet since I’d left Montana.”
“So he’s indifference about you being here,” Ellen guessed.
Winona slightly grinned before saying, “That’s one way of looking at it.”
“So Blue Moon might know that these two aren’t dangerous,” Ellen suggested while gesturing towards the vampires.
Winona slightly chuckled before saying, “He might… if it’s true.”
“They’re vampires, Ellen,” Riley pointed out.
“And excluding them, you and Brad, everyone here is either a wizard or a sorceress,” Ellen retorted. “So what’s your point?”
“Riley, whether these two vampires are dangerous or not, Ellen wants to know for sure,” Winona said in Ellen’s behalf. “I have no problems with giving her that.”
“They’re vampires, and I think they should be killed regardless,” Riley retorted.
“And that would make you the killer, not them,” Ellen quickly informed.
“If they are in fact harmless, Ellen, I’ll release them,” Winona announced. She then saw the disapproving expression across Riley’s face. “I’m not in this to kill the innocent.”
With the same disapproving expression across his face, Riley shook his head without saying a word.
When Ellen saw that Riley wasn’t going to respond verbally, she said, “Winona, in your story, you had mentioned that you have one of Lawrence Stone the Second’s diaries.”
“You can call me Winnie, Ellen; most of my friends do,” Winona began. Ellen pleasantly grinned. “And I do have his diary. What about it?”
“I’m a friend to Lawrence Stone the Second’s great-great-great granddaughters. I can prove that too, and they’ll want… a copy at least of that diary.”
“Your friends can have it,” Winona assured her. “I don’t need it. I will need to have my dad send it through the mail though.”
Ellen just nodded in agreement.
When things became quiet, Ellen asked, “Are you a vampire hunter, Cory?”
“No,” Cory said. “Until today, I didn’t know that vampires actually exist.”
“So what were you doing when you came charging at us?” Ellen asked as the front door opened.
“Harry?” Allyson called.
“In here,” Harris called back.
“So what were you doing?” Ellen repeated.
“Spotted Pelt had whispered in my ear to get in there,” Cory said as Allyson and Sadie were stepping into the room. “I didn’t know why he wanted me to charge in, but I obeyed.”
“Wow, there really are vampires,” Sadie said while stepping up to them.
The two vampires looked towards Sadie.
“My wife Allyson and my cousin Sadie,” Harris informed while gesturing towards who was who.
“Here are the book and the crystal ball that you requested,” Allyson told Harris as she stepped up to him.
Harris took the items.
“We have five crystal balls,” Riley pointed out while indicating to himself, Winona and Brad.
“Your crystal balls are apparently used as weapons against vampires,” Harris began. “I don’t want to do anything that might change that.”
“Okay, well, let’s get started,” Brad urged while looking at Ellen. “So we can execute them once they’re found guilty of feeding on people.”
Ellen sucked on her lips while staring indifferently at him.
“Let’s get started,” Harris echoed. “Place one of those end tables in front of the couch.”
“On it,” Galvin said before grabbing the closest end table to him.
“Winnie, if you have those crystal balls with you—within this room—you might want to get them out of the room,” Ellen suggested.
“They’re in the van,” Winona informed. “But why would that matter?”
“Any crystals in the room will amplify the spell,” Ellen informed. “And I know this for a fact because Harris had cast the spell on Martha DeNatale. Martha had several crystal knickknacks decorating her living room, and after the spell was cast, Harris and I received over a year’s worth of her memories.”
“Why were you casting the spell on Martha?” Brad asked. “Whoever Martha is.”
Ellen slightly grinned before saying, “My great-grandmother was Martha’s high school math and gym teacher. Harris and I needed to know certain details about my great-grandmother—like what had happened to her, but the amplified spell shared everything from the moment Martha had met my great-grandmother to the day when my great-grandmother had gone missing. She was never missing though. My great-grandmother’s niece Vincentia had killed her. Vincentia’s whereabouts are unknown though. Anyway, through the memories that Martha had shared with me, I got to know my great-grandmother very well.”
“That’s cool that you got to know your great-grandmother like that,” Brad said.
Ellen just nodded with an agreeing grin.
“This spell will cause a momentary disorientation, so everyone should find a seat—even if it’s on the floor,” Harris informed as he was placing the crystal ball and the book on incantations on the end table. “And since I’m casting the spell, I’m taking one of the armchairs.”
“Okay” and “Alright” were the replies before everyone sat down on the floor.
Harris stepped over to one of the armchairs and dragged it over to the table. He then sat down and picked up the book on incantations.
Harris flipped through the book, and when he found the correct incantation he said, “Okay, here we go. So be quiet, everyone.”
Harris recited the incantation, and after the incantation was finished, Harris asked the male vampire, “Have you ever… or do you drink human blood?”
The color of the crystal ball changed from a clear crystal to a swirling purple and blue. Soon after that everyone in the room was experiencing the male vampire’s first several minutes as a vampire.
“Good morning, Wesley,” he heard from behind him once his transformation into a vampire was complete.
Wesley jumped from a laying position to a preparing-to-pounce-the-owner-of-the-voice position and growled at the twenty-something-year-old looking man who the voice had belonged to.
“I made you, Wesley, and I can break you,” the man informed calmly. “So you had better tap into the logic side of your brain and control that urge.”
After a short moment, Wesley found the logical side of himself, stopped growling and stood upright.
“What did you do to me?!” Wesley demanded.
“I made you an immortal,” he said. “Like me.”
“Immortal?” he echoed while noticing that he was in a basement of some house. Before his inquiry could be answered, the appealing smell of blood had suddenly caught his senses.
“You’re a vampire, Wesley,” he informed as he saw Wesley eyeing the ice chest that held several drained hospital blood bags, along with one blood bag that wasn’t completely drained.
Wesley’s primal side regained control of him, and as he uncontrollably ghosted towards the ice chest, he announced, “That smells so enticing.”
The master vampire backed up while allowing Wesley to get to the ice chest. Wesley opened it and sniffed deeply before searching through the bags for any that might contain blood.
“I’m afraid that I’m currently out of blood,” the master vampire informed as Wesley found the bag that wasn’t completely empty. “I left a little. How odd. That’s really not like me.”
Wesley immediately drank what little there was, and once it was drained, he tossed the empty bag to the floor and searched for more.
“That was it,” the master vampire informed.
“That can’t be it,” Wesley countered.
When Wesley couldn’t find any more he angrily threw the ice chest across the room.
“Feel better?” the master vampire questioned.
“I feel worse,” Wesley complained. “That little bit made me even more hungry for it.”
The master vampire grinned before picking up the bag that Wesley had drained.
“Did you find this blood appetizing to you?”
“Very,” Wesley quickly agreed.
“I know where you can get more… of this particular blood,” the master vampire informed.
“Where?” Wesley quickly demanded.
“This blood was donated by Judge Brett Camden…”
“My father,” Wesley interrupted.
“Your father,” the master vampire agreed with a grin. “To have more of this blood, all you need to do is go home and follow your urge.”
“Yes,” Wesley agreed. “I would love nothing better.”
“Excellent,” the master vampire said. “Those six Dobermans that your dad keeps as guard dogs will now see you as a stranger. They won’t be a problem for you though. They can’t hurt you—severely, anyway. But if your father sees you as a threat, he might duck into his safe room.”
“I have the code,” Wesley said.
“I was hoping you’d say that,” the master vampire said with a grin. “And to make sure that you get home without any… distractions, I’ll drive you there.”
The memory transfer had stopped on that memory. Harris thought for a second before assuming, “You must’ve fed on your father. What happened when you went home?”
Again the color of the crystal ball changed from a clear crystal to a swirling purple and blue.
Wesley backhanded one of the Dobermans. The dog yelped loudly after being struck, and then yelped again when its spine snapped in two when it hit a tree. Once the dog hit the ground, it laid trembling and whimpering.
The other Dobermans went soaring through the air, one after the other, before Wesley’s thirteen-year-old sister could make it outside to see what was upsetting the dogs.
Wesley’s father followed her out while demanding, “Get back in here, Mandy. That abomination isn’t Wesley.”
Brett touched Mandy’s arm, but before he could grab hold of it, he was suddenly pinned against the wall by Wesley’s chokehold at the throat.
“Wes, no!” his sister demanded while grabbing his shoulder.
Wesley jerked his head towards her and hissed through his teeth as if he was a cobra. His sister jumped back a step, overwhelmed by the sight.
A delightful smile came across Wesley’s face before saying, “The pounding of your heart sounds so invitingly delicious.”
“Wes. It’s me. Mandy.”
“I know who you are,” Wesley said before drawing in a deep breath through his nose. “I never knew how wonderful you smelled before now.”
“If you know me, then you know that you’re my best friend,” Mandy told him. “I don’t know what drugs you’re on…”
“I’m not on any drugs,” Wesley insisted with a slight laugh.
“Your freakishly black eyes say different,” Mandy retorted.
Wesley again laughed before confessing, “I’m a vampire.”
“You’re a vampire?” Mandy questioned skeptically while examining his appearance.
“Yes,” he said while turning back towards his dad. “And I’m going to drain you of your blood.”
“Wes, no,” Mandy pleaded. “This isn’t you. You’re not evil. You’re not a killer.”
“I’m a vampire,” Wesley said again as he went to drink his father’s blood.
Before Wesley could sink his teeth into his father’s throat, Mandy grabbed his free hand while demanding, “If you’re a vampire, then take my blood.”
Brett was turning blue from the chokehold and could only grunt out his protest to Mandy’s request.
“Wait your turn, sis,” Wesley instructed while looking at her again. “Dear ol’dad is first.”
“Wes,” Mandy slightly whined while desperately searching her thoughts for a memory that would get through to Wesley.
Suddenly images of him and Mandy playing cards, playing board games, playing computer games, of him teaching Mandy how to ride her bike, of him teaching her how to swim and of him reading bedtime stories to her at night went through his mind so quickly as if simultaneously.
Wesley went to shake the confusion from his head as Mandy—with tears running down her cheeks—continued to say, “I enjoyed it when you read to me last November—when I was sick. It reminded me of when you use to read me bedtime stories. I know I could read books myself… and I do, but I was hoping that next time I’d get sick, you would read to me again. And I can name off other enjoyable times that we had spent together…”
“You’re showing me these images,” Wesley accused as he dropped his grip from his father’s throat and grabbed his own head from both sides. “How are you doing this?”
Brett dropped to his knees, coughing and gasping for air.
“How am I doing what?” Mandy questioned, confused at what he was saying.
“You’re showing me things… with your mind.”
“You’re doing it, not her,” Brett said in an unnatural raspy voice. “You always had the gift of mind reading.”
Brett then thought of the day when Wanda had cast two spells on Wesley when he was seven; one to suppress his mind reading ability and the other for him to forget all the days before.
“Our nanny’s a witch!” Wesley hissed. “You hired a witch to watch us and to cast spells on me!”
From a kneeling position Brett looked up and timidly met his eyes.
“It was to protect you,” Brett claimed with a less raspy voice as he massaged his throat.
Mandy watched the exchange between her dad and brother with a confused expression across her face.
“It was to protect you… your secrets, you mean,” Wesley again hissed.
“Wesley, back then I was a lawyer for a very powerful family,” Brett informed. “I knew their secrets; secrets that could get many people killed if they would ever surface. So yes. I did it to protect you, your mom, Mandy and me, along with many others. Read my mind if you don’t believe me.” Wesley just shot his dad an annoyed look. “Anyway, Kodiak turned you and sent you here, didn’t he?”
“Kodiak?” Wesley echoed.
“I’m picturing Kodiak’s face in my mind. Is he who turned you?”
Wesley looked into his dad’s mind before saying, “Yes.”
“He’s been hired to kill me,” Brett informed. Mandy gasped in horror as Brett continued with, “He can’t get on the property. Wanda had cast spells to keep him out, so he’s using you to get to me—to kill me.”
“You won’t do it, right?” Mandy pleaded. “Vampire or not, you’re not a killer.”
Wesley heard Mandy’s ongoing plea in his mind. He closed his eyes before whispering, “I’m sorry, Mandy, but I am so hungry. I need blood, and your loving thoughts towards me, or your encouraging words of me not being a killer, or even your nostalgic memories of us won’t hold me back for long.”
“Humans are not the only creature on Earth to have blood pumping through their veins,” Mandy pointed out. Wesley’s eyes flew open and he looked intensely at Mandy, which made her recoil back slightly. “If you’re truly a vampire, and you need blood, then kill a deer or a cow. There must be a way for you to eat and not kill people.”
Wesley looked towards the injured and whimpering dogs, long enough to see where they lay, and then—as if the world had slowed down to slow motion during his run—he had sunk his teeth into one of the dogs’ necks. The dog yelped one last time.
“Wesley?” he heard Mandy asking in a confused tone.
“He’s over there,” he heard his dad saying.
The memory transfer had once again stopped. Harris rubbed his eyes and face while waiting for his disorientation to wear off. Once his head had cleared, he asked, “Have you ever killed anyone?”
The color of the crystal ball changed from a clear crystal to a foggy white without any memory transfer.
“And I have no idea what this means,” Harris mumbled slightly coherently.
Devon stood and stepped up. When he saw what the crystal ball was showing, he informed, “From what you had asked, Wesley has no memory to share. So you can consider Wesley’s answer as ‘No’.
Ellen stood up before saying, “Wesley hasn’t killed anyone. The stake should be removed.”
“He hasn’t killed anyone yet,” Brad corrected as he and the others stood as well.
“He’s innocent,” Ellen retorted.
“He could make an exception with us,” Galvin said while overlapping Ellen.
“He’s innocent,” Ellen repeated more forcibly.
“People!” Devon uttered to regain order. When everyone looked at him, he continued, “Winona, go and get one of your crystal balls.”
“What are you going to do?” Ellen demanded before Winona could respond.
“I’m going to remove the stake from Wesley’s heart, but before I do that, I want to be able to stop him if he would decide to attack.”
Ellen nodded in agreement.
“I have a thought,” Riley announced while drawing everyone’s attention. “How do I know that what we received from… from Wesley, were his actual memories and not what he wants us to think?”
“People who get asked the questions can’t manipulate what gets transferred,” Devon replied.
“We aren’t dealing with a person though, are we?” Riley questioned in a manner as if to make a point.
“The spell worked, and as long as it works, it can’t be manipulated,” Devon said. “I guarantee that what memories we received from Wesley were genuine.”
“Okay,” Riley replied skeptically.
“I’ll go get one of the crystal balls,” Winona announced before walking away.
Sadie put her hand on Ellen’s shoulder, and when Ellen looked, Sadie said barely above a whisper, “I finished the incantation.”
“Cool,” Ellen replied with a grin.
“Don’t get too excited,” Sadie informed. “I had to create it from scratch, and the spells that I create from scratch have a sixty percent chance of failing.”
“Noted,” Ellen said with a slight nod. “So how will the incantation work?”
“You’ll need to cast it on a piece of jewelry, and as long as your friend wears the jewelry, she won’t be able to see or hear ghosts.”
“Nice,” Ellen said while noticing that Riley and Brad were listening. She then volunteered, “A friend of mine is being forced to take drugs for her delusions of seeing ghosts, when I know for a fact that she does see ghosts. I’m trying to help her get off her medicine.”
“I didn’t ask,” Riley said as Brad gave an acknowledging nod.
“I know,” Ellen said with a shrug. “Since you overheard what we were discussing, I thought I should explain.”
Riley grinned before saying, “I can see your future, Ellen.” Ellen gave him an inquiring look. “You’ll go off to college, get your law degree and become a defense attorney.”
Ellen grinned before informing, “You’re looking into the wrong future. I have nothing against lawyers, but it’s not for me.”
“A doctor?” Riley questioned. Ellen shook her head with a polite grin. “A social worker?” Ellen dropped her grin and vigorously shook her head. “Okay. What career path do you imagine yourself in… in ten years?”
“A police officer,” Ellen answered simply.
“A police officer?” Riley echoed incredulously.
“Huh-uh,” Ellen said with an agreeing nod.
“As a police officer, you’re going to have to arrest criminals…” Riley was only able to get out.
“That is one of the major requirements of being a police officer,” Ellen interrupted.
“Criminals who will claim to be innocent,” Riley continued after the brief interruption. “And although I’ve only known you for less than two hours, Ellen, I can tell that you’re too trusting—you’ll give anyone… including vampires the benefit of the doubt.”
“When I give people, vampires, witches and wizards the benefit of the doubt, it’s because I don’t have sufficient evidence to prove otherwise,” Ellen quickly defended. “When I get proof positive that someone is hurting or killing people, then I’ll do what I can to stop it.”
“Even if that means killing someone or some…” Riley challenged as Winona was returning.
“I have killed someone,” Ellen quickly interrupted as tears formed in her eyes. “Or at least I helped to kill him.”
“I’m interjecting here,” Harris uttered while moving forward to get between the two. “Things are becoming too emotional.”
As Ellen wiped the tears from her eyes, Riley asked Harris, “Is she serious? About helping to kill someone?”
“Ellen, her friend Jessica and I had killed Leon Stone—Jessica’s grandfather,” Harris explained. “Leon was a powerful wizard, and he was hurting and killing people to obtain riches, power and health. He would’ve kept hurting and killing people if we didn’t stop him. So you’re right about Ellen wanting to give people the benefit of the doubt, but you are wrong if you think that she’s blind to the bad.”
“I think I missed an interesting conversation,” Winona assumed.
“Not really,” Ellen said barely above a whisper.
Winona gave Ellen a curious look as Brad informed, “Ellen has plans to be a police officer, and Riley thinks that Ellen will be too gullible to make an arrest.”
“I’m not gullible,” Ellen defended. “And since it’s the court’s job to determine guilt or innocent of a person—not the police officers’—I wouldn’t have a problem with arresting anyone; not even a person who I believe is innocent.”
Brad put up his hands in a surrendering manner while saying, “Okay-okay. Don’t get defensive. I was just filling Winnie in on the current topic.”
As Ellen stared apathetically at Brad, Devon said, “We need to shift the topic back to Wesley and his friend. I’m ready to pull out the stake if you’re ready, Winnie.”
“I’m ready,” Winona assured Devon.
Devon nodded before stepping up to Wesley, taking hold of the wooden stake protruding from his chest and yanking hard.
The wooden stake came out with little difficulty, and once it was removed, Wesley tightly closed his eyes and let out a groan as if he was trying to overcome his pain.
After seconds of groaning, he opened his eyes and looked up at Ellen. “Thank you, Ellen.”
Ellen shot him a confused look while asking, “Why are you thanking me? I didn’t pull the stake out.”
“If it wasn’t for you, that stake would’ve never been removed,” Wesley said. “Your kindness and your confidence in me remind me of my sister.”
Ellen nodded before asking, “So, how long have you been a vampire?”
“For twenty-two years,” Wesley replied. “In the vampire world, I’m still a child.”
“And your friend?” Devon asked. “How long has she been a vampire?”
“Nine months?” Wesley said while glancing at her.
“Did you turn her?” Brad quickly asked.
“No,” Wesley said quickly. “The taste of human blood is better than animal blood, and I don’t trust myself that I could resist draining a human if I ever get the taste of human blood in my mouth again. So turning a human will be impossible for me.”
“Who turned her if not you?” Winona questioned.
“Corrine did. She felt sorry for her,” Wesley replied.
“Who’s Corrine, and why did she feel sorry for her?” Riley asked.
“Corrine operates a Red Cross center in Seattle, and that center is where Corrine gets her blood,” Wesley began. “When Corrine and I met five years ago, she had offered to set me up with human blood through her center as well. I declined her offer. She thought that I was weird to be drinking the blood of animals, but she accepted it.” Wesley glanced at his companion before continuing. “Anyway, Melanie entered the center to donate blood—for the first time. At the time, Melanie was a freshman athlete—a track and field sprinter—for the local college with an undiagnosed defective heart.
“Vampires can hear things like defective hearts and Corrine had heard Melanie’s as soon as Melanie had stepped into the center, and Corrine knew right away that it was only a matter of time before Melanie had a heart attack on the field. So Corrine staged an opportunity to get Melanie alone, and once they were alone, Corrine turned her. I went to visit Corrine once Corrine had set the transition in motion, and once I read Corrine’s mind on what she had done, I insisted that Melanie would hunt deer and wild dogs. We’ve been inseparable since.”
“Has she ever fed on humans?” Riley asked.
Wesley slightly hesitated before saying, “No.”
“Why the hesitation, Wes?” Brad quickly asked.
“It’s harder for Melanie for some reason to resist feeding on humans, but she hasn’t slipped,” Wesley confessed. “She finds a local AA meeting and she attends one when her urge to feed gets to a certain point. When Melanie speaks, people think that she’s talking about booze, but in fact, she’s talking about the craving for human blood.”
“Okay, here’s how this is going to work,” Winona began. “I am now your twos parole officer. Since it seems to be working, Melanie is to keep going to her AA meetings; you two will now keep me updated on your living arrangements… along with informing me immediately before visiting or moving to another city, and you two can expect unannounced visits from me…”
“Or by someone from the Tri-Star Confederation,” Devon added.
“Or by someone from his group,” Winona said with a nod. “Now I can’t speak for the Tri-Star Confederation, but if I learn of you or of Melanie feeding on human blood—even from a blood bag—I will kill the guilty party… if not both of you.”
“Those terms are acceptable to Melanie and me,” Wesley said.
Okay,” Winona and Devon said.
Devon stepped up to Melanie, took hold of the wooden stake protruding from her chest and yanked hard.
Like with the stake that was once protruding from Wesley’s chest, the stake protruding from Melanie’s chest came out with little difficulty.
Once the stake was removed, Devon immediately took a step back.
Melanie had closed her eyes and doubled over to where her face was barely above her knees. She groaned for a short time, and without sitting upright or opening her eyes, she said, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Devon said.
“Mel and I can help,” Wesley said. “We’re faster than the wizard from New Orleans.”
“This isn’t your fight,” Ellen said quickly.
Melanie sat upright as Wesley said, “True, but the way I see it, we owe you this. And if he’s as powerful as Devon believes that he could be, then you’ll need all the help that you can get.”
“Alright,” Ellen said. “I don’t know when we’ll confront him though. I don’t even know how to even activate my remote viewing ability to lure the wizard in.”
“Imagine the details of Johnny Depp’s face,” Wesley instructed.
Ellen imagined Johnny Depp’s face, and then, while slightly turning red, gasped.
“Oh God! I should’ve named someone else,” Wesley uttered in a regrettable tone. “I could’ve gone my entire life without seeing that.”
“What happen?” Riley asked.
“I think I actually saw him; saw… saw what he’s actually doing right now,” Ellen said.
“And you saw something that actually made you blush?” Harris questioned in amazement.
Ellen shot him a smirk before saying, “He’s in the middle of having sex.”
“Catching someone in a blushing situation is one of the downsides at having the psychic ability of remote viewing,” Galvin said.
“So I found out,” Ellen agreed before turning towards Wesley. “How did you know that would work?”
“On Halloween night, I saw how you did it with that wizard,” Wesley explained. “You tried to remember the details of his face.”
“You did the same thing with Sadie that night, Ellen,” Harris said while giving Sadie a quick glance. “You tried to remember her face.”
“Great,” Ellen uttered in an unenthusiastic tone. “I hope I don’t see my mom’s bones when I try to remember her face.”
“Once you’ve mastered your ability, you’ll be able to control when you’ll have a vision; however, what you see once you have a vision is another matter,” Galvin said.
“Mmm,” Ellen said with a polite grin.
“Okay, unless someone has something to say, ask or add, we’re through here,” Harris said.
“I have a question for Wesley,” Ellen quickly said before facing him. “Is Wanda one of Merlin’s descendants?”
“I don’t know, Ellen,” Wesley replied. “If it helps, her last name is Greenfield.”
“Elsabeth married Isaac Greenfield in 1686,” Ellen informed while looking towards Harris.
“Who are Isaac and Elsabeth Greenfield?” Devon asked.
“They’re my ancestors who had lived from the second half of the 1600s to the first half of the 1700s,” Ellen began. “Isaac was a cabinet maker in Boston. Elsabeth was the sorceress, and she moved to Boston from London in 1684. Anyway, Wanda could be a distant… distant cousin to me.”
“Where’s Wanda now?” Allyson asked Wesley.
“She had moved to Canada after Mandy had turned seventeen,” Wesley said. “Mandy still keeps in touch with her though, so if you’d like, Ellen, I can get Wanda’s contact information.”
“I would like,” Ellen quickly said. “How old is she? Wanda I mean?”
“She’s fifty-five,” Wesley said.
Ellen nodded before looking at Winona and saying, “Oh, and we all should exchange contact information.”
“I have nothing against that,” Winona assured Ellen.
“I don’t have my cell phone with me though, to store any numbers,” Ellen said.
“You can still tell me your number,” Riley said while pulling out his phone. “I’ll call your number.”
“Okay,” Ellen said before giving Riley her number. Cory and Wesley took out their cell phones and stored Ellen’s number as well.
“Okay, now I’ll call your phone,” Riley said while proceeding to do so.
“I’ll do the same, so you’ll have my number as well,” Wesley said before Ellen had a chance to respond.
“Dido,” Cory added. “So my number will be the third unknown.”
Ellen gave an acknowledging nod with a grin.
Harris waited for the three to get done before proceeding to give them his house number.
Once all the numbers were exchanged, Ellen turned towards Devon and—in an uncertain tone—pitched, “The Tri-Star Confederation should allow the fourth wizard line to join the coven’s alliance, and add a fourth star to the confederation as well.”
Devon glanced towards Winona before saying, “There are too many inconsistencies among the fourth wizard line, Ellen, to maintain an alliance with them.”
“What do you mean by inconsistencies?” Ellen quickly asked before Winona could.
“Winona is a prime example,” Devon began while gesturing towards her. “Magic may course through her family’s veins from way back when, but she had also indicated that the magic within her family sporadically shows itself. And that’s the case with most everyone from the fourth wizard line. Magic may course through their veins, but for many generations, the magic lays dormant until something activates it—in Winona’s case it was a near death experience after being struck by lightning.” As an afterthought, Devon gestured towards Cory. “And it was a near death experience with him that activated his ability as well.”
“Okay, well, why can’t the Tri-Star Confederation admit them into the coven on individual basis after each shaman is discovered?” Ellen questioned. “You don’t even have to change the name of the coven because the Native American shamans are Dark Stars—the stars that don’t show themselves… or at least they don’t show themselves often.”
Devon sighed before gesturing to the appropriate person and saying, “Admitting Winona and Cory into the Tri-Star Confederation would have to be voted on by all the Tri-Star members.”
“Winona and Cory may not even want to join,” Harris pointed out.
When Ellen faced Winona, Winona shrugged before saying, “I’m not against joining, but it wouldn’t be a big deal if I can’t.”
“Dido,” Cory said.
Ellen just made an acknowledging expression.
“Anyway, before we go our respective ways, I do have a question for Wesley and Melanie,” Winona continued while turning towards them. “Riley, Brad and I had tracked you two to Denise Stanley’s house—we were shooed away by a cop. Why were you two there?”
Ellen gave Winona a curious look as Melanie replied, “Denise Stanley is my mom. She doesn’t know about me being a vampire, and I hope to keep it that way.”
Winona just nodded in agreement.
“Wasn’t it your mom who was hosting the Halloween party?” Ellen asked Melanie.
“She was,” Melanie said with a nod.
“Okay, well, we should go,” Harris urged.
Wesley and Melanie stood up at a human pace. Once everything was gathered, they left the house. Harris carried the crystal ball and the book on incantations.