The fog began to contort and contract. It swirled and curlicued, then melded into one colossal blob. Skinny appendages sprouted from the center, snaking through the shadows. Serpentine structures whirled around Brianna's waist and circled her neck, threatening to choke her. All of a sudden, they retreated, rejoining the mass. The mist bent and curved into the shape of a thin woman, a white haze of Licinia's form, and then she materialized.
"How nice of all of you to show up." Licinia spoke in a throaty voice as she slithered toward Brianna. "It's going to be quite a party."
Brianna could not run. She could not fight. Her legs were locked. Her arms felt like blocks of stone. All of her fingers stiffened. Every part of her was frozen.
What happened to Jared and Charlotte? Brianna could not turn her neck. Charlotte was not in her field of vision. From the corner of her peripheral view, Brianna could see part of Adam's arm, elbow bent, unmoving. Adam is frozen, too.
Step by step, the wampire drew closer. And there was nothing Brianna could do. She had no method of defense. She could not flee. Trapped in the open air, she was a captive inside her own body.
Licinia's nose grazed Brianna's ear. "Boom!" she shouted. Brianna's heart jumped inside her hardened skin. At that instant, she lost her vision. She had the sensation of motion, wind, and kinetic energy, but being blind made it difficult to know what had happened. Licinia laughed. "The sound effects weren't necessary, but definitely made it more fun!"
"Is that Adam Payne?" Valerie squealed. Brianna could hear the snapping of photos.
"Oh, please, Val," Licinia muttered.
Mandy's scream penetrated through the night. "What have you done to Bri? You leave her alone!"
Valerie giggled. Brianna heard footsteps nearby. "Hold on," Licinia said. "I want her to see this."
Brianna's vision returned. She was on the top of Rocky Ridge Mountain, her back facing the edge. Brianna, positioned a little behind her friends, had a clear view. On her right, Adam and Charlotte appeared to be posed mannequins. Toward the left, Renee and Maeve looked like crouching statues. In front of her, her twin writhed on the ground, arms and legs bound by thick white rope.
Valerie's green eyes blazed with malevolence as she hovered over Mandy. A wicked smile spread across from cheek to cheek as she ruthlessly kicked her victim in the gut. Mandy howled in pain.
Brianna's anger was so severe that she saw red. Her powers boiled in her veins with a ferocity she had never felt before. She summoned them to try to break the shell encasing her, but it was no use. Licinia's control was just too strong.
"Oh, what have we here?" Licinia mused, staring at the sky. "It's not nice to show up so late. Where are your manners?"
Oh, no. Jared. Just turn around. Don't come near here.
A blond vampire swooped overhead and then smashed into a sturdy tree trunk. Gavin's body was scraped and cut by branches as he dropped to the ground. Seconds later, Jared landed nose-first in the dirt.
"Oh, no. Did our superhero have a crash landing?" Licinia chuckled.
Jared rose from the ground and stormed toward Licinia, hands balled up in fists. Suddenly he started dancing. Licinia hummed a sinister melody as she manipulated her puppet.
Jared's face twisted into a menacing scowl. "Oh, poor baby. What's wrong? You don't like to shake it?" He glared at the wampire. "Oh, some people just have no sense of humor. Maybe you'll like it better just standing still, you old fuddy-duddy!" Laughter echoed through the trees as Jared became another of her dummies.
Gavin rushed forward impetuously, the last hope for their survival. Within moments, he was in the same predicament as the rest.
"Okay, now it's time for the real fun to begin," Licinia said. Brianna's heart hammered as the wampire straddled her twin sister.
"Get off me, you disgusting, evil witch!" Mandy screamed, her body twisting in all directions. Licinia brought her hands to her captive’s neck.
No, no, no! Kill me, not her! It's me you want! Brianna struggled fruitlessly to speak, to offer herself in her sister’s place.
Licinia's long fingers wrapped around Mandy's throat. As she squeezed, Licinia's eyes fixated on Brianna. Valerie smirked as the blood drained from Mandy's face. The evildoers basked in their triumphs.
At that moment, Brianna remembered the backup plan they'd discussed earlier. Instead of focusing her powers on breaking free of Licinia's spell, Brianna summoned every ounce of energy against her opponent, thinking of destruction and deep, excruciating pain. She thrust all her powers at the wampire.
They ricocheted backward. Licinia's strength surrounded her like a thick, impermeable psychic substance. Brianna imagined slamming a baseball bat against the barricade. Nothing. It was like trying to push through cast iron with a pen. Maybe she could scratch the outer layer, but never achieve any depth.
Her twin was writhing beneath her attacker, still alive. Brianna couldn't let her die. Power seethed through her veins as she pounded against Licinia's walls. It felt like striking a sledgehammer on a thick piece of hard plastic. She chipped at the surface.
All around her, Brianna could feel her allies' powers doing the same, crashing relentlessly against the wampire’s blockade. As she smashed the sledgehammer into the wall, she could feel her nemesis weakening. Her bulwark shook with each hit. After another mighty blow, Licinia's wall separated.
Somehow Brianna knew what to do. She imagined a long, sharp boning knife and stabbed it over and over through the narrow crevice.
"Ow!" Licinia released her grip from Mandy's neck. She clutched her side and examined it as if she expected to see an injury. "Ooohhh!" she hollered, still gripping the invisible wound.
"Ouch!" Valerie shrieked. Brianna watched in shock as Logan appeared as if from nowhere and smacked a metal pole against the backs of Valerie's knees. Valerie fell to the ground, moaning in pain.
As Licinia spun around, Logan swung the steel pole from a dislodged sign at her face. Metal hit bone, causing a cracking sound that resonated through the murky night. Licinia dropped to the earth, momentarily halted. He bludgeoned the wampire repeatedly.
Brianna could move again. The unexpected attack seemed to have broken Licinia's focus and hold over her opponents. Brianna directed all of her supernatural strength, her anger, and her rage toward Licinia. She could actually see the energy shoot through the air, a yellow beam of sparkling light. Her power cleaved a path through Licinia’s wall, leaving a gaping hole in the wampire's defenses.
"Everyone, concentrate! Together now!" Adam commanded.
Brianna's gaze focused on Licinia, who was now rising from the ground. The wampire ripped the pole from Logan's grasp. Growling, she raised a hand toward Logan before she faltered. She folded over, clutching her head in pain. Her skinny legs trembled as she struggled to maintain her balance.
The full force of group’s united power encompassed the wampire. An immense, golden ball of heated energy burned her skin. Smoke streamed into the black sky. Brianna envisioned all of the energy surrounding Licinia transforming into a thousand flaming blades. Glowing knives pierced every part of her without mercy.
Licinia wailed in agony. No longer able to maintain her footing, she collapsed in the wet dirt. She clawed at the earth, her tortured cries reverberating through the darkness. Teeth clenched and face scrunched, she slowly lifted her head. Her blonde hair was coated with dirt, face streaked with mud, ash, and rain. Sinister black eyes bored into Brianna's. "This…is…not…over," Licinia choked out between gasps of anguish. In an instant, she disappeared in a cloud of dust.
Licinia was gone. They had won—for now, at least. Brianna raced to where her twin lay and knelt beside her. Logan was already there. He leaned down and kissed Mandy's cheeks, forehead, chin, and lips. She kissed him back.
"Mandy! You're alive! You're okay!" Tears of joy poured down Brianna's cheeks.
"Yes," Mandy said. "Thanks to this hero." She stared into Logan's shining amber eyes.
"Am I dreaming?" Logan asked. "Have I been playing too many video games?"
"I know this is a lot for you to take in. Your bravery was truly amazing," Renee said. "Thank you so much. You saved all of our lives. We all owe you."
"No big deal," Logan said. "You guys saved mine, too. I think we're even."
"You are an incredible human. Is there anything I can offer you? Money? Power? Immortality?" Adam asked.
"Nah, I think I'm okay for now. I would like tickets to your next concert, though."
Everyone burst out laughing. "Done," Adam said.
"She's breathing," Maeve said. Everyone turned in the direction of her voice. Maeve was bent over Valerie's limp body.
"What happened?" Brianna asked, thinking back. Logan had struck Valerie in the knees, and she had crumpled to the ground. It didn't make sense that she should be unconscious.
"She was using magic against us during the final battle. She exhausted herself," Maeve answered as she placed her forefinger on Valerie's throat. "I can feel a pulse. She will be fine."
"We need to do an evulsion," Renee said. "It's dangerous for Valerie to have that kind of power. Mandy, the power is yours. It should be returned to you."
"I don't want any power," Mandy said.
"You need it. Licinia will seek vengeance. I don't want you to be vulnerable like that again," Brianna said.
Her sister shook her head. "I don't want it. I'm done with all of that."
"Mandy, I know how you feel." Brianna's expression was earnest. "But it's different now. You will have less power you had before. I still have the rest. You can use your powers only when it's necessary."
Mandy hesitated. "Are you sure I will be able to shut it off?"
"Yes. I promise."
"Powers can be invaluable in dangerous situations." Renee spoke in her soft, melodic tone. "Other than that, you will never have to use them."
Mandy nodded. "Okay, I'll do it then. What do we have to do?"
"First we need a lock of hair." Maeve ripped a chunk out of Valerie's scalp. "A drop of blood." Maeve retrieved a small wood-handled switchblade from her jean's pocket. She flicked it open and sliced Valerie's palm.
"Black candles?" Brianna asked.
Renee reached into her large tan backpack. "I brought some. After I found out Valerie had stolen power, I figured that was the source of the problem. I came prepared to perform an evulsion." She arranged the black candles in a circle on the wet ground.
"What about something she loves?" Brianna asked.
"That's easy," Maeve said. "We all have it. Supernatural power."
When Brianna tilted her chin upward, she noticed that the rain had stopped falling. An almost full moon surrounded by stars shone in the midnight sky. "The moon isn't entirely full,” Brianna said.
"A waxing gibbous," Renee replied. "Close enough. With all of our energy and concentration, we can still make it happen."
Everyone sat in a circle around Mandy. "What's going on?" Logan asked. "What am I supposed to do?"
"There is great power in your feelings for Mandy. Imagine wrapping them around her. Blanket her with them. It should help keep her safe and comfortable during the transfer of power," Renee said.
Logan nodded. "I can do that." As Mandy tried to sit up, she winced in pain and released a low moan.
"Just lie down," Renee said. "It's okay." Mandy nodded and lowered herself back to the earth.
After Mandy repeated the incantation, her face began to glow with a soft, golden light. The light spread from her face, through her core, and into her extremities. Her expression was peaceful and serene as her entire body illuminated. A few minutes later, the light faded.
"Are you okay, Mandy?" Brianna asked.
"I'm great! The energy felt so soothing." She sprang up to a seated position. "Ouch! Oh, I forgot my injuries."
"Let's get her out of the rain and to the hospital," Renee said. "She took quite a beating."