The Dark Witch: The Nox Haven Series

Chapter 25: Girls Chat

CADDIE's POV:

Avoiding Alix was impossible. I couldn't avoid the person that I lived with no matter how badly I wanted to.

After the ball I quickly undressed and jumped onto my bed; pretending to be asleep. The next day I woke up early so I wouldn't have to face her. The second I came back into the room after a long day filled with stressful classes and even more stressful classmates, I found Alix was sitting patiently on her bed. Her red hair was pulled back in a loose bun and her green eyes were concentrated on the wooden floor.

"So, are you going to talk to me, or are you going to avoid me for the rest of the year?"

If I was going to be honest with her, I would have said yes because if I had it my way, she wouldn't even know about it. I wanted Alix to be safe, but I was beginning to realize that 'safe' doesn't exist when you're a witch. I knew how dangerous it would be, but it was also the right thing to do.

"I'm not avoiding you," I lied and walked over to my bed.

The corners of her mouth lifted as I sat across from her.

"Okay, so you're going to explain why you plan on risking your life?" She prompted.

I ignored the strong urge to roll my eyes and told her: "I'm not risking my life. I'm saving someone."

"Do you know how dangerous that will be?" She asked incredulously.

"You know every time someone tells me something is dangerous I never get hurt. Instead I get attacked when I'm shopping or using the bathroom," I could feel my energy shift as I thought of Dmitri and Cam.

"I knew the second I came to this school that my life was going to be different. Once I knew who I really was, I understood that my limits didn't end when something seemed dangerous. Hell, my whole existence is dangerous. All that matters now is doing the right thing."

She listened and watched me intently with a worried look on her face. "You shouldn't feel like you owe the world something because of your powers. You're a good person, and you shouldn't have to prove that."

I wasn't trying to prove anything. The thought hadn't even crossed my mind.

I had made a subconscious decision to save Aleksander months ago—not that I understood why. I knew that it was the right thing to do, but I've never been a heroic person.

In middle school I was the victim of many cruel jokes, but I never felt the need to stick up for other kids that were getting picked on. Saving a life is a little different from pre-teen bullying, but the point was that I never had felt courageous until I heard about Aleksander. Dmitri had mentioned the legend about the Heart Curator and the Dark witch, during his confession. But I never really paid attention to that myth, as there was no way that it could be true.

"It's the right thing to do," I said sternly. My tone left no room left for a debate.

She shook her head and stood up. Taking a deep breath, she said, "This isn't going to be easy, Caddie. To save a life you'll have to give one in return."

I narrowed my blue eyes and asked her slowly, "What do you mean?"

She played nervously with her fingers and looked out our window mysteriously. Alix had told me before that the future was always changing. She couldn't see the full picture until everything was in place, but death was one of those unavoidable things.

"Before I had came to Nox Haven, I had a reoccurring vision," she explained, her eyes were crinkled in the corners with sorrow and pain, "I could never remember the details when I woke up, but I did know that it started with blonde hair and ended in blood."

I let the words sink in and tried not to react. Alix looked over at me, hoping to see a flicker of fear or something that she could use again me, but my face was emotionless. Nothing could deter me from this choice, but if I was going to be honest with myself, it did scare me that either Dmitri or I may not survive.

"You really don't care?" She asked, holding onto her last thread of hope.

I shook my head, not trusting my voice. I did care. My life meant a lot to me and I didn't want to see it end when it had only begun—but she didn't need to know that.

"Fine. What if I go with you?"

I knew that was coming and yet I couldn't stop myself from gawking at the idea. I would not let Alix get hurt. She saw my weak spot and decided to dig deeper.

"Yeah, you're not going to let that happen, right? It scares you because you don't want me to get hurt. Well, I feel the same way. I don't want you to be the blood at the end of the vision."

I couldn't believe the words that came out of my mouth after she was done speaking. Especially since every part of me was screaming at the possibility.

"Then come with me and you'll see that I won't die."

Her eyes widened and she stumbled over her words. Neither of us could believe that I was being so careless.

"Okay," she said, straightening, "I will."

Alix:

Later that night when Caddie was asleep I quickly got dressed and crept out of our room. The old wooden floor creaked as I tiptoed to the stairs. Sprinting down the stairs, I glanced over my shoulder and hoped that no one heard me.

The ethereal moonlight streamed through the tall windows. My steps echoed through the empty castle halls.

A sly smile formed on my face. Caddie was so naive it was sweet. I knew I was going to miss her innocence as it slowly disappeared.

She was like a wounded baby bird when I first met her. Her dad had neglected her and her classmates had abused her. It still warmed my heart knowing that I was her first friend. But my sweet angel wasn't going to stay angelic forever. She was still frightened and overwhelmed at times, but I could see a new sense of courage and strength within her.

I knew that my baby bird would turn into a vulture. I couldn't fight against her future, but I could try to help her hold onto that innocence for as long as possible. She had been the cause of the blood in the vision, and it would only be the first of many that she would kill.

I walked into Lady Bose's office. She was standing with her back to me. Her hands were clenched together, and I could see that something was troubling her. I didn't dare ask.

"Did you convince her?" She asked in a raspy, strained voice.

"Yes," I said, remembering how easy it was to trick Caddie into telling me to come with her.

I was her protector and best friend, I wasn't going to let her do something stupid alone. If she wants to save some silly guy, that's fine, but I'm going with her.

"You must promise to never let her out of your sight," she seethed and continued to face the other direction, "And, Alix, you have to protect her. No matter the consequence."

I visibly gulped and quickly agreed. The sooner I left Lady Bose's presence the better I felt. Protecting Caddie wasn't going to be an easy job, but I never considered that it would be a fatal.

Would I risk my life to save hers?

**Hey guys sorry that this is so short and unedited, I'm exhausted with school and everything. In fact I will only be updating on Fridays from now on. I'm so sorry but I hope you guys like the rest of the book. Please vote and comment, love you all bye :)**