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Dark Realm 10

The women remained silent.

“I will share a warning with the two of you.” William stood next to them. “You can’t make a deal with the devil. The rules are different when playing games with supernatural beings. You two should leave now. I am surprised Maggie has not interfered with our meeting.” William turned his back to the women.

“We should get out of here before anything bad happens,” Joy asked Brinley.

Brinley dropped her head. “Yeah, you’re probably right.” She blinked.

“What’s wrong with you?” Joy held Brinley’s shoulders.

Tension settled on Brinley’s shoulders.

William turned around. “Oh no, Maggie knows you’re here. Please leave now.”

Joy nodded. “I can finally agree with William we need to get you out of here.” She turned to help Brinley start for the gate, but seconds later, William yelled after them. Slowly, the women turned around.

“Run,” William yelled as a whirlwind formed between William Joy and Brinley. “It’s Maggie,” William’s warning faded in the roar of the winds.

“What are we going to do?” Joy held onto Brinley.

“I…I don’t know.” Brinley's teeth chattered.

“Ah,” Maggie stepped free from the cyclone. “You brought me gifts.” Maggie walked past William toward the two friends.

“We’re not your snack pack.” Joy hissed.

“Ha,” Maggie roared. “Spice, I like it.” Maggie advanced, but Brinley’s gaze stopped her short. “Oh, it’s you.” Maggie lifted her chin to inhale the air. “I was hoping you would return. Your last visit was too short.”

“Back off,” Brinley groaned, still leaning on Joy.

“Leave them be, Maggie.” William placed his wavering form between Maggie and her prey. A thunderclap echoed in the inky dark, causing the earth to rattle. Building energy surged in the night air. “I am not yet strong enough to protect you. Please leave this place.”

“Can you run?” Joy whispered.

Brinley shrugged. “It’s worth a shot.”

William stared at Brinley, and Joy then mouthed the words. “Go now,”

“I’ll come back. I swear.” Brinley whispered. Tree roots sprung from the ground tripping Joy and Brinley.

“Shit,” Joy kicked the tangled roots from her ankles.

Brinley crawled across the earth to free Joy’s ankles. “Get up,” Brinley screamed. Once free, they sprinted toward the gate. They did not stop running until they reached Joy’s car. Winded, Joy jammed the key in the ignition, slammed her foot on the gas, and sped down the hill. “Oh shit,” Joy chanted. “Did that just happen?”

Brinley held her chest. “Hell, yes, it did. Now, do you believe me?”

“Fuck yeah, I do.” Joy squeezed the wheel as she raced through a red light.

“Slow down. Are you trying to kill us?” Brinley held the handle on the passenger door.

Joy slowed down. “I’m sorry. That’s the craziest shit I’ve ever seen.”

“Me too. Why did you act like that?”

Joy sighed. “We had to know the truth.”

Brinley clicked her tongue. “What did we find out?”

Joy gave Brinley the side-eye. “We know more now than we did when this whole thing began.” Joy pulled into the parking lot. “We have William and Maggie’s story. We know the reason he’s trapped, and we know Maggie is transfixed on you.”

Brinley sighed. “Jesus, Joy. What is happening? We could’ve died.”

“But we didn’t, and next time we’ll be ready.”

Brinley stared at Joy. In the last few days, something about her friend changed.

“Why are you staring at me?” Joy asked, shutting off the car.

Brinley shrugged. “I’m glad we’re safe,” Brinley lied.

“Like I said, next time, we’ll be ready for that bitch. Come on, let’s go inside. It’s been a long night.” Joy nodded, heading into the building.

Unable to sleep, Brinley resumed her research but this time, not about Maggie and William but about her roommate. Brinley could not shake the thought Joy was up to something. It was well after dawn when Brinley heard Joy moving about. She closed her laptop. She closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep when Joy opened her door and looked inside. “You going to class today, sleepyhead?”

“No,” Brinley grumbled.

“Suit yourself. I’ll be back later.”

Brinley waved Joy away. Once Brinley was certain Joy left, she threw back the blankets to watch Joy blend into the morning traffic. Brinley jumped back on the bed, then flipped open her laptop. She sat cross-legged on her bed, then rubbed her weary eyes. “What am I looking for?” Brinley mumbled. After a few minutes, she went to an ancestry site and started typing in names. Frustrated, Brinley pushed the laptop across the bed. Exhausted, she fell back on the bed. She rolled on her side, staring at the light screen. “One more try,” she groaned, typing a name into the search bar. Joy Jaager. Brinley gasped at the information on the screen.

Brinley sat up as she read the page. “I didn’t know Joy was Dutch.” She scrolled down, pulling her laptop in her lap. Brinley clicked on the highlighted link. She gasped at the meaning of Joy’s unique last name. “The hunter?” Engrossed in her research, Brinley didn’t hear Joy open the door.

“Hey, you want to…” Joy walked into Brinley’s room.

Brinley slammed her laptop shut, then turned around. “What?”

Joy furrowed her brow. “What are you doing?”

Brinley exhaled. “Who are you, Joy?”

“Come on, we’ve been friends for years. You know who I am.” Joy sat on the edge of the bed.

Brinley turned her laptop around so Joy could see the screen. “If you are my friend, then tell me the truth.”

Joy cleared her throat. “Brinley,”

“Please.” Brinley pleaded.

Joy exhaled. “Okay.” Joy scooted closer. “You want the truth, well here it is. I thought your thrill for the paranormal was to get a quick A in class, but when you came back from the manor, I knew you were different. Spirits are around us all the time. Most people have no idea about the things that live in the dark. A few people are confused when they hear the mumblings of the dead. People want to put a name to the experience. Some think they hear the voice of God, while others hear the voices of the damned. The voices can drive people insane.” Joy shook her head. “I never meant to lie or keep the truth from you. It’s a lot to take in, but once I saw William, I knew even before he said it, I knew you were special. Do you want to know the truth? My actual name is Joy Jaager. I am a descendant of Abraham Van Helsing.”

Brinley rolled her eyes. “Come on. I call bullshit.”

“You want the truth, right? I’m giving it to you.”

Brinley sighed. “Okay, continue.”

“I’m the same girl you’ve always known. I just have a famous family tree. I have never told anyone about this…like never.”

“Really?” Brinley dropped her guard.

“Yeah, like never. When you took me to meet William was the first, I had never seen a ghost. Most Van Helsings live a normal life, and until I met you, I figured I would be the normal one. But I’m not.”

“I’m sorry,” Brinley rubbed her palms on the blanket.

“What are you kidding me? I’m so happy.”

“So, your family hunts vampires.”

“It started with vampires, and now…” Joy shrugged. “It’s an open market.”

Brinley rubbed her chin. “So, what’s our next move?”

“Are we good?” Joy batted her eyelashes.

Brinley smiled. “Yeah, we are. No more lies, though.”

Joy held up her hands. “No more lies.” Joy wrapped her arms around Brinley. “Okay,” Joy released Brinley. “Get dressed; we’re going on a field trip.”

“A field trip?”

“Yup. Hurry. I’ll be waiting in the car.” Joy walked out of Brinley’s room.

After several minutes, Brinley slipped into Joy’s car. “So, where are we going?”

Joy flashed a smile as she pulled out into the street. “Now you know the truth. I’m taking you to the best library in the world.”

“Our local library is dinky.” Brinley stared out the window.

“Get ready to be surprised, girlfriend.” Joy winked.

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