Keepers Of The Occult (NaNoWriMo 2024) Chapter 15: Chapter 13: Power Of Friendship

Read chapter 15 of Keepers Of The Occult (NaNoWriMo 2024) by Mercynarie on NovelPedia.

Hazel found herself at her doorstep before she knew it. Liam had to use his magic to teleport Chester’s body back to the headquarters along with Luca and Ava, leaving Hazel to find a way back on her own. Still, the walk back was nowhere as long as she wanted it to be. Her mind had barely even begun organising her feelings; it was still in too much of a daze. Metal jingled in her hands as she mechanically twisted her house keys in the door lock. She could feel everything: the cold wind on her skin, the harsh metal pressing back against her palm, the lonely twilight darkness surrounding her. It was… unpleasant. “Welcome back, Hazel— What’s wrong?” Hazel ran forward, throwing her body against her grandfather’s frail body. She sobbed uncontrollably into his chest for a good few seconds. “You… were right. I couldn’t… save them…” the girl wheezed between spasms. “I was so useless, pops…” She babbled incoherently. The shock was beginning to ebb, leaving grief and helplessness to take turns swallowing her words. If Grandfather was puzzled, he was keeping his confusion at bay. The man remained as still as a tree, waiting patiently for his granddaughter to finish spilling her emotions. “Is this… Was this how Mum and Dad felt?” Hazel wiped her tears pointlessly. “My friend, Chester… He was killed. But I knew. I was the only one who knew, and I tried to stop it! But… But what’s the point of knowing what’s going to happen when you don’t know what to do? I feel so… powerless.” Grandfather bowed his head knowingly and pulled a chair out for her. “Fate cannot be fought. The bill always comes due,” he said. “As clairvoyants, we only have the power to decide when to pay it. But sometimes, that isn’t enough. We are not in control of life’s grand flow, my dear. We can only see its currents.” “Is that it, then?” Hazel sobbed. “Is that all we can do? To be mere audiences to our own story? You’re right; our gift brings nothing but pain.” “ That’s— ” Grandfather hesitated for a brief moment before his face fell. “Yes. Yes, it is. Now do you see why I kept your memories locked away?” Hazel nodded. “I… I’m tired, Pops. I’m going to head to bed.” “Just a moment, Hazel.” The girl turned back. “You used the gun, didn’t you?” Hazel froze for a moment before reaching for her backpack. “You slipped it into my bag last time, didn’t you? You sly fox.” Hubert Chekov chuckled softly. “What? I thought you liked tricks.” “Thank you, pops.” Hazel threw her arms around her grandfather again. “It saved my life, although it wasn’t enough to save…” Her voice trailed away as tears welled up in her eyes again. Grandfather put his hand on her head affectionately, blinking a few times as a yellow glow flickered in his irises. “Everything will be just fine from now on, my dear girl. Everything will be just fine.” ~ ~ ~ The next Monday afternoon was a humid one; the kind of day where you can sweat a whole river but not feel even a bit of difference. In other words, a normal school day in summer. In fact, it couldn’t be more normal. There was the occasional thud of a badly aimed basketball smacking into the side of a school block, the shrill yelling of some middle-aged teacher for a James Collins to ‘Come here right now ’, and the laughter of students fleeing back into their classes. Nothing had changed. Nothing except for the two empty desks beside her. Hazel packed her things with all the enthusiasm of a prisoner of war digging her own grave. The bell had rung ten minutes ago, and the school was already deserted in five. It was the last day of school before summer break, after all. The girl picked up her returned assignment. There was a neatly marked ‘seventy-six out of one hundred’ score on the top right side. Her hand slipped as she put it in her bag, and another paper dropped to the table. Hazel picked it up, staring at the ‘eighty-one out of one hundred’ score for a moment. It seemed that her teacher had accidentally wedged Chester’s assignment between her papers. She s