Ten

I stared at the space Popkins had just disappeared from. I dug my fingernails into my palms to stop my hands from shaking. Mel was silently crying, a look of complete devastation on her usually cool face. Jamie was searching the walls for a spell, his wand out at the ready.

"What do we do? How do we get him back?"

My voice trembled, raw with emotion. The thought of never seeing Popkins again was unbearable. But the thought of what the authorities were going to do to him was worse. Mel didn't move an inch, she closed her eyes as if to shut it all out.

"There's nothing we can do. He's gone. And now we have to get out of here. I'm looking for the spell to take us down to the bottom of the tower. Can you remember it?"

Jamie sounded so calm and easy. It was as if nothing had happened.

"There has to be something we can do. We can't just let him 'be gone' and forget about him. He's our friend, Jamie. We have to find him. We have to help him. There is no other choice."

He scowled before finding the spell he needed. He grabbed Mels arm and pulled her to the centre of the room before doing the same to me. He muttered the spell that took us down to the bottom of the tower, before turning to me, furious.

"Don't you think I've had enough of helping? It's over, Cassie. There is nothing we can do."

I linked Mels arm, guiding her gently forward as we delicately walked along. She was still too distraught to speak.

"How can you say that? Popkins has given us a home here. He has bought us more time to live and now...well now he has given himself up, for us. There is something we can do. I know there is."

"Then you go and find him. I'm going back to the Sapphire Gen. I want to go home. I'm done. I'm going back to Popkins cottage tonight, but first thing in the morning, I'm out of here. He sacrificed himself for our freedom. We need to use it."

He started jogging, eager to get away from us, from me. Eventually, he disappeared out of view. I didn't know what was going on with Jamie right now, but my main priority was finding Popkins.

"It's going to be OK Mel. We will find him."

She nodded slightly, but her tears kept falling.

"It was all an act. I... I never...never really hated him or-or thought he w-was awful."

"I know sweetie. I know." I rubbed her arm as we made our way along the pretty emerald roads. Everywhere seemed somehow duller, less, now Popkins was gone. "He felt the same about you. I'm sure he did."

She nodded and wiped her nose with her sleeve. We no longer had our graduation caps on but we had worn green for the party. Mel was in a green jumper and black shorts. She made something so simple look trendy and fashionable. I just went with my usual combo of jeans and a light green t-shirt. Jamie had looked divine in a dark green button up shirt, the top few buttons undone. The green on the shirt had made his golden brown eyes smoulder. But he would barely look at me at the moment, so it didn't matter anyway. I had to try and persuade him to help. I knew deep down that he was as sad as we were about Popkins.

"Cassie, they would have taken him back to Pearl Eds. I don't think they will kill him yet, he has at least a few years of torture ahead of him for his so called crimes. That's where you need to go. I know you can save him." She sniffed, sadly. Her voice was much stronger now she had stopped crying. "There is a prison called The Coal Jailhouse. It's right around the other side of the school and you know how huge that is. It probably means days of traveling. But he deserves someone to go and help him. And Jamie has dropped out, I can't do it. You seem to be fine without your stone right now so..."

She trailed off and looked into the distance. I stopped still, eyeing her with disbelief. I could see the cottage just down the road, no doubt Jamie would be there. Still moody, still distant.

"Wait, what? What do you mean you can't do it? Mel... it's... it's Popkins. We have to do it. All of us. We will try and convince Jamie, he will see sense. I'm sure of it."

She sighed and pulled her Ruby stone necklace from under her jumper, clutching it tightly.

"Cassie, sweet girl, my best friend..... I'm tired. I graduated just a month ago. Since then, I have travelled to three different generations when I belong to just one. I've found out that not only is my Father the frigging Mayor of the Rubies, he also wants to kill me. Or at least, he was going to kill me until Popkins saved us. I've been reunited with the brother I didn't know I had. Then just a day later, he was erased. And now.. well now I think I started to uh...well...you know ...have feelings for a nutty wizard who I will never see again. I'm a vampire. I'm not supposed to have feelings. I have to go back to The Rubies and live a normal life."

Her words hit me. She was absolutely right. Jamie was right. They needed a normal life. They had already lost so much. All because of me. I had to try and help Popkins, just like my friends had helped me. I didn't expect them to tag along anymore. I didn't want them to come, they needed to get back to what their lives were supposed to be.

"I'm so sorry. You're right. You've done enough for me. Will I ever see you again?"

She started to tear up once more. She grabbed me into a hug.

"Of course. When things settle down, we will find a way to see each other. I promise. I'm going to take the blood cart. I need it more than Jamie, he knows other ways to travel being a Sapphire. Tell him I'm sorry. The Coal Jailhouse. Find it. Find him."

She let go of me and sprinted for the blood cart which was parked outside Popkins cottage. She didn't look back. I wasn't going to cry. This was what was best for her. I watched as she got in the cart and drove off at high speed, disappearing from my view in just a second.

I walked into the cottage, finding Jamie at the sink in the kitchen doing dishes. When he heard me come in, he stopped what he was doing and faced me, that look of distance still etched on his face.

"Am I going crazy or did I just hear my cart start up and drive away?"

"Yes you did. It's Mel. She's gone."

He didn't look surprised. It even crossed my mind that the two of them had perhaps spoken about wanting to go home. They hadn't let me in on it.

"Well then it's lucky that Popkins gave me the spell to travel to different generations. Otherwise I would have been stuck here."

"It's definitely not the worst place to be stuck in." He folded his arms across his chest and leant back against the sideboard. Everything here was reminding me of Popkins. It would, being that it was his cottage, but it was a painful memory of what had happened earlier. "Where is the spell? I'm going to need it as well."

I started fiddling with my hair, something I always did when nervous. I was determined to meet his eyes, he was acting so cold towards me. Like he wanted to push me away. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction.

"We might as well just go back to The Sapphire Gen together. You don't know anything about the world yet so I'd better show you around and tell you where to get the stone. Only one of us needs to cast the spell so long as we are holding hands when it's chanted."

I felt like he was patronizing me and I really wasn't in the mood for it.

"I'm sure I am capable of finding my way around the world I belong to Jamie. Thanks for the vote of confidence and everything, but I still need the spell. I'm not going home just yet."

It may have been fleeting, but a definite look of panic crossed his face.

"Not going home just yet? What do you mean?"

"What do you think it means? I'm going to find Popkins. Once he's safe, I will make my way to the sapphire world."

He couldn't fail to hide the anger now. His jaw set in a hard line, his eyes narrowed.

"We've already spoken about this. He gave himself up for us Cassie. Besides, you don't know where they have taken him."

"I'm heading straight for The Coal Jailhouse behind Pearl Eds." I heard his slight intake of breath, his pupils widen. "If he's not there, I'll keep looking."

"You can't. He wants us to live. We owe him that. You can't go there."

I was over the anger and weird vibe between us. I wanted him to know that everything was OK. I forced a smile on my face and walked over to where he was. I gently uncrossed his arms and took his hands in mine, feeling that same giddy sensation I always felt when I touched him.

"I'm going to find him Jamie. And you are right about him wanting us to live. Mel has gone to The Rubies and you are going to The Sapphires. All I can do is thank you. From the bottom of my heart. The way you and Mel have been there for me is beyond anything I could ever have expected. You've done more than enough. You've been through years of torture. You were ghosted and nearly died because of me. You may never get to meet Maisie because of me. Everything seems to happen because of me. I'm setting you free."

For the first time in weeks, he squeezed my hands back and his eyes softened.

"I don't want you to set me free. I want you to come back to our world with me."

I raised an eyebrow and let go of his hands.

"Really? Because the last few weeks, you've barely wanted to know me. I'm not sure what's changed. I've tried to give you some space. But please don't suddenly pretend that you want me by your side because it's not true."

I couldn't look at him anymore. I knew finding Popkins should have been top of my list, but right now... I needed to sleep. Fatigue suddenly overwhelmed me. I would sleep tonight and set off in the morning. I walked away to the bedroom that I had shared with Mel the last few weeks leaving a silent Jamie in the kitchen.

I ripped off my t-shirt and jeans, dug out a little pair of shorts and a white strap top, then climbed into bed, feeling like I could sleep for a week.

Before I had the chance to fall asleep, Jamie walked into the room. He trudged over to the bed and to my surprise, got in, facing me. Our bodies touched as we eyed each other in the dim light of the bedroom lamp.

"How can you think I don't want you by my side?"

His voice was low and soft, nearly a whisper. Despite the fact we were in the middle of an argument, I put one of my legs over his. The denim on his jeans felt cold against my bare leg. I realised it was the first time since we had met that we were truly alone together. I found that I couldn't answer him. I couldn't say anything. I felt his hand on my arm, tracing patterns on my skin under the cover.

"I know I've been...distant since we have been here. I should have spoken about it before now. Cassie.... I lost everyone around me. I was one of the only survivors. Shit like that toughens you up. It can make you cold. I don't know how I'm supposed to let you in and get close to you knowing that you could drop dead at any minute without your Sapphire. Do you know what that would do to me? Losing you as well... I just.... I had to keep my distance so it doesn't hurt so much if you...."

He left the word unspoken, but I knew what he was trying to say.

"But I feel fine. Maybe I'm an exception to the rule Jamie. I'm not getting weak. I feel stronger than ever. Besides, that's a pretty lame excuse. You have to at least give yourself the chance of happiness, or else you will never know how it could have felt."

He leant forward and placed his lips on mine. It was a lingering kiss where time seemed to stand still. I couldn't help that every part of my body woke up when he kissed me, when he touched me...even when he was just near me. I sighed contentedly and put my arm around his waist, sneaking my hand underneath his shirt. His breath caught as I stroked his back.

"I spent a year in The Coal Jailhouse. They moved me there when they realised they couldn't break me in the sapphire world. It was the worst year of my life."

His voice rose in slight panic at the memory of it. I pulled him closer to me so there was literally no space between us.

"You don't have to talk about it. It's OK."

"I've tried to blank most of it out. It wasn't even my own pain that affected me the most, it was hearing other peoples screams and cries of terror all around me knowing that I couldn't do anything about it. I can't let you go there baby. I just can't."

My hand slid down to the waist band of his jeans. I ran my finger along the outline, making him shiver slightly.

"I have to."

His hand moved up to my neck, tracing lightly with his finger as he moved along.

"Come back to our generation with me. We could be so happy."

This time, when his lips found mine, it was urgent. I gasped as he climbed on top of me, cupping my face with both of his hands before kissing me hungrily again. His tongue roamed my mouth, making me lose my senses. I wanted to cut him off, to pull away from him and talk about it, but I was already lost as his hands moved over my body, his mouth sprinkling kisses down my neck, onto my collar bone and back up to my lips again, kissing me passionately.

I hadn't known how much I had wanted him, wanted this...until now. I hadn't let these thoughts enter my head while we were constantly surrounded by other people, but now, being in his arms, I knew there was nothing else I wanted.

I kissed him back, grazing his jawline with my teeth, making him moan. My fingers fumbled over his shirt buttons, eager to take it off him, eager to touch him and explore. I pulled the cover off of us, wanting to see him clearly. I gulped as I saw his torso covered in scars. The years of torture had left imprints on his mind and body.

He tried to take his shirt back that I still held in my hands. He was embarrassed, a look of shame on his face. I threw the shirt down and straddled him, looking into the now familiar eyes that turned my legs to jelly.

"You're perfect."

He looked so unsure and worried that I couldn't stand it. I kissed him gently on the lips and worked my way down his neck to his chest, tracing each angry scar with light kisses. He watched me as I kissed each one, still that same fear in his eyes, the fear of somehow not being good enough when in truth, it had to be the other way around.

After a while, he seemed to believe that I meant it. He expertly flipped me underneath him so he was once more on top of me, and started exploring my body with his mouth the way I had just searched his.

As the time ticked by, we became one. We were no longer Cassie and Jamie as two separate people, we were suddenly a whole. All of the upset, the fighting and the people we had lost seemed to be another version of our lives. A different version. This night was just a girl and a guy, enjoying each other, adoring each other...possibly even loving each other. Nothing else mattered.

Afterwards, as I lay in his arms, listening to his heart steadily beating, I thought it was impossible for anyone or anything to break me out of this high. Everything felt right. I had been lonely for eighteen years, all of us had. And yet, here I was, just a month later, connected to Jamie in a way that nobody else would ever understand but us. We didn't need to speak. We barely even moved. Just us, laying side by side, holding each other as we drifted off to sleep.

At some point in the night, Jamie had nudged me gently awake. I blinked a few times sleepily, taking in his handsome face.

"I shouldn't have woken you. But I had to tell you that I.... I've fallen in love with you Cassie."

His voice was sleepy and sexy. I couldn't really be sure that I had heard him right. I snuggled in to him, loving the feeling of his arms wrapping tightly around my body.

"If love is what I think it is, then it seems I've fallen for you too Jamie. I love you."

He smiled, rewarding me with a lazy kiss before gently nodding off. I slept soundly in his arms for the rest of the night.

As the sun rose over the cottage, I woke up. My body ached in a way I wasn't used to, but it was a good ache. I smiled as I remembered last night, the way we had found each other at last. I memorised the sleepy declarations of love we had made to each other, never wanting to forget a word.

I ran my hand through his dark hair and kissed him on the cheek, before getting out of bed as quietly as I could.

"Where are you going?" His voice low and tired, his eyes squinting in the light, trying to blink away the tiredness.

"Just going to make us some breakfast." He yawned and closed his eyes again. He looked so cute in the mornings. "It won't be ready yet. You go back to sleep. I'll bring it in soon."

He smiled, dreamily.

"You're amazing." He mumbled, before turning over and dozing off again.

I padded out of the room and made a quick breakfast of bacon and pancakes, using some spells to magic up food that Popkins had taught us. Then I found a piece of paper and a pen to write a letter.

'Jamie,

I have to find Popkins. I will never be able to live with myself if I leave him to rot after all he has done for me. For us.

I know that despite all of your talk about going back to the sapphire world, you will do the exact opposite and try to follow me to The Coal Jailhouse. Which is why I had to do the hypnotise spell on you so you go back home. You've been through enough.

I will never forget last night and if I make it through, I'll find the sapphire world and join you one day. But until then, I'm sorry.

I love you.

Cassie '

I folded the letter in half and set it on the breakfast tray. I placed it on the bedside table as quietly as I could, relived that Jamie didn't stir.

I took one last look at him before casting the hypnotise spell with a whispered chant and a flick of my wand. The spell was advanced, and would make the person who had been cursed do exactly as instructed until the person who cast the spell broke it by saying the spell backwards. I knew that this was what had to happen. And I knew that if I stopped to think about life without Jamie and going it alone, that my heart would break and I would be paralysed.

So without looking back, I left the cottage with Jamie blissfully unaware and sleeping. I had to find Wizard Popkins.