Chapter 18 – Against All Odds

Anastasia's thoughts reeled as she attempted to grasp Jenny's remarks. Bring him back? Her heart beat faster than any rational thought. "What do you mean you can bring him back?" Her voice was a tight, hardly held whisper, each syllable loaded with desperation and distrust.

Jenny glanced around, the weight of their secret pressing in on them as she looked over her shoulder. "There's a way," Jenny whispered, her voice low, almost reverent, like she was spilling the details of some forbidden tale. "But we can't talk here. Not with everyone around. Come with me, and I'll explain."

Anastasia's mind raced, the want to follow nagging at her despite the turmoil of feeling building within her. "This is Matt," she told herself. Your brother, the one you fought with, the one you would do anything to see again.

She noticed Bastian watching her from the a little separated from the crowd, suspicion on his face. His arms were crossed, his stare intense, as if he knew she was going to do something dangerous.

"I need to go," she murmured, sending the thought silently to him.

Bastian's mental voice shot back, firm and steady. "Where are you going? Leaving in the middle of Matt's funeral? That's not right, Ana."

"I have to," she insisted, her tone barely restrained.

"What are you up to?" He demanded, his gaze tightening as he moved closer, but she was already on her way to Jenny's car.

Before Bastian could reach her, Anastasia slid inside and locked the door, locking herself in with Jenny. The funeral, Bastian, and her family all faded into the background as Jenny grasped the driving wheel, her knuckles white. They sat there for a moment, two shadows shrouded in anguish and contempt.

"You've been gone all this time, Jenny," Anastasia muttered, her anger slipping through. "Rose and I tried to reach out to you, to tell you Matt never wanted to break things off. We tried to fix things."

Jenny sighed, shoulders slumping. "I didn't know… about the note, about any of it. My parents told me to stay away from you all. The Goodwins weren't my business, and they…" she trailed off, struggling with words. "There was too much going on, and then I heard—through friends from university, that he was… gone. I had to do something, Anastasia."

They drove in silence for a few minutes before Anastasia broke the tension. "Where are we going?"

Jenny's eyes flickered with determination. "Back to the university. I'll get my sisters to help. They know… ways. A spell that could take you back to the moment he died, to make things right."

Anastasia felt her heart skip a beat. "What? "How is this even possible?"

Jenny kept her gaze on the road, voice tight with emotion. "It's a forbidden spell, but I spent nights searching, getting my sisters involved, digging through every ounce of witchcraft lore we could find. It's old, and dangerous… but if it works, it could give you a chance to change what happened to Matt."

Her breath hitched at the thought. "Dangerous how?"

Jenny bit her lip, hands clenching around the steering wheel. "There are risks, consequences I can't fully explain. There's a… sacrifice required. But we don't know what or who… just that it's dark magic, and there's always a price."

Anastasia felt a fierce resolve harden within her. "If it's me… if my life is the cost, then I'll pay it. I'm not some frightened girl anymore, Jenny. I'm not afraid of death."

Jenny shot her a glance, something between admiration and worry flashing in her eyes. "Then we'll do it," she whispered.

When they eventually arrived at the university sorority home, Anastasia felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. The enormous, ivy-covered brick walls towered above them, the air heavy with an eerie tension as Jenny led her inside. The grand dining hall had been transformed, the long oak table shoved aside, chairs stacked against the walls. In the center of the room, a large circle was drawn on the floor, symbols traced within it in salt and herbs. Candles surrounded the circle, their flames flickering with an eerie, almost sentient glow, casting shadows that danced across the walls in strange patterns.

It seemed like I was entering into a scene from an old, forbidden ceremony. Anastasia attempted to suppress her anxiety, recalling the witch history she had read about back on the island—dark arts that went well beyond ordinary enchantments.

Jenny's sisters stood around the circle, their expressions stern and their eyes filled with determination. Jenny swiftly introduced everyone, and Anastasia gave each one a short nod of appreciation, despite the fact that her thoughts was racing and her attention was focused on what was about to happen.

"What do you need from me?" she asked Jenny.

Jenny looked her over, her expression almost apologetic. "First, a piece of your hair. And a drop of blood… since you're of the same bloodline as Matt."

Anastasia braced herself, biting her lip and holding out her hand. Jenny took a little knife and stabbed her finger, allowing a single drop of blood to fall into a small glass container. She then pulled a strand of hair from Anastasia's head and placed it in the vial, shaking it slightly until the hair and blood appeared to combine in a black, swirling concoction.

But Jenny hesitated, her voice dropping to a whisper. "There's one more ingredient. We need demon blood… from a living demon."

Anastasia tried to process what Jenny just said. "Live Demon blood? Where on earth are we supposed to find that?"

The silence stretched tight, the air thick with anticipation. Then, from the shadows, a slow, mocking clap resonated throughout the room.

Anastasia whirled swiftly to see a person walking into the light, grinning, her black eyes gleaming with cruel delight. Britney, her former stepsister, walked into view, her face filled with delight.

"Miss me, little sister?"