Love's End

this is the story of a young girl who love is the ultimate end. based on the Cassandra Clare quote "To love is to destroy, to be loved is to be destroyed"

My name is Clair Love. Sounds cute and you'd think it would be nice to have a last name like Love. Well, not for me. It doesn't fit me at all. In fact, it haunts my every thought. You see I am a witch. When I was just a young girl, my father, in his dying breath, promised to protect me from the demon that kills us. The demon called love. My father was a very protective man. He did everything he could to keep me safe physically, mentally, and emotionally. Too bad he doesn't know that his protection turned out to be the worst thing that happened to me.

On his death bed he used every ounce of energy he had to cast one last spell, a spell, though with good intentions, ruined my life. The most powerful, dangerous, and forbidden protection spell know to our kind. A spell so strong that only the witch or warlock who cast it could undo it. A spell that would lead to the death of so many.

The spell was known as Love's End. This spell has only been cast twice in the history of magic. The first time the effects were so detrimental that it was forbidden. None spoke of this spell ever again. I am the only person who calls it by its official name most other either do not speak of it or call it the unspeakable.

Love's End was a spell, we'll curse is more accurate, a protection spell at heart, but unlike any other protection spell. This spell when done correctly would kill slowly and painfully anyone who is unfortunate enough to fall in love with the one cursed. Once a lover confesses their love they began to die. Once love is confessed it has only twenty four hours left. The only ones safe from the curse where blood relatives.  My father thought he would protect his little girl from getting my heart broken, when all he did was make it so I couldn't have a heart. The worst part was I didn't know about it until it was too late.

It all started with Vulcan Tear. His name was as unique as he was. He was tall, tan, and fit beyond anyone I had ever met. He had eyes the color of emeralds. He was a warlock. And like all of us with magic, when he cast a spell his eyes would alter. No longer would he have the eyes of a human but the eyes of a cat. But there was something special about Vulcan, whenever his eyes changed from human to cat, they also changed colors. From shimmering emeralds to sparkling golden eyes. No other magic based being did this. It was his gift.

Vulcan and I met in high school. We were both seniors, at the ripe age of eighteen. He always said I was his blue-eyed angel. I'm a dark haired girl with smooth sun kissed skin and bright blue eyes. I never liked my human eyes I preferred my cat eyes, not only did they look cool but you could really see how bright and blue my eyes were. You could also see better. The time the cat eyes lasted varied based on the strength of the spell. I was constantly using my powers to keep my cat eyes. It was the thing said he loved most about me. He said that even though I lived amongst mortal I still lived like a witch. I was never one to hide my true nature, unlike most the others who live amongst mortals. They gave this great gift but they refuse to use it. It's a waste of you ask me.

Vulcan and I were inseparable. We planned our graduation day the entire year. We talked about how good we would look in out cap and gown. We talked about how as we would cross the stage we would freeze time for the mortals and go crazy on stage. Everything was perfect until three days before graduation.

I had met his parents when we first began to date. They were adorable and rebels at heart. I loved. His parents almost as much as I loved mine. Four days before graduation I took him home to meet my mother for the first time. She was kind to him, but we both could tell something was bothering her. When he left, I pulled her aside to talk. It was just me and her my father had past away years before and we had no other family. She was all I had and I was all she had.

"You are the only family I have left. Your opinion is the only one that matters in my life. What is bothering you so much? Vulcan is a great guy with a terrific family, but you don't like him do you?" I asked. I felt my eyes swelling with years. Vulcan was the first guy I ever loved, and the thought I thought of my mother not liking him crushed me.

"I adore him I think he is great, but there are some things I haven't told you. There are some things that I had kept secret from you," she said. "All I can advise is don't fall in love with him don't let him fall in love with you. Love is very dangerous. Love can kill. Just don't let him fall in love with you." I felt like there was more to this than she was telling me. I knew there was a deeper meaning behind everything she said.

The next day we met up for our one year anniversary. Everything seemed too good to be true. He took me to my favorite restaurant and ordered my favorite meal. He told me to let him take care of everything. I put my trust in his hands. I had never had so much emotion for another person before. As we ate dinner he took my hand. "I have been wanting to say this for a very long time," he paused.  "Clair, I love you. I love you with all my heart. You are the only person I can honestly say that I love."

"I love you too. I have waited a long time to work up the courage to tell you this but I love you more than I have ever loved anyone. My mom is the only family I have and I feel like you and her are all that I have to live for."

He started to choke. He was coughing viciously. I looked in his hand he was coughing up blood. "Vulcan, how often does this happen?" I asked. I was in health occupation and even if I wasn't coughing up blood wasn't good. I don't know why he hasn't said something before.

"This is the first time this has happened ever. I feel like something is crushing my chest," he said.

"Let's get you home. I’ll call your mom and tell her we are coming. If it keeps up I'm taking you to the hospital," I said. He look at me. His eyes were getting dim. His face was getting pale. He looked extremely sick. I was worried.

We got him to his house. He was so dizzy I had to carry him to his bed. His mom a nurse at the local hospital. He said she could take care of him. "I can take care of him, but it helps if you are around those who care. We have a saying at the hospital: as long as you are surround by those you love no sickness can keep you down," he said. I called my mom and explained what was going on.

"Has he confessed his love to you?" She asked. I didn't see how that was relevant.

"Yes, but I'm going to stay with him tonight just to make sure he is okay," I said. I could hear her crying. "Mom?"

"Come home we need to talk," she said. I could tell something was wrong. I didn't question her.

"I have to go home. There's something wrong with my mom. I'll be over here first thing in the morning. I won't even put on make-up so beware." I kissed his forehead. He was burning up. I really didn't want to leave, but my mom never cries. She hasn't cried to my father's death. My mom was as solid as a rock when it came to her emotional strength so I knew something was seriously wrong.

I drove home as fast as I could. There was so much pouring through my mind.  My head was pounding and my heart was racing. I began to wish I was a vampire, so my heart wouldn't beat so hard. My heart was thumping against my chest, sending shock waves throughout my body. I was worried about my mom and Vulcan. I could only hope for the best and expect the worst.

I got home and my mother was sitting at the bar in the kitchen. She was crying her eyes out. She was so emotional. I had never seen anyone so emotional before. I ran and immediately hugged her. She didn't say a word for a while. We was crying so hard she could barely breathe. "Sit down," she struggled to get out. She nodded her head and the chair slid back. He crystal blue cat eyes were flushed with red and tears. Mama wasn't the one to use magic a lot and if she did it was for something useful and not just pushing a chair out from me. My heart sank to the ground as I looked at her, drying her eyes trying to get herself together. "Before your father died, do you remember what he said?"

"Of course," I replied. "He said Clair bear I love you and I will never let anyone hurt you. I will protect you from the demon that leads to all of our deaths. Love. Then he cast some spell and died. Why?"

"The spell he cast was called Love's End," she began.

"Love's End?" I said to myself. "I don't know that one. I have never heard of it before. What does it do?"

My phone rang. "It's Vulcan's mom, maybe he is feeling better," I cheerfully said.

"Hello! Mrs. Tear?" I said. "Is Vulcan better?" I stopped and listened. She was crying hysterically.

"Is everything alright?" I noticed my mom stand up and open her arms like she knew something.

"He kept coughing up blood, so I took him to the hospital. He kept saying it felt like something was crushing his insides. The doctor peeped him for a few scans, he . . . he . . . He," she said. She couldn't get past that word. "He passed away. He died. The doctors said all his internal organs had been crushed. They said they had never seen anything like it before. I think it was magic. Do you know anyone who would do this?"

"No!" I said. I was surprised at her question. "Everyone loved Vulcan. He was the most popular guy in school.  Besides there are only sixteen of us at school with magic. We all got along great never had we had any problems with one another." Vulcan was the type of guy who had to make a new friend every day. He had to make everyone feel better. He was the guy who stood by the vending machines at lunch using his powers to help someone get their food when the machine got stuck. He was the one who did whatever was necessary to brighten a stranger’s day.

Then I just exploded. Tears burst from my eyes. I couldn't hold it in any longer. I was trying to be calm for him mom. She needed support. His father had passed away a few months back. She needed someone to be her anchor. I wanted to be her anchor, but the truth is I, myself, needed an anchor. "I will call you later. Please keep in touch with me. You are one of the few I have to lean on. I am still going to be here for you. I know Vulcan would want us to stay connected and help one another over come this tragedy," she struggled to say.  I managed to make the attempt to reply, but all my words ran together. "Please, Clair, don't try and speak. We can talk later right now we need to cry our tears so we can overcome the sadness that comes with death and embrace his new life in the spirit world." I could express how grateful I was to have her with me through this.

I looked at my mother who still had her arms out. "He didn't make it. He's dead," I whimpered. I buried my face in her chest, soaking her shirt with my tears. I couldn't stop crying. 

"Listen to me," she ordered. "What I was telling you before, about Love's End. His love for you killed him-."

"What?" I shouted pushing her back. "Are you saying I killed him?"

"No, not at all," she said. "Well a little, yes. Not so much but his love for you."

"Blistered be thy tongue. The language thy speaks must be lies. Since thou lies, thou shall not speak," I said, casting a spell on her. I had never used magic on my mother before. The spell I cast made it so my mom could not speak. I was so angry that I couldn't control myself. "Now thy punishment is over. Let thou speak again," I undid the spell. "I'm sorry I just got so mad."

"Clarissa Bell Love," she said. I could hear the anger in her throat. She called me by my full name, and everyone knows the full name was an invention to let you know you are in trouble. "If you ever use magic on your mother like that again I will strip you of your powers and desert you in the middle of the desert for a month!"   Most kids get grounded, but those who had magic punishments were a lot more creative and harsh. Mortal get their car keys or cell taken away. I get my magic taken away. It's kind of the same thing, but much worse.

"I'm sorry! How did you expect me to react to you telling me I am the reason my first love is dead?" I said. Somewhere between the hug and the spell the crying stopped and anger rushed through my veins.

"The spell your father cast was forbidden. It was only trying to protect you. He had your best interest in mind. Not even he knew the detrimental effects of this spell," she began. "It was the second time in the history of magic that this spell had been cast. The spell is the most powerful known to our kind. Only the witch or warlock who cast it can undo it. No one speaks of it. Most call it the unspeakable. It is in only one spell book, the original spell book, no other book even mentions this spell. It is forbidden. Though it is meant to protect, it curses you to a life alone. When I realized what your father was, it was too late to stop him. I didn’t recognize the spell, at first. By the time I figured out what he was doing, I couldn’t stop him. I don’t even know where he learned that spell. The original spell book has been lost for years. I am so sorry. If only I could have been able to realize it earlier than maybe I could have stopped him.” She started crying.

“You can’t blame yourself for something my father did. I am not mad at you for what he did,” I said. “I am mad that you didn’t tell me about this until now.”

“I didn’t think I needed to. Up until Vulcan you never had a relationship. I figured you either figured it out yourself or you were going to be alone forever. I wish I had found out how serious you and Vulcan were sooner, then I would have put an end to it,” she said.

“There has to be ways around this curse. There must be a way to undo it,” I said.

“The only way to end the spell is for you to die,” she said.

“Okay, well that’s out the window!” I said.

That night mother and I decided we should leave town. We moved to a small town. The smallest town we could find. The town so was small they didn’t even have a stop light. There was no need for one. Stop signs did the job. I didn’t leave the house. Mother and I decided it was safer if I didn’t leave the house. If I didn’t leave the house, I couldn’t fall in love with anyone. With it being such a small town, it didn’t take long for the news to travel of the girl who wouldn’t leave home.

After a few months of being in the new town, all sorts of rumors spread about me. “So today when I was out getting the groceries, I heard some rumors about you,” mama said.

“I can’t wait to hear how creative the mortals have gotten,” I said. Mama and I use the rumors to help pass the time. We thought they were funny.

“Well Carol, the preacher’s wife, thinks you a Satanist and thinks that if you go into the sunlight your skin will burn,” she began. “Barbra thinks that you are a witch and fresh air makes you choke. Um, Stacy thinks you are a demon from hell. Dana thinks that you have some mental illness. And my favorite, Susan thinks you are a satanic witch from the pits of hell to kill everyone in the town. The reason you can’t go outside because you don’t look human.”

“Mortals have some imagination,” I laughed. “Anyway, did you get the sodas? We are out of drinks.”

“I’ll be back,” she said. She grabbed her purse and headed out to the store.

I hated be alone all the time. I had no one to talk to. I had no friends. I could never have friends. Mama had been gone for about five minutes before I heard a knock on the door. Imagined she forgot something. I opened the door, a tall pale blonde boy stood at the door. “Who are you?” I asked. I tried to sound as rude as possible. There was something about him. I felt like I knew him. I felt like there was a reason he was here, like everything has lead up to this point.

“I am Tyler. I know who you are, the real you. Can I come in?” he said.

“Um you are a creep, and no you can't come in. Bye,” I said. I tried to close the door, but he put his foot in the way.

“Let me explain. I am a Destined. We are a special brand of creatures. We have no say about what happens to us in our life, everything is predetermined. I don’t have any choice about what happens to me, all I know is there is something about you. There is a reason that I dream about you every night. There is a reason I can’t stop thinking about you. There is something about you that I can’t resist,” he said.

“You said you knew the real me. What do you know about me?” I asked.

“I know you are a very powerful witch. I know you are beautiful. And I know I am in love with you,” he said. He leaned in to kiss me. I pushed him back.

“Scorch thy tongue. Burn thy throat. Take thy words out thy mouth. Silence and erase what thy has said,” I said. I used a spell to silence him and make him lose his train of thought. “Don’t you dare speak those words!”

“I don’t have a choice about how I feel. I know you felt something when you saw me. I felt it to. It was love, love at first sight. I have no power over what I feel,” he barked. “I have followed you my entire life, waiting for the right moment to approach you. I have sat back and watched you fall in love with the wrong person, while I could do nothing.”

“You intercepted my spell!” I screamed. That was the only way he could still talk.

“Just listen to me please,” he said.

“How come I never saw you?” I asked.

“You have. You only saw what I wanted you to see,” he said. He took a few steps back. Smoke covered his body. When the smoke cleared, Tyler Griffin stood in front of me. Tyler was one of the warlocks I went to school with. He was tall, dark, with golden brown eyes. His hair was a crisp sandy color. He was one of my best friends. “This is what I disguised myself to look like so I could be near you, praying you would fall in love with me. I knew that if I looked the way I really do you would never fall in love with me. No one would fall in love with a lanky, pale, blonde boy; so I created Tyler Griffin the tall, dark golden eyed boy. Clarissa I love you. I always have and always will.”

“Clair, sweetheart, what have you done? You know what happens once love is confessed!” Mama screamed.

“Mama, I didn’t even know he loved me. I had no idea. He is a Destined,” I said. He started coughing up blood just like Vulcan did. I started to cry. A few days later he died. I heard as he was dying he whispered my name.

Mama and I moved again. It didn’t matter, soon the pizza boy fell in love me and died. We moved again. The boy next door fell in love with me. He died. “Father, if you can hear me, why did you do this to me? Why did you curse me?” I screamed while in the rain. “So many have died because of what you did to me.”

After a few month, I left mama. I left a letter that read: I am sorry about all I have put you through. You have tried to save as many lives as you could. This curse has gotten the best of me. The only way that you can continue your life and be happy is if I am not in it. No longer will you be burdened with trying to isolate me. I love you. I want you to live a happy life. I cannot continue to live like this. Four innocent boys have died because of me. I know what has to be done. I love you and I will wait for you in heaven. Don’t bother looking for me. By the time you find me I will be dead and this world will be free to love once again. Grant me one dying wish: Live the rest of your life happily. Fall in love. Start a new family. Do not let my death send you into a dark depression. I love you. Sincerely, Clarissa Bell Love. Victim of the Love’s End curse.

It has been two days since I left mama. It was time I freed this world of my curse of existence. I held my right arm out. I used a fire spell to brand the words, Love’s End, into my arm. I then looked to the sky. It was a dark day. It was about to storm, I could feel it. I whispered, “I love you mama.” I closed my eyes. Standing in the middle of an open field in the middle of nowhere, I turned myself to stone. I died.

 

 

Two years later:

            It’s been two years since my daughter sacrificed herself for the safety of others. I live in New York City now. When I found my daughter, it was too late she had already turned herself to stone. I took her statue and got permission from the city to place it in Time Square. In the very center of Time Square her statue stands, branded with the very curse that killed her. The statue known as Love’s End is a mark of the danger of love. Every day I visit her statue. Sometimes I think I can still see her breathing. My daughter gave her life so others could be safe. I will always love her and I will do everything I can to make sure her story lives on.

 

Author's Note

this is a story i wrote at summer camp in one night when i couldnt sleep. it is one of my favorites that i have wrote