《The Last Science》 Book I — Awakening (Table of Contents) Book II ¡ú A table of contents for book one is below, or feel free to continue on immediately to chapter 1. These inserts will be placed between each bookmostly to show the covers, as well as provide an easy bookmark spot and navigation. Recommended viewing settings for desktop readers: 60% width, Caslon font at 18px, anddim background at 70% or more. Light or dark theme as your preference (I use dark personally, but this story has no color-specific elements). Enjoy! Part I ¡ªA Quiet and Lonely Town Chapter 1 ¡ªThe Last Train to Rallsburg Chapter 2 ¡ªRachel DuValle Chapter 3 ¡ªMaking Connections Chapter 4 ¡ªThe Council of the Awakened Chapter 5 ¡ªApathy Chapter 6 ¡ªAn Impossible Marketplace Chapter 7 ¡ªMisdirection Chapter 8 ¡ªTidings of Fire Chapter 9 ¡ªFirst Lessons Chapter 10¡ªThe First Summit of the End of the World Interlude I ¡ªA Year in the Life of Hailey Winscombe Part II ¡ªThe Time of the Hunt Chapter 11 ¡ªForeigners Chapter 12 ¡ªDeputies, Detectives and Deities Chapter 13 ¡ªFugitives Chapter 14 ¡ªWhat It Means This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.Chapter 15 ¡ªThe Heart of a Leader Chapter 16 ¡ªAngels and Devils Chapter 17 ¡ªA Gentleman and a Doctor Interlude II ¡ªSelling One''s Soul Chapter 18 ¡ªBreaking the Rules Chapter 19 ¡ªWolves at the Gates Interlude III ¡ªFamily Part III ¡ªThe End of Their World Chapter 20 ¡ªConsequences Chapter 21 ¡ªWaking Up Chapter 22 ¡ªThe Importance of Flying Chapter 23 ¡ªRegrouping Chapter 24 ¡ªThe Second Summit of the End of the World Chapter 25 ¡ªThe Greatest Magic Ever Assembled Chapter 26 ¡ªMonsters Chapter 27 ¡ªTo Kill a God Chapter 28 ¡ªAshes Transitions Book II ¡ú This story will also be published weekly at my website (https://etzo.li). There will be no differences in content, but slight differences in formatting. Feel free to read at whichever site or app you prefer. Book I — Awakening — Cast of Characters By request, I''m including a list of characters for each book after the table of contents. This will include brief descriptions of each character to help readers keep track of who''s who. It is not necessary to view this character list; all details included here are taken directly from the story. If you do not wish to be spoiled, continue directly through to chapter 1. Spoiler content: This list has minor spoilers up through chapter 10 (roughly 1/3 of the book). Characters are listed in alphabetical order by first name.
Name Description
Aaron McGregor Cult of the Grey member, environmentalist and revolutionary
Alden Bensen Wannabe hero in over his head, who came to town trying to find answers about his life
Alexander Nelson College student, died just outside of town alongside Jaysmith Miller and Jenny Wilson. Death caused by magic
Alpha One of the Three Gods, aloof and hands-off. Refuses to get involved.
Boris Morozov Russian expatriate living in Rallsburg, runs a small bookstore
Brian Hendricks Natalie Hendricks¡¯ father, who has been missing for a week prior to Chapter 1
Brittany Wilkins Cult of the Grey member along with her husband Matthew
Bryan Selnik Mason Rhistler¡¯s boyfriend, something of a new-age hippie
Christina Albrecht President of Rallsburg University
Cinza Cult of the Grey founder and de-facto leader
Collins McCreary Kendra Laushire¡¯s personal assistant, gardener, bodyguard, etc
Dan Rhodes Owner of the local town diner, everyman
Gordon Merrill Local town journalist, father of Seth Merrill, rival of Mayor Rhistler
Grey-eyes One of the Three Gods, who tends to avoid the spotlight. She is the namesake for the Cult of the Grey
Hailey Winscombe A withdrawn former social queen living in Rallsburg year-round
Hector Peraza Owner of the local grocery market, moderator of the Council of the Awakened
Reverend Doctor Henry Smith The local doctor and only representative of a major religion in Rallsburg
Hugo Rodriguez A friend of Hailey Winscombe, played football for RU, left town before Chapter 1
Ian Wong A friend of Hailey Winscombe, best friend of Hugo Rodriguez, left town before Chapter 1
Ingrid Wilson Mother of Jenny Wilson, wife of Paul Wilson the lumberjack
Jackie Nossinger Sheriff of Rallsburg, former homicide detective from Seattle. Cautious and pragmatic
Jaysmith Miller College student, died just outside of town with Alex Nelson. Death caused by magic
Jeffrey Rosenberg A businessman from Portland, Oregon, who stumbled upon magic and was subsequently introduced to Rachel DuValle
Jenny Wilson A twelve year old girl who died alongside Alex and Jay before Chapter 1. Death caused by magic. Best friends with Natalie Hendricks, daughter of Ingrid and Paul Wilson
Jerry Hauserman One of Julian Black¡¯s subordinates. Considered a sketchy and uncouth individual
Jessica Silverdale Hailey Winscombe¡¯s best friend, a Rallsburg native. Quiet and shy, lives with Hailey in an apartment owned by Brian Hendricks
Joe McKinney One of Ryan Walker¡¯s friends, son of Oscar McKinney
John Bell Local bouncer and bartender at the Kettle and Bones
Joshua Miller One of the three elected councilors for the Council of the Awakened. Former best friends with Ryan Walker, until Rika Nishimura cheated on both of them. Now sardonic and tired of the whole thing
Julian Black A sloppy entrepreneur and deliveryman who often gets on the wrong side of the Council
Kazuo Nishimura Rika Nishimura¡¯s father, founder and owner of NishiSoft, a database analysis company owned by Laushire Enterprises
Kendra Thomas Laushire The aloof, elegant and practical economics professor at RU, and daughter to the billionaire owner of Laushire Enterprises, a multinational conglomerate
Logan Bowerson A student at RU, a bit of a jock and a fantasy obsessive
Lori Hendricks Natalie Hendricks¡¯ estranged mother, living in Chicago
Mabel Walsh The longest-serving councilor for the Council of the Awakened. Invented a spell to detect when a person is lying
Makoto Kirishima One of Cinza¡¯s primary lieutenants in the Cult of the Grey
Maria Nishimura Rika Nishimura¡¯s mother, wife of Kazuo
Mason Rhistler Magical theorist who discovered and codified many of the rules and ideas behind basic magic. Friend of Rachel DuValle and others
Matthew Wilkins Husband of Brittany Wilkins, member of the Cult of the Grey
Morton Pollock Apprentice to the town journalist Gordon Merrill, and secret member of the Cult of the Grey
Natalie Hendricks Thirteen-year-old girl with magical power seemingly well outside the norm, including spells to talk to animals and much greater control than usual over other magic. Father Brian has been missing for over a week. Currently living with Kendra Laushire until he is found
Nathaniel (Nate) Price Class clown, heir to the Price Logging Company fortune. Resented by much of the town as an entitled millennial
Nefertiti (Neffie) Bowman Sister of Preston Bowman, the sheriff¡¯s deputy, and well known as the town ¡°beauty¡± due to her exotic appearance, which she deliberately plays up. Works for Brian Hendricks as his assistant managing the apartment complex
Nicole (Nikki) Parsons Daughter of the Parsons family, who run a farm near Rallsburg, ran away from home to join the Cult of the Grey
Omega The last of The Three Gods, who has decided that magic cannot be allowed to further, opposing the stance of his fellow God Alpha
Oscar McKinney The town mechanic and good friend to Dan Rhodes, and father of Joe McKinney
Paul Wilson Father of Jenny Wilson, lumberjack working for the union run by Robert Harrison
Preston Bowman Sheriff¡¯s deputy, overeager but competent, brother of Neffie Bowman
Rachel DuValle The lead councilor on the Council of the Awakened, and self-appointed savior of the world. Former airheaded college student whose life turned around completely upon discovering magic and a particular spell that enhanced her brain well beyond human abilities
Rika Nishimura An angry pariah of the town and troubled childhood best friend of Rachel DuValle, who has pissed off or otherwise wronged many residents of Rallsburg. Returned to seek information on her father¡¯s whereabouts from any source she can get
Robert Harrison Leader of the lumberjack union, a huge beast of a man, proud hunter, populist leader. Close friends with many of the residents, opponent of Rowan Rhistler (the mayor) and the Price Logging Company family
Roger Quinton A farmer and close supporter of Robert Harrison
Rook (Tessa Hunter) Former military sniper and partner of mercenary Viper
Rowan Rhistler Elected mayor of Rallsburg, seen by many as a career politician whose last election was shifty. Father of Mason Rhistler
Ruby Dahl One of Cinza¡¯s primary lieutenants in the Cult of the Grey, an older teenage girl with dyed crimson-red hair
Rufus Hilshire An older woodsman and hunter, one of the oldest members of the Cult of the Grey
Ryan Walker An entitled, combative student of RU, former boyfriend of Rika Nishimura
Seth Merrill One of Ryan Walker¡¯s friends, and son of town journalist Gordon Merrill
Spencer Ancell One of Julian Black¡¯s subordinates, also runs a local weekly poker night
Viper (Stefen Gearhardt) A gruff mercenary from out of town, and partner of Rook
Weston Davis Former boyfriend of Hailey Winscombe, left town before the start of Chapter 1
William (Will) Carbonell Rachel DuValle¡¯s boyfriend, secretly Awakened and the main supplier of intelligence to the Council thanks to his rare Knowledge affinity
Yusuf al-Fayed A member of the Cult of the Grey
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. I know it looks bad on light themes. This is due to how RoyalRoad constructs table styles and I haven''t determined a way to fix it yet. Sorry! Chapter 1 — The Last Train to Rallsburg Part I A Quiet and Lonely Town Chapter 1 ¡ªThe Last Train to Rallsburg On the last train to Rallsburg, a god and his lover were having a friendly debate. "Okay, so, check it out. You''ve got a bunch of people thrown into a game, right? And they have different backgrounds, different nationalities, everything¡ªbut once they''re playing the game, they''re all identical to start. There''s no real threat to these people; they all know it''s a game. In the game there are tools to work together, and by everyone working together across the entire system they can progress faster and unlock more parts of the game together. The most efficient method is always working together." "But they don''t." "They don''t, yeah, and here''s why: they always flock together. They form groups. The groups might be based on what language they speak or they might have a shared history outside the game, or it''s none of the above. But it''s still inevitable that every single player¡ªto some degree¡ªwill associate themselves with a group. There are no exceptions, except to quit playing the game entirely. You either join a side or you''re forced out." "The groups could still cooperate though." "Once you''re part of a group, anyone not part of your group is a threat. That''s buried deep in the lizard brain of humanity. It''s pure tribalism, and this particular game showed a perfect analogy. Allegory?" "Microcosm." "Sure, that. Anyway, logical friendly people who might have seen through the prisoner''s dilemma showed overwhelming loyalty to their group instead of to the collective whole." "Surely someone found a way to collaborate." "No! That''s what''s crazy about it. The tribes had spies and informants. They would cannibalize their own members long before giving an inch, despite virtually nothing separating them in the eyes of the game. If you even talked to the enemy, you would be tracked down and kicked out." "How could they get anything done if they were that paranoid?" "Well, it was still a game. The mechanics allowed them to make progress because it was a fair system. In the real world it falls apart. Tribes like that don''t survive without trade and cooperation. They die off one way or another. Maybe it''s revolution, maybe it''s war, or maybe it''s just high-minded protest rhetoric, but they stop being tribes. It''s all individuals again, but then they build up a new community¡ªnow with the faces they excluded from the last time around." "Maybe at first, but there''s always more groups. Layers of groups." "Yeah, but can you ever really trust someone outside that closest circle?" "Well, when it''s someone you love¡ª" "That''s the greatest folly of the human race. Chemicals in our brains that make emotional connections to outsiders and fool us into trusting them beyond all logical reasoning." "So you''re saying there''s no hope." "I''m saying that if you can detach yourself from all that, you can finally start to see the big picture. Problem is, no one ever can. We''re all lonely and desperate to attach ourselves to the first thing that comes along with a smile." "Speak for yourself." "Or maybe I''m just the lonely detached soul and I was lucky enough to find you." "That''s cute. Thank god, there''s the train station ahead."
Alden Bensen was only moments away from sleeping through the most important encounter of his entire life. "Hey." Alden groaned, turning over in his seat. He just wanted to sleep a little longer. A couple other passengers had been keeping him drifting in and out during the trip, never quite making it past snoozing. "Aren''t you getting off here? We''re in Rallsburg." The voice broke through his lethargy, ending any hope of resting further. He spluttered awake. What if the train started off with him still on board? It could take hours and hours to get back here¡ªif he even could. This was the last train out to Rallsburg for the day, if not the next couple. He''d end up at some dead-end motel out on the coast for the night. Probably infested with insects, too, and with an owner that was either uncomfortably cheerful or just likely to be an axe murderer. As his eyes slid open, Alden was greeted by an attractive young Japanese woman, raven haired but with a bright streak of electric blue framing the right side of her face. She looked bored and impatient¡ªbut then again, she had just taken the time to make sure a complete stranger didn''t miss his stop. She was probably worth talking to. "Thanks," he mumbled, struggling to his feet. He felt exhausted, not having slept more than a couple hours in the past day, and those on a rumbling Amtrak through Tacoma to get here. Not the best for relaxation, and Alden had a hard time sleeping under normal conditions. He glanced out the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of the town, but all he could see was the small train station. A single employee manned the platform outside, helping the few passengers debarking with their luggage. It was a heavily overcast evening in May, the sun peeking through the clouds at odd intervals but never long enough to really brighten the day at all. The station¡ªif he could even call it that¡ªwas a single building with a gate on one side, squat and unremarkable. Beyond it grew the trees, state forests that would stretch north all the way to the ocean. Already he found them foreboding. Deep thickets of evergreens infested with who knew how many species of insect, how many other predatory creatures that wouldn''t have a second thought about eating him alive. With that unsettling notion, he decided he could use some friends local to the area. "What''s your name?" Alden started, turning back to the girl, but he was unsurprised to find she was long gone. He''d taken too long to speak up. Still, her face was etched permanently in his mind. He was pretty good with faces, and hers was particularly memorable. He sighed, pulled his bag out of the overhead compartments, and made his way off the train. What am I supposed to do now? Alden had arrived in town with only a single clue. A single scrap of paper that pointed him back here to Rallsburg, Washington. He took it out and examined the front once more. He''d kept it in the inside pocket of his coat, not trusting it to leave his side at any time. In his hands he flipped it over, closely scanning every inch of it again just in case he''d missed something¡ªthough of course he hadn''t. The rumpled envelope was exactly the same as he''d originally found it, plus or minus a few wrinkles from the number of times it had creased within his pocket. Alden had a purpose for being in a small, out-of-the-way town like Rallsburg. There was someone he had to find, though he had no idea who that person might be. The only clue was the envelope he now held, with the return address and crest of the local Rallsburg University stamped on the front, along with a cheerful, handwritten "Congratulations!" He sighed again and put the envelope away. Alden had inspected every inch without any revelations so far; he wasn''t likely to discover anything standing around in the train station. On top of which, the tall, thick-muscled and thick-bearded man swathed in a deep coat with his hood drawn currently occupying the bench across the empty street was setting him ill at ease. He could have sworn the man''s eyes were following his every step. With great reluctance, Alden approached the clerk working the station counter. "Excuse me," Alden mumbled. "Can I help you?" he asked brightly. Alden recoiled momentarily at the energetic response before gathering his composure. He wasn''t awake enough for this yet. "Can you tell me how to get to the college campus?" "I''m sorry, I couldn''t quite understand you." Alden cleared his throat and tried to enunciate more clearly. "How can I get to the college from here?" "Oh, it''s just two blocks west and two blocks south. Can''t miss it. If you look it up on your phone you should get directions from the first result." "My phone''s dead," Alden said, glancing away embarrassed. "Oh! Sorry. Well, like I said, just two blocks west and then south." "Thanks." Having suffered through a conversation with someone far too energetic for his current state, Alden turned and headed out into the town, his bag slung over his shoulder. As he stepped into the street, he turned right and started down the road.
Four intersections later, Alden felt completely lost. There wasn''t anything around him that looked like a college campus. He was still in town, so he wasn''t completely off the map, but most of the buildings around him were shops of some kind. The town seemed deserted. It wasn''t that the buildings were falling apart or that he hadn''t seen a single person. There were a few large men in thick plaid jackets walking down the street toward him at that moment, though they paid Alden no mind. It was more a faint air of decay that permeated the place. The few proper asphalt streets were cracked, and off them were ill-maintained rocky roads that looked like they''d been clamoring to be paved but had long-since been forgotten. Quite a few of the commercial buildings were empty and dusty, looking as though they''d never seen an owner. There was a restaurant or two dotted among them, with scents wafting out that sent his mouth salivating. His stomach chose that moment to painfully remind him how little he''d eaten since leaving home that morning. Since I couldn''t find the university anyway, why not get a bite to eat? Might clear my head. Alden closed his eyes and found whichever smell was most appetizing. The scent of french fries was the first to catch his nostrils. He followed it to a single door set into the corner of the next street over, with an old-fashioned wooden sign hanging above the door, a skull and crossbones emblazoned underneath a black kettle. Next to the door sat a sign in bold red, declaring it off limits to minors. Crestfallen, Alden was about to turn away when he heard shouting from just inside the door. He stepped forward, curiosity getting the better of him. A dark shape started to form through the frosted glass inside the door frame. The shape was moving toward the door. He threw himself aside at the last second. The wood cracked against the wall as the door swung wide. Someone burst through, crashing to the ground and rolling a few feet before springing to life. In the doorway, a heavyset bouncer stared down at the pair of them with a scowl that could make children weep. He cracked his knuckles threateningly. Alden held up his hands in surrender. He wasn''t part of this fight. More to the point, he was a lanky kid without the muscle to stand his ground. As he glanced over, he recognized the ejected patron. Now that he could see her more clearly (and being much more awake than on the train), she was barely older than he was. "What gives?" she shot at the bouncer. Her fierce voice was slightly undermined by the rather plain gray hooded jacket and black denim jeans she was wearing. She didn''t look remotely threatening to Alden. The only thing about her clothes that stood out was a curious brown leather bag fastened at her waist, with multiple small, secure pouches and a gold buckle holding the entire thing together. The bouncer¡ªa heavyset man with broad shoulders, rough hands and a cleanly trimmed beard¡ªseemed to agree with Alden''s assessment. "Your ID''s a fake," he replied, quite calmly. Alden was taken aback by how soft his voice was. "Bullshit. I''m old enough. Get me something to drink," the girl snapped. "Just be glad I''m not turning you in. Grow up and come back." The bouncer went back inside, letting the door slam shut. A string of violent epithets followed him inside. Alden ignored her, busy staring pointedly at the sign above them. As her curses died off, he began walking away to find another place to sit down. "Hold it." Alden stopped walking, against his better judgment. "Didn''t I just see you on the train?" "...Yeah." "Huh. So your first thought was to get drunk too? Good call." "I''m not¡ª" Alden started, but she interrupted him. "Come on, we can do better than this hole in the wall." She took his arm in a gloved hand and started pulling him down the street. Alden dug his heels into the road and managed to hold his place. He summoned up whatever courage he could muster. "I need to get to the university." She looked at him curiously. "New student? In May? Everybody''s already gone home for summer." "No. I just need to get there." "Oookay, fine. It''s like four blocks that way." She pointed back toward the train station. Alden glanced down the street back the way he''d come. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. "But, at the train station, they said to go west." She cocked her head slightly. "Yeah, west is that way. Towards the sun." Her brow creased slightly. "You okay?" Alden shook his head in dismay. Of course he''d turned the wrong direction. He was terrible with directions. Also the outdoors, and a great long list of things he maintained in his mind. People too, if his life were anything to judge by. "Look, what''s your name?" "Ald¡ª" he started, but cut himself off. "Zack." "AldZack, eh?" she grinned. A hint of an accent poked through her lips. "Canadian?" he asked, trying to deflect attention from his slip-up. "Something like that." A verbal fencing match seemed like a waste of Alden''s time. She seemed too actively hostile to strike up a real conversation with. "Well, thanks," he muttered, turning to head down the street to the university. "Hey, wait up." The girl fell in step next to him. "I think I can find it," he said, as kindly as he could. He didn''t want to sound rude, not when he still had no clue who she was. "Just so happens I''ve got business at the university," she retorted. "Don''t worry, kid, you don''t have to put up with me long. In the meantime, why don''t we walk together? I could use the company." Alden hesitated, then nodded assent, once more against his instincts. She was too intriguing to pass up. Hadn''t he come here seeking an adventure? Plus, he was eighteen, and a guy, and she was hot. He was doomed by hormones the moment she said a nice word to him, and he knew it. "Kid?" he asked, feeling a little indignant. "You''re what, eighteen? Makes you three years younger than me," she guessed. He nodded. "So you''re definitely a kid to me." "Thought you weren''t old enough to drink," Alden pointed out. "I am, but I gave him the wrong ID." "Why have a fake ID if you''re already twenty one?" "Why''d you give me a fake name a few minutes ago?" she shot back. He grinned in spite of his earlier mistake. He hadn''t managed to hold a conversation with anyone outside his family for this long in ages, and the resurgence of social connection was a grateful reprieve from the headache pounding in his skull and the exhaustion seeping through his muscles. "So we''ve both got secrets. I''m gonna do you one better though, no bullshit. My name is Rika," she said. She took off her glove and offered a hand. He shook it gingerly. Her hand felt like it was buzzing, as if an electric charge surged through her skin. The brief contact made him feel more alive than he had all day. Rika grinned as he quickly let go. "Well, Zack," she started exaggeratedly. "I dunno about you, but I''m starving. Want to grab a bite to eat before we hit the campus?" She pointed at a little diner across the street, a low-key place with one blinded window and a sign that had seen better days. He didn''t even bother to answer. Rika bolted across the street without even bothering to look for cars¡ªnot that Alden had heard a single one since the train pulled away¡ªand through the front door. Alden followed only a few steps behind.
"Mmmmm," Rika sighed contentedly, leaning back in the corner booth. Alden had to agree with the sentiment. It was a greasy place, sure, but Alden couldn''t deny the excellent taste of the burgers and fries. He wasn''t normally partial to fast food either. Whether it was the exhaustion or the company, it felt like divine cuisine. The place was so small he was surprised it even had booths, but there were four lined up along the side, with red vinyl cushions slowly decaying from years of overuse. The main counter was only a few steps away, so close that it was practically impossible to get up when anyone was walking down the aisle. Behind the counter, the proprietor was busy grilling the next few burgers for a family of three that had walked in not long after Rika and Alden. From their friendly conversation with the genial balding man, Alden judged the place a local favorite. "You''ve been here before," he stated, looking back at Rika. She frowned. "Lucky guess?" "No way you picked this place at random. The guy sounded like he knew your order too." "You got me," Rika brushed her hair out of her face. "I''ve been to Rallsburg a few times before, to visit a friend. I met Dan around that time. We hit it off pretty well." The man behind the counter glanced up as he heard his name. Rika waved him off, before munching down a fry. "Why so suspicious, Zack?" Alden took a sidelong glance at the family seated at the counter, far down at the opposite end of the tiny restaurant. He lowered his voice. "Can I trust you?" "Is it possible to answer that question usefully?" Rika raised an eyebrow, chewing on a fry in the corner of her mouth while she spoke. "Either I say yes and I''m a great liar, or I say no and you''re out of luck anyway. You gotta decide that one yourself." "Well, uh, but¡­" he spluttered. He wasn''t sure what answer he''d expected, but to hear her so frankly point out the flaw in his question broke his concentration. He took a moment to gather his thoughts. "Why did you ask me to join you?" he finally settled on. "Because I don''t believe in coincidence. Not anymore," Rika said calmly. "Look, Zack. You seem like an okay guy. You''re clearly on a mission. And for whatever reason, you''ve shown up here in this dead end college town. And you ran into me. Twice." Rika munched down another fry. "Trust me on this though: the shit that goes down here, it''s hardcore. You''d better be ready to commit if you''re gonna head down this road any further." Alden swallowed hard. He glanced at the envelope inside his coat pocket once again. Was he ready for whatever Rika was describing? "Let me put it this way, kid. Have you read from the book?" "Have I what?" Alden repeated, confused. She shook her head. "Forget it. Nevermind." "No, what does that mean?" "I said forget it." Rika looked over at Dan. "Hey, can we get some more fries?" "You got it, flower," Dan''s deep voice rumbled from behind the counter. Alden''s mind was too easily sidetracked. "Flower?" "It''s one of the kanji of my name," Rika explained. "The second character means flower. Dan thinks he''s super clever for knowing that, but he doesn''t know a lick of Japanese otherwise. Anata wa bakadesu," she called to Dan, who just waved cheerily in return as he focused on his cooking. Alden cleared his throat again, trying to get back on topic. "What did you mean by the book?" Rika sighed. "Look, I''m probably not the one you want explaining that to you, okay? You could do a lot better than me if you really want to awaken." "If I want to what?" Alden asked, even more confused. The family of three at the bar stood to leave. Alden glanced at them involuntarily as the door opened, feeling a compulsion to keep track of them at all times. "You''re paranoid as shit, aren''t you?" she noted. "Probably smart, ''specially these days." "Give me a straight answer," Alden asked impatiently. Rika started to answer, but the door to the place suddenly burst open, slamming hard against the wall. Three guys walked in clearly looking for trouble. They were college age, probably late college by Alden''s estimate. The leader was remarkably handsome and well-built¡ªa typical good-looking college guy. Blonde hair, tall and strong figure, and warm, large brown eyes. Alden was surprised he wasn''t perpetually wearing a polo shirt and khakis with the physique and complexion he had going on. His friends had the look down, but instead he seemed to be sporting the same basic attire as Rika¡ªdark hooded sweatshirt and jeans, with a pouch fastened at his waist. His was much less elaborate than Rika''s, consisting of a single black velvety bag with a white string holding it tightly closed. Rika had to twist around to see them. "Shit," she murmured. "What?" Alden asked in a low voice. "Let''s just say I know them," Rika whispered back. She sank low in the booth, and slowly began to put the hood over her head to hide the distinctive blue streak in her hair. It was too late. "Hey, bitch!" The lead man''s eyes locked on their booth. Alden could have sworn he grew a few inches as he approached, and not just from perspective. "Hi Ryan. How''s life?" Rika asked brightly, turning to face him. As she did, she sniffled a bit, and grabbed a napkin to wipe at her nose. "Better than yours," Ryan glowered down at them. "You owe me. Time to pay up." "For what?" she asked innocently. "Two dozen shards of topaz that you bought off me at the market. You never delivered your end before you bailed. Who''s this guy?" Ryan added, nodding at Alden. "He''s not awakened." Ryan seemed to take this odd statement without question, and didn''t give Alden so much as a second glance. "Where the hell am I supposed to find nature-laid twin lizard eggs?" Rika added. "Internet?" Ryan suggested, half-sarcastically. "Screw that, I''m not ordering that shit online. Get them yourself." "So use bitcoin or something. I don''t care, but you''re not leaving this dump until I get what''s mine." Alden didn''t dare move a muscle. He was completely out of his depth in this confrontation, whatever it was about. Out of the corner of his eye, Alden saw Rika''s hand gently unclasp one of the pouches on her belt, out of sight for Ryan or his cronies. "Bitcoin''s traceable as fuck, and besides, how am I supposed to get it to you when I can''t leave this dump?" Rika asked pointedly. "So give me my gems back." "How''d you know I was back in town, anyway?" Rika deflected. "We''ve got a guy," one of Ryan''s guys piped up. Ryan shot him a look and he fell silent. "Ooh. Ryan''s moving up in the world. Got himself a reader," she taunted. Ryan glowered at his companion. "Look, I¡ª" Alden started. He wasn''t sure why he was inserting himself into a heated and suddenly quite vulgar argument for the sake of a girl he''d just met, but he couldn''t help himself. "Stay out of this," Rika and Ryan said in unison. Alden quickly fell silent. "Give me the eggs, or give me the topaz back. Simple as that," Ryan said. "Oh Ryan. Is this because I stopped sleeping with you?" Rika teased. "Why would you bang a board that flat anyway?" one of Ryan''s cronies sneered, which quickly devolved into a back-and-forth about Rika''s physical appearance between his minions. "Maybe he''s more of an ass-man." "She doesn''t got that either! Maybe he''s a weeb." Alden half-expected Rika to jump him then and there. She seemed like the quick-to-violence type. To his surprise, she ignored the jabs entirely, her eyes still locked on Ryan. Ryan shook his head. "Just want the topaz," he grunted. Alden thought he detected a bit more anger in his voice after Rika''s last comment, or maybe it was the catcalls from his friends. He couldn''t help but think Rika was deliberately antagonising them and it couldn''t be going anywhere healthy. Still, what on earth were they arguing over? That was the weirdest part for Alden. The conversation and tone was clear, but the subjects made no sense. Gemstones and lizard eggs? What the hell was this? Alden was beyond confused. He decided to just stay silent. Hopefully it would end up making sense before much longer. He was about to be very, very wrong. Rika''s hand began to move down to her belt, presumably to grab the topaz. "Shit!" One of Ryan''s guys reacted. Ryan began lifting a hand to stop him, but it was too late. The guy reached into his pocket and tossed something into the air. A few tiny rocks that glinted as they caught the light hanging above them. Alden watched the crony''s hand make a small gesture in midair, but it was too fast for him to see from a distance. More importantly, as the guy''s fingers moved, the tiny objects he''d hurled started glowing. Not just glowing. They were on fire. More importantly, they were hurtling right at Alden and Rika. Alden froze in place. There were actual fireballs flying at him. Tiny, bright orange fireballs whizzing through midair at his chest. Am I that tired? Just as suddenly, he felt his hair stand on end. A blur of motion across from him and Rika''s hand had flown up to point at the licks of flame. Alden would have sworn her hand teleported from the pouch on her belt, it moved so fast. The tiny fireballs were only halfway to his face when Rika made her move. Tiny arcs of electricity crackled around her fingertips. Their appearance sounded a whipcrack echoing through the entire restaurant. Alden instinctively flinched, as did the trio opposite. A brilliant blue arc spiked through the air, forming tiny connections with anything nearby as it whipped across the table to impact on the fireballs. The bolt crackled and split into three. Each branch struck a fireball directly, a strange mixture of glowing red and sharp blue. It felt like slow motion as the three flecks of flame were pushed aside. Alden saw the sparkle of what looked like dust fall from Rika''s hand. The orbs knocked into the wall all around them both, tiny impacts that quickly dissipated into small blackened rocks. All of it happened in only a second, but Alden still felt the wash of heat and the rush of adrenaline in his head. "Seth, what the fuck?" Ryan shouted at his companion, but they were both staring at Rika in terror, who had stood up. Even though he was presumably on her side, Alden was scared¡ªbut also thrilled. There was a low crackle of electricity, tiny arcs whipping along the streak of blue in her hair, like a cloudless storm hovering on the side of her face. He could feel the air around them energized from the activity, as the smell of ozone drifted past his nostrils, intoxicating and foreboding. With her right hand still outstretched and her jacket sleeve having fallen away, Alden could see an intricate tattoo adorning her wrist. Two flowers, one black and one light pink sat on the back of her hand, with their stems intertwined and stretching back up her forearm a short distance. As he stared, another crackle accompanied a small brilliant bolt of lightning curling and snapping between two of her fingers. "Get the hell out before I throw you out," Rika growled with such fury that Alden recoiled involuntarily in his seat. Ryan didn''t need to be told twice. He grabbed the arm of the guy who had fired at Rika and dragged him out of the restaurant, their other companion following. Dan stood stock still at the grill, his eyes wide. Alden would never forget the look on Rika''s face at that moment¡ªutterly suffused with fury. She was breathing heavily, as if she''d just run a fair distance. "Zack, toss me those rubies," she said calmly, returning to her seat. She tried to relax into the chair, though it was obvious she was still worked up. Alden spluttered back to life. With what he''d just witnessed, there was no way he was going to refuse anything she asked. He looked around and grabbed up the three blackened stones set into the wall, shaking the ash off of them before setting them on the table. "Thanks." Rika picked them up, looking at them closely. "Nope." She tossed the first into one pouch. "Nope. Well, this one''s not bad. Eh, one''s better than nothing." She took out a small cloth from another pouch on her bag and started on the rock, wiping away the blackened edges as best she could. "Gonna have to get this a real polishing later. Hey Dan," she called out without looking. "...Yeah?" Dan asked nervously. "Those fries ready yet?" "Oh. Yeah, one sec." Dan looked enormously relieved to have something normal to focus on. He turned around and busied himself with his cooking. "Hope this is obvious, Dan, but please don''t say anything about what you just saw. Yeah?" Rika said matter-of-factly. "No shit," Dan muttered. Rika grinned at Alden. "You good there, Zack?" "...What are you?" Alden asked. "O-positive. You?" "I¡­ What?" "I''m human, idiot." Rika looked back at the gem, which was beginning to show small shades of red again, though many of the charred portions were clearly too much for her simple cloth to remove. "But¡­ what¡ª" "That''s the best I''m going to get." Rika tossed the ruby into another pouch, then began looking around the table for something. Alden didn''t know how to react to her statement. A few moments of silence passed before he finally spoke up again. "What are you looking for?" "I was hoping some of that topaz hadn''t cracked, but it''s all dust. Waste of perfectly good shards," Rika sighed. "Are you going to give me a straight answer?" Alden asked angrily. "You gonna tell me your real name?" Rika shot back. He cleared his throat. Screw it, he decided. Better her than anyone else I''ve seen so far. "Alden. Alden Bensen." She held out her hand. "Rika Nishimura. Pleasure." He shook it, and distinctly felt the electricity coursing through her body. It felt like her skin was thrumming with movement and energy. He grasped it firmly this time, and felt the current weave its way through him. "How did you do that?" Alden asked, excitement and fear mixing pleasantly in his chest. Rika grinned. "Short answer? Magic is real." [Discord]¡ª[Rate This Story]¡ª[Patreon] Chapter 2 — Rachel DuValle Chapter 2 ¡ª Rachel DuValle "It ain''t right." "Might be, might not, but did you really need to come after the kid?" the sheriff''s deputy asked. He was still seated, despite the two angry men with narrowed eye locked to narrowed eye across the thick wood table. "This idiot is stealin'' my living. Don''t I got a right to defend myself?" growled Robert, the elder of the two. He was a grizzled old logger-turned-hunter with a beard as thick as the muscles bulging on his forearms. "I didn''t take a single step on your land," Nate retorted, his voice rising to match Robert''s in volume¡ªthough rather less intimidating. "I caught the buck myself. Public property, fair and square." "Bullshit. I had cameras, kid." Rachel began to take an interest in the conversation. If Robert truly had captured something of note¡ªsomething that could potentially expose them¡ªshe might need to act quickly. She sat up and set aside the book she''d been reading under the table. Her new study of ancient Egyptian culture would have to wait, despite its potential to illuminate a few mysteries surrounding her. She had to make sure the town of Rallsburg didn''t slide into chaos first, as usual. "Cameras showing what, exactly?" Deputy Bowman chimed in, trying to maintain some semblance of control. They were in a small room at the town hall set aside for meetings and disputes such as these. A few hand-carved chairs and an elegant table, with hand-carved and detailed frames adorning donated paintings of the vast forests surrounding the town hanging on each wall. The lumber for which was probably felled by the rough and tumble Robert, determined to undermine the heir to the Price Logging Company fortune, Rachel mused. This isn''t neutral ground in the slightest when Robert Harrison is surrounded by the labors of the men he represents. "Showin'' this spoiled brat decided he''d come on my land, steal my game and rub it in my face," Robert replied with satisfaction. He took his seat and opened the laptop he''d brought with him and opened a video file. Rachel leaned in close to watch, while her hand snaked its way into the bag at her side. Just in case, she reminded herself, though the trepidation churning in her stomach was quite at odds with the calm expression she held affixed to her face. The video was choppy and brief¡ªtaken with whatever camera Robert could get his hands on in short notice, no doubt¡ªbut Nate''s distinct mop of floppy blonde hair was clearly visible. He stood near the edge of Robert''s land. As he''d claimed, he never took a step even close to the fence marking the boundary. Instead, he looked directly at the camera and gave a small wave. Rachel barely suppressed a laugh at the dumb look plastered on his face. Concerned as she might be, Rachel usually enjoyed Nate''s genial attitude and his way of getting any particular class (professor included) to burst out in laughter at the drop of a hat. Her brief moment of levity was tempered by the potential danger they still faced in this room. Nate Price wasn''t an idiot by any stretch, but he wasn''t the quickest to grasp the far-reaching consequences of his actions. She clenched her fist tight under the table, fearing the worst. On the screen, Nate turned to face the fence and raised a hand, palm upward. With one small gesture he beckoned to something off camera. A few moments later, two huge bucks burst out of the trees and cleared the fence with easy leaps, passing by Nate on either side. Nate gave another lopsided grin to the camera and a solemn bow before vanishing off-camera with the two deer. As the video seemed to be over, Rachel felt the weight lift from her chest. Blood flow returned to her fist. This I can deal with. She surreptitiously withdrew her phone and dashed off a quick text message. As they met eyes, Robert seemed flush with victory. She raised an eyebrow. "Was that it?" "He stole my deer!" "It looks to me like he just made a few friends." "Cut the crap, Preston. Why is she here anyway? Did you need a cheerleader or somethin''?" Robert shot at the deputy. Preston shrugged. "It''s public property and the door''s open. No reason she can''t be here." In truth Deputy Bowman had invited her personally, but they didn''t see any need to let Robert know that. "On that note," Rachel added, "Nate was clearly also on public property in your video, and never approached your fence. I''m not sure I''m seeing a problem." "Kid did something to steal my deer out." "How?" she asked simply. "I don''t know, a lure or something. Bait. Pheromones. Take your pick." "Have you ever heard of a lure that can get deer to run directly at you?" Rachel asked the deputy. He shook his head. "Lure ''em to a spot, sure, but no way are they getting that close to you without getting spooked." "They''re still mine," Robert growled. The irascible old hunter wasn''t to be cut out of the conversation just yet. "On my property and he went for ''em." "Actually, it''s illegal to own deer under WAC 232-12-007, as you should know. Regardless of whose property they''re on, the animals are considered wild and not owned by anyone if they''re still alive," Rachel rattled off, dredging up the particular statute from her memory as easily as her own birthday. Both Nate and Robert''s mouths fell open. Rachel smiled. Even months after she''d started taking full advantage of her new abilities, there were still many who only remembered the air-headed blonde of her former life. To hear her citing Washington state code perfectly by memory was shocking to say the least. Deputy Bowman nodded, suppressing a grin. This was the reason he''d invited her. Having memorized the entire state lawbook and every relevant case, Rachel was invaluable in settling disputes with the rule of law unquestionably. Despite being a third party, her new disquieting nature was effective in quelling potential brawls before they could spiral out of hand¡ªcommonplace where the remaining displaced loggers of the town were concerned. "As for how Nate managed the trick, I think you''ll find that if you examine your computer, you''ll see the footage was modified at some point," she added, trying not to sound too smug. "It looked to me like Nate combined two shots and composited himself into the picture at the time those deer leapt the fence. The mirage was entirely technical." "Bullshit!" Robert shouted, rising to his feet. Rachel had begun a mental count the moment she''d sent the text message. She only needed a couple minutes for Will to work his magic. "I''m not going to sit here and be lectured by a girl who can''t find her own apartment every other day." Rachel seethed, but projected calm and authority as best she could manage. "The deer left on their own. I''m sure a hunter of your skill and experience is familiar enough with how they tend to move through their habitat. The last one shouldn''t be too difficult to track down again." Robert was taken aback at the compliment, and seemed undecided on whether or not it had been sarcastic. Rachel, of course, meant every word¡ªthough she wasn''t particularly inclined to be nice to the man. She wanted more than anything to be done with the whole affair so she could get back to more important matters. "Not until he explains how he got them to leave in the first place," Robert growled. "He doesn''t have to do that¡ª" the deputy began, but Rachel interrupted as her phone buzzed silently against her leg, her signal to speak up again. "I think we can settle this more easily. May I see your laptop, Mr. Harrison?" Once again he seemed taken aback, this time by her polite address. Perhaps intrigued by how different she seemed compared to his memory of her, Robert handed over the laptop without complaint. In full view of everyone to prevent any accusations of foul play, Rachel scrolled through and found the video they''d just watched. "If I may?" Rachel asked, the cursor hovering over the ''Restore Previous Versions'' button. She prayed Will had been able to spoof it fast enough. "Get on with it," Robert said impatiently. Nate looked worried, which Rachel noted with satisfaction. She was glad he still had enough wits about him to fear what might happen, even if he wasn''t going to find out today. The video came up again, and sure enough, there was Nate once more. He went through the same motions, mugging for the camera as only a spoiled rich kid could. There was the gesture into the woods¡ªand for the briefest moment Rachel saw that the lighting on the ground wasn''t quite right, but it corrected itself a frame later. She doubted that anyone else could have noticed the change, but she resolved to bring it up with Will nonetheless. As she''d expected, there suddenly were no deer to be found. The Nate in the video left as he did before, this time without any companionship, and the video came to an end. Robert was staring at it with a stupefied expression. "Can''t be right. The deer are gone. That was faked." It was, but not in the way you''re thinking, Rachel mused. She once again marveled at Will''s breadth of abilities with a computer. He was the type to dabble in everything, and as such was remarkably resourceful in a pinch¡ªwhich she found she needed more and more every passing week. Nate was starting to look a bit too pleased that he was about to get off without so much as a warning. Rachel decided that Robert needed a bit of placation to help balance the scales. He was still an important figure as the head of the loggers union as well as one of the more influential men of the town, and she could use more voices amenable to her. "That said, I think the Deputy would agree that Nate here is still in violation of WAC 232-12-055.2," Rachel continued, swivelling to lock a withering glare on Nate. He shrank from her gaze, which was gratifying in its own right. "Which is?" Robert asked after a pause. "Failure to wear orange in a hunting zone," Rachel said simply, getting to her feet and hoisting her bag over her shoulder. "Deputy, I think a citation would be appropriate." After a moment''s stunned silence, Deputy Bowman nodded, the barest hint of a smile creasing his lips. Rachel strode from the room, ducking through the doorway, reasonably pleased with how the day had begun. Of course, she had scarcely a few minutes to enjoy the sunlight before Nate''s voice was following her down the front steps of the town hall. "Why''d you do that?" Nate whined. Rachel sighed, not turning to meet him. No matter what, his voice always seemed to be whining a little to Rachel. It made him exhausting to talk to, as if everything was a bother to him in life. Sometimes it made for great comedy, but lately it simply meant an endless parade of headaches. Today, her frustration reached a limit. As they rounded the corner, Rachel spun suddenly, catching him off guard. She pushed him up against the wall, which wasn''t too difficult given the several inches she had over him and his skinny frame. Rachel sometimes enjoyed being so tall, not least because it helped her be intimidating when she needed to be. "Because you need to take this seriously, Nate," she stated firmly. Nate shrank against the wall. "It''s a new world. We''re all in this together, but I''m not always going to be there to bail you out." Luckily, Rachel was spared the questions of how she''d managed to modify the video in the scant few minutes of conversation. Instead, Nate seemed to actually be grateful, which was a welcome to surprise to Rachel. "Thanks, Rachel," he said quietly. "Won''t happen again." Rachel released him. She cocked her head to the side, deciding to toss him a bone as well and let him save some face. Nate would welcome the chance to brag, especially since he couldn''t cast spells himself. "How''d you do it anyway, without magic? Did someone mask your scent somehow?" Nate shook his head. "Wasn''t my idea. Natalie spoke to them. She wanted them to be free." Rachel sighed. "That girl is going to be the death of me." Her watch beeped, prompting her for breakfast moments before her stomach growled. "See you around, Nate." With a parting wave, she hurried home where Will would be anxiously awaiting her.
It was a bright cheerful morning in April, a few weeks later, and Rachel DuValle was late for class. To some this may have been of little consequence, but for a responsible adult like Rachel¡ªwith goals and ambitions far exceeding her humble upbringing¡ªit was a calamitous event. Rachel was never late to class. She took great pride in it. In the twenty-two years she''d been alive, she''d never once been more than one minute late to any obligations. Then again, in those same twenty-two years, Rachel had never once dealt with a problem quite like this one. "How on earth did you even manage this?" she asked exasperatedly. "Look, just help me down, all right?" Will shot back grumpily. Rachel sighed. "Who did you piss off?" She pulled at one rope experimentally. It was perfectly taut, not a millimeter of slack remaining. As she touched one strand it shook slightly, sending Will wobbling right along with it. He groaned from the movement as it sent him bouncing dizzily through the air. William Carbonell, age twenty-three and the former technology guru of Rallsburg State University, presently suspended by a tight web of ropes and sheets some five feet in the air above the small living room. She plucked experimentally at a rope, which was taut and strong holding up Will''s six foot stocky frame. With his muscles and well-chiseled face, he could be one of the most handsome guys on campus¡ªif only he would get rid of the shoulder-length hair and stubble. He looked like he was just coming home from a headbanger concert every time she saw him. Rachel glanced around her apartment, looking for anything that might get him down easily. Neatly stacked books and papers, several laptops, and a large whiteboard with long lists of names and hierarchies, but nothing that seemed remotely helpful. Rachel went into the kitchen and retrieved a serrated knife just as Will finally mumbled a name. "Again, with feeling." "It was Viper, okay?" Rachel stopped short of cutting the nearest strand of rope and gave him a stern look. "You invited that psycho into our apartment?" "Hell no!" Will snapped. "But he''s not really the kind of guy you can just say no to." "I do all the time," Rachel folded her arms, frowning. Will shook his head. "You''re much braver than me, honey. Now can you get me down please?" "What did he want?" "Wanted to know if we knew anything about his stuff being stolen. Only got him to leave when I convinced him you wouldn''t be home for hours." Rachel shook her head, exasperated, but began to saw at the rope with theknife all the same. It was tough, military-grade stuff¡ªunsurprising given the culprit. As she finally worked through the first few strands, Will began to rise higher toward the ceiling. He let out a yelp of pain. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Fear pulsed through her entire body, as panicked visions of her beloved''s body twisting all out of proportion from the ropes surged through her mind. She stopped dead, not daring to move the blade another inch. "What happened?" "Rope''s twisting at my leg. You cutting it just made it worse." He looked down at it, face creased in fear. "How about I call an expert?" Rachel pulled out her phone and started dialing. "Wait!" "What?" "Are you calling Mason? Please don''t say you''re calling Mason." "You got a better idea?" Rachel pointed out, now with a ringing phone in her ear. Will groaned. She held the phone to her ear with her shoulder, grasping Will''s hand with her own tightly. He took hold gratefully. "Don''t worry, Will. Mason''ll have you out of there in no time at all," she said comfortingly, as the phone in her ear clicked on. "Rachel?" Quick and reliable to answer as usual, but Mason Rhistler always started a conversation with the other person''s name. Never a ''hello'' or a ''good morning.'' Rachel often wondered what that was about. It sometimes felt like he had to remind himself who he was speaking with. She was surrounded by odd characters more and more every passing day. "Hi, Mason." "Shouldn''t you be heading to class?" She grimaced at the reminder. Mason was the sort of person who always had his act together. As the nephew to the mayor, he seemed to believe he was partly responsible for each and every citizen of the town. Nowadays, she was as well-organized and on top of things as anyone, but the dry tone of his voice made it clear she''d never quite get her old reputation behind her. Not in front of her close friends, at least. Rachel didn''t need them to see her differently though. She had the entire world waiting for her to build up her new image, well beyond the student population of a tiny liberal arts college sequestered in the forests of western Washington. "It''s been a weird morning, okay? Look, we need your help." "What''s up?" "Look, just come over to my apartment. Will got himself¡­ stuck, and I''m having trouble getting him free." "O¡­kay," Mason said slowly, clearly wondering if she''d gone off the deep end. "Did you forget how to unlock the bathroom door again?" "No, it''s not that," Rachel snapped, her cheeksflaring up at the memory. "You''ll understand when you get here. The key will be in the gutter above the door. I''ve gotta run." "Sure." "And Mason? Come alone, please." "Whatever you say, Rach." She winced. Rachel had always hated people shortening her name. Mason was doing it deliberately to mess with her, no doubt. "Thanks." She hung up the phone, then glanced back at Will. He looked miserable, but otherwise okay. "Can I get you anything?" "Nah." He tried to adjust his position a little in the web of ropes, to make himself more comfortable, but it didn''t look like it helped much. He hung his head in disappointment, before forcing a smile onto his face. "Have a good day in class. I''ll be fine." Rachel could tell he was still upset, but it seemed like it was about more than just his current predicament. Will was the sort of guy that would keep everything internal as long as he could, even around her. She knew that pressing him on it would only make him feel more uncomfortable. Will would tell her when he was ready. She could wait. Rachel went back into the kitchen and put the scissors away, grabbing the step stool as she went. She took it into the middle of the living room and climbed atop it. Will''s face was pinched with disappointment, and just a twinge of fear, though Rachel could tell it wasn''t directed at herself. He dragged back his fake smile once again, trying to reassure her before she left for the day. "Have a good day. I love you," he said, and despite the situation and the many huge weights crushing down on both of their minds in that moment, it was still enough to send her heart fluttering. She looked back into his friendly brown eyes that always made her feel safe and comforted and smiled. Rachel leaned forward and gave him a kiss. "I love you too." She could feel him squirm just a little, though his current restraints prevented anything else. She climbed back down, grabbing her bag of books and papers, and fastening the little pouch of other materials to her waist. "Text me when you can, okay?" "Yeah." Rachel closed the front door and locked it behind her, then took out her spare key and set it on the railing of the second story walkway of the apartment complex. She focused on it as best she could, though she''d always been awful at this sort of thing. Her hand contorted slightly at the effort, as she felt the energy flooding down to her fingertips. It was like a rush of blood, but deeper in the core of her body¡ªa gust of wind that moved inside her skin. With a quick flick of the wrist, she sent the key fluttering upward. She couldn''t sustain it. The key wasn''t hovering or flying in any sense. It was as if she''d thrown it. She winced, frantically refocusing on the little dot of reflected light in the morning sun, and flicked at it again. It abruptly changed directions in mid-air, flinging itself back toward the roof above the walkway. She heard it clatter satisfyingly into the gutter. Rachel let out a small gasp of exertion as she released the mental energy she''d gathered back into her body. It had only taken two movements, awkward and exhausting as they might have been. She congratulated herself. Rachel had done far worse in the past. Maybe she was getting better. A glance at the clock above the sign for Hendricks Apartments down in the parking lot was enough to dismiss the thought and send her scurrying down the stairs and onto the road. If she hurried, she might still make it to class on time.
Rallsburg, Washington¡ªa town that would normally fade utterly into obscurity¡ªexisted primarily to serve the students and faculty of Rallsburg State University. Nestled at the southern edge of the Olympic National Forest in the foothills, it originally stood as a logging town and a railway stop between Tacoma and the Pacific coastline, but when the state decided to sponsor a new college campus, it became prime cheap real estate. The school was established, new housing built, and new residents surged into the town. It took a great deal of time before the well-entrenched locals came to accept the newcomers that plagued their once simple town, but as more new businesses sprang up and the town became a hotbed of economic growth, even the most stubborn homeowner came to see the benefits the new school brought. They resisted, but no trouble had ever come from the new university, and so their fears went unfounded for years. By the time the school reached its first decade of operation, Rallsburg as a whole came together to celebrate its anniversary, without a single harsh word to be found in the entire township. However, as the years went by and the excitement faded, coupled with the lack of any real achievement by way of the school, the town grew quiet and lonely once again. Businesses closed up shop. A new, more direct train route was opened to the coast. The college saw decreasing attendance year after year until it shrank to the low hundreds. The state program was already considering closing it for good. Rallsburg was finally accepting its fate. In its fifty-second year of education, the college and the town both would be rocked to their core, but for now the students of the university had nothing more to concern themselves with than the upcoming finals week and the never-ending tangled web of relationships and stories that made up a typical college life, albeit in small scale. If Rachel had her way, the transition would be as smooth and painless as possible. As she walked (having given up sprinting after she realized she was still perfectly capable to getting to the campus on time at a pace that didn''t startle every living creature she passed), Rachel was sure to greet everyone she passed by. She knew nearly every resident of the town by name and face, and those she didn''t were sure to get a friendly introduction. Rachel was the type to network everywhere she went to a fault. No matter what context, she was always building up her relationships, forming new connections, and finding new friendships. Her tactics were learned from a certain socialite on campus whom she was passing that very moment. Hailey Winscombe, formerly the queen of town, the one whom everyone knew and knew everyone in return. Hailey had been Rachel''s inspiration, a queen spider at the center of a vast web, though she was sure that Hailey didn''t see it that way. The girl was one of the most genuine and authentic people Rachel had ever met, and that threw most people off guard long enough for her to make friends. Yet something had changed. Hailey had become withdrawn and distant over the last year. Rachel had seen her opportunity and struck for it, becoming the new town gossip, the go-to friend for student and townie alike. A cynical observer might have called it manipulative, the level to which she tried to build her status amongst the social structure in the vacuum left in Hailey''s wake, but Rachel didn''t think of it that way. She wanted to meet everyone, to know their stories and their fears. Eventually, she felt she could see how it all knitted together, so that she could repair the frayed edges and keep the town whole and happy. So she told herself, anyway. At some deeper level of her mind, Rachel''s nagging conscience reminded her that she was doing it all for personal gain to some degree, and maybe she was. But if she did good by most of the people she met, did her motivations matter? Rachel tried to help whenever she was able, and indeed many of the town often approached her as a sort of mediator. If there was a conflict between the old hunter out by the woods and the construction crew working on resurfacing a road near town, they called on Rachel to talk the man down from his guns. When a couple of college kids started skipping out on their rent, the landlord went to Rachel, and she in turn persuaded the pair to pay in full without incident. Even the sheriff of the town - a harsh grumbling woman by the name of Jackie Nossinger - was quick to enlist Rachel''s help when there was any sort of trouble that might be solved by diplomacy rather than violence. After all, Rachel never forgot anything, or anyone. Her memory was absolutely flawless, and her composure rarely wavered. This was in stark contrast to the image the students and faculty of Rallsburg University held of Rachel DuValle only a year prior. Rachel had formerly been something of a ditzy, stereotypical blonde¡ªbut without the looks or even the blonde hair. She''d often lose track of assignments, to the point of pulling over-nighters redoing them from scratch to get them in on time. The comment from Mason earlier about the bathroom door still grated at her mind, hours later as she sat idle in class. Her door was a tricky thing, always in disrepair and with a fiddly lock that required you to practically pick it open every time with a hairpin. She''d asked Brian, her landlord, to repair it many times over, but he''d always given some excuse or other. So she''d have to ask Mason, one of her closest friends, or Will, the only two human beings she could bear to be so embarrassed in front of. She''d frequently forget birthdays, was terrible with faces, and had a knack for losing every important paper she wrote for days at a time before miraculously recovering them at the last moment. Rachel hated all these things about herself, but try as she might, she''d never managed to improve on it. The only thing she managed was to be on time for everything, even if she had to show up without half of her work. Her life had been a never-ending parade of stress and panic until the last year. It had fluttered onto her balcony one day, practically shoving itself into her hand by the bluster of the wind. She''d read from it, she''d understood its secrets, and from that day forward she''d found purpose, a new drive to push her forward. Her old plans were quickly forgotten, vague dreams of possible careers dashed to the wind. Rachel had always been the sort of die-hard ''save the world'' type, but she''d never had a clear idea of how to go about doing it. As the years rolled by and the world seemed to get worse and worse, she''d begun to despair that she''d never be able to amount any real change. So when literal magic dropped into her lap, she didn''t think twice before taking the plunge. The lecture she was currently sitting through was exceedingly dull, to say the least, but still Rachel was catching every word, almost effortlessly, even as she had a document open on her laptop, writing a paper for another class entirely. It was just how her mind worked now, this sort of hyper-efficient multitasking, and it was all due to the ritual she''d enacted. In hindsight, what she''d attempted was probably reckless and dangerous to untold degrees, but she was too excited and hopeful to pass up the chance. When she''d later told Will (in strictest confidence) what she''d done, he''d been shocked and terrified for her well-being, both physically and mentally. With the fireworks he''d witnessed, she didn''t blame him for being worried.
They''d only just discovered magic maybe six months prior in February, and Rachel felt more than ready to take things up a notch. As far as Rachel knew, herself along with Mason, Rika, Ryan and a few others, were the first in history to ever cast any sort of spell or ritual besides the Three Gods. She''d spent a few weekends delving into every history book she could get her hands on dealing with the occult or spellcasting, and none of them seemed connected to what they''d discovered, nor did the Gods offer up any suggestions about where magic had come from (though Rachel secretly suspected they knew). Nor did the Internet, as she spent yet another weekend searching every website, every obscure forum, every social network she could find her way into for similar experiences to theirs. Magic was real, and had apparently popped into existence only a year ago, in a small college town in the middle of the forest in Washington, and no one knew about it. They''d taken to it voraciously and experimented with it. Everyone in their original group was eager to try out new ideas, come up with new and exciting variations on the simple spells and rituals they''d already learned. So it was that Rachel DuValle was possibly the first ever to attempt a ritual on her own mind, on a windy afternoon in September. It was dangerous and unprecedented, something she certainly might not have walked away from. Rachel had shuttered herself in her bedroom, the door locked and wedged shut, with towels and blankets pressed against the edges of the frame. The curtains to her bedroom window, overlooking the steep hill and thick forest behind the apartment complex, were drawn tightly closed, and a second pair of heavy blackout curtains were carefully wrapped around those, with a layer of duct tape holding them against the wall to shut out every tiny piece of light. Her bed was pushed into the corner of the room, leaving a wide space devoid of anything and everything she could remove. There was still a layer of carpet, of course, but she could only do so much to remove potentially influencing objects before she started making permanent changes and breaking her lease. Rachel still needed a roof above her head¡ªat least for the moment. Before plunging her room into total darkness, she''d laid out chalk in a diagram described in the page, grinding it into powder and sprinkling it in the circles and patterns she''d seen in her mind. At eight different points around the circle, she placed a tiny amethyst crystal, set in a small tealight holder to keep it standing and pointed upward. She''d spent hours carving them to perfect points that would sit neatly in the circle. Finally, to complete the simple design, she needed to place the object she was enhancing in the center of the circle. Which, in this case, was her own brain. Rachel pulled off her clothes nervously and set them neatly against the wall. She wasn''t sure how much of an effect they might have on the ritual, and she wasn''t about to find out. It was already clear to her that other objects crossing the line of chalk while the ritual was in progress could send the entire delicate process tumbling into something¡­ undesirable. She wanted to be as careful as she could, given that she had nothing to help her. There were no guides to find on the internet, no research papers or books she might consult. It occurred to Rachel she was a pioneer, exploring things no one had ever thought might be possible. It was exhilarating. She carefully removed her small earrings and set them atop her clothes. Fully nude¡ªnot a single errant object between her body and the environment¡ªRachel turned to face the chalk circle, finally closing the door and plunging the room into total darkness. Gingerly, excitedly, Rachel stepped into the circle. She''d expected something more dramatic to occur, but nothing happened. All she felt was the shivers running up her legs and her spine, a perfectly normal reaction to the cold air hanging around her skin and the abject fear slowly seeping into her bones. Was she about to do something she would regret for the rest of her life? Rachel dismissed the doubt. She wasn''t one to hesitate in the face of discovery. She might be forgetful sometimes, but she was driven by curiosity and a passion for knowledge nonetheless. Her next step, taking her to the exact center of the circle (if her practice runs were accurate), was far more assured. With apprehension mounting in her chest, Rachel sat down cross-legged, shut her eyes tight, and set her fingers to her temples. With every ounce of effort she could muster, Rachel tried to draw at the energy of the crystals around her, mentally pushing at them in the way the page had described. At first, nothing happened. She began to fear she''d gotten something wrong, and let her eyelids slide open. Of course, in the pitch black this did nothing whatsoever, and in fact she couldn''t tell she''d even opened them again except for the slight air current that tickled her eyelashes. Then, as she blinked once more, faint hazy lines simply appeared in the air, like strings stretched out into the black void. They were like insubstantial lines of fog, a plain gray color that she could easily have missed had there been even a speck of light in the room. The lines formed a simple web, starting at the tip of each crystal and arcing lazily up to reach her body, where they crossed inside to presumably meet somewhere inside her brain. As Rachel turned her head to look at them, they seemed to drift along with her, like they were attached to a particular point inside her skull. She raised a hand to touch one, but it simply passed through without note, as if the cloudy lines weren''t there at all. Stupid, she berated herself. It''s attached to your mind; of course your hand''s not going to do anything. Instead, Rachel attempted to project her will mentally, drawing at the lines hanging in the air. It was a strange process, feeling a piece of what she felt was her being¡ªher soul, perhaps, if she believed in such a thing¡ªleaving her body to grasp at something external. She felt disembodied in the literal sense of the word, as if her eyes were suddenly a camera now observing herself from a distance, even as her view didn''t move in the slightest. As she watched, the foggy connections began to flow toward her, lines of small clouds rushing inward to her brain. Rachel could feel the changes already beginning. Her memories felt clear and crisp, and the blood rushing through her skull seemed to accelerate even as it grew quieter. She felt like she could concentrate more easily, absorb her surroundings more quickly. Where once she had trouble paying attention to one person at a time, Rachel knew intuitively she could now focus on any number of things happening around her with ease. She rose to her feet like a coiled spring, even as the streams of energy continued to rush into her. There were so many things she could be doing now. Her mind felt awake and potent, as if she''d been sleepwalking through her life until now. She wanted to start catching up on all the wasted time right away. Impatience got the better of her, and Rachel took a step toward the edge of the circle. Immediately, the cloudy lines broke, and a whistling sound echoed through the room, like wind rushing through a field of bones. As the only faint source of light, their disappearance plunged her room back into total darkness. Rachel trembled, quickly taking a step back to her spot, but the whistling only grew louder. Then, a piercing whip crack, followed by the ringing sound of glass striking glass. Another crack sounded, and she felt something slash through her calf, igniting sharp pain across her entire leg. She stumbled, and her hand felt the drip of blood on her leg. As the third crack sounded, Rachel leapt for the door. She slapped the light switch just as a shard of crystal embedded itself into the wall near her torso. Rachel watched in horror as the fourth gemstone exploded, sending the little metal candleholder flying as shards ricocheted in every direction. She tore the door open, pushing aside the makeshift barrier, and flung herself out into the hallway and the waiting arms of Will, who''d been rushing to investigate. Four more explosions followed, as loud as gunshots. She trembled in the hallway, while a confused and horrified Will held the wound on her leg closed. As the last one subsided, her ears still ringing, Rachel finally looked back at the closed door. A putrid scent of smoke and burning hair ebbed from the gap under the wood. She pushed the door open, heedless of Will''s protests, and saw the floor littered with shattered purple crystals. Despite the carnage, despite her bleeding leg and torn pile of clothes littering the corners of the room, ripped curtains on the walls and fragments embedded in the walls, a tiny smile formed on Rachel''s lips. It had worked, even with the dramatic and unexpected ending. Every new memory was like an open book. Even old memories were suddenly frozen, perfectly vivid as far as she could recall at that instant. Her brain felt like it was on overdrive. She pressed herself closer to Will as her leg continued to burn in agony, letting the adrenaline work through her system. With her newfound wisdom, Rachel immediately resolved never to do something like that again. [Discord]¡ª[Rate This Story]¡ª[Patreon] Chapter 3 — Making Connections Chapter 3 ¡ªMaking Connections Looking back on her ritual now in May, at the end of the year, Rachel was still glad she''d been reckless enough to attempt something so foolhardy. Sure, she had a long, angry scar on the back of her leg and some purple crystals permanently fixed to the wall above her bed, but the new abilities the ritual had brought were more than enough to make up for the damage. She was also now acutely more aware of just how badly such rituals could go, and more importantly how lucky she''d been. Had she tried a more complicated ritual, or screwed up earlier in the process, there likely wouldn''t have been an apartment left¡ªmuch less a Rachel. She''d gotten a lot of fearful looks from Will, and a stern lecture from her landlord Brian about what was allowed or not allowed for tenants. She managed to pass it off as a science experiment gone awry. Still, all in all, it had been a rousing success, and one she''d followed up on with (much more carefully considered) rituals to help ease her other mental faculties, such as her need for sleep. She could make do with only a couple of hours a night without any side effects, though her body still needed to be physically rested. Most of that time she spent reading or writing, or just browsing the Internet, learning everything she could about anything, while Will snored gently next to her. It was a hell of a hand up on her classwork as well. She only had one class to attend today, thankfully. There was plenty of work to be done, and she would need as much time as possible to get it done before the meeting that night. Even with her advantages, there was only so much an accelerated mind could accomplish when so much of her work now was diplomatic or social in nature. The economic powers in the town were none too happy about the shifting structure that the newcomers brought, but they were helpless to resist when they couldn''t possibly comprehend how their new competitors operated. After all, how could they strategize against magic, when they didn''t even know it existed? Rachel saw a niche to fill. She was a liaison, a buffer zone between the growing magical market and the more traditional shops that knew nothing of their budding regime. In time, she knew they''d be inevitably overtaken, but anything Rachel could do to ease the transition was worth it. Magic was still a secret to the world, and as far as she could tell totally localized to this one small town in middle of nowhere, Washington. As long as she could, Rachel intended to keep it that way¡ªuntil they were ready. Rachel sighed as she passed Hector''s grocery. The store had never managed to turn a profit and had trouble lately even staying out of the red, so Rachel was currently propping it up with discreet funding she and Will were able to secure. Will had gotten into some very lucrative online trading marketplaces, as well as been at the forefront of the cryptocurrency boom, and his investments grew handsomely as parts of the world began to demand decentralized currency. Through the profits they brought in they were able to keep important allies afloat while the town stagnated. Confidence in the world governments was lower than she''d ever seen, and she wanted to turn that into progress. Rachel believed the world was just waiting for something new and revolutionary to set off a powder keg of change. If she could pull it off, if her plans came to fruition, magic would ignite that spark and Rachel would help steer the world to a brighter, happier future. "Hi, Boris," Rachel greeted warmly as she passed. "Dobroye utro, Miss DuValle," Boris Morozov answered politely, in his curious way of mixing heavily accented Russian with perfectly enunciated English whenever she was around. Good morning. She was still learning Russian, and many other languages, but she knew enough to catch his meaning. He''d been helping her learn what she couldn''t get from books and online tutors. He glanced up from his stack of books he was unloading from his black pickup to give her a warm smile. Rachel gave him a little wave as she passed his store, the cheerful Books by Boris sign swinging just above his head from a short black pole. He nodded in return, his hands quite full. She walked by, greeting the next shop owner after him, and the next. Most she only greeted out of habit, as they seemed unremarkable, and in her mind she merely catalogued them for later use. Boris was a special case, though. She hadn''t yet decided why, but something stood out about him¡ªsomething beyond the oddity of a Russian national living in such a remote town as this. Given his age, she suspected him to have grown up in the former Soviet Union, though his perfect English suggested he''d lived in the States a long time. Rachel had resolved to ask him about it one day, but something still kept her back, a prickle of fear. Maybe it was the way he still maintained his strong physique even as his age advanced, in stark contrast to such a calm career as the owner of a little bookstore. She stopped just around the corner at the end of the block, and looked around surreptitiously. With no one paying her much attention, Rachel leaned against the wall, letting her mind drift even as she focused her thoughts to a dagger''s point on the rough area where Boris still stood. As the contradictory state pushed and pulled at her brain, she could feel it pressing into her vision, a small burst of pain rolling through her eyes as the orbs contracted slightly, pressure from an unknown source grasping at them, while the colors of the world shifted ever so slightly. This was something Will had taught her, though for some reason she seemed far more adept at it than Will had ever managed. Maybe it was something like Rika had hypothesized, affinities and specialities, but Rachel hadn''t seen enough data to come to any conclusion yet. It was one of the few spells that she could accomplish regularly without significant exertion. Maybe she really was adverse to other types of magic. She hoped it wasn''t the case. An allergy or other aversion to an entire branch of magic seemed like a huge disadvantage, and Rachel needed every edge she could get. She pushed harder, forcing the strange split in her mind wider. All of the color in the world began to desaturate, and the edges of objects grew less distinct. As she let the world shimmer in front of her eyes, the faint lines began to appear, much like the cloudy, hazy energy she''d seen in that ritual months ago. These were unmoving, however, and merely draped themselves between people, or to objects they were particularly attached to. Indeed, as she tried to examine Boris from a distance, she could see those faint lines connecting him to some of the books in his stack, as well as a few stronger lines trailing off toward his store. One particularly strong line reached out to his pickup truck, which didn''t surprise her, and one remarkably solid line to the room above his shop. Nothing too useful, though she was surprised he apparently lived at the shop and not at the house he owned on the outskirts of town. Nothing he was tied to, or people he cared about. Boris Morozov was still a cipher to her¡ªone of the few remaining in the entire town. As the pressure continued to build on her eyes, and her skull began a faint pounding from the effort, Rachel released the magic back to wherever it came from, and the world shifted back into normal colors once more. She let out a huge breath from the exertion, letting the wall hold her up for a moment while she gathered herself. After a moment''s rest, she was off once more down the street, greeting the entire town as she went as if nothing had happened.
"It''s a mess," Kendra Laushire agreed, as they examined the map on her desk. Rachel had joined her at her small estate on the west end of town. Kendra leaned over the table, her fiery curls brushing the surface as she pored over the proposal schematic. Rachel marveled once more at how she managed to keep her hair so gorgeous despite its length and clear rebellious attitude toward anything resembling organization. "He asked for this much space?" "It''ll encroach over a few normals," Rachel pointed out, "but no Awakened should be directly affected." Kendra shook her head. "You shouldn''t categorize people like that. It''ll come to a bad end." Rachel privately disagreed. Everyone categorized everyone else, that was human nature. It was the only way human beings knew how to interact with the world, by interpreting, categorizing and learning from patterns. This was just yet another category they had at their disposal; those with magic and those without. Still, arguing with Kendra Laushire wasn''t about to get her very far. "He''s offering a pretty penny for it," Kendra noted with interest. "Isn''t that like nothing to you?" She frowned. "It''s not about my wealth, dear," Kendra replied dismissively, in the way only an upper-class British woman could, "it''s about his own. A sum like this is princely for a man who makes fourteen quid an hour driving a lorry round town." Rachel conceded the point. She hadn''t factored in Julian''s own wealth. "My mistake. You''re right, of course. It''s a lot for a donation to the council." "Don''t fret," Kendra said, still a tad condescending. "Either way, you''re right about it not affecting the town. The students have mostly gone home for break. Did he declare his intentions for the space?" "He didn''t." "Well, that''s settled then. We can''t be giving out massive tracts of land to a man who won''t tell us what manner of devilry he intends to wreak upon it. Not after that mess with the Grey cult," Kendra declared. "Like he''s just going to up and tell us?" Rachel furrowed her brow. "Doubtful. Anything this big, Julian will keep close to the chest. He''s not one for sharing, unfortunately. We''ll have to force him in front of the council." "I can''t imagine him doing something as insane as trying to summon Gray-eyes by way of burning down a forest. At least Cinza helped us put a stop to it in time." "Quite." "He''s not really popular enough to have the votes though, is he? I could test the waters, try to get a nose count." "Well, I''d say don''t bother, but sadly he seems intent on ruining our summer with whatever madness he''s cooking up. I''m terribly curious to figure out what manner of ritual it entails." Kendra leaned back in her chair, grabbing a sheet off one stack of papers. "By the way, Rachel, you scored a ninety-three on your final exam. You''re slipping a little. Did something change with your own ritual?" "You knew?" Rachel asked, taken aback. Kendra shrugged, not looking up from the paper she was scribbling through with her favorite red pen. "I know a thing or two about seeing magic in the air. You seem to be in constant flux in your own brain. That can''t be healthy." "I''m fine," Rachel insisted, though the information did trouble her. Fluctuations of magic in my brain? Before she could get Kendra to elaborate, the phone in the corner of the room practically flung itself off its cradle with a earsplitting ring. Kendra had a particularly old looking rotary-style phone, but it was strictly superficial. The electronics inside were as modern as could be. It was all a fa?ade. Kendra was simply old-fashioned enough that she hadn''t transitioned to cell phones entirely, though with her wealth she kept everything in the best quality, upgrading regularly. She picked up the receiver and muttered a few words that Rachel couldn''t quite make out. Kendra was doing something to muffle her voice, she was sure of it. After a minute or so, she set the receiver down with a worried look on her face. "It was Will. Something''s happening," she said abruptly. "Where?" "You''d better hurry. It''s near the old library." Rachel stood up immediately. "Do I need anything?" Kendra latched shut Rachel''s bag with the new materials she had purchased. She handed it over with a frown. "I don''t expect so, but do be careful anyway, dear. We do still need you around." Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
The sun was starting to go down as Rachel approached the old library. No matter how many times she came here, the cracked gargoyles and spiked archways unnerved her. Every step closer to the grounds chilled her bones a little more. She felt like there was a malevolent presence stalking the burned out husk of a building, though both Will and Kendra assured her many times over that nothing ever approached the fence. Nothing except herself, of course. Rachel had ventured into that building more than a few times, albeit rarely with any success. Will kept telling her there wasn''t anything to be found, but Rachel was stubborn. She knew the library must have some clue, some hidden cache of knowledge. Something must have survived the fire. She clambered over the splintered wood supports, still layered with ash and laid out where they''d fallen. Her skirt caught a few times on the odd slab of unburnt wood. Navigating a caved-in library, with massive collapsed bookshelves and structurally-unsound staircases wasn''t exactly one of Rachel''s hobbies, but she did as she must. She felt it was her duty to find people using magic, and head them off before they could do too much damage. So far, she''d always managed to talk people down and invite them to a meeting, but she knew that lucky streak had to give way eventually. Rachel wasn''t supposed to be doing this. The members of the Council would be appalled at the risk¡ªand the breach of trust. The Council''s official stance was to approach newly awakened as a group, with Hector as backup in case anything went awry. Rachel disagreed. She felt that such an overwhelming presence would frighten off far more potential newcomers than it would welcome. A show of force simply led to an instinct for combat and defensiveness. Rachel preferred a gentler approach, and paid Kendra well in favors to help her keep it from Council as a whole. She wished, of course, that no one would ever be awakened alone. In Rachel''s ideal world, everyone wanting the ability to use magic would be carefully screened and selected to ensure stable, sensible growth, but world events conspired against her. The Three Gods had seen to that. Now the entire magical community had to deal with random awakenings on a regular basis. This would be the third such occurrence this month, and each was another burst of anxiety and fear for the Council. Would this next person be the one to topple their delicate balance? A faint noise was coming from one of the rear study rooms, the only sections to be made entirely of stone and thus survive the inferno from the year prior. Rachel''s hand instinctively went to the pouch at her waist, resting gently atop it as one might with a holstered pistol. She couldn''t really do much to someone who truly meant to hurt her, but she had enough tricks up her sleeve to get away at least. More importantly, she had plenty of allies to call on only minutes away, and Will was watching out for her. Even now, with the thick stone and the trees and the many streets between them, Rachel could feel his vague presence, as he made no effort to mask it from her. It was like a comfortable cloak draped around her shoulders, knowing he was watching when she went to find the newly Awakened. Rachel hadn''t coined the term, and she wasn''t exactly fond of it either. She felt like it implied too much superiority for people with magic. It felt hostile. By the time she''d gotten elected to the council, though, it was too late to try and push for a different name. So ''awakened'' became the moniker for anyone with magic. Anyone who had read from the book, or¡ªmore accurately¡ªone of the pieces they could find. She was here, getting ash and dust caked over her jacket and skirt crawling through gaps underneath the broken library, to see if there was someone who had access to a previously unknown remnant of the book. Little flecks of black soot fell as she entered a room, her presence disturbing their rest. She had never believed in ghosts, but this building seemed infected with restless spirits. Another noise¡ªa cough. A male voice, middle aged if she guessed correctly. Rachel tried concentrating again, letting her mind drift into the limbo as Will had taught her, but she couldn''t see anything. The only line she saw was one extending out from herself far into the distance, in the direction of her apartment where Will presumably sat at that very moment. She brushed her hand on it to reassure herself, though of course it was incorporeal and wholly unaffected. Approaching someone newly awakened was always a harrowing prospect. If it was someone awakened through known pages but unknown to the Council, Rachel still had to contend with the possibility they were hostile to their budding organization¡ªor simply paranoid and distrusting. Far worse, however, were those who managed to discover a new, previously unknown piece of the book. In that case, Rachel had no earthly idea what she could be walking into. There were still so many untold facets of magic. Every day they seemed to be uncovering new quirks and variations. Just a week ago, Will had spotted Natalie Hendricks casting astounding new spells out in the woods involving her animals. The girl was only twelve and already inventing new, exciting magic. Rachel reached the doorway and crouched low, laying her hand on the stack of rubies in her pouch. She wasn''t as adept with fire as most¡ªRika would have snickered at her attempts¡ªbut it was usually enough to distract or dissuade a newcomer. Certainly long enough for her to get away in a pinch. She crept forward slowly. One step at a time, pausing to listen for activity. Anything to give her a hint on what she might be walking into. A loud sniffle. The room shuddered, the walls groaned. The air seemed to ripple outward, visible in the flecks of dust floating through the library. Rachel flinched, but the shockwave barely affected her. A type of movement magic, she concluded. More wide reaching than she was used to, though it seemed quite weak. She chanced a few steps toward the door. Her knuckles whitened around the rubies. Another shockwave rippled through the air. The curtain behind her swayed, hurling dust into the air. Rachel tried her best, but she couldn''t resist. She sneezed. "Whozzat?" Rachel knew she only had one chance. She stepped out into the doorway, her arms outstretched and palms open (though she still kept a tight grip on the ruby, flipping it behind her fingers in a sleight-of-hand trick Rika had taught her). "I''m not here to fight." As she''d guessed, the culprit was indeed a man, most likely in his mid thirties. He wore a plain business suit, black and blue, with a black briefcase sitting off next to the wall in the rear of the chamber. He, too, was sniffling at the thick layers of dust coating the entire room. His eyes were pale blue and wide with fear. "So what do you want?" "I''m here to explain a few things," Rachel began calmly. "Would you like to sit down?" "Oh¡­ okay." The man took a few cautious steps back, lowering gently onto the blackened stone bench behind him. "What''s your name?" Rachel asked gently, her hands still wide. She tried to project as much of a gentle and disarming air as she could muster. "Rosenberg. Jeffrey Rosenberg." "May I call you Jeff?" He nodded. "Has anyone explained this to you yet?" "There was a girl. She¡­ she helped me. She told me I''d found magic. Then she disappeared into thin air¡­ was she real? Who was she?" Rachel shook her head, totally unsurprised. Grey-eyes never fails. "She''s a friend, but I don''t know the answer to that. I''m sorry. I can promise you that I won''t disappear though." Rachel took the bench opposite his, which was thankfully less laden with ash and dust. She smoothed out her skirt, trying to look a bit more professional before continuing. "She was right though. You''ve gained access to magic. We call it ''awakening''." "So I''m¡­ ''awakened''? Is that it?" "Right. You''re one of us now." "Does that mean I have to pay a fee or something?" Rachel laughed. "No, of course not. Though there is a meeting you''re welcome to attend, if you''re interested. A gathering of people like us. We''re meeting tonight, actually." Jeff didn''t seem interested. That wasn''t good. Every step toward integrating with the group was one step away from a crazed maniac that put them all in danger. Rachel pressed on. "Do you have any questions? Anything I can help with?" This was an important question for a newcomer. Rachel wanted to get a sense of their priorities. Many asked for help protecting themselves, which was an obvious warning flag. Fear and instability were dangerous when dealing with magic, when innate powers could not be taken away or disabled easily. Those who wanted to know the risks and dangers involved she trusted a little more, though they could just be trying to discern their own limitations before striking out. The worst were obvious. Those people who asked, quite directly, how they could get stronger. She kept a close eye on those few. Jeff Rosenberg managed to surprise her, though. "Can I get rid of it?" Rachel was taken aback. She should have seen it coming eventually, but no one had ever asked to get rid of magic before. Magic wasn''t something you could stumble into, after all. It was always deliberate. She hadn''t ever bothered to come up with an answer. "I don''t know. I''m sorry." Jeff looked crestfallen. His eyes drooped, his body slumped visibly. "May I ask why?" "Just seems like a bad lot," he answered. "I tried some things, but I don''t think it''s for me. I don''t really want it in my life. Or near my family." Rachel nodded. She was beginning to get a better sense of the man. He was as typical a businessman as you could find, only cared about his family and his work. Anything beyond his little circle of life may as well not exist, so long as it didn''t try to affect him. Rachel decided he just needed straight, simple answers. "I understand. If it helps, so far as we can tell there''s no downsides to not using magic. You could go back to your life as if nothing had happened." "I''d know better though. So would you, and that silver-eyed girl." Jeff looked uncomfortable even mentioning her. Had he been that unnerved? Rachel had to try and salvage the situation. Her best result left was probably to send him on his way with goodwill, and hope he never attempted a single spell. "I promise, if we ever cross paths, I''ll act as if I never met you. I know that''s not exactly reassuring, since we just met, but I hope it''s enough. As for Grey-eyes, I''ve never known her to speak about another person. Not even once." "So you don''t know her name either?" Jeff asked, raising his eyebrows slightly. "No. She appears to help those newly awakened, then disappears again without so much as a goodbye. I''ve only met her the once, same as you." This wasn''t (strictly speaking) true, though Rachel felt she hadn''t learned much from their other encounters besides a much clearer look at her face. Still, Jeff certainly didn''t need to know that. "You can return to your life as if nothing ever happened." "Right," Jeff mumbled, unconvinced. "Not likely. I''m gettin'' outta here. Only stopped in town to rest a bit." He rose to his feet. "If you ever need help though, or if something does happen, please¡ª" Rachel fished through her bag for her card. It was plain white, but on good cardstock with her name, phone number and email address. After a moment''s pause, Jeff took it gingerly. "Don''t hesitate to call." He nodded slowly, and pocketed it. Rachel thought the encounter had gone as well as it could. Now she needed to advance her own agenda, if it was at all possible. She''d talked Jeff down from the ledge, as it were, and it was time for whatever reward she could wrangle from him. "May I ask you a question?" "Shoot," Jeff replied, still glancing around nervously. For a brief moment, Rachel forced her vision to slip, trying to spot any connections he might have, or the movement of energy within the room. There was nothing she could sense, putting her at ease. Jeff didn''t seem to have anyone connected to him nearby, nor was he gathering energy for a surprise assault. She could afford to be a bit more assertive. "I''m looking for the girl, the one you just met. I''d like to speak with her." "You''re not gonna do anything to her, right?" Jeff responded cautiously. His entire body shifted to a defensive stance. Rachel was taken aback at just how quickly Grey-eyes managed to inspire allegiance and protection amongst those she met. Was it a deliberate action? A spell she cast? Or was the simple act of helping people through the transition enough to instill devotion, as her cult would seem to indicate. Rachel would have given quite a lot to be able to influence people as easily as Grey-eyes could. "Not at all. I want to work with her," Rachel answered honestly. "She''s doing the world a huge favor, and totally alone as far as I can tell. I think we can do great things together." "Scarier people than you have said things just like that," Jeff said dubiously. Rachel mentally sighed. It had been the wrong sentiment. "We already complement each other, with my¡­ association following up on the newly Awakened. I just want to make sure no one is missed." "What if some people want to be missed?" Rachel shook her head. "It''s the world we live in now, Mr. Rosenberg. When someone can conjure lightning from their fingertips and shoot it hundreds of feet away, those people need to be contacted. Even if it inconveniences them." Jeff''s expression twisted into suspicion and fear. "That''s just wrong." He started to walk toward the doorway leading out of the chamber. Rachel had made a mistake. She''d allowed too much of her own philosophy into the conversation, instead of tailoring it properly for the listener. She''d have to remember that for the next meeting. Rachel stood to leave as well, but a niggling question hanging in the back of her mind still needed a proper answer before she could call this meeting finished. "If I might ask, Mr. Rosenberg¡ªand feel free to say no¡ªwhy did you come out to the library tonight?" Jeff stopped and scratched his head. "I don''t actually know. I was following something, like a light, then I found my way in here and saw the paper. Thought it looked interesting." It looked like it was bothering him more with every word. She wasn''t about to get the answer she wanted, but she had an idea of what had prompted the man''s venture. Or rather, who. Rachel quickly interrupted him before the confusion got worse. "Thank you. It''s probably nothing. Do you have the piece of paper you found?" "Yeah," he answered brightly, opening his briefcase and pulling it out. "This thing?" As she''d suspected, it was one of the copies they''d received and not an original piece. Rachel held out her hand. "Would you mind if I kept it?" Jeff handed it over without a moment''s hesitation, which gave her immeasurable waves of relief. She''d expected more resistance. "All yours, kid." "Thank you." Rachel packed it away neatly, despite it being clearly larger than the small pouch she had fastened at her waist. Jeff''s eyes widened. "As I said, please do call if you ever have any questions." She turned to leave. "Have a good life, Mr. Rosenberg." With that parting line, she walked out of the library. That had gone better than she''d expected, though not as well as she''d hoped. She didn''t have time to consider it further. There was a meeting soon that she simply could not miss. After all, Rachel DuValle was going to save the world¡ªwhether it wanted her to or not. [Discord]¡ª[Rate This Story]¡ª[Patreon] Chapter 4 — The Council of the Awakened Chapter 4 ¡ª The Council of the Awakened Alden had a million questions. "You''ve got a million questions," Rika echoed his thoughts nonchalantly. "Thanks, Dan," she added, as Dan finally slid a basket of fries onto their table. "Sorry about these. I''ll pay you back somehow," she said, pointing at the couple of blackened spots on the wall. "You do that," Dan muttered. He obviously didn''t expect much. "What do you mean, magic is real?" Alden cut in. Rika started wolfing down fries. "Look," she answered between mouthfuls. Not much in the way of table manners. "I can spend all day explaining, or you can follow me to the meeting." Alden winced as she stuffed another handful of fries into her mouth. She noticed and stopped gorging herself so much. "Sorry." "It''s okay." Alden looked away before he felt sick. The restaurant proprietor was staring at the charred circles on the wall of his establishment with glazed eyes. Alden felt too nervous to ask Rika anything else. That show of power would scare anyone, he reasoned. Doesn''t mean you''re a coward. She''s still the best bet you''ve found in town so far. Rika finished off the last few fries with a satisfied gulp. "All right, let''s go." It wasn''t a very long walk from Dan''s restaurant to the college campus, but Alden felt like every step of the way was a step further into the dark underbelly of an otherwise unassuming village. It was intimidating, but Alden felt a thrill with every step. He was compelled forward inch by inch to follow Rika. They passed a bookstore and an overnight diner, a grocery store and a tiny gas station. It could have been the center of any small town in the Northwest. In fact, the only thing that seemed out of place was his companion walking briskly at his side. He kept a strict distance between them as they walked. If Alden stepped any closer, he could feel the electricity in the air¡ªthat faint hum and crackle that wasn''t truly audible, but danced along the hairs on his skin and sent his mind spinning. He kept shooting Rika sidelong glances whenever he thought she wasn''t looking, hoping (and maybe fearing) he''d see those arcs of lightning crackling along the streak in her hair once more. He still couldn''t decide whether he was afraid of her or mesmerized by her. "''Sup?" Rika asked finally, with an air of frustration. Alden had just tried (unsuccessfully) to sneak another glimpse of his new companion. "Nothing," he replied, quickly looking the other way. To his surprise, he was greeted with a husk of a building at the end of the street they were crossing, caved in rafters and piles of ash. He stopped walking, fascinated. The place was mostly destroyed, but he could make out the broken remains of a gargoyle statue at one corner, cracked in pieces and shoved into the dirt as if it had fallen from a great height. From the way the walls began to arch upward, he guessed it had originally sat atop the third or maybe even a fourth floor, though there was only bits and pieces of the second floor remaining, mostly charred wood and timber. Stone gateways lined the bottom floor, with spiked fences leading away giving the entire place a very gothic feel. It was completely at odds with the architecture of the rest of the town, even with most of it burned away. As if to accentuate the bleak atmosphere of the place, it began to rain while he stared, drops tapping on his head one by one. "Yeah, I''ve been wondering about that place too," Rika spoke up from behind him. Alden jumped. He hadn''t realized she''d stopped walking along with him. "It apparently burned down not too long ago. Was supposed to be demolished anyway," she added, nodding toward a torn wooden board nailed over one shattered window, with the word CONDEMNED scrawled across in orange paint, though half of the word had been chopped away. "Can''t sightsee any more though, we''ve gotta hurry up if we want to make the meeting," she added, turning away. He hesitated, still staring at the caved in sides and piles of rubble. There was no way a fire could cause that much damage on its own, Alden decided. Some of that damage had to be deliberate and targeted. It looked like the structure had been besieged, explosive impacts knocking through the stone walls and collapse them in strategic locations. Who would be assaulting a library in this day and age? Alden''s excitement grew along with his curiosity. He''d stumbled onto a real adventure, one beyond the mystery teased by the envelope still sequestered in his jacket. Rika got impatient and grabbed his hand. A tiny shock of electricity spiked through his arm, and Alden instinctively tried to recoil, but she just rolled her eyes and began pulling him down the street. After one last craned look at the desiccated structure, he followed her through the gates to the campus a block away.
"This is it?" Alden asked. "What were you expecting?" Rika asked, amused. He felt very underwhelmed. It was a pretty normal meeting room at the university, with a table set on the side with a bowl of punch and a single sad-looking plate of cookies. He took one gingerly and nibbled on it, but thankfully it tasted much better than it looked. He turned away from the snack table to the rest of the room, where a few people were still setting out cheap plastic and metal chairs in rows facing the front. A lectern sat off to the side, with a very tired looking middle-aged man seated behind it playing a game on his phone. In the center below the blackboard, a table with three chairs, clearly intended for the leadership of this thing, whatever it was. In fact, the only thing that stood out as unusual in the room at all were the gently flickering candles, spread out evenly through the room in spite of the fluorescents humming away in the ceiling. "What do we do?" he asked. Rika was standing idly at the rear of the room near one door, carefully watching people file in through the other. "Well, I''m here to find someone. I don''t know about you though. Why are you here?" she asked pointedly. "I''m here to¡­" he hesitated. Rika munched on a cookie, glancing at him with only a passing interest. "Find someone too, I guess." "Who?" "I don''t know," he answered honestly. "Good luck with that." A few more people filed in as they spoke. Most ended up taking spots around the edges of the chairs. The people setting up had set out some sixty-four chairs, in eight rows of eight, but only six or so were actually filled. The three chairs at the front were still empty, and most of the newcomers hadn''t sat down at all, but remained at the edges of the room as Rika and Alden did. The majority of the room must have been in their twenties, though a few were clearly younger or much older. More than a few furtive looks came their way, although Alden couldn''t be sure if they were looking at him or the exit he stood by. He decided to ignore the people on the fringes and focus on those who actually sat down. The man behind the lectern was dressed in a dark blue suit and tie, which stood out compared to the hooded sweatshirts and plain jackets most in attendance wore. He had a very clean and professional look to him, with short well-trimmed hair and a clean-shaven face. He''d since put his phone away, though his nervous expression remained. Every few seconds he''d glance at his watch, clearly wanting desperately to just get on with it. Of the people in the chairs, Alden could only clearly make out a few of them from behind, since most were either unremarkable from his angle, or wore hoods up over their heads. Concealment and secrecy seemed paramount amongst this group. In the front row, a very impatient young girl fidgeted, her head snapping around the room constantly as she rocked back and forth in her chair. From her height and the pigtails, Alden would have guessed her to be middle school aged, if not younger. She wore a set of denim overalls, and had brought a thick pink jacket emblazoned with a cartoon unicorn she''d draped over her chair, rainwater sluicing onto the floor from the downpour outside. As he watched, the girl chewed anxiously on one fingernail, but her expression was anything but worried or nervous. If anything, she seemed angry and impatient. Dangerous, even. Alden decided to look away. The second person he spotted was a gaunt looking man seated in the fourth row, with a thick black cast on his left arm, held in a sling in front of him. He was dressed in a heavyset military-style jacket and combat boots, with long stringy black hair masking the edges of harsh-looking tattoos on his neck just above the cuff of his jacket. The man''s demeanour shouted military, even more so than one might typically expect. He was grizzled and rough as sandpaper, and as Alden watched he took a healthy swig from a hip flask, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. The next notable was a collective half dozen people sitting in one corner, where they had dragged chairs away from the main group. Instead of the usual plain hooded jackets and sweaters, this group wore a set of matching light gray cloaks¡ªin varying degrees of quality¡ªdraped around their shoulders and held by silver clasps in the front in the shape of an eight-pointed star. As Alden glanced by, the leader of the group looked him back directly in the eyes with a twinkle in her own. She had silver-grey hair, barely past her ears, and her elfin face flashed him a mischievous one-sided smile before he quickly turned away to focus on another, less aware individual. The final person to stand out was a stunningly beautiful woman with long flowing red hair seated in the back row. She wore a necklace with an ID badge that looked like it belonged to the university. A pair of sunglasses hung from the neckline of her shirt, accentuating a¡­ particular region of her body. Her expression made it clear she felt she had better things to do than attend this meeting. At her waist, Alden spotted a bag very similar in design and style to the one Rika wore, down to the same gold buckle. He glanced around at the rest of the attendees and saw that many of them too wore some sort of pouch or container at their waist where they could easily access it. A few had brought backpacks or cinch sacks instead, and the little girl in the front row had a shiny yellow purse shaped like a banana, in addition to a bright pink backpack matching her jacket. Alden went back to watching the redheaded woman just as she made some sort of hand gesture to the man seated behind the lectern. He stood up and walked out the door behind him, which closed with a sharp click. It briefly halted the murmur of conversation, before it bubbled up again. "Her," Alden muttered, nodding at the redhead. "Hmm?" Rika asked. She''d been staring out the frosted glass window at the raindrops pattering against the building. "She''s someone important. Probably worth talking to." "Who?" Rika looked around the room. "Back row." "Mmmm, the smoking hot redhead?" "Yeah¡ª wait, what? "What? Don''t tell me you didn''t notice she''s sexy as fuck. I''d hit that." "But, back at the restaurant¡­ Ryan." "Eh, I don''t discriminate." Alden''s face lit up like an oven. Rika laughed. "You okay there?" Alden cleared his throat and glanced away, his cheeks still burning red. "Sorry, I''m not used to talking about this stuff," he stammered. "Aww," Rika cooed. Alden continued to look determinedly at the crowd and away from his teasing companion. "Well anyway, I think you''re right. That''s Kendra, teaches Economics here at the college. I don''t even normally go for older girls, but fu-u-uck, I wouldn''t mind talking to her. Bet you wouldn''t either." Alden felt the warmth in his cheeks double up. Rika snickered. "Here''s a bonus for you: that body is all natural." "Huh?" "Well, unlike certain Ryans of the world, Kendra''s not using any magic to spruce up her looks. If she was, my allergies would be kicking up." "Your¡­ allergies?" Alden asked with interest. "Yeah, I''m allergic to that shit. It''s¡ª" Rika cut off. Alden looked back at the front of the room, which had become utterly silent. Three people filed back in through the door the lectern man had recently vacated. Two college-aged, a bored-looking guy and an unusually tall girl, and one kind-looking old woman¡ªlike a stereotypical friendly grandma. They took the three seats at the front of the room, while the man in the suit entered and set a few sheets of paper on the lectern. He cleared his throat and put on a pair of reading glasses, then began to read in a strong resonant voice, but with a bit of a stammer that undermined his attempted gravitas. "This meeting of the Awakened is now opened, et cetera et cetera. Look, are we all good if I skip over the boring parts?" he asked, glancing at the head table. They nodded, though the old woman did so a bit reluctantly, her eyebrows creased in irritation. "All right, there''s a few new faces here tonight, so I''ll just give a quick reminder to everyone that as of now¡ª" The man made a gesture with his fingers and murmured something under his breath, then tossed a pile of tiny objects into the air that vanished before Alden could spot what they were. He didn''t feel anything, but the rest of the room seemed to almost imperceptibly flinch in a wave spreading outward from him, like ripples in a pond. Rika in particular recoiled from the action. The lights in the room stuttered to black, leaving only the flickering glow of the candles. With the drawn window shades and blocked door windows, the room became reminiscent of a outdoor campfire meeting, lit entirely by dancing firelight. This, of course, only worsened Alden''s discomfort. "¡ªall electronics in the room no longer work. You are not allowed to write down or record anything that happens here. I''ll restore your phones as you leave, or you can just wait about eighty minutes and they''ll fix themselves." He coughed and cleared his throat again. "I''m still new to this, so bear with me." He glanced down at the sheet. "... The Three Gods will now¡ª" The man was interrupted by a snap from one of the Council members. He glanced up confused, and the girl in the center shook her head. Alden assumed that made her the leader. He tried to take more note of her, but beyond her shoulder length stringy brown hair and large dark eyes, Alden couldn''t discern anything particularly notable about her from a distance. "Uhh, right. Sorry. The Council will now propose any new amendments to be voted on during this meeting. Does the Council have anything to propose?" "We don''t," answered the guy on the left. Did that put him in charge? Alden wondered. The suited man seemed to be taking more direction from the girl in the center, yet the old woman seemed to have seniority or at least was the most predisposed to follow the rules, based on her disapproval from earlier. "Okay, then I think we open the floor for anyone who has a topic of discussion?" The man looked out over the room. The little girl in the front popped to her feet like a cork shot out of a bottle. "Has anyone seen¡ª" she started, but the male Councilor cut her off. "Still nothing new there, Natalie. I''m sorry." "But he''s still missing!" she cried petulantly. "And as soon as we find out anything, we''ll let you know. I promise you that our reader''s doing their best." "You said the same thing last time," she said, frowning. "We know he''s definitely still in town, dearie. I''m sure he''s fine. Okay?" the old woman chimed in a comforting but somewhat condescending tone. "We''ll find him, don''t worry." "Natalie, never fear," came a voice from the back corner, floating through the room like a faint melody. It was somehow both at the volume of a whisper and yet louder than anyone who had yet spoken. Alden''s eyes snapped around to the leader of the robed group, who had lowered her hood. On the right side of her neck, Alden could see the edges of a tattoo with the same eight-pointed star as the clasp on their robes, and from her ears hung silver earrings with the same design. Multiple necklaces hung low around her neck, with pendants and charms Alden couldn''t quite make out, but he had a pretty reasonable guess they''d be themed with that same star. As she rose from her seat, Alden saw the cloak shimmer ever so slightly, quite distinctive from the rest of her group''s more plain attire. "Huh?" Natalie said, turning around. "She will protect your father, as she has protected us all," the girl continued. Her voice faintly echoed in an unnatural way, and it had an accent. Eastern-European, maybe, but he wasn''t exactly an expert on accents. Alden couldn''t see her clearly from his position and the strange light dance emanating from her robe, but he had to guess she was about his age, or perhaps a year older. At her response, however, most of the room seemed immediately to dismiss her. Alden swore he even heard an audible groan. Rika snorted loudly, drawing a glare from the girl, but assorted chuckles from the remainder of the room. "But will she bring my dad back home?" "I''m sure that if it is part of her plan, it will be done," the girl answered confidently. "You said that before," Natalie answered petulantly. Clearly she held little stock in the group. The council, too, seemed mostly irritated by the interruption, rather than intrigued. Natalie stormed out of the room after it was clear she wasn''t getting what she wanted. Every head swivelled to watch her leave, murmurs following her out the door. "What was that about?" he muttered to Rika. He had so many questions, and the room seemed to be at a bit of a lull. She shrugged. "Cult of the Grey, bunch of weirdos. Leader calls herself Cinza, but I don''t think that''s her real name." "Why not?" "It''s Portuguese for ''grey''." Rika rolled her eyes. "And Natalie?" "Seemed fine, last time I saw her. No idea what''s up." "What''s a reader?" "Someone who can find out things with magic. Tightly kept secret who can do it though. People guard that shit like gold. Only Josh, Rachel and Mabel up there probably know who any of the readers are." Alden was about to ask more, but someone else had stood up. As he did, his hood fell away and Alden saw it was Ryan, now apparently devoid of cronies and standing alone in the row of chairs. "Ryan?" the male Councilor (Josh, Alden concluded) asked. "Here we go," Rika muttered to Alden. "I''m here to request assistance in settling a debt," Ryan began with aplomb. The councilor suppressed a laugh. "What?" "You sound ridiculous. Anyway, go on." "Fuck you, Josh," Ryan shot back. "Moving on, Ryan," the younger female Councilor (Rachel?) interjected sharply. "What''s the debt and why should the council intercede?" Ryan dropped the fancy tone. "Rika owes me for some gems and won''t pay up." The eyes of the Council and Ryan both swung around to their corner of the room. Alden shrunk involuntarily with the sudden attention, back pressed firmly to the wall. "I told you I would when I could, dick," Rika snapped, unphased. "Besides, it''s your stupid friend''s fault my topaz got burned away earlier. You should be paying me back for pain and suffering." "No one got hurt," Ryan said dismissively. "Because I''m a fuckin'' badass, but he was aiming for my eyes. Almost hit my friend too. We''re lucky he''s got such a shitty windup." Another snicker from the council table. Josh clearly wasn''t taking any of this seriously. Alden glanced around the room, trying to take the temperature of everyone present. Rika and Ryan were glowering at each other, but maintaining their distance. The rest of the room looked either bored or impatient. This wasn''t anything new. From the defensive posture the man at the lectern was assuming, Alden feared where this might lead. No one else stood within ten feet of Rika. In fact, there was a clear circle of space around the two of them where no one had dared stand or sit. Alden was suddenly very aware of the apparent pariah status of his newfound companion. He felt the urge to intervene, and so far following his urges had turned out pretty well. "Rika¡­" Alden whispered. "What?" she hissed. "We''ve got people to find here tonight. Maybe don''t piss them off?" The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. To his surprise, she actually seemed to calm down a bit. She took her hand off her bag, which she''d already unclasped without him noticing. At the gesture, the rest of the room seemed to relax as well, except for Ryan still glowering in the center of the rows of chairs. "Sorry," she said to the group at large. "Ryan, I swear I''ll get your payment to you, one way or another." "There, she''ll get it to you. Are we good now?" Rachel asked calmly. "Fuck no. I want something more solid. This was a Market deal, it should have Market consequences. Professor Lau¡ª" Ryan stopped in his tracks. Half the room seemed to take a collective breath. Ryan glanced at her for only a moment, but it was enough. The well-dressed woman with the fiery curls got to her feet. She was even taller than he''d expected. At least six foot easy, if he had to guess. Only Ryan and the female councilor at the front of the room managed to top her. Her red hair fell in waves down past her shoulders, accenting her neck and shoulders in an attractive blaze of fire. Alden fought to keep his eyes on her face, but out of the corner of his eye he could see Rika had no such compunction. "It''s fine. Most present here know who I am by now," she spoke with a strong London accent. "Ryan is correct, however distasteful that statement may be. Rika and Ryan entered into a transaction in the Market, and Ryan held up his arrangement. Rika must complete the transaction or be temporarily banished from the Marketplace." "Holy shit, Kendra Laushire''s running the Market?" Rika asked. The last name sounded familiar to Alden. He felt like he should know it. Someone¡ªor something¡ªfamous. "Was that not common knowledge?" Cinza taunted from the corner, still in her unique wispy voice. A spiteful one, apparently. "Yes, the Market is a venture of mine," Kendra replied, ignoring Cinza. "I would appreciate discretion," Kendra added pointedly, glancing around the room, "but it was bound to come to the light of day eventually. Now, Rika." "Yeah?" Rika replied warily. Alden was taken aback at how easily Rika seemed to cave in for Kendra, but he quickly dismissed the feeling. He didn''t know Rika, or any of these people. He''d only just entered this world a few hours ago. There was still way too much to learn for him to start making judgment calls on people''s relationships. He had to try and catch up as quickly as he could, if he was to make any headway with his own goals. "Come discuss a payment arrangement with me in the Market after this meeting. Ryan, is this acceptable?" Kendra was clearly issuing a command, but her voice spoke with such a calm cadence that she never came off harsh or belittling. It almost sounded like a friendly computer from an old sci-fi show before speech synthesizers, strong British accent and everything. In fact, she did sound artificial to Alden, though he couldn''t put his finger on how exactly. There was clearly something off about her. He resolved to bring it up with Rika later, when there weren''t two dozen pairs of eyes on them. "Yeah, fine, Professor," Ryan muttered. The power dynamic was obvious even to a newcomer like Alden. Kendra had command of the room, possibly even above the councilors at the front. The only person who didn''t seem to visibly relax when Kendra took her seat was the man at the lectern, but Alden couldn''t tell if he was even paying attention. After a few moments of silence, it became clear to everyone he was not. "Hector?" the girl on the council asked patiently. "Oh, sorry." Hector scrambled to his feet again behind the lectern. "Is there anything else that needs to be brought before the assembly?" A few moments of silence passed again. Alden wasn''t sure if everyone was reluctant to speak or just bored. He saw a few furtive looks shot at Rika from various members of the crowd, which didn''t seem to faze his companion one bit. Was this all there was to the meeting? He felt even more underwhelmed than when he''d first arrived. "Is this it?" he murmured to Rika. "Nah, give it a minute," she whispered. "Gotta get some boring stuff out of the way first." Alden leaned back against the wall, trying his best to be patient. Rika was rummaging through her bag, thoroughly unconcerned with the rest of the room. As Alden watched, her hand dipped further into the bag, and further again. Way too far. He leaned forward eagerly, craning his neck to see, and¡ªsure enough¡ªher hand wasn''t coming out the bottom side. "Wow," he breathed aloud. Rika looked at him curiously. He shook his head. She shrugged and resumed digging through her bag. A minute later, she came up with a tube of chapstick. "Okay, I think that''s enough time," Hector called out. Focus returned to the front instantly, anticipation building. "Before we continue, I just want to be clear. No one''s seen Alpha or Omega anywhere, right? They''re still out of town?" He glanced at the female councilor, who nodded. A murmur of agreement swept around the room. "Who?" Alden whispered to Rika. "Later." "Right, good. Okay then. Councilor DuValle?" Hector continued, glancing awkwardly at the head table. "Thank you, Hector," the girl replied kindly. She glanced at her two companions before standing. "I know you''re all impatient to hear the news we called this meeting for, but before we continue I must reiterate the need for secrecy here. Our little society depends on it. Those of you who''ve been around for the last year don''t need reminders, I''m sure, but I see a few newcomers here tonight. You''ve probably got a lot of questions, and if you stick around after the meeting I''ll be happy to answer them as best I can." She took a breath, mostly for dramatic effect. "If you tell anyone, we will find out. We will find you." DuValle smiled. "Sorry, that was unpleasant. Let me make it up to you." She produced a small piece of paper from her bag¡ªyet another leather bag similar to Rika and Kendra''s. It was a scrap of old, burned parchment. It couldn''t have been more than six inches on each side, and the edges were frayed and scorched beyond repair. Fairly unremarkable under any other circumstances, but at its reveal, everyone in the room seemed to lean forward eagerly. Even Hector seemed far more interested in the proceedings. "We''ve recovered another Scrap." Something in the way she said it made Alden imagine it capitalized. It was important, he knew that for sure. He was going to ask Rika what it meant, but she looked so intensely focused, he decided to wait and see what came next. "I''d like to thank Hector for donating this to us," the councilor continued. "Responsible cataloguing and protection of every Scrap we find is vital to¡ª" "What''s on it?" the gaunt man in the fourth row interrupted, rising to his feet. DuValle faltered in her speech. His voice was harsh and gravelly, like a cascade of rocks rolling down a mountainside, and once standing he cut a very imposing figure in his heavy military jacket, even with his arm in a sling and cast. "As I was saying, donating Scraps to the council will help us preserve them and spread¡ª" "Get on with it." "Look, Rachel, we''ve all heard the speech before," Ryan cut in, standing up again. "What''s on the damn paper?" "We think it''s related to creation, though we haven''t been able to go over it thoroughly yet for obvious reasons," DuValle (or Rachel, Alden supposed. He was just glad he''d finally deduced all their names for sure) replied. At the word ''creation'', Alden noticed several people in particular stiffen, including Kendra the red-headed owner of the Market and the gaunt man in the fourth row. Rika slumped back against the wall slightly, though she was still hanging onto every word. "Has anyone partaken of it yet?" Kendra asked from the back, still seated. "Done what now?" the gaunt man asked. "Is the Scrap pure and untouched? " Cinza asked in her floaty, ethereal voice. "No, no one has read it yet," Rachel confirmed from the council table. "Well, this is unprecedented. All other Scraps that have crossed this council had been utilized prior to introduction. How shall we proceed?" Kendra continued, with a veneer of calm. Underneath the surface and the pleasant accent, Alden felt he sensed caution and maybe even a little fear, though he couldn''t be sure. "The same as we always do; we can take it in turns to read the Scrap and learn what it contains¡ª" "Bullshit!" Ryan growled. "No way." A murmur of agreement started to build before another voice cut through. "Sorry, Rach, but I''m actually with the dick on this one," Rika chimed in. "First person to read it has a huge advantage." Rachel looked at her with dismay. Alden sensed history there. Old friends, maybe? Or perhaps more than that, given what he knew about Rika so far? No, Alden decided. Rachel reacted like an estranged friend, not a past jilted lover. "We''ve never proven that," Josh spoke from his seat next to Rachel, with the comfortable air of someone used to disagreeing with her. Another relationship there, Alden realized. Who in this room hadn''t been involved with Rika? "We''ve never disproven it either," Rika shot back. Josh waved his hand dismissively. "Whatever, so maybe it''s true. How do we choose then?" "Fuck if I know," Rika replied, leaning back against the wall again. Tension was building in the room like a thick fog. Alden could see a small trio of men on the opposite wall muttering to each other, their eyes transfixed by the paper lying on the table in front of Rachel. Cinza''s group, too, was convening behind their leader, muttering in low voices. Alden saw one of them gesture eagerly, but Cinza gave a sharp cutting motion with her hand and they fell back to murmuring. "How do we know you haven''t already read it?" Ryan spoke up. He didn''t sound accusatory, but all the same, the room refocused on Rachel with a newly sharpened edge. "Hector?" Rachel prompted. Hector spluttered back to life, having sunk deep in his chair during the mounting argument. "Uhh, well. No one read it. I brought it straight here, and only handed it to Rachel as we walked in the room. If she''d read it, you''d have seen her." He looked around at the assembly anxiously. "There, you heard him. Are we going to start doubting Hector now?" Rachel asked. Ryan hesitated, but he was clearly the type who couldn''t stand to lose an argument without making a few more points. "Okay, fair, but that still leaves the question of who''s gonna read the thing." "It should go to the most worthy, of course," Cinza spoke up, with all the arrogance her statement implied. "Well, then, we''re both out of the running aren''t we?" Rika shot back. "Keep your nose down in the dirt where it belongs, electricity girl," Cinza answered dismissively. Rika snorted again. "Really?" "Sounds like a bargain-bin knockoff superhero," Ryan added. "Hey, Rika, how many kittens can you save out of a tree?" "Depends, are they yours?" Kendra cleared her throat loudly. Her impatient expression silenced them all immediately. The power of a professor in action. Alden had felt compelled into silence himself, though he wasn''t a student of hers like so many of the others in the room probably were. Rachel took the opportunity to cut in. "The council has not yet determined a selection method, since this is unprecedented. We are open to suggestions¡ª" "Maybe Hector should just keep it," Alden muttered. The argument was beginning to wear on him, since he didn''t understand a single thing they were talking about. It was only a moment later that he realized he''d spoken much louder than he''d intended, as far more heads than Rika''s locked eyes with him. Evidently no one besides the usual suspects were really expected to speak up at these meetings, given the looks of surprise plastered on their faces. "Who the f¡ª" the gaunt man started, but Rachel quickly spoke over him in a friendly, authoritative tone. "Hello there, I don''t think we''ve been introduced. My name is Rachel DuValle, one of the members of the Council of the Awakened. Most people don''t talk at their first meeting, but there''s no rule against it. I see you came here with Rika; is she your sponsor?" "I, uhh¡­" Alden started. "I don''t know what that means." "Did she awaken you?" Cinza asked. "No, I guess?" "Nope," Rika confirmed. "That''s okay," Rachel continued. "You''re welcome to stay, and there''s no need to give out your name if you don''t want. Privacy is one of our core tenets here. However, I should inform you that if you haven''t been awakened, you don''t have a vote in any of our proceedings." "Can we stop using that stupid word?" the gaunt man interjected. "Makes us sound like a bunch of candy-ass hippies." Ryan rolled his eyes exaggeratedly. "Well, Mr. Viper, if you''ve got a better name for us, you''re welcome to share with the class." "I''m just sayin'', you all sound like a cult." "Welcome to the Candy-ass Collective, buddy," Ryan sneered. "He has a point," the old woman spoke up from beside Rachel. "Hector found it, so Hector should have it," the old woman (Mabel, Alden reminded himself. It was getting difficult to track them all) said matter-of-factly. "No fucking way," Ryan replied, fist clenched. "I''m inclined to agree with Ryan," Kendra added calmly. "This is only the seventh Scrap ever discovered by the council, and certainly the first found that was yet unread. While the council may generally act as a socialist commune, let us not pretend there is not a significant advantage to be gained here. I propose the Scrap be granted provisionally to a member in attendance with the greatest proposal of interest, with the stipulation that they must allow the council to share it as usual after their initial study." The gaunt man and Rika still stood opposed as well. Rachel looked at Rika with a significant expression. After a few moments, Alden saw her shoulders slump slightly, and Rachel gave her a brief smile before turning to face the remaining unspoken holdout, while Rika took her seat. "Viper, I believe your name was?" Rachel began calmly. "Stupid fuckin'' code name, but sure, Viper. Why are you acting like you don''t know who I am?" the man replied. "Do you have anything to add?" Rachel continued, as if she hadn''t heard him. "Limey''s got a point," Viper grunted, jerking a thumb over his shoulder at Kendra, seated in the back row. "Deserves to go to the highest bidder. Better than the bastards who''ve been stealing my shit." "Hang on, when did this become an auction?" Rika interjected, leaping to her feet once again. "Like it matters to you. You''re rich as fuck, aren''t you?" Ryan shot back. "Not the point, asshole. This shouldn''t be about money." "Please," Rachel interrupted. "Viper still had the floor." "Fuck the floor. Don''t turn this into an auction, Rachel. It should go to someone we all agree on, who actually deserves it, not who''s got the deepest pockets." "Are you afraid you will lose?" Cinza taunted, her eyes glinting. Alden swore she must be doing something to make them change and sparkle so often and so expressively, even from across the room. Magic, he reminded himself. This entire conversation is about magic. Of course she''s doing something. "If I might interject," Kendra''s voice pierced through the growing murmur like a spear through glass, much too clearly. Alden suspected something had modified her voice. Was it another type of magic? "I never specified an auction, though I''m not opposed to the idea. I do believe it should go to those most invested in its abilities. You said it was Creation-specific, correct? Can you provide further details?" "Not without reading it, which would sort of skip the whole point here," Josh answered, still seated. He seemed thoroughly uninterested with the proceedings. Alden was surprised he''d spoken up at all. "How can you be sure of its contents at all then?" Rachel looked slightly nervous. "A ritual informed us of its probable contents." The room seemed sharpen in attentiveness once more. The phrase was mostly meaningless to Alden, but the significance was plain to the rest of the room. He had the sense that Kendra had maneuvered Rachel into a trap, one that was about to be sprung fully. "So, you''re informing us the council can indeed determine Affinities to some degree." "I¡ª that is¡ª" Rachel looked like a cornered rabbit¡ªfar different from the confident young woman Alden had observed at the beginning of the meeting. Meanwhile, the room seemed to shift dramatically, as some sprouted looks of suspicion and anger, while most simply looked confused. "That''s quite the ability that the Council has concealed from us," Cinza put in, her eyes narrowing. "This knowledge would be invaluable to everyone." "We''re way off topic," Rika interrupted. Alden''s earlier suspicions were confirmed. Rika was jumping in to save her friend by changing the subject. "We need to figure out who''s gonna get the damn thing first." "Seconded," Ryan added, also clearly leaping to Rachel''s rescue. Or maybe he was just bored, Alden reconsidered, seeing Ryan''s impatient expression. "Does anyone have a proposal for who gets the Scrap?" Josh asked, finally sitting up in his chair again. The atmosphere of the room was still icy and sharp, but attention was shifting away from Rachel onto the piece of parchment still laying atop the lectern, so Alden supposed it must have been a small victory for his allies. His allies? Was he already casting his lot in with Rika? Alden wondered if he was tagging along with the wrong crowd, given how the room seemed actively hostile to Rika. She was the only one to offer, though. Compared to Ryan the college jock, Kendra the unapproachable merchant, Cinza the unhinged cult leader, or Viper the gruff mercenary, Alden felt like he was better off at the side of the one he''d spent the afternoon with. "A silent vote? Majority gets it?" Ryan answered. Rika snorted. "Oh good, the dumb jock voting block''s got it in the bag." "I could just kick your ass for it." "Bring it, bitch." Rika''s hand shot to her bag so fast, Alden thought it must have teleported. "Both of you cut it out or I will have Hector throw you out," Rachel growled, apparently having regained her composure. "You''re all a bunch of petty kids. Just auction it off, money goes toward getting us a nicer place to meet than this shitty classroom," Viper said, taking his seat again with a thump and the scrape of metal against linoleum. His chair was apparently missing one of its rubber feet. "I second the proposal," Kendra added quickly. "God damn it, don''t do a fucking auction, Rachel. You know better." Rika said, but Rachel was already raising her hand to silence the crowd. "We''re taking it to a vote then. The auction will take place in three days time, and will be conducted via private bids. The Scrap will stay with Hector until the results are in. Is that acceptable?" She looked at Kendra and Viper, who both nodded their assent. "Okay. Everyone, please vote in the usual way." A moment''s pause. Alden looked around, even more curious than before. Was something spectacular about to take place? Floating numbers in the air, or perhaps lights? A stack of small pieces of chalk floated up from the tray underneath the chalkboard behind the Council desk. Each one floated in a slightly different manner; some quite steady, while another was flailing through the air as if buffeted by heavy winds. A chorus of scrapes, then the pieces fell back into the tray. Each had made a single tally mark on the board, on either the left half or the right, where Alden now noticed an "Aye" and a "Nay" present in the corners. "The nays have it," Rachel said, after a moment''s count. It had been close, but not close enough by Alden''s guess. He wasn''t sure what was required, but apparently it was more than a simple majority. Kendra sat back in her chair, unperturbed. "A fucking auction. With Kendra fucking Laushire in the room," Rika muttered to Alden, as the murmurs amongst the various groups picked up once again. It was like a lightswitch finally clicked in Alden''s mind. "That Laushire? As in one of the richest companies in the world Laushire?" Rika looked at him with surprise. "Didn''t expect you to know the name of a multinational corporate conglomerate." Alden shifted in his seat in embarrassment. "Read about them online." "You don''t get out much, do you?" He didn''t answer. Rika shrugged, turning back to the meeting while the chalkboards appeared to clean themselves. "The floor is open once again," Rachel called from the head of the room. "How about something that isn''t rigged toward the two richest women in the room?" Ryan piped up from his seat, pointedly shooting a glare at Rika. She laughed aloud at his ridiculous exaggerated gesture. "I was the one arguing against an auction, dipshit. Pay attention." "Yeah, because it would make you look bad." Josh stood up again at the front, silencing them both. "This is getting nowhere. I propose we table it for three days and reconvene." Rika looked about to argue once more, but Cinza beat her to it. "Seconded. Vote and move on." "Okay. Please, vote again in the usual way," Rachel called from the front. A quick flurry of votes was overwhelmingly in favor, with only two opposed. Alden guessed it must be Viper and Kendra. "The ''ayes'' have it. We''ll discuss this again in three days when we next meet. Does anyone have an objection to Hector holding the Scrap as a neutral party until then?" To Alden''s shock, the room was dead silent. Who was this Hector, and how did he have such respect and trust from the entire council? There were too many mysteries for Alden to handle. He decided he had to focus back on the only one that mattered. He reached inside his jacket and felt for the envelope again, mostly to reassure himself it was there, like a life vest keeping him afloat in the dark, ever-deepening waters of Rallsburg. He''d wanted an adventure, but was this getting out of hand? "Oh, uhh, right," Hector spluttered. after the silence was starting to become uncomfortable. He clambered to his feet and took the piece of paper from in front of Rachel. From his jacket he produced a small metal tube, which he slid the paper into and sealed tightly. He glanced about nervously before resuming his seat, but only a moment later he stood again, fidgeting in place. "Do you all mind if I head out now? I need to go watch the store." "That''s fine. Thanks, Hector," Rachel said kindly, gesturing to the door. He bowed slightly and retreated behind the lectern and out into the hallway. Chatter sprang up throughout the room, low conversation between every group present. The three councilors were muttering amongst themselves up front. Rika glanced at Alden with a grin. "So, your first meeting." "Is it always this dramatic?" he asked. "This is only like my fifth, but none of the others had a Scrap involved. Usually it''s just dumb arguments or a chance for people to meet other magic users, that sort of thing. This is a pretty special event. I''m guessing that''s why there''s like triple the people I usually saw." "And that councilor¡ª" "Yeah, he''s a dick, and I slept with him too. So what?" "Err, no, I was going to ask about Rachel. She''s your friend?" "Oh," Rika looked taken aback. "Yeah, Rachel''s from Vancouver, same as me." Rika gave him a funny look. "You''re pretty good at reading a room. She''s the one who awakened me, actually." "What does that mean, exactly?" Alden asked hesitantly. Rika didn''t miss his tone. "Scared?" she asked, not unkindly. "A bit." "Yeah¡­" Rika said quietly. "You probably should be. This shit''s hardcore, like I warned you. I can tell you later, if you still want to know. Deal?" "Okay." "Let''s get out of here," Rika said abruptly. "Huh?" Alden was eager to see the rest of the meeting, no matter how mundane. He looked at Rika, and saw her expression. Dark, and maybe a touch disappointed? "Don''t you want to stick around for the rest?" "Nah, I can just get the details from Rachel later. Nothing else interesting is going to happen." Rika tossed her head dismissively. "Kendra''s who we really want to talk to, but she''ll be out of here last, after they settle territorial disputes and research projects. If we just head to the Market and wait for her to reopen it, we''ll be the first ones in the door." Alden nodded slowly. "Great." Rika shoved the door open with her foot. "After you." As they exited the room, the dark hallway of the college awaited them. At the end of the hall, the door to a janitor''s closet stood slightly ajar. For the moment, Alden could see Hector, lit only by the flickering naked bulb hanging from the ceiling. He looked to be muttering something under his breath, but Alden couldn''t make it out from this distance. As he watched, Hector''s eyes began to roll back in his skull, while the pace of his words increased dramatically. At one flicker of the light, Alden thought he could see a girl appear next to him, a short wispy-looking girl with long brown hair and soft, haunted gray eyes, clad in a faded t-shirt and jeans. She was holding Hector''s hand and whispering something to him, like she was trying to comfort him. By the next time the light flickered, the girl had disappeared. Hector looked suddenly exhausted, as if he''d run miles in only a few seconds. "Zack, hurry up," Rika called impatiently. She''d already reached the door leading outside. With great reluctance, Alden tore his gaze away from the recovering Hector and followed Rika out the door and back into the town of Rallsburg. [Discord]¡ª[Rate This Story]¡ª[Patreon] Chapter 5 — Apathy Chapter 5 ¡ª Apathy Rachel wanted to call out to her, but Rika was already heading out the door with her new friend in tow. It would have been totally inappropriate in the middle of the Council discussion to shout across a room of people to the pariah of the group, but in spite of every bridge Rika had burned, Rachel wanted her old best friend back. The muttered relief from her right immediately dispelled that opportunity for the time being. She glanced at Joshua Miller, sitting to her side with a perpetual disinterested expression. It was Rachel''s deepest desire at that moment to give him a strong look of disdain and somehow shame him into accepting Rika back into their world, but she couldn''t justify it. Rika had thoroughly wrecked any chance of that relationship rekindling. Her own strained and neglected friendship with Rika made them look like soul mates compared to Josh. Rika cheated on his best friend with him, then deliberately maneuvered the two of them into getting her access to the Market, all the while manipulating the two of them to spill any magical knowledge they had. Once Rika had everything she wanted, she''d ditched the both of them, with only a quick thank you and a goodbye before leaving two dumbstruck boys with a rift never to be repaired. No, as much as Rachel wished she could rehabilitate Rika, she knew the wounds were too raw. More importantly, she had her own standing in their little community to think about. If she lost face, she''d lose the following she''d built up, and her goals would be that much more difficult to achieve. "You could have been a bit more helpful there," she murmured to Josh. "Hey, you''re the one who insisted Will''s secret weapons stay secret," he whispered back. "I''m just rolling with your game plan." "I appreciate that, but still, you didn''t need to antagonize Ryan." "He''ll be fine." "Rachel dear, before everyone starts getting fidgety, shouldn''t we continue?" Mabel prompted. Rachel nodded, taking a deep breath before standing up again. "Now that the first order of business is out of the way, we have a few other matters to take care of, if everyone would please settle in for a little longer." The room quieted down once more. Rachel took a quick visual survey, and her hopes sunk even further. After the excitement of the Scrap and Rika''s departure, the temperature of the room was once again relaxed and ultimately bored. Several had already stepped out. Without the community''s primary troublemaker or the inherent drama of their latest discovery, commanding their attention on the less glamorous matters was her true challenge. Rachel knew it was the details that would make or break their growing society. They needed to build a stable system of governance, else once they emerged into the world they''d be helpless to protect themselves and their interests from the powers that be. As it stood, the only people who continually showed interested beyond the council were Kendra Laushire, Ryan Walker, and the man she was about to name. "We''ve had a new proposal for a research experiment from Julian Black, which would encompass a significant region of the east end of town." Rachel nodded to Josh, who unrolled a map of the town¡ªwith Julian''s planned ritual site outlined¡ªand stuck it to the chalkboard with a few magnets. "The Council cannot grant approval on this project, as Mr. Black declined to give the details of his experiment, but as it does not encroach on any existing territorial claims, we grant Mr. Black the floor pending a vote of audience." Rachel gestured toward the voting board, and threw her will into the movement as if it were a tangible presence sliding along her arm and into the air. The extension of her mind reached out and scraped away the chalk dust from the previous vote, slicing cleanly between the board and the fragments that were stuck on the surface. They fell away, leaving the board far more clean than any eraser would ever achieve. Once again, the pieces of chalk laying in the tray began to float up and indicate votes. Rachel wanted to try and read the connections in the air to see who was manipulating each piece. If she could trace those faint lines back, she could discover which among the attendees had the smooth, quick motions in the air, and which were barely managing to float their chalk, their piece barely wobbling up to the board and drawing a line before falling once more. They''d taught every attendee the process of basic telekinesis, and if only Rachel could find out who held each piece, there was so much they could learn about the variations in people''s affinity to certain types of magic, or the differences in movement techniques, or strength relative to body type and size. So much data, but in the interests of anonymity and political expediency, Rachel had to repress the urge and stick to her principles. She contented herself with the knowledge that no one else could detect such things, as it was a secret shared between a very small group. Of all the people that might ever attend a meeting, only herself and Will knew how to see the links that attached people, objects, anything with significance. The vote was almost unanimously in favor, which wasn''t surprising. Most were willing to let anyone speak, and the one or two nay votes were usually just people being obnoxious. "Very well. The ''ayes'' have it. Mr. Black, you have the floor." Rachel took her seat again. As she did, Julian took a few steps forward from his spot on the window side of the room. He was dressed plainly in all dark colors, and he wore a brown baseball cap with the logo of the delivery company he worked for. Rachel was surprised he would give away such information so publicly, but took it as a good sign. The general air of distrust and secrecy amongst the group was bad enough already, with the measures they took to reduce spying and leaks of information. Rachel hoped they could raise the level of internal cooperation before the entire venture fell apart. Kendra''s public appearance and now Julian''s negotiating out in the open were a good start. "Hi, everyone. I''m sure you''re wonderin'' why I''m tryin'' to take over half the town," Julian started, with the toothy grin of a man who clearly should have visited an orthodontist in his youth. Still, he spoke with a quick, easy charm¡ªone that caught Rachel off-guard. It wasn''t as though anything he said was particularly charismatic, and he certainly didn''t look very appealing. Julian Black was exactly the sort of person you''d expect in a dead-end job driving around delivering packages, as well as the sort who''d probably end up stealing quite a few of those packages (not that he had any history as such. Rachel had looked into it thoroughly after receiving his proposal request). He was tall with a thick beard, slightly overweight but still in surprisingly good shape thanks to the time spent in the warehouses out of town, loading and unloading the truck. "Now, you all know me as the guy who delivers your Amazon orders. That''s fine, but between the few of us runnin'' the show, we have a hard enough time keeping up with the load during the school season, and it only gets worse as the internet keeps growin''. So I''m gonna try something special, something to affect an entire neighborhood for at least a week or two. We''ll basically be deliverin'' packages by chuckin'' ''em out with our brains. Cool, right?" Again, the toothy grin emerged. Rachel immediately saw a major potential concern. Since Julian already seemed to be done, she decided she may as well address it straight away. "Mr. Black, doesn''t that risk discovery?" "Well, of course, miss, but we''re pretty sure it won''t be a problem. We''ll still be drivin'' out to areas before doing the actual deliveries. More efficient that way anyway. So there won''t be packages flyin'' over the whole town." "What about the people you deliver to?" "No one ever notices us delivering anyway," Julian said with a quick shake of his head. "They just check their porch later in the day to see if their stacks of textbooks have shown up yet," he added with a pointed glance at Kendra, who didn''t react in the slightest. "Still seems like a huge risk. As stated in our charter, one of the primary goals of this council is to suppress knowledge from reaching the unawakened until such time we feel ready to reveal ourselves to the world. As one of your elected Councilors I can''t sign off on such a proposal without more evidence that it will not put us all in greater danger." "Well, miss, I get what you''re sayin'', I just think you''re wrong is all. Seems worth a trial run at least. We can deny somethin'' as simple as throwin'' things around if anyone happens to spot one truck." "That''s not even a ritual, though," Ryan spoke up. As irritating as Ryan could be, she was nonetheless grateful for his support. "You and your two friends are just gonna be doing simple telekinetics. You could do that without claiming up all that space. What''s it for?" Rachel held her face steady, but in her lap she clenched her fist tightly in triumph. This was exactly what she''d hoped would happen, but she couldn''t have prompted a response herself without overstepping her bounds as a councilor, while Kendra would simply appear to be acting out of self-interest. Ryan was the perfect compromise. If only he''d had pressured the man more. Julian didn''t seem set back in the slightest. "Right''o, but here''s the thing: throwin'' heavy boxes through the air isn''t exactly easy. Y''all know that just as well as me. So we''ve cooked up something that should make it all a bit easier to toss. Won''t affect anyone else in the area in the slightest, based on our testin'' out in the woods. Ask Cinza, she was there." Heads swivelled to regard Cinza, who shrugged with a twinkle in her eye. She brushed a few strands of silver hair out of her face with a twist of her head before speaking. Rachel would have rolled her eyes if she were a less composed individual. Every tiny movement Cinza made was so obviously staged and calculated. Her hair sparkled unnaturally with the motion. How does no one else see she''s a blatant fraud? Her followers seemed to believe her performance wholeheartedly. Cinza''s echoing, ethereal voice whispered through the room. "The man speaks the truth. I was there and felt no ill influence at his rituals. I see no reason why they couldn''t be expanded into the town." "See that?" Julian added. "Nothin'' to worry about." If only Cinza''s word wasn''t gospel to the town in matters magical, Rachel sighed inwardly as the ethereal voice cast her support. Even as Cinza lied through her teeth, the entire room was murmuring approval. Ryan was nodding, his fears apparently sated. Rachel knew better, however. Will and Rachel had long since resolved to keep an eye on her every movement, just in case. As far as they knew, Cinza and Julian had never spent so much as a minute together outside the council room. Rachel frowned. She hazarded a glance at her two companions, but Josh seemed to have tuned out the conversation entirely, while Mabel was gazing at the far wall unblinkingly. Neither were of much help when it came to proposals and disputes. For the majority of every council, Rachel ran the entire show. Under normal circumstances, she actually enjoyed it, as it gave her much greater control over the outcome. Today she felt uneasy. Was it something about Julian that was putting her off guard? Or was it Rika, re-emerging into her life after so many months away? With no help forthcoming, Rachel turned to face the room as a whole, where the air was full of the same general apathy as her own table. No one seemed to care. After the bit of drama that directly affected them, they were all ready to leave, but couldn''t on the off chance some later decision might still involve them. No one wanted to be involved in the process. No one was trying to build something. Everyone just wanted to be left alone. Rachel felt like tearing her hair out at the sight, but she couldn''t force people to do anything. She had to remain neutral. If she began antagonizing these people, or tried to force them too far away from their comfort zone, she''d lose the modicum of power she''d managed to scrape together over the last year. They''d vote her out in a heartbeat. She''d be further from her goals, less able to help everyone like she wanted to. The world needed Rachel DuValle. She had to make some sacrifices if she wanted to keep her position. "Does anyone else wish to raise an objection to Mr. Black''s proposal?" she asked the room. There was only stony silence. Even Kendra, whom Rachel could normally count upon to help reign in such reckless moves, was silent. Then again, after her little maneuver earlier in the meeting, Rachel couldn''t be sure of that alliance anymore. There was going to be a confrontation later, she had no doubt. "All right. Vote in the usual way, please, if Mr. Black''s proposal to change his delivery method on a trial basis to experiment with movement magic can proceed." The chalk floated upward, and to Rachel''s dismay, there were only three votes against. Her own dissenting vote was joined by two other neat, little white lines. The rest of the room was in favor of a proposal to which they had barely paid any attention. She nodded in defeat, before wiping away the board once more. "Passed. Mr. Black, you may proceed. May I ask that you provide me with a list of dates and times you will most likely be attempting this new system? So that the council can be prepared, of course." He assented, the grin only getting wider. Rachel had to force herself not to flinch at the sight of his ugly trainwreck of a mouth. She could only hope Julian didn''t get too reckless¡ªor worse, provoke a response from Omega. He wouldn''t take kindly to such a public display of magical ability. Rachel brushed the fear away. Omega was still out of town, by all reports, and he wasn''t allowed to return. They didn''t need to worry yet about another showdown. God help them all when that day came again.
The rest of the meeting passed just as tediously. A few other minor disputes on the level of Rika and Ryan''s argument over pricing, though without the two hotheads in the room they were solved quickly and without much incident. A couple of Cinza''s followers were miffed over one of Ryan''s friends being granted permission to Awaken, and demanded the council allow them full review over any new sponsorships, which was (of course) immediately voted down by the group at large. None in an individualistic democracy like this group would dare give up more power than they already had in controlling the flow of new magical abilities, and certainly not to an obsessed irrational group like that. Even Cinza herself seemed apathetic at the proposal, though she hid it well behind a stream of her usual bold rhetoric. Rachel was getting tired of dealing with the cult of Grey-eyes and their petty grievances over new sponsorships. One day, if Rachel was ever able to get her to sit down and talk, she wanted to see what Gray-eyes herself thought of her newfound status as a living god. From the three brief interactions Rachel had experienced, she was thoroughly convinced that the girl was human, or at least started out that way. She was immeasurably powerful when compared to their meager efforts, but Rachel had seen something vulnerable and lonely underneath her calm pale facade. Someday, Rachel would get her to open up. After all, they both sought the same ends, didn''t they? With Grey-eyes supporting every new magic user through the Awakening, and Rachel making sure they didn''t end up killing themselves afterwards, they made for an effective¡ªif totally disconnected¡ªpartnership. Rachel wanted to talk to her for real, to let her know that her efforts weren''t in vain. Finally, they called for the (re)-election of the council (as no one else could be bothered to take up a position of responsibility in their growing community), and the group was filing out the doors with suppressed relief. Well, at least they still try to hide how little they care, Rachel thought bitterly. "Kendra, before you go, can I have a word?" she called as Kendra rose from her seat, the picture of elegance. She nodded, though she did look a touch annoyed at the interruption. Kendra was headed back to the Market immediately after the meeting, as usual, to open it to the rush of customers and merchants that always followed any gathering. Their community was small and spread wide, and while Kendra had a bit of magic up her sleeve to allow for easier access to patrons living far away, it was still an inconvenience for most. Her best business days were always those immediately surrounding an official meeting. The rest of the room departed without a word, including¡ªto her dismay¡ªJosh and Mabel. Rachel had hoped one of them might be willing to help her in a meeting with Kendra, but Josh was already too detached to care, and Mabel was enigmatic enough in her own right. Rachel still wasn''t quite sure what Mabel''s motivations or goals were, but she was an invaluable asset in running the meetings and keeping track of the more troublesome attendees, with her spells and rituals for detecting names and other identifying characteristics. Knowledge magic was still rare and mostly unknown, and very difficult to use as Rachel could attest herself. Those with an affinity for it¡ªlike Mabel or her own beloved Will¡ªwere quite probably the most valuable resource on the planet at the present. "You''re angry," Kendra noted. "I thought we were friends. Or allies, at least," Rachel shot back. "We are friends, love. But sometimes the public interest takes precedence. I thought you of all people would understand that." "They don''t need to know everything. They aren''t ready for it all yet." "Oh, come now Rachel. This isn''t about some terrible secret. This is you trying to get a leg-up on the competition with an unfair advantage thanks to your relationship with a particular anonymous reader." "His name is Will," Rachel retorted, in spite of herself. The room was totally empty and still under the effects of Hector''s magic, so she wasn''t concerned about being overheard, but even voicing his name was a risk. She felt a prideful need to defend him though, regardless of the consequences. "Will can take care of himself, love," Kendra continued without missing a beat. "This ability to detect affinities, to whatever degree you two have developed it, is invaluable to our little community. I''d rather it be out in the open for the public good." "You could have asked me first." Kendra shrugged. "I could have, but I chose not to. Regardless, outside of the two of us and your friend Josh, no one else is aware of his status as Awakened, are they?" Rachel shook her head. "Good. So his secret remains safe, while the council can be approached by anyone to learn more about affinities, which we still know so little about. If they even exist. Everyone''s happy." Rachel still didn''t like it, but she was forced to concede the point. Knowing the affinity of oneself, or of a spell or even an object, was useful knowledge and something they should have already been cataloguing. It would help develop new spells and find new connections, without forcing people to rediscover the same processes endlessly. In fact, keeping that ability hidden from the Council went against her own desires of getting everything out in the open, away from the secrecy and fear that had plagued them from day one. She was wrong to have hidden it, though she''d done it with the best intentions of protecting Will. "You''re right. I''m sorry." "Don''t sweat it, love. Was there anything else?" "Auctioning off a Scrap is a huge risk¡ª" Rachel started. Kendra waved a hand dismissively to interrupt her. "I wouldn''t have lost." "I thought you still couldn''t access the funds from your father''s company?" Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. "I don''t inherit Laushire Enterprises until he retires or kicks the bucket, true. The contract states it will pass to his only child upon his cessation of duties, and unless I''ve got a secret sibling hiding out there in the world somewhere, I''m his only child. But I still have a substantial trust fund that was set up for me as a youth, as well as my own personal assets and investments, plus my income from teaching here." Kendra smiled. "Don''t fret, Rachel. I''m still wealthy enough to buy the school if I had any desire to." Rachel nodded, reassured. If Kendra purchased the Scrap, she knew it would be in safe hands. There were far more unstable elements than Kendra to gain such a potent new piece of magic. Creation-magic, as the new Scrap appeared to be from Will''s examination, was one of the least-explored branches they''d discovered. It seemed to detail how to create and animate matter itself, as would be implied, but also to imbue it with some limited intelligence. Golems¡ªor robots, as Will preferred¡ªthat would carry out instructions and perform tasks. One''s own little army of servants, although little was a something of a misnomer. They had no idea how large or small these golems might turn out to be, or the true depth of their capabilities. The only successful creation of a golem was a few months prior, and it resulted in a three-centimeter tall man made of paperclips that wandered a desk for a few minutes before crumbling when Will had promptly blacked out due to the strain. Evidently, animating and maintaining an object took an enormous amount of energy, though Rachel expected it could be reduced with research and practice. As far as they knew, no one else had any knowledge of the entire branch. So how does Kendra manage something as large as the Market every few days? So many pieces of the system still didn''t fit. It might be magic, but it clearly still followed some rules, if apparently not the usual laws of nature. "I really do need to get going, love, though I do enjoy our chats," Kendra said, snapping shut her bag once more. "Yeah." "Do come by the Market once in a while. We''ve missed having you around." "Too much to do." "Ah," Kendra''s face softened. "Have more been awakening?" Rachel nodded. "Someone out there is spreading copies of the first page. Leaving them where random civilians can run into them, or deliberately steering them into finding one." "Most wouldn''t pick one up, much try to read the blasted thing. They can''t, without assistance." "You know who''s helping them, though." Kendra raised an eyebrow. "Grey-eyes?" "Every single time, from what I can tell." Rachel took her seat once more, letting her aching legs rest. Her mind may not have required much sleep anymore, but her body never quite kept up with the new regimen. "No matter the person, no matter the place. Grey-eyes always appears somehow." "I''d love to know how she does it," Kendra wondered aloud. "Teleportation should be impossible, or at the very least make quite a racket, what with the thunderclap that''d rush into the empty space. Yet she vanishes with a whisper every time." "Kendra, you''ve created an entire pocket of space that you run a market in. How could teleportation be so hard?" Kendra frowned. "You ought to know better than that, love. You didn''t do that poorly in physics." "This is magic, not science." "Are the two so different?" "...What?" "Well, when we discover new magic without the crutch of that bloody book, we approach it by experimentation, do we not? Forming a hypothesis, trying out various ideas, seeing what happens or what goes wrong. We learn from those mistakes, adjust our findings accordingly, and carry on. Spot on for the scientific method, really." Rachel shook her head. "But we''re breaking the laws of physics. What we do is totally unnatural." Kendra gave her a scathing look. "You''re the foremost representative of our culture to date, the one we''ll be looking to lead us whenever this bubble bursts and the world discovers what we can do, and you have the gall to call us unnatural?" Rachel was taken aback. She felt heat rushing to her face. What had she just said? Was that how she really felt? "I''m sorry, love, but I must be off. I hope I''ve given you something to think about." Kendra shouldered her bag and left the room, leaving Rachel alone with distressing thoughts circling around her mind.
"How was your day?" Will asked, glancing up from his laptop. "I think Julian''s trying to take over the town," Rachel answered, exhausted. She took her shoes off and laid them carefully by the entryway, in contrast to Will''s lazily tossed sneakers. It was a habit she''d picked up from Rika, and in her modern mindset the organization and cleanliness appealed to her far more. She wished Will would do the same, but knew it was completely at odds with his laid-back personality. That same relaxed¡ªbut still quite aware¡ªmindset was what had originally attracted her in the first place. Rachel was always so stressed and anxious in life, both before she''d enhanced her mind and after, that having someone she could rely on to bring her down to earth was a godsend. She took off her jacket as well, hanging it on the post, and took up her favorite blanket draped over the back of the couch. Will picked up the laptop and set it on the table, making space for her. Rachel stretched out her legs across the couch, letting her head rest in his lap warmed from the heat of the computer. "What did Viper want?" Will shuddered. "Apparently someone is interfering with his stuff, stealing his materials. Says someone''s trying to kill him." "And he came to you?" Rachel asked, confused. As far as most knew, Will was aware, but not awakened. "Nah, he wanted you. Still, I looked into it after Mason got me down. Couldn''t see a thing connecting to Viper''s usual hideaways." "Hm," Rachel murmured. "Who''s crazy enough to go after Viper, and skilled enough to hide it?" "No idea, but I''m scared of them." "Keep an eye out, honey?" "Of course." Rachel smiled and closed her eyes to concentrate. This was normally one of the best ways for her to puzzle out problems. Will''s presence surrounding her gave her peace of mind she simply didn''t know otherwise. She felt safe and secure here, and her mind was freed from local concerns, letting her focus on the big picture. Will had one hand running through her hair gently while he continued to work, and she simply rested there. They enjoyed the silence together. Today, however, Rachel''s brain could not reach out to consider plans for expanding the council, or the various eventualities she had considered for contact with the outside world. Her last conversation with Kendra was stuck at the forefront of her mind, nagging Rachel to respond to the accusations that had been thrown at her. "Will, am I prejudiced against awakened people?" Rachel asked, her eyes still closed. "I think we''re gonna need a word for that eventually. Magic-ist? Gray-ist?" "Gray-ist?" "Because every last one of them are always wearing that same plain black or gray hoodie and dark jeans." "Why are people still doing that anyway? Didn''t we already prove that clothing doesn''t even affect rituals?" "Maybe it''s just a cool fashion trend now. Hey, remember when you were into fashion?" Rachel laughed. "I spent so many days with Hailey Winscombe in Seattle scoping out new clothes." "I''m just glad she got you out of that ''dresses are sexist'' phase." "But seriously, honey," Rachel asked again, opening her eyes to look up at the face she loved. "Kendra said something today. Well, I said something, and she pointed it out. That I think we''re all unnatural. Is that wrong of me?" Will saved whatever he was working on and closed the laptop, then set a hand to her face gently. "You know I''m horribly biased right?" "As honest as you can get, please." "I think you''re the best thing to ever happen to our little gathering of witchery. I wish you''d invited me in sooner¡­" he said pointedly. Rachel grimaced. She''d neglected to tell Will about magic until the incident with the ritual in her room, long after she''d awakened herself. "...but the work you''re doing to organize people, to set up a society and a government, it''s good work. We''re all tribal people at heart, right? And if we don''t organize, we end up competing king-of-the-hill style til everyone else gets knocked down. You''re making sure that doesn''t happen." "But couldn''t I do that and still think of them all as beneath me?" "Rachel, you''re their elected leader. They voted you in. Clearly you''ve doing something right." "Like being voted in means anything about the quality of a leader," Rachel grumbled. Will grinned. "So maybe you''re doing a terrible job and no one can tell because we''re all too stupid to know the difference." "I don''t think you''re stupid." "Honey, you don''t need to be nice. I''ve seen you work. Compared to you, I''m about as smart as a caterpillar. You''re light years ahead. Way better than Julian." "Thanks¡­ wait, what about Julian?" "...You didn''t know?" Will asked, taken aback. Rachel shook her head, which had a surprisingly pleasant sensation against the fabric of Will''s pants. "He''s been putting out feelers about trying to get himself elected to the council. Building up trust and connections, you know how it goes." "Julian Black on the council?" Rachel wondered aloud, with a bitter taste in her mouth. "Problem?" "He''s a selfish, power-hungry bastard." "Wow. No mincing words on this one." "Who did you hear about this from?" Will shook his head. "No one told me. I happened to overhear him campaigning while I was at Hector''s store. He was talking to a couple of those Grey-eye weirdos." Rachel sighed. "If he got their votes, he might have a shot. Enough people between his friends, the cult and the floaters that he could probably knock Josh off if he wanted to." "What does that mean for you?" "I don''t know yet," Rachel frowned. "It''s not like Josh does much anyway, but he''s predictable. That''s way more useful to me. Do you know what Julian proposed today?" "You literally just got home, Rachel." "...Right. He''s up to something big in the neighborhoods. Says he''s just trying to make deliveries more efficient." "But you don''t believe him," Will prompted. "Do you?" "I''ve only met the guy once." "What did you think of him?" "Of the guy that delivered my graphics card?" "Yeah, what did he seem like to you?" "Like a delivery guy? I just took the box and shut the door again." "Nothing at all?" "Sorry, honey, I don''t go around trying to read every single person I meet," Will said irritably. "It''s okay," Rachel sighed. "I''m sorry. That''d be ridiculous." "So what''s he up to?" "I¡­ don''t know yet. Kendra and I talked it over, and we''re sure he wants the space to do some serious ritual work." "At that scale?" Will asked, his eyebrows creased in worry. "Now you know why I''m concerned." "No kidding." "Between this and the people that have been disappearing, I wonder how long we can keep everything under control." She sighed, pausing to take a sip of the glass of water Will had set out for her. "If we can just do this properly, think of everything we could solve. The energy problem would be a piece of cake, for one. Global hunger and food distribution could be improved. If I''m right, we could wipe out so many diseases and viruses without any effort at all. So many problems could be solved with magic." Will took hold of her hand and gripped it firmly. "You''ve got this. I trust you." Rachel smiled, but she wasn''t reassured. For all Will''s support did for her emotionally, mentally she was a trainwreck of concern and doubt. She''d given him that speech many times before, of course, but every time it seemed even further away than before, as she seemed to lose control bit by bit over the hundred-plus Awakened currently running around Rallsburg. What if Julian Black wasn''t the type to research thoroughly ahead of time? What if he ended up destroying half the town? That''s insane, Rachel reminded herself. It''s not like he can even pull together that much power. The rules of energy still applied, even if no one quite understood how they worked anymore. He couldn''t just create power from nothing; so long as his body was the conduit for whatever forces he tried to muster, Rachel felt reasonably assured Julian wouldn''t be able to do too much damage. She relaxed and settled back into Will''s lap more comfortably, ready to let her mind rest for a few minutes¡ªbut as Rika would say, fate wasn''t having any of that crap tonight. A sharp rapping on their apartment door. Stiff knuckles wrapped in gloves. "It''s the sheriff," Rachel said abruptly, springing to life once more. "How do you do that?" "Knocking patterns." Will raised an eyebrow. "Do I have a knocking pattern?" "Yes, it''s called ''walking right in because you own the place.''" Rachel clambered to her feet, brushing dust off her skirt and straightening out her hair as best she could. "Do I look okay?" "Honey, I don''t think our sheriff cares what you look like." "Just tell me." "You look like an upstanding, responsible member of society." Will brushed a hand through her hair and plucked out a small green leaf that had gotten stuck. "You didn''t mention that until now?" Rachel asked, annoyed. "I thought it looked nice." She rolled her eyes at his grin, but gave him a quick peck on the lips all the same. She hurried to answer the door before the sheriff got impatient. The rain had started to pick up again, and their apartment''s walkway wasn''t particularly well protected from the wind and cold. As such, Sheriff Jackie Nossinger was looking a bit worse for wear as Rachel opened the door to greet her. "Good evening, sheriff." "Hi, Rachel," Jackie replied. She was a large, robust woman, frequently impatient and loud-mouthed, but always fair-minded. Rachel had warmed up to her as the perfect sort of no-nonsense law enforcement she''d always desired, and Jackie Nossinger fit the bill perfectly for the future she envisioned. Over time, Rachel had been sure to involve herself in ride-alongs, help settle disputes, and generally make herself a useful asset to the sheriff both through her own abilities and Will''s magically-obtained tips. That said, the sheriff was woefully uninformed of the real goings-on in her town, and Rachel suspected tonight had something to do with that secret half of her jurisdiction¡ªthe half that was currently responsible for importing significant quantities of precious gemstones into the town. "I take it this isn''t a social visit?" Rachel prompted gently. Jackie seemed to find her voice, though her eyes were still wide with something like fear. "Look, I know you kids mess around with some weird shit." Rachel shot a look over her shoulder to Will, who seemed equally surprised. Maybe their good sheriff wasn''t as ignorant as she thought. "I don''t bring it up and I don''t ask questions because it''s never been a problem." "And now it''s a problem," Rachel concluded. "What happened?" Her heart sank into her stomach. If the sheriff was coming to her in person, it couldn''t possibly be anything good. "Get in the car and I''ll show you." Rachel picked up the small leather pouch containing her more useful possessions from its hook near the door and fastened it around her waist. Will gave her a significant look. She felt somewhat reassured. No matter what she might be walking into, she''d have her lover''s eyes keeping watch for any danger. A quick nod and she was out the door.
"Isn''t this outside of town?" Rachel asked as they bounced through a poorly-maintained forest road. "Barely, yeah, but staties ain''t coming out this far more than once every two weeks at best. Just aren''t enough of them. So I come check in when I can." The car lurched off the road and into the RV park, which looked mostly deserted. A few lights were on, and Rachel could see smoke from a small fire in the distance, but otherwise the park was forebodingly empty. They bounced along the rough ground between sad, empty encampments until finally grinding to a halt at a particularly forlorn spot on the edge of the park. Rachel got out of the car, her hand firmly grasping a pair of rubies tucked in her bag. She expected to run if anything happened; Rachel had never been in a fight, and didn''t plan to start now. Still, Rika had taught her a few things to defend herself if it ever came to it, and she practiced them often. Rachel crept toward the door on the side, which was slightly ajar. The sheriff followed a few steps behind, her pistol drawn and ready. She''d never seen Jackie this afraid, and that fear began to double down on her own. "What should I be expecting in here?" Rachel whispered. "A whole lotta blood and death," Jackie hissed. "And I''m not goin'' back in there unless I have to. You shout if you need somethin''." She nodded at the door. Rachel steeled herself. "Fine. Be right back I guess." She hesitated, her hand on the door, and let her mind slip into the altered state as Will had taught her. It wouldn''t tell her if someone was inside; Rachel could only see the connections drawn from whatever she was focusing on, and she couldn''t focus on something she didn''t know was there. In this case, it was herself, and the faint but pure white line that flew out into the distance, representing Will watching her from afar. She held onto that line as her strength and pulled the door open. She saw bodies. The men scorched, electrocuted and burned alive, the little girl with the flesh cleanly scooped away from her body. The clean spheres cut out of the chair and the college kid who sat in it, no longer possessing anything above his chest. Rachel took it all in, and it was too much for her. Her stomach churned, and that was before the smell struck her, weakening her knees and sending her head spinning. Moments later she was vomiting in the grass next to the RV, the door slammed shut once more. Jackie was patting her on the back, handing her a cloth to clean her face. "What was that?" Rachel gasped. "I used to work homicide in Seattle, and I''ve never seen shit like that," Jackie said, leaning against the RV heavily. "The wounds make no sense, it''s too clean. No way someone is cut like that so cleanly without being dead already, but with all the blood pumped out everywhere and the struggle, they were clearly alive at the time. Even the little girl." Jackie paused, her eyes grim. "Who the fuck does that to a little girl?" Rachel shook her head. "I don''t know." "You''d better find out," Jackie said. "Lord knows I''ve turned a blind eye to whatever you''re doing in this town, but I can''t do that for long if bodies start dropping. Find out what happened and fix it, or I can''t cover your side up." Rachel looked at her with curiosity. "Why help us? You know I''ve been lying to you for a year now, so why?" "Because whatever you''re lying about, you''ve done nothing but help," Jackie answered matter-of-factly. "Crime rate in this town is basically nothin''. I actually get to enjoy my job and the people living here. You a fuckin'' superhero?" "No. Nothing like that." "Whatever. Point is, you''re doing good. ''bout time I returned the favor." Jackie nodded at the door again. "I''ll be back for them tomorrow morning. Jenny''s parents are already lookin'' for her. I can stall them, but not for long. I''ll keep the college occupied for you on the other two. Don''t fuck this up, kid." Rachel sat down on the wet grass, trying to catch her breath as her carefully constructed world was slowly unwinding around her. In her mind''s eye, the memory of the sight inside¡ªwhich was permanently burned into her brain, as with all memories she ever formed¡ªwas slowly beginning to clear up. On one of the bodies, she saw the telltale signs of electrical burns, though they were coupled with other types of burns and chunks of flesh missing as with the other two victims. Rika''s in trouble, she realized with a heavy sinking in her stomach. This would change everything. Rachel couldn''t let word of the details here get out. Rika was already on thin ice in the town as it was. The Awakened population was still reeling from the conflict between Alpha and Omega, still paranoid and ready to lash out at any perceived threat. If they got wind of a body with electrical burns all over it, it would be a short leap to a witch hunt for Rika''s head. Rachel had to protect her friend, and more importantly she had to find the true culprit. It couldn''t be a coincidence that she''d discovered this the same day Rika had returned to town. She gave the sheriff a heavy nod, still digesting the images in her mind and trying not to gag again. "Good luck," Jackie replied dryly, without a trace of optimism. With that grim blessing, Rachel braced herself for the world''s first murder by magic. [Discord]¡ª[Rate This Story]¡ª[Patreon] Chapter 6 — An Impossible Marketplace Chapter 6 ¡ª An Impossible Marketplace Article I. The proceedings of these Meetings shall henceforth be kept confidential. No records may be made of any kind except for copies of these Articles. Any Attendees found in violation of Article I will face penalties as outlined in Appendix A. Article II. The Awakened Council shall be appointed by majority vote at the end of each meeting. There shall be three councilors elected from the Attendees, as per the Three Gods. Voting shall proceed according to the system outlined in Appendix B. Article III. Meetings shall be held on neutral territory as agreed upon by the previous Awakened Council and the Three Gods. Meetings should take place no less frequently than once every three months. A schedule for Meetings may be determined by the Council at the close of each Meeting. Article IV. The Council and the Three Gods shall determine the agenda for each Meeting following election, and act as moderators for open debate when necessary. Councilors may end debate on a topic with a majority vote. Article V. All Attendees agree to be bound by the decisions of the Council or lose the privilege of membership in future Meetings. Article VI. The Articles of the Awakened Council may only be amended by a three-quarters majority vote of all Attendees, as outlined in Appendix C. Article VII. No new Attendees may be awakened without the sponsorship of a Councilor. Article VIII. The Three Gods are not permitted to attend Meetings. All prior instances of their involvement in the proceedings are hereby abolished. Article IX. An independent Moderator shall be appointed once every four meetings, to preside over debate and ensure the Articles are followed correctly. The Moderator will be elected by the Council pending approval by the Attendees, as outlined in Appendix C. "We missed an election?" Alden asked with a twinge of disappointment. "No one else ever wants the job. It''ll be the same three people every time," Rika answered patiently. Alden was still poring over the copy of the articles she''d fished out of her bag. Rika seemed very wary of every side street they passed, and wasn''t prone to offering up explanations until Alden asked. He was mining the sheet of paper for every detail he could find, trying to understand the secret society he''d just stumbled into. "And who are the Three Gods? Why''d they get kicked out?" Rika sighed. "Because people are scum at their core. That''s why." "Uhh, what?" "The original three people to found the group were crazy powerful. Like, more than all of the rest of us combined, each one of them. Someone started calling them the Gods as a joke, I think, and it stuck. Wasn''t long for some people to assume they weren''t even human. Didn''t help that two of ''em decided to start calling themselves Alpha and Omega. I think they liked the attention. She definitely didn''t though." "She?" Alden prompted. "Don''t know her real name. Or any name, really. Some people call her Grey-eyes. You saw her though." "I did?" "With Hector just now, right? Wasn''t she there?" "That girl?" he asked skeptically, remembering the short, frail looking person he''d seen. She seemed like just a regular college kid. How could such a girl be called a ''god''? " ''That girl'' is the most powerful person I''ve ever heard of, Alden. I''ve heard she''s nice, but that pissing her off is the last thing you''ll ever do." Rika sounded deadly serious. "Ooookay. Sorry I asked," Alden replied, still unsure if Rika was exaggerating or not. "If they''re so powerful though, how''d they get kicked out?" "I wasn''t here anymore by then, so all I''ve heard is rumors. Something to do with Hector and the gray-eyed girl though," Rika replied. "I met Alpha once. He''s an uptight prick and obsessive about making sure no one could tell who he was. He''s got an agenda against people going public with magic, which seems pretty reasonable to me, but he''s still in favor of the whole agenda Rachel''s got going on, making a magic society and so on. There''s a huge shitstorm waiting for all of us as soon as someone makes the five o''clock news and we''re not ready to cover it up." "And Omega?" "No clue, never met him." Rika sounded like she was getting tired of the topic. Alden looked around, trying to get his bearings. "Where are we going?" "Well, we could have gone to the Market entrance back on campus, but I wanted to get away from Ryan before he started bitching again. So we''re going to the one under the bridge." She pointed, and sure enough a small two-lane bridge out of town lay ahead, crossing over a narrow river, just past a line of small shops and businesses. They bumped into a girl as they walked down the street. Literally, in fact: Alden almost bowled her over as they both weren''t watching where they were going. He stopped once he actually took a look, though. She was drop-dead gorgeous, with perfect long blonde hair and the body of a goddess. "Hey, Hailey. Long time," Rika said casually. "What?" Hailey answered, looking like she''d only just noticed them. "Oh, hi Rika. Sorry, I can''t talk." She passed them by and rushed down the street, glancing fearfully over her shoulder at the setting sun with a haunted look on her face. Her stunning windswept golden hair followed her around a corner. Alden hurried to catch up, but she was somehow long gone. "Who was that?" Alden asked, gazing at the spot she''d vanished from. He couldn''t see anywhere she could possibly have disappeared to, but there wasn''t anyone in sight. "Hailey Winscombe, local party girl," Rika said in confusion. "Last I saw her she would never blow me off like that. Kept trying to get me to go to her stupid college hangouts along with Rachel. Never could get her to go out with me, but she at least still treated me like a person and not a wrecking ball." She sounded personally offended at the slight she''d just received, and turned away quickly as though determined to show she didn''t care. Alden followed in bewilderment. "Hi, Boris," Rika said as they passed by a small bookstore. Boris, the owner Alden presumed, gave them a wave as he continued to sweep the steps leading up to his shop. "Good evening, Rika," he answered in a booming voice with a Russian accent. "I am pleased to see you made it back to our little town." "Can''t say the same. Glad you''re still around though," Rika answered with a shrug. "I''m rooted to this store, and it is to the ground," Boris answered with a chuckle. "Who is your friend?" "Zack, this is Boris, one of the few legitimately cool people left in this town. Boris, Zack." "Uhh, hi," Alden said awkwardly. "I like your shop." He meant it, too; Boris'' little store had a very comfortable and inviting atmosphere even from what he could see through the door. It looked like a labor of love, something he could always appreciate. Boris'' face lit up with a wide, toothy smile. "A pleasure indeed! Please, do come in!" Rika started to shake her head. "We''re in a bit of a¡ª" "No, Rika dear, I insist. Enter, enter!" Alden was more than happy to explore the store, despite Rika''s protests. The odd combination of a small college town, an old Russian man and a quaint bookstore on the main road of the town was too much to ignore. Inside were neatly organized shelves, though by what system Alden couldn''t discern. Many of the books were¡ªunsurprisingly¡ªin Cyrillic, but for every Russian novel there was an English translation available right next to it. A few translations looked like original works, handwritten by Boris himself. Alden saw a few books he had just recently studied for classes only a few months prior. His were modern textbook style, with new freshly printed covers. These books were old, cracked and faded, full of history beyond just the words written on each page. He picked one up at random, not understanding the title but attracted to its beaten and frayed exterior nonetheless. Boris spotted what had caught his eye. "Ah, yes. A book that traveled with me through many an adventure. I have always said that every book contains two stories. There is the tale written by the author on the page, and there is the story experienced through the life of the book itself. So long as a book survives, it still has stories to tell." Alden was listening intently to Boris'' enthusiasm, but Rika was staring at the ceiling with an odd expression on her face. She looked about to sneeze, if Alden had to put a description to it. As they both looked at the ceiling, they heard a thump from above, as if something heavy had just crashed to the floor above them. Boris'' face shifted instantly to concern. He glanced at the door in the back, which Alden presumed must lead upstairs. "I am sorry, friends. If you will excuse me, please?" Rika nodded. "We should be going anyway. Thanks, Boris. I''ll stop back in soon, promise." "Do, please! And bring your friend¡ªI like him," Boris answered with a smile. With that, Boris retreated through the door in the back. Rika took one last significant glance at the ceiling before she turned and headed out the door. Alden carefully set the book back on the shelf where he''d found it before following Rika back down the street.
The river was in a shallow valley running along the side of the town, almost like a moat protecting the border. Rika nimbly slid down the slick grass on the slope, still damp from the rain, and landed neatly at the sidewalk that ran alongside the riverbank. "Come on!" she called back up. Alden was¡­ less successful following her. "You okay?" Rika asked, trying not to laugh. "Yes," he muttered, looking at the mud stains now spattered across his arm and legs. "I can lend you some clothes later, if you want," she offered. "Now what do we do?" he asked, trying to change the subject. "We wait," she said, nodding at the brick wall underneath the bridge. The concrete was dry there, and the rain was starting to pick back up, so Alden quickly took a seat before he got soaked even more. To his surprise, Rika sat down beside him, close enough to touch. With everything he''d seen in the last few hours, having her right next to him like this was intoxicating. Alden was still a guy, after all. He''d be insane not to find her attractive. Plus, there was that aura about her, an exhilarating feeling he got just from being close to her. Or was that¡­ "Rika," he started. "Hmm?" she murmured, her eyes closed. "Why do you feel like lightning?" She laughed, a sound that sent waves of joy through Alden. "That''s the best way you could phrase that?" Alden''s cheeks went red yet again. "Sorry." Her tone grew serious. "I was experimenting with something, it went wrong. Now I''m like¡­ this. It''s actually pretty fucking inconvenient, to be honest. I set off metal detectors everywhere I go, screw up electronics, mess with people''s heads without meaning to. Took me forever just to figure out how to keep it under control so I wouldn''t just straight up shock you right now." "That sounds annoying." "Yeah, well, I can also shoot lightning from my fingertips whenever I want, so it''s a trade off." She opened her eyes and sat up. "Wanna see a trick?" "What?" "Gimme your phone." Alden hesitated, but handed it over. "It''s dead. Didn''t have time to charge it." "Perfect," Rika said. She picked it up and looked it over for a moment, then held her finger up to the charging port. After a few moments, the screen lit up with a battery icon. Alden laughed aloud. "Seriously?" "Hey, you don''t know how impressive this is. Cell phones are very picky about what they''ll take." She handed back his phone, which he turned on gratefully. A few moments later, it turned back off again, the battery icon flashing red. "That''s it?" "What more do you want, Mr. Tesla?" Rika said grumpily. "I expected it to be more charged or something." "Well I could, but then your battery might melt. Or explode. Which could be fun. Wanna try it?" "No thanks," Alden said quickly, before the eager glint in Rika''s eye started something worse. "Well, at least this explains why you were so lost earlier. You didn''t seem the type." "Thanks, I guess?" "No problem." Rika glanced down at her watch, which Alden had somehow missed up until now. It was an old analog watch with a cracked leather strap, but it looked like it was pretty expensive. Alden guessed there was a story behind it, but before he could ask anything she put her hands back in her pockets. "Almost time." Neither of them said a word for a few minutes. Alden was doing his best not to look at her too often. He didn''t want to seem creepy or obsessive. Partly because he liked her, but more importantly because she was the closest thing he had to a friend so far in this entire town. If he was going to be here a while, and odds were it was going to be a long while, he was going to need friends. Rika seemed powerful and had at least a few strong connections in town like the councilor, Rachel DuValle. She seemed like a good friend to have. Even if she was claiming their friendship as fate or something nonsensical like that. Alden had never believed in fate or a higher power, but he was quickly becoming a believer in the supernatural¡ªfor obvious reasons. If Rika wanted to think they were somehow destined to meet and work together, he wasn''t about to deny it totally out of hand. "Why haven''t you asked yet?" Rika said suddenly, opening one eye in his direction. "About what?" he asked, though Alden was pretty sure he knew the answer. "Awakening." Again, Alden imagined it a proper noun in his mind, with the weight everyone seemed to give the word. "I¡­" "If you don''t want to talk about it, that''s cool. But seeing how curious you''ve been about everything else, I just assumed¡ª" "I''m scared, okay?" Alden interrupted. The honesty of that statement surprised even himself. The magic itself was exciting and mysterious, but there were pieces around the edges that put him ill at ease. He hadn''t meant to let it be known yet. Showing vulnerability this early seemed like the wrong move. But he couldn''t help himself around her already. He trusted Rika instantly, against his better judgment. "Oh," Rika answered slowly. "Scared of what?" "Isn''t this all just... creepy?" "I guess?" Rika brushed her hair to the side, opening her eyes more fully. From this distance, he could see her eyes were very blue, the same as the streak in her hair. He assumed it must be deliberate, but he liked the effect nonetheless. "I mean, once you''re on this side it just seems normal." "But, Hector back there, his eyes¡­ He looked like he was being possessed." Alden shivered involuntarily at the memory, or perhaps it was just the evening chill. "Sounds about right." She sounded so calm, which did nothing to soothe Alden''s concerns. "That doesn''t bother you?" "Look, there was always going to be a price, right?" she replied patiently. "I don''t feel any different, my friends say I don''t seem any different. Rachel certainly doesn''t seem different to me. Hell, she barely even uses magic, even though she''s got it. Maybe we''re all gonna get screwed down the line somehow, but for now I like what I''ve got." Alden must have still looked skeptical, so Rika continued. "No one''s gonna force you into anything. We''re all pretty accepting here. A few assholes, but accepting assholes." She grinned. "Lighten up, Alden. Watch this." She held out her arm, pointing at a few blades of grass bending under the rain. As he stared, one of the blades stood straight up. Rika crossed her middle finger over her index finger, holding it taut, then after a moment let them snap apart. The blade of grass sliced cleanly in two, both of which began moving in unison. Rika sent them dancing through the air, spelling out something. "I can''t keep up," Alden said after a few mesmerized seconds. He''d completely lost track of what she was spelling. "Ugh. The joke''s not worth it anymore," she replied. Her voice sounded hoarse. He looked back to see her gritting her teeth in concentration. She lowered her hand, and the grass fell to the ground again. Instantly her face lightened up, and she relaxed back against the wall, letting out a huge breath from the exertion. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. "It''s that bad?" Alden asked. "For me. I''m not so good with movement stuff. Everyone''s got different talents. I need more practice." She seemed to be embarrassed by Alden''s disappointed reaction. She stuck out her index finger again, and a tiny bolt of pale blue lightning burst forth with a sharp crackling sound. Alden whipped his head around, following the trail of steam in the air to the suddenly very blackened blade of grass. "Whoa," he muttered. "Mmhmm." Rika reached into her bag and pulled out an energy bar, which she started nibbling on. "Hang on, you didn''t use any topaz that time?" Alden asked, curious. "Nah, that was easy. I need the gems when it has real energy behind it, or if I''m in a rush like earlier. Small stuff like this gets covered by the electricity running through my body." "And the bag?" Alden asked. "You just can''t get enough, can you?" Rika laughed. "The bag isn''t mine. Bought it here, actually. Paid a fuckload, but totally worth it, right?" She opened it and let him glance inside. By all appearance, it was normal. He saw a few pouches stacked on either side, but there was a clear bottom right where it was supposed to be. "Go on, reach in there." Somewhat apprehensively, Alden stuck his hand into her bag. It didn''t feel like anything, but as he felt down one side, there was another row of pouches, and then another, and yet another. He looked in, and his hand was clearly only touching the second row, beyond which there shouldn''t have been a third¡ªyet he could feel at least six or seven rows. "How?" "Magic," Rika answered. She yanked his arm back up and out before snapping the bag shut. "Speaking of which," she started, glancing at her watch. "It''s time." She stood up, and Alden was quick to follow. They took a few steps away from the solid brick wall underneath the bridge, which still seemed unremarkable to Alden. It was just an empty wall of pale red bricks, aged and mossy. There was a wooden door in the wall. Had he blinked? Alden rubbed at his eyes. There was clearly a door there. Rika reached forward calmly and opened it. Beyond the threshold was a veil of black blocking their view of the inside. Without a word, she brushed aside the heavy curtain and stepped in. Alden stood still, uncertain. Rika''s hand shot back out through the veil and took his, sending that small surge of electricity through his skin once more. She pulled him inside and swung the door shut behind them.
The Market was empty. Given that it had just opened, Alden wasn''t too surprised. Still, even the sight of the place empty was remarkable. As they''d stepped through the door, a cobblestone path stretched out in front of them in three directions, floating on absolute darkness. It stretched around the outer edges of the entire Market, forming a fair-sized octagon. From their vantage point, Alden could see a few simple stalls or tents set up at various points around the path. They were all clustered close to three separate wooden doors at points on the octagon. Each door also had a pathway leading out to the center of the Market, where a small structure sat, with a gothic design echoing the burned down library Alden had seen earlier. The building was surrounded by a spiked fence, with a single gate that stood open over a path leading up to the front porch. Above the door hung a lantern, which was currently lit bright red. As Alden watched, one of the other doors opened and a few people filtered in. Beyond the door he could see what looked like a janitor''s closet. Actually, he was sure it was the same closet he''d seen Hector in earlier. He surmised that must be one of the other entrances. Beyond the cobblestone paths and the few shops and stalls, he saw black. Pure, deep black, like he was looking into a void. Even the spaces between the stalls, or between the roads and the house in the center were completely, utterly black. He looked up and saw empty space, not even a source of light¡ªthough the entire Market was lit evenly as if lights shone from every possible angle. He reached out his hand¡ªmarvelling at the lack of a shadow beneath it¡ªand found it stopped at the edge of the path. Not that he felt anything stopping it; in fact, he would have sworn it was empty space in front of him, yet he could not move his hand further. The vendors had finished setting up. Alden watched as a man in a thick jacket with a hood drawn over his head handed over a fistful of cash to an eager merchant. In return, a pile of tiny gemstones were slid across the table. In the perfectly even light, they didn''t seem quite as shiny as usual, since there was no light source for them to refract. The buyer nodded and turned to quickly depart through one of the far doors, through which Alden could see what looked like the college library. All around them, the same scene was playing out several times over. One was buying gemstones, others more exotic materials. One tent had people entering for minutes at a time, with brief flashes of light emitting forth. A sign made from a few taped sheets of printer paper was stuck above the entrance, labeled in rough marker "Basic Elemental Training. Cash or cryptocoin only. NO REFUNDS." He felt the ground quiver. It was the barest hint of an earthquake, and yet it was more than enough to send his mind spinning. Alden looked worriedly at his feet, but the cobblestone seemed stable enough. He glanced at Rika, who had also winced slightly. The nearest tent canvas to them had started to wave, as if a light gust of wind had just rolled through. A moment later, Alden saw it happen again on the far side of the circular market. A moderately sized portion of the market shimmered, as if it were a mirage in the desert. The tents seemed far less substantial, the cobblestone rocky and uneven. A moment later, it was perfectly ordinary, with only the gentle flapping of the canvas indicating anything had just occurred. "Are we safe here?" Alden asked nervously. "She''s keeping it open herself, you''re just seeing her get slightly distracted. It''s a pocket dimension. Nothing exists outside what she''s set up," Rika explained. "Kendra, you mean?" "Apparently, yeah." "How can we be breathing then?" "Magic." "Yes," Alden started impatiently, "but what kind of magic? How does she get air in here? Oxygen?" "Look, Zack, if I knew how I could do it myself. No one knows, that''s why this is the only Market around. Only place we can be absolutely sure we''re safe from prying eyes. Come on." Rika started down the path toward the house in the center, as the people who''d entered from the college campus started setting up shop. Alden wanted to stop and watch, but Rika seemed in a hurry, so he did his best to keep up. Once they reached the gate, however, Rika held out her arm to stop him. She turned to face him, her expression quite serious. "Okay, Zack. I haven''t asked why you''re here, and you haven''t asked me. Mine''s not private, so I don''t mind if you want to come in with me. If you want to keep your business a secret though, now''s when we split up." Alden hesitated. He wasn''t sure if travelling with Rika was the right choice, given the heated relationships she seemed to form everywhere she went. Then again, she was the closest he''d gotten to making a friend here, and that had to count for something, right? She certainly was the most exciting thing he''d seen in the town so far. Rika''s face softened a little seeing his hesitation. "I understand. I''ll see you arou¡ª" "Lead the way," Alden interrupted. He thought he saw a flicker of joy cross her face before she turned, strolled up the walkway to the door, pulled it open, and walked confidently inside. Despite the eagerness he might have shown Rika, he was still more than a little apprehensive about this whole adventure. Alden didn''t seem to have a great track record making friends, given the dearth of people waiting for him back home. With Rika he''d just gotten lucky, or maybe she''d forced her way in. Willingly entering a not-exactly-welcoming house inside a ''pocket dimension'' was way outside normal for him, but at the same time it was exhilarating to explore this new world. He''d never progress unless he made it happen. Alden stuck his hand into the inside pocket of his coat once again. The envelope was still there, still undamaged. With renewed determination, he took the steps up the porch two at a time.
"Rika dear, you do know it''s considered rude to barge into one''s home unannounced, yes?" Kendra said pointedly, not even giving them a glance. Her eyes were invisible behind the reflection of the laptop screen emblazoned on her glasses. "Pardon the mess," she added distractedly. Kendra sat in a chair near one corner of the room. Mess isn''t really the word, Alden thought. There were stacks of boxes piled up in every corner, but they were very neatly arranged. Clear paths through the room existed, convoluted as they might be, and in one corner sat a pair of desks with computers, and a row of blinking machines sitting just below them. He saw a cord snaking off from the computer bank through a hole in the wall and out to the apparent nothingness. Behind Kendra, an opening lead to a staircase and a kitchen. Kendra herself was far more casual than when they''d left her only an hour earlier, clad in a sweatshirt emblazoned with the RSU logo and track pants instead of the business attire she''d worn to the meeting. She was busily typing away at something while they spoke. Unlike the Market outside, this room felt far more stable to Alden, and he felt his anxiety diminishing. "Uhh, hi," Rika started. "No need for that. Your reputation precedes you," she said distastefully. Her laptop pinged, drawing her attention away momentarily, but her eyes shot back up only an instant later. "Apologies. I''ve just so much to do. Might I ask you visit another time?" "I''m looking for¡ª" Rika started again, but before she could get another word in, they heard a door crash open in the kitchen. "Cat''s out of the bag, Kenni," came a voice from the kitchen. Kendra stiffened in horror. Rika and Alden gave each other looks of confusion. Unless he was hearing things, that was distinctly Kendra''s voice¡ªthough clearly not issuing from Kendra''s mouth. "Bit of a cock-up, and Rachel''s right pissed, but we were planning to go public soon anyway, yeah?" There was a rustling as someone took off a jacket and hung it to dry. "You were right on the Scrap too, creation magic. Want me to put the kettle on before I head ou¡­ " As they stared, Kendra walked in through the kitchen. Or at least, someone who looked very similar to Kendra did. Identical, even, except for the clothing she wore. She saw Alden and Rika and her face fell. "Oh, bugger all," she muttered. "Lily, we have guests," Kendra said mildly, returning to her laptop. Lily glanced at her awkwardly before continuing. "Right then. I''m Lily, I''m her twin sister, I don''t exist. You two got that?" Alden nodded emphatically. No need to make enemies. After a moment''s hesitation, Rika did the same. Alden was shocked to see her speechless. "Brilliant. Kenni, you need me for anything?" "I''ll be fine, thank you," Kendra answered, still not looking up from her laptop. "Right. Well, pleasure to meet you both... again," she nodded at Alden and Rika. "I''m going to nip upstairs to take a quick shower before I head outside." Lily disappeared up the staircase, leaving the three of them alone again. Kendra typed out a few more sentences, then snapped the laptop shut and looked at them more intently. Her entire demeanor had shifted since her sister''s intrusion, suddenly polite and welcoming. "You''ll have to excuse my inhospitality. I''m afraid I''m a bit under the weather of late. I''d offer you a seat, but I haven''t put together a sitting room here yet." "Couldn''t you just make one?" Alden asked. Kendra raised her eyebrows, the corners of her lips curling slightly in amusement. "He''s really new to this," Rika said apologetically. "What? Didn''t she do all of this?" Alden asked, confused. "Heavens no," Kendra replied. "I create the space, yes, but everything inside was brought in, piece by piece." "You brought an entire house inside through those doors?" Alden asked skeptically. "Trade secret," Kendra said dismissively. "Now, on to proper business. I assume you have some?" "Looking for information," Rika interjected. "You''ll need to be more specific, I''m afraid. Information''s quite the commodity these days." Kendra adjusted to a more business-like position, eyeing them with interest. "What are you looking for?" "Who. My father," Rika said abruptly. "The last I heard, Kazuo Nishimura was alive and well in Japan," Kendra said mildly, without missing a beat. Rika looked surprised. "How do you know my father?" "Because we purchased the company. Laushire bought out your father''s software, don''t you remember?" Kendra opened her laptop again, scrolling through something. A moment later, she spun it around, displaying a news article from a business journal. Alden leaned in close to read the headline, something about a major software company acquisition. "We actually met at that party, though I''m not surprised you don''t recall. You were only twelve at the time." "Well, he''s missing," Rika said. "I''ve gotta find him." "You don''t sound particularly concerned," Kendra observed. Alden mentally agreed. Rika might as well have been talking about a missing pen. "I''m not. Just need to talk to him. In person." "You''re looking for access to a reader, then." Kendra snapped the laptop shut again and set it aside. "That''ll cost." "I have money." "I have more. Currency isn''t holding much sway for my ventures. It''s back to the barter system." Rika glanced at her bag. "Don''t think I have anything that you''d want." "Let''s not pretend, Rika. You''ve got a Scrap." At Kendra''s words, Rika''s posture shifted subtly. She was on the defensive, which sent Alden into a panic. If Rika felt threatened, what was he supposed to do without any real capabilities of his own? Suddenly having access to magic was a bit more tempting. Still terrifying, but Alden was starting to feel like he was going to need it before this adventure was through. "Rachel told you?" Rika accused. "Your friend remains loyal, fear not. No, I happened to find out through other more¡­ sophisticated means." "You''ve got some new reader, then. Someone who knows how to find Scraps?" "Something like that," Kendra said with a glint in her eye. "Better not let that get widely known," Rika shot back pointedly. "You might be powerful, but the entire fucking town would come after you for that little trick." Kendra relaxed back into her chair, folding her arms. "I can handle the town. They couldn''t run me out of the country," she added pointedly. Rika''s face glowed red. "Back to business, then. I wouldn''t dream of asking to keep it, but in exchange for letting me read, I''d be willing to sell my reader''s services." "Just like that?" Rika asked skeptically. "No need to get complicated." "What if your reader doesn''t come up with anything?" "Naturally, I''d pay first," Kendra said dismissively. "There''s no real way to hold your payment in escrow, since you clearly don''t trust anyone, so I''ll have to hold you up to your end of the bargain. Agreed?" "Hang on. Toss in natural twin lizard eggs." "For Ryan, I presume?" Kendra''s eye twinkled, a smile widening on her face. Rika nodded. "I can do that. Consider your debt to him cleared." Rika held out a hand, which Kendra shook firmly. Alden was pleased to note her small jump of surprise upon touching Rika''s skin. He wasn''t the only one. "Now," Kendra continued, turning to face Alden. "You''re not awakened, nor have you any magical abilities or knowledge whatsoever, am I correct?" "No," Alden answered shakily. Her gaze was penetrating, like she already knew anything he might say. He felt himself begin to shrink before her, and his eyes sank lower instinctively. A foot nudged his own. Rika was trying to be supportive, and it worked. Even backup he barely knew was something. "I''m also looking for someone," he started, "but I don''t know who they are." "Not even a gender?" Kendra noted observantly. "No," Alden replied. He steeled himself before continuing. This is the reason you started this whole adventure. "I''ve felt like someone was missing for a while now, but I couldn''t put my finger on it. My mom and dad think I''m crazy, my sister doesn''t believe me. No one else has any clue what I''m talking about. But I know someone was there. Someone related to me." He took a deep breath before continuing. "A sibling, probably older." "How can you be so sure?" Kendra asked with interest. Rika, too, was watching him with intense curiosity. He felt a wave of discomfort wash through him like an unpleasant hot liquid sloshing down his throat. Keep talking, he reminded himself. Just keep talking. "There''s a room in my house we never use, even though it''s as big as a bedroom. It''s just empty, a few cardboard boxes but we don''t even use it to store anything. There''s an extra car, but my sister can''t drive yet, so it just sits on the side of the house unused. We have extra books no one seems to have bought, pens and pencils no one ever uses. One more laptop than people in the house. It''s like there''s an entire person who just vanished," Alden trailed off, feeling a bit more uncertain. His list of evidence wasn''t exactly foolproof. "But only you recognize the irregularity," Kendra prompted. "Even I didn''t notice it until recently. A couple months ago, when I found this." With that, he reached into his coat pocket and finally produced the object of his obsession for the last two months. "An envelope?" Rika said dryly, unimpressed. "May I see it?" Kendra asked, extending a hand. Reluctantly, Alden handed it over. She turned it over a few times, examining it closely before remarking, "This is from the university." "It''s an acceptance letter envelope. The exact same as mine, it''s got the congratulations stamp on the front and everything, and dated and addressed to my house. But¡­ there''s no one who could have received it. My sister''s only fourteen." "Not exactly a smoking gun," Rika commented. "When I showed it to my parents, they acted like I wasn''t even holding anything. My sister Meg just brushed it off too. After I had the envelope, I started noticing all the other things. I made sure to keep it on me all the time since. I assumed they were just covering everything up until about six hours ago, then I found out magic is real and¡­ yeah," Alden finished, the speech he''d preparing to give for so long finally out in the open. He felt relief, but also the huge weight of apprehension crushing down on him quite suddenly. What if neither of them believed him? What if he was just crazy after all? They knew far more about magic than he did. Maybe he was insane. All of this was insane, though. They had to believe him. "It''s an¡­ interesting theory," Kendra started slowly. "I won''t say it''s impossible. God knows what is now. But why you?" "What?" "Something like this can''t be easy," Rika chimed in. "They''d have to be crazy smart and dedicated to totally wipe someone out. If that''s even possible." "Precisely," Kendra continued. "So you''ve made an enemy. A dangerously precise and knowledgeable enemy, and in our world knowledge is truly akin to power." She offered the envelope back to Alden, who took it gratefully. "I don''t know what I can do for you, Zack. I''m sorry. If you''d like, I can go through the university''s records for applications around the date of that envelope, but I doubt your foe would miss something so simple." "Please," Alden asked. "I must ask though, in strictest confidence of course, for your real name if I''m to make any headway." Alden glanced at Rika, who shrugged. "She''s probably trustworthy, if anyone is in this fucking town." "Is that really necessary?" Kendra asked exasperatedly. "It''s been a rough day," Rika shot back. As if on cue, the door in the kitchen banged open again. Alden suddenly realized that the door they''d come in through was the only one on the exterior, so the kitchen door must lead elsewhere. Back into the real world? Kendra seemed surprised, at any rate. Meanwhile, a series of thumps on the stairs preceded a dripping wet Lily rushing to the kitchen, barely holding a towel around herself as she went. Alden turned away, trying to show some measure of respect. To his surprise, Rika did as well, leaving them both staring at the wall next to the front door away from the kitchen. Rika raised an eyebrow at him and grinned, miming holding something large and round in both hands. Alden''s face lit up red a few moments later, turning his gaze the other direction. Rika barely suppressed her cackling. Behind them, they could hear Lily speaking urgently and quietly, while someone else moved around. Alden only had to wonder a few moments before the intruder''s voice joined in, loud and distinctly young. "Natalie?" Alden mouthed to Rika, who nodded. "Nat, you know you''re not supposed to come in here when the lamp''s green," Lily''s voice echoed from the kitchen. "I saw him! They were taking him away! They had him! You have to help!" Natalie was hysterical, her voice reaching a shriek. "Nat, please. Nat! Calm down!" Lily was getting louder as well. "Natalie, if you can''t calm yourself we can''t help you," Kendra''s firm voice joined the fray. Alden had heard enough. He turned and walked into the kitchen, doing his best to avoid Lily, who seemed to have completely forgotten the towel in her haste to calm Natalie down. He crouched down in front of the soaking wet Natalie, her pink jacket dripping all over the floor of the kitchen, and held her hand. For whatever reason, he''d always been good with little kids, although he had no idea why. Natalie wasn''t exactly that young, but young enough that she could still break down easily. Alden found that patience and listening intently usually worked, at least for him. Kids just seemed to like him. Alden generally couldn''t stand kids, but he wanted to make a good impression on Kendra and Lily if they were going to be helping him. A minute later, Natalie was beginning to calm down, as he still held her hand firmly. "Natalie, what happened? Tell me everything, okay?" he said calmly. "My dad," Natalie said between sniffles. She was crying, but at least she''d stopped wailing. "Out in the forest, I was with Scrappy. I saw him with another man, they were fighting. Then the other man said something, and he just stopped. Then they both walked away." "And this other man took him?" Alden asked. It didn''t sound like a kidnapping to him. "Yes!" "Chap''s been missing for days," Lily added, sitting herself next to Natalie and hugging her, finally draping the towel around like a blanket to cover them both as best she could. "No one had seen him. Nat''s been terrified." "I''m not scared!" Natalie said, wiping away a tear. "Me and Scrappy are gonna go get him back!" "Out in the forest? Up north?" Rika asked from the doorway with interest. Everyone looked up at her. "Huh?" Natalie asked. "The one behind the train station, Nat," Lily explained. "Oh, yeah. That one," Natalie nodded emphatically. "I''ll find him," Rika said coolly. "We can pay you¡ª" Lily started, but Rika held up her hand. "Kendra already knows what I want." She looked Alden in the eye. "You in, Zack?" A split-second before he realized he was going to regret it, Alden nodded. [Discord]¡ª[Rate This Story]¡ª[Patreon] Chapter 7 — Misdirection Chapter 7 ¡ª Misdirection "Didn''t realize this was going to be a fucking field trip," Rika grumbled. "Rika, she''s like eight years old," Alden hissed. "So?" "Maybe a bit less harsh?" "Oh, right. Sorry," Rika cleared her throat and raised her voice. "You two ready?" Natalie was still gazing out into the woods, a worried look on her face. "Scrappy''s not here yet." "I''m sure he''ll be here soon, Nat," Lily said patiently. "Who''s Scrappy?" Alden whispered to Rika. "Fu¡ª" Rika caught herself. "Hell if I know," she whispered back. "Look, that''s the best I can do." "And we''re supposed to find a man out here¡ªa possible kidnapper¡ªin the rain, with the sun setting, and all we know about him is that he was dressed in black and white and wore a hat?" Alden asked skeptically. "Hey, you wanted to come." "There!" Natalie pointed. Out of the woods, slinking around the corner of a tree came a huge mountain lion, one of the biggest Alden had ever seen. Not unnaturally large, but certainly intimidating. He automatically took a step back. "Holy shit," Rika breathed. Alden didn''t bother to press her again. He was too busy worrying about how he could get away with those yellow eyes watching him. As if being in the middle of the dark forest¡ªwhich held who knew what untold dangers¡ªwasn''t bad enough. As they stared, ''Scrappy'' padded up next to Natalie and rubbed against her side affectionately. Natalie scratched at the big cat''s ears and dug her face in its bronze-colored fur. "Don''t worry, Nat''s got him under control," Lily called across the clearing. Alden wasn''t reassured in the slightest. Neither was Rika, from the look on her face. "Scrappy, do you know where Dad went?" Natalie asked. The cat nodded. "That cat just nodded, right?" Alden whispered. Rika sounded dazed. "Don''t ask me. The expert''s over there with the puma." "Magic, right?" Alden asked nervously. "Oh yeah. Definitely magic. Nothing I''ve ever seen before." "Can you take us to him?" Natalie asked, looking the cat directly in the eye. It bobbed its head again and turned back the way it had come. After a pause, it looked back over its shoulder, eye to eye with Alden. He got the sensation it wanted him to follow. He got a far more distinct feeling that the mountain lion held a similar view of him that it might reserve for an annoying squirrel it hadn''t quite decided to eat yet. "I think that cat doesn''t like me," Alden muttered. "Scrappy won''t hurt you unless I tell him to," Natalie said cheerfully. "And I''m twelve years old. I''m not eight." Alden winced. Natalie ignored him and whispered to her cat. "She''s twelve?" he asked Rika more quietly. "Guess so. Some people grow up slower. Now suck it up. We''ve got a job to do." Rika patted him on the back, then set off to join the others. After a moment''s hesitation, Alden followed. It was a bizarre sight for anyone who might have happened on them that night. A large, clearly feral cougar leading a girl dressed in a pink jacket and rain boots by the hand, followed intently by an elegant and business-attired woman carrying an umbrella, with two college kids crashing through the forest at a respectful distance. Alden laughed aloud; he couldn''t help it, it just seemed ridiculous to him. He was taking everything seriously, perhaps a little too seriously. His body needed to relieve stress before his head exploded, and it just came out as a strained, somewhat exhausted laugh. On the bright side, the sheer fatigue was helping dull his paranoia. Natalie and Lily were further ahead and fortunately didn''t catch his mirth, but Rika shot him a confused look. He shook his head. "Nothing." "Don''t go losing it on me." Exhaustion was further lowering Alden''s inhibitions. Without thinking he asked, "Why''d you agree to this anyway?" Rika raised her eyebrows. "Why help a little kid?" "Didn''t seem like you liked kids," Alden said bluntly. Rika fell back a few steps, further away from the leaders of their little group, and lowered her voice. "I don''t. Do you realize the kind of blackmail we just picked up?" Alden had expected any number of responses, but definitely not that. Rika''s tone was surprisingly icy. "What?" "Kendra fucking Laushire has a secret twin sister. And she doesn''t want anyone to know about her. That''s huge." "Laushire as in¡ª" Alden started, but Rika interrupted him impatiently. "Laushire Enterprises, international conglomerate. Basically, she''s a billionaire. Well, daughter of a billionaire, who stands to inherit that massive company and that fortune at some point." Rika paused to reach into her bag, pulling out a water bottle and drinking deep. "Why keep it a secret?" Alden wondered aloud. "Exactly what I''m gonna find out," Rika smirked. "Didn''t you notice how Kendra didn''t even blink when I changed our deal? She''s a businesswoman and she let me dominate negotiations." "So you offered to help because¡­" "Because then Lily owes me a favor, while Kendra owes me for keeping her secret. Win-win. What, did you expect this little quest to actually accomplish anything? It''s night-time in the middle of the fucking forest. In the rain. We''re not gonna find jack shit." "But doesn''t she own your family business?" "Her dad owns my dad''s business. I couldn''t give a fuck about either of them." Rika dropped her water bottle back into her bag and snapped it shut. "Come on, we''re falling behind."
As Alden tripped over yet another tree root, he was reminded just how much he hated the outdoors. Rika had since opted to walk slightly behind him, and as he started to fall she caught his arm by the jacket sleeve, keeping him upright. "Thanks," Alden grumbled. "How are you this clumsy?" Rika wondered aloud. Alden didn''t bother to answer, stubbornly forging ahead. They''d been walking for at least an hour, and he was beginning to feel like they were completely lost. As Rika predicted, they hadn''t found a single shred of intelligent life. The forest didn''t look like it was changing, except perhaps to get thicker. Thankfully, the canopy was thick enough that the ground wasn''t too wet, and the periodic rainshower didn''t always make it down to their heads. On the other hand, with the sun having already set, the clouds and trees combined to bring nightfall much quicker than they''d expected. A lantern bobbed about ahead, marking Lily, and Rika had produced flashlights from her bag for Alden and herself. "Hey, wait up!" Rika called. Lily and Natalie were atop a steep muddy knoll a few dozen yards ahead. Alden had lost track of the cat, but he had no doubt it was nearby. They stopped abruptly at Rika''s voice. "What?" Rika clambered up the side of the hill, grabbing tree roots and branches for stability as she went regardless of how wet and dirty they were. Alden took one look at the first one she grabbed, saw the mud caked on her hand, and decided to wait for them at the bottom of the hill. He wished, not for the first time, that he''d brought some gloves. A nearby log looked reasonably dry and clean of dirt and mud, so Alden took the opportunity to rest his legs. He wasn''t particularly out of shape, but it''d been a long day and he was starting to feel it. He rolled his head around his shoulders, trying to wake himself up a little more, when he saw something in the distance. It was a young man, likely just a student of the college if Alden were to guess. He was intimidatingly tall, well over six feet. Black, bald, handsome and wearing a thick, old fashioned overcoat that reached past his knees. It looked expensive, comfortable and warm, which were three things Alden could have done with right then. Still, what was this guy doing out in the forest this late at night? More importantly, he realized, what were the odds he''d end up so close to their group by sheer coincidence? Alden got to his feet and was about to call out to Rika when the man''s eyes locked with his own. A chill shot through Alden''s blood, rushing up his spine to freeze his mind entirely. It was his eyes. They were inky black, dark as the deepest night sky devoid of all stars, with only the faintest glimmer to show any life behind them. Alden could have looked away at any moment. Nothing was stopping him in the slightest from fleeing up the hill, where two powerful women and a little girl with a gigantic pet cat were busy arguing. They were nominally on his side if he were in danger. Yet he knew, instinctively, that to break this man''s sight would be a mistake. Is this how I die? Alden thought, a multitude of regrets bubbling to the surface of his mind. The man slowly shook his head, answering Alden''s unspoken question. Alden felt that chill spread further, lancing through his veins to every part of his body. Even if the man did not intend to kill him, he felt that he might be trapped in that spot for eternity. Finally, mercifully, the man turned away. For the briefest moment, he looked up the hill at the trio, and Alden was able to tear his gaze away. He focused his eyes on anything he could find. The twigs scattered on the forest floor, the fluttering leaf that had just fallen nearby¡ªanything other than the man he had seen through the trees. It took him a few minutes, but Alden finally felt warmth returning to his limbs. He chanced a glance through the trees. The man was gone, leaving only the empty darkness of the trees in his wake. Alden decided he was ready to leave the forest as soon as possible. Rika and Natalie were still arguing atop the hill. It was a fair climb back up to them, and their voices were faint, but Rika''s voice tended to carry, so he could make out most of what they were saying. "Look, we''re not getting anywhere. That cat doesn''t have a clue where it''s going. Either we happen to stumble into wherever they''re hiding, with all this light that''ll give us away before we even get close, or they ditched this area a long time ago and we''re just wandering in circles." "He''s out here. I know it!" Natalie retorted, but even her conviction seemed wavering¡ªor maybe she was just tired. From his distance, Alden couldn''t be sure. "Nat, she''s right. Whomever that bloke with your dad was, he wouldn''t want to be out in this muck either, yeah?" Lily said, crouching down to the girl''s level. As she spoke, Alden saw the cougar slink back into view, nudging at Natalie''s hand. She threw her arms around it. Alden guessed she was probably crying, and hiding it in the cat''s fur. "Let''s go home. I''ll draw you a nice hot bath." After a few moments, Natalie nodded, and Alden breathed a sigh of relief. Exiting the forest was less difficult than he''d expected. Natalie whispered a few words to Scrappy, and off they went. In only fifteen minutes, the group emerged from the edge of the forest, just a few blocks away from the train station Alden had arrived on that afternoon. The rain had mercifully let up, leaving them soaked but otherwise less miserable than an hour ago. Or perhaps that was just Alden; Rika and Natalie didn''t seem much bothered by the rain. Lily took Natalie''s hand and lead her reluctantly away from the mountain lion, which seemed to understand it couldn''t follow them back into town. Natalie gave it a little wave, to which it nodded before slinking back into the trees and out of sight. "So Natalie''s living with you?" Rika inquired casually. "Just while her father''s missing," Lily said. She offered a hand. "Thanks for giving it a go. Give us a ring if you hear anything, yeah?" Rika shook it. "Let Kendra know your secret''s safe with me." Lily''s eyes narrowed at the implication, but she didn''t comment. After a few awkward moments, Rika let go, and they departed. Rika turned to Alden. "Well, that was more productive than I expected." "What do you mean?" As far as Alden could tell, they''d accomplished nothing. "I just wanted to put Lily in some debt, but they played their hand a bit. They''ve got some kind of resistance to magic, or maybe just electricity. Did you notice how she didn''t move an inch when I touched her?" Alden shrugged. "Maybe she''s just getting used to it." In response, Rika leaned in and tapped him on the face with her finger. The sudden shock sent his mind fizzing for a moment, and he recoiled sharply. "That''s what I thought," she said, smirking. "Wish we''d gotten to see this guy who took Natalie''s father. There''s gotta be a connection, I can feel it." "Huh?" "Fate, Alden. I told you, it''s all about fate. What are the odds that I¡ªa girl whose father is missing and mother''s¡­ gone," she paused for a moment, catching her breath. "That I run into another girl whose father is recently missing and mother''s out of the picture? And we both use magic, and we''re in this dead-end town. I was brought here," Rika finished confidently. "I dunno," Alden said skeptically. "It could just all be coincidence." "Magic hasn''t even made it out of the Northwest. Hell, I don''t know anyone outside this state that''s been awakened yet." "Really?" "A few dozen people. Less than a hundred for sure. And with a couple obvious exceptions, every one''s in Rallsburg." "I just assumed¡ª" Rika shook her head. "This is new shit, Alden. So new no one''s named it yet. Just calling it magic." "What would you call it?" "Does it need a name? It''s magic, just leave it at that." Rika glanced up at the clouds rolling across the sky, faintly visible in the dark. "We should probably get inside. You got a place to stay?" Alden frowned. "I didn''t really plan that far ahead," he mumbled, embarrassed. She rolled her eyes. "Well, come on then."
It wasn''t exactly the nicest set of apartments, but it was clean and well maintained at least. Plain, white two-story structures lined up in a solid row, but with space between each. They had more of a sense of privacy than Alden would have expected, for being packed so tightly into such a small lot near the RSU campus. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Rika returned from the office with a strange look on her face. "My landlord''s missing," she said, handing a key to Alden. "What?" "Probably should have realized it sooner. Natalie Hendricks. Hendricks Apartments. Her dad owns this place." "Oh." Alden frowned. "If you live up in Vancouver and don''t attend school, why do you have an apartment here?" "Convenience." "Isn''t that kind of expensive?" "Well, I''m kind of rich," Rika retorted. Alden decided to stop asking questions. Rika didn''t seem in the mood. They walked in silence to the last apartment on the row. Rika put her hand on the gate to open it, then stopped. "Look, I''m sorry. I didn''t mean it like that. You can keep asking questions if you want," she said quietly. "No, it''s okay¡ª" Alden started. "You''re new in town, so you don''t know enough to avoid me yet," Rika continued. "I''m turning over a new leaf, not pissing so many people off. You''re the only new person in town. No one''s gonna come here til the new term in like three months. Which means you''re the only person in town with even the possibility of trusting me. The new me, anyway. It''s a work in progress." Rika looked at him with an embarrassed smile. "Be my friend?" Alden burst out laughing. "What the fuck?" She looked simultaneously horrified and livid. "I''m sorry," Alden was choking back laughter. Between the sincerity of her tone, how completely out of character it seemed, and his own mounting exhaustion, Alden had completely lost it. "Well fuck you too," Rika growled. "No, seriously," Alden said, his mirth quickly dissipating. "You''re the best person I''ve met here so far. I''d rather have you as a friend than anyone else." "You sure?" Rika asked sarcastically. "Don''t want to just keep giggling like a moron?" "Yes," Alden said firmly. "Well then, come inside. You hungry?" Rika''s apartment was sparsely decorated, but since it wasn''t her real home Alden wasn''t too surprised. Everything down to the layer of dust and the musty smell spoke to a mostly unoccupied building. There was a staircase leading up to two main rooms and a bathroom upstairs, and on the bottom floor was a living room, with couches laid out around a fair-sized television set and a chair in the corner with a laptop hanging dangerously off the edge, and a kitchen stocked with dry food. It was compact and forlorn, like a dusty old forgotten corner. "Shoes," Rika snapped, as Alden was about to step onto the main floor. He reached down and carefully took off his muddy shoes, placing them next to her own in the entryway, and hung his jacket to dry on the rack just inside. As Rika crossed to the kitchen, Alden hurried to the laptop and secured it from imminent descent. He took a seat and pulled out the envelope again. There wasn''t any change, of course. He knew every inch of it by now. "What are you hoping to find?" Alden looked up. Rika had shed her shirt as well, leaving only a black tank top underneath. She was in remarkably good shape. Alden noticed two more tattoos to accompany the intricate flowers on her wrist. Her right shoulder carried a few Japanese letters, in a rough and messy style that looked like she might have done it herself, while her left arm held a stunningly depicted bluebird. It was a similar electric-blue shade to her hair and eyes, with its wings spread wide in mid-flight. She learned up against the wall, watching him casually. "I don''t know," he answered halfheartedly. "You could have had an older brother or sister out there, right?" "I guess." Alden took a seat on one of the couches. "Do you have siblings?" "Nope. Only child of the great Nishimura clan," Rika answered with rancor. Her tone bothered Alden. "If you don''t like your family, why are you looking for your father?" "Just need to find him." Her tone made it perfectly clear she didn''t want to discuss it further. He faltered, desperately seeking a new topic, when her face relaxed. "Look, I''m sorry. I don''t really talk about this much," Rika continued in a softer voice. "What about you? Shouldn''t you be in school?" Rika asked with a smirk. "Seniors already graduated. I''m free for the summer," Alden countered with a touch of pride. "Congrats, big shot," Rika said dryly. She paused, her face shifting to a thoughtful gaze. Alden was beginning to recognize this particular tic; whenever Rika was actually considering her next words, she tended to fidget a bit. Her hands in particular tapped away at her side, or flicked between various gestures. Normally Alden would never have taken notice, but after seeing what Rika could conjure up with such a gesture, he wasn''t letting those fingers out of his sight. "Shoot me down if it''s none of my business, but why the fake name?" "Wasn''t yours fake too?" Alden asked. "''Course not, why would I need a fake name?" "But, at the bar¡ª" "They just threw me out because my American ID''s a fake. Which means I got ripped off, I paid top dollar for this crap." Rika pulled out the ID and tossed it on the table between the couches. "But you actually belong here, so what are you hiding from?" "Wouldn''t you want to be called something else if your name''s Alden Bensen the third?" "The third?" Rika raised her eyebrows. "Ouch." "Yeah." "Still," Rika added, as a timer went off in the kitchen. "I''m thinking that''s not the whole story. You tell me when you''re ready. Now let''s eat." As Alden sat down at her small kitchen table just around the wall, a sharp rapping sound echoed from the front door. They both looked up, surprised. "Who the hell¡­ this late?" Rika glanced at the clock on the microwave. Sure enough, it was well past eleven. "Can you be quiet?" she asked abruptly. "Huh?" Alden asked between confused mouthfuls of rice. "Look, just¡­ stay quiet. Pretend you''re not here. It''ll be less complicated." Alden nodded slowly. Rika got up and headed to the door, while he continued to eat as quietly as he dared. He was too hungry to resist. After a brief exchange he couldn''t make out, there was the distinct sound of shoes on the hardwood entry as Rika''s guest barged in. Luckily for Alden, or perhaps moreso for Rika, the guest didn''t come far enough to see Alden around the wall. He strained his ears and caught the voice of the councilor from earlier, Rachel DuValle. "¡ªand it''s just a mess, okay? I know you didn''t mean it, and I know that stuff out at the RV wasn''t you either, but you''re causing a serious imbalance," Rachel was saying in an exhausted tone. "I live here too, Rachel. Tell them to fuck off." "Look, just because we were friends doesn''t mean I can take your side on every single little issue!" Rachel''s volume was rising. "Kendra thinks you''re unstable, Ryan obviously hates you, so does Josh¡ªnice job ruining that relationship, by the way¡ªand no one else is exactly happy you''re here, but they''re too nervous to do anything openly and risk their standing in the Market, or just getting burned by a random bolt of lightning. After what Jackie just showed me, people are going to be a thousand times more afraid! I appreciate you trying to back me up, but if you really wanted to help you''d stay away. So why''d you come back?" "...''Were'' friends?" Rika asked quietly. Alden winced. "...I didn''t mean it like that," Rachel started. "Nah, it''s cool," Rika replied, surprisingly calm. Alden had expected more fireworks. "You''re being honest, I''ll be honest too. I''ve got business with Kendra, then I''m out of here. You guys can keep on playing the leaders of the brave new world without me in the way. Don''t worry, I clean up my own shit." "Not even," Rachel muttered, just barely audible to Alden. "Do I have your word, then? You''ll stay out of future meetings?" "If you let me know about any Scraps you discover, and let me read up on the ones the Council shares, then I''ll stay out of your hair." "Fine," Rachel said bitterly. "I owe you that." "Damn right you do," Rika said coldly. "After I saved your sorry asses¡ª" "Let''s not go there again," Rachel snapped. Alden''s curiosity grew with every passing word, but he knew Rika well enough at this point to keep silent. Which only made it harder as the topic turned to him. "Who''s the guy you were with today?" "Zack? What about him?" "He''s not awakened." "Didn''t we already cover that?" Rika said impatiently. "Were you planning on sponsoring him?" Rachel asked suspiciously. Rika barked out a short laugh. "Go through your little vetting process? Fuck that." "It''s there for a reason," Rachel said patiently, with the air of launching into a speech she''d given a dozen times. "We''ve got the ability to more selectively choose people who can really handle the responsibilities¡ª" "Save it, I was there all night while you wrote that crap. It''s impossible to stay up late with you, you know, when you don''t get tired like the rest of us." "Don''t awaken him yet. You know we''re one wannabe superhero away from the world finding us out, and I want to be ready when the moment comes," Rachel continued more plainly. "We''re going to need more trustworthy allies if we''re going to make it." "We''ll be fine," Rika said dismissively. "You''re all still American citizens, right? What are they going to do, arrest you en masse?" "That''s exactly what I''m afraid of," Rachel replied grimly. "With how few of us are united, it''d be nothing to sweep us away. Even if we can somehow get the help of the Gods¡ª" "Good fucking luck." "We can''t take on the entire United States, much less the world. We probably can''t even take on the Tacoma P.D." "And you know those guys are pushovers." "I''m trying to be serious here, Rika," Rachel said, exasperated. "I''m not interested in your revolution. I''ve got my own shit to deal with." "Fine. Just. Be ready, okay?" "Yup." Rika''s tone was too dismissive for Rachel to argue further. Alden heard a chair shift, followed by the tap of shoes against the wood once more. As the door opened, Rachel''s voice drifted through once more. "We''re still friends, Rika. If you want us to be. Anywhere, anytime, you call me, okay?" "Okay," Rika replied, though her tone was much less sincere. Another pause, then the door clicked shut and the curtain stopped fluttering. "I assume you heard all that?" Alden gulped nervously. "Yeah," he called. Rika''s head appeared around the corner of the wall. "So. Wanna learn magic?" Her tone was cheerful, but her expression deadly serious. Alden didn''t bother to ask why she was ignoring Rachel''s instructions. "Why me?" "Huh?" "You''ve been so generous already, and now you''re offering to teach me magic like it''s no big deal, when you barely know me. Shouldn''t this be harder?" Rika shrugged. "Like I said before. Fate." "That''s all?" "No," Rika sighed. "You''re new in town. Probably the only new person in town this time of year. So I actually trust you more than everyone here." "I lied to you practically the moment I met you," Alden pointed out. "Yeah, but you told me the truth later. Willingly and without a fight, unlike the rest of this shithole. Most people who live here, they''re either college kids passing through quickly, or they''re here for life. Rachel''s already a lifer, even if she''s still in school. Josh''ll be out of here before you know it. I don''t have too many friends here, but you get the idea. The rest of this place is a bag of dicks." "So you''ve picked me," Alden finished. "Fate picked, Alzack," Rika corrected. "I''m just doing what''s meant to be done." Alden hesitated. He was tempted. He was sorely tempted. It was magic. Real magic, from what he''d seen. Who wouldn''t be interested, at least to some degree? Besides the crazies or ultra-religious, everyone wanted something like magic in their lives. Something unreal, something exciting and new and unique. Magic could make him special, could make him into anything he wanted to be. The warnings were weak by comparison. He felt there had to be some sort of catch, and yet no one seemed overly concerned by this power that had dropped into their laps out of the blue. Would he damn himself by joining their ranks blindly? Did he even care? He''d come to this town out of a blind desperation to find something meaningful to do, a promise of adventure in that blank envelope and the missing family he thought he must have. He''d already run into a dead end. Whomever his sibling was, Alden had to find them. This was just the next step in that path. It was magic. Then Alden remembered the dangers. The shaking of the Marketplace, the balls of fire at Dan''s that threatened to punch through his skull. The burned library, the Gods with their secret war. The man with the black eyes. Perhaps Rika sensed his fear, or maybe she was just impatient, as she spoke up before he could answer. "Let''s go out. I want you to see something."
It was pitch black as they walked down the street together, back toward the trees. Rika''s apartment was on the edge of town, which put them within a short brisk walk of the forest. They loomed taller with every step, lit only by the crescent moon hanging in the sky. Alden felt his blood pumping faster through his chest. Anticipation hung heavy in the air, like a coiled cat ready to spring. It took him a moment to realize what was strange with the setting. "All the lights are off," he commented aloud. "Yup. The town voted way back to start turning off the lights at night completely. Since there''s no real traffic around here, they pushed it through pretty easily. The only lights that stay on are near the train and the sheriff''s office." Rika pointed up, and Alden''s eyes followed. The stars were laid out before him, more dense and detailed than he''d ever imagined coming from a much larger city. He could see the arms of the galaxy twisting through the deep black and the twinkling of millions of tiny specks. It was an overwhelming, awe-inspiring sight, one that sent shivers down his spine and caught his throat when he tried to speak. "Made the right choice, eh?" Rika said, taking his hand. He flinched at the contact and the burst of electricity through his system, but she ignored it and pulled him forward. "Come on, I don''t want you to be late." "Late to what, exactly?" Alden spoke finally, curiosity overcoming his stupor. "Something special." Rika gestured to the trees that now stood only a few feet away. He could see a clearing only a few hundred feet forward, lit by an unknown source. "Go in there and see for yourself. You think you can find your way back to the apartment on your own?" "You''re not coming?" Alden said nervously. "Nah, they wouldn''t want me there. You''ll be fine, just watch. Don''t talk to anyone." "...Okay." "I''ll wait for you right here, then," Rika said, taking up a perch on a bench nearby and pulling out her phone. The screen, as dim as it was, seemed totally out of place compared to the canvas of stars above them. His stomach churned in a mixture of excitement and apprehension, but Alden slowly made it his way forward nonetheless through the trees. Every step forward brought him closer to the lights, which he began to see were laid out in a wide circular clearing ahead. There was faint music wafting through the leaves, someone playing some kind of flute. As he walked forward he spotted figures through the trees, distinctive cloaks marking them out to be the members of Cinza''s following. He finally emerged through the forest into the clearing, where a ritual-like arrangement awaited. Her followers stood around the edges, hoods drawn low to hide their faces and patiently watching their leader. Cinza stood in the center, and unlike the rest, her hood was down, brown hair spilling out around her face. Her eyes were cast upward to the stars with an expression of rapture, their reflections dancing in her wide pupils with such intensity that Alden could see it from the edge of the tree line. She lifted her arms from her sides. As she did, eight white stars rose from the grass around her, perfectly in sync with the charms dangling from her wrists. Alden took a deep breath in excitement. Cinza''s head snapped downward. Her eyes locked with his own. Alden felt like he was entranced, as if she held his entire head firmly with only the power of her gaze, but this was very different from what he had last experienced in the forest. Cinza''s gaze was full of warmth and mystery, the potential of the universe pouring out from her eyes. The corners of her mouth twisted upward in a grin. Cinza shook her head, causing her brown hair to swing back and forth. Alden gasped. Her hair began to shift in color, a shining line travelling down from her head to the tips of each strand, becoming a pure light silver-grey. Cinza shot him a playful wink before returning her gaze to the stars once more. She snapped her arms upward, opening her palms to the sky, and began to sway in place. The eight orbs she''d summoned were joined by a web of them, forming the same eight pointed star that hung from the silver necklace now flashing on her chest as it caught and reflected the many lights dancing around it. Cinza lowered one hand, still wide open as if she intended to grasp at something. She spun a quick circle, and the star began to rotate in place. The lights grew in intensity, and Alden lost track of the girl swaying in the center, directing the stars as if she were conducting an orchestra. His vision finally freed from her intense hold, Alden looked back at the sky, and gasped even louder. The sky itself swayed in time to Cinza''s motions. The stars twirled and spun through the heavens in time to her hands. Alden could only watch for a moment before he felt a small, warm hand grasp his firmly. His eyes shot back down to find Cinza suddenly directly in front of him, pulling him forward into the field of twinkling stars on the surface. He had no idea what he was doing. Alden had never danced in his life, and had no knowledge of magic beyond what he had seen that day. Yet here he was, with an impossibly beautiful girl pulling him through a field of lights that were moving through him as if he were nothing more than air. The entire sky seemed to be rotating around just him and his impromptu partner. Cinza gave him a small smile. For the first time Alden saw her as a vulnerable, delicate person instead of the ethereal, unhinged leader she''d first appeared to be. Now she was just a small barefoot girl in a grey robe, inviting him to share with her something rapturous. She took hold of him and lead him through the clearing, swaying and spinning and twirling about together. He felt something move inside him every time one of the spheres crossed their path. It was an impossible warmth that he was desperate to feel again, and yet he somehow knew that pursuing them directly wouldn''t give him the same result. Only by following this girl and letting her lead him through the dance would he be permitted to experience such a sensation. The bracelets and charms adorning her wrists slid across his skin as she pulled him through the dance, her cloak fluttering in the light breeze flowing through the clearing. Alden felt as if the dance could have gone on forever and he could have been content. Cinza gave him another smile, then suddenly released him. Alden stumbled backward and found himself outside the circle, back in the same spot as he had started. Suddenly, she was on the opposite side of the circle, and one of her followers clung to her, their gray robes making them almost indistinguishable through the maze of lights that filled the forest. Another cloaked figure offered Alden a hand, helping him back to his feet. "You''re lucky," the young man murmured. "Huh?" "She doesn''t just pick anyone. You must be special." "Oh," Alden replied. He couldn''t come up with anything more interesting to respond with. He stared at Cinza and her new partner¡ªa girl with thick wavy crimson hair who had to be in high school¡ªas they pivoted through the spinning web of lights. "Want to stick around? We''ll have something to eat later." Alden was about to accept when Rika''s face popped into his mind, waiting patiently only a few hundred feet away. Her warning rang clearly through his ears. As inexperienced as he was, Alden still knew how to recognize a cult when he saw one. With a last longing look at the girl dancing in the lights, Alden turned and sprinted out of the clearing before he couldn''t resist any longer. Rika was waiting for him just outside the trees. "Good shit, huh?" she asked, grinning. "That was¡­" Alden panted, out of breath between the sprint and the dance. "As weird as Cinza and her groupies might be, they know how to put on a show. You get pulled in?" Alden nodded. "Don''t worry about you being ''special'' or whatever. They tell that to everyone. Newbies always get to jump in." Rika looked uncomfortable as Alden''s face fell. "Sorry. Still, I thought you should see something we can do that doesn''t involve shooting fire and lightning at each other." Alden nodded again. "It was breathtaking." "No kidding, you''re winded as hell," Rika teased. "So, wanna learn magic?" she asked again, but this time, under the starlight and with the lights still dancing in the trees behind her, Alden didn''t hesitate for a moment. "Does it hurt?" he asked casually. He didn''t care what the answer was. His mind was already made up. Alden Bensen was going to learn magic. [Discord]¡ª[Rate This Story]¡ª[Patreon] Chapter 8 — Tidings of Fire Chapter 8 ¡ª Tidings of Fire Rachel sat in her customary spot at the edge of the clearing. She''d brought a blanket to lay down on the dry earth under the thick tree cover and was comfortably leaning against a trunk observing the illusion of stars madly spinning through the sky. The orbs of light continued to move around the clearing while Cinza and her latest partner cavorted about in the center. She might roll her eyes in public, but she remained nonetheless impressed by the spectacle Cinza managed to put on every week without fail. Though she''d never admit it to Will, Rachel enjoyed the show in spite of her distaste for the usual antics of Cinza''s little cult. It was all a mirage, of course. Anyone with her knowledge of visualizing connections would easily see Cinza manipulating the orbs, the people, even the sky itself. Trails connected her up to a massive, razor-thin line which formed an invisible, one-sided disk of sorts that covered the entire clearing, through which she managed to replicate the expanse of stars and subsequently twist them to her every whim. It was impressive to say the least, and Rachel couldn''t deny that part of her weekly attendance was simply attempts to try and discern Cinza''s methods. If magic was akin to science, as they hypothesized, then Rachel should be able to reverse-engineer the technique somehow. It was only a matter of observation, study and her own experimentation. She attended under a veneer of ensuring that secrecy was maintained from the town, but Rallsburg was the sort of place where everyone went to sleep early. Rachel wasn''t particularly concerned they''d be seen, and indeed had stopped bothering to take precautions against anyone accidentally stumbling across the exhibition months prior. Her fellow councilors had long since stopped attending as well. Josh had never seemed interested in the first place, and Mabel complained that it hurt her eyes to observe. So it fell to Rachel to continue monitoring the rituals, keeping an eye on Cinza and her followers. Rachel didn''t really fear much from them. Cinza was a fierce supporter of their privacy from the world at large. To the grey-robed young woman, magic was a divine privilege¡ªa blessing unheeded by bureaucracy or restraint, granted to individuals by fate and by the ''goddess'' in equal measure. She preached often of the coming witch hunts against the worthy chosen. While Rachel didn''t agree with the rhetoric, she certainly shared Cinza''s fears. Witch hunts were always in style, after all. Anyone who was different, anyone who stood out from a given crowd was liable to be beaten down if they were perceived as a threat. Rachel watched as Cinza managed a particularly stunning pattern with the lights. She wasn''t one to rest on her laurels, Rachel noted with appreciation. Every week there was some new minor innovation. Many of them were discarded the following week, for whatever reasons Cinza might privately hold, but the most truly impressive movements were kept and added to the routine. In this instance, she''d flipped and spun the star she''d formed, changing it from a two-dimensional outline floating above the surface into a brilliant, layered design that filled the clearing entirely. Eight points rounded the edge of the circle as usual, but another copy of the same design spun upward at each diagonal until there were eight copies at various angles, which began to rotate in an intricate weave, never quite touching even as they spun inside each other. She sighed. This sort of display, as impressive and beautiful as it might be, would only serve to fuel the fires of such a crusade. The world was still full of the fearful, and greater access to information with such tools as the Internet only served to increase that fear. The unknown might be terrifying, but when one begins to hear of powerful, abnormal people hiding out in every neighborhood in America, how long before they start lashing out at the innocent based on their appearance, their beliefs, their orientation or¡ªin this case¡ªtheir abilities? Rachel shook her head, trying to clear away the train of thought. There was no use dwelling on that potential. She wasn''t afraid of random civilians, even en masse. Strong magic could easily overpower an angry mob. Alpha and Omega had demonstrated that quite clearly, though thankfully not on any actual mob. No, Rachel had far more dangerous concerns than any angry civilian. Foremost amongst them was the murderer in their ranks. After she''d managed to suppress her revulsion, Rachel had examined the bodies as closely as she could stand. There were two college kids, both male, and one twelve year old girl. At the sight of the latter, Rachel had to retreat from the RV, once again overwhelmed. Half of her body had simply vanished, leaving the remainder to spill out in a macabre display. The girl was Jenny Wilson. Rachel wasn''t quite sure, but she believed that Jenny had been one of Natalie''s friends, which was all the worse given how few relationships Natalie had left. Natalie was homeschooled, and with her father missing as well, she was becoming increasingly volatile. Kendra had taken her in, to Rachel''s surprise. The uptight British professor¡ªa prodigy in her own right¡ªwasn''t usually one for charity. To see her reach out to the little girl was a shock to say the least. Despite the gesture, it wasn''t helping Natalie''s mental state much by Rachel''s measure. Given her magical abilities and potential for growth, Rachel feared what a total breakdown by the girl might entail. Focus, Rachel. The murder is more urgent. Rachel turned her memory back to the sight within the RV. She could remember it perfectly thanks to the alterations she''d made to her brain, even beyond the detail she''d originally noticed while examining the area. She had a list of questions that must be answered if Rachel was ever going to sleep soundly again. First, the violence visited on the victims broke Mason''s Law. This was a theoretical concern made stunningly real. If magic could be used directly on another person, it opened a door Rachel had never considered possible. The potential implications, both positive and negative, were earth-shattering. For the moment, she resolved above all else to keep that particular detail absolutely secret until they could determine the extent of the possibilities. Second, why these particular victims were killed. Rachel''s first hypothesis was that it simply occurred at random. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time. In fact, given that Jenny was crouching behind the chair that had been eviscerated by whatever had removed half of the first boy''s body, Rachel believed the killer probably hadn''t even known the girl was there. She took that as a potential good sign, that the killer hadn''t intended to kill a child, but it was a small comfort at best. Finally, the killer''s identity. Rachel watched Cinza let the stars begin to fall, slowly merging them back into the center to begin her finale for the night. Her mind was rushing through the identity of every council attendee she''d ever seen, and not one of them seemed the type to commit such an action. Many were reserved, private people, but none seemed like a crazed axe murderer. Even the more unhinged of the group¡ªViper or the girl still dancing barefoot through the grass in front of Rachel¡ªdidn''t seem inclined to brutal killings, even if she believed them fully capable. There was no motivation she could discern, which worried her all the more. Cinza''s eyes fell to Rachel''s, an unspoken invitation clear in her intense gaze. Rachel shook her head. She''d danced with the girl once, purely out of curiosity, and had no reason to repeat the experience. If Rachel so desired, she could replay it in her mind perfectly from memory. She recognized the illusion for what it was. In fact, she''d tested it herself, climbing to the top of the treeline during one ritual to see the top of the disk of dancing stars, and the quite static true sky above the entire clearing. Cinza was a stage magician, no more in control of the heavens than Rachel was. It was a thoroughly convincing display for those caught in her wake, but Rachel wasn''t the type to bask in sentimentality. Yet every time Rachel attended their gatherings, Cinza always extended the invitation again, with the same magnetic expression. It was unusual. The girl never seemed to dance twice with anyone not wearing their customary silver-grey robes, but Rachel was apparently the exception. Perhaps she was wrong, and there were other repeat partners on nights she did not attend. She''d have to investigate it someday. Cinza began to raise her arms once again, preparing to launch into the finale, when her leg quavered. Rachel sat up in alarm, a burst of fear chilling her blood. Cinza never made a mistake in her performance. Something was wrong. Rachel shifted her gaze into her other sight, and saw a faint line spiking out between Cinza and the western edge of the clearing. There was something out in the woods, watching them with an intent she couldn''t discern. As she concentrated, she saw another line shoot through the darkness directly at her. She flinched briefly before recognizing the telltale traces of her beloved. They''d set up a system, many weeks prior, by which they could send signals to one another by way of manipulating these streams. It wasn''t a very complex method, allowing for less nuance than slow, painstaking Morse code, but they''d set up several agreed-upon messages to use in the event of extreme emergency where cell phones couldn''t be trusted as reliable or safe. Will was warning her of impending magical danger. She could feel the slight thrum in her chest, a vibration deep in the core of her body. It was a signal they hadn''t used since they''d driven Omega out of town¡­ "Cinza!" Rachel cried, bounding to her feet. Cinza was already reacting. Her hand plunged into the folds of her robe and flung flecks of ash into the sky. A hiss filled the air. White smoke seemed to billow out of nothing in the middle of the clearing, plunging down to the surface and spreading wide, obscuring everything in the area. Rachel saw the girl''s small, vague shape dart forward, casting her hand out forward with palm outstretched. A flash of orange shot from Cinza''s palm through the fog. Rachel''s eyes followed it to the edge of the clearing, where two humanoid shapes were beginning to emerge. Two hulks of men, well over six feet tall, were advancing steadily on the clearing. For a brief moment, Rachel thought they might be loggers or hunters returning home, but as Cinza''s thrown flames struck the one on the right, Rachel recognized her folly. She took cover behind her tree just as the fire exploded. The man ignited, instantly lighting up head to toe in bright orange flames. He was utterly engulfed, yet showed no signs of stopping his advance, and it was then that Rachel realized he had no legs. The lower half of his body was simply one joined column, on which he seemed to move steadily with no real method of locomotion. The thing lifted one arm wreathed in fire and touched its companion, who similarly burst into flames seemingly without concern. Rachel couldn''t make out her features, but she watched Cinza crouch low, apparently studying her opponents. She whistled, loud and high. A dozen rocks¡ªfrom the size of Rachel''s fist to one boulder larger than she could get her arms around¡ªflew from the trees around them, dark vague shapes that burst through the smoke and battered the flaming monstrosities. For a moment, it seemed as though they''d stopped, but only seconds later, the shapes continued their inexorable advance through the fog. It wasn''t as if the impacts had no effect. One particularly large rock struck the left one''s shoulder heavily, bowling its entire torso over backwards into the grass. Despite the heavy blow, the lower half¡ªwhich only looked like a flaming, featureless mass through the smoke and fog¡ªcontinued its methodical, unwavering advance. The thing pulled itself back up slowly to upright once more, leaving tiny licks of flame on the grass in its wake. Loud cracks echoed through the clearing as the monster''s spine broke apart and reassembled. "Cinza, what do we do?" a panicked cry came from the forest. A girl''s voice, young and tremulous. They were slowed, but they did not stop. Brute force wasn''t doing anything. Cinza seemed to recognize this as well. She backed away slowly, conjuring up more lights to try and blind the approaching creatures but with little effect. As she did, Rachel noticed something else in the forest, more lights spelling out words to one of her followers. A moment later, a torrent of water rushed out of the edge of the clearing, hurtling straight at the nearest creature. Rachel''s mouth fell agape. No one had managed to manipulate water yet. Cinza had been holding a card close to the chest. What else did her followers have at their disposal? A flickering arm rose to meet the flood, infernal hand outstretched. At the clash, steam exploded forth in a loud, angry sputter, halting the entire flying stream in its tracks. The burst ended soon afterward, though whether because the caster had realized the futility or had become exhausted, Rachel couldn''t be sure. "Now what, fearless leader?" Cinza''s voice hissed, only a few inches from Rachel''s ear. Her heart pounded harder than ever as she jumped at the sound. Cinza had used the distraction to retreat out of the clearing, which just so happened to take her right to Rachel''s tree. The two creatures continued their approach, locked onto her location in spite of the mixture of smoke, steam, fog and ash swirling through the clearing. If they hadn''t been lit up like torches, Rachel doubted she could have seen them at all. "They''ve been sent after you," Rachel said aloud, trying to hasten her own thoughts. She''d been too caught up in the action. Even with her mind, enhanced as it was, she could still be captivated just as anyone else by events happening right in front of her. "Yes, and they don''t seem to care what we throw at them," Cinza said impatiently. Her usual airy echoing voice was gone, replaced with a low husky intensity. She was taking deep, desperate breaths from the combined exertion of the dance and subsequent fight. The eight-point tattoo adorning her neck stood out prominently with her robe off-kilter. "My people are waiting for instruction, and I''m out of ideas since they don''t seem to have eyes. You''re the smart one, aren''t you?" Someone has to be controlling them then, Rachel concluded. She let her gaze shift once more, far stronger than she ever had. The adrenaline surging through her veins helped her concentrate as she watched the connections forming around her. The vague lines of relationships, old and new, sprung into being once more. She saw her strong, firm hold on Will, miles away but always with her. She saw the fractious, tangled connection between herself and the opportunistic illusionist currently staring at her in desperation and fear. She saw the faint web spreading out through the forest to Cinza''s followers, connections both strong and weak, and far more mutual than Rachel had expected. Connections began to spring out of everything, from the tree Rachel had formed a sudden bond with as a protector only moments before, to the grass in the field and Cinza''s own bare feet, more and more until Rachel''s vision was filled with endless interconnected lines. It was too dense, blindingly so. Focus, Rachel berated herself. She locked her eyes on the two monsters crossing the clearing, now halfway to them. Flames continued dancing across their arms and legs, burning without apparent material to burn. She wondered why they hadn''t started blasting away at the entire forest, but filed it away as a question for later. Instead, she shifted her view mentally as Will had taught her, trying to perceive only the faint lines peeling off the two outlines of dancing flames. There! Two lines, receding out into the forest, low to the ground and probably very close if the strength was anything to go by. Rachel shifted her gaze back, and nearly fainted at the sudden return of color and focus to the world. It felt like a massive rush of blood into her eyes and brain, blacking out the world for a moment before her normal vision returned once more. She felt dizzy and disoriented, but Rachel knew that she didn''t have any time to waste with the creatures now more than halfway to their tree, and slowly raising their arms once more. "Can you keep them busy a little longer?" Rachel asked, leaping to her feet and brushing the leaves and ash from her skirt. "What are you going to do?" Cinza asked, still crouched and watching the slow approach of the monsters with narrowed, dark brown eyes. Rachel had never noticed how much her eyes sparkled despite how dark they were in color. Her large pupils seemed to catch and reflect more light than usual. She wondered if it was natural or an intentional affectation. "Find their controller," Rachel answered simply as she sprinted off through the woods around the circle. "Just try to keep them in the clearing." "I was hoping for more than that!" Cinza called after her with frustration, but she nonetheless began circling the clearing in the opposite direction. Rachel smiled in satisfaction. As difficult as Cinza might be on a good day, she knew when to take action, even if she had no idea how Rachel could track magic. Rachel could work with that. Rachel kept her focus on the two monsters as she tried to sprint through the woods. It wasn''t easy. Tree roots stuck out at odd angles everywhere she went, and Rachel was never much for hiking or navigating the woods in the first place. Without the clearing in sight, she had no doubt she''d be lost in an instant. She pulled the connections back into view, using them as a compass bearing. So long as she could follow those lines back, she might be able to find the controller. And do what? Rachel asked herself as she moved. She wasn''t a fighter. She could barely manage most spells on a good day, and virtually nothing outside her apparent affinity. She needed a plan, fast. The woods were only getting darker as she got further from the flames and flashing lights in the clearing, as Cinza began throwing more refuse at the monsters to slow them down however she could. Rachel stopped. The connections trailed off further into the woods, but there was a figure closer than that. Someone not dressed in the Grey cult''s robes, but also clearly not one of their attendees. No, this man was standing firm and unafraid, watching the progress of the two monsters intently. His hand grasped something tight, a small black rod with carvings and spikes on every side. Rachel watched him in turn from her new hiding spot behind a tree a few dozen feet away. Luckily, the shouts and the sounds of crackling flames and thudding impacts had covered her messy run through the underbrush. She couldn''t make out a face from her distance, and his clothing was too heavy-set and thick to get much of an impression. He could be anyone. If they were even a ''he'' at all. Rachel considered getting closer, but he chose that moment to glance around. She held her ground. He was alert for an ambush, and without any sort of strategy, Rachel wasn''t about to rush in. Stolen story; please report. What confused her the most was the lines of magic. He wasn''t related to the monsters at all, yet by his gaze and the way his hand manipulated the rod, Rachel felt certain he was giving the marching orders. Another burst of flames flooded the forest with light. One of the monsters had come close enough to one of Cinza''s followers and had lunged for him, catching his cloak ablaze. He shouted in pain as the flames licked at his clothes, shrugging off the cloak as quickly as he could. Two large rocks shot out from further in the woods, pounding the monster back a few steps. Within seconds, Cinza had arrived at her follower''s side, pulling him back before the monster could launch another assault. At the man''s cry, Rachel noticed the controller wince. Was that her opening? Rachel steeled herself to approach¡ªto try and appeal to his humanity, she hoped¡ªbut before she could do anything, he raised his arm to point at the two monsters. She followed his gaze. The creatures had finally, mercifully stopped, their arms still outstretched and prepared to send another burst toward the nearest of Cinza''s group. The flames were still licking off their bodies, slowly working their way inward and consuming them from the outside in, but the monsters began to retreat. Not toward the man controlling them, but north¡ªstraight north into the hills. Rachel considered following them, but looked back to the controller. He was gone. Rachel opened her sight again, but there were no connections to follow. Nothing to trace the man who had attacked them. She sat down, the adrenaline in her veins finally giving way, and let out a long, deep breath. They hadn''t won the fight. They wouldn''t even have survived had the man not changed his mind and pulled back his forces. Was that the murderer? she wondered. And if it was, why did he change his mind?
Rachel emerged into the clearing once more. She''d made a brief phone call to Will, letting him know what had happened and that she was okay. He''d detected the telltale traces of powerful Creation magic approaching her and sent the warning, though he had no more information to go on. The ground had ugly black stretches crisscrossing the entire circle, scorched moss and dirt where there had once been thick green grass. Cinza''s group had congregated around their injured member. Rachel''s blanket, which she had forgotten about in the chaos, had been snatched up and laid out, and the middle-aged man was twitching in pain atop it. His arm was a mess of weeping blisters and angry red skin, the sleeve of his shirt charred and blackened. It made a sharp contrast to the swathe of silver and grey cloaks surrounding them. Cinza herself was holding the man''s arm firmly and pouring something over the wound from a bottle. He twitched violently at the rush of liquid, and Rachel moved in to help hold his legs steady. Cinza noticed Rachel''s hands and shot her a grateful look before returning to the man. "You''re going to be fine, Yusuf. Don''t worry. We''re all here for you. Ruby, please hold his shoulders." A girl with curly dark red hair and scars across her wrists knelt and held Yusuf down while Cinza reached into a bag and pulled out several cloth bandages. Rachel didn''t know the girl, but from her appearance, she assumed Ruby was a runaway who had joined up with Cinza¡ªmost likely as a convenience. If she had stuck around through a fight like this though, she was a true believer¡­ or perhaps just crazy. "Are those sterile?" Rachel asked, still holding his legs firm. "Yes," Cinza answered with a touch of irritation. "Morton, his arm." Another man with a sickly look on his face quickly took hold of Yusuf''s arm, being careful not to touch the visibly throbbing burned area. Rachel caught herself from voicing her surprise aloud. Morton Pollock worked for the local newspaper, printing it and delivering it to the newsstands on Main Street and the local businesses that paid for copies. He was one of the last people Rachel had expected to see amongst Cinza''s group. Cinza looked Yusuf in the eye with sympathy. "I have to do this before we can move you. Just hold on, okay?" Yusuf nodded, gritting his teeth. Cinza unwrapped the bandage and started wrapping his arm tightly. As the gauze made contact, he twisted in their grip. Rachel felt one of his legs slipping and tightened her grasp, looking away from his face. She tried to ignore the grunts of pain, imagining the expressions on his face even as she determinedly avoided seeing them herself. Rachel gritted her own teeth as the man cried out once more beneath them, trying to think of anything else besides the pain he was experiencing. Finally, it was over. Cinza stood up, packing away the bandages she had left. Two of her followers returned from the forest with strong sticks which they used to fashion into a makeshift stretcher with Rachel''s blanket. Cinza glanced at Rachel once more as they hoisted it up. "It''s fine. Please use it." Rachel waved them on. Cinza gave her another small, grateful nod before they set off. Rachel, seeing no particular reason to hang around in the clearing anymore, followed them at a respectful distance. Her mind was still replaying the images from the last few minutes over and over, a loop of terror and confusion that refused to end. Cinza''s group held close together, thirteen in all including Yusuf and Cinza herself. A pair took the lead, scouting out the easiest path to take, while the main group formed a diamond around the two carrying the stretcher, their hands primed with all sorts of various reagents for spells. It was the most militant gathering of magic Rachel had ever seen, and it sent a chill through her bones. Cinza fell back a few steps to join her. Rachel was still feeling dazed from the encounter with the monsters, and she flinched at the approach. Cinza nodded, a look of understanding flitting across her eyes. "You''ve never been in a fight," she stated. Rachel was taken aback by how calm Cinza appeared. Her own blood was still coursing like a river in a storm. Her skull and chest were visibly pounding from her heart still working on overdrive. Cinza handed her a bottle of water, which Rachel drained gratefully. "It gets easier." "Your followers seem well-drilled," Rachel commented as she watched them navigate around a thicket. She pulled a handkerchief from her bag and wiped her mouth dry. Cinza raised an eyebrow. "I''m just surprised. This seems almost like a small private army." "We know how the world typically reacts to groups like ours," the girl replied. Rachel looked down at her. Cinza didn''t clear five feet, while Rachel was over six. By her first impression, Rachel had assumed a weak, small and deluded girl worshipping an entity they knew almost nothing about. After the display tonight, she was rapidly revising her assessment to a capable leader and someone quick on her feet in a crisis¡ªif still a little bit insane. "So you''ve trained them to fight." "I''ve helped them learn to defend themselves," Cinza answered, her eyes narrowing defensively. "Where did you learn to fight?" She smiled wistfully. "One of many fathers." Rachel had never been quite so close to her before. She examined Cinza more thoroughly. With her hood and cloak removed after the heat of the flames and her exertion, Cinza was dressed very practically in tight clothes that were easy to move in, with a single bag strapped to her waist in such a way that it wouldn''t bounce or inhibit action. She was small but deceptively strong, with more than enough muscle hidden away beneath her skin, now visible through her sweat-drenched white shirt. Her hair was still pure silver-grey from the ritual dance, but she hadn''t applied any of her other illusions, so Rachel was able to see her dark eyes clearly. They burned with a passion and fury she didn''t quite understand. Was it residual from the fight, or inspired by their discussion? The necklace she wore with the eight-pointed star was more than just decor. A small variety of gemstones were inlaid in slots at the intersections and the points of the star, giving Cinza a wealth of reinforcement should she need it at any time. Below the star, there were scars on her chest, just barely visible within the hem of her shirt. Thin, easily disguised scars. Rachel wondered if she would hide them if she knew Rachel could see, or wear them proudly and defiantly. There were too many mysteries about this girl. "Ask me your questions. You''ll never get the whole story with just your eyes," Cinza said quietly. Rachel jumped. Her mind must have still been disoriented from the fight, if Cinza had noticed her analyzing. Usually she could take in every detail about a person long before they even noticed. Either that, or Cinza was an unusually aware individual. "Would you tell me the whole story if I asked?" Rachel replied, a bit more pithy than she intended. "Were the world an open book, and everyone had read it cover to cover, none of us would have anything to talk about anymore." Rachel walked silently for a few moments, considering her words. Cinza was scanning the trees around them as they began to close on the edge of the forest, watching for any further threats. Her small figure seemed coiled to lash out at a moment''s notice, barely committing to any movement and remaining light on her toes. "It doesn''t matter where I came from," Cinza continued without prompting, surprising Rachel once again. "It doesn''t matter who I was, where I fought and bled. My old story is unimportant. It''s all in the past, and the future is with her." "With Grey-eyes?" Rachel asked. Cinza nodded. She continued in a much more candid tone than Rachel was used to. Without the usual modification to her voice, her accent was much clearer. Rachel placed it as Eastern European for sure, a mix of Russian and something else she couldn''t quite pick out. However, she spoke English as perfectly and casually as any native. "I don''t know her. I''ve only spoken to her once, the same as everyone else. I''ve seen over a dozen awakenings since that day, and every single time, she appears to save them. Those poor, brilliant fools who think they have somehow earned this power, and find out they were doomed the moment their arrogance brought them to read from the book. She never says a word loud enough to hear, and none ever hear her voice again, but she is always there. How?" Rachel wasn''t sure if it was rhetorical. "I don''t know." Cinza nodded again, her eyes looking up to the stars. "Because she is a true god, one worth following. Is she even human? She looks human to us, just a girl. Perhaps the same age as me, if that is her true appearance. But I''m nothing. I can do little light shows and toss a bit of fire around. She commands the world to bend to her will. Do you realize she could probably annihilate us all with a thought? Can you even imagine that kind of power? I''ve seen her toss boulders away like they were dust and redirect lightning to save her people. Awakened, I mean, not just my friends in cloaks here. I witnessed these things, even deliberately caused some of them to see if she''d react." "Why are you telling me this?" Rachel asked suspiciously. Cinza looked as if Rachel had asked why the sun was warm. "Isn''t it obvious? There''s a war coming. I was testing her, to see if she is mortal. My friends were never truly at risk, though the danger could not have been stopped by us mere children. They are gods, and tonight we''ve seen harbingers of their return." Rachel felt ice in her veins at Cinza''s words, since she knew it to be the truth. She was a dramatic conversationalist, frequently emphasizing words as if she were constantly giving a speech, but it remained compelling even to Rachel simply because of who she was. Rachel was quickly reevaluating her old assumptions about the leader of the group. Cinza may have seemed like a fraud from minute one, but she was a shrewd and charismatic leader. As Rachel spent time with her, she was beginning to think that it wasn''t an act. The small elfin-faced girl, with her charms and necklaces and tattoo, seemed like a true believer in what she preached after all. Cinza nodded once more at her dark expression. "Omega wants us to know he is not so easily forgotten. He can''t truly return to the town, since that would trigger his war with Alpha once more, one which he doesn''t know if he can win. But these¡­ minions. He''s clearly found a way to extend his reach into the town without revealing himself. Without breaking the rules of engagement." "He found a supporter," Rachel replied, still reeling from the comprehension chilling her bones. Cinza''s head snapped up sharply, her eyebrows creased with worry. "Omega has always been alone. That''s his greatest weakness." Rachel shook her head. Cinza was treating the situation too abstractly, as if it were mythology instead of reality. "You weren''t here. Not when this all started. I knew them before you did. You''ve only seen them at their worst, in front of the council and then when they tore the library to pieces. Omega was a good guy. He was¡­ charming. He could find allies if he wanted to. They''re still human to some degree." "And you''re saying he found one?" Cinza asked. "There was someone in the forest, controlling the monsters. I didn''t get close enough to see his face, but it definitely wasn''t Omega." It was Cinza''s turn to look worried. They''d finally returned to the open streets of Rallsburg. She busied herself directing her group to take Yusuf to Doctor Smith''s clinic in town, too small to be called a proper hospital but more than well-enough equipped to handle their needs. The doctor Smith¡ªwho was also the sole religious figure of the town¡ªwas a good sort, with whom Rachel had several positive encounters. "What do we tell them about how he got hurt?" Ruby asked, her voice quavering. Rachel was surprised how determined she sounded, in spite of her fear. She took the girl to be something of a second in command from the way the others deferred to her question. Cinza started to make up a story about a campfire, but Rachel stepped up to the group. "Tell him Rachel asked to keep it quiet. He''ll help you without asking any more questions. Tell him honestly how badly burned he was and where you were. Nothing else." Ruby looked to her leader, who nodded. The group set off without another word, though Cinza held back a moment. "Helping us out with your reputation now?" she asked, surprised. Rachel nodded. "I''m going to need your help in return tomorrow." "What''s tomorrow?" "I''ll be calling an emergency meeting. All of the council." "What''s going on?" "This is already beyond us. Something else just happened, just out of town."
Kendra Laushire''s estate wouldn''t have impressed most at her level of wealth and status, but compared to most of Rallsburg it still appeared to be quite a mansion. Three stories alone put it taller than nearly every structure in the entire town, even if it only consisted of a few rooms for each floor. The garden was another tale, of course, being wide and full of color and life. Kendra employed a full-time groundskeeper, gardener and security guard by the name of Collins. So far as Rachel was aware, he was not awakened, but given his long-standing loyal employment to the family, Rachel wouldn''t be surprised if he was privy to his employer''s supernatural entanglements. Rachel had parted with Cinza amicably. The cult leader had promised her support with surprisingly little persuasion, though Rachel hadn''t told her the details of her plan¡ªafter all, she hadn''t quite formed one yet. Still, between the murder and the attacks on Cinza''s group, it was more than enough justification to start making a motion toward involving the entire community. With violence on the cusp of breaking out, it would be better if they revealed themselves in peace instead of bloodshed, before innocents were caught in the crossfire. So Rachel had come here, to the home of the woman she could never be quite sure was anything more than an ally of convenience. Collins was presumably long gone and asleep, so Rachel had no compunctions about bursting through the well-kept hedges lining the edge of the property. It was easier and safer than trying to break through the gate at the front, and Rachel was in a hurry. She made a beeline for the front door and burst in, heedless of the composure she normally reserved when dealing with Kendra. The lights were still on throughout the building, and unsurprisingly, Rachel found her in her sitting room, still on her laptop. The woman never seemed to rest, though she could definitely use it. Her eyes were tired and bagged, and her usually prim appearance was lacking in the elegance Rachel normally expected. "Hello, Rachel," Kendra said slowly, tilting the laptop down with surprise. "This is¡­ unexpected. You are aware of the hour, yes?" "I''m sorry," Rachel started, remembering some sense of etiquette before continuing. She realized how insane she must have looked, with dirt and grass stains caking her skirt and her hair an absolute mess. "I''ve just come from Cinza''s ritual." "Did you get drunk and join in?" Kendra asked, raising her eyebrows. "What?" Rachel stopped, composing herself. "No. They were attacked." Kendra blinked. She slowly set her laptop aside on the end table. "What do you mean?" "Two¡­ golems. Something like that. They interrupted the ritual, and tried to kill Cinza." "Well," Kendra sighed. "That does change things a mite." Rachel was momentarily speechless. She''d expected more of a reaction than that. "Huh?" "The word just came in. There''s been a massacre out on the coast route, in an old abandoned camper. Ghastly stuff." Kendra paused, studying Rachel''s face carefully. "They''re saying it was mostly electrical burns." Rachel shook her head vehemently, even as her heart sank. She had hoped for more time than this to react and plan. There were still no leads on the identity of the golems'' controller. "It wasn''t her." "You do realize how this appears, dear." "She wasn''t even in town until this afternoon. She got in on the train." "Could anyone vouch for her?" Kendra asked pointedly. A face flashed into her mind briefly, a high school boy that had been attached to Rika at the hip throughout the meeting, and had managed to calm her down before she''d exploded on Ryan. "The kid. Zack, I think his name was?" Kendra frowned. "An unawakened newcomer. It''s not exactly a bulletproof alibi." "How did you find out?" Rachel asked, wanting to change the subject. She knew she could come up with a way to protect Rika given time. More urgent for her was how fast the news was spreading, and whether or not she could still maintain control over it. A hope which was to be dashed in short order. "Julian Black. He''s forced a town hall for tomorrow to¡­ deal with the situation," Kendra said distastefully. "Since when does Julian Black call our councils?" Kendra sighed. "A town hall. The entire town, love," she added impatiently. Rachel stood up in shock. "Is he insane?" "Quite possibly." Rachel''s mind was reeling from the news. Suddenly, so suddenly, it was time. She didn''t feel ready. The world certainly didn''t feel ready. There was a rushing in her ears, a sound that began building until it was deafening, driving away all thought until she was left simply with the realization that she had no other choice but to move forward and accept it. A thump from upstairs brought her out of her trance. Rachel glanced at the ceiling curiously. "I''m sorry, I didn''t realize you had company." "We must have woken Natalie," Kendra answered calmly. Rachel nodded, but inwardly she was more confused than before. Those footfalls were too heavy for a twelve year old. In the years Rachel had known her, she''d never seen Kendra show an iota of interest in other people beyond their monetary value, so Rachel doubted it was a suitor. Kendra was hiding something else, but Rachel had to relegate that mystery to the back of her mind for the moment. There were more important tasks at hand. "Who did he invite?" Kendra opened her laptop, scrolling through a brief list reflected on her reading glasses. "Most of the major parties. Nefertiti Bowman to stand-in for Brian, as he''s still unaccounted for. Gordon Merrill. Our esteemed Mayor. The sheriff. With the mouths on that bunch, the entire town will hear about it. I have no doubt." Rachel considered. There was no way to deflect it. Julian had done his homework on how to spread word through Rallsburg, and had enough people taking him seriously to pull together a meeting. Her only hope was to have enough of her own allies present to control the conversation and steer it away from the most dangerous topics. Of course, despite the relationships she''d established with many of the locals, they still only saw her as an eager college student at best. Her best examples of leadership were relegated to the dark corners of meetings in the shadows, with people who''d rather not have their dealings made known. The solution''s simple, then, Rachel realized. Bring them all together. "Send out word for an emergency Council meeting. Tomorrow, at the town hall." [Discord]¡ª[Rate This Story]¡ª[Patreon] Chapter 9 — First Lessons Chapter 9 ¡ª First Lessons Alden watched apprehensively as Rika dug through her bag. He was excited, sure, but he still felt a deep nested fear of the unknown dangers that could be lying in wait. Rika didn''t seem to have any clue where this power came from. If he understood his physics, there was some blatant violation of the laws of nature already going on, conservation of energy or some such. So where is the energy coming from? "How does this work?" he asked nervously. "Hang on a sec," Rika mumbled, as she fiddled through the various rows of pouches. "Got it." From the depths of her bag she pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. Not parchment¡ªlike the mysterious Scrap he''d seen at the meeting¡ªbut plain white paper, as ordinary as could be. It was as if it had just slid out from a printer, though the lower third of it was torn away. "I thought¡ª" Rika shook her head. "I''m going to try to say this as nicely as I can, but asking for the actual Scrap is insanely personal. I mean, you saw how intense the council meeting got. Only one other person in the world''s ever seen mine. I just don''t know you well enough, okay?" Rika looked apologetic, but her voice was firm. Alden nodded, a touch disappointed. "So I''m just going to give you the basics. The only complete page anyone ever found. Rachel left me a copy. It got torn up but yeah." Alden raised his eyebrows. "You can just¡­ copy them?" It seemed so mundane. "Well, not exactly," Rika shrugged. "Throw it in a normal copy machine, scan it onto a computer, whatever, it becomes worthless. Can''t read a word of it. I think they used carbon paper to make real copies. Something like that. You''d have to ask Alpha, wherever he is. He gave them to Rachel." She passed it over to Alden. His eyes slid across the words. He couldn''t bring himself to properly focus on any of them. In the gaps he could see flecks and scratches, though he couldn''t tell if they were imperfections from the copy or part of the original sheet. The letters, from what he could see of the edges, were normal Roman letters, but he couldn''t make out the language they might be in. Not that Alden knew any other languages. He looked back up at Rika, confused. "Just try to read it aloud," Rika prompted, watching him like a hawk. She was perched on the chair, her legs pulled up in front. Her blue eyes glittered in excitement. For a moment he could have sworn he saw a brief flicker of electricity run through her hair, causing the blue streak to snap out straight, then relax¡ªlike a snake uncoiling for a strike. He hesitated. Did he trust this occasionally violent and hostile young woman who was a pariah in the town he''d come to search? Who made bold claims about magic and destiny, who offered him an impossible gift with no real answers or apparent consequences? Was he about to make a horrible mistake he could never recover from? "What''s wrong?" Rika asked. He shook his head. It was time to commit. This had to be the beginning of the answers he needed. If nothing else, he thought with a twinge of excitement, it''s still magic. Alden looked at the beginning of the paragraph and tried to read it aloud. "Abrec tes minn-" He stopped, his head light. He felt nauseous. He glanced up at Rika, afraid he''d said something wrong. "Don''t worry, no one manages to finish the first sentence on their first try." Rika tried to give him a comforting smile, but it just came off as impatient. "You''re doing fine." He looked down and began again. "Abrec tes minneard desve selnir tuala tan¡­" As he spoke, he suddenly felt the meaning come to him. He couldn''t express it clearly, but he understood the emotion and the utter truth behind the words, as if they were opening a gate that had been locked away in his mind for eons untold. Alden continued reading, the words flowing out of him even as he began to comprehend the depths of the world he was uncovering, an ancient secret that was pouring through his mind. The page taught itself to him, and though he would never understand the language in which it spoke, he knew its intention all too well. He began to speak faster. The foreign tongue slid more easily through his teeth, until entire paragraphs were flying by in mere seconds. A sensation of moving rushed through him. He felt the world spinning underneath his feet. Alden could sense himself falling, but it was a pleasant fall. The wind rushed past his cheeks. He was in control. Innumerable objects were falling with him, shapeless things that he could sense but not describe. They spun in shapes around him and moved at his will. The book. He understood the book, that dark leather-bound tome that held the secrets of an entire world akin to their own, only a step removed from reality. The text would teach him everything he ever needed to know, show him the path to achieving his goals, perfecting himself, becoming whomever he wanted to be. All paths would be open to him, all doors unlocked, and the universe itself would bend¡ª He reached the end of the paragraph and everything disappeared. The world slipped away. Darkness flooded into his eyes. He could feel himself falling again, but this time it felt like he was out of control and tumbling¡ªas if in slow motion¡ªthrough an endless void. A voice was calling out, and he struggled to bring himself to answer. He was so exhausted, he couldn''t lift his arms or legs. He needed to keep reading, but there was nothing more to speak aloud. He''d lost sight of the page entirely. The words had ended, but the flow remained, and he was trapped between. He felt himself choking on the air, his lungs desperately sucking in oxygen that was killing him. He couldn''t speak, couldn''t cry out. He was going to die, because the page was incomplete. His world was incomplete. A palm grasped his own. He struggled to raise his head, as if thousands of hands were dragging him back. It wasn''t the warm dancing skin of Rika. Through a heavy veil of black fog he could see Rika hadn''t moved, stock still in the chair and eyes wide as she sat transfixed. No, it was a small cold hand, with a grip like iron, and a hushed voice that was muttering to him. The voice was soft and fast, repeating words in a nervous rush, but encouraging and comforting. "It''s okay, you''re okay. Stay with me, all right? All right? You''re okay, just keep going. Everything''s going to be okay. It''s all okay. Repeat after me¡­" and she spoke the next words in the book. He repeated them, and he felt the pressure on his chest releasing. She spoke another sentence, and he repeated it, and so they continued, until he felt his lungs expand gratefully with life-giving air as they completed the final few paragraphs. The fog began to fade away. The first thing Alden saw was her eyes. They were a remarkable, intricate silver-grey¡ªcalm eyes that seemed to have a candle gently flickering deep within. The world returned around those two orbs, fading back into color and life. He could see her kneeling next to the couch, staring at his chest, at the couch cushions beside him, anywhere that wasn''t his face. She brushed long, thick brown hair away from her face with her free hand, never letting go of his own as he found his way back to the world. As Alden''s body and mind settled, he sensed she was about to retreat. She would vanish into the air just as she had disappeared from the closet with Hector. "Wait, please," Alden cried out desperately. She raised her head. Her silvery eyes flashed. The girl''s mouth opened, as if she were in shock. She backed away¡ªstraight into a chair, stumbling over it and almost falling. It was so¡­ human. Despite how powerful he knew the girl must be, Alden didn''t feel threatened or afraid in the slightest. He felt like she were his friend, but¡ªas Rika had told him¡ªthat she was immensely capable and would be a terrible enemy to behold. "I don''t¡­ I''m sorry, I didn''t know¡ª" "Thank you," he gasped. "Holy shit," Rika breathed from the other end of the room. "Look, I shouldn''t be here. I''m not supposed to be here. I think. I should be going. You''re okay?" The girl was stumbling over her own words. "Can we just talk for a second? Please?" Alden asked. She looked around nervously, and gave a little jump at spotting the awed Rika perched at the other corner. "Rika? With Alden? Really?" the girl mumbled. "What do you mean?" Rika asked carefully. Alden was taken aback at Rika''s tone. He''d expected something far more crass and hostile, not cautious and measured. "I don''t know. Forget I said that, okay? I can''t be here," she said nervously. For someone who could teleport and seemed to always know exactly when someone was awakening from the book, the grey-eyed girl seemed weirdly distraught. "Are you okay?" Alden asked, pulling himself up to a sitting position, fighting desperately against his aching limbs. The girl''s head snapped back around to face him. "I''m sorry," she said, with such melancholy that tears began to well up in his own eyes. "What for?" She didn''t answer. Instead, she rose and walked across the room to the mantle above the television, where sat a stack of books Alden hadn''t noticed before. Rika was watching her curiously, but uncharacteristically silent. Alden wondered if she was afraid of this gray-eyed mystery. To his own eyes, she was only perhaps a couple years older than him, albeit shorter and smaller. "Who are you?" he asked, trying to break the tension somehow. Once again she evaded their questions, instead reading the titles aloud as her finger traced the covers. "Index Librorum Prohibitorum, The Sworn Book of Honorius, Gh¨¡yat al-?ak¨©m in the latest translation, The Grimoire of Turiel¡ªyou know this is a fake right?" the girl asked Rika, holding it up. "Huh?" "Written in the 60''s, outright plagiarizes multiple other books of spells or other texts from much older. Not that any of them are real," she added, setting the book back carefully on the stack. "The Index was just the Church getting scared of something it didn''t understand, and Picatrix is really only useful as a historical record of the scientific method in the eleventh century. There''s only one real Grimoire." As with the Scraps, something about the weight she gave the word capitalized it in Alden''s mind. "How do you know all that?" Rika asked. The girl ignored her. "Are you feeling okay, Alden?" "Yeah. Thank you, err..." he paused, hoping to prompted a name from her. She only shook her head, her long brown hair flying wildly. An instant later, he saw her eyes flash, becoming bright silver. She looked so sad. A faint breeze brushed past his cheek, flowing toward the center of the room to fill the void where she had stood only a moment earlier. He saw Rika''s hair flutter in the same direction, as the air currents shifted around the suddenly vacant space in the room. The girl was gone, in the faintest whisper of a sound that seemed somehow distinctly lonely.
"Calm down. Don''t drink so fast," Rika told him. Alden was guzzling down water from the bottle he''d brought on the train, which Rika had already refilled twice. He felt dehydrated and dizzy from the reading, and the food and water were only keeping him awake for so long. Alden refused to sleep yet, not while he was so eager to explore the new power he''d stumbled upon. "How does this work?" he spluttered between mouthfuls. Rika sat back on the coffee table cross-legged, her expression thoughtful. "What did you get stuck on?" Alden didn''t know how to respond. "I mean, what did you feel? Before she showed up. What was the sensation?" Rika clarified. "...Falling," Alden answered, the unpleasant memory springing into his mind. "Movement," Rika said, satisfied. "Huh?" "You''ve got your affinity. Probably." "What''s that?" Alden asked, curious. "Well, everyone''s got one, as far as I can tell. I''ve been trying to figure them out as a side project. Kind of fascinating, who ends up with what. It''s gotta be linked to what you feel before she pulls you back." "And what does it mean?" Alden prompted impatiently. Rika looked like she might launch into a more detailed accounting, when he desperately needed to know what had happened to him. "Well, assuming I''m right, you''re gonna find movement magic a lot easier to use and control," she explained patiently. "You might discover how to do something before anyone else does, too. Call it a flash of insight. It''ll be related to your affinity for sure." "And yours is electricity?" Alden guessed. "Close. All the elements, really." Rika raised her hand, and snapped her fingers, then immediately spread her palm wide. A small yellow-orange flame flickered into existence floating in the space she revealed. Even from across the room, Alden could tell it was quite real. "Lightning''s just my specialty. Something no one else knows how to do yet," Rika boasted. She flicked two fingers, sending a crackle of electricity buzzing about the lick of flame. It sped around a dozen times before both puffed out of existence a moment later as Rika closed her hand. Even to a complete novice like Alden, it was clear how far superior her sense of control was with the little bolt of lightning. "Wow," he breathed. "You know it," Rika boasted. "So, where do you want to start?" Alden opened his mouth reply and was struck by a yawn, overwhelming his senses. Fatigue had finally caught up with him after the very long day he''d endured, coupled with the exertion brought on by the reading of the book. "Tomorrow then," Rika noted, clearly amused. "Sorry, it''s not you¡ª" Alden stammered. Rika chortled. "What, are you breaking up with me? You''re tired, it''s cool. Magic can wait." Alden glanced around, unsure of what to do next. The short duffel bag he''d been lugging around since he''d gotten off the train sat in the corner. It had a few changes of clothes and other belongings, but he''d had no idea how long he might be staying in Rallsburg. He certainly didn''t have anywhere to stay. "Should I just take the couch¡­?" he mumbled halfheartedly. Stolen story; please report. "Huh?" Rika was surprised. So was he. For the briefest moment, his sleep-deprived mind assumed she meant for him to share her bed. She quickly disabused him of that notion. "God no. You''re going next door." "What?" A few minutes later, Alden was looking at a sparse, almost barren apartment. A single couch, a nearly empty kitchen, and a plain but comfortable looking bed in a single bedroom upstairs. "The place is empty, always has been. Thanks to my apparently kidnapped landlord, you''re probably good to stay here for at least a few nights," Rika said, eyeing the tiny bed with something akin to distaste. Alden briefly imagined what Rika''s bedroom might look like, but pushed the thought away as his face tinged with warmth, before Rika could find some other reason to tease him. He set down his bag and began pulling out his necessities. "Need anything? Toothpaste, blanket, towel?" Rika asked. "I think I''m okay." "I''m just next door. Bang on the wall if you have to." Rika turned to leave. "Rika?" "Not gonna sleep with you, Alden," she sighed, but her hand stopped turning the door handle all the same. He was too tired to remember to feel embarrassed by her comment. She glanced over her shoulder patiently. "I''m your friend," Alden said awkwardly. "No shit," Rika replied, rolling her eyes. "Go to sleep, dumbass. You''re gonna have a killer headache in the morning." Alden nodded, and a few seconds later he''d already collapsed on the bed, his eyes sliding shut almost involuntarily. As consciousness slid from his brain, he felt his shoes untied and pulled away, and then his legs hoisted back onto the bed, but he was too tired to comprehend who was helping him, until he heard her whisper from the edge of the bed. "Thanks." The door clicked shut, and the rest of the world closed with it.
"Hold out your finger like this." "You''re just flipping it off." "I do what works, okay?" "I just feel like it should be more like this," Alden shot back. He shifted his fingers into a position that felt more natural to him. "Is it really just all about hand movements?" "Nah." Rika took his hand and adjusted his fingers back to their original position. She was wearing a pair of comfortable thin black gloves to dampen her residual electricity, but he could still feel it flowing faintly through the fabric. "Now, look at the paper. Push your will out into it." He tried. Alden had no clue what that meant, but he tried to force his mind to take hold of the paper and shove it aside. It didn''t budge. "It''s not working," he sighed aloud. "Maybe¡­ Try projecting an image. Something mental, like an invisible hand," Rika suggested. "Imagine you have an arm extending out from your brain and let that do the grabbing." It sounded ridiculous to Alden; then again, he had zero experience here, while Rika could send blades of grass flying around the riverbank easily. After waking up in the empty apartment, Alden had barely time to get dressed and showered before Rika was already banging on his door, a bag of fresh doughnuts in hand. An hour later, they''d gone back to the riverbank near the bridge where the entrance to the Market sat concealed only a few dozen meters away. Rika claimed it was just a nice, usually empty place, but Alden suspected she was lying in wait for Kendra or Lily to emerge from the Market. He wondered if they''d even bother to exit from the bridge, given how the Market seemed linked to so many other places around town, but brushed the thought away. He had more pressing concerns, like his complete inability to move the lone sheet of paper sitting on the sidewalk in front of them. Alden did as she suggested, imagining a ghostly hand stretching out from where he sat to grasp the paper. As it did, he twisted his fingers sharply. The paper fluttered. Was it just the wind? No, it had matched his fingers so precisely. He felt elated, until the wave hit him. From the tip of his finger all the way up his arm, he felt his muscles drain like he''d been lifting heavy weights for hours. His arm fell limp to his side, practically numb from exertion. He gasped involuntarily. It was a strange feeling. The paper had moved instantly, and he''d felt nothing, but only a moment later the effort he''d put out struck him like a truck barrelling down the highway. He collapsed back onto the soft grass slope. "Good shit, huh?" Rika smirked. "Now I know why you brought this blanket," Alden said, still winded. "Well, you''re definitely a movement guy. Took me days to get the paper to lift off the ground at all." She sounded a touch jealous. "It''s nothing like your lightning," he put in abashedly. She looked at him with scorn. "Don''t patronize me." "Sorry." He turned back to the paper, eager to try again. "Hold up there, Zack-ey. Give yourself a moment," Rika cried out, but it was too late. Alden was already twisting his fingers once more, and the paper fluttered, hovering in midair. He shot a grin at Rika, and was awake just long enough to see a frown begin to crease her eyebrows before his world went black.
"Alden, wake the fuck up!" "...huh?" He spluttered back to life. There was a wall of red bricks above him, the underside of the bridge leading out of town. Apparently Rika had moved him under cover while he''d been out. "What happened?" "You passed out for a minute. Don''t do that again," Rika snapped. There was genuine concern on her face. "I''m okay," he mumbled, struggling to sit up. Rika planted a hand on his shoulder, pushing him back down firmly. "Nope. Stay down, let yourself wake up a bit more." After a moment''s indignation, Alden felt grateful for her insistence. Even that modicum of effort sent his head spinning, his blood pounding through his skull. His relaxed position was easing the pressure, bit by bit. It was still sunny and warm out. Rika was sitting just off to the side of the blank wall where the door to the Market would appear. She was alternating concerned looks at him with glances around the river, to the swathes of trees lining the far bank and the road leading away. He decided that, being relatively incapacitated, now was as good a time as any to ask a few more questions of her. "How long have you been doing this?" "Eight months, give or take?" "That recently?" he asked, shocked. "Well, they only discovered the first parts of the book like a year and a half ago," Rika continued. "Maybe a bit earlier. Then there were a few months of people going nuts with magic, before the Gods stepped in. After that they made the Council, got everyone organized, then they had a falling out. No one explained that part to me. They all get nervous when I bring it up," Rika said dismissively. She clearly didn''t think much of their fears. "Going nuts with magic, but still no one found out?" Alden prompted. "The council and such helps, but I''d bet anything the Gods are working behind the scenes pretty constantly to keep us all out of trouble." Rika frowned. "Makes you wonder how they do it." "Yeah, it does," Alden added pointedly. Rika gave him a look. "Fuck if I know. Maybe they just disappear them, that''d be easy. Oh hell," she faltered, seeing the expression that had briefly crossed Alden''s face. "Sorry." "How do I get better at magic?" Alden asked, determined to change the subject. "Practice," Rika answered simply. "That''s it?" "Fuck no. You gotta learn and experiment, do research, and train yourself. It gets a bit easier over time, but not by much. Unless it''s your affinity, but even then it''s never easy. Might be magic, but it''s still work." Rika pointed at her arm. "It''s like a muscle in a way. You work at it, it tears and gets sore. Like that migraine you had earlier, or the fact that you just passed out a few minutes ago. But when it heals, it heals back stronger than before." She reached out her hand toward the paper Alden had been struggling with. With a few gentle movements, it began to flip up and down, fluttering around in figure eights. She made it look effortless, until he glanced at her face instead of the paper. She let it down a moment later. Alden could see the exertion affecting her, but Rika still always seemed to want to show off what she could do. "You said you have to research?" he prompted. "Research how, exactly?" "Scientific method. Take a guess, try some stuff out, see if it worked, find a pattern. Calling it magic''s just a placeholder, I''d say," Rika replied, settling back against the wall again. "It''s a science, but no one''s got a clue how it works yet. What''s that quote? ''Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.''" "But you can shoot lightning from your fingers and move things with your mind," Alden protested. She shook her head. "Yeah, but there''s a logic to it. It''s consistent. We know exactly how anyone can start using magic, even if we don''t know why it happens." Rika pointed up at the sky. "The entire universe was formed by the Big Bang. We know how that happened, and roughly how everything formed after that, but we know fuck all about why." "So logically¡­" "Logically, magic''s gotta follow some rules. Yeah, it breaks the laws of physics as we know them, but so did a thousand other things in the past, and we revised those laws. Someone''s gonna have to revise them again." "Not you, though." "Nope. Too lazy." He laughed. Rika grinned. "Glad you''ve still got some sense of humor. Now, any other questions from the peanut gallery?" "What''s a peanut gallery?" "Cheap seats in a theater, you uncultured hack." She stood up. "You good yet?" Alden pulled himself up to a sitting position, and found that the nausea and headache had subsided substantially. "Yeah." "Cool. So what''s next? You wanna try making fire?" Alden grinned. All caution fled from his mind as an image of himself popped into his mind, with balls of fire floating in his hands and an intense look on his face. He rubbed his hands together excitedly. This was going to be fun.
As it turned out, Alden was even less proficient at the elements than movement. It didn''t help that Rika was vastly more proficient than him and enjoyed showing it off. He split his fingers, just as Rika had demonstrated, making a sort of reverse snapping motion with his mind focused on the element as Rika had described, and in the air a fireball appeared. It was a wispy little yellow flame, almost invisible and giving off so little heat he could barely sense it was hovering above the tips of his fingers. A few moments later, it puffed out, leaving only the faintest sense of warmth as evidence it was ever there. "Why isn''t there any smoke?" Alden wondered aloud. "What?" "Like when a candle goes out, that trail of smoke. But there''s nothing here." "Well, that''s the wax of the candle still burning away. You can actually relight that smoke if you wanted." Rika made a large flame in the air¡ªmuch more visible than Alden''s paltry efforts¡ªthen dismissed it just as quickly. "But we''re not burning anything. So no smoke." "If nothing''s burning, how can there be fire? Isn''t that¡­ impossible?" Rika grinned. "Magic, Alzack. If you can solve that little mystery, you''ll be light years ahead of the rest of us in figuring this shit out." "Huh?" "Like I was saying before. There''s still science here. There''s patterns and connections, lines between things. Everything is connected in some way, by relationship or by a mutual nature. We just gotta figure those connections out, and as we do, we find out new ways to experiment. New spells to throw around." Alden still wasn''t quite grasping it. Rika seemed to notice his confusion, as she continued to explain. "Take the simple movement stuff you''ve just learned. You can send things dancing through the air. Cool, but pretty limited, right? All you''ve done though is basic, visualizing grabbing at things from a distance and hovering them through the air. Everyone does that. Now imagine you can push things. Maybe send an entire wall of force, like a shockwave." Rika raised both hands, interlocking her fingers with palms splayed outward. Without warning, she shoved them forward at Alden. It was like an invisible brick wall had slammed into him. Alden watched the grass flatten beneath the wave as it rushed to meet him. He fell over flat on his back, coughing from the impact. "Oh shit!" Rika was at his side again instantly. Alden could have sworn she warped to his side. Had he blacked out again for a moment? "Hey, you okay?" "Yeah," Alden spluttered, pulling himself back to his feet. He was winded, but otherwise he felt fine. "Nothing permanent. I''m okay." "Fuck, I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to throw that much out." Rika looked embarrassed. Alden starting laughing. "That was one of the coolest things I''ve ever seen." "Seriously?" Rika asked, a smile beginning to crease the edges of her lips. He nodded. "How do I do it?" Rika shook her head. "Nah, can''t make it that easy. You''ll never learn that way. You gotta experiment." She retreated a few steps to give them some distance, sitting back on her legs on the grassy bank. "Go ahead, see what you can do to me." "To you?" Alden asked, feeling anxiety rise up again in his chest. "What if I mess up, do something terrible?" "Like what?" "I don''t know. Seems like you can do a lot with telekinesis. What if someone just nicked an artery or snipped the nerves at your brain? Wouldn''t you just¡­ die?" Rika shook her head again. "You can''t. Go ahead and try. Make my hand move or something." With great apprehension, Alden reached out mentally as Rika had taught him. He was too nervous to even try for the hand lying calm in her lap. He settled on a single finger, just the pinky that was idly toying with her streak of blue hair. As he extended his will toward it, he found himself blocked. It was like pressing up against the cleanest, clearest window imaginable¡ªso transparent it may as well not exist, and yet it barred his passage. He couldn''t push through it, no matter how much effort he threw into the spell. As tension knotted his brain and pressure started building up in his ears, Alden released the spell with a huge breath. Rika nodded in satisfaction. "Mason''s Law." "Who''s Mason?" "An uptight prick who really wanted something named after himself. There''s a lot of those here," Rika added with a grin. "Smart guy though. Basically, you can''t directly affect another person. He worded it a lot more elegantly, but that''s the gist. So no mass-murder by nerve pinching, or setting a fire inside someone''s eyeballs, or mind-control¡ªalthough apparently that does work on animals¡­" Rika trailed off thoughtfully. "Gonna have to see if I can figure out how Nat controls her pet. Anyway. All the stuff you''ve seen, it''s just people affecting the environment, or themselves. Never each other." Alden nodded. It was limiting, but it was reassuring. It meant he didn''t have to worry about accidentally pissing off the wrong person and dying instantly for it. Hopefully, anyway. "Now, back to throwing around a wall at someone. Tell me how I did it. Or do it yourself." He sat back and thought. If he couldn''t hit someone directly, how would he knock them over like Rika had done him? Alden went ahead and tried it anyway. This was about experimenting, right? Rika seemed fully confident he couldn''t do anything to hurt her. He raised his hands in the same manner she had shown, fingers interlocked, and threw them at her with the force he could muster. In his mind, he tried to widen his push, so that it became a huge block to hurl at Rika. He could feel it working, but at the same time the strength behind his push was so weakened that he barely felt the resistance from the field around her body. He may as well have not pushed it at all. Rika just grinned at him. She plucked a bright yellow dandelion from the grass nearby and tucked it behind her ear tauntingly, not a care in the world. A few minutes passed with Alden still trying every variation he could think of to send a wave of force at her, but all for naught. Rika was enjoying herself far too much, currently sending tiny flames dancing around him in circles and forming little faces with their tongues out. It was intimidating how her level of control so dramatically dwarfed his own. Alden finally collapsed back onto the grass, after a final desperate attempt to grab every single blade of grass between himself and Rika and shove them forward together. He felt like he might have blacked out from the attempt had he pushed any further. "Oh, come on. You''re not giving up that easily, are you?" "You win, Rika. How''d you do it?" Alden grumbled aloud. "She''s pushing the air, kid," A harsh, gravelly voice from above interrupted them. Both twisted upward to see the gaunt-looking man from the council meeting¡ªViper¡ªwho now stood at the top of the riverbank glaring down at them. Or perhaps that was simply how his facial features were normally arranged. Alden wasn''t sure from this distance. "Thanks for giving it away," Rika snapped, leaping to her feet. "The fuck do you want?" "Should be nicer, girl. I could help you." Viper climbed down the riverbank to the path, only a few paces away from them. "Go on, kid. Try pushing the air." Alden was skeptical, but did as the man said. Instead of reaching toward the objects he could see, he tried to grasp at the air itself. Almost immediately on changing his focus, Alden could sense the particles in the air as he touched them mentally. He grasped a wide range, as many as he thought he could handle, and once again tried to shove them as Rika had. A wave rippled out¡ªnowhere near as strong, but visible nonetheless. The wind he''d created sent Rika''s hair fluttering to his great satisfaction, before he nearly doubled over once the force recoiled back into him. She shot a glare at him, dampening his spirits, then turned to face Viper. Up close, Alden could see his rough skin, patchy and unkempt stubble on his chin, and that his left arm was tightly bound to his chest in a sling. His jacket looked military issue, as did his boots, and he wore a set of small pouches in varying shapes and sizes on a belt around his waist. His face seemed in a perpetual scowl, even now while he was apparently trying to be diplomatic. "Rika, right?" "Yeah, and you are?" "Viper''s good enough. I got a proposition for you." Rika frowned. "Why would you want to work with me?" "Because I agree with you. An auction''s fucking stupid for something like this. Too dangerous. Shouldn''t just hand out powerful stuff to the highest bidder." Viper reached for one of his pouches. Rika flinched, her own hand shooting to the bag at her waist. "Calm down, kid. Open it yourself if you want." He took his hand away. Rika did so, flicking the string off that latched it down with a quick gesture. Inside was a small piece of paper, which she floated out into the open, catching it neatly out of midair. "K&B at noon. The fuck''s this supposed to mean?" "Means the Scrap''s gonna be there. Tomorrow. Means we''re gonna steal it." Viper cracked the barest hint of a smile, and it sent chills down Alden''s spine. [Discord]¡ª[Rate This Story]¡ª[Patreon] Chapter 10 — The First Summit of the End of the World Chapter 10 ¡ª The First Summit of the End of the World Rachel lay awake in the early hours of the next morning, watching Will''s chest rise and fall next to her in the near-darkness. She had two goals in mind for the town hall. First, she would gather as much information as she could about who might be the mysterious supporter directing the golems that had attacked Cinza''s group. From what she understood about the relationship between Alpha and Omega, the overwhelming forces that had once made all their lives a terrifying hell, neither would enter the town or interfere with their affairs so long as the other remained at large. It was an unwritten pact of mutual destruction from which neither had strayed. Until last night, Rachel sighed. What changed? She racked her memories of the past few days. There was a slowly increasing risk of them all being discovered, an outcome both spoke fervently against. It was one of the few things she had ever seen them agree on without debate, that the magical community was not ready to step out into the world at large. Neither held any illusions that they could keep their privacy forever, but they were unequivocal in their warnings that to be discovered so early into their development would spell doom for them all. On this, Rachel agreed wholeheartedly, but the time seemed to be approaching faster with every passing day. What if it all ends today? she wondered bitterly, before refocusing her mind back to the problem of Omega. There had been no significant events with the unawakened she could pinpoint. It had to be something else. Could it have been the murders? That was certainly an unprecedented and significant event. No one had killed another human with magic before. Rachel could see Alpha intervening to control the situation, or Omega railing on the community at large for allowing it to happen. But why would they target Cinza''s group over such an attack? Neither had shown any particular hostility to the Grey cult in the past, and Cinza clearly did not have anyone with the ability to carve a hole straight through a guy''s chest, if the mostly-futile fight against the golems was anything to go by. If Omega were trying to hunt down and punish the perpetrator, he''d badly erred in his target. Rachel doubted it. Omega wasn''t the type to dole out punishment anyway. If he were attacking, it would be more specific than that. It had to be a new arrival. Rachel considered Rika''s return, but dismissed the possibility. Rika might be insufferable to some, but she knew better than to piss off the Gods. Rachel also ignored her newfound companion Zack, though not without reservations. He had an air of mystery about him, and her examination of his connections from afar revealed so few that she was concerned she had made a mistake until she got Will to do the same. The boy was attached to virtually nothing, just an intense line to an object he kept inside his jacket and a dim line trailing away to Rika, who had been practically dragging him down the street. Any other connections were too faint or too distant to identify. Still, he''d been at Rika''s side since the moment he''d arrived in town, and she just didn''t see him as the killing type. There had to be someone she was missing. Or something, Rachel realized with a start. She almost woke up Will in her excitement, having finally come to a conclusion that made sense. It wasn''t a person that had arrived. It was a simple piece of parchment. The three Gods were each specialists in their own way. While no one knew what Grey-eyes might be capable of, it was obvious her abilities tended toward movement and concealment, with how her appearance shifted and her way of vanishing instantly from a space without warning or a whisper of sound. Rachel still wasn''t sure if she was truly teleporting or merely turning invisible and moving so fast out of an area that none spotted her departure. Alpha had taught the first of them about knowledge and mental magic, about the ability to modify one''s mind and learn that which one couldn''t possibly know. He''d also taught everyone the basics of elemental manipulation, particularly in regards to fire, which was how even the simplest of their number could toss around a ball of fire or levitate chalk. But it was Omega''s powers which frightened her most. Omega was the master of Creation magic, that which dealt with manipulating base elements into something not quite alive, but still animate. The golems that had gone after Cinza could only have been his, as she''d known the moment she saw them. The means by which to create and control them were a secret he''d never shared, and Rachel realized now what the Scrap they''d discovered must contain. Omega was protecting his monopoly on that branch of magic, damn the consequences, and using his minions to keep from provoking a response from Alpha. Why he''d attacked Cinza''s group was a question she still needed an answer to, but his motivations were clear enough. She''d managed to poke a sleeping dragon with her announcement at the Council. Now she had to control the fire before they were all burned to a crisp. Her second goal was much simpler. She was going to ruin Julian Black.
Rachel took a seat off to the right side of the spacious town hall. It was wide, open space with gently arched ceilings and a small elevated stage at the front. Rows of wooden chairs were set out neatly, and a small table with water was set to the side, but other than that the hall was quite devoid of refreshments or comforts. She reflected ruefully that despite the worse location, her own Council meetings were much better catered with their single plate of homemade cookies she brought to every session. She had arrived almost an hour early, so as to watch as many attendees as possible as they arrived. Their reactions and attitudes could potentially speak volumes as they filtered in, and Rachel was determined to gather every scrap of information she could. A few people had been present before her, but of them only one stood out. John Bell, who worked at the Kettle and Bones as the bouncer and barman, if she recalled correctly. She was surprised to see him, but she barely knew the man, so perhaps he was just routinely interested in local politics. The front doors creaked open, drawing her attention. Up first was Gordon Merrill, the owner of the local paper. He carried his notebook and pen, an exiled journalist still itching to write a story even if he hadn''t published anything he''d written in years besides cheap editorials and opinion pieces. Following him was Dan Rhodes, owner of the eponymous burger joint which shared a wall with his offices, chatting amicably with the distracted Merrill. Normally, Rachel might not have expected many attendees to a Rallsburg town hall, even in the case of a murder, but both herself and Julian had deliberately attempted to contact as many people as they could with the intention of making this meeting a momentous one. Rachel expected a crowd, and a crowd did indeed arrive. Julian strode in, one of his two lackeys at his heels. He shot Rachel a look as he took his seat in the front, something between annoyance and disdain. She''d thrown a wrench into his planned conference by calling the emergency session to take place at the same time. He''d be faced with as many of his magical peers as his mundane town residents. Whatever plans he''d had to gain influence would be significantly complicated, to her satisfaction. Mason Rhistler was next, with his boyfriend Bryan Selnik in tow. They took seats near to Rachel, and Mason gave her a questioning glance. Rachel shook her head. She''d talk with Mason later. He was a valuable ally, but she got tired of his neuroses quickly. Without Bryan to balance him out, Rachel was certain he''d have driven everyone he knew insane long ago. Still, his obsessiveness and attention to detail had helped them discover so many of the mechanical facets of magic that she couldn''t possibly consider ever losing him as a friend. It was only twenty minutes to the appointed time now, and the stream of newcomers increased. Robert Harrison strolled in, talking with the sheriff. Jackie gave Rachel a nod as she entered, which gave Robert pause. Rachel quickly looked away, grinning. The sheriff had clearly done it to antagonize Robert, who still resented her role in ruining his attempt to sue the Price family. As if on cue, Nathaniel Price was next in line. The heir to the fortunes of Rallsburg took a seat far removed his erstwhile victim, only a few chairs away from Rachel. "What''s this about, Rachel?" he whispered, a note of worry tinging his voice. She shook her head in return, still watching the entrance as Neffie Bowman and her brother Preston entered, Preston in full deputy gear. Neffie was one Rachel definitely needed to have words with, as her boss'' absence was now particularly concerning with the revelations of what was hiding out in the woods around their town. She''d made a promise to Natalie, and Rachel intended to keep it if she could. Kendra walked in alone, her height adding to her regal bearing. She took a seat next to Rachel, her laptop under her arm. "Anything interesting yet?" "Julian''s pissed, but that''s not new." "No, I suppose not." "You closed the Market?" Rachel asked. She''d requested as such to help drive attendance. If the only safe place to buy and sell magic was shut down for the afternoon, their flock of awakened could feel more secure in attending a meeting like this without fear of being undercut or losing business entirely. "I made it clear to all merchants that this meeting took precedence. I doubt many will attend, but they''ll be well aware of the results nonetheless," Kendra answered, a note of irritation in her voice. "Some were¡­ obstinate." "Thank you." "So what''s your plan? You haven''t explained yet." Rachel turned back to the entryway, still watching the ingress as it trickled through. There were a few faces she didn''t recognize, which she made a mental note to learn as they were most likely from the fringes of town. Rachel wanted to have every member of town in her mental dossier, just in case. Cinza arrived, with only two of her cult in tow. To Rachel''s dismay, they wore the full regalia as usual, hoods drawn and cloaks just short of trailing the floor. Cinza''s hair was back to its silvery-gray, and the charms and symbols clattered on her chest and wrists as she strode through the hall with an intense expression, daring anyone to confront her. Rachel was surprised so few had accompanied her, but she supposed that the rest of the pack were keeping poor, burned Yusuf company. Of the two, Rachel recognized the girl Ruby from the day before, and a young Asian man whom she didn''t know, with short cropped dark hair and a serene expression on his handsome face. They took a seat in the same row as Rachel and Kendra, in the right half of the hall. Cinza gave her a knowing smile before turning to face the front. Ryan Walker and his friend Seth Merrill made an entrance, arguing loudly about a basketball team. Seth''s father Gordon looked up surprised at his son''s attendance, but Seth ignored the journalist. Rachel was amused. His son, obviously thoroughly disinterested in the town, had only shown up because of her¡ªin a roundabout way. Not that it was likely to inspire him to actually get involved, but she was at least doing some little bit of outreach with the town indirectly. A few more notable arrivals rolled in, including Oscar McKinney, who ran a handyman service for everything from plumbing to electrical and tow service. Collins McCreary walked in with Boris Morozov, the odd book store owner, chatting quietly. Boris took a seat while Collins stood by the entrance, with a silent nod to his employer Kendra. Rachel long suspected he did much more than simply groundswork for the Laushires, and his appearance here seemed to confirm it. Finally, the Mayor himself arrived. Rowan Rhistler was a middle-aged but vigorous man. He was well-educated but still native to the area, and sensitive to the needs of both the college and the legacy of the logging union, making him the perfect negotiator for most disputes at the upper level of the town''s politics¡ªbut quite detached from the rest of the town, which was where Rachel had found her niche. He didn''t give his nephew Mason a second glance as he strode through the center of the hall, taking his place at the front of the room and pulling out a pocketwatch. It was only a few minutes to noon. Hailey Winscombe arrived. The former social queen of Rallsburg University seemed very much out of place without her gaggle of bees following her every move. Instead, she looked¡ªas she always did of late¡ªreserved and cautious. Where once there had been a daring, explosive personality with a heart as big as the town itself, now sat haunted girl with trauma they could only guess at. While she still tried to act like the carefree party queen she''d once been crowned, there was a clear divide between the authentic Hailey Winscombe and the mask she now hid behind. A few last minute arrivals hurried through the door, including Hector Peraza¡ªtimid as ever and looking very much like he did not want to be there¡ªand Mabel Walsh, slowly inching through the doorway on her old and tired legs. Hailey, ever magnanimous, immediately rushed over to help her to the nearest chair before taking her own seat. The room fell silent with the chime of the clock. "Everyone ready?" Rowan asked from the front of the room, standing up tall. "Alright then. Let''s get started."
"For the purposes of their investigation, the sheriff''s office has asked me not to reveal any photos from the crime scene yet," the mayor continued, as the deadly silent room hung onto his every word. "However, I can identify the bodies as Rallsburg University students Alexander Nelson and Jaysmith Miller." "What about the third victim?" Gordon Merrill asked, his phone prominently in his hand as he took notes. There was a sharp intake of breath throughout the room as everyone collectively remembered that a child had been caught in the crossfire. "We will not be releasing a name until the family gives permission," Rowan responded evenly, staring down his nose at Gordon with barely-concealed contempt. It was a mostly pointless question¡ªthere were so few children in Rallsburg that even a single one missing was obvious¡ªbut Gordon wanted Rowan to say it aloud. The mayor and the local paper had been at odds for years. Rachel had never quite gotten the story, but there had been some bad blood during the last election as Gordon supported the opposition. From what she could dig up, Rowan Rhistler had won in a landslide anyway. "How did they die?" Robert Harrison growled from his seat. The former lumberjack''s thick eyebrows furrowed and his slanted mouth was hidden behind his thick beard, giving the impression of a sentient, malevolent bush. "Now, that ain''t appropriate. We don''t need-a-know that," Julian Black chimed in, rising to his feet. "Them deaths are a tragedy, but it''s more important we find who done them in and start taking action." A murmur of agreement swept through the crowd. "Thank you, Mr. Black, but the sheriff has the situation well in hand," Rowan interjected from the front. "Mr. Harrison, as I stated before, the specific details of the crime are vital to the investigation and cannot be released at this time." "Horseshit," Robert snapped. "I heard they were burned alive. You''re trying to hide a nutjob among us." "Is that true, Mayor? The victims were set on fire?" Gordon Merrill chimed in, his phone held aloft eagerly. Jackie Nossinger stood, her glare matching Robert''s in intensity. "If you want to get into it, Bob, yeah, they burned. Now who told your gossipy ass about it?" "Friend of a friend," Robert replied evasively. "That''s crap, Robert," Neffie Bowman spoke up. Her melodic voice provided a nice contrast to the gruff and gravelly voices of the Sheriff and the lumberjack, the smooth politician of Rowan Rhistler and the slight whine of the journalist Gordon Merrill. Her attractive exotic features even more so, as she rose to her feet. "If you''ve got a source that knew about the murders before this meeting, you''ve got a responsibility to the town to own up." "So what if I have? We all oughta known sooner than this. From how he tells it, they died nearly a week ago." A collective gasp rolled through the assembly, Rachel included. Jackie had obviously come straight to her upon discovering the bodies, so when had they died? Robert smiled with satisfaction. This was the reaction he''d been hoping for. Jackie faltered in her response, leaving Robert the floor to continue. "That''s right, folks. Our sheriff and our mayor knew we had a psycho in town and didn''t say a goddamn word for a week!" His eyes looked wild as he turned to face his fellows in the row beside him. "What if he''d come after you in your diner, Dan? Or your shop, Hector? What if he went for your sister, Preston?" "He''d get what''s coming to him," the deputy retorted at the last bit, and a faint laugh echoed through the hall, easing tension just a little. Rachel smiled. It was true, Neffie Bowman was a scrapper and the whole town knew it. Anyone going for her and expecting easy prey would be in for a nasty surprise. Robert wasn''t about to let the attention he commanded go to waste, though. He still held the rapt attention of the room, as if each of them were attached to a leash and he held the end of every rope. "There''s something going on in this town, and we all know it. It''s been happening for months and we''ve all been plopped on our hands waiting for the next tree to keel over." Rachel felt a rush of adrenaline at his words. Robert Harrison, of all people, would be the one to reveal them? It was inconceivable. Robert, however, had different prey in mind than the hidden community that secretly permeated his town. His target was far more public. Robert paused for effect, before his head snapped to lock eyes with Cinza. "We''ve got a damn cult in our town and it''s high time someone looked into what they''re doing." Every head in the room followed his gaze to Cinza, seated calmly between her two lieutenants. Ruby looked nervous and shrunk deeper into her hood, her red curls still plainly visible in spite of her attempts. Her other companion looked as though he hadn''t heard a word. "Y''all even got a name, or are you too autistic to come up with one?" Robert continued. From her side, Rachel heard Kendra quietly click her tongue in disgust, but she was too focused on Cinza''s reaction to pay it any mind. Cinza stood very slowly, and lowered her hood, shaking loose her mane of silvery hair. "Names are just tools to help the uncertain come to terms with their identity. We know who we are." "Bunch of loonies," Julian chimed in, eliciting a laugh from a few in the crowd. Far less than Preston''s quip earlier, Rachel noted with relief. They hadn''t the level of support they pretended to hold, not yet at least. Cinza whirled on him. "And what are you, Julian Black? A failed con man turned failed entrepreneur-cum-delivery man? Do tell, what worldly insights can you offer to us?" "I can tell you the poor guys outside town were burned alive, and your cult seems to love its little fireside get-togethers on the outskirts," Julian shot back. Julian knew full well the cult never used fire, preferring Cinza''s mastery of light manipulation for their elaborate stagings. Rachel tried to piece together his plan of attack. Blame Cinza for the murders? It was certainly one way to consolidate power, as Cinza represented the largest coordinated voting bloc on the Council and was quite unlikely to ever support him. With her presumably in custody or at least wanted for questioning following this town hall, he could call for a vote and possibly have the numbers to knock Josh off the council. This presumed, of course, that he''d been able to hide his influence in setting her on the run. Rachel scanned the crowd, and saw with satisfaction that well more than half of the regular attendees to the Council were seated throughout the hall. If Julian tried to take Cinza off the board, everyone would witness it. Her gambit was paying off thus far. "So do many of the university''s finest. I''ve seen Seth Merrill out there plenty of times as well. I''m glad you taught your son well enough to not burn the forest down," Cinza added, inclining her head at the journalist, who turned a shade of pink. For a former big-city reporter, he seems very prone to embarrassment. "Still leaves you with some explainin''," Robert jumped back into the conversation with his customary growl, further confirming to Rachel that the two were obviously working together. She wondered what Julian had promised the man. If he had even promised Robert anything; Rachel suspected Robert Harrison was a man more than willing to stir up trouble in town simply to be at the center of attention in his advancing years. "Y''all are some creepy sons of bitches, rolling through town in those cloaks. What''ve you got to hide?" "Is this really necessary?" Gordon Merrill countered, to Rachel''s surprise. "Do you have any evidence to suggest they''ve committed any crime? We had a specific reason for coming together today." "You''re one to talk," Robert retorted. "Your own toady is one of them." "Toady?" Kendra murmured next to Rachel, while Gordon looked taken aback. "What do you mean?" "I mean Morton Pollock, your assistant, is a goddamn greycloak. Oscar McKinney saw him out one day while working the power lines on the west end." Oscar gave a sheepish nod as heads swivelled to find him. He sank deep into his chair, looking deeply uncomfortable with the whole situation. "Well, that''s¡­ err¡­" Gordon stammered, his mouth making interesting contortions as he tried to form proper words. "They''ve snaked their way into our town," Julian Black leapt into the sudden silence. "They mean us ill. They take and give nothing back. And now good students of the college are dyin'' out in the woods where they make their home. Can''t we intervene?" Rachel was surprised by his audacity. Despite an audience that clearly felt no love for the man, he was still following through on his plan to remove Cinza from the field. Cinza herself looked furious, her small hands clenched so tight Rachel expected her fingernails must be piercing skin. For a brief moment, she feared the girl would throw caution to the winds and throw down then and there¡ªbut once again the leader of the Cult of the Grey showed her cool head in danger, surprising them all. The girl turned to face the mayor¡ªher metal charms faintly tinkling from the movement¡ªignoring Julian and Robert in favor of the two elected authorities that were standing silent at the head of the crowd. "Well, Judges, the good people of Salem have declared their witches. Shall we send for the Reverend Hale or would you like to play the role yourself, Mr. Rhistler?" "Enough of this," the mayor said with conviction. "Robert, Julian, you two will hold your tongues if you mean to accuse further, unless you can present solid, factual evidence about the group and not wild speculation." Rachel was pleased. The mayor had read the room and reacted accordingly. Having brought Cinza and enough sympathetic supporters, she was able to deflect what could have quickly become a dangerous witch hunt. The girl was more eloquent under pressure than Rachel gave her credit for. Perhaps they could get back to the matter of the actual murderer. "Actually," came an uneasy, uncertain voice from the back row. Once again, the rows of heads swivelled as if on a great long pole and a crank operator at the end was turning them all in unison. "They are witches." It was Dan Rhodes, owner of the local burger joint. Rachel filled her lungs with a deep breath, trying desperately to stay calm even as blood began thumping like a hammer on her skull. Dan wasn''t someone so easily dismissed as crazy or having an agenda. He was an everyman, someone most of the town trusted. This wasn''t going to end well. "Dan? You have something to add?" Rowan called from the front. Even the mayor trusted the man. Rachel felt the ice in the room thicken. The chill seeped up her spine. "I''ve seen it. People making fire from thin air, people with impossible things. Casting spells. You know, witchery." A pin drop would have been as loud as a gunshot in the hall at that time. Rachel was never more acutely aware of the unusually low number of vehicles present in Rallsburg. Since the train wasn''t scheduled that day, the only sound was the soft chirping of birds in the distance and the faint hum of electricity. Rachel muscles were tense and coiled to spring. She slid her hand into her bag, reaching for a ruby. Out of the corner of her eye, she noted that Kendra, Hector and Ryan Walker had mirrored her action. Cinza herself was still the center of attention, else Rachel was sure she''d have done the same. Thankfully she''d remained calm so far, but Ruby was totally concealed within her cloak¡ªand who knew what the red-haired girl might have at the ready underneath that sheet of grey? If they needed to move, for better or worse, Cinza''s people were ready for a fight. "Explain," Jackie Nossinger spoke, her voice firm and far less skeptical than Rachel would have liked. "That girl who comes around every once and a while. She shoots lightning from her fingertips." Jackie raised an eyebrow. Rachel winced. They both knew the bodies were covered in electrical burns. "And a few guys that came in, they threw fire at her. Just thought everyone should know," he added sheepishly. It was the moment of truth. Did Rachel need to act? The others were watching her as closely as they dared, knowing better than to draw too much attention to her when she hadn''t yet spoken. Gordon Merrill was her main concern, with his phone still out and recording copious notes. Who knew where those were being transmitted? "That sounds ridiculous," Hailey Winscombe said, her voice shaking. Rachel was shocked it had taken this long for her to speak up, when she was usually so talkative. Another element of the new Hailey. "People throwing fire and lightning? Are you on something?" A murmur of agreement swept through the crowd, but not as much as Rachel would have liked. Too many were starting to feel the unease and paranoia of the supernatural surrounding them. Still, nothing truly dangerous had been spoken yet. They were safe for the moment. Dan''s concerns could be dismissed, his supposed witches discredited. There was no proof or even a person to question yet. "The girl, what''s her name?" Robert Harrison asked, and Rachel''s heart plunged into ice. Even Julian looked suddenly nervous, but he could hardly speak up in the deadly silence without putting himself under the limelight. "She goes by Rika, but I dunno if¡ª" Rachel stood up sharply. Her chair scraped the floor in her haste. Rika was at risk, and¡ªdamn the consequences¡ªRachel still felt loyalty to her friend. "Hector, cut it," she called, across the rows of heads that were twirling in place like a shifting kaleidoscope to form rows of eyes all locked on her. At her word, Hector''s hand flew out of his bag. A handful of mica dust leapt into the air and vanished with a hiss. The lights flickered off. Gordon''s phone screen followed a moment later. The wide windows in the rafters caught enough light to still leave everything illuminated, and keep all attention fixed upon Rachel. The hum of electricity, the one constant sound, was gone. Only a faint breeze and the continuing song of the birds remained. She let out the deep breath she''d taken so long ago, and it felt as though every eye in the room followed her throat as it relaxed. The time had finally come.
"What is the meaning of this?" Rowan asked from the front, his voice lacking confidence for the first time since they''d arrived. Rachel took stock of the room, trying to quickly spot anyone who didn''t seem surprised by the sudden change of atmosphere. To her disappointment, she didn''t pick up on any new Awakened she wasn''t yet aware of, but no matter. She had more important things to worry about. Rachel suddenly realized that, despite regular conversation (or confrontation) with nearly every other person in the room, she had never actually spoken to the mayor of Rallsburg. She turned to face Rowan Rhistler. He bore some resemblance to his nephew Mason, seated only a few chairs away from where she stood. Rachel resolved immediately to do her best to keep identities concealed. There was no reason to reveal anyone''s status as Awakened beyond the three they already saw. Having Mason or¡ªheaven forbid¡ªNathaniel Price revealed as a witch before a riled-up crowd of the common town could lead to a lynching. As it stood, she held the rapt attention of the entire crowd, both awakened and otherwise. She cleared her throat. Rachel loved being the center of attention, but she preferred it to be on her terms. She''d always known this day was coming, but she hadn''t expected it so soon, nor in such a personal setting as the town hall of Rallsburg in front of her entire community. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. "What Dan says is the truth," Rachel started as calmly as she could manage. She wished she could have told the sheriff, whom she honestly admired and respected, privately and directly, and tried to give her an apologetic look before continuing. "There are those of us who have certain¡­ abilities." She held up a hand. With the enraptured crowd still hanging off every word, Rachel focused her mind on the space just above her fingertips. She flung out her consciousness into the elements as she''d been taught. There was an essence to fire, a universal force that was always present and ready to spring into life if given the chance. Rachel found it and pulled at it with her mind, letting it flow through her and into the space she''d set aside. The heat rushed through her chest and down her arm, a warm flow of energy like a stream ebbing through her veins to the tips of her fingers, as if the very embers were inside of her. With a faint hiss, a teardrop of light yellow flame flickered into life above her finger like a candle without a wick. A gasp rolled through the crowd. A couple seated in front of Rachel (the Parsons) scrambled forward in shock. All in all, it wasn''t the outright panic she''d feared. Rachel turned her hand flat, palm upward to let the flame flicker and dance above as she spoke up again. "We''re just here to live normal lives, same as everyone else. No one wants any trouble, and no one intends to cause any. We''re all just people." Murmurs were rolling through the crowd like low thunder, foreboding and spelling out danger on the horizon, but for the moment no one had yet rushed them or cried witchcraft. Rachel took that as a good first sign, as the flame continued to dance and flicker in her hand. She was already beginning to feel a bit of strain at maintaining the fire. Elemental magic was well outside her affinity as Rika had called it, and Rachel was never good at keeping a fire alive without real fuel, but she dared not show any weakness in front of the crowd. She felt it in her chest as if she was in the middle of a long run, and knew that she could go on but at some point the pressure would cause her to double over and her vision to darken. She took a deep breath before speaking up again. "We want to help." Hailey Winscombe burst into tears. She buried her face in her hands. The entire room looked at her for a moment, but with no forthcoming explanation for the girl''s sudden muffled hysteria, focus quickly shifted back to Rachel. "Rachel, look, you''re a great help around town but this is different," Neffie Bowman said, her eyes still transfixed by the fire. "We don''t know what this is¡ª" "It''s magic," Cinza spoke up, her voice serene. "What else do you need to know?" Neffie faltered, which was a first for her. "Bullshit," Robert spoke up finally. "This is a dumb prank." "Bob, they even knocked out my phone¡­" Gordon Merrill started meekly, but Cinza cut him off. "Prank, is it?" She brought one arm up, and in a stunning reversal, Robert Harrison was the one to flinch. A hulk of a man with the thick muscles of a lifelong lumberjack, afraid of the thin stick of an arm pointing in his general direction owned by a girl shorter than five feet and probably only cresting a fourth of his own weight. With a wicked smile, Cinza flicked her fingers in a simple motion at Robert. A three-foot butterfly with glowing purple wings fluttered into life directly in front of the man''s eyes. He ducked and howled, and the butterfly swooped straight at his face, sending him tumbling backwards. It vanished in an explosion of shining specks that flew outward and faded away. "Anyone else need a demonstration?" Cinza asked, looking around the crowd calmly. "Rachel, please, help me understand," Rowan called from the front, sounding suddenly exhausted. "This cult of yours¡ª" "She''s no cultist, to use your vulgar term," Cinza cut in sharply. "Rachel is just an elected leader for us all, follower of mine or otherwise. The other mayor of the town, you might say. Meet your real competition." "''Us all''?" Gordon Merrill spoke up, having pulled out a paper pad and pencil. He was a resourceful journalist for sure. Rachel nodded in response. "We have a council for resolving disputes and making decisions that affect us all as a community. I represent the head of the council at this meeting." She paused, trying to find the best way to phrase her request. "I must ask you not report on anything that happens in this room today, Mr. Merrill. I''m sorry." Gordon Merrill looked like she had asked him to chop off his own arm. "I''m a journalist, girl. That''s what I do." Cinza snapped her fingers, and her companion threw out his arm with a twisting motion in the wrist, followed by a quick snap-flick. Gordon''s notepad caught fire instantly, and he dropped it in shock. Rachel was quietly impressed by the guy''s precision. She could never have summoned a flame at the opposite end of the notepad from that distance with so little time and effort, if she could even manage it at all. Rachel resolved to figure out all of Cinza''s followers at a later date when she had the opportunity, before the cult surprised her with something truly unpleasant. "Take a break for the afternoon," Cinza said cheerily. "I''m sure Rachel would be pleased to give you an exclusive someday. It''ll be the most important story of your life, trust me." "This ''community'' of yours," Rowan began again. "They can all do¡­ magic?" His mouth seemed to have trouble giving voice to the concept, as he clearly still couldn''t believe what he was saying. Rachel nodded, trying to instill confidence in the mayor. She was going to need him if they were to control his half of the town and keep the peace. She closed her palm gently as she released the fire from her control, letting it free. In an instant, lacking any fuel, the flame puffed out of existence. "Mayor Rhistler," she began, with more formality than she''d presented so far. "I''d like to offer our assistance in tracking down whomever committed the murders on the outskirts of town." There was no reason to reveal Jackie had already asked her to do just that. The mayor and sheriff needed to be on the same side; there was no reason to drive a wedge between them if she didn''t need to. Yet. "I have strong reason to believe the murders were carried out with magical means and that we are best suited to investigating the crime." "They were killed with magic?" Jackie asked. "Well, that explains a lot." "Now hang on, you''ve got witches killing witches here?" Robert asked, furrowing his brow once more. "What is this shit?" "Would you just be quiet for once? Unless you can add anything useful," Mason Rhistler snapped from near Rachel. He''d finally broken his silence for a pithy comment like that? Rachel mused. Not the best choice diplomatically. "Just because you''re the mayor''s nephew¡ª" "Enough!" Rowan called from the front. "Rachel, I would like to speak with you and the sheriff in private." "With respect, sir, I can''t leave this assembly yet. Not while my people remain at risk." Rachel looked around to the gathered townspeople of Rallsburg. Most looked at her with confusion or curiosity, and only a few with outright suspicion. It was those few that she feared most. Even a few voices full of hate and terror, if cast out loud and strong, could whip crowds into a frenzy, raise the pitchforks and set the torches ablaze. She had to persuade them otherwise. It was what she''d spent months and months preparing for. "This is an old town, and a strong one. The people here are good. I''ve spent time with most of you." She began to look at individual faces in the crowd, breaking them down from a collective and forming a connection with each. If she''d had time to slip her consciousness, she''d likely see the bonds forming in mid-air even as she spoke, drawing a web between her and every person present she spoke to. "Neffie Bowman, do you remember when I helped Preston out of that jam with the Tacoma PD?" She nodded with a friendly smile, but she''d not been one Rachel had expected much difficulty in turning. She went on. "Boris, I''ve always known you as a friendly face on the street, and I''ve loved the books you''ve recommended over the years. Remember when your shop flooded, and the days we spent drying out damp pages?" She called out another, more difficult target. "Robert, we haven''t always seen eye to eye, but I''ve always respected your unrelenting efforts to protect your loggers and the heritage of the town. I think I''ve always cut fair deals with you, haven''t I? Didn''t Nate Price leave with his tail between his legs just the other day?" Robert nodded, a grin barely creasing his beard at the memory. On and on Rachel went, calling out every individual in the hall she could manage. She deliberately included quite a few of the Awakened in the room, to draw suspicion away from them. For the moment, she did not plan to reveal any more of the magical community amongst them beyond the five they''d already shown. For the moment, she needed to play cautious, even if she''d deliberately thrown out her timetables in this brash move to protect Rika. "Gordon¡ª" "This is all inspirational," Gordon interrupted, fidgeting with his pen with no notepad to write upon, "but where are you going with this exactly?" Rachel took another deep breath, as she''d nearly run out of lung-power trying desperately to name as many people as she could. "I''d like to think we''ve shown we''re members of the community, same as all of you. All we want in return is to be kept silent. This town has always been a quiet, safe place, and we''d just like our privacy, same as the rest of you." There it was. Rachel had voiced their one request aloud. How will the town react? "If the world were to find out¡­" Neffie started thoughtfully. "It would cause a stampede," Gordon said, one of the most worldly of the town. Most people in Rallsburg rarely ventured into the world, but Gordon Merrill had come from the big city before settling down in Rallsburg to open his own paper with his wife. "Magic, in the modern world? There would be no stopping people from trying to get their hands on it. Government or otherwise." "Can everyone keep it hidden?" Dan asked, guilt tinging his voice. He clearly regretted having set off the current chain of events. "Why not? No one comes out here anymore, except the crazier tourists," Robert growled. "No one really leaves either. And no one in their right mind''s gonna stir things up if they''re safe, are they?" he said, looking at Rachel. Rachel was taken aback. They seemed to have already accepted the Awakened without much questioning, and were moving onto protecting them as their own. Her work had paid off. She felt gratitude leaping up into her throat and suddenly found it very difficult to speak. "I don''t know how many of you there are," Rowan said firmly from the front of the room, addressing the room at large, "but you are just as much part of my constituency as the rest of Rallsburg. You don''t need to reveal yourselves, and for those of you that do, my office will treat you no differently for it." He glanced at Jackie, who nodded, though her expression was still affixed with a frown directed at Rachel. "I think I speak for the entire town when I say that we don''t really understand what''s happening yet, but that we are all willing to return the generosity you''ve shown us over the past year." He smiled, and it wasn''t the false smile of a politician, but a genuine warm smile that Rachel accepted wholeheartedly. "I trust you and your community will be happy to cooperate and coordinate with the Sheriff?" "Of course, sir." "Then so be it," Rowan declared. "If any of the town has a grievance to raise amongst our¡­ magical neighbors, let them please file it with Sheriff Nossinger or Deputy Bowman and they will reach out on your behalf." "Yeah, yeah, hug it out later," Robert said, rising to his feet once more. "I don''t care what they do so long as they don''t interfere with me and mine. Which brings us back to these murders. What are you doing about that?" His question was not directed at the sheriff, but at Rachel herself. "We have a way of finding people that are using magic," Rachel replied. She hadn''t wanted to reveal Will even tangentially in this way, but she knew she had to give them something. Julian and other members of the council would doubtless use this against her in the future somehow. "We''ve starting tracking any usage outside of town, as we believe the killer is likely residing beyond the outskirts." Cinza threw her a sharp look, but said nothing. Rachel was grateful yet again for the girl''s smart instincts. They needed to stay united throughout this meeting. If any dissent arose between the known Awakened, it would cast doubt and fear amongst the mundane town residents. We need a better term than mundane, Rachel mused. "Find ''em and bring ''em to me," Robert growled, taking his seat heavily once more. "I''ll teach ''em to go after little kids." "Thank you, Mr. Harrison," Rowan called out. "Rachel, you''ll let us know of any developments as soon as possible?" "Of course, sir." "Thank you. I think that about does it for this meeting, unless anyone else has anything to put forward?" Rowan asked, looking over the crowd. The murmuring of the crowd halted as they looked around at Rachel, the only one in the crowd still standing. She was never more aware of her height and stature as she towered over them all, feeling like a giantess. "Thank you again," Rowan said after a measured pause. "I''m glad I can count upon all the good people of Rallsburg with such a secret. Our town is something truly special, and it is because you all make it so. If any of you would like to speak with me in private, my office door will be open in one hour until eleven tonight." Chairs squealed throughout the building in a chorus of scrapes as people rose to their feet. Hailey was the first out the door, her face still covered in tears. Most others left casually, chattering excitedly as to what they''d just witnessed. Rachel stayed put. The mayor had clearly set aside the next hour to speak with her directly, and she intended to make the most of it. Kendra touched her on the arm briefly before heading out the door herself. She wasn''t yet willing to reveal her identity, being easily the most prominent resident to the wider world. Cinza was staying put as well, her two compatriots at her wings keeping silent vigil. Neffie and Preston Bowman were standing by the far wall, talking quietly, and Ryan Walker was playing on his phone in his seat. His friend Seth Merrill had departed, though his father Gordon was still seated as well, having produced yet another notepad to scribble frantically on. Finally, Boris Morozov was in the back, watching Rachel with an expression of quiet curiosity. His gaze was the first to make her feel truly uncomfortable, beyond just the social anxiety she''d felt when revealing herself to the crowd at large. As the rest of the room finally filtered out, the mayor once again rose to his feet from a quiet hurried discussion with the sheriff. "I suppose you''re the most concerned citizens, are you? Well, come on then." He gestured to a doorway leading off the side of the stage, behind which was a hallway and the smaller conference rooms, just like the one she''d recently sat down in with Nate Price and Robert Harrison. The small crowd followed him to the door. Cinza nodded to her two companions, who remained seated, and swept her cloak around herself theatrically before proceeding into the hallway. Neffie and Preston followed her inside, and Gordon Merrill was right behind them, writing frantically as he walked, his cell phone still dead due to Hector''s magic. Ryan Walker made to follow them, but Rowan put up his arm. "What are you doing here, Mr. Walker?" "I''m a concerned citizen," Ryan echoed sarcastically. "I appreciate your candor, but this is going to be a plain old boring meeting," the mayor replied dryly. In response, Ryan raised one of his hands. His forearm bulged and his skin thickened in moments, like fast-forwarded video of someone bulking up. He held it for a few moments before releasing the energy and letting his arm return to normal proportions, then raised an eyebrow at the dumbfounded mayor. Rowan''s arm dropped like a deflating balloon. Ryan smirked, strutting through the door without a care in the world to dumbfound looks. Boris Morozov followed him silently, leaving only the sheriff and Rachel remaining in the main hall. "Well, Rachel?" Rowan asked cautiously. Rachel smoothed out her skirt before picking up her bag and walking through the door, ducking slightly as she passed through the threshold. They followed her inside, and the door creaked shut with a thump that echoed through the vacant town hall, where only minutes earlier magic had first been exposed to the outside world.
"I trust this meeting will be kept confidential?" Rowan asked pointedly, looking at Gordon Merrill. "Of course, of course," Gordon replied excitedly. "This won''t appear in any paper. I''m writing this down for my memoirs. Someday that''ll sell like wildfire." "What is this meeting, anyway?" Neffie asked. "A peace summit," said Cinza. She stretched out her legs, which barely reached the floor, relaxing after the stress of the town hall. She removed her hood, and a moment later, a line of bright silver snaked up her hair as it shifted from pure grey to her natural brown, to gasps of shock from the newly aware. "Would you quit showing off?" Ryan said, gently kicking her chair under the table. Cinza laughed, which was even stranger in her echoing voice. "I''m just reminding them who they''re dealing with." "Enough," Rachel said sharply, and to her relief they fell silent. "Mr. Mayor, I¡ª" "Rowan, please," he replied. He smiled weakly. "By all rights it sounds as though you''re as much in charge of this town as I am. We may as well start treating each other more equally." "Rowan," Rachel started again. "I''m grateful for what you said back there, but you know it won''t hold sway with everyone." "Oh, undoubtedly. The gossips will still gossip, though news isn''t likely to travel outside Rallsburg. Robert was correct, very few people ever leave this town. We''re quite contained here." Rachel nodded. "That''s not my gravest concern." "What do you mean?" "Salem," Cinza answered simply. Rachel inclined her head at the girl. "As much as none of us want to voice it, there is still a great aversion to the supernatural in the world. We might live in modern, enlightened times, but those only came about because the scientists all proved that witchcraft wasn''t real. There''s honestly no way to predict how people will react when confronted with the real, undeniable thing." "I think it went over pretty well," Rowan countered. "Everyone seemed to leave in good spirits. And let''s not forget that this is still Rallsburg. Most people here just want to be left alone. We simply don''t have drama." "For now," Rachel said. "But that was a small taste. A candle and a butterfly. What happens when they''re forced to confront something more dangerous?" "How''s this any different than someone roaming around with a gun?" Preston Bowman interjected. "It''s not like anyone with a hunting rifle is automatically dangerous." Cinza held up her hand in response, and despite her diminutive size, the mundane half of the table flinched away. "What about a weapon you can never take away, one that''s always at our fingertips and dramatically more destructive and versatile? Where I can snap my fingers¡ª" which she did, and moments later a ring of bullets appeared in mid-air floating above her thumb, "¡ªand in a moment snuff out more lives than any single gun." She closed her fist sharply, rolling her fingers between each other as she did, and the bullets flew straight at the neck of each person present with deadly accuracy and terrifying speed. Gordon Merrill shrieked, falling over backwards in his chair. Jackie and Rowan had both ducked, while Neffie and Preston Bowman were frozen in terror. An instant before reaching their targets, each vanished, leaving only a brief sparkle of light before disappearing entirely. Ryan and Rachel had not moved an inch, knowing Cinza''s illusions for what they were. "She puts it a bit dramatically, but yeah, we can do some crazy stuff," Ryan said calmly. "And like she said, it''s all inside. You can take a gun away from someone when you arrest them, sheriff. What are you gonna do when I can break handcuffs just by thinking about it?" "People still obey rule of law, though," Rowan replied, settling back in his chair once again. "Just because someone can do it doesn''t mean they will." "You''re not the one who''s gotta arrest them," Jackie muttered, righting herself with rather less grace than the mayor. "We''re in uncharted territory," Neffie said. "There''s no precedent to rely on here. We''re the first." "What would you suggest, Rachel?" Rowan asked. "I¡­" Rachel hesitated. Truth be told, she hadn''t really considered problems of law enforcement thus far. "I''m not sure." "Well, you have your own council and rules to enforce, do you not?" Rowan asked. "How do you enforce them?" "We don''t have to," Rachel replied. "Everyone knows the consequence of breaking what few rules we do have, and we''ve never really had an incident yet." "Not once?" Preston asked, looking skeptical. "Well, the last time anyone had a major disagreement we nearly blew up the town," Ryan said flippantly. Rachel looked at him sharply, and he recoiled in his seat. "What?" Jackie asked in a low growl. Rachel took a quick breath before answering, shuddering at the memories that sprang forth. "Remember the night about a year ago, when the old abandoned library burned down?" "That was you?" Rowan asked. Gordon seemed to stop scribbling on his notepad for a moment, eyes wide. "Not me, but someone with magic, yes." "Christ, I thought we were in a war zone that night, but we never caught anyone," Jackie murmured. "I assumed some kids had gotten ahold of a shit-ton of fireworks or something. Thought we were going to have a forest fire to end all fires." "What happened?" Rowan asked. "Two people had a¡­ disagreement. On how our Council should proceed in terms of interacting with the outside world. They were both very influential voices, and some took sides in the argument." Rachel paused. The flashes of light and the explosions, Omega''s minions advancing against Alpha''s hurled bolts of ice and torrents of water, the lightning strikes from the sky and the bursts of fire. She took a deep breath before continuing. "They took it too far, and both sides called a truce before it turned ugly. But neither of the individuals in question wanted to stop, and we collectively decided to intervene. If we hadn''t, it might have been the entire town that burned instead of just the old library." "What happened to these two individuals?" Rowan asked, while Gordon''s pen scratched incessantly. "They both left town, by mutual agreement. Neither plans to return, and both are in agreement to keep utmost secrecy about our world. We have nothing to fear from them anymore," Rachel lied smoothly, as memories of terrifying golems gliding across the forest floor sprung unbidden to her mind. The room looked satisfied at the answer. Rachel looked across the room to the one person who hadn''t spoken yet. Boris Morozov, the old bookshop owner and Russian expatriate, was gazing with eyes unfocused, his head turned slightly to one side as if he were listening to something. After a moment, his eyes shifted back to the room so subtly that she doubted anyone else could have noticed. Who is he talking to? "The murders were carried out by magic. Who can do such spells as lightning and the carving of a hole through the body of a child and a young man?" Boris asked calmly. "How do you know about¡ª" Jackie started to ask, but Boris held up his hand. "You are not the only one who regularly checks up on the outer parks, dear sheriff. I happened upon the bodies myself before you cordoned off the trailer." Boris turned back to Rachel. "It would seem the quickest way to a suspect is by the limitations of such magic." "Anyone of us can learn any spell," Rachel replied. "Some," she added, inclining her head at Cinza, "might specialize in a particular field, but there are no real limitations holding her back from throwing lightning as well, given time." "Ah," Boris replied, sitting back. "So anyone has the capability to do such a deed." "Not exactly," Rachel replied. "This type of magic, being able to remove matter so effectively, is not something we''ve ever seen. Whomever knows the technique has never shared it. It''s unique, for now." "And fucking terrifying," Ryan added with a shiver. "Ryan," Rachel admonished, and he recoiled. Rowan looked between the two of them with interest. Rachel addressed the mayor directly. "Whatever this murderer can do, I''m fully confident that we can deal with them." She tried to project as much temerity as she could muster, and both the sheriff and the mayor alike seemed satisfied. Boris, on the other hand, once again seemed to be listening to something else entirely, though no one else in the room gave him any notice. Rachel wondered who or what it could be, if it were so slight that only her enhanced senses were able to detect it. "Between the Council and myself, we know every single person with magic," Cinza added, stacking up the lies they were telling the mayor and the sheriff. Rachel grimaced inwardly, but knew it was the only way they could keep the mundane half of the town calm. "It''s only a matter of time before we track them down." "How many people is that, exactly?" Gordon asked with interest. Rowan held up a hand to forestall her before Rachel had to figure out an answer. "Our town census as required by the state is the only form of tracking I will permit. Rachel and her people are not to be treated as a list of suspects. They are still members of our town and deserve the same respect of privacy we have always provided." "Beggin'' your pardon, sir, but isn''t this a bit different than keeping track of people in town?" the deputy chimed in. Preston looked embarrassed as everyone turned to face him, but pressed on regardless. "I mean, like we said before, these wit¡ª err, sorry¡­ the¡­" He paused, looking expectantly at Rachel. "The term we''ve been using is ''awakened''," she supplied gently. Neffie rolled her eyes, but Preston nodded. "These ''awakened'' have a lot of power in their hands," Preston continued. "We have people register for firearm permits. Why wouldn''t we have people register that they can do magic?" "Because we don''t make people register that they''re able to sprint a four minute mile or that they love to listen to death metal," Neffie put in. She tapped her brother on the shoulder. "It''s something they are, not something they own." Rowan leaned forward pensively. "Rachel, is that list going to expand dramatically over the coming months?" "No," Rachel replied. "Not anyone can just cast a spell. Even if I taught you exactly how I can make fire, you couldn''t do it." "Ah," he replied, looking a touch disappointed, though he masked it quickly enough. "It would seem like we have nothing to worry about, then." As she''d hoped, he''d taken her words to mean that he could never awaken, nor could anyone else. The last thing she needed was a sudden burst of newly awakened to deal with in addition to their present dangerous concerns. "This is quite the progressive group, but we need to address what we plan to do when the inevitable crusade begins," Cinza said. "The crusade?" Rowan asked, confused. "When the nuts in the town decide they don''t like witches and want ''em to burn," Jackie said bluntly. Cinza nodded her head at the sheriff in gratitude. "I''m all for unity, but when the pious zealots come for my people, I will not stand by." "I''d have to arrest you." "According to RCW 9A.16.020, Cinza would be well within her rights to defend herself and her followers," Rachel interjected, dredging up the state code from the recesses of her memory. "Provided she didn''t use more force than absolutely necessary," she added, with a pointed look in the girl''s direction. "Is your ability to cite state law at will a part of your abilities?" Rowan asked with interest. Rachel nodded with a touch of pride. He grinned. "I''d give a lot for that little trick." "When they come for us, what do you plan to do, dear mayor? Will you stand by the wicked cult of witches against your fair townspeople?" Cinza asked again. "It won''t come to that," Rowan replied. "''Course it will," Ryan cut in, to everyone''s surprise but Rachel''s. "This is end of the world planning here, and we all know that end''s coming. The old world where magic was a fairy tale for dumb kids is about to be over. We''re what''s coming." There was silence for a few minutes following his comment, as they all digested what he''d said. No one could really dispute it. "Well, I''d like to thank you all for attending the first summit of the end of the world," Rowan said lightly, and got a few smiles in return. "I think that about covers it for now, but I''d like us to meet regularly moving forward. I won''t pretend that this is even slightly normal, but I''m hoping that we can all take this in stride and work together to keep our town safe, secure and satisfied." He rose, and everyone else in the room stood along with him. Rowan held his hand out to Rachel. "Rachel DuValle. I, Rowan Rhistler, mayor of Rallsburg, officially welcome you and your Awakened to our town, and offer you the position of Special Counselor to the office of the Mayor." Rachel took his hand and shook it firmly. "I am honored to accept, Rowan." "Excellent," he said with a smile. "Now, I need to run if I hope to get anything to eat before the first of the constituency is banging on my office door." He dug into his coat pocket for his business card, and scrawled a number on the back before handing it to Rachel. "This is my personal number, if my office phone won''t do. I trust my assistant to be discreet, but if you need to contact me directly for any reason, don''t hesitate regardless of the hour." "Thank you," Rachel said. Rowan smiled again, then turned and left. Jackie immediately turned to her deputy. "Preston, we''re gonna need to patrol all day. Any sort of hubbub, any hint of unrest, you call me and we deal with it together. Got it?" "Yes ma''am," Preston replied, picking up his hat from the table. The pair left, Neffie on their heels. "Gordon, I trust this won''t be making any papers, right?" Rachel said calmly. "You owe me an exclusive the moment this story breaks¡ªand it will break, kid," Gordon said, giving her a look. "If that''s what it takes." Gordon nodded, picking up his notepad and pen and departing as well. Ryan gave her a look. "So what now?" "We do what we promised. We track down whomever did the killing and we make sure it doesn''t happen again," Rachel replied. Cinza nodded. "My people are on edge already. They''ll be looking for something to do. We could start combing the forest." Rachel shook her head. "I wasn''t lying. I do have a way to track people using magic." "Oh?" Cinza asked, sounding bitter. "Between all the other lies we told, I wasn''t sure." "You know why we needed to lie," Rachel sighed. "I do," Cinza replied. "That doesn''t mean I''m happy about it." She frowned before continuing. "How precise can you get?" "Close enough. So long as no one else is out there in the forest, it should be easy enough." "My people have invested a good deal of time into our current home," Cinza said. "We''ve developed ways of hiding ourselves." "Ways that we can''t detect?" Rachel asked. "Have you yet?" she asked mischievously. Rachel frowned. "Our method seemed foolproof." "Then perhaps we have developed a new magic he has not yet discovered." She smiled. "They may be gods, but they are still flawed." "In that case, I think you''re probably safer where you are," Rachel sighed. "Is there anything we can provide you?" "We should be fine," she replied, then, after a pause, "But you''re welcome to visit, if you have any more concerns." "I trust you to take care of your own," Rachel replied. "Your kindness speaks volumes, Rachel," Cinza said with a slight bow. She looked a touch disappointed, but she hid it well. She reached into her bag for something. Rachel looked on curiously, but Cinza only produced an ordinary cell phone, which she handed over. It was oddly out of place in the girl''s hand, when bracelets and charms clung tight to her wrist inches away. "This phone can reach me. I''m the only contact listed." Rachel accepted it, and Cinza left. Ryan frowned. "Cinza might not be bringing it up yet, but we both noticed when you decided to jump in." Rachel shrugged. "I waited until the last possible moment, in case we could have kept our secrecy." "Whose last possible moment, though?" Ryan asked. Rachel didn''t answer, and he nodded with satisfaction before turning to follow Cinza out the door. Rachel let out a deep breath, sitting back down again and stretching out her shoulders briefly before she turned to look at the only remaining person in the room. Boris Morozov gave her a faint, knowing smile. "Miss DuValle, is there something I can help you with?" "No, Boris, but perhaps your friend would be willing to reveal themselves now?" Boris cocked his head to the side once more, listening before responding once again. "She says she cannot. But she wants you to know that she thinks you are doing the right thing and that you should keep going. She trusts you." Rachel nodded, equal parts disappointed and encouraged. Grey-eyes had been listening for the entire meeting, hidden so thoroughly that no one could possibly notice. Only Rachel, through the nearly imperceptible clues given away by Boris himself, had picked up on her presence. "Thank you." She stood, and Boris stood as well, offering his hand. She shook it firmly, and he smiled again. "For what it is worth, I agree. I think you''ve achieved something admirable today." Then why won''t she reveal herself to me? Rachel wondered in dismay. "I''ll be in touch." She turned and left the room, heading out into the bright sunlight of midday. It didn''t cheer her up as much as she''d hoped. As Ryan had said, it was the end of the world, starting that day. No matter that a new one was ready to spring into place, the old world would not go quietly into the night. The transition would be rough, and it would be bloody. The first evidence of that was pressing on her mind, the memory of dismembered and tortured innocents fresh in her brain as with any other memory she''d ever held. She steeled herself, setting off down the street with a firm step and strengthened resolve. Rachel DuValle had a murderer to catch. [Discord]¡ª[Rate This Story]¡ª[Patreon] Interlude I.I — A Year in the Life of Hailey Winscombe Interlude I I. A warm evening in May at Hailey Winscombe''s apartment in Rallsburg. Hailey Winscombe hurried to the table just as a knock came at the door. She swapped the positions of the corn chips and the punch bowl. The chips had been too far from the dip¡ªtheir natural partner. It would have made the snacks much more annoying to pick up and enjoy. Everything needed to be right for this party. It was a special occasion, after all. She had a new roommate to introduce to her tightest circle of friends, and she was determined that everything would be just perfect. A second knock sent her scurrying upstairs to the door. "Come in!" Hailey announced, beaming out onto the walkway of the apartment complex. At the door were her four closest friends, chatting away the evening as they trooped in and followed her back downstairs to the living room. Ian, the funny one, already with the group in stitches at a joke he''d told just before she''d opened the door. Jessica, the smart one, wide glasses affixed permanently to her face, a hood covering her hair and a thin smile on her lips. Hugo, the talented athlete, punching Ian in the arm, jostling his best friend good-naturedly. Weston, the yang to her yin, always cool and detached. Her polar opposite, her worst enemy and her constant irritation. Her boyfriend. She threw her arms around Weston and planted a kiss on his lips. He smiled, but gently pushed her away. "Hey." "You''re not getting away with one-word answers around my new roommate, Wessy," Hailey admonished, wagging a finger at him. He grinned. "Where is the new meat anyway?" Hugo asked, plopping himself down on the couch with the bowl of chips. Hailey tsked at the dissolution of her perfectly arranged table of snacks. "She''s been up in her room all afternoon buried in a book. Studying, I think." Hailey looked up at the second floor of her apartment, frowning. "Hey! Gang''s all here! You promised you''d come say hello!" There was no response. Ian raised his eyebrows in exaggerated shock. "Shyer than Jessica? That''s a new record." Jessica blushed pink behind her thick glasses and burrowed deeper into her jacket. Hailey shook her head. "No, she''s cool. I don''t know what''s up. She''s the nicest, she''s just a bit of a bookworm." "Shy and a bookworm? Jessie, you''ve got competition." "At least we''ll finally have someone smart besides her in the group," Hugo quipped. Ian chucked one of Hailey''s many pillows at him, which he deftly caught and sent sailing right back into Ian''s chest with a thump. "She''s cool," Weston chimed in. "The king and queen have spoken!" Ian declared with a flourish. "Come down, yonder maiden!" They all looked expectantly at the staircase, but still no response came back. Not even a shuffle of movement. Hailey was starting to worry. "Guys, wait here a sec?" She started up the staircase, two steps at a time. "Don''t take too long, I can only stand Ian for ten minutes at a time," said Hugo. "Ten minutes longer than you could stand Nikki Parsons," Ian shot back. "We had a difference of opinions." "I heard she kicked you out because you threw up on the sofa," Jessica interjected quietly. All heads turned to Jessica, who suddenly seemed determined to melt herself into the couch. "Hugo Gonzales, star high school quarterback, can''t hold his liquor?" Ian said with a grin. "Like you''re one to talk, Mr. Root Beer." "I''m satisfied with soda, I don''t need to stumble around like an idiot at parties." "''Cause you''re so lightweight you''d pass out after one cup." "Guilty as charged," Ian replied. "Hey Weston, what about you?" This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. "I drink sometimes," Weston answered, still gazing at the staircase and clearly ignoring most of the conversation. "What''s your drink of choice?" "Whatever''s being served." "Come on, man. We gotta know your taste so we can judge you too." "Whatever Hailey''s having." "Hailey would drink us all under the table no sweat though. Then she''d go jump off a cliff with a parachute and be totally fine, while we''d all be dumber than Rachel on test day." "I like vodka," Jessica put in. Even Weston looked around at her in amazement. "What?" "Just didn''t see that coming, Jess," Weston replied. "You haven''t heard her drunk singing," muttered Hugo. "No kidding. Jessie has us all beat," Ian conceded. "How do you even get vodka at nineteen?" Before Jessica could answer, they heard a thump from upstairs. "Hailey?" Weston called, rising to his feet. Hailey''s voice rang back down after a brief pause. "I''m fine! Just tripped on something. But¡­" "...But what?" Ian filled in. "I don''t know what," Hailey shouted back. Ian gave them all a significant look before bolting up the stairs. The rest followed, still chatting away without much concern. "Well? Where''s this fabled roommate?" Hugo asked, standing in the doorway of a tidy, but rather impersonal room. For all they could tell, the furniture may as well have just been assembled. There was no evidence anyone actually lived in the room, except for a piece of old, cracked parchment paper that lay on the desk, and a few duffle bags scattered around the bed. "I don''t know," Hailey repeated. "I came up here and she was gone, but she didn''t come back down and it''s not like she''s gonna jump out the window¡­" "Says you," Ian retorted, peering out the window to the hard concrete three stories below as best he could. The building was only two floors, but it was built into the side of a hill overlooking the forest and the back was a good deal lower than the front, leading to both great views and a dizzying sense of vertigo out the bedroom windows. Hailey loved the place just for the view. "Eww, Ian. Don''t say that," Jessica squealed, her hands to her mouth. "I''m not saying she did. I''m just saying we don''t know her very well. Maybe she booked it." "You did say she was shy," Hugo added, also straining to look out the window. "Not run-away-from-friends shy," Hailey shot back. She picked up the piece of paper from the table. "All she left was this, but I can''t read it." "What do you mean you can''t read it? Is it in a different language or something?" Ian asked. Weston took the paper from Hailey, glancing down it with vague interest. "Huh." "Huh, what? Stop being so non-specific." Ian reached out for the paper, but Weston held it away from him and passed it to Jessica. "Anything, Jess?" Jessica adjusted her glasses slightly and brushed her long hair out of her eyes as she peered down the cracked paper. "I-I don''t know. It''s like I can''t focus on any of the letters. My eyes get all fuzzy." She handed it back to Hailey. "I don''t want to look at it anymore." Hailey took it back, ignoring the protesting Ian, and strained her eyes to read the letters. "It kinda looks like English¡­" she murmured. She could see the vague outline of a letter A at the beginning of the first sentence, and the next few letters following. "Abrec tes minneard desve seln-" Hailey''s voice caught. She coughed hard, looking away from the paper. Her friends stared at her, dumbfounded. "Hailey?" Weston asked, genuinely concerned for the first time in months. Hailey shook her head. "I''m good. That was a rush," she added, looking at the page again. Her blood was thudding through her skull, and she could taste adrenaline on her tongue. It was the feeling she''d always chased. She loved it. She needed more. She began reading again, and Hailey Winscombe felt a sensation burning through her. A rush of wind that felt like it originated inside her, like air flowing underneath her skin and making her light as a feather. Hailey thought she might simply start to float then and there, and nothing appealed to her more. The idea of flying¡ªof taking to the skies like a bird and experiencing that freedom¡ªhad been her dream since she''d been a child. She''d come close to it in the past. One year, for her birthday, her friends had pooled their money to buy her a trip up in a glider with a wingsuit. It had been the greatest sensation of her short life. Reading the page, Hailey felt something even stronger. Instead of simply sliding across the air, swooping but still slowly descending as gravity refused to let go, Hailey felt herself float, completely free of the earth''s pull. As she made it further down, the paragraphs running together as her voice sped up, it took hold of every sense. The world faded away and Hailey Winscombe was in a void, where the air was her friend and gravity her willing partner. She took hold and swung herself around, dancing and twisting through the air effortlessly. She could fly, and it was every bit as joyous as she''d ever believed it could be. Then Hailey reached the end of the page, and her eyes snapped back into reality. The wind was sucked out along with her breath, knocking out her legs from under her. Her vision was searing red as blood rushed through her skull, far too much of it having blown up into her eyes and her brain. She fell heavily against Weston, who''d leapt to her side the moment she''d started to drop. Hailey felt like she''d just woken up from a dream she''d been stuck inside her entire life. Her eyes were wide and on the verge of tears, as she''d never felt such a pure expression of joy and feared she might never again. "Hailey?" Hailey Winscombe wasn''t one to give up so easily. She grinned, struggling to her feet with a great deal of support from Weston. She was going to fly someday, for real, and that piece of old parchment had just shown her the way. Interlude I.II Interlude I II. A warm day in May, one week later, in Hailey''s apartment, just past noon. "Yeah, but what do you think it actually is?" Ian asked, as he casually tossed a ball of fire from one hand to the other. Hailey might have laughed at the image if it hadn''t become so commonplace of late. Here they were, five normal college kids, and they could do magic! It was still mind-blowing to her every single day since they''d first discovered the page in her apartment. "It''s dangerous, that''s what it is," Hugo said darkly, his eyes following the fire bouncing between his best friend''s hands with abject suspicion. He''d been the only one of their group not to read from the page. He''d regarded it as something demonic, and told them all they were making a dangerous mistake. None of them had paid him any mind. Not even Weston, who usually respected Hugo''s opinions quite a bit. "It''s okay Hugo, see?" Jessica said. "It''s just energy, same as everything else in the universe. We just have a new way to manipulate it. Like all the things we''ve been able to do with electricity over the last century." "Right," Hailey said with finality. "Just like electricity. I mean, computers are practically black magic, aren''t they? Do you have any clue how a computer works?" "A bunch of transistors that flip rapidly from off to on when a current is applied and make calculations that get output," Hugo shot back. "Just because I don''t have as good of grades as you two doesn''t make me ignorant." "So this is something else like that. Something''s doing calculations somewhere with what we give it and making an output." "Hugo, don''t be that guy. Look," Ian said, pointing at Weston. "Weston, show him what you figured out." Weston frowned. "Not really a show kind-of-thing." "Oh come on, it''s cool as shit. You figured it out, you should be the one to demonstrate." "Figured out what?" Hailey said eagerly. She was always looking forward to the next bit of magic they''d managed to deduce. Ian and Weston tended to be the most creative of the four, while Jessica had the most raw ability. Hailey was neither talented nor creative, but she liked to think she made up for it with enthusiasm and dedication. Weston stood and rolled his shoulders before he continued. "Goes like this, right? I kinda feel out the whole room, like it''s a part of me." He closed his eyes and furrowed his brow, murmuring under his breath. Nothing happened for a few moments. Hugo shot a look at Ian, but he just shook his head. Hailey knew better. Magic took time and effort for all of them, even Jessica. Nothing was instant, especially not something that apparently affected a whole room. A full minute went by. Jessica checked her watch impatiently. Hailey curled up on the sofa, watching with interest as Weston relaxed his muscles and opened his eyes. He let out a slow deep breath. They all gasped. His breath (and their own) was suddenly quite visible. In fact, the entire room was ice cold, like it was suddenly a winter night despite being the middle of May. Hailey burst into applause. Jessica and Ian laughed aloud. Weston flashed his trademark smile¡ªjust barely visible at the corners of his lips¡ªas he sat down again. "Free A/C for life!" Ian cried. "Wes, can you make it warm too?" Hailey asked excitedly. "Probably," Weston answered, dabbing the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief. "Cold was just easier for some reason. It just feels like I''m drawing it in. Maybe if I try pushing instead¡ª" "That sounds right. I think you''re just moving energy around," Jessica interrupted. "Temperature is just lots of energy in particular objects. So you''re moving that energy into yourself, dropping the energy of the room and making it colder, while you get warmer." She reached out and touched his forehead. Hailey felt a brief rush of jealousy at the sight of the girl''s hand on her Weston. Then she dismissed it as ridiculous. Her Weston? He''d be angry at the thought of it alone. She didn''t own him. They weren''t even really dating, even if they were sleeping together regularly. "You feel like you have a fever. Might be dangerous. Maybe you should find a way to redirect the energy into another object instead of yourself." "Nah, I''m good," Weston replied easily. "Just feels like sunshine." He smiled at Jessica, who just rolled her eyes. "Still, cool shit right?" Ian said, his breath still clouding the air, though the temperature was noticeably rising as the warm spring air floated in through the open windows. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. "Awesome," Hailey said, beaming. "Wes, you gotta show me how to do that later." "You got anything new, Hales?" Ian asked, looking at her with interest. Hailey took to her feet, eager to show off what she''d been working on. "I''m still working out the kinks, but Jessica gave me a good idea. I''ve been trying to figure out a way to jump higher, right?" Ian rolled his eyes. "Jump higher," he mumbled sarcastically. "Better than your little fire tricks," Hailey shot back. "What did you figure out?" Weston interrupted before they could start bickering. Hailey cleared her throat. "Well, I was watching Jessica play a game, and the game had a thing in it where they could jump twice without touching the ground, right?" "Double-jumping," Jessica supplied. "Yeah, double-jumping. So I decided to look into a way to just jump again. And I thought, well, that''s a lot easier than trying to fling an entire me through the air right? No awkward coordinating trying to move my whole body at once." Hailey planted her feet and tensed. She''d been preparing for this all morning, while Jessica looked on and offered encouragement. She stretched out. They weren''t sure at all if being limber and loose was actually beneficial to performing magic, but it didn''t seem to hurt, and definitely helped make it less painful when experimenting. "Get on with it," Ian catcalled. Jessica shot him a dark look, and he quieted up. Hailey didn''t mind though. If anything, she was determined to get it right just to shut him up. Hailey grinned at him, then jumped straight up. As she did, she focused her mind on the air around her feet. She could feel it brushing against her socks, and suddenly wished she''d taken them off. She felt as though she could sense and control the air more directly if it were against her bare skin. Still, the sensation she felt was enough. Hailey began to gather the air together with a quick murmur, pushing every element closer together into a dense pocket. There was a whoosh as the rest of the air in the room pushed inward to fill the gaps from what she''d taken under her control. As Hailey reached the top of the arc of her leap, she shifted the tightly packed air she''d gathered to rest directly under her feet. Every time she''d attempted it that morning, she''d lost control, sending her pant legs fluttering as the block of air burst and her feet back to the ground ignominiously to stumble around. This time, her feet touched the suddenly solid air. For a moment¡ªfor a brief, glorious moment¡ªHailey appeared to be standing on thin air. Ian gasped. Weston gasped. Jessica let out a squeal of delight. Hailey promptly lost control. Her foot suddenly found nothing to grip, and her legs twirled out in odd directions. She fell forward, face first into the sofa. She felt like she''d just sprinted a mile. She was panting heavily, finding it exhausting to even turn over on the sofa to face the ceiling. It didn''t matter. Hailey could have been paralyzed and she''d still have felt utterly exhilarated by what she''d just experienced. She''d stood on the air itself. She might not have been able to jump off of it like she''d planned, but it was far more than she''d ever managed before. Hailey burst into laughter. Joyous, intoxicating laughter. Her friends, who''d been looking deeply concerned by her tumble and subsequent collapse, let smiles break across their faces as well. Hailey was infinitely grateful that she''d stumbled across such a discovery as magic alongside her four closest friends. She only counted three faces floating above her. Someone was missing. "Where''s Hugo?" Hailey asked, struggling up to a sitting position on the couch¡ªthough she quickly adjusted that to a leaning position against the stack of pillows at the end. She still felt too drained to even support the top half of her own weight. The other three glanced around, confused. "I guess he left while you were jumping," Weston said. "He seemed really mad," Jessica said doubtfully. "I should go talk to him." "Nah, he''s just confused," Weston said. "He''s afraid of it. The rest of us dove right in and he''s just being cautious. It''s not that unreasonable. The whole page reading thing was a bit much." "You got scared of a bit of paper, Wes?" Hailey said, laughing. "Hey, when you start muttering in languages you don''t know, it''s a bit creepy." "Fair enough." "Still, is this going to be a problem?" Ian asked, his brow furrowed. "Problem how?" Hailey asked. "We know how to use magic," Jessica answered quietly. "A lot of people would kill for that. A lot of governments too." The thought sobered them all up a bit. They were silent, the last bit of chill from Weston''s earlier spell still tangible in the tension that permeated the room. "Hugo wouldn''t tell anyone," Ian said emphatically. "No, of course not," Hailey agreed. "He knows how important staying quiet is. Even if he doesn''t want to use magic himself, he''s not going to turn in his friends." "What if someone else does?" Weston asked. "Like who? There were only five of us there. No one else even knows magic exists." "We sure about that?" "Well I''m not going around tossing fireballs down the street, are you?" "No." "So let''s just assume no one else knows about magic. Keep it to ourselves," Ian declared. "Yeah," Hailey agreed. "Keep it to ourselves." They all sat down with her, a group of four friends sharing the biggest secret they could possibly imagine. Hailey put one arm around Jessica and Weston both and gave them a hug. She smiled. "I want to try that again." Interlude I.III Interlude I III. A warm night in late June, a few weeks later, in Hailey''s apartment. Try as she might, Hailey simply couldn''t feel it. "It''s like there''s a fabric completely surrounding you, Hailey. Just feel for it and try to grab onto it." "I can''t, Wes. There''s nothing there," Hailey cried, frustrated. "Well, how do you make your air pockets?" Jessica said. "I push air together until it becomes solid." "Right, so how do you feel out that air?" "I don''t? It''s just there. I know where it is and I push it around." "And you don''t feel the room? The environment?" "No!" Hailey cried again, plopping herself down on the couch. Ian coughed. "Face it, Jessie, she''s just not gonna pull it off. Still can''t even do her double-jump thing properly." "This is a clue though," Jessica said excitedly. "Of the theory I was working on." "What theory?" Weston asked. "That Hailey''s terrible at everything except air tricks," Ian said snidely. "Of specialities," Jessica answered, ignoring him. "Everyone seems to have one and they cover different types of magic." "So you think we all have different specialties?" Weston prompted. Hailey sighed and curled up on the sofa, pulling a blanket over herself. Weston seemed to be practicing messing with the temperature of the room while they carried on their conversation. She wasn''t sure he was even doing it consciously anymore. It was a measure of his skill and focus that he could affect the room while carrying on a conversation. "Exactly. There''s gotta be different branches of magic that different spells fall under and we each got a particular specialty. Something we''re born with, I suppose. You''re good at the stuff with the environment, Wes." Wes? Hailey noted with jealousy. Only Hailey called him Wes. Jessica was getting a bit too comfortable around him. "Hailey and Ian are both good at manipulating the elements. Ian likes fire and Hailey likes air, but they''re both pretty good at either one if they really try at it." Hailey had to concede the younger girl was right. Even though she favored playing with the air and the flowing, dancing sensations it gave her to move it around, she was pretty equally skilled at messing with fire. She didn''t have anything like Ian''s finesse or deep bag of tricks, but she didn''t find it as taxing as Weston or Jessica did. "And you, Jessica?" Weston prompted. "Well, I dunno," Jessica started, her face falling a little. "I''m able to do all the stuff you guys can, but not easily. So I''m not specialized in natural or elemental magic. And I find telekinesis harder than all of you apparently. I can''t even lift a piece of paper." "What did you feel, Jess?" Hailey asked, a flash of inspiration jogging her memory. "Huh?" "When you read the page. What did you feel?" "You actually remember that?" Ian asked. Hailey shot him a look of disdain. It was one of the most powerful and life-changing moments she''d ever experienced. How could she possibly forget? The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "My mind," Jessica answered quietly. "So maybe you can do something related to your brain?" Hailey wondered aloud. "No, not like that. It was like, knowledge was flowing into my brain. Things I couldn''t possibly know," Jessica trailed off. "Divination," Weston said. Jessica nodded. "Huh?" Ian asked. "Finding out things through magic," said Jessica. "I think I could summon knowledge through magic." "Like what?" "I dunno. I haven''t tried anything yet." Jessica sank back into her chair, half-hidden behind a pillow. "So that''s at least four branches of magic so far," Hailey said thoughtfully, trying to distract from Jessica and give her a moment to breathe. "Elemental, Environmental, Move-uhh¡­ movemental?" "Kineticism," Jessica offered. "That breaks my whole -mental suffix pattern, but sure," Hailey said, grinning. "You''re mental enough as is," Ian muttered. "And then we''ve got Divination with Jess. Four. There''s gotta be more though, right?" They all sat back, thinking. "Conjuring something," Weston said. "Making things appear from nothing. We can''t do it, but I''d bet it exists." "Wouldn''t that just be elemental again?" Ian pointed out. Weston shook his head. "I mean something concrete and permanent, or at least relatively permanent. Physical stuff." "Ah, okay." "But the energy for that would be insane," Jessica mused aloud. "It''s already a lot just to create something insubstantial like fire." "For you," Ian quipped. "Doesn''t make it impossible, Jess. I''d say it has to be real," Weston said, ignoring Ian. "I guess so," Jessica said, picking up a notebook and writing down the ones they had so far. "So we''ll call that Creation, I guess? Make sure it''s distinct from Elemental?" "Sure." "Five branches?" Hailey asked. "What about making yourself stronger or lighter?" Ian asked. "That doesn''t really fit anything so far." "Could be a weird use of movement?" Weston pondered. "Moving your limbs faster or lifting yourself?" "No, it feels totally different," Ian said. "It''s more direct and permanent than moving something around. Like you''re actually growing or shrinking things, or making muscles more dense and strong. Or when we figured out how to change the color of someone''s fingernails." They all smiled at that memory. Jessica had panicked when she saw her array of rainbow-colored nails and begged them to help her change it back before her parents noticed. "Self-Enhancement?" Hailey proposed. "What if it''s not enhancing something though?" Jessica said crossly, pointedly showing her (now quite normal) fingernails. They laughed. "Self, then. Until we think of something better," Weston said. "So, six branches then. Movement, Elemental, Nature, Self, Creation and Knowledge. That''s gotta be enough, right?" Hailey asked. "Remember the star?" Jessica said. They all looked at her in confusion. She sighed. "Hailey, do you still have the page?" "Of course." In fact, Hailey hadn''t let it more than a few feet away from herself since Hugo had left town. They still didn''t think he would do anything to expose them, but she felt a bit more secure with the source of all magic safely where she could reach it at any time. She pulled it out and looked at it again, with Weston peering over her shoulder. As Jessica had said, there was a curious star-like symbol in the corner of the page, with eight distinct points. They weren''t evenly spaced or even the same length, and the shape was oddly distorted, but there was clear significance to each one. "Eight," Jessica said triumphantly. "Eight," Weston agreed. "But what would the other two be?" They would have continued discussing the possibilities all night, but a low rumble rolled through the room. The glasses on the coffee table rattled just a little, the ajar door to the bathroom visibly quivering. "Earthquake?" Jessica asked nervously, clutching Hailey''s hand tight. She''d never felt one before, having lived in Rallsburg her whole life. "Nah," Weston said, puzzled. He stood up and walked to the window, peering out into the inky black of Rallsburg at night. Hailey could barely make out the spires of the old abandoned library a few blocks away, where she could have sworn she spotted a flicker of light. Another rumble followed, deeper and stronger than the first. Light flashed from the top of the library spire, illuminating the whole town in a burst of color. "Something''s going on outside." Interlude I.IV Interlude I IV. A cool morning in mid-August, about six weeks later, at Hailey''s apartment. "What''s this, Hailey?" Jessica asked, looking at some of Hailey''s jewelry on her desk and holding up a ring. "Diamond ring my dad gave me way back." "And this?" "Sapphire ear studs." "And the one you''re wearing?" Jessica asked, landing on Hailey''s bed with a thump and pointing at the necklace currently entwined with a bit of Hailey''s wavy blonde hair. "Polished tourmaline," Hailey answered absently, her focus entirely dedicated to writing a note with a pencil on her desk¡ªfrom ten feet away. It was as though she had an invisible third hand grasping it from afar, one that was composed entirely of thumbs and with severe Parkinson''s. Every tiny movement felt like she was weighted as if she were pushing through thick sand, and her arm shook as though she were weak with hunger, but Hailey was stubborn. She kept writing. "You want me to stop talking?" Jessica asked, finally noticing what she was trying to do. "You''re fine," Hailey answered, still slowly and deliberately moving the pencil with her mind. She could barely make out the scratches from her distance, which made her handwriting something awful, but she''d be satisfied if it was legible at all. "What are you writing anyway?" Jessica asked, her head propped up on her hands. She strained to see the page from her angle. "Something I should have told him ages ago," Hailey grumbled. Jessica sighed. "Are you and Weston fighting again?" "Me and that arrogant good-for-nothing control freak? No, of course not, what gave you that impression?" "He''s just trying to keep us safe," Jessica said, giving her a pained look. "Jess, you do know that as my bestie you''re supposed to support me against any guy unconditionally, right?" "Oh. I am?" Jessica answered, sounding genuinely confused. Hailey mentally reminded herself that Jessica hadn''t really had any friends before she''d met their group in college and had definitely missed many of the important finer points of being a best friend. Still, over the past few months they''d bonded over so much, Hailey couldn''t possibly be annoyed with her. Jessica was simply the best, kindest, and most genuine person she knew. "Nevermind. It''s okay. You''re right, he is. He could just be a bit nicer about it." "I guess so," Jessica answered. She watched the pencil rattle about her desk, quivering as it slowly delivered each stroke. Hailey didn''t have nearly as strong control as Ian, but it vastly outstripped Jessica on the bed next to her, who couldn''t do much more than the strength of a gentle breeze. The younger girl was staring longingly at the pencil, a mixture of jealousy and sadness plainly stamped on her face. "I''ve decided to call it a ''diffinity''," Jessica spoke up suddenly, still watching the pencil twisting around the desk. "Like how we call it an affinity for Elemental magic, like what you''ve got. I''ve got a diffinity for Movement magic." "I like it," Hailey said encouragingly, splitting her focus for just a moment to smile at Jessica and letting the pencil wobble and fall. She managed to catch it before it hit the table, keeping her personal goal alive of maintaining it upright until she finished writing her note. "Doesn''t make me feel much better, but at least it makes it easier to talk about," Jessica went on, turning away to stare at the window. "Anyway, when are the guys getting here? It''s bright enough outside, they should be okay getting here." "Ian said he might be a little late. Weston should be here any minute now." As if on cue, the door buzzed. The pencil clattered to the desk as Hailey lost her concentration. "Should we go?" Jessica asked. "Nah," Hailey said. "Wes, we''re in here!" she called, refocusing once again on the pencil. "But we''re in your bedroom," Jessica said, her face turning pink once again. "It''s not like he hasn''t seen it before," Hailey said absentmindedly, determined to keep writing her note. Jessica turned an even brighter pink. "Oh!" "Oh? Something going on in here?" Weston asked, opening the door and wandering in. Jessica shook her head frantically, her face bright red. Weston looked as casual and unconcerned as he usually did. They all knew now that it was an illusion though, and that behind the mask of detachment was a tightly-wound paranoid clock. "Just finishing up an important bit of business, Wes," Hailey said, as her pencil scratched out the last stroke of the message. She let the pencil fall and lifted the page up into the air, floating it gently toward them so it would be readable. To her satisfaction, it was messy and angry, but still legible. STOP BEING A DICK Weston plucked the page out of midair and examined it carefully. His eyes slowly traced every single letter as if he were contemplating something deep and complex. After a full minute or so of deliberation, he looked over the top of the paper at the two of them, staring Hailey directly in the eyes. "I deserve this," he said calmly. "No kidding," Hailey growled. "You practically leapt at Ian''s throat the other day just for voicing the possibility of considering going to the police with what we saw. And you''ve been nagging everyone way too much about keeping stuff indoors and away from anyone." "I just want us all to stay alive." Hailey sighed. "We''re gonna be fine, Wes. We can still do magic, after all. And it''s not like any of us have broken any laws or done anything seriously dangerous." "What about jumping off the radio tower without any safety equipment?" Jessica chimed in. "You did what?" Weston asked sharply. "Jess, remember, besties?" Hailey said, giving her an exaggerated look of disappointment before rounding on Wes. "It''s fine. It was the middle of the night, no one was around. No one saw anything besides her." "Are you all right?" Weston asked, and for a brief moment Hailey remembered why she used to sleep with him. "I''m sitting here talking to you, aren''t I? See any bruises?" In fact Hailey had gotten a pretty hefty bruise on her leg from the awkward way she''d landed, but that was hardly related to magic and mostly due to her own clumsiness. He frowned. "Fair enough, but that was still stupid and reckless." "My two middle names," Hailey Aurora Elizabeth Winscombe retorted, quickly reminded of why she''d stopped feeling any affection for Weston. "She was amazing," Jessica said excitedly. "The way she bounced and swerved all the way down. It was like she had wings." "You watched from here?" Weston asked. Jessica nodded. He turned to Hailey. "Getting better, then?" "Yeah," Hailey answered. "I can control how I glide by moving around the air pockets as I go down. It''s still not flying, not even good gliding, but it''s progress." "Cool." Weston sat down in her desk chair. "Ian show up yet?" "No. Said he''d be late. Can''t be much longer though, it''s plenty light out now." Hailey relaxed back on her bed, still feeling a bit of the exertion of moving the pencil around so much. It was strange to her how movement was so much harder for her to pull off, when her work with elements¡ªher actual affinity, to use Jessica''s term¡ªwas all about helping her move. Yet they seemed totally unrelated in how they were accomplished magically. "What about the double-jump?" Jessica asked, looking over from her spot on the end of the bed, curled up like a cat basking in the sunlight streaming through the bedroom window. "Still no good," Hailey replied, disappointed. "I still can''t keep it solid long enough to actually push off." They both looked at her sympathetically, but¡ªneither being Elemental affinity and Weston having particular difficulty with the branch¡ªthey couldn''t offer much in the way of ideas. Only Ian really understood how her process worked, being the same affinity as her. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. "Want to give it another try while we''re waiting?" Jessica asked eagerly. Hailey admired her. The girl (and Hailey decided that she really ought to stop thinking of her like that. Jessica was nineteen, only two years younger than herself) could barely perform most magic outside of her own experiments with knowledge divination, but Jessica was determined not to let that slow her down. She had forced herself to achieve basic telekinesis by manipulating the air around an object, since she had felt like she was pressing up against a brick wall moving them directly. It took her more effort and was never as easily controlled as simply picking something up with her mind, but Jessica pulled it off all the same by sheer force of will. "Sure, why not?" Hailey said, infected by her enthusiasm. She took to her feet, feeling mostly recovered from the effort of writing the note earlier. More importantly, this was her magic. Something about the air felt like she belonged to it, and it to her. The air was her friend and her ally unconditionally. It was happy to do what she wanted, so long as she was willing to give it some help along the way. She loosened her muscles as best she could, then concentrated and began gathering her pocket of air once more. Hailey started gathering the block together long before she jumped now, operating on the theory that if she could just land on it after putting it in place it might be easier to keep it around long enough to push off of. It hadn''t worked yet, but she believed she''d gotten it to last a tiny bit longer. It was progress, however minute. She clasped her hand to the stone around her neck for luck as she tensed to jump, muttering under her breath. Her closed fist felt a breeze push through where there should have been none. Hailey looked down at her hand in shock, still clasped around the polished tourmaline gemstone at the center of her necklace. She could feel it thick with energy, like a vast hurricane gust were somehow contained within the stone. If she reached for it, she felt she could shape it and redirect it, even relocate it where she needed it to go. She was so startled she let go of the block of air she''d been gathering, which dissipated into the room as a gentle breeze. Instantly, the feeling of the wind vanished. Hailey was once again grasping a simple stone in her hand. She stared at it in wonder. "Hailey?" Jessica asked, confused. Weston had stood up, concerned, but Hailey waved him back to his seat. "Watch this," she said, grinning. She called the air back together, forming the brick in mid-air¡ªonly this time she used the vast depths of wind somehow contained within the tourmaline. The brick became solid and steady, more stable than she''d ever been able to manage before. Hailey held tight to the tourmaline in her grasp and leapt for the brick. She was off-target, but a quick mental adjustment moved it underneath her feet once more. For a full second, Hailey was standing on mid-air once again, but this time she didn''t fall. She simply hovered, floating on a gust of air of her own creation, and she let out a laugh of pure, unrestrained joy. With her eyes twinkling, she leapt off the brick, letting it vanish in a puff of wind as she jumped off air itself. Hailey promptly knocked her head against the ceiling and fell back onto her bed, laughing uncontrollably. Jessica leapt atop her, looking horrified. Once it became clear that Hailey was choking out laughter and wasn''t in any real pain, her expression turned to awe. "How?" Jessica asked breathlessly. "You couldn''t even get it to stick around for an instant before, and now you can stand on it freely?" "Hailey, what happened?" Weston said, his voice equally thick with excitement. "Found out something new," Hailey said proudly, opening her fist and displaying the tourmaline for them to see. They leaned over her in awe, looking down at the gemstone. "It made you more powerful?" Weston asked. "It had the power, I just used it," Hailey said, trying to process what she''d just experienced. Jessica plucked up the stone from her chest and looked at it carefully. "Hailey, it''s kinda dark now." "Huh?" "Look, see?" She held it up and pointed at a spot. "Can''t see too well with you on top of me, Jess," Hailey said dryly. "Oh!" Jessica squeaked. She scrambled back to the other end of the bed and held up the gemstone again. Hailey propped herself up, still winded from her trip through the air. "It wasn''t black in this spot before, was it?" "No," Hailey said, and indeed some of the purple edges of the gem had turned a dark, charred ash color. She rubbed at them experimentally, but they didn''t go away. She took it back from Jessica and tried to summon the air once again, pulling at a breeze wafting in through the window. She couldn''t be sure, but the strength of the gale inside the gem might have been a bit weaker. It was too slight to tell if it was just her imagination. "So they get used up," Jessica said confidently. "I wonder what other gems do? Rubies probably for fire things, topaz for lightning, obsidian and onyx for earth¡ª" "Sapphires for water?" Hailey guessed. "Actually no, sapphires are usually associated with the air," Jessica said. "Water''s probably aquamarine, emeralds, maybe pearls." "And they all can be used to enhance magic," Weston said. "Probably more than just the elements, too." "Probably," Jessica said excitedly. "Oh, I''d love to get on my hands on some amethyst right now. It''s supposed to be the mind stone. It might help me out a lot with some of the things I''ve wanted to try. You don''t have any, do you Hailey?" She shook her head, amused. "Sorry, Jess." "It''s okay, I can just order some online." "Hang on now, isn''t it going to look weird if you start ordering tons of gemstones out to Rallsburg?" Weston asked, concerned. "I''m a bored girl in the middle of nowhere who wants to look at pretty things," Jessica said dismissively. "No one would think twice." Hailey laughed and nodded. "She''s got ya there." He laughed. For a moment they felt excited again, just as they had when they''d first started experimenting with magic. Of course, it was bound to be interrupted¡ªand as if on cue once more, the door buzzed, trying to interrupt their reverie. "Come in, Ian!" So it was that Ian arrived to the three of them giggling like idiots, enjoying the moment, and promptly killed the mood. He had a frown permanently affixed to his face ever since the incident in July. "What''s going on?" "Oh nothing, we just revolutionized magic again," Hailey said, still giggling. "We?" Jessica said pointedly. "This was all you, Hailey." Hailey grinned and didn''t disagree. She was immensely proud of her discovery, having contributed so little to their projects up until then. "We need to talk," Ian said darkly. "They''re still looking for culprits for the library being destroyed. I was asked by the sheriff yesterday if I knew anything." "Jackie asked you herself?" Jessica said, surprised. They all looked at her, the only real local amongst the group. "Jackie doesn''t get that involved, is all I''m saying," Jessica continued. "She''s pretty hands off most of the time, likes to take it easy." "Well, she''s getting involved now." "She didn''t suspect you though, did she?" Weston asked. "''Course not, what''s there to suspect?" "We were witnesses." "Don''t remind me," Ian snapped. "I''m doing my best to forget that night." "I just want to make sure we''re all on the same page here, Ian¡ª" Weston started. "On the same page about what, Wes? The guy who could run a hundred feet in a millisecond and had an army of goddamn lava monsters at his back? Or the other guy, Wes? The one levitating plates of metal through the air and throwing giant bolts of lightning from his hands? What are we on the same page about?" Ian was starting to get hysterical. Hailey put a hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off. "No, Hales. I want him to be clear. Why aren''t we talking to the police about the two people who obviously need to be stopped before they burn down the entire town and us along with it? You''ve seen what''s happened to the library. The entire third floor is gone. The wall looks like it was kicked in by a giant." "We weren''t involved," Jessica said feebly. "We could help them catch the guys though," Ian shot back. "If those are even ''guys''," Weston replied. "As far as we''re aware, we''re the only ones with our particular type of magic, and those two were clearly way beyond us. Who''s to say they''re even human?" "What are you saying they are?" "Gods," Weston said simply. Ian snorted. "Like hell." "We''ve got no friends in this, Ian. It''s just us four, since Hugo''s gone back home to California. If we''re wrong, and we go to the police and one of these guys finds out and comes after us, what do you suggest we do?" Weston said calmly. "Who says the police can even do anything about them?" "We can''t just do nothing," Ian said firmly. "We can, and we should," Weston replied. "It''s nothing to do with us, and we should keep it that way. No one''s seen them since, right?" Hailey and Jessica both shook their heads. "No, and if I did I''d be sprinting the other way," Ian said, shivering. "So we''re all in agreement then. We don''t want anything to do with those two," Weston said, satisfied. "I just wish¡­" Ian said, trailing off. No one spoke up. They all wished the same thing, but none of them wanted to voice it aloud. They were all terrified since that night. Hailey was the only one of them brave enough to go out after dark, hence their current meeting in the bright sunny morning. Jessica had watched her descent from the radio tower from afar, using a bit of magic to amplify her vision and see in the dark more clearly. Hailey believed Jessica hadn''t been outside a single time after the sun dipped to the horizon. Many of her nights were now spent in Hailey''s room when she stayed too late, not daring to take a step over the threshold of the front door into the dark, unlit town. "Well, I''ve got to go. Hugo and I were gonna play some games online and I don''t want to leave him hanging," Ian said awkwardly. "Have a good time," Hailey called as he walked out, and Hailey had the distinct impression it was the last time she was ever going to see him. She shook the thought away, and sat up straight in alarm, realizing how much noise they''d been making that early in the morning. "Oh crap, I hope we didn''t wake my roommate." Weston and Jessica looked at her strangely. "Uhh, Hailey?" "What?" "What roommate?" Hailey looked around, confused. "I¡­ don''t know. Sorry. Bumped my head harder than I thought, I guess." Jessica looked at her thoughtfully. "I''ve been meaning to ask actually, do you want a roommate? I can''t imagine it''s easy to keep up rent here all alone."Her cheeks turned bright red and she looked away as Hailey''s face lit up. Hailey laughed and wrapped an arm around her. "You''ve practically been living here the last few weeks anyway. How many times have you slept in here, Jess?" "Too many," she said, rolling her eyes and pushing Hailey away gently. "Well, I''d love to have you around officially. If only to hear you sing more often. But first, let''s go eat something while it''s still light out. I''m starving." Weston and Jessica followed her out, letting the door swing quietly closed behind them. Interlude I.V Interlude I V. Late September, about six weeks later, on a warm sunny afternoon at Hailey''s apartment. Try as she might, Hailey couldn''t seem to pull anything more out of the stone. She could summon up nearly-solid blocks of air, barely perceptible hazy outlines in the air that nonetheless felt like solid concrete to the touch. They never lasted more than a few seconds at most, but they were tangible things. They were a real result. It had been over a month and she still couldn''t produce anything more than what she''d first managed. Still, for once she didn''t feel quite so alone in her struggles. Neither of the others had managed to show much for their efforts. Jessica, lounging on the bed with her newly-dyed purple hair, was fiddling with an amethyst crystal and muttering to herself incessantly. Hailey was beginning to worry about her. Sometimes she seemed too determined¡ªtoo narrowly focused on the magic. She was neglecting everything else. Laundry was beginning to pile up in the room, dishes stacking up in the sink, and Hailey was pretty sure (though she never brought it up) that Jess hadn''t even attended two of her classes yet that term. Weston, on the other hand, had grown so distant that he''d stopped coming to their place. It had slowed from the exciting first few months where he''d spent almost every waking hour with them, reveling in their new discovery. Now they were lucky to get together once a week. It had been an emotional roller coaster for Hailey. First she was thrilled, since she was spending so much time with the guy she was sleeping with, and thought they might have actually had something. She''d later despised it as he''d become overprotective and neurotic, particularly after Ian left. Now, with their group having shrunk down to two, Hailey was beginning to miss him. She didn''t want to get back together romantically, but Hailey would give anything for the five of them to just spend an afternoon hanging out. She''d had taken to staring out the window more often, lost in thought. Hailey liked watching the clouds float by. They reminded her of her goal and kept her focused and sane. When they gathered together in thick columns on a sunny day, Hailey imagined they formed vast kingdoms and mystical lands drifting in the sky. A deep and complex cloudscape was more breathtaking and beautiful than anything else nature had to offer, in Hailey''s opinion. Even more so, it was a temporary fleeting thing¡ªsomething that could only be seen by those watching at that precise moment before they morphed into something else and moved on, ushered away by the wind. Someday I''ll be up there flying through them, Hailey promised herself stubbornly. She might not be making any progress lately, but it wouldn''t stop her. Nothing would. Hailey noticed the room had gotten quiet. She looked back from her seat at the window at Jessica, who''d stopped muttering. Jess'' eyes were wide, and Hailey recognized the telltale signs of revelation. She''d just figured something out. "What''s the news, Jess?" Hailey prompted. She wasn''t worried about interrupting an important thought. Jessica had asked them to speak up and force her to get her ideas out before they faded and became indistinct. Hailey was just doing her job. "The stone gave me an idea. I think I know how we can get more power out of them. Maybe even use multiple stones at once, if I have it right. I¡ª I think I can even do permanent things." Jessica''s voice was quiet and rapid, and Hailey strained to hear her clearly. "Permanent things?" Hailey asked, cautiously excited. If she could levitate herself permanently, was that the key to flight? It seemed like a clue. "I don''t know what it would work with. Self and Mental magic, for sure. Other affinities might be a bit iffy. They don''t have the proper permanence, they affect externalities and are manipulations of energy as opposed to modifications of internal energy by a directed feedback loop." "Slow down, Jess. I think I get what you mean though. This is about making permanent changes to yourself, right?" Jessica nodded. "I got the impression it''s a lot more complicated than what we''ve been doing though. We just do simple spells, using our own energy or the energy of the gemstones and changing it to suit whatever we''re trying to do. And even when we''re using the gemstones, it''s more like we''ve just borrowed the energy that was put into forming them. Past energy. We amplify it in some ways but it''s not like we''re overcoming entropy really, just misdirecting it. "But this," Jessica continued, her eyes flashing with excitement. She looked more awake than Hailey had seen her in days. "This could be big. I think I have a way to basically multiply output and loop it. Not infinitely, but in a way that doesn''t require constant upkeep." "That sounds perfect, Jess!" Hailey clapped her hands together. "And you got this from your spells?" Jessica turned over her hand, showing the flecks of ash coating her skin. "Burned through another ten of them¡­" she trailed off regretfully. Hailey waved her off. "It''s not that expensive, Jess. Don''t worry." "I just don''t want to be a burden¡ª" "Don''t even start," Hailey said. "With you living here full-time, we can afford it easy. It''s just money." Jessica smiled, and Hailey could practically feel the warmth radiating from it. "Thanks, Hailey." "Hell, if you''re really worried about money we could always rent out the other bedroom," Hailey went on, looking at the adjoining wall. "Since you just sleep in here with me every night." "Is that not okay?" Jessica squeaked nervously, her face tinged with pink again. Hailey felt like her face might become permanently blushed someday if she kept being so easy to embarrass. She laughed, trying to ease Jess'' worries. Hailey didn''t want to force her away, when Jessica was still clearly terrified of the outside. Hailey was still the only one of them who seemed even remotely comfortable out in the world, with the danger they all seemed to sense around every corner. If it took Jessica clinging to her in bed every night like a frightened kitten to feel safe, then Hailey was happy to oblige. "Are you kidding? I''d probably freeze to death without you. I''ve never known someone to hold on so tight while they were sleeping. You really know how to make someone feel loved." Jessica looked like she might spontaneously run a fever with how much heat had rushed into her face. Hailey resisted the urge to laugh again, changing topics instead. "So what''s the name for this new magic?" "Oh! Uhh¡­ Rituals, I guess." "Going all-in on the witchcraftiness?" "It just popped into my head," Jessica continued. She didn''t need to explain further. Her particular brand of magic, which Hailey couldn''t even begin to attempt without instant exhaustion and failure, lead to these ideas that they simply took for granted as truth. Jessica''s skin finally returned to her normal, sun-starved pale shade. She was spending far too much time inside lately, Hailey decided. They needed to go out sometime and enjoy the last dregs of summer before the rain started pouring in. "How does it work?" "A lot of concentration, some materials, some guesswork," Jessica said. "I think it''s about using the energy of the gems along with your own, and then it involves some powdered chalk and diagrams of some kind. It''s a lot more concrete and directed than what we''ve been doing so far, actually. Almost like following a blueprint or a recipe. We just don''t know any of the recipes," she trailed off again. "Do you have anything we could try to start off?" Hailey asked, eager to experiment as usual. She wanted a new challenge. Anything that might inspire her, or at the very least distract from her continuing failures to accomplish anything more than bumpy gliding and brief jumps in mid-air. "Well," Jessica said, her hand playing with her hair pointedly. "The first thing that came to mind was changing the appearance of something. Permanently, I mean, not that time we did my nails where it changed back once I let go." "You don''t like the purple?" Hailey asked, surprised. Jessica had picked it out herself when they''d gone shopping, with Hailey''s recommendation. "I changed my mind. Not really a fan," Jessica said, looking away. Hailey smiled knowingly. "Didn''t catch the right eyes, did it? I think you needed to go more complicated than all purple. Your natural brown is actually really nice. I thought you could bleach part of it and do some cool highlights, transition into a color." "That sounds cool," Jessica said brightly. "I wouldn''t even have to bleach it if I do this right. I can just change it naturally. Well, unnaturally, I guess," she added, giggling. "What color were you thinking?" "I don''t know. Any ideas?" "Mmm," Hailey said, glancing out the window again, trying to think. Jessica followed her gaze. "How about that?" "What?" Jessica pointed out the window, at a gap in the clouds where the deep azure blanketed the depths of the sky. "That blue." Hailey smiled. "Perfect." Jessica got to her feet. "Do we have any chalk?" As it turned out, Hailey did, along with the rainbow moonstone Jessica had guessed would be the best reagent for the ritual. They marched into the empty bedroom with materials and kitchen tools, which had become their experimentation room. It was totally empty of furniture, just bare wood floor and empty walls. There was a fresh coat of paint on the wall to cover up the scorch marks from one of Hailey''s days playing around with fire that had gotten a little out of control, and the floor was swept clear of dust thanks to the many bursts of wind she''d summoned in her quest to perfect the double-jump. Her landlord thought it was a bit strange, but didn''t comment further except to remind her not to make any permanent changes. "Need me to do anything?" Hailey asked. "Can you cut the moonstone into four pieces? It doesn''t need to be super even, I just need one for each point," Jessica answered, already starting to grind up the chalk into a powder in a bowl. Once she was done, she poured it out in a small circle, wide enough for someone to sit comfortably inside. She then drew out a specific shape around the outside, something like a diamond with curved sides that caved in towards the center to just barely touch the edges of the circle. "What is that?" "A hypocycloid," Jessica said distractedly, setting aside the bowl of chalk and taking the cracked moonstone from Hailey. She''d simply taken a hammer and nail to it, splitting it into a few discrete chunks with a bit left over. It was rough, but then Jessica had said it didn''t really matter. "A hypo-whatnow?" "It''s a shape formed by tracing a point on a circle rolling around inside another circle." Jessica set each of the chunks at the points of the shape, then started moving everything else out of the room, including the cushions and towels they usually kept laying around. Hailey got up to help, and between the two of them they had it empty in just a minute or two. "So why''d we empty the room?" "You don''t ask until afterward?" Jessica said, looking at her funny. "I trust you. I''m still curious though. You need a lot of space?" "Not really," Jessica said, her voice catching slightly. "It''s just to avoid interference. I''m not exactly sure what can interfere with the process, but I''m definitely sure it''s a bad idea to disrupt it in any way. I figure we''re always dealing with the elements in some way, right? So everything¡ªevery tiny factor that we can account for should be. I don''t want like, say, a ladybug wandering in and suddenly my hair is bright red with black spots all over it." Hailey laughed. "That''d catch some eyes." Jessica''s face was turning bright red again. She was working up to say something. Hailey cocked her head to the side, not sure what the hold up was. "Jess, what''s up?" "I just¡ª" Jessica started. "I want to be sure nothing interferes, so¡­" She tugged at her jacket sleeve pointedly. Understanding dawned on Hailey. "Oh!" She grinned. "Sorry, I''m really slow at times, remember? I''ll just pop out for a bit and leave you to it." She waggled her eyebrows suggestively. "Gotta save that sexy body for the right person, hmm?" She turned to leave, but Jessica called out first. "Hailey?" "Yeah?" "Stay, please?" Hailey turned around. Jessica had always been extremely shy since the first day they''d met. She typically wore baggy clothes that hid her figure and desperately avoided situations where she''d wear anything less. They''d never even been to the beach once (though Hailey supposed it didn''t help that the nearest beach was a good long train ride away and none of them much felt like leaving town). Even when they slept, Jessica was in full pajamas and under the covers before Hailey even showed up to bed. She''d made it quite clear nonverbally that she liked her privacy, and Hailey had done her best to accommodate. To say she was surprised by Jessica''s request was putting it lightly. "You sure, Jess?" "I¡ª" Jessica started. She tugged at the sleeve of her forest-green jacket again, looking nervous. "I''m sorry." "What do you have to be sorry for?" Hailey said. She almost laughed, but managed to keep it in. It would have been hurtful, and Jessica really was her best friend. "I want you to see me," Jessica said suddenly. "...Huh?" "I... I like you." "I¡ª" Hailey started, then the freight train crashed home, reverberating through her skull. "Oh!" Jessica pulled her hood up over her head and pulled the drawstrings closed. "I''m sorry." Hailey didn''t hesitate. She bounded over the line of chalk and buried Jessica in a bear hug, lifting the smaller girl off her feet. "Don''t be sorry, silly." "But you don''t¡ª" Hailey put a hand on the back of her head and pressed her face into Hailey''s shoulder. "Shh." "I didn''t want to tell you. I liked what we had." "Jess¡­ It''s okay." Hailey let her out of the hug, but still held her at arm''s length. They sat down inside the circle Jessica had drawn. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. "I understand if you want me to leave¡ª" Jessica started in a cracked voice, but Hailey put a finger to her lips. "Don''t be ridiculous. You''re my best friend and I love you." "But I¡­ You¡ª" Jessica stumbled over her words. Hailey waited patiently, letting her get her thoughts out. "You''re not¡­ into girls, right?" Hailey shook her head. "I''m not." Jessica''s eyes welled up. Hailey grabbed her again and held her close. She knew this part would be painful, but it had to be done. She was still reeling mentally. Jessica, her best friend in the world, was gay, and she hadn''t realized it after living with her for months and months? And to think I was afraid she was going to steal Wes way back! Hailey remembered, and stifled another laugh before Jessica got the wrong idea. "I just don''t want¡ª" Jessica said, her mouth muffled by Hailey''s shoulder. "I don''t want it to get weird between us." This was too much for Hailey. She finally laughed. Jessica stiffened in her grip, but didn''t try to pull away. "Jess, we''ve been practically living together indoors because we''re hiding from the boogeymen. We can do magic, crazy impossible magic, and we''re getting better at it every day. We''re sitting in the middle of a bunch of moonstones and a hypodermoid¡ª" "Hypocycloid." "Yeah, that one. And you think you being gay is gonna make this weird?" Hailey tugged gently at the back of Jessica''s head, prompting her to look up and directly at Hailey. Her eyes were red and puffy, but Hailey stared her down directly and spoke emphatically: "Jessica, I will always be your best friend forever and ever, no matter what. And there''s no way in hell I''m going to sleep tonight without you next to me. Got it?" "Got it," she said weakly, forcing a smile onto her lips. Hailey grinned. "And if you need space any time, or if you need the bed because you''ve got a hot date and need to make sweet sapphic love to her, you just say the word and I''m out of there." Jessica laughed somewhere inside Hailey''s top, and it brought a burst of warmth and sunshine to Hailey''s heart. She finally loosened her grip, but Jessica was still holding on tight, so Hailey just held her for a while longer, until her impatience finally gave way. "As much as I love hugging you, Jess, didn''t we have a cool new experiment to try here?" "Oh, right," Jessica said. She let go and Hailey backed off, seating herself against the wall cross-legged. "Still want me to stick around?" "Yeah," Jessica said, with quite a bit more confidence than before. She began shrugging off her clothes one by one. A huge emotional weight had vanished from the room, leaving Hailey feeling elated. Jessica''s face was screwed up in determination. "You good?" she asked, as Jessica paused, stripped down to her underwear. "Never been¡­ you know." "Naked around someone before?" Hailey offered. Jessica nodded. "Well, call me practice then." "Right." Jessica reached behind her back to unhook her bra, and let it fall away with a wince. Hailey kept her gaze fixed on Jessica''s face, making sure she didn''t feel ogled, but Jessica noticed anyway. "You can look." "You look great," Hailey said encouragingly. "You don''t have to say that," Jessica squealed, immediately covering herself up with her hands. "No, seriously. You do. I''d kill for your skin." "Really?" "Really really," Hailey answered sincerely. "And you''ve got more than enough going on in the boob department too, if you''re wondering. Just the right amount, trust me. You''re sexy." Jessica giggled nervously, letting her hands fall away. She sat down cross-legged, finally removing her underwear as well. She pressed her hands to her head, closing her eyes and beginning to concentrate. Hailey leaned back against the wall, watching impatiently. She was eager to see Jessica pull it off, even if she didn''t expect it to actually look much different than before. They''d colored some hair already with a bit of the moonstones, but as she''d noted, it just changed back the moment they let go of the spell. A permanent change¡ªone they didn''t have to pay attention to after they''d cast it¡ªwould be yet another evolutionary step forward. Jessica started murmuring. The moonstones glowed slightly, pale white. Hailey spotted a bead of sweat forming on Jessica''s chest, then two. She was clutching her small fists tight. Her knuckles whitened. The chalk outline seemed to quiver a little as she started speaking faster. The moonstones glowed a little stronger. The chalk quivered a little more. The sweat on Jessica''s chest glistened brighter. Hailey could sense the energy moving in the room. It was a sensation not unlike the pricklies from an electric current, but it was somehow more pervasive and penetrating. She felt inside her chest and through her limbs, not just at a surface level but deep inside her bones. It shifted, agitated, and Hailey could feel it rushing toward Jessica. Against her better judgment, she sprang to her feet, taking a step toward her friend. Immediately, the moonstones pulsed a kaleidoscope of angry colors. Hailey felt a shift in the energy, sudden hostile and defensive. She froze, terrified that something had gone wrong, but Jessica seemed not to have noticed. She was perfectly still except for her mouth, continuously muttering something incomprehensible. Hailey had to suppress a gasp as Jessica''s hair was suddenly, inexplicably brown. The purple had utterly vanished, replaced with her pleasant natural brown. The changes didn''t stop there, however, as highlights of azure popped into place, fading in over the brown as it reached the waves currently brushing over her knees. Only a few bunches were colored, but the effect was striking. It was such a full color, something Hailey suspected would never have come out so clearly with bleach and dye. The moonstones stopped glowing, having become blackened and coarse, and the chalk seemed to have evaporated entirely. Jessica opened an eye cautiously and ran a hand through her hair. "I think it worked," she said, breathless. Hailey took her cue, jumping to her feet and bounding into the (now vanished) circle to pounce on her best friend. "Jess, you''re a genius!" "Hold on, Hailey! Get off!" Jessica squealed in alarm. Hailey propped herself up in panic. "What? Did I screw something up?" "...No. You were just choking me a bit," Jessica said meekly. Hailey laughed and rolled off her, running a hand through the newly colored hair experimentally. "This looks beautiful, Jess." Her face blushed bright red yet again. "Thanks." They both stretched out on the warm floor, relaxing in the sunlight streaming in from the window. "So what''s next on the list?" Hailey asked, knowing Jessica''s mind was already jumping through dozens of hoops to the next possibility. "This is just a cosmetic," Jessica said, picking up a bundle of hair and letting it fall. "Sexy one though," Hailey pointed out. Jessica giggled. "You could do more than that probably. Make yourself ridiculously sexy, if you want to go that way." "Not like we know how to make your boobs bigger, Jess." "You''re assuming that''s what I find sexy," Jessica said petulantly. "Anyway, what I meant was, there''s so much more you can do than cosmetic stuff. I already made myself able to see far, and better at night too, but only for a little bit." "But didn''t it make it hard to see color?" "Because I only did the rods, and it wasn''t very precise. I think my brain got confused by it. If I can get it down, I could make my cones able to pick up way more light than they should and in more variety, which would mean color vision even in dark night. It''s more complicated than that, but you get the idea." "Sure, yeah. Hey, couldn''t you, like, see more colors too?" Jessica squealed in delight. "Oh, yeah! You could see colors no one ever could before. Like ultraviolet. Lots of animals can see UV, I could figure that out too." Jessica was practically rolling around with excitement next to her. Hailey grinned, elated that her friend was so happy. She saw bright fluffy clouds rolling by in the window, taking them as a sign that everything was going to be all right. "Other things too, though, besides sight, yeah?" she prompted. "Yeah, for sure," Jessica continued. "You could enhance other senses, obviously, but also just work on the normal processes of your body. Like sleep, or the need to eat. What if you could just reduce your need to sleep by a big portion every day? That''s so much more time in the day that you can do whatever you like. Think about all the stuff you could do." "I feel like I do too much some days already." "Oh shh. You love it. But still, you could do the same amount in a day and feel less packed, right? It still works out." Hailey nodded. "Yeah, makes sense. Sign me up." Jessica giggled. "I''m not that good, Hales. Give me some more time to recover." "Oh, the number of times I''ve heard that line." "Trouble with boys?" Jessica asked mockingly. "They just can''t keep up sometimes." "Keep up?" Hailey laughed aloud, giving Jessica a nudge. "Jess, when did you become the cool one?" "Did you see my hair? Cool colors. It''s like a magic charm." Jessica sighed and curled up against Hailey, in the same way she always did in her sleep. Hailey felt it was different now, but not in the way she feared. Jessica didn''t feel like she''d been shut out or that an impenetrable wall had been thrown up by Jessica''s confession and subsequent rejection. Instead, Jessica had bared herself (in more ways than one, Hailey thought, suppressing a laugh) and been accepted for exactly who she was. Hailey wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, and Jessica found her usual spot pressed up against Hailey''s side with ease. Nothing but warmth and love, exactly what Hailey had hoped for. She stared out the window while Jessica''s breath warmed her neck, and watched her clouds sweeping through the sky, the same azure as the hair currently scattered across her chest. Hailey smiled, the true smile of contentment and joy that so few ever find in their life. For the moment they could both forget everything, and just be happy they''d found each other. A quick double-knock sent them both scrambling to their feet. Hailey bounded to the door of the spare bedroom, where Weston had been just about to open the door. She squeezed through as tight a gap as she could manage, ignoring the befuddled look on his face, and quickly shut it behind her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jessica desperately gathering up her clothes. Hailey guessed it would be at least a couple minutes for her to calm down and get dressed. She could stall him that much. "...What were you two doing?" Weston asked suspiciously. "Just practicing," Hailey said. She didn''t say the real answer, because she didn''t want Weston leaping at Jessica''s throat next for trying something without clearing it with the whole group first. Not that the group really acted like a group anymore. It was a rule they''d established so long ago, and one they''d barely followed at first anyway. Not until that terrible night in June had Weston ever insisted on making sure no one tried anything dangerous without everyone present. "Practicing what?" "Practicing magic, what else?" Hailey said crossly. "Where have you been all day?" she added, nodding pointedly toward the wall clock. It was already getting toward late afternoon. He wasn''t planning to stick around long if he wanted to be home before the sunset. Weston frowned. It seemed like the only expression he was capable of lately. "I was out researching." "Researching?" "Where this all might have come from," he continued, looking over her shoulder curiously. "What''s going on?" "Jessica was concentrating on something and didn''t want to lose the thread," Hailey said, using the phrase Jessica had come up with to describe how she found things through her magic. She said it was like following a immense tangled knot of threads until you managed to pull out one single strand, but Hailey didn''t really understand what she meant. She doubted she ever could without having the same affinity for that branch of magic like Jessica did. "Want something to eat?" Weston looked suspicious, but Jessica divining something was a pretty normal excuse they''d used in the past plenty of times. He accepted it without question and followed her downstairs to the kitchen. They were a few bites into a plate of cookies Hailey had baked that morning when Jessica finally emerged, looking slightly ruffled but fully clothed. Hailey couldn''t resist herself and shot Jess a wink. She giggled. "Hey, Jessica," Weston spoke up, turning around. "Thought you went purple. Changed your mind?" "Yeah. I decided blue was my color," Jessica said, plopping herself in the chair next to Hailey''s and helping herself to the cookies. "Find out anything?" Hailey asked Weston, trying to deflect the conversation back. He shook his head. "There''s nothing. Nothing at all." He bit forcefully into a cookie, drawing a look from them both. "I can''t find a single reference to anything like what we''ve found, or the two things that destroyed the library, or anything at all. I can''t even reach Ian or Hugo. It''s just us three, all alone. All we have to go on is whatever Jessica can pluck out of thin air!" Frustration seeped from his voice like venom. Hailey wanted to try and comfort him, but at the same time she didn''t feel like getting anywhere near him ever again. He was toxic, and she had been free of him for so long. She didn''t want to go down that path. "Wes, we''ll figure it out. We''ll be okay," Jessica said encouragingly. "I don''t know that we will," Weston said miserably. "We''re on a clock and it''s running out." "So what do you suggest?" Hailey snapped. They both looked at her in shock. She''d had enough. "I''m done with the moping and the groaning. Do you actually have an idea? Or any specific danger?" "You know the danger¡ª" Weston started, but Hailey cut him off. "Yeah, we all saw it. And it scared me to hell. But we haven''t seen or heard them in months, not since the second time. I''ve been out in the dark plenty of times and nothing''s ever happened. I know you and Jess and Ian never felt safe, and I get that. But I think it''s time to face up to the fact that we''re hiding from possibilities. If we keep doing that, we''ll never really live again." "Do you want to die?" Weston shouted, jumping to his feet. Jessica pulled her hood back on, her eyes wide. In that moment¡ªseeing Jessica retreating again¡ªHailey felt real hatred for the first time in her life. It was an inferno bursting into life in her chest. She hated Weston for controlling them for so long, keeping them afraid and inside. He thought he was doing it for their own good. She didn''t deny his intentions. But he was wrong. "No one''s going to die, Wes!" Hailey shouted back, standing as well. Jessica ran out of the room, and Hailey felt a tear welling up in her eye. "Those two have been gone for months! We don''t have to be afraid of the night anymore!" "You don''t know that. You can''t know that." "I''m willing to try," Hailey snapped. "God, Hailey, you are just as bad as when we were dating." She laughed bitterly. "What the hell, you want to go there? This is why we broke up, Wes. You''re so afraid you can''t let anything happen unless you''re absolutely sure you know where it''s going to go." "Better than making stupid mistakes and losing everything for it," said Weston in a grim tone. "Have you ever lost everything?" Hailey asked. "Hell, Wes, have you ever lost anything? Does the concept of loss even enter that tiny coward brain of yours?" "Does it enter yours?" "God yes! Every time I walk out the door, I''m afraid of losing people. But look at what staying inside and hiding has gotten us!" Hailey held up two fingers. "Hugo left when we weren''t willing to go out and talk to him. He stuck around for Ian''s sake, but we were all too busy hiding inside and playing around with magic to notice he was on the outside, and then he was gone." She dropped her finger. "Ian left because we were too scared to deal with the shit we had going on outside. We didn''t even talk about it. We just shut down every possibility of handling it. We just stayed inside and hid, like we always do, and sure enough, off goes Ian." She dropped the other finger, glaring at Weston with all the fury she could muster. "You can''t possibly blame me¡ª" "I sure as hell blame you, Wes. But I blame myself too. I could have spoken up, I could have done more. I let them both go and I hate myself a bit more every time I look out the window and think about how far away they''ve both run." Hailey felt tears streaming down her face now. "It''s all our fault, Wes." "No," Weston said, but his conviction felt weak and his arguments worthless. Hailey nodded slowly. "They''re gone because of us." Weston shook his head. "You''re wrong." "Then go, Wes. I''ll be outside in the world, where we belong." Weston turned and headed up the stairs. Hailey sat down and watched him go, feeling bitterly triumphant. She''d said the words she''d been screaming in her head every night before she went to sleep, speeches she''d composed and practiced silently every single night with Jessica desperately clinging to her for safety and support. Her life had reached a turning point. It simply had to improve from here. She would accept nothing else. She could hear her bedroom door creak open, and sighed. Weston was going to try to talk to Jessica, get her to persuade Hailey off her soapbox. It was pointless. Jessica was on her side for sure. She wanted to be out, be alive. Not trapped in this tiny box with someone who could never properly be with her. Not in the way she wanted. Hailey stood laboriously, feeling suddenly exhausted. She made her way to the staircase, meaning to go intercept Weston and send him out for real. Jessica didn''t need that sort of harassment. They''d both be better off without Weston in their lives. She''d be raw and distracted for a while, but magic always brought her back. She''d taken to it more readily than the rest of them after all. Jessica had a sheer raw talent none of them could match, even if she was never quite as creative as they were. She always managed to cast anything they did, even without the advantage of affinity¡ªsimply through raw, focused effort and practice. In fact, Jessica was probably practicing right then to drown out their argument, working on her latest idea¡ª Oh. Oh. Hailey took the steps three at a time. She nearly tripped on the stairs in her haste. Weston had pushed open the other bedroom door¡ªthe empty one where no one slept¡ªand walked inside, leaving the door ajar. Hailey saw the edges of a wide, thick hypocycloid drawn in white chalk. No¡­ Interlude I.VI Interlude I VI. Late December, three months later, on a dark winter night thick with snow, at Hailey''s apartment. "I''m home, Jess!" Hailey called, kicking snow off her boot on the front step before she walked in. Her hands were laden down with groceries from Hector''s place and her face pink from the cold outside. The hallway was no better, and she felt her teeth starting to chatter. Hailey closed her eyes briefly and extended her mind out into the edges of her skin. She found the points she was looking for and set them vibrating slightly, like she were mentally twanging a taut cord. In moments Hailey began to warm up again. The spell had worn off since she left Hector''s. Feeling the warmth trickle through her skin, she felt like she was properly home. Hailey pulled the door shut with her foot before heading downstairs to starting unloading the groceries. "Hope you like ham, because that''s all I could think of for Christmas dinner," Hailey sighed. "Hector gave me an employee discount but it''s still not much." She bustled around the kitchen, checking on the brownies she''d pulled out of the oven just before she''d run to the store. They looked perfect, just the right balance. She pulled a few of onto a plate and set it aside before turning to the tree in the corner. It was an artificial tree, which to Hailey''s sensibilities as a native Pacific Northwester was an affront to nature. Her landlord had expressly forbidden bringing trees in for one reason or another, which left her limited options. She didn''t like the plasticky, obviously fake pine branches, but she couldn''t not have a Christmas tree. It was a compromise. Hailey kept a vague running commentary aloud of everything she did while she went about cleaning up the kitchen. The apartment was always so quiet of late, and Hailey was never much for the quiet. She craved activity and interaction. Anything to remind her that her ears were still functioning properly, and that someone still lived in that place. The air was her constant companion. She''d grown accustomed to feeling it as an extension of herself and felt comforted by its presence. Hailey was prone to shifting it around solely out of habit. While she worked in the kitchen, she sent a slight breeze coasting across her face, despite the chill. It helped the room feel less stuffy and more alive. The air was a great help to her as well in cleaning. She sent it thundering underneath chairs and over the tops of cabinets, blowing around dust with ease and collecting it neatly into the trash can. She felt like a composer directing a whispering orchestra as the gust tossed the room around. Any loose papers or light objects had long since been weighted down, as this was a regular occurrence. Done cleaning and done shopping, Hailey headed back up the stairs to their bedroom. She knocked on the door twice gently before calling out, "Just me, Jess." A bright crescent moon streamed in through the window curtains, casting long shadows across the floor from the couple of stuffed animals that sat perched on the sill. The room was cold and dark, and Hailey immediately set to warming it up as best she could. It was a wide space, but it was enclosed and had plenty of objects to trap heat, so it wasn''t as difficult as some spaces. She wished they could afford to pay their heating bill, but it just didn''t fit the budget she''d laid out. They saved wherever they could by relying on magic. Hailey crossed the room and collapsed in her desk chair. "Long, long day. I''m taking too many classes. I think I''ll drop one next term," Hailey mused, picking up her notebook and leafing through pages at random. "It''s just too hectic between that and work. Plus I never get to spend enough time here." She looked up over the top of the notebook. "Would you like that?" A faint breeze brushed Hailey''s face, sending a few strands of hair fluttering. Hailey shivered. "Jess, you gotta stop doing that. I''m cold enough as is." "Mm," she answered, slightly muffled. Hailey set the notebook aside and turned to face her. "I wonder if you''d want to go back to school. If you could, I mean," she added. She felt embarrassed asking such a question, when she knew that Jessica couldn''t answer. She didn''t understand a word Hailey was saying. Jessica was sitting cross-legged on Hailey''s bed, wrapped in a blanket and looking around the room inquisitively. Presently she was sending little licks of firelight dancing around the room like tiny floating candles, spinning out an intricate pattern. Hailey was impressed Jessica maintained the dance even while tickling her with the current of air, two very different spells. "You know, that''s supposed to be my affinity. How do you do all that at once so easy?" Hailey asked. Jessica cocked her head to the side, not understanding, and Hailey did her best to hide her exasperation. It wasn''t Jess'' fault. She was doing the best she could. Hailey brought her hands to her mouth, miming a knife and fork. Jessica nodded, ''hmm''ing excitedly. She leapt off the bed and headed back downstairs, Hailey following less enthusiastically. Thankfully it was leftovers night, or Hailey might have simply given up on dinner entirely. She felt far too exhausted to cook. Instead, they enjoyed microwaved chicken from the day before, which Jessica dug into with gusto. Hailey picked at her food gently and watched her friend chowing down. Had she always eaten like that? Yes, Hailey reminded herself. It was the same Jessica, through and through. Her personality wasn''t really different. Just adjusted, viewed through a different lens. More importantly, Hailey was quite literally the only person Jessica ever interacted with anymore. Enthusiasm at the little things wasn''t that weird. "You know, Jess, Christmas is coming up," Hailey said, still picking at her chicken with her fork. "I need to get you something." Jessica looked up. For a moment Hailey thought she might have understood, but she looked away again a moment later. ''Jess'' was the only word she''d caught, which she recognized as her own name. Everything else was just noise. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. "I wonder if your parents got you anything," Hailey continued. "Doubt it. How do you put up with them anyway?" Hailey had gone to meet with them after it became clear Jessica''s condition wasn''t improving. Before she''d even begun to explain what was wrong with their daughter, they''d said they didn''t care what she got up to and that her life decisions were her own business. Hailey had been quickly shuffled to the door and told not to return. "Probably best I didn''t say anything," Hailey mused. "It''s a good thing you were already dropping out of your classes or I''d have the university all over me too." Jessica frowned, looking at Hailey''s plate of chicken which she''d largely ignored. "You want more?" Hailey asked. She pointed at the plate, then at Jessica. Jessica shook her head, gesturing to Hailey and miming eating. "I''m not feeling very hungry," Hailey said, shaking her head. Jessica frowned again. She mimed sleeping, then waking up and pointing at her stomach with a pained face in quick succession. Hailey sighed. "You''re probably right." She began to eat again, and Jessica nodded with satisfaction. "It''s a good thing you stopped being shy around me," Hailey added with her mouth full. "Shy people suck at charades." When they finished dinner, Jessica cleaned and put away the plates while Hailey went to relax on the sofa, still burned out from the day. Jessica joined her a minute later, bringing along her laptop (which Hailey had seen no need to return to her family). Hailey wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close, then took hold of the blanket across the room with her mind and floated it over to wrap them up snug. Jessica''s laptop had been a bit of a challenge. Hailey had found it locked up tight and Jessica staring at the letters on the keys with a defeated expression. Hailey had taken it to a friend, Mason, and¡ªafter a great deal of persuasion¡ªgotten him to unlock it without asking too many questions. Since then, it had become Jessica''s portal to random knowledge. She had stumbled her way to the few sites she used by sheer persistence, either via random clicks or following images and icons to what she needed. Hailey wasn''t sure what she did all day, but Jessica seemed content, so Hailey didn''t question it. When they curled up on the couch, that usually meant watching a show. Lately, that had been a good deal of anime. It really wasn''t Hailey''s thing, and she was out like a light within minutes every time. It just wasn''t for her. Still, given the artwork and the high energy of whatever Jessica was watching, Hailey could see the appeal for someone who couldn''t possibly follow a plot verbally. Sure enough, Jessica pulled one up, and it was only once she was gently shaking Hailey awake again that she even realized she''d fallen asleep. "Sorry, Jess," Hailey mumbled. "Is it time for bed?" She mimed laying down on her hands, their usual gesture for going to sleep. Jessica shook her head. Hailey realized that the laptop screen was still on and paused on something. It was some series about magic, if Hailey remembered right. It was nonsense, of course, now that they knew what the real thing was¡ªbut still Jessica had latched onto it. Maybe it was the characters or the frantic pace, Hailey didn''t know. What she did see was that the picture was frozen on a character holding up a bird feather. Once she saw Hailey was paying attention, Jessica tapped the keyboard. The character dropped the feather into a pot, puff of smoke and everything. Jessica pointed at the feather emphatically. Hailey wasn''t sure what she was supposed to understand from the scene. Were they going to make a potion or something? "Jess, I don''t get it." Jessica paused it again, and mimed scribbling something on paper. "It''s over on the desk," Hailey answered, pointing. Jessica frowned, pressing up against Hailey under the blanket and shivering deliberately. She laughed. "Fair enough." With some effort, Hailey found the paper and pencils on the desk and took hold of them. Moving things with her mind had become a bit easier over time, but she still never managed to be very precise with it. Hailey doubted she''d ever really get a hold of it, with how little progress she seemed to manage. Case in point, she managed to accidentally wrap the paper around Jessica''s head instead of landing gently in her outstretched hand like she''d intended. Jessica slapped Hailey on the arm gently with a stern look on her face, then took the paper and laid it against the lid of her closed laptop. She began scribbling out a feather, then what Hailey took to be a gemstone. "Gems and feathers?" Hailey murmured, not following. Jessica circled them, then drew an arrow and drew out a person in a superhero pose, cape and all, with action lines. "Gems and feathers equal flying?" Jessica then drew out a circle between them, then surrounded it with the shape Hailey had dreaded. Another hypocycloid¡ªeight sided this time¡ªwith gemstones at the cardinal points and little feathers at the diagonals. "You think I can fly if I did a ritual using these?" Hailey wondered aloud. "You can use feathers for energy?" She was cautiously excited. She''d never given up on her goal, despite everything that had happened. Hailey Winscombe still longed more than anything to fly through the air on her own power. She just couldn''t do it. Not that way. Hailey pointed at the ritual shape and shook her head. Jessica frowned, then pointed at it again and nodded. Hailey sighed. "No. I can''t. Not after this." Jessica shook her head. She pointed at the ritual shape, then at herself and raised her eyebrow. Hailey nodded. "Because of how much it''s hurt you." Her head shook again more frantically, brown and blue hair almost smacking Hailey in the face. Jessica pointed at herself, then gave a thumbs up and smiled. Hailey''s eyes threatened to well up, but she forced it away. She refused to cry in front of her best friend. "Jess, you''re way braver than me," Hailey murmured, hugging her. "I just do stupid things for fun. You actually go after the things you want in life. Hell, you managed to move in with the girl you loved on your own terms. Well played." Jessica hugged her back, and Hailey continued mumbling into her messy brown hair. "You''re the smart one too. You figured out all the branches and the affinities and such. I just goofed off and did little air tricks." Hailey felt a teardrop roll down her cheek against her will and land in Jessica''s hair. Jess stiffened as she felt it, but Hailey just held her close and refused to let her look up and see the tears rolling down her face. "I''m going to figure this out. I''ll help you get better, and then we can go flying together. We can fly up in the sky and you can sing your heart out where no one''s around to make fun of you for it. That''s the best offer I''ve got, unless you can invent time travel." Hailey laughed bitterly. "Hey, maybe that''s the eighth branch we never figured out. Good old time travel. Wouldn''t that be nice?" Hailey buried her face in the blanket, wrapping it up tight around them both. "I need you to come back, Jessica," she mumbled. "We''re the only ones left. Please. Come back and sing again." Jessica nudged her gently, and Hailey sighed. She loosened her grip just enough for Jessica to move around, and her friend started murmuring something that Hailey couldn''t understand. A moment later, she felt warmth spreading all across her skin. It was so comfortable and soothing that Hailey immediately burst into tears. Jessica held her tight as Hailey sobbed, crying herself bitterly to sleep while a flurry of snow began pounding against the windows. Interlude I.VII Interlude I VII. Mid-May, about five months later, on a rainy afternoon, at Hailey''s apartment. Hailey loved the clouds, but hated the rain. A breathtaking layered wall of clouds rolling through the endless expanse of blue was something to be cherished, but this solid blanket of grey? Where there was no light to be found, and sheets of water fell in droves to soak everything through? This was just depressing. It didn''t help that she was staring out the window of her small kitchen with the smell of burned chocolate fudge filling the room. Hailey had been stirring a batch as a treat for Jessica''s birthday, which was coming up soon, but she''d gotten distracted by a fleeting glimpse of a bird on the balcony. She''d rushed to the door, trying to catch it by flinging a pocket of air around it, but it had jumped away too fast. Hailey had only just managed to clip off a few feathers as it took to the skies. They''d attempted the ritual several times since December, with no success. Jessica''s current theory was that the feathers they were using were no good, and that it had to be from a wild bird, or perhaps the right type of bird. She''d drawn out several different species for Hailey to pursue, and the red-tailed hawk on the balcony had definitely been on the list. Hailey was shocked it had perched so close¡ªfrom what she''d researched online, she hadn''t expected one to come to her. She only hoped the feathers she''d managed to gather were enough. More importantly, she hoped that she wouldn''t let Jess down again. Hailey still wasn''t sure if the ritual was failing because of the feathers. No, Hailey believed it was her own fault. Every time they started, Hailey took one look at Jessica, whose voice she was actually beginning to forget, and her heart seized up. She lost all confidence, all drive. Without it, the ritual may as well have been a wish on a star for all the good it did. Hailey clenched her fist tight in frustration. A wind picked up in the kitchen, the edges of papers flapping noisily. She flicked open the window latch and slid it aside with her mind, and the air quickly carried out the scent of burned fudge before it could spread through the house and Jessica noticed it. Hailey would do it again, and do it right this time. Just not right now, Hailey sighed as she heard a thump from upstairs. Jessica was rushing down to meet her. Must have smelled it anyway. But to her surprise, Jessica wasn''t looking for the source of the smell. No, she was holding a fistful of feathers from the red-tail that Hailey had scared away only moments earlier. "You caught it, Jess?" Hailey asked, pointing at her. Jessica nodded, miming catching something out of midair with her hands, then pointing to her head with a flutter of her fingers. "With magic. Nice." Jessica drew a circle in midair, then cocked her head to the side with a "Hmm?" Hailey sighed. "I don''t know. I really don''t think it''ll make a difference." She shrugged. Jessica shook her head and grabbed Hailey''s arm, pulling her to the staircase. "All right, all right," Hailey conceded. "I''ll give it another shot." She let Jessica lead her upstairs to the empty bedroom, where their ritual circle awaited. A near-permanent dusting of chalk in various colors formed a neat, perfect circle in the center of the wooden floorboards. Jessica had taken to decorating the room while Hailey was out with various gemstones set in silver candle holders, while actual candles formed a large ring outside the circle. A twinned set of astroids surrounded the circle, with empty holders at each point where Jessica could fill them as needed. Various pouches and boxes lined the edges of the room with all the different stones and materials Jessica had ordered online (through the concerted efforts of Hailey and the least entertaining game of pictionary imaginable). As the decorations grew more detailed and complex, Hailey wondered what an outsider might think of the place. It looked like something out of an occult daydream, between the wax candles, chalk symbols and glittering stones, but the vibe didn''t feel creepy or off-putting to Hailey. It felt comforting, in fact, with the attention to detail and the mix of colors and shapes that Jessica had put into the room. Compared to the bare walls and cold empty floor it had once contained, Hailey now saw it as Jessica''s place¡ªsomething sacred and special. She hoped animal skulls weren''t next on the decoration list though, or she might have to start miming to Jessica about what they could get away with. Hailey never entered if she could help it, but Jessica seemed to live in the room when she wasn''t sleeping or eating. They occasionally spent time relaxing together after Hailey got home from work, but without fail she''d spring up with some untold inspiration that Hailey could only guess at and retreat back to her circle to meditate. Hailey had only used the room three times, for each of the previous attempts at the flight ritual Jessica had devised, but each had ended in stuttering failure. Hailey supposed she should be grateful nothing worse had happened. Jessica dug through one of the boxes at the edge of the room and came up with a mix of tourmaline and sapphire, which she started placing in the simple silver candle holders at the points of the star. Hailey took a handful of feathers and walked to the center, clutching them gently in one hand while her other went to the perfectly cut and polished tourmaline that hung from a chain around her neck. It was her favorite stone, and one that never seemed to darken when she drew wind out of it. Sometimes it felt like an old friend holding her hand in return. Hailey tried to feel something out of the feathers as well, sending her mind down through her fingers and into the rachis of the feather, hoping to sense anything. All she got back was a vague sense of the animal it belonged to, probably flapping away somewhere in the forest and hopefully far away from the two crazed girls in the apartment trying to catch it by summoning up air currents. So Hailey imagined. It didn''t really give her any idea of the bird''s thoughts, just its essence. Jessica was tugging at her shirt sleeve. Hailey had been lost in her thoughts again. She looked around at the circle, where all the gemstones and feathers had already been put in place. "Well, Jess, here we go again." Hailey began shrugging off her clothes while Jessica turned away, giving her some privacy. When she was ready, Hailey tapped her on the shoulder. Jessica took the pile of clothes and set them neatly in the corner of the room. Hailey stretched out her arms for a moment before sitting down cross-legged, as she''d seen Jessica do so many times, and closed her eyes. She pressed her hands to her face, warming herself from the chill in the room by setting her skin alight in the way she''d learned from Weston, so many months back. She put her hand to her chest and grasped the tourmaline stone hanging there for luck, while her other hand clenched the feathers tight. Hailey sent out her mind, letting it loose like a hook on the end of a line. It was still her, of course, but she no longer felt like she was inside her own body. Instead, her mind floated free in the room, bathing in the air currents that poured forth from the tourmaline and sapphire gems encircling her. Hailey had set them humming, and in response the feathers between each gem stood up straight. She sensed that there was something she was supposed to do to them, mentally draw from them somehow, but Hailey couldn''t figure it out. She clenched her hands tight and threw her mind at them, but only met with a sheer wall of resistance. The feathers were impenetrable to her. Hailey knew they held the secret, but she just couldn''t muster the strength to break through. She didn''t have the ability, no matter how much she practiced. There was still only so much she could accomplish alone. Alone. Hailey''s eyes flew open and she released the energy as quickly as she could. She pulled her mind back in and closed off her body to seal away the energy in the room before she interrupted the flow in a dangerous way. Would her idea work? Was it even possible? She didn''t know, but something about it felt so right that she had to try. "Jess." Hailey said, drawing her attention. Jessica had been looking at the nearest feathers with a frustrated look, while determinedly avoiding gazing at Hailey directly. Jessica looked up, then immediately away while her face blushed red. Hailey leapt out of the circle impatiently and grabbed her hand. "Mm?" Jessica squeaked in surprise and confusion. "I think you can help, Jess!" Hailey said, excited. She pointed at the circle, then at herself and Jessica in turn. To try and emphasize the point, she waved a circle around the both of them, then pointed at Jessica''s head, drawing a line from her temple to one of the feathers. "You can help me break into it." Jessica frowned. She looked at the feather, then back at Hailey. Her mouth formed a small "oh!" in surprise. She nodded frantically, and Hailey grinned. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. "I hope you know what you''re doing, Jess, because I sure as hell don''t." Jessica took off her clothes, forgetting all about modesty in her haste. Hailey took hold of each piece with her mind as Jess tossed it aside, and flung it into the corner where it landed atop her own, keeping them well clear of the circle. Once she''d stripped down, they both sat cross-legged in the circle. Jessica only just managed to fit inside, her knees pressed up against Hailey''s own. Somehow that felt right, as if the physical connection might help them. "Ready?" Hailey asked, giving a slight nod. Jessica nodded, her eyes already screwed up in determination. Hailey closed her eyes and once more cast out her mind into the room. Immediately, she ran up against the wall formed by the feathers again, and the frustration almost sent her out of the trance, but a sudden presence held her from breaking. It was warmth and love incarnate, this new sensation that flew through the air to meet with Hailey''s mental projection. For a brief moment, she could sense Jessica herself, down to her essence. Her passion for knowledge, her inquisitive drive, her bashful nature still pressing at her under the surface even now, and her deep love for Hailey. It was like a glimpse into her very soul, and in that moment Hailey could see a line that stretched out between the two of them, like a thick hazy thread that held taut between their minds. It was exciting and thrilling, and yet deeply personal and embarrassing. Hailey pulled away before she felt like she had felt too much and too intimately at Jessica''s mind, where she could sense many more layers beyond the surface. Jessica hadn''t seemed to notice Hailey brushing up against her, as her presence slammed against the feather with the force of a hurricane wind. Hailey saw what she was doing and joined her, pressing against the feather with the strength she could muster. It still wasn''t enough. As if out of the corner of her eye, Hailey saw Jessica''s arm reach out to pluck the stone from Hailey''s chest. She could sense Jessica wanted her to grab it as well. It felt like Hailey was giving an order to her arm to rise, rather than actually moving herself. It took a great deal of effort, but Hailey managed to lift her hand and take hold of Jessica''s with a firm grip. The wind immediately burst forth, whipping through the room and sending their hair fluttering wildly, Hailey''s long straight blonde and Jessica''s wavy brown and blue in unison. The tourmaline around the edges of the circle began to glow bright, and the feathers between each stone spun wildly around, lifting into the air with a power neither of them had consciously set forth. Hailey could feel something emerging from the feathers, a new sensation she didn''t recognize. It began to flow toward the two of them in the center, filling them up with something she didn''t yet understand. Jessica''s mind made a strange movement, and suddenly the energy was all flowing directly to Hailey. It spread through her like a chill without cold, running up her spine and following her blood out to the very tips of her fingers and toes. Hailey had to resist the urge to flinch as it rolled through her. She couldn''t mess this up, not now. Not when they were so close. Hailey felt like she was floating in midair and didn''t want the sensation to ever stop. The feathers stopped spinning, all resistance gone, and Hailey saw her moment. She grasped at them with her mind and pulled their essence away, like grabbing something out of a deep pool of water. The feathers vanished into thin air with a hiss. The gemstones pulsed and lit up the room, then went deep black, completely spent. The wind coursing through the room faded and stilled, and the room was silent. Hailey let out a deep breath. She hadn''t screwed it up at least. They''d made progress. Maybe next ti¡ª "Ooh!" Jessica squealed, poking Hailey''s leg excitedly. Hailey''s eyes flew open. She hadn''t felt like she was floating in midair; Hailey was currently hovering a good several feet above the floorboard, still cross-legged like she were seated on a invisible platform. Jessica took a few steps back, giving Hailey some space. Hailey felt panic rising in her chest, but that was nothing. She knew how to handle panic. She''d jumped out of airplanes and ridden down steep slopes at breakneck speeds. Panic was nothing. But this? This is something fantastic. Hailey laughed. She couldn''t help it. She was up in the air, with nothing supporting her, and only the barest effort keeping her aloft. It wasn''t like she was simply aloft at will; even now she could feel it beginning to drain her physically, but it was like she were out for a jog. She could keep it going if she needed to. Hailey was simply manipulating the air in a constant loop, like Jessica had said. Her position was never quite steady, as she had to constantly adjust the air and her own body weight to compensate for gravity, the earth spinning around madly beneath her, and any number of other factors, but it was somehow a barely conscious process. As if the magic were helping her figure it all out. Hailey tried to move herself, and found it a curious challenge. She could gain momentum in a direct line, but it wasn''t easy. Going straight up was much harder than going forward, then up at an incline - like she were swooping. She tried a brief dive from the edge of the room, and almost clipped the floor before rising up on invisible wings and thudding hard against the far wall, laughing hysterically. Jessica ran over to check on her, making sure she was all right, and Hailey took her hand. She tried to lift Jessica into the air, but the weight was too much. Hailey ended up falling atop her instead as the magic broke. She was quite suddenly earthbound and back to normal. "Mmm!" Jessica sounded heartbroken, like she thought she had ended it. Hailey shook her head and called back to the magic, picturing it mentally as a pair of majestic wings in the exact brown and blue highlights of Jessica''s hair. The image sprung into her mind fully-formed as though it wasn''t quite her own design, but Hailey didn''t question it. It just felt right. With a mental flap of her newfound wings, Hailey was suddenly aloft again, quivering in midair while the downdraft sent Jessica''s hair fluttering. Jessica giggled and jumped with her arms up, catching Hailey in a brief hug while Hailey floated gently a foot or two above her, sending them spinning around briefly in midair before the weight brought Jessica''s feet back to the floor once more. A moment later, Jessica''s face turned bright red. She turned around, grabbing desperately for her clothes. Hailey cackled aloud¡ªhaving long since gotten over feeling shy around her best friend¡ªand decided to try swooping through the room again. It ended in quite the same way as before, with her thudding against the far wall, but with noticeably less painful an impact. Jessica, having tossed on a loose shirt and pants, held up Hailey''s clothes and made a noise. Hailey looked over, and Jessica pointed at them, then mimed flapping wings, then at the clothes again. "Mm, yeah. I should probably try that," Hailey laughed, still feeling euphoric from finally accomplishing her dreams. She sent herself flying over to Jessica, but overshot and almost crashed into the wall again. Jessica was looking down at the floor pointedly and missed the entire thing. With a clumsy turnaround, she managed to snatch her clothes from Jessica and put them partially on. To her relief, the weight of the clothes didn''t seem to be enough to pull her down much more than her own weight. It was a noticeable addition, but not so much that she started losing altitude. Hailey felt fatigue beginning to creep into her muscles, particularly her arms, but stubbornly kept swooping around the room as long as she could, while Jessica watched her with delight, making contented chirping noises. After she felt like exhaustion was really starting to set in, Hailey finally brought herself to a stop, flaring out her mental wings in a move she''d just figured out. She released them, letting the wings in her mind vanish in a puff and immediately dropping to the floor below. Hailey could almost feel them disappear from her real shoulders, but it could have just been her imagination. Jessica ran to her side and hugged her. "Yeah, yeah, that was awesome," Hailey laughed, wrapping her best friend up tight. Jessica nodded and smiled. "Someday I''ll figure out how to take you with me." Jessica cocked her head to the side, indicating she didn''t understand, and Hailey felt her heart sink a little. Here she was, celebrating, and Jessica still couldn''t speak a word. What were they wasting time on? Silly flying tricks around a room? The joy she''d felt only moments before began draining out of her like a deflating balloon. She looked at Jessica, and pointed at her mouth, then her head. Jessica looked confused. "I''ve been trying, Jessica," Hailey said, the delight completely gone from her voice. She felt like her emotions were on a pendulum. She''d pulled it so far to one side, feeling such unbridled joy, that she was now paying the price. Tears sprung to her eyes as she recalled that Jessica hadn''t spoken or understood a word in nearly eight months. Jessica shook her head frantically, and hugged Hailey tight. She pointed at her mouth, then at her head, then held out her hand and made a ''so-so'' gesture. "No, it''s not all right," Hailey said, tasting salt on her lips. "You deserve so much better than being locked up in here day and night. And I just don''t know what to do for you." Hailey remembered the fudge she''d been cooking for Jessica''s birthday and felt even worse. "It''s almost your birthday and I''m sitting around making snacks and wondering what you''ll want to watch tonight. I should be out researching or doing something." Hailey laughed bitterly. "I can''t even do that though. I accused Wes of breaking us apart, and then I went ahead and did the same damn thing. I drove him away. I''m the only one left, and I''m the worst one at magic out of all of us. I can''t fix you, Jess." Hailey sat down against the wall and buried her face in her hands. Jessica sat beside her, putting an arm around her and pulled her close. "I''m so selfish and worthless. Here I am enjoying myself and letting you help me with learning how to fly when you can''t even talk to your friends anymore." Hailey dabbed at her eyes with her sleeve. "I feel like I''m the one that needs you to sleep now. I can''t sleep a wink without you next to me. How can you even stand sleeping by someone every night you have a massive crush on that won''t ever return it? I feel like I''m taking advantage of you." "Was it a mistake?" Hailey rambled on. "We could have stopped whenever we wanted. Maybe Hugo was right." She shook her head. "You''d say that was stupid though. You''d tell me that sort of hindsight wouldn''t get me anywhere. Then you''d tell me to think about all the good things it''s brought and to focus on what to do next." "I don''t know what to do next, Jess," Hailey croaked, looking up at her. Jessica''s eyes were full of sympathy and concern, but Hailey had no idea how much she actually understood, or even how much she wanted Jess to understand. Hailey had given up. "I don''t know how to do this alone." With her greatest fear spoken aloud, Hailey felt despair overcome her. Her throat choked up and her voice cracked. She buried her face in her hands once more. Hailey couldn''t bear to see Jessica''s face in that moment, comforting and forgiving and warm. Hailey had failed her. Hailey didn''t deserve her love. Hailey Winscombe was meant to be alone. Interlude I.VIII Interlude I VIII. Mid-May, a week later, on a cloudy afternoon in Rallsburg. Hailey stood once more at the top of the radio tower, the only structure visible outside of the gentle bowl of trees that formed the town proper. Hailey had climbed the tower several times, both before and after their discovery of magic, and each time she marveled at the view from the top. To the north the forest rolled out in a blanket of green covering the bones of some massive giant, climbing into the mountain that sat alone blocking her view of the ocean that lay beyond. In every other direction were trees, endless trees, with only the train track snaking through clearings showing any sign of civilization for miles and miles. If Hailey strained her eyes, she could just barely make out the little building she called home. Jessica was probably sitting at the bedroom window at that very moment watching her. Hailey wished she could see as far, but she''d never learned that particular spell, and Jessica was in no position to teach her anymore. Hailey gave a little wave, and imagined Jessica waving back. She checked once more to make sure the small leather pack was strapped tight to her waist and would not move, and that her clothes were all fitted tight against her body to reduce resistance. Then, without any further preamble, Hailey climbed over the railing and dove headfirst off the side of the tower. For a moment, she did nothing¡ªjust closed her eyes tight and let the wind blast her face. Hailey welcomed the rush and the danger, the hint of death waiting below. It was invigorating¡ªright up until Jessica''s face popped into her mind. With an abrupt thump, Hailey unfurled the mental wings she''d been keeping tight to her back. She could feel the air slam against them as if they were truly a part of her body, and felt herself begin to slide along the air as the great wings held against the resistant atmosphere, supplied with energy sucked out of her core. Her momentum shifted abruptly, starting a much more controlled dive in a graceful arc that carried her mere centimeters above the slope of trees that lead down to the town. Hailey let out a shout of exhilaration as she shot past the tips of the firs at breakneck speed. If she let her feet drop any lower, Hailey was certain she''d clip the top of a tree and spin away into an abrupt end to her flight. Instead, she managed to carry the glide all the way down to the town, where she swooped in low and landed on the top of the train station at the edge of the forest, which was currently closed. The town only saw two trains per day at most, as they had to travel along a slow winding route through the forest to reach Rallsburg, which increased travel time significantly for those wanting to reach the coast. As such, most trips bypassed the town¡ªwith its distinct lack of notable landmarks¡ªentirely in favor of an express route straight to the beach. The usual trains that came in were mostly commercial transport, mail and other such necessities. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! However, since a day or so prior, not a single train had arrived. Hailey had tried to spot a track blockage from the top of the tower, but the forest was so thick that it seemed impossible. She''d considered taking a longer glide along the track route to really test out her wings, but with no reliable way to return and Jessica dependent on the meagre income and food she brought home, Hailey didn''t want to risk getting trapped out in the forest. She wasn''t sure how long she could glide, or how much altitude she could really gain from actually flapping her wings, but Hailey knew it couldn''t last too long no matter how many gems she might bring along. The fatigue set in fast, even on the brief glide down from the tower. When it overwhelmed her, Hailey was at risk of simply passing out in mid-air and falling to a very painful crunch. Hailey walked to the edge of the station and perched on the side. She really did feel like a bird sitting at the ledge, and even folded the (non-existent) wings in her mind to complete the image. With her legs dangling off the side, she pulled out a couple sandwiches from the bag tied at her waist and began to eat while she watched the town moving about its business. She didn''t want to admit it, but Hailey was avoiding her home. Hailey refused to see Jessica as a burden, and she still loved her best friend to the end of the world and back¡ªbut she felt too much guilt and sorrow every time Jess opened her mouth and only incomprehensible sound came out. Hailey hadn''t given up, and wouldn''t ever give up, but she was totally out of leads. She took to the skies whenever she could, hoping that the wide empty expanse could help her think. It hadn''t, but it at least brought her a sense of calm and peace¡ªup until she became too exhausted to keep flying and had to land once again, sometimes in very conspicuous places. It was a miracle Hailey hadn''t been seen yet. The closest call had come when she''d been near one of the mansions on the east side of town. She''d been shocked to see her economics teacher, Professor Laushire, wandering the garden with a pensive look. Hailey had dove for the hedges on the edge and landed rather uncomfortably atop it, laying as still as possible and only taking flight once again hours later. Jessica had been in a panic when she''d finally returned¡ªwell after dark¡ªbut Hailey was fairly certain that the fiery haired professor hadn''t spotted her. Here though, sitting on the train station above town, Hailey spotted something odd. There were a good number of people converging on town hall. Something was going on today, wasn''t it? Hailey couldn''t quite remember. She thought she might have seen an invitation to a special town meeting or something, passed out by a surly looking deliveryman. Well, she had nothing better to do, and another couple hours to kill before she had to go to work. Hailey finished off her lunch and locked her bag tight against her waist again. She checked down each street carefully before diving off the roof of the train station and snapping her wings out once more. She drifted gently down to the ground a block or so away and landed with a hard thump. Hailey brushed the dirt off her pants and set off for the hall. Maybe she''d run into some of her old friends there. [Discord]¡ª[Rate This Story]¡ª[Patreon] Chapter 11 — Foreigners Part II The Time of the Hunt Chapter 11 ¡ªForeigners "Why us?" Alden asked as they eyed a small embankment formed by a huge tree root which blocked their path. "Told you, I agree with you," Viper grunted, pulling himself up swiftly and without effort. Rika followed him after only a moment''s pause. Alden tried and failed, accepting Rika''s hand up with blood rushing to his face. "Auctionin'' it off is a terrible idea." Alden brushed dirt off his pants. "No, I get why you want to steal it. I mean, why do you need us?" "Hector''s got the Scrap, and he does all sorts of crap with electricity and tech. He''s also the scariest motherfucker this side of the Rockies. I''m not going up against Hector-goddamn-Peraza alone, but I figure lightning girl here can counteract him. Right?" Viper''s grizzled beard turned to face Rika, who nodded with a touch of annoyance. "I don''t need you kid, but since you''re apparently a package deal, you''re coming along. Capiche?" Alden swallowed hard. "Got it." Rika clapped him on the back. "Lighten up, Zack. Viper''s actually a big softie, trust me." Viper shot her a glare. "I could break your face, girl." "And I could break you before you even got close. You''ve been here for months and haven''t done a thing," Rika replied flippantly. "Plus you hide under a cutesy codename. It just screams washed out." "I still don''t get it," Alden cut in before Rika could start a fight. "Hector''s just one guy." Viper laughed. "It''s Zack, right?" Alden nodded. "Well, Zack, you just got here on the last train. You know fuck-all about the town or the people here, so I''ll let you know now: Hector Peraza is not to be fucked with." "How did you know I just got here by train?" "Because I watched you get off. Which is the only reason I trust you, by the way. You haven''t been infected by this fucking place yet," Viper said, glancing back over his shoulder at the receding town outskirts. "Trust being relative shit, that is. Only person I actually trust is the one you''re about to meet." Viper suddenly stopped walking on his last word. Rika nearly bumped into him. He was pointing up at a nearby tree, and they followed his eyes to a narrow-eyed lithe, blond haired woman perched in a high nook. She held a long polished wooden rifle trained squarely on Rika''s forehead. "Rook, meet Zack and Rika," Viper gestured. "Ne ovat turvallisia." "Salasana," she replied. The rifle didn''t move an inch. Rika was completely frozen, as was Alden. "Alpha-hotel-november-six-two-one." Immediately, Rook loosened her grip on the rifle, though her narrow eyes remained fixed on the two. "You said one guest." Her voice was clipped and accented. European, if Alden had to guess¡ªhe wasn''t really acquainted with many different accents. "Turned out she had a friend," Viper said, waving them forward. After a moment''s hesitation, Rika started walking again, pushing through a thick wall of underbrush. Alden suddenly realized it must be artificially placed. From a distance, he''d have never realized the trick. Once Rika vanished it became obvious how deliberate the bushes and branches had been arrayed. He followed Viper through, wincing at the twigs that scraped his face. There was a simple camp beyond the wall of foliage. A couple sleeping bags were rolled up under a camouflage lean-to, with several half-buried boxes laid out nearby. One of the boxes was open and Alden could see silver packets of some kind stuffed inside. He felt underwhelmed by the place. For someone so intimidating, Viper was living like a homeless man in the city. There was a soft thump on the ground behind him. Alden spun around to see Rook walk past him as if he weren''t there. She was younger than he''d thought at first glance, in her late twenties rather than the age implied by the greying hair adorning Viper''s face. Her hair was short and yellow-blonde, just barely enough to cover her ears, while her eyes were icy-blue and set into a face equally chilly. Rook sat down under the lean-to and picked up one of the packets, tearing it open and biting down on the generic food with a steely look. He glanced away hurriedly before she found a reason to dislike him. "So what''s an old man and a stone-cold Nordic fox doing in a town like Rallsburg anyway, besides the obvious?" Rika said abruptly, settling herself down on a tree root. Alden took her lead and sat down nearby. Viper laughed, sitting as well and leaning over to start a fire in the small ring of stones set in the middle of the clearing. "Old man? Girl, I''m barely over thirty. Don''t let the grey hair trick you, it''s just from spending too much time in shit-your-pants situations." Rika shrugged. "Whatever. Why''re you screwing around in a dead-end town like this? You''re both obviously special ops or something like it." "Not here for Uncle Sam, if that''s your worry, or any other flag," Viper said. He was scraping flint with a survival knife at the tinder underneath the logs the old fashioned way. Rika clicked her tongue impatiently. She raised her arm and pointed her middle finger at the fire, then suddenly curled it upward. A flame burst into life on the tinder. The logs caught quickly and soon they were enjoying a crackling fire. Viper gave her an appreciative nod. "Wanna teach me that trick?" "I don''t even know your name yet." "What''s wrong with Viper?" "Sounds like you''re trying way too hard." Viper grinned. "All right then. If we''re going to be working together, I guess we oughta have some trust. My name is Stefen and my companion is Tessa." The woman behind him flicked her head in acknowledgement. She pulled out a cloth from a backpack leaning against the tree and began to polish her rifle, but Alden felt like one eye was continually trained on him regardless of her apparent distraction. She was an unnerving one. "And you already know our names, so next question," Rika continued. "You two are here for magic, then?" "Sure as sure," Viper leaned back and put his feet up. "My employer doesn''t know about any of this yet, so you don''t need to worry about your friend''s little operation getting overthrown. For now." "Wouldn''t care if you did," Rika replied. "Oh? Thought you and our high-and-mighty councilor were on the up and up." "What''s your elaborate heist plot, anyway? If we''re gonna do this, it''d better be solid." Rika asked, ignoring the jab. Viper raised his eyebrows pointedly. "No need to get complicated. The Scrap will be at the Kettle and Bones tomorrow, according to my source¡ª" "And he can be trusted?" "He''s never been wrong yet," Viper confirmed. "So we just go down there, middle of the day before it opens. Originally I was just gonna break in the back and take the thing, but now that we''ve got extra help¡­ Hey, kid, feel like trying to lure him out front?" It took Alden a moment to realize they were all looking at him. "Oh, err¡­" "All you gotta do is knock on the front door, see who comes running. Maybe complain loudly enough that everyone comes to you. Piece of cake." "Also means you''re out of the way if it does come to a fight," Rika added. "Will it?" Alden asked nervously. "Hell no," Viper said. "It''ll be the middle of the day and not even a cloud in the sky. None of them would ever risk tossing some actual magic at us, and it''s not like they can take Tessa or me in a straight fight. We just slip away into the public and stay on the streets long enough to get away. The public''s our ally here." "And what happens after?" Rika asked. "We read it, we go our separate ways, and I hang onto it for safekeeping." "Okay, but counter-offer: I keep the Scrap." Viper''s eyes narrowed as he sat up straight. "Like hell you do." "Look, you can even read it first for all I care, but I''m keeping it afterward," Rika stated flatly. He looked genuinely surprised. "Wouldn''t''ve thought you''d give that up so easily." "Give and take, right?" Rika said, flipping her hair back as blue strands had fallen over her eye. "You and your friend can read to your heart''s content, first dibs and everything, but afterward? It''s mine." Rook spat on the ground. Alden and Rika both looked up startled, but she ignored them and continued polishing her rifle. "Tessa isn''t awakened and doesn''t plan to be. Don''t mind her." "Fine. We don''t need to get along anyway. Just so long as she''s not gonna shoot us in the back, right?" "Ei vahinko tule kello kaulassa," Rook answered, not looking up. "I trust her with my life, and I vouch for her," Viper added. "That''d be so much more helpful if I trusted you," Rika said dryly. "But since there''s no way in hell I''m getting near to it without you, nor you without me, I''d say we''re golden." Rika got to her feet, and Alden scrambled to follow suit. "So, tomorrow morning then?" Viper asked casually. "Yeah. We''ll meet you here?" "Nah. We''ll be movin'' again as soon as you leave," Viper said, nodding at Rook. She began packing away boxes immediately. "Can''t be too careful with what''s been lurking out here lately." "Yeah, what the fuck is that, anyway? I heard people are disappearing out in the woods lately." "Don''t know about anyone vanishing, but I''ve seen some damn spooky things myself. Caught a glimpse of a giant cat prowling about for one, with some killer eyes. Biggest damn cat I''ve ever seen. And it just stared at me like it didn''t care a lick if I tried to run." "Sounds crazy," Rika said without a hint of irony. She gave a short bow, only barely inclining her head. "Well, see you tomorrow then." She turned and vanished through the wall of leaves and ivy. Alden was quick to follow.
As soon as they''d gotten far enough away, Rika burst out laughing. "Huh?" "He thought someone was stealing his food and stalking him. Badass mercenary with a killer sidekick, and he''s scared to death of a twelve year old''s pet cat!" Rika choked back her laughter. Alden laughed too, more nervously than of any actual mirth. "So what do we do now?" "Well, we''ve got a whole day ahead of us with not much to do. What''s on your mind?" Alden looked down at his hands. In the last day, they had become a conduit to so much more than he had ever imagined. He was excited simply thinking of the possibilities that had opened up for him. Visions danced through his mind of fire swirling around his fingertips, electricity crackling through his hands like Rika''s, or sending everyday objects twirling around in space at will. Rika saw where he was looking and grinned. "More magic, eh?" Without too much difficulty, they found a wide enough space in the thick forest where they had room to move around more freely. Rika immediately set to reminding him of the basics. How to find that new part of his mind and take hold of it, and how to send it out into the flow of energy. She made it sound so simple, but for Alden it was a mind-twisting exercise that gave him a headache just to consider. Only when he was actually relaxed and connected, so to speak, did he find himself able to enact any sort of spell. "Does it get easier?" he asked with stars dancing in his vision. Alden was sitting against a tree with a pounding headache after trying to set a single leaf on fire. He''d managed a tiny puff of smoke, but the leaf stubbornly refused to catch. Rika shrugged. "For some people, yeah. But maybe you just aren''t meant to do Elemental magic. It happens." "What do you mean?" "I mean you might be deficient." Alden winced. "What?" Rika didn''t look like she understood what she''d just said. "That word means something else¡­ err, nevermind. Anyway. Is this like you and Creation magic?" You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Rika paused. "How did you know?" "I saw you react when Rachel announced it, and how you haven''t been interested in the Scrap since then. You can''t do that kind of magic, can you?" "No," Rika sighed. "I mean, most people can''t do much in it anyway. Creation takes a hell of a lot of energy to maintain. When I''ve seen someone else try though, they usually get some kind of result. Nothing useful, but it''s still a result. For me it''s like running my face into a brick wall. I could try as many times as I like, it''s never going down, and the harder I try the more it fucks me up." "So you think that might be me and Elemental magic?" Alden asked. "Nah. You can at least get some results. You probably won''t ever do as much as I can, but if you practice hard enough you should get something workable out of it." Rika gestured at him to stand. "Come on, keep at it." Alden pulled himself to his feet and on they went. They continued for hours, stopping only to eat from a full meal Rika had packed away inside her bag. Alden found that if he switched between multiple types of magic, falling back to his own affinity every so often, he was more relaxed. Pushing and grabbing things mentally was comfortable to him. Trying to manipulate and create elements, or trying to strengthen his limbs, or even just attempting to change the color of a strand of hair¡ªevery other branch of magic left him winded and weak. Rika assured him it would eventually pass, but Alden didn''t feel like he was making progress. He was just reducing how much it hurt. Still, every time he hurled a twig across the clearing in frustration he regained his enthusiasm. At the end of the day, it was still magic. Nothing could take that brilliant giddy realization away. Without telling Rika, Alden began to experiment more with the magic. He wanted to be able to do more than just push random objects around, as it seemed like such a simple view of what was potentially an entire branch of magic. There had to be more to movement than just that. If this was his affinity, Alden was determined to make sure it wasn''t a waste of a field. His first experiments were on himself. Rika (and his own efforts) had made it quite clear that Mason''s Law¡ªwhatever it might say¡ªheld true; Alden was no more able to affect Rika than he was the rotation of the planet itself. However, the limitation seemed not to apply to his own body. Alden thus turned the magic around. With a bit of focus and timing, he found he could fling his hand forward mentally, which created a curious sensation. He obviously wasn''t propelling the limb forward himself, as the force was applied from outside his muscles, but it didn''t feel as though he were being dragged forward either. Rather, it felt as though the entire limb simply traversed space naturally. Alden still felt a pull as the region he wasn''t affecting was dragged along for the ride, but he assumed he could mitigate that once he figured out how to balance out the effects. In his mind''s eye, Alden could see himself hurling his entire body across massive gaps with ease, launched only through the efforts of his own mind. The end of the day came swiftly. Alden hadn''t realized how much time they''d spent out there, between light conversation whenever they took a break from endless practice at magic. Soon enough the sun was dipping low in the sky once more. As the dark crept in, Rika finally called a halt. It wasn''t a moment too soon for Alden. He''d staved off the exhaustion as long as he could¡ªnot wanting to seem weak or lazy in front of Rika¡ªbut his limbs were sore beyond his wildest imagination from his attempts to pull them free from their sockets. Alden wanted to impress her. Somewhere in the recesses of his mind, he entertained the fantasy that if he could reach her level, she''d be more interested in him. So far, Rika had barely asked anything personal of him. He felt like she was only keeping him around because of the strange coincidences she''d mentioned before. Now, collapsed under a tree like a puppet with its strings cut, Alden felt his face heating up as Rika towered over him. He started to look away, but she offered a hand to him. "No, it''s okay¡ª" Rika laughed. "Relax, Alzack. You''re not the first person to be completely wiped out by a day of spellcasting. Come on, let''s get you somewhere more comfortable." Alden hesitated, but reached up and grasped her offered hand firmly. Despite his best efforts, he still recoiled briefly at the surge of electricity that rolled through him at their contact. Rika was prepared and didn''t let go, pulling him to his feet. A moment later he collapsed again. His legs were like jelly, refusing to support a single ounce. "Jesus, how dead are you?" Rika grumbled. Without warning, she hoisted him up, flinging her bag around her back to hold him more securely. Alden felt the tickle of lightning across his entire body, but Rika seemed to be suppressing it more to keep him comfortable. "Let this be a lesson: don''t fucking do magic on your own." "Thanks," Alden breathed, feeling winded between the exhaustion and the vague excitement of being so close to her. "Don''t mention it." Rika set off. Alden was surprised at how well she managed to carry him while still pounding her way through the forest undergrowth. It wasn''t as thick as it had been near Viper''s camp, but even so, she made steady progress despite the added weight. "Are you doing anything to be able to hold me up?" Alden guessed. "What? Oh, no. I''m allergic to that kind of magic, remember?" Rika grunted, and the effort she was putting in to maintain her balance over the moss and roots was plain on her face. "This is compliments of my workout routine and your skinny ass." "Oh, right," Alden said. "What do you mean by allergic?" "I mean I can''t do any Self magic, and if someone else is using it nearby I get the sniffles." "I thought you couldn''t do Creation magic." "I''m lucky enough to lose two branches of magic, not just the one," Rika answered with a hint of bitterness. Meanwhile, a faint light from inside her bag accompanied the clear buzz of a vibrating phone. "Can you reach that for me? Looks like we just got bars again." Alden awkwardly reached around her side and plucked her phone out from her bag. To his surprise, it wasn''t locked. He thumbed through to find a long string of unread messages. "Rachel''s been texting you all day. Something about an emergency meeting, then asking you to call her and where you are a half-dozen times," Alden reported. Rika snorted. "And now she needs my help. Fuck her." "What happened between you two?" Alden asked. Rika glanced at him in surprise before continuing on their trek. "I''ll let you chalk that one up to exhaustion, but just know that there''s a lot of dirty history between me and that entire group," Rika said, eyes narrowed on the path. She flicked a finger near Alden''s head and sent a small burst of flame out in front of them to light up a particularly thick patch ahead. "Rachel and I were best friends, then I did some awful things to some of her supposed followers and she was forced to choose between her precious Council and her ambitions, or her best friend." "And she chose them." "Yup," she grunted. "But you said you saved them, didn''t you?" "Because I''m not a dick, and when push came to shove they''re still people I care about," Rika said, stepping easily over a trickling stream across the rock bed. They were at the edge of the forest now. "Before I went home to B.C., there was a fight. A group of people who didn''t like the Council system or how we were running things. Rachel sucks at magic, and the others at the time hadn''t really figured out how to fight. I was the only one who''d focused on combat, so I had to bail them out." Rika spat on the dirt, her eyes flashing with anger. "Bitch still told me to leave the country after that. They threatened to get the police involved since I was here illegally." "Are you still?" Alden asked. "Nah. Legal temp visa now. They can''t hold that one over me anymore. Still can''t hold a job or property or shit, but I am now allowed to step on the fucking streets without worrying about being booted back to Boring Country." "Still," Alden said, glancing at the phone again. "Maybe it''s something important." "Or maybe she got herself in way over her head as usual and needs me to bail her out," Rika sighed. "It''s late and I''m tired. Rachel can wait ''til tomorrow. She''d have called if it were that dire." "I guess so," Alden said, dropping the phone back into her bag. "You good to walk yet?" Rika asked. Alden frowned before remembering to hide it, and Rika¡ªdamn her¡ªcaught the expression. "All right, I get it." "No, it''s oka¡ª" "We''re almost there anyway. I wouldn''t want to ruin your last few moments of happiness." Rika adjusted her grip, and her skin made contact with Alden''s, sending a further jolt of electricity coursing through his veins. It had slowly shifted from unsettling to invigorating with every touch. Whatever he might have tried to intimate, Alden certainly didn''t feel like leaving her arms. For the moment, he felt like the luckiest teenager in the world. His eyes slid closed while the world thumped away with the rhythm of Rika''s footfalls on the pavement, and it was only when the sunrise began peeking through the curtains in the bare bedroom of the empty apartment that Alden realized he''d actually fallen asleep.
Alden was up and running within minutes of waking up. Energy pulsed through his blood, vibrating like a purring engine demanding to be let loose. He showered and put on a fresh set of clothes, setting aside his mud-spotted and soaked set from the night before along with the sheets he''d been laying on. He''d have to ask Rika about getting those cleaned. Alden felt he''d be spending a much longer time in Rallsburg than he''d originally expected. A few minutes later, he was out the door and onto the walkway connecting the apartments. Alden nearly bowled over a mousy girl standing at the railing with blue-and-brown hair, who squeaked indignantly but nonsensically at him. He shouted an apology over his shoulder while he burst through the door into Rika''s apartment, eager to get started with the day. A moment too late he considered that she might not appreciate him barging in¡ªas reflected in her expression. Rika was standing on the balcony overlooking the drop off into the forest behind the apartments, hanging up her clothes from the previous day to dry on a line. She was clothed, but Alden still felt like he''d stumbled all over her privacy. "Dude, knock," Rika snapped. She hung up her shirt, still glaring at him. Her intricate tattoos seemed to glare at him too, between the harsh lettering on her shoulder and the thorny entwined roses on her arm. "Sorry," Alden mumbled, his eyes falling to the floor. "Whatever. What''s up?" "I was just wondering if you wanted to do some more before we head out today," Alden said, feeling awkward. "If you keep staring at the floor I''m gonna start feeling bad." Rika slid the balcony door closed, eyeing him with an amused look. "As fun as that sounds, I''m thinking we should save our energy for the actual elaborate heist, eh?" "What, then?" "Breakfast?" Rika said. "Dan''s actually has good doughnuts, for a diner. Friend of his bakes them every morning and sells them at the counter." She looked over his shoulder and barked out a "Hey, you!" The girl who Alden had nearly knocked over the front railing made an odd ''hmm'' noise. She''d been watching them through the open front door with interest. "You got something to say?" The girl cocked her head to one side, looking confused. "Why are you just standing there staring?" Rika asked, taking a step toward her. The girl pulled her hood up tight and started walking down the apartment row, disappearing into one of the doors near the end. Rika shrugged. "Bizarre." "Maybe you scared her," Alden suggested. "Me? What could possibly be scary about moi?" Rika asked. "Well you''re strong, you''ve got some huge tattoos, and you look like you''re ready for a fight all the time. And you shoot lightning from your eyes." "I do not." "Ever tried?" "Actually¡ª" Rika started but her phone buzzed, interrupting her thought. "It''s Viper, wants us to meet at the bar. Says something''s up." She looped her bag around her waist tightly. "Let''s go."
"So what do your tattoos mean?" Alden asked while they strolled down the street toward Dan''s diner. "Ask me again sometime," Rika muttered. "The bird is really pretty. And the flowers too¡­" Alden continued, fishing for a topic. Before he could land something interesting, Rika interrupted his thoughts. "Oh, shit." She pulled Alden into a gap between the buildings and off the street. "Huh?" "Look!" Rika hissed, leaning out. Alden craned his neck to see around the corner above her. Down the street was a huge burly man with a beard thick as a bear''s fur, towering over a small robed girl. As her robe fluttered back in the wind, Alden recognized the telltale silver-grey hair of Cinza. She was flanked by two other robed figures, one of whom had dark red curls poking out. "What are they doing?" "It doesn''t matter. It can''t be good," Rika muttered. "Shouldn''t you call someone?" Alden asked tentatively. Rika shook her head. "Getting the police involved would only make this worse. The less scrutiny on Cinza''s group, the better. No one wants magic out in the world, not yet. She''s just gotta deflect him. Whatever the stupid lumberjack wants, just give it to him and move on." "You and your folk burned my land," the burly man growled, and despite being a block away Alden could make out his voice clearly. "Mr. Harrison, I''m sorry for the damage to your property, but my people were not involved," Cinza replied in her usual airy fashion. "Save it. We all know what you''re up to now. Summon up your fire and let''s have it out." "I will not fight you, Mr. Harrison," Cinza replied, taking a step back. Her partners, however, seemed to have missed the message, as their robes ruffled and arms raised. A puff of flame flickered into being above one hand. The red-haired girl summoned a few shiny rocks out of her sleeve, levitating them threateningly above her palm. Robert took a step back automatically, his eyes locked on the fire. "He doesn''t look surprised," Alden breathed, not daring to raise his voice above a whisper. "No shit," Rika answered just as quietly. "Something''s happened." She pulled out her phone. "I''m calling Rachel." A brief burst of police siren rendered Rika''s call irrelevant. The sheriff''s cruiser rolled up next to Robert. From the front seats burst Rachel herself, with the sheriff in tow. Rika froze, her hand hovering just above her erstwhile friend''s name on her phone. "Robert, desist!" Jackie called. "These bastards burned down a huge chunk of forest!" Robert shouted back. "We agreed to look the other way, but that was before!" "Do you have proof?" Rachel asked, walking calmly between the massive Robert and diminutive Cinza. Between them, the willowy Rachel looked like the perfect middle ground, except that she was still the tallest in the group. Alden admired her bravery, even as the tiny flame in Cinza''s lieutenant''s hand puffed larger. Rachel shot him a fierce look. To Alden''s surprise, the flame puffed out, while the stones floating above the red-haired girl''s hand fell to her palm. "Thank you." Robert continued, and though he wasn''t shouting anymore his voice still carried across the street. "I know they were out in those woods not two nights ago, right before the fires started. I saw their lights through the trees." "So was I," Rachel answered, still perfectly calm. "They finished their business and went to their homes as usual. They only use light. It generates no heat or flame. Whatever fires were started, they weren''t by Cinza''s people." "Look, I''m tolerating you ''awakened''," Robert practically spat the word. "because Jackie vouches for you, but don''t think I don''t know better. You''ve got something going on with Rhistler." "What the fuck is going on?" whispered Rika. "What the hell happened yesterday?" Alden just shook his head. He wanted to hear more. "I''ve heard about your friend, Rachel," Robert continued. Rika stiffened next to Alden. For a moment, he worried he might have to restrain her from blitzing the group. The tension in the air was thick enough already. Alden didn''t believe the situation would survive Rika hurling herself into the fray. "Those bodies had electrical burns. If you''re trying to pull a cover-up with the mayor, we''ll find out. I might agree to helping protect your whole little community, but that doesn''t mean we have to keep murderers safe." "She wanted me to leave¡­" Rika breathed. Alden glanced at her, and for the first time saw an ounce of real fear in Rika''s eyes. It was chilling. Rachel shook her head. "I won''t protect anyone from the full authority of the law. The law, Mr. Harrison. We still live in a civilized country, where the innocent are protected with due process. If she is convicted, then you will have my full support." "Convicted by who?" Robert shot back. "How are we supposed to hold court with your kind?" "We''ll figure that out when we find her," Jackie snapped. "Now back down, Bob. That girl''s not done anything yet, and I don''t allow citizens'' arrests in my town." For a moment, Alden thought a fight might actually break out in the middle of the street, but Robert merely grunted in frustration and anger before stomping down the street with clenched fists. Rachel gave a terse nod to Cinza before seating herself back into the passenger seat of the police cruiser. The sheriff crossed the gap to exchange a few quiet words with the robed girl before rejoining Rachel, and the cruiser sped off, while Cinza''s trio proceeded down the block to Dan''s diner. Suddenly¡ªas suddenly as they''d come upon the encounter¡ªthe street was utterly deserted. Rika slid down the side of the wall to the concrete, her head in her hands. Alden double checked to make sure no one was watching them, but Rika didn''t seem to notice. Her voice came out in a pained whisper. "What the fuck am I supposed to do now?" [Discord]¡ª[Rate This Story]¡ª[Patreon] Chapter 12 — Deputies, Detectives and Deities Chapter 12 ¡ªDeputies, Detectives and Deities Rachel didn''t expect a moment of rest for days at this rate. As small of a town as Rallsburg purported to be, Rachel and Jackie still found enough incidents of confrontation between the Awakened and the mundane to find themselves occupied at every hour. They''d only managed to squeeze in breakfast before they were called out to defuse the confrontation between Robert Harrison and Cinza, which was by far the worst pairing Rachel had expected. Luckily, that had been settled relatively amicably, to Rachel''s surprise¡ªand relief. Instead, it was the less dramatic entanglements that drew the greatest anxiety. Some people loved surprises, but Rachel absolutely was not one of them. There were elements to the town she rarely considered, and when those elements were roused to confront the new reality that had been thrust upon them, Rachel was smothered in fear-mongering, distrust and¡ªas Cinza feared¡ªoutright witch-hunting. For all her attempts to remind people of due process and innocence, there were still rumblings for blood. People¡ªespecially the mundane elements of the community¡ªwanted someone to blame for the murders. Two college kids were bad enough, even if they weren''t locals or particularly popular, but Jenny Wilson would be more than enough to start a crusade. Rallsburg didn''t have that many children anymore, so everyone knew them well. Jenny wasn''t a universally beloved figure or anything, but she was liked well enough¡ªand with an incident like sudden, brutal murder, that was more than enough to turn her into a martyr. Public evidence had placed one person squarely in the crosshairs. Rachel didn''t think much of what Rika had done in the past, but she knew she had to protect her friend in the present no matter what rifts might exist between them. Rika was innocent. She knew that without a doubt. If she were convicted, their entire community was at risk. This was to be the first major challenge of their emergence. How could she disprove Rika''s involvement? The car bumped and crashed over a pothole as they swerved around a corner. Jackie had just answered a call from Deputy Bowman asking for backup. Something was happening at Hector''s grocery, which sent Rachel''s heart sinking. Hector had been revealed through her own actions at the town hall, where in her haste she hadn''t thought to signal him in some more discreet way. He''d come to her aid, as he always had, and now he was starting to pay the price for it.
"Please, I don''t want any trouble," Hector said meekly, his hands in the air behind the counter. "We don''t either, but you''ve gotta tell us how." The leader of the trio, a student from the University who''d stayed for the summer (Logan Bowerson), was leaning over the counter with an eager glint in his eyes, while his cronies leered. "Logan!" Rachel shouted, after Jackie faltered. The sheriff had noted to Rachel how using someone''s given name was vastly more effective at getting their attention, but the sheriff would never have Rachel''s capacity to recall every single person they ran across in an instant. Logan turned at the call, giving them the delay they needed to close in and give Hector some support. Hector looked even more flustered at the sudden crowd near his store''s counter, backing into the corner with his hands still raised. Logan had a knife at his belt, though it hadn''t been drawn, and his wingmen looked ready for a fight. "What do you want?" Logan snapped. "Just to talk," Rachel said, raising her own hands to try and placate the group. Jackie stood a few paces behind, just close enough to intervene if needed. Rachel''s blood was already beginning to race. She never liked being surrounded by people. She enjoyed having the attention of a crowd, certainly¡ªbut they needed to be at a remove, as with the town hall meeting. Up close and personal sent her heart pumping and her head spinning. "Gonna answer my questions, then?" "What questions are those?" Rachel asked innocently, though she knew full well. They''d be the same questions that were sweeping the town, the same questions that she knew would eventually break out of the curtain of silence they were currently maintaining. Between the delayed train and the internet filtering she''d put in place with the cooperation of the Mayor''s office, they were carefully monitoring communication out of the town. They couldn''t prevent phone calls, of course, but Rachel hadn''t seen any attempts to spread the revelations to the outside yet via the Web. She doubted anyone would be using only the phone for such news. Still, it was only a matter of time before the question would explode into the world. "How can we learn to use magic?" "Hector can''t help you with that," Rachel answered, and¡ªas with most answers she gave¡ªit was technically true. Hector couldn''t awaken someone, as he purposely didn''t keep any pages. He didn''t like the idea of it, though he was still willing to use his power to help the Council. The only page he''d have was the Scrap they''d entrusted to him a few days ago, but Hector had confided to her that he''d secured it away for the time being. He was utterly useless to Logan and any other would-be mages. "What, and you''re saying you can?" one of Logan''s friends sniggered. "Campus air-head''s gonna teach us magic?" "Hey Rachel, how many pages are in a five-page paper?" the other chimed in. Rachel felt heat rushing to her face, and anger rising in her chest. She refused to back down. "There''s nothing here for you." "You heard her," Jackie growled, taking a step forward. "Scram." Deputy Bowman was approaching from the street, having fobbed off a few interested passersby. With the full attention of both officers, Logan and company seemed to finally take the hint. They slouched off. Hector let out a huge sigh of relief. "Thank you, Miss DuValle. And you, Miss Nossinger." "Yeah, sure," Jackie said, pulling off her hat. "Rachel, this is just escalating. It''s the third time today we''ve had to pull people off Hector or Cinza," the deputy added, glancing over his shoulder at the retreating trio. "It should diminish over the next few days," Rachel said. "There''s a lot of interest right now, but the word should spread. Once people realize this won''t work, they should be left alone." She turned to Hector apologetically. "Hector, I''m sorry. This is all my fault." He shook his head. "It was my choice, miss." "Can we do anything for you?" "Just keep shopping here like you always do," he answered with a crooked smile. "The strawberries are very good right now." Rachel nodded, offering a smile in return, but it didn''t seem to comfort him much. After a few moments he bustled away to the back, leaving her alone with the two officers. "You really think it''ll die down?" the deputy asked. Jackie snorted. "Right up until they remember there''s three kids dead, Preston." Rachel inclined her head at the sheriff. "That''s a timebomb waiting to go off. The two college kids isn''t as bad as it could be, since they''re both out-of-towners and not really well-connected. But once they hear about Jenny¡­" "We''re in a shitstorm," Jackie finished. "I''ve been delaying it, in case any clues pop up from her identity being a mystery, but it''s Rallsburg. She''ll be figured out in no time. Her parents are already all over me." She frowned. "What''s the word on the hunt, anyway?" "Nothing out in the woods," Rachel replied. "We had one period of activity relatively nearby, but by the time we got there, whomever had cast the spell had broken camp and vanished. We couldn''t track them at all." "Who''s ''we''?" "Not to sound ungrateful, but I''d really prefer not to tell you." Jackie furrowed her brow suspiciously. "I''m doing the best I can here, Rachel, but murder''s still murder. I''ve got the law to enforce. That''s obstruction." "Consider it a protected witness, then, under RCW 7.69.030." "Let''s assume I don''t know that one off the top." "''There shall be a reasonable effort made to protect individuals from harm or threats of harm arising from cooperating with law enforcement investigations and prosecutions.'' The individual in question would be at serious risk of harm if it were revealed the extent of their ability to track magical activity." Rachel paused for a moment¡ªimagining her beloved''s face in her mind¡ªbefore continuing. "Our community is a collection of individuals, many of whom have significant reason to keep their identities and abilities private. Some of whom would act if they felt that privacy threatened. The individual is willing to cooperate in this case because it has far-reaching implications beyond the usual, as well as a personal favor to myself. However, to keep them safe, their identity must remain absolutely private. Is that all right?" Jackie frowned even deeper, a state that hadn''t seemed possible on her face until that moment. "I don''t like it, but I guess I have to live with it. Not like I have any better ideas for finding these people." "What about motive and alibis? Do we have any suspects?" Preston asked. "Not a one. Just the one suspicious person, who you can be damn sure I''ll question soon as I find her." Jackie glanced at Rachel. "Word is she was a friend of yours." "Except briefly at the one Council meeting we''ve had since the last train, we haven''t spoken in months," Rachel answered. "I''ve been trying to call her. But her arrival in town would put her after the time of the murders, wouldn''t it?" "Assumin'' she actually arrived on that train." "The station clerk vouched for that," Preston chimed in. "Talked to him this morning. He watched her get off the train alone and head into town straight off." "Alone? He''s sure?" Rachel asked. "Uhh, yeah. Why?" Rachel shook her head. "Nothing." "Nuh-uh, girl," Jackie snapped. "Cooperation, remember? You''ve gotta fill me in on anything, no matter how trivial it might seem." Rachel hesitated. She didn''t want to implicate the guy if he''d come to town alone, but the fact that Rika had attached herself to him already damned Zack in the eyes of the town. It was just poor luck. "Since the Council meeting, she''s had someone with her nearly all hours. A teenager named Zack. I''ve never met him, but something about him seemed off, both to me and to my associate." "The one with the tracking power." "Right. Zack wasn''t awakened¡ªerr, he didn''t have access to magic. So it wasn''t that. It was something else about him. I''d have to be closer to be sure." Jackie cracked her knuckles, turning to stroll out to the cruiser. "Which takes finding the pair. Rachel, you still with me?" "Of course," Rachel said, reshouldering her bag and hurrying to catch up.
They combed the town without any particular direction in mind. Jackie simply followed her usual patrol schedule. They figured a Japanese girl with blue hair would stand out pretty well in a small town. Rachel offered suggestions on how to optimize her route to move through the town quicker, use less gasoline and still cover the same ground as frequently. It was a stark contrast to the old Rachel, and Jackie commented as such. "You think?" Rachel said absently, her mind currently working through an idea for a way to fuel cars while they spoke. A typical car engine was just a series of rapid explosions causing pistons to move and generate mechanical energy, and Rachel wanted to know if there was a way they could improve that somehow. The real trick in her opinion was how to approach it. Would it be better to try and recreate the same explosion effect and rotate the axles in the usual way, or could it be more efficient to toss the entire existing engine design and find a new method entirely propelled by magic? There were so many theoretical possibilities that it kept Rachel''s mind entertained during such tedious things as travel or rest. "Hell, girl, a year ago I''d be picking you up and giving you a ride back to campus because you were lost in a ten-street town and asking strangers what day it was," Jackie snorted. "The look on your face, too." "Oh," she replied, her thought process broken for a moment. "...I''d forgotten about that." "I thought you didn''t forget things." "Not since I changed that about myself," Rachel answered. "Things before that¡­" "Why didn''t you do it sooner, then?" She hesitated. They were entering dangerous waters for casual conversation topics. Rachel didn''t want to reveal too much. On the other hand, Jackie already felt like she was second-rung, and Rachel valued her both as an asset and as a friend. Of the two major town officials, the sheriff was much more likely to be the neutral party. Rowan wasn''t hated, but he wasn''t exactly loved either. Many groups¡ªparticularly the loggers like Robert Harrison and friends of Gordon Merrill the journalist¡ªwere vocal opponents. Rachel still didn''t trust the mayor with detailed information about magic, but Jackie wasn''t a power-grabbing politician. There were very few who had a bone to pick with the sheriff. Here was a tried-and-true officer of the law, and one that preferred quiet streets where she could enjoy the town as opposed to a crime-laden district where she could lay down the law. Given sensitive information, Rachel believed Jackie wouldn''t act on it unless she needed to. "Jackie, if I give you some information, you don''t have to pass it on to the mayor." She frowned, turning the next corner a bit more sharply than usual. "Weird way to answer my question. Not officially, no. I like to keep him in the loop on anythin'' important though." "Well, let''s say this isn''t something important to the investigation. Knowing it will help you police the town, but if it became more common knowledge, it would be dangerous for everyone." "And you think the mayor can''t keep his trap shut," Jackie concluded. "I don''t, but I also don''t know him that well yet. We''ve worked together all year though. I can trust you, right?" "''Course you can, girl." Rachel pointed out an alleyway they were quickly approaching, a secluded spot behind the Kettle and Bones bar. "Pull over there. I have something to show you."
"Jesus Christ," Jackie breathed. She took an involuntary step back, and her hand found the sidearm strapped to her waist. The wooden door had just appeared directly in front of her, set squarely into the gap between the wall and the dumpster. Rachel put a hand on the shorter woman''s shoulder, trying to reassure her. "It''s a door to what we call a pocket dimension. It''s where we do business." Rachel pulled the door open, revealing the inky black wall within. "It''s okay, we can just step right through." "Speak for yourself," she muttered, but Jackie followed her through the door all the same. Beyond the black veil, the marketplace was mostly quiet. A few of the stalls around the octagonal street were open, but there was only so much commerce to be had amongst a community of less than a hundred. The only truly important business taking place that day was in a more permanent structure set off to one side. It was a plain light blue portable classroom that had originally been given to the college for overflow classes, but had ended up unused when application rates had declined. Kendra had found a way to acquire it surreptitiously and move it inside the Market for their use. It now served to provide the council a place for business that could not be conducted in the world proper. "So this is where the drug trade went," Jackie groused, glancing at the tents and the other doors scattered around the place. "No, no drugs. We keep a close eye on what gets traded," Rachel replied. "Besides, it''s not like we had an actual trade in Rallsburg to begin with, unless you count marijuana." "State doesn''t anymore. No reason for me to either." "When we go in, just hang back and let me talk, all right?" Rachel said as they approached the portable. "Hey, this is your world. Far as I''m concerned you''re in charge. You''re an elected official, right?" "Yes." "Guess I''m your enforcement arm too, then. Might not be in writing but that''s the spirit of the thing, right?" Rachel smiled. That was exactly what she wanted to hear. Jackie was someone who respected the law, but also someone who knew when it was too slow to adapt to dynamic new situations. She took the steps two at a time and knocked sharply on the door. Josh Miller answered, a bemused look on her fellow councilor''s face. "Rachel? I thought you weren''t coming to this one." "Changed my mind. I needed to bring a guest." Josh''s eyes were wide as dinner plates as he saw who Rachel had in tow. "What are you doing?" he hissed. "I trust her, and she needs to know what''s up. She won''t reveal anything she sees here, not even to her deputy." She glanced over her shoulder, and Jackie nodded an affirmative. Josh shrugged. "Cinza''s not gonna like it." "Cinza knows what''s at stake in the town right now. She can live with it. Most of her followers aren''t here anyway, right?" "Still out, last I heard. It''s just the Terrible Trio and their new initiate today. Excuse me, the totally unrelated newcomer." Rachel laughed. "They''re still pretending otherwise?" "Like it''s not obvious." Josh grinned. "The way he looks at her, he''s a dead ringer for a devoted cult slave." He stood out of the doorway. "Well, come on then." Rachel stepped inside, Jackie at her heels. The entire room looked round, and Rachel found herself once again at the center of a spotlight. In this case, it was literal, as Cinza had summoned up a beam of light to blind them. Rachel felt Jackie grab at her shoulder to steady herself from the sudden loss of vision. "Cinza..." "My own identity is my choice to disclose as I please, but your position does not give you the right to reveal us all at a whim," Cinza said. Irritatingly, she was back to the airy ethereal echo that Rachel detested so much, rather than the genuine voice she''d allowed to slip free around Rachel. Apparently Rachel was special somehow. "I vouch for the sheriff. She will keep absolute confidence of anyone she sees in this room today, except in the case of a committed legal crime." Rachel paused. "Someone on the other half of the summit should begin to understand us, Cinza, if we have any hope to emerge successfully. Who better in this town than the sheriff?" She could hear murmuring across the room, between Cinza and her two seldom-heard associates, as well as Josh and whomever else had attended. Rachel tried to play back the brief glimpse she''d gotten, but Cinza''s reaction had been too quick. Thankfully, she didn''t need to, as the light vanished only a minute later¡ªsucked away like a switch had been flipped. Jackie let out a deep breath, rubbing at her eyes. "There should have been no pain or damage," Cinza called. "You''re good, girl. I''m just trying to make sure I believe what I''m seeing," the sheriff answered. She fell heavily into one of the chairs set around the blank whiteboard, watching the room with an exhausted expression. "Just go on and do your thing, don''t mind me." Cinza turned to Rachel. "We hadn''t expected you to attend, since you already cleared him. Has something changed?" "No, nothing. Proceed as usual." "Did you want to run the show, Rach?" Josh asked. Rachel winced at the shortened name, but shook her head. "Do you have one of the copies, at least? I may have left mine at home and was about to run to grab it." She sighed and opened her bag. It only took a minute to dig through the contents and find one of the page copies the Gods had made for them. It was the very same one she took from Jeffrey Rosenberg only a week prior, in fact. She''d begun to suspect that Cinza''s people were responsible for luring him to that particular copy, and she''d made sure she kept it on her just in case an opportunity like this arose. As she handed it directly to Cinza, Rachel noticed a brief flash of recognition cross her eyes, though the other girl hid it well. Rachel took the seat next to Jackie feeling triumphant. One mystery solved. "Help me out here, Rachel. What''s going on exactly?" Jackie whispered, while Cinza took the page to the other side of the room and handed it to Josh. "This is awakening," Rachel replied, keeping her voice just as low. It didn''t matter much if they made noise, but Rachel didn''t want to seem like she was intruding more than necessary on the moment. It was a profound experience that could only happen once in a lifetime. "You mean, this is how¡­" Jackie started, then understanding struck her. "You told Rowan¡ª" "We lied." Jackie slumped forward in her chair, pressing her hands to her forehead. "Rachel, you''re making my life insane. Anyone can do this?" "Not exactly, but close enough. So you see why you need to know this information." "No shit," she sighed. "We can control it though. You can''t go through with it without having access to a few things. So we have an approval process." "And you clear everyone who goes through. How are they vetted?" Josh examined the page briefly, making sure it was intact (or as intact as it could be¡ªthey still hadn''t ever found a complete page of the book, nor did Rachel ever expect to). He then handed it over to Nate Price, the individual they''d cleared for the day. The rich young heir of the town logging fortune had actually almost been cleared to awaken a long time past, but the incident with Natalie and Robert Harrison had given Rachel enough reason to forestall the vote. After he''d shown enough common sense to understand his wrongdoing, she''d reluctantly voted in favor once again, before she began to be seen as overly controlling. "We interview them, mostly. Make sure they seem psychologically fit to handle something like magic. Beyond that, we try not to stand in the way too much. We''re an elected council, but like I said before, it''s for a group of very private individuals. No one would look too kindly on us halting awakenings for petty or personal reasons." "That seems like it could snowball out of control." Rachel nodded. "It''s always a danger, but there''s a few basic laws that help prevent that. For one, magic can''t really be used directly on another person. The amount of damage someone can do to other human beings is limited." Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. "Thank God." "Besides that, we''ve had a few incidents in the past involving people trying to assert themselves over the Council. None succeeded, and everyone still here knows what happens when you try to upset the status quo." "That can''t last," Jackie said darkly. "No, it can''t," Rachel agreed. "Which is why I brought you here. It''s time we start integrating ourselves into the rest of the world, one small step at a time. It''ll be much safer for everyone in the long run if we can establish a proper community." "Gotcha." The sheriff sat up straight, taking a greater interest in the ritual happening in front of her. "Is that the mayor''s nephew over there? Mason?" "Yes. He''s one of the smartest among us. Helped define a lot of the rules on how magic works." "Never liked that kid." "Why''s that?" "Condescending little dick, always trying to tell me how to do my job." Rachel smiled. That was something she could relate to. "He does that to you too, eh?" Jackie raised an eyebrow. "Careful, girl, your Canadian is showing." She laughed. "I only grew up there. I was born in California." "Even worse." Josh had finished explaining to Nate how to proceed. He stood back to give Nate some space. A cushioned chair directly behind him was the only thing within a few meters. Nate set the page on the lectern and started to read it aloud. "Abrec tes minnear¡ª" Nate immediately coughed, and had to look away and clear his throat a few times. "Is he all right?" Jackie asked with concern. "Yes. This happens to everyone. He just needs to continue reading it aloud." "He doesn''t sound all right." "They''re just words," Rachel said dismissively. "We''re not even sure they actually have any meaning. You don''t have to say anything to cast spells. It helps some people to focus, or they just think it sounds cool, but it''s not required." "And anyone can just read these and learn magic?" "No, not anyone. It has to be from the original book, or one of the special copies that were made for us. You could put the words online and it wouldn''t do a thing." "This feels like demonic shit here, Rachel. You know how it looks, right? You''re gonna have all the churches up in arms on this one. Just be ready for the storm when it comes." Nate began again, and he made it through on the second attempt. Rachel was a little surprised. It wasn''t unheard of, but it was certainly somewhat uncommon to make it through the first paragraph in only two tries. Very few failed on the third try, however, and once the first paragraph was cleared it was impossible to stop. It was potentially deadly to stop. Nate''s voice began to accelerate. His voice dropped in tone and the words began to run together. It quickly became impossible to comprehend anything he said. They''d once attempted to record the words and play them back more slowly, but the recordings only produced raw noise, devoid of anything meaningful. Jackie clutched Rachel''s wrist. "Jesus, is he all right?" "He''s fine, Jackie. Just wait." Everyone in the room was standing back a few paces. It was an unwritten rule to give a respectful distance to Grey-eyes and not intrude on her work. They all knew the consequences if she failed to appear, but not one of them could recall a single instance where there had been even the slightest doubt that she would complete her task. Nate''s voice began to choke up, as it became clear he was beginning to run out of oxygen. Rachel took stock of the room rather than watch the unpleasant spectacle. Cinza and her trio were excited, but Mason looked vaguely concerned. Josh checked his watch, bored as usual. Abruptly, Nate''s voice cut off, precisely on time. He fell back onto the armchair, gasping as he tried to voice words he couldn''t see. Rachel remembered the feeling and shuddered. It was a rare case where she wished she didn''t have perfect memory. She hadn''t managed to forget before she''d made her mind permanent. Rachel never wanted to feel the sensation of being cut off from the book again, trying to read words that had been torn away. Nate continued to gasp and choke on the chair, letting out a groan with the little breath he had left. Josh checked his watch again, his brow furrowed. Cinza''s group still watched patiently, eagerly awaiting their savior. "Rachel¡­" Jackie started. "Wait." Despite her reassuring tone, Rachel was starting to worry. Where is she? Nate''s face was beginning to shift blue. Rachel started to rise from her chair, and Jackie was following close behind her. Mason started forward as well, his expression grim. Josh leapt forward, landing next to Nate and putting pressure on his chest. Without hesitation he started trying to breathe life back into the boy. Rachel and Mason were with him a moment later. Cinza faltered, confusion and fear stamped on her face. She appeared, right in their midst, sitting just to Nate''s side. Her soft grey eyes flashed with alarm. In an instant she had Nate''s hand clasped in her own, while she began whispering something none of them could hear. His mouth began moving once more. She waved two of her fingers forward in a quick flicking motion, and Rachel felt air rush past her shoulder and straight into Nate''s throat. His lungs began to expand immediately. With more swift motions, the god sitting at Rachel''s side sent air flowing in and out of Nate, fueling him with oxygen before he passed out completely. In only a few moments he began to utter the remainder of the page, finally progressing past the gap. Josh fell back gasping. They backed away to give Grey-eyes and Nate the space to finish. Rachel rejoined Jackie on the wall of the room, planting herself back in the chair. "See? Nothing to worry about," Rachel said, breathing heavily. Her heart was a pounding drum in her chest. "That wasn'' normal, right?" "No. Something went wrong. It''s fine now though." "Who is that?" "Later." Grey-eyes was just about done, and Rachel wanted to try something. She rose and made her way around the room to face her. She was tiny compared to Rachel¡ªmore than a full foot shorter, putting her just barely taller than Cinza, the shortest in the entire community. Still, Rachel was intimidated just being in the same room. There was a distinct aura of power about her, and it was something Rachel wanted to investigate while she had the chance. She composed herself, then let her gaze shift into her other sight as Will had taught her. The connections in the room began to filter into her sight, hazy lines draped between every occupant of the room. Rachel was bombarded by the stronger connections in the room. There was a strange triangle between Cinza and her two lieutenants, with strong lines connecting all three as well as a strange multi-faceted web that somehow pulled them all together. A line was drawn from Rachel herself to Josh, to Jackie, and to Mason¡ªher three friends and allies in this room. The usual faint but thick line trailed off into the distance, connecting her to Will wherever he might be at that moment. Rachel touched it briefly for the warmth, then tore her gaze away to the one she''d not yet examined. She felt like she might go blind. There were countless lines draped off Grey-eyes, trailing away in every direction imaginable. Rachel had never seen such a thick bundle of connections pouring out of a person. She tried to look closer, and for the briefest moment Rachel saw something strange. The connections were threadbare and indistinct¡ªvery unlike most of the ones she examined. A proper connection was like a flowing loop, continuously rolling through the air and bounding back and forth between individuals. It might flow much stronger in one direction, if a relationship wasn''t properly mutual, but there was virtually always a return flow of some kind. Grey-eyes had no returning flows. She wasn''t properly connected to anyone, but she was linked to everyone. It was shocking, but Rachel didn''t have time to think about it. The moment she looked more closely at the girl, those sad eyes snapped up to meet her own. Rachel immediately dropped back into normal vision. Grey-eyes'' expression was fierce. "What are you doing?" she asked. She had risen to her feet, while Nate spluttered back to life below her. She was wearing simple clothes, just blue jeans and a dark grey jacket with a rumpled t-shirt underneath, and her appearance was plain and unremarkable, but Rachel had never been more terrified in her life. Grey-eyes never spoke. "I¡­" Rachel started. She had no idea what to say. She was too afraid to even take a single step backward. What was she thinking, trying to spy on a god? You want to make the world a better place, and this girl is your best shot at it. Rachel summoned up all the courage she could muster and forced out five simple words. "I want to help you." "What?" With that one word, the entire room was stunned into silence. No one expected her to actually answer Rachel''s request. Grey-eyes never talked to anyone beyond their awakening. Everyone knew that. "I want to help you." "You were trying to spy on my life," she said. Her tone wasn''t accusatory. She was stating a fact. Rachel nodded. "We don''t know anything about you, but you''ve done so much for us. I want to return the favor." Grey-eyes shook her head, her messy brown hair flying wildly. "I''m doing what has to be done." "Because we''d die without you, right?" "Yes." Rachel took a deep breath, trying to clear her thoughts. "Back at the summit, you¡ª" Grey-eyes threw up an arm, stopping Rachel mid-sentence. She saw the rest of the room take a step forward out of the corner of her eye, but her gaze couldn''t leave the grey-eyed girl. It took a moment for Rachel to realize what she''d done, as the Market was already a very quiet place without the background ambience of wind or nature around them¡ªbut as Josh''s mouth opened and closed without a sound she understood. "That was a private conversation," Grey-eyes said quietly. "I''m sorry." She shook her head. "It''s okay. You wanted to talk. I guess this is as good a time as any." She made a twisting motion with her hand, and a ripple of light moved through the air in a sphere around them. The rest of the room seemed filtered somehow, as if through sunglasses. "They can''t see or hear us anymore. What did you want to talk about?" Rachel was taken aback. She''d wanted this meeting for so long, she hadn''t expected it to actually come true today. She''d only leapt at the opportunity after Grey-eyes had been so delayed in her arrival, and been apparently distracted by the medical emergency. The girl looked away from Rachel, staring determinedly at the wall. Rachel wasn''t sure how to react to that. Was she bored? What was Rachel supposed to say? "Is there any way we can help with awakening people?" She''d finally settled on the topic most immediately relevant, what with the still-recovering Nate now in the corner of the room being examined by the sheriff. Jackie was eyeing Rachel and Grey-eyes with suspicion, but thankfully Rachel seemed to have imposed upon her the importance of inaction for the time being. "Not really, no. I wish you could. But you''d have to know the Grimoire like I know it. And, well¡­ that''s impossible now." "Because it was destroyed?" "Yeah¡­" The girl clasped her hands together, twiddling her thumbs. Rachel watched closely, expecting some kind of magic, but she was still just staring at the corner of the room. For a moment, her face turned a faint shade of red before it immediately shifted back to its normal pale. Realization struck her. Grey-eyes was embarrassed. "Are you all right?" "Huh?" She looked up, startled. "I mean, yeah, I''m fine." "You took so long to get here..." "That was¡­ my bad. I lost track of time." She looked over at Nate again and grimaced. "I''ve never been that late before." "Hey, it''s okay. He''s gonna be fine. You got here in time," Rachel said, trying to sound comforting. She felt absurd. Here she was¡ªsomeone who could barely perform the simplest spells most days¡ªand she was trying to comfort someone who''d teleported into the middle of an alternate dimension and subsequently given them perfect privacy in the middle of the room on a whim. "Thanks, Rachel," she answered, and for the briefest moment Rachel thought she might smile¡ªbut this was Grey-eyes. Her expression was perpetually lonely and guarded. "That means a lot." "Yeah." Rachel took a step toward her, and the girl didn''t recoil. "Still, I wish I could do more than that. There has to be something I can help with, isn''t there?" "I¡­ I don''t know. You''re the leader, Rachel, not me. I should be asking you that." Rachel felt her chest swell with pride. "Can you help us find someone?" She looked away again. "I can. But I don''t know if I should." "What do you mean?" "Right now, I''m trapped. It''s like I''m balancing two glasses of water on opposite ends of a stick, right?" She flicked a finger, and an illusion of that very image appeared between them. "I can go a bit out to one side, but then everything tips." The board began to tilt, and one of the glasses began to spill. Water cascaded out and faded away just before hitting the ground. "So I run to the other side, and everything''s normal again, until I overdo it and it spills the other way." "I''m not sure I follow." "Spills are bad, but the water can be refilled. It''s fixable, just unpleasant. If I go too far though, it won''t just spill. It''ll break." She let the illusionary glass fall and shatter on the ground. Rachel jumped. She''d never seen such a perfect illusion, nor one with accompanying sound. It was startlingly realistic. Cinza would give a lot to pull that off. "You''re saying if you support us, you might set off this¡­ other side." "Yeah." Grey-eyes fluttered her fingers briefly, and the illusion vanished in a puff of smoke. "But this balancing act, is it really any better?" "Do you remember that night?" Rachel nodded. Grey-eyes didn''t need to be more specific. They all remembered that night. "That''s the balance. I keep it, they don''t come back." "But they have, haven''t they?" Rachel asked. "What?" Rachel was taken aback. She assumed Grey-eyes already knew. "A few nights ago, Cinza was attacked." "She was?" Grey-eyes shot a glance at the trio in the corner, still watching the sphere with wide eyes. The red-haired girl was holding Cinza''s hand tight, clinging to her side, while the young man behind them just stood in awe. Rachel wondered what they actually saw, if they couldn''t see inside. "Your cult isn''t very well-liked around here, but¡ª" "It''s not my cult." "You don''t like the label?" Grey-eyes shook her head. "If it makes them happy, they can do whatever they want. But I didn''t do anything." "I''m sorry. Cinza''s people then. They were attacked by golems of fire out in the woods. I don''t know anyone else who can do something like that, do you?" "No¡­" she trailed off. "But, he didn''t enter the town. I''m sure of it." "Omega had an accomplice. Someone was controlling the golems for him." "I¡­ guess that''s possible. But they''d have to be¡ªwell, they weren''t magical. ''Awakened'', you guys call it, right?" "So we''re looking for someone who can''t use magic, but can order golems around?" Rachel sighed. "That doesn''t exactly make it easier." Grey-eyes frowned. "I¡­ I shouldn''t say, but¡­ Natalie. Natalie is the key." "Natalie Hendricks?" "Yes." Grey-eyes shifted awkwardly from one foot to another. "She''s seen them out in the woods. Talk to her." Puzzle pieces were clicking into place. The men Natalie had seen¡ªher father and Omega? Natalie''s affinity for nature and the animals out in the woods would lead her to them. Rachel was certain of that now. But¡­ what was she supposed to do when she found them? And why was Natalie''s father with him? Did Omega kill him too? "I''m sorry, I can''t stay any longer. Someone else needs me," Grey-eyes said abruptly. "Another awakening?" Rachel asked. "No, no. Just... something I have to do." She brushed her hair away from her face. "Look, this¡­ I shouldn''t say this, but¡ª" She cleared her throat, then looked Rachel directly in the eye. "Send Rika out of town. Get her away from here." "You can see the future?" Rachel asked eagerly. "No, of course not. It hasn''t happened yet." Grey-eyes shook her head again. "Her, anyone she''s close to, whoever. Just get them out of town." The sound of heavy breathing returned to Rachel''s ears. She looked round, and saw faces snapping up to look at her. Grey-eyes had vanished, just as suddenly as she''d appeared.
A small part of Rachel''s mind told her that such teleportation shouldn''t be possible. That, even if Grey-eyes could move herself out of the room so quickly it appeared to be instantaneous, there should be some sort of sound. A sonic boom or a clap as the air rushed in to fill the empty space¡ªbut there was nothing. She brushed it off. Kendra regularly made doors appear out of thin air in walls where they couldn''t possibly be. Natalie could talk to animals. She herself could see emotional connections between individuals through some impossible means. This was still magic. She''d probably never get a logical explanation for everything. "What did she say?" Cinza demanded, taking a step toward Rachel with her lieutenant still hanging off her arm. Immediately, both Mason and Josh were at Rachel''s side, while Jackie had risen to her feet. "She asked for privacy," Rachel said quietly. "Would you have me break her privacy?" Cinza held still, her eyes darting about the suddenly hostile room. Even poor Nate, still recovering half-prone on the floor, had turned to face her. After a few moments, she settled back. "You''re right, of course. My apologies, dearest leader. I was overcome." "Right." Rachel looked down at Nate. "You okay?" "Dandy," he said, before hacking out a few coughs. "You could''ve warned me." "We did, but it wasn''t supposed to get that bad. I''m sorry." "It''s okay. What do I do now?" Rachel offered a hand, and Nate pulled himself to his feet. "Once you''re feeling up to it, Mason will instruct you in the basics. How to move things with your mind. Everyone needs to know that one. After that, what direction you take is up to you. Keep the sensation you felt during your awakening fresh in your mind, as it provides a clue to your affinity. You don''t need to tell it to me, or anyone else, but Mason can help you if you''re unsure or you''d like further direction." She cleared her throat, and offered Nate a smile. "Congratulations, Nate. You''ve been awakened." Nate''s lopsided grin cheered her up a bit, before he followed Mason out of the room and into the training tent down the road where Mason usually offered lessons. Cinza and her lieutenants turned inward and began chattering away quietly, too low for her to make out. "I''m surprised," Rachel said, as Josh brushed off his pant legs. The gesture was mostly futile as¡ªbeing another dimension¡ªthere was almost no dust or dirt to be found in the entire place, but it was a habit. She''d felt the same urge to brush off her dress. "Well, yeah, that was all a bit crazy," Josh said. "No, I meant surprised by you. You jumped in there and probably saved his life." "Oh." He looked at her oddly. "What, you didn''t think I''d just let him choke down there, did you?" "I dunno. You just seem like you don''t care most of the time. I had to persuade you to even take this one, remember?" Josh sighed. "Rachel, just because I feel like sleeping through every one of your overly long meetings doesn''t mean I''m not invested in this whole community." He grinned. "I got elected to this stupid council more than once. Clearly someone out there likes me." "Or they want someone they know won''t mess with them." "Hey, give me no reasons and I won''t break no fingers." She rolled her eyes. "Anything else?" "There''s some grumbling. Mabel and some of the regulars aren''t happy with how you''ve basically elected yourself leader." "Let me guess. Julian''s in that group?" "Yup." "That¡­ could be a problem," Rachel said, frowning. "You got time later to hash this out?" "Yeah, and I needed dinner plans anyway. You want something?" Rachel smiled. Josh¡ªfor all his faults¡ªwas an excellent chef. "You''re cooking?" "Yeah. Bring Will over, we''ll make it a thing. Text me what time." At that moment, Rachel''s phone buzzed. Kendra had set up a cell signal repeater in the center of the Market, so that cell service and internet connections were possible, though she strictly limited who had access for security reasons. Rachel was one of the few privileged. It was Hailey Winscombe, of all people, calling her. "Hello?" "Hi, Rachel?" "Yes?" "I was at the meeting, I don''t know if you saw-" "Yes. I¡­ what can I do for you?" Hailey sounded like she was trying to talk over a small storm. There was a fierce wind howling across the microphone, though the weather outside had been plenty calm. "Can we meet up? At my place? There''s something I need to talk to you about." "I''m kind of locked up tight right now. It might be a day or two before I can come over." "This is kind of importan¡ª oh, crap! I have to go." The phone clicked off. "What was that?" Josh asked. Rachel stared at the blank screen, still confused. "I''m¡­ not sure, to be honest. I think I need to check it out though." "Good luck with that, I guess. Let me know if you need anything." Josh waved over his shoulder as he left the room. "Later, Rachel." With Josh gone, Rachel approached the remaining group. She was impressed that, despite being the shortest and smallest in the trio, Cinza was still clearly in control. Physicality wasn''t a factor for their group, only magical talent¡ªwhich Cinza had in spades. "Cinza, Ruby, and¡­" she prompted. "Makoto," Cinza finished. Makoto inclined his head, still never uttering a word. Rachel had heard him talking to the pair in a calm and even voice, but apparently he favored the strong silent approach with strangers. "I''m assuming you have some questions for me anyway, despite what we said earlier." "What was said was for your ears alone. What you choose to do now is your prerogative," Cinza said. Ruby leaned in and whispered something in her ear. "Ruby would like to know if she mentioned us at all, though." "She did," Rachel said truthfully. She didn''t feel like expanding on Grey-eyes'' opinion, though. Cinza''s cult was better as an organized unit for the time being; finding out that their deity didn''t approve was likely to destabilize them beyond repair. Ruby smiled in the strange, offputting smile of a fervent believer. "As we knew she would. We are her faithful servants." She leaned down and gave Cinza a kiss on the cheek. "Let''s go." Cinza was clearly suspicious, but she didn''t press the topic further. She brushed Ruby''s dark red hair affectionately, but her eyes were locked on Rachel. "Not yet, Ruby. About other matters..." "We have a lead," Rachel replied. "Jackie, you should hear this as well." The sheriff joined them, eyeing Cinza''s group with concern. It was a step above suspicion, at least, but Rachel wished Jackie could hide her disdain better while Rachel was trying to establish diplomatic ties. "Sheriff," Cinza acknowledged. "What''s this lead, then?" Jackie asked Rachel, determinedly not looking at the robed trio. "The golems¡ª" "The what now?" "Men of stone and fire," Cinza supplied. "Oh god dammit," Jackie muttered. "The golems," Rachel continued as if she hadn''t been interrupted, "were being controlled by a man out in the forest. That man was working for Omega, the only person who could have created those golems." "We already knew all of that," Ruby said dismissively, but Cinza herself remained attentive. Makoto continued to be unreadable, but Rachel suspected him to be the muscle of the group. Maybe he''s the water manipulator? "Something Grey-eyes said reminded me that Omega isn''t in the town, and won''t be. Can''t be. So we can discount any magical activity nearby. Which means we only need to monitor activity out in the woods. Normally that would be a problem, as none of us¡ªeven our sheriff¡ªare particularly good at tracking someone through that thick of a forest. But we have another way." "The animal whisperer," said Cinza. "Exactly. She can call out to something that can track them across a forest for miles. A wolf, if she can manage it." "Sorry, what?" Jackie asked, thoroughly confused. "Natalie Hendricks, Brian''s daughter." "Wait, she''s one of you?" "Yes. She was awakened before most of us, actually," Rachel added. "I don''t know when or how, but she''s been doing this a long time now." "But, she''s just a kid!" "A child with powers well beyond us," Cinza intoned. "Right. She''s the only one who knows how to talk to animals," Rachel explained. Jackie sat down in the nearest chair. "I''m gonna need a minute." She took out a handkerchief and dabbed at her brow. "Does her father know about this?" "Well, he''s¡­ missing." The sheriff''s eyes snapped up. "What?" Rachel frowned. She''d expected the sheriff to have known that one of her flock had been unaccounted for a week. "We''ve been looking for him as well." "Have you been taking care of her?" Jackie asked, eyes narrowing. "Not saying you couldn''t, but you seem far too busy to care for a child." "No, and you''re right. Natalie has been staying with a close associate of ours." "This is one of those times where I have to ask for names, Rachel," Jackie said firmly. "The girl''s twelve, she needs proper care. If I''m not happy with the answer, I''d be forced to call her mother." Rachel grimaced. The last thing Natalie needs is an overbearing, harsh mother like Lori Hendricks coming to town. "Kendra Laushire, the economics professor." "Oh!" Jackie''s eyes widened. "Her too? Good god." "Yes, but for obvious reasons, her identity must remain absolutely private," Rachel said firmly. "The Laushire conglomerate would be after us all in a heartbeat. She doesn''t exactly see eye to eye with her family." "Understood," Jackie said sharply. "Kendra is also the one currently keeping the ground under your feet stable," Cinza added with a grin. As if on cue, the world shuddered a little, sending the ceiling tiles wobbling. Jackie stood up straight with a shock. "Are we¡ª" "Yes," Rachel answered impatiently. "This is normal. Kendra has never failed to keep the Market open while people were still inside." Jackie didn''t seem reassured. "Seems like a perfectly good time to leave, to me." Rachel glanced at Cinza, who nodded. "We have business to attend to. You have my number if you need anything."
Jackie shivered as they re-emerged into the world from the door behind the Kettle and Bones. The noise of the town assaulted them immediately. It wasn''t truly loud, but compared to the stillness of the Market, even the snatches of conversation from inside the bar and the few cars rolling about sounded like a bustling city. "Kettle isn''t usually open this early," Jackie commented, glancing at the back door. "Rowan asked them to for a few days, to help ease the transition as more people find out about us," Rachel replied, digging in her bag for her phone once again. "I don''t know if it''s working, but I know at least a few people who''d be glad for the early bar." "Probably," she agreed. Her radio squawked, startling them both. "Jackie, Preston¡­ Jackie, Preston. I swear to God, please pick up." "Shit, we didn''t have radio signal in there, did we?" Jackie muttered. She scrambled for the radio strapped on her shoulder. "Preston, this is Jackie. Send it." "Where the hell have you been? Over." Jackie shot an amused glance at Rachel before she responded. "You wouldn''t believe me if I told you, over." "Right, very funny. Rowan''s been trying to reach you, over." "What''s happening? Over." "Wilson kid''s parents want to talk. Sounded angry. Also something about a funeral. Over." "Oh hell," Jackie murmured. She looked at Rachel, who nodded. It was time to tell them what had happened to their child. To prolong it any further was cruel, and didn''t do them or the town any good. "Roger. We''ll be over soon. Over." "Acknowledged, sheriff. Out." [Discord]¡ª[Rate This Story]¡ª[Patreon] Chapter 13 — Fugitives Chapter 13 ¡ªFugitives "What am I supposed to do now?" Rika asked again. She was still crouched against the wall in the alleyway, though the street was quite deserted. Her voice quivered in a nervous way that Alden hadn''t heard before. Hearing the emotion punctuating her words was the kick he needed. "It''ll be okay," he offered. It wasn''t much, but it was all he could think of in the moment. Rika shook her head. "I''m wanted by the fucking cops, and Rachel''s working with them. There''s no way out of this goddamn town either. Can''t go by train, they''ll be watching it, and who''s gonna lend me a car?" "Look, there''s nothing you can do for now. We told Viper we''d meet up, so we should probably do that." It''s better than sitting around in an alley all day. Alden wanted to see what they''d had in mind, and if they could still pull off the heist. It''d be much more exciting than hiding out at the apartment, at the very least. "You got a better plan?" "No, but fuck it. Let''s go." Rika held up a hand, and Alden helped her to stand. The shock from their brief connection left his hand tingling. He was beginning to enjoy it. The trek through the town to the Kettle and Bones was less eventful than Alden expected. While they did stick to the alleys and shadows (to the extent that Rallsburg had alleys and shadows), they were barely given a second look. The few people who recognized Rika shot her a frown or a suspicious glance before heading on their way. "It''s not much of a manhunt," Alden noted. "Word must not be out yet," Rika muttered. "I bet Ryan''d be out like a wolf if he knew." "What did you do to him?" "Huh?" "Seems like way more than you owing him some eggs or whatever it was." "Natural twin lizard eggs," Rika corrected. "Lizards have an association with fire for no apparent reason, so Ryan thinks he can use ''em for fire magic. There''s a whole reagent business around things that can enhance spells. It was just gemstones, but Ryan''s branching out. He figures the rarer or weirder the material, the more powerful it might be. Trying out weird things." "Huh. Wait, lizards aren''t related to fire?" "Nah, that''s salamanders," Rika answered, eyeing the door of the bar with suspicion. "You first? Make sure there''s no cops sitting on the other side for me." "What am I supposed to do if there are cops? They already know we''re together." "Scream really loud. I''ll send you a postcard while you''re in the joint." Rika gave him a tiny push forward. Alden sighed and pushed the door open, bracing himself for the noise of the bar. It was nearly empty. Viper''s associate Rook sat at the end of the bar in the corner where she could easily survey the whole room. Alden didn''t spot her rifle anywhere, but he had no doubt the tall blonde could still easily kill anyone nearby if she wanted to. A deadly monster lurked behind her icy-blue eyes. "It''s fine!" Alden called back. Rika burst through the door, rushing to the bar as if being chased. "What''s going on?" "Thought I saw someone." Rika plunged her hand into her bag. Alden reached for his pockets, then realized he''d never actually gotten any gemstones from Rika¡ªnor had he any idea how to actually use one. Luckily, he didn''t seem to need any. "Calm down, little girl," Rook said, taking a swig of her drink. "You''re safe." "Tell that to the fucking cops," Rika shot back. "The sheriff and her deputy are away making house calls." Rook nodded at a tiny radio at her side. "And this man won''t be telling a soul, will he?" The man''s head shook so fast Alden believed he was trying to dislodge it entirely. "It''s not gonna be here," Viper said, stomping into the room. He took the seat next to Rook heavily. "Same drink as the lady, please." "So we''re here for nothing?" Alden asked, a touch disappointed. "Didn''t say that," Viper answered, taking a sip. "We''re just a bit delayed now. If you haven''t noticed, the entire town up and flipped over on us overnight." "No shit," Rika muttered, finally taking a seat. Alden took the cue and sat down at the far end, just beyond Rika. "This why you''re open so early?" "Special request from the mayor," the barman answered nervously. "So the mayor knows too," Rika concluded. "Now scram." The barman scampered away, in a manner completely at odds with his appearance. Alden fought the urge to laugh at someone who looked like Rika sending full-grown men running for the hills. "They held a goddamn town meeting," Viper said. "I doubt it''s spread far yet, but people talk. Maybe not as much in this town, but it''ll get around." "Fuck." "Fuck," Viper echoed with a nod. "I''m gonna have to report this back up the line now. My boss won''t appreciate being kept out of the loop for too long." "Wait." "Huh?" Rika shook her head. "The whole town will know, yeah. But you don''t know Rallsburg like I do. Everyone here keeps things close to the chest. It''ll be a long-ass time before it makes it out to the real world." "That is naive," Rook said. "Listen, you uptight bit¡ª" "Rika," Alden cut in sharply. Rika swung round with a glare¡ªbut at Alden''s expression, she managed to calm down considerably. She took a moment to compose herself. "I don''t know if you''ve tried the net today¡­" "We have our own hookup," Viper answered. "Right, fancy-schmancy. Well, they''ve been tracking everything going in and out of the town broadband. No one in this place knows shit about encryption so practically all traffic is open. I watched them pick up a few packets I sent out to deliberately flag up. And anything that needs higher bandwidth, even fucking voice chat is being locked down hard. Everyone''s gonna assume it''s the crap connects we get way out here, but I can see what they''re doing. And everyone else who knows their stuff is on Rachel''s side already." "So they''re censoring the town." "Nah, just traffic out of the town." Rika flipped her hair back. She did that whenever she was trying to be impressive. "Between that and how rare it is for people to actually come and go, news will take a long time to spread. By then, Rachel might actually manage to persuade the whole town to keep it secret. And you know everyone loves to be part of a big secret." "What happens when everyone wants to awaken though?" Alden asked. "We start killing," Rika said with a grin. Alden''s jaw dropped. "Holy shit, I was joking," Rika added hurriedly. "I bet Rachel told people that there''s no way for newcomers to use magic." "Yeah, that''s the gist I got," Viper confirmed. "So until someone on our side spills the beans, we''re still in the clear. It''s not like anyone can just awaken at random. Which brings us back to why we actually showed up today." Rika cocked her head askew, giving Viper a curious look. "So who is your all-knowing source?" "Not part of the deal." "Aww, not even for a cute girl like me?" "Not my type, thanks," Viper said, his face completely unmoved. "Oh, sorry, you clearly prefer a viking warrior-maiden to a sweet innocent¡ª" Rook cleared her throat. "Nothing about you is innocent." Rika grinned. "Can''t argue with that. So what''s the new plan, El Capitan?" "We lay low. It''s too hot right now." "Bullshit. This is the best time, while everyone''s distracted. Where''s the damn Scrap?" "I''d have to talk to my source again and convince him," Viper said. "He wouldn''t give me the info." "Piece of cake. Let me at him." Viper frowned. "Why do you think you''d be able to persuade him?" "Because I figure I''ve got a fifty-fifty guess at who your source is, and I know both of those fifties. One much better than the other, but still. It''s the personal touch." Viper shrugged. "If you guess right, then we can talk." Rika grinned. She leaned in and whispered a name in his ear. From the way Viper''s eyes widened, she was right on the money. He stood without a word and Rika followed him out the back door. Alden hadn''t been sure if he was allowed to follow, so he stayed rooted to the stool. "Can I get you anything?" the barman asked. He''d returned after seeing the lull in conversation at the bar. "Uhh, I''m underage¡­" Alden said nervously. "No shit, kid. I meant like a soda." "Just water, please," Alden answered. Rook made a sniffing noise, as if she found something distasteful. "What?" "Little boy afraid of a man''s drink." "I''m happier without my brain messed up, thanks," Alden said, hoping it sounded as confident out loud as it did in his head. Rook didn''t look impressed. "The drink doesn''t cloud the mind, it frees you from burden. Only people who can''t handle that freedom get lost in the bottle." She downed a swill, ice-blue eyes never breaking their lock on Alden. "When you are older, you will understand." "Where are you from?" Alden asked, desperate to change topics. Anything to move the focus onto her. "Why?" "What?" "You ask a personal question. What is your motive? Are you trying to gain an advantage over me?" "No, I was just curious," Alden trailed off. "I don''t really know the rest of the world that well. You''re from Europe, right?" "Yes, but also no." "Oh, err¡­" Alden cast around for another topic. Silence stretched out the minutes before he finally came up with another question to ask. "What brought you and Viper together?" "I was assigned to be his partner." "Oh, so you two aren''t together or anything?" "No." Rook''s eyes flicked to the front door for a moment, then back to Alden. She took another sip of her drink, her face still utterly frozen in empty expression. Another long silence ensued. Alden cast about desperately for a topic. Something about her obstinance made him determined to get to know her, particularly if they were to be working together in the future. "What''s your favorite color?" Alden asked finally, determined to get an actual personal detail out of her before Rika came back. "I don''t have one." "Well, you two have all the chemistry of a funeral," Viper said dryly. Alden started. He hadn''t realized they''d returned yet. "Some of the best sex I ever had was right after a funeral," Rika commented, emerging through the door behind Viper. The entire room looked round at her. "What?" "Girl, there''s something wrong with you," Viper said. "It''s totally normal," she protested. "They want to feel alive," Rook concurred with a slight nod, surprising everyone once more. Even Rika looked shocked that the woman had taken her side. "Everyone feels the true fear of death and returns to the process of life." "See, she gets it," Rika said triumphantly. "You are still an uncouth child who needs to behave herself." Rook added, returning to her drink. "And I hate you again. Come on, Zack. Let''s go." "Where are we going?" Alden scrambled to his feet. "To track down a source." Rika smirked. "Don''t worry, you can flirt with the viking later."
They''d left the bar out the back door, with plans to meet up with the pair of mercenaries that evening. Apparently, Viper''s source wasn''t someone he could meet with during the day, but Rika seemed confident it wouldn''t be an issue. Alden was trailing her by a few steps as usual, trying to guess where they were headed. At the moment, they were passing the destroyed library, which still sent chills down Alden''s spine. It was such a stark contrast to the well-kept town. Alden had never seen such clean streets. Being from a larger city, he always assumed a small layer of trash was simply natural, but the residents of Rallsburg were proud of their town and kept it orderly and neat. To see this wrecked, slowly decaying building totally abandoned by everyone and left to rot seemed completely out of place. Whenever Alden got near, though, he could feel it urging him away. It was silently screaming of dangers hidden within the ruined pillars. He was so enraptured he almost missed Rika trying to talk to him. "Why do you keep doing that?" "Doing what?" Alden asked, tearing his eyes away to look at her. He always felt a bit intimidated by her. Rika may have been shorter than him by half a foot, but she practically radiated strength and competence. He was jealous of that confidence, but it was invigorating as well. She was tough, she could take care of herself and she knew it. He found her mesmerizing, and mentally styled himself as her companion in this adventure. "You keep poking in, stopping me or defending me or whatever. Why?" "I dunno," Alden said. "Why not?" Rika frowned, taking a break behind a few bushes lining the street. She was still avoiding being seen when possible, but Alden got the impression she also didn''t want him to see her face right then. He leaned against a nearby wall, watching for any onlookers. "I told you I''m not exactly popular around here, right?" "Yeah." "Well, someone jumping in on my side means a lot, okay? So I wonder why." "I just want to help." "But you''ve got your own shit, don''t you? What about your lost sibling?" Alden shrugged. "Kendra hasn''t said anything yet, and I have no clue where to start besides her. I''d rather be helping you than sitting around trying to think of something new." Rika laughed weakly. "Who the fuck are you, Alden Bensen?" "What''s that supposed to mean?" "The one actually selfless person in Rallsburg, apparently." Hearing that from Rika gave him a warm glow. It was how he envisioned himself. A hero of the town¡ªor at least a hero to this strange, exciting girl he''d met. "Come on, I can''t be the only one," Alden said, trying to be modest. "Everyone else has got an agenda, trust me. I''m pretty sure I warned you that from minute one." Rika stood, rolling her head round her shoulders and stretching out her neck before setting off once more. "So, where are you from anyway?" "Kent, just outside Tacoma. My family has a house up in the hills over there." "No wonder you think this place is nice if you live in fucking Tacoma." "Near Tacoma." Rika grinned. "So what''s the rest of the family, then?" "My parents are both teachers," Alden said. "High school." "Eww, did you have to have them as teachers?" "Nah, I went to a tech magnet school. I never had them. My sister did though." "Sister? Thought your sibling was a total mystery." "That sibling is probably older though. My sister Margaret''s only fourteen. Way too young for college." "Hey, I''ve known some damn smart fourteen year olds." "I thought you didn''t go to college?" Rika shook her head. "Nah, but I still end up meeting a lot of interesting people. Consequences of my parents." "Your dad was something to do with software, right?" Alden filled in eagerly. Rika grinned. "Top of the class, Alzack. Yeah, my dad founded NishiSoft, because he doesn''t have a creative bone in his body and named a company after his family name. They wrote database analysis software for trends in data mining. Boring as fuck, but super valuable to all the ad companies these days. Kendra''s family bought us out so they could resell the software to western companies, since no one wanted to learn Japanese to speak with our sales reps. I was probably the only one there who actually liked speaking English." "You worked for them?" If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "''You grow up in the Nishimura household, you serve the family from the minute you can walk''," Rika intoned mockingly. "My grandmother on my mother''s side was Canadian, and she taught me English while my mother taught me Japanese. Between that and the Internet, I grew up a nice bilingual asset for my father''s company." "Why not your mother?" Alden asked. "Because she wasn''t permitted to use English," Rika spat. "My family acted like it was still the fucking Meiji era and told my mother she was to raise children and keep the household, and nothing else. She couldn''t even work on her novels, just draw occasionally when she found some time to herself. If she''d actually been a Japanese citizen, maybe she could''ve done something about it, but she didn''t want to give up her homeland. She refused and stayed inside all the time rather than face all the judgment." The bitterness in Rika''s voice was mounting with every word. "...What happened to her?" Alden asked quietly. "Dead," Rika said shortly. Alden stopped walking and looked back at her, half-shaded by the nearest building. Her eyes were burning with a cold fury he recognized from the diner, when they''d first met. He hesitated, casting about for something to say. "I''m so sorry." "Not your fault," Rika said, her eyes softening a little. "I owe her everything, so I''m going to find the one responsible and deal with him." "...Your father?" "Yup," Rika said, a brief crackle of lightning sparkling up the blue lock of hair. "What can I do to help?" Alden asked firmly. Rika smiled, but shook her head. "That''s a family matter, but I appreciate it. Really. And if I can help you find your mysterious brother or sister, you just say the word. I''ve got your back."
They arrived at Hendricks Apartments a short while later without incident. Apparently, the source they were looking for happened to live near Rika, which she found incredibly irritating. "If I''d known the fucker was awakened this whole time, I could have just gone straight to him," she grumbled while they snuck through the underbrush on the rear hill behind the apartments. "A guy who can find things with magic? Exactly what I need." She paused, holding onto a tree branch with a wide-eyed expression. "What?" "A guy who can find things¡­" Rika repeated. "Kendra had a source for finding Scraps, and was going to sell me the same service for my father. It''s gotta be him. No way multiple people have that kind of spell worked out already." "Who is this person anyway?" Alden asked. "Can''t tell you that," Rika replied. "I''m sorry, but I''m sworn to secrecy, and I''m trying to actually keep my promises now. Trust me though, he''s harmless." "Something doesn''t add up though." "Yeah, he''s clearly not charging enough." "No, not that. I don''t think he can actually do what he says he can do." "Huh?" Alden sat down for a moment to catch his breath. Climbing up the steep slope to the apartments was more difficult than he''d expected. "He''s probably able to find Scraps and magic things, since he found out about yours. But I don''t think he can find people. If he could, why wouldn''t Kendra use him to find Natalie''s dad?" "Shit, Alden. That makes sense." "So either Kendra''s being lied to, or we are," Alden concluded. "Or he can, but Natalie''s father is being blocked somehow. Magic preventing magic." "Does it work like that?" "Sometimes," Rika said. "Here, try this out." She looked round. Her hand flung out at the underbrush. A stick gently floated into the air in front of her. "Reach out and grab it." Alden reached for the magic. He''d begun to visualize it in his mind like a churning liquid in his mind, a pool of raw energy from which he could release bits of power to do things. It helped him hold more control over the flow of energy out of his body, so that he didn''t black out from overexertion. He''d come up with the idea himself, and felt quite proud of it¡ªbut when he described the idea to Rika, she just laughed. Apparently, she had no need to hold back, and that her body was much better at self-regulating than his. His own mental projection reached for the stick, while the pool in his mind sprung a small leak. When he was about to make contact, he could feel another presence. It was a hard invisible surface, in the shape of an encompassing sphere that held the entire stick firmly in place. Curious, Alden tried to feel at it, and realized that if he pressed harder, he could actually break into it. He focused his will into a thicker point and drove at the edge of the stick. The leak in the pool widened, but he could feel the sphere beginning to crack. "Yeah, that''s how it works," Rika said. "When you project, you''ll start to notice other people messing with things. There''s a whole invisible layer just above what you actually see and feel." Alden tried to press harder, wanting to break through and show Rika he could manage it. A crack began to form. Alden looked at her excitedly, but she just smirked. A invisible wave slammed into his will from the side, shoving him away and shattering his concentration completely. He let go immediately, closing up the pool. Rika cackled with glee. "Nice try, but you gotta remember that I can come at you from anywhere." She dropped the stick and held out a hand to him. "Come on, let''s go home already." Alden hesitated, but took her hand all the same, bracing himself. The jolt of electricity rolled through him, and he wasn''t jumping at it anymore. It was a friendly greeting, familiar and exciting and the tiniest bit dangerous.
They crested the hill, and Rika crept up to the edge of the apartments with Alden at her heels. Their apartments were at the far end, but this was the most covered approach up the hill, so it was the route RIka had elected to take. She crouched low and peeked around the corner wall. "Looks fine," she murmured. They rounded the corner and were halfway down the row when Rika held up her hand. "Shit!" "What?" "The door handle. Someone''s in my apartment." "What?" As Alden whispered, they both saw the door start to swing inward. Rika turned to the nearest apartment and closed her eyes, holding up her hand and moving her fingers intricately. A second later, the door lock clicked open. "In!" she hissed. Alden had a split-second glance of Ryan''s distinct blonde head peeking out the door¡ªthankfully looking the opposite direction¡ªbefore the surge of electricity in his fingers told him that Rika had dragged him inside the apartment. She slid the door closed silently behind them. "Who lives here?" Alden asked nervously, glancing around. There were two bedroom doors in front of them, one slightly ajar. He could see the edges of a chalk drawing on the wooden floor through the crack. "Fuck if I know," Rika whispered. "We just need to hide out until they leave." "He. It was Ryan." "That motherfucker," she growled. "Next time I see him, he''s getting ten thousand volts." "Mmm?" came a noise from downstairs. They turned simultaneously to look at the staircase. A girl with brown-blue hair¡ªthe same one Alden had nearly run over that morning¡ªwas looking at them through wide frameless glasses from the bottom landing. Her eyes widened in shock. She lifted a hand, muttering something neither of them could make out. "Fuck!" Rika stampeded down the stairs two at a time, her hand plunging into her bag. Alden felt a crackle in the air, but it wasn''t from Rika. The girl''s fingers burst into life twisting torturous patterns in mid-air. A ring of fire burst forth around her outstretched hand, blue-colored and spinning madly about. She flicked a finger at them. Two fireballs launched themselves toward Rika. They hissed menacingly as they flew. Adrenaline shot through Alden with a cold burst of fear. This fire was nothing like the little yellow-orange candle lights he and Rika had been playing with. It wasn''t even like the bright orange fire that had been hurled at them at Dan''s, licking off rubies hurled through the air. This was pure, elemental flame with nothing to subsist it. The sheer heat pounded him in waves, like someone had suddenly lit a campfire inches from his face. Alden could feel sweat beading on his forehead and neck. Rika dove to the landing halfway down before the stairs curved inward. The fireballs impacted against the wall where she''d been a second earlier, splashing out in a stunning display of color before reforming and zooming back into place around her wrist. There was no damage to the wall whatsoever. This girl, whoever she was, had amazing control¡ªand tremendous power. The girl backed up. She threw her arm forward and sent another pair at Rika''s chest. Rika shot a fork of lightning at them, but it fizzled through harmlessly. Apparently deflecting them only worked when the fireballs were tied to the rubies, as they had been in the diner. "Fuck!" Rika shouted again, only barely ducking the next assault. Alden wondered if he should try to help, but he had no idea what he could possibly do against this girl. At best, he''d just be a distraction to them both. He was afraid, but he was also excited. There was a duel happening right in front of him, magic on magic. If he didn''t fear for his own life from the bursts of fire impacting the wall below him, Alden would have been ecstatic. Rika dove to the ground as another ball of fire only barely missed her by inches. Alden couldn''t tell how she had even reacted to that. It had flown at her so quickly. One instant, Rika was about to be charbroiled¡ªthe next, she was flat on the ground. Rika''s hand flew out in front of her, fingers splayed outward. A trail of lightning connected with the bespectacled girl. She crumpled, squealing in pain, spasming from the electricity surging through her. Rika groaned, collapsing against the rug she''d landed on. "Alden," she choked out. "Help." Alden rushed to her side. "What?" "Tie her up... or something. Before she recovers. I basically tased her," Rika forced out, coughing. "Fuck, that hurt." He looked around the room. "Tie her up with what?" There wasn''t really anything he could work with that he could see. There was a kitchen area and a living room, but nothing that looked like rope. He thought he saw something rope-like outside on the balcony¡ªa net of some kind¡ªbut that would take him right past the girl jerking around on the floor, who still worried him a great deal. "Is she going to be okay?" "I don''t know," Rika said, her voice quivering. Alden thought it was just exhaustion at first, but Rika sounded genuinely concerned. "I''ve never really done that to someone before. I panicked. Goddammit." Rika reached out to a nearby chair and pulled herself up. Her legs looked like they were barely usable, and a trickle of dark crimson leaked from one nostril. "Thanks for the backup, by the way. How the fuck could she manage those without falling over? Those were way hotter than anything I''ve ever seen." "Who is she?" Alden asked, approaching her and kneeling down. "No fucking clue. Never seen her before this morning." Alden tried to help the girl steady herself, as she''d started rolling onto her back. He was afraid she might choke or something. "How do you help someone who''s been tased?" "I don''t fucking know. I''m kinda busy saving our asses here," Rika snapped. She grimaced. "Ugh. Sorry, Alden. Head''s killing me. I had to use too much to dodge that shit." "Use too much what?" Alden asked, but he was interrupted by a groan from beneath her. The girl was making an odd noise. "What?" "She say something?" Rika asked. "Uhh, no." Alden looked at her. Her eyes were wide, though part of that was due to the glasses that magnified her irises. She started speaking rapidly, though it wasn''t in any language he recognized¡ªor anything that sounded like language at all. "What the fuck?" Rika asked, still splayed out in the armchair. She lifted her head to look down at the girl. "What''s she doing?" "I have no idea," Alden said. "Hey, do you need help? Are you okay?" The girl''s eyes shot back and forth panicked. She kept making odd noises, like she was trying to communicate something. "I think something''s wrong with her." "No shit, Alden. But she¡­ I mean, I didn''t do that. Right?" Rika said. Her own voice had a note of panic now. "Getting tased is supposed to be completely not permanent. Doesn''t last more than fifteen minutes. She should be totally fine. Right?" "I don''t know," Alden said, trying to interpret the girl''s chirping noises. She still didn''t seem to have control of her body, though, so he felt safe for the moment. "Maybe she already had something and you set it off somehow." "Don''t joke around, Alden. I''m freaking out here. " "I am too!" "Fuck! What do we do?" "I¡ª" Alden was cut off by a heavy object thudding into his shoulder. He fell to the floor, and was just able to twist around to see a girl flying¡ªflying!¡ªdown from the sky like a thunderbolt. She swooped just below the balcony and rose up to land gracefully on the railing. Her long blonde hair spilled out from an aviator''s cap in a braid, pinned in place on her faux-leather jacket. Her hand clasped tight to a necklace. She looked tired, panicked, and very, very angry. "Hailey?" Rika breathed. She struggled to raise a hand. Her arms barely made it off the armrest. Alden began to stand up, his hands up in surrender. "Look, we¡ª" "Get away from her!" Hailey cried, and her free hand punctuated her words with a thrusting fist. A wall of wind burst into life, sending paper scattering through the room. Alden practically watched the air rushing at him. The wind hurled him back and flattened him against the wall. He felt like a hurricane had suddenly formed out of Hailey''s outstretched arm. Rika was thrown over backward on her chair and pushed across the floor. She slammed into the cupboard below the sink with a loud thump. "Hailey, stop!" Rika shouted over the gale force. Hailey''s eyes narrowed. She stepped off the balcony rail and started walking toward them. The wind doubled over in strength, and Alden felt like his stomach might collapse in on itself. He was choking from the rush of air against his throat. Hand outstretched, Alden tried to grasp the handle of the refrigerator and try to pull himself out of the wind, but it was futile. The force of the tempest encompassed the entire room. The papers they''d been looking at were now plastered to the wall near his ear. He noted belatedly that they were just college classwork. Totally ordinary. Hailey looked as though she''d actually hold them there until they suffocated, but the girl on the floor managed to move her hand and tug at the leg of Hailey''s jeans. Hailey was distracted for only a moment, but it was enough to break the gale and let Alden fall to the floor wheezing. He decided he was done moving for the time being. His arm throbbed with pain, but he dared not move to look. He didn''t want to risk another assault from the furious Hailey. "Jess?" Hailey asked. Rika was groaning from the corner, curled up in the fetal position with her hands on her head. Hailey ignored them both, crouching down next to her friend. "Jess, are you okay?" As she spoke, Hailey pointed at the girl''s face, then twisted her hand to a thumbs up, creasing her eyebrows. Jess frowned, but lifted her own arm to give a thumbs up in return. Alden let out a breath of relief. Hailey pulled Jess to her feet and helped her sit back on the couch, then turned to face them. Her expression was hostile. "Rika, why are you here? And who''s that?" "Hi, Hailey, nice to see you too," Rika answered, coughing. "Also, how the fuck did you do that?" "I¡­" Hailey started, glancing at Jess before answering. "Well, I guess there''s no hiding it now. I can do magic." She sounded embarrassed. "Yeah, no shit. So can we." "You can too?" Hailey asked. "Were we the only people in the whole town that didn''t know?" "I was gonna ask about that. I thought Rachel had tracked down everyone who could use magic," Rika said, her voice steadily returning. "But here you are, and fuck me you''re strong." "I am?" Hailey asked, sounding bewildered. "Uhh, yeah? No one can make anything like that wind. And am I wrong or did you actually fly up here?" "Yeah," Hailey said, looking embarrassed again. "It took a while to learn how." "Hailey, that should be impossible. It takes way too much energy to lift a human being for that long." "Jessica and I worked it out," Hailey said, glancing at her friend again. "She got me flying." "So she''s just as as strong as you. Figures. Those fireballs were something else," Rika said. "You fought?" Hailey said sharply. Rika held up her hands in surrender. "Honest mistake. I''m in hiding, okay?" Hailey looked like she had just remembered something important. "The meeting! The murders! You¡­ You''re wanted by the sheriff!" "Well fuck," Rika sighed. "Wait, what murders?" "What?" "Look, Hailey, let''s just jump to the conclusion that I didn''t do whatever they accused me of. Which would be great because I have no fucking idea what it is. So could you tell me?" "...I''m not exactly sure. I kinda¡­ left early." "Great." "There were three people dead though. Two guys¡ªAlex and Jay, both freshmen¡ªand a middle schooler. Over a week ago now." Rika grimaced. "Someone killed a kid? Shit¡­" "So¡­ it wasn''t you?" "Fuck no it wasn''t me!" "Couldn''t have been," Alden added, still struggling for air. He felt very light-headed and weak. Hailey looked at him funny. "Who are you again?" "I''m Zack. I just got into town, on the same train as Rika. She couldn''t have killed those people, she wasn''t here yet." "Oh," Hailey answered, looking between them. "Are you¡ª" "Nope," Rika answered. She gave a similar look between Hailey and Jessica, now looking fully recovered and watching them all with a pained expression. "Are you?" "No," Hailey answered quietly, glancing at her friend. Jessica hummed something nonsensical before crossing her legs on the couch. Her hand sat on the couch rest, pointedly directed straight at Rika. "What''s wrong with her?" "I''m still not sure," Hailey answered. Her voice quavered. "Something went wrong with a ritual. I wasn''t in the room." "Oh, shit," Rika murmured. "She did this to herself?" "Yeah," Hailey answered. She looked like she might burst into tears, but steeled herself. "She can''t understand any language. Nothing at all. I think she was trying something with her affinity, but it went wrong. Now it''s all gone, and she can''t learn anything new." "Sign language?" Alden suggested. Hailey shook her head. "Not even that. We get by with the absolute basics. She gets ''positive'' and ''negative'' with nods, thumbs down, stuff like that. It''s all symbolic." "And you can''t try to help her because of Mason''s Law," Rika added. "Because of what?" "Oh, right. Mason''s Law is the stuff about not being able to directly affect each other with magic." "Oh. I didn''t know we had a law for that," Hailey said. "Well, you guys seemed to have done fine on your own. Figured out affinities, eh?" "Diffinities too." "Nice. Good word for it." "Thanks, but Jessica came up with it¡­" Hailey trailed off. Jessica saw her expression and reached up to grasp her hand. Hailey held it tight before continuing. "I''m still trying to figure out a way to help her." "Only way is to get her to do it herself," Rika said. "There''s no way to affect someone else''s brain like that." "But without language?" Hailey asked in despair. "Look, I''m not the most creative out here either. But I know some people. Soon as I can, I''ll try to get them to help¡ªif you want that." Hailey looked nervous. "We''ve never known anyone else. Jessica hasn''t left the apartment in almost half a year now. I don''t know who to trust." "How about this," Rika proposed. "I''ll explain the condition, but I won''t say a word about who it''s for. Just plumb their brains as an exercise. Does that work?" "...Yeah, okay. That could work." "Great," Rika said, resting her head against the wall more comfortably. "Now, do you two mind if we crash here for a while? We''re currently wanted fugitives, and someone''s camping out in my apartment." "Okay," Hailey agreed. She hesitated, before looking up at Rika with a weak smile. "It''s nice to see you again, Rika." "Glad someone thinks so," Rika grumbled. "Sorry I blew you off the other day." "Well, you were dealing with being the only magical people on the planet," she said, grinning. Hailey smiled. "On that note: seriously, you guys are way stronger than everyone else. How long have you been awakened?" "Awakened? Oh. That''s¡­ a little over a year, I guess. Last May." "Shit, not even as long as me. So it''s not just extra practice. What''s your secret?" "I dunno. Gemstones?" Hailey said, holding up the white and purple stone on her necklace. Alden craned his neck for a better look, and saw that it was barely flecked with a little gray, despite the gale and the flying. Compared to the rubies that had burned black after only one use, or the topaz that had been ground into dust, Alden would have sworn it was totally unused. "No way. There''s gotta something else." "I have no idea." "I''ll have to pick your brain sometime." "Jessica would know. She''s the smartest. Figured out the seven affinities for us and how to fly, how to do rituals, all of that." "Seven?" Rika asked. "We never figured out the eighth." "No one ever did. We never found a single Scrap related to it." "Scrap?" "Yeah, bits of paper from the book. Different chapters and such." "Oh, that makes sense." "You mean you guys never had another part? Just the one?" "Yeah." "You weren''t kidding then. Most people don''t figure out entirely new branches on their own like that." Rika looked at Jessica with a new measure of respect. "She must be a genius." "There''s someone else out there who can do things like this though," Hailey said grimly. "Someone else you two knew?" "No. I saw him out in the woods. One of the two who destroyed the library." "Shit¡­ You probably saw Omega." Hailey looked confused. "Omega?" "One of the three gods. Well, not really gods," Rika shrugged. "I think they''re just people with access to way more magic than the rest of us. You two being so strong basically corroborates my theory, actually," she added. Jessica got up and walked over to Alden, who had fallen silent over the last few minutes. She looked at him carefully, as if examining a specimen. "Uh, hi?" She chirped at him, pointing at his arm. He glanced over and saw an alarming amount of red pooling up in his shirt sleeve. "Oh, crap!" Rika turned around at the sudden noise and cursed. "Hailey, do you have bandages?" Hailey pointed at a cabinet. Before Rika could move, the bandages burst out with a flutter of wind. They blew across the room of their own accord and landed neatly in Jessica''s hands. She set to bandaging his arm quickly and neatly, humming to herself while she did. "Sorry, Zack. Kinda forgot you were there," Rika said, embarrassed. "It''s okay," Alden said weakly, dazedly looking at the blood. He felt suddenly very light-headed. "I was fine just listening." "Obviously not," she said dryly. "I think something sliced at your arm. Sorry," Hailey said awkwardly. "Was it that thing right when you flew up?" he asked. "Err, no. That was my phone." "You threw your phone at him?" Rika asked, raising her eyebrows. "It was all I had on me!" Hailey bent down and scooped it off the floor. It had a heavy-duty case with a belt clip and looked perfectly intact. She strapped it onto her belt, where it sat snug next to a few other pouches. "So, who is Omega?" "The guy who probably actually committed the murders," Rika said darkly. "I think he shut down the train, too. He''s trapping us in," Hailey added, glancing out the window. "Huh?" "The train you two arrived on was the last one we''ve had. The tracks were all destroyed. I watched him do it from above." Rika looked confused. "So the trains are cut off. That''s annoying, but people have cars." "Not when the roads are blocked too. Landslides. Rallsburg is cut off." Hailey took Jessica''s hand again and squeezed it tight. "We''re alone." [Discord]¡ª[Rate This Story]¡ª[Patreon] Chapter 14 — What It Means Chapter 14 ¡ªWhat It Means Despite all the stress steadily building up since the Emergence (as Cinza had coined it), Rachel was pleased to find that Josh''s cooking remained as excellent as ever. "Honestly, Joshua, you''ve outdone many a professional here," Kendra agreed, dabbing a napkin at her mouth. "I''d hire you." "Thanks, but I think I''m gonna be too busy," Josh said, giving a sidelong glance at Rachel. "How many catastrophes are we dealing with now?" Rachel sighed, stretching back in her chair. "Too many." "With one more on the way," Will added, looking out the front window at a car that had just arrived. Jackie joined them a few moments later, prompting Josh to fetch another serving of the salmon he''d prepared. "Thanks," Jackie grunted, digging in voraciously. "It''s all bad," she added, wiping her face on her sleeve. "Totally blocked?" Rachel asked, feeling dismayed. "It''s a disaster zone. Landslides, buncha timbers, the works. Looks like a damn earthquake rolled through." Jackie frowned. "There''s no way it was natural." "No," Rachel agreed. "What did Robert say?" Jackie shrugged. "Can''t clear it easily. It''ll be hard work, but he''s got people on it. That''s all we got for now, since the trains are blocked out too. We can call in a helicopter lift if we really need it, but even that''s a stretch with how many of them are tied up dealing with wildfires down south." "So we''re alone," Will concluded, pulling out his laptop. "Honestly, it''s not the worst circumstances to find ourselves at present," Kendra put in mildly, sipping her wine. "What? We''re under siege here, Miss Laushire," Josh said. "Being trapped in with an angry god at our doorstep sounds pretty bad to me." "She''s right, Josh," said Rachel. "Being cut off means we don''t have to worry about the emergence spreading any further. Magic will be contained to Rallsburg for now, and that gives us time to figure out how to deal with Omega." "It''s not like anything outside town could help us anyway, unless you want to call in the National Guard," Will added, while typing away furiously. "What''s going on there?" Jackie asked through a mouthful of salmon. He spun the screen around for them. Rachel saw a scrolling feed of traffic and a breakdown of highlighted intercepted messages. Will had explained to her how he could stop anything they didn''t trust from passing out through the town net, now that he had access to the municipal network administration through Rowan. The mayor, of course, had no idea that Will was involved, and simply assumed (along with everyone else) that Rachel was capable of such a feat on her own. Given a year, perhaps she might be¡ªbut time was of the essence, and Will was far more experienced in such a system than she was. "So far we''ve been pretty quiet. No unusual traffic out from either the college or the town. Most people are just watching videos, playing games or just talking about the usual things. The only traffic I''ve seen that even hints at magic is some private communication from Cinza, but our favorite cult leader knows her encryption. Besides the empty subject line that I pulled from the mailserver and the username ''Tezofarl'', I couldn''t get anything else out of it." Will shrugged. "Still, I doubt Cinza''s gonna be telling anyone, right? I''d trust her with secrecy at least." "Quite," Kendra agreed. "So that just leaves our other security breach. I''m sorry to say I couldn''t catch this one, as it used the cell network and made it out before I was set up on our tower. I was only able to spot it thanks to the history log and the fact that the guy sending it didn''t have any security on his messages." He grinned, and Rachel felt a brief burst of warmth pulse through her. Even if she didn''t share his passion for networks or computers, his enthusiasm was still infectious for her. "Kendra, your employees really are lax on their protocols." "Collins?" Kendra asked. "Yeah, from his cell phone to an unknown number. The other end was more secure, took a few bounces to figure out where that number was meant to go." "Enough bragging, kid. Who knows?" Jackie asked. "Her father, Thomas Laushire." "Shit." "He could pose an inconvenience," Kendra agreed. "Heaven knows my father would love to get his hands on a burgeoning market. I don''t believe we need to worry about him for now. May I see the exact message that was sent, please?" Will handed the laptop over. Kendra put on a pair of half-rimmed glasses and scrutinized the screen as if she were looking at a lab specimen. "As expected, Collins couched his speculations in half-hearted flights of fantasy. My father may not even believe him at first. If he were a more trusted or competent lieutenant, he''d not be trapped at the end of the world with myself." "Glad to see you think so highly of our town," the sheriff muttered. "I chose this place precisely for being so far removed from society, dear sheriff," Kendra replied. "My father''s influence blacklisted me from virtually all major universities, so I decided to take the opposite approach and find one so beyond his reach that he wouldn''t even bother making an attempt to interfere. Unfortunately for my plan, this town has turned out to be far more valuable than anyone could have anticipated." "Speaking of the town, what''s the general mood?" asked Josh. "You two have been running all over, what''s your take?" "Everyone''s uneasy," Jackie answered. "News is really starting to spread now. We''re gonna have more waves of people trying to figure out how they can do magic too." "And we''re still telling everyone they can''t, right?" "We are," Rachel confirmed, "but we don''t know that everyone else is. You can be sure Cinza will be looking to pick up new recruits." "She still doesn''t have any paper though. They can''t awaken anyone." "Oh thank God," Jackie muttered. Josh laughed. "Yeah, we''re spared that nightmare for now. So we can focus down on the two real threats: keeping the council happy and finding Omega." "You said they weren''t happy, Josh," Rachel prompted. "Not happy with you," he corrected. "The gist I got is that Mabel, Julian and Cinza are mostly down with how this has played out otherwise." "Those are the three big players?" Jackie asked, scribbling on a notepad. Josh raised an eyebrow. "Look, kid, I''m having trouble keeping up. I won''t write down anything sensitive, don''t worry." "All right, whatever. Just leave me out of it. Anyway, Cinza seems to have your back actually. I dunno what you did there but she hasn''t bitched about you once." Rachel smiled. Her budding friendship with Cinza was paying off. "It''s Mabel and Julian that got me worrying." "I never got the impression that Mabel was particularly invested in the Council, or magic," Kendra said. "I''ve never seen her visit the Market once, nor has she ever proposed policy or stepped in on a dispute." "You don''t know her like I do," Josh said. "Mabel''s the quiet type, yeah, but she''s an old matriarch. Raised a whole family and a half here. Did you know that John Bell, the big guy over at the Kettle, is her grandson?" "No," Kendra answered. Rachel was surprised too. Even she hadn''t known that. "John''s just one of several, plus she''s got old family ties with the Harrisons. Those two families practically built this town, even though the Prices own it. They''ve got a lineage and they like to keep things in the line." "So I''m a usurper," Rachel concluded. "Not exactly," Josh said. She smiled. This was why Josh was a valuable member of her team. Even though he seemed not to care, the guy was far more socially observant than any of them. Josh had a knack for digging his way through social ladders, finding every nook and cranny, and mapping them out. He knew exactly who was linked with whom, and every little feud and bond in between. Every nuance was accounted for. "Mabel didn''t mind when you were an elected councilor. It followed the rules¡ªrules she helped put in place. If we''d done things that way, she''d probably be okay with it. But then you played your hand at the town hall and everything went to shit. Now you''re Big Bad Rachel coming to stomp on the rest of the council by declaring yourself the one true representative of the awakened." "That''s not what I did¡­" Rachel started indignantly, but Josh held up a hand. "Yeah, I know that, and I''m your other partner here, so don''t start flippin'' out. I''m just telling you what it looked like to them." Kendra nodded. "It could easily be seen as another coup." She frowned. "Neither of you stood up to help." Josh shrugged, looking totally comfortable. "Because I don''t care about being a pillar of the community. You already know that. Who knows what Mabel was thinking during the town hall?" "Rachel, you faced off against the town to defend one of our own," Will put in gently. "A lot of us recognize that and admire you for it." Rachel gave him a weak smile, but she still felt like she''d been cut down a few pegs. Had she thrown a coup and taken over the council? She hadn''t intended to, but that did look to be the end result. Rachel had simply taken command when no one else seemed to be. Certainly in most council meetings she''d always taken the lead role¡ªthis had been no different in her mind. "What about Julian?" Will prompted, before Rachel could get too lost in her own thoughts. She shot him a grateful look for changing the subject. "Well, he always hated Rachel," Josh said simply. Rachel snorted, and he grinned. "Yeah, that''s about it, but now he''s got an actual following. He''s been spouting some shit about you making yourself queen of the council and outin'' us when we didn''t need to yet. It''s not enough to overpower Cinza''s voting block or your own friends and followers, but it''s growing." "Probably bitter that you threw off his plans," Will added, returning to his laptop. "Julian the delivery man?" Jackie asked. Rachel nodded. "He''s been a thorn in our side for a while now." "Mine too," Jackie spat. "Prick keeps drinking on the job, nearly running into the streetlights in his truck." "Why not arrest him?" Josh asked. "Because I''ve never caught him doing it, and I can''t toss someone in jail without evidence." "Of course you had to actually be good at your job," he sighed. Jackie grinned. "What was that bit with Robert Harrison at the town hall though?" Rachel asked. "Those two are friends now?" "Hey, something I can answer," Jackie said, leaning forward. "They''re drinkin'' and huntin'' buddies, go out together once a month. I could see Robert helping back his play before, but not now." "Why not now?" "Robert hates bein'' lied to, and Julian''s been hidin'' magic from him this whole time and usin'' him. Those two aren''t friends anymore, trust me on that one. Robert trusts you now¡ªa bit. More than the mayor or anyone from the college, at least." "Julian isn''t an immediate threat," Kendra interjected. "I appreciate your concerns over the possibility of losing your council seat, but if there were ever a case to declare an emergency, this would be it. I think we can table that discussion and focus on the murders." Her declaration sobered up the table a bit. They''d been enjoying dumping on Julian too much. Rachel took a breath to allow her thoughts to refocus. "First is the legal situation, and how Jackie can handle this moving forward." Jackie sighed. "Sometime I''m gonna have to file these kids into the system, and it''s gonna shoot up all sorts of red flags. Rallsburg never gets suspicious deaths. Worst we ever have are a tourist or two lost in the woods who wandered in from a multi-day hike, or that one loony who jumped out of a plane and landed near here." "Why can''t they be that?" Josh asked. "Do you got any planes handy?" "No, I mean lost in the woods. Attacked by bears or wolves or something." "It''ll have to stand up to a legitimate M.E. We don''t have anyone here, so they''ll call a city coroner. Probably a real expert." An idea sprang to mind, and Rachel cut in. "We do have Natalie." The room was dead silent for a few moments. "Wow, Rachel," Josh said quietly. "She''s right, though," Will said, though he too sounded uneasy at her implication. "Indeed," agreed Kendra. "Natalie could accomplish the required results." "That''s just sick," Jackie muttered. "You''d ask a twelve year old to do¡­ that?" "Natalie is more mature than you give her credit for, Ms. Nossinger. She would understand the gravity and the extenuating circumstances." "Look, I''m okay with delaying my report because the system would flip out over this shit. We don''t have the right way to deal with it legally yet. But I''m not manufacturing false evidence, or involving a goddamn middle schooler in this mess," Jackie growled. "That''s over the line." "None of us wanted to involve her," Will replied. "We''ve tried to protect her." "And now her father''s missing, her friend''s dead and she''s being asked to muti¡ª" "All right," Rachel cut in forcefully. "Is there anything else we need to cover about the murders?" "Rika," said Josh. Rachel''s heart fell. He got the topic changed¡ªas Rachel had desired¡ªbut it had switched right to the last thing she wanted to discuss. "I thought we''d concluded that Omega killed them," Rachel said, trying to keep the note of panic out of her voice. "There were electricity burns on the bodies. Omega never used electricity, no one does. No one even knows how to. Only Rika. The whole town knows that too." "We never saw him use it. Doesn''t mean he can''t." "Even if she wasn''t responsible," Kendra added, "it would be best that she present herself. If only for protective custody." "Protective custody?" asked Will, alarmed. "There''s only four known persons with magic, right?" Jackie said. "You''ve got Rachel, who''s spent the whole year buddying up to the entire damn town. You''ve got Hector, the nice groceryman who most people love and respect even if he''s a shitty businessman. You''ve got Cinza, who half the ''burg is gonna be scared of and the other half wantin'' to get her to talk. I''d be more worried about her except that she''s apparently got a pretty militant group?" Jackie glanced at Rachel, who nodded. "Right, so she can probably defend herself if it comes to that. Which leaves Rika, the lone foreigner who last time she was here caused a huge ruckus and had to be booted right back outta town." "You heard about that?" Rachel asked, surprised. "We didn''t know what it was about, but everyone in Rallsburg knew you ran your best friend out of the country," Jackie said. "It''s still a small town. Folks love a good drama." "Not all of us," Josh muttered. "She wasn''t good enough for you anyway, man," Will said, patting him on the back. "Whatever." Josh turned to Jackie. "How hard can it be to find her, anyway? She''s a short Asian girl with blue hair in a town that probably has less than twenty non-white people. Hell, you''re looking at the only black guy here with school out and Omega gone." "You find her in a town this withdrawn with only one officer on your staff," Jackie shot back. "I''ve got so much on my plate already, and not a soul around feels like callin'' in useful tips." "So put Bowman on it." "I did. He just hasn''t come up with anything yet. As soon as she''s spotted, we''re bringing her in. By force at this point." Rachel spotted Will stifling a yawn, and decided that was as good a time as any to interject. "Thank you, everyone. I think that about covers it for now." "So we simply wait until we get a hit in the forest on Omega?" Kendra asked. "I think Cinza may have some ideas. I was planning on talking with her tomorrow after the funeral." "Memorial," Jackie corrected. "Huh?" "There''s no body, so it''s a memorial." Jackie shuddered. "And I hope to God they never have to see their kid." She stood to leave. "I don''t like just sitting around and waiting, but your call. I don''t have any better ideas. Thanks for dinner." The rest of the group echoed the sentiment and trooped out one by one. Josh stayed long enough to gather up the remaining ingredients he''d brought over before wishing them good night.
"Are we doing all right?" Rachel asked. Her head rested comfortably on Will''s chest. He put an arm around her and held her just as she liked it¡ªfirm, but never squeezing her, never pressuring her. She felt contained, like she were safe and sound in his grip and didn''t have to worry about anything happening around her. Rachel''s mind was free to wander while she was pressed up against him. "Is that a ''me and you'' we, or an ''all of us'' we?" Will asked, brushing her hair gently. The room was steadily getting colder, so he reached over her to the edge of the bed and pulled up the blanket to wrap them both up. The sensation of his skin moving across her own scattered Rachel''s thoughts for a moment, forcing her to refocus her thoughts before answering. "All of us." "Oh good. You had me really worried for a moment there." Rachel laughed. "I''m sorry. I''m just¡­ there''s a lot on my mind." Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. "Isn''t there always?" Will said, grinning. "Even your mind needs a break, Rachel. Just every once in a while. I haven''t seen you drawing or relaxing in months. Not even at night." "I know. I haven''t been keeping you up, right?" "Nah. I''m still a bit jealous you only need an hour of sleep though. Maybe someday I''ll try that trick." "Not until we know how to do it properly, remember?" Rachel said. "Kendra already told me she''s noticed something off. I don''t want unexpected side effects hitting us both." "Yeah, of course. Not until." Will kissed her forehead gently. "What''s on the superbrain tonight, then?" "I''m afraid, Will," Rachel said quietly, closing her eyes and trying to let her muscles relax. She could feel Will calm and solid beneath her, and was unbearably jealous of him. She wished she could be so peaceful. "There''s so many variables in play right now. I still have no clue where Rika is, why she''s here or who her friend is. Omega''s out there, even though Alpha promised us he''d never return. Grey-eyes is actually talking to me, but she''s giving me cryptic warnings. And the secret''s out and I don''t know how it''s spreading. "It all depends on two groups keeping two massive secrets," she continued, letting out a deep breath. "Everyone in the entire town has to keep it a secret from the world that magic exists. If they find out, that''s already a mess of trouble as people start looking for us. But everyone who''s awakened has an even bigger secret to hold, that anyone can awaken. If that gets out¡­" "We''ll deal with it," Will said firmly. "You can''t know that though," Rachel said, opening her eyes and looking up at him. It was the one instance where she wished she weren''t so tall, as she either had to constantly curl up to stay in place, or have her legs dangle well off the bed since she was a full five inches above Will''s six feet. As much as she wanted to be contained and held, at the end of the day Rachel felt like she would always burst out and away. "There''s so much at stake, and we''re so few and divided. And I can''t reach any of them to unite them against the threat." "You can''t reach them because they''re not afraid yet." "Not afraid?" Rachel asked, surprised. "They''re all downright paranoid! And they''ve seen this before¡ªwhy wouldn''t they be afraid?" "Everyone''s cautious, and they have a reasonable distrust of one another. We''ve got a power structure entirely based around knowledge. No one wants to let anyone else get a single inch if they can help it. That''s gonna naturally breed wariness." Rachel considered for a moment. "So I need to bring together anyone not affected." "Like who?" "Cinza''s people. They all trust each other, and Cinza trusts me. Kendra, Josh, and everyone else on our side of the Council. Natalie. Ryan." "Did Ryan check in yet, by the way?" Will asked, looking over at their phones on the bedside table. "No, but I''m sure he''s still out looking. You know he''s not gonna give up until he finds her. We can trust him." "And when we''ve got all these people together, what then?" Rachel took a deep breath. "We go hunting."
There was a single lonely park at the south end of Rallsburg. It was almost the polar opposite of the train station. It had been built at the insistence of the previous mayor to give the town somewhere to meet that wasn''t the musty town hall. Some called it excessive; why have a tailored and artificial park when the natural forest was only a few dozen feet beyond? It was pointless when nature could produce greater beauty without any effort at all, they said. Rachel disagreed. To her, the mixture of the two was the perfect expression of the town. It was a gentle transition from the wild and untamed forest, to the constructed and designed¡ªbut still full of life and beauty¡ªopen-air park. Beyond it lay the first real signs of industry and modernity, as the grass turned to pavement. She arrived with Will only a few minutes prior to the scheduled start. They''d both dressed soberly, with Rachel in a long black dress and Will in a dark jacket and nicer pants than she''d ever seen him wear. Rachel had only tangentially known Jenny Wilson, but she was determined to pay her respects to an erstwhile member of her town and a tragic victim of her world, and offer any comfort she could to the parents. She wasn''t sure how much they''d found out about the circumstances of their daughter''s death¡ªnot being present at the town hall meeting¡ªbut Rachel was sure they''d at least heard whispers about the supernatural aspect of Jenny''s passing. For the moment, the parents seemed occupied with greeting the rest of the town. Being a native family of Rallsburg, the Wilsons were good friends with Robert Harrison and the other logging families, though they were primarily involved with teaching and bookkeeping. Paul Wilson looked like a stick compared to Robert Harrison''s solemn-faced bulk, but the two greeted each other as if they were the best of friends. Will and Rachel took seats in the back row of the chairs that had been set out. A poorly blown-up blurry photograph of Jenny¡ªtaken at the beginning of the school year¡ªwas at the front, with a black ribbon across one corner and flowers scattered around the frame. Her face peeked out from a curtain of long brown messy bangs, crooked front teeth and all. They''d talked about getting her braces sometime soon. It was notable since there was no orthodontist anywhere near the town, which would mean long train rides any time Jenny needed an adjustment or a checkup. At the far edge of the photo frame was the barest hint of a hand. Another face just barely outside, trying to get in the photo at the last second. "Natalie," she murmured. "Hm?" Will asked, nudging her. "How is she going to handle this?" Rachel asked. "I don''t think I could have at her age." "You know her better than me, love. But I think she''ll be okay." "She''s tough," Rachel said, mostly to herself. Emotion was thickening her voice. She brushed away a tear threatening to drop from her face. "She''ll pull through." "Rachel?" They turned at the new voice and found Rowan Rhistler standing behind them in a black suit. The sheriff had also arrived, in full uniform. Rachel quickly rose to greet the mayor, stumbling a little on her dress. It was longer than what she was used to, since she hadn''t cut it to fit her properly yet. Dresses at her height were always far too long or much too short, and she couldn''t exactly afford a custom fit, so most of her clothes were home-modified. "Mayor." "Rowan, please, and I''m sorry to say I didn''t expect to see you here today." Rachel was taken aback. "I felt I had to come and pay my respects." "Let me clarify: I think it''s good you came, I just didn''t know if you would. To be honest, I was working up the courage to ask you to attend, and never got around to it." Somewhere deep in her mind, Rachel burst out laughing. The mayor of the town¡ªa much older, stronger and experienced leader¡ªwas afraid of her. It tickled her brain that these were the circumstances of her life now. It only took one look at the eternally frozen smiling face of Jenny at the front of the procession to void her mirth utterly. "That''s all right, Rowan. I''m glad you''re here as well, I wanted to talk to you." "Oh?" "We should save it for after the service, though," Rachel added, noticing the arrival of the town''s only real clergyman, Henry Smith. Rallsburg was unusually secular for a small American town. There were no churches and very little organized religious gatherings. The few who did actively practice tended to gather at family houses on a rotating basis, or out in the park in nice weather. The town never resented them, but neither did it particularly support them. To Rallsburg, religion was a curiosity¡ªsomething to glance at occasionally and recognize habitually as the years went by, but mostly ignore. Until they couldn''t. Until something like this happened. Rachel had only a few encounters with the red-haired Reverend Smith in the past (though he disliked the title, everyone addressed him as such regardless), and all had been positive¡ªbut they were all prior to the Emergence. She''d not seen or heard from him once since the town hall. From what she could research, Rachel expected a harsh response from the religious world at large regarding magic, but she couldn''t be sure of a single preacher in a backwoods town like Rallsburg. She hoped the memorial would be solid neutral ground to approach him. For the time being, he was still talking to the Wilsons, discussing the service. Rachel allowed her eyes to wander over the rest of the small crowd, and found her gaze drawn to the treeline across the open fields. Was she imagining things, or had she seen someone flitting amongst the trees? No, Rachel realized. She was seeing someone¡ªmultiple someones. Her eyes, more keen than most thanks to her brain maximizing the slightest signals and recognizing their meaning, picked out the telltale cloaks of Cinza''s people flickering in the treeline. Cinza was attending, but in her own way, and in such a fashion to not intrude upon the ceremony where they would most certainly not be wanted. Rachel appreciated the girl''s tact yet again. She looked straight out into the forest and gave a firm nod, mouthing ''thank you'' as clearly as she could. A brief flash of light flickered in response, acknowledging her message. Rachel scarcely had time to think on it more. A car was pulling up to the park, which could only mean Kendra. As expected, Collins burst from the driver door to promptly open the door for his employer. Rachel wondered if he knew they were on to him as an informant. Kendra had asked they leave Collins for her to deal with, and they had. Rachel was curious what she planned to do with him. Kendra emerged, elegant as ever and drawing the attention of the crowd. Before she approached, however, she turned back to the car and extended her arm. Rachel''s heart quickened. Oh Kendra, what have you done? A small hand decorated with a white flower broach extended out and grasped Kendra''s glove. Natalie stepped out of the car. Her hair was drawn up, her face and arms clean for once. She was dressed in a simple black dress that looked far more expensive than children''s clothing had any right to be. Suddenly, she looked her age¡ªolder even, with her grave expression and bloodshot eyes. She looked uncertain, but Kendra held her hand firmly and lead her forward. Ingrid Wilson burst into tears, falling to her knees. Natalie let go and ran to her. She wrapped up Ingrid in a tight hug. It was Ingrid who sobbed into Natalie''s shoulder, and not the other way around. The girl looked sad, but she also looked determined. She wasn''t crying. Natalie Hendricks refused to cry. Rachel wasn''t so strong. She felt her own eyes well up. "How did this happen, Will?" she asked. Will had no answers for her. He took her hand and squeezed it gently. She held it tight, as if she would fall into the abyss without it.
Rachel managed to hold herself together through the entire service. She had never been religious herself, so the words of the reverend washed over her without impact. Still, every time she glanced at Natalie¡ªsitting next to Jenny''s mother and holding tight to her hand¡ªRachel struggled to keep her face calm. As everyone rose for the last words, Rachel looked back at the treeline. Cinza''s people were still there, though Rachel could only make out one of them clearly. It was Cinza herself, silver-grey hair in place and her hood down. She made a small gesture, and a huge flock of perfect yellow butterflies appeared in the field, fluttering up into the sky. To anyone else, they would have looked totally natural¡ªonly Rachel could see the imperfections, or connect them to the vague outline of a person sequestered amongst the pines. The crowd watched them float away, Jenny''s parents weeping openly. Natalie stayed with them while everyone filed by to give their condolences. Rachel and Will were near the end of the line, just in front of the mayor and behind Kendra. Rachel''s eyes were clear and her face set. As Kendra finished and stepped away, she moved up to greet the couple. She stopped. The Wilsons were glaring up at her. Ingrid was still crying through her narrowed eyes, but she managed to express terrifying fury in spite of it. Barely-contained rage practically radiated off of her. Rachel automatically took a step back. Natalie, only seeing the step, looked up at Jenny''s mother¡ªand she too backed away from the fledgling storm. The young girl balled her fist, sensing danger. "Why are you here?" Ingrid snarled. "I¡­" Rachel trailed off. She hadn''t expected this. She didn''t know what to do. "Ingrid? Paul?" Rowan asked, stepping up. "Is something wrong?" "Do you know?" Paul asked, his voice hoarse. "Do you know what she is?" There was bitter venom in his voice. Rachel felt sickened. "I do," Rowan said firmly. "And she has done nothing wrong." Ingrid let out a strangled sound, halfway between a laugh and a sob. "Nothing wrong, our mayor says! Oh, sure, nothing wrong! Except that our little girl is dead!" "That wasn''t me¡­" Rachel protested weakly, but her voice was thick with emotion and she could barely force the words out. She stumbled back over her dress and fell to the ground, where suddenly the entire world towered over her and not the other way around. The Wilsons loomed like enraged titans, the mayor and Will as bulwarks trying to hold them at bay. "She was murdered by one of you freaks," Ingrid spat. A shiver rolled through Rachel. She''d been called that name before, though it had been less to do with magic and more to do with her awkward height and appearance when she was younger¡ªbut it stung much harder from the furious woman above her. The crowd was uneasy. It wasn''t as though they agreed with Ingrid''s words¡ªbut none would dare stand in the way of a grieving mother. "Jenny was murdered?" Natalie asked. Rachel hadn''t realized Natalie didn''t know. Natalie was looking at her with expectant trust. Rachel gave her a brief nod. "Who did it?" "Someone she''s probably protecting!" Paul shouted. "Absolutely not!" Jackie shouted back. The sheriff muscled her way in between Paul and Rachel, who was still sitting dumbfounded in the dirt. "I''ve been trying to find the son of a bitch for days¡ªwith her. He''s out in the woods, not in our town. Rachel''s doing her part to fix this." "I¡ª" Rachel started, but she was quickly shouted over. "She''s misleading you! All of you! She''s made a deal with the devil, and we''re paying the price," Paul cried, starting to sound hysterical. Jackie faltered. The sheriff looked as though she might strike the man. Rachel couldn''t think of a worse idea at that moment¡ªbut apparently she was wrong. It wasn''t the sheriff though. Reverend Henry Smith, looking perfectly calm, stepped up next to the sheriff and smacked Paul Wilson across the face. The silence that followed was deafening. "Paul, you are a better man than this," Henry said firmly, in the clear carrying voice of any great preacher. "The Lord does not teach us to be full of wrath. That is for Him alone to decide." Paul looked as though he might retort, but Henry continued. "If the courts find her guilty, then I have no doubt you will see punishment from on high, but it is not for us to persecute." He turned and offered a hand to Rachel. She felt even more dumbfounded. The reverend was possibly the last person she expected support from. She reached and took it, finding his grip firm and true. He pulled her gently to her feet, where she once again stood over all in attendance. Rachel didn''t feel tall though¡ªshe felt like a child, hiding and staying silent while the adults argued and fought in front of her. "Are you alright, child?" Henry asked. "I¡­ yes, thank you," she answered, breathless. "This applies to all of you!" he continued, as though a megaphone had suddenly appeared before his mouth. "These people are still members of our community. We were taught to love our neighbors as ourselves, regardless of their background. Did not Jesus meet with everyone, no matter their choices or beliefs?" There was some grumbled assent. "What about the robed freaks in the forest?" Paul asked. "You said the murderer was out in the woods. Did you ever go after them?" "The killer targeted them too," Jackie said. "I''m not revealin'' any more details than that during an ongoing investigation." "They have been harmed just as we have been harmed," Henry called out. "Our neighbors, our brethren in Rallsburg have been persecuted. I for one intend to join with them and defend against this evil." He looked at Rachel with an intense gaze. For a brief moment, Rachel could understand how some preachers managed to gain such huge flocks of worshippers. His eyes had a passion that begged you to follow wherever he lead. "Will you take me to meet with them?" Rachel took a moment to realize she''d just been asked a question. "I''ll ask." Henry clasped her hands warmly. "Thank you, Rachel. Tomorrow, then." He bowed to the Wilsons, then strode away back into town.
Once the Reverend left, the remainder of the memorial party quickly dispersed. The Wilsons shot a few more angry glances at Rachel, but did not confront her. Rachel was too stunned by what had just occurred to do much of anything for a few minutes. Will helped her to her seat and stayed with her until the park had emptied itself down to just the two of them, the mayor and the sheriff. As the sun began to fall in the sky, Cinza emerged from the forest to join them. Her jewelry and charms jangled as she crossed the field, echoing over the birdsong that filled the air. "That service was much more dramatic than I expected," she commented. Jackie shot her a dark look. "Don''t joke around about this shit, kid." "My apologies," Cinza said sincerely. She bowed her head slightly, and her hair immediately faded back to its normal brown¡ªwithout the flashy transition that normally accompanied it. She still didn''t drop her vocal enchantment, but it seemed lessened somehow at least. "I meant no disrespect." "Wilsons''re right about one thing though, we need to catch the son of a bitch." "Indeed." Cinza looked back out at the forest. "My people have been exploring the forest in shifts, but without so much as a hint of activity. I assume your contact has found nothing either?" she asked, looking back at Rachel. A few moments of silence passed without a response. "Rachel?" Rachel was staring at the ground, barely paying attention. Her brain was replaying the conversation endlessly. The venom in Ingrid Wilson''s eyes, the pain in Paul''s hoarse voice. She couldn''t break away from the guilt that was seizing her throat and clamping down hard on her chest. Her heart ached in a way she''d never known before. "Rachel," Will said, squeezing her hand. She finally looked up. "What?" "Cinza was asking if your friend found anything yet on Omega." "Oh. I¡­ no. Nothing." Rachel''s eyes fell to the ground again, where a tiny yellow dandelion sprouted near her foot. "So we''ve still got nothing to go on," Rowan sighed. Jackie shrugged. "Not exactly. We know this guy can''t make a move into town directly, and we know his associate¡ªwhoever that is¡ªcan''t use magic himself without popping up all over our mysterious benefactor''s radar. And everyone in town''s accounted for. We also know he''s plannin'' to make a move soon, if he blocked off all our escape routes." "Aren''t we worried that it''ll be something drastic? Something massive?" "It''s not Omega''s style," Will replied. "He was always very stringent on making sure the general public was never involved. Way more than the rest of the awakened. He''d never involve people without magic." "Unless the rules have changed now that we all know," Rowan said. "Maybe we count as valid targets now." "Maybe. Couldn''t say. So far, no one has been attacked besides Jenny, and aren''t we pretty sure that was accidental?" "Accidental?" Jackie nodded. "Little girl was down behind the chair and got hit by whatever killed Alex, punched right through everythin''. I don''t think they knew she was there." "Good God," Rowan murmured. "That just makes this even worse." His phone started buzzing. "That''s my cue, I suppose. More concerned citizens. Excuse me." Jackie left as well, giving Rachel another sidelong glance. She still hadn''t spoken up, letting Will fill in for her in the conversation. "I know your secret," Cinza said abruptly. "What?" Rachel asked, snapping her eyes up to the short girl''s face. Even seated, Rachel still just matched Cinza''s height. The symbol of the eight-pointed star from the book caught the sun and reflected it into her eyes, forcing her to squint a little. "I know that Will here is the one you use to track magic." Will stood up abruptly, but Cinza raised her hand. "I found out myself, and no one else knows. I won''t ever tell a soul. But I believe you should know that in the event he is targeted for his abilities, I''m prepared and willing to defend him, as I am you. I tell you this because I trust you." "Thank you," Rachel said, but her heart wasn''t in it. The offer she''d made was generous and borne of friendship, but Rachel was still wracked with guilt and shame. Her eyes once again sunk to the ground, watching the edge of Cinza''s robes flutter around her boots. Cinza cleared her throat. "Will, may I have a minute with her?" Rachel didn''t hear a reply, but after a few moments, Will stood and walked away. She was suddenly very, very alone. Rachel lifted her legs up to her chair, trying to curl into a ball. She didn''t want to interact with the world, even though her brain pressed her to gather every detail around her no matter how inane. Her enhancements were playing havoc with her emotional state and it was turning her into a perfect self-analyzing wreck. She knew she was feeling guilty for something she had no direct responsibility for. Rachel also knew she was overcome with emotions created by proximity to grief, and that human chemistry played a meaningful part of her current state. Logically, she could conclude that it was a phase that should pass with time, and that her state of being was only brought on by stress, a lack of relaxation and an overwhelming abundance of overactivity in both her brain and her body over the last couple of weeks. It didn''t matter, though. The emotions crashed through her anyway, and she felt helpless and alone even with her beloved by her side. Now that he''d left them, Rachel wanted the world to just go away and leave her alone, before more tragedy struck. "Rachel, do you know what happens when you awaken?" Cinza asked. Of all the questions, Rachel had not expected that one. "What?" "Do you know what happens when you awaken?" "No. I mean, yes, I guess. I¡­ I don''t understand what you''re asking?" Cinza knelt down in front of her, and held out her hand. A tiny orb of light spun into being, floating above her fingertips. She let it dance and spin while she spoke. Her voice had completely lost its usual ethereal, floaty whisper-echo. Instead, Cinza spoke with the hard edge and accent she''d once revealed to Rachel, the true voice she never shared with the world. "Think about the word we''ve settled on, ''awakened''. It''s not by accident. When we transition into this life, our eyes are opened to a few fundamental truths in the universe. The first, and most important, is that there are things beyond our comprehension." "But¡ª" "Magic, Rachel. We approach it as a science, but it is not a science. It is strange and beautiful and terrifying. Even in our first moments, we come so close to death we can taste it." Cinza let the orb split out into the eight-pointed star of the book, which continued to gently spin around her palm. "Grey-eyes always saves us, but anyone who has taken that leap knows what it means to come out the other side. We know that there was a point where we could take no more, where beyond lay the impossible unknown." "Why are you telling me this?" Rachel asked, still watching the star. She didn''t want to look at anyone''s face anymore, and certainly not up where the portrait of Jenny still sat at the front of the rows of empty chairs. "Because you know this. You have walked this path, same as I have. The same as Alexander and Jaysmith, the same as Will and Ryan and Kendra and Rika. The same as the many who follow in my wake, or the council who follows you in yours." Cinza''s voice grew stronger. "We are pioneers in a world that truly needs them again. Where we are walking, there is no precedent to follow. You and I have only ourselves to fall upon. What we know, and what the mundane people of Rallsburg do not, is that the dragons are real. The danger is real. They believed they had the world mapped out, and they were wrong." Rachel finally looked at her. Cinza''s small dark eyes were fierce and wild. She looked ready for a fight. Rachel could feel the heat radiating off her skin, as she was almost close enough to touch. "But I¡ª" "You feel grief, and you should. Two of our own were lost, and we might have lost a third if not for your quick action in the forest. We also lost an innocent, a child who might have joined us one day, or might simply have lead a full and happy life." The portrait of Jenny loomed over her shoulder, punctuating her words. "They''ve passed from this world. We have not. We press on, and we work to make sure no one else has to join them. You have done incredible things building this council and bringing together every wayward soul who has crossed into our realm. Now is the time we defend them." Rachel nodded. "So what do we do?" Cinza smiled grimly. She snapped her hand shut on the star, and grabbed both of Rachel''s hands from her lap with one swift movement. Her skin felt hot and her grip intense. "We go hunting." Hearing the echo of her own words, spoken only the night before, brought Rachel back. She still felt weak and unhinged, like she were fragile and could collapse with the right push, but she was no longer broken. She could stand, and so she stood. As she did, her mind began to churn again. Rachel processed through everything she''d heard and everything she knew, searching for a solution. Not a solution, she realized¡ªa battleplan. They needed to arm themselves. There was no point trying to track the untrackable. Omega was clearly too clever to be found with the means they had at their disposal. Rachel had to change the field. There was one way. A new resource that had been introduced not so long ago¡ªand one that Rachel suspected had set off the entire chain of events. It was forbidden, it could tear her beloved council apart, but it was her only option. "Cinza, I have a plan." She smiled. "Precisely the words I wanted to hear, glorious leader." [Discord]¡ª[Rate This Story]¡ª[Patreon] Chapter 15 — The Heart of a Leader Chapter 15 ¡ªThe Heart of a Leader Rachel might have to deal with Mabel Walsh. The old woman had a knack for slithering her way into every situation, whether she had any reason to be involved or not. She was one of the rare few with affinity for Knowledge magic. Her particular talents gave her a keen insight on falsehoods and deception, spells which she refused to expound upon for the rest of the Council. It was doubtful anyone else could actually accomplish much even if she had explained them, as Knowledge magic was particularly difficult for anyone without the affinity¡ªbut with the Council''s express purpose in collaborating and coordinating the budding magical community, it was invariably frustrating for Rachel to see an elected councilor to be so opposed. Will spent many sleepless nights brainstorming various potential methods with Rachel on how they might imitate Mabel''s abilities. They''d worked through the basics first¡ªtrying to detect increased physical reactions like eye movements and dilation, changes in breathing or sitting position, or any number of nearly-undetectable shifts in a person when attempting to lie. None produced as reliable results as Mabel could regularly produce. Will once surreptitiously monitored her from a few rooms away while Mabel had helped them interview a potential awakening candidate, which was how they''d determined her affinity. The discovery of Mabel as the third Knowledge affinity in town had placed the technique squarely in Will''s domain¡ªand totally out of Rachel''s reach. Rachel was increasingly frustrated by her limited ability to cast spells. Her own affinity for Mental magic seemed paltry and useless compared to the feats regularly performed by Cinza or Natalie with their Nature magic, Will with his incredibly useful spells to track and determine magic, or whatever insane combination of abilities allowed Kendra to cast something as impossible as the Market. At best, Rachel''s capabilities seemed to extend to modifying her own mental capacity and the method Will had discovered to view relationship connections. She''d put those two to the best effect she could manage, but in a fight (as Rallsburg seemed destined to slide into strife), Rachel felt utterly useless. She therefore resolved to provide her allies with the best weapons she could manage. If Rachel could not help on the frontlines, she would have to act as the tactician and armsmaster. All her efforts would be in support of the best general and fighter she could find. At the moment, that was the girl she was currently trekking through the thick mountain forest to find. Cinza had given her brief instructions on how to find their encampment, but Rachel had always been poor at navigating the world, as so many loved to remind her. She may have compensated for this by memorizing the entire town inch by inch, but that did little to help her maneuver through the ever-thickening woods. The best she could do was recognize any clearings or landmarks she had already passed. Her cell phone was out of range, so she couldn''t call for help either. The only communication she maintained with the outside world was her connection to Will, strong and reliable as ever. Every so often, Rachel shifted to view it once again, just to remind herself it was there. However, due to the distance and the murky nature of such viewing, she couldn''t use it even as a compass bearing. If only I''d thought to bring a compass, Rachel mused. She''d been in a bit of a rush, as she only had so long before her absence was noted. Will was covering for her, but Rachel''s current mission was to remain an absolute secret between the three of them. Even the sheriff, as much as Rachel had grown to like the woman, couldn''t know her current plan. If she were found out, it would split the Council down the middle and send them tumbling into far greater chaos and disarray. Rachel sat down on a log, feeling winded. She dug through her bag for a sandwich and munched it down. Nature wasn''t exactly something she hated, but Rachel had never been particularly inclined toward it either. She regarded it with a mixed indifference: it could be beautiful, and it was certainly necessary for the world to function, but she had no need to actually go out and be in it. Pictures were plenty for her. She''d much rather be inside enjoying a book than taking a hike through the wilderness any day¡ªnot that she had time for either anymore. There was always too much to do. Still, Rachel respected the environment enough not to debase it for the rest of the world. She made sure all the trash from her brief meal was stored back in her bag. Once again, Rachel marvelled at the satchel¡ªand bemoaned her own inability to create something so functional and useful. The bags were created by Kendra from the same principles as her Market. Rachel had begged to know the method, but Kendra had steadfastly refused. Each bag held far more than it should have, obviously, but they still carried weight. It wasn''t possible to haul much more around than usual. The rows of pouches and the massive increase of space simply made it easier to organize, as well as carry around valuables in a much more protected space, as the interior was wholly unaffected by weather. The real clever trick was that they were powered by the owner, not by Kendra herself. If Kendra had been required to keep the magic alive, distance and the increasing number of them she''d sold would have quickly drained her of energy completely. Instead, the bag was tied to its particular owner, and was fed a small supply of energy at a constant rate to keep it intact. Rachel could feel its gentle tug on her body at all times, like a tiny weight seated somewhere near her heart. It was so miniscule that she could only notice it when she actively tried, like being aware of her own breathing or blinking. It took very little effort, but it had to be maintained or the contents would collapse instantly into the actual size of the bag, compressing without regard for their wellbeing. It was this penchant for self-destruction if stolen that had Rachel keep it on her at all times. She kept several invaluable possessions inside, including both the Scraps she and Will had awakened from as well as the council spellbook¡ªa plastic binder where they kept every Scrap, six in total, that had been discovered and donated to the Council. The cost of such bags was not inconsequential, as Kendra had only made a select few for very high-paying customers. Rachel''s had been a gift, in recognition of her efforts for the community and their own friendship. She was incredibly grateful every time she used it, as she''d never be able to afford such an exorbitant sum on her meagre income. Rachel had only managed to attend school through a stack of loans in the first place, and Rallsburg was one of the few schools to accept her, desperate due to their dwindling attendance rates. If I hadn''t applied here, where would I be now? she thought, starting off through the woods once more. I''d never have met Will. Would I have even awoken if it hadn''t been sprung on me that day? It wasn''t the first time she''d pondered such questions. Rachel felt like she had dropped into her role purely by chance. She''d done her best to make the most of it, but every day still felt like a blind flight to some degree. Would they have died if someone else were in charge? Rachel shook her head and tried to clear her mind. Her thoughts were becoming nonsensical; how was her elected position to have altered the fate of the three murdered by Omega? She had barely been awakened herself when Alpha and Omega first fought. She couldn''t have been a factor. When they were forced apart by Hector Peraza, Rachel was just another face in the cowering crowd. A particularly stubborn and misleadingly high root nearly tripped her and sent her falling head-over-heels. Rachel tried to focus on where she was going, but her doubts continued to circle around her like vultures waiting for prey. Will I ever be trusted like Hector? She liked the man¡ªeveryone like Hector¡ªbut she was also quite jealous of him. He held a mountain of respect from every member of the council for his heroic actions. When Omega had confronted Alpha in front of the assembled Council, it seemed as though they might tear the entire building apart. Hector stepped in, without thought for his well-being, and drove them to back down. His bravery outstripped anything Rachel had ever seen. They''d agreed to a permanent truce. Neither would interfere with the community again, so long as the rules were followed. Omega may have ideological objections to the direction their society was headed in, but he wasn''t going to confront Alpha and Hector as a combined force. Not alone. It was only when he''d found a supporter than Omega had finally returned. He was still technically abiding by the terms of the truce, but his influence and his methods were clear. He was making a new attempt to end the spread of magic, and this time he wasn''t simply targeting the source. His destruction would be far wider than the library¡ªit would be the entire town. "It''s about time," came a call from the trees nearby. Rachel stopped, not sure where the voice had come from, but it was clearly Cinza. It echoed and reverberated through the underbrush in an unnatural way, coupled with the usual ethereal floatiness that she tended to speak in by default. Two silver robes stepped out from behind thick trunks a few dozen meters away. It looked like Makoto, if Rachel had to guess from the outline, and another she did not recognize. Cinza''s voice floated out again, seemingly from everywhere at once. "Follow them, please." Makoto gave her a brief silent nod. Without waiting for a response, he turned and started walking into the deepest part of the forest, where the trees grew even thicker together and the paths were nearly nonexistent. Rachel clutched her bag more tightly and followed them in. Whatever friendship she might feel growing with Cinza, the girl was still an enigma. She wouldn''t let her guard down just yet.
It felt like they''d traveled miles, but it had only taken a few more minutes to reach Cinza''s little enclave. As Rachel emerged through the trees, she had to shade her eyes from the burst of sunlight through the open air. She surveyed the place in awe, as she hadn''t expected such a cultivated and developed home for Cinza and her followers. There were a couple small cabins, made of the same wood as the forest, sitting at the far end, while scattered tents dotted around the rest of the wide expanse lay at the points of what Rachel realized to be the same eight-pointed star symbol as the book, and as Cinza wore around her neck. The logs for the cabins looked too natural somehow, and Rachel suspected they''d been placed there with magical means. However, it was the centerpiece of the domain which really caught her attention. There were rows of plants in the center of the clearing, alongside a stream that crossed through from one end to the other, providing a gentle backdrop of trickling water to the birdsong and other sounds of the forest around them. A few people were crouched amongst the field, checking plants and pulling up those that were ready to harvest. Cinza herself was among them. It was one of the few times Rachel had ever seen her without her robes. Instead, she was dressed in jeans and a light t-shirt, though her charms and necklaces still shone and glittered off the caught sunlight. She had soil caking her hands and knees and sweat clear on her brow, but the girl looked quite satisfied. All in all, it looked like a productive and perfectly ordinary farm¡ªexcept that it should have been impossible. After realizing they were under siege, Rachel had done a bit of research into ways to sustain themselves cut off from the world. From what she had read, a farm in such conditions as these¡ªa thick forest full of competitive plants, relatively low temperatures and much less direct sunlight available due to the canopy of branches and leaves¡ªshould not have been remotely successful. Yet as Rachel watched, one of Cinza''s companions pulled up several large healthy harvests and carried them away to be stored. Cinza herself was still busy working the field while Rachel approached, and Rachel could tell she was being deliberately ignored for effect. She sat down on a nearby folding chair, curious to see what the girl had to show off. Cinza knelt back on her feet and closed her eyes. Her small hands clenched hard as she exerted herself, drawing some form of energy out into the surroundings. Rachel wished she could see magic in action as Will could, but her ability to view connections only extended to relationships and emotional reactions, and she doubted Cinza would reveal her secrets willingly. Instead, she had to guess at what the girl might be doing while she sat in what looked like deep, intense prayer. A ray of sunlight shot down from the canopy, visible through the particles in the air. It looked as though it were bending in midair as it landed on the plants, lighting them up where before they had been in shadow. Cinza''s eyes remained closed, and the light intensity increased. The plants before her, which she had just laid in the ground and buried only moments before, sprouted immediately. It was as though someone had sped up a video in front of Cinza, watching the leaves and stem poke out of the soil and reach for the lifegiving sunlight. A moment later, however, Cinza opened her eyes and the growth came to a halt as quickly as it had begun. She let out a deep breath, then finally looked up to Rachel with a knowing smile. Her large, dark eyes sparkled with mischief, as if Cinza were a child doing something wrong, but knowing she was going to get away with it. "What do you think?" "I get the wave redirection, but how do you manage to speed it up?" Rachel asked, leaning forward. "Now, how could I give away such a valuable secret?" Cinza replied smugly. She turned to her follower further down the field, a thirty-something who looked like a man straight out of a picturesque farm, with the requisite floppy hat, straw in his teeth, and sun-beaten skin. "Aaron, finish up here for me please? I need to speak with our guest." "You got it," Aaron answered cheerfully. He plopped himself down and began to cast similar spells, though with much less skill or speed. "Teaching your followers, though, I see," Rachel commented as Cinza stood and brushed the soil off her legs. Even standing straight, the girl''s eyeline barely reached up to Rachel''s chest. If Rachel hadn''t seen her in action, it would be difficult to take her seriously. As it were, reminders of Cinza''s prowess and her stable of followers were at every turn. Makoto was quietly shadowing them through the camp, Rachel noticed after a few minutes, and was ready to strike at any moment. Meanwhile, familiar faces such as Morton Pollock or Nate Price gave her friendly glances as she passed. Cinza greeted everyone as they passed, asking about their day. More personal questions were quickly whispered out of Rachel''s earshot. Rachel was regarded with confusion¡ªnot hostility or distrust, exactly, but merely out of place, like a person who''d stumbled into the wrong room and had no particular reason to be there. "The company I keep is naturally suspicious of outsiders, I''m afraid," Cinza replied lightly. She didn''t sound too concerned. "Given our present situation, can you fault them some healthy paranoia?" "I guess not," Rachel said, watching them carefully. She was trying to determine how many followers Cinza had precisely. After realizing there must be several more unaccounted for by the number of tents and belongings present, she gave up. "How many are you?" "Just eleven or so, actually," Cinza replied, startling her. "I trust you, Rachel, though my friends warn me against it. I believe you are still the best suited to lead us, as much as I''d prefer the position myself. I think we could form a great partnership, if you''re willing. I would not have invited you here otherwise." "Only eleven?" "The cult moniker does drive away potential newcomers," Cinza said with a touch of irritation. "This is no cult, though." "You have a pretty strong devotion to a single person, though," Rachel pointed out. "Wouldn''t that qualify you as a cult?" "So does the whole of Christianity. Is that a cult?" Cinza replied. "Our goddess walks among us, helps us, saves us. If we are a cult, then we are one with a justifiable and decent figure to worship. Not that any of us worship her exactly," she added. "I don''t think she''d much like that, and none of us are particularly inclined toward it." "So why do all this?" "All what?" "Dress the way you do, live out here in the wilderness, all of this." Cinza smiled. "Because we are preparing for the next world." She laughed. "That''s exactly what a cult would say." "Fair enough, but it''s the truth. The Emergence has begun, and the end of the world is not far beyond it. When that happens, my people will already know how to live in a society where the magical and the mundane are intertwined." "Do you really think the world will end?" "I think that Ryan put it best. The old world will end. A new one is coming. We don''t know what that new world will be like. It''s already occurring in small-scale here in Rallsburg, though Omega''s interference is throwing everything into disarray. But even without this mess, do you really think we could just integrate ourselves into the modern world without incident? That society would take us in and continue mostly unchanged?" Cinza held out a hand, and a bottle of water flew through the air of its own accord into her grasp. She took a deep drink before continuing. "It''ll be chaos." Rachel sighed. "I hope you''re wrong." "I would love to be wrong, but I know better by now." They passed a small blanket laid out near what seemed to be a steam generator, wired up to something inside the cabin. Rachel raised an eyebrow, and Cinza shrugged. "You didn''t think we''d just give up on modern comforts, did you? We have cell phones and internet here, same as the rest of the town." She pointed, and sure enough, there was a small satellite dish mounted on the roof. "It''s not a great connection, but it''s enough. It helps that we can make power from almost nothing," she added with a grin. Two yellow eyes emerged from the forest near them, slinking around a tree trunk. They were followed by the largest mountain lion Rachel had ever seen, bronze furred and with thick killing muscles. It eyed her with something that seemed like distaste. Cinza beckoned to it, and it approached, allowing her to scratch its ears affectionately. "Have you not met Scrappy yet?" Cinza asked, obviously enjoying Rachel''s consternation. "What?" Rachel asked, her eyes locked on the cat''s and not daring to break contact. "Natalie''s favorite pet. Only because she couldn''t find a wolf yet, I think." Cinza slid her hand across its thick smooth fur a few more times before it slinked away again. It curled up on the blanket in front of the generator, which was emanating heat like a furnace. "Does Natalie come out here?" "Yes, every so often. She managed to find us despite the measures we put in place. Don''t worry, we make sure she''s safe. Though truth be told, I think she''s probably better suited to keeping us safe these days," Cinza replied. "That girl has power. Way more than all of us." Rachel frowned. "She''s only twelve. How could she be so powerful?" "I''ve had a few theories about that," Cinza said. "Perhaps it''s simply the length of time since she awakened. Natalie was one of the very first, was she not?" "Yes." "The rest of us came after the Gods and the first few. We were random, or we were chosen by the council and allowed through the process," she added pointedly. Rachel ignored it. "Natalie and her contemporaries, Kendra and Hector, have been routinely able to perform feats far exceeding what we would believe possible. Natalie just doesn''t use them much. Or perhaps she doesn''t use them where we can see her, since she prefers to spend her time out here in the forests with her friends." "But they were powerful immediately, not over time. It''s been a year and the rest of us aren''t nearly to that level." "So they have some other secret." She shrugged. "If we can find out the truth, then all the better, but I don''t lose sleep over it. What would worry me is any others with such power that we''ve never discovered." "It''s not likely," Rachel said. "I''m pretty sure I''ve tracked down everyone actively using magic." "Yet you cannot track Omega." "...You''re right," Rachel admitted. "Maybe there are more I''ve missed, who can''t be tracked in the same way he can''t." "I wouldn''t worry about it," Cinza said, patting her arm. "If they were going to cause us real trouble, I''m sure they would have shown themselves by now." She took a few steps in front of Rachel and pulled open the cabin door. Makoto was still lurking behind, but did not follow them. "After you, glorious leader."
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. The cabin was a small, two-room affair¡ªor more accurately, it might be described as a single room split down the middle by a woven curtain. The entire place made Rachel feel as though she needed to duck. It had been built with Cinza in mind, with accommodations for her taller followers, but Rachel was still easily one of the tallest people in Rallsburg. Several of Cinza''s silver-grey robes hung on hooks near the front door. A few ragged armchairs, apparently recovered from a thrift shop or charity drive, sat near a stone fireplace sharing the wall with the generator. Wires trailed off into the corner where a laptop and a small television sat along with a pile of books. A bookcase laden with various small gemstones and bowls of chalk took up the far wall. Through the curtain, Rachel could barely make out a wide, comfortable bed with thick rumpled covers and another desk, both rather unremarkable, and a smaller bookcase full of unmarked books. The curtain was the only notable thing about the room, but it more than made up for the rest of the underwhelming interior. It was a massive, gorgeous design depicting many interconnected stars of varying colors and beams of light, like a breathtaking night sky dotted with intricate designs. Rachel could have spent hours digesting its detail. She noticed that many of the stars held the design of the same one from the book, and that Cinza still wore around her neck. It had to have been made just for them. "Ruby''s," Cinza commented, noticing Rachel''s interest. "She''s quite talented at her artwork." "This is incredible," Rachel said. "She''ll be pleased to hear it. She gave that to me for my twenty-third," Cinza said with a warm smile. "It was the best birthday gift I''ve ever gotten." "When was that?" Rachel asked, reaching out a hand to feel it. The fibers were thick and felt strong and durable. "December twenty fifth, actually." "Christmas day?" "Quite. Made for a disappointing childhood, trust me," Cinza said, without bitterness. Rachel turned around to see her stripping off her sweat-laden shirt¡ªwith nothing on underneath. "Sorry, I just had to get rid of that before it stunk up the whole room." The scars on her chest were plain as day just below the star necklace, and Rachel knew she was showing them off deliberately. She wanted Rachel to ask. Rachel didn''t feel like rising to the bait. "I came out here to ask you to¡ª" "Rachel, please." Cinza took a seat in one of the armchairs. The shirt floated out of the rear window, presumably to a laundry. "Sit and let''s talk a while." "We don''t really have time for this." "Are you afraid your absence will be noted?" Cinza shrugged. "Given your hectic activities since the Emergence, I doubt it will surprise anyone that you can''t be reached for a while. In any event, your cell phone will work in our home. We have a repeater set up along with the satellite connection." Rachel shook her head. "I should be getting back as soon as I can." "You need me, and I need you. We barely know each other," Cinza said, pulling her legs up onto the chair and leaning back comfortably. Her voice slipped out of the floaty echo she had been keeping up until that moment. She still had that vaguely eastern-European accent which Rachel couldn''t place, but her voice was no longer magically altered. "Do you know how long it''s been since I''ve actually gotten to talk to someone for real?" Rachel had no response for that. She finally reluctantly sat down across from Cinza. A flick of the girl''s fingers and the fire lit up, as it was still relatively cool out for a morning in May. The burst of heat sent her recoiling for a moment, but it felt good, and she soon felt much more relaxed. The chair was a bit low for her, but it put them at a relatively equal height compared to Cinza''s wide, tall armchair. She still felt a bit odd sitting across from the topless Cinza, but the girl seemed totally comfortable and with no intent to dress herself, so Rachel did her best to ignore it. "Don''t you talk to them?" she asked, tilting her head outside. Cinza shook her head, and there was an undercurrent of loneliness in her voice as she spoke. Her voice had lost its affectation, but she had not lost her dramatic flair. "I''m their leader, after all. I didn''t intend to be, but the position was forced upon me. So I''ve never really had the opportunity to speak with any of them as equals. They look to me for guidance, not for vulnerability. I have Ruby, of course, but our relationship is a bit different." "That sounds awful." "It was, at first. If Ruby hadn''t found me, I probably would have gone insane." She looked over at the curtain and smiled again. "I owe her so much." "...Who are you, Cinza?" She hesitated. "I said I wanted to talk openly, and I meant it. So if you ask again, I''ll answer, but I will tell you this now: I abandoned my old identity. Not a soul knows my real name for a hundred miles or more. I created myself anew from nothing, because to include even an inkling of who I had been would be to grant the opportunity for that poison, that venom to slither its way back into my life. That girl died the day I awakened." She looked so intense that Rachel couldn''t imagine asking her to unveil that portion of her life, no matter how curiosity might tug at her brain otherwise. "I won''t ask." "I will, though. Who are you, Rachel DuValle?" "How do you want me to answer that? You could be asking anything." Cinza leaned forward, putting her chin on folded hands propped up by the arms of the chair. "I did a bit of digging with Morton''s help. He''s learned quite a bit as the apprentice to the only journalist in town. How does the daughter of a single mother and struggling actress in B.C. end up in a backwater town like Rallsburg, and become the leader of the new world?" "You found my mother?" Rachel asked, surprised. While she wasn''t exactly unknown, her mother had never managed anything more than bit parts or character work. Rachel was the only person to ever add her information on internet databases, as far as she could tell. "I didn''t think anyone cared enough to search for her." "I wanted to know more about you," Cinza replied. "Like I said, you''re completely unlike what I''d expected to find when I first arrived. You do remember, don''t you?" "You tried to overthrow the council. How could I forget?" Cinza grinned. "And we''d all be in a far worse place if I had succeeded. I''m glad they taught me a lesson." "Would we?" "Come on. Don''t beat yourself up over current events. This would have happened no matter who lead the council. Omega was a time-bomb waiting to happen." Rachel sighed. "It doesn''t change what we had to do to keep the peace." "You mean the dramatics around your friend Rika?" She nodded. "I wouldn''t take it back, but I would have done it differently somehow. She had to leave, but it didn''t have to be so harsh." "What did you do to get her away?" "Threatened to get her deported," Rachel said, glancing away to hide her embarrassment. Cinza smiled. "You''re already taking up the traditions of government." "It would have been a big deal. If she''d lit up the system like that, her father might have gotten involved, or worse. She''d lose a lot." "But she didn''t, and she survived, and now she''s back." Cinza said. Rachel looked back, and Cinza was giving her a comforting look. "You''ve punished yourself enough for that, Rachel. Rika could be brought back into the fold, if we give her a chance." "I guess so." "Back to my original question, though. What brought you here, of all places?" Rachel shrugged. "I saw the school listed as one of the cheapest around that still offered decent degrees, ones that wouldn''t be laughed out of job interviews. With my mom''s income, I had to take what I could get, and at least it was still in the Northwest." "So even before you changed yourself, you had ambition," Cinza noted. "So someone told you about me from before?" She laughed, not unkindly. "I heard it all, and it doesn''t bother me. I trust you as our leader because of your decisions and your judgment, not your memory capacity or your ability to hear people standing a few feet away." "You heard about that too?" Rachel said, sinking back into her chair. Cinza, mercifully, did not recount the tale. "Your decisions and your judgment have not changed, no matter what magic you may have applied to yourself¡ªand by the way, I''d love to hear about that particular ritual. Every decision you make, the community as a whole comes first. You have sacrificed personal relationships and your own well-being for the sake of us all. Even when you may have personal doubts, you still follow the will of us all, and try to act in our best interest. So I trust you." Rachel felt warmth budding through herself at the girl''s words. Cinza was older than her, and had a worldliness about her that bespoke many hardships Rachel had never faced. She thought Rachel was doing a good job, and to hear such approval was encouraging. "You lead too, though, without anyone to help you," Rachel commented. "How do you make decisions for such a group on your own?" Cinza sighed. "It''s never easy. Some days, you may have to make the same sorts of decisions. When we come to a crossroads, I ask for advice, I consider it carefully, but they all look to me to actually take the first step down the fork. I choose what I think is best, and I do not look back." "What if you''re wrong?" "Better to be wrong and find out, than to be paralyzed at the decision and never discover what was right," she replied. "I would rather know which was correct for the future. If I have learned anything from my childhood, it is that there will always be another opportunity coming along the path, if only one is ready to reach out and grab it before it passes by. "I do wonder though," Cinza continued. "You spend all your time out helping the town. When does Rachel get time?" "You should talk to Will," Rachel laughed. "He thinks the same thing." "Then he''s a smart one. Keep him close. But do you have a hobby? Something you do to relax?" Rachel shrugged. "Watch TV, read. I used to write a lot. Mostly journal-type stuff. And I liked drawing. Sometimes I''d write fanfiction," she said, trying not to catch Cinza''s eye. "You should continue. Even if just to document what''s been occurring. A record could be very useful someday." "I stopped when I modified my memory. I can''t forget anything, so I didn''t see a need to commit it to paper." "You may not, but the rest of us aren''t so fortunate. Since you can remember it all precisely, you should keep a record." Rachel considered the idea. It wasn''t bad, actually. Having a written record of everything would be invaluable in the future, particularly if she was unavailable to recount events, or her testimony was declared untrustworthy for whatever reason. "I think I might. Thank you." "I wrote some fanfiction myself, actually," Cinza added, with a small smile. "It was a passion of mine for a while, when I wasn''t writing down my own life in excessive detail." "Really?" "Really. I¡­ well, I needed anything to escape my circumstances. I had already burned through all the books I had, and I needed to spend more time in the worlds I''d fallen in love with. So I dove in and swallowed up every single piece I could find. When I ran out, I started writing my own. It helped me keep myself centered and sane." Rachel frowned, letting her eyes drop to the scars that stood out on Cinza''s chest once again. They were many, crossing each other, some deeper than others. "Is that when¡­" she started, not quite sure if it crossed the line Cinza had laid down. Cinza nodded, her tone fading. "I only destroyed my identity, Rachel. My history is written in stone and in blood, not in ink." "How did it happen?" "A man of conviction." Cinza''s eyes narrowed. "One of many substitute parents who decided that the will of his God involved beating a child until she bled from the organs of impurity and corruption." "Substitute parents¡­ Do you mean foster homes?" She sighed. "Do you know that the term ''foster'' implies development and progress? Like to foster learning or to foster a sense of self-worth. I never felt anything like that. I met religious zealots, I met disgusting sloths. I met nervous wrecks who abandoned their parental duties after mere days of responsibility. I was raised by those who would exploit and those who would abuse in equal measure." The bitterness in her voice was palpable. Rachel felt as though she could taste it from across the room, such was the strength of Cinza''s frustration. "Despite all their efforts, though, I survived intact. I found a true family, and a true goddess that none of theirs could measure up to." "You''ve thrived." She smiled. "There''s a word. ''To grow or develop vigorously''. I definitely haven''t grown," she said, glancing down at herself. "Sometimes I wonder if I was stunted somehow. I can never be sure since I''ve no clue about my birth parents." She shook her head. "It''s not important. I''m happy. It took years, but I finally realized that I couldn''t be put into a family. Even the best they could offer wouldn''t have me. I had to make my own." The curtain shifted. Dressed in a simple nightshirt with deep red curls spilling out messily down her back, Ruby emerged from the other half of the cabin. Rachel started. She hadn''t realized the girl was there. "I''m sorry, Ruby. Did we wake you?" Cinza asked. "I just woke up. S''okay," Ruby murmured. "Hi, Rachel." She stumbled bleary-eyed over to Cinza''s wide armchair and sat down, curling up with the smaller girl and closing her eyes once more. It reminded Rachel of a pet coming to sleep by its owner''s side. She felt a bit uncomfortable with the image. Ruby was young, just eighteen if she had to guess, and though obviously infatuated with Cinza, she was also at an easily impressionable age. Cinza ran a hand through her crimson hair idly while she turned back to Rachel. "What about your father?" "I go out to see him on occasion. He lives in Redmond and works for one of the software companies out there." She was embarrassed to admit she couldn''t remember the name of it, as it had been before she''d enacted her ritual and she''d never looked it up since. Something to do when she got home. "He was always around, but he and my mother didn''t get along." "Ah," Cinza said. "You wish it could have been different." "I guess." Rachel shrugged. "I always liked the idea of a full family, all under one roof and spending time together. It''s why I spent so much time with Rika, actually. She was like a sister to me all through high school, since we lived next to each other and went to school together. Then she moved back home, and I didn''t see her again until after her mom died. We let her stay with us, but it wasn''t the same." "I can''t say I know her very well, but she seems like someone who''d take that very hard." "Yeah. She was a bit messed up. I never knew what to do for her after that. I came out here to Rallsburg and she followed me, because she could afford it and she had nothing better to do. She didn''t even attend the school. She took odd jobs just to have something to do, but usually ended up quitting before too long." She paused. "Or getting fired." "That sounds more accurate." Rachel laughed. "Her rants were legendary though. Whether the job was back in Tacoma for a few weeks or something around here, everyone talked about them. We even recorded some of them." "But for Rika it was frustrating." "Yeah. She didn''t have any aim in life. That was when I gave her one of the page copies. I thought awakening her might give her some purpose. I don''t think it really did." "If I might make a wild guess," Cinza said thoughtfully. Rachel nodded. "I think she decided to just help you with whatever you were doing. If I remember right, during that other coup attempt¡ªnot mine," she added hastily. Rachel laughed. "She stepped in and single-handedly stopped the attempt in its tracks, didn''t she? Sent them all away with their tails between their legs." "She did," Rachel agreed. "She was the only one of us who had practiced magic thinking about combat. If not for that, we''d probably have been pretty badly hurt." "Or worse. I think they were out for blood." Rachel shuddered. The memory prompted her back to the present, however, and their current pressing concerns. "Cinza, we need to deal with Omega." She sighed, putting her arms around Ruby. The red-haired girl snuggled closer, her head pressed into the space between Cinza''s lap and the cushions of the armchair. "You''re right, we do. You said you had a plan?" "His only weapon, if he still can''t enter the town, is his golems," Rachel started. "Our greatest disadvantage against them is a lack of information. When we''re dealing with fire, or telekinetics, or any other magical attacks, we know how to counter them or interfere with them. We can summon up the opposite element, or deflect and break ties. But none of us can perform Creation magic, or have any idea how such golems function. We need more information." "The new Scrap," Cinza said, realization dawning on her face. Rachel nodded. "I can''t take it, though, or use it effectively. I''m terrible at magic, so reading it myself would be worthless. And if I were to take it to give to another, it would send the entire council into an uproar. We''d be doomed right away from infighting. I think Omega would love nothing more." "What are you proposing?" "I want you to steal it." Ruby looked up, her blue eyes wide. "Steal it?" she murmured. "You can give it to whomever you think would best be served by the first reading. From how this played out, it hopefully has something to do with the golems that Omega summons. It''s more than likely why he''s been attacking us lately, since we discovered it." Cinza''s eyes were narrow. "But we''ll be blamed for the theft." Rachel shook her head. "The blame will be placed solely at Omega''s feet. We''ve already told them that he has a servant. A pawn, really. He could have found it and taken it." "Right out from under Hector''s protection?" she asked skeptically. "It''s not unheard of. Hector isn''t infallible." "Why us?" Cinza asked. "I mean, if we are caught, having the blame on a group like us is the best outcome, certainly. But wouldn''t you rather it be one of your own magically skilled lieutenants? Both Josh and Will could probably handle magic of that caliber." "They might, but neither of them have an effective force at their side." Rachel nodded her head at the door. "I saw your people fight against the golems last time, remember? You didn''t back down or run. You were organized. You have the only group here that''s ever been in real combat, except maybe Viper. They performed admirably." Cinza looked pleased. "Thank you." "There are a few things I need from you though, if I''m going to give you the location of the Scrap," Rachel continued. Cinza''s eyes narrowed again. "What things?" "Well, speaking of Viper, I need you to stop stealing his stuff." She raised her eyebrows. "How did you know?" "A group as well-supplied as you in this wilderness, with your background? Give me more credit than that." She laughed. "Fair enough. We''ve become self-sustaining for the most part. I can leave the mercenary alone." "I''ll also need you to keep your knowledge of the golem magic absolutely secret from the community. Practice it out here, but don''t deploy it unless we actually need it in a fight. We can get away with learning their weaknesses and spreading that knowledge, but if you start summoning golems, there''s no way we can cover it up." "That seemed obvious." "And I need you to meet with the reverend." "What?" This was the first request that seemed genuinely confusing to the girl. "The reverend, Henry Smith. At the memorial, he told the crowd he intended to meet with you. He could be an important bridge for us. Can you try to open a relationship with him?" Cinza''s expression was hard. Ruby sat up, her arm around the shorter Cinza. She looked nervous. "I understand your reasoning," Cinza said slowly. "You understand what you''re asking me to do, right?" Rachel thought back through the conversation they''d just had. "I do. Please. Just let him meet you and try to make it cordial, at least. I don''t expect you to become friends with him, but hear him out. He''s not at all what I expected. He might surprise you." It took a few minutes for Cinza to respond. Her hand was clutching Ruby''s, but her face was unreadable. Rachel prayed she would consent. A relationship with the town doctor and reverend would be an invaluable step toward integrating themselves into the community. Cinza was easily the most distant of the awakened to the mundane population. If there were a bridge between the two, Rachel could see so many more forming in the future. "Let us keep the Scrap," Cinza replied finally. Rachel was taken aback. She hadn''t expected a negotiation. It seemed at odds with the rest of the encounter. Cinza''s request wasn''t totally unreasonable, given the level of risk she''d be undertaking to claim such a valued prize out from under the entire community. However, it would grant her the ability to awaken anyone she chose¡ªcould Rachel really trust her with such power and authority? Rachel trusted her. Perhaps she''d regret it someday, but this girl, this fellow leader who understood the burdens they all faced better than anyone, was the closest she had to a real peer. If anyone could be given such trust, Cinza was the one. The change in Rachel''s opinion of the leader of the greycloaks over the last few days was dramatic, to say the least, but it felt right. She felt confident about the choice¡ªand more importantly, she genuinely liked Cinza. Her mannerisms and her tendency to dramatize in public had Rachel rolling her eyes, but this sensitive and caring leader, this fierce and bold protector, was something else entirely. Rachel could see herself aspiring to the same sort of attention to detail and loyalty that Cinza showed amongst her own followers. "I won''t have any knowledge of it after it vanishes from Hector''s care," Rachel replied deliberately. "It could have burned up, for all I know." Cinza grinned. "Sounds about right. We can do that." Rachel let out a huge sigh of relief. Cinza was on board. They were finally making some progress. "I guess I should be going, then," Rachel started, but Cinza shook her head. "You still have time, don''t you? Stay, please. We don''t get many visitors. It''s always nice to have new people around." Her voice was softer, and Ruby was looking at Rachel oddly, giving Rachel a mix of discomfort and curiosity. Ruby sat up and whispered something in Cinza''s ear with a light giggle. "What?" Rachel asked, confused. "Ruby thinks you look a bit ridiculous trying to fit into our cabin," Cinza said, smiling. Rachel rolled her eyes. "I was cursed with an absurd height. I''ve learned to live with ducking through every doorway." "Still, she thinks you''re very pretty, and I don''t disagree," Cinza added. Ruby nodded, her eyes glittering. "I, uhh¡­ Thank you?" Rachel answered. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. No one had ever told her that, besides Will. The heat of the fire was suddenly much more noticeable, and Rachel felt like she might start sweating. The light in the room had shifted from the orange of the fire into an almost pinkish hue. A few candles quietly flickered alight as Ruby surreptitiously fluttered her fingers. Rachel''s blood felt like it was rushing through her body unnaturally fast. She could feel it pulsing through her limbs and bringing her senses to bear. Rachel was very aware of Cinza''s half-nude body and the sweat glistening in the firelight, and of the hungry look in Ruby''s glittering blue eyes and beautiful face as they drifted about. Even the aroma filling the cabin had shifted. Where Rachel had only smelled pine and the faint scent of smoke, her nostrils now filled with the flavor of scented candles and the aroma wafting across the room from the two women gazing at her. Rachel felt like she was on display, and she didn''t enjoy it much. Under other circumstances she might have welcomed such lavish attention, but this was all wrong. She decided to put a stop to it before anything happened. "Look, I really should be going." Ruby tapped on her companion''s shoulder and whispered something else, but Cinza shook her head. "She''s not interested, Ruby. That''s enough. I''m going to step outside for a minute, all right?" Ruby put on a pouting face, trying to be cute, but Cinza ignored her. She stood and pulled on the nearest silver-grey robe, summoning it to herself across the cabin. With a brief nod, she indicated the door¡ªwhich Rachel made a hasty beeline for, where the bright, mercifully fresh open air awaited. [Discord]¡ª[Rate This Story]¡ª[Patreon] Chapter 16 — Angels and Devils Chapter 16 ¡ªAngels and Devils Alden''s wound was starting to concern the group. "This would be a great time for us to discover healing magic," Rika said, looking uneasy. "Can''t be done," Hailey said grimly, while Jessica checked the bandage. "Trust me, I''ve tried everything I could think of." "I''m probably okay though, right? It''s just bleeding," Alden asked. He was trying to keep himself from panicking. He''d never been seriously injured before, and the throbbing in his arm was getting worse. "Relax, Zack," Rika said, patting him on the shoulder. He winced as a new wave of pain shot down his arm. "It''s just a surface-level cut. Looks way worse than it is. Worst case, it gets infected and we lop the arm off. No biggie." "What!?" He tried to twist away from her, but Jessica held him back firmly, waving a finger in his face and ''hmm''ing loudly. Alden slumped back and let her continue to examine it. Hailey took a deep breath. "I think we need to take him to the doctor." Rika shook her head. "No way. We can''t get that far unnoticed. That''s practically across town." "You can''t get that far," Hailey replied. "I can, and I can take him with me." "Flying?" Alden asked excitedly. After he''d seen Hailey''s majestic dive out of the clouds, he''d been dreaming of pulling off the same stunt himself. One day, he promised himself, he''d manage to do that on his own. "Yeah, but it''s not gonna be fun," she sighed. "So you take him to the doctor, he turns Zack in to the sheriff, and then what¡ªyou just float away?" asked Rika. "I don''t think the doctor would turn anyone in. He''s pretty well known for his discretion. Besides that, I don''t think anyone''s really looking for Zack. They only ever mentioned you." "Rika, I think it''s a good idea," Alden said, feeling woozy. The excitement coupled with the blood loss had him lightheaded. She shrugged. "Fine. I guess I''ll stay here with Squeaky then." Hailey''s eyes narrowed. "Jess." Jessica looked up. Hailey pointed at Rika, then punched her own hand, followed by a thumbs up. Jessica nodded with a small smile. "What did you just tell her?" Rika asked, looking uneasy. "That beating you up is totally fine. I''ve gotta grab a few things. We''ll go as soon as the sun gets low."
For a few intense moments, it was fun¡ªbut it took a lot of buildup for Alden to get there. Hailey took him to the rear balcony, and Jessica double-checked his bandage to make sure it was tightly strapped to his arm. Hailey was wearing the same tight leather jacket as before, with her hair pinned back in place and pouches across her belt. This time, however, she also had a sort of harness that looked like several thick black car seatbelts set around her chest. "This is safe, right?" Alden asked, suddenly apprehensive again. "Jess and I have flown together a few times. We only used the harness once," Hailey answered, double-checking the straps. "I don''t like using it, but I''m not sure how your extra weight might throw me off, plus I don''t want you losing grip because you''re injured. Better safe than sorry." "Right," Alden said, still eyeing the straps like a dangerous animal. "Look on the bright side, you get to go flying," Rika smirked. She was lurking just inside the sliding door. Alden shot her a dark look, but she only cackled. Hailey took his shoulders and pulled him against her chest, strapping him in facing outward. Jessica checked the straps again, then stood back to give them room. Alden stood there awkwardly, pressed up against Hailey who was only an inch taller than him, wondering what was supposed to happen next. "So do we jump off or something¡­?" he asked. "Nah, just needed to get my mind right," Hailey replied. She put her hand behind Alden''s head and grabbed something he couldn''t see. "Hang on now." Without any more warning, Hailey''s legs coiled, and she sprang into the air out over the forest. Her arm wrapped around his chest and the straps made a balanced grip, but he still felt a huge unpleasant pull yanking him skyward. For a moment, it seemed like they''d just jumped ten feet up, but Alden didn''t feel anything akin to flying. Hailey didn''t seem concerned, even as they started falling back down again. There was a brief, terrifying moment of panic as Alden expect them to crash straight into a tree. There was a fwoomp of wind, as if a massive pair of wings had just beat the air around them. Hailey surged forward and rolled herself around the tree, dragging Alden along for the ride. Another fwoomp and they gained altitude. Alden could feel Hailey''s heavy breath as she exerted herself with every wingbeat. "How are you doing that?" he shouted over the rush of wind. He could see now why Hailey had worn the aviator cap, as his own ears felt like they were being torn away. Hailey didn''t reply, but another heavy wingbeat took them up to the height of the trees. Every wingbeat was a mix of painful force crunching into his chest from the straps and terrifying falls as they began to descend again. Adrenaline was beginning to surge through him from the constant push-pull of safety and terror. He began taking deep breaths, trying to force himself to be calm. Another heavy wingbeat, coupled with a loud grunt from Hailey, and they broke above the treeline. There was a softer thump of an impact, and suddenly they were gliding. Alden opened his eyes. The orange sunset was shining directly at them, rays of light filtered through the taller evergreens dotting the hills before them. "Wow," Alden gasped. It was breathtaking¡ªin more ways than one, as he gulped down oxygen from the bumpy flight up. "Yeah," Hailey said, and for the first time since they''d met, Alden heard joy in her voice. It was still tinged with a bittersweet longing, but there was at least some form of happiness lurking inside that haunted face. "It''s the first thing I ever wanted to do." "Flying?" "Yeah. It was everything I hoped it''d be, too. Here¡ª" she said, and she pulled her arms back behind her tight. Alden clenched his fists in anticipation. They leaned forward, and Alden could have sworn he felt real wings sprouting out of Hailey''s back that were folding into a dive. They picked up speed at an alarming rate, and soon the tree trunks were whipping past them at lightspeed. Alden saw the ground rushing up to meet them, and let out a cry of panic. Suddenly, he felt arms wrapped around him. Hailey pulled him into a tight bear hug, despite the harness. There was a shift, and Alden could tell the wings were unfurling again as their descent turned. Suddenly they were gliding again at an absurd speed. Hailey was in absolute control. They sped past tree after tree, clearing them by centimeters. Alden swore he felt branches brushing him as they went by, but he also believed that at their speed, even the slightest impact would have been disastrous. Whole minutes could have gone by for all he knew before they shot back out of the trees as the hills dropped away below them once more. Hailey had brought him above a sea of green, where the hills rolled out in every direction in a huge bowl. Their altitude increased just enough to bring them back to an easy glide, gently riding the wind once again in the golden sunset and cloudy sky. Hailey let out a whoop of exhilaration. Alden laughed in delight. "I''ve never gone that fast before," Hailey said, laughing. "Could have warned me first!" Alden said, but he was grinning in spite of himself. "That wouldn''t have been as fun," Hailey said. "That was the coolest thing I''ve ever done." "I know, right?" Hailey laughed again. "I''ll let you know first if I''m going to do it again though, okay?" "Yeah." Alden winced, feeling the pain returning to his arm. He''d forgotten about it in the rush of the flight, and tried his best to hide it. He wanted to keep flying. Hailey noticed it though. "Oh god, I''m sorry. Did I hurt you?" "No, you''re fine," Alden said, but winced again with the next light wingbeat to keep them steady. He felt a motion above him, like Hailey was shaking her head. "No, this could actually be serious. I''ll get you to the doctor now. I shouldn''t have taken you out here." "Okay." They flew much more gently for a few minutes, as Hailey swung them back around to return to the town from another direction. Alden could tell she was making it a much easier glide now, with lighter and fewer wingbeats. He marveled at her control and power. Even with his limited knowledge and experience, he knew that what she was doing was incredibly difficult. He wanted to reach out with his own will and see if he could probe out what she was doing, but he didn''t want to risk messing something up, or making her upset. Instead, he just enjoyed the view and ignored the pain in his arm as best he could. The air was chilly but not uncomfortable, and the forest air was refreshing. As Alden looked out over the expanse of trees, he spotted a small clearing where there seemed to be signs of life beyond the scattering birds¡ªa faint plume of smoke rising from what looked like a cabin, just barely visible from their distance. "Do you see that?" he asked, pointing. "The clearing? Yeah, some weirdos in grey robes live out there. Looks kinda like a cult." "You mean Cinza and her people?" Hailey shrugged, which sent them wobbling a little before she stabilized their glide again. "I never met any of them, so I don''t know. Is Cinza the tiny crazy girl with the grey hair?" "Yeah. They live out here?" "They camp out, grow some of their own food, hunt a little. I''m kind of jealous, actually," Hailey said wistfully. "I think I''d like living like that for a while. Not the cult part though." They flew silently for another few minutes. A few birds glided nearby, eyeing them with suspicion. They seemed too afraid to approach the strange figure of Hailey with Alden strapped beneath. "Why did you, then?" he asked suddenly. "What?" "Take me out here." "Oh," Hailey said. "I guess¡­ it was just instinct. I was going to go out flying anyway. I only stopped by because I saw Jessica signalling." "She signaled?" Alden asked. He hadn''t noticed anything. "Yeah. We have a system. When she''s in trouble or needs something, she makes a certain color flame appear near our place in a certain spot. I check for it whenever I can. She must have placed it right before you guys got into it." "Wow. That''s really smart." Alden thought for a moment. "Why didn''t you ask for help, though?" "What?" "You were alone for a whole year, right? If you and Jessica needed help, why didn''t you just ask?" "We¡­ weren''t alone. There were five of us. Now there''s just two. Asking for help was too dangerous," Hailey said. She drifted them lower, closer to the treeline where they wouldn''t be as visible to the swiftly approaching town. "But now?" "Now? I don''t know. I want Jess to be better, of course I do. But there''s some scary people out there. I don''t know who we can trust." "You trust Rika though?" Alden asked. "You sound like you don''t." "I mean, I like her¡­" "No kidding," Hailey said, laughing. "Huh?" "You''ve got a massive crush on her, Zack." "Oh," Alden said, hesitating. Even to himself, it was pretty obvious. "Yeah, I guess I do. Still¡ª" "You''ve got a crush and you still don''t know if she''s actually cool, is that it?" "...Yeah." Hailey hesitated. "She has a pretty bad rep around here, and a lot of it is earned. I don''t think she''s a bad person though. I think she''s just very single-minded. She always has one goal in mind, and she goes after it regardless of anything else. No matter what." "So if her one goal is to find her father?" "Then anything that helps her find her dad is fair game." "That''s pretty harsh," Alden said. "Yeah. It means she might not do anything, or she might do everything." "She told me she''s trying to be better at keeping promises." Hailey dropped them below the treeline again with the town closing in fast. "Then maybe she''s getting better. I hope she is. I don''t like what the rest of her friends did to her." "What did they do?" She hesitated again. "I''m sorry. You seem like a nice guy, Zack, but that''s not my story to tell. I''m not sure if I even know it, since apparently magic was involved the whole time and I never knew that part." She swooped down low as they approached the side-street where the doctor''s house was located. "Ask her sometime, and hopefully she gives you the truth."
"I thought you said that wasn''t gonna be fun," Alden asked as they came in for a landing. "Wait for it," Hailey said grimly. As they swooped up to land upright on the grass just within the treeline, Alden felt a hard tug at his arm. He''d managed to ignore it for so long, but the pain had returned tenfold. As Hailey landed and unstrapped him, his arm began to throb madly. His chest felt like hard wires had been cutting into him for hours. His bones were sprouting sores left and right. He was about to stumble and fall when Hailey caught him. "It''s okay, it''s okay. I''ve got you. Don''t worry, this is normal." "Why¡ª what¡ª" Alden stammered, trying to catch his breath. "You don''t have your flying muscles," Hailey answered. "Took Jessica a couple tries to stand just short flights, and she still doesn''t like it. You probably don''t even have the headache yet." On cue, Alden''s head started pounding like a drum. He felt Hailey lift him up and carry him towards the doctor''s office as gently as she could manage¡ªwhich was surprisingly far less gentle than Rika, though without the added current of electricity surging through her grip. "Why don''t you get it as bad?" Alden asked, gritting his teeth. "Well, I do this every day," Hailey answered. "Or most days, really. Also, I work out a lot more than you. Your body doesn''t have any endurance. You need more cardio especially, but your muscles need work too." "Oh," Alden said dumbly. "Don''t worry about it too much. A lot of guys don''t realize how little effort they put into keeping themselves in shape. You''ve got plenty of time to improve." "Right." "Also, you''re wounded in your arm, so that doesn''t help either, especially with the headache. That''s blood loss for you." "...Thanks." Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. "You got it." Hailey walked straight up to the doctor''s door and tapped the door with her foot, just loud enough for anyone inside to hear. She helped Alden back to his feet. He still leaned heavily on her for support, but at least he had some dignity before the doctor arrived. "Yes, now, what is it?" came a booming voice from within. Alden looked up to find a red-haired, well-built man with a wide, thick moustache staring at him with an intense, friendly gaze. "Hi, reverend," Hailey said. "My friend¡ª" "Good heavens, look at that arm!" the man cried. He swung the door open immediately and ushered her in. "To the bed in the first room. On the double, Miss Winscombe!" In only a few moments Alden found himself swept into a bed, his arm laid out flat and the man dressed in an apron and sterile gloves pulling his sleeve away. The doctor (or reverend, or both; Alden couldn''t determine which from the surroundings, as it seemed like a perfectly ordinary clinic room in every respect) was a whirlwind of activity, pulling out bandages and supplies from drawers behind him without so much as a glance. His eyes were focused entirely on Alden''s wounded shoulder. "I put the bandages on myself, but I don''t know if I did it righ¡ª" Hailey started, but once again the doctor interrupted her. "You did well, Hailey dear. The bleeding was stemmed. Is the wound fresh?" "In the last couple of hours." "How did it occur?" "I¡­ well¡ª" The man smiled. "Let me ask differently: what actually cut him? I need not know anything more for now." "The edge of a cupboard." "Ah." He began to unwrap the bandage. "Hailey, please help me out here¡ªdo you see any foreign material in the cut?" "No, I don''t. I think Je¡­ my friend cleaned it all out." "Excellent." He leaned in close to Alden''s shoulder. "Now, what''s your name?" "Zack," Alden answered. With the energy exuded by the doctor and the mounting headache from his wound, Alden was feeling very light-headed and overwhelmed. "Who are you?" "The good Doctor, Henry Smith at your service," he answered, plucking up a bottle of something Alden didn''t recognize. "Now, I''m terribly sorry, but this is going to sting a bit." Before Alden could react, he poured it all over the wound. The sensation shot through his arm up to his skull. He flinched and tried to tear away, but Doctor Smith had him firmly held and refused to let Alden wriggle away, grinning triumphantly. "There, wasn''t so bad was it? Now, on a scale of one to ten, how is your current pain?" "Eight," Alden choked out, his eyes blurry. "Well, that calls for some medication," he declared. The doctor pulled open another drawer, retrieving more bandages and a bottle of something else. "Here, just a moment now." "Reverend, are you sure about this?" Hailey asked in a panic, but the doctor was already doing something near Alden''s arm. He strained his eyes to see, but his vision was still blurry from the last burst of pain. A moment later, a sharp pain, and Alden''s eyes began to go dark. He didn''t even have time to panic before everything had faded out.
"Wait," Alden said, his eyes fluttering open. The doctor was gone, and it was suddenly night-time. The room was mostly dark, though there was a faint artificial light shining through the edges of the door into the hallway. "¡ªhwat?" came a mumble to his side. Hailey was there, having nodded off in a chair he hadn''t seen before, next to the window. She looked up bleary-eyed, noticing he was awake. "Hey." "Hi." Alden looked around, but saw no sign of Doctor Smith or anyone else. "How long was I out?" "Hours." Hailey stifled a yawn. "You feeling better?" He moved his arm experimentally. It felt numb and stiff, but mostly okay. "Yeah, a bit¡­ You stayed here this whole time?" "Well you''re new here and you don''t really have anyone else. I wasn''t going to leave you alone in a strange place," she said matter-of-factly. "Thank you." "You sound surprised," Hailey noted. "Rika described this town so much worse than what I''m seeing." She shrugged. "Rika''s never been well-liked around here, before or after all this stuff with magic. I think her perspective''s pretty skewed." "She can''t be totally wrong though. Plenty of people are lying and scheming." Hailey laughed. "Lying and scheming? What are you two doing anyway?" "Well, we were going to steal something, but I guess that''s not a thing anymore." "I''m sorry your elaborate heist didn''t go as planned." She grinned. Alden liked her already. Hailey was kind, and she''d stuck around with him when she hadn''t needed to. "I just feel guilty about not helping her." "What do you mean?" "When we first showed up at your place, and Rika was fighting with Jessica." "You''re really lucky you didn''t actually hurt her," Hailey said threateningly. Alden raised a hand in apologetic surrender, then winced from the pain and let it drop again. Concern flashed in her eyes. "I''m okay. But what I meant wasn''t that I wanted to hurt Jessica. I mean, Rika was in trouble and I didn''t do a thing to help." "Do you think you should have?" "Well, Jessica did start throwing fireballs first," Alden said petulantly. "You guys dove into our apartment uninvited, and it''s not like she can call the police," Hailey protested. "And Rika always looks like trouble, yeah, I know. But still, I could have done something. Even if I''d just helped get her out of the way, or helped distract Jessica or something. I just stood as far away as I could and watched." Hailey frowned. "Not everyone''s meant to fight, you know." "You did pretty good, I think." She shook her head. "No way, I just panicked and hit you guys with anything I could think of. I threw my phone at you, man. How is that a good weapon at all?" "Well, it hurt." She laughed. "Thanks. But seriously, I was just grasping at straws. I''m no fighter either." "I think you''re underestimating yourself." "Well, maybe you''re doing that too." "How so?" "You still stuck around Rika through a bunch of stuff, if I''m understanding it right. That includes being chased by the police and God knows what else. You guys only split up willingly because you got hurt, right? So I think you''ve shown you''re willing to back her up." "But in our first fight¡ª" "First fight? Are you expecting more of this?" Hailey asked, looking concerned. "I mean, doesn''t it kind of seem inevitable?" Alden said nervously. "When you''ve got magic spells like this and lots of people who want to use them, and only a limited supply¡ªyou guys have gotta have a page, right? Since you don''t know anyone else who awakened." "...Yeah, we do." "So if people can only awaken through those pages, and there''s a limited number of them to go around, then people are gonna fight over them." "You don''t think people can learn to share?" Hailey asked, but she sounded doubtful even of her own words. "If you''d seen the council meeting where they revealed a new one..." "That bad?" "That bad." "My friends and I never fought over it. We argued about a lot of things, but that piece of paper was always fine where it was." "You had all read from it though, right?" "Everyone who wanted to, yeah," Hailey answered in a melancholy tone. "I wish I knew where they were right now." "They left?" "Term''s over, and none of them are from Rallsburg. They didn''t have much reason to stay. I wouldn''t either, except that¡­ well, Jessica can''t leave." Hailey stood and stared out the shaded window. "Where are you from? Not around here, then." "Nope. Emerald city girl, born and raised. I came out here for school because I wanted an adventure, something way out of the way but still with good prospects. Also ''cause I thought it''d annoy my mom." She sighed. "Didn''t expect this." "That''s¡­ why I came here too," Alden said. Hailey turned to him, looking interested. "I didn''t have anything going on in my life, and I had a clue pointing me this way. So I hopped the train and ran straight into Rika when I got here." "A clue?" Alden pulled out the envelope and briefly recounted the whole tale, just as he had for Kendra and Rika. "We never did anything like that with magic," Hailey said, looking pensive. "I don''t think something like that should even be possible, since you can''t directly affect other people." She shuddered. "That''s so awful. I can''t imagine being forced to forget someone like that, just completely vanishing off the map." "I can''t either, but apparently it happened. Now I feel like something''s missing all the time, and I''ve got no clue how to find them." "Are you scared?" "No, not really. I don''t know what it''s like to have them around, so it''s not like I miss them." "I would be," she said. "If I just had someone disappear out of the blue like that, everything gone, as if they were nev¡­" She trailed off. Her eyes were screwed up, as if she were trying to remember something on the tip of her tongue but couldn''t quite place it. "What?" "I don''t know¡­ wait, do you hear that?" There was a thump, then the click of a door. It wasn''t the front door, though¡ªit came from the rear of the house. Hailey''s hand jumped to her throat, where the tourmaline stone hung from a sturdy, tight chain. Alden felt a surge of relief knowing that such a potent force was on his side this time around. "Coming, coming! Wait just a moment, please!" came the cry of Doctor Smith, hurrying down the stairs from the upper floor of the clinic, which apparently also served as his home. Hailey released her grip, but they both stayed quite silent, unsure who might be calling from the back door at such a late hour. "I don''t mind being roused at this hour, but tell me, why not the front door?" Smith''s voice echoed down the hall easily, though they couldn''t make out the replies. Hailey glanced at Alden, a finger to her lips. He nodded. Despite what he''d said, they both felt the town less trustworthy on average than most. "Nevermind that. A bit of excitement in town today. My nose has seen worse. Well, come in then. I''ll do my best to oblige." Footsteps approached, one pair much heavier than the other. Alden assumed the heavy footfalls were that of the exuberant Smith. They crossed into the sitting room opposite his own. "It''s been a while. How have you been?" "I''m feeling lost, Henry." The response was low, exhausted and world-weary. Just listening to it made Alden feel like he wanted to curl up and give in to despair. He had never heard such a forlorn inflection. He looked back at Hailey, who looked just as confused. "Who is that?" he whispered. "I don''t know," she whispered back. "I''m terrible at voices though." Even the doctor seemed affected. The exuberance in his voice had faded, replaced with a note of concern. "Well, I''m no Catholic, but I''ll hear your confession if you''ll have me." "I''m not either. I''ve never been very good at my faith. I just¡­" "You don''t need to be, my friend. No matter what, anything you say will be held in absolute confidence. I''ll try to give the best advice I can, and if you want me to toss all the religion out the window, so be it." "No, that''s fine. I need to tell someone before I explode. I''ve done something terrible." "Should we be listening to this?" Hailey whispered. She sounded embarrassed. "It sounds private." "I''m not going anywhere," Alden replied. "Can''t, really," he added, indicating his shoulder. Hailey looked uncomfortable, but she stuck around as the men across the hall continued talking. "What''s on your mind?" "I met a man out in the woods. He¡ªwell, he showed me things. Impossible things. Horrible things." "Ahh," Smith replied knowingly. "You''ve discovered our more¡­ esoteric neighbors. Had you heard about the town hall?" "No, I''ve been out of town." "Well¡ªand believe me, I know this sounds quite insane¡ªit seems Rallsburg is ground zero for the discovery of the arcane." "I''m sorry, what?" "Magic, my friend. There are people amongst us who can cast spells, perform seemingly miraculous feats." "There was a meeting?" "Indeed there was. Well, the meeting was originally about another topic. A few students of the college were¡­ well, they were murdered, I''m sad to say." "What happened at the meeting?" The man didn''t sound surprised at all about the murders. Alden''s suspicions were growing. "The leader of the magical community revealed herself, so I understand, followed by a communal agreement to coexist and find the killers. I was not there myself, so I couldn''t give you the specifics." "A truce?" "I suppose you could call it a truce. I think there were plans to integrate and collaborate more directly in the future, though." "...with witches and monsters like these?" The man practically spat the words, so full of vitriol was his voice. "Come now, my friend. Let us not be so hasty to judge. They have abilities beyond our comprehension, but they have not shown any malice towards the people of our town. Maybe this is a blessing, which we do not yet understand." "Henry, you can''t possibly believe that." "I do indeed! In fact, I plan to meet with their leader and offer my support formally. I''m thinking I''ll head out tonight, in fact. She''s quite the compelling figure. Not at all what I expected." There was a scraping, like someone had stood up suddenly from a chair. "They can''t be trusted, man! Open your eyes! What kind of man of God are you?" "My eyes are unclouded, Brian," Henry replied, not rising to the same volume. "I am my Lord''s servant and shall serve all his people." "You''re making a mistake," said Brian, and the chill in his voice could have frozen an blazing furnace. Alden recoiled, though there were two thick walls between them. Hailey''s hand clutched the gemstone around her neck so tight that her knuckles had gone pure white. Her other hand was on Alden''s shoulder, as though she meant to fling him behind herself at any moment. "I''m sorry you feel that way, but I urge you to reconsider. We could be great allies and friends, if only given the chance." "Henry." The depression and doubt was completely gone, replaced by a sharp edge that could cut through bone. "Out of respect, I''m telling you. Do not mingle with them. Do not go near them. You will be burned. God will punish them." "On the contrary, I look forward to seeing what their fire and spirit can produce." Footsteps thumped into the hall. Hailey stepped in front of the bed, blocking Alden from the view of the doorway. She raised her arm and set her feet. Alden recognized a fighting stance when he saw one. She might not be inclined to fighting, but Hailey had clearly been trained to some degree in self-defense¡ªand he was already well aware of her magical power. There was likely no one in the world more adept to defend them at that very instant, with the possible exception of Grey-eyes. He might have felt safe, but Brian''s voice had pierced them both. Hailey did not have a firm stance; she was shaking with fear. Alden was pressed up against the wall in bed, thinking desperately of anything he could do. He was still feeling weak and doubted he could make a run for it¡ªand where would he run to? The only exit would take him straight into the voice he was so desperate to avoid. He had no real magical ability. Alden could barely summon a candle flame. All they could do was pray the voice did not enter the room. "Come back any time, my friend. You are always welcome in my home," Henry called as the footsteps began to recede. The back door clicked open, then shut. A few moments later, footsteps started back up the stairs. Hailey and Alden let out simultaneous massive lungfuls of air. She sat down on the edge of the bed, her hand still clutching the gemstone tight. "Who was that?" Alden gasped. "I don''t know," Hailey whispered. "I don''t want to know. Do you think he''ll come back?" "Let''s leave. As soon as we can." "Yeah. You were treated, that should be good." Hailey picked up the harness from under the bed. "Do you think you''re good to fly out of here?"
It only took them a minute to strap Alden in. They walked awkwardly to the front door, where Hailey took off as soon as she''d gathered her breath. Since it was so dark out, and Rallsburg still didn''t have a single light on, they had no fear of being spotted. Several heavy, fast wingbeats and they''d been launched into the air and far away from the doctor''s clinic. Hailey took them on a direct route back to the apartment. She seemed as eager as Alden to be back on familiar ground. They didn''t speak a word to each other the entire flight back. Alden wished he could have enjoyed the experience as much¡ªparticularly with the pain medication that now numbed his arm¡ªbut the memory of the voice was still echoing in his ears. They made a neat landing back onto the balcony, where Jessica was waiting patiently. She threw the sliding door open and caught Alden as he was unstrapped, before he lost his balance and fell to the hard floor below. Rika was dozing on the couch, but spluttered awake at the sudden activity. "Whaz goin'' on?" she slurred. For a moment, Alden thought she was drunk. She slapped herself in the face with both hands, and her eyes came into sharp focus. "Thought you wouldn''t be back til tomorrow at least." "Something happened," Hailey replied, sitting down and gesturing something at Jessica. She shook her head. Hailey pointed at her and gave a thumbs up, thumbs down gesture. Jessica returned a thumbs up. Hailey looked satisfied and turned back to Rika. "We¡­ we overheard something." "I think we just found the murderer," Alden added quietly. "You did what?" Rika asked, sitting up straight so fast she appeared to teleport there. They recounted everything they''d heard, word by word. "Brian, Brian¡­ who the fuck is Brian?" "I don''t know either," Hailey answered exhaustedly. Even for someone of her talents, the flight had taken a bit out of her. Since they hadn''t had any height to glide off of like the first flight, it had been a lot more effort to cut straight across town. Alden suspected she''d also put in as much as she could bear to get them home faster. Seeing Jessica sitting next to Hailey and holding her hand tight, Alden could see why. "If I had heard his voice, maybe¡­" Rika trailed off. "Goddammit." "We should tell someone," Alden said. "Tell who?" "Rachel." "Fuck off." "Rika, think this through." "I did," Rika retorted. "Rachel''s a bitch. She''s working with the cops and trying to get me arrested for something she knows I didn''t do. She''s a control freak who doesn''t know how to butt out of other people''s business." "We''re dealing with a murderer who''s already killed three people and will probably go for more. I think we just found the best suspect they''ve got so far, if they''re still chasing you around. We need to give them something. Unless you want to call the sheriff?" Rika shook her head. "Not in a million years." "So we tell Rachel. She''s not gonna turn you in." Alden paused. "She tried to warn you, remember?" Rika frowned. "She still doesn''t deserve shit after trying to run me out of town, again." Alden switched tacks, deciding to speak her language instead. "Rika, this is fucking petty. You know she was trying to protect you. Rachel''s still your friend." He turned to Hailey. "You agree, right?" Hailey nodded. "I don''t have her number though. I could probably get it, but¡­" "But we don''t have time for that," Alden snapped, turning back to Rika. "We''re trapped in this town and there''s someone out here killing people. So get your fucking phone out and dial. I''ll even do the talking for you if you can''t handle that." "The fuck did they put you on at the doctor''s office," Rika murmured. Without any further protest, she withdrew her phone, unlocked it and scrolled through the contacts. A moment later, she handed the phone over to Alden. "Do it, then." The phone rang. Alden waited patiently, while Rika tried to look disinterested. Hailey and Jessica were quiet, Jessica trying to look engaged. Alden could see the undercurrent of frustration on her expression though. This was the first day she''d had real interaction with people other than Hailey in ages, and she still couldn''t understand a word they were saying. He couldn''t imagine what she was going through. Alden was greeted with a voicemail message after only a couple rings. "I think she blocked you," he said, disheartened. He set the phone down. He was at a loss for what to do next. "That''s it?" Rika said snidely. "Fuck, Alden, I didn''t think you were that much of a pushover." "Huh?" "If we''re doing this, we''re doing this. Get your own damn phone out." "You want to use my phone?" Rika sighed. "I''ll use your phone, Hailey''s phone, I''ll route it through the NS-fucking-A if I have to. I''ll reach her." [Discord]¡ª[Rate This Story]¡ª[Patreon] Chapter 17 — A Gentleman and a Doctor Chapter 17 ¡ªA Gentleman and a Doctor "I''m sorry about that," Cinza said, closing the door to the cabin behind her. "What?" Rachel asked, sucking in the cool fresh air of the forest. Anything to help clear her head and bring her back to a normal state of mind. "Ruby tends to get a bit¡­ enthusiastic." "Was she trying to, err¡­ seduce me?" "Something like that," Cinza replied, shrugging. Outside, removed from the firelight glow and warmth of the cabin, she seemed far more like her usual self¡ªthough still without the air of mystique she put on for the public. Cinza seemed to be comfortable talking to Rachel normally, or perhaps that was another manipulation. Rachel couldn''t be sure. Not in her present condition. "What part of that was me, and what was her?" Rachel asked. "Ruby and I are both of the Nature affinity," Cinza said, prompting another small shock for Rachel. Affinities tended to be treated as very personal information, so to reveal one''s so openly was a large measure of trust. "She may have gotten a little carried away messing with the air in the cabin." Seeing Rachel''s concern, Cinza shook her head. "Rest assured, Mason''s Law still applies. Ruby could not have forced you to do anything you didn''t want to. Nor would she." Rachel didn''t feel particularly comforted. "Do you two do this to everyone?" "What?" Her eyes softened and she looked away in embarrassment. Rachel felt immediate regret at her accusation. "No, never. She¡ª I''m sorry, I." Cinza cleared her throat, then looked back to Rachel with renewed conviction. "Please don''t blame Ruby. I told her that I felt a bond with you and wanted to know you better, and she interpreted it as wanting to bring you into our bed. Which is not something I''m opposed to, but I wouldn''t dream of coercing you into anything. Ruby''s addictions notwithstanding, I let myself get carried away. I apologize." ''That''s¡­ that''s all right." Rachel felt her face flare up. She''d never been in this sort of situation before. Even with Will, Rachel had been the one to approach. Being overly tall and not particularly attractive had made her high school dating life little more than wishful thinking. Cinza sat down on the small bench just outside the cabin. She was looking at Rachel, but their eyes weren''t quite meeting. Cinza''s focus kept darting to various places on the wall behind her. "I hope this won''t harm our relationship going forward. I didn''t mean to make you uncomfortable." "No, it''s okay. It''s just¡­ not my thing. I mean, I don''t know if it is. I''ve never¡ªcan we change the subject?" "Certainly," Cinza said, barely suppressing a laugh. She stood again, brushing dirt off her robe. Her eyes were focused and sharp once more. "So, what''s the exact plan here for the Scrap?" Relief ebbed into Rachel at the change of topic, though she still felt a little flustered. "It''ll be at Hector''s tonight, in the safe above his shop. He sleeps there, so he doesn''t usually ever have it unguarded, but I''ll get him away for a while. You''ll know when to move in." "A signal?" "Not sure, but I''ll make it obvious." She nodded. "And then we regroup." "We''ll meet back here tomorrow. I think we should start meeting regularly, so that it just looks like the start of a routine." "Right," Cinza agreed, nodding. She smiled. "I''m glad you''ll be coming around more often." Rachel wasn''t sure how the comment was intended, and hesitated before responding. "It''s just to coordinate our efforts." Cinza shook her head. "I didn''t mean for anything else, of course. Honestly, I''m just glad to finally speak with someone on level terms, as I''m sure you are. Agreed?" Rachel nodded in relief. "Agreed." Cinza nodded. "As for Reverend Smith¡ª" "Is it going to be a problem?" Cinza gestured around her encampment. A couple were returning with wood whom Rachel didn''t recognize. Morton was talking with Makoto, who was laughing at one of his jokes while they shared a meal near their fresh harvest. Nicole Parsons¡ªwho was unawakened, as far as Rachel knew¡ªwas helping to clear out a space for an apparent third cabin to accompany the first two. The couple from out of town brought the fresh logs over and set them down where Nikki indicated, then started work on cutting them down to the right size. A cheer erupted from the harvesters. Aaron and Nate both stood and rushed over to the other cabin. Yusuf, the man who had been burned in the forest, had just walked out the door. His arm was still bandaged and he looked unsteady on his feet, but he was already well on the mend. Aaron looked about to tackle him, but wisely held back at the last minute and settled for a one-armed hug, then helped him to a bench and gave him some of the fresh-picked fruit. Cinza smiled. "It''s a real family. I never knew what one was until I made my own. You can understand why I''m reluctant to allow anyone into our home." Rachel nodded. "What if you came with me to meet him, today? His house isn''t that far. I think he might surprise you." She sighed. "If it makes your life easier, Rachel. I make no promises, but I will meet with the man." She glanced down at herself and laughed. "Let me go get properly dressed, then I''ll walk you back to town. I wouldn''t want you to get lost out in the woods." Rachel opened her mouth, full of indignation, but Cinza interrupted. "Not to besmirch your sense of direction, of course. I mean that the forest out here is not what it seems." "So that''s why it was so hard," she grumbled. Cinza laughed again, quite smug. "Even Omega himself would have a hard time finding our home."
The number of things Rachel had to do was increasing by the hour. There were messages waiting from the mayor, the sheriff, and Will as soon as she returned to cell phone coverage. She still needed to follow up on the odd phone call she''d gotten from Hailey Winscombe, and there was the matter of preparing to steal the Creation Scrap at the end of the day from Hector''s. Finally, lowest on her priority list was a growing stack of messages from various members of the town to her new official town email account, asking for details and updates on the case, or expressing increasingly hysterical fears and paranoid delusions. Rachel had asked for the account to provide her an official outlet of communication, one she could easily manage in her spare time when resting during the night, but she hadn''t expected it to get used so heavily only days after its establishment. She''d underestimated how quickly the news would spread, and how hungry the people of Rallsburg were for word on anything to do with the Awakened. Most importantly, Rachel needed to find the reverend straight away. The sooner she was able to open communication between him and Cinza''s people, the better off the entire town would be. Luckily, her return route actually placed her fairly close to the Smith home and clinic. She suspected it might have been a deliberate side effect of whatever magic Cinza used to mask her home''s location. Even with her perfect memory, Rachel doubted she could navigate her way back to the clearing without Cinza''s assistance. They were doing something to the paths she didn''t understand. Rachel hurried up to Smith''s door and knocked. Within moments the door sprung open, startling her. She opened her mouth to speak, but the burly red-haired reverend raised a finger to his lips, quickly shutting the door behind him. "Miss DuValle, good afternoon. I''ve got a couple patients inside that are happily asleep. Oh!" He had just spotted Cinza a few paces behind Rachel, flanked by Ruby as usual. The younger girl had insisted on accompanying them, despite Rachel''s reservations. Rachel wanted Cinza and the reverend to have an earnest and frank discussion, and she wasn''t sure an infatuated dreamer like Ruby had much to add to the conversation. Cinza had not objected, so Rachel was forced to keep her concerns to herself or risk losing Cinza''s cooperation. At least she''s not giving me come-hither looks anymore. Rachel didn''t need new complications in her life. "Doctor, this is¡ª" "Not a doctor, sadly. I never quite finished that school. Something about malpractice liability." He let out a booming laugh, seemingly forgetting his own insistence on quiet. "I kid, I kid. I simply found another calling." "Right," Rachel said, a touch irritated. While his enthusiasm was pleasant enough most times, right now she could have done with a bit less exuberance. "I''ve come to introduce you to Cinza, the leader of the¡­" She paused. The lack of a name for Cinza''s group did make introductions a little difficult. "Greycloaks will do, I suppose," Cinza said, stepping up next to Rachel. She''d returned to her floaty, ethereal voice once again. Smith did an admirable job of not gawking at the ludicrous height difference between the two. Cinza nodded at the man, though her hands remained engulfed in her robes. "We''ve never really been much for a name." "And what good is a name if it doesn''t really describe you beyond something as simple as clothes!" the reverend answered heartily. "I''m honored to meet you, ma''am. I''ve been hearing quite a bit about you from my flock amongst the town." "Nothing good, I take it." "On the contrary! The people are intrigued by you, if nothing else. I know that might not be the reaction you''d like, but take it as at least a neutral, if not room for a positive. There''s room for improvement." Cinza shrugged. "And what say you, man of the cloth?" Smith scratched his head. "Man of the cloth, eh? Can''t say I''ve ever heard that one actually spoken aloud." He laughed in his deep infectious belly laugh. Finally realizing how loud he''d gotten, Smith glanced at his clinic. "Can we take a walk? I''d hate to wake those sleeping inside." "Was someone injured?" Rachel asked. The doctor raised a wagging finger. "Confidentiality, dear. You know I''d never tell." She nodded. She''d mostly asked to prompt his response in front of Cinza. The girl looked faintly surprised already by the reverend already. Rachel was pleased. They set off. The reverend was watching them with an excitable curiosity that she enjoyed. He was almost like an overgrown child learning a new game for the first time and having a blast doing so. "So I suppose you live out in the woods, yes?" Cinza nodded. "We''ve made a home for ourselves." "One I suppose can''t be found without magic," he continued, a twinkle in his eye. "How delightfully mysterious." "It serves us well." "Reverend!" They both turned to the voice calling from down the street. It was Oscar McKinney, the town handyman, sprinting at them in a panic. "And Rachel. Perfect. Come, quick." "Slow down, man. What''s on fire?" Smith asked. "Trouble." He turned and started back the way they came. Smith shot a concerned look at Rachel before they both rushed after Oscar. They turned the corner into the center of town. Rachel let out a sigh of relief. She had been expecting a bloodbath of some kind, but no one seemed to be injured. Her expectations had been too dark of late. There was, however, a brewing confrontation between a group of mundane men and students, and a cowering, grey-robed and bruised Nate Price with a stone-faced Ryan Walker standing in front of him. His arms and fists looked twice their usual size and strong as steel. None of the crowd was daring to get near him¡­ yet. Rachel hurried closer as voices began to rise toward shouting. "You''re both part of the problem!" cried one of the ringleaders, and Rachel was unsurprised to see Logan Bowerson once again, apparently having not gotten the message since their last confrontation. She pulled out her phone and dashed off a text to Jackie, then grasped one of the rubies in her pack tight as she reached the group. "What''s going on?" she demanded. "Fuck off," Logan snapped. "We want all of you out of here." "Gentlemen, please," Smith shouted, stepping up to Rachel''s side between the two groups. "What''s going on here?" "We''re trapped in this town with a killer on the loose!" came one cry. "It''s all their fault!" "We''re going to die out here!" "They brought this on us!" "Enough!" the doctor roared, and the crowd fell silent for a moment. "You there," he said, pointing at a single man toward the front. One of Robert''s loggers, though Rachel had never gotten his name. "Tell me precisely what''s going on here." As the man launched into a rambling speech about devil-worship and witchcraft, Rachel leaned over to whisper to Ryan. He was panting heavily from the strain of keeping himself in that state, but he seemed determined to hold on. "So you''re out now too," she murmured. "Couldn''t be helped," he hissed. "Wasn''t gonna let them beat up Nate. That''s my job." "Thank you," she added gratefully, as the crowd continued ranting to the unconvinced reverend. "Backup''s on the way." "Still haven''t found her either," he said angrily. "Waited there all fuckin'' day." "It''s okay. We''ll find her." "You okay, Natey?" Ryan asked over his shoulder. "I just want to go home," he answered in a quivering voice. "Please." "We''ll get you home," Rachel said. Ryan nodded. "I''ll fuck up this whole shitty town if I have to." "Let''s not, thank you," Rachel said sharply. The reverend was trying to reason with the angry crowd "Have any of you witnessed any crime by them yet?" "Isn''t witchcraft a crime?" shouted a voice from the back. Roger Quinton the farmer, Rachel believed. She couldn''t quite make out everyone from her crouched position. "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live!" "And thou shalt not plant two kinds of seed, but I don''t see anyone looking to string you up!" the reverend roared. "Would you really cite scripture to me, Roger?" He looked suitably shamed, but one of Robert''s loggers was quick to take his place. "We''ve still got three kids murdered at the hands of these monsters, Smith. She says it''s being investigated, but she''s one of them. How can we trust her?" He glared at Rachel, who rose to take the reverend''s side. "Didn''t I help you¡ª" Rachel started. "Yeah, you did, but what does that mean now? You were still lying to the whole town, weren''t you?" "I vouch for this young woman!" Smith cried. "As I do for her friends and colleagues." "And you''re a nutcase," Logan added, to the snickers of his college friends. The loggers looked less pleased about the insult to the doctor, but they did not break their stance. They remained allies, united in their fear and hatred. Rachel wasn''t sure how to proceed. She had authority among her own people, earned through time and effort, as well as with the mayor and the sheriff¡ªbut the common people of Rallsburg didn''t recognize her. She was an ambassador at best. If Jackie had arrived at that moment, that might have been the key to defusing the situation¡ªbut instead, the next to arrive was the pair Rachel had nearly forgotten about, and potentially the worst possible fuel for the brewing fire. Cinza and Ruby had followed them into town at apparently a more leisurely pace, and now¡ªseeing Nate in robes and on the ground with a beaten face¡ªthey looked ready to throw down. Rachel tried to signal her to back off, but Cinza wasn''t about to let one of her own get trampled. Not even Nate Price. The girl flung her hands forward. Orbs of light appeared in midair surrounding Nate. The entire crowd gasped and took a step back as they shifted into a angry red hue and began to spin wildly in place. Ruby rushed to Nate''s side and began to examine his face while Cinza placed herself at Ryan''s side, setting her feet wide. "Explain," she said simply, her voice amplified through magical means. The word rumbled through Rachel''s ears as though Cinza were right next to her, like thunder echoing through the hills. Though it was a single word from a small girl before a crowd of lumberjacks, farmers and college students, it was enough to silence the entire street. "Price boy was threatening to hurt me and mine if I didn''t do what he said," said one of the lumberjacks. "What?" Nate asked, scrambling to his feet finally. "You''re making that up!" Rachel doubted Nate had done anything. The man was a burly giant, and Nate had only been awakened for a couple days. He had nowhere near the strength or skill to even scratch the man, magic or no magic. Anyone with the name Price was just an easy scapegoat for the lumberjack crowd. "Are you lying?" Cinza asked, as one of the orbs flickered and jumped to begin revolving around her, instead of Nate. It burst into flame. Rachel noted with interest that it gave off neither heat or light of any kind. She marveled at Cinza''s finesse animating the things while still standing up to the man. They were pure illusion and couldn''t harm anyone, yet she handled them with such ease and theatricality that even Rachel briefly thought the man was in real danger. "You''ve been at the heart of all our problems for months, and the Price family for decades longer than that, and now the roads are gone, the train is gone, and people are dead," the man growled, skipping right over Cinza''s question. "It''s time we saw some justice." "Justice? This is a mob!" cried Smith, but the crowd was already riled up. "Justice for Jenny!" came a call from the back. It was Paul Wilson. Rachel knew they were all lost. They had a martyr and a rallying cry now; there was no turning back. "Get Nate out of here, right now," she told Ryan. He was still panting, but he nodded. He tapped Nate on the shoulder with one of his oversized fists, nearly knocking him over. Rachel was focused on the crowd, which was ignoring the reverend''s attempts to plead with them. "Justice for Jenny!" came the cry, over and over again. Where on earth is Jackie? Rachel thought in vain, but no help was forthcoming. Cinza took a few steps back, reuniting with Ruby. The red-haired girl looked nervous, fiddling with a metallic stone that hung on a silver necklace. Rachel could barely hear them over the din of the crowd. "Should I do it?" Ruby whispered. "No, not yet," Cinza hissed. "This isn''t the right time. We don''t want to hurt them." The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Rachel was about to ask what she meant when they heard a loud smack. The reverend had punched Roger Quinton in the face. The crowd erupted into chaos, the reverend buried beneath a crush of bodies. She smelled blood in the air. It mixed with the sweat and the shouting of men as they piled in. Many were simply punching the nearest body they could find to express their rage. Rachel turned and fled down the street before she was caught in the melee. Ryan had luckily gotten Nate out already, or she''d have feared for his life. The reverend wasn''t at risk of any real damage, she believed¡ªjust a bit of a thrashing as the crowd worked out its anger. She realized belatedly that she hadn''t been followed out. Cinza and Ruby were still standing by. The two joined hands, and a howling wind rumbled through the street, buffeting the crowd. The wind left the pair mostly untouched (though Rachel noticed Cinza seemed to be deliberately sending her silver-grey hair flapping dramatically), but it rolled through the group like the burst of a hurricane. The closest were simply bowled over, tumbling across the ground. Men fell like dominoes. The reverend was in the center of the pile, and managed to struggle to his feet first. Rachel noticed Oscar McKinney in the group as well, apparently having leapt to his defense while she was fleeing. The wind continued to pound at him, though it swerved around the reverend without so much as a hair out of place. "He''s okay!" Rachel shouted at Cinza. She nodded without turning, and suddenly Oscar seemed to be totally unaffected. They both clambered over the flattened group to get out, while the wind continued howling. Soon enough, they''d taken places behind Cinza and Ruby. Ruby released her hand, collapsing to the ground in a coughing heap. A pile of ash dust cascaded from her palm. Cinza looked like she''d just run several miles, but refused to fall. Rachel hurried to her side, but the doctor was already there to lend her an arm. "All of you, return to your homes," boomed a loudspeaker. The sheriff had finally arrived, bolting out of her cruiser with a megaphone. "The mayor has issued an immediate curfew starting at sundown. If you do not have legitimate business, return to your homes." Rachel winced. A curfew wasn''t the best move, though it was typical of a mayor trying to get a hold of escalating chaos. It would only breed further resentment, particularly since she didn''t expect the curfew to be enforced on herself or Cinza''s people. A few of the men struggling to their feet looked like they might force a fight, but¡ªbetween Cinza''s fierce glare and the sheriff''s stern expression¡ªthey were giving in for the time being. "Well, that was a bit of a mess," Smith said, sporting a split lip. He was breathing heavily, but looked quite satisfied with himself. "Did you really need to punch him?" she asked, while he took out a cloth and dabbed at his lip. "We might have solved this without violence." "Some men only listen to the fist," the doctor said, shaking his head. "And some men only speak with it!" he added with a grin, which became a wince as the cut was pulled open. "Rachel, what is going on here?" Jackie asked in dismay. "We''ve just had our first witch hunt," Rachel answered dejectedly.
Cinza and Ruby were allowed to go after a brief talk by the sheriff. Having single-handedly ending the riot before it could really escalate, without injuring a single person, Jackie had commended her on her quick action. Cinza looked reasonably pleased and promised to be in touch. With a quick look at Rachel to confirm that their plans were still on for the night, she disappeared with a dazed Ruby at her heels. Jackie had offered to give them a ride, but Cinza steadfastly refused. Rachel and Smith were herded into the back of the cruiser and whisked off to the mayor''s office. "What the hell happened?" Rowan asked, pacing behind his desk. The reverend was holding an ice pack to his face, while Rachel simply stood to the side. "The town is getting uneasy." "No kidding," he said dryly. "Please tell me you have something." Rachel hesitated. "We''re still searching." "Rachel, come on." Rowan groaned as the phone on his desk lit up again. "Do you see what I''ve got to deal with here?" "You need to get control of your people," Rachel said. He stopped, anger flaring up in his face. "My people?" "You asked me to treat you like an equal, Rowan. Your people came close to a riot today, and it was only thanks to Cinza''s quick thinking that we made it out without any injuries." "Excuse me," said Smith. "Any serious injuries," she amended, and he winked. "She''s right, sir," Jackie added. "You''ve only got me and Preston. We''re fine when the town''s normal, but this is a goddamn siege. We can''t keep the peace in a siege." Rowan sat down heavily, picking up a glass of water and draining it. "Doctor, I appreciate you trying to protect your neighbors, but would you please not go punching a hysterical crowd again?" "I''ve learned my lesson," Smith answered cheerfully. "Thank you." "What''s the word on supplies?" Jackie asked. "We''re fine for a while, unless we have a sudden uptick of medical needs," Rowan said, glancing pointedly at the doctor. "I''d be more comfortable if we could call in support¡ª" "Absolutely not," Smith cut in, and Rachel was grateful. If it had been her, she doubted Rowan would take the demand as anything but selfish. "This town must be kept isolated. We''ve been given a blessing the world is not yet ready for. We must nurture it and understand it first before we can present it to the world." "That''s an interestin'' claim from a preacher," Jackie said. "I''m an interesting man." "If we keep everyone trapped here, things are only going to get worse," Rowan said. "They are," Rachel agreed. "You need to start putting in measures to keep things from escalating." "Isn''t that why I started a curfew?" She shook her head. "Curfews aren''t really effective. In normal circumstances they don''t really do anything to reduce crime according to most studies. In emergencies they can be temporarily useful, but you need the manpower to actually enforce them, and somewhere to actually put the violators. We don''t have either." "So what do you suggest I do?" Rowan asked sardonically. Rachel didn''t appreciate his tone when she was trying to help, but she did her best to ignore it. "Close the bar and restrict alcohol flow for a while. As long as it comes from you it''ll get some discontent but it won''t set people off too much. They have their own drinks at home, sure, but with fewer places to gather and drink it''s less likely to set off another incident." "You''re going to set off a riot with just that announcement!" "I''m with her," Jackie said. "There''s enough folks here that don''t drink anyway, they won''t care. The worst were all in the street today, and they just saw a real demonstration of what they''re up against. They''re gonna be more scared n'' pissed than ever. We can keep them under control if they don'' get too rowdy, and a bar lets them get too rowdy." "Fine! We''ll do it your way," Rowan said exasperatedly. "You''ve got to handle something for me though, Rachel. I have a half-dozen calls from the east end saying something bizarre is going on. They''re accusing your people of being responsible." "Something bizarre?" Rachel asked skeptically. "Well, I have reports of anything from shapes floating through the air to monsters roaming the streets and eating people''s cats, so the hell if I know," Rowan snapped. "Just deal with it, would you?" Rachel''s heart fell. It was Julian, she had no doubt. He was finally going ahead with his ritual plan. It had been council-approved, but she assumed he wasn''t stupid enough to enact it anyway under their present circumstances. Evidently she''d severely overestimated his intelligence. "I''ll handle it."
The outer lights of Hector''s grocery had just flickered on when Rachel arrived. She hurried inside, where thankfully the shop was devoid of customers. The shelves were beginning to look a little empty, though, as they lost their suppliers one by one due to the closed roads and rails. "Hector?" she called. "I''m here," came a call from the back room behind the register. Hector bustled out, carrying an armful of bananas. "Oh, hi Rachel." "Hi. I''m sorry to drop in unannounced, but I need your help with something." "What happened?" he asked in a slight panic. She shook her head. "It''s not bad, yet." She briefly explained the reports the mayor had been receiving. "And you think Julian''s doing something?" he asked, setting the bananas down and looking pensive. "Has to be. With how the town is right now, we can''t afford this sort of widespread chaos. I need to go talk to him, but I don''t have anyone to back me up." She glanced around briefly. "I know you''re busy, but I''d feel a lot better if I had you with me on this one." Hector nodded. Rachel felt a twinge of guilt, but pushed it away. She did need him. "Just let me close down, it''ll only take a few minutes." "Thanks." As promised, only a few minutes later they were already on a swift walk towards the eastern portion of town and away from the rapidly descending sunlight. As they turned a corner, Rachel reached for the connections in her mind and found the one she''d been watching grow bit by bit ever since she''d visited their camp in the morning. There was the line drawing her to Cinza. It was a bold twisting river of emotion, flowing much more fiercely in one direction than the other. Rachel tried not to think about the implications as she grasped it with her will and plucked it like a string. The reverberations would flow down the line to the girl. In most cases, it would feel like a chill on one''s spine if it even registered at all. Rachel had briefly explained to Cinza how to recognize the signal more clearly, without telling her precisely how it was formed or about the actual connections it relied upon. Cinza would recognize the unique sensation that grabbed at her mind, as Rachel and Will could feel it. Rachel hadn''t wanted to reveal their secret, but she saw no other way to signal the girl while being totally assured no one would be able to spot it. A text message or call right before the theft would be logged, and Will was no longer the only one watching the phone and internet traffic (having become overwhelmed by the sheer amount). Physical signals could easily be spotted if Rachel was careless, and she simply didn''t have the time to spare. So she''d trusted the girl, and Cinza had sworn not to reveal the technique¡ªnot even to Ruby. "Um, Rachel?" Hector asked, pointing. Rachel looked up, having been lost in thought about the various riots and civil unrest scenarios she''d been researching lately. In front of them was an empty shipping box, casually floating through mid-air without a care in the world, as if gravity was simply no longer a concern. That can''t be good. "What do we do?" he asked. "We find Julian," she growled, pulling out her phone and dialing Will. After a few minutes of strain and effort, he was able to get her a more exact location on whomever had cast the ritual. They set off once again. Other oddities began to pop up. There was a mailbox that had floated out of its stake in the ground and was hovering across the street like a drifting kite, and a couple more shipping boxes beside. Rachel felt like she was entering some sort of fairytale land, except for the vague unpleasant smell wafting through the air. "It doesn''t touch us," he noted aloud. Rachel nodded. Mason''s Law was still in effect. Furthermore, it didn''t seem to be affecting anything besides the containers themselves. "He''d been talking about something to do with making moving boxes around easier. Apparently he succeeded." The next street down, they found him. Julian and one of his companions were nestled just inside a copse of trees off the road, where they''d drawn out a large symbol in chalk on the grass. Julian was flat on the ground in the center, his eyes glazed and looking at nothing in particular, while his friend was simply unconscious. Rachel hurried forward, but stopped before she crossed the chalk lines, just in case. "Julian?" He looked around. "I did it." "Did what?" "Made it easier." "You mean you actually did want to just make it easier to move boxes around?" "Yeah?" Rachel burst into a fit of giggles. She''d assumed he had some deeper plan than that¡ªbut no, Julian Black was legitimately trying to ease his job delivering boxes to people with magic. It was so¡­ mundane. "I think you went overboard," she added, still giggling. Hector had caught up and looked thoroughly confused. "You okay, Rachel?" "Yeah." She wiped her eyes with a handkerchief from her bag. "Julian, we need to reverse this, or reduce it to a more specific target. It''s disturbing people." He nodded. "Didn''t really know wha'' was gonna happen." With a great deal of effort he managed to pull himself to his feet. "Not really sure how to stop it either." Rachel knelt in the grass just outside the circle, composing herself. Using a technique she''d been developing, she tried to view how the magic and the man in the center were connected. It was an offshoot of their usual method to view links and associations between people, but combined with Will''s method of finding where magic was being used. Rachel didn''t have the strength or talent to get any sort of range with the spell, but she could at least focus down on magic happening in close proximity. She let her mind drift between the split where she could see the links between people and the mental state of drawing magical energy into herself, where she could feel its source and connect it to what she could see in front of her. It took a great deal of concentration. Almost immediately she began to feel a headache brewing in her skull. Rachel pushed through it. She saw the lines drawing between Julian and his associate, the ritual circle in the ground, and then a burst of three lines reaching out in a triangle to various points throughout the east half of town. Julian had done a combined ritual that covered the entire area¡ªthat much she''d already known from his proposal to the council. But what had they affected specifically? The lines became more distinct, connecting to the cardboard and the metal of mailboxes. Rachel saw a strange translucence in the air as if the boxes had become indistinct. They had the appearance of boxes, but not the properties or consistency. Simply by entering the area, they changed and took on new properties. This was new magic¡­ or was it? "You based this on Hector''s electricity-disabling fields," Rachel realized aloud, releasing her mind. "Yeah," Julian coughed. "I figger if he could make a zone where stuff enters and gets disabled, not just what''s there when he makes the thing, I could do the same to boxes." "So you target all the boxes and then¡­ what?" Hector could reverse the ritual for them since he understood that half, but to do so he needed to know what changes Julian had done to the environment. "Well, I thought I needed to make them lighter, and what''s super light? So I made them all more like that gas." Rachel felt a spike of panic. "You did what?" "You know, made ''em all floaty by making them more like helium." "But¡­" Rachel burst through some quick calculations. "Helium doesn''t have that great of a lifting force. It''s about five grams for a balloon''s worth." She stared at a box currently floating around nearby them. "And it doesn''t really seem like there''s helium everywhere." "Nah, not helium then. Hydrogen." Rachel started. "You filled them all with hydrogen?" "Yeah? So?" "Ever heard of the Hindenberg?" she snapped. She stood up. "Hector, every single one of those boxes is highly flammable." She had a dozen more questions¡ªlike how the hydrogen wasn''t simply diffusing through the boxes, or how each box had enough to maintain lift, or where it had even come from¡ªbut she wasn''t about to start interrogating Julian with the potential danger in front of them. "We need to get them all together and drain them somehow." "Okay," Hector said. He looked confident, which was immeasurably reassuring to Rachel. As nervous as Hector could get around people, he was in his element dealing with magic on a large scale. Rachel had seen him perform feats impossible for even the strongest amongst them many times, often on par with the Gods themselves. He grasped something in his pocket that Rachel couldn''t see, and immediately the nearest boxes were neatly assembling into a floating pile of cardboard. Rachel''s phone began buzzing. She glanced down at the screen, but Julian''s groaning distracted her. "What?" "Really took it out of me," he coughed. "You loaded a dozen large boxes with flammable gas and started throwing them all over town. I''m not surprised," Rachel admonished. "You really should run these by me before you do something else so ridiculous and dangerous." She picked up her phone, but it had already gone to voicemail. With a sigh, Rachel pocketed it again. It had been Rika, but Rachel doubted she had much to say besides complaints. While Rachel didn''t exactly want her arrested, she had too many pressing matters on her mind. Cinza''s covert mission of the night was weighing most heavily, and Rachel hoped she''d managed to break into the safe already and escape. She had no idea how the girl planned to get in, but Cinza had requested at least an hour of time, if not more. Rachel was determined to keep Hector out as long as possible. Luckily, Julian''s insane plan had already given them plenty to clean up without any false excuses needed. Rachel was glad she hadn''t had to lie to Hector. She really couldn''t do this without him. Her phone rang again. It wasn''t Rika this time. It was a number she didn''t recognize. She stared at it for the first couple of rings, confused. She never got unknown numbers. Thanks to Will, her phone blocked virtually every spam call network in existence, and her number was private otherwise. For any public contact she preferred email, since she could process those quickly and easily at any time. At the third ring, she finally answered. "Hello?" "About fucking time!" a voice exploded in her ear. Rachel nearly dropped the phone. "Rika?" "No, bitch, it''s the goddamn NSA. Yes, it''s me." "I''ve been trying to call you." "And I''ve been a little fucking busy with the cops you sent after me¡ªwhat the fuck, Za¡ª" Rachel listened to rustling for a few moments. "Hello?" "Hi," said a younger male voice. He was nervous, but like he was trying to act confident and cool. The end result was someone who sounded entirely fake, though his tone was urgent enough that Rachel gave him her full attention. "Rachel, right?" "You''re the guy who''s been following Rika around?" Zack flashed through her mind briefly. A boy just out of high school, with short brown hair and freckles. Not particularly tall, nor was he good looking or strong. He didn''t really stand out in any way, besides his choice of company. "I, err¡­ yes. That''s me." He sounded embarrassed. "I''m sorry, but I''m really busy right now. Why did you call?" "We found out who killed those people. It wasn''t Rika." She took a few steps away from Julian and Hector, lowering her voice. "I know it wasn''t. It was Omega." "What? No. Well, yeah, in part I guess. But it was also a guy named Brian. We heard him say it." "Brian who? Heard where?" Rachel asked, while her mind began rifling through every single Brian she knew, trying to link them up with the murders. "We were at the doctor''s place, he stopped by to talk to him as a priest or whatever." "Just now?" Rachel asked, dread beginning to seep into her bones. She knew something terrible was coming, though she couldn''t explain why. A bitter taste was filling her mouth. "Maybe an hour ago? Brian said he had met someone in the woods and done something terrible. Then after he heard the doctor wanted to go meet with you tonight, he threatened you and him." Rachel narrowed it down. It had to be a local, then, if he was meeting with the doctor to confess. There were only two Brians in town. One was Bryan Selnik, the painter, but he''d been out of town until he''d returned with his boyfriend Mason from a trip to Seattle just a few days ago. He couldn''t be the murderer. The other¡­ "Put Rika on." There was a shuffle of static and thumping noises. "What now?" "It''s Brian Hendricks. Natalie''s dad." "...Shit. You sure?" "Has to be, there''s no other Brians. And he''s been missing." "Why the fuck is he trying to kill people?" "I don''t know," Rachel said, her heart racing. Apparently he''d threatened her directly, and the reverend for daring to associate with her. Brian knew where she lived. He was her landlord. "He threatened to kill me?" "Yeah, apparently. I wasn''t there," Rika said, and her voice had dropped in hostility. Somewhere there was still a kernel of loyalty from their childhood, however buried it might be behind layers of bitterness. "I¡­ well I guess I should have expected something like this." The idea of a personal threat against her life for being a public figure had crossed her mind before, but always as a well-removed hypothetical. Nothing like this, and definitely not from someone she knew. Rachel felt confused as much as she felt afraid. "Something''s wrong. Doesn''t add up." "What do you mean?" "Your friend said he threatened to hurt the doctor and me when we met¡­ tonight?" After a brief aside, Rika came back on the phone. "Yeah." "But, we already met. This afternoon, in broad daylight." "Hang on," Rika said. Rachel could hear her muffled shout through the phone. "Hey, Alzack! Did he call out Rachel by name?" She came back. "You weren''t mentioned¡­ Maybe he meant someone else?" Rachel''s blood turned to ice. "He meant Cinza. The doctor wanted to meet at their home in the woods. He must have gone there tonight."
Rachel left Hector to clean up, moving the boxes away from the area toward his store. She had no time to spare. She''d have loved to take him along, but making sure the east end didn''t literally explode from Julian''s mess was still important, and she wasn''t sure if Cinza had completed the theft yet. So it was Rachel alone who blitzed into the woods, with only the watchful gaze of Will from afar keeping her company. She sent a single tap along their connection, a signal to him that she was okay and that she loved him, before she plunged into the eastern woods. Her hand clutched the largest ruby she owned like it was a stress ball, the hard edges digging into her palm. The scent of the pines wafted by her nose pleasantly, completely at odds with her racing heart and the adrenaline pumping through her veins. Every few seconds she stopped to desperately search for tracks, but there was so little to go on. All Rachel could do was hope she followed the most likely path for the reverend to take if he were seeking out Cinza''s home based on rumors alone. Why couldn''t you just wait, Smith? she shouted in her skull. Why are you out here alone in the dead of night? Rachel wasn''t ever going to get an answer to her questions. She burst into a small clearing a few minutes later, following the scent of smoke. There, lying on the damp moss, was a charred and broken body. He looked as though his back had been snapped in half backwards and his head shoved into the dirt. His arms and legs were melted and his clothes had been burned away. Eyes wide with terror, the man''s hands were still clasped tight around the only object to survive the onslaught. Rachel knelt down and touched it¡ªa metal crucifix, held up to his heart in desperate prayer before the end. "Holy Jesus¡­" came a mutter from nearby. Rachel twisted around sharply. She hurled out her hand with the ruby and grabbed sharply at the connection with Will three times in rapid succession, but she knew it to be futile. Whomever it was could kill her without hesitation and she''d have no chance. She couldn''t really defend herself in a fight. In that instant, wracked with terror, Rachel fully expected to die. She saw the expression on Robert Harrison''s face, flickering in the firelight dancing in her outstretched hand, and knew she wasn''t about to die¡ªbut someone else might be. He wasn''t looking at her, but at the reverend''s broken and battered body. His eyes were thick with sorrow and fury. "Those bastards are gonna die for this," Robert growled, the rifle in his hand glinting horribly in the orange glow. Rachel opened her mouth, but could not find any words to reply with. She was still in shock from the body beside her¡ªa man whom she''d considered a fast friend only half a day earlier. Robert turned and walked into the woods, rifle in hand, back to Rallsburg. "All those fucking cloaks are gonna burn." [Discord]¡ª[Rate This Story]¡ª[Patreon] Interlude II — Selling Ones Soul Interlude II ¡ªSelling One''s Soul The trees did their utmost to trip him at every terrified step. Brian Hendricks was running like a man with the devil at his heels¡ªand for all he knew, that was precisely what chased him through the rain-slicked forest. Drops peeled off leaves from the canopy above and struck him with incessant reminders of his drenched clothes. The cold was only held at bay by the pulsing adrenaline still rushing through his blood. He felt the heavy impact of every footfall on the thick forest floor, his way forward marked by seldom-used hiking trails that he could only desperately hope would not end. He fled a sight no man should ever witness. Demons had appeared from within the Earth, blank-faced figures of fire and smoke. Flames writhed about them in streams, spinning the dance of the devil. Brian could still hear the screaming in his head. The two men at their feet¡ªmen who had only moments earlier declared their defiance proudly and attacked him with otherworldly powers¡ªreduced to whimpering children in an instant. Begging could not save them from the demon who controlled these monsters. He''d simply waved his minions forward and walked away, while they screamed in agony as the flesh was seared from their bones until they were pulverized into dust. The man had spotted Brian, and his eyes lit up in a way that struck terror into Brian''s soul. Brian didn''t think twice; he bolted into the trees, and behind him the firelight followed. So had he run for what felt like hours, though the adrenaline coursing through him meant that it could have been no time at all. He chanced a look over his shoulder, and that was what did him in. Taking his eyes off the path ahead for only a moment, his foot caught the next root jutting out from the soil, and he was sent tumbling. He crashed through the thick underbrush, and only just had the wherewithal to tuck in and try to absorb the blow. The musty ferns engulfed him as he rolled into the bushes with a crash and an unpleasant popping sound. Mud and dirt caked his clothing as he tumbled to a halt underneath a large fir eerily reminiscent of a tree near his home, where his daughter probably sat even now waiting for a dinner that wasn''t to come. He groaned and tried to struggle back to his feet, but a sharp pain in his ankle kept him floored. Please, God, don''t be broken, Brian prayed desperately. I know I''m not the best father, and I haven''t served you well, but I can''t die like this. I don''t deserve it, but please, God, don''t let me leave Natalie all alone. He knew it was futile. God had never answered one of his prayers. Brian assumed He was much too busy to pay mind to a simple landlord out in the middle of nowhere in Washington, much less one with as broken and disillusioned a past as himself. He tested the foot gingerly and winced even harder. It was likely only sprained, from his unqualified opinion, but it still hurt like hell¡ªtoo much for him to keep running. Brian looked around his immediate surroundings. He seemed to be safe for the moment. He''d fallen into a particularly thick patch of underbrush, and the ferns managed to provide him with enough cover. With a lump in his throat and terror in his heart, he slowly looked back to where he had tripped. The flicker of light on the path nearly stopped his heart. Brian stopped breathing. He stopped moving. For all intents and purposes, he may as well have been a stone statue left out in the forest. The only activity left in his body was his brain, frantically rushing through every possible outcome. As the light grew nearer, most of those faded into black, and only visions of his charred body left to rot in the woods remained. It was the flicker of torchlight, but as the figure emerged from the underbrush, Brian could see once again that there was no torch. There was only the fire, which the man held just above both hands, letting it dance across his skin like a demon of hell. He didn''t look like a demon; in fact, he could have been any ordinary college student in his all-weather black overcoat, denim jeans and plain polo shirt. Yet Brian had seen what this young man could do. He knew that the devil could have a servant in ordinary garb, misleading the innocent astray. Brian had never believed in such things. Not until today. Brian''s lungs were crying for air, but he dared not open his mouth. The slightest sound might bring him to ruin. He could only hold as still as possible, and hope the young man would lose interest and wander away once more. "Come out already. I know you''re still here," the man called. His voice was deep, the kind that could rumble through bones. Brian recoiled at how close the sound was, and winced once more from the pain as his foot shifted, but to his credit he managed to keep silent. "I don''t want to be out in this any more than you do. Let''s just get this over with." As the man grew closer, so did the flames dancing away around his hands, with angry hissing sounds when raindrops struck the fire. Brian couldn''t help it. He shrunk away involuntarily once more, and his foot struck a rock behind him that he hadn''t spotted. He let out the softest cry of pain, and the man was on him at once. Jets of flame sprung forth from the man''s outstretched palms. Intense heat radiated around Brian. The twin streaks burned away the undergrowth. The man was so precise and controlled with the burst that Brian only felt pleasantly warmed, but it only heightened the fear Brian felt in his bones. This was the day he was going to die. He knew it already. "Please," Brian said softly. He had always been a bit on the quiet side. Kept his head down, stayed in line, never strayed from the path in front of him. Never raised his voice, never got confrontational unless he absolutely had to. He was the sort of person who would just fade into even the smallest of crowds, and he preferred it that way. The less attention given, the easier it was for him to keep living. It kept his life sane and simple. Today he was alone with this strange young man standing over him, and it was the most utterly terrifying experience of his life. "Please what?" the man asked, and for the first time in his terror-fuelled flight through the woods, Brian saw a glimpse of sympathy and surprise in the man''s dark-skinned face. He looked confused¡ªand if there was one thing you could always count on in a human being, it was confusion. If the young man wasn''t an agent of the devil or whatever other unholy power might have granted his abilities, Brian might still be able to appeal to his remaining humanity. "I have a daughter. She''s only twelve. Her mother''s¡ª" "Easy, man. You don''t need to start begging." He sounded annoyed, but he hadn''t killed Brian yet. There might still be hope left for him. "Her name''s Natalie," Brian continued. "She''s expecting me home for dinner tonight. She wanted to cook, she was looking forward to it. She made me swear I wouldn''t help, that she could do it all on her own." "Seriously, please, stop. I''m not going to kill you." Relief surged through his veins. Though he didn''t quite trust the man yet, Brian could at least conclude that if he was going to die, there was no reason he shouldn''t have been killed already. Maybe Natalie won''t be alone tonight after all, he allowed himself to hope. But, Brian reminded himself, this man chased me through the woods in the rain. He clearly had some kind of agenda that involved Brian. The man sat down on a tree root nearby, looking particularly uncomfortable with the entire situation. Brian pulled himself up to a sitting position against a nearby trunk, since his life was apparently no longer in immediate peril. "Brian, right?" the young man asked. "Yeah," Brian nodded hesitantly. The man pulled his hood down, revealing a handsome, dark, clean-shaven face and a shiny bald head. He was tall and imposing, but he had a certain charm about him. An intelligent friendly giant, perhaps, if not for the way he''d watched those men burn at his feet with such an impassive look. Brian fixed that image into his mind¡ªof this young man standing over burning people writhing in agony and not lifting a finger to help. "Do you know who I am?" he asked, as if it were common knowledge. "No, I don''t, and I don''t need to. Please, just, let me go," Brian started again. The young man held up a hand. "I can''t, Brian. I''m sorry, but you''ve seen too much." Brian''s heart sank. It was a deadly phrase. "I''m a normal guy. I''ve lived a normal life for thirty seven years. I can keep living that. Don''t need to tell anyone anything." The man shook his head. "Could you really go back to living a normal life, after seeing this side of reality? After discovering such things are possible?" Brian considered for a moment. He was desperate, and his mind cast about for anything that might appeal to the man''s humanity. "I once thought the same thing about music." The young man looked surprised, so Brian continued. "I used to play jazz. Got pretty good at at it too. But that''s all done now," he trailed off. Memories flooded his thoughts. Sitting at his drums, tapping out a set for Natalie lying on her bed with the eager fascinating of a child discovering something new. She''d wanted him to teach her how to play, but she could barely reach the kit from her tiny height. They''d switched to the piano instead, and she was getting better every day. He''d been looking forward to hearing her play full songs, improvise her own pieces, and jam together as father and daughter. A future that was barely flickering in the distance now, a flame sputtering and close to being snuffed out. "Look, Brian. I''m trying to help you out, okay?" His voice was deep and comforting, the sort of pleasant baritone that lulled many into a false sense of security¡ªbut Brian was still feeling the after-effects of adrenaline from the frenzied rush through the woods. He wasn''t about to trust this apparition of the devil, no matter how he might coax. "You haven''t even told me your name. How can I believe you?" "My name is Jackson." "Oh," Brian answered, taken aback. He hadn''t expected such a direct response. "Well, Jackson¡ª" "Why did you stop playing?" Jackson interrupted. Brian stared at his eyes, which were the inky black of the deepest night sky, with only the tiniest glimmer of light twinkling to show life where there was only darkness. "I¡ª" Brian stopped, thinking back. The memories were long since buried, subsumed by the life he''d chosen since then, and he''d actively pushed them away for so many years. "I found something more important to live for." "Your family." "Someday you''ll find the same," Brian continued. "I loved those drums, and I''d play every day if they came to town, but I couldn''t live on that scene. I had a newborn, and she came first. My entire life is my daughter now." Jackson nodded. "So you left Chicago." "Yeah... how did you know I used to live in Chicago?" "It''s not exactly a secret, Brian. You''ve lived in this town long enough. I know everyone worth knowing in this town by now." "But I don''t know you." "Well, that''s easy," Jackson said, the sad smile returning to his face. "I''m the bad guy, Brian." Brian felt a chill echo through his blood like a dark note in an empty concert hall. The phrase seemed completely at odds with the young man, with his sports team shirt and his jacket. Dread crept into his veins like ice. Whatever this man wanted, Brian wished he could be far away. He sent a silent prayer to God¡ªbegging for help¡ªbefore he spoke again. "What do you want with me?" Jackson raised an eyebrow. "You haven''t killed me yet, so you must want something." "You and I are connected now, Brian." "What does that mean?" Brian asked nervously. "Right now? Nothing," the man answered, and Brian felt briefly reassured¡ªuntil he continued speaking. "But some other people¡­ might not see it that way." "Other people?" "Let''s just say I don''t exactly have many friends," the man said, with a sad-looking smile. "But I do have enemies." Brian shook his head. "I don''t want to know." Something felt wrong suddenly. He glanced around, as the rain continued to trickle through the forest, an orchestra of drops striking leaves and twigs all around them, but not on them. He held out a hand, and not a drop fell on him. In fact, relative to a few minutes ago, he felt quite warm. Heat was radiating out from the spot between them, with no fire or light as its source. Jackson smiled. "I thought you might appreciate a chance to dry off." "What are you?" Brian asked nervously. "A student," Jackson replied. "Of history, but not officially. My major was engineering, but I was always more interested in people than machines." "You went to the university?" Brian was taken aback. Someone like this didn''t belong at a university. Someone like this didn''t belong on the planet. Jackson nodded. "Until I found something more important to do." "But¡­ how¡ª" Brian started. "To explain would be to grant you the same power, and I get the feeling you don''t want that," Jackson said dismissively. "Believe me, you''re better off without it, though I believe you might be one of the few in the world sensible enough to handle yourself. No, for now, let''s simply call it magic and be done with it." "But, you are human¡­ right?" "As far as I know, yeah." Jackson smiled. "Relax, I''m on your side. In a way." "What do you mean?" "If I''m reading this right, you don''t trust me. Fear me, even. Which is smart. Anyone with this kind of power at their fingertips is someone to be wary of. Those men from earlier didn''t realize that." As if Brian needed a reminder. "You killed them. Brutally." Jackson nodded, his expression dark. "I did. Honestly, I enjoyed it a little too. If you''d known what they''d done, you''d agree." "What could they have done?" Brian asked, anger rising in his core. "What could anyone do that deserves their skin set on fire? You know they feel that pain all over while they choke to death on the smoke, right?" "I know. They deserved every moment of it." Jackson stood, brushing dirt from his pant leg. He offered an arm to Brian. "I can show you what these people do." Brian didn''t want to know. He didn''t want to see it, but he knew that Jackson wouldn''t let him leave alive unless he cooperated. All Brian could do was try to give the young man whatever he wanted, and hope that he could go home at the end of the day. Natalie needs me, Brian reminded himself. This is for her. Brian grasped the young man''s arm, feeling like he''d betrayed God and his own humanity by doing so. "This will feel a bit strange," Jackson said gently. Brian shut his eyes tight, waiting for Hell to reach up and take hold of him.
The world shifted. Brian felt air whipping at his cheeks and hair. It was how he imagined a wind tunnel must feel, being surrounded by rushing wind trying to unbalance him. He tried to steady himself, and found his foot falling much more forward than he''d expected. His momentum vanished in an instant. Brian let his eyes slide open. They''d travelled all the way back to the old RV park outside the town, some ten minutes by foot from the place he''d seen Jackson burn the two men and an easy half hour from where they''d stood only moments earlier. "What did you do to me?" he asked, ripping his arm away from Jackson''s grasp and stumbling backward. "I brought you here to see, like I said. Nothing more." Jackson pointed at the nearest mobile home. It looked as though it had been abandoned decades earlier. There were cheap plastic chairs set out front, and a few cardboard boxes of empty beer bottles scattered around the exterior. The RV itself was dark, as dark as the night sky above them, but the side door stood slightly ajar. As the wind stirred past them, it swung wide and clacked against the wall with a foreboding echo. Brian wasn''t one to scare easily. He''d been a landlord for many years now, in cities that far outstripped tiny Rallsburg, dealing with any number of strange or disturbed tenants. He''d had knives drawn on him, hurled himself between domestic fights, and evicted the worst of humanity more than once. With the relatively light sheriff''s presence in Rallsburg, he''d grown to rely on himself and himself alone to keep his properties in line. The college kids he usually rented to these days weren''t so bad, but a few of his other residents featured the worst and weirdest the Northwest had to offer. Not one of those many encounters approached the level of unease he felt staring at the shadows just inside the door. His skin was crawling as he walked forward and tapped on the door lightly. "Anyone home?" "There''s no one well enough to answer you in there," Jackson replied, so calmly that Brian shivered. He noticed that his companion seemed fatigued from their journey here. Jackson was leaning heavily against the wall, and made no moves to follow Brian into the RV. Dreading what he would find inside, Brian pushed the door open gently and took a step into the interior. It was still too dark to see anything. He felt around for the light switch near the door and flicked it on. He wished he hadn''t. "There exists a certain trading ground, a neutral territory where magic users can trade information and materials," Jackson started, his even tone completely at odds with the horrors contained within. Brian was barely paying attention, his eyes fixed on the bisected young man seated before him. "It stands within a pocket, for lack of a better term. An area larger on the inside than the outside, a rift in space." Brian finally tore his gaze away from the man¡ªor more precisely, the lower half of the man, for the torso and head were nowhere to be found¡ªand overcame his disgust enough to view the rest of the room. The pool of blood seeping out lead him to spot the second young man, who Brian guessed to be an RSU student based on his age and what remained of his clothing. He began murmuring a prayer, feeling tenfold more religious today than he had in his entire life. The second man was covered in burns, his clothing scorched and in tatters from the flames. The skin was blackened, and some parts simply seemed to melt away from the body into puddles of flesh. "Such a space can''t exist without someone to maintain it, and the woman who does so keeps a tight lid on the secrets of creating it. Even I have no idea how she pulls it off. Since it remains the only truly secure location to trade something as volatile as magic, she can take a high tax from her customers," Jackson continued, stepping into the RV, seemingly unconcerned with the flies angrily buzzing about the room. Brian felt his throat constrict and only narrowly avoided letting his gag reflex take over entirely. He realized that this man, burned away as the other two he''d witnessed earlier that evening, had to be the work of his newfound companion who now leaned casually against the countertop in the small makeshift kitchen. "Why?" Brian asked, but Jackson kept speaking as if he hadn''t heard. "Not everyone wanted to pay such a tax. As is inevitable in our society, competition arose. Those other marketplaces were privy to listening ears, or interfering third parties. The special nature of a wholly controllable space and the advantages it brings; these men wanted to create their own." He looked coldly at the pair of legs in the chair covered in blood, and for the first time Brian thought he saw true hatred flash through Jackson''s eyes. "They failed." "So they screwed up, but it only hurt themselves. Right?" Brian''s voice quivered, for he already knew what had to come next. "Their greed, their ambition, their recklessness. It puts others at risk. Consider what they could have done, if they''d not been so far out of town, or lost control later than this. Innocents are always at risk when man plays with fire." Jackson shook his head in disgust. "I''m sorry, Brian. Look behind the chair." He stepped back outside, leaving Brian alone with the decaying corpses and the flies buzzing around the small room. Brian turned and crept toward the chair. His heart was pounding, a steady thump he could feel in his skull. The stench of burned flesh was overwhelming, but curiosity and fear drove him forward. He had to know. He set a hand on the shoulder of the chair to steady himself, and craned his neck forward to see the space behind. It was a little girl. About Natalie''s age, if he had to guess. Not just any girl, he realized, recognizing her clothes. Jenny Wilson. She''d been to his house many times. Natalie went to school with her, and they''d been close friends. He''d helped her with her homework. They''d all gone to the movies together once. Brian had let her parents watch over Natalie a few nights when he had to deal with business he couldn''t avoid. She''d been family. Tears streamed down Brian''s cheeks. He imagined Natalie coming in to see her friend like this. Jenny''s face was half carved away, in a perfect clean circle that would put a surgeon to shame. Her arm and shoulder were completely gone, vanished from the world entirely, with blood still dripping out. Brian could see chiseled-down bones poking out from her torn pink jacket, peeking through the hewn sinew. It was the same jacket Natalie had begged him for days to get, so they could match. He imagined his daughter in this same position, ripped apart by ungodly forces, and he felt rage. Pure, unbridled rage that exploded up through him like a firework, blinding his eyes with fury and pain and disgust. He heard a cough. Brian''s head snapped around to the corner of the room, where a young man was just coming round. Brian didn''t recognize the face. His legs were bent out of shape, but relatively intact. Compared to the rest of the room, he might as well have been in perfect health. "Is what he said true?" Brian growled. "We lost control of it," the guy answered weakly. "It would have gotten us all if I hadn''t stopped it in time." "How did you stop it?" "I¡­ oh God. I killed Alex. I had to, would have killed me," he added with another wheezing cough. "And Jenny?" "She just wanted to see some magic. Alex said it''d go okay¡­ fuck this hurts. Can you help, please? Get me to a doctor, man. Please." "I¡­" Brian started. He glanced around, his eyes once again finding Jenny. Her remaining eye was wide in terror, her mouth slightly open. Brian took a few steps toward her. His heart ached at the sight, and begged him to help, even as his brain tried to convince him there was nothing to be done. Brian''s emotions won out in the end, and he picked up Jenny''s little hand, holding it tight. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. "She''s dead, man. Help me," came another pleading call from behind him. Brian looked at him with disgust. He was fine, he wasn''t even bleeding. Jenny needed his attention far more, even if she could no longer hear or see anything ever again. "Hey, I''m talking to you. Come on. Get me up." Brian ignored him. Should he lift Jenny up and carry her out? Could he take her to the sheriff and bring justice to these murderous boys? Would her parents want to see her in this condition? Her parents. Brian imagined another man coming to him with his daughter''s corpse in his arms. Would he collapse in grief? Attack the poor messenger? It was all too painful to even consider. "God dammit, help me up or I''ll burn you too." Too. Brian looked up at the word. The young man had a small flame dancing above his fingertips, even as he struggled to move to a better position. The scorched body between them suddenly took on new, terrifying meaning. Brian had apparently hesitated too long. The fire in the man''s hand exploded into a ball. Waves of heat washed through the room. Brian recoiled from the intensity. He dove behind the chair for cover, nearly landing on poor Jenny. The fire wasn''t as strong as he expected. It barely singed the upholstery, but it was still a bright light on the other side of the room. He dared to peek around the corner. "Get me to a hospital or your ass is¡­ oh fuck!" Brian watched, sweat trickling down his neck and his eyes squinting through the intense light. The fireball seemed to be growing out of proportion, igniting everything around it. The man''s hand was bubbling in a way that human skin never should. Layers were peeling away. The fire crawled backward, rolling through him. His cries shifted into earsplitting screams. Brian ducked behind the chair again, hiding his eyes until the light finally dimmed away to nothing, and the sound had faded away into simply the quiet hiss of steam. "Do you see, Brian?" Jackson spoke up, appearing behind the burned young man with his hand raised and palm upward. Tiny bolts of electricity danced between his fingers. "This happens every time people are given powers they can''t control. He has this ability now, and nothing can take it away. Ever." Jackson began murmuring, his hands dancing about in a circle, and the electricity danced faster, forming a large shape in midair. Features began to emerge, the electricity taking a rough humanoid form, though without a face or anything resembling a head. It advanced on the young man, and Brian could feel the crackling energy and scent of ozone from across the room. He felt disgusted, with the young man and with himself. Brian didn''t even know the man''s name and he''d just let Jackson kill him. Was this sort of cruel acceptance to be his future? On the other hand, Brian didn''t want to know his name. He''d seen what this man had done, and he could think of no better fate than to be killed by the same unholy force they thought they could control. Without another word, he turned and walked away, his world suddenly much more vast and frightening than it had been only a few hours before.
"She tried to get away," Jackson said quietly as he emerged. "The girl¡ª" "Jenny," Brian snapped. Jackson raised a hand in apology. "Jenny. She was invited along by her cousin, and what child doesn''t want to hang out with the cool older kids? So she went along, and when everything started to fall apart, she tried to run and hide. You can see from the way she''s turned away, hiding behind the chair. It didn''t save her." Brian''s fists were clenched tight, knuckles pale white. "Stop talking." "This is getting out of control, and we need to stop it." "So do it," he growled. "I can''t," Jackson replied. Brian gestured back into the RV with a strained, bitter laugh. "Send your devils at them all." "I can only control them from nearby. Most of the people we''d need to¡­ dispose of are all in Rallsburg." "So go ahead. I''m not stopping you." Jackson shook his head. "I''m powerful, Brian, but there are two I can call my equal. They expelled me from the town, so to speak. I cannot enter Rallsburg. Which is why I need you." Brian saw the offer coming. Saw the deal the devil was about to offer him. The road to hell was laid out before him, black and burning with fire, and¡ªGod help him¡ªhe was about to accept wholeheartedly. He thought again of Jenny, still lying just inside, her face wracked with terror. Her eyes would haunt him until his final breath. For Natalie. To keep her safe. "What do you need?" Jackson smiled sadly, and Brian knew then and there he was forever damned.
"He''s still missing?" "Yeah. I''ve been fielding all the calls for maintenance like normal, but I haven''t seen him once." "You still get paid though, right?" "Yeah, that gets handled by Neffie. Brian calls the shots, but we can still run the ship without him. How much do I owe you?" Oscar asked, digging out his wallet. Brian adjusted his position slightly at the chime of the register, hoping it covered the rustling completely. He was currently wedged into the corner, in a small space behind the soda shelves. It was just close enough to the register to hear their conversation, but far enough that he wasn''t too worried about being found himself. He''d learned this spot from Natalie. She''d often played a game of seeing how long it would take Hector to find her while Brian did the shopping. This spot was yet unfound as far as he''d known. For her, it must have been downright roomy, but Brian''s joints were flaring in pain. He was just lucky enough that Hector was so disorganized he''d never rearranged the store to something more efficient. "Fourteen forty-five. Bottled water''s on the house today, with that heat-wave coming. You''re gonna need it." "You''re a lifesaver, Hector. Thanks." Hector shook his head. "Just doing my part. Say hi to Neffie from me?" "How''s that going, anyway?" Hector blushed very red. "I never asked her." Hector and his assistant? Brian wondered, smiling to himself. He couldn''t really see them working out. Neffie was too adventurous, too flighty. She''d never take up with someone as timid and distracted as Hector Peraza. He was a nice guy, but he''d be better off with someone more stable. Still, they''d be an entertaining couple. Brian could see Neffie dragging a reluctant Hector on a pretty wild ride for a while. And who knows, maybe they''ll suit each other? Brian shut his eyes. He''d forgotten once again the world he now lived in. Hector was one of the "awakened". He was dangerous, to himself and everything around him. Brian shuddered at the memories of his daughter playing in the store. Hector had always been nearby. His memories of his daughter''s friendship with the old shopkeeper were now twisted into horrified visions. What if something had gone wrong? What if his Natalie was caught in the crossfire of something horrible and destructive? He briefly imagined leaping out and putting a fist straight through Hector''s nervous smile. Jackson had warned him about Hector in particular. While the other couple of targets Brian had been sent to investigate had been believable¡ªeven likely¡ªcandidates, Hector had given him pause. Brian simply couldn''t believe his ears at first. Hector seemed the least likely person to have anything remotely threatening about him. And yet¡­ Jackson had been open with him so far. He''d witnessed strange, unnatural occurrences on a daily, even hourly basis now. People in his hometown - be they college kids, loggers or just the normal residents - were slowly selling themselves to the devil for a grasp of his dark gifts. So when Jackson had named Hector Peraza as one of the Awakened with a quiver of tension in his voice, Brian was truly afraid. If the most powerful man one has ever met has fears, is it reassuring to know that he is still human, or terrifying to know something else with even greater power yet awaits? So Brian remained hidden, listening closely to what Hector said. Jackson had told him not to get close, but he couldn''t resist. Unlike the others, Hector was a friend. Everyone loved him. His store was pricier than most, partly due to his own ineptitude in running the business, but they still came in droves simply to hear his stories. The children came to play games with him and laugh at his terrible jokes. Everyone was a recipient of his never-ending generosity, but no one ever took advantage. Brian wasn''t here for Hector though. His real target was the young man who''d been working part-time in the back of the store, helping to unload boxes of fruit. Seth Merrill, the son of the town''s only real journalist, was a slacker and a hothead, however odd such a combination might seem. More importantly¡ªaccording to the curious runed stone that was now faintly vibrating against Brian''s leg¡ªhe was also one of the so-called "awakened". Seth Merrill was one of the lost souls that had given themselves over to corruption. Brian had never liked him, but now he had real reason to distrust the young man. Jackson had given him a stone he now kept in a tight pocket where it would not be lost. By his explanation, it drew upon Brian''s own energy to power a simple spell, one that allowed him to feel out those who had undergone the ritual at a simple glance. He''d examined everyone as they passed by his narrow spot in the shadows, and thankfully neither his reliable and trustworthy handyman Oscar nor his hypercompetent and spirited assistant Neffie had given it any reaction. It was only the college boy, and thus did Brian have his next target.
"You have to kill him, Brian." Brian stopped eating the fruit Jackson had handed him abruptly. "What?" "Seth needs to die before he can hurt anyone." Brian shook his head. "I''m not a murderer. I didn''t agree to that. I said I''d help you track down everyone, but I''m not about to hurt a kid who hasn''t actually done anything yet." Jackson''s eyes were cold¡ªand with the deep blackness that shrouded his gaze permanently, adding a layer of ice was enough to remind Brian of the terror he had chosen to serve. "He will." "He''s a stupid college kid. I don''t disagree there''s a risk, but innocent until proven guilty, right?" Jackson frowned. "And what about when that one guilty verdict comes at the cost of hundreds, if not thousands of lives? They may not have done any damage yet, but it''s as if we''d given nuclear weapons to children and trusted them not to do anything wrong." "I don''t think I can kill anyone," Brian said. "I can''t even go hunting with Robert whenever he invites me." Jackson looked pensive, then turned and dug through his bag for a moment. He came back up with a small rod made of obsidian, laid with a bright green stone. He offered it to Brian, who took it gingerly. "Like I taught you, put your mind into the rod." Brian hesitated. "Is using this pushing me over the edge as well?" Jackson shrugged. "You aren''t awakened. You haven''t read from the book or done the ritual, and the magic does not originate with you. I would call that distinction enough, but that''s for you to judge." Brian closed his eyes and prayed. God, I hope I''m doing the right thing. I haven''t seen Natalie in days, but I know that she can take care of herself. I''ll make the world safe for her again. Please, let me be spared from whatever demons haunt the man I''m following. He sent his mind into the rod. There, legions awaited him.
"It''s okay." "It''s not okay," Brian growled, pacing back and forth in the clearing. "I should have dealt with them all." "It''s a good sign that you felt pity. You''re still a good man, Brian. We''ve just been forced to do terrible things." "I had them, and I was weak," Brian snapped. Rage was bubbling through his blood in waves of heated frustration. "They revel in the shit. Their damned rituals and those cloaks and charms. They celebrate it," he spat. "They think they''ve found something wonderful. They don''t know what horrors lie in wait," Jackson said calmly. His even tone finally began to calm Brian down. He sat and accepted the offered lunch in Jackson''s hand. "You were able to use the golems well enough?" He nodded. "They did everything I asked perfectly, even when I told them to leave." "Good. Now, what I was able to do today while you were resting." Jackson began to draw in midair, a map of the town springing to life like a hologram out of a movie. He drew dark crimson lines across the roads and railways leading from the town. "I''ve closed off every proper land route from the town. The mountains and hills are too treacherous for any significant number to cross easily. I''ve also sent word to the nearest towns that the roads and rails are out until further notice, so we won''t have any innocents caught in the crossfire." "You really think this is necessary?" Brian asked nervously. His thoughts were on his daughter, and the few friends he had made in Rallsburg. "Encircling the town?" "We simply don''t know how many have been awakened," Jackson replied. "Until we can clear them, we can''t risk anyone escaping. Between this and the information we''ve leaked, they should be in a perfect state of chaos for us to do what needs to be done." Brian stared at the dark lines hanging in midair and shivered. He didn''t like how his town was starting to feel like a medieval castle under siege, but it had to be done. Whenever doubt crept into his mind, visions of the burned RV flooded his thoughts, or of the greycloaks performing horrible rituals in the woods, or balls of fire thrown from the radio tower in the dead of night. There was too much potential for catastrophe secreted around every corner. "Brian, someone''s out in the woods¡ªbesides the mercenary." He looked up. Jackson''s eyes were clouded over, a side-effect of his ability to see magical activity outside the town. "It''s Seth Merrill again." Brian hesitated. The greycloaks were one thing, but Seth was just a stupid college kid. "Do you still have doubts?" Jackson asked. "I¡­" "Talk to your friend next time you meet. Ask him about Seth."
Brian stepped out from behind a tree once he was sure the man was alone. "Jesus, Brian," Robert breathed, lowering his rifle. "You oughta give me some warning." "Sorry." He shrugged. "So what happened?" "Everythin'' you said was true, about the electricity burns on the bodies and the time of death and whatnot." Brian had supplied the electricity burn information at Jackson''s request, though he still wasn''t sure why exactly. Jackson had said it was ''a gift to an old friend'', but his tone had been dripping with irony. "Made ''em look like idiots for a bit, til they took over the meeting." "What?" "Yeah. Now they''re working with the mayor and the sheriff. Some girl named Rachel. You know her?" "Rachel DuValle? Tall¡ªtaller than you, actually¡ªand straight brown hair? Always looks a little bit lost?" "Not so much the last part, but yeah, that''s her." Brian frowned. "She''s one of my tenants." Realization struck him as he recalled a strange incident a year back¡ªinvolving a series of explosions and gemstones in the girl''s room that had utterly terrified Natalie. His eyes narrowed. "She''s one of them?" "The leader, apparently. Speakin'' o'' which," Robert added, giving him a glare, "you knew about all this shit, didn''t you?" "What?" "Magic, goddammit! Magic''s real and these kids all have it, apparently. And you knew, didn''t you?" "I¡­ yes. I did." "And you didn''t tell me?" Robert growled. "I''m sorry. I should have. I didn''t think you''d believe me." Robert sighed. "We''ve been friends since you moved here, man. I''ve got your back, just like I do now. You got mine?" "Yes." "Then keep me in the goddamn loop! Why are you out here all alone?" "For Natalie," Brian answered simply. Robert was taken aback. His tone dropped back to reasonable levels. "For your kid?" "So she doesn''t grow up in a world tainted by them," he continued. "By these monsters with their magic. I''ve seen what they do. The greycloaks even fight amongst themselves. I''ve seen their leader put her people in harm''s way for the fun of it." He paused, remembering what Jackson had told him. "And then there''s Seth." Robert nodded. "That business at Dan''s, you mean." Something at Dan''s? Brian''s heart fell. Dan was another of his few friends in town. Anything happening to the diner would be a nightmare. He tried to tease more information out of Robert while still sounding informed. "Think about the damage they could cause." "The wall''s still got those burn marks all over," Robert nodded again. "I didn'' see it myself, but Seth and Ryan and that out of town Asian girl were definitely responsible. Rachel didn'' deny it." The older man paused, scratching his thick beard. "What about your little tyke though? Ain''t Nat gonna be missin'' her old man?" He frowned. "I can''t go home until it''s done." "But she''s¡ª" Brian shook his head. "I''m not good enough." "What?" "I''ve never been good enough. The world always made sure I knew that. Now, I have a chance to do something important. I can help save the world. But the only way is to be totally committed to this." "I don'' envy you, man," Robert muttered. "I''ll keep an ear out, I guess." "Thank you," Brian answered. Robert had offered to help before, but Brian declined. He didn''t want to get anyone else involved; Jackson had more than enough power to take on the entire town alone, so long as they never entered. There were rules, apparently¡ªand if Jackson abided by them, then the other demon residing in Rallsburg wouldn''t interfere. He was an aloof monster who refused to intervene under any circumstances, by Jackson''s description. Someone who wanted to watch the unnatural growth and change over time, like a scientist watching the town from a microscope on high. It made Brian sick. Someone treating these people like playthings, like an experiment to be watched and discarded. These were real, precious lives he was toying with, this mysterious pretender-god. Jackson''s counterpart was too powerful, but he was also strict and predictable. Thus, Brian could act with impunity¡ªfor he had no magic and wouldn''t even appear on the man''s radar. Equipped with Jackson''s weapons and his plans, Brian was practically unstoppable. "Jus'' remember what you''re fightin'' for," Robert added. "How is she?" "Fine as far as I know. She''s been stayin'' with the British professor, Kendra Laushire. You know her?" "I''ve met her a few times." In fact, Brian had investigated her with the runestone, and breathed a sigh of relief when it hadn''t vibrated at all. She was quietly one of the more powerful people in Rallsburg, particularly with her riches that had no ties to the Price feud with the logging union. "And Natalie seems all right?" "She''s gettin'' fed and homeschooled. I''ve kept an eye out, don'' worry," Robert clapped a hand on his back. "I''m sure she''ll be glad to see you home, after all this is done." Brian nodded. His motivations were redoubled. His daughter was safe and sound, though the world around her was anything but. His mission must continue.
When Brian approached their usual meeting place, he was startled to hear Jackson already talking to someone else. As far as he knew, Jackson only spoke to Brian, beyond the occasional muttering in that broken and haunted language of magic that Brian did his best to ignore. Brian got the impression Jackson was terribly lonely, though the young man hid it well. Jackson was speaking, and someone else was answering. A much smaller voice, soft and feminine and nervous¡ªa massive contrast to Jackson''s somber rumble. Brian hid behind a tree, not daring to look out at the growing argument. Jackson was a deeply private person, by Brian''s measure¡ªhe wouldn''t want an intruder. Still, Brian couldn''t help himself. After so many days with the man, Brian was eager to get another perspective on his ally. "¡ªa warning, and if it''s not heeded, there''s nothing more I can do," Jackson said. Brian noted the concern in his voice. It wasn''t a threat, but exasperation. The sort of tone a parent might take when talking about a troublesome child. "You won''t hurt him though, will you?" "It''s not under my control, BB. It''s Alpha''s choices that brought us here," Jackson sighed. "Yes it is, Jack!" she said. "You two need to stop this stupid fight. And stop using those dumb names. It''s not doing anyone any good." "If I stop, the world will end." "Stop being so dramatic. You don''t know that." "And Alpha might not be right either. I don''t want to risk a terrible world where everyone has this sort of power at their fingertips." "Jack¡­" The girl trailed off. Brian hesitated. It took him a few moments to build up the courage, but he peeked his head out just slightly around the tree. There was Jackson, head bowed and eyes dark and sorrowful. There was a girl hugging him, about the same age, with long, thick brown hair and distinct silver-grey eyes that seemed to sparkle even in the dim light of the forest. At first, Brian assumed that Jackson had been comforting her¡ªbut it was clear from a glance that he was overcome with emotion and she was the one holding him up. "I just want us to be friends again," the girl said quietly, while Jackson stared off into the distance with his eyes clouded and unfocused. At her words, though, he snapped back into being. "Friends?" he asked, and his tone was suddenly quite harsh. Brian recoiled involuntarily. "Friends with him?" "Jack, I¡­" "Are you forgetting that he tried to kill me?" "He didn¡ª" "Look!" Jackson suddenly tore off his shirt, sending the girl a few paces back. Brian had to stifle a gasp. Jackson''s body was covered in burns and scars. "Oh, Jack¡­" the girl said, tracing her hand across a large scar across his well-muscled chest. "I''m sorry. But why didn''t you take care of these?" "I never read those pages," Jackson replied. "I don''t know how to. And I''m not sure I want to." "What if I¡ª" "No!" Jackson growled. The girl took another step back. "These remind me who I am¡­ And what he did." The girl suddenly glanced over her shoulder, sending a shock of panic through Brian¡ªbut she was looking the other way. Towards the town, but not at Brian. He hadn''t been noticed. "What?" Jackson asked. "I have to go," the girl answered. "No." Jackson took hold of her arm. She looked down at his fist like it was nothing. "This wouldn''t stop me," she said quietly, and suddenly the nervous tone was gone. There was a brief undercurrent of power, something fiercer than Brian had ever heard in his life. It was like the gentle purr of a huge hunting cat¡ªcalm and relaxed, but unmistakable, ready to strike in an instant with absolute force. "No, but the rules might." She shook her head. "You two and your rules. I only agreed to get you to stop arguing. I thought you were going to blow up the rest of the library." "You did more than just keep them alive through incomplete readings. You talked to them." "I''m not going to just ignore everyone I meet." Jackson shook his head. "You broke the rules." "Are you going to punish me, Jack?" The girl''s silver-grey eyes narrowed. "After all we''ve been through?" Jackson hesitated. His hand fell away from her wrist. "Of course not," he said, and his voice had dropped to the sorrowful tone from the beginning of the conversation. "I lo¡ª" The girl twisted around immediately and vanished, a faint breeze wafting out from where she had disappeared. "¡ªve you, BB." Brian quickly pulled himself back behind the tree, as silent as he could manage. Jackson remained there for a long time, while the birds sang around them and the wind whistled through the leaves.
"You''re still doubting?" Jackson asked. "I just¡­" Brian hesitated. To send the golems out at the greycloaks was one thing, but to kill a man in cold blood? An awakened man who had tried to burn down a beloved diner and hurt a good friend, perhaps, but still it did not sit well with Brian. "May I show you something?" Jackson said, extending his arm again. "Not more, oh God," Brian groaned. He couldn''t stomach another scene like that in the RV, or the sight of the man in the cloak burning from Jackson''s golems. Jackson shook his head. "I promise you, nothing like that. No bodies, not even any injuries." Brian frowned, but reluctantly took Jackson''s offered grasp once again. The whirlwind started up, and Brian was beginning to get used to it. By Jackson''s explanation, they weren''t actually moving any faster¡ªJackson was moving at a brisk walk, but time itself was accommodating his swift passage. Brian wasn''t sure what that meant, precisely, but Jackson assured him that time travel and its ilk were still quite impossible. He didn''t have to worry about alternate timelines or someone travelling back to kill his grandfather. They wound up in a treeline, on the edge of a wide field. Beyond the field was the park where Brian had taken many a walk with Natalie. He''d often imagined himself walking a dog around the park, but Natalie had been adamant against getting a pet dog or cat. She wasn''t big on animals. Brian wasn''t totally attached to the dog they''d looked at in the shelter in Tacoma, but he had been a little disappointed when Natalie had voiced her disapproval. Still, he was happy enough with just the two of them that it hadn''t bothered him much. There was something going on at the park. Usually it was only a couple people wandering the flowerbeds or spending a pleasant afternoon on the benches reading away the sunshine, but Brian saw a large procession, dressed almost entirely in black. He saw the Wilsons, gaunt-faced and dreading every interaction from well-wishers that didn''t understand their pain at all. He saw the mayor, using the event as an excuse to rub up with the more powerful members of the town. There was Rachel, the apparent leader of the entire group he''d slowly grown to hate over the last couple weeks. A car pulled up, and there she was. His vision blurred as he watched his daughter comforting the Wilsons. She looked so beautiful in that dress¡ªfar nicer than anything he could have ever given her. She was strong and healthy, angry and grief-stricken. Brian wished she could never have to feel those emotions again. He turned back to Jackson, who waited patiently in the shadows of the forest. His somber eyes were full of empathy. He didn''t say a word. He didn''t have to. They were in complete agreement. Jackson offered his arm once more, and Brian was whisked back through the woods to the site of the abandoned RV park. There, wandering through without a care in the world, was Seth Merrill. As they watched, he summoned up a tiny ball of fire and started tossing it between his hands casually. Jackson couldn''t do anything to him. It would break the rules. Only Brian could carry out this crusade. Brian, who was a powerless man in a world of gods and demons, would be the one to protect the world against those demented souls that thought they could make a deal with forces beyond their reckoning. God, forgive me. Protect my daughter while I do this for you, and for the world you created. Jenny''s death was a tragedy. They had to ensure it could never happen again. Brian gripped the golem rod tight and let the monsters spring forth from his mind. The screams of Seth Merrill continued to echo in his ears as he walked away, disgusted with himself and the whole world around him. [Discord]¡ª[Rate This Story]¡ª[Patreon] Chapter 18 — Breaking the Rules Chapter 18 ¡ªBreaking the Rules "Now what?" Alden said in dismay. Rika pocketed her phone. "What''s got you wound up?" Rika asked, pulling on her coat. "Rachel''s gonna handle it like she always does, and this gives us plenty of time to go talk to our guy. Win-win." "We''re not gonna go help?" It had felt like exactly the right moment. "Didn''t we just do that?" Alden sighed. "I figured, if they''re gonna get in a fight, you''d want to help. Take down the murderer and clear your name." "Fuck that. She''ll be fine. I''ve got more important fish to catch." Rika cocked her head to the side. "Aren''t you forgetting your whole mission here too?" Alden shook his head. "It''s not that urgent or anything though." "You don''t know that." "Huh?" "What if your mystery sibling dies before you find them? What if your enemy gets them, or gets you? Don''t forget, someone had to do this to you. There''s no magic just floating around doing things at random here. Everything''s gotta be done by someone, which means someone out there''s got a real hate boner for you." "Uh..." Hailey said. They both looked at her, Rika as if she''d totally forgotten the two were still standing there. "What''s up, birdgirl?" "...Birdgirl?" "Look, I''ve been awake way too long. This is my best material right now." Hailey shook her head. "I want to come with you guys." "You do?" Alden asked. Rika looked even more surprised. "You do remember the entire town hates me and half of them think I killed a bunch of people, right?" "I know. But you didn''t, and I want to help you," Hailey said firmly. "I''ve been thinking I was alone for a whole year now. I want to get back into the world. I''m one of you guys now, I guess. You know what it''s like to not have anyone to talk to for months and months? I couldn''t really talk to normal people anymore, not with this massive secret hanging off my neck all day. They just don''t understand the world like we do now. So I''m sticking with you. Maybe we can find something to help Jessica someday." She glanced at Jessica, who gave them all a smile but clearly hadn''t understood the exchange. Rika frowned. "Nice speech. Look, nerdy girls usually aren''t my type¡ª" Alden elbowed her in the side, cutting her off. "Sorry. Anyway, if I ever hear anything, I''m happy to let you know. But you don''t really need to tag along for that. I''m sure we could find you." "Are you forgetting what I can do?" Hailey asked pointedly. A sudden gust of wind swirled through her hair. Alden winced. "She''s got a point," he muttered. Rika sighed. "How the fuck did I end up with a gang of stalkers¡­ All right, fuck it. We only have so long before Rachel comes home. Let''s go talk to Mr. Wizard."
"Hi, Will," Rika said, casually strolling into the living room. Will practically jumped out of his skin. His hand went reaching for a few gemstones lying on his desk next to his keyboard, but Rika raised a hand. Forks of electricity buzzed and crackled between her fingertips. "Uh uh, we just want to talk." "How did you get in here?" he asked cautiously. "Oh come on, you think I can''t break into a shitty apartment in Rallsburg?" Rika rolled her eyes exaggeratedly. "Who are they?" Will nodded at Hailey and Alden, who were standing behind Rika in the hallway. Alden opened his mouth to answer, but Rika cut him off. "Associates." "Right." Will shrugged. "Rachel''s not here." "Good thing, because we''re here for you." Rika took the nearest chair and relaxed, though her hand still had electricity dancing about threateningly. "So, Will, between Rachel''s tuition, paying to keep Hector and such from going bankrupt, and your setup here¡­ how do you pay for everything as an unemployed couple?" "Cryptocurrency," Will answered, but it was so fast and unconvincing that Alden laughed right alongside Rika. "Bullshit. You don''t have the hardware to be a serious miner and I know you didn''t have the foresight to invest big back when you could afford it." Rika smirked. "Does Rachel know what you''ve been doing?" "I¡ª" "She doesn''t? Shit, I thought you two were the best couple I''ve ever met. You''re murdering my poor romantic side." "You had one?" Alden quipped. Rika shot him a grin. "Hopeless romantic just like you, Alzack. Anyway, Will, since you''re apparently renting out your services on a whim, how about you help me and mine out with something?" He slumped in his chair, defeated. "Since it''s you. But please, don''t tell Rachel." "Wouldn''t dream of it," Rika answered. "I''ll even pay your going rate. Now, tell us¡ªwhere''s the Scrap now?" Will sighed. "I can''t tell you." "Sure you can. Just do your little magic and find out where it is, then tell me. Easy-peasy." "Okay, so I won''t tell you?" "Will, how many years have we known each other?" She twirled her fingers around, and a bolt of electricity sparked through the air and connected with his hand. He recoiled from the sting. "You know when I''m being serious." "Rika¡­" Alden started. He wasn''t entirely comfortable with threatening the guy, even if he did seem to be a shifty information trader by what Rika had told them. Hailey also looked a little uneasy, but she was deferring to Rika for the time being. "There''s a difference between me selling affinity readings and location services, and me telling you where to find the most wanted piece of paper in town," Will said, frowning. "Didn''t stop you from giving it to Viper," Rika countered. Will faltered. "He promised to get it far away from here, and I agreed." "You want to put it in the hands of a mercenary corporation owned by one of the largest multinational conglomerates in the world?" Rika asked, raising her eyebrows. "Huh?" "Viper works for Malton Solutions. Subsidiary of the Culver-Malton group. I saw the logo on one of his boxes in his camp. You really want to put power like that in the hands of a self-obsessed British asshole who runs merc groups in Africa and the Middle East for kicks?" "I¡­ have no idea what you''re talking about," Will said, looking embarrassed. "No shit. Do your homework next time." He looked indignant. "We''ve been a little busy." "Well, luckily I''m here to take your mess off your hands. Tell me where the Scrap is, and a couple other things, and you don''t have to worry about it anymore." Without warning, Will stood up. The electricity bouncing between Rika''s fingers seemed to speed up and grow in intensity. Alden''s hand grasped the couple of rubies in his pocket that Hailey had lent him. They''d only had time to go over the basics of how to use gemstones as an energy source, but he felt like he''d learned enough to figure out the rest in a pinch. He wasn''t looking at them. His eyes were fixed on the window and the thick dark trees just outside, and they were wide as dinner plates. "What?" Rika asked cautiously. "Rachel''s in trouble." Will pulled out his phone and began tapping commands furiously. "What are you talking about?" Alden was just as confused; there''d been no phone call or message or anything as far as he could tell, but Will seemed deadly serious. "She sent a signal¡ªjust trust me," Will said distractedly. Rika''s phone buzzed. She pulled it out and checked the message. "Why''d you just text me?" "I set up a list, a long time ago. People to call in an emergency. You''re still on it." Will kept mashing at his phone, ignoring them. Rika looked taken aback. "She''s somewhere in the woods, but I''m having trouble getting an exact spot. Something weird''s going on out there. Too much magic." Rika frowned. "Is she okay?" "I have no idea, what do you think I''m trying to find out?" Will cried. He was agitated, pacing around the room while still tapping away at his phone. "Her cell phone isn''t pinging back either, no GPS. This could be really bad." Hailey cut in. "We can help." He looked up. "Who are you, exactly?" "Doesn''t matter," Rika added quickly. "She''s just crazy good at what she does. Also she can fly." "She can what?" "Just give me your number, I''ll find her." Hailey handed her bag to Alden, putting her flight cap back on. "In exchange, though, you give us the info," Rika said, and the room got quiet. Hailey looked dumbstruck. Her tone was cold as ice. "Dammit, this isn''t the time," Will said. "So tell me where it is." "Fuck you, Rika," he growled. He closed his eyes and began muttering something, while his hand clasped an purple amethyst between two fingers. After a few moments, it began to glow. His eyes opened wide and the crystal burned out. Black webbed across its surface in an instant, before it shattered into dust and fell to the ground. "It''s moving, fast. North, past the train station and into the woods only a couple dozen meters. I can''t get more precise than that." "Thanks." She nodded to Hailey, who quickly exchanged phone numbers with Will. A moment later, she was pulling open the sliding door to the balcony and launching herself off the railing. Will scrambled to the edge in a panic, but a burst of wind buffeted him back as Hailey shot into the sky. Alden noted she had a much easier time gaining altitude now that she wasn''t carrying anyone. Rika interrupted their gawking with a snide voice. "Now, while our resident bird-person does her thing, I''ve got another one for you. Since you''re so willing to trade secrets these days." "What now?" Will asked, exasperated. "Find my father." "How am I supposed to do that? I can only find magic." Rika shook her head. "You''ve got other connections and tools, and I''m sure if you put your mind to it you could devise a new spell for people. You can find Rachel, can''t you?" "That''s different. That''s more because of our bond, not my spells." She paused. "Hold up. You can find your girlfriend because you two are that much in love?" "...Yes." Alden actually rather liked the idea, but he knew exactly how Rika would react. Sure enough, she burst into cackling laughter. "Holy shit, that''s something else," she choked out. "Okay, say I believe that''s actually a thing, you''re saying that you couldn''t use that because you''re not in love with my dad, right?" "Right." "All right, fair enough." Rika was barely suppressing her laughter as she continued. "So you''re back to the old fashioned way, unless you do come up with some new magic. I''ll be in touch." Will shot them a final dark look before returning to his computer and furiously typing away. Rika hadn''t raised the threat again, but the blackmail was obvious even to Alden. He followed Rika out of the apartment feeling a bit subdued. "Was that totally necessary?" Rika twisted around with an incredulous look. "Of course it was. Don''t forget, if he can figure out how to track anyone, he might be able to track down your long-lost family too." "But you were holding Rachel''s life as a threat," Alden protested. "So?" The cold, indifferent tone struck him as false. He felt like Rika was trying too hard to seem like she didn''t care. "So isn''t that a bit overboard?" She sighed. "Look, Alden. Rachel''s gonna be fine, she always is. They''re just panicking because they haven''t had to deal with shit this big before. I''m not gonna feel bad for taking advantage of the situation a bit. Them distracted gives us the perfect opportunity." Rika brushed hair out of her face. "You and me are gonna get what we came for, right?" Alden still felt uneasy, but he nodded.
They started working their way across town. Given the vagueness of the location Will gave them, Rika felt they didn''t have time to take the long way around Rallsburg. They decided to risk being seen by walking through the streets, though Rika was still frequently glancing over her shoulder and sticking to the shadows. After all, they had more to hide from than just the mundane townsfolk. They''d seen no need to contact Viper and Rook about their new plan, and Alden had no qualms leaving them out of the loop. He''d never trusted either of them in the first place, particularly Rook. As Rika was happy to explain, they were both working for a private military group owned by a British man with a history of impulsive actions and little care for consequences. "How do you know so much about all these companies?" Alden asked as they took a short break, waiting for a couple of people to pass by. "Well like I said, I grew up translating between the higher ups. Since my father refused to allow my mother into the company, on account of not being a Japanese citizen, I was the only native English speaker around. I was raised to be proper and obedient, so it wasn''t hard to fit into their stuffy board rooms." Alden snorted. "Proper and obedient?" She grinned. "Mom and I had a lot of fun in our downtime. She was a rebel too, but quietly. She''d never outright defy my father, but she found her place around the edges. She made art where no one could see it, and kept it just between us. I used to help draw for stories she wrote and act out scenes, or we''d make little hand puppets, or just sew our own special yukatas that we''d never show anyone else. She taught me how to stay myself in that mess. I''d probably still be an obedient little business lapdog in my father''s boardroom if not for her." Alden hesitated, but mustered up the bravery to ask again, "What happened to her?" Rika''s eyes narrowed. She looked away. "She had a brain tumor. It ate at her for years, probably why she never did much more than that. But even while she was sick, she was still taking care of me and raising me. My father didn''t do anything. He was too busy running the company, making money and becoming a successful businessman and programmer. When he made the sale to Laushire Enterprises, my mother was in a hospital bed completely alone. It''s no wonder I don''t remember meeting Kendra or anyone that day." Rika pulled her right arm out of the sleeve of her jacket and pointed at the tattoo of three Japanese characters on her upper arm. "I gave myself this so I wouldn''t ever forget." Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. "What does it say?" "It''s my mom''s name. Maria." She pointed at the middle symbol. "This right here, the kanji for ''ri'' is the same one in my name. Means ''clever''," Rika added with a sad smile. "She was clever, and brave, and beautiful. And she was abandoned. My father left her to die alone. I wasn''t even th¡ª" Rika stopped, catching her breath. "I''m gonna find him one day, and there''s gonna be a reckoning." Alden was about to ask more, but Rika suddenly grabbed his arm. The shock buzzed through his skull as she pulled him up flat against the wall. A group of people had just passed by, and they were armed. Mostly improvised weapons like bats or tools, but Alden spotted the long vague silhouette of a rifle. "Shit," Rika breathed. "Something''s going on," Alden whispered. "You think?" she shot back sarcastically. Before Alden could quip back, there was a hiss of wind, followed by a thump above them. They both looked up startled to see Hailey crouched on the lip of the roof. "What''s going on?" Rika hissed. "Doctor Smith is dead," Hailey whispered back, only barely audible from her height. "Rachel''s out in the woods where he died, and a few people were with her. She didn''t seem like she was in danger, but there''s a lot of angry people out here." "Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck." "Rika, I heard you mentioned at least once or twice on my way back." "Fuck!" Rika looked around in a panic, though they were still well hidden from the street. "We should hide," Alden said warily. "But¡­ the Scrap," Rika moaned. She looked down the road, but the forest was still far away. "Can you get us into the woods from here, Hailey?" "One of you, maybe, but not both. I''m tired too, I''ve flown a lot today," Hailey said, and Alden did finally recognize the fatigue lining her eyes. "I don''t want to risk it. I could drop you." "Fuck. Okay. Sorry. Where can we go?" "Dan''s isn''t far," Alden suggested. "He seemed to like you." "After how he got spooked by Ryan, I''m not so sure anymore." "Can we get back to your apartment?" Rika shook her head. "We''re already halfway across town, and it''s only gonna get worse from here. We need shelter now." "Rika!" Hailey hissed. "What?" "Look!" They both looked out toward the street through the narrow opening. It was Boris the bookstore owner, standing across the street and beckoning them forward. Alden and Rika exchanged a confused look. Boris called out to them impatiently. "The hunters think you''re partly to blame, Rika. Hurry, before any return." She shrugged. "He''s one of the only people I like around here." Without another word, she took off in a rush. Alden hesitated, but one glance at the retreating group of armed men on the opposite street sent him scurrying after Rika.
Boris locked the door behind them. Hailey had swooped in through the door at the last moment, coming to a landing by slamming into a chair and sending it tumbling over backwards. "Sorry," she cried, awkwardly getting back to her feet. "Not at all, Miss Winscombe," Boris answered, hurrying to shutter the windows. "I think we have more important concerns than my furniture presently." The old man scratched his stubble. "What has happened?" "Doctor Smith was killed out in the woods," Hailey answered. Rika had taken a seat behind the counter, well away from any windows. Alden stood around awkwardly, not sure where he should be or what he should be doing. "Probably by magic." Boris looked like he''d been slapped in the face. "Henry is dead?" "Yeah, and apparently I might be next," Rika muttered. "Hailey heard them mention my name." "A couple times," Hailey said. "Although they were mostly shouting things like ''Justice for Jenny'' and stuff about grey cloaks. I wasn''t really sure what they were talking about." "Greycloaks is Cinza and her cult, but I don''t know a ''Jenny'' either," Rika replied. "They probably think I''m one of Cinza''s flunkeys now too. Fuck." "Do these people mean you harm?" asked Boris. "Yeah. You don''t happen to have a stash of rifles in the back, do you?" He shook his head. "I gave those up many years ago." "It''s okay, Rika. They''re still just human, I''m pretty sure I can take them," Hailey said, hands balled up in fists. ''Just human?'' Alden wondered. "As long as we stay quiet, I doubt the hunters will have any reason to come to my shop," Boris said calmly. "I shall inform the Summit that we are barricading ourselves in." "Hang on, the what now?" Rika asked, sitting up straight. "The Summit, a leadership council between the town and the awakened. I am a member, though I mostly just sit and observe." "Who all''s in this summit?" "Your friend Rachel, of course, along with the mayor, the town journalist, the athletic blonde one¡ª" "Ryan? Didn''t think he had it in him." "¡ªthe sheriff and the leader of the Greycloaks." "So Rachel finally formed a government. Good for her." Rika let out a huge sigh and relaxed once again. "With that sort of influence she can probably get this back under control. We can just wait it out." Alden was just about to relax when there was a knock at the door. The closed blinds and shutters made it impossible to see who was there, but the voice wasn''t one he recognized. "Hey, ruskie! We need you out here!" "I''m a bit occupied, my friend!" Boris called back without hesitation, sounding perfectly normal. Alden was impressed at his composure under pressure. "May I take a rain check?" "You can track damn well better than most of us. We need to root those damn cultists out of our forest." "Give me a minute and I suppose I could join you." "What''s up, man? Why are all your windows closed?" Boris shot them a worried look. His voice dropped to a whisper. "I cannot prevent them from looking inside now." He paused. "Please, move into the staircase. I''ll do my best to send them away." Hailey cracked her knuckles, but Boris shook his head vehemently. After a moment, she deflated. Rika scurried to the door to the upper floor, Alden and Hailey close on her heels. As the door swung shut, they could hear Boris still talking to the man through the door. Alden was still staring back downstairs at the closed thick wooden door, worried about the man who was probably saving them from an angry mob while Rika and Hailey entered the door at the top of the staircase. "What the fuck?" Rika whispered. "I¡­ I don''t¡­" Hailey stammered. Alden''s curiosity got the better of him. He drove worry for Boris from his mind and joined them at the upper landing. Suffice to say, it was not at all the decor he expected from an old Russian man running a bookstore. It was instead very distinctly a college girl''s room. There was a single bed, with thick soft green sheets in the corner and a mess of pillows in all shapes and sizes. A distraught wooden dresser sat next to it with clothes hanging out loose or draped all over, or just laying on the ground in a heap. The closet was full of dresses neatly hung that looked totally unworn, and there was a pile of bras and underwear loosely scattered in an overturned basket beside a stack of pants. Next to it sat a desk laden with all sorts of notebooks and papers. Posters of movies and TV shows, maps from books, a concert banner from a rock band, and all other manner of pop culture were pinned around the walls. "I''m guessing this isn''t his room," Rika muttered. "Why am I¡ªwhat the hell¡­" Hailey was looking at a bunch of photos pinned up above the desk on a corkboard. Alden and Rika joined her. Every single photo was of a pair of girls, in various places around Rallsburg. One of them was Hailey, exuberant and laughing and generally acting a fool. The other girl, always looking embarrassed and shy but generally good-natured, was Grey-eyes. "I think I just figured out why you''re so fucking powerful," Rika said accusingly. "What? From these? I don''t remember any of these. Who is that girl?" Alden and Rika both looked at her in shock. "You don''t know who that is?" Alden asked slowly. For once, he wasn''t the one out of the loop¡ªand if the situation weren''t so chaotic, he might have enjoyed it a bit more. "No?" "That''s not possible," Rika said flatly. "You met her. Everyone who ever awakened met her." "Uhhh, no? What are you talking about?" "You really don''t remember her?" Alden asked suspiciously. It didn''t seem at all possible from what he understood of the world so far. Hailey opened her mouth to answer, but no sound came out. Instead, she raised a hand and pointed, dumbstruck, behind Alden and Rika. They spun around, and there she was. Grey-eyes had just appeared out of thin air in the room, and for a brief moment didn''t even seem to notice they were there. She was turned away, looking out the frosted glass of the window overlooking the street. She dug into her pocket for something and pulled out a pair of plain black earbuds, which she snaked up through her thick brown hair. After a few moments of bobbing her head to some music, she finally turned around. Her eyes looked like they might fall out of their sockets. For a full minute, nobody moved. They stared at her, she stared back at them. "Hi," Rika said finally. That single word felt like a bullet shattering glass. Grey-eyes lifted her hands, and they recoiled immediately. Even Hailey, who professed to have no knowledge of the girl, seemed intimidated. To be fair, she did just teleport into the room, Alden mused. "I''m not going to hurt you. I''m sorry," she said. She took out her earbuds and pocketed them. Alden allowed himself to relax a bit. "So uhh, this must be your place," Rika added. "Seems cozy." She cracked a smile. "Yeah. But what are you all doing here?" "Oh, hiding from an angry mob. You?" "Hiding from my problems, I guess." She sat down on the edge of her bed. "Hi, Hailey." "Uhh¡­ hi. Who are you?" Hailey looked uncomfortable¡ªand angry. Alden couldn''t blame her, what with the myriad of pictures pinned to the wall behind her. "I was kinda hoping you all had a name by now," she said. Her tone was jocular, but he felt like there was still that undercurrent of sadness. Everything about her spoke of an intense loneliness. "We''ve just been calling you Grey-eyes," Rika put in. "Gray eyes?" the girl said, surprised. "Well that doesn''t work." With a tiny gesture of her hand, so fast Alden couldn''t make it out, her eyes flashed and became brilliant red. A moment later, deep blue, then pale yellow, until returning to their original soft silver-grey. She took a quick glance at her reflection in the mirror. "I guess that''s okay." "You''re human, right?" Alden asked. He had to know, and he couldn''t think of a more delicate way to phrase it. She nodded. "I''m no different than Rika over there, or you. I''m a witch. Spellcaster. Magic user. Awakened. Bruja, sorci¨¨re, czarownica, galdranorn, majyo, §Ü§à§Ý§Õ§å§ß§î§ñ." "Don''t you mean mahou sukai?" Rika offered. "You''re assuming I''m any good," Grey-eyes replied. It wasn''t a retort, but a reflection. She looked troubled by her own words. "You''re good," Alden said lamely. He felt strange, trying to reassure this girl who could apparently teleport and change her appearance at will. She gave him a small smile. "That''s nice of you to say, but you don''t know me. You couldn''t know." "Can you tell me where my father is?" Rika asked abruptly. "I don''t know," the girl replied simply. "You¡­ don''t know?" She picked at her fingernail nervously. "Your father''s alive, and he''s somewhere on the planet, and he''s never used magic. That''s all. I''m sorry." "All you know, or all you can say?" Rika sounded disappointed. "...Both?" Grey-eyes looked around anxiously. "Why am I in these pictures? And why can''t I remember any of them?" Hailey cut in, sounding frustrated. "Oh, right." Grey-eyes looked down at the floor, staring determinedly at her feet. "That''s¡­ my bad." "Did you do something to me?" "Kinda," she answered, still not looking up. "More exactly, I did something to me. You just got caught in it." "What does that mean?" Hailey was getting upset. Grey-eyes looked even more uncomfortable. "Look, just trust me, okay? There''s some things you don''t ever want to know. You don''t want to be stuck in this." "It''s a little late for that," Hailey snapped. She lifted a hand and a ball of flame burst into being. Grey-eyes looked up at the sudden wave of heat, and frowned. The flame hovered smoothly away from Hailey''s palm and spun a circle around Grey-eyes, before it dissipated into a puff of smoke. "I''m really not in the mood. I know you awakened anyway. I''m sorry. I never wanted anyone to, but it''s too late for that now." "So what, you just wanted it all for yourself?" Rika asked. "What? No! I didn''t mean that. I just meant, with all that''s happening now¡­ you''d be better off without magic. He''s after everyone who awakened." "He meaning Omega?" "Jackson. His name is Jackson. Not ''Omega''." "Oh, so you fuckers do have names." She gave Rika a scornful look. "He doesn''t deserve that." "He''s a fucking murderer, and he tried to frame me for it. What does he deserve, exactly?" "He tried to frame you?" Grey-eyes looked surprised. "Apparently. Left electrical burns on the body and made sure people noticed." "That''s not really a bulletproof case¡­" Rika shrugged. "It''s enough for the goddamn angry mobs out there, if you hadn''t noticed." "Yeah¡­" She looked away again. "I can''t do anything about that though." "Why the fuck not? Aren''t you powerful enough?" "There''s rules. I have to follow them." "Or what?" Rika asked skeptically. "Or they stop being the rules." She stood and walked back over to the window. "You guys saw what happened to the library. That was a year ago. We all know more magic now. What do you think they''d do this time if they have the chance?" "Oookay. Chills down my spine, you got me. So what do we do?" "I don''t know," she answered sadly. Alden felt an urge to hug her. If she wasn''t the most powerful person he''d ever met, he probably would have, but he felt too afraid to approach her. Instead, he sat in bemused wonder. It was the sort of guarded awe that anyone might feel upon meeting an important and powerful person in the flesh¡ªthe combination of confusion at how human they really were, and the immense authority they commanded nonetheless. "Isn''t he breaking the rules?" he asked. Grey-eyes looked up surprised. Her eyes met his own very briefly, before she turned away again as if she felt too afraid to look at him directly. "I mean, he''s attacking people. Isn''t that over the line?" "I¡­ well no, not exactly. Jackson agreed not to enter the town, attack anyone or interfere with awakenings. The rules weren''t strict enough, I guess, since he found a way around them." "Yeah, by using a pawn. Are you all that fucking dense?" Rika cut in. "Do you know how hard it was to get them to sit down in a room and agree to anything?" Grey-eyes shot back. "What I had to do to them?" "And what did you do exactly?" Hailey growled. "What did you do to me?" "I¡ª" Hailey shook her head, and her hand grasped the thick stone hanging from the cord around her neck. Wind began kicking up behind them, and Grey-eyes'' hair was flung backward¡ªthough she managed to stand against the sudden gale. "No, stop!" Grey-eyes shouted, though it was barely audible. The window behind her was shuddering, the curtains flat against the wall. "He''ll notice us!" "He''ll what now?" Rika shouted back, but her question was answered almost immediately. The door to the stairs was flung wide. A blur of a man burst into the room, and with a swift punch Hailey was knocked head over heels back onto the floor. The hurricane wind petered out as if it had never existed. The man turned, and Alden was stunned into silence. It was the man he''d seen in the woods, with those dark eyes that seemed deeper than the void of space. He felt terror strike his soul, and now he had a name to put to that terror. "You were warned," Jackson murmured in his deep voice, one that rumbled through the room like an earthquake beginning to take hold. "They came to me," Grey-eyes said. "It doesn''t change the rules." Jackson turned to face her. The room was suddenly silent. Alden dared to look at them, and he could see them talking¡ªbut couldn''t hear a word of it. Grey-eyes looked deeply concerned. She put a hand to Jackson''s face in a gentle motion, her mouth moving rapidly. Alden tried, but he couldn''t read her lips at all. "What now?" he whispered to Rika. "We fucking leave is what now," Rika hissed. She began inching toward the door. Alden glanced at Hailey. She shook her head. "I still need answers. How about you?" Alden felt like this had to be why he''d come to Rallsburg. Here he was, standing in front of two actual gods, one of whom might have the answers to the mystery that had dogged him for almost a year. How could he possibly leave when they were so close? "I''m staying." "You''re both fucking lunatics," Rika whispered, but she stopped moving nonetheless. "So do we just wait?" Hailey asked. "I guess." Suddenly, Jackson took a few steps forward and grabbed Grey-eyes'' arm. She recoiled, and Alden felt a burst of protective, righteous anger. He couldn''t let this man do that to her. It wasn''t right. His mind followed the paths to the magic pool that he''d formed, and grabbed for the energy as Rika had taught him. This is what I''m supposed to do. Alden summoned up a burst of flame, much more powerful than he''d ever managed. He sent the jet forward, arcing it around so that it flew directly at Jackson''s face and stopped just inches away. Alden wanted him to feel the heat, but he managed to shape it so that Grey-eyes shouldn''t have felt a thing. The flame disappeared. Alden felt like a balloon had just been popped, one that was somehow a part of him. Jackson turned back to face them with a cold glint in his eyes. Rika bolted for the door, but Jackson reached out mentally and it swung shut in front of her. He looked at Alden with surprise. "Really?" he asked sardonically. "Don''t hurt her," Alden growled. "Alden, no, don''t¡ª" Grey-eyes started, but Jackson interrupted her. "He attacked me. Can''t break the rules in that case." Alden set his feet, and dug deeper¡ªfar deeper than he ever had¡ªinto the pool of magical energy. He summoned up the movement magic he''d been practicing. Jackson shot a burst of crackling electricity at him. Alden, adrenaline coursing through his veins and his head feeling light and sharp, saw it coming as if in slow motion. He grasped the edges of his body and pulled himself hard to the side, moving much faster than humanly possible. The electricity crackled by harmlessly, and ended up arcing towards Rika. She absorbed it without so much as blinking. Hailey raised her hands and summoned up her own blast of fire¡ªand to Alden''s dismay, it was much stronger and more controlled than his meager efforts. The flames engulfed Jackson for a moment before they were summarily dismissed, but he seemed much more intimidated than a moment before. The cold, almost amused expression was gone¡ªreplaced by fury and determination. "Help us!" Alden cried at Grey-eyes, but she shook her head, burying her face in her hands. Jackson moved, and it was so quick that Alden blinked and he was across the room. Hailey was thrown back against the wall. She slammed into it with a resounding thump and slid down to the floor. He had struck so hard and so fast, Alden thought Hailey might actually be dead. She was certainly unconscious. Jackson began to move a second time, toward Rika. Another blur and she was suddenly halfway across the room herself. A bolt of electricity burst from her fingers. The bright blue forked across the open air to strike Jackson in the side, blowing a hole in his shirt and burning him. "Yeah, I know that trick," Rika gasped, weak for air. Jackson seemed to be similarly tired, and the lightning had him visibly straining from the effort. He was still human. He could be beaten. Alden had a vague hope rising in his chest. We can do this. He started toward Jackson, intending to tackle him while he was distracted. A moment later, a pair of monsters sprouted out of the floorboards. Alden''s hopes were crushed into dust. He''d tried to attack a god, with only a vague plan and barely any backup. The faceless golem advanced implacably toward him, and Alden closed his eyes. He hoped it would be quick. [Discord]¡ª[Rate This Story]¡ª[Patreon] Chapter 19 — Wolves at the Gates Chapter 19 ¡ªWolves at the Gates Rachel knew she should do something to stop the burly Robert as his shadow receded back into the woods. He was a ticking time bomb, but Rachel was stuck in place. Her eyes were transfixed by the misshapen, broken body beside her. The light wind tickled her hair as it breezed through the hills, making the branches dip and bow as if in deference to the man who had died that night. She''d never learned how to deal with death. The only real experience she''d ever encountered were the three bodies in the RV. In that case, Rachel had been able to disconnect herself to an extent from the carnage. It was something brutal and horrible, yes, but she hadn''t known any of them. She hadn''t even known their names until the sheriff had told her. Rachel could approach it from a colder, logical view¡ªexamining the evidence and looking for clues and solutions. With the poor doctor, Rachel had no recourse. She already knew the killer, and she knew the method. She already knew everything. There was nothing to distract her or to set her mind to. All she could do was dwell on the awful tragedy of a man''s death, one whom she''d been speaking to only hours earlier. She might have sat there for hours, but the night was still young. The trees rustled, and Rachel realized it wasn''t just the sound of the wind drifting through the leaves. Someone else was moving, and they were close. Very close. She clutched at the rubies so hard she might have cut her fingers open. The trees seemed to loom over her, and the scent of smoke from the charred body was ever more ominous. I''m going to die out here tonight, Rachel thought bitterly. I''m going to die before I was able to do anything I wanted to do. The world is still a mess, magic is being used to kill people, and everything I tried to do was for nothing. A wolf padded out from around a tree. An honest-to-god, massive, grey-furred wolf with rows of glistening teeth and fierce cold yellow eyes. Her survival instinct kicked back into overdrive. Rachel scrambled away from it toward the nearest tree. She sent her mind into the gemstones, pulling every possible bit of flame she could and sent it at the wolf. A massive five-foot jet of fire fanned out from her fingers, hurled at the wolf with the force of a bullet. It was more flame than Rachel had ever managed to summon in her life by tenfold. She stopped trying to clamber up the tree, hoping that the conflagration would be enough to deter the animal from attacking her. The flames stopped just short of reaching it. Did I misjudge it? she thought desperately. Am I dead because I made another stupid miscalculation? She hadn''t, as the fire began to swirl up above and around the wolf and dissipating into the air. Behind it, she saw Natalie Hendricks waving her hands in peculiar swinging motions that mimicked the movement of the fire. The girl was wearing her favorite jacket over a dark and expensive-looking dress, and another huge animal was a few paces behind her¡ªa giant mountain lion. Rachel let out a deep breath as the clearing fell back into moonlit darkness once again. If these were Natalie''s pets, she wasn''t about to die. "Natalie, what are you doing out here?" "Looking for the bad guys," she answered. In a single easy movement, she clambered onto the back of the wolf, ripping her dress slightly as she did. It was the same black dress she''d worn to the funeral, now caked in mud and with tears in it to let her move more easily. "Have you been home since yesterday?" Rachel asked tentatively. "No time. I gotta find who killed Jenny." Natalie looked around the clearing, finally noticing the body. Rachel expected her to shriek, but Natalie just looked at it with curiosity. "They got him too?" "Yes," she answered, not sure how to handle the girl¡ªparticularly when Natalie could easily overpower her on a whim. She was saved the trouble of explaining further by an exhausted and distinctly British voice calling out from the darkness behind Natalie. "Steady on, Nat! I can''t keep up when you dash off like that!" Kendra Laushire came stumbling into the clearing. "Oi, what''s this the¡ª" She abruptly stopped as she spotted Rachel. Her voice and vocabulary shifted almost instantly. "Oh, good evening Rachel. What brings you out here so late?" She wordlessly pointed at her feet, which Kendra had somehow missed. "Oh, fuck me," she muttered. Rachel was utterly perplexed. Kendra never spoke without the most proper and uptight posh accent, and never swore. Something was very off about her¡ªbut then something was very off about the entire night so far. She put it out of her mind for the moment. There were bigger priorities. "Omega''s work," she said shortly. "Indeed. And he''s long-gone, I suppose." "Probably. We have bigger problems. Robert Harrison is on his way back to town, well-armed and angry." Kendra shrugged. "What could he possibly do? The man has no knowledge of Omega''s location, the same as us." "He''s blaming Cinza and her people." "Ah." She frowned. "I don''t suppose they could supply an alibi for their whereabouts for the last few hours?" Rachel shook her head. Cinza couldn''t possibly account for her last few hours, or there''d be an uproar on both sides of the town. "We have to defuse this now. Or at least, make sure anyone they''d want to hurt is kept safe until it burns out." "Will it burn out?" she asked pointedly. "I don''t know." "He''s not here," Natalie reported. "Gwen smells a trail going far away though. Something''s weird about it." "Gwen?" Rachel asked. "The wolf," Kendra explained in a tired voice. "How does she know what it can smell?" Rachel asked, before realizing how pointless the question was. Kendra shrugged. Rachel turned to the little girl. "Natalie, can you do something for me?" "You never did anything for my dad," she answered petulantly. Rachel sighed. "I know, and I''m sorry. But this is really important, okay?" Natalie looked at her scornfully. "Don''t talk to me like I''m a dumb kid. What do you want?" "Whoever killed him probably didn''t get too far." Rachel realized belatedly she was possibly sending Natalie after her own father, but tried to dismiss it from her mind. It was too important that they caught the man before he could do more damage. "Do you think¡­ Gwen¡­ could track him for us?" "Maybe. I can ask her." Natalie frowned. "What about my dad though?" "Nat, please," Kendra said, crouching down next to her. "Do it for me, okay?" "Only ''cause it''s you, Lily. Not for her," Natalie said, giving Rachel another damning look. Rachel didn''t much care, so long as they got moving soon. She could deal with the disdain of a twelve year old. What did worry her as they set off into the woods following Natalie''s pair of animal friends was the lack of signal to her cell phone. She''d sent Will an emergency signal, but so far she''d received no response. As far as she knew, Will was in a blind panic trying to locate her. If she could, she''d return to town immediately and let him know she was safe, but she couldn''t pass up the opportunity to track down Natalie''s father. She could only hope he''d see the connection between them and assume she was still alive. They had no idea how connections were affected by death, but her brief viewing in the clearing showed she was still linked to Smith even as his corpse was slowly rotting into the dirt. I''ll give you a proper funeral when I can, Rachel promised as she was lead away into the dark forest.
"Gwen lost it again," Natalie announced, gently patting the wolf behind the ears as it twisted and turned around the clearing. She maintained an easy balance on its back despite the constant motion. Rachel could see why riding on a wolf or dog was a ridiculous idea, given how sharp and jagged their backs were and how they constantly flexed around while moving. Under any other circumstances it should be completely impractical, but between Natalie''s young age and the extreme size of this particular wolf, they made it work. Rachel assumed Natalie had helped grow the wolf somehow, just as Cinza could grow plants, or else she was remarkably lucky to find such a huge specimen roaming the woods of western Washington. It had been twenty or thirty minutes at least, and their guide had lost the trail twice. Natalie got more frustrated with every delay. She pulled what looked like jerky out of her bag and chewed on it while waiting for Gwen to find the scent again. Rachel took the opportunity to sit down and rest for a moment. She''d sprinted all the way out into the forest hoping to catch the reverend, and they''d been on the move constantly since. Her legs were feeling like they were about to give up and fall off. Kendra came and joined her, looking prim and proper as always, though her clothes were quite a bit more plain than usual. "What happened?" she asked quietly, while they watched Natalie feeding a piece of jerky to the wolf, muttering words they couldn''t understand. Rachel briefly explained how and why the Reverend had died, and why it was partly her fault, and the whole business with Hector and Julian in town. She even mentioned Cinza and the confrontation in town, though she left out the theft they''d planned for later that night, of course. As she spoke, she was noticing a slight change in how Kendra reacted to everything she said. It was small, but it was enough to finally boil over a revelation that had been brewing in her mind for a while. "You''re not really Kendra, are you?" Rachel asked quietly. Kendra hesitated. "No one''s supposed to know," she answered, and her rich, precise diction was gone. She was still definitely British, but she sounded much more relaxed and casual than the Kendra Laushire that Rachel knew. "I''m Lily." "I didn''t know Kendra had a sister." "We want to keep it under the radar. There''s plenty out there who''d exploit it if they knew," Lily smiled. "Managed to fool you for years now, and you''re probably my best mate." "So you two have been swapping out?" "Sometimes. Just when we have to. It''s a bit mental, yeah, but it''s the only way we could keep the damn market open. Kenni''d probably fall apart if she had to do all the teaching and uni business on top of it. So we take turns. Nat knows, but she''s cool." Lily laughed. "She kinda had to know, when she walked in on us both in the same room. But get this, cheeky kid just says ''which one of you is the cool one?'' like it''s no big deal at all. That girl isn''t phased by anything." "But you two talk and act so differently," Rachel protested. "How could I have never noticed?" "Well, see, we grew up in jolly old London, in the highest of society. We had to act proper. But once we got out here, on our own and so far away from dear old dad that no one would ever find us, we got a bit more relaxed. As long as publicly it was still proper, posh and professional Kendra, everything was peachy." She smiled wistfully. "You know, I think Kendra is jealous of me. I get to be everything she wishes she could. She''s too set in her ways to really change who she is, but I''ve got all the freedom I want, except when I need to sub in for her." "But why? Why go through all this?" "Well, I''m not supposed to exist," Lily said with a wink. "Long long story, but that''s the gist of it. Trust me, it''d cause more problems than it''d solve if I popped into the world today." Rachel would have asked more, but Natalie was moving. The wolf had turned to face one end of the clearing and growled at the newcomer. Natalie had her hands up, and what seemed to be a stack of kitchen knives were floating in midair around her head, pointed at her target like arrows about to take flight. Ryan emerged from the underbrush, his hands raised in surrender. "Holy shit." "Ryan, what are you doing here?" Rachel asked, scrambling to her feet. "Will sent us. Hey, Josh, get out here before you get eaten by something." Josh, looking as though he wished he were anywhere else in the world, cautiously walked into the clearing. His eyes were fixed on the wolf. "William sent you?" asked Lily. "Yeah, apparently Rachel sent up the bat signal. You seem okay to me," Ryan added, glancing up and down her body. His eyes lingered in a few particular spots, and Rachel felt a little more disgusted with him. She had to remind herself what he''d done that afternoon and his value in general before she started talking. "Reverend Smith is dead, and Robert Harrison''s about to start a riot in town. We need all the help we can get." She frowned. "How did you find us anyway?" "Easy, I was already out here. I was making sure Nate didn''t get killed on the way home." Ryan looked back over his shoulder. "Ran into the greycloaks a while back. They were already gathering for some sort of ritual for the night. Josh was there as a witness when we got the call, and they clearly didn''t want us there, so we fucked off." He shrugged. "Your boyfriend''s good at directions. Too good." "Rachel, what do you mean a riot?" Josh asked. "I mean he thinks that the greycloaks are responsible, and he''s about to form a lynch mob," Rachel said. "What sort of ritual were they doing?" If Cinza had the Scrap and was planning to read it that night, then Rachel couldn''t bring them to help¡ªbut if it were anything else, they should be making all haste. "You think I pay attention to those?" Josh shrugged. "Doesn''t really matter though, does it? If Robert''s pissed and they see anything like Cinza''s usual tricks, there''ll be blood. A lot of blood." Rachel couldn''t deny it. They had to go. She''d just have to get Cinza to hide the Scrap and all knowledge of it before they arrived. Between Natalie, Cinza and Makoto, Rachel just hoped they had enough firepower to hold off the mob. "Lead the way, then, Josh." After a few minutes of blind wandering, it became obvious Josh had no clue how to navigate through the woods at all, much less at night. With an amused smirk, Natalie brought Gwen up close. Josh shut his eyes tight and was muttering rapidly under his breath while the huge wolf sniffed his clothes. Natalie pronounced his scent caught, and they were off.
Rachel was growing increasingly uneasy by the way the shadows deepened over time. It seemed to be getting darker much faster than usual. Was it natural? Or was Rachel just increasingly paranoid in a world where she had no idea what was actually possible anymore? Case in point, she was watching a little girl in a black dress and a pink unicorn rain jacket currently whispering to a wolf easily three or four times her size and ordering it around. Rachel didn''t really have grounds to question anything anymore. Natalie had called them to a halt once again as the wolf looked up and sniffed the air. After a few moments, it turned to face Rachel, as did the rest of the group. "What?" "Don''t you hear that?" Natalie asked. Rachel strained her ears, and finally she caught a faint humming sound coming from her bag. "How did you hear that?" Ryan asked her incredulously. "My ears are better than yours, and I don''t smell so bad." "Kid, when you get older, you''ll fuckin'' love somethi¡ª" Josh clapped a hand over Ryan''s mouth before he said anything further, and Lily shot him a dark look. Rachel dug into her pocket and withdrew her phone, which was indeed buzzing away with the third or fourth attempted phone call. "Will, I''m so sorry, I was out of signal range." "I know," Will''s voice crackled through the speaker. It wasn''t great quality, but it was enough, and Rachel felt warmth spreading from the speaker through her brain. Just hearing his voice was enough to bring a measure of comfort. "Are you okay?" "Yes. I''m with Natalie, Kendra, Josh and Ryan. You sent them?" "Kendra, Josh and Ryan, yeah. I also called Jackie, Boris and Cinza, but I think they''re a bit busy with what''s going on here." "What''s going on?" Will sounded like he was running, which was already unusual. In an emergency he was usually at his computer, where he felt he was most useful. "There''s a lot of shouting and people are looking for a fight. I heard more than a few people yelling ''justice for Jenny'' and some brutal stuff about Cinza''s people. Rachel, I don''t think they''re gonna back down this time." "Did you get anything back from Jackie?" Rachel asked, as a sense of impending doom settled in the pit of her stomach. "Nothing. Listen, Rachel, there''s something else too. I just felt a massive spike of magical energy in town at Boris'' shop. Bigger than anything I''ve ever felt. It''s gotta be him. I think something serious is going down there right now." Rachel''s thoughts were split in half. She was thinking at a mile a minute, but every single time she leaned toward one approach, she began arguing herself back toward the other path. Did she go to Cinza and help her? The greycloak leader had become a friend, and one she trusted more than almost anyone in the world these days. Rachel wanted to help her and protect her. She was brave and kind and she deserved better than to face a lynch mob alone and unsupported. On the other hand, what Will had just told her was the first real lead they''d had on Omega ever. He was in town, in a location she knew and could reach. It might be her only chance to stop him before real permanent damage was done, may Smith and Jenny rest in peace. The riot and the mob were borne of problems Omega had created. If she could bring him low and lay him before the town, give them the malevolent they''d been hunting, couldn''t that be enough to stop the bloodshed? Rachel didn''t know what to do. She wanted to curl up and cry. The shock of seeing the reverend broken and burned still hadn''t left her, and she wasn''t sure it ever would. She was being asked to make impossible choices and it wasn''t fair. All she''d wanted to do was help save the world. Why did the world have to make it so difficult to be saved? "Rachel?" Will''s voice crackled again. The group was watching her with baited breath. She was the leader, after all. She had to make the call. Rachel had chosen to take that responsibility. What sort of idiot asks for this? Cinza''s people were well-trained and well provisioned. The majority of them had magic, and Rachel had no doubt that she''d taught them combat techniques in preparation for a day like this. Rachel could send Natalie to back them up¡ªthe girl was a skeptic like the rest of them, but she wasn''t unfriendly to the group as a whole. With her terrifying new friends, Rachel could see Natalie scaring away the more timid of the mob. As soon as even a portion began to falter, the group was that much more likely to break down. Mobs thrived on cohesion and feedback loops; as soon as anything external broke the loop, the mob was poisoned. But if Rachel was going up against Omega, she was going to need all the help she could get. Ryan and Josh weren''t the sort of powerhouse duo she''d have preferred, and they still didn''t exactly get along. Natalie was one of the rare few Rachel had noticed with a talent for magic that seemed to be far beyond the usual means. Kendra (or is it Lily? Rachel mused) was another, and Hector was a third. If she was going to go toe-to-toe with a god, Rachel wanted them at her side. The group wasn''t paying Rachel any attention, busy getting outraged at a tasteless comment from Ryan. Rachel dialed Hector''s phone, but only got a full voicemail message. She didn''t really have any more backup she could call on. All she had were the people in front of her, and she needed them all with what she could be walking into. With a heavy heart, Rachel made up her mind. As much as she''d grown to like the girl, Cinza would have to fend for herself. "We''re going back into town." "We''re what now?" Josh asked. "Omega''s there, right now, in Boris'' shop." "Hell no," Ryan shouted. "I''m out." "Fuck you too, Ryan," Josh snapped. "Rachel, are you sure?" "Ninety-nine percent," Rachel answered. "You don''t have to come with me, but I can''t do this alone. If I go in by myself, I''m probably dead." "And now you''re gonna guilt-trip us? Fucking hell, Rachel," Ryan grumbled. "If you don''t want to come, don''t. I don''t need you." Rachel turned and walked across the clearing to Natalie, who was busy scratching behind the ears of her wolf. She knelt down cautiously in front of the girl¡ªbut with her height, Rachel still felt like she towered over the kid. It was a stark reminder of how young Natalie was, still growing and changing. Rachel faltered. How could she ask Natalie to follow her into this? She was still a child. She wasn''t responsible for any of this. Rachel''s plans were predicated on having the firepower of Kendra and Natalie at her back, but could she really send a twelve year old girl into a battle with a murderous god and live with herself afterward? "What?" Natalie asked. Her eyes were still bright and warm, while Rachel felt impossibly cold and afraid. She felt like she was about to step over a line that she could never return from. "Natalie, I need you to come help me fight someone." "Rachel, no¡ª" Lily started, but Rachel held up a hand. Lily fell silent, but her eyes were narrow and blazing with disapproval. Natalie brushed her hair back behind her ear casually. "Is it the bad guy? The one who killed Jenny?" "Yes," Rachel answered, and the pit in her stomach grew tenfold. It wasn''t a lie, but¡­ "He''s at Boris'' bookshop right now. I don''t know why or who else is there, but we have to stop him before he hurts anyone else." She nodded. In a smooth motion that would have put any professional equestrian to shame, Natalie took up her spot on the back of the gray wolf. It growled in a low menacing rumble that made them all wince, but Natalie scratched at it again and the growl became almost a purr. Natalie''s cat sidled up next to the pair and rubbed against the wolf, but the wolf''s fierce eyes were locked on Rachel. "For Jenny," Natalie said. Rachel nodded, while echoes of the war cry of the mob flitted through her ears. Visions of Cinza''s people being run down and attacked in the dark night blazed in her mind, but Rachel fought back against her own conscience with thoughts of Omega blasting the town apart and killing them all, one by one. He had to be stopped.
Rallsburg was draped in eerie silence as they emerged from the forest onto one of the side roads. They still had a few blocks to go until they reached Boris'', but Rachel was glad they were finally in open ground, where she wouldn''t be imagining terrible golems emerging from behind every tree trunk. The silence was almost comforting to her, in the logical cold parts of her brain. She could conclude that if they heard nothing, the mob must have already moved on out of the town. They should have a clear path all the way to the bookshop. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! She said as much to Natalie, and the girl rode her wolf out of the shadows to lead the way into town. Rachel and Lily followed, while Josh brought up the rear. Ryan had left them at the edge of the forest, muttering about suicide missions. Rachel had asked him to go to Cinza''s aid if he wasn''t willing to face Omega, but she doubted he would be so magnanimous. Ryan was typically uncooperative, stubborn and selfish. They''d only managed to work together in the past due to their shared connections with Rika, but with how frayed and broken that relationship had become, Rachel doubted they''d ever repair it. Then again, Rachel hadn''t expected him to take such an active role in the Summit. He''d been to all three of the brief meetings they''d held since the town hall, and even actively participated. Perhaps she judged him too harshly. The wolf started growling as they approached the street of Boris'' shop. "Something''s wrong," Natalie said, glancing over her shoulder at them. "Gwen''s afraid." Rachel took a few steps forward around the corner, straining her eyes. The door to Boris'' shop had been smashed to splinters. The windows were shattered into tiny shards, and even the frame looked buckled in and broken. Rachel crept forward ahead of Natalie, trying to peer inside. She needn''t have bothered. The upstairs window blew outward in a shower of glass. A body was hurled out, tumbling through the air like a ragdoll. Rachel leapt back in fear and looked away. She didn''t need to have another death burned into her memory forever¡ªbut to her surprise, there was no sickening impact on the pavement. Grey-eyes appeared in the street below the falling body. Her arms and shoulders bulged out with thick-corded muscles, and she gracefully caught the falling boy before he hit pavement. She let him down gently, and to Rachel''s further shock he was alive, albeit winded and dazed. He collapsed a moment later. Grey-eyes'' body quickly returned to her normal proportions. Omega appeared at the blasted out window, his dark complexion against the lit room and dark night sky making it impossible to see his face properly. Grey-eyes was glaring up at him with fury, which was enough to strike fear in Rachel''s heart. Of the three, Grey-eyes had never involved herself in a real fight. If she stooped to their level, Rachel feared the entire town would be a pile of rubble in minutes. Rachel stepped forward, against all rational thought. "Stop this immediately," she called. Omega laughed bitterly. "I didn''t start it." "Who did, Jackson?" Grey-eyes cried, moving in front of Zack and raising her fists. "Because it wasn''t me." "We all did, and I''m ending it." He twisted a hand in a semi-circle, splaying his fingers wide. Another one of his terrifying golems grew out of the floorboards of the shop, like a plant on fast-forward bursting from the soil. It began to advance toward them, but after a few moments it halted¡ªas if it were struggling against an invisible force. Omega looked over at Rachel''s group with surprise. At Lily, Rachel realized with a shock, turning to her fiery-haired companion at her side. Lily''s eyes were screwed up in exertion. She was muttering rapidly under her breath. Her hand shot out and pointed up at Omega. The golem turned and began to move back into the shop, knocking piles of books over heedlessly as it went. Rachel thought Omega might have mumbled something in return, and the golem turned around again. She imagined it would look very confused¡ªif it had any sort of face. It began lumbering back toward them. "Come on you old hag, give me more than that," Lily growled under her breath. She clenched her fists tight. Her complexion almost seemed to get brighter and more awake. She kept speaking, words Rachel couldn''t make out despite only being a few steps away. Immediately, the golem turned back around again. The curious mental duel between the two might have gone on longer, but Omega seemed to grow tired of the battle of wills. He waved his hand, and the golem crumbled into a pile of dirt and dust. Lily let out a deep sigh of relief. A blur of motion and Lily was hurled sprawling into the street. Omega had somehow crossed the distance between them in a millisecond and slammed into her headlong, knocking her a dozen feet away in a painful roll across the pavement. Her leg was bent at an odd, unnatural angle, and she howled in pain. Rachel backed away, but he was in her face an instant later. "Hello again, Rachel." "Jackson, stop!" Grey-eyes called, but he ignored her. "Help us!" Rachel shouted at her, but Grey-eyes only shook her head and buried her face in her hands. Rachel looked into his eyes and felt real terror. She was utterly frozen in place. There was death in his deep black eyes. Not the insane rage or crazed lunacy she''d seen in the past. No, this was cold righteous determination, from a man who believed himself just. This was a man on a mission, and there was no negotiating with someone so wholly committed. "Rachel, I want you to know I admire what you tried to achieve," Omega said earnestly. His deep voice, so close to her, rumbled through her entire body like an earthquake about to shatter the world. "Maybe if you''d been a little more successful, things could have gone differently. I''m sorry it had to end this way¡­ but you shouldn''t have tried to stop me." Rachel summoned the fire from the two rubies in her palm, singing him. He cursed, and she scrambled backward. Omega moved to follow. A huge grey mass slammed into him, knocking him sideways and rolling him across the street. Gwen bit deep into his shoulder. He screamed in pain and shot electricity at the wolf, blasting it away. Blood was dripping from his torso as he got back on his feet. An instant later, the mountain lion leapt in as well, scratching at Omega''s face with extended claws. Natalie rushed forward, shouting and egging her pets on. Omega was in pain, and he no longer had the same mask of absolute confidence he''d worn initially. He sent a wave of force at the two animals, and because they weren''t protected by Mason''s Law, they were tossed away as if by an explosion. Rachel briefly wondered why he hadn''t just killed them outright, but she had no time to think about it. Omega was growing five golems all around them at a rapid pace. The magical strain was finally visible on him, but a brief view of the connections showed he still maintained strong control of all his charges¡ªand they didn''t have Lily to interrupt his control again. Natalie hurled massive jets of flame at the golems. The sheer power and size of them coming from her small hands was absurd, but she only managed to set them alight. It was the same as it had been for Cinza and her people. Fire did nothing to whatever material Omega made them out of. If anything, it made them more terrifying and potent. They needed a new tactic. "Natalie, can you cast any other elements?" Rachel asked over the rushing, crackling sound of the fire. "I never learned any!" the girl shouted back. Rachel cursed her luck. Josh had apparently fled, Zack was unconscious and Grey-eyes seemed unwilling to intervene. Lily was incapacitated from the pain. Her only weapons were Natalie''s two pets, who were vulnerable to anything Omega could throw at them, and Rachel''s own meager spellcasting. They''d managed to hurt him and force him into expending far more energy than she''d ever seen, but it wasn''t enough. The quintet of golems was taxing him considerably, and their movements were slow and rough as a result, but they still continued to close the circle. Rachel doubted they could break out. Rachel and Natalie began to back up toward the door to the bookshop. It had been left as an avenue of retreat, but Rachel knew it was only another death-trap. The building had no rear exit and once they were in an enclosed space, the golems would have no trouble catching them. They extended their hands and launched their fire, and Natalie only just managed to dissipate it in time. The flames winked out of existence as they approached, and a few moments later she extinguished the golems as well, choking out the flames somehow in a way Rachel didn''t understand. If only I had her power¡­ Natalie tried hurling fire around one of the golems to strike at Omega himself, but he dodged it easily. The burst of flame dissipated into the air like smoke, striking nothing at all. Rachel opened her mind and cast about desperately, trying to spot any clue in the connections around her that could give them a way out. All she saw were the thick lines webbing between Omega and his minions, Natalie''s bonds with her two pets that were prowling about Omega but seemed reluctant to attack again, and as always her bond trailing into the distance with Will. Rachel pushed harder as the golems continued to close, trying to spot the more obscure connections¡ªanything that could help them. It was her only real move, since she had no weapons and no other real magical skills. She saw the massive, uncountable web of bonds between Grey-eyes and the world. As she looked closer, she saw that two of those bonds were suddenly bi-directional, unlike the endless strands that seemed to be forever severed. One was with the boy she was standing over, protecting at all costs against Omega. It was still so faint that Rachel doubted it could even be seen by anyone else. Will certainly would never have spotted it. The other was a line tracing up into the upper floor of the shop behind them. Someone was still upstairs. "Natalie, try to push them away. I''ll be right back." Rachel rushed inside and upstairs. She felt a brief shock at the interior of the upper floor, but she had no time to ponder the implications. Rika and Hailey were both laid out on the floor, battered and mostly unmoving. Rika was awake, while Hailey groaned and rolled away from the new face in the room. Rachel assumed the only reason they weren''t dead was thanks to Grey-eyes'' intervention. She rushed to Rika''s side. "Rasshel? Wha-''re you doin'' ''ere?" Rika mumbled. "Nevermind that," Rachel replied, picking up Rika''s bag. She didn''t have time to raise old grudges. Rika could supply something they needed to fight back. They needed destructive power to handle the golems, but Rika didn''t have the energy and Rachel didn''t have the talent, and neither of them had the time to teach Natalie how to use it. There was another option. "Rika, I need your Scrap, right now." "Huh?" "If I don''t give it to Natalie, we''re going to die." Rachel didn''t wait for a reply, but started digging through her bag for the compartment where it was held. She knew Rika always kept it on hand, as she''d never trust it anywhere else than within a few feet of her. "''s not in there. In my pocke''," Rika muttered. Rachel reached over and plucked the battered parchment out of Rika''s front pocket. "Closes'' you''ll ever ge'' to ge''ing in my pan''s," Rika added, before doubling over in a round of hacking coughs. "Shut up and let me save you," Rachel snapped. She glanced over it briefly. Knowledge began to flow into her mind, visions of electricity dancing and forking through the air and the lightning of storm clouds sparkling in the sky. It felt like hours, though only a moment had passed before her mind was drawn back to earth. Without another glance at the two on the floor, Rachel hurried back down to Natalie at the front door. The girl was leaning forward with arms outstretched as if she were trying to push a massive invisible box in front of her, at such an angle that she should have fallen on her face. The golems had stopped advancing, and even the dust in the air was halted at the edge of the bubble of force she''d projected. It wouldn''t have stopped Omega had he decided to walk up, but he looked strained just from maintaining the golems, in addition to being wary of Natalie''s power. It gave Rachel all the breathing room she needed. She thrust the Scrap in front of Natalie''s face. The girl''s light brown eyes darted across the page rapidly, then rolled back into her skull leaving just the whites. A moment later, her irises snapped back into place. The golems were able to advance a few feet in the brief lapse before she threw the wall back up again. "What was that?" she asked breathlessly. "A new weapon," Rachel answered. There were two ways to learn how to use magic. The usual way was how everyone learned it, by shared experience and experimentation. Someone would try something out, find the mental and physical path to the energy and manipulations needed to cast a spell, and they''d share it or not share it as they saw fit. It could be reverse-engineered by someone else clever enough, and sooner or later everyone would know the basics and be able to cast similar spells. Given enough time and experimentation, there didn''t seem to be any limit to what they could achieve¡ªand when one threw rituals and permanent magic into the mix, the possibilities absolutely exploded in scope¡ªbut they were always limited to whatever one could imagine and discover themselves. The book had no such limitations, and it removed the process of learning entirely. Each Scrap they discovered was a portion of magic from that tome containing all the secrets of the universe. Though the first to read such a page seemed to gain some inherent talent and power from it, in truth anyone who read from a Scrap would be near-instantly proficient in the magic it described. In that way, every member of the Council had become capable in telekinesis and basic fire magic. There were no apparent drawbacks, though it was often impossible to describe the method that the book taught. It was as though it instilled new instincts into the reader, base behaviors that couldn''t easily be explained but simply came naturally. Natalie absorbed the knowledge, and suddenly her fingers crackled with light. Tiny flecks of electricity danced across her fingertips, in a brilliant pink instead of the cool blue that Rachel was used to seeing from Rika. Natalie let the force wall fall away, and spun around to face the nearest golem. She dropped to one knee and thrust out her hand. With a thunderous snap that shook Rachel''s bones and had her covering her ears, a massive fuschia-colored bolt arced away from Natalie''s palm and punched a hole through the golem, cutting it in two. The overwhelming heat and energy was enough to disintegrate the material entirely. Natalie muttered something under her breath, retracted her hand and threw it out once more. Another bolt burst outward with a sharp crack. The electricity annihilated the golem as it crackled through the air, whipping around violently on the other side before striking a piece of metal on the ground. Rachel was prepared for it this time, but even so the sheer power behind the girl was simply something she couldn''t prepare for. The golem vanished entirely in the flash of light, so dazzling that Rachel was blinded for seconds afterward. She closed her eyes while she listened to the whip-crack of Natalie''s lightning bolts continue, blasting through each golem one by one. As the final blast faded into the wind, she opened her eyes again. Omega seemed to be long gone, and Lily was finally coming to. Natalie was heaving and looking like she might throw up. She doubled over and sprawled out on the pavement, completely exhausted. Rachel thought about trying to comfort her, but before she could move, Natalie''s wolf was already at her side. It stood over her like a guard, while the mountain lion padded over and laid down by her side, nuzzling close to her and mewling. "I''ve never seen anything like that," Grey-eyes said quietly. Rachel looked up startled. She''d almost forgotten Grey-eyes was even there. "Why didn''t you help us?" she asked, throwing caution to the wind. Grey-eyes no longer seemed like the all-powerful god she''d once been; now Rachel only saw a scared girl about the same age as herself, who happened to have some magical powers on par with the infinitely braver and more heroic Natalie at her feet. "I¡­ I couldn''¡ª" "We were going to die right in front of you," Rachel shot back. "You didn''t do anything. You just stood there and watched." She walked over right up into the girl''s face and towered over her. "Josh ran away from the fight and I still think he''s better than you. You coward." "Stop fighting," Natalie said from the pavement, having risen to a sitting position. She still looked too weak to move, but she was resting more comfortably leaning against the wolf. "We''re all okay." "Are we?" Rachel asked. "Rika and Hailey are seriously hurt up there, and I think Lily''s leg is broken." "Maybe?" Lily said, gingerly putting weight on it. She let out a yelp of pain and a string of eloquent curses. "It''s a miracle none of us died," Rachel continued, turning back to Grey-eyes. "And we''re not even done. Omega''s still out there, and it''s not like he''s just going to drop this crusade. So I think we''re owed some explanation here." "What kind of explanation?" Grey-eyes asked in a whisper. She briefly glanced down at Zack, unconscious at her feet, and Rachel decided that was as good a prompt as any. "Who is he? Who are you? Where did all of this come from? And how can we stop him?" Grey-eyes sighed. She looked down at Zack, then back at Rachel. "Not here." "Yes, here," Rachel snapped. She was tired of the run-around, and she trusted Natalie and Lily implicitly after what they''d been through. "No. He can''t hear this," Grey-eyes looked down again, where Zack lay unconscious a few feet away. "What?" Her voice dropped to a pained whisper. It was so quiet that even with her senses, Rachel nearly missed it. "He''s my little brother, and if he''s ever going to be safe, he can''t know that. Ever." Rachel looked between the two again, and she could barely see the family resemblance. It was vague, and a brief shift in her vision showed none of the telltale traces of a family connection between the two. Barely a connection at all, in fact. Still, Rachel couldn''t see any reason why Grey-eyes would make such a thing up. The shock wore off as she tried to redirect the conversation to more productive territory. "The doctor''s dead. What can we do for everyone here?" "I took some first aid classes," she said awkwardly. "I don''t know what else we can do." "Perhaps I can help?" called a voice. They both turned to see Boris Morozov, approaching with an old wooden rifle under his arm. "Where have you been?" Grey-eyes cried, rushing to hug him. He smiled and patted her on the back. "I received full combat medical instruction. I hadn''t the necessity to use it in years, thank the Lord, but I believe it should be sufficient." Boris immediately began directing them to gather everyone up into a back room in his shop¡ªone curiously hidden behind a rotating bookshelf. It was surprisingly well-stocked with medical supplies as well as a good deal many other things, including wireless antennas, recording devices, and other materials and tools Rachel could guess as to their purpose. She suddenly had a much greater understanding of Boris and his presence in the town, but she didn''t ask for the time being. She had someone far more important to interrogate.
"Beverly," the girl answered, still not meeting Rachel''s eyes. "But please, don''t tell anyone." "You fancy going by ''Grey-eyes'' instead?" Lily asked, propped up against a few pillows. Her leg was in a makeshift splint, and she winced every so often as she tried to get more comfortable. They were in the room above Boris'' shop, with the window covered up by thick curtains. Boris was busy attending to Rika, Hailey and Alden (as Rachel had learned was his real name¡ªa common obsession with secrecy in his family, apparently), and Natalie was resting downstairs. She''d refused to leave her wolf, but it couldn''t possibly fit up the stairs, so she''d volunteered to stand watch. Given that she outstripped the rest of them in power by a mile, Rachel didn''t feel a need to protest. "I never liked my name much anyway. None of us did, actually," she added. "Our parents picked really old-fashioned names that sound pretty dumb at school. I mean, ''Alden Bensen the third''? Zack was Zack the second he realized he could be, same with Meg." "So did you use another name?" "I think we have more important things to talk about," Rachel interrupted. "Where does magic come from?" "We don''t know," Beverly answered simply. "What?" "We found the book in the boarded-up library one night. I was the first one to read from it, and I was the first one to cast a spell. We were experimenting with it more and more, but then we started disagreeing on what to do next." "What happened to the book?" "Jackson tried to destroy it," Beverly said, shuddering. "We tried to stop him, but it just ended up scattering. All the pieces flew out everywhere. We weren''t able to save a single page." "So that''s where the Scraps came from." She nodded. "And because they''re broken and destroyed, you can''t actually awaken from them. I have to read you the rest or you''d be stuck in limbo and your body would die." "But you didn''t. Is that why you''re so much more powerful than us?" "I guess? I don''t know how everything works exactly. I''m making a lot up as I go too." She looked around nervously, and Rachel noticed the pictures on above the desk, showing Hailey Winscombe and her together. "Hailey doesn''t remember anything about you, and neither does your brother. How?" "I¡­ I had to protect them," she said, and tears sprung to her eyes. "Jackson and¡­ Alpha¡ª" she paused. "I hate to use that name, but it''s his business if he wants to tell you who he is." "Fine." Rachel was frustrated that Beverly was already holding back information, but the girl was still leagues more powerful than them. A few concessions could be made if it made her more comfortable answering their other, more important questions. "When they started getting really bad. They started threatening each other with real violence. I just wanted to protect magic, and Alpha wanted to let it grow and spread. Jackson thinks that''ll be the end of the world. He wants to stop it before it spreads, but he knows he can''t take us both on. So he threatened our families. Our loved ones. It scared us so much that Alpha went berserk, and I think you know the rest of that story." "Yes. But still, how did this happen?" Rachel asked, gesturing at the photos. "I¡­ do you know about relationship and emotional magic?" "You mean the connections between people?" "Yes. If you put a lot of energy into it, you can do more than just see them. You can affect them. I don''t mean like, change them or force one into existence, but you can block them. Break them, even." "And you¡­ oh," Rachel trailed off, the horror of what Beverly had done hitting her tenfold. "What did you do?" Lily asked, not keeping up. She had no knowledge of the type of magic they were referring to. "I moved all of my things out, everything I could find. I teleported it all here, to the only friend I had who was totally separated from my life. I spent so much time reading here before I met Hailey. Boris was nice enough to let me stay. Then I broke all the connections, so that Jackson couldn''t follow them. If he ever looked at me, he''d never know who was close to me. I couldn''t break his knowledge of me, or Alpha''s, but I could stop them from ever finding my family." "But when you broke them¡­" Rachel prompted. "It''s like I was never born. Zack has no idea who I am, Meg never had an older sister, and my parents think they only have one daughter." Beverly''s eyes welled up, but she dabbed them quickly and moved on. "They''re safe now. Alpha and Jackson can never find them." "Alpha too?" Rachel asked, feeling another chill on her spine. "He threatened me too, when I wouldn''t take his side either. I don''t want magic to die, but I don''t think we can just let it run wild either. But Alpha can never do anything to me personally, because if I don''t teleport to people trying to awaken, no one else can do it." "So you''re stuck between both of them." "You''re lucky enough to actually have a family," Lily said, and Rachel was surprised to hear the level of cold hostility in her voice. It was so unusual to see any significant emotion from Kendra, and Rachel had to remind herself yet again that it wasn''t the same person. "How could you?" "I didn''t want to do it," Beverly said, looking away in shame. "It''s done," Rachel interjected. "What matters is what we do next." She was as appalled as Lily about the whole situation, particularly given her own spotty history with memory, but they had bigger priorities. "Will you help us?" "I don''t really fight. I mean, I can, but I just¡ª" "So tell us. How can we beat him?" She shook her head. "I can''t tell you how." Rachel was immediately suspicious. She''d gotten pretty good at reading people over the past year, particularly with her enhanced attention to detail, and she could tell Beverly was holding back something significant. "You mean you won''t tell us." "Sure, I guess. I won''t get in your way, but I won''t help you hurt him." "After everything he''s done?" Lily asked in exasperation. "He''s murdered people!" "He had his reasons!" Beverly cried. "They weren''t good ones, but he''s a good person." "There''s no good excuse for murder!" "Self-defense," Rachel said calmly. "We want to kill him, after all." The room was deadly silent at her words. Rachel had spoken perhaps a bit too coldly, with how Lily refused to look her in the eye and Beverly was on the defensive. It was the truth, there''s no use beating around the bush anymore. People are dying. The poor reverend Smith''s face flashed in her mind once again, steeling her resolve. Rachel needed an advantage over the god currently sitting a few feet from her. Magically, even physically, Rachel was powerless against her. Rachel had to resort to other means, as much as it tore at her soul. She felt physically sick as she began speaking again. She had to force the words through her teeth though she hated every syllable. "Beverly, I understand what you''ve done, and I''m sorry for doing this, but I can''t just let you leave without helping us." "You can''t stop me," Beverly replied, but she looked nervous. The feeling was mutual. Rachel was about to make a wager that could cost her everything¡ªbut she knew Grey-eyes by now. The girl wouldn''t lift a finger to stop her. She played her card. "I can''t, but I can tell Alden who you are, and who he really is." Beverly''s eyes narrowed into needlepoints. A fire blazed into life behind the soft grey orbs that Rachel had once followed out of the deep black limbo of awakening. She''d once saved Rachel''s life, freely and without asking anything in return. Rachel hated what she was doing to the girl. "You''re sick," Beverly murmured. Even Lily looked shocked, but she held her tongue. Rachel silently thanked her for her trust in that critical moment. "Even if we defeat Omega, with or without your help, there will be others. The ability to trace connections isn''t limited to those of you with real power. I''m practically worthless with magic, and even I can do it. If he ever learns who you are, and who he is, that connection will start to grow again. It''s family. Even if Alden never sees you again, he''ll still feel it." Rachel paused. "If I tell him, he''ll be in danger forever, unless you decide to break him again. Break everything again. And I''m guessing that can''t be done so easily, or you''d have done it to the rest of us to keep all this secret." Beverly''s face contorted into new expressions of loathing and hatred. "You''re a disgusting human being, Rachel." I am. But I''m doing what''s best for all of us. "You''re going to help us figure out how to kill Omega. After that, I don''t care what you do, so long as you continue to help people awaken. I won''t even force you to only awaken people we approve." "You''re so generous," she spat. Every syllable was soaked in contempt. "You sent me after him." She looked away. "I hoped you''d come up with a real solution." Rachel felt a deep disappointment threaten to overwhelm her. She turned away, refocusing her mind. "Lily, you have the same contact lists as Kendra, right?" "Yes," Lily answered, refusing to meet Rachel''s gaze. "I need you to call everyone together. The Summit and the important Council members. We''ve got some time while Omega''s still in retreat. It''s time for a war room." Lily nodded and pulled out her phone from her bag. Her eyes widened at the screen. "What?" "Oh God," she murmured. "Rachel, you have to get out there." She turned the phone around and showed a video. It was dark and indistinct, taken by hand from someone in the midst of a crowd. There was a lot of shouting and running, while the vague shapes of trees passed by overhead. After a few moments, brilliant light suddenly burst into the frame, and the clearing was visible. Rachel saw Robert Harrison putting his fist into the face of Morton Pollock and sending him crashing to the ground. A second later, a jet of water flooded into the frame and sent him sprawling. The camera turned to catch a robed Cinza, her arms outstretched and balls of fire licking from her palms. She began hurling them into the crowd with fury and abandon. Whomever was filming beat a hasty retreat, but still managed to catch Cinza ducking behind a tree. A gunshot rang out, blotting out the tiny phone speakers for a moment. Splinters burst off the trunk, but Cinza seemed to be okay. Another ball of fire was hurled out indiscriminately, and the cameraman turned and fled once more. "Where did you find this?" Rachel asked. "It''s streaming live online. Kenni sent it to me and Will. I don''t think it has any viewers, but¡ª" "¡ªbut that''s the end of things either way." Rachel let out a deep breath. It was only a matter of time before the hordes descended on Rallsburg. They needed to stop Omega now if they were to have any hope of dealing with the world at large. The rioters attacking Cinza were the first of many, if Rachel''s fears proved true. "I''m going out there," Rachel announced, heading for the door. She stopped and shot Beverly a dark look. "Those people believe in you as a god. They trust you more than anyone else. Are you going to let them hang out to dry?" She didn''t wait for a response. She''d already been so disappointed by the girl with the grey eyes that she didn''t expect one. Rachel would have to take care of it. She was going to save the world herself, because the gods of their world clearly couldn''t handle it. Natalie hopped up on Gwen''s back as Rachel approached the door. "Are you going out to find him again?" she asked. She still looked exhausted, but determined to power through nonetheless. "No, Natalie. I have to go stop people fighting before they tear the town apart." "Oh." She looked confused. "I don''t know how to do that." Rachel sighed. "I don''t really know either, but I''m willing to try. Are you coming with me?" She nodded. "You''re gonna help me find the bad guy and my dad, right?" "If I can." "Thanks for not lying to me this time." Rachel shrugged. "I never lied to you." "That''s what all grown-ups say when they pretend they aren''t lying. They act like they know everything but they''re just making it up as they go, aren''t they?" "Yes." Natalie frowned. "Don''t lie to me and I''ll help you. Okay?" Rachel skimmed through all the lies she was currently maintaining in her head. She''d lied to the council about the Creation scrap, she''d lied to the Summit about awakenings and about how powerful Omega really was. She''d lied to Will about working with Cinza, and she''d lied to Cinza about supporting her when the town came for her. She was promising to lie to Alden in exchange for keeping Beverly in check and under her thumb. Rachel had built up so many lies she was beginning to lose track of them. This was just another lie. Natalie couldn''t know what her father had done. It would break her at a time Rachel needed her most. Rachel would keep her in the dark along with all the others. Rachel would hold onto the secret so that Natalie wouldn''t have to, so that she could be spared the horrors of her father''s deeds a little bit longer. It was for her own good, and for the good of the town and their entire world. "Okay," she answered, without a moment''s hesitation. Rachel strode out of the building and onto the street. Behind her, a low, nearly imperceptible thumping of paws on pavement told her Natalie was with her. In the distance, the forest was lit up with an angry pulsing glow. Smoke and fire were spreading out into the hills, flames threatening to surround and consume them all. [Discord]¡ª[Rate This Story]¡ª[Patreon] Interlude III — Family Interlude III ¡ª Family Rachel left the store with Hector in tow. As they disappeared into the darkening streets of Rallsburg, Cinza finally released the energy she''d been holding. The air in front of them seemed to shift slightly, and suddenly they were visible to the world¡ªnot that anyone remained on the street to spot them hiding in the alley next to Hector''s grocery. She stretched out, trying to loosen her muscles from having crouched in place for so long. Cinza hadn''t been sure how long it would take for Rachel to get Hector out of his store, and didn''t want to miss her chance. As Rachel left, Cinza felt the telltale shiver like a faint whisper in her ear. The signal, the only magic she''d ever known to actually affect another person directly. Rachel had kept the specifics a tight secret, swearing Cinza to absolute secrecy that such a technique even existed. It was time. She tapped Ruby''s shoulder. The younger girl darted across the street. After she cleared the area, she signaled Cinza with a quick tiny flame. With the lights of the town already extinguishing themselves, it was easy to spot. Cinza bounded across, her cloak fluttering behind her. Wordlessly, Ruby pointed at the simple latched gate and flicked it open. Hector had never installed any sort of alarm or intense lock system, as he had never actually been stolen from. The town was close-knit enough (and Rachel was attentive enough to any outliers) that Hector was left alone by the iniquitous residents. Cinza regretted the actions they had to take that night. Hector was a good sort, but Cinza had been asked personally by Rachel DuValle herself to undertake this secret mission. No one would deter her. Rachel was a young woman Cinza deeply admired, both for her feats of magic and her accomplishments. To change oneself into such a powerful and capable person, overcoming the well-meaning but hapless fool she''d once been, was a meritorious feat. Rachel was a remarkable leader and visionary. Cinza refused to fail their towering arbiter. Ruby, on the other hand, did not feel the same affection for Rachel that Cinza did. She was a true believer, an utter devotee to Grey-eyes and everything that their goddess did. For the longest time, Ruby had thought of Rachel as an usurper in many ways¡ªa pretender to the throne of magic and someone to be ignored. Nathanel Price''s awakening changed everything. They''d watched, dumbstruck, as their goddess took Rachel into her confidence. None had ever spoken to the goddess at length before. In Ruby''s eyes, Rachel changed herself that day from an object of pity and scorn to a priestess to be worshipped. In all honesty, Cinza might have been a touch jealous, had she not herself been so intrigued by the titaness of the council. Rachel was unique, and Cinza was attracted to unique things. Even amongst the awakened world, Rachel seemed a beacon of curiosity. By far, the most popular and actively developed branch of magic focused on the external and the physical, from the most amateur among them like Nate to the Three Gods themselves. There was the rare exception, such as the two keepers of Knowledge magic in William Carbonell and Mabel Walsh, and the mysteries of Natalie Hendricks'' wondrous abilities with animals, but the primary focus had always been on physical, combative, or utilitarian magic. Cinza wanted to break free of such a limited scope of ambition. She believed Rachel felt the same way, with her own expertise on the internal and mental forms. Cinza believed that magic could take them so much further into the mysteries of the universe than the council was willing to admit or pursue. Her own predilections were for the arcane, and she tried to express herself through her spells in a similar vein. The manipulation of photons was scientific only in name, as she dredged up principles taught to her by a foster father so many years prior. As soon as she took them under her mental grasp, it became something else entirely in her mind. Cinza was not forcing them to shift. She asked the universe to change for her. Patterns within her mind were supplanted upon the bursts of light always moving and reflecting off every surface, allowing her to shift and bend them as she desired to create nearly any shape she desired. It wasn''t so easy at it sounded, of course. Cinza had to work hard every day to practice maintaining even the simplest shapes. It was one of several reasons for their nightly rituals, that she keep up her precision and capabilities. It was exhausting, but it felt exhilarating, as she always felt more at ease when she was performing the dance. Cinza exulted in the joy it brought to her followers to see the artwork she brought forth¡ªand particularly in the way it lit up jubilant fires in the eyes of her beloved. That very girl was currently standing very still in the center of the store, focusing her own particular speciality. Ruby had an affinity for Nature magic, the same as Cinza. At present, she was exercising it in a new method they''d only recently discerned. Cinza had been talking about electromagnetics¡ªor rather, what little she could remember from one foster father''s teachings¡ªand Ruby had revealed a surprisingly nuanced understanding of the topic. Naturally the topic had shifted, as all topics did these days, to how they might use that knowledge in conjunction with spellasting. After hours of experimentation, they''d managed to feel out the magnetic force gently permeating the entire planet. With a great deal more theorycrafting and long days spent discussing methodology and potential avenues of attack, Ruby had actually learned to manipulate it to a degree. To see her creating magnetic fields from nothing was astounding. Cinza had eagerly copied the technique as Ruby had described it, and achieved a similar¡ªalbeit weaker¡ªeffect. They''d spent hours playfully dragging her charms and necklaces around through magnetic fields. The results also showed, once again, the debilitating nature of the affinities. Makoto, despite his peerless skill in all forms elemental, could not so much as feel the gentle magnetic pull surrounding them. Cinza''s strongest lieutenant had tried in earnest for days without rest, until she''d insisted he stop before he drove himself insane. It was a curious thing, this system of affinities and diffinities, and one Cinza wanted to explore in detail. William Carbonell was her key to solving it. It was a stray encounter with Viper that gave him away. Cinza had learned of their dealings under the table¡ªWill giving out information in exchange for cash¡ªand subsequently bartered her way to a few readings of her own. She didn''t have anything like the capital backing the mercenary, but she knew that Will would be pliable for a few simple requests to keep her silence. In exchange, she''d received a full reading of every affinity and diffinity amongst her followers, after it had been revealed at the Council meeting that they could accomplish such a feat. While some were obvious, like Makoto, others were surprising¡ªincluding her own. Cinza had assumed hers would fall under the Elemental tree as so many others did, but according to Will, she was of the Natural persuasion. There seemed to be no level of strength within an affinity by his divinations, just a simple boolean result. As the other affinities amongst them emerged, she began to see some interesting interactions. Matthew and Brittany Wilkins, the quiet couple who had lost their child, had the Movement affinity, and were close friends with Aaron McGregor, their resident agricultural scholar and political revolutionary¡ªalso of the same affinity. Nate Price, the newest addition to their ranks, had the affinity for Self magic, which he shared with Morton Pollock¡ªand by coincidence or otherwise, they tended to get along very well. Makoto, Cinza''s strong-but-silent lieutenant, seemed to only maintain one real friendship besides herself¡ªwith Rufus Hill, their wandering woodsman and protector, a loner in his own right and with the very same Elemental affinity. Finally, there was Cinza and Ruby, both of the Nature affinity, and they had been sharing a bed as lovers for nearly a year. The correlations seemed too obvious. Cinza didn''t want to rule out coincidence quite yet, particularly when their last two members were unaccounted for. Nikki Parsons, the farmer''s daughter who was entertaining a rebellious streak by joining up with their little band, had not yet awakened¡ªas they had no desire to put her through Rachel''s vetting process after the frustration and fiasco of Nate''s admittance. Will had been unable to get any reading on her affinity, which raised plenty of questions of its own. On the other hand, Yusuf al-Fayed, immigrant and eternally self-sacrificing member of the troupe, was of the Elemental affinity, but was universally beloved (except perhaps by Makoto, with whom Cinza could never quite tell). This link between relationships and affinities could simply be Cinza grasping at straws. Still, at the end of the day, Cinza found it moving that the crimson-haired girl she had fallen in love with shared in something so innate and personal. What they did not share was a level of talent. Cinza only maintained and improved on her abilities with light and illusion through diligent practice every night. Ruby was able to master new forms far more quickly, and seemed to handle them almost effortlessly even without practice. Indeed, she had soon located the heavy metal safe within the building through her gentle probing of the magnetic fields. Cinza followed the darkly stunning crimson-haired girl around the back of the soda coolers to an unassuming closet. Ruby tried the handle, but it was locked. Cinza stepped forward. Where she lacked talent, she could make up for in precision and fine control. She sent her mind along a path to the world outside, projecting herself mentally forward through the wall. There was strong resistance as her mental strength passed through the physical door, reducing what she could affect, but Cinza still had more than enough to reach for the other side of the door handle. She couldn''t feel anything, as the mental projection didn''t return any sort of sensation, but she could guess where the handle was, and the lock was built with safety in mind. The door was unlocked merely by turning the handle. As soon as it clicked, Ruby pushed it open, and Cinza gratefully released her grasp and let her mental self vanish back into the void. Inside lay the safe. To Cinza''s delight, it was the exact one they''d been told to expect. Thanks to Rachel''s perfect memory, she had been able to give them the precise model number and details, and a quick internet search revealed a flaw in its design that they could exploit. All it took was a simple push of a particular pin just inside the lock mechanism, and the safe popped open. Without magic, the safe might have been foolproof¡ªbut between Rachel''s information and their scouring of the internet for schematics, it was worthless against their abilities. Cinza reverently picked up the small metal scroll tube that the Scrap had been placed in. It was a piece of the Grimoire, the most important book to ever exist, and the only holy tome she would ever place her faith in again. She felt a temptation to open the tube and read it immediately, in that dark closet, but she relinquished the chance. To do so would be a betrayal of her followers. This was a gift they would all partake of together as a family. Ruby tapped her on the shoulder, breaking her reverie. Cinza nodded, gently closing the safe and tapping the lock button. A few minutes later, they''d exited the building, locking the gate behind them as if they were never there. A few more minutes later, the pair had vanished into the woods at a sprint, and it was there that Ruby finally broke the silence. It began as a whispered laugh, a faint note of joy in the wind that rustled the leaves around them. The gentle exhale grew into a giggle. Cinza couldn''t help it, and a snatch of laughter escaped her own lips. Ruby shot her a mock-serious look, before the moment overtook her and laughter bubbled up from her chest. Soon they were both doubled-over in giddy exhilaration, choking out full-bodied laughter in the success of their heist. "Ruby Dahl, master thief!" she cried, striking a dramatic pose. Cinza giggled. "So I am your sidekick?" "Of course! The taller one''s always the leader, I thought that was a given." Ruby leaned down and gave Cinza a peck on the forehead. It wasn''t too far, as Ruby was only five foot four, but compared to Cinza''s four foot ten, it was certainly noticeable. It also made it a bit more difficult for Cinza to be impulsive. She never let it stop her though¡ªand as Ruby started to pull away, Cinza wrapped her arms around the taller girl and stood up to kiss her full on. Ruby''s eyes went wide. Cinza briefly worried she''d overthought the moment. A second later, the girl''s beautiful deep blue eyes fluttered closed, and she returned the kiss in her own fiery way. Cinza felt a tremor roll up through her chest into her throat. No matter how many times she kissed Ruby, there was always a brief moment of hesitation¡ªa nervous fear of rejection that she simply couldn''t repress. Ruby, insightful and passionate, had seen through it from minute one. She knew instinctively what Cinza wanted but couldn''t voice, and was happy to oblige. As Cinza paused, Ruby wasted no time in gently lifting the smaller girl up off her feet into an even stronger kiss. Ruby wasn''t as strong as she thought, and Cinza weighed more than she appeared. They were quickly sent tumbling toward the nearest tree, but Cinza used that as an opportunity. There was a spell she''d been exploring with Aaron, in their tests with creating their new garden. She''d found new ways to change plants even after growth, and while they hadn''t found any nutritionally productive use for it (fruits and vegetables weren''t affected for reasons they didn''t understand, growing in size but not in content), it made their next cabin much easier to shape. As Cinza felt her body begin to slip and fall toward the thick trunk behind her, she felt out for the rings of wood and bark encircling the ancient oak. Her mind darted into the outer layers and began to smooth out the bark¡ªjust in time for her back to impact the trunk. It cushioned the blow, and as she began to fall, she started to shape the trunk. The bark and wood melted and merged into new shapes at her mind''s will, bending and forming into perfectly smooth wood into the design she needed, just in time. She fell into it with a gentle thump, with Ruby still atop her. The kiss finally stopped as Ruby opened her eyes in shock. They were quite suddenly seated on a smooth bench seat that had been apparently carved directly out of the tree itself, just wide and tall enough for them to sit comfortably on. "Surprise," Cinza whispered, completely out of breath from the massive exertion of the tree shaping as well as the kiss. Ruby looked at it in awe, her blue eyes wide and excited. "How did you do that?" she asked. She ran a hand along the smooth wood gingerly, as if she expected it to splinter and break her skin. "If I spoil every mystery for you, my love, then what reason will you have to stay by my side?" Cinza asked, taking her hand and holding it firmly. Ruby gripped it tight and smiled mischievously. "Oh, I''m sure I can think of a few." As she leaned in, Cinza fell back into the soft wood that had sprung into being perfectly formed through her magic. As sensation began coursing through Cinza''s body, tiny lights blinked into being in the air around them, dancing sparkles of passion and joy that moved in tandem with the red-haired enchantress beneath them. If those so-called families saw me now¡­ Cinza mused briefly, before her mind was distracted by more exciting thoughts.
Cinza traced the scars encircling Ruby''s wrist. Her arm was laying gently across Cinza''s chest, and her warm breath on the back of Cinza''s neck. They were laying together on the tree, which Cinza had managed to elongate into a small makeshift couch with the use of some of the larger roots. After the heat died down and they started to get a bit cold, they''d draped the two cloaks over themselves to ward off the chill of the night-time forest wind. Ruby''s cloak was the only one to match Cinza''s in its detail and care. That wasn''t to say the rest of the cloaks they''d made for the group were cheap or flimsy¡ªon the contrary, using magic they''d been able to enhance the tight stitching to a level of quality beyond what their meager means would normally support (before Nate Price had begun to supply them with cash). Ruby had simply spent just as long going over every inch with her own abilities, enhancing and decorating the surface with the tiny specks of light that made it shimmer, as well as patterns and designs that were only visible under the right light. The inner surface was lined with the smoothest soft material Cinza could imagine. At the moment, it was doing wonders draped across her skin. "How long do you think it''ll be ''til he gets here?" Ruby murmured into Cinza''s hair. "Oh, are you growing bored of me?" she teased. "Never," Ruby breathed into her ear, sending a shiver down her neck. She hugged herself tighter to Cinza''s back, spreading warmth through her body. "Makoto should be coming soon, but we still have some time," she replied, checking her watch. Makoto was to meet them at this particular spot and lead them to the appointed ritual site for the night. Normally, Cinza was the one to pick the sites and lead the group there, but as she''d been preoccupied with the heist mission, she''d left the task to Makoto. The locations themselves weren''t particularly important. Cinza just preferred a wide open clearing where she had enough room to perform her more complex and stunning movements. "Mmmm," Ruby hummed suggestively, tracing lines down Cinza''s chest with her hands. Cinza laughed, but she stopped Ruby before it went any further. Her mind had already wandered onto other topics. She''d finally remembered what she''d been thinking about before the exquisite redhead had decided to seduce her into a makeshift tree bed. "Ruby, I''ve never asked about your parents." "Mmmparents?" Ruby asked, startled. "Why would you ask about them?" "I never knew my own. I didn''t really have parents until I turned twelve, and I ended up leaving those behind eventually when our paths diverged. I wanted to know what yours were like." She hugged Cinza tight, and this time it was less seductive and more comforting¡ªas if Ruby needed the embrace more than she did. "I never met my mom, she died when I was a baby. My dad hated me. I left him. It''s not really a nice story." "Oh," Cinza replied awkwardly. "I''m sorry." "It''s okay," Ruby answered, giving her another reassuring squeeze. "I don''t mind you asking. You can always ask me anything. Why parents, though? How''d you get there?" Cinza relaxed herself within Ruby''s warm embrace. "The parents who eventually adopted me were very religious." Ruby giggled. "And you''re worried you''re going to hell for sleeping with another girl?" "No, nothing like that. I was thinking about how much we''ve become like a religion ourselves. We have rituals and a holy text, we perform ceremonies and we evangelize." "By evangelize do you mean tossing those copies out for people to find?" "Yes, though it wasn''t as productive as I''d hoped. It was pretty foolish in retrospect. We only managed to recruit one new member from all that effort collecting and distributing the copies, and we lost the capability to awaken newcomers." "I think you''re forgetting something," Ruby said, and her hand left Cinza''s skin for a moment to point at the scroll tube resting at the back of the tree against the trunk. It was sitting next to a small pile of Cinza''s charms and bracelets where Ruby had tossed them, just visible in the dim glow Cinza was keeping alight under their blanket of robes. She nodded. "Until now, of course. Still, we''ve become a religion. We even worship a goddess." "Well, our goddess has proven herself many times over," Ruby said smugly. "You know the world would describe us as a cult." "Let them," she said fiercely. "If we are a cult, then we''re the first cult in history to be right about who we worship. Does it matter what they label us?" Cinza smiled. She enjoyed Ruby''s passion and spirit¡ªin more ways than one. "There was a time where I would have said the same thing about being Christian." "Are you confessing to me you''re a skeptic?" Ruby asked playfully. "If I were?" She was silent for a moment, but her hands never left Cinza''s skin, nor her face from Cinza''s hair. "You''re our leader. Skepticism is good in a leader, it keeps them from being blind. If you don''t believe in her as a goddess, that''s for you to decide. I''ll still follow you no matter where it takes us." Cinza sighed and pressed herself closer into Ruby''s embrace. "You are one of the most beautiful and magical things in all the universe, Ruby." "Flattery, my love?" Ruby tickled her gently. "When we were having such a serious discussion!" "I am being serious," Cinza frowned. "I''ve just been thinking a lot about my past lately." "Ah, the great and mysterious history of Cinza the Bold, first of her name." "It needn''t be a mystery," Cinza said, though she felt a pang of anxiety and fear in her chest as she said it. "I''d tell you if you asked." "But you don''t want me to ask, and I know that you don''t want me to, so I leave it as a marvelous tale forever buried in those diaries you keep so meticulously next to our bed." As Ruby got more tired, she frequently began using dramatic language with flair, as if she were a bard telling stories from some ancient legend. It was endearing, as Cinza herself had always loved that style of speech, and tended to employ it herself when speaking in public. "I''d tell you though, if you ever asked me," she added, and her flair was suddenly gone once more, back to the quiet, bashful tone of truth and exposure. Ruby was offering to expose herself to Cinza in a way neither of them had yet managed. Cinza knew that Ruby wasn''t her real name, just as Cinza''s own true name was well-kept secret beyond any of the residents of Rallsburg. They had shared little beyond the basic details of their own stories. While Cinza kept diligently recording her life as she always had, she shuddered to share those details with the world¡ªeven those closest to her. "Do you want me to ask you?" she asked. "...Yes." "Even though I still don''t want you to ask me?" Another hesitation. "Yes," Ruby whispered, but she sounded resolute. Cinza believed it was what she wanted. "What''s your name?" Cinza asked, unsure where else to start. "Hannah. Hannah Newman." Ruby sounded as though she were letting out a huge sigh as she spoke her own name. They''d spent so long together that the secret finally giving way was like a breath of fresh air. "Well that makes sense. Ruby Dahl was simply too much," Cinza said, drawing a giggle. She wanted to ask, but she also wanted to make things easier on Ruby where she could. Keeping the tone light would help. "I''m from Tacoma. I came here because I was trying to run away and this was the first train leaving the station when I got there." Cinza laughed abruptly, interrupting her. "What?" "It''s¡ªit''s nothing. I''m sorry. Please, keep going." Ruby shrugged. Cinza suddenly felt warm lips pressed on her skin. She''d planted a kiss on Cinza''s neck, right on the eight-pointed star tattoo. Cinza let out a sharp gasp. "That''s what you get for interrupting me," Ruby breathed into her ear, before settling back again into their earlier position and her voice returning to normal. "My parents and I¡­ we didn''t get along. At all. It wasn''t the first time I ran away, actually. It was just the first time I ran far enough that I found something worth sticking to." Cinza smiled, but didn''t interrupt. "I don''t know if you remember what I looked like the first time you actually saw me¡­" "I would never forget." "Then you remember the bruises." Cinza nodded. "I remember how much you tried to hide them, and I remember telling you that they weren''t what defined you. You didn''t have to hide them from me because you weren''t ever going back to the place that gave them to you." "I think it was more eloquent than that, but yeah. You didn''t ask, and I was really grateful at the time, but I also wish a little that you had. I think getting it all out right away would have been better. Those bruises were from my dad. Everything I ever did seemed to make him angry. If I did bad in school, he''d get angry from the phone calls home. If I did well, he''d be mad for making him look bad since he never graduated. When I made dinner, he''d complain about the taste, and if he made dinner he''d get upset that I didn''t look like I was enjoying it. He was impossible to please, and as I got older he got meaner. "High school was when it got the worst. I''d stopped just taking it and started shouting back at him. Bad choice, I guess, since that meant he had to do something worse to match me. So when I came home one day with a friend, and he caught me kissing her, he got really bad. That was the first time he''d hit me. My friend ran away¡ªand I don''t blame her, my dad was a scary guy¡ªand I just kinda rolled up and got hit. I couldn''t really fight back against someone like that." "Oh, Ruby," Cinza murmured. She started to roll over and face her, intending to hug her, but Ruby just hugged tighter and stopped her. Cinza relaxed again, letting Ruby continue talking from behind her. "He called me a dyke and a bitch and told me that he was glad my mom wasn''t around to see what I''d grown up into. I''d never known my mom, but it still really hurt. That was¡­ that was the first night I cut myself." Ruby held up her hand in front of them, pointing at the many lines across her wrists. "I kept that up for a while, but I always gave up before I could really do it. It got bad enough that the school noticed. They talked to my dad, but he managed to keep himself out of it somehow. The blame all fell right back on me, and they put me in counselling. I tried to talk to them, but I just couldn''t. I didn''t trust them enough to understand. "I started running away, a little bit more every time. First it was just a few hours, then it was a day, then two. I''d stay at a park overnight or just ride a bus until they kicked me off. I didn''t realize how dangerous that was at the time. I was pretty much willing to do anything to get out of my home. I was skipping classes and spending time at the library instead. I look pretty old for my age so they just assumed I was a college kid. Then one day, my dad snapped. "I don''t know what it was. Maybe it was me being gone for a few days, or maybe it was just that he drank a bit more than usual that night. Whatever it was, he beat me so bad I thought I was gonna die. I crawled into bed and when I woke up the next day, I went straight to the train station and didn''t look back." "And the next day, you met me," Cinza finished. Ruby kissed her neck again. "I met you, and you saved my life." "You saved mine as well, you know." "We''ll call it a draw," Ruby said, giggling. "You also showed me something to believe in, after I thought the world was totally worthless. You showed all of us something to believe in." Cinza smiled, but she still felt that doubt in the back of her skull. Not doubt in Ruby, as she trusted the girl more than anyone or anything else in the world. There was a tiny fragment of doubt in her mind that their goddess truly was someone they could believe in. She had been burned once before, after putting her faith and her heart into the hands of a deity she did not fully understand. Grey-eyes had performed miracles before her eyes, but still¡ªwas she someone Cinza and her family could really surrender to with their very souls? Cinza couldn''t be sure. She might preach the new gospel of Grey-eyes, but she could never fully submit to the goddess herself. All she knew was that she wasn''t going to let anything hurt her family. Not the beautiful, sensuous girl currently holding her in a warm embrace, not the silent and utterly loyal lieutenant approaching them from out of the dark forest, and not the eight other people who had placed their absolute trust in her to lead them to a better life. The stakes were too high for her to recklessly give herself over entirely to faith once again.
"Makoto''s here," Cinza whispered to Ruby. She stiffened and shrank deeper into their bundle of cloaks. Her face was as red as her curls. Cinza laughed. "Don''t worry, he''s not looking." "Couldn''t you have warned me?" "I wanted to see your expression," she teased. Ruby shook her head in embarrassment, but she smiled to let Cinza know she wasn''t really angry. "Give me my shirt." They took a few minutes to get dressed and presentable. Cinza dressed quickly, thanks to the more simple and athletic clothes she preferred. Ruby liked extravagance, so her garments were a great deal more complicated. As she tried awkwardly to pull her look back together without leaving the sanctuary of their makeshift tree bed, Cinza swirled her cloak back around herself and crossed the clearing to join Makoto, who was facing away from them into the deep black of the forest. Her other lieutenant was a Japanese young man, the same age as herself. He was a full foot taller than her, with thick strong muscles and short black hair. He rarely spoke, and was the type who actually enjoyed staying well away from the spotlight. It wasn''t that he shirked responsibility¡ªin fact, Cinza felt that she could rely upon him without question. He merely put himself into the servant role willingly, accepting whatever tasks given without complaint and completing them with professionalism and skill far outstripping anyone else. Only Ruby could match him in raw magical talent, but she was lazy. Makoto kept up a daily practice regimen that could put any military to shame. "We were successful," Cinza said. Makoto had been the only other member of the family aware of their mission that night, though she would be confessing to the rest that night. She hadn''t liked keeping information from them, but it was at Rachel''s personal request. Makoto nodded. He wasn''t surprised. He trusted in Cinza''s leadership without question. "Everyone''s gathered and ready?" Another nod. "Is something wrong?" Makoto frowned. "It''s not my place to say." His voice was always quiet, but with a firm conviction spoke to the weight he placed behind his words. He never said anything without thinking. Cinza was intrigued. Makoto rarely voiced his opinions beyond matters of strategy or tactics. "You''re closer to me than the rest of the family, Makoto. I trust you," she said quietly. "There is nothing I would not welcome your input on." "I..." Makoto began, but he hesitated once again. Once again, it was remarkably out of character for the young man. Cinza was happy to see him beginning to emerge from his shell. It reminded her of herself, so many years past, when she too had struggled to ever voice her emotions. "I''m ready, Cinza. Hi, Makoto," Ruby said, startling them both. She was clad in her robe once again, with her low-cut top just visible inside the fold. She still looked flustered and red-faced. Cinza suppressed teasing her, now that they were returning to the world proper. There was a time and a place, and in public they had agreed they would act as leader and lieutenant. As the Emergence continued and spread, a chain of command would be vital to their survival as a family. Only in private would Ruby treat her as an equal, where they could be themselves and simply enjoy each other''s company. Makoto turned to her and bowed, immediately falling silent. Cinza wondered what he had been about to say, but it was certainly lost now. There was no way he''d finish his thought with Ruby present. They followed him through the thick forest to the clearing he''d selected. On the way, Cinza brought him up to speed on the encounters they''d had in town, from the eager reverend to the mob that had confronted Nathaniel Price. Makoto nodded and asked a few clarifying questions, but otherwise did not comment on their brief sojourn. In turn, he let them know that Yusuf was recovering quickly from his burns. Cinza was pleased to hear it. Makoto also informed them that¡ªwith suppressed delight¡ªRufus was back among them once again. The older woodsman had wandered in that evening bearing gifts, and was joining them for that night''s ritual. Ruby and Cinza both smiled at the thought of seeing the old man once again. It didn''t take long before they emerged into a brightly lit clearing under the moonlight. It was a wide field of thick grass surrounded by the trees, just as Cinza loved. It even vaguely held the diamond-like shape of the symbol hanging from her neck. Makoto knew exactly what she preferred and had found a perfect spot, even though they''d never been there before. The rest of her family had already arrived, and were seated on folding camp chairs or on the blanket they''d set out in one corner. A small cheer rang out as they approached. Nate leapt up and ran to them. He gathered up Ruby in a tight hug, shouting his thanks over and over. Makoto stiffened at the approach, but when it became clear Nate was just exuberant, he relaxed again. "Put me down, you moron," Ruby laughed. "You saved my life today," Nate shouted, finally letting Ruby go. They took a seat with the rest of the group on the blanket, digging into the food that the Wilkinses had prepared. "Stepped in and stopped an entire mob like it was nothing!" "It was absolutely not nothing," Ruby replied, helping herself to a sandwich. "I passed out trying to summon all that wind. Cinza was the only reason we kept it under control." Heads swivelled to her. Cinza adjusted her voice with a tiny spell. It was one she''d worked on so much that she was able to do it almost subconsciously now. It was a distortion of the air just in front of her that affected the sound waves, giving her an ethereal, vaguely echoing sound. The sound was all a part of the mysticism she''d built up as her image, an affectation taking her one step further removed from the mundane and into the world of magic. It was remarkably effective when dealing with other groups, but her family seemed to appreciate the image as well, and she enjoyed the theatricality of the effect, so she ended up using it even at home amongst her own people. She nodded, taking the praise in stride. "We''ve been practicing that for a while, and it''s a technique I believe we can expand on, similar to the ritual we''ve been working on. It takes a certain level of concentration and coordination, but it can be done." "Is that what we''ll be doing tonight?" Yusuf asked. His arm was still wrapped up in bandages, but he looked eager and ready as always. "Perhaps," she answered with a cryptic grin. "Let me eat first, I''ve been scrambling around town all day." "Hear hear," added Ruby. "You know, you two could let us help out more. All of the stuff in town doesn''t have to be you three. We could help run errands and things," Nicole Parsons put in. The farmer''s daughter felt left out, Cinza realized, since she was only member of the family yet to awaken. "Better them than me!" Rufus called from the back in his gruff voice. "I''ve no need to step foot in that blasted town again." "I''m just fine working on the garden, I don''t need to get into that mess," Aaron agreed. "Besides, how are you gonna help? You don''t have magic," Nate added, drawing a withering look from Makoto. "What?" "Nicole is still a member of our family, even if she has yet to awaken. She is as worthy as any of us," Cinza said mildly. Nate shrank under her words like a scolded child. Cinza turned to Nicole. "That said, our excursion tonight was successful and brought something that could change your situation." "What do you mean? What situation?" Morton Pollock asked. Cinza was briefly reminded of his boss the town journalist, and how they both tended to talk as if they were always interviewing someone, even if it was just casual conversation. Cinza took a breath before she launched into the tale. "Ruby and I did not go into town just to talk to the reverend. We did speak to the man, and he wishes to visit our home sometime and meet our family, but our true task was much more important¡­ and much more dangerous." Cinza felt true delight at their rapt attention as she continued. "After night fell, we waited until an opportunity arose. We snuck into Hector Peraza''s store and found his safe. We opened it, took what we needed, and left without a trace. This was no petty theft though, before you think me a brigand. This was a reclamation, a restoration of what belongs to us all." With a flourish, she pulled out the scroll tube. "This is the Scrap that was presented to the Council." They stared in awe for a few moments. Morton was the first to speak again, unsurprisingly. "How did you know where it would be?" "The same man who gave us our affinities was also able to supply this information," Cinza replied. She did not offer the name, and they did not ask. They all knew that Cinza wouldn''t lie if she were asked something directly, but that there were plenty of questions she didn''t want to be asked. It was a mutual unspoken agreement that such questions never surfaced. "Anyone read it yet?" Rufus asked. "It remains sealed," Cinza confirmed. She turned to Nicole, who was suddenly looking very nervous. "Nicole, I know you''ve been considering awakening. I want you to know before you commit yourself that you are always welcome here. It doesn''t matter if you''ve read from the Grimoire. We''ve always accepted you as one of us. However, now that we have this in our possession, you no longer have to subject yourself to the Council''s vetting process. You could awaken tonight and meet the goddess yourself, if you so choose." "I¡ª" Nicole started, but Cinza held up a hand. "Think on it a moment. Before you answer, there is something else we should discuss. Since this Scrap has not yet been read by anyone, we should decide who among us will be the first." "Does it matter?" Brittany Wilkins asked. "Why not let Nikki read it first, if she so chooses?" "There are some in the Council who''ve been researching this. It''s possible that the first to read a Scrap gains a significant amount of power and control with the magic it details." Cinza shrugged. "The rest of us will read it in turn, but with such an opportunity, we may want to consider more carefully who takes the first step." "It''s Creation-aligned, correct?" Yusuf asked. "Yes, which means that Makoto won''t be able to use it," Cinza said, with an apologetic glance at her lieutenant. Makoto shrugged. He had never seemed bothered by his diffinity for the branch. None of them had an affinity for it, and it saw such rare use in the real world. Cinza expected his feelings to change as the fight against Omega began to heat up. They''d need every advantage they could muster. "Is there anything else we know about it?" Matthew Wilkins asked, holding his wife''s hand. They were a starkly contrasted pair, between his dark skin and thick dark curls, compared to her pale complexion and short blonde hair. Yet they were inseparable, and even the hardship of having lost their child had not dimmed their relationship. Cinza admired their strength and resilience. "What sort of things can it create?" "There''s no way to be sure until it has been read. My own guess is that it will have something to do with the very golems that were sent for us." The group collectively shuddered at the memory, and Yusuf muttered a curse in Arabic under his breath. "Since the attacks and murders began right as the Scrap was discovered, I assume it may contain some information on the golems we can use. Whomever reads it should be ready to fight." Cinza paused. "I know that none of you signed up to be in a war, but battle has come for us nonetheless. We always knew that the world would persecute us, but we did not expect the gods themselves to lead the charge. I swear to you I will do everything in my power to protect you, but I cannot fight alone." The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. "You don''t even need to ask," Rufus said firmly. "We''re all behind you." The entire group looked resolute. Even Nicole, who had no magic at her disposal. The only hint of reluctance was from Nate Price, which didn''t surprise Cinza in the slightest. She felt a burst of pride at the assembled family. These people, whom she''d gathered over weeks and months and brought to her side, were all with her. They supported her and believed in her. She refused to let them down. She''d fight and die before she let any of them down. How my life has changed, she mused. Even in the last family that had taken her in, she''d never known such belonging, such loyalty and trust. She''d never dreamed it were possible. Trust was something to be held until breaking it could cause the most pain, belonging a trap to lure her in until she could be exploited at her most vulnerable. This group had shown her otherwise. Ruby and Makoto, the Wilkins and Rufus, Aaron and Morton and Yusuf and Nicole. They cared for one another, helped each other, talked and teased and laughed and shared. When there was disagreement and discord, the family as a whole came together to solve the problem. They were totally united under their shared mission¡ªto embrace magic and to follow Grey-eyes'' lead in bringing it to the world. Cinza smiled. "Thank you all." She held up the tube again. "Now, back to the Scrap. Does anyone have a suggestion on who should read it first?" "Ruby," Makoto said immediately. The family turned to him, shocked. Makoto so rarely spoke up unprompted, it was practically an outburst of emotion from him. "Ruby?" "She has the talent and power to make the best use of it, and she''s been in all the fighting until now. She can handle herself under pressure, and with how you two practice, you can help her aim and control it if she needs it. None of us can do that." Cinza wasn''t surprised that Makoto had considered the strategic applications so well, but the rest of the group was shocked he''d spoken up at all. "Holy crap, that was like forty whole words," said Nicole, finally breaking the tension. Everyone laughed. "Makoto sounds abou'' right to me," Rufus added once it had died down. "Ruby should be the one to read it." The rest of the family agreed in turn. Ruby bowed, as if accepting an award, though her expression was nervous and uncertain. Ruby asked that it wait until after the ritual they''d gathered for, as she wanted to prepare herself for what she might be leaping into. Matthew briefly questioned whether or not they should still perform their ritual that night, but Cinza and Ruby both insisted. The ritual was more than just a pretty light show, after all. It served a vital purpose in deepening their connection with magic, and with each other. Keeping to their schedule was important enough to merit an hour or so delay in reading the Scrap. Cinza asked the rest of the group to start cleaning up and clearing the space so they could proceed to their nightly ritual, while she took Ruby aside. "Are you okay with this?" she asked, dropping her usual vocal affectation and letting the spell dissipate. There were very few people she ever spoke to in her natural voice, but Ruby was the top of that select list. Ruby frowned. "I''m happy to try. The magic doesn''t scare me. I''m afraid that when he comes for us, I won''t be strong enough." Cinza shook her head. "You don''t need to be strong enough. We can do that for you." Ruby smiled. As the group began to take places around the meadow, her eyes lit up. "Can I... can I lead tonight?" Cinza was surprised. While Ruby had learned the specifics of the rituals she performed and tried them in private, she''d never asked to take the center position before. It meant she''d be the one receiving, rather than giving, which was a pressure she wasn''t nearly as familiar with. Still, her eyes were full of determination, and her grip was like iron. Cinza knew she could handle it. She smiled. "Of course." She took Ruby''s hand and lead her out to the center of the meadow. The rest of the group drew up their hoods, forming a circle around them. The ritual always began like this, with Ruby and Cinza in the center and the rest of the family around the edges. Normally, Ruby would lend her strength to Cinza in generating the structure and all the elements and particles. Once they were created, Cinza could keep them alive much longer since she hadn''t expended all her energy in the creation. It was much easier to keep things moving than to create them. However, tonight they would reverse positions. Cinza would lend her strength to Ruby, and Ruby would be in control of the dance. The ritual was more than just a light show. It had begun as one, when Ruby and Rufus had discovered her light dance in the woods. Cinza used to perform the dance alone, in the dead of the night, simply to practice her own sense of control and strengthen her endurance enough to maintain the light as long as she could. It was a simple adaptation of the dancing she''d learned in a past life, applying the best parts of painful experience to her new passions. In those days, Cinza was just happy to put on a show for the pair of them (adjusting the dance to something a bit more elegant and dignified) but everything had changed after Ruby had discovered what they could do together. Ruby had decided to join Cinza''s dance one night, leaping into the circle of lights and joining hands. It began playfully, but as they spun, Cinza had suddenly recognized a new source of energy bursting with warmth and power. It was close to her heart, so close she felt it in her chest. Cinza had asked Ruby what it was, and Ruby had asked for permission in return. That night, they discovered what magic could do when it was joined together in harmony. Cinza and Ruby joined hands again in the center of the circle. Makoto produced his flute and began to play. They drew together and spun slowly in place, a quiet dance while they gathered up magic. Cinza found the stream of energy within herself, the flow of arcane power she''d come to recognize as her magic, and began to channel it upward into her palms. It was like redirecting a flowing river by placing rocks in the stream, where little by little it was choked off and the course changed to the path of least resistance. In this case, there was only one place that the energy could flow¡ªinto Ruby''s waiting arms. Ruby, in turn, had opened herself up to the energy. It couldn''t actually enter her¡ªMason''s Law was still in effect, and Cinza could never affect her directly¡ªbut the energy was simply floating in the infinitely small space between them. Cinza was offering it up into the open, and Ruby was grasping it and taking it to serve her own needs. In the same way they could pull energy from gemstones, so too was Ruby able to use the energy Cinza had given. Ruby began to gather it up, as much as Cinza could offer. She felt Ruby''s hands shake as the flows increased. Cinza''s legs began to feel weak from the exertion, but she refused to let go. She didn''t want Ruby''s first time leading to be anything less than perfect. There was a sharp buildup as Ruby began shaping it more directly and preparing it. It was like approaching the edge of a waterfall. Her heart raced. Her breathing was light and quick. "I love you," Ruby whispered, and Cinza nearly lost her focus at the words. An instant later, there was a visceral crash of release as Ruby threw her head back with eyes wide and let the energy explode into the air. Lights sprang out in every direction, forming beautiful and impossible patterns in the air with brilliance and color far outstripping what Cinza usually created. Every inch of the sky above them was filled with a shimmering, spinning intricate design of the stars and space. It was like a beautiful nebula had spun into being above them, with shifting bright orange and reds fading into deep purple and blue in the star-filled clouds. Around them spun a web of dancing lights matching the sky above. It reminded Cinza of the curtain Ruby had designed for their cabin¡ªbut this was a moving, three-dimensional illusion, with depth and power far beyond just a simple cloth. She was at a loss for words. Ruby grinned delightedly at Cinza''s awestruck expression. They began to spin faster through the shimmering starfield as Makoto''s flute increased in tempo. The rest of the family seemed reluctant to approach, given the sheer density and scale of what Ruby had created, and the personal nature of the two twirling through the center¡ªbut as the dance continued, they returned to their usual positions. After what seemed like an eternity, Ruby finally released Cinza, and the flow of energy between them came to a swift halt. She practically fell onto the grass in a heap. She lay there for several minutes, just watching the starscape above that Ruby had created for her. Ruby took up Rufus'' hands next, and they began to dance around the circle while Cinza simply relaxed. The ritual was a way for them to learn sharing and combining energy into spells, since many of the others were so inexperienced in the method. Cinza and Ruby had mastered the art through endless practice and experimentation, but it seemed that experience with the method was merely guidance when working with others. Cinza had to start over again with every single other member of the family, and slowly build up their compatibility. Eventually, she was able to work with several others in the group. Aaron and Yusuf were the best after Ruby at being able to project energy that she could make use of, and Rufus managed to supply a bit after a great deal of effort. The rest of them were far less effective, and Makoto in particular seemed to be totally unable to manage it. Cinza wondered if it were another practice related to affinities, but she felt like she needed a larger sample before she could draw any real conclusions. That was a thought for another day though. I could lay here forever, she thought lazily as she lay in the cool grass, splayed out where she''d fallen after Ruby had released her. She felt giddy and immeasurably satisfied by what they''d achieved¡ªwhat Ruby had achieved. The younger girl had managed a new level of control and finesse far beyond what she''d ever managed before. Cinza guessed it hadn''t been by accident. Most likely, she''d been practicing and planning the design for weeks. It''s transcendent. Cinza finally looked up as the flute paused briefly. Makoto handed it over to Rufus, who kept up the song. Ruby had extended her hand to Makoto after she''d let go of Yusuf, and Makoto accepted the offer. Cinza was surprised¡ªafter the first few tries, Makoto had all but given up and simply volunteered to play Rufus'' flute instead. Ruby managed to entice him back into the circle somehow. As they began to dance, Cinza saw the lights brighten, ever so slightly, and the color shifted again. Ruby released him from the dance after only a half a minute, and already he looked winded. He retreated outside the circle while she took up Brittany Wilkins for the next movement. Cinza got to her feet and joined Makoto on the edge of the circle, where they were just far enough away from anyone else that she doubted they''d be overheard. "Are you all right?" she asked. She realized belatedly that she''d forgotten to restore the voice spell before speaking, but she brushed it away. Makoto was as close as anyone to her, except of course for Ruby. "I''m fine." In fact, he did look much better already. The exhaustion and dismay on his face was fading quickly. He soon returned to his usual professional and calm demeanour. "Have you been practicing? I hadn''t expected you to ever be able to join." "I didn''t either." Makoto was watching Ruby intently. Understanding finally clicked in Cinza''s mind. Makoto''s devotion to the group had always been a bit of a mystery. He was from an all-Japanese family from the Portland suburbs, and had only come to Rallsburg as a student on a scholarship. Nothing about his background or his demeanour implied the type who might join a coven deep in the woods. While he had taken to magic far quicker than most, he had never seemed quite as enamored as the rest of the group. Still, between his unwavering loyalty and his skill, Cinza had never questioned his motivations. She simply assumed he was a private person and let him keep his secrets. This, however, was a blossoming motive with the potential for real conflict if it wasn''t handled well. "You''re in love with Ruby," she stated firmly. Makoto''s face snapped around to her so fast she worried he might have gotten whiplash. "What?" "It''s okay," Cinza added quickly. He looked a step between confused and concerned, and she wanted to immediately assuage those fears. "I couldn''t possibly fault you falling for her." "I wouldn''t ever¡ª" "You don''t need to worry." Cinza interrupted. "I know you, Makoto. I know Ruby as well." Flashes of her old family were in her mind. Communication and understanding were the key, she believed, to making sure drama didn''t break them apart. It could be done, so long as she knew where everyone stood. And if it weren''t addressed, she had seen the devastating consequences it could wreak. "Have you ever spoken to her about it?" "Never." Makoto looked surprised Cinza had even asked. "I wouldn''t try and get between you two." Cinza smiled. "Nothing could ever come between us, so you needn''t worry on that front." She turned to look at Ruby, currently dancing with Nate Price¡ªwho was looking very out of place, tripping over his own feet several times. She kept him upright, while Aaron suppressed a laugh on the far side of the circle. "Ruby and I are bound for eternity." For a moment, Makoto looked crestfallen, but he masked it well. Cinza grinned, eager to see his reaction to her next sentence. "Though that doesn''t mean our circle is completely closed." It got the effect she wanted. He did a perfect double-take, as though he didn''t understand a word she''d said. Cinza went on, since she knew he wouldn''t be able to rest until she explained what she meant. "Ruby and I are not totally exclusive. I love her, and she loves me, and we''ll be together until we both draw our final breath, but we''ve agreed that the world is a wide complicated place and that our unique lives are going to take us many places we won''t expect. Who''s to say what the next day will bring?" "I''m not sure I know what you mean." "I mean that Ruby is a very loving person. I''ve never known her to love a man, but that doesn''t mean she cannot. If you find her as intoxicating as I do, you should talk to her." Cinza laughed. "She alone decides whom she brings into her bed, of course, but I wouldn''t stand in your way. Know that she and I will be together until our final breath, but that anything else might happen along the path." Makoto didn''t reply, but his expression was less forlorn than it had been a few moments earlier. Cinza left him to stew, as Ruby had released her last partner. Her blue eyes, like the wide ocean under the evening sunlight, had locked onto Cinza. She begged Cinza forward with only those eyes. Cinza was happy to oblige. After so many others, Ruby no longer needed any more energy to maintain the lights and was letting them slowly fade out into the night sky. Cinza was able to just enjoy the dance, the feel of Ruby''s hands on her own and the scent of her long hair as Cinza held her close. They twirled around to the lilting flute as Rufus began to slow the tempo down, the crescendo of the night letting down into a gentle finale waltz. "What did you say to Makoto?" Ruby asked breathlessly, barely above a whisper in Cinza''s ear. "I told him that if he wants you, he should ask you himself, but that you and I are stuck with each other until death and beyond," she replied. Ruby grinned. "I always knew he had a crush on me." Cinza drew back and held her at arm''s length. "You knew? How?" "Intuition, of course." "I''m much more intuitive than you," Cinza said, frowning. "Oh, are you? Even though it took you a whole month to figure out I was trying to flirt with you?" Ruby laughed. "I''m the intuitive, creative one. You''re the one with the plans and the grand speeches. Stick to what you''re best at." She sighed. "So long as I have you at my side." "Always." Cinza smiled. "I love you too." Ruby leaned down and planted a kiss on her lips. They stepped close together and swayed gently in the wind, though the music had stopped and the lights had faded away. The rest of the group had already returned to the blanket, excitedly discussing the light show that Ruby had put on for them. Cinza let her head rest gently against Ruby''s shoulder, closing her eyes and letting the taller girl lead for the moment. It was a pure and perfect moment, one Cinza wanted to keep tight in her memory forever¡ªbut her mind wouldn''t let her. She already felt the darkness rushing back up once again. She''d believed she had a perfect family and a perfect life once. She''d ruined those. She''d shattered the picture into a million pieces and burned every bridge behind her. Who was to say she couldn''t ruin her new family as well?
Cinza sat next to Ruby at the head of the group and looked around at those gathered on the picnic blanket. She loved each of them as true friends and comrades, as the best family she had ever known. Cinza couldn''t dream of leaving them with just a note on the table and a whisper in the night. She was a different person now, as were they, and they believed in a different higher power¡ªone that they could see and feel clearly. Their faith was in a calling, not a book of rules and revelations from ancient times that had been translated and interpreted endlessly over millenia. Perhaps it was unfair to judge the two as equals, when her new faith was so fresh and indistinct, but Cinza felt a truthfulness and confidence in it that she''d never sensed in her old life. As for their text, she was about to see its power and authority demonstrated first hand. After they''d been given a chance to rest from the exertion of the ritual dance, Ruby had accepted their nomination to read the new Scrap first. With a delicate, nervous grip, she took the scroll tube from Cinza and stepped into the center of the blanket. Cinza noticed she''d painted her toenails dark red, the same color as her hair, and smiled. Ruby was always so thorough with her appearance, while Cinza abused her ability to be lazy and change her appearance on a whim by manipulating the light surrounding her. Ruby opened the tube and pulled the Scrap forth. She unrolled it eagerly. "I thank you, Grey-eyes, for offering such knowledge to us," she intoned. Cinza looked up surprised, but with the confidence in her expression, she didn''t interrupt. Ruby was apparently feeling a bit ceremonial. Cinza wasn''t about to stop her, though she wondered if it would become a regular occurrence in the future. "I hope I am worthy enough to use this for the good of us all." "For the good of us all," Rufus echoed, and the rest of the group murmured the words. Ruby dropped her gaze to the tattered parchment. Her pupils dilated, and her irises were moving rapidly across the sentences contained within. A moment later, her beautiful blue eyes rolled back inside her skull, prompting an involuntary shudder from Cinza. Though she knew Ruby was in no danger, and in fact was experiencing exquisite revelatory emotions, Cinza felt a spike of panic. She wanted to leap in and protect her, but there was nothing to protect her from. Her instincts were born of an animalistic world she''d long since left behind. She forced herself to be calm and remain seated on the blanket while Ruby finished reading the parchment. Her eyes returned to her face. Her mouth burst into a smile. She handed the parchment back to Cinza, brimming with excitement. "It''s exactly what you thought," she said breathlessly. "It''s all about the golems." Cinza nodded with satisfaction. "So we may have a weapon. Or at least, a start on countering his own." Ruby sat down again, a bit winded from the rush of the magic pouring into her mind. "It''ll take a bit while I try out a few things. I don''t even know where to start. Or if I''m strong enough to handle it." "We''ll figure it out," Cinza replied. "That''s why you have all of us." "After that light show, dear, I''m sure you could do anything you put your mind to," Brittany said encouragingly. Ruby looked embarrassed but pleased by the compliment. Cinza smiled. "Now, before we continue, there is the other matter of Nicole. Since we have the Scrap in our possession, if she so chooses, she could awaken tonight." "Couldn''t have asked before the ritual?" Nicole grumbled good-naturedly. Aaron laughed. "Trust me, you don''t want that being the first thing you try to do after awakening. Didn''t you see Nate out there? Looked like a flopping fish out of water. And the light was practically cut in half." Nate lifted his head up and grinned, taking it in stride. "I''m just here to make you all look better. Gotta have someone at the bottom of the totem pole." Cinza laughed with the rest, but returned to Nicole in short order. "As Aaron said, we would never want to actually try to draw energy from you on the very night you awaken. You''ll still be learning how to grasp your own magical strength. It takes time to master even the simple things." "Nate''s only been awakened for like three days though," Morton pointed out. "Did he join in because of the money he put in?" "Hardly," Cinza replied, a touch annoyed at the implication. "I''m not saying Nicole couldn''t participate if she didn''t want to. I just wouldn''t recommend it. I advised Nate against it too, but he''s a stubborn fool who doesn''t know what''s good for him." "Case in point, I''m going to be laying here for the next few hours and not moving," Nate added. "Back to the point," Cinza continued, "Nicole, if you feel ready, you''re welcome to be the next to read the Scrap." She looked uncertain. "I... I want to, but let me go last, okay? You guys can all read it first." Cinza shrugged. It didn''t make much difference to her. "As you prefer." Without another moment wasted, she took the offered page from Ruby and unfurled it. It was started to feel more cracked and aged with every hand that touched it, but Cinza didn''t believe the Scraps would ever truly break apart. The magic they contained would surely preserve them somehow against natural decay. She lowered her eyes to the first line of unintelligible text and opened the river of power in her mind, letting it flow swift and furious. She''d only experienced this feeling once before, when she''d found the Scrap that had taught her how to manipulate photons of light by her will. That Scrap was long lost to her, destroyed through her own negligence. She''d misunderstood the danger the tattered parchment was in¡ªand by the time she''d moved to protect it, it had been destroyed along with so many others. Ruby was the only other person to have read it, and thus the only person in all the world thus far who shared in her spells of light and illusion. It was akin to awakening, but instead of the ultimate secrets of the fathomless universe, Cinza instead felt her mind drawn to a particular line. It was like she were focusing down on a single galaxy of the cosmos, then a single star and onward until her mind reached a portal. Through the portal lay secrets untold, and she eagerly pressed her mind through the gateway. Her vision faded into darkness and the knowledge flooded into the river flowing in her mind, like a tributary joining the rushing stream and adding itself to her. She saw the golems, the very same ones that Omega had sent after them. In an instant, she understood how he created them, how he shaped them from the earth and the materials in the air and sky. She saw how he lined them in oils and guarded them from the flame, and how he maintained control over them from afar. Cinza understood how they moved, how they operated. To her dismay, she did not see any real weaknesses, any simple vital points of attack. The golems would take energy well beyond what any one of them could maintain over a length of time. She saw potential, but no easy answers. There was research yet to be done. As her mind cascaded back to earth and her eyes flooded with color once again, she let out the deep breath she hadn''t even realized she''d been holding. "You okay?" Ruby asked, watching her intently. "Of course," she answered, not unkindly. "Thank you." She rolled the scroll back up. "Ruby is right. We''ll have to experiment before we can be sure this is a useful and viable weapon." Cinza started to hand the scroll over to Makoto, who was on her other side in the circle, but she saw he was looking out into the woods. "Makoto?" He gave a high pitched whistle, like a bird call. They all knew exactly what that call meant. Someone was approaching. Cinza dropped the scroll into the tube and quickly sealed it in her bag. Ruby and Makoto had already taken defensive stances in the front of the group. Rufus had dropped back into the treeline, watching over them from a covered position. The rest of the group was packing up anything valuable they had brought, mainly gemstones and robes. If Omega or his lieutenant had returned, Ruby and Cinza would only have moments to try and handle the golems. She doubted he would give them so much time to react in a second encounter, after Rachel had dealt with the first. Whomever it was, whether they had to fight or flee, they would be ready. As it happened, they did neither. It was Joe McKinney, son of Oscar the town handyman. He looked frightened, but he was alone. As he emerged into the clearing, he spotted the group and started to approach. Ruby lit up a small ball of flame in her hand. Joe stopped halfway across, eyeing them warily. "Hello," Cinza called. "What brings you here tonight?" "It''s bad," Joe called back. "They''re coming for you." Cinza felt her heart drop in her chest. Those four words were what she''d dreaded since the moment the others had begun to follow her. She put a hand on Ruby''s arm, who put out the flame. Joe approached them, panting and slick with sweat. He''d obviously just sprinted through the forest to reach them in time. "Please, explain," she asked gently, trying to reduce her usual imperious tone that she fell into when talking to outsiders. "There''s a mob forming. I don''t know why exactly. I heard a lot of shouting like ''death to the greycloaks'', and ''justice for Jenny''," Joe answered, gratefully accepting a bottle of water from Nicole. "They seemed to know where you guys were too, and they''re a lot angrier than last time. They''re already headed this way." Cinza felt adrenaline already beginning to pump through her blood. "How long do we have?" "I dunno. Minutes?" Joe looked like he''d seen a ghost. "I had to really book it to beat them here." "Thank you," Cinza replied. She turned to Makoto and Rufus, who both looked grim. "We need to get out of here. If we can get home, they won''t be able to find us. We can wait out the storm there." Makoto nodded. He glanced at Joe. "Same direction you came from?" Joe nodded. "We''ll have to take a longer way around." He pointed north, where they could circle around both the approaching force and the town to return to their secluded cabins and tents. "Should be safe, but they have hunters. They could still track us." "Not if I throw them off," Rufus said. "Rufus, no," Cinza replied sharply. "None of us get left behind. If they catch up, we will defend ourselves, but we''re not leaving behind a decoy to get lynched." He looked like he might argue, but Makoto nudged him, and he fell silent. They all knew there was no time to debate. Cinza was taking command, as they''d decided long ago. "Joe, you''re probably safer splitting up with us. You''re not one of us, you could probably get back to town okay." Joe shook his head. "My dad and I talked about it. We don''t think you guys did anything. And I''m awakened too. I''ve got a stake in this fight. I''m not the strongest guy, but Ryan, Seth and I learned a few tricks. I can help you." Cinza nodded. She wasn''t about to turn down offered help. Matthew announced they were ready to go. Rufus lead them out of the clearing and into the forest, which was suddenly far more foreboding and ominous. They were spaced out and watching the trees carefully for any sign of movement. Already, the joyful sprint Cinza and Ruby had taken seemed like a distant memory. Behind them, slowly growing in size, was flickering torchlight. Cinza felt a grim smile touch her lips. At least they''re committing to the full clich¨¦. Her sardonic mirth was cut short a moment later. A dull click and thump of metal from behind her. An ear-splitting, blood-curdling shriek followed. The group dove for cover, landing behind trees or in shallow ditches¡ªanything they could find. Cinza peeled back through the group, trying to find the source of the sound. It had come from their left flank, which would have been covered by Brittany. It only took a moment for Cinza to find her in their formation. Makoto, the other roaming piece of the group, was already there. She howled in pain, but they couldn''t make anything out from the scant moonlight filtering through the canopy. Cinza reluctantly summoned a small light to hover over the young woman. Brittany''s leg was oozing blood at a horrible rate. She was on the ground groaning in pain, trying desperately to keep her voice down¡ªbut the damage was already done. The sounds of the hunters grew louder. Brittany couldn''t possibly outrun them. Her right leg from the shin down was hidden behind cold, sharp iron jaws. Cinza fell to the ground and delved into her bag for a bandage. Makoto had already torn off one of his own and was tying off her leg in a tourniquet. They worked desperately in silence, while Brittany bit down on the hood of her robe to suppress her pain. Rufus emerged from the forest nearby. "Cinza, they''re comin'' up fast. They def''nitly heard that," he murmured. Cinza nodded. "We need to free her." Makoto stopped her as she reached for the trap release. "You can''t open that. It''s too strong, and even if you could, she''d die from the blood loss." Cinza shot him an angry glower. "We can''t just leave her here." Ruby had entered the clearing as well. "I think we could open it. Together, maybe." "If you could get it open, and we can hold off the blood loss, we could get her home," Rufus added. Ruby took Cinza''s hand. Cinza understood immediately what she intended to do. She began to push out energy for Ruby to use, and Ruby began to summon up a magnetic pull¡ªfar stronger than she had managed before, thanks to the very specific small target¡ªon the metal jaws of the trap. They began to inch apart. Brittany let out another muffled shriek into the folds of her robe. Makoto tried to hold her steady as she started thrashing from the pain. "Just cut the thing off," she growled between gasps of pain. Ruby was trying her best, but the trap was too strong. As Ruby''s field began to slip, Cinza answered her grimly, "You''re getting your wish." Another sharp crack echoed through the forest. The force of the initial trap had utterly shattered her bone, and the lower part of her leg hung limp from a few splinters and patches of skin. With the second slam, it was practically severed. Cinza nodded to Makoto. He reached down, and with a sharp tug pulled Brittany free of the trap. The remainder of her leg stayed behind. As Brittany did her best to muffle her pain, Cinza turned back to Rufus and Makoto. "There''s no chance of escape now." Rufus nodded. "Someone was waitin'' for us, set out these traps." He leaned down to examine it. "Disgustin''. I''d never use somethin'' like this." "We need to take a defensive position," Cinza said, rising to her feet. Matthew had rushed to his wife''s side by then, and was holding her tight while Rufus helped Makoto continue bandaging her leg. "Moving Brittany while trying to fight this off would be too difficult." Makoto made a sharp bird call, and the group converged on them. Cinza began laying out her strategy. "Rufus and Matthew will keep going and protect Brittany. If they have an opportunity to get out, they can take it. Makoto will back them up as long as they need it. Rufus, you call the shots." He nodded. She trusted the older man to not make any reckless decisions, while Matthew might have taken a terrible chance for the sake of his wife. "The rest of us are going to meet them head on. If we can scare them enough, we might get them to back off before they get close enough." Heads nodded around the group. Nicole looked particularly nervous. Joe was anxious and obviously standing out, dressed in normal clothes rather than one of the grey robes like the rest. Cinza turned to them in particular. "Nicole, stay at the center. Help anyone who gets in trouble get out if they have to. You''re fast enough to outrun anyone we might be up against. Joe, I know you aren''t one of us, but would you please keep her safe for me?" Joe looked surprised at being included. He nodded, and a touch of confidence returned to his expression. Cinza smiled weakly. "We all knew this day would come eventually, and it won''t be the last. We can make it through this. For the good of us all." "For the good of us all," Ruby echoed, and nods and murmurs circled the group. Cinza still wasn''t sure it was the best saying to adopt, and she wished they''d come up with something a bit more striking and eloquent, but it wasn''t the time. Anything to build up their confidence and unity was important. Cinza turned and lead their way into the trees. Morton Pollock and Ruby were close behind her, Aaron and Nate Price a few steps behind them. Yusuf, despite his still-bandaged arm, was confidently taking the rear, just behind Nicole and Joe. He held a gemstone in each hand and looked ready to fight. Makoto met her eyes and gave her a firm, assured nod before they vanished into the thick underbrush entirely. As they moved¡ªquietly as they could manage in the underbrush¡ªtoward the oncoming torchlight, Cinza began to pray. It was the first time she had done so in nearly six years. She wasn''t praying to God this time, though. She''d long since given up on ever getting a response there. She prayed instead to the real goddess, the one she''d put her trust and faith in. The goddess who had brought them all through the darkness, who had protected them from danger and misfortune several times over out in the wilderness. A silent goddess who cared for her people and did her best to aid them, with the overwhelming and unfathomable power she commanded. As she rushed forward ahead of her family, fire burning in her heart, Cinza prayed that the goddess would emerge once more. Bring this to a halt, please, before blood paints the forest red. No response came. Instead, she emerged around the edge of a trunk to find herself face-to-face with Robert Harrison himself. More accurately, she was face-to-chest, as he towered over her by several feet. Still, she refused to give him an inch. She stared him down with a fury she had never known. His mob was still a ways behind him, as her own group was several dozen feet away. For the moment, it was just Cinza and Robert¡ªand Cinza was vehement. With a thought, her arms lit up like burning torches. The flames licked off her skin, just past the edges of her robe sleeves. She held up one blazing, immolated hand and pointed at his heart. "You coward." "Murdering witch. You killed Henry," he spat in return. On his back was a rifle, and in his hands was a gleaming axe. The firelight she''d summoned flickered off its sharp blade. Cinza shook her head, quickly processing the information. There had been another murder¡­ the Reverend. She amplified her voice, calling both her people¡ªand the approaching mob¡ªto their location. "There was no murder by my hands this night. You have lead a crusade of lies and laid cruel torturous traps in the night like a snivelling wretch. You are a worthless coward." Rather than respond to her accusations, Robert did exactly as she expected¡ªhe swung the axe at her head. Cinza had been in fights before. She''d been attacked time and again since she was so young she couldn''t even remember them all. There had been a time of safety as she''d lived with her last family, but even that had eventually given way to another life spent in a dangerous, hostile world. She had learned her strengths, and where she had weaknesses to make up for. Robert had to lean down awkwardly just to aim for her. Cinza ducked it easily with almost no effort. She dropped low. Her own fist flew out and rammed into his stomach. It wasn''t strong enough to have much effect on its own, given the massive different in weight between them, but the flames licking off her knuckles singed his chest. They vanished as they made contact, due to the peculiarities of Mason''s Law, but the fire still caught on his shirt. He backed away howling and swinging wildly. She immolated her fists once more. "All of you, return to your town and your homes!" Cinza shouted at the oncoming mob. "We did you no wrong, but we are prepared to defend ourselves! If you wish violence, know that you bring it upon your own heads!" It was a final desperate gambit. Cinza didn''t expect it to work. She was in the heightened emotion of the moment, and her choice of words was too dramatic. All she succeeded in was fanning the flames. A roar erupted from somewhere in the back of the crowd. "Justice for Jenny!" Cinza shook her head in dismay. Somehow, they''d been linked to the death of the poor girl on top of the doctor. It was too late for negotiation. The crowd began to surround them, while Cinza''s group gathered up behind her. They were in a small clearing, much smaller than their ritual site, and a few trees dotted the area. The largest was the one they''d happened to stop under, a thick old trunk that had stood for centuries. The stars and moon shone down bright, adding to the torchlight cast by the mob of men and women of Rallsburg that had come for blood. The crowd was watching them carefully, building up into a louder frenzy¡ªbut none dared yet to approach the small gathering of cloaks under the tall pine. Ruby grabbed Cinza''s hand and squeezed tight. She was afraid. Cinza stared down the mob, trying to think of anything she could do. Could she stall? Would Grey-eyes eventually come, or maybe Rachel would find out and intervene somehow? Was there even anything Rachel could do to stop this? This was a threat that had been boiling for days as the body count rose and the town was pressed up against the wall. They were the scapegoat, caught in the crossfire for crimes they hadn''t committed. Her people were standing by, each holding a gemstone of some kind. They''d trained for this fight. They were ready for it. If nothing else, Cinza could be sure they wouldn''t go down easily. She let out a deep breath. Her mind took hold of the multi-faceted emblem on her necklace. She circled through the eight gems laid into it, briefly drawing on the contents of each one to remind herself of their potency. From her hand, she felt Ruby''s own magical presence brushing against her, strong and fierce and ready. She reached to her belt and pulled out a handle wrapped in black tape. With a click of a button, the blade flipped open. Its edge caught the moonlight and burst into brilliant white flames, engulfing an edge as sharp as the day she''d found it, fifteen years before. Her oldest friend. "Come on, then," she growled, clutching the grip tight. "Let''s go."
Cinza dove to the grass and rolled underneath an aluminum baseball bat swung at her head. As she came back up, she kicked viciously at the man''s leg. With a bit of magic to make her boot swing faster and harder, she knocked him to the ground. He went down in a heap, and she brought her foot back around and kicked him again in the head. She had no qualms about attacking someone while they were down¡ªnot in a situation like this. This was a lynch mob coming for her head, and she was damned if she wasn''t going to use every possible tactic to defend herself. Still, they''d all agreed they would hold back on lethal force. If they killed, they would only set themselves up for further persecution. Cinza was far less optimistic that they''d ever really integrate into society than Rachel was, but she didn''t want to ruin any potential hope. So she held back, as a favor to Rachel and to the entire growing magical community. Even after the bear trap and the axe-wielding Robert Harrison, she still tried to give Rachel''s dream a chance. As the fighting got more heated, Cinza feared they may soon no longer have a choice. They''d managed to break out of the encirclement. Morton Pollock had broadened his shoulders threefold and barreled through the weakest part of the crowd. The rest had rushed the sudden gap, before the circle collapsed on them. Aaron was picking out members of the crowd with more dangerous weapons. He stayed behind Morton''s furious brawl and reached out with invisible hands. One by one, knives and axes were ripped from angry fists and hurled into the dark forest far away. Yusuf threw a punch that flattened one of the loggers with an angry roar. In unison with his fist, a tree branch hurled out from above them, splintering away from the trunk with an earsplitting crack. It bowled through a part of the mob, knocking them down like dominoes. Joe had joined in the fight too, to Cinza''s surprise. He was shouting and brawling with Logan and his cronies, who evidently hadn''t expected him to be awakened. As Logan threw a punch that would have knocked down any normal college guy, Joe shrugged it off like he''d struck a boulder. A second later, Joe slugged him in the chest with a rising fist. Logan sailed ten feet through the air and into the dirt. Cinza recognized Joe''s talent and ordered him to the front along with Morton, the other Self affinity in the group. They took hits that should have broken bones and dealt back fierce blows in return, but the crowd simply refused to give in. They were frenzied, murderous and afraid. The town had slipped into real chaos and saw no recourse but to fight. Ruby was ready to respond in kind. Her hands were ablaze like twin suns, and she was hurling flame left and right with abandon. People dove away from the blasts, hurling themselves to the dirt. She kept the fire dancing in her palms, as it was always easier to add to a fire than create it from scratch, but portions lanced forth like a dragon breathing out death. People were reluctant to approach, but neither were they willing to back down. We can''t keep this up forever, Cinza despaired. Robert Harrison had returned to the front, and he was furious. He dodged Morton''s punch and put a fist through his face, breaking his nose and sending him crashing to the dirt. Blood spattered the grass. Cinza summoned up a flame and prepared to face him again. A jet of water shot through the air and slammed into Robert, knocking him aside. Makoto had returned. He nodded at Cinza before redirecting his water to another target. Cinza felt a brief glimmer of hope. She sent a burst of fire at the nearest angry townsperson, forcing them to retreat. They might still be outnumbered ten to one, but they had a chance. They could try to force them away¡ªand with Brittany safely evacuated, they could make a break for it. A telltale glint of moonlight on metal in the distance shattered that hope. Robert was upping the ante. "Rifle!" she called, quickly shaping how her voice moved through the crowd so that her people could all hear it clearly. They scattered, leaving Cinza as the only viable target. She stared Robert down, daring him to take the shot. He had no reservations. He took aim, while people in front of him scattered. At the last moment, she dove behind the tree. Splinters shattered off the bark as the bullet lodged deep into the trunk. He''d brought an actual rifle, not a shotgun or an air rifle. Help us, please! Cinza thought desperately. Where is she? Where is our goddess, when we need her most? She saved us from death only to let us be killed by ordinary fools? Ruby rolled over to her side, while Makoto hurled another jet of water at the advancing crowd, like a single riot cannon trying to drive them back. It wasn''t enough. "We have to use it," Ruby hissed. Cinza wanted to shake her head, wanted to deny they were that desperate, but she couldn''t. The crowd wasn''t backing down, despite the power they were showing. Another gunshot. Morton cried out in pain. He''d taken the bullet in the stomach while trying to keep a man off Makoto. We''re on our own. Cinza pulled Ruby to her feet behind the tree. She closed her eyes, feeding every bit of power she could into Ruby''s hands. She could feel herself growing weak and empty as she emptied the river, letting it all flow forth into Ruby''s waiting arms. Every gemstone she held disintegrated in their slots, even the ones with no relation to the elements she was channeling. Ruby gathered it up, pulling as much as she could and beginning to shape it into a compact and incredibly dense field. Cinza could feel her at work, could feel the magic taking hold in the air over the heads of the unsuspecting crowd. "Who?" Ruby asked through gritted teeth. "Anyone," Cinza whispered in desperation. She''d collapsed against the tree trunk. The thick knots in the bark held her up. Ruby didn''t hear her over the shouting of the crowd and the continuing brawl. Cinza opened her eyes. She would watch. She didn''t have to, as she wasn''t in control of the field, but she refused to let Ruby carry the burden alone. She''d help bear the weight of what they were about to do. Robert had fallen back, his rifle barrel low. He seemed reluctant to shoot again after Morton''s cry of pain¡ªbut there was another man who had no such compunctions. Paul Wilson had a pistol, and he was lifting it to aim at Makoto with righteous fury. He was a man out to avenge his murdered daughter. He wouldn''t hesitate. At that range, he wouldn''t miss. "Him, right now!" Cinza cried, pointing at Paul. Ruby cried out at the massive release of energy¡ªa visceral, throat-rending shout of rage at the effort she was expending just to keep it under control. The magnetic field sharpened and condensed itself, polarizing instantly to pull at a single target. Ruby shaped it so that only picked out specific areas, and by compressing it to such precise spots she was able to amplify it tremendously. Coupled with the increased energy and control that Cinza was lending her, it was enough. Thousands of miniscule cuts burst onto Paul''s skin. The blood in his veins literally sprayed into the sky like a geyser, pulled out by the faint traces of iron floating within. He crumpled like a limp noodle. Cinza was certain he had died instantly. The fighting stopped. The crowd backed away. A few screamed and fled. Makoto was heaving and exhausted, but still standing. Morton was bleeding out on the ground. Nikki and Yusuf emerged from the forest, looking bruised and battered. Nate Price was nowhere to be seen, and Aaron bled from several small cuts on his face and arms. Ruby trembled in fear, still holding the magic in the air. It was very quiet. Only the crackling fires beginning to spread through the forest behind them and the heavy breathing of exhausted men and women filled the clearing. One man had dropped to Paul''s side, checking him over, but the rest seemed too afraid to get any closer. Cinza emerged from behind the tree, hoping that was as good a moment as any. "Go back. Go home. Do not return." She was too tired for grandiloquence. Flames licked at her hands, a gentle warmth on her skin and a deadly weapon to anyone else. Her knife, which she''d avoided actually using until then in an attempt to avoid bloodshed, was back in her grip¡ªand it too was covered in dancing flames. It hadn''t been bloodied in years, but all her reluctance had been washed away. She''d stain it again willingly, her oldest friend who had saved her life a dozen times over, if it meant protecting the red-haired beauty who''d saved her soul. Robert looked about to speak up. She tensed, waiting for whatever words he might use to push the crowd forward again. It didn''t come. Instead, they heard a howl from the woods at the far edge. A huge wolf trotted out of the woods. Natalie Hendricks sat atop it, in her torn black dress and a dark green coat. She rode slow and calm toward the crowd, ignoring their dumbfounded stares. Wordlessly, she lifted her hands and pointed at the fires beginning to rage through the forest. If they weren''t dealt with, they would spread to become a massive forest fire. Natalie made a few motions with her fingers, then gestured at the fire as if beckoning it. The flames began swirling away from the wood and through the air to meet her. As they reached her fingertips, the fire vanished¡ªas if Natalie were absorbing it. This was wholly for show, as Cinza knew full well. If Natalie had wanted to dissipate the flames, it would have been far easier to just ride into them and exhaust their source directly through force of will. Most couldn''t handle a fire at that scale, but Natalie wasn''t most people. She wasn''t one for theatrical displays to halt a bloodbath, either. This was someone else''s playbook. Cinza looked past the wolf-girl and the bright swirling flames to the treeline. Standing in the shadows, taller than anyone in the crowd and with grim determination on her face, was Rachel DuValle. The leader of the new world. Cinza felt herself finally able to relax. Ruby finally let go, and the overload of magic hit her in full. She collapsed to the grass, coughing up blood. Her arms and legs looked like they were puppet whose strings had been severed. She was horribly still. The rest of her family regrouped, while the crowd was still mesmerized at the sight of the little wolf-girl who controlled fire. They gathered behind Cinza, watching and waiting. Cinza had nothing to offer them. Her family huddled close. They trusted her to know what came next, but Cinza was following another now. Their goddess hadn''t appeared, but her representative had. Rachel DuValle had come to save them. This was the leader Cinza would follow and put her faith in. This was the visionary she trusted to take her family into the future. Rachel DuValle would finally give her the answers she needed. [Discord]¡ª[Rate This Story]¡ª[Patreon] Chapter 20 — Consequences Part III The End of Their World Chapter 20 ¡ª Consequences The first thing to hit her was the smell of charred flesh and burned hair. Rachel''s heart sank as she emerged into the clearing. She''d sent Natalie ahead with desperate instructions to stop the fires before they spread, and¡ªif she could manage it¡ªto make everyone see her doing it. She''d hoped that would be enough to dissuade them from attacking. If they were quick enough, Rachel hoped she could stop the melee before any real damage was done. Seeing the desiccated Paul Wilson on the ground, the burned townspeople, Morton bleeding out on the grass behind a formation of grey cloaks¡ªRachel felt sick to her stomach. She''d arrived too late. Rachel spoke in a low voice, though there was no one visible near her. The closest was Natalie, but she was already halfway across the clearing and the girl''s focus was locked on the flames, ignoring everything else. Rachel''s words weren''t for her. "You could have stopped this." "If I did, he''d be attacking everyone," Beverly replied coldly. She was invisible somewhere nearby, and Rachel could only find her if she focused very hard and watched the barest traces of grass being flattened or leaves brushing as she passed. If anyone started to move too close to her, she instantly teleported to another spot nearby, where she had enough room to keep moving freely. Rachel wondered why she didn''t simply teleport everywhere, since it seemed to take her almost no effort, but Rachel doubted she''d ever really understand these people who were so far beyond what any normal awakened could accomplish. Rachel didn''t have time to argue with her. She strode out of the forest, very conscious of how alone she was. She didn''t expect Beverly to lift a finger if she were attacked, and Natalie wasn''t exactly on the best of terms with her either. She felt quite defenseless as she approached the crowd, a throng of angry men and women facing down a group of seven robed figures and another she couldn''t quite make out. The fires were dying out from Natalie''s efforts, so the light was reduced to only the pale moonlight and the faint licks of silver flame coming from a knife in Cinza''s fist. She ignored them both and walked straight down the middle. It was a no-man''s-land where only Paul Wilson''s body lay, next to the one man brave enough to step forward and check on him. To her surprise, it was John Bell, the bouncer and barman from the Kettle and Bones and grandson to Mabel Walsh. As she crouched next to him, she whispered low enough so only they could hear, "What are you doing here?" "Making sure things don''t get out of hand," he murmured, his fingers to Paul''s neck. She wanted to laugh. She felt a bitter helplessness at his words. Things could hardly be more out of hand. Paul''s skin looked impossibly dry and pale. At her questioning look, he frowned. "There''s nothing, but I don''t want to say that loud yet. Not until we''re sure we can get them to back down." "Any ideas?" she asked, painfully aware the clock was ticking. They could only stall for so long. "I think whatever you''re doing is working," he answered, glancing briefly over his shoulder. "No one''s moving yet." "If we tell them he''s dead, won''t that start everything up again?" "Maybe. I don''t know. I''m just a bartender," he replied. "Can your invisible friend there bring him back to life?" Rachel was surprised¡ªbut then, he was the grandson of Mabel Walsh. She should have assumed he had some of Mabel''s tricks for finding out secrets right under his nose. "No," answered a whisper at her side. "Then I guess we''re screwed," John muttered. "If they try to approach, can you stop them?" Rachel asked to the thin air. "Yes, but I won''t. I''m not getting involved here." "But¡ª" "I''m helping you with Omega. I never agreed to fight the whole town for you." Rachel sighed. She was still learning the bounds of their relationship. She decided not to press the issue yet. She didn''t want to waste her leverage already, when they might have much more important battles to come. There had to be another way out of this clearing. She needed to sway the collective rage. Cinza was a target of convenience. She and her followers were picked simply because they happened to be vaguely connected to the latest death, as well as their fashion taste and Cinza''s own personal affectations. There was no real evidence or witnesses to the actual crimes for which they were accused. However, there was another crime present, and one which she''d been slowly processing in the back of her mind over the last few days. She knew the identity of Omega''s lieutenant, Brian Hendricks. More importantly, she knew that he wasn''t exactly a loner in the town. He had friends. There were a few others who had taken note of his disappearance, beyond just the pair of staff at his apartments and his daughter. One of those few had been Robert Harrison, the very instigator of the riot that had brought them to that clearing. Robert Harrison, who had been heavily involved in every meeting since the emergence. Robert, who was constantly on the warpath about the murders and angrily declaring Rachel and Rowan both of being too lax and slow at investigating. Robert, who had somehow known about the murders a week before anyone else including the sheriff, and had told Julian Black about them for an attempt to destabilize the Council. "John, can you tell when someone is lying, like your grandmother?" He nodded briefly. "I''m going to make a move now. Will you back me up, since you''re still one of them?" He''d been on the side of the mob, but Rachel assumed he''d never actually made any violent actions. He was too calm and reserved to get caught up in the mindless fury of a riot. If he supported any move she made, she would have more credibility with the mundane half of the gathering. John gave her another small nod. Natalie had finished cleaning up the fires, and the crowd was split between watching her and watching Rachel. She took that as her cue. Rachel stood. She was still the tallest in the entire crowd, so even several at the back could see her clearly. Uncomfortably aware of every single eye in the clearing following her every move, she called out, "Robert Harrison!" Heads turned to face him, like spectators at a tennis court. He spat out a red gob of blood and cleared his throat before shouting in return. "What do you want?" "On what grounds have you attacked these people tonight?" He started to approach, limping slightly. His leg was bruised and burned, and patches of his clothes had been singed away by fire. "They murdered my friend, our reverend, in cold blood and left him to die in the woods. You should know, you saw it too!" "I saw his body, but I didn''t see a murder. Neither did you. You got there after me." "We all know who did it," Robert growled, and the crowd murmured its assent. "He said he was going out to meet them, and we know how people like her treat goodly men of God." He was playing right into her hands. Rachel''s strategy was simple¡ªcatch Robert in as many easy lies as possible to add plausibility to the biggest, most important lie of them all. "Do you even go to church?" "We ain''t got a church, but I''m still religious." "You aren''t," John replied in a loud, clear voice. He got to his feet, but stood noticeably away from Rachel. Good, making it seem like two voices. "You''ve been in my bar more than a few times shouting about how stupid you think the whole concept is." Robert shook his head. "That doesn''t mean I can''t stand up for them that do." "But you''ve attacked a group that did no wrong, and was even planning to meet with the reverend to build bridges," Rachel said. "You played the crusader with no God at your back and ended up the fool," Cinza added, turning heads yet again. Rachel wished she''d stayed quiet, but her speech seemed to affect the crowd. In the heightened emotions of the moment, her words and her echoing voice drifting through the people held power. "You laid out bear traps in the forest for us to fall prey as we fled." The crowd was getting restless. That level of cruelty was a step too far for them. Bear traps were anathema. Most hunters considered them too cruel. Robert raised his own voice to try and compensate. "You''ve got no evidence that they didn''t do it," Robert said, but everyone knew that was the argument of the losing side. Rachel was all too happy to tear it to pieces. "I think we can all agree on innocence until proven guilty," she countered. Rachel shifted her vision for just a moment. She watched the connections between the mob and their instigator fray. With the right word, Rachel could break them apart completely. She prepared for her final flourish. Despite all the pain and despair hanging over them all, she felt some satisfaction at being finally able to bring Robert down. "And you are guilty in more ways than one, Robert." "What are you talking about?" "At the town hall where we first revealed ourselves, you were the one with details on the murders, right?" "Yeah, no shit. What''s that got to do with this?" "You knew details about the bodies we never released, and shouted them in front of the entire town." "Because I found them myself while I was out hunting. We already covered this." "He''s lying," John interjected, and Rachel felt another twinge of gratification. "You''re lying, Robert. You knew the bodies were there a full week before we did, as you said yourself at the town hall. Why didn''t you report them?" "Because¡ª" Robert started, but she talked right over him. She was getting tired of his excuses, now that she knew for certain they were all false. "Because you were told where to find them, weren''t you?" It was brief, but it was enough. A look of surprise flashed in his eyes. The crowd was hyperattentive in their adrenaline-fueled state, and they caught it. A murmur of discontent rolled through the air. Natalie''s wolf growled. Suddenly, every head was turned toward Robert. He was a huge man, but before the combined weight of the crowd suddenly bearing down on his head, he suddenly seemed very small indeed. Rachel continued. "You were told where they were, and all the important details, so that you could try and discredit us. So you could drive a wedge between the town and its awakened residents. You failed." Robert started to back away, but the nearest man grabbed his arm roughly. He swung out with a hard punch, but the combined weight of the crowd had him quickly subdued. They were still angry. The fire might be sedated, but the embers could be blown back into a fresh inferno. Rachel hurried in, with Cinza and John at her side. They wanted him alive, after all. "Enough!" came a voice through a megaphone. The crowd stopped once again. It was the mayor himself. Rowan Rhistler looked exhausted from his sprint through the town. Jackie was behind him, with Neffie and Gordon Merrill bringing up the rear. "I''ve heard everything. Robert Harrison, you are under arrest for¡­ I don''t know, treason. Conspiracy to obstruct justice. Starting a goddamn riot. I don''t fucking care what, just cuff the bastard, Jackie." Jackie walked through the crowd utterly fearless. In seconds, she had dropped Robert to the ground and cuffed his hands behind his back. Rowan turned back to address the crowd. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. "You''ve all done something terrible tonight. Remember that. Remember what you''ve done. Disperse and go home. There will be a meeting tomorrow morning to discuss what''s to come." The crowd began to dissolve. Men and women who had been whipped into a frenzy half an hour earlier were despondent and exhausted. Without their leadership, they were all just confused and terrified individuals. They filtered back through the trees, spreading out as they went, disappearing in total silence.
Rachel rushed back to Cinza''s people, Rowan at her heels. Jackie was busy herding people back to town. The short girl was taking stock of the wounded. Rachel did a quick headcount, and her heart skipped a beat. "Only seven of you?" she asked fearfully. Cinza shook her head. "The others already escaped. Nate ran, but I doubt he went far. Rufus went out to find him. Brittany and Matthew are back at our home, but Brittany lost her leg to the bear trap. We had to cut it off." She spoke so nonchalantly that Rachel shuddered. She couldn''t imagine what Cinza had gone through that night. Morton was still bleeding. Makoto was doing his best to stem the wound, but there was only so much they could do. Rachel wheeled on Rowan. "You need to call in a helicopter." "Will it be fast enough?" Rowan asked, already pulling out his phone. "It''ll have to be," she replied. "Call one out of Olympia. The nearest Life Flight chopper is too far." He nodded. Within seconds he was already talking to someone from emergency services. Luckily for them, ambulance by helicopter wasn''t unheard of up in the foothills, where a critical condition couldn''t possibly be carried fast enough on the ground. With his past connections in the area, Rowan could get them help immediately, no questions asked. Rachel turned to Cinza. "You''ll need to send someone with them, so they can pick up Brittany." She shook her head. Blood was dripping from a split lip, a harsh contrast to her silver-grey hair and pale skin. "They can''t land there." "I know you don''t want anyone to fin¡ª" "No, I mean they literally cannot. The helicopter would break apart before it could land. The trees are too thick. What you saw wasn''t accurate to the landscape." She frowned. "There''s a clearing that''s close, though. If Brittany can make it there¡­" She glanced at Makoto, who was at her side in an instant. "How long will it take for the helicopter to reach us?" Rachel did some quick mental math from what she''d read about the helicopter models available and the distance between Olympia and their location. "About fourteen minutes if they fly at normal speed. Seven if they use their fastest airframe." Cinza nodded to Makoto. "Signal them in after they land here." He took off at a sprint into the forest. She looked around at her people. "Nicole, do you know the clearing I mean?" Nikki Parsons emerged from the trees, looking dazed and a little battered. She too sported a few cuts and bruises. Rachel felt a little more dismay at each new member of Cinza''s family that had been hurt that night. Nikki nodded confidently. "Good," Cinza smiled. "When the helicopter arrives, you''re with Morton. Show them where to land so they can pick up Brittany." She paused. "How many can the helicopter hold?" "They use EC145 Airbus choppers, which have a capacity of two pilots and eight passengers," Rachel rattled off. She was glad to have anything else to focus on. "Thanks." She looked at Nikki with a grave expression. "Nicole, if you wish to stay with them and go to Olympia, it''s your decision. We''ll see you when you get back either way." She still looked stunned from the ordeal she''d just been through, and didn''t reply. She was the youngest in the group besides maybe Ruby, as far as Rachel knew. Rachel didn''t blame her for being overwhelmed. From the brief snippet on the livestream, Rachel had only caught the very end of a vicious brawl. She was amazed that Cinza''s people had escaped injury as much as they had. They only had to wait a few more minutes for the helicopter to arrive. The thump of the blades preceded it, a heavy mechanical sound completely at odds with the night they''d all been through. It felt wildly out of place. Rowan had informed them to look for a green signal, and Cinza had supplied it, with a bright green orb floating above the center of the clearing. It hovered for a moment, almost as if it were uncertain. "They can''t tell where the trees are," she shouted over the noise to Cinza. Cinza nodded and closed her eyes. A moment later, the green light flickered out, and the entire clearing was flooded with perfect clear white light. It was as if a giant flood light were illuminating them from above. The chopper immediately began to descend into the center of the clearing with a soft bump on the grass. Rachel couldn''t make out the expression of the pilot, but the two EMTs that leapt out stopped dead when they took a look around. Rachel couldn''t blame them. There was a group of five grey-robed people gathered around a six, who was covered in blood. The mayor stood nearby, along with Rachel¡ªtowering over them all as usual¡ªa journalist with a notebook and pen writing frantically by flashlight, a half-Egyptian woman in pajamas, and a twelve year old seated atop a huge gray wolf. Rachel and Rowan had both begged Natalie to hide before the medical team arrived, but Natalie had apparently attached herself to Rachel permanently for the time being. She refused under any circumstances to leave. Only Joe McKinney, who seemed reluctant to walk away from Nikki, looked remotely normal. Rachel shouted at the EMTs, breaking the spell. Their training took over, and in an instant they were at Morton''s side, bandaging the wound more tightly and applying pressure. Rowan quickly explained the extent of his wounds, as well as the second pickup they needed to make. Joe gave Nikki a quick hug. Yusuf and Nikki helped them load Morton onto the chopper, before Nikki waved to the group before disappearing inside and closing the door. Within seconds of Yusuf clearing the edge of the blades, the helicopter was lifting off. Rachel approved of their competence and speed even in such strange circumstances. As the thumping blades faded away, she took Cinza aside for a moment alone. "Are you okay?" Cinza shook her head. "We''ve been over the line tonight, Rachel. This is just the beginning. You stopped it here, but it will get worse." She offered a weak smile. "But thanks for asking." Rachel wanted to ask about Paul Wilson, but they didn''t have any more time to talk. Rowan had followed them, along with the rest of the group. Natalie rode Gwen out and let her sit down just behind Rachel, resting comfortably on her back with her head sideways on top of the wolf''s fierce gaze. "What do we do now?" Aaron asked. "Go home and sleep?" Joe suggested, in a weak attempt at humor. Cinza smiled wanly, but looked to Rachel. As did they all. Rachel cleared her throat. "We have two problems. Omega you already know about. Another problem just developed tonight." She paused, searching for the right word, but anything she came up with sounded disrespectful. She gave up and went on, "What you all just went through was streamed online." "Oh God," Rowan muttered. Cinza in particular looked like she''d just seen a ghost. Rachel had never seen her so anxious, not even when facing down the golems in the forest or the entire rioting mob. "No wonder you didn''t care about the helicopter seeing all of us," Aaron added glumly. "It wasn''t much, and I don''t think it hit many viewers before it was cut off," Rachel continued. "It doesn''t matter," Cinza replied. "If it was streamed, someone recorded it. It''ll spread. Our time is up." Rachel nodded. "Will''s keeping an eye out everywhere he can think of online. The moment it starts to spread, we''ll be watching. Until then, we need to move quickly. We need to act on Omega now, while we have an opportunity." "What do you mean?" Neffie asked. "What opportunity? He''s still a godlike killing machine, isn''t he?" "Not godlike, not anymore," Rachel replied. "We fought him tonight in town. Natalie and Kendra were able to drive him back. He''d already been through one fight just before, but still. They can be beaten." "Natalie can beat him?" Gordon asked skeptically. Natalie nodded, scratching her wolf''s fur affectionately. "Don''t mess with me. I''ve got superpowers." "There''s a group of awakened people with power far greater than usual," Rachel went on. "This information shouldn''t spread, but I trust you all, and I need you behind me if we''re going to beat him." Nods and murmurs of assent went around the circle. "Natalie and Kendra both qualify, as does Hector. Hailey Winscombe is another, and I have no reason to believe there can''t be more. I don''t know why they are, but I don''t think anyone else can just jump to their level." "You want to assemble them like some kind of super-team?" Joe asked. Neffie rolled her eyes. "If someone says superpowers again¡ª" "Haven''t we had enough fighting for one night?" Cinza said quietly. She was helping Ruby to stay standing. The crimson-haired girl looked half-conscious and completely incapable of speech or even coherent thought. Her cloak was spattered with blood. Neffie fell silent. Rachel nodded. "He''s right. I want to bring them all together, along with the rest of us. Omega should take some time to recover, which we need to use to pull together a plan. We''ll assemble everyone in the Summit tomorrow, along with the four I just named. Together we should be able to figure out some way to take him down." "If you already beat him once, can''t you just do it again?" Rowan asked. "It took all of Natalie''s strength just to beat five golems," Rachel answered. "I could have beat more," Natalie piped up again. "I didn''t know how to do lightning stuff right yet. I gotta learn it better." Rachel shrugged. "She could get better, but even so. Omega has shown he can keep creating golems, and Natalie can only deal with them so fast. He has other weapons he can use as well. The only reason I think he ran is because he was wounded. He couldn''t stick around." "How did you wound him?" Gordon asked. "Gwen took a big bite out of him," Natalie said with a vicious grin. Gordon shuddered. "We can''t guarantee another surprise attack like that," Rachel continued. "A wolf in the middle of town once is one thing, but twice will be predictable." "What about a bullet? Can a bullet kill him?" Neffie asked sardonically. "Maybe. If he doesn''t see it coming." "What, he can dodge bullets?" "He can move faster than you can see," Rachel replied, "and react at that speed as well if he''s expecting it." "Well, shit." "We''ll have to surprise him, then," Cinza said. "One massive blow while he''s distracted, enough to kill him instantly." Silence hung painfully in the air at her words. They all knew the stakes, but none of them were exactly comfortable planning out a man''s death. "It''s late. We won''t get anything done while we''re all exhausted," Rowan said. There were murmurs of agreement. Even Rachel, as little as she needed to sleep per day, felt the mounting fatigue draining her away. With heavy eyes and steadily weakening limbs, she finally turned and departed.
She needed rest. She needed to be home with Will, after having spent so much time apart. Rachel felt like she was falling asleep walking. Natalie and her wolf padded along behind her through the town streets. Natalie too looked exhausted from her efforts with both the golems and the forest fire. She was laying down on Gwen, small enough to rest on her back while they walked. "Thank you for helping," Rachel told her honestly. She shrugged. "You promised, I promised. I''m still waiting." Rachel sighed. "Soon, Natalie. We need to sleep." She paused, thinking for a moment. Rachel could tell she was fighting off sleep. "Okay." As they rounded the corner to her apartment complex, she was surprised to find Ryan casually leaning up against the wall by her door. She''d forgotten all about him, even while discussing the Summit meeting earlier. Technically, he was a member. "Hi," she said weakly, wanting nothing more than to just fall asleep right away. While her ability to go without sleep was great, it also meant that when she needed to crash, she really needed to crash. "Hello to you too," he said. "About time you got home." "Some of us were out dealing with actual problems." "Oh la-de-dah, I''m Rachel and I''m in charge of the world''s problems. Fuck off, I wasn''t going up against Omega in a fistfight. I''d be dead by now." "I came out okay." He looked her up and down. "...Yeah, you did." As Natalie and Gwen padded around the corner, he stepped back involuntarily. "Holy shit. Still not used to that." Natalie glared at him. "Don''t be mean." "Sorry." Ryan glanced back at Rachel. "You guys okay?" "We are, but Rika isn''t. Neither is Zack, or Hailey, or Cinza''s people, or a whole bunch of other people in town," Rachel snapped. "We''ve been through a lot tonight. Can you just get out of the way so I can go to sleep?" "Fuck me, sorry," Ryan muttered. He stood aside and let her clumsily unlock the door. "I really am sorry, you know," he added. "Don''t worry about it," Rachel sighed. "I was terrified too." "Yeah, but you still went in." Ryan followed her over the threshold. Natalie took one glance at the door, then at Gwen, and decided she''d rather stay out on the walkway. Gwen curled up in the grass nearby. Natalie leaned up against her chest, closing her eyes and snuggling in comfortably. Rachel set down her bag and took off her coat, feeling the aches beginning to set in on every muscle and bone in her body. She just wanted to collapse into Will''s arms. "I''m home," she called out. There was no response. Her heart stopped. Will hadn''t texted her once. They hadn''t spoken since the phone call in the woods, long before she''d rushed in to confront Omega. She hadn''t checked in, too busy between all the commotion and carnage. She''d been too busy, she hadn''t remembered what was waiting back at home. She hadn''t realized what was staring her in the face. The livestream shouldn''t have been possible with Will watching the network. Omega knew who she was and who she was close with. His ally was her landlord. He''d been there from the start, and seen the first few times she''d been elected to the council. Tonight she''d declared herself his enemy defiantly to his face. He''d responded in kind, with a parting shot on his way out of town. The window was shattered. Will was lying face-up on the couch, struggling to force air through his broken jaw. His limbs were twisted and broken. His chest looked like it had been caved in. His face was a mess of dark bruises. He was like a broken doll. Ryan shouted something, but Rachel didn''t hear him. She was at Will''s side. She was sobbing over him. She was petrified. Will croaked out a sound, but she couldn''t understand him. She begged him to repeat it, but he could only croak out the same terrible sound. Ryan picked up a piece of paper laying near him that she''d missed. He read it, and let out another stream of curses. Rachel grabbed it from his hands. She could barely see it a foot in front of her. Trembling, with tears streaming down her cheeks, she read the brief handwritten note. You shouldn''t have tried to stop me. [Discord]¡ª[Rate This Story]¡ª[Patreon] Chapter 21 — Waking Up Chapter 21 ¡ª Waking Up The last thing Alden remembered was the golem''s fist connecting with his chest. Everything after that was a hazy, muffled blur. His reality finally snapped back together after who-knew how many hours had passed. Alden found himself looking up at the ceiling of the back room in Boris'' shop, laid out on a fold-out bed built into the wall. "Hey," someone called out softly. Alden rolled over, feeling pain spiking in his ribs as he did. Hailey was laying on her side in a similar bed across the room. She actually didn''t look too bad, but she was mostly covered in a blanket. Her expression said otherwise. "Did we win?" Alden asked, trying to lighten the mood. Hailey grimaced. "Wasn''t us, but yeah, I think someone on our side did. We''re still alive, so that means we probably won, right?" "Yeah." He looked around the small room. There was a door back into the main bookstore, though he didn''t remember a door in that part of the building before. Maybe his memory was too muddled. He might have a concussion for all he knew. The room they lay in was equipped with plenty of medical supplies, and the beds were firm and rigid. With how he felt, he didn''t see any need to get up for a while. He didn''t want to run into any more horrors outside. "You okay?" he asked, before realizing that if they were both laid out in makeshift hospital beds, she probably wasn''t okay. "More or less." Hailey shifted around a bit in her bed and winced. "I got knocked out. Dude was fast." "Yeah," Alden sighed. "How did he do that? It wasn''t movement magic. It was like he was in fast forward or something." "It was something new, that''s for sure. I''ve never seen anything like that." Hailey frowned. "It doesn''t really fit any of the seven affinities." "There''s seven?" Despite everything, Alden was still curious about how magic worked. Rika had instilled in him that it was a consistent, almost mechanical art¡ªin spite of the name. "Actually, we¡ªme and Jessica, I mean¡ªwe think there''s eight. Because of the symbol on the paper." "Oh. There wasn''t a symbol on the one I read." "Huh. Well, it must have been a different page. Anyway, it''s like a weird, curved, two-layer star with eight points. Seemed important, and we already knew for sure there were seven, so we figured it''s gotta be eight." Hailey screwed up her eyes as she tried to remember them all. "Movement, self-enhancement, mental, knowledge, elemental, nature, and creation. There''s one more, and after what we just saw, I''m pretty sure that was it." "Something that lets you run across a room instantly like a crazy blur," Alden muttered aloud. "Like in fast-forward¡­ time control? He sped up time for himself?" "You''ve gotta be kidding me," Hailey muttered. "What?" "That''s what I guessed it was. But I was joking." She sighed. "I bet it doesn''t let you go back in time though." "Well yeah. We''d probably already know if it did. Someone would have used it to go back and prevent a lot of this, probably. Unless we''re the first to ever discover it and no one''s ever gone back before?" "Too complicated for a concussion," Hailey groaned. "New topic, please." Alden wanted to dig into it more, but Hailey looked like she was dealing with a heavy migraine. Hailey being one of the few people he''d actually spent any time with in Rallsburg, he decided to try to get to know her better. She was brave, and cool, and way less harsh than Rika. He cast around his skull for a topic, and landed on the first thing he knew they had in common. "How did you awaken?" Hailey shrugged awkwardly with just her left shoulder, while the right was still pressed against the mattress. "Same way everyone else does, I guess? We found a page and read from it. Was it any different for you?" "No, but it was kinda crazy. That weird blackness and how it felt like you were gonna choke and die, until she shows up and saves you. Why aren''t more people talking about that?" "Uhh, I have no idea what you''re talking about." Alden was shocked for a moment, til he remembered the other oddity in Hailey''s memory from their encounter upstairs. He sat up slightly, ignoring the spike of pain in his shoulder from the bandaged cut. "I forgot! You never met her!" "Never met who now?" Alden briefly explained his own awakening in detail¡ªwhich, as he understood it, was the same basic process everyone went through according to Rika. Hailey''s expression told him it was entirely new to her. "So you never met her until we went upstairs. That doesn''t seem possible. How are you alive?" "We just read it and it told us that we''d found magic. Not, told us told us, but you know what I mean." "Yeah¡­" Alden frowned. "Do you still have the page you used?" Hailey hesitated. After a moment, she pointed at her leather flight jacket, which was hanging off a chair near her head. A rolled up piece of parchment floated out of a front pocket and into her hand. It wasn''t a copy like Rika had shown him, but it wasn''t a tiny ripped and charred Scrap like the one from the Council meeting. There was no damage to it at all, only a frayed edge from where it had been ripped out of the Grimoire. "It''s a full page," he breathed. He knew it was significant, even with his own limited knowledge of magic. "That''s important?" "Yeah. Everyone else has ripped up little Scraps or broken copies. I think since you have an original, you didn''t need help." Alden''s mind was processing fast, deciphering a piece of the puzzle he''d been mulling over. "So that means the three Gods were probably the same. They''re so powerful, and so are you and Jessica, because you all awakened from the real thing. Could I see it?" "I uhh¡­" Alden realized what he''d just asked. "Sorry, no, you don''t have to. That was dumb." Hailey shook her head. A moment later, a light gust of wind had the page gently coasting across the room to meet him. He caught it easily. "That was really cool. You''ve got amazing control," he added. She smiled. "Thanks. That''s nothing though compared to flying." Alden smiled back at the memory. Feeling a bit apprehensive, he leaned over and looked at the parchment in his hand. It was thick, rich-feeling paper with a real sense of age about it. His eyes found a familiar gliding, unfocused sensation as they slid across each set of indescribable words. He could feel the words echoing in his skull like a song on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn''t repeat them, or tell exactly what they meant. All he understood was that it had the vague sensation of an introduction¡ªa prelude to actual magic. It was from the very beginning of the book, or at least the beginning of a particular section. It had nothing to actually teach him. Disappointed, Alden grasped the page with his own magic. Instead of the gentle glide and flutter of the wind, he simply floated the parchment back over to Hailey. His movement looked totally unnatural compared to hers, but it got there all the same. She plucked it out of the air and he let the magic release. To his mixed satisfaction, it had taken far less effort than he remembered¡ªbut it wasn''t suddenly trivial, like so much of the magic from Hailey or the Gods seemed to be. He was getting better, but only through practice and work, not a sudden grant of power. "That was good. I can never move stuff steadily. You''re way better at that than me." Hailey rolled up the page and tucked it into her jacket once again. "So did you get anything?" "No," he said dejectedly. "I don''t think it works like that. It probably has to be right when you awaken." "That sucks. I''m sorry," she said sincerely. "It''s okay." He paused. "I don''t think you should tell anyone else about this." "Huh?" "If people knew you had that, and knew they could be crazy powerful by reading it, you''d be chased down and probably killed for it." Alden shuddered, remembering the drama over the single Scrap at the council, and the flashes of memory from the golems attacking them upstairs. "Even if awakened people can''t use it, they''ll still want it for their friends, or to keep other people from it." "Right," Hailey said, nodding. "Not saying a word, sounds good." She frowned. "Guess I should get my story straight for the future then, about awakening and all that. Could you tell it to me again?" Alden described his own awakening in as much detail as possible. Hailey nodded along and asked questions, trying to get everything down as if her life depended on it. Which it might, Alden realized with a sickening feeling. He didn''t want her to get hurt, or Jessica. They both seemed like genuinely good people, and didn''t deserve what had happened to them. "Okay," he said finally, after Hailey had repeated the story back to him well enough that it sounded right. She''d added a few touches that he hadn''t experienced, but they seemed plausible. He''d believe it. Another possibility occurred to him. "You know, we could just destroy it." Hailey hesitated. "I guess, but I¡­ don''t want to. I mean, yeah, it''s brought me a ton of grief, but it did some good too. My life wasn''t really going anywhere before, to be honest. I was way more caught up in my social life and throwing parties and not recognizing who my real friends were. Cutting myself off for a year lost me a few friends, yeah, but it also got rid of a lot of crap. Helped me understand what was important and how to be responsible and stuff. If it weren''t for Jessica, I''d probably not regret any of it." "What happened to her? I don''t really know what ''ritual'' means yet," Alden said with a twinge of embarrassment. "Rituals are a different way to do magic. Instead of casting spells by just grabbing at your energy and throwing it around like you normally do. You stop and focus, draw out energy from more than just yourself or a gemstone or two. There''s stuff with drawing symbols on the ground and using different reagents and so on. It lets you do the more permanent, powerful stuff." "Like, say, making your body full of electricity?" Alden asked. "Uhh, yeah, I guess? Is that was Rika did?" He nodded. "Thought she was just trying to show me up or something by shocking me over and over. Huh." Hailey laughed. Alden had noticed something about her¡ªwhen she laughed, it was never a giggle. It was always a full-throated chuckle or even more. It always sounded genuine, too. Alden enjoyed it, especially compared to Rika''s mocking cackles or Viper''s low rumbling snorts of derision. They were both bitter, cynical people. Hailey sounded like she was just honestly happy. "Anyway," Hailey continued. The laugh faded, but she didn''t drop into full dispirited gloom like she had in the past. "If you disrupt a ritual, bad things can happen. Not sure why, and I definitely don''t want to screw around enough to figure it out. But that''s the gist of why Jessica can''t talk anymore." "That''s awful," Alden said, wishing he had something more useful to add. "Yeah. But we''re living with it. Jessica and I can still work things out, and we''re still best friends. We''ll figure it out someday." Hailey smiled. "In the meantime, we''ve figured out plenty of other things." "Like flying," Alden prompted. "Hell yeah like flying!" Hailey laughed. "I can make it all the way up to the clouds if I want to. Or I can just ride down on thermals for hours while listening to music. It''s super relaxing." "Sounds amazing. Doesn''t that get tiring though?" "Eventually, yeah. Especially if there''s no updrafts or anything to help me get up high before I start gliding." Hailey shrugged. "It''s worth it though, every time." "So are they really wings?" Alden hadn''t seen anything actually coming out of her back, but he''d seen more than enough magic by now to never assume they couldn''t simply be invisible or something. "Nah, not really. If they were, I probably couldn''t do it, since that wouldn''t be my affinity. It''s more like that''s how my mind sees it, you know? Like it''s how my brain makes sense of it. I''m actually using air to move myself around. It just moves things in the way wings do, I guess. They''re always there ready to go like they really are sticking out of my back, but it''s all just air. Elemental magic, if you wanted to stick it in one of the categories." "So you''re an Elemental affinity." "Yeah. I take it from your smooth move earlier that you''re a telekinetic?" Hailey asked. "Movement, yeah. I''m not very good though." "Don''t be silly. You''ve only been doing this for what, a week?" "Less," Alden said, though it had felt like so much longer. The longest week of his life. "You''ll get better. I wasn''t flying until almost a year after I awakened. Just keep at it, you know?" Alden sighed. "Right now, I don''t know that I even want to stick around. This town has gotten crazy." "No kidding," Hailey agreed. "At least it''s probably over though." "Guess so. Where is everyone, anyway?" "I dunno. I woke up here, same as you." Alden frowned. "Boris must have patched us up, then. But where''s Rika, or Grey-eyes? Where''s Boris, actually?" "You want to go out and look for them?" Hailey asked. She started to prop herself up, but winced again and laid back down. "Nope, nevermind." "I don''t want to just leave you here." "Hey man, it''s cool. I''m not gonna die here or anything." Hailey looked thoughtful. "I''m a little curious though, why are you and Rika together? She doesn''t really seem like your type. Not together together!" she added hastily as Alden''s mouth opened. "I mean, you two have been spending every moment together since you got here, right? Just seemed a little weird." "We ran into each other twice in a row, almost right away. It just sort of happened," Alden replied. "She told me everything I wanted to know and didn''t treat me like I was an outsider, so I decided to follow her." "Well, she''s got a point there. Us outsiders should all stick together." Alden grinned. "She doesn''t take crap from anyone and she''s smart and funny. She''s powerful and she''s been helping me with my stuff even though she''s got tons of her own problems. So yeah, I''ve been sticking with her." Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Hailey laughed and gave him a knowing smile. "Man, you''ve got a huge crush on her." "Yeah, no kidding." Alden wasn''t embarrassed to admit it. It was obvious even to him at this point. He decided to turn things around though, since they were treading familiar ground. "What about you though? You and Jessica are super close." Hailey''s mirth died, and Alden regretted his choice of topic. "Sorry." "No, it''s cool," Hailey sighed. "Jess and I weren''t actually best friends when this all started. I was jealous of her actually." "Of her talent?" "No, because I thought she was trying to steal my boyfriend." Hailey''s mouth twitched slightly. "I was completely wrong there, but anyway, months went by before we were actually really friends." Hailey launched into the entire tale without warning. She seemed eager to get it off her chest, and Alden was happy to listen. Anything to distract him from the growing anxiety that no one was ever coming to the room to check on them.
They laughed at a few of Ian''s jokes as Hailey retold them. He got furious at Weston right alongside her. When she told him about what had happened to Jessica, he cried. She was a good storyteller, and he was so caught up he didn''t realize there was someone else listening in until Hailey finally caught him up to the day they''d met. "Miss Winscombe," Boris said gently from the doorway. They both jumped¡ªor rather, they leaned up suddenly in their beds. "...How much did you hear, Boris?" Hailey asked shamefacedly. "Quite a lot, in fact. Rest assured, there is no one else nearby¡ªnot even my young grey-eyed friend." Boris shrugged. "I am an old man and could easily grow senile and forget the whole tale, if you wish." "I¡­ no, you don''t need to do that." Hailey grimaced. "I didn''t know you were there." "I learned long ago that silence is among the most useful tools we have ever discovered." Boris sat down on a stool near her bed. "May I check your bandages? I apologize for not asking before, but it was an emergency and you could not answer me at the time." "That''s¡­ yeah, that''s fine. Thank you, by the way," she added. Alden turned over to stare at the wall while Boris lifted her sheets. "You are on the way to recovery, but I would not advise walking for the time being, or attempting to use your left arm," Boris said a few minutes later. "Now, the young man." Alden rolled back over, and Boris checked on him as well. "You should be fine soon enough. I believe you have a concussion, though I do not have the sophisticated tools to accurately diagnose one. You were thrown quite far from the building headfirst. It is a miracle that she caught you." "She meaning Grey-eyes?" Boris hesitated for only an instant. "Yes, her," he replied¡ªbut Alden could tell he''d been about to say something else at first. "Is there anything I can get the two of you? I''m afraid I don''t have much here at the store, but if you are hungry or thirsty, I can provide that much at least." "A little to eat would be great, yeah," Hailey said. Alden agreed. Boris went through one of the cabinets and found a few boxes of crackers. They looked old, but Alden was surprised to find them tasting fresh, if a little bland. Boris inclined his head slightly, then retreated from the room while they ate. "Is he like a spy or something?" Alden asked quietly. "He just snuck into his secret medical room hidden in his store without either of us noticing and speaks a bunch of languages perfectly, and he''s in a dead-end town like this for no apparent reason." Hailey laughed. "He''s probably a spy." "Don''t say it so loud!" Alden hissed. "Boris is a good guy. If he''s spying, it''s for good people." Hailey started munching down the crackers. "What about you, though? Are you a spy?" "What?" "If you were a spy, who would you be spying for? Where are you from?" Her line of questioning was strange, but it ended up leading them both to sharing their own personal lives in great detail. Hailey just brought that out in people, it seemed. She shared a bit about herself, growing up in the suburb mess between Seattle and Tacoma. She''d lead a charmed life, passing through high school with flying colors and with the option of hundreds of colleges open to her. But she''d chosen Rallsburg, to her mother''s dismay, and she''d decided once she arrived in town that she was going to do a complete one-eighty on her former life and become an outgoing social queen and pass all her classes with flying colors. "How do you even manage that?" Alden asked. He always felt overwhelmed by his classes already. He''d been in most of the advanced classes offered at his school, but he felt like he was barely hanging on. "By doing nothing else." She shrugged. "I was either with friends partying all the time, and if I wasn''t then I was inside studying. That was my whole life up until we found magic." "It sounds exhausting." "Honestly, yeah, it really was." Hailey smiled. "I was way happier in the long run spending time with just five instead. Those were real friendships." In return, Alden told her all about his life before Rallsburg¡ªwhich in retrospect was a lot less interesting than her own. He''d gotten solid grades, but nothing extraordinary. He''d never played on any teams, or joined any clubs, or done a whole lot of anything really. When he wasn''t at school, he was at home reading, playing games, or watching TV. "Guess the most interesting thing about me was that I used to make little models of things from books I read. Like, if something was described in a lot of detail, I''d try to make it in the real world." "Make it out of what?" Hailey asked. "Clay, Play-dough, pencils and folded paper, board game pieces. Anything I had sitting around. I sometimes would get really into a piece and actually plan it out on paper, then put it together with clay and burn it solid, but that was pretty rare. Usually I just made them while I was bored and needed something to fidget with." "Still, that''s pretty cool. I was always horrible at art." Hailey grinned. "Makes drawing stuff out for Jess to understand super hard. One time, she looked at one of my drawings, which was supposed to be an offer to grill some chicken for dinner that night, and she¡ª" A phone rang, piercing the quiet sanctuary they''d built up. It took a few seconds for Alden to realize that it was his phone. He hadn''t heard it once since he''d arrived in Rallsburg. It had only been used once. He''d practically forgotten it existed. He reached up and awkwardly grabbed it from the pocket of his jacket. "It''s my sister," Alden said, with a twinge of confusion. "Why is she calling? Why not a text?" "You gonna answer it?" Hailey asked. "I don''t think she''s ever called anyone in her life, not even Mom," Alden said. He flicked the screen. "Hi, Meg." "It''s about time! I was scared to death!" Margaret belted. She always practically shouted into the phone, like she thought the mic would make her too quiet to hear. Probably why everyone tries to avoid calling her, Alden mused, holding the phone a few more inches away from his ear. "Uhh, what? Why would you be scared?" Hailey gave him a questioning glance. He shrugged. "You''re still in that town, right? Rallsburg?" "Yeah?" He had told Margaret where he was going, in case his parents asked. He didn''t have a bad relationship with them, but it was certainly a passive relationship. They provided for him and they asked for updates on how he was doing, but beyond that they may as well have lived in separate houses. He loved them, of course, but they weren''t close. Meg was the only one he ever really talked to at home¡ªand that usually involved less bonding and more ragging on her to do her chores or clean up after herself, or getting nagged about the same in reverse. "There''s rioting and stuff. People are getting hurt." "There''s rioting?" Alden asked, sitting straight up in bed. The adrenaline spike overrode the pain in his shoulder. He looked out the door, but all he could see were the drawn curtains over the blown out windows and the shattered door-frame. "I''m putting you on speaker, Meg. I have a friend with me. Where did you hear that? I don''t see anything." "It was on some stream. I don''t even know why I was following this person, I''ve never heard of them. I saw a popup that they were live and I was bored so I clicked on it." Meg''s voice was tinny and hard to hear, but they were both hanging onto every word. "Zack, I saw some girl almost get her head cut off with an axe. Then she threw a fireball back in the guy''s face." "What did she look like?" Hailey asked anxiously. "Who''s the girl, Zack?" Meg asked with a suspicious tone. "Nevermind, Meg. Just tell us, please," Alden replied. "She had bright silver hair and was super short. The guy was huge and had a big thick beard. Like, super stereotypical lumberjack." "Yeah, we know her," Alden said. He looked at Hailey, who had a grim expression. They both knew what that meant. "Meg, is it still going?" Hailey asked. "No, whoever was filming dropped their phone and ran. It was looking at dirt for a bit and then it just cut out. I think someone probably stepped on it." Meg paused. "There''s like, a movie filming out there or something, right? Special effects and shit?" "Don''t swear," Alden replied automatically. "How many people were watching it?" "Like zero? I dunno, I was kinda flipping out over the action there." Alden had to get as much information out of his sister while he could. It would be important that everyone knew they''d been caught on camera. Cinza doing magic and fighting with Robert, probably. By Margaret''s description, it sounded pretty clear that most of Cinza''s group had been filmed with clear faces, and with more than a few different spells tossed about. It''d be very difficult to pass it off as a fake by his guess. "That''s all I remember. What are you doing in that town, Zack?" Margaret asked. "If I tell you, do you promise to keep it a secret?" Alden asked. Hailey waved her arms wildly at Alden trying to stop him. He tapped mute on the phone. "What?" "You shouldn''t tell her," Hailey hissed, even though it was muted. "If I don''t, she''s gonna start telling everyone she knows about that video." "It was already streamed. Even if only ten people saw it, it''ll spread. A full-blown riot in a town this small is news." Hailey shook her head. "Best case, they investigate when they can and we''ve already cleaned up the mess, and the humans don''t learn anything." "...Right." Alden didn''t like lying to his sister, but he convinced himself it was for her own good. He took a second to prepare his story, then unmuted the phone. "It''s for a movie. I got a part as an extra, but it''s supposed to be a secret so no one swarms the set." "You''re not bullshitting me?" Meg asked. "No. And stop swearing." "Oh, shut up. Mom''s not around." Meg sighed audibly. "As long as you''re safe, then." "Yeah, all good." "Someone''s gonna get fired for that stream though," Hailey added. "Sucks for them. Talk to you later Zack." Meg hung up, and Alden let out a huge sigh of relief. "She bought it then?" Hailey asked. "Probably." "You''d better hope she did," interjected Lily. She''d appeared at the doorway, giving them both another shock. From a glance, it was definitely Lily though¡ªher demeanour and tone were totally distinct from Kendra, even if their appearances were indistinguishable. "Would you people stop doing that?" Hailey muttered. "If she starts talking, we''re all bollocksed." Lily limped into the room, wearing a makeshift splint on one leg. "We''re probably screwed either way," Rika added, following her into the room. Rika was sporting a bandage around her head along with several over her arm. Her left eye was blackened and bruised and she winced with every movement of her chest. "Like Hales said, it''s news. It''s gonna spread." "So what do we do?" Alden asked. "Fuck if I know. I''m getting out of this fucking town." Alden was taken aback. "You''re not gonna help?" "Help what? Omega''s gonna kill them, or Rachel''s gonna win. This is a battle of people who actually give a fuck, and I currently give zero fucks about society or world peace or any of that shit." Rika shook her head. "Coming here was a mistake." "Then why did you come?" Hailey asked. "If you couldn''t care less about Rachel or any of us, why''d you come back?" "Told you, I''m trying to find my dad. But since Will''s working for me now and the Cockney Wonder Twins were lying about their sources, I''m getting the feeling I should just move on." Lily frowned. "I''m from Westminster." "Whatever." "I thought Rachel was your friend," Alden said. "You''re just gonna leave her?" "Dude, Rachel tried to get me kicked out of the goddamn country. You call that a friend?" "She was trying to protect you." "I can protect my own fucking self, thanks. I''m surprised you''re trying to push for staying, Alzack. This place fucked you six ways to Sunday too and you haven''t even been here a week." "What?" "Tell him," Rika asked, nodding at Lily. Lily''s eyebrows narrowed. "You overheard?" She shrugged. "You guys aren''t that observant. If you''re gonna be sharing deep dark secrets, you should probably pay attention to the bedroom door." "Tell me what?" Alden asked, getting impatient. "The gaps in your memory. They were magically formed, and in a method that''s not reversible." Lily paused. Her voice slipped towards Kendra''s typical inflections as she explained. "You don''t need to worry about a hidden foe, and from what we can surmise, it''s not a spell that can be cast on anyone who has been awakened. You are safe from further meddling, at least in this particular approach." "So what happened to my sibling?" Alden asked. Lily shook her head. "We don''t know." Hailey frowned. She tried to lean up in her bed, but coughed and fell back again. "That''s it? You didn''t find anything else?" "Whoever did this was incredibly thorough. The envelope that Zack gave us was a fluke, most likely forgotten because it had no real identifying marks. Granted, we''ve been a little busy this week and haven''t given it a proper thorough investigation, but I doubt we''ll uncover any further evidence or clues." Alden fell back against the wall with a thud. His entire mission in coming to the town, the only reason he''d even bothered to get on the train in the first place, had just come to a sudden abrupt halt. "There''s more than that though," Hailey said slowly. "Zack, I think it did more than just wipe away your sibling." "What?" He felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. What else did I lose? "We''ve been talking this whole time and you never once mentioned a single friend. You don''t seem like the loner type at all to me," she added apologetically. "You threw yourself into a brand new town and made a half-dozen friends in days. So there''s no way you don''t have any back home, right?" Alden shook his head. "I don''t, really. I mean. I never really have¡­" he trailed off. More snippets of memory were coming back to him. Not of any friends, but of odd phone calls and texts he hadn''t understood. He''d hung up or blocked more than a few of them, assuming they were wrong numbers. Now, knowing what had been cast on him, he realized what he''d inadvertently done. "Oh shit¡­" Rika murmured. Panic was beginning to rise in Alden''s chest. His heart was pounding and his vision felt dramatically sharper. His mind was going a mile a minute but couldn''t settle on any single topic or any single memory. "I¡ª what did¡ª I don''t¡ª" he stammered. "Alden, calm down." Rika landed on the bed next to him and grabbed his shoulders. She stared him directly in the eyes. "Calm. Down." "What did they do to me?" Alden shouted in her face. "Calm the fuck down!" Rika shouted back. Alden was shaking in her grip. Breaths came in short gasps. "It''s going to be okay." "How can any of this be okay?" "I don''t fucking know, all right?" Rika shook her head. "I don''t know how any of this works either." Hailey spoke up from the other bed. "You''re having a panic attack. Just keep breathing. Everyone in this room is on your side. It''s going to be okay, just keep breathing." Alden shook his head. He was still trying to talk, but words were coming out in single syllables and short bursts that made no sense. All he could do was think about how much of his memory was gone and who had done it. He finally managed to choke out a sentence after a few minutes of slowly diminishing hysteria. "This isn''t fun anymore." Rika''s eyes got wide for a second, then fiercely narrowed. "You thought this was going to be fun? Magic isn''t a fucking game, Alden. People are dying out there." "Rika, stop, you''re not helping¡ª" Hailey started, but Rika''s voice rose to drown her out. She stood up from the bed to tower over Alden. "Grow the fuck up, Alden. You''ve had something fucking terrible happen to you, and now you''ve got to deal with it. Welcome to the shitty-ass world." A phone started buzzing. Lily withdrew it from her bag and answered. The entire room fell eerily silent, with Rika''s words still hanging in the air. Alden was rocking back and forth in place on the bed, feeling utterly terrified. He was barely paying attention, and missed the entire phone conversation until Lily finally hung up, her eyes wide. "Omega attacked Will," she reported in a whisper. "Fuck!" Rika screamed. She turned and ran out the door heedless of her injuries. Lily watched her go, clearly wishing she could follow on her leg. Hailey finally managed to sit up. "How bad?" "He''s alive, but it''s bad. They think Omega deliberately left him alive." Lily shook her head in dismay. "No one''s safe anymore." Alden stood up while the two of them kept talking. He wasn''t listening anymore. To his surprise, he barely felt injured, except for the still faintly stinging cut on his shoulder. His mind was on autopilot. It was about thirty five miles to the nearest town, if he remembered right. Forty at the most. It would be a long run, but he could probably make it. He had some food in his backpack and he could grab more from Rika''s apartment before he left. It was warm enough at night that he didn''t need to worry about freezing. Ignoring the cries of alarm from Lily and Hailey, Alden bolted from the room. He took off at a sprint through the oppressive darkness of the unlit town. There was enough moonlight to tell where he was going, but the darkness wasn''t what terrified him. It was the visions of monsters growing out of the floor. Even worse, it was the idea that even his own mind could no longer be trusted. Alden ran, trying to flee something he couldn''t possibly escape from. The dark night swallowed him up, like a grinning shadowy monster eager to devour its hapless prey. [Discord]¡ª[Rate This Story]¡ª[Patreon] Chapter 22 — The Importance of Flying Chapter 22 ¡ª The Importance of Flying The nearest town was almost thirty miles south, through endless thick forests and over steep hills. Alden wasn''t totally out of shape, but it was going to be a hard run. If he was even still travelling south. He''d known the train station was the north end of town, and tried to keep it behind him as he went, but who knew if he was still running in a straight line since he''d plunged into the trees? It didn''t matter in the end. There was no way he was setting foot inside Rallsburg ever again. He had to escape. To stay was suicide, or worse. He hadn''t brought any food or water. He had left all his clothes and things back at the apartment. He knew full well that fleeing in a blind panic was foolhardy¡ªand yet his legs kept pumping. A particularly thick tree root at an odd angle managed to trip him. His mind hurtled into the pool of energy he recognized as magic, and he grabbed his entire body. With a heave that rattled his bones, he flung himself upright again, changing direction in mid-air. Alden didn''t fall. He just kept running. Alden wasn''t even sure there was a town in thirty miles. He was relying on the vague memory of a few satellite maps on the internet. It could be just a patch of roads or a named intersection that never had anything built. At this time of night, he wasn''t likely to flag down a passing car, so neither of those did him any good. He''d have to keep going. He could run a six minute mile on a good day, but this was longer than a marathon. Already, the distance seemed incredibly daunting, but with the adrenaline pumping through his veins, he felt like he could make it. He never had a chance to find out. As Alden passed a tree, he tripped yet again on an unusually large dark lump jutting out of the ground. He was about to catch himself, but the lump moved. He heard a familiar grunt of pain. Alden was so shocked he crashed heavily into the dirt. "...the fuck?" Viper hissed, twisting around slightly to look at him. He was wearing dark green modern military camouflage and his face was dabbed with dark paint. He''d been laying in a concealed position, watching across a moonlit expanse in the trees. His one good arm held a pistol. Alden started to scramble away, but Viper grabbed one of his ankles. "No, stop, I have to get away from here¡ª" Alden stammered. He was practically begging at this point. Anything to let him keep running. "Be quiet." "Let me go!" Alden shouted. "Kid, shut the fuck up!" Viper snapped under his breath. It was too late. A pile of loose twigs and branches in the center of the moonlit area began to rise up from the floor, as if the ground itself were erupting underneath them. A hulking, faceless golem slowly emerged. Silently, it rotated on the pillar of material where its legs should have been, and it began to slide toward them. "Shit." Viper clicked a small cord that was attached to his hand in the sling. "Weapons green." A rifle crack echoed through the forest. The golem''s torso was flung violently to the side. It toppled over¡ªbut only seconds later, it was already pulling itself back up. Viper scrambled to his feet. "Goddamnit." "I''m sorry," Alden sputtered. He watched the golem warily as it approached. "We can just run though, right?" "Can''t run forever. I was tryin'' to get the actual owner of these fuckers," Viper spat. He thumbed his radio again. "Lure it to two-one-zero and blow it." A pause, then another rifle shot rang out¡ªfrom a different location. It was further to Alden''s right, from the direction he''d been running. The golem, apparently not spotting them behind the tree, lumbered toward the sound of the gunfire. It took it a minute to vanish from sight. Alden let out a deep breath. A second later, Viper pulled him back down to the ground. A massive concussive blast sent the tree shuddering. Alden had never heard something so loud. The forest behind them erupted in a ball of orange and black, smoke billowing out in every direction. The golem was utterly annihilated. "Well, at least that works," Viper grumbled. He got to his feet, while Alden recovered from the force of the explosion. His ears were still ringing, and the headache he''d felt back in town had returned threefold. "Now where the hell are you runnin'' off to?" "Anywhere but here." "Fair enough, but I''m pretty sure you were supposed to get something for me. Where''s the damn Scrap?" Alden didn''t dare lie to him. "We were told it was somewhere north, and then the entire town went crazy. There''s a riot, and your source was attacked by Omega, and¡ª" He cut off. The most recent revelation was was still too much for him to process, let alone voice aloud. "So much for this fuckin'' town," Viper shrugged. He thumbed his radio. "Rook, regroup at delta. You get your wish. We''re bailing." He grabbed up Alden by the neck of his shirt and pressed him against the tree. "Do I have to drag you the whole way there?" "I¡­ what?" "Two people with magic''s better''n just one. You''re coming with us." Alden shook his head. "I have to get out of here." "Well lucky you, that''s where we''re goin''." Two clicks of the radio, then another long press. Alden struggled, but Viper had him firmly pinned to the trunk. Even with only one arm, the man was hellishly strong. "Snakecharmer, python." Pause. "Snakecharmer, evac at el-zed delta in ten mikes. Drop us a line, tree cover''s too thick. Over." Pause. "Ack, Snakecharmer. We''ll see you in fifteen. I''m buying drinks. Out." Viper yanked Alden around and pushed him forward. South again. "Move it, kid. We''ve got a ride to catch." Alden hesitated. "Where are you taking me?" "Back to base. And don''t think stallin'' will do you any good. All that means is a pissed chopper pilot who I''ll owe a few extra bottles when we get home." Alden began a more deliberately paced trek through the forest. Despite his newfound captivity, he felt much more at ease than he had a few minutes ago. Viper was a known quantity, and he was taking control of the situation. Alden didn''t have to think again for a while. He could just do as he was told, walk forward, and he''d survive. Or would he? Doubt was creeping in. Viper didn''t exactly seem like the merciful type¡ªor the legal type. Alden could be loaded into a black box, interrogated and then killed off without a second thought. No one knew where he was or who he was with. "You''re taking me to Malton, right?" "How''s a shrimp like you know that?" he asked. Alden stopped to answer him, but Viper elbowed him in the back. He pressed on. "Heard it around that you worked for them," Alden tried to answer as casually as he could. "Yeah, no, you heard it from someone specific. That Jap chick, probably. Well, yeah, that''s where you''re going. End of the line, kid." "You''re gonna kill me?" "Probably not. But they''re gonna want to study you, and me too. You cooperate, you''ll probably live a lot longer." "And what if they want to open both of us up?" Alden asked. "Then they open both of us up. They''d better find out somethin'' useful though, if I''m gonna die in a fuckin'' lab instead of out in the field." Alden fell silent in dismay. Viper wasn''t going to be dissuaded. He''d answered so indifferently that Alden was totally convinced of his loyalty. They walked in silence for a few minutes, until Viper finally spoke up again. "Look, I''ll put in a word for ya. You don''t seem like a bad kid. Might be I can make your life a bit more comfortable." "Thanks," Alden replied bitterly. "Or not. Just offerin''." Uncomfortable silence hung around them once again. Alden was following Viper through the forest with his head hung low. He didn''t even bother trying to run. What hope did he have against a trained military operator like Viper? He was just a kid, no matter what he''d thought. "I wasn''t special at all," Alden mumbled. Viper laughed. "Kid, none of us are special. Even this son of a bitch poppin'' out monsters is just another guy. Dies to a bullet in the head, same as you or me." "You were just gonna shoot him?" "Me? Fuck no. Malton will want him alive. I was gonna dart him, but you showed up and scared him away. First time we''d managed to get the drop on him, too, after dancing around for weeks out here." "So Malton knows about magic?" Viper shrugged. "I have to tell him sooner or later. He''s gonna want to get a leg up on the competition before this blows wide open." "And you''ll just give yourself over and let them experiment on you?" "I was supposed to be dead ten years back. As far as I figure it, Malton already owns my life. Anything I''ve done since then is on his dime." Alden shuddered. "I couldn''t do that." "Well lucky you, you don''t actually get to choose. That''s on me." Alden was starting to get desperate. "Wouldn''t you want someone more powerful? I can barely do anything." He shook his head. "A catch is a catch, and I ain''t stayin'' in this fucking place another minute. Everything''s gonna blow up soon, I can feel it."
They emerged into a small clearing in the forest. There wasn''t nearly enough room for a helicopter to land, from what Alden could see. He expected to keep moving, but Viper took a seat on a nearby root and waited. Alden sat down too, as far away as he dared. "Olet taas kuollut," came a whisper from nearby. Viper twisted around in shock, raising his gun. Alden froze in terror. Rook emerged from the shadows, slinging her rifle over her shoulder. "That was sloppy," she remarked calmly. "Jesus, Tess," Viper grumbled. He holstered his pistol. "Even tonight?" "Always." "Bravo, you win, I didn''t clear the fuckin'' LZ." Viper sat back down again. "One of these days I''m actually gonna shoot you." "On that day, you will have your first miss." She looked at Alden as if she were examining a dead fish. "I didn''t realize we had cargo." "Boss needs a sample, and he was convenient." Rook leaned against a tree. "They will cut him up," she added. Alden couldn''t hear a single note of sympathy in her voice. Was she on his side? If not, why bring it up? "Probably. Once we unload him, it''s not our job anymore. We''ll finally be out of this boring-ass town." "It is better than the deserts." "I just want anywhere we don''t have to put up with so many civvies," Viper grumbled. In the distance, Alden could hear the drumbeat of an incoming helicopter. It was getting loud, fast. He tensed up. Was this his moment to run? Viper and Rook seemed distracted. Once the chopper arrived, did he have any hope of escaping? Alden rose up just a centimeter. Instantly, he found himself staring down two barrels. Both Viper and Rook had drawn their weapons. "Don''t." Rook glared at him. "I do not feel like running right now." "It''s been a long-ass day," Viper added. Alden sat back down. "Aren''t I important, if you want me in a lab somewhere? You can''t shoot me." "Sure we can. There''s plenty of places you can shoot a man without him dyin'' anytime soon. Tessa knows all of them. If you want to try to run, you''ll learn a couple too." Viper looked up at the sky and thumbed his radio. "Snakecharmer, python." Pause. "Snakecharmer, we''re set for dust-off. Drop it. Over." The helicopter hurtled into view. It raked across the canopy with the nose tilted up, braking hard and fast. It came to a stop just above the small clearing. Two ropes were thrown out either side, unspooling and dropping down to the forest floor. Viper hauled Alden to his feet. They crossed to the ropes, where both Rook and Viper produced small metal clamps that hooked into their combat vests. "Hang on tight," Viper grunted. Alden grabbed onto his chest with all the strength he could muster. Viper clamped them onto the rope. "Viper set." "Rook set," came a reply from the other side of the chopper, barely audible under the beating thump of the chopper blades. At her echo, the helicopter lifted into the sky, taking them with it. The ropes slowly retracted upward, steadily carrying Alden toward the open doors. Until that point, Alden had vaguely hoped Rika might burst out of the trees and lay them both low, just as she had with Jessica. As Alden thought back through all the events since he''d arrived in Rallsburg, he was slowly coming to believe Rika was as impenitent and callous as most of her former friends seemed to believe. Since they''d met on the train, Rika hadn''t ever really done anything to help him. She''d spoken a lot about helping, and allowed him to follow her, but beyond letting him awaken, what had she actually done for him? Alden had helped Rika out indirectly. Just by being around, he''d noticed that a lot of people had tended to treat her with a little less outright hostility. He''d provided her with an excuse and a shield. Despite his shortcomings with magic, he''d actively tried to help her in every scheme she cooked up, or the danger she''d been facing in town from both the magical and the mundane. Rika had told him fate had put them together, and he''d believed it wholeheartedly. Now that he was in actual trouble and his life was dissolving before his eyes, Rika was nowhere to be found. The one friend he''d believed he made left ran out and abandoned him in the middle of the worst moments of his life. Alden was totally alone, and being dragged away to what would certainly be the end of his life. It felt like the end of his life, being pulled up to the helicopter while holding desperately onto Viper for dear life. Alden would never see his family again, or his friends. Not that he had any friends, apparently. Maybe this was for the best. At least he might actually contribute something, being tied up in a lab at Malton. His life would have meaning, even if it was just to advance some cause he didn''t know or care about. They were thirty feet or so above the roof of the forest when Alden spotted something. There was a shape flitting among the treetops somewhere behind them. The helicopter had just tilted forward, gathering speed as it turned east. Alden strained his eyes. The moonlight was strong and the lights on the helicopter were all turned off. He could just barely make out a figure speeding toward them through the air. It could only be one person. Alden remembered¡ªhe did have friends. His only hope was to make sure Viper and Rook didn''t notice. They were more focused on the quickly approaching landing skids of the helicopter. Viper was reaching his hand out to grab it early, and Rook mirrored his action. Neither of them were looking down, and Viper was barely holding onto Alden now that they were so far up in the air. Alden could let go at any moment. He had to signal her. Alden plunged into his mind, delving for the elemental magic Rika had taught him. There was the fire, sputtering away and waiting to spring into life wherever he desired it. Alden flung it wide, as far as he could reach. Every inch further from himself made it more difficult. The strain was tremendous for the small amount he was conjuring. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. A few dozen feet in front of her, he spelled out a single word with licks of flame. They dissipated instantly. He couldn''t maintain them, or he''d black out completely. HELP A flicker of light blinked twice in response. Alden tensed. The helicopter skid was only a few feet up. Viper''s grip around his waist loosened as he reached for it. The figure in the trees sped up, rising slightly and darting toward the helicopter as fast she could. Alden''s heart was pounding so hard he felt like his head would explode. He was about to do something utterly insane and suicidal. But if he didn''t, he''d be dead anyway. Alden pushed off Viper and let go. "What the fuck?" Viper screamed. His eyes shot down to catch Alden''s, wide with confusion. Alden felt like he should say something in response, but he was too terrified to open his mouth. He fell swiftly toward the expanse of green below. It would only take seconds for him to hit the ground and be a very dead kid. She rocketed into him. He tumbled sideways through the open air. A hand grabbed ahold of him and lifted him into the sky. Alden was held fast by an awkwardly bent arm. He twisted around and grabbed hold of her. They were still rapidly descending, but Alden could feel their speed slowing over time. Not slow enough. They hurtled past a tree and narrowly dodged another before crashing headlong through a thick intersection of branches. Alden felt cuts on his face as they plowed through, but they emerged out the other side. Finally, mercifully, he felt a sharp tug in his stomach. The wings had unfurled and flared wide, and their speed was dropping quickly. "You okay?" she shouted. The wind blasted their ears. Alden was still too shaken up to answer. He just closed his eyes and held on tight while Hailey swept through the trees. He was still trying to process what had just happened. Alden had thrown himself out into the air with no guarantee of safety. He''d been at least a hundred feet off the ground. He should have died. It was only thanks to Hailey''s quick action that he was still breathing. "We''ve gotta land," Hailey called. "I can''t keep this up much longer." Alden nodded into her shoulder, still too winded to speak. He wrapped his arms tighter around her and clung on as she started to glide lower. Ahead, they could see a dim light filtering through the trees. A campfire, maybe. Hailey was making for it. Alden shook his head. "What?" "What if that''s them?" Alden said. The wind wasn''t so loud anymore, and his panic was subsiding while his anxiety continued to rise. "I need to land somewhere. We''re gonna fall if I don''t." Hailey dropped lower. Alden could feel the air thump against their descent in waves until they were finally coming into a short landing. Thankfully, they were far short of the firelight, whomever it might belong to. Hailey dropped onto her feet, but her legs immediately gave way and they tumbled into the moss and dirt. She groaned, and awkwardly rolled off of Alden. "You okay?" Alden asked tentatively. "I''m still pretty banged up," Hailey replied. She dragged herself to the nearest tree and propped herself up against it. "You came after me." "Well yeah, of course I did." She looked at him funny. "Why wouldn''t I?" Alden''s face heated up. "Thank you." Hailey shook her head. "I had to. My friends all left and I didn''t chase after any of them. So I''m starting a new thing where I actually try to keep my friends around. And, well, you needed help." "No kidding," Alden said. He looked up at the thick tree canopy and the moonlight filtering through the branches. The helicopter was still loud and circling nearby, but they couldn''t it. "I was screwed. How did you find me?" "Followed you the whole way. I nearly caught up right when you were snatched by that guy, but I had to stay back. We''re lucky neither of them ever really looked up." Hailey grinned. "I was hopping between trees like a monkey." "Awesome." "So what did they want with you?" "To put me in a lab somewhere. For that Malton guy Rika mentioned." Hailey shuddered. "That''s awful." "Yeah, but they only grabbed me because I was convenient. They might try to get someone else before they leave." Hailey pulled out her phone. Her eyes narrowed. "Crap. No signal." "It sounded like they were leaving though. Maybe we don''t need to worry about it," Alden added dubiously. "You want to risk that? What if they grabbed Jess?" Hailey asked. "Tried to grab Jess," Alden pointed out. "I''m pretty sure she could take them in a fight." "Maybe. If they took her by surprise though¡­" Hailey''s face creased with worry. "It''s not like we''re invincible, we just have more magic we can use. A couple humans with guns or tranquilizers are still pretty scary." Alden noted her use of the term yet again. Now that they finally had time, he decided to point it out. "You keep saying ''humans''. Like you''re not one anymore." Hailey looked surprised. She hesitated before answering. "I¡­ I dunno. I guess I just feel different now. Like I''m something else. Don''t you feel that?" Alden shrugged. "I haven''t really thought about it. It never really occurred to me to think of myself as anything else." She looked uncomfortable. "Is it weird? I''ll try to stop." He shook his head. "You don''t need to do anything because I told you to. I''m just one guy." "No, if it''s weird I¡ª" She cut off suddenly, tilting her head to the side. Alden heard it too. Someone was talking nearby, much louder than them. Shouting, in fact. It was a voice they both recognized. A low, perpetually exhausted, bitter voice. It was Brian Hendricks.
"They don''t beat you. They can''t. That''s the whole point." Brian was raging at Omega, his voice carrying through the underbrush. Alden was frozen in place. Hailey had landed closer to the light than he''d thought¡ªand it had belonged to his worst nightmare. It was a miracle they hadn''t been heard themselves, but it seemed their foes were a bit preoccupied to be listening out for faint voices in the distance. "Calm down, man," Omega replied. Even though he wasn''t shouting, his own voice still carried far. The deep timbre struck shivers in Alden''s spine, just as it had in town. "They just surprised me." "You''ve got a massive bite in your shoulder," Brian growled. "What the hell did those savages do to you? And how?" Omega hesitated before answering. "It won''t happen again. I''ll be ready next time." "No, that''s not enough. We have to send them a message." "What kind of message?" Hailey shot a fearful look at Alden. Neither of them dared move, but they seemed to be in complete agreement: we need to get out of here. "That the end is nigh. They''ve chosen destruction." "You would destroy the entire town?" Omega asked casually. "You said it yourself. Magic is out and the town did nothing. They just accepted it and moved on. How could this town¡ªmy own neighbors and friends¡ªlet such filth into our lives?" Brian might have sounded hysterical, but his voice was controlled and steady. He continued in that same confident voice, speaking of murder and bloodshed like it were a chore¡ªunpleasant, but ultimately necessary. "Rallsburg is doomed. We have to wipe it from the face of the earth. Natalie and I will find a new home after it''s gone. Then we''ll be safe." Natalie? Alden mouthed at Hailey in confusion. She shrugged, equally bewildered. Brian was apparently totally unaware of his daughter''s status. "What''s your plan?" Omega asked. "They''ll probably call a meeting, since they think you''re on the retreat," Brian continued. "Use the time they have to plan some kind of defense. I can strike there." "No." "No? It''s the perfect opportunity." "You alone, against the combined force of the town? They''d hunt you down like a dog." "I can beat them." Omega sighed. His voice got quieter, too quiet for them to hear. Alden looked at Hailey with dismay. She frowned, then made a few brief motions with her fingers. The air suddenly felt thicker around Alden''s ears, as though there were some kind of pressure building up in the area. Brian and Omega were suddenly quite audible again, though they''d dropped to normal speaking volumes. "...stronger than I thought you''d be, even using my magic secondhand like that. But you''re going up against forces you''ve never seen. Spells I''ve never seen." "The entire world is at stake. The clock''s ticking. We can''t just sit around and wait for their next move. We can use terror, turn fear back on those monsters like they deserve. They can''t mount a defense if they''re running scared." "They aren''t going anywhere. We''ve made sure of that. We can be patient and thorough." "I don''t have time for that." "Why is it so urgent?" "Because my little girl is still in there!" Brian roared, causing Hailey and Alden to jump. The volume amplification made it sound like he was shouting right in their faces. "She''s not alone, thank God, but she''s still in danger. I''m the only one who can protect her. You know that we can''t trust anyone else with magic. Those stupid bastards would probably try to hoard it for themselves and we''d get more dead kids in the crossfire. The only way we can be certain is to kill every last one of them. I''m never letting anyone hurt my Natalie again." "...Again?" Omega prompted. "It was when she was little," Brian answered. The hot fury in his tone slowly subsided into a much colder, but no less intense contempt. "She doesn''t remember it at all, but her mother¡­ well, her mom wasn''t exactly the brightest bulb on the tree. She neglected our daughter so many times¡­ Then Lori took Natalie out to a playground, and she lost track of her. Natalie wandered out into the street and got hit by a guy on a bike. She was bleeding and crying, and Lori didn''t even realize it had happened until the ambulance showed up." Brian''s voice had shifted to a growl. "If it had been a car, Natalie might not be alive. Lori was careless, the biker was careless, every single fucking person there was careless. Careless people who don''t do anything to prevent disasters like this are dangerous. Now they''ve got magic at their disposal and you''re wondering why I think it''s urgent?" "You''ve made your point, man," Omega answered, trying to placate him. There was a pause. "What?" Brian asked. "Thought I felt something¡­" Omega murmured. Alden shot a panicked look at Hailey. "What if he can feel magic like Will can?" he hissed. Fear filled Hailey''s face. Twigs and leaves scattered as she lifted into the air. She held steady while Alden grabbed hold. Moments later, they were skybound, moving away from the firelight as fast as they could.
They didn''t see Viper''s helicopter anywhere nearby, but Hailey stayed low above the treeline nonetheless. Neither of them wanted to risk anything at that point. She was taking a slow roundabout route outside its flight path back to Rallsburg. "Are you getting tired? We can set down again," Alden asked. Without the makeshift harness, he was feeling a bit vulnerable just hanging off Hailey. She was bearing most of the weight, despite only using one arm to hold up him, but it was still harrowing to be flying through the air with no visible support. Exciting, even in their current state, but definitely nerve-wracking. She shook her head. Hailey''s eyes had started to adopt the dead look of the deeply exhausted, but she seemed fiercely determined. "I''ll get us home," she replied. "Unless¡­ you don''t want to go back? I guess you were thinking about running." "I¡ª" Alden started. "I don''t blame you," she continued quickly. "Honestly, I thought about it too. Even with Jess like she is, we might have a better chance getting out of here. But I''m on the fence. Jess and I can probably help out. Like, a lot. I feel like I''d regret it the rest of my life if I ditch now, you know?" "I can''t do anything though. I''m just a kid, and every spell I try is just weak," Alden muttered. He assumed Hailey couldn''t hear him over the wind, but she caught it anyway. "Sure you can. Don''t listen to Rika. You''re better than that. You''re smart, Alden." Hailey glanced down at him for a second with a quick smile, but quickly looked back up before they plowed headlong into a tree. She had to roll to avoid it, making them both wince from the pressure. "Sorry. Seriously, though. Don''t sell yourself short. You can''t do much magic yet, yeah, but you''ve only had it for what, a week?" "Less than," he replied sheepishly. "There you go! How are you supposed to be on par with all these people who''ve been doing it for a year? Or more? Don''t try to measure yourself against all these people, they''ve got a huge head start." "Easy for you to say." He hadn''t meant that to sound so bitter, but it came out that way. Hailey shrugged. "I cheated. Didn''t know it, but apparently I did. I don''t count." She glanced at him again, seeing his dejected expression. "Look, your life sucks right now, and it''s all because of magic. I''ve been there for sure. Think about it though. If you leave, it''s not like magic''s not still gonna be there, right? You''re awakened now, just like the rest of us. Do you think you''ll ever have a normal life again?" "No." "Exactly. More importantly, think about all the cool things we can do now. I mean, check it out." Hailey abruptly launched into a dive, rolling around several trees at breakneck speed. They burst through a clump and Hailey suddenly angled them up into the air. They rose high into the sky. Alden felt his stomach fall out from under him. They were rolling over backwards. Hailey had taken them into a reverse loop. He was suddenly laid out above her, with only the clear starry expanse above. It was a rare cloudless night and the moon and stars were bright and gorgeous. For that brief instant, he forgot everything. It was a moment of weightless, breathless excitement. They began to fall back down, and instead of a rush of wind like Alden expected, Hailey returned them to a slow glide again. He burst out laughing. "Thought I said to warn me next time." "Yeah, but where''s the fun in that?" Hailey laughed. "Seriously, you want to give up stuff like this?" "No, of course not." "Me neither." Hailey sobered up again, her laughter dying away. "The thing is, that''s what he wants to take away, right? He wants magic to end. Maybe he''s got a decent reason, I don''t know. But I can''t believe it. So I''m not going to let them. Are you?" Alden shook his head. "No, but I''m no one. I''m not powerful like you, or connected like Rachel and Rika. I''m not important at all." "I don''t think that matters," Hailey replied. "I mean, look at Rachel. From what Rika told me, she can barely do any magic herself. She''s almost worthless at it. As for being connected and important, Rachel pretty much just copied me." "What?" "Yeah. Believe it or not, before I decided I was going to be a hermit for the rest of my life, I was basically the center of town. I knew everyone and everyone knew me. Life of the party. The girl in the know. Queen bee. Pick your title." Hailey laughed. "Rachel was just one of my friends. She was always trying to be the center too, and she was nice enough, but she was a bit too clueless to handle it. Too forgetful. And when you start forgetting people and snubbing them at all the big events, you can''t be the center anymore, you know? Plus, everyone just thought she was a little weird." Hailey grimaced. "I don''t feel great about it, but we probably treated her pretty bad. She was crazy tall and super awkward. It was like high school all over again. Then magic shows up. I drop off the face of the earth¡ªfor very important reasons¡ªand Rachel turns on genius-mode somehow. She already knew most of the town just because she hung out around me so much, and she basically just took over. No magic, no tricks, just being there for everyone. "The point I''m trying to make, Alden," she continued, her voice straining a little as she started lifting them above the rising treetops. They were headed uphill. Alden noticed her hand was clutching the tourmaline around her neck much tighter than he''d previously noticed. "I think you make yourself important. Yeah, some people start off important because they''re born into it, but they''re not gonna stay there unless they want to. There''s so many people out there now, and everyone''s so connected, you can only rise up to the top if you push your way there." "And how do you do that?" "Luck¡ªand being really damn stubborn." Hailey grinned. "That''s my secret. I don''t give up on things ever. Maybe I put them on pause for a while, but it''s never over til I croak." "I don''t want to be important." "I don''t either. It wasn''t worth it at all. I''d rather have a few close friends than a ton of kinda-friends." "I want to help though," Alden said suddenly. His mind was shifting away from flight. It wasn''t quite to the ''fight'' end of the spectrum, but he didn''t feel so terror-stricken anymore. There was a new sense of conviction building up inside him. Despite what had been done to him, magic was still full of so much potential¡ªand the few friends he''d made on this adventure seemed like friends worth keeping. "If I can help somehow, I want to. I want to help you guys save it. I don''t want magic to go away." "Me neither," Hailey agreed. She started turning them more directly toward the town. Alden noticed they were on a direct path back to Hailey''s (and Rika''s) apartment block. "If it''s cool with you, I think our next move is to get some sleep, because I am gonna fall asleep in mid-air here pretty soon." "What?" "Just kidding. But seriously, I gotta lay down before this gets worse." "Okay." His sudden burst of panic dwindled away. "We need to call Rachel though. We should warn them about the meeting." "Right. You have her number, don''t you?" "Yeah. Guess I could call now." Alden pulled out his phone and dialed, while Hailey gently descended toward the balcony of the apartments. The door slid open of its own accord as they approached. He could see Jessica waiting just inside with her hand outstretched. Hailey landed and let Alden go. She stumbled inside on her weak legs and collapsed onto the sofa. Jessica immediately began fussing over her. Alden stayed outside on the balcony, listening to the phone ring unheeded. Rachel finally answered on the eighth ring. "Hello?" She sounded completely exhausted. "Hi, this is¡ª" "Zack. What can I do for you?" "I¡­ well." He hesitated. He didn''t want to reveal Hailey''s abilities if he didn''t have to. She''d already mentioned how she was a more private person than she used to be, and Rachel was certainly the opposite. It wasn''t his place to tell. "I overheard Omega and Brian talking in the woods." "About what?" She sounded doubtful, but too tired to argue. "They''re going to escalate to the entire town, not just awakened." "We knew that already. They killed the reverend," Rachel answered impatiently. "They also said something about attacking you while you''re meeting tomorrow." "I didn''t call any meeting for tomorrow." "You didn''t?" "No. We talked about what to do next after the riot cleared out, but we hadn''t set anything in stone." "Oh." "Was there anything else?" she asked. "Just¡­ be careful. I''m here to help, and so is everyone else." "Thank you." She sounded like someone riding the line between sincerity and annoyance. "Good night, Zack." "Night." The phone clicked off. Alden stared out into the thick woods beyond the balcony. That hadn''t felt like enough. He wasn''t giving up with just a single phone call. Come tomorrow morning, he was going to be out there helping. Whatever he could do, anything he could contribute to keep the town alive. To keep his friends alive. Jessica emerged and joined him at the railing. She looked at him and tapped his shoulder, where she''d bandaged his cut. He''d completely forgotten about it, and it hadn''t been hurting for a while. He pulled up his shirt sleeve, and she glanced it over. A moment later, she gave a thumbs up, letting his sleeve drop again. Alden pointed inside, then put both hands up to the side of his face and tilted his head to try and indicate sleeping. Jessica nodded. Hailey was asleep. Alden turned back to the forest, trying to think of how to ask Jessica his next question. He already knew how Hailey felt, but Jessica was still a bit of an enigma to him. He liked hanging out with her, and she seemed like the best kind of caring and compassionate, but did that translate into wanting to throw herself into an all-out battle? Alden didn''t want to feel like they were dragging her into a fight she had no interest in. He pointed out into the woods, then made the shape of a man in midair with fire. Jessica watched intently. He made a crude drawing of the town, then the man punching the town and it shattering. Next, he pointed at himself and then inside, and made a fist before punching out at the man. Finally, he pointed at Jessica, then at the man, and cocked his head to the side with a questioning look. Jessica didn''t hesitate. She turned to the outline of the man in small licks of fire, floating above the empty space beyond the balcony. With barely any visible effort, her fingers twirled and a swirl of fireballs appeared. They punched through the man''s chest like tiny glowing bullets, one after the other. Jessica turned back to him and punched her fist into her palm, her eyes narrow. Alden nodded. Jessica was on board. Tomorrow, for better or worse, Alden and his friends would be joining the fight. [Discord]¡ª[Rate This Story]¡ª[Patreon] Chapter 23 — Regrouping Chapter 23 ¡ª Regrouping Rachel knelt beside Will. She tried to make him more comfortable, but her hands were shaking so much that he groaned in pain. Ryan was on the phone with the mayor. They were arguing over calling in another helicopter from Olympia to lift Will out. After Ryan started swearing loudly into the phone, Rachel grabbed it out of his hands. "Listen, you little sh¡ª" Rowan was saying. "Rowan," she interrupted, and even to herself, her voice sounded haunted and broken. "Rachel? What''s going on? Ryan said something happened to Will¡ª" "Call a helicopter." "...Rachel, we can''t just call another helicopter. One was bad enough. If we call in two, there''s going to be a real investigation. We''re going to have problems, really fast." "Call a helicopter." "Are you okay? I''m going to head over there." "Call a helicopter." Rachel hung up before he could speak another word. She dropped the phone to the ground and pressed her face up against Will''s. He groaned. She recoiled, afraid she''d caused him more pain. "Is someone coming?" Ryan asked. "I don''t know," she murmured. "What''s going on?" Natalie asked, poking her head through the door. "Oh my god." "Kid, watch the door. Don''t let anyone in without asking, got it?" Ryan snapped. "What happened to him?" "Omega hurt him. Now watch the fucking door." "Fine." Natalie disappeared again. "Are you happy now?" Rachel said quietly. "Am I what?" Ryan asked. She ignored him. "Now he''s attacking anyone he wants. I think your rules are gone. Is this what you wanted?" "No," came the expected whisper. "Who the hell are you talking to?" Ryan asked. "Would you just show yourself so I don''t have to explain?" Rachel asked wearily. Beverly faded into existence just beside the couch. She was looking out the window, deliberately anywhere but at them, but Rachel could see she was clearly upset. "How could you ask that? Of course I''m not happy." "Holy shit," Ryan murmured. Rachel ignored him. "How can I stop him?" she asked. "I don''t know," Beverly answered simply. "I never could." "So I should just give up?" Rachel asked, fury rising in her voice. "I shouldn''t even try?" "I don''t know," she whispered, too low for Ryan to hear. "Jackson and I were¡­ close. You''re asking me to help you kill someone I still care about. It''s insane. I don''t know." "If I try, he''ll come back and kill Will. But if I don''t, he''ll kill everyone else. Am I just supposed to stop trying?" "Fuck that," snapped Ryan. He sat down next to Rachel and looked her in the eye. "Of course you should try to stop him. What are you supposed to do, just roll over and die? He''s not shy about killing. He knows if he killed Will, you''d come after him ten times harder than usual. So he blindsides you. He fucks Will up, but leaves him alive. Now you''re distracted, ''cause Will''s in pain and suffering. You''re split in half." Ryan pulled her to her feet. She recoiled from his rough grasp, but something about Ryan''s angry intensity¡ªsomething she normally found ridiculous¡ªwas compelling her to attention. "Time to double down. He''s on the run. He tried to fuck you over. Now you focus and you go fuck him back. I''ll take care of Will. Fucking murder him, Rachel." Rachel''s mind snapped back into place. She forgot about how tired she was. Not just because of Ryan''s words, but because she''d remembered something more important about the night. She had somewhere to be. She couldn''t rest yet. She leaned down and kissed Will on the forehead. "I have to go," she whispered, hoping he could hear. Rachel stood up, once again towering over the room. "What''s next?" Ryan asked impatiently. "I need to go have a conversation with Robert Harrison." "Why do you want to talk to that asshole?" "Because I''m going to use him to get to Omega." Rachel started walking out the door. She had to trust Ryan would take care of Will for her, because she didn''t have time to take care of him right now. As she walked, she reached for the connection between them and plucked it. She knew Will would feel it, even in his current state. Rachel just had to hope he''d understand that she couldn''t be there for him. Not that night. "How the fuck does that work? And how are you even going to get him to cooperate?" Ryan shouted after her. Rachel ignored him. She emerged back into the night time chill. Natalie stirred next to the door. "Are we going out?" the girl asked, gently rubbing her wolf awake. Its eyes snapped open, and it yawned before getting to its feet. Rachel nodded. With Omega now roaming the streets freely, she wasn''t going a single step without Natalie at her side. She stooped down and helped Natalie to her feet. The younger girl climbed back onto Gwen with less grace than before, but in only a few moments she was ready to set out. Rachel lead Natalie and her wolf out into the streets of Rallsburg once again, off to confront the man who had betrayed them all.
Jackie wasn''t at the sheriff''s station when they arrived. It was the one illuminated building in the entire town, a beacon drawing them in. Rachel walked in without a second glance, striding right up to Preston at the desk. The deputy jumped to attention when she burst through the doors. "Rachel! I heard what happened over the radio. Is everyone okay?" "Where''s Robert?" she asked, in the most even tone she could manage. "I uhh¡­ in the cells. Wh¡ª What the hell?" Natalie and Gwen had just come in the door behind Rachel. Preston literally jumped in shock. "Son of a bitch! Is that a wolf?" Natalie patted Gwen''s ears as the wolf growled audibly. Preston started fumbling for his gun. "Don''t," Rachel said firmly. Preston faltered, uncertain, but he stopped trying to get his gun out of his holster. "Natalie will be staying in here with you while I question Robert." Rachel walked over to the door that lead to the holding cells, then turned to Natalie. "No one goes in, okay?" "Okay," she agreed. She leaned down and said something to Gwen, in a half-lilting voice with words Rachel couldn''t understand. The wolf strolled in front of the door and sat down, ready to leap at anything that dared approach. Preston was still watching it fearfully. "Rachel, I can''t let you do that." "Stop me, then," she replied wearily. Preston looked at her, then at the wolf that was eyeing him hungrily. Without a word, he sat back down in his chair. Natalie laid back down again, head buried in soft grey fur, and closed her eyes. Rachel felt a twinge of jealousy that she had that ability, to just curl up on top of something that clearly loved her and fall asleep with complete trust in Gwen to keep her safe. Rachel wanted nothing more than to do that herself. She turned and walked into the small cell block. There was so little crime in Rallsburg, Robert was the only occupant. He looked exactly the same as she''d seen him only an hour ago back up in the forest. He was deprived of his axe and his gun, of course, but otherwise he was dressed exactly the same. It made it all the easier to remember exactly what he''d been doing that night¡ªand what he deserved. "What are you going to do to him?" came a whisper at her side. Rachel wasn''t even surprised by it anymore. She''d already gotten used to Beverly hanging around her at all times, a bitter companion resenting her every move. Rachel wondered how far she could push before Beverly would actually act against her. The girl seemed very passive, and Rachel doubted Beverly would ever really interfere unless she made a move against her brother. Rachel reached into her bag, feeling down for a very particular row of pouches in its depths. Each pouch contained a stash of gemstones, sorted by type and quality. She knew exactly where each one was and could reach them all in an instant. It was every gemstone she''d managed to get her hands on¡ªwhether that was gifts, donations, purchases, or just tearing apart old jewelry and decorations. She''d amassed a sizeable pile of them, and had practiced enough to be well-versed in using each and every one. "Whatever it takes," she replied. Robert looked up, startled by the sudden noise. "What do you want?" he growled. Rachel didn''t answer. She picked up a chair from the corner and set it just outside the bars. With a flick of her wrist and a well-targeted slice of magic, the camera in the corner fell off its mount to the concrete floor. It shattered. Another flick, and the door swung shut with a slam. It took a fair-sized stone and a kick in the gut for her, but it was worth it. Robert stood up very quickly. He backed up against the wall. He acted tough, but his eyes told another story. He was scared. "You wouldn''t. You don''t have the guts to pull this shit." "You''re going to tell me everything you know, Robert," Rachel said. She was doing her best to control her tone, but the rage boiling underneath her skin was palpable. "Like hell. This shit from the girl who had her own special space in the lost and found," Robert sneered. Rachel was done tolerating him. She snatched up a golden citrine orb from her bag and shattered it in an instant. Her mental grasp flew outward, seizing the bench Robert was sitting on. She hurled it into the air. Robert pitched forward head first onto the cold cell floor. The sneer vanished from his face an instant before he plowed into the concrete. The bench fell back on top of him with a painful thud. "Fuck you, bitch," Robert grunted into the stone floor. He pulled himself back to his feet. His nose was bleeding, adding to the other cuts and burns he''d gotten from Cinza''s people. "You have no friends left, Robert," she continued, with a dull ache in her head from the effort of flipping the bench. "The entire town just showed you that. Help us, and maybe you get out of this alive." "Or I just sit tight ''til he kills every last one of you." He spat out another globule of blood onto the concrete. "I can wait." "Why?" "Why what?" "Why are you doing this?" she asked, her voice catching. Rachel hadn''t meant to let her emotions into the picture, but Robert was getting to her. "What did we do to you?" "Nothin''. It''s what you did to that poor girl. That shit has to be answered for." Rachel wished she''d had the foresight to bring John Bell with her. She could use someone with Knowledge magic to help tease out real answers from him. Unless¡­ "Can you tell when someone is lying?" she whispered. It was so low, she barely heard it herself, but she doubted that would be a problem for Beverly. "Not anyone." "But you could tell if he was?" "...Yes." "The hell are you doin''?" Robert asked suspiciously. "I won''t help you if you hurt him again," Beverly added. Rachel cursed under her breath, but had to accept it. In truth she was actually a bit relieved. Flipping the bench, even with the assistance of her best citrine, had been strenuous enough¡ªand she wasn''t exactly inclined towards violence in the first place. She''d always prefer negotiation to the direct approach. Rachel spoke up, addressing Robert again. "I will know if you''re lying, so be honest and we won''t have to make this hard." "Bullshit." "Robert, did you forget what I can do?" Rachel asked, and she flickered a ball of flame into the air between them for a moment. His eyes locked onto it in fear. It puffed out harmlessly. "Ask, then. Don''t mean I gotta answer." "Fine." Rachel paused. "You were told where to find the bodies." "No shit, you said that earlier. It''s still not true." "Lie," Beverly whispered. "I know you did, Robert, and that means you''ve seen them. You''ve seen what our enemy is capable of. Are you really aligning yourself with someone like that?" "''cept he didn''t do that. You fuckers did. He''s just cleaning up the mess. Making sure you don''t kill any other children." "True. As far as he knows," Beverly whispered. "Is it true, though?" Rachel asked under her breath. "...I don''t know. It might be. I never went to see it." Rachel hesitated. They''d been assuming all along that Omega had killed the three in the trailer. If he wasn''t responsible¡ª "They killed themselves," Rachel realized aloud. "What?" Robert asked. Rachel saw no need to conceal the information. "There''s a law of magic that you can''t actually affect someone else directly. We assumed Omega had killed them because it somehow broke that law. But if they killed themselves, that would explain their bodies, and the damage to the trailer. It wasn''t a murder. It was an accident." "...You''re sayin'' that much blood, all those burns and that poor little girl was a goddamn accident?" "Yes. Although I wouldn''t put it past Omega if he''d been capable. He''s shown he''s more than willing." "To kill fuckin'' kids?" "He killed an innocent tonight, if we''re going by your standards. He''s expanded his targets to more than just awakened. I think Rallsburg in general has been written off as a lost cause." "I guess you''re gonna say he closed off the roads and the train too, did he?" Robert asked, but less skeptically than she expected. "Yes. I doubt any of us could cause a landslide like that, unless we were all working together. It had to have been him." "And he killed Henry, did he?" "Think about it, Robert," Rachel sighed. "Why would Cinza kill him? He didn''t threaten them at all. On top of that, think about his body." He grimaced, but she pressed on. "It was broken and practically bent in half. Do you really think Cinza could do that? Or any of her followers?" "Y''all have fucking magic, how am I supposed to know?" "I just explained why we couldn''t. There''s only one thing that could, and that''s Omega''s golems." "The fuck is a golem?" "Something he can summon. A mindless, faceless man with the strength of a giant." "...And all on fire?" Robert asked warily. Rachel was surprised. "Yes. You''ve seen them?" "Those monsters are his?" "Yes, they are. We need to stop him, because he wants to kill all of us. You''re on the kill list too now. He wants to wipe out magic entirely, and you know too much. If you want to live, you''re on our side." "I''ve never met the guy." "Truth," Beverly whispered. Rachel was dismayed. Robert was supposed to be their inside man. "But then, who told you¡­ Brian." Robert shook his head. "Nope." "Lie." She didn''t need Beverly''s word. It was plain on his face. Rachel stood up again. "Robert, I told you. I know when you''re lying. You were meeting with Brian. He told you where the bodies were, and their time of death." "So what?" He was on the defensive again. Protecting his friend. Rachel had to tear Brian down. "Robert, you shouldn''t be protecting him. Brian abandoned his daughter to help a madman commit genocide. He''s the one controlling the golems. I''ve seen him at it. Are you going to help him, when he''s currently trying to kill us all?" "He''s just trying to help his daughter," Robert answered, but he sounded unsure. Rachel shook her head. "His daughter is one of us. You just saw her tonight putting out the fires. Omega will kill them both when he''s done, and there''s nothing Brian could do to stop him. And you helped him do it." The fire of the crusade was finally leaving Robert''s eyes. Remorse filled his thick bearded face. "...the fuck did I do?" he mumbled to himself, barely paying attention to Rachel anymore. Rachel gave him a minute to think and stew himself into a deeper pit. She turned away, so that her whispers to Beverly would go unseen. A vague plan was beginning to form in her mind, but it was predicated on having immediate and viable information. "What do you have in the way of Knowledge spells?" "I can''t track him," Beverly whispered, answering her before she''d even asked. "Nothing at all?" "Anyone who awakened naturally. Natalie, Kendra, Jackson, so on. I can feel it when magic is being used, and how strong, but if it''s one of them I can''t tell who''s using it. So long as he keeps quiet I have no idea where he is. And you know how fast he can move." "So if he casts something, you could tell me where he is?" "Maybe. I''ve tried to use that before. But every time he does something, he runs. I can never catch up, if it was even the right person." "You can teleport." "Doesn''t help if he''s not there anymore." Rachel frowned. "So we can''t go to him. We have to make him come to us." Beverly didn''t answer, so she turned back to Robert. The man was staring at the floor in disgrace. "Robert." "What do you want?" he answered in a debilitated voice. "Do you meet with Brian regularly?" "...Yeah." "Do you contact him, or is it scheduled?" "We planned ''em out, yeah." So we can lure at least one of them. Rachel could work with that. "Will you help us?" "...Don''t kill ''im." "What?" "If I help you, you don''t kill Brian. Arrest him or whatever, but he lives." Rachel nodded. She could agree to that. She didn''t think she could ever look Natalie in the eye again if her father died. "Done." Robert nodded grimly. "I''ll help you."
Rachel slept at the sheriff''s station. There was a cot in the office where she imagined Jackie must have slept several times. She slept on top, trying to disturb it as little as possible. Preston stayed on station all night, in case any tempers were still flaring up, but the night was quiet. A few panicked reports related to the helicopters flying over town came in, and a vague call from Rika''s friend Zack about a possible threat to any meeting they might hold the next day. Rachel didn''t know about any meetings going on, since she certainly hadn''t called any, so she dismissed it in her exhausted state as nothing¡ªjust the anxious opinion of a scared high schooler. Rallsburg was collectively holding its breath, watching and waiting for the next explosion. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Ryan texted her while she was interrogating Robert. The helicopter had come back for Will after dropping off Morton and Brittany, and he''d been safely whisked away to the hospital in Olympia. She wouldn''t need to worry about him for the time being. Rachel could focus on the problem at hand. She could feel the answer hovering around her just out of sight, like a shadow flitting by the corner of her eye. There was a solution, she could sense it, but there was some missing element she didn''t yet understand. Rachel needed the last missing piece of the puzzle. She emerged from Jackie''s office expecting to see the sheriff herself¡ªbut found instead a bleary-eyed Natalie, facing down an impatient Mason Rhistler. The girl was standing next to Gwen and had her hand on the wolf''s shoulder, holding it back. Mason was eyeing them both nervously, but at the sight of Rachel he relaxed. "Natalie wouldn''t let me in," he explained, clearly irritated. "No one unless she says okay," Natalie replied adamantly. She glanced at Rachel after saying it, looking for approval. Rachel nodded. "Thank you, Natalie." In all honesty, she''d probably have been fine with Mason visiting, but finally getting a full night''s rest was rejuvenating. Even with her ritual, her body still needed time off, and with the stress she''d been under, her mind needed a break too. As a bonus, it let Natalie feel important and useful. The girl nodded before turning back to her wolf and scratching its ears affectionately. Rachel looked to Mason. "What''s happening?" "There''s a meeting soon," Mason replied, and Rachel''s heart sank. Zack''s warning had been legitimate after all. "No," Rachel said firmly. "No?" "Omega already knows. He''ll attack the meeting." "He can''t attack it if he can''t find it. We''re going to hold the meeting inside the Market, with the entrances closed off. Professor Laushire has agreed to host." "Who says he can''t find it?" Rachel asked skeptically. "I do. Dimensional pockets are inviolable to trace or detection, by their nature as external planes. Will and I tested this extensively with the bags as well as the entrance by the riverbed, both with and without Professor Laushire''s knowledge. Connections and divinations break at the edge of the field. If she closes all the entrances after we enter, there should be no way to locate us or reach us." "You do remember you''re analyzing a branch of magic you''ve never used, right?" Rachel pointed out. "There''s still a lot of guessing going on here." "Do you have a better idea?" Mason asked, irritated again. He hated it whenever someone doubted him. "Eat something. The meeting''s in an hour." He took a small paper bag from the front desk and tossed it to her. Natalie intercepted it out of midair before Rachel could even react. The bag flew to her hands where she opened it carefully, as if it might explode. "Doughnuts!" she cried gleefully. She took one before sending the bag back to Rachel. "They''re from Dan. He wanted to apologize for the town hall," Mason continued. "Also, Ryan said you could get in touch with Cinza. The rest of us can''t, and she should probably be involved in this. Can you get her to come?" Rachel was already munching through the first doughnut. She nodded. "I''ll see you there then." "Where are you going?" Rachel asked. "To talk to Bryan," Mason replied. Rachel did a double-take, before remembering it wasn''t the same Brian she was thinking of. "Does he know that you''re awakened?" she asked, trying to sound sympathetic. It came off much colder than she''d hoped. He shifted uncomfortably. "He wasn''t happy about it, but he''s been trying to accept it. We haven''t been doing great." "I''m sorry." "It''s not your fault. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Bryan''s just stubborn. He''ll come around. I don''t even know why I''m going to talk to him right now. It probably won''t do anything." Mason was looking down at the ground. "I wish I hadn''t kept it secret." "Is there anything I can do?" Mason shrugged. "Distract me?" Rachel had a sudden burst of inspiration. "You called a meeting, right? With the usual method?" The ''usual method'' being an anonymous mailing list, which any member could visit and see the date and time without having to identify themselves or provide personal information. Rachel had established the list (with Will''s assistance) after she''d been elected, and it had been accepted largely without complaint. The council members were the only ones who could post a meeting. Only Cinza had raised any objections, mostly over particulars of the site''s technical security and anonymity. Rachel''s perfect memory helped her report Cinza''s exact complaints for Will to fix. Otherwise, she doubted she could have remembered the surprisingly technical jargon Cinza had used. However, the list was limited in scope to only those who knew of it. Until the Emergence, that had been more than enough. Mason nodded. "Obviously. What else would I use?" "There''s another awakened who needs to be at this meeting. Someone not on the list. I need you to go get her."
The hour passed fitfully. Rachel called Cinza on the phone she''d been given, and Cinza promised to attend. In the meantime, Rachel tried to relax. She''d had more near-death experiences in the last twenty-four hours than she cared to have in a lifetime. There was a shaking, uneven quality to every breath she took. Anxiety filled her to the marrow. She''d faced down gods and men alike and emerged unscathed, even as so many around her had been wounded and maimed¡ªor worse. When was her luck going to run dry? What if I die today? Rachel needed to talk. She needed to lay out her fears and worries to help her mind process¡ªbut who could she talk to? There was Preston, sleeping in the back of the station after a long night. There was Natalie, playing a game on her phone while resting against the belly of her wolf. And there was Beverly, the invisible wraith haunting her every step. Even now, Rachel noticed the leaves of the plant next to the bench bending just slightly at an abnormal angle. It was her, sitting patiently and watching Rachel''s every move. Rachel went back into Jackie''s office and shut the door. She pulled out her phone and dialed the only person she could think of. After only one ring, she got someone she absolutely did not expect. "Hello?" "Rachel?" It was Rowan Rhistler. "Were you trying to make a call?" "Yes. How did I end up on your line?" "I changed the lines to run through my office before any made it out of town. Will gave me a little control panel website thing before he¡­" "I understand," she interrupted. "Can you put my call through?" "...Okay." There was a click, and then the phone was ringing again. It took much, much longer this time, but finally she picked up. "Hello?" Rachel cleared her throat. Her heart was suddenly pounding. "Hi, Mom." "Rachel?" Her mother''s voice was muffled and scratchy. She''d never owned a particularly good phone for actual calls, preferring flashy over functional. Rachel had owned the same, until she''d found herself making so many phone calls she simply couldn''t stand it anymore. "Is something wrong?" Rachel''s eyes welled up. She spoke with her mother so infrequently that Andrea DuValle assumed immediately something must be wrong if her daughter was calling. "I just needed to hear your voice." "...What''s the matter? You sound like you''re crying. Or is that just the phone?" Rachel had lied too often lately. She refused to deceive her own mother as well. "It''s not the phone. Something happened. Will got hurt. Badly." She was stumbling over her words. "They had to fly him out to Olympia." "Oh God¡­ Rachel, I can be there tomorrow. If you need me." "No, I don''t want to take you away from the set." "I''m only in four episodes this season, and it''s an emergency. I can ask them to reschedule my scenes. We don''t air for months anyway." She''s lying¡­ She''d lose the part if she did that. No one would reschedule for her. Rachel took a deep breath. She hadn''t wanted to tell her yet, but it was bound to come out sooner or later. "Mom, you can''t come here. The town''s kinda been blocked off." "Blocked off?" "The roads and the trains are all out. That''s why they had to fly Will out. There''s no way into town." "That''s crazy. Are they doing anything to fix it?" "Well, we''re a little busy. No one in town can really get it done." "What about the state? Aren''t the roads theirs?" "We''re so unimportant, I doubt they even know about it yet." "What, they haven''t called for help or anything?" "No, Mom. We can''t. We have to stay secret." "...You lost me." "Mom, there''s going to be some stuff in the news soon. Stuff about our town. Things you aren''t going to believe. I''ll probably be in a lot of it." Rachel cleared her throat again. "You might want to get out of town for a while. Maybe go by another name too." "Rachel, what are you talking about?" "If I told you, you wouldn''t believe me," Rachel said bitterly. "Try me." "...I''m going to call you on video, okay?" "Okay." Rachel set the phone on Jackie''s desk, propped up by some folders and a coaster so that it faced her. Her mother appeared on screen. Andrea DuValle wasn''t quite as tall as her daughter, but she shared the same long brown hair, though currently in a dirty blonde, and the same thin willowy build. At thirty-nine, she had long since left the peak age of an actress¡ªat least in the eyes of Hollywood. She made her living on the small screen, taking whatever parts came to her up in Vancouver. Her eyes were full with concern and confusion for her daughter. "Oh Rachel¡­" she murmured on seeing Rachel''s face. Rachel looked at the tiny box for herself in the corner. She hadn''t realized how much her makeup had been screwed up¡ªbut to be fair, she''d been a little preoccupied. She dabbed at her face a bit, trying to look more presentable. She only barely managed to hold back the grief looming in the corners of her mind. "Mom, this is going to sound crazy, but here goes: Magic is real, it''s only in Rallsburg, I''m kind of in charge, and there''s an insane guy who thinks he''s a god that''s trying to kill us all." "You¡­ you what?" Rachel lifted her hand, which held a little scrap of blank paper. With a bit of effort, she sent it levitating over her palm, in clear view of the phone camera. Her mother''s mouth fell open. After a few moments, Rachel lit it on fire and let it burn into nothingness in midair. "Magic, mom. Real magic." Her mother didn''t respond. She just stared blankly a little below the camera, where the screen on her side would be. "I''m sorry I didn''t tell you sooner. I wasn''t sure if it was safe, or what was going to happen, or anything. But now awful things are happening and I couldn''t leave you in the dark anymore. Especially since it might spread." She finally found her voice again, stammering just a little. "I-isn''t this stuff usually kept secret?" "There''s not really a ''usually'' to follow, Mom. It''s all new to us. We''ve got the Internet, and phones with cameras on them everywhere. I think it''s inevitable it''s going to get out." "Is this why Will got hurt?" "...Yeah." Rachel looked down, not bearing to meet her mother''s eyes. "Why aren''t you leaving, then?" Her mother''s voice was slightly unhinged. "If it''s so dangerous there, come home." "Even if I could, Mom, I wouldn''t. I have to help. They elected me to lead. I can''t just abandon them." "They didn''t elect you to die though, right?" "I''ve stayed alive so far," Rachel said. She tried inject some levity, but her mother wasn''t amused. "Can''t we call someone?" "We aren''t ready to be out in the world, Mom." "Better out than dead!" Rachel shook her head. "We have to show them we can take care of our problems, so they see us as allies and not as a threat. They''d lock us all up somewhere if they thought we were really dangerous." Her mother looked really terrified. "So what do we do?" "You need to lay low," Rachel said firmly. "When this all breaks, my name is going to be top of the list, and people will come after you too. Think about the worst press outing you''ve ever had, multiply it by a thousand." "I can handle the press," she replied flippantly. "What about the people who are gonna want to try to use you to get to me?" Rachel continued. "I have people to protect me. You''re alone." She hated scaring her mother like this, but it might be the only way for her to take things seriously. "I can send money if you need it." "I''m okay. I''m single and I''m still getting child support from your father. I have enough to stay comfortable for a while." "I hope it won''t be too long." There was a knock at the door. She heard Natalie''s voice. "Rachel, that crazy girl is here." What girl? Rachel wondered. "Just a minute!" The door opened. Natalie apparently wasn''t one for privacy. Rachel stood up from the chair suddenly. The girl poked her head around. "Should I let her in?" "No, give me just a secon¡ª" "Who are you talking to?" "Rachel, it''s me," Rika called out. Rachel sighed. Her mother had perked up at the sound. "Is that Rika?" "Yes," Rachel answered, irritated. "Natalie, send her in and then shut the door, please." Rika limped in on command. Natalie shot them all a curious, somewhat irritated look at being left out before letting the door slam closed. "I''ve been looking all over fucking town for you, Rachel," Rika grumbled as she limped over to the desk. "Where were you?" "Hello to you too, Rika," her mother''s voice echoed out from the desk. "What the¡ª Andrea?" "Yes¡­ oh my God, what happened to you?" "Long story." Rika forced a smile. "I missed you." "I was in the middle of something here," Rachel cut in, annoyed. Rika glared at her. "Well, tough shit. We have business." "Does Rika know?" Andrea asked. "She knows?" asked Rika incredulously. Rachel sighed. "Yes, Rika knows, but if she hadn''t that''d be a terrible way to ask, Mom." "Sorry!" "Look, I have to go. I don''t have any time left. Can you call Dad and tell him to get out of town too?" "You want me to call Eric?" "Just do it, Andrea," Rika snapped. "We really don''t have time to fuck around." "Rika¡ª" she started in a warning tone. "Please, Mom," Rachel interrupted. "...Okay." "I''ll email you as soon as I can. Leave your phone and stay off social media." "Leave my phone?" "With the shit that''s gonna go down, no one''s gonna care about warrants. Or that you''re not even in the U.S." Rika added. Rachel felt a burst of gratitude toward Rika for her instant support, in spite of everything. "They can just pop your GPS on from anywhere and find you. Only log onto your email from free wifi spots, and only on the laptop I got you. The old one I fixed up. It''s probably still in the living room cabinet." "...Okay," she repeated firmly. "Thanks, Rika." She looked Rachel in the eye as best she could, despite the awkwardness of the video call. "I love you, Rachel. I''ll see you soon. Take care of yourself." "I will. I love you too, Mom." Rachel reached forward reluctantly and tapped her phone. It shut off. Immediately, Rachel collapsed back into the chair, feeling like she''d just surfaced from being underwater for hours in the middle of the ocean. She was relieved, but still exhausted and in pain¡ªand without any dry land yet in sight. "So that happened," Rika commented, sitting down on the corner of the desk and looking at her oddly. "Just get it over with," Rachel sighed. "Tell me how stupid and dangerous that was." Rika shook her head. "It wasn''t. Your mom''s smart, and shit''s gonna hit the fan one way or another. It''s good you''re getting them out of the way before it really blows up. There''s been three fucking helicopters in town since last night. I''m surprised we''re not getting swarmed already." "I don''t suppose you want to call and warn your dad?" Rachel asked, smiling slightly. Rika laughed. "What, and give him a head start? Hell, if the government wants to track him down that just saves me the effort. Doubt they will though. I''m nobody in this story. You''re the big oyabun, you''re gonna have everyone on your ass." "Wait, you said three helicopters? What was the third?" "Well, there were two that had ambulance colors. I''m guessing those were yours." Rachel nodded. "Right, so you don''t know about the black military one that swung around south. Fucking impossible to see in the moonlight. I only saw it ''cause it turned around and came back to town a few times. Looked like it was changing its mind or something." "Viper, maybe?" Rachel wondered aloud. She shrugged. "Know anyone else around here with military hardware?" Rachel shook her head. "Thanks for letting me know." "Not actually why I came here. I had something else to tell you. You remember how there''s a few people who all seem to be way more powerful than the rest of us? Kendra and Hector and Natalie?" "Yes." "There''s two more. Hailey Winscombe and her roommate Jessica. They''ve both got it too. I think if you get them on board, you could beat him." Rachel nodded. She''d already known about Hailey, but the roommate was new to her. She didn''t want Rika to feel useless though. "Thank you." "Roommate''s dumb though. I mean literally. She can''t talk, and can''t understand anything we''re saying either. Hailey''s gonna ask you to help fix her. I''ve never seen anything like it, so you''re on your own there." "Okay." A tiny whisper of movement in the corner reminded Rachel that her conversation hadn''t been private, even before Rika had burst in. She had to ensure that her ever-present sentinel didn''t turn on her in a dire moment¡ªand Rika might be able to provide her a solution. "Rika, can you do me a favor?" Rika raised an eyebrow. "Are you serious right now?" "It''s not hard." Rachel turned on the sheriff''s computer and logged in, having watched the sheriff''s keystrokes at least once before. After only a few minutes, she''d pulled up her email. "I just need you to show me how to set this up." Rika ambled over behind her and leaned in close. Rachel quickly typed out a message. How can I set up a delayed email to send if I can''t get to it? To her relief, Rika didn''t ask questions. She took over on the mouse and delved through several menus rapidly, bringing up an email scheduler. It took a couple minutes, but Rachel had everything set up before she sensed any movement from the corner where Beverly sat. "So what was that about?" Rika asked. Again to Rachel''s relief, Rika hadn''t read the message she''d composed. She didn''t want such leverage in the hands of someone as volatile as Rika. Even if they were friends, Rachel wasn''t insane. "Just in case this all goes wrong." Rachel glanced at her watch. It was almost time. She''d have to leave soon if she wanted to reach the nearest door to the Market on time. "Are you coming to this meeting?" "You guys have more important things to do than deal with my drama," Rika replied brusquely. "You don''t want me there." Rachel''s heart sank a little, but it was true enough¡ªRika would probably only make discussion more difficult. She didn''t argue the point. "Walk with me at least?" Rika hesitated, glancing around the room a bit and biting her lip. Finally, she nodded. She walked outside, but Rachel paused. Fear was building up in her chest as she spoke. What if she just attacks me anyway? What will I do then? She addressed the empty room. "If I can''t get to a computer within a week, Alden gets an email and a text." There was no response, but to Rachel''s keen senses, Beverly was still in the room. Rachel nodded with satisfaction. Now she had some protection.
"So what happened to Scrappy?" Rika asked Natalie. She was riding her wolf down the middle of the street, ignoring the gawking passersby. There were a few townspeople out, mostly sullen and dismayed from the events of the previous night, and the town hall Rowan had held that morning. To avoid igniting another riot, no one publically awakened had attended, though Mason had reported it mostly uneventful. The mayor had reprimanded the entire town for their actions, but sentiment hadn''t exactly turned in favor of the awakened. Most people were simply in a state of fear, waiting for the next domino to fall. "He got hurt. He''s back at the cabin. I told him to stay there and get better. He wasn''t happy about it, but Gwen made him go." She scratched at Gwen''s ears. "Gwen''s okay though." "Where''d you come up with that name, anyway?" "Scrappy was the name of my mom''s cat. She died though," Natalie added matter-of-factly. "I think she deserved something to be named after her." "Uh huh." "I think it''s nice, Natalie," Rachel put in. "Where are we going, anyway?" Rika asked. "The closest entrance is the one at the Kettle and Bones." "That''s only a block away." "I didn''t say it''d be a long walk." Rika groaned. "I think it''s time for me to leave then." Rachel stopped and turned to her. "I''m sorry." "Yeah, me too. But let''s save this for sometime we''re not in the middle of the street, okay?" Rika glanced around. "People are already looking at us funny. Let''s not forget I was recently accused of a triple homicide here." "I''m sorry for that too." "You did what you had to do. I''m not exactly up to the forgiving level here, but we can work together." She paused. "How''s Will doing?" Instantly, visions of Will''s broken and tattered body sprang to mind. Rachel had to force them down to clear the lump in her throat. "I don''t know. He got airlifted to Olympia and that''s the last I''ve heard. No one gave them my number, I guess." "Which means he isn''t aware enough to do it himself," Rika realized, getting right to the heart of it. Rachel nodded. She thought she saw a hint of guilt in Rika''s expression, but Rika quickly looked away before she could be certain. "If you need help, call me. Omega or whatever else comes. I''ll be there." "Thank you." "Fuck him up, Rachel." With those parting words, Rika pulled up her hood and walked away. Rachel turned to Natalie and gestured for her to continue. It only took them a few minutes to reach the back alley behind the tavern. The door appeared right as she approached. Natalie rode up close, but her wolf seemed unsettled. As Rachel opened the door, it growled and took a few steps away, prowling around the door defensively. "Gwen doesn''t want to go in there." "It''s perfectly safe," Rachel said impatiently. "I''m not gonna make her go. I''ll wait here for you." Rachel shrugged and turned to go in. "Don''t you dare leave without me," she added fiercely. Rachel nodded. "I''ll come right back out this door as soon as we''re done." Natalie slid off the wolf to the ground and pulled out her phone again, promptly ignoring her. Rachel walked through the veil into the Market. It was exactly the same as the last time she''d been there, which was reassuring. Rachel walked along the cobblestone path until she reached the portable classroom set off to the side. The staircase was standing on pure black void, with absolutely nothing visible supporting her as she climbed up and opened the door. As usual for a Council meeting, she seemed to be the last to arrive. Normally it was deliberate, as she liked to make an entrance and catch everyone''s attention. Today she was simply running late. She tried to take stock of the room as quickly as she could. Unlike most meetings, there was a much greater sense of urgency amongst the crowd, as well as a great deal less secrecy and concealment. Very few were trying to hide themselves anymore. However, the gathering was much smaller than she''d hoped. Julian and his two cronies were talking quietly amongst themselves, occasionally shooting guilty looks toward the head table and to Hector. Hector sat in the corner, as nervous as ever and focusing on his phone more than the room. Cinza was there with her triumvirate; Makoto and Ruby flanked her. Ruby looked like she was still on the verge of collapse, and all three were sporting injuries and bandages from the brawl. To her surprise, there were a few additional attendees she hadn''t expected. Jackie accompanied Josh, while either Lily or Kendra was seated near the back. Neffie Bowman had shown up escorted by Boris. Gordon Merrill was in another corner, and his pencil scratchings were audible through the faint murmuring that was the only other sound in the entire Market. As Rachel walked forward, Josh quickly moved aside and pulled out a chair for her at the front table next to Jackie. Rachel accepted it gratefully. "Is this everyone?" Josh asked quietly. "Probably," Rachel replied. "Who actually wants to get involved in something like this?" "No one sane." Josh cleared his throat. "Listen, I''m sorry I bailed on you yesterday." She shook her head. "Josh, I would''ve run too. Don''t worry about it." "You didn''t though." "Don'' you two have more important things to talk about?" Jackie muttered. Rachel noticed the entire room was staring at them intently. She got to her feet. With everyone else still seated, she felt even more like a giant among them. "I''m sorry, but we''re actually still waiting for a few more. Thank you all for your patience." There''s not much point if we don''t have all of them together, Rachel mused. She only hoped Mason would get there soon. The door cracked open. Rachel got up again, eager to greet Hailey¡ªbut it was only Ryan. "Thanks, I love you too," Ryan cracked sardonically, seeing her face fall. "Am I too late for the suicide pact?" "No. Have a seat." "Okay, mom." Ryan scanned the room, and eventually decided to take a seat near Cinza. The silver-haired girl looked surprised, but made room for him in their section of the chairs. Ruby didn''t react at all. Rachel wanted to go ask after Cinza and her people, but the timing was wrong. More importantly, the door was swinging open again. In walked Mason Rhistler, dragging his boyfriend Bryan behind him. The door swung shut behind them. Bryan was very unsettled. "Did you have to put Natalie out there guarding the door? Scared me half to death." "She volunteered." "You''re okay, it was just a wolf. Don''t get so worried. She has it under control," Mason added. "Easy for you to say. You barely ever go outside. Those things are terrifying," Bryan retorted. "Were you able to reach them?" Rachel interjected. Mason nodded, taking his seat. "They were right behind me. I think they stopped to talk to Natalie for a minute." The door banged open, thumping against the wall as it swung wide. Hailey floated in with a guilty look on her face. "Sorry! I should''ve let them open it." Rachel winced as she landed on a row of empty chairs and scattered them. Hailey looked like she''d been through hell. If her casual use of flight was anything to judge by, she was still pretty beat up and relying on magic to get around. As a result, the entire room was gawking at her, since she was so effortlessly showing off power far beyond what most of them could hope to achieve. Rachel was less surprised than most¡ªbut even to her, the ability was breathtaking, the wind rustling through the room with each motion doubly so. "Is she flying?" Josh murmured. "You see why I wanted her here," Rachel replied. "No kidding." It was so visually arresting that Rachel almost missed the two following her in. One was the girl Rika had mentioned. Jessica Silverdale, by the student records Rachel had memorized. She was the sort of small, mousey girl that would normally be found buried in a book in the corner of a library. Her glasses were slightly askew and she looked exasperated at Hailey''s erratic movements, rushing to her side and helping her to sit upright. Alden, Hailey''s other companion¡ªand Rika''s erstwhile devotee¡ªtook her other side. Rachel got to her feet. "Is anyone else coming?" She waited a minute with no response. Rachel hadn''t expected one, and didn''t need one. There were a lot of people missing, mostly from her own side, but everyone she needed was there with a few more besides. Her plan was starting to come together. "Time for your murder conference?" Beverly hissed in her ear. Rachel ignored her. She took a deep breath. The room fell silent. "Let''s get started." [Discord]¡ª[Rate This Story]¡ª[Patreon] Chapter 24 — The Second Summit of the End of the World Chapter 24 ¡ª The Second Summit of the End of the World Rachel cleared her throat. "There are two reasons I''ve called this summit. We need to decide what we''re going to do about Omega, and what we''re going to do about the world." "Isn''t one of them more urgent? I''d think the world can wait," Julian asked. Rachel shook her head. "The riot last night was caught on video, with our town''s name right in the title. It didn''t have many viewers, but I''d guess we only have a few days at most before someone comes to investigate. Not to mention that we still haven''t reported the murders yet. Jackie can''t stall forever, not with two out-of-town kids in the morgue." "I didn''t even know we had a morgue," Josh muttered. "Just enough for two bodies," Jackie replied grimly. "One of them''s in an icebox now." "Ugh. Stop, please." "Why isn''t the mayor here?" Neffie put in. "Wouldn''t this be his specialty if we''re going to be dealing with higher ups in the government?" "Rowan is going around with Preston trying to calm people down after last night," Rachel answered. "I spoke to him this morning. He won''t be here." Gordon snorted. "Good riddance." "Hey¡ª" Mason started, but Gordon ignored him. "Better you than that snake, Rachel." "Rowan Rhistler is the elected official for the township," Kendra pointed out. "Any official response will be looking to him first." "Like anyone comin'' into this shitshow is gonna look for someone official," Jackie muttered. "They''ll look for who''s in charge, and that ain''t Rowan." Gordon nodded emphatically. "Everyone in town knows what you''ve been doing by now. You stopped a riot just by showing up. Rowan wasn''t even there. Half the town hates him anyway. There wouldn''t be a single voice of dissent if you represented us." "Is this a coup?" Mason asked angrily. "It''s not," Rachel said sharply. "I have no intention of replacing your uncle. Working with him, yes, but I''m still only the elected leader of the awakened. Nothing more." "If you''re even that," Julian said. "Plenty ain''t happy with you." "I''m guessing you sit near the top of that list, so why did you come today?" Rachel asked. Julian scratched his head abashedly. "You saved my bacon last night. Well, you and Hector. I owe you this much. Besides, it''s kinda my fault you had to go through with the town hall anyway." He threw a crooked smile. "The rest of the Council?" "Oh, everyone''s split for the hills. They''re hunkered down in their homes since anyone tryin'' to run winds up monster meat," Julian replied. "After you sold them out to save your friend and declared yourself in charge, no one really wants to stick their neck out for you. Jus'' sayin''." "What about Mabel?" Rachel asked, turning to Josh. He shrugged. "I called her, but she didn''t answer. Neither did her grandson. Could be anywhere." Rachel sighed. "It was never an agreement to fight, I guess. I can''t blame them." She looked around at the room. "Thank you all, again, for being here today." "We all know what happens if we try to run for it," Ryan put in. "We get fucking snapped in half. Might as well try to fight our way out." "Do we have to?" came a timid voice from the corner. Heads turned to Hector, who shrank back against the wall. "Hector? What do you mean?" Rachel asked. "What if we try to talk to him? Promise to never awaken anyone again, stop using magic. Couldn''t we all live?" "Why should we?" Mason asked roughly. "We have every right to it, same as he does. Why should he be the one to decide?" "What if he''s right? What if all this makes the world come to an end?" Hector shivered. "It''s too powerful. We were doing just fine without magic. Why do we have to have it? We could just go back." "Not all of us," said Hailey. "Look, I''m sure flying is amazing and all, but is it worth people dying over it?" "I''m not talking about flying!" "Please!" Rachel cut in. "Hector, I appreciate what you''re saying, but this isn''t something we can just undo." "Just stop, right? Don''t do any more magic. Give him all the Scraps and the copies. It''s easy." "He''s been killing people, man," Josh said weakly. "He''s not gonna stop just cause we give our papers over." "Not just that. The world needs magic." Rachel brushed her hair away from her face. "Things are getting worse every year. Wars and disease and hunger and climate change. We can solve so many problems with this. We can''t do anything if we''re all dead." "You make it sound so easy," Julian said skeptically. "Okay, example. A village without clean drinking water. Eighty nine percent of Ethiopia doesn''t have access to clean water. We give them a bucket, a funnel, whatever, and enchant it with something that can filter the water as it gets poured through. It gets powered off the energy of the person holding it, just like our bags. Anyone could use that. That would be massive, and it doesn''t have the drawbacks of wearing out like regular filters." "Rachel¡ª" Josh tried to interject, but she kept talking without taking a single pause to breathe. "Or how about hunger? Seven hundred ninety-five million people are going hungry worldwide. Cinza''s people figured out how to grow food rapidly and in places where it should be impossible. Think about what that could do for people. Or what it could do for a colony in space. We can help them. Should we give up on all of that because of one idiot who''s decided we''re not responsible enough to handle it?" "Rachel!" Cinza practically shouted. Rachel stopped talking. Her face was red and she was breathless. Cinza cleared her throat pointedly, holding Ruby''s hand tight as she spoke. "We have more pressing business. Saving the world has to wait until tomorrow." Rachel nodded. She took a deep breath. "I''m not giving up. I''m going to fight. If you''re not on board, you should leave." No one moved. Julian''s wingmen exchanged looks, and Hector glanced around the room nervously, but everyone remained seated. "Great, we''re all one big fucked-up team," Ryan said sardonically. "Can we get back to figuring out how to stop the maniac serial killer who can take us all without breaking a sweat?" "He can''t," Rachel replied. "We have five people who are just as powerful." "Five?" Hailey asked, glancing around. "Of course it''s fuckin'' five. Five plus the three Gods is eight. It''s all part of the secret plan," Ryan deadpanned. "Congratulations, you graduated to kindergarten math," snapped Mason. Rachel continued in a grave tone as if they hadn''t spoken. "I know some of you would prefer to keep this private, but given the circumstances and our low turnout, we need to put all our cards on the table if we''re going to figure out how to kill him." "...Kill him?" Hector asked meekly. "It''s that or he kills us. He set the rules of engagement," Cinza replied. "Anything goes at this point. It''s all self-defense," Josh added. Jackie frowned. "That ain''t gonna hold up in a court. This is premeditated." Ryan barked a short laugh. "What the hell kind of court could take a case like this? Everything here is unprecedented, and we don''t have any peers to be our jury." "Murder''s still murder, doesn''t matter what the weapon is." He rolled his eyes. "I''ll worry about that if I survive long enough to face a judge." Gordon spoke up, looking up from his phone. "Rachel, wouldn''t it be better to capture him? If you kill him, you''re setting a precedent for how justice works in your world. Besides, you said he has an accomplice, right?" He flicked back through his notes. "We don''t know if there might be more. We might need to question him." "No," Rachel said firmly. "No half-measures. We can''t take the risk." "Are you sure about this?" Jackie asked. "He dies." Rachel spoke so coldly that no one dared argue the point again. Even Hector looked subdued into silence. "...So who are the five people, anyway?" Ryan finally spoke up. "Hailey, obviously, ''cause she fuckin'' flew in here. I''m guessing her cute friend with the nice hair is one too." He shot a smile at Jessica, but she wasn''t paying any attention to him. Her eyes were flicking around the room, taking in every detail. "Them, Hector, Kendra and her sister." "Her what?" Ryan asked, raising an eyebrow. "Miss Laushire''s got a sister?" "It''s four people, not five," Lily interrupted. "I don''t have the strength or talent she does." Rachel''s face fell slightly. "You don''t?" "I don''t. I can keep her spells going when she''s absolutely knackered, but I''m straight ordinary otherwise." Lily sighed. "Could''ve bothered to ask before you went and outed me, dear." "It''s life-or-death here, professor," Josh said. "So you say." "I say," Rachel snapped. "I''m going to need all of you on board for this to work." "What makes you four so special anyway?" asked Jackie. "We don''t know," Hector answered simply. "Haven''t the slightest," Lily agreed. "Peachy," muttered Jackie. "It doesn''t matter so long as they can beat him, right?" Gordon asked. "Four against one, aren''t those good odds for us?" "Not when you look at the four we got dealt," said Ryan. "A scaredy-cat who wants to negotiate with a genocidal serial killer, an uptight bitch who can only do neat tricks with bags and doors, a flying emotional wreck, and¡ªwho is that girl again?" he finished, pointing at Jessica. "She can''t talk or understand any of us," Rachel replied. "...So yeah¡ªwe''re boned." "It''s not like they can''t learn other magic." "In the amount of time we have? And who''s gonna volunteer it?" "There may be another way," Cinza added quietly. Her voice echoed through the room. "They don''t need to learn the spell if they can join with me." "Do what now?" Hailey asked abruptly. "My people have been practicing a method of lending each other energy. We can combine our strength into a single spell beyond our normal abilities." Cinza glanced at Ruby¡ªwho was much more lucid than she''d been when they first walked in, but still showed the backlash of channeling such power through herself¡ªbefore she went on. "The effects are potent." "Is that what you did to Paul?" asked Jackie. "...If I answer, does that constitute an admission of guilt?" She sighed. "I''m willin'' to call it self-defense. Witness accounts said he was about to shoot one of you." "Then yes. Ruby and I combined our efforts into a single burst of magic." "Can you do it again?" Rachel asked. Cinza looked at Ruby again, who still struggled to keep herself totally upright, and wrapped an arm around the girl. Cinza''s eyes were sparkling with barely restrained tears as she turned back. "I know the spell. I don''t have Ruby''s power, but I could direct it." "Which leaves us to supply you with the energy you need." Rachel looked at each of the four in turn. "If Cinza can cast it and I can give her a target, will you four be willing to support it?" "I''m in," Hailey said immediately. "Jess is too, once I figure out how to explain this to her." "Kenni will be on board," Lily added. "I don''t know how much we''ll be able to contribute, but we''ll do what we can." Jackie chimed in, looking uneasy. "Now hang on, we''re still talking about murdering a man in cold blood." "You said it yourself," Rachel replied. "He''s about to kill everyone in the town. It''s self-defense." "I was hired to uphold the law. We have a way of dealing with even the worst mass-murderers." "And those have shit-all to do with this situation," Ryan snapped. "He''s still human¡ª" "No, he''s not," Hailey interrupted. "What, you people aren''t people anymore?" Rachel shook her head. "We still are. But the law doesn''t account for someone like him. Our laws and our punishments are built on the idea that everyone is more or less equal. No matter what, a single person can be taken down and incarcerated, their weapons and tools taken away, and we can be reasonably certain a jail will hold them. That doesn''t apply anymore. We can''t take magic away from Omega. Even if you locked him in solitary and stuffed him in a straitjacket, I''m pretty sure he could break out without lifting a finger and kill every single person in the building on the way out. History''s never had to deal with something of that caliber." Her voice shook a little as she continued. "I''d love to spend weeks debating a new system of law and order, but we don''t have time. People are dying. We have to stop this now." The room was silent. Rachel looked at each of them in turn, her eyes fierce. Slowly, Jackie gave an assenting nod. "I''m gonna feel like I''m betrayin'' everything I stand for, but I''m in." "Thank you," said Rachel. She turned to Hector, the lone remaining holdout. He seemed to shrink into the corner under her glare. "I just don''t want to kill anyone," he whispered. In the utter silence of the Marketplace, his whisper was clearly audible to everyone in the room. "I''d be the one actually casting and directing the spell," Cinza said. "You would only be supplying me with energy. I don''t even need to tell you what sort of spell it is." "I''d still know what I''d done." "Speaking for the non-magical half of the room," Gordon put in. "You''d be saving all our lives. Not just the awakened." "You''re going to force Hector to do this?" Neffie shot back. She glared at Gordon. "I thought we were staying out of it." "I''m not staying out of anything. Just because I didn''t luck out and get magic doesn''t mean I don''t have a say. I don''t want to die either." "It''s their world, Gordon. We don''t know anything about it." "It still affects us!" "It''s their business. Let them deal with it." "Nice to hear you care," Ryan mocked. "Do we even need him?" Julian asked. "Grey girl said she did it with her girlfriend, right? So it can be done with two, and we already got three." Rachel frowned. "We may only have one shot at this. I want every option on the table. Hector''s the only one to come up against him in a fight before." "Wait, you already fought him once?" Jackie cut in. Hector shook his head. "That was a year ago. I''m sure he''s way stronger now. I don''t really do magic. I don''t like it." "Waste of fucking talent," muttered Ryan. "Ryan, shut the fuck up," Josh snapped. "You know what? No," Ryan shot back. "It''s true. He''s a waste of talent. He''s got ridiculous abilities that could save all our fucking lives, and he''s not going to do anything because he''s afraid to get his hands a little dirty? Fuck that." Josh got to his feet. His fist bulged out. He looked like he might leap over the table and rush down his former best friend. Ryan was still seated, but from the way he tensed in his chair, he was ready for a fight. A gust of wind whirled through the room. Since the air had been almost totally still, it was a sudden shock to them all. The gale was tightly focused, only brushing past most of them until it reached its target. Josh was slowly forced back down into his chair. He struggled for a few moments, but finally relented. His fist returned to normal size. "And stay down," Hailey grumbled. "Can''t believe you''re all gonna gang up on him," said Josh. "We don''t have any other choice," said Rachel. A low voice spoke up from the doorway, which had opened silently in the commotion. It rumbled through the room like the beginning of an earthquake about to tear down a city. "That''s exactly the sort of thinking that got you all here."
It was as though an electric shock hit the entire room at once. Everything stopped, and every head snapped to the door where Omega himself stood. Wind started gathering on Hailey''s side of the room. Bright blue rings of fire burst into life around Jessica''s wrists. A snake of water uncoiled from somewhere behind Cinza, rising into the air as if it were about to snap forward. Josh and Ryan jumped to their feet in unison, casting identical spells to make themselves stronger. The rest of the room hadn''t reacted yet, either stunned into shock or too afraid to move. Rachel was the first to recover. She stepped forward between the group and Omega, raising a hand to forestall her allies. "We can''t beat him here. Save your strength." "Smart move," Omega replied. He leaned against the wall near the door, glancing around the room. "It''s been a long time since I''ve been to one of these." "Why are you here?" He shrugged. "To be honest, it was a convenient place to kill you all, but it looks like you found a way around that." Without warning, he launched himself forward. Rachel stood an instant away from death. He was coming at her and she wasn''t moving an inch. She just stared him down with a mixture of hatred and fierce unwavering determination. At what seemed like the last possible second, she appeared. The girl¡ªlooking like a dwarf between the two towering giants of Rachel and Omega¡ªsimply popped into existence between the two. Her silver-grey eyes flashed with bitter rage. Grey-eyes raised her hands and flicked two fingers on each, making a cutting motion in midair. A massive wave of force hurtled through the room. It looked like part of the room had shifted forward. The barrier slammed into Omega and hurled him back against the wall with a painful thump. He coughed hard from the impact. A second later, Grey-eyes disappeared, as instantly and suddenly as she had arrived. "Now what?" Rachel asked, calm as could be. Omega still looked a bit winded. "We talk, I guess." "Holy shit¡­" gasped Josh. "I know you, don''t I?" Jackie asked. "Jackson Smith, right?" "I''m surprised anyone remembers me," Jackson replied. "I really didn''t make much of an impact as a student." "I try to know everyone who comes into town." "That''s good. Really good policing. I''m sorry for what I have to do to your home." Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Jackie frowned. "Why?" "Because there''s no other way now. You know too much." A fireball suddenly hurtled across the room, bright blue and staggeringly hot. It was right on target¡ªbut a blur of motion and Jackson was suddenly on the other side of the room, while the fireball hit the far wall and dissipated into nothing. He had closed the distance with Jessica in an instant. His arm went to her throat, pushing her up against the wall. "No!" Hailey shouted. She sent wind hurtling at him, and it was strong enough that they both tumbled over onto the ground. An instant later, Jackson sped back to his original position by the door. Except for the way his clothes didn''t quite sit right, he may as well have never moved. "Don''t do that again," Jackson warned. "Hailey, please," Rachel added. Hailey nodded. She tugged at Jessica''s arm. The girl was already back on her feet and had more rings of fire swirling around her wrists. She looked eager to throw down. Hailey was muttering under her breath and signing as quickly as she could. "How did you get in here?" asked Lily nervously. "I walked through the front door. Don''t worry. If I had hurt your sister, this entire building would be gone, wouldn''t it?" Jackson shrugged. "Wherever she''s hiding, she''s good." "Why are you doing this?" Gordon asked. "Why kill everyone?" "Because this whole experiment needs to end. We never should have started spreading magic. People are dying in horrible ways and killing each other over it. If it makes it to the whole world?" Jackson shook his head. "We''re all doomed." "But you started the killing," Boris spoke up. It was the first time he''d spoken since arriving. "Would this not be a skewed perspective?" "Actually¡ª" "He didn''t," Rachel interrupted. "The murders in the RV¡­ weren''t murders." "What?" Jackie asked sharply. "It was an accident. That''s how they broke Mason''s Law. The spell backfired on himself and got out of control." "...Jesus Christ." "Think about it," Jackson continued. "If something that horrible can happen¡ªto a child nearby¡ªcompletely by accident, how can we let it escape into the world?" He leaned back against the wall. "We have to stop it." "If you say ''for the greater good'' I''m gonna fuck you up," snapped Ryan. "That doesn''t justify murdering everyone in town, though," Neffie added. "Killing everyone with magic, sure, but why the rest of us?" "Oh, thanks for selling us out." Jackson shook his head. "I can''t risk any knowledge of real magic making it into the world. I''m sorry, but you''re a necessary sacrifice." "You''re insane," Neffie murmured. "But we didn''t get a choice," Gordon spoke up. "You''re going on about choices, but what about us? We didn''t luck into magic like you, we''re just normal people. What does it matter if we know about it after it''s all gone?" Omega glanced at Rachel, bemused. "You didn''t tell them?" Rachel opened her mouth, but no words came out. "Tell us what?" "Anyone can use magic. It''s not easy and it needs access to certain things, but there''s no reason you couldn''t learn to do it yourself." Gordon rounded on Rachel. "You lied?" "Of course we lied," Ryan snapped. "And what about you, Jackson?" Rachel asked, interjecting before the conversation got too diverted. "You didn''t kill the first few, but what about Cinza''s people? What about the doctor?" "Killed by your own town," Jackson replied. "A perfect example of what I''m trying to stop. As soon as the tools are put in your hands, all you do is fight and steal and kill." "So everything he''s done has nothing to do with you?" Jackson shrugged. "He was more than willing to take lives when the time came. I wasn''t even there. Is the gunmaker responsible for the man who decides to shoot up a corner with his wares?" "We just stay here then. No one leaves, magic dies out," Neffie said. "Isn''t that enough?" "I can''t take that risk. The world can''t take that risk. Brian proved to me the danger of magic. One man with such power is too dangerous for the world to survive." Jackson put his hand on the doorknob. "I don''t want to fight. I can promise you it''ll be quick, at least. Quicker if you help me." He opened the door, but paused before he stepped out. "Anyone who tries to run will wish they hadn''t." Hailey seemed like she might launch herself at him, but several hands held her back. Jackson let the door swing shut as he vanished back into the Market. The dull thump and click of the door latch echoed through the room like the last tick-tock of a clock about to die.
"So he just went full supervillain," Ryan quipped. He''d evidently been trying to let some tension out of the room, but no one laughed. No one even smiled. "You lied to us," Neffie said. "We did," Cinza replied, her voice echoing through the frozen room. "Come on, can you blame us?" Ryan added. "If you guys knew everyone could get magic, we''d be a hell of a lot worse off than we are now." "He''s just trying to divide us," Rachel said firmly. "Get in our heads. You can''t listen to what he''s saying." "Funny, because he''s been a lot more honest than you," Gordon snapped. "Didn''t even try to lie about killing us all. He could have lied to get us to help him." "Yeah, but he still wants to kill you," Ryan said. "Does it matter if he''s an upstanding honest citizen about it?" "He did lie," Boris added quietly. "When he said he was not there. He had to be to create those electricity burns and frame Rika." Rachel seized on Boris'' contribution eagerly. "Exactly. He''s been trying to drive everyone apart from the start. Don''t let him. He knows we can beat him." Gordon and Neffie still looked unconvinced, but they didn''t speak up again. Jackie shifted uncomfortably in her chair and tried to look as surprised as the rest of them. "We''ve only got a little time before Jackson decides to start burning down the town. Hector¡ª" "I''m in," Hector whispered. "What?" "I''m in," he repeated more firmly. "He''s not giving anyone a choice. I¡­ I have to help you stop him." Rachel nodded. "Then we know what to do." "Hang on. How are you goin'' to get him?" Julian pointed out. Rachel looked surprised. "If he moves faster than Cinza can lay down her whammy, aren''t y''all screwed? Seems like a one-shot deal." Rachel frowned. "How quickly can you strike a spot with it?" The robed girl shrugged. "How fast does magic travel?" "Speed of light?" Josh ventured. "I mean, it''s gotta follow some natural rules, right?" "Magic. Natural rules," added Ryan sarcastically. Mason chimed in excitedly. "Actually, by our measurements magic might be instantaneous. It''s difficult to get a precise measurement since I''m still bound by the speed of light myself, but based on the response time we''ve seen with some of the lab instruments, object telekinesis seems to be ahead of its visible position for picoseconds at a time. Actual motion using said kinesis wouldn''t likely be able to exceed such a speed though since the energy output would kill the caster, either by recoil or by the explosion from the speed and mass of the object in motion, but the results of the mental action are carried out precisely at the time of the instruction, so to speak." "That doesn''t help," Cinza replied. "Magnetic fields travel at lightspeed, but we still have to react fast enough to put it there." "So as long as he can move and react fast enough to avoid anything we try to do, it''s gonna be impossible to catch him," Josh sighed. "Unless we can surprise him again," said Lily. "How''d you pull it off last time?" "I took command of his golem long enough for Natalie''s wolf to get to him." "Perfect, just do that again," said Ryan. "He''ll be expecting it," Lily sighed. "I had the impression he''d never been contested for control of a magical entity before. There''s a trick to it. He''ll know what to do next time." "That''s still something though. Messing with his head, screwing up magic he should be the best at. What else do we got?" "His speed," Rachel said. "Well yeah, that''s the problem. We gotta distract him." "No, we need to mess with his speed," Rachel replied. Ryan rolled his eyes. "How are we gonna do that? We don''t have a clue what kind of magic it is. You ever seen someone else do shit that crazy?" Rachel''s eyes flicked over to Hailey. She shook her head. "Never seen anything like it." The rest of the room seemed equally at a loss. Alden felt pressure building up in his chest. He''d been trying to avoid speaking for the most part ever since he arrived. Now that he was painfully aware of how little he mattered, and fully divested of his former guide and companion, Alden had decided to keep his head down and just try to stay alive. He couldn''t stay silent any longer. In spite of their last encounter, and in spite of her abandoning him in the middle of a crisis, Alden still felt a twinge of loyalty to her. He didn''t want to reveal what was ostensibly a secret power of hers, particularly since she''d been so reluctant to tell him its mechanics. She''d clearly kept it a tight secret, as not even Rachel knew about her access to the eighth branch of magic. It was too important and too powerful. They needed to know. No matter the consequences he might face, this might be the only way they could all survive. Alden cleared his throat and steeled his nerves. He was shaking as he stood to address the crowd, a mass of powerful and influential people to whom he was barely a passing thought. "I have."
Rachel stepped outside the door to call Rika. The rest of the Summit waited in awkward silence. Jessica was looking around the room quizzically, trying to figure out why everyone had stopped talking. After the minutes dragged on and Rachel still hadn''t returned, she chirped and tugged at Hailey''s sleeve. "I don''t know," Hailey replied with a shrug. Jessica held out her palm and walked her fingers across it. Hailey shook her head. Jessica leaned back against the wall and tried to get more comfortable. She pulled out a pair of tin-foil wrapped rectangles and held them up. Hailey frowned, then pointed at one of them and gave a thumbs up. Jessica nodded, and unwrapped them both. She screwed up her eyes and muttered something that Alden couldn''t understand, even sitting only a few feet away. Suddenly, the scent of freshly-cooked pastry began wafting over the room. Jessica nibbled on one of them. With a satisfied expression, she bit down on it eagerly and handed the untouched one to Hailey, who similarly began to dig in. "Okay, is someone gonna explain what the fuck?" Ryan asked. "She figured out how to heat up food on the go," Hailey said, after clearing her mouth. "Really nice when we''ve been out flying all day." "Yeah, no, that wasn''t the part that needed an explanation." "She can''t talk," Alden explained, before Hailey had to speak around another mouthful of food. "No shit. Was that caused by magic?" "Yeah," Hailey replied. "Damn." Mason looked at her inquisitively. "A ritual gone wrong? Do you happen to know what kind of magic she was trying to enact?" "No," Hailey sighed. "We''d been doing self-modification magic, so maybe it was related to that? I wasn''t in the room at the time. I only caught the aftermath." "And she can''t tell you how it happened," Mason noted. Hailey shook her head. Alden wondered briefly if Hailey had more details she could get from Weston, who had been in the room, but he knew better than to reveal their existence to this group¡ªparticularly when the awakened were currently an endangered species. Mason went on in a lecturing tone. "Ritual magic is a complex active process, unlike the instant and reactive nature of spellcasting. The energy transfer between objects and people is much more bilateral by intention, and since the flow is so open it leaves one vulnerable to any sort of outside interference. In theory a single stray dust mote entering the ritual area could slightly change the outcome of one''s intentions, though of course we''ve never measured any real change caused by such a minute actor. It usually needs to be something much more significant. Like, we once saw a ritual where someone wanted to be able to see clearly in the dark. We helped him research the necessary modifications to the rods and cones in his eyes. We tried out simple experiments on lab mice, all seemed good. We had to modify it a little for the ritual but it seemed to go all right. Problem was, some of the materials were flawed, and we rushed the actual casting." "Get to the point, Mason," said the young man seated next to him. Unlike Mason''s shoulder-length unkempt brown hair, his friend had such a severe haircut he may as well have been bald. He was about the same height, and looked as though he were very familiar with this sort of tangent. "Right. Well, Joe McKinney''s colorblind now." Mason shrugged. "The point is, a broken ritual''s resultant damage is related to the original intent. So whatever¡­ uhh¡­ " "Jessica," Hailey supplied. "Yeah. Whatever Jessica was trying to do, it might have been related to language. Or communication." "How does that help her now though?" Mason hesitated. "It doesn''t, I guess. It''s probably reversible though, if that makes you feel any better. Joe never wanted to try, but I can''t see a reason why it shouldn''t be possible." Hailey didn''t look very reassured. "The Law of Sentient Arcane Impermeability prevents us from helping her directly, though. She''ll have to figure out the rest herself." "So basically all you said was jack shit," Ryan concluded. "Shut up, Ryan," said Josh. "It might be helpful," Hailey said slowly. "Thanks." Mason nodded imperiously. "That''s what these meetings are for, sharing information." "I thought it was about taking over the world," Ryan said. "No, that''s just Rachel." Ryan grinned. "Finally, someone else made a fuckin'' joke. It''s about time we lightened the mood in here." "I''m not seeing a whole lot of reason for a light mood," Gordon said. "We were all just given a death sentence with no hope of appeal, and most of us are powerless to do anything about it. Largely by your choice." "Hey, don''t lay that on me. I''m just following our glorious leader." Ryan glanced over at the door. "What the hell''s taking her so long, anyway?" "She''s trying to call Rika, remember?" said Josh. "I''m surprised we can''t hear her yelling from here." "Yeah, but Rachel still likes her. Sent me to keep her safe when everyone was trying to arrest or kill her." "Was that why you were in her apartment?" Alden asked, pieces beginning to click into place from days earlier. "Uhh, yeah? How did you know that?" "That was when we met Hailey." Ryan laughed. "Mission accomplished then, everyone wins. Well, until we all die today." "How can we get magic?" Neffie cut in angrily. "You can''t," Ryan answered idly, not even turning to look at her. "Cut the crap, son," Jackie growled. "We''ve got a right to defend ourselves, same as anyone. Magic''s apparently the only weapon that matters in this war, so we deserve to be able to arm ourselves." "Look, I probably agree with you. But I''m not the one you''ve gotta persuade," Ryan replied. "Rachel has all of the known Scraps," Josh explained, after Jackie''s confused look. "She''s the only one who could awaken anyone, except maybe for Grey-eyes. And Grey-eyes is apparently taking Rachel''s orders now?" "Popped up at Rachel''s apartment, too," Ryan confirmed. "I got the feeling they don''t like each other though." "Who or what is Grey-eyes?" Gordon asked. "You know that chick who appeared out of thin air and stopped Omega like it was nothing? That''s Cinza''s lord and savior." Cinza frowned. "She saved you as well. All of us owe her our lives." "Hey, I''m not complaining. That girl''s the real deal." Ryan shook his head. "She''s definitely not on board with killing Omega though, or we wouldn''t be having this fun little group therapy." "Will she stop us?" Neffie asked. "Nah. She''s one of those totally hands-off types." "She only appears when someone awakens. Or to help Rachel, apparently," Josh added. "Besides that, we''ve never seen her anywhere at all." "So she wouldn''t save us, either," Gordon concluded. Ryan shrugged. "Hasn''t lifted a finger yet, has she?" Alden felt like he had to defend her, though he wasn''t quite sure why. "She''s got her reasons." "Who are you again?" Ryan asked, twisting around to look at him. "Zack." "But like, who are you?" "The guy who showed up with Rika. It''s why he knows about her speed magic," Josh answered. "No shit. But everyone else has got a reason. We''re all in this fight for sure. Why are you here?" "I already fought him once," Alden replied quietly. "What about you?" Ryan opened his mouth, then closed it again. He did that a couple times before finally answering. "Well shit, you got me there. How are you still alive then?" Alden shrugged. "I got knocked out along with Hailey. I guess Rachel and Natalie must have saved us." "You said she''s got her reasons," Gordon cut in. "What do you mean?" Alden felt his voice catch. Maybe he shouldn''t be revealing this information? It was private and personal, even if it was someone he barely knew. If their positions were reversed, he certainly wouldn''t her to be spilling to the crowd. If our positions were reversed, I''d be trying to save everyone, Alden thought bitterly. She''s not helping us and we need everything we can get. "I think she''s in love with Omega," he replied. "Oh god-fucking-damnit," Ryan sighed. "Because we needed a fucking soap opera on top of this shit." "Why do you say that?" Gordon asked. "I saw them together, just before he attacked us," Alden replied. His memory flashed back to that brief exchange. "The way they talked and the way she acted around him. They were really close." "And did she seem to loooove her genocidal serial killer boyfriend?" Ryan drawled. "Shut up, Ryan," Josh snapped. "That''s not really definitive," Neffie added. "I''m not saying you''re definitely wrong, but maybe it was something else?" "No," Alden said more firmly. "She cares about him. She insisted we call him Jackson instead of Omega and she tried to defend him." "So we''re back to square fuckin'' one," said Ryan. Josh nodded. He reluctantly got to his feet. "Since Rachel''s preoccupied, I guess that puts me in charge as the only other elected person here." "Hang on, I was voted in too," Jackie interrupted. Josh looked at her hopefully. "You want to take over?" Jackie hesitated, then shook her head. "All yours." Josh sighed. "Right. In the event the crazy magnetics plan falls through, we''re gonna need to take stock of our other options. We already know what Julian and Hector can do. Hailey, besides flight, what else can you put on the table?" "I can control air." "How fine-tuned? Like, could you clear out an area? Choke him, maybe?" Hailey frowned. "Maybe? It''s not like you can just push it all away. The moment you push some, more flows right in after it. I could keep a small area clear for a while if I really focused down on it, but how are we gonna keep him in place?" "Bear trap?" Ryan suggested. Cinza shot him a dark look. "...What?" "I don''t think we can rely on him falling into a bear trap, if it could even close fast enough to catch him," Lily pointed out. "What about you then? Trap him in a pocket dimension?" "Same answer," Lily sighed. "They can''t be created around people, and it''s virtually impossible to trick someone into it accidentally. I''d get more technical but Kenni would be right pissed." "Is this really the time to be hidin'' information?" Julian said pointedly. Lily shook her head. "I''m not intending to perish here, and pocket dimensions are worth billions. Perhaps more." "Oh boy, time for patents on magic," Ryan quipped. "Come on," Josh added. "Isn''t there anything you can give us? Lives are on the line here." Lily hesitated. "When I fought the golems, I found a way to interrupt his control. He has to maintain a connection to them and give them specific instructions. They don''t have much autonomy. He wrested control back in a few moments, but we might work with that." "Assumin'' he even uses them anymore," Julian pointed out. "Not like he needs them, and he knows there''s a weakness now." "It''s something though," Josh added. "Can you explain how¡ª" Josh was interrupted by the door swinging open. Standing in the doorway, looking disheveled and very unhappy, was Rika Nishimura.
"¡ªthe fuck did I do?" Rika asked, landing in a chair with a thud. "We need your help," Rachel replied. "You said you would." "I didn''t expect you to ask me two hours later," Rika muttered. She looked at her shoulder, where a large patch was now missing from her jacket. "And did you have to send a fucking wolf after me?" "You weren''t answering your phone. Natalie volunteered." "Rika, they just want to ask you some questions," Alden added. He wanted to defuse the situation and believed that their connection might be enough to smooth over the discussion. He was completely mistaken. Rika ignored him entirely, her focus completely dominated by Rachel. "Well, you''ve got me. What do you want?" "We''re going to kill him, but we need to keep him in one place. You''ve fought him, you''ve seen how he moves. I need to know how to counter that." Rika''s head snapped around to Alden. Now, sitting across from her in a meeting instead of by her side, Alden could see why everyone else was so reluctant to get close. She had a constant intensity under pressure that never wavered. Every word¡ªevery motion¡ªwas pumped up to eleven, as if Rika were perpetually on the verge of exploding. Alden felt like he had to weigh every single action for fear of setting her off. It was painfully different from the Rika he''d gotten to know in private over the past week. "You told them?" she asked accusingly. Alden forced himself not to recoil. Despite all appearances, he believed Rika wouldn''t hurt him. It wasn''t like her. "We all want to live. You''re the only one with that spell. Tell us how we can stop it." Rika shook her head. "Not in a million years." "Girl, we are all gonna die, damnit!" Jackie shouted, getting to her feet. Rachel held up a hand, and Jackie faltered. Rachel cleared her throat. "Just explain how we can counter his abilities so we can beat him." "And what if I don''t think he''s entirely wrong?" Rika shot back. The room could not have been more silent. With the total absence of ambient noise, the lack of noise was actually painful. A few mouths dropped open, Rachel''s included. Rika continued in a lower, more reserved voice, while electricity crackled along her blue hair. "This shit is too powerful. You don''t know what you''re doing." "We''re the only ones trying to keep this under control," Josh pointed out. "You''re doing a shitty job," Rika snapped. "And now you want to let out the most powerful branch of magic without considering what it''ll do. If you think shit like these dimensions or making electricity from nothing are special, imagine what you could do with faster-than-light spells. This is the goddamn Manhattan project with even less of an idea what the long-term consequences are, and way more potential for blowing up the whole fucking world." "So just tell me. I''ll do it myself," Rachel said. Rika laughed. "Like hell you will. You''d change your mind as soon as you thought it''d help your master plan." "Is there anyone in this summit you''d be willing to share the secret with?" Cinza asked, while Ruby leaned against her heavily with her eyes half-focused. The silver-haired cult leader looked even more determined than Rachel, if that were possible. Even Rika seemed to momentarily waver at her fierce expression. "''Course not, she''s already decided we''re all too stupid to handle it," said Ryan. "She doesn''t care if we die because she thinks she can get away." "Guilty as charged," Rika agreed. "I really don''t care if you die, Ryan." "I love you too, honey." "You can''t outrun him," Hailey said. "He''d just keep following you. I saw you up in the attic. You were getting tired after just running across the room. There''s no way you could keep that up." Rika sighed. "So I''m trapped here. Doesn''t mean I''m suicidal enough to go up head to head with that lunatic." "We''re all going in," Alden said. Rika looked back at him with surprise. "You too, Alzack?" "Yes," Alden said firmly, though he hadn''t been planning such a thing until that moment. The terror of facing Jackson was fresh in his mind, but Alden had to fight back. It was that or die. Up until only a day ago, he might have just given up right there, but in spite of all the terrible facets of magic he''d encountered, he believed in it as much as Rachel or any of them. It wasn''t what Rika or Jackson feared. It was something worth fighting for. "Then you''re as crazy as the rest of them." "Yeah, I probably am. You''re coming too." "Fuck no." "You don''t have to tell us anything. Hell, you don''t even have to be on the front lines. All you have to do is be close enough to interfere with him long enough for Cinza to do her thing." Alden glanced at the leader of the Greycloaks. "How long is that, exactly?" Cinza shrugged. "No more than a second." "Can you do that?" Alden asked. He could tell Rika was actually considering it. He decided to press on. "It''s your best chance of survival, same as the rest of us. You keep your secret, Omega dies, we all go on with our lives and you go find your father." Rika frowned. "All great, but there''s one problem with your grand plan Alzack." "What?" "I do have to be close to him to stop him from running," Rika sighed. "I''m putting a lot on the line here. What''s your weapon, anyway? Big ritual?" Rachel nodded. "Cinza and the four most powerful feeding her energy to drop a magnetic field on him and kill him instantly." "...Okay. That could work. But if there''s any interference¡­" "We know," Lily replied. "So we''ve gotta keep him busy. I''m gonna need people with me out there." "Whoever you want," said Rachel. A small smile crept onto Rika''s face. Her eyes flicked across the room. "...Oh, fuck me," muttered Ryan. [Discord]¡ª[Rate This Story]¡ª[Patreon] Chapter 25 — The Greatest Magic Ever Assembled Chapter 25 ¡ª The Greatest Magic Ever Assembled They had a weapon, they had a distraction, and they had a trap. All that remained was for Rachel to lure Jackson into the snare. For that, she had to trust a man she''d suffered far too long. By all accounts he was normally an honest man despite his rough edges. Still, Rachel''s only experiences with Robert were argument, hatred and betrayal. A bit of distrust and skepticism seemed like a healthy approach. The Summit had dispersed. Julian agreed to send his henchmen¡ªfor lack of a better word¡ªto join Ryan and Josh on the frontline with Rika and Alden. They were already on their way to the park at the south end of town, beyond which lay Robert''s usual meeting place with Brian Hendricks. Today, Robert would have to draw them into the trap. Rachel could only pray he managed to hold back Brian somehow so that the man wasn''t caught in the crossfire¡ªand so that his daughter wouldn''t spot him. Natalie wouldn''t be near the front, thank goodness, but Rachel still feared for her father''s safety. It was his own fault, obviously, but Rachel still wanted to keep her promise to the girl. She needed a real family, not the dysfunctional mess that was her current life, following either Lily or Rachel around every day. Shouldn''t she be out playing and being a kid? She''s twelve, not six, Rachel reminded herself. Natalie''s just a bit small for her age. She should be obsessed with her friends and spending all her time online or something. Except Natalie Hendricks grew up in Rallsburg with a single father and only a few friends. And her closest friend was murdered¡­ "What?" asked Natalie, looking up. She''d been riding alongside Rachel, dutifully keeping to her self-appointed job as scout and bodyguard. "I was just thinking." "About what?" "Aren''t you scared?" Rachel asked, looking over at her. Even atop Gwen, Natalie only sat a few inches taller than Rachel standing. "Nope. Gwen and I beat him already. We can do it again." Rachel shook her head. "You''re not going up against him again." "Why not?" "We''re going to do a ritual to stop him." "I thought I was never supposed to do rituals. That''s what Lily said," Natalie said doubtfully. "We''re breaking a lot of the rules right now, Natalie." "What do I have to do? Is it gonna hurt?" Rachel tried to look reassuring. "Not if we do it right. You''re not going to do the ritual though." "Why not? I can do it." She imagined Natalie getting ripped apart, just like her friend had been, and shuddered. "No, Natalie. I need you to protect us. If we get interrupted, everything might fall apart. You''ve fought his golems before, remember? I need you to keep them off us." "And then we''re gonna go find my dad, right?" Rachel felt tears forming and quickly glanced away. She couldn''t look her in the eye. She doubted Natalie had the experience to recognize a lie when she saw it, and there wasn''t anyone else around to clue her in. Besides, it wasn''t exactly a lie. "Yeah. Then we''ll find your dad and bring him home." Natalie patted her wolf''s head. "Hey, since everyone knows about magic now, that means dad can meet Gwen, right? I don''t gotta hide her in the woods?" "You''ll still have to keep Gwen a secret from the world, Natalie," Rachel replied, wiping her face. "Everyone here knows, but the rest of the world isn''t quite ready yet." "How long?" "I don''t know," she sighed. "...Thanks for not making something up," Natalie said. "Where are we going?" "Back to the sheriff''s station. We have to pick up Robert." "I don''t like him," she declared. "Me neither." Before they were halfway to the station, there was a rolling clap of thunder, so loud they instinctively clapped their hands to their ears. Rachel looked up, but she didn''t see any lightning. If anything, it was an unusually clear afternoon, with only a few puffy clouds lazily drifting along the expanse of sky. Rachel tensed up. Every muscle in her body felt like it was knotted in anxious anticipation. Is he about to attack? She''d expected to have more time while he recovered, given how much weaker and slower he''d seemed at the Summit compared to their fight the day before. Brian and Robert still had a meeting scheduled¡ªwouldn''t Omega want to wait for that first? He wasn''t attacking, as it turned out. Jackson had decided to make his presence known throughout the town to all those who hadn''t had the misfortune of meeting him yet. His voice echoed through the entire town as if he were speaking through a loudspeaker from high above. Rachel recognized the telltale signs of similar magic to what Cinza often employed on her own voice, an alteration of sound waves to strengthen them and repeat them across long distances¡ªonly now on a massive scale. "Rallsburg, your town has come to an end." Within seconds of the thundercrack, Rachel''s phone started ringing. She slammed it against her ear while Natalie stared wide-eyed at the sky, holding tight to the back of Gwen''s neck. "Melodramatic son of a bitch, isn''t he?" shouted Ryan through the phone speaker. "¡ªsorry this has to be done, but¡ª" "He''s stalling," Rachel replied. "That''s a good sign. He''s trying to sew chaos." "¡ªthe so-called ''awakened'' among you are dangerous¡ª" "What if he does whip up another riot?" he asked. "¡ªFor the sake of the the world¡ª" "He has nothing to offer. Who''s going to go after us just for a quick death?" said Rachel. "¡ªcan''t be allowed out of this town¡ª" "Stick to the plan, then?" Ryan shouted. "Yes. I''ll have Robert get him there." "You''re putting a lot of trust in that old bastard." "It''s the only way we''re going to get¡ª," Rachel started, but Jackson''s next words stopped her dead. "¡ªhelp me find them, I promise you a return to your normal lives." "...Shit," they said, in unison.
"Of course I know it''s a lie," Robert growled, stumping along behind Rachel. He looked a little worse for wear after the brawl and the night spent in jail¡ªnot that Rachel particularly cared. They made their way back across town yet again, much slower than before. Rachel had already dodged several groups of would-be witch hunters armed with whatever they could find. People were taking Jackson''s offer seriously¡ªbut thankfully Robert didn''t seem to be one of them. "That bastard always seemed off to me." So why did he tell us something different? Rachel wondered. Is this just to make more chaos? "So you''re still with us?" "I''m with Brian. I could give fuck-all about you. But he''s not gonna let Brian''s little girl survive this one way or another, and I''m not gonna let that happen." He glanced at Natalie, riding a few meters in front of them. "Even if she scares the hell out of me." It was good enough for Rachel. "You''re sure you can get him to come out?" "Well, about that..." Rachel''s eyes narrowed. "I don''t have time for this, Robert." "I''ll need your help to do it." "Explain." "I overheard him talkin'' once. He''s really shit at moving quiet-like in the woods, let me tell you. He was talkin'' ''bout a way to find out who''s got magic and who don''t. Gave Brian somethin'' that could tell him." Something to identify Awakened on sight that anyone can use? Rachel shuddered at the potential long-term implications. "How does this apply to us?" "Well, he also went on about actually findin'' magic being used. But thing was, he apparently can only tell when certain kinds of magic are being used. Or certain people or somethin''. Special people." Something clicked in Rachel''s mind¡ªa snippet of what Hailey and Rika had told her about the attack at Boris'' shop. "I know what he''s talking about." "Great. So here''s the plan: you do that wherever you need him to go. I tell him you''re trying to kill him with something." "You what?" "Truth''s always easier than lies, and he thinks he''s unstoppable. I go in, I tell him the truth, he''ll come roarin'' out with his monsters. You get your battle and I don''t die." Rachel considered it. As plans went, it wasn''t the worst she''d heard. She didn''t really have any better ideas for luring Jackson out to a particular spot¡ªand Robert couldn''t possibly reveal their real plan, since he had no idea what it was. As long as the spot they chose was far enough away from the ritual site, it shouldn''t matter. The problem was, she only had one of the special Awakened to spare. Natalie glanced over her shoulder, as Rachel had stopped walking. "We gotta keep moving, right?" Rachel swallowed hard. It''s the only real option, she told herself. It has to be done. She''ll be okay. She''s way tougher than she looks, and she already looks tough to start. "Works for you?" Robert asked. Rachel nodded. She didn''t dare open her mouth, because she didn''t think she could get any words out without choking on them.
Robert left them as they reached the southern square just before the park. Natalie pulled out some jerky from her bag and held it out to Gwen, who gently gobbled it from her hand. "What kind of meat is that?" Rachel asked. "It''s for dogs. I thought that''d be okay for a wolf. I looked it up online, and Gwen thinks it''s okay too." "I haven''t really done much reading on wolves," she mused. "Maybe later I can help you find a real diet for her?" "Okay. She really just likes to hunt though. I''m only feeding her myself because we haven''t had time." Natalie let Gwen gobble up a few more pieces. "Gwen likes hunting out here. She gets to own the forest ''cause there aren''t any other wolf packs around. Just me and her." "How do you know what she''s thinking, Natalie?" "Magic," Natalie replied, smiling innocently. "But what kind of spell do you¡ª" "Rachel!" Josh called. He jogged over from the first bank of trees lining the park. He was holding his phone with a grim expression on his face. Rachel''s heart sank lower, if that were even possible. "What happened?" "Oscar McKinney''s dead," Josh reported in a hard voice. "...How? When?" Josh pocketed his phone while they walked across the empty ground. "Just now apparently. That mob''s reformed from last night, and it''s bigger. They''re going after anyone they can think of, and Oscar was first on the list." "Why Oscar? He''s never done anything!" "It''s my fault," said Cinza, emerging from the trees. "His son fought for us. I should have forced him to run, but I didn''t." "So they went after him for being what¡ªa collaborator?" "Guess so," said Josh. "I''m already making calls to lay low. Lily''s got the Market open while Kendra''s out here. She says she can keep it stable as long as she needs to, and she''s good enough to close the doors before anyone bad can get in. Can''t open any new doors though, just whatever Kendra already made. They said they closed whatever loophole let Omega get in too." "Get all our people inside," Rachel ordered. "They only have to stay in there until we finish this." "Right." Josh nodded, lifting his phone again. Rachel turned to Cinza. "Are your people all safe?" Cinza shrugged. "My people are here, excepting Ruby and Makoto. We weren''t about to shy away from such a fight. Ruby would be here too, except that she is still recovering at our home. Makoto watches over her safe back at our home." "Okay." Rachel gestured at Natalie. She settled back on Gwen and followed them through the trees into the park. Half of the place was a curated forest, a sort of miniature woods that still felt relatively enclosed despite being so small. The other half was open, full of walkways and flowerbeds, where only a couple days prior they''d gathered for the funeral of Jenny Wilson. Today, they gathered for the murder of Jackson Smith. Most of the Summit was present, with the notable exceptions of the mundane members, Julian Black, and Mason Rhistler. Natalie went to talk with Hector, her old friend, while Rachel immediately walked around the group to the cluster of greycloaks. Joe McKinney was hunched over on a bench with a haunted expression. Aaron was trying to console him, while Yusuf and Rufus stood nearby. To Rachel''s surprise, Joe had already accepted a fresh grey cloak of his own, which stood out as clean and bright compared to the dirt and blood-spattered cloth surrounding him. Nate Price was nowhere to be seen, which accounted for everyone as far as Rachel was aware. "Joe," said Rachel, interrupting Aaron. He looked up, meeting her gaze with empty eyes. "Huh?" "I''m so sorry." "You didn''t do anything." Rachel couldn''t tell if it was an apology or an accusation. His tone was too flat. Rachel wished she could say more, but everyone was waiting on her to start¡ªand they only had so much time before Robert was due to meet with Brian. She turned around to face her gathered forces. "The meeting''s set. Omega should come to right where we want him. If you can fire the ritual off and Rika can hold him in place, this should work." "That''s a scary fucking if," Rika commented. "How is the magic sharing working out?" Rachel asked Cinza. She nodded. "I wasn''t sure at first, but we''re building compatibility faster than I expected. Jessica and Hailey in particular are proficient." "So if this backfires, does that mean someone''s gonna be supermagnetic?" Ryan asked. "Not the time," muttered Alden. "Why do we need to do a ritual anyway?" asked Spencer Ancell, one of Julian''s two cronies. He was an Elemental magic affinity with wide eyes and a horrible moustache he was far too proud of. "Thought they did it in the middle of the riot. That''s not a ritual." "We were also within twenty feet of the target, had no chance of missing, and Ruby is far more skilled at sharing magic with me than anyone else could possibly be," Cinza replied. "We don''t have any of those luxuries today. A ritual will refine and amplify the spell considerably." "I thought rituals were for permanent things," said Hailey. "What if we make, like, a permanent magnetic field there that just kills anyone who walks into it?" "There is no requirement for ritual effects to be permanent," said Kendra. "It does tend to be the desired result of ritual magic though." "How much time do we have?" Cinza asked Rachel. "An hour at least. You''ll get my signal when it''s time." She nodded. "I''d like to practice at least one run before then. We can take the ritual up to the point of drawing out the elements and stop there without committing any energy." "Is that safe?" asked Alden. "Perfectly safe," Kendra replied. "If no energy is committed, magic has no real effect. It''s quite recommended to practice the movements and feeling of a ritual before attempting to complete it. You can get a rough idea of how it might play out, though it''s rarely conclusive and often produces nothing whatsoever. Still, every precaution counts." "I''m working with four complete novices to both halves of this ritual," said Cinza. "I want every advantage I can get." She looked around the assembled group. "That said, I only need these four." Rachel took the hint. "If you''re coming to the front, follow Ryan. He knows where to go." Ryan nodded. "All right, suicidal idiots with me. Let''s go." Julian''s two men trooped out, followed by Alden. Cinza spoke a few brief words to Rufus before he lead their people out of the clearing. Natalie started to leave, but Rachel tapped her on the hand. "Wait for me just outside the trees, okay?" "Okay." Rachel walked over to Rika, who was watching Cinza sprinkle out powdered chalk on the grass. Hector looked queasy, while Hailey and Jessica sat together off on their own, refusing to look at the circle. Kendra simply leaned up against a tree, too tired to be concerned with the proceedings. "What''s up?" asked Rika. "You''re up for this, right?" Rachel asked quietly. "Do I have a choice?" Rachel didn''t answer, so Rika went on. "Look, I''m gonna be honest. I think a lot of what you''ve done is pretty shitty. Not just to me. Don''t think I didn''t notice your little impromptu surveillance state here. But I also think you''re probably right. You''re still a good person, Rachel, and you''re gonna save the world someday. Just keep the little people in mind while you do." "What do you mean?" "When you came in here, what was the first thing you did? You didn''t start barking orders or planning out strategy. You went right to Joe and tried to make him feel better, even though it absolutely wasn''t your fault. Don''t forget that." Rika smirked. "Don''t let your head get too up in the clouds." "...A tall joke? Really?" "Come on, it''s been years. You needed one." Rachel cracked a small smile, the first bit of mirth she''d felt in ages. "Thanks." "We''re ready," Cinza announced, standing up and brushing off her robes. A twin set of intersecting astroids sat at odd angles circling the grass. Each point ended in an open circle of chalk wide enough for a person. Inside the circles at the diagonals sat collections of magnetite, obsidian and agate, separated into small metal bowls in perfect triangles. The cardinal circles were obviously meant for the four who would be assisting. "Where did you get all those on short notice?" Rachel asked, nodding at the bowls. "Compliments of Jessica," Cinza replied. "They had a shockingly large collection of gemstones available to choose from." Hailey shrugged. "We spent a whole year never going out for anything. She wanted stuff to experiment with." She stood up, tapping Jessica on the shoulder to get her attention. "I explained this was just a practice run. We''ve done them before, so she understands what''s up." "Good. If we''re all ready, then please step into the circles. It doesn''t matter who goes where." "Right." Hailey took a deep breath, then shrugged off her jacket. She took off her shirt next, and was halfway to the clasp on her bra when she stopped, finally noticing the dumbstruck stares of everyone around her. "What? We need to avoid interference, right?" Hector and Kendra had turned away the moment they''d realized Hailey was disrobing, while Cinza just looked utterly confused. Rika was the first to find her voice. "Uhh, you know clothes don''t affect it, right?" "Huh?" "I mean, you don''t have to put them back on," Rika added suggestively, her eyes flicking across Hailey''s chest. Hailey''s eyebrows narrowed. Rachel interrupted before Rika could say anything worse. "Clothing is protected under Mason''s Law, though we''re not entirely sure why. It''s the same reason you can''t just move or choke someone by grabbing the clothes they''re wearing. It won''t affect the ritual at all. We tested it thoroughly." "Oh," Hailey said. She grabbed up her clothes hurriedly and put everything back on. Jessica¡ªwho had just started, hesitantly, to mirror Hailey''s action¡ªstopped and chirped oddly. Hailey turned to her and began to sign something. Rachel had memorized every common sign in American Sign Language, as well as most in British and French, but she didn''t recognize anything. Jessica''s barrier to language extended far beyond what she''d expected. "Time to go, Rika," Rachel said firmly, pushing Rika gently. Rika shot Hailey another amused glance before turning and disappearing through the trees. Rachel turned back to the group. "Are you sure you don''t want more than Josh as a guard?" Cinza shook her head. "You need people more than we do. This is the most powerful assembly of magic in the world, and we''re about to combine that power even further. If he comes for us, we can launch it at him point-blank and hope for the best. Josh is more than sufficient to keep an eye out for other interruptions." "We''ll be fine, dear," Kendra added, vaguely irritated. Rachel was really beginning to see the slight differences between her and Lily. They were so similar it was almost unbelievable, even closer than the usual identical twins¡ªbut they were distinct individuals. "We''ll see you when you return." "This is getting scary close to a last goodbye," said Hailey. "Just go already." Hector opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He looked down at the ground, shaking slightly. Rachel nodded. "See you later."
"So what were the salamander eggs for?" Alden asked. Ryan looked over. Alden was leaning against a wide trunk, while Ryan sat on an overturned log whittling at a fallen branch with a knife. "The what now?" A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. "The eggs you wanted from Rika so badly. What were they for?" "Fuck me, I totally forgot," Ryan laughed. "I wanted to see if I could make traps with ''em." "Traps? How does that work? Doesn''t magic just disappear as soon as you let go?" "''Course not. There''s rituals obviously, but there''s other things too. I''m guessing you saw Rika''s sweet-ass bag?" Alden nodded. "So yeah, there''s plenty of things where magic sticks around. I was gonna use the eggs to make these fire traps. They''d go off as soon as you got near, nice little explosions. Like landmines." "That''s horrible." "Dude, have you seen what we''re been dealing with? If I feel like I need landmines, I''m gonna lay down some fucking landmines. At the end of the day, it''s them or me, and I''m always gonna choose me." Alden still thought it was an awful idea, but he decided he might as well get more information about how they worked. If nothing else, he might figure out how to disarm them someday. "So where does the energy come from?" "Yourself, moron." "No, I mean, how do they stick around?" "Same answer. You can''t just use energy from anything else. Magic only works if you''re okay with it going off. It''s nice and polite." Ryan snorted. "Gemstones give you some generic power, or more if you''re doin'' the right element, and other things do super specific stuff. Like salamander eggs and making fire explosions. Ever been to a concert?" "What?" "Concerts. Rock concerts, metal concerts, whatever. They have those big fireballs they shoot off on stage. It''s kinda like that, only in every direction." "Sounds like a quick way to start a forest fire." Ryan shrugged. "It''s also super easy to put out forest fires now, since we can literally control fire. Anyway. Point was, that energy still always starts at you. Even those fancy bags, they''re always drawing energy from you. Might be a tiny bit because Miss Laushire''s a genius, but you''re feeding it to keep it going. Which is actually why my traps would be way more humane than a landmine. You know why landmines are so shitty? It''s not ''cause of war. In a war between actual soldiers on a battlefield anything goes. Anyone who says differently is kidding themselves. Only reason we don''t use nukes or whatnot is because there''d be too much backlash. Wouldn''t actually achieve objectives. But landmines? Landmines only hurt one person at a time. Maybe a few. They''re useful as fuck for locking down an area and scaring the shit out of an enemy. "Nah, the reason landmines are actually horrible is because they don''t go away. After the war''s over and everyone''s gone, those mines are still there twiddling their thumbs and waiting to blow some poor guy''s legs off. Someone who thought the fighting was over and they were finally safe again, only to get blown up ''cause the engineers who designed those things were too good at their jobs. Landmines are fucking terrible, I''m with you there. But that''s where my traps are different. Once they run out of energy, there''s no explosive anymore. No C4, no gunpowder. Just fuckin'' salamander eggs. Makes a battlefield way cleaner at the end of the day." "Why do you know all that?" Alden asked. "Video games man. Who said they weren''t educational?" "You''re still an idiot," said one of Julian''s men. Spencer, if Alden remembered right. "Thanks, delivery-guy-henchmen." "Boys, get along or I''ll beat all of you up myself," said Rika, limping her way around the trees. Alden got to his feet in a hurry to greet her, but she just rolled her eyes. "Jeez, calm your tits Alzack." "Are we all ready to go?" Alden asked. "Something like that." Rika glanced over at the trio of Greycloaks. Joe McKinney had vanished into the woods, seeming too shell-shocked to focus on anything. "You guys cool with following my lead?" Rufus¡ªwho seemed to be the leader of the remaining group¡ªnodded. "We''re in this together, for the good of us all." The others echoed the second half under their breath. Rika leaned back slightly. "Ooookay. Going full tilt on the cult thing now, got it." She limped over to the nearest tree and took a seat. "We''ve probably still got a bit of time before Rachel shows up, and even more before we actually do this thing. Anyone got a deck of cards?" "Like I''m gonna lose even more money to you," muttered Ryan. "I seem to recall you losing way more than money to me," she cackled. "I''m in," said Spencer, producing a deck from his pocket. "Man after my own heart," said Rika with a smirk. Alden shrugged and sat down. Anything to take his mind off of what they would be facing in an hour or so. Six hands in betting with pinecones, Alden was surprised to see Rika already quite a bit down. He was holding steady playing cautious, and Spencer seemed to be making money¡ªfiguratively speaking¡ªon every hand. Rika was growing more frustrated with each loss. "All right, fess up," Rika said after Spencer claimed another pot with a smile. "You''re a former pro or something." "Nope. Just lots of games with the guys. Julian''s just as bad." He produced a cigarette and lit it with the tip of his finger. "You''re out of cones." "Screw that. New bet. Split your cones fifty-fifty and we go around again. Winner gets the loser''s Scrap." "I''d take that, but I can''t match your stake," said Spencer. "I don''t have one. Gave it to the Council." "You gave it to Rachel? Why?" "''Cause I thought it might do some good." Spencer shrugged. "It hasn''t yet, but she''s still young. Give her time." "Fine. Zack, give me your cones." "Nope," said Alden lazily. He was busy trying to stack them into a small pyramid while waiting for Rika to give up. "How about she gets naked if she loses again?" sneered Julian''s other man, leering through an unkempt beard. "Fuck off," snapped Rika. "Go away, Jerry," said Spencer. Jerry made a disappointed noise and fell silent. "Yeah, no one wants to see that," added Ryan. A moment later, a pinecone smacked him in the side of the head. He snapped upright, looking around. "The fuck?" Rika looked at him innocently. "What? I don''t have any." Alden desperately tried to suppress his smile as he released the magic on the pinecone. Ryan looked around again, but Spencer was suddenly very intent on his cigarette and paying them no attention. Exasperated, Ryan settled back against the tree root and continued whittling. Rika shot Alden a conspiratorial grin. "How about some real stakes?" said Spencer calmly, shuffling the deck. "Split it even, loser''s out in front when it''s time." They fell silent. The brief moment of mirth had been burst like a balloon. Rika shrugged. "All right then."
Rachel walked a fair distance behind Natalie as they entered the woods. It wasn''t far to the meeting place, but it was far enough that they wouldn''t be seen or followed from the town. They didn''t want to take a single chance they''d be interrupted or anyone would get caught in the crossfire. "Are you going to stop us?" Rachel asked. After there wasn''t a response for a few moments, she continued. "You have to see there''s no other way now. After what he did at the Summit, and that announcement to the town?" Rachel''s voice caught in her throat as she kept going. "After what she did to Will?" "Stop," Beverly whispered. "He''s a monster. He''s not the guy you used to know." "I guess I just didn''t know him all that well," she murmured. Rachel felt a tiny spark of optimism. "So you''ll help us?" "...I won''t stop you." Rachel sighed. It would have to be enough. She couldn''t persuade Beverly to kill the man she loved, no matter how horrible a person he might be. Moreover, she still felt like she was treading on thin ice with the blackmail she held. It was certainly enough to get Beverly to protect her for the time being, but could she keep it going? Couldn''t Beverly just interfere the next time she logged into her email? The moment she let her guard down for even a second, Beverly could block it and her leverage would be gone. Rachel wondered what Beverly might do to her in revenge. She took some small comfort in that¡ªno matter the consequences she might face¡ªBeverly wasn''t the type to go after loved ones. Will would be safe. Rachel desperately wanted to call and make sure he was all right, but she hadn''t gotten a number for him. She knew the hospital he was staying at, but they had no official, on-paper connection. The hospital refused to even acknowledge that he was a patient to her, citing privacy policy. "Son of a bitch!" came a shout as they rounded the corner to the meeting spot. Gwen and Natalie were leading the way, as usual, and they still managed to shock a few people with every appearance. In this case, it was Jerry Hauserman, the other man Julian had sent to help them. "Keep it down, idiot," snapped Ryan. He hopped to his feet and tossed aside a stick. At the sight of Rachel, he threw a lazy half-hearted salute. "Hail, cap''n." "All ready here?" Rachel asked. "I mean, we didn''t have much to do," said Ryan. "We''re pretty much just here to keep him busy until the nuke goes off, right?" "Right." Rachel nodded. "I''m open to ideas on how to do that. I''m not really used to this sort of thing." "Well, none o'' us are, thank god," Rufus added. "I mean, I''ve done plenny of huntin'', but I never been the hunt''d." "Clever man''s got the clever words," said Spencer, getting to his feet. Rachel noticed a couple odd piles of pine cones scattered by the tree. "I think it''s simple. Every time you''ve fought him, he''s used his golems or his speed, right?" "He can do something with fire too, when he wants to," put in Alden. "I tried that and he just vanished it like nothing." "Yeah, but he didn''t attack with it," said Rika. "Guy''s on to something." She grinned. "Thanks for volunteering to be out front, by the way." Rachel frowned. "Is that really necessary?" Spencer shrugged. "She''s right, I''m out in front. Fair n'' square. Don''t worry, I can handle it." He glanced at Rika. "You owe me a drink afterward though." "Deal." "If he''s attacking with golems or with his own fists, I can take a punch," Spencer said firmly. "So long as we don''t end up in a straight out fight, I think I''ll be okay. Just be ready to pop him as soon as you get the chance." "And what are the rest of us supposed to do?" asked Jerry. "Run like a little girl," said Ryan. He didn''t get the laugh he''d obviously expected from his expression. "...I think you mean run like a little Ryan," said Rika. Spencer laughed. "The first ''little girl'' that comes to mind is the one sitting on the wolf over there." Natalie was barely paying attention, having pulled out her phone again to play a game. "I''m not runnin'' anyway, I''m not a coward," said Jerry. "Running really is the plan," said Rachel. "He comes, you run. As long as you run past where Rika''s hiding, you''re good. We don''t need you to actually fight him, we just need him to get close to Rika so she can lock him down." "And then Our Lady of the Grey blows him up," added Rika. "Someone''s gonna blow up?" asked Natalie. "No," said Rachel. "No one''s going to explode." "Oh. Okay." Thankfully, Natalie sounded relieved, or Rachel might be concerned. She already felt anxious that Natalie''s childhood was so chaotic and abnormal. Unlike the rest of the five, Natalie wasn''t an adult. Her mind wasn''t fully developed. The girl could be easily influenced by any number of factors¡ªand Rachel feared what someone that powerful could turn into if pushed in the wrong direction too many times. "So we''re splitting up even more?" Spencer asked, smoke puffing out from his mouth. "Gonna be barely anyone left in the group at this rate." Rachel nodded. "The longer he''s out here trying to kill one of us, the more chances Rika has to catch him." "How''s that supposed to work, anyway?" "Trade secret," Rika replied. "Just trust me." "Not in a million years," said Ryan. "Trust me, then," said Rachel. Ryan looked about to argue again. Alden nudged him desperately, and to her surprise Ryan fell silent. Rachel shot him a grateful look. They didn''t have much time left.
Alden was killing time practicing magic. They were waiting in a clearing they''d set up to look like a fake ritual site. The trio of Greycloaks were further out, trying to act as an early warning system. Alden couldn''t see a single one of them. Spencer had sprinkled out a circle of chalk that Rachel provided, and Natalie was roaming around it impatiently while her wolf sat on its haunches and watched. Ryan was tossing a pinecone in the air repeatedly with a bored expression. Alden decided to catch it first. He hurled out his mental grip and snatched it out of midair. The cone sailed neatly into his own hand, while Ryan''s was suddenly grasping at thin air. "Nice pull," said Ryan. He picked out another cone, tossing it up again. "You a Movement guy?" "Maybe." Alden tried to adopt his casual tone, tossing the cone up in the air himself. Ryan grinned. A second later, he hurled his pinecone straight at Alden''s head. Alden only had a split-second to react, but he managed to throw up his mental grasp fast enough to slow the cone. He couldn''t stop it entirely with the velocity it was moving at, but he managed to deflect it off-course. It sailed past his ear and struck the tree trunk with a loud thwack. "Good call, not trying to stop it entirely. I put a bit extra behind that throw, so you''d probably just exhaust yourself." Ryan nodded approvingly. "Better to just avoid the hit with the minimum effort." "What about you? What''s your affinity?" Alden asked. Instead of answering, Ryan lifted up his fist. His arm bulged out with thick corded muscles, as if he''d suddenly become a bodybuilder overnight. "Beating people up." He grinned, then let it lapse back into his normal physique. "Wouldn''t that just throw you off? Like, being unbalanced or not being used to the muscles?" Ryan shrugged. "Magic takes care of it, I guess. I don''t feel unbalanced, and it just feels like normal me¡ª''cept I''m way stronger." "Can you tell me how to do it?" Alden asked eagerly. "I guess, but without the affinity you won''t be able to hold it for long. Not really worth it in a fight." "I just want to know more magic, and you seem like the expert on that." "Nice to see someone''s still excited by this shit," Ryan smiled. "All right." He walked over and sat down next to Alden. "Hold out your arm like this. Okay. Did Rika teach you how to move your mind out into your body?" "Kinda. She taught me how to summon fire on my fingertip. Is it similar?" "Same general area, but you''re staying inside your skin this time, not on top of it. You want to find your way to the muscle layer, then you kinda fold it in on itself. It''s hard to describe." Alden tried what Ryan had said. It didn''t seem to accomplish much. He could feel out the muscle group with surprising detail thanks to his practice with telekinesis, but he wasn''t able to affect it. He tried to push energy into it, but all he succeeded in doing was moving his arm slightly to the left. "No, you''re still doing Movement. You gotta enlarge it. Modify it." "I''m trying," Alden muttered. He felt back into it with his mind, tracing the contours of the muscle layer. Normally, his mental projection was like a hand¡ªgripping objects just like he would with his real fingers. This time, he dismissed the hand image and simply pushed inside the muscles instead of gripping the surface. Once inside, he just fed energy directly into the entire region, without any sort of grip or even any purpose at all. Immediately, his arm muscles seized up and his elbow went rigid. Alden could see a kind of growth in the muscle layer. He could feel how much stronger it was, but he also couldn''t actually make use of it. His entire arm was locked in place, and it felt painful to try and move it. Ryan snickered. Alden released the magic and his arm thankfully returned to normal. He stretched it out to relieve the discomfort, glaring at Ryan. "Could have warned me." "Well, to be honest, I didn''t expect you to get anything out of that at all. You''re going about it all wrong though. Just shooting stuff into your arm like you''re doping up is gonna do fuck-all." He shrugged. "How am I supposed to explain a magic thought process to someone who''s never done it? It''s like explaining to someone what a tail feels like, or to a girl what having a dick feels like." "Thanks for that image," Alden muttered. He glanced over at Natalie, who hadn''t appeared to have heard Ryan. In fact, she was staring out into the woods with a concerned expression. "Natalie?" "Gwen heard something," Natalie said. She rushed to her wolf''s side. Gwen was issuing a low growl from her bared jaws, and Natalie patted her on the head trying to soothe her. They didn''t want to make too much noise and give away the trap. "Could just be one of those cult morons moving around too much," Ryan said dismissively. Alden''s phone buzzed. He tapped the screen on. Rachel had sent them a message¡ªminutes earlier. "Crap. Rachel sent the message five minutes ago." "The fuck?" Ryan snapped, leaping to his feet. "Bad signal." He let out a stream of curses. "Is it time?" Natalie asked. "Yeah. Do your thing," said Ryan. Natalie clapped her hands together eagerly, and a moment later a set of fireballs burst forth. The wave of heat washed over all of them as she sent them spinning up into the air above the trees¡ªa perfect circle of bright pink flames. "When did you learn to make it colored?" asked Ryan. "I saw someone else do it. I thought it looked nice." Natalie smiled. "I learned how to color stuff from the lightning Scrap, so I just combined it. They''re pretty, aren''t they?" "Beautiful," he deadpanned. "Anyway, show''s on. He should have sensed that, if Rachel''s not crazy. One minute, then we go." The minute seemed to take hours. Alden was counting it down mentally in his head, but every second was another bead of sweat forming on the back of his neck. Flashes of the monsters kept hurtling through his mind, while Jackson''s low voice echoed just beyond the tips of his ears. For all his bravado in talking to Hailey, or to Rika, Alden was still terrified of what they were up against. Who wouldn''t be? His companions didn''t seem nearly as concerned. Ryan looked as bored as he ever did, while Natalie was intensely focused on the trees. Spencer was stamping out his cigarette. Only Jerry seemed as nervous as Alden, his eyes flicking back and forth rapidly while his hands seemed to never quite settle on a particular position. He''s going to come for us, Alden reminded himself. That''s the whole point. We time it so that he sees our burst of magic before the ritual starts, and he goes for the first one. He''s fast so he should be here any second. Then we just run. Right? There was a loud thump and the sound of liquid splattering across the leaves. Alden looked around. One of the golems erupted from the ground, faceless and covered in underbrush. Its thick, featureless arm was already extended, with a crimson-splattered fist protruding through Spencer''s torso. The man looked down with glazed-over, disbelieving eyes. "Shit," he muttered. The golem whipped its arm back, flinging Spencer''s body off like a wet rag. He hit the nearest tree and tumbled to the forest floor. His eyes were totally empty, like there wasn''t a person inside anymore. Alden''s heart skipped a beat. He looked around in a panic, but there wasn''t anyone there. Jackson was nowhere to be seen. There was only the golem, with a second one starting to grow a few feet behind the first. Natalie lifted up balled fists and Gwen growled deep and loud, while Ryan''s arms bulged out and Jerry summoned up his own set of flickering yellow-orange flames.
Rachel was watching the sky, but Rika watched her instead. As the silence dragged on, she felt like Rika was working up to getting something off her chest, but couldn''t bring herself to say it. Rachel was too anxious and impatient to let her get to the point on her own. "What is it?" "Huh?" "You want to say something." Rika shrugged. "Nothing to say, is there?" "Come on. You''ve been on my case since you got here," Rachel sighed. "Just say what you want to say." "I have not. I was staying out of your way until you sent the cops after me." "That was¡­ the only option." "God, can''t you just apologize like a normal person?" Rachel paused. "I''m sorry." "Once more, with feeling." "Look," Rachel started angrily. "I''m sorry, but you really haven''t made things easy. Like today. You said we aren''t handling magic well, but you aren''t really offering any solutions. You''re just shouting down anything we do try." "Everything you try is shit," she grumbled. "So work with me. Help me, Rika," said Rachel wearily. "I am, aren''t I? I''m out here in this crap with you." "That''s not¡ª" A burst of pink flames erupting into the sky interrupted her thoughts. "There''s the signal." "One minute left. Any last words?" asked Rika sardonically. "No." "Well, I have one. It was me. I was the one who lost Andrea''s favorite necklace when we were fourteen." "...Why are you telling me that now?" "I don''t want to die with that on my conscience. Go tell your mom when you see her that it''s probably still somewhere at school near the tech lab." "There''s no way it''s still there." "Eh, probably not," Rika shrugged. "Oh well." She stood up straight, brushing twigs off her jacket. "At least she''ll stop thinking it was some hobo breaking in." "You could have just bought one for yourself," Rachel said. "You had way more money than us." "Look, I already feel like an idiot about it. I just really wanted her necklace." She looked away. "I thought you should know." "Thanks, I guess?" "Something''s coming," Rika said sharply. She tensed up, and so did Rachel. The birds had stopped chirping. The right way, but¡­ It''s not our people. A blur shot by without sound. Rachel had never realized it before, but even the method by which Omega moved seemed totally unnatural, since it didn''t generate a sonic boom or any of the other usual effects one might associate with such a fast-moving mass. She didn''t have any more time to think about it though, as the man suddenly slowed to a crawl in front of her. Rachel reached for the connection with Cinza to send her the signal, but stopped dead when she realized what she was looking at. There wasn''t just one person. It was two. Omega somehow had Brian along for the ride. Rika was gasping for breath. Omega seemed to be moving in slow motion. They were running in the direction of Natalie''s spell, so Rachel had actually managed to catch him coming in, not going away. His head was just starting to turn in their direction, his deep black eyes searching for the interference. Rachel had a split-second to decide. If she signaled, they might kill Omega, and they''d kill Brian along with him. They might even kill Rachel and Rika, with Omega only a dozen feet away. She wasn''t sure. This wasn''t the plan! She''d promised Natalie she''d find her father. She''d promised the town she''d keep them safe. She''d promised her people she''d kill Jackson. She''d promised her mother she''d make it home alive. Rachel faltered. She released the connection with Cinza and flung her arms around Rika. The electricity from Rika made Rachel''s face buzz painfully. Her head felt light and dizzy. She pulled Rika behind a tree and out of sight. Rika''s concentration broke. Omega sped up again, and both vanished into the underbrush a moment later. Her chest heaved as she drew long, deep breaths. She started coughing into Rachel''s arm. Rachel reluctantly released her, taking a few steps back to give her some space. "What the fuck did you just do?" Rika gasped. "I¡ª I d-don''t know," Rachel stuttered. "We have to catch up with them." Rika turned and started to run. Every few steps, she grunted in pain from her injuries, sustained in her last fight with Jackson. The guilt was doubling up in Rachel''s head. She''d wasted not just their current efforts, but all the pain and trouble they''d been going through all week. Everything Rika had said echoed in her mind. Rachel followed as quickly as she could, while her brain screamed at her in rage and frustration. She''d just blown their best chance to take him out. What was she thinking? Did I just get everyone killed?
A purple lightning bolt thundered through the clearing, accompanied by a shout of exertion from Natalie. It blasted through the chest area of the nearest golem, cutting it cleanly in two. The material crumbled into dust and coated the ground in a sickly light grey. Another golem swung for Alden. He only barely got out of the way in time, flinging himself backward using his mind far faster than he could have moved. The golem''s fist slid past his cheek with a whisper of wind. "We need to run!" Ryan called. He threw a punch at the golem that had tried to blindside him, and his fist sent it bending over backwards. Ryan didn''t waste a second getting far away from it, having been forewarned by Rachel. It pulled itself back up as if it hadn''t taken a hit, continuing its unrelenting, unyielding approach. "Natalie, let''s go!" "I''m coming!" Natalie shouted back, but she didn''t seem to be. She spun in a circle and flung out a flat palm. Another brilliant purple lightning bolt crackled out and annihilated a fresh golem that had just finished growing. Branches of the bolt split off as it passed through and connected with tree branches and rocks on the other side, finding whatever path they could to the ground. Natalie finally relented, climbing onto her wolf. She pulled on her hood and made to leave¡ªbut paused, looking over her shoulder into the distance. Alden followed her gaze. There between the trees was a man holding out a strange blackened rod, with short brown hair and an unshaven face. Alden didn''t recognize him, but there was only one person it could possibly be. "Natalie, we have to go, now!" Alden shouted. He needed her to look away before she recognized him. Natalie turned away and rode into the forest. Alden followed her at a sprint. She was taking a slightly roundabout way to the spot where Rachel and Rika were supposed to be waiting, but that made sense given where the golems had been appearing. It didn''t have anything to do with the man standing out in the forest, Alden told himself. We aren''t going anywhere near him. Natalie didn''t recognize him. The golems continued to chase them, but with their lumbering pace it wasn''t long before they''d lost them completely. Ryan''s arms had returned to normal size while he kept easy pace with Natalie. The wolf wasn''t running anywhere as fast as she obviously could, but Alden suspected that she was trying to help Natalie stay on. Alden, meanwhile, was barely keeping up with his shorter stride and his general lack of exercise. Still, something was wrong. The golems were never the issue they were concerned about. Jackson should have been fast enough to catch them. They''d chosen a spot just far enough that Rika wouldn''t be blindsided by a golem, but not so far that they couldn''t get to her in time to trap Omega. So where is he? He spotted Rika sprinting through the trees directly at them. Alden shouted at her to draw her attention. "Why are you out here?" shouted Ryan. "We fucked up!" Rika called back. Rachel emerged as well, following Rika. "I didn''t know he could bring someone with him. The trap didn''t work." Ryan cursed. "What do we do now?" "Try again?" Alden said. "Omega''s¡­ friend is alone back there. If Natalie casts something else, maybe he''ll come here solo?" "Do it," Rika snapped. Natalie looked up at her name. "What am I doing?" "Cast something big, doesn''t matter what." Natalie thought for a moment. She looked up at the trees and held out a fist into the sky, closing her eyes. She muttered something under her breath. Her stomach seized inward as if she''d just been punched, and she doubled over. Natalie pulled herself back upright on Gwen''s back, still muttering rapidly. Finally, she opened her hand. A piercing cry of a hawk echoed through the forest. The bird dove through the canopy and fluttered its wings, coming in for a soft landing to perch directly on Natalie''s outstretched hand. Its talons were huge clamped onto Natalie''s fingers. It had handsome brown and white plumage with a set of light orange feathers at the tail. Natalie opened her eyes, smiling at it. It took a few steps to steady itself on her finger, while Natalie stroked the back of its head with her other hand. "How the fu¡­" Ryan started, but stopped himself. "That''s ''something big''?" Rika asked. Natalie nodded. "That''s the hardest thing I know how to do. It gets harder every time I do it, too." "Okay then." Rika looked around. "I don''t feel anything. He should be on his way, shouldn''t he?" "He should, unless¡­" Rachel trailed off. "Oh no." "Oh no what?" Rachel started sprinting away back to Rallsburg. Alden realized what Rachel must have¡ªOmega was going after the other natural awakened. Rika came to the same conclusion. "Oh, fuck." The rest of the group chased after Rachel in desperate panic, stumbling over tree roots in their haste to stop the pending catastrophe.
Rachel hurtled headlong through the woods, heedless of the danger she was more than likely heading into. She''d seen the results of a broken ritual firsthand and secondhand several times over¡ªwith her own, with past Council experiments and now with Jessica as well. She''d seen the potential scale of disaster that was possible from Julian''s reckless hydrogen experiment. Now, with no less than the most powerful awakened in the world combining their power under Cinza, Rachel wouldn''t be surprised by anything that came out of it. Rachel had to get there before Omega did. She didn''t make it. There was a ear-shattering rumble of sound. It was like a bass note so low that it was barely perceptible, and yet the pressure felt like it would crumble her eardrums. Rachel clapped her hands to her head, falling to the ground in agony. Her over-sensitive ears felt like they were on fire. The ground shook. Rachel felt a gentle force grab her from above, affecting her entire body at once. It felt like she were being pulled straight into the sky. She was lifted off her feet and brought slowly into the air. It wasn''t exactly painful, but it was discomforting. Far more disturbing was the sight of the town that she could barely make out through the trees. Sounds of tearing and scraping reverberated across the landscape. Anything with metal tore itself to shreds throughout Rallsburg. Rachel could see entire buildings splitting apart at the seams as metal shot through wood and flung into the sky, far more violently than she''d been. The radio tower crumpled and splintered away from its concrete foundation. The only structures that seemed unaffected were the looming spires of the old library, standing firm while the rest of Rallsburg was ripped to pieces. The screaming started. Shouts of pain and terror filled her ears, only to be drowned out a moment later. The unseen force vanished in the blink of an eye. Rachel fell back to the ground, and the town fell along with her. [Discord]¡ª[Rate This Story]¡ª[Patreon] Chapter 26 — Monsters Chapter 26 ¡ª Monsters As if a rope had been cut, they fell back to the earth. Only Natalie had been unaffected, though Alden wasn''t sure if that was because she''d held onto Gwen¡ªwho hadn''t so much as twitched during the event¡ªor because of her status as naturally awakened. Either way, the rest of them weren''t so lucky. Ryan in particular ended up crumpling to the ground and knocking his head against a tree branch as he went, cursing all the while. "Chikush¨­, chikush¨­, chikush¨­," whispered Rika. Ryan clambered to his feet, though he looked very unsteady. "That was the ritual, right? They killed him, and I''m about to go drink all the fucking beer in the K n'' B?" "In your fucking dreams," Rika whispered. "He got to them." "I wanted one last happy thought before we all get ass-fucked, bitch," he snapped. "Shut up!" shouted Jerry¡ªand to Alden''s surprise, it worked. But then again, it usually worked when Rachel interjected as well, so maybe they were just easy to calm down. Jerry continued in a surprisingly calm voice. "We have to regroup, right? Find Rachel and figure out what to do next." As he spoke, a deafening crash echoed across the landscape. A fireball erupted into the sky, in the direction of Hector''s store. A split-second later, the shockwave pounded through the underbrush, making them all flinch. "Fuck that, I''m out," said Ryan. He meant it too, turning and sprinting away into the woods at a random direction. Jerry hesitated, reconsidering his idea to rejoin the fight. After a few moments, he ran in a different direction, though still far away from the scraping and burning sounds and occasional screams now issuing from Rallsburg. Natalie said something to her new hawk, and it took off into the sky. She rode off hard in the direction Rachel had last been seen, leaving only Rika and Alden alone in the forest. "What do we do now?" Alden whispered. He''d only planned out up to the fight with Omega. He had no idea what he was supposed to do if they failed. It hadn''t even popped into his mind. That was the final battle, wasn''t it? The big finish with the risky gambit and the life-or-death stakes? What did he do after they''d lost? Rika shook her head. "We''re fucked. Rachel''s plan failed." She sounded just as shaken as Alden felt. "I don''t know, Alden." "Do you think any of them are alive?" he asked, while Hailey and Jessica''s faces flashed through his mind. "Could be. Ritual backfiring might not have killed them. Omega would though." Rika grimaced. "Fuck me, I have to go after her." Alden nodded. "I''m coming too." "Okay then." Rika started down the path Natalie had just taken. Alden followed as fast as he could. Thankfully it was still mid-day, or the forest would be much more difficult for them. Instead, it was the things in the forest that caused them the most trouble. A snap of a branch had them both twisting around in an instant. Alden summoned up a ball of flame in one hand, larger than he''d ever managed. He assumed the adrenaline currently flooding his veins was helping him out with magic somehow. Rika had one hand full of gemstones and her other fist up and ready to strike, sparks dancing between her knuckles. Viper was behind them, his hand in the air. "White flag," he called out. "Rika, shoot him," Alden snapped. "What?" "He tried to kidnap me." "He what now?" "You shoot me, Rook shoots you," Viper said quickly. "And she won''t miss. Now what the hell just happened?" "We tried to kill Omega," said Rika, not lowering her hand. "Did you?" "What the fuck do you think?" Rika snapped, lifting her hand an inch. Viper took a step back, his hand still raised. "You know that gesture means fuck-all when you have magic, right?" He shrugged, and put his hand in his pocket instead. "It''s traditional. Calm down." "We''re a really long way from calm." Rika''s eyes narrowed. "How did you find us?" "We saw pink fire coming out of the trees and figured that was worth investigatin''." "So you could take them instead," Alden added. "Rika. They tried to fly me out in a helicopter. He just wants someone for his boss to cut open." "Fucking hell," she muttered. Viper shrugged. "Look, there''s some bad blood here, so let''s just clear it up. Won''t touch either of you again, you got my word. We just want to know what''s going on." "New plan," said Rika. "You work for Malton directly right? Cornelius Malton?" He nodded slowly. "So what?" "So my father''s the founder of NishiSoft and has access to every single goddamn Laushire database¡ªand so do I. I have all the encryption keys they''ve ever used and root logins on their network." Rika lowered her hand a few inches. "You''ve got a helicopter, and I need a ride. Get me the fuck out of town and your boss gets the whole Laushire backend." Viper frowned. "There''s no way I''m getting out of here without someone who can use magic." "Holy shit, bakayar¨­, are you not seeing this?" She gestured over her shoulder. As if on cue, another, smaller explosion rippled into the sky with a low roll of thunder. "If you don''t leave now, you''re not getting out of here alive period. Do you see what''s happening back there?" Rika shook her head. "I want safe passage to somewhere in the United States or Canada of my choosing. Malton never learns my name or who gave him the info. And you get to deliver your boss a massive prize on a platter. Everyone''s happy, none of us die. Magic can wait." "Rika¡­" Alden started. Rika ignored him. "Omega can''t keep winning. Magic''s already gotten out of Rallsburg. Sooner or later he''ll bite it, but magic won''t, ''cause he can''t beat Grey-eyes. So you''ll have another chance¡ªbut only if we get out of here. Right now." Rika flipped her hand over, offering it to Viper to shake. "Deal?" Viper took a minute to consider it. Alden stepped closer to Rika and dropped to a whisper. "What about Rachel?" "She''ll make it," Rika said, though he could hear the unease in her voice. "She always does in the end." "Even up against a god?" "They aren''t gods, Alden. They''re just more stupid college kids in over their heads." Alden frowned. "If you leave, we can''t hold him down anymore." Rika hesitated. "I can''t stay here. I can''t die here." "Tell me how to do it," Alden said, though he could feel intense anxiety weighing on him as he realized what that would mean. "I''ll hold him." "There''s no way I could explain it in time," Rika said. "And it''s still too dangerous." "More dangerous than letting something like him stay alive?" Alden pointed out. Rika looked at him with surprise. "Way more murderous than I expected, Alden," she murmured. Alden was still running on thick adrenaline. His entire body felt energized and ready for a fight. "I''ve watched him kill people now. He tried to kill you too, and me. If you aren''t going to try again, then at least give us the chance to. Please, Rika." "You''ve got a deal," Viper called. "Wherever you want to go, no questions asked and no records." She nodded. "Give me a minute." "One minute." The gruff man turned and started speaking into his radio earpiece again. Rika turned away to block his line of sight, edging up close to Alden. Her skin touched his briefly, sending another electric shock dancing through him. She pulled her bag around front and dug through it quickly. She picked out a small watertight lockbox and unlocked it. "Read this quickly," she muttered. Alden picked up the crumpled scrap of paper reverently. He looked down at the first few words, and suddenly felt his eyes being drawn across it like they weren''t under his control anymore. The writing¡ªwhich he couldn''t describe but somehow perfectly comprehended¡ªflowed much more strangely than he remembered. It was very different from the page he''d read in Rika''s apartment, or the one Hailey had shown him at Boris'' shop. The sentences seemed to flow faster, but at the same time it was like he were wading through thick sludge to get through to the end. He saw lines of pure energy rolling away from him, and as he followed them the world seemed to suddenly turn into a flickering old movie. With every step the entire world flashed, like someone were turning the lights on and off. He rubbed at his eyes, trying to clear the effect away. Alden looked around and realized why. It wasn''t that the lights were blinking¡ªthere were no lights around to flash anyway, just the sunlight streaming through the trees. He was perceiving it more quickly, and acting upon it at that same speed. In that vein, he was also perceiving the infinitesimally small gaps between photons arriving from the sun and bouncing around to eventually reach his eyes, as his speed of perception increased further and further. Alden was moving faster than the universe. It released. The lines of energy faded and the world snapped back to normal. He hadn''t moved at all. Alden let out a huge breath and doubled over, feeling as though he was about to be sick. Rika grabbed him and helped him stay upright. "Easy," she muttered. "Don''t look too suspicious." Alden forced himself to stay calm. It took him a few moments, but he managed to stay upright and hold it in. "That flickering was really annoying," he finally choked out. Rika grinned. "I forgot about that," she whispered. "Don''t worry. You''ll learn to fix it so that doesn''t happen." She glanced over at Viper, who was watching the sky impatiently. They still had time. "Now that you know what it is, you should be able to interfere with him. Just lay it down in his vicinity and it screws everything up. This magic really doesn''t mix well. You barely even have to force it to fuck him up. It''ll be painful as shit to keep going for more than a few seconds but that''s enough if you time it right. Get some topaz from Jessica''s hoard to lighten the load a bit." "You''re still not going to stay?" Alden asked. "...I told you, I don''t believe in coincidence. I needed a way out and then we run right into this motherfucker. I gotta take it." She sighed. "Don''t worry. You got this, Alzack." She clapped him on the back. "What about you, though? Can''t they just come after you the moment you give them what they want?" Rika shook her head. "It''s not a one-time thing. They''ll drop me off somewhere in Olympia and only once I''m in the clear do they get what they want. They get access, but only through me. I''ve still got backdoors all through the system, and they need me to mask their tunnel. If I disappear or they try anything, they lose access. Or I just shoot them with lightning. I''m pretty good at that." She raised her voice. "We leaving or what?" At her question, they all heard the distinctive sound of the helicopter approaching. Viper pointed up at the sky. The sound of the blades pounding the air was growing rapidly, until it swung overhead in a dramatic stall and came to a halt not far from their position. Alden had a brief, terrifying flashback of leaping from the chopper and took a few steps away instinctively. "You''re gonna be fine," said Rika, just barely audible over the helicopter. She gave Alden a brief hug, and the electricity danced through him one last time as she did. "Stay alive out there." "You too," Alden replied. "I hope you find him." Rika smiled, then ran to the ropes the helicopter had dropped. She took hold opposite Viper and Rook and handled the sudden pull with ease. The helicopter lifted just enough to clear the treeline, then took off at low altitude, fast away from Rallsburg.
Rachel ran back to the park as fast as she could. Natalie and Gwen were right alongside her, though the girl was unusually quiet. I guess even she realizes just how bad this is, Rachel thought bitterly. They''d failed. She''d failed. She''d caused the cataclysm that swept through the town like a freak tornado. Jackson hadn''t done this. It''s all my fault. For a brief second, Rachel found herself agreeing with Omega. Who would want to let a force like this into the world? If this was what they could accomplish after only a year of magic, what horrors could she inadvertently unleash after decades or centuries? Magic didn''t exist anywhere else. If she turned the tables, she could eliminate it entirely. This sort of widespread destruction and murder from so few would never occur again. One look at Natalie was enough to remind Rachel what was also possible. Natalie, riding atop her wolf with an eagle perched on her shoulder, represented a branch of magic wholly removed from the violence and chaos they''d been fighting. Beyond that, there was Cinza''s experimental farm, her light shows, or even Rachel''s own self-improvement that had nothing to do with fighting. There were still good uses for magic. The world could use those. She had to fight for those. Rachel emerged into the field at the same time as the trio of Greycloaks, coming out from much further down the wall of trees marking Rallsburg''s border. They all reached the small outcrop of trees just as Kendra emerged, grim-faced. She held a limp Cinza in her arms. The adrenaline already pumping through Rachel''s veins seemed to double up. She was at Kendra''s side instantly. Cinza''s face was bloody and bruised. "Is she¡ª" "She''s alive," Kendra reported, prompting a relieved sigh from Rufus. "The backlash was significant." "Home, please," Cinza mumbled feebly, twisting slightly in Kendra''s arms. Her eyes were closed, but to Rachel''s surprise she still maintained her echoing voice. Kendra noticed it too. "I believe she''s performing the spell unconsciously. It''s not unheard of, and I can''t imagine it requires much energy. We certainly keep more than a few things active through sleep every night." "Is she going to be okay?" asked Yusuf. "She just channeled more magic through herself than any single person has ever experienced," Kendra replied. "I have no way of knowing." "John, no. Come back home¡­ They''ll understand¡­ I''ll make them understand," murmured Cinza, totally delirious. "Was she the one keeping your home hidden?" Rachel asked Cinza''s older lieutenant. Rufus shook his head. "She designed the magic, but any of us can keep it going if we have to." "Get her out of here. Take her home. She was confident Omega couldn''t find it." "What about¡ª" "She''s done all she can," Rachel snapped. "Keep her safe." Rufus hesitated. He glanced at Aaron, who nodded in agreement. Kendra passed her over. Rufus held her very carefully, as if she were made of the most fragile glass. "I''m sorry," he murmured. "Go," she added impatiently. Without another word, the trio fled back into the woods, bearing their leader to safety. Rachel turned back to Kendra. "What about the rest?" Kendra sighed. "Hector fled as soon as he saw Omega. That broke the ritual. I could feel in the final moments that Cinza was attempting to redirect the target. She was still aiming for where we''d agreed upon, but as soon as we felt the effect expanding, she tried to push it as far away as possible. I believe she was targeting well outside of town, but the area of effect was so wide that it still managed¡­ well, this." She looked over her shoulder, where the nearest building was perforated with holes, some as large as a car. "Dreadful." "Then what?" "Miss Winscombe and her friend attacked him. They seemed to be doing well, but as soon as they gained any advantage, he simply sped away. He tried that three times, coming back from odd angles, but we were able to spot him out every time. After that, he just disappeared." "Where''s Hailey?" Rachel asked, looking around. They didn''t seem to be anywhere nearby. "Ran off to help the wounded, I believe. They went straight into town while I kept watch over Cinza." The sound of a helicopter drew their attention. "I thought he already left?" Rachel muttered, shading her eyes from the sunlight as she tried to spot it. The sound only lasted a few minutes before it faded away. "Can we call in any assistance? At this point, I''d feel emergency response would be beneficial," Kendra suggested. "People are going to be needing shelter, food and water, depending on how much was just destroyed. It''s not as though we can hide this anymore." Rachel shook her head. "Check your phone." As she''d expected, Kendra''s phone was totally unresponsive. "Hm." "The cell tower was destroyed." Another scream from the town, much closer than before. Natalie looked worried, which had Rachel even more concerned. The girl hadn''t said a word since they''d reunited back in the forest, and she wasn''t normally so quiet. Something had happened out there, but Rachel didn''t have time to find out what¡ªas the loud scrape and crunch of a collapsing building reminded her. She took off toward the sound with Natalie hot on her heels. No matter what she might be feeling and heedless of the potential danger, Rachel was still going to try and save the people of Rallsburg.
Alden took the quickest route he remembered back to the apartment complex. He needed to get at Jessica''s collection of gemstones if he was going to have any hope of holding down Omega. When he tore around the corner of the building, he found himself face-to-face with a college guy he didn''t know, with short brown hair and a deadly expression. Alden took an instinctive step back, then another as he noticed the knife in the guy''s hand. "Who are you?" he asked, eyeing Alden suspiciously. "Just looking for a friend," Alden answered. Given the shattered state of the apartments¡ªshattered windows from their frames collapsing or being ripped from the walls, objects shot through ceilings with terrifying force and metal rivets torn out of wood¡ªAlden thought it would be a simple, reasonable deflection. To his surprise, the knife rose up to find his chest. Alden froze in place. "You''re that guy," he muttered. "The one tagging along with the witch. You caused all this." "No¡ª" Alden started, but he kept talking. "My friends are dead because of you," he snarled. Alden tensed up. He could feel where this was going. The guy suddenly lunged forward, knife leading the way. Alden pulled himself backward with magic, flinging himself through the air faster than the guy could follow. He landed easily a few dozen feet away. "Don''t do this," Alden warned. His opponent let out a incomprehensible shout of rage and charged forward. The knife was coming for him. The blade was only a few feet away. Alden grabbed desperately for it with his mind and managed to take hold. He flung it sideways, trying to send it out into the distance. The guy''s grip was too strong. The knife was pulled backward, but his grip on the handle caused it to spin out as it flew away. The blade sliced a length into the guy''s palm before it vanished into the grass outside the apartments. He cursed in pain, but he didn''t slow down. The guy tackled Alden to the concrete walkway. His head bumped painfully on the ground, while the wound in his shoulder began to twinge again. He threw a punch at his attacker''s face, but he didn''t have enough room to get any real force out of it. He may as well have flicked the guy. Alden switched tactics, grabbing himself with magic and sliding his whole body out backwards. The guy didn''t weigh enough to hold him back, letting Alden free like he were skidding across ice. As soon as he was free of the guy''s grip, Alden scrambled to his feet again. He didn''t want to hurt him, but the guy wasn''t giving up. He bolted for the grass where the knife had fallen. Alden tried to find it with his mental grip first, but he couldn''t see anything. As the guy picked it up with a much tighter grip than before, he swung back around to charge at Alden. "Stop, please!" Alden shouted, but the guy didn''t look like he''d heard a word. Alden sent his mind down to that pool of energy inside him, opening it tenfold above what he''d ever managed before. He leapt along the line he perceived as time itself, slowing down the world around him. As Rika had said, he managed to keep it stable, so that the lights weren''t flickering and the world was still perceptible. He could already feel it drawing massive amounts of his reserves, but Alden had to do something before he got stabbed outside Rika''s apartment having accomplished nothing at all. Alden ran forward at the guy, currently inching toward him in slow motion. He took the knife out of his hand and tossed it away again, then reluctantly punched him in the gut. As he retracted his fist, Alden released the line of energy he''d been grasping and flitted back to the normal line of time. The world became a fast-forward mess to catch up with him, as the knife twirled away into the distance. The guy he''d punched flew back a full six feet and tumbled over backward. Alden hadn''t realized how much his punch would be amplified by the speed he''d moved at. "Are we done?" Alden asked, panting. "You killed my friends," the guy gasped, rolling over and struggling back to his feet. "Dropped a fucking building on their heads." "I didn''t do anything," Alden gasped, almost apologetically. "I''m trying to catch the guy who did it." "All of you did it. You''re all fucking monsters." He started advancing again. Alden didn''t have much strength left to fight him, and the guy was in much better shape. He didn''t have to. A loud popping sound had Alden clapping his hands to his ears. The guy''s head snapped to the side as a burst of dark red substance coated the grass. He collapsed to the ground. Someone screamed. It took Alden a few moments to realize what had just happened. It was only when he heard another shout of surprise from a familiar voice that he finally caught up. He looked around and saw Julian Black lowering a hunting rifle, calm as could be. He wasn''t the one who screamed. Hailey and Jessica emerged from their apartment door behind him. Hailey rushed forward to Alden''s side. "Are you okay?" "Yeah," Alden said, watching Julian carefully. The man walked over to join them, still uncomfortably calm. "Why did you shoot him?" "He was gonna try again, and I finally had a clear shot," Julian replied. "Nice trick, by the way. How''d you do that?" Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. "You just killed him! Unarmed! We could have stopped him!" Alden shouted, feeling hysterical. "He was tryin'' to kill you," Julian replied, annoyed. "You''re one of us. I ain''t gonna let a psycho like Logan Bowerson take out one of our own." Alden shook his head. "Hailey could have stopped him." "We ain''t got time for this." Julian slung the rifle on his back. "I''m goin'' to look for Rachel. Phones are all dead. You comin''?" "Go. We''ll catch up," Hailey answered, before Alden could speak. Julian nodded and walked away. Alden twisted around, still reeling from the adrenaline of the fight. He briefly wondered how long he could keep going before he''d run dry and collapse. "What happened with the ritual?" "He interrupted it," Hailey reported grimly. Jessica was checking Alden''s shoulder, refastening the bandage that had been unbound from the fight. "We came back here for supplies. I''m not giving up that easy." "Neither am I." Alden nodded gratefully at Jessica. She smiled and stood up, watching the empty street while Hailey and Alden went inside and gathered up as many of the gemstones as they could carry, as well as any other materials they thought might be useful. "Rika left town on that helicopter." "With the guys who tried to kidnap you?" "Yeah, no kidding. She made a deal with them." Hailey shook her head in disbelief. "She''s insane." "She gave me something before she left though. She let me read her Scrap. It was Time magic." "Seriously?" "Yeah, you guessed right." "Not time travel though, I''m guessing." "I hope not." Alden grimaced. "Anyway, she told me how I could maybe trap him again. If we can get him somewhere." He hesitated. "I don''t want to kill him, but¡­" "But some people just have to be killed," Hailey said quietly. "I don''t like it either, Alden. But he tried to kill us first. He''s a threat to everyone, humans or awakened." Jessica shouted something from outside. They hurried to join her. The day was ending, the sun dipping low, and a mob of people was roaming down the street with murder in their eyes and rage in their voices. They carried any weapons they could find. The mob was moving away toward the main thoroughfare. Hailey started to move, as though she meant to stand up to the whole group, but Jessica grabbed her arm. Hailey twisted back in alarm. Jessica held up one hand with two fingers, and the other with five. She repeated the five several times over, then had that hand crush the two like a rock crushing a bug. Hailey hesitated, but nodded. "You''re right, Jess." "So what do we do?" Alden asked. "Rachel said everyone would be safe inside the Market, right? We get people there, as many as we can."
The mob¡ªtwenty five in all¡ªencircled Gordon Merrill, buzzing with angry voices. They''d backed him up to the wall at the gutted sheriff''s station just as Rachel arrived with Natalie a few steps behind. "He''s lying! He''s just going to kill you all anyway!" Gordon shouted. "Says you," snapped Roger Quinton, the farmer. "You''ve been collaborating with the freaks since the town hall. Maybe even before that. Why should we believe a word you say?" "I''m one of you! I don''t have any magic! Why would I lie?" "Look around you, man!" Roger gestured to the town, littered with glass and splintered metal. He pointed just behind Gordon, where the twisted and broken bars of the two cells had been shoved through the roof and protruded out like an ominous flag. "They did this to our town. The only way out of this is to deal with them all, and anyone who''s trying to help them." He lowered his weapon. The sharp points of the metal pitchfork caught the sunset reflection for just a moment. "Stop!" Rachel shouted, running forward as fast as she could. She tried to grab the pitchfork, throwing out her mind as far as she could reach, but her grip was feeble and useless. She may as well have been trying to hold back a mountain. Some of the crowd turned toward her, but Roger had already moved. Gordon sank to the ground. Rachel stopped, while the crowd roared and began to shift back around, still caught up in the heat of the moment. She could see every single face full of wrath and pain. These were people she''d talked to and worked with for a year. She''d never imagined any of them capable of murder, even like this. Gordon was gasping for breath and trying to struggle away, but Rachel couldn''t do anything for him. Natalie rode up next to her. "What do I do, Rachel?" she asked. "You destroyed our town!" someone cried from the back. "You killed the Reverend!" "We''re all going to die because of you!" "Justice for Jenny!" What was my plan, anyway? Rachel thought bitterly, while the crowd slowly advanced. None of them seemed brave enough to close the distance first with Natalie''s wolf facing them down, but they''d soon be totally surrounded if Rachel didn''t do something. "Help us," she whispered. "I can''t," replied the ghost at her side, before vanishing into the wind. No one was coming to help them. No one could help them, as far as Rachel knew. "Start backing away. Don''t take your eyes off them, but we don''t want to hurt them." Rachel did the same as she spoke. She hoped they''d find a chance to break out and run for it¡ªbut if they showed any sign of weakness, the group would undoubtedly charge them. Even Natalie''s age wouldn''t likely deter them, given her deadly companions and her well-known status as an awakened. They''d already faced down almost exactly the same crowd before, and only a show of extreme force had been enough to deter them. "What should I do?" Natalie asked again, panic in her voice. The crowd had almost surrounded them. They couldn''t get away anymore. "Lightning on the ground at their feet," Rachel ordered. Something to scare them away, she hoped. Remind them they''re mortal. Natalie took one hand off Gwen and thrust it at Roger Quinton, who happened to be almost directly in front of them. Purple-edged lightning blasted forth out of her palm with a loud whip-crack, nearly deafening everyone. The bolt crackled forward in a low splintering path, but it didn''t strike the ground immediately. Natalie had aimed too high. The electricity followed the path of least resistance through the air and onto the tips of Roger''s pitchfork, which was pointed directly at Rachel. The metal fork exploded. The wooden haft caught fire, while the superheated metal tips shot off in different directions like shrapnel. One skipped along the ground and punched a hole through Rachel''s dress, just missing her leg as it flew into the distance. A few people fell to the ground, screaming in agony from the molten steel on their skin. Natalie''s hands flew to her mouth in horror. Roger dropped the burning remains of his weapon with a shout and leapt back in fear. The crowd was suddenly far less eager to approach. Rachel had to take command of the situation while she could. "Get out of here, now," she shouted. "Go home!" Wrong word, she realized immediately. "Our homes are fucking gone!" Roger shouted back. He picked up the burning wood and threw it at Rachel, who just managed to dodge aside in time. The crowd jostled about, lifting weapons and moving forward heedless of the injured among them. I''m so sorry. "Natalie, do it again." "But they''re¡ª" "Do it now!" Rachel cried, as Roger almost closed the distance between them. Natalie threw out another desperate, powerful crackling bolt of electricity¡ªdirectly at Roger. The lightning connected with his skull. His eyes went wide for the split-second before the discharge rocketed around his body, travelling along the sweat on his skin. As it reached down to his arm, the lightning jumped across to the next person in line with noticeably less intensity, until it had travelled through four or five people and finally fizzled out on the ground. They collapsed. Roger was clutching his heart and twitching slightly, his mouth open wide but without a voice. Rachel looked up again, hoping to finally see a retreating crowd and enough space to get away. She only saw desperate, unbridled rage. The shouting doubled over as the mob called for death. Rachel didn''t have any other option. "Again, Natalie!" she shouted. Natalie threw another bolt of lightning, brilliant purple-edged sparks blinding Rachel as it struck another group. The girl didn''t need further prompting, throwing bolt after bolt in the heat of the moment. The mob kept coming as Natalie kept firing, the girl shouting out in exertion and fear with each burst of electricity. Rachel closed her eyes as the bolts became too bright for her, keeping close to Gwen and trusting Natalie to keep her safe. The shouting died away. The whip-cracks of lightning stopped. The only sound was the gentle growl of Gwen and the heavy pained breathing of the girl seated atop her. Rachel reluctantly opened her eyes. No one had survived. Several of them had huge burns across their skin. The scent of singed hair and flesh was thick in the air. The bodies were laid out in a circle around them. All twenty-five were totally, utterly still. Not a single one had turned away or tried to run. "Natalie?" Rachel asked tentatively. "...Did I do okay?" she stammered. The girl looked like she might collapse again, but it wasn''t the satisfied exhaustion of a job well done Rachel had seen the night before. Natalie looked like she''d seen a ghost. Her eyes were wide as dinner-plates, her mouth quivering. She looked like she might burst into tears. "Yeah," Rachel said. She stood up straight and pulled Natalie into a hug, burying the girl''s face in her shoulder. "You saved us." "Why didn''t they stop?" "I think they thought they had nothing left to lose," said Rachel. "I didn''t want to hurt them. Why did they want to hurt us?" said Natalie, and Rachel could hear her starting to break down. As much as she wished she could let the girl work through it, they were still in the middle of a disaster. She let Natalie go and faced her again. "Natalie, this is not your fault. We''re trying to save everyone here. They attacked us." "If we''re saving everyone, why do they want to stop us?" "Someone else lied to them about us. Natalie, I''m sorry, but I need you to stay with me, okay? We''re not out of this yet." "I saw him," Natalie said suddenly. Rachel''s heart, which had only finally started to calm down, broke into a fresh sprint. "Saw who?" "My dad. He was out in the woods. He had a stick thing, and it was controlling the monsters." Natalie looked at Rachel with red, puffy eyes. "Why''s my dad helping him?" Rachel, for all her plans and preparations, had nothing to say to her. How do I tell a twelve year old her father''s trying to kill all her friends? She''d had enough of lying, even to Natalie. "I don''t know." "Did you know he was?" Natalie asked, testing Rachel''s resolve even further. Rachel nodded very slowly. "I did." Natalie''s eyes widened even further, if that was possible. "Why didn''t you tell me?" "I didn''t want to hurt you. I''m sorry. I was hoping we might be able to get him back, but I don''t know if that''s possible anymore." "You think my dad''s evil?" Rachel shook her head. "I don''t know. But he''s not safe to be around." Her voice shook as she continued. "You can''t ever go near him again, Natalie." "What?" "I don''t know what he might do. He sent those golems into the woods tonight, and you were there. He could have hurt you." "But he''s my dad!" Rachel''s eyes were welling up with tears. "I know. I''m so sorry, Natalie." "What am I supposed to do?" Natalie asked desperately. "We still have a town to save," said Rachel. "Will you help me?" "You lied to me. You said you''d help me find my dad." "I did. And we will someday. But right now people are hurt and we can help them," Rachel gestured around to the devastated town. "I can''t do it without you, Natalie." Natalie took a minute to think, pressing her face into the Gwen''s fur. Muffled sobs emanated from the thick gray pelt. Rachel ran a hand along the wolf''s back, grateful that Gwen seemed to consider her a friend as well. The wolf had moved to protect her while Natalie had fought off the mob, placing herself directly between Rachel and the oncomers. Rachel rubbed her affectionately, and she could have sworn Gwen shot her a grateful smile. "...What do you need me to do?" Natalie asked finally, looking up. "Can your new friend find someone for us?" Rachel asked, pointing at the hawk that had fluttered down to Gwen''s shoulder after the fight. Natalie nodded. "We need to find Hailey and Jessica. Do you know who I''m talking about?" "Yeah," Natalie replied. "They talked to me before the big meeting. They were nice to me. Hailey said she''d teach me how to fly someday." She held out her hand and the hawk fluttered over to land on her fingers. She spoke a few words to it that Rachel didn''t understand. It took off and started flapping hard into the sky. "How do you speak to them?" Rachel asked. "I just do," Natalie replied, confused. "I call them and they understand me. They can talk too, they just don''t use words." Natalie said another few incomprehensible words to Gwen, and she started walking away, with Rachel at her side. The young girl still looked like an emotional wreck. Rachel wished she could understand what was going through Natalie''s head. There was so much she felt like she couldn''t possibly relate to. "Natalie, you just saved my life," Rachel said. "Thank you. You did good." Natalie didn''t answer, but Rachel thought she looked a little less miserable. That was the best Rachel could hope for, under the circumstances. "You''re really brave. I was so scared back there and you handled it better than I ever could." "Dad told me that fear meant I knew something was wrong," she said quietly. "He said fear means I should probably be doing something about it and that hiding from it would only make it worse." Rachel hesitated. "He might not be gone forever. I don''t know what''s going to happen. When this is all over, we might be able to talk to him." She took Natalie''s hand to draw her attention, so Rachel could look her directly in the eyes. "Natalie, you have to promise me something though. You have to promise you''ll never try to find him alone. I''ll help you, and I''m sure Lily and Kendra will want to help too, but don''t ever go after your dad on your own. We''ll do it together. Okay?" "Okay." "You promise?" Natalie nodded. "I promise." She looked back at Rachel fiercely. "Do you promise to take me with you when you go find him? No matter what?" Rachel nodded back. "I promise. Thank you," she added. Rachel forced a weak smile, though her heart felt like ice. "Let''s go find our friends."
"Heads up," Hailey called out, swooping back around to meet them. "We''ve got trouble." "What''s going on?" Alden asked. Mabel Walsh was ambling along behind him, as fast as her old legs could carry her. Behind them was Hector¡ªwhom they''d found weeping outside the burning, shattered wreckage of his exploded store¡ªCollins McCreary, Neffie Bowman, and the president of the University, Christina Albrecht. Jessica brought up the rear, a blue ball of flame at the ready. They''d been picking up anyone they found as they made their way across town. There was no sign of the mob from earlier. Collins had a broken leg from a collapsed crossbeam, while the President and Neffie Bowman sported cuts from blown-out windows, so they made slow progress to the one remaining door open at the Kettle and Bones. From the look on Hailey''s face as she rejoined them, though, it was about to get much harder. "Golems. And they''re attacking everyone." Hailey flew a small circle to turn around and stopped in mid-air, fluttering slightly as her invisible wings kept her aloft. "We''re about to get into a fight if we go around that corner." Alden didn''t hesitate. "So let''s go fight them." The moment he spoke, a shout of alarm from Jessica at the rear had them all turning around. A golem had just sprouted from the ground behind the group. Jessica was trying to push it away with a wall of force, since she couldn''t use her fire. Hector fled¡ªdespite Neffie calling out for him¡ªand disappeared into the swiftly falling twilight. Hailey swooped forward and hurled wind at the golem, pushing it back even further. "Now would be a great time for some of that lightning!" Neffie shouted. "We never learned how to make lightning!" Hailey called back. "How do you make any of this?" asked Christina. "Electricity is just electrons moving around. Can''t you do that?" "You explain that to the dumb girl," Collins snapped. "We''re all faster than it, right?" Alden pointed out. "If we can''t beat it, we can just outrun it." "That''s not a permanent solution," said Neffie. "Anything''s better than staying here until Hailey collapses." "If you take the path by Dan''s place, you could probably get to the tavern okay," Hailey called out. "I didn''t see anything that way." "Okay then," Alden said firmly. "Hailey, can you hold it off without Jessica?" She nodded. Alden tapped Jessica on the shoulder. He pointed at Hailey, then at the golem with a flat palm. He made a circle in midair to indicate the group on the ground, then jerked his thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the path Hailey had mentioned. Jessica nodded. She stood up straight and took a few deep breaths. They set off while Hailey held back the golem as much as possible. It managed to advance even in the wake of the massive gale Hailey was unleashing, but it was so slow that a single inch took a minute or more. Alden wasn''t too concerned, until he heard another cry of alarm from the front of the group. He rushed back forward to find Jessica hurling a ball of fire across the street. A middle-aged man stood there, with short brown hair and a mess of unshaven stubble on his face, holding a thin black obsidian rod. At the last possible moment, a golem managed to intercept the blast of fire about to strike him. Brian Hendricks stood firm behind the fiery pillar of his golem servant. "Mabel, I expected better of you," he called out. "And I thought you were a decent man," Mabel shouted back. "Looks like we''re both disappointed." "How could you support something so disgusting and blasphemous?" "Blasphemous?" Mabel laughed. "You''re too young to understand what that really means." Brian paused while his hand dug through his coat pocket for something. Alden tensed up, expecting the worst. Jessica was already projecting a wall of force to hold back the golem, but if it really tried to advance, he wasn''t sure they could hold it back. Not with its creator so close, if Alden understood how they operated. Brian''s eyes narrowed. "You''re one of them," he snarled. Mabel''s eyes widened. Brian lifted the rod higher, and another two golems emerged. As an impenetrable wall, they began advancing on the group. "Run!" Alden shouted. They had no hope of stopping that. He grabbed Jessica''s shoulder and pulled her back. She held up the wall a second longer, but realized it was futile and followed Alden. "Hailey, we need another route!" "Little busy!" she shouted back. "We''re surrounded!" They were running down the only route left open to them, the road leading back to the park they''d started at. As they rounded a corner, Mabel tripped over the curb. Alden didn''t notice until it was too late. He turned just in time to see a golem lean over and pulverize her skull. He shut his eyes just before the blow landed. Collins swore under his breath as he ran, while Neffie just shook her head in disbelief. Christina shouted something about being innocent and tore off down a side alley. A moment later, they heard her scream in pain. Alden looked around desperately, but there seemed to be a golem approaching from every direction but forward. He felt like they were being herded back to where they''d last seen Omega¡ªbut what choice did they have? Hailey finally rejoined them a block later, flying back in over their heads. "You''ve got two on your tail, but you''re pretty far ahead. You''re running right back into the ritual site though," she added dubiously, confirming his fear. Alden looked around for anything they could use. All they''d wanted was to get back to the Marketplace, but the only entrance was well-guarded by Brian and his golems. They were locked out and getting picked off one by one. They needed somewhere to hide, but every building was wide open from doors and windows being ripped out. One of us seems to be safe, Alden realized. "Hailey, you need to take us up to the rooftop." "I can''t lift all of you." "One at a time," Alden added impatiently. "If we stay up there and stay low, we have time to figure this out." Hailey nodded. "You first, then. No arguments, you''re the most experienced flyer after Jessica and she''s gotta stay down to protect you all." Alden threw up his arms. Hailey swooped in and grabbed his forearms, while he immediately latched onto hers. The strain on his shoulders was immense. He felt like his arms might be ripped from their sockets, and that feeling redoubled as Hailey flapped up into the sky. A few moments later, she deposited him on the nearest rooftop with enough cover that they wouldn''t be seen from the street. Neffie was next up. She looked incredibly uncomfortable being lifted into the sky by a free-flying college girl aloft on invisible wings, but gritted her teeth and landed gracefully enough when Hailey released her. The next trip back wasn''t so lucky. As Hailey swung back around to the street level, a golem emerged from a row of bushes and bore down on Collins. Alden was about to shout a warning, but Neffie clapped a hand to his mouth. "We''re hiding, remember?" she hissed. Alden nodded frantically. She released him, and he summoned a fireball in front of Jessica, bright orange and pulsing. She recognized the signal immediately, spinning around¡ªbut it was too late. The golem¡ªwith no wind-up whatsoever, just a single punch forward as casual as could be¡ªput its blocky fist through Collins'' stomach. He looked down in shock, his eyes widening a moment before the golem slammed him aside into the nearest wall. It started to move on Jessica. She threw up her arms, and Hailey grabbed her up immediately. She swung Jessica forward like they were doing a gymnastics routine, and Jessica clasped her legs around Hailey for a better grip. Hailey looked like she was about to turn back around to Alden and Neffie, but Jessica frantically tugged on her shirt and got her to keep going in the same direction¡ªfar away from their impromptu sanctuary. Alden breathed a sigh of relief. If Hailey had flown to their rooftop, there was no way they''d go unseen. As they flew off, the golems in the street continued to follow, ignoring Neffie and Alden entirely. Neffie let out a deep breath as well, falling to the rooftop and staring up at the sky with a blank face, half-covered by her curly black hair. Alden laid down on the gravel and watched the incoming wall of dark clouds. Of course it''s about to start raining, too. "Are you okay?" he asked. "No I am not goddamn okay," Neffie snapped. "I just watched a bunch of my neighbors¡ªmy friends ¡ª get murdered one by one. I''m really not okay." "I''m¡ª" Neffie sighed. "I''m sorry. You didn''t deserve that. I''m physically okay." "Okay," Alden replied. "What do we do now?" Alden hesitated. "I don''t know." The shriek of a hawk punctuated his words, prompting them both to look up at the sky. A bird circled overhead, barely visible against the mountain range of rain clouds on the horizon.
"He found something," Natalie reported, seconds after the hawk cried out. "Hailey and Jessica?" Rachel asked. Any good news would be great right now. "I don''t know. Percy just said two people. I don''t think he''s very smart." "Percy is the hawk''s name?" "Yeah." Rachel looked around the street, not seeing a single person from end to end. "Where are they?" "On the roof of Oscar''s garage," Natalie said. Another person I failed to save. "Why are they up there?" "Probably hiding." Rachel quickly plotted the fastest route there in her head. "Let''s go get them." It only took a couple minutes to run there. Rachel found the garage door ripped out from the frame as expected. She went inside, where she knew there was a ladder up to the roof, but something caught her eye. A glint of metal and hard black plastic, something that had been flung up and struck the ceiling but failed to break through. It had fallen down into the pile of random tools and supplies, half-buried by screws and nails. She deliberately ignored it, rushing up the ladder to the roof. To her dismay, it wasn''t the duo she''d hoped for. Neffie Bowman looked like a shell-shocked war survivor, while Alden was scanning the street surreptitiously. Both had numerous cuts and bruises. "Where''s Hailey?" Rachel asked impatiently. "She had to lure them away," Alden replied, not taking his eyes off the street. "I think Natalie''s the only one who can blow up those things." "Rachel, they''re killing everyone," Neffie said. "Mabel, and Collins, and Christina¡­ Oh god." She doubled over, looking like she might be sick. Reality was finally catching up to her and overriding her adrenaline. It had to end. Rachel had to stop it somehow. They''d had the right idea, but they hadn''t managed to pull it off, and it was her fault. Jackson had to die. She wouldn''t hesitate a second time. Seeing Neffie reminded Rachel of something she''d suggested, so very long ago on the night of the riot. So long ago¡­ It was just last night. But it was a way to kill Jackson. It could be done. She''d need to lure him out somehow, and she''d need a way to hold him down again, but it could be done. "Where''s Rika?" "She''s gone," Alden replied, finally turning around and sitting back against the low wall lining the roof. "She got a ride out of town." "The helicopter?" Neffie asked. Alden nodded. He turned to Rachel with hard, determined eyes. "She let me read it before she left." The phrase was meaningless to Neffie, but Rachel felt a burst of gratitude toward her erstwhile friend. Rika hadn''t abandoned them completely. "Will you¡ª" "I will." Rachel nodded. "I''ll find a way. Head downstairs with Natalie. We''ll be leaving in a minute." Alden left. Neffie laid back down on the roof and closed her eyes. She didn''t look like she was going to move an inch. Rachel ignored her. She had someone much more important to confront, and Neffie would be safer staying on that rooftop than heading out into the town. Rachel took a few moments to compose her argument, trying to rehearse every potential outcome before she started. It had to play out exactly right. "Are you still here?" Rachel murmured. "...Yes." "I need something from you." "Any reason I should even think about saying yes?" said Beverly. "Look around!" Rachel snapped, her voice rising. "If you weren''t convinced before, how on earth aren''t you convinced now?" "I won''t help you kill him." "I wasn''t going to ask you to." Beverly paused. "Then what do you want?" "I need him to come somewhere and talk. He can bring whatever he wants. I won''t even bring Natalie." "Because you think I''ll protect you." "Won''t you?" Beverly didn''t answer. "I''m going to persuade Jackson to stop. That''s all. We tried to kill him and we failed. All I have left is negotiating. Or just stalling him long enough that people can run away. Plenty of them already are, and if he''s distracted long enough they just might make it. I won''t, but some of them will." "...Where?" "A place out in the woods, away from the town so that everyone else can get away. You have a way of knowing where I am at all times, right?" "Yes." "And you can sense magic being used, like he can." "Better than he can. I can feel any kind of magic, just not who''s using it." "Then you''ll feel when I signal. That''ll be the spot." Rachel turned away from the voice and started down the ladder. "How do you know he''ll even show up?" "I know," Rachel said firmly, though her heart was twisting in knots at the realization of just where she''d have to go, if she wanted to be sure Omega fell for the bait hard enough to stick around. "Okay." There was a faint whisper of wind filling the space she''d left. Rachel could tell she was gone. She had no idea how long it would take. She had to move fast. Rachel bolted down the ladder and called Alden over while she hurried to the pile of twisted scrap in the back of the shop. "We''re not going to try the ritual again." "Okay," Alden replied, looking relieved. "What''s the plan then?" "Rika taught you how to hold him down?" Rachel asked, finally digging out the object she''d spotted earlier. Alden''s eyes widened as she pulled it out of the warped pile of scrap metal. "...Yeah. I tried casting it a few times. It wasn''t hard to figure out if you''ve read the Scrap." "Good." Rachel checked it over, making sure it was intact and hadn''t been damaged from the magnetic storm. It looked exactly as she remembered from reference pictures online. She had a full working knowledge of how to use it, even if she''d never fired one before. It was fully loaded. Rachel tucked the pistol inside her bag and straightened up. As best she could tell, Beverly hadn''t returned. She hadn''t seen it. "Let''s go." [Discord]¡ª[TWF]¡ª[Rate on RR]¡ª[WFG]¡ª[Patreon] Chapter 27 — To Kill a God Chapter 27 ¡ª To Kill a God A few minutes into the woods, Rachel suddenly stopped. Alden watched her warily. Her eyes were red and haunted. She seemed like she might snap at any moment, and Alden didn''t know her well enough to have any idea what form such a breakdown might take. On top of that, she had a loaded pistol stuffed in her bag. Alden assumed she was hiding it from Natalie, who was currently leading them through the thick forest on her wolf. "Natalie," Rachel called out. Natalie glanced over her shoulder. "Wait up a moment." She nodded and leaned down to whisper in the wolf''s ear, bringing them to a halt. "Something wrong?" Alden asked. Rachel leaned up against a tree. "No. I just need a second." She pulled out a water bottle and took a deep swallow. "You''re sure you can do this?" "Yeah." In truth, Alden wasn''t sure at all. Yes, he knew how the magic worked and had a rough idea of interfering with others, but he''d never gone up against someone. He''d never been in a real fight. Would he be able to handle himself when facing down a god? There wasn''t really another option. Everyone in Rallsburg was dead if he couldn''t. "Okay." Rachel drained the water bottle. "Natalie?" "Is it time to go?" "No," Rachel said, and Alden spotted a flash of regret across her face as her eyes softened. "Natalie, I need you to leave." "Huh?" "Just for a little while." "But I can help you. I can fight him!" Natalie protested. "He''s not going to fall for the same bait twice. If you''re nearby, I don''t think he''ll show up. You can''t be here," Rachel said firmly. "Go back to town." "What am I supposed to do there?" Rachel faltered. Alden wasn''t sure why she was sending Natalie away, but she seemed to have a plan, while Alden didn''t have the faintest idea what to do next. He jumped into the silence she''d left open. "Nat, you should go find Hailey and Jessica. They''re helping people get away from the monsters." He forced a smile. "You''d be great at that." "I hate being called ''Nat''." Alden shrugged. "I hate being called Alden, but it''s what they named me." "That''s a weird name." "And ''Scrappy'' isn''t a weird name?" "No, Scrappy''s a great name." Rachel coughed gently, reminding Alden that they really didn''t have time. "Natalie, those people really need your help. You''re the only one that can beat the monsters." Natalie looked confused. "Aren''t you guys gonna need me then?" "We''re not planning to get into a fight," Rachel answered. "We''d lose, even if you were there." "We''ll see you afterward. Just stick with Hailey and Jessica, help people and try to put out the fires, and we''ll find you." Natalie looked at Rachel expectantly. "You promise?" Rachel nodded. "I promise." Natalie whispered something to Gwen. The wolf turned around and started back toward town. She shot Alden a hungry look, like he were a tasty snack she''d been forbidden from eating. Alden shuddered a little. Natalie didn''t seem to notice, as she was focused on the darkening sky above. The rain clouds were arriving in earnest now and water was beginning to trickle down. In minutes it would likely become a fierce downpour. Natalie made a gesture in midair and shouted out something neither of them understood. Her hawk shot down out of the sky and landed neatly on Gwen''s head, ruffling its feathers and spraying water about. The trio rode away in relative silence. "She''s not wrong," Alden pointed out. "Neither was I. If we get into a straight fight with Omega¡ªNatalie or no Natalie¡ªwe won''t win." Rachel started walking, and Alden fell in step with her. It took him a bit more effort to keep up with her long stride, but he didn''t want to follow her around blindly. "But you do still plan on killing him." "Yes." "I hold him down and you shoot him, right?" "Pretty much." Alden wasn''t convinced yet. "How are we going to pull that off? It''s not like he''s just gonna stay still long enough for me to cast the spell." "He won''t even know we''re there." "So he''s going to run out to a random point in the woods, see no one, and stick around long enough for me to get him?" "I didn''t say there wouldn''t be anyone there." "Who, then?" Rachel didn''t answer him, forging ahead determinedly. "We won''t need Natalie''s protection anyway. You and I will be totally safe." Alden wondered how she could be so certain. The golems certainly didn''t seem to be discriminating between targets. Several had nearly hit him, both in the woods and in the town. Why would Rachel be so confident in their safety? Unless¡­ "Grey-eyes is still protecting you," Alden guessed. "Yes," she replied. "She won''t fight for us, but she won''t let us die either." "Why?" "You want me to explain her?" Rachel asked incredulously. "I don''t understand her. I don''t understand anyone. I kept trying, but every time I took a step forward, something else went wrong. Someone else got hurt, or had to do something terrible, or died. I had my best friend accused of murder. My boyfriend was almost killed. Now the town''s been destroyed, half my friends are probably dead or in hiding, and it''s because of something I set in motion." Alden shook his head. "Omega did all this." "Not all of it. If I hadn''t lied, or if I''d been better about actually taking charge of this mess, maybe we wouldn''t ever have gotten this bad." Rachel dabbed her face with a tissue from her bag. "I was stupid to think I could be a leader, just because I could cast a few spells and did a neat trick on my brain. I''ve never been smart enough to handle this." "Rika¡ª" Rachel laughed bitterly. "Rika''s perspective is just as skewed as yours. You''ve only been here a week, Alden. Worst week of my life, but still, just a week. Neither of you know how many opportunities I probably had to stop this. I was supposed to be the brilliant leader and politician. I could have set rules, kept an eye on people, done something to keep things under control. I was following some stupid high-minded idealism about pure democracy." She shook her head in dismay. "It didn''t work. I failed. Even if we somehow survive this, the whole town''s in chaos and the outside world''s already found out about us. It''s only going to get worse from here." Rachel''s hand went back into her bag, clenching around what Alden assumed was the pistol. "At least I can try to clean up the leftovers." "You saved me," Alden pointed out. "What?" "At Boris'' shop, when we were all about to die. You saved us." Rachel shook her head. "I was just there. Grey-eyes and Natalie saved you." "But you brought them there, didn''t you?" She didn''t answer. Her eyes darted away, but Alden could tell she was thinking about what he''d said. "Plenty of people would have just run away. You''ve been trying to beat him every time, no matter what comes up. You''re still trying, even though you probably could get away with the protection you have. You haven''t given up. I think that you''re a great leader." Rachel sighed. "I don''t lead anything anymore." She stopped again, leaning up against a tree. Everything about her posture and her expression practically shouted her depression. Alden had no idea how to help her. "Why are you here though? You''ve seen what we''re up against." "Where am I gonna go?" Alden pointed out. "My best chance to live is to help you kill him." Rachel frowned. "No, that''s not it. You''re not like Rika, or you''d have ditched right alongside her." "I''ve got friends here. I don''t want him to kill any of you either." The corner of her mouth twitched slightly as she broke into a half-smile. "You realize what that says about her, right?" He shrugged. "She made her choice. I didn''t leave, and neither did Natalie, or Hailey and Jessica. You''ve still got people willing to fight for you." "And I wasted them all," Rachel replied, standing up again. She started walking again. "Come on. We''re running out of time."
Alden was mostly silent for the rest of their trek, to which Rachel was immensely grateful. She appreciated that he was trying to make her feel better, but he hadn''t said anything she hadn''t already thought of. Every time she tried to break her depression, the depth of her failure sunk in even deeper. She only had to look back at the growing orange glow in the distance to see her losses painted in flames across the town. "At least it''s starting to rain," Alden pointed out, following her gaze. "Natalie can take care of fire either way," Rachel replied. "Come on." Alden fell silent again as they walked. Rachel felt the mounting guilt in her chest again, tightening her insides in knots, but this time it was tinged with something else. It wasn''t desperation or fear anymore. No, the guilt was paired with a bleak acceptance. She knew there wasn''t any other way, and she''d stopped trying to think of alternatives. Her entire incredible mental capacity, which she''d tried for so long to use for the sake of the world, had grinded to a halt. She''d given up. So why was she still walking? Because I don''t want to die. Even though she''d completely failed her life''s work? My life isn''t over yet. He''d killed many of the people she''d worked with. He turned her into a backstabbing monster. I''m not going to let his actions define who I am. I did what I had to do. He''d come after the ones she loved, framing Rika and maiming Will. All the more reason to put an end to this. She''d stolen from and lied to the people she was supposed to represent. It was the best possible course of action at the time. She was about to betray a close friend''s trust yet again. "I''m doing what I have to do," she murmured. Alden didn''t hear her, but her words were only meant for herself. She was thinking aloud, since she didn''t have Will to help her work through her fears and doubts. Rachel''s other companion had returned though, and she had much sharper hearing. "You''re planning on killing him," Beverly accused, barely audible next to her. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Rachel didn''t bother trying to fool her again. It wasn''t worth the effort. "Are you going to warn him?" Beverly didn''t answer. Rachel continued, at a subvocal level that she knew only Beverly would hear. "He would have killed your brother too. You know that. He''ll never stop, and Alpha isn''t coming to hold him back anymore." "I know." "So will you warn him?" "...No." Rachel didn''t feel relieved. If anything, she was more devastated. Even Grey-eyes had given up on the situation. "Where is Alpha?" "I don''t know. He was supposed to be here." "But he hasn''t shown up to help." "No¡­" Even through a whisper, Rachel could hear Beverly''s distress. Rachel had only met Alpha a few times in the early days of the Council. He''d always appeared as a bright outline of a man, speaking with a distorted voice to hide his identity. He was aloof, but ultimately a champion of magic. As she understood it, though, he was utterly hands-off to a fault. He only stepped in to stop Omega according to his strictly defined rules, which Omega had subsequently found a way to circumvent. Rachel didn''t expect him to show up to help, if he was even in a position to do so. Still, the trio had obviously been friends at some point before their schism. Rachel felt for her. "I''m sure he''s okay." She didn''t answer. Rachel wanted to talk further, maybe even build up some kind of rapport, but she''d run out of time. They''d arrived at the clearing. The air seemed to shimmer slightly in front of them as they passed through the illusions around the outset. It was hard to notice the exact border, but as they walked further in, Rachel spotted the faint irregularities that marked the unnatural transition in the trees. Some of them were fake, placed in such a way to deter any attempts to penetrate deeper into the forest, where their true destination lay. It was only a few more minutes until they were in position.
Alden was surprised when Rachel suddenly switched direction. He''d noticed a few odd things about the forest around them, as if they were running in circles, but she seemed to know where she was going. As he could barely make out a lighter space ahead, Rachel appeared to change her mind and turn, following the curve of the clearing to come at it from the other side. He didn''t question her. Rachel had a plan, and Alden was just a piece of that plan. He''d do his part and it''d all work out in the end, or so he hoped. "How far can you reach?" she asked suddenly. "Huh?" "To interfere with him. What range?" "Ten feet?" Alden guessed. "Can you be exact? We''re only going to have one chance here." Alden took a second and focused, mentally jumping to the line he recognized as time. Instead of pushing himself onto the line, he hurled it away from him like a ball. As it moved away, he could feel its strength slowly diminishing. At a certain point it dropped off a cliff, becoming totally inert. He reeled it back in to that point, which to his surprise was almost precisely at his guess. "Ten feet," he reported with a touch of pride. Rachel raised her eyebrows. "You''re sure?" "Positive." "Wait until I signal you, then hit him with everything you can." Rachel had explained her signal to him when they''d started out, since it would be quicker than speaking and listening, and less prone to any mistakes. "You''ve been practicing it since you learned it?" "As much as I could without burning myself out. I used up a lot of Jessica''s gems, but we''ve still got enough." The spell was a lot easier to cast than he expected, too, at least for brief sprints. He wasn''t sure if that was because he''d learned it from the Scrap, or simply because it didn''t take much energy in the first place. Either way, he wasn''t about to question it. "Good." Rachel stopped at a set of thick fir trees with branches all the way down to the ground level. They were at the edge of the clearing Alden had spotted earlier, if his sense of direction wasn''t playing tricks on him. The trees were so thick and clustered together that he couldn''t see through them at all. It was a wall of green branches and pines. She pushed through slightly to check the view. "This''ll work." "And you''re sure he''s coming? We''re in the middle of nowhere." "He''s already on his way." Rachel reached into her bag and pulled out the pistol. She double-checked it and clicked off the safety. Alden felt a burst of excitement and fear. His pulse was picking up. "How are you going to get him to come over here?" he asked nervously. "He''ll come." Alden started forward, but Rachel held up a hand. "You should stay back." "Why?" "Just trust me." Rachel''s voice caught slightly. She sounded like she was struggling to speak. "No matter what you hear, just stay there."
Rachel had already done it. Beverly was calling Jackson in as they spoke. All she had left to do was wait. He''d show up, they''d trap him and she''d pull the trigger. It was as simple and straightforward as she could make it. She''d picked a spot where they could see into the clearing easily, but out of the path she expected him to take. All that remained was the watching and the waiting. The waiting was the real struggle. She was at the edge of the tree line, watching through a curtain of pine needles as the telltale grey robes flitted about. The rain was pouring down in buckets now, sending them scurrying into the cabins. Rachel noted that Ruby had recovered well over the last day, on her feet and shouting instructions like normal. She supposed that Ruby was the de-facto leader while Cinza was indisposed. As Rachel watched them taking shelter, she realized why the picture looked so wrong. There were so few of them left. Of the eleven members, only five were visible. Ruby was on the porch outside their cabin, calling out to Yusuf to help Aaron with the farming tools. Yusuf was still sporting the bandages from the first fight with the golems, but he was as willing and determined as ever. Aaron kept dropping the rain-slicked tools back into the mud, but Yusuf simply leaned down and gathered them up in his robes like a basket. Aaron nodded and started tossing the rest in. Rufus emerged from the other cabin with Makoto, as they ran out to grab another one of the blankets laying out in the rain. They flipped it to drain it of the water pooling up in the center, before bringing it back inside. Makoto flicked his head as they walked by the furnace on the side, and the pile of wood laying in the space beneath lit up instantly. Smoke started billowing out of the chimney, but as it reached toward the canopy it seemed to dissipate without a trace. There were six missing. Brittany Wilkins, who had lost her leg to Robert Harrison''s bear trap. Her husband Matthew had gone with her to the hospital. She might have survived, but they''d have a lot of questions to answer. Rachel wondered how they''d talk to the police who''d inevitably show up. She expected Cinza had coached them on such a possibility. Cinza was exactly the type to prepare for future confrontation. Morton Pollock had been shot by Robert and airlifted to the hospital, but Rachel was almost certain he was dead. He hadn''t gotten any treatment for too long, and he hadn''t been breathing when the paramedics had loaded him on board. Nikki Parsons had gone with him¡ªand given what she''d just been through, Rachel didn''t expect her to return. Nate Price had fled town, as far as she knew. Rachel had no idea where he might be, if he was even still alive, and didn''t really care if she was being honest with herself. Finally there was Cinza herself, presumably sequestered in the cabin behind Ruby. Her face was stuck in Rachel''s mind. Cinza had trusted Rachel completely with every secret. She''d told Rachel of this hidden place, and she''d answered every question Rachel had asked. When Rachel needed her, Cinza had stepped up. She''d benefitted, obviously, but it was still at great personal risk. More than anything, Cinza had understood the hard choices Rachel had been forced to make. She believed Cinza would understand her decision, though Rachel dearly hoped she''d never realize what had happened. What Rachel had done. How Rachel had used them. She half-expected thunder and lightning in the rain clouds above to punctuate her dark thoughts, but this was still the Northwest, and thunderstorms only rolled through once or twice a year. The rain came down in buckets though, and Rachel was grateful for the thick canopy that protected her from most of it. Alden was taking cover behind her as well, ducking below another tall tree¡ªthough still close enough to strike on a moment''s notice. The stream running through the center of the clearing was flooding over. Yusuf and Aaron were just about done gathering up the tools to take to the shed by the second cabin. The rain rattled the rooftops of the cabins. A figure emerged from the far end of the clearing. Tall, broad-shouldered and with dead eyes full of regret. Rachel wondered if he really felt anguish over what he''d done. She didn''t think anyone capable of crippling a man like Jackson had done to Will was really able to feel regret. As the memory flashed through her mind¡ªperfect in clarity as always¡ªRachel steeled her resolve. Whatever doubts she might have felt were gone. No matter her failures and regrets, no matter what people might think of her, Rachel would never let him do that again. She waited. Jackson was walking calmly across the clearing. What did he have to fear, after all? They''d failed multiple times to stop him, disastrously so, and the biggest threats were in the wind. The foes he hated most of all, the cult that openly embraced magic and sought to evangelize it¡ªthe cult he could never find on his own¡ªwas only a few dozen feet away and completely oblivious to his approach. Rachel could warn them, but if she did, she''d lose her only hope of finishing him off. Ruby was the first to spot him, emerging from her cabin and shouting an alarm. The moment she did, Jackson lifted an arm like an emcee about to open a show. Three golems began growing out of the mud, dirt and rain sliding off as they rose from the ground. Ruby summoned up several balls of flame, but they sputtered angrily in the rain. Steam was hissing off in droves as she desperately tried to maintain them. Yusuf shouted at her to change tactics, while Aaron ran to the other cabin. They were all shocked, completely off guard. Their general was out of action and they were caught in an ambush. Rachel couldn''t blame them. Omega should never have been able to find this place. Cinza''s enchantments were clever and well designed. The only way he could ever have found their home was if he''d been told exactly where it was. Ruby released the fire and let it vanish into the air. She set her feet and stared down the nearest golem. It stopped in place, drawing a vague look of surprise from Jackson. As Ruby''s expression grew more severe, the golem turned and put its fist through its nearest kin, turning it to dust. Ruby''s new minion began to block off the approach, but it was only so much. Omega simply summoned another pair of golems, and Ruby''s expression faltered. The one she''d taken collapsed into dust as she stumbled backward, leaning against the cabin wall for support. Even her plans to steal the Scrap had been for nothing. Rachel''s heart was beating up into her throat. She tried to force it back. Every fiber of her being begged her to shout at them to run, but she couldn''t. She needed him to get closer. He needed to drop his guard just a little bit, get ahead of where she was hidden in the treeline. Once she was behind him, she''d have enough time for Alden to catch him in place. The golems crossed the stream and plowed through the carefully arranged vegetable patches. The ground was torn up and broken apart. Aaron shouted in rage and charged forward, heedless of his friends'' cries. The muscles in his arms grew twice over, and he hurled himself at the nearest golem. It had only started to move when Aaron hurtled into it. The golem was pitched over backward into the rain-soaked mud. Aaron''s fist slammed into the vague head-like shape, pulverizing it into dust. Aaron continued to pound at the golem, tearing it to shreds. Rachel was amazed at his ferocity, and even more so that Yusuf decided to join in. Another golem had just about reached Aaron''s back when Yusuf smashed into it. Together, they were able to overpower the second one despite Yusuf''s injuries. For a brief moment they celebrated, as if they actually had a hope of victory. Ruby was shouting at them, while Rufus and Makoto emerged from the second cabin in a panic. The two down on the meadow turned to their latest foe, only to find themselves facing four golems in perfect condition. Faceless, unyielding monsters with strength beyond anything they could hope to match. The first two only broke down because he let them break, Rachel realized with dismay. It was easier to just make new ones behind them. Yusuf tried to pull Aaron away, but one of the golems was already close enough by the time they''d turned around. It managed to snatch his wrist with a claw-like hand that formed right as it moved. Aaron tugged away, but the golem didn''t budge an inch. Yusuf shouted something, but Aaron shook his head. Yusuf pulled, but the golem pulled back¡ªmuch harder. Aaron didn''t move. The force of the golem was so immense that his arm simply left its socket at the shoulder. He fell away, screaming in pain. Yusuf grabbed him around the waist and dragged him backward across the muddy grass, shrieking in agony. Rufus rushed to help, while Ruby and Makoto flung rocks at blistering speeds towards the golems to try and drive them back. "What''s happening?" Alden asked. He hadn''t moved, as Rachel had ordered, but his face was masked with fear¡ªeyes wide and mouth slightly open, teeth gritted and sweat mixed in with the rain. "We can''t go yet," Rachel replied, however much she wished they could. Jackson had to cross the river first, or they''d never be able to get to him fast enough. She only hoped they could survive that long. Ruby shouted something at Makoto, who nodded. She rushed back inside her cabin, and he dropped the rock he''d been about to throw and closed his eyes. The rainwater around him stopped falling, halting in midair as if they''d been stopped in time. As more rain fell, it gathered above him as if he had a transparent glass roof. A few seconds passed, and Makoto opened his eyes again. The rainwater he''d gathered burst forward across the clearing, dead-on for Jackson. Like a hail of liquid bullets, the raindrops flew horizontally through the air faster than the eye could follow¡ªbut Jackson could move just as fast. As the rainwater flew over the grass, Jackson ran forward. He crossed the river, rushing straight past the trio in the meadow to run down Makoto. A low blow to the young man''s stomach sent him tumbling back into the cabin, blasting through the wooden doorway and turning the hinges into splinters. He was close enough. Rachel let out a deep breath. "Alden, go!"
Alden heard Rachel call his name and almost froze up. He almost didn''t go out through the forest. She''d told him they were both safe, but he''d seen what those golems could do first-hand, and he''d been face-to-face with Jackson. Alden had never felt such a deep seated terror before in his life, and he certainly never wanted to feel it again. It would have been so easy to just turn around and run away. Alden rushed forward through the trees, having no idea what to expect. He saw the golems lined up and chasing the three greycloaks through the field, and he saw Ruby holding Cinza in her arms and shouting something he couldn''t make out. He saw the streaks of blood already washing down into the flooding stream. He saw Omega standing at the entrance to a small cabin, right in front of him, just beginning to turn around. In a split-second, Alden would see those terrible eyes again. Alden reached for the pool of energy inside him and broke the edges entirely, letting everything he could flow out into this one spell. Energy from the gemstones spilling out of his fists rocketed through his core like a bolt of lightning. He launched the sphere away like a baseball pitcher, putting even his physical strength into it with a desperate shout. It landed right where he wanted it to. Jackson had just started to move when he was suddenly slowed down. He was still turning toward Alden, but so slowly that he would never make it. Alden had a brief moment to wonder why this spell affected him, when nothing else ever could, before his vision started to go black. He couldn''t keep this up. In only a few moments, he''d black out¡ªand no matter Rachel''s reassurances, he fully believed he would die.
Rachel walked forward. Her mind was totally calm. She didn''t have time to think about anything. Every single part of her brain was focused on the piece of metal and plastic tucked in her hand. Her strides were long and confident across the wet grass. She lifted the pistol up and squeezed the trigger. The gun kicked. Once. Twice. Again. She lost count. The trigger clicked. The magazine was spent. She tossed the gun aside. The golems melted away, whatever material they were composed of breaking apart like dust in the rain. Alden managed to release the spell before he fainted. He fell onto the wet grass and held still, trying to hold back a pounding migraine. Rachel fell to her knees, heedless of the mud and the rain pouring over her. She stared straight ahead, her mind still empty even as her heart pumped furiously and her chest felt like it would explode. Jackson was dead. Omega was dead. Up by the cabin, just barely audible over the rainwater pouring off the roof, they heard a faint female voice sobbing from where Jackson''s body had fallen. It was over. [Discord]¡ª[TWF]¡ª[Rate on RR]¡ª[WFG]¡ª[Patreon] Chapter 28 — Ashes Chapter 28 ¡ª Ashes It was over. Omega lay dead on the porch of Makoto''s cabin. The golems had vanished. Rachel was sitting in the mud and staring up into the rain, seemingly frozen in place. Alden struggled back to his feet, unsure what to do next. He walked over to Rachel, his head pounding with every step. His eyes were blurry and he could see specks dancing around in his vision. He sat down next to her before he ended up collapsing. "Hey," he started, not sure what else to open with. Rachel didn''t move an inch. "Rachel?" "Yes." "It''s over." Rachel shook her head, water flying off her hair to strike Alden in the face. She continued staring up into the sky heedless of the rainfall. "It''s not." "We beat him. We won." "...Look around, Alden," she replied. "I don''t think we can call this a win." She was right, after a fashion. They''d killed him, but Aaron was still writhing in pain on the other side of the clearing. Ruby had carried Cinza out to him, and together they were trying to stem the loss of blood. Cinza couldn''t even stand, but still she tried to help. Yusuf ran about trying to find clean, dry cloth to use as a bandage. Rufus had gone into the other cabin to find Makoto. In the distance, the angry glow continued to brew while smoke billowed into the sky. "How many, do you think?" she asked quietly. "What?" "Because of me. Because I screwed up the first time. Because I waited as long as I could here and let him keep attacking." Rachel finally looked down at him. "How many?" "It was the only way." "How many?" Rachel asked again. Alden shook his head. "You can''t do that to yourself." "Go help them, Alden. They need it more than I do." Rachel stood up and walked over to the cabin, where they could still hear the faint sound of someone softly crying. Alden didn''t know what to say to her, but she wasn''t wrong¡ªCinza''s people were in crisis. Cinza shot him a confused look as he joined them, but didn''t raise any objections. He pressed in where she''d been holding the bandages, putting on more pressure than she''d been able to manage from her awkward position and weakened arms. Ruby tried to tie a tourniquet around his shoulder, but there was no real place to cut off the blood flow. It was too overwhelming, with the arteries and veins torn to shreds and no real way to hold Aaron down. Their hands were covered in dark crimson mixed with the mud and rain, but she refused to give in. Even as Aaron slowed down and stopped moving, and Ruby and Alden fell back, Cinza was still trying to hold the bandage in place. "Cin," Ruby said. "No more," she snapped. "Cin, he''s gone." Cinza twisted so sharply Alden thought her head might snap off. "I''m not losing another family member." "He''s dead," Alden cut in. "It''s over." She looked at him oddly. "What makes you think this is over?" "Look!" he shouted, gesturing to the corpse and Rachel standing over it. "He''s dead! It''s over." "He''s right," said Ruby. "I know you''re still out of it, Cin, but please. Aaron''s gone, and we''ve got other people who need us." Cinza took a deep breath. Without warning, she began to struggle to her feet. Ruby took her arm and helped her upright. "Slow down a bit!" "Where''s Makoto?" Cinza asked brusquely. Alden noticed that even now, she still maintained her echoing voice. She coughed throughout longer sentences, which was a stranger sound still than her usual voice, but she forced out the words nonetheless. Ruby pointed up at the cabin where Rachel stood. Makoto was just emerging, limping along with Rufus'' support. Cinza started to walk toward them, but her legs buckled after only a few steps. "Let me carry you," Ruby muttered. "I can make it." "Don''t be ridiculous, Cin. Nobody cares that you can''t walk right now. You aren''t showing weakness." Still visibly reluctant, Cinza allowed Ruby to pick her up and carry her the rest of the way through the downpour. Alden followed at a respectful distance. As he got close, Cinza was talking to a catatonic Rachel. "What happened?" Rachel wordlessly gestured at her feet. The crying had stopped. Jackson''s face was twisted at an odd angle against the wooden floorboards where he''d fallen. Two bullets had burst through his skull while the remainder went through his chest. Thanks to the slowing effect, every single one had struck before he''d fallen. Cinza looked at the body with disgust. "Good." Rachel finally reacted with something more than a vague stupor, her eyes shooting up to meet Cinza''s. The small girl spat on him, then pulled out a small cloth from inside her robes and wiped her mouth clean. Rachel looked appalled. "Do you expect me to give him respect? He is a monster and I wish him nothing but the deepest levels of hell, if such a place exists." "And I should be there with him," Rachel murmured. "Drop the melodrama," Cinza snapped. "You made some mistakes. We all did. None could have foreseen where this would lead. Think less about what could have been and more about what comes next. You''ve stopped our greatest threat. We''ve suffered losses, but we''re still alive." "I wish¡ª" "Wishes are nothing," she interrupted. "Wishes are flights of fancy for children. I told you, when you come to a decision, you must commit and not look back. I don''t know what sort of choices you faced, but in the end, you were victorious. What more could I ask for?" "A better leader." "I chose you, Rachel." Cinza held out her hand, causing Ruby to almost drop her from the sudden imbalance. Rachel looked at it strangely, but didn''t reach out. "I still choose you. You saved our lives today." Rachel''s eyes welled up even more. Alden was beginning to realize what had happened. What Rachel had done. He walked up to join them, looking Rachel directly in the eyes. "You saved us all, Rachel," he added firmly, giving her a brief nod. He wouldn''t reveal her betrayal. It wouldn''t do anyone any good. They were still in a crisis, even with Omega dead at their feet. They needed a leader. Rachel took a deep breath. She took Cinza''s hand, but she refused to look her in the eye. "Get everyone together," she said, though her voice sounded painfully flat and disaffected. "Who''s everyone?" asked Rufus. "The town. Everyone who''s still alive." Rachel started walking, straight for the billowing black pillars rising out of Rallsburg.
Rufus stayed behind, wanting to put his friend to rest. The rest of the group followed Rachel in a loose formation. Cinza limped along supported by both Ruby and Makoto¡ªawkward due to her size, but they managed to make it work. Alden wasn''t sure where he fit into the group and ended up at the front next to Rachel. She ignored them all, moving as if she were totally alone. It was only after they''d made it halfway back that Alden noticed she wasn''t ignoring everyone. She was muttering under her breath, and not to herself. He could only catch a few snippets, but Rachel was trying to convince their invisible companion of something. If he guessed right, Rachel wanted her to find all the survivors left in town, but Grey-eyes wasn''t answering. Alden spotted a few leaves on the ground that suddenly bent out of shape, confirming she was present. The town was swiftly approaching, and still Rachel''s requests went unanswered. The glow of the fire faded away. Between the passing rain and whatever Natalie might have done, the pending inferno had been negated. The fire hadn''t burned for that long, so Alden believed the town might yet be intact¡ªbut whatever hopes Alden held were dashed the moment they emerged from the woods. Rallsburg was covered in a sheet of grey. Buildings crumbled as far as the eye could see, their already-crippled structures laid waste by the flames. The ritual had done its damage, and the fires finished the town off. Only husks remained, the sturdiest wood in frames charred black as night. The old stone library towered over the wreckage like a gravestone. It was still just as damaged as when Alden had first arrived, but it stood immune to the fresh carnage that had struck Rallsburg. Since the library was the only visible intact building, they gravitated to it like a beacon. Alden''s stomach churned as they walked through the broken town. There were sights no one should ever witness scattered about the houses and shops. Alden averted his eyes, feeling like he were somehow disrespecting the dead if he gawked at them. As they walked, Makoto or Yusuf would occasionally split off to investigate a structure they couldn''t see inside¡ªbut inevitably they''d return alone, shaking their heads in disappointment. The few survivors they did come across joined their procession silently. Joe McKinney appeared after only a few minutes, to no comment from Cinza or the other Greycloaks whom he''d abandoned in the forest. There was no blame to be placed anymore¡ªeveryone felt too exhausted to raise grievances. They found Dan Rhodes outside his half-caved-in diner, sitting on the street and staring at the sky. Julian Black appeared a few minutes later, and Alden tried to give him a wide berth. He still carried the hunting rifle that had killed Logan Bowerson. Boris Morozov joined them on the next block. Alden half-expected Grey-eyes to reappear and greet him, but their reunion went unmarked. Boris tried to speak to Rachel, but besides a terse greeting, Rachel refused to engage with anyone. She still marched forward as if in a trance, her eyes unwavering from the library ahead. Alden worried about her. He didn''t know her that well¡ªin fact, he''d only spoken to her twice before they''d set off into the forest¡ªbut he couldn''t imagine this was normal behavior. What was her plan? Was this funeral procession some sort of coping strategy for the town as a whole? Her words back in the forest still bothered him. She hadn''t been talking like a leader, or even a survivor. She''d been surrendering. She was giving up, and Alden wasn''t sure how to turn it around. They were only a block away from their destination, which was feeling more like a deadline with every step, when they heard a call from above. A few of their group scattered, but Alden recognized the voice. He waved to the quickly approaching speck shooting out of the low cloud layer. Hailey swooped in and came to an elegant landing a few feet away. Jessica let go and took a few steps away on unsteady feet, while Hailey limped over to the group. "Is everyone okay?" "Yeah," Alden replied, though it felt too inadequate an answer. "You kinda scared a few people," he added, looking over at Dan Rhodes. The diner owner had dropped to the pavement and covered his neck like he expected a disaster. As it became clear no harm was forthcoming, he gingerly accepted Boris'' help back to his feet. Hailey winced. "Sorry, Dan." "''s okay," Dan mumbled, still a bit shell-shocked. "Thanks for savin'' my bacon earlier." "No problem." Hailey looked around curiously. "So is it over? The ones following me all got dusted." "Yes," Alden replied. Hailey looked at him oddly, but didn''t press the question. "So what''s going on now?" Alden glanced at Rachel ahead of them, who hadn''t stopped walking for a moment. He shrugged. "I guess we''re meeting up." "Okay." Hailey fell in step with him, but Alden stopped again. "I just remembered, we left Neffie at that garage¡ª" "Oh. I''ll go get her. Hey, Jess?" Jessica looked up at her name. Hailey pointed at herself, then made a vertical swooping motion into the air, followed by a sort of imitation of a crane-game picking up something invisible and dropping it off. Jessica nodded. She pointed at Alden, then at herself and made a walking motion with her fingers. Alden wondered if he could have come up with coherent explanations like that on the fly so quickly, but he supposed they had a lot of practice. Hailey took a few steps and bounded into the air. She almost seemed to be standing on midair for a second, before clearly taking another jump off of nothing and a third, creating enough altitude to start gliding away across town. Alden watched her go with a mixture of jealousy and awe¡ªand he certainly wasn''t alone, judging by the expressions from the rest of the group. Their brief respite from the gloom was cut short as the procession reached its destination. The library loomed in front of them, the only intact structure remaining in Rallsburg. The rain had let up, but even so, Alden could feel their collective desire to take cover. No one wanted to be out in the open anymore, not after what they''d been through. Rachel walked up to the boards covering the entrance and gently set them aside. She passed through to the dark interior, and they saw a gentle orange light flicker to life. It peeked through the windows with a soft glow. No one followed her. Silence hung in her wake. "...So do we just go in?" asked Julian Black. "I guess? What do you people usually do?" said Dan. "I don''t think any of this counts as usual," Cinza put in softly. Hailey returned while they were still milling about the library, unsure if they should follow Rachel inside. Neffie stumbled away at the landing, looking winded as ever. As she stood up, she let out a cry of "Preston!" and sprinted away from the group. It took Alden a second to realize her cry was joy, not grief. A man in uniform had just emerged around the next corner. His sleeves were a little singed and he looked like he''d just run a marathon, but he was certainly alive. Neffie buried her brother in a hug. Behind the man, Natalie rode out atop Gwen, looking more exhausted than the rest of them combined. Alden had never seen someone so young look so disheartened and tired, yet she still managed to stay upright and join the group. Both Kendra and Lily followed her, looking almost perfectly identical. One of them had a pair of sunglasses hanging from the hem of her shirt, but other than that Alden had no real way to distinguish them. Rounding them out was Hector Peraza, making it a reunion of the ritual group. Hector stayed close to Natalie as they approached, holding her hand as the wolf padded forward and sat down outside the library. Alden wanted to feel happy for the reunion, but so many others looked forlorn and abandoned. Joe McKinney already knew for certain his father had died. Jessica was looking left and right, clearly hoping her parents might emerge as Preston had. Hailey had told Alden about their rocky relationship, but they were still her parents. Dan and Julian were waiting for friends or colleagues, Kendra and Lily were waiting for the rest of the university staff who hadn''t gone home for the summer yet. None dared walk away from the group. Even if Omega was dead, the memories of golems emerging from the shadows to tear them to pieces was too fresh. They bound themselves together like a herd, instinctively watching away from the center and keeping the weakest at the middle. "We''re lucky he attacked when he did," Cinza commented, seated on the dirt and leaning against Ruby. She was speaking low enough that only those closest could hear, which included Alden and Hailey. Hailey spun around indignantly, but Cinza held up a hand to forestall her. "I''d guess it was intentional, if this hadn''t been set off by the unexpected deaths in that trailer. But think about it. Spring term is over, so the school had already emptied for the summer." Cinza nodded at the wreckage of the university buildings, far away at the opposite end of the street from the library. "This could have been so much worse." Hailey opened her mouth to argue, but hesitated. A few seconds later, she closed it again with a sigh. The minutes dragged on, while the endless gray blanket of clouds slowly drifted through the sky. Between the sky, the ash and the charred buildings, it seemed to Alden like color had been sucked out of the town entirely. They were still surrounded by the green and brown of the forest at the edges, but the town itself was devoid of any sort of life. The only contrasting hue besides the clothes on their backs was the gentle flickering orange inside the library. The sheriff arrived around the same corner as Preston had a few minutes later, accompanied by the male councilor¡ªJosh, if Alden remembered his name correctly. Jackie jogged up to join them, giving Preston and Neffie a warm welcome in particular. Questions of other survivors flew fast, but Jackie only shook her head. Before their hopes were completely dashed, there was a sudden, indistinct cry of alarm¡ªfrom Jessica. A middle-aged couple sprinted down the road, and Jessica matched them in urgency. Hailey took off after her friend, stumbling a little from her injuries. The collected survivors watched as Jessica was snatched up by her parents in a tight hug. Their relief was infectious. Quiet murmurs began to spring up as the others voiced their vague hopes. Alden too felt relieved¡ªperhaps moreso than the crowd, since Hailey had told him of the strained relationships in the Silverdale family. To see Jessica''s parents reunited with their daughter in such a heartwarming way brought them a new wave of hope that they''d been missing for too long. Faint smiles were sprouting on lips, eyes softening. As Jessica and her family rejoined the group, Josh proposed a search party. He was collecting volunteers when a voice spoke up from nowhere. She sounded utterly defeated, her voice thick with the repercussions of grieving. "That''s everyone." The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "What?" Josh asked, looking around. She didn''t answer. Alden took a step toward where he thought the voice had come from. "Grey-eyes?" he asked tentatively. "...I don''t feel anyone else in town. This is it." The silence that fell over them was agony. Jackie took a quick headcount. "That''s everyone? Just twenty-two people? Jesus Christ¡­" Alden didn''t know how many people were supposed to be in Rallsburg, but it had to be a hundred or two at least. The fires and the golems did far more than he''d realized. The town had been annihilated. "What are we supposed to do now?" Natalie asked. She sat up on Gwen and straightened her black dress, looking around for advice. No one had any for her. Slowly, one by one, heads turned toward the glowing light just inside the library gateway.
Rachel sat on the stone bench inside one of the side halls, holding a gently flickering candlelight in her palm. The room had once been a sturdy tower, encircled by gargantuan bookshelves with a single entrance set into the lower shelves. The cases were long-since emptied, and the wooden panels were covered in years of dust. A hole in the ceiling¡ªopened by either Alpha or Omega, Rachel had no idea which¡ªwas letting a thin coating of ash drift in from the cloud of smoke dissipating into the sky. The library always used to unsettle her. Rachel didn''t believe in spirits or ghosts, even with what she''d been through, but she''d always felt an air of spite and malevolence hanging throughout the wrecked building. Today, it was gone. Rachel didn''t see it as the site of impossible battles or eldritch secrets, but as the lone standing bastion against the horrors they''d all witnessed. She wondered¡ªif it hadn''t been destroyed, could it have protected them all from the massacre? Ridiculous, she reminded herself. It''s an old stone building that was emptied out way before they ever fought. It couldn''t have protected a fly. "This is where we found it," said Beverly. She faded in next to Rachel, sitting on the bench and staring at the octagonal rug on the floor. It was the only piece of furniture remaining in the entire structure not made of blackened wood or hard stone. "Right there on the floor." "The book?" "Yeah." She tilted her head down as if she were embarrassed. "Hailey dragged me to some stupid party. I didn''t want to go, but that''s where I met Jackson. Then Jackie came to break it up. We ran, and we ended up here. They were both scared of it. I wasn''t. So I sat down, turned to a random page, and everything went wrong." Rachel looked up at her. Beverly''s eyes were red and streaked with tears, but she''d finally calmed down. "Would you take it all back?" Rachel asked. Beverly took a long time to answer. She kept folding and unfolding her hands in her lap. "I don''t like thinking about that. If I decide yes, then what if I spend years trying to find a way to do it? Hindsight''s a lot different when there might actually be a way to change things." "You really think magic can do that?" "It''s magic. I don''t care what anyone else says. I don''t think we can ever completely understand it." Rachel nodded. "I think he was right about that." "Who?" "Jackson. He was right about magic being too dangerous. Even with the safeguards I tried to put in place, it wasn''t enough." Rachel let out a deep breath. "It''s too late to stop it now." "I could stop it," Beverly suggested, though she looked sickened by her own suggestion. She shook her head. "We have no idea how many Scraps might be out there that we never found, or copies that Cinza managed to hide away, or anything else. People are going to find them, and they''re going to die if you don''t help them." "So you''re telling me to keep awakening them?" Rachel sighed. She felt like she was at the end of a marathon and being asked to start running another one. "I''m done giving orders. It''s not my place anymore." Beverly eyed her with a mixture of contempt and pity. "You''re giving up?" Rachel nodded. "I thought you''d be happy." She frowned. "I think you''re awful, but I still think you were the best chance everyone has for this to actually work. Everyone trusts you." "They trust you too. Why don''t you lead them?" "I''m not a leader." Rachel coughed out a bitter laugh. "What makes me a leader any more than you?" "You''re decisive. You get stuff done." "And look where that got us." Rachel stretched out her limbs, feeling the aches and pains of the whole week slowly filtering through her body. She could hear people approaching through the library, the occasional scuffle and stumble over debris giving them away. She''d have to face the crowd one last time before it was all over. Rachel stood up and braced herself. She''d get it over with quick and painless. She was done. Natalie Hendricks walked through the archway. The girl was still dressed in her battered and torn black funeral dress, though she''d added pants and her forest-green windbreaker to the getup. She had a few streaks of blood dotting her skin and a blackened and burned spot on her coat. Everything about her appearance was a perfect summary of what they''d all been through. It made Rachel sick. She remembered her promise to her, and to everyone else who followed, and she felt even colder. She wasn''t qualified to lead anyone. Rachel DuValle was just an airhead freak college student from Vancouver, with nothing special about her at all. She couldn''t save the world. This crowd of people, who''d relied upon her and believed in her to save them, had put their trust in the wrong person.
Alden was the last one through the door, finishing off the odd semi-circle of people facing Rachel and Grey-eyes on their bench. He wanted to look around the library a bit more, but at the same time he certainly didn''t want to wander off alone. Never again, as far as he was concerned. Going off alone had only gone terribly for him in Rallsburg. Rachel hadn''t spoken since Natalie had walked in. The girl had insisted on being the first one through the door, though she''d been forced to leave Gwen waiting outside. Natalie proceeded immediately to Rachel and sat down in front of her expectantly, like a kid in class waiting for the teacher. Alden suddenly remembered that, despite all her accomplishments and her fearsome capabilities, Natalie was still so young. Out of the entire crowd of people, she was the only one who couldn''t be considered an adult, or even a teenager. Rachel was staring into empty space, while Grey-eyes watched her carefully. The rest of the group was dead silent. Alden felt a collective sense that to speak up in this place, waiting for Rachel to start the meeting, was somehow disrespectful. The group silently agreed they would wait for their leader to talk first. Thus it became a waiting game stretching on for minutes, as Rachel continued to stare and the group slowly became more restless. Natalie finally broke the silence, though tension still hung thick in the room. "Rachel?" Rachel''s eyes fell to the girl sitting cross-legged in front of her. "Yes, Natalie." "Are you okay?" She took a deep breath. "No, not really." "...I''m sorry I couldn''t save more people." She wiped her face on the sleeve of her windbreaker, then looked back up at Rachel expectantly. "What should we do now?" Rachel took a very long time to answer her. Her eyes drifted out of focus. Natalie fidgeted in place watching her, picking at one of her nails nervously. Finally, Rachel spoke up, in the same tired voice she''d been stuck in for days. "I don''t know." "C''mon, Rachel," started Julian. "We won, so what''s next?" She laughed, in a disturbing and disheartening way. "We didn''t win." "He is dead, right?" asked Jackie. "Yeah," Alden confirmed. "So we won," Josh concluded. "Twenty two people survived," Rachel said quietly. "Twenty two out of hundreds. No one won." "We''re still here," said Hailey, standing next to Jessica and her parents. "So go live your lives." "We don''t have lives left to live," Jessica''s dad replied angrily. "Our home''s gone, our town is gone. What are we supposed to do now?" "Hey, lay off," Josh cut in. "I think she still has a lot to answer for," added Jessica''s mother. "Why did all this happen? Why didn''t she stop it sooner? And why hasn''t my daughter said a word since we got here? What did you do to her?" Jessica was watching each of them in turn as they spoke, but she seemed to hover equally between Hailey and her family, without quite committing to either one. "Rachel is not responsible for what transpired with your daughter," Kendra replied, lending some real weight to the voices backing Rachel. "What would you know about it, Miss Laushire?" "I''ve worked closely with Rachel for over a year now, and neither of us were aware your daughter was acquainted with magic until the last few days. Whatever occurred was beyond our knowledge." "You, then!" she railed on, spinning to face Hailey. "You''ve been living with her, this is your fault!" Hailey opened her mouth¡ªabout to retort in equal measure¡ªbut Jessica grabbed her by the arm. Hailey faltered, looking at her friend, and Jessica shook her head. Alden wondered how much she actually understood, but it was clear from her expression that she just wanted them both to shut up. Hailey fell silent, but Jessica''s mother wasn''t so quick to back down. "I heard all about that town hall, and everything after! You knew about this monster way before he came after us. Why didn''t you do anything to stop him?" "Lady, you try fighting a god," said Julian. "But¡ª" "Can you shut up?" interrupted Natalie. "Please?" she added, after the looks of surprise at her outburst. "Who cares whose fault it is?" "...How did it happen?" asked Boris, when no one else spoke up in the wake of Natalie''s question. "How did he die?" Alden expected he was as much asking Grey-eyes as he was Rachel, but Grey-eyes was totally silent, and looking very uncomfortable to be so close to the center of attention. "He attacked us at our home¡ª" Ruby started, but Rachel spoke only a moment after she did. "I shot him." She spoke with such finality that the room was stunned into silence yet again. Rachel simply didn''t want to engage with anyone. It seemed painfully unlike her from what Alden had seen and heard. Rachel was someone who loved to be at the front of a crowd, and now where she should have been completely in her element, she just wanted them all to leave. Cinza took a half-step forward, Ruby keeping her upright, placing them in front of the semicircle facing Rachel. "You called us all together, Rachel," she prompted. "This is everyone. What did you want to tell us?" "Why her?" Jessica''s father asked. "Why''re we listening to her?" Dan coughed. "Mal, she was elected, by more than half of the people here. She''s in charge." "So what? Jackie was elected." "So was Josh," Joe put in. "How d''you feel about listening to him?" "That''s enough," Jackie interrupted. "I wasn''t elected to lead. And as for Josh, no ''ffense, but Rachel should definitely be in charge." "None taken," said Josh. "I agree with you." "Which brings us back to the point," said Neffie. "What did you want to say, Rachel?" They watched expectantly. Rachel took a deep breath, and finally, her eyes seemed to refocus on the people standing around her. She still didn''t look any less miserable than when they''d first walked in, but she at least seemed to be properly lucid. "We have to hide."
Rachel didn''t know what she''d expected from her pronouncement, but the blank stares were certainly a little underwhelming. Even in her melancholic state, she still wanted a bit more of a reaction than that. Hadn''t she given them what they wanted? It was a plan of some kind, even if it wasn''t a very satisfying one. "What do you mean?" asked Preston. "They''ll be coming for us. The livestream and the fire. I wouldn''t be surprised if they''re already on the way." "Who?" asked Hector. "The man," said Julian. "Huh?" asked Natalie. "An entire town vanishing off the map won''t go unnoticed," Rachel continued. She slowly gained confidence in her words as she delved into one of the worst-case scenarios she''d prepped. Many of her nights in bed, listening to Will sleeping quietly next to her, were filled with disaster planning for every possible eventuality she could come up with. She hadn''t ever quite considered this level of destruction, but she was starting to adapt to it. "This will escalate fast." "She''s right," added Jackie. "It won''t stay at state level either. No matter what happens, they''ll definitely take it federal. And if they find out about magic¡­" "We''re fucked," Josh finished. Jackie nodded. "We''re back to this again?" Joe asked. "I was preparing for them to come and confront us here. If the town was still here, with everyone behind us and spreading out into the world, maybe we could have been large enough to stand on our own," said Rachel. "But only twenty two people? With the town burned to the ground and bodies everywhere? They''d disappear us." "Come on, they can''t just vanish us," said Julian. "Yes, they can," said Yusuf. "This few people? Undoubtedly so," agreed Lily. "They operate on the world scale. We could try to make a bit of noise, but ultimately we''d be captured either way. Unless she stops them," she added, nodding at Beverly. Beverly shook her head. "I don''t want to fight anyone." "Nor do I, dear, and I wouldn''t presume to ask. Loathe as I am to abide by this proposal, I concur with Rachel," said Kendra. "We should hide." A minute of silence passed as they digested the words. With arguably the three most important people in the room in agreement, the rest of the group were slowly coming to terms with the future. "How?" asked Makoto, the first word he''d spoken since leaving Cinza''s home in the woods. "You''re not thinking we all pile into one of Kendra''s little pockets, are you?" asked Julian uneasily. "Don'' think I could sleep with those earthquakes every few minutes." "Can you keep an entire dimension stable on your own strength?" asked Lily sharply. Julian raised his hands in surrender. "Down, Xerox. I''m jus'' tryin'' to point out problems." "That doesn''t sound sustainable," said Cinza. "As impressive as her creations might be, she needs to close them every day, and it''s not as though we could survive inside them either. Even Aaron''s discoveries aren''t enough to grow food in a void." "So what, do we go live with you in the forest?" asked Josh. "No way. I''m not going out into the woods for the rest of my life," snapped Malcolm. His wife nodded emphatically in agreement. "As much as I''d love to host you all," Cinza said dryly, "I doubt we could sustain this many people. We were barely self-sustaining before, and we''ve lost half of the people who could cast the necessary spells. It would take a lot of time to train new people in the technique." "We go out in plain sight," said Boris abruptly. "...Great plan," said Joe sarcastically. "We walk right into their black vans." "New identities, new lives," Boris went on, ignoring him. "As I understand it, many of you have methods to change your appearance in thorough, permanent ways. I can help you develop new lives to match. It won''t be necessary for everyone," he added, glancing at the Silverdale couple, "but for the most notable among you, it could keep you safe." Hailey nodded. "Jess and I know the ritual to use." Jessica looked up at her name, but after realizing Hailey wasn''t talking to her, glanced away again. She seemed to be most interested with watching Beverly, but the grey-eyed girl was too busy watching Rachel to notice. Rachel wondered if she should find it threatening that Beverly refused to let her out of her sight. "What if I can''t do it?" Hector asked. "You don''t need to, Hector. He''s talking about Kenni and myself. Cinza as well, as she was captured on film," said Lily. "Me too, I think," added Joe. "You could see me in the back of a few shots." "I''ve no intention to return to society," said Cinza. "Our home is still intact, and we will remain there." Yusuf and Ruby nodded in unison at her words. "Not to be a downer, but most of you lived here. I''m from Norwalk. My parents are still there," said Josh. "They''ll be looking for me." "You can''t get in touch with them," said Rachel. "You''re dead." "I''m pretty sure they could keep a secret," Josh shot back. "Enrollment records and flight records. If their son is alive and well in SoCal, when he should have been at school for the summer, you''re screwed," said Hailey. "You gotta cut them out for now, Josh." "Easy for you to say. You don''t even talk to your folks." Hailey glowered, but Neffie spoke up before they could get into it. "What about the rest of us? We can''t use magic," she asked. "How are we supposed to hide?" "I can teach you a few things," said Boris. "And you''re this amazing expert on hiding, are you?" asked Malcolm. "Yes." Malcolm faltered at his single confident word. His wife looked about to speak up, but Boris held up his hand to forestall them, to Alden''s relief. "I know you may have further questions, but I believe we shouldn''t linger too long. We have some time, but they will come. The world communicates much faster now. Likely within a day." "Maybe less," agreed Jackie. "Is this the plan, Rachel?" "It is," she said firmly. "All right then." Jackie cracked her neck slightly before continuing, taking a breath. "We''ll have to figure out where everyone''s goin'', and who with. Boris, how many fake identities can you make?" "As many as we need," he replied. "Someday you and I are gonna have that drink I always promised." "I look forward to seeing you handle real Russian vodka." Jackie grinned. "Don''t count me out." "I''m surprised you don''t want to turn this over to the authorities," Josh commented. "After all that about following the spirit of the law before." Jackie shook her head. "There''s a difference between a murder or two and a goddamn massacre. In the real world? This looks like a terrorist attack, or worse, and you all have way too many questions you can''t answer." "Twenty two people can keep a secret," Rachel said. "We''re all that''s left of Rallsburg. Maybe magic can come back again one day, but it won''t be here. Rallsburg is gone. No one survived whatever happened here. It''s just a ghost town now." "Making us the Ghosts of Rallsburg?" said Ruby with a faint smile. Cinza gently nudged her, and she fell silent. The rest of the group was quiet at Rachel''s pronouncement. She wondered if she''d gone a bit too far in her description, but she wanted to impress the gravity of the cover they had to maintain if they were to make it out alive. "What happens next?" said Cinza. "What do you mean?" asked Josh. "We go into hiding, but what happens next? I doubt that''s the end of the story." Rachel shook her head. "We hide and we wait. We stay in contact, but that''s it. We have no idea how this is going to play out on the world stage." "You''re just gonna wing it?" Josh said incredulously. "Yes." "Kinda underwhelmed here, Rach," said Julian. She winced at the shortened name. "You''re usually the one with the big plans. This is sort of disappointin''." "Look where my big plans have gotten us," Rachel said quietly. "Twenty two people, Julian. Every single plan I had failed." "Not the last one. We''re alive, and he''s not." "No matter what else, Rachel, you saved us all," agreed Kendra. "In the end, you made the difference." "It''s twenty-three people," Alden cut in suddenly. "Rachel, you''re not counting yourself. There''s twenty-three of us." Rachel was taken aback. He was right, she''d completely neglected to count herself. She wondered what that said about her state of mind, plowing through a half-dozen psychologists and theories in her brain before Ruby interrupted her thoughts. "It''s actually twenty-four," she spoke up, her red curls shining in the flickering light. "Rufus is still back at our camp, but he''s alive too. Plus Nikki and the others that got flown out, so that''s¡­" She trailed off as she realized everyone was staring at her. "...Way to kill the moment," said Josh dryly. There were a few chuckles around the group¡ªand to her surprise, Rachel found herself among them. It was strained and weak, but it was mirth where there had been none. It was a slight flicker of light in a broken town covered in ash. It was a collection of determined survivors unwilling to lay down and accept their fate just yet. It was hope, and that was enough to keep them going. [Discord]¡ª[TWF]¡ª[Rate on RR]¡ª[WFG]¡ª[Patreon] Transitions Transitions Alden sat outside on the library steps with Hailey. The rest of the group was still inside going over the specific logistics of where everyone was headed, spearheaded by Boris and Jackie. Boris, in addition to his other many talents, was also apparently quite skilled in disguises and forgery. "Guess you don''t really need to worry about hiding, huh?" Hailey said, nudging him. Alden shook his head. "Just going right back home. No one really knew I was here besides my little sister. Going home''s the only way I''m ever gonna get Meg to shut up about that video." "What are you gonna tell her?" "...The truth?" Alden shrugged. "She can keep a secret, and it''s not like I can awaken her, so we don''t have to worry about that. Plus, I''m a terrible liar. This''ll be way easier than trying to explain away all of this somehow and getting her to keep it quiet." "Think that''ll work?" Hailey asked skeptically. "I know Meg. She loves secrets. Getting to keep one this big will make her happy." Hailey shrugged. "I never had any real siblings. Just my parents, and we weren''t close. I doubt they''ll even notice I''m gone." Seeing his expression, she quickly added, "Don''t worry. I really don''t mind. I''m glad you have a good family though." Alden shook his head. "''Good'' might be stretching it. My parents and I don''t talk much either. Meg and me are solid though. She''ll get it. Only thing I might worry about is her trying to drag magic out of me somehow. Like I could just teach it to her." "Well, if you need me to come talk some sense into her, just say the word." "You two''d get along great." Alden paused. "How am I gonna get in touch with you though? You have to ditch your number and stay low key." She rolled her eyes. "I''m not planning to leave the state or anything. I''ll stop by after I settle in. I''m gonna need something to do, if I''m gonna be out there living alone. I can get around pretty quick, you know." Her eyes twinkled. "Maybe you can teach me your time travel tricks sometime, too. If you ever figure it out for real." "Time magic from you?" Alden mock-shuddered. "The world would never survive." "You''re just jealous of how much better I''ll be at it." "No kidding." Alden looked around. "What about Jessica?" "She''s still inside with her parents. She wanted to be alone with them for a bit." Hailey shrugged. "I don''t know what she''s gonna do." "She''ll be okay. Jessica''s probably the strongest person in the building except for Grey-eyes, remember?" "That doesn''t really help her stay hidden though," Hailey sighed. "I love her like a sister, but if we''re going back to the real world this is gonna be rough." "Like we weren''t already in the real world?" "Not to play the ''one week'' card again, but you really were only here for less than a week. Living in a town this small screws with your perception. Honestly, it felt like the rest of the world just wasn''t there half the time." Hailey leaned back and stared up at the sky, which was finally clear of smoke and drifting into night. The stars filled the sky, and the arm of the galaxy twirled away above them. "I''m not gonna miss a lot from this place, but I will miss that view." A commotion behind them drew their attention. Hailey was on her feet in an instant, fists at the ready, but she dropped them immediately as Jessica emerged from the structure. Her parents followed a moment later, calling after her. "Jessie, come back!" Jessica found her place at Hailey''s side, taking her hand firmly. She chirped something at her parents, shaking her head emphatically. She pointed at herself, then at Hailey, then drew out the shape of a house in midair with a tiny flame¡ªa simple square with a triangle on top. She dissipated it a moment later. "You''d rather live with her?" her mother asked, sounding more confused than appalled. She pointed at Hailey to try and get her point across. Jessica nodded. "Who are you, again?" Malcolm asked, catching up to his wife. "Are you her¡­ uhh¡­ her girlfriend?" He said it like he was still trying to get his mind around the concept¡ªlike he''d never heard of the possibility in his life. Hailey shook her head, vaguely amused. "Just her best friend. Jess never actually went out with anyone." "Oh." Her father still looked confused. "I''m sorry, I just assumed." "It''s okay." Hailey shrugged. "I didn''t think you even knew who she preferred." "We guessed," Beth explained. "I never had the courage to ask her, then we fought and she left and now¡­" Beth looked at her daughter in dismay. "It was such a stupid fight and I can''t ever apologize now. I don''t know what to do for her anymore." Hailey sighed. "She''s the same Jess in there, you know. She can''t speak, but she still knows what''s going on and she''s just as smart as she always was. You''ll figure it out." "Will you¡­" Beth started, but trailed off. She glanced at her daughter again. "Do you want to come with us?" "Huh?" "You were going to live on your own, right?" Hailey nodded slowly, not following Beth''s train of thought. "Well I thought, we''re supposed to seem like a different family. Two children throws it off more, and I know Jessie would want you there." Hailey smiled. "You know I don''t look anything like you guys, right?" Jessica''s parents looked taken aback. Apparently that hadn''t even crossed their minds. Alden was resisting the urge to laugh. Malcolm was the first to speak up. "Can''t we work around that somehow? Maybe you were adopted or something." Hailey frowned. "That sounds boring." She took a second to consider. Alden noticed her hand flex slightly, fingers flicking a pattern and curling inward. A moment later, her hair shifted to the exact same shade of brown as Beth and Jessica. "Yeah, I guess we can make it work," Hailey added with barely suppressed glee, as Beth''s jaw fall open. Jessica looked up at Hailey curiously. Hailey pointed at her parents, then back at them and drew a circle in midair, followed by the same house symbol Jessica had used. Jessica cocked her head to the side, and Hailey nodded. She made a vague disgusted face for a half-second, prompting Malcolm to start to object. Jessica smiled, and Hailey grinned back. "Looks like we''re in." Jessica nodded. Her parents looked about to raise another question, but before they could speak any further, she pulled them away, leaving Hailey and Alden alone again. As soon as they were out of earshot, Hailey burst out laughing. Alden grinned. "Worth it?" "Not even slightly, but that was still fun," Hailey said, calming herself down. She released the spell and let her hair shift back to its usual yellow-blonde. "Looks like I''m going to have a new family after all. Yay me." "Can''t be all bad. Jess''ll be there, and you can always just fly away if they really piss you off, right?" "Yeah. I''m gonna have to get them to stop calling her ''Jessie'', though. She hates that." Hailey smiled. "I''ll see you around, Alden." She took a few steps away from him, then without warning, she leapt into the air. It took her a few hard wingbeats, but she was soon perched on top of the closest turret of the library. She waved at him, her legs dangling over the side. "Don''t get hit by any phones!" she shouted down. He waved back, then he turned and walked inside. Hailey could get to where she was going easily on her own, but the rest of them had to form a makeshift convoy to leave Rallsburg, to make sure they weren''t spotted on their way out. They weren''t quite out of the woods yet.
Jackie Nossinger had a lot of regrets in her life, but trusting the tall college girl from Rallsburg wasn''t one of them. Her battered old squad car actually managed to survive the chaos in Rallsburg relatively intact. The windows were shattered, and there was an odd noise coming from the engine, but it ran. She''d always loved that car. It had followed almost her entire career, even as a detective when she could''ve gotten something more normal. She''d even persuaded her superiors in Seattle to let her keep it when she transferred out, and it followed her all the way to Rallsburg¡ªrepainted to suit the town, but otherwise the exact same car she''d always driven. It had seen thrilling chases and endless stakeouts, and it had carried many of the worst Seattle had to offer in the back seat at one time or another. Today, it was one of three vehicles in a convoy, ferrying away the survivors of Rallsburg. The strange grey-eyed girl everyone tended to avoid, the Silverdale girl who couldn''t talk, and the Winscombe girl had apparently cleared out the roadblock leading back toward Olympia. The Silverdale couple rode in the last vehicle with their daughter and the new kid in town. They were to take that truck into Tacoma somewhere, drop the kid off, then their daughter would destroy it down to the last scrap of metal. It was Robert Harrison''s old truck, which they''d recovered from his lodge outside town. Jackie figured he''d probably miss it, if he were still alive. Sucks to him. Boris drove just ahead of them in his own truck. The old Ruskie kept his ride far outside town, sparing it from the magnet storm¡ªor whatever the hell Rachel had called it. Dan Rhodes, Hector Peraza, and Julian Black were packed in with him, off to Canada. Boris had recommended it as a solid option for a getaway, but he didn''t get any volunteers from the rest of the group. Jackie certainly didn''t feel like roughing it, even if it meant a greater chance of discovery. If she knew those four, they''d be splitting up the moment they crossed the border. Boris had a bit of bonus cargo in his trailer. Jackie''s overeager but competent deputy and his impossible sister were hanging out in the back, along with the creepy cult leader with the crazy voice and her red-haired sidekick. Apparently, the two grey-robed kids were keeping the convoy totally invisible as they drove, to make sure they didn''t show up on any satellites or aerial feeds. Jackie didn''t understand how in the slightest, but she didn''t doubt it anymore. Not after the week she''d had. The Bowmans would be heading off to Canada as well, while the two Greycloaks were only sticking with them for the first leg. They''d find their own way back. Jackie glanced over at Rachel in her passenger seat, who had finally fallen asleep. The tall girl was barely visible from the glow of the instrument panel. She really felt for the kid. Rachel was still young, even if the world called her an adult. Folks might make fun of the current generation for being the ''adult at thirty club'', but when the hell did someone really become an adult anyway? Jackie had worked with plenty of officers way less mature than Rachel DuValle. She wished she could have done more for Rachel, but Jackie still felt totally in over her head. She hated that feeling. It was the reason she''d eventually driven away from Seattle and never gone back. Jackie handled her cases just fine, with or without a parade of partners good and bad, but the city just kept piling them on. She started taking shortcuts and accepting the easy answers even when she had doubts, because it was just too much for her to cross every i and dot every t¡ªor whatever she was supposed to do. It got so bad that Jackie eventually just marched into her captain''s office, cited her stellar record, and demanded she get sent out to the loneliest, quietest post she could find. Sure, sometimes she missed the loud bustle and excitement of the city life, but Rallsburg was worth the loss ten times over. She''d finally felt at peace, right up until her nice quiet town had¡ªquite literally¡ªexploded. Jackie still didn''t regret it, but she''d always regret not having more to offer Rachel. The best she could do was this one last gift. Jackie would make sure she got home safe to her parents, who were waiting for her under assumed names in Issaquah. Rachel''s parents were the only outsiders who knew about what had happened in Rallsburg, and though a few had protested the discrepancy, they''d been vehemently shouted down by Rachel''s friends. She''d earned the indiscretion. Jackie would brook no arguments. They''d have a few stops on the way through their long night drive. In the back seat of her cruiser sat the fiery-haired professor, and her identical twin that Jackie had never heard of. She still didn''t get how that was possible, but hey, rich people, right? Those two didn''t concern her. The Laushire fortune was vast, so they''d be fine even if they were caught out. Money could buy their way out of any jam. Jackie was most concerned with the last, littlest one in her car. Natalie was laying down with her head on Lily''s lap, straining her seat-belt and sleeping through the drive as best she could given the hard plastic seats in the rear. The uneven roads out of Rallsburg didn''t help much either. Jackie tried to avoid the larger bumps in the road, but she could tell Natalie was waking up hard every time she managed to get a few minutes of rest. Jackie couldn''t imagine how miserable the girl felt. Her father was a mass-murderer. Her friends were dead or missing. She was being taken away from the only home she''d ever known. Hell, she hadn''t even been allowed to bring her pets. All she had were the things they''d collected from her house, stuffed into Kendra''s magic bag. Yeah, Jackie didn''t blame Rachel for telling her to leave them behind. They couldn''t exactly take a goddamn wolf through Tacoma with them. But seeing the heartbreak on Natalie''s face as she said goodbye to Gwen? Jackie wanted to drink herself into a stupor after that one. She was shocked Natalie didn''t even try to protest though. Anything the Laushires or Jackie asked, they got the typical tween attitude¡ªbut Rachel? She seemed to take anything Rachel said as a direct order without question. It was total deference Jackie rarely saw even in the actual chain of command she used to work in. Natalie was allowed to keep her hawk though, so there were some small mercies left in the world. Jackie reluctantly let it into the car with them, expecting it to wreak havoc on the interior as soon as they took any sharp turns or hard bumps¡ªbut Natalie only had to speak a few strange words to it, and it was calm as could be. It found the best perch it could under the circumstances and kept mostly to itself while Natalie tried to sleep. Time dragged on as they drove through the night. Jackie had to keep it slow so they could keep their invisibility cloak in place, and combined with the winding path out of the hills, it was a long drive. They took a while to emerge from the vast Olympic forests and re-enter civilization. Kendra and Lily had both fallen asleep along with their soon-to-be "adopted" daughter, leaving Jackie and the hawk as the lone riders burning the midnight oil. Jackie didn''t mind, though. She was used to working alone well into the night, and she enjoyed rolling around empty streets this late at night. What she didn''t expect was the voice from her passenger seat an hour or so later. "I never thanked you," Rachel said quietly, just audible above the breeze through the broken windows. "Shouldn''t you be sleepin''?" Jackie asked as they went around a gentle curve in the highway. "I only need to sleep an hour every night. Part of the magic." "Well isn''t that somethin''. Pretty sure you did thank me though. Not that I did much." "I have a perfect memory," Rachel pointed out. "You helped us out so much and I never even thanked you once." "Rachel, I was homicide in the biggest city in the Northwest. I''m used to it." She sighed. "Thank you, Jackie." "I should be thankin'' you." Jackie slowed them to a stop at a red light¡ªthe first one she''d seen in almost a year, since her last vacation. "I''m sorry you''re not gettin'' anything you deserve, after all the shit you had to get us through." "I''m going home. That''s something," Rachel said. She twisted back around in her seat to look out the window as they started moving again, the light detecting their car and swapping to green. "I get to see Will and my parents again. I thought I was going to die, and I made it out alive. That''s something." Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! "You deserve more though." "It''s enough," she murmured. They didn''t speak the rest of the way to Olympia. As they reached the outskirts of the town, the convoy slowed to a crawl and pulled off to the side of the road. There was one final thing to do as a group before they split up for their separate destinations. Jackie got out and stared at the city lights in the distance, the glow blotting out the stars they''d been able to see so clearly back home. The two Greycloaks and the Winscombe girl joined Rachel and Jackie, while the rest of the convoy stayed with the trucks. They''d be back soon. Hopefully. "Here we go again," Jackie muttered.
Cinza took charge of the mission. Rachel surrendered command voluntarily¡ªalmost eagerly. She worried about Rachel''s sudden lack of motivation and willingness to lead. Still, in this case it made tactical sense. Cinza''s magic was the most important part of their excursion. They waited while the Laushires and Natalie got out of the cruiser, bleary-eyed in the early morning hours, and swiftly took their places. Cinza and Ruby joined Hailey, piling in uncomfortably in the back seat of the squad car. Jackie started up the engine again, and they set off while the remaining Ghosts of Rallsburg (as Ruby now insisted they be called) stayed with the convoy to await their return. It took them a while to reach their destination, since it lay on the opposite side of the city from where they''d arrived. Jackie drove precisely the speed limit, avoiding drawing any unwanted attention to them. Cinza would have preferred speed, but she supposed that a police officer from the city would know best how to avoid getting pulled over. The worst thing for them would be to get their names and vehicle on record now, when they were supposed to be dead back in Rallsburg. Still, this excursion wasn''t something they could delay a single moment. As they crossed the heart of Olympia and reached the other half, the signposts leading to their target increased in frequency. Cinza felt more reassured with each one, knowing that they''d soon be done with this and back home where they belonged. She may have grown up entrenched in a city far larger and harsher than this one, but she''d sworn them off entirely ever since. Every minute spent in the oppressive lights and sounds irritated her. At least her beloved seemed not to be bothered. Ruby was intensely focused on the road ahead. She had been practicing the invisibility wall as Cinza had taught, but she''d never quite managed to keep it as stable as they''d need for it to be totally impenetrable even to the sharpest eyes¡ªhuman or artificial. Cinza could keep it steady, but she could only last so long. Even with Ruby supplying all the energy, Cinza wasn''t sure if she could cover a large enough area for the time Hailey needed. Her own magic was so far away and difficult to reach, ever since the ritual. Her limbs felt like they were twigs, bending at the slightest pressure and threatening to snap. Ruby was all the power, and Cinza merely the guidance. They''d only managed the vehicles from above, in case of a flyover, and using the smallest possible area of cover. Even that, when coupled with the additional complications of a moving target, had left her gasping. They made their final turn, pulling into a parking lot that bordered St. Peter Hospital. Jackie turned the car off, and they got out into the cool night air. Rachel bumped her head on the roof of the car getting out. She shivered, as the only clothes she had left were the light dress and thin jacket she''d been wearing all day. Her apartment had burned down at some point during the night. Compared to the practical clothes Cinza and Ruby wore or Jackie''s uniform, Rachel was quite underdressed for three in the morning in the springtime. Standing next to Hailey in her full flight outfit, she looked particularly out of place¡ªbut none of them would ever think to ridicule her. Rachel was a step beyond that now. Cinza no longer felt affection toward her as a leader akin to herself. Rachel was something above her. Cinza felt reverence. She didn''t think of Rachel as holy in any sense, and certainly not as something to worship, but there was a remove that simply hadn''t been there before. The old library had become their church, and Rachel their savior. She''d sacrificed so much for them and saved their lives at great risk to her own. Cinza would follow her without hesitation and do everything in her power to help her. With that newfound devotion in mind, she''d spearheaded this particular excursion after Rachel had expressed only a vague hope of a chance. Cinza couldn''t allow that wish to be cast in vain. She''d see it through, damn any potential consequences. Luckily, her more foolhardy plans were made astonishingly simple by the addition of one final piece to their rescue party. Hailey Winscombe stepped forward as Cinza and Ruby joined hands, seated on the ground. Ruby began releasing as much energy as she could spare into Cinza''s waiting grasp. They pulled together, as though their embrace could somehow amplify the effect, and a vague shimmer sped through the air up to the window they''d selected. A few moments and it stabilized, looking for all the world as though nothing was out of the ordinary. Cinza held the tunnel steady as Hailey took off, bounding up step-by-step through the air. She wasn''t flying, exactly, but it was like she were taking four-foot leaps up an invisible staircase. It only took her a few seconds to reach the window. She rapped her knuckles on it, a bit harder than intended as the knock echoed through the empty grounds. A face appeared at the window on cue. Nicole Parsons, ever willing and loyal, propped the window open to let Hailey inside. As the window snapped shut again, Cinza gratefully released the corridor of invisibility, and Ruby gasped aloud as the energy flow between them was cut short. They waited. The clock continued to tick incessantly in Cinza''s mind as they stared up at the faint yellow pane set against the dark hospital wall. They''d all agreed, without mentioning it to Rachel, who the first one back out of the building must be. Hailey appeared at the window. Cinza established the corridor once more, then flashed a signal light. Hailey propped the window open and leapt out. She had a much larger outline as she bounded back down to them. As she landed gently, Jackie hurried forward to help her let him down easily. He was still battered and beaten, and he looked like he couldn''t move on his own, but he was alive. Rachel tried to choke out a few words, but it just came out as a garbled mess. It didn''t matter. They all understood the sentiment. She hugged Will as tightly as she dared, given his injuries, then helped him back into the squad car while Hailey went back for the others. Cinza''s reunion with Brittany and Matthew was no less emotional, if a bit more coherent. Brittany was doing much better, it seemed, though she had to be supported everywhere she walked. Hailey had volunteered to fly her back to their home, while Cinza and the rest of her people went back on foot. They''d considered driving a fourth vehicle, but hadn''t managed to find an intact one left in Rallsburg and didn''t want to steal one. None of them felt like criminals, even if they were now in hiding from every government in the world. Nicole was the last one down, and she dealt one final blow to the group, though she tried to soften it as much as she could. Morton Pollock had died in the helicopter, bleeding out before they could get him any real help. Cinza hugged Nicole as she cried, but there was nothing more they could do. She offered again to let Nicole leave, if she so desired, but the farmer''s daughter¡ªwho''d once confessed to joining them solely to spite her mother¡ªvehemently refused. They were family, Nicole said, and Cinza, having spent her whole life abandoned by one family after another searching for the one to call her own, couldn''t agree more. As they set out to depart and Hailey took off with Brittany in her arms, Cinza turned to Rachel. "Rachel," she started, removing the spell from her voice, and her leader¡ªher savior¡ªlooked up from where she had been making Will comfortable in the front seat of the patrol car. "Thank you," Rachel said, and the words were like pure honey to Cinza. "You have my number," she said. Hers, unlike the rest of them, would not change¡ªshe''d set it up discreetly following guidance from Tezofarl, and it could not be traced back to her in any way. Rachel, of course, would never forget it. "I will always be there, the moment you need me." Rachel nodded, though she was still overcome with emotion from her reunion with Will. Following her sudden instinct, Cinza took a leaf from Ruby''s book and bowed. The gesture startled them both. It felt right, though. Cinza should show deference to her, as she had just sworn to follow her into Hell and back whatever may come. Rachel gave her a silent nod of acknowledgement, and that was all Cinza needed. The girl in the silver cloak turned and vanished into the night on Ruby''s shoulder¡ªfollowing her family home.
Two more meetings were taking place in the dead of night, deep in the forest and much closer to Rallsburg. The other two ghosts of the broken town had finally appeared for their agreed-upon meeting, at the agreed-upon time. "I wondered if you''d show up," Robert growled, tossing a pine cone at a nearby tree in frustration. "What the fuck happened?" Brian Hendricks didn''t answer him. He wandered in half-dazed, still processing what he''d witnessed in the clearing of the heretics. Jackson wasn''t supposed to die. He couldn''t die. He was supposed to be more powerful than everyone, commander of impossible and terrible magicks and ruler over the monsters of Hell itself. Jackson was the unwitting tool of God chosen to cleanse the earth¡ªand yet Rachel had shot him in the back. With a simple, mundane handgun. "What are we gonna do now?" Robert asked. Brian didn''t answer. He was still working his mind through the day. They''d laid a trap for Jackson. Not once, but twice. Something felt off. Brian''s mind was churning through hellish possibilities. An inferno of illusions danced behind his eyes as he envisioned Jackson dying a thousand horrible deaths at the hands of the cruel sorcerers that had infiltrated Rallsburg. Had his dying throes triggered the explosion that ripped the very town apart? No, that had happened first. Brian was mixing up his timeline of events. The Awakened, those devil-worshipping lunatics, had destroyed his home. They were responsible for every terrible deed committed within, killing the last good man of the town and forever damning the rest. Jackson had set out to find their hiding place, leaving Brian in charge of surrounding the town. He needed to know something concrete, and Robert had been in Rallsburg proper more recently than he. "My daughter, is she all right?" "Yeah," Robert said, though he had hesitated. Brian didn''t believe him to be lying, but he was still concealing something. Something important. "Nat''s fine. So''s the Brit takin'' care of her. You ain''t gotta worry about them." He felt some relief at that reassurance, but still, his mind was troubled. It wasn''t his daughter''s fate¡ªBrian still truly believed Natalie would be better off if he focused wholeheartedly on cleansing the world for her¡ªbut something else. Something more sinister, like a worm nestling its way through his skull and chewing out his ears for not hearing what he was meant to hear. "Pity he didn''t finish the job when he could," Robert added, chucking another pine cone at the tree. "Bitch must''ve got him, yeah?" A note clicked in Brian''s mind. It was a sweet, heavenly note of truth, baring Robert''s lies for him to see like the sun emerging from behind the clouds. Robert had slipped and revealed himself, though he didn''t yet know his damnation. He grasped the black rod that was in his jacket pocket, and to his astonishment, the familiar thrum of energy was still present. The monsters, infinite in number and eager to bend to his will, were coiled inside like a snake waiting to strike. "How did you know?" Brian asked quietly. "Huh?" "How did you know he was dead? Or who killed him?" Robert stood up suddenly, and Brian called to them the moment he did. One of the monsters, faceless and merciless, began to emerge out of its portal in the forest floor, silently rising to the ultimate doom of the unsuspecting hunter standing before him. Robert''s eyes narrowed. "Fuck you, man. Fuck. You. Your daugh¡ª" Brian turned away, ignoring his ranting. A painful crunch somewhere behind him was the last he ever heard from Robert Harrison. Brian set out into the forest, heading west. The pouch of stones Omega had given him clattered against his side. He didn''t have a home anymore, but he knew how to survive at least for a while in the wilderness. He''d get his bearings, find food and shelter, and marshall his forces. His war wasn''t over yet.
The second meeting in the forests outside Rallsburg was much quieter. A young man sat on another log, quite like the one Robert had recently vacated, and he too was tossing pinecones about the trees. Unlike Robert, he had full confidence that his appointment would be kept. "Hi," she said, appearing out of thin air next to him. He frowned. "What were you doing? You''re a little late." "Are we really going to do this? We haven''t talked in weeks." The young man sighed. "You''re right, I''m sorry. I''m just a bit on edge." She looked at him sympathetically. "We all are." He put an arm around her, meaning to hug her, but she pushed him away. "Don''t, please." "What''s wrong?" She looked at him like he was insane. "Where do I start?" He held up a hand. "That was a stupid question." "I know you have your rules, but seriously. You could have helped end this." He hesitated. "Maybe I should have. We argued about it for hours after the first few deaths." "You and Jackson?" "No, I meant at home." "Oh." Her silver-grey eyes softened. "Are you guys okay?" "We''re still together, yeah. I would have kept arguing, but he stopped it before we said things we''d regret. He''s angry, but he and I still agreed in the end. The rules are there for a reason." "Until he broke them," she pointed out. He shook his head. "He never did. All the first attacks were carried out in self-defense or by surrogate. He was never the aggressor. Even at the end, it was in self-defense, since he was being targeted by their magnet ritual from halfway across town." "This is all so weak." "Why do you think we''re still arguing about it?" He sighed. "I swore after that night I''d stay out of it. I keep my promises." "Is it worth keeping a promise to the letter if the other guy''s going to find every possible way to get around it?" He picked up a pinecone, examined it for a moment. He dropped it back onto the ground. "What are you going to do now?" he asked. She sighed. "Find a new place to live, I guess. I liked staying with Boris and his books. I went back to look for some, but a lot of them burned up. Their stories are done. I''ll probably take the rest to him whenever he settles down, but I don''t think I can stick around them anymore." "You could¡ª" "No," she replied, cutting him off. "Thank you, but no. I''m okay on my own." He shrugged. "The offer''s open. Always." She didn''t answer. After a minute of silence, she vanished, with only a faint breeze reminding him that she''d been there at all. He picked up another pinecone, then dropped it again. "See you around, BB," he whispered to the empty forest.
"Thank you for that report. Next up, the FBI has continued to stay silent on any progress of the investigation into the destruction of¡ª" The television abruptly cut off as Maria clicked the remote. A few curious coworkers looked up at the sudden change in noise, and¡ªseeing her enter the room¡ªquickly returned to their phones. She could have sworn she saw a few grateful expressions at the newfound silence. Sure, they could still hear the muffled bustle of the sales floor just on the other side of the thin walls, but at least they didn''t have anything blaring advertisements at them from only a few feet away when they were just trying to get a few minutes of peace. Of course, not everyone in the room got the memo. "Did you hear about this new bullshit?" Karl asked, landing on the chair between Maria and Jose. "You know what we have to do just to fill a pick now?" "Karl, we''re in the break room," said Jose, not glancing up from his phone. "So?" "So none of us want to talk about work shit in the break room," Maria agreed. She was digging through her bag for something. Karl glanced over, but she just came up with her own phone, hopping on some social network he didn''t recognize. "Sheesh, sorry I''m ruining your thrilling conversation," Karl grumbled. "Oh, you know me and Jose," Maria said dryly, not looking up for a second. "Closer than family here. We don''t have to talk anymore, we just beam thoughts to each other." "Yup," added Jose. "Riiiight." Karl glanced between them. "If you want me to fuck off, just say so." "And miss out on the sheer joy of watching you figure it out for yourself?" Karl took a second to understand what she meant, which only made her grin wider at her phone. He stomped off in a huff, leaving them alone once again. Maria stretched out and tried to relax, thumbing through her news feed idly and trying not to look too closely at the stories that flicked by. She only wanted an impression of what was going on in the world, she didn''t want to actually get involved in it. Getting involved meant she''d start caring about the people in it, and Maria didn''t have time for such things. She was barely keeping up with her own life. She wished she hadn''t had to pick up such a menial, degrading job like a lowly retail worker, but something had to pay her bills. At least they hired fast. They were desperate for anyone young, fit and eager. She had two out of three, and she was pretty good at faking the "eager" part so far around management. "Hey Maria," said Jose. "Shh shh shh," she interrupted. "We just achieved the perfect break room volume. Do you want to upset our karmic overlords when we''ve clearly pleased them?" "I was just gonna tell you that your hair''s sticking up at the side." "What?" "Right here¡ª" he said, and he started to reach toward her to point it out. She recoiled violently away from his hand. "Whoa, sorry. Just right there on your left side." She reached into her bag and pulled out a small hand mirror. "Shit, that looks stupid. Thanks." "No problem." Jose returned to his phone, leaving them in silence. Maria looked him over. Jose wasn''t bad looking, and he was confident enough to talk to her directly and do it kindly. He might actually be worth remembering, all things considered. Nope, she reminded herself. Not again. Definitely not again. "Hey, break''s over," Karl said, leaning back into the room. "Time to end your amazing party." Maria sighed. She tucked her things back in her bag and wrapped it back around her shoulder. She was allowed to carry it back on the floor, after a great deal of persuasion from her supervisors of its necessity. No one else was allowed to have a bag or purse of any kind, but hers was special. She was walking out of the break room when something caught her eye. Jose noticed her turn, but there was nothing there. She didn''t seem to think so either, as she was already turning back to the door¡ªbut she wasn''t quick enough to notice Jason coming in at the same time. They bumped into each other, and he happened to brush his arm against the slim part of her skin exposed between her thin gloves and thick sleeves. A bright spark of electricity jumped between them. [Discord]¡ª[TWF]¡ª[Rate]¡ª[Follow]¡ª[Patreon] Book II — Convergence (Table of Contents) ¡û Book I Book III ¡ú This is book two of The Last Science series. A table of contents is below, or feel free to continue on immediately to the prologue. Prologue ¡ªDust Part IV ¡ªIn Plain Sight Chapter 1 ¡ªThe First Day of School Chapter 2 ¡ªThe Goddess of Kent Chapter 3 ¡ªChasing Ghosts Chapter 4 ¡ªComes the Hero Chapter 5 ¡ªRules of the Game Interlude IV ¡ª Secrets Chapter 6 ¡ª Over the Border and Through the Woods Chapter 7 ¡ª Identity Chapter 8 ¡ªMaking a Difference Chapter 9 ¡ª Flying Blind Chapter 10 ¡ª Allies of Coincidence Chapter 11 ¡ª The Emerald City (Part I) Chapter 12 ¡ª The Emerald City (Part II) Chapter 13 ¡ª The Emerald City (Part III) Interlude V¡ª The Sister Chapter 14 ¡ª Finding Family Chapter 15 ¡ª Making Friends and Influencing People Chapter 16 ¡ª Rebirth Chapter 17 ¡ª Career Path Chapter 18 ¡ª Old Friends, Forgotten Friends Interlude VI ¡ª Fame and Fortune Transitions II Part V ¡ªHeroes and Villains Chapter 19 ¡ªEnd of the World, Redux Chapter 20 ¡ª Retreat Chapter 21 ¡ª A Return to Form Chapter 22 ¡ª In Her Image Chapter 23 ¡ª Like Father, Like Daughter If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.Chapter 24 ¡ª Two Interviews Chapter 25 ¡ª Confidential Public Relations Chapter 26 ¡ª Picking a Side Interlude VII ¡ª Call of Destiny Chapter 27 ¡ª A Voice In Her Head Chapter 28 ¡ª Staying in the Spotlight Chapter 29 ¡ª The Battle of Lakewood Interlude VIII¡ª A Day in the Life of Jessica Silverdale Chapter 30 ¡ª Four Days Later Interlude IX ¡ª Magnanimity of the Modern Man Chapter 31 ¡ª Across the Pond Chapter 32 ¡ª Paranoia Chapter 33 ¡ª Self-Made Chapter 34 ¡ª Rook Takes Knight Chapter 35 ¡ª The Court of Public Opinion Part VI ¡ªAll the World''s a Stage Transitions III Intelude X ¡ªNecessary Evils Chapter 36 ¡ª Confessions Chapter 37 ¡ª The Ripple Effect Interlude XI ¡ª The Seven Thirty-Six Train to Seattle Chapter 38 ¡ªThe Very Long Night of Hailey Aurora Elizabeth Winscombe Chapter 39 ¡ª The Day They Learned Her Name Chapter 40 ¡ª Guilt Chapter 41 ¡ª Ghosts of the Past Chapter 42 ¡ªGhosts of the Present Chapter 43 ¡ª Ghosts of the Future Chapter 44 ¡ª Ghosts of Rallsburg Chapter 45 ¡ª Suolaa Maaper??n Chapter 46 ¡ª Loyalty Chapter 47 ¡ª Family (Part II) Interlude XII ¡ª Seven Decembers Chapter 48 ¡ª Convictions Chapter 49 ¡ªThe Third Summit of the End of the World Chapter 50 ¡ª The Breaking Point Chapter 51 ¡ªBest Laid Plans Chapter 52 ¡ªA Place of Her Own Chapter 53 ¡ªThe New World Transitions IV ¡û Book I Book III ¡ú Book II — Convergence — Cast of Characters By request, I''m including a list of characters for each book after the table of contents. This will include brief descriptions of each character to help readers keep track of who''s who. It is not necessary to view this character list; all details included here are taken directly from the story. If you do not wish to be spoiled, continue directly through to chapter 1. Spoiler content: This list has spoilers up through chapter 10 of Book 2, including major spoilers for book 1. This is only intended to be used as a quick reference guide. Characters are ordered by their home region, followed by alphabetical order - last name. Seattle, WA
Name Description
Michael Aderholt Overworked and overwhelmed FBI SeaTac National Security branch station chief
Jeremy Ashe Reluctant and laid-back FBI-NSB-SeaTac Special Agent assigned to the "Rallsburg Incident" case, seeking his missing partner (and sheriff of Rallsburg) Jackie Nossinger
Madelaine "Maddie" Ashe U.S. Senator for Washington, aggressive diplomat, elder sister and confidant to Jeremy
Tyler Belsey Socially awkward member of the Glasses Gang, prone to outbursts and sicknesses, devout follower of Quinn
Tom Brown A homeless man in north Seattle
Maria Cabazanos A streetwalker in north Seattle
Claire Chau Single mother of two, struggling to keep her younger son from following his brother''s footsteps into the gang life of Seattle
Steven Chau Calm and reasonable member of the Glasses Gang, and the most book-smart of the group
Jacob Darwin Enthusiastic young science teacher at Willford Jenkins Middle School
Natalie Hendricks (Jenny Heshire) The youngest survivor of the Rallsburg Incident, now thirteen and hiding under an assumed name in Seattle, living with the Laushire twins and only one of her pets from home. Daughter of the man leading the crusade against the awakened, and one of the "empowered eight", inventor of new magics involving animals and nature
Percy A red-tailed hawk enhanced by magic, living at the Laushire residence in Seattle
Walt ''Meltyface'' Jackson Half of a thief duo, known for his distinctive burned face
Lydia Jennings Personal sidekick to Blake Sinclair, stuck-up and snobbish
Scott Johnson A park ranger assigned to the Olympic National Forest, who first discovered Jerry Hauserman''s corpse
Dave Jones Forensic scientist in Olympia who led the investigation team for the Rallsburg Incident
Quinn Kincaid The leader of the Glasses Gang, a shrewd middle schooler with a love for card games, mysteries, and adventure
Annette Kincaid Quinn''s mother, a perpetually-exhausted public defender
Damian Kincaid Quinn''s father, a cheerful bartender
Kendra Thomas Laushire Former economics professor at Rallsburg, currently presumed deceased. Provides the other Ghosts of Rallsburg with a survival fund, houses Natalie Hendricks in a secret magically-concealed home in Seattle. One of the "empowered eight", inventor of magic to create pocket dimensions and enchanted extradimensional objects, as well as spatial distortions
Lily Laushire Kendra Laushire''s secret twin sister, sharing her life at every level
Kelsey Lincoln Enthusiastic sporty girl at Willford Jenkins, and one of Natalie''s first friends
Lani Makaio A fresh young FBI-NSB-SeaTac agent, recently assigned to be Jeremy Ashe''s partner in March 2018
Courtney Milton Current governor of Washington, and the older half-sister (maternal) of Maddie and Jeremy Ashe
Harley Mitchell Organizer of a drug and prostitution market in north Seattle
Mitch Moon Outspoken, brash member of the Glasses Gang
Christopher Partel Hailey Winscombe''s father, a successful businessman
Blake Sinclair "Most popular" girl at Willford Jenkins, leads a clique of like-minded friends
Frieda Talbot Long-suffering principal of Willford Jenkins Middle School, suspicious of her newest student "Jenny Heshire"
Shirley ''Crystal'' Williams A friendly, motherly prostitute in north Seattle
Daniel Wimblemeyer Eager, professional new assistant to Stephanie Winscombe
Stephanie Claire Beatrice Winscombe Successful, outspoken businesswoman, mother of Hailey Winscombe
Tacoma / Kent, WA
Name Description
Alden Bensen III (Zack / Alzack) Unknowing younger brother of a god, rattled survivor of a genocidal massacre, and cautious recruiter for the new age of magic
Alden Bensen II Patriarch of the Bensen clan
Julia Bensen Matriarch of the Bensen clan
Margaret "Meg" Bensen Youngest sibling of the Bensen children, the most outspoken, resentful of her brother''s magical ability, but eager to get herself involved in any way she can
Trevor Halliday Friend of Rupert Roche with a tendency to speak his mind without thinking, despite his good intentions
Jonathan Hudson High school senior and one of the new wave of awakened post-Rallsburg, with a theatrical flair and poor judgment
Drew Jacobs Apprentice electrician, new-wave awakened recruited by Alden and Hailey Winscombe
Alexander Malich Police lieutenant in Tacoma
Kelly McGregor Meg Bensen''s on-again off-again best friend
Katie Nelson Stay-at-home mother, new-wave awakened recruited by Alden and Hailey Winscombe
Ashley "Ash" Newman Ruby Dahl''s abusive, homophobic father
Elissa Piao Friend of Rupert Roche and Hailey Winscombe with a bit of a drinking problem and harboring a secret crush
Rupert Winston Patrick Roche Hailey Winscombe''s unexpected British-born boyfriend, post-Rallsburg awakened, and in school to become a nurse
Malcolm Silverdale Jessica''s overwhelmed and terrified father
Jessica Silverdale Hailey Winscombe''s best friend, a quiet shy girl rendered unable to understand any forms of language due to a magic ritual gone awry. In love with Hailey and spends virtually every minute by her side. One of the "empowered eight" and widely believed to be the most powerful awakened outside of the Three Gods
Beth Silverdale Jessica''s despairing mother, always seeking something to blame for her troubles
Stebbins An ex-Army marksman working as a rapid-response police unit in Tacoma
Hailey Aurora Elizabeth Winscombe Joyful daredevil, loyal friend, brilliant student, and headstrong warrior of the new age. One of the "empowered eight", but commonly believed to be the weakest of the group (though still far outstripping typical awakened). Holder of the only known remaining intact page from the Grimoire
Ted Winters A local newscaster in the Olympia/Tacoma region, who was on-air and first broke the story of the Rallsburg Incident. Subsequently earned a great deal of journalistic credibility by pursuing the story and relentlessly questioning the lack of progress from the FBI
British Columbia
Name Description
Julian Black A former deliveryman and shifty entrepreneur from Rallsburg, one of the few survivors of the Incident. Partially responsible for Hector''s grocery store exploding
Nefertiti "Neffie" Bowman Shrewd intelligent woman, and the "town beauty" of Rallsburg due to her exotic appearance (which she deliberately played up). Brother of Deputy Preston, and formerly employed by Brian Hendricks as an assistant for the apartment complex supporting the University
Preston Bowman Deputy to Jackie Nossinger, a bit slow, but very eager and reasonably competent, often overshadowed by his younger sister Neffie
Boris Morozov A former deep-cover agent for Russian intelligence who defected to the United States, and was ordered to remain in Washington as part of his agreement with the CIA. Used to run a small bookstore in town, and one of the very few friends of Grey-eyes
Jacqueline "Jackie" Nossinger Former sheriff of Rallsburg, a no-nonsense older woman who watched her quiet town burn down under her watch, helped the survivors escape into hiding
Hector Peraza Timid former grocery store owner of Rallsburg who always seems to end up in the wrong place and rejected by every home he''s ever found. One of the "empowered eight", formerly the strongest of the awakened in Rallsburg, responsible for breaking up the first fight between Alpha and Omega and ejecting them from the town
Dan Rhodes Owner of the small Rallsburg town diner, "most trusted man in Rallsburg". Fled across the border with his friend Boris
Greywood (Olympic Forest)
Name Description
Yusuf al-Fayed A brave and loyal member of the Cult of the Grey, firm believer in Grey-eyes and in Cinza as a leader. Widower, lost wife and two daughters to a ritual cult suicide in the past.
Cinza The founder and de facto leader of the Cult of the Grey, a smart and careful leader of her people. In the wake of Rachel DuValle''s disappearance, one of three effective leaders of the new wave of awakened, though fiercely independent and anti-establishment
Ruby Dahl (Hannah Newman) A teenage runaway from an abusive father, an artsy girl with a flair for the dramatic and a playful nature. Cinza''s lover and primary lieutenant in their group.
Gwen A huge grey wolf, Natalie''s faithful pet and guardian, enhanced by magic. Now patrols the Greywood and surrounding region, awaiting Natalie''s return.
Rufus Hill The oldest of Cinza''s cult, former woodsman and hunter, a jovial man always on the verge of a chuckle
Makoto Kirishima Cinza''s other closest lieutenant in the Cult. A quiet young man from Portland harboring a secret crush on Ruby, with several unique magical abilities such as water manipulation
Joe McKinney Son of Rallsburg''s handyman, stuck around with the Cult after fighting alongside them during the riots. Became a member to impress Nikki Parsons, but she broke up with him after a few months
Joshua Miller One of the original elected Council of the Awakened, and the only one still remaining in Rallsburg. A social expert and an excellent cook, but the most cautious of the trio leading the new wave
Nicole "Nikki" Parsons Runaway daughter of the Parsons family in Rallsburg (deceased), joined the Cult of the Grey as a rebellious act but became a true believer. Now one of the rare Knowledge affinities, with a specialty in divining information and scrying
Scrappy An unusually large copper-colored mountain lion, Natalie''s first pet. Wounded in a fight with Omega, now spends most of its time near the Greywood cabins
Brittany Wilkins Member of the Cult of the Grey, a bit of a skeptic but sticking with her husband nonetheless. Lost one of her legs to a bear trap set by Robert Harrison.
Matthew Wilkins A true believer of the Cult of the Grey, has faith that Grey-eyes will find a way to resurrect his long-deceased son Jake
London, UK The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Name Description
Tessa "Rook" Hunter A ruthless mercenary sniper, partner to Viper, disgusted by magic in all its forms
Wendell Culver Co-founder of the Culver-Malton Group, a multinational conglomerate, now retired
Stefen "Viper" Gearhardt An easy-going awakened mercenary sent to Rallsburg to investigate Kendra Laushire, ended up discovering magic instead. Ordered to return with the most powerful specimen he could find. Ultimately left with a non-magical prize: a backdoor into Laushire Enterprises provided by Rika Nishimura
Sir Thomas Laushire Chairman and CEO of Laushire Enterprises, strict, harsh father of Kendra and Lily Laushire
Mary Laushire Brusque professor at the London School of Economics, mother of Kendra and Lily
Cornelius Ferdinand Anastasia Malton Chairman and CEO of Culver-Malton Group and CEO of Malton Solutions, a private military company and mercenary group. Sent Viper and Rook to Rallsburg.
Norwalk, CA
Name Description
Hugo Rodriguez One of Hailey Winscombe''s group of five friends, and the only one of the group not to awaken. Distrustful of magic, left before the fight between the Gods and went home to California. Best friends with Ian Wong.
Ian Wong The clown of Hailey''s group, and an avid gamer. Best friends with Hugo and Jessica, left Rallsburg in terror after witnessing the fight between Alpha and Omega.
Galloway, OH
Name Description
Weston Davis Hailey Winscombe''s ex-boyfriend, and the reason she originally attended Rallsburg University. A bit of a control freak, despite his apparent laid-back nature, and (accidentally) responsible for Jessica''s current condition. Left Rallsburg shortly after, guilt-ridden.
Chicago, IL
Name Description
Lori Hendricks Natalie Hendricks'' estranged mother, from whom Brian fled across the country with his daughter in 2012 (when Natalie was 7), after winning full custody
Unknown
Name Description
Alpha One of the Three Gods, the original group of awakened. Described as aloof and rigid, abiding by his chosen rules no matter the cost. Wants magic to spread and permeate the world naturally without his influence. Identity unknown to anyone apart from Grey-eyes.
Beverly "Grey-eyes" Bensen The first person to awaken, one of the Three Gods, and potentially the most powerful person in the world. So named as her eyes are the first things seen by anyone after awakening. Erased herself from the memory of everyone after Alpha and Omega threatened her to pick a side, in order to protect her loved ones from them. Is the only path for anyone to awaken from the Scraps, having memorized the whole Grimoire. Can teleport, turn invisible, and much more. Only four people know her true identity: Rachel DuValle¡ªwho used it to blackmail her¡ªLily Laushire and Rika Nishimura, and Hailey Winscombe, who was Beverly''s roommate and best friend before her memory was erased.
Brian Hendricks A slumbering crusader burning with vengeance, collaborated with Omega to kill all of the awakened in Rallsburg. Motivated by a desire to protect Natalie and a deep-seated fear of what the awakened are capable of. Now heads a group of like-minded individuals hunting the awakened who scattered from the destroyed town. Is unaware of his daughter''s status as an awakened, though Natalie is well-aware of his own involvement.
Rika Nishimura Daughter of a programming dynasty from Japan, but raised in Canada and disdainful of her family. Was close with her deceased mother and blames her father for the suffering and pain he caused them both, and is currently hunting him down across the world. Escaped Rallsburg by trading away a hole in NishiSoft''s database software (which Laushire Enterprises owns) for a ride on Viper''s helicopter, to be dropped off and forgotten somewhere in the PNW. Now in hiding under the name "Maria", her mother''s name.
Jeffrey Rosenberg The last man awakened before the Rallsburg Incident, met with Rachel DuValle and decided he would rather stay far away
Ryan Walker A handsome student of Rallsburg University, leader of a small pack of guys, something of a bully, but ultimately a loyal member of the Council and a strong fighter. Fled the town after Cinza''s ritual failed.
Tezofarl A friend of Cinza''s who helped set up several technical systems for the Awakened, particularly for communication and networking.
Deceased (presumed or confirmed)
Name Description
Amelia al-Fayed Younger daughter of Yusuf, killed by his wife at age 5
Nadia al-Fayed Elder daughter of Yusuf, killed at age 6. Both deceased as a result of a cult ritual suicide
Christina Albrecht President of Rallsburg University, a stern woman. Killed by golems while trying to flee the town following Alden and Hailey
Spencer Ancell A friend of Julian Black and a skilled poker player. Killed by a golem controlled by Brian Hendricks
Logan Bowerson Student at Rallsburg University who was staying through summer break. Tried to kill Alden, shot dead by Julian Black
Robert Harrison The "Traitor of Rallsburg", led the town on and sewed chaos to help his friend Brian Hendricks. Killed by Brian''s golem after Omega''s death
Jerry Hauserman One of Julian Black''s employees, an obnoxious man and a bit of a coward. Killed by a golem sometime in September 2018
Nathan Hurst A student at Rallsburg University, an amateur movie maker and a former friend of Beverly''s before his memory was erased. Responsible for livestreaming the final two days of the town before its destruction. Presumed dead in the destruction of the town
Aaron McGregor A farming expert with a Ph. D in botany/plant pathology, learned to use magic to accelerate crop growth out-of-season, and a loyal member of Cinza''s cult. Killed by Omega''s golems in the final fight in the Greywood
Oscar McKinney Rallsburg handyman and father of Joe McKinney. Killed by the town mob after the riots for supporting the awakened
Gordon Merrill Rallsburg journalist, skeptical opponent of mayor Rowan Rhistler but otherwise supportive of the awakened. Killed by Roger Quinton and the town mob after the magnetic storm destroyed half the town
Seth Merrill Son of Gordon Merrill, a bully and a follower of Ryan Walker. First person killed by Brian Hendricks, death by golem
Nathaniel "Nate" Price The heir to the town logging fortune, class clown, and last person awakened by the Council. Opportunistic member of the Cult of the Grey (following a crush on Ruby), but fled during the riots of the first night. Presumed dead in the destruction of the town
Katherine Nichols Teacher living in Rallsburg, responsible for educating the few kids in town (Jenny Wilson, Natalie Hendricks, etc.)
Maria Nishimura Rika''s mother, died in 2012 from a brain tumor. A quiet artist and novelist, largely ignored and abandoned by her husband, but beloved by her daughter
Morton Pollock Apprentice to Gordon Merrill, and a member of the Cult of the Grey. Shot by Paul Wilson during the riots, airlifted to Olympia and died in the hospital
Roger Quinton A farmer vehemently opposed to magic, participant in every witch-hunt mob. Killed by Natalie Hendricks on Rachel''s orders, shortly after killing Gordon Merrill
Mason Rhistler Nephew of mayor Rowan Rhistler, and one of the principal teachers of magic and members of the Council. Friend of Rachel DuValle and Josh Miller. Presumed dead in the destruction of the town
Rowan Rhistler Mayor of Rallsburg, opportunistic and political but well-meaning. Presumed dead in the destruction of the town
Sally al-Fayed (n¨¦e Santiago) Wife of Yusuf, joined a cult called "The Twenty First Circle", which eventually ended up a mass ritual suicide including their two daughters
Bryan Selnik Mason Rhistler''s boyfriend, unawakened, accompanied him to the Second Summit meeting where Omega confronted the Council. Presumed dead in the destruction of the town
Jackson Smith Omega, the last of the Three Gods, opposed to magic with the belief that the risks and dangers far outweigh the benefits. Orchestrated the destruction of Rallsburg and the attempted genocide of the awakened, with the help of his pawn Brian Hendricks. Eventually shot dead by Rachel DuValle with the help of Alden Bensen.
Mabel Walsh One of the three final original Councilors, an elderly woman with the Knowledge affinity and spells to detect lies and falsehoods
Jenny Wilson Natalie''s best friend, a curious and adventurous girl. One of the catalysts of the fall of Rallsburg, deceased in an accidental backfire just outside town, witnessed by both Rachel DuValle and Brian Hendricks
Paul Wilson Jenny''s father, one of the primary driving forces of the riots and witch-hunts. Shot Morton Pollock, and was subsequently the first person deliberately killed with magic in combat (by Cinza and Ruby in a conjoined magnetic spell)
Ingrid Wilson Jenny''s mother, angry and grieving mother. Presumed dead in the destruction of the town
I know it looks bad on light themes. This is due to how RoyalRoad constructs table styles and I haven''t determined a way to fix it yet. Sorry! B2: Prologue — Dust Prologue ¡ª Dust "Breaking news this morning from the Olympic region. We''ve just received word that Rallstown¡ªexcuse me, Rallsburg¡ªsuffered a devastating fire last night. We bring you live footage from News Chopper 8, now approaching the area." "Why''re we watchin'' a local news channel, chief?" asked Jeremy Ashe, glancing up from his newspaper. "Something just happened to a tiny logger town. This is an hour ago," said Michael Aderholt. He paused the video. "You''re gonna want to see this, Ashe." Please go away. "Sir. I''ve got cases I should be workin''." "No you don''t. I assigned those cases, and it''s Wednesday. You''ve got time." Michael leaned forward and snatched the paper right out of Jeremy''s hands. He sat up, about to protest, but a sharp shake of the head from his partner Lani Makaio stopped him. "Now watch." He unpaused the video. "The town appears to have burned down overnight. Very few buildings seem intact." "What''s that there, Chopper 8? The big church building." "Actually, Ted, that''s a library. One of the oldest buildings in the town, in fact, nearly a century before the university was established. It looks like the gothic architectural style helped protect it against whatever happened here." "I didn''t know you were an expert on local history." "Hang on, we''re seeing something else¡­" "Okay, some town in the middle of nowhere burned down." Jeremy leaned back in his chair and yawned. "What does that got to do with us? Sounds like statie work." "We don''t have jurisdiction on local affairs," Lani agreed. He looked just as bored as Jeremy, even if he was a bit more of a stick in the mud on most cases. If both of them thought this was a waste of time¡­ "What the hell is that?" Jeremy looked back up again at the sudden outburst. Ted Winters never swore on camera. He was a consummate professional. When Jeremy saw the picture on the screen, an overhead view of a street in the town, he cursed under his breath too. "What is that?" Lani asked, leaning in closer. "Bodies," answered Aderholt triumphantly. He zoomed in on the paused frame. "Those are arranged," Lani said slowly. "All around one point. They were trying to get to something." Jeremy felt a chill down his spine. "Sir, what''s going on?" "Well, we''re about to get every resource we need to find out." Aderholt clapped his hands together eagerly. "We''ve got a real case, boys, and you two are next up." Jeremy grimaced. He was older than both of them. The excitement of a new case had long since been replaced by dread. Still, something about the frozen pile of corpses on screen disturbed him, and not just because it was a pile of dead people nominally under his protection¡ªas tangential as that might be for an FBI National Security Branch agent stationed in the Pacific Northwest, where nothing ever happened. They all knew they were at the weak end of the Bureau, a small remote office of the station where they sent everyone they didn''t need but couldn''t get rid of. It disturbed him because for once, it might actually mean something. As much as he didn''t want to believe it. "What makes you say that?" "The entire town was wiped out. Over two hundred dead. The story just broke two hours ago and we''ve already got groups claiming responsibility." Michael looked back at the screen eagerly. "Our station has the case. I''m about to call D.C. and ask for reinforcements. You two are heading over there right now to head off the locals." Jeremy reluctantly got to his feet. "Permission to speak, sir?" "When the hell has that ever stopped you, Ashe?" Not often enough. "Groups are always gonna claim responsibility. Everyone already knows about the story thanks to the internet. Is there anything conclusive to say they''re responsible and that this is a national security matter?" "Of course not, but who gives a rat''s ass? For now, we get to go in there and chase something more meaningful than meth heads and dealers crossing state lines between Washington and Oregon. We''re the NSB. Isn''t this what you signed up for? This is our big break." "Your big break," Jeremy muttered. "Say that again Ashe?" You''re a greedy asshole, sir, and I wanted to stay in bed this morning. "Nothing, sir. Do we get transport?" Aderholt smiled. "Hell, Ashe, you get whatever you want. An attack this hard out of the fuckin'' blue, with no warning and no alarms tripped anywhere? Call in a goddamn fighter jet if you like." Jeremy sighed. He glanced at Lani, who smiled and shrugged. Typical Lani. His partner would go along with anything. "Just give us a chopper then. No way I''m driving all the way out and back on those shitty roads." "You got it." Please let this just be something local. "What''s the name of this place again?" "Rallsburg." He paused. "Rallsburg?" "Mean something to you?" God, I hope not. "Nope."
The chopper crested the last hill and Rallsburg came into view. Lani and Jeremy strained to see over the front seats. "What do you think?" Lani asked, voice crackling through the headset. "I think we''re gonna find out jack shit, turn it over to the staties and I go back to pretendin'' to chase my Walter White wannabes." The library''s half-destroyed towers and spires loomed into view out of the morning fog. "Jesus, what the hell happened out here?" "That''s our job." Jeremy keyed his radio to call back to the station. "How long until forensics gets to the town? Over." "Two hours, sir. Over." He sighed, turning to Lani. "Two hours before we get real support." "Where do you want to start?" asked Lani. Jeremy glanced around again. "Fuck it. Pilot, put us down right in front of the library." The chopper blades blew up gravel and dust everywhere as they slipped down onto the narrow street. The road was barely built wide enough for two vehicles, and debris littered the ground. Their pilot was skilled, though, and landed them neatly onto the pavement without incident. "No cell service," Jeremy noted with another sigh, after they were out and the chopper had spun down. "Really? Mine''s okay." "Well fuck you and your carrier, then." Lani''s phone buzzed to confirm his point. "Chief says we''ve got a press embargo for twelve hours." "Thank God." "You don''t want people to know about this?" "I don''t care if they know about it, I just don''t want to be on a billion cameras. Twelve hours gives us time to get the fuck off the case and far away." "I wouldn''t mind." "You actually look good though. I''ve got a face made for desk work." Lani laughed. "So how come you get dates while I can''t get a single girl to spend an hour with me?" "''Cause I''m not looking for a relationship," Jeremy said with a shrug. "Some of ''em, it pretty much goes ''hey, you look down to fuck. Wanna fuck?'' and he just gives me the nod. But if you actually want to meet a real girl, you''ve gotta show some confidence." "So you''re saying I look good, I just need to act like it?" Jeremy shrugged again. Lani was a very good looking man. He had a nice lined face with just the perfect balance of stubble on his chin, he worked out, and his eyes were absolutely perfect¡ªbut he wasn''t Jeremy''s type. Besides, they were partners. He didn''t need that complication in his life. Especially since he''d have to report it, and that would mean telling everyone in the office. He really didn''t want to end up the ''token gay FBI agent.'' "Your shoulders are going to get stuck there if you keep doing that." The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. "There you go, you made a joke. That''s progress." Jeremy pulled aside the board that had been set in front of the library door and glanced inside. "Well, this place looks fine. I doubt we''re gonna find anythin'' here."
"Social media picked up the story, but we''re still clear for now. They declared a temporary no-fly zone." Lani reported as they wandered down the next street. "Don''t you love working for the guy with all the power?" Jeremy murmured. He glanced around. "What the hell kind of town is this, anyway? It''s got enough buildings for a couple thousand easy, but only a couple hundred lived here? And there''s a state-level college, but no public schools?" "Former logging town that dried up, I guess." "Just seems weird, that''s all." Jeremy shrugged. "There''s mansions right next to apartments next to a farm. I don''t get it." Lani scrolled through his phone. "It doesn''t even have a Wikipedia page. Just some old census data. We''ve put in a request for the last known population list from the town and the school both, but they have to go digging through public records since the town''s so obscure." "''Course not. They wouldn''t send us anywhere that might have decent food." He sighed. "Where was that spot on the video? We should head there." "You want to get close to that?" Lani asked, shuddering. "Gotta do it sooner or later. Might as well take a look before anyone else touches it." It only took them a few minutes to find the correct street. Rallsburg wasn''t very big. The smell was the first thing to hit them. The bodies were burned and charred, and had been sitting out in the sunlight for who-knew how long. He did a brief headcount. Twenty-five dead here, he noted with a shudder. "None of ''em were trying to run," he noted aloud. "Huh?" "They''re all facin'' the center. Trying to get their attacker. Or they''re the attackers. I don''t have a clue on that." "Twenty-five of them facing the middle and not running¡ªthey''d be the attackers, then, right?" "Makes sense." Jeremy crouched down to take a closer look. He didn''t want to disturb the scene in case forensics found something important, but he couldn''t resist taking a closer look. His old days as a detective on the city streets were coming back to him bit by bit. "All dead by whatever burned them." "That''s not fire, though." "Huh?" Lani pointed at a spot on one of the bodies. "Those burns. They aren''t caused by fire. There''s not nearly enough surface damage. Those are electrical burns." Jeremy shook his head. "Can''t be sure of that without forensics." "I guarantee it." "Then where did juice to zap twenty five people come from? The lines didn''t fall anywhere near here, and they''re still intact." Jeremy pointed at the wire strung out across the road, more than a hundred feet away. "No discharge at all. You sayin'' they all got struck by lightning?" "I don''t know." "We''re not allowed to not know." Jeremy stood up and stretched out his shoulders. I really should exercise more. "Come on, let''s keep movin''. Nothing more we can learn here."
After the fourth home they picked through, Lani was close to tears. "They''re all just gone," he murmured. "No one had a chance. All their stuff''s still here." "Whatever didn''t burn up, anyway," Jeremy agreed. "I''m still not convinced on the terrorist card though." Anything to get this out of my hands. "Chief send over those pop lists yet?" "No. We got word from forensics though. They''re almost here, they got held up by something on the road. Apparently there was a freak landslide, but it was already cleared up by someone. Just one lane, tight fit. But there''s nothing in the news or municipal records." "Another mystery for the goddamn pile," Jeremy muttered. "There''s nothin'' but ghosts here." "...Do you believe in them?" "What?" "Ghosts." Jeremy shrugged. "I''ve seen some crazy shit, but ghosts?" "Yeah. Ridiculous," Lani agreed, a little too quickly. Whatever. Man''s entitled to his beliefs. Not my business. "Back on topic," he went on, "there''s no evidence of firearms or explosives or anything. There wasn''t a lightning storm and there didn''t seem to be any single origin point for the fire. As far as I can tell, this place just spontaneously burned down all at once." "You know how to find the origin of a fire?" "You just gotta know what to look for," Jeremy replied. "Every single place we''ve gone to has a different origin. The way the wood burned is all different, and they all stopped in different ways too. It''s fuckin'' bizarre." He shrugged. "Gonna have to wait for forensics to drill it down." Another buzz of the phone startled them both. "Forensics is here." He grimaced. "So are the reporters, apparently." "Goddammit," Jeremy sighed. "What happened to the embargo?" "They won''t print for twelve hours, but they''re not gonna sit on the sidelines." "Tell them it''s a fucking crime scene." "They haven''t entered the town." "We don''t know how big the crime scene is." "What should I do, kick them out of the state?" "Yes." They heard a couple vehicles cruise down the road toward the library, which had been designated the staging area. Jeremy sighed. "Time to go, then."
Lani started coordinating the forensic sweep of the town, while Jeremy hitched a ride back to the entry road. As the most senior agent present, he got lumped into the duty of handling the reporters¡ªmuch to his dismay. At least there weren''t any cameras. "No comment," he stated blandly. "Is there a single survivor in the entire town?" asked a woman with a severe face and a droning voice. Hell if I know. "No comment." "Is this the work of Islamic extremists?" shouted a journalist wearing a logo for a small Oregon paper. Apparently the story was spreading fast, if he''d made it here already. Fucking racist. "No comment." "Was the college still in session at the time of the attack?" asked a reporter from the Oregonian. Hey, a useful question. "No. The university did not hold a summer term." "So all students were sent home before the attack occurred?" She''s trying to catch me on ''attack.'' "We can''t confirm that. Nor can we confirm this was an attack. The investigation is ongoing." "Does the Bureau''s involvement imply this was perpetrated across state lines?" If a fire crosses state lines, does that make it a federal fire? "No comment." "Are you going to tell us anything useful?" asked the severe woman. Jeremy had to struggle to hold back his smirk. "No comment." He bowed slightly. "That''s all the time I have right now. Stick around if you want, but don''t cross the line into the town." Most of the gaggle looked like veterans who knew better than to violate a police line, but he was a little worried about a couple of them. He didn''t want to be babysitting a gung-ho amateur slapped with obstruction for the rest of the day. He turned and walked away, ignoring the shouted questions while the state troopers who''d accompanied forensics set up wooden temporary barriers across the road. "That went well," he commented dryly to Lani, who was with the forensic team lead inside a tent they''d erected a block into town. "How many did you get in?" "Eight. They actually got one good question, so I couldn''t go for the full ten." Jeremy pulled out his phone, which finally had signal again thanks to the repeater they''d set up at his request. "Oh thank God." "We''ve got our helicopter sweeping around the outskirts of the town," Lani reported. "Looks like another fire broke out in the north as well, but it didn''t spread far. There''s still half a mile of untouched forest before you hit the town." "We''ve also confirmed the bodies in the streets were covered in electrical burns," added the forensic guy from the staties. Jeremy couldn''t be bothered to remember his name. "The victims inside houses were killed by blunt trauma from the collapsing structures, asphyxiation by inhaling smoke, or thermal burns. There''s a few odd ones out though." He passed a tablet over and started flicking through pictures. Jeremy''s eyes narrowed. He was trying not to look too closely at each one. Despite everything he''d seen in his career, he never really got used to it¡ªwhich was a comfort, as he was terrified of the day when seeing them didn''t bother him anymore. "This one here," continued Mr. Forensics, "and this one as well. Massive avulsions." "That''s not an avulsion," Jeremy muttered, "that''s a goddamn amputation." The woman''s arm had been torn off and there was a hole twice as large as his fist through her stomach. Jeremy pointed at the hole. "How the hell does that happen to someone?" "Incident with some kind of power equipment?" He frowned. "Whatever happened, it wasn''t natural and there wasn''t anything nearby that could have caused it." Jeremy sighed. "Please tell me you didn''t find any evidence of weaponry involved." "Does a pitchfork count?" "Hell no." "Then no. No weaponry we could determine." Jeremy passed the tablet back. "So far as I''m seeing, this is all local. Crazy and fucked up, but local. Seems like it''s a job for the state police." Lani looked dismayed. "That''s it?" Didn''t see her anywhere, and I''m sure as hell not sticking around for anything else. "It''s outside our jurisdiction, Lani. We''re not allowed to operate at this level except to support their investigation." "You''re already here," said the forensics guy, who Jeremy was really starting to dislike. "They''ll probably ask you to stick around to consult." "We do have other cases, you know." "More important than this?" he asked incredulously. "It''s classified." "But we¡ª" Lani started, but Jeremy gave him the same sharp shake of the head he''d received earlier. It was an unspoken rule they both held to firmly. They trusted each other enough to be told when to shut up. Lani fell silent, and Jeremy went on. "I''m sure the Bureau will be happy to supply lab work in support, so you guys should have everything you need." "Thank you, Dave," Lani added, when the forensic guy''s face started to fall. An email popped up on Jeremy''s phone. The population lists had just come through. He scrolled through them briefly¡ªthey weren''t very long. As expected, a couple hundred residents, plus the hundred or so university students. Most of them would need follow-ups to knock them off the list of potential dead. The town residents would be more difficult, given how many bodies were buried under rubble or otherwise obscured. Jeremy paused at one name on the list. His heart sank. He wasn''t getting out of this case after all. Goddammit, Jackie. What were you still doing out here? He sighed aloud. Lani noticed the change in his expression. "What''s up?" Jeremy, with all the reluctance in the world trying to hold him back, shook his head slowly. I still owe her. "We might be stickin'' around." As he spoke, another email slid onto the screen below the first one. One of the names had flagged up on an automatic scan. A hospital in Olympia had one William Carbonell currently checked into a bed, listed Tuesday May 15th at 1:32am. That was just yesterday. The only survivor? "Call in the chopper, Lani," he added. "We''ve got our first lead." [Discord]¡ª[TWF]¡ª[Rate]¡ª[Follow]¡ª[Patreon] B2: Chapter 1 — The First Day of School Part IV In Plain Sight Chapter 1¡ªThe First Day of School On a park bench somewhere in British Columbia, a god and his erstwhile lover were having an argument. "You don''t think they deserve to know?" "That just seems dangerous without any real benefit. I''m trying to keep everything going, and how am I going to do that if we''re still dealing with people?" "We''re just supposed to cut off contact with the whole world?" "It''s safer for us both. We talked about this. Trust me, I know what I''m doing. This is why we put everything in place." "This isn''t something covered by the rules. We could still keep in contact with them." "That sort of information is dangerous." "I thought you were totally in favor of freedom of information." "Freedom of information and actually informing people are completely different things. You wouldn''t advocate we reveal state military strategy to a foreign power, would you? After the fact, maybe¡ªbut when we''re facing real danger, we have to weigh our ideals against the needs of the present. Any information that could lead to the immediate death of people for no real benefit has a time and place to be released. This definitely isn''t it." "Seems like a strawman. We''re not a military." "Is it so different? I''m not invincible. His death should have made that obvious. We''re like a foreign state, or at least foreign actors inside their state. If they came for us, it could only end two ways. Either I''d be forced to hurt them, or they''d take us. You know they''ll be trying to find us, and there''s only so much I can do to protect you." "Don''t make this about me." "It''s about all of us. Information will leak out, like it always does. But it''ll be mixed and confused. People will leap on it before they understand what it is they''re seeing. Everyone will just think about it from their own perspective. The internet gave us some amazing things, but it amplifies information without regard to its accuracy. We''ll be at a dangerous crossroad where the truth may not actually win out without authority. Authority comes from reputation and charisma, and the Awakened have neither. As far as the world''s concerned, all of them are complete nobodies." "They''re also presumed dead. Coming back from the dead is authority." "No, it''s suspicion. Unless they''re prepared to reveal everything, they can''t explain what happened to them in that town. Nothing will ever add up without factoring in magic, something none of us can explain. I agree with their decision. Going into hiding is much safer than getting arrested and sent into a black box." "So they go public. Go wide with the story, so wide nobody can stamp it out." "They don''t have enough people willing to back them up. A few people claiming something this insane can''t make that large of a splash before they''d be found and shut down. They''d need access, which they don''t have. If they just post it on the internet themselves, they''ll be assumed fake, because again¡ªthey have no authority. If they go public, they''re dead." "When did you get so pessimistic?" "When my entire world exploded around me." "Don''t be melodramatic." "I''m being realistic. It literally exploded, don''t forget that. And it was all for nothing. All that work we did, all the laws we put in place. They''re back to square one." "It wasn''t for nothing. The laws still stand." "I wish I could see things the way you do. I wish I believed that." "We chose the rules. Now we have to live with them." "But what if I could change them? The rules are flawed, because we''re flawed. We were human. We couldn''t account for every scenario. What if I stepped in? I could have saved some of them. Maybe all of them. It didn''t have to be this way." "We agreed." "I know. But¡ª" "I love you, but you need to stop second-guessing this. It''s for the best. They''ll figure it out eventually, one way or another. That''s what humans do."
Lily fussed over every inch of her, making terse noises of disapproval. Natalie fidgeted in place while Lily cleaned up her face. She sighed. "You look dreadful. How on earth did you get this dirty in half an hour?" "Percy wanted to show me something out in the woods." Lily frowned. "You know the rules." She glanced at the clock. "We don''t have time for this. We should have left five minutes past. The bus will arrive shortly. Gather your things." Natalie reluctantly took off her boots and dug her shoes out of the closet. Her battered old pink backpack hung at the back at the closet, but she couldn''t take that. That was her kid backpack. She wasn''t a kid anymore. She strapped on her new pack, green as the small forest near their home. Percy fluttered over to sit on her shoulder, rubbing his head against her ear. He wanted to come, but she knew that wouldn''t be allowed. No way she could get away with bringing a hawk with her. she said. Percy fluttered back to his perch by the rear window, eyeing her with disappointment. "What was that, dear?" Lily asked, coming back into the room with a packed lunch. "I''m just talking to Percy." Lily glanced at the hawk. "How is he?" "He''s sad he can''t come along." Before Lily could say anything, Natalie shook her head. Her hair swung around in front of her face, reminding her what they''d changed (or let grow out, in this case). The little things that helped her look different than old photos anyone might dig up. I kinda miss having short hair though. It''s so much easier to take care of. "I know, I know. It''s not safe." "It''s Kenni''s day out. I''ll be here after I drop you off," said Lily. "I can keep him company if he wants." Natalie asked. Percy''s head tilted slightly to the side. If hawks could sigh, Natalie would have sworn he did. "He''s happy to have you around." "Shouldn''t you two be leaving?" asked Kendra, entering the front room with her steaming mug of tea in hand. "Yes," Lily answered irritably. "Do you have everything?" "Just a sec." Natalie reached out with her mind and plucked up her purse by the strap, neatly pulling it off the coat rack and into the air. It swung wide as it flew across the room, nearly clipping Lily before it landed on Natalie''s shoulder. She took the sack lunch Lily had prepared and dropped it inside, where it joined a multitude of objects buried inside. At a glance, she saw her gemstone collection, the tuft of Gwen''s hair, her mother''s locket and her father''s old drumsticks on top, and plenty more underneath. Lily frowned again, which was quickly becoming her default expression around Natalie. "You really should put your lunch in your backpack. How are you going to take it out in front of everyone?" "I don''t want it to get squished," said Natalie. "Everything in here stays perfect." Kendra sighed. "It''ll be fine, Lily. She knows not to withdraw it in public." Natalie walked to the door and pulled it open, letting the bright sunlight and the sudden harsh sounds of the city assault their senses. When the house was sealed, it was perfectly quiet, but once a door was open there was no stopping it without giving themselves away. "So are we going or what?"
"Well, this is just really unusual," blustered the principal, an older woman with graying hair. "The paperwork is all in order, is it not?" Lily asked mildly. "Well¡ª" "Our registration was submitted on schedule. Jennifer is here on time and eager to attend classes. She tested into this grade successfully. I simply don''t see the issue." "Your registration details didn''t check out, and you registered in August to put her straight into the eighth grade," the woman said exasperatedly. "It''s a non-resident application for a homeschooled student from out of state," Lily pointed out. "I''m not surprised it doesn''t quite fit your usual protocol. However, her standardized scores were above average and she has all the necessary qualifications to attend. If you still aren''t certain, please phone your superintendent and mention our case. She''s currently awaiting your call." "She''s what?" The principal was clearly flummoxed. Natalie felt a tiny burst of glee, but she had to hold it in. She was supposed to be the perfect attentive new student. She distracted herself by flicking around the cord to the blinds behind the woman¡ªanything to keep herself from fidgeting in her seat. The principal started to dial and Natalie flicked the cord a little too hard, smacking it audibly against the wall. Lily nudged her foot. She let it fall slack and switched to one of her new tricks, murmuring the proper spell under her breath as quietly as she could. It took Lily a few seconds to notice the change. Natalie''s fingernails were shifting through every color of the rainbow in a perfect dissolve. She smiled innocently. Lily seemed too astonished to tell her off. They hadn''t seen that particular spell before, and it was outside Natalie''s affinity. She''d come up with it on her own, spending the day staring at a rainbow while sitting up in a tree with Percy and thinking about something Hailey Winscombe had described on the forum. It had taken her a while to connect it with the rainbow colors and how they were just a reflection of her own eye, but she''d gotten it eventually. The first time she''d done it, Percy tried to peck at her fingernail, thinking she was infected somehow before she managed to calm him down. The principal was still busy on the phone, so Lily took Natalie''s hand and brushed her finger against the shifting nail. Lily clearly expected it to change as she blocked the line of sight. She thought it was a light spell¡ªjust an illusion like Cinza''s. Natalie smiled even wider. She was better than that. Natalie abruptly released the spell as the principal dropped the phone back on the receiver. The old woman put her fingers to her temples and closed her eyes. "I don''t know who you people are, but I guess I have no choice." "Thank you," said Lily gently. "I''m sorry you had to go through that. If it''s any consolation, I promise you that really, all we wish is for Jennifer to receive a normal education." "Is there anything I can do to help that along?" she asked reluctantly. Natalie wondered what sort of pressure Kendra had on the poor principal, even without her real name to lean back on. She knew it had something to do with money. Kendra and Lily were always working, and they made frequent trips out into the city for important meetings. Natalie wasn''t sure what they did exactly, but she knew they were powerful people. She was still getting used to them without red hair though. Kendra and Lily with brown hair was just weird. They looked too pale for it. It matched Natalie''s hair, but it wasn''t totally convincing. Not to Natalie at least. She wished she could have changed her hair to red instead. That would have been so much more fun, but everyone insisted that she never get involved in any kind of ritual. Permanent hair color changes¡ªthe kind that didn''t keep pulling at your magic¡ªcould only be done with a ritual, and Natalie wasn''t allowed to do those, according to Rachel. "I''m sure Jennifer will be fine as a typical pupil," Lily replied. "I assume you have some sort of program to assist transferring students? Enrolling her in that system would probably be for the best." "There''s something in place, yes. I''ll make sure she gets a good guide." The principal turned slightly to face Natalie. "Welcome to the Seattle public school system, Miss Heshire."
Truthfully, Natalie did want to attend school. She was going crazy cooped up in the Laushire''s new house. She could go out to the forest whenever she liked, but she missed having at least a couple friends to talk to. The Laushire twins were always so busy, whichever of them stayed home each day¡ªand when they weren''t, they were getting on Natalie''s case about something. The only people she really talked to anymore were Hailey and Alden, but she never actually got to see them. It was just text, and people always talked different when they were writing stuff on a forum. It didn''t ever quite sound like it was actually them on the other side. She left the principal''s office with her new school schedule in hand, said goodbye to Lily and walked to the first classroom on her list. They''d already visited the school once when they were scouting out which to attend, and Natalie remembered the layout well enough to find her room. Or so she''d thought. A few minutes later, she was already hopelessly lost. It''s a two-story building, and all rooms starting with 2-- are on the second floor, right? And 1-- are on the first. So where''s room 310? She wandered down the first hall and found herself circling back to the second in a few minutes, totally bewildered. The halls were eerily quiet with every door snapped shut and not another student in sight. It reminded her of a set of lonely streets she''d once wandered through, looking for any signs of life to point her in the right direction. Anything to convince her that the world hadn''t just vanished, leaving her hopelessly alone. Natalie stopped and sat down on a bench near a bank of lockers, taking a deep breath. Everything''s fine. I''m okay. I''m in school. I''m in a building full of other kids like me. Okay, not even slightly like me, but you get the idea. I am not alone. She opened her purse and reached inside, feeling the tuft of Gwen''s fur and clasping it tight. She''d very reluctantly taken it from her friend, at Gwen''s insistence. Gwen, smart and caring creature that she was, had known Natalie would need something to remember her by. She''d shown her the spot to cut where it would affect her the least, and Natalie had sliced away a fair-sized patch of fur. Natalie asked about her almost every day, but Cinza never replied. Cinza rarely replied to anyone, as far as she knew. She showed up with an update every couple weeks or so, and Josh posted a lot about the progress they were making, but nothing else. "Uhh, hi?" Natalie snapped her purse shut in shock. She stood up straight and rigid. Her hand naturally went into a gesture that could produce a burst of fire in an instant if she needed it. One that didn''t need her to speak, so it was way faster. She was really good with quick fire spells. It was just a boy. Her age, probably. He was taller than her, though, and it felt a little intimidating. She wondered how Cinza handled it all the time. At least Natalie probably wasn''t done growing, or so they kept telling her. The boy had short brown hair and wide, thin hazel eyes behind rimless glasses that watched her every movement. She could feel his eyes trace down her arm to her trembling hand, and she forced it to stop trembling. "Hi." "What''s your name?" "Jenny," Natalie replied. They''d drilled it in a thousand times. Natalie answered as readily to Jennifer or Jenny as she did to her real name. For you, Jenny. To keep you alive, just a little bit. "I''m Quinn." "Hi, Quinn." "Are you new this year?" Natalie smiled weakly. "How''d you figure it out?" "Well, you look super lost, and you''re in the sixth grade area. You don''t look like a sixth grader." "What''s a sixth grader look like?" "Smarter than a seventh grader looks." Natalie grinned. "What''s a seventh grader look like?" "Smarter than an eighth grader," Quinn replied without missing a beat. "We''re the dumbest on the tree for sure." Natalie laughed. "Okay, dumb Quinn. If I''m a dumb eighth grader, where''s my dumb classroom?" "What''s the room number?" "310." Natalie held out her schedule. She wondered briefly if that was giving away too much information¡ªbut that was the paranoid adults in her life talking. She was at school, exactly where she was supposed to be, and that schedule belonged to Jennifer Heshire, not Natalie Hendricks. She knew what needed to stay secret. "Ahh, you''re going to the dreaded outdoors," said Quinn ominously. Natalie frowned. "What''s so bad about that?" Anything outdoors sounded fantastic to her. "The portables don''t have A/C." She glanced out the nearest window. "It''s like sixty-five degrees today." "Yeah, but it''s gonna be ninety on Friday." He shuddered for effect. "If it makes you feel any better, I''ll be stuck out there with you." "You will?" "Yeah, I have the same class." "So why aren''t you there now?" Quinn shrugged. "I was supposed to go to the office for something and I took the long way around." "Why would you need to go to the office?" He didn''t seem like the type to get in trouble¡ªNatalie assumed. She''d never actually been in a real public school, so she was going off what she''d seen on TV or read in books. "Oh, I''m a guide. They snatch me up to help out new students. Ohhhhh," he added, realization finally dawning on him. "You must be really good at your job," said Natalie with a smile. "Or really bad, since I didn''t catch on until now." Quinn shrugged. "Well, I''m still supposed to go to the office before I actually start guiding you, so¡­ wanna walk back with me?"
They reached the classroom just in time for the bell to ring. Quinn pulled her out of the way to the side as the door swung open and dozens of kids trooped out. Natalie felt a bit overwhelmed already. She''d never seen that many kids her age in the same place in her life, except maybe the time she''d gone to Disneyland with her dad. The thought of her father, however brief, sent Natalie''s chest into a tight knot. She had to force herself to breathe. In and out. In and out. Everything''s fine. I am okay. I''m supposed to be here. I''m Jennifer Heshire. Heshire''s a stupid name but it''s all we could come up with at the time. At least my real name''s still kinda there. "You good?" Quinn asked, noticing her tensing up. Natalie had to take a second before she could answer. "Totally. I''m just super new." "Not asthma or anything like that?" "Nope. I''m good." She lowered her voice slightly, though the rest of the kids were already gone. Only a few had even given her a passing glance standing off to the side of the door. "I was homeschooled until now. I don''t like crowds." "Oh. Well that makes sense," Quinn said thoughtfully. "Especially in a school like this. We''re one of the biggest in the state. You''re really jumping into the deep end here." The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. "Yay me." "Come on, we gotta get your stuff." Quinn lead her inside, where the teacher was prepping for her next period. Quinn handled everything smoothly, introducing her and explaining their absence, getting an overview of what she''d missed (a syllabus¡ªshe''d never even heard of such a thing), and promising to be on time the next go-round. Natalie only spoke once or twice, letting Quinn handle all the talking. She liked that he was helping her so much without making her feel stupid. She was still getting her bearings, and the teachers were pretty intimidating too. She wondered why she felt so scared of all these people, even the other kids. She''d been in fights with actual monsters and she''d gone up against the scariest man in the world. She hadn''t been afraid for a moment around them, not really. Even now, thinking back to those encounters, Natalie didn''t feel anything but a sense of pride and accomplishment. Okay, a little fear, yeah, but she''d done her part. She''d helped beat them and probably saved the world. Or something like that. At least, she''d definitely helped save Rachel and her friends. She wished Rachel would talk to her again. Lily informed Natalie that it wasn''t just her¡ªRachel had vanished from the map entirely. No one had heard from her in months. But Natalie and Rachel had something special. Rachel should have at least kept in touch with her, if no one else. Where are you, Rachel? Natalie breezed through the next two periods with only a few pointers. Switching classrooms every hour was weird, but she liked the variety at least. She mostly sat toward the back and tried not to draw much attention to herself. Quinn seemed to be one of those kids everyone liked, but no one really hung out with. He had a few friends who said hi, but they gravitated away to the popular kids like wolves joining a pack. It gave him plenty of time to talk to Natalie, explaining every little detail about school. She felt so lucky her cover story hadn''t changed from being homeschooled, because she really didn''t know how a normal school worked. Quinn had to show her how lockers worked, when to speak up or be quiet in class, where the supplies and things were, how the cafeteria worked, everything. There was just so much to cover. Natalie had never quite understood just how small her hometown was until Quinn pointed out that their grade was about three hundred eighth graders. Three hundred! Just her grade! Natalie''s home only had that many people when the college was in session! Quinn was gone again following third period, as she went to the standard gym class while he had a technology class instead. She''d been warned about the locker room, but she didn''t see what the big deal was. She changed and went right out to the floor, and there she really started to have some fun. It had been incredibly difficult for her to sit still through her classes, but she''d managed it through a combination of practicing movement spells on tiny objects under her desk¡ªand a lot of fidgeting. It didn''t help that they weren''t even learning anything yet, just talking about what they would be learning soon. It seemed like such a waste of time. In gym, even on the first day¡ªor maybe especially on the first day, since they were dealing with a ton of kids right out of summer vacation¡ªthey were sent straight into games out on the field in the middle of the track. It was a full hour of tag, flag football, soccer, or whatever they wanted to do. Some of the girls turned up their noses at the idea and just took to walking around the track. Natalie found a tight squad of other girls just as eager though, and they faced off against a group of twice as many boys. The gym teacher was about to step in and call for more even teams, but Natalie caught her eye and shook her head emphatically. We can totally win this. The boys let them have the ball first as a handicap. Natalie grinned. This is gonna be easy. A much taller girl named Kelsey started them off as the quarterback. Natalie worked up a quick plan with her, volunteering herself as the secret weapon. No one would expect her to be the receiver, right? The short new girl no one knew? Fat chance. When Kelsey got the ball, Natalie went wide, as wide as she could without leaving the field. Her legs pumped as hard as she could manage, and only one of the boys even tried to cover her. Maybe they underestimated her, since she was new and still pretty short. She''d show them. Natalie called out to Kelsey. The girl scanned the field and saw how open she was. Kelsey wasn''t stubborn enough to throw only to her friends¡ªshe knew an opportunity when she saw it. Kelsey gave it a full-bodied throw at the last second before a boy lunged for her flags. The ball was sent sailing toward her¡ªbut there was a problem. The ball wasn''t flying fast enough. Natalie knew she shouldn''t, but she couldn''t help it. She flung out her mind, reaching with an invisible magical grip, and nudged the ball upward. It kept flying, unnaturally straight, coming directly at her. The boy behind her didn''t keep up, since he expected it to fall short, but Natalie ran to where she''d nudged it. She caught it easily with a loud whoop of success. Her team cheered her into the endzone, laughing as they went while the boys stared in shock. It was perfect. They started to reset for the next play. It was the boy''s turn. They didn''t do a kick-off like Natalie expected, but she guessed they just couldn''t really kick it far enough for it to work at their age. She felt a little guilty about the last round, since she''d basically cheated her way into a touchdown, and she resolved not to use her magic in the game again. The boy they selected as quarterback made his throw, and it was long. Way too long. In fact, it was coming right for Natalie again, while the boy he''d intended to catch it was more than a dozen yards off. Natalie quickly figured out where it was going and sprinted for it. She caught it, by the tips of her fingers¡ªand without a single nudge of magic at all. Natalie shouted in triumph and began her run to the side, trying to find a way around the mass of boys suddenly charging at her. The mass of men suddenly charging at her. Twenty of them, maybe even twenty five. They were coming after her. They had torches and weapons, shouting terrible lies about her with her best friend''s name on their lips. They wanted to hurt her and Rachel. They wanted to kill her. Natalie dropped the ball and fell to a crouch. The first of them, half a dozen paces in front of the rest, reached for her with hands outstretched and blazing hatred in his eyes. Natalie tensed and filled her arms with magic like Ryan Walker had taught her, strengthening herself. As the snarling man ran headlong into her, Natalie flung him up into the air and over her back. He tumbled head over heels behind her in a heap. She braced for the next one. The rest of the crowd froze, dumbstruck. Natalie didn''t understand why they''d stopped. She looked down slowly. She saw the football next to her in the grass, heard the groaning boy behind her and a sharp blast of a whistle from the other end of the field. Reality snapped into place. Natalie turned around and saw the boy struggling back to his feet. He didn''t look injured, just surprised and a bit frightened. She mouthed an apology. He didn''t react, but Natalie''s heart was thumping away in her chest and her ears were on fire. She sprinted away from the onlooking crowd. It was too much. There were too many of them. So many kids watching her. Natalie didn''t know how to handle it. Tears started streaming down her cheeks, startling her. Natalie didn''t cry very often. Even back home, with everything that had happened, she''d usually just felt too busy to cry. Or she''d been trying to keep herself together so that other people didn''t cry. She''d been someone people relied on, so she felt that responsibility to hold on and show them how to be strong, just like Rachel did. Now Natalie was alone, with no one to rely on and surrounded by hundreds of new people, and she couldn''t stop crying.
The gym teacher let her sit out the rest of the class inside, away from the rest of the students. They''d chalked it up to nerves or something. She didn''t really hear the explanation. They told her she wasn''t in trouble and that the boy was totally fine, so no harm no foul. Still, Natalie couldn''t bring herself to face the whole crowd after that. She went into the locker room to sit alone for a while, then changed back into her school clothes. She had lunch next. She didn''t feel like braving the cafeteria. Instead, she found her way to the nearest bathroom. She double checked every stall, then took the one at the end and closed the door. She sat down on the top of the seat and pulled her legs up so she couldn''t be seen. At least I don''t have to worry about anyone seeing my purse. She lifted her perfectly intact lunch out and began eating in silence. Lily had made her a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. As typical as you could get, but Natalie appreciated it. It comforted her more than Lily could know. Natalie finished eating without a single person coming in, and sat there for a while, replaying the incident on the field in her head over and over, mixed in with the memories of home. She shuddered. Stop it. This isn''t helpful. She didn''t know what else to do though. Was lunch over yet? She decided to just head to her next class and hope it almost was. Natalie tried to clean her face up before she set off, and when she glanced in the bathroom mirror she thought she''d done pretty well. She could tell she''d just been crying, but she doubted anyone else could. When the bell finally rang, she was already halfway there, just as the first few began to emerge from the cafeteria or outside. Of course, she was only one minute into the classroom when Quinn strolled right by her desk and stopped suddenly, looking at her face. His eyebrows creased up, and she knew he''d noticed. "I''m okay," she whispered. "Do you want to go take few minutes? I''m sure it''d be okay. I can explain it to the teacher." "No, please," Natalie said. Anything but that. I don''t want to stand out more than I already do. "I''m good," she added, with the best fake smile she could muster. His brow stayed creased, but he nodded slowly. He pointed at the chair next to hers. "You cool if I take that seat, then? No assigned seats in this class." Natalie felt a real smile start to replace the fake one. "All yours." To her great relief, he didn''t ask what had happened. She''d tell him later probably, but she didn''t want to relive it right away. But then, maybe he''d hear about it from someone else first. He might be told how she freaked out and flipped a guy over in football. They still had time before the bell, and no one else was sitting very close. "Hey," she started. "Yeah?" "I kinda¡­ nothing." She chickened out at the last second. He glanced over, wiggling his eyebrows. "I kinda nothing all the time. It''s my specialty." She laughed. His expression was ridiculous. "Thanks." "For nothing? Anytime." A few other kids sat down near them, ending her chance at any more private conversation. She looked down at her notebook and smiled to herself. Quinn seemed like a pretty cool kid. He was nice, and funny, and actually kinda cute too. She was glad she''d met him so soon. Her school life was looking up already. "No way, you went there?" A conversation behind them was heating up. Quinn seemed to be preoccupied with something on his calculator. As she glanced over, she realized it was a game. He''d snuck a game in on his calculator to pass the time in math class. She''d have to ask him how. It''d be better fidgeting material than risking more magic or fiddling with things in her purse all day. "Totally did." "I thought was off limits still!" "They haven''t found shit in four months now. No one really cares anymore. We just walked right in over the border, me and my big brother." Natalie tensed up again, realizing what they were talking about. Four months ago, closed off area. It could only be one place. "So is it really full of ghosts?" "Nah, just a bunch of burned down buildings. That big library is super spooky though." "Did you go inside it?" "No duh!" "Were there bodies everywhere?" "No, idiot, they cleaned those up in the first couple days." "Aww, that would have been so cool." Natalie''s pencil snapped in half with an audible crack between her index and middle fingers. She froze in panic, not daring to move a muscle. The conversation behind her didn''t pause for a second. They hadn''t noticed her slip up. She breathed a silent sigh of relief, slowly glancing around again. Quinn was looking at her with those inquisitive eyes again, half-visible behind the reflected light in his glasses. His brow furrowed up. "Hey Jenny, you okay?" he murmured. "Why wouldn''t I be?" Natalie asked in a low voice, but her tone didn''t even convince herself. Quinn nodded slightly down at the snapped pencil on her desk. "You, uhh, broke your pencil there." "Oh." Natalie hadn''t realized she''d still put some magic into her hands, flickering just underneath her skin like tiny embers. Was it leftover from the football field, or was it a reaction to the conversation about her home? Why didn''t she get tired when she did spells like that for so long like everyone else did? What had Quinn noticed? The bell rang to start the class, saving her from having to answer him. Natalie stared determinedly at her notebook, while echoes of Kendra and Lily''s voices bounced around her head. I have to be normal. I can''t be noticed. Being noticed means people paying attention to me, and people paying attention to me means they might find out who we are. If anyone discovered who she was, Natalie Hendricks was in very big trouble.
She only had one more class before the end of the day, and luckily Quinn wasn''t in it. She managed to get through it without another terrifying flashback or magical incident, while the teacher talked excitedly about science and experiments. She didn''t even feel the urge to fidget through the entire class, which was a welcome relief from her usual tics. The day ended and Natalie headed for the street as quickly as she could, while most kids started loading up into the bright yellow school buses. Natalie couldn''t take one of those, as she wasn''t going anywhere near the district. She''d be taking a city bus again, but for extra safety she''d also be starting from a stop further away from the school. She left the school grounds on her own and started down the sidewalk, as brisk as she could without breaking into a full on run. Running looks suspicious. Running calls attention to me. Walk, don''t run. Of course, since she was only walking, she hadn''t gotten far enough away from the school before other kids who lived close had caught up to her. Natalie did her best to ignore them, though a few tried to say hi to the new kid, or pointedly talk about her from a distance and see if she''d respond. They all split off in the end, except for one. Of course Quinn would be one of the kids who walked home. And of course he would happen to walk home in the same direction as her. Natalie tried to speed up, but Old Man Boris'' instructions had been super specific. She did not run, and that gave him all the time in the world to catch up. "Hey, Jenny!" She slowed down. Trying to ignore him would only make things worse, when he already suspected something. She put on her smile and waited for him to catch up. "Hi, Quinn." "You live out this way too?" "No. I''m just going to the bus stop. Down on uhh¡­ the one with the 7-Eleven. I live on..." she trailed off, not sure how to answer. Luckily, Quinn saved her the effort. "You just moved, didn''t you?" He grinned. Natalie just kinda gazed back at him. In truth, she couldn''t remember the name of the street because she didn''t live there. That was just where she was supposed to go after school. Their actual house was¡­ somewhere else. "Yeah, totally did." She looked around, then quickly crossed the street with Quinn at her heels. "Wanna walk home together then? I actually just live one street over." "Oh. Sure, I guess." She''d probably be overjoyed, if she didn''t have a snapped pencil in her pocket and no actual home address to go to. "Thanks." "Anytime." They walked in silence for a few minutes, Natalie feeling increasingly uncomfortable. It wasn''t that she didn''t like spending time with him, but she didn''t know how much she could say. She wasn''t Old Man Boris. She hadn''t lived this life for decades. How was she supposed to just lie about everything to everyone she met? Nobody could keep that up. "Look," Quinn started, and Natalie snapped. "A boy was running at me and I kinda flipped him over and hurt him and everyone freaked out. Then I was hearing them talk about Rallsburg and about the bodies and stuff and it was so terrible and I freaked out again. I didn''t mean to." Quinn''s mouth was stuck open for a few moments. "Oh." "Yeah," Natalie said, looking down at the ground. "Well, I don''t know if this makes you feel any better, but the guys want you to join the football team now. Not that you''re allowed to," he added hastily. "It''s a boys-only thing, even if you could probably beat most of them." Natalie looked up in surprise. "They weren''t freaked out?" "That you''re amazing at sports and can suplex one of the best players?" Quinn grinned. "I think half of them want to ask you out." Natalie''s face flushed with red. She glanced away. "Was that bad? I''m sorry." "I just..." Natalie started, but she closed her mouth suddenly. She wondered if Quinn counted himself among that group. "It was my first day at a real school. Ever. Is it always that crazy?" "Nope. Don''t worry, it''ll calm down real soon." Quinn sighed exaggeratedly. "You''ll be dying of boredom like the rest of us in no time." They turned the corner and there sat the convenience store she was supposed to go to. She pointed at it. "I''m actually supposed to wait there to be picked up." "I thought you took the bus?" Quinn asked, surprised. "I do, but¡­" Natalie trailed off, realizing what she''d messed up. Today was a special case since she didn''t have a bus pass yet, but she doubted Lily would want to run into her new tagalong. As little information as possible. "Lily''s taking me out on an errand." "Who''s Lily?" Mom. Not Lily. Why can''t I keep things straight around him? "Lily''s my mom." "You call your mom Lily?" "Yeah. I''m weird," she said abruptly. "Anyway, I should go wait for her over there. I''ll see you tomorrow?" "I mean, if you want, I could wait with you," he said, shrugging. "You don''t need to do that," Natalie said quickly, even though a small part of her mind really did want him to stick around. He couldn''t, though. If he knew her, he''d remember Lily better, and he''d know what bus number she took, and all sorts of other information. Natalie doubted Quinn meant her any harm, but Boris had really stressed how important it was to keep as much secret as possible in their circumstances. Quinn couldn''t be there. "I''m really not doing anything else. I don''t mind." Natalie shook her head, her hair whipping her in the face again as she did. "Look, Quinn, I really liked meeting you and hanging out today. I want to again tomorrow. But¡ª" He held up a hand. "Say no more. I gotcha. I''ll see you tomorrow." He smiled. "Same classes, by the way. Only your fourth period will change every day, so you''ll have your elective instead of gym tomorrow. What did you pick?" "I didn''t," Natalie said. She opened her purse and dug through quickly for her schedule, making sure Quinn couldn''t see inside it. "Oh. It looks like it''s the same one as yours?" He glanced over it again. "Yeah, you''re in technology too. Cool. It''s way more fun than art or band. Band is for the slackers ''cause all the real band stuff is in an after school thing, and you''d know if you wanted to be in art class." She shook her head. "Nope, definitely not." "So yeah, technology''s the way to go." He smiled. "Well, see you tomorrow Jenny." Quinn walked away, leaving her alone at the curbside in front of the store. Natalie watched him go with a twinge of regret. She waited at the curbside of the store, watching the first bus pass by, and the second. The bus system confused her already. The sign had a giant list of numbers on it, which seemed to be the same numbers as the ones on the front of the buses, but why were there so many? What if she got on the wrong one? Would she just be sent off to the opposite side of the city? Natalie didn''t want to get stranded somewhere she couldn''t find her way back. She waited, and eventually her bus pulled up, with Lily clearly seated only one window back from the front. Natalie quickly boarded and dropped a pile of quarters into the slot. The bus driver didn''t even glance at her. She glanced at Lily as she walked by, but Lily acted as if she hadn''t noticed. Oh right. We don''t know each other. Natalie quickly walked back to a seat near the side door and sat down just as the bus lurched underneath her. They were on their way. It didn''t take long for them to reach their stop, almost outside the city proper. Natalie occupied herself watching the variety of people getting on and off at each stop, fascinated by the massive difference between the people she''d grown up around and these strangers. She made sure she always kept Lily in sight though, terrified of missing her stop. As the bus shuddered to a halt and Lily got to her feet, Natalie hurried out the side door as fast as she could. In front of them sat a boarded up old store, walled off by chain-link fences as forlorn and abandoned as Natalie felt. Lily was watching her carefully, waiting to see if she followed the instructions. Natalie took a deep breath. She checked both directions, making sure no one was watching them, then pulled back the corner of the fence and ducked through. First step done. Natalie pulled out her phone and sent a text to Kendra. She walked around the back of the place, where she found a tiny space wedged between a sealed dumpster¡ªwhich was actually built into the wall itself¡ªand the big fenced off electrical thing that plugged into the wall. The back of the store store lead immediately into a small park thick with trees, so it wasn''t visible at all from far away. Someone would have to be standing back there to spot her darting through the gap. Natalie finished her mental count to twenty she''d started in her head since she''d sent the text. About a second later, the wooden door appeared in the side of the dumpster right in front of her. She pushed through it quickly and closed it as quietly as she could manage. Ten seconds later, it vanished, returning to the rich textured wall of their house. Lily was somehow already inside waiting for her. "Good job," Lily said, patting her on the shoulder. She headed upstairs. Natalie went into the sitting room, where Percy was waiting for her. "How was your first day?" Kendra asked, glancing up from her book. Percy fluttered off the couch to perch on Natalie''s shoulder. He looked annoyed, but hopped off and patiently waited while she put away her school things. The moment she emerged from the closet, he was right back on her shoulder. she added affectionately, stroking his head. "I don''t speak¡­ whatever that is," Kendra said mildly, sipping her tea. "I tried to teach you." "I doubt anyone can ever learn it without the book, sadly," she mused, setting aside her novel. "But did you learn anything today?" "It was the first day. Nobody ever does anything on the first day," Natalie echoed, copying the whining tone of another kid she''d overheard. She didn''t like Kendra asking her right after she got home, like she was checking to make sure Natalie didn''t do anything wrong. She could be trusted for a single day alone, right? She''d begged them for a whole month to let her have this. Natalie didn''t want everyone to get on her case about it now. "Shoes, dear," Kendra added, giving her feet a disdainful glance. Natalie kicked them off into a corner. She ran and leapt onto the couch, landing with a thump while Percy fluttered away in alarm. Once she''d settled down, he dropped to the couch next to her and eyed her curiously. He made a noise of disappointment and flew away, tapping the small lever that allowed him to open the window near his perch. Natalie pulled out her phone and logged onto the site, checking for any messages. None from Cinza. One from Hailey and Alden each, asking the same question as Kendra. Natalie scrolled back through her old messages, just in case she''d missed it somehow. When she reached the happy birthday messages from July, she gave up. Nothing from Rachel. Natalie knew there wouldn''t be anything¡ªbut even so, it stung a little. Did Rachel even know she was going to school now? She set her phone aside and stared up at the ceiling. She liked Lily most of the time¡ªand to a lesser extent Kendra¡ªbut they just couldn''t measure up to the two most important people in her life. One of those¡­ well, thinking about him was really confusing now. But Rachel was different. Natalie had first met her in the forest, actually, back when she was learning how to cast spells. She used to hate animals before she found her magic. No matter how smart they might seem, even dogs, she could never really communicate with them. She just didn''t get what everyone saw in them. Then, so suddenly, she''d found that piece of paper that showed her how to really talk to them. How they could become just as intelligent as anyone she knew. They could be her close friends and companions, since she didn''t really have any. Jenny was her only real friend, and they were close, but they didn''t share a whole lot of interests. Plus, she didn''t know about magic, and Natalie couldn''t tell her. Rachel, she could tell. Rachel listened, helped her figure things out, and encouraged her to explore it. Rachel was there when no one else was. Rachel and Natalie joined the Council together, with Rachel making sure Natalie was listened to and accounted for every time. No one else ever gave her much notice since she was so young and small, but Rachel made sure she got her say. Rachel treated her like an equal member, even if she was just a kid. Natalie wasn''t sure anymore if she had deserved it, since she whined a lot and didn''t really offer much. Thinking back through a lot of those meetings she could still remember, Natalie cringed at how she used to act. She''d gotten a lot more mature since then¡ªnot entirely by choice. Rachel had always treated her right, all the way to the end. Even when Natalie had been horrible to her, resenting Rachel for her dad''s disappearance when she had nothing to do with it, Rachel still acted with kindness. When the time came though, Rachel had walked on alone, sending Natalie away to try and save everyone else. Rachel had changed in those last couple days just like Natalie had. Everyone else seemed to move on, try to forget and live their lives again. Natalie was playing along for now, but she felt like she hadn''t moved on at all¡ªand only Rachel could understand why. Natalie just wished they could talk again, but every time she logged on, Rachel''s account was silent. No one knew where she''d gone. Jackie had dropped them off in Seattle, then taken Rachel and Will further north and vanished. No one had heard from the three of them in months. Rachel had sent them a single message with the address of the site they now used to talk in private, but that was it. Totally silent. She kept it open on her phone every day since Rachel had sent it. Every day, Natalie checked to see if Rachel was back, and every day she didn''t reappear. Natalie didn''t tell Lily or Kendra about it. She stayed patient, going through the motions, waiting for the day Rachel would come back and keep her promise. Waiting for the day Rachel and Natalie would finally go back to Rallsburg and find her father. [Discord]¡ª[TWF]¡ª[Rate]¡ª[Follow]¡ª[Patreon] B2: Chapter 2 — The Goddess of Kent Chapter 2¡ªThe Goddess of Kent Pre-flight checklist: Her leather jacket was zipped up snug. Her long brown hair was braided and pinned to her back. The thick aviator cap Jessica had found for her birthday in July sat comfortably around her ears, and the bag Kendra made her was fastened tight to her waist. Boots, goggles, everything was set. She clicked on the little radio that was hooked next to her bag, which beeped reassuringly through the earbuds that snaked through a small tube sewn inside her jacket to her right ear. Hailey nodded to herself, satisfied. "You hear me, Rupert?" "Perfectly, angel." The corner of his lip twitched slightly. He was trying to smile, but his eyes kept drifting over to the edge of the building. She grinned. "Don''t worry, I''ve done this a thousand times." "With someone else clinging on for dear life, yes?" "Oh, don''t be a baby. She flies like an eagle, so can you." Rupert shook his head. "Dearest Jessica is a fair sight braver than I. So do I jus¡ª" Without warning, Hailey rushed at him. She flung her arms around his well-muscled chest, bundled in a blue overcoat and tight-fitting jeans, savoring the dawning look of shock plastered on his handsome face as his brown eyes widened to dinner plates. He tumbled backward off the edge of the skyscraper with Hailey on top of him, a thousand feet up in the air. The wind kicked at them as they started spiraling through the air. Rupert wasn''t as tightly dressed as she was, and his clothes flapped wildly as they sped up. Luckily his hair was short, or it would have blown right into Hailey''s face as they fell. She wanted to enjoy the view¡ªboth of the nighttime Seattle skyline, and the exquisite mix of excitement, adrenaline, and fear on Rupert''s face. "You''re bloody insane!" he shouted. Hailey laughed. "Last night you said you were up for anything!" "I was talking about sex!" Hailey laughed even harder. They were rapidly approaching the ground, but Hailey knew exactly how long she had. Right before they reached street level¡ªwell-lit and populated, even in the middle of the night¡ªshe burst open her wings. Rather than a hard brake, which was all she used to manage, they fell into a smooth glide, blitzing over top of the mostly-empty streets. If anyone managed to see them, it would only be for an instant at the speed they were moving. "Bloody hell!" Rupert clung on tight as Hailey tilted one wing and spun them in a tight roll. She instinctively retracted her wings as they shot through a tight gap between two buildings, even though they didn''t really exist. The pressure in the air and the noise around them dropped for a moment before kicking back into full gear as they emerged out the other side. Hailey flared her wings wide and dipped them, starting to slow down as they swooped out over Lake Washington. Rupert''s heavy breathing crackled through the tinny connection on the radio in time with the short bursts of hot air on Hailey''s neck. He was still hanging off her from below, though, and she could tell his arms were getting a lot more workout than he''d expected. Time to break out one of her new maneuvers. She rolled over onto her back, but mentally flipped her wings as well. She could glide through the air while lying face up, as if the wings were attached to her chest instead of her back. It was really weird the first time she''d tried it, but the idea was so useful she couldn''t really ignore it. Flipping them really screwed with her head though, like trying to use only her left hand for things or the thought experiment doing entirely different actions at once with both hands, so she didn''t rely on it. As long as the only thing she did while upside down was gentle gliding, it usually turned out okay. Rupert''s arms relaxed a little as he suddenly found himself supported from below, instead of hanging off of her. She released him and let her arms fall wide, almost as if she were floating in water instead of through midair. He looked up, and to Hailey''s relief his smile was as wide as her own. "You''re a goddess." Hailey felt a flutter of joy in her throat at the words. "You''re not so bad yourself," she teased. "So how was your first flight?" "Thrilling, simply thrilling." He tried to sit up slightly, as if he could actually just sit on top while she glided around, but their balance immediately began to give way. She wobbled heavily in midair, and his legs started to lose grip on her own. In seconds he could fall away and plummet to the lake below them, and that would really put a damper on the rest of their night. Hailey reached out to grab him, and at the same time she summoned up a burst of wind behind him to shove him forward. Rupert found himself flung down into her arms. They took a hard dip toward the lake before Hailey managed to steady them out again. "Won''t be trying that again, I suppose," Rupert said, smirking. Hailey laughed. "Where were you trying to go, anyway?" She gently pushed his head a bit closer with another gust of wind, and in an instant his lips found hers. Between the dark water, the receding city lights behind them, the full moon above, and the handsome guy clinging tight to her chest while he kissed her, Hailey Winscombe felt very pleased with herself.
Hailey groaned at the second knock on the door. "Is it that late already?" Rupert leaned up to check the clock on the wall, squinting to see the hands in the semi-darkness. "It''s eight PM. Weren''t you planning to leave now?" "But it''s so warm and comfortable in here," Hailey mock-whined, wrapping an arm around him. Rupert pushed her gently away. "Jessica would take my head, angel. Up you get." Hailey groaned again, more for effect than because she actually felt any reluctance, and set to finding her clothes. Jessica Silverdale burst into the room, too impatient to wait any longer. Rupert¡ªbashful around every single person he''d ever met¡ªgrabbed up the sheets to cover himself, but Jessica barely even glanced at him. She eyed Hailey with annoyance, pointing at the faintly glowing hands of the clock on the wall. "Yes, Jess, I can see it," Hailey said irritably, nodding. She started getting dressed while Jessica tapped her foot pointedly on the floor. "I can always just fly us there faster, we''d still get there at the same time." "Why don''t you, then?" asked Rupert. "Because then Jess couldn''t keep us hidden," she sighed. "Ah. Something to do with light and photons, correct?" "Yeah, pretty much. She figured it out after watching Cinza a ton, but I can''t cast it thanks to my stupid diffinity." Hailey finished getting ready, and before she could say a word Jessica grabbed her by the hand and pulled her out of the room. "See you later, Rupert!" she called back apologetically. Jessica pulled the door closed and frowned. She pointed at the door, then made a flat illusion in midair of Rupert, accompanying it with a picture of a small chain. The chain broke in two, then Jessica dissipated them again. Hailey shook her head. "I trust him." Jessica frowned again. She tilted her head slightly to the side and raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I''m sure." Hailey pointed back at Jessica. "What about you?" Jessica took a full minute to answer. Finally, another image of Rupert appeared in midair, followed by one of Hailey. Jessica moved Rupert closer to her, then changed her to a smiling face, before vanishing them both again. She smiled reluctantly. Hailey nodded. "Yeah. That''s enough for now. Thank you." She held out her arm, and Jessica took it firmly. They walked together to the backyard, where Jessica helped her put on the rest of her flight outfit including the straps. Normally, they flew without anything since it was a lot more comfortable, but this was a long trip¡ªnearly seventy miles. Even Jessica, as strong and experienced as she was flying with Hailey, started to have her shoulders fall off after that long. Jessica held herself tight to Hailey and double-checked the straps. She tapped Hailey on the shoulder twice and Hailey took off, jumping into the sky by propelling the air around her. Once she''d gotten enough altitude, she released the jets of wind to great relief and unfurled her wings, gliding out into the cloudy night sky. The patch of stars she''d seen the night before with Rupert was a rare exception. Most of her flights these days seemed to match the attitudes of everyone else around her, covered in a unbroken sheet of mundane grey. There weren''t even any beautiful cloudscapes to enjoy, just endless carpets of flat boring clouds. "You know, we''re crazy lucky he turned out to be a cool guy," Hailey added. She couldn''t make any gestures to really talk to her, but Jessica had intimated that she should talk aloud while they flew this route every time. Partly, Jessica thought it might help her learn to talk again somehow¡ªthough they''d seen no evidence of it yet¡ªand also because it helped her stay awake while she powered the small square of invisibility below them, masking their flight from anyone who might be watching. It didn''t really take much out of her, but it was so easy to get complacent on these long flights. Sooner or later, they both worried one of them would slip up again. "Just think if the guy who spotted us hadn''t been awakened already, or if he''d been a psychopath or something," Hailey went on, while Jessica mumbled something below her. She flew right-side up because Jessica preferred it for some reason. Maybe she was just used to it. Hailey hadn''t figured out upside down until only a couple weeks earlier. "Now he''s part of the team. And that accent. If you could hear it, you''d get it. Seriously." Hailey laughed, but she felt a little sobered by Jessica''s accusation earlier. It wasn''t jealousy. Jessica had a legitimate reason to be concerned, given how many secrets they were hiding. Rupert hadn''t asked much, and she''d only told him about themselves and a vague idea of where they went every week. She wasn''t giving him anything really dangerous. Besides, Rupert had readily surrendered the crumpled copy of the first page he''d awakened from without even being asked. He understood how their world worked right now, and why they had to keep everything secret from humanity for the time being. He was making steady progress toward being trustworthy. Hailey was considering introducing him to a few other people soon and starting to connect him to the rest of the community¡ªbut beyond her own small corner of the world out in Kent, that decision was out of her hands. Jessica tugged at her arm and spoke into her ear to get her attention. Hailey looked down across the wide expanse of evergreens¡ªand sure enough, she could already see the familiar patch of trees in the bowl of hills around them. She went into an easy dive, nothing nearly as intense as her breakneck skyscraper diving with Rupert yesterday. As they approached the trees, the air shimmered slightly. Suddenly there was a wide clearing in front of them, dotted with cabins surrounding a fair-sized farm. Hailey set down right on the little wooden bridge that crossed the stream through the center. No smoke billowing out of the chimneys yet, since it was still an uncomfortably warm September, but there was a very distinct outdoorsey feeling anyway¡ªso long as you ignored the satellite dishes, steam generators and other equipment scattered near several of the cabins. As Hailey unstrapped Jessica, who stretched out her shoulders in relief, they heard a shout from across the clearing. Nikki Parsons and Joe McKinney emerged bearing hovering bundles of wood through the air, which they immediately dropped in a pile as they rushed to the bridge. At the noise, other doors began to open. Soon they were joined by old Rufus Hill, a slow-moving but cheerful Brittany Wilkins, supported across the field by her husband Matthew. Makoto Kirishima, Cinza''s quiet and intense lieutenant, stood on the porch of his own cabin and simply watched from afar without a word. Hailey gave them an update on what they''d missed from the rest of the community, which really amounted to nothing now that they were all talking online. Jessica shrunk away from the crowd and floated away to one of the generators, where Natalie''s mountain lion Scrappy was curled up. Hailey extricated herself a minute later, wanting to get the real business out of the way quickly so they could move on. She didn''t like making Jessica wait around while she chatted to the whole group, when Jessica couldn''t ever join in. Hailey walked straight to the first cabin they''d ever built. It was smaller than most, but it had much more elegant construction thanks to the diligent work put in by both Rufus and Ruby. The wood was cut perfectly in smooth soaring arcs, and lanterns in the shape of the eight-pointed star symbol from the Grimoire hung on either side of the intricately carved door. Ruby had made a lot of progress on the door''s design since the last time Hailey had visited. The wood was carved into eight panels each depicting one of the eight branches of magic, with the top half showing the internal four and the lower half the external four affinities. Hailey gently traced her fingers along her own panel, just below the door handle on the left side, where a mixture of images had been carved in: A fireball whose tail became a whirling tornado, while a lightning bolt crossed it shifting from jagged forks into a twisting river. The amount of detail Ruby had managed in a relief carving was astounding. Hailey gently knocked on the door, and to her surprise it swung inward on its own. Cinza was usually diligent about securing it. The thick, beautiful star-laden curtain blocked off one dark half of the cabin from view, while the other half was evenly lit from no apparent light source. Ruby lounged at the computer desk in the corner typing away, while Cinza herself sat cross-legged in her wide armchair, narrow-eyed staring down Joshua Miller. From the looks of it, Hailey had just interrupted a tense argument. "Hi guys," she started. She took the seat next to Josh facing Cinza. Josh looked seriously annoyed with his counterpart. "Hey, Hailey," Josh said offhandedly, but his focus didn''t change an inch. "It''s too risky." "They''re going to awaken whether or not we send out scouts," Cinza replied icily, while her voice echoed slightly through the cabin. By now, Hailey had realized she did it totally unconsciously, and she barely noticed it anymore. It had simply become Cinza''s real voice. "We should be securing more allies wherever we can." "We''re not fighting a war." "What''s going on?" asked Hailey. "Cinza wants to¡ª" "I can speak for myself," Cinza cut in. Josh fell silent. Hailey felt her intensity from across the room, packed into every inch of her small body. "I''d like to propose bringing a few potential recruits to our home, as an outreach program." "As converts," Josh muttered. "Are you a convert, Joshua?" Cinza shot back. "You''ve lived here since the Fall. Feeling the urge to take up the robes?" "I''m not really here by choice." "You could have gone to Kent with the Silverdales, or up north with the rest of the Ghosts." "Josh, stop," Hailey said firmly. "You''re here because you want to help, same as me. Right?" Josh hesitated. "Yeah." "Okay. So let''s focus on that." Hailey turned back to Cinza. "Have you run this by the forum?" "I''d rather discuss it in person, and all the important agents are here," Cinza replied, a trace of arrogance in her tone. "What about Boris? He might have something helpful to put in." "While I appreciate Mr. Morozov''s skills," Cinza said sincerely, "he''s out of his depth in this regard. He was sent to undermine a society, not construct a new one." "The Laushires?" "Kendra has her own agenda to pursue. She doesn''t care what we do." Harsh as it was, Hailey had to agree. Kendra rarely expressed much interest in helping them out, although she did read everything they posted and occasionally put in a thought or two. "Nor does Lily, except if it pertains to their ward." "I don''t think we''re ready to start taking on new people," said Josh. "If not now, then when?" Cinza asked. "People are being awakened, without our involvement. We can''t possibly track down the copies or scraps that have been blown into the world. Even Jackson couldn''t manage it." She practically spat his name. Months prior, Cinza declared that none of them would ever use his title again, denying Omega the respect of the name he''d chosen for himself. "We''ve finished our construction here. The farm operates at a capacity beyond Aaron''s original designs. We have almost effortless electricity and water, we have a secure connection to the internet and we''re totally invisible to the outside world. All that remains is to expand, and what purpose is there in expansion without people to fill it?" "One thing at a time. Natalie just started middle school today. If that explodes, I really don''t want to be dealing with a bunch of new people at the same time." "You don''t trust she can handle herself?" Cinza asked, raising an eyebrow. "She wasn''t exactly discreet when she lived here," Josh pointed out. "Plus, I mean¡ª" He shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "¡ªshe''s just now hitting puberty, and middle school sucks in general. Throw that on the pile of shit she''s already dealing with, and yeah, I think it''s possible she could crack under the pressure." "She''ll be fine," Cinza said dismissively. "You underestimate her strength." Hailey frowned. "I mean, I could definitely see myself falling apart like that. I fell apart in middle school a bunch of times for way less than what she''s going through." Josh nodded. "I''m guessing you didn''t exactly have a normal childhood, Cinza." The corner of her mouth twitched upward into a smirk. Josh grinned. "A crazy childhood then?" "I survived. Others didn''t," Cinza said simply. Ruby glanced over, vaguely interested, but Cinza changed the subject before they got anything else out of her. "Even so, Natalie is one of the bravest I''ve ever met. I trust her." "I do too. I''m just trying to be realistic." "She didn''t have a totally normal childhood either," Hailey added. Josh looked at her like she''d stabbed him in the back. "What? I''m allowed to switch sides here." "Fine. What do you mean, though?" "Well, I talked to her dad about it once, back when I worked at the Kettle and Bones for the summer." "You were a bartender?" Cinza asked with surprise. "Had to pay the bills for me and Jessica somehow. I just turned twenty-one in July that year, and it paid way better than working at Hector''s. Only kept me on for the summer though, so it was back to Hector''s in the fall." "I''m surprised I never saw you." "I had to be home before dark everyday, so it was more work around the place than the bartending part," Hailey added, her ears turning slightly red at the memory. So much wasted time. "Back to the point, Hales," Josh cut in. "Natalie''s childhood?" "Well, they''re actually from Chicago. Natalie''s mom was apparently pretty awful, to hear her dad tell it. It got so bad that Natalie almost got killed one day, and that was her dad''s last straw to move them as far away as they could get. He ended up in Rallsburg thanks to a family connection and raised Natalie on his own. And since Rallsburg was so small, Natalie really only had one friend. It was just her and her dad in the middle of nowhere." "Keeping in mind that the man telling this story became Jackson''s accomplice and murdered more than half of the town using his golems," Cinza noted coldly. "Uhh, yeah," Hailey said uncomfortably. "Anyway, point is, she''s used to being alone, and from what I''ve heard she worked her way into your council meetings and stuff pretty much on her own. So I think she can handle herself, even when she''s going into a completely new situation like this." "Does anyone know if her mom got involved in the FBI thing? When they rounded up a bunch of relatives?" Josh asked. "No idea." "She must assume her daughter and ex-husband are dead like the rest of us," said Cinza. "Even accounting for Brian''s unreliability as a source, I think we can assume her mother probably wouldn''t be a good person to get involved." "No kidding," Josh muttered. "But we''ve left the point of discussion," Cinza added. "I would like to bring a few possible candidates into our circle of trust." Josh opened his mouth, but Hailey cut him off. "What if we just talk to them, but we don''t invite them here?" "Huh?" "It''s the internet age, isn''t it?" Hailey shrugged. "They don''t need to come here to be involved. We can still keep this place a secret and start talking with a few outsiders. They don''t even necessarily need to know where we''re from. It''s not like everyone''s memorized the faces of everyone from Rallsburg." "They might know yours though, Hales," Josh pointed out. "You had a crapton of publicity compared to the rest of us. Your face was all over the news." "I can change how I look, though." She pointed at her hair, which she''d permanently shifted away from her natural wavy golden-blonde to match Jessica''s bushy, messy brown using the ritual they''d invented a year before, along with adding freckles. "I''m a Silverdale now, remember? Jess'' long-lost older sister." "The Silverdales who are also supposed to be dead," Josh pointed out. "Also, no offense to Jessica, but you''re still way hotter than her. You really don''t look related if anyone''s paying attention." Cinza nodded. "If we send out a scout, it would need to be someone less immediately recognizable." Josh sighed. "I''m not saying I''m totally on board, but this is a better first step than straight up bringing a newbie here. Who could we send out though?" "No one from the lists," Hailey said. "We don''t want anyone to have to answer questions about how they aren''t dead." "Cuts out me, then," Josh said. "You too, for sure." "I could go¡ª" Cinza started. "Nope," Ruby interrupted, not looking up from her computer. "Why not?" asked Hailey. "Plenty of reasons. She''s our leader and shouldn''t be running around solo. She''s needed here to help keep our home invisible and secure. She''s still not recovered from the ritual attempt in May." "Still?" Hailey looked at Cinza in surprise. "The occasional tremor," Cinza replied. "I''m fine. It''s been improving every day." "You''re lucky you didn''t die," Ruby shot back. "You channeled the power of four true awakened at full power through your body and the ritual was interrupted. Don''t think for a second I''m letting the woman I love run off and do something else crazy and dangerous while she''s not one hundred percent yet. You''re staying right here. Write your diaries or something." Cinza sighed and shook her head. "She''s probably right." "Darn right I am," Ruby added, turning back to her keyboard. "So who should we send, then?" Hailey asked. Josh spoke up. "I mean, normally on the Council when we wanted to approach new awakened, we always sent¡­" He trailed off awkwardly and looked away. "That''s not an option anymore," said Cinza, her eyes softening. "Huh?" Hailey asked, not following. "Nothing," Josh replied quickly. "So who does that leave? Brittany''s great, but I don''t think we want people''s first impression to be someone missing a leg." Hailey grimaced, but Cinza nodded. "That would certainly convey the wrong tone." Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. "And Matthew wouldn''t want to run out there solo either." Josh put his hands to his face, thinking hard. "Could we get the Bowmans back somehow? Preston has all that police experience and Neffie''s great with people." "They dropped off the grid after they reached B.C.," said Hailey. "Last I heard, they were changing their names and going to a town further north. Guess they like the cold." "So no good." "They aren''t awakened either," Cinza pointed out. "Do they have to be?" "Yes," said Hailey. She caught herself before she said ''humans''. "Normal people won''t understand what they''re dealing with. It has to be one of us." They sat in silence for a few minutes, thinking. A bolt of inspiration struck Hailey. "Alden could do it." Josh looked doubtful. "I mean, he''s not an idiot or anything, but he''s nothing special." "He''s good with new people, especially reading them," Hailey continued excitedly. She knew she''d found the right answer. "He made friends with practically everyone he met in town, right? He even teamed up with Rika right off the bat." "She makes a fair point," Cinza agreed. "I didn''t interact with him much myself, but he joined our dance one night and made a good impression." "Alden''s been around for everything recent, he knows all of us and he actually stuck around through the fight. He knows what''s at stake if we screw this up." "He''s also actually supposed to be alive," Josh finished, nodding slowly. "If he runs into any trouble, he was never in Rallsburg anyway, so nothing gets back to us." "So, is it all agreed then?" Hailey asked. The other two nodded. "The Council has spoken," Ruby intoned from her chair in the corner. Josh frowned. "We aren''t the Council anymore." "Three leaders of the community, deciding our future without anyone else present," Ruby said cheerfully. "Seems just like our old Council to me." She waved her hand dismissively at them. "Now both of you shoo. I require some alone time with my beloved so I can remind her exactly why she''s not allowed to get herself killed any time soon."
Josh sat down on one of the benches Rufus had built around Yusuf''s flower garden, while Hailey took the opposite. Jessica saw them return and joined her, bringing a warm blanket from the generator and wrapping it around them snug in the cool night air. Josh sighed and leaned back, pressing his hands to his face. "I''m going crazy out here, Hales." "It won''t be forever," said Hailey, putting her arm around Jessica. She sniffed the air and grimaced. "Ugh. Jess, you really should have let me shower before we left." Josh''s face twisted in an odd way, like he wasn''t sure how to react to that. He eventually settled on ignoring it. "How''s everything going back home?" "Boring as usual," Hailey sighed. "I''m talking to Boris about maybe finding a way to get myself signed up for online classes somewhere. Even though it''ll be under a fake identity. Just so I have something to start progressing toward, you know? Something I can use eventually." "Thought this wasn''t gonna be for forever," Josh pointed out. "Well, I figure they can just merge the credits back to my real name, right?" Hailey grinned. "Special circumstances on account of being a living goddess." "Oh God, you''re gonna let that get to your head." "Too late," Hailey laughed. "I need to start using my powers for good though. Is there something I can get you? Maybe make it a bit easier out here?" "Better TV? I wanted to watch the Laker game but the broadcast signal out here sucks balls and all the streams get shut down way too fast." Josh shrugged. "But seriously, I''m just getting exhausted spending time with all these guys. I''m the only one out here who wears normal-ass clothes." "Hey, those robes can look pretty cool." He smirked. "If you want to look straight out of a high school play." Hailey laughed. "Come on, at least the ones Ruby''s worked on are pretty good." "Look, they''re good for some white people wizarding shit. That''s just not my thing." Josh shrugged again. "They do their ritual every night and they all follow Cinza''s word without question like damn robots. It''s something else." Something about his tone bothered her. "You don''t think it''s¡­ something she''s doing?" Josh looked shocked. "What? No. Hell no. Even if I thought something was off, they''d all be protected by Mason''s Law. You can''t do something like that to another person." "But the Law was broken once already," Hailey said uneasily. "When they used the spell to slow down Jackson so Rachel could shoot him. Plus the Law didn''t make a whole lot of sense with the pocket dimensions either, right? I mean, if you can''t use magic on people, but people can still go inside magic, then what''s the actual limitation?" Josh leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and his chin in his hands. "I don''t know, but it scares the shit out of me. I''m working on some theories, but it''s a lot harder without Mason." "He was really important to the group, wasn''t he?" she said softly. "Yeah," Josh said. "Mason really figured a lot of the basics out for us." Josh smiled slightly. "Shit, he would have loved the new one I''m working on." "Wanna bounce it off me?" Hailey offered. "I''m not a future rocket scientist like he was, but maybe that''ll just help you get some ideas out?" "Sure, I guess." Josh leaned back again, staring up at the sky. A hole had opened in the cloud layer, and they could see a few stars peeking out through the sheet of black as it rolled over them. "So magic''s all about intention, right? Nothing happens without someone intending it to happen, directly or inversely." "Inversely¡­ you''re talking about backfiring, right? Like, rituals going wrong?" "Not just rituals. The accident out in the R.V. was a backfiring spell, not a ritual, if what Robert said was right. It still burned the guy up, but it came out of his intention. He tried to make fire to burn someone, he lost control of it, and the fire fucked him up. There''s always intention though. Even all the way back to everyone awakening. No one awakens without really wanting to, right?" "I guess so," Hailey agreed, a bit uncomfortably. Her own awakening didn''t break his theory, but it was a lot different than the usual process he knew. Then again, so was everything else about the way she did magic. Even amongst the awakened, she was still the exception to the rules¡ªalong with the other few who shared her circumstances of course. Like the warm mass of compassion and fierce protectiveness curled up next to her. Hailey pulled the blanket back into place around Jessica''s neck while Josh kept talking. "At least as far as we know. But I''m pretty sure if you shoved a Scrap in front of someone''s face and held their eyeballs open, it wouldn''t do anything. You have to actually intend to read it. Not that the first few of us knew what was going to happen, but still. You wanted to read it and find out, right? No reluctance?" "Nope. None at all. But I''m crazy," Hailey said, smirking. "Yeah, for sure. But here''s where this shit gets real. The stuff that happened in that R.V. seems to break Mason''s Law too, right? Alex tries to summon a pocket dimension, it carves him up and everything nearby. So far so good¡­ except that it also blows through a little girl close enough to be in the blast radius." "And she didn''t cast the spell," Hailey filled in. "Okay, actually, I didn''t think of that, but I really doubt Jenny Wilson was awakened and also tried to make a pocket dimension in the same room while Alex was doing it too." Josh shook his head. "What''s weird is his intention was carried out, like usual, and the backfire carried out the reverse of his intention, also like usual. But the backfire can hit anything it wants, ignoring the rules." "Like how some people died outright from the magnetic ritual we cast," Hailey said quietly. "Actually, no again," Josh said. "You guys didn''t kill anyone directly. Cinza explained how that one works a bit more to me. Even when she and Ruby used it ''directly'' on Paul Wilson, it didn''t break Mason''s Law because it never directly affected him. They charged up an area of particles near him and amplified how attractive they were to iron specifically somehow. I don''t understand the specifics because it''s fucking magic, but point is, the magnetic spell still doesn''t hit people directly. More importantly, the big one wasn''t a backfire." "But we were interrupted," Hailey said, as the painful memory of Jackson bursting into their circle at breakneck speed and laying Cinza out flat resurfaced in her mind. "That should have caused it to backfire." "Cinza managed to get the ritual off in time, she just had to move the target as far away as she could." Josh glanced over at her cabin as he spoke. "That girl is fucking amazing, to be honest. In that split second between Jackson showing up and decking her, she shifted her target halfway across town and released it so that the backfire wouldn''t just straight kill you all. She gambled on you guys being able to hold off Jackson long enough to get him to retreat, and it worked." "But the target area was so much bigger than what we planned." "Yeah, she didn''t have time to figure out if the place she was hitting was clear, so she just made it as wide as possible hoping no one would die just from the ritual. Mitigation by dispersal." Josh shrugged. "We''ve talked a lot about it. Post-mortem shit. It''s been really helpful in figuring out how rituals and targeting works. The point is though, when we have a real backfire like the stuff in the R.V., it can apparently do anything to anyone." "That''s horrible." "No shit. But it''s not as bad as it looks. Magic''s all about intention, right? So no one can intend to backfire a spell. You can''t fool magic." He sighed. "I''m not afraid of bringing in new people. What we really need to be scared of is all the people who don''t have a fucking clue what they''re doing, who''ve got no control, and start trying the really dangerous shit. In public." Josh looked Hailey in the eye, grim-faced. "It''s gonna be a fucking massacre."
Hailey waved goodbye as they took off and hurtled through the air. Jessica summoned up their small shield of invisibility and they set off back towards home. Practically, Hailey felt frustrated her diffinity for Nature magic prevented her from ever using light manipulation to hide herself like Jessica could¡ªbut at the same time, she liked how it made them a duo, always flying around together and keeping each other warm through the night skies. It felt nice to always have her around to talk to. She wondered if they''d ever show up on radar though. As they coasted back over Tacoma, Jessica noticed that they weren''t taking their usual route home and tugged at her sleeve to indicate Hailey might be going the wrong way. While they were still heading for Kent like normal, Hailey''s angle was wrong. They were going too far north. Hailey shook her head. She held up a single finger, saying they had one stop to make first. Jessica nodded, then buried her head back below Hailey''s to keep warm from the chill. Hailey started circling them down gently, enjoying the lazy glide and the gentle breeze as opposed to a fast and flashy dive. She pulled out her phone and texted him, letting him know she was about to touch down and to open up his window. She saw a slant of light open on the second floor and smiled. She tucked her wings and started to dive. In a second she''d flown through the tall open pane, throwing out a massive gust of wind in front of her to come to a stop before she slammed into the opposite wall. Anything lightweight in his room went flying at the brief tornado, while Hailey flipped upright and landed gently on his floor, just in case anyone else in the house was still awake. "Nice," said Alden Bensen dryly, starting to pick up his stuff. His brown hair was growing out, covering up his ears. It actually didn''t look too bad that way, but with the brief hurricane his hair was now totally messed up. Hailey suppressed a laugh, grinning wide. She unstrapped Jessica and together the three of them quickly put his room back in order. "So what''s the big news at two in the morning here?" "I just got back from Cinza''s," Hailey explained, while Jessica plopped down on the bed and started poking at Alden''s cat. "Yeah, I figured," Alden added. He glanced at the wall clock, which Hailey noticed he''d swapped over to a slightly glowing analog one instead of digital. She smiled at the thoughtfulness, since he was one of the few people Jessica spent regular time with. "This has to be big though, if you''re rushing over here so late." Hailey shrugged. "Honestly, it could''ve waited til morning, but since you were awake and we weren''t back yet, I figured why not drop by?" They both froze as they heard the door handle click slightly. "Shit!" Alden hissed. He ran for the door and pulled it open. Alden''s younger sister Meg was standing there, pajama-clad, staring wide-eyed at them both. "Hi," Hailey greeted awkwardly. Jessica looked up and waved cheerfully, before returning to the cat. "Zack, wha¡ª" Meg started, before Alden pulled her inside and closed the door as quietly as he could. "You forgot to mute us, didn''t you?" Alden muttered to Hailey. She slapped her hand to her forehead. "Jess," she said, getting Jessica''s attention. Hailey pointed all around the room, then put her hands over her ears. Jessica nodded, then murmured something under her breath. Hailey could sense the airflow in the room shift slightly, but it was barely perceptible even to her. She still had no real idea how Jess did it, besides that it was a Nature spell. "Was it always Jess doing that spell?" Alden asked curiously. "I thought you could do sound stuff too." "I can hear people from far away by helping sound bounce around the air, but it''s harder to make us quiet without just making tons more noise," Hailey said, shrugging. "Jess can do it for real." Jessica gave her a thumbs-up, understanding that she''d just explained how it worked, then went back to playing with the cat. "This is magic stuff, right?" said Meg excitedly. "You guys are talking about magic stuff?" "Nope, definitely not." "Oh come on, it''s not like you''re here for anything el¡­ " Meg trailed off. "Ohhh. Noise-proofing." "God, Meg," Alden shook his head. "No. It''s not that." "I have a boyfriend," Hailey added, trying not to laugh. "Huh. Okay, so what''s going on then? You''re not getting away without telling me," Meg added, crossing her arms. "...You know, I think I had those exact same penguin pajamas once." "Really?" "Really really." "That''s so cool," Meg said breathlessly. "Did you fly in here?" "Totally did." "Awesome." "Okay, enough," Alden cut in pointedly. "But it''s so much fun," Hailey mock-whined. "Meg, you can stay, but this stays secret, okay?" "Dude, you''ve got a college girl in your bedroom in the middle of the night. This is so beyond blackmail," Meg said wickedly. "Blackmail''s not cool," Hailey intoned, playing up her noble hero voice. "Two college girls," Meg added, glancing over at Jessica. "Hi there." Jessica, of course, ignored her. "What''s with her?" "Long story," Hailey answered quickly, thinking she''d accept that more than if Alden had said the same. "I''m Hailey, by the way, and that''s Jessica." "I''m Meg." She sat down on the edge of the bed, watching them both eagerly. "Well go on, do your super secret meeting." "Is it secret?" Alden asked Hailey pointedly. "No more than usual. Actually, it might be helpful to have her around." Hailey looked at Meg very seriously. "Meg, do you want to help with the mission?" "The mission?" Meg asked, eyes wide. "Hailey, she''s fifteen," Alden started. "Don''t worry," Hailey said firmly. "I''m sure she''s smart enough to handle it." "Fuck yeah I am!" "Don''t swear," Alden said reflexively. Meg stuck out her tongue at him, before turning eagerly back to Hailey. She was just so excited about everything, it was infectious. "What do you need me to do?" "Alden''s gonna be helping us out a lot soon," Hailey started. Alden looked up slightly, surprised, and Hailey realized she hadn''t actually told him what they needed him to do yet. She figured he''d agree, though, or at worst she''d just have gotten him an easy excuse to leave the house whenever he wanted and be covered for it. "He might be gone a lot, maybe way out of town. We''re gonna need someone to cover for him." "Aww man, I''m the best friend who covers at home?" Meg whined. "This sucks." "Hey, it''s important," Hailey said firmly. "Your brother''s the best person for the job and we don''t have anyone else. If his parents or anyone else starts asking questions, you gotta be ready to lie." "It could still get dangerous," Alden added quietly. "Meg, don''t you remember where Hailey and Jessica are from?" Meg frowned. "What do you mean?" "Where do you think I met them?" She thought for a second. "Oh¡­ You''re..." She hesitated. "You''re Hailey Winscombe. And that''s Jessica Silverdale. Right?" Hailey was taken aback. "You know our names?" "I memorized everyone on those lists they put out," Meg boasted. "Since I knew some of you guys weren''t dead. Zack wouldn''t tell me who though." "For good reason," Alden added. "You don''t look like your pictures though," she added, looking at Hailey. Hailey grinned. She grasped at her magic and sent a burst through her face and hair. Just for Meg, she added a bit of Cinza-esque flair, making it shift rapidly in color before it settled on her natural blonde and straightened out to gentle waves from Jessica''s more bushy, messy style, while her freckles disappeared in a wave rather than instantly. Meg''s eyes widened dramatically. "Oh my god!" "Hi again," Hailey said, laughing. "I''m Hailey." "You totally are!" Meg turned to Alden and punched him in the arm. "You didn''t tell me you were friends with Hailey Winscombe!" "I didn''t know I was famous." "Around my friends you are! We went over those photos they released so many times, and your profile and your blog and everything! You''re so beautiful and brave. I want to be you." Hailey was getting embarrassed. "Okay, okay. Look, I need to talk to Alden alone for a bit. Is that all right?" Meg nodded. "You got it, Hailey. Just don''t leave without saying goodbye." "''Course not, I haven''t given you your mission yet." Meg looked like she might squeal with happiness. She retreated from the room, thunderstruck. As soon as the door closed and the place was sealed off again, Hailey burst out laughing. "Oh wow, I didn''t expect that," she choked out, falling back into Alden''s computer chair. Alden grinned. "I figured you probably didn''t need to know you had legit fangirls." "No kidding." Hailey forced herself to calm down. "That was something else." "So what''s this mission I''m going on?" Alden asked, sitting down on the edge of his bed. Jessica scooted over to make room for him, leaning up against the wall and setting his cat into her lap. It protested and tried to get away, but she shushed it and continued to pet it until it gave in and settled down. "You know we''ve been hearing about people getting awakened, right? A couple here and there, mostly around Olympia. One all the way up B.C., in Vancouver." "Yeah. Nothing''s shown up on the news yet or anything, but yeah." "Cinza thinks it''s time we start trying to get people back together again. Make sure the new awakened know what they''re getting into and who to talk to." "And you want me to do it," Alden concluded. "You''re probably the best for the job, you know? I mean, I''d do it, but hell¡ªjust look at how Meg reacted." Hailey shrugged. She released the magic holding her old appearance, letting her hair change back to bushy brown and the freckles re-emerge onto her skin. It felt weird to shift, very uncomfortable and slightly painful with how her hair got pulled and moved around. "Even looking like this, everybody thinks I still stand out." "The perils of being good looking," Alden deadpanned. "Jeez, man, when did you pick up Rika''s sense of humor?" "Sorry." Alden unsuccessfully stifled a yawn. "I''ve been way too negative lately. It''s a bad habit." He shrugged. "You want me because I''m not a dead guy walking like everyone else, right?" "We want you because you''re really good with people, Alden," Hailey said firmly. "You even got Rika to like you. You''re gonna be going up to new people who might have all sorts of powers and talking them into working with us. That''s not gonna be easy." Alden frowned. "I''m not really the best with magic, though. What if there''s a fight?" "You''re not going out there alone." Hailey rolled her eyes. "Jess and I will be there to back you up, every time. You get a whiff of trouble, we lay the smackdown." Alden thought for a couple minutes, closing his eyes and leaning back on the bed. For a moment, Hailey thought he might have actually fallen asleep, but just as she was about to get up and check on him, his eyes slid open. "I''ll do it." "You sure?" He nodded "Yeah. If it''ll help everyone out, I''m in." "Okay." Hailey smiled. "We don''t have anyone picked out yet, so I''ll let you know when it''s time. We''ll pick you up," she added, grinning. "Wonderful." "Hey, you think it''s cool if I send some wind to get Meg?" Hailey asked excitedly. "Sure." Hailey clapped her hands together. She sent a gust of wind around outside the door, where she knew Meg was waiting with bated breath. Sure enough, the door burst open again and Meg sped in, closing it behind her. "I''m here. What''s up?" "What''s up is I need a lock for that door," Alden grumbled. "I''ll figure out how to pick it," Meg shot back. She looked at Hailey eagerly. "What do you need me to do?" Hailey fought back laughter as she tried to answer Meg very seriously. "We don''t have anything planned yet, but when we do, you''re going to be covering for Alden while he comes with me on some business. We''ll give you a story to tell anyone who asks." "Okay." Hailey noticed she didn''t protest at all this time. Apparently hero worship was for real. "Thanks, Meg." She smiled, and Meg''s face lit up with joy. Jessica watched her curiously, but the cat took the opportunity to leap out of her lap and she had to quickly chase it down to get it back. "Are you sure he''s all good for your missions though?" Meg asked, glancing at Alden. Hailey looked over just quick enough to notice Alden shaking his head sharply. "What''s up?" she asked. "Nothing. I''m good." "Why do you think he''s up in the middle of the night?" Meg went on, heedless. "He can''t sleep through a single night since he got back. A couple times he woke up screaming and I had to help him stay quiet so Mom and Dad didn''t come in." "Meg, shut up," Alden snapped. Meg fell silent. Hailey glanced between the two of them before turning to Meg. She spoke very carefully. "Meg, you shouldn''t share secrets like that." "But I¡­" She looked terrified for a second, probably thinking she''d just ruined her budding relationship with her idol. Hailey tried to soften her expression. "Just keep it in mind, okay? I''m still counting on you." A wave of relief washed over her face. Meg nodded emphatically. "You got it, Hailey. I''ll leave you guys alone now." As soon as the room was sealed, Hailey looked at Alden, very concerned. "It''s true," he said glumly. "No wonder you''re always awake when I get back," Hailey said quietly. "What''s going on?" "Nightmares." He laid back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. "Nightmares of golems tearing people apart in the streets, or his face staring me down like he''s about to kill me. Or that look in his eyes while I held him down, right before Rachel shot him. Collins getting ripped apart. The whole place burning up." He took a deep breath. "It didn''t really start to hit me until a couple days after we got back." Hailey walked over and sat down next to him. She held his hand while he took a few more deep breaths. "We won, though." "That''s what I told Rachel, but you know what she said to me?" Alden closed his eyes. "She didn''t want to be alive anymore. She said she deserved to be dead along with Jackson. That we didn''t win, we just survived." "Heat of the moment, Alden," Hailey said softly. "She didn''t mean it. We didn''t win easily, but we won." "She''s gone though, isn''t she?" "She is not gone. She''s not talking to anyone right now, but trust me. Rachel DuValle wouldn''t kill herself. Not in a million years." Alden shrugged. "You knew her. I didn''t." Hailey shook her head. "Come on. You need to sleep. I''m sticking around until you do." Alden looked about to protest, but Hailey stopped him with a look. She gestured to Jessica to clear off the bed, then waited until Alden was tucked back in again. She took his chair while Jessica sat watching from the corner of the room. Hailey reached out and flicked off the light with her mind, leaving only the moonlight streaming through the window. It took a while, but Alden finally fell asleep. As quietly as they could, Hailey opened the window and Jessica wrapped around her. They leapt out and took to the skies, Hailey magically sliding the window closed behind them as they flew out into the night once again.
Hailey dangled her legs off the roof of the White residence, which was the last name Jessica''s parents had ended up with. Jessica was inside finishing off a late night snack, while her parents were presumably asleep elsewhere in the house. Rupert was long-gone, hopefully before either of the Silverdales had gotten home. They''d never noticed him yet, so Hailey wasn''t too worried. "I really should introduce him though, before they just walk in on him one day," she mused. "So he''s nice?" "Yeah." "He''s so good looking, and studying to be a nurse, and that accent. How are you always so lucky?" "Didn''t you hear? I''m a goddess now, apparently," Hailey said, laughing. She frowned, stealing a bit of Hailey''s mirth. "They called me that, you know." "Yeah¡­ They still do." Hailey sighed. "He''s really nice. I think we might actually have something." "I''m really happy for you, Hailey." "Thanks, BB." Hailey laid back on the roof and stared at the sky. "I dunno. Still feels weird." "What?" "BB. Sounds weird to me. Is that really what I called you?" "Everyone did," Beverly replied quietly. She laid down too, but there was a foot of space between them. Any of her other friends and Hailey would be right next to them. If it were Jessica, they''d practically be cuddling. Something about Beverly always kept her at a slight remove. Hailey wasn''t sure if it was Beverly keeping them apart, or herself. "Didn''t like your real name?" "Something like that." Beverly smiled slightly. "I don''t hate it so much anymore though. If you want, call me Beverly. Call me whatever you like, really." "Almighty Grey-eyes the Fearsome and Powerful?" "Okay, don''t call me that." "You know I¡ª" Hailey cut off as Beverly abruptly vanished without so much as a sound. She simply disappeared into thin air. She waited patiently, and after a few minutes Beverly returned, popping back into the same spot and laying down again as if nothing had happened. "I went out to Rallsburg tonight." "Oh." Beverly paused. "How are they doing?" "They''re okay. Mostly just bored, I think." She hesitated, but she decided Beverly deserved to know. If they were gonna try to redo this whole friendship thing, they ought to do it right. "Cinza''s pushing for us to start going out and finding people again. But not like they used to. She wants it to be more cooperative. More, I dunno¡­ Aggressive, kinda?" "Oh." Beverly didn''t say anything for a while, and neither did Hailey. They just stared at the break in the clouds above, where a few stars peeked through the grey. Beverly disappeared again, leaving Hailey alone for another few minutes. She was just about to get up when Beverly finally reappeared. "Twice in one night? That''s new." "It''s only going to get faster." Beverly laid down again. "I hope you guys are ready for it." "We''re trying." Hailey shrugged. "We''d be trying more, but everyone''s still scared. I don''t blame them, either. Their first try went really, really badly." "I know," Beverly said quietly. "Do you have any ideas on what to do?" She shook her head. "I know what I have to do. Past that, I have no clue. It was never my job to figure it out, and now I have no idea whose it is." "Mine, I guess," Hailey murmured. "Mine, or Cinza''s, or Josh''s, or who knows? All of us, maybe." "Just not mine. I can''t be that person." Hailey sighed. "We all know who that person is supposed to be." Beverly didn''t respond to the implied question. Hailey waited in silence for a few minutes, but Beverly still wouldn''t answer. Finally, she sat up again and summoned up a few blocks of air to help her walk back down to her window. Jessica was already curled up in their bed, waiting for Hailey to join her. "Night, BB. See you again next week?" Beverly nodded. "Yeah. See you then." [Discord]¡ª[TWF]¡ª[Rate]¡ª[Follow]¡ª[Patreon] B2: Chapter 3 — Chasing Ghosts Chapter 3¡ªChasing Ghosts Getting lectured by his boss wasn''t exactly new, but Jeremy sure seemed to be making a habit of it lately. "You diverted another task force to investigate a fucking Rallsburg lead?" Aderholt asked, holding up his requisition paperwork. Jeremy shrugged. Only doing my job, Mr. Station Chief sir. "Thought we had something." "The entire thing''s a dead end, Ashe. Drop the case and let the locals chalk it up to their own stats. If those dumb fucks even keep stats. We''ve got more important work on our plates than a freak accident." "Sir, it was never ruled as an accident," Lani put in. "Do you want to get promoted out of this pit someday, Makaio?" "Yes, sir, but Jeremy''s right." Thanks, Lani. Doesn''t really accomplish much, but thanks. "We had several tips called in from Redmond that matched the description of one of the unconfirmed deceased." "Who?" "Ryan Walker, the prep kid from Walla Walla," Jeremy replied. Aderholt shook his head. "A blonde haired blue eyed white college kid shows up in tech town. Go fucking figure. Was there anything legitimate in those reports?" "No, sir," Jeremy answered, before Lani could speak up. "Look," Aderholt started, calming down. "I get it. This shit''s still weird as fuck and no one''s come up with an answer. Fire''s stumped, staties are stumped, God Almighty himself is stumped. We all feel like we''ve lost this one. But there''s nothing new. We haven''t stepped in a single turd of evidence since May. So unless you''ve got something actionable, you''ve got to stop diverting resources. We don''t get enough funding for what we can put away. I can''t have you spending it on crap that''s never going anywhere." "Yes, sir." He''s not exactly wrong. I might be taking this personally. But fuck him, I''m not givin'' up on her yet. He glanced down at the form again. "What about this kid required a full ten man tac squad to bring him in, anyway? You can''t take out a single twenty two year old guy on your own?" Jeremy shrugged. "Like you said, sir. We''ve had no leads in months. I wasn''t going to let it get away." He sighed. "Kid''s dead, Ashe. They all are." "Haven''t been declared that way yet, sir." "Don''t remind me," Aderholt groaned. "I''ve got a shit-ton of pressure to declare that Price kid dead so the state can reclaim their assets." He sighed. "It''s just a formality though Ashe. Drop it. Time to move on to something else."
As soon as they''d returned to their office and closed the door, Lani spoke up. "Why didn''t you mention it?" "Because it could still be nothing." Jeremy sat down and pulled up his email. The IT guys had finally sent him access to the rest of the video dumps and he was looking forward to a lazy, dull afternoon watching them all and listening to some music. It''s better than paperwork or heading out into the heat, anyway. "But the report in Redmond said the guy''s wallet had an ID with Ryan Walker stamped right on it. She even had the matching number from the DMV." "And when we checked the footage, he looked nothing like the social media pictures," Jeremy pointed out. "We couldn''t track him down. The barista could have been wrong. Or just an attention seeker. Or someone stole Walker''s ID before this went down. Plenty of reasons." Lani frowned. "You''re the one that wanted to sprint down there at a moment''s notice to check it out." He shrugged. "And I was wrong. It''s not like it''s the first time." Lani sighed and went back to his desk. "At least we got out of the office for a while. It''s been so nice out this week." "Didn''t you live on Maui ''til you were twenty one?" Jeremy loaded up the next video on his list and leaned back in his chair, settling into his practiced surveillance stupor. "It''s just been ''less cloudy than usual''." "I''ve been up here five years now, I can still appreciate the change." With just one earbud, Jeremy queued up his playlist where he''d left off. He wished he could listen to his music properly, but Aderholt would tear him a new asshole if he missed a call. He flicked the switch to mono sound and grated at the flattened sound. He was just starting to find a groove when Lani interrupted. "What are you doing now?" "Workin''." Lani frowned. "I get that you''re happy out here, but I''ve got a career too. They partnered us so I''d learn the ropes from you. Everyone says you''re actually really good at this, but it''s been six months now." "So why''d they put me in the least important station of the NSB?" he murmured, not taking his eyes off the screen. "That was your handiwork, wasn''t it?" Jeremy paused the video, glancing up. "Hmm?" "I dug up your old files. You requested this station." "Huh, so I did." Jeremy''s hand hovered over the play button, but he didn''t click it quite yet. He was curious to see where Lani was going with this. "No one at this level just gets the station they want like that, no questions asked. Either you''re really good at what you do or you''ve got something on the higher ups." "Both good guesses." "So which is it?" "You forgot the normal answer. Maybe I just pissed off the wrong director, but he didn''t have the clout or the balls to fire me so he threw me to the ass-end of nowhere, at ''my request''." He added air quotes around the last two words with his fingers. Lani winced. "...Okay, that''s definitely possible." Jeremy cracked a smile. "You want to get somewhere in this business? Treat your boss like the fuckin'' king, and make sure you find all the dirt on him you possibly can." He resumed the video, leaving Lani to stew over his words for a bit. Lani, of course, wouldn''t give up that easily. Right as Jeremy was getting into the music again, he stood up and walked over to his desk. "The traffic camera videos?" "Yes." "We had two full teams go over every inch of those. What are you supposed to find that they didn''t?" "I''ll know it when I see it." Lani sighed. "This isn''t just another way to kill time, is it?" No, it really isn''t. "Everything''s a way to kill time." "Do you mind if I work on the Chancer case then? I''ve got calls to make." "Go for it, won''t bother me." Lani made his phone calls and did his paperwork, while Jeremy just sat and watched footage. In truth, he thought he was probably wasting time just like Lani said. He wasn''t about to find anything in the endless clips of highway and intersection recordings from the nights around May 16th. Nothing related happened anywhere, according to the neatly collated reports from the tech team. There were two collisions they''d spotted from civilian cameras, plus a burglary in progress and one assault captured on corporate security footage, but they weren''t allowed to disclose any of that. Their jurisdiction was strictly the potential of a terrorist attack or other foreign operation on the small town of Rallsburg. Any crimes outside that window would go unreported, since the files were only handed over under that specific court order. Jeremy felt a pang of guilt at the couple of assaults he witnessed, and mentally filed away the perpetrators for later pursuit. He''d make sure they were picked up one day on another charge. In the meantime, he''d crawl through every second of recorded video he could stomach. Whether it was the crisp, clean corporate feeds or the barely-usable intersection cameras, Jeremy wasn''t giving up on her yet. Days dragged by. Lani handled the caseload for the both of them without a single complaint. His young partner was indefatigable, while all Jeremy wanted to do was stay rooted in the comfortable chairs provided by the taxpayers and handle everything from his nice, air-conditioned office. Lani was in and out frequently, and while he did occasionally ask Jeremy for help on protocol or procedure, they rarely spoke otherwise. It was all business, exactly how Jeremy preferred it. They''d sent him every single piece of camera footage they could find in every direction exiting Rallsburg, both the few days before and after the fifteenth. In the month immediately following the discovery, a dedicated team had gone through every inch of the recordings practically frame by frame, looking for anything that might be of use. The only overhead camera they could find was a snapshot of a satellite mapping the area for NASA, but it had been taking wide shots and didn''t produce anything useful. Nor did the many cameras they''d lifted from the ground¡ªas far as anyone could tell, the entire region had been totally, painfully normal for those five days in May. So what the hell happened? Jeremy leaned back in his chair on a sunny Monday morning in September, staring at a still frame of St. Peter Hospital in Olympia. The night before on May 14th, two ambulance helicopters had been dispatched to Rallsburg. One had returned with two patients and two passengers. The first patient died on the flight from a gunshot wound, with his name listed as John Doe and whose remains were never identified. The second patient was reportedly missing the lower third of her leg, and was treated on site before getting lifted to the hospital. She was expected to recover given time. Those two were accompanied by a young woman and a man, all of whom refused to give their names. The other helicopter had borne a single passenger. William Carbonell, age twenty-two, former student of Rallsburg University and current resident of the town. His medical records read like an anatomy inventory with the sheer number of broken or heavily bruised areas. Given the twisted state of some of the corpses they''d found in Rallsburg, Jeremy suspected he was the best link they had to whatever actually occurred¡ªbut before anyone had even noticed what had happened to the town, William Carbonell had vanished without a trace along with the other three. Hospital security showed no one exiting their floor. The girl who had accompanied the amputee had entered both rooms in the middle of the night, but other than that¡­ nothing. They successfully identified her as Nicole Parsons, age twenty and a native resident of Rallsburg, but nothing else useful. When the nurse had gone to check on Will at five the next morning, they found his bed empty and the equipment disconnected without tripping a single alarm. William Carbonell and Nicole Parsons were the only two residents of Rallsburg currently presumed alive, but despite making every major watchlist across the country, neither had shown their faces since that night. The hospital had to have the answer. It was the only real lead. Jeremy had personally interviewed every single member of staff on shift that night, but none of them witnessed anything. The helicopter teams had reported smoke from the northern fire, but it was extinguished before they touched down. One of the EMTs also reported seeing a wolf at the scene where they picked up the gunshot victim. Jeremy wasn''t sure what to make of that, but he''d kept it in mind all the same. Wolf markings weren''t on any of the victims in town, so it didn''t seem to connect to anything else. What am I missing? Their office phone rang. Jeremy was still staring at the hospital, lost in thought, and Lani picked it up for him. "Jeremy." "Huh?" "Someone on the line for you." "Tell ''em I''ll call back." "...It''s your sister." Jeremy looked up, surprised. He picked up the phone on his desk. "Thanks, Lani." Lani gave him a thumbs up before returning to his own work. Jeremy put the phone to his ear. "Maddie?" "Hey, little bro," said Madelaine Ashe. "How''s it going?" "I''m fine. Just bored. What''s up?" "I''m in town, thought you might want to get lunch." He glanced at the clock. Sure enough, it was already one thirty. He suddenly realized how hungry he was. "Same place as always?" "Last one there is buyin''."
Jeremy saw her sprinting down the sidewalk at the opposite end of the street and made a final blitz for the door. They both reached it at about the same time, and Jeremy slapped it. "I win," he huffed. "As if," Maddie shot back. "Luke, tell ''im." Luke, the proprietor of the small grill, just rolled his eyes. "How about we call it a draw and I charge you both what you order." Maddie grinned. "You know, you just don''t get that sort of straight compromise in my line of work anymore. Sound good, Jeremy?" "Fine," Jeremy said, still catching his breath. "Come on, you can''t be that beat. Don''t they make you stay in shape in the FBI?" "I''m forty two and not getting any younger." Jeremy stretched out his legs, definitely feeling the consequences of mostly working a desk for the past six months. "Give me some slack." "Whatever." Maddie handed her card to Luke. "I''ll buy. Jere-bear needs some real food to keep up with his big sister. The usual, please. Is our table open?" "Reserved it for you," Luke replied with a crooked smile. "Luke you rascal, you spied on my calendar didn''t you?" Maddie said in mock-outrage. "Is nothing sacred anymore?" "I keep up with my best customers, miss." Luke turned and walked back through to the kitchen, tossing a towel back on his shoulder as he went. "And my favorite senators." She laughed. "Thanks, Luke." Two healthy servings of grilled pork later and Maddie was leaning back in her chair with a satisfied smile. "Perfecto." "So why aren''t you in D.C.?" Jeremy asked, stirring the ice around in his water idly. "Isn''t this an election year?" "It''s always a goddamn election year," Maddie replied cheerfully. "I wanted to come home for a bit. See how you were doing." Jeremy saw right through the lie. "Like hell you did. You here for the devil''s blessing?" "A woman can''t multitask?" Maddie shrugged. "I don''t need her endorsement to win. If anything, she needs mine now. The polls love me." "A Democratic senator in Washington is beloved by her people. What a stunnin'' development." "Forty years ago my election would have been very unlikely." "Forty years ago you were just out of diapers and I was biting everyone I met." Jeremy shrugged. "People change." "Not all of them," Maddie sighed. "Maybe not enough of them, either." "So fuck ''em." "That''s a lot of goddamn people," she shot back. "I''m supposed to represent them all, and do it without becoming a corrupt bitch-ass senator like everyone else. You know how many fucking lobbyists have tried to buy me off in the last five years?" "Yes. You''ve called me after every single one." Maddie laughed. "Not all of them, or you''d never have a moment of silence. A lot of ''em get handled by my staff. Those are just the ones who pay enough to get my personal number." "Must be nice to have a staff." "What, Lani isn''t your staff?" Her eyes twinkled. Jeremy shook his head. "He''s my partner, and a damn good one." "Careful, you sound like you''re a fat old detective." She downed her drink and signaled Luke for a refill. "You''re right though. Lani''s a good one. I trust him with my little brother." "I''d hope you did. He asked you to stop by, didn''t he?" Maddie nearly dropped the glass right after Luke handed it to her. "How¡ª" Jeremy shrugged. "He''s not exactly quiet on the phone." She sighed. "Goddamnit, Lani." Her face fell, drifting into a concerned frown from the light tone she''d been trying to maintain. "He''s worried about you." "Is he now?" "Jeremy, don''t just play this one off. Should I be worried about you?" He shrugged again. "I''m just trying to solve a case." If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. "A dead case." "Didn''t you get reamed for this shit too? Happened right in your backyard. I watched that C-SPAN video." "You actually watched C-SPAN?" "Okay, I watched the talk show summary." "Nearly gave me a heart attack." "I did watch your whole first day on the floor." Maddie grinned. "I remember. I believe you called it ''the finest example of why nothing ever gets done in the world.''" "Sounds right." "So it''s a broke-ass system with tons of flaws that haven''t been fixed in centuries. You got a better idea?" Jeremy stared down at the ice cubes in his glass, watching one of them melt just enough to drift around to the top. "Nope. Why do you think I went into enforcement? I don''t want to be the fuckface figuring out the rules." "You stick with what you do best, I''ll take care of making sure you''re doing the right thing." "Thanks, Maddie." Her phone buzzed, but she just silenced the ringer and set it aside. He raised his eyebrows. "Shouldn''t you take that?" "It can wait." She folded her arms across her chest sternly. "I gotta know, are you good?" "''Course I am." Maddie''s expression softened. "Jeremy, it''s just you and me. Why are you still all over this case? Shouldn''t you have passed it down to state by now?" "We''re still calling it a terrorist action, so it''s still mine." "You could get them to release it if you wanted. I''d support you." "I¡­" Maddie shook her head. "You don''t want to." "I don''t." "Christ Almighty, Jeremy, what are we doin''?" "I have to know what happened." "That ain''t you," Maddie said firmly. "I know you, Jere-bear. You drop cases all the damn time if you think they''re no good. This one''s dead as they come. What''s different?" "...Did you look at the list of names?" "I skimmed it. Why?" Jeremy pulled out his phone and pulled up the list. He never had it further than a few taps away. After scrolling down to the middle, he highlighted the name and handed it over. "Recognize it?" "Jacqueline Nossinger¡­ Shit, that Jackie?" He nodded. "Same one." "Your old partner was in fucking Rallsburg?" Maddie pressed her hands to her forehead in exasperation. "Christ, Jeremy, why didn''t you say something?" "Because you''ve got enough on your plate." "After what she did for me? Shit, I woulda sent the whole goddamn national guard down there to find her." "It''s a good thing you don''t command them." Maddie sighed and leaned back. "Well, how the fuck can I tell you to cool off now? You''re trying to find a woman I owe my goddamn life to." "Maddie¡­" "Whatever you need, Jeremy. I don''t have a whole lot of pull on the oversight committee, but I can try to leverage DOJ for funding. You just say the word." "I don''t have anything," he replied dejectedly. "Huh?" "Nothing new since May." "Oh¡­" Maddie''s eyes widened slightly. "You don''t think she''s¡ª" "She''s not," Jeremy interrupted. "She''s actually in the system unlike most of the town. None of the remains we found match her at all by DNA, dental or fingerprinting. As far as we know, she''s just missing." "Thank God." She glanced around, as if she were worried they might be overheard. Their usual table at Luke''s was in the back corner, though, and the booth had thick walls. "Should you be on this case? Is it a conflict of interest?" "We don''t even have a suspect. Conflicts of interest are more about making sure a case gets through trial." Jeremy shook his head. "You''ve spent way too much time in D.C." "For sure." Maddie reached out and took his hand. "Are you doing okay, though?" "I''m not giving up on this one yet." "Okay." She smiled. "Then I''m not giving up yet either." Her phone buzzed again, startling them both. Maddie glared at it. "Damn it, I''m trying to have a moment with my brother. I silenced you, you piece of shit." "Who''s calling, anyway?" "Probably another fucking lobbyist." She picked it up and looked at the number. "Shit¡­" "What?" "The devil herself," Maddie sighed. She showed him the name. Courtney Milton, the current governor of Washington¡ªand their older half-sister. "I have to¡ª" Jeremy stood up. "How long are you in town?" "I fly out Friday night. Four whole days with your favorite sister in town," Maddie grinned. "After I pay the devil her due," she added, glaring down at the still-buzzing phone. "You got somewhere to stay?" "Well, there''s a few hotels to choose from¡­" Jeremy sighed. The phone finally stopped buzzing, giving them some peace. "Come stay at my place." "You sure? I''m gonna be making a lot of phone calls. I don''t want to keep you up." "That''s fine." The phone vibrated a third time. "Holy shit, would you give us a minute?" Maddie practically shouted at her buzzing phone. She gave him a quick wave goodbye before the inevitable shouting match began. Jeremy waved back as Maddie reluctantly pressed the phone to her ear, before he turned to head out into the bright afternoon sun and back to his office once again.
"You''re fired, Lani," Jeremy said as he wandered back into their office. Lani looked up from whatever case he was working on now, surprised. "I''m what?" "As my sister''s spy. You''ve been canned. Next time, just tell her to call me straight, okay?" Lani smiled. "Went well, then?" "Yes, you''re both nosy as fuck. Now let me get back to work." His face fell. "You''re not done with the case?" "Hell no, I''m just getting started." Lani sighed. "So it went terribly." "For you." Jeremy pulled up the video files again and jumped right back to the night that Will and company had vanished from the hospital. Lani''s phone rang, interrupting his train of thought. Right as I''m getting settled in. He started watching the video again, trying to ignore Lani''s conversation. A few minutes later, Lani was snapping his fingers for Jeremy''s attention. "What?" Lani pointed at the phone insistently a few times before hitting the speaker button. A vaguely familiar voice echoed out. "¡ªand normally we wouldn''t call you guys, but it was just way too similar." "What was too similar?" Jeremy asked. "Lani? Is that your partner?" "Yes. Could you start over, Dave? Sorry," Lani said apologetically. "Like I was saying. We found another victim with the same type of massive bludgeoning wounds and avulsions as the original victims. It matches the pattern we saw." "Saw where?" Jeremy asked. "In Rallsburg." "Dave was the forensic team lead," Lani reminded him with the mute button held down. He released it. "You found another victim? Does it match anyone from the lists?" "Yeah. Jerry Hauserman." Jeremy''s mind flew through his mental dossier. "The ex-con?" "That''s the one." Did this really need a phone call? "Well, that''s one more off our list then, I guess. Thanks for the heads up." "I''m sorry, that wasn''t why I called. When we found him yesterday, Hauserman had only been dead for forty-eight hours. Maybe less." Jeremy and Lani looked at each other at the same instant. Jeremy spoke first, just as Lani was opening his mouth. "Where?"
They didn''t get any helicopters this time. In fact, Jeremy hadn''t even bothered to report the excursion after the last few turned out so poorly. Lani drove them out himself, enduring the rough traffic in the afternoon to get them all the way out to Olympia. Jeremy briefly considered stopping at the hospital for another look, but the heat of the chase had them both excited for the first time in months. This felt like a real lead, a dash of hope when he''d been searching fruitlessly for months now. Dave met them outside the lab, ushering them in through a side door. "We''re trying to keep it quiet for now," he explained as they walked. "You remember the hysteria the first time around. If news gets out that someone was found¡­" "Who found him?" Jeremy asked, taking out a pocket notebook. "Park ranger. He''s here if you want to interview him. It was just a routine patrol though, I think. He didn''t have a clue what he was looking at. No one did until they got him down to us." Dave lead them straight into the examination room. "Jesus, he looks like a contortionist," murmured Lani. He bowed his head slightly in respect. Jerry Hauserman was laid out on the nearest table. His back was nearly bent in half. One arm was torn clean off, and a hole the size of a cinder block was punched straight through his chest. His face had been beaten in to the point that it was barely recognizable. Jeremy turned to the forensic scientist. "You identified him by DNA?" "He was on file from the last time he was in prison, voluntary submission to clear his name on another case. Didn''t take much to match up." Dave frowned. "I still have no clue what could do something like this." "Have the rangers been sweeping the forest?" "Yes. Started about eight hours ago. Scott found him this morning and the sweep started an hour later." Jeremy nodded. "We''ll talk to the ranger, and then we''re heading out there." He glanced over at Lani. "You good?" Lani lifted his head again and opened his eyes. "Let''s go."
As expected, Jeremy didn''t get much out of the park ranger''s interview. He found the corpse in the woods during a routine patrol, just as Dave had said. There didn''t seem to be any particular reason Jerry Hauserman was in that part of the forest, though it was on a trail that lead close to Rallsburg if followed for a dozen miles. Real progress would have to come from the array of rangers now trawling through the thick Olympic forest south of Rallsburg. Jeremy and Lani joined one of the south-most groups, riding up as far as Lani''s jeep could take them. When the terrain became too steep, they dismounted and continued on foot, catching up to the rangers ahead in short order thanks to radio communications and satellite locating. The wonders of modern technology. "What do you think we''ll find out here?" Lani asked as they followed a few steps behind the line of rangers. "A killer." "You think a person did all this?" Jeremy climbed over a huge tree root blocking the path, feeling once again how out of shape he was. He resolved to get back into his workout regimen from training as soon as they returned to Seattle. "This confirms it." "How so?" "In Rallsburg you had a ton of fires, explosions, a wrecked town and a bunch of unexplained bodies. Could have been an accident, could have been on purpose. We had no clue." Jeremy paused for a moment while they waited for one of the rangers to return the latest call out. When he finally did, to a chorus of relieved voices, Jeremy continued. "Jerry Hauserman escaped whatever the hell happened there. He ran for it, then he somehow survived months on his own hidin'' out here. Until they found him." "Who?" "Whoever can do that to people. Tear them up like ragdolls. This was the killer catching the rest of his prey." Jeremy looked him dead in the eye. "There might be more bodies out here we ain''t found yet, if anyone else managed to make a run for it and got hunted down." "How many were we missing?" "Twenty one missin'' from the total count. Twenty now, since we''ve found Hauserman." "You think they''re all dead?" I hope not. "We''ll find out. That''s our job, remember?" Unfortunately for the agents, they found nothing but trees that evening in the sweep. After five miles and the sun completely vanishing below the horizon, they finally gave in. The ranger in charge promised to begin a new sweep further north as soon as the sun came back up. Lani thanked them for their time while Jeremy waited for the backup to arrive and drive them back to their jeep. It had been a long, hard hike for nothing whatsoever and he was getting increasingly frustrated. He should have been used to it after so many months without an inch of progress, but between the conversation with Maddie and the surprise lead in the form of Hauserman''s death, Jeremy had an itch he hadn''t felt in months. There was a real investigation for him to pursue. Lani drove them back along dark, sparsely populated streets, through Olympia and Tacoma and back into the Seattle area. He dropped Jeremy at his condo, promising to write up the new report for their agitated chief in the morning. Jeremy dragged himself inside and collapsed on the couch. "What happened to you?" asked Maddie, pajama-clad and holding a mug of tea. She walked over from the small kitchen and sat down opposite the couch in his favorite lounge chair. "Hiked five miles with the rangers and remembered how much I hate hiking," Jeremy grumbled into the pillow. "With the rangers?" "New lead." He rolled over and popped open his laptop on the coffee table, booting it up. "Someone got killed in the same way as those strange deaths in Rallsburg, but it was only two days ago." Maddie''s eyes widened. "So that means¡ª" "He''s not done yet." "Jesus Christ," she murmured. "You''re chasing a serial killer?" "Maybe. I don''t know what this is yet." Jeremy connected his laptop to the secure tunnel and opened up his work desktop. He started to pull up his notes to record everything from the day, but stopped. The video of the hospital was still open, right where he''d left it, and it reminded him of a nagging question in his skull about Hauserman. "Why didn''t he show up anywhere?" he muttered out loud. "What?" "The guy we found tonight." Jeremy spoke up. He wasn''t normally the type to bounce his thoughts off other people, but his sister Maddie was definitely smarter than him and could often spot connections he never quite made. "Jerry Hauserman. He was out there in the woods for four months. Why didn''t he try to go back to civilization?" "Maybe he tried to go home? Back to Rallsburg?" "He was found so far south he may as well have been out of the forest. He was a bit malnourished, but definitely alive until they caught up to him." "And murdered him." "Yeah." Jeremy leaned back on the couch, trying to think. "What''s the motivation here? Revenge? Terrorism? Just a random psychopath?" "Can''t be terrorism." Jeremy resisted the urge to make a sarcastic quip. "Why?" Maddie sipped her tea, looking queasy. "Terrorism is about achieving a political goal through violence and fear. The killer hasn''t said a word. No message, no agenda, no beliefs or anything. He''s killing all the people from that town and we ain''t got a fuckin'' clue on why. If he''s a terrorist, he''s a shitty one. He''s not accomplishing anything." "Not terrorism, then," Jeremy agreed. He looked down at the hospital video, the only other clue he had to go on. Maddie came around to sit next to him so she could see the screen as well. "You know you aren''t supposed to do that." "So turn me in," she said lightly, reaching forward to tap the mouse. "This is security camera footage?" "From St. Peter Hospital in Olympia." "Where that kid disappeared. Will-something?" "William Carbonell. Plus three others, and one body left behind we couldn''t identify." "They made it out," she said, taking another sip of tea. "They''re running from something." "No shit." "Why, though?" "Because they''ve got something to hide," Jeremy realized aloud. "Something happened in that town, they all knew about it and the killer''s suppressing it." "And the guy from today?" "Hauserman couldn''t show up anywhere because he knew if he did, we''d bring him in. We''d question him and he can''t answer those questions." Jeremy felt the tingle in his chest, a signal to his brain that he''d stumbled onto a piece of the truth. "They''re all hiding from us as much as they are from the killer." "Sounds right to me." Maddie yawned. "What''s next, though?" "I don''t know," he said, feeling a bit defeated after the revelation only a moment before. "It feels right but it doesn''t put me any closer to finding them or the killer. The rangers will keep sweeping the forest, but they don''t need me for that." "You''ll figure it out," she reassured him. Her phone buzzed, but this time she picked it up and chucked it across the room to the chair she''d vacated. "They can go fuck themselves for the rest of the night." He smiled. "So how did your dance with the devil go?" "When was the last time you spoke to that old bitch?" Maddie sighed and leaned back against the end of the couch, stretching out her legs. "She wants me to go stump for her, just like I thought. I''m the one up for election this year and she wants me to help her." "Courtney in a nutshell," Jeremy agreed. "Did she at least offer to return the favor?" "Fuck no!" Maddie laughed bitterly. "How the fuck did she ever get elected without understanding quid pro quo?" "Money, rich old fucks on her father''s side, a total willingness to backstab anyone she meets?" "Right, I forgot, she fucking cheated." Jeremy grinned. "Go easy on her, she never learned how to make friends." "Because we''re the poster children for loveable public figures." "You did manage to recruit my goddamn partner into your web," he pointed out. She laughed. "You oughta treat Lani better. He''s a good kid. He cares about you." "Unlike a certain sister." Maddie chucked a pillow at him, which he dodged easily. He got up and headed for the kitchen. "Did you save any of that tea for me?" "Check the stove, you asshat," Maddie shot back. She stretched out languorously on the couch with an exaggerated sigh. Jeremy returned with his mug of tea to find the entire thing occupied. He promptly sat down right on her legs. "Hey!" "You took my spot." He picked up the laptop while Maddie twisted awkwardly around to get her legs free again. She finally managed to sit up again while he clicked play on the video once again. He wasn''t really expecting to see anything, but it had become such a habit to watch it any time he felt idle. "I can see why you''d watch C-SPAN when this is your go-to home video," Maddie said dryly, watching the silent, almost unchanging footage over his shoulder. "What happened to just turning on some porn before bed?" "Says the Pornography Senator." "Freedom of speech, bitch," Maddie said triumphantly. "I''m just protecting their rights." "They aren''t even your constituents. No one makes porn in Washington." "I got a lot of good press off that one in my base though. Since I''m a middle aged single woman with no family, I take whatever I can get." "Congrats," Jeremy deadpanned. "Meanwhile, you got tarred and feathered on national news." "Yeah, but who cares about that anymore? As long as you''re still getting your votes, the news can say whatever it damn wants. Half the people watching don''t even believe it anymore." "Doesn''t that say something about your base, though?" "Like what?" "That they don''t trust national news anymore?" "Oh, Jere-bear," said Maddie sadly. "It''s so much more complicated than that." "Explain it to me sometime, then," he said mildly, clicking over to the next video. The timestamp had run out of the first one, putting them somewhere in the middle of the night on the fifteenth¡ªright around when Will disappeared. He was working through every video following last sighting of Nicole inside the hospital, one street at a time as far out as they had access to. "Ask me again when it''s not one in the goddamn morning." "You could''ve gone to sleep." Something caught Jeremy''s eye. He paused the video. "And miss out on such scintillating conversation with my little brother?" "Word a day app?" "No, McDonough used in a floor speech a couple days ago." Jeremy zoomed in on a portion. It was painfully blurry, but he could still make out enough detail. The shot was from the street six blocks away from the hospital, facing east. A police cruiser was passing underneath. The camera only shot in black and white and it was incredibly grainy, but he''d definitely spotted something. "What is it?" Maddie asked, noticing his change in posture. "That car." "It''s the Olympia five-oh. What about ''em?" "It''s not," Jeremy said firmly. He pulled up a picture to compare. "The color scheme is wrong." "The video''s in black and white." "The shades are wrong. Look." He opened a photo of the typical cruiser in an image editor and dropped the saturation down to zero. When he brought them next to each other, it was clear¡ªthe squad car in the video wasn''t a normal police vehicle. He picked up a state cruiser picture as well, just to be sure. "So it''s an old car with a paint job or some shit." Jeremy could see just enough detail on the rear of the car now. "Those scratches. On the rear bumper on the left side. That bullet hole just below the back window." He pointed each of them out as he spoke. The bullet hole looked like gunk on the camera lens until he pointed it out specifically frame-by-frame in the four frames they had recorded before the car passed out of view. "I know that goddamn car." "Huh?" He took a deep breath. "I rode around in it for years. I was there when we popped the trunk to duck that shooter. That''s Jackie Nossinger''s cruiser. I''d bet my fucking life on it." [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] B2: Chapter 4 — Comes the Hero Chapter 4 ¡ª Comes the Hero Sunlight streamed through the open window. Hailey groaned and rolled over, pulling the sheets tight over her face to try and block out the light. She reached behind her and magically felt out the window, sliding it closed with her mind and drawing the blackout curtains. The room plunged into darkness once again. She reached forward across the bed¡ªbut to her surprise, Jessica wasn''t there. Hailey''s eyes popped open. She flicked on the bedroom light switch across the room. The hands on the wall clock read seven thirty in the morning. They''d only gotten in from another run to Cinza''s home at three, so why was Jessica awake so early? A week had passed since they''d decided to reach out to the newly awakened. Thanks to Hailey''s conversations with Beverly, she knew that somewhere, people were finding pages and scraps, but Beverly remained stubbornly neutral. She refused to reveal any information whatsoever, which left Cinza and Josh crawling through local news while Hailey patrolled every small town within fifty miles of Rallsburg, flying low and watching out for anything unusual. So far, they''d come up with absolutely nothing. The constant late-night patrols were really starting to mess with Hailey''s head. After vaguely hoping for ten minutes that Jessica might come back, Hailey finally gave up and rolled out of bed. She pulled on fresh clothes, then stood in front of her mirror and took a deep breath. Muttering the proper words under her breath, she reached inside her face and cleaned it up, doing the work of ten minutes of makeup in an instant. She sent a burst of magic down through her hair, refreshing the messy bush of the Silverdales instead of the perfect waves her body wanted them to grow into. Hailey winced slightly as it pulled at her scalp, but it was better than taking the risk of being recognized. Hailey pulled on a light-blue cardigan and headed downstairs, feeling mostly-refreshed and with a massive craving for doughnuts. As she emerged into the kitchen, that craving disappeared¡ªto be replaced with confused anxiety. Jessica was sitting at the small kitchen table across from her parents, silently and deliberately eating through a bowl of cereal and avoiding their eyes. As Hailey walked in, Beth gave her a top-tier disappointed mother glare. It might have been totally withering, if Hailey hadn''t been raised by a powerhouse businesswoman with less patience than a hungry cat. "Uhh, good morning?" Beth shook her head. She pointed at Jessica, then at Hailey, followed by several angry jabs at the sky. She shook her head again, a bit more violently. "Dear, Hailey can understand you," said Malcolm, touching his wife''s hand. She slapped him away. "Excuse me for trying to show some solidarity with my daughter." "Do you really think Jessica would want you to be acting like a mime for no reason?" "It''s my job to make sure she feels comfortable and at home here!" "Why don''t you just ask her?" Hailey cut in. "Jess." Jessica immediately looked up, the spoon halfway to her mouth. Hailey pointed at her mother, then clapped her hand over her mouth, followed by tilting her head slightly to the side as a question. Jessica just rolled her eyes and went back to eating. "Okay, dear?" Malcolm asked. "Would you stop saying ''dear'' so much?" Beth snapped. She rounded back on Hailey again. "What are you doing with my daughter every night?" "Working." Hailey went to the cupboard and got out a bowl and spoon, before setting them down next to Jessica. Without even glancing at her, Jessica filled up her bowl with milk and cereal, while Hailey went to get a glass. "That''s it?" "I''m sure they¡ª" Malcolm started. "Would you stop interrupting? I want to hear her answer." Malcolm threw up his hands in surrender and got up, walking out to the living room. He turned on the local news, retreating from the conversation entirely. Hailey sat down across from Beth and dug into her cereal. "We''re doing our part. Trying to make sure no one gets found out. The usual." She was feeling a bit cranky and stubborn on such low sleep, plus she''d never really liked Beth Silverdale much anyway. Not after how they''d treated their daughter and practically driven her out of the house back in Rallsburg. "And that means you have to be out until the crack of dawn every night?" "Nah, we''re definitely home before it starts getting light out. That''s kind of the point." "What if you''re seen? What if someone follows you back here to us?" Hailey shrugged. "We''d stop them." "You can''t just¡ª" "Beth, an ordinary human''s no match for me or Jess. Not in a million years." "What about someone with a gun? Didn''t Rachel kill that horrible man with just a plain old pistol?" "She had help." "And you''re going to be up against who-knows-what!" Hailey shook her head. "It''s not like we''re going up against the army. Even if someone spotted us¡ªand they won''t, because Jess can make us totally invisible. Even he couldn''t do that." Jessica looked up briefly at her name, saw Hailey looking away from her, and ignored them again. She got up and began to clean up after herself and her father''s abandoned dishes. "I just think you''re taking a lot of risks with my daughter''s life here." Hailey frowned. "It''s her choice to make. She''s an adult, too." "Oh, come on!" Beth pointed at Jessica, who had joined her father on the couch to watch the news. "She can''t understand a word of what she''s watching, or anything we''re saying! She probably thinks you''re just going out and having fun every night, not risking everyone''s lives! How can she be making an informed decision about the danger involved?" Hailey set down her spoon and glared at Beth. "She''s informed. We went through all of this together for a whole year before you showed up. Don''t you dare talk about her like you know anything about what she''s been through. You kicked her out." "I¡ª" "Dear, can I talk to you for a moment?" Malcolm said, standing up. Jessica looked between the three of them for a moment, confused, before she gave up and laid back down again. Beth looked annoyed, but she followed her husband outside and across the small backyard while Hailey finished her breakfast. Hailey surreptitiously waved her fingers under the table, creating a current of movement across the yard. It was a useful effect that Jessica had helped develop, back when she could still speak. Hailey could accelerate the movement of sound waves across a space by shifting around the air they flowed through, making them louder and easier to hear from far away. There was a side effect at first of loud sounds reaching deafening levels, but Hailey had managed to refine the spell over the months to only affect soundwaves at a certain amplitude. She could make quiet things move much further and reach her ears before they ran out of energy. "Don''t tell me you''re not worried." "I''m terrified, but I think we have no idea what we''re doing here. Neither of us can do magic." "That doesn''t mean we don''t have a say in what happens to our daughter!" "Do we though? We made it pretty clear we didn''t want her around anymore when she left." "We tried to help her!" "We didn''t. We pretty much gave up on her as parents that day." "So we''re just supposed to let her run off alone and do whatever she wants without saying a word?" "She''s not alone." "You think Hailey''s a good influence?" Beth paused. "Christina used to talk about her all the time, God rest her. Hailey was that oversexed irresponsible party girl you always hear about. Jackie even broke up a few of her get-togethers because of all the drugs and drinking." There weren''t any drugs, Hailey mused. Well, nothing serious. "They''ve got a weird relationship and I don''t like it. I let them both live here, in the same bed and everything! I didn''t complain once, but this is too far." "We didn''t let them do anything," Malcolm pointed out. "We''re here under their protection, remember?" "What do we need protecting from anymore? He''s dead, isn''t he?" "You know that''s not the only danger." "You''re all just assuming the government would sweep down and grab us up." "Beth, I''m just as concerned as you are. I don''t like that Jessica''s clearly hurting and there''s nothing we can do for her. And you''re right, we''re assuming a whole lot of danger when there might be nothing at all. But we can''t hide out here forever. The money Kendra gave us will run out sooner or later. If Hailey and Jessica can do something about making sure the world''s ready for them, why wouldn''t we want them to try?" "I¡ª" Hailey''s phone buzzed, and at the same time both Malcolm and Beth''s did as well, interrupting their conversation. Hailey nearly dropped the empty bowl she''d been holding, too busy focusing on the conversation to finish putting it away. She scrambled for her phone, finally unhooking it from the belt clip and pulling it out. A search alert had just popped up for Rallsburg. Something was happening. Hailey bounded over to the couch while Beth and Malcolm rushed inside. Hailey flicked the news over to national channels, fearing the worst. "Breaking news from Washington state today, as officials from the FBI confirmed the death of one Jerry Hauserman, age thirty-nine. Hauserman was one of the missing persons still unidentified from the mysterious incident that destroyed the town of Rallsburg in the foothills of the Olympic Forest. The spokesman for the coroner''s office released the official time of death as September 14th, well after the event in May. Special Agent Jeremy Ashe was unavailable, but a spokesman for the Bureau refused to comment on the significant delay in Hauserman''s death or his condition. Thanks to our sources, we can exclusively confirm that Jerry Hauserman''s body was in the same condition as the so-called ''pulverized'' victims in Rallsburg, whose cause of death was never determined. With Hauserman''s death placed more than four months after the first incident, experts are suggesting that this may not be an isolated case anymore." Hailey took a deep breath, trying not to panic. They hadn''t shown any images on screen, but her memories of the golems stalking through the town were vivid enough to still send her heart racing. She looked up at Beth, who had clapped her hands over her mouth. Hailey felt like being spiteful¡ªbut when she saw Jessica''s worried look, not understanding what was going on, she relented. She stood up. "You two stay inside, keep the windows closed and the doors locked. Don''t go out today." Beth nodded, shaking slightly. "Those things are back?" "I guess so." Hailey turned and held out a hand to Jessica, helping her to her feet. "We''ve gotta go." "Go where?" Malcolm asked, clutching his wife''s hand. "To protect everyone." Hailey tried to crack a smile. "Don''t worry. We''ve beaten them before, and it''s not like they can fly. We got this." Beth nodded. She looked Hailey directly in the eye. "Keep her safe?" Hailey smiled for real. "She keeps me safe, you know. I''m just the wings here. Jess is the firepower." She made a quick fluttering motion to Jess, who nodded and sped off upstairs to grab their flight equipment. In spite of everything they''d said and done, Hailey didn''t want to leave them feeling so awful¡ªnot when she was about to fly headlong into what could be another heart-twisting, blood-searing fight for their lives. "You raised her right. She''s trying to save people. Don''t beat yourselves up so much. You did okay."
Jessica returned with the equipment. Her parents watched as they bounded up and away from the backyard, vanishing into the sky as Jessica made them invisible. Hailey didn''t have any time to waste. Luckily, it was a cloudy day. Her favorite kind, in fact, with massive puffy cumulus clouds forming huge mountains in the sky. She summoned up a powerful jet of wind using the tourmaline stone hanging from around her neck, pushing them skyward like the thrust of a rocket while she kept her wings folded flat behind her. As they crossed the lowest cloud layer, she released the jet before it started to burn the gem and spread her wings wide. Jessica released the patch of invisibility that had kept their ascent hidden. She began to push out raw energy, allowing a flow of magic to emerge from somewhere in her chest to fill the space between herself and Hailey. Hailey took it gratefully and transformed it into another jet of wind to propel them across the wide empty expanse. They tore across the blue at breakneck speeds, reaching Rallsburg in a quarter of the time it normally took. Hailey felt like her face might get cut by the air itself from the sheer speed they managed, but to her relief the pain dissipated as they slowed down. The forests around Rallsburg were rife with activity. A pair of helicopters with police markings were making slow passes around the town. Hailey used a bit of the leftover energy Jessica was still pushing out and sent it into her eyes. As Jessica had described it, she was actually enhancing the cones in her eyes to pick up far more light than usual and be able to resolve images much further away in greater detail. Hailey didn''t quite understand how that was possible, but Jessica managed to explain the exact way to manipulate the tiny components of her eyes without really explaining what was actually changing. She wondered if Jessica had actually known herself, since many of her trickier spells came to her through long stints of casting out with her Knowledge affinity. Now, of course, she couldn''t explain a single one of them. Once her brain had adjusted to the vastly increased capabilities of her eyesight, Hailey took a quick scan of the area. She could see dozens of uniformed men and women scouring the forest and the remains of the town alike, in much the same fashion they had back in May. It was a bit different seeing it herself, rather than plastered across the news, but either way Hailey felt unsettled. She tugged Jessica''s right sleeve downward, telling her they were heading in. Jessica nodded against her, then stopped the flow of energy between them. A faint outline of a circle appeared below them. Hailey dove for it, picking up speed as they fell. Jessica''s arms clenched tight around her as they accelerated, summoning a wall of invisibility in every direction. Hailey could tell she was straining at the sheer mental difficulty of keeping up so many fast-moving illusory walls. Just a few more seconds, Jess. Hang in there. They dropped straight through the forest canopy. Hailey flared out her wings and sent a jet of air below them at the same time, braking as hard and fast as she could. They just barely slowed down in time, landing on a single foot and perfectly straight up in the middle of the bridge. It was probably Hailey''s best landing ever, utterly exhilarating¡ªbut no one was around to celebrate it. She unstrapped Jessica, and they hurried into Cinza''s cabin. The entire group was gathered inside, watching a live feed of the search on Ruby''s laptop while another feed played out on the computer monitor. Cinza gestured at them to close the door behind them. "So you guys heard," Hailey said breathlessly, taking an open chair near the door. Jessica squeezed in and sat down on the floor next to her. Cinza''s cabin wasn''t exactly large. Twelve of them inside at once was straining the confines of the place, already split in half by the curtain, to its breaking point. Ruby and Cinza shared her chair, and Ruby looked like she''d seen a ghost, her skin impossibly pale against her dark red hair. "We thought he might be alive, but¡­" Cinza trailed off grimly. "He can still make those monsters," Brittany said, seated in the next chair beside Cinza. She winced as she adjusted her position, the remainder of her leg bumping up against the chair''s arm. "Are you¡ª" Matthew asked, concerned. "Phantom pains," Brittany grunted through gritted teeth. "I''m okay." "You didn''t post online," Hailey prompted. Cinza shook her head. "We cut off our net as soon as the helicopters showed up. I''m not sure if they could actually detect our signal, but I didn''t want to risk it. This is all just local broadcast on the antenna," she added, gesturing at the screen. "No signals going out." "Anything I should be telling the others?" "Nothing they don''t already know." Cinza''s eyes remained fixed on the live feed, which seemed to be pointing right at their home¡ªthough of course on the screen it appeared to be just another patch of trees. "I trust everyone knows to stay hidden and under the radar." "So much for going out and finding some new people," said Nikki with dismay. Joe put an arm around her shoulders, but she pushed him back, looking annoyed. "Actually," said Rufus, still leaning against the windowsill and looking a bit winded. "Might be the best time to get out there and find those folks. They gonna need us more than ever, ''tween the man in the woods and the Man in the gov''ment." "With all of that shit going on?" Josh said, raising an eyebrow. He stood back in the corner where the curtain met the wall, yet another step removed from the rest of the group he was stuck living with. "How the fuck are we gonna bring anyone here if they''ve got us surrounded?" "You don''t," said Makoto. "Okay, so what are you saying, then?" "Hook ''em up to the site," said Rufus, nodding. "The ''mportant thing is we start communicatin'' and makin'' sure new ''wakened aren''t gonna get ''emselves killed, or anyone else, righ''?" "That sounds like a way to get us killed. There''s a lot of personal information on that site. More than enough to figure out where some of the Ghosts live," said Ruby. "That wouldn''t help them find us though, would it?" asked Joe. "I thought the ritual kept everyone walking in circles if they tried to get here." "Essentially," Cinza confirmed. "We''re not worried about this place," said Josh. "It''s Natalie and the Laushires, or Hector and Boris up in B.C. The Bowmans and the Silverdales." "The same arguments we went through four months ago," said Rufus with a sigh. "I agree with Rufus," said Cinza, drawing a startled look from Ruby. "With a caveat," she added, before Ruby could start talking. "The site can be segmented. Rachel granted me root access. I will pull all the relevant posts and messages with personal information into a private section, strictly for our use. But the majority of the site, including all our work and research data on magic, must remain available for newly awakened." "Are you fucking insane?" asked Josh heatedly. "We''re not making the same mistake again," Cinza shot back, rising up in her chair slightly. "The old Council was marked by secrecy and distrust. Secrets were guarded jealously. We must do better, and that means sharing and cooperation. If we bring them in under a veil of suspicion, we only invite betrayal into our midst." "The moment you add someone else like Julian, we''re all fucked." "We''re also stronger than the previous council," Cinza added. "You three could only command authority by the mandate you were given. When the time came, Rachel was far stronger by her personal efforts than by any means granted to her through the Articles. I mean no offense, but even the weakest of my followers outstripped all three of you in magical ability." "You ever seen me actually cast some shit?" "No, and therein lies the proof." Cinza brushed her hair back, wincing slightly at the sound of a helicopter passing overhead. "Magic does not come naturally. It must be exercised and grown. My people practice daily. We drill and train and produce real results from our efforts. We can provide enforcement." "We never needed to." "Until the day you did. Once from a girl you cast out, and then again in May. Rachel had to court the goddess herself into service, since your forces were so woefully inadequate." Real anger was seeping into Cinza''s voice as she went on. "If we''d been a proper, unified force, we might not have been caught so off guard. People were dying to Jackson while members of the council were making power plays and stabbing one another in the back." Josh glanced around the room, looking for support, but he found none in the gathered Greycloaks. Yusuf''s arms still showed angry scars from burns at the hands of the first golem attack on their group. Brittany''s missing leg stood out even more, taken by Robert Harrison''s bear trap, who had been working with Julian Black¡ªa member of the Council¡ªto destabilize the town. Two of their group, Aaron and Morton, were killed in the fighting. Cinza herself was apparently still recovering from the massive rituals she''d channeled. Josh''s gaze finally met Hailey''s, and with all of that in mind, Hailey couldn''t bring herself to disagree with Cinza. "I think she''s right," she said quietly. Josh looked like he''d been stabbed in the back. "I mean, I wasn''t there. I only heard about most of that. But if he''s back, we''ve gotta do something. It sounds like we need to try something different, and Cinza sounds like she''s got the best plan." Cinza nodded. "I appreciate your fears, Joshua. If certain spells are made commonplace, the world might become far more dangerous. However, the same might be said of guns, or any number of weapons throughout history. The technology will advance. It''s only a matter of time. Better that we are the progenitors of its release and can caution its use appropriately." "So we can get everyone killed," Josh muttered. "I agreed with Rika. This is dangerous." "And Rika was wrong," Cinza snapped. "Without her magic in Rachel''s hands, we''d all be dead." Josh shook his head. "You''ve already decided. Just go fucking do it. I won''t stand in your way." He walked out of the cabin, leaving a painful silence in his wake. Hailey followed him out, while the rest of the group turned back to watch the screen. "Josh, wait up!" To her relief, he stopped and waited for her. "Don''t worry Hales. I''m sticking around. It''s not like I have anywhere to go," he added bitterly. "I just¡ª" "This is some fuckin'' d¨¦j¨¤ vu," he added. "Literally the same as last week, you and Cinza versus me, then we come out here and talk things out, right?" Hailey faltered, and he shrugged. "I''ll help you guys out. I''m still in this. Just tell me what to do and I''m there. But don''t think for a second you guys aren''t playing with fire. I mean, look." He pointed into the sky, where in the distance one of the helicopters was turning around for another pass. "That shit right there is why we should all be scared. They found one recently dead and we''re covered in cops. Brian''s still out there somewhere, and he''s still got the golems on his side. He probably can''t find us here, or we''d already be dead, but you''re still gonna have to deal with him sooner or later." He shook his head. "I''m not trying to be the fucking doom and gloom prophet here, but that''s all I''m seeing."
Hailey and Jessica rode together in the back while Alden drove. If they got pulled over, Jessica could hide them in an instant. "Not that we will," Hailey added reassuringly. "You''re a good driver." "Thanks." Alden pulled them smoothly out onto the highway, with all the confidence of someone who''d been driving for years¡ªnot three months. "This is your mom''s car?" "Nah, it''s the spare. Getting to use it whenever I want was the incentive for getting my license." "You guys have a spare car?" You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. "Yeah. I think it was my grandma''s. I don''t remember exactly." "Your grandma had a nice car," Hailey said, glancing around. It wasn''t brand new, but it was fairly recent and in great condition. A nice four-door sedan. "You''ll be pulling off at the Redmond exit, okay?" "Got it." He frowned. "So how''d we find this person, anyway? I thought everyone who knew how to locate magic was gone." "Still gone. Cinza and Nikki have been trying to figure out how to cast that one again. I think Jess might be able to do it, since she''s got the right affinity, but the original spell vanished with Rachel and Will." Hailey gazed out the window, watching cars flash by on the opposite side. "I''m pretty sure I can fly faster than this." "You can''t carry us both," Alden pointed out. "Besides, taking the car out will make my parents happy. Win-win." "Anyway, we found them the old fashioned way. Facebook posts about someone doing impossible magic tricks out of the blue nearby." "That''s old fashioned?" Hailey laughed. "Old fashioned for me. I got in touch with them through Rupert and got them to cool it for now, and we''re heading out to meet them in person." "Rupert, king of social media?" "No kidding. He''s got literally thousands of friends in the area. Something about being a British guy on the west coast¡­" "How did you two meet again?" "Seated together at a coffee shop," Hailey deadpanned. "Nope, still wrong. Try again." "State fair in July. He won me a giant teddy bear." "Nice try. The fair was in August." She laughed. "Thanks for not telling anyone else about him yet." Alden shrugged. "He sounds like a good guy from the way you talk. If you trust him, then it''s not my business." "Thanks. How''s my biggest fan doing?" He grinned. "Meg hasn''t said a word to me all week that wasn''t about magic. She really wants your autograph. Like, so much that it''s kind of creepy." "I guess I should start practicing it." "D''you think famous people practice their autograph?" "Sure, why not? It gets put up online just like everything else. It''s all part of their image, right?" "I think you''ve spent too much time on it already." Hailey smiled. "It''s nice to feel like someone out there thinks you''re doing something right." "You think you aren''t?" Alden asked, as they merged off the highway. The trip had taken less time than she''d expected. "It''s not that. It''s more like¡­" Hailey trailed off, trying to put into words what she was feeling. "It''s like, we had a huge fight and we barely made it out alive, then we had to go right into hiding for months and months, cut off all our old friendships, disappear off the face of the earth. I wasn''t really crazy social or anything anymore, but I still talked to plenty of people. Cutting out everyone was a big deal for me. I kinda feel like I''m falling behind the entire world. Like I''ll just disappear." She sighed. "I don''t want to sound like I''m fishing for recognition. I don''t need people to stand up and call me a hero. It''d just be nice if a few people saw us and thought ''yeah, they did okay.'' Something to make it all seem worth it, you know?" "Yeah," he agreed. "And that''s why you''re pushing to get out here again, right?" "Exactly. I want this to keep going. I don''t want to just fade out and vanish." Alden glanced up at the sky, where a news chopper was trailing the highway traffic. "I kinda doubt that''s gonna happen." Hailey looked up too. "It''s going away. Probably just evening traffic stuff." "Right." Alden paused, thinking for a few moments. "You''re also pushing because you want to see them again, right?" Hailey''s heart tightened a little. Alden was the only person who knew about her three lost friends, besides Jessica of course. "Yeah. That too." Alden pointed at a retail parking lot coming up. "That''s the spot, right?" "That''s the one." Hailey rolled her shoulders and stretched out, like she was about to start a fight. "You ready?" "As I''ll ever be."
They were due to meet in thirty minutes. The car was hidden two streets away. Alden sat at the corner of the parking lot, far away from the bustle of the store, quietly reading a book on the bench. Hailey stood a few steps behind on the grass, while Jessica kept them both invisible. By all appearances, Alden was totally alone. He was supposed to be calm and normal, but as Hailey looked back, his leg was shaking and the hand holding the book wouldn''t stop quivering. "You okay?" she asked quietly. "I''ll be fine," he murmured. "We can pull out if we have to." "No. The guy''s already on his way." Alden gritted his teeth, staring at the book intensely though his eyes didn''t actually travel across the words. "I can do this." "Okay. You say the word and we''ve got your back." Hailey forced herself to stay still. Jessica noticed her distress and took her hand firmly, squeezing to try and reassure her. It didn''t help much, but Hailey appreciated it. Alden sat and waited, starting to doze off. Hailey got distracted watching the clouds, thinking about taking a flight around them at some point. It was fiercely cold and wet inside a cloud, but dancing around the intricate landscapes of the thicker blankets of clouds presented an interesting challenge, diving through the shifting formation without touching a single droplet of water. "Are you him?" asked a voice suddenly, in a heavily exaggerated dramatic overtone. Alden stood up straight, snapping the book shut on his finger. "Jonathan¡­ Hudson, right?" Alden asked, squinting a bit in the sunset. "The one and only!" he cried, flourishing a voluminous reflective cape. Hailey fought the urge to laugh. Jonathan¡ªwho had to be in high school or just out of it¡ªwore a cheap-looking tuxedo t-shirt under the cape, complete with top hat that was clearly out of an amateur magician set. "You wanted a demonstration, did you not? I heard whispers of a secret society, but pardon me, sir, for I had not expected their representative to appear so plainly. Your disguise does you wonders!" "Uhh¡­" Alden started. "Yeah. Can you show me something?" "But of course, tis but a trifle for the likes of I!" Jonathan plucked his top hat from his head and twirled it around in his hands, leaving it upside down between them. "Observe!" He shut his eyes tight, murmuring under his breath. Hailey quickly amplified it. To her, it sounded like actual gibberish, and not the incomprehensible murmurings of Jessica or Natalie when they were casting a real spell. She started to wonder if he was the real deal and Rupert hadn''t been fooled¡ªright up until a candle-sized flame flickered into life in mid-air above the center of the top hat. It looked convincing, but she had to be sure. She reached out to the flame with her senses, and sure enough, she could feel the telltale traces of another awakened manipulating the energy in midair to create the reaction from nothing. She sent a flick of wind through Alden''s hair, not enough to make it move but more than enough that he''d notice. Jonathan was for real. "Suitably impressed?" Jonathan asked confidently, though Hailey could tell he was spending a lot of effort just on the simple candle flame. He was very new to casting spells. She could have snuffed it out more easily than blinking, while he was exerting a lot of energy. "Yeah." Alden took a seat on the bench again. "Convincing magic. But you can drop the act, all right?" "Act? Would you question my trade, sir?" Alden shrugged. Hailey saw his fingers twirl slightly, swinging upward. At the same time, the top hat flew out of Jonathan''s outstretched fingers and twenty feet into the sky. The candle flame vanished with a tiny hiss as the hat extinguished it on the way through. Jonathan''s mouth fell open. "Come sit down?" Alden asked, indicating the seat next to him. Jonathan took a few moments, while the hat bounced to the pavement behind him. Finally, eyeing Alden suspiciously, he took the seat next to him. "Welcome to the club, then." "You can do it too?" he asked, all pretense vanishing from his voice. With the faux-announcer affectation gone, Hailey thought he actually had a rather pleasant speaking voice. He was much easier to take seriously, at any rate. "There''s more of us, too." Alden paused. "How much did she explain to you?" As expected, there was no need to indicate who ''she'' was. Jonathan didn''t look surprised. "She said I''d found magic. Real magic. She told me to be careful with it, then she disappeared. Nothing else, really." He looked a bit disappointed. "Does she usually say more than that?" Hailey raised an eyebrow. So Beverly had changed her speech a little. The warning was new. Alden nodded. "Grey-eyes never talks to anyone past that. Don''t take it personally. It''s just who she is." "And who are you?" "My name''s Zack." They''d agreed to start off with a fake name again, just in case, and Alden was used to going by it anyway. "I''m awakened, just like you." "Awakened?" "Just the word we''re using for now." "Who''s we?" he asked excitedly. "A lot of people. Do you have your phone on you?" He nodded, pulling out a very nice looking smartphone. Hailey was a touch jealous¡ªbut she''d sworn off expensive phones after breaking too many of them flying around. Better to have a reliable phone that wouldn''t let her down no matter how many times she crashed than a beautiful brick that couldn''t survive one little collision with a treetop. "Mind if I use it for a second?" Jonathan eyed him suspiciously. "Can I trust you?" Alden sighed. "Is there a useful answer to that question?" Jonathan didn''t seem to follow. Neither did Hailey, for that matter, until she took a minute to think about it. "Let''s put it this way," Alden went on. "You''ve got real magic, and I''m the only other person in the world right now who knows. As far as you know, anyway. I''ve been doing it a lot longer than you too. This is all really new and we''re figuring it out as we go, so there''s gotta be some trust or we''re not getting anywhere." He held out his hand. "Sound good?" After a moment''s hesitation, Jonathan shook it. Alden rolled his eyes. "I meant your phone, but okay." "Oh, right. Sorry." He unlocked it and handed it over. Alden opened up a browser and clicked through a few screens Hailey couldn''t see. He paused and glanced back up at Jonathan. "You''re seventeen?" "Oh¡­ Yeah, I kinda lied on my profile." Jonathan shrugged. "Easier to get shows if they think you''re out of high school." He shook his head. "No, we didn''t want to bring in anyone underage." It''s an arbitrary number, Alden, Hailey fumed silently. We already approached him. He''s only one year off. Natalie''s only thirteen! It''ll be fine! "What do you mean?" Jonathan asked, sounding nervous. "Why is that important?" "Nothing. I''m sorry." Alden handed the phone back. "We''ll contact you again sometime." "No, hang on. Why do I need to be eighteen? Is this dangerous?" "It''s¡ª" Jonathan gasped theatrically and stood up. Hailey would have assumed it was staged if it had been any other guy. "Is this what happened to that town? Rallsburg?" Alden took a half-second too long to respond, and Jonathan''s eyes bulged out. His voice lifted an octave. "Was that place blown up by magic?" "Keep your voice down," Alden hissed, glancing around nervously. "Holy shit, it was." Jonathan took a step back. "Did you guys do that? Are you trying to destroy the world or something? You killed everyone there!" "No!" Alden glanced at where he assumed Hailey was¡ªwhich was two feet off, but close enough. "Help me, please?" Hailey wasn''t sure what he wanted exactly, so she did the only thing she could think of. She summoned a gust of wind to push Jonathan back towards them, and quickly sent a wave of magic through her hair and skin to restore her real appearance. At the same time, she gestured to Jessica, miming a wall falling over in front of them. Jessica nodded, making her visible from the front only. She stayed seated on the grass, while Hailey got to her feet. If she''d thought Jonathan''s eyes couldn''t get any wider, she was sorely mistaken. Hailey genuinely thought they might fall out of his skull. "Where the fuck did you come from?" he asked, shaking slightly. "Rallsburg," Hailey replied. Alden sighed. "Check your phone, Jonathan. Go look up the Rallsburg victims. Hailey Winscombe." "Hailey Aurora Elizabeth Winscombe," she corrected mildly. "Yes, you have a ridiculous name, is now really the time?" Alden asked, irritated. "Ridiculous?" "Okay, so it''s awesome and I''m jealous." He shrugged. "Holy shit, it''s really you." Jonathan had found the photograph. "You''re supposed to be dead. Why aren''t you dead?" "Some of us survived." Hailey nodded at Alden. "Are you convinced we''re not dangerous killers anymore? Because we don''t have all day here." "I¡ª hang on. So you can do magic too?" Hailey rolled her eyes. She murmured a quick spell and sent a gust of wind out to catch his hat. It skidded across the pavement, tapping his feet insistently from the side. "Yup, still can." "Hey, you said something. What did you say to do that?" Alden glanced at her sidelong. "I''ve been wondering that too. You and Jessica say stuff when you cast spells." Hailey didn''t follow. "... Yeah?" "The rest of us don''t vocalize. We just feel it out with our minds. Rika said it didn''t even take gestures if you''re really good, but they help you aim and exert yourself more, like swinging your arms helps you keep momentum when running. But none of us actually say stuff." She shrugged. "I never really thought about it." She glanced over at Jonathan. "Is this really a good time, though?" "Probably not." Alden turned back to Jonathan. "Well, you''re in the club now I guess." "Wow," he breathed, staring at Haley in awe. "You''re amazing." Hailey tried not to feel too flattered, but it got to her anyway. It was a feeling she hadn''t gotten since she''d been the queen of the party back in Rallsburg. Even Rupert, as kind as he was, couldn''t really provide the sort of adoration of the masses she always craved inside. She''d convinced herself¡ªmostly for Jessica''s sake¡ªthat she was happier living with a small group of close friends, but that was never Hailey Winscombe''s destiny. She was meant for the center stage, not the private box in the audience. She was born to fly.
Jonathan was the first new awakened to sign onto the site Rachel had set up for them. Originally, it had been a heavily locked down private message board, like those from the height of the bulletin board days before social networks took over. Hailey vaguely remembered hanging out on a few of them, but she''d readily admit to being a member of the Facebook generation. Returning to the old format wasn''t really nostalgic so much as it was tedious. The site originally had no methods to notify them of new messages, or subscribe to things. It couldn''t even send email. All in all, Hailey was a bit underwhelmed¡ªuntil Cinza got ahold of it. Rachel had given her full access, so Cinza had brought on a friend who she claimed to trust explicitly, though none of them had any clue who they might be. This ''Tezofarl'' had explained over chat that Rachel had deliberately selected an old version well before the data mining revolution, to be sure the software wasn''t phoning home in any way to report on their activity. Unfortunately, that meant the site also lacked for a few basic modern comforts like notifications. Tezofarl restored those features, and following Cinza''s requests, also provided a tiered system of private areas by which they could still communicate privately amongst the so-called ''Ghosts of Rallsburg'', and a second tier for the new ''second generation Awakened'', as Ruby had taken to calling them. Hailey immediately resolved to find a better name for them before it stuck, like so many other names Ruby coined. As for the mistake with Jonathan, they agreed it was a necessary risk at the time, but that it couldn''t be repeated. Alden and Cinza practiced his approach to new recruits, making sure he wouldn''t slip up again, and Hailey stuck to the invisible shadows with Jessica. They managed two more in the following week¡ªKatie Nelson, a mother of three who''d found a Scrap stuck to her birdhouse in the backyard, and Drew Jacobs, a young electrician''s apprentice¡ªtracking them both down through videos in the local area on social media. Anything slightly suspicious they followed up on, either by a message from Rupert or Alden, or a direct visit if they weren''t hard to find. It was exhausting work, and it kept their schedules packed, but it felt right. It felt satisfying. After two weeks, the helicopters finally gave up and stopped circling the town. The park rangers continued their sweeps, but the excitement died down again. The news stopped covering Rallsburg, with no further developments past the discovery of Jerry''s body. It was business as usual, and that meant Hailey could finally make it there unnoticed in a normal glide, without having to do a high altitude suicide dive every time. She kept doing them anyway. As they came down for another wind-shrieking landing, Joe waved them in. He looked he wasn''t eating well, even though their garden was producing more than enough food as fast as they wanted it to, in or out of season. Hailey let Jessica loose and walked over to sit with him on the benches they''d built around the stream. The camp in general was looking more developed every day, but Hailey appreciated the sensibilities Cinza had applied to the landscape design. While they continued to construct benches, walkways, arches and a few extra cabins to house them more comfortably, the construction never interrupted the natural flow of the region. If anything, it looked like it was always meant to flow that way, with the benches made of smooth wood that seemed like real trees had simply bent that way naturally, and the cabins perfectly settled into the ground and connected to the trees nearby. "It''s Yusuf''s thing," Joe explained, as Hailey asked about the way the bridge seemed to be a growth of wood right out of the ground, despite clearly being engineered. "I mean, Cinza and Ruby do the actual construction ''cause he doesn''t have the affinity, but he touches up the designs. Makes ''em seem all natural. It''s really cool to watch." "I would have thought Ruby did the designs." Hailey pointed at the door to Cinza''s cabin, where Ruby was currently seated, making an adjustment to one of the eight panels on the front representing the affinities. "Different styles, I guess." He shrugged. "Anyway, what''s up? You guys weren''t due in today, were you?" "Just in the neighborhood," Hailey said casually. Joe snorted. "Some kinda neighborhood. Cinza''s inside, if you were looking for her." He glanced around forlornly. "Nobody out here but me today." "Something wrong?" "Nah. Go on, you guys probably got important business." He clutched the hem of his silver robe and pulled it tighter as the autumn wind swept through the clearing. "I''m just out here enjoyin'' the weather and trying to remember what blue looked like." Hailey clapped him on the back, feeling a bit worried for him. She tried to play her part. "If you need anything, let me know, okay?" He nodded. Joe had gone through a lot back in Rallsburg. To be honest, Hailey hadn''t really liked him much¡ªhe''d attached himself to Ryan as the definition of a lackey, and she''d mentally filed him away as a space-filler. Still, when the chips were down, he''d stood up for Cinza and her people against a legitimate angry mob, and that counted for a lot. He''d stuck around through all the chaos, including his family''s murders, and he now wore the grey robes proudly. Hailey wasn''t so sure about his commitment to Cinza, but she didn''t doubt at all his foremost motivation for staying. That motivation was seated inside Cinza''s cabin with the owner, discussing the particulars of magic as Hailey walked in. She greeted Ruby as she passed, but Ruby only gave her a brief mumble before returning her focus to the door paneling. "I''m just saying, it should be possible," Nikki was saying. Cinza waved Hailey inside to one of the chairs. She sat cross-legged in her chair, chin resting on folded hands. "Is it a line we''re willing to cross?" asked Cinza gravely. "What did I just walk into?" Hailey asked nervously. "Sources of magic," replied Nikki. "Can I get a bit more context?" "We were discussing gemstones," said Cinza. "Nicole is very curious to discover how they can power our magic. We already know for certain that we can share energy between one another, but it''s a voluntary process. One cannot extract magical power from another person. It must be given. Intentionally, as Joshua would say." Hailey nodded. "But gemstones aren''t alive." "Indeed." Cinza picked up the necklace from her chest and held it up. Each segment of the star had a small compartment¡ªnine in all¡ªwhere she could insert a gemstone to complete the pattern. With the star laying on her skin underneath her robes, Cinza could easily draw on any of the nine at any time to power a spell. She''d folded the metal herself using magic, making the design perfect and flawless. "Yet they still follow similar rules. I cannot draw power from these without making contact, in the same vein that I cannot pair with Ruby unless we touch. Clothing seems to be exempt as always, but the rule remains." "So where does the power come from?" "It''s always been there," Nikki put in. "You mean magic''s always been there?" "Not magic, merely energy." Cinza pointed at the centerpiece to her star, a perfect sparkling diamond. "Most diamonds were formed over one billion years ago through natural earth processes. We''re theorizing that energy was pressed into them at the time, and since the gems are burned out as we use them and eventually shatter into nothingness, we must be drawing out that stored energy." "And I think we could use other things," added Nikki. "Other things like what?" Hailey thought briefly. "Gasoline and fossil fuels? Same idea, right?" "We did try that, actually, but there was no result. Perhaps we weren''t doing it right, I cannot be certain. Ruby had quite a day trying to clean out the smell, though," Cinza added with a smile. "You could have helped, instead of sitting around cracking jokes," said Ruby from the doorway. "Reap what you sow, my love," Cinza called back. She turned to Hailey. "Nicole still believes we could expand to other objects. Possibly living ones." "But¡ª" Hailey felt a slight chill on her spine. "I thought it couldn''t be taken if it wasn''t intended." "From people," Cinza corrected, though she also looked uncomfortable at her own words. "We''re assuming this is just a natural extension of Mason''s Law preventing such an action. Think about the sensation of sharing your energy with another." Hailey nodded. "It''s like you''re pushing it outside your body completely." "And therefore outside whatever arcane protection the Law grants us," Cinza concluded. "But consider something else. There is ample evidence of complex magic being performed on other living objects that aren''t human." Hailey glanced around the cabin. "I''m not sure this counts. You shape the tree bark and trunks after they''ve fallen. Besides, have you ever felt any energy you could use inside a tree?" "I wasn''t speaking of myself," Cinza said. "One of the Five." "Natalie," Hailey realized aloud. She nodded. "Natalie may know something." Hailey shook her head. "Even if she casts spells on animals all the time, that doesn''t mean you can somehow get energy back out of them." Nikki frowned. "We have to know." "Why?" "Because someone else will figure it out, sooner or later. Do you want to be the ones who can''t do it, if it comes down to that?" "You''re talking about a hypothetical war now," Hailey said exasperatedly. "Who says it''ll come to that?" Cinza sighed. "It always come to that." "That''s like a self-fulfilling prophecy." Hailey glanced at Nikki. "I don''t remember you being so gung-ho about something crazy like this." "Hailey, my parents are dead. Everyone I knew is dead. Aaron and Morton are dead," she said, her voice choking up. "And that was just one guy. His friend is still out there." "But¡ª" "It''s hypothetical, like you said," Cinza said firmly. "There''s no evidence it can be done. We''re certainly not about to start trying it on Natalie''s friends." Hailey stood up. "I gotta head out." "Was that everything?" Cinza asked. "I assumed you came to talk about something more specific." "It can wait." Hailey had meant to tell them about Rupert finally, but she didn''t want to be in the same room as them for a while. Everything they were discussing didn''t fit with what she wanted¡ªthe image she''d been creating of herself. She left, calling Jessica to her, with only a quick goodbye to Joe before they vanished back into the sky.
"I get why they wanted to talk about it," Hailey explained, "but god, it just sounded like they were going to be doing experiments and torturing them. I mean, what else is drawing energy out of an animal going to do to it?" "I don''t know," Beverly replied, sitting with her back up against the chimney a few steps above Hailey. Hailey twisted around to look at her. "I thought you knew the whole book back to front." "The Grimoire never covered that specifically." She looked away wistfully into the night sky. "I read all about how you can move it between people, but you guys already figured that out. It never said you could use animals, but it never said you couldn''t." "So the book didn''t cover everything." Hailey lay back and watched the stars twinkling far above. Beverly blinked away, leaving Hailey alone to ponder the revelation for a minute. When she returned, Hailey spoke up again. "You think there might be more out there you don''t know?" "I just kinda assumed there was." Beverly shrugged. "It''s just one book and magic is so big. I never thought it could all be written in there." "But then maybe there isn''t," Hailey said, half-wishing it were true. "Have you ever sensed anyone casting a spell that wasn''t specifically in there?" Beverly took a minute to think before she answered. "Yes." Hailey waited, but she didn''t continue. "Well, don''t leave me in suspense here. What was it?" "...Your wings." "Huh?" "I have no idea how they work," Beverly said. She looked embarrassed. "I watched you two do the ritual but I had no clue what you were doing." Hailey raised an eyebrow. "You watched?" She glanced away. "I was keeping an eye on you." Hailey sighed. "It was a team effort. Jess designed it, but you''d have to ask her how it worked. She made the connections when we actually cast it. And, well¡­" "...Yeah." Beverly looked back at her, biting her lip slightly. "Hailey, why''d you agree to talk to me again?" Hailey shrugged, leaning back again to look up at the sky. "I did something horrible and unforgiveable to you." "More than just me," Hailey reminded her. "You messed with everyone''s heads." "...So why? You don''t even know who I am. Not¡­ Not really. Not anymore." "A scared girl my age literally teleports into my bedroom and asks if she can stick around because she has nowhere else to go." She shrugged again. "I''m not gonna just kick her out." "I don''t have to stay here. I can find another place." "One with an actual bed?" Hailey pointed out. "You''re lucky Jess is never gonna use that room. Keep using it, unless you want to go the Rachel route and just take away your need to sleep?" Beverly shook her head firmly. "Making myself able to see everyone using magic was bad enough. I don''t want to try to change my mind any more. It scares me." Hailey got to her feet, having spotted Jessica climbing into bed and turning off the lights one by one. "Bed time, then." "Good night, Hailey. See you again next week?" Hailey was about to reply, but something nagged at her mind. "What''s stopping you from doing it again?" "Huh?" "Going into our heads. Messing with our minds. If you could do it before, why couldn''t you do it again?" Beverly hesitated. "There''s a kind of magic that none of you have been using. Only a couple people ever used it, actually. Rachel was the best at it." "I thought Rachel wasn''t good at any magic." "She had the Mental affinity. It''s not good for much, and she didn''t have much talent in magic anyway, but she could use that one type really well. It let her cast a spell to see¡­ connections. Relationships between people. They exist outside you, so I guess they aren''t protected." "And these connections¡ª" "Are what I broke," Beverly explained, looking down at the rooftop. "It was the hardest thing I''ve ever done, and I did it all wrong. It went too far. I ruined Alden''s life." Hailey frowned. "But what''s to say you don''t do it again? Or what if someone else figures it out?" Beverly shook her head. "You''d need something incredibly powerful. I had to use an asteroid to do it." "You went out to an asteroid?" "I think? Or would it be a comet? I forget the difference. Either way¡­ it''s uhh¡­ it''s gone now." Hailey laughed weakly. "All right, I''m a little less worried now." "I''d never do it again," she added quietly. "It was the stupidest thing I''ve ever done." Hailey sighed. She stood up and walked up the roof to where Beverly sat against the chimney, taking a seat next to her instead of feet away. Beverly looked startled, but didn''t pull away. Hailey put an arm around her gently, fully conscious that she was giving a one-armed hug to probably the most powerful person on the planet and beyond. "We''ve all done stupid stuff." Beverly shook her head more forcefully, but Hailey didn''t let go. "I''m really sorry, Hailey." Hailey realized what she''d never said. She wasn''t sure she meant it, but it felt right. It was what a hero would say. "I forgive you." A few tears dropped from Beverly''s eyes. She shook her head once again, before vanishing in a tiny slip of the wind. Hailey waited, but after she didn''t return for ten minutes, she gave up. As she climbed into bed and Jessica hugged her close, Hailey whispered, "See you later, BB." [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] B2: Chapter 5 — Rules of the Game Chapter 5 ¡ª Rules of the Game There were way too many kids at Willford Jenkins Middle School. According to Quinn, the school had eleven hundred students total, and about three hundred of those were eighth graders. Hearing those numbers, Natalie had imagined a future where she could just blend into the background. She would just pass through school without really being noticed. Her master plan was all about endurance. She''d stick it out just long enough until they didn''t need to hide anymore. She made it her goal to be remembered by as few people as possible. She barely lasted a week. What Natalie didn''t realize, and what Quinn hadn''t thought to tell her, was that Jenkins didn''t get new students very often. Everyone in the eighth grade had moved up together year by year, and many of them had known each other from elementary school or even earlier. Natalie was one of only two new students in their whole grade¡ªand that made her an instant celebrity. Quinn was practically shoved aside as the popular girls adopted her into their circle. After the tenth introduction, Natalie didn''t even try to remember them anymore. She let herself be lead through a whirlwind of names and faces, blandly greeting them with a smile while nervously fidgeting with gemstones in her pocket. The girls quickly came to understand just how socially ill-equipped Natalie was. Even back home, Natalie never really used any sort of social media, and she soon realized that more than half of the conversation between these girls was taking place online and well beyond earshot. They made an honest effort to try and educate the new girl on the latest gossip, the most important shows and music and movies to watch, who was cool and who was lame¡ªbut Natalie just couldn''t bring herself to care. Who cares about gossip and drama when I can do magic? There''s more important stuff out there. She nodded through their conversations and tried to be friendly, but Natalie just had so much else on her mind constantly that they could tell she wasn''t even good to be a bit player in their little troupe. After only two weeks, Blake Sinclair¡ªthe pretty girl around whom the rest circled like starving cats¡ªdecided that the messy-haired, tomboyish new girl with the freakish strength and the weird habit of talking to herself was probably best left alone. Natalie was never told to leave, but when she got the cold shoulder from one after the other, she got the hint pretty quickly. She didn''t mind. At the very least, they''d shown her just how observant a lot of the kids were. Lily, Kendra, and all the others had stressed to her not to use magic while she was at school, but Natalie couldn''t help it. A lot of the time it just came totally natural to her, like when she''d broken the pencil in front of Quinn, or when she made an eraser skip across the desk rather than reaching out to grab it. She sat in the back of most of her classes, since her new last name just happened to alphabetize at the right spot before it looped back around to the front, so she was lucky enough that most people didn''t notice her murmuring spells without meaning to. The riskiest thing she''d done was a brief conversation she''d held with a friendly tabby cat prowling near the door to the West Hall. It was looking for food, so she gave it a bit of tuna from the lunch Lily had made that day. From a distance she doubted anyone would have noticed anything strange, but if they''d heard her speaking to it? How could she explain a language she didn''t even understand herself? Natalie never really understood how she was doing it, unlike the other spells she''d mastered. She''d learned it from that page she''d found, back before it was torn to bits and burned up with all the others in the first big fight¡ªthe night she''d met Rachel. It took a combination of the spellcasting language¡ªthat weird mix of clicks and words that weren''t words¡ªand a kind of sing-song talking, like how some adults talked to little kids. When she did that, she reached out mentally to the animal and could get an idea of how they felt, and what they might say if they could understand her. They didn''t use words like people did, but she could still hear them. The animals made way better friends than those popular girls did, at least for a little while. At the Laushire house she had Percy, her link back to the others in Rallsburg, and at the school she had the tabby cat, the hamsters in the science lab, and the pet snake that Mr. Darwin kept in his room. Natalie tried to make friends with them all, but most of them just didn''t respond to her very well. She didn''t know if she was doing something wrong or if they just weren''t as smart as Gwen and Percy. Either way, she started to feel it settling in. Natalie was lonely. She felt so stupid. Why would she be lonely? Nothing had changed, had it? Even back in Rallsburg, she hadn''t really hung out with anyone very much. She spent most of her time online, watching TV or playing games. When she did go out to play, it was just her dad or Jenny, or sometimes with the college kids when they came out into the town¡ªas long as her dad didn''t notice. Those were special occasions. They''d run a regular game of capture the flag in the middle of town, and Jenny and Natalie would get put on opposite teams. Natalie prided herself on being able to slip through the cracks they couldn''t follow, but Jenny was faster than her. They often ended up chasing each other while everyone else cheered them on, and games would usually be decided by which of them managed to sneak by the other with the flag. Natalie knew she was being treated like a kind of mascot for the college students, but she didn''t mind. She liked being part of the team and bringing home the win for them, even if she didn''t know most of their names. Here at Jenkins, Natalie didn''t have a team anymore. She found herself eating lunch alone again every day. Sometimes in the cafeteria, but more often retreating out into the South Hall bathroom where she knew no one from her grade would go. She could feel their stolen glances on her back, almost like she''d betrayed them by not being cool or social enough to join their clique. She tried to convince herself she didn''t mind. Natalie was getting the hang of going to school every day¡ªfriends would just make that so much harder. She woke up every morning in the Laushire house, said good morning to whichever of the two had the day off, cleaned up and got ready, took her lunch and stepped out the door to emerge behind the convenience store. She walked to school from the bus stop alone, went to each class alone, ate lunch alone, and walked home alone when the bell released her. She paid as much attention as she could stand, but her mind wandered easily and she spent half of class staring out windows thinking about magic, or about what a bird flying by might be thinking, or just wishing she could be done with the whole charade and on the hunt with Gwen and Rachel. Still, loneliness kept prodding her, finally pushing her to make a decision as the leaves changed and September rolled into October. Natalie wanted to talk to someone, but she couldn''t bring herself to. She was too embarrassed to try and make friends now, after she''d actively rejected so many of them in the first month of school. Especially Quinn, who she felt like she''d totally abandoned after he''d been so kind and helpful the first couple days. Now whenever she saw him, he had his own small clique that he stuck to without fail. It was only four people, but there was no way she could ever approach him after she''d left him behind. Natalie finally gave in one day while sitting on the toilet at lunch with her legs up, keeping totally silent so that the other girl in the bathroom wouldn''t know she was there. She dropped the sandwich Lily had made back into her bag, the exact same one she''d had every day since her first. The warnings of staying unnoticed and out of sight echoed in her mind, but she couldn''t stand it anymore. She resolved to find a friend, anyone she could talk to. Instead, they found her.
Since it was so nice out, especially for October, Natalie decided to eat lunch outside for once, not cramped in a bathroom stall. She was sitting just around the corner of the building from where the cafeteria doors let out. Most kids went the opposite direction, where they could run around on the field, play basketball and other games on the blacktop, or just stand around and talk. Natalie went outside before anyone else, so she wasn''t likely to be approached by the other kids, but still close enough to quickly get back inside if she had to. "I heard she''s adopted." Natalie''s ears perked up. Someone had started talking nearby. She was pretty sure it was one of the girls in the popular clique. Blake, maybe? I know that stuck up voice. Yeah, it''s Blake for sure, with all her dumb friends. "Come on, where did you hear that?" "Isn''t it super obvious? She calls her mom by her first name. She never said anything about a dad. She has to take city buses to get around. She''s totally adopted for sure." More voices joining the first. Natalie assumed it was the entire group of girls, though she was surprised they''d gone outside at all. Usually they stuck to their table at lunch, or occasionally went to the best bathroom in North Hall to try on makeup and talk about boys. "Oh my god, adopted and weird." "Weird like how?" "I mean, she''s such a loner! And she talks to animals like she''s a Disney princess or something." Natalie flinched. So someone had noticed. "And that hair. I mean, oh my god, does she know what shampoo is or anything?" Natalie picked up a few strands of brown hair from where it lay on her shoulder. That last comment really confused her¡ªher hair was totally fine. She didn''t do anything special with it, but her hair was definitely clean and healthy. "It''s like she''s never even heard of styling." "Come on, she''s just trying to pull off that small town hick look. She does it super great, too." She realized what was happening, and for a second she thought she might burst out laughing. The girls kept talking, needling her on her waist, her boobs, her legs. How her clothes seemed constantly caked in dust or dirt, or her out-of-date purse. Anything physical¡ªbecause they obviously didn''t know a thing about her otherwise. Natalie just took it all in from behind the wall, trying not to laugh. Is that all you''ve got, Blake? "Hey, at least she''s actually cool," cut in a nasally male voice. Natalie fought the urge to glance around the corner, wondering who the new voice was. She didn''t recognize him at all. "Y-you''re all just vain bullies." "Vain bullies?" Blake sneered. "Careful Tyler, you don''t want to have another attack, do you? I don''t think the nurse can hear us from here." "You don''t have to be such jerks," Tyler replied nervously, but his resolve was breaking. Natalie decided that was as good a moment as any. She stepped out from behind the wall. As she expected, Blake and her friends weren''t in the least bit surprised to see her¡ªbut Tyler''s eyes widened behind his thick glasses. He hadn''t known Natalie was there at all. "What''s going on?" she asked casually. "We were just leaving." Blake tossed her head slightly, and in tune her followers turned away to march back into the school. "I wouldn''t want to get between you and your boyfriend." Tyler''s mouth fell open slightly. Natalie just watched them go, not saying a word. As they disappeared, she sat back down again. She hadn''t gotten to finish her lunch, even if it was yet another plain peanut butter and jelly. Lily made them with magic these days while writing emails in the morning, just floating the ingredients and tools around in midair through the kitchen. She was so distracted that the sandwich usually turned out messy and falling apart. Natalie always made sure to wrap them up tight before packing them into her purse, or else the jelly might spill out into the space between pockets and make the whole thing smell funny. Tyler just stood there staring at the ground, and after a minute or two she started to feel awkward. "Tyler?" she prompted. He spluttered, a bit of spittle flying out of his mouth and landing near her feet on the concrete. She resisted the urge to flinch. "Hi. Sorry." "Wanna come sit down?" His eyes widened again. She''d said the wrong thing, apparently. After another painfully long awkward pause, he finally took a seat against the wall a full six feet away from her, gazing intensely out into the field behind the school that jutted up against the apartment buildings on the opposite side. She kept eating, unsure what to say next, while he stared in silence. Finally, as she ran out of food and Tyler still hadn''t said a word, Natalie gave in and tried to break the tension. "Why''d you do that?" "Huh?" "Why''d you try to stop them?" "I¡­" He paused, then finally looked over at her. Natalie noticed he had very nice brown eyes, magnified massively by his thick glasses. "They were being mean for no reason." Natalie shrugged. "I don''t care." "Huh?" "If all they''re gonna do is make bad insults, I don''t care." She''d dealt with way worse than that. A few girls her own age who wanted to try and make fun of the way she looked? If she really got angry, she could beat them all up no sweat. Plus, Blake''s got nothing on Ryan or Rika. They''d tear her apart if she tried making fun of them. "They don''t scare me one bit." "They scare me," Tyler said, looking away again quickly. "Thanks, then." "For what?" "Saying something." Natalie stood up and pulled her bag over her shoulder. "How long til lunch is over?" "Uhh, like five minutes I think." "Tyler!" The door swung open and out walked Quinn, flanked by the other two boys in his usual group. He spotted the two of them and made a beeline for them. Natalie felt an urge to flee, still uncertain how she was going to talk to Quinn now. She realized belatedly that she did recognize Tyler as one of Quinn''s friends, but she hadn''t gotten to know any of them since Blake had scooped her up so fast (and discarded her just as quickly). "Tyler, what are you doing? You forgot your bag, dude." The boy¡ªwho could not be more opposite of Tyler if he tried¡ªtossed the bag over, which Tyler promptly failed to catch. Pencils spilled out all over the ground from an unzipped ouch. "Nice throw, Mitch," said Quinn. Mitch groaned and got down to help Tyler gather up his things. Where Tyler was pale, taller than average, long-haired and awkward, Mitch had incredibly dark skin, short black hair, a strong face¡ªand was shorter than all of them, Natalie included. She was pretty sure he was even shorter than Cinza, who was the shortest person she knew. The only thing they had in common was that they both wore glasses, but Mitch had cool thin frames while Tyler had thick black frames that made his eyes look gigantic. "We missed you at lunch," said the last boy in the group. "Sorry, Steven," Tyler said, finally gathering up his bag again. "So what''s up? Are you two friends now?" Quinn asked. "No," Tyler answered uncomfortably, at the same time that Natalie said "Yes." "Uh oh," said Steven, grinning. "Hi, Quinn," Natalie said, her cheeks heating up. "Blake and her friends were saying mean things about her," Tyler suddenly shouted. They all looked at him. "Oookay," Mitch said. "So, totally normal Blake stuff?" "I thought you were part of Blake''s fan club," Steven added, with a nice smile at Natalie. He seemed okay, but there wasn''t that special quality Quinn had. "Guess not," she replied. "She''s too cool for them," Quinn added with his own smile, which made Natalie''s brain go all fizzy for a moment. "She''d be way better in the Glasses Club." "The Glasses Club?" Natalie asked, confused. "Well, we used to call it the Glasses Gang," said Mitch, "but they told us we weren''t allowed to." "But¡­ Steven doesn''t have glasses?" Steven reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a case, revealing a pair of thin-rimmed brown glasses. "I got contacts last year." "Traitor," added Mitch, punching him in the arm. "You should come sit with us tomorrow," Quinn continued. "Instead of eating all alone in the bathroom." Natalie''s whole face flared up. "You knew?" she asked, mortified. "Whole damn school knew," said Mitch. "Mitch!" "Sorry, man," he replied sheepishly. "I just thought she should know." Natalie shook her head. "I didn''t think anyone would notice." The bell rang, startling them all. The rest of the group walked inside, making fun of Mitch for something Natalie couldn''t hear, but Quinn held back a second. "If you want to," he said. "You don''t have to." She''d been craving new friends, and suddenly they''d been dropped on her out of the blue. It seemed too good to be true¡ªand she hesitated. Something about them made her nervous, but she couldn''t figure out what. It wasn''t like Quinn or his friends seemed like bad kids, but when she was suddenly confronted with the option to finally connect back into the real world again, Natalie wasn''t sure if she still wanted to. Quinn saw her hesitate. "All right. See you around, Jenny." He went inside. Natalie sat back down against the wall in the empty school yard, trying to work through the emotions cluttering up her head.
Natalie: hey hailey? Hailey: Hey, Natalie! What''s up? Natalie: who are all the new people Hailey: Did you see the post from Cinza? Here - https://------------.---/thread/406-Splitting-the-site/ Natalie: she writes too much Natalie: i got lost Hailey: They''re new awakened. People not from Rallsburg. Natalie: o Natalie: so thats why my name changes when im in that board? Hailey: Yeah. So out there you''re not Natalie, okay? Natalie: ok Natalie: can i ask you something? Hailey: Of course! What is it? Natalie: there''s a boy in class who wants to be friends Natalie: but i dunno if i should Natalie: hes nice but Hailey: But what? Hailey: Natalie? Natalie: sorry Natalie: someone walking by and i hid it Hailey: Are you at school? Natalie: ya Natalie: tech class Natalie: and i cant use my phone Natalie: cuz they block it while youre inside Hailey: Natalie, you shouldn''t be logging in from school. Those computers might not be safe. Natalie: what do you mean Hailey: Cinza said they usually record everything. They''ll know you''re visiting this site. Natalie: i thought it looks like a gaming forum to everybody else Hailey: Yes, but just in case. Natalie: ok Natalie: im sorry Hailey: hes nice but - ? Natalie: o Natalie: i dont know Natalie: should i be making friends out here? Natalie: i thought were in hiding Hailey: That doesn''t mean you can''t make friends! Hailey: What''s he like? Natalie: he was my guide in first week Natalie: hes kinda funny Natalie: but really nice Natalie: he plays a card game with his friends every day at lunch though Natalie: everyone thinks theyre a bunch of nerds Hailey: Can I let you in on a little secret? Natalie: ? Hailey: I''m a huge nerd too. Natalie: no you arent Natalie: youre too pretty to be a nerd Hailey: Straight-A student, Natalie. I had the highest GPA at my high school and in Rallsburg. Natalie: gpa? Hailey: Grade point average. Natalie: no way you were the smartest Hailey: Hey! Smart people can be fun too. Hailey: Give them a shot. If it doesn''t work out, it doesn''t work out. You''ll find other friends. Natalie: will they think im weird if i just walk up and sit down? Hailey: Time for another secret. Don''t be afraid to break the rules a little. They really want you to join them, but they''re never gonna ask you themselves. Natalie: they kinda did all ready Hailey: Oh! Well then, what do you have to lose? Natalie: ok Natalie: thanks hailey Hailey: I wish I could see you. Sorry I can''t come by. Natalie: me too Hailey: How long do you have left in class? Natalie: a couple minutes Natalie: why Hailey: I was going to ask Alden if he wanted to say hi. Natalie: o Natalie: sorry Natalie: tell him i said hi Hailey: Good luck with school! I''ll have my phone on me. Message me if you need to talk, any time. Natalie: ok Natalie: bye hailey Hailey: Bye Natalie! Love you!
The next day, Natalie took her advice. As lunch rolled around, she almost started walking out to South Hall, but the thought of spending another meal totally alone and worrying every time the bathroom door opened pushed her to turn around. Natalie walked right up to the cafeteria doorway and stepped in, expecting the worst. She waited for every head to swivel toward her, the hundreds of kids watching her every move as she finally tried to rejoin the student body. No one even noticed. The bustle of the cafeteria continued as if she wasn''t there. Natalie took a few nervous steps inside. A couple heads briefly turned, but after a curious glance or two, they returned to their friends and their food. No one really cared. She scanned the room for Blake and her friends, but they were nowhere to be seen¡ªor Natalie might have expected a bit more fanfare. To her great relief, Quinn was there, along with most of his ''Glasses Club'', seated at one of the far tables against the walls. Natalie made her way across the room and approached them. Steven was leaning up against the wall, watching Quinn and Tyler playing a card game. Natalie didn''t recognize it. As she approached, Steven sat up straight, waving her over. "Hey, Jenny!" Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Quinn looked up. Natalie shrunk slightly away, but he just gave her a little wave before focusing back on his game. His eyes were so narrow and focused, she didn''t want to interrupt. She nearly took a step away. "Come on, sit down over here," Steven added, pointing at the spot across from him. Natalie reluctantly walked up and took the spot, grateful it was against the wall. She didn''t need to worry about anyone behind her. "Hi." "Hi." Steven grinned. "Don''t try to talk to them. They''re in the zone." "They are?" Now she really felt nervous. Should she leave? "Well, Quinn is. This is the closest he''s ever been to beating Tyler and he''s really into it." Steven pointed down at the cards. "He just needs one more good attack and he wins, but Tyler''s defense is like a fortress." "Where the heck did you get this draft?" Tyler muttered. "It sucks." Quinn didn''t answer, flicking through his hand of cards. Natalie tried to figure out what was going on just from context clues, but the numbers and symbols on the cards were pretty meaningless without a rulebook or anything else to explain them. The artwork was something though¡ªa lot of cool fantasy images like dragons and knights and wizards. One card on each side stood out, with much more fancy artwork (and a lot more text) than the rest. Tyler''s card depicted a knight in full plate armor and a humongous sword planted in the ground. Like his card, Tyler was sitting stock still and staring straight forward, waiting for his opponent to move. Between them lay a wide array of cards, pressed up against each other as if they were fighting. Knights and creatures and rock monsters and all sorts of other things, though they didn''t look as heroic and strong as the main card back in Tyler''s area. As Natalie followed them across, she found the knight''s equal on Quinn''s side, facing away from her. Her mouth fell open slightly. Quinn''s card showed a young elf woman in full hunting gear with bow and arrow, riding atop a huge grey wolf and with a ball of fire immersing one hand. In fact, it was almost exactly like Natalie sometimes pictured herself when she was thinking about Gwen¡ªif she were a bit older, a lot prettier, and with wavy golden hair and striking lavender eyes instead of plain old brown for both. "What are the special cards on each side?" she asked Steven quietly, not wanting to interrupt their game. "Those are their generals." Steven pointed at the different spots that cards had been laid out. "Each stack is a territory, and if it''s on Tyler''s side then it was originally his. They send out guys to each area until they can make a path to the other side." He indicated how the cards were laid out in a nine-by-nine grid on each half of the table. "Tyler took six spots on his side and made a fork, right? So Quinn has to go through the center to get to Tyler''s base, but he''s got two different ways to start." "And the general is in the base?" "Not always. Generals do stuff wherever they are on the board. Both of them have their generals at home right now to make stuff faster. They can draw more cards or play them faster. It depends on what that general does and how smart the guy playing is. So basically, Tyler''s general does a lot and Quinn''s ends up doing nothing." Natalie had never played a card game more complicated than poker, but she wasn''t having too much trouble picking up on the basic idea so far. It didn''t seem that much harder than some of the games she''d played on her phone, at least. She was determined to figure out as much of the game as she could, so they''d accept her as part of the group. Steven talked way too fast, but she pieced it together from what he said and what she could see on the table. "Quinn has less territories on his side. That makes him harder to get to?" "Yeah, since he''s got more power in those spots. Tyler has to go through the center, and all of Quinn''s back line probably won''t get attacked. But it means he can''t make as much stuff every turn." "It also means he''s going to get bulldozed by a couple meteors," Tyler added, leaning forward. He picked up a face down card from his left-side pile and flipped it over, setting it on top of the one in the middle of Quinn''s. He suddenly broke into a coughing fit, diving into his bag and pulling out a small piece of plastic. Natalie was alarmed, but neither Quinn nor Steven seemed the least bit surprised, so she tried to ignore the unpleasant hacking sounds coming out of his mouth. She leaned a little bit away from him, as if she could press herself into the wall beside her. Tyler took a deep breath before finally returning to the game. "Meteor storm to your farmland, on your templar knight and your assassin." Quinn frowned. "That''s coming from your wizard tower?" "Yeah." Quinn sighed, and took two of the cards from his front territory and set them aside. "Tyler did a meteor from one of his two front spots, his wizard tower," Steven explained. "Quinn doesn''t have any magic in his front line anymore because he used it all to break Tyler''s other place, the merchant village. He didn''t expect Tyler to still have any spells left after their last big fight," he continued, pointing at the single card on the other side of Tyler''s board, a bustling village without a single card protecting it anymore. "Oh man, Tyler just killed all his defense. He''s too good at this. Quinn''s gonna lose now." Quinn was staring at his cards intently, his hand playing with one on his back-end that was underneath a picture of a line of catapults. Natalie found herself silently rooting for him to win somehow. Tyler was obviously the best in the group at the game, and even though she didn''t understand how the game worked yet, she could tell that Quinn was probably losing. His back line had six cards each on the sides, but the three leading right to him were almost totally empty, with only his general on the last spot as his last remaining face-up card. She looked so fierce and resolute in her picture, but Natalie doubted that would help her against the ten or so cards lined up across Tyler''s board. "How does he lose?" she asked. "There''s three ways. If his general is dead for more than three turns, he loses." "They can come back to life?" "Yeah, there''s a few different ways. Generals are special immortal hero types. You don''t usually lose that way, but it can happen." Steven pointed at the spot behind Quinn''s cards. "If you get to the end of the line, you can attack the other guy. Every time you do they have to drop cards from their deck, and if they run out of cards they lose." "And the last way?" "If they run out of cards another way." Steven shrugged. "I guess it''s really only two ways, but it''s important since there are spells and stuff to make you lose cards. You still gotta worry about it even if you don''t get attacked." Quinn stopped playing with the card underneath his catapults. He picked up his general and set her on his center pile, one behind the front. He put out two dark robed ninjas on either side of her. "I move Linnethea to my fort and activate its guards." He then flipped over the card underneath the catapults. "Siege attack on your wizard tower. You randomly lose a guy." Tyler sighed and picked up the three cards on his tower, holding them up in front of him. Quinn grabbed one out at random and tossed it aside. "Shit," Tyler groaned. "Tyler just lost his best wizard to that," Steven explained. "He''s still doing way better than Quinn, but that slows him down a bit. He''s still got this though. Quinn''s screwed." Quinn paused, then held up the six cards in his hand. "I discard everything and make three more catapult attacks." Tyler stared at him for a moment, slack-jawed. "Uhh, where?" "All three on your castle," Quinn said, pointing at the stack of cards at the side of Tyler''s back line¡ªwhich included his general. "What''s he doing?" Natalie whispered. "Quinn''s crazy. He''s going all in on a stupid catapult play to try and take out Tyler''s general." "Why?" "Tyler''s general makes it easy for him to pump tons of soldiers as long as he sits back in the castle. They''re cheap but he can just keep throwing them at the front until Quinn''s got nothing left. Quinn didn''t draft any good removal stuff in his kingdom so he can''t take care of that many guys at once." Steven scratched his head. "This is like a fifty-fifty shot though and Quinn doesn''t have any other cards left. It''s a dumb play." Quinn smiled. "Hold ''em up, Tyler." Tyler held up the seven cards that had been clustered around the castle. Three of them had been face-down. Natalie leaned over slightly so she could see what he''d been keeping secret. Two of them looked like wizards, and the other card was a strange fairy girl with a wide, mischievous grin who seemed to be holding an exploding bag. Quinn reached forward and plucked out the first card, which was a plain-looking knight. He looked disappointed, while Tyler let out a faint sigh of relief. Quinn waited a moment before he grabbed another one¡ªthe fairy girl with the bomb. Steven whistled. "Oh man, that would have wrecked you. Nice." Quinn grinned. "Now for Sir Sits-a-lot." "Sir Tennenbauer the Indomitable," Tyler corrected with an annoyed look. "Not for long," Quinn added, reaching forward for his last card. Natalie waited with baited breath as he reached right for the general¡ªbut he switched at the last second, grabbing up another knight instead. Quinn looked at it, disappointed. Steven sat back against the wall, equally dejected. "Is that your turn?" Tyler asked smugly. "Nah," Quinn said. "Linnethea attacks with everyone using her double move special." He picked up his general and set her straight onto the wizard tower along with her two ninjas. "Uhh¡­" Tyler started. "Quinn, she loses that fight," Steven pointed out. "What are you doing?" "I''m attacking," he replied calmly. Natalie noticed his hand touching the corner of a card underneath his other back-line territory, another wizard tower like the one he was assaulting. She hid her grin. She knew he had a real plan, even if it looked crazy to the other guys. "I¡­" Tyler started coughing again, pulling out his inhaler. "I cast mystic retreat," he said, tossing out a card from underneath his castle. He picked up the remaining cards at the wizard tower and put them in his hand. Quinn smiled and moved his cards onto the tower in Tyler''s territory. "Your turn."
They didn''t end up finishing the game, as the lunch bell rang before Quinn''s force made it to the opposite end. Natalie walked out with him while Tyler and Steven went off to their own classes. "What''s that game called?" she asked. "Did you like it?" Quinn asked, surprised. "Maybe. I think it could be fun." She shrugged. "I liked watching you guys play it." "Way more fun to play than to watch. If you want, I could teach you sometime." "Sure." "Is it cool if I come over to your place with the decks?" Natalie hesitated. "I¡­ I dunno." "Oh! Sorry," Quinn apologized. "I just¡­ My parents kinda get annoyed when we just play games all day. They''re usually pretty cool, and Dad even plays it sometimes, but they think I have to focus on school." He grinned. "They don''t know that I can do all my homework in study hall before I even get home. Anyway, we usually trade off between Tyler''s house or Mitch''s apartment, but I thought maybe you''d want to learn with just us?" "I do, but it can''t be my place. I can''t have anyone over. Sorry." "Oh." Natalie felt her face heating up again and cursed herself. Why can''t I stop being embarrassed around him? "Can we go to the library or something? Or maybe just here after school?" "Library sounds good. They don''t let kids stick around here unless they''re in a club." "Like the Glasses Club?" she joked. "It''s not a real club." He laughed. "Guess we have to get you glasses now. Want to meet up tomorrow? I have a family thing tonight but nothing at all tomorrow." Natalie felt a burst of joy at the invitation. Someone actually wanted her to hang out. She finally wasn''t alone anymore. She had to stop herself from grinning like a crazy person and dancing the whole way home. She tried to answer as calm and casually as he''d asked. "Yeah. Tomorrow sounds great."
Natalie: hailey! Hailey: Hi, Natalie. What''s up? Natalie: it went great! Natalie: were gonna hang out after school at the library tomorrow! Natalie: hes teaching me how to play their game Natalie: im part of the glassses gang now! Hailey: The glasses gang? Natalie: they all wear glasses so they call themselves that Natalie: do you think i should get glasses too Natalie: maybe itll be okay since steven doesnt wear them Hailey: How''s he in the Glasses Gang then? Natalie: he used to Natalie: now he wears contacts Natalie: is wearing glasses annoying? Natalie: i feel like it would be super annoying Hailey: I wouldn''t know. My eyes are perfect. Natalie: i think mine are too Natalie: perfect is 20/20 right? Hailey: Pretty much, yeah. Natalie: ya Natalie: mine are perfect too Hailey: Go team perfect eyes! Natalie: so i guess i shouldnt wear glasses Hailey: Probably not. But hey, one of them doesn''t either so I think you''ll fit right in. Just be yourself. Natalie: be jenny you mean Hailey: Well yeah. Be yourself, just not your name. Natalie: its ok i got it Hailey: I''m sure Lily''s glad you''re getting out of the house a bit too. Natalie: probably Hailey: You did tell her right? Hailey: Natalie? Natalie: sorry i gotta go Natalie: lily says dinners ready Natalie: good luck with your mission tonight Hailey: Thanks. Good luck with your friend tomorrow! Don''t beat him too badly. Natalie: night Hailey: Goodnight!
Natalie decided that absolutely nothing would happen the next day at school. Nothing at all could get in the way of her having a good day after school. She hadn''t had a terror attack since the first few days, before she''d gotten used to the huge crowds everywhere. She still hadn''t told Lily or Kendra about those, but she''d talked about it with Hailey, and Hailey said it was a pretty normal thing for what they''d all gone through. Talking with Hailey helped her a lot. She made it all the way to science class in fifth period before something went wrong. The teacher brought out a small Bunsen burner and ignited it. Natalie leaned forward, excited. She''d always loved watching candles and other little flames dancing and burning in place, and that interest had doubled over when she''d awakened and learned how to control fire herself. Fire was one of her specialities, even though it was outside her affinity. Cinza was surprised how well she could control it, which only made Natalie more excited. It was one of those things that made her special, like her animal friends or how she was one of the special awakened like Hailey and Hector. She wondered where Hector was now. They''d talked a couple times since he''d left for Canada, but she didn''t get much out of text from him like she did from Hailey. Hector just didn''t talk very well over the internet. She missed him a lot. He''d always been friendly, given her free candy out of his store, played hide and seek with her when she was little, and watched out for her when her dad couldn''t. He was what she imagined a friendly uncle would be like. She''d never known anyone in her own family past her mom and dad, so Hector had been her first replacement family member. She''d had a lot of replacement family members. Natalie was so lost in thought and memories that she completely missed what the actual experiment was about. Her eyes glazed over staring at the flame pouring out of the burner, thinking back to days spent running around Rallsburg with Jenny. Remembering what had happened to her. Natalie''s fist clenched underneath her desk. She hadn''t forgotten why she was out here, living with a fake name in a huge crowded school in a noisy, angry city. Two horrible evil men had forced them out here. One of them was dead. The other was her father. A shout of alarm brought her to her senses. Natalie stood up instantly, sensing danger but not knowing what it might be yet. Her teacher''s arm was on fire. Natalie felt like the world had dropped into slow motion. The rest of the class was still seated, mouths wide open. A few looked like they were about to scream. No one else had moved yet. The teacher was staring at the flame billowing up his clothes wide-eyed, but there wasn''t a fire extinguisher in reach. Natalie tried to think what else they could use, but she didn''t know what was good for putting out fires. She did the only thing she could think of. Natalie ran forward from her desk to the teacher''s side. He was a bit shorter than average, so she didn''t have to reach too far, but he was twisting away and reaching for something on the desk nearby. Natalie focused on the fire with her mind, feeling the churning heat and the way it seemed to be constantly moving in circles inside itself. She started to press on it, suppressing and choking it away¡ªbut what if everyone else saw? What would happen if the fire just put itself out? With her hands, she grabbed the part of his arm that was on fire. The flames started to lick at her palms, but Natalie pushed them away before they could actually do any harm. As her hands closed around his sleeve, she smothered the fire completely with a whispered spell, reducing it to a tiny wisp of smoke trailing into the air. She let go and took a step away. The teacher just stared at her. So did the rest of the class. A fire alarm she hadn''t heard now shrieked in her ears, but no one moved. Natalie didn''t know what to do. She decided she should just follow the rules and try to be normal, so she walked back to her desk, picked up her bag, and walked out the door¡ªjust like in the fire drill they''d done a week earlier. Every single person watched her go, while the burner still quietly hissed on the desk in front of their teacher.
If Natalie thought she could get away so easily without notice from the school, she was sadly mistaken. As soon as she''d made it outside, she was chased down by the school nurse. They sat her down at the far end of the parking lot away from the milling crowd of students waiting to go back inside. Her science teacher was a few steps away, also being examined. His sleeve was a little singed, but he was otherwise totally fine. The nurse took her hands and looked them over thoroughly. He had nice, soft fingers. "Do you feel that, Jenny?" "Yeah." "No pain at all?" "Nuh-uh," Natalie shook her head. "I''m totally fine." "I don''t get it," he said, sitting back on the curbside. "You said she grabbed your arm while it was on fire, right?" "Yeah," the teacher replied, dumbfounded. "I put it out," Natalie answered with a shrug. "What on earth were you doing?" cut in an angry voice. It was the grey-haired principal, looking absolutely livid. She stomped over and grabbed her teacher by his burnt sleeve, pulling him aside. Despite that, they were still speaking loud enough that Natalie could make out every word. "A fire experiment for middle schoolers?" "It was just a demonstration. They weren''t going to do anything themselves," he protested. "That wasn''t on the curriculum. And you set yourself on fire?" Her mouth opened and closed a few times, like she didn''t know what to say next. Natalie could relate. "We''ll be discussing this later," she added angrily. "Is Jenny all right?" she continued, turning to the nurse. He nodded. "Totally fine as far as I can tell. It''s like nothing happened." She looked down at Natalie oddly. Natalie tried to look totally normal, but she wasn''t sure what that would be in this situation. She settled on a smile, but that seemed to confuse them even more. The principal dismissed the other two, then sat down next to Natalie. She put her hands on her own face, rubbing her eyes as if she were exhausted. "Jenny," she started. "Did I do something wrong?" Natalie asked, dropping the smile since it hadn''t seemed to help at all. "No. Well¡­" She paused. "How did you put the fire out?" "I choked it. You''re supposed to choke fires, right? Make them stop breathing so they can''t burn anything else." She nodded. "There''s something to use for that though. Your teacher had a fire blanket on the desk nearby that''s specially made to help put out a fire. But you used your hands, didn''t you?" "Yeah." "May I see them?" Natalie hesitated, but she held them out, palms up. The principal grasped them, surprisingly gently for how harsh she usually acted, and felt along her palms. "How aren''t you burned?" She shrugged. "I guess I got lucky?" The principal shook her head. "That''s not how that works." She closed her eyes. "Is this part of why you''re a special case?" Natalie didn''t know what to say. She put her hands in her jacket pockets, trying to appear unthreatening. The principal seemed afraid of her, and that reminded her of all the other people who had been afraid of what she could do. Those people had tried to kill her. "I can make this go away, I think," the principal added, opening her eyes and looking at Natalie very seriously. "You''ve been a perfect student so far and you weren''t trying to do anything wrong. Just¡­ try to draw less attention to yourself? If it''s something bigger than this, there''s only so much I can do." Natalie nodded. The principal seemed like an okay woman. "...Are you going to tell Lily?" She looked at Natalie oddly. "Is telling your mother a bad thing?" "No, but¡­" Natalie felt anxiety bubbling up inside her. What if they started keeping a closer eye on her? How could she go out and meet her new friends then? "She doesn''t need to know." The principal sighed. "As long as it doesn''t happen again."
Natalie waited in the corner of the library, fidgeting. School had been out for thirty minutes already, and Quinn still hadn''t shown up. She''d gone straight there after the bell had finally rung. Their class had been handled by one of the other teachers who had a prep period to end the day, as the principal had pulled their science teacher out for a stern discussion. She''d gotten out a bit early as a result, but Quinn should have arrived by now. The library was only a couple blocks from their school, and students went there all the time, so she didn''t feel out of place. No one else was nearby. She''d picked out a table in the corner, near one of the fire exits in the back just in case. Boris had mentioned once to always sit close to an exit, even if it was one with an alarm. Better to be noticed like the red fox and able to run, than to get trapped in and eaten like the rabbit, he said. Natalie had started thinking about it all the time ever since. She kept her back to walls whenever she chose a spot to sit and never let people behind her when she could help it. She made sure she could run at any time. Since there wasn''t a single person close enough to notice, Natalie decided to try out one of the more interesting spell combinations she''d been thinking about for a while. Hector had once explained to her all about how to mess with electricity moving around in devices nearby. He didn''t know how to actually move it or create it, but he could totally block it with one of his spells. They''d always used that to make sure no one could record Council meetings. Still, he''d always been pretty limited in how much he could use the spell to pick out specific things. Natalie shared his affinity, so the spells were pretty easy for her to do¡ªand more importantly, Rachel had let her read the Scrap that taught her electricity magic. She was pretty sure she could combine those two into something more useful. Natalie closed her eyes and concentrated. She murmured the spell Hector always used to block out electricity around him, but she gave it a little twist. Instead of blocking the area, she stopped short at just marking out the area in her brain, combining it with the sense of electricity in motion. Her mind started to loosen from her head, like it was a ghost floating out into the air. She couldn''t actually see anything, but she could feel the outline of electricity around her, kind of like a pencil sketch of the room in her head. Natalie could feel the electricity running through the outlets and spinning around the entire building sixty times every second. As she traced it around, she found the spots where it jumped out to specific devices in the building. The computers at the desks, the lights, other devices scattered around she could only guess at. Some of it jumped into small black orbs hanging from the ceiling. "Jenny!" Natalie''s eyes flew open. Quinn was finally walking up, backpack over his shoulder and a box covered in fantasy artwork under one arm. "Hi Quinn." "Sorry I''m so late. I had to walk Tyler home. He was having a bad day with his attacks." Quinn sat down at the table, but Natalie frowned. "What''s up?" "Sorry," she said. "Can we¡­ uhh¡­ move to another table?" She could feel one of the cameras from the lingering sense of electricity still fading from her mind. It was watching her, making her feel uncomfortable and afraid. "Sure?" Quinn shrugged, standing up. "Where do you wanna sit?" Natalie closed her eyes again, trying to find every camera in the building now that she knew the pattern of wiring inside them. After tracing the path of the electricity bouncing through all of them, she realized that¡ªdespite being in the center of the opposite wall¡ªthere was a particular table that would be totally blocked from every camera by tall bookshelves. It was further from the exits, but she felt like Boris would probably agree with her decision. She pointed it out. As they sat down, Quinn glanced around. "What''s special about this table?" "No cameras," Natalie replied, before she remembered she shouldn''t. She looked down at the box, speaking quickly before Quinn could react. "So what''s this game called again?" "Conquest of Aldur-Bannor," Quinn answered, passing right over her comment, to her great relief. He started pulling out the decks of cards inside. "Everyone just calls it Conquest though, even though there''s like ten games named that. But ours is the best one." "Is this one of those games where you gotta buy a ton of cards?" she asked, picking up a deck at random. She wasn''t totally concerned if that was true, since she was pretty sure Kendra could afford it without breaking a sweat, but she didn''t want to figure out an explanation for why she suddenly needed money. "No, everything''s in the box already. They make expansions and you can buy those if you want, but you don''t have to." Natalie opened one and started digging through the cards. "What are you looking for?" "That card you were using yesterday. The general. Linnethi?" "Linnethea," he corrected. He pulled out another deck and handed it to her. "This is the general deck, she should be in there somewhere." Natalie sped through the stack of cards until she found the card. Linnethea Syldarei, the Wolven Huntress. "She looks so cool." "Well yeah, that''s why I like to play her." Quinn grinned. "She''s also super good if you know what you''re doing." "So how do you start?" "Well, it starts with a draft. We each pick out nine territories and a general from those two decks." Quinn started setting them out. "There''s sixteen different territory cards right now and thirty generals. You could do nine of all the same territory or nine different ones, or whatever you want. You only get one general though, unless you pick Kobblebomma because he''s really two cards." "Kobblebomma?" she repeated, giggling. "That''s a silly name." "He''s the worst. Don''t ever pick him." Quinn started laying out the territory decks. "You only had five territories out last time though," she pointed out. "Not nine." "Well, you don''t have to play them all. Some of them you don''t play ever, you just pick them to mess up the other guy. They get put out over time as you build up your kingdom." "Queendom," Natalie corrected. "Queendom," he agreed. "Especially if you''re running with Linnethea. She''s really strong." Natalie took a second to remember the match from the day before. "But Steven said she couldn''t win that fight. Why''d you attack anyway? Did you have a plan?" Quinn laughed. "Nope." "So you would have lost?" "Totally would have lost." Natalie grinned. "So you tricked him." "Tyler likes to play super straightforward. He doesn''t like tricks or traps, so he''s bad at them. When he sees me doing something super dumb, he thinks I got a reason for doing it. Sometimes I do," he added, "but sometimes I''m just shooting for the moon." "Shooting for the moon?" "Something my dad always says. Like, trying to do something absolutely crazy without knowing it''s gonna work." That sounds like Hailey. "Where does the rest of the deck come from?" "That''s your queendom deck. Those are all the same. There''s just a bunch of them if you want to play lots of people at once. Games with more than two people are weird though." He pointed them out. "All the real interesting stuff comes out of your territories and the general you pick." Natalie gazed at her chosen general with admiration. She''s so strong and pretty. And fierce! And her wolf kinda looks like Gwen, but more white and snowy. I bet she can take care of herself just fine. Beneath the artwork were a couple blocks of text. She felt like she could probably figure them out herself, but if she asked Quinn to explain she''d have a good excuse to listen to him talk for a while. She liked listening to him talk about something that got him so excited. She held Linnethea up. "So what does mine do?" Quinn smiled. "She''s the blindsider. Everyone looks at her stats and thinks she''s too weak to even take a hit. But when you look at her abilities, and you combine them with stuff like the elven forest or ambush cards, plus the stuff on the really good elf fighters, you can take out a whole army trying to attack a territory without losing anyone. She''s actually crazy powerful. Plus she can make wolves and other animal tokens, which are basically free fighters that don''t suck like Tyler''s lame soldiers." "Cool." From the sound of it, Natalie''s choice in this card game lived up to her first impressions. "I''m guessing you wanna play her first then?" Quinn asked. "Not if you do!" Natalie said quickly, heat rushing back into her face. She held out the card. "I can play any of them. I don''t care. She might be a little harder to play the first time though," he added. "Her stuff is a bit weird to use." "Oh my god, she turned into a nerd!" They both turned, but the stage whisper had come from somewhere behind the next bookshelf, well out of sight. Natalie recognized it as Blake''s voice. She ignored it, focusing on the cards in front of her and trying to discern what the numbers scattered around the corners meant. "That''s so adorable. She found her people!" Natalie tried to ignore them, but she could see Quinn''s hazel-colored eyes narrowing behind his glasses. He looked like he might stand up and confront them. She didn''t want that. It''d be so much worse if they got a reaction. "You think she might get infected?" "Those attacks look so painful. I hope she doesn''t end up like poor Tyler." Quinn started to get up, but Natalie quickly shook her head. He stopped, confused. Blake and her sidekick Lydia hadn''t emerged from behind the bookshelves, and Natalie didn''t expect them to. They''d move along as soon as they realized they weren''t going to get a reaction. Sure enough, the whispers died away after a minute or so, as soon as they got bored. Quinn sat back down. "Sorry," Natalie said quietly. "For what?" "I think they don''t like me, and now they''re making fun of you guys too." Quinn frowned. "Why''d you tell me to stop then? I''m not afraid of Blake." She shrugged. "Someone told me once that girls like that are always gonna act like that." Though Ryan said a lot more words Dad didn''t want me to repeat. "He said the best thing is to just ignore them because that way they don''t get anything out of you. If all they''re doing is saying stupid stuff that isn''t even true, that''s a lot better than what they could be doing. They''re still following the rules like everyone else, so they aren''t gonna do anything really scary." "Like what?" Natalie hesitated. "Stuff that''s a lot worse." Stuff like what I''ve done. Or what they tried to do to me. Quinn sat back in his chair. "You can''t tell me?" Natalie looked down at the ground uncomfortably. "I''m not allowed to. It''s against the rules," she said quietly. "I''m sorry." "Are you in witness protection or something?" "Am I what?" "Witness protection. It''s where they send you far away from home and change your name to keep you safe. You have to hide out from everything though. Can''t tell anyone who you were and stuff. I saw it on a show once." Natalie felt a shock roll through her. Quinn had just described her life a bit too closely. She wasn''t sure how she was supposed to answer a question like that. Boris hasn''t covered anything like that in his lessons. Should she say no? Make something else up? Quinn was too smart. He knew all about lying and bluffing people. He''d know she was lying. "Yes," she finally answered. She slowly lifted her head, afraid to see his reaction. He didn''t look angry, or surprised. If anything, he looked excited. "So you''re in hiding? That''s so cool." "I¡­ huh?" "It''s okay," he added, picking up a deck of cards and shuffling it. "I''ve got your back. Your secret''s safe with me. I won''t even tell the rest of the gang if you want." Natalie couldn''t feel more relieved. She hadn''t lost her new friend, and she hadn''t really broken her secret either. Quinn hadn''t even asked for her real name. He held out another deck. "So, Jenny, wanna play some Conquest?" Natalie reached forward, arm outstretched over the table. Without even thinking about it, her mind moved ahead of her grip, lifting the deck away from Quinn. The cards slid out in a neat pile, floating straight through the air and landing perfectly in her hand. She froze, staring at the deck that had just moved itself into her palm. She didn''t dare look up at Quinn. "...Whoah." [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] Interlude IV — Secrets Interlude IV ¡ª Secrets Cinza reverently removed the Scrap from the metal tube they''d stored it inside. She handed it over to Nikki, who took a few cautious steps into the center of the circle. The rest of the Greycloaks¡ªthe only family she had left¡ªsat around her in a wide circle, watching intently. She felt every eye on her, the weight of anticipation in the air over what would happen, but she knew they were all there to support her no matter the outcome. Behind them standing at the edge of the treeline were Josh Miller and Hailey Winscombe, the only two present not wearing the cloaks. Nikki took a deep breath, then slowly started to unroll the ancient burnt piece of torn parchment. She''d been anticipating this moment for weeks, ever since the destruction of Rallsburg that had made them all ghosts. They''d put it off while Cinza recovered enough to walk around without constant support, but finally¡ªit was time. Nicole Winifred Parsons was about to awaken. She looked down at the parchment and let her eyes drift over the first few words. No one had described what the feeling would be like. She''d resisted asking Josh or Hailey, because she wanted to go into it totally blind. She wanted to experience the revelation herself, unfiltered and unbiased, that which Cinza and Ruby talked of with such feverish passion. Nikki began to read it aloud, though she had no idea what she was speaking. She knew the words, as if whispered to her in a dream that she couldn''t quite recall. It was emotion more than it was conscious thought. "For the good of us all," she heard faintly, as if from behind a thick curtain and infinitely far away. Ruby had spoken the words, and a moment later the rest of her family echoed them. Nikki held onto those words like a lifeline as her vision plunged away, color and detail draining out of the world as she fell into darkness. As the forest fell out of sight, Nikki felt her mind opening up. Her brain seemed like it was ten times its usual size. She could sense every tiny synapse, every burst of nerves and every connection as they grew and changed and formed new pathways. It was a beautiful, perpetually shifting and self-altering machine, and Nikki could feel every piece of it and how it all fit together. At the same time, she felt something wholly different. It was a stranger feeling, like the sudden burst of inspiration upon solving a puzzle, but perpetual. It felt like she were solving a problem without knowing the situation, with the answers simply thrust upon her out of the black. It was exhilarating¡ªuntil it suddenly snapped away, like a light flickering out. She''d run out of words to speak. Her mouth kept moving and her throat kept trying to utter sounds, but nothing would spring forth. She was choking on her own breath. She was going to suffocate. Nikki Parsons was about to die. "No," she heard, a chiming bell in the void that pressed upon her ears. Like twin stars, a pair of silver-grey orbs appeared in the sky, slowly resolving into the eyes of their goddess. She started speaking the words to save Nikki''s life, words Nikki echoed in perfect unison until she had stumbled her way back into the world of light. Grey-eyes sat on her knees in front of her. Nikki had fallen back against the simple rest Cinza had prepared and set into the center. In sharp contrast to the grey robes worn by the circle, their goddess wore only a plain jacket and jeans, with a faded t-shirt for a band she''d never heard of. Nikki looked past her plain trappings to the immense power contained within the girl''s striking eyes, and she felt afraid. "Thank you," she whispered. Grey-eyes nodded, looking as she always did¡ªlonely and a little sad. Nikki wished she could do something for her, but it didn''t matter. A moment later, Grey-eyes vanished, as she always did. The moment she was gone, the circle converged on Nikki. Ruby was the first to reach her, grasping her hand with the warmest of smiles. "Welcome," she said, and Nikki¡ªwho had felt for so long like an outsider despite Cinza''s constant reassurance¡ªfinally rejoiced. She had joined them on the other side.
After two weeks with magic in her hands, Nikki felt a bit underwhelmed. She could barely cast even the most basic spells, and her frustration was becoming obvious to the rest of the Greycloaks. "It just takes practice," Yusuf explained with a twinge of embarrassment. He had no trouble summoning up a fireball out of the air, though thankfully he didn''t flaunt it. "You have need to dig a bit more than we do, I think. You maybe don''t have the right affinity for this magic." "Did you guys just guess ''em?" Joe asked, sitting on a log nearby and picking away at a few sticks. "Cinza had someone with Knowledge magic to find out all of ours," Yusuf explained. "They tried to do Nikki when we found the chance, but it is you cannot find out anything from someone who is not awakened yet." "Weird." "Do you want to try again, Nikki?" Yusuf asked. "Just find the way the fire bursts, as I said. I know that does not really explain it, but it is the best way I can think of describing." Nikki focused. She reached out her will, like she did for telekinesis. That was the breakthrough moment for her, when she''d first learned how to detach her mind from her brain. It was a process none of them understood, but most could do without thinking. Nikki found that initial basic step the most important of them all. She didn''t care that much about actually making fire, except that it would give her more information about how that first step into the supernatural took place. Something had changed in them to allow such a strange disconnect, and Nikki was determined to figure out how it worked. She imagined a candle flickering into life. Delving into what she could remember of chemistry, she thought about the reaction that had to take place for fire to exist in the real world. Did that reaction even matter? There clearly wasn''t anything for the fire to burn from in the air, so did real physics just fly out the window entirely? Not that her questions mattered if she couldn''t produce even the tiniest drop of flame. "Nikki, you okay?" Her concentration snapped at Joe''s words. She rounded on him, about to start shouting, but she managed to calm herself in time. She knew he was just concerned and trying to help. He cared about her. "I''m fine." Joe nodded. "Well, keep trying then. You''ll get it." Something about his tone irked her, but she didn''t want to bring it up. Yusuf saved her the difficulty of replying. "Hey Joe, do you mind to get us some dinner? I could use a bite to eat. I have been spending a lot of energy cutting firewood today." Joe shrugged. "Sure. What do you want?" "Whatever Rufus suggests. I am not picky." As soon as Joe was out of earshot, Yusuf sat down next to Nikki. "Maybe a little better luck without the boyfriend in earshot?" he said conspiratorially. Nikki shrugged. "He''s not really the problem." "Oh?" Yusuf looked surprised. "I believed he was being quite the irritant. But if you are saying he is fine, I won''t try to keep him away for longer." "Actually¡­" Nikki said. "I have an idea." "An epiphany?" "Huh?" "Whenever Ruby was to come up with a great new idea for magic, Cinza would call it an epiphany. She was very specific about the term." Nikki laughed. "I think they just like using big words." "Yes, they do." She rolled up her sleeves and held out her hand. "In the gathering, I could feel your magic the most. What if I could use it as a jump-start? Like starting a stalled engine. Getting past this block keeping me from the other types of magic." Yusuf looked at her doubtfully. "We have tried this with other diffinities. Rufus and his disability with Movement magic. It did not accomplish anything." "Try it for me?" she asked. He shrugged. "If you want." He took her hand gently and closed his eyes. Nikki reached out again, trying to feel the magic coming from him. She couldn''t feel anything, but that didn''t mean it wasn''t there. Cinza had speculated to Josh and Nikki one night that the connection was made through more pathways than simply magical power. She had drawn up a chart detailing affinities and perceived strength of each connection, as well as their emotional connections and any other characteristics that might relate two people physically. It certainly helped explain why her connection with Ruby was so strong. Two young adult girls, of similar build and ethnicity, madly in love and also sharing the same affinity¡ªof course they would be able to share magic almost freely. However, along those same lines, shouldn''t Brittany and Matthew be able to share fairly easily? They were married and quite close, yet they struggled with it, even though both could share with Cinza. Additionally, Yusuf could give to almost everyone equally, and he shared neither a particularly strong emotional connection nor a race with a single other Greycloak. The inconsistency was obvious, and Cinza discarded the theory after a good deal of debate between the three of them. Nikki was the only one of the Greycloaks who enjoyed discussing the theory of magic in depth with Josh and Cinza, despite her own ineptitude with spellcasting. Not that Josh seemed to enjoy their conversations. He contributed as much as either of them, but his voice was always cynical and defeatist. Nikki didn''t mind, though. He helped keep them grounded. Still, the theory Cinza had established appealed to her to some degree. It was romantic¡ªand despite everything, Nikki was still the starry-eyed teenager who''d run away from home dreaming of a more exciting life, and found it in the care of the cult who''d taken up in her town. Every other part of her life had broken the illusion, so she held onto that last vestige as tight as she could. "Hey Yusuf?" she asked. His eyes popped open. "Yes, Nikki?" "I was curious. Why did you join Cinza?" He looked at her in surprise. "That is an odd question to ask right now." "I''m so sorry!" Nikki blurted. "I didn''t mean to pry." Yusuf smiled. "It''s fine. I do not mind telling you my story." His hand hadn''t left hers the whole time, and she liked the warmth he gave off. Yusuf was a middle aged man with black hair he kept quite short, with very tan skin and friendly brown eyes. Every impression he gave was that of a large, friendly, slightly short bear¡ªup to and including the rage he could exhibit when threatened. Nikki had seen him up against a mob, fighting to protect them all, and she knew what he was really capable of with his back to the wall. "Would it shock you to believe this is not my first cult?" he said with a smile. "What?" "It is truth!" He laughed. "I was a foolish young soul. I was raised by my father to be a devout man, but I knew better! In my arrogant youth, I declared that his beliefs were nothing old fire stories from the ancient days. I would find my own path. So I traveled to America, and there I met Sally Santiago." Nikki giggled. "Sally Santiago? Really?" "Ah, she was the most beautiful woman you had ever imagined!" Yusuf waved a hand through the air like a cheap magician, but as he did, a sparkle of light flickered around his fingers. He''d generated sparks of flame to heighten the effect. "Beautiful, and so proud. She was fierce. I loved that about her. She was a truly free spirit. My father would have hated her, so of course I loved her with all my heart." He shrugged. "I was not a very good son." Nikki shook her head. "Sounds like he wasn''t a very good dad." "Maybe you will meet him one day and you can tell me for certain." "Maybe." She tapped his palm with her finger. "What happened to Sally?" "Six months after I met her, she became Sally al-Fayed!" He smiled even wider. "Two love birds making their nest. We did joined forces against the world. Sally was going to university to become a doctor, and I was repairing houses and helping her pay for her schooling. We made quite a team." "Hang on, you said this was about a cult." "Patience, child! What kind of bad storyteller am I, if I skip act one and two?" "I''m sorry." She squeezed his hand. "Please, keep going. I''m listening." He grinned. "This is where we reach the happy part of my story." "Happier than Sally Santiago?" Nikki deadpanned. "Sally al-Fayed!" he corrected. "Yes, because we have new characters who join us! Two beautiful, perfect characters named Nadia and Amelia al-Fayed! Alhamduli''iilaaha!" Yusuf shouted the final word, startling her. "...Your daughters?" she guessed, once he''d calmed down a little. "Yes. My two daughters, blessed be them forever." A tear formed in the corner of his eye, which he dabbed away with a corner from the hood of his robe. "However, you are right, this is a story of a cult and not of my two blessings. There was a small gathering in our home town in Pennsylvania. A group of people with a devotion that they would follow utterly. They believed they were promised for a better place than this. Their devotion drove them to commit horrible acts to themselves." Nikki clapped a hand to her mouth. "Oh my god. They didn''t¡ª" "They did," he replied. "I am afraid to say I was not at home. I had read some of their literature and I dismissed it as strange, but I believed my wife knew what she was doing. I do not know if she found salvation, but I know that I most certainly did not." "Yusuf, I''m so sorry." "I thank you." He patted her on the shoulder. "But I tell you this not because I seek comfort, though I thank you again. My Nadia and my Amelia were taken by ''iilhat alramadi and I will see them when it is my time." He shook his head. "No, I keep this story in my memory to remind myself of the danger rigid belief can make. Do you know our leader is the wisest I have ever known?" "Cinza?" Nikki asked doubtfully. She believed Cinza was smart, sure, and that she had a worldliness about her that spoke of a dense and storied past, but Yusuf seemed to be hinting at something more specific. "Absolutely. Cinza is the leader who questions. The leader who doubts and fears and cares more that her people are safe than following her belief so strictly." He smiled. "This is why I would follow her when I have every reason to be frightened. Why, if my Amelia and my Nadia were alive today, Cinza would be the only person in the world I could trust to care for them if I were taken away." "Huh." Nikki still wasn''t quite sure she agreed with him¡ªparticularly about the whole child-rearing thing¡ªbut she did start to examine Cinza in a new light. Maybe there was more to her than just the romantic side. After all, Cinza had insisted on combat training, on readiness drills, on all sorts of other activity that simply didn''t line up with what Nikki expected. Of course¡­ she''d been right, in the end. "Now, Nikki, we were to try again at helping you create fire. Can you feel magic yet through my hand?" Nikki tried again. She reached out to the space between them, a space so small she couldn''t ever see it, but had to believe it existed. There she found it¡ªa whirling disk of energy that spun like a top on the tips of Yusuf''s fingers, waiting for her to pluck it from his balance and take it for herself. She grabbed it and pulled the energy inside her mind, ready to fling it out into a ball of flame as powerful as she could manage. She wanted to show Yusuf that his effort hadn''t been for nothing. Her mind found a different path. When she reached for the churning element she recognized as fire, her thoughts wandered away. It was an idea that barged into her stream of consciousness, dominating her imagination and demanding her full attention. She gave in and followed the path of least resistance, curious where this was taking her. There was something totally different about this magic, a sensation she''d never felt or even heard described to her by the other Greycloaks. It felt right. Nikki shivered with excitement. This was from her affinity. She was sure of it. Suddenly, she ran into a massive wall of resistance blocking her path. It wasn''t like the immense strain of effort when she tried to cast spells from other affinities though. This was more like an intricate web, with layers upon layers of different strands entwined and circling around and through themselves in impossible knots. She felt like she were blind and trying to figure out the object just from feeling a tiny portion of its true shape. It was impossibly huge and labyrinthine, and all she could do was to pluck out a single thread and begin to follow it. She did so, tracing it back, like the first step in untangling a mess of cords. The cord continued to branch off in deeper and deeper pathways, and Nikki could only guess what might lay inside. Her vision blurred, and she was vaguely aware of Yusuf watching her with a concerned expression, but he seemed to be moving in slow motion. Nikki could feel her mind speeding up as she plumbed the depths of the maze of threads. She forced herself to slow down, trying to feel the specific threads and what each one might mean. One of them felt vaguely familiar. It felt warm and joyful, but also full of muted regret. A thread overcome with thick human emotion. Nikki followed it, and as she delved down she watched the branches split out again, into even more of the infinite possibilities. She cursed under her breath, prompting a worried squeeze of her hand from Yusuf. Nikki shook her head, praying he wouldn''t speak. Her mind was struggling to contain the labyrinth, and she was only focused on the single path she''d taken so far. If he interrupted, she might lose the thread entirely. She kept going, following it where the path felt most immediately familiar. She tried to speed up, suddenly worried that anything might interrupt and break the spell. Yusuf''s hand shook slightly, distracting her for a moment, but she managed to hang on. Her mind shifted. Suddenly she wasn''t following a path through a maze, but riding a cart through mine shafts at a breakneck pace. She had to hold on for dear life as she plunged through the depths, with inky blackness below her and quickly shifting rails that threatened to derail her at every intersection. She hung on. She kept following the thread. A tunnel of light ahead. Nikki felt her mind slowly beginning to clear as she plunged forward, ready for whatever lay at the end. Her vision went totally white. "The Twenty First Circle," she said aloud. The world fell back into place, visibly crashing into view as her eyes snapped open. "Holy shit," she whispered. Nikki felt like she''d just run a mile and a half, but she felt exhilarated. Yusuf looked similarly dazed, though his was simply from giving up energy for her spellcasting. At her words, his eyes widened. "How did you know their name?" "Huh?" Yusuf looked puzzled. "The cult. I had not shared their name in my story. How did you know it?" Nikki blinked a few times, still catching her breath. "...I think we just figured out my affinity."
Since that day, wherever she went, Nikki wore a necklace with a set of amethyst stones clipped onto it. It bounced against her chest as she climbed through the forest, following Joe on his latest trip for supplies. They weren''t totally self-sufficient yet, but they were getting close. Very soon, these trips would be totally unnecessary. She was looking forward to it, since she couldn''t safely leave the confines of their home. As far as they were aware, Nikki was still on quite a few watch lists related to Rallsburg. Joe, it seemed, felt otherwise. "I just feel like I''m gonna be the useless one around camp," he explained. "How are you gonna be useless? You''re still strong as shit, and you can do the crop growth spell okay." Joe set down his bundle and leaned against the nearest tree. "Compared to the only person who can do Knowledge magic in the whole fuckin'' world?" Nikki shrugged. "I got lucky." She glanced around. "Don''t forget though, we''re supposed to keep that secret. Never say it outside the boundary." "Yeah, yeah." Joe rubbed his face with his hands, then started stretching out. "Isn''t that like, hypocritical though?" "Huh?" "Cinza''s whole new schtick about being open and sharing everything. If we''re sharing everything now, why wouldn''t we tell people we can do Knowledge magic again?" "Well, I still have no clue what I''m doing," Nikki pointed out. "It''s only been a week." "It has? Felt like way longer. You keep talking in your sleep." "I do?" "Yeah. Driving me nuts." She frowned. "What do I talk about?" "Fuck if I know. I can''t understand a word of it." "Sorry I''m being such a burden." Joe''s eyes widened. "Shit, I''m sorry. I didn''t mean it like that. It''s not really a big deal." "No, really, if I''m making you uncomfortable, I''m happy to find another place to sleep. I wouldn''t want to make your life difficult." "Nikki¡­" Joe started. Before he could continue, a splash of water flew between them, circling around Joe and coming back to rest in Makoto''s palm. "The fuck?" "Show-off," Nikki added, smirking. Makoto''s lip twitched, but Nikki still couldn''t get him to actually laugh. He''d been standing by a tree a dozen feet away, watching them bicker. "When are you gonna teach me how to sneak up on people like that?" "Later." Makoto looked over his shoulder. "Rufus will be done soon." "The new security shit?" Joe asked. "Yes." "So we should hurry back?" "Probably." "Sounds good to me. Let''s get going, then. You coming with?" Nikki asked. "I have one more section to do." He bowed slightly to her. "See you later." He walked past them and back into the forest. Joe watched him go, scratching his head. "The fuck is up with that guy?" "What do you mean?" "I don''t get his priorities at all." He hoisted up his bundle with a grunt and started walking again. Nikki joined him, carrying a smaller bundle. "He''s gotta be burning up in there." "Huh?" "Guy needs to get laid, is what I''m saying." She barked out a laugh. "Not everyone''s as obsessed with sex as you, you know. Besides, where the hell''s he gonna get laid out here? Everyone''s pretty paired up, or not his type at all. Unless you''re offering?" she added pointedly, nudging him in the elbow. "Nuh-uh. He doesn''t want me. He''s got a massive crush on Ruby." Nikki was genuinely surprised. "For real?" "You didn''t know? Shit, maybe I wasn''t supposed to say." "How do you know?" "...I was listening in through the window." Nikki elbowed him in the side hard. He stumbled and nearly dropped his bundle. "You dick." "Hey, I didn''t mean to! I was just hanging out with Scrappy by the furnace. That cat needs love." She rolled her eyes. "Okay, fair. Keep talking though." "So Ruby goes out to the garden and leaves Cinza in bed. This is back when she was still falling apart after the ritual, right?" "After we got home and she collapsed?" "Nah, like a week later." "Okay, go on." "So Ruby sends Makoto in to check on her. They get to talking and Cinza asks why Makoto hasn''t talked to Ruby yet about his big fucking crush." Nikki shook her head. "In so many words." "You know how she talks. I don''t remember her flowery bullshit very well." "Call it bullshit again and we''ll see how well you remember this conversation." "Sorry, sorry. But yeah. Makoto is crushing on Ruby hard. And I guess Cinza''s okay with it?" Joe shrugged. "I don''t get them." "''Course you don''t, you''re a guy." Nikki frowned. "Makoto isn''t confident enough to ask Ruby out. That''ll never take off." "Not confident enough? The guy is fucking built of confidence. He''s solid grade-A confident." "Self-assured and confident aren''t the same things," Nikki said patiently. "You''re confident, but you aren''t self-assured for shit." "Huh?" "I''m saying you suck at believing in what you''re good at." "Wow, don''t mince words on me at all," Joe grumbled. They emerged into their home. Rufus waved at them from the wire he was setting up around the line of trees that made up their outer border. At a glance, it appeared to be totally natural growth, but if she looked closely Nikki could see how they''d been arranged and designed very deliberately, smoothed over by a supernatural touch. "It''s a goddamn compliment. You are good at shit, you just need to remember it and stop moping about when you''re thinking about it." "So how is that different from confidence?" "Fine, social confidence is what I meant. You''ve got that." "It helps that I stopped following Ryan around like an asshole," Joe added. "Don''t remind me." "You hated him too?" "Fuck no, I barely ever talked to him." She sighed exaggeratedly. "I don''t want to be reminded of how inhumanly handsome he was. A specimen like that didn''t belong in a town our size." "Inhumanly handsome?" Joe repeated sarcastically. "Again, you''re a straight guy. You''re never gonna get it." Nikki started talking in a faux-dreamy voice. "He was just so tall and strong. With those deep blue eyes, like the ocean on a lazy summer afternoon. And his perfect blonde hair. Mmmmmmm¡­" Joe tossed his bundle onto a bench. He turned and put his arms around Nikki, shocking her into silence. He leaned forward and planted a kiss right on her lips. She didn''t know how to react for a moment, but finally settled for melting into it, letting her own bundle fall to the ground and leaning into it. When they broke apart, Joe grinned. "Who were we talking about again?" Nikki shrugged. "No clue." She glanced over her shoulder to their cabin. "Maybe you could remind me later."
Nikki sat in the corner of the room on a blanket, knitting herself a scarf from the materials Ruby had provided. Brittany was doing the same in her chair. Ruby had offered to make one with magic, but Nikki wanted something to occupy her mind. She thought it might help her concentrate better while she practiced her magic. Today, though, it was actually because she wanted a scarf, and because she wanted to keep Brittany company for a while. "So what''s it like?" Brittany asked, setting aside her needles for a moment. "Finding out things with magic." Nikki sighed. "Not you too." She smiled. "Everyone''s been asking?" "You''re the seventh. Just Matt and Makoto left to ask." "It''s exciting, though, isn''t it? Being able to do something no one else can do." "Yeah, but we all know that." Nikki shrugged. "You found a Scrap all on your own, didn''t you? Back in Tacoma?" "Matt found it, actually. I was at work." Brittany winced as she adjusted herself in her chair. She picked up the bottle of pills on her end-table and downed a pair before continuing. "We had it all to ourselves for a month before Rachel reached out." Nikki finished off the scarf with a satisfying final stitch. She tied it off and snipped the extra thread, before holding it up to show off. It looked perfect, neat and clean with a simple pattern of flowers she''d gotten off the internet. "Come on then, toss it over. Get ready to be judged." Reluctantly, Nikki threw it across the room to Brittany, who deftly caught it. She looked it over painstakingly, while Nikki waited with baited breath. "Hmm¡­" Without warning, Brittany tossed it around her neck and pulled it snug. "Very nice. I think I''ll hang onto this." "Hey!" Nikki jumped to her feet, indignant. Brittany held up her hands in surrender, her eyes wide and fearful. "You wouldn''t take a scarf from a one-legged woman, would you?" Nikki faltered halfway across the room. She wasn''t sure if Brittany was serious. A second later, Brittany''s face narrowed wickedly. She pulled off the scarf with a flourish. It flew across the room and snapped like a whip in midair, smacking her across the shoulder. "Don''t give up so easily just because I''m stuck in this chair," Brittany scolded. She held the scarf in midair hovering above Nikki''s head. "Go on, grab it." Nikki leapt for it, but it simply hovered further out of reach. She started looking around for a chair to boost herself. As she reached for the stool in the corner, Brittany''s eyes flicked across the room. The chair suddenly tumbled over backwards away from her just as Nikki closed on it. "What are you doing?" Nikki asked, exasperated. "Reminding you what you can do." Her grin got wider. The scarf fluttered over Nikki''s head, tapping her on the ear and rushing away as soon as she lunged for it. "I can''t though. I suck at Movement magic, and it''s your affinity." Nikki shook her head. "I can''t beat you." "Do you remember that night?" "...Yes." "Are they gonna be worried about what affinity you might or might not have?" Brittany smacked across the head lightly with the scarf again. "Get the scarf, Nicole." Nikki hated her full name. With a snarl of rage, she flung out her mind at the scarf floating tantalizingly just out of reach. As the mental thrust of her willpower reached it, she hit a brick wall. Brittany''s own projection of will, as strong as steel, totally unyielding. Nikki forced herself to slow down, and started feeling around the edges of her mental grasp, trying to find anywhere she might be weak. She''d heard Cinza talking about such a technique, and thought she might be able to use it to win this little bout. It was useless. The moment she found a weakness, Brittany closed it up. "You''re too obvious, Nicole." Brittany spun the scarf in a circle, then suddenly pulled it taut. The fibers were starting to stretch. "Get the scarf." Fuck it. Nikki hurled her mind at Brittany''s grip with abandon. She could feel breaks beginning to form, as she sapped away Brittany''s energy. A few more moments and she might have it. "No." Brittany''s grip suddenly doubled over. It seemed to pulse, and the mental shockwave shattered Nikki''s concentration entirely. Pain pierced through her brain, like a single burst of migraine that instantly subsided. I''m not losing to you, crippled or not. Nikki reached out mentally for the cold metal laying against her skin underneath her shirt. She kept her eyes focused on the scarf, trying to distract Brittany from what she was doing. You didn''t know I had this on. With the sudden burst of energy from the citrine stone she''d added to her necklace, Nikki threw a massive wave of force at the scarf. In an instant, she''d buckled through Brittany''s grip. Brittany''s eyes went wide. The scarf began to flutter down, suddenly freed from its invisible hand, before Nikki grabbed it again. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Brittany wasn''t giving up so easily either. Nikki had released the energy from the stone, not wanting to waste any more of it, and Brittany took the opportunity to blindside her. Nikki had expected a hit from the side, bracing herself against the surprise attack she knew was coming, but Brittany was one step ahead of her. A pillow jumped off the armchair and smacked Nikki in the face. She lost sight of the scarf entirely, and with it, her concentration. In a moment, it was fluttering back into the air. An instant later, the threads smacked her ear again. "Fuck you, I had that," Nikki shouted, getting to her feet. "Did you?" Brittany asked calmly. "That wasn''t fair and you know it." "We never set any rules. I''m trying to help you out here, Nikki. Pay attention." "I''m not your fucking kid, Brittany," Nikki snapped. Instantly, while blood rushed to her face and her heart pounded in her chest, she knew she''d gone too far. Brittany''s face froze. The mischievous mood from moments earlier was already a distant memory. Nikki shook her head emphatically. "I''m so sorry." Brittany shook her head, very slowly. "I know you aren''t Jake." "I¡­" Nikki trailed off. What was she supposed to say after bringing that up? "I should go." "Yes, you should." Brittany dropped the scarf on Nikki''s lap. She reached over awkwardly to the blanket sitting beside her chair, wrapping herself up. Nikki picked up the scarf and her bundle of possessions, and practically sprinted out of the cabin. She nearly ran Matthew over as she did, returning from a day working in the farm. The door swung shut behind her as she tried to find a way around him. "What''s the matter?" he asked, setting down his basket of food. "Nothing. I gotta go." "Nikki, slow it down. What happened?" "I¡ª" Nikki tried to dart around him, but he held out an arm to stop her. "Nikki, please. Are you moving out?" He glanced at the bundle under her arm, which amounted to every single personal possession she had left. "Did we do something wrong?" "No, nothing. Please, I have to go." Matthew shook his head. "Nah. You''ll hate yourself more if you do. Tell me what happened." Maybe it was the fresh air, or maybe it was his patient voice, but Nikki gave up trying to escape. Both the Wilkinses had been so good to her. She didn''t want to just run away, especially when she really had nowhere to run to. The furthest she could move away was about six hundred feet. "I brought up Jake." Matthew''s face fell. "Oh¡­ I see." "I''m so sorry. I know it''s still¡ª" "It''s all right." Matthew sat down on the bench attached to their porch. It had a section carved out to make it easier for Brittany to get in and out, and Matthew took the opposite side. Nikki remained where she always ended up, awkwardly in the way and never knowing where she was supposed to be. "It hit us both pretty hard you know." "But you don''t¡ª" "Because I know I''m going to see him again one day." Nikki hesitated. As far as she knew, they weren''t particularly religious. "You mean like¡­ in heaven?" "No, I mean here. We''ll find a way." He smiled. "She''ll show us a way." Nikki couldn''t help it. She frowned. "You really think you can bring him back with magic? That sounds really out there." "You sound like Brittany." Matthew sighed. "I know I seem crazy. But look at everything we can do. Is it really so hard to believe it might be possible?" He looked at her thoughtfully. "Maybe you''ll be the one to figure it out. With your new gift." She shook her head. "It doesn''t really work like that." "Ah." The silence dragged on uncomfortably. He was staring out across the clearing without a word. Nikki wasn''t sure if she should leave or stay. Matthew didn''t seem to mind, but she doubted Brittany would be quite so fast to forgive. Finally, she gave in. She knew she wasn''t welcome in that cabin anymore. Another one struck off her list. "Bye, then." Nikki turned and walked away, wondering where she was going to sleep for the night.
¡­With a nice hidden door in the back, so I can leave without being noticed if anyone knocks and I don''t want to deal with them. Nikki drew out the design on the paper Cinza had given her. "Oh, that looks fun," Ruby said. She rolled over to the edge of the bed and stuck her head out on Nikki''s shoulder, peering at the notebook resting against her knees. "Secret passages? Very cool." "I just wish it didn''t look so plain and boring." Nikki pointed out the rough square edges of her sketch. "I''m so bad at this." "Never fear. We can fix that when we build it." Ruby took on a dramatic tone. "Yours shall be the finest in all the Greywoods!" "...Greywoods? Really?" "Shush. I''m working on it." Ruby nudged her with her head. "Keep drawing. I want to see what you come up with." As Nikki tried to add more detail to the floor plan, the door swung open. They saw a vague outline through the heavy curtain that bisected the cabin¡ªone so short, it had to be Cinza. Sure enough, her ethereal voice filled the cabin a moment later, completely unmuffled by the thick curtain. "We''re done." "Are we already? I thought it was going to take another two days." The curtain swept open as Cinza walked in, her hair bright silver and her cloak rumpled and covered in dirt. Ruby tut-tutted at the sight and hopped off the bed, grabbing the hem and pulling it off her. Cinza relinquished it readily, releasing the illusion on her hair as she did and returning it to its natural brown. She looked exhausted, as she always did ever since the events in Rallsburg. Ruby shook her head in exaggerated disappointment. "Would you stop getting this so messy? I worked hard on it, you know." "One does as one must." Cinza dropped into her office chair, which seemed totally incongruous with the rustic decor. Even more so was the array of screens behind it, attached to several computers Nikki knew to be of surprisingly high quality. Ruby worked it into the design of the building as best she could, but there was only so much one could do to try and integrate such modern technology with the wooden cabin aesthetic. "How goes the design, Nicole?" Unlike everyone else, it never bothered her when Cinza used her full name. It sounded so much more elegant and profound in her voice, and the usual irritation she felt simply didn''t exist. She respected every word Cinza ever spoke, always eager to listen to that ethereal mystique. Even so, she wasn''t about to show Cinza the silly ideas she''d scribbled out. "Work in progress." Nikki quickly erased the secret passage before Cinza could spot it, but Ruby noticed. "Why''d you scratch it out? I really thought it was cool." "What did she remove?" Cinza asked, sitting up slightly with interest. "She wanted a secret passage out the back. Maybe so she could sneak someone in at night for some fun. We''re all thinking it," Ruby added with a knowing grin. "Ruby, you''re the only one thinking that," Nikki grumbled. "Not necessarily," Cinza added mildly, a faint smile creasing the edges of her lips. "I''m guessing it''s not the purpose you intended though." "It''s nothing. I didn''t want it anyway." "You wanted a way to escape, correct?" I really shouldn''t be surprised anymore that Cinza seems to know everything right away. "...Yeah." "We have a secret passage of our own for the very same reason." Cinza gestured vaguely across the room. "It leads a good deal out into the woods, beyond the security wall." "How''d the setup go, by the way?" asked Ruby. She was unfolding and laying out Cinza''s robe on a fold-out table set into the far wall. Once it was flat, she focused and started pushing magic across it in a wave, making it perfectly clean and smooth and repairing many of the little snags and cuts that had formed from Cinza''s exertion. "You didn''t strain yourself too much, did you?" "No, dear, I left all the hard work to Rufus and Makoto," Cinza replied wearily. "They both knew better than to risk your wrath by letting me assist." "So we should be totally impenetrable now?" Nikki asked. Ruby flashed another wicked grin before Cinza replied. "In theory. If someone actually does manage to walk straight through the forest illusion, they''ll find themselves up against quite a few obstacles. Ryan''s theory about imbuing eggs and simple objects with traps seems to be holding." Cinza sighed. "I wish I could figure out how Jackson broke through the last time. There should have been no way to make it through the forest without knowing the route." "He was a god," Ruby pointed out. "If Rachel hadn''t arrived when she did¡­" Cinza shook her head. "The new fortifications will have to suffice. We couldn''t get the identification to work though. If you ever need to leave camp, do not go out without Rufus or Makoto leading you." "Or kaboom?" Ruby asked. "Precisely." "Isn''t this a bit over the line?" Cinza glanced up from the computer she''d been turning on. "What do you mean?" "We''re putting a lot of scary things on the line with no way to prevent them from accidentally hurting the wrong people." Ruby tilted her head to the side. "Aren''t you worried about that?" "I won''t let anyone hurt you," Cinza replied. "That''s beautifully romantic, my shining star, but that doesn''t help the innocent hiker who might wander into the woods totally lost and suddenly explode." Ruby dropped her cute mannerisms. "We might hurt some people really badly." "Better them than us," Nikki replied quietly. "She puts it much more succinctly than I would, but yes," Cinza agreed. "Better them than us. I don''t want to hurt anyone. You know that." Ruby got up and walked over to Cinza, planting a kiss on her cheek. "I know, but I just want to make sure you''re thinking about everything here." "Thank you." "Which also means that we''re totally building your secret passage," Ruby added, turning back to Nikki. "If we''re going all out, you gotta have an escape plan just like us." "...You don''t think it''s childish?" "Not at all," Cinza replied. "It''s useful and could save your life one day. One must always be ready to flee, no matter how safe they might feel. Better to build it and never use it, than to be without when they come for us." "And they will come for us," Ruby intoned gravely, her face excessively solemn. "It''s no more childish than she is," Cinza added dryly, nudging Ruby with her elbow. "Hey, being a child''s never slowed me down." Nikki glanced up, surprised. "Huh? You''re a child?" "Only legally." Ruby rolled her eyes. "I''ll be eighteen next September." "I always assumed you were my age¡­" "Nope. I''m the baby of the family, lucky me. But hey, we''re making a new society here. We can always change that." Cinza shook her head. "I shudder to imagine you drunk." "Oh, I''d make it worth your while." Nikki felt increasingly uncomfortable in the presence of the endlessly flirtatious Ruby and her exhausted partner. She went back to her design, adding a room where she could be totally alone. A concentration chamber, square and inert, where she could practice her magic without interference or interruption. Feeling a bit more creative, she added a sloppy rendition of the star symbol to the floor, followed by what she hoped would be seen as candle mounts in the walls. It might need to be stone instead of wood, though¡­ Maybe a medieval castle vibe. That could work. "Mmm¡­ wait. Ruby, did you move my journals?" Cinza asked. "Yeah, we were out of room on the bookshelf. I took all the old ones from before Rallsburg and put them in the attic. Is that all right?" "Yes, but where did you put the recent ones? I don''t see all of them." "Is now really the time for this?" Nikki glanced up from her drawing, Unsurprisingly, Ruby had found her way into Cinza''s chair, placing her legs through the gaps underneath the arms and sitting right on Cinza''s lap, facing her. Cinza glanced over at Nikki with a touch of embarrassment. "Not now, my love. I''m too tired." Ruby sighed dramatically, but leaned down and kissed her on the mouth gently. "If you change your mind, you know where to find me." She got up and headed outside. "I''m gonna go take a shower." As soon as the door had swung shut again, Cinza relaxed and let out a deep breath. "You okay?" Nikki asked tentatively. "Oh. Yes, I''ll be fine." Cinza leaned down to rest her head against the arm of the chair. It was one they''d managed to recover from the sheriff''s station, amazingly intact, but it was obviously built with the typical large male officer in mind. Cinza looked so much like a child sitting in it, but it also meant she could curl up in it quite comfortably. "You didn''t have to do that. I could have gone into the other room, I don''t mind." Cinza laughed. "I wasn''t lying, I really am that tired. Sometimes Ruby can be a bit insatiable. Don''t worry, I''ll make it up to her tonight." She swiveled around and logged into her computer, before turning back to face Nikki again. "We''re happy to have you living with us, so please, if you ever feel uncomfortable, let us know. I''d much rather you feel at home." In truth, they did make her feel totally out of place. It wasn''t the sex (though Nikki had to admit, they could be a bit¡­ voracious about it sometimes), it was the way they simply clicked. They were too perfect together. She was jealous. "I really should just move into my own place." Cinza nodded. "If that''s what you prefer. I assume you want a space where you can work in peace?" "Yeah." "Your affinity is quite a gift for us," Cinza went on. "Anything you need to help develop it, please let me know. I''m happy to help." "You aren''t worried about what happened to Jessica?" It certainly scared Nikki into plenty of sleepless nights, that the only other Knowledge affinities had all met terrible fates. "That''s what we''re here to prevent. We''re all here for you." Cinza shook her head. "Besides, you aren''t doing ritual magic. As far as we can tell, there''s no major risk of recoil like what happened to her." "You really want to rely on that?" Nikki said doubtfully. "Isn''t that why you want a perfectly square stone chamber that locks from the inside?" Cinza pointed out, nodding at the sheet of paper in her hand. "You can read that from there?" Cinza smiled. "I might be practicing a few enhancements of my own lately." "You''ll have to teach me those later." "Certainly. Though I have to admit, I was surprised when you asked if you could stay with us." "Me too¡­" "What happened, if you don''t mind telling me?" Nikki shook her head. "Nothing really. We just didn''t fit together anymore." "Did he do something?" "No!" Nikki replied quickly. Cinza raised her eyebrows. "Really, he didn''t. It''s more like¡­ what he didn''t do." She sighed. "It''s like he just assumed we were supposed to be together. Built up this whole story in his head, about how we were the last two people of Rallsburg left alive, us together against the world." "Jessica and Natalie might take exception to that," Cinza pointed out. "Natalie was born in Chicago, wasn''t she?" "True." "You''re right on Jessica though, but she''s obviously totally obsessed with Hailey, so it doesn''t really matter here." She shrugged. "That''s what it came down to. Joe just felt like we were together by default. I kinda fell for it too, for a while." "What on earth does it matter where you were born?" Cinza asked thoughtfully. "Fu¡ª nothing at all," she quickly corrected. Cinza grinned. "What is it with everyone and avoiding swearing around me?" "I dunno. It just feels¡­ wrong, I guess?" Nikki shook her head. "Sorry." "It''s all right, I just thought it was funny." Cinza launched a few programs that Nikki had learned were secure tunnels to allow her to browse the net without being traced. At best, they could only track her back to her friend that helped them with the website, whom Cinza trusted without question. They all wondered who the mysterious ''Tezofarl'' might be, but they knew better than to ever ask Cinza. It wouldn''t be right. Except¡­ Nikki now had a way to find out without asking. Should I? It was incredibly tempting. She had a power none of them could comprehend, let along wield. She could elevate herself and discover the secret past of their fearless leader, that which even her beloved had never been told. No, never. I''d never do that to her. Except¡­ wasn''t it her job to find out everything? Cinza had said it herself, to develop her gift however she could. She worked so much better when she had something specific she wanted to find out, something she was desperate to uncover. Everyone wanted to know more about the strange small girl with the unplaceable foreign accent, who''d drawn them all together and forged them into a tight-knit family. The rest of the group had shared their stories. Even Ruby had told hers a few weeks ago, sitting around a roaring campfire with the family (though without Josh, who had gone to bed already), about her history with her abusive father and running away from home. Cinza was the only mystery left in the group. Am I supposed to find out using magic? Is that what she''d want me to do? She stood up suddenly. "I have to go." Cinza glanced over her shoulder. "Something wrong?" "No. I just need some air." Cinza shrugged, though Nikki suspected she knew it was much more than that. Nikki walked out, passing a soaked Ruby coming in as she left. She headed straight out into the woods, as far as she could go before she reached the barrier, feet crunching against the leaves and underbrush with every step. I''d never do that. She wouldn''t want me to. She''d have told us if she wanted it public. Nikki sat down against a tree and stared out into the woods, completely unsure. "Hi." She spun around, her hands balling into fists. She might not be great with magic, but Nikki could still throw a solid punch if she had to. Makoto materialized from behind the nearest tree. He didn''t make a sound as he emerged, hands in his pockets. He looked so casual, even clad in the robe Ruby had personally designed for him. His was far less reflective and shimmering than the usual, and in fact seemed to actively blend into whatever colors surrounded him at the time. It wasn''t perfect camouflage, but it was remarkably effective. The robe faded back into the usual silver-grey as he stepped forward. "Jesus, man," Nikki breathed, leaning back against the tree and closing her eyes. If Makoto was with her, she was as safe as could be, no matter what her racing heartbeat might say. "Would you stop doing that?" "Sorry." "What''re you doing all the way out here anyway?" "Double-checking." He sat down next to her, scanning the horizon. Always reliable, always on-task. She liked how solid and dependable he was. If he weren''t so inscrutable, Nikki might have felt something for him, but she didn''t really go for the mysterious type. Besides, she knew better. Makoto was deeply in love with Ruby, and Nikki wouldn''t dream of making things even more complicated than they already must be in his mind. She saw him more like an older brother than anything else. "You?" Nikki shrugged. "I don''t know. Thinking." She hesitated. "Hiding." He nodded. "Me too." "What do you have to hide from?" "People." "Sounds right to me." Nikki closed her eyes and leaned against his shoulder. He didn''t move, which she took as a good sign. More than anything, she needed a friend without any complications right then. Nothing but support. "I think I screwed something up tonight." "What do you mean?" "I didn''t do anything, but I thought about doing it. I considered it. Even considering it was scary. Like I was crossing a line right there. I don''t know." Nikki laughed bitterly. "Sorry. I''m ruining your hiding spot aren''t I? You don''t want to hear me whining." "I do. Keep talking." "I thought you wanted to get away from people." "Not all people." She shrugged. "I don''t get you." "Neither do I." "Okay then." Nikki laughed again, but with actual mirth this time. "Still want me to keep whining about all my personal crap?" "Yes." "You''re sweet." Nikki sighed, opening her eyes. She decided she may as well practice trying to move pine needles around while they talked. Cinza would want her to keep practicing magic. "I''ve figured out a bit more about my magic. Not just how to use it, but what it can do. I think I can find out things about people." "Like what?" "Anything, really. I used it on Yusuf and found out the name of the cult he''d once been a member of. The one that his wife¡­ you know." "I do." "I used it on Joe and found out the name of his first crush as part of a bet." "So you can get names?" "Not just names. I saw her face and everything. I¡­ uhh," Nikki''s face turned red. "I can get flashes. Like a short clip of what I''m looking for. I saw them together. Like, together together." "Oh." "Yeah. Anyway." Nikki tossed a pine needle into the air. Out of nowhere, three other needles flew up to join it, bending in midair to form a circle around it. "Show-off." "Is that what you felt guilty about?" "No, that wasn''t it. Joe and I laughed about that. It was a good memory for him, and a great bit of blackmail to tease him with for a while." Nikki laughed. "Seriously, they were¡­ uhh, nevermind. Anyway. I was with Cinza and Ruby earlier, and I had a thought. What if I used my magic to find out where Cinza comes from? Who she is and what made her that way?" "That would be a betrayal." Nikki nodded. "Yeah, it would. I hate myself for even thinking of it." "No." "...No?" "You shouldn''t hate yourself for that. Cinza wouldn''t mind." Nikki sat up, raising her eyebrows. "You really think that?" Makoto shook his head. "I''m sorry. What I meant was, Cinza wouldn''t mind that you considered it. She believes in us thinking of every possible option. She wants us to explore magic." "So you mean that she wouldn''t mind I thought of the possibility, so long as I didn''t ever do anything about it." "Yes. I think she''d be surprised if you didn''t." Nikki nodded. "Makes sense, I guess." She sighed. "Cinza would be perfect though. The less I know about someone, the more things I can try to find through magic. It''d be a lot of good practice." "Try me, then." She was taken aback. "Really? Are you sure? I''m pretty sure I can find out literally anything, you know." Makoto shrugged. "I don''t mind. I can make sure you''re getting it right." Nikki nodded. "All right then."
"Well, thanks anyway. Thanks for everything really. You guys were both so nice to me when I showed up. Thanks for helping me deal with my parents, and for keeping us safe that night. I hope wherever you are, you''re happy." Nikki knelt down and set the flowers on top of the simple markers. "I grew these myself, Aaron, using your spell. Only took me three days. I hope you like peonies." She wondered if they were an appropriate flower for a gravestone. Her mother had always obsessed about having the right flowers for particular occasions¡ªwhich, of course, meant that Nikki actively rejected learning a single thing about it. "Tha'' was nice," said Rufus, setting down his own bundle of flowers. "I''m sure they''re glad you stopped by." "You still come here every day?" Nikki asked. "Ev''ry day." Rufus turned and started walking back to the main clearing. Nikki hurried to follow, falling in next to him. "It''s prob''ly e''cessive, I know. But I feel like someone''s gotta keep ''em company. Jus'' seems righ''." "What about you? Who keeps you company?" "Birds and the bears, girlie!" Rufus laughed. "There''s an ol'' mama black bear ''round here. She and I are good friends. I leave her snacks sometimes." "You aren''t scared?" "Black bears are more a''scared of us than we are of them. ''sides," Rufus gave a short, high pitched whistle. A few moments later, a huge grey wolf padded out from somewhere deep in the forest. She eyed Rufus fiercely, as if admonishing him for calling her unnecessarily. "Ah, sorry Gwen. I was makin'' a poin''. We''re safe." Gwen turned and loped away without hesitation. Rufus shrugged. "That girl''s always ''round, even if you don'' see her." "I didn''t realize we knew where she was." "I don'' know where she goes at nigh''," Rufus corrected. "but she''s never fail''d to show up if I call. I don'' think she likes me much, but Natalie tol'' her to keep us safe. She''s holdin'' to her word. Or her howl, I s''pose." "You think she''d come if I whistled too?" "Probably. Worked for M''koto. Speakin'' o''which," Rufus added, giving her a sidelong glance. "What''s this I hear abou'' you castin'' spells on him?" "Not on him." Nikki frowned. "He told me to practice by trying to find stuff out about him. I never actually cast anything at him." "Even so. Seems a bit risky, don'' it?" "It''s perfectly safe, and Makoto doesn''t mind." She shrugged. "To be honest, he''s had a totally boring and ordinary life too. It''s kind of depressing. Up until he ran into Cinza on campus, he did a whole lot of nothing." "He''s a good man," Rufus warned. "Don'' you go messin'' with stuff you can''t fix." They emerged into the clearing. She said goodbye to Rufus and crossed the wide expanse to her new home. As she neared the bridge, she saw Ruby standing in the center, arms outstretched. She was concentrating on a patch of grass ten feet away, while Cinza and Makoto watched with interest. It emerged, slowly at first, but in the same unsettling, unearthly way. The material of the ground seemed to give way as it pushed up into existence. A six foot, faceless grey monstrosity, with only a thick column where its legs should go, and arms as large as cinder blocks ending in square fists. Nikki shivered. Until quite recently, the idea of using the golems was such a taboo that not one of them had even suggested it. After the news report of Mr. Hendricks'' resurfacing and Jerry Hauserman''s death, it wasn''t an option anymore. They needed to be ready for more golems. Ruby was the best at the spell, and had spent hours every day practicing it ever since. This was the first time she''d managed to get the golem to emerge completely from the ground. As Nikki walked closer, she felt her entire face prickling. Her eyes began to water. Her nose tickled. She burst into a sudden sneeze, even though she''d felt totally fine all day. The golem collapsed a moment later, as Ruby fell back onto the cushions laid out on the bridge, totally spent. Instantly, Nikki''s discomfort subsided. Cinza was watching her with interest. "Nicole?" "I¡­ I''m not sure." "Allergies?" "I''ve never had them before." Nikki frowned. "You think I''m¡ª" "Allergic to Creation magic," Makoto finished. Cinza nodded. "It''s not unheard of. There were a few known magical allergies in Rallsburg, Rika''s being the most prominent." "Explains why I couldn''t ever do the golem stuff," Nikki sighed. "You never felt allergic before, correct?" "No, not once." "Not even when we were up against Brian''s golems the first night¡­" Cinza trailed off thoughtfully. "So allergies do not emerge until you are awakened." "I''m ready to go again," Ruby called. Cinza was about to object, but Nikki held up her hands. "I''m going to my place anyway. Please, keep going. Just warn me if I''m getting close, all right?" "Of course." The cabin was still under construction, but they''d completed the most important component first, at her request. The stone chamber sat in the exact center, smooth cut and perfectly square. In the floor, Ruby had carved out the star symbol of the Grimoire, with a candleholder set into the walls where each point ended. It was wonderfully gothic and primal. Just walking into it, Nikki felt closer to magic than she ever had before. Josh was standing nearby, waiting for her. "Hi." "Hi yourself," he replied. He looked like he woke up on the wrong side of the bed, as usual. Though he''d gotten his own cabin and every amenity they could provide, it was always painfully clear that he didn''t belong. It wasn''t the wardrobe¡ªthey didn''t actually wear their robes all the time, particularly when doing any difficult physical labor¡ªit was his personality. Josh was a city person, or at least a suburb person. Being out in nature all day, every day, wasn''t doing him any favors. "Ready to get started?" Josh laughed. "You do all the hard work here, I just sit around and make stupid guesses." "You help out a lot." "If you say so." Josh followed her inside the chamber and closed the door behind them. He snapped his fingers and the candles all lit simultaneously. "Hey, you finally got it!" "You know how hard that was to time? No wonder real magicians plan this shit out." Josh took a seat in the armchair they''d set in the corner. If they were planning to do real ritual magic, they''d remove it to avoid interference, but since this was just normal spells, he could afford to relax a bit. He pulled out his notebook and pencil. "Where were we at?" "Birthdays, I think?" "How the hell did you not know anyone''s birthday?" "We had more interesting things to talk about?" He shrugged. "Whatever. At least it''s something they won''t care about." Nikki sat down and closed her eyes. It took a few minutes for her mind to find its way back to that special state, where she could begin to feel the mass of threads and their nearly infinite intertwined pathways. At first, it was so intimidating that she felt like breaking down just trying to comprehend such a vast wealth of knowledge. However, as she kept working at it, bit by bit she began to build a routine she could follow. It would often lead to the same pathways, which meant she couldn''t get new information without trying to push herself outside the comfortable threads, but it also meant that her existing routes were reliable and much faster to traverse. In that way, she could combine the path to such a basic piece of information¡ªa few digits representing a birthday¡ªwith the vague essence of Josh, sitting in the room with her. Something about her state of mind allowed her to feel his very presence nearby, though not in any useful sense outside her own spell. She took the thread that felt like Joshua Miller and traced it, as far as she could, until she found more and more familiar splits in the path. It only took a few quick traces to reach the answer she wanted. "September nineteenth." "Year?" Josh asked in a bored voice. "Ninety-seven." "Another win for the column." Josh marked it off with his pencil. "You''re bored." "No shit, but this is still useful stuff. You''re getting consistent." "But we need to know more about what works and what doesn''t," Nikki pointed out. "So keep trying stuff until it doesn''t work." "Shouldn''t we be more scientific about this?" Josh laughed. "The only difference between science and fucking around is writing shit down. We''ve got no clue what we''re doing. Any data right now is useful data. Once we start seeing patterns or exceptions, then we can start getting really scientific about this." "...Who''s next?" They went through the rest of the list. Rufus Hill, born on November 14th, 1962. Yusuf al-Fayed, June 14th 1982. Matthew Wilkins, October 8th 1987, and Brittany on September 22nd, 1988. Makoto Kirishima, November 6th 1995. Each one took her only a few minutes, though she could feel her body beginning to strain from the effort, particularly in her lungs. When she reached Aaron McGregor, though, something went wrong. She conjured up every memory she had, but for whatever reason, she simply couldn''t feel his essence. She tried to dig for his thread, but came up totally empty. It was as if he didn''t have one¡ªlike he had stopped existing entirely. "Shit¡­" Josh said, once she''d explained the problem. "Any ideas?" "What if it''s because he''s dead?" Josh winced. "Maybe." He frowned. "Try Morton too?" She did, and got nothing. "They''re both just¡­ gone." "Huh." Josh frowned, glancing down at the notes he''d taken. "So what the hell''s an essence feel like, anyway?" "I dunno. It''s like their spirit, I guess? I picture them in my head, anything strong I can remember about them, and then I try the spell. I reach out for the thread that starts out feeling like that memory." "Hang on a sec. Let me try something." He closed his eyes. Nikki could feel him attempting the spell from the vague energy that hung in the air. Josh was pushing energy straight into the world as he tried to examine the same wall of threads she''d discovered. In only a few moments, he''d totally exhausted himself. "You okay?" she asked as he started coughing heavily. He doubled over for a second, looking like he might be sick. "Yeah. Fucking hell¡­ How do you do that?" "It''s my thing, I guess." "Jesus," Josh muttered, before another coughing fit overtook him. Nikki waited patiently for him to recover, sitting on the cold stone floor while he got back to a sitting position in his chair. "Okay. Good news is, I found Morton''s cold-ass essence just fine. Bad news, I''m never fucking trying a Knowledge spell again." "Yeah, please don''t." He grinned weakly. "You keep your territory, Nikki. That shit is fucking poison." "So it''s not because they''re dead," Nikki continued, trying to get back on track. "Nah. I think it''s something to do with when you last met them." Josh flipped back through his notes. "You said you had a hard time finding Jessica''s essence, but after the next time Hailey flew in, you didn''t have a problem with it. I think you gotta meet them now that you''ve been awakened. You''re basically collecting ''em as you go." "What counts as meeting them?" Nikki wondered aloud. Josh shrugged. "Fuck if I know." "I''ve talked to Julian a couple times online since he left, but I haven''t seen him since I awakened." More importantly, he was someone she felt zero guilt about invading his privacy without asking. She concentrated, and in only a few minutes managed to find his essence. It felt much more vague and unfocused than usual, but it was there. She started down the threads, following the path to his birthday once again, but she stopped partway down. Josh felt the change in energy, now that he was familiar with it from both sides of the equation. She could sense his movement across the room, but forced herself to stay on the new thread she was following. She didn''t want to just stop at a simple birthday this time. She wanted something more detailed. None of them knew where he''d ended up after the split in B.C. She was going to find out where Julian Black lived now. Nikki started chasing the threads, deeper and deeper, faster and faster. Her mind struggled to contain the breadth of information pouring into it, the many individual strings trailing off into the distance. Each of them held their own stories, their own pieces of data. She had to focus. Julian Black. Deliveryman from Rallsburg. Awakened. Kind of a dick. The only guy I know who could accurately be described as having ''henchmen''. She hung onto his essence tight as she plunged even deeper. The strain on her mind was beginning to burn into her throat and lungs. Her stomach seized up. She coughed once, sending Josh upright in alarm. Normally, any physical reaction was her cue to stop, since they couldn''t be sure how much she could take before she crossed the line into permanent damage. Nikki refused to give in. She could feel the destination approaching, though she wasn''t sure if it was the one she wanted. She pulled the energy from the amethyst stones resting below her neck. Two of them shattered into dust instantly, but they sent her mind careening forward. She felt a rush of exhilaration as her mind and vision went blank. Flashes filled her eyesight. Julian Black, walking through a thick forest. She wasn''t sure where. She could only see the area immediately around him. It could be any forest in the Northwest. He turned, looking away. He started talking to someone. She couldn''t tell who. She pressed in closer. Another crystal on her chest burst, practically evaporating off her skin. A wooden sign behind Julian resolved itself. Price. She knew that sign. The Price family mansion, the outer gate. Julian is still in Rallsburg? The other person slowly resolved as well. She knew his face. She''d spent plenty of time laughing at his jokes in class, and an equal amount pissed off at his entitled bratty personality. Nate Price, the heir to the Price fortune. Her vision went black. For a brief, panicked second, Nikki thought she might have gone blind from her effort. It took her a few agonizing moments to realize she just had her eyes closed so tight her eyelids felt numb. As she opened them, she saw a very concerned Josh watching her, looking like he might bolt from the room at any second. "Too scary?" she joked, her throat raw. "Warn me when you''re about to do shit next time," Josh muttered. "The fuck was that?" "I was trying to scry someone." "Scry?" "See where they are right now." "Oh." He hesitated. "Did it work?" "No," she sighed. "I was trying to see Julian, but all I saw was him and Nate at Nate''s place way back. Nothing useful. Just a memory like the other ones." "Huh." Josh scratched his chin. "You could find his essence though, right?" "Yeah. It was weaker though. I guess that means it''s easier if I''ve met them in person." "Sounds good to me." Josh wrote it down in their notes. "You uhh¡­ seem to have broken a few things though," he added, nodding at her necklace. "Shit," she muttered. Like he''d said, half of the amethyst crystals were totally gone. "I''ll have to ask Hailey for some more." "I''ll add ''em to the list." He made another note. "Here''s an idea though. Julian''s a pretty weak connection, if I''m understanding this essence shit right. Maybe someone you knew better?" She thought for a minute. "I guess I could try Dan. I don''t think he''d mind if I tried him, and I loved eating out at his place." "Let''s do it." "Said the guy who just sits there with a clipboard." "And the world''s worst fucking pencil. I need to steal some of Ruby''s next time." "Good luck with that." Josh grinned. "Nate told me once where their secret passage lets out." She rolled her eyes, before letting them slide shut once again. She hunted for Dan Rhodes'' essence, and found it easily enough. It was much more familiar to her than Julian''s had been, and much warmer. It felt like something she wanted to follow, rather than one she felt vaguely repulsed by. The route along the threads was no less terrifying than the last trip. Nikki felt afraid, but she was compelled forward by the magic, and by her own ambition. She had to reach the end. She would accept nothing less. As the amethyst burst and her body began to seize up once again, she pushed through, bit by bit. She had to find him. The enormity of her goal threatened to overwhelm her brain. Nikki felt like she were looking at the entire universe at once, only barely scratching the surface of truth. She had to reach him no matter what it took. Dan was somewhere on the other end of the passageway, and Nikki Parsons would find him. She burst through the final gateway, while crystal splinters showered her legs. Nikki''s vision went pure white. She slowly found herself viewing a clearing, where four men stood around a campfire. She wondered who they were. One of them was Dan, and as she focused, the man nearest him resolved into old man Boris. The other two were a mystery to her. It wasn''t that she didn''t know them¡ªshe couldn''t see them whatsoever. Not even their outlines, though she was somehow aware they were men nonetheless. She focused only on Dan, looking very afraid, standing in a cold forest somewhere she could not determine. No, not four. There were five. One of them was further apart. Who was he? Why was he so far apart? Why was he laying down in the bushes? Nikki opened her mouth, as if she could somehow shout a warning to them. No sound emerged. Her ears hummed with pressure, like she were underwater. Though her body was fighting against her at every step, Nikki forced the pain away. She flew down to the fifth man, focusing every bit of concentration she could muster into piercing through the vague shadow. The last amethyst crystal on her necklace, her largest and personal favorite, didn''t just evaporate. It shattered with explosive force, shoving her back. She fell against the floor with a painful thud. Nikki nearly lost her concentration, but just barely managed to hang onto the thread for dear life, afraid it might tear her mind to shreds if she let go. She saw the man clearly. She had no idea who he was, or his name, but she knew where he had come from. He was from a small town west of Rallsburg, whose name she''d forgotten, and he''d been sent there for the same man she''d tried to find. He''d been sent there to kill. She screamed a warning, as loud as she could. She doubted anyone could hear her. Dan was about to die, and her cry was for nothing. Nikki Parsons blacked out. She''d pushed far beyond what she''d ever dreamed of accomplishing, and now she would pay the price. As the magic overwhelmed her brain and shut her down, she heard the vague sound of a gunshot hundreds of miles away, mixed with the panicked cry of Josh only a few feet away. So much for being special, she thought bitterly, before the entire world plunged into a silent void. [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] B2: Chapter 6 — Over the Border and Through the Woods Chapter 6 ¡ª Over the Border and Through the Woods "Ashe, your clearance just came in!" Jeremy leaned out of his chair, glancing through his open door and across the bullpen to the Chief''s office. "Canadians are on board?" "I pulled a few favors. You''ve got the lead. The mounties will stay out of your way til you need ''em." Jeremy grinned at Lani. "Want to go to B.C.?" His partner nodded. "It''s the best lead we''ve had since this started. I''m in." Jeremy leaned back to shout at Aderholt again. "Coach?" "First class, motherfucker. We''ve still got tons of discretionary you never used. I took the liberty of spending it for you." Jeremy sighed. He wasn''t going to turn it down, but he didn''t feel like he deserved the pampered treatment. Lani looked excited though, so he went along with it. If anyone had earned it, Lani certainly had. After Jeremy had spotted the car, Lani had painstakingly traced its journey through every piece of footage they''d gathered, until it finally left their scope heading north and out of the country. They''d been sitting and waiting for the Canadians to give them the okay to expand their investigation into the country. Jeremy had been packed and ready in his office anticipating the call. He''d never felt so eager to pursue an investigation before, even when he was just getting started as a detective back in Seattle. Then again, he''d never had a real personal connection like this to a case before. This one was special. In spite of that, he still had an hour until the flight Aderholt had got them on to Vancouver. Jeremy spent the first twenty minutes pacing the office impatiently, while Lani went home to get his things. When he got bored of pacing, Jeremy sat down and went through the last piece of video they''d found. A tech team was currently going through other shots again, just in case, but all they had to go on was the car blazing down the highway in the dead of night. Jeremy had no inkling of where to start looking once he arrived in Vancouver, but damned if he was going to slack off in Seattle and let the Canadians take his case. What are you running from Jackie? What the hell could spook you this much? It was a sobering thought. If Jackie Nossinger, one of the strongest women he''d ever known, was fleeing the country in the middle of the night¡­ he might have a real reason to panic. They hadn''t spoken in years, but they''d enjoyed a solid eight as partners in the Seattle homicide division. Jackie had eventually put in for a transfer after a few particularly bad cases in a row. Jeremy hadn''t wanted to deal with the new partner they''d assigned him, and finally took up the offer for a position in the Bureau. It had been a little bit political, given his family ties, but he didn''t mind. The bump to the federal level meant he got to deal with way fewer bullshit cases at the end of the day, and that suited him just fine. "Hey Ashe?" Jeremy looked up. It wasn''t Lani. Aderholt had come over to his office with a serious look. "I won''t piss off the mounties," Jeremy assured him. "Not that. Look, man," he started, leaning back against the doorframe casually. "I get how personal this case''s gotten for you¡ª" Fuck you. You aren''t taking this from me. "You think I need to step away?" To his surprise, Aderholt shook his head. "Hell no. If I was in your shoes and the chief suggested that to me, I''d slug him in the face." He looked Jeremy in the eye. "Don''t forget: whoever did this killed over a hundred people and God knows how or why. And whoever they are, they aren''t done. You watch your back up there." "Killer''s still down here in Olympia," Jeremy pointed out. "As far as we know. Unless there were multiple killers." "Any luck in the forests yet?" He shook his head. "They found fuck-all so far. I''m going out to the site myself today." "You''re leaving the building sir?" "Ha ha, fuck you." Aderholt shot him a glare. "Someone''s gotta go hold the rangers'' dicks so they don''t piss all over themselves." "I''m sure they appreciate your sacrifice, sir." The elevator door down the hall pinged. "Just be careful, shitbird," Aderholt called over his shoulder as he returned to his office. Lani had returned with his bag, packed and ready to go. "I want Lani back in one piece." "And me, sir?" "As many fucking pieces as you like. If you happen to lose your tongue, I''ll get you a goddamn medal."
Their Canadian counterparts greeted them right off the plane. They were ushered into vehicles and brought straight to their local station, where a task force headquarters had been set aside. "We''re as eager to solve the mystery as yourselves," said their chief, shaking Lani and Jeremy''s hands enthusiastically. Jeremy tried to remember his name, but came up empty. "Everyone here''s wondering what this is all about." Jeremy had to fight to suppress a laugh at how strong his accent came through on the last word. Lani stepped in to save him. "Thanks. I believe you were sent a preliminary case file with some notes on where to start?" "Yeah. We''ve already got teams running the border video back. You''re lucky we upgraded our storage. We used to not keep video that long." He scratched his head. "You really think they went through a checkpoint though?" "Nah," Jeremy replied. "But better safe than sorry." They hadn''t. The Canadian teams worked through all the videos fast, and not a one showed Jackie''s vehicle or anything resembling it passing over the border. Their network wasn''t as sophisticated as the FBI system, but they had more than enough coverage on their side of the checkpoints for Jeremy to believe the results. He wasn''t about to give up that easily. Within the day, Jeremy managed to persuade the Canadians to give them airspace clearance to send several helicopters across the entire expanse connecting Washington and B.C. Thanks to the new lead, Aderholt had gotten them more resources to access, so Jeremy was able to divert much more than he usually could in support. The helicopters trawled inch by inch across the forests, watching for absolutely anything unusual, while Jeremy watched the feeds from an array of laptops they''d provided him in their hotel room. In the meantime, Lani collected updated scans from the satellite that had been retasked for their use. Between the satellite and the helicopters, they found her car. The satellite picked up a strange metallic reading underneath the forest canopy, plenty large and right on the surface level. When Jeremy directed one of the helicopters to investigate more closely, he got enough of a glimpse to be sure. They were in a rugged jeep and on their way within minutes. "So," Lani started as they pulled onto the highway. "Your old partner." Jeremy didn''t reply. He was busy staring out the window, thinking about his sister. She''d flown back to D.C., where she faced endless meetings and committees amidst the never-ending drama theater of modern politics. Unlike many of her colleagues, Madelaine Ashe had fought her way up from almost nothing. They hadn''t even used their mother''s remarriage to Walter Milton and their newfound connections to high society in the campaign. Maddie worked her way in as an aide to almost everyone, one after another, until she finally broke through with her own campaign. When she was elected, her first order of business was to ditch the entire existing staff in her office. Having been an aide herself for so long, she knew better than anyone how much power they could wield. Many senators and representatives were really just public faces, while their aides and subordinates ended up doing most of the work. Maddie didn''t trust any of them, so she fired all of them. She brought in her own people, much smaller and more focused (as it was all she could afford without support), and she did the work of ten all on her own. She''d sacrificed everything in her life to keep up with the more privileged and wealthy around her¡ªnever even considering dating, raising a family, or anything personal. Hell, she doesn''t even have any fucking hobbies. Maddie was trying to change the world for the better. If it weren''t for Jackie Nossinger, he''d have lost his sister fourteen years ago. He had to find the missing sheriff, no matter what it took. "Jeremy?" Lani asked, as he merged them into the off-ramp. "Sorry. Just thinking." "You got any ideas about what we''re heading into?" "An empty ditched car from when they hopped the border without a single clue on it." Jeremy shrugged. "But we''ve gotta check anyway." Lani sighed. "With our luck, it won''t even be her car." "Now you''re catchin'' on." Jeremy''s phone buzzed with a pile of text messages. "Chief found two more bodies in the woods with the rangers. Harrison and one other older male. Probably Smith. Both dead back in May. We can knock two more off our count." Lani glanced over at him. "Do you think we''ll find other survivors? At this rate, it sounds like the entire town was killed off." "Can''t be sure. You made the count. You think it''s actually accurate?" "It''s the most recent census plus the last submitted university records and voter registration cross-referenced. It''s the best we''re going to get." "So we''ve got no fuckin'' clue," Jeremy grumbled. Lani pulled the jeep off to the side of the road. "What''s up?" "This is where we break off," he replied. The jeep bounced with an angry thump as they started rumbling through the underbrush into the wooded hills. "You''d better hope it''s clear all the way there." "The forest didn''t look that thick." "We''re in a car." "We''ll make it," Jeremy said firmly. "...She''s alive." Jeremy looked at him sharply. "You don''t fuckin'' know that." "You don''t know she isn''t." "Why d''you think we''re in fucking Canada?" "Hey, it''s actually pretty nice up here. It''s better than the city." "I don''t need reassuring, Lani," Jeremy said, leaning back and trying to relax while the jeep tumbled along the rough ground. "We''re gonna find her either way, and she''s gonna tell us what the fuck happened back in Rallsburg. Simple as that." It was slow going through the forest. As the tree cover thickened, they were forced to take longer and longer detours to get back on track with the GPS map Lani had on his phone. Jeremy spent most of it running through the details of the case in his head, but as they reached the halfway point, Lani broke the silence. "You know what this all seems like to me?" A psychotic serial killer with way too much firepower? "What?" "It''s all a sign. It''s warnings." Jeremy didn''t have anything better to do, and he didn''t feel like going into the field with animosity from his partner, so he decided to entertain Lani''s train of thought. "Warnings of what?" "The end of the world." He barked out a short laugh. "Christ, Lani, people have been callin'' out end of the world for way too long. What makes this pile of bodies different from Jim Jones or Heaven''s Gate?" "Those were all suicides. These people didn''t kill themselves. We don''t have any reason to believe they were crazy." Jeremy shrugged. "Jury''s out on the crazy, but how''d you get from mass death to end of the world?" "The way those bodies were laid out in the street sure looks like a sign." He frowned. "You said it yourself, they were trying to reach somethin'' in the middle. Probably whoever killed ''em." "I''m not so sure anymore," Lani muttered. He paused while navigating a particularly tricky section of forest. "The people getting torn up, and now with Hauserman dying so much later¡­ This is end of the world stuff." "Or it''s confirmation bias." "What?" "Look, I mean this with all respect," said Jeremy, "but you''re a lot more superstitious than me. Fair?" "Yeah." "So you''re way more likely to believe in somethin'' supernatural occurring here. Even if it doesn''t make sense." "You''re saying I don''t make any sense?" Lani asked, without any hostility. "I''m saying you gotta watch your biases, that''s all. So does the whole fuckin'' world, from the shit we get on the tip line. Apocalypse is fucking trendy these days." "What do you mean?" "People want the world to change, but they don''t feel like they got the power to do it themselves. So they want a redo." Jeremy sighed. "They feel so powerless that the majority of the world gettin'' knocked off is preferable to trying to fix our shitty real world." "That could just be our tip line." He shook his head. "You wanna know how the world is feeling? Don''t watch the news, check out what entertainment people love the most. When we were inventin'' space flight, people wanted science fiction with rubber suited aliens, humanity reachin'' for the stars, optimistic shit. Go way back to Shakespeare, and people loved it because he wrote for the fuckin'' peasants, not the royalty. He got what they were feelin''. Or look at all the anti-war songs and movies around ''Nam." "And now we''re in the apocalypse?" "Well, there''s so much shit these days that it''s got thinned out. But yeah, check out what''s popular. People love the ''pocalypse, they love the whole world gettin'' reset or blown away. Shit, there''s even post-apocalyptic books for kids now." "You were reading kids books?" Lani asked, raising an eyebrow. "Saw ''em in the store," Jeremy replied without missing a beat. "Point is, it''s saturating everything. That''s where our culture''s at, and culture reflects the times. People want an apocalypse, and something this crazy? Mass unexplained death and an entire town evaporating into thin air?" He closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat as they bumped along. "They might be so desperate that this kicks it off all on its own." "Are they wrong?" Jeremy''s eyes snapped back open. He glared at his partner. "Of course they''re fucking wrong!" "But¡ª" "Just because our country''s fucked up doesn''t mean it''s a lost fuckin'' cause," he growled. "People fought for this place. Fuck if I''m gonna let some looney tunes serial killer and a bunch of end of the world addicts ruin our home." "Even if it might actually be a lost cause?" "Lani, do you really believe that?" "...No. But I get where they''re coming from." Jeremy sighed. "You and me both."
When they were within a thousand feet of the GPS marker they''d dropped, Lani pulled off to the side and turned off the engine. They found Jackie''s cruiser partially covered in a blanket of branches and leaves. Jeremy approached slowly, gun drawn, while Lani covered him. His shoes crunched through the first fallen leaves. Jeremy watched the car with sweat beading on the back of his neck. It had been years since he''d gone into a situation like this without any idea of what he was going up against. That was a younger Jeremy''s move, not his. What the fuck am I doing out where with only my partner as backup? The windows of the cruiser were all blown out. Even the windshield was totally gone. Jeremy hadn''t noticed that in the video footage of the cruiser leaving Washington. The doors were closed and the car was deliberately concealed, so whomever left it hadn''t been in a hurry. He had no reason to expect any sort of ambush. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Jeremy approached the car. He reached out and touched the trunk, spotting the very same bullet hole he''d remembered. He sighed, waving Lani forward to join him. There wasn''t going to be anything here, good or bad. He already knew it, before they even went over the car. Lani approached just as deliberately, but Jeremy had already lowered his gun and gone for the front door. They spent a good twenty minutes digging through the car looking for anything they could find. Any clue whatsoever that might tell them where Jackie had gone. There was nothing. Jackie had gone over it thoroughly. Jeremy knew it was her car, but that was all they could be sure of. "Why''d they ditch it?" Lani asked. They were leaning against the back of the trunk, neither particularly wanting to go home empty-handed. "Too easy to follow?" "They''d already made it out of the country and into the forest. Why''d they ditch it here?" Lani gestured around them. Not a single sign of civilization in sight. "There''s still gas in the tank, and the wheels look fine." Jeremy pointed at the rising hill leading further north. "We drove up in a jeep. An old Seattle cruiser ain''t gettin'' up that." Lani frowned. "So you think they went on foot?" "If I know Jackie, not a chance in hell. That hike with the rangers was bad enough for me, and Jackie hated exercise." Jeremy walked out into the woods a short distance and examined the ground. "Lani, c''mhere." "What''s up?" "Check this out." Jeremy brushed away the leaves. There was a faint but distinct set of tire tracks in the ground. He plucked a few pieces of rubber out of the dirt. "There was another car." "...But they came through months ago. There''s no way this could be her." "Nope," Jeremy got to his feet and started back for their jeep. "We''re not the only ones following her."
They drove for almost two hours, due north at a slow speed. Every time Jeremy thought they might have lost the trail, Lani managed to find another clue¡ªa thick branch clearly broken off by a passing vehicle through a tight space, skidmarks in the dirt, anything to keep them going. His partner was thorough and relentless, keeping them on the chase. "But if we''re following the second group," Jeremy wondered aloud, "what the fuck are they following?" "I have no idea." Lani flicked the lights on and off to check their positioning. It was still fairly light out, but the tree cover was too thick for it to really feel like daytime. "I didn''t see anything else on the ground. What would there be, five months later in the middle of the forest?" "Nothing." Jeremy felt frustrated. "What if we''re chasing nothing at all?" "It''s the only lead we''ve got, right?" "Right." On they went, as the sun passed overhead and started dipping back down again on the other side. They pulled on jackets as the night chill seeped in through the jeep''s windows, which they''d left open to try and hear anything over the low rumble of the engine. Jeremy wished they could have gone ahead on foot nice and quiet, but he doubted they''d ever cover enough ground in time. Somehow, though he couldn''t explain it, he knew they were on the run already. Maybe not from Jeremy and his partner, but certainly fleeing someone¡ªor something. Fuck that. Don''t turn into Lani. None of the supernatural bullshit. "Is that a light up ahead?" Lani asked, leaning forward over the wheel to peer through the deepening shadows of the trees. "Yeah," Jeremy confirmed. "Firelight, though," he added, noticing the telltale flickering. "Pull off?" "For sure." Lani parked them in a dip of the rolling flatland, where a couple thick trees managed to hide their jeep almost entirely. They got out of the car, and the faint scent of campfire smoke reached his nostrils. The sun dipped below the treeline and the chilly air had them both shivering slightly. Jeremy pulled his coat tighter around his chest, double-checking his pistol holster as he did. Everything about his current situation felt just a little bit off. Where had this campout come from? Where the fuck was the car they''d been following? Where was Jackie? Jeremy motioned to Lani. They crept forward, trying to avoid the leaves as much as possible. Every twig Jeremy snapped made him a little more tense, waiting for something to jump out at him. Lani, damn him, moved through the forest easily without making a sound. They got a little closer. Jeremy''s hand hovered near his firearm¡ªnever quite touching, never quite moving away. He walked at a snail''s pace, watching the firelight flickering through the thick branches. He began to see the outline of a truck, painted black, with a fair-sized camper attached. The fire crackled and hissed. Jeremy caught a snatch of conversation. A man offered some food, and a younger female voice declined. Lani froze. He''d heard the same thing. Jeremy motioned for him to spread out. They''d stay in eyesight, but cover more ground on their approach¡ªanything to improve their chances of catching their target. Jeremy withdrew his phone from his pocket, dashing off a quick message. Approaching potential suspect. Coord attached. He attached his phone''s GPS reading and sent the texts, one to Aderholt and one to his Canadian counterpart. One to his sister. Jeremy motioned to Lani. They crept forward through the last few sets of trees. Less than one hundred feet to go. Jeremy''s fingers itched. His palm clasped and unclasped the grip on his pistol. Beads of sweat dripped down his shoulder. He took a deep breath, trying to calm down. His foot snapped a fallen branch in half. Too fucking loud! Jeremy''s eyes shot up to meet Lani''s. He had frozen in place, waiting for Jeremy''s signal. They weren''t yet in sight of the two by the fire. The voices stopped. All they could hear was the crackle of the fire and the sounds of the forest around them. Jeremy waved forward urgently. Lani nodded acknowledgment. They walked through the last few trees, emerging into the small clearing where the fire burned away the evening chill. An elderly man sat, quite serene, in a small folding chair by the fire. He was old but in remarkably good shape, wearing a thick overcoat and a cap over his head. His face sported a thin, well-trimmed beard, and his eyes were small, twinkling black. All in all, he didn''t seem remotely threatening. He sat a little reclined, watching them approach with mild interest. Jeremy slowly moved his hand away from his gun and walked forward. "Hello there," the man called out. "You''re welcome to share my fire, if you''re cold." He gestured at the three other folding chairs surrounding it. Jeremy scanned the area. He didn''t see anyone. Whoever the other voice had been, she''d fled in a hurry. Silently, too. He took the man''s offer and sat down across from him. Lani stood nearby, eyeing the man with open suspicion, his hand still hovering near his pistol. "Would you care for something to drink? I was about to make some tea," the man said, reaching for a kettle. Jeremy shook his head. Lani didn''t respond at all. The man shrugged and hung the kettle over the fire, pouring water into it from a huge jug before reclining in his chair once again. "So, what brings you two out so far into the woods?" "Searching for someone," Jeremy replied. He glanced at the truck. It didn''t have plates or any visible registration marks. Nothing at all to identify it. He ran through the known vehicles registered to Rallsburg residents in his head. It could be one or two of them, but so many people owned that type of truck around here¡­ He couldn''t be sure. The man certainly didn''t resemble anyone he could remember from the dossiers. "No one out here, I''m afraid. Just my old bones and the stars." "No stars yet," Jeremy replied, glancing up at the sky. The sun still hadn''t set, but it was getting pretty dark. "Oh, they''re up there. The stars watch and listen. They wait for their time." The old man smiled. "Could it be they''re waiting for you two?" "I doubt it." "Did you see someone else come through here?" Lani asked. Jeremy winced. Not yet, Lani. You''re asking him too quickly. To his surprise, the man nodded. "I believe you''re asking about the friend I was speaking with recently? She had to depart quite suddenly. She tends to do that." Lani looked around the clearing pointedly. "To where? There''s nothing around for miles." He shook his head. "It would be impolite to ask. She likes her privacy, and I enjoy our conversations. I wouldn''t dream of imposing upon her." "Would you tell us her name?" Jeremy asked. The man looked at him strangely. "I beg your pardon, but could I ask your reason? You speak as though you have authority, but I do not yet know you." Jeremy pulled out his badge and flipped it open. "United States Special Agent for the Federal Investigation Bureau," he said in his most official voice. If he''d hoped to impress or intimidate the man, he was thoroughly underwhelmed. Jeremy may as well have said he were a fisherman for all the reaction he got. The man leaned forward and stoked the fire. "You''re a ways from home, Jeremy Ashe." "I thought you said you didn''t know me." "Forgive my old memory," the man replied. "I did not remember your face from the news until I saw the badge." Bullshit. You knew. You just wanted me to show it. "Now that you''ve seen it, would you mind answering our questions?" "To the best of my ability, though I believe you''re outside your jurisdiction." The man sighed and leaned back in his chair, watching Jeremy carefully. "I cannot answer your question, though, as I don''t know her name." "You talk to her regularly but you don''t know her name?" asked Lani. "We have a¡­ unique relationship." "How did you meet?" Jeremy asked. "She was lost and totally alone, and she happened to walk into my little shop on a tragic day. The rest is history, really." "Where is your shop?" "In the past," he said with a sad smile. His eyes drooped slightly as he spoke. "My life took another direction. I''m not one to question it." "And when did that dramatic shift take place?" Jeremy asked, his eyes narrowing. The old man didn''t answer right away. He took a moment to check the kettle, waiting for the water to boil, before leaning back in his chair again. "I think you find me suspicious, Agent Ashe. I''m struggling to find a reason for that." No shit. "I''m just looking for answers." "But what if the answers are worse than staying in the dark?" Son of a bitch. An amateur bullshit philosopher. "It''s my job to get them anyway." The old man nodded. "And without your purpose, what are you? What are any of us without a goal to achieve or our fellow man to serve? If we''d been afraid of the light, we''d never have made it out of the womb." "So if you agree with us, are you going to stop beating around the bush?" Lani cut in. He looked up at Jeremy''s partner. "The birds you seek to catch are not here." "What?" "Beating around the bush," he explained. "An English idiom about scaring out the birds so the hunters could catch them." He picked up the kettle, which was now boiling away merrily, and began to prepare his tea. "I''ve watched the investigation with interest, as we all have, and I know what you seek. There is nothing for you here." You know somethin'', old man. Tell me. "So you''ve seen no one come through this area recently." "I have been here for a few weeks and seen nothing," he confirmed. "Just nature and the occasional visit from my friend." "And where is she from?" "Another detail of her life I have no wish to pry away." "You never thought it was weird that you''re so far away from civilization and she still comes out here to talk?" Jeremy glanced around for effect. "You''re alone out here, old man." "You found me," he replied pointedly. "Should I wonder about your own habits for stumbling through forests?" The fire crackled loudly while he blew on his tea, waiting for it to cool. He poked at the logs with a long stick a few times before returning to their conversation. "You chose to stop and speak with me. I can only imagine you had a good reason, if you''d interrupt your search to talk to a tired old man in the woods." "We''re following a lead and it brought us here." "So you are a man of faith." Jeremy shook his head. "Not even a little." "You believe that your lead will bring you answers, and you follow it without knowing if it is worthwhile or not. That sounds like faith to me." "That''s just police work." "All police work is based on faith. Society itself is based upon faith." "You lost me," said Jeremy, with another shake of his head. "He''s talking about social contract theory," Lani put in. The old man''s face lit up. "Precisely!" He grinned at Jeremy. "Your partner understands." "Enlighten me," Jeremy said dryly. "He''s talking about how we''ve all agreed to certain rules of society," Lani explained. "How we have to be bound by them even if we have an escape, because if we didn''t, we wouldn''t have survived this far. Like, if people didn''t follow the law, the set of circumstances that let me be born might never have happened." "You are an excellent student of Socrates." The old man took a sip of his tea and smiled in satisfaction. "Delicious. You''re sure you don''t want any?" "No, thank you," Lani said politely. Jeremy shook his head. "The old Greek view has a limitation, however," he continued thoughtfully. "It assumes the rough equality of man. They believed that man would follow the law because he should, not because he is forced to. That only a plurality could suppress the individual." "So you''re sayin'' that if one guy is too strong, he won''t follow the social contract," Jeremy reasoned. "Close." He set his tea aside. "He might still obey the law, but he gains the ultimate authority. He becomes the ¨¹bermensch, at which point we all begin to follow his example rather than our established laws." "Or we just kill him." Jeremy shrugged. "People said the same thing about a lot of races before." "Unless you cannot. Unless he has become so powerful, so indomitable that legions of men and weapons of mass destruction could not touch him." The old man''s vague jovial air had disappeared. He looked deadly serious now. "What if there existed a race apart from man, but living in cohabitation, with power far exceeding man''s most plateaued capabilities?" Jeremy felt a chill on his spine. The man''s expression was too serious. He felt seriously unsettled. His hand had unconsciously started reaching for his holster. "If this new, objectively superior race determines that man exists outside its social contract, what happens then? Will man die out, or will we be forced into submission?" "This sounds a lot like nazism," Jeremy muttered. The man raised his hands in surrender. "Heavens, no! I advocate for no such thing. This was just a hypothetical. My apologies." He picked up his tea again and took a deep drink. "I''m sorry if I caused you any discomfort. Please, I believe you were asking me about someone you were following?" As Jeremy opened his mouth to respond, the door on the camper poked open slightly. "Hey Boris, what do you want to do for dinner tonight?" Jeremy leapt to his feet. Lani drew his pistol on the door, while Jeremy took aim at the old man. The middle-aged, balding man poking his face out was one they both recognized instantly. "...Dan, we have guests," the old man replied, not moving an inch. "Hands on your head," Lani ordered. "Walk out, slowly." Dan Rhodes did as ordered, moving very slowly out of the camper with his palms glued to his temples. Lani kept his weapon firmly trained on Dan''s chest the whole time. "So you''re Boris Morozov," Lani added, nodding at the old man. "In this life," the old man sighed. "May Dan come take a seat with me? We''re no threat, I assure you." "You two survived Rallsburg," stated Jeremy. "Explain." "We left before it happened," Dan replied nervously. "Bullshit," Jeremy snapped. "Talk. You''ve got one chance here." "I do believe you''re still well outside your jurisdiction, Mr. Ashe," Boris replied gently. "As my friend said, we witnessed nothing." "So what the fuck are you doing hiding outside the country? Illegally?" "Just a vacation." "According to the terms of your agreement with the spooks, you weren''t supposed to leave the state. Ever." Jeremy''s finger hovered just outside the trigger guard on his pistol. He wasn''t going to give them an inch. Boris sighed. "I had hoped you wouldn''t dig up that piece of history from its well-trodden grave." "Wide-reaching emergency authority," Lani added. "We got pretty much everything we wanted." He glanced at Boris momentarily before returning his focus to Dan. "Why''d you choose Rallsburg, though?" "I wanted the quietest home I could find, and I loved the climate. Evidently I chose poorly." "What are they talkin'' about, Boris?" Dan asked, his voice quaking slightly. "Another life," Boris replied. He glanced around the clearing. "So what happens now? You can''t arrest us, but you can''t let us go. What do you do?" Jeremy shook his head. "As soon as we call in backup, they''ll be happy to arrest you. They know where we are." "Ah¡­" Boris trailed off. "That is unfortunate." "What does that mean?" Lani asked sharply. He lifted his pistol slightly, readjusting his aim on Dan. "I don''t think we have the answers you seek." "Then tell us who does!" Jeremy roared. Even Lani flinched in surprise at his sudden outburst. Jeremy was getting fed up with the runaround. He wanted answers. He wasn''t going to get them. A female voice cried out, seemingly right next to them. "Boris, get down!" Without hesitating, Boris fell to the ground. Dan followed him down an instant later. A gunshot rang through the clearing, loud as a cannon. Cloth burst into the air as a hole appeared in the back of Boris'' chair, right where he''d been sitting a split-second earlier. Lani whipped around like a robot. He opened fire in the direction of the gunshot. Jeremy followed his aim, but couldn''t see anything in the underbrush. Lani was just firing to suppress, but Jeremy couldn''t open up from his angle to support. He ran for the treeline, trying to get a new angle on their shooter. "Lani, cover them!" he shouted. Boris and Dan were crawling for the cab of the truck as fast as they could. Jeremy took cover behind a tree, watching the treeline from a hairbreadth outside the cover of the thick trunk. Another gunshot. It was definitely a rifle of some kind. From the second shot, Jeremy had a much better idea where the shooter might be. He aimed at the bush in the rough vicinity, the one he''d select if he were laying down an ambush, and opened fire. He unloaded his entire magazine into the bush, branches crackling off and puffs of dirt flying from each impact. He reloaded quickly and waited, watching for anything more. There was nothing. He walked forward, slowly, trusting Lani was still covering. Jeremy reached the thick bush and lifted it aside with his foot, covering the area with his pistol. Underneath was a man holding a hunting rifle, totally immobile. Jeremy leaned down and felt for his pulse. Nothing. He''d already expired. One of the bullets went straight through his heart, another through his brain. Jeremy scanned the area, but didn''t see any signs of another shooter. He looked back at the clearing. Lani was on the ground. He sprinted to his partner, his heart pounding. Jeremy hadn''t realized how much adrenaline was pumping through his veins, but he could feel his heart pounding through the skin of his neck and his brain felt like it was thumping out of his ears. He dropped to Lani''s side. "Clear?" Lani mumbled. He''d taken the second rifle round to the shoulder above his vest and collapsed. Blood seeped out into his shirt at an alarming rate. Boris appeared at his side, holding a roll of bandages and other first aid supplies. He quickly cleaned the wound, then held out the bandage. Jeremy pressed down on the wound, while Boris helped wrap it tight around the shoulder. As Jeremy held it in, he saw Dan get into the cab of the truck. "No!" he shouted. Dan started the engine. Boris stood up and got into the passenger seat. He glanced back out the window at Jeremy, holding the bandage to his partner''s shoulder. "Call for help right away," he called over the engine noise. "Your partner saved our lives!" Jeremy wanted more than anything to chase after them, but one groan from Lani beneath him and he knew he was stuck. He pulled out his phone with his other hand while holding the wound. Two taps and he was dialing the emergency line the Canadians had given him. Boris nodded in satisfaction as Dan shifted the truck into gear. "Is Jackie alive?" Jeremy shouted desperately over the engine and the ringing phone in his ear. Boris looked surprised. Right before they pulled away, he gave Jeremy one firm, unambiguous nod. Jeremy watched helplessly as his best lead vanished into the falling night. He held his partner''s shoulder closed from an assassin whose motives they could only guess at. They were stuck in the middle of the forest in another country, far away from any civilization, with only the crackling fire and a corpse to keep them company. [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] B2: Chapter 7 — Identity Chapter 7 ¡ª Identity The cards scattered across the library table. Quinn was frozen in place, eyes wide. Natalie stood up, pulling her bag over her shoulder. "I gotta go." She could see Rachel''s disappointment in her head. Images of Rallsburg''s last days flashed through her mind, memories bubbling up to the surface of her boiling mind, threatening to overwhelm her. It all started after the town had found out about them. Her world ended only a few days later. Now she''d been discovered. She''d been noticed. They''d come for her. Natalie felt magic burning through her limbs, preparing for the worst. She had to be ready to move at a moment''s notice. "Wait!" He leapt to his feet, reaching out for her. He managed to snatch her hand just as she started to move away. On instinct, Natalie pushed him back. Hard. Quinn flew backward as if he''d been hit by a car, suddenly tossed through the air and rammed into the bookshelf behind him. He fell to the ground in a slump. Books fell off and landed on his head. He wasn''t moving. His eyes were closed. Natalie knew she should leave. She wasn''t in view of any cameras. No one had seen her. If she left now, it''d only be Quinn''s word about what happened. It''d be easy to dismiss him as crazy or making things up. She could still be safe. Seeing Quinn on the ground with books scattered around him, Natalie couldn''t bring herself to do it. She liked him. She''d hurt him. She couldn''t just leave him. Natalie ran to his side, kneeling down next to him and grabbing his wrist. She knew how to check for a pulse, and he had one. He was still breathing too, but that pretty much exhausted her medical knowledge from what she''d seen on TV. All she could do now was call for help. Who should she call? The library staff? Nine-one-one? Lily? All of those risked more damage, more problems. All of them would just make everything more complicated. Natalie called the only person she could think of. "Hello?" "Hailey, I did something bad," Natalie whispered. She knelt down by the unconscious Quinn. "...Tell me everything, okay? Start at the beginning." Natalie breathlessly ran through the entire day''s events, starting with the fire in science class. She didn''t leave a single detail out, her heart racing as she recounted everything. What would Hailey say? Natalie was in so much trouble and she knew it. She''d broken their most important rule, staying secret. If Rachel ever found out¡ª No. Hailey will fix this. Rachel won''t ever have to know I screwed up. Quinn¡¯s gonna be okay. He has to be. "...and now he''s blacked out on the ground and I don''t know what to do," she finished, her voice ragged. "What do I do, Hailey?" "Okay. Take a deep breath." Hailey took one with her, crackling over the phone a little. "Is anyone else there?" "I don''t think so." Natalie glanced out of the stacks quickly. "There''s a lady pushing a cart at the end of the row, but she''s going away from me." "Okay. That''s good. Keep taking deep breaths." Hailey paused. "There''s two ways we can play this. Is he still blacked out?" "...Yeah. I think he''s really hurt." Natalie choked a little on her words. "I didn''t mean to hurt him." "I know, Natalie. Don''t worry. I''m sure he knows that too." Hailey''s voice sounded so self-assured over the phone. Natalie wished she could sound so calm. She felt like her world was crashing down around her. Again. "Is he bleeding?" Natalie gingerly felt around Quinn''s head, feeling like she was breaking the rules even more. Her hand touched something wet. "He is. Oh god. What do I do?" Hailey''s voice got more urgent. "Where are you? What library?" As Natalie rattled off the address, Quinn stirred. He groaned a little, but didn''t move much more than that. "Do you have any bandages in your bag?" "No¡­ Am I supposed to have them? I didn''t think about it." "It''s okay. You shouldn''t have to carry them around." Hailey hesitated again. "Do you have any pads?" Natalie''s face heated up as she realized what Hailey was suggesting. "As a bandage?" "They''re made to be clean and absorb blood. It''s better than a random piece of cloth. I know it''s gross, but it''s your best option." She dug through her bag, trying to find the specific pocket she''d placed them in. There were so many pockets in the rows contained inside. After ten empty pockets in a row, Natalie got frustrated. She found the tiny tug the bag constantly made on her core and followed it back, willing the bag into giving her what she wanted. Her hand suddenly bumped into the correct pocket, where the individually wrapped packages waited. Natalie took one out and unwrapped it, then placed it against the back of Quinn''s head where the blood was trickling out. He shifted a little at her touch, but still didn''t wake up. "Okay. I''m holding it now. I just keep pressure on it, right?" "Yeah, exactly. That''s good, Natalie." She could hear a loud hissing sound through the phone, like an airplane about to take off. "What''s that sound?" "I''m flying by an airplane right now," Hailey shouted. The sound got so loud that Natalie pulled the phone away from her ear for few seconds. Once it dissipated, she could hear Hailey again. "I''ll be there in a minute, Natalie. Just hang on. Is he awake yet?" Natalie checked again. Quinn''s eyes fluttered a little. He groaned. "Yeah, he is." "Okay. That''s really good." Quinn''s eyes were starting to come back into focus. He mumbled a few words Natalie didn''t understand. "He''s starting to talk." "Okay, so he can probably understand you too. Don''t say my name anymore, okay?" "Yeah." "I''m sorry, but you gotta decide this right now. Do you want to tell him, or do you want to keep it a secret?" "I have to decide?" Natalie asked, shocked. "You know him better than I do." "I thought we were supposed to keep everything a secret." "We''re not gonna tell him everything, but if you think you can trust him, it could be good to have someone at school to help you out." Natalie''s mind was racing, while she continued to try and hold the bandage against Quinn''s head. "What if I say no?" "We tell him the bookcase fell, and you called me for help since you''re not supposed to be there." "What if he recognizes you?" "Then we tell him," Hailey sighed. The wind got louder. Hailey was probably dropping down to the ground. "I can''t cover every possibility here." "...nnnJenny?" Natalie froze, one hand on the phone and the other cupping Quinn''s head. "Up to you," Hailey repeated. The sound of the wind suddenly cut out. She''d hung up. How am I supposed to make a choice like this? Natalie had a split second to decide, and no more time to consider. She went with her head, against everything her heart was telling her. Rachel had wanted them to stay secret as long as possible. She''d repeated it at every single Council meeting. Who was Natalie to suddenly go against that? It shouldn''t be up to her. She was just a kid. "I''m sorry," she whispered. "Huh?" "I didn''t mean to hurt you." Wait. What was that about staying secret¡­? Quinn started to move. Natalie dropped her phone and put her other hand against his chest. She looked away, feeling immensely embarrassed. She''d never been so close to a boy before, but she knew that Quinn moving around probably wasn''t a good idea. She had to keep him steady. Luckily, she was a great deal stronger than he was¡ªor anyone else in the building, for that matter. "You did what?" "Just stay still, okay?" Natalie glanced around, but to her relief there still wasn''t anyone around. Their table was so far out of the way that no one was likely to pass by. "Someone''s coming to help." "Okay." Quinn quit struggling, letting Natalie gratefully move her other hand away. She tried to adjust her sitting position without releasing the makeshift bandage on his head, as her legs were starting to fall asleep. "What do you remember?" Natalie asked hesitantly, not sure what she wanted him to say. "I was teaching you how to play. I gave you a deck, then¡­ something happened? I dunno." Natalie''s heart fell. She''d been hoping he''d remembered, so that she wouldn''t have to choose herself. Everything would be so much easier. She had to go with her head. She''d slipped up before, but she trusted Rachel. She''d keep her secret, as long as she could. "I pushed you and then the books started to fall out. One of the big ones hit you really hard." Natalie grimaced. "I''m so sorry." "I''ve never blacked out before." Quinn blinked a few times, like he was trying out his vision for the first time. "Feels weird." "Do you feel okay?" "I guess? My head hurts a lot." "Well, it''s uhh¡­ bleeding." "Oh. That makes sense." Quinn started to turn his head. "Stop moving around," Natalie scolded. "I''m trying to hold your brain in here." "I was trying to look at it." In spite of everything she was feeling, Natalie laughed. "It''s on the back of your head. How are you gonna look at it?" "Oh." Quinn grinned sheepishly. "I''m dumb." "I''m dumber," Natalie muttered. "It''s cool. Tyler''s done way worse when he''s lost games before." Quinn reached down and lifted up the hem of his shirt, pointing at a long narrow line along his side. "He didn''t mean to. He''s got a problem where he can''t really control it unless he takes his pills." Natalie looked away, in a mixture of embarrassment and nausea. The only other scars she''d ever seen were the ones on Cinza, and those always made her feel just as sick. Blood didn''t bother her at all, but scars reminded her of terrible things happening to people she liked. Why do people who have scars always want to show them off so much? A patter of quick footsteps rushed behind them. Hailey had arrived, with a handsome young man in tow that Natalie didn''t know. In an instant, he''d dropped to Natalie''s side, gently pulling Quinn''s head forward a bit so he could look at the wound. "It''s okay. I''m a nurse." His voice was pleasant and rich, with an accent that soothed Natalie''s ears like wrapping up in a warm blanket. "In training," Hailey added. He sighed. "Could my patient and I have some space, please?" Hailey held out her hand to Natalie. She reluctantly got up from the floor and took a few steps away, while the man examined Quinn more thoroughly. "What did you decide?" Hailey whispered. Natalie hesitated. "He got hit by the bookcase." "...Okay." "Do you think I chose right?" "I don''t know. I mean, I chose the opposite way, so I guess we''ll find out?" Hailey nodded at her friend. "He knows?" Natalie asked, raising her eyebrows. "Well I sure hope he does, I just flew him past an airplane to get here." "Oh." "His name''s Rupert. He''s a really good guy." The way her face lit up, Natalie could tell exactly what kind of good guy Hailey meant. She smiled. "I''m happy you found someone." Hailey grinned. "You cheeky little monkey, how''d you figure me out so fast?" "Cheeky?" "Sorry, I''m hanging out with a British guy too much." "Is Quinn gonna be okay?" "Like I said, Rupert''s a nurse. He knows his stuff. Quinn wasn''t unconscious for that long, so he should be totally fine. Might be a bit woozy on his feet for a few days though. Can you help him out?" "I think so. We have a lot of classes together." "Cool." Hailey hesitated. "Hey, don''t tell anyone we came out here though okay?" Natalie nodded. "I know, you''re not supposed to." "I mean, it''s up to me, but I did agree to try and keep away so you wouldn''t get more attention. I don''t think anyone saw us, but I''m flying without Jessica here. I can''t go invisible like I usually do." "Thank you." Hailey smiled. "Any time." Rupert glanced up at them. "I think we''re done here." He''d wrapped the bandage up around Quinn''s head with another one from Hailey''s bag. "I''d like to bring the lad back to his folks, if that''s all right." "Probably a good idea," Hailey agreed, nodding her assent. Rupert lifted Quinn gently off his feet. Hailey raised an eyebrow. "You''re gonna carry him the whole way?" "It''s not far." "Hey Quinn?" Natalie spoke up. "Hi, Jenny." "I''m sorry." "It''s cool." Quinn winced as Rupert adjusted him to a better position. "I just get to add to my scar collection. I''m gonna look awesome when I grow up." "That''s the spirit," chipped in Hailey. Rupert headed out, leaving them alone in the library. Hailey took a seat at the table, while Natalie nervously took the one opposite. Hailey stretched out her legs underneath, taking a long yawn. "Sorry. I''ve been staying up way too late." "What have you been doing?" "Same as always. Running around with Alden trying to keep the world from blowing up." Hailey grinned. "I think we''re getting pretty good at it." "I''m not." "Not what?" "Good at this." Natalie''s eyes fell to the table, avoiding Hailey''s gaze. "I keep screwing up." Hailey''s smile faded. "Hey, it''s okay. You''re allowed to screw up. That''s totally normal." "But everyone''s relying on me not to." She shook her head firmly. "None of us expect you to be totally perfect. No one''s totally perfect." "You are." Hailey smiled. "That''s super sweet of you, but I''m really far from perfect. I''ve screwed up loads of times, both before and after our little secret." "Like when? I''ve never seen you mess up anything." She sighed. "You know how Jessica''s got her problem?" "...Yeah." It scared Natalie so much that she wasn''t even tempted to break the rule about doing rituals. "That was your fault?" "Might as well be. I could have stopped it, but I wasn''t thinking. I let it happen." Hailey shook her head. "I''ve screwed up other times too. But we learn from this stuff. We''re supposed to screw up, that''s how we get better." "But every time I screw up, everyone''s in danger. It''s not just me." "Yeah." Hailey nodded. "It''s good you remember that. You''re a lot more mature than I was at your age. Hell, you''re a lot more mature than a lot of adults already." She grinned, but it faded quickly. "But at the same time, if that''s all you think about, you''re just gonna get stuck. I know it''s scary. But just remember, at the end of the day, we''ve got something they don''t. No one can take that away from us, no matter what." She held out a hand. Natalie took it. Hailey''s fingers were warm and soft from the gloves she''d been wearing, and when Natalie touched her skin, she could feel the magic rushing around just below the surface. They''d talked about how they could share magic. Natalie wasn''t a part of the big ritual with the other four, but they''d explained the basics online. This was the first time she''d ever gotten to feel it in person though, and it wasn''t anything like she expected. It was faint, so distant she might have missed if it she hadn''t been actively trying to find it. Just the briefest touch, and yet Natalie felt like she''d connected with Hailey somehow, on a level she didn''t fully understand. She knew it was something special though. It felt warm and comforting, like an older sister she''d never had watching out for her. Natalie held on tight, as if Hailey could lift her out of her terrified shell she''d been trapped in ever since they''d left Rallsburg. Hailey grinned. "You and me are special," she whispered, low enough to be sure no one else could hear them. "Even above everyone else who''s awakened. They wish they were as cool as we are." Natalie smiled, but something about Hailey''s words seemed off. Her face was nothing but concern for her friend. Natalie knew Hailey wanted nothing but the best for her. At the same time, Natalie just didn''t know what she really meant by that. Was it a good thing to be better than everyone else? Wasn''t Natalie supposed to stay in the background and stay safe? She felt too confused to answer, so she just held onto Hailey''s hand as they walked out together, back into the dipping sunlight where she wasn''t Natalie anymore. She was Jenny Heshire, a normal girl at a normal school where she had a few kinda-friends, a suspicious principal and an annoying pest who''d declared herself a nemesis. Natalie Hendricks wasn''t safe, even if she was strong and special. Whatever Hailey might say, she knew that no amount of power would keep her from losing everyone she cared about and everyone around her if she really screwed up. She couldn''t be Natalie. Not right now. Maybe not ever again. Hailey stayed with her all the way to the boarded up old store, holding her hand on the bus and just sticking with her every minute. While Natalie waited for the door to appear, Hailey took off into the sky out of the small park behind the store, vanishing into the clouds in the blink of an eye. Natalie was left to think, falling back into her shell, worrying about what she''d done, who she was and what on earth she''d say to Quinn at school the next day.
As it turned out, Natalie didn''t have to say a word. Not the next day, or the day after that. In fact, Quinn didn''t turn back up for a whole week. He was missing from every class. She didn''t spot him at lunch, and without him there, she was too nervous to join his friends at their table. She retreated back to her spot in the girls'' bathroom for lunch, and every time she heard the name ''Quinn Kincaid'' called in roll, she felt a little bit worse. It was a game of cat and mouse all week. Quinn''s friends¡ªapparently in the dark themselves¡ªtried to find ways to run into her, but none of them were confrontational enough to manage it. Every time Natalie saw one of them coming, she found a reason to duck into a classroom or a side hall. At lunches, she hid out in the bathroom none of them could enter. They tried to camp out the door once, but Natalie could hear them whispering outside. She unlatched the lock on the tiny frosted-glass window at the top of the wall with a spell and boosted herself up. She climbed outside, entering the school from another direction. When they saw her hurrying down the hallway, their jaws dropped. She managed to make it through the week without ever talking to any of the Glasses Gang. The entire weekend was dedicated to trying to feel more like herself, after her near-breakdown in the library. Natalie went out into the woods surrounding their house, which was far away from the convenience store but still close enough that the spell to create the doorway wasn''t too taxing for Kendra. Natalie still wasn''t sure where they lived exactly, but it was totally surrounded by forest. She could only see the city if she climbed up high enough in the trees to see the skyscrapers and the Space Needle in the distance. She took Percy with her, along with a pile of snacks and two full water bottles. She didn''t intend to come back for the whole day, and she ended up staying out all night too. With Percy keeping an eye out from the sky, and a pair of red foxes who wandered in from their den patrolling the forest nearby, Natalie found a nice quiet spot where she could sit down and read, or play on her phone, or do anything she wanted. If anyone got within earshot, her friends would let her know long before. But she couldn''t focus. She tried, but every time she found something she wanted to do, her mind wandered back to the memory of Quinn''s body flying through the air propelled by her own hand. If she tried to drive it away, more memories surfaced alongside it, of blasts of lightning and men falling by the dozen in front of her. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Natalie kept trying anyway. She pulled out her earbuds and a pillow she''d managed to stuff inside her purse. It practically exploded the moment it emerged from the small opening, and she already dreaded trying to fit it back inside again, but she''d take anything to help her feel more comfortable. A fair-sized stack of her favorite books lay inside another pocket, but Natalie had way too much on her mind to read anything. She laid back on the grass and stared at the clouds drifting across the sky between the branches, letting her phone shuffle between anything it could come up with. After the third depressing pop song in a row, she had to stop herself from throwing it at the nearest tree as hard as she could. she said to Percy, who had taken up a perch in the lowest branch of the nearest tree. He cocked his head to the side, tapping on the branch with a talon as if to admonish her. Natalie sighed, picking up her phone again. She turned it on and thumbed through to her messages again. As usual, there still wasn''t anything new. Nothing from anyone she cared about, or didn''t care about. Natalie asked. Percy didn''t understand the question, and he wasn''t really smart enough to give her a useful answer. Percy still didn''t really understand her questions, but he knew who Gwen was. They didn''t get along. He bristled at her name. He hesitated, but meekly nodded his assent. Still, her own line of questioning bothered her. Gwen was both smarter and much larger than any of the animals she usually came across¡ªbut she hadn''t started that way. When Natalie had first come across her, Gwen was actually a relatively small wolf. Natalie had started talking to her, and over the course of a couple weeks, as Natalie had bonded with her like no other animal, Gwen had started to grow. If Natalie had to guess, it was something like the magic sharing Cinza always talked about¡ªbut Gwen wasn''t awakened, was she? Was that even possible? Or was it just Natalie making her so much bigger and stronger, and also smarter somehow? Natalie complained aloud. Percy just started preening his feathers, apparently realizing he couldn''t really contribute to the conversation and that Natalie was just talking to herself. He wasn''t totally stupid, after all. Natalie briefly wondered if she could make him even smarter, just like Gwen, but she didn''t want to risk it. She''d already lost one friendship that week. She wasn''t about to push her luck with Percy too. Natalie fell asleep as the sun finally dropped below the horizon, light music humming in her ears, wrapped up in a blanket with a resolute owl taking up the watch above her in the trees. When she woke up again, bright and early with the sun barely filtering through the trees in brilliant rays, she wasn''t alone. She had Percy, and there were the two foxes as well. The owl, which had stood careful vigil throughout the night, gave Natalie what might have been a salute before it disappeared into its nest. They were all there for her, and only her. Out here in the wilderness, away from the complicated and stressful world, Natalie finally felt like herself again. She wished she could stay out in the forest forever, but her grumbling stomach and her quickly diminishing supply of snacks put an end to those happy dreams. Still, for the brief time she could, Natalie intended to enjoy every minute of it. She pulled the clasp of her purse to keep it secure against her side, tightened her belt and made a beeline for the tallest tree she knew of. Percy glided along around her, occasionally diving away at the potential of a morning meal before returning empty-taloned. Natalie giggled. Percy screeched indignantly, making a short dive for her arm and cuffing her with his wing. She ignored him, leaping for the tree and beginning to climb. She was being careless, and one odd branch stuck out and tore her jeans, but she kept going heedlessly. She just wanted to see the top, no matter what it took. She climbed fast and easily, with only a little magic to help her breeze past the hard lifts. As she reached for another branch, so close to the apex, it was too weak to hold her. It snapped off instantly as she grabbed hold. For one brief, terrifying moment, Natalie thought she might fall. She was easily a hundred feet up or more. She was totally alone, no matter how she might feel about Percy and her other friends currently hovering around the tree anxiously. If she got hurt, or worse, they couldn''t really help her. They''d be totally useless. Gwen could, but she was far, far away. If Natalie fell, she might die. I don''t want to die. The thought rang through her head like a trumpet from the school band. No matter how crazy or stressful her life might be, Natalie definitely didn''t want it to end any time soon. She was being reckless and stupid out here. It needed to stop. Suddenly divorced from her carefree attitude, Natalie looked down. The ground was so far away, and Natalie didn''t see any easy way to climb down. Her arms were scratched up past her shirt sleeves, and the hole in her jeans was only getting wider. She was hungry and tired and there was a huge ache in her side from sleeping on the hard ground. What do I do? Natalie''s first thought was to call for help again. Hailey could probably find her, even though she had no idea where she was. Phones knew how to do that. She reached into her bag, but came up with an empty battery. She''d used it too much, and letting it play music overnight while she slept on infinite shuffle had drained it completely. There wasn''t any help coming. She took an experimental step back down the way she''d come. There was a branch just out of reach below her. She couldn''t place her foot on it unless she let go of the one she was currently gripping. Percy fluttered by, taking up a perch at the top of a nearby tree. Natalie looked out and realized she had gotten to the top of the tallest tree¡ªor near enough for the important part, anyway. She was higher than the tip of every other tree in the forest, and she could see out across the sea of green that reached out for miles. There, far away, was the Seattle skyline. Her new home, with all its noise and mess. That skyline was where she was supposed to be, but not where she belonged. The cool bark surrounding the tree, which she clung to for dear life, felt more like home than anything in the steel and concrete maze of the city. Natalie didn''t want to go back, but she didn''t have any choice. She just had to figure out how to get down first. Natalie couldn''t fly like Hailey¡ªno one could, really. Under their new ''share everything'' policy, Hailey had explained the exact ritual they''d devised to Cinza''s people, and one of them had tried it (the Japanese guy, if Natalie remembered right). He''d done it correctly, and he''d apparently felt the same ''wings'' that Hailey described, but he couldn''t get them to work. It seemed like it was just way too much energy to ever pull it off, unless you were one of the special few like Hailey and Natalie. Natalie obviously hadn''t ever done the ritual, but she had another trick she could try¡ªone from Alden. She''d never actually done it, but she''d read his explanation and she figured she had a pretty good shot at pulling it off. Carefully, Natalie reached for that part of her mind that dealt with movement. Telekinesis, if they wanted to use the big fancy word. Reaching out for objects was familiar, one of her favorite things to practice while bored in class. She knew how to throw things around if she needed to. This time though, she wasn''t throwing around pencils or rocks. She reversed it, focusing on herself instead of anything else. Her mental grasp enveloped her entire body. It gave her a curious sensation, as if she were actually holding every inch of clothing, holding her own arms and legs, everything. Like she were touching everything at once with her hands, instead of her mind. If she really focused, she could feel the warmth and the textures too, but as if it were someone else. She tried to ignore the weird feeling, focusing on the important element of the spell. She began to push herself up against the pull of gravity. Very reluctantly, she released one arm wrapped around the branch. Natalie hung from the other arm, feeling no weight on it at all. Slowly, she lifted it away, while Percy shrieked in fear from across the gap. Natalie hovered in midair for a moment, totally free. It wasn''t exciting, like Hailey always said about flying. It was terrifying. She wasn''t soaring gracefully through the air or gently floating around like the rocks they played with. No, she was holding herself up against the force of the entire planet¡ªand she was losing. Even with her strength, Natalie could feel her grip fading fast. She didn''t use this type of magic very often, and her inexperience was working against her. She tried to weaken her grip just a little, intending to sink slowly to the ground. Instead, her mental grasp simply snapped. Natalie plunged down, the ground rushing up to meet her. She flung out her arms desperately. Her right arm snagged a thick branch. It felt like she''d been punched in the gut, but Natalie managed to hang on, swinging wildly around on the branch. She was still a good fifty feet off the ground, but she saw a path down. If she could get to the branch further around the thick trunk, there was practically a staircase down almost to the ground. She just had to cross a ten foot gap. Natalie looked across the way at Percy. He eyed her back with a blank expression. He didn''t understand what she was trying to do. She focused as hard as she could, once again fighting against the impossibly large pull of gravity. She leapt for the branch. Instead of trying to pull herself up against gravity, she shifted her aim. She pulled herself forward, as hard as she could. Natalie launched outward as if she''d been flung from a catapult. The arc was way further than she could possibly have jumped, especially without anything useful to push off of. She landed easily on top of the branch, even though it was higher than where she''d started. She burst out laughing. Percy looked stunned, despite what he''d seen her regularly accomplish in other forms of magic. Percy flew across to join her, landing on her shoulder. He used to dig in his talons whenever he did that, but she''d taught him how to land without actually hurting her. Now he could ride pretty easily with just enough grip to hang on, but not so much that she felt like she was getting stabbed in the shoulder. She stroked his head gently. He bumped his little hawk head against her ear, responding in kind. Natalie made her way back down to the forest floor with relative ease, with only a short hop down from the final branch to the thick roots of the trunk before she was back on solid ground. she said, and Percy squawked in agreement. As Natalie started to follow him back through the forest, though, she felt uneasy. She wasn''t Jennifer Heshire, even if she had to be for the real world. She wasn''t really Natalie Hendricks either. She was someone else¡ªsomething else, and she wasn''t sure how she felt about that.
Coming home after so long, Natalie expected a loud dressing-down from Lily. She expected scolding and punishment. She''d been gone since Friday afternoon, and only shown up again after sundown on Saturday. They''d be worried sick, wondering where she''d gone, if she was in trouble, if they had to help her. As Natalie walked into the kitchen, with mud caking her pants and scuff marks everywhere, Kendra glanced up from her laptop. "You should take a bath." Natalie gaped at her. "I¡ª" Lily looked over from the teapot she was pouring out into a mug. "Good heavens. I agree. Upstairs, right away." Natalie didn''t know how to respond to the total lack of judgment. She went with silent compliance, heading upstairs without a word. She dumped her clothes into the hamper and turned on the water. She set her purse atop the counter, where she could still see it and still feed it that tiny trickle of magic to keep it working. Percy fluttered onto the towel bar and latched on, watching her with a great deal of concern. He''d never quite understood how clothes worked, so to see her change appearance so dramatically always sent him into a panic. Percy pointedly licked a few of his feathers, then waved a wing at her arm dismissively. Natalie slowly stepped into the steaming water, but quickly recoiled as it stung the cuts on her leg. She sat down and examined her leg carefully. Percy squawked in confusion, tilting his head to the side again. Natalie reached out mentally again, feeling out the cut on her leg. She could feel how it made a little valley under her skin, but also how the skin had grown over top and was starting to fill it in already. Could she make it go faster somehow? No risks. Don''t end up screwing up even worse. Natalie sighed and gingerly stepped back into the bath, wincing at the sting on her legs. Still, once she got used to it, the bathwater felt amazing on her skin. Percy cocked his head to the side again, eyeing the water uneasily. Natalie luxuriated in the hot bath for a long time, thinking. Truthfully, she knew she couldn''t actually live out in the forests all the time. Besides the obvious needs like food and water, which she wasn''t totally sure how to get on her own, she was still too tied to the comforts of the real world. She loved baths like any other girl might, she loved the internet and games and TV. She loved lounging on the heater vent whenever it kicked on, and she loved sneaking chocolate while reading her favorite book under her comforter late at night. She couldn''t give all that up, but that realization only confused her even more. For a brief moment out in the forest, Natalie had felt like she''d finally uncovered a piece of who she really was¡ªbut now, back at the Laushire house, she felt all of that fading away again, replaced with the old familiar Natalie she knew. she asked aloud, though she knew it was totally pointless. Percy only looked at her, not understanding the question in the slightest.
To her surprise, the lack of concern from Kendra and Lily continued through the weekend. As Monday rolled around, the only nagging Natalie heard was the usual about finishing her homework or waking up on time. She went to school without a single mention of her excursion into the forest. Still, school wasn''t exactly somewhere she could relax. Right off the bat in English class, she had to hear his name called again, only a couple after her own, and with still no response. It''s been five days now. Where is he? She still didn''t feel ready to talk to his friends. While she''d finally started feeling comfortable around Quinn, she''d had way more time to spend with him. Steven, Tyler and Mitch were practically unknowns. Tyler was the closest she could get to calling a friend, but that was a stretch. The cat-and-mouse game continued, and she was determined to be the fastest mouse out there. The Glasses Gang didn''t need speed though. They could outsmart her instead. Natalie was back in her usual haunt, the least popular bathroom at lunch. She hadn''t had a single person come through, as usual, and she was beginning to realize it was deliberate. Now that apparently the whole grade knew she was a loner trying to hide from everyone, they were happy to oblige and leave her to suffer in the quiet. She took it as a minor victory though, since it left her in relative peace. She still felt as lonely as ever, but at least she didn''t have to deal with constant interruptions. When the door swung open, Natalie didn''t have any particular reason to be concerned. She assumed it was a girl from another grade. She lifted up her feet as usual, chewing as quietly as she could while she waited for the other girl to leave. To her surprise, the girl stopped right in front of her stall. Natalie vaguely recognized her bright white tennis shoes, and paired with the dark skin just above the sock made it official. Still, hearing her speak was a shock in itself. No one ever talked in her bathroom anymore. "Hey, Jenny." Natalie froze, not even daring to chew, even though it was pointless. The girl obviously knew she was in there. Natalie hesitated before answering. "...Hi Kelsey." It was Kelsey Lincoln, a girl Natalie actually liked a lot. They''d bonded on the first day in gym, and Natalie had considered trying to make friends with her¡ªright up until she''d accidentally attacked another kid and sprinted for the hills. Since then, they''d spoken a few times, but Natalie had always been a bit afraid to talk to her. Unlike Quinn and his friends, Kelsey had actually witnessed a snippet of her real strength. What if she started asking questions that Natalie couldn''t answer? "You all right?" "Yeah. Why?" Kelsey walked up and down the set of stalls. "I''m sorry, okay? They wouldn''t take no for an answer." Natalie shoved her lunch into her bag and threw the door open, just as Kelsey called out an "all clear!" Mitch, Tyler and Steven trooped in, while Kelsey moved to the back to guard the door. "See? I told you it isn''t that different," said Tyler smugly, nudging Steven. "Not the time, dude," he muttered back. Natalie stood at the door to her stall, facing down the three of them. "What''s going on?" she asked, more to Kelsey than to the guys. "We''re all worried about you," Kelsey said. "Seriously, what''s up with you?" Mitch added. "Q gets taken to the hospital and you bail on us for the whole week?" "He went to the hospital?" asked Natalie, feeling like she''d just had a bucket of ice dumped on her. "He''s okay though!" Steven said quickly. "He already got out, but his parents wanted him to stay home a couple days and rest up. He''ll be back on Wednesday." "Which you''d know if you didn''t keep bailing on us," Mitch pointed out. "Sorry," Natalie said, looking down at the floor. "Would you chill?" Kelsey cut in from back by the door. "Stop shitting all over her." "We are in a bathroom," Mitch shot back. "Don''t make me beat you up, shorty." "Look, Quinn told us what happened," said Steven. "You pushed him around and you hit way harder than you meant to. It happens." "I''ve beat him up worse than this," Mitch added. "That''s not a good thing, dude." Mitch rolled his eyes. "Point is, he''s good and you didn''t mean it. Shit happens. So you don''t gotta be so uptight." "We want you to come back," said Tyler. "Come sit with us at lunch and everything. We can teach you how to play Conquest." "Real exciting," said Kelsey sarcastically. "Says the girl who plays MMOs twenty-four-seven whenever she''s not at practice," Mitch shot back. "Screw you, I''m a badass in those." ¡°If she played twenty-four-seven she wouldn''t be here,¡± said Tyler. "Don''t worry, we''re not gonna out you as a closet geek." Mitch rounded back on Natalie. "But you gotta come back, before Quinn finds out you''ve been hiding from us." "Yeah, he was already super worried about you being in hiding," Tyler blurted out. Everyone froze. Kelsey looked confused, but Mitch and Steven were livid. "Dude, you weren''t supposed to tell her that," Steven said slowly. "You know?" Natalie asked, color draining from her face. "...Yeah," Mitch said, looking embarrassed for the first time since she''d met him. "Know what?" Kelsey asked. "Nothing," Mitch said unconvincingly. Natalie sighed. "It''s okay, she can know. I trust her more than you guys." Kelsey grinned. "Thanks, sister." Steven cleared his throat. "Quinn was on painkillers first day out of the hospital. He was talking all sorts of crazy stuff. Most of it was really dumb and hilarious. We actually recorded that if you wanna hear it later," he added with a grin. "But there was a bit where he kinda let slip that you were in witness protection." "So we googled it and¡­ yeah. That''s scary stuff," finished Mitch. "Were you in a big crime family or something?" Tyler asked excitedly. "Dude, she literally can''t talk about it," Mitch snapped. "Sorry!" "Anyway, yeah. We know. So you don''t gotta keep that secret from us anymore. You and Quinn can just go on normal dates like normal people instead of going to the library to ''learn a card game''." Natalie''s face heated up instantly. "You think¡­ we were on a date?" "Doesn''t he have a huge crush on you?" Tyler asked. "Oh¡­" Mitch said slowly. "Shit." Steven clapped a hand to his forehead in exasperation. Natalie shot a dark look at Kelsey, who looked like she was about to double over with laughter. "Okay, I changed my mind, I''m totally joining this gang. You guys are hilarious." "Oh good, now we''ll have two girls to make fun of us," Mitch grumbled. "You were the one that wanted Kesley to join," Tyler pointed out. Mitch elbowed him in the ribs. "Would you be quiet, man?" Tyler laughed, then started coughing and had to pull out his inhaler again. "Don''t worry," Steven said, tapping Tyler on the back. "He won''t tell your secret, no matter what this looks like. He''s only a blabbermouth around us." "So we''ll see you at lunch tomorrow, right Jenny?" Mitch demanded, facing Natalie down. Natalie nodded, though she still felt uneasy. "I''ll be there." "Good. Now let''s get out of here before someone sees us. Kelsey?" Kelsey shrugged. "I think it''ll be more funny if you guys get caught sneaking out." "Are you kidding me?" She grinned. "Okay, fine, give me a sec." Kelsey poked her head out, and after waiting for one student to pass by, gave them the all clear. The trio of boys left, leaving them alone. Natalie tapped her on the shoulder, keeping her from leaving. "Why''d you help them?" Kelsey looked surprised. "You needed help, didn''t you? I''m just lookin'' out for my friends." "We''re friends?" Natalie asked, surprised. "Sure, why not?" Kelsey shrugged. "We''ve never hung out or even really talked to each other much though." "No better time to start." Kelsey held up a hand. "Give me a high five." Natalie hesitated, but did it. She held back, not wanting to hurt Kelsey. "No, not that shit. Give me a real high five." Natalie''s eyes narrowed. She focused on Kelsey''s waiting hand and slapped it, as hard as she could¡ªwhile making very sure she wasn''t using any magic at the time. "That''s more like it!" Kelsey grinned. "Don''t hold back just because the world thinks you''re supposed to be a little girl. Own that shit. Don''t ever let them tell you who you''re supposed to be. You choose that for yourself." "Who told you that?" "My moms." Kelsey held out a hand. "Now come on, let''s stop hanging out in the bathroom. We''ve still got a bit of lunch time left, and I want to go outside. You in?" Natalie didn''t hesitate again. She took Kelsey''s hand, and together they marched back out into the open air, where her new friends were waiting for her. She still wasn''t sure who she was yet, or even who she wanted to be, but Natalie knew one thing at least¡ªshe finally had real friends, who cared about her and went out of their way to find her. More than anything, whether that was the forest or the animals or even something silly like a warm bath, those real friends were what she couldn''t live without ever again. Thanks, Jenny.
Quinn returned to school on Thursday, one day later than promised. Natalie and Kelsey had joined the Glasses Gang for lunch every day since, and they were beginning to settle into a good pattern. Neither of them wore glasses, to Tyler''s great consternation, but they made it work anyway. To Natalie''s relief, Quinn integrated back into the group without skipping a beat. Natalie helped him catch up on the classwork he''d missed, and he sat down at lunch as if nothing had changed. They gave him a bit of ribbing for getting knocked out by a falling book, but he took it in stride, before quickly changing the subject back to the game. They hadn''t even looked at Conquest once since he''d left. Tyler brought it up frequently, but Mitch and Steven really only played it casually. Tyler whined a bit about the lack of play, but Mitch and Steven, as well as Kelsey, were just as happy to spend lunch hanging out and talking. Natalie didn''t mind either way, so she went with the group majority, leaving poor Tyler in the dust¡ªuntil Quinn returned. As it turned out, Quinn was just as obsessed as Tyler, even if he didn''t show it. Quinn hadn''t been playing nearly as long, but he''d learned fast, and was gaining on Tyler as the best player in the group. As soon as he sat down, he pulled out the decks and started shuffling. "Wow, right back into it huh?" Mitch said with a tinge of regret. "We never finished our game," Quinn said with a wicked smile, a twinkle in his eye as he stared down Tyler. "Lunch is gonna end too soon," Steven pointed out. "You should save it for tonight." Natalie picked up her card again while Quinn began reluctantly putting everything back in his bag. Linnethea gazed back at her from atop her wolf, so self-assured and confident. Is that who I want to be? Natalie was lost in thought and didn''t notice the rest of the group suddenly scattering to the winds, leaving just Quinn behind as he finished packing up. Suddenly alone, as most of the kids in the cafeteria had left for the outside to enjoy the last few days of warm weather, Natalie felt a growing anxiety in her chest. She now had one of Quinn''s secrets and didn''t like the feeling at all. As few secrets as possible, she decided. "They uhh¡­" she started, faltering before she could finish the sentence. "Huh?" "They told me!" she blurted out. "Told you what now?" Quinn stopped packing away the decks, looking confused. "They told me you¡­ have a crush on me." Natalie tried to keep her eyes focused somewhere behind him, so he''d think she was looking at him even though she was trying to avoid seeing anything. "Oh." He shrugged. "Yeah, I guess I do." "...I just thought you should know¡­ that I know." He nodded. "Thanks, I guess." "Okay then." Natalie shifted in her seat awkwardly, not sure what to say next. "Do you?" he asked. Her face got bright red. "Do I what?" "...Like me?" I''ve never even thought about anything like that¡­ Oh god, what do I say? Yes? I don''t know? I¡ª Quinn shook his head. "I''m sorry, I shouldn''t have asked. Don''t answer." "Okay," she said, relieved. I kinda do though¡­ but how do I actually say that? "If we''re sharing secrets though," he added, and a sinking feeling sapped away the warmth from Natalie''s face. "There''s something I should tell you." Natalie felt a cold chill run down her neck, all the way down her spine. "...Tell me what?" "I could hear that other girl on the phone. Your phone speaker was up way too loud." He glanced around with excitement, while fear and dread began to build up pressure in Natalie''s ears like an oncoming storm. Quinn dropped his voice to a whisper. "I know who you really are, Natalie!" [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] B2: Chapter 8 — Making a Difference Chapter 8 ¡ª Making a Difference Hailey couldn''t help feeling a little guilty dragging Rupert around the city¡ªbut every little burst of joy on Jessica''s face made it totally worth his suffering. "How on earth do you manage to find so much rubbish to buy?" he grumbled, hoisting yet another bag onto his arm. "I did offer to carry them all myself," Hailey pointed out, tapping her own bag for effect. "You also said that was too much of a risk." "A real gentlema¡ª ooh, Jess, that looks great!" Jessica had just popped up from behind a rack with an infinity scarf that matched the gorgeous blue in her hair. She put it on, and Hailey clapped her hands in delight. She gave Jessica a very exuberant thumbs up. "How much?" Rupert asked. "Oh hush. I''ll pay for any of hers." Hailey grinned. "You can just stick to buying me gifts." Jessica sauntered over to the counter and set it down, and Hailey quickly paid before the cashier could start to ask her any questions. Jessica watched the money exchange with a passing look of disappointment, sending another tiny twinge of guilt through Hailey''s stomach. Sure, she could probably remember how much each bill was worth just from the pictures, but it didn''t mean much if she couldn''t read the price tags anymore. Still, Hailey didn''t regret for a second taking Jessica on this little excursion. After the panicked rush out to Natalie and the subsequent week of flying around with Alden to introduce even more newly awakened, Jessica was clearly in need of a break. Hailey felt totally ready to keep going, but she could tell that Jessica was increasingly frustrated at all the meetings with zero ability to contribute. Hailey wanted to make sure she didn''t feel taken for granted, so she''d arranged a trip out with Rupert. Despite his complaints, Rupert looked just as pleased as she did whenever Jessica''s face lit up at another store. Once again confirming he''s literally the greatest boyfriend ever. "I wonder," he started, as they walked through the mall to the next store that caught her eye. "Has she ever been to Seattle?" "I don''t think so." Hailey shrugged. "We never went, and she''s getting so hyped up over even the touristy stuff, so I''d guess no." "Did she ever even make it out of Rallsburg?" "Not so loud," Hailey hissed. He winced. "Sorry." No one had been anywhere near them, so Hailey relaxed again. "I know she went on a couple family trips when she was little, plus going to Olympia whenever they needed to visit a real doctor. That''s all she mentioned though." "Shame she has to experience the city like this." "There''s plenty to do even without being able to read," Hailey said determinedly. "I''m still gonna show her a great time." Rupert gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Anything I can do, just say the word." Her plans went off without a hitch. Hailey had grown up in Seattle, so she had a list of favorite spots and hangouts already down. They visited most of them one by one. Great restaurants and stores, spots by the Sound and quiet obscure coffeeshops where Hailey had gone to do classwork. Jessica drank it all in, excited by even the smallest details. As they walked down the coast, Hailey and Rupert were checking out one of the vendor stalls when they realized they''d lost her. It took only a minute''s panicked search to find her again, just a block away. She''d stopped to listen to a pair of street musicians, a drummer and a guitarist playing a duet. Far more surprising, she was dancing¡ªdancing well. "Did you know she could do that?" Rupert asked, sounding dazed. "I mean, she''s always kinda danced around the house, but not like that¡­" Hailey murmured. "And never in public." "Our Jessica, though?" His eyebrows raised at the sight. Hailey had to agree. Comparing this twirling, springing sprite to the demure, timid girl Hailey had first met was night and day. Despite the growing crowd and the enthusiastic musicians, Jessica was keeping pace and not missing a step. It seemed out of character, until Hailey thought about it for a moment. "They can''t make fun of her anymore." "Hmm?" Hailey smiled, but she felt so bittersweet about it. "She''s not embarrassed because she''s given up on actually knowing what anyone''s saying. No one can mock her, so she can do whatever she wants." "I believe you underestimate the great hecklers of our age." She laughed, but couldn''t hide the sour edge. "Maybe, but she doesn''t care anymore." "Ah," Rupert said, finally catching on to Hailey''s mixed emotions. "I''m sorry." "It''s okay." As they hit a crescendo and Jessica made a huge leap, the crowd burst into applause. Hailey joined in wholeheartedly, honestly impressed by her moves. "She understands that," Rupert pointed out. He was right. A wide smile erupted onto her face at the chorus of clapping hands, even as she continued to improvise movements in time with the music. Hailey felt a tear forming in the corner of her eye and quickly brushed it away. "Yeah." The musicians finished their song, to another round of applause. The crowd quickly dispersed, dropping a few dollars here and there into the guitar case. The drummer, a very intense looking girl with a ponytail and an old t-shirt, stood up and made a beeline for Jessica. Hailey clicked her tongue. "A Nirvana t-shirt? Seriously?" "What''s wrong with that?" "It''s just so¡­ typical." Rupert laughed. "That doesn''t diminish their quality." The drummer offered Jessica a water bottle, which she gratefully accepted. Hailey saw an opportunity in the making for a quick experiment. Ever since her last conversation with Beverly, Hailey had been trying to figure out how to cast spells related to those connections she''d talked about. Hailey didn''t have any malicious intent; she just wanted to make sure she could cover as many bases of magic as she could manage. Who knew when such a thing might come in handy? She hadn''t told anyone else. After all, none of them knew she was talking with Grey-eyes, and it wasn''t like she could find out from Rachel. She had to figure this one out on her own. After weeks of practice at home, Hailey had finally found a promising start. Beverly had talked about how relationships actually existed outside people, which was the key Hailey needed. Conceptualizing them as tangible things, Hailey slowly pushed her way into visualizing them in midair. It was vague and insubstantial, but it worked. Problem was, Hailey couldn''t see anyone else''s. All she could find were connections that branched off of herself. She wondered if that marked her as a particularly vain individual, but brushed it away. It would improve with practice. In the meantime, she could explore past herself by following those first few connections into their proceeding branches, though her vision faded quickly after just one segment. The two strongest relationships, Rupert and Jessica, branched again as she watched them hanging out in her room. They had their own vague line, but it was entirely different from the lines drawn to Hailey herself. Hailey didn''t figure out why until she tried it again at a meeting with Cinza, Ruby and Nikki. She realized that she could actually tell what sort of relationship they had, not just that it existed. Jessica and Rupert''s showed their love, just as clear as the immeasurably strong bond between Cinza and Ruby. Now, Hailey was curious to see the line drawn between Jessica and a total stranger. To her surprise, there was already a bond forming, though it was clearly far stronger in one direction than the other. Jessica was only barely paying any attention to the drummer, but the other girl had set her sights so quickly, Hailey was surprised she hadn''t noticed without magic. That could be a problem¡­ Hailey dropped the spell and moved quickly to join them, Rupert at her heels. "¡ª''s your name?" "Jess!" Hailey called. Upon seeing her face, Jessica''s cheeks went bright red. She pulled her brand new scarf up and her hood low, retreating again. There''s the Jess I know. "You guys friends?" the drummer asked. "Yeah." "You''re a great dancer, Jess," she continued. "I feel like you deserve some of these tips." Jessica didn''t know how to respond, so she just took another drink from the bottle before handing it back without a word. The drummer looked dismayed. "I say somethin'' wrong?" "She''s deaf," Rupert explained quickly. Rupert, why would she be dancing to the music then? Hailey fumed. "Oh." The drummer looked really confused. Jessica smiled at her though, and she smiled back. Hailey jumped in. "She can still feel the rhythm. Props to your drumming," she added with a smile. "Thanks." The girl glanced around. "You guys doing anything tonight? We''ll be hitting up a few clubs, could get you in." In another life, Hailey would have said yes without a heartbeat. In that life, Hailey would have been the one leading the charge to those same night clubs. Not anymore. "Sorry, we''ve got plans. Thanks though!" Hailey took Jessica''s hand. "Well, here. Lemme give you my number. We can hang out sometime." She jotted it down, and they turned to leave. Hailey felt a wave of melancholy and regret washing up into her, knowing where this could never lead. "See you around!" the drummer called after them. "What was that about?" Rupert asked, as soon as they were out of earshot. Jessica, totally oblivious, was already moving onto the next attraction. They were headed for dinner, and she''d spotted a seafood place up ahead. Hailey dropped her voice low, even though she realized it was pointless. "...That girl was about to ask her out." "What''s wrong with th¡­ ah." "Nothing''s wrong with it at all," Hailey sighed. "That''s the problem." Rupert put an arm around her shoulder, and Hailey leaned into him while they walked. "Do you think she''ll ever be able to meet someone?" She shrugged. "I mean, once this is all out in the open and it''s not so weird to explain, maybe? But I don''t know. I don''t even know if it was just me or it was all girls. She only told me the day it happened." "You never asked?" "...I felt too embarrassed to bring it up." Rupert grinned. "And you accused her of being the shy one." "Shut up." She nudged him playfully. "Still, there''s no reason to think she couldn''t find someone someday," Rupert continued thoughtfully. "Especially once she solves the problem." "If she does." "Hm?" Hailey hesitated, watching Jessica examine the pictures in the menu. "I get the sense she''s not really trying. You saw it too back there. She''s not so shy now, she doesn''t try to hide anymore." "So she doesn''t want to fix it?" "She did at first. Right after the ritual, she was a mess. She kept breaking down trying to talk to me and¡ª" Hailey cut off, remembering that she''d never told Rupert about the others. "Let''s just say we''re lucky she pulled herself back together at all." "But now you think she''s too far gone." "Yeah." Hailey stepped up and ordered for them. As soon as the food arrived, they picked a table all the way out on the pier, where they could watch the birds circling above the ships coming and going. "I feel like she''s convinced herself she''s happier this way." "What if she is?" asked Rupert. Hailey opened her mouth indignantly, but he raised a hand to forestall her. "I''m not saying that''s certain. But if it''s what she really wants, who are we to say otherwise?" "I can''t believe that," she whispered. "I just can''t."
Hailey drained the rest of her beer and dropped it back to the table with a thud. She tossed her jacket aside, bare-armed and ready to fight. Her elbow slammed onto the table with her hand in the air, a wide grin on her face and an eager glint in her eye. "Scared?" Trevor shook his head. His own hand fell into place alongside hers. "Those arms are like ten times your size, Hales," said Elissa, sipping her glass of wine. "You''re crazy." "Can it, Piao," Hailey shot back. "I''ve got a boy to humiliate here." She meant it, as she was currently trying to gauge the right amount of magic to push into her arm. She didn''t want to totally obliterate the poor guy, just put him in his place. No matter what happened, he was in for a rough surprise. Rupert gave her a knowing wink as he cleaned up the beer bottles around their pending contest. He carried them over to his recycling in the corner of the apartment. "You know, Hailey, Trevor''s undefeated in the noble sport of arm-pulling." "You do a lot of arm wrestling in nursing school?" "A bunch of hot guys in scrubs always wanting to show off?" Elissa mused. Rupert raised his eyebrows. "Do you really believe everyone who attends nursing school is hot?" "I can dream." She sipped her glass again with a wistful look in her eyes. "It''s gotta be better than most of the guys in my CS program." "Just gotta know where to look," Hailey grinned. "Screw you Hales, I''m still infinitely jealous you found Rupey before I did." "I don''t know how long we''d last if you called me Rupey," Rupert murmured. "Enough stalling, Johnson," Trevor growled. Hailey winced. Such a lame last name. Only thing I could come up with in the moment though. "Let''s do this." "Does someone wanna give us a coun¡ª" "Go," Elissa said lazily. Without a moment''s hesitation, Trevor nearly twisted her arm all the way down to the table. Hailey only had a split-second to react¡ªbut she had already prepared her shoulder and her arm enough to resist. She was ready for him. Hailey stopped him an inch above her side of the table. With a wicked grin, she began to ratchet him back up a centimeter at a time. His eyes went wide as the dinner plates they''d just been eating from. Elissa seemed to have totally forgotten her drink, watching them with a dumbstruck expression. Rupert laughed. "Is there a problem, young master Trevor?" "What the hell..." Hailey sent another burst of energy into her arm, gathering it up from the thrumming, spinning core of power she constantly felt around her heart. Trevor''s grip, as strong as it was, couldn''t possibly stand up to her magic. He made a valiant effort, but they crossed the apex and his arm started falling down little by little. Hailey wondered briefly if she should be screwing around like this. Even if they were both Rupert''s good friends, they were both mundane, normal people. They hadn''t the first clue about magic. This was just cheating. Yeah, but he asked for it. No way in hell am I gonna lose to him. Hailey paused about a quarter of the way down. Trevor''s eyes were bulging out of his face, and she could see his muscles straining from the effort. She barely felt anything. He might as well be pushing up against a brick wall. She held him there for a moment. With her other hand, she plucked another beer out of the bucket of ice sitting on the table and opened it one-handed. She chugged the whole bottle dry, while Elissa and Trevor gawked. Trevor continued to struggle in vain against her arm, but Hailey finished off the beer without losing a millimeter in the contest. As she drained the last few drops, Hailey leaned forward. Looking Trevor directly in the eyes, she held up the bottle. She moved it toward his hand, and¡ªever so lightly¡ªtapped the glass against the back of his fist. An instant later, Hailey slammed his hand flat against the table. "And that''s how it''s done," she crowed, dropping the bottle on the table with a flourish. Rupert smiled. Elissa was still looking at the spot in midair where their hands had been a moment earlier, her mouth slightly open. Trevor rubbed his hand, eyeing her with newfound respect. "Okay, maybe you''re right," he said begrudgingly. Hailey rolled her eyes. "Don''t make me beat you up every time you''re losing an argument, man. That''s gonna get old quick." He smiled. "Nah, I''m rethinking my entire life right now." "What were we even arguing about again?" Elissa wondered aloud, hiccuping slightly. "If you''re too drunk to talk straight?" "Hey, I''m not drunk. I''ve had way less than Hailey, and I''m just having wine." "Oh, you don''t want to get in a drinking contest with her," Rupert added, dropping onto the couch next to Hailey and putting an arm around her. Hailey settled in comfortably, still enjoying the rush of victory coupled with the solid warmth of her boyfriend''s chest. "It''s even more one-sided." True to form, Hailey was barely feeling the three beers she''d already drained. She wasn''t planning to drink much that night, since she still had to fly home with Jessica later. Flying around intoxicated wasn''t something she felt like trying anytime soon. Remembering Jessica, Hailey sent a tiny breeze to flow around Jessica''s hair where Hailey knew she''d be laying down, just to say hi. Her friend was currently on the roof of the apartment complex, a couple floors above them. She refused to meet Rupert''s friends, though she never said why. Hailey secretly suspected she didn''t want to deal with teaching yet another group of people how to interact with her. Whenever they ever visited Rupert and he had company, Jessica spent the time on the roof, practicing magic or doing whatever else she might be doing. It was always a bit dangerous, going out into the world with their status as refugees-slash-wanted persons, but Hailey didn''t want to get trapped in a cycle of being stuck with so few people to interact with, as they had been in Rallsburg. Hailey had offered to go out alone, since they didn''t need to risk both of them being recognized somehow, but Jessica insisted on accompanying her every time. After their day in Seattle, the original plan had been to come back to Rupert''s place and spend the evening with just the three of them, but Rupert''s friends ambushed them on the way home. Jessica had pretended not to know her, discreetly following them home and levitating herself up to the roof from the dark alleyway. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. As soon as Hailey''s breeze hit her, Jessica sent one in return, fluttering the shades near the window. It looked like the oscillating fan in the corner (always on to mask Hailey''s unconscious air currents from Rupert''s friends) had moved them, but Hailey could tell the difference. Thanks, Jess. "So what were we talking about?" Rupert prompted, who hadn''t actually been in the room when they''d started getting into it. "One person making a difference," answered Elissa, getting up to refill her glass. "I thought you couldn''t remember," said Trevor. Elissa rolled her eyes at him and walked back into the kitchen area. "What do you mean?" Rupert asked. "Well, we were talking about the world right now." Trevor went on. "How one person can only do so much on their own. They gotta be lifted up by the gatekeepers if they want to make a difference." "How does that lead to Hailey making a fool of you on my table?" "He made a dumbass comment about women being weaker than men," Hailey said with a shrug. "I worded it poorly," said Trevor quickly. "Then why''d you agree to arm-wrestle me?" "Because he likes showing off," said Elissa, plopping back onto the couch and putting her feet up. "I didn''t mean to insult anyone. I''ve known plenty of women stronger than me. I''m just trying to speak at large here." Hailey laughed. "I know, dude. Don''t worry. Just remember some people take it a lot more seriously. Think before you speak and all that." "Right." Trevor leaned back in his chair. "Anyway, back to the real topic. These days, it doesn''t matter nearly as much if you''re male or female, black or white for making a change at the top. It matters a lot what you are when you''re at the bottom, but at the top, the thing that really counts is money." "Brilliant insight, Mr. Halliday," said Elissa dryly. "It''s always been money, hasn''t it?" Rupert pointed out. "That''s not exactly new." "No, but what has changed now is the reach and power of that money. You know that we''ve had protests, riots and injustices just as big as the huge, history-making movements back in the day? But they don''t get anything done anymore. Why is that?" "Because they have no clue... what they''re doing?" said Elissa, desperately masking another hiccup. "I mean, yeah, that too, but they''re also working against massive corporations with little regard for how the law can actually be changed. They don''t know how to work the system." "What''s your solution then?" Hailey asked. "Change the laws," Trevor said simply. "That easy, huh?" said Elissa. "It''s the only way to get change set in stone. Everyone, even the corporations and the wealthy, still obeys the rule of law. They find every possible loophole they can, up to and including paying off judges, but by the absolute letter of the law, they''re legal. So that''s where we start." "Pity all the lawmakers are owned by ''em too." Elissa sipped her wine and sighed. "And we''re just a bunch of broke college kids with big dreams and broken arms." "My arm''s not broken." "Really? ''Cause it looked like Hailey was gonna tear it off there without breaking a sweat." "She''s freaking strong, Elissa. You try to wrestle her." Elissa eyed Hailey warily. "No thanks." Hailey ignored the aside, as the main topic was starting to interest her. "So if we have to change the law, but we can''t change the law, what can we do?" "Change the minds of the people in power, I guess?" Trevor shrugged. "I''m just spitballing here." "But we''re all nothing," said Elissa. She was getting a bit emotional. Hailey suspected it was partly due to how much she''d had to drink. "I barely have time to keep up with school. I can''t change the world." "I don''t think it all hinges on you, Piao," Hailey commented. But maybe I can? I''ve got the time and the power¡­ Rupert shot her a look that said he knew exactly what she was thinking. "But maybe there are a few people out there with the power to make a difference, who aren''t already sitting at the top of the world." "Better hope they''re on our side," Trevor muttered. "Oh, you might be surprised," Rupert added with a smile. "When I see some random person off the street actually decide to help his fellow man for no benefit, no reward at all, then I''ll start believing." Trevor got to his feet. "I''ve gotta get home and study." "Want any of the leftovers? I''ve far too much for my poor refrigerator." "Yeah, thanks." While they negotiated the food, Hailey scooted over and took a seat next to Elissa. She hiccuped again, scrolling through her phone with glazed eyes. "Hales, how do you do it?" "Do what?" "Balance all your shit. I''m constantly overwhelmed." Hailey shook her head. "I''m not in school and working and dating all at once. You''ve got way more on your plate and you''re still handling it." "Two out of three," Elissa grumbled. "I can''t find a decent guy for the life of me." "No takers?" "No worthwhile ones. All I''m finding are nervous wrecks who can''t get a word out or perverts." Elissa glanced at her sideways. "How''d you land Rupert?" "Bumped into him." "Seriously? Least helpful answer ever." Hailey laughed. "Seriously. I ran into him at the grocery store. Completely knocked him over." Outside the grocery store, actually, and by knocked over I mean he fell over shocked when Jessica and I landed nearby and turned visible. Who would have expected someone taking a walk through the thickest part of the park that late at night anyway? "I helped him up, we got to talking, and ten minutes later we were strolling through the park under a full moon. Couldn''t have happened better if I planned it." "You''re so lucky." Elissa finished off her glass of wine. "Also, would you stop calling me by my last name? That''s kinda Trevor''s thing." "Oh! Sorry!" Her face got red. "Okay, I''m definitely talking too much now." "No, that''s a good thing to tell." Hailey helped her to her feet. "I was just going with it, I didn''t notice it til you said something." "Trevor and I have been best friends since kindergarten," Elissa went on, rambling a bit as if Hailey wasn''t even there. "He''s always been there for me." Hailey resisted pointing out the obvious. There could be any number of reasons why she''d never considered it. Hailey had only known these two for a few weeks. She helped Elissa to the stairs, where Trevor took over. They waved goodbye as they headed out for the bus stop, leaving Hailey and Rupert alone. Rupert glanced up at the ceiling. "Should we invite her to join us?" Hailey bit her lip slightly, eyeing him with a small smile. "I dunno. I was just getting an earful about how great you are. I thought maybe you would want to take advantage of that. Now that you''ve got me all alone." "Take advantage? Me?" His face twisted into mock-outrage. "I''d have to turn in my card and venture back across the pond for such a transgression. Her Majesty would have my head. I''d be beneath the worst of scoundrels." "Well then," said Hailey mischievously. She created a burst of air behind Rupert, shoving him toward her waiting arms. "We''ll just have to make sure she doesn''t find out." They fell onto the couch together, scattering a few loose papers that Rupert hadn''t cleared up. She pulled Rupert tight, kissing him as they landed on the couch¡ªright until Hailey bumped her head against the couch arm with a loud knock. "Ugh." "What?" Rupert sat up, genuinely worried. Hailey shook her head. She reached up and pulled him back down again. "It''s fine. Come here." Rupert was still distracted, though, which killed the mood. Hailey sighed. "I''m not fragile, you know. A few bumps and bruises aren''t gonna break me." "I know." He didn''t sound totally confident though, which bothered her more than she wanted to admit. "I''ll be fine." "I can''t help worrying about you, dear." Hailey sighed, and scooted back up to a sitting position. She''d lost him for a while at least. "You do remember I''m basically one of the most powerful people on the planet, right?" Rupert frowned. "That''s a dangerous thing to say." "It''s a dangerous thing to believe. I don''t actually believe it." Hailey shrugged. "There''s the rest of the naturals, plus Alpha''s still out there somewhere. And I don''t think for a second I''m stronger than Grey-eyes. Trust me, I know the totem pole." "But you still think you''re stronger than the common man." "Well, I mean¡­" Hailey nodded at the table, where her beer bottle still sat. "I''m pretty sure that''s true." Rupert shook his head. "I don''t mean physical strength, love. Though you''ve obviously got that. I mean actual power." "I don''t have any of that." "Don''t you?" Hailey frowned. "I agree with Trevor on that bit. Actual power is all about money now, and I''m flat broke. I''m a supposedly dead faux-celebrity in hiding, living off the generous donations of a multimillionaire who''s also in hiding. I''m a charity case." "But you have influence. Influence is the real power. Money purchases influence, whether that''s directly or simply by having it and impressing weak-willed individuals with its ownership. Influence gives you a voice, and that voice is how you can change the minds of those in power." "How did we get from almost having sex to debating philosophy?" she grumbled. Rupert smiled. "Do you want to go back to that?" Hailey laughed. She pulled him down next to her, laid out on the long couch. "No, no, you''ve actually got me interested now. Keep going." "I''m afraid I''ve lost track of my argument." She snorted. "Ah yes, the typical young adult male," she added in her best fake British accent. "The mere mention of sexual activity and their brains are emptied in an instant." "Guilty as charged, love." "I think you''re overestimating my power of influence," Hailey continued. "I''ll give you that having influence isn''t totally tied to having a huge bank, but you usually still gotta have something. I''m not even really a celebrity. Your friends haven''t figured out who I am yet, even with all the pictures floating around." "You do look quite a bit different," Rupert pointed out. "By necessity of course. But it''s not your celebrity or money or anything like that which will propel you, dear. You''ve got something far more important than all of that." "Hm?" "You''re a hero," he said simply. Hailey snorted again, even as her heart fluttered a little at his words. "As if." "I mean it wholeheartedly." "That''s sweet of you, but even if that''s the case, heroes don''t always become influential. Half the time they just become figureheads for the money again." Rupert shrugged. "So don''t let them do that to you." "That easy, huh?" Hailey echoed Elissa''s tone from earlier. "You''re smart, you''re crazy strong¡ª" Hailey burst out laughing. "Oh my god, please do an American accent more often. That was amazing." He grinned. "And you''re beautiful. You''re forced to hide it right now, which is a terrible crime against the gods, but I''ve seen you with your hair down¡ªso to speak. They can''t compare. Combine those three and you can do almost anything you put your mind to." Hailey shrugged. "A lot of pressure to put on a girl." Rupert nodded. "It is. But I believe in you. And I''m here to support you come what may. If there''s anything I can ever do, you just say the word." She smiled. "Thanks." As a small gift to him, she murmured a spell under her breath. Slowly, her face changed shape and color ever so slightly, the freckles fading away to perfectly smooth, clear skin. Her hair returned to its natural, wavy golden blonde. A coquettish smile creased her lips. Rupert''s eyes had grown wide again. He''d never seen her shift appearance like that. She wrapped an arm around his back and pulled him close, meeting his lips with her own, playing up the old fun Hailey persona she used to wear. Now that the fake Hailey was her natural look, she had to actually hold her old self in place with a constant stream of magic. It was a bit of a strain, and she had to dedicate real brainpower to keep it going. She longed for the day she could finally go back to being herself, without the odd feeling that her face didn''t quite fit on right, or that her hair was like a wig she couldn''t take off. For the look on Rupert''s face in that moment, it was totally worth it.
"I think I can see his apartment from here," Hailey joked. Jessica leaned against her and gazed out over the city. "Sorry that took so long." She tapped the watch on her wrist, then put a hand on her heart, trying to look apologetic. Jessica rolled her eyes. She made a motion with her hands with a knowing smirk, which pulsed Hailey''s cheeks bright red. It took a lot to embarrass her, but Jessica was more than capable. She put a hand to her ear, then pointed at Jessica, tilting her head to the side slightly. Jessica shrugged, smiling innocently. Hailey shook her head in amusement, settling back into the blanket they''d wrapped up in. Night had fallen completely and the city was a pool of light from atop the Space Needle. The place was still open, and tourists bustled about below them in the restaurant, or above them on the observation deck. Hailey and Jessica sat below the top deck on the disk itself, up against the wall, enjoying the view and the cool night air. Hailey tried to resist the chill of the wind, but she shivered as it rolled through. Immediately, Jessica began to warm up the area around them. "You don''t have to do that, Jess," she said, adding a flip-flop hand motion with her hand. Hailey was more than happy with the balance between the cold air and the warm body next to her. Jessica shrugged, and the heat dissipated back into the air. Jessica pulled out her phone, unlocking it with a pattern and tapping through to her photos. After a few moments'' scrolling, she came up with a photo of Dan, prompting Hailey. Hailey shrugged. "I haven''t heard anything." She covered her ears for a moment, then drew an X in midair. She pulled out her own phone and a map of the Northwest, and drew a vague circle over the forests in B.C. Jessica frowned. She mimed a gun with her finger, making quick shooting motions at Dan''s picture. Hailey made a cutting motion with her hand, then pointed at her own brain. "As far as I know." Jessica made as if she were reading a newspaper, widening her eyes in shock for a moment. Hailey nodded. She pulled up a recent news story that showed Dan and Boris'' international wanted pictures. Jessica shook her head in dismay and put away her phone, snuggling back up to Hailey''s side. She made another gesture, which Hailey didn''t quite understand. Something with waving clenched fists in midair. "Jess?" She frowned, and raised her hands again. An image appeared in midair¡ªa crude likeness, but it was enough to make out the drummer from that afternoon. Hailey raised her eyebrows. Oh. So she¡­ don''t jump to conclusions, Hales. She turned to Jessica, questioning. Jessica nodded. She pointed at the image, then herself. Her face grew pink, and she looked away again, dismissing the magic in a puff of light. Hailey grinned and hugged her tight, wrapping the blanket around them both. Message received, Jess. As soon as she figured out how to go about it, Jessica would definitely get another chance to meet her. She relaxed, laying back against the wall, watching the city move about and wondering what to do for the rest of the night¡ªand something caught her eye, much further way. She doubted anyone else could see it, but Hailey had gotten used to switching in and out of enhancing her eyes on a whim. She''d had so much practice that it had become instinctive to murmur the spell whenever she spotted something she couldn''t make out. Far to the south in the suburban sprawl, a window had lit up. Not with the steady even light of a bulb, or even the flicker of a candle. No, this was something more deep red and intense. It was growing quickly. Hailey scanned the area from their high perch. Come on, someone respond. An emergency light almost blinded her, forcing her eyes shut for a split-second. A fire truck speeding down the road. It was going the wrong way. Some other emergency. Hailey bounded to her feet. Jessica spluttered awake, apparently having dozed off. She tugged Hailey''s hand to get her attention. Hailey pointed at the growing orange glow out in the distance. Jessica had invented the spell they both used to see such distances, and as soon as she''d cast it, she understood what Hailey was asking. She hesitated, while the fire began to spread through the whole complex. What is she waiting for? Hailey thought, dismayed. "Come on, Jess. We have to do something." She mimed a diving motion, then gathering something up with both arms and holding it close. Jessica frowned. She looked nervous, brushing back her brown-and-blue hair with a trembling finger. After a moment, she nodded. Hailey nodded back confidently. Before they could take off, Jessica conjured a tiny flame in midair. She choked it away, but immediately shook her head. Hailey wasn''t sure what she meant, and tilted her head to the side. Jessica repeated it, then pointed at the fire and shook her head again. "We can''t put it out," Hailey realized aloud. "We can''t explain that." She nodded again to show she understood. Jessica threw her arms around Hailey and they took off, flying out at breakneck speed before anyone on the observation deck might see them. In what seemed like no time at all, Hailey was already flaring out her wings to slow them down as they approached the apartment building. The fire was spreading quickly. Hailey had read about it once, how modern homes tended to burn very quickly with all the cluttered fast-burning fuel filling every room of the place. There were screams issuing from some of the higher rooms, and smoke billowing out of the top. Hailey glanced around again in midair, but she still didn''t see a fire truck in sight. Jessica clung to her, her eyes shut tight. Hailey took a deep breath and dove for the top floor window. At the last second, she sent a burst of magic into window frame, shoving it wide open. They landed easily on the top floor hallway, just as one of the apartment doors opened. A bleary-eyed man in a nightshirt rubbed his eyes, staring at the duo. "...the hell are you?" he muttered. "Housekeeping." Hailey reached forward and pulled him roughly into the hall. "You need to get moving. There''s a fire downstairs. Go to the fire escape." "Fire?" The man''s eyes lit up. His adrenaline was finally kicking in at the perceived danger. He turned back to his apartment. "But I¡ª" "Your stuff or your life, dude," Hailey said firmly. She yanked him back and shoved him toward the fire escape, a bit more roughly than she intended. "Get going." As she did, a small explosion rumbled through the building. They all winced. A shower of dust fell from the ceiling. The danger finally processed through the guy''s skull. "Yeah. Okay." "Does anyone else live on this floor?" "Last two doors on the right." He turned and bolted for the fire escape at the other end. The alarm finally started to shriek as he plowed through the door. "Come on, Jess," Hailey called. Jessica had been watching the staircase uneasily. They could both feel the growing heat from below as the inferno started to consume the whole building. They repeated a similar conversation with both occupants, though it was a great deal easier to convince them with the shrieking alarm and the building shuddering beneath them. Hailey was shocked at how much it took to wake some of these people, until she noticed the second person had earplugs in the whole time. Lousy neighbors. "None of these people screamed though," she said to Jessica, who was helping the woman from the third apartment out to the fire escape. "Who was that?" Jessica just stared back at her, not understanding. Hailey motioned to the staircase. She looked uneasy, but she nodded. Hailey took her by the hand and started down the steps, two at a time. The heat increased exponentially as they descended. The fire had started low, but was climbing up the building fast. Hailey finally heard a siren far in the distance, but she still couldn''t be sure if it was even meant for them. She had to keep going. What if someone else is in here? Someone screamed downstairs. We have to help them. Another explosion rippled through the building, accompanied by a shower of glass outside. Hailey and Jessica tumbled out of the staircase onto the next floor down. They faced another line up of closed doors. "Why aren''t these people leaving?" Hailey cried. Jessica closed her eyes and flung her hands out, muttering a quick spell. Every door burst open with a bang. Behind the nearest one, Hailey spotted a man lugging a large desktop computer under his arm. "Goddammit, get out of here!" Hailey shouted. She didn''t have any more time to waste. The smoke was filling up their floor. She ripped the desktop from his arms with magic and slammed it against the wall. He gawked at the suddenly levitating computer for a split-second, before Hailey grabbed him bodily and shoved him toward the fire escape. Seeing Hailey throw caution to the winds and use magic openly, Jessica started to blow the smoke away from them. A burning in Hailey''s throat she hadn''t even noticed began to fade, but the fire was stubborn. It kept advancing. Jessica shot a look at Hailey, tilting her head to indicate a question. She made a quick tiny flame in her hand and snuffed it out just as fast. Hailey shook her head vigorously. "We can''t!" Even if a couple people see us in here, no one''s gonna believe them. But if a whole fire goes out for no apparent reason? That''s too big to ignore. Jessica nodded. She ran to the staircase where the flames were erupting forth, snagging on any fuel they could find as they rampaged up through the building. Instead of choking them out, she made a wall of force in front of them, blocking their advance. It wobbled for a few seconds as she figured out exactly how to set it up so the flames couldn''t catch on anything else, but it held firm. Hailey quickly cleared the rest of the rooms, as fast as she could. It was slow going with how obstinate some of the occupants were. This was their home, they couldn''t just abandon everything! It''s just stuff. Their lives are more important! She dealt with a few stubborn pets too, but those were much easier since she could just lift them into mid-air with magic and send them out along with their dumbstruck owners. "I think that''s everyone, Jess!" she shouted as the last man finally climbed out onto the fire escape. As she turned, Hailey''s heart stopped. Jessica was on the floor, crawling away from a churning inferno. The smoke was so thick that Hailey was struggling to breathe. She dug deep for the air, any air she could find, but the smoke resisted her. Trying to shove oxygen and normal air into the thick plume of smoke was practically impossible. Hailey sprinted to Jessica, forcing away every lick of flame near them as she did. The angry demon refused to back down from such paltry resistance, gathering up behind them as it threatened to devour the whole building around them. Hailey picked her up off the ground and bolted for the window at the end of the hall. Oh god, please let her be okay. Hailey didn''t have the time or the presence of mind for subtlety anymore. She shattered the window with a blunt spear of force, just before diving through it. They were falling fast. She couldn''t stop coughing. Hailey tried to feel for her wings, but they were so far away. They''d burned up with the rest of the crumbling building. They aren''t real wings, you idiot! With a painful thump, Hailey managed to flare them out as they plummeted to the ground. Even with the sudden brake and as much air as she could muster, they still made a painful landing on the grass outside the complex. It took a few seconds for Hailey to come to. She vaguely heard her own voice in her mind, telling Natalie about how to handle unconscious people only a week earlier. Who could''ve seen this coming? she mused. Jessica started coughing in her grip, to her immense relief. Coughing''s better than silent. Hailey released her, letting her work through the smoke left in her system while she struggled to her feet. The residents of the apartment were surrounding her in a loose semi-circle, dressed in a colorful variety of nightshirts and pajamas. Hailey winced as the building continued to burn away behind them. A fire truck was only just pulling up on the other side, deploying men and women to fight the growing conflagration. Hailey was about to say something when she spotted a horrifying sight out of the corner of her eye. A tiny flash of light, almost imperceptible, but the telltale sign of a camera lens. They were being filmed. Hailey didn''t have a choice. Jessica wasn''t in any shape to make them invisible, but they absolutely could not be seen. She picked up her best friend, still struggling to force clean air through her lungs, and flapped her great wings as hard as she could. Annihilating a few gemstones on her necklace to fuel their furious ascent, Hailey and Jessica rocketed back into the sky, through the pillar of smoke illuminated against the black night. They vanished into the clouds, while the tiny crowd of onlookers watched their would-be heroes perform yet another impossible feat. [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] B2: Chapter 9 — Flying Blind Chapter 9 ¡ª Flying Blind A furious knocking on the bedroom door accompanied a painful burst of sunlight into the room. Hailey''s eyes snapped open. Jessica immediately began coughing the moment she woke up. Hailey groaned, both from the abrupt awakening and the realization that Jessica''s rest had been cut short, after it had taken her so long to finally fall asleep. "What do you want?" she called out, definitely not in the mood for an argument. Her head felt like it was trying to split itself open, still sore from the events of the night before. Even with all their power, Hailey felt winded and raw from such a rapid series of spells¡ªnot to mention the whole burning building bit. Jessica rolled out of bed and padded over to the door in a daze, coughing as she went. She tripped slightly on her too-large pajamas before reaching the door and pulling it open, suddenly face-to-face with her mother. Beth was livid, almost to the point of shouting. "Your shoes and your jackets are covered in ash! What on earth were you doing?" "Working," Hailey repeated stubbornly, pulling a pillow over her face and pressing it against her ears. "Since when does working mean you''re suddenly a firefighter? I thought you were just meeting people in parks and stores. Public places." "Something came up." "Don''t brush me off, Hailey! You''re responsible for way more than just yourself. You can''t take stupid risks like this." Hailey felt a brief pang of homesickness. Sure, she wasn''t exactly close with her own parents, but she still hadn''t spoken to or seen either of them in over a year now. She''d had a similar confrontation with her mother after a few incidents back in her freshman year, and they hadn''t had a real conversation in years. She''d made sure to call every month though, at the very least. They''d patched things up and she''d been planning to go home for Thanksgiving this year, maybe even introduce her to Jessica¡­ somehow. It was barely a month away, but Hailey doubted she''d be getting the opportunity. You know, since I''m dead and all¡­ She set the pillow aside, looking Beth in the eyes. "This was more important." "Your lives are more important," Beth snapped. She held up Jessica''s coat and shook it, causing a shower of ash to fall to the carpet. "You take my daughter into a dangerous situation and you better believe I''m not going to let this go." She took a step into the room, but Jessica blocked her path. "Jess?" Beth asked, faltering. Jessica shook her head. She pointed at the jacket, then pointed at herself and nodded firmly. She pointed back at Hailey and shook her head. She repeated the sequence when Beth didn''t quite seem to catch it. "She''s dangerous, can''t you see that?" she asked weakly. Jessica didn''t understand, so she repeated the sequence a third time. "I don''t care if you chose it, I don''t want you getting hurt." Beth put her arms around her daughter, hugging her tight. Jessica returned it, but she immediately broke into another painful cough. Beth''s eyes shot back up to Hailey. "Can''t you do anything for that?" Hailey shook her head. "I don''t think so. All I could do is maybe help oxygen get to her lungs, but that''s not really the problem she''s having. She just needs time for the irritation to heal." "And a hospital?" "A hyperbaric chamber, maybe?" Hailey tried to dredge up what she''d looked up online the night before, after they''d returned home. "I don''t think it''d do much either. They''d probably just scan her a couple times and say the same thing, just rest and wait. If they didn''t freak out from the other things about her." "What do you mean?" "I mean, we aren''t normal anymore, remember?" Hailey pointed at her eyes. "Both of us change our eyes all the time, for one, right down to the structure. Jessica''s hair isn''t colored by a dye, it just is that color now. I have a bunch of air moving in weird patterns behind me all the time now, whether I''m thinking about it or not. And who knows if magic itself shows up on a test somehow?" Hailey shook her head. "We can''t risk going to a hospital til we know what they might find." "And you can''t just heal her with magic somehow?" "No. That''s impossible." Beth shook her head, prompting Jessica to back away a step and look up. Beth ran a hand through her daughter''s hair, then kissed her on the forehead. She mimed eating something with a knife and fork, then flashed five fingers twice. "Breakfast in ten minutes," she repeated for Hailey''s benefit. "Yeah, I got that." A touch of annoyance crossed Beth''s eyes, but she didn''t comment further. She turned and left, and Jessica closed the door behind her. Hailey fell back against the bed again, wishing she could just sleep through the day. She could, if she really wanted to. She didn''t actually have any obligations anymore. No job, no school, nothing. Sleeping through the day really wasn''t her style though. Within a few minutes, she''d be restless and itching to get out and do something. Hailey Winscombe was not an idle person. Maybe she''d go find that drummer. Jess could use a pick-me-up. Hailey had been thinking about bringing it up with Beth, maybe coming up with a plan together¡ªbut that was obviously off the table now. "Jess," she prompted. Jessica hadn''t moved from the door, though thankfully she''d stopped coughing. Jessica turned around, and Hailey saw instantly she was upset. "What''s wrong?" Jessica shook her head. Hailey mirrored her. She tilted her head to the side, then pointed at Jessica and gave her a thumbs-down. Jessica frowned. She held up the jacket she''d taken from her mother, and shook it again. More ash and soot fell to the carpet. Hailey winced. She sent a gust of wind out to pick it up, carrying it out through the window they''d forgotten to close the night before. "Sorry." Jessica shook her head again. She pointed at the jacket, then at herself. A picture appeared in midair, an illusion of the building they''d gone into the night before. Hailey watched as it shifted into a burning wreck, like a very slow slideshow as Jessica composed each picture in her head and tried to project it into the air. The illusions were never totally convincing, unlike the invisibility trick she''d painstakingly learned studying Cinza, but they were distinct enough to understand what she was trying to get across, and nobody else had ever managed anything like it in detail or animation. Hailey watched a tiny speck fly into view and burst through the top floor window. Jessica pointed at the speck, then at herself again and shook her head more emphatically. Her eyes were sparkling. She looked like she were on the verge of tears. Oh god. "Jess, I¡ª" She shook her head again, her hair flying wildly. Hailey stood up and went to hug her, but Jessica shrunk away. Hailey faltered in mid-step, no longer sure what to do. She pressed her hands to her heart, trying to show Jessica what she meant. "I''m so sorry. I didn''t know." Jessica nodded slowly. The illusion disappeared. She turned and went downstairs. Hailey waited a few minutes, giving them some space before she followed. Malcolm had made pancakes for breakfast, and Jessica was already digging into them. The television was on and tuned to the national news, as it always seemed to be. Between possible news about Brian and the golem attacks, or any word about Dan and Boris up in Canada and the massive manhunt out for them, they couldn''t afford to miss a story, no matter how much it might irritate Hailey to listen to. At least they muted it for breakfast. I wish they''d just read the news online like normal people. "Morning. Plain or blueberry?" Malcolm called out as Hailey walked in. He was trying to fake some morning cheer, but he couldn''t hide that he''d heard them shouting. The entire room was still tense, with Jessica and Beth both eating in stony silence. "Blueberry, please." Hailey took her spot next to Jessica, but it seemed so much colder than usual. She wasn''t sure where they stood for the moment. Breakfast continued in the same fashion, with Hailey feeling on edge around all three of the Silverdales. Every time she thought of a conversation topic, she clamped down her lips and kept chewing through the very sad-tasting pancakes. It wasn''t that they were poorly made, but the emotions hanging over the group overwhelmed her senses. They might as well have been cardboard for all Hailey could taste. As Hailey got up to clean her plate, she had fully expected the entire meal to pass without a word, but a glance from Beth over her shoulder at the wrong time set off the ticking bomb. "They''re doing another profile of you?" she snapped. "Beth!" Malcolm snapped, but his wife ignored him. "Look at this!" Beth pointed at the TV. A professional school photograph of Hailey from her freshman year was plastered on screen. It was the same story they''d already run at least a half-dozen times since May, a time-filler when they had nothing better to report. With the more recent developments in the story and the air of mystery still surrounding the town, any content on Rallsburg ran like wildfire. Everyone loves a good conspiracy. "...agically lost at only twenty one years old, Hailey Winscombe was a brilliant student with a heart ten times the size of the town she called home. Despite many scholarships offered to her from far more prestigious options, Hailey chose to attend a small school deep in the forests of Washington, Rallsburg University¡­" Mostly because I liked the campus, and Weston was going there, Hailey mused. "They always talk about her! Not us, not Rowan or Christina or Dan or Neffie, nobody! She didn''t even live there!" "Yes I did," Hailey pointed out crossly. "Hailey, please," Malcolm started, but Beth was already riled up. "What about my daughter? Why doesn''t anyone care about her?" "I care," Hailey shot back. Jessica looked up at the rising volume around her, trying to figure out the conversation. Realizing her mother was the aggressor, she got up and grabbed her by the hand. "Jess?" Jessica shook her head, eyes fierce. She pulled her mother out of the room, leaving Hailey alone with Malcolm. "...I wish you two would stop," he sighed. She''s the one that won''t give up. "I''m sorry." "I know. And I know it''s not just on you." Malcolm shook his head in dismay. "I think we have too much time to ourselves here. We''re not handling it well." "You seem okay." "I''m really not." He cleaned up the abandoned dishes on the table, keeping himself occupied. "At least Beth still has something to get passionate about. I feel like I''m fading away here." Hailey nodded. "I know what you mean." "You do?" "...I felt the same way, back before I found out about everyone else. Back when it was just me and Jess." She cleared her throat, feeling embarrassed. "I felt like I was just wasting my life, stuck in place with nowhere to go and nothing I could do. I felt awful about it, since Jessica was way worse off than me, but it was still there." "It''s okay." He gave a weak smile. "You don''t have to be perfect. I''m forever grateful for what you did for our daughter." He glanced at the TV, which was rolling through stills and clips from Hailey''s old social media feeds. "I think they did a pretty good job on your story." "They picked a terrible photo. I''ve got so many better ones than that." Hailey tried to smile back, but she still felt guilty that she''d ever felt such a thing. Coupled with the looming guilt over having forced Jessica into the fire the night before, Hailey was busy re-examining everything they''d ever done together. Was I dragging her along against her will this whole time? Her thoughts were interrupted by the television, which no one had muted again after Beth first turned it up. "...again, this is the same unconfirmed footage submitted by a viewer that we showed earlier this morning." Hailey''s heart started pounding. There it was, the video she''d been dreading from the night before. It was blurry and weak, but Hailey had looked right at the camera, illuminated by firelight from the side. Despite the darkness and the poor lighting, when they laid out the still next to her photo, Hailey could agree with the resemblance. She winced as the Hailey in the video took off into the sky. "We have been unable to verify the video as genuine so far. Some experts are claiming it to be a hoax, a so-called ''deep fake'' video produced through computer simulated imaging, but detailed analysis does not support this conclusion." "To produce a convincing fake, there needs to be a lot more high quality footage available of the subject. Miss Winscombe had plenty of social media presence, but nothing like the high quality recordings of actresses usually used for such techniques." "Any comment on the dramatic shift in her appearance? She looks a lot different in the video compared to the photos we''ve shown." "Your guess is as good as mine, Ted. Maybe she''s always looked like that, and the rest is just makeup." "And what about the end of the video? Where she apparently starts to fly? Ridiculous, right?" "Oh, absolutely. There has to be some trick to it." "But the fire was genuine, wasn''t it? We have the police report here of the apartment complex that was burned down last night, as well as a detailed report of the other incidents that kept first responders away from the scene for so long." "Just terrible, yeah. Really awful luck." "Hailey¡­" Malcolm started, his eyes fixed on the screen. "I know." Hailey cursed herself. Why didn''t I grab the guy''s phone? What was I thinking? Her own phone started buzzing on the countertop. She answered it, her hand shaking slightly. "Are you watching?" Cinza asked. "I saw it. I should have grabbed the phone. I''m so stupid." "It wouldn''t have mattered. The video was mirrored the moment he recorded it. Even if you took his phone, he could have posted it from any computer. What¡ª" Cinza cut off as the news switched away from the two anchors. She looked back at the screen, and her jaw dropped. It was the last person Hailey expected to see. Her mother was on the television screen. "Mom?" Hailey whispered. She sank onto the couch, still holding the phone to her ear. The banner underneath her said Stephanie Winscombe. She''d be so annoyed they didn''t include her full name¡­ Hailey mused, before her mother opened her mouth. It was so bizarre to hear her voice coming from the screen, in front of a news banner and with cameras and microphones everywhere. "Hailey," she started, and Hailey''s heart doubled over in pressure. She hadn''t heard her mom''s voice in so long. She hadn''t even risked looking at old videos she had stored, since they required logging into her accounts online. "Hi, Mom," she whispered back, as if her mother could hear her. "If you''re¡­ alive. Come home." She didn''t start crying, or even look sad at all. If anything, she looked furious. Hailey smiled. That''s Mom for you, just annoyed that I''d faked my death or something and interrupted her latest business deal. "You aren''t in trouble, but you have to come home." "I wish I could." Malcolm came and sat down next to her, holding her hand. The story had already cut back to the two anchors, rehashing the basic facts once again. Hailey was trembling in her seat, eyes locked with her mother''s on the screen. "You can''t," Cinza replied, startling her. She''d totally forgotten about the phone pressed against her ear. "I know," Hailey snapped. "They''ll be watching her closely. If you went, you''d have to answer for everything. Or you''d have to fight." "I''m not going to fight them!" "I''m not saying you should. But there''s not many outcomes that don''t lead to some sort of confrontation." Cinza paused. "The best course is for them to believe you''re still dead, and that the video was a fake." "How are we supposed to do that?" "We''re figuring that out now." "That Tezofarl person?" "I''m talking to them now. They''re looking into any way they can try to leak that the video was a fake, and back it up with convincing proof." "What if the people who were there start talking more?" Cinza sighed. "I can''t cover everything. They were just normal people in a dilapidated apartment, right?" "I guess, yeah." "...As long as you stay off the radar and change your appearance again, I believe the story will be buried. It''ll be dead by the next news cycle. Just rumor and speculation." "Right," Hailey said, already feeling reassured. Cinza always sounded so confident, it was infectious. "Changing my hair again''s gonna be a pain." She could practically hear Cinza smirk through the phone. "Perhaps don''t dive headfirst into a burning building full of people with camera phones next time?" "I couldn''t just leave them. Nobody else could have helped." Cinza sighed again. "I believe you. Truth be told, I might have done the same if I had your abilities. Is Jessica all right? She looked a bit shaken up in that video." "She will be," Hailey replied, as much to herself as to Cinza. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. "Good. I have to get back to work here. Take care." The phone clicked off. Hailey didn''t move for a long time, watching the news in a daze as they continued to debate the shakey cell phone video of herself. An hour went by, and the story started to repeat for new viewers. It must have been a pretty slow day elsewhere in the world if they kept at it on this single story, no matter how strange. Jessica rejoined her by the time they played the video again. She recognized the footage, trembling at the sight of the building once again. As it flipped over to the video of Stephanie Winscombe, Hailey expected more of a reaction, until she remembered that Jessica had no idea who her mother was. In fact, Hailey couldn''t remember ever telling her anything about her life before Rallsburg. She considered explaining it, but after seeing Jessica''s pained reaction to the building footage, Hailey didn''t want to cause her any more stress. She stayed silent, and eventually Jessica retreated back into the yard again, leaving Hailey alone.
"Are you sure you wanna do this?" Alden asked, leaning over to pop open the car door for her. "I saw you on the news." "Oh god yes. I need to get out of the house, no matter what." Hailey climbed into the passenger seat. "Where''s Jess?" "...She''s staying home for a while." Alden looked at her curiously. Hailey sighed. "She really didn''t handle that whole fire rescue thing very well. It''s my fault. I kinda shoved us into it without warning, and she had to do all the work holding the fire back." "Why didn''t you just put it out?" "That would''ve drawn more attention to us. Not that it ended up mattering," she added bitterly. "We''ll figure it out," Alden said confidently. "So where are we headed?" Alden shifted the car into gear and took them out onto the main roads. "One of our new awakened needed help with something. He set up the meeting. I was gonna push it back, but then you called." "Thanks for indulging me. Which one of our newbies is it?" "Harold. We''re going out to see what''s up." "Harold?" "He didn''t give us a last name. I think Rupert''s still trying to figure it out." She shook her head. "No, I mean, I don''t remember this guy." "Oh, right," Alden looked embarrassed. "I did a couple without you." "You did? When was that?" "When you flew off to Canada to look for Dan and Boris those first couple of days." Hailey winced. "Sorry about that." "Hey, I would have gone with you if I could." "Everything went okay?" "Yeah, fine. I''m getting the hang of this." "Yeah, you are." Hailey leaned out the window as they pulled onto the highway, enjoying the breeze through her freshly short, straight brown hair. "I like the new haircut." "It''s a lot more convenient for flying," Hailey added, running a hand through it. She''d recently figured out how to keep it perfectly clean and healthy with only a spell or two, in addition to being able to change its length, color and style with only a few minutes effort. She couldn''t get it perfectly how she wanted it, but it was far easier than dealing with rollers, irons and whatnot. Still, the contrast between her new straight hair, which didn''t even come close to her shoulders, compared to her original long wavy blonde¡ªor even the bushy brown she''d adopted to match Jessica¡ªwas striking. Combined with a completely different arrangement of freckles and a pair of glasses she didn''t need in the slightest, Hailey felt a lot more confident about not being recognized again. "I don''t have to worry about it getting all over the place." "Yeah, that got pretty annoying." Hailey laughed. "Just be glad I didn''t drop you." "So just the two of us, then," Alden sighed, merging them into traffic. Hailey closed the window as they sped up so she could hear him. "Who am I gonna make fun of you with?" "Harold doesn''t have a sense of humor?" "Not really. Nice guy, but way too serious." "Where are we meeting him?" "A bar on the other side of Tacoma. And you''re buying me a drink." "You drink now?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Alden shrugged. "Is that a big deal? Figured you of all people wouldn''t mind." "I mean¡­" Hailey shook her head. "I stopped way back, after one night mixing drinking and magic got¡­ messy." "Sounds fun." "At the time, yeah," she grinned. "Tell you what, soon as we''re done with whatever Harold''s freaking out over, I''ll treat you." "Anything off the bar?" "Screw the bar, dude. I don''t want to deal with sneaking you a drink anyway, Mr. Underage. I''ll make you something myself. Special surprise." "Yourself?" Alden asked skeptically. "Are you forgetting I ran the best parties on the west coast?" Hailey smiled wickedly. "I''ll set your toes on fire with one sip. Just you wait."
As they pulled up, Hailey raised an eyebrow. "This is the place?" It didn''t look like much, which she supposed was a point in its favor. A small corner tavern on a dead-end street, with an illegible name on the sign. Behind it loomed dark buildings in both directions, already closed up for the night or boarded up and abandoned. It wasn''t exactly a bad neighborhood, but still. "Not the nicest part of Tacoma," she added, glancing around. "Is any part of Tacoma nice?" "Got me there." Alden double-checked his phone. "Yeah, this is it." "After you, then." Hailey gestured toward the door. "What''s the plan?" "I''ll be on the roof stargazing while you go in and get yourself beat up. Sound fair?" Alden glanced up pointedly. "It''s still totally overcast." "Damn. Okay, guess I''m coming in then." They walked in arm in arm, pretending to be a couple. Hailey managed to get Alden past the doorman with a few charming flutters of her eyelashes and a quick flash of their IDs. Boris hadn''t ever sent Alden a fake one, and hers clearly didn''t match her photo anymore, but the bouncer was too flustered by a sudden gust of wind blowing his hat away to pay them much attention. He waved them in while chasing his precious Seahawks cap down the street. "That was just cruel," said Alden, trying not to laugh. Hailey grinned. "Oh hush. Which one''s Harold?" Alden scanned the bar. "Not here yet, I guess." "Grab a booth then. Want anything?" "A normal drink that won''t kill me?" She rolled her eyes. "That part comes later. I meant like a soda or something." "Sure." While Hailey grabbed their drinks, Alden wandered over to the corner booth by the door to the back, just as they''d been taught. He found reasons to hesitate near every group of patrons, listening into their conversations just long enough to determine if they needed to keep an eye of them. Hailey watched from the bar with approval as he subtly indicated one of the men at the window booth. She looked closely and saw a badge at his belt she''d missed. An off-duty cop? "Anything to worry about?" she asked as she joined Alden at their table. "Probably not, he seems preoccupied." Alden shrugged and took a sip from his glass. "Hey, check this out." He focused on the glass. Hailey watched eagerly, and as Alden''s eyes narrowed, a solid orb of soda floated up into the air, hovering for a few seconds before falling back into the glass again. "Nice," she said. "Yeah, I know, you could do the whole thing no sweat." "I haven''t figured out water yet actually. Makoto and I are working on it. But still, it''s my affinity, and I''m cheating, remember? Don''t compare the two. That was really good." Alden smiled. "Yeah, took me forever. Didn''t help that Meg kept nagging me while I was practicing." Hailey raised an eyebrow. "She''s really in the club now, huh?" "I mean, she still doesn''t know what awakening means or anything real, but I didn''t want to cut her out entirely. She''s actually been super helpful, to be honest. Figured out how to manipulate water before I even explained it. She''s smarter than me," he added, a bit resentfully. "Ever thought about bringing her in completely?" Cinza had raised the possibility with Hailey, but they''d agreed that it should be Alden''s choice alone. "She''s too young," he said firmly. "I know, Natalie''s younger, but come on. Natalie''s a fluke, let''s be honest. She''s way too mature for her age, and she only got that way through a lot of painful crap. Compare that to someone like Meg, who''s had a totally normal, easy life? I don''t think she could handle it. Not at fifteen." Hailey nodded. "You know her best. It''s your call." "Thanks." Alden glanced around uncomfortably. "What time were we meeting him?" "Nine. It''s nine-oh-five." He looked worried. "Could just be a bit late." "Not this guy," Alden said dryly. Hailey shrugged. "If he doesn''t show, we bail. Let''s say¡­ half an hour?" The half-hour went by faster than they expected, as Hailey and Alden shared another few drinks and old stories. Hailey found herself recounting more of the antics of her old friend group. Alden, of course, had no good stories of his friends to share. They''d been broken away from him by Beverly, their relationships totally erased, but he made the most of what little he could remember. Hailey knew why she''d done it, but she still couldn''t agree with Beverly''s choice. To break apart so thoroughly the lives of the two people closest to her at the time? It was so brutal and permanent. She sounded so sure that they were in real and immediate danger, but it was too much for too little. Beverly had started talking to Hailey again after realizing how much power she could muster, but Alden still remained in the dark. Hailey hadn''t told him, at Beverly''s request¡ªbut every day they hung out, she felt guilty. Beverly had been his close friend, and Hailey was keeping that from him. For his own safety, based on Beverly''s fears about people trying to trace them back, but even so¡­ So what does that mean about me? Aren''t people gonna come after me once they spot the connections between us? Hailey felt like it was an inconsistency she couldn''t just explain away. Maybe Beverly doesn''t want to reconnect with him. Maybe there''s something else there. She couldn''t know for sure, but it seemed too cruel to her. Alden deserved the choice, didn''t he? After what she''d done to him? She''d gotten lost in thought, and Alden noticed. "You good?" "Yeah, sorry." Hailey glanced around again. The bar was starting to pick up in traffic a bit, but still no Harold. Just a lot of older, burly work men coming in for the night, filling in the tables near the lone front door. Hailey sighed and returned to her drink. "I shouldn''t have left her." "What?" "Jess. I didn''t tell her we were going out tonight." "...Oh." "I made up a bunch of excuses in my head about why she shouldn''t come, but I still should have told her, right?" Alden shrugged. "What if telling her would just put pressure on her to come, even if she shouldn''t? Like, guilt-tripping her would. Not that you were doing that." "I dunno." Hailey hated feeling uncertain. It gnawed away at her brain over hours and days and weeks. "She deserves to choose that for herself. I took that away." "You''re trying to protect her." "She''s my best friend," Hailey murmured. She stirred at the ice in her drink, starting to feel the effects a little. An image of Jessica dancing in the street in Seattle floated into her mind. "I just want her to be happy." Alden didn''t reply. Hailey glanced up. His focus was way past her, on the last man to come through the door. "Alden?" "Don''t turn around," he whispered. A chill shot through her spine at his tone. Something was happening. "What''s going on?" she whispered back. "Guy that just came in has a gun. He''s got friends. Four or five of them." Alden glanced over. "Crap. They''re going towards Harold." "Harold is here?" "All the way on the other side. I guess we missed him come in." Hailey slapped a hand to her forehead in frustration. Too loud. One of the men grabbed the bouncer and pulled him roughly into the bar. They locked the door, and the apparent leader of the group pulled out his gun. "Nobody move!" "Is this a movie?" Hailey hissed to Alden as they both froze. She was still facing away from them and could only make out a bit of the action from the mirror mounted above Alden on the wall. "Guess so," Alden whispered back. He surreptitiously pulled his phone under the table, trying to call for help. "No signal. You?" Hailey hovered her phone out of her bag, not moving a muscle. She floated it over to the seat of the booth underneath her fingers. The men were spreading out through the bar, forcing everyone to give up phones. Hailey only had so long before they reached them in the back. She didn''t get a signal either. "Nothing," she whispered. "A jammer?" "Those are a thing?" she hissed. The wifi for the bar still worked. She opened up the website and went to their private chat room. The GPS function didn''t work either, so she typed as fast as she could with one hand, giving their address and a brief S.O.S. message. Men with guns. Being held hostage. Hopefully someone... anyone would spot it. Hailey didn''t want to go up against a bunch of men with guns with just herself and Alden, even if she probably could take them on. There was too much danger for the people around them. She couldn''t risk it. They''d just have to get through the robbery without raising any suspicion. She dropped the phone back into her bag and snapped it shut just before the man reached their table. It was the off-duty cop from earlier. This was really planned out. "Phones," he grunted. Alden willingly surrendered his without a fight. Hailey glanced up at the guy. He had rough stubble covering his face and cold, dead eyes. "I don''t have mine," she said meekly, trying to sound frightened. The man ignored her, grabbing her bag and upending it. Hailey winced, but nothing fell out. He looked at it curiously, and she quickly willed it to rotate through to the empty rows of pockets she hadn''t used for anything yet. He opened it and looked inside, totally confused. "I just got it today," she explained. He shrugged, handing it back to her. Not a robbery, then? she wondered. It was a nice looking bag, even if it was (supposedly) empty. As she finally took the chance to look around, she saw that they weren''t taking anything but phones. Something else was going on. "Everyone up!" the leader shouted. He was wearing a black hood over his face, unlike most of his men. The rows of people stood. They were about thirty in total, compared to the nine men. Not enough to overwhelm them, she decided. Maybe if it were just three or four, but I can''t grab nine guns at once. Maybe if Jess were here¡­ but she''s not. Me trying to be a hero is what drove her away. She glanced at Alden, wondering if he could back her up. Her heart sank. His knuckles were white, and he was shaking. He''s terrified. He still hasn''t gotten over Rallsburg, and now this¡­ Hailey was on her own.
They were ushered into the backroom and forced inside at gunpoint. A man with a sawed off shotgun stood by the door entrance, waving it around threateningly. Hailey thought he looked a bit silly. The weapon he held was anything but. She kept a close eye on it as it moved, but he looked a bit uneasy. Maybe he isn''t totally committed to this. If she could pick out which of the men weren''t on board, she''d narrow down her first target more easily. The men started to carry out their plan and her hopes were dashed into dust. "You!" the leader shouted, pointed at a random person in the crowd. A young woman, maybe only a couple years older than Hailey. She stepped forward, looking like she might burst into tears. "Forward." "Please don''t hurt me," she begged, walking toward them slowly. He gestured for her to stop, which she did on a dime. He stared at her for more than a minute, the eyes in his black mask twitching slightly. With the guns trained on them and the general air of fear and confusion, it felt like an eternity. "Okay. You''re fine." He waved at the door. "Don''t try to leave." She didn''t understand, rooted to the spot. "Go into the next room," he said again, his voice harsh but firm. "Go," Hailey hissed. She looked around, startled, and Hailey gave her a little wave forward. Just work with them, it''ll go quicker. The young woman finally went through. The leader nodded at Hailey with approval. He''s being friendly? Who are these guys? "Thank you. If you all cooperate, we''ll get through this more quickly." He called forward another person, and after a moment''s inspection, waved the young man through. What the hell is going on? Hailey looked around at the crowd, but despite the sudden cordiality of the leader, the rest of her fellow captives were still quite petrified. Alden, too, was frozen in place. "You!" the leader shouted again, pointing at a middle-aged man¡ªthe one Alden had identified as Harold. He stepped forward. The man looked at him as well, like he were being inspected. What is he doing? Hailey had a sudden inspiration, and forced her vision to shift into the view she''d been practicing, drawing energy out with a whispered spell and sending it into her brain. She couldn''t get much, but just from the brief interaction she''d already formed a hazy and vague relationship with the leader. She could trace a relationship to him, and try to follow it further with a lot of effort and concentration. It was slow going, as she had to keep as still as possible so they wouldn''t notice her in the back. One clue stood out. As the leader inspected Harold, there was a strong line drawn between him and an object in his pocket. The man waved Harold forward, but the line didn''t go away. Harold breathed a sigh of relief, taking a step into the doorway. Hailey was confused. What are they looking for? As Harold stepped into the threshold, the leader raised his pistol and shot Harold through the head. Quite a few people screamed. Harold collapsed to the floor. Dead. Hailey froze. She''d never actually heard a gunshot up close before. It was deafening, especially in the confined space of the bar''s back storage room. She clapped her hands to her head involuntarily, her ears ringing. The men dragged Harold''s lifeless body out of the way. Most of the room was staring either at the man with the gun, or the stain of blood on the floor. "You!" the leader shouted again, only barely audible through the after-effects of the gunshot. He pointed at the next person in line. The man stepped forward immediately, not daring to disobey. After a few minutes'' inspection, he was waved through. They''re looking for magic. They can find us. Hailey was only a few people away from being called. Alden was almost at the end, if the man kept following his pattern. She had to think of something, fast. There wasn''t any time to figure out how they were doing it. Hailey focused on the guns. She had to disarm them somehow. The leader called another person forward, inspected them and waved them through. Hailey only had one more to go before she was called. Wait until they wave me forward. Only the leader can tell who''s awakened. The rest of them relaxed until the gunshot. They didn''t know it was coming either. "You!" he shouted, pointing at Hailey. She stepped forward, still trying to look meek and terrified. Her mind was alight with suppressed fury. Maybe the man saw it behind her eyes, maybe he didn''t. Either way, he waved her forward. Hailey walked to the threshold. The moment his arm moved, she''d take him down. The tourmaline stone under her shirt laying against her chest thrummed with energy. She''d blow them all away, as fast as she could. She walked through and into the next room. He didn''t try to shoot me? Hailey tried to look back into the storeroom, but one of the men on the other side of the door pushed her away. "Keep going, back into the bar. Go sit down." She walked forward and sat down at the nearest booth. In the distance, she could hear sirens. Finally. Making sure she was out of sight, she pulled her phone from her bag and checked the chat room. Ruby was on her way, with plenty of backup from the Greycloaks. No response from the Laushires. Ruby''s group would have to be enough. How can I stall? Hailey wondered. She had to assume they could still find Alden, and that she''d only escaped by the fluke of her special status as an awakened. If they get to him, he''s dead. He can''t fight them, especially not now. More people were filtering through the doorway, one by one. Some took much longer than others. At least there weren''t any more hidden in the bar. She tried to take some comfort in that, but the blood seeping across the doorway drained it away. "Excuse me," Hailey spoke up, standing and approaching one of the men by the door. "Go back to your seat, please." Worked on the bouncer. Go for two? Hailey batted her eyelashes at him and smiled innocently. "I forgot something in there. Is it all right if I go back and get it?" For effect, she brushed his shoulder just slightly with her hand. Maybe overdoing it¡­ but he looks like the lonely type. The man looked flustered, to Hailey''s satisfaction. Still got it, Hales. "Hang on a second." He poked his head through. "Hey, can you stop for a moment? This girl needs to get something she forgot." "What the hell?" the leader called back. "Are you an idiot?" "They''re people, they don''t deserve to be treated like scum. Just let her get her thing." "...Whatever. Just be fast." Hailey wasn''t sure what she planned next, but she gave the man a grateful smile and bounded through the doorway. She made a big show of searching through the crowd. "It must have fallen out of my bag. Oh shoot," she said loudly. "Where could it be?" She made her way over to Alden, standing directly in front of him as she pointedly looked around the shelves on the wall. "What are you looking for?" the leader asked. She shot a look of disdain back at him, exaggerating her disgust. "You don''t ask a girl that!" Alden, who''d been looking pale as snow, almost cracked a smile at her tone. Good. Relax, Alden. That''s the only way we''re getting out of this alive. "What are you doing?" he hissed, as quiet as possible. "Stalling," she whispered back. She might not be able to grab nine guns at once, but Ruby probably could with her magnetic spells. Anyone who wasn''t immediately disarmed would get pounced by Makoto, and Hailey could clean up the stragglers. It was only a matter of time. Hailey just had to keep Alden alive long enough for help to arrive. She looked him straight in the eye and whispered, making sure her voice only carried to his ears by shaping the sound with magic: "I''m going to get you out of here. Everything''s gonna be okay." [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] B2: Chapter 10 — Allies of Coincidence Chapter 10 ¡ª Allies of Coincidence Jeremy practically leapt out of Lani''s car as it skidded up to the curb. He threw it in park, engine still running, with a mental apology to his absent partner for his poor driving. The bar was already surrounded by the Tacoma police, and they weren''t about to let anyone nearby. Even him. "Who the fuck are you?" asked a patrolman, moving to stop him. They were just beginning to set up barricades around the area. "Jeremy fucking Ashe, Federal fucking Bureau of Investigation," Jeremy snarled. He waved his badge in the young man''s face. "Get me whoever''s in charge right the fuck now." "FBI?" asked a nearby lieutenant, looking up from his binoculars. He''d been trying to see anything inside the shuttered bar windows. Jeremy vaguely recognized the man, but the lieutenant definitely remembered him from the way his face fell. "Goddammit, not you again. The hell are you doing here?" "I''m taking over. Give me a radio." "Aren''t you outside your jurisdiction?" Lani, if you don''t recover fast, I''m going to end up shooting one of these fuckers soon. "I have blanket jurisdiction on any crime involving a firearm in the Cascadian region right now. Permit of my investigation into the Rallsburg incident. That includes this whole fucking state, if you weren''t clear on that." Jeremy picked the man up and shoved him against the nearest van. "Call it up the line, motherfucker." As the hapless lieutenant did so, Jeremy took a pair of binoculars from a visibly intimidated patrolman and took a look at the bar. "Someone brief me." "Nine confirmed armed hostiles," came a sharp report from his side. A sniper, braced against the hood of the car with one knee on the ground. Former military. No cop calls ''em hostiles. "Minimum twenty civilians. Shots fired." "Casualties?" "Unknown." "What are the fuckers using?" "Glocks and sawed-offs, sir." Thank God for competent troopers. "Thanks." Jeremy leaned over to match his sightline, but it wasn''t any better. He turned back to the lieutenant. "Any demands?" "No, sir." The lieutenant looked like he''d just been reamed from on high yet again, to Jeremy''s satisfaction. "They haven''t said a word." "We haven''t communicated with them at all?" "Bar phone is disconnected, and they''re using a jammer to block cell service. We didn''t want to risk approaching and losing the hostages." "Good call." Now that Jeremy had authority, he was beginning to calm down. He didn''t need to antagonize anyone unnecessarily. "Perimeter secured?" "One minute." Jeremy nodded. "I''m going in." "You''re what?" the lieutenant asked, aghast. "I need to talk to these motherfuckers alive, and I''m not going to wait around for them to get shot coming out." "What about the hostages?" Fuck ''em. I''ve got bigger fish. "I''ll make every effort to secure their release." He grabbed a vest from the back of the nearest truck and strapped it on. "Cover me." "No backup?" asked the sniper. "You volunteering?" He grinned. "All yours, sir." Jeremy knew he was being irrational and reckless, but at this point he didn''t care. After so many false positives, so many armed crimes in progress that turned out mundane and ordinary, this time had to be different. It didn''t follow any pattern at all. A strange location, no demands, and an armed and organized group? In the same region the presumed-dead Hailey Winscombe was supposedly sighted only the night before? If they weren''t connected, it was such a crazy-ass coincidence that Jeremy would be letting his superstitious partner down if he didn''t pursue it. They''d identified the body of the man that had gone to Canada to kill Boris and Dan as a virtual nobody. The guy was a hourly wage drone and frequent sport hunter. Absolutely nothing to tie him to the men he''d tried to murder¡ªexcept that he was from Elma, the nearest town of any size to Rallsburg. Jeremy had combed the town thoroughly with a practical army at his back, Aderholt included, but they''d found nothing. The chief was following up other leads to the west along the coast, while Jeremy took the Olympia and Tacoma areas. Any violent crime involving firearms, or even the hint of some kind of organized crime activity, and the local cops were sure to get a visit from their local feds. He might have enjoyed getting to pester them so much if he weren''t still flying solo. "Give me some direction," he asked the sniper directly, ignoring the protesting lieutenant. "Best we can tell, they moved everyone to the back, then started sending them into the front one by one. It''s fucking bizarre, sir." Looking for someone¡­? "Is there a back entrance?" "Locked up tight. When we approached, they took a shot at the ground to warn us off." "Locked up but they took a shot?" "There''s a window. They put one guy there." "Excuse me, sir," interrupted the lieutenant. Jeremy rounded on him with a glare, but he stood firm. "If they aren''t making demands and they haven''t started killing anyone, wouldn''t it be better to wait?" "That we know of," the sniper pointed out. "Shut up, Stebbins." The lieutenant scratched his head. "Why risk them killing the hostages? They''ve gotta come out sooner or later." "Do we have any drone cameras? Snakes? Anything to get us a view inside?" He shrugged, infuriating Jeremy. Don''t you know your own fucking equipment? "SWAT''s still on the way. Maybe fifteen minutes." "How the fuck did I get here before your SWAT team?" "We only have the one local one, sir, and they were off the clock. Had to call them in." A muffled gunshot and a flash of light filled the spaces around the blocked windows, causing them all to flinch. Jeremy shook his head. "Too late. I''m going in through that back door to negotiate." "You''re fucking insane," the lieutenant shouted as he ran off, dropping all pretense of chain of command. Yeah, probably. But I''ve got two friends hurt by this mess now, not just one. Jeremy picked up the radio he''d grabbed from the truck, running an earbud up underneath his vest as he ran. He handed off his sidearm to the barricade a hundred feet away from the back door, then held up his hands and started walking down the alley. The back door was set into a plain stone wall, with a dumpster and a small shattered window on one side. Jeremy could see the bullet from the warning shot lying up against the wall, an ominous mark that served as a line in the sand. He stepped across it apprehensively, his hand raised in clear surrender. "Turn back, Agent Ashe." ¡­I really hate being famous. "I just want to talk." The voice that answered sounded as nervous as he felt, but Jeremy refused to turn around. "I don''t want to shoot you." "And I don''t wanna get shot, so how about we figure this shit out?" Jeremy took another step forward. "I''m unarmed." "I¡ª I saw." Even stammering. Fuck, this guy is either high as a kite or scared as a little kid. Either way, dangerous to have a gun. "I still can''t let you in." "No one else is with me." Jeremy tried to dredge up his hostage negotiation training. Keep him calm, don''t make any sudden moves, try to build rapport. Easy. "What''s your name?" "I don''t think I should tell you that." Jeremy smiled. "Smart. Well, you already know my name, so I can just skip that part." He glanced over his shoulder briefly, making sure the police weren''t moving. "What are you doing?" the voice asked. Jeremy snapped back to his original position and froze. "I was just making sure my friends back there don''t do anything stupid." In his ear, quiet radio reports gave him an update on the incoming SWAT teams and the building in general. No change, but there was no way out of the bar. They''d even checked for sewer exits, legitimate or secret. "O-okay." "We''re pretty confused though. You guys haven''t asked for anything. That''s kind of the next step here." "I don''t know how these things are supposed to go." Everything about this voice sounded a bit off to Jeremy. It wasn''t angry, or bitter, or even crazy. Scared, for sure, but it didn''t fit any of the other usual profiles he''d expect for a hostage-taker. The fuck is their agenda? "Well, you started off right. Got your building, secured it and the people inside, no weak spots. You did good there." "Thanks?" Jeremy was confusing him in the right way. Complimenting them would both serve to build up their relationship, and make them think they really were secure. It was true they hadn''t missed an entrance, but it wasn''t exactly hard for SWAT to make their own. He took another step forward, and to his relief the voice didn''t react. "But you''re supposed to go to step two now, where you tell us your demands. If we don''t know what you want, how are we gonna make this all go away for you?" "I''m... not really in charge here." Jeremy smiled again. "Well you''re doin'' a great job so far. But the guy in charge didn''t tell you what he wants?" "No, he did, but I can''t tell you that." This bullshit is getting old. Jeremy took another step forward. "Nothing at all?" "Well, he''s gonna want us to be let go. Just go without being charged or anything." Don''t ever say no in a negotiation. Don''t say yes either, but you can''t just shoot them down. One more step forward. Jeremy was almost at the door. "If nothing bad has happened in that building, then we might be able to work that into a deal. But you gotta be straight with me." "Can you do that?" "I outrank all the shit behind me. You''ve seen me on TV, right?" Might as well use this bullshit fame for something. I doubt he knows a damn thing about police hierarchy. "I''m a federal agent. That means I''m above the state level. I can make a lot of things go away in a deal, but only if you can give me something in return." "I don''t know¡­ I don''t think I was even supposed to talk to you." "Talking''s the best way out of this, trust me." Jeremy took another step. He could probably grab the door if he reached out for it, but he could also get a pile of bullets in his chest. Not the time to see if this damn vest works¡­ "But you guys gotta be communicating back. I''m unarmed, and you outnumber me almost ten to one. If you let me in, we can start talking and find a way out of this mess." "...I should ask them first. We''re doing something important here. We can''t just stop." And make me start this whole shit over again? Fuck that. "You can''t do that though." "I can''t?" Start bullshitting like you''ve never bullshitted before. "You guys don''t have enough people. If you leave the door, my friends back there will try to break in. They''ve got tons of firepower itching to go. Military surplus shit. I don''t want that, and you don''t want that either. But if you just pop it open a crack and keep your guns locked and loaded, they can''t move a muscle, because we all just want to go home without getting shot. Just like they''re doing now, right?" Jeremy shrugged. "What am I gonna do on my own in there?" "...I''m opening the door. Make sure they don''t move." "You got it. I''m reaching for my radio button, okay?" "Okay. Go slowly." Jeremy reached up to the button on his earpiece and tapped it. "I''m going in now. Stand by." "Solid copy, standing by. Over." The door slid open, just wide enough for Jeremy to squeeze in. The bright spotlights made it almost impossible to see anything inside beyond their view. All he could make out was the tip of the pistol owned by the voice he''d been making friends with, just barely sticking out into the light. Not taking a single chance. The pistol waved a little, prompting him forward. Jeremy took a few steps inside, hand still raised in surrender. As soon as he''d entered, the door slammed shut and the room plunged into black. Well, I made it in. Now what the fuck do I do?
Jeremy squinted in the darkness as his eyes started to adjust. He was curious what the owner of the voice looked like. To his vague disappointment, it was someone utterly boring. Twenty-something, plain dark jacket and jeans, clean shaven, short haircut, white. Paler than white, actually, with how nervous he looked. No identifying marks, and probably lower-middle-class. If he entered the guy into a search, Jeremy doubted he''d get a single useful result. Despite that, the young man still had a loaded gun pointed vaguely at Jeremy''s chest. His finger hovered dangerously near the trigger. "I should take you to the guy now." Jeremy shook his head. Keep playing the supportive guy, keep them off their guard. "If you do that, no one''s guardin'' the back door. You gotta stay here, right?" "Oh. Right." "So just straight down the hall to the back room?" "How''d you know where it was?" Jeremy shrugged. "We downloaded a blueprint of the place when we got here. The internet''s a hell of a thing." The guy''s eyes widened. "So you could just break in from anywhere?" Come on, just let me go alone. "Maybe, but that''s not gonna happen. I''m here to make sure no one gets hurt, remember?" "Right." The guy waved him off with the gun. Jeremy winced as the barrel swung upward past his face twice. "Go, then. I''ll stay here and watch." "You got it." Jeremy turned, as uncomfortable as he was putting his back to the guy, and started down the dark hallway. There was an empty employee bathroom, door thrown wide with the lights on, and at the end of the hall were two doors on opposite sides. The left door was brightly lit, and Jeremy could make out the floor of the bar through the threshold. The right door, by process of elimination, had to be the store room where they expected the hostages to be. There was a pool of blood on the ground between the two, and splatter all over the wall. Fuck. Jeremy kept forward, one step at a time, his hands held up high. Call out now or try to get the drop on them? I''m unarmed, but if I can get one of them, can I flip the hostage situation? Nah, they don''t seem to be a tight group. They''d probably just shoot us both. Gotta go in as myself. Jeremy took a deep breath, then bellowed down the hall. "Hey, whoever the fuck''s in charge! Negotiator coming in!" A head immediately popped out of the store room, closely followed by a sawed-off shotgun. "How the hell¡ª" "I''m just here to talk," Jeremy called back. He lifted his hands even higher with emphasis. "I''m totally unarmed. Your guy cleared me." "Go back," he growled. "We''re almost done here, then we''ll leave. You don''t need to be involved." "Hate to break it to you, but they''re getting ready to raid your asses. I''m the only dumb motherfucker standing between you and a sniper." Jeremy kept walking forward, since the shotgun apparently wasn''t going off anytime soon. "Talking''s the only way you''re getting out of here in one piece." "Look, Agent Ashe. We''re on the same damn side. So just shut up and let us finish, and everyone goes home happy." As soon as Jeremy was within a few steps of the doors, the man raised the shotgun threateningly. Jeremy froze in place. "No negotiation." On the same side? Sides of what? "This isn''t the way to play this." "I know what I''m doing. We know what we''re doing." Had to remember to say ''we''. This really isn''t a unified group. The man jerked his head in the direction of the bar area. "Go in there and sit down. We''re done talking." I''m losing him. "Talk to me, if we''re on the same side. Maybe I can help you out." He shook his head. "Done talking." "But what if¡ª" The man fired the shotgun directly into the ceiling, sending a shower of dust and debris through the room. Jeremy''s ears were ringing, but he could still make out the screams from inside the store room. "Done talking!" the man shouted. Goddamnit. Jeremy reluctantly kept walking and entered the bar area. Terrified hostages and their uncertain guards awaited, all watching the doorway and wondering what the latest gunshot meant. "This is the last goddamn distraction!" the man shouted, turning back to the store room. Jeremy wished he could look inside and figure out what was going on, but there were too many guns ready to go. Every man he''d encountered so far had been willing to fire. I can''t just give up now. These guys know something I don''t. Why are they here? Jeremy glanced around the bar. None of the gunmen seemed to care where he sat, but they were getting antsy. No one was talking, so they''d probably been instructed not to. Jeremy couldn''t hope to get information out of another hostage. Shit, I''m a hostage now too, aren''t I? This went well. Lani, why weren''t you here to talk me out of this shitty plan? "Hey, A¡ª ¡ªshe." Jeremy''s ears perked up. It sounded like someone was whispering right next to him. He could feel the vague tickle of air on the curves of his ear, and their voice lacked any tone or substance. But no one was anywhere near him. "C¡ª you he¡ª m¡ª" Jeremy slowly rotated his head, looking around the room. No one else had noticed. His radio had stopped working a few minutes ago, presumably blocked by whatever jammer the men were employing. The hostages were mostly looking down at their respective tables, too terrified to move, and none of the gunmen seemed more alert than usual. Am I finally cracking? "¡ªon, this has gotta work." It came through more clearly. A vaguely feminine voice, though it was hard to tell from only a whisper. Jeremy quickly glanced over only the female hostages, and he caught it. A college girl, with short brown hair and thin-rimmed glasses, sitting at the far corner booth with a gunman a few feet away. Her lips had just moved. Jeremy started making his way over to her, but she very slowly shook her head slightly in place. The man watching her didn''t seem to notice. "If you can hear me, take a booth where you can see me. Nowhere nearby, and make sure they won''t notice your mouth moving." Fuck it. Who knows what''s going on anymore? Jeremy sat down at the nearest bench where he could clearly see the girl, but her dedicated man wouldn''t have an angle on him. "God, finally. Sorry about that. It took me a second to figure out how to make it flow around the room." Jeremy raised his eyebrows as high as he could, but the girl seemed only to be casually glancing around the room. She wasn''t actually looking at him. "If you''re talking, hang on a sec. I need to make it two-directional." Well why the fuck didn''t you say so before? Wait. Make what two directional? "Okay, try saying something. As quiet as you can." Jeremy had no clue what she was expecting to happen. They were halfway across the bar from each other, and it wasn''t exactly silent in there. A couple of the gunmen were talking, and they could still hear the shouts of the leader in the store room. Not to mention the sirens and general chatter of the anxious cops surrounding the structure. "Something," Jeremy whispered, so low he could barely hear it himself. Immediately, he could hear her frustrated whisper in his ears again. "Not perfect yet. Gotta try something else. Can you say a bit more? Longer sentences." Jeremy sighed. "What the fuck is going on in this stupid-ass town? I fuckin'' hate Tacoma." The girl laughed, although it sounded more like a loud exhale without any tone to her voice. "Everybody hates Tacoma, man." Jeremy nearly fell out of his chair in shock. "Stay cool, Agent Ashe," she said quickly. "Don''t wanna give it away to our friends with the guns." "How the fuck can you hear me?" She winced. "A little quieter, please. That sounded like a stage whisper." "You''re across the goddamn room!" "Yeah, but I''m carrying your voice. Also mine, and getting all those sound waves to bounce around the room is hard enough without trying to change their volume. I''ve never done this before." She shrugged. Jeremy wished he could see her face more clearly. Who the fuck is this girl? "What the hell are you talking about?" "Look, I''d love to play twenty questions with you, but we really don''t have time." She tilted her head slightly at the doorway. "You saw the blood, right?" "...Yeah." "They killed one of us already. They''re gonna find my friend in there sooner or later, and they''re gonna shoot him too." Who the hell is ''us''? Why are they shooting them? Who are you? "Why?" She slowly shook her head one side to the other. "Not the time for that." Fuck you. "Fuck you." Her face fell. "You seemed like a smart guy on TV. I''m really underwhelmed. I need your help, okay? I can''t get back into that room. They won''t fall for my dumb pretty girl act again. I can beat them if I can get the drop on ''em." Boris Morozov popped into Jeremy''s head. Their encounter in the woods, where Lani had been shot, warning of impossibly strong individuals lurking amongst them. Is this girl what he was talking about? She''s not wrong. They''re probably going to kill more people given the chance, if they already started. I''ve gotta do something about that. But fuck if I''m gonna let her leave without getting something out of her. Build up empathy. "I met Boris and Dan in Canada," he started. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "Yeah, no kidding. I watch the news. You started a manhunt for them." Her face moved slightly, but Jeremy couldn''t tell what she was doing from so far away. The gunman standing by her table glanced at her, but¡ªseeing nothing out of the ordinary¡ªlooked away again. "You made our lives a hell of a lot more difficult." "Who''s we?" "I''m not answering that." Work with me, goddammit. I don''t think we''re supposed to be enemies. A young woman walked through the doorway from the store room. She made a beeline for a guy Jeremy assumed was her boyfriend with a tearful reunion. They sat huddled together at their table, while the gunmen shifted around uneasily. "These guys don''t want to be doing this. This isn''t at random, and most of these people don''t matter. They''re hunting you and your friends. Am I wrong?" "...No." "And I''m here to stop them. So we''re on the same fuckin'' side." "In this building, sure. What about tomorrow?" "I can''t see the future, can you?" "Not yet." The girl glanced up at her personal guard, who was checking his watch. "They keep checking the time. They''ve got a schedule. It takes them a couple minutes to check every person before they send them through." "And they don''t even know each other, do they?" "Huh?" "I haven''t heard a single one of them use their name. The motherfucker at the door didn''t know the plan and was stupid enough to let me in. This is not a coordinated fuckin'' group." "They''re coordinated enough." She glanced at the doorway with a worried expression, and if Jeremy could make it out from this far away, it must be bad. "I don''t think they''re gonna shoot anyone else though. Just us." "You wanna bet all our lives on that?" "I have to bet my life every day I step outside." Holy shit that was bitter. "Girl, you don''t have to tell me that twice. But we''re not the only two fucks in this mess." "Look, Mr. Ashe," she started, her voice getting a bit more harsh¡ªand a bit louder. Jeremy felt weird that she was still trying to be polite despite everything. If ever there was a time to drop fuckin'' formalities¡­ "I''m on a clock here. As soon as they get to my friend, they''re going to shoot him. I can''t stall them anymore, so it''s up to you. If you''ve got a brilliant idea to take them out, now''s the time. If not, can I please beg you to just keep them busy long enough?" "...Long enough for what?" "For my backup." Well that''s ominous as shit. Jeremy decided to go for a hail mary, hoping beyond hope it might convince her to trust him. "Jackie?" "...No? Wait, how do you know Jackie?" "Long-ass story. She used to be my partner. Boris told me she''s still kickin''." He paused. "I''m trying to find her. I don''t care about anything else." The girl hesitated. "We don''t know where she is." Fucking hell. "Can you get her a message?" "...I can try." "I''ll do anything you want, if you can tell her to call me." She nodded slowly. Another person walked through the doorway from the storeroom, reminding them both of the ticking clock. Jeremy tensed up, wondering what he''d just promised. "Do you think you can get one of their guns?" Jeremy shook his head. "I''m not killing anyone. Not unless they shoot first." "They already killed Harold!" "And if I open fire, this shit becomes a bloodbath. It''s still nine against one." "Two." "One. You''re a civilian." "I''m less of a civilian than you are. I can take ''em." Fuck me, I''m beginning to like this girl. "I need them alive so I can figure out what the fuck''s going on." "...You said you''d do absolutely anything." "If you tell me to, but this is a bad idea." "So give me something better!" "You said you''ve got backup coming, right? Where from?" The girl hesitated. Jeremy didn''t bother to wait for her to answer and filled in the gaps. "Rallsburg, right?" "...Yeah." God-fucking-dammit, I need to talk to her. Not these ass-clowns. "Called them right away?" "Yes." "How long til they get here?" "Soon." "Girl, if you don''t give me anything to work with¡ª" "I don''t know how fast they can move. It''s fast, though." Fast like they''ve got a fast car? Or something else? "Can we assume it''s within the next ten minutes?" "Maybe? I don''t think my friend has that long." "So we''re back to stalling." Jeremy scratched his chin. "What if¡ª" "Crap. We''re out of time." Another person stumbled in from the store room as she spoke. "What?" "There''s only one person left." "You can hear him too?" "Plan B time. Put your money where your mouth is, Mr. Ashe." "What do I do?" "Distract the guy next to me long enough for me to make my move. After that, get to the other room and don''t let them kill anyone." "How the hell is this gonna¡ª" "Now!"
Jeremy had no reason to trust her, and plenty of reasons not to. As best he could tell, she was the closest he''d ever come to figuring out what happened to Rallsburg. Everything about her screamed suspicious. He wanted to sit her down in an interrogation room and keep her there until he felt satisfied. On the other hand, she sounded a lot more confident than he did. Her self-assuredness was infectious. Jeremy made a split-second decision to do as she asked. She''d made him a promise, and he had to pray she kept it. Unless I can just catch her with the army I''ve got outside. That''s always an option. Jeremy stood up suddenly, catching the eye of the gunman next to the girl''s table. He strode confidently at the man. "Hey." "Go back," he grunted. "I was hopin'' you had a light?" Haven''t smoked in twenty years. "Trying to calm my fuckin'' nerves here." "Look, man..." he started, turning away from the girl''s table. His gun followed, leaving her wide open. Jeremy tensed up, ready to dodge out of the way. He expected her to blindside the man, leaving Jeremy free to snatch up his weapon. From there, he''d have to dive into the nearest booth to take cover. Girl''s gonna get me shot. The girl''s hand flew out. Her lips moved, but Jeremy couldn''t hear her anymore. A handful of light grey dust flew out of her hand. It dissipated into the air, vanishing from his sight in an instant. A thick cloud billowed into existence. Jeremy would have sworn it was from a smoke grenade, except that it apparently came out of nowhere, and deployed way faster. White smoke poured into the bar, without the expectant hiss¡ªor any sound at all really. It may as well have been a thick fog bank that rolled in. In fact, Jeremy could feel sudden moisture in the air. He was pretty sure it was a fog bank. The fuck? Jeremy dove to the side and landed heavily on the nearest bench. He twisted around to get eyes on the gunman. The girl darted out from her seat and plowed into him. She slugged him in the chest with a single fist. With the weight difference between the two and the strength of the punch, he should have felt it for sure, but he wasn''t going anywhere. The gunman flew backward ten feet though the air into the nearest wall. He crumpled to the ground, wheezing. His gun clattered to the floor. "Shit!" Jeremy gasped. Gunshots rang out, pouring into the fog. Jeremy stayed in cover, as bullets snapped by and cracked into the wall. They''re fucking blind firing! A hazy shape moved through the fog, up near the ceiling. The bullets were all whizzing low, where they expected her to duck or take cover. The fog doubled over in density. Jeremy''s world became almost pure white. He could barely make out anything more than a foot or two away from him. More gunshots, interspersed with the clicking sound of an empty gun. A thump and a crash. Men were groaning in pain. A hostage was screaming. "Ashe? Ashe, what the fuck is going on?" Apparently the jammer had been broken or turned off somehow. Jeremy fumbled for his radio key. "Stand by," he coughed, feeling a pain in his chest from how he''d landed. "Fuck that!" cried the lieutenant. "We''ve gotta get in there!" And fuck up my only lead! "Stand the fuck by!" The gunfire cracking by his booth had stopped. Jeremy rolled off the bench and stumbled to his feet. The fog was dissipating, blown away by the bar''s ventilation little by little. As it cleared away, Jeremy saw gunmen scattered against the walls. Several had arms twisted completely around, clearly broken. The actual guns had been thrown to the far wall, gathered in a pile well out of reach of anyone. The girl was standing at the doorway, panting. Across from her stood the leader with the shotgun, an old man held tight as a human shield. "It''s over, bitch," he growled. Jeremy started to move toward them, while the leader''s attention was entirely on the girl. "You guys want to die out here?" she asked him. "If we take you out, yeah. That''s worth it." Jeremy only had a few moments left of the half-fog cover. He barreled down the bar. Come on, girl. Take this opportunity. Don''t you dare let me get shot. The leader fell for it. He glanced at Jeremy for just a moment, his shotgun moving for just an instant. The girl sprang forward. She didn''t have any sort of technique. No fighting style whatsoever. She just leapt and put her fist straight into the guy''s face. He flipped over backward, groaning in pain. His nose exploded in a pool of blood. The hostage fell away and ran for the far end of the bar. The girl didn''t waste any time, sprinting into the back room. Gunfire echoed out, but Jeremy doubted any of them managed to hit her. A moment later, he had to dodge out of the way as a bundle of guns flew by, landing near the first pile. Jeremy bolted across the room to pick one up, while the erstwhile hostages gawked at him. Or they''re just gawking at the girl who just flew across the fucking room and took out eight guys with guns on her own. What the hell did I get myself into? "Is that it?" asked a shaky voice. A young guy, just inside the store room. The girl helped him walk out, carefully stepping over the guy she''d just dropped onto the floor, currently soaking up the pool of blood. "Yeah, that''s all of them," she answered, patting him on the shoulder. Their quiet footsteps were suddenly the only sound through the entire bar, while everyone left watched them walk through the place. "Come on." She glanced up at Jeremy. "That''s it, right?" Jeremy glanced around. "How the hell did you do that?" She shook her head. "Not here." We won, damnit. No one even got hurt. Answer me. "What about¡ª" A gunshot pierced the silence. The girl and her friend fell to the ground, followed by Jeremy a split-second later. A few more shots followed, all going wide. He awkwardly raised the gun from where he''d dropped and fired. Jeremy got him twice in the chest from only a few feet away. The ninth man, who''d come to investigate after hearing the fight from the back door, dropped dead. "Zack? Zack, come on!" Jeremy glanced over, expecting the worst, but to his surprise the guy looked totally fine. A faint trail of smoke drifted up into the air near the kid, issuing from a completely flattened bullet on the ground near him. Nothing had struck him. Zack looked shell-shocked, but unharmed. The same couldn''t be said for the old man who''d so recently been a human shield. He''d taken one to the face and was slumped back against the wall. The girl spotted him, and her face fell. "Oh god¡­" "Nothing you could do," Jeremy grunted. He walked over to the nearest gunman and knelt down, checking for a pulse. The guy was still alive. "I''m going to call in the troops now." "Wait." "These guys aren''t going to stay down forever. It''s gotta be now." "Let us get out of here first." He laughed. "Girl, this place is fucking surrounded. You''re not getting out of here." "How am I gonna get your message to Jackie then?" she whispered, though Jeremy heard it plain as day. "She saved us," murmured a woman behind Jeremy. "Let her go." "She didn''t do anything..." Fucking hell. Popular support. The girl glanced around at the people slowly rising to their feet. She adjusted her glasses, which had fallen askew in the fight. "Let me go," she repeated firmly. Jeremy didn''t get a chance to decide. The radio in his earpiece squawked out a panicked "Incoming!" The front door of the building exploded.
Jeremy struggled to his feet. He''d managed to hang onto the gun from the force of the shockwave. The girl was also back on her feet, pale-faced and looking worried. If that girl''s worried¡­ shit. Her friend Zack looked like he''d given up on standing. He started crawling for the back as fast as he could, refusing to look over his shoulder for any reason. As Jeremy looked up at the front door, blinking away dust and grit, he saw it. A seven foot tall, blank-faced human-like thing. It seemed to be made of asphalt and concrete, without a head or anything resembling legs. It had torn the front off the building. As Jeremy stared, his mind simply not comprehending what he was looking at, the monster slid over the threshold, plowing debris out of the way like it was nothing. "What the fuck is that thing?" "Just don''t get near it!" the girl shouted, backing up a few steps. She turned and grabbed the nearest table by the edges. With a grunt and a heave, the girl tore the slab of wood clean off of its steel foundation. Jeremy gawked at her. The girl couldn''t be more than a hundred and thirty pounds. She had muscle, sure, but this was ridiculous. She hurled the table straight at the monster. It struck directly in the center with a sickening crunch. The impact drove it back a dozen feet through shards of glass and wood splinters, straight outside and into the street. "Get everyone out through the back, now!" she shouted. Jeremy didn''t need to be told twice. He thumbed his radio. "We''re bringing the hostages out the back right now. Hold fire." "Copy that, holding fire. Over." "Ashe, what the fuck is that thing?" screamed the lieutenant. "Get off the net, you ass-wipe motherfucker!" Jeremy snapped. The monster was slowly making its way back inside. Jeremy ran and grabbed the person nearest the door, who''d frozen in terror. After a few moments'' attempt to shock her to her senses, he gave in and lifted her. Thank god she''s light. Carrying the woman on her shoulders, Jeremy bolted for the back door, while the girl stood her ground in the center with another table at the ready. A drumline of gunfire echoed from the front door, peppering the monster from behind. Most of the bullets simply struck it and fell down to the ground, if they didn''t ricochet off at terrifying angles. Jeremy clicked his radio back on awkwardly with one hand, trying desperately to hang onto the woman he was carrying at the same time. "Stop fucking shooting it! You aren''t doing anything!" The gunfire continued heedless. Motherfucking amateur Tacoma P.D... Jeremy made it to the back door, where a few of the other former hostages took the woman off his hands. He shouted a thank you as he turned around and went back to the main room. He returned just in time to see the girl slam the monster with another table, driving it back once again. "Can you kill that thing?" "No!" she shouted over the continuing gunfire. She was staying well out of the direct line of fire, just in case, but they both winced as another bullet bounced off and struck a bar stool. "Can you get those idiots to stop shooting?" "I tried!" "Is everyone out?" "Yeah!" "Then screw it! Let''s bail!" The girl reached down and scooped up her friend with one arm, as easy as if she were lifting up a feather. Jeremy wasn''t even surprised anymore. As the monster relentlessly pursued them through the bar, they sprinted for the back, leaping over the groaning would-be gunmen still laying about the place. As the impromptu trio made it out the backdoor, they emerged into chaos. Another one of the monsters was in the middle of the barricade the police had set up. Unlike the first one, it didn''t seem to be attacking anyone in particular. In fact, it was going out of its way to avoid hurting the many, many cops firing their guns pointlessly at it. Jeremy wondered why they''d even bothered to shoot it in the first place, until it reached the nearest car in its line. The monster picked up the car like it were a toy in its two blocky hands. Without a single sign of strain, it launched the cruiser into the air, sending it flying off into the distance. It crashed down into an empty stretch of road. "What are they doing?" Jeremy asked the girl, leaning close and shouting to be heard over the rapid staccato of gunshots. "Making an escape route, I think." "For you?" "For them," she shouted back, nodding back at the bar. "I don''t think he knows we won in there." "Who the fuck is he?" "Sorry. I''m taking my chance here while no one''s looking." She shot him an apologetic look. "See you around." She reached over and grabbed her friend in a tight bear hug. Jeremy started to move, but she coiled her legs and jumped. His eyes widened as she bounded a good fifteen feet into the air, no problem. Jeremy watched in bemused dismay as his one good lead literally flew out of his hands. I give up. A second later, his eyes widened even further. They were flailing around in midair, and not in a good way. Shit. Shit shit shit shit shit. They were coming back down. Jeremy sprinted to where they were falling. He dove, managing to catch them just before they landed. The girl shouted out in frustration as they collapsed in a painful heap. She rolled off him with a groan. After pulling herself together and getting back up to a sitting position, she coughed out a sentence. "Well... that... didn''t work." The gunfire was finally slowing, as more officers realized they couldn''t do a thing to the monsters. They continued to stroll through the barricades, clearing them away while avoiding the men entirely. Jeremy reached out a hand and helped the girl back to her feet. From where they''d landed, they stood in the shadows of the alley. No one was likely to see them unless they came back into the bar, and with the still-active monster between them and the police, no one was coming through any time soon. Jeremy was panting from all the running and carrying. The girl seemed even more exhausted than he was. They both took a moment to recover in the relative safety of the shadowy alleyway. "What¡­ the fuck¡­ is going on?" he panted. "I''m more tired than I thought I was." The girl opened her bag and started digging through it. "Oh god, I forgot to pack it." "I mean all of this!" Jeremy growled, gesturing back out at the street where the monster was throwing another empty car through the air. The police were forming a wide circle around it, but no one seemed to have any idea what to do about it yet. Jeremy half-expected the national guard to show up at any moment. "Someone wants to kill me, and all my friends, and they''re willing to do a lot to get us." She rolled her shoulders, squinting from the strain. "I think I pulled my wing. Can an imaginary wing muscle be pulled?" "A¡­ what?" "I''m gonna be honest, I''m really trying not to think about what just happened," she continued, as if he hadn''t asked. "I''ve never hurt someone before. Not like that. I don''t know what I''m doing." Jeremy realized, finally, how young she was. She was probably just out of college, if that. He''d been under fire before. He''d been in fights, both as part of his career or just at random. She had no clue how to deal with the aftermath. "You''re doing a hell of a lot better than I did," he answered, trying to sound comforting. She shook her head. "I couldn''t have gotten us out without you." "No, I mean my first time gettin'' shot at. I was fucking terrified. Couldn''t move a fuckin'' muscle." "Oh." She frowned. "You mean back when you were in the Seattle police?" "Christ, everyone knows my story now don''t they?" "Perks of being famous." She sounds like she''s speaking from experience. "...Who are you?" She hesitated. "Were you really Jackie''s partner? We didn''t see anything about that when we researched you." "Why were you lookin'' me up?" "You''re the guy in charge of investigating us, of course we''re gonna look you up." Well there it is. Confirmation. "Tell me what happened there." "I mean, if you don''t have a pretty good idea by now, I''m disappointed in you." She gestured out at the monster in the street. It had now completely cleared a path to the bar. A second monster emerged from somewhere down the street, joining the first. They moved to block a path to the bar and stopped, staring down the terrified cops with blank faces. Seeing no further movement, the gathered officers started resuming normal activity. Except for the faint chatter, the constant squawking on Jeremy''s radio, and the sound of vehicles squealing around, the scene was surprisingly quiet. The hostages were loaded into ambulances and quickly evacuated. None of the officers seemed to be willing to approach the bar yet, with the monsters standing guard, so Jeremy and the girl were yet undiscovered. "Those things are what killed everyone?" Jeremy asked. "Not exactly, but close enough." She shrugged. Her friend groaned. Zack, if Jeremy remembered right. He crawled to the wall and collapsed against it, curling up into the fetal position. "Shit," he murmured. "Hey, Zack?" the girl whispered. He didn''t answer, shivering in place. "He''s in shock," said Jeremy. "He''s gonna need some time." "We don''t have time though." "Well, whatever the hell was going on out there seems to be done." "They''re just waiting for their backup, same as me." Jeremy looked at her sharply. He''d forgotten she''d called in backup. "What happens then?" She gave him a weak smile. "Nothing good." The smile gave her away. She could change her hair and her face as much as she liked, but the structure underneath didn''t change. He''d seen that smile hundreds of times, among the thousands of photos they''d pored over for the case. "Hailey Winscombe." She sighed. "It''s about time." "So if you''re from Rallsburg, and your backup''s coming from Rallsburg¡­ is everyone left on our list still alive?" "I dunno. Who''s on your list?" Jeremy got to his feet. "I can''t let you leave." Hailey shrugged. "You couldn''t actually stop me." "You want to fucking go?" "Dude, I just beat up a seven foot golem with a table, then flew into the air right in front of you. Take a hint. You''re out of your league." "You can run, but he can''t," Jeremy said, tilting his head at Zack. "He''s not going anywhere any time soon." Hailey was getting angry. "Why won''t you people just learn already? Stop trying to force us into this crap." "What?" "This isn''t the first time someone''s tried to use Zack as leverage. You wanna know what happened last time?" Her eyes flashed with fury. "A whole town got wiped off the map." She leaned over and shook her friend. "Zack, come on." "No. Not again," he groaned. "Zack, we gotta go. Now." "Where is she?" Jeremy asked. His hand hovered near the pistol he''d grabbed up, holstered and ready. He didn''t dare grab it yet, but he was ready to at a moment''s notice. "I told you, I don''t know." Zack was coming back to his senses as Hailey helped him to his feet. "I''m sorry." Jeremy took a step toward her. Hailey shook her head apologetically. She whispered something he couldn''t hear. They both vanished into thin air. Jeremy was looking at nothing but the concrete wall of the alleyway. He dove forward, reaching out desperately, but found nothing at all. They were gone. Squealing tires brought him to his senses. He looked up, half-expecting to see Hailey and Zack on the back of a truck or something, but it was quite different. A truck was barreling down the road at him. More precisely, at the two golems blocking the road to reach the back door. Officers dove out of the way as it sped through, and at the last possible moment the golems slid to either side to let it past. The moment it crossed the line, they reformed, blocking out the officers once more and leaving Jeremy alone with the truck. Jeremy watched dumbstruck as the gunmen emerged from the bar and piled into the back. He half-heartedly lifted his stolen pistol, considering taking a shot from the shadows. What''s the point? There''s too many of them, and I need them alive. They''d just get away with one more wounded. As the last one got into the truck, Jeremy realized his opportunity. He lowered his aim for the rear tires. The ground surged upward in front of him. A monster, another golem, was growing directly out of the pavement. It emerged as if the ground were being stretched out to create it, though the surface beneath was left unaffected. Just as Jeremy pulled the trigger, the golem solidified to block the bullet. Similarly, another golem had blocked a gunshot from the front, as a sniper on the police line had a similar idea. The truck gunned its engine and took off. The golem in front melted, crumbling into dust in a second as the truck blew through. A few remaining intact cruisers squealed away after it, but it was futile. As soon as any vehicle began to close the gap, a golem would emerge underneath it, either grinding the car to a halt or sending it careening off to the side of the street. The truck turned a corner, without a single car pursuing it, and vanished into the night. Jeremy fell down against the wall. He dropped the gun on the ground and rubbed at his eyes, letting out a deep breath. Now what the fuck do I do?
"Good morning. It''s Saturday, October 27th, and this is the news. Three dead at the scene of a horrific standoff last night between the Tacoma police department and an unnamed group of armed men¡ª" "Three dead!" Aderholt growled, pausing the video. "Three motherfucking dead, you asshole. What the fuck were you doing there last night?" Trying to find some answers. "My job, sir." "Like fuck you were." Aderholt jumped ahead in the video. "Heavy criticism was leveled at Special Agent Jeremy Ashe, who arrived at the bar minutes after the first call and subsequently took command. Against the advice of the ranking officer at the scene and breaking protocol, Ashe entered the building as the negotiator." He paused it again. "You''re not a fucking hostage negotiator." "I''ve been trained, sir." "Like twenty fucking years ago? Fuck you, Ashe. And what the fuck was this?" He jumped ahead again. "Was this related to the Rallsburg investigation in any way?" "No. I just happened to be in the area." "Do you have any comment on the video of Hailey Winscombe from this area? Are the two connected?" "That video was determined to be a fake. Miss Winscombe is still believed to be deceased." "Why did you take over for the trained police negotiator?" "One of the hostages had already died before I entered the building. I felt the situation would continue to escalate and that we could not wait for further support." Aderholt paused it again. "That was not your fucking call to make. You should have waited. Your blank check doesn''t cover jumping in on every random crime you feel like, Ashe." Just doing what you told me to do, jackass. "If I hadn''t gone in, I''m fairly certain the rest of the hostages would have been killed, sir." "Still not your call. You''ve given me a shit-ton of paperwork." "Sir, if I may ask¡ª" "You may not, you ass-fuck, but I know you''re going to anyway." Again, my fucking job. Jeremy shrugged. "What have we learned about the golems?" "The what now?" "The monsters, sir." Aderholt shook his head. "What the fuck are you talking about?" "I''m sure you must have a dozen reports from the officers on the scene, in addition to my own." "Look, I read those fucking looney-bin reports from the Tacoma P.D. Giant fucking road monsters. But all you''ve got to back it up is a few shaky dash cams of cars getting rolled over, not to mention the cameras that were straight up destroyed. No one got hurt. The only deaths were gunshots we can trace back to the terrorists. No other witnesses, no evidence. I''m calling mass fucking hysteria." "Do I seem crazy to you, sir?" "Yes, you goddamned motherfucking asshole shitstain. You seem crazy to me. We just went over that. That''s why I''m fucking sidelining you." Goddammit. Not now. "Sir?" "I can''t fire you, and I can''t put you on leave or suspend you, as much as I''d fucking love to. But I can take you off this case, and you bet your worthless ass I''m pulling you. You''re going to sit in your office and stay there. You come in at nine, you leave at five, and you do not move an inch outside this building without clearing it with me first. Do you have that down, or do I need to ram it so far up your ass it reaches your tiny brain?" Come here and try it. "Yes sir." "Dismissed." Aderholt turned back to his monitor, still fuming. Jeremy immediately went back to his office. Lani''s desk still sat dishearteningly empty. As soon as five o''clock rolled around, he''d go visit his partner and fill him in on the whole debacle. Jeremy leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes. A phone buzzed in his jacket pocket. Jeremy sat up with a start. His phone was sitting on his desk in front of him. Not in his jacket, which hung off his chair back. He''d taken that jacket off last night, after dragging himself in from Tacoma in the middle of the night to write up his report before going home to sleep. Gingerly, he reached into the side pocket. There was a small, cheap burner phone in it. He flipped it open. 360-555-9926: Thanks for what you said about me. I passed on your message. No promises. [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] B2: Chapter 11 — The Emerald City (Part I) Chapter 11 ¡ª The Emerald City (Part I) Friday. Natalie just had to get through one more day of school. She hated every single class now, since she was bound to run into Quinn in most of them. Even the classes where he wasn''t there, she spent every waking moment dreading her next encounter with him. He''d returned to school a week ago, and she''d quickly lost even the little bit of joy she''d found hanging out with the Glasses Gang. It wasn''t even that he''d actually done anything yet. He was still nice to her, helped her out in all her classes, hung out with her, did the normal friend thing¡ªbut he knew. Quinn knew her real name. He''d known for weeks. It was the most important thing, one of the few things Rachel told her to keep absolutely secret, and she''d failed. She hadn''t been paying attention, and her name had gotten out. The school was awash with excited conversation about Rallsburg yet again. Since it was in their home state, a lot of the kids seemed to want to take ownership of it¡ªlike it was their conspiracy, their special story. Anyone who''d managed to sneak into the quarantined area with parents or older siblings (mostly in the easy time before the case had gotten fresh again) was a minor celebrity in the school. They shared their stories of the decaying buildings, the ominous library, the burned forest, the exploded grocery store with hushed awe. Like they''d witnessed it themselves. Natalie wanted to shake them silly and shout in their faces. It wasn''t exciting. It was terrifying. It was horrible and monstrous and it had ruined her entire life. She just wanted them all to shut up about it! But Hailey had been seen on TV, just for a second, covered in ash and diving out of a burning building, and that meant everyone wanted to talk about it again. Natalie had messaged her a dozen times whenever she got a chance, sneaking outside between classes so she could login to the website on her phone, but Hailey hadn''t answered yet. She wondered if Hailey was in just as much trouble. No, Hailey''s an adult. She doesn''t have anyone to put her in trouble. I bet she still feels awful though. I wish she''d answer me. More than wanting to comfort her friend, Natalie needed advice. She had no idea what to do about Quinn at this point. Hailey hadn''t covered what the next steps were if she had told him her secret. She didn''t dare ask anyone else on the site. Hailey was the only one she felt like she could trust. Natalie had failed every test all week, too busy stressing out to concentrate on anything set down in front of her. After failing the make-up test too, her teacher sent her down to the principal''s office. She sat on the too-tall chairs, kicking her feet anxiously and waiting. She felt like running. Anything would be better than going in to face the severe old woman. "Come in, Jenny." Natalie took a deep breath, like Hailey always told her to do, but it didn''t seem to help much. She hopped off the chair, patting her purse for good luck (and to remind herself that it still held plenty of gemstones if she needed them). With the eye of the front desk lady trailing her, Natalie walked very carefully up to the office door and pushed it open. The principal was sitting behind her desk, doing her best to project a friendly look. Unfortunately, the woman''s face just wasn''t built that way, so it came off more like the principal was getting ready to eat her. Natalie grimaced, and the principal''s face fell, returning to its usual look of impatient annoyance. It was a huge improvement. "Take a seat." She did, placing her purse on her lap, trying her hardest to keep her legs from moving. "Am I in trouble?" "I''m not sure." She sighed, pressing her fingers to her temples again. "Something happened, didn''t it?" "What do you mean?" "I know you''re friends with Quinn and his little group. After a scare like what happened to him, it wouldn''t be a surprise if you got worried." "Yeah." Natalie felt like that was an easy way out. She''d been worried about him. Makes sense. It''s also true. I really was worried about him¡­ "But Jenny, you only started doing poorly after he came back. He was gone for over a week and you didn''t slip up once in class. As soon as he came back, you started doing worse." "Oh." Oh no. "Is there something I need to know?" "I don''t know," she said, too quickly. The principal shook her head. "Jenny, I''ve never been a fan of how you came to my school. It broke a lot of the usual rules. You''ve been a good student, but things just keep happening around you, right from your first day here." "But I didn''t do any of that." "I know you probably didn''t, but I have to think about all my students." Natalie frowned. "So what am I supposed to do?" "Make it stop?" The principal rubbed at her eyes, which Natalie noticed were bagged and exhausted. "I don''t know what''s going on with you, Jenny, and I feel like I''m not supposed to know. If that''s true, and you have no idea what''s going on, then don''t tell me. But if there''s something that you''re doing, or something that''s happening because of you, and it''s putting some of my students in danger, then you need to tell me, so we can figure out what to do about it." She sighed. "We''ve had a reputation as one of the best, safest schools in the city for a long time, and it''s done a lot to help our budget and volunteer hours. I can''t lose that. I hope you understand." The principal stood up and walked around her desk. She knelt down in front of Natalie so that they were at eye level. "I''m sorry to put this on you, Jenny. I know it''s not fair." "If you know that, then don''t do it." "I don''t really have a choice." She frowned. "Maybe nothing else will happen though. If nothing else happens, then we can just forget this whole conversation. How about that?" Natalie nodded slowly. She wondered if the principal thought her whole demeanor and actions were supposed to be friendly and comforting. Having the woman so much closer made her look even scarier, like she was getting ready to devour Natalie whole. She smiled, and it made everything even worse. "Good. Okay. Back to class, then." Without another word, Natalie hopped off the chair and did her absolute best to resist sprinting out of the office.
"So what did the evil queen want with you, Jenny?" asked Tyler. "The evil queen?" said Mitch, raising his eyebrows. "I heard people were calling her that." "Pretty weak nickname. I bet I could do better." "Like what?" asked Kelsey, munching a fry. "How about the bi¡ª" Mitch cut off as Kelsey slapped him on the back of the head. "Don''t even think about it." "Oh come on, you cuss more than I do!" "Where''s Quinn, anyway?" Steven interrupted. "Don''t you two have like every class together?" "We switch off tech and gym," said Natalie. She pulled out her lunch from her backpack, and her face fell slightly. It had been crushed at some point during the day. She wished she''d put it in her purse and taken it out before lunch, but she''d forgotten amidst all the other things on her mind. "I haven''t seen him since third period." "Oh. Well, I''m sure he''s just taking forever to get out of gym. Don''t worry." "I wasn''t worried." Natalie started in on her lunch. "Don''t you get tired of having the same lunch every single day?" asked Mitch. Kelsey slapped him on the back of the head again. "What?" "You''re being mean. Stop it," said Tyler. "I just asked her a question, jeez." "She just wanted to talk about something to do with my weird registration. How I''m not a ''resident student'' or whatever." Natalie shrugged. The lie came easily to her lips, building off phrases she remembered from her previous meetings with the principal. "I don''t really get it, but she gave me something to give to Lily when I get home." "What does resident student mean?" asked Mitch. "Means you live close enough to be in the district," said Steven. "Jenny lives outside the district though. That''s why she takes the city bus home instead of the school buses." "Right." Natalie went back to her lunch, feeling guilty that her friends knew as much as they did about her. Before Quinn had come back, she''d felt a sense of relief that they knew enough to understand what she was going through, but now that Quinn had crossed the line, every tiny detail seemed risky and threatening. "Is that because you¡ª" Tyler started, before he remembered he wasn''t supposed to ask. Even though they were at their usual table in the corner of the cafeteria, he''d been strictly instructed (and reminded countless times by Mitch and Steven) to never bring it up unless the rest of them said it was okay first. Natalie wished they''d never talk about her at all, but she knew that was a hopeless fantasy at this point. "Yes, Tyler," Mitch answered irritably. "It''s ''cause of that." "Oh. That must really suck." "It''s not that bad," said Natalie. "The living outside the district thing. I just have a longer bus ride home. I get to listen to more music." As she''d hoped, the conversation detoured immediately into a heated debate between Mitch and Kelsey about what music was best for bus rides, letting Natalie fade into the background. She could eat her lunch in peace and just enjoy listening to them throw shade over each other''s music tastes. Steven snuck her a knowing grin, understanding her diversion perfectly. When their conversation started to lull, he dropped in an opinion about video games, sparking Mitch and Kelsey back into a roaring argument yet again. He did it so smoothly Natalie felt like laughing. She wished she was that clever. She wished the conversation would just keep going, that Mitch and Kelsey would keep arguing and Tyler would be split between laughing at their insults and trying to get them to stop, while she and Steven would egg them on from the sidelines. Unfortunately for them both, the diversions didn''t last. No matter how many fun arguments they could incite, Kelsey and Mitch would always fall silent the moment their leader showed up. As Quinn weaved through the cafeteria, Tyler was the first to spot him. He waved exuberantly, like he were bringing Quinn in for a landing. Quinn''s glasses flashed in the light reflecting from the windows as he strolled up, casual as could be. Natalie winced as he took the seat right next to her. She didn''t move a muscle, even though he''d sat uncomfortably close. She could tell herself that he probably didn''t realize what he was doing to her. He''d been sitting next to her for a while, even before the accident in the library. It wasn''t new¡ªand for a while, Natalie had felt a little thrill rush through her every time he sat close by¡ªbut it had taken on a much more uncomfortable meaning lately. "Hey guys." "Hi Quinn," said Tyler. "Why''d you take so long to get to lunch?" "Did you get yelled at by Coach again?" asked Mitch, grinning. Quinn shook his head. "Nah. I had to go to the principal''s office after gym. She wanted to talk to me about something." "Ooooh, Quinn''s in trouuuble." "Why''s Quinn in trouble but Jenny was totally fine?" asked Tyler. "''Cause Jenny''s a good person and Quinn''s a troublemaker, duh." "Quinn''s not a troublemaker!" "It''s cool, Tyler, I wasn''t in trouble." Quinn shrugged. He started to eat, but (unlike Tyler) made sure to clear his mouth before talking. "I dunno why she wanted to see me. We just kinda talked for a bit." Natalie dreaded what might have been in that talk, but didn''t dare ask while the rest of the group was around. Quinn nudged her from the side, startling her. "You got called up too?" "Yeah, last period." Natalie tried to play it as casually as he did. "Just a form for Lily when I get home." "Did I mention how cool you sound when you call your mom Lily?" interjected Mitch excitedly. "My mom would beat me up if I ever tried that." "I didn''t realize that was such a big deal," said Steven. "Oh man, you do not call my mom anything other than ''Yes ma''am'' at our place." Kelsey grinned. "How many times you get smacked when you were tiny?" "I got scars on my ass." "Don''t be gross, dude!" said Tyler. "What, did you wanna see ''em?" "Eww." Natalie grimaced too. She tried not to think about it and focused on finishing her lunch instead. Of course, Quinn wasn''t about to let her get distracted. He had bigger things on his mind, and he was about to drop a new bombshell she definitely didn''t expect. "So Jenny," he started, as casually as always, "when are we gonna finish our game?" "What?" Natalie looked up, genuinely surprised. They''d never actually started a game. She''d always just watched. What was he talking about? "You know. The game we started at the library." She still didn''t know where he was going with this, but she didn''t dare contradict him. "I¡­ dunno. When did you want to?" "Today after school sound good?" Natalie desperately wracked her brain for any excuse she might have, but nothing came to mind. They all already knew she didn''t really have anything on Fridays. She''d even told them it was the best day to hang out, after she''d realized how little attention Kendra and Lily paid her on Friday since there was no school the next day. Anything she might make up wouldn''t be convincing at all, and might just make them more suspicious, or set Quinn off somehow. "...Sure. Today sounds good."
The next class felt like entire years were passing by. Natalie swore she could see her desk aging, like they did in time lapses in end-of-the-world movies. She half-expected plants to start bursting out of the ground around her and start reclaiming the whole building for nature, like they always talked about in the books and shows she liked. That sounds better than dealing with this whole mess. She still had no idea what Quinn was thinking. Was he trying to bring up the brief moment she''d let magic slip in front of him? Or was it genuinely an invitation to play Conquest, and Quinn had completely forgotten they''d never actually started playing? Did he have ulterior motives? Was Natalie just making it all up in her head? "Jenny!" "What?" she spluttered, looking up at the board. "Can you tell me what the value of X in this problem is?" Natalie looked over the board, trying to focus her eyes on it. Everything seemed so hazy. Quinn was in the desk next to her, and she could see him surreptitiously writing the answer on a piece of paper beneath his desk. I know how to do this. Natalie forced her eyes back into focus. The problem wasn''t actually that hard, once she remembered the order things were supposed to go in. She didn''t even need scratch paper to solve it. Nice and straightforward. Rules to follow. No confusion. "X equals six." "Good. Does anyone need help knowing how she got to that?" The teacher still looked vaguely concerned, but moved on to the next problem after no one else spoke up. Natalie''s eyes fell back to the desk again, forgetting the class entirely. "Are you okay?" Quinn asked later, once they''d switched to group work. The class conveniently split into groups of four that left only two extra, and¡ªas her horrible luck would have it¡ªthat left just Quinn and Natalie leftover, in the corner of the room together. He scooted his desk around so that they''d be next to each other, dropping his voice low. "Did something happen?" "Nothing happened." Natalie looked down at her workbook and tried to start on the first problem. "You can tell me anything, you know. I''d never tell anyone." "Nothing happened," she repeated. She looked up and saw Quinn''s eager eyes. He said he wanted to help and that he was there for her, but all she could see was a source of danger. "Let''s just finish these, okay?" "Okay." He wasn''t going to give up that easily. He knew it, and she knew it too. Natalie tried to focus, but she couldn''t stop dreading every word out of Quinn''s mouth. Her mind kept flashing through images of terrible things happening to him and his friends, and it would all be her fault. Because she couldn''t keep one little thing secret. They''d only gotten through half of the problems when he spoke up again. "I was thinking. I''m pretty good with the internet. Maybe I could help you find them?" "Find who?" she asked, against her better judgment. Her hand gripped the metal bar on the side of her side so tight that her knuckles started to go white. She could feel the urge to push out magic into her hand, but that would lead to a permanently damaged desk and even more questions she couldn''t answer. Natalie managed to control it, and the cold metal stayed intact. "Your real parents, duh." "My¡­ what?" His voice was so low she could barely hear him, but since every other group was joking around by now and the teacher was barely paying attention, she doubted they''d be overheard. "I mean, Lily''s not your real mom, right? That''s why you call her Lily. She''s who they assigned to you." Kinda right, but kinda wrong. Not dangerous information though. "...No, she''s not my real mom. But I''m really not supposed to talk about it, remember?" "Yeah, I gotcha. No one else will know." That''s not what I meant at all! "How are you gonna do that?" she asked. She wanted to figure out if she needed to be worried, and she knew Quinn loved to show off his plans whenever he could. "You can find out a lot if you know what to search. With your name and maybe a little more, we could get a ton of info." He winced. "Not that you need to tell me anything! I wouldn''t do anything unless you told me to. I know that stuff is serious." "I don''t think it''s a good idea." He looked crestfallen. "Are you sure? No one would know." Natalie shook her head. "They can find that stuff out though. They watch all the computers." "I wouldn''t use a school computer." He sounded offended. "I''m not that dumb." This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. "No, they watch all the computers." She remembered the detailed post that Tezofarl had made. A lot of the technical details went way over her head, but Cinza''s summaries made the dangers pretty clear. Natalie wished she knew as much as Cinza about how computers and the internet worked, but Cinza told her it had taken years to learn. Natalie didn''t have years. Sometimes, she felt like she didn''t have days. "I''d be okay. And think about all the stuff you could find out!" Quinn was getting excited. She felt nervous. What if he went ahead and did it without her permission, despite all her warnings? They were entering dangerous territory. Natalie felt like she was surrounded with no way out. Class was nearly over. She only had to get through a minute or two before the bell would ring. "Just say the word and I put it into action." He reached over, as if to pat her on the back. His hand brushed the metal bar that connected the side of the desk to the chair back. A loud snap-crack stunned the room into silence. Quinn pulled back from the chair, wringing his hand in pain. A thick black imprint of Natalie''s palm marked the metal bar she''d gripped only a moment before. She stood up sharply, grabbing up her bag. Most of the class was watching Quinn, but the bell was already ringing. Natalie took the opportunity to bail as fast as she possibly could. She practically threw the worksheets at the bin on the front table, totally ignoring whether or not they made it in. Natalie could still feel electricity in her fingertips. The last time she''d felt so surrounded, she''d been with Rachel, and Rachel had ordered her to throw lightning. She''d summoned up the electricity from all around her and inside herself, tiny things rubbing together in space that created power in a way she didn''t understand. All she did was tell it where to go, make a pathway for it to travel. She''d been making it go into her fingers without thinking, just in case she needed to stop anyone from getting near her. It had flowed from her fingers into the metal desk and back again, but her magic kept it moving through her without a problem. It was only once Quinn touched the bar that the electricity found a new path, and started getting violent. Natalie hurried into the hallway, where the rows of lockers waited. Most kids were already streaming through, grabbing up the textbook for their next class, chatting, going to the bathroom. As soon as she emerged, everyone was staring at her. No they aren''t. I''m imagining it. Stop. Breathe. They might not be looking at her, but Natalie still felt like impending doom waited just a few steps behind. Quinn was going to come out of that classroom any minute. She could go to her next class, but what good would that do? She''d already screwed up. The principal would be coming for her any minute. She''d caused another incident. Natalie took one step toward the exit, then another. No one was paying any attention to her. She broke into a brisk walk, beelining for the doors outside. No running. Never running. Running makes people look. She chanced a quick look over her shoulder. Quinn had emerged from the classroom and was looking around for her, but he was looking in the wrong direction. He was looking towards her next classroom, but he wasn''t in that class. He couldn''t go in to check, since he was already late, and his class was in the other direction. As she''d hoped, Quinn turned away reluctantly and went into his next room. The next teacher wouldn''t find her for attendance. Her friends wouldn''t know where she''d gone. Nobody knew. By the time school let out for the weekend, Jenny Heshire was nowhere to be found.
Natalie boarded the first bus she saw. She was desperate to get away. She figured she''d just hop buses a few times until it was close enough to the end of the day, then find her route and ride it back to the boarded up old store. So long as the timing wasn''t too far off, she doubted Kendra or Lily would notice anything wrong. If they even notice I''m gone at all. She''d been gone for more than a day before, and the Laushires hadn''t noticed at all. Besides, did she really want to just go back to the house? That wouldn''t do anything for her. She''d just be trapped in another place, still wishing she were elsewhere. When the bus pulled up to the last stop she knew, Natalie didn''t move a muscle. She let the music pumping through her ears block out the name of the stop over the bus intercom, watching the people bustle around outside with glazed eyes. The bus trundled away a few moments later, and soon enough Natalie was in unfamiliar territory. Anything that isn''t the school or the house. She rode the bus for hours, until she realized it was traveling in a circle. If it was just going to keep showing her the same things, Natalie didn''t feel like staying on any longer. She waited until it had gone deep into the city, in an area she was totally unfamiliar with, then took her leave. No one on the bus paid her any mind, which was exactly how she wanted it. Out here, she wasn''t the tragic little kid everyone kept fawning over, tiptoeing around subjects like she didn''t understand what they were talking about. Nor was she the object of obsession like at school, the mysterious troubled girl that everyone wanted to know more about. Being alone in the city was the same feeling Natalie usually got from being outside in the woods, but in this case she wasn''t alone. There were people everywhere, but she was still anonymous. She could come and go as she liked. The best of both worlds, and in this place she actually knew how to make it do what she wanted. The city ran on money, and Natalie¡ªfor the first time in her life¡ªhad cash to spare. With her dad, she''d never really considered money much. Even on the one vacation she could remember, their trip down to California, she''d been paying attention to the rides and the cute characters and things way more than how everything actually worked. Only once she''d been abandoned and sent to live with the Laushires did Natalie really start thinking about the little pieces of paper that everyone just took for granted. Thanks to Lily, Natalie had a whole pile of bills stuffed deep inside her purse. The Laushire twins were rich¡ªmuch richer than anyone Natalie had ever met. Where her dad might consider a twenty dollar bill a luxury jewel and take precious care of it, the Laushires wouldn''t be even slightly concerned about losing wrapped stacks of a few thousand dollars, neatly packaged and stored away. In that way, when Lily had handed her a stack from the pile to keep on her ''just in case'', she''d been unnervingly casual. To Natalie, it was more money than she''d ever seen in her life, by a massive amount. Even when she helped her dad count rent money a couple times, college kids usually paid in checks, so she''d never seen so many bills. Natalie took a handful, and then another, and then even more from the pile. It didn''t stop coming, and soon Natalie had an entire section of her purse dedicated just to holding the sheer amount of cash the Laushires gave her. After she lost count, Natalie stopped growing her little stash. She supposed Lily trusted her since her purse wouldn''t ever lose the bills. Nothing could ever fall out of it, after all, unless she let it fall or took it out herself. If she turned it upside-down, nothing happened. It had its own special law of gravity, as Lily explained it. No matter what direction she turned the bag, everything inside stayed upright. That same smooth faux-leather purse bounced against her leg as Natalie finally got off the bus. She stared up at the city, with buildings towering over her in every direction. Parking garages, offices, restaurants, buildings she could only guess what they were for. Natalie had absolutely no idea where she was¡ªand at the moment, she was totally fine with that. She started wandering down the street. It started as a slow walk, until it became a happy skip as she felt so many pressures lift off her mind. No one was around to bother her, find out her secret, nag her, press her. No one even knew who she was. Natalie was free to do whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. That''s what I thought about the woods too, but then I almost died. Natalie pushed the frightening thought away. That had only happened because no one else was around. She was in the middle of a huge city, and there were people everywhere. There were hundreds of people just on her street. They''d help her if she got in trouble, right? What about the last time I was surrounded by adults on the street? I had to¡ª "No," she said aloud. She wasn''t about to let that memory ruin her day. She needed something to distract her. Anything would work. She skidded to a halt. Little marquee banners hung above the doors to every shop. She picked the first one that had an interesting sign, though she had no idea what might be inside, and ran right in. "Slow down there!" A man standing behind the register near the door shouted at her as she burst through the door. Natalie slowed down, embarrassed. She didn''t reply, but she made sure to walk through the place calmly. There were trinkets and odd little things everywhere on shelves, as well as shirts with funny pictures and a lot of things about Seattle in some way or another. A ''tourist trap'', as her dad might have called it. Her dad. Natalie tried not to think about him too much, but memories kept popping up¡ªeven more so now that she was alone in the city. Her earliest memories were of her mom and dad, back in Chicago. She didn''t think about her mom much anymore, but what she could remember wasn''t very pleasant. Her mom was a shrill woman, always whining about something or other. When she didn''t get exactly what she wanted, she got mean. Natalie and her dad had escaped her, running all the way across the country and to the total opposite of the big city. She found a necklace she really liked, a shiny silver chain with a pendant of a tree on the end. The price tag was way beyond anything her dad would have ever let her buy. Natalie felt a tiny burst of glee as she walked up to the counter, pulled out the little stack of cash and counted out the bills. The cashier gave her a funny look, but didn''t say anything as she put it on and walked out of the store. There. I bought it and nothing bad happened. No big deal at all. Natalie looked at herself in the big reflective glass windows on the front of the shop. She really liked the way the light caught on the carved stone tree, refracting through it in a neat pattern. Out of curiosity, she sent a tiny wisp of magic into the stone. It was a real emerald, and a pretty strong one too, if she understood the feeling right. Really pretty and really useful, too. Cool. So it went down the whole row, with Natalie popping into every store that looked remotely interesting. She found a new green jacket that looked a whole lot tougher than hers in a store of army stuff, which she swapped out for immediately. Even the smallest size was a little big on her, but she liked the feeling. She felt like she could disappear into it if she needed to. She stuffed her slightly ripped up older coat back into her purse. She also found a knife she wanted to buy, but apparently they wouldn''t sell it to someone under eighteen. Sometimes, Natalie was really frustrated by how young she was. It felt like the world wanted her to be an adult already, with all the stuff it kept throwing at her, but it also kept telling her she was too young to actually do anything yet. She wished it would just make up its mind already. The next stop turned out to be a whole mall of stores, instead of just a single shop set into the wall. Natalie felt like she could get lost just in that building alone, much less the entire city. She set about trying to find replacements and upgrades for everything she used every day. She had so few opportunities to buy things, and she always felt weird asking Kendra or Lily to get her something. In an electronics store, she found new wireless earbuds that wouldn''t get caught on things out in the forest, and a portable battery for her phone so she wouldn''t get totally stranded again. She was too easily tempted into a fudge shop by the smell, and came out with enough to make her feel a little queasy. She stopped before she downed too much, since she didn''t want to have to go home early. Browsing the smaller, specialty clothing stores, ones her father would have never stepped foot in, Natalie picked out a new scarf for the dropping temperatures. It was, again, too big for her, but she''d noticed she''d already grown a few inches just in the months since leaving Rallsburg. Measuring herself in the mirror, she''d finally made it over five feet, with inches to spare. She''d fit into her new clothes sooner or later. That also meant she wouldn''t fit into some of her older clothes anymore. For most of them that wasn''t a big deal, since her dad had tended to buy things too large for her anyway. Lily had actually gotten her measured and fitted for her nicer clothes, sending off the measurements to a tailor they knew. Those clothes were already a little too short, a little too tight. Natalie wanted new ones, and now she could afford them. In a store bursting with color and playing fancy music, she found some. Dresses that looked like as nice as they felt, with all sorts of designs from cute to cool, to elegant and graceful. Natalie started to resist, sorely tempted to buy one of everything, until she realized¡ªshe could. She took a pile of them into the dressing room and spent a whole hour trying them on, one by one, until she found the size that fit her best. With another stack of bills and a wide-eyed cashier, she left the store with a wide smile on her face and a bundle of new dresses and outfits. She quickly made her way to the bathroom so she could hide them all in her purse, before anyone started to wonder how she could be carrying everything around. When she stopped into one of the big clothing stores, to pick up some more practical clothes, Natalie had a bit of a shock. Back in the t-shirt area, looking for anything from her favorite shows, she spotted a shirt on a clearance rack with a worn-out band logo. Her eyes widened. It was the exact same shirt that older girl always wore¡ªthe sad older girl with grey eyes everyone was always so obsessed with. Natalie didn''t really understand it, but apparently for normal people, that girl was how they got magic. She wondered what made that girl so special. Obviously not her taste in music. That band was so lame. Natalie ate in the food court, from the only fast food place she remembered. She ate slowly and carefully so she wouldn''t get anything on her new dress. She could have taken it off, but it felt nice and she liked how it looked on her. Along with the makeup she''d tried on in another store, it made her look older and prettier than she was. Like a future Natalie she could be someday, if she made it that far. As she ate, a man in a uniform walked up. She stiffened up, looking straight at her food and avoiding the man''s gaze. Boris said don''t be memorable. Be totally normal. What''s normal though? I don''t know what I''m doing. I never learned normal. "Everything all right?" the man asked. He had a nice voice, even if he was kind of ugly. His moustache looked absolutely horrible. "Yes," she said, chewing her food very slowly. "Are you here with someone?" "No, just me." "Oh, okay." He shrugged. "Sorry to bother you." He pointed over to a corner, where she saw a desk with a woman standing behind it. "If you need help with anything, or if anyone tries to mess with you, come let us know okay?" "Okay." He walked away, and Natalie breathed a sigh of relief. As he rejoined the woman at the desk, Natalie decided to practice one of the spells Hailey had shared online. She murmured it quickly under her breath, and soon enough she could hear everything they were saying¡ªas well as everything else between them, much louder than usual. Natalie winced, and tried to focus the effect on just them, but it was no good. She could only catch little bits of their conversation. Something about her being all alone, and being young, and lots of money. They''d noticed her. They''d remember her. She quickly finished her food and dumped the tray into one of the bins. A few minutes later, she exited the mall. Why is this so hard? She just wanted to breeze through without everyone paying so much attention to her. It wasn''t so bad in the small shops, since she knew exactly where they were, but in the big malls and department stores they could be watching from the cameras all over the place. Natalie could pick them out with the spell she''d been practicing, but it didn''t do her much good when they were everywhere. The sun was going down. Rays of warm light punched down the city streets in the little columns between the buildings where it could shine through from out over the water. Natalie had to shield her eyes whenever she looked out that way, but the warmth felt nice on her skin, especially as the city got colder. She pulled up her new jacket and scarf tight. A trickle of rain pattered her head, but it passed by quickly. Natalie started walking down toward the water, hoping to find a beach or somewhere nice to relax for a bit and read. She''d been walking around for so long by now that she was ready for a break. She didn''t find any sand, but she did find a bench overlooking the water that seemed good enough for a rest. She pulled out an outdoor blanket and a book from her bag, wrapped up snug and began to read. Music blotted out the annoying noise of the city, leaving her in her own little world as everything else faded away.
Natalie looked up with a start. The sun had gone down completely, but she hadn''t noticed. The lamp above her kept her book nicely lit. There were suddenly a lot fewer people around, and most of the shops were closed and dark. She rubbed at her eyes, trying to get them used to looking at other distances again besides just her book. Night had fallen. She was hungry again, but she didn''t really want to go back to the mall again. Not when that security guard might still be there. She wandered through the streets, looking around for any food she recognized. As much fun as she''d had exploring every store she came across, she didn''t really feel like trying a new food at the same time. She needed something reliable to ground her. Still, the city didn''t have many restaurants she knew. There was plenty of food, but nothing that looked like her type of food. She kept wandering, hoping something would come up. Luckily she wasn''t too hungry, and she still had a couple granola bars in her purse somewhere. She''d be okay. Something about the area she was walking into felt off though. There were less friendly, helpful signs and brightly colored shops. It was becoming more plain and gray, more bland and boring. This was more like the sort of city she''d always expected to find from TV or her books. Everything looked a bit more worn down and dirty. Natalie wondered if she should be heading this way, but she still hadn''t found anywhere to eat yet. Besides, it''s not like I''m really in danger. I have magic, right? I''ll be okay. They said if it''s an emergency to go ahead and use it. But keeping the secret''s super important too. She was getting nervous though, and that wasn''t good. Natalie stopped halfway down a street, leaning against the wall. She took a deep breath. Calm down. Everything''s okay. I''m Natajenny Somethingshiredricks. I can take care of myself. It''s just a stupid city. "Excuse me!" She looked up sharply. There was a guy standing in front of her, looking at her strangely. She felt defensive immediately, tucking her hand into her pocket where she kept one of her gemstones at the ready. The new emerald pendant on her necklace was ready to go too, just in case, but she doubted she''d need either of them just to take on one guy. He looked a little funny, like his face was melting off. One of his eyes pointed in the wrong direction, and he had a messy beard. "Hi," she said cautiously. "Sorry. I was just wondering if you knew what time it was?" That''s it? Natalie shrugged. It was a weird question to make such a big deal out of, but whatever. She pulled out her phone and unlocked it in one quick motion. "It''s about ten¡ª" she started. His hand moved. Way too fast. She scrambled forward, but he''d already snatched it out of her hands. Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no! The guy took off. At the exact same moment, just as she''d started to move, the strap on her purse slid off her shoulder. She twisted around, and the strap fell off entirely. Another guy grabbed it, sprinting away in the opposite direction. Oh my god. They¡ª What do I do? He has my phone. That phone has so many things on it that no one''s supposed to know. But the other guy has my bag, and it''s magic. What if he opens it? What am I supposed to do? An image of the purse''s contents flashed in her mind. Gwen''s fur. Her dad''s drumsticks. Her mother''s old locket. The photo of Jenny. Her gemstones. All the things she''d bought that day. Natalie took off after the guy with her bag, throwing caution to the wind. Every step she ran, she flung herself forward in midair with magic to go faster. She stumbled a bit on the first few leaps, but soon enough she was starting to catch up with him. He looked over his shoulder at the loud impacts of her shoes on the pavement, and his mouth fell open. Natalie didn''t care about being noticed anymore. She was getting her bag back. The guy bolted down an alley, and Natalie ripped around the corner after him. She was really angry now. After all of the stuff she''d run away from, when she''d finally found somewhere to spend a day without being bothered by anyone, this happened? He''s gonna regret this. She flung out her mind, trying feel out for the bag, but she couldn''t find it. The guy had turned another corner already. She kept running to catch up, but he was so much taller and her legs were just too short. Even with magic to help her, she could barely keep up¡­ and she was getting tired. They darted through a twisting alleyway covered in rainwater and grime. Everything about the place made Natalie feel dirty and gross. She wanted to be out of there as fast as possible. In desperation, she created a couple fireballs in midair and threw them around the next corner in a wide arc, hoping to scare the guy. As she rounded the corner, she saw¡­ nothing. The alley finally let out onto an empty street, without a moving car in sight for several blocks. She didn''t see the guy anywhere. Natalie fell down onto the pavement, her arms and legs shaking. They''d taken all of her things. All she had left were her new jacket and dress she had on, the couple of gemstones and her new earbuds, which she''d never actually taken out. They weren''t playing music anymore, with nothing to connect to, but she still had them. Everything else was gone. In the midst of a massive city that seemed more dangerous and foreboding with every passing minute, Natalie was stranded and totally, utterly alone.
Natalie: are you there???? Natalie: pelase answer Natalie: i need help Cinza: I''m sorry, it took me a moment to get to my computer. Cinza: What can I help you with? Natalie: i was trying to get hailey but Natalie: she didnt answer Natalie: do you know where she is Cinza: Something happened. Hailey needed help. Cinza: Most everyone went out to help her. It''s just me and Nicole at home right now. Cinza: Is everything all right? Natalie: no Natalie: oh god Natalie: cinza im so sorry Cinza: What''s the matter? Natalie: i did something bad Natalie: someone took my phone Natalie: and my bag Natalie: stole it i mena Natalie: mean Cinza: It''s locked, right? Natalie: no Natalie: i unlocked it when i pulled it out Natalie: and he took it Natalie: im so stupid Natalie: i didnt need to unlock it Natalie: why did i do that Cinza: Where are you right now? Natalie: im in seattle Natalie: in a store Cinza: How are you on the website? Natalie: they have laptops out to try Natalie: i know im not supposed to but Cinza: It''s okay. Natalie: i logged in because i didn''t kno Natalie: it is? Cinza: This time, yes. There''s more important things to worry about. Cinza: Where are you at exactly? Natalie: i dont know the address Cinza: Okay. I''m going to have Nicole try to scry you. Natalie: what Cinza: Find you using magic. Natalie: o Natalie: ok Natalie: should i stay here? Natalie: i cant stay here. theyre saying theyre closing Natalie: where do i go Cinza: What part of the city are you in? North/south/east/west? Natalie: i dont know? Cinza: Do you know which direction the sunset was in? Natalie: ya Cinza: That''s west. To the right will be north, and the left is south. Natalie: o Natalie: im north? Natalie: i think? Cinza: What''s the name of the store? Natalie: it''s a buymore Cinza: I believe I know where you are. Cinza: There''s a park near you, two or three blocks further north. Cinza: Go there, and on the west side you''ll find a place where some people gather together to sleep every night. They aren''t friendly people, but it''s better than a dark alley. Cinza: Go there. Find a place where you can sit and no one can sneak up on you. Cinza: Wait for me there. Natalie: ok Natalie: youre coming here? Cinza: Yes. Cinza: I know Seattle. Cinza: I''ll be there as soon as I can. Cinza: Don''t talk to anyone, and don''t let anyone near you. They are not friendly people. Cinza: Do you understand? Cinza: Natalie? Quit: +Natalie (Ping timeout). [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] B2: Chapter 12 — The Emerald City (Part II) Chapter 12 ¡ª The Emerald City (Part II) It took Natalie a full hour to find the park Cinza was talking about¡ªassuming it was the right park. It was more than two blocks away, but Cinza hadn''t known what store she was at, so Natalie had to hope it was the right one. The park was much darker than the rest of the city, with the trees blocking out so much of the city and only the paths having any actual lights. Even those were forlorn, many flickering or broken altogether. Trash littered the area in every direction. As Natalie walked into the park, she noticed people left and right with tents or air mattresses, or even just laying on the dirt with ragged blankets. The entire place made her feel uneasy. She quickly made her way through the trees dotting the park to the west side. It couldn''t be called a forest in any way. Though they''d grown fairly naturally, most of the trees had obviously been cut down. It was a pretender to the real thing. Natalie didn''t draw any comfort from it, not when the hum of the city still surrounded them and ragged people stared at her from every direction. She stood out too much. These people were wearing very practical clothes, in varying states of overuse and decay. Windbreakers, rain jackets, layers upon torn layers. Natalie, in sharp contrast, was still wearing the last dress she''d picked out from the store, a very soft and comfortable blue with swathes of patterns that faded in and out, reaching down to her knees. She had dark jeans and her new jacket on too, but she desperately wished she''d changed back to her t-shirt. The dress marked her to the crowd, too nice and too pretty. Natalie tried to tuck it into her jeans as she walked, but it stubbornly fell back out again after only a few steps. Frustrated, she gave up and just zipped up her jacket tight, so that only the lower part of the dress was visible. She kept walking, trying not to look around at the groups of people. Their eyes were sunken and glazed over, their faces gaunt and dead-looking. She''d seen dead people before, and these people reminded her of the same glassy-eyed, empty look. A few called out to her as she passed, but she ignored them and sped up a little, as fast as she could manage without actually running. A nook set into one of the trees beckoned to her. There wasn''t anyone within a few dozen feet, and she could sit against the trunk so that no one could sneak up on her, just like Cinza said. She sat down, brushed the dirt off of her clothes, and settled in to wait. She had no idea how long it would take to get from Rallsburg to Seattle. Natalie didn''t have any books, or any music, or anything to do at all. All she had left was magic, but there were so many people around. They kept giving her odd glances, too. There weren''t any other kids around that she saw. Are they looking at me because I''m just a teenager? Is it the clothes? ...Or do they know what I am? She was feeling pressure again, the relentless foe she''d avoided all day. She wanted to get rid of the dress, in the vague hope that they might stop looking at her, but she couldn''t. She didn''t have anything else to wear. Cinza said to wait here. I don''t have any way to get back to the house. I don''t have my bus pass and I don''t have the money to get another one. I have to wait. She tried to calm herself down, taking deep breaths like Hailey always said. She wanted to close her eyes and retreat again, but she was too afraid to look away for even a moment. Her vision kept darting back and forth across the space in front of the tree, checking on each of the small groups visible from her little spot. They were preparing for bed, or having a last minute meal, or just talking in low, dull voices. Again, there was a quick glance across the space to her little corner. Is he just looking at me since I keep looking at him? Cinza had told her no one there would hurt her. She''d also said they weren''t friendly people. The two didn''t seem to mesh, but Natalie trusted Cinza. She didn''t like Cinza, but she trusted the strange girl. The difference between the two was something she''d learned over the last few months, and she really didn''t like it. Cinza had always struck Natalie as too weird to be anything good. She seemed fake in a lot of ways¡ªlike she were constantly pretending and lying to everyone. Natalie wondered how much of that opinion was her dad''s, after the group had become public knowledge in the town, but she found herself agreeing with him even after everything that had happened. The Grey cult was just weird. They wore weird clothes, they all talked in weird ways in public, and they always seemed to be giving Rachel headaches. The few times Natalie had actually interacted with them, Cinza had been weirdly eager to talk to her, and it made her uncomfortable. But Cinza and her people had helped stop Jackson, so maybe they weren''t all bad. Just so long as Natalie didn''t have to talk to them. What''s going on, Hailey? Where are you? Why can''t you come help me? "Hey." A gruff voice from her side. Natalie looked around, a spike of fear driving through her brain. A middle-aged guy, wearing two different coats and two shirts underneath. He had hard eyes, the kind that only scary people ever had. "You." Natalie wasn''t sure she should talk to any of these people. The less she interacted with anyone, the better, right? She should just stay totally still and wait. But the guy didn''t seem to be leaving¡­ "What''re you doin'' out here?" Natalie still didn''t answer. She thought that answer should be obvious, anyway. Why wasn''t this guy asking everyone that? "You don''t belong out here. Go back to your parents'' place. Running away isn''t gonna solve anything." He''s not gonna give up. "I can''t." He grunted. "''Course you can. Just go back there. You walked here, di''int you? Don''t see anything on ya." "I don''t have any money or bus passes." He frowned. "What if I gave you one?" Even if you did, I have no idea how to get home. And I can''t tell you where it is. "I still can''t." "Why not?" She didn''t answer. Cinza wouldn''t want me to tell anyone about her. Not even that she''s coming to get me. Don''t reveal anything. Keep it all quiet. The guy sighed. He crouched down next to her, but still a good half-dozen feet away. Even so, she felt like he was too close. She shifted away pointedly. He shook his head. "I''m not gonna do anything. But seriously, you don''t belong here. It''s obvious. Go home before something happens." "What''s gonna happen?" He raised an eyebrow. "Something to ask your parents about." "Hey Tom!" called another gruff voice from somewhere Natalie couldn''t see. "Everythin'' all right?" "Yeah," he called back. Another guy emerged around the tree, glancing down at her. "Oh hey, what''ve you got here?" "Runaway, probably. Being rebellious and shit." The other guy whistled. "Damn, she''s young. Girl, what the hell you doin''? Go home already. Mommy''s waitin''." "No, she isn''t," Natalie snapped. Both of them looked surprised she''d finally spoken with actual force. Tom rubbed his stubbly, ill-kept beard. "Mom''s out of the picture, huh? Sorry, kid." "Big fuckin'' deal, who doesn''t have a dead mom?" sneered Tom''s friend. "She probably went with a needle in her arm like the rest of the retards around here." "Knock it off," said Tom. "Girl needs to learn." The other guy crouched next to Natalie and reached out a hand to grab her arm. Natalie reacted, slapping his hand away with a bit more force than she meant to. He jumped back, wringing his hand in pain. "Jesus." "What?" "Hurt like hell. That girl''s got an arm." "Serves you right, asshole." Tom shot him a dark look. "She''s just a kid. Ten year olds don''t need to hear that kind of talk." "I''m thirteen," Natalie put in, unable to stop herself. She''d always hated how young most people assumed she was. Tom looked surprised. His eyes slid over her again. "Sorry. Thirteen, not ten. Either way, you don''t need to hear this idiot''s stupid shit." "Whatever, man." Tom''s friend stood up. "Just get her to go home already. Shit, I''ll even walk her there if it''s not far. Might get a reward." Natalie watched him carefully as he walked away. "He doesn''t seem like a good friend," she commented. "I wouldn''t call him a friend at all." Tom sat down on the dirt against the other half of the tree, keeping a thick root between the two of them. "He''s just someone you gotta live with, you know?" Natalie thought about Quinn, and Kendra, and all the other people she had to live with. "Yeah." Tom smiled. "You''re way smarter than most kids your age, aren''t you?" Natalie shook her head. "I''m not. I screwed up. That''s why I''m here." "It happens." He sighed. "So you really can''t go home, huh?" "No." Even if I knew how, I can''t go home without finding my bag. I need it. "Well, if you''re gonna stay the night, I''m stickin'' around. Is that all right?" Natalie hesitated. Better to have two people watching out than just one, right? Plus I''m pretty sure I could take him in a fight if I had to. "...Okay." "Cool." He stood up. "I''m gonna go get a blanket. You want one? I''ve got a spare." The chill really was starting to settle in. Her jacket wasn''t really doing that much, and the blue dress was thin and light. Natalie gave him a quick nod. He smiled again. "Be right back." Natalie tried to make herself comfortable while she waited, but there was only so much she could do. The tree was a bit too stiff and straight to make for a good place to rest, but she didn''t want to move and lose her spot. She wished she knew Cinza''s trick for shaping trees with magic, but she''d never gotten to learn it. Not that I could do it with all these people around¡­ Luckily, Tom returned pretty quickly, with two reasonably intact and thick blankets. He started to hold one out for her, but paused. "You know, if you took your jacket off, you could use it as a pillow. The blanket''ll do better at keepin'' you warm anyway." It made sense, so Natalie started to take it off. As she did, she noticed Tom''s eyes drifting down to her shoulders. Her dress only had two very thin blue straps to hold it up, and she didn''t have anything else. She didn''t like how he was looking at her, but he was the only person to offer her any kind of help in this awful place. Natalie quickly grabbed the blanket out of his hand and wrapped herself up in it, leaning against the bundled jacket. A headache she hadn''t noticed began to fade, thanks to the cushion between the hard bark of the trunk and her head. Natalie finally allowed herself to relax a little, right up until Tom took the seat next to her. This time, he was sitting on her side of the root instead of staying separate. The blanket offered her a small buffer, but she could feel his presence nearby. Something indescribable, somewhere between a scent and a warmth. It was unpleasant, and she wished it would just go away. But if she made him go away, she''d be noticed. She couldn''t get him to leave without her real power, could she? "Tom?" she asked quietly. "What''s up?" "I''m kinda used to sleeping alone." He shook his head, and her heart sank. "Can''t do that. It''s not safe out here." "I can take care of myself." "So can I, but I still wouldn''t want to sleep alone. Too many people around here are willin'' to take advantage of ya." He yawned, and as he did, he crept incrementally closer to her. "Don''t worry. Everyone here knows not to mess with me. You''ll be okay." Natalie wanted to bolt away, but she felt like that would provoke him. A woman walked by. One of the gaunt-faced walking dead Natalie had seen earlier. Her expression was so flat and empty. Natalie wondered if she could feel anything at all. When she looked over at Natalie and her unwanted companion, her eyes drooped slightly. She opened her mouth slightly, and Natalie felt a small burst of hope. Then the woman''s mouth closed, her arms dropped back to her sides, and she wandered away again. A weight dropped on Natalie''s shoulders. Tom had put an arm around her, as if giving her a side-hug. She felt a burst of panic. She felt trapped, so trapped, and there was nothing she could do about it. Every instinct she had started shouting over each other at once, telling her to run, to fight, to summon a massive burst of lightning and force Tom to get away from her. But people were still looking at her, and Cinza had told her to wait. Natalie couldn''t stop him physically, and she couldn''t use magic in a place like this. There was nothing she could do. "Everything''s all right," Tom murmured. His hand had taken hold of her shoulder. Natalie tensed up. If he moved an inch further, she was going to stop him, no matter what the consequences might be. Tom''s hand moved an inch down her arm, and she did nothing. Why can''t I do anything? she cried out in her head. Why am I just sitting here? Why isn''t anyone else doing anything about this? "Stop," she said aloud. "Stop what?" Tom asked, and his hand did stop, but only for an instant. Natalie didn''t know how to say it. She just repeated the word again. "Stop." Tom didn''t answer that time, but his hand kept moving regardless of her words. She finally, reluctantly acted. Her hand moved up to push his away. His hand caught her own in a vice grip. "Stop!" she said, louder. "Shh." Tom nudged her closer to him with his grip. She felt surrounded, trapped, overwhelmed. "Everyone here''s trying to sleep. No one wants to be woken up." She didn''t know what to do. His hands kept moving. Touching. She held as still as she could, but every muscle in her body screamed at her to run. To get away as fast as possible and not look back. Why was he doing this? What had she done wrong? Why was this happening to her? "Please stop," she whispered. He didn''t stop. I''m sorry, Cinza. Natalie finally let open the floodgates. She murmured a spell as fast as possible, and magic surged into her arms. She shoved Tom aside. He tumbled away sputtering, rolling ten feet across the grass. Natalie grabbed up her jacket and fled. She ran, as fast as she could, away from the horrible park and back again into the city streets.
It was past midnight now, from a clock she spotted through a window. She was in a part of the city she didn''t remember, with no fancy colorful stores or bright lights. Many of the streets had broken lamps, and the entire place reeked in a way that made her wish she couldn''t smell at all. Anything''s better than what I just came from. Natalie needed help. She called out, as loud as she could. Nothing. A housecat peeked out of a window, but it just gave her a cold glare and went back inside, probably to a meal it had been enjoying. Natalie''s stomach rumbled at the thought. I need food. But she had no money, and the food she''d been saving was in her bag¡­ wherever that was. Natalie wandered the streets without a clear direction in mind. She thought about going into an overnight place and asking if they could spare her something, but she couldn''t bear talking to anyone yet. Besides, if they rejected her, what else might they do? She couldn''t risk it. A vague smell of fresh bread wafted past her nose. Natalie couldn''t help it¡ªshe followed it, as best she could tell by just walking where it seemed to get stronger. It lead her down another alley, to a fenced-off building with CONDEMNED signs all over the windows. They reminded her of the old library in Rallsburg, which had also been planned to be taken down someday. Her dad said they''d just forgotten about it, like the rest of the town. That library was the only place to survive, in the end. The scent of bread lead her to a heavy iron door set into a brick wall. Natalie grabbed at it, meaning to slide it to the side just a tiny bit and look in, but it was too heavy. She hesitated, then sent another burst of magic into her arms. This time, she felt the strain a little. She was too hungry to be able to exert herself properly. Still, she managed to open the door. Too far, as it slid way further than she meant to. The interior was a wide open space, with a concrete floor covered in scattered flyers and other random debris. A half-dozen young guys sat in folding chairs around a small fire. At the door''s grinding, they looked up startled. The one nearest the door rushed her down before Natalie could react, grabbing her by the wrist. No! Don''t touch me! Stop! she screamed out in her head, but she was too afraid to say anything aloud. She started to pull away, but his grip was too strong and she''d already released the spell on her arms. "Who the fuck are you?" the guy asked, while one of the others dragged the door shut again. "No one," Natalie said quickly. She wanted to enhance her arm again, but she worried what they might do if they saw her cast a spell right in front of them. She couldn''t do it without saying something, like she could with the lightning, and reactions to her magic from normal people were always bad. "She''s like eleven years old. How a puny-ass girl like her move that?" called out one of the guys sitting around the fire. "She ain''t no eleven years old. She sixteen at least. A very fine sixteen, too." "You''re trippin'', she ain''t sixteen. Wearin'' makeup and a pretty dress, but she just a kid." "Check it out," said a much stronger voice. A seventh guy, slightly older than the rest, emerged from an adjoining room in the wall. He held a tray of steaming bread in oven-mitted hands, with an apron tied around his front. He might have looked totally out of place¡­ if he didn''t have a gleaming silver handgun in the front pocket of the apron. Immediately, the door guy dragged it open again and went outside. The guy holding Natalie by the wrist lead her over to the campfire, sitting her down in the chair at the other end of the circle. "Stay there, okay?" he said, not unkindly. Natalie was just grateful he''d let go of her. Every moment she could feel him touching her was another she was reminded of¡­ earlier. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. It was a few minutes of tense silence, with the rest of the group watching her or the door. The leader calmly sliced up the loaves of bread with a long serrated knife, watching the heavy steel door with heavy, unblinking eyes. "All good, boss," said the door guy as he returned. "No one out there." "So how the hell did she open the door?" asked one of the others. "Ask her, you moron." "Hey little girl, how the hell you open that door?" "I just did," she replied, very quietly. She didn''t dare try to make something up in her current state. Her mind was starting to slow down from fatigue and hunger. She just wanted to eat the bread the boss was chopping up. It smelled so good. Her eyes kept drifting to it, before she snapped them away and back to the fire. "You''re hungry, aren''t you?" The boss was too observant. He''d noticed. The firelight glinted off his blade as he finished cutting the bread. "Want some?" "Yes, please," she whispered. "Tell me how you got in here." "I just opened it." He frowned. "Go close it for me then." Natalie didn''t see any other way out of it. The guy was too serious, and she didn''t want to make them mad. She couldn''t take them all on, not right now. Reluctantly, she walked toward the door. There was a brief moment where the door-guy looked away, and she quickly muttered the spell in that second she had an opportunity. With a gentle shove, she slid the door closed. The door-guy gaped at her from beneath his thick, heavy black bangs, but he didn''t say anything. She wandered back to the fire, feeling a little pleased with herself. Even under the circumstances, it was still fun to show off a bit. "I did it." The boss laughed. "Whatever. You earned your fuckin'' bread." He kicked the nearest guy, who was starting to nod off. Apparently Natalie wasn''t the only tired one in the group. "Get some plates out, asshole. Time to eat." Natalie ate quietly and quickly, staring at the fire while the guys talked and joked. She just wanted to get out of there, as fast as possible, but they were still watching her. Especially the boss, who was making her feel uncomfortable. He was still way too curious about her. She was getting worried again. She''d have to get away from this group, and Natalie wasn''t sure yet if she could do that. "So what, you a gutter surfer?" "What?" Natalie looked up, realizing they were talking to her again. "Street trash. Park ranger." "Homeless," the boss added, kicking the other guy in the foot. "Kinda," she answered. "In a crew?" "No?" "Fuck no she ain''t in a crew," said a weasely-looking guy through a mouthful of bread. "You think anyone''s gonna lose that? She looks well-raised and shit. Could snatch whatever the fuck she wants without breakin'' a sweat." "No kiddin''," agreed the door-guy. "And with muscles like that, no fuckin'' card puncher''s gonna stop that ass from makin'' the street." "You up for hirin'', or running solo?" said Weasel-face. "What?" "He wants you to work for us," said a guy with huge tattoo across half of his face. He was lounging back against the ragged couch they''d dragged in, with another guy fast asleep draped across his chest. She shook her head. "I can''t." "What the fuck else you gonna do? If you steppin'' our turf for goddamn grain sticks, you ain''t doin'' shit for yourself." He glanced over her, but with less of the uncomfortable leer and more of a bland inspection. Like she were just the chair, and not actually a person sitting in it. "I''m surprised no one tried pimpin'' you yet. How long you been crawlin'' corners?" What does that even mean? "I don''t." He raised an eyebrow. "So what the hell you do before now?" "I don''t live in Seattle." "Good for you, this place is shit," said Door-guy. "Where you from?" "Tacoma," she said, as the only other big town she knew anything about. "Nevermind. Fuck that town." "I should go," Natalie said, getting to her feet. Instantly, Tattoo-face and the boss were also on their feet. Tattoo-face shook his head. "Sorry, shorty. You can''t go." "What?" "You seen where we holin'' up. Can''t have you snitchin''." Natalie glanced around. There didn''t seem to be much to care about. It had an actual kitchen, which she supposed was important, but other than that it wasn''t a particularly impressive building. Another room had a few patchwork mattresses on the ground, and across the main hall she saw a bunch of small bags of what looked like¡­ ice? It was white and looked kind of like crystal splinters. From the way it was packed away, well out of sight of the door, Natalie figured that must be what they were so protective of. Drugs, she assumed, but she didn''t know enough to know what kind of drugs they might be. She barely knew anything at all, but they''d come up in a special Health class at school once or twice. She knew they were dangerous. Natalie intended to steer well clear of those bags, but that apparently wasn''t enough for the guys. "I just want to leave the city," she said, standing up again. The bread was reaching her stomach, and she felt better already. The nausea was going away, and her head didn''t feel so light and empty. She felt a lot more confident than she did before, but still¡ªshe really didn''t want to fight anyone. Especially when the boss still had that gleaming silver pistol, and who knew what other guns and weapons they might have? "Wish I could believe you," said the boss. He glanced over at Tattoo-face, who shook his head slowly. "But you ain''t leaving unless we know you ain''t gonna tell anyone where our stash is. If you snitches, we get the stitches, you feel me?" "What?" "They kill all of us," said Door-guy, surprisingly casually. "Bang bang, two to the head." "Fuck no, they ain''t gonna waste two bullets on your skinny ass," said Weasel-face. "Sure they will, they won''t want to see these pearls starin'' back at ''em when they done." He opened his eyes wide and screwed them up, making a goofy face. "Give ''em fuckin'' shit-their-pants nightmares." "So what am I supposed to do?" asked Natalie. If it isn''t too bad, maybe I can just get away quietly. "What is she supposed to do?" asked the boss, looking at Tattoo-face. He frowned. "Can''t snitch if she can''t even get an ear. Two ways I call it. ''nitiate her, mark her good and clean so they ain''t let her within a mile." Natalie looked around confused. What did that mean? "You think she can run with us?" asked Weasel-face. "He''s a fuckin'' captain, little bitch-face," said Tattoo-face''s companion, not opening his eyes. Apparently not asleep after all. "You shits are just stash patrol." "You want me to join you guys?" Natalie asked, trying to figure out what was going on before something happened beyond her control. "You w-want an eleven year old g-girl workin'' a stash house?" said the guy who hadn''t spoken up yet, with a bit of a stutter. Natalie noticed he also had a gun, though, and everyone else fell silent the moment he spoke up. He was someone to be worried about. "Bitch, I was blazin'' when I was less than a dime, so shut yo ass and listen up," snapped Tattoo-face. "I didn''t say she''d be workin''. I just said to initiate her." Door-guy looked uneasy. "Kinda harsh." "What''s going on?" Natalie asked, fear of the unknown overcoming her fear of the guys. "He wants to mark you as one of us," Door-guy explained. He pointed at a scar on his face she hadn''t noticed before. Why is it always stupid scars? She looked around and noticed that they all had the same mark on their face. "You get cut up and that makes you one of us. Also means you take one step on someone else''s turf and you ain''t steppin'' back, y''feel? They don''t take no chances." "What''s the other option?" Natalie asked quickly, looking back to Tattoo-face. He shrugged. "Cut''chyo tongue out so you can''t talk any which way." Natalie''s blood became ice. She froze in her chair, staring at him. Her eyes could no longer blink. Her hand shook in place. He''d said it so casually. How could someone talk like that? "Why not just kill her?" asked the boss. "I ain''t killin'' a little girl. I got standards." "Whatever the fuck that means," muttered Door-guy. "Bitch want to mouth off again?" "Shut the fuck up," the boss snapped at Door-guy. He deflated immediately. Natalie stood up very suddenly. They all looked at her with interest. She shook her head. "No. Please, don''t do this." "Girl, you trespass on our house uninvited, the fuck you think was gonna go down?" Tattoo-face shrugged. "Only ''cause I like your voice, I''m gonna make this easy on you." He nodded. "Hold her down." Natalie bolted for the door, but Weasel-face tripped her up. She tumbled to the ground. "Don''t ruin your pretty dress now," he sneered. That''s it. Natalie wasn''t taking any more of that. She rolled over again and got to her feet. Weasel-face was coming at her with hands outstretched. He was over a foot taller and a lot bigger than her, but he was underestimating her. Her little fist sank into his stomach. He flew back a good twelve feet, landing on his back with a heavy thud. The rest of the group stared at her with a mixture of confusion and awe. "Shit, girl," murmured Door-guy. "Do that again." "The fuck you waiting for, motherfucker?" shouted the boss. "Grab her!" Natalie glanced at the door, but the moment she looked back, Stutter had drawn his gun. He held his aim on the door. "D-Don''t try anything st-tupid, okay?" "Just let me go!" she shouted. "I won''t tell anyone!" "You know how much that fuckin'' pile is worth?" said the boss. "Don''t make this hard on us, kid." Natalie took a step toward the door. Maybe Stutter wouldn''t pull the trigger. That happened sometimes, right? People were too scared to actually shoot. She was a kid. People didn''t shoot kids. The moment her foot lifted for a second step, a gunshot pierced her ears. It was so much louder than the hunting rifles she was used to, like it was bouncing around the room and doubling over on itself. Her ears pounded like they were trying to cram themselves inside her skull. "I said d-don''t d-do it," Stutter shouted over the ringing in their ears, though he lowered the gun anyway. "Fuckin'' idiot," said Tattoo-face, decking him. He crumpled like a stack of cards. "This place ain''t soundproof." The boss took advantage of the confusion and Natalie''s momentary hesitation to close the gap on her. She twisted around, but he''d already managed to grab her. Lifting her off her feet, he started to carry her back toward the fire. "It''ll only take a few minutes. Stop trying to run." "Don''t touch me!" she screamed. Natalie tried to kick her way free, but he was too strong. She switched tactics, reaching for a different form of magic. The electricity was waiting for her. She reached out and grabbed the boss by the neck, letting all the lightning coursing around her body travel into him. His entire head snapped to the side, and he instantly dropped her. She landed on her feet, and he dropped heavily behind her, gasping for breath. "What the fuck¡­" said Tattoo-face. Weasel-face held up his hands, backing away a few steps. Stutter had retrieved the gun, uncertain but watching her closely. "Let me go," Natalie repeated desperately. "I''m changin'' my mind," Tattoo-face said slowly. "Maybe I do want you blazin'' for us." He got up from the couch, and started walking toward her. Natalie was breathing heavily. She''d put way too much into that last burst of electricity, and she was tired. Even with the little bit of bread she''d had, she was still too hungry to maintain a strong front. Her arms and legs were shaking. She stood her ground. All bets were off. I''m sorry, Rachel. If these people were gonna try to touch her again, she''d take them all down. No matter what she had to reveal. Tattoo-face made a motion with his hand, like a quick karate chop. Natalie tried to figure out what he meant. It took her a split-second, and that was more than enough. Door-guy, who''d managed to get behind her while she was focused on the rest, whacked her in the side of the head. She lost all concentration, the magic she''d gathered up flooding back into her core again unused. As she fell sideways, her vision got blurry and dimmed a little. She could still see just long enough to watch Door-guy''s apologetic eyes swim into view, as Tattoo-guy walked up to join him.
The next few minutes were hazy and hard to follow, but Natalie never actually lost consciousness. When they cut into the side of her cheek with a knife, marking a spiraling trail up towards her ear, she could feel it. She felt every moment of it, but she could barely do more than cry in pain and try to crawl away. Her arms and legs didn''t respond to her desperate pleas to move. They were trapped, held down by unseen force. Natalie felt like she''d been reduced to just a quivering voice inside her own skull. She could feel them doing something else to the scar, something to preserve it from the snatches of conversation she caught. She groaned and tried to get away, but they held her down easily. What about magic? suggested a quiet voice, sifting up to the surface of her brain. Use your magic. Natalie reached for it, boiling away somewhere in the core of her body. Even if her limbs couldn''t do anything, so long as she could still speak she could bring forth that power. She murmured a spell, anything she could do to try and force them away. A tiny zap was all she managed. Door-guy felt a quick shock as his hand touched her face. He recoiled, but he was back a moment later as if nothing had happened, stopping the flow of blood down her cheek. The pain and the exhaustion and the haziness were too much. Natalie''s eyes slid closed. She couldn''t do anything else. Her body refused to respond, and she couldn''t muster up the connection to magic she''d relied upon for so long. She was trapped. Time passed and they seemed to leave her alone. Natalie opened her eyes, trying to figure out where she was. From the light and the color of the walls, she assumed they''d moved her onto one of the mattresses. Door-guy was sitting nearby, and once he noticed she was moving, he hurried to her side. "Don''t move around so much. You got bandages." Natalie reached up to touch them, and groaned involuntarily at the sharp pain. She recoiled. Door-guy looked uncomfortable. "Why?" she asked, trying not to cough. She knew a cough would only make her feel so much worse. "...told you why," he said, looking away. "I just wanted to go home." "Couldn''t risk you tellin'' no one." Natalie''s senses were returning. Door-guy handed her some more of the bread from earlier, which she nibbled her way through. She didn''t think for a second that he was a friend though. He was the reason she''d been blindsided. He''s first. You know what to do. "I could''ve won," she murmured. "Huh?" "Nothing." Natalie''s strength was already coming back, but she felt impatient. She felt strange. Weirdly calm, in spite of the pain and the hunger. She started wolfing down the bread heedless of how she felt. She needed energy, and food was energy¡­ in a way. More importantly, she remembered she still had a gemstone in her pocket, in addition to the emerald on the pendant around her neck. They hadn''t bothered to take it from her. She picked up the pendant with one hand, holding onto it tight and feeling out for the energy inside. It had enough. More than enough. "That''s real pretty." He leaned away and grabbed her jacket, handing it over to her. "Sorry." She shook her head. He winced, but the bandages didn''t move. They were strong enough. Natalie pulled the jacket on, warding herself away from the night chill. "I can go now, right?" "Yeah, but if you want to stay ''til that scabs over, I gotchu. They ain''t gonna bust you so hard now that they know you can''t go snitch." Couldn''t anyone just go spy on you if they make their own mark, then? This doesn''t make sense. None of this place makes any sense. I hate it. Still, Natalie wasn''t about to say that out loud. If she pointed out the flawed logic, they might change their mind about letting her go. "If I go back out the door, what way should I go?" "Walk the coast and follow that back all the way to downtown. You''re tryin'' to get back to Tacoma, right?" She shrugged. South in general was good enough. "We own the coast, so no one''s gonna fuck with you down there." He handed her a glass of water, which she downed gratefully. He hesitated. "So¡­ They''re gonna ask you if you want to work for us. Actual enforcement shit." She didn''t respond, biting into another piece of bread with a blank expression. "Look, it''s way better than trickin'', and that''s where most girls like you end up. I think you could be a warrior. You seem like you could handle it, and no one expects a kid to pull the shit you can pull." He was trying to sound nice. "I mean, blazin'' ain''t bad work. You get paid, you get girls¡ªor guys, or both, if that''s your deal," he added quickly. "Wait, you ain''t even old enough to get that, are you? I''m an idiot. You''ll love it someday though. Shit, you even get some of the product if you use. So long as you can keep it clean on a run, you do whatever the fuck you want. You get to be a king." "Queen," she murmured. "Queen, sure, whatever the fuck you want. British fuckers got a queen right?" She nodded. She got to her feet, finding it much easier than she expected. The pain on the side of her face didn''t subside, but she didn''t really want it to. It was a constant reminder for her, keeping her awake. Alert. Angry. You''re in control now. They don''t know it yet, but you do. Do it. Natalie walked to the door of the room, Door-guy right behind her. She emerged back into the main floor. The fire had barely dipped at all, so very little time had passed. The group was still seated around the fire, though they looked up as she walked forward to the edge of the circle. Tattoo-face was back on his couch with his companion. His expression was still just as casual and blank as before. "Little bitch tell you what''s on offer?" She nodded. For some reason, she didn''t really feel afraid of them anymore. Maybe it was because she''d decided not to hold back, or maybe it was because they''d already shown what they were willing to do. Either way, all the ambiguity was gone. In its place was the beginning of a cascade, like a drum solo that was slowly building up to a fierce crescendo. Natalie had listened to her father play so many of those solos. One day, she''d manage to play along with him. She''d been learning the piano just for that reason. She''d probably never get the chance now. "Your call, girl. I don''t want a fighter who ain''t gonn'' show when the time comes. No one can be forced into this shit. Butchu ain''t gonna get another offer anywhere else. That mark''s permanent. You one of us whether you wanna be or not." Natalie glanced around. They were all still seated. None of them were prepared. Stutter had lost his gun. The boss still had his, tucked into the apron he still hadn''t taken off, but his hand wasn''t anywhere near it. Weasel-face was watching her resentfully, and Tattoo-face''s companion wasn''t paying any attention at all. "Do you want me to fight?" Natalie asked carefully, feigning being slow from her injuries. She just needed a few more seconds. Just to make sure. Memories of Rachel floated through her mind, shouting at her to defend herself in a street full of fear and rage. I didn''t want to do this. They made me. I didn''t have a choice. "Shit, how hard did you fuckin'' hit her?" Tattoo-face asked Door-guy. They were going to kill you. These guys are going to kill you. If you want to live, you have to fight back. "It wasn''t that hard!" I don''t want to die. "I''m okay," Natalie said. "I''m thirteen though." "What?" You have to kill. "I''m not eleven years old. I''m thirteen." Tattoo-face looked confused, as did the rest of them. It didn''t matter anymore though. Natalie had more than enough time to finish what she''d started. She dropped down to one knee. She''d gathered up energy for minutes, everything she could muster, along with the energy in the gemstone she''d pulled out of her jacket pocket. The stone wasn''t the right kind for the spell she was about to use, but it was still energy. It disintegrated into dust between her fingers. She flung out her palm, fingers pointing forward, and shouted the last part in the spell. It tore at her lungs and throat as it came out, leaving her mouth raw, louder than she''d ever shouted before. Her entire body felt it leave in a rush of blood and energy. A massive lightning blast crackled out, arcing around the room like a snake. It snapped out at the first thing it could latch onto¡ªthe metal gun in the boss'' apron. The gun was utterly disintegrated. The lightning kept going, rolling through him and arcing around to the next guy. It leapt around the circle. The boss was flung backward over his chair, skidding across the concrete. Weasel-face took the brunt of the next jump, and collapsed as though he were a puppet with its strings cut. Tattoo-guy''s companion was next in line, and fared no better. The couch began to smoke as the lightning arced across it, catching fire an instant later. Tattoo-guy fell to the ground twitching. Stutter collapsed too, finally, as the lightning burned through the rest of the energy Natalie had given it. It was enough. She twisted around, with another quick spell on her lips, and shoved Door-guy away before he could do anything. He flew backward, ten feet head-over-heels, and landed on the mattress in the room they''d just left. Panting, Natalie started for the heavy steel door in the wall. A bullet slammed out with another earsplitting pop from the gun, embedding into the wall only a few feet in front of her. "Hey bitch. I ain''t done with you." Tattoo-face was still awake. How? She''d put so much into that lightning blast. It felt just like the ones she''d done back in Rallsburg. Were there just too many people in the way this time? Or was it more than that? Did she have a better energy source back then? Something else to make her lightning so strong? She didn''t have time to figure it out. Tattoo-face must have grabbed the other gun, which hadn''t gotten annihilated by the lightning. She slowly turned around to face him, and found herself facing a loaded gun once again. He growled through gritted teeth. "Don''t move, don''t say a word. Whatever the fuck you just did, you''re gonna tell me how." How can I do that if I can''t say a word? Natalie wondered, but she didn''t dare move regardless. No matter how shaky his aim might be, it was still close enough that she didn''t want to risk it. She was staring down the barrel of the pistol, and it was one of the most terrifying things she''d ever seen. Even more than the golems, or the mob of angry men in Rallsburg. This was a real gun, something that could kill her in an instant if his finger twitched just slightly. Her dad had taught her about guns, and instilled a healthy fear. A gun didn''t feel anything. It didn''t know anything. It just killed. "Check ''em," he shouted at Door-guy, who was finally recovering from the punch Natalie had thrown. He limped around the circle, checking for a pulse on each of them. "Dead. Every fuckin'' one." "All of ''em?" Tattoo-face asked, surprised. Natalie was too. She was pretty sure Stutter had still been alive. Apparently not. And soon I won''t be either. It''s over. "All of ''em. Straight dead or choked dead, I dunno shit. I''m not a doctor. But none of ''em got a pulse." Don''t give up. Fight. Tattoo-face whistled slightly. "Damn." Natalie didn''t know what to say, so she said nothing at all. She just kept watching the gun barrel, too afraid to let it out of her gaze. I''m going to die here. He''s going to kill me. I tried everything I could and none of it worked. I had to hurt people again and it was for nothing. I''m going to die. Tattoo-face shook his head slightly. "You''re a cold-ass brat, ain''t you? Kill four guys and not a fuckin'' word." "I just wanted to go home. I didn''t want to hurt anyone," Natalie said, feeling despair flowing through her brain like an empty wave. "You guys wouldn''t let me." "How''d you do it?" "I¡ª" Natalie didn''t have to answer. Out of nowhere, a gray-robed figure appeared behind Tattoo-face, standing on a chair. A knife flashed straight to his throat, slicing him wide open. As he fell, the gun flew from his hand on its own and landed in the figure''s palm. In an instant, before Natalie could react, the figure twisted around and fired two clean shots into Door-guy''s chest. They both collapsed. The gunshots rang in her ears. Natalie slowly lifted her eyes, after looking away from the sudden gunshots, and there¡ªfinally¡ªstood Cinza. Brown-haired and with a streak of blood on her hand, but still¡­ she''d come for Natalie. A moment later, Cinza''s legs buckled. She nearly fell off the chair, only barely catching herself. Natalie ran to her, putting out the slowly growing fire on the couch as she did, before it started to spread to the whole building. Cinza dropped the gun to the ground, panting heavily. "Hello," she gasped in her echoing voice. "I''m¡­ sorry¡­ I took so long." [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] B2: Chapter 13 — The Emerald City (Part III) Chapter 13 ¡ª The Emerald City (Part III) Cinza fought for breath. The rest of the room was eerily quiet, though the bodies of the guys were still all situated around them. Natalie did her best to avoid looking at any of them. She didn''t want to remember what had happened in that room. She just wanted to get away. Her skin was burning, her stomach churning. She felt sick to the point of agony. The sooner they got out of there, the better¡ªbut for the moment, Cinza was clearly in no shape to move. "It took us a while to determine where you were," Cinza murmured, clutching her side as if she''d just run a mile. "I went to the park, but you weren''t there. Nicole had to scry you over the phone." "I¡ª" Natalie started, but Cinza held up a hand. "I asked around. One of my old¡­ acquaintances told me who you''d been seen with. That park used to be safe¡­ I''m so sorry." Natalie''s heart stopped. She hadn''t wanted anyone to know what had happened to her in that park. "...Tom?" she whispered. "He switches names. I knew him as Philip." Cinza shook her head. "I''m disgusted that no one has ever dealt with him." "Why didn''t you?" "Because at the time, I was nothing." Cinza shook her head. "You see me shaped by the life I had forced upon me, through no choice of my own. I couldn''t escape, any more than you could escape the fate that befell you in Rallsburg." She paused, looking Natalie in the eye. "These events do not define us. You won''t ever forget what happened here. Don''t try to. Keep it within you, let it teach you who you will become. You are stronger than they are, and you have a whole life ahead of you yet to live." Natalie wanted to believe her, but after the night she''d had, she didn''t know how much more she could take. Her face chose that moment to twinge in pain, and she instinctively reached up to touch the bandages. Cinza''s eyes softened. "What is this?" she asked, pointing at her face. "They¡­ they cut me. Initiating. That''s what they called it." "Ah." Cinza nodded slightly. "I didn''t realize you were joining a gang." "I didn''t!" Natalie said indignantly, then winced as the pain spiked in her face. Her eyes welled up. "I tried to stop them! I didn''t want to hurt anyone!" "I know. You only wanted to protect yourself. You''ve never had to deal with something like this before, and you never should have, but it happened." Cinza took her hand, but Natalie slipped away. Something about the touch made her feel nauseous. "I swear to you today, I''ll help you find a way to undo their mark." Natalie''s heart fell. "You don''t know how?" She shook her head. "I can make illusions of change, but they must be maintained constantly. Others have found ways to change their appearances in permanent ways, but they are all superficial. Colors and pigments. No one has ever managed to actually change the structure of their body beyond the lightest touch upon the surface. A scar this deep is beyond us." "I¡­" Natalie started, her eyes welling up. Cinza moved forward, as if to hug Natalie. Natalie leaned into it, wanting to feel comforted by someone, anyone, even someone like Cinza whom she didn''t really like¡ªbut the moment they made contact, she felt a spike of fear and pain unlike anything she''d ever known. Natalie pulled away as if she''d been struck. Cinza looked at her, confused. "Is something wrong?" "Don''t touch me," she whispered. She backed away fearfully. She turned toward the couch, but it had a dead body. Dead bodies surrounded her. Everything was painful, everything was terrifying, everything wanted to hurt her. Even people she trusted couldn''t come near. She''d been damaged by them in a way not even Rallsburg had managed, and even though they''d paid dearly for it, she knew she''d feel that pain for the rest of her life. She sat down against the wall while Cinza watched her in pained confusion, and rocked back and forth, trying to comprehend what she''d been through, what she''d done. I just want to go home. But, of course, Natalie didn''t have a real home to go to. Her home had been destroyed, like these men, like her entire life.
They finally exited the building a few minutes later, after Cinza recovered and Natalie calmed down. She pulled the door open with one hand easily enough, with only a little bit of magic. "You''ve gotten taller," Cinza commented. Natalie glanced down at her. It was true. The last time they''d seen each other, Natalie had been about an inch shorter than the grey-robed girl. Now, she could claim a good three inches¡ªmaybe more if Cinza wasn''t wearing such thick boots. "It doesn''t mean anything," she mumbled. "Oh, it certainly does. It means you can reach things more easily than I can." Cinza smiled weakly. "Not that I''d ever let that stop me." "Do you want to be taller?" She shook her head. "I am content with exactly who I am. If I wished myself different, I would find a way to achieve it. I may do so anyway, for the sake of our research, but I''d never change a thing about myself." "But like you said, it would make some things easier." "Perhaps." Cinza shrugged. "But this is the body I was born in, the body I grew to understand. Its flaws and its strengths. We''ve fought through a lot together." Natalie glanced at her. "I''m confused. Are you saying you and your body are different things?" "To me, it''s always been a very complicated machine keeping my mind awake and alive. It''s a source of energy that the mind can use as it sees fit. Magic works in much the same way, but now our minds can access energy from more places than just our body. Do you see what I mean?" "...I guess so." Cinza smiled. "Philosophy is something we''ve been trying to master for thousands of years. No one is ever right. We each chip away at a tiny part of the whole and hope someone, eventually, figures out the right way to think." "How can you have ways of thinking?" She laughed. "Exactly." Which, to Natalie, wasn''t answering her question at all, or very funny, but she could tell Cinza was trying to distract her from what had happened. It wasn''t really working. As Cinza laughed, her legs got weak again. She tapped Natalie, and they both sat down against the wall to take a quick rest. "Did something happen to you?" Natalie asked. Last time she''d seen Cinza was in Rallsburg. She''d been recovering from the big ritual they''d tried to perform, but Natalie only vaguely remembered how badly she''d been doing. Surely this was something else, right? "Overexertion of magic, it seems." Cinza took out a water bottle from her bag, drinking deep. She offered it to Natalie, who drank down some as well to clear her dry throat. At the sight of the bag, a new wave of panic burst into her head. "My purse and my phone!" she cried. "We need to find them!" "It''s all right." Cinza finished off the bottle before placing it back in her bag carefully. "We locked your phone remotely. I''ve also blacklisted its device ID from the website, and temporarily disabled your account. Unless they manage to pull some information from the browser cache, there''s no way they can find out any information about it." Natalie didn''t quite follow all the technical details, but Cinza sounded confident, so she took her word for it. "And my purse?" "That¡­ might be difficult," Cinza sighed. "Can you describe the man who took it?" "No¡­ I didn''t see him. He snuck up behind me. But the guy who took my phone, I saw him!" "They were working together?" "I think so. He walked up and asked me what time it was. Then when I pulled out my phone to check, he took it, and the other guy took the purse." Cinza shook her head. "They''re still using that¡­?" she murmured. "The man you saw, his face looked a bit off? Almost like it were melting?" "Oh. Yeah. That sounds right." Cinza withdrew her phone, but Natalie interrupted before she could start dialing. "Please¡­ don''t tell anyone what happened?" She nodded. "There''s no need. You simply got lost downtown. And a sharp piece of metal somewhere accidentally cut your ear," she added, nodding at Natalie''s face. "Nothing else happened." Natalie cracked a smile, the first time she''d felt anything resembling happiness in hours, but it was still hollow and faint. No matter how reassuring Cinza might sound, she knew she couldn''t keep everything hidden forever. The spiral mark on their faces was too distinct, and now it was on her too. Someone was bound to see it eventually, and Natalie doubted she could keep an illusion moving on her face all the time. She''d never even made an illusion before, or any kind of light magic really. The method Cinza had described on the website hadn''t worked for her at all. Cinza was talking to someone about the two men. She''d named them, but Natalie hadn''t heard her, lost in her own thoughts. Natalie stared at her reflection in a nearby puddle, the bandage taped to her face standing out like a sore thumb. "I know where they are," Cinza announced with a flourish. "How?" "An old friend who luckily still had enough minutes on her phone. I''m going to owe her a good lunch for this, at the very least." She dropped the phone into her bag. "I should say, I know where they should be. This may take longer than we''d hope." "Why can''t you just do the thing¡­ the thing you did to find me?" "Scrying?" Cinza supplied. "Well, for one, it takes quite a lot of strength for Nicole to scry even one person, unfortunately. She''s gotten better at it, but it was quite taxing to find you." "I''m sorry," Natalie mumbled, turning away. "No!" Cinza shook her head fervently. She started to lean towards Natalie, but stopped as Natalie involuntarily shrunk away. She didn''t want anyone to touch her, or get close to her. She felt like a monster. The bodies of the men were stuck in her mind, burned and twisted, just like the ones back in Rallsburg. Cinza continued as if Natalie hadn''t reacted, but Natalie saw her face fall a little, and felt even worse. "This is what we''re here to do. Nicole will recover in time, don''t worry. You''ve felt tired after using too much magic, right?" "...Yeah." "But every time, given a break, food and rest, the effects vanish, yes? It''s quite the same with her, albeit rather more dramatically. She''ll be fine." "Okay." "Besides that limitation," Cinza continued, getting to her feet, "Nicole has never met these two particular thieves, or had any interaction with them, so they cannot be scryed. She is not familiar with their essence, to use her term." "Their essence?" "I''m afraid I don''t know what it means either," Cinza shook her head sadly. "Knowledge magic eludes me entirely. Nicole is the only member of our family to achieve even the faintest result, though apparently Joshua made some headway with identifying essences." Natalie had to take a few moments to follow Cinza''s complicated way of talking. "Oh." "Shall we, then?" Cinza started back toward the open street. Natalie hesitated, glancing down at her reflection in the puddle again. Everything about her face looked wrong. Her hair was too long, her eyes looked red and puffy. The white bandages clinging to the space in front of her right ear were like a patch of dirty snow stuck to her face, with a faint lining of red around the edges from the blood they''d absorbed. She hated it. She hated everything about what she''d ended up like. She wanted to go back to her old self, where she felt happy and free, without so many things pressing down on her all the time, screaming at her to stay quiet and stay safe. You can never go back.
"Where are we going?" Natalie asked, watching her feet as they walked along the sidewalk. She didn''t want to look up at the city. The tall buildings weren''t exciting anymore; now they cast shadows that hid terrible things waiting to leap out and hurt her at first chance. "To a market." "Like the Marketplace?" Cinza shook her head. "Kendra''s Astral Market was a special one built for us. This is a place of much baser intentions." She stopped, taking another short break. This was one of many they''d taken, every few blocks. "Are you really okay?" she asked again tentatively. "...I''ll be fine," Cinza repeated, but it was even less convincing than the last four times. "You don''t seem okay. This place is dangerous, right?" "Yes." Cinza took a sip of water from her bottle. "You''ll have to follow my lead, all right? I''d tell you not to speak to anyone, but unfortunately that just won''t be an option. You stand out too much." Natalie glanced down at her clothes again. "I hate this stupid dress." "Really? I think it looks quite good on you." Natalie shook her head, her hand involuntarily going up to touch the bandage on her face again, which she immediately regretted. Cinza frowned. "The dress isn''t the problem, is it?" "Huh?" "It''s what happened to you while wearing it, right?" Natalie didn''t answer. She kept staring at the concrete below them, while Cinza leaned up against the nearest wall. She didn''t want Cinza to keep talking, but she couldn''t bring herself to stop her. "I''m sorry, but I have to ask." Cinza paused, and for the first time since Natalie had first met her, showed hesitation. She looked uncertain. "Tell me what happened to you in the park." Natalie''s eyes fell back to the concrete. She didn''t want to think about it¡ªdidn''t want to remember it at all, but the memory was burned into her brain, every painstaking horrible moment. Most of all, she didn''t want anyone else to know. She never wanted anybody to know what she''d been through, what she''d let happen, what he''d almost done. She might not understand it all, but she understood enough. She had an idea of what he''d been trying to do, and it scared her more than anything else she''d been through that night. Cinza waited patiently, but after a few minutes it became clear Natalie wasn''t going to answer her. Finally, she spoke again, and her voice wasn''t echoing anymore. She still had her unusual accent, but it was plain and as comforting as she could manage. Natalie had never heard her normal voice before. "...If he touched you, or hurt you in any way, I hope you can tell me someday. I''m here to listen if you need me. But I want you to know something very important. Something I wish I''d been told when I was your age." Cinza reached out and grasped Natalie''s hand. She wanted to get away, but Cinza held on firmly and didn''t let go. "This is not your fault. You didn''t do anything to deserve this. This wretched thing happened, and you aren''t ever going to forget it, but you are not to blame." Cinza finally let go of her hand, and as she did, Natalie felt her urge to run and hide fall away as well. She still wanted to be alone, wanted to flee deep into the forest as far away from anyone who could hurt her, wanted to never be near another human being again¡ªbut for the first time, she felt a vague connection to Cinza, something beyond just a mysterious older girl with weird beliefs and weirder clothes. Natalie finally looked back up at Cinza''s face, which was soft and full of concern. She continued speaking, in her quiet natural voice. "You can talk to me, anytime, about anything. I will never judge you for anything you''ve done, or anything that has been done to you. It doesn''t need to be now, or ever, but when you''re ready, I am here to listen." Natalie knew it should have made her feel better, but she still felt raw and beaten¡ªlike she was a broken doll that had been tossed out with the trash. Cinza may have found her, but she wasn''t whole anymore. She''d lost something, and she didn''t know how to find it anymore. But Cinza was trying to help, and even that tiny light was enough to give her hope. She still felt awful, but there was something she could move toward. As Cinza started walking again and Natalie fell in behind her, she finally spoke up. "She hates ''Nicole''." "I''m sorry?" Cinza said, falling back a few steps to match her. "Nikki hates being called Nicole." Cinza looked genuinely surprised. "She told you this?" "Kinda. Back when we used to play games at home. Whenever I was on her team, she made sure everybody knew not to call her that. She hates her full name." Cinza shook her head in bemusement. "She never said a word to me." "...You''re kind of scary." She looked up at Natalie sharply, which was a new experience all on its own. Natalie was so used to people looking down at her, even at school. Most of the kids were growing faster than her. Cinza was shorter than her though, and Natalie was still growing. It felt strange. "I don''t mean bad scary," Natalie went on. "I mean¡­ intimidating. That''s better, right? Like people are scared to talk to you sometimes." "That doesn''t seem all that distinct," Cinza murmured. "I''m not scared though." "Oh?" "You never scared me. I just didn''t like you." The corner of her mouth twitched. "Is that so? Did something change?" Natalie felt a tiny bit of mirth as she replied. "No. I still don''t like you." As she said it though, she reached out and took Cinza''s hand, holding tight. She still felt that revulsion, the nausea that she knew had nothing to do with Cinza, and she forced it down. She had to, if she ever wanted to be able to hold someone''s hand ever again. Together, they walked through the dark streets, silver robe and green army jacket marking a truly odd sight for the few passersby in the dead of night.
"It''s down through that alley," Cinza whispered. "Should I wait here?" Natalie had very mixed feelings about the whole idea. She didn''t want to go into yet another strange place that night, with even more possibilities of terrible people, but at the same time she didn''t want to be left alone. She didn''t really want to spend more time with Cinza, but Cinza was the only person who could understand what she was going through. She desperately wanted her bag back, but she didn''t want to be the one making the decisions to get it. She''d let Cinza decide. The other girl was so much older than her, and smarter and braver. Those were traits Natalie could admire, even if the rest of her was weird and confusing and frequently irritating. "I wish it were that simple," Cinza replied, "but I''m not confident in my abilities right now." She lifted an arm, and Natalie could see it shaking as she tried to hold it steady. "I haven''t told anyone this. Only Ruby, and now you¡­ I''m very weak. Doing most magic leaves me quite frail. Just that short span in the warehouse felt like it could kill me." Natalie was surprised Cinza was taking her into confidence, until Cinza went on. "I''m going to need your help, and I can''t keep you invisible to do it, or I''d collapse in minutes. I don''t suppose you ever managed to make the reflective wall we described, or manipulate photons?" She shook her head. "I tried it at home once, but I didn''t understand what you wrote. It was too confusing." Cinza sighed. "And we don''t have time to practice it now either." She began taking off her robes. "Make sure no one comes upon us, please? I need to change into something less conspicuous." From her bag, she produced a shirt and pants, quite plain compared to the intricately designed and magically enhanced clothes she''d been wearing. While she changed, Natalie glanced at her bag. "Do you have any more clothes? We''re almost the same size, right?" Cinza shook her head, carefully folding her robes and most of her jewelry, placing them gently back into her bag before strapping it over her shoulder. "Only the pair, and I''m afraid my robes would stand out even more than your dress. Keep your jacket on and stay close to me." "Okay." She still seemed to be wrestling with something in her head, Natalie could tell. Halfway down the alley, Cinza stopped and turned to her. "...We''re about to enter a¡ª" "Really bad place, I know. I''ll be careful." "Not just that," Cinza sighed. "This is an old life of mine. I left it years ago, but the players haven''t changed. The game never changes. I''ll be¡­ quite different than what you know. I need you to pretend you''ve always known me¡ªthat this is totally normal. Stay quiet whenever you can, but if someone asks, you must play along. If anyone tries to get close to you, you can back away, but don''t try to hurt them. Can you do that?" Natalie was never more aware of how strange Cinza''s normal voice sounded, compared to what she was used to. She''d just come to expect the magical echo from the older girl at all times. Hearing Cinza speak so plainly, and knowing she was about to reveal some of her past that no one from town had ever known, made the seriousness of the situation sink in even deeper for Natalie. "...Do I need a new name too?" "Jenny will suffice. As long as you do not give away your last name¡ªeither of them¡ªwe should be fine, but I doubt anyone will ask for it." "And what''s your name?" Cinza hesitated. She looked¡­ embarrassed? Natalie wasn''t sure. She''d never seen that expression on her, but it looked like embarrassment. "...Candy." "Candy?" "They gave it to me, because I was small, and young, and looked like a ''kid in the candy store''." Cinza looked away. "I didn''t select it." "Well I didn''t get to choose my name either," Natalie pointed out. "That''s normal, isn''t it?" "I suppose." Cinza started forward. Natalie followed a step behind, like Cinza had instructed. "Don''t worry if you can''t talk like we do. You won''t be expected to. Just speak normally, all right?" "What does that mean?" "You''ll see." They turned the corner, then another. Natalie noticed as they walked that Cinza seemed to change with every few steps. Her steps were a little slower, a little less deliberate. Where she normally walked fast and confident, like someone who always knew where she was going and how fast she needed to get there, now she seemed almost like she were dancing a little. It was small, but Cinza managed to make it look so casual. Her feet moved in a straight line rather than side by side, making her hips sway with every step, and her shoulders and chest moved more than usual, like she were strutting. Even her head moved a little differently. It was like Natalie were following a totally different person. "Hold up girl, whatchu lookin'' fer?" called out a older male voice as they approached a fenced off alley. He was sitting on a pile of wooden boxes by the gate, with a glowing phone in his hand. "You trickin'' or jus'' lookin'' to score?" Cinza answered, and it was like nothing Natalie had heard before. Her voice was completely different, except for her accent, which she''d reduced somehow so it was just a flavor rather than the entire taste of her words. Cinza didn''t sound like Cinza anymore. Natalie had to remind herself not to react, not to make a move. This is totally normal. "Boy I been trickin'' all night, but streets is dead. I got bills to pay and it''s time I checked in to the hotel, ya feel?" "Hear that, hear that." He raised a grubby eyebrow and held out a tin. "You up front or runnin'' a cut?" "Cut''s still ten on the top, yeah?" "Oh, we got an oldie here do we? It''s fifteen these days, girly. You migh'' get you a discoun'' though if you sellin'' doubles." He leered at Natalie, who shrunk back involuntarily. His beady eyes made her even more uncomfortable. "Hello cutie. What happened to yo'' face?" "She''s my partner, and she jus'' got a new tattoo. Give her that mystery foreign look, feel?" Cinza added quickly, clutching Natalie''s hand. Natalie felt a now-familiar spike of revulsion run through her, but forced it down. She had to keep pretending. Cinza knew what she was doing. Natalie had to trust her. "Tag-teamin'' boys for double-double special, you know how it is." "Economics, baby. I getchu." He shrugged. "Look''s a bit under the consent though, don''t she?" "She good. I know you don''t let that shit fly," Cinza replied. "Do you now?" He squinted at her. "I know you, sugar?" "I dunno, were you workin'' sout-end ''bou five year back?" He scratched his chin. "Shit girl, that ain''t Candy Pop?" Cinza dipped into a fake curtsy with an imaginary dress. "One and only." "I heard you graduated." "Jus'' moved on, change of scenery. Keepin'' ahead of the game. Whatchu doin'' out at the gate, Harley? Figgered you''d be runnin'' the square all night." "Sometimes I just like the fresh air, and watchin'' for in''trestin'' people to drop in." He frowned at them. "I los'' a lot of business when you jumped, girl. If you back, you back, but I''m gonn'' need twenny." "Fuck you," Cinza spat. Natalie jumped a little. She''d been hearing pretty harsh language all night, to be fair, but from Cinza''s mouth it was especially jarring¡ªand it didn''t stop there. "I ain''t payin'' no shit twenny cent just to trick in your hotel." Cinza jerked a thumb at Natalie, who shrank away a little. "I''m bringin'' fresh meat and service with a fuckin'' smile, so you gonna let me in for the standard ten for fuckin''. You know I''m clean, you know I do good business, and you know I never cause shit for drama. So am I gettin'' through or you gonna waste more billin'' hours pissin'' out here in the wind?" Cinza took a step toward him. Another guy they hadn''t seen pointedly moved into view and casually flashed a pistol. The gate-guy held up a hand. He grinned. "There''s the Candy I know and love. You too smart for this game, girl." He waved her forward. Cinza sauntered up without hesitating. Natalie was still stunned in place for a few moments, trying to figure out what had just happened, before she remembered she was supposed to stay close. She hurried up next to Cinza as they reached the gate. As they passed by the gate guy, Cinza got up on her tip-toes and brushed the man''s face with her hand. She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. Natalie''s eyes got even wider at the sight. "Dontchu forget me now, Harley baby," Cinza murmured in a husky voice. "Damn girl, you got time at the end of the night and you come find me. You ain''t never forget again." Cinza grinned, then passed through the gate. The guy watched her walk away dreamily, and Natalie hurried to follow her inside.
There was another short, dark stretch beyond the gate. Cinza kept walking, but as Natalie got close, her voice dropped low and the accent returned in full, though the magical echo stayed gone. Natalie was really starting to miss it. "I despise that man." "We can talk?" she whispered. "For a few moments." "What was all that?" Cinza hesitated. "I used to work in this market, years ago. I haven''t been to this particular spot, since it moves to keep ahead of the police, but I remember how they operate. I spent a long time here." "Is this a place for drugs?" She shook her head. "Not primarily. They''ll trade narcotics, but the main product for sale is¡­ well, girls." "What?" "You''re going to see some things I wish you could avoid," Cinza continued, "but we don''t have time. That bag is running out of magic, and I don''t think I can get it back alone." "What happens when it runs out?" She''d never asked before, not sure if she wanted to know the answer. "It collapses." She paused, taking another quick break. She considered leaning up against the wall, but after seeing how grimy and disgusting it was, she seemed to decide against it. Natalie, too, avoided touching anything she possibly could. The entire place had a bad stench about it, too, inescapable and filling everything. "It essentially becomes an ultra-dense object in an instant, with all the expected consequences. Most everything inside will be crushed, then explode outward as it expands the compressed mass." Cinza stood back up, resuming her new walk and attitude. She raised her voice a little louder than necessary, slipping back into her casual slippery tone from before in a heartbeat. "Keep up, Jenny. If we don''t get in there and start sellin'' we gonna be starvin'' tonight, so put on your face and smile pretty for the men." The alleyway opened up into a space surrounded by tall buildings. Temporary fences walled off every other entrance to the area. A broken fountain stood in the middle, around which sat a half-dozen young women in various stages of undress, lounging about like mermaids without tails in a pool without water. They batted their eyelashes and stretched out as men walked by, trying to catch some attention. Many of the men in turn were moving about between a row of tables, where people were selling things Natalie didn''t recognize. Bags of things, sharp needles, spoons, lighters, pills. It was almost like a pharmacy or a doctor''s office. On the other side, she saw an area full of lounge chairs and couches, where more women and men were standing around, or sitting, or¡­ something. As she watched, one man took a woman by the arm and lead her into the open back door of the nearest building, disappearing into the pale yellow light. No one paid them any mind. As soon as Natalie and Cinza walked into the space, a few heads twisted their direction. One man in particular gave them a leer that made Natalie''s hands clench involuntarily into fists, but he was already heading into a building with a girl slavishly hanging off his arm. Cinza ignored him entirely, beelining for one of the women lounging alone on the couch. As she approached, the woman glanced up lazily, as if Cinza were no one particularly interesting. A second later, the woman made a double take. Natalie noticed that, while Cinza had changed into plain clothes, they were still quite different from what most of the girls wore. Cinza wore her usual practical, clean and simple outfit, but the woman was wearing a dress so sparkly Natalie felt like she''d go blind if any light hit it directly. More importantly, it barely stretched past her waist, and the top was cut impossibly low with straps so thin, it may as well have ended below her shoulders. The woman spoke up suddenly in a sultry voice. "You come lookin'' for a easy night? I''m down to party." "What''ll you charge?" Cinza asked. Natalie was confused. From what she''d understood, they were there pretending to work, not buy. Had their story changed now that they were inside? "Warm up two girls as pretty as you? Why don''t we head upstairs and I''ll blow your minds right now." She stood up quickly and started toward the nearest building, throwing them a look over her shoulder, narrow-eyed and smirking. Natalie still had no clue what was going on, but followed Cinza and the woman inside. One flight of stairs and a beaten wooden door later, and they were inside an apartment with the door closed. The woman sat down on the edge of the wide double-bed, the only clean piece of furniture Natalie had seen in hours. "Jesus Christ, Candy," she muttered. "Where the hell have you been?" Cinza rushed forward and hugged her tight. "I missed you, Crystal. I''m glad you''re all right." Crystal leaned down to wrap up Cinza in her arms. "You doin'' okay, girl?" "More than okay." "Damn, girl, what''s up with your voice? You always have that accent?" "Yes." Cinza smiled. She''d let her full accent slip back into place, though still without her signature echo. She took a few steps back, returning to Natalie''s side. "I''m sorry, but we don''t have a whole lot of time." "Oh God, don''t tell me you''re bringin'' her in now too?" Crystal looked at Natalie with a worried expression. "She looks even younger than you were when you started. I had a hard enough time keepin'' you strong, baby." "No." Natalie shook her head in agreement. She already knew she wanted nothing to do with this life, from what she''d seen and what Cinza had said. "I''m not sayin'' I wouldn''t," Crystal added hastily, looking at Natalie. "You ever need a place to lay your head for a night, need an escape, I''m here for you." "...Thanks?" said Natalie, not certain what she meant. "Just don''t go tryin'' most others, plenty of ''em don''t swing that and they get bitchy when you ask. Candy learned that the hard way." Cinza shook her head. "Jenny and I will be leaving as soon as possible. We came here to get something of hers that was stolen." "You know Harley don''t fence. Crews would tear this place up. Keepin'' the peace and makin'' free trade is how we all live." Crystal glanced out the window, where they could just make out some of the people down in the square. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. "We''re searching for Meltyface," said Cinza. "I received a tip he and his partner would be perusing Harley''s tonight." "There you go, talkin'' fancy again," Crystal grinned. She glanced at Natalie. "You know this is the most proper little girl I ever saw workin'' a corner? And all that writing. Made my wrists tired just watchin'' her. She''s a smart one, Jenny. Don''t you go losin'' her." Cinza put an arm around Natalie''s shoulders. She felt an urge to push her away, to recoil and get as far away as possible. Why is this all happening? Is it¡­ is it because I killed them? Because I killed people back home? Am I being punished? It is not your fault. It is not Cinza''s fault either. It''s his fault. It''s all their faults. Cinza is trying to keep to a story. Just play along. "Have you seen them?" Cinza asked. "We''re in a bit of a hurry." Crystal frowned. "Not in weeks, sorry." As Natalie''s face fell, she quickly went on. "But that doesn''t mean they ain''t here. I had a few early in the night, might have missed ''em walk in. You remember Meltyface''s type, dontchu?" she added, glancing at Cinza. She nodded. "Unfortunately." "Lemme think. Only girl here tonight that fits the build is Kitty. She''ll be over in 302, ''cross the way." She pointed at the far building, straight across the square and one to the left. "Not many girls get that building. Gotta be in Niddles'' stable. Shouldn''t be too hard to find her room. Could be tricky gettin'' in though." Cinza gave her another quick hug. "Thank you, Crystal." "Hold up now," Crystal said, before Cinza could hurry out of the room. "You told ''em you were here to trick, right?" Cinza nodded. "They''re tighter than they used to be. Suspicious." "That much?" "Couple o'' near-busts. Pay-offs didn''t go as planned or somethin'', rumors of a leak, so they tightened up security. If they spot you runnin'' out of here and straight into another buildin'' without so much as a ''hey there'', they gonna bust you. Out on your ass ''fore you can say please." Crystal shook her head. "You gotta warm up, like you said." "How soundproof is this room?" Cinza asked hesitantly, glancing around the room. She chuckled. "Oh, heavens baby girl, I didn''t mean that. I mean, I miss you, but your sweetie''s standin'' right there!" She shook her head. "I got fake sweat. That and a good fifteen minutes and you''ll be good to go." Cinza smirked. "Fifteen minutes?" "Don''t you start," Crystal snapped, getting up to fetch a spray bottle from the bathroom cabinet while Cinza smiled suggestively. "I''ll blow your mind in any clock you want, you just say the word." While she was busy filling the bottle, Natalie leaned away from Cinza just slightly. Cinza noticed and immediately released her. "I''m sorry," she whispered. "It''s okay," Natalie replied, but she really didn''t feel like it. She''d been incredibly uncomfortable the whole time, with what little she understood of the situation they were in, and the constant waves of revulsion and pain. She wanted to get away, but there was no way she could leave without her bag. "It''s not. I should have remembered." "Crystal seems nice," Natalie said, desperate to change the subject. Cinza smiled again. "A rare trait in this life." "Is it that bad?" "Almost everyone here only ever thinks of themselves. Crystal''s one of the few to remember we''re all on the same side." "And you¡­ did all this too?" Cinza took a seat on the bed, taking the opportunity to rest again. "I did." Natalie bit her lip slightly, uncertain. "Isn''t this¡­ really bad?" She hesitated. "...I don''t really know. I don''t like a lot of what I did, but if I hadn''t done it, I would probably be dead. I ended up in this life, and I tried to make the most of it." Cinza gestured to the bed, and Natalie reluctantly took a seat. The bathroom door closed, startling them both. "She''s giving us time to talk, it seems." "But aren''t you supposed to¡­ you know¡­ only with someone you really love?" Natalie couldn''t bring herself to say it. Cinza looked at her oddly. "I think I was raised very differently from you. I was never taught anything like that. I was never taught at all, in fact. I had to learn in bits and pieces." "Oh." "I''ve never thought anything two people might do together is wrong or bad, if they''re both choosing to do it," she continued. "I can only trust in my own instincts. I believed that I was in control, and when I felt like I wasn''t anymore, I escaped. But even so, everything I did, with whomever, was my choice. I can''t see anything wrong with that." "Do you mean wrong like how some people think¡­ two girls is wrong?" Natalie asked. Cinza smiled. "Exactly. When Ruby and I are together, I don''t feel anything wrong. Quite the opposite." She hesitated, and her voice dropped a little. "But when you were in the park, what did you feel?" A chill went through Natalie''s mind as the painful memory forced itself back to the surface. Suddenly, though, there was a layer between it and her mind. It still hurt, and she still shuddered to think about it, but it wasn''t quite so painful that she couldn''t talk about it. "Like I was trapped," she murmured. Cinza nodded. "Because that was wrong. What was happening was monstrous and wrong." She frowned. "The other person won''t feel the same way, and sometimes you''ll have to make sure they understand. But if you ever feel that feeling, if you are ever in doubt and feel that wrong-ness in your mind, remember this. They are not in control. It''s your choice. If they won''t listen, then you make them listen." "But what if I can''t do anything?" Natalie asked, a note of dismay breaking into her voice. "What if I''m really trapped?" Cinza glanced at the bathroom door, where the water was still running and the door was still shut tight. There''s no way the bottle isn''t full by now, Natalie realized. In a low voice, Cinza continued. "I''m sorry, because I think I was part of the reason you felt you could not act. We told you never to use magic, under any circumstances, but I never imagined something like this happening. That''s my fault, and I regret my part in it." Natalie didn''t answer, but she started shaking a little. She felt another wave of emotion crashing in and threatening to pull her under. Cinza reached up to hug her, but stopped a few inches away, and Natalie was torn between wanting to be comforted¡­ and never wanting another human being to touch her ever again. The fear won out, and she recoiled away before Cinza even got close.
"So whatchu been up to, Candy-girl?" Crystal asked, swishing up the spray bottle. "It''s been ages." "I found a new life, far out of the city." Cinza smiled. "I''m legitimate now." "No kiddin''?" Crystal whistled. Cinza closed her eyes as she raised the bottle. "I''m happy for you." "Thanks. I''m just back for the night with Jenny, but she ran into Meltyface and here we are." "You mean you were in Seattle and you weren''t gonna look me up?" Crystal made an exaggerated mocking look, spraying Cinza in the face pointedly. Cinza recoiled, and she laughed. "No worries. I wouldn''t bring a girlfriend ''round this dump either if I was you." She took another long look at Cinza, now soaked with the mixture of water and glycerin she''d prepared. Frowning, she tugged at Cinza''s shirt a little, making it lopsided and exposing more skin, particularly around the stomach, then deliberately rumpling it up. She pinched her side with a wink, dancing out of Cinza''s reach. "Couldn''t resist, you''re just so sexy when you''re mad. Show some more belly, girl, they love it." She turned and rounded on Natalie. "All right, Jenny, I''m guessin'' you never done this before, have you?" Natalie shook her head, very nervous. Crystal had a very motherly way about her, but Natalie hadn''t had the best experience with mothers anyway, and she didn''t want Crystal getting anywhere near her. They''d only met ten minutes before, and Natalie really had a bad track record with strangers so far that night. "Crystal," Cinza cut in. "Let me." She took the bottle, to Natalie''s relief. She knew Cinza. She could stomach being near Cinza for a bit. Crystal nodded. "Sorry, Candy-girl. I didn''t mean to intrude." "It''s all right. Jenny''s just not one to get close to people." Cinza explained. "Actually, would you mind giving us a minute? For her sake." "Actually, why don''t I head back out now?" Crystal suggested. "I can watch out for Meltyface, see if he splits, and it''ll give you two time to recover." She grinned, leaving the room with a wave. "Next time you''re around, you damn well better find me!" As soon as she was gone, Natalie breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you," she murmured. "Crystal can be a little overwhelming," Cinza agreed. "I assume you didn''t want her to get close?" "She seems really nice..." Natalie said apologetically, not wanting Cinza to think she hated her. I can''t let anyone near me. I can''t let them close. Anyone could turn like he did. Cinza nodded. "I understand. Do you want to do this yourself?" She held up the spray bottle. Natalie thought about it, but wasn''t sure she''d do it right. They needed to get across the place without anyone stopping them. She couldn''t risk losing her bag, and everything inside it, just for the sake of being a little more comfortable. "...No, you can do it." She took off her jacket and laid it on the bed, then her jeans. Only the blue dress, which she''d loved so much only six hours ago, was left. Cinza held up the spray bottle, and a cloud of cold liquid sprayed out, clinging to her skin. It soaked into her dress at specific spots Cinza picked out. A bit too much in some places, and drops were starting to run down her leg, but Cinza never got too close, so Natalie endured it. "I don''t understand," Natalie said quietly while Cinza very gently adjusted her clothes. Natalie stared at the wall and tried to ignore the pulsing desire to hurl herself away. "Why would they want me?" "What?" "Tattoo-face and his guys¡­ they thought I was too young. But the guys out here wouldn''t care?" Cinza shook her head. "People will see what they want to see, and not what''s actually in front of their eyes. They wanted someone weak and easy to control. These men want a girl to dote on them and fulfill their every desire." "Even though¡­" "Yes, even though you''re young." Natalie glanced out the window. "Why don''t you do anything?" Cinza sighed. "There are plenty of evils out here, and until recently I was just one small girl trying to stay alive in the world. I''m not exactly innocent myself." Natalie nearly asked what she meant, but hesitated. She didn''t really want to know. She didn''t like Cinza all that much, and what she''d just said sounded like an excuse. Patting herself on the back and pretending she couldn''t have helped. But she''s helping me now. Maybe that counts for something? Natalie wasn''t sure. She wasn''t sure of anything anymore. All she wanted was to be far, far away, deep in the forest with just Gwen and the stars. No more cities, no more people. As soon as she was done, Natalie braced herself. Cinza reached out and tugged the strap of Natalie''s dress down to the side, hanging off her shoulder. She tugged at the hem, making it seem less straight and more rumpled and used. After a moment''s inspection, she declared it sufficient. Natalie picked up the jacket from the bed, but Cinza shook her head. "You can''t put them back on. I''m sorry." The jacket went into Cinza''s bag, the thick warm forest-green vanishing into the depths, followed by her jeans. "You can''t look like you''re cold, either. Did you learn the spell to make yourself warmer?" She nodded. Drawing on her magic, Natalie pushed it out through her entire body and warmed herself. She went a bit too hot for the small room, but she knew they''d be heading back out into the night-time chill again in only a few moments. Cinza lead the way, slipping back into her sultry swaying walk in an instant. Natalie wondered if she should copy it, but she still felt too nervous and uncomfortable to try. She followed behind as meekly as she could, wishing she were shorter so she could somehow hide behind Cinza as they walked. A few men in the sitting area wolf-whistled as they went by. "Had a good time, did''ja?" called one. Natalie ignored them, focusing on the back of Cinza''s head, but Cinza turned and gave them a smile as she passed by. They managed to get all the way across the square without anyone trying to talk to them, but on the other side they ran into a problem. The way into 302 was blocked by a man sitting behind a table, with a metal lockbox on one side and a leery expresion. "Candy Pop!" he called out. "Been too long, baby!" "Shit, is that Niddles?" Cinza strode up, plopping down on his table and leaning in towards him. "Damn girl, you pick up seconds on the side?" he asked, leaning around to glance at Natalie. Natalie looked away, trying to make herself smaller and less noticeable, but it didn''t help. "Aww, she''s so cute and innocent. You just warmed her up, didn''t you?" Cinza leaned in and kissed Niddles on the cheek. "Can''t stick around, Niddles. Got me a young boy wantin'' to be a man up in there." She nodded up at the building. "You want a real man, you just holler," Niddles said, gesturing downward. "But you see, we gotta charge extra for this buildin'' here. Premium rooms, cleanin'' service, fuckin'' wi-fi and shit, and premium girls. You get my deal, yeah?" "So what''s it gonna cost a workin'' girl to get one of your fancy rooms?" Cinza walked a line up Niddles'' chest with her fingers. "I ain''t got much, so up front costs are out." "It''s up front for everyone, CP, can''t be changin'' that." Niddles glanced at Natalie again. She felt her skin crawling under his gaze. This is wrong. Everything here feels wrong. But I''m in control. Cinza told me I''m in control. If he does anything, I''ll stop him. "Betchu we can work somethin'' out. Payment options." "Whatcha got in mind?" "I heard about your double-double special from the other girls." He grinned. "Give me a samplin'' and you get the whole week free." "Just for you, Niddles," Cinza replied. Niddles leered at Natalie again, and ran his tongue across his lips. What? Natalie wasn''t sure she''d heard Cinza right. Niddles stood up and lead them to the door of the building, opening it with a key hanging off his belt. Did Cinza just¡­ are we¡­ what''s going on? Natalie followed them both in, every step feeling like she should bolt from the building. Niddles turned off into the first room just inside the door. The front door to the place locked with a click behind them. Stay calm. You''re in control. Nothing''s going to happen. They walked into a bedroom. Almost instantly, Niddles had his arms around Cinza, pressing his face to hers. She kissed him back. Natalie felt revolted. What''s going on? Why is this happening? Cinza wouldn''t¡­ I can''t¡ª A light appeared in midair, behind Niddles, where no one but Natalie could see it. A pale silver light like a translucent orb, hovering in place. More lights appeared, spelling out a sentence. Knock him out please Natalie didn''t need to be asked twice. She filled her arm with magic, took two steps forward. Niddles was still totally distracted. Natalie ignored everything she saw and heard, and focused entirely on her fist. She punched Niddles in the side of the head. He tumbled a few feet away, banging his skull into the wall. Cinza got pulled aside as well, but managed to let go before she was dragged along with him. Niddles collapsed to the ground without another sound¡ªout cold. Cinza spat on the ground, wiping her mouth with a handkerchief she pulled from her bag. "Thank you." "Why did¡ª" Natalie started, but Cinza shook her head. "It seemed the quickest way in. We''re running out of time, unless you tend to push more magic into your bag than necessary?" Natalie slowly shook her head. "...So by my estimate, it could run out any minute. I''m assuming you''ve kept some very valuable things in there, haven''t you?" "Just to me," she whispered, embarrassed. What would Cinza think of all the heirlooms and trinkets, memories and tokens? She didn''t want to seem childish, especially not tonight of all nights. "Then they are the most valuable things in the world, and we''re going to get them back," Cinza said firmly, to Natalie''s surprise. "Come on." "What about him?" Natalie gestured down at Niddles, who still hadn''t moved. "Isn''t it bad to be blacked out for a long time?" Cinza shook her head. "He''ll be fine. He''ll wake up in a while with a bad headache and wonder if he dreamed the whole thing." Natalie didn''t like leaving him alone after having hurt him, but she also couldn''t really bring herself to care once she remembered the sort of person he''d been. With a last glance at the motionless guy propped up against the wall, she followed Cinza back out into the hall.
"Crystal said this place didn''t have too many rooms. It shouldn''t be hard to find them." Cinza took the stairs as fast as she could, Natalie on her heels. The second floor landing they reached had an open door and an empty room, but at the third floor landing, they could hear a faint noise down the hall. Cinza held a finger to her lips, beckoning Natalie forward. They crept down the hallway as the noise grew louder, and much more distinct. Natalie tried to ignore the uncomfortable mixture of sounds, reminding herself over and over why she was there and what she needed to find. Cinza needs me. I can''t leave. I have to get my bag back. I can''t go home without it. They were only a few feet away when Cinza stopped, crouching low by the wall. The sounds and voices were getting louder. Natalie moved closer, though she could feel a twisting sensation in her throat as she did, like she were about to throw up but swallowing it back at the same time. She couldn''t tell if it were because of what she imagined going on in the room, or because she was so close to Cinza, but she pretended it was the former because she was afraid of the alternative. "It''s him," Cinza whispered. "How do you¡ª" "Trust me, I know." Cinza''s expression was so grim that Natalie didn''t question her. "We can''t wait for him to be done. I know you haven''t been able to share magic with anyone before, and I can''t imagine what you''re feeling right now, but I need you to try, Natalie. If you can share your strength with me, I can make us invisible, and we can be in and out with the bag before he notices anything." Natalie hesitated. She held out her hands, shaking a little, but she forced herself to imagine the bag imploding and crushing every one of her precious possessions inside. Her mementos of her parents and Gwen, her books and all her things from home, everything she''d managed to save from her life before it all burned down. She couldn''t lose them. They were all she had left. Her hands stopped shaking. Cinza took hold, and while Natalie felt sick and her instincts screamed at her to pull away, she managed to stay still. "Okay," said Cinza, as softly as she could manage. "That''s good. Now reach for your magic, however you usually do so." "Doesn''t everyone do the same thing?" Natalie whispered back. "Apparently not, but we don''t have time to get into that theory." Natalie mentally reached for the magic dancing around her heart. To her, it felt like a glowing fire inside her chest, right next to her beating heart. It was a flame she could take small parts from, and if she tried to take too much, it got smaller until it became embers and coals, but always managed to light back into a dazzling bonfire again if she gave it time. The fire was her, powering her entire body and her mind, and the magical part of it was just her learning to use herself in a different way than before. She''d never felt like it was a new or separate part of her, but like it had always been there. She hadn''t really recognized it until she''d read from the book, but as soon as she had, it wasn''t new. It was a part of her, and always had been. "Once you''ve got it ready, you need to push it out to where my hands are holding yours. Then I''ll take it and use it to make us invisible." Cinza interlocked their fingers and squeezed her hands slightly. "I''m right here, don''t worry. You can do this." "...I don''t know how." Natalie said fearfully, while the prospect of sending that was her out to such a remote and vulnerable place send waves of fear through her brain. "It''s me, I can''t just give it to you." "It''s¡­ I''m sorry, Natalie. It''s just energy. It''s okay." "No, you don''t understand," she whispered, confused that Cinza didn''t follow. "The magic is me." She tried to push magic out to her hands, like Cinza described. Every time it reached the edges of her hands, right up to the skin, it stopped dead, because to her, the magic filled her hands. "I can''t just send it out of me, because it is me." "It is you?" Cinza whispered, and they both fell silent at a gap in the sounds emanating from the room. They picked up a moment later, letting the conversation resume. "...I don''t understand, but I want to." She shook her head, her soft brown hair fluttering wide behind her. "We don''t have time. If we can''t become invisible though, we''ll need another plan." Natalie let go of her hands, crouching back against the wall again. "We don''t have time," she echoed. "I can''t feel my bag from here. If he has it, it''s probably almost empty." "If we go in there blindly, and he has some kind of weapon¡­" She shook her head. "You said my bag might blow up any minute. We gotta go." Cinza frowned. "All right. Give me three minutes, then come in. Count it out, okay? I''ll set him up for you.." Her face got red. "No, you don''t have to¡ª" Cinza smiled. She took off her bag and handed it to Natalie. "That''s kind of you, but I''ve no qualms about using every weapon at my disposal. Remember, three minutes." Before Natalie could say another word, she turned and opened the door. "Who the fu¡ª" The surprised voice was all too familiar to Natalie. It was the man with the melting face, the one who''d started her whole terrible night. "On the house from Niddles, just for his best customers," Cinza purred, strutting into the half-lit room. She carefully made sure the door didn''t close behind her, so that Natalie could get in without the loud click of the knob again. "Is that Candy Pop?" asked the girl, gasping for breath a little. "Get in here! Where you been?" Natalie counted under her breath, both trying to ignore the sounds coming from the room and making sure she paid attention so she knew what to expect. Go for the man, before he can react. Knock him out, find your bag, run. It''ll be easy. If he doesn''t go down, you know what to do. With only thirty seconds to go, Cinza spoke up more loudly than before. "Melty baby, do us girls a favor and go to the nightstand? Special surprise in the bottom drawer¡­. No, the one by the door. Yeah, that one." Ten seconds. Natalie reached for the flame of magic inside her, letting the bonfire out. It raced along her arms, burning and filling her up with warmth and strength. "Keep lookin''," Cinza called. Time. Natalie burst into the room. Next to the door stood a handsome nightstand, and in front of it stood a naked man, with the same melting face and drooping eyes she''d seen earlier that night. He''d been leaning over the nightstand, but as the door swung open, he stood up quite suddenly. Before Natalie could get to him, he plunged his hand into the top drawer and pulled out a huge knife. In an instant, he snapped his wrist upright, metal flashing. Natalie froze. Sharp metal poked into her chest, just enough pressure that it wouldn''t cut her dress. Cinza had obviously been trying to keep him near the door so Natalie could take him out, but she hadn''t expected the knife. What do I do now? Sweat was beading on her neck, real sweat this time. The knife was real, she was sure. It looked sharp, and reflected the pale glow from the lamp atop the nightstand into Natalie''s eyes. "Whas'' goin'' on?" asked the other nude girl in the room, rolling over on the bed to look up at them. She looked young and more than a little confused. Cinza had frozen at the sight of the knife, crouched on the bed atop her clothes, watching them both very carefully. Meltyface had the point right at Natalie''s chest, tracing a circle around the front of her dress. "A freebie''s one thing, but two freebies is a fuckin'' scam." His eyes screwed up a little. "Don''t I know you, cutie?" "Melty, just ignore her," called Cinza, sitting up slightly and striking a pose. "She''s probably just lost. Come back and let''s have some real fun." He wasn''t taking the bait though, and didn''t take an eye off Natalie. The other girl had finally realized what was going on and fallen silent, looking just as worried as Cinza. Neither of them dared move with the knife pressing into Natalie''s dress. Cinza couldn''t send her another message either, not with the other girl in the room. Natalie had to find a way out on her own. Do I do what Cinza does? Make him think I''m here for him? I don''t think I can do that. I don''t know how to. "I feel like I seen you before. I definitely seen that pretty dress before¡­" The knife slowly dragged up her dress, though thankfully not cutting it at all. Natalie held very still, as a plan began to form. She could do it. She started gathering magic, letting the flame roar through her and spread up to the skin around her shoulders. Suddenly, she was grateful for her dress, with how it exposed her shoulders so completely. Just keep going. Keep moving the knife up. The knife halted an inch away from the neckline of her dress. Natalie squirmed in place. No, he isn''t supposed to stop. Keep going. She couldn''t make magic go out without speaking, and if she spoke, he''d probably stab her before she could finish a spell. On the other hand, she could push and change energy through her own body without so much as a whisper, as long as it never left. Just a little bit higher. "You look real nice," he murmured, and finally, the knife slipped up past the fabric of her dress. The cold metal actually felt bizarrely nice on her skin for just a moment, throwing her head for a loop. You have him. Do it. "Where''s my bag?" she asked. She didn''t wait for an answer. Releasing the pent up magic practically boiling underneath her skin, Natalie transformed it all to electricity in an instant, rocketing around on the surface of her skin in the same trick she''d used on the gang members. The electricity would have continued flowing in a loop until it burned out or hit Natalie herself, but it found another route¡ªthrough the sharp metal touching the skin of her shoulder. A bright flash and a whip-crack, and both the knife and Meltyface flew a good dozen feet through the air toward the bed. "Holy shit!" screamed the girl, diving out of the way. Cinza ducked as he flew over her head, tumbling into a heap on the other side. She hopped off the bed and snatched up the knife, which was smoking slightly but was otherwise intact. Natalie stared dumbfounded. She''d expected it to melt completely, like the other metal things she''d hit with that much lightning. "As my friend said," said Cinza, holding it to the twitching man''s neck. "Where''s the bag?" "N-n-not tellin'' you shit," he stuttered, still twitching. "Candy, it''s in the closet," said the girl, moving to grab it. She looked afraid, and stayed well clear of Natalie, but in a few moments she''d dug it out of the dusty unused closet against the wall. The girl took a few steps toward Natalie, then stopped, nervously holding out the purse as far as she could. "This is what you want, right? He had it on him when we came in. Looked too girly for him." Natalie could already tell it was the right one as soon as the closet door opened, with the sudden draw of energy as it started to pull on her to keep it working. She plucked it from the girl''s hand and strapped it over her shoulder with a huge sigh of relief. "What''s going on?" asked the girl, glancing between Natalie and Cinza. "Candy?" "Retrieving some property," Cinza said calmly, staring down at Meltyface with a disgusted expression. "Could you pass me my bra?" As Cinza navigated the task of keeping the man in check while re-dressing herself, Natalie dug through her bag quickly to make sure everything was still there. As soon as she''d found the tuft of Gwen''s fur, she finally felt a little bit of herself return, what she''d been missing ever since the sun went down and she''d gotten lost in this horrible city. "We should be leaving," Cinza reminded her. Natalie nodded. She took a step toward the man still twitching on the floor, but Cinza shook her head. "Leave him." She reached out and plucked her own bag from Natalie''s other shoulder, causing her to wince. Cinza backed out of the room, and Natalie went with her. The girl on the bed watched them go, just as confused as when Natalie had first walked in. "Candy, what the hell am I supposed to do now? I got bills to pay!" Cinza sighed. Digging into her bag, she pulled out a loose stack of cash. "Get out of here, Kitty. Find a new town. I''m sorry." She tossed the cash onto the bed with a shrug. "Or find a new life. I did, and I''m a lot happier, believe me." "Fuck you, Candy!" Kitty shouted after them, as Cinza closed the door on the room.
Exiting the market turned out to be much more simple than entering it. They just walked back out the way they came in. Cinza handed a small handful of bills (rumpled and folded a few times "for authenticity") to the new man at the gate, who waved them out with a bored expression. Natalie was finally able to put her jacket back on and stop keeping herself warm with magic, releasing one minor strain on her mind. According to Cinza''s phone, it was now a little past three in the morning. It still looked just as dark as midnight, but according to Cinza the first buses would start running in an hour or two. Natalie felt like her legs were going to collapse, but she didn''t want to complain to Cinza after everything the older girl had done for her that night. Cinza, however, seemed just as tired as she was, and found a place for them to rest in no time. It was a makeshift shelter, another area for the homeless set underneath a natural awning created by the intersection of a few balconies and railways far overhead. A few tents were set out in the concrete alley, with small groups of people huddled in sleeping bags around small fires. There were a couple dozen people around them as they walked through, but no one paid them any notice. "Hey, Nina. Been a while," mumbled an old, bearded man reclining in a low chair as they walked by. "Hey, Bill. Just staying one night," Cinza murmured back. He nodded. As soon as they passed, he went back to a book he was reading, glancing up occasionally to watch for newcomers. "Nina?" Natalie asked in a whisper. "Another life," she whispered back. "Come on." Cinza lead them to a dark corner where they wouldn''t be bothered. Cinza pulled out her phone to check for messages, which gave Natalie an idea. "Can we call for a ride or something?" "I could send a message, but no one would receive it until they logged in. Our server doesn''t support push notifications yet." Cinza sighed. "I could call someone directly, but I don''t know what happened last night. I don''t want to put anyone at unnecessary risk." "Oh." Natalie nodded. "That makes sense." "We''ll wait until the buses are running and take them home. Is that all right?" I want to get out of this city¡­ "...Okay." Cinza stifled a yawn as she stretched out, laying back against the concrete with her hands as a makeshift pillow. "Isn''t that uncomfortable?" "You get used to it." "How do you do it?" One of Cinza''s eyes cracked open, looking at Natalie with surprise. "How do I do what?" "Keep everything separate. All these different lives. No one knows anything about any of this, do they?" "No. Not even Ruby." Natalie shook her head. "I wish I could do that. I can''t even keep magic a secret." "...What do you mean?" She hesitated, but Cinza was obviously the best at this sort of thing. And after tonight, Natalie felt like she could tentatively call her a friend. She spilled out the whole story with Quinn, how she''d accidentally revealed magic to him, knocked him out, how he''d found out her real name. She kept Rupert a secret for Hailey, but the rest was as honest as she could manage. Even Quinn''s romantic feelings toward her, and her own confused feelings in return. Cinza was smart and knew about this sort of thing. She''d know what to do. When she finished, Cinza had sat up against the wall and was gazing into space thoughtfully. "I''m so sorry," Natalie said awkwardly. "I screwed everything up, didn''t I?" "Not necessarily," Cinza said. As Natalie looked confused, Cinza turned to her. "I can''t pretend that revealing magic wasn''t a mistake, but it need not be a fatal one." Natalie blinked a few times. She wasn''t sure if she was having trouble understanding because it was Cinza, or because she was so utterly exhausted. "...So what do I do?" "It''s going to be hard, Jenny. You have to go back to school or you''ll draw even more attention to yourself, but the scar on your face will do the same. If you wanted, we could retreat entirely, move you to another place, try another school, but I believe you don''t want that. Am I correct?" Natalie hesitated, but the faces of her friends popped into her mind. Tyler and Steven, Mitch and Kelsey. Quinn. She didn''t want to lose them, start over in a strange place with even more strange kids she didn''t know. "I don''t want to change schools." "And I don''t think you should have to. This isn''t your fault," Cinza added, pointing at the bandages on Natalie''s face. "Remember that." "But how am I gonna keep it secret where it came from?" "You''ll need to compartmentalize." "Com¡­ what?" "It means to separate your feelings and your memories into specific categories and parts. When you are in one part of your life, act in one way, and when you come to another life, act differently there. You saw me tonight, didn''t you?" Cinza gestured out to the city. "Among the homeless, I am Nina, just one of the crowd. Someone who doesn''t make drama, who can be relied on as a quiet resident, who can be trusted to make a food run with money while others save a space." She gestured again, in a different direction. "On the corners, I am Candy, and you''ve already seen that life. In the churches, I am Theresa, and in the circles of high society I am Rose. Each of them has their own hopes and fears, their own friends and foes, but not one spills out of its compartment. Never do these lives touch, and none of them actually declare who I am." "I don''t think I can do that," Natalie said doubtfully. "No, I don''t believe you can," agreed Cinza with a sigh. Natalie felt a little indignant, but Cinza went on. "And to be honest, that''s probably for the best. My life was such a shattered mess that I lost who was really me at the center. I wore so many faces and names, I nearly forgot my own. I only survived by pure chance. I got on the first train at the station and blindly let it take me away." "...To Rallsburg?" "Yes. There I shed every skin I''d ever worn and invented myself again, into the woman you see now." Cinza pulled out her robes from her bag, putting them on to keep warm against the night chill. With the soft, almost glowing silver, she finally looked like herself again. "Of course, that woman was insane and nearly got herself killed¡­ but Ruby managed to balance me out eventually, " she added with a smile. Natalie felt a bit lost. Cinza was talking too much again. "So what am I supposed to do about Quinn?" "It''s ultimately your decision, but I think you may risk letting him in." As Natalie''s mouth fell open, Cinza nodded thoughtfully. "From how you described him, he seems mature enough to understand. People your age are much more capable than most give them credit, in my opinion." "I should tell him everything?" "Tell him as much or as little as you wish." Cinza shrugged. "You feel alone, don''t you? Isn''t that why you came to the city tonight? Because you had no one to turn to?" "...I guess." "I don''t know your life, Jenny. I haven''t gone through what you have, and I don''t know your friends or your family. All I can tell you is what I''ve experienced. For me, stranded in a strange town surrounded by strange people and facing impossible things, I would have died had I not someone to share everything with." Natalie''s face got hot. "You think I should be¡­ like you and Ruby?" Cinza smiled. "If you want that, yes, but I mean for you to find a real friend. Someone you can confide in and trust." She laid down and closed her eyes. "Find that person, your own age, who you trust to keep your secrets and your confidence. Most problems in this world cannot be solved by one person alone. It''s too big and we are all so small. We need each other. Tell that friend everything, and let them help you. That''s the only way you can ever stay sane." They lay for a few minutes in silence. Natalie tried to see the stars, but of course with the lights of the city, she couldn''t see anything at all in the patch of dark gray sky above them. "Why is the world so terrible?" she asked. Cinza didn''t answer for a minute, and Natalie had to roll over to make sure she was still awake. Her eyes were also staring up at the empty sky. "The world isn''t terrible, but there are people in it who make it worse than it should be," she finally murmured. "There are also people who make it better. We all strive to belong to the latter group, but I know I''ve been in the first group a few times. All you can do is try to be better, and hope that enough people around you are thinking the same way." Natalie wished she could feel like everyone around her was that way, as she assumed Cinza did, but it just didn''t click. The world she''d seen was full of awful people doing horrible things to each other. No one really looked out for each other or helped each other. Even the people she thought she could rely on weren''t there when she needed them. She didn''t want any part of it, but she didn''t see any way out of it either. And I''m one of them, just like Cinza. I made the world worse sometimes. I hurt people, I lied, I killed. I¡­ I want to be like she said, but what if I can''t? With that painful thought, Natalie curled up under her jacket and tried to go to sleep, laying in the corner of the concrete lot underneath an overhanging road, with only a strange girl she would never fully understand¡ªand could only barely call friend¡ªkeeping her company through the night. You survived. Hold onto that, and never forget.
Natalie watched the sun come up through the small gap of sky. The small homeless camp was quiet. Cars hummed along in every direction nearby as the city kept moving on as it always did, heedless of the drama of the night. She was wrapped up in her jacket, laying very close to Cinza, who was still asleep. For a few minutes, Natalie watched her chest rise and fall with every breath. She looked so quiet and peaceful, yet another side of the strange grey-robed girl that Natalie had never known. The moment Natalie moved to scratch an itch she just couldn''t resist anymore, Cinza''s eyes flew open. "Hi," Natalie whispered. "Good morning." Her voice had returned to its floaty, echoing state. To Natalie, that was a comfort, a step back to the familiar world she wanted so desperately to return to. Cinza sat up and stretched out. "Did you sleep all right?" "No," she said. "I kept getting woken up by stuff, and the concrete hurt to lay down on." Not the real reason I couldn''t sleep¡­ I kept seeing him. Every time. Waiting. Trying to trap me again. Trying to¡­ "Ah." Cinza held out a hand, which Natalie refused. Cinza didn''t react, just stood up as if it hadn''t happened. "Want some breakfast?" A few blocks away, they ate pancakes and bacon from a tiny restaurant that seemed impossibly busy. Natalie and Cinza had to eat out on the curb, but it was a nice day out without a drop of rain coming from the thick puffy white clouds, so they didn''t mind. "What about my phone?" Natalie asked through a mouthful of pancake. "By now, it''s totally worthless. If he managed to sell it, he''s going to have a very unhappy customer," Cinza smirked. "We laid a few pieces of remote code in our custom ROM. The moment they turn it on, it''ll already be gone. It may even melt the battery, if we did it right. Tezofarl quite enjoys tinkering with malware." "...Good." She could always get a new one, and she liked the idea of a bit of quiet revenge on the two men that had caused her so much trouble. "Did you decide what you''re going to do on Monday?" Natalie shook her head. "I''ve got all weekend though right?" "I suppose, though if I were you, I''d head it off tomorrow. It''ll be much easier to deal with if you don''t have to explain in the middle of school, I presume?" Cinza shrugged. "Although, I''ve never actually been to school..." "You haven''t?" "One of many regrets." "...Tomorrow then," Natalie said firmly. She nodded. "Whatever you decide, I''m sure it will be the correct decision. Let me know what happens, though?" "It''d be easier if you talked more online," Natalie said petulantly. "If I¡­ I''m sorry?" "You never chat online. I was really surprised you answered me at all. I''m really glad you did," she added quickly. "It''s the only way a lot of us have to talk to anyone, you know. It''d be nice if you showed up more." Cinza smiled. "You''re right. I''ve been neglecting our extended family. I''m sorry." "S''okay," she mumbled, a little embarrassed. Their bus pulled up a minute later. It was a long ride. Cinza took the aisle seat, making sure no one would sit near Natalie as she leaned against the window, watching the city blocks pass by one by one. Every single shadowy alleyway reminded her of another nightmare she''d lived through that night, but Natalie had made it. She was still alive, even if she wasn''t totally intact anymore. Something was missing. She felt like she was still broken. Parts had been fixed, but not the whole thing, and someone had shoved new uneven pieces in that didn''t belong. She wasn''t sure what it was, and she didn''t know if she''d ever find out. Cinza had told her it was just the scar on her face, but Natalie felt like it was more than that. As she got home and trudged in the door, she didn''t even bother to think about what Lily or Kendra might say¡ªand to her total lack of surprise, they barely noticed her. Lily saw the bandages and made a passing comment about being careful when she went out, but her eyes flicked back to the laptop screen in an instant. Percy was nowhere to be found. His perch was empty and the window open. Natalie assumed he was out hunting. She wandered up to her room and shut the door. She threw the blue dress away as if it were on fire, deep in the corner of her closet, and found her favorite pajamas. She pulled them on, desperate for anything that could bring comfort. Leaving her window open for Percy, she curled up on her bed, shut her eyes tight and tried to block out everything. But she still couldn''t sleep. Horrible images dogged her brain¡ªof Tom and his friend, of the sleepwalking dead-faced people in the park, of Tattoo-face and his gang. Of a voice in her head. Of Meltyface and the girls in the horrible building, of Niddles and Harley. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw one of them, leering at her with sunken eyes and horrible smiles. Sunday rolled around, and Natalie had only slept a few hours at most, fits and starts forced upon her by sheer fatigue. She couldn''t take it anymore. Even Percy''s return was of little comfort. She texted Quinn, using a new phone Cinza had given her. She gave Lily the excuse that she was going out to the library, which wasn''t actually a lie. As she stared down at the very same library table they''d sat only a few weeks before, hidden from the cameras and deep in the stacks, she waited and stewed through her options. No one else was around. This section of the library wasn''t a very popular one, apparently. She had the whole wing of the place to herself. It only took a few more minutes for Quinn to show up. Since he walked up from behind her, he didn''t see the bandage on her face until after he''d already sat down. He opened his mouth, about to say something¡ªand in that moment she could see. Quinn didn''t look eager, and he didn''t look excited. All the stuff she''d hated about him from the last few days evaporated from his face the instant he saw her in real pain. He looked worried and concerned. It wasn''t fun or cool anymore, it was scary. He saw she was hurt, and his first instinct was to try and comfort her, do what he could to help. You should not tell him. He''s a good person. I need that. It didn''t matter what he was going to say. That was enough. She made her decision, in spite of everything Rachel and Hailey had told her to do. "Hi, Quinn." "Jenny, are you okay? What happ¡ª" Natalie held up her hand, palm flat and upward. A tiny flame burst into life in the center of it. It danced in place in her palm, unmistakable. She stared at it, too afraid to look up at his expression. "Magic is real," she whispered, as much to herself as to Quinn. Magic is real, and I really hope it can help me out here, because everything in my life is horrible. The world is an awful, evil place, full of scary people, and I might be one of them, and I''m about to introduce you to all sorts of terrible dangerous things because I need you as my friend and I''m too scared to go through all of this alone anymore. Please don''t hate me. [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] Interlude V — The Sister Interlude V ¡ª The Sister It was Friday, October 26th, around eleven o''clock at night, and Margaret Bensen couldn''t sleep. She''d gotten into a fight with her best friend Kelly at lunch. It was such a stupid fight, and now twelve hours later, Meg was going back over every single sentence she''d said¡­ or yelled. Wishing she could change them, so that she and Kelly could be best friends again. She had no idea how she was going to face her on Monday. They hadn''t messaged each other even once since lunch. After the video of Hailey had gone up the night before, leaping out of a burning building with Jessica in her arms and landing in front of the crowd of people she''d rescued, everyone at school was buzzing about it. It happened so close to home that a dozen kids were claiming they''d actually been there and seen it. All liars, obviously, but they got their five minutes of fame anyway. Meg knew better. She''d never claim to have seen it, because Hailey wouldn''t want the attention. Heroes didn''t do stuff for the attention, and Hailey was supposed to be in hiding. Meg played the skeptic, agreeing with all the commentators that it was probably fake. No one could jump out of a building that tall without any equipment and land like that. It was special effects. Maybe viral marketing for a movie. It''d be totally Hollywood to already start pushing a movie of Rallsburg, some made up found-footage horror movie or something else lame like that. Hailey had better stuff to do than get a bunch of nosy whiners in her business over trying to save people. Meg would do her part, just like Hailey asked. She saved the video to her phone though, in case it got taken down or something. She''d watched it probably two dozen times that day. The window exploded outward in a burst of flames and smoke, then a tiny black shape followed. They descended so fast it looked like they were going to splat, but the smoke billowed away as they tumbled into the dirt. The girl let go of her passenger and rolled over, and her face caught the camera for just a second. Then they leapt into the sky in a burst of wind, overwhelming the poor cell microphone. There was a bit of murmuring from the onlookers, trying to figure out what they just saw, then the video cut to black. It was so cool. If Meg didn''t know better, she''d totally see it as a hype movie trailer for next summer. But she did know better. She knew Hailey was out doing dangerous stuff¡ªand sometimes, Meg''s brother went with her. Like tonight. It was eleven-thirty, and they still weren''t home. Meg tossed and turned in bed uncomfortably. She''d been warned about using her phone this late more than once, and even though her parents weren''t likely to actually check on her, she still felt bad about breaking their trust. I gotta know. She grabbed it from her bedside table, wincing at the bright screen popping into view. Why does every single app have to be all white? Meg pulled up the news, starting with local. Nothing notable happened in Kent today, just the usual election stuff with November right around the corner. Their state wasn''t really competitive, plus she wasn''t old enough to vote anyway, so she skimmed right on past. Wait, I added that police scanner thing to my feed. Maybe something on there? North Tacoma. Active hostage situation. Men with guns. It was the right address. Meg sat straight up in her bed, tossing aside the covers and two of her pillows wildly. She leapt to her feet and rushed out the door. Three steps down the stairs she slowed to a halt. What am I supposed to do¡­? Meg couldn''t do anything to help. She didn''t have any special powers or cool skills. She didn''t even know how to drive. What was she supposed to do to help her brother, who could die any minute in some no-name bar in Tacoma doing who-knew-what? I shoulda been the one who got awakened. You could have given me some better directions, Zack! Since she was up, and her heart was racing too fast to even think about laying down again, Meg finished walking down the stairs, though each dark step felt a bit more ominous. She decided to risk waking her parents and turned on the kitchen lights when she got down. It was too scary to be in the dark, not while she was frantically refreshing the police scanner feed with one hand while she walked. She nearly tripped over a stack of books next to the couch. Eat something. Maybe it''ll make you feel better. Ten minutes later, she was sitting on the couch with a bowl of orange sherbert, wrapped in a blanket and streaming old comedies on the TV, but not hearing a single word. She was only half-watching, keeping an eye on her phone and the police feed. There were updates every few minutes. Apparently the big FBI agent guy from the Rallsburg case was on the scene and had taken over. That''s bad, right? I think that''s bad. They probably don''t want him around. Meg wished she had someone to talk to about all of this. She had the coolest secret in the world, but she couldn''t share it with anyone. Not even Kelly¡ªand after today, Meg wasn''t sure she''d ever want to share it with Kelly. That stuck-up fraud didn''t deserve to know about magic. Not after what she''d said about Hailey. Hailey''s out there saving peoples lives! Who''s she to call it reckless and dangerous? And then to post stories about it online! Meg just wanted to rant about it, but she couldn''t. She didn''t have anyone who''d understand her point of view besides her brother, and Alden had disappeared within minutes of her getting home from school. He''d driven out to pick up Hailey for another mission that night, with just a few words to her about where he was going and when he expected to get home. The usual. And Meg would tell the usual lies, keep their parents busy if anything came up. Alden was out with friends tonight, obviously. What friends? How was Meg supposed to know? They weren''t her friends. Last time it had been job hunting. The time before that, he''d been visiting a college campus. Meg was running out of stuff she knew nineteen year olds out of college might do with their time. She''d have to start getting new excuses online soon. It was all worth it though, every time Hailey dropped by. True to his word, Alden made sure Meg was invited to all their meetups at the house. Meg got to watch her fly in, late at night, and it never got old. Not even once. Tonight, sitting on the couch in her pajamas, staring at her phone while the TV quietly droned in the background and her ice cream slowly melted away, Meg wondered for the first time if they were going to make it home.
Her phone buzzed and slipped out of her fingers, clattering to the floor. Meg woke up with a start, nearly rolling right off the couch herself. She scrambled for the phone, but suddenly a weight fell off her lap. She''d forgotten the bowl of ice cream. Meg twisted around in mid-dive and managed to catch it before it hit the floor, though it meant she landed awkwardly on her shoulders instead. Stupid¡­ She groaned and got back to her feet, picking up her phone as she went. Hailey: We''re here. Open your window please. Meg left the bowl on the floor as she hurried back upstairs to her bedroom. It was way past the original time Alden gave her. By her phone''s clock, it was past two now. But if Hailey''s texting me, that means they''re probably okay, right? Even though they''re flying back and not driving back, which Alden said shouldn''t ever happen¡­ what''s going on? She drew back the curtains from her window and slid it open. Within seconds of her clearing the way, a shape illuminated by moonlight hurtled through the portal. The familiar burst of wind gusted the room, helping Hailey brake. They didn''t usually do this in Meg''s room, so her stuff wasn''t held down like Alden habitually did these days. Homework on her desk went flying, and a few pictures on the corkboard above it fell off. She''d run out of thumbtacks and used tape for the last couple until she found more, and now they were paying the price. One of them, conveniently enough, was Kelly''s. She took it as a sign. As soon as everything settled, Meg quickly closed the window and the curtains again. Hailey let Alden down, and to Meg''s shock, he collapsed. Her brother curled up on the floor, shaking. Meg couldn''t take her eyes off him. He''d never been this bad, not even the first few nights home from Rallsburg way back in May. She turned to Hailey. "Is it okay to talk yet?" she whispered. Hailey shook her head. "I can''t do that spell," she whispered back. "We have to stay quiet." "You can''t?" "I can''t do Nature magic. Jess always does that one." Jess, Hailey''s odd mute sidekick. Meg was never quite sure what to make of her. Hailey had explained what happened to her, but it was just too weird and awkward to think about. Whenever she came along, Meg always felt a bit uncomfortable talking to Hailey about things, like Jess were listening in and judging her. No matter how many times Hailey insisted otherwise, Meg was sure Jess understood a lot more than she let on. She might be more glad Jess wasn''t there that night, if her brother didn''t look like he''d just been through Hell and back. He clambered to his feet while they both looked on, waiting for him to say something. Anything to bring back the Alden they both knew¡ªa little damaged, but always ready to help, always willing to listen. He didn''t say a word. He just stumbled out of the room like a dead man walking. His bedroom door clicked once, then clicked again as it shut. "Something happ¡ª" Hailey started, but Meg cut her off. "I saw it on the news. The stuff at that bar, right?" "How''d you know?" Meg hesitated. Alden hadn''t told her not to tell Hailey, but it still kind of felt like a breach of trust. He seemed embarrassed by it a few times. "Zack told me where he was going. I think I wasn''t supposed to tell you though." Hailey raised her eyebrows, looking confused¡­ and maybe a little disappointed? Meg kept talking, as if she could somehow work her way back around into Hailey''s approval. "It looked really scary. Guys with guns took over the place? How does something like that happen?" Hailey made a dropping gesture with her hand. Meg had gotten a little louder as she talked. "Yes," she whispered. She took a seat on the office chair in front of Meg''s desk, and stretched out her legs like someone who''d just gone for a long run. As her head tilted back, Meg saw her eyes drift over the photos she''d pinned up, and felt a twinge of embarrassment. What if Hailey thought they looked silly or dumb? She had to keep talking. "Is this what you guys always do?" "No. Nothing like this has ever happened." For the first time, Hailey''s voice actually sounded a little uncertain. The little breeze that wafted around the room whenever she was there tickled Meg''s neck, reminding her again what Hailey could do. She leaned up and looked Meg in the eye, and her voice was strong and solid again. She looked suspicious. "What did he say to you?" "Oh, uhh¡­" Meg looked away, feeling a bit ashamed. No hiding it now, I guess. "Actually¡­ Zack always tells me where you guys go." As Hailey''s suspicion grew, Meg talked a bit faster. "Don''t be mad at him, okay? He said it was important. Just in case¡­ you know¡­ something happened to him. So that I could tell Mom and Dad. He never told me what you were doing out there." Hailey sighed. The suspicion faded, to Meg''s immense relief. "Trying to help people." "...Did you? You know, help people?" "I think so." She glanced at the wall that separated Meg and Alden''s bedrooms. "He''s gonna need your help for the next few days though." Meg followed her gaze, though the wall wasn''t particularly interesting to look at. She had a poster of a boy band above her bed, which she was now regretting. Hailey probably thinks they''re so lame¡­ "Did he get hurt?" "Not exactly. Physically he''s totally fine. But, sometimes when someone goes through something really scary, it stays with them. Like¡ª" "Like PTSD, right?" Meg supplied. She wasn''t a kid, she knew stuff. "Yeah." "What do I need to do?" she asked breathlessly, wanting to show she was ready to dive right in. Anything to help out her hero. Hailey smiled weakly. "Alden''s really lucky to have a sister like you, you know?" "Psh. After all this is over, I get to rub it in his face. Totally worth it." She meant it too. She got along okay with Alden most of the time, but he had a tendency to play way too much into the big brother thing sometimes. Overprotective, over-restrictive. Having one up on him would do loads for her. "What do I do to help him?" she asked again. Hailey looked a bit wistful at her words. She shook it off. "Just be there for him. No complaints and no teasing, just help him out. You can joke around a bit, but never make it seem like he''s a burden. He''s gonna be in shock for a while, and maybe some pain too. Plus all that stuff from over the summer will probably come back. Maybe even worse." Meg sighed, a little more dramatically than she''d intended. She got up and walked over to her closet, pulling out her sleeping bag. She hadn''t needed it since July, but she''d never bothered to put it back up in the attic. "I was hoping I''d never have to use this stupid thing again." "You sleep in his room?" She shrugged. "I had to if I was gonna be there fast enough to keep him from waking up Mom and Dad, right? It sucks, but someone''s gotta do it." She picked up a few of her favorite pillows from her bed, as well as a blanket. The sleeping bag wasn''t really warm enough on its own. "Hey, Hailey?" "Yes?" "I know I''m probably never gonna be able to myself, but¡­ will you take me flying someday?" Even if it were just for a few minutes, as long as she could experience that same emotion she saw on Hailey''s face as she blew into the room every time, Meg felt like she could die happy. Hailey smiled. "Yeah, I will. Someday." Meg grinned. "Okay. So all this is totally worth it." She slung the sleeping bag over her shoulder like a soldier, even giving a half-hearted salute before gathering up the pillows and blanket. Hailey got up to help, but Meg quickly opened the door handle with one of her feet before Hailey could get close. "Night," she whispered, ducking out into the hall and closing the door behind her. As the door closed, Meg paused, listening out for the sound of Hailey whooshing away from the room. It didn''t happen. Instead, Hailey seemed to be pacing back and forth. Probably trying to think of what to go do next. Always trying to help people. She still didn''t leave though, and after a minute Meg was starting to lose her grip on her blankets. Finally, just as she was about to step away, she heard Hailey''s voice, just barely above a whisper. "I''m sorry." Who is she talking to? Meg strained her ears, trying to listen, but she didn''t hear anyone else. Hailey didn''t say another word, either. Less than a minute later, Meg heard the window slide open. A breeze flowed over her toes from the crack at the bottom of the door. Hailey was gone. Meg reluctantly walked away and into Alden''s room, opening and closing the door as quietly as she could. Alden didn''t react at all, tucked into his bed and looking away from the door. He hadn''t bothered to change, just kicked off his shoes. She didn''t say a word either. She laid out the sleeping bag across the floor, propping the pillows up against the bags he usually kept against the corner. It was the best spot she''d found after so many nights spent in his room over the summer. The first few times, she''d been in her own room when the screaming started. She''d woken up sharp, heart racing, not knowing if she''d imagined or dreamed the sound, until he screamed again and she practically felt it through their adjoining wall. Without a second thought, she''d rushed into his room and shaken him awake, terrified. After he''d managed to calm down, he''d told her bits and pieces of what happened in Rallsburg. She insisted, if he was going to wake her up like that in the middle of the night without warning, that she deserved an explanation. She knew something went down there, even if their parents didn''t. She should be able to know, shouldn''t she? So he''d told her, describing the monsters, the riots, the crazed mobs killing people in the streets. Just from his explanations, Meg was already horrified. Suddenly, screaming out in the middle of the night didn''t just seem okay, it was tame. It was an unspoken agreement, Meg sleeping in his room every night. After the third night in a row of waking up to a blood-curdling shout, Meg simply dragged a sleeping bag into his room without a word and dropped right back to sleep. Their parents slept on the opposite side of the house from them, and they were teachers. They both left the house before Meg and Alden woke up most mornings. Meg was pretty sure neither of them ever found out. Neither had ever mentioned it, at the very least. But then, no one ever mentioned Alden''s sudden disappearance back in May for a whole week, which only Meg knew the real story behind. No one ever mentioned the empty room and the mysterious objects in the house he''d set out to explain. No one brought up that Alden had dropped out of the college he was supposed to attend without going to a single class, or that he was living at home without a job or any real prospects. No one at the Bensen house ever really brought up anything at all, except what was for dinner that night. As Meg stared up at the dark ceiling, only barely lit by the cracks of moonlight that streamed in through Alden''s blackout curtains, she could barely make out his uneven breathing. He wasn''t asleep yet, and he probably wouldn''t be for a while. She could fall asleep any time she wanted to, tired as she was, but she was keeping herself awake for some reason. She wanted to know what happened this time. It wasn''t just a robbery or something, right? Hailey could totally handle a robbery. It had to be more than that. "Zack?" she whispered, the first time she''d ever spoken to him on a night like this, besides a couple times where she''d almost yelled at him to stop screaming. Usually, their arrangement just consisted of her shaking him awake, holding his hand until he calmed down, then dropping back into her sleeping bag again for the rest of the night. Talking just seemed weird¡ªand besides, she needed sleep herself, if she didn''t want to feel super dead at school the next day. But today was Friday, and more importantly, Alden hadn''t been like this in months. The pattern was broken. "Yeah," he murmured, and it shattered completely. "You okay?" He took a long, long time to answer, so long that Meg actually did start to fall asleep. "...No," he said. Meg didn''t know what to say back. After a few minutes though, his breathing got shallower and steadier. He soon fell asleep, and Meg was alone to wonder what happened, and how everything had suddenly slid back to being so much worse than summer ever had been. Why had Alden been the one to find magic? Just because he''d gone to Rallsburg? It could have been her. It wasn''t like she hadn''t noticed the weirdness around their house. Seeing how Alden was handling it so far, Meg felt like she would have been way better at being awakened than her big brother. It felt like when she''d turned eleven and waited all night in vain for an owl to tap at her window. She deserved it, and someone had obviously made a mistake. But then again, if she''d been the one to go there instead of Alden, would she have made it out alive? Even Hailey, so strong and powerful, sounded like she''d barely made it. Meg listened to the light, steady breathing from the bed and wondered.
After waking up twice in the night, Alden managed to sleep in very late the next day. Meg was already up and feeling more than a little cranky, and slipped out of his room before their parents woke up. She packed away the sleeping bag, then hurried downstairs to eat some breakfast before she left for the day. She had a soccer game that morning, and getting out into the sun and kicking something really hard repeatedly for a while sounded like exactly what she needed. When she saw that Hailey had played soccer in high school, Meg had immediately tried out for the team over the summer. She hadn''t made it, since their school only had one team, but she didn''t let it discourage her. She hadn''t played since fourth grade. So she joined a rec team, where she could play without all the pressure, and maybe she could make the team the next year. Of course, going to the game meant she''d probably run into Kelly. Kelly didn''t play, but she always went to the games. Usually to see their mutual crush, who volunteered to referee for them. It was a friendly rivalry most of the time. They both liked him, and he was to-die-for handsome, but they''d both always insisted their friendship came first. Besides, he was a senior and they were both sophomores. He was never gonna look at them anyway. As Meg warmed up and saw Kelly sitting in the bleachers, and the referee talking to one of the coaches, she changed her mind. He''s gonna notice me today. She played her heart out, but it didn''t matter. The guy took no more notice of her than anyone else on the field. By half-time, she was exhausted from all the extra effort she''d been putting in, and she drained her water bottle in a second. She was about to go refill it from the big jugs behind the bench when she ran into Kelly, waiting next to them. "Hi," she started. Meg ignored her and walked past, filling up her bottle. "You''re playing really well." Kelly joined her at the table. "Like, super well. I think you could really make the team next year." Meg gave her nothing but stony silence. She drank a bit more, turned and went back to the bench. Kelly looked annoyed and a little disappointed. Good. Serves her right. "Why are you being like this?" Kelly had followed her to the bench. A few other girls on the team glanced over curiously. Meg stared at the field without a word. Kelly wasn''t there. She didn''t understand what was really going on. Meg didn''t need to talk to her. By the end of the second half, Kelly was gone. Meg''s team won by a landslide, seven to one. That one goal slipped by while she''d been off the field, but Meg felt like she could have stopped it, so she called it a perfect game in her head anyway. She celebrated with her team a bit, but she was just eager to get home more than anything. She was still super tired from getting so little sleep the night before, and she wanted to take a nap for the rest of the afternoon. As she gathered up her stuff, she paused. Kelly''s mom usually gave them a ride home from games, but Kelly was already gone. Meg pulled out her cell phone, meaning to call Alden¡­ but he hadn''t come home in his car the night before. It was still parked near the bar, miles and miles away. She thought about calling Kelly or her mom, but stubbornness won out. Meg pulled on her jacket, slung her water bottle and bag over her shoulder and walked all the way home, two miles and change. As she stumbled over the front step, Alden was just coming downstairs. He hadn''t changed from the night before. His eyes looked glazed over, as if he was barely seeing anything in front of him. "Morning, sleepyhead." She dropped her stuff on the floor next to the front door, trying to decide if she wanted to take a shower or have a snack first before she claimed the couch for the rest of the afternoon. Alden glanced up, as if he''d just noticed she was there. "Hi. Where were you all morning?" Meg glanced down pointedly at her jersey. "Soccer." "Oh." He stood there uncomfortably, staring into space a thousand yards away. Despite how tired and grumpy she felt, Meg forced herself to smile. "Want something to eat?" "No thanks." He glanced around. "Where''s Mom and Dad?" "No idea. They were here when I left." "Oh." "...I''m gonna go take a shower," Meg said finally, after Alden kept staring at the solid front door. She walked around him and up the stairs to her bathroom, giving him an odd glance as she passed. By the time she''d showered and changed, he wasn''t on the stairs anymore. He''d made it to the couch in the living room¡­ where he was staring at the blank TV instead. Be normal, but don''t make him feel like a burden. That''s what Hailey said to do, right? What''s normal for us? Teasing, I guess. "Great show, huh?" "What?" "I think you forgot to pick something to watch, bro." The old Alden would have laughed and turned something on, accepting the jab. Post-Rallsburg Alden would have fired right back at her with something dry and sarcastic. This new Alden did¡­ nothing. He glanced up at her words, heard them, then looked away again. As if he just wasn''t there. Meg didn''t know what to do with that. Be normal. She kept going as if he had answered, going into the kitchen and grabbing a bag of chips and a soda. "Scoot over," she added, since Alden had sat in the center of the couch. He slid over to the end, and she took the other side. Since their parents weren''t home, she took the liberty of eating right on the couch. "Pass the remote?" she asked through a mouthful of chips. He leaned forward robotically and handed it over. She clicked through to a show she knew he liked, and wouldn''t bother her too much. Not that it mattered. The couch was too soft and tempting, and only a few minutes passed before she was laying down, and her eyes were drooping shut. The sudden slam of a car door jerked her awake. A second one told her it was from the garage. Their parents were home. Alden''s eyes were wide. He shook a little. For the first time since the night before, he actually seemed aware of his surroundings¡­ and it didn''t look good. "Go upstairs," she hissed. "I''ll tell ''em you''re sick. Stayed in bed all day." He glanced at her with surprise. A little hint of the old brother. "Don''t worry Zack, I''m keeping track. You owe me super big time now." Alden nodded and hurried upstairs, just before the door to the garage opened. "Hey! Anyone in there to help with the groceries?" Meg groaned audibly and dragged herself off the couch with the TV still playing. Her dad strolled into the room with two bags in his arms. "Am I interrupting?" "Yeah, Dad. It was just getting good, too." He raised an eyebrow. "Didn''t know you liked that show." Oh, right. It''s still on Alden''s stuff. "White noise. I was taking a nap." "Oh! How''d the game go, sweetie?" "Easy. We creamed ''em. Seven-one." "That''s my girl." He set down the bags and ruffled her hair. "Go help your mom, okay?" As soon as they were done, Meg plopped right back on the couch and pulled out her phone, ignoring the TV. It was quiet enough that it didn''t bother her, but loud enough that it still filled the room with a nice level of noise. Better than weird silence for sure. "Meg, where''s your brother?" her mom asked. "In bed sick, I think. He said he was gonna sleep all day." She managed to say it casually and with just a hint of annoyance. Her mom didn''t look suspicious, so she''d probably gotten away with it. It helped that she was already looking at her social feed and feeling annoyed for real. Kelly was at it again. Now that the FBI guy had called the Hailey video a fake, less people were reposting it all over, but there were still a few different threads going on about it. Kelly was in two of them, saying that even if it were fake, it was dangerous and that other people might try it. That she should have left it to the professionals. She talked like she was so intelligent and worldly, but Meg knew better. Kelly had never been in a dangerous situation in her life. She didn''t know what it was actually like. ...Neither did Meg, for that matter, but she had a better idea than Kelly did. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Hidden in a bunch of folders on her laptop, Meg had a couple video files stored away. She''d also put them on her phone, just in case, and made sure they got backed up. She never wanted to lose them, and she ended up watching one or both of them every single week, in a mixture of awe and horror. She felt addicted to them, a spectacle that had happened just a short train ride away to people she actually knew. The first video was the riot. A group of angry men and women, with torches, guns and other weapons, thrashing through a forest in the dead of night. The girl in the grey cloak with silver hair and hands on fire, lashing out. People with magical strength, fireballs and jets of water hurled left and right. Gunshots, and the terrible moment right at the end where a man seemed to evaporate into the air. The stream ended a couple minutes later, right after a tall girl walked out of the forest, next to a young girl in a dress and jacket riding a huge gray wolf. The name on the account was some Rallsburg University kid named Nathan. Meg had no idea why she''d been following him. She guessed it was a friend of a friend that she''d given a follow as a favor, just to help him out or something. Not that he had many anyway. When she logged in that night, she saw he was streaming and happened to tune in. She had nothing better to do. The next day, she''d watched his account avidly, even though it was a Tuesday and she nearly lost her phone twice at school for it. It was worth it though, because she caught the entire second stream, under her desk or stolen moments in the bathroom, right up until it cut out completely with a massive burst of noise that felt like it would shatter her headphones. She knew what had happened in Rallsburg. She''d watched Nathan wander the town, seen the mobs starting to gather¡ªwithout guns this time, for some reason, but plenty of other weapons. Her brother, Hailey, Jessica, and a few others rushing across town for some unknown purpose. She''d watched the entire town lift up into the air, watched the grocery store explode. It was a much longer video, ending instantly as the town collapsed to the ground again, but she had it all saved too. A few days after Alden had come home, both the videos disappeared from Nathan''s account, leaving only a pile of generic boring college stuff. Meg assumed Alden''s friends had deleted them, all part of their big cover-up. She''d never told them that she still had the videos though. They were her prize, a fascinating, scary look into the world of magic she so desperately wanted to join. Now Kelly was criticizing Hailey, the most capable person Meg knew, and thought that was okay? She needed to be told better. But Meg wasn''t speaking to Kelly right now, and calling her out would ruin that. She posted on the same comments that Kelly did, but never addressing her directly. It was always at the story itself. Meg was very specific about how sometimes you couldn''t wait around for the police or the firefighters. How sometimes you had to rely on the people who were there, and that they could be just as competent and strong as any professional. Meg would back Hailey up online without her even knowing it. She got plenty of support too, and after a few minutes got the response she wanted. Kelly was posting again, saying the same things she''d started with, but still very deliberately never talking directly at Meg. Kelly specifically called out people who "didn''t know better" and "hadn''t had enough experience" commenting on actual real life danger. Meg was livid. Why is she being so stupid? And why do so many people seem to agree with her? Then, Meg had an idea. What if I posted it? She could. She had the original videos, and Nathan never really made enough noise to stand out. She was probably the only person online who had even watched it. If Meg posted it, she could claim they were hers. She could use them to back up her argument. Kelly wouldn''t have anything on her after that. Meg started dreaming bigger. What if I posted it everywhere? Like the news and stuff? She had actual, video evidence of what happened in Rallsburg. People would be climbing over each other to get what she had. Even now, five months later, Rallsburg was still on everyone''s mind, especially with the newest stuff in the case, the Hailey video, and the manhunt in Canada. And Meg Bensen, a fifteen year old kid in Kent, had the answers. She''d be famous. She''d catapult herself into having hundreds of thousands¡ªno, millions of followers. Meg could tease out more, too. She knew she had the personality to handle a big following, she just never had a handle on how to start one. This was her ticket into the highest levels of social media. All it took was one quick upload, one button to move it from her cloud to the public. The face of the FBI agent glared at her from the very next story in her feed. Meg realized she was being crazy. Posting the video wouldn''t do all that for her. It''d just put Hailey, and Alden and a whole lot of other people in danger. It''d expose their secret, and that was the last thing Meg wanted to do. She didn''t want to disappoint Hailey. No matter how much it annoyed her that she had to stay quiet while Kelly got to look smart and make her look stupid. Being big wasn''t what she really wanted though, and Meg knew it. She wanted what Alden had, what Hailey had, what the rest of them had. She wanted a taste of real magic, but she''d probably never get it. The closest she''d ever get was her brother. She wandered upstairs while her parents chatted about something bland and safe, usual parent talk. They were apparently going to head out again soon, something about a movie they wanted to see. Award-bait, nothing Meg was interested in. Alden''s bedroom door was closed. She walked right in anyway. Alden was laid out on his bed, still in the same set of clothes, staring at the ceiling. Meg closed the door behind her and sat in Alden''s desk chair. Very deliberately, she put her feet up on the desk, something she knew he hated. His head rotated over slightly. She glared at him, daring him to tell her to knock it off. To say anything. But he didn''t. He turned back up to the ceiling again without a word. "Oh come on!" she cried. Sorry, Hailey, but this isn''t my brother. I gotta do something. "Huh?" "Zack, what the fuck happened to you?" She was trying to annoy him again, swearing when she knew he hated it. Maybe if she annoyed him in a bunch of different ways at once, he''d finally snap and say something. "You''ve been a zombie since you got home last night." "Don''t swear," he replied. It was mechanical, almost robotic, and without much feeling, but it was something. "Thank god, I thought you might be literally dead." He sat up, but he didn''t look any better. If anything, he looked worse. "I should be," he murmured. "No, you shouldn''t." "It''s my fault." "What''s your fault?" "Harold. All of it. I didn''t¡­ I couldn''t¡ª" He broke off, trembling again. Meg hurried over and sat down next to him. She held his hand, the same as she did whenever he woke up in the middle of the night. It helped. He started to calm down. "They had a gun pointed at my head, Meg," he whispered. "He could have pulled the trigger and I''d be dead, just like that." She hadn''t realized that. She''d known they were armed, but that was way worse than what she''d been imagining. "Zack, it''s okay. You''re home now." "They''re hunting us. It was a trap. I¡­ I lead Hailey and Harold right into it. And Harold¡­ oh god¡­" Alden looked like he might throw up. Meg leaned over and grabbed the trash can he kept by his desk, but thankfully all he did was gag a little. "I shouldn''t be telling you this." "I''m good, Zack," she said, patting him on the back. "Nothing worse than what I''ve watched on TV." Except it is. It''s happening to my big brother. Holy shit. This is crazy. "Hailey got you out, right? She saved you?" "Barely. She¡­ we got lucky." "Nah, I''m sure she had it. That''s what she does, she saves people." Alden shook his head. "If the FBI guy hadn''t been there¡­ she tried stalling and it didn''t work. She just makes it up as she goes along. She didn''t have a plan." "She probably didn''t have a plan for that burning building either, but she saved all those people too, right?" "Not all of them." His head dropped even lower. "And if the guy hadn''t said it was fake, we''d be in so much trouble right now. We just got lucky. Again." He quivered, and it transferred through to her hand and made her whole arm shake a little too. "We can''t keep getting lucky like that forever."
Alden managed to fall asleep again after an hour or so. Meg felt like leaving him alone was a bad idea, so she grabbed up her homework and brought it into his room. Lucky for her, he kept a pretty clean desk¡ªand he''d taken some of her classes four years ago. She could use his notes, since the teachers never came up with new assignments (to her parents'' vocal disappointment in their coworkers). But she couldn''t focus. Her thoughts kept drifting back to what Alden had said, both about the bar and about Hailey. It was one thing for Kelly to call Hailey reckless and dangerous¡ªshe didn''t know Hailey, or anything. She was just talking about stuff she didn''t really understand. Alden knew Hailey, and Alden had been there. It was a lot harder for Meg to dismiss what he''d said. Reluctantly, Meg dug her phone out and pulled up the video of the building fire. She watched it again, but this time she focused on Hailey''s face, not the action or the looks on the people surrounding her. Hailey looked excited, but there was something else too. She was surprised. Almost like she hadn''t expected anyone to be watching. When she looked right at the camera, she was scared. Meg had mistaken it at first, but it was obvious now. Hailey hadn''t had a clue what was going to happen when she leapt out of that window. Still, it didn''t prove anything. It was just an expression on her face¡ªand besides, she did save those people. That was good, no matter what someone might say. "Number four is wrong." Meg nearly dropped her phone as she spun around. Alden was leaning over the desk and looking at her math assignment. "Number three, too. You''re doing these wrong." Meg snatched the paper out of his hand. "I would have found out when I checked the back." "Want help?" "No, I got it." Alden shrugged and sat back down on the bed. He seemed a lot more awake than he had before. Come to think of it, he hadn''t woken up once in the few hours of napping he''d managed. That was progress. "Where are Mom and Dad?" "Went to a movie." She put away her phone and tried to start working on her homework again. It was due on Monday and she really wanted to have Sunday all to herself, if she could. Something still nagged at the back of her head though. She''d been with him basically every hour since he''d got home, except for the game. He hadn''t eaten once. "You hungry?" "No." "Come on, you haven''t eaten at all. You gotta be hungry." "I''m not." She frowned. "Maybe try eating something anyway? Like when you''re sick, right?" Alden smiled weakly, which made her feel both a little better and a lot worse. "When''d you get to be my older sister?" Meg rolled her eyes. "Someone''s gotta be the smart one in the family." "...I''ll go eat something." "Do whatever you want." She leaned in and went back to her homework, while Alden headed downstairs. He returned with a plate of microwaved leftover pizza, which he chewed through slowly while watching the clouds drift by through the window. Meg turned on some music after a while, plugging her phone into the speakers on his desk. He didn''t seem to mind, and it was better than the total silence. He occasionally glanced at his phone, but never turned it on. Like he was waiting for something. For Hailey? For one of his other friends, back in Rallsburg? But it never lit up. Eventually, he went back to sleep, while Meg kept working. She had a lot of homework, since she''d put it off all week. Then Friday had been so busy, so she hadn''t gotten anything done, and now it was piled up high. On a normal Saturday, she''d be working through it with Kelly. For a brief moment, she considered calling Kelly, apologizing and getting together for the night. At Meg''s house, of course, so she could keep an eye on Alden. She changed her mind almost instantly. Kelly couldn''t be forgiven so easily. Not until she owned up to what she''d said. Even if it might be a little bit true. As she finished another class''s stack of work and set it aside, she heard Alden getting up, so she wasn''t surprised when he suddenly spoke up again. "You don''t have to do all that in here." "You''ve got nicer speakers and a bigger desk," she pointed out. "But you have a nicer chair." "I dragged it in here." She pointed at his own chair, shoved into the corner. Somehow, he hadn''t even noticed. "I''m just taking advantage of you, don''t worry." "Okay." She grinned mischievously. "And you have to show me more magic later. Deal?" "Sure." Meg raised her eyebrows. "That easy?" Alden didn''t usually agree to it so quickly. He hesitated. "...I think I''m going to need to start doing a lot more magic." "Why''s that?" "To get stronger." He didn''t elaborate, but Meg got the message. He wanted to be able to fight.
Meg had expected Hailey to show up that night, or at least call or text, but neither of them got a single message from her. They watched the news just in case, but there wasn''t anything new. Nothing new on the secret site for magic users either, which Alden still refused to let Meg see. She''d tried to get it out of his computer once while he wasn''t home, but he was smart enough to lock everything before he left, every single time. He didn''t want her snooping in on the people, apparently, but stuff about magic itself? He was more than willing to share. After their parents went to sleep, which was way earlier than either of them, they went out to the shed in the backyard. Meg pulled the chain for the single light bulb, and they pushed aside the lawn equipment to make a bit of space. She hopped up on the stack of patio chairs in the corner, excited as ever, though now it was tinted with a tingle of fear and trepidation. They had a bigger reason for Alden to get strong with magic now, besides just for the fun of it. People were really trying to hurt them now. Even though Meg couldn''t do magic, she thought of herself as one of the group. She might not be awakened¡ªto use their super-lame word for it¡ªbut she was still on the team. She covered for Alden and Hailey all the time, for one, and she also helped Alden train, helped him think of new spells on occasion. She''d come up with a few ideas he''d never thought of¡ªand since he got a lot of his new stuff from the website, that meant no one had ever thought of it. Meg was pretty pleased with herself that day. Tonight, Alden was trying out one of her new ideas again. Having a specific topic like this, where he didn''t have to think about anything that happened, seemed to snap him out of his fugue for a bit. "Go over it again?" he asked, staring at the candle sitting on a stack of plastic recycling crates. "Well, your affinity is Movement stuff, right?" "Yeah." "But you wanna be able to do elemental stuff better. Like being able to throw fire, since that''s like everyone''s go-to thing?" "It''s the most well-known spell, so everyone knows how to make it without much energy. But I''m bad at manipulating it or creating a lot of it. And definitely not both." "Right, so just do one. Don''t do both." "...That doesn''t really help, Meg." She grinned. "You only make the fire with Elemental magic, but then you move it with Movement magic." "That''s¡­ not really how it works." "Why not?" Alden hesitated, and she could see his mind clicking through ideas. It seemed so obvious to her, but maybe she was missing something. She couldn''t do magic, only he could. Still, he turned back to the candle and stared it down. She could see it flickering in his pupils. A bit of flame jumped off the candle and slid through mid-air to the side. Alden''s eyes went wide. A second later, it flickered out as a tiny bit of ash fell to the concrete floor of the shed. "Bingo," Meg gloated. "I''m the best." "But it didn''t last." Alden frowned. "Well you don''t have to be mean about it." "It''s because I moved the wick, not the fire. Maybe if I¡­" He tried again, and moved his hand a little at the same time. This time, there wasn''t a tiny spot of black, and the candle was suddenly no longer burning. It was just an insubstantial flame, attached to nothing at all. Meg clapped, and Alden smiled. A few seconds later, it puffed out. He clutched the pile of crates to keep himself up. "Too much?" she asked, recognizing magic fatigue when she saw it. "We''ve been going all night. Maybe take a break?" "Nah, it was just too sudden. I had to switch from moving the fire to keeping it alive. Still easier than making it myself though. It''s a good start. I can work with it." "Awesome." Alden sat down in the lone chair on his side, taking a drink from his water bottle. Meg decided it was as good a time as any to ask a few more questions, since he seemed to be in a pretty good mood. It was loads better than earlier. "Hey Zack." "Yeah?" She took a breath, building up to a question she''d been meaning to ask for months. "Did you ever find out¡­ you know." He didn''t seem to understand. "What you went there to find out. You know. To Rallsburg." "Oh." He glanced up at the small window in the shed, where they could just barely see the empty room that had puzzled them both for so long. Even now, it sat totally unused. They''d thought about practicing magic in it, but decided the shed was safer. Plus, something about it just made them both feel sad. None of the family liked going in that room. "No, I didn''t. Not really." "What does that mean?" "Well. She and I¡ª" "Who?" He glanced at her oddly. "I never told you about her?" "Who, your girlfriend?" He laughed. She felt indignant for a moment, but it was gone as soon as she''d realized he was laughing. This was miles better than she''d hoped for only the night before. "She''s way out of my league. Out of anyone''s league probably. She''s in her own league of one and she''d never let anyone else into it if she could help it." "I know some girls like that." "She''s the one who taught me how to cast a lot of my early stuff. I met her on the train ride there." "And what''s she like?" "Kinda short, blue hair, and she''d be really attractive if she wasn''t so scary." Meg rolled her eyes. "Her personality. You are such a guy." "What, scary isn''t a personality?" "No." "...She''s really intense, but you can tell she cares a lot. Too much, probably. And she''s always on a mission. One specific mission, really, and she''s never gonna let anything get in her way." "What''s that?" "She''s trying to find her father." "Well how hard could that be?" "Really hard, I guess. We never really got into specifics. I think he''s in hiding though. He was super rich, then he sold off his company and all his stuff and disappeared one day." "Wow. I hope she finds him." Alden shook his head. "I don''t." "Huh?" "I think she''s actually gonna kill him." "...What?" "She said she was going to. I didn''t really believe it at first, but I saw her in action. She''d do it." He sighed. "It''s a long story. We got off topic." "It''s cool." Alden glanced up at the empty room again. "I think we had an older sibling, and I think they were erased by magic somehow." Meg took a few seconds to process what he''d just said. "...That''s supposed to be impossible, right? Mason''s Law or whatever." "Yeah, but some things break that law. Like recoil from broken spells. Or¡­" he trailed off. "Or this, apparently." "How''d you figure it out?" "Well, it''s the only thing that made sense with everything I had. The university envelope, the empty laptop, the empty room, so on. I didn''t think it was magic though, until I got to Rallsburg and¡­ yeah." "And you got awakened and now you can do cool magic tricks." "Pretty much. Grey-eyes told me that it couldn''t be undone. Whoever they were, they''re not coming back. Our memories are toast." "That''s crazy." Meg felt weird. She didn''t know what to think about it. Someone had messed with her head? She couldn''t remember someone at all? And the goddess of magic herself said it couldn''t be reversed. It was too much to consider. All she could do was try to take it with a dash of humor, or else she knew she''d start stewing about it for days. "You know what though?" "What?" "I bet we had an older sister." Alden''s mouth twitched slightly. "Why d''you say that?" "''Cause an older brother wouldn''t have cleaned everything on his way out. He would have left a mess." She jabbed him with her foot teasingly. "Hey, I clean up after myself." "Yeah you do, you freak." She picked up the candle lighter and lit it again. "Come on, let''s keep trying. You should get this down."
Sunday morning. Meg woke up staring at Alden''s ceiling yet again. He''d still woken her up again last night, around two in the morning. She''d hoped they''d gotten past it, but apparently not. So when he came downstairs, looking miserable, she poured him a bowl of cereal without a word. They ate in silence, Meg browsing through an increasingly-irritating social feed and Alden staring at his bowl without lifting a finger. Hailey had never checked in, not even once. Meg wondered if she should text her, remind her that Alden could do with some company. Hailey should have known that though, right? She knew about taking care of people. Meg was starting to have nightmares now too, though hers thankfully didn''t wake her up in cold sweats screaming her lungs out. She dreamt she was running through a mansion of totally empty rooms, searching desperately for something she didn''t even know, and every time she left a room it faded into black, until the entire mansion seemed to be disappearing around her. She had it twice, both before and after Alden had woken her up, and though she wasn''t one to read much into dreams, the meaning was painfully obvious. Their parents were out at church, but both Alden and Meg had stopped going a few years back. Meg because she hated singing in public, and Alden (though he''d never tell his parents) because he didn''t actually believe it anymore. She didn''t really get how that had happened, but she knew that telling anyone wouldn''t really do him any good. Their parents never made a big deal out of it, so it didn''t affect them much at the end of the day. So only a couple hours later, they found themselves right back in Alden''s room, with Meg trying to finish the rest of her homework, and Alden reading an old favorite book. Meg probably could have gotten a lot more done, but her phone kept chirping at her with new posts to read, and she couldn''t resist seeing what Kelly was up to. She is just not letting this go, is she? Now that rumors were flying around of Hailey being sighted all over both Seattle and Tacoma (which Meg was pretty sure were fake), and acting as some kind of vigilante hero, people were chiming in on both sides of the argument. As usual, Kelly was critical. Meg started typing a furious retort, careful to make sure it wasn''t actually aimed at Kelly directly, but she hesitated. After what she''d heard from Alden, and rewatching both the building video and the clip of Hailey in Rallsburg, Meg wasn''t so sure anymore. Hailey was still trying to do good, for sure, but Kelly wasn''t totally wrong. She didn''t need to be so harsh about it, but¡­ she made some good points. Not that Meg could tell her that. Meg deleted the comment instead of posting it, and went back to her homework. "That was angry, whatever it was. I feel sorry for the other girl," said Alden. "Who says it was a girl?" Meg answered, almost automatically. She didn''t bother to look up at him. "If it were a guy you''d be trying to stay on his good side so you could ask him out." "As if. I''d call out anyone on their bullshit, boy or girl." "Don''t swear." "Like your bullshit," she snapped, spinning in the chair. To her surprise, Alden was on his feet, and had a backpack on. She kept going anyway, but she was already confused by his appearance. "When are you gonna see I''m not a little kid anymore? Who cares if I cuss a bit?" "I do. I''m your big brother." "Well thanks, bro, but I think I can handle my own vocabulary." Alden shrugged. "It''s up to you." "Yeah it is." Meg set down her phone. "You seem better." "I made a decision." "Oh?" "I''m not sitting around at home anymore. I''m gonna get out there." "Mom and Dad''ll be happy." Meg glanced at the window pointedly. "Where you gonna go?" "I''m gonna go find her." "Hailey?" "No, the girl I met in Rallsburg." Meg raised her eyebrows. "I thought she wasn''t your girlfriend." "Not in a million years. But she said something to me back there. That we were fated to run into each other." "Oh please. That''s a cheap pick-up line." "She meant it. There were three of us in Rallsburg who kept running into each other, who had missing family members. Her and her dad, Natalie and her dad, and me and my¡­" "Impossibly cool older sister," Meg supplied. "Yeah, that one." Alden smiled. "She and I made a pretty good team for a while there. I think so, anyway. I think I can help her out, wherever she is. It''s better than sitting around here doing nothing, but it''s also not¡­ anywhere near what I''ve been doing. It''ll be safe." "How are you gonna find her?" "I have her number." Meg laughed. "That''s way too easy." "No one picks up on the other end when I call. So I''m gonna go out to where I know she was headed last, find anyone who might have spotted a helicopter landing in the area, and follow the clues from there." He paused. "I won''t be coming back home until I find her." "Okay, that''s a little harder." Meg glanced at her phone. "You want help? I''m pretty good at finding profiles online." "Go for it, but I wouldn''t be surprised if you don''t find anything. She''s not the social media type." "Everyone''s the social media type. Some people just hide it better." Meg grinned. "I''ll find her, you''ll see." "You don''t even know her name." Oh. Duh. "Well, you gonna tell me?" He winced. "No." Meg grinned. "Uh-huh. Is Hailey gonna go with you?" Alden hesitated. "...No. And you shouldn''t tell her where I went, either." "Why not?" "Hailey doesn''t really have the¡­ finesse for this kind of thing." "What?" "She doesn''t think all her plans through. She just leaps in with both feet whenever she can. Sometimes that works out great, and sometimes¡­" He shook his head. Meg wanted to argue with him, shout that Hailey was perfect and they just didn''t understand what she was doing, but between Kelly and Alden, and all the stuff she''d seen herself, she didn''t feel quite so enamored anymore. She still thought Hailey meant well, but there was a gap. Hailey wasn''t on top of a pedestal anymore. She was human just like the rest of them. Just like Meg, but with a little bit extra on the side. A little bit¡ªwell, a lot, really¡ªof magic. It broke Meg''s heart to realize it. "I won''t tell her," she promised. "Breaking up the dream team of Zack and Hailey''s gonna hurt though. You guys were working together, weren''t you?" Alden shook his head. "After what happened, they''re shutting everyone out. No more risks for a while. Not until we can deal with¡­ what happened." He didn''t want to say it, and Meg didn''t make him. "I''ll tell Hailey eventually, promise. But for now, we just won''t say anything." "I''m never gonna get to fly with her at this rate," Meg grumbled. "I''ll make sure you do." Meg shrugged. "I bet I''m a way better flyer than you are." "Probably. You''re easier to carry." "Hey!" He smiled. "Cover for me with Mom and Dad?" "Duh. You owe me even more big time though." Alden grinned. "When I get back, I promise. I''ll bring you a present better than you can imagine." "I can imagine a lot, Zack." "I''ll beat it, trust me." He paused. "Also, don''t call me Zack." "What, you changing your name again?" "No. Just Alden." "I thought you didn''t want to be ''just another Alden''." He shrugged. "We already had part of our family disappear. I feel like I shouldn''t be trying to take away more." "Way to make it weird, bro." "It''s symbolic, all right?" "Whatever." Meg got up and walked across the room. She threw her arms around him and hugged him tight for a second, then broke away. "Stay safe." "You too." "From what, paper cuts?" Meg plopped back onto the chair in front of his desk. "I''m totally using your desk while you''re gone." "Have at it." "How are you gonna survive without me?" "I dunno, I did pretty well for a while there. Eighteen years or so. It was touch and go for a bit but we made it." It was so much better to hear him joking and teasing like a normal brother, but there was still an uneven, hollow tone to everything he said. She was trying to tease him right back, but she could tell he was still hurting. Meg wasn''t sure if she should let him go in the state he was in, but she couldn''t think of a good reason to try to keep him home either. He felt like he had to do this, and who was she to tell him not to? "You still haven''t slept more than a couple hours without waking up," she said quietly. "...Yeah, I know." "You aren''t better yet." "I know." "You know this is all crazy right? That you''re running out on an insane quest to find a girl you only knew for a week?" He shrugged. "She''s the reason this all started for me, so maybe she''s the only way to end it. I dunno. But I''m gonna find her." "You''re crazy." "Me and every other Awakened." He grinned. "She called me a hopeless romantic once. Guess it stuck." "Well¡­ good luck," Meg said awkwardly, not sure what else to say. "Thanks." He picked up a duffel bag she hadn''t seen before. He''d been packing and she hadn''t even noticed. "I''ll let you know where I am. Just¡­ you know." "Just in case," she finished. "I know." "See you later, Meg." Alden left. Meg watched him go from his bedroom window, as he walked down to the street and turned to the nearest bus stop. He''d catch it and ride the buses and trains all the way back to the bar in Tacoma, where he''d get his car. From there¡­ who knew? How the hell am I supposed to get my homework done now? Meg sat back in the chair, thinking about everything. Her imaginary older sister, who was both the coolest and strongest person she knew, but also the nicest and funniest at the same time, and always made sure Meg never got overshadowed or overlooked. Someone she could actually talk to about her life and all the stuff she was going through. Someone who wouldn''t judge her. That''d be nice to have. Alden was a great brother, but there were things she couldn''t really talk to him about. He was a guy. She thought about Hailey, who she realized she''d started trying to turn into an adoptive sister in a way. Hailey couldn''t really be her sister though. She had so much going on, and even if they got along okay, they weren''t really that much alike. Besides, Meg hadn''t really needed her to talk to or anything. If anything Meg was the one listening to Hailey, and to Alden, and everyone else that buzzed through their house. Even Jessica "talked" to Meg more than Meg tried to communicate back. Maybe Meg didn''t really need a sister. Maybe she was the sister everyone else needed. Figures I get the lame part of this deal. If Alden had managed a revelation over the weekend, then apparently so had Meg. The argument with Kelly seemed so petty now, sniping at each other over the exploits of someone who wasn''t even supposed to be alive. Her brother, and Hailey, and everyone else¡ªthey were all dealing with so many bigger things than that. People were trying to hunt down awakened and kill them. That was crazy. Not a girl jumping into a burning building and saving a few people. That was just typical reckless heroism. Meg got out her laptop, browsed through the drive and deleted the live streams, both of them. She did the same on her phone, and cleared them off her cloud account too. She scrubbed it all as clean as she knew how. A little burst of fame wasn''t worth the damage those videos might cause, so Meg got rid of them. A bit of comfort wasn''t worth Alden''s pain, so she spent nights on his floor. A pat on the back from Hailey wasn''t worth breaking Alden''s trust and his recovery, so she''d lie to her idol about where he''d gone. Everything was a trade-off, just like her economics homework said. See, school really does teach you stuff! Meg rolled her eyes at herself, then sat down and got back to work. She still had to finish it before the next day, or her parents would chew her out. It was a bit too quiet though. A bit¡­ uncomfortable. She turned on some music again, but it didn''t help. Meg thought about it for a minute. Then she turned off the music, picked up her homework and her textbooks, and carried them down the hall to the last room. The empty room. She sat down in the corner, back up against the wall with a couple pillows from her room, and laid out her books on the floor. She leaned over and started working again, and suddenly it didn''t seem so quiet anymore. Even though the room was silent besides her pencil scratching and the buttons on her calculator, and the only thing moving was the clouds in the sky through the window¡­ it felt all right. It happened a couple times. She could have sworn she saw something move out of the corner of her eye, but when she looked up, the room was as empty as always. Her parents weren''t home, and they had the loudest front door and garage known to man, so she knew they weren''t suddenly back either. Meg shrugged and went back to her homework. She was just imagining things. Probably. [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] B2: Chapter 14 — Finding Family Chapter 14 ¡ª Finding Family For the next few days after the craziness at the bar, Hailey did everything she could to keep herself busy. During the day, they spent their time in Seattle, reveling in Hailey''s old favorites of shopping, eating and people-watching. Hailey lead Jessica to even more of her old hang-outs, exploits of an adventurous teenager in the city with an unlimited bus-pass and a gaggle of followers to explore with. They visited buildings almost at random, Jessica still awed by the sights and sounds of the city after living so much of her life in a quiet secluded town. With Jessica''s newfound lack of embarrassment or shame, they had a blast visiting clubs in the evening hours. They danced and reveled in the thick pulsing atmosphere, where Hailey could lose her mind for a few hours at a time and not think about anything other than her best friend and the cute guys watching Hailey from the bar¡­ right up until Rupert re-appeared with drinks, to their abject disappointment. As soon as night fell completely and the club atmosphere began to drag, Hailey and Jessica took to the skies, bidding Rupert farewell. They made trips out to the Greycloaks every single night. Hailey couldn''t bear a single moment feeling unoccupied. She needed to be doing something, no matter how repetitive. Hailey still hadn''t figured out how to tell her what had happened the night she went out alone, but since that night, they hadn''t spent more than a few minutes apart at most. If Jessica noticed the abrupt shift in their activity, she made no sign of it. She looked happy, and that was enough for Hailey for the time being. Cinza and her people had nothing for them. After the disastrous trip out to poor Harold, they''d completely cut off contact with the newer Awakened. Despite Cinza''s protests, Ruby had agreed with Hailey and Josh that it was too much of a risk. They couldn''t afford to be caught, particularly when they still had no idea how Brian''s men had found them. "Assuming they are Brian''s," Cinza pointed out, at their latest meeting in her cabin. The rest of the impromptu Council was present, including Josh, Ruby, and Hailey. Thanks to a sudden downpour, Jessica had chosen to take cover inside as well along with Scrappy the mountain lion, and the two of them were sitting by a crackling fire in the stone fireplace against the wall. "I feel like we''re giving up ground here when we needn''t be." "Come on." Josh rolled his eyes. "How the hell d''you think anyone else is gonna summon golems like that? It''s gotta be him." "We know Jackson imbued objects with the ability to create them. It''s possible that someone else may be calling the shots, with Brian or someone else directing the golems." Cinza frowned. "I want to be sure we consider every possible option." She glanced at Hailey. "We still have no clues as to their identities?" "None," Hailey sighed. "I was hoping there might''ve been police footage or something, but they didn''t release a thing." "Don''t they have body cameras and dashcams?" Ruby asked. "They''ve gotta have something, don''t they?" "Apparently not," said Cinza. "All they''ve released are vague descriptions and a request for public support. Nothing more." "What are my taxes going towards?" "You''ve never paid taxes," Josh pointed out. Ruby shrugged. "I''m still gonna complain about it." A mixture of complaints and speculation was all they could accomplish in those meetings. Of their other projects, Cinza reported little success. Nikki couldn''t locate Brian for them since she had no sense of his essence¡ªand with no one else particularly important to find, she''d returned to her old pet project of drawing energy from sources other than gemstones. Hailey wasn''t sure if she was relieved or unsettled by her lack of progress. On the one hand, she still found it abhorrent, the idea of using up living things selfishly just to get another boost of energy. They''d got into a shouting match over it, with Nikki pointing out that Hailey didn''t understand how hard it was for the rest of them to cast spells. The argument might have gotten far worse if Josh hadn''t intervened. He''d proposed a compromise: that Nikki would only use plants, and if possible, eggs for her tests. Nothing aware. Hailey wasn''t happy about it, but the other half of her mind crept in. Even with all her strength, she couldn''t beat Jackson''s golems. The guy wasn''t even alive to sustain them or produce more, but still Hailey could only drive them back. She needed something stronger, and Nikki''s ideas might be the way. Only two people had ever managed to actually destroy a golem completely. Aaron had pummeled one to a cloud of dust with enhanced strength, but according to Ruby, it was possible that Jackson had simply let it disintegrate as a distraction. Given what happened to Aaron only moments later, Hailey could believe that. Natalie was the other. Hailey hadn''t ever seen her do it, but Yusuf and Rufus had described her power with awestruck hushed voices: beams of crackling pink lightning that simply annihilated huge portions of the golems. The ability to manipulate lightning and electricity was a rare skill, and Natalie had learned it at some point in Rallsburg. Hailey had sent her a dozen messages since that night in Tacoma, but Natalie hadn''t answered a single one. Her last message, asking for help, hung ominously at the end of their chat log. The website reported she was still logging in, but no response. She asked around, and no one else had heard from her either. Lily informed her in a curt reply that Natalie was attending school as normal, but Hailey still felt something was off. Natalie usually welcomed any contact eagerly. Something had changed. If it was personal, Hailey didn''t want to intrude. So she continued to leave messages, a couple each day, trying to be encouraging. If Natalie wanted to talk, she''d answer. She was a teenager; Hailey definitely remembered getting into moods where she just wanted to shut out the world for a bit when she was that age. So Hailey kept herself busy. She went out with Jessica. She spent time with Rupert, and with his friends Trevor and Elissa, secretly taking bets on how long it would take for the two of them to finally start dating. And she kept up flying around Seattle at night, watching everything she could. Between her flight and brief muttered spells to enhance her sight, Hailey could see for miles with ease and pinpoint accuracy. She and Jessica would dive between nooks and crannies up on the sides of buildings, never staying in one spot for too long, keeping an eye on the city. More than once, they stopped a mugging or a robbery in progress from afar, spooking or intimidating would-be crooks from above with a few easy spells. It was so simple, but every single one gave Hailey a little burst of pride. She was making a difference. To her surprise, when Hailey had proposed the idea to Jessica, she''d accepted without much debate. After their near-miss in the burning building, Hailey had assumed she''d be going it alone, but Jessica had agreed they should be helping people if they could. She''d gotten a promise from Hailey that they''d never actually show themselves though, if possible. Luckily for her, Hailey had no intention of being seen, particularly by the one person she was actually trying to find in the city.
Hailey picked up the iced coffees and brought them to a table, where Jessica was waiting patiently. She was examining the painting above their table with interest. Hailey gestured at it quizzically. Jessica shrugged. She mimed drawing something on the table, then looked at her invisible pencil with forlorn eyes, opening and closing her hand as if she''d lost it. Hailey nodded, pulling out her wallet from her bag and tapping it a few times. They''d go by the store on the way back and buy some more art supplies. Jessica had been practicing drawing things in an attempt to help make her actual illusions more realistic. At the present without a good model, they resembled children''s artwork at best, since Jessica had never been much for art. Hailey leaned back and started reading a book on her phone while sipping her coffee, while Jessica kept looking around the store, but a snatch of conversation nearby caught her ears. More specifically, her own name. "You really think it was faked?" "Of course it was. Hailey Winscombe''s dead like the rest of them." "So what d''you think happened to that poor town?" Hailey leaned forward surreptitiously, turning off her phone and tilting the screen to get a look at the trio of voices. No one she recognized, just a few college-aged kids with laptops and textbooks. She propped up her phone against the fixture on the table, so that she could keep an eye on them. "Beats me." "I think she''s gotta still be alive." "So why not show her face?" "Well she''s in hiding, right? From whatever blew up the town." "Yeah, us." "Us as in¡ª" "America, duh." "Come on, why the hell would we blow up a place like that?" "Think about it. Everyone''s saying how weird Rallsburg was in the first place. Why was a college ever built there anyway?" "Because the land was cheap and it already had trains running through?" "Lots of places have that. It was a glorified logging camp." "I dunno, I kinda wanted to go there." "For what?" "The business and economics programs was supposed to be really good." Hailey smiled to herself. That was the reason she''d gone there, after all. Or at least, the way she''d justified going there. Even this far removed from town, she still felt a twinge of protective loyalty toward her school¡­ not that she could leap up and defend it without causing quite a lot of chaos. "Oh come on, that was just because they had a big name professor." "Better than some of the places I''ve looked at." "What''s your point? That the school was so bad it had to be what¡ªa front for something?" "Yeah, exactly. Secret corporate projects." "Not secret government projects?" "From our government?" "Fair point." "What kind of projects?" "Weapons, probably. Or something else crazy. Hey, maybe this is how the zombie plague starts." "How does zombies lead to all the buildings exploding or collapsing?" "...So it''s aliens or something." "Right." "I''m just saying, there''s something weird about it. It all looks like a coverup." "I don''t disagree with you there." "So if it''s a coverup, but we know there were two survivors¡­" "The guys up in Canada." "Right. Why is it so implausible that Hailey Winscombe could be alive too?" "You just want her to be alive because you think she''s hot." Hailey, not immune to a bit of vanity, rolled her eyes in a self-satisfying way towards the reflection of the guy who looked a little embarrassed at the accusation. "I don''t think he''s totally crazy." "You think?" "Look at how many times they''ve dragged her mom back into the conversation. They gotta know something we don''t." They did what to Mom? Hailey wondered. She hadn''t been watching or reading the news as much lately, a little worried about what she might find. She trusted Cinza or someone else would let her know if anything really important showed up. "But the FBI said it was fake." "You believed ''em?" "I mean, they work for us, don''t they?" "Sure they do." With that, the conversation devolved from a discussion of Rallsburg into an argument about the state of the government. Hailey had gotten enough out of it and picked her phone back up, scrolling through the news quickly. With tense fingers, she typed in her name into a search. She''d been avoiding her long enough. She was still as avid on social media as Hailey had ever been, and had just checked in at a restaurant only three blocks down the street. Hailey stared at the tiny message on her phone for several minutes, debating, but she couldn''t resist the temptation. She stood up suddenly, and Jessica quickly moved to follow. They finished off their drinks and headed outside into the sunset. The city was bustling and packed as ever on a Monday evening. Jessica clung to Hailey''s arm as they weaved through the sidewalk traffic. Hailey navigated it with ease, slipping through the gaps in the slower walkers even with Jessica at her side. They made swift progress without anyone batting an eye. After all, Hailey didn''t look anything like her photos online, or even like the brief and blurry snippet of video from the night of the fire. No one was going to recognize her. The restaurant was part of a larger mall complex, which meant Hailey found an easy spot to spy from. They headed up for the second floor, taking an empty table with a perfect view of the restaurant and the street beyond through the huge glass windows. Jessica was awed by the fountains and glass elevators in the center of the place, paying no mind to the restaurant. Dozens of white tables were scattered around a black carpeted dining area, which gave the whole place a vague aesthetic like a chessboard. There she was. Stephanie Winscombe sat at a far table near the windows with a man Hailey assumed was a work colleague. With a quick murmur, their voices were carried across the wide expanse to her ears. "...will bounce back. You really think Thomas Laushire is going to take this lying down?" Hailey had a brief thrill of shock hearing the name out of her mother''s mouth, but she reminded herself that the Laushires were a huge name in business. It had nothing to do with Kendra, or Rallsburg. "I think he''s overstepped. He accused Malton of corporate espionage." "''Corporate espionage''," her mom mocked. "Laushire got taken for a fool, he knows it, and he''s fanning the flames a bit for cover. He just needs to blow the story up enough to flip the tables." "So all that about Laushire''s overseas dealings¡­" She shook her head dismissively. "It means nothing." "You really think so?" "Honey, we''re in a post-scandal world." Honey? Hailey wondered. Was that endearing or sarcastic? She couldn''t tell. "There''s not a whole lot of corporate crime you can''t get away with anymore, now that the world''s gone to hell. Worst case in the short run, Laushire can deflect a lot by claiming grief over his daughter. Fill up the news cycle until they find some other bone to chew on." "But he didn''t even like her." Stephanie nodded. "Not at all. I heard he exiled her from the company." "That''s just cold. Why, though?" "I''m supposed to know that?" "I''ve decided to assume you know everything now, ma''am." "I told you to stop calling me that." "Yes, ma''am, but your boss doesn''t like it when I do. Please don''t make me break the habit." She sighed. "As far as I know, Laushire booted his daughter over a family matter. That''s all I heard." "Not for incompetence?" Stephanie snorted, nearly spitting out a sip of her coffee. "Hell no. Half of the best deals they made during that period were hers. She was a killer at the table. You should have seen her talk her way around a boardroom, it was brilliant. She could out-talk the lawyers." "Overshadowing her dad, then?" "Maybe." She shrugged. "Miss Winscombe!" A man called out, and Hailey realized with a start that he was actually directly beneath her, not in the restaurant. He was loud enough she''d assumed he was standing right next to her mother. A cameraman from a local station was just a few steps behind him. He practically leapt over the low ornamental fence surrounding the restaurant area, making his way over to their table. "Goddammit¡­" Stephanie murmured as they approached. She turned in her seat to face him, looking distinctly annoyed. Her assistant looked just as bothered. "No," she called back. Several other patrons of the restaurant were now looking up with interest. The noise had cut through the usual buzz of the mall and the sounds of the kitchen behind the restaurant wall. The reporter and his cameraman got right up in her mom''s face at the table. "Is-it-true-that-your-daughter-was-sighted-in-Tacoma?" he said breathlessly. Was I? Hailey wondered. She doubted it. Cinza would have told her. "I don''t know." "Have you heard from her?" "No." "Do you think she''s still alive?" "That''d be nice." She said it so dryly that Hailey was torn between laughing and crying. "Can you tell us anything about what happened in Rallsburg?" Stephanie frowned. "Look, is this live?" she asked, pointing at the man''s camera. He hesitated, then shook his head. "Good." She stood up, glass in hand, and chucked it at the camera lens. It shattered. Liquid sprayed all over the shocked cameraman''s face. Hailey did a little fist-pump of satisfaction from her perch above the restaurant. "What the fu¡ª" "Coming, Daniel?" Stephanie asked, striding from the restaurant at a brisk pace. Her assistant, dumbstruck, rushed to follow her out.
Hailey followed her. She and Jessica stayed a block away at all times, and she had trouble keeping the spell going to be able to hear her mother speak, but every word counted. It was a huge comfort just to hear her voice again, even if it had to be from so far away and totally unaware. Most of their conversation wasn''t of much interest to Hailey. She''d never really shared her mother''s interest in business or economics, so the finer details simply buzzed through her brain without really sticking. She did learn that her mother actually worked for Kendra''s dad, although not directly in any sense. Stephanie worked for a company (Wensley Group), which was owned by another company (Metcon Capital), which was a founding member of the Laushire Enterprises international conglomerate. She looked it up on her phone while they walked, trying to trace the lines of business back to her mom somehow. Hailey was surprised to see how much information was available online. Her mom even had a web presence besides social media. Apparently she was a much more important woman than Hailey had ever realized. Yes, she''d known they were well-off, but she''d never paid much attention to what her mom actually did to provide for them. Of course, her presence these days was as much about her connection to ''the Rallsburg Incident'' as it was her business acumen and connections. From the sound of it, that annoyed her mother as much as it made Hailey feel cool and mysterious. "...and after the Dawkins meeting, remind me to check in with Legal and see if we can get some restraining orders on all these reporters. This is getting old." "Uhh, ma''am¡­" She sighed. "Look, call me ma''am if you really have to, but speak your mind. I promise, I won''t ever fire you for something you say in private. I''ll put it in writing if you like. I hired you for your opinions." He nodded. "The press doesn''t really respond well to restraining orders or hostility in general. The more you resist, the greater their curiosity." "So I should just sit here and take harassment?" "It''ll pass with time. Most stories fade after a week or two. Rallsburg has sticking power as an unsolved crime at such a scale, but sooner or later everyone will move on. The news survives on keeping things interesting. If you react to them, ma''am, you keep it interesting." Hailey had to dodge out of the way to avoid getting run over by a particularly aggressive biker, and missed half of her mother''s reply. "...keep thinking they''ve seen her." "Well, you watched the video. What do you think, ma''am?" "...I don''t know." Hailey nearly stopped walking. She''d never heard her mother sound uncertain about anything. Her voice wasn''t supposed to make sounds like that. "Have you spoken with her father about it?" "You can say his name, Daniel. We''re getting divorced, we''re not mortal enemies." They''re getting divorced? Hailey''s heart sank. What happened? "Mr. Partel¡ª" "Chris, Daniel. Chris." "I wouldn''t presume to be so familiar with him." "Chris and I talked about it. We watched it together after they sent us the original copy. Neither of us thought it looked like her, but it''s a terrible video. Besides, that agent on TV said it was fake." "True." "It''s been six months. They did everything I asked, I did everything they asked. Neither of us came up with squat." Stephanie''s voice sounded calm and confident, despite what she was saying. "I have to assume the worst." "I''m sorry, ma''am." "I am too." Another shout sounded from across the street. A man with a phone held up, camera pointed their way. "Oh, not again." Stephanie quickly turned down a side street, Daniel hurrying to keep up. Hailey, one block behind them with Jessica at her side, had to rush just to keep her in sight. They weaved through several city blocks before they managed to lose the guy. Her mom was great at ducking out of sight, which was both a note of pride and a major inconvenience. At one point, Hailey lost her entirely, and had to have Jessica boost them up into the air and fly over the crowd invisibly to spot her distinct wavy blonde hair, the exact same as Hailey''s had once been. In a small corner coffee shop, they took another short break, while Hailey hung around just outside. Every time the door opened, she had to adjust her spell to hear them as it rose and shrunk in volume. "They really are quite persistent," Daniel huffed, drinking down a cup of water. Stolen novel; please report. "I swear, everything is all about that stupid town," Stephanie grumbled. "She just had to go to that school." "Hailey chose it?" "You think I''d send my daughter to a tiny school like that?" Stephanie shook her head. "Hailey wanted to go. I think she wanted to prove herself. I would have let her go anywhere, but she picked the smallest, most out of the way school she could find that still had a good business program. She liked the challenge." Was that why I picked it? Hailey mused. I thought it was ''cause I wanted to get away, and because of Weston¡­ "She sounds like she was quite the young woman." Stephanie shrugged. "Chris insisted she made the right choice, but look where she ended up." "That''s hardly her fault." She finished off her own drink and stood up again. "Come on, let''s get back to the office."
For the next two days, Hailey followed her mother around the city, watching everything she did, listening to every conversation she could. She couldn''t hear her in her office, too deep into the building even from a ledge outside, but whenever she stepped out for lunch (as Stephanie Winscombe would never bring her own lunch, or deign to eat in a corporate office in any regard if she could help it), Hailey was only a couple dozen steps behind. An utterly bewildered Jessica had long-since caught on to the woman Hailey was following, but if she had any idea of their relationship, she made no sign. They kept up the rest of their routine, leaving Stephanie in her condo at night and going out to patrol the alleys and streets of Seattle. Hailey threw herself into it wholesale, trying to cover as much ground as possible even with just the two of them. She sped along the streets like a crazed eagle, swooping and diving around corners, always on the hunt. She wondered if she was putting her mother in danger somehow. Nonsense, she decided. She was far more likely to protect her from something than actually cause her harm in some way. Besides, Hailey needed to keep hearing her voice. It was the only thing keeping her sane. At one point, she heard her father as well, briefly and through a tinny phone speaker. He''d called to check in, asking if she needed anything, and then asking when they needed to meet for the divorce proceedings. All polite and cordial, but every word grated on Hailey''s ears. If they had such a polite and friendly relationship, why did it have to end? She didn''t understand, and she couldn''t just come out and ask her mother about it. After all, Hailey was still supposed to be dead. On the third day, early in the morning, they arrived at her condo. Jessica was lounging back on a window ledge, watching a cloud float by, while Hailey dangled her legs off the side and watched the glass doors at the front lobby, waiting for her to come out. They were one block down and three stories up on the corner of the next building, with only a small alley between them and her mother''s home. Jessica tapped her on the shoulder, and Hailey looked around. She pointed at the door, then drew a circle around them, tilting her head slightly to indicate a question. Hailey shook her head. Jessica frowned, then pointed at the door again. She made a flat palm, and walked her fingers across, then indicated them both again and made a floating person following the walking one, before asking the question again. Hailey sighed. It''s about time I was embarrassed in front of her. She shook her head again, unwilling to explain why it was so important they follow this woman around Seattle. Not that Hailey had any sort of endgame in mind here. Stephanie walked out onto the street, bag over her shoulder, sunglasses on and phone pressed to her ear. She was headed to her morning workout. Hailey and Jessica glanced around, and there wasn''t anyone in sight of them. They could drop to the street and start following her again without much effort. As Hailey reached out to hold her so they could start flying, Jessica shook her head. Letting out a sudden whooping noise that could be heard halfway down the street, Jessica turned and leapt off the building into the alley below, forty feet down. Without thinking, Hailey dove off the building after her. She caught up quickly, wrapping her arms around her best friend and flaring out her wings at the same time. Even so, it was only barely enough room until the ground to slow down. She sent a burst of wind out to slow them even faster, sending bits of paper and old coffee cups spinning out into the street. They collapsed in a heap on the ground. Hailey groaned and rolled off of Jessica, who was grinning mischievously. She giggled, a bit winded from the excitement. As Hailey picked herself up, she heard a slight cough from behind her. Very slowly, Hailey turned around to face the entrance to the alleyway. Stephanie was standing there, holding the phone to her ear with her mouth slightly open. Her eyes were hidden by her sunglasses. "...Hi," Hailey said finally. Stephanie slowly reached up and tapped the phone, hanging up on whoever she was talking to. A second later, her phone clattered to the street. "What on earth have you done to your hair?" Hailey gaped at her. Of all the things she''d imagined her mom might say first, that wasn''t one of them. "It looks atrocious." "Nice to see you too," Hailey mumbled, looking down at the street. "Hailey Aurora Elizabeth Winscombe, look at me when you''re speaking," she snapped, purely out of instinct. Hailey''s eyes instantly jumped back up to hers. A second later, Stephanie was sprinting at her. Hailey had a split-second of madness where she thought her mother was about to attack her. Instead, she found herself choked in a tight bear-hug. Out of the corner of her eye, Hailey saw Jessica smiling broadly at the pair of them, thoroughly pleased with herself. "Mom, I can''t breathe," she gasped after a full minute. "Good," said Stephanie, her voice thick. "Good?" "I''m making sure you''re still alive. If you know you can''t breathe, that means you still need to." "What?" Stephanie finally loosened her grip, though she still held Hailey tight. "I assume there''s a reasonable explanation for all of this?" "...Kinda?" She let go in a huff. "Well, come on then. Let''s get inside." Hailey glanced at the building uneasily. "Does this place have security? Cameras and such?" "Only in the lobby. Why?" "Let''s¡­ uhh," Hailey glanced around. "Oh, to hell with it. Can you go back and open your office window? The one that goes over the alley." "What, are you going to climb in?" She shrugged. "Sure, let''s go with that." "Oh, Hailey, this is ridiculous." Hailey rolled her eyes. "Mom, you don''t know the half of it." Stephanie glanced over at Jessica, who was leaning against the wall watching them both with a far-too-satisfied smirk. "Who''s this, then?" "Can we save it for when we''re inside? If one of those guys with the cameras comes around¡­" Stephanie''s eyes narrowed. "...Hailey, what are you caught up in?" "Just go open your window? Please?" Her mom hugged her again, squeezing just as tight as the first time. "You promise you won''t leave?" "¡ªpromise¡ª" With a half-laugh, half-sob, Stephanie let go. Straightening her jacket and picking up her phone, she headed back inside. Hailey glared at Jessica. "Happy now?" she muttered, not bothering to sign it. Jessica would know what she meant. Jessica just beamed at her. Hailey wasn''t sure if she was mad or relieved at her friend. For the moment, she left it undecided. As the window above them slid open, Hailey gathered Jessica up, against the girl''s protesting hands, and leapt into the air, spreading her wings wide.
To say Stephanie was shocked upon seeing her daughter fly in through the office window was an dramatic understatement. Her mother didn''t speak for a solid five minutes, during which Hailey and Jessica set about cleaning up the mess they''d made blowing papers and small objects around the room. Once they''d finished, Hailey finally sat down in one of the guest chairs. Jessica, not knowing the rules of the house, crossed the line and sat down in Stephanie''s expensive office chair on the other side of the desk. This, finally, prompted Stephanie to open her mouth¡ªbut only a second later, she''d closed it again, as Jessica floated a glass ornament off of a side table through the air and into her hands, examining it with interest. Hailey looked up at her mother sheepishly. "So¡­ yeah." Stephanie fell back against the windowsill and nearly fell out of the open window. With a wince, Jessica murmured and flicked her finger up, sliding the window shut. Stephanie watched it close, her mouth opening and closing several more times in shock, before she finally croaked out a sentence. "Hailey, who is that?" Something about the uncertainty and fear in her voice made Hailey feel awful. Her mom was always the smartest and most confident person in any given room, but for once, she was speechless and hopelessly outclassed. "This is Jess." "Just Jess?" "Jessica Silverdale. She''s my¡­ well she was my best friend until a few minutes ago," she added, shooting a dark look at Jessica, who was now examining the nameplate on her mother''s desk, trying desperately to read the name Stephanie Claire Beatrice Winscombe engraved in shiny gold letters on black. She''d never manage it, of course, but she never stopped trying. "How can she do those things?" "Huh?" "She can fly, Hailey!" "Oh¡­ that was me, actually." Stephanie was struck dumb again for a full minute. Hailey wasn''t sure what to say, since her mother usually dominated conversations. Hailey''s job was to respond, not to drive the topic. If it had been her dad, maybe she''d be having an easier time, but this was awkward on too many levels. "...You can fly?" Stephanie whispered. "Yes. I can do a lot of other things too." Hailey summoned up a flicker of candlelight in her palm with a word, letting it dance for a few seconds before snuffing it out. "It''s been a really long year." "What¡­ How¡­" "I missed you, Mom," she whispered. This, finally, prompted Stephanie to cry, which was a sight Hailey had never witnessed and never expected. Her mom rushed to hug her once again, while Jessica watched with a vague interest. As Hailey glanced over, Jessica pointed at Hailey, then pointed at her mother with her other hand. She kept pointing at Hailey, while her other hand drew a line horizontally, waited, then drew a line vertically from Hailey. She tilted her head questioningly. Hailey rolled her eyes. "My mother, thanks," she replied, drawing a vertical line. Jessica smirked. "What?" "Oh, sorry." Hailey broke the hug. "Jess thought you might be my older sister." Stephanie choked out a laugh. She looked over her shoulder at Jessica. "That''s very sweet of you. I had her young, but I''m definitely her mother." "She¡­" Hailey paused. No matter how many times she had to explain it, it never got easier. "Jessica can''t understand anything we''re saying. Or anything written down. Ever." "She¡­ what?" "Mom, you might want to sit down. Or have a drink. Or both. Want me to get you something?" Stephanie sighed. "Well, I wasn''t getting into the office today anyway. It''s a bit early for anything heavy though." "Okay." Hailey took a deep breath while Stephanie took a seat in the other guest chair¡ªyet another way the entire scene felt wrong. She never sat in the guest chairs. Stephanie shivered. "Where''s that breeze coming from?" she asked, glancing over at the closed window. "That''s¡­ that''s me, actually. Sorry." "What?" "Everywhere I go, I kinda mess with the air currents without meaning to. ''Cause of my wings." "You have wings?" She leaned forward, craning her neck to look behind Hailey. Hailey rolled her eyes. "Not real ones." Stephanie fell back into her chair, rubbing her temples. "Would you just start at the beginning? I''m starting to feel like this is going to take days to explain, and I have meetings tomorrow." "You believe me though, right?" "Well, my supposedly dead daughter just flew in through my office window. I''m willing to bet there''s things I don''t know about the world." "I didn''t die," Hailey said, almost indignantly. "I think we established that," her mom said, rolling her eyes in the same way Hailey always did. Jessica chirped, drawing their attention. She gestured toward the kitchen, then at her own stomach. Hailey shrugged, glancing at her mother. "What?" "She wants to know if she can have some breakfast." "Oh!" Stephanie nodded, gesturing emphatically toward the kitchen with wildly exaggerated movements. Jessica rolled her eyes, but walked out all the same. "She can see just fine, Mom." "But she really can''t understand a word?" Hailey winced. "¡­No." "Has she always been¡ª" "Since last September," Hailey murmured, looking down at the floor. "And it''s my fault." "How so?" "It''s¡­ kind of hard to explain." Stephanie huffed again, a derisive noise of dismissal. "So get to it!" "Well, we can do magic." "Magic?" Her mom looked skeptical, despite everything she''d just seen. "Yeah. Real magic. All sorts of things. I can fly, Jessica can make things invisible, we can both make fire and move things with our heads, change things about ourselves¡ª" "Is that what you did to your hair?" "It''s not that bad, Mom!" Stephanie reached out and brushed back a few strands. "It''s just so plain. You were born lucky enough to have perfect natural hair. It runs in our family. Why on earth did you change it to this?" "We''re in hiding." "Well, stop that. Hiding never did anyone any good." "Showing ourselves hasn''t done much good either¡­" "What do you mean?" "Did you hear about that standoff in Tacoma? The bar where they took people hostage?" Stephanie shrugged. "Bunch of political crazies, I heard." "They weren''t crazy, and it wasn''t politics. They were looking for us." "Who''s us?" "People with magic." "So there''s more of you?" "Of course there are, Mom." "I''m catching up as fast as I can, Hailey." Stephanie frowned. The concern on her face was so unlike the mother Hailey was used to. Her mom didn''t get nervous or worried. "Some people died in that bar¡­" "No one I know. I managed to get us out." "You were there?" Maybe I shouldn''t have told her that¡­ "Yes." "And¡­ all those people in Rallsburg¡­ oh my god," she murmured. "This¡­ all of this was because of magic? Because of you?" "Not because of me!" "I didn''t mean you specifically. But¡­" She still looked worried beyond her years. "You''re in danger." "I know that," Hailey said dismissively. "I can handle it." "But people are trying to kill you! We should go to the police. Or that FBI agent. Jeremy-something." "Ashe." "Yeah, him! Wait, you aren''t already working with them, are you?" "No." "Well, why not? He seems on top of things. He knows how to handle the press, at least." Hailey shook her head. "Mom, we can''t answer their questions." "Just tell them someone''s trying to kill you, that''s simple enough." "But what about when they ask why? Or what happened to Rallsburg? Or where I''ve been for the last six months?" "Well¡­" She frowned. "No, you can''t tell them, I suppose. Unless you''re willing to show magic to the whole world." "Which we aren''t." She paused to consider, while Hailey waited in uncomfortable silence. Finally, Stephanie walked around and sat behind her desk, opening her laptop. "If you''re in hiding, and you have to stay in hiding, how are you getting by?" "We have¡­ a friend, who gave us some money." "A friend? And does that friend have a limitless pool to draw from?" "Probably not. No such thing as a free lunch, right?" "Exactly. You could always do with more liquid assets." Her mother sounded much more in her element, back to her usual confident¡ªand impatient¡ªself. She started typing, and Hailey walked around the desk for the first time in her life to join her. Stephanie paid her no mind, pulling up accounts and emails in a flurry. "They''ve been asking me what to do about your trust fund, since you aren''t around to cash it anymore. Between that and quite a few accounts I can draw from, I believe I could scrape together a respectable budget. How many people are you?" Before Hailey could answer, Stephanie shook her head. "If you think it''s important, of course. Plausible deniability. Only tell me what I need to know." "...Four in my house, four up north, ten¡­ somewhere else." Hailey didn''t bother to count the Laushires, since they were the original source of funding, and Rachel was totally incommunicado so she had no idea how to get money to her anyway. "...So few," Stephanie murmured. "Well, I can make your lives a bit easier. It''ll be virtually untraceable, off the books." "Isn''t that risky?" "Off the books doesn''t actually mean off the books anymore. It''s still accounted for, but just labeled as a consumable budget item that no one will ever look into. Even if they do, it''s already been consumed." Stephanie shrugged. "It''s way smaller than our slush fund." Hailey hugged her. It wasn''t anywhere near the top of her list of problems, but even something as simple as a bit more money would ease a lot of tensions. Cinza''s group could order more gemstones and tools, and Jessica''s parents wouldn''t worry quite so much. Hailey didn''t know how the B.C. group was doing, but she assumed that the Bowmans, Hector, and Julian would all appreciate the extra allowance. "Thanks, Mom." "Thank me by keeping your end of the deal." "Huh?" "Stay out of trouble." Stephanie closed the laptop and gave her a stern look. "You were in that bar, weren''t you?" "...Yes." "Those men had guns. They shot people. They would have shot you!" "Yes." Her eyes widened, and her voice trembled. "How can you be so calm about that?" "Because I beat them, Mom." "I thought they ran away after the gas explosion." "There wasn''t a gas explosion. I made all the smoke, then something else tore the front of the building off." She decided it wasn''t the right time to explain to her mom about Brian Hendricks and the monsters that had tried to rip her head off. "They ran because I beat them." "You¡ª" "I''ve kept two different known muggers away from you on the streets too. Jess and I patrol the whole city at night and keep people safe. This is what we do." "Hailey, you make it sound like you''re some kind of superhero." Hailey shrugged. "Sure, why not?" "You aren''t though!" "Why not?" Hailey repeated. "I can do it. They need help. Why not step in?" "Because it''s illegal, it''s crazy, and you''re putting yourself in an insane amount of danger." "Someone has to do it." "No, someone does not have to do it. You''re choosing to do it. If you aren''t going to listen to me, at least remember that." Stephanie shook her head. "You''re an adult. I can''t stop you. But I''m begging you. Stay safe." "...I will, Mom." It wasn''t going to stop her from fighting Brian''s men if they came, or continuing to patrol the city, or any of the other things she''d been doing, but she''d try to be more cautious. For her mother''s sake.
Jessica had eggs in a pan when they walked in. She waved at them as Hailey took a seat and Stephanie instinctively went to pour a glass of orange juice for the both of them. Only a moment''s hesitation, and she poured a third glass for Jessica. The rest of the morning was spent in a much happier state. To Hailey''s relief, her mother took to communicating with Jessica with ease, and within minutes they were signing whole conversations back and forth. Jessica served up the eggs a minute later, scrambled, soft, salted and peppered just as Hailey loved them. "Delicious," Stephanie said approvingly, giving Jessica a thumbs-up. "I''d swear I made these. You gave her my recipe, didn''t you?" "It''s not exactly hard to make scrambled eggs, Mom." "It is to do it right." "Well, to be fair, Jess cheats a little." "Hm?" "She doesn''t use the stove. She heats them using magic. Always the right temperature, perfectly even." "That''s a neat trick." Stephanie grinned. "So, you didn''t mention before. How did this all happen? Or were you always magical and I was too clueless to notice?" "No. It happened in Rallsburg." "I assumed so. There''s no way you could keep a secret from me under my own roof." "Don''t bet on it," Hailey grumbled. Before Hailey could start to explain, there was a knock at the door. Stephanie stood up very suddenly, pressing a finger to her lips. Hailey glanced over at Jessica and pressed a hand to her ear. Jessica nodded, then went back to her eggs. "Mom, no one can hear us outside of this room, no matter how loud." "Magic?" "Yes. Jess cast it as soon as we got here." "Okay." Stephanie glanced at the door again. "I was supposed to meet my assistant here this morning." "Daniel?" "How did you¡­ nevermind. He''s not going to go away, he''s too good of an assistant for that." Stephanie shook her head. "You have to leave." Hailey glanced at Jessica, then ran her flat hand down across her face. Jessica grinned. In the blink of an eye, they vanished. "...Hailey?" Stephanie whispered, glancing around nervously. "Still here, Mom. Just invisible." Hailey tapped her mother on the shoulder, making her jump from fright. "God, Hailey. That was unnecessary," she muttered. "Sorry." They faded back in again, to a relieved sigh from Stephanie¡ªand another insistent knock at the door. "Miss Winscombe?" he called through the solid wood. "I''m so sorr¡ª" she started, but Hailey cut her off. "I''ll see you later tonight, okay?" Stephanie nodded, and tears were starting to form in her eyes. Hailey shook her head. "No crying, Mom. It''s a totally normal day, remember? You went for your workout and nothing else happened." "Right." Stephanie took a deep breath, dabbing at her eyes with a napkin. "Well, go on. Get out of here. I''ll be home by eight." With one last, quick look around the place, Hailey and Jessica went back into the office, slid the window open, and left the way they''d come in. Jessica kept shooting the occasional knowing grin toward Hailey, and after the third or fourth time, Hailey finally returned it. She hugged her best friend tight, trying to express the sheer gratitude she felt. So much of her stress and fear had evaporated, simply by being able to talk to her mother again, tell her everything and get some of the weight off her chest. Despite not understanding a single word of their conversation, or even knowing who they were following around, Jessica had known exactly what Hailey needed, and done it without a second thought. She couldn''t ask for a better best friend. As they flew back through the alleyways of Seattle, the rain started to pick up again. Hailey swooped up to a rooftop with a fair-sized cover and set down. She didn''t really mind flying in the rain, since it didn''t affect her wings in the slightest, but it was already a cold day and neither of them really felt like swooping around town totally drenched. From the shape of the clouds, it was probably going to pass in only a few minutes anyway. Hailey sat down against the wall, and in an instant Jessica had taken a spot right up next to her. Soon their little corner of the roof was warm and comfortable, while the rain poured down all around them. "Jess," Hailey said suddenly. Her friend looked up expectantly. She hesitated, taking a moment to compose her thoughts. Signing things to Jessica got easier over time, but anything complex was still a real process. She wished she could just make images in midair like Jess could, but it was a skill forever beyond her, due to her diffinity. With a sigh, she resorted to using fire. Even water would have been better, but Makoto still hadn''t worked out how to actually explain the method to her, and his Scrap was long since destroyed. Tiny licks of flame appeared in midair, hissing and spluttering steam from the raindrops passing through them. Painstakingly, she drew out a shape of a man and a girl, in bland stick figures. The man''s arm was upright, holding a gun to her head. Hailey pulled out her phone and brought up the news story about the hostage crisis. The photo of the bar would be enough for her to connect it to the news story they''d watched. She pointed at the phone, then at the two steaming outlines floating in front of them. Jess frowned, tilting her head to the side. "Hmm?" Hailey pointed at the girl, then at herself. Her eyes widened. "Mmm!" Hailey nodded, a tear dropping out of her eye. "I''m so sorry," she muttered. "I shouldn''t have left you." Jessica hugged her tight, but her eyes were still locked on the two outlines. She nudged Hailey, pointing at the man and asking again. Hailey pointed, far away, in the general direction of Rallsburg. She changed the shape of the man to remove his head and make him significantly larger¡ªthe image of the golems they''d fought in that town. Jessica''s mouth fell open slightly. She conjured up a picture of Omega, which actually made Hailey flinch for a moment. She hadn''t seen him since the ritual in the woods when they''d attempted to kill him¡ªwhen they''d had to fight him off while Cinza barely clung to life, Kendra and Hector crouching over her unconscious body as Hailey and Jessica desperately drove him away. She shook her head, and quickly drew an X over the picture. "Not him." Jessica frowned. The image shifted, becoming a picture of Brian Hendricks as she remembered him. Short brown hair, a bit of stubble, middle-aged. In her picture, he didn''t look anything like the insane, hate-fuelled man who''d tried to kill them all. This was a picture of Natalie''s father, not their would-be murderer. Hailey nodded slowly. As she did, she dissipated her own flames and created a new image. A few small golems in front of Brian, and two stick-figure girls alone facing them. Hailey pointed at the two, then at herself and Jessica. She made the golems swarm and overwhelm them, becoming one large hissing flame. Jessica frowned. Hailey hoped she''d come up with something, because she had no idea how she was going to win against Brian on her own. Maybe if she hadn''t been caught off guard in the bar, but there had been so many people around. She couldn''t fight without getting them hurt. Even if she could, she''d have to find him. He was around, bringing the golems to bear, but she hadn''t even seen him. Only his men, and she''d barely won against them. A bullet would kill her, just as surely as it killed Omega. "Mmm!" Hailey felt her pushing at the flames she''d left floating before them, and let them vanish. Instantly, Jessica renewed them, with the wall of golems in front of Brian, and the two of them facing against impossible odds. Then a third small figure appeared next to them. Then a fourth. Hailey frowned, but before she could ask, Jessica waved away everything and produced two images. Two people Hailey hadn''t spoken in well over a year. She looked at Jessica, uncertain, but Jessica nodded emphatically. In a moment, their two images shifted to a rough outline of Ohio and California¡ªwhere the two had gone home, long before the destruction of Rallsburg. Not a soul beyond Alden and Beverly knew they even existed. Hailey had thought about contacting them so many times, both before and after Rallsburg, but she could never bring herself to do it. They''d split on too many harsh words¡ªwords she felt she couldn''t take back. Seeing her continued hesitation, Jessica grabbed her hands, nodding again. She smiled, but it was a sad smile. Once again, she conjured the image of Brian, and pointed at it. She shook her arm, emphasizing the point. Hailey nodded, her mind made up. It wasn''t about their friendship. It was about survival. It was war; a secret, vicious and bloody war. They needed the best fighters they could find, and in terms of raw potential, there wasn''t a single soul on the planet who could match them. As reluctant as Hailey might feel, she couldn''t come up with a good reason not to try to reconnect with them. Ian Wong and Weston Davis. The other two natural awakened, to use Cinza''s term. Her old best friends. She still had a few things left to resolve, and she wanted to check in on Alden before they set out. She''d need to make sure that Cinza''s group didn''t need anything, and Rupert deserved some explanation for why she was suddenly flying across the country. Hailey tapped on her watch once, then pointed at the sun. She repeated the cycle twice more, and Jessica nodded. Three days. In three days, they''d start building their army. [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] B2: Chapter 15 — Making Friends and Influencing People Chapter 15 ¡ª Making Friends and Influencing People "I''m just sayin'', I expected you to be on the damn warpath here, removed from the case and all," said Maddie, a wine glass cupped in her hand. Jeremy shrugged. "No skin off my back." He nodded at the TV. "And besides, why ain''t you there?" "Conflict of interest apparently, according to my people. Really it''s just McCullough makin'' a power play. Keep me off the panel so I lose the screen time." His big sister shook her head. "It won''t work. Press is already banging my phone for interviews." "Did you mean McDonough?" "No, McCullough. Different senators. Annoying as fuck." "The Select Committee to Investigate Potential Misconduct in the Rallsburg Incident Investigation recognizes Michael Aderholt. Mr. Aderholt, please state your position for the common record." "Isn''t this already on record?" "We''ve had to reconvene a new committee. Please state your position for the record." "Michael Aderholt, Sub-Station Chief for the National Security Branch, Olympia, Washington." "Mr. Aderholt, are you the ranking officer of the station that took control of the investigation into the incident that took place on May 15th, 2018, in Rallsburg Washington?" "Around May 15th." "Just answer the question, Mr. Aderholt." "I want to make clear that the timeline was not sufficiently established." "Yes or no, Mr Aderholt. Did you take command of the investigation?" "Yes, Mr. McCullough." "And in the course of that investigation did you do anything that might be considered improper conduct befitting a federal agent?" "Here it comes," Jeremy grumbled. He leaned back on the couch and closed his eyes. "You knew he was gonna fuck you." She got up to refill her glass. "No sir, because I assigned the case to my best agent at the time." "Which agent is that, please? For the record." "Special Agent Jeremy Ashe." "And this assignment took place¡­" "On May 16th, shortly after we began the investigation." "Why did you not take this case yourself?" "With all due respect, Mr. McCullough, I have an entire station to consider, and Jeremy Ashe was assigned an investigation as a competent agent. This was standard protocol." "Despite the fact that Mr. Ashe has several allegations of misconduct on file?" "Motherfucker," Jeremy growled. "Those were buried. He gave them my sealed file." "At the time, I was unaware of the allegations. When I discovered them, I removed Mr. Ashe from the case." "And the incident on October 26th in Tacoma, where Agent Ashe took over a police standoff under the pretense of the Rallsburg case?" "Totally unrelated. Mr. Ashe has since been temporarily suspended." "Well you knew that was coming." "No kiddin''. Why are we watchin'' this again?" Jeremy started on the pizza his sister had brought over. "You''re booked all week. You really want to spend your precious time watchin'' a trial where we both get fucked?" "There''s somethin'' you''ll enjoy later. Jump forward about half an hour." "Jesus Christ, it lasts that long?" "Have you ever seen a Senate panel interrogate someone? You oughta be grateful Aderholt took your place down there." He shook his head. "Motherfucker''s just coverin'' his own ass." "Sure is, but you got bigger fish to fry. Just jump the damn video." Jeremy leaned forward and tapped the keyboard a few times. "...And the Bureau is unable to produce a single second of footage from these so-called ''golems''?" "As I said, sir, we have no evidence they existed. We''ve had several medical professionals conclude it was mass-hysteria. Hallucinations spread by panicked people under threat by domestic terrorism." "Yet there were several police cruisers visibly thrown into the air and rolled away from the scene." "We believe there was some form of gas explosion, sir. It would also explain the exploded exterior of the bar." "Not monsters, Mr. Aderholt? You have testimony from more than a dozen officers at the scene." "And contradictory testimony from the hostages inside the bar. They all deny the presence of any monsters, sir, or this ''flying girl''. Since they were in the best position to see the attacks on the bar, being hostages, I''m inclined to believe them." "Over the sworn testimony of the Tacoma Police Department, Mr. Aderholt?" "It goes on for another couple minutes, but you get the idea." Maddie turned off the video and set the laptop aside. "Your girl''s safe for now. Aderholt''s covering for you both without even knowin'' it." "Anything to make his case go away." "I thought you weren''t actually suspended though? Did that change?" "Nah, they just got me chained to the desk." "Ah, in-school suspension." "Cute from the girl who got it every month in high school." "Anything for my fans," Maddie grinned. "Lani back to work yet?" "Nope. Still stuck in PT. It''s boring as fuck there. And I''m supposed to work a drug case from my desk somehow. Fuckin'' six bodies and a shitload of meth from fuck knows where. Abandoned building, no witnesses, death by burnin'', slicin'' and shootin''. Fuckin'' nightmare." "Jesus." "I''m just actin'' as liaison though. Hook up the Seattle detective who landed it with our tech where he needs it. So I''m a glorified errand boy." "Gives you a good excuse though, don''t it?" "To what?" "Hop all over Seattle, you amateur." Maddie shrugged. "You gotta find the Winscombe girl, and you gotta find Jackie. If you''ve got Seattle detectives callin'' you for tech support, you oughta offer them house calls. You frame it right, there ain''t no way they can keep you at your desk without pissin'' off a whole lot of people. The Seattle mayor''s under pressure to handle the increase in gang killings." "Pressure from who?" "Someone in the governor''s office who got a friendly tip," she said nonchalantly. Jeremy grinned. "There''s enough political clout in play that as long as you keep quiet, no one will bat an eye. Aderholt gives you the tiniest bit of lip, you call me." Maddie gave him a sideways look. "Get out there and find her, Jeremy. Figure this out. Don''t you stop til you do. This shit''s just heatin'' up, whatever it is."
Jeremy had a way back into the field, but he still wasn''t sure where to go next. The manhunt for Dan Rhodes and Boris Morozov had still turned up nothing from their Canadian friends. Jeremy couldn''t contact them or get up there himself, since he was strictly limited to Seattle for the time being. At best, he might be able to swing trips out to Tacoma and Olympia, but he knew Aderholt was itching for any opportunity to punish him further. His best bet was the phone number. He''d texted Hailey back a dozen times without a response, picking up a new burner phone for each one. He knew better than anyone that it wouldn''t stop the Bureau from noticing a few texts, but it''d stall them long enough that he might find her first. As soon as I find them, I tell the chief everything I know. Just so long as Jackie''s safe. Jeremy had priorities, but he was still an agent. Whatever the fuck was going on with Hailey Winscombe and the rest of the Rallsburg survivors, it concerned the whole country. No, the whole fuckin'' world. This is some next-level shit. He ignored the cases he was nominally working. Gangs murdered each other; that was just normal operating procedure. The police could handle it just fine. He logged every request to come assist and carefully timed his comings and goings from the field office to match, but as soon as he hit the streets he was on a completely different track. Every hint of strangeness, every weird report or unnatural sighting. He even listened to the goddamn crazies hotline for tips. If it sounded abnormal, he was there. Off the books, no badge and plainclothes, but he was there. He listened to each of ''em, and gave them the most police help they''d probably ever seen in their whole goddamn lives. Not that he was a cop, of course. He made damn sure none of them thought he was a cop, in case they tried to run it back to the legit police. It took Jeremy a week to finally strike gold. A kid doing a magic show, of all things. The tip line recording was a shrill old woman trilling about a ''warlock of Satan''s highest order'', which Jeremy had overheard a couple coworkers laughing about. It was practically on his way to Lani''s PT place with the agency, so he decided to stop by the guy''s next show for a few minutes. Might give Lani something to laugh about. It wasn''t exactly discreet, in spite of the attitude he''d seen from Winscombe. He filed in with the rest of the crowd into the city library, which had a small-ish theater for community productions. Jeremy stood in the back corner where he could see everything clearly. Up front on stage was a wooden easel with a sign, declaring "THE MARVELOUS MAGIC OF MR. HUDSON" in bold letters, with a stereotypical top hat and sparkling black wand underneath. Jeremy got one or two furtive glances from the crowd, but he couldn''t tell if they were because he was the famous Agent Ashe, or just because he looked painfully out of place attending a random kid''s magic show in the Tacoma suburbs. As the lights flickered, everyone''s attention returned to the front, and he stopped worrying about it. "Welcome!" boomed a deep, theatrical from the stage. Kid''s got some pipes. Smoke billowed onto the stage from both directions as the curtain rose. A silhouette strode forward from center stage, and as he walked the smoke around him seemed to fly away, as if he had an invisible force field pushing it aside. As he reached the front of the stage, the fog seemed to spill out onto the floor, dissipating just before it reached the front row. If Jeremy hadn''t seen the same stunt in the bar a week earlier, and much more intense, he might''ve been impressed. I need to talk to this kid. The "Marvelous Mr. Hudson" went through a few magic routines while Jeremy tried not to get bored. He''d never cared for magicians, and the kid didn''t really have a well-developed theatrical presence. High school plays maybe, but Mr. Hudson wasn''t ready for the prime time by a long shot. Even the idea that some of his stuff might not actually be tricks wasn''t enough to hold Jeremy''s attention. As Jeremy scanned the crowd, though, he saw something that could be interesting. Or fuckin'' alarming. A few others were standing as well, since all the seats were taken. Apparently Mr. Hudson was a big draw in the area. One man in particular, though, didn''t seem awed or entertained. Jeremy couldn''t really blame him for getting bored, but something else about the guy seemed off. He was concentrating very hard on something, and Jeremy couldn''t figure it out. Is he that into figuring out magic tricks? "For my next illusion, I require a volunteer! You there! Dare you brave the mystical for a chance at the sublime?" An excited young woman got to her feet and sprang onto the stage, breathless. Hudson glanced around dramatically. "I''m terribly sorry, I seem to have forgotten your chair." He flourished his fingers, pointing back at the crowd. The woman''s cheap wooden chair floated into the air and landed on the stage with a thump, sliding across the smooth stage to halt right next to him. "I hope this will do, my dear." The crowd burst into applause. Okay, that wasn''t bad. Jeremy ignored whatever Hudson''s trick was, focused on the man in the other corner. He was fiddling with something in his jacket. A gun? Holy shit, they wouldn''t, would they? No, it didn''t have the right shape for a gun. Jeremy forced his heart rate back down. The man turned slightly, and as Jeremy got a better look at his face, he recognized him. It was the same man who''d been guarding Hailey in the bar. Jesus Christ, they really might. Jeremy''s hand went for his own holster, reassuring himself it was still there, but the man didn''t seem to be making a move. The show kept going, heedless of the sudden danger in the room. Do I arrest him? I don''t actually have jurisdiction here, and I''m not even supposed to be investigating this case. If I tap him, I''m gonna be fucked even more than I already am. Follow the guy, maybe get an ID on the guys from the bar. Maybe catch a killer or potential killer. Or stay here, talk to Hudson, get in contact with Hailey and find Jackie, and get some fuckin'' answers. Whatever he''s got in his pocket is important. I need it. Split the difference. Jeremy had picked up a few tricks of his own over the years. If he was gonna pull this off, he needed to move now. While the show kept going, he exited the rear door on his side of the theater, and crossed over to the opposite door immediately. The guy was already leaving, hands in his pockets. Jeremy only had a few seconds. Fuck it. Keeping his face turned up toward the sign for the bathroom, Jeremy walked straight into the man. As they both stumbled, Jeremy''s hand snuck into the suddenly handless pocket. There was a small, rough object inside, like a stone. He didn''t have time to look at it. It went straight into his own jacket. "Sorry," he grunted. The man grumbled something rude, but kept walking nonetheless, beelining for the sunlight outside the front door. He hadn''t noticed the stone vanish from his heavy jacket. Jeremy continued right into the bathroom, into the first unoccupied stall and locked the door tight. And fuck you too, Skinny, sayin'' I could never actually make a pull. He pulled out the stone. It was a strange rock, with most of the surface almost featureless and gray. The same as the fuckin'' monsters, Jeremy realized with a shock. It was the same plain gray they''d been made of¡ªthe ones that hadn''t grown straight out of the asphalt, anyway. This stone was a bit different though, as if it had been merged with a different rock. Patches of purple crystal filled in the gaps, giving it the rough texture he''d originally felt. As Jeremy touched it, he felt something. A kind of pulling, as if the stone wanted something from him. He recoiled and dropped it on the bathroom floor. It sat quite innocently, just a strange-looking rock, not moving or throwing police cruisers across the streets. Gingerly, he reached down and touched it again. It still pulled, but Jeremy overcame his revulsion and picked it up. He prayed he wasn''t about to be corrupted somehow by it, like it were made of evil itself. Suddenly, the wailing old woman on the tip line didn''t seem quite so crazy. But as he thought about how much he wished it would stop, it did. Quite suddenly, quite extraordinarily, the sensation stopped. The stone sat in his palm, still strange and unsettling, but no longer actively reaching for his soul. Or I''m just being insane. Making this all sound mystical and shit. I''m turning into Lani.
Jeremy stuck around after the show, watching the Marvelous Mr. Hudson finish up his act. The finale was a show of fire-breathing and levitation, with the titular Hudson looking like he might pass out from the strain. As the final applause sounded and the curtains drew closed, Jeremy flagged down someone who looked like library staff. "Excuse me." "May I help you?" Oh thank God, she doesn''t recognize me from TV. "I''m interested in interviewing Mr. Hudson for a light story, and I was wondering if you could let him know for me." The staffer brightened up considerably. "Oh, certainly! I''ll make sure he hears before he leaves." "I''d be happy to talk to him myself. I wouldn''t want to trouble you." She frowned. "Oh, all right. Just head up through the side door by the stage there. It''s not a big place, you should be able to find him." "Thanks." Finding the kid wasn''t the problem, as it turned out. As soon as Jeremy came around the corner to the backstage, there he was¡ªstill sitting on the stool from his finale, munching through an energy bar and wiping sweat from his brow. As soon as he looked up¡ªdeer in motherfuckin'' headlights. Jeremy started to raise his hands, but it didn''t make a difference. Hudson bolted. The stool went flying. Goddammit. He took off after the kid, but Hudson still had some tricks left apparently. The fog bank from the opener swirled back in, as thick as ever. Jeremy had seen enough of the room to remember where the back exit was, and he doubted the kid would have the presence of mind to stay put and hide. As they both emerged out into the sunlight behind the library, Jeremy leapt. He tackled Hudson to the grass. "Shit, I''m sorry, I didn''t¡ª They approached me¡ª Please don''t hurt me." Oh man, he''s really just a kid. "I''m not gonna hurt you, kid," Jeremy growled. "If I let you up, you''ll stay put?" Hudson nodded frantically. "Right here." Jeremy sat back against the wall. "Should''ve hid in the fog." "Huh?" "Nevermind." Jeremy paused. "What d''you mean they approached you?" "I¡­ wait, you don''t know?" "Know what?" Hudson shook his head. "Nothing." "Kid, do you know who I am?" "...Agent Jeremy Ashe, right?" "Good. So I''m a federal fuckin'' agent. Which means lying to me is a very bad idea." He gulped audibly. "Breaking my promise is a really bad idea too." Jeremy shook his head. "You had one of them in your crowd today. He was scopin'' you out." "One of who?" "You hear about the shit that went down at the bar last week? Hostage situation?" Hudson nodded slowly. "Fuck me, you knew about that and you still put on a damn magic show?" "The show must go on," he said, with a hint of flair. Fuckin'' looney theater kids. "Well Mr. Wizard, if you don''t want to end up on a slab, your best bet is to start cooperatin''. I''m the best friend you got right now." Hudson really looked scared now. Good for him, he''s learning quick. "What am I supposed to do?" Jeremy pulled out the stone from his pocket. "First, tell me what the fuck this is." "A rock?" "No shit it''s a rock. Here¡ª" Jeremy dropped it into his hand. "What''s it doing?" His eyes widened. "Where did you get this?" "Stole it from the guy who was doin'' recon today." Jeremy "It''s¡­ well I don''t know what it is. But someone made it. With magic." "Yeah, I got that," Jeremy growled, getting impatient. "What does it do?" "...I don''t know. This stuff is way beyond me. I''m still learning." "Shit, you can just learn this stuff?" "Err, no, not really. I mean, even if I did learn it, this is way outside my affinity. I could never make this thing." "Your what now?" "The magic I''m good at. Everyone''s got one, and some really lucky people got two. This stone does something with Knowledge magic, and whoever made it was also really good with Creation magic. Those are like¡­ the two hardest out there." Jeremy tried to keep up, though half of what Hudson just said sounded insane. "So it''s somethin'' to find out stuff. Like whether or not you''ve got magic, so the guy can kill you. Sound right?" Hudson stiffened up. "...You really think he would have¡­ killed me?" "Wouldn''t be the first time, either." Jeremy stood up, offering the kid a hand. At some point I just started talkin'' about magic like it was totally normal. Shit, what happened to my life? "I''m on your side, kid. And not just in the usual ''tryin'' to keep you alive'' kind. I''m a¡­ friend of Hailey Winscombe''s." Friend might be pushin'' it but whatever works. Hudson nodded. "She said you were probably worth talking to. But no one had come up with a good plan yet, so we were supposed to avoid you." "How many is we?" "...I don''t think I''m supposed to say." He looked pretty resolute. Jeremy doubted he could intimidate him into a real answer, not without actually hurting the kid. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. And he''s not gonna give me anything else about magic either. These guys run a tight ship. Jeremy shrugged. "Fine, whatever. Just tell me how I can get in contact with her again. She''s not answerin'' her phone." "I¡­ I don''t know. She hasn''t been talking to anyone for a while, as far as I know. I think she got shook up pretty bad last week." Jeremy sighed. "...Yeah, I don''t blame her. But seriously, kid. Anything you can give me. This is important." "Jonathan. My name''s Jonathan." Are you fuckin'' with me right now... "Jonathan," he drawled. "We''re fightin'' on the same team here, and in case you forgot, you just became a marked fuckin'' man. I couldn''t stop that guy from IDin'' you. You''re next on the list." Hudon''s eyes widened. "But¡­ you stole his¡­ I don''t¡­" "He''s not alone, and I doubt this is the only stone they got. Even if it was, he knows what you can do, and his people want your people dead. They didn''t give me a second fuckin'' glance." "I don''t know anything!" Jeremy sighed. "You talk to them somehow." "I can''t give you that." "Kid, now you''re flip-flopping in the same goddamn breath. You just said you didn''t know anything." "I''m sorry. I''m scared, okay? You just told me there''s a bunch of guys out there who want to kill me." "There''s a lot out there who''d love to kill me too. You get used to it." Jeremy put a hand on his shoulder. "I''m on your side. Anything you can give me." He hesitated a long time. "...Hailey''s got a partner. Someone else goes with her to introductions." "Yeah, no shit, I met him. Zack, right?" Jeremy had done a few searches, and Lani a few more, but neither of them came up with anything. "...s''not his real name," he mumbled. "What?" Hudson took a deep breath. "His real name''s Alden Bensen. If anyone knows how to get in touch with Hailey, he does."
"What took you so long?" Lani asked, leaning up in his bed. "I had to visit the library." "You went to the library?" Jeremy glowered at him. "I read books, thanks. When I feel like it." "I''ve never seen you with a single book." "Because I''ve got a fuckin'' smartphone." Jeremy sat down in the chair next to Lani''s bed. There were files scattered everywhere, and two laptops in reach with even more work. Lani wasn''t letting his injury slow him down in the slightest, even if he did have to do a lot of it mostly one-armed. "So what was at the library?" "A cheap amateur magician with a really interesting story to tell." Jeremy glanced over the screens. "You go first though, before this mountain collapses and I gotta clean it up again." "Well, after we ran out out footage to re-check and did all the background checks and family checks again, I decided I might try alternative sources. New social media." "New like what?" "Livestreaming sites. Geo-tagged videos from anyone in the area on May 15th." "You really think we''re that fuckin'' lucky?" Lani grinned. "We are that lucky. I had to get the company to pull it off a deleted account. Nathan Hurst." "Dead in Rallsburg." "Yeah, that Nathan. But here''s the thing: those videos were deleted on the 18th, and his account was deleted a few days ago. Both by his own request." "From a dead guy. Who we confirmed dead." "Right. So the data hadn''t been overwritten on the drives yet. I picked it up on an archive check, called them up and waved my badge around. Figuratively." "What''s on it?" "Well they just emailed it this morning, and I figured you''d want to see it too." "You waited for me?" "...Yeah." Jeremy shook his head. "Lani, you''re a good friend and a good partner, but don''t fuckin'' wait for me when you''re sittin'' on new evidence. Follow that shit." "...Right." "Well, go on, play it." They watched the two videos together, watched the riot unfold in the forest. Gunshots and fireballs, bursts of water and men flying through the air from devastating punches. The finale, with the man who seemed to evaporate into the air, and the tall girl¡ªRachel DuValle, one of the missing whose family they''d never been able to contact¡ªstriding out of the forest behind a girl seated on the back of a wolf. "Jesus Christ¡­" Jeremy murmured. "Dated May 14th," Lani added in a subdued voice. "And the later one is the 15th. This is what happened." "Mostly," he pointed out. "The town looks pretty intact in that one. And we still have fuck all on who." "Or why." Jeremy shook his head. "I''ve got the why." "Is this why you went to the library?" "These kids have got magic, Lani. Real fuckin'' magic. And someone else out there wants to kill ''em for it." Lani stared at him for a few seconds blankly. "Magic." "I know it sounds fuckin'' crazy." "No, it sounds like something I''d say. Not you." Lani shrugged. "So if you''re saying it, I believe you." He pulled one laptop tray closer to him. "Who have you told?" "Maddie." "Anyone else?" "No. You heard what they did to all the cops who testified about the golems?" Lani nodded. "Full psych eval and suspended with pay." "I ain''t got time for that shit." "So what''s our next move?" "Our?" "What, did you think I was going to go back to normal old desk work?" Lani shook his head. "I''m in this too. They shot me." Jeremy rolled back the second video to the brief clip where Hailey ran by. "That''s Hailey Winscombe. I don''t know the blue-haired girl, but the guy is Alden Bensen." "...So he lied." "What?" Lani scrolled through a few screens to a scanned-in form. "We checked with the train station, and there were four tickets sold to Rallsburg on May 11th on the last train. The train doesn''t ask for ID, so we don''t know who paid for the three in cash, but the fourth ticket was bought with a debit card. Name was Alden Bensen." "What''s the connection?" Lani scrolled down the form to a brief scrawled statement from some agent Jeremy didn''t know. "We called the Bensens, just a routine check-in. We were told he never got on the train, confirmed he was home and alive." "So what the hell''s he doing in Rallsburg on the fifteenth¡­" Jeremy murmured. "And how did he get home?" "He''s probably worth talking to, and now you''ve got leverage." Jeremy nodded. "Give me your badge." "Huh?" "Well I can''t go investigating as me. I''m still chained to a desk." Lani shrugged and handed it over. "You don''t exactly look like a ''Lani Makaio''," he pointed out. "They''re middle-class white people in the suburbs. They ain''t gonna know it''s Hawaiian." Jeremy stood up to go. "You need anythin'' before I head out?" "I''m good." "If you change your mind, text Maddie. She said she''d stop by later." "She''s back in town?" He nodded. "Campaigning. She''s busy as fuck, so don''t be offended if she can''t stay long, but she wanted to say hi." Lani looked embarrassed. "No, she doesn''t have to¡ª" Jeremy rolled his eyes. "There''s no possible way on earth to stop her." He walked to the door, but paused. "Hey, Lani?" "Yeah?" "Thanks." "For what?" "Oh, I don''t fuckin'' know. Being a good partner, givin'' me the benefit of the doubt, betrayin'' your oath to the country. The usual." Lani shrugged. "They told me to stick to you and follow your lead. I''m only doing as ordered." Jeremy grinned. "Shows the shit they know."
As Jeremy drove through the suburbs, he realized just how out of place he felt in the evenly spaced, neatly trimmed neighborhoods. He''d been borrowing Lani''s car ever since he''d gotten sidelined and his own vehicle had been locked down, and it was a damn sight nicer than his, but he felt weird even listening to his music. It all felt like he didn''t belong there. Jeremy pulled up a block away from the Bensen house and stopped at the curb, watching and waiting. He''d love to stake out the place and wait until he could catch Alden unaware, but he couldn''t just rely on the guy to show up. With what he knew and what he''d seen, every moment wasted felt like another tick on the clock counting down to something horrific. Jeremy wasn''t sure what would happen when it struck midnight, but he knew he wanted to be ready the moment it did. He couldn''t waste time sitting around. Time to flaunt my authority. Jeremy got out of the car, and nearly knocked over a boy riding a tricycle down the sidewalk. He apologized hastily to the boy''s mother and hurried down the street. Great fuckin'' start. As Jeremy approached the house, he noted that both spots in the garage were filled, as well as a bicycle leaning up against the wall. Odds were, everyone was home. Perfect. He checked his gun again, just in case. Between the bar and the gunman in Canada, Jeremy felt like violence might erupt anywhere at this point¡ªparticularly when he was approaching someone he knew had access to magic. Magic. Fuck this shit. Can I go back to my old job yet? He took the steps up to their porch two at a time. Ignoring the doorbell, he rapped his knuckles loud on the wooden door, audibly echoing through the front hall. He adjusted his tie and jacket quickly in the window reflection. Jeremy had gone for the full FBI ''G-man'' look, with a dark suit he''d pulled out of the depths of his closet. He figured it would be the most effective on the kid''s family, since he was pretty sure they weren''t in on the secret. Leverage on top of leverage. Courtney would be proud. Bitch. Pushing his half-sister out of his mind, Jeremy knocked again. "Coming!" called a pleasant voice. A woman bustled into view holding a laundry basket. She stopped on seeing Jeremy waiting patiently behind the glass, and quickly set it aside. "Can I help you?" Jeremy winced at the burst of cold air that blew past him. Despite the quite comfortable weather, the Bensens apparently still had their air conditioning on and were accustomed to living in the Arctic. "Mrs. Julia Bensen?" he asked firmly. "Yes, that''s me." "I''m Special Agent Lani Makaio with the Federal Investigation Bureau," he continued in his ''talking to civilians'' voice. "I''d like to ask you a few questions." "Oh! I mean, yes, of course." She looked puzzled and a little frightened, which didn''t surprise Jeremy in the slightest. "I''m sorry, what''s this about?" "May I come in, ma''am?" "Of course." She stepped aside and gestured into the living room adjacent. "Can I offer you anything? A drink, maybe?" "No, thanks." As Jeremy walked in, he saw a young face laying on the upstairs floor, watching him carefully from between a set of bannisters. She immediately inched backwards out of sight as soon as his head tilted upward. "Is anyone else home?" he asked dryly. "My daughter Margaret, and I believe my husband is out back in the shed. Let me go get him." Jeremy took a seat on the couch and waited. An inquisitive cat strolled through, eyeing him as the intruder he really was, before it wandered away to find something to eat. Jeremy had the distinct impression he was being watched, which had never failed him yet. The daughter, no doubt. He wondered what hiding spot she''d managed where she could still see him. Julia returned a minute later with her husband. Jeremy stood again, offering his hand. "Mr. Bensen, I''m Special Agent Lani Makaio." "Makaio?" Bensen asked, raising an eyebrow. "Yes." "I''m sorry, I just¡­ you don''t really seem Hawaiian." Son of a bitch. "It''s complicated." Julia nodded sagely. "Dear, he didn''t come here to give us his family history." Son of a bitch, she noticed too? Jeremy pulled out his badge and showed it to them, and thanked God that Lani had never put a photo into the badge envelope. "I''m here on an investigation, and I just had a few questions for you. Nothing serious, I promise." "What''s this about?" asked Julia, settling down on the couch next to her husband. "Did something happen?" "I''m afraid I can''t discuss the particulars, ma''am." Bensen shifted in his seat uncomfortably, drawing Jeremy''s attention. Does he know? The wife kept talking though, taking the lead for the both of them. "Well I can''t imagine what you''d want from us. We''re just high school teachers." "Both of you, your whole life?" "Yes," said Bensen. Julia nodded in agreement. "We met at college and knew we wanted to keep teaching the rest of our lives. It''s just so rewarding." Jesus, they''re the most vanilla couple I''ve ever seen. If not for their son, I''d be bored out of my fucking mind. "And what about your son, Alden?" Julia paused. "Did Alden do something wrong?" "That''s what I''m here to determine, ma''am." Her husband stood up very suddenly. "I''m sorry!" Jeremy flinched at the movement, but he didn''t seem to be aggressive. The fuck¡­? Julia looked just as shocked. "What''s going on?" she asked. Out of the corner of his eye, Jeremy saw the daughter, Margaret, peeking around the door from the kitchen, watching them all closely. "It wasn''t him, it was me, all right? You want me. Don''t ruin his life for this." Well shit. This just got interesting. Jeremy stood up very slowly. "Mr. Bensen, I''m here to talk to your son. That''s all for now." "No, he''s got nothing to do with this." Like hell he doesn''t. I saw him with Hailey, and on video in Rallsburg. "We have evidence, Mr. Bensen. I''m afraid I can''t leave until I speak with him." "Well, he''s not here," piped up the girl from the kitchen. "Guess you have to leave." "Meg!" Julia admonished. "You should be upstairs." "When there''s something interesting going on down here? As if." Meg walked in and plopped down on the couch. "Who''re you supposed to be?" "Lani Makaio, FBI." He stared her down coldly. "So where''s your brother, if he''s not here?" To his surprise, she didn''t react at all. Most kids¡ªand plenty of adults¡ªcrumbled under his glare, but Meg just shrugged. "Dunno." "I told you, my son''s got nothing to do with it." Bensen took a deep breath. "I used his computer, all right? I was the one who downloaded it." Jeremy took a second to process. "...Downloaded what?" "The movie, all right? I did it. I just wanted to see it early but I hate going to the theater. I''m sorry." No one spoke for a full minute. Jeremy just stared at him dumbfounded, along with both his wife and daughter. "Dad¡­" Meg started. Jeremy burst out laughing. "Fuck me, that''s what you were thinkin''?" "I don''t think that sort of language is called for," Julia snapped, grasping her husband''s hand. "It was a mistake. I''m sure we''re happy to pay the penalty." "Lady, I don''t care about a goddamn copyright violation." Jeremy choked back another laugh. He pulled out Lani''s badge again. "I''m with the National Security Branch. I couldn''t give a shit about piracy." "But¡ª" Bensen started. "Delete it and move the fuck on." Jeremy shrugged. "I just need to talk to your son." "What on earth for?" asked Julia. "What could my Alden have to do with national security?" Jeremy paused. The parents were clearly as innocent and naive as their vanilla flavor implied. Telling them more wouldn''t do him much good, and might set them off on reporting back what they''d heard. White people love talkin'' to the news¡­ and the police. "He may have been a witness to an incident. It''s just a routine follow-up. I can''t say more." He switched to what he hoped was a reassuring voice. "He''s not in any trouble." "Should we be getting a lawyer?" "Like I said, he''s not in any trouble. This is just routine." Bensen shook his head, finally calmed down from his hysterics. "Meg was telling the truth. He''s not here." "So¡­ where is he?" Jeremy asked, after none of them seemed to be forthcoming. "We don''t know." "He''s trying to figure out his life. Taking a year off," added Julia. "We''re doing our best to help him through that. I''m sure you understand." Nope. If I took a year off out of school, I''d have probably starved. "Can you contact him for me?" "He asked that we don''t." Well isn''t that suspicious as fuck. "This is really important." "I''ll text him," said Meg. "If he''s gonna answer anyone, he''d answer me. What d''you want me to say?" "Whatever you need to get him to come talk to me." "Well he''s not gonna do that," she said, rolling her eyes. Jeremy pulled out a card and wrote down his personal number. He handed it to her. "Give him that number and tell him to call me, then." Meg shrugged. "Sure. Does this mean I have a get-out-of-jail-free card now?" Julia twisted around at her daughter. "Meg, why would you need something like that?" "So I can go do something bad for free." Jeremy shook his head. "That''s just a phone number. Make sure he gets it." He turned to leave. "Let me show you out," Julia said quickly, still trying to act the proper host despite the confusion. "I''m sure he''s fine," her husband interjected. "Can I see your car?" said Meg suddenly. That got them all to pause. "...My what?" "You''ve got a secret agent car right? Show it to me." "Meg, I''m sure the man''s got plenty¡ª" "Okay," Jeremy interrupted. She''s up to something. "I''m only parked a block away." "I''ll be right back, Mom." Meg dashed out the front door, leaving her parents bewildered. Jeremy shrugged again and followed her out. As soon as they were halfway down the block, Meg slowed down. Her voice dropped low, though she kept her eyes locked forward on Lani''s rather unremarkable car. "So, Agent Makaio," she said, the name laden with teenage sarcasm. "Whatcha want with my brother?" "To talk to him." "Bullshit. I know who you are. You met him at the big hostage thing a week ago, right?" Jeremy raised an eyebrow. "Smarter than you look, kid." "Screw you, I look plenty smart. Kelly thinks I scare boys away." She stood next to the car, pretending to look inside. "You''re not looking for Alden. You''re looking for Hailey, right?" Who the fuck is this girl? "...Yeah." She glared at him. "If I get her to talk to you, you''ll leave my brother out of it. Right?" "Yeah." "Good, ''cause he can''t do another one of those. He''s already screwed up in the head." "...I''m sorry." Meg shrugged. "It''s not your fault. You went in there to save him, right?" "All of ''em." She nodded at herself in the window reflection, still determinedly not looking at him. Jeremy checked his peripheral vision, and sure enough, her parents were watching from the porch. Just in case. She kept up the show of just being interested in his car. "That''s the only reason I''m gonna help you. And don''t you forget, I''m just an innocent teenage girl. You got nothing on me, so don''t think you can turn around and get me to do more." "You gonna lecture me?" Jeremy asked, astounded. "I''ve got powerful friends, Mr. Agent Ashe. Friends you definitely don''t want to screw with." She shook her head. "And just to be clear, you and me aren''t friends either. One favor and that''s it." One step closer to finding Jackie. "Deal." Meg smiled and stood up straight. "What a shitty car." She walked away, waving goodbye as she went. "Fuck you too," Jeremy said through a gritted smile as he waved in return.
Jeremy went straight back to Lani as soon as he was done. He had no idea how long it might take for Meg to get the message to Hailey, and he needed anything to occupy his mind until then. Lani was the perfect foil to bounce theories off of, and one of only two people in the world he could trust with the whole story at the moment. Luckily for him, both of those people were in the room. Less fortunately, Maddie had a new bombshell to drop on him. "I''ve just seen a damn ghost," she said as soon as she arrived, only a minute after he did. She was still dressed in her campaigning outfit, looking the perfect mix of professional and attractive carefully calculated to get out the votes. "The fuck does that mean?" "Hi," Lani cut in, before the two of them could really get into it. "How did it go, Jeremy?" Jeremy shrugged. "Alden Bensen''s long gone. No idea where. But it got interesting from there." "Interesting how?" Lani prompted, since Maddie still looked distracted, watching the clouds drifting by overhead out the window. Jeremy briefly explained his adventure at the Bensen house, though he made sure that Lani knew not to spread word about Alden to anyone else. His agreement with Meg was ironclad for the three of them. As he spoke though, Maddie was still clearly out of tune with the conversation. He poked her in the shoulder. "Who''s the damn ghost?" "What?" she asked, looking around. "Sorry. It''s been a long day." "Too many speeches?" "And too much gladhanding. Tuesday can''t come fast enough." "No shit." He grinned. "Already reserved our table at Luke''s for Wednesday lunch." "Oh God¡­" Maddie sighed. "I already promised Courtney I''d meet her for lunch Wednesday." "You didn''t." "Gotta pay the devil her due. She probably won me the election, after all that last minute shit-flinging." Maddie looked thoroughly displeased with the idea. "I can''t believe I took her money." "She offered it, Maddie. Take it and tell her to fuck off." "Not if I want to get anything done this year." She shook her head. "That''s not what I needed to tell you though." "No kiddin''. What''s got you spooked?" "There was someone at Courtney''s fundraiser tonight. Someone who couldn''t be there." "Why, ''cause he''s a poor fuck like the rest of us?" "No, ''cause she''s supposed to be dead." "...Come again?" "She changed her hair, and she was talking without an accent, but I know who I saw." Maddie frowned. "It was Kendra Laushire. I''d stake the election on it." Lani sat up in his bed so sharply that he pulled at his shoulder. Wincing through the pain, he pulled up her file. "One of the missing ones from Rallsburg. We had her father all over us for a month." "Yeah, I remember. Rich old bastard who wouldn''t shut up." "I remember you almost decked him," Lani added, grinning. "You were going to punch Thomas Laushire?" asked Maddie. "Threatened to derail our investigation," Jeremy deadpanned. She laughed. "If you''d touched a hair on his head, he''d sue you twenty ways to Sunday. Your grandchildren would owe him millions." "You sure you saw his daughter?" "I mean, like I said, she looked way different. She always stood out, but now¡­ she changed her name to Lily, got rid of the red hair, got rid of the accent. If I hadn''t worked as an aide for one of her father''s personal Senate picks¡­" "Ain''t he British?" "Oh please. Like other countries ain''t pickin'' up people in our government when they need ''em." "What did you say to her?" Lani interjected. "Nothin''. I wasn''t sure it was her at first, then I wasn''t sure I should say somethin''. She was just workin'' the crowd like normal, makin'' deals and hookin'' up people while pocketing the difference, or just buyin'' up stock in new investments. Smooth as silk, like usual." "Except she''s supposed to be dead," Jeremy repeated. "Well, yeah." "So we can chalk one more up to the list of people who probably got magic." "Is that what''s going on then? Magic?" Maddie asked. "If you knew the day I had¡­" "What, did you get beat up by a wizard?" "Fuck no. But I watched an amateur magician nearly piss himself when I asked him a question." "Gross." "You want me to try and find her? Kendra Laushire, I mean?" Maddie shook her head. "You stick with your magicians. I''ll find her. As soon as I have anything, I''ll get it to you. Or Lani." "Better you get it to Lani. He''ll be better at handling the high rollers." "Because I still have legitimacy?" Lani pointed out. "No, because I''d probably punch one of them after talking for just a minute. Besides, you can play the injury card and get some sympathy." "Shot in the line of duty always plays well with the fundraising crowd," Maddie agreed. "You''ll slide in like butter." "Great," Lani groaned. "Glad to be of help." Maddie grinned. "Look on the bright side." "What''s that?" "You didn''t get outplayed by a teenager today." Jeremy punched her in the arm. "That girl''s smarter than the both of you." "Uh-huh. Come on. You promised me home-cooked dinner tonight. Let''s go."
Maddie turned in an hour after dinner, to get as much sleep as she could before another early morning out campaigning. Jeremy was dozing off in his chair with the TV tuned to some movie he didn''t recognize. A slight breeze drifted through the room. He shook himself awake. There shouldn''t be any sort of breeze. All the doors and windows were closed. He groped around for his gun, but it wasn''t where he''d left it. "...Hi," said a quiet voice from across the room. The TV switched itself off, plunging the place into darkness. Jeremy squinted, and in the vague light he could barely make out the outline of someone sitting on the windowsill, framed by the light behind the blinds. Early twenties, female, probably white, light build. Too hard to tell. Doesn''t seem to be armed. "Well, you got my attention," he murmured. "How''d you get in here?" "You''re the one who came to up to Canada." It wasn''t a question, but Jeremy answered it anyway. "Yeah. I was lookin'' for a friend of mine." "And you found one of mine." He vaguely recognized her voice. He took a shot in the dark. "You were there too, weren''t you? I heard you." "...Yeah." "Who are you?" She ignored him. Her voice was soft and melancholic. "You''re not looking for Boris though. Or Hailey, not really. What do you want?" "Like I said. I want to find a friend of mine." "Who?" "Jackie." "The sheriff?" "That''s the one. She was my partner." She didn''t respond for a full minute, staring at him the darkness. He wanted to get up and turn on a light, or just get closer to her. Anything to figure out who she was. But he could feel it. There was a thrumming aura of power emanating through the room, something like he''d never felt before. Hair on his arms and legs practically stood on end from the sensation of the air. Jeremy didn''t dare move from his chair. This girl is not to be fucked with. "...Vancouver." "What?" "Go to Vancouver. But you won''t find her. You need to find someone else." "Who?" "The tall one. Rachel. Find Rachel DuValle." [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] B2: Chapter 16 — Rebirth Chapter 16 ¡ª Rebirth "Science class sucks now that Mr. Darwin''s not teaching it anymore." "Yeah, it''s so bor¡­ whoah." "What?" "Look at Jenny. What''s up with her face?" "You think she''s hiding something under there?" "Like what?" "I dunno. Maybe she got a tattoo." "No way. Isn''t that like, illegal?" "I think you can if your parents say okay?" "But she doesn''t have parents, right?" "Maybe she did it herself then." "She''s so weird. Did you hear she hides out in the bathroom and talks to animals all day?" "So? You talk to your dog all day." "Yeah, ''cause he''s smarter than you." "No he''s not!" Natalie walked down the hall, trying to ignore the whispers¡ªif they could even be called whispers. No one seemed reluctant to talk about her right in front of her face. Even more than before, she felt marked. The first few days and weeks she could write off as being silly; she was new and from out of town, of course she felt like everyone was watching her. Now she really was marked, even if none of them could actually see it yet. She still wore the bandages that Door-guy had put on her, taped to the side of her face. For the first time, she was glad of her long hair, since it helped cover up a large portion, but from the front the pale white cloth still stood out. It was an unsettling growth on her face, forcing more eyes to watch her when all she wanted to do was disappear. She''d been too afraid to remove them, afraid of what was underneath. The gossip continued, but unlike her first few weeks, now they were getting to her. They needled at her mind over and over like a pest that wouldn''t go away, and she knew exactly why. Before, they made fun of things she chose, and she didn''t care. Who cared if someone thought it was weird she ate alone in the bathroom? She just didn''t want to deal with other people for a while. So she talked to animals like they could understand her? Well, for one, they could, but besides that, they were way nicer than other people anyway. But now they were all talking about something beyond her control. They could all see what had happened to her, right on her face, and there wasn''t anything she could do about it. Even with all her supposed power, her amazing abilities that Cinza and the others wouldn''t shut up about, Natalie was helpless. And every single word, every glance and pointed finger, every gesture and mocking tone sent her mind tumbling back into flashes of memory. Painful, horrible memories where she felt overwhelmed and afraid, and was forced to hurt everyone around her to protect herself. "I bet she just cut herself to get attention like any stupid girl." Natalie wheeled around, but she couldn''t spot who said it. Everyone in the hall was watching her, and this time she wasn''t imagining it. Absolutely every single kid, standing at a locker, hanging out with friends, waiting in front of a closed classroom door¡ªevery eyeball was locked on her. None of them were familiar, and every last one seemed derisive and cruel. Ignore them. You''re better than them. She couldn''t do it. Natalie bolted down the hall, nearly barrelling through two kids who just managed to get out of the way. Lucky for them, since Natalie was pretty sure she''d turned on her strength magic without even thinking about it. If they''d been in the way, she didn''t honestly know how much they''d get hurt. She was really good at hurting people, and that realization made her feel even more sick. "Miss Heshire!" snapped a harsh voice, just as Natalie reached the end of the hall. She came to a stop instinctively, despite herself. The din of conversation in the hall came to an abrupt halt as well. The principal had exactly that sort of authoritative voice that could stop anyone in their tracks. Natalie didn''t answer, staring determinedly at the wall. She could feel the eyes of the rest of the students back in the hall on her neck, as if they were actually pressing down on her. "My office, please." Robotically, Natalie complied, following the old woman back into her office, while the conversations in the hall immediately started up again, and though Natalie couldn''t hear any of them, she knew every single one of them was talking about her again.
Quinn didn''t say anything for a full minute, just staring at the little candle flame floating above Natalie''s palm. She glanced around nervously, reassuring herself no one could see them. "That is so cool," he murmured. He reached out his hand toward the flame, and Natalie saw it coming out of the corner of her eye. She flinched away before he could get close. "Oh, uhh¡­ sorry." "It''s real, if that''s what you were wondering." She moved it out to float above the table instead of her hand. He cupped his hand around it, and his eyes lit up as he felt the warmth emanating from the little fire. "Amazing. This is how the deck of cards floated around, right? Last time we were here." Natalie glanced up, surprised. "You remembered that?" He shrugged. "I mean, you have a lot of secrets. I just figured it was something you wanted to keep secret too. So I pretended not to see it." "Oh." He notices everything¡­ "It''s really cool though." "It''s scary," Natalie said, letting the flame fade away. "What''s scary? Magic?" "No¡­ everything else." He didn''t answer, and Natalie finally looked up at him again. His expression was thoughtful, almost like when he was thinking over a move in the game. He was planning, and that made her feel a lot better. She wanted someone else to come up with something, an answer to what she should do next. Every time she made a decision it just seemed to go wrong. "This is why you''re in hiding, right?" She nodded. "But it''s not witness protection? Or like, anything from the government?" Natalie shook her head. "We have to hide from them too." Quinn nodded. "They never do anything good with superpowers." "It''s not superpowers." "I mean, it kind of is¡­" She shook her head again. "It isn''t. I got to choose." His eyes lit up. "Does that mean I could¡­" He trailed off, seeing her expression. "Oh." "Sorry¡­ it just doesn''t really work like that." Even if she had a Scrap he could read from, Natalie wasn''t sure anybody else should read from them anymore. Magic sure hadn''t seemed to bring much good to the world, despite everything Rachel and Cinza always said. Natalie liked what she could do, and she''d never regret making friends with Gwen, but more people with magic meant more scary people like Julian, or Rika, or¡­ him. The one who''d taken her dad. Quinn''s eyes drifted over to the bandages stuck awkwardly to her face. The gang members had used duct tape to hold the cloth on, and while Cinza had helped adjust them a bit to stick better, Natalie hadn''t really touched them since. She''d taken a bath and washed her hair without letting the water get near, and she never touched it to avoid setting off another spike of pain. She just wanted to pretend it wasn''t there, but from the way Quinn couldn''t take his eyes off it, she knew she had to give up on that hope. "What happened?" he asked, just as she was opening her mouth to answer. She''d been about to launch into a full recounting, but the moment he spoke, she faltered. Cinza told her to find a real friend, and she''d already trusted Quinn with so much, but she didn''t want to tell him. She didn''t want to tell anyone. There were only two people in the whole world who knew what she''d done¡ªthe kind of things she was really capable of¡ªand that was already two too many. On the other hand, unless Natalie wanted to lose the only lifeline to the real world she had left, there was no way she could get through school without someone to support her. A friend. "I ran away on Friday. I went downtown and stayed out all night. And I kinda¡­ ended up in the wrong part of town." She took a deep breath. She couldn''t tell him everything. Her mind refused to voice the other part of that night. "There was a gang, and I walked into their hideout by accident. And they¡­ they cut me." She winced, as even saying it aloud made her feel nauseous. "They said it was a mark that''d get me killed if I went anywhere I wasn''t supposed to." "Oh man¡­" Quinn nodded. "Yeah. They weren''t lying." "They weren''t?" Natalie whispered. She''d been holding onto that as a vague hope, since it still seemed weird to her. Like, maybe they were just playing some sick joke, or it wasn''t as bad as it sounded. Quinn definitely wasn''t joking. "Steven told me all about them. He only moved into our neighborhood like two years ago, so he had to know all that stuff. There were like three or four gangs to know, and all of ''em had a certain mark they put on people. If you had that mark and you went into another gang''s turf¡­ well, yeah." Natalie felt her heart drop into her stomach. "So just because I got lost, they''d kill me if I go anywhere near them?" "...Yeah, they would. It forces people into working for them, ''cause they don''t have anywhere else to go." Quinn glanced at the bandages hiding the scar again. "They''re not gonna be happy about this at school either. I know a kid got kicked out for having a gang symbol before. It''s a whole zero tolerance thing." "But I''m not a member. I''d never join a gang." "They marked you anyway, ''cause they can. I think they force kids to work for them. Steven could explain it better." Quinn shook his head. "It really sucks. I''m sorry." "How am I supposed to go back to school like this?" He frowned. "It''s not from this area. Maybe they won''t know. What did Lily say about it?" Natalie choked out a bitter laugh. "Nothing. I don''t think they even noticed." "They?" "Uhhh¡­" She trailed off. "Lily has a sister. They both take care of me. Well, they own the house at least." She shrugged. "I got home yesterday looking like this and Lily just told me to be more careful." "Wow¡­" Natalie felt a burst of newfound gratitude to Quinn. Finally, someone actually seemed to recognize what she was going through and express some sympathy. Cinza tried her best, but she had so much to deal with already, and she didn''t really know the whole story. Neither did Quinn, but at least he was actually on her level. She felt like she could understand him, and so maybe he could understand her too. "The principal already told me if there was another incident that we''d have to ''deal with it''," she added. "I think this would count. If they don''t already kick me out for burning the desk and ditching school Friday." "How''d you do that?" "Ditch school? I just left. It''s not like anyone actually tries to stop you." "No, how did you burn the desk?" "Oh." Natalie shrugged. "I was making lightning with my hands. I kinda didn''t notice though, and then you touched the metal. That made a circuit." His eyes widened. "You can just make lightning?" She shifted in her seat uncomfortably. "...Yeah. But that doesn''t really help me get back to school." Quinn''s excited expression faded. He shook his head. "Okay, so we gotta figure out how to cover for you." His eyes lit up again, in the same way they always did when he was about to make a clever move in the game. "I got an idea. But we''re gonna need the whole gang." She winced at the word ''gang'', and Quinn¡ªever observant¡ªnoticed it right away. "Sorry. The group. Is that all right?" "Yes," Natalie replied, without thinking. Wait. Should I tell them all? Is that okay? Rachel wanted us to stay secret. Cinza only said to tell a friend. Are they my friends? As Quinn pulled out his phone and started texting, Natalie reminded herself that she didn''t really know what having friends was like. Or if she did, it was someone like Jenny, the girl from home whose name she''d taken. She had to figure it out for herself if they were all friends, and if they were people she trusted. Hiding and running''s just made things worse. I don''t want to hide anymore. Not from my friends.
The principal pressed her hands into her forehead. "Jenny, I need you to explain what happened." Natalie slowly shook her head, doing her best to stay still despite the oppressive feeling of the room. This was the fourth or fifth time now that she''d been in there alone, and it wasn''t getting easier. "I dunno what you mean." "For heaven''s sake, Jenny! You''ve got a giant bandage taped to your face!" The old woman sat back in her chair, studying Natalie intently. "I''m worried about you." "I''m okay." She got to her feet and walked around the desk to sit in the chair next to Natalie. Despite her best effort, Natalie recoiled a little and inched away. She frowned. "...Jenny, anything you say to me will be totally confidential. Do you know what that means?" "That you''ll keep it secret." "Yes. No matter what, unless you tell me otherwise, I won''t share a word. It''s my job to take care of every student in these halls, and you''re one of my students." She leaned forward a little, and Natalie shrunk away even further. The principal frowned. "Is someone hurting you, Jenny?" "No," she said quickly. "This was just an accident." "Do you remember the last conversation we had?" Natalie already had an answer ready for that. "Nothing happened to anyone though. Just me. So it''s okay, right?" "...That''s not really the point here, Jenny." "I''m okay, and no one else got hurt, so can''t I just go back to class?" It wasn''t exactly the truth, but it wasn''t really a lie either. No other students got hurt, and Natalie couldn''t imagine the principal cared about¡­ them. "If you''re okay, then take off the bandage." She faltered. She''d been too afraid to look underneath it alone, nevermind in front of the principal. "I don''t think I''m supposed to yet," she said, playing for time. "How long ago did this happen?" "Friday night?" "Have you changed it or taken it off since then?" "...No." The principal shook her head. "You need to check it and make sure it''s clean. If you don''t, it could become infected." "I think it''s okay." Natalie had actually looked up information on that online, and¡ªwith a bit of help from some spell details posted online¡ªcleaned the area herself with a bit of magic. It was a combination of temperature manipulation and using Movement magic to scrape off dirt and gunk, and it seemed to work really well. It was extremely nerve-wracking, since she could slip up and cut herself, but it meant she could clean up without actually removing the bandage. She could even clean herself without actually taking a shower, if she really wanted to, but it sounded like way too much effort to do all the time. Besides, showers and baths felt really nice. "I''m sorry, but I insist. If you won''t take it off, I''ll have to call the school nurse, and then it''ll become a formal inquiry into how you were injured." She sighed. "I think we want to avoid that, right?" Natalie nodded. Very slowly, she reached up to the bandages adorning her face. There wasn''t any way around it, as much as she''d hoped otherwise. She''d known that they''d probably make her take them off, but she''d kept a vague hope she could keep hiding it right up until that moment. With a faint gasp of pain, she pulled the tape off and let the bandage fall away. The principal gasped in turn. "Oh my God¡­" she murmured. "Jenny, what happened? Who did this to you?" "I told you, it was an accident." The old woman shook her head. "No one''s going to believe that. Do you know what this looks like?" Natalie shook her head. The principal reached into her desk and pulled out a hand mirror, holding it up, but she averted her eyes. She was still afraid to look. "It''s better to know than to avoid it forever, Jenny. You''ll have to see it sooner or later, unless you''ve got a few thousand dollars sitting around for laser surgery, and even with treatment it''ll never disappear entirely." The old woman''s harsh voice softened. "It looks clean though, if that makes you feel better. I think you''ll be okay." Slowly, Natalie lifted her eyes back up to the mirror. There she sat, and Natalie was shocked at how different she looked. She rarely looked at herself even before all of this. In her mind, she was still a little kid back in Rallsburg, straight from a picture she''d taken of her with her dad. Short-haired, round-faced, the cute little kid everyone wanted tagging along on their team because she was loud-mouthed and always excited and driven to win. She''d known who she was back then. The girl in the mirror was so much older, even just two years later. She''d grown a lot, for one. Her hair covered up a lot of her face like a curtain as it tumbled down to her chest. But besides that, Natalie could see it in her own expression. She looked exhausted and worried, like it were permanently etched into her face between slightly drooping eyes and a tight-lipped mouth. She didn''t like anything about how she looked anymore, and that was before her gaze even made it to her left cheek. The scar glared at back at her¡ªa harsh thick dark line at the edge of her left ear, spun outward in a dizzying spiral, ending when it reached the edge of her eye socket. It was the mark she''d seen on the other members of the gang, though theirs had been rougher and less clean. Hers was almost elegant, in a way¡ªor maybe that was just her imagination. To her surprise, it wasn''t as frightening as she''d expected. It was a record. For the first time, Natalie felt like she understood the obsession everyone else seemed to have with scars. She''d been through something horrific, but she''d survived. They hadn''t beaten her. She''d made it home. The scar didn''t mean she wanted what had happened to her. It didn''t mean she was a crazy thrillseeker. All it meant was a reminder. It was in the past. Don''t let it define you. She hadn''t understood what Cinza had meant at the time, but now she thought she did. It was always going to be a part of her. She''d never forget, but she didn''t have to let that scar be the only thing people saw. Her friends had shown her that.
"Man, you gotta drag me out to the library on a Sunday?" Mitch groaned loudly as he walked up. Kelsey smacked him on the head. "He said it''s an emergency, didn''t he? Code red or whatever?" "We''ve only called a code red twice before," said Steven. "Both of those were pretty serious." As they rounded the corner of the stacks, Natalie was still staring determinedly at a space on the bookshelf behind Quinn. Since they came from her side, none of them could see the bandage yet. "So what''s going on?" Mitch asked as he slid onto the chair next to Quinn. "You two get in a fiiiiiiiiiioly shit." "What?" Kelsey asked, coming around to their side of the table. Once glance at Natalie and her mouth fell open too. "Jenny, what happened?" Natalie shook her head, still unwilling to answer. To her relief, Quinn spoke up. "She got hurt. Huddle up. Steven, make sure no one''s nearby." Steven nodded and went out to check. Kelsey and Mitch gathered in close, sitting three across from her. As soon as Steven returned, he took the last spot on the opposite side. "Where''s Tyler?" Quinn asked. "He''s got some church thing with his parents all day," said Mitch. "Okay." Quinn glanced at Natalie. "So you guys obviously noticed something happened." "No shit," said Mitch. "Jenny ditched school Friday and apparently got her face beat in? That''s definitely something." He glanced at her apologetically. "Are you okay?" Natalie nodded. "It doesn''t hurt much." "Yeah but¡­ are you okay?" She was surprised. Mitch wasn''t usually the sensitive type. "I think so," she lied. "This is the biggest code red we''ve ever had," Quinn added. "I mean this is serious, really serious. So when we tell you this, it''s not a joke. We''re not just having fun." "Dude, I take everything you say seriously." Steven rolled his eyes. "Mitch, stop talking." "What''s going on? What''s a code red?" asked Kelsey. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. "Something the whole group''s gotta deal with together. A threat to one of our members." Quinn glanced at Mitch. "Last time it was Steven''s older brother." "Your brother?" "He''s an asshole and wanted Steven to help him with a drug thing," answered Mitch. "We blackmailed him." "Wow." "When we''ve got a code red," Quinn went on, "everything is one hundred percent confidential. Anything we have to do is totally secret for life. Not a word to anyone outside the group." He nodded at Kelsey. "Since we''ve got two new members, I thought you should know how serious we take this." "No kiddin''," said Kelsey. "I get it. Totally secret. I swear on my life. Hope to die and yeah." "Okay." Quinn glanced at Natalie. "Do you want to tell them, or me?" Natalie shook her head. "I can tell them." "Is this about you being in witness protection?" asked Steven. "I''m not in witness protection." Natalie took a deep breath. "Me and Lily are hiding from everyone, including the government. Because we can do magic." Before any of them could express doubt, she held out her hand in the center of the table, palm up. A flicker of candlelight appeared in midair above it. She watched their reactions. Despite everything, there was always a little trickle of fear in her mind that the day would come when someone found out her secret and reacted like the people of Rallsburg did. That they''d call her a monster and try to kill her. Steven frowned, almost like he doubted what he was seeing. Mitch just looked surprised. Kelsey was excited, and the first to speak up. "Badass! What else can you do?" Natalie smiled. She''d really hoped Kelsey would like it. Leaving the fireball in midair, she had it rapidly change colors, before flying it in circles around her head a few times. It returned to the center of the table and vanished in a puff of smoke that she conjured up deliberately. A moment later, just as Kelsey opened her mouth to say something else, Natalie picked a book at random off the shelf behind her and floated it onto the table, where it landed with a thump. "Whoah," Steven murmured. "There''s a lot of other stuff too," Natalie added. If nothing else, she still felt a bit of joy from magic every time she used it. "So that''s how you flipped Bill on the first day of school," said Kelsey. "Can you like, make yourself super strong?" "Yeah." "Awesome." "Big deal," grumbled Mitch. "I can flip him over too." "What''s the code red part of this?" Steven asked, glancing at Quinn. "If anyone finds out who she is or what she can do, she''s done for," he explained. "I can''t always control it," Natalie muttered. "Sometimes it just gets out." "So we gotta help cover for her. And before you ask, no, you can''t learn how to do it," he added. "It doesn''t work like that." "Aww," said Kelsey, her face falling. A cat peeked his head around the corner of the stacks to their little alcove, looking at Natalie. The same cat she''d befriended at the school, in fact. She was surprised he''d wandered this far away from his home. He meowed once and jerked his head to the side before wandering away again. "Someone''s coming," she hissed. "...You can talk to cats?" Mitch asked sarcastically. "Yes." Sure enough, the library cart rolled past a moment later, pushed by one of the employees. The young man pushing it didn''t give them a second glance, just put a book on the shelf before moving on. As soon as he was out of earshot. "The principal''s already suspicious," Quinn continued in a lower voice. "Jenny''s probably gonna get called into the office on Monday since she left school early and burned a desk." "That was my desk by the way," Kelsey added. "You left a big mark all over my armrest." "Sorry?" She laughed. "Nah, it''s not a big deal. They''ll probably just throw it out." "It''s our job from here out to help cover for Jenny with the principal and the teachers, whenever anything happens," said Quinn. "So tomorrow, you guys are gonna have to be ready. When Jenny gets called in, we gotta have a story ready to go, and a signal."
"Jenny, you need to tell me how this happened." Natalie hesitated. Plan A didn''t seem to be working, but she wanted to keep trying. The less her friends got involved the better. "It didn''t happen at school. So you don''t have anything to worry about, right?" "I''m worried about you. I want to know you''re safe." "I''m okay, really." For once, Natalie actually felt like she meant it. She lifted a hand to her face and touched the scar. It stung, but not as much as she expected. She didn''t exactly like it, but it wasn''t as terrifying as she''d feared. "I screwed up and I learned from it. It won''t happen again." Next time, no one gets near you, period. The principal looked taken aback at her tone. Maybe she''d spoken a little too harshly, but it was hard to be anything but cold when thinking about the people who''d done this to her. She took a moment before answering. "If that''s all you have to say, then I can''t help you. But I can''t let you back into the student body without some kind of explanation." The old woman was too stubborn. Natalie decided to try her own words against her. "I''m a special case, remember?" "A special case only gets you so far. If I start hearing from parents about students getting maimed..." Natalie grimaced. She knew what the word meant from books she''d read. "I wasn''t maimed. I got hurt, and it left a scar." "Kids exaggerate, and worried parents exaggerate more." The principal sighed again. "I don''t know what to do with you, Jenny." "Just let me go back to class. Maybe nothing will happen, just like you said." "Nothing keeps happening a lot, Jenny, and all I have to go on is your word. That won''t be enough." With that, Natalie gave up hope on getting out on her own. She made a tiny flame flicker into life out in the hallway at the spot they''d prearranged. She wished she''d learned how to do light magic by now, since a flame might set off the fire alarm or something, but it was the simplest signal they could think of that she could do, and one she didn''t need much to cast. Barely a whisper crossed her lips, less than a word. A few seconds later, there was a knock on the door. The principal looked up, surprised. "Who¡­" "Mrs. Talbot?" said Steven through the glass. "Mr. Chau, I''m with one of your classmates right now," she called back. "Didn''t my secretary¡ª" "I''m sorry, Mrs. Talbot, but I really gotta talk to you¡ªand Jenny. It''s¡­ my fault, okay?" "...All right, come in." Steven walked in and took the other chair next to Natalie, looking nervous. She wondered how much of that was acting and how much was real. She always felt really nervous sitting in this room across the harsh old woman, and she could do magic. "This had better be good, Mr. Chau." Steven nodded. "It''s my fault she got hurt," he said firmly. Natalie winced. She wished they didn''t have to do this, but he''d volunteered. He was the best option, the most believable, since Quinn was already out of the state by now. She fiddled with the object in her jacket pocket, grasping it to remind herself of her friends and how far they''d go to help her. She already missed him and he''d only been gone a day. Is this what having a crush feels like? she wondered. "It was just a dumb bet. We were pretending. And I made up a symbol to use, or I thought I made it up, and I forgot what it meant." Steven lived in that area so it''s kinda plausible. He''d never actually forget what it meant, but it should work for the old lady, right? "We all feel terrible about it. Jenny got hurt and it''s our fault. Punish me, don''t punish her. She didn''t do anything." The principal glanced between the two of them one after the other, clearly thinking hard. As Steven opened his mouth again, probably to repeat the same couple phrases, she held up a hand. "No need to continue the charade, Mr. Chau." "Huh?" asked Natalie. "I don''t believe for a second that any of your friends did this to you, Jenny." She shook her head. "But¡­" "But it doesn''t matter so long as our story''s straight," finished Steven, in a much more confident voice. Now that he wasn''t feigning guilt, he sounded normal again. Just like the smartest of the group should, though he was echoing someone else''s plan. Natalie had given Quinn enough information to figure out a possible way out of their predicament. This was plan C, but it was still a plan. Quinn prepared backups for everything. "You''re worried about the reputation of the school right?" She looked taken aback. "Yes." "And how something like gang activity would look in the news, especially if it was a kid at your school that got hurt?" "Yes, again." She adjusted her glasses slightly. "Where are you going with this?" "Well, it wasn''t gang activity, unless you''re calling us a gang. There''s no real gang activity around here, we all know that. So if we all swear to the same story and we don''t spread it, you''re not gonna get in trouble. Right?" "...People will still ask," she replied, sitting back in her chair. "Nah, they won''t. Jenny never comes to anything parents are involved in, and most kids don''t care about her." Natalie shrugged. "And I don''t care about them either." "It''ll fade a bit as it heals," Steven said. "I''ve seen it before. It won''t stand out so much." But it''ll never go away unless I make it go away. Even then, unless I figure it out with magic, it''ll still be there. "If people ask, I just tell ''em to go away," Natalie continued, channeling a bit of Rika as she did. She''d never liked Rika much, but the older girl''s rebellious take-no-shit attitude was pretty attractive right now, she had to admit. "I don''t need them." The principal nodded slowly. "If you''re all on board, I suppose I can live with this." She turned to Steven. "If that''s everything, Mr. Chau, I think you should return to class. I''ll have to give you a minor punishment to fit the story. Lunch detention for a week." He looked crestfallen, but nodded. "My mom''s gonna blow up over that." The principal broke into a slight smile, which was no less disturbing than the last time Natalie had witnessed it. "I''d be happy to remind her of the number of detentions she served in my school." "You were the principal there too?" Steven asked, shocked. "Yes. Getting transferred away was a lifesaver." She frowned. "I''d like to speak with Jenny alone for a bit longer, if that''s all right. Please let her teacher know." "Yeah." He glanced at Natalie. "I''ll take notes for you." "Thanks." As soon as Steven was gone, the principal eyed her curiously. "How much do they know about your¡­ situation?" "Huh?" "Would I be wrong in assuming that whatever secret life you have is dangerous?" "...Yeah, sometimes." The principal shook her head. "I don''t want to know. Just remember what you might be bringing them into, all right?" "I do. They don''t know everything. Just¡­ enough." The old woman smiled. "I''m glad you''re thinking this through. It''s good that you found some real friends, Jenny." Yeah, it is. "Is that it?" "Yes, that''s it. Go back to class now."
"What do you mean you won''t be there?" she asked. Quinn''s face fell. "...My grandpa died. We''re flying down to San Diego tonight and we''ll be there for two weeks." "Oh¡­" Natalie''s instincts were pulling her apart. On the one hand, she wanted to give him a hug and try to comfort him, but on the other¡­ she couldn''t. The damaged half of her won out, and she just sat there awkwardly. "I''m sorry." "Thanks." The rest of the group had left, with Mitch promising to fill Tyler in on the details. They all had things to do, leaving Quinn and Natalie alone in the library. Natalie sat there a little uncomfortable, not sure what to say. It wasn''t like she were unfamiliar with death¡ªin fact she was painfully familiar¡ªbut she''d never known the death of a family member. Just from the way he''d said it, they''d definitely been close. "I''m sure it''ll go okay. Steven can handle adults. He''s good at that," Quinn added. "Yeah." "Are you worried?" She shrugged, putting on bravado. "What do I got to be worried about? I can do magic." He grinned. "I don''t think you can just magic your way out of the evil queen''s office." "...Why do you guys call her that anyway? She seemed nice to me." Quinn frowned. "You know, I dunno. I always just heard stuff about her. And the way she looks, you know?" "Yeah, she looks evil. But she''s actually been really cool to me." "Huh." "And look at me right?" Natalie struck a pose, like she were holding up a knife. "Do I look like some crazy gang member with magical superpowers to you?" "Not even a little." "Uh huh." She could tell she was cheering him up, even if it was just by distracting him a bit. He smiled. "You''re really cool, Natalie." Hearing it aloud gave them both pause. Natalie''s mouth opened a little, but she didn''t say anything. She bit her lip, not sure how to respond. It sounded so nice to hear her name, since she never got to hear it anymore, and the way he said it made it sound like the most special name in the world¡­ but he shouldn''t even have known it. Quinn winced. "Sorry. I forgot." "...No, it''s okay," she admitted, as much to herself as to Quinn. "I just¡­ no one calls me that anymore. Not out loud." "I''ll try to remember¡ª" "I want you to." "Huh?" Her face got red. "When it''s just us, I mean. I want you to call me Natalie. I miss my name." "Okay¡­ Natalie." Her face got even more red. She felt like someone had lit a fire inside her cheeks¡ªwarm and embarrassing and pleasant all at once. "Just don''t tell any of the gang." "And break our secret group pact of trust?" Quinn said with a grin. "I tell them everything." "No you don''t," Natalie grinned. "You told me none of them know about how you secretly love all the super girly TV shows." His eyes widened. "You wouldn''t dare." Natalie smirked. "If anything ever gets out, I''ll tell. I know your dark secrets. You shouldn''t have told me so much." "Oh, you don''t know my dark secrets," he shot back. "And you definitely don''t know mine." They both stared at each other, suddenly awkward again. The total silence of the library didn''t help much, as the only sound filling the gap was a slight buzz of a lightbulb way above them. "...Did you bring the decks?" Natalie prompted. Anything to clear her mind of the images that had been flashing through her skull, of things she never wanted Quinn to know. "Huh?" "Conquest, dummy." "Oh." He reached into his backpack, where sure enough he''d brought the whole main set. "You still haven''t played a game, have you?" "I''ve watched you guys plenty. I think I got this." In truth, Natalie had actually read up on the rules and even a few guides, sitting out in the forest on her phone. It seemed like it could be pretty fun, and she definitely could do with some more fun in her life. The most she got was spending time with Percy and the other animals she''d befriended in the forest around her house. Quinn set out the territory card stacks, then lined up the generals behind it. Natalie was already trying to get into the mindset of the game. Anything to distract her from the painful twinge on her face that kept reminding her of the weekend she''d made it through. I''m with my friend now. I''m here. Everything happened, and I survived. I''m going to make it through this, and I''m gonna have a good time here hanging out with Quinn. And I''m going to pick Linnethea and totally annihilate him. ¡­But what if he expects me to pick her and drafts stuff against her? He could pick zero forests or elflands and I''d lose a lot of options. I can beat him if I draft against that. I can go with an all-undead plan and then take out his farms with pestilence spells, since he won''t have any elves to protect them. And I''ll have forests but I won''t care about it, ''cause I don''t gotta feed my guys anyway. "Natalie?" he asked, and again it sent a tiny pleasant tingle through her ears. "Oh! Sorry." She hadn''t noticed it was already set up. "Uhh, who picks first?" She knew there was an official way to pick, but she couldn''t remember it. "Normally we just always let whoever lost the last game decide. How about you just choose? You wanna go first or second?" "...Second." She still wasn''t sure if she even had a strategy, so she wanted to just see what he did and figure it out from there. "Okay." Quinn glanced across the line of sixteen territory cards carefully, then picked up one of the farms. Natalie grabbed two forests, and to her silent delight, Quinn picked up another farm. Bingo. Gotcha, Quinn.
"So you really beat him in your first game?" Mitch asked. "Of course she did, she''s the smartest in the group," said Kelsey. "She is?" asked Tyler. "I don''t think so," said Natalie dubiously. "Nah," said Kelsey. "I saw the report on Mrs. Brackett''s computer. She and Steven had the top grades in our whole year." "Where is Steven, anyway?" asked Mitch, glancing around the cafeteria. "Detention," Natalie muttered, embarrassed. "Oh, damn. Is that what he ended up with?" "Coulda been worse," Kelsey pointed out. "Coulda been a lot worse. This is just for show, right?" "Pretty much," said Natalie. "She promised that his parents wouldn''t even find out if she could help it." "Nice." "How''d you guys get the evil queen on your side?" asked Tyler. Natalie frowned. "She''s actually really cool. You shouldn''t call her that." "Oh." "Forget her, we gotta figure out what to call us," added Kelsey excitedly. "The Glasses Gang is way too tame for the badass we got hidin'' out." "Plus neither of you wear glasses," Tyler pointed out. "Like that was really the problem," grumbled Mitch. "Gotta be somethin'' to do with magic, right?" Kelsey continued. "Something that says who we are and what we do." "Kelsey, she''s in hiding. This is all supposed to be secret." "Well yeah, but not forever. I''m talkin'' when she starts the real stuff." "The what?" asked Natalie, confused. "Well, when you start being a superhero, obviously," said Tyler. Natalie shook her head. "I''m not a superhero." "Well duh, not yet," said Kelsey. "This is where you get your start, and we''re your team," added Tyler. "Guys, lay off," Mitch cut in angrily, to Natalie''s relief. Tyler looked confused, but Kelsey seemed to get it right away. "Sorry." "I''m not," Natalie repeated, with all three of them watching her. "I''m just me, okay? I can do some cool stuff, but I''m not a hero or anything. I just want to go to school and be normal." "And we''re gonna make sure that happens," said Mitch. "We got this." "Yeah," Kelsey agreed. Tyler nodded too, after the briefest hesitation. Natalie smiled. She had real friends, finally, just like Cinza had said. She had people to watch her back. She could actually start living her life again, bit by bit. She''d be safe for the time being, while she continued to wait. Because she hadn''t forgotten. There was still something she had to do, and it was the real reason she''d never be called a superhero. She decided to show off a bit. It was fun and mostly harmless, so why not? She picked up her purse and opened it, though she hadn''t opened the spell that kept the contents inside. She showed it around, seemingly totally empty, then zipped it shut again. When Lily had given it to her, she''d explained how to control the spells that made it work. Since the bag was actually enchanted, a secret ritual set still only known to very few awakened, Natalie could maintain the spell and even trigger certain things without actually knowing how it worked or how to cast it. In that sense, she could ''open'' and ''close'' the bag, which made it appear empty until she opened it properly. She did so, and unzipped it again. The whole group gasped, and Kelsey leaned in for a better look. Natalie played it totally cool, and just plucked her lunch out (which was obviously bigger than the purse itself) before zipping it shut. "Mostly normal, anyway," she joked, before picking up the sandwich Lily had made that morning and starting to eat. They only had a few minutes left in lunch, and she was starving.
As Quinn packed up the cards after their third game, Natalie dug through her purse for a chocolate bar she knew was hiding in there somewhere. To her relief, it hadn''t melted or gotten crushed. She wasn''t sure how temperature worked with the bags exactly, but the bar seemed just fine. She offered a second one to Quinn, but he declined, looking embarrassed. "Hey, just ''cause I beat you twice¡ª" "Please don''t tell them you won twice," Quinn muttered. "The first one, fine, but if they hear you''re already stomping me on your first day, my reputation is finished. I''ll never be able to face Tyler again." "You didn''t go easy on me, did you?" He frowned. "No, ''course not." "Really?" "Really. You''re good at this." She shrugged. "I got lucky." "Nah. You drafted really well. You tricked me completely the first game." "But you won the second game and that went way faster. The Kobblebomma stuff with the fake metal mines." "Only ''cause I used a cheap strategy I read online. It''s kind of all-or-nothing, but no one expects it if they''ve never seen it played." Natalie nodded. "Still counts as a win." "And so do your two. You won fair and square in the last one for sure." "Oh man, that took forever. You and your stupid multiplying goblins. Was that two hours?" "...Yeah." He glanced at his watch. "I should probably get home. We packed this morning but I''m sure Dad''s panicking about something already." Natalie hesitated. Despite having actively avoided him for weeks, then stressing out about every word he spoke, she didn''t want to see him go. She knew there wasn''t any way he could stick around, obviously, but Quinn represented something in her mind. He wasn''t from her old life at all. He was like an escape, a path out of her darkness. Except¡­ she couldn''t leave that darkness. Not yet. Maybe not ever, at this rate. Quinn, ever observant, noticed her crestfallen face. "Hey, I''m just gonna be gone two weeks. It''s not forever." "Yeah." He grinned. "You know what they''re probably saying about us right now, right?" Natalie rolled her eyes. "That we''re on a date." "Yup." "...Aren''t we, kinda?" Quinn paused. "I guess? I dunno." "I don''t really know either." He glanced up from his bag, where he''d been rearranging a few things so they didn''t get damaged. "Do you want us to be?" Natalie didn''t know how to answer that, but she could feel a part of her that really wanted to say yes. After everything she''d been through, she decided to go for it. She was done being reluctant and scared all the time in her new life, when she knew she could do way more. It was time for Natalie to start taking over in Jenny''s life. This was where it started. "Yes." But as Quinn moved toward her, about to give her a hug¡ªa totally innocent hug, no different than thousands she''d had in the past, from Jenny, from her father, from Hailey or anyone else¡ªshe recoiled away. The darkness from the night in Seattle loomed up around her again, memories of a park in the middle of the city, and she couldn''t do it. As soon as she saw Quinn''s confused expression, her heart sank. "I''m sorry. I just¡­ I can''t do that." "...Okay." He stood back awkwardly. Unsure what to do next, he leaned over and grabbed his bag, strapping it on. "I guess I should probably go home." "I wish you weren''t going," Natalie murmured, in spite of herself. "You''ll be okay. You''re way braver than I am. You got this." "I don''t feel brave." Quinn frowned. He pulled off his bag again and dug through it quickly. In a moment, he''d pulled out a card. It was easy to find since she''d just been using it in the last game. He held it out, face down. Natalie took it, unsurprised to see Linnethea''s bold, strong face staring back at her from atop her wolf. Still, Quinn never took the cards out of the box alone like that. "What?" "She can be brave for you." "...Huh?" "Well, you two both can do magic, and you both talk to animals. You even kinda look like her." "...I really don''t." He shrugged. "Okay, maybe not that part. But still, she''s always brave. Whenever you''re worried, just hold that card and think about her." "But¡ª" "I''m not gonna be playing any games down in California anyway. She''s better off with you." Natalie stared at the card. At Linnethea, the wolven huntress, the proud leader of the Free Elves. She wasn''t gentle or kind, she was fierce and brave. She''d never back down from a fight, or be afraid to jump headlong into one. She was a warrior and a general. Linnethea would never be afraid of the darkness. Natalie nodded. She wasn''t going to be either. Thanks to Quinn and the rest of her friends, she had a life to come back to once she was done. She''d turn herself into Linnethea the Huntress. She''d banish the darkness in the only way she knew how, when it was time. Her friends would help her lay low, as long as she had to. Until she''d set out on her true hunt. Until she finally found and stopped her father. Natalie wondered what Quinn and the rest of her friends would think of her then, after she''d fought her mass-murdering father. What would he think now, if he knew that she''d killed before? If they knew that their supposed superhero was a murderer so many times over now that it terrified her? Only two people knew: Cinza and Rachel. Only two, in the whole wide world, knew what she really was. Natalie never had to tell her friends. When it was done, she could come back to her life. They never needed to know. "You know, I actually do know a wolf," she added, still looking at the card. "Huh?" "A big grey wolf named Gwen. We used to run through the forest together. She''s my best friend. But I haven''t seen her in a while. Not since I moved." She held the card close to her chest as if she were hugging it, then placed it carefully into her purse where she knew it''d be perfectly safe. "I miss her a lot. But I''m gonna find her again someday." "Can I meet her?" She laughed. "Yeah, sure. I''ll make sure she doesn''t eat you." "...Does she eat people?" he asked nervously. "Nah. Not unless I tell her to." Natalie grinned. "Thanks, Quinn." "You''re welcome, Natalie." And again, Natalie felt a little thrill go through her when he said her name. She made a vow to herself while Quinn walked away. If she still hadn''t heard from Rachel by the end of the trimester in December¡ªthe start of winter vacation¡ªthen she''d stop waiting. She''d go back to Rallsburg for Gwen. She''d set out to find her father on her own, whatever it took. In December, you hunt. [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] B2: Chapter 17 — Career Path Chapter 17 ¡ª Career Path "How''s it gonna look that a senator left the country the day after she won re-election?" Jeremy asked as Maddie climbed into the passenger seat. "Like they care where I am," Maddie shot back. "As long as I''m doin'' what they elected me for, my vacation plans aren''t their concern." "Is this a fuckin'' vacation?" "I thought that''s how you sold it to your boss." Jeremy shrugged. "Close enough. Told him I wanted to go see the beautiful B.C. sights." Maddie glanced pointedly at the apartment complex down the street, with graffiti covering one wall. "Uh huh." "Someone thought their work was beautiful." "It''s a dick, bro." "What?" Jeremy looked at it more closely, slowing down Lani''s car. "Fuck me, it is." "Yeah, little bro, that''s what that''s meant for." She sighed exaggeratedly. "You gotta find yourself a new man. You get blind if you ain''t gettin'' laid." "I''m busy workin''," he grumbled. "I''m runnin'' solo up here, ''case you forgot." "And whose fault is that?" "Some bitch-ass gunman with a cheap rifle?" "I wasn''t talking about Lani, you asshat. I meant why didn''t you invite me?" Jeremy pulled around the corner. The cheap hotel he was staying it was only a couple blocks away from the train station and they were nearly there. "Weren''t you busy with election shit?" "Elections are won and lost way before Tuesday. Especially in our state. Thank you mail-in voting." "Well how the fuck was I supposed to know that?" Maddie rolled her eyes. "Because both your sisters are in politics, you fucker. Now let''s go get something to eat. The food on the train was shit." "What are you feelin''?" "Anything. Pick the first goddamn fast food joint we see if you want. I''m starving." As they chewed through cheap fast food in hard plastic seats, Jeremy brought her up to speed on everything he''d found so far. He''d woken Maddie up minutes after the mysterious girl vanished from his apartment. It took a few minutes for her to understand what he was trying to say, but neither of them got another wink of sleep that night. The brief snatches of magic he''d witnessed until that point were one thing, but a girl teleporting in and out of his living room in the middle of the night was something else. He''d left for Vancouver the next day. As soon as he''d arrived, he started combing the town. The mysterious visitor hadn''t given him an exact location, because nothing was ever allowed to be easy, but he knew what Rachel looked like. They had her on file, and a few photos from Hailey Winscombe''s old social media feeds were more than enough to give him a good idea of who to look for. A six-foot-five white girl in Vancouver? Couldn''t be that hard, right? Wherever Rachel DuValle was hiding though, she was hiding smart. Jeremy pulled out every trick of the trade he knew, and liberally abused some of the discretionary fund he still had on hand. He figured he could just talk his way out of any trouble with Aderholt later, especially if he actually found Rachel. But after three days, he didn''t have a single lead. So he widened his search. And then he widened it again. Soon he was setting up a grid search across the entire town. Finally, on Tuesday, he struck something that sounded just close enough to work. It wasn''t a report of a ridiculously tall girl, because Jeremy wasn''t allowed to get that lucky, but it was a report of someone purchasing pain medications on a frequent and regular basis, combined with several reports of strange occurrences in the area. The police had investigated and found nothing, but Jeremy wasn''t about to let even the slightest possibility escape. The pain medication purchases were really the big tip-off, in his mind. He''d suspected that someone had to be taking care of the missing Will Carbonell, who was in no condition to do so himself. There wasn''t any particular reason it should be Rachel, but there wasn''t any reason it couldn''t be. "Maybe they were dating," said Maddie as they cruised through the Vancouver streets. "You''re just stuck on my dating life." "I gotta live vicariously through someone, Jere-bear." "Why don''t you try dating someone yourself for once?" "No time," she said, like she always did. "The people need me." "The people need someone stable." "Well, they keep electing me," she cackled, "so apparently not." She reached over and picked up the stone he''d left in the tray below the center console. "So what''s up with this fucker again?" "I think it can feel magic or some shit." "Feel magic, huh?" She stared at it. "It definitely feels like it''s doin'' something." "Feels wrong." "Huh?" "That pulling. Feels fuckin'' wrong." "I dunno." Maddie still had her hand on it, and every second was making Jeremy feel a little more uncomfortable. "You should let go of it." "Nah, hang on. I think I got this." She closed her eyes. "Yeah. You can make it stop." "Huh?" "If you just tell it to stop, it stops. You got control over it." "The fuck you talkin'' bout? You didn''t tell it to stop." "I did. With my mind." Jeremy shook his head. "Fuckin'' magic."
It was a bright and sunny afternoon as they pulled into the neighborhood from the reports. As they got out, Maddie pocketed the stone, "just in case." Jeremy still felt like they should just leave it alone, but he couldn''t deny that it might be useful in the short run. "She didn''t happen to tell you where in Vancouver, did she?" Maddie asked, glancing around as they got out. He''d parked the car a block away from the pharmacy in his reports. It was a longshot, but all his other leads hadn''t panned out, so here they were. Jeremy shrugged. "Nothin''s allowed to be easy, right? Probably some shitty rule of magic." "How many rules you gonna make up before you just give up and ask someone?" "Fuck that. I don''t want to know." He shook his head. "I''m here to find Jackie, and that''s it. I don''t care about fuckin'' magic or monsters or any of this crap." "You''re lyin''." He wandered over to an alleyway next to a bowling alley, where he felt like he looked reasonably inconspicuous, and pulled out a cigarette. Jeremy didn''t smoke, but it made for a good excuse and a good opener with suspects, so he usually kept a pack handy. Maddie took up the wall opposite. "You want to know what happened to that town. I smell it on ya." "I know what happened. They fucked up and killed each other over this shit. Easy enough." "Nah, that''s too simple for you. You gotta know the whole story." "I only gotta know enough to finish my report and get the next case." Maddie grinned. "See, already one step back. Trust me, the sooner you admit you''re not just in this for Jackie anymore, the better off you''ll be." An hour passed. Jeremy and Maddie rotated around the building once, just in case, and ended up on the other side of the pharmacy. He still had a good line of sight on the door. A long stakeout was nothing new to him, but his sister wasn''t used to staying still for so long. "I forgot how much I hate this," she muttered. "You wanted to come." "Yeah, your job is boring as fuck. How do you put up with this?" "You learn to entertain yourself." "How?" Jeremy nodded toward the pharmacy. "Makin'' up stories." "Huh?" "Every guy that comes through, I make up a story about him. Stuff like what he''s interested in, what he does for a livin'', his hopes and dreams. His fears. Who he is." "What he''s like in bed?" He rolled his eyes¡ªthough if he was being honest, it''d crossed his mind a few times. "Sometimes I go ask ''em later when the case is done. Buy ''em a drink, see how close I was. It''s good practice." "For what, profiling?" "Don''t make this political. No P.D. would ever survive a day without some profilin''. It''s impossible." She sighed. "Yeah, I know. But it''s my job to make sure you don''t go too far." She glanced at the pharmacy, while Jeremy looked away so they didn''t seem too suspicious. "Mmkay then. That guy. He''s¡­ well, he''s mid-forties. Blue collar guy. Probably a family man. Watches the game every night, doesn''t get paid enough, not a heavy internet user¡ª" "¡ªand votes Republican, yeah, we got it." Jeremy shook his head. "You gotta get off demographics and onto real details. Stop playin'' politician for a sec." "Okay, your turn." She turned away, shoving her hands in her pockets, giving Jeremy a good look at the guy. He was walking toward them, though on the opposite side of the street, so Jeremy could easily watch him without being noticed. His jaw dropped. "He''s a software engineer from Redmond, never married, and he''s not supposed to be here." "Fuck me, how''d you get that?" "That''s Eric fucking Hurwitz. Rachel DuValle''s father."
Eric Hurwitz was way better at evading a tail than Jeremy expected. They''d been pursuing him through the streets from a few car lengths behind, and it became obvious pretty quickly that he''d noticed them following him. In fact, Jeremy would have sworn he''d been trained. As soon as possible, he''d gotten on the highway and taken a few aggressive weaves through traffic, using every truck he could find to try and lock Jeremy into a wall of heavy traffic. More than once, Jeremy almost missed him taking an exit, and as soon as he''d followed Hurwitz down, the man changed lanes and went right back onto the highway. "Man, fuck this guy," Maddie grumbled. "This is pretty normal. Just be glad no one''s shootin'' or crashin'' into shit yet." "Was that common?" "No, thank God. If it was, I''d''ve left sooner." The chase continued, street by street, totally unknown to the typical Vancouver traffic. Just Hurwitz in his sedan with his bag of groceries, and Jeremy and Maddie in pursuit in Lani''s much nicer and sportier car. If it were the open road, Jeremy could overtake him in an instant, but there was just too much civilian traffic in the way. Hurwitz is a civilian too. For now. Don''t jump the gun yet. "He''s not givin'' up, is he?" Jeremy shook his head. "I can''t actually pull him over ''cause we aren''t supposed to be here, and he can''t shake me. It''s a goddamn stalemate." "Well he ain''t supposed to be here either, right?" He felt like punching himself. "Shit, why didn''t I think of that?" "You fuckin'' said it, bro," Maddie pointed out, confused. "I''m just repeating you." "Yeah, but..." He shrugged. "Fuck it. Hang on." He gunned the engine. On the next off-ramp, he made his move. Sliding into the shoulder, they sped along past traffic, ignoring the angry onlookers, catching up with Hurwitz in a heartbeat. As soon as they got close, Jeremy flicked on the lights carefully embedded around the upper windshield of Lani''s car. Hurwitz didn''t give them any trouble. They followed him a block away and into a busy retail parking lot, parking at the far end. Jeremy got out, Maddie only a few steps behind. They approached the car, with Jeremy''s hand itching towards his gun. Please don''t be another fuckin'' psychopath. He knocked on the window. It slid down. "Eric Hurwitz?" The man nodded, staring straight ahead. "Is there a problem, officer?" "Look at me, man." He did, and his eyes immediately widened in recognition. "Good. We can drop the fuckin'' formalities." "I don''t want any trouble," he said quickly. "I''ve been lookin'' for you. We tried to contact your place of work, but they said you were on an ''unexpected sabbatical''." He nodded. "That''s right." "Let me be clear. I''m not lookin'' for you. I don''t care about you at all. Far as I''m concerned, you tell me what I want to know and you can go home as if nothin'' happened. No strings attached. Sound good?" "Sure." "I''m lookin'' for a woman named Jackie Nossinger. Heard of her?" Hurwitz shook his head. "No, I haven''t." Fuck. He doesn''t look like he''s lying¡­ maybe she used a different name. "Older lady, about fifty seven, short-ish brown hair. Always wears it up. Tough-as-nails. Probably still fit, even though she had a pretty quiet job recently as a small town sheriff. Ringing any bells?" He gulped and nodded slowly. "I need to find her. Help me out, you never hear from me again." "I don''t know where she is." Jeremy sighed audibly. "That''s not the answer I wanted, Mr. Hurwitz." "Honestly!" he added frantically. "I haven''t seen her in weeks!" "Weeks," Jeremy repeated pointedly. "But she was missin'', presumed dead months ago. Care to explain?" He gulped again. "I¡­ uhh¡­" "Look, Eric," Maddie cut in unexpectedly. "I get it, you''re protectin'' someone. Would it make a difference if we told you we''re on the same side?" "...Why are there sides?" he asked. "How did I get dragged into this?" "Who dragged you in?" asked Jeremy. "I mean, I wanted to. I¡­" He shook his head. "I shouldn''t tell you any of this." "Eric, we''re not here officially," said Maddie. "I''m on vacation, celebrating my re-election, and he''s here as my escort." "Your escort?" said Jeremy, rounding on her. "You ain''t handsome enough to pass off as my boyfriend." Jeremy shook his head. "Point is, Hurwitz, this isn''t for the fuckin'' feds. I''m just lookin'' for my friend. So whoever you''re protectin'', they stay protected. Fair?" He shook his head. "I can''t do that." Time to play all the cards, I guess. "It''s your daughter, right?" Right on the money. "...How did you know that?" "It''s my job to know this shit, man. I need to talk to Rachel, and I''m gonna find her one way or another. It''s a matter of fuckin'' time. If I found you, you don''t think I can find her?" He shrugged. "She''s a lot smarter than I am." "Yeah, but I got the weight of the entire fuckin'' FBI behind me. No one outruns us forever." "You don''t know what you''re up against," he said, with a touch of pride. "Let me guess, she told you about what she can do. Magic, right?" Hurwitz looked even more surprised than when he''d named his daughter. "...You already know about that?" Maddie laughed. "Eric, the quicker you assume we know everything, the easier this goes for you." Jeremy tried to soften his tone. "I get it. You''re tryin'' to protect your daughter. Can you trust me that I don''t mean her any harm?" The man hesitated. "You got kids?" "...No. Never really thought about it." He nodded. "Then you really don''t get it." "What''s not to get?" said Maddie with a shrug. "You''d die to protect her. We don''t want to hurt her though, we just want to talk." "I wasn''t there for her growing up," he continued, as if she hadn''t spoken. "I mean, I was in touch, but she mostly just grew up with her mom. We never married, and after a while we just knew it was over. But then I get a call, out of the blue twelve years later from my ex. She tells me that Rachel''s in trouble, and that they both need me." He glanced up at them, hand still clutching the steering wheel of the car. "And I didn''t wait a moment. I left my whole life behind, and I don''t regret a second of it. But my daughter''s in real danger. So when I see a man world-famous for trying to hunt her and her friends down, what am I gonna do?" "...Be contumacious?" suggested Maddie. Jeremy glanced at her. "McDonough again?" "Man loves his thesaurus." "The fuck does that even mean?" "Means recalcitrant." "...The fuck does that mean?" "Aren''t we getting away from the point here?" she said, nodding at the bemused Hurwitz. Jeremy turned back to the man. "I''m gonna make you an offer, and it''s the best one you''re gonna get. See, if I found you, I can find everyone else. Just you is more than enough to take back to my chief and authorize a full fuckin'' sweep of this city. Trust me, with the pressure on the Rallsburg case, it ain''t hard to swing that. Between us and the Canadians, we''ll be a goddamn invading army if we have to, just to find your daughter and bring her in, because we don''t have a single witness otherwise." "Or?" he asked nervously. "Or you take me to see her. Just me¡ª" "Hey!" Maddie interjected indignantly. "Just me," Jeremy repeated firmly. "No tricks. We talk, any location she likes. I get my answers and I leave. You guys get to stay in hiding. Trust me, the Bureau ain''t gonna find you after that. We''re good at burying people who don''t want to be found." "Burying in a good way," Maddie added quickly. "You mean like witness protection?" asked Hurwitz. "Is that a possibility?" "Well not exactly, since you''re not gonna be witnesses. I''m assumin'' you don''t want to appear in any court." "Right." "It''ll be off the books, just how you like it." Might be tough to pull off, but I think Lani can probably cover it for me. He''d know how to slip records into the system unannounced. Assumin'' it''s even possible¡­ but that''s not my problem. I just gotta convince Hurwitz it is. Hurwitz stared straight ahead for a long while, considering. Maddie was glancing around nervously at passerby. A few people wandered near as they crossed the lot, heading for the fast food places across the street or returning from it. No one had listened in on them, but with the police lights off it didn''t look like a traffic stop anymore. He wondered how much they looked like a random drug buy. A retail parking lot was common enough. If some civvie calls us in right now, I''m gonna be pissed. "...Just you," he said, finally. Maddie opened her mouth to protest again, but Jeremy shook his head. She stopped mid-breath. "Good. You drive." "Huh?" Jeremy walked around to the passenger side of his car and opened the door, taking a seat. He leaned out of the window and tossed the keys to Maddie. "I''ll call you later. Go see the sights or somethin''." If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Maddie glared at him. "You owe me for this, bro." "I''ll send you a postcard." He nodded at the dumbstruck Hurwitz. "Well?"
They drove silently most of the way. Jeremy didn''t bother to ask Hurwitz any more questions. He doubted the man had any real answers, and even if he did, Jeremy would rather hear them from the real source. Hurwitz was never in Rallsburg. They could place him at his work up until the day of the incident. By the next day, he''d vanished, presumably along with his daughter and her mother, who''d also vanished that same day despite having a scene to shoot for a cable show. All three in the family, gone in an instant. Those details had never been released to the public, because they couldn''t definitively link them in any way. Jeremy had kept an ear out, just in case, but Rachel and her parents had been thorough. None of them had ever surfaced in the public eye even once, visibly or financially. He wondered how they were getting by. "You didn''t call her to ask," he commented. Hurwitz didn''t answer, staring at the road ahead. They were driving off to the opposite end of Vancouver, as expected. Even their pharmacy location was calculated. "''Cause you already knew what she would say, right?" "...Yes." Jeremy shrugged. "You''ll both get it eventually. I really don''t care about you. I''m just tryin'' to find Jackie and make sure she''s okay, and get some answers." "She was the last time I saw her." "Yeah, I can''t just take your word for it. After the shit I''ve seen, I need to talk to my old partner." Hurwitz finally glanced over at him. "You were partners?" "Eight years, Seattle homicide. Way back in two thousand. Best partner I ever had, and the last time I ever really cared about the fuckin'' job." "Oh." "You saw her, though?" Jeremy prompted. "When?" "...That night." "That''d be Tuesday the fifteenth, back in May?" "Yes." "And she was okay?" "...Honestly?" "That''d be why I''m fuckin'' askin'', yeah. Honestly." "She looked scared." Jeremy frowned. "...Bullshit. Jackie didn''t get scared." Hurwitz braked a little too hard at a red light as he shook his head. "You weren''t there that night. First Andy calls me, saying that our daughter''s in trouble and that we might have to get out of town. I start packing. Then, about twelve hours later, I get another call from God knows who. Some girl with a weird voice, who tells me to go to Issaquah under a fake name, meet Andy, and get ready to go into hiding." He stepped on the gas a bit too hard. Jeremy''s head smacked against the rest as they jerked across the line. "And I did, you know? I dropped everything, called into work, and I was there for my family. But when I saw them that night¡­ If you saw Will, you''d understand." "I did." "What?" "They took photos of him at the hospital when he checked in. Pretty standard in a case like that when the victim can''t speak for themselves. Just in case they need to pursue a criminal case." He shuddered. "Your partner looked haunted, that''s all I''m saying. And from what Rachel''s told me, she had every reason to be." "...When did you see her last?" "She left right after we settled down, about a week later. Never saw her again."
The place was totally unremarkable, which didn''t surprise Jeremy in the slightest. A modest one-story home with a garage. No front yard, though, just a odd rock garden in front of a walkway leading up to the door. Easier to take care of, he guessed. They couldn''t risk being outside too frequently, and the trips to the pharmacy were bad enough. Obviously, since that''s how I caught him, Jeremy mused. "After you," he added aloud. Hurwitz gulped and nodded. He pulled up to the curb, turned off the car and got out. Jeremy picked up the bag of medicine. Anythin'' to appear less threatening. He followed Hurwitz up the driveway to the front step, where they stopped. "No trouble," he repeated weakly. Jeremy nodded. "No trouble. We''re just gonna talk." He nodded again, digging through his jacket pocket. After a moment, he came up with a house key, which he fumbled into the lock. The place was sparsely decorated, but it was clear someone had tried to turn it into a new home. There were pictures on the walls, and touches of personality throughout, but it was clear that the place just hadn''t been lived in that long. Nothing was settled into its spot. It didn''t have the natural mess and clutter of a real home. They''d been forced here, and it was painfully obvious even to an outsider like Jeremy, who hadn''t lived with a real family since he was young. "In the back, Dad!" called a voice. Female, young, strong, confident. Must be Rachel. Without waiting to be prompted, Jeremy started down the hall to the open door. He turned the corner and stopped, staring into the room and a group of people that clearly wanted nothing to do with him. The room was dominated by a full-sized motorized hospital bed, with an occupant that could only be Will Carbonell. Compared to the hospital photos, the bruises had faded, but he certainly didn''t look to be walking any time soon. His head lolled over as Jeremy walked in, and his eyes widened in surprise. Rachel and her mother, both tall brunettes, flanked the bed. Jeremy opened his mouth to speak, but Rachel beat him to the punch. "Jeremy Ashe," she stated. Jeremy looked past Will to the girl sitting at his bedside. Her hair was tied back rather than the sheets of straight brown he was used to seeing in her photos, but she looked mostly the same otherwise. Less familiar to him were the twin fireballs that burst into life on either side of her head, flickering ominously. By now, he knew they were very real. He froze in place. "I''m alone," he said, slowly lifting his hands into the air. "Then you''re an idiot," said Rachel. Her mother shot her a disapproving look, but Rachel ignored her. She got to her feet. In spite of himself, Jeremy was intimidated. He''d known she was tall, but this was ridiculous. He wasn''t exactly the tallest guy around, but at five foot ten, he could walk into a crowd and usually not feel too outclassed. In front of Rachel, he found himself looking up. She held a good eight inches on him at least. Rachel was taller than him, taller than even her own father. Jeremy noticed as she walked around the bed that her clothes didn''t fit very well, before his eyes were drawn right back to the fireball floating above her hand. She stood a few feet away, staring him down. Her eyes flicked to the bag in his hand. "Where''s Dad?" "I''m here," Hurwitz called, finally appearing at the doorway behind him. Jeremy didn''t dare move. Jeremy held out the bag very slowly. "I just want to talk." Andrea got up and snatched the bag out of his hand, pulling out a bottle and hurrying to the bedside. Will was still watching Jeremy with a curious look, though he hadn''t yet said anything. The room was clearly dominated by Rachel, and aimed to stay that way unless he did something about it. "I''m here to help." Rachel raised an eyebrow. "You started a manhunt for some of my people." "Your people?" "Yes." Rachel glanced at her father. "Dad, did you check him?" "What?" "Is he armed?" "I am," Jeremy cut in. "But I''ll surrender my weapon right now, if you''ll answer some questions." "...Like what?" she asked suspiciously. "Where''s Jackie?" She looked surprised. "I don''t know." Jeremy''s heart sank. "Goddammit, if they''re your people why don''t you fuckin'' keep track of them?" "I do." She held out her hand, while the fireball continued to spin in midair above it. Reluctantly, Jeremy pulled out his pistol and handed it over, grip-first. Rachel checked it with an experienced eye, and clicked off the safety. She took her seat again next to Will, with the pistol casually trained on him. The fireball dissipated, at the same time that Rachel''s body released a lot of tension. That took a lot out of her¡­ She ain''t good at magic, I guess. But she knows a 1911, and she''s not stupid enough to take me at face value. Jeremy had hoped to just walk in, bully a location out of her like he had her father, and leave a few minutes later. Rachel''s expression told him otherwise. That''s the face of someone who''s used it before¡­ This is gonna be harder than I thought. "So where''s my partner?" "She hasn''t been your partner since April of 2008," Rachel replied. "...How''d you know that?" "They did a profile of you in a local paper, after you were announced as the lead investigator. Your days in the precinct. It didn''t see much circulation, but I read it." "And you remembered?" Rachel smiled grimly, which was a terrible thing to see on the face of someone with a gun trained on him. "Is she the only reason you came here, Agent Ashe?" "Honestly? No." Jeremy took a breath. "I''ve seen some fuckin'' wild shit over the last couple months. My partner got shot. I nearly got my face beat in by a giant monster without a face. I watched a girl fly across a room, and another guy moving stuff with his mind. Then out of the blue, someone fuckin'' teleports into my living room, middle of the night, and tells me to go find you. And hey, I''m a sucker, so I drove straight north. Took me a few days but here we are." He paused for breath again. "So let''s get somethin'' straight. I don''t understand what the fuck''s goin'' on, and honestly I don''t really want to know. But this shit ain''t goin'' away, so I need some fuckin'' answers." Oh, and Maddie? Fuck you for being right. Again. When we get home, I''m buyin'' dinner. Somewhere in the middle of his speech, Rachel visibly relaxed, which eased a lot of tension out of the room. Still tense as fuck, but at least she doesn''t look like she''s about to break down anymore. "It''s magic, right? Y''all can cast spells and shit. And, right on schedule, everyone''s fightin'' over it. Am I on track?" Rachel nodded slowly. "More or less." "How long?" "Two and a half years. The first discovery was in May, two years ago, as far as we know." "And where did it come from?" She shrugged. "Rallsburg. Where else?" Jeremy rolled his eyes. "No, I mean, where did it come from?" "We don''t know." "Seriously?" "No one does. Not even the first to discover it." "And y''all are the reason Rallsburg blew up. Right?" "...Yes." Rachel glanced away. Personal guilt. There we go. "It was your fault?" "Not directly. But yes." "...You realize you just admitted that to a federal agent, right?" She shrugged. "You''re under effective suspension, and you''re well outside your remit of office. You''re here off the books, and you aren''t even carrying your standard sidearm. This isn''t an FBI service weapon, except for Special Forces groups, which you have never been a member of. At the moment, you have no real authority." Given that she held his gun, in addition to whatever magical powers she could conjure up, Jeremy wasn''t about to disagree with her. "I''d be more afraid of your sister than of you right now." Play up humor, build the relationship. Same as the hostage situation, even though I''m the only hostage here. "Good move. She''s always been the smarter one of the family." "Congratulate her for me on the election. Two million, two hundred and thirty thousand, four hundred and six votes was a good landslide. She deserves it." Jeremy was starting to feel more than a little unsettled. "Studyin'' me, are you?" "I study everyone. But I did take an interest once you set yourself up as our enemy." "My partner was shot," he fumed. "I needed answers and that was the only lead I had. Tell me you wouldn''t''ve done the same." "...I did, and I regret it." Rachel finally set the pistol down in her lap. Her parents finally relaxed, and tension tangibly eased out of the room. "Well, since she isn''t going to let me rest, I guess I''m supposed to help you." "...She?" She didn''t answer him. "Mom, could you get us something to drink? We could be a while." "Hang on," Jeremy interrupted, as Andrea started to move out of the room. "What''s going on?" Rachel shrugged. "Call it a liaison. A first contact, if you prefer, though it really isn''t the first." "First contact? You tryin'' to say you''re aliens?" "No, not aliens. Just different." She glanced at her mother again, who shuffled out of the room. It was strange to see her parents taking orders from her, but then again, everything about her was off. She should have been a college junior, but she had something much darker behind her eyes. It took a minute for him to place, because it had been a long while since he''d seen it in person. That girl''s killed before, with her own hands. Suddenly, the pistol in her lap didn''t seem like an idle threat by an overly confident college co-ed. Jeremy was starting to take her much more seriously. He finally understood why he''d been sent to find her, of all people, and it wasn''t because of Jackie. However much he wanted to find his partner, the bigger picture was settling in bit by bit, and he couldn''t escape it forever. "If you don''t mind me askin''," he started, "why''d you decide to trust me just now?" She sighed. "For the same reason I once trusted your partner. When I saw you go on the news in front of hundreds of reporters and lie, for the sake of one of ours that you probably didn''t even know..." She paused, waiting for confirmation. He nodded. "You follow the rules and do your job well, right up until the moment when the rules don''t account for something new. Something the world''s never seen before. When that moment came, you took our side, even with the little information you had. That''s something." Jeremy shrugged. "She saved my life. I figured I owed her one back." Rachel nodded. "You probably saved a lot of grief doing that, so let me be the first to thank you." Not exactly the first, but whatever. "Just doin'' my job, like you said." "Will you help us again? Help the world transition into¡­ well, whatever comes next?" Fuck that. Even more press? "If it''s all the same to you," he said suddenly, "I''d like to call my sister." "What for?" "Well, to tell her I''m alive, for one. But more importantly, ''cause this is really her scene. You want a fuckin'' first contact, you want Maddie." Rachel nodded. "Go ahead."
"Wait, what''s goin'' on?" Maddie hissed to Jeremy as he walked her back up the driveway to Rachel''s little hideout. "You''re representin'' the people who elected you. You''re about to meet the leader of their people." "...You know I gotta be appointed to do that, right? That''s all part of the Executive." "Goddammit, Maddie, she''s not a foreign country." "Just sayin'', if you want to play political metaphor, you gotta get ''em right." Jeremy shook his head. "Just get in there and do your thing." Maddie took a second to glance at her reflection in the front window. "Shit, I look terrible." "No you don''t. Come on." Jeremy opened the door and pulled a reluctant Maddie over the threshold. They made their way back into the rear bedroom. Rachel sat next to Will''s bed, waiting for them. She was typing away on a laptop, but set it aside and stood up to greet them. Maddie''s eyes slowly made their way up to her face, as if she couldn''t believe what she was looking at. Jeremy nudged her, and she instantly reverted to her professional self. "It''s an honor to meet you, Miss DuValle," she started, holding out her hand. Rachel shook it gently. "Likewise." She glanced at the doorway, where her mother had appeared. "Can we offer you anything? Coffee, tea?" "No, thank you." Rachel nodded, and Andrea disappeared back into the living room. As she did, Rachel reached into an expensive-looking leather pouch with a gold buckle at her side, and withdrew a handful of small rocks. She set them in Will''s hand. His eyes closed in concentration, before his hand jerked upward in an uncomfortable way. The rocks vanished. The monitors by his bed flickered off, as did the lights in the room. The room was suddenly lit only by the pale sunlight streaming through the window. "Sorry, but it''s a necessary precaution." "What did you just do?" Maddie asked curiously. "Disabled all electronics in the room." Maddie spun around to her brother. "She can do that?" Jeremy shrugged. "I''ve stopped askin'' that question." Rachel coughed gently. "I needed to ensure this conversation was not recorded by electronic means. Feel free to take notes if you wish." She held out a notebook and pencil. Maddie shrugged. "I''ve never liked being on record anyway." Jeremy frowned. "If you''re ever gonna return to society, though, then you''ll have to have somethin'' on record." "I don''t ever plan on that," Rachel murmured. "Your people, then. I''m guessin'' not all of them feel the same way?" She hesitated. "You''re right, of course. When the time comes, if it is necessary I will testify under any form you require. For them." She glanced away. "Besides, she''s already made it clear that I''m not ever going to stay in hiding." Maddie smiled. "You''re already a better leader than half the people I work with." "Only half?" Rachel asked, the corners of her lips twitching. Oh thank God, she still has a sense of humor. This isn''t gonna be as bad as I thought. She laughed. "Okay, a lot more than half. But you work with what you get, you know?" "Yes." Rachel pulled up her legs onto her chair, which was a wide comfortable one she clearly spent a great deal of time in. She settled in, obviously expecting a long conversation. "Do you go by Madelaine, or just Maddie?" "Either works." She shrugged. "Everyone I''ve ever met has had a preference for their name." "Honestly, I couldn''t care less." "Well then." Rachel cleared her throat, as if speaking officially. "Maddie, my name is Rachel DuValle, and until May of this year, I was an elected member of the Council of the Awakened, representing the entire population of magic-wielding persons in the world." Neither of them spoke for a few moments. Finally, Maddie broke the silence. "Uh¡­ huh." Rachel glanced at Jeremy. "She''s never seen any magic, has she?" He shrugged. "Not like we''ve had a whole lot of chances." She nodded. Setting aside her drink, Rachel held up a finger and pointed at the notebook she''d set aside. A page ripped itself out and floated up into the air. Maddie''s eyes were locked on it, quickly widening in amazement. As she watched, Rachel floated it into the middle of the room, before forcing it to crumple into a ball. A moment later, she set it on fire. "Shit!" Maddie fell backward over her chair onto the floor. The paper burned up into a tiny pile of ash. "Cute," Jeremy deadpanned, watching Rachel. As he''d expected, even the small demonstration had still taken a toll on her. He was beginning to see some massive power disparity between the so-called Awakened. "...You said was," said Maddie, getting back to her seat with a few shreds of dignity. "Yes. The council was dissolved following the¡­ incident." Rachel glanced away. "What about the other councilors?" "One survived. The other¡­ did not." "...I''m so sorry." Rachel nodded. "Thank you. We weren''t exactly close, but I regret what happened to her." "What did happen to her?" cut in Jeremy. Both of them glanced at him. "What?" "If we''re gonna do this," said Maddie, "we should start at the beginning. Or at least as early as she''s willin'' to go. We want the whole story, right?" "...Right." Rachel shrugged. "Whatever you prefer." "The beginning, then. If I''m gonna help you figure out how to start bringing this into the world, I want to know everything you can give me." "I wasn''t there at the beginning. The Council was the first real attempt at organization. It was founded by the Three Gods¡ª" "The what now?" Jeremy interrupted. "I''m sorry. There were three people, the very first among us, who had far greater power than we thought possible. They were the ones to form the original Council." She nodded at Jeremy. "You met one of them." "I did?" It took him a moment to figure it out. "...The teleporting girl." "Among many other talents." Rachel glanced at a corner of the room. Jeremy followed her gaze, but there wasn''t anything there. She looked back to Maddie and resumed her story. "This was in March of 2017. At first, the Three Gods ran the show and made every decision for us. Most of us were so inexperienced and inept that we didn''t even consider leadership ourselves. But it only took a few months for that to break down." She took a breath. "The Three Gods never really saw eye to eye. Alpha and Omega argued almost every time they met." Maddie snorted. "Sorry. They really went by that?" "Someone coined their names, and it stuck." Rachel shrugged. "It''s hard to change a name once everyone''s started using it. I never liked the term ''awakened'', but here we are, years later." "Well, seems like the perfect time to change it. If you''re gonna finally come out into the world, you could pick somethin'' new," Jeremy pointed out. "You''re in charge." She shook her head. "I''m not in charge, and I wouldn''t feel right making that decision. I don''t deserve that sort of authority." "The Council broke down," Maddie prompted, trying to get them back on track. She nodded. "Toward the end of June. Alpha and Omega''s arguments about how the world should handle magic went too far. A fight broke out, and people took sides. It was so severe that they nearly destroyed the old library." "I saw it," Jeremy muttered. "Looked like an earthquake." "No earthquake could have caused that," Rachel continued. "They could have destroyed the whole town, and us along with it, but for Hector." "Hector Peraza?" She nodded. "Hector had learned a few tricks none of us understood. Not even the Gods knew how to beat him at the time. He forced them apart with his bare hands and stopped the fighting. Between him and Grey-eyes, the third God, they forced Alpha and Omega to a sit-down, where they made an agreement with the approval of a newly elected Council. They''d both leave the town, never to return, and let us govern ourselves." "Your doing?" Maddie asked. Rachel shook her head, looking embarrassed. "No. Actually, I¡­ I didn''t get elected to the Council until September. I wasn''t¡­ well I wasn''t exactly Council material at the time." Jeremy could have sworn he saw an attempt at a smile from Will''s face, still motionless on the bed. "It didn''t go entirely smoothly. There were several attempts to overthrow the Council system. The first attempt occurred only a few weeks later, as a group that purported to worship the Gods as¡ªwell, as gods¡ªthe group tried to take over the Council and return it to its original state. They failed, and I doubt the Gods would have returned anyway, even if they''d managed it. "The second coup occurred in November. I was a Councilor by then. It was much more organized, and we were nearly killed in the attempt. No one had really used magic in combat before, and none of us were particularly inclined toward it, so they had a huge advantage. We were saved at the last minute by a friend of mine who had practiced it, but her actions were¡­ well, they went over the line. I made a choice to force her away to unify the rest of the Council." Jeremy stood up. Maddie glanced over at him. "What''s up?" "Nothing. I just need something to drink. Keep going." In truth, Jeremy wasn''t particularly interested in all this ancient history. Fascinating for his sister, and probably for a great deal of people in the future, but all he cared about was what destroyed the town, and what they were planning on doing next. From the sound of it, those answers weren''t coming any time soon.
In the small kitchen bordering the living room, Jeremy found Rachel''s parents. They fell silent as he walked in. He ignored them, fishing through the cabinets for a glass, until Andrea finally pulled one out and shoved it into his grasp. "Got any beer?" he asked. She shook her head. "Sorry." "S''okay." He opened the fridge and, seeing nothing else worthwhile, poured himself a glass of orange juice. After draining it, he turned back to Andrea. "So. Where do you two play into this?" "We didn''t know anything until that day," Andrea said quickly. "Yeah, I got that. I meant going forward." He jerked his head back at Will''s bedroom, where Maddie and Rachel were still talking. "Your daughter''s in there talkin'' to a United States Senator; you know that right?" They glanced at each other. "Yes," she said reluctantly. "Once she does this, there''s no goin'' back. She''ll be a big face. The face of magic, worldwide." Jeremy shrugged. "This is probably gonna go all the way up to presidents and world leaders, you get that?" Andrea nodded. "We do." "It''s crazy," Eric muttered. "All of this is insane." "You don''t have to stay, Eric," she said. "I''d understand if you want to go home. You don''t owe us anything." "Andy, she''s our daughter." He frowned. "What kind of dad would I be if I let her do this all alone?" Well, a pretty typical one. "Look, take it from someone else who got famous by accident from this mess. It sucks, it''s annoying as hell, and you''ll never really get used to it." "When?" asked Andrea simply. "When?" Jeremy glanced back at the bedroom. "I dunno. As long as Maddie feels like she needs to get the story straight. Then we gotta figure out how to present it to the world. What media crews to hire, where to broadcast it, who to sell it to. How to handle the legal shit, what parts of the government to deal with. There''s a whole fuckin'' process. I don''t do specifics, I''m just the muscle. Maddie''s the brains." "...I voted for her," said Eric. "Well good for you, you picked a winner." Jeremy frowned. "You really voted, even from up here?" "Sure, why not?" He shrugged. "It''s anonymous, and I''m a U.S. citizen. I still deserve to have my voice heard, right?" Democracy, ain''t it a thing. "There''s gonna be a lot of lawyers to talk to soon. Start practicin'' your signatures and your initials, it''s gonna be a pile of paperwork." He shrugged again. "Look on the bright side. You play this right, you could make a lot of money." Neither of them looked particularly pleased at the idea. Andrea glanced at the bedroom. "Half of the time, I don''t recognize her anymore." "So it''s not just me?" asked Eric, surprised. "No¡­" She paused. "She hadn''t even settled on a major yet. She was thinking education, but didn''t think she had it in her to go all the way to a masters¡­ and now she''s so far past school. I mean, she''s a real leader. But¡­ She''s not the Rachel I remember. Everything''s so different. We''re never getting back to a normal life, are we?" Fuck me, I feel bad for them. Memories of other parents, victims of crimes he''d investigated, tumbled through his mind. He dropped his voice a little, and tried to talk more seriously. "Look, your daughter''s been through a lot of trauma and way more pressure than most people her age are ever supposed to handle. That''s always going to change someone. You gotta hold onto those parts of her you still know. She''s still in there, but she''s someone else now too." He briefly considered whether or not to tell them that his daughter had likely killed someone, but he shook his head. She can tell them that herself someday. Not my place. "You''re never gonna get the girl you remember back, but your daughter''s not gone. She''s gonna need you more than ever now. You two are going to have the hardest job as parents, but you''ve got this." "She doesn''t need us," murmured Eric. "She''s the one running the show now. She even has her own lawyer. What kind of twenty year old has a personal lawyer?" "She does?" He raised an eyebrow. "What firm?" "Uhh¡­ Luther-something." "Luther, Renalds and Portman," supplied Andrea. "We don''t know why though. She wouldn''t tell us. Feels like we''re just¡­ extras." Jeremy shook his head. "Everyone needs parents, some people just don''t know who they are." He shrugged. "Sometimes they aren''t even related to us, but they''re our parents anyway. You guys are lucky enough to already know and care about each other. Hold onto that for me, would ya?" Andrea nodded firmly. "Always." Eric nodded too. "...You''re sticking around, right?" he asked. Jeremy looked surprised. "I got places to be. I''m tryin'' to find Jackie, remember?" He shook his head. "Trust me, we tried. We have a way to contact her, but nothing came back. We tried again while you were talking. Rachel will probably have another way, but I wouldn''t get your hopes up." He paused. "We could really use your help. Neither of us really knows what we''re doing." Jeremy let out a long, deep breath. Why am I not surprised¡­? Somehow, he''d known he wasn''t getting out of this gig. He was going to be Rachel''s personal agent for the time being; he already saw the next few weeks, months, even years laid out in front of him. And if he was honest, he didn''t mind. For once in his long career in the agency, he felt like he was doing something actually meaningful and important. Where he understood exactly why he was doing it, even if he had no clue what he was going to be doing day-to-day. Besides, staying near Rachel is still probably the best shot at finding Jackie, sooner or later. Especially if everything is finally in the open, Jackie''s gotta emerge somewhere. Right? "...Yeah, I''ll be sticking around." They smiled. Jeremy nodded, then dug into his jacket for his phone, only to remember it had been knocked out by Rachel''s spell. He glanced up shamefacedly. "Any way I can make a phone call?" Andrea reached into one of the kitchen drawers and pulled out a cheap burner cell phone. "Untraceable. Supposedly," she said, passing it over. Jeremy nodded, then went out into the backyard. He quickly dialed one of the few numbers he''d ever memorized. "Hello?" He smiled. "Lani, you''re not gonna believe the fuckin'' day I had." [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] B2: Chapter 18 — Old Friends, Forgotten Friends Chapter 18 ¡ª Old Friends, Forgotten Friends Every time Hailey flew, she felt like her mind was wiped clean. She could just bask in the sunlight, never too hot with the wind rushing across her entire body and keeping her cool. Over time, she''d learned how to shape the incoming air so it didn''t blast her face so painfully, which included the side effect of reducing drag and helping her fly faster and with less effort. With massive, puffy white clouds forming breathtaking landscapes for her to dive and roll around, she enjoyed a never-ending expanse (mostly) to herself and her best friend. She''d long since stopped diving into clouds though, after spending a whole afternoon uncomfortably drenched. If she''d had Jessica with her, they could have dried off quickly enough with magic, but instead she had to keep above the rain clouds, feeding herself a supply of oxygen while slowly drying out in the sunlight and hoping her sunscreen hadn''t worn off. She felt like she might freeze, but she got through it. Today, Hailey couldn''t clear her mind. Flying fast only had the effect of making their destination that much closer, building up stronger emotions with every unsuspecting human town they swept past. Did she dread reuniting with her old friends? Was she excited? She wanted to just take it stoically, as a mission to recruit for the army she''d suddenly decided to build. "Nah, not an army," she mused aloud, while Jessica slept bundled up against her. "More like a team. Just enough people to find him, stop whatever he tries, and take him down. No one else has to get hurt." They were flying through the night sky, which they both felt was dark and quiet enough to not need her invisibility. Jessica was getting sleep wherever she could, since they still had a long trip ahead of them. Hailey couldn''t see how she managed to sleep strapped into the harness, but Jessica''s breathing was quiet and steady and she hadn''t moved in hours. Either she was asleep or way better at meditation than Hailey knew. She wished she could get some sleep, but after a whole night tossing and turning, Hailey resigned herself to quick catnaps whenever they took a break. It got so bad that Jessica gave up too and stayed awake with her, watching TV while they waited for nightfall. As soon as it was dark, they were up and in the air again, leaving the cheap motel they''d rented a single night at. Hailey didn''t expect they''d even bother for night two. As they cruised south, passing over cities with familiar landmarks, Hailey pulled out her phone. She occasionally got coverage at their flight level, depending on what towers were nearby, but it was spotty at best. Still, the GPS function gave her enough to keep them on track as they flew, and she could always use the highways or the coastline as a guide. Her real fear was planes. With exhaustion really setting in, Hailey kept seeing phantom planes popping into the corner of her peripheral vision. Even though she could consciously tell herself that commercial planes stayed miles above her, she couldn''t shake the vision of herself splattered across the front windows of an airliner, or sucked into a jet engine, or worse. She did spot the occasional small plane and the odd helicopter, but they were easy enough to dodge. One close call in a low fog bank with a buzzing prop plane, though, and Hailey''s worst fears were almost realized. Jessica woke with a start to a hard roll as Hailey dove out of the way, almost clipping the plane''s tail. Maybe I should get a radio and listen to air traffic¡­ As it turned out, they didn''t need to stop for a second night. They arrived in Norwalk just as the sun began to set. Hesitantly, Hailey pulled out her phone and¡ªfor the first time since May¡ªlogged into her old social accounts. Cinza insisted that the phone''s location could not be traced under any circumstances, but Hailey didn''t know enough about the internet to ever be sure. She stayed far up in the sky, gliding on thermals rising up from the streets. She could see the L.A. sprawl stretching in every direction. On her phone, she double-checked the address, then began a slow wide spiral while she held the map out for Jessica to see. They both scanned the area, looking for a grid of streets that looked about right. Hailey turned them around to face north so that the map lined up with what they could see. Jessica squeaked and pointed. She''d spotted it. A house that looked right. Simultaneously, they both muttered the spell to enhance their eyes, spying through the windows. Ian Wong was home. He grabbed a drink from the refrigerator before rushing back out of sight. Hailey didn''t hesitate. She knew that if she did, she''d never work up the nerve again. They dove, hard and fast toward the house, while Jessica shielded them from the view of the setting sun. As the house rushed up to meet them, Hailey flared a wing and practically skidded through the air, banking to the side to come to a soft, running landing in the small empty backyard. She was getting really good at landing. Her legs barely felt it anymore. As Jessica unstrapped and took a few steps to steady herself, Hailey walked right up to the sliding rear door. She muttered another quick spell, and suddenly she could hear everything in the house. Every tiny sound, from the padded footfalls of a cat wandering the upstairs, to the rapid clicks of Ian''s keyboard, the churning dryer, the hum of the refrigerator, the fans. It was So-Cal, so even in November it was still plenty warm out. Hailey already felt the heat settling in, clad in her flight outfit. No one else seemed to be home, just the rapid clicking of the keyboard and Ian''s voice as he chatted with someone online. Hailey glanced at Jessica, suddenly at a loss. Do we just break in¡­? She gestured at the glass, making a punching motion with a questioning look. Jessica rolled her eyes. She pointed at the door and flicked her finger upward. The lock clicked¡ªso loud that Hailey winced. She''d forgotten to let go of her own spell. They crept inside, sliding the door closed behind them. Almost immediately, they heard the cat bounding across the upper floor and reaching the stairs. It peeked its head around the corner, eyed them both suspiciously, then backed away again. Wish we could''ve called him first¡­ Hailey hadn''t kept his number when she''d had to ditch her old phone, and he didn''t list it on his profile anywhere. She thought about calling out, but she didn''t want to alert anyone she might have missed, or scare Ian into doing something impulsive and drastic. He''s got the same kind of power I''ve got. Be careful, Hales. Jessica latched onto her hand. Hailey glanced around, but she just nodded, indicating forward. Hailey nodded back, and together they started walking toward Ian''s voice, issuing from the office on the other side of the small house. Everything''s always sneaking, or keeping secret, or just hiding. I''m so sick of this. He''s my friend! Or¡­ he was my friend. But come on! Hailey shook her head vehemently. She''d had enough. With a squeak of surprise from Jessica, she gave up on the slow creep forward and simply walked right into Ian''s room, opening the door as if it were a totally normal thing. "Did you see that new build I ma¡­" Ian didn''t notice right away, his eyes locked on his computer screen. But, as the door swung wide in the corner of his eye, he glanced over briefly. His eyes slid back immediately to the screen, as if he hadn''t even seen her. Hailey just stared at him, mouth open slightly. Hello, Ian? Your dead friend is back. Say hi, at least? She was suddenly too nervous to make a single move. Now that she was finally in the room, face to (side) face with one of her old friends, she had no idea what to say. Suddenly she realized: he hadn''t pressed a single key since she walked in. He kept staring at the screen, but he''d completely frozen up. She could barely hear Hugo''s voice from his headset speakers, asking something she couldn''t make out. Jessica finally broke the silence. She ''hmm''ed excitedly, and finally, Ian slowly rotated in his chair to face him. She gave him a little wave, still clutching Hailey''s hand with the other. He slowly lifted a hand and waved back. "Hi Ian," whispered Hailey. Ian reached over to his keyboard and held down a key. "Uhh, Hugo? You should come over here." Pause. "Yeah, right now. Just trust me, man." Pause. "See you in a bit." He took off his headset and set it on the desk, and shut off the monitor, before swivelling back to Hailey again. "...So." "Yeah." His face lit up in a smile. "Holy shit, you''re alive!" Hailey grinned. Without warning, Ian leapt to his feet and rushed them. Hailey only had an instant to react before he''d buried them both in a hug. "You''re alive!" "Yeah, we''re alive," she choked out, patting him on the back. "Wanna get off me now?" "No," he shot back, but he relented, retreating to his chair again. "When I saw the news¡­ I figured, you know, they finally did it. They blew the place up." "Not exactly," she sighed. "I can''t believe you''re really alive." Ian looked practically giddy. "Where have you been this whole time?" "Hiding out, duh." "Yeah, but where?" "Here and there," she shrugged. Ian frowned. "...Hales? What''s up?" She shook her head. "Come on, let''s just enjoy this a minute, all right? I haven''t seen you in forever." "Yeah, no kidding." He turned slightly. "Hey, Jess." He grinned, nodding at their clasped hands, since Jessica still hadn''t let go. "Nice to see you two finally hooked up." Hailey shook her head quickly. "We didn''t." "You¡­ oh, shit, sorry." Ian''s face got red. "I just thought, you know¡ª" "Yeah, I know." She smiled. "There was actually this one girl, back in Seattle, that Jess¡­ Err¡­" Hailey trailed off, remembering how that story ended. "...You guys want anything to drink?" "Oh god, yes please. We''ve been flying nonstop for hours." Ian stopped halfway out of his chair. "You figured it out?" She felt like she couldn''t possibly smile any wider. "Oh yeah. Big time." "Show me." Hailey shook her head. "Not unless you want your room to look like a tornado blew in. Later, okay?" "Fine." He headed to the kitchen. "Beer alright? I''m sure I''ve got something stronger if you want." "Nah, beer''s good." "Jess, what about you?" He grinned. "I think we''ve got some vodka, actually. I''d love to hear some more improv from the best drunk rapper in Rallsburg." Hailey''s heart sank. She knew it was coming, but she''d still hoped they could somehow avoid the topic. She tried to put it off, though she knew it wouldn''t last. "Beer for both of us." He glanced at her funny, since Jessica (of course) hadn''t reacted in the slightest to his question. "Alright." Hailey wandered back into the living room and plopped down on the couch. Jessica laid down next to her, grabbing a few pillows and closing her eyes. Ian returned in just a few moments with the bottles, and Hailey had to nudge Jessica to get her attention. She looked around, saw the drink and floated it to herself right out of Ian''s hand. "Nice," he added, taking the opposite chair. "Still got it, huh?" "You wouldn''t believe some of the stuff we''ve seen." Hailey popped the beer open with a spell and drained half of it with a satisfied sigh. "It''s been a crazy year." "I''d believe anything. If you told me you could turn into a pink giraffe, I''d just wonder how tall you could get," he grinned. His face fell though as he remembered why he''d left. "I still had nightmares after I got home. Didn''t go outside after dark for weeks." Hailey shook her head. "You don''t have to worry about them anymore." "What happened?" "One of them''s dead, and the other won''t bother anyone." He raised an eyebrow. "Did¡­ you?" "No. There''s¡­ a lot more people with magic than just us. They call us ''awakened''." Ian rolled his eyes. "Nice and conceited." "Hey, I didn''t come up with it." "How many, then?" She shrugged. "Who knows? Whoever read from those pieces of paper, right?" "Right¡­" He looked uncomfortable, and quickly changed the subject. "But hey, you''re both alive. That''s amazing." "Yeah, we made it." She put an arm around Jessica, who hugged her back before laying down again. "A lot of people didn''t though." "I saw¡­ They published lists of people, you know? Everyone they''d confirmed, so that extended family would know." He shuddered. "I kept watching for your name, but it never came up. I called you so many times." "I ditched my phone that night," she said apologetically. "Sorry." "Nah, I totally get it." He grinned. "You know the FBI came to question me?" "Seriously?" She felt a spike of fear, glancing around as if Jeremy Ashe and his men might pop out of any corner. "...Did they ask anything about me?" He snickered. "So vain, Hales. Relax, that was way back in May. It was just routine shit, asking about the town. You were like a footnote. They just got my name off a student list." She breathed a sigh of relief. "Sorry." "So that ''fake'' video a couple weeks ago, that really was you?" "Yeah." "Oh, and the mystery person you flew off with was Jess!" He tapped a hand to his forehead. "I''m catching on now. So you two are what, a crime-fighting duo now or something?" "We were just in the area. I couldn''t just stand by," she replied nonchalantly, though she felt a little bit of pride in the description. "Jess, how do you put up with a head that big?" Ian grinned, glancing back to her. As usual, Jessica ignored his statement entirely, though she was clearly listening into every word, eyes open and darting around the room. He faltered. "...Jess? Is this ''cause of the vodka joke?" "It''s not¡­" Hailey grimaced. Of all the people she''d ever had to explain to, Ian was by far the hardest. He''d been Jessica''s friend before any of them¡ªbefore Weston, before Hugo, and long before Hailey. They''d met freshman year and hit it off, sharing the same taste in almost everything, and Ian was easily the most emotionally intelligent of the group. Hailey wasn''t surprised that Jessica had confided in him. He''d introduced the two of them, bringing Jessica along to one of Hailey''s parties. She could see Jessica confessing her secret crush to Ian, desperate for advice on how to approach Hailey. If only she''d done so sooner, instead of that day¡­ "Do you remember that theory Jess was working on? Rituals?" "...Yeah." He glanced at her again, then back to Hailey. "Permanent magic, right?" "Pretty much. Stuff that you didn''t have to keep going. She figured it out." "I''m sensing this is going to have a depressing ending." He took a deep swill of his own drink. "If a ritual gets interrupted, by even the slightest thing, before you finish¡­" Hailey choked up. "Oh man¡­" He put his hands on his face. "How bad is it?" Hailey took a deep breath. "She destroyed her sense of language. Completely, and it''s never coming back until we fix it." "Her¡­ sense of language?" "She can''t understand a word we''re saying. Or read anything, or speak anything. At all." Tears sprung to her eyes, and Hailey quickly brushed them away. She felt like this should have gotten easier, with the number of times she''d explained it¡ªbut seeing Ian''s face fall, as the depth really hit him, was overwhelming. Ian didn''t say anything. He just stared at some vague spot halfway between the floor and the couch, processing. Hailey felt too overcome to keep talking. "Mmm!" Jessica had no such qualms. Seeing both of them fall silent, she clapped her hands together. She sat up straight, and there was real anger in her face. She glared at each of them in turn. "Huh?" Jessica pointed at her, at her eyes specifically. She reached out a finger, brushing a tear away from Hailey''s cheek. Jessica pointed at the tear, then at Hailey, and shook her head. She held up her hands to her own mouth, covering it up, then her ears and covered them briefly as well. She pointed at herself and shrugged, gesturing wide with her hands. "Jess, I¡ª" Ian spoke up. "She''s right." He nodded to Jessica and smiled. "This happened when?" "A year ago. Last September." "And you''re still beating yourself up about it." Ian turned to Hailey, and Jessica nodded emphatically. She pointed at Hailey again, shaking her head vehemently. Her brown-blue hair whipped Hailey in the face as she did. "Well, it''s my fault!" Hailey cried. "If I hadn''t¡ª" Ian shook his head. "Hales, you blame yourself for everything. I''m gonna be the judge here, all right?" "Judge of what?" "Start at the beginning, and tell me everything. I''ll decide whose fault it is." Jessica, seeing Ian confront her, got up off the couch and took the chair next to his. Hailey was left alone, facing down her closest friend and her oldest foe, united against her. And yet¡­ She felt right at home.
By the time she''d finished, Hugo had arrived. He walked in right as she was explaining the final magnetic ritual to take out Omega, and how that had gone wrong. "We were all joined up, right? And Cinza, she takes our hands, and I could feel something. It was a lot like when Jess and I did the flight ritual, except with that one we were working together. This was more like she was actually taking from me." "But doesn''t that break what''s-his-face''s law?" "Mason''s. And no, not really. She couldn''t take it until I pushed it out." Hugo walked in like he lived there. On seeing Hailey and Jessica smiling back at him from the couch, he dropped his phone. "...What the hell?" Jessica had long-since returned to Hailey''s side, after realizing it was going to be a long conversation. Ian had thrown a frozen pizza in the oven for them, and by the smell permeating the house it was almost done. "Don''t freak out, dude," Ian cut in quickly. Hailey got to her feet, very uncertain where they stood. The last time she''d seen Hugo, he was quietly exiting her apartment in Rallsburg while the rest of them experimented with magic, after being the only one of the group not to awaken. "They''re alive." "No¡­" he murmured. "Goddammit, no. Just no." Hailey''s heart sank. "I¡­" she started, but what could she say? After something like that? Luckily for her, Ian wasn''t about to let that slide. "What the hell, Hugo? Our friends are alive, man! That''s the only thing you have to say?" "This isn''t right." "Of course it''s right! Jessica''s alive! I mean, we had to get Hailey along with her, but come on!" Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. "Hey!" Hailey snapped, her stupor broken. "Sorry, Hales, but Jess was always the cool one." "...Yeah, okay. You''re not wrong." He shot her a grin. "So everything''s cool, right Hugo?" Hugo was still staring at Hailey, and she felt a tremor roll through her. She knew that look. It was the same look she''d seen on the faces of so many in Rallsburg, and on the faces of people in the burning building. On the faces of the men who''d taken her hostage in the bar in Tacoma. He was afraid of her, of what she could do, and for that he hated her. She took a step forward. He bolted. She knew it was coming, and before he''d even taken two steps toward the door, Hailey was already halfway across the room. Her wings wouldn''t propel her fast enough (and she didn''t want to completely wreck Ian''s living room) so she took a leaf out of Alden''s playbook and simply threw her whole body haphazardly into the air. She sailed over the couch, almost clipping Ian''s head, and landed behind Hugo. He''d only taken another couple of steps toward the front door when she twisted around. She flung out her arm, slamming the door shut in front of him. The locks clicked a second later, as she grabbed and twisted each one shut from afar. Hugo froze, staring at the door. Slowly, he turned back to face her. "I don''t want to do this," she murmured. "So don''t." "You can''t just leave." "What''s going on?" Ian asked, stepping between them. "Don''t, please," she begged, but the look in Hugo''s eyes told her everything. "Hales, he''s okay. He never told anyone. I''ve been here this whole time and no one''s ever known." "How much magic have you done since then?" Hailey asked, never taking an eye off Hugo. "Uhh¡­" Ian shrugged. "Not much. None, actually," he added sheepishly. "I just wanted to go back to a normal life." "And I bet your best friend was a big part of that, right?" "...So what if he was?" Ian shot back. "We''ve been best friends¡ª" he continued, mocking her tone, "¡ªsince we were four years old. He''s got my back." "And he wants to stab me in mine," Hailey snapped. "Don''t be stupid, Hales." Ian shook his head. "Hugo doesn''t like this, but he''s not gonna turn you in." "No, Ian, I meant he literally wants to stab me." "What?" "You left. You didn''t see what it was like when they found out." Hailey shuddered. "People like him, people who hate what we can do. They just don''t give up. They''re out to kill us." "But¡ª" "The whole town was blown up by someone who thought magic was too dangerous to exist. He killed everyone, Ian. We barely made it out alive. And they aren''t done. I nearly got killed again on Friday." "I wouldn''t," Hugo interjected. "I don''t care what you do. Just keep us out of it." "I can''t. I need Ian." "You what now?" Ian cut in. "I can''t beat him alone. If we don''t stop him, everyone with magic is in danger." "So what," he asked, "we''re gonna hunt this guy down and¡­ what, kill him?" "If we have to." "Jesus, Hales..." he murmured. Hugo''s eyes narrowed. "You''re a vigilante." "I''m trying to protect myself and my friends. He started it." "So call the cops." Hailey laughed bitterly. "Don''t you think I would? We can''t tell anyone about this. They''re not ready yet." "We''ve had this conversation before¡­" Ian muttered. She shook her head. "It''s different now. We didn''t know anything back then. Now we know who they are, why they''re doing it and how to stop them. And we can." She glared at Ian. "The world doesn''t know how to deal with this, so we have to." Ian glanced between his two friends, locked in a death glare, while the smell of burning pizza wafted through the room. Hailey couldn''t tell what he wanted. She forced her vision to slip, trying to see if she could tell how he felt from the connections he had to everyone in the room. The strongest was with Hugo, which wasn''t surprising, but another thick line stretched out to Jessica, who was watching the confrontation from the couch with a fearful expression. The line to herself was clearly the weakest, but at the same time, there was a distinct quality to it¡ªas if it were fresh and growing. A few moments later, she was sure of it. Ian was going to agree with her, finally. "I can''t, Hales," he replied. Wait, what? "...I need you." He grinned. "Two years ago and I would have died happy if you said that out loud." "You don''t underst¡ª" "Hales, look." Ian held out his empty hands. "I''m not a fighter, all right? I''m just a guy who likes playing MMOs. I was never strong like you." This is wrong. Ian doesn''t back down from fights. Doesn''t seek ''em out, but he helped me toss bad party crashers more than once, guys twice his size. What''s he doing¡­? "Go do your thing, but leave us out of it. We just want to live a normal life, all right?" Hailey felt furious, but something in Ian''s expression made her hesitate. Hugo was still watching her with a mixture of fear and loathing. She finally took a step back, visibly moving away. She cleared her throat. "Okay. I''m sorry." Ian shook his head. "It''s cool. Just¡­ don''t look us up, all right?" Hailey nodded. She gestured to Jessica, who picked up the flight harness. Within the minute, they''d left through the back door and strapped in. Hailey took a deep breath, while Jessica set up the walls of invisibility around them, then bounded into the air. She unfurled her wings and beat hard, rocketing into the air while the backdraft flattened the flowerbeds behind them. As she took off, she noticed a tiny flickering ball of fire, just around the corner of the house in a little empty flower pot. It was nearly half an hour before Jessica finally tapped Hailey on the shoulder. She tilted her head, gesturing back the way they''d come. Hailey shook her head. "They''re not coming." She had no idea how to explain the other half of the conversation, which had taken place in an instant between herself and Ian, right under Hugo''s nose. Ian was volunteering himself to keep Hugo quiet, by basically pretending it didn''t exist anymore. Without Ian, everything was at risk¡ªan even bigger secret than simply magic itself. Hailey had to trust him. As they flew, she smiled a little to herself. Even after a year apart, Ian was still the clever one, solving problems before she''d even realized they existed, and throwing himself in the way for his friends. "Thanks, Ian," she whispered, before she wheeled them around. Pulling out her compass and her phone, she changed course. Northeast, and a much longer journey than the first one, for a reunion she''d been even less confident about. A meeting she dreaded. She flew as fast as possible. The sooner the better. Anything to get back home again.
It took them a day and a half of hard flying. Hailey wondered if there was a way she could keep going while sleeping, but she didn''t want to risk it, so they spent a night in a small forest somewhere halfway across the country. She wasn''t even sure which state they were in, and her phone was too low on battery to check. She had to save it for their destination. They huddled together in a small tent on a sleeping bag, Jessica keeping the area warm while Hailey had exhaustion-fueled visions of bears suddenly ripping apart the nylon walls. When morning came, she remembered her promise and explained to Jessica exactly what had happened at Ian''s. They had a good, briefly cathartic moment getting angry at Hugo together before setting off for the day. The landscape became much more boring, full of cornfields and farms instead of the sweeping vistas or towering Rockies in their first day of flight. Hailey tried to speed up, but wind resistance was simply too much, and she could tell that trying to force even more out of her already tired wings would only just force them down to the ground sooner. Still, they made good time. They''d set out from Kent on Monday, made it to Norwalk in the evening on Tuesday, and were now cruising over Ohio on Thursday morning. They ate breakfast in midair, as Hailey pulled out a few wrapped up pastries from her bag and Jessica heated them. She wished they had something nicer to drink than water, but it was better than nothing. They flew into Galloway without growling stomachs, at least. Weston''s house was easier to find, since Hailey had actually been there before. She''d visited during their first summer break after freshman year, the year before the Gods found the Grimoire in the library. Everything past that year, she couldn''t quite trust, since Beverly had wiped out so many memories. Beverly¡­ She knew that at some point, they''d become close friends and roommates, maybe even as close as she had been with Jessica, but it was all gone. The only remnant were photos Beverly had kept in her room, before it had all burned down. Hailey told Beverly she was forgiven, but she hadn''t really decided that. She wanted to forgive her. Beverly seemed like exactly the sort of friend she used to make all the time, the quiet and reserved type that balanced her out. Not totally unlike Jessica, in many ways. Jess wouldn''t ever do something like that though¡­ Not even if she was desperate. So maybe they aren''t really alike at all. More than anything, Hailey valued friendship and loyalty, and Beverly''s actions betrayed them both. They hadn''t spoken in weeks now. Hailey wouldn''t be quick to forgive that, just as she couldn''t easily forgive the man she blamed for last summer''s events just as much as she did herself. Spotting Weston wasn''t hard. This early on a Thursday, he was just getting up and making breakfast. His parents were in the room, but from the last time she was there, she knew they''d be heading out soon. She wondered what he''d been up to since she left. Ian looked like he''d been attending a community college from the papers and textbooks scattered around his room, and she could assume Hugo was doing the same. Weston, though? After his chosen school had vanished off the map? What would he be up to? His parents were both driving away. Time to find out, I guess. Hailey tugged on Jessica''s arm to warn her, and they broke into a dive. Just as Weston was getting up to put away his cereal bowl, they landed on the back porch. Hailey didn''t waste any time with him, knocking on the back door immediately. His reaction was so¡­ Weston. "Hm," he murmured, as soon as he''d opened the door. "You changed your hair." "...Nice to see you too," she finally spluttered. Jessica gave him a little wave, just as she had Ian. He waved back, with the faintest hint of a smile. There was no need to explain her condition again. Weston was all too aware. "We need your help," Hailey started without preamble. "Well, that seemed obvious." He sighed, and stepped out of the way to let them in. "I saw you on the news." "Which time?" she muttered. "All of them." He shrugged. "I''ve been keeping an eye out." He walked back into the kitchen, waving his hand over his shoulder as he went. The back door swung shut behind them. Another wave, and his phone leapt off the table and into his hand. "Nice." "I get a lot of practice." He leaned against the wall, tapping away at his phone. "I''m guessing you already went to see Ian." "...Yeah." "And?" "He''s not coming." Weston nodded. "He wouldn''t." "Screw you," she snapped. Jessica looked up at the sudden shift in tone. She''d been walking around the room to stretch her legs, investigating the paintings hanging throughout the living room. Weston raised an eyebrow, starting to respond, but Hailey kept going. "Ian''s not coming to protect us. He''s helping the group, like he always is. What are you doing?" He shook his head. "I''m¡ª" "God, this was a waste. I flew two thousand miles to get here, Wes, and this is all you''ve got?" "I''m sorry!" he shouted. She stopped dead. Weston had never apologized about anything. Not for anything to do with magic, and definitely not anything in their personal relationship. Seeing actual remorse in his expression was¡­ uncomfortable. She didn''t know how to react to it. "I was an asshole. I wish I could take it back every single day, but I can''t. I wanted to apologize so many times but I wasn''t brave enough. I screwed up." Weston stared down at the ground. Jessica hurried over to give him a hug, but he shook his head. She faltered, uncertain. "When I heard what happened¡­ I knew." "...Knew what?" she asked suspiciously. "That you''d need our help someday. I knew you weren''t dead," he added, smiling slightly. "I''d never believe something like a town blowing up could slow you down. I tried to call you, but your line was disconnected¡­ so I waited." He finally glanced back up at her. "Whatever you need, just say the word. Anything." Hailey opened and closed her mouth several times, totally at a loss for words. She''d come ready for a drawn-out fight. Not¡­ this. Weston glanced over at Jessica, smiling. He gestured back at Hailey, miming a mouth with his hand. Jessica giggled. "Hey," Hailey started, but she was still unsure what to say next. He shrugged. "I''ve had a lot of time to think about it." "...And I''ve had a really long flight," Hailey mumbled. "Give me a minute, okay?" "Sure." He nodded to the living room. "Go take a load off. No one''s gonna be home til late tonight. Want something to eat?" Hailey hesitated. Their impromptu mid-flight breakfast really hadn''t been much. "...Yes," she said in a small voice. Weston turned to Jessica and mimed a knife and fork, pointing at her, and Jessica nodded. Ten minutes later, they were both on the couch wolfing down fresh pancakes, while Weston sipped from a fresh mug of coffee. "...Just off a diet?" he asked mildly. "No," she snapped, still feeling a little hostile toward him. "Flying is kind of exhausting." He nodded. "I can imagine." "...These are really good," she added begrudgingly, finishing off the pancakes. "Thanks." He took the plate she set down and walked away to clean it off. Jessica was still eating hers, shooting a bewildered glance at Hailey. The last time they''d eaten together had been¡­ explosive, to say the least. This new Weston confused them both. "We need your help," she repeated, trying to get back on track as he sat down again. His living room was exactly like she remembered it, with a wide comfortable couch and large armchairs surrounding a huge TV mounted on the wall. The Davis family was very proud their home theater setup. Speakers were placed discreetly around the room to provide a full surround system, and blackout curtains would sweep out to cover the windows with the press of a button, or even automatically when starting a movie. The TV was currently tuned to the news, though, chirping away quietly underneath their conversation. "What can I do?" he asked calmly, sipping at his coffee again. "Did you see the story about the hostage crisis in Tacoma? The bar that was taken over?" "...You were there?" "Yeah¡­ and so was our enemy." "Who is¡­?" "Well, it''s not exactly clear," she muttered. "But we know who''s got the big guns. He can make those golems, like the ones we saw in Rallsburg." He nodded glumly. "I''d hoped we''d never have to see those two again." Hailey shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Well¡­ he''s actually dead." "What?" "We uhh¡­ well, not me, but¡­ someone killed him." Weston hesitated, his face hard to read. "Okay." "But his follower figured out how to make something that other people can use. To find people with magic, and another thing to make those golems. They''ve been hunting us ever since." "If if wasn''t you, and it wasn''t Jessica¡­" Weston prompted. "There''s other people with magic," she confirmed. "Lots more." "...But you came to me." "Yeah." She hesitated. He''ll figure it out eventually, he''s not stupid. I have to head it off now. "Look, there''s a whole lot you don''t know yet, but this is important. The way we awakened¡ªerr, the way we got magic¡ªisn''t normal. We''re special." He raised an eyebrow, sipping his coffee again, but didn''t say anything. "We''re way more powerful than most people. They''re calling us ''natural'' awakened, or other fancy names sometimes too. There''s a few more besides who you know, and all of us are way more powerful than the rest. Because we got to read from a full page." "Hm." He nodded. "I remember." "Right. Most people just awaken from bits and pieces." Weston took another sip of his coffee, which irritated her immensely. It felt so casual, even though his expression and tone were quite serious. "I assume you still have it. Keep it secret, wherever it is. Don''t tell me, so I can''t ever give it away. Even by accident." She felt an immeasurable wave of gratitude that he understood the potential danger immediately. "Yeah." "So¡­ you want my help in stopping the people hunting you." "...Yes." He glanced at the TV. "And we need to do it as quietly as we can." "Pretty much." She looked over too. It was tuned to national news, like every TV she seemed to run across lately. Today, thankfully, it wasn''t a story about her. Just typical mundane national crises, ones she could pretend didn''t really affect her. Plus a running tag about a mysteriously vanished asteroid, which she did know something about. "There''s a lot of people in hiding right now, and a lot of people hunting them. All we''ve done so far is run away. I think it''s time to fight back." Weston set his coffee aside, leaning forward slightly. "How?" "We find him and we stop him." "Okay, but how?" "Well¡­" Hailey paused. "We know he''s somewhere in Washington, probably still pretty close to Olympia. Between the attack at the bar, Jerry Hauserman''s murder, and what a couple of awakened posted about later, everything''s centered around that region. It''s a huge area to search, and we know he''s in hiding, because he''s supposed to be dead too." "Is he?" "His name''s Brian Hendricks. You remember my landlord?" "Vaguely." He shrugged. "I never really bothered looking into getting an apartment there." "Freeloader," she smirked. "But yeah, he''s the one. He can make those golems, and he has something that lets him tell who''s awakened just by looking at them. Something he can lend out to people too, apparently." "But we have no idea where he is." "We''ve got an advantage though." Hailey smiled. "His trick doesn''t work on us. They tried it on me and got nothing." "This is sounding impossible." "So what''s your amazing plan?" He shrugged. "It''s not amazing, but there''s always the idea of bait." "...With what he''s got on his side? I can hold those things back, but I don''t think I can win." "But with Jess and me behind you? And any other allies you can pull together?" "...Maybe?" Hailey grimaced. "I dunno. I don''t know if he''d fall for it. And I don''t want to risk anyone''s life just to try it." "No, definitely not." Hailey realized how comfortable she''d gotten. At some point, she''d lost all the hostility she felt toward Weston, replaced with an easy familiarity she hadn''t known in ages. It wasn''t the tight bond she felt with Jessica, nor the bantering friendship with Ian or the passionate romance with Rupert. This was someone who''d known her better than she knew herself half the time, whom she''d shared everything with for a very long time. It was intimate. She actually felt¡­ relaxed. "What?" Weston asked, noticing her expression change. Hailey gave him a weak smile. "You ever realize this is all totally your fault?" "What do you mean?" "I mean, I only went to Rallsburg because you did." She grinned. "We could have avoided this whole mess." "Hm. I''m pretty sure it was your idea. Something about showing off to your mom." He grinned back. Jessica glanced between the two of them, clearly confused. Hailey hugged her, letting her know everything was fine. "You haven''t just been sitting around at home all year waiting for me to show up, right?" He chuckled. "No. I''m taking online classes and working. Four days a week." "And the personal life?" "Moved on." To her slight surprise, it didn''t bother her at all. She''d moved on too, and they were both better off for it. Still, Hailey couldn''t help it. She mock-gasped. "Moved on from me? As if!" This time, Weston let out a real laugh, and she was reminded how much she used to love it. "Sorry, Hales. You could never match up to Chelsea." She sighed dramatically. "I''ll just have to settle for my impossibly handsome British nurse with a heart of gold." She glanced at him sideways. "Did you tell her your deep dark secret?" "She''ll never find my collection of eighties memorabilia, don''t worry." Hailey laughed. "The other one." "Yes." "Really?" "You didn''t tell him?" "Well, he was already awakened, so I didn''t have to choose." She frowned. "How''d she take it?" "Didn''t believe me at first, obviously, but now it''s just our secret." He shrugged. "I trust her with my life. She doesn''t know about the rest of you," he added. "And she never will unless you want her to." "And she''s cool?" Weston smiled. "Yeah, she''s cool." "Good. I was way too hot-headed for you." "Oh, we had some fun." Hailey cackled. "Speaking of which, did you start casting that spell yet?" Weston grimaced. "I''m not talking about this." "Oh, come on. Who else could you ever talk to about this?" She grinned. "Just saying, that was a real game-changer in the bedroom." "Seriously. Stop." "Mmm!" For a split-second, Hailey thought Jessica had somehow understood what they were saying, and just wanted them to shut up like usual. But it wasn''t that. It was far, far worse. She was pointing at the TV screen, which they''d both totally forgotten. The headline alone was enough to feel like the world was ending, but the still photo above it had her boiling with unbridled rage. She stood up from the couch, fists clenched, her nails digging into her skin. "Is that¡­" Weston started, gazing at the TV. STARTLING EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT: SURVIVOR TELLS ALL IN CHILLING NEW BOOK: THE RALLSBURG DIARIES "It is," Hailey growled. She flipped to another news channel. The photo of the town was plastered on the screen again. Anchors and commentators were debating at length already, but no one seemed to actually have him on, or even a copy of the book they were discussing. Still, she knew exactly who had to be responsible for this. Only one person would both have access to those diaries, and be stupid enough to try and make money off of them. CONFIRMED SURVIVOR OF RALLSBURG INCIDENT, CLAIMS ''MAGIC'' WAS RESPONSIBLE, WITH PROOF Again, while fear mixed with the rage. THRILLING FIRST-HAND ACCOUNTS CURATED BY RALLSBURG SURVIVOR DETAIL SUPERNATURAL CAUSE TO DESTRUCTION "This is really bad," she murmured, barely controlling the anger in her voice. Jessica clutched her hand, trembling, watching the TV flip through channels. Every single news channel seemed to be on the story already. IS MAGIC REAL? EXPERTS TO DISCUSS UPCOMING BOOK FROM RALLSBURG SURVIVOR Hailey''s phone started buzzing. She already knew who it was going to be, and she didn''t answer. Cinza wouldn''t have anything to say she didn''t already know herself. She was still shell-shocked. After all this time, after all their precautions and all the effort they''d spent trying to keep things quiet¡­ this was it? FBI: "NO COMMENT" IN RESPONSE TO INQUIRY ABOUT ''THE RALLSBURG DIARIES''. RUMORS PERSIST OF SECRET GOVT ''MAGIC'' BRANCH. THE ''AWAKENED'' AMONG US: NEW EXPERT COMES FORWARD TO EXPLAIN SHOCKING DETAILS FROM RALLSBURG BOOK WHITE HOUSE: "WE ARE INVESTIGATING ALL CLAIMS" FROM RALLSBURG DIARIES, NO COMMENT FROM POTUS She gave up on the news channels, pulling out her phone and scrolling through headlines instead. They were no better, and many were even worse as conspiracy theorists and supernatural nutjobs piled in. HORRIFYING MURDERS FROM RALLSBURG WERE RITUALISTIC SACRIFICES, ''AWAKENED'' PLANNING FOR MORE TOWNS There. One headline from a paparazzi site, giving her the information she really needed. UPCOMING ''RALLSBURG DIARIES'' AUTHOR HOLED UP AT SAFE HOUSE, ALL CONTACT THROUGH PRIVATE LAW FIRM Hailey took down the name of the firm: Luther, Renalds and Portman. He wasn''t an idiot¡ªat least, not about hiding. She''d never find him, but she sure as hell was going to find the people representing him. They''d get all the first-hand accounts of magic they could ever want. She snapped her phone back onto its snug belt clip, then held out a hand to Jessica. "Let''s go." [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] Interlude VI — Fame and Fortune Interlude VI ¡ª Fame and Fortune "Offices of Luther, Renalds and Portman, how may I direct your call?" "...Hi. I¡­ I''m not sure." "Do you have a case number?" "No." "Have you employed our services in the past?" "No, I¡­ I don''t think so. My parents had a different lawyer." "Did someone from our firm give you a card?" "No¡­ I was told you guys were good at protecting people. Like whistleblowers." "...One moment please." ¡­ ¡­ "Hello. My name is Linda Milgram-Renalds. Let me be clear up front: I do not need your name or any identifying information at this stage. Your anonymity and your safety is our top priority. If at any time you feel a threat to your wellbeing, inform us immediately and we will take the appropriate steps. You may also terminate our relationship at any moment if you feel our services are inadequate. Do you understand these protections?" "Yeah." "You should also know that whistleblowing is fully protected by federal law. It''s my job to make sure you don''t get tripped up along the way, but the law is on your side." "...I''m not sure if I''m a whistleblower or not. This is all kinda new to me." "Well, let''s start at the beginning. What organization or company are we discussing?" "Uhh¡­ well it''s not a company really. It''s a town." "A government entity?" "Not¡­ not really. Look, I''m sorry, maybe I called the wrong place." "If it''s not whistleblowing, are you still trying to expose some form of wrongdoing that the public should be aware of?" "Yeah. That''s right." "Then I believe I can still be of service. Our firm is more than capable of helping you reach the right people and filing the appropriate suits, if necessary." "I don''t think there''s anyone to sue anymore. They''re¡­ they''re kinda all dead." "...Sir, may I ask¡­ What are we discussing exactly?" "Rallsburg. I''m from Rallsburg." "...You''re a survivor?" "Yeah." "...If I may, why didn''t you come forward to the FBI?" "I''m afraid." "Afraid of what?" "Afraid for my life. You saw the news, right? Jerry Hauserman." "...Yes." "I knew him. He was an asshole, but he always brought my stuff on time and never dented it. Seeing him like that¡­" "Are you saying that you know what happened to Rallsburg?" "Yeah. I was there, the whole time. I saw everything." "And revealing this information would put your life in danger?" "My life''s in danger already. But yeah, if I told anyone, it''d probably get worse. Way worse. I need protection." "Protection from whom?" "Well¡­ everyone, really." "...Everyone, sir?" "Once I tell this story, the whole world''s gonna want a part of it." "...One moment please." ¡­ ¡­ "Sir, we''re prepared to offer you our full services at no cost up front. We can provide discreet transportation and armed security around the clock, as well as room and board under a false identity, while we work on preparing your case. I can offer this to you in writing when we meet, but this is provisional on some proof of your identity and your story." "Huh?" "I need to know you are who you say you are, and that your story is true." "Oh. Okay, I can do that." "I can send a car to pick you up immediately." "...Can you be in the car too?" "If that makes you more comfortable." "I''m really scared. I don''t know who to trust anymore." "Where am I picking you up?" "I''m calling from Matlock. The post office. Do you know where that is?" "I''ll find it." "It''s south of Rallsburg." "It might be a while. That''s a long drive. Wait right there, and don''t talk to anyone. We''re on our way." "...Thank you." He hung up the phone, then walked outside and thanked the nice old man who''d let him use it. His own was long-lost and long-dead, and his wallet was nowhere to be found, so for the moment he felt totally stranded. Not that he had anywhere to go. Two and a half hours later, they finally rolled up. He''d been hiding in the shade underneath the general store. Only a single car had driven by in that entire time, so the sudden squealing appearance of two dark SUVs startled him quite a bit. The man behind the mail counter and the man in the general store both leaned out, gazing dumbfounded at the sudden approach of what may as well have been an invasion. He waited patiently in the shadows, not daring to show himself until he knew it was actually who he called. Still, this was a good first sign. They were already taking him seriously even when they had no actual proof yet. They lived up to their reputation. A brown-haired woman in her thirties got out of the lead vehicle, phone in one hand and a briefcase in the other. She stepped out onto the dusty pavement, glancing around. "Hello?" she called, and he recognized her voice. He emerged from around the side of the building, holding up his hands. She glanced down at her phone, and her eyes widened in recognition. She beckoned him forward. "Linda Renalds?" She nodded. "Milgram-Renalds, please, or my father will have a fit from beyond the grave." "You know who I am?" "Well, yours was one of the few pictures widely published. Particularly after they¡­ err¡­ declared you dead." "They did what?" "Well, unlike many of the unidentified dead, you didn''t have any next-of-kin. With the sizeable fortune of assets still in your name, the government wanted to reclaim those assets, and well¡­" She shrugged. "It''s something we can work on." "I''m dead?" "Obviously not." Linda glanced around the place with a look of disdain, like she was getting ill just by standing there. "I''d rather not stay longer than absolutely necessary, if you don''t mind. I just have a few quick papers for you to sign before we set off." "Paperwork already?" "This is a simple one. It states that you have entered our legal service and that I can act as your legal counsel, with all the protections implied. You understand attorney-client privilege?" "I can say whatever I want and you can''t tell anyone unless I say so?" "More or less. Unless you tell me you intend to commit a crime." "No, definitely not." "I didn''t expect as much." She pointed out a couple lines further down. "This is only a temporary legal service that declares you have accepted our physical protection for the next twenty four hours in addition to our representation as a client. We''ll extend it as long as necessary, but we want to have it in writing for the short-term here. At any time, you have the right to terminate this, as usual," she added, pointed at another line. "Okay." He took her offered pen, which wrote perfectly in a nice, dark blue ink, and signed the line at the bottom. She smiled, then took the page and slid it neatly back into the briefcase, snapping it shut with a satisfying click. "Thank you for employing the services of Luther, Renalds and Portman, Mr. Price." She held out her hand, and gingerly, Nate shook it. "Now, let''s get you somewhere more comfortable." She nodded toward the SUV, where a door popped open on command. A sharp-dressed man who barely seemed to fit in his suit was holding it open for him. Nate walked toward the car, feeling a bit more confident with every step. Finally, he wasn''t going to be stuck living in the wilderness and surviving off of scraps he could sneak away from Cinza and her people, or the deliveries Julian brought whenever he came back around. He wasn''t going to sleep in a tent he''d stolen from one of Viper''s old abandoned camps, or wrapped in a sleeping bag on the dirty ground. No, he was going back to the real life. The one he deserved. The bundle of tight-bound handwritten journals tucked into his backpack were his ticket out of this hell.
"Mr. Price?" called a voice from the front door. It clicked shut a moment later. "Here," he called halfheartedly. She walked into the second half of the tiny two-room apartment, where Nate was slouched across the couch, controller in one hand with his face half-covered by a pillow. His hand barely moved as he played, while she set down the bags of groceries on the counter. Linda cleared her throat. "Mr. Price." Nate grunted a low-effort "hmm," in response, not taking his eyes off the screen. He didn''t even care about the game anymore. It got boring somewhere around the halfway point. He kept playing just because he hated giving up. It was practically an obligation that he finish, even if every single moment was utter tedium. "Mr. Price, I have good news. We were able to secure a publisher." His ears perked up. That was different than the usual speech. He paused the game and dragged himself up to a sitting position, knocking aside an empty bag of chips he''d forgotten about. "What does that mean?" Nate didn''t miss the faint look of disgust that crossed Linda''s face. She worked for him, not the other way around. He was going to make them all rich. He deserved a little more respect, didn''t he? She spoke with the practice, measured cadence of a professional. "We''ve partnered with publishing firms in the past for anonymous stor¡ª" "I don''t want it to be anonymous," he interrupted. "I''m sorry?" "I''m ready. I want to go public. Do everything." Linda paused. "Mr. Price, from what you''ve told me, it seems very likely that you will be attacked if you go public. As your attorney¡ª" "You guys can protect me, though, right?" "Our speciality is keeping clients under the radar. This sort of move is¡­ well, the exact opposite." "So are you saying I need a new lawyer?" "Not exactly. But you may want to hire additional security as soon as possible, once you have the funding." "You guys can''t do it?" She shook her head. "The firm can only allocate so much funding to each client." "Linda, come on. Remember who I am?" Nate said, sitting up straighter. "You can pay for more. We''ll make it all back and then some." "We do have other clientele, Mr. Price." "No way they''re as important as this." "I''m not at liberty to disclose that information." He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever." Linda went on, ignoring him. "In addition to the obvious potential threats from the public, you''ll also be dealing with a great deal more federal scrutiny. You should expect a lot of pressure from the FBI, for one." "I thought you said I was totally fine there?" "You can''t be charged with obstruction, since you never actually spoke to anyone from the federal government. But the moment you enter the public eye, you''ll receive a summons for questioning. We can''t exactly ignore that." "Sure we can," said Nate, frowning. "We''ll have money. My dad always said, money can buy you out of anything." "Your father sounds like he was a fascinating man. Regardless, this will be under the banner of national security. They will bring you in for questioning, unless you want to flee the country and seek asylum?" "...No." "Good. I wouldn''t advise it, either. Not a government on the planet will leave you alone. They''ll all see you as a potential resource. Staying in the United States and in the public eye will afford you several advantages." "I can''t awaken anyone. I don''t have anything." Linda nodded. "As you''ve made quite clear." "You still think I should leave that in the book?" She nodded again. "Any alterations will cast doubt over the legitimacy of your story. There''s only so much we can change in the original journal before even the most subtle edits become blatant." She sighed. "As much as I feel it''d be socially responsible to hide the process of acquiring magic, it''s simply unavoidable. You will be questioned on it, and it will come out. It''s better to head it off immediately." "Socially responsible?" he smirked. "As I said, Mr. Price, you aren''t our only client." "Whatever." He leaned back on the couch again and put his feet up, just because he knew it would annoy her. "So you said you found a publisher?" "Well, if you want to go public, that changes things a little." "How so?" Linda shrugged. "There''s no need to play coy. I can take this straight to the top of the Times Bestseller list, if you prefer, and get you right onto the talk shows." "But¡ª" "On a video conference, of course. Or, if you''ll allow, we''ll bring the host to you. That sort of interview tends to go a lot smoother. More chemistry, less awkward pausing for the transmission delay." "...Okay, yeah. That sounds good." She gathered up the papers she''d brought in. "In that case, I''ll get right to work. Unless there''s anything else?" "Uhh¡­ yeah. Did you¡ª was there any more news on Hailey?" "No. Agent Ashe is now denying that video''s legitimacy." Nate felt a wave of disappointment. He always liked Hailey. He''d wanted to ask her out a few times, actually, but she''d always been so close with Weston, up until the last year where she seemed to just disappear from campus entirely. Nate didn''t believe for a second she was dead, but he''d been hoping she might be just like him¡ªitching to get back into the world for real. He didn''t want to be alone, but he definitely wanted to be first. Nobody would ever forget who was first.
"If you''ll come right this way, please," Linda was saying. Nate waited impatiently in a windowless room, while the hired security quadruple-checked everyone coming in. No cameras, no hidden recording devices. Absolutely nothing that could be used to leak the story. Not yet. Even with the precautions, he was sweating. These were the first new people he''d speak to since Linda had taken him into hiding, months before. They''d spent so long debating, planning, preparing. Going over every inch of the journals, covering the story in detail, making sure everything held together. Everything fit. This was the real test, with publishers and reporters getting the first glimpse. Could they control the story the way they wanted to? Linda had done her job well. Nate recognized several of the reporters sitting in the room, and he barely ever watched the news. He assumed all of the eight were either big names, or the journalists behind the big names. "All right, Linda," said one irritated-looking man, who seemed to be acting as the voice of the group. "Cloak and dagger shit is done, you''ve gone full-TSA on us. What''s this life-changing story?" "Just one more minute," Linda replied smoothly, not intimidated even slightly by his imposing figure. "We''re acting on behalf of the survivor, our client." That piqued their interest. "The survivor?" Ted Winters gasped. "You mean¡­ this is about¡ª" "Of course it''s about Rallsburg," huffed the leader. "Why else would you be here, Ted? You''re small potatoes." "I¡ª" "Lay off, Phil," cut in a bespectacled, messy-haired woman, laying a hand on his shoulder. Nate guessed she must be a print journalist, not a reporter or an anchor. "He broke the story. He gets a cut." "He got lucky." "He got lucky and he carried it through," added another man, leaning against the wall. His hand kept reaching for his pocket to grab his phone, only to find nothing there, like a nervous tic. "Ted put in some quality journalism in those follow-up pieces. Not ambulance-chasing crap either. He really put the screws to the FBI when they were coming up with squat. Give him some credit." Phil seemed even more irritated, but Ted looked surprised. "Thanks, Felix." "No sweat. I was impressed." Linda exited the room while they continued to talk, complaining about the uncomfortable muggy room, the secrecy, the heavy embargo they''d all signed in exchange for exclusive access to interviews and advance excerpts of a book they knew nothing about. She walked down the hall to join Nate on the other side of the one-way mirror, where Nate sat in the shadows watching them all. "Are you ready, Mr. Price?" He tried to swallow down the anxiety in his throat. "Just like we planned, right?" "Exactly. Do you need anything? Water?" He shook his head, even though his throat felt dry already. He just wanted to get it over with. Linda clicked on an intercom button, and a faint hiss of speaker noise filled both rooms. She moved back to stand behind Nate slightly, holding a remote in her hand as she spoke. "Thank you all for your patience. My client is ready to speak with you now. I''d like to remind you all once again that all information from this conference is under full embargo. You are not to publish a single word on this story without our consent or you will lose your exclusive access." There was a brief wave of nods through the eight in the room, some more nervous than others. Ted Winters in particular looked like he felt totally outclassed. He kept tugging at his collar, as if his shirt was choking him. "Thank you." Without another moment of build-up, Linda clicked on the lights. Nate squinted as the harsh light bathed them before he adjusted. As his vision came back, he was greeted with seven blank stares. "...Who''s that supposed to be?" asked Phil. "No idea," added the bespectacled woman. Nate was fuming. He''d been feeling nervous until that moment, but it all suddenly washed away. "You don''t know?" he asked. "How can you not know who I am?" "Look, kid, it''s a tiny-ass town," said Phil, "but I didn''t memorize the whole damn population." "But¡­ Hailey¡ª" "She plays great on screen." He shrugged. "Sorry." "That''s¡­ Nathaniel Price," said Ted Winters hesitantly. "The heir of the Price logging company." "Finally!" said Nate. "Yeah, that''s me. I''m the survivor." No one looked particularly impressed. Ted at least looked interested, but even the bespectacled woman looked bored. She wasn''t even looking at him. "Linda, a month ago this would have been huge. But other survivors have been found. There''s still a manhunt for them in B.C." "Dan and Boris aren''t gonna talk to you though," Nate pointed out, before Linda could even speak. He was angry now. "I will. And I''ve got something they don''t." Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. "Like what?" asked Phil dryly. It wasn''t time yet, but Nate didn''t care. He wanted them to know who he was. He''d been practicing magic every day since Rallsburg, even more-so since there wasn''t much else to do in the safehouse. Even video games got old eventually. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a ruby, half the size of his fist. With his palm up and the ruby right in the middle, he looked Phil, that annoying arrogant reporter, right in the eye. "Mr. Price¡­" whispered Linda. Nate ignored her. In every corner of the room on their side, the ceiling burst outward. Jets of flame shot downward, rushing to the floor. The flames began to spread across the floor. Ted Winters shrieked. The rest of them scrambled out of their chairs, huddled together as the circle of flames began to inch inward. Nate felt a rush of confused emotions. On the one hand, seeing the look on Phil''s face was utterly satisfying¡ªbut the rest of them? "Mr. Price," Linda repeated more firmly. She didn''t sound scared in the slightest, merely annoyed. With relief, Nate took that as an excuse to turn the flames around. They weren''t in any real danger, and he didn''t actually want to hurt anyone, but they looked terrified. He''d done what he wanted. Nate picked an emerald out of his pocket and set it next to the quickly-darkening ruby. He choked out the flames, and¡ªin a rough burst of magic that had him gasping for breath¡ªreplaced them with a new trick of his own. Ice sculptures seemed to grow out of thin air, thin crystalline structures in the shape of the flames that had just dissipated. Nate changed the temperature of the room fast enough that the ice wouldn''t melt, though it cost him the rest of the emerald, shattered into dust in his palm. To the eyes of the reporters, it looked like the fire itself froze. It wasn''t the fire, though. Nate had tried that, but all he''d ended up doing was choking out the flames again. Instead, he''d learned a way to flash-freeze water. Nate wanted to learn how to manipulate water directly, like Makoto, and this was a start. Using the water vapor in the room (which they''d deliberately prepared as far more humid than usual), Nate picked out the shapes he wanted froze them, forcing them to expand to visible sculptures. The moment anyone so much as breathed on them, the incredibly thin, brittle ice would shatter into a million tiny pieces¡ªbut for a few moments the effect was stunning. Nate grinned at the dumbfounded reporters. "Impressed now?"
They peppered him with questions. Nate fielded them easily. He could tell they were all intimidated now, respecting him and what he could do. The questions about magic, he mostly shut down. They didn''t want to reveal too much yet, obviously. Not with a book to sell. "What is this book, anyway? You got a title?" asked Phil, who hadn''t quite dropped his prickly attitude, but still clearly deferred to Nate now. "Not yet. It''s not my writing." That got their attention. "So whose is it?" Linda stepped in. Nate didn''t mind; they made a good partnership most of the time, and it gave him an opportunity to take a few gulps of water and catch his breath. The display of magic earlier had been exhausting, even with the two near-perfect gemstones Linda had purchased. He still felt a bit winded by the exercise, and their constant requests for other minor displays didn''t help much either. "The author was not one of the residents of the town. She was an outsider who kept detailed journals on the events." "Was?" "We have been unable to locate or contact her, or any of her relatives. She lived and wrote under a pseudonym. Her style and handwriting matched nothing on record to a satisfactory level of confidence." "Come on, how hard could it be?" Samantha adjusted her glasses slightly as she chimed in. "If Luther Renalds and Portman couldn''t figure out who they are, no one can." Linda smiled slightly at the praise. "Given that her presence was confirmed in Rallsburg until the incident, and all remaining unidentified persons are still presumed dead, we feel we have legal standing to publish her diaries." "You''re gonna get sued," said Phil. "She''s still got copyright, dead or alive." "We made a reasonable effort to locate her, and these are extraordinary circumstances. Her personal diaries give invaluable insight into a tragic event that still dominates the news cycle six months later." "How personal are we talking?" "Barring a few minor editorial choices, the wording is one hundred percent hers." Linda glanced over at the door, where one of the bodyguards was waiting. She nodded, and he quickly headed down the hall to the reporters, passing out white-paper excerpts. "Some of this is downright poetic," Phil muttered. "Is this her handwriting as well?" asked Samantha. "Yes." Linda turned around and picked up the original journal, which had been sitting behind them on the desk the whole time. She turned it to the page they''d been given and held it up against the glass. The journal was leatherbound and with quality parchment paper, built to last. Nate mentally thanked Ruby for designing Cinza''s later journals. Her older plain spiral notebooks were certainly well cared for, but they looked plain and unappealing compared to this weighty, beautiful tome. The parchment reminded him of the Scraps, too, though it was without the scratches of age. "That''s going to be difficult to read," said one of the publishers. "Our plan is two copies of the book, one in a sans font and one in untouched script. The latter as a collector''s item." He nodded. "We can sell that." "What''s this blacked-out part?" asked Phil. "A name." "It''s a small town, how hard is it gonna be to figure out who that is?" "Not everyone in the town was supposed to be there, and plenty who were left." "That person was a little kid," Nate added. It wasn''t dangerous information; they couldn''t remove all details of Natalie without too much alteration to the book. He knew she must have survived though. There was no way she would have died in the fighting, as powerful as she was. Wherever she was, Natalie was obviously in hiding, and Nate wasn''t about to out a little kid like that. "We erased it for their sake." Phil nodded. "Fair enough." "For the most part, I think you''ll be happy with how little we''ve redacted," Linda continued. "And my client would like to note, to this group at the very least, that his own involvement is very minor." "I''m not even in half of it," Nate added, smirking. He didn''t mind. Just bringing the story into the world would be more than enough to catapult him to fame. "What other edits can we expect?" asked Samantha. "For publication, we moved a few sections to create a better flow, since events were recorded when the author had the opportunity rather than in any sort of planned sequence. I''m sure your own editors will want to take another look at it, and you are most welcome to give it another pass, pending our explicit approval on all changes." "Of course." "What''s the narrative line?" asked Phil. "What?" asked Linda. "The centerpiece. What''s the story about, besides just what happened?" "Well, it is a diary." "Yeah, but we gotta have a narrative to build this around. Even Anne Frank has got an arc." "It''s a love story," Nate cut in suddenly. Phil stared at him. "...Uh huh." "Trust me. Cinza had some bits where she remembered old things, like how she and Ruby met." Nate realized he was giving away too much already, but they needed something to latch on to. Linda seemed a bit lost, since she was used to dealing with corporate corruption. "You can put that at the beginning, and follow them all the way to the end. They''re the focus." He nodded to himself as he kept talking, trying not to think about how he was kind-of betraying them. Well, they did it first¡­ I''m just trying to get back what''s mine. "They''ll give you an arc." "Cinza being the author?" asked Samantha. "Yeah." "Cinza and Ruby. Grey and red." She smiled. "Smoke and fire." Nate grinned. These people were pros, and they hadn''t even read the book yet. "Perfect." "And they were a couple, for sure?" asked Phil. Nate rolled his eyes. "You might actually want to censor those parts a bit. Cinza got uhh¡­ descriptive." He laughed. "Are we talkin'' PG-13 or porn?" "PG-13, thank god. Maaaaybe R at a couple parts." "I''m sure it''ll be fine. We can sell it as authentic." "The LGBT community will love it," added Samantha. "This couple as the face of the story?" "Gonna get smeared." "Oh, come on. It''s twenty eighteen." "Yeah, what country do you live in?" "Pity they aren''t around to interview," Samantha sighed. "Yeah, all we got is this clown," added Phil, grinning. "I''d make a great clown," Nate shot back. "Sure, kid." He frowned. "Why are you doin'' this, anyway?" "The public good, obviously." "This is off the record, remember?" "...Money," Nate said, reluctantly. "I thought your family was pretty well off? Richest in the town or some shit." "It all burned up," said Ted. "And they were officially declared dead. Assets reclaimed by the state." "Shit. Sorry, man." "We''re currently working on a petition to return those assets to their rightful owner," said Linda. "But even that will be a pittance. Most of the Price family''s assets were tied to their land and holdings. Since their home was completely burned down, and the value of the entire region has plummeted significantly, Mr. Price has very little to his name." "So this is your way back to the good life. I get it." "I mean, I really am doing it for the public good too," Nate added. "I think this story''s really gotta be told." "Fair enough. Don''t sweat it, kid. We''ll make sure it gets told right."
A whirlwind week of interviews, questions, teases, excerpts. More editing questions, but now from the professionals instead of Linda''s small team. They''d all been signed and sworn to secrecy, even from their own companies and superiors. All it took was one person to break contract, but they all knew the fortune they''d give up if they did, as well as the sheer loss of reputation. They''d never work in the field again. More than that, they all felt the importance of what they were doing. Nate could feel it too. There was sensation building up, like they were on a roller coaster approaching the top of the hill. Any day now, everything was about to start rushing forward, but for the moment they kept working, kept preparing, anticipating that final, anxious moment of release. He had power, too. More power than he''d expected. All the reporters completely deferred to him. After a day of consideration, Nate picked Ted Winters as the lead. Ted would be the one to conduct the interviews and present the story, while the rest began to prep auxiliary content. Interviews with relatives, additional research, background information. Nate picked Ted because he was the most familiar, and because Nate felt like he deserved some credit for the work he''d already done. They talked about bringing in the perspective of "paranormal" experts, but Nate shot it down. After all, none of those crazy idiots had known what magic would really be like. They were all spouting nonsense or running scams, in his eyes. They did have a couple prominent scientists on call, in physics and biology, to start analyzing anything they could get their hands on. All of that would wait though. They didn''t want to bring too many people in when the reveal was so close. The interview sessions with Ted were grueling. The guy was nice enough, but with the heavy spotlights and all the prep work, Nate just wanted them to be done already. All the time spent in makeup before-hand, on top of the effort to put up and take down the set, was exhausting¡ªespecially since they were working with an absolute skeleton crew. Plus, he didn''t exactly like reliving the events of Rallsburg. "It says that you were aware of the Awakened long before you became one yourself. How did you find out, exactly?" "By accident. I saw someone casting spells on a security camera outside the grounds of our house. After I went and talked to them, they put me in touch with Rachel." "Who is this someone?" "The redacted minor from the book." "Ah." Ted scribbled a note, even though the cameras were recording everything anyway. "And ''Rachel'' is Rachel DuValle?" "DuValle, like ''tall''." "She was the elected leader of the Council?" "Yeah." And on and on they went, confirming every little bit of the story, expanding on details where Cinza''s journals fell short. She only wrote events that she personally witnessed, in order, and while the attention to detail was astonishing (and the style almost lyrical in its prose, as one of the editors put it), events beyond her knowledge were relegated to brief paragraphs between each entry, if they were even mentioned at all. It was up to Nate to fill in the gaps. "The so-called ''ritual killings'' in the center of town, the twenty-five people struck by lightning¡ª" "Not a ritual. Nothing to do with magic." "But they were certainly killed by magic, right?" "Yeah. I mean, I didn''t see it, and neither did Cinza, but¡­ well, there''s only one person who could use lightning magic, right? So it had to be her." "Rika Nishimura." "Yeah." "Why do you think that happened?" "I mean, I dunno. But those last couple days were insane. Like, actual angry mobs. I think¡­ Rika wouldn''t go out of her way to kill people, but if they went after her¡­" There was also the most dangerous question, the one Nate could have held ransom for billions if he played it right. But after a lot of debate, he''d agreed with Linda: it was too dangerous. It was the difference between capitalizing on his fame, or getting hunted down by every major government on the planet. They''d left in the description of awakening, in full. He wasn''t holding it back for later. "What was awakening like for you?" "...Terrifying. But¡­ really, really exciting, right? Like, I knew it was something special, and I''d seen it before. Mine took way longer than most. It''s all in the book, ''cause Cinza was there. She sponsored me. I wouldn''t have gotten to awaken if it wasn''t for her." "You were a member of her family. Her ''Greycloaks''." "...Yeah." Nate nodded, playing up the drama of the moment. "I was the last one to join before it all¡­ happened." "Would you go back to them, if you could?" "It''s hard to say, you know? They treated me all right, but¡­" "Do you think they would accept you back?" "...No. Not after this." "After publishing her journals, you mean?" "...Yeah." To Nate''s relief, Ted quickly changed the subject. This was an interview, not an interrogation. "Tell me about Grey-eyes. Cinza describes her in great detail, but I''d like to hear a more¡­ frank impression, if you could." "She''s not a normal girl. I mean, she can do crazy impossible things, but I dunno. Something about her just seems off. She''s always wearing the same old t-shirt for some band nobody''s ever heard of, she always looks kinda sad and lonely. It seems like she''s not real. I know she is, and I''ve seen her before that, but something''s just not right there." Other questions went much more smoothly. When they were talking about Rallsburg the town, or his own family, or even just the general antics of the awakened in town, Nate could relax and be much more himself. Telling stories of Ryan and Seth first trying to do Movement spells and smacking themselves in the face with rocks, or the story of Joe going colorblind. Pranks they pulled, like when he and Natalie snuck the deer away right under Robert''s nose. Ted and the team were most interested in the big events, though, not the antics of Nate and the other college guys on the sidelines. "The first major confrontation with the town took place at the town hall on¡­ May 12th," Ted said, checking his notes. "Were you at that meeting?" "Yeah. I didn''t do much, but I was there." "You and Robert Harrison already had an adversarial relationship. Did you realize what he was planning at the time?" "No. I mean, if I knew he was already working with Omega, I would''ve told everyone. Obviously." "But what about his friend Julian Black? The one Cinza noted as helping him sew chaos through the meeting." Nate shook his head. "Julian was one of us. He thought he was making a move on the Council. Robert played him, just like he played the rest of us." "This also marks the first mention of Hailey Winscombe in Cinza''s narrative, who later becomes a pivotal figure and one of the ''empowered eight'', to use Cinza''s term." "What, you didn''t like the ''Ogdoad''?" Nate asked, grinning. "She certainly spent a lot of time considering different terms to use." "I bet that was more Ruby''s thinking actually. She''s the one who always wanted to come up with fancy names for everything." "But getting back to Hailey, what was your relationship with her?" Nate rolled his eyes. "We went to the same school. She was the popular girl. That''s it." "Let''s talk about them though. These ''empowered eight''." He shrugged. "No idea what makes them special." "You think they gained their power at random?" "Do you see anything tying them all together?" Nate held up his fingers as he counted them off. "The three Gods. A little kid. A hispanic grocery store owner. The rich, popular blonde girl from the big city. Her best friend and total opposite. And the econ professor, who''s also apparently the daughter of some megacorporation or something?" He shook his head. "The only thing that makes sense is that it''s eight people, because of course it''s eight people. ''Cause of the star." "You mentioned the economics professor. That''s Kendra Thomas Laushire, daughter of Thomas Laushire of Laushire Enterprises?" "Yeah." "Thomas Laushire quite famously only had a single child with his wife before she fell ill and became barren." Nate shrugged. "I heard he was a sexist asshole." "...One way to put it. It was never public, but a few memos have leaked over the last few months regarding his relationship with his daughter." "Didn''t he say that no woman could ever run a major company?" Nate rolled his eyes. "Can''t blame her for ditching. Her dad''s a dick." "I bring this up because Cinza makes it quite clear that there was a second Laushire in Rallsburg. An identical twin, no less." "...Yeah, I guess so." "But you never met her." "Not that I know of," Nate replied with a smirk. Ted laughed, and they continued onto other subjects. He was questioned in detail about the rest of the eight, and did the best he could to answer. He''d never met Alpha or Omega in person, and the rest of the group weren''t exactly his friends. The closest of the two were Natalie, whom he''d already decided he was trying to protect and wouldn''t say a single word about, and Hector. "Not to be too blunt, but Hector seems like he doesn''t really belong in your town." Nate tried not to feel too smug at the phrase ''your town''. "Hector Peraza was the nicest guy you ever met. Everyone liked him. But wherever he came from, I think it was down in California but I dunno¡ªhe really hated it there. You could tell. He was running away. He showed up in Rallsburg ten years back, and for a while he just worked with the loggers. Then old man Rawls died and the grocery store didn''t have anyone to run it. Hector took it up." He shifted in his chair again. "Hector really didn''t deserve any of this. I feel really bad for the guy." "Do you have any idea what happened to him, in the end?" "Well, I don''t think for a second he died. I mean, he''s crazy powerful. You had to see it to believe it. He made it out okay, wherever he is." "The diaries stop right after the final battle at Cinza''s home, when Rachel shoots Omega. Can you fill in what happened after that?" "I wasn''t there, but I''d guess they all decided to go into hiding. I bet some of them are still there, but you can''t find Cinza''s place without magic. The forest tricks you and the magnetics are all screwed up. Compasses are useless, GPS is useless, maps are useless and you can''t see where you''re actually going. It''s impossible unless they let you in." "And some like Hailey apparently decided to go into public service." "You mean pretending she''s a superhero, right?" "You don''t think she''s doing good?" Nate shrugged. "I think she probably thinks that." "What do you think?" "She''s the one with all the power. But I dunno. Vigilantes are usually bad things. She''s got it in her head that she knows what''s best all the time." Inevitably, though, with each line of questioning, Nate brought the conversation back to the topic he really wanted to discuss: how his home and his family had been taken away. His house was burned down by an angry mob of loggers taking out their rage on old foes. His parents died in the catastrophic ritual attempt to kill Omega. He was abandoned in the forest by his supposed family, by Cinza''s words (though she claimed he ran away). He''d survived on nothing but scraps and his own wits in the forest, hiding from the government, the greycloaks and the golems all on his own. Or mostly on his own. He had no intention of revealing that Julian had helped him survive, when Julian obviously wanted to keep his return to the area a secret. Nate Price had suffered for months, but he''d survived, and he was bringing the truth to the world. He''d give them all the answers they''d been begging for. Then, finally, he''d be back on top where he belonged.
"We''ve got it," Linda said as she came in the room. Ted and Nate had just finished up their last couple interviews earlier that day, though there was always the option for more down the line. Another circuit of live interviews was planned, where Nate would demonstrate on live TV his magical abilities. Under any other circumstances, people might claim it was faked, but with the pedigree of the law firm and the journalists backing them up, there wouldn''t be any doubt. Linda had just returned with one final piece of the puzzle. "Got what?" asked Nate. "Gordon Merrill''s recording." Linda held up her phone and tapped a button. Voices emitted from the small tinny speaker¡ªvoices of the long-dead and missing. Rowan Rhistler, Robert Harrison, Julian Black. Rachel DuValle. Other, less important voices. The town hall meeting. The "Emergence". "It only contains up until the moment that Rachel tells Hector to kill the electronics, but it provides hard evidence of your story," Linda went on. "We were able to get it from Merrill''s cloud account with a court order." "Doesn''t that show up somewhere?" Nate asked nervously. "It''s a fairly trivial request, but yes, sooner or later someone will come asking about it. But we don''t need to worry about that. I think we''re ready." Nate got to his feet, as if he was about to run out the door right then. "Finally! When do we start?" "Not quite yet, Mr. Price. We start with the tease. Drum up the mystery a bit, reveal there''s a survivor and hint at the truth. Give them a weekend for it to really sink in and to let speculation run wild. You won''t go on camera until next week." "So when are we¡ª" "Thursday. It all starts on Thursday." Nate nodded. As Linda turned around, he felt a pang of remorse. "Hey, Linda?" She stopped. "Yes, Mr. Price?" "Thanks." "For what?" "Everything. The last couple months. You''ve been amazing." "It''s my job." "Yeah but¡­ thanks." Linda nodded. "Was there anything else?" "Why didn''t you ever ask about awakening? You''re the only one I told about all the Scraps that are probably still floating around. You could go find one yourself, if you wanted." She shook her head. "It''s not for me." "But¡­ it''s magic. Don''t you want to be able to do magic?" "Not particularly." She sounded so sincere and calm. Nate couldn''t understand it. "Do you think it''s bad? Like everyone else did?" "No." "So why not?" She hesitated, considering her words. "I''m sure it''s a miraculous thing, and it might do the world a lot of good. But I''m content with my life. I don''t need it." "...It''s not about needing magic. There''s just so much you can do. It''s¡­ there''s so many possibilities. And no downsides! Why wouldn''t anyone want something like that?" Linda shrugged. "It''s not for me," she repeated. Nate gave up. "There''s gonna be a lot of questions coming your way like that, I''d bet." "Starting Thursday, it''s your show, Mr. Price. I won''t be in the picture." "...Wait, you''re leaving?" "My job is done. I have other clients to attend to. You''ll be taken care of, don''t worry. Our firm has a different branch that specializes in high profile clientele." "But this is where the big story is! We''re gonna be famous. I thought you wanted to be there." "Heavens no. I don''t like the spotlight." "But¡­ what about the money?" Nate was grasping at straws by now, and he knew it. Linda smiled. "Don''t forget, Mr. Price. You''re still penniless. I''ll get my share of the profits from our work." Nate shook his head. "You don''t know what you''re missing." "As you say." She put her hand on the doorknob. "You have my number if you need anything else. Good luck." She left, and Nate was alone in the apartment. It felt strangely empty, even though he''d been alone for most of the time he''d spent in the building. Only in the last couple weeks with the flurry of activity, the reporters, the research, the interviews had there been a single person besides himself and Linda. Now they were all gone, and Nate had a couple days to himself before the big debut. He turned on the TV and the game console, out of habit, but after scrolling through the list of games he couldn''t pick a single one to play. He switched to TV, but not a single show caught his interest. He started a couple old favorites, but inevitably turned each one off after only a couple minutes. There was just too much anxiety. Too much anticipation. It was only two days away. Cinza. Nate had her phone number. He''d never bothered to try it again after the first couple days. With the cell tower destroyed, he''d never had a signal, and his phone died not too long after that. But they probably had one now. Despite all appearances, Cinza was actually the biggest techie in the whole town. Nate had always assumed he had the nicest computer, the best hardware, right on the cutting edge¡ªbut when he first visited their home? Cinza''s rig put him to shame. Not only that, she actually knew every piece in and out. She''d obviously built it herself. Nate had just paid someone to do his. He was jealous. He was jealous of her knowledge, her following, her way of commanding attention from a crowd. He''d joined her group not out of any devotion, but because he wanted to know how she did it. Oh, he actually had a good time while he was there. Makoto was the coolest, and Nikki was fun to hang out with, and Ruby was so sexy he could die. But he''d always had his eye on Cinza, trying to figure her out. He could tell she''d never liked him. He basically forced his way into the group, paying his way in when they needed money and sticking around long past his welcome. He''d never quite gelled with the group, and it showed. It wasn''t for lack of trying. He''d done all the rituals with them, he''d camped out in the cold forest under the stars more than a few times. He''d even worn the stupid robes. But he was never one of them. And when they were attacked in the forest, and he got separated from them, no one came looking for him. Helicopters went by overhead, ferrying away Cinza''s favorites, but Nate Price? He was just that one rich kid no one wanted around. They were probably relieved he hadn''t shown up. He finally found his way back to the camp days later, and saw them. They were hurt, they were recovering, sure¡ªbut still nobody was looking for him. His house was burned to the ground, the entire town was destroyed. "Where''s Nate?" asked no one at all. So Nate stole, and he hid. He couldn''t go back to civilization, not on his own. He''d seen Brian stalking the woods, summoning golems at the slightest noise, and only barely gotten away. Besides, even when he got there, Nate had no idea what to do. Was he supposed to just call the police? What if they took him away? Where was his supposed leader? Seeing Jerry''s body in the forest finally drove him to act. When Nate saw the journals on Cinza''s shelf, while she was out in the fields, he didn''t hesitate. He grabbed the ones he thought were most important, and he ran. He ran until he finally saw civilization again, and he made a phone call. Nate stared at the phone in his hand, with half of Cinza''s number already dialed. He could warn her it was coming, at least. Did he owe her that much? Or did she deserve to be blindsided? Nate turned off his phone. He sat back down on the couch, picked up a controller, and started a game. Ten minutes later, he''d forgotten all about Cinza, or what was coming on Thursday, or anything about Rallsburg. All he could think about was finally, finally being able to live in a real house again, with real food and new clothes and a shower that didn''t take five minutes to warm up. Nate Price was headed for stardom, exactly where he belonged. [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] Transitions II Transitions II "Welcome back. Our topic for the day, as I''m sure you''ve guessed, is the upcoming book ''The Rallsburg Diaries'', from Pro Paradigm Publishing. Whitney, your thoughts?" "This has got to be the biggest marketing campaign I''ve ever seen." "You really think it''s just a big advertisement?" "Oh come on. Magic? This is a whole lot of bull just to sell a book." "I dunno. These are real, award-winning journalists, not clickbait artists. They''re putting their reputation on the line." "Plus the FBI response." "I thought they didn''t comment." "Exactly. They''d deny it if it were fake. They''re looking into this, and that''s reason enough to give it some credit. Benefit of the doubt, at least." "But, come on¡­ magic?" "I''m just saying, I feel something in the air. Felt it ever since Rallsburg blew up and no one could tell us how. This could be it."
"Fucking Christ," he shouted, straining from the effort. Holding up this kind of weight was one thing, but holding up with just his mind was something else entirely. "You said magic is a tool without limit. The only limit is your endurance. Why can you not lift this?" asked his partner, watching him with a bored expression. She had her rifle out, inspecting every inch yet again with her trained eye. "She has a point," added their boss, watching from a set of monitors hooked up to the sensors plastering his skin. "By all measurements you aren''t strained physically in the slightest. Just an elevated heart rate. What''s holding you back here?" "Neither of you fucks can do this," Viper growled. He finally released the weight, letting out a huge breath as he did. It clanged back onto the struts, echoing through the room. He glared at the other two. "Cut a guy some slack." "Competitive advantage, Stefen," replied Cornelius Malton, young and fit with short brown hair. He was only thirty-two, but still in charge of one of the largest conglomerates in the world. He leaned over the monitors, watching the numbers change with an air of actually understanding what they meant. "I agreed to keep this from our R&D group, but that means you''ve got to give me more." "Are you having trouble performing?" Rook asked, the glint in her ice-blue eyes contrasting her otherwise stone-cold face. If he didn''t know her so well, he''d assume she was asking a serious question. Unless she was undercover, her sense of humor was dry as the deserts she hated so much. Viper laid back against the cold metal bench, breathing heavily. "That much weight would be impossible for me to lift for real. This shit ain''t easy." "The delay effect seems to be diminishing as well," Malton added, glancing over his readouts. "When we started, you were able to cast spells without any immediate exhaustion or pain. But each time, you''ve felt the effects more quickly." He frowned. "Even though you can lift more with practice, you seem to be getting worse." "Well fuck. So this shit does have limits." "But why?" Malton asked to no one in particular. "What''s the connection?" "It is pain," said Rook, leaning back against the wall with her rifle up against her shoulder, pointed skyward. "He cannot control it." "Fuck you, Tess. I can do pain." "No, I mean it is pain like a baby feels pain." "You callin'' me a bab¡ª" Rook spoke over him. "Why do babies cry?" "Because they''re fuckin'' babies?" "Why?" asked Malton, equally ignoring Viper. "Because they are feeling the most pain they have ever felt in their lives, though it is nothing to you and me. In the same way they do not know to avoid a flame, pain is learned. We do not know pain when we are born." "So you''re saying that this sort of magic exhaustion is learned as well?" She shrugged. "I do not know. I am not awakened. But it seems the same. When he first cast his spells, he only felt the pain as the effects subsided. But his brain has learned. It rejects pushing himself too far, as mine rejects trying to punch a wall with such force that my knuckles would break." "So I gotta overcome that," said Viper. "I suppose." "It''s not unheard of," said Malton, nodding slowly. "The human jaw is more than capable of shattering every tooth you have in your mouth, but our brains keep us from exerting that level of force. If we could reduce that reluctance somehow¡­" he wondered aloud. "Painkillers for magic?" "Or I could just get drunk," shrugged Viper. "Let''s not, please." "You are trying to beat the survival instinct of the human mind," said Rook. "I do not expect it will be so easy." "Well, we''ve got all the time in the world." At that moment, Malton''s phone rang. They all looked at it in surprise. His staff was under clear instructions not to bother him unless it was of the utmost importance. Viper sat up, wiping his brow with a towel. "If this is about the fuckin'' Laushires again," he started. "I told them that could wait. They know how to deal with dear Thomas'' libelous accusations," said Malton mildly, raising the phone to his ear. "This is Cornelius." "Is it libel if every word he says is the truth?" asked Rook dryly. "Even Laushire doesn''t believe what he''s saying, though," said Viper. "Just ''cause we do have an inside man in their whole fuckin'' network that they can''t do a damn thing about." He grinned. "You know they actually paid to replace every computer in the whole building?" "I did." "Poor fuckin'' IT nerds. All that work and it didn''t change a damn thing." "I''m pleased our trip wasn''t wasted." Viper was about to say something else, but Malton held up his hand. "Right now?" he asked. "...I see. Do we know who it is?" "Who what is?" Malton shook his head. "Thank you. Keep me informed." He hung up. "Cor?" asked Viper uneasily. Malton looked surprised. Sure, his boss was good at improvising under pressure, but they all preferred a nice clean plan to last minute upheaval. "...Change of plans," he said at last. Viper sighed. "Well Tess, you win this round." "Win what?" Malton asked. "We were bettin'' on how long it''d take for the news to break." He nodded at his partner. "Tess said six months, I said January. I was thinkin'' winter would drive ''em out in the open." "You already know?" "No shit. We know they didn''t die." He shrugged. "What''s the plan, then?" "Get back out there. Bring me someone who won''t be missed. A volunteer if it''s possible, but anyone will do. No beating around the bush this time." Viper nodded. He glanced over at Rook, wondering how she felt about it. He felt a little uneasy about handing someone over to the scientists to be examined and probably cut open. She was as stone-faced as the day he met her in Afghanistan. He didn''t know much about her past (or even her real name ¡ª it definitely wasn''t Tessa Hunter), but he knew she''d bounced around so many countries as a child that she''d never had a real home. They''d ended up a team, a sniper-spotter pair despite the reluctance from the brass to make a mixed-gender duo that would spend weeks totally alone in the field. Idiots. She was a consummate professional, and Viper had never worked with someone more dedicated or effective at her craft. In spite of every hurdle, every idiotic decision made by sexist or simply incompetent COs, she excelled. When his childhood friend Cornelius Malton had called him up, offering him a cushy position as a private contractor with full control over the missions he accepted, it was a no-brainer to get Tessa in on the deal. These days, he had no idea what Rook did with her free time. He spent most of his at his favorite pub, enjoying his status as the only American in the area and picking up girls, trying to enjoy every last moment of a life he''d nearly lost a dozen times over, and probably would a dozen more times before he made it to forty. It was the life he chose, and every time he punched out on a chopper, felt the adrenaline of a real firefight, or even just the cool gratification of getting in and out totally unnoticed with Rook on his heels, Stefen Gearhardt was pretty satisfied with his life. They prepped and packed up their gear for the trip. This was a snatch job, not an execution, so Viper didn''t bother bringing a whole lot of lethal firepower. If they got into anything heavy, they''d retreat. With what they could be up against, he couldn''t be sure guns would even be effective in a real fight. Who knew what those fuckers had come up with since he''d left? Tranquilizer rifles and pistols, tasers. His trusty Beretta and Benelli combo from his days in the Marines before being assigned to Rook. He figured ol'' Nelli was probably his best bet against the golems, since spread and stopping power were more important than range and penetration. Besides, if they really needed range, Rook always had her rifle. No matter where she went, in the whole world, Rook''s rifle was never more than a couple dozen feet away. Viper honestly believed she probably slept with it even at home, though he''d never dare to find out. It was an M/28-30 rifle, the Finnish variant of the classic Russian Mosin Nagant. Despite being outdated and even declared obsolete, Rook somehow cleared the rifle for use in the field through sheer exceptional marksmanship. She''d installed modern scopes onto the rifle herself, tuning them and re-tuning them endlessly, and she never missed a shot under a thousand meters. Even well beyond that range, he''d spotted for her to land shots with her wooden rifle that put modern arms to shame, a piece of history she''d carried with her everywhere. The squad loaded up onto one of Malton''s private jets, which he''d tasked to them for the duration of the mission. They''d land at a strip in Canada, unload and regroup with their chopper pilot. "Back to fuckin'' Rallsburg, huh?" he commented. Rook made a noncommittal noise of agreement, staring out the window at the clouds. "You good?" "It is just another mission." He glanced around the empty plane cabin. "We''re alone, Tess. Talk to me." She sighed, finally looking back at him. He was the only one she ever seemed to let her hair down around¡ªmetaphorically speaking. Her pale blonde hair barely made it past her ears, and she never put it up in the first place. "Our last mission changed him." "You mean Malton?" "Yes. He has lost his focus." "What focus is that? He was runnin'' a business, and he still is unless I''m mistaken." "Not that. His business is fine. It is his goals. He was trying to make the world a better place. He had a vision, and now his vision is tainted." "Tainted by magic, you mean?" "Yes. I think he has let visions of personal power cloud his judgment. He was already a man in control of the world, but now he wants control over nature itself. I fear this." "What about me? I''m awakened." "We have already discussed this." Viper shook his head. "You brushed me off, Tess. Time to spill the beans." "I believe you spilled the beans first." He rolled his eyes. "That was one fuckin'' time, and I said I was sorry." The corner of her mouth twitched slightly before she went on. "I do not know Malton, so I do not trust him. I know you." "Do you now?" He grinned. "More than I wish to." "Ouch." Her face broke into an actual smile, something so rare that Viper had only seen it twice before. Once, when she''d first passed the qualification tests for sniper, and again when he''d invited her to come work for Malton. He couldn''t say what had brought it on this time, but it warmed his heart. "If there was a man in the world who was responsible enough to handle such power, I would choose you." "...What''s that supposed to mean?" "You know what power means. How it can affect people. I have seen how you treat such power." "This ain''t like guns." "Not just our weapons." Rook turned back to look out the window again. "I trust you, Stefen. So if you say that Malton is a good man, I will follow your word." "We''re splittin'' up though." She stared back at him as if he''d said something stupid. Which, after a moment, Viper realized was pretty much true. He shrugged. "I don''t fuckin'' know who''s good or bad. So if you think we''re steppin'' over the line, you tell me. Agreed?" "Agreed."
"One of the released excerpts from the book mentions Kendra Laushire, daughter of Thomas Laushire of Laushire Enterprises. We previously reported on her presumed death in the Rallsburg incident, but with this new information come to light about her activities, we approached Mr. Laushire for a fresh perspective." "Mr. Laushire, thank you for taking the time to speak with us today." "Of course." "Have you read the piece about your daughter from the Rallsburg Diaries?" "Many times." "What do you think about Kendra''s activities? She seemed to be at the forefront of a new market, dealing in magic of all things." "It''s admirable. If I could speak to her today, I''d tell her I was proud of what she accomplished. She took a wholly unprecedented situation and established a new economy to help it succeed." "You seem to be extrapolating quite a bit from the brief couple of paragraphs that were released. How can you be so certain she was responsible for this so-called ''Astral Market''?" "She''s my daughter. She''s a Laushire." "But sir, isn''t it true that you rejected her involvement in your own company? She was slated to be a director on the board and by all accounts, you personally had her appointment blocked." "You''re talking about the so-called ''leaked memos'' from our internal network, yes?" "Yes, but combined with the rumors of a shocking revelation regarding your relationship in the book, you have to admit they paint a compelling picture." "A false picture." "But sir¡ª" "I don''t deny their legitimacy, I contest their accuracy. Anyone who has ever worked for an operation at this scale would inform you that memos, rumors and emails cannot tell the whole story. Assuming as such would be counter to your sterling reputation as a bastion of quality journalism. I''m disappointed you place any stock in such rumors." "Sir, with all due respect, one email¡ªfrom your own daughter, I might add¡ªwas particularly scathing and quite specific. It''s hard to deny the obvious connection." "That was a personal disagreement among family. I won''t discuss it." "Sir¡ª" "I''m sorry, but I''m afraid I must get back to work." "...Thank you again for agreeing to meet with us today, Mr. Laushire." "Thank you." "That was Thomas Laushire, speaking about the recent revelations regarding his daughter Kendra in the forthcoming Rallsburg Diaries. Up next, literary analysis of the released text, as we try to uncover more information about the mysterious author of the Diaries and her origins."
Thomas Laushire hung up the phone, leaning back in his office chair and pressing his fingers to his temples. "Mr. Laushire?" his assistant asked tentatively through the intercom. "Get me Bastian, please," he replied. "Right away, sir." Philip Bastian was his head of security, a man who was not having a good month. His hairline seemed to recede further every single time Thomas saw him. He practically stumbled into the room a few minutes later, laptop under his arm. "Mr. Laushire, I¡ª" "How?" Thomas asked simply, picking up a glass of scotch from his desk. He took a long sip before continuing. "How is he getting in?" "Sir, we''ve tried everything¡ª" "You obviously haven''t." He squeezed the glass in his fist, to the point a lesser cup might have shattered¡ªbut Thomas Laushire only ever purchased the best. It would take superhuman strength to break. "We replaced the whole network piece by piece. Every inch, every machine. We even got cooperation from our ISP to monitor all traffic in and out of the building from their end. We''ve installed new encrypted tunnels everywhere and rerouted our entire system. Nothing works." "Bring in experts." "I''ve done that. We brought in the smartest kids in Silicon Valley and offered a huge bounty. They tried everything and couldn''t break into our network. Said it was foolproof." "Well, I''m feeling pretty damn foolish, Bastian." "Sir, I have to conclude the leak is internal, and human." "I thought you were already pursuing that angle." "I am, but there''s only so much we can do. We''ve laid honeypots everywhere, but we haven''t found a single mole." "Have any of these been communicated electronically?" "No, of course not." "So you''re saying that every single one of my employees is apparently loyal, our network impenetrable, our system perfectly secure¡ªand Cornelius Malton is still able to read our every move like a damn book?" "...Yes, sir." "Bastian?" "Yes, sir?" "You''re fired." "I¡ª" "Get out." He left in a hurry. Thomas drained the rest of his drink, swivelling to stare out of the tall windows overlooking the Thames. How the hell is he able to pull this off? Every deal I make, he swoops in like a crow at the eleventh hour with a better offer. Every move, every negotiation, every deal. They''re all going his way. The Culver-Malton Group had been rivals with Laushire Enterprises for decades, each commanding a healthy share of the global economy. They were both massive industry leaders, with their hands in every slice of the pie and every other dish on the table as well. If a company shipped a product overseas, odds were it sailed on a boat belonging to Malton, Laushire or the Chinese. Laushire powered more than a third of the European continent, while Malton ran the lights for the other third. They owned car manufactories, steelwork foundries, mining operations. Laushire had recently expanded into foodstuffs in the last half-dozen years, while Malton explored private military work with with his "Malton Solutions" brand of contract killers. Together they accounted for a sizeable portion of the global economy, each racing to swallow up more subsidiaries than the other. They''d always been on fairly level ground, until the last few months. Something changed. Cornelius Malton, damn him, had started to outplay Laushire at every turn. Stocks in Thomas'' companies were plummeting as they lost deals and partnerships, while inflammatory leaks proceeded like clockwork to tear down executives working under his umbrella. Many had resigned in disgrace. Several had been arrested. Thomas himself had never done anything illegal, merely questionable, so his own standing was quite stable. But as soon as the relationship with Kendra came to light¡­ well, no one particularly enjoyed seeing a father berating and humiliating his daughter in front of the directors of a company. "She wasn''t ready!" he shouted at no one in particular. "I was trying to help her!" "...Sir?" chimed his intercom. "Go away!" he snarled through the door to his assistant, who quickly turned it off. I''d take it back if I could. All of it. The phone on his desk rang. He picked it up, his voice a low growl. "If you couldn''t tell, I wanted no interruptions." "And I wanted a nice lunch hour to myself, but apparently you''re burning our company to the ground again." "...Mary?" His wife sighed audibly through the line. "Dear, we really must stop meeting like this." "What is it?" "Your assistant called me. He''s a good lad, so would you please stop shouting his ear off through the door? I''d hate to see him quit." "I''d fire him first." "It''s a good thing I hired him, then, so you can''t do that." "...What do you want?" "Well, I''m enjoying a lovely afternoon here at the School and thought, ''hmm, I wonder how I can make things a little less pleasant?'' So, naturally, I phoned you." "I''m rather busy¡ª" "No you''re not. You''re sacking competent, loyal directors who''ve done no wrong and blowing up at the slightest shift in the wind. I told dear Bastian that he''s still one of ours, by the by. He''ll be taking a week off, but expect his poorly shaved beard in your board meetings straight away." "You would undermine¡ª" "And another thing, Thomas. If you''re so bloody upset by our rivals taking the upper hand in negotiations, perhaps it''s time to get back into the field yourself? Cornelius certainly doesn''t scorn getting into the muck while you lounge about your ivory tower. I do believe you''re outplaying yourself." "That''s not why I''m angry." "Isn''t it?" "It damn well isn''t." "Thomas, if you aren''t going to act civil, this phone call will be rather unpleasant for us both." "I''ve a whole mess of problems beyond Cornelius," he spat. "And I''d appreciate some damn sympathy and support from my wife, if you don''t mind." "Are you speaking about that interview you had this morning? I thought it went all right." "They tarred and feathered me, Mary. Practically said I beat my children on national news." "Oh, stop exaggerating, dear. No one''s claiming any such nonsense." "They made me out to be¡­" "Like your own father, I expect?" "...Yes." "Well, dear, I''ll fill you in on a little secret: you''re quite a lot like your father." Thomas stood up from his chair, phone to his ear. The receiver lifted up slightly as he growled. "Absolute rubbish." "For heaven''s sake, Thomas. I didn''t say you were your old man." "I wouldn''t ever lay a hand on them." "If you were the type, I wouldn''t have married you, so let''s dispense with the theatrics please?" "It''s my bloody fault, all right?" he snapped. Mary didn''t answer for a few moments. He could hear her faint breath through the speaker. "...What is, precisely?" "I drove her away. I ensured she couldn''t get a job teaching at any reasonable school. It''s my fault she was in that horrible town." "Oh, Thomas¡­" Mary sighed again. "It''s not your fault." "She could have stayed in London with you. She could have taught anywhere! She could have worked for the company in some other regard. It''s my fault she went to such lengths to run from us." "Thomas, you''re blaming yourself for a spontaneous cataclysm. No one could have foreseen these events." "Collins the younger did." "Her Collins? I highly doubt it." "He sent an email on May the twelfth. It wasn''t clear¡ª" "Nothing penned by that man ever was." "But he told me this was coming. Magic. All of it." "Did he now?" "I could have acted. I ignored it. He sounded mad." "Anyone would have thought him mad, dear. You can''t blame yourself." "Four days later, she¡­" Thomas choked up. He couldn''t bring himself to say it. "...I know, dear." She hesitated. "Would you like me to come over?" "You haven''t been in this building in years." "I might give the cleaning staff a heart attack then. Best not, I suppose." Thomas sat back down, putting his head in his hands, the phone resting against his ear. "I don''t know what to do." She clicked her tongue disapprovingly. He could perfectly visualize the disdain on her face. "That''s not the man I married." "Malton''s going to drive us off the top. The only place they haven''t overtaken our growth is the American west coast, and that''s only because some other player is making a move there. We''re practically in freefall." "What do we do when we''re being out-maneuvered, Thomas? What did Malton do to even stay in the game in the first place?" He frowned, thinking it over. "...Strike a deal. Merge with his competitors." "Exactly. Look at their name, for Pete''s sake! Poor Cornelius didn''t even get first billing on his own company. Wendell Culver took the easy road and made billions." "But who¡ª" "You said it yourself. There''s a new player in the game, and they''re outside our circle, so Malton won''t have an edge. Swallow your pride and make the call." Thomas sighed. "I''ve never met the man." "What''s his name?" "Wilmore. The paperwork is all signed L. Wilmore. I haven''t been able to get any more than that.." "So get to work! Call the man! Honestly, how much of your job do you expect me to do?" He smiled to himself. "Some of these days, I''m not sure who actually runs this company." Mary laughed. "Get back to work, Thomas. I''ll see you at supper. A late supper, mind you. I''ve got a meeting tonight." "Right." He paused. "Mary?" "Yes, dear?" "I''m sorry. For¡­ everything I did." Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. "Thomas, she would have left sooner or later, no matter what you did. I''m not saying you were in the right, but Kendra was always going to make her own way. She''s just like her father. You said it yourself." "Do you think she was happy?" "I have no doubt. Now get to work, dear." Before he could say another word, she hung up. Thomas felt like a great weight had been lifted from his chest. His wife always knew how to get him back on track. He set the phone down, then pressed the intercom for his assistant. "Get me our head of American operations, please. It''s urgent." He paused. "And, please inform Mr. Bastian to come see me at his convenience." "Right away, sir."
"The Federal Investigation Bureau has continued to refuse comment on all questions regarding the Rallsburg Diaries. While Pro Paradigm only made the existence public a day before, rumors are swirling that the FBI was already well-aware of the situation. In particular, Jeremy Ashe''s sudden and unexpected removal from the case, as well as the testimony of more than a dozen officers of the Tacoma Police Department from Friday, October 26th, are now believed to be further evidence of a startling coverup. We''ve brought our chief federal correspondent Penelope Ramirez on, as well as Ted Winters, the Tacoma News anchor responsible for breaking the story. Ted, thanks again for joining us today." "It''s a pleasure to be here, Frank." "Now, as I understand it Ted, you''re one of the very few people to have actually seen the real copy of the Rallsburg Diaries, as well as the survivor who brought it to our attention." "That''s correct." "Who are they?" "Now, now, I''m sure you''re all aware I''m under a strict non-disclosure agreement. I can''t reveal that information." "Naturally." "Suffice to say, it wasn''t anyone we expected. Nor is it the author of the Diaries, as I think we''ve made clear." "Yes. The mysterious author. Cinza, correct?" "Yes. Portuguese for ''grey'', I''m told." "Penelope, was this ''Cinza'' ever a part of the FBI investigation?" "No, Frank. As far as we''re aware, no one has ever heard of her, nor anyone even resembling her from the description in the first excerpt." "Ted, did she really write such a detailed description of herself, but fail to include even the slightest identifying information? No name, no nationality, nothing at all?" "She''s an odd one, from the pieces I''ve read. I haven''t gotten a chance to read the whole book, but let me tell you: she''s going to surprise you." "If she''s even real." "Our survivor confirms every word of the story." "Penelope, you think there''s doubt?" "It''s a written account from one perspective, Frank, not a report. There''s going to be bias. If this diary is even accurate." "Hang on, are you suggesting it''s a fake?" "I''m just stating my perspective, Ted. Someone shows up out of nowhere, claiming to survive the Rallsburg incident from months before, and with a nice and detailed written account of everything that happened? It''s a bit too convenient." "We''ve heard about other survivors though. Jerry Hauserman, who survived the same amount of time before being murdered in Olympic Forest. Or Boris Morozov and Dan Rhodes in Canada. Plus there were rumors about Ryan Walker in Redmond, and of course the ongoing sightings of Hailey Winscombe. It''s not like it''s unheard of." "It''s a fair point, Penelope. Why isn''t this survivor believable?" "Well, until they show their face, I''m taking everything with a grain of salt, and you should too. Plus, all these ridiculous claims about magic. Magic, Frank. Ted, are you really suggesting magic is real?" "If you''d seen what I saw, Penelope, you''d believe it too." "So what did you see?" "Like I said, non-disclosure agreement. It''ll be on the air soon." "Oh, come on, quit fu¡ª" "Thank you, Penelope Ramirez and Ted Winters. We''ll be back after a short break with more from these two, as we dig deeper into the so-called ''magic'' that destroyed Rallsburg, as well as the three other excerpts that have been released from the Rallsburg Diaries. Stay tuned."
"Come on, you fucker," she called, pushing open the door to the motel room. She kicked off her shoes before dragging him over the threshold. "Get in here." "I''m coming." "Not yet you aren''t." She clicked the lights off as she crossed the room, falling on the bed. He was close behind, closing the door behind him. He clicked the lights back on as he did. "I turned them off for a reason." "Why, embarrassed to see yourself?" "More like ashamed." She rolled over and looked up at him. "Well come on then. I''m waiting." He grinned wolfishly. Without warning, he fell on top of her, and his mouth found hers. She wrapped her arms around his back and pulled him closer, as if she were trying to swallow him. "Jesus, that feels incredible," he murmured. "What?" "We haven''t done this since, you know¡ª" "Oh, fuck, I forgot." She started to let go of the spell, but he pressed closer. "It''s okay?" "You have no fuckin'' idea." With that, he was kissing her again. Her hands scrambled along his back, practically tearing his shirt off. In seconds he was doing the same, grabbing at her jacket and throwing it aside. His hands ran across the tattoos on her arms, slowing down for a minute as he traced them with his finger. Every second he was touching her, she could feel the current pulsing through her, racing through her skin and traveling through his as well before coming back around again. "God you''re sexy." "Less talking, more fucking," she growled. "Whatever you say, Maria," he said, smirking. He stripped off the rest of his clothes while she laid back on the bed, breathing heavily. She felt torn between watching his face and looking anywhere else. She hated him, but at the same time, he was so unbearably attractive that she couldn''t resist. Her eyes kept darting to the ceiling or the walls around him, but never failed to drift back to his well-muscled body. As he reached for the straps of her tank top, she pressed a hand to his strong chest. He winced visibly at the sudden additional burst of electricity before grinning. "What, got something else in mind?" "No, I just need some background noise. So I can think about something other than your fucking face." "I''ll give you something else to think about." Immediately, her nose pinched up, as if she were about to sneeze. "Stop." "What?" "I''m allergic, asshole. Remember?" To her relief, the sniffling went away. She reached over and grabbed the remote from the bedside table, clicking on the TV. It wasn''t very loud, but just enough that she could make out the words. The corner of the screen said it was a rerun from the evening news. "¡ªFederal Investigation Bureau has continued to refuse comment on all questions¡ª" "There we go," she said. She tossed the remote aside, then grabbed his shoulders. In one quick movement, she flipped him over, slamming him onto the bed and straddling his legs. His eyes widened. She grinned, then she pulled her top off over her head herself. "Only I get to do that, motherfucker." "Fuck you too, Rika." "Shut up and enjoy it, before I decide to find someone else to fuck." Why the fuck am I doing this? Her hands kept moving, stripping away the final layers, grabbing at him, taking him, but her mind was completely elsewhere. I always hated him. Yeah he''s sexy as fuck but I''ve had better. What am I doing? "Rika?" he asked. "Just shut up," she said again. "Enjoy the fucking ride." It''s me. I''m a fucking addict. That''s it. I''m addicted to sex, I''m addicted to stabbing people in the back. Sometimes sexually. Sometimes literally. This is just another moment in my stupid shitty life. "Hey, Rika." Just another moment. I''ll forget about it tomorrow. Back to the fucking store. Make a little more money, do a little more research, follow another shitty lead. Hit another fucking dead end. I''m in a fucking while loop and someone forgot to include an end condition. "Rika, wake the fuck up!" She looked down at him. "What''s wrong with you?" "What''s wrong with you?" "You''re getting what you want, aren''t you?" He shook his head, but another movement and a surge of energy had him too breathless to speak. She could still feel the electricity pumping through both of them, a constant pulsing circuit buzzing through every point their skin touched. She wondered what it felt like on the other side, what he was feeling, given their position. "Tell me this isn''t the best fucking sex you''ve ever had." "...Not by a long shot." "You liar. You feel that?" She let the electricity build up a little stronger, release a little more energy. It was always there, and she was always suppressing it. If she didn''t, she was liable to overload circuits, hurt people with just a fingertip. But every so often, either by neglect or by choice, she let it go. Because she could. A small surge traveled down through her core and into him. His eyes rolled back slightly in his skull, and his face visibly pinched up a bit, right as she let the current free. Yeah, he liked that. "Uh huh," she added. "So don''t lie to me, bitch. You know what you''re getting here." "You know what''s the worst?" "You?" "When the girl isn''t into it." Without warning, he shoved her back. The circuit broke, and the current of electricity dimmed. She felt like he''d just torn away something vital, a part of her she didn''t recognize until it was gone. "What the fuck, Ryan?" she snapped. Ryan Walker sat up against the wall, pulling the nearest sheet over his legs. "You need to deal with your shit, and you need to do it soon." "Fuck you." "Rika, you were fucking me, and you hate my guts. So there''s something seriously wrong with you." "When the fuck did you become the sensitive type?" "When you became the bitchy slut. You''re an asshole, Rika, but this? This isn''t you." She rolled off the bed and grabbed up her tank top. "The hell do you know about my life now?" "Not a goddamn thing. Just how you like it." Ryan shrugged. "I''m down to fuck, but next time, leave your fucking baggage at the door." He held up his hand and gestured across the room with his index finger. His laptop hovered off the desk and floated across the room to land in his lap. Rika started picking up her clothes. Motherfucker. She looked around for her wallet, which had fallen out of her pants at some point between the door at the bed, finally locating it under the pile of blankets they''d shoved to the side. She gathered everything up, expecting some kind of mocking aside from the gallery, but Ryan was surprisingly quiet. He was staring at the TV with a blank expression. "What?" "They just said my name," he murmured. "So?" "So they just said my name on national fucking TV." It took her a moment to remember that other people weren''t used to being in the news. Sure, she wasn''t there frequently, but being the rich rebellious daughter of a famous software nerd millionaire got her a fair share of crappy tabloid drama¡ªespecially when she was the one calling in the tips. God, I was stupid back then¡­ I doubt any of those stories did a thing to hurt Dad. "About what?" He picked up the remote and mashed the buttons. "Shitty ass DVR. One sec." They watched the segment again, from the beginning. "...Shit," Rika murmured. She was sitting on the side of the bed, her clothes totally forgotten. The same familiar blindsided feeling as when she''d gone back into Rallsburg, only to find out the whole town suddenly knew about magic. Ryan still looked dumbfounded. "What the fuck happened today?" he muttered. She glanced over at him. "They didn''t say you were alive for sure." "Yeah, but this is it, right? Magic''s in the open." "Yeah." "Fuck." "Fuck," Rika echoed. She clicked the TV off, pressing the button on the remote with a flick of her mind. "Where''s Rachel?" asked Ryan, leaning back on the bed. "Shouldn''t she be showing up with trumpets ''n shit now?" "Fuck if I know," Rika shrugged. Her brain was on overdrive as she tried to consider the huge shift in the world. To her surprise¡­ she didn''t really feel much at all. Relief, mostly. "Well, this makes things easier." "How so?" "I''m done hiding, for one." "But¡ª" She shrugged. "I''m only out here because I figured either Omega was gonna hunt me down, or they were gonna pin me with all those dead people from electrical burns. If the true story''s coming out from Cinza, I''m in the clear." "I''m not. I''m supposed to be dead." "...You think she did it, then?" Rika asked. "You think Rachel got him?" "Who else?" "Anyone else." Rika shook her head. "I don''t think Rachel could kill someone. Fuck, I don''t want her to have killed someone." "She could have," he muttered. "You should''ve seen her with Will. I''ve never seen someone that pissed." Rika laid back down. To her surprise, Ryan''s motel room had soft, comfortable sheets¡ªway nicer than she expected for such a cheap-looking place, and she''d been in a lot of cheap motels in her life. "Why didn''t you ever go home?" she asked, looking up at him at the head of the bed. "You''re interested in my life now?" "I''m stuck here for the night, motherfucker." "What?" She pointed at the clock. "Buses already stopped running." "Call a cab or something. Rideshares. Whatever." "You want to get rid of me that badly?" "You don''t?" "...I don''t hate your guts." It surprised them both. Ryan glanced over at her, eyes a little wide. She smirked, trying to reclaim some dignity. "Yeah, drink it in asshole. I was nice to you for a second." "I should call you Maria more often." "Whatever." "But seriously." His leg stretched out under the sheets, and his toe poked her in the arm near the kanji tattoo she''d done herself. "What the fuck''s up with you lately?" "Besides the whole ''we''re both pretending to be other people and hiding from the world in fucking Redmond'' thing?" "Hey, I''m actually supposed to be dead. You weren''t on any of those lists." He poked her again. "Who''s Maria?" She rolled her eyes. "My mother''s name. Didn''t you remember anything I told you when we were dating?" "''Course not. I only cared about the sex." "Asshole." Ryan grinned. "She was an artist, liked to write books for you when you were little. Died of a brain tumor. Your dad''s a horrible fucking monster who treated her like shit and left her to die alone. How am I doin''?" "...Shit." This isn''t Ryan. Who the fuck is this guy? "Try being nice to people for a change, maybe you''ll make more friends." There''s the patronizing asshole I remember. "Fuck that. I''m busy." "Busy working a dead-end retail job, pretending you don''t want to throttle half your coworkers, and calling yourself Maria?" He rolled his eyes. "I might be dead, but at least I''m honest about how much I''m just fucking around." "Fucking around, eh?" She glanced at him suggestively. "Anyone I should know about?" "A girl like you wouldn''t believe." He shook his head. "Don''t worry, I''ve got time for you." "I''m ditching you, fucker. I want to see this other girl who meets Ryan Walker''s impossible standards." "So you can get some tips?" "So I can give her a way better ride." He laughed. "Stick around and you might meet her." Rika sat up, looking at him oddly. "Isn''t she gonna care you were with me?" "Do you?" "I''m fucked up. I don''t count." Ryan shrugged. "You aren''t the only one that doesn''t care who sleeps with who. She and I spelled it out from day one. She''s just actually sane, unlike me and you." He sat up more, setting the laptop aside. "Seriously, Rika. You aren''t fucked up, you just need to figure out what you really want." "I know exactly what I want." I just don''t have any clue where to go next, and I''m stuck. I have no idea where he is. I went to Rallsburg to try and get some answers, and ended up in a fucking warzone instead. "What''s that?" "A good fuck, a good night''s sleep, and a goddamn clue." Ryan grinned. "I can do one and two, but unless you''re gonna tell me what you''re up to, you''re on your own for three." She grabbed the laptop with her mind, floating it back over to the bedside table. A moment later, she flung the remote after it¡ªa bit less carefully, as it cracked against the table edge and clattered to the floor. Ryan raised his eyebrows, lips curling into a smirk. Fuck it. I need some relief from this mess. I''ll figure it out in the morning. With one final flourish, she flung the sheets he''d gathered up back off the bed again. "Get back over here," she growled.
"One aspect of the story that no one seems to be covering is the lead investigator, Jeremy Ashe. Since the start of the investigation, it''s come to light that he had a personal connection with one of the victims of the incident: Jacqueline Nossinger, the sheriff of Rallsburg. Can you tell us a bit more about that?" "I was the chief of their precinct at the time they worked together. I assigned Jeremy to be Jackie''s partner, actually." "Do you believe Agent Ashe could have compromised the investigation due to his personal connections to the case?" "Absolutely not. Jeremy''s a professional. I don''t believe for a second he let personal feelings cloud his judgment." "He was removed from the case by his superiors after the standoff in north Tacoma. Most speculation pointed toward incompetency and involving himself in events outside his jurisdiction." "Well, given what we''ve learned, that standoff doesn''t seem so unrelated now, does it? When a dozen uniformed officers claim something supernatural occurred, and now we find out that maybe they weren''t so crazy, I think it''s probably worth looking into. Clearly, Jeremy was onto something." "Do you think he should be reinstated as the lead investigator?" "Right away. If anything, his old partnership with Jackie gives him the motivation to get this done right. Every detective and every good investigator has it drummed into them from the start. It''s the only way we can get cases through the system. Do things right, every time." "Let''s talk about Jackie for a minute. She was a detective in Homicide, right?" "That''s right. We covered one of the worst parts of Seattle. I''m pleased to say during that decade, we reduced the crime rate by a significant margin. Murders in particular went down in record numbers." "Would you say she was instrumental to this success?" "It''s hard to say what the specific cause of a reduction is, but I can say that Jackie always did her job well, above and beyond the call of duty. I was very sad to see her go." "She requested a transfer herself?" "Exactly. Worst day of my career, signing that sheet. She was moved out to state trooper, and eventually after a few patrols through the town, decided she liked it well enough to make it her home. She got elected sheriff in ''09, and stayed there right until the end." "In one of the released excerpts from the Rallsburg Diaries, she features prominently. Have you read it?" "...I have." "She seems to be presiding over a town hall about the murder of a child in town. Obviously, we don''t have much more context for the moment, but she certainly isn''t painted in a good light. She comes off as weak and ineffectual." "I''d say the writer is biased. They were clearly being attacked throughout the meeting. We can''t know the relationships in that room without more context. Jackie didn''t come off great in that, I agree, but we don''t know the whole story." "Too true. Well, the book won''t be available until Tuesday, so until then, we''ll be dissecting each of the portions in detail with our special guests. Up next, a profile of Hannah Newman, A.K.A. Ruby, the self-described ''soul mate'' of Diaries author Cinza, and her father Ashley Newman."
"I don''t want any trouble," he stammered. By now, he felt like he wouldn''t have any difficulty with that sentence¡ªbut somehow, every time, he felt even more scared than the last. "You don''t belong here man." "Go back to California." "I''m sorry, okay? I''ll pay for any damages." "Nah, man. Just get out of here. Don''t ever come back." "I don''t have anywhere else to go," he pleaded. "Should''ve thought of that first, huh?" "Get out of here." "You don''t belong." "Freak." "Wetback." "Beaner." "Spic." Hector couldn''t tell which of the voices were real, and which were from his memories. It was all just a blur of sound in his ears. His eyes couldn''t quite make it up from the pavement, staring at the shoes of the guys surrounding him. He backed away, leaving his car where it was¡ªscraped against a beaten up pick-up. It wasn''t even his fault. They''d parked next to him, way over the line and up on the curb. When the guy got out of the passenger seat, throwing the door wide in his drunken state, the window went straight into the side mirror of his car, shattering on impact. Hector had the misfortune of walking out only a moment later. Just like every other misfortune of his long, unfortunate life. Sometimes he wondered if coming to America was a mistake all along. It wasn''t what they said it would be. In so many ways it was better¡­ but even though he''d come there legally, in all the right ways and done all the right things, they still treated him like he didn''t belong. I''m just like you! he wanted to shout in their faces. Everyone came here at one time or another! That''s the whole point! But he knew it didn''t matter. They wouldn''t listen. Of course, this time, he was in the country illegally. He was in hiding, after all, spirited across the border by Jackie months before¡ªsnuck away from another home where he''d been run out of town for being different. Not for the color of his skin, for once, but it didn''t make much difference in the end. He''d still lost another home. Hector started walking away, but one of the guys grabbed him by the shirt collar. "Please, don''t do this," he whimpered. "I don''t want to hurt you." They glanced at each other. "Huh?" "I''ll pay for the car. I have some cash. But I can''t leave. I don''t have anywhere else to go." "You''ll go wherever we tell you to go." Hector shook his head. Reluctantly, he murmured a spell under his breath as he did, releasing a massive flow of energy into his arms as he did. He''d seen the knife on the belt of the taller guy. Hector hated violence, hated fighting of any kind¡ªbut if he had to stop them, he would. "Please," he said, one last time. "Didn''t you hear me? Get your ass out of our town," the guy growled. His fist went up, and Hector''s reflexes kicked in. Hector looked away as he pushed, and he felt the energy burst through his arms and fingertips. The guys went flying, straight over their truck and tumbling into the snow beyond. "Holy shit," gasped one of their onlooking friends. Hector turned and ran. He ran straight down the highway, as fast as his short legs could carry him. He ran without looking to see if anyone was chasing him. Just straight down the highway, along the snow-covered gravel, following the winding roads through the pine forest. He ran until he fell to his knees, gasping for breath. A car was approaching from far away, and Hector was too winded to even roll himself into the ditch next to the road. He just sat crouched in the shoulder, watching the slowly approaching car, hoping they''d be friendly. His eyes drooped. Was there even a car there? Was he just imagining it? He felt so tired, so cold. He tried to use magic to warm himself up, but he''d been awake for so long, and he''d sprinted all the way out of town. He pressed his hands to his face, trying to catch every bit of warm air from his breath, as if he could trap it in. As if in slow motion, Hector could feel himself falling over. His head was suddenly surrounded by packed white snow, ears freezing from the ice-cold ground. Everything was cold. So cold. I guess this is it¡­ "Hector." I''m sorry, Leticia. I''m coming to you sooner than I promised. "Hector!" "...What?" Hector spluttered awake. He was in the backseat of a car, with a pile of hand warmers scattered over him, and a familiar face leaning over him. A wrinkled face with sharp brown eyes and messy brown hair perpetually tied back behind her head. "Jackie?" She grinned. "Takin'' a nap in the snow, are ya?" His ears felt like they''d fallen off, but he was pleased to find they were still attached to his head¡ªalbeit completely numb. Jackie draped a blanket over him, then dumped the pile of hand warmers on top of it, followed by another blanket. "The hell were you doin'' out here?" "Running," he said sadly, trying to get more comfortable. The seat belt connector pressed painfully into his back, but his arms felt too weak to reach underneath and try to push it away. Jackie noticed, of course, and helped him get it squared away. "Thought you were working. Night shift at the gas station, right?" "I¡­" He turned his head away, embarrassed. "I couldn''t stay there anymore." "What happened? Last I checked you were doin'' pretty good. You even got yourself a car. Way better off than Preston and Neffie, let me tell ya." "What happened to the Bowmans?" he asked, desperate to change the subject¡ªand for an update on Neffie, whom he''d always liked quite a lot. "Oh, they''re fine. They''re living in their little cabin and doin'' just great at drivin'' each other up the walls. Neffie''s bored out of her mind but what can do you? They play cards a lot with their next door neighbor. Next door bein'' a half-dozen miles, mind." "That doesn''t sound so bad." "They eat nothin'' but fish and plants. No red meat at all." She shuddered exaggeratedly. "I can''t live without a good steak every once in a while, y''know?" "I guess so." "But seriously, man. If I hadn''t been drivin'' this way, you coulda died." "What were you doing out here?" "The rounds, of course." She sighed. "There''s big news on the way. I got a call from Rachel." He perked up at that news. "I thought no one''s heard from her since May." "Yeah, well, I kinda lied. Sorry, but that girl earned it." "I don''t blame you. Please, keep going." "I''m not sayin'' we were regular talkin'' buddies, but I checked up on her. Anyway. Yesterday she was visited by the FBI agent. The one that ran into Dan and Boris, remember?" "Yes." "Yeah, well, they got to talkin''. Apparently he ain''t so bad. Rachel thinks he''s our ticket into the world for real. It''s not gonna be easy, but it''s a start." He shrugged. Somehow, he doubted even Rachel could find him a proper place to live. Rallsburg had been the closest, but it had also ended up the worst. "What does that mean for us?" "Means we get to go home, man!" "...But we don''t have a home." Jackie shrugged. "So we''ll make a new home. Don''t worry, it ain''t so bad. I''ve moved plenty of times in my life." "...So have I." She frowned. "Yeah, I getcha. But¡­ well, at least you''ll be among friends right? Hey, how about you come with me now?" "Huh?" "This is gonna be over soon. I''m headed up to meet Neffie and Preston next. You want to ride along?" "I¡­ I guess so." "Need anything here?" He shook his head fervently, then regretted it immediately as a spike of pain shot through. "I don''t have anything here I want to keep. Let''s just go." She hesitated, but nodded. "You got it, Hector." As they drove, Hector peppered her with questions, just to keep her busy. Anything to turn the conversation away from himself. "How''s Natalie doing?" He started with her, the one he missed most of all. She''d been his best friend, more or less, the whole time he''d lived in Rallsburg. From the day she''d arrived, a spunky seven year old missing both her front teeth, with a love for the outdoors and a father who wanted nothing to do with anyone in town. She kept running away from their little house across from the apartments he''d inherited, much to Brian''s frustration and frequent panic. Hector was almost always the first one to find her. He had a knack for knowing just where she''d run, and he made sure to stay with her until her father showed up again. Over time, he and Brian built up something of a friendship¡ªhis second friend in town after Robert. They weren''t close by any stretch of the definition, but he was soon one of the few people he could trust Natalie with. She ended up at his store after school with Mrs. Nichols almost every day, even if only to have a place away from her dad where she could play games on her phone or watch TV. Hector indulged her, reminded of his old role as the fun uncle to his brother''s two little girls. He let her get away with the little things while she was away from home, and they built up a mischievous rapport. When they both found Scraps, quite independently, Hector was the first person she told. "I haven''t seen her," Jackie sighed. "I just get what the rest of us do from Kendra and Lily online, and the couple of posts she made of course. I figure they aren''t tellin'' us the whole story, you know? She seems way quieter lately, but I don''t want to intrude. I mean, she''s at that age right? She''s changin''." Hector watched the snow-laden trees pass by above him through the rear window, thinking of the forlorn forest surrounding their old town, where Natalie had made her real home in the trees with her pets. "You think they''re takin'' good care of her though?" "I dunno. But Kendra''s a teacher. She''s got a masters in it, right? I''m sure she knows how to handle a kid." "She taught college-age undergrads," Hector pointed out. "So maybe she doesn''t have a damn clue," Jackie shrugged. "Natalie''s a smart kid. I''m sure she''s okay." "Yeah¡­" Hector wasn''t exactly convinced, but what else could he do? They were so far away, and he was laying on his back in the rear of Jackie''s car, thawing out under a couple of blankets. "Look on the bright side, Hector," Jackie continued. "If everything''s gonna be in the open, we could go see her. Everyone else, too. No more hiding." "No more hiding," he muttered. "I dunno about that." "What''s up?" "You know what I can do, right?" She shrugged again, glancing over her shoulder to make sure he could see it. "I''ve heard a few stories. Apparently you kept the peace as much as I did back in the day. Guess I got you to thank for keeping my town intact." "For a while." "Yeah, for a while." "People are always¡­ always gonna want me to do stuff like that," he continued. "I don''t think there''s ever gonna be more like us, you know?" "I guess not." "But I don''t want to do anything like that. I''m not¡­ I''m just not that kind of guy." "I hear ya." She pulled off onto a side road, crunching through a rough patch with practiced ease. "Look, I promise. I''ll make sure that you get left alone, if you want that. I''m sure Rachel would too. You did your part back in Rallsburg." "Rachel wouldn''t," he muttered. "If she felt like she needed me, she''d ask." "Yeah, but if she needed you, it''s probably the end of the damn world," Jackie pointed out. "Isn''t that a good enough reason?" Hector didn''t answer. He didn''t know if he had an answer for that. He''d never asked for the sort of power he''d found himself with, and he didn''t like what it meant. He wasn''t exactly opposed to using magic. He and Natalie had even made a game out of some of the spells they did, and he''d used magic to clean his store more than a few times, scraping surfaces clean to a perfect finish, blowing away dust, shifting temperatures on surfaces to sterilize them, tightening hard to reach screws with his mind. But when it came to the magic everyone wanted¡­ Hector hated it. He hated that he was able to make himself stronger than anyone without the tiniest bit of effort, or that he could shatter spells other people projected with barely a thought. It made him a threat, and Hector never wanted to be a threat. He just wanted to find a place to settle down, with good people who appreciated him and the work he did. Everywhere he went, the world seemed to tell him otherwise. Go back to where you came from. Go away. Don''t ever come back. You don''t belong. Hector Peraza had long since given up on ever finding a home. The best he could do were the few friends who''d stuck with him¡ªlike the kind sheriff driving the car, or the beautiful clever woman he liked and her clumsy well-meaning brother whom they were on the way to meet, or the tall young woman trying to save the world who''d helped keep his business afloat, or the little girl with a harsh father who just wanted a place where she could be herself. Having friends was something, at least. Hector pulled the blankets tighter around himself and tried to get some sleep. The car bumped and jerked around on the badly maintained road, while the sun glared at him from every direction¡ªreflected off a world blanketed in harsh, frozen tundra.
"One of the four excerpts from the book is certainly the most thrilling. With us today is a very special witness, one who was suspended on medical leave after the Tacoma Standoff on October 26th. Lieutenant Malich, thank you so much for agreeing to speak with us today." "Thank you for inviting me." "Could you tell us a bit of what happened at that standoff? Specifically, how it relates to what we''re discussing today?" "Well, I don''t know how much of this made it to the public¡ª" "We went over your testimony, and the testimony of your men, before this segment today." "Ah. So yeah. The rock monsters." "Yes, exactly. You and your men encountered the ''golems'', as the Diaries call them, out in Tacoma." "They were fu¡ª excuse me. They were terrifying. Bullets didn''t do a thing to ''em, and they tossed our cars aside like tin cans." "So the excerpt, which details the author and her people being attacked by two of these ''golems'', reads accurately to you?" "Yeah, pretty much. I mean, none of them burst into flames or shot fire at us, but I wouldn''t be surprised if they could. The rest is right, one hundred percent. They''re real." "I''d like to remind our viewers that Lieutenant Malich is a decorated veteran and has been an officer in the Tacoma P.D. for more than fifteen years without a single blemish to his record. He has never been diagnosed with any sort of psychological or mental disorder and has no family history of either." "Nope. Sane as they come." "There was a great deal of speculation about why the attack occurred. They never gave you any demands, correct?" "Yeah. We didn''t have a clue what was going on. Then Agent Ashe jumps out of a car, takes over and runs inside." "Do you think he knew what was going on?" "At the time? I dunno. He looked like he was insane too. But he obviously knew more than I did." "It would seem that these attacks were targeted at the so-called ''awakened'', if the golem attacks in the excerpt are to be believed." "Makes some sense I guess. From what the witnesses told us, they were singling people out. Like they were lookin'' for something. But no one could tell us what it was." "I think it''s safe to say we now know, Lieutenant Malich." "But here''s the thing, right? How did they know? And who the hell were they? There''s somethin'' else going on here. They''re fighting." Brian held up the remote and clicked off the TV. The dozen or so faces turned around to face him, clustered in the small house in Neilton, northwest of Rallsburg and Brian''s temporary home. One of his followers had graciously donated it for their use. "We''ve got work to do." "Isn''t this a disaster?" asked one man. "They''re coming out into the open. It''s going to keep spreading. We didn''t wipe them out." He shook his head. "We can use this too." "How so?" "For every bleeding heart that pops up, we''ll find someone else who understands what kind of danger we''re in. It''s only a matter of time." Brian looked around pointedly. "We''ve always had a hard time recruiting people. Who''s going to believe in this devil magic? But if the media''s spreading the message¡­" "We can convince them," the man finished. Brian nodded. In the back of his mind, he had another agenda. His daughter wasn''t safe anymore. He didn''t know how it was possible, but apparently Kendra Laushire was one of them. The stone had lied to him. Jackson told him it wouldn''t ever lie, but perhaps he''d misunderstood. Maybe Jackson had simply made sure it could never produce a false positive. He wouldn''t want to hurt an innocent. But in taking such care, it wasn''t perfect at detecting the real awakened among them. He''d have to be more thorough in rooting out the plague, if he was going to stamp it clean. "Take more of the identifying stones," he ordered. "Spread out and find them. If they think it''s safe to come into the open, you will be there. You will find them. Call me and I will be there." He clenched his fist. "This isn''t over yet." As they left, Brian took his best aside¡ªan officer in the Tacoma Police, who helped them in his off-hours, with the full resources of the department at his disposal. The man who had helped them track Dan and Boris, who had tailed Harold and Sophie and the others they''d already dealt with. Brian gave him a description of Kendra Laushire. "Find her." "Who is she?" Brian hesitated. "One of them. One of the most powerful. Be very careful around her. She may have a young girl around her, thirteen years old, short brown hair, brown eyes. If you find them, I need you to call me immediately." The officer nodded. "The girl?" "No. She''s innocent." The officer nodded. They trusted him implicitly. After what he''d shown them, they would believe any word he spoke. He was a divine messenger warning of the tides of destruction, the oncoming flood threatening to drown the world. He was the prophet of the apocalypse, the only means by which the world might yet be saved. A trail of death may follow in his wake, but it was a small price to pay for the safety of generations to come. They would do what needed to be done. They were all damned for eternity, but if that meant their children would live on, every man was prepared to make that sacrifice. Brian clutched the golem-rod tight in his hand, staring at the blank television, envisioning the faces of all the monstrous figures who had destroyed his home. "I''m coming for you." [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] B2: Chapter 19 — End of the World, Redux Part V Heroes and Villains Chapter 19 ¡ª End of the World, Redux "The greatest strength we hold is trust. To give yourself over to another, to become one mind with each other, that is the true potential of the human soul. Let those in whom you hold absolute faith fill the weaknesses of your own spirit. For those who would break trust: give them no quarter, for they shatter that which can never be truly repaired." ~Cinza, The Rallsburg Diaries Hailey dove out of the sky, landing on the concrete in front of the glass double-doors. Quite a few people shrieked. She didn''t care. Quickly letting Jessica go, Hailey wrenched open the front door of the building and marched up to the receptionist desk. The terrified young woman behind the counter stood up straight, her knees visibly knocking together. "W-welcome to Luther, R-Renalds an¡ª" "Where is he?" Hailey asked. Jessica finally caught up to her, tapping her on the shoulder, but Hailey quickly shook her head before returning to the receptionist. "...W-who?" "The author of your Diaries," Hailey snapped. Her voice dripped with venom. She could feel rage boiling over in her face, like she were in the middle of a blazing fire. They''d flown almost non-stop from Ohio all the way back to Redmond, stopping once for food and finally arriving just past lunch. Jessica was looking a little light-headed, since she''d supplied Hailey with a lot of energy to keep them flying fast the whole way. "I don''t know who that is," said the receptionist meekly, cowering under her glare. Jessica grabbed Hailey''s arm and pulled her back. Hailey glanced over. Jessica looked angry. Her hand came up. She lightly slapped Hailey in the face, just enough to really get her attention. Hailey stopped. Jessica glared at her, pointing at the young woman behind the desk, utterly terrified. Hailey took a deep breath, forcing herself to be calm. "Whatever you have to do, please," she forced through rigid teeth. "Whoever''s representing him. Call them." "R-right away." She fumbled for the phone. "Mr. Portman? Yes, this is Julie. Yes, reception. No, don''t hang up. I need you down here right now. It''s an emergency." "Tell him Hailey Winscombe is here to see him," Hailey growled. "...Yes, sir. Hailey Winscombe." She paused, while whoever was on the other end spoke something very quickly. Hailey was about to try and listen in, but they stopped. Julie looked back up at her. "Mr. Portman is on his way down right now." She hesitated, looking anywhere but at Hailey herself. "C-can I get you anything?" "No." Hailey stayed right where she was, still breathing heavily. The flight hadn''t exactly been easy, but she still felt too pumped up on adrenaline to even stand still. She started pacing, fully aware of the sea of eyes watching her every move. She''d just dropped out of the sky in the middle of the day. She was surprised there wasn''t more of a fuss going on. At the moment, no one seemed to want to move. They were all waiting to see what happened next¡ªwhat she''d do next. Hailey wasn''t going to give them a show. She was here to shut down the show. The elevator doors pinged. A sharp-dressed man with a poorly-shaved goatee stepped out. His eyes lit up as he spotted Hailey. He walked forward, extending his hand in greeting. Hailey walked straight ahead, brushing right past him and stepping into the elevator. "Not here," she snapped over her shoulder. To his credit, Portman recovered remarkably fast, turning on a dime and joining her in the elevator. One silent elevator ride with Portman and a bewildered Jessica later, they arrived in what she assumed was the nicest suite in the building. Tasteful minimalist artwork surrounded soft comfortable office chairs, with wide tables perfect for piles of paperwork to sign. All points of a high-powered law firm experienced with high-profile clients. Hailey had been in a couple of these rooms before, back when she''d actually still been interested in her mother''s career. Usually they were full of people. This room was totally empty. Portman took a seat on one side, gesturing for them to take the opposite. Hailey finally sat down, though she still couldn''t stop fidgeting. Throughout the conversation, she was gently moving her chair back and forth, tapping her feet on the legs, anything. "The famous Hailey Winscombe, I presume?" he started, with a wry smile. She returned it with a stony glare. "Look, I''m in a hurry. You guys are the ones publishing the book, right?" "We represent the client. Pro Paradigm is the publisher." "Okay, so you''re definitely who I want to talk to." She leaned forward slightly, putting her elbows on the table. "Where''s Nate Price?" If he was surprised she knew who their client was, he gave no sign. "I''m not at liberty to divulge that information." "Wrong answer." She rolled her hand over, and a ball of flame flickered into life in mid-air above it. His eyes got wide. Jessica tensed up too, and Hailey saw her murmuring something under her breath just in case. "Oh my god¡­" he murmured. "What, he didn''t show you any magic?" "I''ve never met the client. We have a strict policy with our clientele who require anonymity." "But you knew his name." The man puffed up his chest, just a little. "Well, I am a senior partner at the firm." "The only one still here for lunch on a Friday," Hailey noted aloud. She let the fire dissipate into the air, realizing how little the guy actually knew. He wasn''t who she needed to talk to after all. Portman frowned. "That''s not¡ª" She stood up, feeling too impatient to keep dealing with him. "Where''s the guy above you?" Jessica got up too, following her lead. "I''m sorry?" "Who''s in charge of Nate''s case?" "I can''t disclose that inform¡ª" "Are you serious right now?" Hailey growled. Her arm started to move upward again, but Jessica grabbed her. Hailey twisted around. Jessica was pointing out the window, where a sizeable crowd was starting to gather down below. Several news vans had pulled up, and guys with cameras were positioning themselves around the front doors. They were way up on the fifth floor, but even so, it was pretty obvious what was happening. "Someone must have called them in," Portman commented mildly, also watching out the windows. "One of your people?" "Of course not. It''s much easier to let publicity happen naturally these days. If people think anything''s manufactured, they''re less likely to engage with it." He glanced over at her. "You''re a public figure now, Miss Winscombe. They''re going to be all over you." "They already were," Hailey muttered. "The FBI as well, and local police. You''ve got a lot to answer for." The phone on the desk rang, but Portman ignored it. He was watching her instead. Hailey murmured a quick spell, and suddenly everyone on the ground was thrown into sharp focus. She could see all of them perfectly. Some of the anchors she even recognized. One of them had interviewed her mom once, a piece on some charity work she did for her company years back. They were all staring right back up at her, though none of them could actually see her through the tinted glass on the fifth story. "How long do I have?" she asked, turning back to Portman. "Well, this is private property, and it could easily be argued you''re meeting with counsel." He shrugged. "The federal agents will only be delayed until they can get in touch with their favorite local judge to issue a warrant. If you were to make us your official legal representation, I''m sure we could delay the press indefinitely. " She laughed. "Are you really trying to give me a sales pitch right now?" "Can''t fault me for trying, can you?" Hailey ignored him, looking at Jessica next to her. It''s time. No more running and hiding. I have to beat Nate at his own game. She pointed out the window, making a motion with her hand like a waterfall. Jessica shook her head. She held up her hands to her face, as if to hide, punctuating it as a question. Hailey shrugged. "I think that''s done now," she added, feeling a rush of excitement. With another murmured spell, one she''d practiced and refined so many times that she could do it without thinking, Hailey''s hair and face rearranged themselves back to normal. She took off the fake glasses and dropped them in her bag. Ignoring the gawking Portman, Hailey gestured at her face, then down at the crowd again. Jessica hesitated. She looked down at the crowd, muttering under her breath words Hailey couldn''t understand. Finally, she looked back up. Jessica pointed at herself and shook her head, her blue-brown hair flying wildly. "You sure?" Hailey asked, tilting her head slightly. She nodded. She gave Hailey a small smile and pointed out of the window, nodding. Hailey hugged her tight, releasing the spell on her appearance as she did. "Hey, Mr. Portman?" "Y-yes?" he spluttered, as if coming out of a stupor. "Got a bathroom I can use?"
If Hailey was finally making her real public debut, she wasn''t going out there looking like that. Jessica closed the private restroom door behind them and locked it with a satisfyingly loud click. As a secondary measure, she cast a spell on the door itself, pressing at the metal to wedge it into the frame. It wasn''t going to open without some serious force behind it. Meanwhile, Hailey had dug out a pouch of chalk dust from her bag, along with a pair of moonstones and another pair of malachite. She handed the chalk to Jessica, who floated it out in a dusty haze. As Hailey set out the little candle holders at each point, the chalk landed in a perfect astroid on the restroom floor. "It''s a good thing we don''t have to clean up after," Hailey laughed. She was giddy with anticipation. Jessica rolled her eyes, righting one of the candle holders that Hailey had knocked over as she stepped into the center of the chalk. The gemstones floated out to each holder and landed with tiny clinks, echoing slightly off the tile walls of the room. As Hailey started, a thrill of danger trickled through her mind. Ritual magic was still a rarity. Even Cinza and her people tended to avoid it, with only a couple experiments involving the golems since their last disastrous attempt in Rallsburg. They all feared the potential consequences of a broken ritual. For Hailey, such painful results were always evident, of course¡ªbut even so, she had performed more successful rituals than anyone else in the world, as far as she knew. She closed her eyes, reaching out mentally along the lines of chalk to the gemstones. Unlike the normal process of just ripping energy out of them, the ritual allowed her to feel them in a more nuanced way. She could tell how the moonstone shaped her ability to change the color of an object, altering how it reflected light, while the malachite helped her shift the texture and composition. She drew them in, and in an instant she''d already changed the color of her hair. It was trivial to her now, starting at the roots and working her way down, shifting the structure of each strand to a shiny golden-blonde hue. With the number of times she''d practiced the spell, Hailey had eventually worked her way up to doing multiple tasks simultaneously. Just as she moved the moonstone energy into her hair, she also brought the malachite to change the texture and shape, twisting it just slightly so it formed natural waves instead of the plain straight hair she''d adopted. While she still held the malachite in her mind, Hailey sent it flowing around the skin on her face, washing away every freckle and blemish as she went. Suddenly, her skin was perfect¡ªmaybe even too perfect. She released everything with a gasp, her eyes fluttering open. The chalk dust had vanished, though the moonstone and malachite were mostly intact. Jessica set to gathering them up, but stopped as she glanced over at Hailey. Hailey looked in the mirror. She had gone too far, but could anyone really fault her for it? Every imperfection was washed away. It wasn''t that she was suddenly an unbelievable, exaggerated form of attractive¡ªit was still Hailey in the mirror¡ªbut it seemed like a perfect version of herself. Like she''d just had professional makeup done for hours to make her skin absolutely flawless, her hair perfectly clean and catching the light, her eyelashes just right, her lips soft and full of color. Hell, even her nose looked attractive, and she''d always hated her nose. Suddenly, it wasn''t off-center anymore, or weirdly straight. And all of it was permanent. Hailey glanced at Jessica, suddenly feeling a little nervous. "Jess?" Jessica shook her head slightly, realizing she''d been staring at Hailey with her mouth hanging open slightly. She gave her a quick nod of approval, but Hailey could see her eyes lingering. Hailey grinned. She floated the handful of candle holders out of Jessica''s arms, dumping them back into her bag. She gave Jessica another hug, who returned it after a moment''s hesitation, then turned and opened the bathroom door. Jessica vanished into thin-air, not wanting to be seen quite yet, but Hailey was ready. She walked right back into Portman''s office, where he was still watching the crowd below with a concerned expression. He looked up, and his jaw dropped even further than the last time. "Does that window open?" she asked casually. He nodded. Hailey took a deep breath. "Show time." She found the latch for the window and pulled it open. Stepping out onto the ledge, she closed it behind her without looking, shoving it gently back into place with her mind. It only took a few moments for someone to notice her. They began shouting. It was like someone just kicked an anthill as people began swarming, turning cameras up to catch her. She jumped. Some people screamed. Hailey fell through the air, enjoying the whistling breeze for a few moments. She spread her wings wide and pushed hard. Her descent slowed, and became an easy controlled glide down to the pavement. The crowd of cameras and press made way, quickly reforming a circle around her as she touched down, with only a few quick steps for balance before she stood upright. There were so many clicks, camera flashes, and shouted questions that Hailey felt totally blind. She didn''t even bother trying to answer, just glancing around the crowd with a nervous smile. It gave her a surprisingly long time to think, since each journalist, paparazzi, or just random onlooker were all practically climbing over each other to get the first word from her. Right back at the center of the crowd. You got this, Hales. Just like old times. Except it really wasn''t like old times. The old crowds were all people she knew, or at least invited by people she knew. Her parties, her friends. Her word was law there. Here? She was totally alone. What the hell was I thinking? I''m probably on TV in front of the whole world right now. What am I supposed to say? She glanced around. The furor was dying down as they realized she still hadn''t said anything. There were still a few shouted questions, mostly from the back, but a wave of silence was overtaking the gaggle. She could hear the bustle of the city beyond, as the rest of the world continued on regardless of the monumental event taking place in front of a law office in Redmond. Oh man, this really is monumental. I''m the first person with magic to ever really show up and say something. This is gonna be in all the history books, isn''t it? What if I just flew away again? She laughed aloud briefly at the image in her head, which caused another flurry of activity, another burst of photos, another couple shouted questions before they all fell silent again. Oh god. I totally froze up. I can''t speak. She looked back up at the window she''d jumped from. Her eyes were still enhanced from earlier, since she''d never let go of the spell. It didn''t actually make things up close harder to see, it just let her see details on things much further away easily if she focused. Just like normal eyes, except that she had a way longer depth of field, or whatever the right term was. Jessica was sitting up on the roof peeking over the edge, barely visible even with her eyesight. She gestured slightly, obviously trying to get Hailey to notice. She kept pointing at herself, motioning over and over between that and the crowd below. Go get her? No, Jessica had pretty clearly indicated she didn''t want to be on TV. Be like her? Not likely either. Be like¡­ me. Be myself. Oh. Hailey could do that. It was easier than trying to think of something profound and important to say, anyway. That was all Cinza and Rachel''s thing. She looked back at the crowd, letting her nervous anxiety manifest on her face. She cracked a smile. "Hi." No one moved. No one said a word. A couple cameras clicked, but as she looked around, they appeared to be taking pictures automatically. Everyone was frozen in place. Hailey glanced back up at the building. "That was pretty crazy, huh?" "What are you?" asked a breathless man near the front, holding up a microphone from a local TV station. "I''m Hailey. Hailey Aurora Elizabeth Winscombe. I''m twenty-two, I''m majoring in business, I''m a Leo¡ªnot that those mean anything at all¡­ and I''m one of the awakened." She took another deep breath, turning to stare at the nearest camera. "I''m here to call out the so-called survivor of Rallsburg. The guy who''s responsible for stealing the diaries of a good friend of mine." She glanced around the crowd, pausing for effect. "Wherever you are? Stop hiding. Call your lawyers and get out here. We need to talk." A cacophony as the floodgates opened up, a dozen voices yelling over one another. "Miss Winscombe, where have you been hiding?" "What happened in Rallsburg, Hailey?" "Did you just say Cinza was your friend?" "How did you just do that?" "What happened to Cinza?" "Can you fly?" "What are you?" Hailey had been ignoring every question since, but as the last one cropped up again, she turned and fixed her eyes on the man who had asked. The crowd fell silent instantly at her reaction, but Hailey didn''t let her anger show. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. This is the most important moment in the world, and I''m standing at the center of it. Whatever I say is what everyone''s gonna be talking about for days. Weeks. Years. Centuries, maybe. Don''t screw it up. Be yourself. She smiled. "I told you, I''m Hailey. I''m awakened. I''m one of the good guys." "...What does ''awakened'' mean?" "Were you always like this?" "Who are the bad guys, Hailey?" Crap, maybe not the best way to start this off¡­ Oh god, what are Cinza and the others thinking right now? I shouldn''t be doing this. We need to regroup. Hailey glanced around again nervously. "Sorry, everyone. I gotta go." Before anyone could say another word, Hailey coiled her legs and leapt into the air. Her wings unfurled in an instant and beat down hard, sending a huge gust rolling through the crowd. More than a few hats were blown off. Hailey quickly ascended to the roof, where Jessica was suddenly nowhere to be found. Hailey knew exactly what Jessica would do. She held out her hands right as she passed the lip of the roof. Two small, invisible hands clasped onto her forearms like vices. Hailey swung her around in midair, and Jessica found a grip, clinging to her with both arms and legs. Another hard wingbeat and they were moving, flying south while a herd of cameras and vehicles on the ground tried in vain to follow.
The Greywoods camp was eerily silent as Hailey and Jessica landed, but there was smoke issuing from Cinza''s chimney nonetheless. Yusuf and Joe looked up from the field curiously as Hailey landed, since she wasn''t expected. She ignored them, heading straight for Cinza''s cabin. She tried to compose the words in her head to explain what had happened, but she couldn''t think of anything. She didn''t have to. Cinza and Ruby were sitting together on their wide chair, both staring at the monitor. There were tears on Ruby''s cheeks. As Hailey entered, she turned away and hid her face in the thick cushions. "I will end him," said Cinza, her arm around Ruby''s shoulder. "I couldn''t find him," Hailey sighed, taking one of the chairs opposite. Josh bolted into the room a moment later, his mouth open. "Cinza¡ª" "We already know," Hailey interrupted. Josh glanced at her. "When''d you get here?" "Like thirty seconds ago. We had to outrun a helicopter that chased us across Tacoma. Jess made us invisible, but I could''ve sworn it was still following us, then it made a few wrong turns and we got away." She leaned back in the chair, stretching out from the hard flight. "Also, I got outed too." "By your own choice," Cinza said quietly. It wasn''t an accusation. They''re gonna know all of us sooner or later¡­ "...Yeah." Hailey looked back at her. If Ruby was so devastated, Hailey expected Cinza to be doubly so¡ªbut she was practically radiating pure, focused rage. If she weren''t so angry at him herself, Hailey might have pitied Nate in that moment. Cinza would tear him to pieces if she got her hands on him. "Ruby¡­" Josh started. "Don''t look at me," snapped Ruby, her voice muffled by the chair. "You both saw it, right?" "Well¡­ no," said Hailey, glancing between them. "As soon as I saw the first couple channels talking about it, I flew straight to the lawyers Nate hired. I didn''t really have a chance to look at anything. I read a little bit more when we stopped halfway across to eat, but my phone was almost dead." "Ruby got outed," explained Josh, before Cinza could speak. "...I mean, that''s not surprising," said Hailey. "No, I mean her real name and everything. Her dad. Where she''s from. Age, birthday, appearance, preferences, favorite foods. A whole fuckin'' profile." Josh glanced at Cinza oddly. "That was some diary." "No one was ever meant to read them. They were private," she snapped. "Ruby''s real name?" Hailey asked, surprised. For some reason, she''d never really considered the idea. She''d always doubted Cinza''s name, but she''d never bothered to consider that her girlfriend''s might be fake, too. Josh looked over at Cinza again, as if seeking permission. Cinza sighed. "It''s public record now. You''ll hear it sooner or later. Her name is Hannah Newman, and she''s from Tacoma. She ran away from home at fifteen and ended up in Rallsburg, May before last." Hailey did the quick mental math. "So she''s¡­ oh. Oh god." "Cinza, don''t let them¡ª" Ruby started, still muffled. Hailey could barely hear her over the crackling fire and the rain that was beginning to pour down on the roof. Jessica opened the door, letting in Scrappy, who ambled through and sat down next to the fire. Cinza ran a hand through her hair, shushing her and holding her close. "Ruby, I shall never in an eternity of life, be they god or devil or the force of nature itself, allow anyone to take you from me." "...Cinza, you''re not gonna have a choice," Josh said uneasily. "If she''s a minor, we all know how this looks. The law''s never gonna let her stay with a cult." "This isn''t really a cult¡­" said Hailey. "You think anyone''s gonna care? As the resident non-member, this is absolutely a damn cult and anyone sayin'' otherwise is kiddin'' themselves." Josh held up his hand as both Cinza and Hailey opened their mouths angrily. "It''s a good cult, calm the fuck down. But until she''s eighteen, it''s gonna be a shitshow." "When is that?" Hailey asked gently, looking back to Cinza. "Next September," she replied. "Far too long." "It''s so stupid," Ruby cried. "I''m not going back to him. Never." "They can never find you here," Cinza reminded her, hugging her close. "You''re safe." "For how long though?" asked Hailey uneasily. "Forever, if they want," Josh said with a shrug. "It''s totally self-sustaining now. I mean, it''s fuckin'' November and we''re still growing food outdoors. We''ve got electricity, heat, everything. The magic''s solid." "The rest of the world won''t be so simple," said Cinza, finally loosening her grip on Ruby, though the girl didn''t move an inch. She continued to run a hand through the thick red hair as she spoke. "We''ll be safe, but our moment has come. We can''t let this pass unchallenged." "Unchallenged?" Hailey asked. "If all they have is Nate''s word and my writing, they will make assumptions. Many of which will be false." "What exactly do they have?" asked Josh. "We gotta know what we''re up against." "I wrote down everything. Everything that happened, everything I thought and did and saw, to the best of my knowledge and my memory." Cinza glanced over at the wall of journals, barely visible through the thick starry curtain that separated the cabin into rooms. Hailey squinted, and sure enough, it seemed to be locked up tight, instead of an open shelf as before. "Based upon the volumes that remain, they have every event from the end of July last year until May fifteenth, after we gathered in the library. Three books in total." "Son of a bitch," he muttered. "I''m sorry," said Hailey, "but I wasn''t really there for most of that¡­ What does that mean?" "Second coup?" Josh asked, glancing at Cinza. She shook her head. "I was only tangentially involved, so I didn''t record much of it. Ruby and I left Rallsburg for much of November. Certainly not enough to condemn anyone." "Thank god. But still¡­ That''s gonna have the names of everyone, yeah? And what we can do, who was in charge, everything." He slumped in his chair. "Shit, I''m gonna be all over that aren''t I?" "You were the most frequent visitor to our ritual," Cinza replied, with the faintest smile creasing her lips. "I needed a distraction after Rika stabbed me in the fucking back," he muttered. "Okay, so they''re gonna know everything about us." "They already do," said Hailey. "They already went over all of us when the town got wiped out, remember?" "Like you''re the same person you were before?" asked Josh. He shook his head. "That''s not what I''m really worried about." "Rachel," added Cinza with a nod. "...What?" "She shot Jackson. Right in front of me," said Cinza quietly. "Self defense, right?" "As long as we advocate for her." "What about you?" asked Josh, looking over at her. "You and Ruby killed a couple people too¡­" He trailed off, realizing what he''d just said so casually. Cinza nodded, unperturbed. "I will probably be forced to answer for that. I''m not an expert on legal matters, but I think that too would be construed as self defense." "They were trying to kill us," murmured Ruby. "How more self-defense can you get?" "We need Jackie," muttered Josh, pressing his hands to his face. "I''ve been trying," Hailey sighed. "I promised Agent Ashe I would." "Shit!" Josh sat up suddenly. "He''s on our side now, right? Ask him for help." "I don''t know about on our side," said Hailey dubiously. "But I can try." "Should we really contact them as our first move?" wondered Cinza aloud. "We may be stepping right into a trap, if we place ourselves in the hands of federal agents on the first day of the new world." "Not really our first move," Josh pointed out. "Hailey already showed off live on national TV. They can''t bury her." He glanced over at her. "Nice speech, by the way." "Thanks?" "A bit short for my taste," commented Cinza. Hailey was glad the mood was finally warming up a bit. "Everything''s too short for your taste," she teased back, grinning. "Perhaps I''m overcompensating for something," Cinza added mildly, smiling as well. "What''s going to happen to us?" asked Ruby, finally looking up. Her face, streaked with tears, chilled the mood back down to ice-cold. No one answered, while the fire crackled away and Jessica glanced between them, sitting up against the wall with Scrappy curled up by her side. "It''s time to face the real world, my love," Cinza said, kissing her on the forehead. "Our brief stay from the public eye is past. The second emergence has begun." She looked up at Hailey. "I suppose you''ll be representing us." Hailey glanced between the two of them, uncertain. Josh nodded. "She''s the best choice." He raised his eyebrows pointedly. "I mean: damn, Hales." She shrugged. "I''ve been waiting so long to go back to normal. I kind of overdid it." "It paid off." "You look too perfect," commented Cinza. "It''s unnatural." "You think it''s bad?" she asked, surprised. Cinza smiled. "Of course not. We are unnatural. Embrace it. You''re beautiful, Hailey, and your magic has only served to bring out the best of you." Hailey did her best not to blush, but hearing that from Cinza made her feel positively glowing. Ruby looked up at the words, and she nodded her agreement. "Okay, this is all uplifting and shit, but don''t you have some phone calls to make?" Josh said pointedly. Hailey nodded, still basking in the praise a little bit. She pulled out her phone and started scrolling through the contacts. Jessica looked up as she stood, but Hailey just pointed at the phone in her hand, and she nodded. Hailey stepped outside. There was a wide, comfortable bench on the front porch, under the awning. She bundled up in her thick flight jacket, pulled her scarf in close, and tapped the name on her phone.
"Hello?" "...Agent Ashe?" "Hailey?" "Yeah. Listen, I¡ª" "Look, you can call off the search. If Jackie''s busy, I get it. Just let her know she should get in touch, when she can, yeah?" "That''s not why I called." "...I''m gonna hate whatever you say next. Fuckin'' hell." "You don''t know?" "Know what? ...Oh fuck. I''ve been¡­ out of town. What happened?" "Check the news. Magic''s out. Everyone knows." "...Jesus Christ. But we weren''t¡ª We were still getting ready. Fuck." "We?" "...Doesn''t matter anymore. Why''d you call?" "There''s a lot of stuff we have to answer for. I was hoping I could come in and talk to you. You know, officially. On record." "Ask me again two weeks ago." "What?" "Damn, Hailey, you think they let me stick around after that shitshow in Tacoma? I''m suspended¡ªunofficially, but I can do fuck-all for you." "...So if I go into the FBI¡­" "Take a good fuckin'' lawyer. I have no idea who you''re gonna be talking to." "What should I do?" "Look, I''m not even supposed to be where I am. I''m burnin'' vacation time just to be here." "Where''s here?" "Don''t worry about it. Look, just be careful. If what you''re sayin'' is true, then the moment any of you show your face they''re gonna be on you. Sooner someone talks, the better. My guys just want answers, they''re not really lookin'' to make this into a full manhunt and shit. Just¡­" "Just what?" "Make it public. Really fuckin'' public. Everyone should know you''re goin'' in, everyone should see you come out at the end of the day. Don''t let anyone disappear you." "They couldn''t if they tried." "Can you stop a fuckin'' bullet?" "...I don''t know." "Then don''t waste this bullshit confidence on me, girl. You''re movin'' up to the professional league here. Get the best lawyer you can afford and play it safe as fuck." "Okay." "You''ll be all right, kid." "Thanks, Agent Ashe." "Jeremy, please. We''re friends, ain''t we?" "...Yeah. Thanks, Jeremy." "Good luck."
"Hailey?" "Hi, Mom." "What were you thinking? My phone has been ringing off the hook all day. I had to block every number just to see yours on my cell." "Did you see the news?" "Yes. Daniel pulled me out of a meeting to watch. It''s about time you quit messing about with those awful haircuts." "Mom, that wasn''t really the point¡ª" "Yes, I know. It''s public knowledge. You''re quite famous now. I''m currently barricaded in my office, as it were, with two uniformed officers waiting to escort me home." "I''m sorry." "It''s just on the company''s dime, and I''m pretty sure we can deduct it. Hailey, are you okay?" "Yeah. Actually¡­ I''m way better." "Well you certainly look better. Did you really have to jump off a building on live TV though? You gave me a heart attack." "I can fly, Mom." "That doesn''t mean you aren''t still affected by gravity!" "I really need¡ª" "Do you know how terrifying it is to see your own daughter falling off a building, on TV, in the middle of the day?" "Mom!" "What?" "I need your help." "Well why didn''t you say so?" "...Look, I need you to hire a lawyer." "Hailey, I already have a lawyer." "Mom, I need a lawyer." "...Why on earth would you need a lawyer?" "The best one you can find. Criminal law, I think. Probably. And I need him right away." "Criminal law? Hailey, what¡ª" "No, Mom, I haven''t committed a crime." "Then why¡ª" "I have to go in and talk to the FBI, and I don''t think I should be alone when I do." "...You what?" "We knew this was coming sooner or later." "No we certainly did not!" "Mom, they''ve been looking for me for months, and everyone else who was in Rallsburg." "But you''re¡­ you''re just¡ª" "What did you think was gonna happen when they found out?" "I don''t know. Not¡­ that!" "We don''t have a whole lot of time. I need to find someone, and I can''t really do that if the FBI are breathing down my neck the whole time." "That Nate Price boy?" "Yeah, exactly." "Who is he?" "A rich kid who''s trying to get more rich by stabbing all of us in the back." "That''s a little dramatic, Hailey." "It''s the truth." "Daniel is coming up with a list of potential lawyers. I''ll narrow it down and have one for you in an hour or two?" "Okay." "Hailey, will you come by, please? Before you go in." "...Does your office have roof access?" "I have no idea. Daniel, does this place have a way to get on the roof?" ¡­ "Yes, apparently." "I''ll meet you there. Five o''clock." "What, tonight?" "I told you, Mom, I don''t have a whole lot of time. I have to find Nate and stop this, but there''s no way I''m getting to him if his lawyers are standing in the way." "...Five o''clock." "Thanks, Mom." "Be safe."
Hailey and Jessica landed on the roof of the office, promptly at five. Her mom was waiting there, along with a young man she didn''t know. His eyes widened only briefly as she glided into view. Jessica kept herself hidden, clearly unsure about the other man. "The lawyer?" Hailey asked, rather unnecessarily. "Yes. I warned him." Stephanie nudged him forward slightly. "Miss Winscombe, a pleasure," he said, holding out a hand. Hailey shook it hesitantly. "My name is Jefferson Baux, criminal defense attorney with Hanford Jenkins." "Hi." "As I understand it, you haven''t necessarily committed any crimes, but you''re looking for legal representation when interacting with the Federal Investigation Bureau, correct?" "Yes, that''s right." He smiled. "A wise move, ma''am. Everyone has their rights, even the presumed deceased." "Uhh, about that. How do I prove myself¡­ not dead?" "Well, thankfully, there were never official death certificates issued for most of the unidentified deceased from Rallsburg, so you aren''t considered dead. Only those without relatives to protest were declared. Your legal status is currently ''missing'', but I''ve no doubt it has been changed as of today." He smiled. "That was quite the showing you made outside LRP." "Thanks?" "I''m currently in the process of requesting an advance copy of that notorious book, but without an actual case to tie it to, it may be difficult. Could you call it libelous?" With how Cinza writes? "...Probably not. What about if the original author didn''t want it published?" "Will she declare so openly? Currently, she doesn''t exactly¡­ well, exist." "Legally speaking." "Yes. This isn''t my specialty, but I did some quick research. The pseudonymous writer doesn''t any have rights in these circumstances. Presently, she''s considered a creation of Pro Paradigm. The original author does hold power, as she held copyright to the words the moment they were put on the page. If she came forward to claim the diary as her own and block its publication, that may work. However, given the nature of the case and the national public interest, there will be considerable pressure to allow it despite the legal precedent protecting personal journals and diaries." He shrugged. "It''s currently slated to be published on Tuesday the thirteenth, as I understand it." "In four days?" Hailey asked in dismay. "They''re making a huge publicity push already. This isn''t really my area of expertise, but I''ve never seen any media marketed this heavily, this fast. I''m assuming they''re already well aware of the potential legal ramifications and the possibility that the original author is still alive." "So?" "So they don''t care, to put it bluntly." Jefferson shrugged again. "They''ll make more money than they''ll ever be at risk of losing in a suit. It''s business as usual." Hailey had to fight to control her anger for a moment. There wasn''t anything to take it out on. No one on that rooftop was responsible. Just Nate. "I understand you want to talk to the FBI as soon as possible?" "Yes." "Well, I''d have to advise against that. I''d like a little bit of time to prepare before we go in, if we can manage it. The weekend, at least." "But¡­ if it''s publishing on Tuesday¡ª" "Frankly, Miss Winscombe?" Jefferson took off his glasses and pulled out a small blue microfiber cloth, polishing the lens. "I don''t believe you can stop this. The publishing engine''s already moving. The books will be in every major retail store by tomorrow, to prepare for the launch day. They''ll put them under lock and key to prevent early leaks, but the printing is already done. There''s millions of copies across the country. It''s practically impossible to prevent it." "But¡­" "Focus on what you can do," he added, putting his glasses back on and straightening them. "You can prevent Mr. Price from making a dime of ill-gotten gains. You can make sure your side of the story is heard. And you can finally start living a normal life again." "Yeah¡­ about that last one." He smiled. "Okay, so you''ll never lead a normal life again. Lead a new life. Whatever you want. I''m just your lawyer." "How much am I paying you?" Stephanie cleared her throat. "Enough." "Give him a raise, Mom. He''s pretty good." Hailey smiled slightly, trying to joke her way out of the despair slowly settling in. "We''ll go talk to the FBI on Monday then, Mr. Baux?" "Monday," he agreed, holding out his hand. She shook it, much more firmly this time. "An honor to meet you, Miss Winscombe." "Could you wait back in my office?" asked Stephanie. "I''ll be there to discuss payment in a minute." As soon as he was gone and the door to the roof clicked shut, Jessica appeared out of thin air, stepping up next to Hailey. "Would you please warn me next time?" Stephanie gasped, pressing a hand to her chest. "Sorry, Mom," said Hailey. Jessica just rolled her eyes. "So¡­" she started, but trailed off, staring out over the skyline. Her building wasn''t even close to the tallest, but it still had an excellent view from the rooftop. It might have been pleasant, if not for all the industrial units scattered around and the constant noise. Or the overwhelming, world-class weight of anxiety bearing down on all three of them. "Yeah." Hailey put an arm around Jessica''s shoulders, hugging her close. Stephanie joined them, putting arms around them both for a tight group hug. Jessica leaned into it, as did Hailey. For just a moment, Hailey could pretend her mom would just take care of everything for her again, like when she was little. "Hailey..." Hailey''s phone rang. She stared down at it like it had said something offensive, ruining the moment. "Answer it," Stephanie whispered, staring. She didn''t recognize the number. "Hello?" "Miss Winscombe?" asked a crisp female voice. "Yes?" "My name is Linda Milgram-Renalds. I represent a client to whom you recently issued a public¡­ summons, let''s call it?" Hailey''s eyes narrowed. "You''re Nate''s lawyer." "Miss Winscombe, my client has a response your request." "...Okay?" "He''ll agree to meet and speak with you, in person. On one condition." "Name it." "You will both appear on the Evening Show with Russell Wallace on Monday night, and talk face-to-face on live television." "...What?" "This is our only offer. Please reach out to this number with your response by eleven o''clock tonight. I''ll be awaiting your call." [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] B2: Chapter 20 — Retreat Chapter 20 ¡ª Retreat "I have found friends, and I have made foes. Never have I known a friend who was perfect in every way, nor foe in whom I could see no redemption. Let them come and define themselves for me, as I do them. In due course will each make clear their own alignment; I take judgment only upon their actions. And if you declare yourself my foe, be wary: I will shield myself with every power at my disposal. Magic is but one of these." ~Cinza, the Rallsburg Diaries Tyler glanced down over his cards, eyes narrowed, brow furrowed. Come on, come on. Attack it. Natalie could barely keep a straight face. She held up her own cards in front of her mouth to try and hide her excitement. She''d bet a lot on this one forest. Tyler could attack the larger stack at the village, where she''d dumped a bunch of pretty worthless cards¡­ or he could hit the forest, where she''d set up the real trap. It''s the shorter path to my castle, it has less stuff, and you already scouted it two turns ago. If you don''t attack it, I get to make free elves there next turn. It''s a no-brainer, Tyler. "Nebelf¡ª Nebelt¡ª" "Nebeltheim," supplied Steven, sitting next to Tyler and watching the game intently. "Nebeltheim casts winter chill," Tyler finished, pointing at her forest. Oh. I forgot he could do that. Nebeltheim Eisterben, the Frozen King. I gotta learn the rest of the generals. Natalie nodded. "So none of them can move for a turn, right?" "Yeah." Tyler moved the fur-coated, skull-masked Nebeltheim forward to his fort in the middle-front of his kingdom, and tossed two cards onto it from his hand, face-up. "Two berserkers and I end my turn," he added, spending a pile of resources to do it. Natalie frowned. Okay, so my turn''s kinda wasted. Linnethea''s stuck in the winter along with all my best cards. At least she''s still hidden. All I can do is¡­ oh, wait. I still have all those cheap cards on the village, and now they''re in range. I can do this. She drew two cards using her rear territories, which meant her queendom deck was getting scary low, but she got one of the specialist cards she was looking for¡ªthe siege engineer she''d bought super cheap early in the game and dumped right into her deck. It''d make her attack that much more effective. "Siege engineer on my village and I bombard your fort," she said, tossing it out with a bit of a flourish. She showed off a little, making the card zoom forward in midair and land perfectly where she wanted it to. It was subtle enough that no one else in the cafeteria would notice, so Natalie didn''t think much about doing it, but up close it was obviously unnatural. Steven grinned. "That''s so cool." "What''s so cool?" asked Mitch, sliding onto the bench next to him. Steven looked around with a shock, as did Natalie. Neither had noticed him walk up. "Where were you guys?" Tyler asked, annoyed. "Principal grabbed him and I went along with so he wouldn''t do something stupid," said Kelsey, taking a seat near Natalie. Not next to her, but one away. Never next to her. Natalie sat against the wall, and the seat beside her stayed totally empty. Always. "What did she want with you?" she asked, curious. "Hey, you''re not the only one who gets in trouble," Mitch shot back. "You say that like it''s a good thing¡­" Steven muttered. "I don''t get in trouble," Natalie pointed out, feeling indignant. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. It was about you anyway." Mitch thrust a folded slip of paper across the table. "Apparently you got a phone call." And our school blocks cell phone service inside¡­ "From who?" "I dunno, I didn''t read it." "You didn''t?" asked Tyler. "It''s for her, moron!" Natalie took it, unfolding it curiously, while Tyler and Mitch launched into an argument about whether or not it was okay to read notes from the principal. She wouldn''t really have cared if Mitch had read it¡ªshe doubted anything important was going to be written in a note sent this publicly. It was handwritten with the principal''s name and the school''s name printed at the top. Call me at once. We need to talk. ¡ªLily "So what is it?" asked Mitch as she folded it up. "Nothing." Whatever it is can wait til tonight. I''m finally feeling okay again. I''m not gonna ruin that by talking to Lily and Kendra. "It was Lily. Just something for later." "You can just ignore a note like that from her?" Mitch whistled. "My mom would be so pissed off." "Has your mom ever called the school to send you a note?" asked Steven. "Nah. She just comes in herself and yells." Natalie giggled at the image. "What, like right in the middle of the hall?" "She hasn''t done that since like third grade, but yeah. She once just came straight into class and dragged me out by my ear." Natalie tried to change the subject, not really wanting to think about the Laushires anymore. She turned back to the game. "I bombard your fort with a siege engineer and two catapults," she repeated. "Four guys, I get to choose two." Tyler held them up, and Natalie picked four out. To her dismay, they were all weak normal soldiers. It didn''t even matter which two she destroyed. Even worse, the conversation hadn''t shifted in the slightest. "What did Lily say when she saw that scar, anyway?" asked Kelsey, looking over even though she couldn''t actually see it. Natalie was sitting up against the wall so that the her left side faced away from the room. She still hadn''t gotten used to it, or the endless stares she got from other kids and even all the adults. Her teachers did their best to treat her normal, but it was pretty clear they were all dying to ask. She assumed the principal told them not to. Even her friends couldn''t help looking at it over and over. She had to remind herself constantly that it wasn''t their fault, and it wasn''t her fault either¡ªbut every single time someone looked at her, that brief flutter of pity and fear made her heart sink a little more. "Nothing really. Just asked what happened." "What happened?" asked Tyler. Mitch punched him in the arm, reaching over Steven to do it. "Jenny doesn''t want to talk about it, remember?" "What did you tell her?" said Steven quickly. "That I was out in the woods and got cut by some broken glass." Natalie shrugged. "I don''t think she bought it but she had some important meeting to get to, so she let it go pretty quick." "Yeah, because broken glass is gonna make a crazy spiral," said Mitch, rolling his eyes. "Sorry, Jenny, but you gotta make up a better story than that." "Like what?" "...I dunno, but something." Steven nodded. "We''ll figure it out." Thanks for not telling them, she said silently. Steven was fully aware of where the scar came from, even if the others weren''t. She''d asked him for more advice a few days ago, finally working up the courage since Quinn was still gone in San Diego. Steven had mostly echoed the same advice as Quinn¡ªbe careful in Seattle, don''t go to certain places, don''t ever talk to anyone with face tattoos or other scars like hers or anything else that seemed even a little sketchy. She had a whole list of areas of the city to memorize, but even then, Steven warned they were probably out of date. He didn''t live there anymore. "I think it looks cool," said Mitch, not for the first time. "Makes you look awesome and scary." Is scary supposed to be good? Natalie didn''t answer, trying again in vain to go back to the game. I can''t attack, I didn''t do enough damage. Those guys were worthless. My best people are all still stuck in hiding ''cause of the winter. Unless I draw something really good, like an ambush card or a lightning spell. Something that''ll completely surprise him. Gotta go for it. "I use my farm to draw an extra card," she said, pointing at one in her back row. Tyler looked surprised. Yeah, no kidding. I''m almost out of cards in my deck. Drawing more right now is crazy. A card floated off the top of her deck into her hand a few inches away. Okay, so I''m just doing magic to make myself feel better now. Especially since this card sucks. Stupid potioneers. Why do I keep buying these? "Your turn," she added, frustrated. "Did you say something?" asked Kelsey. "Huh?" "Just now, when that card moved." "Oh." Natalie shrugged. "Yeah. That''s how I cast spells. Well, sometimes." "Magic words?" asked Steven. "I guess so. I don''t always have to say stuff. I think it depends on what kind of magic it is." Natalie glanced up at Tyler, who was biting his lip looking over his cards. Everyone else complained about how slow his turns were, but she didn''t really mind. She was okay with slow. It gave her more time to think, and she hated feeling rushed. "So if I said the same thing, would something happen?" "No¡­ I don''t know why." Tyler drew two cards using his own farms. He smiled. Oh no. He only smiles when he''s about to win. "I make two more berserkers," he added, putting them onto the same fort as his general and the others. "Then I sacrifice all of them to Nebeltheim. Ice Storm on your forest." "Not the village?" she asked, trying to distract him. It made sense, too, since it was the much bigger stack. The storm would do more damage there. He shook his head. "Your forest for sure." "Hey Jenny, can you make giant icicles fall out of the sky?" asked Mitch. "No¡­" Natalie said, slightly annoyed. "How much does it do?" Tyler glanced down at the card, adjusting his glasses slightly to read it better. "Anything two or less dies. Higher than that, flip a coin." "Shit," said Mitch. "Seriously?" "Yeah, four berserkers divided by two. So two strength." "...Everything there is two strength," Natalie muttered. "Everything?" Tyler asked, smiling slightly. Natalie slid the stack of cards out with a glance and another murmur, flipping them over to lay flat across the table. The only survivor was Linnethea, with a strength of three, but the storm automatically revealed her anyway. "That''s like¡­ every best elf card in the game," said Mitch. "Pretty much," agreed Steven. Natalie dropped them into her discard pile, leaving Linnethea alone in the forest, facing down the small army Tyler still had waiting across the divide with only the wolf in her artwork at her side. I''m gonna lose¡­ The bell rang. Not the end-of-period bell, but the actual end-of-the-day bell. Natalie looked up, confused. "Huh?" "Oh, it''s a half-day today," said Steven. "Why''s that?" He shrugged. "''Cause Sunday''s a holiday, maybe? I''m not sure." "And since we''re third lunch, we just leave from here," added Kelsey. Sure enough, most of the students were already carrying their backpacks in the cafeteria, a detail Natalie somehow missed coming in. They were already milling about, heading toward the buses or out the doors if they walked home. "We gonna finish this?" asked Tyler smugly. He knew he was about to win. Natalie had nothing left in her deck that could stop his army, unless she could lure him into some really good ambushes. And even then¡­ She was saved by a teacher wandering by, who told them all that they had to leave. The buses would be heading out soon, and everyone except Natalie rode the bus home. If they didn''t get moving, they wouldn''t have a ride. "So Jenny stays undefeated," joked Mitch. "Only because we never finish our games," Tyler pointed out, annoyed. "She''s never beaten me either." "You guys gotta settle this," said Kelsey. "So Tyler knows who the real champ is." "Me, right?" said Mitch, elbowing her. "Nah, it''s me for sure," Kelsey shot back. "I''m totally undefeated against everyone." "Because you''ve never played a single game!" said Tyler in protest. "No duh." Mitch rolled his eyes. "Calm down Tyler, we all know you''re the best at this." "Are we hanging out today?" asked Steven. "We should figure that out before we get on the wrong bus." "You guys just get on whatever bus you want?" asked Kelsey, surprised. "Yeah. All our parents gave them the okay. As long as we''re going to one of our houses." "It''s your place this time, right?" Mitch asked Steven. "Sure. No one''s home right now. Should be okay." "Steven''s place!" said Tyler excitedly. "Let''s go!" He started for the buses. Mitch went after him, rolling his eyes and shouting something sarcastic. "You two want to come?" he asked, and it was the first time Natalie noticed him actually nervous. He was usually so much calmer than the rest of the group. "Sure," said Kelsey. "I gotta call my mom first, but I can be there. I don''t have practice today." She pursed her lips. "Actually, if I run, I bet I can get permission to ride the bus with you guys." She sprinted away, prompting a few yells from a teacher about running in the building. "Jenny?" Steven asked, turning to her. Way better than going back to the house. Percy might get confused¡­ but he''ll be fine. I''m having fun. I''ve got friends now. Plus it''s Steven''s place. He''s cool. "Yeah. I''ll come too." "I don''t think they''re gonna let you on the bus though," he added, glancing out the windows toward the front of the school. The buses were just starting to pull up. "They''re pretty strict about it." Natalie frowned. "You just need permission, right?" "Yeah, but¡ª" She pulled out the note from Lily, which she''d folded and put into her bag. Her habit of never crumpling up paper, in case she wanted to doodle on it or something later, was finally paying off in a useful way. Very carefully, murmuring as quickly as she could, she reached out for the ink on the page with her mind. She''d already been practicing moving tiny things around thanks to cleaning under her bandages, plus the other cleaning she''d started doing with the same basic theory. This was just another version of that. The ink began to move around on the page. With the precision she''d learned cleaning out her wound, she could actually pull the stain apart from the paper, leaving it perfectly clean again. Natalie lifted up and removed everything but Lily''s name, then pulled out a pen that was about the same color as the original. Doing her best to match the handwriting, she wrote out a new note: Jenny is allowed to ride home with Steven Chau. -Lily "Look good?" she asked, presenting it. He nodded, smiling. "It''s on the principal''s special paper too, and no rips or anything. Should be fine." Natalie grinned. "Let''s go."
Tyler and Mitch had claimed the back two rows of the bus. As eighth graders and nearly the oldest in the school, it was pretty much without argument. Kelsey had made it on too, to Natalie''s relief. Not that she didn''t like the guys, but it was nice to have another girl around. There were some things she just couldn''t talk to them about, for obvious reasons. The bus driver, a bald man with an infectious smile and a cheerful belly laugh that Natalie had seen around the school a few times, fell silent as soon as she and Steven walked up to the door. Steven said "Hi" and walked right past without a second glance, but the man''s smile faded slightly as he saw her. Natalie''s good mood deflated. "Hi," she said in a muted voice. "I''m Jenny. I¡­ I''m going over to Steven''s house today. Okay?" She held out the note. His eyes were already making that slight circular motion that meant he was following the scar on her face. Natalie held out the note a little more insistently, and he snapped back into his usual self. He took the note and looked it over carefully. He nodded, adding in an overly chipper tone, "Okie-dokey! Welcome aboard!" Natalie quickly followed Steven to the back of the bus, trying to ignore the stares and pointed whispers from every row of seats as she went by. She gratefully fell onto the empty back seat, across from Kelsey and behind Steven and Mitch. "Whoah, how''d you get on?" asked Mitch. "Got permission," she said, holding up the piece of paper. Mitch recognized it immediately. He grinned. "Nice." The rest of the group was already talking about something else, some game Kelsey and Steven played online that Natalie didn''t know much about. She had a laptop that Lily bought for her, but it wasn''t really for gaming. The only games she played were on her phone. Speaking of which¡­ Her phone had buzzed in her pocket the moment she''d walked out of the building. Pulling it out, she saw a couple messages, both from Lily. L: Come home. Something happened. L: We need to talk. Call me. She''s never texted me before¡­ And she called the school. What if it''s serious? Natalie''s finger hovered over the big L on the screen. They never typed in a full name on phones, just the first letter. Just in case. There were so few people from Rallsburg she kept in contact with, it wasn''t hard to remember who was who. "Jenny?" Kelsey asked quietly, leaning across the aisle. Mitch and Tyler were arguing about which boss in the game was the hardest. Steven was staring out the window, silent. "What''s up?" "I dunno." What if¡­ what if it''s Dad? Maybe he did something¡­ "Is it Lily?" "Yeah." Of all the group besides Quinn, Kelsey was the one she''d probably talked to the most about Lily and Kendra, and their (lack of) parenting. Natalie didn''t want to sound ungrateful, since she knew they didn''t have to take her in, or help her get into school, or any of the many other things she did, but she still felt like they were only tolerating her. Like she was an annoying distraction in the way of¡­ well, whatever they did all day. "What''s she want?" "Says I have to come home. That we gotta talk." "Do you want to?" "...No?" Kelsey shrugged. "So don''t. I bet it can wait. You''re out here with us, Jenny. And you''re the one with superpowers. Make your own rules for a bit." Natalie shook her head. "I don''t have superpowers." "Yeah you do. Or whatever you want to call ''em." She sighed. "I can''t just ignore Lily." "Sure you can. I ignore my mom all the time." "You do?" "She gets mad whenever I stay out late after practice with friends, but it''s really not a big deal. Mama always talks her out of it. She just gets super uptight. This is the same thing. Lily wants you home after school." Kelsey shook her head. "You might get yelled at when you go home, but it''s totally worth it. She''ll forget it in a day or two." "Maybe¡­" Natalie said dubiously. "Look," Kelsey continued. "We''re already moving, right? So unless you''re gonna use those superpowers and jump out of a moving bus, I think you''re stuck with us." "I guess." Natalie didn''t bother to point out that she could always just take any bus back to the doorway point. She wondered if Kendra could actually just open a door anywhere she wanted. It was pretty hard to make them, from what Natalie understood about the spell. It was easy to make them disappear and reappear, but there was a probably a really hard ritual to actually make them in the first place. And of course, no one would ever tell Natalie about rituals. She was pretty sure they even had a secret section on the website that she couldn''t see, just to talk about ritual magic. She swiped the messages away and clicked her phone off again. Whatever it is can wait. They don''t need me to handle this stuff. If they needed my help with whatever they''re doing, they would have asked for it forever ago, not totally ignore me all the time. Natalie leaned against the window, liking the cool feeling of the glass against her cheek, watching the sidewalk full of people stream by beside them. Kelsey turned away, spouting an angry retort to something Mitch had just said. Steven was watching the scenery through the window too, just in front of her on the next seat. "How long til we get to your house?" she asked. "It''s the last stop." Steven twisted around slightly to look at her through the gap between the seat and the window. His eye briefly flicked down to the scar on her face, then back up again. She winced slightly. Every time. She wondered if she''d ever be used to that feeling. "Hey, when we get there¡­" "What?" "Nothing." Steven looked back out the window, quiet again. Natalie looked out too, but she couldn''t really see anything he might be looking at. She let her eyes drift out of focus, listening to her friends talk. Kelsey and Mitch were arguing about which of them was going to be the better soccer star once they both made pro, and it sent Natalie''s mind wandering forward. What was she going to do when she grew up? Her old childhood dreams were long-gone, not that she''d ever really settled on anything. One week it was a musician playing on big stages with her dad, the next it was a scientist, and after that a car mechanic (because she''d been hanging out with Joe McKinney''s dad in his garage that day). Up until she was eleven, she''d mostly just followed anyone in Rallsburg around, learning what they did. They all knew her, and after the first few years (and making a friend of his own), her dad finally stopped yelling at her for running off through town. She really liked the idea of having a store, like Hector did. A place that was all her own. She had no idea what she''d actually sell¡ªfood seemed like way too much of a hassle, based on how much Hector had to do every day¡ªbut that part didn''t really matter. Just so long as it was her place. But then Natalie saw a cat in the woods one day at her fort, and everything changed. What happened to that cat? she wondered. She got distracted, for obvious reasons, and it disappeared into the forest. Thinking about the cat reminded her of Gwen. I hope she''s doing okay. No, she''s gotta be fine. Scrappy might not be though. He got really hurt in that fight with Jackson¡­ I''m sure Gwen is taking care of him. Hey, maybe when I grow up, I should do something with animals. It would never have occurred to a younger Natalie. Back then, she hadn''t cared about them at all. She didn''t really get why people kept pets. Animals were supposed to be out in nature, and people in towns and cities. That was normal. Sometimes they''d visit¡ªshe loved visiting nature, actually¡ªbut they didn''t live there. People who went on and on about how smart their dog was, or how much they loved their cat? She just rolled her eyes. Pets weren''t people. So why do I love Gwen and Scrappy and Percy so much¡­? They weren''t really like people. Gwen was definitely smarter than a lot of people she knew, at least. Totally smarter than stuck-up Blake and Lydia. Plus, she didn''t really treat them like pets. Gwen came and went whenever she wanted to, same with Scrappy. Natalie didn''t feed them, though she did share some food sometimes if they hadn''t had a good hunt. Gwen had actually fed her once, when she''d spent way too long out once. She''d lead Natalie to a few berry bushes that were safe to eat, and a stream where she could refill her water bottle. They''d spend all night out there, before she''d come home. That was the night her dad had gone missing. I want to go home. Tears started to drop down her face. She quickly rubbed them away with the sleeve of her jacket, before any of her friends saw. She missed Rallsburg. It was her town, from the nooks and crannies of Hector''s shop to the secret fort she''d built in the woods across from the park, or the many trees dotting the hills that she''d marked as hers, leaving little flags and finding the best ones for climbing, reading and spying. She''d spent almost her whole life there (except for some unpleasant memories of Chicago). Where she''d made fun of the college kids with Jenny, where she''d climbed up on top of the town hall building and spent the afternoon reading in the sun (and getting horrible sunburns). Rallsburg was her home. But it was gone. She tried to distract herself with the scenery outside, before she completely burst into tears. She reached into her purse and pulled out the little card. It was always right at the top now, with how often she picked it up to remind herself. The golden-haired elf woman stared back up at her, a steely glint in her lavender eyes, one hand on the head of her wolf, the other clutching her elegant bow. Natalie held up the card to her chest, as if embracing it, and imagined she were hugging Gwen instead. She tried to remember her soft fur, her scent, the way she nuzzled up to Natalie or curled around her protectively when they slept. Even the little things, like playfully flicking her with her tail. It helped. Natalie started to calm down. She opened her eyes, and they weren''t so blurry anymore. She wiped her face off with her sleeve, put the card away again and leaned up against the window. They were passing through a thicker part of the city now, on the way to the suburb where Steven lived. As she watched, she realized something she''d never noticed before. There were people between each block, stuck into the alleys like they''d grown there. Little camps, just like the one Cinza had taken her to, or just single people sitting up against the wall and staring blank-faced into the street. Dead-eyed, just like the people in the city park. The ones who were so empty they hadn''t seen her. Natalie shivered, though the bus wasn''t cold at all. Were they always here? No, this was a part of the city she''d never been to. It must be the area. This couldn''t be what the whole city was like. "Hey, Steven?" she asked hesitantly. He lived here, and he was the smartest person she knew. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. "What''s up?" The other three were still comfortably occupied with yet another argument, as Tyler stubbornly insisted some movie was better than the other two. Natalie hadn''t seen any of them, but she didn''t really feel like getting into that conversation anyway. "Is¡­" She paused, trying to figure out how to say what she wanted to. He waited for her to speak again, to which she was grateful. "Is Seattle always like this?" "Like what?" Natalie felt awkward saying it out loud, so she just pointed. They were at a red light, and right outside their window¡ªacross the sidewalk and a shadowed alleway¡ªwere four or five people. Bundled up in windbreakers and threadbare blankets, one sitting outside a tent in a ray of sunlight that snuck through the tall buildings around, quietly talking or just staring at nothing in particular. "Oh." Steven shrugged. "I guess so. I never really thought about it." "Why, though?" "Why is it like that, you mean?" "Yeah." "I dunno. It just is. I think there''s nothing we can do about it." Natalie wanted to ask more, but something else caught her ear. She twisted around. A voice out on the street. Someone had said the word "awakened". She looked around frantically, but there were too many people on the sidewalk. It could have been anyone. And they could have been talking about anything. Not magic. Why would they be talking about magic? No one knows about it. That''s the whole point. "We''re getting off soon," Steven added. "Just one more stop, then a pretty short walk and we''ll be at my place." "Okay." The sooner the better, she thought glumly. I don''t want to be out here. I want to go back to the forest. Nobody in sight. Just me and Percy, or me and a book to read, no one else. No one who can hurt me.
Steven''s apartment wasn''t very big. Even compared to the apartments her dad used to run, it was pretty tiny. One main room and two other rooms splitting off near the back, both of which were closed. Steven made sure they all took off their shoes right away before they stepped onto the carpet (a bad habit Natalie was frequently guilty of), but soon enough they were sitting on the crescent couch surrounding the small TV. Right away, Tyler turned it on and loaded up a game. Natalie watched with interest for a bit, while Mitch and Kelsey kept talking about soccer, but it was clear pretty quickly that Tyler wasn''t very good at it. He would die over and over in exactly the same spot, and he never tried anything new. Natalie figured out the trick pretty quickly, even though she''d never played before, but she felt a bit apprehensive about telling him. Tyler was her least favorite in the group. He was loud and annoying most of the time, and he had the worst know-it-all voice she''d ever heard. She always felt like he dragged the group down whenever he talked. Sure, he was really good at Conquest and no one could beat him (which he reminded them of frequently), but he wasn''t really the best at anything else¡ªnot that he knew that. If anyone else told him he was doing something wrong, he''d get mad and assume they were wrong instead. Even when it was obvious. Quinn was the only one he''d believe on the first try. So when Natalie saw him screwing up the game, too stubborn to figure out his problem, she didn''t say a word. He''d figure it out eventually. She didn''t want to jump into that potential fire. But he did stand up for you. The memory swam through Natalie''s mind for a second¡ªan image of Tyler standing in front of Blake and Lydia, telling them to leave her alone. Asking them to stop being mean for no reason. Telling her she was cool, before they''d even met. He''s not that bad. Natalie was sitting in the far corner of the couch, while the rest of the group gave her a respectable distance. None of them really knew why she and Quinn had asked them to give her space all the time. Quinn barely knew more than they did. And Natalie was never going to tell them. The fact that they did so without a single question made Natalie want to hug them all tight. But she couldn''t. "You guys want anything to eat?" asked Steven, leaning over the kitchen counter. "We''ve got chips, some Oreos, soda. Whatever you want." The rest of the group scrambled up, Mitch and Kelsey practically racing across the room to get there first. Tyler abandoned his game without even pausing it. Natalie stayed right where she was, just watching. Steven glanced over while they dug through the fridge. "Jenny? Want anything?" "...Do you have any orange soda?" she asked. It had always been her favorite, but her dad didn''t buy it very often, and she felt weird asking the Laushires for soda. They definitely didn''t approve of the drink. "Yeah, one sec." He picked out a can and set it on the counter. She didn''t recognize the brand, but it was definitely orange soda. "This good?" Natalie nodded. A second later, the soda soared through the air and landed right in her lap. She jumped a little as it hit her legs¡ªit was practically frozen. "Yeah, sorry. My fridge is too cold a lot of the time," Steven added apologetically. "Should be mostly melted inside though." She reached for the top of the can and tried to open it by the tab, but she couldn''t. I don''t know how this works¡­ She twisted it around a few times, but nothing happened. The others were coming back to the couch with bags of chips and drinks in hand, and she still hadn''t opened it. With anxiety mounting in her chest, Natalie flung her mind at the can in a blind panic and pushed down at the spot where she knew it was supposed to open. It burst inward. The pressurized soda sprayed out in a small fountain, soaking into everything. "Awesome!" shouted Tyler. Steven was already rushing back to the kitchen to grab some towels. Natalie started apologizing as the fountain died off. "You''re supposed to use the tab to open it, duh. Then you take it off and throw it away," said Kelsey, rolling her eyes. Mitch immediately took offense to this and started arguing with her over whether or not keeping the tab on the can was acceptable, while Steven returned with towels and a spray bottle. "Never opened a can before?" asked Steven quietly, while he cleaned up the soda spill. "...Yeah." Natalie glanced away, her face getting bright red. "Using the tab''s important. It''s how it loses pressure so it doesn''t explode like that." He shrugged. "I watched a video about it. You used magic though, didn''t you?" "Yes." "Don''t worry about it. I''ve spilled stuff here before. Probably won''t even notice another stain." Sure enough, the carpet already had several blotches over it. Natalie was surprised; Steven didn''t seem like the messy type. He was always so careful. "You should drink that while it''s still fizzy," he added, nodding at the can. Natalie quickly grabbed it up and took a huge sip, grateful to have something to do besides talk. To her satisfaction, it was just as great as she remembered orange soda being. She sank into it for a bit, staring lazily out the window at the cloudy sky, the rest of the room fading out into a buzz of noise. "Could not," said Kelsey. "Could too!" Mitch shot back. "What''s up?" asked Steven, coming back from the kitchen again. Natalie looked up from her phone. She''d been about to log onto the site, for her usual check on Rachel''s account. Natalie didn''t like visiting the site much anymore, especially with the messages she kept getting. Hailey was the worst, all the empty apologies after the night Natalie had begged for help, and no one responded but Cinza. Of course, Natalie knew now that Hailey had been just as trapped, stuck in some bar in Tacoma with guns pointed at her¡ªbut it still felt like Natalie had been totally abandoned two weeks ago. "They''re arguing about Jenny," said Tyler, sounding bored. "What?" Natalie asked, confused. She''d tuned out the conversation minutes ago. "This moron thinks she can lift the whole couch, with us on it," said Kelsey. "I bet you all the Oreos left in this box," said Mitch, "that she could do it one handed." "No way. You''re crazy." "Can you lift it, Jenny?" asked Tyler, looking at her directly. Suddenly, they all were. Natalie frowned. "I dunno¡­" She was feeling uncomfortable. Showing off by floating things around was one thing, but having all her friends ask her up front to do magic was really different. She felt like she could do it. She''d learned strengthening herself from Ryan way back in the early days, and she''d even improved on it herself. It was a bit different than how he did it, ''cause her arms were too small to fit that much muscle growth onto, so she enhanced it with some movement magic too. She couldn''t actually push people, obviously, but pushing stuff near them usually worked. "Come on, you can totally do it!" Mitch added excitedly. "Show them!" Well, they''re all sitting there anyway. Natalie hopped off the couch, murmuring the spell. Her hand latched around the leg of the couch. She took a breath, then pulled it straight up, moving the leg upward with her mind at the same time. The whole half of the couch lifted into the air. A bag of chips began sliding across to the other side. Four sets of eyes widened, four jaws dropped. Natalie grinned and set it back down again. She made a little wave with her hand before plopping onto the armchair next to the couch, curling up slightly. "I want some of the Oreos," she added. Mitch held them up expectantly. She sighed. Another quick muttered spell and the cookies floated into her palm. For good measure, she had one land right in her mouth. "That''s amazing," said Mitch, totally awestruck. She shrugged. "I could probably lift more." "Please don''t. My mom would get so mad if the furniture was all rearranged," said Steven. Natalie shot him a grateful look. She didn''t want to keep demonstrating for them, although she had to admit it was kinda fun to be the cool one of the group for a while. There was a squeaking noise from across the room. Natalie looked around. The door to one of the bedrooms had cracked open slightly, and a small tufted face peered out at the group. she called out. "...Uhh, what?" asked Mitch. Natalie hoped it would accept. She could do with something to pet for a bit. "Jenny, are you okay?" asked Kelsey, looking genuinely concerned. "She''s talking to Tircar! Look at him!" Tyler cut in excitedly. They all whipped around, looking at the cat, who was sitting quite still in the doorway. He hadn''t really responded to Natalie though¡ªjust kept staring with a blank face. "Wait, the talking to animals thing was real?" Kelsey said dubiously. "I thought that was a rumor Blake made up." Natalie nodded. "I can, but he doesn''t seem to like me," she said, a little crestfallen. Not all animals warmed to her, but this was a new level of passive indifference. "It''s not your fault," said Steven. "He really doesn''t like new people. It''s kinda surprising he showed up at all with you girls here." "Us girls?" said Kelsey, sounding affronted. "He probably likes us better," added Natalie. "What are you saying?" asked Steven, curious. "How are you saying that?" asked Mitch. "That''s like, a whole other language." Tircar looked like he might finally take a step out of the room, but a thump and the slam of a car door from outside sent him scampering back under the bed. "Aww," said Tyler, who''d obviously been hoping for something more interesting to happen. "Wait." Steven had just stood up. He looked afraid, which made Natalie afraid. He hurried over to the sliding window door, looking out to the street below. "Oh no." "What?" asked Mitch. "My mom''s home." "...So?" "It''s okay," added Natalie. "I''ll be fine." "No, it''s not that." Steven shook his head. "I''m not supposed to have girls over. Not unless Mom says it''s okay." "Oh." "Uh oh," said Kelsey. "Should we leave?" asked Natalie nervously. "There''s only one staircase. No time." Steven glanced around. "You gotta hide." "...Hide where?" Natalie scanned the room. There wasn''t really anywhere. No closets. No large objects. The cabinets all had glass fronts and were pretty full anyway. "I¡­ I don''t¡ª" "Steven''s closet in his room," Tyler cut in. "In the back behind the hamper under the shelf. My best hide and seek spot." "That was your spot?" asked Mitch. "Go!" said Steven. They could hear footsteps outside. The girls bolted for his room. Kelsey pulled the door shut behind them. Natalie had never been in a boy''s room before, and she didn''t really have time to appreciate the experience either. They could already hear the front door opening, and Steven''s mom calling out for help with something. She had a brief impression of a bunch of scattered books, game and movie posters, and a computer on a small desk in the corner, before Kelsey pulled open the closet door. Kelsey was already diving deep into the back, where there was a small shadowy space behind the hamper, under a low shelf. Kelsey squeezed herself in, and there was still just enough room for Natalie to fit too. She took a step forward. She stopped. She couldn''t. It was too close. It''s Kelsey. My friend Kelsey. She couldn''t. She''s been a friend since before I knew her name. All the way back to my first day. It was too painful. Her entire body refused to let her get any closer. You can only trust yourself. Natalie turned and pushed the closet shut from the outside, using magic to make it close completely since she couldn''t really pull it from the inside. "Jenny?" Kelsey whispered. "Right here." "If she opens the door¡­" "I''ll think of something." Natalie was trying, but the closet didn''t really have much else to hide behind. There was another shelf, but it would probably just put her at eye-level with Steven''s mom. There were a bunch of clothes hanging from a rack above her, and that was it. She was mostly reduced to hoping that Steven''s mom just wouldn''t open the door. They couldn''t hear anything now, since the room and the closet door were both closed. Maybe if I¡­ Natalie started murmuring the spell, based on what she could remember from Hailey''s notes. "Jenny?" "Shh," she hissed back. She was trying to concentrate. Change how the air flows. Change how sound bounces. Sound is little vibrations that move through air. More vibrations means louder. Faster vibrations makes thing sound squeaky. I need to make them get to me before they get absorbed by things. She felt out the area around her, since she couldn''t actually see Steven''s mom. She could at least vaguely remember the shape of the room, and a quick visualization of the electrical circuits gave her a better picture. Natalie kept at it, finding the little vibrations and making a sort of current that they could travel on. It weaved under two doors and across the floor of Steven''s room, and she had to be careful that nothing caught on the carpet and got absorbed there either. By the time she could finally make out a few words, it was almost too late. "Why are there five cans?" "Mitch was really thirsty," said Steven, but even to Natalie it didn''t sound very convincing. "And whose shoes are these? Steven, don''t mess with me today young man." "I¡ª" "It''s been a crazy day at the office, and now with all this nonsense in the news¡­ I mean, honestly¡ª" Tyler started coughing, nearly deafening her with the sudden, massive increase in volume. She cut off the spell. "She''s not buying it," Natalie murmured. "Shit," whispered Kelsey. "What should we do?" "I¡­ I don''t know." Natalie wished she could fly like Hailey. She could probably get out through Steven''s window that way, and maybe even take Kelsey with her. There was no way they could get around Steven''s mom in the apartment; there wasn''t another way out, just straight through the main room again. She tried the spell again, only to immediately hear the same gentle squeak she''d heard when Steven''s bedroom door closed the first time. "She''s coming!" Natalie hissed. "Shit!" Natalie thought desperately. Nowhere I can hide. Unless¡­ but I can''t. I have to¡­ What if I could turn invisible? Cinza could do it all the time. Ruby could do it too. Why not her? Natalie tried to remember the notes Cinza had left, doing her best to explain a technique she''d learned directly from the book itself. It was always hard trying to explain those methods. Natalie understood that too, every time she tried to explain how she could talk and make friends with animals. It just came to her, as normal as breathing or moving her hands. But Jessica learned it, and she can''t even talk to people. Or read. So there''s gotta be a way. Maybe if I had more than twenty seconds¡­ She tried to manipulate the light, like Cinza talked. Photons. Little bits of light that bounce off things and end up in your eyes. Different forms of¡­ radiation make different colors. I don''t really get it. Sound was easier, and Hailey explained it a lot better. I gotta try. Cinza had described making a "wall of false light", where photons passing through would ignore whatever she told them to, so that people looking at her would just see what was behind her instead. It was hard to do, and even harder to make a shape more complicated than a wall or to make it move, but energy wasn''t ever Natalie''s problem. She was one of the special ones. Doing this kind of spell in the first place though? She''s getting closer. Natalie didn''t have time to figure it out, and she had no idea how to tell if it was working or not anyway. The footsteps were getting closer to the closet door. As a shadow appeared in the slit of light along the bottom edge of the door, Natalie gave up. She grabbed at her entire body and hurled herself upward. Too far! A thump as she knocked against the ceiling inside the closet, and nearly cried out in pain¡ªbut she was above the doors, in the space where the frame came down below the ceiling about half a foot. She was still in darkness, even as the doors creaked open. Gravity was already starting to work against her, hard. Natalie was holding herself up in midair with her back pressed against the ceiling, floating above Steven''s hawkish mother as she peered into the closet suspiciously. She looked right over Kelsey''s hiding spot without blinking. I can''t breathe. Holding up so much weight, coupled with the complicated act of holding herself in mid air, was causing Natalie to choke up. Her head was pounding. She could hear a faint rushing sound in her ears, and it was getting louder. Steven spotted her. His mom turned around, and as he looked up at her face, he could see Natalie hiding in the shadows just beyond. His eyes widened slightly, but he hid it well. Tyler and Mitch were nowhere to be seen. "See, Mom? Nobody. Just Mitch and Tyler." "And where''s Quinn?" she asked suspiciously. "He''s still in San Diego. I think he gets back on Sunday?" Oh god, please. Get her to go away, Steven. She turned away. "Do you boys want anything? I''ve got the rest of the afternoon free." "No, we''re fine. Thanks." Natalie''s vision was fading. A ring of black was inching inward. She could vaguely see Steven and his mom walking out of the room. Are they gone yet? I¡­ I can''t anymore. She tried to let go slowly, but it didn''t really work like that. Instead of sinking back down to the ground, it was more like an invisible platform she''d been laying on top of just vanished. She fell. Hard. "Jenny!" Kelsey hissed. "...What was that?" asked Steven''s mom, starting to turn around. Natalie tried to crawl out of sight, but there was nowhere to go. Steven''s closet was too clean and empty. The only hiding spot was occupied. Reluctantly, she turned around, red-faced and embarrassed, to see a narrow-eyed middle-aged woman glaring down at her. "...And who are you?" "I¡­ I''m just a friend," she stammered. She sat up. Her shoulders hurt from the way she''d landed. She rubbed at her arms, trying to loosen them up a bit. "You''re Steven''s mom, right?" "What were you doing hiding in his closet?" "Playing a game?" she said. Maybe if we pretend he forgot the rules, she''ll let him off? I dunno. "What sort of game?" Wait. What if he didn''t know we were here at all? Even better. "I was gonna surprise him. They didn''t know I was here." "Yeah," Steven agreed. "Where''d you hide, Jenny? I couldn''t see you at all." "Climbed up to the top." "Wow." His mother still looked suspicious. "Jenny? Are you Jenny Heshire?" "...Yes?" Her eyes narrowed even further. Natalie watched her pupils flick over slightly, to her left cheek. She probably knows it too, since Steven does. That''s not good. "Steven, come with me." She swept from the room, her son right on her heels with just a quick worried glance over his shoulder. As soon as the door shut, Natalie slumped back. She was still sore from the hard landing. "Nice save," Kelsey whispered from the dark. "I dunno¡­" she whispered back. "I think she''s still mad." "She''s okay. She''s strict but she''s not mean." "You know her?" "Yeah. She used to help out with the team, actually." Kelsey paused. "Thanks for not telling on me. My mom would flip if Steven''s mom got mad." "What are you gonna do?" "Sneak out soon as I can." "I think if I do that, it''ll just make things worse," Natalie muttered. "You sure? I bet we could both make it out. Especially if you do that floating thing again. That was amazing." "...Really?" "Seriously. That was awesome." She laughed. "But I couldn''t hold it." "So what? You were up there for like two whole minutes! You just got bad luck." Natalie didn''t really agree. If she''d just held on a few seconds longer, no one would have noticed, or even if she''d just managed to let herself down slowly. She''d screwed up, and now Steven was probably in trouble for it. It''s not my fault, right? Steven wasn''t supposed to invite me over in the first place. "What kind of stupid rule is that, no girls over?" Natalie muttered. "Everyone''s got that kind of rule," said Kelsey. "My moms had the same rule. No boys over if one of ''em wasn''t home. And always gotta have the door open if we''re in my room, and so on." "My dad never had a rule like that." "...Your dad?" Kelsey asked. Natalie hesitated. She''d never brought up her dad with any of her friends. Or her mom, for that matter. But¡­ talking was good. It made her feel a bit better. "Yeah. I mean, at first he just wanted me to stay away from everyone. But after a long time, he finally let up. Then he just let me go wherever I wanted, as long as I was home in time for dinner. I got to have the whole town to explore." "Huh. You''re from a small town, right? Like, barely any people there?" "It''s not that small," Natalie said indignantly. "How big was it?" "I think there was like two hundred people there. It''s not a city, but that''s a lot, right?" Kelsey laughed. "That''s so small I wouldn''t even call it a town. Mom would call that a pit stop." "Oh." Tircar peeked out from under the bed, looking at the two of them. Natalie got the impression he wanted them to leave. "What did you just say?" asked Kelsey. "Just talking to Tircar," she whispered back. "He wants us to go away." "Stupid cat." "Hey, don''t say that." "I hate cats. They''re so boring. Dogs are way better." "They''re both good." Natalie realized what she should be doing. If Steven''s mom was talking about her in the other room¡­ she wanted to know about it. "...not about that," his mom said, as Natalie finally figured out where they were. She could vaguely hear some game being played in the main room, while Steven and his mom were in the kitchen area. She was cooking something, if the bubbling sounds and clink of metal were anything to go by. "It''s not?" asked Steven. "What''s happening?" asked Kelsey. "I''m listening in on them," Natalie whispered. She''d at least figured out how to do directions better, so only Steven, his mom and the kitchen were actually loud. "Shh." "...heard about that Heshire girl. She''s not the sort of person you should be associating with." "Heard from who, mom?" "That''s not important." "If it was Mrs. Sinclair, Blake''s been a jerk to Jenny since the first week of school. You shouldn''t believe anything she tells you." "Steven, did you see what she has on her face? You know what that means!" "She¡­ that wasn''t her choice. She didn''t join." "Are you sure? Are you willing to bring that sort of thing back into this house?" "Mom¡ª" "You remember what happened with your brother. We had to move here to get away from his choices. I won''t let you go down the same path." "Mom! That''s not Jenny!" I didn''t! Why isn''t she listening to him? "She thinks I''m dangerous," Natalie murmured. "Shit." "Steven, I''m sorry, but she has to leave. I''ll drive her home, but she can''t come back here." "Mom, come on¡ª" She heard movement. I can''t tell her where I live. There''s nothing there. She''d get even more mad at Steven. But there''s nowhere else to take me¡­ You can''t be here. Get out. "I''m gonna run," she whispered. She dug out her extra shoes in her bag and pulled them on. These are so uncomfortable¡­ Steven can get mine back to me later. "What?" "I''ll see you guys on Monday." Kelsey said something in protest, but she didn''t hear it. She got up and ran to the window, throwing it open. There was a screen set into it, which Natalie floated out of the frame and out of the way. It was a long drop down three stories to the ground. Good thing I''m not afraid of heights¡­ She got up on the windowsill. Luckily, she''d never taken off her bag, so she didn''t have to go back into the main room for it. There was a fire escape on the opposite wall. She couldn''t jump it if she were normal. She wasn''t sure she could jump it with magic. Deep breath. Natalie leapt for the metal railing, propelling herself with a burst of magic. She hit it hard, sending another spike of pain on the same sore spots she''d already hit earlier, but she clung onto it. She hoisted herself over the railing and started down the stairs, three at a time, while the screen to the window floated back into place and the window quietly swung shut again.
Kelsey: Omg Kelsey: That was crazy :D Jenny: ya Kelsey: I watched you jump Jenny: you did??? Kelsey: Had to see it for myself Kelsey: I''m hiding again don''t worry :3 Kelsey: Gonna wait til his mom leaves and ride bus home Kelsey: I think she''s really mad Kelsey: Tyler and mitch left Kelsey: Its super quiet :/ Jenny: you ok? Kelsey: Ya Kelsey: Just hungry :P Kelsey: Can you make food appear? Jenny: not on chat plz Kelsey: Oh sorry D: Kelsey: I forgot Jenny: and no Jenny: cant sorry Kelsey: Damn Kelsey: You going home? Jenny: ya Jenny: got right on the bus Kelsey: Bad signal too Kelsey: I cant even watch anything >:[ Jenny: sorry Kelsey: Entertain me! :D Jenny: with what Kelsey: I dunno Kelsey: Hows you and quinn going? Jenny: me and quinn??? Kelsey: You guys going out Kelsey: Duh :3 Jenny: umm Jenny: i dunno Jenny: hes in cali Kelsey: And? Kelsey: You''ve been texting him right? Jenny: no? Kelsey: D: You gotta text him! Jenny: ill just talk to him when he gets back Kelsey: What if he meets some cool girl in California? D: D: D: Jenny: what Jenny: he went there for his family¡­ Kelsey: You never know Jenny: whatever Kelsey: You guys are so cute :3 Jenny: stop Kelsey: never! :D Jenny: hey kelsey Kelsey: What''s up? Jenny: umm Jenny: i keep hearing things Kelsey: Like what? :O Kelsey: Is this about you-know-what? Jenny: it might be Jenny: i thought i heard someone say awakened on the bus before Jenny: and now i think i just heard it again Kelsey: I dunno what that means Jenny: its Jenny: nevermind Jenny: i shouldnt have said Kelsey: Come on! D: Kelsey: Jenny? Jenny: sorry it was my stop Jenny: walking toward my house now Kelsey: Where do you live anyway :O Jenny: cant say sorry Kelsey: Not even for your beeeeeest frieeeeeeeeeend? :*( Jenny: not allowed Kelsey: Lame Jenny: uhh Kelsey: What? Kelsey: Jenny? Kelsey: You still there? Kelsey: Hello??? Natalie had sent the message. More than once. She tried calling, too, but nothing happened. She tapped on the blank stretch of wall behind the old abandoned convenience store, but it wouldn''t budge. She even kicked it a couple times, even though she had no idea why that might change anything. What''s going on¡­? They''d never failed to open the door for her before, no matter the time of day. If nothing else, the Laushires were really reliable on that. Natalie wondered sometimes if it was actually automatic when she sent the text message somehow, as if the magic were linked to her phone. Probably not. She sat down against a tree trunk in the small park next to the store. She had a growing cascade of messages from Kelsey, wondering where she''d gone, but Natalie was too worried to answer those. She hopped onto the website, but no one was on. She messaged Cinza, Hailey, anyone, but didn''t get an answer. Finally, frustrated and afraid, Natalie checked the news. Oh my god. They were all talking about it. About magic. Awakening. Rallsburg. It wasn''t a secret anymore. Oh no. Natalie sprang up, running back to the blank wall. "Let me in," she cried, pounding her fist on the bricks. "Please." There was no answer. Natalie had been gone too long, and the Laushires were hiding again. Just like they had in Rallsburg at the end, when she''d been sent by Rachel to try and get people into their secret market to hide. She''d run into exactly the same thing¡ªpounding her fists against an empty wall, while desperate people waited behind her for help that wasn''t coming, until they had to run away again as soon as the monsters caught up. Except this time, she didn''t have Gwen with her, or Hailey and Jessica swooping over the town giving directions, or Rachel trying to solve the problem. She felt it sinking in slowly, steadily, like a storm brewing in her chest, terror erupting through her whole body. Natalie was stuck on the outside again, in a city that had already shown her how much it was willing to hurt her, and she was alone. [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] B2: Chapter 21 — A Return to Form Chapter 21 ¡ª A Return to Form "Do I believe she was a good leader? I cannot say. Certainly whatever goals she held went unfulfilled. At the end of the Omega epoch, Rachel DuValle saved my life. Some may argue she allowed it to occur, by not taking more decisive action. More ignorant voices will say she herself set events in motion. This is foolish. A leader should not be blamed for events they could not have foreseen. His power was beyond our comprehension. The true measure of leadership is in the unexpected. In that, Rachel reacted as best we could hope: by stopping the threat. I do not know what means she employed to accomplish that end, but since that evil man is now a pillar of smoke in the sky, I trust she made the right choice." ~Cinza, The Rallsburg Diaries Jeremy snapped his phone shut and walked back into the bedroom. "Well, we''re fucked." "I knew this would happen," Rachel sighed, after he explained what he''d just learned from Hailey. "Really? Is that a magic thing?" asked Maddie. "No. But it happened last time too. As soon as I feel like we might actually have a chance to prepare, it gets torn to shreds anyway." Rachel sighed. "How much time do we have?" Jeremy was already scrolling through reports on his phone. He didn''t bother with the news, going straight to his email box and news feed from work. "Jesus, even we don''t fuckin'' know. They''re deploying a team to the damn publisher''s office right now." Maddie laughed. "Bunch of clowns." He shook his head. "Nah, this is everyone in the Bureau. Even the good ones. How the fuck¡­" Rachel had a laptop open as well, scrolling through pages of material. "It looks like it was presented as a trashy exploitative fiction novel. They didn''t publicize it at all until the last minute." She shook her head. "It''s to be released on Tuesday." "Four days?" Jeremy asked, while Maddie swore violently. "Yeah." Rachel kept tapping away at the keyboard. "Looks like Hailey made a splash, too. She''s front-page news." "Well, we gotta get in there," said Maddie. "What?" "If you want to take control of the story." Rachel shook her head. "We''re not ready yet. We don''t have a plan for handling integration, or for new laws to deal with the awakening process, misdemeanors, felonies, anything. The economic impact. There''s so much we need to plan for." "And this motherfucker just threw your whole plan out the window," said Jeremy with a shrug. "He''s banking on the idea that the first person to reveal themselves is gonna have control of the whole story, and he''s probably right," Maddie continued. "Everyone''s gonna remember the first couple awakened. The more there are, the less notable. Hailey''s gonna be immortal at this rate, and whoever did this is gonna be right behind." "Who is it, anyway?" asked Jeremy. "Any ideas?" "No need," Rachel answered grimly. "Hailey and I came to the same conclusion. It''s Nate Price." "The rich kid?" "Formerly rich kid," Maddie corrected. "After that whole business reclaiming his family''s estate." "Oh, I loved watching that." "What?" asked Rachel. "Courtney ate a ton of shit for it," Jeremy explained, grinning. "Our half-sister, the governor," Maddie explained, as Rachel continued to stare blankly. "You''re related to the governor?" Jeremy shrugged. "You didn''t know?" He was used to Rachel knowing seemingly everything already. "I never made the connection¡­" She trailed off. "That might be an approach we can use." "...Fuck no," Jeremy sighed. "You want to go through our sister?" asked Maddie dubiously. "Well, I don''t really want to be on TV¡­" Rachel said, frowning. "But if we want to have some kind of influence on where this is heading, we need to connect with the actual people in power." "Ah, so you want the lobbyists," said Jeremy sagely. Maddie punched him in the arm. "Offer to work for her," said Will. They all looked over at him, sitting up in the hospital bed. A laptop floated over to him and landed neatly beside him. The keys started tapping away slowly on their own. They waited while he worked up to another sentence. "They''ll need a way to find criminal magic users. I can do that." "...Are you sure?" Rachel asked. "You still can''t walk." "I know." He winced. "It''ll still be through you. Same as before." "Before what?" asked Jeremy. Rachel took a breath before answering. "He means when I was on the Council. No one else knew about Will''s affinity, or even that he was awakened. Whenever someone wanted an affinity reading or help locating magical activity, I''d act as a buffer." Rachel looked at him with a mixture of concern and admiration. "You really want to go through all that again?" "This is important," he said, clearly holding back a cough. "You need something to offer." "He''s not wrong," said Maddie. "Without a card on the table, you''re just a recently dead girl. No real connections or authority to back you up. You gotta bring the big guns." "I am an awakened," Rachel pointed out. "That''s still an extreme rarity in the world¡ªone in seventy-six million, and most of us are in hiding. There''s twenty times more billionaires than there are awakened." "Yeah, but that doesn''t just get you a voice in the government. It''s all about who you know, or how much money you''ve got. Nothing else." Maddie shook her head. "You know me, but that''s about it. We can take it the slow way, where I start introducing you and bringing you into the right circles, but if you can bring a card like that to the table¡ª" She nodded at Will. "¡ªyou''re gonna have real power, real fast." "Hang on," said Jeremy. "No offense, but he''s stuck in that bed, right?" "Mostly," Will replied, coughing again. "This doesn''t feel right." "I don''t have to be there¡ª" Will said, before getting cut off again by another coughing fit. "He can use the spell from quite a ways away," explained Rachel, pouring Will a glass of water. "Far further now than he used to, since he doesn''t have much else to do stuck in bed all day. He''s had a lot of practice." "So you''ll just be sitting up here in Vancouver, totally alone?" Jeremy shook his head. "If they can find two guys in the middle of the fuckin'' woods, they''ll find you here sooner or later." "He won''t be alone," said Rachel. "Your parents are real nice folks, Rachel, but I¡ª" "I didn''t mean my parents." She nodded to the doorway. Three people were standing there¡ªhigh school ages, perhaps a year or two older. Jeremy couldn''t be sure. One short-ish girl, with long blonde dreadlocks and a huge birthmark on her pale face, flanked on either side by identical twin men with short-cropped black hair and equally bored expressions. "Sorry it took so long," said the girl. "That''s fine. Thanks for coming." "Who the hell are you?" asked Jeremy, standing up. He was shocked they''d managed to enter the room without him noticing. I''m fucking slipping¡­ "Are you that FBI guy?" asked Dreadlock-girl. "Yeah, he is," chimed in the left twin. "Definitely the guy," agreed the right twin. "She''s Solveig, and the twins are Landon and Logan," explained Rachel, sitting back down in her chair next to Will. "They work for me." "Whatever she needs," agreed Solveig. "Yeah, we''re Rachel''s Rangers," added the left twin. His brother glanced at him. "Thought we agreed that name was stupid, Landon." "It''s growing on me." "Are they¡­" Maddie started. Solveig grinned. She held up a hand and snapped her fingers. An empty glass on the bedside table shattered. Jeremy and Maddie both leapt to their feet, started. The dreadlocked girl''s smile only got wider, as she snapped her fingers again. The shards on the table gathered back up and reformed, merging back into a single glass again. "They are," answered Rachel unnecessarily. "I''m helping pay for their college." "We''d do it anyway," said Solveig. "I''m taking the year off to do magic." "Online classes," added Logan, and Landon nodded in agreement. "Your education comes first," said Rachel pointedly. "Nuh-uh. Your safety, Will''s safety, then our education," said Solveig. "Also her parents, our families," added Logan. "The city, the country," continued Landon. "Ourselves." "We got it, guys," said Maddie testily. Solveig smiled. "They''ll all be totally fine while you''re gone. Wherever you''re going." "Seattle," Rachel replied. "Olympia, actually," corrected Maddie. "We''ll need to stop in Seattle first. I have to meet with someone on the way." "How long will you be gone?" asked Solveig. "As long as it takes," Rachel replied, with a touch of melancholy. She leaned down and kissed Will on the forehead. He lifted a hand awkwardly to pat her on the back. "I need to go pack."
Rachel left the room, and her group followed her out. Maddie left too, muttering something about getting a bite to eat before they drove all the way back to Seattle. Jeremy and Will were the only ones left, and Will was already back on his laptop. He didn''t ever actually touch it. By all appearances, the keys were pressing themselves, while his eyes flicked around the screen. Still, he could type faster than Jeremy ever could, so he didn''t seem to be slowed down in the slightest. "Hey, Will," Jeremy started, taking a seat by his bed. "Hmm?" "I gotta know. Are you really okay with this?" "What?" Jeremy shrugged. "With us just usin'' you. You''re stuck up here solo and we''ll just be usin'' you whenever we need a readin'', right? Sounds like a bad deal to me." Will frowned. "I can''t do much else." "Yeah, but¡ª" "I''ve got a talent nobody has. I''ve got Knowledge affinity. That''s rare. If I can do some good, I will." Jeremy nodded. "All right. I just wanted to make sure." "I''m supporting Rachel," he added. "That makes me happy." "Well lucky you." Jeremy frowned. "Actually, I had another question for you." "Hm?" "If you''re a Knowledge guy, does that mean you can figure out other magic like that? Other¡­ uhh, spells?" "Maybe." "Right." Jeremy dug through his pockets for the stone. He set it in Will''s outstretched hand. "Tell me what this thing is doin'', then." Will frowned, his eyes locked on the small stone with the rune-like carving in the middle. Jeremy wanted to know what that meant too, but he couldn''t think of a way without taking a photo and uploading it to the internet¡ªand fuck that. Lani and Maddie didn''t have a clue either. "I''m not sure," he said finally, but a moment later his eyes widened. "Oh!" "What?" asked Rachel, who had walked into the room at the same moment. "It detects magic," said Will, before another cough overtook him. A glass of water hovered into his hand, which he took a drink from awkwardly before continuing. "Not very well, but it works." "Where did you get that?" she asked Jeremy. "...Stole it off a guy who was stalking a kid down in Tacoma. One of the ones from the bar standoff." Jeremy shrugged. "We guessed what it could do. They were using it to pick out your people in the bar, so they could execute ''em." He shivered. "Cold as fuck." "Omega must have given it to them¡­" Rachel murmured, picking it up from Will and turning it over in her hand. "Those symbols." "Yeah. What''s that mean?" "Truth. Jinsil," she added. "It''s in Korean." "...Okay?" "I don''t know why. Maybe he was learning Korean. I didn''t really know him very well." Rachel sighed. "Specifically, it refers to a sort of general truth of the world. Like physics, or religion in some contexts. Something that does not change and will never change. Universal and rigid." "So you carve this thing onto a rock and it''ll tell if people got magic?" "No. Symbols like this have nothing to do with magic. He was always a bit theatrical." Rachel handed it back to him. "You can use it, then?" "Yeah." "That is what''s extraordinary. Something only Omega and one other ever accomplished, magical objects that anyone could use even if they weren''t awakened." "How''s that work, then?" "Well, as it was explained to me, the object is actually imbued with specific instructions. Almost like a program. It can keep operating so long as it can draw enough energy to power its function." Rachel sat back down next to Will, taking his hand and squeezing it. "The problem is, energy can only be drawn from a willing person." "Doesn''t sound like a problem to me," Jeremy muttered. Rachel smiled. "You''re right. That''s probably a blessing. Anyway. Since an enchanted object needs energy to keep working, if it''s too far away from a willing user for too long, the spell will collapse and fade. There''s a few theories about how to get around this, by drawing energy from other sources somehow, but for now all we can do is a willing human being." "But this spell''s still here," Jeremy concluded. "Exactly. Somehow, Omega was able to imbue it in such a way that the spell is still there, long after anyone was actively using it and long after he died." She took a breath. A darkness flashed across her face. I know that look. That girl''s seen some shit¡­ "Not only that," Rachel continued, "this is a Knowledge spell, which has always been one of the hardest for anyone to use outside of their own affinity. The fact that anyone can use this, even those with no magical experience or training whatsoever, is intimidating to say the least." "And those fuckin'' golems," he muttered. "Exactly," Rachel agreed. "For all his faults, there''s no denying that Omega was one of the greatest spellcasters in the world." "Hey Rachel?" Solveig had poked her thin, sharp-angled face around the doorframe into the room. "Car''s all loaded." "Thank you." Solveig disappeared again. Rachel glanced over at Jeremy. "Could I have a minute alone with Will before we leave?" Jeremy stood up. "Yeah, ''course. I''ll be waiting outside." He left, and the door swung quietly shut behind him on its own. I''m never fuckin'' getting used to that. He wandered back into the main room, where Rachel''s trio of followers was standing guard by the front door, clearly taking their roles far too seriously. Her parents were eyeing them with suspicion. "I''m guessin'' she didn''t tell you about them either?" he asked Andrea, pouring himself a cup of coffee as he did. She shook her head. "They''re just a bunch of kids," she murmured. "So''s Rachel," Jeremy pointed out. "My daughter''s different." "Uh huh." "No, I mean¡­" Andrea trailed off. "She''s different than before." "She''s been through a lot." Way too much. "She''s still trying to do some good though. That''s something, right?" Christ, am I a counselor now or something? "Yeah. She''s doin'' good." "You''ll look out for her?" asked Eric. "Both of us will," replied Maddie, who''d been leaning against the refrigerator. "I''ll be with her every step of the way." Jeremy nodded. "If all goes accordin'' to plan, she''s gonna be the first head of state or some shit." "We never did pick a name for this new appointee," Maddie explained with a shrug. "Something for the drive, I guess." Rachel emerged from the bedroom a moment later, a leather bag over her shoulder with a gold buckle on the front and an eight-pointed star embroidered above it. She hugged her mother and father goodbye, and Jeremy lead the way back to Lani''s car. Back to America, back to Seattle, back to normal. Fuck me, I wish.
Contrary to the idea for discussion, Maddie was out like a light only a few minutes into the drive. They''d spent the whole night talking, with only an hour or two for sleep. Rachel, on the other hand, seemed as awake as ever, while even Jeremy felt a bit tired. "How the hell aren''t you exhausted?" he asked finally. "Magic," she answered simply. "What, you''re doing a spell or somethin''?" "Not exactly. But I only need about two hours of sleep a night." "Shit, maybe you should drive," he muttered, as he felt his eyes drooping slightly again. "I don''t have a license." He rolled his eyes. "You''re also supposed to be dead. If we get pulled over, I think we got bigger problems than you bein'' unlicensed." "I''ve never driven a car before." She serious right now¡­? "It was a joke, Rachel." "Right." She stared out the window, watching Vancouver disappear behind them. "Sorry. I haven''t had much to laugh at lately." "Uh huh." Jeremy shrugged. "You''re never gonna survive Maddie''s people if you ain''t got a sense of humor. Just warnin'' ya. You''ll end up tearin'' your hair out." If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. "Good to know." Most of the drive passed in silence. They crossed the border without issue, since Jeremy was still able to wave his badge to get them through without many questions. He was still supposed to be on vacation, and if his bosses had questions about why he''d gone to Vancouver of all places, he had one hell of an answer in his passenger seat. Halfway to Seattle, Maddie finally spluttered awake. "...we there yet?" she mumbled, awkwardly turning over with a huge imprint of a seatbelt on her face. "Not even close," said Jeremy. "Still an hour at least." "Coulda put on some music or something," she muttered. "Awkward as shit in here." "Sorry I''m not the best conversation, Maddie." "Do I gotta do everything in this family?" "Yes." She chuckled. "Okay, fine. Hey, Rachel?" "Yes?" "Talk to my brother, so I can get some real sleep. Too damn quiet." She turned back around, pressing her face into the soft cushions in Lani''s car. They both listened, and sure enough, she was gently snoring in only a couple minutes. "Can she fall asleep anywhere?" Rachel asked quietly. "Pretty much." "I''m jealous." "So you both got superpowers. Just gotta combine ''em." She laughed quietly. "Maybe someday." "...What''s your endgame, Rachel?" She looked over at him, surprised. Jeremy shrugged. "Look, my job''s always been to chase the scarier, smarter type of criminal, so maybe I''m just wired to think this way. But I feel like you''ve got somethin'' you''re workin'' towards, somethin'' drivin'' you, and I can''t figure it out. What are you tryin'' to do?" "Save the world, I guess." "Oh, it needs savin''?" "It might." She sighed. "It was one thing Omega and I agreed on. Something my best friend once said really stuck with me, actually. She said magic was like we were playing with nuclear weapons, without any idea what the potential fallout might be." "Who''s this best friend?" "Nobody from your lists." Goddammit. "Thought we were done lyin'' to each other." "This isn''t a lie, not exactly. But¡­" Rachel hesitated. Her brown eyes clouded over, dark and regretful. "Well, I treated her horribly. For once, I''m going to let her have the benefit of the doubt and let her do¡­ whatever it is she''s doing now. So her name stays out of it." I''ll figure it out if I need to. "...All right then." Rachel smiled. "Thank you. To answer your question though, that''s what I''m trying to achieve. I always knew magic was going to spread out. By the time Omega tried to do anything, it was already too late. Even if he had managed to kill every single person in Rallsburg, there were already some awakened beyond the borders. I know a few of them, and we''d already made it pretty clear we couldn''t find everyone. Nor could he." "And those scraps of the book, right?" "Yes, exactly. The Scraps are spreading, too. I''m really not sure why or how. It''s like they''re moving on their own. I mean, since the paper seems to be effectively indestructible except by magic, there''s no reason they couldn''t just keep drifting around, but they don''t seem to be following the wind, or any pattern I can discern. They''re just spreading outward at random." Jeremy sighed. "That''s gonna be a fuckin'' headache." "There''s only a certain number of them, so it''ll be slow at least. But it won''t stop. That''s why we need to get a system in place. There''s no way we can control the spread. Only one person in the world could hope to do that." She took a breath. "If history''s anything to go by, society doesn''t take well to rapid systemic change. Humanity will survive¡ªit always survives¡ªbut I''m afraid of how much damage might be done in the meantime." "Nuclear weapons." "Right. If people with magic can combine their power to create something with the widespread lingering destructive power of nuclear radiation, they could permanently affect the whole world in cataclysmic ways. Nuclear weaponry is held in check by the prohibitive cost of such a weapon in the first place. It takes sophisticated equipment, a strong understanding of physics, and expensive materials to construct such a weapon. The real danger from nuclear weapons these days is from nations trading or even losing those weapons to less stable elements in the world. "On the other hand, the development of nuclear science has lead to so many technologies and ideas that make our world better. Nuclear power. Medical breakthroughs, especially in diagnostics and cancer treatments. Magic could do the same, and that''s what Omega never recognized. He was too afraid of the dangers¡ªand on that, he''s not wrong." Rachel glanced out the window at the suburbs passing by, the endless in-fill of the cityscape. "If some random person snaps, on a bad day, with a bit too much passion and anger, and they could somehow muster the sort of power that we saw on the fifteenth? They could wipe out whole towns. Whole cities, maybe." "Thought you said that took special awakened people and a whole lot of effort." "Yes, but everyone seems to be getting stronger over time. We haven''t actually seen an end-limit yet. So will the awakened keep getting stronger over time?" Rachel shook her head. "We need to be preemptive." Jeremy paused while he merged around a particularly slow car on the highway. There was a lot more traffic than he expected for the time of day. It was already dark, and the main rush of the day should have passed already. "Gonna be a fine line between preemptive plannin'' and guilty until proven innocent." "Yes." Rachel nodded. "I worry about that line every day." "Good." "What about you?" she asked, turning to him. "I know why Maddie''s here, but why you?" He shrugged. "I was lookin'' for my partner and ended up in this mess. Complete accident." "You could have left at any time. You still could." "And miss out on all this excitin'' drivin''?" She laughed again. "It''s not because you like magic, I''m guessing." "Definitely not." "But you''re still here, backing us up." He shrugged again. "It''s my job." And Jackie ain''t here to do it. "I thought you were on vacation." "I''m bad at takin'' vacations. Ask any of my bosses." Rachel nodded. "Well, I''m grateful you''re here. To be honest, I really needed someone like you." "Huh?" "Someone to show up on my doorstep and remind me that I can still do some good in the world." Jeremy shrugged. "I was just doin'' what I was told." "By the girl you saw, right?" "That''s the one." He glanced at Rachel, who was still staring out the passenger window. "You gonna tell me who she is yet?" "I can''t." "Why''s that?" "Because she hates me already, and I don''t think making her angrier is a good idea." "She hates you?" She sighed. "Yes." I already know what she''s gonna say, but worth a shot. "Why''s that?" "I can''t tell you that either." Goddammit. "Okay, give me one straight answer at least. What''s this one stop we gotta make in town?" "...Kendra Laushire." Jeremy chuckled. "Of course the rich girl survived. Probably paid her way out." For the first time since they''d met, he saw a bit of anger return to her face. It was actually unsettling, even for Jeremy. He knew how little she was actually capable of doing, and yet¡­ she was not someone he wanted to piss off. "...Sorry. So she''s a friend?" "Yes." They rode in silence for a few minutes. "...I wasn''t sayin'' she was a bad person," he added uncomfortably. "I know." "She could be totally fine. I was just makin'' a joke about rich people." "It''s fine." For the next half-hour, they rode in stony silence, with only the hum of the car and the light snores of Maddie from the back seat. Well¡­ fucked that one up.
"Pull off here," said Rachel. "That dump?" Jeremy asked dubiously. They were a block away from the most forlorn abandoned convenience store Jeremy had ever seen. He was shocked it hadn''t been condemned and taken down¡ªbut this part of the city was notoriously filled with stubborn old landowners and a real lack of motivation to develop. The vicious cycle of no one wanting to invest because it had no existing value, which lead right back to no value again. He couldn''t imagine someone like a Laushire living here. Buying the property and developing it maybe, but not eating, sleeping, and pissing here. Not only was the property itself dilapidated, but the entire street wasn''t much better. Half-broken chain-link fences, the remains of a homeless camp, and boarded up buildings lined both sides of the street. In the distance, he could see the beginnings of proper city streets, but it was at least two blocks away. This whole section was left for dead, and their presence felt unwelcome. Even as he watched, a kid in an oversized green army jacket with a wicked scar on her face emerged from the store and fled away from their car, straight into the gnarled woods that jutted up against the building. Christ, even the street don''t want this street. Seems like prime territory to me. "Hmm," Rachel murmured, staring at her phone in the back seat. "What?" "She''s not answering." Jeremy shrugged. "So let''s just go in anyway." "There''s nowhere to ''go in'' to. She doesn''t live there, that''s just where to get into her real home." "...Meaning what exactly?" Rachel paused. "Call it a sort of door, that opens to somewhere completely different." "What, like another dimension?" I''m not that ignorant. I''m twice your age, but I can keep up. "Just cut to the chase, girl." She nodded. "Kendra can create pocket dimensions where distances do not correlate with their real world counterpart. She uses a miniature version of this to create doors that effectively teleport you as you walk through. That building is just a convenient memorable anchor point." "...All right. So her house ain''t here, is what I''m gettin''." "Yes." She frowned, still staring at her phone. "And she''s not answering me." "You sure she''s even got signal wherever she is?" "Or maybe she''s just busy," added Maddie. Jeremy jumped. "Jesus, you''re awake? "Awake and starvin''. Are we there yet?" "Yes ''n no¡­" Jeremy stared at the building. "So should we just go up and knock?" "No point¡­" Rachel said, trailing off. "I haven''t spoken to her in months. Maybe she moved." "We don''t have all day," said Maddie, stifling a yawn as she sat up. "I had to buy your meeting with Courtney tonight, and you''re still gonna be sharing the space with a few other notables." "What''s the plan, anyway? For the big meetin'', I mean." Jeremy asked, glancing over at Rachel. She looked worried, which didn''t sit well with him. If the big bad leader''s thinking somethin''s wrong, should I be lookin'' out for more of those fucking golems? I miss normal bad guys with normal guns. "It''s a first step," said Rachel, still tapping away at her phone. "I thought you and my sister was the first step." "Okay, so it''s more like step fifty-seven," she sighed. "With Maddie''s help, I want to approach the governor and try to arrange for a reasonable level of protection for my people. Get attacks recognized as a hate crime, for a start." "What do you need Laushire for, then?" "Last time I saw her, she was already in tight with the devil," added Maddie, leaning forward between the two seats and plucking a couple of peanuts out of the open bag on the center console. "Under a fake name, but she was rubbin'' shoulders and tradin'' favors with the whole crowd." "I¡­" Rachel hesitated, glancing away. "I don''t need her. You''re right." Petrichor wafted through the car as the first few drops of rain started pattering on the roof. "Let''s not stay here any longer." "I hear that," Jeremy muttered, immediately turning the car back on. They pulled out of the forlorn city block and back into the living part of Seattle. "Anyone else from your old life we should check in with?" "...No." Jeremy looked over, but Rachel was still turned away. watching the street go by. Whatever. It''s her call. "You got it."
"So explain this to me," Jeremy started. They were sitting in the lobby while one of Courtney''s assistants went off to extricate her from the fundraiser¡ªbecause she''s always holding a fucking fundraiser¡­ "How''d they print millions of copies, ship ''em out all over the country, and no one read the thing?" Maddie swallowed down the chips she was munching on before answering. "Well, who''s gonna believe it?" "There had to be a bunch of people working on it, right?" "It''s a pretty minimalist cover," said Rachel, "so they didn''t need a designer, and the rest of the process could have assumed it was just a work of fiction. The editors were obviously in on it, and I''m sure that as soon as it was announced to be genuine, every shipment was already under strict lock and key." Jeremy shrugged. He was just making idle conversation. Waiting for Courtney to show up had him fidgeting impatiently. He felt like he needed to be doing something, but he couldn''t really think of what that might be. At least Rachel seems to know what she''s doin''. "Oh, for fuck''s sake!" Jeremy growled, getting to his feet. The assistant had returned, an apologetic smile plastered across his dumb face. He didn''t make it halfway across the hall before Jeremy was right up in his face. "You told her it was her brother and sister?" "Yes, I¡ª" "National security concerns?" "Exactly as you¡ª" "Opportunity of a fuckin'' lifetime?" Maddie shook her head. "Jere-bear, he didn''t even talk to her. Did''ya?" she added, cocking her head to the side. Reluctantly, the aide shook his head. "Well if she can''t come t''us, we''re goin'' to her," Maddie finished cheerfully. "Rachel, you coming?" Rachel sighed. "Yes." Jeremy grinned as they swept past the hapless assistant. The poor guy wasn''t about to get in the way of the Ashe siblings, or the willowy tower of a girl following in their wake. They bounded up the wide marble staircase, two at a time, and headed straight past the men standing at the door and into the party. Boring-ass party, Jeremy sighed as soon as they''d walked in. He''d expected nothing less from a political fundraiser¡ªbut even by those standards, it was so stately and refined that he felt like firing his gun into the air for the hell of it, just so there was something happening. Of course, their arrival had already caused a stir. It helped that their attire was completely out of place. The fundraiser was mostly black-tie formal wear. While Maddie was at least wearing a business suit, Rachel was dressed in a long dress that clearly didn''t fit her right, and Jeremy had on a windbreaker with his pistol visibly holstered at his side, right next to his badge. ''Bout time I can finally work as myself again¡­ More or less. "Where is she?" whispered Rachel, as more and more heads began to flick towards them. Maddie stood up on her toes, peering over the crowd. "Table in the corner. She''s the one gladhanding the guy who looks like a mob boss." "...She''s your sister?" "Takes after her father," Jeremy shrugged. "In personality, too," added Maddie. "Come on, Rachel." She seized Rachel''s hand and started pulling her away, weaving through the crowd and tables like a professional. Jeremy did his best to keep up, nearly running over a few curious onlookers that stood up to greet them. The buzz in the room was growing. He doubted anyone actually recognized Rachel, but he and Maddie had both been on the news more than enough. "Courtney!" Maddie cried in an overly-affectionate tone that had Jeremy cringing right along with his half-sister. "I didn''t know you were going to be at this party!" She froze, hands in mid-air from some energetic speech she''d been giving to the cigar-chewing man two seats down. Slowly, the rotund woman twisted on her chair, brushing back long straight hair from her face to eye them through thin-rimmed glasses. No wonder Rachel''s surprised. She''s fat, we''re both skinny. She''s got straight hair, Maddie''s is curly as they come. Courtney looks like she''s always trying to win you over, and Maddie looks like she''s pulling a prank on you and can''t help laughing before it even goes off. I wouldn''t call us as siblings either. "Madelaine," she said, with a perfectly calculated air of warmth. Jeremy resisted rolling his eyes. "I swear I sent you an invitation. Did your poor secretary misplace it again?" "Oh, I''m sure she just filed it into the wrong box. You know, so many invitations cross my desk in D.C., it''s a wonder I make it to anything at all!" Maddie waved airily as she took one of the empty seats. Courtney''s table had been almost entirely empty. The cigar-chewing man looked particularly annoyed by the interruption. Jeremy suppressed a grin as he leaned against the wall, just to pressure them a little bit more. Rachel looked uncertain, but Maddie tapped the chair next to her surreptitiously with her foot, prompting her down as well. "Madelaine, this is my friend Howard Mettis." "Charmed," said Maddie. "Of Metcon Capital, right?" "That''s right," he growled. Or maybe that''s just his voice, if he smokes shit like that. "Don''t tell me my darling sister is talking your ear off about campaign donations, is she?" Maddie sighed dramatically. "Only a week after securing her next term and she''s right back at it. You have to admire her dedication." "Howard," said Courtney, with only a hint of irritation creasing her voice, "this is my half-sister Madelaine, recently re-elected senator for Washington." "Another six years, but who''s counting?" Maddie smiled. "Mr. Mettis, you''re certainly in the right circle if you''re looking to pick the winners." "And her brother Jeremy," Courtney added, with a slight flick of the head toward him. "The FBI agent?" Mettis said, narrowing his eyes. "Yup," said Jeremy, inclining his head. "You fucked that one up, didn''t ya?" Like you have any fucking clue. "Maybe. Maybe not." "Oh, let''s not get into that ugly business," said Maddie. "Courtney dearest, I was wondering if we could speak in private." "Don''t you have committee meetings to attend?" said Courtney waspishly. "There''s no way he calls a lame duck session. He''d get mobbed." "Like that''s a big deal anymore," huffed Mettis, as bits of ash fell from his unlit cigar. "As much as I''d love to debate the finer issues of the modern political system," Rachel cut in, "our business is a bit more urgent than that." Her voice was quiet, but controlled and pointed nonetheless. The sort that compelled attention. It was very different from the uncertainty she''d shown in the car, or the melancholy back in Vancouver. "...Who are you?" asked Courtney suspiciously. "Part of our private business," said Maddie. Courtney frowned. She looked up at Jeremy for some sort of confirmation. He nodded. "Howard, please excuse us for a minute," she said, getting to her feet and setting down her drink. "This shouldn''t take long." Don''t bet on it. "Got a private room we can use?" Jeremy asked. "There''s a few upstairs that should be unoccupied." Mettis shrugged. "I need something to drink anyway." As he wandered away toward the open bar, they trooped off toward a hallway leading out of the main ballroom. "What are you doing?" Courtney hissed, as soon as they''d exited the mass of guests. "I''m working here, and you bring some giant co-ed into my fundraiser for what? Is this some stupid college prank?" "I really wish it was," Jeremy muttered. "Not here, Courtney," said Maddie. "If I''m leaving a party I organized, I want an explanation, dammit." Courtney stopped right at the exit, in full view of the onlooking guests. "What''s this about?" "That man you were just talking to," Rachel interjected¡ªagain with that compelling, even tone. "Howard Mettis, Metcon Capital. He has personal assets in the two hundred million range, and his investment group is well over a billion. He''s made sizeable contributions to a number of Democratic candidates, including Maddie¡ª" "He has?" Maddie asked, surprised. "Yes. Ten years ago in April, two hundred twelve thousand dollars in total." Rachel turned back to Courtney. "But he''s slowed down making contributions to the party in the last few years and seems to be swinging to the middle, if not the right. You''re trying to persuade him otherwise, correct?" Courtney frowned. "...Yes. Go on." "What are you using to convince him?" "The usual. The party platform, and promises to reduce red tape and double taxation on his ventures. My personal line." "But it''s not working. Because someone else has his ear." "How did you¡ª" "You said it yourself in your conversation, before we walked up." She could hear that¡­? Courtney''s eyes widened slightly. "You could hear that?" Rachel shrugged. "I have good ears." She glanced back toward the crowd, and Jeremy could see her eyes drift slightly. Not cross-eyed, but almost the opposite, like they were looking in totally opposite directions. Her pupils dilated significantly, huge black dots in the center of her brown eyes. "That woman," she said suddenly. She didn''t point outright, but a brief shimmer in the air gave her away all the same. It was so subtle that Jeremy could have missed it had he not already been following her gaze. "Stacy Vellencamp?" Maddie wondered aloud. "Not likely. They don''t run in the same circles at all. Not even the same half of the country." Rachel turned back to Courtney. "I don''t know what it is exactly, but those two have a very strong, close connection. She has a lot of influence over him. You need to figure out what she wants to get his money." Courtney looked up at Rachel, the foot difference in their heights almost comical at such a close distance. "...Let''s talk."
"Muuuuch better," said Maddie, lounging on a couch and draining a glass of champagne. Courtney had taken them into a private room on the next floor, with a man outside the door and every lock turned. "Are you going to tell me who this kid is yet?" she asked Jeremy, ignoring Maddie entirely. "Rachel DuValle," said Rachel, before he could speak. She held out a hand for Courtney to shake. "I''ve been looking forward to this meeting for years, governor." Courtney looked thoroughly unimpressed. "...And?" "Use your fuckin'' brains," Jeremy sighed. "Who the hell do you think she is, if I''m here?" "Enough of the games. You got your private meeting," Courtney said testily. "Even if I did get a leg up on Mettis, I''m still losing a lot of face right now." "Mom would be so proud," Maddie murmured, barely audible across the room. "I''m one of the survivors of Rallsburg," Rachel interjected. Before Courtney could even start to react to that, Rachel kept going¡ªas if she wanted to just get everything over with as fast as possible. "I believe the upcoming Rallsburg Diaries book is one hundred percent accurate, and will quite probably lead to a mass influx in the near future. I''m also the last elected representative of the Awakened, and this is my formal extension of greeting to you as the governor of the state we reside in." "...She serious?" Courtney asked Jeremy. "As a fuckin'' bomb." Courtney reached out slowly and shook Rachel''s hand. "I¡­ see." "I realize this is a lot of information in a short span," Rachel went on, dropping the handshake as quickly as she''d offered it. "But we don''t have a whole lot of time. The book is scheduled to go on sale Tuesday, and things will happen very quickly from that date." "Things like what, exactly?" "Oh come on, Courtney, don''t tell me you didn''t even look at that damn book," said Maddie, sitting up awkwardly on the couch. "Everyone''s about to find out magic''s real. They''re gonna want a taste of it for themselves. Washington''s ''bout to become the hottest tourist attraction in the whole fuckin'' world." "You''re about to have an event of unprecedented scale on your doorstep, governor," Rachel added, "and I''d like to help. I may be the only person in the world with the resources and experience to do so." "How?" "Before I explain, I''d like to make clear what I need from you." Good, she learned. Make the terms clear before Courtney can fuck you over later. Courtney frowned, and Jeremy saw her eyes flick over to Maddie for a fraction of a second. Yeah, bitch, we coached her. Deal with it. "I''m listening." Rachel cleared her throat. "Full amnesty for my people on any crimes they may or may not have committed while residents of Rallsburg. A protective detail for my family and amnesty for fleeing the country while wanted for questioning." "That one''s a federal crime," Jeremy cut in. "Courtney can''t do shit about that. But we can probably still swing it." Rachel nodded. "I''ll have a full list of requests for you, but that''s the general idea. We need protection." "This is something to do with the increase in random unexplained deaths in the Olympic region, isn''t it?" Courtney asked, furrowing her brow. "Someone''s hunting us," Rachel confirmed. "And ''us'' is¡­" "People with access to magic." Courtney sighed. "This is going to be a long night." "No kiddin''," said Jeremy. As Rachel began to detail more of her requests, as well as exactly how she could help Courtney in the coming weeks, Jeremy stepped out of the room. He trusted Maddie would make sure Courtney didn''t abuse Rachel. Somebody had called him from a number he hadn''t recognized, and while normally he''d just assume it was a spam caller and ignore it¡­ he''d given out his number to a fair number of useful contacts lately. Could be anyone. It took seven rings for the other end to finally pick up. "You called me?" "...Mr. Ashe, right?" Who the fuck is this? He sounds like a high schooler. "I give you a card?" "Yeah. I¡­ I need your help." "Who is this again?" "Jonathan Hudson." "The magician, right? Theater kid?" "...Yeah." Please don''t be wastin'' my time¡­ "What''s goin'' on?" "I''m scared. I think they''re coming for me." "You mean¡ª" "They''re gonna kill me." [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] B2: Chapter 22 — In Her Image Chapter 22 ¡ª In Her Image ¡°By tattoo, dye, silicone, or magic, the outer self is a canvas to be filled by your whims without limit. The inner soul is a demanding demon of desires forever beyond your control. Neither defines you. Your true identity lies somewhere in between.¡± ~Cinza, the Rallsburg Diaries Wait¡­ Wait¡­ okay, it''s clear. Go. Go! Natalie hesitated, even while she screamed at her legs to move. The sun had already gone down and the city was dark again. Every shadow seemed to leer up at her. Every street was full of monsters waiting to leap out and devour her. Every person was watching her, following her, biding their time until they could steal her away and take her into the black vans where they''d do horrible experiments on her. All because she once read a piece of paper she found in the woods. There''s no one. The street is totally empty. You have to go. You can''t just stay here. She saw it in her head, as clear as day. Saw the little girl step out of the shadows and be set upon by faceless golems, or men in black suits, or even just the featureless mass of random people. They surrounded her and fell upon her in a huge mass, and she couldn''t fight back. She couldn''t escape. You''re not that little girl anymore. Natalie opened her eyes and looked down at her hands, clenched in two tight fists. Define who you are. She bolted. A horn blared the moment her foot hit the pavement. Natalie twisted around in mid-leap, but her momentum was already carrying her into the street. A delivery truck bore down on her, barely visible through the harsh headlights flooding the street. She reacted without thinking. A wall of force expanded outward from her outstretched palm. With a sickening crunch of metal, the car slammed into an invisible wall. Natalie kept running while an alarm blared behind her, filling up the street with noise. She twisted around slightly, trying to see if the driver was okay, but she couldn''t tell¡ªand she couldn''t stop moving. Get out of here. Go. Now. It didn''t matter anymore if she was seen. They would all know who she was in only a few days. Natalie started tapping into the flame of magic flickering inside her chest, so close to her heart. She felt like it was the only thing keeping her warm. Each step became a leap forward as she bounded down the street, practically flying past the few people on the sidewalk. They turned as she leapt past, watching her flick by in a blur of motion, but all they could see was someone in a forest green army jacket, jeans and a thick hood. Nothing identifiable, or so she hoped. You have to hide, and you can''t do that if anyone follows you there. Remember what Boris taught you. Natalie felt like the voice keeping her company and reminding her what to do was someone else entirely. It was so much louder today. Maybe it was Gwen''s voice, somehow, projected across the forests and cities to keep her safe. Or maybe it was Rachel, giving her a plan and a mission to follow. Or maybe it''s her. The huntress. Teaching me. Natalie stopped to catch her breath at the corner of the next street, where she could sit beside a short staircase out of sight. That''s just silly. She''s not real. Elves aren''t real either. But¡­ magic is real, and I bet they didn''t know that. So maybe she isn''t so imaginary after all. Her hand moved to her bag, about to open it and fish out the card. Natalie shook her head. No time. She got back up and started moving again. She couldn''t risk being found. There wasn''t any time to waste. She pulled out her phone while she kept moving. To her dismay, there still wasn''t a single response from anyone on the website. Cinza and her people were totally silent. Hailey, too, but that didn''t surprise her anymore. Hailey seemed so preoccupied with her own stuff lately. Probably didn''t want to talk to a little kid anymore¡­ Boris and Dan hadn''t been online since they were on TV, but she''d heard they were okay. She missed Hector, but he barely ever showed up on the website. He wasn''t the type to talk online. Even worse, she hadn''t gotten anything new from her friends. Mitch, Tyler and Steven were presumably still keeping up the charade at Steven''s place. Kelsey had texted her back, but since she was still trapped in the back of Steven''s closet, she didn''t have anything new for her. Mostly just confused reactions to the news, intermixed with complaints about some game she was playing while she was waiting around bored. The news¡­ There''s gonna be a book about us. About everything that happened. About me and my dad. Natalie knew how it was going to go. She was the daughter of the traitor. She''d be infamous for that, especially since she''d fought back. They were on opposite sides of the story. Not for the first time, she wondered what might have happened if she''d just told him about magic. Rachel hadn''t outright told her not to, but she hadn''t seemed okay with it either. Natalie hadn''t really wanted to tell him either. Sometimes, her dad was weirdly strict on things. Like when they''d first moved to Rallsburg and he hadn''t let her out of his sight, ever. She was a lot smaller back then, but it lasted for years. After he''d finally let her go do things on her own, she still had to check in constantly, and he wouldn''t let her talk to anyone. It was months before she finally got caught talking to Hector, and her dad grounded her for a month for it. In the end, though, he''d relented and let her have the run of the town, and even the forest around it, just so long as she was home for meals and got all her homework done. So maybe he would have been okay with magic too. Maybe he wouldn''t have talked to Omega instead. Maybe he wouldn''t have¡­ killed so many people. And maybe I wouldn''t have killed anyone either. What does that make me? Their faces were still in her head. The furious crowd of people in Rallsburg. The guys in the abandoned warehouse in Seattle. I didn''t want to. They made me do it. But she still did it. She killed them. Natalie got up and kept running. She leapt straight over the entire street, flinging herself high into the air with magic as cars whipped by underneath. A few passerbys gawked at her. Landing was a bit harder, and she stumbled as she touched down, but she kept running. Her hood didn''t slip an inch from her head as she blitzed down the next street, and the one after that. A siren kicked up in the distance. For a brief panicked moment, Natalie thought it was coming for her¡ªbut it was getting quieter. Nothing related to her. Just another loud, inescapable part of the city she hated so much. Keep moving. She was alone again, but she wasn''t going to fall into the same trap as last time. She knew where she was, and she still had all her things. Nothing like that would ever happen to her again. Don''t think about him. Don''t. Natalie nearly plowed over an old man as she hurtled around a corner. He shouted something rude as she passed, and she mumbled an apology. She doubted he actually heard it, but it made her feel a bit better. But she was getting tired. She''d been running non-stop, and while magic was staving off exhaustion by helping her move at top speed, and she was in pretty good shape, Natalie hadn''t eaten anything since the package of cookies she''d won back at Steven''s place. She needed food. A convenience store seemed to pop into existence right in front of her. Without thinking twice, Natalie made a beeline for it. Another loud horn and another car that nearly slammed into her, but she threw herself into the air and out of the way, landing on the sidewalk and falling to the ground. "Whoah¡­" A hoodie-clad teenager leaned against the wall next to the door. Something like a cigarette fell from his open mouth. He rubbed at his bloodshot eyes, blinking heavily. Natalie pulled her hood back on tight and hurried inside, before he could decide if she was real or not. Something I wanna know myself, sometimes¡­ Natalie''s knees were feeling a bit knocked about. She''d landed pretty hard that time, although at least she hadn''t had to hit the car like before. If that other driver was hurt¡­ I can''t think about them right now. I didn''t mean to, but I gotta keep moving. She picked up a few bags of chips, donuts, anything that looked appetizing. Remembering the looks she''d gotten last time, Natalie pulled out her cash and counted out the right amount out of sight of the counter. The guy from outside was standing by the counter as she came back, but he didn''t seem to be waiting for her or anything, just buying a bag of chips for himself. She waited until he was gone, then hurried up and dumped her entire haul on the countertop. She still got an odd look from the cashier, and not just the usual unsettling glance at the scar. Is it because I''m young? Or because I''m buying so much stuff? Or does he know who I am? The moment he handed over the receipt, Natalie gathered everything up in her arms and fled. One precarious bag fell off as she left the store, but she caught it with a quick spell and floated it right back into her arms again. As soon as she was out of sight, she dumped most of the snacks into her bag, keeping a granola bar to chew through as she walked. Her legs were starting to get tired, and her sides were cramping from running. It''s only two blocks away. You shouldn''t have stopped. Keep moving. You''ll be safe there. Natalie wasn''t so sure about that, but she really didn''t want to be on the street anymore, and it was the only place she could think of. Somewhere she knew was totally empty, that definitely wasn''t in any of the forbidden parts of the city, and with just enough familiarity for her to feel comfortable. Even if she''d never been there. It was a single door in a row of identical condominiums, buried inside an enclosed city block on a raised section of pavement. Cars lined the place, and a few people were walking nearby to their own condo. Natalie wasn''t really sure what the difference between that and an apartment was, but it didn''t really matter much for the moment. She needed to figure out which one was his, and how to get in. A nameplate adorned the side of each door. Well, that was easy. She started down the row, avoiding the gaze of a passing couple heading out to dinner, hand-in-hand and standing close together. Natalie watched them walk away, all the way out to the car waiting for them down by the sidewalk. She imagined they were going out to a nice dinner, just the two of them, maybe with candles and silk tablecloths and a jazz band playing in the background. She turned back to the wall of doors again, hurrying down the row. It wasn''t on any of the first floor of doors. She had to go up. On the second floor, a balcony with another row of doors identical to the first, she finally found the small bronze engraving she was looking for. Kincaid There was a front window, with curtains drawn so she couldn''t see anything inside. The door had a brass knocker right in the center, but it wouldn''t really do her any good since no one was inside to answer. Natalie looked under the mat and the little rabbit statue by the door for a key, but she wasn''t that lucky. Never lucky, really¡­ I''m sorry, Quinn. Reluctantly, she felt out the door from the opposite side with her mind, trying to find the lock. She didn''t want to break in, but it was the only way. After a few tries, Natalie finally found something that felt about the right shape. She twisted it around, and heard a satisfying click as the lock snapped open. The door swung wide. Natalie took a nervous step in, closing the door behind her carefully. She''d never been to his house before. The address was right there on his profile, since they were friends, and it was so close to the school that she could have walked there any day¡ªbut she''d always been a bit reluctant to. Especially now that they were¡­ something else. Don''t think about it. Focus on what''s going on now. The secret''s out. You need to stay hidden. Except¡­ she was hidden. No one would be in this house for days. She could finally, finally lay down and relax for the first time all day.
Kelsey: Jenny your scaring me Jenny: sorry Jenny: im ok now Kelsey: What happened??? D: Jenny: couldnt get into my house Kelsey: Oh Kelsey: Is that it? o.o Jenny: ¡­ Jenny: ya Kelsey: So what did you do? Jenny: well i uhh Jenny: i kinda broke into quinns house Kelsey: For real!? Jenny: ya Jenny: im sitting on his couch right now Jenny: his place is nice Kelsey: I bet it is :P Jenny: dont plz Kelsey: Dont what? Jenny: im really scared right now Kelsey: Whats wrong? D: Jenny: i think something bad is about to happen Jenny: and i cant get anyone to ansswer me Jenny: youre the only one whos texting me back Kelsey: Not even Mitch/Tyler??? Jenny: well theyre stuck with mrs chau arent they? Kelsey: No¡­ they went home. I told you that remember? Jenny: o Jenny: sorry i forgot Kelsey: What about Quinn? Jenny: hes probably with his family... Jenny: i didnt want to bother him¡­ Kelsey: Jenny -_- Kelsey: Hed totally wanna be bothered by you Jenny: but Jenny: even all my old friends arent answering Kelsey: Maybe theyre all busy? Jenny: maybe¡­ Jenny: with whats going on i guess that makes sense Jenny: but i need help Kelsey: What do you mean whats going on? :O Jenny: nothing Kelsey: Come on, tell me! Jenny: well Jenny: you saw the news right Kelsey: Yeah Kelsey: Something about magic??? Kelsey: Ohhhhh Kelsey: That''s about you! :O Jenny: ya¡­ and thats bad Kelsey: Why? Jenny: because people dont like it Kelsey: I think its pretty cool Jenny: thast because youre cool Jenny: trust me Kelsey: Maybe youll be wrong Jenny: maybe Kelsey: Jenny? Jenny: sorry, something is beeping Kelsey: Something like what? :O Jenny: little box on the wall. quiet but its super annoying Jenny: says "Delkiph Systems" Kelsey: Oh shit D: Jenny: what? Kelsey: That''s a security thing Kelsey: We have that here too Kelsey: You gotta put in a code when you come in or the alarm goes off Jenny: i dont know the code! Kelsey: It should have gone off by now o.o Kelsey: Maybe youre okay? Kelsey: Jenny??? D: Kelsey: Are you okay?? Natalie could feel her phone buzzing in her jacket pocket. Every time it lit up again, she stiffened up in fear. If they heard it¡­ Three men had shown up only moments after Kelsey''s text. They burst through the front door with tasers, something like the one her dad once had. They were going through the whole place, trying to find the intruder. Trying to find me. What do I do? She was under the couch, pressed up against the wall. She barely fit, but she managed to squeeze in just as the first shadow passed over the curtains before the door flew open. The men were talking to each other, clearing rooms with professional efficiency. It sounded a lot like someone else she once knew. The guy with the broken arm back in Rallsburg, the military guy. She couldn''t remember his name though. Some kind of animal, like a nickname or something. If they look under here¡­ Natalie didn''t want to hurt them. She was pretty confident she could stop the little taser cables before they got to her, and she could definitely take on just three guys¡­ but then she''d have to run again. Very slowly, Natalie inched her hand into her jacket pocket, fumbling for the volume buttons. She shifted just an inch too far. The phone thumped onto the floor. She waited, frozen in place. No response. None of the men were in the living room. Natalie let out the shallow breath she''d been holding in, and picked up her phone an instant before it buzzed again. She couldn''t read it, but she could guess that it was yet another panicked text from Kelsey. She clicked the volume all the way down to silent, and breathed a sigh of relief as the screen lit up again, but without a vibration this time. Not two seconds later, heavy footsteps returned to the living room. "False alarm?" "Still gotta follow procedure. You know the rules." "Ugh." "Don''t worry. The office takes care of of the rest. All you gotta do is file your report." "Fuckin'' paperwork¡­" Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Three pairs of boots left, the same three pairs that came in. They tapped out a sequence on the quietly beeping alarm box, then the door clicked shut. Natalie was alone once again, but finally, she felt a real sense of relief. They hadn''t found her. She was safe.
The first thing she did to celebrate was eat. All her food was still intact, thanks to her bag. She wondered if it would keep things totally fresh too, and decided to leave a package of doughnuts inside just to test it out. The real problem was that she was starving, and she didn''t just want to have snacks for dinner. Quinn''s family had a well-stocked kitchen, but Natalie didn''t want to steal from them. She wasn''t supposed to be there, and while she felt like he''d probably be okay with it, she was too nervous to ask. Natalie wasn''t a thief, so she had to find another way to get a real meal. What she did have was a phone, piled bundles of cash, and a stack of prepaid debit cards she''d bought for emergencies¡ªand so she could pay in shops without getting as many weird looks as the cash did. After all, the cards didn''t show anyone how much she had on her. More importantly, they could be used online, and she was in the middle of Seattle. She could finally take advantage of something revolutionary, which hadn''t existed in her hometown and which she couldn''t ever use at the Laushire house. Natalie could order delivery. She made sure it was safe first. The guard had typed in the code from an angle she could see pretty well. Natalie opened the door a crack to test it, and the box began to beep. She typed in the code, as quick as she could, and it displayed a reassuring "Disarmed" message. Still, Natalie went back to hiding for a good half-hour again, just to be extra careful. When no one showed up, she felt reasonably assured she could go in and out without setting off another alarm. Which meant only one thing: pizza time. Natalie wasn''t about to risk another meeting with a total stranger. She put in her order with specific instructions on the site. While she waited, she texted back and forth with Kelsey, who had finally managed to escape Steven''s house and gone home for the night. Kelsey was still annoyingly curious about Natalie''s big secret, but she hadn''t seemed to make the connection yet to the breaking news. Natalie wondered if she should just tell them¡ªtell them she was from Rallsburg, who she was, everything. It would make her life so much simpler, and it wasn''t like they were keeping the big magic secret anymore. That ship had sailed. Will you tell them everything? What he did? What you did? She shivered. Quinn''s house was pretty cold. It was November. Did she dare try to figure out how to turn on the heat? The door knocker interrupted her thoughts. She waited, watching the silhouette through the curtains as the delivery guy set down the pizza and walked away. As soon as he''d disappeared into the stairwell, Natalie opened the door and grabbed it, closing it just as quickly. She did end up using the family''s dishes, whispering an apology under her breath as she did. She cleaned them afterward, and left them to dry in the little rack next to the sink. She hoped they wouldn''t mind¡ªor even notice, if she could manage it. That was her goal. Stay as long as she had to, but be out before Sunday, when the Kincaids were supposed to come home from San Diego. Her phone lit up again on the table, and Natalie got back into a texting back-and-forth with Kelsey, arguing about whether or not they should hang out in Quinn''s house since it was totally open for the weekend. Kelsey had practice Saturday morning, but she was free the rest of the day. Natalie wasn''t so sure, but she left the idea on the table. More than anything, she just wanted to relax. Her heart was still racing after the mad dash through the city and the impromptu hide-and-seek with the security guys. Between the pizza and the bottle of soda that came with it, though, Natalie was finally returning to some semblance of calm. Which, of course, made it all the more clear just how quiet and empty Quinn''s place felt. Sure, it was obviously lived-in. She spent a long time just wandering through the main room, looking at pictures hanging on the walls of his family, his friends. There was a whole corner dedicated to photos of the rest of the Glasses Gang (almost invariably playing games of some kind, either Conquest, video games or something else). Other photos, of Quinn''s parents with other people. Family friends, she guessed. Her dad hadn''t had any friends. Not really. She made friends with a whole bunch of people in Rallsburg, from Rachel to Hector and Jackie, or even some of the college kids every year when they came back to school. She wasn''t exactly close to most of them (and a lot of the college students never even learned her name), but she felt like she was a friendly person. He wasn''t. The only person she ever saw her dad hang out with was Robert, the big lumberjack and hunter. Natalie didn''t like him, though a lot of the town did. He was always chasing her off his land, or grumbling and shouting about something. Robert was a complainer. She didn''t really get why her dad hung out with him, but she''d never asked. She didn''t get their friendship, but she was happy her dad had at least found someone to talk to in town. Natalie wondered if it started before or after they''d decided to help Omega. Robert. He wanted to kill me too, probably. That look he gave me in the woods after the riot¡­ Him and Omega¡­ If my dad knew, he would have stopped them. But Dad was too busy hurting other people¡­ She pulled a book out of her bag and returned to the couch, intending to dive into it and forget about everything for a while. From the last time she checked, nothing else was happening yet. No one was answering her except Kelsey, who had returned to her favorite pastime of needling Natalie about Quinn, so she was getting ignored for a while. The book just didn''t work. Natalie put it back and sifted around for another one. Again, she just couldn''t bring herself to focus on the words. Even her favorite, a story about a lost girl who helped overthrow an evil kingdom, couldn''t keep her attention. Natalie was too restless. She felt like she needed to do something. You''re safe, but as soon as you go back out there, you''ll be in danger again. Natalie dug out her blanket¡ªnot the thick dark outdoor one, but the warm and fuzzy pink indoor blanket. She curled up at the end of the couch, plugged in her headphones and closed her eyes, trying to bob along to some music. Anything to occupy her mind. You need to prepare yourself. If you get caught like that again, you won''t get a second chance. She wondered what music Quinn liked. They''d never really talked about music much. Natalie was pretty open to most stuff, except for the really heavy music. It gave her a headache just to listen to it. She loved the violin and the flute more than anything. A few times, she''d listened in on Cinza''s nightly ritual back home. She had never shown her face to them, but if she happened to be wandering through the woods nearby at the time with Gwen or Scrappy, she liked hearing Rufus play their songs on his flute. You can''t rely on other people anymore. No one was there to save you. The world is changing. You have to fight. "Stop it," she murmured, closing her eyes tighter. Do you remember? "Yeah." You can''t let that happen ever again. "I could have stopped him." You didn''t. "You''re not real," Natalie muttered. She picked up her phone and turned the music up, trying to drown it out. You already talk to animals. Why not a voice in your head? "Animals are real, and they don''t talk." They aren''t reliable. They won''t always be there for you. You have to help yourself. "Stop it," she repeated. You know who I am. "You''re a card from a game." I''m you, Natalie. And you can be me, if you want. You have that in you. "...What''s that supposed to mean?" You''ve seen Hailey change. More than once. You even copied some of it. What if you could do the same? Make yourself stronger, faster. Get rid of your scars. You could be me. Or just the parts of me you like. Natalie shook her head. "This is crazy. I''m going crazy." So is the rest of the world. "...How?" You know how. "But it''s dangerous. Jessica¡ª" You''re stronger than she is. "I don''t think I am¡­" she said doubtfully. Look at me. Natalie hesitated, but she opened her eyes. She picked the card out of the bag and held it up, looking at the fierce, beautiful woman on the card. Pretending that it was her face there, and not the angular features of the character. Then, a step further, imagining that she was in that enchanted land¡ªthat Natalie was the Huntress who lived a solitary life wandering the tree-cities of her queendom, never staying in one place for too long, but always welcomed. Always home, no matter where she went in her forest. I was like you once. "How so?" I grew up poor. I was alone. I had to fight¡ªto kill. They found me. I survived, and I eventually took my place in the natural order, but the scars never went away. "You don''t have any scars." Neither do you, if you wish it so. "I don''t know how to do that." The scars only show if you believe them. Natalie started to shake her head again, thinking it ridiculous¡ªbut then again she was talking to a playing card. She picked up her phone, switching the camera around to look at her face¡ªat the twisting scar that circled her left cheek, a dark angry line that refused to fade. If anything, it had grown a little with the rest of her body. She closed her eyes for a moment, and tried to believe that they would just disappear. When she opened her eyes, her face was smooth and clear. "How¡ª" You are more powerful than you know, just as I was. "But I didn''t do anything." But you can. Take up your rightful place, like I did. "Wait¡­" Natalie glanced back at the card. "You didn''t have a rightful place. You aren''t a queen or a noble or anything." She looked around, and the entire room was a black, empty void. "That was a different story." Natalie''s eyes flew open. Her phone said it was past eleven. The pizza box was still sitting on the little table in front of the couch, quite cold. She hadn''t ever taken out her blanket, and she was curled up tight with a pillow as a makeshift cover. The scars were still there. "What a weird dream," she muttered.
Despite the hour, Natalie was feeling restless again. The dream had been so vivid, and while that wasn''t really new for her, remembering the whole thing was unusual. She felt like it was trying to tell her something. She had no idea how to get rid of the scars, of course. She''d tried once when cleaning under the bandage, trying to use the description she read online about how skin healed to seal up the area. After a few particularly sharp spikes of pain, she''d given up, fearing even worse consequences. But there''s other things I could do¡­ I need to be stronger, and not just on a whim. If I get surprised or knocked out like in the warehouse, I can''t do magic. What if¡­ Visions of Jessica danced through her head, along with the endless warnings from Rachel and Cinza about ritual magic. They never expected anything like this, though¡­ Natalie knew how to do a ritual. Well, she was pretty sure. She''d seen the big one to take down Omega, of course, and she''d spied on a few in town when she could. She even had all the ingredients in her bag, including the chalk dust and plenty of gemstones of all sorts. And it cleans itself up, too¡­ Natalie started going through the home, which wasn''t very large. In her head, she insisted she was just looking for a better place to sleep. After all, the couch was visible from the window, and it really wasn''t very comfortable for sleeping¡ªthe armrest was too hard, and her pillow didn''t fit on it very well. She found Quinn''s parents room first, followed by a bathroom and then what had to be Quinn''s room. Natalie closed the door quick as soon as she saw his computer and his bed. The last door was another bedroom, but Natalie assumed it was a guest room or something. It had almost no decoration, the closet was empty, and the bedside table just had a couple books and a lamp. Still, the bed looked nice. Natalie laid down on top of it, and¡ªwhile it couldn''t live up to the beds in the Laushire house¡ªin that moment, it was the softest bed she''d ever touched. She decided to live out of that room for the next couple of days. It was the least offensive spot she could think of. But before any of that, she had an experiment to do. Natalie wanted to be ready, just like she''d been told. "That was a dream," she muttered aloud, as she pushed the bed over to the side of the room. It stood on little felt pads, so it didn''t damage the wood floor¡ªsomething Natalie checked in a panic when she realized she might be inadvertently ruining Quinn''s house. And now I''m talking to myself too¡­ It''s just because I''m lonely. That''s all. From her purse she pulled out a sealed plastic bag of chalk dust, along with two little red agates. She sprinkled the chalk in a circle on the floor, then set the agates at opposite ends. Natalie wasn''t sure why she''d picked agates exactly, but it seemed right. They always seemed to work well whenever she did this type of spell normally. I should really go learn all the different gemstones. Maybe there''s a guide online or something. She laughed aloud. Of course there wasn''t a guide. Magic wasn''t supposed to exist. "Which means there''s no one to tell me how to do this either..." she murmured aloud, losing her mirth. "Sorry if I ruin your guest room, Quinn." She couldn''t wait anymore though. She''d stalled long enough, heard all the warnings, seen the results when things didn''t go as planned. As best she could tell, most of the time it turned out okay. Natalie felt like she was ready. She wanted to do this. At least they figured out you don''t actually have to take off your clothes. That was super awkward¡­ Natalie took a nervous step into the circle of chalk, and then a second step. She''d watched the process before. Stepping into the circle was always the most dramatic moment, and she expected to feel something¡ªbut there wasn''t anything at all. The room might as well have been empty. Frustrated, Natalie sat down. She stared at the agates, sitting atop the chalk dust. "Do something," she muttered. They didn''t move. Natalie reached out experimentally with magic, picking one up and setting it down again. Still nothing. What if I¡­ Natalie tried drawing energy from them. Normally, she had to actually be touching them to do it, just like when people shared magic with each other. But something about the circle seemed different. As soon as she tried to pull magic out of the agate, the room seemed to get a little darker. Or was it just that her eyelids drooped? She blinked, and the room returned to normal. Except¡­ there was a hazy line hanging in midair between her and the agate. Natalie stared. It didn''t seem to go away. She tried drawing the energy from the agate again, and the line seemed to flow toward her. She could feel magic building up in her, waiting for direction, but it wasn''t like normal. She could feel a connection to the little stone, which was beginning to blacken from the strain she put on it. Excited, Natalie began shifting the energy around. She tried flowing it straight into her arms, in much the same way she did only a few minutes earlier to move the bed across the room. To her delight, it seemed to build up her muscles just as her usual spells did, but without the constant drain of energy or the mental focus she usually had to apply. To her horror, it also created a visible change. Her muscles were bulking up, her arms visibly thicker. Natalie slowed down the flow before she started to look like a freak¡ªmore than I already do. As she released the flow entirely, feeling satisfied, the agates evaporated along with the chalk dust. The room returned to its usual light level, and Natalie felt a wave of exhaustion roll through her. She fell back onto the wood floor, staring up at the pale white ceiling. But she didn''t feel anything else. There wasn''t a constant drain of magic, except for the tiny trickle to her bag on the bedside table. No mounting exhaustion from buffing up her weak stick-arms¡ªwhich weren''t so stick-like anymore. Not huge, but there was visible muscle, just the right amount, and there was still magic laced into each fold. She stood up, and with only a little effort managed to lift the whole corner of the bed, all the way up to her waist. Natalie grinned. Piece of cake.
Natalie slept on top of the covers, after casually sliding the bed back to its proper place. Her pillow and blanket from her bag were more than enough to keep her warm, and she had a couple changes of clothes packed away too. When she woke up, she checked her phone¡ªand finally she had responses from all the people she''d messaged the night before. Only now, in the daylight streaming through the bedroom window, Natalie didn''t really want to read any of them. The only messages she did read (besides the endless stream from Kelsey that she skimmed over) were from Quinn. A few short sentences that Natalie read curled up on the couch, with a blanket held tight to her shoulders, her eyes flicking over the glowing lines of text over and over. Quinn: Kelsey texted me. Quinn: She was worried about you but wouldn''t say why. Quinn: I saw the news. Is everything okay? I saw the news¡­ Quinn was too smart. He was telling her that he knew she was connected to the big story of the weekend. He was offering to help, like he always did, even though he was busy with his family a thousand mile and more away. Jenny: talk monday? Quinn: OK. Before or after school? Jenny: before. meet you at the library? Quinn: Sounds good. Natalie put her phone away. She couldn''t bring herself to explain to Quinn from such a long distance what was about to happen. If the book came out on Tuesday, she''d at least have the whole day to tell Quinn all about who she really was. Better you than the book. That way, if he doesn''t want to be friends anymore, you''ll know. You won''t get blindsided. "He''d never do that," Natalie murmured. She got up and went into the kitchen, retrieving the doughnuts she''d bought the night before for breakfast. Reluctantly, she did end up pouring herself a glass of orange juice from the Kincaid''s fridge, but she promised herself that she''d buy them a new jug. She could afford it, after all. The sunlight, combined with her suddenly healthy, strong and agile body, seemed to portend a good day ahead. She''d checked the news while she ate, and there didn''t seem to be any new developments. Nothing to panic about yet. Natalie wondered who was the person doing it¡ªputting out a book like this¡ªbut she didn''t really have a good idea. It didn''t matter, anyway. If the story was accurate, she couldn''t ever show her face in public again. She had to get used to that idea fast. Unless I don''t look like me anymore. Her weird dream flickered back into her mind. She still had no clue how to get rid of the scars on her face, but there were plenty of other things she could do. After she''d made her arms stronger the night before, Natalie had moved on to other things. She boosted her legs to match, since it just seemed obvious, and now she could run and jump like an Olympian. And I''m from the Olympic Forest, she realized with a giggle. After looking up some articles on human anatomy online, Natalie decided to experiment a little more, making her hearing a little better and her vision perfect, just by changing the shape of the muscles inside ever so slightly. It felt strange as it shifted around, but she felt the improvements almost instantly, and there didn''t seem to be any drawbacks. She was most proud of an an improvement that touched on her brain. It was the very last thing she''d tried, well past one in the morning, but Natalie had felt confident in her research. Despite the risks, she delved in with four amethyst crystals, eager to make exactly the sort of subtle enhancement that no one could see. It was pretty scary, casting spells on her own brain¡ªbut Rachel had done it, and Natalie was pretty sure other people had too. If she was supposed to be one of the most powerful magic users out there, then she should to be able to pull this off too, right? The ritual worked. Natalie had felt the effects almost immediately after the chalk vanished from the room. Suddenly, she felt perfectly balanced on her feet. She had a distinct awareness of exactly where her hands and feet ended, much moreso than she had only moments before. She picked up the nearest object (which happened to be her phone) and began tossing it around casually, without even looking. A moment later, she was juggling four different things as though she''d been practicing for years. For Saturday, though, Natalie felt like relaxing. While Kelsey pushed her again to have a small party at Quinn''s house before he came back, she just wanted to curl back up and read her book. Unlike the night before, she actually managed it. It was a good book, but only for a few hours. She was feeling antsy again. Was she just hungry? Natalie ordered another delivery. Mexican food this time¡ªone of her favorite meals that Hector always used to make. The quesadilla wasn''t nearly as good as the way he made it, but it still helped her feel a little better. Not better enough, though. She felt like she needed to be doing something else¡ªsomething more. There was a whole new world of possibility open now that she could do ritual magic. What was she doing sitting around reading a book? Natalie hurried back into the guest room. She''d only done changes to her insides the night before, making herself stronger, faster, more coordinated. What if she changed how she looked too? Thinking of a certain mysterious older girl she''d last seen on a stone bench next to Rachel, Natalie started with her eyes. She''d never really like her boring old brown eyes. After some more experiments and a few crumbled moonstones, her irises shimmered into a beautiful shade of bright purple. She''d actually been aiming for pink, but as she released the ritual and the rainbow moonstones dissolved, the color had shifted down to violet. For a moment she was disappointed, until she looked at it in a real mirror instead of her phone camera. Particularly when she moved into the sunlight, the color looked spectacular, as the violet lit up to a shade halfway between vivid purple and hot pink. She thought about changing her hair too, just like she''d always wanted to when she found out she was going into hiding with Kendra and Lily¡ªbut if she was ever going to go back to school, Natalie didn''t want to look too different. The muscles and even the eye color wouldn''t be noticed (who really looked that close at other people''s eyes, anyway?), but a sudden and dramatic shift of hair color wasn''t really something people could miss. Natalie spent the day messing around with it anyway, just because she could. She went through a whole pile of hair colors, at one point just browsing through a color palette on her phone and rapidly shifting her hair through each color while muttering the spells under her breath. At the end of the day, while munching through her leftover pizza, Natalie decided she actually liked her hair as it was, plain old straight brown. She''d left it as golden blonde for the moment, the last color she''d tried out, but she fully intended to shift it back to her natural brown later. Probably after dinner. Colors and muscles were one thing, though. Even her brain was technically just a big, complicated muscle, if she understood the articles she''d read online. Natalie wanted to see if she could actually change her appearance in a more complex way. It was a step toward figuring out how to get rid of her scar completely. Natalie sat down again in the center of the guest room, drawing out the ritual circle for the umpteenth time. She set out a combination of agate and moonstone crystals, as well as a pair of obsidian stones. She wasn''t sure why obsidian exactly, but something about the dark earthy rock seemed right for trying to move and stretch skin and cartilage around. Something simple to start, she reminded herself. Just in case. After a great deal of thinking, Natalie finally decided on morphing her ears a little. The upper tip made the most sense. It was something she could hide under her hair if she really had to, and it wasn''t anything more sensitive which she''d regret if she couldn''t reverse it. Natalie set to work. As soon as she''d activated the obsidian stones, the skin seemed to morph into a jelly substance that she could squish around. With the addition of the agate, the underlying cartilage bent too, and she could move it however she liked. Thanks to her new sense of coordination, Natalie split her focus so that she could move both ears in unison, making sure each movement was identical. She didn''t want to look weird and imbalanced. As the structure of her ear shifted around, Natalie giggled aloud. It felt so strange, but it wasn''t exactly uncomfortable. She was in total control, so it didn''t bother her too much. It was like her hands were doing the shaping, even though they lay perfectly still in her lap. Finally, she let go, satisfied that she could really change the shape in a permanent way. After performing so much magic, and so many rituals, Natalie was utterly exhausted. The sun was starting to go down anyway, and even though it was pretty early, all Natalie wanted to do was sleep. She collapsed onto the guest bed, not even bothering to change clothes. She pulled her jacket over her, then her blanket. It felt good, finally. She felt peaceful. Not at home, exactly¡ªshe was all too aware this was not her home, even if she still had it all to herself for a little while longer. She doubted she''d ever feel at home again until she went back to Rallsburg. That''s where it''ll be, she decided. When all this is done in the winter. I''ll go back home and open a store there. Like a tourist thing. There''s gonna be lots of tourists, so it should be easy. And no food. Maybe Hector will want to help. That''d be nice. With that pleasant thought, Natalie drifted off, grateful for a dreamless sleep for once after all the nightmares and bizarre lucid visions.
"...weird¡­" Natalie rolled over, shoving her hands underneath the pillow for warmth. She kept her eyes shut tight, wanting just a few more minutes of sleep. "...said no one was inside and nothing was taken." "You think¡­" Just go away. Please. I''m trying to sleep¡­ "...okay, Mom. It''s probably just broken." Why''s Quinn here¡­? Natalie''s eyes snapped open. She sat up straight, grabbing desperately for the edges of the blanket, as footsteps approached. A curious hand pushed open the door, and a ray of light from the hallway blinded her. "Why''s the guest room door op¡­" Quinn stopped dead, staring at her. His nice brown eyes opened as wide as they could go. Natalie sat up straight, blanket pulled up close to her face. Fear wracked every muscle in her body, but she couldn''t move. "What was that?" called Quinn''s mother from down the hall. "Linnethea?" asked Quinn breathlessly. He took a step into the room. "What?" Natalie whispered, confused. He looked closer. "...Natalie?" A strand of golden hair at the edge of her vision reminded her everything she''d done earlier. She reached up slowly, and felt along the top of one ear. It was still pointed and sharp. Natalie nodded. In a burst of movement, she grabbed up her blanket and stuffed it into her bag, along with her pillow. He rushed to her side, helping her pack everything back into her bag, but still making sure he always stayed a short distance away. "What are you doing here?" Quinn hissed. "It''s a long story," she whispered back. "I thought you weren''t gonna be home til Sunday." "It is Sunday. It''s one in the morning, but..." "Oh no," Natalie murmured. "I gotta go." "Yeah, you really do." Quinn glanced over his shoulder. "I''ll try to sta¡ª" "Hey Q, who are you talk¡­ing to¡­" A man who could only be Quinn''s father appeared on the threshold. Natalie looked up against her better judgment, meeting his dark brown eyes. He didn''t look unfriendly, particularly with the warm smile lighting up his dark face¡ªbut it faded the moment he saw Natalie sitting on the bed, frantically packing up a bag with his son''s help. Her heart sank. I''m so sorry, Quinn. Again. Please don''t hate me. [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] B2: Chapter 23 — Like Father, Like Daughter Chapter 23 ¡ª Like Father, Like Daughter "I don''t have a father. I had a series of individuals who called themselves my father. It took me a long time to understand that none of them filled the role of ''parent''. One tried his best, but what man could understand, nurture and guide a girl like me, when I didn''t understand me? A girl born in a land no one could locate, raised in a country no one could agree upon, brought to a city where no one spoke her language, with crimes under her belt no one could prove and weapons no one could find, sent to live in a home for children no one could want. It''s a wonder I didn''t just go mad." ~Cinza, the Rallsburg Diaries "What''s going on in here?" "Dad¡ª" "Who is that?" "She''s my friend." "...What''s your name?" "Jenny, sir." "Jenny, I''m sorry, but I''m afraid you''re going to have to go home now." "But, Dad!" "I''m sorry sir. I didn''t mean anything bad." "Dad, it''s the middle of the night! Can''t she just stay the night?" "It''s okay, I can go home. I live pretty close." "Dad, pleeeeeeas¡ª" "Natalie!" Natalie ran at her father, throwing her arms around his legs. "Come on, Daaaaaaaaad!" His stern expression didn''t waver for a second. "Jenny, I''ll walk you home. Get your things and I''ll be back in just a couple minutes, all right?" "Yes, Mr. Hendricks." He left Natalie''s bedroom with the door wide open, but Natalie didn''t care. She was already fuming, and she wanted him to hear. "It''s so not fair. It''s just a sleepover. He''s being a jerk." Jenny shrugged, picking up her sleeping bag. "I told you we shoulda asked first." "But we were gonna have so much fun. What if¡­" Natalie glanced at the open door. "What if you sneak back in? I can prop open the office window and you can come in after Dad locks up. He doesn''t know I found the spare key. We could have a sleepover in there." "I dunno¡­" Jenny looked uncertain. She stopped trying to get the band around her sleeping bag, sitting back against the bed. "I think I should just go home." "But¡­" "I didn''t ask my parents either," she confessed. Natalie didn''t have anything to say to that. If neither of them asked their parents, they were probably both in big trouble. Jenny was going to get yelled at by her dad as soon as she got home. At least we''ll get yelled at together¡­ She clapped her hands together. "I know. I''ll ask for permission as a birthday present." "Really?" said Jenny, surprised. "When''s your birthday?" "Next week. July fourteenth." Natalie grinned. "I''m gonna be eleven!" "Really?" Jenny smiled. "That''s so cool! That''s my birthday too!" "Birthday buddies!" Natalie cried, hugging Jenny. "But aren''t you turning twelve?" "Yeah, but so what? Close enough!" "So we''re totally having a sleepover on our birthday," said Natalie firmly. "And we''re totally having it here," agreed Jenny. "Your house is so cool." "Our place back in Chicago was cooler," said Natalie. "It had better A/C so it wasn''t so hot. And I had way more books there." "Where''s Chicago?" "I dunno. It was a big city. I don''t remember it really well. It''s far away though." Jenny shrugged. "The only city I know is Olympia. I hate going there. We only go there if we have to go to the dentist." "Eww." A soft knock on the door. Natalie could just barely see her dad around the corner. "Jenny, it''s time to go home now." "Okay, Mr. Hendricks." Natalie gave her another hug, and Jenny returned it. "See you tomorrow." It only took about fifteen minutes for her dad to walk Jenny home and return. Most people in Rallsburg lived pretty close to each other, except for the farmers and a couple other people, like the Price family or mean old Robert Harrison. Not that Natalie knew many of them. She''d lived in Rallsburg for a whole three years, and she''d only really met two other people. Mrs. Nichols was her teacher during the fall months when the university was in session. Natalie didn''t like her much. She was super strict and bossy, and she had that weird old person smell. Her dad''s assistant Neffie Bowman was much better, but Natalie never got to talk to her much. She seemed really cool, but Natalie only saw her when she came in to talk to her dad about business. The first time, she''d introduced herself and given Natalie a little toy, but every time after that it was just a quick wave and a smile. Natalie didn''t know why, but Neffie hadn''t ever really spoken to her since then. So when Natalie found out, after three years living in Rallsburg, that there was actually another kid around her own age? She was ecstatic. "Dad, she''s my friend!" she cried, as her dad took off his jacket and set it in the closet. "How did you meet her?" he asked quietly. Natalie hesitated. She expected him to be angry, not quiet. Quiet was way scarier. Then she remembered: she wasn''t supposed to be in that part of town. Still, Natalie couldn''t lie. Not to her dad. So she didn''t answer. "...I thought so," he said. He knelt down in front of her at eye level. "Natalie, I told you. It''s not safe to go out there alone. You could get hurt¡ªor worse, and I might not be around to protect you." "It''s okay, Dad. Jenny knows the town really well, and she knows the doctor and the sheriff and everyone. They can help if I got hurt or whatever." "We don''t know that they''re good people." Natalie hesitated. She didn''t really follow his words. "What do you mean?" He sighed. "Natalie, don''t go out there alone again." "But¡ª" "I said no, Natalie." Natalie sat down on her bed, pouting. "Why?" He shook his head. "Because you''re the most precious thing in the world, turtle, and I''m your father." He got up. "I''m going to make some macaroni for dinner. Are you hungry?" She was, but she still felt angry. "No." "Okay." He paused before leaving the room, and glanced back over his shoulder. Natalie looked away, not wanting to meet his eyes. For the moment, she hated him. "Natalie?" "What?" she said sullenly. "I love you." "Love you too." Natalie grabbed up a book from the shelf by her bed and clicked on the light. A little while later, she heard her dad walk away.
Quinn stood up between his dad and Natalie. She hadn''t moved, still holding her bag in her lap. Luckily, she''d closed it before he looked in, or he might have seen the inside expanding far beyond the dimensions of the little bag. "Dad¡ª" Quinn started. "Honey, what''s going on?" asked Quinn''s mother, finally coming into view. She brushed brown hair out of tired eyes, her face pale and visibly exhausted even in the dim light. At the sight of Natalie in the bed, she dropped her luggage. "What on earth?" "...Hi," said Natalie. She glanced around, but again, there wasn''t anywhere to run to. Unless she wanted to barrel right through Quinn''s parents standing in the doorway, she was pretty much trapped. Unless I want to jump out another window¡­ One was scary enough. "She''s just a friend from school," Quinn added quickly. Just a friend¡­? Natalie wondered, before she remembered that was silly. It''s not like they''d really said anything else. Yet. If he ever would after this mess. "What''s she doing in our guest room?" "I''m sorry," Natalie murmured, though only Quinn actually heard her. "What?" asked Quinn''s mother. Natalie cleared her throat. She was still a bit wonky from only waking up a couple minutes ago, even with the huge burst of adrenaline. "I didn''t mean to be any trouble." "I told her she could stay here over the weekend," Quinn lied. His dad smiled. They have the same nice smile. "And you didn''t tell her when we''d be home? I''m disappointed. You should be better at planning than that." Quinn''s mom sighed with exasperation, glancing at her husband. "Dear¡­" He nodded. His smile faded. "Q, you really should''ve asked us first." "I know," said Quinn, shamefaced. "It''s my fault," Natalie cut in. "I didn''t give him a lot of time." About thirty seconds, give or take¡­ His dad took a step forward, and suddenly the hallway light wasn''t blocked anymore. It hit Natalie full in the face, and she recoiled. In unison, all three pairs of eyes jumped to the left side of her face. Natalie turned, but it was too late. They''d all seen the scar. Seen her. "...Q, could you go wait in the living room, please?" asked his mother. "But¡ª" "We just need to talk to your friend for a minute," added his father, after a glance at his wife. "Don''t worry." Quinn shot a worried look at Natalie, but he retreated from the room. Quinn''s mother approached and sat down on the edge of the bed¡ªand Natalie tried her absolute best to inch away without being noticed. It didn''t work. "What''s your name?" she asked, not unkindly. "Jenny. Jenny Heshire." Natalie thought she saw a flicker of recognition cross her face, but she couldn''t be sure. "And you go to Jenkins with Q?" "Yeah." Natalie took a deep breath. "I didn''t ask him permission. I kinda broke in." Quinn''s dad laughed. "We know. Honestly, you actually solved a mystery for us. The security company our block pays for called when you broke in on Friday." "They did?" "I kept worrying it might be something worse, but Annette insisted it was probably a glitch. Guess we were both wrong." Annette sighed. "Every single other time, it''s been a false alarm. I was going by statistics, Damian. Which was your favorite move on every single claim you ever worked." "Jenny," continued Damian, dropping down to a crouch in front of her. Natalie managed to resist backing away for once, though it helped that he had pointedly stayed a fair distance away. They caught on quick. Just like Quinn does. "We''re not mad, okay? We just want to know what''s going on." "Nothing," she answered automatically, to a synchronized eye-roll from both of his parents. Natalie realized she didn''t know anything about Quinn''s parents, which made trying to talk her way out of this little trap a great deal more difficult. She wondered again if she should just make a run for it, try her luck again. You know what will happen if you try that. "Jenny dear, we weren''t born yesterday," said Annette. She reached out a hand to touch Natalie on the shoulder. Natalie could feel it coming like her hand was on fire. She tried to resist, but as soon as it was within a few inches, Natalie moved away again. To her surprise, Annette didn''t look surprised, or upset, or confused, or any of the other emotions she usually saw. She had a sort of grim satisfaction on her face, something Natalie had seen on Rachel¡ªand on her dad too, way back. Damian spoke up. "Do you live nearby?" "Kind of." "Do your parents know you''re here?" Which ones? "No." He frowned. "But you''ve been gone since Friday, right? Don''t you think they''re out looking for you?" Well, Dad might be¡­ wherever he is. Natalie shook her head. "They probably haven''t even noticed. They never notice when I''m gone." "Do you want to go home?" Yes. But you can''t get me there. "...No." Annette glanced at her husband, having another private conversation with only a few looks that Natalie couldn''t understand. He nodded. Annette spoke up. "Jenny, you know that breaking in isn''t okay, right?" She nodded. "I''m sorry. I just¡­ I didn''t know where else to go." "Well, thanks for not breaking anything on your way in," Damian added with a grin. "Would you like to stay here for the rest of the weekend?" asked Annette. "No one sleeps in here, so you''re welcome to it." Natalie was too nervous to feel any kind of relief. Is this actually happening? "...Yes, please," she whispered. His dad stood up, a wide grin on his face. "We were going to have french toast in the morning. How do you feel about bacon?" "I love bacon." "Excellent." "Do you need anything?" Annette asked. "Blanket? Toothbrush? More pillows?" "No, thank you," she whispered. She still felt too nervous to raise her voice above a whisper. It felt too good to be true. She sat up straight, and the light from the hallway hit her again, but this time it didn''t feel so harsh and revealing. "You have beautiful eyes," added Damian. "I''ve never seen anyone with purple eyes like that before." Natalie had totally forgotten about her new eye color in all the commotion. Now that his parents had seen them, she couldn''t exactly change them back, and she doubted they''d believe she was wearing those special colored contacts or something. Especially since she had just been asleep, in pajamas and everything. "...Thanks?" "Don''t mind him," said Annette, rolling her eyes again. "It''s his job to be nice to pretty girls." "Don''t forget the pretty guys, too," added Damian. "Huh?" asked Natalie, totally lost. "My husband decided to waste his bachelor''s and his career by becoming a bartender," said Annette, nudging him in the arm. "You say waste, I say expand." "My neighbor was a bartender," said Natalie, thinking back to John Bell. He''d lived in the house closest to theirs back home. "He was the nicest guy. He used to give me free french fries." "Tricks of the trade," said Damian with a wink. "I know that move." "Dear, before you embarrass yourself, we really should let Jenny get back to sleep." Damian nodded. "Jenny, if you need anything, we''re right at the end of the hall, okay? Just knock on the door. Don''t worry about waking us up, either." "Thank you so much," she whispered. He glanced back over his shoulder. "Quinn!" In an instant, Quinn appeared in the doorway. "Yes?" "How far away is our living room¡­?" asked Annette pointedly. "There''s no door, so it''s all one room, right?" said Quinn. Damian laughed. "Jenny can stay the weekend." Quinn threw his arms around his dad. "You''re the best, Dad!" His parents walked out of the room. "Lights out in ten minutes, Q," he added. "And remember that you still have homework to do for Monday." "Yeah, I know." As soon as they were gone, Quinn sat down on the end of the bed with a huge grin on his face. "I can''t believe they said yes!" Natalie''s eyes drooped. Now that the adrenaline and relief had both worked through her system, she was starting to feel the fatigue again. She tried to resist it, since she finally had a few minutes alone with Quinn and no one else around, and no huge pressing danger looming over her head like a storm cloud. It didn''t matter. The sandman was coming for her again. Quinn noticed, too. "Natalie, you okay?" he said, his voice low. She nodded. "Yeah. Just tired." "You changed¡­ uhh, everything. What happened?" Natalie glanced down¡ªat her new golden-blonde hair, the muscles on her arms and legs, plus the changes she couldn''t even see like her ears and her eyes. "I dunno. I was trying out something new and I kinda got carried away." "You kinda look like an elf," he whispered. "I didn''t mean to do that, it just kinda happened." He grinned. "I think you look amazing." Natalie''s heart fluttered a little, but she had other concerns on her mind. "But what about your parents? Aren''t they gonna think this is weird?" "I mean, they already mentioned your eyes and that didn''t change much right?" He shrugged. "It''ll be okay." "You were listening?" she said pointedly, grinning. "''Course I was. Wouldn''t you?" he said defensively. "...Yeah." Actually¡­ Natalie wondered what his parents were saying right then. She was pretty sure they''d be talking about her, and she wanted to know what they were saying. Just in case. But I can''t just do that in front of Quinn. Spying on his parents¡­ They''re such nice people, too. But I have to know. "Hey Quinn?" "Yeah?" She let her exhaustion show, even though a fresh burst of fear and trepidation had her awake again for a little while. "I''m really tired." "Oh!" He quickly got up and went to the open door. "Yeah. Sorry." "Thanks again. For you know. Everything." Quinn nodded. "Anytime." He smiled slightly. "See you tomorrow, Natalie." She smiled back, and he closed the door behind him. Immediately, Natalie murmured the spell she needed, shifting the sounds around the house. She remembered where the master bedroom was, and soon enough she could hear the rush of water from the faucets as Quinn''s parents brushed their teeth, and the slight echoes from the bathroom tile. It took her a few tries to filter out the loud noise, but just as she thought she''d figured it out the noise stopped anyway, and she could hear their voices clearly. As she''d expected, Quinn''s parents were talking about her. "...really just break in? They said nothing was damaged at all¡­" "Well, Q has the only spare key, and it was still in the bowl. So you tell me," said Annette, exasperated. "Maybe we left the balcony door unlocked." "And she climbed up the wall, did she?" "I''m just spitballing." "Does it really matter?" Annette sighed. "What matters is what we do about her." "Well, she can just stay here, can''t she?" "For how long?" "As long as she likes. I mean¡­ you saw her face¡­ My god¡­" "Dear, we can''t legally keep her. And money''s tight enough as it is after this week..." He sighed. "I know. We should call your friend¡­ what''s his name¡ª" "David Hoskins, and friend is a bit of a stretch." "He''s done a few child abuse cases though, right?" "Yes. I''ll definitely give him a call tomorrow. I don''t know anything about this, and it''s not like I have a firm to back me up." "When I saw her face¡ª" "I know." "Who does that to a little girl?" "She''s not that little, Damian." "Who does that to anyone?" "It''s horrible." They were silent for a couple minutes, as they finished getting ready for bed. Natalie heard rustling of covers, the click of a lamp, other noises she couldn''t identify. She was about to give up and give into exhaustion herself when Damian spoke up again. "Well, she''s not what I expected." What? Did Quinn¡­ did Quinn tell them things about me? "We only ever saw the one photo." "And she had brown hair, didn''t she?" "That''s really what you got stuck on, dear?" "Well, it''s a pretty dramatic shift." "Hair coloring is still trendy. Don''t you get plenty of regulars with crazy hair colors?" "Yeah, but they don''t usually come out that well." "Ah, so you just get the amateurs." Damian laughed. "She seems like a nice girl." "But at thirteen?" asked Annette exasperatedly. "I went on dates at thirteen. It''s harmless." "Not if she''s suddenly moving in." Annette made a strange noise, like a cough. "I don''t think you were living with your girlfriend at thirteen." "Oh, come on, it''s obviously not like that." "Girlfriend was his word, not mine." He¡­ he what? Natalie lost track of the spell as her mind exploded. Confusion and so many other mixed emotions flooded into her. She felt like she''d just been pulled under the ocean by a tidal wave. He called me¡­ and he told his parents? What? I don''t¡­ He said what? By the time she unscrambled her brain enough to cast it again and listen in, the whole house was silent. Only the faint sound of breathing and the hum of the electronics and appliances, along with the endless uneven chaos of the city surrounding them. Natalie lay awake staring at the ceiling for a very long time, listening to sirens and horns, the occasional incomprehensible shouting, the random thumps and drones. It was muffled at least, compared to the last night she''d spent in the city, but still it kept her awake. Yup, definitely the city keeping me awake. And all the stuff about magic. And my dad. Not Quinn. Nothing about Quinn, or that I''m his¡­ oh. But he called me his¡­ But I¡­ We''re¡­ Natalie pressed her face into the pillow and pulled another one over her head, pressing it against her ears, desperate to fall asleep. Her mind kept going in circles, over and over, rapidly switching between hatred, confusion, warmth, relief, joy. All the while, more than anything in the world, she wished she had Gwen and Percy there with her. She could talk to them without fear of screwing things up, and it wouldn''t be so horribly complicated and confusing. When did my life get so crazy¡­? Natalie thought as she finally drifted into sleep, where the nightmares came again, as they always did¡ªthe one reliable part of her insane life.
The smell of bacon wafted through the room. Natalie''s eyes snapped open. Bacon. I like bacon. But why is there bacon today? Oh. Right. She got up and pulled on some socks, sliding across the wood floor to the door and pulling it open in one easy motion. She still had some momentum, and plowed right into the man on the other side, who had just been about to open it. "...Breakfast is ready," he announced, as Natalie bounced off and nearly fell over. "Pancakes?" she asked excitedly. "Yes." Natalie skipped right past her father and down the hall, where a plate and syrup were waiting. The pancake even had a little smiley face drawn in it from the batter, just like she always loved, and the bacon was just the right balance of crispy and soft. "Thank you," she said through a mouthful as he sat down next to her at their little table. It was barely big enough for just the two of them, but she didn''t mind. "Anytime," he said, reaching up to dab off a bit of syrup with a napkin. Natalie took it out of his hand and did it herself, rolling her eyes. "Did my new book come yet?" she asked, remembering to clear her mouth this time. "It should be here by now. I''ll stop by the post office after breakfast, okay?" "Okay." "What book did you get this time?" Natalie shook her head. "It''s a secret." He laughed. "What''s on the agenda for today, turtle? Heading out to Castle Hendricks?" She rolled her eyes. "Stop calling me that." "Not in a million years." "Can I call you giraffe?" "I wish I was that tall." He leaned over and ruffled her hair. Sometimes that annoyed her, but right now she didn''t mind. "I made you a lunch. It''s on the counter in your bag." "Peanut butter and jelly?" "I think you''ll be surprised." He smiled cryptically. "Finish your pancakes." As soon as her dad left for the day, Natalie grabbed the lunchbox off the counter. She wasn''t about to head out to her fort without knowing what was inside. Sure enough, there was a peanut butter and jelly, as she''d expected, but underneath in the little pocket were a few packed up chocolates, along with a note. The Birthday Fairy is coming. Leave her a wish and she''ll make sure it gets to you. But don''t wait too long! Natalie rolled her eyes again, but she smiled anyway. Her dad hadn''t forgotten her eleventh birthday. He never did, even when she really hated him. She gathered up her jacket and her best shoes and set off for the day, through the backyard and onto the little path that lead into the forest. She knew there was no such thing as a birthday fairy. Her dad was just being silly. But still, he''d always gotten her exactly what she wanted for her birthday. One year it was a bike and lessons on riding it, another was a particular book she''d been wanting to read for years (she really wasted her wish that year¡­). The best, of course, was the fort she''d wished for on her tenth birthday. Her dad always came through. The fort came into view¡ªa sort of half-treehouse, half lean-to built into a massive old oak that had tumbled over long ago. The lumberjacks had rejected it for one reason or another, so it had been left to settle into the ground, where it continued to grow in a strange sideways pattern. The main arch formed the second floor of her fort, while the entrance and the first floor filled the space underneath. Her dad spent a whole week designing it with her, and another week building it. Natalie even got to help, learning all about hammering in nails, staining and finishing wood, tools, what designs would work and what wouldn''t. She climbed over the fence around the door and entered the cave-like bottom floor, where she had a little folding chair in the dry, dusty corner. Rain in the Olympic forest could come in huge downpours out of nowhere, so having a covered area was always important. Even though the second floor of the fort had a roof, the rain liked to blow in from the sides too, so the bottom was covered by a tarp she could raise and lower with a rope tied to the side. It was hard, but she was just strong enough to pull it off. Natalie liked to think of it as her little castle. Sure, it didn''t really look anything like a castle¡ªit was way too square and flat, without any cool turrets like the big abandoned library, and made mostly of wood and metal screws and stuff¡ªbut it was hers. Even her dad wasn''t allowed in without her permission. She spent most of the day out there, since she didn''t really have anything else to do. Maybe she would have spent the day with Jenny, but she didn''t dare go out to that part of town again. Natalie knew better than to push her luck. So she made up games alone. She climbed the trees, she worked on making the new extension to the first floor with some plywood she''d found sitting around unused. She practiced shooting her slingshot and her makeshift bow at water bottles and pinecones all around from the second floor. The bowstring kept snapping before she could really loose an arrow, and the stick she was using was warping too much to really work right. Maybe that''s what I should wish for¡­ Natalie had always wanted to learn how to shoot a bow, ever since she''d gotten addicted to stories with princesses in hiding that had to learn how to fight. She liked to pretend that was why they moved out to somewhere so far away, in the middle of nowhere. She was Princess Hendricks, living in her little castle on the other side of the world because someone had chased them away from Chicago, and one day she''d go back to find her mom and reclaim her home. Not that she really wanted to go back to the city. The forest was way more fun. She wished her mother had come with them, but her dad insisted it was for the best¡ªthat her mom wasn''t ''safe''. After the time Natalie had to spend in the hospital though, she believed him. It was her fault¡­ wasn''t it? At least it''s summer. No homework. No listening to Mrs. Nichols'' annoying voice all day. I can do whatever I want. Which, as it turned out, ended up being games. Just games on her phone, since it started raining halfway through the day. She stayed camped out under the tarp, enjoying the sound of the rain pattering on the roof of her fort. She even turned off the sound on her phone, playing in silence while the storm moved in overhead. Weird that it''s raining today though¡­ If Natalie remembered right, it didn''t usually rain much in July. Sure, a huge downpour could always come out of nowhere¡ªthat was just one of the little exciting things about Rallsburg that Natalie loved¡ªbut this seemed more random than usual, and a lot heavier. She checked the time on her phone, and to her shock, it was already past eight. Somehow, she''d been out all day without even noticing. The sun was starting to go down, but it was hard to tell from inside the thick canopy and her fort. It was raining way too hard to go home yet though. Natalie could see an actual river starting to form nearby, as rainwater gathered up and rushed downhill. Luckily, thanks to the tree they''d picked out, the fort was safe from flooding, but it did make leaving a bit hard. It''s almost like a moat, she realized, a grin spreading on her face. My castle had a moat the whole time! She thought about calling her dad, but the signal was always pretty bad this far way. The cell phone tower was on the opposite side of the town, up north by the train station, and Natalie''s phone was an old used one that always dropped calls anyway. She sent a text, but it hovered at ''sending'' endlessly. A bright light flashed overhead, followed by a huge bolt of lightning and a roll of thunder. Natalie looked up, surprised. Lightning storms were pretty rare, too¡ªespecially compared to back in Chicago. She''d only seen one storm since they moved. She watched eagerly for the next crack of lightning, but she didn''t see it. She heard it. Close. Way too close. The flash nearly blinded her, as lightning whipped through the trees nearby. It struck the branch of an oak a few hundred feet away, and the whole thing exploded. A blackened stump halfway up the trunk was all that remained. Natalie stepped back inside, afraid. Another lightning bolt shot by, and then another. Lightning doesn''t do that. It comes from the sky. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. What''s going on? Where''s Dad? She sent another text, but it was stuck just like the first one. "Stop it!" someone shouted. "Please, Jack!" It was answered by another earsplitting whip-crack. Natalie took cover in the corner of her fort, pulling down the covering over the front so it was totally enclosed, and she waited. A noise like a rushing wind. Footsteps, and the sound of a huge crash. Thumps. Another lightning crack. Natalie stayed right where she was, imagining all sorts of monsters doing battle outside her little fort. It went on for half an hour while she watched her phone, waiting for it to finally get through and send the texts. But it never did, and as the sounds faded away, Natalie couldn''t wait any longer. She pulled open the tarp, just an inch at first. The covering on the extension to her fort had fallen a bit, blown away by something. The rain was letting up, so Natalie took a few cautious into the open, wincing at the heavy drops falling off the edge of the second floor coverings. Something meowed. Natalie twisted around. A stray cat hissed at her. It was cowering in the corner of the second floor, taking shelter from the storm and whatever else had just happened. She rushed to climb up, but it bolted away before she could get near, leaping off the side and landing in the underbrush. It slipped a little on the wet leaves, but in moments it had sprinted out into the forest. Natalie paid it no mind, because she''d seen something else. A piece of paper, yellow-brown and ancient, was caught against the railing on the second floor. She picked it up, curious, using her phone''s flashlight to see it clearly in the dusk. Her eyes caught the first word, and everything stopped. The world froze in time around her. Even the raindrops seemed to be stuck in mid-air, but Natalie could only barely see them out of the corners of her eyes. None of it mattered. All that mattered was the page. It was like she''d stepped into a new world. Her eyes traced the letters, the strange curves that she couldn''t begin to describe, but somehow understood. What''s going on? she wondered, but her eyes kept sliding across the page. Even if she wanted to stop, she couldn''t¡ªand Natalie definitely didn''t want to stop. It was better than anything she''d ever read, and as she kept going, her mind felt like it was expanding outward. She was leaving her own body, watching herself hold up the page while she floated away into space, into the forest. The animals were waiting for her. The owl sleeping in the tree above her. The hawk taking shelter from the rain. The squirrels and the rabbits searching for food, and the cougar hunting them. The black bear and her cub way down by the stream, looking for fish. The salmon that swam past unaware, and the osprey about to dive to catch one of them. The beavers building a home further up the stream. On and on, so many of them in every direction, living in a perfect cycle, totally unaware of Natalie''s presence watching them from afar. She reached the end of the page. Her mind reeled in as if on a fishing line, yanked back through the forest to crash into her skull. She blinked rapidly, staring down at the page in her hand again, where sat words she still couldn''t read. But something was different. Natalie could feel it. It was a warmth in her chest, close to her heart. Something had lit a little fire there, crackling away in a happy little dance¡ªlike something she was always supposed to have, but no one had ever bothered to light it until now. She''d been missing it and hadn''t ever known it was gone, until it suddenly burst into life. What was that? she wondered. She went back down to the bottom floor and set the page into a dry spot near the base of the trunk, intending to look at it more and figure out what just happened. "Nice fort." The growl came out of nowhere. Natalie whipped around, but no one was inside. He was outside. It took a moment for her to remember the voice, but she''d definitely heard it before. She picked up her slingshot, since her bow was still broken, and loaded a pinecone. Armed and ready, she leaned out cautiously. Robert Harrison held up his hands in surrender, his brown eyes twinkling behind the huge bushy black beard. "Ye got me," he joked. "This is my castle," Natalie said firmly. "Nobody''s allowed ''cept me and my Dad. And maybe Jenny." "Pretty short list." "It''ll get bigger. I don''t have many subjects yet." "Subjects, eh? So this is your queendom?" "What?" Robert''s thick beard crinkled up in a smile. "Queendom. Like a kingdom, but ye''re a queen, so it''s a queendom." Natalie shook her head. "I''m a princess. The queen isn''t here right now." "Ah, gotcha." Robert shrugged. "Well, princess, ain''t it a bit late for you to be out here all alone?" She wanted to say no, just to spite him, but it was late¡ªway later than she usually stayed out, and her dad was probably worried sick. Plus, after everything that just happened¡­ She lowered the slingshot and let go of the pinecone. He nodded. "Come on. Let''s get ya home, alright?" Natalie glanced over her shoulder at the inside of the fort, where the little page sat out of sight. She tied down the entrance cover, so that it wouldn''t blow away and none of the animals would get inside. "...Okay." By the time they got back to Natalie''s house, night had settled in. The front light was on, and as they approached, her dad sprinted out of the door. "Natalie!" She ran up and hugged him, and he gathered her up tight. "Are you okay? What happened?" "Storm," she said. He was hugging her too tight, so she couldn''t get a whole lot out. "At my castle." He finally realized what he was doing and let her down, crouching down to eye level. "I was really scared," she whispered. "It''s okay," he said, gathering her up for a much nicer hug this time. "You''re safe now." "She weren''t scared at all," Robert commented. "Held down the castle like a pro." Her dad glanced up. "...Harrison, right?" "Yup. I happened on her little fort while I was out checkin'' for slides. Your little girl''s a fighter. Ain''t no freak storm takin'' her down." "Thank you." He let go of Natalie. "Go inside, Natalie. Dinner''s on the table. Eat whatever you like, okay?" "Okay." As Natalie walked away, she paused for a minute just inside the door, listening in on their conversation. She wanted to know what Robert might say about her¡ªand if he''d seen the little page of parchment she''d found and hidden inside. "...Really, Brian, it was nothin''." Robert paused. "But you''re lucky it weren''t some of the less seemly types ''round here." "What do you mean?" "I mean that some folks ain''t all there in the head. Small town, you get those kind here. ''Specially this time of year when there ain''t no college in session. University folks''re all arrogant pricks but at least they''re sane." "...I see." "Relax. There''s plenty o''good men and women still, like Jackie. Just¡­ be careful, y''hear?" Natalie privately disagreed with Robert. She''d met more than a few people in town and never run across anyone ''not there in the head''... but her dad was nodding along. He believed the gruff older man. I''m never gonna get to have that sleepover¡­ Natalie trudged inside, where dinner was waiting on their little table. A couple pieces of pizza, obviously cold. She went into the kitchen, got out the little stool and put it into the microwave to warm up. Right around the time she was finishing the first piece, her dad came in. He warmed up his own slices and sat down next to her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and she leaned in for the hug even though she didn''t really feel like it. Still, after everything in the forest, getting a hug, a warm meal and a safe house around her was comforting. "You okay, turtle?" "Yeah, dad." She wanted him to see her as the tough kid, like Robert said. Maybe he''d loosen up a bit if he thought she could take care of herself. Let her have friends over, let her go wherever she wanted. Not that she didn''t already, but it''d be nice if she didn''t have to be so sneaky about it. "Is the pizza okay? I tried something different with the dough this time." She nodded. Her dad was always nervous about his pizza, but it had turned out all right. "It''s really good, Dad." "Thanks." After dinner, to her delight, he sat down at his drum set in the corner and began to tap out a rhythm. Something about it was just so fun to listen to, and he could get really creative. Plus, since they weren''t next to other people like in the city, they could be as loud as they wanted without worrying about annoying anybody. She got up on the stool for the keyboard and tapped out notes to go along with it. It wasn''t a real song (though she did know a few), just whatever came to mind. Her dad always encouraged that, playing whatever she felt like playing. He said that was the real spirit of music, not just sticking to the notes on the page that people had figured out years and years ago. Natalie didn''t exactly agree, since she really liked how those old songs sounded, but it was fun to make up something on the fly with her dad. Still, she didn''t last long. Something else was pressing on her mind, something she didn''t quite understand. Something inside her was changing, shifting, growing. She could feel it flickering back to life, like it had been hiding ever since Robert found her, waiting for her to feel safe again. She turned the keyboard off. Her dad looked up, but she just waved at him to keep going, gesturing to her room. She left the door open to listen, and to drown out anything else that might happen¡ªbecause she really didn''t know what was about to happen. In the darkness of her bedroom, with only a tiny sliver of the moon shining in the window, Natalie tried again. She tried to recreate that feeling from the forest, how her mind had disconnected from her body for a moment. The flame inside her flickered and grew, a little larger, a little warmer. She flew out into the open, a part of her leaving her head and floating into the air. There was a cat. Not any kind of cat, though¡ªa cougar. She didn''t know how she knew it was a cougar, since it was way out in the forest. Natalie''s head whipped around to the window. She could see it, clear as day in the middle of the night. The rest of the forest may as well have been a completely black wall, but she could see the big cat, bronze-furred and prowling the thick woods for a last meal before it went back to sleep. Natalie called out, barely audible under the drums from the other room. The cat twisted around and looked straight back at her. It heard me! Natalie tried again, speaking in the way that the page had taught her. Letting her mind fly out and touch the cougar''s, making sure it understood her. Her knees buckled at the strain. Suddenly, Natalie felt like she''d just sprinted the whole distance there, even though she hadn''t moved at all, but the big cat heard her. He began to pad through the trees, slowly approaching her bedroom window. She pushed it open. she asked. The cat just stared at her. She got a sensation in her head, a feeling. Like he had no clue what she was asking. How do I know it''s a he¡­? she wondered. She was absolutely sure, but still¡­ she asked. The mountain lion nodded its head. Cats don''t nod¡­ It nodded again. The cat looked down at the ground for a few seconds, then back up. She could have sworn its pale yellow eyes rolled at her. It nodded. Natalie reached out of the window. She''d been warned about mountain lions, and this one was pretty big. Even so, she knew he wouldn''t hurt her. He leaned forward, and she scratched between his ears where she knew he''d like it the most. The drumming stopped. Natalie panicked. Her new friend bolted, straight back into the woods. Natalie went over to her desk, just in case her dad was about to walk in. Sure enough, his shadow approached the door, and she realized she hadn''t closed the window. But if I run over there to close it, he''ll see me. In a moment of panic, she wished with all her might that it was closed¡ªand with a loud snap, the window slammed down into place. Natalie''s mind released her grip on the edges just as her dad walked in the room. He looked over at the window curiously, but since Natalie was on the other side of the room, she couldn''t have closed it. She smiled innocently. "Did my new book come?" "Yeah." He handed it over. Somehow, though, it just wasn''t that interesting to her anymore. He paused. "Did you make a wish for the Birthday Fairy yet?" Natalie rolled her eyes. "Not yet, Dad." "Well, don''t wait too long, or she might not be able to get it in time." "Okay." He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. "Goodnight, turtle. See you tomorrow." "Goodnight. I love you, Dad." The door swung closed behind him, and in an instant Natalie was on her feet again. She tried over and over to open the window without touching it, but it wouldn''t budge. Still, she wasn''t about to let that stop her. She knew she could do it again. The only thing she worried about was her dad finding out. Natalie didn''t think he''d let her keep this¡­ whatever it was. Maybe he would. He was always okay with her learning to protect herself, or going out in the woods alone. He was scared of people, not things. But even so¡­ Natalie shook her head. She just wouldn''t worry about it for now. It was fun, and it wasn''t hurting anyone, so she could just keep it to herself. After a whole hour of trying, the window budged¡ªjust an inch, but she still had to stop herself from shouting in joy. Natalie grinned. This is gonna be fun.
The smell of bacon and cinnamon swirled through the bedroom. Dad''s making bacon and pancakes again¡­? Her eyes drifted open, staring at an unfamiliar wall, in an unfamiliar bed. It took her a minute to remember where she was, and that she was safe there. The door was closed tight. Apparently, Natalie had forced it to grow slightly to wedge into the frame overnight, in the same way as a spell she''d read about. She wondered if any of the Kincaids had tried to open it during the night. Hurriedly, she made it shrink again, as quietly as she could, then made the bed. She changed out of her pajamas and opened up her purse wide, trying to pick clothes they might consider normal. She ended up wearing one of her nicer plain dresses, with shorts and warm leggings underneath to stave off the chill of Quinn''s place. In the mirror, Natalie still resembled a young version of the elf warrior¡ªgolden-blonde hair, purple eyes, pointed ears and everything¡­ except for the scar she couldn''t change. Natalie thought about reversing everything, going back to how she looked before, but she felt like that would just raise more questions from the Kincaids¡ªif she could even do it right. She stepped away, about to leave the room, but stopped. Reluctantly, she grabbed out her thick green army jacket and threw that on too. One last glance around the room, and it looked like she hadn''t been there at all. A soft knock at the door. Natalie slowly opened it, and found herself face-to-face with Quinn. "Hi." "Breakfast?" he asked. "Yes, please." He lead her down the hall into the living room, where his parents were waiting at the kitchen table, doling out pieces of french toast. A plate of still-sizzling bacon sat in the center, ready to go. Natalie felt another pang of nostalgia as she sat down, but brushed it away. "So Jenny," said Damian. "What''re you drinking?" "Dear, please¡­" said Annette. "Orange juice?" said Natalie hesitantly. "Orange juice it is!" "Jenny, you just moved to Seattle, right?" prompted Annette, while her husband went into the kitchen. "Yeah. In June." Because Kendra wouldn''t open a door for a whole month¡­ "I was born in Chicago." Quinn raised his eyebrows, and Natalie remembered she hadn''t told him that part. He didn''t say anything though, thankfully. "Ah, so big cities are business as usual for you," said Damian, setting down a glass of bright yellow juice in front of her. "Not¡­ not really." Natalie shook her head. "I haven''t lived in a city in a long time." "She and her dad lived in a small town," said Quinn, jumping in. He''s trying to get them off me, she realized. He doesn''t even know how dangerous this topic is¡­ "She was totally lost on her first day walking home." "Oh, you walked her home?" asked Damian, his eyes twinkling. Quinn''s face got red. "Yeah, so? I was just being nice." "Of course. No other reason." "Would you stop teasing our son?" said Annette, exasperated. He called me his girlfriend¡­ Is that what I wanted? I like Quinn a lot, but¡­ I don''t know. He told them without asking you. After a few mouthfuls, Damian spoke up again. "So Q, how much homework did you pile up for today?" Quinn shook his head. "I got most of it done already." Annette looked up sharply. "You did? When?" "...In California," he said, shrugging. Damian laughed. "So that''s what you were doing all day in your room?" "Well I had plans today," said Quinn, with a sideways glance at Natalie. Her ears got hot. She quickly dug into her french toast, not wanting to look up at anyone at the table. "Slow down there, Jenny," said Damian. "Don''t choke on it." Natalie slowed down, though she still didn''t want to look up at them. She wondered how long it would take Quinn to catch on to the teasing. Half of her just wanted to shout it out right away, but now that she knew he hadn''t actually said it, she was worried what he might think. Of course, her fears doubled over a moment later as the topic shifted. "You''re lucky we booked our trip back last week," said Damian. "Apparently, getting a flight out here right now is impossible." "Is it now?" asked Annette mildly. "I heard it from Phil. Said there''s such a huge uptick over the last couple days that they might declare a state of emergency. People are flooding in from all over the country. Some people even further away." "Oh, honestly," sighed Annette. "What do they think they''re going to find?" "Magic, duh," said Quinn. Natalie looked up, surprised. She hadn''t really understood what they were talking about. She hadn''t looked up anything on the news, too afraid of what might be there. About her, her father, about any of them. "What do you mean?" asked Annette. "It''s the big trending tag of the weekend," said Damian, while Annette fished another piece of bacon off the center plate. "Supposedly, if you go to the Rallsburg site, you can learn how to do magic." Oh¡­ oh no. That''s¡­ not totally wrong. I mean, it''s not likely, but if someone finds a Scrap or something floating around¡­ "That sounds crazy," said Quinn, with a straight face. "That''s what I said," agreed Annette, throwing Damian a look. He shrugged. "Do you see me packing my bags for a road trip? I''m with you." "But people are gonna try anyway, right?" asked Quinn. "Sure," said Damian, nodding. "Probably won''t affect us too much up here. Most of it''s gonna be south of SeaTac. Olympia''s gonna be a mess though." "Thus the governor''s state of emergency?" asked Annette. "Probably. I mean, Rallsburg''s right on the border of a national park. They''re not gonna be happy about people trampling all over. It was bad enough with the huge FBI sweeps." "It''s such a nice park, too," sighed Annette. "Yeah. I loved it there," said Natalie. They all looked at her, slightly surprised. Natalie shrunk in her chair a little. "Sorry," she murmured. Damian laughed. "Not at all, Jenny. Feel free to jump in any time." "If you don''t, my husband will never shut up," added Annette. "Isn''t that why you married me?" "And I regret it every single day," she sighed. He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, before taking their plates into the kitchen to clean. "But really, dear, speak your mind at our table. We don''t mind." "I''m¡­" Natalie paused. "We don''t really have family dinners." Kendra and Lily mostly just sit there on their laptops working all day¡­ doing whatever it is they do. They just ask what I want to eat and make it. "We have dinner every weeknight," explained Quinn. "And breakfast instead on Sundays." "That''s the same as my dad always did." Annette looked curious, which made Natalie even more uncomfortable. She wished she could just keep quiet, but for whatever reason, being around Quinn and his family made her want to speak up. "Jenny," she started slowly. "Did something happen to your father?" Natalie hesitated. She hated lying, but she couldn''t tell them the truth. "...Kinda. I don''t know where he is anymore." "And your mother?" "We left her when I was seven. She¡­ she wasn''t good." Quinn''s hand inched toward her, and she could tell he wanted to hold hers. A moment later, he moved away. She was grateful¡ªboth for the initial gesture, and for remembering that she couldn''t return it. Damian noticed it too, standing in the doorway to the kitchen. He had a towel in his hands and was wiping down a plate, but she saw his eyes flicker over to that corner of the table. They''re all like that. Just like Quinn. They don''t miss anything. "Do you need somewhere to stay?" "Dear¡ª" Annette started, but Damian kept going. "Like we said before, that room''s always empty." Natalie had no idea what to say. On the one hand, the meal had been wonderful. Everything she''d been missing, without really understanding it. She''d missed having breakfast with a family, even if it wasn''t her family. Sitting down for dinner with her dad every day, talking about the whole day together, figuring out what had happened and what came next. She hadn''t had that in so long, she felt like she was going to explode. But this wasn''t her family. More importantly, the moment the news broke, they wouldn''t want her around anymore. Not with what she''d done. Who she was. They''ll find out. Better from you than from anyone else, right? "No," she murmured. "Better never." "What was that, sweetie?" asked Annette. You can''t avoid it. You have to face it or you''re never going to survive. She just wanted the voice to shut up and leave her alone, but it made too much sense for her to ignore it. She had to tell them, so they knew what sort of person they were inviting into their home. How she didn''t deserve such kindness. Tell them. "Can I talk to you in private?" she asked quietly. Quinn looked surprised. His parents, doubly so. "Please," she added, as if it somehow made a difference. She avoided eye contact with Quinn. She couldn''t tell him. That was too far. She''d tell his parents first. They seemed like they might know what to do¡ªand in the worst case, she could run, and Quinn wouldn''t have to know. "Q, give us a minute?" said Annette. "And some actual privacy this time," Damian added with a significant look. Quinn nodded. He left the room, and Natalie could tell he was confused and a little hurt. She felt awful, but she couldn''t bring herself to say it in front of him. Annette came to sit on one side of the table, while Damian took the other. They waited patiently, while Natalie worked up the courage to open her mouth again. Visions of the men in Rallsburg flashed through her mind, and of her father with the golems. The town exploding and collapsing, the battles. The way it felt to force a bolt of lightning through a person. Natalie shuddered. "Jenny, are you all right?" asked Damian seriously, lowering his voice slightly. "Yes," she whispered¡ªshe lied. Another memory burst onto the surface. John Bell. Golems. He''d been her neighbor. She''d found him in the rubble, pulled him free with her bare hands and magic. She lead him, bleeding and stumbling behind her, to the market door at the Kettle and Bones¡ªor where it was supposed to be. She''d pounded so hard that her fist went through the wall, begging for help. Natalie watched him die again, as she did in her nightmares. In her mind she screamed at herself to turn away. Screamed at him to run. Shouted for the whole world to do something. Anything to change his fate. She couldn''t see the table in front of her anymore. Tears were filling her eyes. "I''m sorry," she choked out. "No, honey!" Annette leaned forward to hug her, but Natalie shrunk away, and that only brought on even worse emotions. She wanted to be hugged. To be held. But even someone she consciously knew was on her side was too much, too close. Natalie bolted from the table. Quinn''s parents stood up too, but she had no idea what else they did, if anything. She retreated to the guest room, swinging the door shut behind her with a spell. The window swung shut, the blinds fell down. With just a thought, Natalie blocked out the door, the window, everything. The room fell into total darkness, where she couldn''t see the scars anymore. She couldn''t see herself, or anything else at all, and nothing could see her. She sat down against the side of the bed, buried her face in her dress, and cried.
Natalie was on top of the world all week. It was real. Magic was real. She''d read about it in so many books, dreamed and wished for something like this. But she lived in the real world. Nothing like this ever happened in the real world. She flicked on the lights in her room, then off again, then on again. From her bed. With her mind. The rest of the week was spent exploring just what she could do. As soon as her dad left every morning, she called out to her new friend, and he came bounding out of the woods. She named him Scrappy, since she couldn''t think of anything else and it had been the name of the pet cat in the apartment next to theirs back in Chicago. He could understand her, and in his own way, he could even talk to her. Nothing like a real conversation, but in a lot of ways, she liked it more. Natalie learned how to move things around more reliably, after the effort spent moving the window into place. She also learned how to choke out fire, using matches (that she wasn''t supposed to ever touch) as a source of fire. It was safer than the stove, she assumed, so it was probably okay. Her dad never noticed. She still hadn''t told him. Every time they sat down to eat dinner, she started to, but something held her tongue. He just seemed off, and it made her reluctant. Something was wrong, and she wasn''t sure what, but she didn''t want to tell him about her amazing new discovery while he was sad. It should be a happy moment, so she waited. She waited all week, until finally, her dad started a conversation over dinner. "Your birthday''s tomorrow," he said. "Yours too," she reminded him. They had the same birthday, just like Jenny, but he never really did anything to celebrate it. It was always about her. Natalie wanted to change that for once. She just wanted him to cheer up. "You never left a wish for the Fairy." Natalie shrugged. She''d totally forgotten, busy with so many other things all day. She hadn''t even played a single game on her phone all week, and only opened her books to try and get more ideas for magic to try out. Most of it didn''t do anything at all, but then again, the way she did magic didn''t sound anything like those books anyway, so it wasn''t that surprising. "Maybe if you tell me, I can still get it to her in time." "Can we have dinner with the Wilsons?" she blurted. "What?" Natalie barreled on, heedless of however he might react. "Jenny''s parents are super nice. Her mom makes the best cookies, and you could be friends with her dad, and then we can hang out all the time and we don''t have to be alone anymore¡ª" "Natalie!" She paused for breath. "Please?" He sighed. "Is that really what you want for your birthday?" "Yes. More than anything." "What about a new phone? I thought you said that one was having problems." It was, and Natalie was getting annoyed with it dying all the time when she was out in the fort trying to look up things on the internet. "...I can wait a year." He glanced around the room. "We don''t really have a big enough table to have people over for dinner¡­" Natalie shook her head. "They''ve got a whole big dining table and everything. Her dad made it himself. He''s a woodworker with mean Mr. Harrison." She stopped, seeing his face. "Sorry¡­ I meant, Mr. Harrison." Her dad shook his head. "Natalie, what did I say about going into that part of town?" "That I''m not supposed to," she repeated under her breath. "...I guess I''m going to have to go make sure it''s safe then," he grumbled. "...You mean¡ª" "Do you have their phone number?" "Yeah!" Natalie smiled, pulling out her phone. To her annoyance, it died the moment she tried to turn it on. "Stupid thing." "Hang on, turtle." He leaned over and plucked something out of a bag on the counter. "You got the Birthday Fairy confused, so she got you two things this year." He handed her a shiny new phone, black with a pink case already on it. Natalie grabbed it up and turned it on. "You got me¡ª" "Brand new, not used this time," he said, smiling. "Go ahead." She turned it on. "...The signal''s being all stupid again," she sighed. "I can''t login." He glanced over at the window. "Well¡­ it''s still light out. Do you want to go for a walk?" "But¡ª" "Their house isn''t that far, right? We can just stop by." Realization dawned on her. She leaped off her chair and ran to hug him around the waist. "Thank you! Thank you thank you thankyouthankyouthankyou!" "Slow down!" He ruffled her hair, and she laughed. "Finish your dinner first, all right?" "Turtles are already slow," she pointed out. "Not in the water." "Really?" "Clear your mouth before you talk, Natalie." She swallowed. "Sorry." Her dad smiled, and walked around to sit behind he, brushing her hair. "Turtles can swim faster than people. All the way up to thirty five miles per hour, if they really put their shell into it." "Wow." "Happy birthday, turtle," he added. "It''s not the fourteenth yet," she pointed out. "Well, we''ll just call the whole week your birthday week, okay?" "That''s silly." "I can be silly." Natalie laughed. "No you can''t." He made a face with the chopsticks for his rice, but he wasn''t very good at looking goofy. She just shook her head and went back to her new phone, tapping through the settings to get it how she liked it. He sighed. "Finish your dinner, and then we''ll go on that walk, okay?" "Okay." Her dad got up and started cleaning up the rest of the room. She glanced up again, and to her satisfaction, he looked a little less depressed. It was working. "Hey dad?" "Yeah?" "I love you." He smiled. "I love you too, Natalie."
It took Natalie an hour to calm down. The place was quiet in the meantime. She could vaguely hear Quinn''s parents talking, and Quinn was in his room. She thought about listening in, but she felt like that would be a betrayal of trust. They''d let her in, even though she hadn''t managed to tell them anything. If she spied on them now, that''d be more fuel for the fire. She could still tell when the front door opened and closed, though. The air in the whole place changed a little when that happened, and her new ears were picking up a lot more sound than they used to. Even without using any magic actively, she could tell that everyone had left. But no one said anything to me¡­ She waited for a long time, but no one came back. Natalie reversed her spell on the door again, wincing as the wood cracked a little shrinking down to normal size. She inched it open, peering out into the hallway. No one was home. She looked around. On the table, a piece of paper was folded into thirds, so that it made a triangle propped up, with her name in big black letters so she''d spot it easily. Well, not my name, but still. Natalie made it fly over to meet her as she plopped down on the couch, curling up with the blanket she''d left there the night before. Jenny, We''ll be out for a couple hours at church. Help yourself to anything in the fridge (or cupboard) if you''re still hungry. There''s some bacon left too. Just heat it up in the microwave. (or the oven if you want it to taste good) We''ll be back around 12:30. Make yourself at home! (but don''t go in Quinn''s room, it''s a nightmare in there) -Annette (and Damian, the evil half of the household) P.S. Here''s my number, if you need it (and mine, because she can never find her phone) The asides were in a different handwriting. Clearly, Damian had gotten ahold of the note afterward and added a few touches. Natalie smiled and folded it back up, tucking it into her bag. They really did seem like good people, and she really wanted to stay there. Natalie finally got out her phone again¡ªthe same phone her father had bought her for their eleventh birthday. The week she''d awakened. The week she''d finally gotten him to open up and come to Jenny''s house for dinner. The week he''d met Robert Harrison. She quickly opened up Rachel''s website before she got too lost in memories. As expected, not a word from Kendra or Lily. Natalie wasn''t even surprised anymore, and didn''t bother sending anything to them either. Hailey had finally replied, with a long-winded apology and an explanation that was so vague Natalie didn''t even finish reading it. There were a few warnings about the book from Josh and Cinza, but it was too little, too late really. Natalie already knew what was coming. Nothing from Alden or Hector either, since Alden was off on some crazy mission and Hector was who-knew-where. Nothing from Rachel. Natalie sighed and put her phone away again. She took a shower, imagining it was washing away all the invisible guilt hanging on her. Afterward, she did another quick ritual, almost rushing it. The moonstones rattled ominously before she remembered that it wasn''t supposed to be as easy as it seemed for her. After some consideration, Natalie had decided she could reverse her hair back to her natural brown. She could say it was just temporary color. The ears and the eyes had to stay though, at least for now. Looking in the mirror, Natalie realized that the tips actually poked out of her hair just a little, and more whenever she turned. They had to have seen them, just like her new eyes. At least I like the eyes. My eyes were always super boring. Purple looks so cool. The ears, Natalie wasn''t so sure of. She liked the look, and that they actually had a practical use too, but they were just too prominent. People would notice. She''d stand out. You already stood out. The scar marked you to everyone. Embrace it. She returned to the living room. Quinn''s family would be home soon. Natalie sat on the couch, hands on her knees, waiting, but she kept fidgeting around. She''d never been good at sitting still and doing nothing. Reading for hours, sure, though she had to switch sides or move around practically every few pages, contorting herself so that her eyes never left the page. You are afraid of them. "No," she murmured, though she''d started to realize it hours ago as the memories kept assaulting her. You saw what it does. Don''t let it happen to you. "Am I dreaming again or something?" she muttered. She pinched herself, but nothing happened. Talk to them. "And they''re just gonna be okay with giving a room to a murderer?" she said aloud. It was the first time she''d said it, ever, and surprisingly she didn''t hesitate for a second. You aren''t a murderer. "I killed people. Lots of people." She shook her head. "That''s what I am." You looked it up. It was self defense. That means it''s not murder, by your laws. "That doesn''t make me feel any better!" Natalie shouted at the wall. She got up, pacing around the room. "Would you just leave me alone?" I''m not real. "No kidding," she muttered. The voice didn''t speak up again, to her relief. Natalie didn''t trust it though. She walked across the room to the keyboard, desperate for noise to drown it out if it came back. She started playing, first the songs she knew. After she exhausted all of those, she started making up notes on the spot, just like she used to with her dad. She turned it up to the highest volume it could go, and added a drum track with the little buttons, tapping the keys to the beat and losing herself in it. Maybe this is what happened to Dad¡­ Maybe he had a voice too, and it made him crazy. That can happen, right? ''Cause I''m his daughter? The thought scared her even more, and she played harder. She kept at it until she was practically pounding on the keyboard, until she realized what she was probably doing to the people on the floor below. Embarrassed, she turned everything down, but she didn''t stop playing. It had been so long since she got to play piano, and even though she couldn''t play along with her dad anymore, it still made her feel better. She reached into her bag and fumbled around for his drumsticks, which she set on the sheet music rest. Then, just for fun, Natalie started having the piano play itself, tapping the keys without her hands. She messed with the electricity going to the speakers to get a different sound. She''d never tried mixing magic and music before. What if I could make music with just magic? She kept playing, but she started to feel out the sound waves in the air as they moved, just like she did when she was listening in on people''s conversations. She tried to copy them, little by little. She''d play a note, feel it out, then make it again in midair with magic. It took her half an hour, but eventually she could do one note, then two. Soon she was playing ''Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'' in midair, as if there were an invisible piano in the room. She turned back on the drum-beat, but this time, she used magic instead of her fingers to add a melody, since she could switch around so much faster and never got stuck on a key or flubbed a note. The front door swung open. Natalie dove for the power button on the keyboard, mashing it off just in time. "Hello?" called Damian. He wandered in, dressed sharp. The other two members of the family were close behind. "Was that you playing?" "...Yes," she answered. "That was some sweet jazz, Jenny. Where''d you learn to play like that?" "My dad. He''d drum and I''d play piano." She glanced up. Quinn was walking in too. She gave him a little wave. "I''m glad someone''s getting some use out of that thing," added Annette, setting her purse down and dropping a set of keys into the bowl on the kitchen counter. "Q gave up on it after only two lessons." Quinn shot his mother an annoyed look. "It just wasn''t my thing, okay?" "Nah, that''d be card games," said Damian, grinning. "I''m guessing you''ve been sucked into Conquest by now, huh Jenny?" "Yeah!" She latched onto the topic, since it was safe. "I beat him, too." "Did you now?" Damian looked around to his son in exaggerated shock. "Is that how I taught you, Q?" "She''s really good," said Quinn, his face turning red. "Well, Jenny, I think you might be our secret weapon at the next tournament then. If you''re interested." "You play too?" she asked, curious. "Oh, the whole family does. Annette doesn''t much care for it, but she knows how." Annette sighed. "You two are addicted, and I don''t have the time to keep up." "Too many cases, Mom?" asked Quinn. "The moment I put my name back in the hat tomorrow, the city''s going to have another case ready, with another poor soul railroaded through the system." Annette sat down at the table and opened her battered laptop. "It''s a miracle I have any free time at all." "She''s a public defender for the city," explained Damian to a confused Natalie. "A lawyer for people who can''t afford ''em." They''re all such good people. I don''t deserve this. What am I doing here? "Well, I''ve still got the day off," he added. "And I gotta see how you play, if you can take down my Q." "You know I''ve never beaten Tyler, right?" said Quinn exasperatedly, even as he got the decks out from a box on the bookshelves in the living room. "He won the last five tournaments in a row," said Damian with a shrug. "We''re all amateurs compared to him." Annette glanced over as they started dealing out the territory decks. "Dear, I''m sure she doesn''t feel like playing a silly game righ¡ª" "I want to," interrupted Natalie. Damian grinned. "All right then!" "And¡­" Natalie hesitated. You don''t have anywhere else to go. Kendra and Lily still aren''t answering. You''re not taking advantage of them. Don''t be afraid. "Yes?" Damian prompted, while Quinn finished setting up the decks. "I wanna¡­ stay with you guys. If it''s all right." She looked down at the floor again, embarrassed. "Of course it is!" "As long as you need to," added Annette firmly. Natalie wanted to feel relieved, but it was still mixed. It''s alright now, but what about Tuesday, when everything comes out? What are you going to say then? "There''s a few ground rules though," added Damian, as he started looking through the territories, planning his draft. "First, winner picks what''s for dinner." Natalie giggled. That wasn''t at all what she expected. "Okay." "I hope you like salmon, because I''m not losing," he added. "Ugh," said Quinn, rolling his eyes. "Second, Quinn, you''re not allowed to go into Jenny''s room. Off-limits, got it?" "Huh?" Natalie was a little confused too. She wondered what they meant by that rule. Was it what she thought, more to do with their relationship (whatever that is right now), or¡­ "It''s her space," said Annette. "Nobody else''s. Even we aren''t allowed in unless she says so." Natalie''s throat swelled up with gratitude. She opened her mouth, but choked on her words. The amount of trust was overwhelming. She looked away again, feeling like she might cry. "Although if it starts smellin'' awful in there, I might call in a hazard squad," added Damian with a wink. "I can clean up after myself," she insisted, dabbing at her eyes. "Good." Damian looked across the board of territories, took a second to think, then picked up a market. "Third rule, no going in Quinn''s room with the door closed." "What?" asked Quinn. Natalie understood immediately though. Her face got very hot. She looked away again, embarrassed for an entirely different reason this time. "Those are the rules." "Plus more if we need them," added Annette. "Thanks, lawyer-mom." "Does that sound okay, Jenny?" "Yes." She looked back up, and saw both Damian and Annette watching her. "Thank you." "Excellent," said Damian. "Now pick your two, so I can show Q how it''s done." Natalie leaned forward. She had no idea how to play against him. Every other match she played, she picked based on the other person, since she had so much time to watch them play each other. Damian was completely unknown to her. She decided to play it safe, and picked up two forests. I hope you''re happy, she thought, looking at Linnethea''s card on the row of generals. You should be happy. You got what you wished for, without having to tell them a single thing. You get to live with Quinn and his family, you don''t have to go back to the Laushire house, you still get to go to school, and no one found out what you are. Isn''t this what you wanted? "No," she murmured. "What?" asked Damian, about to take a wizard tower. "Nothing, sorry." She waved at him to go ahead. He frowned, and changed his mind, drafting a mine instead. I wanted to go home. But I''m not really any closer to that. You have a plan. December. That''s what you decided. You''re going back in December. No matter what. Natalie nodded to herself. This was just temporary. As nice as it was, as nice as Quinn''s family was, as great as Quinn himself was¡ªshe hadn''t forgotten her plan. There was a storm coming though. She could feel it this time, just as much as she could hear every click of the Annette''s keyboard perfectly through her new ears, or read the cards on the far side of the floor upside down with her new eyes. She knew for certain that even if she made it through the week, this couldn''t last. You''re crazy. They like you. Quinn likes you. You''ll be fine. I''m crazy? You''re the voice in my head. "Jenny?" asked Damian. "I''m sorry. I got distracted." "We can always play later, if you want." She shook her head. I can''t put things off forever. "I''m gonna win. Just watch." "We''ll see." [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] B2: Chapter 24 — Two Interviews Chapter 24 ¡ª Two Interviews "Beware the silver-tongued, for they strike with a smile. I knew a man once who could talk for ten minutes to a complete stranger and be invited in for supper. He spoke for hours about any topic that arose, even if he knew nothing, and beguiled experts of their own craft. He ingratiated himself into the house as if he belonged, as if he were in control. Take heed, for one slip of resolve, and he had you in his vice, and trapped you in a corner of twisted words. But this was no true devil, just a man. His voice meant nothing once I cut out his tongue." ~Cinza, the Rallsburg Diaries "Well Janet, everyone here''s waiting for the arrival of the guest of honor. Honestly, I can''t say I''ve seen a more heavily anticipated red-carpet for a Monday night talk show." "Tell me, Ted, since you''re the expert¡ªwhat should we expect?" "I''ve met her mother a few times, but no, I can''t say I''ve ever actually spoken to her myself." "Her mom had no idea, right?" "None at all. She assumed her daughter was dead this whole time." "Wow. Just wow." "I gotta ask, Ted. Any idea why the Evening Show, of all things? I mean, Russ Wallace doesn''t exactly have the widest audience, and he''s a softie when it comes to interviews. And who watches talk shows live anymore?" "He''s gonna have ''em tonight. The whole show is just one interview, with the most famous person on the planet right now." "Wait, I thought there were two." "Look!" "Up there!" "Hang on, Janet, I think something''s happening." The cameras whipped upward. A cloud of lenses winked at her, light reflected off the neon signs everywhere. They''d spotted her. Hailey grinned. She curled her wings back, beginning a slow drop off. As she peeled them back further, the glide turned into a dive. Faster and faster. The huge red carpet¡ªand the area she''d requested at the end¡ªwas lit up by spotlights. The sun was already going down, so no one had seen her gliding overhead for a full ten minutes. Hailey didn''t mind. She''d been working through pre-show jitters that whole time, trying to think of the perfect thing to say. The cameras followed her in, and the sound of a thousand flash clicks went off as she hurtled in. Hailey swooped her wings wide, as wide as they could go so that the burst of wind wouldn''t be so strong, but still hit the whole crowd and everyone beyond. A few hats blew off as she touched down. She only took two steps to land, compared to the usual five or six. She was in her usual flight suit¡ªfaux-leather jacket, breezy shirt underneath, aviator cap, tight-fit jeans. She''d taken extra care to make it look clean and polished, and added a multicolor scarf for the occasion. Originally, she''d considered some kind of dress, and spent hours agonizing through options with Jess watching over her shoulder, until she realized that none of them really said ''Hailey''. Jess was right; she should just be herself. Voices shouted from every direction, so much that she couldn''t understand a single word. Cameras kept clicking and flashing. Hailey waved, basking in the glow. She knew she was live around the world, in every major city on the globe. She wondered how many translators were anxiously awaiting her first word. How are they gonna translate ''awakened'', anyway? And what''s the word for magic in German? Why did I pick German? Hailey didn''t bother trying to talk to the crowd of reporters. For one, she''d agreed that her interview was going to be inside with Russ. No sense ruining a budding relationship for the sake of the paparazzi. I wonder how many magazine covers I''ll get. Waving and smiling, Hailey made her way up the carpet and through the doors. The show staff waited just inside, and to her surprise, most of them seemed unimpressed. She was herded straight into makeup, since the show was set to go live in thirty minutes. The make-up girl just stared for a minute under an array of lights, utterly confused. Hailey shrugged, bemused, and soon enough she was sent off to the stage for sound checks. "Everybody looks so annoyed," she wondered aloud to the guy who was helping her strap a battery pack and transmitter onto her belt for the microphone. "They don''t usually do live shows." "They?" "I''m from another studio. They brought us in to help." He shrugged. "Honestly, no offense, but I don''t even know who you are." Hailey smiled. "That''s okay. Nobody really did til a few days ago." "Huh." "So they''re usually taped?" she prompted. "Yeah. I dunno if Wallace even does live. You better hope he can carry the show." "I''m sure it''ll be fine." "This whole fast turnaround with no warning''s pretty nuts too." "I kinda had to show up as late as possible and not tell anyone when I was coming," she explained apologetically. "Why''s that, then?" "Security. So nobody crazy could try to shoot me out of the sky." The guy raised his eyebrows. "What, you flew here?" She grinned, and murmured a little spell under her breath, floating up into the air a few inches. She didn''t want to use her wings inside and blow everything around. His eyebrows vanished into his bangs. "What the fuck¡­" he muttered. Hailey released the levitation spell, dropping to the floor with a soft thump. "So why''s the turnaround so hard?" she asked, after he didn''t say anything for thirty seconds. He managed to get back to professional really quick, to her relief. "For international TV? No one wants to be the guys who screwed up the mics, or the broadcast, or sound balance, lighting, whatever. We can do quick, and damn did makeup work fast on you, but still. Pressure''s on, you know?" "Sorry about that," she said honestly¡ªall while glowing from the inadvertent compliment he''d given to her. No makeup, all me. "I didn''t really want to be doing this in the first place." He shrugged. "We''re getting paid really well for this show." "Cool." He picked up a walkie from the folding table. "Check two please?" "Check ready." "Say something," he added, nodding to Hailey. She took a deep breath. "I''m absolutely terrified to be doing this." The walkie crackled. "Solid read on mic two. Clean filter." "Copy." He stepped away. "You''re good. For the love of God, don''t bump that pack hard though." She nodded. "I''ll do my best." Hailey glanced around. None of the staff seemed to be waiting for her though. "Where do I go?" "They''re finishing warm-up, I think." "Warm-up?" "House band and some amateur stand-up, get the audience in the right state." He nodded toward the stage, where Hailey could barely hear someone talking over speakers. "Also doubles as another sound check." "Cool." Hailey''s stomach was jittering. She glanced around. "Do I have time to use the bathroom?" He rolled his eyes. "Can you do it without taking off your pants? ''Cause you''re pretty strapped in here." Hailey looked over her shoulder. She hadn''t realized the wires he''d fished through her belt and underneath her jacket up to the lapel mic, almost totally concealed. "Wow. You work fast." "Thanks." He cocked his head slightly, listening to his earpiece. "Alright, they''re calling for you. Head up the stairs and to the right." "Stairs and to the right. Thanks." "Fifteen minutes!" shouted someone with a clipboard as Hailey walked by, though not at her. Weirdly enough, despite being the headline guest, Hailey was mostly left alone. She wondered if she was different somehow, or if this was how they treated all their guests. Maybe all the actors already know their way around a soundstage, so they don''t usually have to help guests out. Lucky for Hailey, the place had pretty clear signs everywhere. She just followed the big, bold signs to the MAIN STAGE, right on the path the sound guy had told her. "You''re Hailey?" asked a harried-looking woman with a pen stuck in her hair and another clipboard. She had two different headsets on, one for each ear. She nodded. "Yup, that''s me." "Okay. Mr. Wallace will be around in a minute for a quick rundown before either of you head out. Did you have a list of no-gos?" "A list of whats?" "Topics to avoid." "I uhhh¡­" Hailey shrugged. "How to awaken, I guess." "How to what now?" "...Do you know what this show is about?" She shook her head. "Some book. Russ and the writers do all the research for the interviews." Hailey shrugged. "Should I let him know, or you?" She sighed. "Just tell him yourself, unless you want to get awkward on air. Live show, so we can''t drop anything from the tape. You only got about a six second censor delay." "Right." "Twelve minutes!" came another shout from down the hall. Whoever it was had a powerful voice. Hailey felt a bit jealous. She decided to figure out how to do that with magic sometime soon. Might come in handy. You never know. Cinza probably has a few ideas. A small crowd rounded the corner at the end of the hall, Russell Wallace himself in the center. One make-up artist brushed at his face as they walked, while he talked rapidly to a gaggle of writers and other staff Hailey could only guess at. She waited for them to notice her, but it took the whole walk for Russ to even glance her way. He smiled. She''d always liked that smile, if nothing else. He had a sincere, honest smile and a good laugh, compared to most of the other hosts. Russ wasn''t really the quickest or the sharpest wit, but he was charming enough. Why''d Nate pick him, of all people? "Miss Winscombe?" he asked. To her surprise, it was the same voice he used on-air. She always assumed (for no apparent reason) that their host voice must be an affectation. "Hailey, please. Miss Winscombe is my mom." "Good lord, what the hell is she wearing?" muttered one of the attending staff in the back. Hailey rolled her eyes. "I make this look good, dude. Don''t knock it." "You heard that?" "I''ve got really good hearing." She grinned. "Isn''t there a show we''re supposed to be prepping for here?" "She''s not wrong," said Russ, obviously amused. "Everyone who isn''t important, go away or you''re fired." Half of the gaggle vanished instantly, including the amateur fashion consultant. Hailey relaxed a little at Russ'' smile. "That''s good," said Russ. "Keep it loose. This is gonna be a piece of cake." "Ten minutes!" "I''ve never been on TV before," said Hailey, glancing out at the stage. "Don''t worry about them," he shrugged. "The crowd''s just there for show. Just focus on me and you''ll do great." "Cool." "You got a list for me?" he asked, turning to the stage manager. "She''s got it," said the woman, obviously irritated. "Ah." He switched back to Hailey. "So, what''s off-limits?" "Honestly?" Hailey winced. "I didn''t really have time to think about it. I didn''t know I could have off-limits things." "I''m not really a hard-hitter, I''m just a talkie host." Russ shrugged. "This isn''t an interrogation. Comfortable, fun interviews are my show." "Well, uhh¡­" Hailey took a second to think, and the first thing that came to mind was the girl across the street, watching the whole thing from her phone¡ªwaiting for a signal to blow through the whole building if she had to. "Jessica Silverdale." "The best friend?" "Right. Nothing about her." "Okay." "And how to awaken. Nothing on that." Russ raised an eyebrow. "You know it''s in the book, right?" "You''ve read it?" "We got a heavily edited copy from the publisher, exclusive to us. We had to sign a dozen non-disclosures and they had a squad of armed security escort the thing in and out." He glanced around. "Only me and my best writers got to read it, and it was still missing a ton of things, but I know all about awakening." "...I don''t want it to be me," said Hailey. "It''s his fault then." "His?" "You don''t know the guy who stole them?" she asked, surprised. "Nope." He raised a hand as Hailey opened her mouth. "Tell me on-air. Audience loves a genuine reaction." "Five minutes!" "Anything else?" he prompted. "I''m needed in sound check." "Uhh¡­ Ruby." He frowned. "That''s a radioactive subject. I wouldn''t touch that one with a ten foot pole." "Thanks." "You got it." Russ smiled. "You''re gonna do great, Hailey. You look fantastic, by the way. Props to makeup." "She didn''t go to makeup," said the stage manager, as annoyed as ever. "Well, props to you then," he continued, without missing a beat. "I''ll see you in a few minutes." He hurried away. "So what do I do now?" Hailey asked. The woman shrugged, craning her neck to look across the stage. "What the fuck is lighting doing¡­?" She grabbed a clicker on her headset. "Huell, turn off chair three, dammit! We only have one guest tonight. And get every camera on chair one. Make sure the wide''s centered on it." Hailey took a deep breath, and then another one. It took away a lot of the jitters. "What the hell are you still doing here?" the woman said, snapping back around to Hailey. "Huh?" "You need to be at the guest entrance!" "Which is¡­" She waved wildly at the wall behind them, where a helpful blue arrow pointed the way. "Okay." Hailey set off, immeasurably grateful to be away from the hysterical woman as she started cursing to another member of the beleaguered staff. "Two minutes!" A harried assistant pointed her to the guest entrance, where she found a chair and an ice chest of water bottles. Hailey popped one open and downed half of it. She wished it were something a bit heavier, but she''d take anything to clear her dry mouth a bit. "One minute!" The band started to play the intro theme, while the warm-up comedian left the stage to a round of applause¡ªor maybe they were just applauding for the intro. She could hear the announcer over the speakers, with the typical deep radio host voice. "Coming to you from New York City, live for the first time ever, it''s an Evening Show special event!" Hailey still had a few minutes before she''d be on stage. She pulled out her phone and checked the stream out of curiosity. The show was getting simultaneously broadcast over social media, presumably at Nate''s request. They''d agreed on the condition that advertisements be built directly into the video, so they couldn''t be skipped. She couldn''t get the video to load. Surprised, Hailey tried a different site, since the first one wasn''t really known for having the best streaming service. The second one worked fine, and Hailey got there just in time to see her own face smiling back from the intro title, over a generic shot of the New York skyline. "Hailey Winscombe!" called out the announcer. Hailey missed the rest of the line¡ªand everything else the announcer said¡ªas her eyes dropped down to the number below the video stream. A hundred and forty-two million viewers¡­ and it was going up every second. What the hell am I doing? Hailey''s heart-rate spiked. She took another drink of water and a few deep breaths. This is crazy! "...your host, Russssssellllllllllll Wallaaaaaaace!" Another huge round of applause, as Russ stepped out onto the stage. Deep breaths, Hales. You got this. This is nothing. You''ve faced down monsters. "Thank you!" said Russ, beaming into the crowd. "You''re tremendous, really. Thank you all. Well, we''ve got a great show for you tonight, and a very special one at that. It''s our first ever live show, people!" Another burst of applause. "Yes, this is one hundred percent live, so anything that can go wrong, is absolutely going to go wrong¡ªand our man in the censor booth has his hand on the ducking trigger!" He didn''t actually swear¡­ Hailey laughed. It''s a show. It''s just a show. I got this. "A great show, really great show coming up, people, and of course, it''s what everyone''s talking about. That''s right, we''ll be spending a whole hour on platypus pajamas." A screen above the audience popped up with a shot of a platypus wearing flannel. It got a huge roar of laughter. I mean, it''s a cute picture... but come on. Russ grinned. "No, but seriously, folks. We''ve only got one thing to talk about for the whole show, which I know is going to really bum out those ten viewers who just tune in for the music at the end. Sorry, people. I''ll make you a deal¡ªif we run over, I''ll sing you a little song at the end, and Charlie and the band will back me up. Won''t you Charlie?" The leader of the house band shook his head and rolled his eyes, accompanied by a quick musical sting. "Right, so Charlie wants to keep our audience after this show. Smart guy, Charlie. This is why he''s in charge and I just stand up here and make a fool of myself." Russ made a little signal with his hand, just out of sight of the camera. The feed swapped to a different angle, right at the same time that Russ turned. "Now, this is normally the bit where I do my usual amateur stand-up and remind everyone why they should stay in school, but we figured no one really wants to see that. Especially not our hundred and fifty million online viewers." Hailey double-checked it on her phone, and sure enough, they''d passed that number already. A huge cheer erupted in the audience, and this time it felt genuine. She briefly wondered how much these people paid for tickets¡ªand how well they were vetted by security, if at all. She quickly dug into her belt pouch for a few gemstones and tucked them into the inner pocket on her jacket, just in case. Her favorite tourmaline hung around her neck as usual. "That''s right, our stream just beat the Super Bowl. I expect my talk show championship ring in the mail by the end of the week." A grin and another pause. "An ''Evening Show'' that''s not in the evening? Insane, they called me! Mad, they said! And they were absolutely right!" He beamed around the audience. "But while I have you all here and my blackmail''s still holding out, I''m going to make the very best of it. Without further ado¡ªbecause I hear our viewer count plummeting already¡ªplease give a huge New York welcome to Hailey Winscombe!" The band started playing a song she didn''t know, and the audience went wild with applause. Hailey felt a shove forward from the stage manager, who''d appeared out of nowhere behind her. She pocketed her phone, shook her head slightly to clear her hair away, and put on a smile. Showtime.
"Let the record show that my client, Miss Winscombe, is here of her own volition, and was not summoned, subpoenaed, or otherwise compelled to appear for questioning." "You brought a damn stenographer?" "Let the record also show that this conversation is being recorded by both parties. The state did not agree to an off-record interview, so my client exercised her right to record the interview as a citizen, and the state consented." "That clacking is annoying as fuck." "Attorney for Hailey Aurora Elizabeth Winscombe is Jefferson Baux, associate at Hanford and Jenkins. The state declined to have an attorney present." "Are we fucking done yet?" "State''s interviewer is¡­" Jefferson waited, while Hailey shifted uncomfortably in the chair. It wasn''t the steel chair and stone box she''d dreaded, but a pretty ordinary conference room. No windows, but the walls were lined with wood paneling, it was carpeted and the office chairs were pretty nice. Not as good as the ones her mom had, but still comfy. She sat on one side, with her lawyer next to her and a stenographer from his firm at the end of the table. "Michael Aderholt, and I''m federal, not fucking state," grunted the man across the table, sitting alone except for a laptop. "Position?" "Pacific Northwest division, sub-station chief, SeaTac branch of the National Security Bureau." "Let the record show Mr. Aderholt is currently the designated lead agent for the ''Rallsburg Incident'' case." "Would you stop that fucking clacking?" Jefferson smiled. "Will the state consent to an unrecorded interview with my client?" Aderholt glanced down at his laptop, where he was getting information fed in from his superiors. "You two already blew enough smoke up the ass of the whole fuckin'' country for every single news outlet to park a van outside. What the fuck are you afraid of coming out?" "My client merely wishes to let the public know her status as a public figure, before and after the interview takes place." He didn''t miss the implication. "The fuck are you accusing us of?" "Nothing, sir. I offered an explanation for our¡­ excessive display entering the structure." "And you''re gonna do the same fuckin'' thing when you leave, are you?" "If my client wishes. Can you say she broke any laws?" "Violating my fucking airspace." "My client has not entered the restricted zone while airborne, nor proceeded past legal limits for unregulated civilian flight." That he knows of... Jefferson had asked her not to tell him, since it would count as informing him she intended to commit a crime. A minor one, but they wanted to stay as clean as they possibly could. "It might also be pointed out that since my client does not use a vehicle, she is not required to have a pilot''s license." "Skydiving license then, asshole." Jefferson smiled slightly. "Sections 105.21 and 105.25 don''t apply in this case, as my client does not use a parachute." Aderholt leaned back in his chair, looking vaguely impressed. "There''s a fucking loophole for you." "As I said, my client will be flying out of here, just as she flew in. She has a prior engagement this evening that she simply can''t miss." "Oh, she can miss it." "Was that a threat to my client, Mr. Aderholt?" "You can''t hold me," said Hailey, staring him directly in the eye. Aderholt smirked, in a way that made Hailey distinctly uncomfortable. "What my client means," said Jefferson quickly, "is that since you haven''t charged my client with a crime or formally placed her under arrest, we reserve the right to end this interview at any time and exit the premises." "Right." Aderholt rolled his eyes. "Well, Miss Winscombe, let''s get down to fuckin'' business then." This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. "One moment." Jefferson leaned over to confer with Hailey privately. "You still want the NDA?" he whispered. "Can we pull it off?" she whispered back. "We might. It doesn''t hurt to try." "I want to help, but I don''t want this stuff getting public." He nodded, turning back to Aderholt. "My client has an additional condition to present the state before this interview can proceed." Aderholt threw up his hands. "Jesus fuck, what now?" "We''d like an absolute assurance of secrecy, on the basis of potential national security threat, to the information presented within this interview. Neither your records nor ours will be presented to the public without the express agreement of both parties. The information will only be acted upon for credible threats to public safety and stability." Jefferson pulled out the agreement and slid it across the table. "Sign it," Hailey added. Aderholt looked up at her, eyes narrowed. "You don''t tell us what we can and can''t do, kid." "You don''t know what you''re dealing with, Mr. Aderholt. I do. So if you want my help past the basics, sign the agreement." "I think you''ll be quite pleased with the additional level of service my client is willing to render the state in exchange," added Jefferson. Aderholt picked it up and left the room for a minute, which dragged into two, and then five minutes. "What''s this mean?" Hailey asked, as sweat trickled down her forehead. "The delay." "He''s talking to his superiors. They''re deciding if they''re okay with the muzzle and leash." "And if they are? Is it strong enough?" "Well, as strong as two days of crunch legal work can build." Jefferson shrugged. "Honestly, I think it might be too strict to be a good reactive deal, but it always has the escape clause where we can clear any action we deem credible. I''m used to working within the law, not creating new ones, but I''m assured that it should be fairly ironclad." "Assuming they play by the rules," said Hailey dubiously. "Well, yes, but if they don''t then this is all pointless anyway, and you don''t even need me here." He smiled. "You weren''t wrong. They definitely can''t hold you, from what I''ve seen." The door swung open again, and Aderholt came back into the room. "No deal," he said, sliding the page back across the table unsigned, the vaguest hint of a grin on his face. Jefferson sighed. "So be it. Let the record show that the state refused the offer by my client for additional service and support." "Noted, asshole." Aderholt turned to Hailey. "Now, let''s talk."
The lights weren''t as bright as she expected. Hailey always assumed they''d be as bad as most stage lights, but they actually weren''t all that blinding. She waved to the crowd, which she could actually see, and smiled her way across the stage and into the first chair, right next to the desk. As the applause finally died down, Hailey could see the cameras. She wondered if she was supposed to look at the camera, or at Russ. She decided, for the sake of her nerves, to just look Russ and ignore the rest of it. Like they were just talking in front of the crowd, and not one¡­ hundred¡­ fifty¡­ million people. Or more, she realized, since that was just the main online stream. It didn''t count TV viewers, restreams, other translations, rebroadcasts¡­ Oh man. Oh man oh man oh man. "Hailey, you with us?" Russ prompted, flashing her a worried smile. She blinked a few times, focusing back on his face, ignoring the crowd. Jess was right. Be myself. I got this. "Sorry. I''ve never been on TV." "Well, you''re doing just wonderful so far!" Russ glanced around. "We''ve all seen that clip of you flying out of the building." "Which one?" she asked, and got a laugh for it. "Ah hah! So the burning building in Tacoma was you?" She shrugged, still keeping the smile stuck to her face. It was getting easier over time, like she was just having a nice conversation with a good friend. "Not according to the FBI." Russ grinned. "But, of course, I was talking about the video from Friday. Where you¡ªhelp me out here, Hailey. How did you pull that off?" Hailey smiled. "Magic, Russ." "...Magic," he repeated skeptically. "Don''t hold it against me, but I can''t say I''ve ever believed in magic. I''ve even had Penn and Teller on my show, and I couldn''t tell you the first thing about how they do it, but I''m still pretty sure it isn''t magic." "Well, it isn''t." Russ blinked, and a wide grin spread across his handsome face. "...Sorry to break to to you, Vegas, but looks like you''ll need a new act." A pause for laughter. "Seriously though. You''re saying they''re just cheap parlor tricks, but this¡ªthis is the real deal, is that what I''m getting?" "Absolutely." Hailey shrugged. "This is new. Real magic." She could tell Russ¡ªand the audience¡ªwere looking for a bit more than that. She smiled and held up her hand, and out of the corner of her eye she saw the video monitor next to the audience bleachers swap to a wide shot. Perfect. A clear plastic water bottle zoomed into view¡ªthe same one she''d been drinking from minutes earlier. It came in low, flying across the stage as if it had a tiny rocket attached, until it suddenly swung upward as it reached her chair. Hailey caught it easily, and in one smooth motion took a drink. Russ stood up and applauded. "Fantastic, just fantastic. You just did that?" Hailey grinned. "And a whole lot more. Don''t forget, Russ, I flew here tonight, all on my own." "...I don''t suppose you can give us a quick demo?" Hailey set the bottle on his desk. She looked out at the audience. "Hold onto your hats, people. And I mean literally: grab ''em tight." The next eight minutes or so were spent going through a considerable repertoire of Hailey''s spells, and a few she''d picked up on the website too. She did a short lap flying over the studio audience while the camera desperately craned to keep up, blowing hair and loose clothing around while she did. Little elemental tricks were a piece of cake, and she even pulled off a bit of water manipulation via telekinesis. It didn''t last long, just a sphere of Russ'' drink floating out of his mug, but it got another round of applause nonetheless. Honestly, this stuff really isn''t that impressive¡­ Hailey could tell they were applauding just to applaud. It was a light entertainment show. The audience¡ªboth in the studio and online ¡ªwere there to hear what she had to say, not just see tricks with fire and telekinesis. "Now Hailey, before we burn the studio down," Russ said finally, as Hailey had a series of little flames circling her head like a halo. She smiled innocently, and he grinned back. "I gotta say, we''ve heard a lot about you over the last six months¡ª" "Has it been six months?" she asked, more to play up the moment than anything. "Man, time flies." Her bad pun got an appreciative laugh, and Russ went on. "¡ªBut we haven''t heard anything from you. So let''s get right down to it: when did this all start? Magic, I mean." "About a year and a half ago." "Am I right in guessing it''s all thanks to that town?" She nodded. "Everything started there." "Why''d you go to Rallsburg in the first place?" Hailey shrugged. "It had a good business program." "Come on." He tapped his cue card on the desk a few times pointedly. "You could''ve gone anywhere with your transcript. Why there? Did you know something?" "Nope. I didn''t have a clue." She took a deep breath, playing up the moment. "I went there because my boyfriend was going there." "Ah¡­ Weston Davis, right?" She was genuinely surprised. That detail probably wasn''t in Cinza''s book. "You know who I was dating back then?" Russ shrugged. "Well, it was a pretty public investigation. He made the news a couple times." "Oh. How''d he do?" "Feeling competitive?" Russ grinned. "I''m guessing you weren''t watching the news a lot at the time? This was back in May." "Not really¡­ We were all kind of dealing with the¡­" "The ''incident''," Russ supplied helpfully. "Yeah." He shifted gears immediately, sensing she didn''t want to discuss that in detail yet. He''s good. Thanks, Russ. "So, Hailey. Did you and Weston ever reconnect?" "We did, yeah. We''re still friends, but we aren''t together anymore." "Anyone new in your life?" She smiled. "Yes. But he probably wouldn''t want me naming him live." "Ahhh, a secret boyfriend." "For now," Hailey laughed. "Does he know about your¡­ talent?" Russ glanced over at the camera. "Well, I''m sure he knows by now." "Oh yeah, he knew." Hailey waved him off. "He''s awakened too." "Awakened, that''s the word for it?" Well¡­ for better or worse, yeah. "It''s what we stuck with. I don''t have a clue who came up with it," she added with a shrug. "But yeah, he''s awakened, and me, and plenty of other people." "So there''s a whole group of magical people in the world, that no one knew about?" His eyebrows arched skyward. "Pretty crazy stuff. Well, we''ll be digging into that and a whole lot more with Hailey Winscombe and another special guest here live on the Evening Show, right after the break."
"Is that it, then?" Hailey nodded. "Everything I know about what happened in Rallsburg, to the best of my memory." "Jesus H. Christ," Aderholt muttered, leaning back in chair. "Two psychopaths who can make monsters outta nothin'' murdered a couple hundred people?" "Yeah," Hailey sighed, "and one of them survived." "Brian Hendricks." "Yes." "And he hasn''t given up." "Right." Hailey leaned forward again. "You guys need to be tracking him down. Right now." "What the fuck do you think we''ve been doing?" Aderholt threw up his hands. "You''re the one that can fly, why the fuck haven''t you found him?" "But¡­ you guys have satellites. Thermal stuff. Helicopters and so on. Right?" "And we''re searching a rainforest in the fuckin'' fall. If he''s even there anymore." Aderholt rolled his eyes. "It''s a big-ass country, and from the way you tell it, he doesn''t even gotta show his face to fuck you up." "He''s got followers. They can''t all hide." "Sure they fuckin'' can, because they''re normal-ass citizens goin'' about their normal-ass days until they get called up for the murder of the week." He glared at her, as if it were Hailey''s fault somehow. "Welcome to the modern dumbfuck era. Pick up a few burner smartphones, hook up to public wifi, use end-to-end encryption and you got your very own homebrew terror-fucks. Any fucker can google that shit in ten seconds, and there''s no goddamn way we can track it all." "But¡ª" "And let''s not forget, we got no goddamn idea who we''re protecting!" Aderholt added, raising his voice. "Your people have literally zero identifying characteristics and no pattern to follow. It could be literally any motherfucker off the shitgutter. We can''t protect everyone. You wanna give us a list of awakened?" "...No." "Then quit your fuckin'' whining and let''s move on to cooperating." "I''m here as a favor to you," Hailey reminded, trying to keep herself calm. "Want a cookie?" he snarled, fist clenched. She glared at him, folding her arms across her chest. "Where''s Agent Ashe?" Aderholt rolled his eyes. "I made a call. It was the right call at the time." "You called him insane!" "Bitch, he was saying the place was ripped up by monsters. What the fuck would you have said, with no evidence and no witnesses?" "There were witnesses." "Miss Winscombe," Jefferson cut in. He''d stayed mostly silent throughout the description of Rallsburg and the exchange throughout, since Hailey had gone over most of it with him several times over the weekend. "A word?" Hailey slid her chair away from the table and stood up. Jefferson followed her to the corner of the room, while Aderholt scribbled something on a notebook. "I want to throw him through that window," Hailey muttered, nodding at the one-way mirror against the far wall. "As your counsel, I can''t advise it." "How about I just make that pencil hit him in the face? Can''t legally prove it was me, right?" "As your counsel, I''d enjoy that¡ªbut still, I can''t advise it." She sighed. "I know." "Is this gonna take all day?" asked Aderholt. "My wife''s making a roast tonight." Hailey clenched her hands tight, out of sight of the irritating man across the table. Her nails dug into her palm, and she imagined her fist plowing right through Aderholt''s face instead. It made her feel a little better. Jefferson shook his head slightly. "Remember what we''re here for. One step at a time." "...Right." Hailey took a deep breath. It didn''t do much, so she took another, and that one did the trick. She felt calm again. With a straight face and only the hints of indentation on her palms to show for it, she took a seat at the table again. "That was the whole story, Mr. Aderholt. The Rallsburg Incident. No more digging through the ruins." She leaned forward slightly, looking him directly in the eye. "Are your bosses happy yet?" Aderholt matched her glare beat for beat. "Who killed him? Who got him in the end?" "Like I said, I didn''t see it. I was trying to lure the golems away so people could escape." "Didn''t work, did it?" he said snidely. Hailey didn''t respond. She just glared at him, while her hands dug indentations in the sides of her chair, out of sight. "You got one of my agents shot." "They shot him!" Hailey cried. The chair nearly tumbled over backward as she leapt to her feet. "Because he was aiming for one of yours!" Aderholt shouted back, also getting to his feet. The glass behind him visibly vibrated. Someone was pounding on it, trying to get his attention. Aderholt fell silent, glaring over his shoulder. He stormed out of the room. Hailey started pacing back and forth on her side of the table, working through stress and anger. Jefferson stood back, giving her space. He knew better than to say anything. Aderholt took a full ten minutes to return. He looked noticeably calmer. Hailey was surprised they''d actually let him continue the interview, but she refrained from making a quip about it. They were supposed to be cooperating. This wasn''t helping. She was supposed to cooperate with the good guys. Assuming they are the good guys¡­ Well, Agent Ashe is at least. "Can you give us any more information," he started, in an admirably even tone, "about Brian Hendricks? Accomplices, whereabouts, personal history?" "Besides what we''ve already brought up¡­" Hailey paused. "Accomplices. One of the guys at the bar in Tacoma." "You said you never saw Hendricks there." "No, but one of his guys stood out. He''s a cop¡ªor at least, he was a cop. He had a badge." "Openly?" Aderholt was interested now. "Could you tell what department?" "No¡­ I don''t think it was even from Tacoma. I''m not sure." "If I get you examples of every police badge from the area, you think you could identify it?" "Yeah, probably." Aderholt nodded. "Well, that''s a start. I take it you gotta run though. Got your big fuckin'' show tonight." Hailey checked her watch, and sure enough, it was getting close. If she wanted to be there on time, she had to fly soon. "Yeah." He opened a folder and slid a few pieces of paper across the table, along with Hailey''s passport. "In exchange for the previous cooperation agreement, you''ve got provisional clearance to enter restricted airspace for any FBI operation, without notice. Personnel will be instructed of your abilities so they don''t shoot you out of the sky¡ª" "If they could," she quipped, unable to resist. Aderholt took a breath, visibly restraining himself from responding. "Our office would appreciate advance notice when possible though. There''s also instructions here on how to contact us through secure channels. Finally, this paper¡ª" He lifted one to the top. "¡ªindicates that the state recognizes your personal contributions to the town of Rallsburg and will not pursue any potential crimes that may or may not have been committed therein. This includes an agreement co-signed by the DA and the Washington state governor''s office." Even though Hailey didn''t think she''d committed any crimes even worth talking about, it was still reassuring to have it in writing. Who knew what they might try to make up just to hold her down? Things had gotten so violent toward the end¡­ She took the paper and handed it to Jefferson, who nodded. "Your lawyer will get the full version later, that''s just a summary." Aderholt stood up. "We''ll be shifting our operations in the Northwest with this new information. Any further assistance you''re interested in rendering to your country is greatly appreciated. I''ve been asked to inform you that the Bureau is prepared to offer you a full-time position as an expert thaumaturgical consultant." "A what consultant?" "Magic." Aderholt rolled his eyes. "One of the FAA nerds back there begged for the name." "Oh." "Offer stands, no need to accept it right now." He pulled out a folded envelope and handed it over. "Look it over when you got time." "...Thanks." As Aderholt put his hand on the door, he turned back. "One more thing." She was still thrown off he was acting so polite suddenly. Compared to most of their conversation, this was unsettling. "Yeah?" "Hendricks. He has a daughter, right? We never found her." "You mean¡­" "Checkin'' against the list of bodies. There were only like four or five kids. She was the only one unaccounted for." Hailey hesitated. "I don''t know where she is." Not technically a lie¡­ I haven''t really talked to her in forever, and I have no idea where she actually lives in Seattle. "You don''t, huh?" Aderholt frowned. "You know, we never had a picture of her, so we couldn''t exactly put out an alert. But say we had one now¡ª" "Don''t," said Hailey, cutting him off. He raised his eyebrows. "Trust me. Just¡­ just don''t. She''s had enough." "What if she''s in trouble?" "She''s not." Hailey shook her head. "She knows what her dad did. Don''t make her famous on top of that. Let her be a normal kid." Aderholt stared for a few seconds. Finally, he nodded. "You got it." "...Thanks." "I''ll be watching tonight. Don''t screw it up." With that, he pulled open the door and walked out of the room. Hailey slumped back in her chair, waiting for the telltale burst of relief telling her she''d done the right thing¡ªthat she was on the right path, helping people, doing what she needed to do. It never came.
A couple seconds of awkward silence, then a light flicked off above the audience. "Back in five!" "Jesus, five minute commercial breaks," Russ muttered. "They''re milking this for everything they can." "Was that okay?" Hailey asked, while innumerable conversations broke out in the crowd. Everyone stayed stock-still in their seats though. She wasn''t sure if she could move. "I felt like I did okay." "You were perfect. Just keep it up, you''ll be great." Russ stood up, stretching out. "Next segment''s gonna have the other guest. You ready for that?" "It''s the only reason I''m here." Russ raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that?" Hailey shrugged. "Do I have time to go use the bathroom?" "Sure. We agreed to equal time for the two of you, so he gets the exclusive for a bit. You won''t be on screen, even if you''re here." "Okay." Hailey stood up. "Thanks, by the way." "For what?" "Making this easy." "That''s my job." "He''s not here, is he?" she asked tentatively. "...I have no idea, actually. That''s between his people and the studio. He''s on in five though, so I''m assuming he is." Russ shrugged. "He''s the most paranoid guest we''ve ever had, I can tell you that." Hailey nodded, thanked him again, and left the stage in a hurry. Someone pointed her to the bathrooms, which Hailey found mercifully empty. She relieved herself, cleaned up and took another deep breath. The pressure, which had vanished entirely out on the stage, returned tenfold now that she was alone. She stared herself down in the mirror. You''re doing just fine. All you have to do is be yourself. You''re showing them that humans have nothing to be scared of. Just be yourself. She repeated the mantra over and over, but it didn''t help. "Hailey¡­" A crackling sound. The countertop crunched under Hailey''s hands. She twisted around. "...Beverly?" Her soft gray eyes were fixed on the cracks that had splintered out from Hailey''s grip. "Are you okay?" "Yeah, totally." Hailey brushed her hair out of her face and put on her usual smile. "Where have you been? We haven''t talked in forever." "I''ve been¡­ I''ve been traveling." "That sounds fun." Hailey leaned back against the counter, trying to act casual. "Anywhere nice?" "...Not really." Beverly bit her lip, then nodded at the counter. With another crackling sound, almost like the ripple of snapping wood, the countertop melded back together into a single piece¡ªbrand new. "I saw you on TV." "Yeah, about that¡­" Hailey glanced at the door. "I''m supposed to go back on in a couple minutes." "It''s okay. We''re uhh¡­ well we''re kinda in a¡­ a bubble, I guess?" "A bubble?" "We can talk as long as we want." "You can do that?" "Yeah¡­ I learned it from watching¡­ someone else. And I just take it a lot further." Beverly''s gaze fell to the ground. "I can do a lot of things now." Hailey''s first instinct was to ask her to teach it, but she knew Beverly never would¡ªif the spell was even possible for Hailey to cast. Despite being leaps and bounds above normal awakened, there was still a tier above her, one Hailey was itching to climb. "What did you want to talk about?" "I don''t know. I just thought¡­ well, you looked like you needed a break. Maybe get away." Hailey shook her head. "It''s just jitters. I felt totally fine out there." "Hailey¡­" Beverly glanced at the countertop again. "Seriously. Everything''s great." Except we''re still being hunted, and the FBI is making things way harder than they need to be, and I didn''t tell Rupert any of this was gonna happen, and Hugo still hates me, and I feel awful about ignoring Natalie, and my mom''s gonna get even more grief over this, and I still have no idea what''s going to happen when Cinza''s books get published tomorrow, and I still haven''t got a clue how to help Jessica¡ª "If you''re sure." Beverly pressed her hands to her temples. "Are you okay?" asked Hailey hesitantly. "Yeah¡­ just tired." "There''s still a lot of readings?" "I didn''t¡­ I didn''t realize how many pieces there were," she murmured. "It''s too much." Hailey put a hand on her shoulder. "It''s gonna be okay." Beverly shook her head. "...You can''t know that. But¡­ thank you." "What are friends for?" She smiled. "I gotta go, before I get too tired. Good luck." "You too." Hailey''s hand fell through the suddenly open air as Beverly vanished with a tiny gust of wind. Actual teleportation. I wish I could pull that off¡­ The muffled noise of the studio outside resurfaced and filled her ears. The band was playing filler music during the commercial break for the audience. Like she''d implied, no time had passed for Hailey during their conversation, somehow. Hailey washed her face in the sink, trying to get back into focus. She adjusted her hair slightly, then wandered back out onto the set. The sound guy was waiting for her, and quickly double-checked her microphone setup to make sure nothing was off. She didn''t notice. She was anticipating¡ªalong with the crowd, the stage manager, Russ at his desk, and everyone in the world watching¡ªthe arrival of the other special guest of the night. The whole reason she''d agreed to this little show and dance. I''m gonna remind him who he''s dealing with.
"Welcome back, welcome back everyone. Welcome back to the Evening Show, where we''re performing live tonight, which means everything you see and hear is actually happening. No fancy post-production or CGI tricks." Russ grinned at the camera. "Now, this is the part where I wanted to do some of our live screen effects, but my writers told me something about staying authentic¡­ and my censors told me we just couldn''t get away with it." Hailey glanced around from her spot on the couch. She''d decided to go back on stage right away, rather than get another introduction, but she wasn''t going to be on screen for a while. She assumed that Russ was building up to Nate''s introduction, but he surprised her by turning right to her. "So in that case, we''ll just rely on special effects from our special guest tonight, Hailey Winscombe!" The screen swapped to her, and the band played a music sting. Hailey managed to recover quickly, waving to the applauding crowd and putting on a smile. Where is he? "Hailey, thanks again for joining us tonight." She nodded. "It''s been a lot of fun." Not lying, either¡­ Russ is a nice guy, and who doesn''t love showing off in front of the whole world? But¡­ where is he? Don''t forget why you''re here, Hales. "Glad to hear it." Russ glanced over at the camera. "I hope you don''t mind we dragged you back for round two here. Our other guest of the night is having a bit of trouble finding the studio, apparently." Hailey laughed. "Trust me, that''s not new for him." "Careful, we don''t want to spoil the surprise." Russ glanced around conspiratorially and lowered his voice. "But if you want to feel like sharing a story or two while we wait, I bet the censors are quick enough to catch his name." "How fast are they?" Hailey asked, glancing up at the booth of panels and sensors where she assumed the censor would be. "His name is Porcupine Williams the Fifth." Russ stared at her blank-faced for a couple seconds, before cracking a grin. "Apparently, they had to blur your whole face, just in case we got any expert lip-readers watching. Our contract was very specific. I think we''re already in trouble for saying ''he'', but I''ll let that one slide just for you." I don''t remember anything like that in the agreement I signed. I wonder what would happen if I just told everyone? No, you''re here to be the better half. Give them a good impression, make it a fair fight. Wait for him to show up. "I wouldn''t want to talk behind his back, Russ," Hailey said smoothly, without too much time wasted. "We''ll give him a little more time." "Fair enough! Back to you then, if you don''t mind." "Oh, I''m an open book." "Speaking of books," Russ continued. "I''d be amiss if I didn''t bring up the one everyone''s talking about. The Rallsburg Diaries," he added in a spooky voice. "That''s what set off this whole crazy weekend, right?" "That''s the one." "Now, we''ve all read the teasers, and I''m sure there''s a couple thousand people with them open waiting to yell at me for misquoting, so I''m not even going to try. We''ll just stick to the basics, sound good?" Hailey nodded. "I haven''t gotten to read it, so that sounds great to me." Russ was good at acting genuinely shocked. "You haven''t? But you''re in it!" "The guy who stole them didn''t bother to send me a copy," she explained with a shrug. Too hostile. Dial it back a bit, Hales. Give him something else to follow up on. "But I do know the author." "Ah, the mysterious Cinza." Russ glanced over the crowd. "You can answer one right off the bat then¡ªis she for real?" "Well, yeah. I just talked to her yesterday before I flew out here." "And for the sake of copy-editors everywhere, she doesn''t happen to have a last name, does she?" "Not that I know of." Russ smiled apologetically for the camera. "A big sorry to all my friends back at the Times and the New Yorker. I tried." He turned back to Hailey. "Well, speaking as one of the lucky few who got to read the whole thing, I''ll let you in on a secret." "You''re allowed to?" she joked. "At the risk of my lawyers mobbing the stage¡­ you come across really well in the book." "Come on." "No, I''m serious!" Russ smiled. "Whoever she is, Cinza clearly thinks very highly of you. And I have to say, my heart broke at a few passages about your struggles." Hailey shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Thanks." "And after what you almost pulled off at the end¡­ Can you talk about that?" She nodded. "It was a crazy plan, but it''s the best one we could think of." "You weren''t the one coordinating it, but you still played a pretty important part, right?" "Yeah. I was one of the people actually doing the ritual." "And it came very close¡­ but you got interrupted." "...Yeah." Hailey winced. "We almost had it. Cinza saved us, but it was close." "And if you''d pulled it off, you would''ve got him, right?" "Well, that was the idea, yeah. Put together a ritual so strong that no matter where he was, he couldn''t block it or get away." "To protect the town?" "Well yeah. We were the only ones that could. I mean, if you know what we were up against? Humans like you couldn¡ª" Hailey''s phone buzzed on her belt, way too loud. There was no way the cameras didn''t pick it up¡ªand from the way the audience reacted, they''d all heard it too. She''d forgotten to turn it back to silent after the commercial break. She frantically tapped it off, and Russ helped by jumping to another question. "You''ve been in hiding since May, right?" "Yeah." "You know, they did a ton of coverage on you after the Incident. What we like to call ''puff pieces''." She grimaced. "I saw them." "Too embarrassing?" Russ asked, smiling slightly. "Seriously. Way too much." Hailey glanced out at the audience. "But hey, I''m not dead, so you guys can stop running those. Cool?" "They had plenty of other stories too. Like all the other students who stayed over the summer." He frowned. "And with their families." Hailey hesitated. Where''s he going with this¡­? "I remember." "Don''t you think they deserved to know how their children passed?" "I¡­" Hailey faltered. His tone was way darker. More serious. What just happened? Russ didn''t let up. "I did one interview myself, as a special piece for my friends back at the Times. Mrs. Aleida Nelson, out in Portland." When Hailey didn''t answer, he continued. "Alex Nelson''s mother." Like a bell chiming in her head, Hailey realized who he was talking about. "I wasn''t¡ª" "I''m not saying it''s your fault, but you could have told her," Russ went on. The studio was dead silent. Not a laugh from the audience. Hailey looked around nervously, and everyone else seemed as caught off-guard as she felt¡ªwith one exception. The stage manager had a satisfied smirk on her face, half-hidden behind her clipboard. "He was your friend. We all saw the pictures. You could have told a grieving mother why her son was dead." "I didn''t even know," Hailey said quietly. "You found out at the town hall meeting, the same as everyone else," Russ pointed out. "While Jaysmith Miller''s parents, Christina Albrecht''s sister, and a whole lot of other people were unaware that their families were being murdered." "I¡ª" "They only found out when I called them this morning," Russ went on. "Finally giving them the answers they''ve been searching for since May¡ªsix months ago." Hailey shook her head. What do I do? Shout him down? He''s not wrong. And I''m live in front of the whole world. What''s going on? This was supposed to be light and easy. She felt like Russ had just stabbed her in the back, in front of hundreds of millions of people. "The floor''s open, Hailey. You''ve got the world listening. Say whatever you like." Russ stared at her coldly. "Tell us humans your side of the story." Hailey opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Minutes passed, with Hailey just looking back and forth between a couple different cameras and the monitor showing her face. Alone, on screen, with nobody to play off. She was the center of attention, but all the thrill and joy was totally gone. I don''t know what to do¡­ If I don''t do anything, Jessica''s going to barge in here, and everything will get even worse¡­ Say something. Say anything! What''s wrong with you, Hailey? The stage lights flickered off. The lamp indicating they were live went black. "Power glitch?" asked Russ, glancing around. A harried-looking man on a phone rushed down the stairs from the booth. "We have to shut down. Right now." "What''s going on?" The crowd started to murmur. Hailey was still frozen on the couch, watching the proceedings like she weren''t even there. Her phone buzzed again on her belt, but her brain barely registered it. Russ got up and started talking in a low voice with his assistant. Hailey could still hear every word. "We''re what?" "We''re being sued. Along with Pro Paradigm and anyone else who''s done any piece on the book." The assistant held out a slip of paper. "Emergency injunction came down ten minutes ago. They''re claiming libel, defamation, privacy issues, and gross negligence and disregard to public safety. We have to stop the broadcast." "Libel and defamation for what?" asked Russ, now audibly angry. "She admitted it on camera, unpressured. We didn''t claim a thing." "It''s not Hailey, or her lawyers." "Who the hell¡ª" The assistant gulped. "Kendra Laushire." [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] B2: Chapter 25 — Confidential Public Relations Chapter 25 ¡ª Confidential Public Relations "To those who seek to awaken I say: welcome, you madmen! You know not what it is you seek, but you are brave enough to take a plunge that could be fatal. We trust in our goddess to save us, but she was once human. Humans are fallible, fickle creatures responsible for more pain and torment than could be imagined. It is an eternal badge of shame that I identify myself as one, but we need not suffer an eternity. At the risk of plagiarism, only through her can we be saved. Do not mistake this for religion. I do not believe in any power beyond that which I control myself every day. I am merely witness to her miracles and messenger of her power. Which, of course, is claiming myself a prophet when I repeat this aloud. When did I become so spiritual? I''ve embraced my own worst nightmare¡­ This entry will be finished later. I need to spend time with Ruby and get my thoughts in order." ~Cinza, the Rallsburg Diaries "I think she did okay," said Jonathan, sitting on the edge of the bed. The TV had changed to a generic "stand-by" message, with a text crawl stating that the broadcast had been shut down by order of the New York City mayor''s office. Jeremy had only been giving it half his attention, focused on the camera feeds on his laptop. "Why''d they shut down?" he asked, glancing over. "Dunno. Maybe they thought Russ was being a dick." "Can you rewind?" He shrugged. "It was live." Jeremy kept watching the feed of the dingy motel walkway, bored out of his mind. "You''re sure it was the guy from before following you." "Yeah. He saw me, and he saw me get in my car and drive this way." Fuck, what I wouldn''t give for a proper surveillance squad right now. Jeremy only had the support of a few volunteer officers from the Tacoma P.D, recently reinstated thanks to a call from the FBI director''s office. He wished he''d been there to see the look on Aderholt''s face when Hailey flew right through the front door of the station, her lawyer in tow. Unfortunately, they weren''t so forgiving to their own. Figures. Big difference between filin'' legitimate reports that sound crazy, and actually actin'' crazy and insubordinate. Jeremy didn''t care, so long as they maintained this level of mutual ignorance. He''d rather they let him do what he liked than have to fight through layers of bureaucracy to get anything done. "Am I gonna be okay?" Jonathan asked, voice shaky. "I''m scared as hell, man." Jeremy picked up the handheld radio on the table next to his laptop. "Stebbins, check in." "This is Stebbins. All green. Over," replied the voice of the ex-military officer Jeremy had met back at the bar standoff. Seeing his name on the list of volunteers was a relief¡ªboth that he''d been reinstated, and that he was still willing to lend an experienced hand to Jeremy. The other two officers also reported green, which left them once again sitting idle. "Don''t you have schoolwork or some shit to do?" Jeremy asked, glancing over at the pacing kid. "They got it for you from your teachers." "Yeah. Yeah. I''ll do that." Jonathan paused. "Thanks again. For, you know. Protecting me." "It''s my job, kid." "But didn''t you get suspended?" "Still am, officially." "So yeah. Thank you." Jeremy nodded. You wouldn''t be singin'' the same tune if you knew I was usin'' you as bait, kid. If this were just a protection detail, there wouldn''t be much reason for Jeremy to be there. He could hold his own in a fight, sure¡ªbut he had bigger fish to fry, and a whole hell of a lot more important shit going on than one theater kid in Tacoma. Rachel, along with Jeremy''s sisters and a bevy of trusted lawyers, policy advisors and other hangers-on had been barricaded in Courtney''s offices all weekend. After their impromptu meeting on Friday, Courtney agreed to Rachel''s demands almost in full, in exchange for cooperation and support. She was determined, as was Maddie, to be the worldwide representative for everything magic-related going forward. Who the fuck would want that hassle, anyway? Let ''em at it. Jeremy just hoped they didn''t tear each other to pieces clawing for supremacy. His sisters had always been very competitive, ever since they first sat on a city council together. He leaned back in his chair and sighed. The camera feeds hadn''t changed in an hour, besides a couple known guests of the cheap motel. "Did you really have to do another fuckin'' magic show?" "I can''t just ditch my commitments. I''m trying to build a reputation. I want to get real bookings, you know?" "You''re eighteen. You got time." Jonathan shook his head. "I gotta jump on this before people catch on, you know?" He glanced at the TV, which had finally swapped over to a pair of talking heads recapping the show. "Everyone knows about magic now. If I already have people to talk to, I can get a new show going right away." Jeremy grunted noncommittally. He was more interested in the TV now, since it wasn''t a bland talk show anymore, but it was turned down so low he could only guess at what they were talking about, and he didn''t feel like getting up for the remote. "Honestly, from what I read online, I''m way ahead of most people," Jonathan went on. "Except for the special ones, I''ve been picking up new spells faster than anyone. And way better, too. I''m probably the best mage around that''s not a Greycloak." Probably somethin'' I missed ignoring half of Rachel''s story¡­ "The fuck is a Greycloak?" "Cinza''s followers." "...''cause they all wear grey cloaks?" Jeremy asked dryly, rolling his eyes. "...Yeah." Jonathan shrugged. "I think it''s pretty dumb too." "How many of them are there, anyway?" "...I don''t know. Eleven, maybe?" "Huh." Jeremy got distracted again by the TV, which had switched to something labeled ''Viewer Submitted''. "Turn the volume up," he added, pointing at the remote. The view was from across the street of the bar in Tacoma, after the police had zoomed up, and after Jeremy had gone in. He watched again as the golems appeared, tossing police cruisers aside, pulling off the front of the building and generally rampaging through the place. It was too clean for a cell phone video though, too well-composed. Staged¡­ they were always planning to rip that place apart. "With all the news about magic, one courageous viewer submitted this footage early this morning, which we have just finished authenticating. According to multiple experts, the video is genuine. Let''s turn to our commentary panel. Your thoughts?" "Horrifying. To think people are capable of something like that? They''re destroying everything. For what?" "You heard it yourself tonight, Becky. They call us ''humans''. We''re beneath them." "Now hang on, a clear reason for the standoff was never established. The Tacoma P.D. still considers it an open case." "Come on, Phil. You can see it through the windows. There''s Hailey herself, and that¡­ thing, that monster attacking people at random." "Hailey was trying to save people, wasn''t she?" "Was she? She didn''t touch a single person in there. Agent Ashe is the only one actually rescuing people. Hailey seems more concerned with fighting the monster." "That''s a bit of a stretch, Mike. Were you expecting an unarmed FBI agent to take that thing on? It tossed the entire police line." "I''m just saying. The only deaths in that place were at the hands of those things, same as the ones in Rallsburg. It''s us normal people getting caught in the crossfire. Russ had it right¡ªthey don''t care about us one bit. We''re collateral damage." The debate continued while the video replayed on the side, bringing up witness statements, coroner reports, and details even Jeremy didn''t know. Several of the witnesses¡ªpeople Jeremy had carried out of the damn building¡ªwere paraded on screen, calling for action. They''d clearly been prepared for this broadcast after the main event, if not to confront Hailey herself on screen. Who the hell planned all this? "None of that''s true though, right?" Jonathan asked. "Hell no." Jeremy pulled out his phone, dashing off a text to Maddie about what he''d seen and asking if she needed him to make a statement about the night. "Hailey and I were working together. She saved the fuck outta everyone in that place." "Right." Jonathan was on his on phone too, his homework totally forgotten. "That''s not what everyone''s saying though." "What?" "Social media." Jonathan flashed his screen at Jeremy, which didn''t help him one bit. "It''s a whole witch hunt. And it''s only getting worse." "Jesus," Jeremy murmured, as he glanced through the news feeds himself. "The broadcast was shut down by Kendra fucking Laushire." "So?" "So a very famous, very rich, very dead person who everyone''s gonna immediately connect with magic just tried to suppress a tell-all book about the murder of hundreds of people." Jeremy slouched in his chair, suddenly feeling very exhausted. "If people weren''t against you already, they sure as hell are now." "...Oh." "I''m just wonderin'' why she went public with it," he continued, delving into analysis from his own sources. "You''d think Laushire would keep her name out¡­ ah." "What?" "It leaked. ''Sources in the Washington governor''s office''." Jeremy tossed his phone on the table in frustration. "Goddamn leeches in Courtney''s own fuckin'' staff." "Who''s Courtney?" "My half-sister. Your state governor." "Wow." Jonathan whistled. "You''re like, super important, aren''t you?" "I sure fuckin'' hope not." Jeremy leaned up next to the window, peering through the gaps in the blinds. "Looks all quiet," he added, hiding his disappointment. "Are you leaving?" "I think you''re good, kid." He shrugged. "Not sayin'' you weren''t in danger, but there''s nothin'' comin'' down the pipe tonight at least." "Are you sure?" Jonathan''s voice pitched up slightly. "That guy knows exactly who I am. What am I supposed to do?" "Go live your life. He''s known who you are for weeks now, yeah?" "...I guess?" "So if he was gonna make a move, he probably would have by now." Jeremy shrugged. "These people aren''t exactly patient, or well-organized. That shitshow in Tacoma was proof enough." But whoever''s pulling the strings clearly knows what''s up¡­ This Brian guy? Or someone else? "But¡ª" Jesus Christ. "Look, kid. I''ll make sure Stebbins keeps an eye on you all night. Sound good?" "...Okay." Jeremy relayed the message, then stood up and headed out the door. Lani''s car was parked down and around the block, out of sight of the motel. As he walked, he pulled out his phone, bringing up the news feed, both his own personal Bureau feed and the public. This day has been a fuckin'' circus¡­ Hailey managed to grab headlines all day between her explosive landing at the FBI station in the morning, and her public meltdown in front of the whole world that evening. On top of that, Kendra Laushire suppressing the story wasn''t doing them any favors. Rachel and Maddie are waitin''. They''ll know what to do next. It''s not my job, thank God. His police scanner was buzzing as he got in the car. "Ten-fifty-five. Repeat, ten-fifty-five at one-one-oh-two Commerce. Requesting backup." A bomb threat? In Tacoma? Jeremy stared down at the speaker, dread creeping up through his stomach. Somehow, he knew what was coming next. "Subject has demonstrated magical abilities, suspected ''awakened''. Officer requesting backup. Over." Before anyone else could respond, Jeremy snatched up the radio. Thank God I kept this stupid thing. "Copy ten-fifty-five at one-one-oh-two Commerce. Agent Ashe responding. I''m on my way. Over." He jumped into the seat and reached for the keys. A huge crash of metal deafened him. Jeremy twisted around. His phone clattered to the floor of the car. A hulking, monstrous shape had erupted behind him, lifting the car up from behind. He reached for the keys again, but his front door was ripped open and flung wide. "Shit!" He plunged his hand into his coat for his holstered gun, but a massive block-like hand had him around the waist. He was pulled out, his seatbelt snapping as it stretched past its limit. Jeremy couldn''t move, but the monster didn''t seem to be interested in crushing him. He beat against the hand with his fists a few times, but it didn''t accomplish anything. The thing glided across the pavement like it was floating, moving down into a dark alley. Jeremy couldn''t see forward, and the thing''s grip was too tight to twist around. He heard a car engine start up. Something substantial. The click of a lock. Jeremy had just a brief glimpse of a covered face before he was dumped into the car. The trunk slammed shut, and they sped off into the night.
Jeremy was too big for the trunk of a car. After a good fifteen minutes of awkward twisting, he managed to kick out one of the tail-lights, but it didn''t help much. On top of that, they''d removed the mechanism to open the trunk from the inside. He was trapped. Worst of all, his gun had been crushed by the golem. The barrel had been flattened. It would never fire another shot. Well¡­ they''re probably not gonna kill me. No reason not to off me back at the motel. Jeremy took some small comfort in that. After a good thirty minutes though, he stopped trying to count corners, as he realized they had long-since left Tacoma¡ªheading west, if he''d counted right. Shit, what about Hudson and Stebbins? He could have gone after them after he took me out of the picture. Stebbins is smart, he''d get the kid out. I''ve got bigger problems right now. The truck bucked hard, before settling into a constant rumble. They were heading off-road, wherever they were. Jeremy tried to brace himself against the trunk walls as they bounced along, but a few nasty hits and his head started to spin. By the time the truck grinded to a halt, he was well and thoroughly lost. The trunk popped open without warning. Before Jeremy had a chance to react, a fresh golem lifted him up into the air. It held him tight, like he were trapped inside a loop of concrete moulded right up to his skin. He couldn''t move an inch, but at least he could finally see. They were deep in a forest. What forest? Fuck if I know. I don''t do nature. All he could tell was that there wasn''t a sign of civilization in sight, and even the canopy was too thick to see anything above. They could be absolutely anywhere, him and the three men standing in front of him. Jeremy recognized one of the wingmen from the bar, though still no useful identity. Facing Jeremy was an intense man with a black spiked rod clutched tight between his fingers. His brown hair was grown out long, along with a full thick beard on his chin. His eyes were cold, dark blue, narrow and barely visible in the light from the lantern sitting on the hood of the truck. He was wearing thick, outdoor camping gear¡ªbut to Jeremy''s surprise, he was actually quite clean. None of the dirt or smell he''d expect from a guy who''d been living alone off the radar for six months. "Brian Hendricks, right?" Jeremy started, trying to keep a light tone. The golem squeezed him tighter. A spike of pain shot up through his spine. Jesus Christ. "Quiet," Brian murmured. His hand was in his jacket pocket, balled into a fist. Jeremy sighed and waited. It wouldn''t take too long, if he understood how those stones worked. "I didn''t get anything," said the man on the right. "Same." "Wait," said Brian, still locked in a death glare with Jeremy. Not that Jeremy was returning the favor. Mostly, he just felt bored. I''m not what you''re fuckin'' lookin'' for, so can we move on? Minutes later, Brian finally nodded, and his hand left his pocket. "Thank God," Jeremy muttered. Brian shook his head. "God left this place a long time ago." Left you, maybe. He rolled his eyes. "Are you gonna let me down?" "No." Brian took a few steps closer, eyeing Jeremy suspiciously. "I don''t trust you." Only one of us is a fuckin'' murderer here. "You got all the cards. I''m not even armed." Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. "You helped them." Jeremy shrugged. "Just doin'' my job." "No." "No?" "Your job is to protect us. Your country." "Last I checked, that includes every single person in it, whether I like ''em or not." Brian shook his head. "They aren''t people." Jeremy raised an eyebrow. "You got proof on that?" "Can a person fly? Can a person lift an entire town into the sky with their mind?" Brian''s voice dropped lower. "Can a person rip an innocent little girl in half?" "Guess so." "No," Brian repeated, his voice harder. "They aren''t people. They are a cancer. They fool you now, but they''re dangerous. You haven''t seen what I''ve seen." Jeremy frowned. "Last I checked, you''re the guy with all the monsters." "I am not one of them," Brian spat. He walked right up into Jeremy''s face, so close that Jeremy could feel every warm breath from his mouth. "I was chosen to save us from them." "What''s the body count look like?" Jeremy shot back. "''Cause last I checked, they were mindin'' their own fuckin'' business before you and your god decided they had to bite it." "You don''t know anything," Brian snapped. "Jackson Smith, right? Tall black guy with a deep voice, liked to call himself ''Omega''?" "...You read the book." Sure, why not. No reason to give him the real answer. Jeremyshrugged. "Its author is a true witch. She tried to murder a friend of mine with her magic, and it was only luck and the death of another that saved him. She lures people into her web with false promises and fairy lights, and corrupts them to the core." He sounds insane. "Look, are you gonna kill me anytime soon or are we just gonna chat all night?" "...What?" "It''s really fuckin'' uncomfortable up here, and you''re not gonna convince me of shit like this." Jeremy glanced around. The trees sloped up and away in one direction, which likely meant that was north, if they were in the Olympic forest as he suspected. Well, I got one side of the story. Time for the other half. Brian''s hand shifted slightly, and the grip on Jeremy loosened. He was still held fast, but he found himself sliding down the smooth surface of the golem to the forest floor. The hulking monster even shifted slightly, giving him a diagonal to lean against more comfortably. "Better?" he asked. "Yeah, thanks." "I don''t want you as my enemy," he added quietly. "Stuffin'' me in the trunk ain''t a great first impression." "I''m sorry. But I wasn''t sure if they''d exposed you. I had to be careful." Brian leaned against the nearest tree. One of his two companions vanished into the woods, out of Jeremy''s sight, but the other had taken out a pad of paper and a pencil, scribbling away. "Who''s your friend?" Jeremy asked, nodding at the other man. "Oh, I''m just here for the story," he replied, with a wide grin that was missing several teeth. Fuckin'' reporters¡­ "Keep me out of it, thanks." The rat-faced man smiled wider. "The infamous disgraced agent who botched the most important case of the century? You''re the centerpiece!" "Enough, Felix," said Brian. "Just let me ask one question," Felix replied, his words running together with his enthusiasm. "Agent Ashe, when you collected all the remains from Rallsburg, how many of them were the so-called ''pulverized'', compared to the rest?" Jeremy shrugged. "Can''t say." It was a minority¡­ What''s his point, anyway? Felix nodded rapidly with satisfaction. "Uh huh. Pretty much that on the dot, am I right?" Brian turned back to Jeremy. "His point," he said, as if he''d read Jeremy''s mind, "is that whatever you may think, Jackson and I weren''t responsible for most of the deaths in our town." "But you were planning on killin'' everyone." Jeremy adjusted his position slightly, trying to find a more comfortable angle with his arms still pinned to his sides. "Doesn''t exactly make you the good guys." "Their fate only proves why we needed to act!" Brian''s voice deepened in intensity. "An insane cult leader wields power so terrible that it destroyed a whole town and killed dozens in an instant. And she still lives. She''s responsible for the death of hundreds of innocents!" Okay, this part is new¡­ "You''re talkin'' about Cinza, right?" "Exactly. Yes. The witch." Brian swallowed, clearing his throat. "That murderous witch killed, more than once. She killed the farmer Wilson and the Reverend Smith. If you''d seen what happened to those poor people¡ª" "I did," Jeremy interrupted. And neither of them exactly fit the usual golem killings¡­ Wilson was drained of blood, and Smith was snapped in half and burned alive. Rachel, you left some important fuckin'' details out of your story¡­ "Wilson was self-defense though. We got that on video. The man had a gun on her and pulled the trigger. Killed her friend, too." "Video, huh?" Brian shook his head. "Does your video include the part where Paul Wilson''s daughter Jenny was decapitated and mutilated by these monsters? Where Paul and Ingrid had to endure the humiliation of them desecrating their daughter''s funeral? Or where Cinza was the first to strike?" "How''s that then?" "Smith was the best man in the whole town, and she murdered him in cold blood," Brian spat. "In the forest, alone. And when Robert lead the town to arrest her, she met them with evil, cruel magic and a blade made of hellfire." Brian shuddered, and Jeremy didn''t think for a second he was acting. "People were beaten, cut, electrocuted and burned. Paul was drained of his blood. A twelve year old girl was dismembered. Tell me these are the acts of human beings, not animals and savages." Buddy, if you''d seen the shit I''ve seen¡­ "Humans pushed to the limit, sure. But I''m not buyin'' it yet." Brian nodded. "You haven''t witnessed it yet. You''ve only seen the ashes. But imagine a single, horrible moment, where every building around you explodes. Where your home, and the homes of everyone you know, are torn asunder. And the screams." He shuddered, and to Jeremy it seemed totally genuine. Brian was terrified of what he''d witnessed. "People were crushed and impaled in their living rooms, if they were lucky, or caught in a shower of glass and knives, bleeding out on the kitchen floor. The poor souls hiding from the chaos on Main street were burned alive by the explosion, caused by another of their reckless experiments. All thanks to her." "Not what I heard," said Jeremy¡ªthough truth be told, Rachel had been relatively quiet on the details of the last day of Rallsburg. She mentioned that they''d tried and failed to stop Omega as a group, though refused to name who was involved or what it entailed. She only explained that in the end, she''d killed him on her own with just a handgun. Jeremy believed her, but her unwillingness to give any details had been frustrating to say the least. Since they were already racing the clock with the announcement of the Rallsburg book, he''d let it go. "The evidence is right in front of you!" Brian cried. "You said it yourself, you saw the video." "Yeah, but so what?" "The girl! Cinza! She alone has the power to cause such devastation. They tried to lure Jackson into a trap, kill him where he stood, but it didn''t work. In their desperation, in their arrogance, they took away everything we had, trying to kill a man who was trying to save the world. They''re responsible for all this death and chaos, and it''s only going to get worse." Brian was ranting by now, but Jeremy couldn''t exactly call him out for being wrong. It sure as hell wasn''t right, but he didn''t know enough to refute the facts. Plus, they''re still holding me fuckin'' hostage¡­ "You know what she wants, right?" Brian snapped, suddenly turning back to Jeremy. "World peace?" he said sardonically. "She wants the world to be like her. Awakened," he snarled, with all the rancor he could instill into that single word. "They are like children playing with fire, and we''re all going to burn if we don''t stop them!" "But it''s too late," Jeremy pointed out. "It''s out there. Can''t un-learn something once it''s learned, right?" "You''re mistaken," Brian said, suddenly quite calm. The emotional switchbacks were giving Jeremy whiplash. "This is not as you think. Magic can be destroyed forever. It was never meant to escape into the world as it has. The only people responsible enough to handle such a force already had it, but one of them was too weak-minded. He decided it should be shared. His greatest error." Brian paused¡ªfor breath or for dramatic effect. He brushed a bead of sweat from his brow before he continued. "Jackson wanted to correct that error. If we destroy every piece, magic will be gone forever. The world will return to normal. It will be safe. We''ll be safe. Our children, their children, everyone will be able to go back to the way things were. "Do you understand?" he went on, turning back to Jeremy. "We have to stop it. I''m not saying the world was perfect, but this is too far. I have seen what havoc one person can wreak. I am afraid, Mr. Ashe. I''m afraid what''s going to happen the moment Cinza and her cabal decide we humans aren''t worth their time. That us inferiors are the root of their problems, and decide to clean house." Brian stepped back, and he seemed so very tired. "I''m trying to save us all. Can''t you understand that?"
Jeremy didn''t bother to respond. Brian was a raving lunatic in many ways, but what was Jeremy supposed to do about it? He couldn''t exactly correct the man. As far as he could tell, every single thing Brian said was true. It matched the evidence, far better than Rachel''s vague guilt-ridden statements had. The majority of deaths in Rallsburg were by injuries inconsistent with the golem attacks, and much more in-line with Brian''s tale. Should just arrest the both of them. This is getting ridiculous. He needed to meet Cinza, he decided. When¡ªif¡ªhe made it back to Rachel, he was going to arrange a sit-down. There were too many pieces he was still missing, and since Rachel had been out of the game for so long, she didn''t have them either. Brian was called away after a few moments of awkward silence by one of his compatriots. Felix sauntered after him, notebook in hand. A masked man brought Jeremy some water, but other than that he was left alone. Wonder what happened with that bomb threat¡­ In the eyes of the American public, the awakened sure weren''t winning the public relations fight. Even Jeremy, as inexperienced as he was in the field, could see the cascade coming. Hailey could have been the standard bearer for the whole group, practically groomed to be a perfect representative, but she''d overstepped on live TV in front of the whole damn world. She wasn''t coming back from that easy. And she called us humans. Like we ain''t shit compared to her. Part of Brian''s story rang even more true. Jeremy had started to consider Hailey a friend over the last couple weeks, but that line really rubbed him wrong. Arrogant, he got that right. Hailey''s arrogant as fuck, Rachel''s got her own arrogant streak too. Even that stupid fuckin'' theater kid, assumin'' he can do anythin'' and not get in trouble. Are they just young and stupid, or is this somethin'' worse? As Felix came back and the golem shifted its position again, Jeremy remembered¡ªthis is bullshit. Not one hundred percent, but holy shit, he had me going for a bit. "You''re not convinced," Felix commented, noticing Jeremy''s expression change. "You are?" Felix grinned again, in what was fast becoming an annoying trademark. "I think he''s got a story no one''s heard yet, and it''s pretty damn compelling. Compared to what''s in that book? Lots of people are gonna take the word of an ordinary family man who lost his home over a foreign cult leader and her crazed sex-cult." "Jesus, is that really¡ª" Felix shook his head. "Nah, they aren''t really. But you know how this shit goes. Hell, you''re the goddamn FBI, don''t you turn up sex cults all the time?" "Not my department." "Oh, right, yours is harassing reporters for shit they didn''t do." Jeremy looked at him more closely. "Hang on. Are you¡ª" "Yeah." Felix Wieczorek. One of the journalists who got picked out by Nate Price. "Still not my department. I''m suspended." "Like you wouldn''t have been first in line to chuck me in a cell for refusing to reveal what''s in the book." Felix grinned. "Lucky me, though, I got outta Dodge before anyone could snatch me up. I think Ted Winters is banking on staying on-screen long enough that he can''t get arrested either. Too much of a scandal if they try to pull him off a scheduled appearance." "So how the fuck you get here?" "Two sides to every story," Felix intoned with a laugh. "I read that wordy bullshit from Cinza, and I wanted the other half. I knew he had to be alive, and there were enough clues if you read between the lines." He glanced over his shoulder, where they could just barely make out Brian''s outline through the dark forest. He was on the phone. "Man paints a pretty compellin'' picture." "He''s a killer too," said Jeremy. "You remember that shit in Tacoma? The standoff?" "He never went in the building, and the golems didn''t hurt a fly. Made damn sure of it, in fact." "His men, his plan." Jeremy eyed Felix icily. "Two people still died in that building." Felix shrugged. "One person, if we agree with good old Hailey that they aren''t human anymore. And that one is tragic, don''t get me wrong, but it wouldn''t have happened if you hadn''t butted your head in." "Fuck you," Jeremy snapped. "Wouldn''t have happened if he hadn''t sent a bunch of guys with guns to take the place hostage." "I regret it every day," said Brian quietly. They both turned, surprised he''d returned so silently. Brian walked back up to Jeremy, and he could see real sorrow in the man''s ocean-blue eyes. "As soon as I realized what happened, I made sure no one else got hurt. I made mistakes, and so did my men in how they handled the situation. It won''t happen again." "How reassuring," said Jeremy dryly. "Mr. Ashe, I know I won''t convince you tonight," Brian went on. "But I respect what you''ve done so far. Your pursuit of this case has been admirable." "Get to the point, so I can go home already." He nodded. "I want you to keep following the case. Don''t turn a blind eye and assume your job is done just because they''ve begun to emerge. They cannot be trusted." "You were in the national security branch, right?" added Felix. Jeremy nodded. "This is the greatest threat to national security you''ve ever faced," Brian continued. "I pray to God that you can stop it." "Isn''t that your job?" asked Jeremy. "It''s too much for one man at this point. Maybe if we''d acted sooner¡­" Brian shook his head. "I will be ready, when you understand." He lifted his hand slightly, and the golem lifted Jeremy up into the air again. "I''m sorry I can''t take you back to your motel. I can''t have you getting any ideas about where we are." "Don''t worry, I don''t have a fuckin'' clue," he replied, glancing around at the trees uneasily. "Thanks for not killin'' me, I guess." "I''m on your side, Mr. Ashe." "Uh huh." "I didn''t do anything to the kid you were protecting, either." Thank god. "How long does that last?" "Until you realize the danger he poses." Brian shook his head. "He''s reckless. They told me what he was doing when they found him. He''s going to hurt someone eventually, and you''ll wish you''d acted sooner rather than later." The golem carried Jeremy back to the truck, which had been parked not all that far away. He still only got a glimpse of the make and model, though, and the license plate was missing. Not enough to identify it. The huge arms dumped him into the trunk and closed the lid. "Good luck, Mr. Ashe." Fuck you, you looney mass-murdering psychopath. "Thanks."
"I''ve got a request for you," said Felix. "The fuck?" Jeremy twisted around in the trunk. They''d been driving for a good thirty minutes at least when the journalist''s muffled voice sounded from the back seat. It was hard to tell, since Jeremy didn''t have his phone or even a watch. I should get a watch¡­ if shit like this is gonna happen. "Sorry. Didn''t mean to scare you." "...You could''ve been talkin'' this whole damn time? I''m bored as shit back here." Felix laughed. "Fair enough." "What''s the request?" "Stop the book from getting published. It''s too dangerous." "It is, huh?" Jeremy whistled. "A fuckin'' Pulitzer-prize writer is callin'' for government censorship. There''s somethin'' you don''t see everyday." "...What, did you take a profile of me?" "''Course I did. You and every other Sunday column asshole on that list." Jeremy paused. "Seriously, though. What''s so dangerous about it?" "Everyone will know how to awaken. And when that happens¡­" "But there''s a catch, isn''t there?" Jeremy pointed out. "Can''t do anythin'' without a scrap of the old book, yeah? It won''t spread that fast." "They made copies. If they did it once, they can do it again. No one can control that." Felix rustled around on the seat. "I''m against censorship, but I''m a hundred percent in favor of weapon control. This is a weapon. It needs to be regulated." "Can''t argue with that." "So help us here. Slow it down. Don''t let that book get out." Jeremy laughed. "The fuck am I supposed to do that? It''s coming out tomorrow." "Laushire bought everyone some time. There''s no way they release it tomorrow with the lawsuits she pulled together. They were expecting a poor cult leader holed up in the woods, not the daughter of a billionaire. Easy pickings turned into a pack of hungry wolves. And I''m guessing daddy Laushire will back her play, too, if the rumors are true. They sure as shit don''t want that book coming out." "Which rumors? I''ve heard a fuckton lately." He could practically hear Felix''s grin through the rear seat cushions. "Spoilers, Agent Ashe. Let''s just say there''s some juicy intrigue in the rich man''s house. I''m really looking forward to bringing that up with the patriarch himself when I can." "You just love tearin'' people down, don''t you?" Jeremy muttered. "No, of course not. I''m telling their stories, good or bad. What happens after those stories reach the public is out of my hands." "Irresponsible as fuck, aren''t ya?" Fucking reporters. "The public decides. I''m just the messenger. I don''t pull stunts like Russ did tonight. That was a pretty cheap shot, emotional manipulation on national TV. Guy thinks he''s David fucking Frost. I kept it legit: nice uncommentated raw footage of the standoff." The truck lurched hard, knocking them around a bit. When it settled, Felix spoke up again. "But seriously, Agent Ashe. That book is nuclear. Figure it out." "No promises," Jeremy said, "but the other side ain''t exactly happy about it either. So at least y''all agree on somethin''." "That''s good to hear." Another heavy bump. "Your stop''s coming up." "Thanks for the ride," Jeremy added sarcastically. Felix laughed. "Free tip? Don''t bother putting an APB on this truck. We won''t be taking it out again. Save your effort." No effort on my back, but whatever. "Sure." "Head south and you''ll get out of here in one piece. See you around, Agent Ashe." The truck lurched to a halt. Jeremy kicked at the trunk, and to his surprise it actually opened this time. He crawled out, aching all over from the rough ride. The instant he hit the dirt, the truck sped off. They''d stopped with a fairly long stretch of open ground ahead, giving it more than enough time to get away. The rain had kicked up at some point while they''d been driving, and a layer of mud was caked on his sleeves and pants. Jeremy groaned out loud, before pulling his windbreaker hood up and beginning to trudge south. Five minutes later, he stopped. Which fuckin'' direction is south? He glanced up at the sky. The tree cover wasn''t so dense here, but the rain clouds were still pretty thick. Jeremy wasn''t getting wet at least, but he didn''t have a clue where he was. Felix made it sound like it was gonna be easy. Jeremy kept walking in the same direction he''d been let off it, since it seemed as good a way to start as any. It sure as hell wasn''t the way they''d actually come. He''d noticed more than once they''d driven in a circle to mislead him. Must be near midnight¡­ cold as fuck out here. After an hour of walking (or however long it really was), Jeremy felt completely lost, and was actively cursing Felix''s name. Still, he knew he was in the Olympic forest somewhere, and they wanted him to get home. They wanted his help. Am I just that fuckin'' bad in the woods? The faint sound of a clink of metal caught his ear. Jeremy perked up. Metal''s not a forest sound. He scrambled forward toward the sound, slipping on the muddy ground as he went. More than once, he tripped over a root, but it didn''t slow him much. He could hear civilization ahead. More importantly, he could smell hops. Please, god, anything for a good fuckin'' beer right now. A thick wall of hedges, trees and thick thorns barred his way. Jeremy looked around, but the barrier stretched out and around. He knew the smell was right on the other side of the wall, along with the faint sound of laughter. He reached out gingerly to pull the first thick, thorny bramble aside. His hand went right through it. Jeremy stared at it. He moved his hand through the branch again, and then a third time. It didn''t react in the slightest. A less tired and miserable Jeremy might have taken a moment to think it through, assess what he was up against¡ªbut after the rough day he''d endured, Jeremy just wanted a drink. He burst through the illusory wall. A dozen people looked up at him, shocked. They were seated around wooden picnic tables. Lanterns hung in midair above each one, giving the place a warm flickering glow. Two huge barrels were set up on the far side of the little clearing, where one man was busy refilling his mug. On every table were stacks of gemstones, pieces of paper, scraps of an old parchment, and other valuables, surrounding cards and dice, or just food and cash. Jeremy stood up straight, his mistake finally dawning on his fatigued mind. A man in a thick hunting jacket and boots approached as he swayed in place, and it took him a couple seconds to recognize the lopsided smile, beady eyes, and messy brown hair. His voice had just a bit of a lilt, an easy charm that belied danger and suspicion. Jeremy knew that type. He didn''t trust the man for a second. "Well now, how''d you get in here?" asked Julian Black. [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] B2: Chapter 26 — Picking a Side Chapter 26 ¡ª Picking a Side "Today I was invited to the Marketplace. What wonders I had never imagined in a thousand lifetimes! Whole cities could exist in the space of a marble, floating in voids of purest night. The place seems to run itself, and even the kind old man who invited me knew nothing of its creator. But of course, it must have one, and they are a wicked soul indeed. They have such beautiful, incredible gifts and knowledge of spellcraft beyond the bounds of dreams, yet they purport to use such a space for commerce! They have commoditized magic itself! If I were not in awe of their sheer power, I would consider hunting down this monstrous person to set an example. It is the unfortunate curse of all humans to label everything they find with value. It is the engine upon which capitalism runs rampant. I had hoped that we, ascending to the next stage of the world, would find a new way¡ªbut alas, we remain chained by our basest nature." ~Cinza, the Rallsburg Diaries Jeremy stumbled backward as the beady-eyed, greasy-haired man approached. "Now hang on there," Julian started. "Come and sit down, friend." Doesn''t know who I am¡­ but is he a threat? Rachel called him an enemy. But who knows if Rachel''s that reliable anymore¡­ I still don''t have a fuckin'' clue where I am. Reluctantly, Jeremy stopped and waited. Julian kept eyeing him, while the couple dozen or so occupants of the tented clearing watched with baited breath. A fair few looked ready to bolt in an instant. "Are you lost?" he asked. "...Somethin'' like that," Jeremy replied. "Well, maybe we can get ya goin'' in the right direction." Julian gestured to the nearest empty seat, taking the side opposite. Jeremy followed suit, still followed by every eyeball in the whole place. "Bit surprised you found your way into our little get-together, to be honest." A whiny voice two seats away piped up¡ªa teenager who looked totally out of his depth. "I did it right! Exactly like you told me! If it¡ª" "Calm down, calm down, we''re all friends here," Julian scolded gently. "It''s just a glitch." "You think she sabotaged it or something? What if she gave us the wrong spell?" "Kyle!" Julian snapped. The kid faltered. "We''ve got a guest," he added, nodding at Jeremy. This is gettin'' nowhere. Jeremy shrugged. "You''re all awakened, right?" Julian recovered remarkably fast from the shock. His smile grew to twice its usual size. "Well then. Didn''t realize we were among a fellow practitioner." He extended a grubby hand for Jeremy to shake. Jeremy shook it, doing his best not to wince. Wash your fuckin'' hands. Jesus. "Not exactly. I''m not one of you." "Ah. Not a problem, not a problem, you''re just as welcome here." "Where''s here, exactly?" he asked, glancing around. "Well, it''s supposed to be a secret," Julian went on, shooting a look at Kyle. "I did it exactly right!" snapped Kyle. "This here is the new Market," said Julian, gesturing in a wide sweep. "Neutral ground, where us magic folks can buy and sell our new trade¡­ with a bit less of the stuffy rules and taxes from the old proprietor. I run a free market here." A vague cheer went up from a gaggle in the back, raising mugs in toast. Julian grinned. "If you''ve got cash or somethin'' to sell, or you''re just lookin'' to swap drinks and cards, you''re welcome to stick around. We don''t put no restrictions on people just tryin'' to have an honest evening." Conversation was starting to pick up at the other tables while Julian spoke, returning to a normal bustle he might expect from a tavern or pub. Sure, they were outdoors, but the place was still warm and cozy despite the time of year. The large tent awning kept the rain off, and the trees kept the wind down. Jeremy could even hear some faint music playing from a portable speaker somewhere in the center. A handsome young man with a towel over his shoulder and a tight-fitted shirt brought Jeremy a mug of the best-tasting beer he''d had in years. He savored it while Julian held a brief conversation with Kyle, which he couldn''t hear in the slightest despite being only a few feet away¡ªand they definitely weren''t whispering. Fuckin'' magic¡­ As Kyle disappeared behind the huge food and drink table, Julian turned back to Jeremy. "So tell me, how''d you find out about our little brand of wizardry?" He shrugged. "Friend of a friend." A fresh burger from the grill slid down the table to stop perfectly in front of him. He eyed it warily. "Somethin'' wrong?" "Nope." Jeremy picked it up and bit down. The burger wasn''t anything special, but he was hungry enough that it tasted like pure, delicious manna from heaven. "Thanks for all this." "Share ''n share alike," said Julian. "This here bounty was a lucky find. I''m just makin'' sure it goes around." "Bounty?" Jeremy cleared his face with a napkin. "What''d''you mean?" "Well, let''s just say I was on my last leg. End of my rope, y''know?" I thought Kendra was sendin'' money to all the Rallsburg survivors. Did Rachel lie on that too? Or maybe she didn''t know about this¡­ "I was broke and couldn''t rightly earn a proper wage anymore. Consequence of bein'' a wanted fugitive and all." "Hm," he grunted noncommittally. "But then! I heard back from a good friend I thought long dead. He''d found a veritable fortune, an invaluable cache of otherworldly treasures¡ªand, of course, a few abandoned assets from the dearly departed. So, what was I to do? Penniless man without a home and the long arm of the law on my falsely-accused back, I had no choice. I came home." Jeremy''s wits were returning quick with the food and drink. "And you two decided to start up a charity?" "Charity''s too noble, even for a changed man like me," Julian said with a tip of the hat. "Jerry and me were lookin'' to bring back somethin'' we lost in Rallsburg. We''re here to trade, old fashioned-like. A safe place for us awakened. No councils or gods or cults. Just us folk, doin'' business and enjoyin'' life again." "Councils, huh?" Jeremy asked, doing his best to sound casual. "Heard about them." "Don''t get me started," Julian groaned. "So much hemmin'' and hawin'' about rules they just made up on the damn spot, you know?" He waved in greeting to a man who had just emerged through the solid hedge wall on the other side. "Mabel was the only smart one of the bunch. She was a tough old bird. Shame what happened to her." No shit¡­ her head was flattened into the pavement. "The other two, then? Worthless government trash?" "Oh no, don''t get me wrong, friend," Julian went on, pouring himself another drink. "They weren''t worthless. Hell, without Rachel, we''d probably all be dead, you included." "But I''m not¡ª" "He didn''t give a rat''s ass, you know? Pardon my language." The toothy grin returned, followed by a deep swill of beer. "That girl killed him, sure as sure. But everything else she did, you know? She stomped all over her own damn rules the moment they got in her way. Can''t really trust a leader does somethin'' like that, y''know?" "What''d she do?" "Which time?" Julian shrugged. "She deputized her best friend to act as the sheriff and nearly kill a bunch of people once. She added all sorts of rules restrictin'' us from usin'' magic, even in our own homes. Public safety." He rolled his eyes. "Nobody ever hurt no one, but big and mighty Rachel can''t be takin'' any chances." "Seems like she wasn''t wrong, though. In the end," Jeremy pointed out. Not that it justifies shit, but it''ll get him to keep talkin''. "How far is too far?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah, she killed ''im. But she had her techie friend cut all the lines out of town. Couldn''t call for help, couldn''t call friends to tell ''em we might die that night. I didn''t run from the fight, but I sure as hell would''ve wanted my mother to know why she wasn''t gonna hear from me again." What the hell¡­? "She blocked phone lines?" "Hell, she did worse than that. She was tappin'' everything with her boyfriend''s help. Internet, phones, you name it. Little sprinkle of magic to help them take it all in and bam¡ªbest spyin'' you ever saw." I know a few people who''d sell their souls for that sort of power. "Crazy." "On top a''that, she goes and outs magic to the whole town, without even talkin'' to her supposed council. Outs all of us, and just to save her best friend. That ain''t no leader." That one I heard about. Rachel admitted it up front. "She sounds like a piece of work." "You got it." Julian finished off his drink with a satisfied gulp. "But here I am talkin'' your ear off. I didn''t catch your name earlier." "Jeremy." "Well, Jeremy, I''m Julian, and this here''s the Market. No fancy name because we ain''t fancy folk." Julian gestured around in a grand fashion again. "Stay as long as y''like. Only rules are no fightin'', no magic in the games, and no tellin''. If we get wind of someone spillin'' the beans¡ªand we will get wind of it, trust me," Julian added with a smirk, "you ain''t invited to the next gathering. Make sense?" Jeremy nodded. "If you don''t mind my asking, where are we at, anyway?" "Oh, somewhere near the highway," Julian said with an airy wave. "It ain''t important. Nobody can find this place unless we let ''em." Except me, apparently¡­ "I''m just wonderin'' how hard it would be to get back to civilization." "Ah¡­" Julian shrugged. "Guessin'' you didn''t drive here." "Nope." "Well, that sounds like a story all on its own," he grinned. "Well, I''m sure you could probably find someone to hitch a ride back with when we''re done here." "When''s that?" "I don''t close up til the sun''s yawnin''." Julian smiled. "But I''m sure if you play your cards right, you could win yourself out a bit early." Well¡­ Hope Maddie and Rachel aren''t missin'' me yet. "Thanks." "Anytime."
The generosity of the Market gathering left something to be desired. Jeremy didn''t have much to wager, and nothing at all to trade, since he barely carried any cash around with him. He was forced to play extremely cautious, lest he lose every penny in a bad bet and be stuck there bored for the whole damn night, or try hitchhiking and hope he didn''t get murdered or run down in the middle of the night. Without his gun and stuck in the middle of the woods, looking like he did, Jeremy definitely didn''t want to risk it. "Fold," Jeremy grunted, tossing his cards forward. "Again?" asked a twenty-something girl with way too much makeup on, and not nearly enough basic care applied to her hair. "Jeez, man, you fold every hand. How''re you ever gonna win anything?" "Someday," he murmured. "More for the rest of us," piped up a middle-aged guy looking just as disproportionately disheveled as the girl. His teeth and hair were practically perfect, but his entire face was covered by the ugliest beard Jeremy had ever laid eyes on. "I call," he added, tossing a few bills in. "Call," echoed Kyle, the last of their four-person game. He was a short, curly brown-haired kid trying to look way tougher than he appeared with a leather jacket and skull t-shirt. In all honesty, though, Jeremy actually thought he looked great. Man, if I were still nineteen¡­ "Hey, what the fuck!" Someone two tables down was shouting. They all looked over. Julian was already there, holding the guy''s arm in midair. He''d been about to strike someone. The dealer said something calmly to Julian, and in a minute the offender had been escorted away. "What was that?" Jeremy asked, turning back to their game. "Probably tried to cheat," said the middle-aged guy, as their dealer flipped over the next card. The girl next to Jeremy whistled at the new draw. "Ah, fuck yeah." "How can you tell?" he asked the guy. "Well, I suck at it, but there''s ways for you to feel out other people using magic nearby. All the dealers are trained at it, y''know?" The dealer nodded, holding a very professional air. Some kind of Market¡­ more like a fuckin'' casino. "Bid to the lady." "Thaaaaaank you," she said, glancing at her cards again briefly. She''s full of it. Doesn''t have a thing. Jeremy tried to keep from rolling his eyes, curious to see what sort of bids would come out now that he was actually playing with two awakened. He''d been relegated, either on purpose or by sheer chance, to only play with other ''normal'' people until now. "You''re full of it," said Kyle, glaring at her. "Am I, Kyle?" she asked, eyes glittering. "How much are you willing to put on it?" "Your bid," he reminded her. "Tell you what. Since I know you''re broke as fuck, I''ll put one thousand on the next hand if you bid your copy." "Done," Kyle snapped, even as the other guy leaned forward slightly to object. "Now hang on a second¡ª" "Let''s see it," said the girl. Kyle twisted around and pulled a plain white sheet of paper out of his bag. It looked totally unremarkable, except that it had some sort of writing that Jeremy couldn''t make out even from only a few feet away. Holy shit, is that¡­ He held it up just long enough for them to peek at the contents. "Let''s see the thousand." The girl grinned, and withdrew a tattered mixed stack of hundreds, fifties, twenties¡ªeven a couple rumpled tens and fives. The dealer counted it out in front of them. Sure enough, one thousand dollars and change. The middle-aged guy started protesting, something about bid limits, but the dealer overruled him. "Bid''s down. Are you in or out?" "For a thousand?" the guy stammered. He checked his cards. "I fold." "Show ''em," said the girl, nodding at Kyle. "There''s still one more round." "What, you got somethin'' else you wanna lose?" "Giving you a chance to fold and save some dignity." She rolled her eyes. "Get real. Dealer, let''s go already." The dealer nodded and flipped over the last card. The girl''s face fell, but she was back to her cocky persona an instant later. "I''m raising another two-fifty." She pulled out another wad of cash and dropped it on the table before Kyle could ask for proof. "Jesus, how much money do you have?" Kyle muttered. "What do you want?" "Uhh¡­" she glanced around. "Teach me how to do this spell. This whole secret hideout thing." Kyle gaped at her. "For only two-fifty? You know how valuable this is?" "Big deal, didn''t you copy it from someone else anyway?" "...Three hundred." "Done." She tossed another crumpled fifty onto the pile. "Dealer and this dude as witnesses." "Of course," said the dealer. Jeremy shrugged. The other guy at the table had since wandered away in search of a less intense game. "No refund if you aren''t the right affinity," Kyle added. "It''s not my fault if you can''t actually do it." "Just so long as you don''t wuss out teaching it," she shot back. "Show your cards," the dealer said, nodding at Kyle. Kyle grinned. "Nice try, Laura," he smirked, flipping over a straight. The girl stared at his cards for a few seconds, dumbstruck. She started to giggle, a little at first, until it boiled over into a full-bodied, bent-over laugh. "You went¡­ all in¡­ with that pool¡­ on a fucking straight?" She choked back her laugh, reaching up to flip over her cards. A flush, with four cards in order. Only the last card prevented her from picking up a straight flush. Jeremy whistled. "Well played." Kyle dropped the paper onto the pile with a groan. Laura grinned, before sweeping up the pot onto her side of the table. The dealer started to gather up the cards for the next hand. "So when d''you¡ªJesus Christ, Laura!" Without warning, she''d grabbed the piece of paper and shoved it in front of her eyes. Jeremy could hear her muttering something, but couldn''t make out the words. "Here? Are you serious?" The dealer inched his chair away uneasily, watching as Laura''s murmuring sped up. Her pupils dilated wildly. Is she¡­ Without warning, Laura pitched over backward, falling off the bench into the mossy dirt. She was twitching on the forest floor, gasping for breath. Choking. Jeremy leapt from his seat, hurtling around the table to get to her. Nobody else moved. He was running through his CPR training in his head, trying to remember exactly how to apply pressure. An invisible wave forced him back. The dealer''s hand had snapped out at him, palm open. "What the fuck?" "She''s quite all right," the man said calmly. "Please, restrain yourself." Even Kyle, who had protested initially, looked mostly bored by the proceedings. Jeremy''s heart was racing, but obviously something was off here. He stared down at the convulsing girl on the ground, still clutching the piece of paper in her hand. The paper looked like it was turning to ash, burning without a flame. In only a few seconds, it disintegrated. She appeared. Right next to the girl, sitting on her knees, leaning down next to Laura''s head. She whispered in Laura''s ear, and the girl''s seizure ended as abruptly as it began. As she kept whispering, Laura''s mouth echoed the words, and slowly her eyes fluttered open. The girl helped her up to a sitting position, holding Laura''s hand while she recovered. They held a brief, silent conversation. Jeremy tried to read their lips, but it was too fast to catch, and the girl''s thick brown hair curtained away her face from every oblique angle. Laura sighed, as if she''d just taken the most satisfying drink in history, and laid back down again. "Holy shit," she murmured. The girl looked up¡ªdirectly at Jeremy. Hang on¡­ don''t I know her? I recognize those damn eyes. "Don''t say anything," she spoke, barely above a whisper. No one else reacted. No one else even seemed to realize she was still there. Kyle and the dealer had returned to the table, already prepping another game. Jeremy inclined his head, just enough for her to notice. "Can we talk? Over there." She pointed to the space behind the food table, where an area was walled off by forest-green tarps. Well, I''m not about to say no¡­ Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. She vanished a moment later, right before Laura''s hand was about to pass through her head as she got to her feet. "That was incredible," Laura continued, still breathless. She took a few uneasy steps to steady herself, falling back onto the bench with a thud. "So, Kyle, when are you gonna deliver?" "You haven''t even cast a single spell yet, how the hell are you gonna do something this complicated?" "Try me," she cackled. She looked around. "Hey, what the fuck?" "What?" "Where''d it¡­" She glared at Kyle. "You asshole, you didn''t tell me it was a second-gen." "You got what you wanted," he shot back. No one was paying Jeremy any mind, something he hadn''t felt in a long time. It was refreshing. He simply got up and walked away without a word.
Coming around the tarp wall to a small supply area lit by hanging lamps, Jeremy finally got a good look at her. She stood leaning up against a rack of bottles, eyes drooping slightly. She wore plain blue jeans, a warm jacket, and a faded t-shirt advertising something he didn''t know¡ªa band, if he had to guess. Her hands were deep in the jacket pockets, fidgeting as she waited. Her eyes, exhausted and sad, were pure silver-grey. "...Hi." Jeremy just stared at her. "I¡­ well I guess I did ask you first. I need your help." "The fuck is going on¡­" Jeremy muttered to himself. "A lot." He wasn''t even surprised she could hear him from across the way. "I assume no one''s gonna come back here uninvited?" She nodded. "They can''t hear us, either." "So why me, then?" "Huh?" Jeremy sat down on the edge of the card table behind him, trying to suppress his frustration. He was dealing with someone impossibly powerful, but that was basically par for the course of his life by now. "I''m done getting jerked around by all you people without a fuckin'' word of explanation. Why is it always me, huh?" "I¡­ I''m sorry." "How''s that then?" She glanced away. "I''m bending the rules by talking to you at all." "What rules?" "Well¡­ my rules." "Your rules," Jeremy sighed. "Well, your rules seem to be causin'' a lot of people a fuckload of trouble. Including me. Ever thought about breakin'' em?" Her eyes snapped up like lightning. Jeremy recoiled. There was so much palpable, repressed fury behind those silver-grey eyes that he felt utterly humbled. She was not someone to cross, ever. "Every single day." Fucking hell¡­ Jeremy felt the temperature of the place drop just from her tone. He took a few seconds, waiting to see if she''d say anything else, but she seemed to be waiting for him. Finally, he gave in. "So¡­ you said you needed somethin'' from me." "Yeah¡­" She rubbed at her eyes. "You good?" "Just¡­ just tired. I''m okay." She blinked a few times, wincing. "Sorry. I need you to help Hailey." "...Help her with what?" "She''s had a really bad day¡­" Jeremy couldn''t help it¡ªhe chuckled. She''d sounded so gloomy, it was like an old cartoon character. "No kiddin''. That interview was a train wreck." "Don''t be mean." Oh shit. He gulped. "Sorry." She shook her head. "I wasn''t talking about the interview. She made a deal with the FBI." "...Shit. What kind of deal?" "A cooperation agreement?" She hesitated. "There was a lot of legal talk. Hailey agreed to tell them what happened in Rallsburg. Plus a bunch of other stuff, like consulting on magic. There was an agreement she wanted that they didn''t sign, and they offered her a full-time job she didn''t take. But after tonight¡­" "After tonight you aren''t sure who''s got the upper hand," Jeremy filled in. "So you go to the only G-man you''ve got an in with and ask him to take over." "I guess so?" Okay, is she more manipulative than the devil himself, or really this naive and sincere? Fuck, I can''t tell. "You know I''m still suspended, right?" "You are?" "Huh. I just assumed you knew everything." She laughed¡ªjust a single, sad syllable, but it was there. "I feel like I don''t know anything." "So why am I helpin'' Hailey?" "She''s my friend." "Nice to know you have those." Grey-eyes smiled. "Just a couple." Even if I''m suspended, I can probably still pull some strings¡­ Might have to use Courtney and Maddie, but I''ll figure it out. "Well, she''s my friend too." "That''s why I came to you." "Thought you came here to save that other girl. Laura." She shifted uncomfortably. "I was already here, I just¡­ hadn''t figured out when to talk to you." "The whole time?" Could''ve done something when I got fuckin'' abducted... "No¡­ Only a couple minutes earlier. I hoped, you know, since you''re friends with Hailey too..." Jeremy grinned. "Guess we''re all on the same side, then." "You two are. I¡­ don''t know what side I''m on." "I don''t even know what the damn sides are." She looked up, dismayed. "I was hoping you knew." Jeremy sighed. He glanced over, spotting an open bag of peanuts, and crunched through a few before answering. He was still pretty hungry, since he''d missed out on his planned dinner with the save-the-world committee. "I thought I did. After tonight, though¡­" "What do you mean?" Fuck it. "You sent me after Rachel. Why?" The girl took a long time to answer. Her eyes flicked around the whole small area, jumping from object to object. "I think she knows what''s she''s doing." "I don''t think anybody''s gonna disagree on that," muttered Jeremy. "I think she''s probably the best chance everyone has at working together." "...I get the feelin'' you don''t like her." Her eyes flashed red. "I despise her." Jesus. "So then¡ª" "I can''t do anything to her." "''Cause of your rules?" "No." Then why the fuck¡­ whatever. She ain''t gonna tell me. "I''ve been told a lot of stories tonight by some pretty unreliable witnesses. You tell me. Is she one of the good guys?" Grey-eyes shook her head. "I don''t know." "Easier question, then. Should I keep helpin'' her?" "...Yes. I think so." "Why''s that?" She hesitated. Her eyes flashed, and Jeremy felt a chill run down his spine. He wasn''t one to scare easy, but this girl? Grey-eyes scared the shit out of him. "So you can stop her before she goes too far."
Jeremy plopped down at the table again. "Deal me in," he said, nodding to the dealer. "Back to fold some more?" asked Laura, with a sizeable pile of bills in front of her. Kyle had vanished, but the middle-aged guy was still there, and Julian himself had joined the table as well. "Just lookin'' for a quick out," he replied. He glanced up at Julian. "Got a question though." Again, the toothy grin. "Shoot, friend. I like to think of myself as an honest proprietor." "Know anyone who can give me a ride out to Seattle?" "Long drive. I''m sure someone''s headin'' that way end of the night though¡ª" "Right now." Julian scratched his chin. "Well, that all depends on what you''ve got to bid, don''t it?" Jeremy checked his cards. As he watched, the six printed on the card faded away, replaced by a king right under his fingers. He grinned. "We''ll see. Now let''s play." As expected, the cards seemed to line up perfectly for him with each draw. He didn''t have much to bid with though, and Julian didn''t seem to be biting on his paltry bait. He needed something more¡­ enticing. Jeremy dug into his pocket reluctantly and withdrew the little stone. He set it on the table, with the Korean glyph face-up. "...It''s a rock," said Laura dubiously. Julian stared at it, completely silent. He''s seen one of them before¡­ I''d bet anything. "This stone against that ride home," Jeremy added, watching Julian carefully. The toothy grin got even wider. "Done and done," he replied.
The truck thumped over the edge of the asphalt as they mounted the road proper. To Jeremy''s relief, he recognized the area. They really weren''t that far out from Olympia. It was way past midnight though, according to his irritated and increasingly suspicious driver. "So tell me, friend," Julian said, the first word he''d spoken since they''d gotten in the truck. "Where''d you find a trinket like that?" "Found it on the ground," Jeremy said with a straight face. "Uh huh." "I''m surprised you let those two run your show while you''re gone," he added, before the man could ask anything else. Julian had directed a subordinate to take over, and Kyle to take the place down at the end of the night if he wasn''t back in time. "I trust ''em." He left off pointedly, waiting for Jeremy to respond. "Well, you seem to be runnin'' a solid operation." Jeremy shrugged. "Who am I to tell you what to do?" "You weren''t in Rallsburg, were you?" Julian asked suspiciously. "I think I''d remember you." Well, this is a nice fuckin'' change of pace¡­ "Nope. Not until after it burned down, anyway." Julian snorted. "Burned down, as if. More like exploded, y''know?" "Actually, I was wonderin'' about that. How did the grocery store explode?" Julian grimaced. "Bit of this and that. Sad to say that was my fault, actually. I owe my friend Hector a good chunk of change for his store. But I''ll pay up, don''t you doubt! Julian Black pays his debts, sure as sure." "Wasn''t the fault of your council, then." He frowned. "Actually, when you put it like that¡­ It was her fault they stored all them boxes in the store. I made ''em, but she was in charge of cleanin'' em up. So yeah, I guess it is her fault too!" He shook his head. "Nah, it don''t matter. I still gotta pay Hector back. I know she sure as shit ain''t gonna, so I''ll take care of it." Julian continued rambling on about his debts and his history of clearing them. Jeremy leaned back and reclined his chair, watching the street lamps go by as they drove. Julian was the worst type of driving buddy, the kind Jeremy had spent far too many stakeouts with back in the day. He couldn''t fall asleep though, not in the presence of a man he still couldn''t quite trust. They passed Olympia in good time, thanks to the late hour. It was still a good ways to Seattle, though, and Jeremy decided to try and get some more information out of the talkative man. "You really think this market such a great idea?" he asked, interrupting a long talk about how Julian had practically invented the idea of trading money for a service like magic. "Oh, absolutely!" "But¡­ seems a bit dangerous, doesn''t it? Sellin'' magic." Julian shook his head, so enthusiastically that the car swerved slightly. "Nah, see. The way I figure, people are always gonna want to buy and sell this stuff. End of the day, they need someone to run the show, don''t they? I''ve been around longer than most. I know the ins and outs. Hell, I was gonna be elected to the council once, didn''t I mention?" "You did." "So yeah, I got the leadership skills and all that jazz. I can run somethin'' as simple as a barterin'' post." "And you set it all up with your friend. Jerry, right?" Julian sighed. "Yeah. Bad deal, what happened to him." "What did happen, if you don''t mind my askin''?" He shook his head. "Jerry was scoutin''. Tryin'' to find us some new paper, y''know? But¡­ well, he ran into the other guy." Jeremy nodded. "Sorry." "Thanks." Julian smiled. "Truth is, Jerry was always a sonuvabitch, but he was a friend. I''ve got all his money stashed away for his kid. Just haven''t figured out how to get it to him yet." "He had a kid?" Jeremy asked, more to keep the conversation going than anything. In fact, after Jerry''s body turned up so late, he''d gone to interview the ex-wife personally¡ªlittle good it did him. "Oh yeah. Cute little critter, can''t remember his name for the life of me. I got it written down somewhere." "What about the other guy? You know, the one who offed him?" Julian frowned, hesitating a long while. "...I''m stayin'' the hell away." No honor among shifty fuckin'' merchants, I guess. "So you got an idea where he is?" "What, you fixin'' to go after him yourself? You ain''t even one of us." Jeremy shrugged. "Doesn''t mean I can''t take an interest." Julian shook his head. "I don''t have a clue, and I''m happier that way. If I ever see that psycho, I''m bookin'' it in the opposite direction and I ain''t lookin'' back." "What about that council you mentioned? Think they''d do somethin'' about him?" "Shit, friend, if I see them I''m bookin'' it too!" Julian snorted. "I''m¡­ what do you call it. Neutral. I''m a neutral party in this mess." Until Brian hunts you down and kills you anyway¡­ "I get the feelin'' there aren''t gonna be any neutral parties." Julian shrugged. "Well, in that case, I''ll just side with the winner."
Jeremy got out on the curb in the middle of the city, a couple blocks away from the hotel where Maddie and Rachel were sequestered. He waited long enough to be sure Julian wasn''t sticking around to follow him (though he put such subterfuge beyond the cheery man), then headed straight for the hotel lobby and right up to the reception desk. "Excuse me," he prompted. The handsome man sitting behind the counter looked up, shocked back to full awareness. Jeremy couldn''t fault him too much, given the hour. Besides, in that suit and well-trimmed beard¡­ If I wasn''t so fuckin'' tired and in a hurry¡­ "Hi! How can I help you?" "I need to get to my room and I lost my card." "Okay¡­ What''s the room number?" "...I don''t remember." And I don''t have my phone to ask her, either. Fuckin'' hell. "What name is it under?" "Ashe, probably. A-S-H-E." "Can I see some identification?" Screw it. Let''s show off a bit. Jeremy pulled out his FBI envelope, with the full badge and details. "Jeremy Ashe, FBI." "Oh!" The guy turned to his computer and started typing very fast. "I¡­ err, the room isn''t registered to you, sir." "Yeah, it''s under my sister Maddie. And I really don''t want to wake her up, if you don''t mind." "Well, sir, it''s not exactly allowed¡­" Goddammit¡­ competent employees. "Okay, call her then. I''d hold the phone a bit away from your ear though." One amusing angry rant and hurried apology from Maddie later, the receptionist was handing him a new key card. "Sorry about that," Jeremy added. "Guy like you doesn''t deserve that, just doin'' your job right. Keep up the good work." "Thank you, sir." Jeremy took the elevator up. It wasn''t the nicest floor, but not the cheapest either. Plenty comfortable for Maddie and her guest, though of course Rachel wasn''t listed on the system. Jeremy took a deep breath before he opened the door. Instantly, a pillow slammed into his face. "And another thing!" Maddie shouted. "Nice to see you too," Jeremy grumbled, closing the door behind him before they woke up the whole floor. A second later, the pillow was followed by Maddie herself, hugging him tight. "Where the fuck have you been all day? I thought you were dead!" "It''s a long, long fuckin'' story." Jeremy glanced around. "Rachel awake?" "She''s always fucking awake," Maddie muttered. "It''s not all it''s cracked up to be," Rachel added, coming around the corner to the little entry hall, gazing over Maddie at him. "What happened?" "Well¡­ Lani''s gonna be pissed for one." Jeremy grimaced. "His car''s probably totaled." "What did you do?" "More like what did Brian do." "Jesus," whispered Maddie. She sat down on one of the office chairs in the room. Jeremy followed her in, to find piles of papers scattered everywhere on the floor. They''d set up several cork boards hanging from the walls with tons of sticky notes, pinned papers and more notes. Multiple laptops on each desk had more information. "You were attacked?" "Not as bad as this place was¡­" Jeremy could only see two clear spaces besides the bed, which were the hallway he''d just walked down and the space right in front of the balcony sliding door. "Is Jonathan Hudson all right?" asked Rachel. "As far as I know. I lost my phone." "Well, that explains a lot," said Maddie. "Didn''t you get that one guy? Stebbins?" "Yeah. Stebbins probably kept him safe. I came right here after I lost Brian." "He chased you?" said Rachel, raising an eyebrow. "That doesn''t sound like him. He doesn''t have any reason to attack you. You aren''t awakened." And neither was the reverend, but you said Brian killed him. Somethin''s not addin'' up here. "Well, I''m not exactly on his side," Jeremy pointed out. "True." Rachel frowned. "We should contact your team and make sure Jonathan''s all right." Jeremy held out a hand. "Can I get a phone, then?" After confirming with Stebbins that Jonathan was still safe and sound in the motel, Jeremy let him know he could shut down for the night, out of Rachel''s earshot. No reason to make him stay up all night when Brian''s not gonna hit ''em anyway. "All good," Jeremy reported, returning to the hotel room. "Lani''s car didn''t survive, but I guess my phone did. Stebbins found it under the seat. So what did I miss, anyway?" "Not much, to be honest," said Maddie, still grumpy from being woken up. "I''ve had my people trying to contact Hailey, but I think she''s totally dropped off the grid. There''s a couple crowd videos of her flying out of the building after the interview shut down, but nothing else." "Soon as I get my phone back, I can try her personal number," Jeremy offered. "Maybe she''ll talk to me." "I suppose you still won''t share that with me?" asked Rachel. "You said you weren''t gonna talk to any of them yet," he pointed out. "She trusted it to me, and you people are real big on secrets, is what I''m gettin''." Rachel nodded. "Fair enough." "What about Laushire?" "Same deal. One hundred percent incommunicado," said Maddie. "Even through Courtney''s business contacts that''ve been dealin'' with her for weeks now. They all knew she was alive," she added bitterly. "Guess we aren''t good enough to join the billionaire club." "Hell, Maddie, we barely crack the half-millionaire club. And you''re in politics." "The life of an honest politician," she grinned. Jeremy saw his chance and took it, praying Maddie would remember their old signal. "Come on, you aren''t totally honest. Remember that heckler at the campaign stop in Walla Walla?" "...Yeah, but he deserved it. Couldn''t keep his mouth shut for all the money in the pool." To his relief, Rachel didn''t react in the slightest, digging through a pile on the desk for something. "Well, I''m too hungry to sleep. I''m gonna go find a bite to eat before I turn in." Jeremy turned to leave. "Rachel, you gonna be awake to fill me in on everything when I get back?" "Of course," she replied absently. "Thanks." Ten minutes later, Jeremy was sitting on the edge of the hotel pool ten floors up with his legs in the water, enjoying the view out the window. "It''s been a decade since we used that goddamn code," Maddie grumbled, walking up and taking the seat beside him. She peeled up her pant legs and dropped her feet in too. "Oh God, that feels great." "Glad you remembered it." "So what''s going on? What did you need to talk about in private?" "I wasn''t attacked. Not exactly." Jeremy explained everything that happened in brief, with all the important details he could remember. "So you''re thinkin'' that Rachel isn''t who she says she is," concluded Maddie, laying back on the warm stone floor and staring out the window too. "That she''s what¡­ corrupt? Evil? Crazy?" "Nah, that''s just you." Maddie laughed and nudged him. "But seriously, Jere-bear." "I talked to three people tonight, and all of them told me she''s done some terrible fuckin'' things and can''t be trusted." Jeremy sighed. "None of them are the most reliable people. Hell, I don''t even know that girl''s name. I just know she scares the shit out of me." "Me too, and I''ve never even seen her," agreed Maddie, shuddering. "What''s your take on Rachel? You''ve been workin'' with her all weekend." She shrugged. "Honestly, she seems okay to me. She''s got some serious pent-up guilt, but I don''t think that''s what''s driving her. She wants something." "Everyone in your business wants something." "Yeah, but I can usually figure it out. Rachel''s a real trip." Jeremy splashed the water with his feet idly. "Any chance she''s genuine? Actually just wants to save the world?" "That''d be a first in politics." "Isn''t that what you wanted?" Maddie laughed. "Come on, you know better than that. I got into this because I love telling people what to do. It just so happens that what I''m tellin'' them to do will probably save ''em in the end." Jeremy snorted. "You''re gonna save the world by coincidence." "Better than not at all, right?" They both fell silent for a while, listening to the gentle lapping of the water against the sides of the pool, watching the moon pass by through the huge window. "I''ll keep an eye on her," said Maddie quietly. "Yeah?" "Yeah. I gotta say, some of her ideas for handling everything have rubbed me the wrong way. I thought I was just biased for a while there, let a lot of things slide, but after hearing all this¡­ I dunno. Kind of¡­ Totalitarian." Jeremy sighed. "Sorry to ruin the bright and shining future." "You know, Courtney actually called her out on it." "Really? Our Courtney?" Maddie grinned. "Guess the devil doesn''t like company." She nudged Jeremy back. "You gotta keep doin'' your job though. Keep these people safe." "It''ll be a lot easier when I get Lani back." "He''s done with his PT, right?" "Mostly. Still a couple weeks, but it''s all pretty light actually. Then another few weeks of required medical leave, but we can smudge that." "Aww, let him rest." Jeremy laughed. "Have you visited him lately? He''s practically jumping off the bed to get back in the field. If it were anyone else they''d milk that medical leave for all it''s worth." "I haven''t actually. I''ve been so busy¡­ You?" "Not for a week, actually." Jeremy sighed. "Things kept¡­ coming up." "First thing in the morning, then. Let''s go. I''ll be there to help beat you up when he finds out you totaled his car." "Don''t you mean keep him off me?" Maddie gasped in mock outrage. "Jeremy, the man''s been shot!" "He''ll live." Jeremy tried to suppress a yawn, but it forced its way out. "You might not if you don''t get some sleep. It''s four in the morning and you spent all day on a stakeout." "Yeah." Neither of them moved though, still relaxing with their feet in the pool. "Things are gonna get crazy, aren''t they?" Jeremy muttered. "Things were already crazy," she replied. "Now we''re gonna see crazy with a dose of mass hysteria, an arms race, and every single government on the planet wanting a piece of the pie." "...Fuck."
"Lani!" Jeremy called, letting himself into Lani''s little house. "Lani, pick up your damn phone!" "We brought doughnuts!" added Maddie, following him in. "And a guest!" "Did you really need to¡ª" murmured Rachel. "Yes. Lani''s part of the team, so deal with it. You gotta meet him." Plus, we want his impression of you, because neither of us are sure if we can trust you anymore. Jeremy climbed the stairs two at a time. "Lani, where the fuck¡­" Lani''s bed was empty. The TV across the room was still paused on the Hailey interview from the night before, which he''d evidently recorded. The computer monitor had satellite maps of the Rallsburg forest open, which he''d been too careless to shut down before leaving. Too excited, actually, Jeremy corrected as he picked up the hastily scribbled note laying on Lani''s desk next to the keyboard. Jeremy, Went to find some answers. Will be off-grid. Good luck with everything. See you soon, Lani [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] Interlude VII — Call of Destiny Interlude VII ¡ª Call of Destiny The first bus that pulled up had maybe an inch of open space. The harried bus driver waved him away as he stepped forward. Only one person got off at his stop, and the half-dozen people in front of him jostled to be the replacement. The driver, looking like a deflated balloon in his sheer exhaustion, closed the doors and drove away, headed south. Headed to Olympia. "Is it always this busy on a Friday?" asked a curious voice behind him. Lani turned around, surprised at her apparent sincerity. "You don''t know?" "Know what?" As the sunlight shifted, Lani got a better look at her¡ªand his mouth clamped shut. She leaned up against the plastic bus stop, pale blue eyes locked on his own. Thin sunglasses hung on a chain around her neck, along with several other necklaces adorned with a compass, a feather, a camera, and a green metallic leaf. She wore a forest green camping vest, tight blue jeans, and a shirt with a beautiful flowery pattern. A brown ponytail snaked out from underneath her wide-brimmed hat, and a fair-sized rugged bag was roped over her shoulder crossways, along with an even larger luggage bag. She was beautiful. "Hello?" She waved in his face. "Sorry!" Lani spluttered. "I¡­" He trailed off, totally forgetting what she''d asked. She stared at him, the barest hint of a smile creasing her lips. "You were going to tell me what''s weird about today." "Oh. Yeah." He blinked a few times, trying to get his mind back in order. The smile was really distracting, especially since it was so nice. "There''s a lot of people trying to get out to Olympia, and the Olympic Forest. Tons of tourists." "Really?" She groaned. "That''s gonna ruin my shot¡­" "Your what?" She tapped the camera hanging off her neck. "Photo shoot. I got commissioned to go out and take new shots of the forests near Rallsburg. They want to chart the recovery since the fires, and I guess I got lucky and got the draw." Lani raised an eyebrow. "I''m kind of surprised they even gave you clearance." She looked at him oddly for a second. "Oh! Right, yeah, it''s locked down by the FBI or something. Nah, they gave me a pass." She shrugged. "Guess I finally made it, if the government''s recognizing my work." "Well," Lani said, glancing at the crowd nearby, which was growing again. The next bus was already a few minutes late. "It''s going to be crazy out here. Everyone wants to get out to Rallsburg right now. Because, you know¡­" "Know what?" He gaped at her. "Don''t you watch the news?" She shrugged. "Not usually." "But like¡­ social media? Anything?" Her laugh tickled his ears. "I pretty much stick to myself. Nothing better than a week out in the middle of the mountains, totally alone, just me and my camera." "Wow." She glanced around. "At this rate though¡­ ugh. I hate taking the bus anyway." She pulled out her phone. "Know any good rental places around here that might have a jeep?" Lani would have offered his car on the spot¡ªexcept that it wasn''t really good for off-road, and it was currently out of the country. Damn it, Jeremy, right when I meet the girl of my dreams¡­ Wait. What about the motor pool? "I can get you one, if you want. Totally free," he offered, before he could stop himself. "...You''d do that for someone you just met?" she asked, surprised. Be confident. That''s what Jeremy''s secret is. "Only if you take me with you." She laughed. "I don''t even know your name. You don''t even know mine!" "Well, that''s what makes it an adventure, right?" Another laugh, just as amazing as the first one. "You got me. All right, I''m game. You''re on."
They waited at a coffee shop just around the block. She insisted on buying for him, and they got to talking. As an unspoken rule, neither of them brought up anything about current events, or identifying information, or even their names. It was exhilarating for Lani, who''d always felt a little awkward around mainlanders. It was way better than having to explain for the millionth time how boring Hawaii actually was, and why he had to get away when he got the chance. "Totally black? You''re crazy." She grinned. "What, you can''t handle a little bitter in your wake-me-up?" Lani shook his head. "It sounds awful." "Oh, you''re missing out." Without warning, she handed her cup over. "Go on." On any other day, with any other person, Lani would''ve politely declined, or quickly changed the subject. Today, without a moment''s hesitation, he took a sip. It didn''t make the coffee taste any better. "Ugh," he grimaced, swallowing it down painfully. "Nope. Nope nope nope." "More for me, then," she winked, taking it back and drinking deep. "So you take photos of nature?" "Yup." She leaned back in her chair. "Mostly big landscape shots. Waterfalls and cliffs are my thing. I spent a year in Norway just finding every single fjord I could, and shooting them all day and night. There''s nothing like a fjord under a full moon," she said dreamily, and for a second Lani could see it reflected in her eyes. "It sounds incredible. I''d love to go someday." "Not everyone gets that, you know?" she went on. "Lots of people think ''oh yeah, I can just look at the picture on the internet later''. But it''s not the same at all. You gotta feel the air, the mist coming off the waterfalls. Not to mention even the best cameras aren''t gonna pick up the same kind of view you get with your eyeballs standing there under the stars." "You have to see it yourself, right?" "Exactly!" She smiled. "I take photos for a living, but I''d be just as happy going out there without a camera. It''s always worth it." "It''s an adventure." "Mmhmm." She leaned over to the trash can near their table and tossed her empty cup. "Speaking of adventure, what are you doing going out to Rallsburg if it''s so crazy?" "I''m looking for something." "What''s that?" It''s not public knowledge yet¡­ But I want to tell her. She''s not going to tell anyone else. She waved her hands just as his mouth opened. "Hang on, hang on, if it''s a big deal you keep it secret. Just like we said." "...Okay." "Any idea where it is, though? I''d help you out if I can." He shook his head. "Could be anywhere." She laughed. "A real adventure then. Well, as long as it gets me some good shots, I''m in." He nodded. "I''ve been out there before a couple times. You''ll get some great stuff." "Glad to hear it." A car honked at the curb just outside. Lani glanced over. One of the office staff got out of the car, waving at him through the window. He came straight into the shop and handed the keys right to Lani. "Need anything else?" Lani shook his head. "Nah. Thanks, Ben." "You got it, sir." "Wow," she commented as Ben walked away and started down the street on foot. "That''s some service. Nice jeep, too." It was one of the best in the pool¡ªhuge tires, convertible canvas top and built for serious off-road work. "You must be loaded." He shook his head. "Not even a little. I bet you make more than me." "Well, let''s quit wasting daylight, huh?" She stood up, offering a hand to Lani. He reached up to take it, but winced as a burst of pain rolled through his shoulder. His arm fell limp. "...You okay?" she asked, voice softening. "Yeah, I''m good." Lani got to his feet and took her hand, shaking it firmly. "But you should probably drive." She grinned. "Oh man, I thought I was gonna have to fight you for it. Thanks."
Between her ponytail and Lani''s braids, the wind made a stream of wildly fluttering dark brown hair as they picked up speed on the highway. "You want it closed?" she shouted. "I''m good!" he called back¡ªthough he did tuck his hair down behind the seat to reduce some of the strain. "I''ve never been to Seattle!" She merged them into the fast lane and picked up speed. They were already over the speed limit, but she kept gunning it. Lani laughed aloud at the sheer speed. "I gotta say, it''s way too crowded!" "Yeah!" The rest of the highway was packed, but they were in an express carpool lane, passing hundreds of cars every minute. "It gets better as soon as you get off I-5." "That''s gonna be hard," she said as they slowed down. They''d finally caught up to the traffic in their own lane, and it wasn''t moving that much faster than the rest of the highway. "Ugh." "We got way further than I expected," he pointed out. "We''re already in Tacoma." "Really?" She glanced around. "I wasn''t really looking at the signs." "Yeah. Don''t worry, we''re staying on the highway all the way til Olympia." "Cool." She tapped the center console idly with one hand. "All right, pick some tunes. Whatever you want." "My phone doesn''t have any music on it," he said uncomfortably. "What about streaming?" "It''s a work phone, they''re really touchy about installing stuff on it." Aderholt would probably kill me if I tried to bypass it, too¡­ She laughed. "Well, here''s where my career pays off again. I always keep my phone stacked up." She dug it out of her bag and unlocked it. "Pick anything you like." Lani fiddled with the console until he got the phone connected. He scrolled through her music¡ªand to his delight, she shared a lot of bands with his own collection. He picked out an indie band that seemed perfect for the occasion. "Oh, shit, tell me you didn''t just pick that at random." Lani laughed. "Nope. I love this." "I didn''t think anyone had even heard of them!" "They''re actually from Seattle. I saw them play back in April." She shot a playful glare at him. "No way." "Yeah. The bar was packed tight. They''re gonna get big, I can feel it." They cruised like that for an hour, bobbing along to the music together. At one point, she started singing along. She didn''t really have the voice for it, but she was plenty enthusiastic. After a couple songs, Lani couldn''t help but join in. She elbowed him as he got way too into one of the songs, laughing maniacally. "Okay, calm down Freddy." She leaned over to turn the music down. Lani laughed. "I can''t help it. It''s just too perfect. A song about going into the woods on a crazy adventure with someone you just met, it''s practically about us." "Yeah, but she''s supposed to be beautiful. And he''s supposed to be a great singer," she added, smirking. "Well, at least they got you right." She hesitated. Her face got a little red, and she focused on the highway. "I uhh¡­" Lani started. He''d felt so in the moment, the words had just tumbled out of his mouth. She shook her head, her ponytail waving about as she did. "It''s cool. I''m really not used to getting compliments. I mostly hang out with trees and birds, remember?" She laughed, and it eased the thick tension in the jeep down to an easy, lighthearted air again. "Thanks." "Let''s just hope we don''t end up like the song," he joked. "I dunno. I think it''s super romantic." "You want to die together jumping off a cliff?" "As long as it''s a good-looking cliff," she grinned. "Better that than dying in some smelly, crowded city, right?" "Yeah." Lani reached over to turn the music back up a bit. His shoulder spiked with pain again, and she noticed it in the mirror. "You good?" "I''ll be okay. I just can''t use it much. Still healing." "Mind if I ask what happened?" "...I got shot." She jerked the wheel so hard that they drifted into the shoulder for a second before she corrected. "You what?" Crap. "Just an occupational hazard," he said, trying to play it off as a joke, but it didn''t really come out right. "...Okay." She nodded to herself. "I hear ya." "Huh?" "If you need any help out there, you tell me right away, all right?" She glanced over at him, quite serious. "That forest isn''t the easiest hike around, and I''m already in better shape than you are even without a bullet in my shoulder." "They took it out," he pointed out. "Either way. Don''t try to play the hero. We''re gonna have to switch up the roles in that song. I''ll carry you if I have to." He smiled. "That works for me. You aren''t really a good singer either." She elbowed him again, and they both laughed.
"Is this good?" she asked. "Works for me. We''re as far north as paved roads will take us, unless you want to drive straight into Rallsburg." She shuddered. "No thanks. I''m still creeped out by that whole story." "Me too." He shaded his eyes as they pulled off the road to a small turnaround bordering the forest. "Plus they''re still cordoning the whole area. There''s no way to get in." "That''s not what I heard," she smirked. "Well, there aren''t really any good places to take pictures there either. You''re better off circling around north up the mountain." "Been out here a lot?" she asked, as she started navigating the rough dirt roads. "For work, yes." "What kind of work is out here that gets you shot?" she wondered aloud rhetorically. "Whoah!" "What?" Lani asked, looking up. He''d been glancing through his phone one last time before the signal vanished, getting the latest update from Jeremy. His partner was still up in Vancouver, working with his sister and a mystery partner on some huge project having to do with magic. Lani had considered going up to join them, but after hearing about the Diaries the night before¡­ he knew he didn''t have time to spare. Jeremy would have to wait. This was way more important. "I thought I saw someone¡­" She glanced around nervously. "Trick of the light, I guess." "I mean, it''s possible. There''s a lot of people heading this way." "Oh, right." She sighed. "Well, we haven''t seen another car yet, so I''ll call it a good sign." They didn''t either, all the way down the road. They took a split off from the route to Rallsburg, going the opposite route further north and east. The trees got thicker, and the road got steeper. They wound through ridges and hills, climbing higher. "There!" she shouted, pointing out on the right side and nearly smacking Lani in the face. "You saw that, right?" "I saw something," he agreed. "Looked like a person, right?" "Definitely." She leaned on the gas, picking up a little speed. "I don''t know why I''m so jumpy. I''ve done this a thousand times." Lani hesitated. "...Do you believe in ghosts?" She shrugged. "I don''t know enough to not believe in ''em. I''ve seen some spooky things before, camping alone on top of mountain ridges for a week." A glance his way, and relief washed over him. It wasn''t the concerned skepticism of Maddie, or the exhausted dismissal of Jeremy. She seemed genuinely interested. "What about you?" "I didn''t for a long time. My family always talked about them though. You know, spirits and ghosts." "Didn''t stick, huh?" She nodded. "My family and I went separate ways in our beliefs too." "Yeah. But after this year," Lani went on, "after everything I''ve seen, I don''t think they were totally wrong." "Tell me," she prompted softly, when Lani fell silent for a bit. They were bumping along a particularly rough part of ground, and she had to fight with the wheel to keep it steady. "I''ve seen impossible things. People who were supposed to be dead, and people who could vanish into thin air. People who could make fire from nothing and knew things they shouldn''t possibly know." Okay, so I didn''t actually see the last bit. That''s from Jeremy. But Jeremy isn''t the type to make this stuff up. "I walked through Rallsburg not too long after the incident. I swear to you, I saw ghosts there. All the dead in that town, still rooted to the ground." "Wow¡­" She nodded. "I wish I could''ve seen that." "I wish I hadn''t," he muttered. "How''d you get in, anyway?" "Part of my job." "Ah." She didn''t ask any further. After another thunk as they crossed a thick section of roots, she spoke up again. "You''re still alive though, even after seeing all that. So I think you''re pretty lucky." "Yeah, I guess so." "I''m gonna break the rule a little, okay?" He hesitated. "What do you mean?" She smiled. "I kiiiinda lied to you a bit. I''m not just out here to take photos of the forest." She glanced around, as if worried they might be overheard¡ªdespite riding in a loud, four-wheel open-top jeep through the forest. "I saw the news last night too, same as everybody else." "So you''re out here looking for it too?" he asked excitedly. He was rewarded with another laugh. "Hell yeah I''m looking for magic. I''m just lucky enough to have a good excuse. It got me through the airport without too many questions." Lani was about to ask another question, but they pulled out of the woods suddenly into open space. Totally open space. "Look out!" he shouted, but she''d already hit the brakes hard. "Holy shit, I forgot how close that was," she panted. "You good?" His shoulder twinged again to disagree wholeheartedly, but he nodded. "Totally fine." He gazed out over the edge of the cliff, into the sea of gently sloping trees like waves of green in an ocean forest. "Wow." "I know, right?" She pulled the jeep over to the side and parked it. "I gotta get some pictures of this." "Definitely." Lani got out, and she was already heading to the edge of the cliff with her handheld camera. "Oh man, this is amazing!" The camera started clicking rapidly. "Hey, do me a favor," she called over her shoulder, since Lani was still leaning against the warm car to stave off the chill. "Get my tripod from the big bag. It should be right on top of the main pocket." "On it!" he called back, heading around to the trunk. He opened the main pocket, and sure enough, a tripod waited inside. He had to shift the bag around a bit to get it out, and as he did, he saw a long narrow wooden rifle underneath, alongside a box of ammo and a bag of equipment. "You like to go hunting?" he asked, rejoining her at the cliff''s edge with the tripod. She shrugged. "Not really, but sometimes when you''re out alone, it''s necessary. Can''t be too careful." "I guess so." Lani shifted uncomfortably, his own sidearm holstered inside his jacket. Luckily, it was so cold he had no reason to take it off anytime soon, but he wondered what she''d think about him carrying a weapon. Well, if she''s got one, mine''s probably okay. "Well, I think a good long exposure here should turn out amazing." She finished adjusting one of the larger cameras from her bag on top of the tripod. A few more taps through the settings and she stood up straight. "Want to head out? We still got plenty of time before sunset." "What about your camera?" Lani asked, glancing around. "What if someone comes up and takes it?" "It''s chained up," she pointed out. He hadn''t noticed, but she''d tied a security wire from the tripod to the front of the jeep. "Unless someone comes up here with a blowtorch, it should be good." She grinned, hurrying back to the jeep and grabbing up her long bag. "Come on, we''ve got a whole haunted forest to explore!"
She held out her hand from the steep climb, and Lani grabbed it with his good arm. "There you go," she said, and with a grunt and sharp heave, she helped him up the next ridge. "Hoo, you''re lighter than I expected." "Thanks?" She laughed. "Sorry, that came out weird, didn''t it?" "I think you''re just really strong." "Thanks," she smiled. "Come on, let''s keep moving. I want to see this ridge you kept talking about." It was only a few more minutes hike, after the couple hours they''d passed since leaving the jeep. She had a set of GPS tags she used to keep track of it, and a heavy-duty device that would lead her right back to their base camp if they got lost. They emerged through a thick wall of trees and suddenly, the whole town was laid out in front of them. They were still miles and miles out, on one of the staggered hills north of the town. In front of them, they could see the twisted wreckage of the cell phone tower, completely lifted out of its foundation and curled in on itself. Past it, the main streets of Rallsburg formed a small grid twisting through the trees. Collapsed buildings lined the roads. They could already see nature beginning to encroach upon the outskirts, as grass and weeds sprouted up wherever they could push through the old pavement. Only the huge library still stood, with its half-destroyed turrets and imposing stone walls¡ªa gravestone for the town proper. "I wonder why no one''s cleaned it up yet," she wondered aloud, as she started taking pictures again. "It just looks so abandoned." "Nobody can agree on who''s supposed to, or even if they''re allowed to," Lani answered, taking a seat on a nearby log while she kept shooting. He took a long drink from the water bottle she''d lent him before continuing. "Plus they aren''t sure if it''s still a crime scene, especially with new evidence showing up every couple weeks now. There were a few construction companies bidding on the land, but then they had to figure out if there were any Price family relatives that might inherit it, and then the Governor decided to reclaim it for the state, and so on." "So it''s bureaucracy as usual," she sighed. "And after what actually happened out here¡­ I mean, it''s magic, right? Real magic?" "Real magic," Lani agreed. "And apparently anyone can use it. Somehow." She shivered, and it wasn''t from the cold. Setting her camera down, she took a seat next to Lani on the log and leaned forward, elbows on her knees. "All those people¡­" "Yeah¡­" Lani''s heart sped up slightly. He adjusted his seat slightly, very conscious of how close she was sitting. "Why do you think they did it? You know¡­" She trailed off, not willing to say it. "No idea," he murmured. Jeremy hadn''t explained everything on the phone, just the basics about magic and how it was tied to Rallsburg. Lani could make some educated guesses, but it was drilled into him not to ever jump to conclusions aloud. Too many investigations got screwed over by loose-lipped agents without all the details. "Well, if we run into some golems or whatever out here," she went on, "just so you know, I don''t think my rifle''s gonna help much." "I don''t think we will," Lani reassured her. "We went all over this place for a month, never saw a thing." She turned to look at him with a funny expression. "What if magic did it to them, though? Like, all these people who supposedly have it. What if it makes them crazy?" Lani shook his head. "No way. It''s magic. It''s gotta be better than that." "You really think so?" He nodded, smiling. "They gave it to us." "Who''s they?" "The¡­ well, the ghosts, I guess. The spirits of this place." She nudged him. "Careful, you''ll end up following in your family''s footsteps." "I think they were right," he went on, gazing over the town, a familiar eerie feeling creeping back into his skull. "I think that''s probably what magic actually is. The spirits of every tree and every rock, every atom and particle in the world. People with magic just learned to talk to them directly, ask them to do things..." "...That sounds really nice, actually," she murmured. Lani felt a weight on his good shoulder, as she leaned against him. Her eyes drooped slightly. "Better than people forcing the world to change because they made a deal with the devil or something." "Yeah." Lani kept watching the town in silence while she fell asleep, listening to the faint chirping of birds. The trees were green even deep into November. The only real difference in the landscape from when they''d first trekked out in May was how far down snow covered the slopes of the mountain ridges. For a brief moment, Lani felt connected to everything. Like he was just a tiny part of the massive forest, no different from any other tree sprouting out of the ground. He felt content and calm for the first time in ages. No more rushing around trying to solve cases, or getting shot at in the wilderness in Canada. Just a peaceful outcropping on a hill overlooking a sea of green, alone but for the brave, adventurous, exciting woman resting on his shoulder. Which meant, of course, that about half an hour later, Lani had a desperate need to pee. He resisted it as long as he could, but after another half-hour, he couldn''t wait any longer. As loathe as he was to break the quiet, comfortable moment, he had to get up. "Hey," he murmured. She snapped awake instantly. "What?" she spluttered. "Whoah. Nothing, I just¡ª" "Oh god, I''m sorry," she apologized, sitting up straight and looking embarrassed. "I didn''t mean to¡ª" "It''s okay," he said. "It was really nice." "Really?" She looked confused. "I''m not used to this, I¡­" Lani smiled. "Honestly, if I didn''t have to pee, I''d have been fine staying there another couple hours." She laughed. "Got it." She looked around. "Oh man, I almost missed sunset. Go do your thing, I got more shots to take." Sure enough, as Lani walked back into the woods, the clicks of the camera were in full rapid return. He walked a fair distance away, feeling self-conscious, and found a good spot with a fair amount of privacy. He relieved himself, cleaned up¡ªand then he saw it. A ancient-looking piece of parchment paper, caught on a branch high in the tree above him.
"You okay?" she asked as Lani returned, letting her camera down again. "Huh?" "You were just gone a long ti¡­ oh, that''s weird to ask, isn''t it?" She gulped. "Sorry." Lani shook his head. "I''m okay. Just got distracted by something." He wasn''t sure why he didn''t tell her about the piece of parchment paper. It had taken him so long to figure out a way to climb up to it, he''d totally lost track of time. By the time he''d grabbed it and gotten back to the ground again, he''d started worrying she''d get worried. He stuffed it into his jacket pocket and hurried back to the ridge without even glancing at it. "Well, it''s going to be dark soon," she pointed out. "We should probably set up camp." "...Camp?" "Well, I dunno about you, but I''m staying out here tonight. The view''s gonna be incredible," she said dreamily. "I''m in," he agreed, grinning. "But aren''t we gonna need, you know, a tent and such?" She tapped her long bag. "Duh," she said, winking. Luckily for Lani, she knew how to set up a tent, because he''d never gone camping in his life. She just laughed and had him grab each piece in order while she set up the poles. It wasn''t large, but it was big enough for them both to fit inside comfortably. It also had a zippered patch at the apex that opened to let them see out the top, set right into the pale green nylon exterior. They finished just as the sunset hit the edge of the ridgeline, in a spectacular display of fire-tipped clouds. "Wow¡­" she whispered, returning to her seat on the log next to Lani. "It''s incredible," he agreed. "Doesn''t it just¡­ I don''t know¡ª" Lani turned, confused. Without warning, she leaned forward and planted a kiss on his lips. "...Wow," he echoed as she pulled away, her face bright red. "I''m sorry," she stammered. "I dunno what I was thinking¡ª" Stolen story; please report. Lani returned it, placing a hand on her back, pressing his lips to hers, leaning into her. "...Okay, nevermind," she smiled as they separated again. "Why on earth did I apologize for something like that?" He grinned. "No idea." She shook her head, still looking embarrassed. "I''ve never kissed someone whose name I didn''t even know. I haven''t even had a kiss since high school. What am I doing? This is crazy." "Lani," he interrupted. "Huh?" "That''s my name. Lani." She smiled, and the sunset reflected in her pale blue eyes in the most perfect balance of colors Lani had ever seen in his life. "Lani. I like it. What''s it mean?" He grinned, gesturing out towards the sunset. "It means the sky." She laughed. "Perfect." She rested her head on his shoulder again, gazing out towards the sunset. "I''m Riley." "What''s that mean?" he prompted. "Not a clue," she laughed. Something cracked behind them. A branch, or maybe some twigs. Lani whipped around, his hand diving into his jacket for his holster. Riley popped up too, and a knife appeared in her hand. "Who''s there?" Lani called out. No answer, but they heard another pile of twigs snap and crackle. "We can hear you moving around," said Riley, irritated. "Just come out. We won''t hurt you." Reluctantly, a pair of young guys emerged from behind one of the thicker trees near their campsite. Neither seemed particularly threatening¡ªif anything, they looked worse off than Lani did, muddy and clearly lost. Lani already felt inept at camping, and seeing the pair of them reminded him how lucky he was to find someone experienced and competent. And cool and beautiful and fun and funny and¡ª "You guys lost?" asked Riley, interrupting his thoughts. She lowered her knife, and he took his hand off his holster. "...Kinda." His friend slapped him on the arm. "Yes, we really are." She nodded. "Where were you headed?" "We had some friends we were meeting up with north of the town. Supposedly that''s where¡­" he trailed off as his friend gave him a significant look. "Where what?" Lani prompted. "That''s the best place to find one of them," said the first guy. "All right, guys, are we playing twenty questions or what?" said Riley. "Find one of what?" They both started talking over each other. "A wand¡ª" "Or maybe it''s wizard robes¡ª" "¡ªor I heard there''s spellbooks¡ª" "¡ªjewelry¡ª" Lani shook his head. "Find what?" They glanced at each other. "Magic. Duh." The whole little clearing was silent for a minute or so. Lani could hear crickets and frogs in the distance. Night was really starting to set in now, and only the dim yellow glow of Riley''s lantern lit up the area. "So you guys have no clue what you''re looking for," Riley concluded. "...Nope," said the second guy. "We just know it''s out here somewhere." "It''s gotta be," agreed the first guy. "Why''s that?" she asked. "Well, where else would it be? This is the place. It''s where they came from." "Everyone in that book," added the second guy. "We''re just hoping we got out here fast enough. We drove up from Portland today. We wanna find it before everyone else does." "Then we found a group that was already setting up a whole search pattern and thought that sounded pretty smart, so we joined them." "Well, we tried to join them¡­" Riley laughed. "The town''s that way," she added, pointing out down the ridge where the library could still be seen in the fading sunlight. "Use that as your bearing. North''s that way," she added, pointing in the opposite direction, "so you should run right into your friends just by walking that way. Better hurry though, or you won''t be able to see the tower anymore. You don''t want to get lost out here in the middle of the night." "Why''s that?" She grinned. "Bears." They gulped in unison. "...Uhh, thanks." They set off down the ridge, the second guy throwing worried glances in every direction as they went. "Are they going to be okay?" Lani asked, watching them go. She laughed. "Yeah, they''ll be fine." "But what about the bears?" Riley shook her head. "Black bears around here are way more scared of people than vice versa. I warned them so they''d actually pay attention to where they''re walking and not fall off a cliff or something." "Oh." She smiled. "Worst they might run into is a hungry mountain lion, but they''re big enough. It probably wouldn''t go for them." Halfway through the sentence, a yawn plowed through her words. "Well, that settles it." As she unzipped the tent flap, Lani grabbed out the sleeping bag and blanket from her bag. He handed the bag to her, but hesitated before crossing the threshold. "What?" she asked, surprised. "I''ll just sleep out¡ª" "Nuh-uh," she interrupted. "Do you know how cold it''s gonna be out there tonight? You''ll freeze. Come on." Reluctantly, Lani stepped inside the tent. She took off her shoes and socks, and the camping vest, setting them atop her bag in the corner of the tent. The lantern hung from a little hook near the front, lighting the place up evenly. She laid out a few pillows at the end. "You want the bag or the blanket?" she asked. "You pick." "Well, I usually just sleep on top with just the blanket, so I guess that works." She laid out the sleeping bag, opening it for him while she grabbed the blanket for herself. "I''m setting an alarm for just before sunrise, so I can get some more shots. I hope you''re a heavy sleeper." "Not really. I want to see it though, so it''s cool." "Awesome," she smiled. She was totally silent for a while under the blanket, laying right next to Lani atop his sleeping bag. Man, what if I hadn''t found her? Would I have been out here all night alone and freezing? Nah, I probably would have just gone home and given up¡­ "Hey," he murmured. "What''s up?" She rolled over to look at him, blanket pulled in snug up to her neck. "What do you think about all this?" "You know. Magic." She frowned. "They call it being ''awakened'', right?" "Yeah." "I dunno¡­ I mean, sometimes that sounds incredible, right? Being ''awakened'' to the magic in the world, able to feel it and use it. But I feel like there has to be catch. I''ve never just gotten something in my life, you know? There''s always a cost. Even out here, in all this beauty, we had to work for it right? We had to hike up here, make sure we didn''t miss the chance to see it. We saw something nobody else ever will, since the weather and the clouds and the light and trees will never be exactly the same as that moment." "It really was beautiful, too," he added. She smiled. "But that''s nature. Magic isn''t nature, right?" "I dunno. I mean, it exists, and as far as we know, we didn''t make it¡­" "The spirits of the world," she echoed. "Exactly¡­" Lani nodded. "I felt like they were pushing me to come out here, too. Like I''m supposed to be out here. They''re telling me something and I have to figure out what it is." "Well, I guess I have to thank them later¡­" she mumbled, as her eyes drifted. "For what?" "...Telling you to come out here¡­" Riley''s eyes fluttered one last time, and her breathing became light and even. Lani turned onto his back, gazing up at the stars through the window in the roof. There was no moon, so they shone bright and clear, thousands upon thousands. As he twisted to find a more comfortable position, he felt the paper in his pocket crinkle and fold. He''d forgotten it with everything else happening. He plucked it out. The text was barely visible from the starlight through the tent, and he couldn''t read it. Or¡­ he could, but he didn''t know what it meant. Or what the letters were. Is this¡­ He sat up slightly with a start. He had it. Right in his hands. This was how to awaken. He didn''t really know how he knew that, but the parchment was unambiguous. If he read it aloud, he''d be able to use magic. He knew it for certain. She could too, if she read it aloud herself. Should I wake her up? She looked so peaceful, curled up slightly under her thick blanket. The chill was really settling in now, too. Lani shivered, since he''d exited the warmth of the sleeping bag. What if she''s right¡­? He thought about everything that happened in Rallsburg, and Riley''s theory¡ªhow magic might have driven them all insane, caused them to commit such horrible acts. What if he ended up the same? Jeremy said Hailey Winscombe seemed totally fine. And he found other people too, like that theater kid, or his new partner up in Vancouver. None of them went crazy. Lani held it up. I''ll just read a little bit. See what happens. "Abrec," he whispered. The words felt strange on his jaw, like his mouth wasn''t moving in a normal way. He kept going though, and the words were less difficult. He coughed before he finished the second sentence, and lost track of the paper. "...what?" muttered Riley, twisting over. "Lani?" "Hi," he whispered. "Sorry." "What''s going on?" she mumbled, noticing his arms pointing straight up. "What''s that?" "It''s¡­" He hesitated. "Just a piece of paper from home. Something personal." "Huh." Her eyes slid closed again, and she was asleep again in under a minute. As soon as I know it''s safe, I''ll tell her. Lani moved into the light and began to read it again. This time, he made it through the first few words, and then the full sentence and the next one. He could feel something, deep within him. A connection, just like she''d said. There was real magic in the world, an energy that suffused every single tree, every branch, every person and animal throughout the world, but it wasn''t any of them. Magic was within them, part of them, but it wasn''t them. Lani spoke faster, though his voice stayed below a whisper, barely vocalizing each syllable. His mind shifted, the web of energy fading away to be replaced by something else. There was another kind of energy, raw and shapeless, waiting to take form. If he only called to it, pressed it into being, it would become anything he wanted. Anything he desired. He tried, his soul whispering to the endless pool, and it whispered back. It spoke to him just as he spoke to it, and he realized what it was. These were the spirits, the ones he''d grown up hearing about but never seen. The ?unihipili, spirits of the long-departed, and if he were back home, Lani was certain he would have witnessed his family''s ?aum¨¡kua greeting him for the first time. They gathered around him and filled him up, breathing life into him where he''d been an empty void all this time. He''d never realized how full of life every inch of the world was until his eyes were opened like this. The words stopped at the tattered edge of the page. The spirits vanished, the world along with it. Lani was back in the void he''d been trapped in all his life. He was choking on nothing, a silent death while Riley quietly breathed life-giving air only inches away from him, totally unaware. As his vision faded, a light appeared in the distance. A pair of silver-grey eyes, attached to the face of what Lani could only describe as an angel. Not beautiful, exactly, but full of incredible grace and humility, one whose whole purpose in life was to save people such as him. She spoke, urging him to repeat her words, and he felt life hurtle back into him like a rush of wind. The spirits returned, gathering around him and filling him up, and he could see it was she that they listened to most of all. Lani finished the reading, and the spirits vanished back into the world¡ªbut this time, he knew they were waiting for him. He took a gulp of sweet oxygen, gasping and coughing. He looked over to Riley, not sure what to expect. She was still fast asleep. "I wasn''t sure if you wanted her awake¡­" whispered the girl. "I made sure you wouldn''t be heard." Lani turned back to the girl¡ªhis savior, his goddess, the queen of the spirits and the world beyond. Suddenly, everything his mother taught him when he was young didn''t seem ridiculous. Here was a girl who had spoken to the spirits right in front of him, and called on their aid to save his life. Her prayers drove away the puoho that had come to claim his life. She had incredible mana, a level of power he could only dream of. If I''d paid attention, I might even know her name. Or at least, something proper to call her. What am I supposed to say to someone like this? "Thank you," he whispered. She nodded slightly. Something about her expression was painful, a melancholy that struck deep into Lani''s soul. Before she could speak another word, he leaned forward and put his arms around her, hugging her. The girl opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She opened and closed it a few times while Lani held her, until he let go a minute later, suddenly very uncertain. "Thank you," he added again. "I¡­" She glanced around the small tent. Lani wondered where she''d come from, but instantly regretted such a ridiculous thought. She was the goddess of all she surveyed¡ªwhat was a simple tent to someone like her? Suddenly, Lani remembered where he was. Who he was. He''d felt like a little kid again, listening to his mother''s stories about the old world¡ªbut he wasn''t that kid anymore. He was an agent of the National Security Bureau, a position he''d worked for since high school. He was Jeremy Ashe''s partner. He was a close personal friend of Senator Madelaine Ashe. And he was sitting inches away from a girl who had just teleported into his tent in the middle of the night and awakened him. "Is everything okay?" he asked hesitantly. She nodded, still looking flustered. "...Nobody''s ever hugged me after." Lani smiled. "I''m sorry. I just wanted to thank you." "I¡­ okay." She glanced at Riley, still asleep in the bag next to him. "Is she¡­ does she want to awaken too?" "I don''t think so," he said, glancing over as well. "She doesn''t know I have it. I was going to tell her tomorrow morning." The girl frowned. "I¡­ don''t think you should show it to her. Not until you''re absolutely sure." Lani was surprised. He hadn''t expected something like that. He didn''t dare ask why, though¡ªnot her. "Can I ask your name?" She smiled, but it was still laden with so much sadness that Lani felt no mirth in return. "Everybody just calls me Grey-eyes." "That''s¡­ not very creative." "I don''t mind." She frowned. "You know what you''ve got there, right? What you just found?" "I just awakened, right?" he asked. She nodded. "Do you know the risks?" Lani hesitated. "I saw what happened to the town down there." "Wait¡­" Her finger twitched, and suddenly the lantern near them lit up. He could see her more clearly¡ªher thick brown hair, her pale skin. A t-shirt bearing a logo he''d never heard of, a warm jacket and jeans. She looked for all purposes like a totally normal college student¡­ except for her eyes. Not just the silvery color, but the emotional depth, the heavy lids and the exhaustion beyond anything he''d ever witnessed. "You''re his partner. Jeremy Ashe. You''re Lani, right?" He nodded. "I''m so sorry," she added, her eyes welling up. "What?" "I tried to stop it, but it was too fast. I couldn''t catch it in time." "Huh?" She wiped at her eyes, no tears actually falling. "The bullet. The guy that shot you up at Boris'' place. I tried to block it, but it just swerved a bit. I wasn''t ready, and I hadn''t ever tried to stop a bullet before." Lani smiled, finally placing the familiar voice from the clearing two months prior. "So you saved my life, then." "What?" "That man was an experienced hunter. He shouldn''t have missed. If you hadn''t interfered, he probably would''ve got me in the chest. That kind of rifle, I''d probably be dead." "...Oh." She looked surprised. "You''ve saved my life twice now," he added, glancing down at the crumpled parchment in his hand. "I owe you everything." "You don''t," she murmured. "Nobody owes me anything." "Everything," Lani repeated firmly. "If you need anything from me, ever, I''ll do it. I swear upon every spirit listening to us now, I am your servant forever." She looked a little confused, but she nodded. A tiny gust of wind. Grey-eyes was gone, just as suddenly as she''d appeared. Lani looked around, but he knew it was futile. Smiling to himself, he laid back down again, staring up at the stars once more. He could feel it, his own mana, that power which his mother had always told him was there. Grey-eyes had awakened him, and now he embraced the mana as himself, his soul breaking free. There''s no way I''m gonna fall asleep anytime soon. So Lani thought, but as it turned out, the moment his eyes closed for even an instant, he was fast asleep and stayed that way until dawn.
A rustle and a buzzing sound jerked Lani awake. "Oh, sorry!" said Riley, glancing over. She was already wriggling out from under her blanket, pulling her jacket and vest back on. "I was hoping that the vibrate wouldn''t get ya." "I''m a light sleeper," he replied, blinking hard to try and clear away his groggy vision. He sat up, looking out at the dim pale light of dawn before the sunrise. "You sleep okay?" "I''m a light sleeper too, actually, but that was the best sleep I''ve had in weeks," she replied. "I was in London up until yesterday. I missed the outdoors so much." "I think I''ve still got some getting used to," Lani added, stretching out his sore shoulders. "Oh, man." She winced "Yeah, the cold and the hard ground isn''t gonna be great for that." "It''s okay." Absolutely nothing could have made the night any better for Lani, after all. He could still feel his mana, the primal power like a beacon of warm light within his soul. "How long til the sunrise?" She grinned. "About ten minutes til it really starts to heat up. We''re right on time." They set up the chairs outside, and Riley got out another tripod and prepared a camera. "How many of those do you have?" Lani asked, whistling. They looked pretty expensive. "Enough," she winked. "If it makes you feel any better, I don''t own them. They''re from my employer." While she set about fiddling with the camera, Lani decided to try a bit of magic. He decided moving something would probably be the easiest to start with. Tapping into the mana within his soul, Lani reached out for a brown leaf hanging above Riley''s head. He poked and prodded it with his mind, and with a tiny snap it fell free. As it twirled, Lani kept poking it to keep it on course. It fell right onto the top of the camera, perfectly on target. "Hey," Riley murmured, picking it up. "Where''d you come from?" Lani smiled. She tossed the leaf aside and went back to the camera. It was easy, way easier than he''d expected. From the bits of the book he''d seen, plus the stories he''d heard from Jeremy, Lani expected magic to be a difficult task, even the basics taking weeks of practice. Am I just lucky? Or did she bless me somehow? Are the spirits helping me? The piece of parchment¡ªa fragment of the book, he now realized¡ªhad taught him a particular kind of magic. Something to do with the spirits he''d felt surrounding him as he awakened, those infinite entities filling up the world around him. Lani closed his eyes and concentrated. He called to them with his mind, called to the spirits and asked them to come forth. One in particular presented itself, a pale wisp of a thing. It wasn''t what he expected¡ªnot tied to any part of the earth or sea, but a mystical presence given vague shape and form. Lani opened his eyes, and there it was. A soft, translucent shape, pale blue as the sky. It had no face, no real identifying features at all. The spirit appeared as a blob, almost smokey in its appearance. Lani reached out slowly with his hand, inching his fingers toward the edge of its floating essence. The moment they touched, it felt like plunging his hand into ice. Lani refused to recoil, holding his hand in place. The spirit didn''t move¡ªdidn''t react in the slightest. He felt like it was waiting for him to tell it what to do. After all, he''d called it forth. It would be rude to keep it there without giving it instruction or dismissing it. A click of the camera reminded him where he was. Lani told the spirit to disperse, without a word passing through his lips. He felt a response, almost like an acknowledgment, come back to his mind from the spirit. It vanished, a faint puff of smoke spreading out from where it had disappeared into the void. The smoke dissipated as it spread, gone in only a few seconds. "Incredible," said Riley. "Yeah," he agreed, though he wasn''t looking at the sunrise at all.
Riley stopped, looking around. "This seems wrong." "What''s up?" asked Lani, catching up. "I could''ve sworn¡­ but that can''t be right." She checked her compass and her GPS, looking confused. "Hang on to this a sec, okay?" She dropped her bag and handed the GPS device to Lani. With a sudden leap, she grabbed the nearest branch of a tall tree and hoisted herself up. Arm over arm, she pulled herself up into the canopy. "I''m just gonna take a quick look! Try to see the town!" she shouted down. "Okay!" Lani looked around, and¡ªwith no one else in sight¡ªset the bag aside. He concentrated, and again, the spirit appeared. This time though, he made a request when he called for it, and it responded. It was still the pale smokey blue, only partly visible against the backdrop of the thick forest, but it wasn''t a featureless shape anymore. It wasn''t a work of art, but it had a face and eyes at least. It could express itself. Not that it did. It simply floated impassive, watching, waiting. Riley was well out of sight. Lani considered what he should ask of it. What could such a spirit do? What can you do? he tried to ask, but nothing came back. Lani didn''t think they communicated in words, anyway. Certainly not a language invented by people. The spirits wouldn''t be so forthcoming. It was up to him to determine. He tried to ask it where he should go, but again, it didn''t respond in the slightest. Lani asked it a few more questions, but he got the feeling it couldn''t understand such abstract ideas. He had to be more concrete. Lani asked the spirit to show him which direction the town was in, praying it could understand such a concept. It didn''t move. Frustrated, Lani told it to move down to the ground, just to see if it would do anything. To his relief, it did so¡ªsinking to the earth and stopping just above the layer of moss and leaves. He asked it to move other places, and it did, but he couldn''t think how to get it to do more. On top of that, he could feel it draining him. Every time it moved, every time the spirit did anything beyond just float there, Lani could feel it drawing upon his energy, his mana. It subsisted off his own power. Without him, the spirit couldn''t manifest itself, and as soon as he released that flow of power, it would vanish back into the void it came from. Curious, Lani let the first spirit sit there, and tried to call for another. It appeared, identical to the first. He tried a third, and a fourth. Both appeared, forming a small wall of pale blue smokey faces floating in front of him. Well, this is getting weird¡­ Hearing a call above him, Lani dismissed the spirits. "What was that?" he shouted. "I can see the town!" Riley shouted back. "But¡­" "...But what?" A few thumps and Riley was swinging back down to the forest floor. "It''s bizarre," she said. She took off her gloves, breathing heavily from the exertion. "I don''t usually get lost, but the town isn''t where it''s supposed to be. Or¡­ anything really. It''s like we got totally turned around." "We were following the compass though, weren''t we?" "Yeah¡­" Riley glanced around, looking uncomfortable. "You think¡­ it''s this place?" "I''d believe it." She reached out and took his hand. Hers were warm from the gloves she''d just been wearing, and they felt perfect slotted in between his fingers. Lani suddenly felt a wave of guilt over not telling her what he''d found. "Hey," he started. "Don''t get me wrong," she interrupted quickly. "I mean, you''re out here ''cause you want to find magic right? I''m not saying it''s all bad. Just¡­ well, I''d rather you have it than whatever did this weird forest," she finished, looking around nervously. "...I have a confession to make," Lani said, shifting uncomfortably in place. She looked up at him. "No¡­" "Just last night!" he said quickly. "I just¡­ you know, kinda stumbled across it." "...Really?" With a slight smile, Lani called up a spirit again. It emerged from the smoke right in front of them, hovering a few feet away. "...Wow¡­" Riley reached out a hand toward it. "Oh! That''s¡­ sheesh, does it gotta be so cold?" Hey, maybe that''ll work. Lani asked the spirit to be warm. He felt a sudden draw of energy from him as it agreed to his request. "Try again," he prompted. She did. "...Okay, now it''s like my hand''s sitting in the sun¡­ That''s amazing." "Sorry I didn''t tell you," he said. He dismissed the spirit. "Are you kidding?" Riley smiled. "This stuff''s crazy, and with everything that''s happened? I don''t blame you. Besides, you didn''t wait that long." Before Lani could speak, she leaned up and kissed him again. "Trust me now?" "Definitely," he replied. He wrapped his good arm around her shoulders and hugged her, relieved. "...So how''d you do it? How''s it work?" "Well¡ª" A twig snapped. They both turned, and Lani saw her hand go to the knife on her belt again. Standing a few dozen feet away was a young Japanese man wearing a silvery-grey robe. His hands were raised in surrender. "Excuse me," he called out. "...Hi," Lani called back. "Hi there," said Riley. "Are you¡­" She glanced at Lani. "One of the¡­ you know." "Yes," he replied. He beckoned them forward. As they approached, it became clear just how intricate the edges of his robes had been sewn, and the sheer strength of the material. "Not really the best forest color," she pointed out. He smiled. An instant later, the robe shifted through the spectrum, landing on a perfect modern jungle camouflage pattern. He held it there for a few seconds, before it returned to the silver hue. "Alright, I''m convinced," said Riley, grinning. He bowed. "I''m here to guide you." "To where?" asked Lani. "Out of the forest? Back to our jeep?" "Wherever," he replied. Lani smiled. He glanced at Riley, who nodded. She spoke first. "Can you take us to the Greywood?"
Riley fell a little behind, looking at the forest all around them. By all appearances, they seemed to be walking through perfectly normal trees, but even Lani could tell they weren''t walking in the same direction as the trees were moving. Something was completely off. "This is why we were lost, right?" he asked the young man excitedly. "Magic?" He nodded. He was really the quiet type, Lani noticed, even down to the way he walked. Despite all the branches, leaves, twigs and other flora littering the forest, he didn''t make a sound. "...So you were watching us for a while," Lani realized aloud. "There''s no way you couldn''t sneak up on us." He smiled. "I was waiting." "For what?" "To see if you would tell her." He fell silent as they approached the edge of a clearing ahead. Riley caught up, still looking a bit windswept. They walked through a set of trees, pushing through the needles to emerge into a wide open clearing. Lani gasped aloud, and Riley echoed him a second later. A stone archway stood before them, with vines crawling up each side and twirling together to form a thick connection at the top where the capstone was missing. Through the arch, a path of stones set into the grass lead to a small, perfect wooden bridge that looked like it had grown out of the ground of its own accord, handrails and all. The bridge arced gracefully over the clattering stream, passing by a small garden on the opposite side that was bursting with life. The path split, curling away to several wooden cabins on the opposite side of the clearing. Their guide lead them through the arch, and instead of crossing the bridge, he took them to a larger structure on the near side of the stream. Lani and Riley looked around like tourists. Riley lifted her camera, about to take a picture, but their guide materialized next to her and put a hand on her arm. "Please," he stated simply. She nodded. "Sorry¡­ Force of habit." They approached the entrance, a huge winged set of wooden paneled doors with intricate relief carvings filling a grid of eight squares top to bottom. They swung wide before Lani could get a good look. Their guide ushered them inside. The place was cozy, but clearly meant for meetings of some kind. Two fireplaces sat on opposite ends, both lit with crackling fires that seemed to burn without touching the wood underneath. Elegant wooden tables and chairs lined the main section, and at the far end, she sat waiting for them. Her chair was specially designed with a higher seat to keep her at an even level with the rest, and had a wide space for another to sit alongside. She wore the same robes as their guide, even more elaborate and embroidered. Around her neck was a necklace with an eight-pointed star, set with many gemstones. A tattoo of the same symbol adorned the side of her neck, barely visible from the front underneath her silvery hair, while more gemstones and charms dangled from her wrists. She was short, but not so short that she would be considered a dwarf¡ªand none would ever mistake her hard, fierce expression or aged eyes for that of a child. Lani knew instantly who she must be. "Welcome," she called, and her voice echoed like an ethereal spirit, an otherworldly presence behind her words. A girl and an old man flanked her on either side. The girl was probably the same age, though much taller, and with brown hair instead of Cinza''s silver-gray. The man had short, thick black hair and an even thicker beard that threatened to swallow his face. He smiled genially, but she was nothing but stern, untrusting glares. "Hi," said Lani. Riley echoed him a second later. They took seats opposite the trio, while their guide leaned in and whispered something in Cinza''s ear. "Thank you, Makoto," she replied, and he bowed again before retreating from the room. "Give Ruby my love." "Oh my god, you''re her, aren''t you?" said Riley breathlessly. "You''re¡­ you know. Her." Cinza smiled, clearly amused. "Well put." "And who are you two?" asked the girl brusquely. "Nikki, they''re our guests," said Cinza, putting a hand on her arm. Nikki leaned back in her chair, frowning. "After what we just went through the last two days?" "Makoto trusts ''em, so I do too," the old man chimed in. "My name is Lani Makaio," said Lani suddenly, drawing their attention¡ªand Riley''s. "I''m an agent for the FBI''s National Security Bureau, and partner to Jeremy Ashe, the special agent who was tasked with figuring out what happened to Rallsburg. Jeremy and I both found about magic a couple weeks ago when he fought alongside Hailey Winscombe in Tacoma. And today¡­ today I was awakened too." He called a spirit to appear in front of them. The old man stood up in shock. Nikki sneezed. Cinza suddenly looked very interested. "That''s quite a story," she commented, while Nikki sniffled. She sneezed again, hard, and Cinza plucked a tissue from her bag. "Please, release your spell. I''m afraid Nikki is allergic to such magic." Lani dismissed the spirit. "That''s a thing?" asked Riley, raising her eyebrows. "Magical allergies?" "Indeed," said Cinza. "It''s the worst," added Nikki, blowing her nose. "You were sayin''?" prompted the old man, nodding at Lani. "I met her," said Lani. "Who?" asked Riley, but Lani knew that Cinza and her companions wouldn''t need any more explanation. It was obvious now, between their robes and her hair, what their real unifying force was. They weren''t followers of Cinza, not in the slightest, no matter what the world had concluded so far. They, like Lani, were together to follow her. Cinza nodded, and a genuine smile warmed her face. "Miraculous, wasn''t it?" "Twice over," he added excitedly. "She actually saved my life once before. When we went up to Vancouver to find Mr. Morozov and Mr. Rhodes." Cinza raised her eyebrows. "Really? How so?" Lani recounted the story, and all four of them hung onto every word¡ªRiley with a bit more confusion than the rest. "You''ve been truly blessed," said Cinza as he concluded. "We''re honored to have you among us." "I feel honored," he said, looking around. "This place is¡­ is¡­" "Magical?" supplied Riley, grinning. Lani laughed. "Yes." "And what about you?" asked Cinza, turning to her. "I must ask, how did you arrive here?" "Well, I thought I was leading him around," she said, nudging Lani. "But apparently he was on the real adventure and I was just along for the ride." "I couldn''t have done it without you," he replied. "Aww," she shot back, rolling her eyes¡ªbut she smiled anyway, which made him feel warmer than either of the fireplaces could do. "Are you awakened?" asked Nikki, interrupting them. "...Nope," she replied. "I''m still not really sure what that means, or how to do it or whatever." Cinza looked at Lani curiously, but he didn''t say anything. Grey-eyes'' words still echoed in his head, and he couldn''t exactly reply there on the spot. She turned back to Riley. "Would you like to be?" Pressure flooded into the room. Lani had assumed it would be a quick, easy answer. After all, he''d shown it wasn''t dangerous, right? She''d just say yes. But¡­ Riley was silent, gazing back at Cinza thoughtfully. "I¡­ I''m not sure." Cinza nodded. "There''s no pressure. It''s always a choice. We''d never force anyone to awaken." "I appreciate that," said Riley, sounding relieved. "Might I ask why? Just out of curiosity, nothing more." Riley nodded. Under the table, her hand found Lani''s, entwining with his fingers and gripping it tight. "My parents were¡­ well, pretty superstitious. They already believed in stuff like this long before we found out it was real. They also¡­ both of them went crazy. Really crazy¡­" She trailed off. "I''m sorry, it''s not something I talk about much." Cinza held up a hand. "Please. You need not say more if you''re uncomfortable. Anyone here is allowed a fresh start if they want it." "Thank you," said Riley, smiling gratefully. "But," Cinza went on, "and I''m sorry, but we can''t let you stay with us if you aren''t awakened." The warmth in the room vanished. Lani had to look over at one of the fireplaces to make sure the flames hadn''t suddenly gone out. Riley''s hand squeezed his tight as she spoke, voice trembling. "But¡­ why?" Cinza sighed. "Because the world has decided we aren''t allowed to exist. Not yet, at least." She held up her hand, palm open and flat to the ceiling. An intricate design of stars appeared in midair above it, shining and twirling through each other in a mad dance. "Even something as simple as this has driven men and women to mad slaughter. Look at how they leap over themselves today. Half beg to be awakened themselves, not understanding what that means, and the other half would wish us gone." "I¡ª" She shook her head. "I don''t wish to assume that you mean us ill will, but we''ve been betrayed once already this week. Trust doesn''t come easily to me, or to many of my companions. With the opponent we face, I cannot rightly allow anyone into our home that isn''t one of us in body. You need not believe as we do, but I must insist at least on the former." Lani decided to interject while Riley sat dumbfounded. "Come on. What if I vouch for her?" "You just met her today, didn''t you?" Cinza pointed out. "I don''t mean to dismiss your powers of judgment, but I can''t rely on them." "But¡­" "It''s okay," said Riley, standing up. She hadn''t let go of Lani''s hand though, and it followed her to her feet. "I can¡­ I can go. I''m sorry." "Wait!" Lani cried, leaping to his feet. Everyone stared at him, waiting. "Let her stay. Just for a little bit. While she makes up her mind. If she still chooses no, she can leave after that. Okay?" Cinza paused, watching the two of them carefully. Nikki leaned in to whisper something in her ear, and she nodded. As Nikki got up and walked away, vanishing into one of the curtained-off rooms at the other end of the cabin Cinza spoke again, her voice echoing through the hall. "That¡­ would be acceptable." Lani felt the warmth flood back into the room, just as Riley squeezed his hand again. "Thank you," she said, and Lani saw a tear fall from her eye. "Thank you so much." "Is there anything you two need? Did you leave anything in the forest?" "Well, there''s a jeep," said Lani. "It''s up by the cliffs near the ridge, north of the cell tower." "If you''d like, Makoto can bring it back here for you." Cinza nodded at the door, where Makoto had materialized from of nowhere. Riley dug the keys out of her pocket and tossed them towards him. It was a bad throw, but the keys shifted direction in midair and landed neatly in his hand anyway. "Cool," she breathed. As he turned to leave, she hurriedly added, "There''s a camera and tripod chained to the front. You can just put them in the trunk." He nodded and vanished. "I''m afraid our guest cabin isn''t quite done," said Cinza apologetically. "We only just started preparing for larger groups a couple weeks back, and we''ve been rather¡­ preoccupied since then." "We do have a tent," said Riley, patting her long bag. "If you like. You''re also welcome to sleep in here. The fires will burn forever so long as you can feed them a little magic, so it stays quite warm." Nikki came back into the room, looking worried. She whispered something in Cinza''s ear. Cinza nodded, and as Nikki disappeared again, she turned to the old man. "The show''s about to start, and it doesn''t look good." "Well, can''t be missin'' that," he replied, not looking excited in the least. "What show?" asked Lani, surprised. "Hailey Winscombe just flew out to meet with the FBI. Very publicly," she added, irritated. "Today''s not going to be a good day." Cinza got to her feet, looking a bit ill. "Rufus can show you two around, if you like. You''re welcome to visit anywhere in the Greywood you like. Nothing''s off-limits, but most of the other cabins are personal residences, so please give them their privacy." Her expression and tone got darker. "Don''t enter the woods without an escort, under any circumstances." "Uhh¡­ what?" asked Lani, surprised. "Rem''ber that bit where we don'' play nice with strang''rs?" said Rufus. "We go'' pre''y good at defendin'' our home sins May." Before she walked away, Cinza turned back to them and bowed slightly. Her charms and jewelry jangled as she did, and her eyes sparkled with light. "Welcome to the Greywood."
As they laid out the sleeping bag near the fire that night, Riley watched it crackle with fascinated eyes. "So you can just¡­ feel it?" she asked. "Yeah." Rufus had taught him how to find the fire''s enchanted logs and feed them more magic to keep them burning. They already had a strong supply, and he fed them a bit more to keep them alive until morning. The effort took a lot out of him, but he was already planning to go to sleep anyway, so he didn''t mind. "I''m¡­ I''m still thinking about it," she answered, to his unspoken question. "I get it, really," he said. He laid down on one side of the sleeping bag, grateful for the nicer pillows that Matthew brought him. "If you have to go, I understand." "But you''re staying here, right?" she asked. "...Yes. This is¡­" He trailed off. "What?" "It sounds too cheesy," said Lani, embarrassed. "I love some good cheese." "It feels like this is my destiny." She didn''t laugh, to his relief. Instead, she sat down¡ªand instead of getting in the bag as he expected, she laid on top right next to him and pulled the blanket over them both. Her long bag sat next to them, just a few feet away. "It doesn''t sound cheesy," she said softly. "No?" "I mean, I don''t really believe in destiny or anything like that," she went on, "but what do I know, right? Magic turned out to be real, so who knows what else might be?" "She saved my life, then she saved it again when I awakened. It doesn''t feel like coincidence," he explained. "Meeting you, too. It can''t be." "So now I''m your destiny too?" she asked. Lani''s face lit up red. "I mean¡ª" Riley laughed gently. "It''s okay. I don''t mind. I didn''t really think anyone would ever say something like that about me." She hesitated. "I kinda like it." Lani smiled. She leaned forward and kissed him, and he returned it, with the fire crackling nearby and the sound of the stream rattling along outside. "All right, let''s get some sleep," she said, finally breaking it. "Even if I end up only staying here a few days, I want to make the most of it." Lani nodded. He grinned, since he hadn''t told her about the second trick with the fires. He sent the command like Rufus had taught him, and suddenly all the light went out. The whole cabin was plunged into darkness. "Whoah," she murmured. "But¡­ it''s still warm." "Yeah," he agreed. "Magic, huh?" She laughed. A few minutes later, she was asleep. As Lani started to drift off, he felt her moving in her sleep¡ªand slowly, she came to rest next to him, pressing up close for warmth. He wondered what Jeremy would think, knowing how Lani had come so far in only a day when he''d been investigating for months without any kind of progress like this. Thoughts of Jeremy were driven away by the magic he''d found, including his ability to summon spirits which was almost totally unlike anything Cinza''s people had shown him. His thoughts of magic were driven out yet again by memories of Grey-eyes¡ªher awakening him in the tent, their conversation, and how she had saved him from near-certain death up in Canada. Thoughts of Grey-eyes were replaced, finally, by the long, exciting couple of days he''d spent with the exciting, adventurous young woman, still gently clutching his hand while she slept next to him. Lani''s eyes slid closed and his mind faded away with that warm thought. He finally felt content. He wasn''t searching for answers anymore, or for a reason, or anything else so existential and philosophical. He didn''t need to keep moving, after having migrated across oceans in search of a place to stay. The spirits filling the world around him had shown him the way. Lani was home. [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] B2: Chapter 27 — A Voice In Her Head Chapter 27 ¡ª A Voice In Her Head "Three women are put before the jury of the court, having each committed grave crimes. The first of these is asked her motivation. She replies simply, money. Thus, she is taken away and sentenced. The second of these declares passion¡ªand again, she is taken away and sentenced. But the third¡ªthe third woman claims insanity. What happens to this third woman? The jury cannot understand insanity. After all, the normal people who run such a court are perfectly sane. The court believes they are somehow qualified to judge us, we on the fringes of society, we mad multitudes who dance on the cliff''s edge every day, daring gravity to cast us down. A court of my true peers would consist of a single empty chair, lugged out of some trash dump¡ªscuffed, beaten and with only three legs left, which should crumble under the slightest pressure, but still bears the load of an entire life upon its tired feet." ~Cinza, the Rallsburg Diaries Natalie hadn''t taken a step outside the Kincaid home since Friday. She''d finally started paying attention to the news again on Sunday, after Quinn''s parents been so kind to her¡ªinviting someone they''d just met to live with them. She knew she couldn''t just stay at their home forever, especially since Tuesday would mark the day where Cinza''s book was made public. On Monday night, Natalie made sure everything was packed and ready to go, and she didn''t sleep a wink. It didn''t matter, though. Come Tuesday morning, the news was all over the world. Kendra had stopped it. Or at least, she''d delayed it. Natalie didn''t know what she was supposed to do with that. Could she just go back to school? But what if it came out while she was there? What if she couldn''t get away in time, since her phone wouldn''t work inside the building? Natalie was so scared of the possibilities, she hardly even left her room all day. Most of the week was spent cooped up in her new room, reading every single comment thread and news analysis of the Diaries. She only came out for meals, and to play Conquest with Quinn in a futile attempt to get her mind off of things. The Kincaids didn''t bring up her skipping school, to her relief. She got a few sidelong looks at dinner that they did their best to hide, but not a single question. Quinn, of course, asked her tons of questions, but those were all strictly out of earshot of his parents. "I don''t know," she answered, as Quinn asked why it hadn''t come out on Tuesday. She''d told him that she was probably in the book, and that she might have to go into hiding when it came out. "I guess Kendra did something to stop it." "I don''t know," she answered, when Quinn asked her on Wednesday when she was coming back to school. "It might not be safe yet. I don''t know how long this whole injunction thing works. Legal stuff is really hard to read." "I don''t know!" she shouted, after Quinn asked if she wanted to hang out with the rest of the gang on Thursday. "I don''t know, okay? I just don''t! Sorry!" He retreated after the last one. She felt bad, but she couldn''t just go after him. What she said was true¡ªshe didn''t know. She felt like she didn''t know anything, and she was too scared to be seen by anyone she knew. Only Quinn had seen her new look: her eyes, her ears, her new body and everything. What would everyone else think about it? Kelsey would probably say it was awesome. No surprises there. Natalie knew that girl, knew Kelsey approve of what she''d done. There was a reason they got along so well. Mitch would think it was weird, but would get over it pretty quick. Pretty much as soon as Kelsey said a single word, so they could start arguing about it. Natalie laughed, imagining an argument between the two of them about whether pointy ears or round ears were cooler. She knew where she stood, having enjoyed the benefits for a while, but watching Kelsey and Mitch argue it out would be fun. They got really inventive with their insults. Steven probably wouldn''t say anything until she pressed him to talk. If she did, he''d say he thought it was a huge risk, but that it was up to her. He was the mature one in the group, after all. Always responsible and thinking about the bigger picture. Tyler? Natalie had no clue about Tyler. He was the one she didn''t really get. He seemed to have a total hero worship for Quinn, and stuck to him like glue whenever he could. Half of the time, he ignored Natalie entirely, unless they were playing Conquest¡ªand then he wiped the floor with her, just he did like everyone else. The rest of the time, he acted weird, like he was always annoyed with her for something. She didn''t get it, especially with how quickly he seemed to switch between the two. He was the first one to be nice to you, though. Without any reason to be. Yeah, but if he finds out more about me, and he spills to the wrong person¡­ it could get really bad. You should call them back. You need supporters. You need your friends. She shook her head, trying to clear away the hypotheticals. Making up conversations with her friends wasn''t going to do her any good. She reminded herself of her promise to herself¡ªshe was never going without friends again. She chased after Quinn, who''d walked away from her bedroom door looking confused and hurt. "Hey, Quinn!" "What?" he asked, sounding a little sullen. "...Tell Kelsey we''re having pizza tonight. That''ll get her to come over." He grinned. "Won''t work on Mitch, he hates pizza." Natalie rolled her eyes. "Of course he does, if she likes it." Quinn laughed. "Don''t worry. I''ll get them all here." "...Sorry," she added, as he turned away. "For, you know. Yelling at you." "It''s cool." Natalie waited in her room for them to arrive. Quinn greeted them one by one, making sure they knew she was going to look different and not to freak out, so they didn''t alert his parents. She looked around her little space¡ªthe books she''d unloaded from her bag onto the nightstand, her laptop on the desk, her phone plugged into the charger, her clothes filling the racks (and the floor) of the closet. The bedroom had become something of a nest for her, and it felt way more her own than the perfectly neat and tidy room back at the Laushire house. I miss Percy¡­ Natalie gazed out the window at the sky, imagining that the tiny bird in the distance was Percy. She could tell it wasn''t though, with her improved eyes. The colors were all wrong, and it wasn''t even a hawk. Looked more like a seagull. "Hey Jenny! Pizza''s ready!" Quinn called from down the hall. "No shouting, Q!" shouted Damian at the other end. "Got it, Dad!" "Thanks!" "Knock it off, you two!" called Annette. "Sorry, honey!" As Natalie emerged into the main room, six pairs of eyes locked onto her. Annette and Quinn glanced away a second later, back to the pizza she was serving up with hungry looks on their faces. The rest of the Gang¡­ weren''t so quick. Kelsey, true to form, just grinned and gave her a thumbs up. She mouthed something Natalie didn''t catch, too distracted by the rest of the group. Mitch''s mouth just fell open, and stayed that way for a while until Steven finally elbowed him in the side. Steven, for his part, didn''t look surprised¡ªbut he didn''t seem happy either. He only glanced away once it was his turn to grab a slice. Tyler¡­ looked like¡­ something. Natalie wasn''t sure what. He couldn''t take his eyes off her ears. She''d assumed at first he was looking at her scar again, but no, he kept bouncing between both sides of her head. She tried to ignore him, digging into the pizza. Kelsey was the first to speak. "That''s a sweet haircut, Jenny," she said with a wink. Natalie, of course, hadn''t changed her hair at all¡ªjust everything else. She grinned, scarfing down her slice with gusto. "That''s so coooooool," said Mitch, sounding hypnotized. He reached out slightly toward the sharp tip of her ear, poking out through her hair, but Steven pulled him away before he got close, rolling his eyes. "Cut it out," said Quinn, though he too couldn''t help from grinning. Annette had retreated from the room to deliver a slice to her husband¡ªa quick bite before he headed off to work for the night¡ªbut she was definitely still in earshot. "Does your mom know?" asked Tyler. "Do I know what?" asked Annette, who happened to return to the room at the same time. "That Jenny''s been missing school," said Steven without missing a beat. He even managed to look uncomfortable¡ªwhich probably wasn''t hard, Natalie realized with a pang of dismay. He''d already looked uncomfortable the moment she turned up. Annette nodded. "We know. Don''t any of you go thinking you can start skipping school too. Jenny''s a special case." "Mrs. Kincaid, I¡ª" Natalie started. "Shh shh shh, it''s all right. You don''t have to explain." Annette smiled at the group. "Have fun. I''ll be in my study all night with loud music on, so I can''t hear a word you''re saying about anything." The moment her door closed and Damian left for work, Tyler turned to Natalie. "I''m sorry. That was so close." "Yeah, we need a new way to ask that," said Quinn, helping himself to another slice of pizza. "Dude¡­ you''re an elf," said Mitch, still staring at her. Natalie shrugged. She reached up and moved her hair a little, deliberately making her ear more visible. Mitch''s mouth fell open even wider. Kelsey laughed. "Dude, you''re a nerd." He snapped out of it, rounding on her instead. "Excuse me for liking good fantasy games, unlike your poser crap MMOs." "I really like your eyes," said Tyler, while Mitch and Kelsey got into another argument. Natalie was surprised. Tyler hadn''t ever really said much to her before, not like the other guys. She smiled. "...Thanks, guys. But this isn''t why we wanted to get together tonight." "Yeah," Quinn said, and nodded at Steven, who bodily pulled Mitch back down to his seat. "We gotta talk about why Jenny''s been missing class." "Is it safe?" asked Steven, glancing down the hall towards Annette''s study. "What if she was just joking about the music?" "She was, but it''s okay," reported Natalie. "I can make us quiet so she can''t hear." "You can?" asked Mitch. "How?" "Already did," she said. "You guys can''t tell, but she''d have to walk back down the hall to be able to hear us. We''re good." She didn''t mention that she''d spent practically every evening all week trying to figure out how to do that, practicing with Quinn in his room until they could shout without Annette ever hearing. "What can''t you do¡­" said Mitch, awed. "A lot," said Natalie quietly. "Which is why this is important," said Quinn, bringing them back on topic. "She might be in big trouble." "You guys know about the book, right?" Natalie asked hesitantly. "What book?" said Tyler. "The magic one," said Mitch. "The diary everybody''s talking about." "Oh. Yeah, guess so." Tyler used his inhaler before talking again. "What''s that got to do with you?" "It''s about magic, so¡­ oh," said Steven. Natalie wasn''t surprised he''d already figured out it. "Oh what?" asked Mitch. "What''s going on¡­ ohhh." Kelsey had it too. She stared at Natalie with a strange mix of sympathy and awe. "You were there?" she whispered. "You what?" asked Mitch, a little louder. "Somebody explain to me what''s going on." "Me too, please," said Tyler, looking between them rapidly. "Rallsburg, moron," said Kelsey, punching Mitch in the arm. "She was there." "There when?" "When it blew up," said Natalie, looking down at the table. When everybody died and I couldn''t save them¡­ You did everything you could. "This is why she''s been hiding," said Quinn. "Nobody can know she was there. Ever." "Yeah, no kidding," said Steven, looking even more concerned than when she''d walked out looking like she did. "Is that why you¡­ did this?" "Not exactly," she said, feeling embarrassed. "This was¡­ something else." "Nobody knows who she really is though besides us, so we should be okay," Quinn went on. "It''s just us five and Lily, and obviously Lily''s never gonna tell anyone." "Oh man, what did Lily say about the whole new look?" asked Kelsey. "I bet she was pissed." "...She hasn''t seen it," said Natalie. "I''ve been living here since Friday." "You what?" asked Mitch, Tyler and Kelsey in unison. Mitch looked shocked, Tyler angry. On the other hand, Kelsey''s face lit up like a Christmas tree. She glanced between Natalie and Quinn, beaming like she''d gone insane. "Another thing we''re not telling anybody," added Quinn, glaring at them. "If people figure out who she is, they at least won''t have a clue where she''s living." "The address on my permanent record at school is fake anyway," added Natalie. "There''s basically nothing there." "Whoah," said Mitch. "So where do you live? That''s not here, I mean." "There''s a magic door I usually go through to get home, but when I went there Friday¡­ it wouldn''t open." Natalie shrugged. She''d gotten over it by now, though she still hadn''t heard from the Laushires since Friday. Truth be told, she didn''t really want to anymore, especially since Kendra was in the public eye again. Natalie was way happier now than she had been. Everything at that house reminded her of what she''d done¡­ who she''d become. If she could just get Percy back, she''d have no reason to go to the Laushire house ever again. Everything else she cared about, she always kept in her bag or her backpack, and she had both of those here at Quinn''s. "A magic door? Awesome." "So when are you coming back to school?" asked Steven, folding his hands under his chin. "People are already talking. I mean, they''re talking way more about the book and Hailey Winscombe and that crazy stuff, but you''re being noticed." "Tomorrow," she answered firmly, before Quinn could speak. He glanced at her, surprised, but she just nodded. "I''ll be back tomorrow." "It''s about time," said Mitch. "Lunch sucks without you there." "It''s true," added Kelsey. "He''s been whining about it all week." "Shut up!" said Mitch, elbowing her. She dodged it and elbowed back, harder. Mitch fell off his chair onto the floor, cursing. "Hey, do you know Hailey?" asked Kelsey, turning back to her. Natalie hesitated. "Yeah, I do." "I met her too," added Quinn, grinning. "Wait-wait-wait, when was that?" asked Kelsey, looking between the two of them. "You got to meet my hero without telling me?" "Back in October," said Quinn. "When she uhh¡­" "When I knocked him out," finished Natalie, grimacing. "I didn''t know it was her at the time. Her boyfriend carried me to the hospital." "That''s so badass," said Kelsey. "I bet she flew all the way there." "She did." Natalie grinned. "She said she flew past a jet when she passed over the airport and had to dodge it." "Oh my god." Kelsey beamed at her. "You have to help me meet her someday. Promise." "Sure." Though she and I aren''t really talking much anymore¡­ and I''m still mad at her¡­ "It probably won''t be for a while though, you know." "Yeah, totally, I got it." Kelsey nodded. "We gotta worry about you first." "...Yeah," she agreed, looking down at the table. "Don''t worry, Jenny," said Steven. "We got this. It''s what we do." "...So are we done now?" asked Tyler. "Can we play some Conquest?" They all looked at him like he was crazy. "What?"
Kelsey was the last one left after the rest of them got picked up (or took the bus, in Steven''s case). "I''m never gonna get into this," she groaned, while Quinn and Natalie continued their last game. Natalie had him on the ropes, trickling away cards and his general stuck in the aether. Either way, she''d probably win in just a few turns. He wouldn''t have trouble resurrecting Ke''Lua, and he could still be annoying with the spirits he''d summoned, but Natalie''s defense was entrenched and ready. "It''s not that hard," said Natalie mildly, watching as Quinn''s hand kept switching between his piles on his kingdom. "And it''s so much fun to lure people into traps," she added, just as Quinn started to move towards one of her territories. "You''re evil," he muttered. She smiled innocently, fiddling pointedly with Linnethea on her back row. You have him. He''s got no escape. Move in. Not yet, she replied. He could still have a way out, if he plays it smart. And Quinn is super smart. "Oh man, I just got it," said Kelsey, leaning towards Natalie. She moved away as Kelsey got closer, but Kelsey didn''t notice. "You turned yourself into her!" she exclaimed, pointing at the card. "...Kinda?" said Natalie. She ran her hand through her hair pointedly. "It wasn''t on purpose, and it wasn''t totally." "You did have the hair," said Quinn, laying out a card under his metal mine on his front row. Having a metal mine on your front''s already weird, and playing cards directly to it? What''s he doing? He''s stalling. Don''t fall for it. You have him. Natalie sighed. She double-checked the hallway, just in case, then¡ªmurmuring the spell under her breath¡ªshe flickered her hair back to the golden-blonde waves of the Huntress. Natalie held it there for a few seconds, annoyed by the extra effort, before letting it fade and uncurl to her normal straight brown. "Nah, you look better without it," said Kelsey firmly. "I like normal Jenny." "Normal Jenny?" she asked pointedly, while she moved Linnethea and her stack of elf warriors forward to her own front line forest, at the edge of her queendom. "Okay, new-and-improved badass Jenny." Kelsey grinned. "Your eyes are super pretty too. How''d you do that?" "There''s stuff in your eyes," she started to explain. "It''s what makes the colors¡ªhang on," she murmured. "Huh?" "...I send my scout forward." As Quinn started to reach, Natalie kept going. "With Fleet of Foot, so she can go diagonal and skip the metal mine." The Elven Scout card stopped on the empty farm behind the mine. Quinn was playing a heavy economy deck, between his farms, mines and back line of markets, which let him buy and play a lot of nice cards¡ªbut also meant he was really prone to disruption, like she was about to do. "She pillages the farm. You can''t use it next turn." Quinn groaned. He tossed down his cards. "You won." Natalie laughed. "I knew it." "...Wait, what? How''d you just win?" asked Kelsey, confused. She glanced between the two sides. "Doesn''t he still have like two turns to bring his guy back?" "She''d win next turn," said Quinn. "I tried to get her to scout the mine for traps even though there''s nothing there, ''cause I just put worthless stuff on it. I needed to use the farm. She realized she could just block me from playing anything next turn since I''m loaded with gold, but I couldn''t play any cards without that farm open." "And with no cards to play, I can just walk right up to his castle and blow the whole place up with Linnethea," said Natalie. She started picking up her cards, very satisfied with herself. You should be. You did well. You saw the better path to victory. No thanks to you, she replied, annoyed. I can only advise. You must lead the way. "Okay, so I kinda get it," said Kelsey, still staring at the cards while they cleaned up each side. "I''d still rather play an MMO though." "I''ve never played one," said Natalie. "They''re okay," said Quinn. "I don''t really like them much though. I like turn-based things." Kelsey shrugged. "It''s kinda turn-based." Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. "I guess." She shook her head. "Okay, spill the beans now that everybody''s gone. You two living together¡ªhow''d that happen?" Natalie''s face got red hot again. She looked away. "You already know how. I texted you that night, remember?" "You just told me you broke in." "I didn''t break in," Natalie shot back, annoyed. "Okay, snuck in, whatever." Kelsey looked between them excitedly. "Whose idea was it?" "My parents," said Quinn firmly, shutting her down. Natalie had warned him what Kelsey could get like, and he knew when she was going too far, like now. "They''re just looking out for her. Nothing else is going on." "Oh." Kelsey finally noticed how Natalie was refusing to look at her, and how embarrassed they both looked. "I''m sorry¡­" "It''s okay!" Natalie said quickly, turning back to her. "Just, you know¡­ it''s not really for fun or anything. It''s kinda¡­ scary, actually." "Scary?" "Not living here," she added quickly, while Quinn smirked. "Everything else, you know?" "Oh¡­ yeah." Kelsey nodded. The doorbell rang. "Well, that''s probably Mom. Mama never rings doorbells." She got to her feet. "Just a heads up, Jenny¡­ Blake''s been saying some stuff at school." "Stuff like what?" she asked, surprised. She hadn''t even thought about Blake or her sidekick in over a month now. "Gossippy crap." Kelsey shook her head. "Just ignore it, it''s all dumb." Natalie nodded. "I don''t care anyway. I''ve already got great friends, I don''t care what the rest of the school says." Kelsey grinned. "Yeah you do. Besides, I bet nobody pays attention to her anyway. It''s just her and her stupid little friend Lydia." She hurried to the door as the bell rang again. "See you tomorrow!"
Natalie woke up in her new bed on Friday, and for the first time, she didn''t panic about where she was. She finally remembered that she was supposed to be under this strange roof, in a scratchy but mostly comfortable bed¡ªshe was thinking about buying herself better sheets, but she didn''t want to make Quinn''s parents feel bad¡ªwith the faint sounds of someone making a real breakfast down the hall. It still didn''t feel like home, and she doubted anything ever would until she went back to her real home, but she finally felt comfortable here. So comfortable, in fact, that she actually wore her pajamas out of her bedroom for once. All week, she''d carefully dressed for the day before taking a single step out, making sure she presented the best possible image of herself to Quinn''s parents. Today, she wasn''t going to be the weird one at the breakfast table. As expected, Quinn and Damian were both in pajamas too. Annette was halfway dressed for the day, though she didn''t quite have her full professional courtroom attire on yet. "Unicorns. Very cool," said Damian, giving Natalie a nod. "I''m more of a pegasus guy, personally." "Dear, please," said Annette, sliding waffles onto his plate. "I''m going to school today," Natalie announced without preamble. Damian nodded. "Glad to hear it. Do you need a ride, or are you taking the bus with Q?" "...I can take the bus." "Don''t let those waffles get cold, Jenny," said Annette, coming back around with a glass of orange juice. "The bus will be here in about thirty minutes, and you don''t want to miss it. Damian''s driving might make you sick, and then you''d have to wait all the way til Monday again." As Natalie and Quinn headed outside, school things in hand, her ears caught a snatch of their conversation down the hall before she closed the door. "...another hospital bill?" "It''ll be fine. I can pick up extra shifts." "But what about our¡ª" "We''ll just have to put it off¡­" The door clicked shut. Quinn hadn''t noticed her hesitate. He''d already gone downstairs to the street level, so she hurried to catch up. Riding the morning school bus was a whole new experience for her. The early city bus was a quiet affair, and even the slightest noise drew annoyed glares from everyone around. In stark contrast, the school bus was practically a party by comparison. In particular, the younger kids toward the front made a whole lot of noise. Natalie and Quinn were early in the route though, and she made it to the back row with only a few loud whispers and pointed fingers before the whole thing filled up. The whole ride would be a piece of cake, compared to packing into the tight city bus with the morning commute. So she assumed¡­ until she saw who had just boarded just two stops after theirs. Blake Sinclair didn''t notice her, already deep into a tirade over some sixth grader who''d strayed a bit too far into the aisle. Lydia Jennings, only a few steps behind, cackled mercilessly at her jokes. It was so typical of Blake, too¡ªcalling out her choice of clothes, her ragged backpack, her messy hair. Just surface-level things¡­ but Natalie, whose eyes were now so much stronger than before, could see the girl''s face in the wide mirror hanging just above the windshield. The other girl was crying. Why''s she crying? They''re just saying stupid things about nothing. I wouldn''t care if they said stuff like that to me. Natalie had way scarier things to worry about than if Blake Sinclair thought her new pointy ears looked dumb. Which they totally don''t. But still¡­ that girl doesn''t deserve that. She''s just a kid compared to me. Blake''s such a¡­ b-word. Someone should say something. Natalie watched and waited¡­ but nobody moved. The kids in the nearest rows kept chatting or goofing off as if they hadn''t heard Blake and her friend. Even the boy sitting next to the girl in the same seat didn''t move, or react in the slightest. Quinn, sitting across the aisle from Natalie in the very back row, didn''t react either, though it was easily possible he hadn''t noticed. Except¡­ he was watching Blake, and his eyes narrowed slightly¡­ and he didn''t do anything. Nobody was helping her, even as they all saw Blake reduce her to tears in the middle of the bus with just a few words. What if I¡ª No. But I could just¡ª What would you do? Natalie frowned. The voice wouldn''t let her budge. Blake deserves to be cut down a notch, doesn''t she? You aren''t involved. Stay secret. Keep to yourself. I can help her though. No one helped you. Natalie stayed where she was, and as the bus finally pulled into the school parking lot and the doors opened wide, she watched¡ªalong with the rest of the bus¡ªas the girl bolted away and into the building, as fast as she possibly could. Nobody mentioned it.
The whispers were back, but to Natalie''s surprise, she welcomed them. Suddenly, it was exciting to have the whole school talking about her again. They weren''t talking about her scars, her weird home life, or any of the many transgressions she''d made as a new student. They weren''t talking about Rallsburg either, or the Awakened, or Hailey''s disastrous interview. Nothing dangerous at all. In the perpetually surface-level discussions surrounding the new girl in school, they were finally talking about something she''d wanted to do. Everywhere she went, Natalie could hear them talking about her ears first and foremost. Before the first bell even rang, she realized they were actually positive. They thought she looked cool. Ducking into the nearest bathroom, Natalie used a mirror and a deft bit of telekinesis to tie up her brown hair with short braids, exposing her ears just a bit more. When she returned to class, the whispers redoubled. Nobody actually talked to her, of course, and Natalie was perfectly fine with that. She liked the idea of being someone mysterious and cool, but totally unapproachable. If her new appearance combined with the scars kept everyone away, that just made her life all the easier. A nagging memory of a lesson from Boris about staying totally unremarkable replayed in her head¡ªbut how much had that helped? She''d tried to stay out of everyone''s way, and she''d ended up in situations almost as bad as Rallsburg''s last days. He couldn''t have predicted where you''d end up. He might agree with your choice. Yeah. Plus, Hailey and Cinza and Ryan all changed how they look all the time. It''s gotta be okay. The voice didn''t always disagree with her, and when they spoke in unison, Natalie had never felt more confident and self-assured. Since leaving Rallsburg, she''d felt like she was on a topsy-turvy carnival ride like the one her dad had taken her years and years ago, except that she was holding on for dear life and could fall off any second. Up until the voice pushed her to run to Quinn''s house, Natalie hadn''t truly felt safe in months. Thank you. I am you. No need to thank yourself. You aren''t¡­ You''re her. If you wish. So far, nobody in the school seemed to be guessing the origin of her new look. Based on what she could pick out from the whispers (supposedly out of her earshot), everyone just assumed that she''d always hidden them underneath her long hair. Natalie felt relieved. She''d briefly panicked, just as she had with Quinn''s parents, that they''d be suspicious of such a dramatic change¡ªbut they were more obsessed with the actual appearance rather than where the ears might have come from. "So elf-girl," said Kelsey as they stretched on the track, waiting for the teacher to call the start. It was a special day in fourth period gym class, where every student had to run a full mile. Natalie hadn''t ever run that far in one go before, but it didn''t sound so bad. She had to remember not to use magic, but with how strong her new body felt, Natalie was plenty confident. "I''m still gonna beat you around. Just ''cause you got stronger on your vacation doesn''t mean you''re better than me yet." Natalie grinned. "Vacation?" Kelsey smirked back at her, before taking her spot on the line. "We had to call it something." "That''s a really dumb vacation¡­" "Come on! You got to spend the whole week at your boyfriend''s house, alone!" She shook her head, face lighting up a bit. "He''s not¡­ oh, whatever." He said it, after all¡­ And I actually said it first¡­ I said I wanted us to be dating, and I do. But I don''t even know what a date is. Should we like¡­ go to the movies or something? Except I shouldn''t be going out. Going to school was already a bad idea¡­ I wish I knew what to do. You are afraid. I don''t need your input on me and Quinn, okay? This is weird enough already. Thankfully, the voice didn''t respond. In its place, Natalie heard her name¡ªor rather, Jenny''s name, from a few groups behind them, in a not-so-quiet whisper. Blake and Lydia were talking about her, and they had sharper hearing than she''d hoped. "Jenny and the nerd patrol?" "Well, duh. They''re the only ones who speak her language." "Only ones who can stand to be around her. You know she ran away from home?" Wait, how do they know that¡­? "I bet her parents couldn''t stand her either." Kelsey whipped around. "Hey, Blake!" Blake looked around, livid that someone interrupted her in mid-flow. "How''s your dad handle being around you? I bet he has to wear earplugs around the house so his ears don''t bleed." Her eyebrows arched up like bridges. "At least I have a dad." Kelsey snickered. "Both my moms could kick your dad''s ass any day." Everyone is watching you now, and listening. You''re drawing attention. The wrong kind. "Kelsey¡­" Natalie murmured. Whispers were one thing, but this was way too much. She was okay being the odd one out, but she absolutely minded being the center. "Let''s just go." Her friend turned. "But..." I want to get out of here now. No more Blake. To Natalie''s relief, the gym teacher returned at that moment, and told their group to run. Natalie exploded down the track, faster than she meant to, but she didn''t care. She just wanted to get away from the crowd, and the track¡ªwhich wasn''t really a proper track, just a flattened path around the schoolyard that went under trees far away from the building¡ªwas her escape. Only nature around her, without a single kid in front. Kelsey fell far behind as Natalie hurtled around the track, her legs pumping hard and fast. She wasn''t getting tired. Despite sprinting full out from the start, Natalie didn''t feel exhausted. She definitely felt the strain, but still, it wasn''t much harder than the slow jog they''d encouraged everyone to start off with. Before long, and without even much time to think, Natalie was already halfway around the course they''d set up. The gym teacher watched her go, barely paying attention to the next group. Well, I''m already this far¡­ As Natalie blew through the finish line, she had to avoid running into the last couple groups who hadn''t even started running yet. Her teacher glanced at the stopwatch in a daze. "Four minutes and thirty seconds¡­" Natalie wasn''t sure if she should say something. Walk away. If you talk, you''ll become the center again. Retreat. Natalie hurried to the covered blacktop, while the rest of the kids had to be prompted back into running again. It took another minute or two for Kelsey to join her, panting hard. "Okay¡­" she said, taking a drink from her water bottle. Natalie hadn''t thought to bring one, but Kelsey had her usual bottle from soccer. "You didn''t¡­ have to show off¡­ that much." "Sorry," Natalie mumbled. "I just really wanted to run." "What''d you get?" Kelsey was still walking around even though she was breathing so hard, which Natalie thought weird. In the distance, she saw Blake come in only seconds later than Kelsey''s time, glaring at Natalie from afar even while she crossed the line red-faced. Natalie ignored her. "Aren''t you tired?" she asked Kelsey. "Yeah, but coach says it''s better to keep moving after a hard run, even if you''re super tired. You don''t get sore that way." "Oh." She didn''t feel tired at all. "I got four minutes and thirty seconds." Kelsey stopped dead. "Holy¡­ Jenny, that''s like a world record." Oh no. Natalie glanced around nervously. "I didn''t think about it¡­" Kelsey shook her head. "I don''t know them, I could be totally wrong. But I know that''s crazy fast. They''re gonna want you to do that again." "Why?" "They asked me to when I got the district record for twelve year olds. They''re gonna want to make it official." Kelsey looked worried. "Just tell them they were wrong or something. Run slower next time. But not like, too slow, or they''ll know you''re faking." You can''t show yourself like this. I know, okay? I screwed up. I know. Your friend is right. You must lie. I hate lying¡­ All I do anymore is lie, just in different amounts. I hate this. It keeps you alive. "Okay," she said finally. Kelsey looked very concerned about her, and it was making her uncomfortable. "What''s left in class?" "Nothing. Field games, whatever we want." Kelsey grinned. "Wanna destroy the boys in flag football again?" Natalie didn''t, not really. She worried that it might be exactly the wrong move, doing something else that could draw attention and set off her old fears¡ªbut she hadn''t had an attack like the worst ones since those first few days of school. Besides, she could see the gym teacher still looking at her, waiting until all the kids finished running to come talk to her. "Okay."
Natalie and Kelsey headed to lunch together, laughing. They walked a short distance apart, always, as Natalie''s mind continued to reject even the slightest possible physical contact. Flag football ended up being incredibly difficult for the first couple plays, until Natalie asked to be quarterback. After that, no one could get close to her. "What''s up?" asked Steven, as they slid into their customary seats. "Jenny''s better than me at every sport," said Kelsey, without any malice. "I''m cheating," said Natalie, but she grinned too. Kelsey had already made it clear that she didn''t mind¡ªso long as Jenny never entered her actual soccer league. Their shared secret in gym class was a chance to really mess with the school. "Every throw, right on target." Steven frowned. "Jenny¡­" "Hey!" Mitch interrupted, leaping into the seat next to Steven''s. "Is it true?" "What?" asked Kelsey. "That Jenny broke a world record last period." "What?" asked Steven, eyebrows furrowed. Natalie''s face got red. "...Who''d you hear that from?" Mitch shrugged. "Dennis, who got it from Lisa, who got it from who cares." "Did you guys run the mile today?" asked Tyler, looking up from his book. "It''s not true," said Kelsey. "What, are you saying she couldn''t do it?" Mitch shot back. "Of course she can," Kelsey snapped. "But nobody''s supposed to know that, remember?" "Yeah well," Mitch shrugged, "they already do." Natalie tried to glance around surreptitiously. She saw more than a few faces looking their way. Uncomfortable again, she tried to shrink down a little behind Kelsey, leaning against the wall. The mini-braids she''d done over her ears weren''t quite so fun anymore. "Where''s Quinn?" she asked Tyler. Tyler shook his head. "He had to talk to a teacher about some work he had to make up. He won''t be here today." "Oh." "Want to play against me instead?" he asked, already reaching for the decks. "...No, no thanks." At her refusal, Tyler looked crestfallen. Natalie winced. "Can we play after school though? I just¡­ I need to go to the bathroom." "Huh?" Tyler asked, confused. Without another word, she hurried away. The guys all looked just as confused as Tyler, though Kelsey just shrugged and went back to eating. Natalie hoped they wouldn''t chase after her again, since that would probably just cause more problems¡­ though some small part of her still wanted them to. She went straight to her old bathroom. There were two girls she vaguely knew, both seventh graders. They were talking about some bank robbery that had happened on Monday, way down in Tacoma. Natalie ignored them, heading straight for her old stall. As soon as the door was closed, she let out a breath she''d been holding since the cafeteria. Why are you here? I needed to get away from people for a bit, okay? I''m catching my breath. This is not a retreat. This is flight. You''re hiding. Yeah, I am. I''m okay with that right now. Leave me alone. "...heard it had something to do with those ''awakened''." Natalie''s ears perked up. With the faucet off, she could hear the other girls more clearly. "Shut up! No way." "Yeah! My brother said so! He said some freaky guy with magic powers robbed the place. He said someone''s trying to keep it off the news." "I thought they were supposed to be the good guys." "As if! They blew up a town!" The girls kept arguing as they left. Natalie sat stock-still on the seat, grabbing out her phone and diving through headlines. How''d she missed that? She''d been watching the news all week. She even read the stuff on Rachel''s site, though she was pointedly ignoring the blinking message indicator in the corner. She knew by now that Rachel wasn''t going to message her, and she definitely didn''t want to read anyone else''s anymore. Not after they''d all ignored and abandoned her so many times¡­ If somebody really needed her, they could just come find her. There wasn''t anything about a robbery, though. Apparently, no one had noticed this yet. Natalie didn''t know what to think about it. She wondered if the robbery had been someone she knew. Julian, maybe? I can''t think of anybody else who might rob a bank. Rika''s crazy enough, but she''s rich. If she''s even still alive¡­ nah, she''s probably alive. She can do electricity stuff too, and that worked on the golems. It''s probably someone new¡­ The door to the bathroom clicked. Was that a lock? Someone''s trying to trap you in. Move! Natalie got up, tucking her phone into her bag and heading for the door. It didn''t budge. She tried again, and nothing happened. She reached for the little bar on the door to unlock it, and¡­ it wasn''t there. There was just a tiny round dot where it used to be attached. Natalie stared at it, fearful. Someone laid a trap for me. Escape! Get out, now! She whipped around, looking to the high-set window she''d snuck out through last time. They could be watching that. You can''t risk it. "So what am I supposed to do?" she asked aloud, hating the total silence in the room. She could hear faint whispering outside, but even now, she couldn''t make it out. They wouldn''t expect you to go out the front. "But it''s locked, and I can''t get it open." You''ve beaten locked doors before. Natalie shook her head. "Breaking it down would be way worse." Not Rallsburg. Quinn''s door. "Oh. Duh." Natalie''s mental grasp, like a tiny indistinct hand extending from her mind, flew into the door. She felt for the lock mechanism, and found where the lever would have connected to the doorjamb. Wait. Listen. She stopped, listening carefully. Nobody seemed to be on the other side anymore, though she couldn''t be totally sure. She tried to feel out with her magic, grabbing at random. If there was a space she couldn''t grab, then there was probably someone there. "I think it''s okay," she whispered. "I don''t feel anyone." Be ready. Natalie nodded, reaching into her bag and picking up a couple of gemstones just in case. She still had the emerald tree pendant hanging around her neck, too, tucked away inside her shirt. She''d worn it because it fit with the whole elf idea, but she couldn''t access it unless the stone actually touched her skin. Practicality won out, so she''d hidden it away. She drew a tiny bead of energy out of all three to reassure herself. The little burst of power, really insignificant by any useful measure, felt like a warm friendly glow in comparison to the chilly bathroom in November. She felt it join with the fire of magical energy by her heart, kindling it stronger and brighter. Natalie set her feet, prepared for anything, and shoved the lock aside. She hurled the door open, as fast as the resistor would allow it to move. Nobody stood on the other side. Natalie took a cautious step forward. She glanced down the hall to the left, and saw nobody all the way to the exit doors. Someone running this way. Quick! Natalie whipped around, and instinctively drew upon the burning magic inside her. She ducked low, a flame bursting to life just inside the bathroom door and out of sight. She was totally prepared to fling it at anyone who dared approach. At her fierce glare, Tyler skidded to a fearful, trembling halt. Tyler? Oh god, what if I''d¡­ Natalie dismissed the flame in a panic, releasing all the magic she''d summoned. She stood up straight, feeling embarrassed. Tyler started coughing almost immediately. He fumbled for his inhaler. Natalie took the opportunity to walk over to him, leaning against the wall and waiting for him to speak. It gave her a chance to let the adrenaline pass out of her system, while her heart still pounded in her ears. "I¡­ was worried¡­ about you," he huffed. Natalie was surprised. "I''m okay," she reminded. "I didn''t want you to go away again," he mumbled. ¡­What? She shook her head. "I''m not¡­ I just had to get out of the cafeteria for a bit." Tyler nodded sagely. "Sometimes it''s the worst." Natalie smiled. "Yeah, it really is." "But you like hanging out with us, right?" She nodded. "Yeah, I really do." "Okay." Natalie glanced around, confused. She''d been so certain she was about to get attacked, or something at least, but there wasn''t anyone in sight. "Tyler, you didn''t see anybody else, right?" "...No?" "...Okay." Natalie shrugged. I don''t want to scare him¡­ and if it''s not an attack, then maybe it didn''t even have to do with me. Except they waited til I was alone¡­ and they knew my bathroom. Only one person it could be. "We should go back to the cafeteria," Tyler added, glancing around. "You go. I''m just going to go to class." Tyler looked nervous again. "But you didn''t eat or anything." Natalie shrugged. "I''m not really hungry." It''s true, too¡­ I should be, but I''m not. I feel like breakfast was enough for the whole day. His eyes widened. "You''re really her." "What?" "They don''t have to eat as much because of how their bodies work. They''re more efficient and so on. Like, they use energy better." Natalie frowned. "You mean¡ª" Tyler looked totally in awe. He almost bowed to her. "Linnethea." "Tyler, don''t say that¡ª" He shook his head. "It''s okay. Your secret''s safe. I''ve always been a friend to the elves." The bell rang. Tyler had a class far from hers, and hurried away before she could get a single word in. Natalie felt rooted to the ground, while the halls began to fill up with kids all around her. Finally, she got swept away in the current, forced to move before anyone could run into her. What was that? Does he really think I''m you? I am you. The sooner you accept this, the sooner we can move forward. I''m not listening to you. But you are talking to me. "Shut up," Natalie muttered, sitting down in her next class. "I''m trying to think." "Huh?" asked Quinn, taking the desk next to hers. "Nothing," she said quickly. You have larger concerns. She''s changing tactics. She''s going to be a real concern. Blake''s just a stupid bully. It''s not like she can do anything. She could pose a threat. You should not underestimate her. You''re a voice in my head and she''s a dumb girl who doesn''t know anything about the real world. I can handle her. I''ll just ignore her. Unless you''ve got any better ideas. The voice didn''t respond. ...Hello? Yes, Natalie? She shivered. Quinn glanced over. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly, while the teacher started into a lesson about quadratic equations. "Yes," she whispered back. "I''m just cold." Except I''m holding a real conversation with a voice in my head. What''s wrong with me? "Steven said something about gym class." "It''s okay." She hesitated. "I got carried away." "Oh." Quinn waited, giving her the chance to explain¡ªor not. Natalie didn''t. She couldn''t. Being noticed in gym was just one little thing. She could brush it off if she had to. The problem was how many little things were starting to stack up. Blake had decided to start causing problems for her personally. The students were all paying even more attention to her. Her friends were all treating her differently. Her teachers were noticing her more. If the principal got involved again¡­ You can deal with her. Natalie shivered again. That was the scariest thing of all. She could hear a voice. An actual voice. Somebody else in her head. It wasn''t her. It wasn''t a voice she''d ever heard before. She''d first noticed it downtown, three weeks ago to the day¡ªand every day, it got a little bit louder. A little bit stronger. I''m only here to help you. You don''t need to be afraid. Except, she was afraid. This wasn''t something to do with magic, unless Natalie had done it accidentally somehow. A voice in her head was more like¡­ like she was crazy. Like she was starting to go actually insane¡ªjust like her mom, whom she could vaguely remember was always talking to herself, barely paying attention to the world. She neglected everything around her for something Natalie didn''t understand. Her mom was exactly what everyone else would call crazy. Just like her dad. When you need me, I will be here. Natalie shivered again, and it definitely wasn''t from the cold. [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] B2: Chapter 28 — Staying in the Spotlight Chapter 28 ¡ª Staying in the Spotlight "Publicity is a strange beast. When I sought stardom in my youth, it fought back with every fiber of its being, as if I had offended its crass nature. No matter my method, I had to fight for every scrap of attention, clawing my way up the heap of my fellows to eke out my mere existence, forcing myself to the limelight I loathed in exchange for waves of tokens that put bread on my table and a roof over my head. I wonder then, if fame for fame''s sake is so obstinate¡ªif those whose stars shine brightest through sheer chance have ever seen a struggle like our own. If they haven''t, is there any worth to such renown? Or is it merely notoriety, to be milked by the public to whatever end it desires?" ~Cinza, the Rallsburg Diaries Hailey swooped down onto the roof of the apartment, and Jessica let go. Hailey turned to her, gesturing downward, then pointing at Jessica. She frowned, pointing at herself, then created a quick picture in midair¡ªa sketch of a car, with a fifth wheel floating in space beside it. She gestured at a space under the awning near the roof access, which looked like a perfect spot to stargaze or watch videos on her phone. "Of course not!" Hailey said emphatically, shaking her head to punctuate it. It''s time Jessica got back into the world again. She took Jessica''s hand in hers, which was nice and warm in spite of the November chill, with the wind blowing over the rooftop and fluttering their scarves. Jessica had taken to keeping a constant warmth spell going whenever they took flight, now that autumn had really hit home. "I want you to come," she added, pointing at herself, then between the two of them rapidly and nodding. "I want them to meet you." Jessica shrugged. She gave an overdramatic sigh, but the corners of her mouth twitched upward. She gestured to the door with a resigned flourish. Hailey grinned. She unlocked the door with a spell¡ªa new design that Jonathan Hudson had posted on the site. He''d apparently been cooped up all week and decided to spend some of it working on new magic, and he''d come up with a Movement magic routine that would unlock virtually any mechanical lock without thought or effort, and even avoided tripping alarm sensors. The way he''d described it was so simple and straightforward, Hailey didn''t even need to know why it worked. She just followed the steps, and boom¡ªdoor unlocked. She held Jessica''s hand tight and lead her down the stairs. They hit the landing right as Rupert emerged from the stairwell, a box in his hands. He nearly dropped it. "...I wasn''t sure you were still coming," he said, his eyes wide. Hailey realized he hadn''t seen her in person since she''d changed. "Come on," she said jovially. "I couldn''t miss this." "Hi, Jess," he added, giving her a little wave. Jessica returned it, though as more footsteps echoed up the stairwell, she shrunk back a little. Jessica had long-since stopped caring what strangers thought of her, but this was different. These were Hailey''s friends, and suddenly Jessica reverted to the old, shy girl Hailey had nearly forgotten. "...Jesus, Piao, what is in here?" "About four work servers, so don''t you dare drop it." "Our electricity bill''s gonna be massive¡­" "I can spend school grant money on it, it''s okay." The pair of them emerged onto the landing, lugging a huge box between them. As they turned around, Trevor caught sight of Hailey. Hailey saw it coming a split second before it happened. His hands slipped, and his mouth fell open just as the box fell out of his hands. It stopped in mid-air. Elissa looked around, confused. "What the¡­" As she saw Hailey, she froze too¡ªbut only for a second. "I knew it!" "...What?" asked Hailey. She still had a hand out, palm upward, while she levitated the box in mid-air between the two of them. "You did?" She shook her head. "Okay, no, not this. But I knew you had some huge secret between the two of you!" Elissa turned to Rupert. "You''re dating Hailey Winscombe?" Rupert smiled, but didn''t say anything. "It''s just floating¡­" Trevor muttered, staring at the heavy server equipment. "How''s it¡­" Hailey grinned. She slid it out of the way, bringing it to rest halfway down the hall. "Mind opening the door for me?"
Hailey followed Elissa back down to the street, and¡ªwith a bit more effort than she''d expected¡ªlifted every single remaining box in one huge load. They hurried back upstairs, past a gawking tenant on the staircase who practically dove out of the way of the levitating pile of boxes. Elissa laughed. "That is so awesome." "Sorry I didn''t tell you guys sooner," said Hailey, even while she swung the boxes around the corner. She was constantly feeling out the hallway ahead with bursts of wind, so she knew there wasn''t anyone in the way. "But, you know¡ª" "Well, duh," said Elissa. "Don''t worry about it, Hales." "I''m just glad I don''t have to go by Hailey Johnson anymore," she added, as Elissa hurried to open the apartment door. "I can''t believe that''s all I could come up with." "I was going to ask, what''s up with the long names anyway?" Elissa moved out of the way while Hailey rearranged the boxes so they''d fit through the door in order. She hovered them through like a cardboard train, settling them in a neat pile in the empty space at the corner of Trevor''s apartment. "You and your mom both have them." "Family tradition," she replied. "It goes back to my great-great-great-grandmother." "Were you like, nobility?" "No. I''m pretty sure we were dirt poor, actually." She grinned. "We just liked to sound important." "You''re really her," Trevor muttered, still staring dumbfounded. Hailey shrugged. "The one and only." She glanced around the boxes of stuff. "You want help unpacking, Elissa? I''m not doing anything today." "You aren''t?" she asked. "Aren''t you like, super famous? It''s Friday, I thought you''d have loads of stuff to do at a time like this." With how much my email''s blowing up right now, I really wish I wasn''t¡­ Rupert glanced at her, obviously wondering the same thing. Hailey shook her head. "Today I''m just Hailey, and I''m hanging out with my friends." "That''s how you beat me in arm wrestling!" Trevor exclaimed abruptly. Everyone looked at him. Elissa giggled. "Well, duh." "I want a fair rematch," he demanded. Hailey shook her head. "You''d still lose, man." "But¡ª" She took a seat in the recliner near the window, near where Jessica had taken a spot in the corner, watching the people and the cars far below them. "Let''s just have a day off, okay? It''s been weeks, guys." "You''ve been busy," agreed Rupert, settling onto the couch next to her. "It''s about time you had a real break." Elissa took a spot on the couch opposite, and after a few moments, Trevor sat down nearby. Hailey saw her shoot a glance toward him, and inch ever so slightly closer. She smiled. "So, how''d this happen? When I got the message from Rupert that you two were moving in together¡­" "Well, Piao''s roommate was always leaving in November, and she never managed to find anyone else," said Trevor. "I tried," added Elissa. She kicked him in the knee gently. "But then I figured, Trevor needs a roommate too, and I hate my dorm anyway, so¡­ why not?" "This is a pretty bad neighborhood though," said Hailey dubiously. "Forget that, though," said Trevor. He leaned forward slightly. "You''re¡­ you''re¡­ what''s the word again?" "Awakened," supplied Elissa. "Yeah, that." Hailey nodded. "I am." Jessica made a noise suddenly, and pointed out the window far down into the street. Hailey glanced over. All the way in the alley opposite, a wall had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. A man was standing in front of it, confused. He took a step forward, as if to touch it. Jessica frowned. A rock hurtled out of nowhere through the illusory wall, striking the man in the stomach. Another followed, when he didn''t get the message right away. After the third, he bolted. She turned back to Hailey, giving her a quick nod. "...What just happened?" asked Elissa, glancing between the two of them. "Also, who is that?" "This is Jess, my best friend." Hailey hesitated. "...She can''t talk though. Or understand you¡­ So, yeah." It took a few tries, but Hailey got them to understand. Jessica just sighed after the third or fourth time, obviously knowing which conversation Hailey was having yet again¡ªand the endless looks of pained sympathy. Rupert got up and put on a kettle, gesturing at it to Jessica. She hurried over, and soon enough the two of them were enjoying the tea while Hailey finally got Elissa and Trevor on the same page. "So you guys just go around as superheroes in downtown Seattle all day?" asked Elissa, accepting a mug from Rupert. "Well, yeah. I figure, if we can do some good, why not?" Hailey shrugged. "You guys are kind of the reason we started, you know." "What did we do?" said Trevor, glancing at Elissa¡ªwho had slid completely across the couch during the Jessica story and was now right next to him. "You told me only the really powerful people could make a difference. And hey, I''m powerful, so I figured I should get out there and do it." Trevor frowned. "I thought we were talking about money." Hailey grinned. "Money''s not as fun." Trevor laughed, but both Elissa and Rupert shot her concerned looks. Oh god, I didn''t mean it like that¡­ "What I meant was, I don''t really know how to get things to change with money. I don''t really have much either, just what Mom gets to me." Trevor waved a hand dismissively. "Yeah, we got it." "So how do we awaken?" asked Elissa excitedly. Hailey gulped. She hadn''t expected that question, somehow. Of course they were gonna ask me that. What was I thinking? "I, uhh¡­" Elissa glanced at Trevor. "You want to, right?" "Hell yeah," he agreed. "This sounds incredible." "How''s it work?" she continued, turning back to Hailey. I¡­ what do I say? Hailey wasn''t sure they should awaken. She obviously couldn''t do it with the page she had on her. "It''s dangerous." "Dangerous how?" Her phone buzzed. Hailey checked it, grateful for the excuse to dodge the question for a moment. Wes: Landing at SeaTac tomorrow morning. ...What? He''s coming here? Why''s he coming here? "Hales?" asked Elissa nervously. "Nothing." She pocketed her phone again. "You guys remember what happened, right?" Trevor frowned. "What do you mean?" "I mean where I''m from. Why I''m famous." She took a breath, trying to impress the gravity of her point. "It''s been really dangerous, you know." People have died. Including all those people I never reached out to¡­ Russell Wallace''s words echoed in her ears. After the interview was shut down, Hailey left the studio in a hurry, without a word to anyone. She knew she''d screwed up, between taking advantage of her new fame and the words she''d let slip on screen. It was only thanks to Kendra''s unexpected intervention that she hadn''t gone onto say something even worse. She couldn''t bring these two into her world. They didn''t look convinced. "So let us help you out. We can handle it," said Trevor. Elissa took his hand, nodding enthusiastically. "You can''t," she improvised. Elissa looked disheartened, but Trevor didn''t buy it for a second. "Nuh-uh. I read those excerpts a dozen times. Cinza specifically said that anyone can." Oh¡­ I only skimmed them. I was kinda busy flying across the country to punch Nate in the face¡­ "Look, it''s not going to happen." "Why not?" asked Elissa. "We could help you." "People have died," Hailey shot back. "A lot of people. I nearly died a bunch of times!" "But¡ª" "No," Hailey said firmly. Trevor glared at her. "Go on, say it." "...Say what?" "That we''re not good enough. Us humans." "Huh?" "Don''t you trust us?" asked Elissa. "Nah," said Trevor, before Hailey could answer. "She didn''t trust us enough before, why would she now? She''s been lying to us for months." "I''m trying to help you," Hailey cried, getting to her feet. "No, you''re herding us. Like we''re kids, not smart enough to take care of ourselves." "Hailey, isn''t more people on your side a good thing?" asked Elissa. Rupert set aside his mug of tea. "I think she''d prefer there weren''t sides at all." "No," said Hailey, to her boyfriend''s muted surprise. "No?" "There''s gonna be sides. There''s always sides." Hailey''s eyes narrowed. "And anybody on the other side''s gonna find out exactly what I can do with magic." Nobody said anything. Hailey was fuming, while Elissa and Trevor both seemed subdued. She hadn''t enjoyed shouting them down, but she had to do it. They weren''t taking this seriously. They hadn''t gone through what she had. Now they wanted to awaken, just like that? A soft, warm hand grasped hers. Jessica appeared at her side, slipping around the room while Hailey was busy shouting down the other three. She pulled Hailey out the door and back upstairs to the roof, out of the awkward silence and uncomfortable heat that suddenly pervaded the apartment. As soon as they were alone, Jessica hugged her tight. Hailey shook her head. "I''m okay, Jess." She pointed at herself and gave a thumbs up. Jessica frowned. She flapped her hands in an impression of people shouting, then shook her head emphatically. "I agree with Jess, love," said Rupert, emerging through the roof door. "Not you too," she snapped. "Is it such a bad idea?" "How well do you know them?" asked Hailey. She continued before he could get a word out. "What''ll happen when they can do anything they want with a wave of their fingers and a bit of energy? You heard about the guy who robbed a bank this week right?" "...Yes." "Totally normal guy. Not a single thing in his background to suggest he''d rob a bank. But now he''s got magic powers, thinks he can just rob the place and nobody will find out it''s him because he can do magic." "He wasn''t exactly the smartest bulb on the tree," Rupert pointed out. "That''s not my point though," she went on. "My point is, that''s what everyone else is gonna think. Us awakened don''t really have a great track record so far. They don''t get what joining this means yet." "So help them understand." Hailey hesitated. Why am I feeling so stubborn about this anyway? Trevor''s not wrong, more people on my side is a good thing¡­ Aren''t we heading that way in the end anyway? Everybody awakened? "They''re not ready." "Hailey¡ª Her phone buzzed. Hailey snatched it off her belt clip, desperate for an escape from the conversation. Jeremy: Call me dammit Jeremy: Need to talk "What''s happened?" asked Rupert, fearful. Hailey shook her head. "That''s the real reason why. You''re afraid that I just got a text message. We''re all terrified every single day now. Because there''s people out here hunting us, and they could be anyone. I''m not bringing Elissa and Trevor into that." She sighed. "It''s Jeremy, by the way. He wants me to call him." Rupert visibly relaxed. "I''m sorry, love." "It''s okay." She gave him a quick hug, and planted a kiss on his cheek. "I''m sorry I started yelling at your friends." "I''m sure they''ll be fine. I''ll talk to them." "Thanks." Rupert disappeared downstairs. Hailey held up the phone, showing Jessica the photo of Jeremy so she''d know who Hailey was calling. "Hello?" "About fuckin'' time," Jeremy growled. "I''ve been tryin'' to reach you all week." "Sorry. I''ve¡­ been busy." "No kiddin''. You know how many reports I''ve seen of you on the SPD net?" Hailey gulped. "The police?" "Yeah, no shit. You think you can go around bein'' a vigilante and not get noticed?" "Oh." "Don''t worry, it''s officially all rumors. Listen, we gotta talk. There''s a lot happenin'' right now." "...Yeah." Hailey glanced over at Jessica, who was watching her conversation with interest. "Are you in Seattle?"
Jeremy walked in through the front door. His eyes scanned the whole restaurant in an instant, before Hailey had even gotten halfway out of her seat. He hurried back to their corner, taking the seat across from them. "Fast food? Really?" Hailey shrugged. "Jess grew up in Rallsburg. She never went out much, so she actually likes it." "That''s Jessica Silverdale, then?" Jessica looked up, gave a little wave of greeting, and returned to her food. Hailey sighed. "Yeah, this is Jessica." "And she can''t understand a word I''m sayin''..." Jeremy shook his head. "I''m sorry." Hailey had been ready to launch into the story for the umpteenth time. "How''d you know?" "I talk to a lot of people." He shrugged. "...You said you wanted to talk about something?" Hailey prompted. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! "Yeah¡ª Jesus Christ¡­" Jeremy looked away as a gaggle of teenage kids appeared out of nowhere. They rushed up to the table, bags and backpacks in hand, notebooks out. "Oh my god, that''s Hailey Winscombe." "Can you sign this?" "You''re the coolest!" Well, I guess someone still likes me¡­ Hailey put on a smile and turned to them, signing the offered picture¡ªa press shot of her landing on the red carpet before the interview. "Thanks, guys." "Russell Wallace is a dick," added one of the girls. "Yeah, that was bullshit. Don''t let it get you down, Hailey." "I won''t." Hailey handed the pen back. "See ya around." They retreated, chattering away about how lucky they were. "How d''you pull that shit off?" asked Jeremy, as soon as they were gone. "Whenever some fucker calls me out in public, I just get shit on. Everybody loves you." Hailey shook her head. "It''s not everybody, trust me." "Yeah." Jeremy took a sip of his drink. "I heard about your deal with the FBI. Not the specifics though." "...Okay?" Hailey frowned. "Is something wrong?" "I dunno. I just want to make sure you''re not gettin'' screwed over." Jeremy shrugged. "I''m tryin'' to look out for my friends, here." Hailey smiled. "We''re friends now?" Jeremy grinned. "Fuck you, ''course we are. You''re the only fuckin'' awakened I trust so far." She laughed. "Who have you been running into? You must have the worst luck." "Ever met a kid named Jonathan Hudson?" He met up with that guy? "The theater kid, right?" Hailey grinned. "When I first met him, he didn''t know I could do magic too." After a few swapped stories at Jonathan''s expense, Jeremy got back to the topic at hand. "Seriously, Hailey. When you went in, you brought a lawyer, right?" She nodded. "The best one my mom could find on short notice." "What did you agree to? You sign anything?" "Yeah." Hailey nodded. "It said I got pardoned for anything I might have done in Rallsburg, which wasn''t really anything anyway, and made it more legal for me to fly around on my own. I agreed to help them out on anything that came up related to magic, but it''s not compulsory. If I can''t show up, there''s no penalty." "And they offered you a job?" She shrugged. "Expert magic consultant. Something fancier than that, I think. I said no." "Good." "Why''s that?" Hailey frowned. "It didn''t sound like the worst thing in the world. I could be helping them out." "Don''t get trapped in that fuckin'' machine, trust me." Jeremy sighed, sipping his drink. "The real work''s gettin'' done elsewhere. Keep yourself independent, you''ll be way better off." "You work for them." "Yeah, and they fuckin'' benched me for it." He frowned. "Can you email me a copy of your agreement? I want my sister''s lawyer to go over it too, if that''s all right." "Sure." Hailey pulled out her phone and dug through her emails for the copy Jefferson had sent her. "Your sister was in the news a couple days ago, wasn''t she?" Maddie Ashe had been proposing a special commission to study and prepare new legal mechanisms for magical citizens, with a few high profile names on the ticket. "Yeah." Jeremy had his phone out now too, scrolling through something she couldn''t see. She could almost read it in the window reflection behind him, but she didn''t want to invade his privacy, especially after he''d been so nice to her. "You guys kinda moved our schedule up a bit." "Sorry about that." "Hell, it ain''t your fault. It''s that son of a bitch who stole the damn book, right?" "Yeah." And as soon as I find him¡­ Jeremy frowned. "Speakin'' of which¡­ Cinza." "What about her?" "I want to meet her. I''m tryin'' to get the whole picture here, you know? I''ve talked to a lot of interestin'' people the last couple weeks, and I feel like I''m never gettin'' to know the whole story unless I hear her side." Hailey hesitated. She didn''t feel like it was her place to reveal even the slightest information about Cinza, no matter how much she might trust Jeremy. "...I can ask her." Jeremy nodded. "That''s all I''m lookin'' for¡ªwhat the fuck?" A woman walking by their table stumbled. The full cups of soda on the front of the tray tumbled forward. A torrent of sticky brown liquid flew at Hailey¡ªand stopped. Jessica''s hand flew up. The soda hovered in mid-air, then swirled around and fled back into the cup as if nothing had happened. She smiled, and nodded to the woman. Her eyes widened. "Freaks," she cried. Hailey was on her feet instantly. "What did you just call her?" "I called all of you freaks," the woman snapped, not backing down. "Get out of here. Leave us alone." She tripped on purpose! Like a match onto kindling, fury burst into life inside Hailey. The tray in the woman''s hand, food and all, flipped over and launched itself straight into the nearest trash can. "Sorry," Hailey growled through gritted teeth. "I think I missed your table." The woman backed away a few steps. "Child-kidnapping mass murdering freaks," she repeated, glancing around for support. Nobody else in the restaurant moved an inch. Everyone was frozen after the yell, watching the pair of them. An employee near the counter nervously reached for a phone. Jeremy got to his feet. He waved at the guy behind the counter. "Save it, kid, I got this." "Who are you?" snapped the angry woman. His voice was suddenly precise and official, way different from the casual tone Hailey was used to. He was way more imposing than she normally got to see. "Special Agent Jeremy Ashe, National Security Branch, Federal Bureau of Investigation. I''m here as part of an official investigation on behalf of the United States government, and Hailey Winscombe is here as my guest. You''ve just assaulted a key witness under federal protection." "But¡­" The woman floundered a bit. "But she''s¡ª" "If you leave, right now, I''ll overlook any charges." She glanced between the seething Hailey, who wanted nothing more than to send the woman fleeing with a few choice words and a showy display of magic, and Jeremy, implacable and imposing. Muttering epithets, she retreated out the doors. The rest of the place kept staring, waiting to see if anything else would happen. Jeremy waved them off. "Show''s over, folks. Move along." The bustle slowly returned, though they kept getting furtive glances all the way until they left. Nobody interrupted them again, though, to which Hailey was grateful. "''Everybody loves me'', huh?" she repeated bitterly. "Welcome to my fuckin'' world," Jeremy agreed. "Ever since that interview¡­" "How bad was it?" Hailey took her seat again. Jessica leaned against her, comforting her. She could tell Hailey was upset. It helped, but Hailey still felt anxious and uncomfortable remembering the event. "You didn''t watch it?" "I was playin'' bodyguard at the time." Jeremy shrugged. "I read some of it afterward. I don''t think you were that bad." "But¡­ I said some horrible things." He shook his head. "It''ll blow over. You''re still Hailey fuckin'' Winscombe, first girl of magic in the country. In the whole damn world. Nobody''s gonna remember that interview, as long as you don''t make that the last thing you do. People are just milkin'' it for headlines right now. You gotta give ''em new ones." Hailey was taken aback. She''d been so stuck on reading every single analysis and commentary on her supposed downfall. So many scathing critics, she''d felt like she could never come back. Jeremy smiled. "My family''s political as fuck. This is just business as usual. You got unlucky, bein'' news on a Monday, so you got the full week cycle. Take ''em by storm. Don''t let it stick. Get out there again." "What should I do?" "Well, not playin'' superhero in the shadows, for one. You need to do somethin'' public. You''ve already got carte fuckin'' blanche from the Bureau, right? Volunteer. Charity work, maybe. Good deeds and shit. Just don''t step on people''s toes." An idea popped back into Hailey''s head, something she''d thought about on and off. It could work. It was a direct response to the interview, too, which appealed to her just as much. She had no idea where they were though¡­ but Jeremy might. "...Can I ask you a favor?"
After an eternity, Hailey got to take her seat. It was first class, at least, but it was definitely not worth all the hassle. Even the ability to relax and get out of the cold wasn''t an improvement. Not even slightly. "Thanks for bumpin'' me up," said Jeremy, as he fell into the seat across from hers and immediately reclined it back. "I can''t get travel funds anymore." "You sure you wouldn''t rather just fly for free?" she asked, glancing over Jessica out the window. "This thing is so cramped." "I like this cramped tube, thanks." He closed his eyes. "I''ve seen you fly." "What''s that supposed to mean?" "Means I ain''t fuckin'' built to take my feet off the damn ground." "...So what do you call this?" "Fake ground." Hailey sighed. She leaned back too, pulling out her phone to check for messages. "Mom''s got some marketing people on the case. Apparently they''re all very excited to work with me." "That was quick." "Mom works super quick. And it''s Friday. They''re already wrapping up for the week, she''s got time." "Huh." Jeremy shrugged. "Told me to fuck off on a Friday because she was too busy to talk." "...I forgot, you actually met my mom, didn''t you?" He snorted, opening his eyes. "Yeah, she''s a real bi¡­ piece of work." Hailey glowered. "Watch it." Jeremy waved down the attendant and ordered a drink before he spoke again. "Nothin'' against her, honest. In her line of work, that''s a fuckin'' asset. But I think she hates the livin'' shit out of me." "...Do you deserve it?" "Probably." He shrugged again. "I leaned on her pretty damn hard tryin'' to get answers. Her and Thomas Laushire, since they were the two highest profile family relations." "You went after Kendra''s dad?" she asked, surprised. "I heard he''s really intense." "Huh. He was a mess. Could barely get through our first couple interviews without breakin'' down in tears." Jeremy sighed. "Of course, then he decided to sic his fuckin'' goons on us for ''inflicting emotional distress''. Got into a shoutin'' match in the middle of London." Hailey laughed. "No way. I can''t even imagine Kendra or anyone related to her shouting." "Yeah, well, her dad had some fuckin'' pipes. I almost knocked his teeth out. Lani had to pull me off ''im. Got in some real trouble since we were outside the country on special permit." "Lani''s your partner, right?" "Yeah¡­ Speakin'' of Lani," he added, throwing her a sidelong look. "He took off sometime last weekend. Left me a note sayin'' he''s ''tryin'' to find answers'' and vanished." "Is he okay?" Hailey vaguely remembered something about Jeremy''s partner getting shot by one of Brian''s people. It sounded awful. Another reason why we can''t just be inviting anyone to join in on this¡­ Even trained FBI agents are getting hurt. "He can take care of himself¡­ but I''m pretty sure he booked it out to Rallsburg or somewhere ''round there. I can''t get ahold of him." Jeremy frowned. "And that forest ain''t the safest place to be lately." Hailey nodded. "I can ask Cinza''s people to watch out for him." "Appreciate that, thanks." Jeremy closed his eyes again. "Now if you ''scuse me, I''m gonna take a quick nap." "But¡­ it''s like an hour and a half to Portland." "Take every nap you can get," Jeremy muttered. "You never know when someone''s gonna fuckin'' kidnap you in the middle of the damn night." Hailey wondered what that was supposed to mean, but Jeremy looked like he''d already fallen asleep. The plane started to taxi out onto the runway, and Jessica was watching through the window like an excited little kid. Hailey sighed again, leaning back in her seat. Personally, she''d really have preferred to fly down herself, but she couldn''t reliably carry the two of them¡ªJeremy outright refused the idea anyway¡ªand she didn''t know anyone down in Portland either. Since Jeremy didn''t have a car, and the train would take nearly three times as long, Hailey reluctantly agreed to the plane. After the sixth or seventh stop in the terminal, berated and adored in equal measure by random groups, Hailey was about ready to ask Jessica to just make them invisible and sneak onto the plane. Thankfully, Jeremy put a stop to it, flashing his badge to skip through the lines and keep people off them. With nothing better to do for the moment, she decided to text Weston. Hailey: You''re in Seattle? Wes: Tacoma actually Hailey: Not to sound rude but¡­ why? Wes: I came to help Hailey: With? Wes: There''s a fight coming Wes: I can''t stand by this time Hailey: We''re trying not to fight, you know. Wes: I hope we don''t have to Hailey: Where are you staying? Wes: Well¡­ Hailey: You didn''t. Wes: I decided to come kind of last minute¡­ Hailey: Ugh. Hailey: Well. Wes: What about you? Hailey: I live with Jessica and her parents. Hailey: And no, you can''t stay with us. Hailey: Are you okay telling somebody you''re awakened? Wes: It''s going to come out sooner or later Wes: Wherever you think is best Hailey: Hang on a second. She sighed. It was so Weston to just rely on Hailey to handle things for him. She''d always done everything when they were dating, too. Now she had to figure out who he could room with? What was she supposed to do, just call up Alden''s parents and ask if they were cool with a stranger taking the spare room? Or should she send him out to live in the Greywood with Cinza? She could just pay for him to stay in a hotel, but who knew how long he might be sticking around? That could get expensive fast. Hailey didn''t really have an income, since Kendra''s money was sucked away supporting the whole group. Her mom''s off-book donations helped, but they were basically breaking even, with a little bit stored away for emergencies. They had to pay extra for everything, since they were only paying cash to avoid records and identities. Hailey was now very much a public figure, but the rest of the awakened agreed they weren''t ready for such a step yet. Speculation was rampant on which Rallsburg residents had survived, based on the final list of unidentified remains the FBI had published. There were plenty of calls for Cinza to appear¡ªhalf of the publicity offers Hailey received every day involved her friend as well¡ªbut Cinza adamantly refused. Probably smart, after what happened to me¡­ Even if Hailey had started to come around on just how bad that interview had turned out, she still didn''t trust a single reporter. Not after Russ had so casually turned around and stabbed her in the back like that. She''d put a blanket ignore on every single request, ghosting the whole lot of them. She''d go back into the public eye soon, but she had a few things to take care of first. Hailey: Hey. Rupert: Hello. Rupert: How''s Portland? Hailey: How''d you know? Keeping tabs on me? Rupert: The world is, love. Rupert: It''s actually quite hard not to. Hailey: Not actually there yet, still on the plane. Hailey: I hate planes now. Rupert: Hah. Rupert: Did you need something? Rupert: I imagine you''re quite busy. Hailey: I need a huge favor¡­
"So you''re sendin'' your ex-boyfriend to live with your current boyfriend?" said Jeremy, pulling off the highway in the rental car they''d picked up. "You crazy?" "What?" He shrugged. "Just sayin'', I''ve been there. Two guys I dated, livin'' together for a bit. Didn''t end well." Hailey shook her head. "They''re both adults. It''ll be fine." "Yeah, I thought so too." Jeremy swung around a turn way tighter than she expected. He was a really intense driver. "Sorry. You okay back there, Jess?" he added, glancing back and giving her a thumbs-up. She returned it, looking totally fine. "It''s not like this is typical at all. Weston''s here to help keep people safe from Brian''s guys." Jeremy nodded. "About that." "What?" "I ran into the motherfucker." "You did?" Hailey tried to control her excitement. "Where? How many guys did he have?" "Slow it down, Hailey," Jeremy interrupted as they turned off into a neighborhood. "I didn''t get anythin'' useful. He''s in the forest still, probably near Rallsburg, but I''ve got fuck-all otherwise. He''s playin'' it safe." "Are you okay?" "Yeah, thanks. He just wanted to talk. Guess I''m not a valid target since I ain''t awakened." "Thank god," Hailey muttered. She winced, realizing what she''d just implied. "I mean¡ª It''s totally cool if you wanted to¡ª" Jeremy laughed. "Chill, girl. I don''t, it''s fine." "Okay." Hailey winced again. "I just had a really different conversation this morning¡­" She shook her head, clearing the memory away. "Anyway. So what did he want?" "Tried to convince me to help kill all of you." Jeremy shrugged. "I can see why you''re scared. Guy like that with those fuckin'' monsters under his control¡­ Jesus." As they rolled into the neighborhood, there was a camera crew waiting outside the Nelson house. Hailey shrunk down in her seat. "Why are they here?" "Shit¡­" Jeremy kept driving, rolling past before they were noticed by the press gaggle. "They must have guessed what we were doing." "But how did they know where she lives?" "Hell, I''m not the only one who can find people''s addresses, Hailey. They saw you get on a flight to Portland and someone connected the damn dots." Jeremy pulled around the corner, out of sight of the cameras, and waited. "You still want to do this?" "Can you get them to leave?" "Not quietly." Jeremy sighed. "This is my fault. Sorry. Shouldn''t''ve taken the fuckin'' plane." Hailey shook her head. "It''s okay. We didn''t invite them." She opened the door, then turned and opened the back door for Jessica. Jessica got out, and an instant later, she vanished, ready to act as backup no matter what happened next. Hailey took a deep breath, then¡ªwith Jeremy a few steps behind¡ªstarted down the sidewalk toward the small crowd. No distractions from what she was really here to do.
"Mrs. Nelson?" Hailey asked, trying to ignore the shouted questions and camera flashes behind her. "Yes¡­ Oh." Mrs. Aleida Nelson answered the door in a sweater and apron, with one child clinging to her leg and his older sibling watching fearfully from the stairs. "What do you want?" Hailey winced at her tone, but steeled herself. "May I come in? I just want to talk, if that''s all right." She didn''t mention or even gesture at the cameras, just acted like they weren''t there. In the exasperated tone of a mother who''d seen it all, Aleida sighed and opened the door wide. "All right then. Leave the mob outside though." "Yes, ma''am." Hailey stepped inside. She let her vision shift for just a second, to see the thick flowing line between herself and the invisible Jessica who''d snuck across the threshold. To Hailey''s dismay, the line toward Aleida was thin and quivering. There wasn''t even hatred. If Hailey understood how to interpret the lines correctly by now, Aleida didn''t feel much of anything, if not outright rejecting speaking with Hailey. Aleida lead her into the living room, where yet another kid was lounging on the sofa, playing a video game. "Upstairs," she commanded. Instantly, the kid popped off the couch and fled the room. The other pair that had been following them did likewise, leaving the two of them alone¡ªexcept for the pile of news cameras still pointed at the front windows of the house. Hailey gestured to the blinds. "May I?" When the woman didn''t respond, Hailey shrugged and closed them all in unison anyway. Bad move, she realized, as Aleida''s eyes narrowed. "So it''s true." "Yes." Hailey paused. "Mrs. Nelson, I wanted to come here and explain what happened. I¡­ I knew your son." "Did you, huh?" Aleida slumped onto the couch. She looked like a clock that''d been wound too many times and was about to give up on ticking entirely. "Go on then." "Alex and I weren''t close friends or anything, but we hung out. He was in a few of my classes. I thought he was a pretty good guy." "Huh." Hailey wasn''t sure if that was approval or apathy. She continued as if Aleida were actually interested in what she had to say. What else was she supposed to do? "He was part of the community, you know? Helped out at Hector''s place for free, started a capture the flag game that covered the whole town. And he was great with kids. There was one girl, Jenny Wilson, they were like the dynamic duo of the game. When they all found out about magic, he was right there with them. He was¡­ He was trying to invent things," she said, as the best way she could think of explaining why he''d died. "Invent things," Aleida repeated in a dull voice. She was working off stories from Josh and the others at this point. She''d been a part of the town games with Jenny and Natalie, but she''d never even known about the magical community. "...Yeah. There was a spell he was working on at the end. Something everybody wanted to know how to do. Everyone was looking forward to it. If he''d figured it out¡ª" "He''s dead." Hailey stopped talking. The utter despair in Aleida''s tone sucked all the energy out of the room. The painful melancholy, tangible and thick in her throat, was enough to bring tears to Hailey''s eyes. "My son is dead. He died in that town." "...I''m so sorry." Aleida''s eyes narrowed even further, her severe eyebrows accentuating the fury that rapidly built up in her voice. "You''re sorry." "I wish I could have¡ª" "My son. My baby boy. Those animals chopped him in half." Hailey spluttered a little, trying to reply. "What¡ª no, that''s not¡ª" "They didn''t want me to see his body," Aleida went on. "They didn''t want his mother to see her son''s body. Do you know how fucked up a body has to be for that to happen?" "I¡ª" "They couldn''t even find the rest," she snapped. "I buried a pair of legs." The way she said it was almost comical¡­ but Hailey couldn''t laugh. If Hailey looked up, she might just burst into tears. She didn''t say anything, even as Aleida got to her feet. She sat on the couch, staring directly at the coffee table. This wasn''t like the argument with Trevor and Elissa¡ªthere was nothing to be said. "His little brother asks every day where he is. When he''s coming back from school. It''s been six fucking months and I still don''t know how to explain it to him. What about you? How should I tell my nine year old boy that his brother got cut in half in some shit-heap RV in the middle of fucking nowhere?" What was I thinking? Oh god¡­ Hailey shook her head. "I don''t know." "Then what good are you?" Aleida shouted. "Get the hell out of my house. Stay away from what''s left of my family." Hailey bolted from the room, straight out the front door and through the crowd of cameras. More shouted questions, but she didn''t hear a single one. Her face was covered in tears. She fled down the street, back to their car, and got into the back, sobbing.
Jessica reappeared as soon as they were inside. She locked the door, then scooted over as Hailey fell on her, sobbing into her shoulder. Jessica held her and let her cry, brushing her hair out of the way. Hailey''s mind was full of images of the murder, the town hall, Aleida''s face as she berated Hailey, her children watching from between the banisters on the staircase. Jeremy got into the car a minute later, and drove them out of the neighborhood without a word, with a couple camera crews tailing them. He lost them after a few blocks. "Hailey¡­" he started. "I can''t¡ª" she gasped. Jessica squeezed her slightly, brushing her hair back again and humming quietly. "Look, it''s gonna be okay. That sounded rough as hell, but it''ll be okay. Aleida''s being taken care of by the Rallsburg Families Fund, her family''s gonna be okay. And¡­ I know you don''t want to hear this right now, but that was actually good for you. Maddie would call that a sympathy drive. People are gonna think of you as a lot more relatable." "She was so¡­" Hailey trailed off, but she was finally calming down. Jessica''s quiet humming melody helped a lot. "I know. Believe me. I''ve had to give that talk a hundred times. It doesn''t get any fuckin'' easier." "How do you stand it?" she asked, finally sitting up. Jessica attached herself to Hailey''s arm, and Hailey hugged her tight, trying to express how grateful she was. Jessica just smiled, and gently pointed out that Hailey hadn''t put her seatbelt on. Hailey choked out a laugh and clicked it into place. "I couldn''t. Neither could Jackie. It''s what drove us both out of that shit." Jeremy shrugged. "Honestly though, I think you helped her out too. Gave her someone to vent to, everybody needs that. You didn''t do anythin'' wrong, of course, but you''re someone she can scream at safely, you know?" "Okay." Hailey pulled a tissue out of her bag and dabbed at her eyes. "...Thanks, Jeremy." "Anytime." He glanced at the dashboard clock. "What now? You still want to make that second visit? It''s not that far." "...I don''t think I can do that twice in one day¡­" Hailey murmured. "Yeah¡­" Jeremy''s phone buzzed with a few tones. He reached over to unlock it, then tossed it back to Hailey. "That''s an alert. Read it for me?" Before Hailey could check his, her own phone started buzzing. She picked it up, reading both at the same time. "Guess we have the same alerts," she joked. A moment later, even that slight bit of mirth evaporated¡ªto be replaced by a bubbling ferocity, a beast that Hailey hadn''t felt in weeks. "What''s goin'' on?" "Trouble. Pull over." As soon as they''d ground to a halt, she handed over his phone. "Jesus Christ." He added a few other choice curses. Hailey felt the same. What the hell is going on now? "We gotta get up there." ARMED HIGH SPEED CHASE ON I-405 SOUTHBOUND: SECOND CAR "SHOOTING FIREBALLS" Jeremy flicked over to a live feed from a helicopter. Sure enough, they could see a pop of gunfire from the first car, tiny flashes from the barrel of a gun out the side window¡­ and literal return fire in the form of magic. Hailey''s blood was boiling, scalding her face from the inside-out. She leapt out of the car, Jessica right behind her. One way or another, they were getting involved in this. "Hold up, Hailey. That''s three fuckin'' hours from here," said Jeremy. "It''s gonna be over by the time we get there." She glanced up at the sky, and felt out with her magic as far as she could. Wind''s blowing north. Perfect. "No, no it isn''t." [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] B2: Chapter 29 — The Battle of Lakewood Chapter 29 ¡ª The Battle of Lakewood "Why train for combat, she asks? Ah, my Ruby, if only I could view the world through as bright and pure a lens as your own." ~Cinza, the Rallsburg Diaries Hailey twisted into a hard roll, banking across the low cloud layer as they swooped down. She was pouring all her effort into flying. Every wing beat was accompanied by raw magical thrust backward, while a wedge of force in front of her pushed aside any air resistance to help them go even faster. Jeremy heaved, his hands clamped to his mouth. She wrapped her arms tighter around his chest, feeding magic through her arms to keep her muscles strong. Even so, the strain of carrying a man twice her weight was hell on her triceps. Jessica was doing her best to share her own magic, keeping the flow open while clinging to Hailey like a backpack. The odd trio dove in fast and hard over the interstate, right at the entrance to Tacoma. The road was surprisingly clear, even for the middle of the night on a Friday. Between the arcs of the street lights lining the main road, Hailey spotted the bright yellow-orange flashes, hurled forward from the driver-side window of the little car. The truck in front weaved through traffic with skill as it dodged each bolt. "What do we do?" shouted Hailey. "Get me¡­ in¡­ a fuckin''... car!" Jeremy grunted, barely audible over the screaming wind. "Which one?" "Neither!" He pointed wildly toward a few cars that had pulled off the side far ahead of the chase, warned by the police to clear the road. "I''ll take one of theirs!" Hailey dove before asking any questions, trusting Jeremy knew what he was doing. They touched down on the pavement to a gawking crowd motorists. Jeremy stumbled as he landed, but recovered quick enough, to her relief. She stuck around just a moment while he commandeered a vehicle, then took off again with Jessica still clinging to her back. Beating her wings hard, she got some altitude, trying to find the two cars again. What the hell is this? A car chase? What''s going on? Hailey still had no ideas¡ªbut if someone awakened was involved, no matter what, it couldn''t be good. She decided to go after them first, to try and get some answers. After all, she knew practically everybody. Whomever it was, Hailey was confident she could talk them out of this insanity. She rolled again, building up speed and straightening out her trajectory. Her wings folded in and she dropped into a dive, hurtling straight for the two cars. Hailey stayed high enough to avoid any stray gunfire, while Jessica switched to an invisible shield of force surrounding them. In theory it could block a bullet or two¡ªso long as Jessica''s energy and supply of gemstones held out. They''d never tested it, thank god, but the magic should work. Still, Hailey wasn''t about to try their luck. She swooped around wide, and dropped down almost to the street level well behind the second car. Hailey had flown this fast before, but never like this¡ªthree feet off the asphalt, drafting behind a car, with gunfire pounding back at her. A bullet clanged off the side of the car, but none followed. Hailey took that as a reload, and seized the opportunity. With a huge burst of air thrusting her forward, Hailey swung around the passenger side and grabbed desperately for the door handle with her mind. It took a second, and the door flew open, though the wind pressure was already forcing it back. Hailey dove in, Jessica still on top of her. The sprawled onto the passenger seat just as the door slammed shut behind them. "What the fuck?" She twisted around and upright, sitting on her legs. Jessica crouched low in the space beneath the glove compartment. Hailey turned to confront the driver¡ªand her mouth fell open. Rika Nishimura gaped right back at her, until a another gunshot twisted her around to the road. She swerved away, out of the line of fire. The car started to tip slightly. Rika growled something incomprehensible and slammed her fist down in midair. The side of the vehicle thumped back onto the pavement. "Rika?" Hailey gasped. "Could ask you the same fucking thing!" she snapped. She leaned out of the window and hurled another fireball from her hand, just barely missing the rear wheel of the car. "Shit!" "What''s going on?" "Gotta stop that fucking car." Not enough time to ask why. This is insane. We gotta stop this now. Hailey saw the car Jeremy had commandeered swing out onto the road. He was going to try and ram them off, she was sure. "Use lightning?" "Can''t. Might hit him." "What?" "The motherfuckers took Ryan," she snarled. "...Oh god." Hailey amplified her voice, trying to send it through the open window all the way to Jeremy''s car. "Jeremy! Can you hear me?" "You crazy, Hales?" asked Rika, confused. "Shut up, Rika. I''m trying something." Hailey adjusted the flow of the soundwaves again, trying to block out the massive noise from every direction. "Jeremy!" "Jesus, Hailey!" "Shit¡­" Rika gasped. Hailey hadn''t been very precise, so Jeremy''s voice echoed through the whole car as if he were shouting from right next to them. "Turn that shit down," he added. "Jeremy, they''ve got a hostage." "The fuck?" Rika threw another fireball at the tires, but missed. The burst of flame splashed across the pavement, leaving another little flickering torch in the trail she''d left down the whole highway. "This car''s got one of my friends, and they''ve got another. We need to stop them clean." "Police are settin'' up a line down the road." "Okay." "Shit!" he grunted. She didn''t need to ask. The truck had just side-swiped his car, knocking him away, before barrelling down the nearest exit. Hailey lost the audio from Jeremy entirely as his car spun out. "Who the fuck was that?" asked Rika as she spun the wheel, following the truck down. "Friend." Hailey leaned forward, trying to reach out as far as she could with her own magic. "Get me closer. I might be able to slash the tires." "I''m trying." They were speeding down city streets now, weaving through the thin evening traffic. "Fuck!" A car pulled out in front of them from a side street, perpendicular. Hailey grabbed Jessica''s hand, and at the same time hurled their car into the air. They sailed across the intersection, twelve feet up. Groaning from the effort, Hailey set them down, spinning wheels catching the pavement and barely losing them any momentum. Rika fought with the wheel to regain control. They started to spin out, but Hailey shoved at the side of the car from the outside. With Jessica''s help, she forced it back into alignment and didn''t lose an ounce of speed. "This is insane!" Hailey shouted. Rika laughed grimly. "No shit! Welcome to my life!" The truck was only a few blocks ahead. It peeled around a corner, and they followed at breakneck speed. The streetlights were practically a blur as they sped by. Cars peeled out of the way as the truck blared its horn. Hailey''s phone rang. She grabbed it up from her belt. "I lost you guys," said Jeremy. "We''re on¡­" Hailey trailed off. Even with her eyes, she couldn''t catch the street signs as they sped past. "I can''t tell. We''re gaining on them though." "You guys got a chopper tail. I''ll find you. Just need a new car. Stay on ''em." Jeremy hung up. "Hope you''re okay with being on the news," said Hailey, clipping her phone to her belt. She grabbed onto the window handle as they swerved around another curve. Rika put them into a drift, closing the gap a little bit more. "Where''d you learn that?" "Street racing. Pissing my dad off and risking his cars doing it." They turned again onto a long, narrow freeway. There wasn''t another turn as far as she could see, so they had a chance to catch up. "Hold onto your tits, Hales." "What?" Rika floored the accelerator. The car leapt forward like a pouncing cat. Hailey felt like she''d been hurled back into her chair. Rika had a powerful car, and she knew how to drive it well. They were gaining on the truck, fast. Hailey kept reaching, even as the acceleration pressed her back into the seat. She could almost feel the tires. If she could just get at the air inside¡­ The truck screeched. Smoke billowed from the tires as it slowed down¡ªmoving toward them. "Shit!" Rika ducked. Hailey followed a split-second later. Gunfire rattled through the windows, shattering the windshield and the passenger window. The car slumped as one tire fell flat, then another. They had at least two or three guns, by Hailey''s guess. Nothing automatic, but plenty of bullets between them¡­ and they were getting away. She hadn''t gotten the tires. "Rika?" she asked, as the car skidded across the pavement. "Chikushou!" Rika shouted, pounding the wheel with her hand. Hailey shook her head. She kicked the door open before they''d even lost half of their speed, and grabbed Rika around the waist. "Come on!"
Fuckin'' hell. Jeremy jammed at the buttons on his phone. "Stebbins, pick up the fucking phone!" "...Stebbins." "Are you still in Tacoma?" he shouted, running down the sidewalk. "Yes, sir." "Get to the south end, near¡­ Lakewood and 74th. Fuck!" Jeremy nearly tripped over a flipped over bicycle someone had abandoned on the sidewalk. "What''s going on?" "The motherfuckers are back." Jeremy hung up and kept running, following the beam of the helicopter light. Where''s Lani when you need him? I need a real fuckin'' driver. Got rammed off the road by a fuckin'' amateur. He spotted another car, with a dazed-looking driver who''d gotten sideswiped by the truck. It looked intact¡ªand tough enough to take a few more hits. He ran up to the driver. "Hey." "...Huh?" He flashed his badge. "Jeremy Ashe, FBI. I need your car. You''ll be paid for it." "...Yeah, okay." The guy stepped away, hands in the air. "Keys are in there." You''re not under arrest, you idiot. "Thanks." Jeremy got in, closing the door and sliding the seat back at the same time. He kicked it on and squealed back onto the road. The truck had taken the long way, but Jeremy had rolled around Tacoma enough in the last four months to know a shortcut. He''d cut them off at the other end. Gunning the engine, he sped down the side street, wishing he had a proper siren and lights. Jeremy hadn''t threaded a line through traffic in years. He kept leaning forward, checking the helicopter light in the distance, trying to gauge when they''d exit out of the long thoroughfare. Jeremy leaned down on the pedal, speeding up to cut the truck off. The helicopter was still in-line with Lakewood and heading south. Jeremy could beat them there. He was on track. The light buckled in midair. Jeremy squinted at it. Was it¡­ moving? It shattered. A stray, lucky gunshot, maybe¡ªJeremy couldn''t tell. The light vanished. The helicopter peeled off, just barely visible from its collision lights against the dark sky. Nowhere to change course, unless he wants to get caught in a neighborhood. He has to come out the south side of Lakewood. Nowhere to run, motherfucker. Jeremy peeled out in front of the road, parking his truck directly in the middle of the lanes. He dove out immediately, just in case, but as he got to his feet, he saw that the truck was still on the way, a pair of lights hurtling down the road straight at him. The trees lined both sides of the road like a long tunnel. Behind him was the city, but in front may as well have been an empty field. He ran to the side of the road, drawing his pistol. The truck barreled at him, blaring its horn. It wasn''t slowing down. Jesus Christ, is he gonna try to ram it out of the way? He doesn''t have that kind of torque. He''s a fuckin'' psycho. And he''s got a hostage. Jeremy was about to open fire on the tires when Hailey swooped out of nowhere. She lunged out of the darkness carrying Jessica and someone else he couldn''t make out. They dove down near the truck, and the other figure made a slashing motion with her hand. The front tire exploded. Hailey swung out wide, but the shreds of the tire had already caught them like shrapnel from a grenade. They stumbled in midair¡ªif that was even possible¡ªand Hailey dipped low. The trio fell into the grass ditch by the road, out of sight. Sparks flew from the front of the truck body as it screeched across the pavement. It ground to a halt, long before it reached Jeremy''s makeshift barricade. Three men leapt out, weapons drawn. They took aim at Hailey, who had just risen to her feet off in the roadside ditch. Jeremy opened fire.
Hailey dropped to the ground as soon as she heard the angry popping sounds. "Fuck!" Rika pressed a hand over a bloody patch in her side. "The fuck was that?" "They''ve still got guns," Hailey shot back. "Stay down." Jessica was flat on the ground, eyes forward. She gestured with her hand. A bright blue fireball appeared and hurtled over the top of the ditch, in the general direction of the truck. She threw a few more, before Rika grabbed her hand. "Ryan''s in there!" she shouted. When Jessica just stared at her blankly, Rika turned to Hailey. "Help me out here." Hailey took a second, then pointed at where the truck would be, if they were standing up. She mimed grabbing her own arm and dragging herself away, then held her hands up to her neck. She pointed at the truck again, emphasizing it. Jessica nodded. A second later, she vanished. "Jess!" Hailey cried, but she was gone. "Holy shit," gasped Rika. "You can turn invisible now?" "She''s going after Ryan," said Hailey, trying to keep the fear out of her voice. She doesn''t even know who''s in there. It''s our best move though¡­ She can just walk right up to them. Maybe¡ª Jessica cried out in alarm. Hailey''s heart stopped. Without thinking, she bolted over the edge of the ditch into the open. A huge burly beast of a man¡ªsomeone who looked like he was barely contained by his own skin¡ªwas holding¡­ nothing. Except that nothing was struggling against his grip, and he had a pistol up against her head. Hailey raised her hands, about to snatch the pistol away, but his other man had a gun on her as well. She froze. She didn''t dare move an inch. Another gunshot from far down the street, plinking off the truck cab as the men crouched behind it. "Do it, bitch. I dare you," the man grunted, spitting blood out of his mouth. Jessica reappeared, her face pinched up. She couldn''t breathe. Her hands beat at the man''s arm, but she couldn''t break free. She never learned how to make herself stronger¡­ none of us knew how back then. "You can''t get out of this," Hailey said slowly. "Your car''s toast." The guy shrugged. His face twisted into a wicked smile. "So''s your girl, if you don''t back off." Jessica''s arms were getting weaker. Hailey felt real pain in her chest, though she hadn''t been injured at all. "Let her go," she pleaded, holding her hands up. She took a step away. "Fuck you," he said. His finger began to squeeze the trigger. Hailey screamed. She hurled herself forward, ripping the pistol out of his hand with her mind. The bullet fired, and a splatter of blood flew out wide. Hailey''s fist, laced with magic, blew through the man''s face. His nose shattered, and his skull probably went along with it. The man slammed into the body of the truck. The back of his head flattened against the metal. He slid down the side. She had no idea if he''d survived. The other two men raised their guns. Hailey whipped around. A crackle of blue electricity flickered through the air. It struck the first man, then jumped to the second. Both fell to the ground, twitching like mad. The bolt of electricity jumped a third time to the truck, before dissipating with a pop. Rika lowered her hand, still clutching her bloody hip with the other. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Hailey fell to the ground. Jessica''s face was a mess of blood. Hailey cradled her head in her lap, wiping away the blood from her forehead, trying to see the wound. Jessica twisted around feebly, murmuring something. The graze wasn''t deep, but she was really shook up. Hailey gasped in relief. She seemed okay, just grazed. She was already starting to mumble something, the usual sing-song tone that meant she was fine and Hailey didn''t need to worry. Not that Hailey couldn''t worry after something like that. For a brief, terrible moment, she''d actually thought Jessica might be¡ª Another gunshot, and another. A final, much louder shot in rapid succession. Jessica cried out. One of the men on the pavement jerked. His head exploded. Rika dove to the ground, and threw her hand out wide. The other pistol in the last man''s grip slid across the pavement a dozen feet, while he continued to twitch on the ground. Jessica was clutching her leg, where a bloody hole leaked fluid at an alarming rate. One bullet had flown right through her left shin and another through her thigh, missing Hailey by an inch. The man had barely managed to aim and pull the trigger despite being tazed by Rika into submission... and Jessica had been shot. "Jeremy!" Hailey shouted, her voice ragged. She threw magic into it heedless, raising it to deafening volumes. "Call an ambulance!" She barely heard an acknowledgment, still clutching Jessica in her arms. Rika crawled over next to her, pointing out where to hold the wound and apply pressure. Her hands were slick with blood, but Hailey managed it. The flow stopped. Jessica looked like she was getting better already, though she kept writhing and trying to get away from Hailey''s grip. "Oh sweet God in heaven¡­" Jeremy gasped as he finally came around to the back of the truck. He stared down at Hailey, tear-streaked and desperately holding Jessica''s leg in place while she moaned in pain. "It''s on the way, Jess. Hang in there." "Jess?" Hailey whispered. Jessica looked around, eyes fluttering. She saw Hailey and smiled. "Ryan," Rika groaned, pulling herself up the side of the truck. She opened the cab door, digging through the backseat. "Holy shit. Ryan, wake up." Sirens preceded the ambulance, swerving around Jeremy''s truck at the end of the street. It pulled up next to them, within just a few feet. The EMTs bolted out, and grabbed Jessica up out of Hailey''s arms. She clawed after them, but Jeremy held her back. They worked quickly to stabilize her wound as best they could, before they loaded her into the back. Hailey took an awkward step toward the ambulance¡ªand the rending, earsplitting cry of metal tearing apart stopped her in her tracks. Hailey whirled around. Rika was lugging an unconscious Ryan away from the suddenly bisected truck. Jeremy had his pistol drawn and was backing away from a huge, faceless golem.
Can''t catch a single fuckin'' break! "Stebbins!" Jeremy shouted through his earpiece. "Nothing, sir!" he called back, barely audible through the crappy cell phone connection. Jeremy wished they had a proper radio, but he had to improvise. "Fucker''s got a black stick he uses to make the bastards! Find him!" Jeremy turned and kept moving, while the golem advanced on the other three. He yelled at the paramedics to get moving. "That thing doesn''t care about you! Get out of here!" The ambulance shrieked away, ferrying Jessica out of the fight. Hailey, screaming in rage, grabbed up the entire front half of the truck body by its fender. She twisted around, then swung it like a massive baseball bat. Metal smashed against solid amorphous asphalt. The golem skidded across the pavement, cracking up the pavement as it went. Part of it was annihilated by the sheer impact¡ªbut as it turned and started advancing again, it shifted, and soon looked the same as it always did. "Let''s just get the fuck out of here!" he shouted. "Leave that thing!" Hailey shook her head. She hurled the truck cab at the golem, driving it back another couple dozen feet. "I''m going to find him. Right now." "Hailey!" "They shot Jessica!" Hailey burst into the air, climbing two dozen feet up in a second. She twisted around left and right, and the whole place lit up with fire. A dozen spheres of withering flame erupted around her in a huge circle, illuminating the whole street. The trees on the sides of the road wilted under the sudden blazing heat. A few caught fire. Jeremy scanned the area, but he couldn''t see anyone either. The Japanese girl with the tattoos carrying the unconscious blonde-haired white guy¡ªRyan fucking Walker, Jeremy realized with a start¡ªlooked up as well. She was bleeding too, but not severely. "Hales, we need to get the fuck out of here!" As if to echo her point, another gunshot echoed down the street. Someone screamed. Jeremy whipped around. That was from the neighborhood. What the fuck? "Stebbins!" "Shots fired, southeast. Somewhere in the residences. Unclear. Heavier than a pistol, sir. Rifle fire." Jesus Christ. "Cover us." He glared up at Hailey. "Hailey, it''s not clear! We gotta move!" "So move!" she shouted back. Well, can''t argue with that. Jeremy moved to grab Ryan''s other shoulder, and between the two of them, they made a pretty good pace down the road toward Stebbins'' position. As soon as they reached Jeremy''s commandeered truck, they loaded Ryan into the back seat. He was still groggy, but coming to fast. "Who the fuck are you?" the girl asked. "Jeremy Ashe." "Fuck me, the FBI guy? You''re with Hailey?" "Yeah." He glanced around. Another couple gunshots rang out, cracking down into the bushes on the right side of the road. The shots seemed to be coming from the houses along the same side, right near Jeremy and his truck. The houses were on an elevated patch of land overlooking a huge field to the north, forming a wall of buildings that started the neighborhood. The ground level of the houses was a good ten feet up on stone foundation, behind a row of tall bushes and a cheap fence. "What the hell are they shooting at?" "And who the fuck''s doing the shooting?" the girl added. "Hailey!" Jeremy shouted, trying to get her attention. Hailey was still flitting back and forth over the street to the north, while a circle of fireballs provided light for her in every direction. She whipped around at his call, the fire turning in sync with her. "Grab the fucker who''s still alive down there! I need to talk to him!" To his relief, she did it, swooping down to snatch him up and flying to their truck. She deposited him like a sack of bricks into the truck bed. Before she could take off again, Jeremy caught her by the sleeve. "Let me go," Hailey said, tugging away. Jeremy felt like she might break his arm if she pulled any harder, even though she was barely putting in any effort. "Hailey, they''re armed. You fly, you''re just an easier target." Jeremy got into the truck bed, and slapped sense back into the man she''d picked up. "Stay down til we figure out what the fuck''s going on." A huge crash from up in the neighborhood, something they couldn''t see. A cloud of dust blew through the air a second later. More screaming, and the sounds of people running. The gunfire picked up, now accompanied by an automatic weapon. Holy fuck. "Stebbins, call in some backup. Every single thing you can get," Jeremy snapped. The man nodded and got on the phone, while he got back to his impromptu interrogation. "Hey, hey you. Wake up." "Go¡­ go fuck yourself." "Did that this morning." Jeremy slapped him again. "What the fuck is going on?" The man didn''t respond. He just glared. Jeremy started to dig through his pockets, but the man didn''t react in the slightest. He''s way too good for this. They had a pro driving that thing. He doesn''t care if I search him. This guy isn''t one of Brian''s. Sure enough, Jeremy didn''t find a single useful thing in the man''s pockets. Ammo, smokes, and some loose cash. Not even a wallet. "Who are you workin'' for?" he asked, slapping the guy in the face again. "Fuck... off." The Japanese girl''s face paled at Jeremy''s question. "Thought he was with Brian." "No fuckin'' way. This guy isn''t some riled up civvie." She shook her head in dismay. "No fucking way. They wouldn''t." "Rika?" asked Hailey. Rika ignored her and leapt onto the truck bed. "Hey, asshole. Hey, wake up." He spat onto the truck bed. "What?" "You know a guy named Viper?" A split-second reaction, which was more than enough for both of them. She slugged the guy in the chest, causing him to cough up hard and double over. Jeremy turned around. "The fuck was that? Who''s Viper?" "A mercenary with a shitload of capital behind him." Rika glanced up at the row of houses. "And I''ll bet anything he''s the one with the guns up there. This just became a threeway. Not the fun kind, either." "What happened to him?" asked Hailey. "Alden never said." "I made a deal with him to get out of town. So apparently he''s a motherfucking backstabbing bakayaro!" Rika''s voice rose to a fever pitch as she glared up to the row of houses. "Asshole!" "¡ªtold not to touch you," muttered the mercenary. "Shinjimae," Rika snapped, kicking him in the chest. She winced in pain from the action, clutching her side. "The fuck do we do now?" She glanced at Hailey, and Jeremy followed her gaze. Hailey was looking up at the row of houses, where another round of gunfire echoed out into the street. Another muffled explosion. A second house had collapsed, throwing another pile of dust into the air behind the row they could see. "Hailey, wait¡ª" Jeremy started, but it didn''t matter. A rush of wind blasted his face as Hailey took off, hurtling into the sky. He twisted around. If she''s gonna go, I''m gonna get her everything I fuckin'' can. "Stebbins, where''s that fucking backup?"
Hailey swung around the south end of the block, opposite the gunfire. She took a quick survey from afar, squinting in the dim light. Most of the street lights were out (shot out, in fact, as she peered more closely), and she could make out guns peeking through second floor windows and over the edge of balconies. People were streaming out of the block to the south and east as fast as they could, fleeing the gunfire and the monsters. Oh god¡­ not this. Please, not this. Not again. Viper''s men hadn''t learned how to deal with the golems yet, apparently. As one of them burst onto the street from the alley between two houses, a rattle of gunfire peppered it. It moved, as if sentient, to respond, sliding across the street. As it did, a rougher-sounding gun¡ªa hunting rifle, in comparison to the modern military pops from Viper''s men¡ªopened up in return. A balcony window shattered, just above a rifle that Hailey could barely see even from her vantage. The man holding it didn''t move an inch, even with a gunshot that missed him by centimeters. Return fire flooded the street. A puff of blood behind a fence as one of Brian''s men took a bullet and collapsed. The golem continued forward, approaching the patch of grass along the sidewalk in front of the houses. It slid up the curb, making for the house with the most gunfire. The sidewalk exploded. Hailey looked away before the flash blinded her. As she turned back, she realized it was actually the grass that had exploded, though the sidewalk around it hadn''t done much better. A crater had completely replaced the stretch of concrete and dirt. The golem was gone. Okay, so explosives can kill them¡­ Good to know. As she watched, Viper''s men were starting to retreat. Police cars rolled up, lights and sirens blaring. A helicopter with a spotlight beat its way in on the air currents, not that far from where Hailey was flapping in place, and another was en route. The mercenaries fled to the west, blending in with the civilians or just fading into the forest. Hailey considered diving after one of them, but she wasn''t sure she could beat them one on one. Not in her current state. She was totally exhausted after the day she''d had. She''d flown up to Tacoma faster than she''d ever flown before. Even now, she was relying on her tourmaline pendant just to stay airborne. Hailey kept scanning the area, and tried to force her eyes into better night vision. She wanted to catch Brian, or whichever of Brian''s men was summoning the golems. She couldn''t see anything though, just tons of faceless people. He could be anyone, or he could even be hiding inside one of the houses. It wasn''t like she could just go through every house and interrogate them one by one¡ªas tempted as she was by that idea. Jess¡­ Oh god. She must be in so much pain right now. Reluctantly, Hailey gave up on finding anyone. She''d lost track of Viper''s men, and she had no idea where Brian''s might be. It was too much of a mess, and now with rescue vehicles and the huge police presence, she couldn''t do anything. I can help. Jess would want me to help. There was someone crying out in pain. Hailey zeroed in on it. She dove toward the wrecked house, landing in the debris outside the front door. Firefighters were already trying to bust though the front door. Hailey hurried forward and slammed into it with her shoulder, blasting through it. With the two guys at her back, she sprinted through the house and up the damaged staircase. A young man was trapped underneath a fallen beam, his arm pinned. The firefighters started to call for equipment, but Hailey shook her head. She grabbed the huge crossbeam with both arms, prepping the spell as she did. She was still exhausted, and could feel the magic draining from the gemstone just to pull this off, but she had to. After what she''d done down on the street¡­ she couldn''t leave. The firefighters braced the guy, then one of them gave her a signal. Hailey grunted with exertion as she heaved the beam up and out of the way. They slid him out, and started bandaging his wound even as they carried him bodily from the building. A split-second later, Hailey found out why they were rushing. The beam, lifted free of supporting the structure frame, split in half. The ceiling collapsed, with Hailey underneath.
"Jeremy Ashe, FBI," he growled, as some overeager police officer tried to get in his way. "Move!" "But sir, the area''s not clear!" Jeremy ignored him, dashing into the cul-de-sac. News teams were arriving now too, just behind the rescue crews. A news chopper hovered on the opposite side from the police spotlight. Rika followed a few steps behind him. Stebbins had taken Ryan and their hostage away in the truck, promising Jeremy that nobody would find Viper''s man until he wanted it. Five houses had collapsed. There was dust and debris everywhere. Bullet holes covered fences, mailboxes, walls. A few men were dead in the street on the north side¡ªlikely Brian''s men. Jeremy didn''t see a single figure that looked to be one of Viper''s. Two of the front yards looked like they''d been hit by artillery fire, with huge craters sinking into the dirt. "Jesus Christ," he muttered, taking in the destruction. Rika was speechless, following behind him. They hurried to where they''d last seen Hailey dive¡ªthe absolute worst house, of course. As they approached, it buckled in even further, coughing out another cloud of dust that burned at their eyes and lungs. A pair of firefighters emerged, carrying a body out with them. A male body. Jeremy blitzed toward the house, but a thick-sleeved firefighter held him back. "It''s not stable. Stay back." "But¡ª" The whole crowd stopped as a chunk of rubble flew aside, fifteen feet through the air like it was made of foam. Hailey¡ªcaked with dust and coughing hard¡ªemerged, stumbling out of the wreckage. One of the firefighters hurried to her side, helping her walk out. She was clearly weak and unsteady, but she''d also just tossed aside more weight than anyone her size could possibly hold up, all to rescue a man she''d never met. Right on cue. Despite everything they''d just gone through, Jeremy glanced at the cameras, which had caught everything, and felt a grim satisfaction. There''s your fuckin'' sympathy drive, Maddie. There''s your marketing. Hailey Winscombe, a real fuckin'' hero. As Hailey was helped back to an ambulance, Jeremy and Rika hurried over to join her. "Shit, Hailey," he started. "The hell were you thinking?" "Couldn''t¡ª" She paused, coughing through the dust she''d inhaled. "Couldn''t find him." "So you went diving through a bombed-out building?" asked Rika, raising her eyebrows. "Heard¡­ someone in pain. Had to help. Jess¡­ would have wanted me to help." "Holy shit, Hales. She''s going to be fine." We don''t know that yet¡­ Jeremy glanced at Rika, and got a glare in return. Right. "We got her in the ambulance fast. She''s gonna be fine." Hailey shook her head. "All... my fault." "You didn''t try to kidnap Ryan in the middle of the night," Rika pointed out. "It''s those fuckers'' fault." "This ain''t on you," Jeremy agreed. "There''s a whole lot of shit goin'' on here and you ain''t responsible for it." He sat down next to her on the edge of the ambulance. "We''re gonna find ''em. Don''t you fuckin'' worry." "I know who hired those assholes," added Rika. "Trust me, they aren''t getting away clean." Hailey shook her head. "I¡­ those guys. Down on the street." Oh shit. "We got ''em. Took all three away for questioning. They''ll be locked up tight, don''t worry." Rika glanced at him, and it was his turn to shoot her a glare. Don''t you dare fuckin'' tell her. She shivered. "So cold¡­" Rika climbed in, looking around for a blanket. She got it and tucked it around Hailey''s shoulders, wrapping her up tight. "You good?" "...Jess¡­ usually keeps us warm. I can''t do Nature magic." Hailey shook her head again. "Oh god¡­" She shivered again, staring at the ground. Rika just sat there, confused, not sure what to do. Jeremy put an arm around her shoulder. "It''s okay, Hailey. You''re done for tonight." She leaned into him, wrapped up tight in her blanket. None of them spoke for several minutes, watching the city buzz with activity around them like someone had kicked over a hive. Hundreds of emergency personnel had flooded the neighborhood. Heavily-armed police squads in full riot gear were kicking down doors and going through every house, while firefighters and rescue workers continued to dig through the rubble of the collapsed buildings. What the hell happened tonight? Hailey coughed again, and thankfully, it finally sounded like her throat was clearing up. She glanced up at Jeremy, voice ragged and raw. "...Where''d they take her?"
Hailey couldn''t sit still. All they told her was that Jessica was still in surgery. The bullets shattered her leg completely, obliterating major sections and causing heavy bleeding¡ª with the high powered guns Viper''s people used and at such close range, it was a miracle it hadn''t done more damage. She paced up and down the waiting room, while Rika snored curled up in the corner. Jeremy was outside fobbing off the media, who''d followed the cars back to the nearest hospital as soon as they realized Hailey and Jeremy were involved. She kept moving, afraid to let her thoughts settle. She''d already done everything she was supposed to do. Jessica''s parents were on their way, and she''d even gotten them an escort¡ªthe best possible escort she could think of, under the circumstances. They were as safe as Hailey could possibly make them. Cinza was on high alert. With the news that Viper was back to being a real player, and willing to go to such lengths, they needed to be ready for anything. She''d called back everyone she''d sent out, and invited several of the most-trusted newly awakened to take sanctuary in the Greywood. Cinza''s well-fortified, magically protected haven was secure¡ªbut given Viper''s knowledge of the area, and the considerable resources backing him in Cornelius Malton, there weren''t many other places any of them could feel truly safe. Worse, Viper was awakened, unlike Brian and his people. He had access to magic and mundane weapons, and the ability to come up with something new that might blindside them entirely. Hailey knew the golems by now. She knew their limitations, and how to keep them at bay at the very least, and Cinza''s people were working on more targeted spells using the golem Scrap. On top of which, Brian played by the rules. His own, insane rules¡ªbut rules: only the awakened were valid targets. Who knows what rules Viper''s playing by¡­? There was no doubt they''d killed more than a few innocent people in the crossfire tonight. Between taking down several houses, the improvised explosives laid into the yards, the gunfight¡­ Hailey shuddered at what the death toll might end up reaching. "Hales?" Rika murmured, rolling over. "Did I miss anything?" "No¡­" Hailey sighed. "Still no word." "Shit¡­" Rika sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Sorry I fell asleep." "It''s okay. One of us really should." "You, for sure," said Rika. "You need it way more than I do." "I can''t." Hailey started pacing again. "I can''t miss anything. Not while she''s¡­" "Yeah, I know." Rika yawned and stretched out. "You want anything? Maybe the cafeteria''s still open." "It''s three in the morning," she snapped, frustrated. Rika shrugged. "Okay, so maybe not." Hailey sighed. "I''m sorry." "Seriously, Hales. No apologies necessary. I should be the one apologizing to you." "Huh?" Rika shook her head. "I keep blaming myself for this shit. Because I made that deal with Viper. Gave his boss everything he could dream of." "How''s that related to this?" "Probably isn''t, but that''s how my fucked up brain works." Hailey sighed. She walked over and took a seat, and put an arm around her. "Thank you, Rika." "Uhh¡­ for what?" "Sticking around. Being my friend." Rika coughed. "I''m a pretty shitty friend." "Nah." Hailey smiled, though she could barely manage it. "You see anybody else in this waiting room? It''s you and me." "Points for attendance, then." Rika shrugged. "I guess that''s something." Hailey nodded. "Hey, speaking of which¡­" "Huh?" "Gimme your number. Let''s not just meet up every six months whenever the world''s ending." Rika snorted. "Good call." The waiting room doors burst open a minute later, just as they were both starting to settle down a little. Jessica''s parents rushed through. Malcolm''s face was streaked with tears, and Beth looked like she was in the middle of an active panic attack. Beth opened her mouth as soon as she saw Hailey, but nothing came out. Hailey wouldn''t have cared if she''d starting screaming for hours. She hurried to them, burying them both in a hug. "Is she¡ª" "We don''t know yet," Hailey whispered. "Oh god¡­" Malcolm collapsed into the nearest chair. His wife followed him, clutching his hand. Neither of them spoke, staring dead-eyed at the emergency room doors. Hailey took a deep breath, trying to keep from breaking down at the sight of them. She turned around to greet the last member of the group¡ªthe escort she''d called in. "Everything went okay?" she asked. "Nothing the whole way here," he replied. "Nobody even recognized us. Had to convince the front desk staff we were for real." She smiled. "Thanks, Wes." Weston nodded. "Anything, Hales." He hugged her tight, and she melted into his arms for a bit, letting him hold her upright. She didn''t want to do it herself anymore. Gravity felt like her worst enemy. "Any news?" "No¡­" Hailey buried her face in his shoulder. Horror flooded her veins like purest ice. She felt magical energy rushing in her chest, but it couldn''t do anything for her. "Nothing at all." He hugged her tight. "She''ll be okay. She was always the strongest of us." Hailey didn''t move, didn''t respond. She couldn''t move. Everything felt so wrong. She couldn''t bear to see anything anymore. She just kept her face there, pressed into Weston''s shirt, standing in the waiting room with the pale buzzing lights above them, while Rika rocked back and forth in the corner trying to keep herself awake, and Jessica''s parents clutched each other''s hands, pale as ghosts. Nobody spoke another word, waiting desperately to hear the answer to the same question they''d all been asking over and over. Waiting for a doctor to come let them know it was going to be a while and they could just go home, only to get declined, and practically shoved back out the door. Waiting for the surgery team to return, let them know it was a success and she was in recovery, but that they couldn''t see her for a while. Waiting for Jessica to wake up and tell them everything would be okay. Waiting for anything. Waiting. [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] Interlude VIII — A Day in the Life of Jessica Silverdale Interlude VIII ¡ª A Day in the Life of Jessica Silverdale Her angel peered into her face, crying in horror. Her eyes were wide and terrified. Jessica hated seeing the angel look so upset. She tried in vain to push herself back up, but she couldn''t. Her leg wouldn''t move. As she looked down, she saw it in pieces, covered in blood, spilling out like a river. She couldn''t take her eyes off it. ...Is that mine? A huge bang echoed through her eardrums. The calm man on the ground¡ªthe one who''d done this to her¡ªjerked and slid across the street. His head disappeared. She wondered what just happened to him. Another painful spike in her leg. It was like someone were driving a nail into her skin. She tried to twist away, but the strong dark arms of the detective held her down. He seemed like a good person. He used to be their enemy, and now he was their friend. She tried to lay still, but the agony in her leg made her try to crawl away. Try to get away from her own limb. The angel grasped at the holes in her leg, stopping the blood flow. Jessica tried to resist, but the pain overwhelmed every sense in her body and her mind. Her eyes were getting hazy and weak. The black clouds were coming back, flooding into her eyes, just like the burning building. Next to the angel, she could just barely make out the angry girl. Her hair wasn''t blue anymore. Jessica''s was still half-blue though¡­ Maybe she should change it. Am I dying? The angry girl pointed at spots on her leg, and the angel adjusted her grip. Jessica couldn''t help it; she whimpered in pain, and that only made her angel''s expression ten times worse. I''m sorry. I didn''t want to. I was just trying to help. Angry-girl crawled away. Jessica noticed she was bleeding too, but it didn''t seem as bad. She crawled up the side of the car and opened the door, dragging out the bound and limp body of the pretty boy. The one Jessica had been trying to save, because her angel thought it was important. Except she hadn''t saved anyone. She''d been spotted somehow, found by the scary man with the gun. She''d barely noticed it, someone else sending out a magical pulse just like she did. Feeling out for anything happening around her that she couldn''t see with her eyes. I messed up¡­ The three scary men were on the ground now. One of them was dead, and the other two were stunned and twitching. Their guns were far away. She didn''t have to worry about them. They couldn''t hurt her angel. Sirens, as an ambulance rolled up. More hands grabbed at her, tearing away at the cloth covering her wounds, trying to clean and bandage them. I need to stay awake... Falling unconscious would be very bad. She''d been shot. Multiple times. She knew what that meant. She knew that the only way to stick around was to fight, harder than she ever had before. Her body just wouldn''t respond. Pain was blocking out everything. All she had was her mind, trying to hang on through a hurricane of torture. And¡­ her magic. It was still there, right in the center of her brain as it always had been, ever since that day. Movement. She could feel a huge burst of magical energy on the other side of the truck. She recognized it, too. A faceless monster. Like the ones from her home. The monster was about to throw the truck into her angel. Watch out! she tried to shout¡ªbut of course, she had no idea how to say that. Not in a way they''d understand. She needed to do something, before the monster could kill the one she loved most in all the world. Jessica reached out, just as the monster grasped the edges, and pulled with all her might. The truck tore in half. The monster found itself gripping nothing, as she ripped the remaining piece from its hands. She couldn''t get it much further than that, but at least she''d gotten their attention. The angel whipped around. She saw the monster. Jessica would have breathed a sigh of relief¡­ except that she was having trouble forcing any air through her lungs. She felt so weak. Her body just wouldn''t move like it was supposed to. Pain kept her rooted in place. The detective kept shouting, while the angry girl backed away. Her angel started funneling magic like the beginning of a tornado spinning into a howling fury, painfully different from the usual gentle breeze of her true spirit. Jessica tried to reach out and give her more, but she was so far away, and Jessica couldn''t get to her. She was lifted into the ambulance, and the sirens started up again. She watched as her angel started to fight again¡ªbut Jessica wasn''t at her side where she was supposed to be. The ambulance door slammed closed, and the car rumbled away, while the sounds of explosions and gunfire echoed through the metal box surrounding her. The paramedics kept working, trying to talk to her. She mumbled something, hoping they''d understand she couldn''t talk but was still awake. They needed to know she was awake. She needed to stay awake. She needed to stay awake. She needed to¡ª The crystals exploded. Every single one around the outside of the symbol she''d drawn on the floor in chalk, simultaneously. They shot in every direction, embedding in the walls, barely missing her by inches. Barely missing him, too. Jessica panicked, letting out incomprehensible noises of fear as she scrambled away. He ducked as a rushing sound filled the room, deafening her. Light flooded back into the room, where it had been pitch black only a moment before. She fled into the corner, curling into a ball, trying to hide herself from him. Somehow, his intrusion had fractured it. He''d shattered everything. She''d been so close to discovering something huge. She could feel it, just inches away from her grasp. It might have been nothing useful yet, but it would have been a breakthrough. It was a whole new area of magic, some facet she''d never explored. Just a few more minutes and she would have been done. Now, she was naked and broken, while her mind twisted into shapes that she couldn''t understand. She shivered and tried to press herself deeper into the corner of the room, praying he''d just go away. She whimpered in fear, as sensation overwhelmed her mind. There was so much energy flooding through her skull, a torrent of unchecked magical power. She couldn''t handle it. She couldn''t control it anymore. It could kill her if she didn''t let go. Someone shouted. A voice. Her voice, the voice Jessica longed to hear every minute of every waking day. I have to let go. If I don''t, I''ll die. I''ll never see her again. Jessica let go. The rushing sound stopped. The flow of energy froze, like a river that suddenly turned to ice. It cracked. She reached out with her mind and tried to push it away. It shattered, and along with it, something in her brain. Something she couldn''t remember, even though it had been there only a second earlier. Someone said something. Jessica slowly looked up, peeking through the curtain of hair covering her face. Both of them were staring at her, wide-eyed, terrified. She tried to say something back, reassure them that she was okay. She opened her mouth. I¡­ They stared at her. Jessica tried again. I''m¡­ Nothing came out. She didn''t have the words to say it. They were gone. She knew they existed. They were out there somewhere. She reached for them, but her brain refused. It couldn''t go down that path. It wouldn''t let her. They started talking, at the same time. She looked between the two of them, panicking. Her mind was moving faster than she could understand. Jessica tried to slow it down, hoping she was just in shock, that she could hear them if only she concentrated. Nothing. She could hear them just fine, but the words meant nothing to her. The other girl¡ªthe beautiful, confident, exciting girl who filled up her sad grey life with color and joy¡ªreached out. Her hand touched the skin on Jessica''s leg, where her knees were pressed up into her face, trying to hide from the sudden terror that had become her entire world. As her throat caught up in her chest and her eyes began to water, Jessica leaned forward and let the girl wrap her up in her arms, the last safe place left for¡ª The sirens screamed in her ears. Jessica spluttered awake. The doors to the ambulance slammed open. She was lifted out on a stretcher and loaded onto a gurney, hurried through the doors to the emergency room. More people appeared, on either side of her. A doctor. Nurses. They shouted questions at her that she couldn''t answer. She tried, feebly, to lift an arm, and it moved. She could have cried in joy, if she weren''t already crying from the pain. I need to stay awake. The doctor realized that she couldn''t answer. The doctor looked intense. Jessica was frightened of her. But she knew that they were just trying to help. She pointed down at the other pulsating spike of pain, higher up above her leg near her hip, the one nobody had looked at yet. The doctor''s eyes widened. She shouted something, and more hands grabbed at her. They tore apart everything in the way. Jessica instinctively tried to move to cover herself, but a firm, strong grip held her down. The pain stopped her feeble attempts a moment later, as another wave of pure agony washed through her skull and broke her concentration. She''s out there fighting. I need to fight too. Jessica growled, a husky sound that barely resembled her voice. The doctor glanced over, but since she didn''t say anything more, they hurried back to working on her. They were trying desperately to patch her up. It went on and on. Every time they jabbed at her, she forced herself to stay still. She didn''t twist away. She didn''t move at all. She''d be the best patient they''d ever had. Mind over matter. I am in control. I''m Jessica. I know my name. I''m not alone. Except¡­ she was alone. She didn''t know anyone around her in this place. She didn''t even have her own labels for them. At least back home, she could think of her best-friend, or the best-friend-squared, or the wolf-girl and the cult-leader. And, of course, her angel. She''ll be here soon. I just have to hang on. Bright lights shone in her face. They were cutting something. Needles poked at her skin. She could barely even feel them over all the pain emanating up through her veins, like boiling water flooding under her skin. She couldn''t feel anything down there, actually, as they kept prodding. My leg. I can''t¡­ I can''t feel my leg anymore. Jessica growled again, more fiercely. Her hands gripped the pure white sheets tight, bunching up in fists. Her vision was fading. Her grip on the sheets loosened. She''s coming. The angel''s coming. Everything''s gonna be okay. She''s always there for me. She''s comi¡ª Her parents were shouting at her. Her mom was furious, her dad confused and upset. They didn''t understand why she''d done it. She couldn''t explain it to them either. She was just so miserable. Every single day was anguish. She woke up in the morning, wondering if that was the day she''d just give up already. The routine was the worst part of it all. If she went through that same routine one more day, she knew it would end. Something had to change. So she''d struck out. She''d done everything she could to upset her parents. She''d caused this. This anger, this pain. They hated her, they didn''t want her, and she was okay with that. She just needed to get away, to reset her life, and this was the best course of action she could find. She had packed her bags every single night for months, and unpacked them again in the morning when she couldn''t follow through. This time, she''d burned the bridges. There was no going back. Jessica left, and her dad slammed the door behind her. She wandered down the street, wondering where she''d go. What she''d do. Where she''d live. Their town wasn''t very large. Everyone would know soon that her parents had kicked her out, unless she found somewhere to hide. She couldn''t exactly live on the street here; there were so few, and the sheriff would be on her in a flash. She could go to the city¡ªexcept she''d never lived in a city. She''d barely even been to one. Was that a good idea? Except¡­ she was here. Jessica couldn''t leave. What if I just¡­ live with her? Jessica laughed aloud, savoring her own bitter misery. How could she live with her, like this? Jessica didn''t want to be looked on like some beggar. Not by her. Jessica wanted to be something she could desire. As impossible as it might be. Jessica wanted¡ªneeded¡ªto be wanted in return. Not like with her parents, who''d never wanted her. Who''d had her by accident and regretted it ever since. Who''d never understood her, and probably never could. Especially now, when she suddenly had powers that nobody understood. That she couldn''t understand, even with the spells that let her learn more than anyone about the nature of the magical energy they''d all discovered. She wandered, and as always happened when she wandered, she ended up at her best friend''s dorm. When she knocked, he was inside, playing games online with his best friend, the football player, who had long-since flown back home out of fear. They spent a ton of time together, even now when they were a thousand miles apart. But then, her best friend was the type who could definitely have two best friends. She didn''t resent the other guy at all. They didn''t exactly get along, but she never felt like she was left out with them. Her best friend was there for her when she called. But at the same time, he couldn''t ever be what she really needed, and he knew it. The moment he saw her, bags weighing down her arms and the look plastered across her face though she did her best to hide it, he welcomed her in with open arms. She spent the first night there, asleep on his couch, and the second and the third night after that. But she couldn''t stay there forever. The dorm didn''t allow her, for one, since this was the guys'' half, and she hated imposing on her best friend. He wouldn''t ever complain, because he really was the best, but she could tell she was pressuring him. When they finally talked it out, and she confessed what was really going on, he didn''t laugh. He hugged her again, and listened to her complain, gave her a shoulder. Everything a best friend should do. She loved him for that. He was the reason she finally worked up the courage to take the next step. She''d already escaped her parents, now she needed to complete changing her life. She couldn''t accept anything less, else she knew she''d never recover. The next night they spent at her apartment, she invited Jessica to stay over. Jessica didn''t even need to say anything. Jessica never mentioned what had happened, or why she wouldn''t be expected home, and no one asked. Soon enough, she had a perfect excuse, after the terrifying fight between the two angry gods that nearly destroyed the old town library. Suddenly, Jessica was just living there, as if she''d always belonged. A month later, Jessica made it official, and no one ever found out her secret. A month after that, in a room covered by symbols and gemstones, with energy flooding the air in so many ways, Jessica finally opened her mouth, threw caution to the winds as she would have done, and¡ª Jessica groaned. Her eyes fluttered open. A beeping sound. A monitor. Heart rate. And other things. She could see the line pulsing over the screen. There were numbers. At least, she assumed they were numbers. Nothing else would really make sense there. She wondered if it was a good heart rate. If her blood pressure was okay. She knew what the good amounts were for someone healthy, but what about someone in her condition? Her leg wouldn''t move. Pain was still radiating through her, but it was dulled. Muted, almost, but still very much pressing on her brain from every direction. She was probably on painkillers. Multiple IVs dripped out of her. She was getting blood and other nutrients. Everything hurts¡­ She moaned again, not by choice. She could barely move, and every twitch brought a fresh wave of anguish. She''d never imagined someone could feel this much pain. It wanted to consume her, wanted her to vanish into its burning depths and swallow her whole. She had to fight, every single moment, to stay aware. Help. Please. Someone. I''m cold. The room was dark. Only the glow of the monitors. She wondered what time it was. There were no windows to the outside, and the ones she could see through were just as dark. Except¡­ it wasn''t dark. It was light. Bright lights. Someone was poking at her again, working on her leg. She tried to hold it in, but another moan escaped her lips. It was too much. If she weren''t feeling so weak, she would have tried to get away from the doctor''s hands. Even though Jessica knew better, knew she was just trying to help, the doctor caused pain with every single touch. Why is it so hard to see? She should have been able to see just fine. Her eyes were way better than normal. She and the angel figured out how to do that so long ago, and made it permanent. But¡­ she couldn''t. Noise. Loud, painful noise. She winced. The doctor looked up, but not at her. Out the window into the hall. The lights were on. A nurse hurried to the door, holding someone back. Holding her angel back. They were whispering, but it was so loud it might as well have been shouting. Arguing. Jessica could guess what about. The angel got angry. The nurse held up a clipboard like a shield, trying to push her out of the room. A surge of magic in the room. The clipboard ripped away from the nurse''s hands and into the air. Jessica felt its trajectory before it even moved. She caught it before it hit the wall. Everyone stared. The nurse looked terrified. The doctor froze in place. They were all watching the clipboard, hovering in midair. Jessica ignored them, because the angel was staring at her, tears in her furious eyes. Jessica forced her hand up into the air, struggling against the restraints and the medication and everything else holding her back. She waved the angel forward. The doctor said something, but the angel snapped at her and the doctor fell silent. The angel rushed to Jessica''s side, taking an open stool next to her bed and clasping her hand tight. Sighing in futility, the doctor returned to Jessica''s leg and lower abdomen, still working on her. Something else bugged her mind. Sterility. What if her angel hadn''t properly protected against infection? It was no wonder the doctor was so concerned. Jessica sent out another pulse of magic, and to her relief, she couldn''t feel anything. The angel had done everything right, just like she was supposed to do. It was okay. The angel could be there with her, and hold her as she needed to be held. I''m scared. Another surge of magic in the room, like the sense of electricity in a room¡ªa faint flickering of energy that was barely perceptible, but made her hair stand on end. She tried to feel where it was going, but the angel hadn''t reached for anything in the room. She didn''t seem to be using it on herself either, though of course Jessica couldn''t be sure of that¡ªuntil she felt the glow. Like the heat of a fire, dancing on the edges of her skin, the angel was trying to push magic into her. Trying, desperately, to do something. Jessica couldn''t be sure what. It didn''t matter though. The rules were unbreakable. She squeezed the angel''s hand, as hard as she could. Trying to let her know she could feel it. That Jessica appreciated what she was trying to do, impossible as it might be even for someone as strong and intelligent and brave as her. More commotion at the door. The nurse was blocking more people. Her mother and father. She felt like it had been centuries since she last saw them. Except¡­ it was only yesterday, wasn''t it? She couldn''t possibly know. The only way she could keep track of time was her own mind, and she''d been knocked out cold. It could have been weeks, or no time at all. Her angel was arguing now too. The doctor got into it this time, insistent. Her parents tried to push their way in again. She didn''t want them to. She didn''t want anyone around her anymore. Just the doctors, who were helping her stay alive, and the angel, who gave her the reason to stay alive. It hurts. Please, make it stop. She couldn''t move, could barely breathe, but she could still use magic. She picked up the clipboard again, which she''d set down on a cabinet and which the nurse had abandoned with a nervous expression. It flew in front of her parents, between them and the nurse. Blocking them out. Everyone stopped talking. They all looked at her, but another massive wave of pain crashed in at that exact moment, and she was overcome. She lost sight of the room, only barely hearing her father''s weeping, her mother''s angry cries. She lost everything but the feeling of her angel''s hand on her own. Tight, fingers interlocked, right where her hand belonged. Right next to her, where Jessica had finally found her home. The crying and pleading faded out, and suddenly she was afraid again. What if it didn''t come back? What if she didn''t come back? What if she was¡ª They tumbled back into her bedroom. Jessica was coughing. She couldn''t stop it. Every breath she took hurt. Her angel was feverishly looking up something on the laptop. Probably ways to help her deal with whatever this was. Jessica knew she''d inhaled a lot of smoke¡ªway too much. She thought she could handle that much fire, but the pressure of the smoke and holding back the inferno, coupled with the distraction of the building falling apart, and she''d broken. The smoke poured through her walls and nearly smothered her. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. The angel got her out, but they were both feeling the after-effects now. They went to sleep coughing. It took Jessica hours, clinging to her side, to finally drift off. Every time she coughed, she could tell she''d just woken the angel up again, and she hated herself for it. She tried to move away, give her space so one of them could get some sleep, but the angel refused, and it tore Jessica up inside even worse than the smoke had. To pull away was out of love, and to stay close was out of love. She gave up, and just let the angel decide for her. Except then the morning came, and she was still coughing her lungs out. Her throat burned and her eyes were red and stinging. It was even worse than the night before. Jessica''s mom came into the room, and they started shouting again. Jessica hated it. Her parents shouting seemed like the cause of so many of her life''s worst moments¡ªand this was no exception. She forced her mother to leave, driving her away to let them all have some peace. It didn''t matter what they were arguing about. She just wanted some quiet. But then the angel turned back to her, and Jessica realized why she felt so awful. She knew she was about to let her down. Let down the person she cared most for in the world. She tried so hard to hide it, but the tears burst forth anyway. She explained, in broken, pained gestures and bursts of magic, that she couldn''t do it anymore. That she couldn''t go out into these situations, into danger, into the terror and nightmares. Ever since they''d witnessed the angry god and the light god fight each other in her home, she knew she wasn''t built for a life like this. But her angel was, and she wanted more than anything to stay by her side. The angel''s face fell. Her eyes softened. She looked heartbroken. Jessica''s heart did break. She immediately wanted to take it back. She was on the verge of crying out that she didn''t mean it. That she was just overreacting. She could keep doing this. She could stay close. Nothing came out. She shrunk away. Jessica knew already this was the worst moment of her entire life, letting her angel down, but she still did it. As the tears became a stream, she fled the room. She couldn''t look at the angel''s face anymore, not after that. Not after¡ª If she thought the pain couldn''t get any worse, she was wrong. The real world crashed back into life as a massive surge of pain thundered up her chest to her brain. Her back arched involuntarily. She hadn''t even realized she could still move that much, and it only exacerbated the agony. Accompanying the new sheer wave of torture was a chorus of beeps and chimes. The doctor and the nurse flew into a panic. Shouting. More people in hospital gear appeared, flooding through the door. Jessica lost her grip, lost the warmth in her hand as the angel was shoved aside. No, please! I need her! Don''t take her away from me! The doctors were working furiously. Nurses brought in more blood, more fluids, more antibiotics and medicine and materials. The angel watched from the corner, eyes locked on hers. Jessica stuck to that as her anchor. She sent out a wave of magic through the air, insubstantial and without any purpose, and let it just hang there in midair. Waiting. Praying she''d notice. She did. The angel sent out her own gust of magic, and Jessica felt it cling to hers, a lifeline of mystical energy that she held onto, to keep from drowning into oblivion. Don''t let go of me. Keep me here. I want to stay with you forever. I always wanted y¡ª They were going to a party. Jessica hated parties. She never knew what to do at them. She liked staying in with a good drink and some chocolate, reading or watching TV. But her best friend insisted. Told her this party was special. It wasn''t like a typical party, it was hosted by the most popular girl in school. Jessica dreaded it even more when he said that. Not that she had any clue who the most popular girl was; she didn''t really pay attention to things like that. She just concluded it definitely wasn''t for her, if popularity had anything to do with it. Nobody paid attention to her, after all. Even the guys ignored her. She wasn''t just a fly on the wall, she was totally inside the wall. On the other side of the wall. But she was living with him, and she wanted him to stop worrying about her, so she reluctantly agreed to go. They headed out to the party that night, and Jessica even dressed up a bit, tried to make herself look prettier. She didn''t really like how it looked, but her best friend kept insisting she looked amazing, and his best friend agreed. She knew they were just being nice. If she even had the potential to look amazing, she probably wouldn''t be so totally isolated. It was okay though. She was used to it. She''d get over it. The party was in the house of her old neighbor. She felt a little uncomfortable about that, but it was still a fair distance away from her parents. Her best friend, fulfilling his duties perfectly, realized it the moment they arrived. He took her aside and quietly made sure she was okay. She brushed him off. She''d be fine. She could handle this. The partygoers were her bigger concern, especially as her sudden makeover drew attention. Suddenly, she was being noticed. She''d been catapulted over the wall, and she didn''t want to be on this side. After all, parties were mostly just an excuse to meet people, get drunk, and maybe have sex with someone. Jessica wasn''t big on the first, enjoyed the second on her own time, and as for the third¡­? She still wasn''t really sure how she felt about it. More importantly, she wasn''t what they were looking for. A few different guys made an attempt to talk to her. They weren''t rude about it; in fact she was a bit relieved at how nice everyone was. But she had to decline, politely, every single one of them, and she never gave an explanation. She got mostly bemused glances as they vanished back into the crowd. Jessica didn''t want to be stuck with the label. Didn''t want everyone to just think of her as that kind of girl. She saw a few very attractive women in the room, people she could see herself with if she could crawl out of her shell, but she knew she''d never be brave enough. Never even consider it. She''d stay on the sidelines forever if she must, rather than show the world who she was. Even her best friend didn''t know. Stay on the sidelines she did, taking a small armchair that wasn''t big enough for anyone else to even try to share it. She sipped her drink, wary of anything stronger, and she watched her best friend make a fool of himself, grinning the whole while. She laughed, she smiled, she stayed sitting on the outside. She watched as other couples paired off, she bobbed her head to the music and actually started to enjoy herself. If this was a party, it wasn''t so bad. As long as she knew exactly what she was doing there, and who she was, she could learn to enjoy it. It all came down to the people, she concluded, and her best friend had informed her that the hostess maintained very strict rules for every party that kept things fun. Speaking of whom, the party burst into applause as she arrived. Jessica was still watching her best friend dancing like an idiot with a girl half his height and twice his enthusiasm. When they stopped, she felt so disappointed. She''d wanted to see where that was going. Then Jessica turned around, and saw her. An angel descended down the staircase. She wore a stunning blue dress, with waves of golden-blonde hair cascading down the sides like curtains. Her eyes were the most perfect shade of blue¡ªnot too dark that she couldn''t see who was underneath, nor too light that she might seem cold and distant. No, these were the eyes of the pure open sky, with just a hint of sparkle, like the stars that hid underneath the sun and came out to fill the void every night above their town. Her smile was like joy distilled into a human face, and her voice was so full of life and energy that Jessica felt like she could survive off of that sound alone. Everything she did, every movement and every tiny twist of her expression was someone truly alive. Jessica was in love in an instant. The angel came down with a friend at her side, a very quiet girl with thick brown hair and striking grey eyes whom Jessica shared a few classes with. She announced the official start of the party, to which everyone laughed. They''d already been there for an hour. The angel descended into the crowd, and an upbeat song kicked on the stereo, and for the first time in her life, Jessica felt like actually joining in the dance. But she couldn''t work up the courage. The party went on, and the angel danced with everyone who came to her, no matter who they were. It could be a dozen guys, or a single girl, or any number of any combination in between, they all found her laughing and spinning around like mad. She wasn''t a good dancer, but it didn''t matter in the slightest. She dominated the whole room. Everyone wanted to be closer to her. Jessica wanted to be closer to her. She didn''t understand that feeling, but she never wanted it to go away. But she had no idea how to keep ahold of it. The angel had come down with someone. A friend. Jessica watched her instead for a while, trying to understand who she was. How she''d come to be that close. To her surprise, the other girl stuck to the edges of the room, just like she did. She looked like she didn''t want to be there, just as much as Jessica didn''t. Jessica wondered if they were together. It tore at her heart to imagine it, but at the same time, she would have been happy for them. If this quiet girl could find someone like her, maybe there was hope for Jessica too. The angel was doing something else. Steering people around, though she did it so subtly that Jessica doubted anyone on the inside would ever notice. The dynamic of the room shifted just slightly, and the entire crowd moved to one side, following her. At the same time, one of the guys found himself separated. A tall, handsome bald guy, with eyes dark as midnight and a very focused way of moving about the room. He looked around, bemused, and saw only one person nearby¡ªthat same quiet, grey-eyed girl. Jessica watched them start talking, not daring to hope. The music cut short. Sirens. The sheriff was outside. People scattered. The angel was shouting something, the grey-eyed girl and her new friend were bolting out the back door. Jessica''s best friend was grabbing her hand and tugging her away from the house¡ª A knock at the door. Jessica tried to roll her head to look, but even that was hard. Her hand was warm again. Her fingers were clutched tight between each of the angel''s. She''d been asleep in the chair next to her hospital bed. At the knock, the angel woke up in a panic, twisting around to look up. It was her ex-boyfriend, barely visible in the dim glow from the beeping heart-rate monitor. He said something, and her angel replied in a nervous voice. Jessica had always liked him, actually, even up until the end. She understood why he''d been so afraid. Jessica of all people could never fault someone for being afraid. She''d been okay around him. She didn''t move, even as they spoke. Neither of them seemed to realize she was awake. The pain had subsided again, but it was still there, a drumbeat in her head that had settled to a snare, rather than the huge bursts of the cymbals and bass. One of the lines trailing from her arm told her she was probably on painkillers again, plus more blood and antibiotics. Her leg still wouldn''t move. Jessica was too exhausted to panic about it. She just accepted it, like everything else happening around her by now. She was barely staying in the present, staying awake and aware. Who knew how much time had passed now? Everyone was gone from the room except for the angel, never leaving her side. The ex-boyfriend came back, and with him came the other two. Her best friend, and the best friend squared right behind him. She was shocked to see him. He''d made it pretty clear that he hated what they''d become. Hated everything about what they''d done. Hated magic itself. Jessica could never hate magic, after everything it had lead to. It wasn''t all good, but it was worth it. She''d finally found something she was good at, something she could share with her angel, something worth doing. Her best friend spotted her eyes open. He waved. The angel twisted around, and Jessica tried to smile at her. To her relief, it actually worked. The angel smiled back, and that did more to help her recover than anything the doctors could have done. She squeezed her hand and inclined her head just slightly towards their friends, trying to tell them to go ahead and talk. That she was okay just listening, hearing their voices again. They didn''t just talk, of course. They kept her in the loop anyway, gesturing and doing as much as they had to in order for her to understand. It was painful for her to see them take so long to say something so simple, and after a while, she stopped paying attention. She appreciated it, but they were clearly struggling¡ªthe best-friend-squared most of all¡ªand she''d rather they just get on with it. Something did eventually catch her eye though, as they swapped stories. Her angel was so used to gesturing everything at this point while talking that she could do both easily. She was telling them about Jessica, about the trip into the needle-city with the new guy. The nurse with the accent. When she''d started dancing in the street, because she liked the song and wanted the angel to cheer up. She''d taken a lot of dance lessons before, at her mother''s insistence, but never really used them for much. It finally paid off, and to see the awe on her angel''s face was worth every single minute she''d suffered through. As the angel finished the story, she brought up the drummer. Jessica assumed she''d stop there, but apparently she''d forgotten that she was even still gesturing everything. She told them how the drummer had talked to Jessica, asked for her number, asked her out. Jessica closed her eyes, trying to block out the pain and noise again, but she smiled slightly. That girl had been a great musician, for sure, and she was probably going places. Jessica could definitely be friends with her. But not in the way the angel thought. Never that way. As much as she knew it pained everyone to think she was totally alone, Jessica never felt alone. Not by her angel''s side. I can''t leave her now. As the group left them again, Jessica made up her mind. She still had one thing she could do comfortably. Her body wouldn''t work, but her mind and her magic still could. She had to find a way, since she wasn''t getting any better by medical means. The doctors had obviously done all they could, if they''d left her here in the dark with just her angel as company. She had her own magic, the kind none of them could ever do. Her specialty. The sphere awaited. Jessica plunged in, hard and fast, her eyes shut tight. She''d once described it to the angel like it were a giant ball of thread, and she was just trying to follow a single strand to the answer she needed¡ªbut in truth, it might as well have been ten thousand balls, each the size of a continent and interwoven so much that she could get lost if even the tiniest thing distracted her. Nothing could distract her anymore. She couldn''t move, she couldn''t talk, she couldn''t understand a word anyone was saying. There was barely any light in the room, and the only sound was the angel''s quiet breathing, and the occasional beep from the heart-rate monitor whenever it detected something unusual. Jessica found the path she wanted, the path she needed. It took her hours to find the thread, but she was diligent. She would follow it as far as it took. Magic that allowed her to mix with her own body, in ways none of them understood. Magic that could transform her shape, her cells, reconstruct and rebuild the damaged and broken parts of her and make her whole again. She knew this path. She''d walked parts of it before, but she''d never followed it all the way down. She''d followed another path, toward a different form of shaping. A path of creating from nothing, of bringing something to life, something powerful and majestic and made of the elements themselves to fulfill her angel''s deepest desire. The thread was so tangled up though, and Jessica''s body was getting weaker every minute. She could feel it. She was fading. The darkness outside the windows wasn''t just a lack of light. She was cold. She was so very, very cold. No. The warmth of the angel''s fingers interlocked with hers kept her focused. The rhythm of her quiet breath as she slept in the chair next to her bed, the sight of her chest rising and falling in perfect time, her troubled face as she worried so much about the deaf-mute girl laying beside her. I''m going to fix this. She''ll smile aga¡ª The answer burst into her mind, fully formed. It felt like her own thoughts, but she knew by now it wasn''t. The magic gave her this answer. Showed her the shape of the wings, the process to create them and give them a permanent form, the way by which she might control them. Jessica wouldn''t be able to do it herself, but the angel could do it. She just knew it, as surely as she knew the ritual would work. It took convincing, but the angel agreed. She feared what had happened to Jessica, and Jessica couldn''t blame her for taking caution¡ªbut this was her dream. The very first thing she''d wanted, from the moment they''d found the page and realized what it meant. Jessica would not allow herself to be the obstacle in the angel''s path to soaring as she deserved, on the wings she''d always been meant to have. They went back into the room. The room of Jessica''s nightmares, but also her greatest hopes. The spare bedroom, which was supposed to be hers, but which they''d never once used for such a thing. She forced herself to spend time inside, making sure she could handle it so that when the day came, she wouldn''t be held back. They kept it bare, they kept it spotless, and they made sure it was as balanced as it could be. Anything they could, so they could practice magic without any fear of interference. So nothing like her would ever happen again. She prepared the circle and laid out the gemstones, then turned to the angel, who was watching anxiously. She looked distracted, staring at her favorite stone that always hung around her neck. Jessica tugged at her sleeve, reminding her what she was supposed to be doing. She turned away while the angel undressed, then cleared the space so she could begin. Jessica didn''t want to intrude, but she didn''t want to miss the moment either, so she watched while the angel began the ritual. As the energy surged inward, she threw her mind against the walls of the gemstones and feathers, and tried to break inside to the essences within. Jessica saw her fail, even with the help of the gemstone hanging just above her breast. Saw her eyes flutter open in joy and the sublime moment of inspiration. The angel leapt out of the circle before the magic had even subsided. She seized Jessica''s hands, explaining what she''d figured out in painstaking gestures. How she couldn''t break through. How she needed something else. How she needed Jessica. In a flash, without realizing what she was doing, Jessica threw aside her clothes¡ªcaution and modesty tossed away into the angel''s hurricane wind of excitement. She leapt into the circle alongside her, clasping her hands, knees together as they sat cross-legged. The ritual began again, and this time she was inside the walls. She was so close that she could feel the angel''s breath, as the heat and sweat built up and they hurled their mental efforts in unison at the ritual. She felt the angel''s essence touch her own. Saw herself, her very soul laid bare before the angel¡ªand it didn''t feel wrong. It felt beautiful and warm and loving. It felt safe. It felt like home. It was the other half of her being that she hadn''t ever been able to find. She never wanted that feeling to go away. Then the angel pulled back, as if in fear. Afraid she had pressed too far, too close. Jessica felt hurt. Why had she done that? It was so perfect. The angel shifted again, and her soul threw itself back at the ritual circle, pressing forward as hard as she could. Jessica drove away her confusion and focused only on what the angel was doing, supporting every move she made with as much energy as she could muster. The feathers broke. The wind exploded into the room. Hair whipping around wildly, Jessica forced the energy to flow into her angel¡ªto her back, where the shapes of the wings were already starting to take root and grow. She floated up into the air as Jessica kept feeding the magic into her, making sure the ritual stayed steady in these last, vital moments. The wind vanished. The feathers and gemstones vanished. Everything went silent. The angel opened her eyes. She floated above Jessica, and never had she been more beautiful. In her mind, Jessica could see the wings on her back, purest golden-tinged white to complement her hair. It worked. As the angel flexed her new wings and dove around the room, Jessica laughed and cried in joy. It worked. She''d done it. She''d helped. They''d achieved her dream, and she got to be a part of it. She had never felt more happy, more alive in her entire life. The angel dove across the room, gathering her up into the air, twirling around in a tight hug, flying across the room in a gust of wind and joy and¡ª She lost the thread again. The pain was back. Jessica moaned aloud, against her best efforts, and the angel spluttered awake. She still hadn''t ever let go of Jessica''s hand. Jessica shook her head in response to the angel''s pleading gestures, asking if she should go get someone, and closed her eyes again. She squeezed the angel''s hand once more for luck, then dove back in. It was a thread she''d followed once before, trying to repair the damage to her lungs after the fire. She''d learned some things, and she''d managed to accelerate that process. Helped her lungs heal faster. This was the same idea, but she needed to work much faster. She knew she didn''t have much time left if she couldn''t figure it out. There! That thread. It felt like renewal. Rebirth. Regrowth. It was cells dividing and shifting, becoming new components of her body. She hurried down it, as fast as she could. She pressed on, while energy drained from her body to complete the spell. She felt a gemstone on the angel''s ring around her finger, just close enough to her skin that she could grab it. She shattered it, whispering an apology in her mind, and the resulting burst of magical power blew through a dozen criss-crossing threads in an instant. Only¡­ this wasn''t where she''d intended to go. Renewing cells made sense to her. The spell explained that to her. She already understood that, and the thread kept going. Kept moving into new territory, deeper inside her body, something about the shield that protected her from harm. Protected them all from magical harm. Jessica could heal herself now, but as she let go of the spell, the burst of energy from the gemstone had faded away. She tried to start the process, beginning with her leg. Through blurry, weak eyes, Jessica saw the cells begin to knit together, blood surging back into place, but even a few seconds was exhausting. It shouldn''t have been, but she was just so weak. The trauma was too much. Her body couldn''t take any more. She couldn''t concentrate on the spell. Even if she got more energy, it was too complex. Her brain was shutting down. She couldn''t hold the designs in her mind, the reconstruction of her complex body. Except¡­ she didn''t need to be the one casting the spell. The idea burst into her mind unbidden, and she knew it wasn''t her own. Magic had delivered the answer, like it always did for Jessica. No one could ever cast a spell on her, because the shield she unconsciously projected prevented it, as it did all spells. No magic could ever break through that protection. It was inviolable. Unless she was aware of it. Unless she chose to take it down. I need you. Please. Jessica opened her mouth. She needed the angel to do this. She needed someone else to cast it on her. Help. Her arms could barely lift up. She didn''t have the energy to explain it, by magic or by her own hands. She could speak, but anything more was too much. All she could do was speak. Except she couldn''t say anything. She''d chosen not to say anything. I was so stupid. Jessica hurled herself back into the sphere. She found the thread she needed. She flew down it, burning every ounce of energy she had left, but it wasn''t difficult to find. She''d been there when it happened. She knew exactly what branch of magic she''d been using, the spell, everything. Following that same path into the sphere was easy. If she''d known how to navigate the sphere so well after the first couple weeks, she probably could have reversed it immediately. But she never did. She was afraid to. Afraid of what she might hear. She didn''t wan¡ª Jessica finished speaking. She''d just confessed the deepest secret of her life, to the person she loved most in the world. She awaited judgment. Jessica was so afraid, so deathly afraid of what she''d say. When she found out why Jessica had stuck to her like glue, moved in with her, spent every night in her bed. Even in her wildest dreams, she didn''t expect to be together. At best, she hoped for acceptance, for reserved judgment. Until she could prove that she wasn''t so cruel and twisted as she felt sometimes. She''d finally move into the other room, and they could just live together. Be normal friends. She''d never find anyone else, but she could live with that. She could be friends. But Jessica didn''t see any judgment on her face. Jessica only saw love. Saw the purest, brightest smile she''d ever seen. Saw¡ª Her mind opened up. Unclouded, for the first time in over a year. Her heart-rate was only forty-one beats per minute. Her blood pressure was very low. The angel was saying something, and the words were returning to her. Jessica could understand her. Understand¡­ Hailey. Where are the doctors? Where are the alarms? ¡­Oh god. I''m going to¡ª Hailey was rushing forward, over the edge of the circle of chalk on the floor of the empty bedroom. She buried Jessica in a hug. Whispered in her ear, told her everything was going to be all right. They were still best friends, they were never going to be apart, they''d be¡ª Jessica still couldn''t understand most of what Hailey said. She couldn''t tell if it was because she was so tired, or because of the lasting effect of the magic. It didn''t matter. She could explain it to Hailey. Tell her how to heal. Tell her everything. Her barriers were all gon¡ª Hailey hugged her tight, told Jessica that she loved her and wasn''t letting her leave no matt¡ª I''m so scared. Please, Hailey! Help me! Hailey leaned forward, as if she''d heard Jessica, even though no words had escaped her lips. Jessica squeezed her hand again, but her fingers were so weak, her grip barely responding. Jessica tried to open her mouth, tried to say someth¡ª She was in Hailey''s arms, crying in joy and relief, and Hailey was brushing the back of her hea¡ª Hailey leaned down, over the hospital bed, closed her perfect blue eyes, and kissed her. No, please! I don''t want to go! You can save me! Jessica Silverdale opened her mouth. "Hailey¡ª
Hailey looked up at her name. She wasn''t sure if she''d imagined it or not, until she saw Jessica''s desperate, painful expression, her mouth still open. Jessica tried again, but nothing came out. Her lips tightened, and her eyes finally fluttered closed, for the last time. The silent monitor flatlined. The doctors were long gone. They''d known it was a lost cause hours ago¡ªand after seeing how she was suffering, Hailey had finally given them consent to leave, to turn off the alarms¡­ to give up. Everyone had come to say their goodbyes, though she hadn''t heard a single one. They''d finally left the two of them alone¡ªjust Hailey and Jessica in the dark, quiet hospital room, where she clutched Jessica''s hand as her body finally gave up. Hailey leaned in and kissed Jessica again. She laid there, head on her motionless chest, and cried. B2: Chapter 30 — Four Days Later Chapter 30 ¡ª Four Days Later "The world is not fair. It never was fair. We tell ourselves it''s fair so we can wake up in the morning willing to step out the door and pursue those things worth fighting for. Nobody was born equal, and nobody had the same chance to survive. We struggle. We endure. We pray that we can find that one person who makes it all worth it in the end, and when we find them, we cling on until it''s painful; until we have broken and healed and broken again ten times, a thousand times over. And we know, inevitably in our souls, that no matter what comes, we will one day be separated from our better halves. We are insane, every last one of us." ~Cinza, the Rallsburg Diaries Natalie''s phone rang. She was outside at lunch, in the corner of the blacktop. Quinn sat a few feet away, and the rest of the gang formed a circle around them. Mitch was telling a story about a pair of shoes and a prank he''d pulled on Kelsey, and they were all laughing at it¡ªKelsey harder than the rest. Natalie picked up her phone, still laughing. She answered, not even bothering to check who was calling. "Natalie." Color drained from the sky. Every bit of mirth faded away. The rest of the group kept laughing, but Natalie''s world had turned to ice in a split-second. She didn''t know what was coming next, but it didn''t matter. Any voice that sounded so broken, so utterly laced with melancholy and defeat, could never speak anything good. "...Yeah?" she finally answered, terrified what might come next. "Natalie¡­" She heard a choking sound, the sound of coughing. Natalie knew what was coming next, but she couldn''t pull the phone away from her ear. It was stuck there, in horror, unable to move an inch. She felt like she were falling. Like someone had just shoved her off the top of a tree. "...''s dead." The phone clattered to the ground. Quinn looked over at her. His expression fell. The rest of the group still hadn''t caught on, still laughing, still listening to Mitch''s story. Natalie panicked. She grabbed her phone back up and bolted, straight into the field, heading for the fence line. Is this it? Did someone¡­ Was that the thing on the news? Oh god, what''s going to happen now? "How?" she asked breathlessly, sprinting across the open field, confused yells chasing after her. "I¡­ it doesn''t matter." Hailey''s voice got a bit stronger, though Natalie could hear her pulling away from the phone every few moments. "There''s¡­ there''s gonna be a funeral tomorrow. I thought¡­ you know. I thought you could come." If there is a funeral, you aren''t in immediate danger. It is not you. Natalie slowed down. "I¡­" What do I say? Of course I''d go¡­ But you''ll be revealing yourself. This is dangerous. It''s¡­ you know, one of us. She was nice to me back home. And Hailey needs me. I''ve gotta be there. You are taking a risk. I have to do this. Natalie replied so forcefully that the voice disappeared without another word. She slowed to a walk while her friends caught up to her. They reformed the circle in the center of the wide green field. To her relief, nobody else seemed to be watching them. "What¡­ the hell¡­ are you doing?" panted Mitch. "I''ll be there," Natalie said to Hailey over the phone. "...Okay." Hailey hung up without another word. Natalie pocketed her phone, turning to her confused friends. "I thought¡­" She trailed off, deciding exactly what to say. "It''s okay," said Steven. "You don''t have to tell us if it''s, you know." Natalie shook her head, working up to the words. "...Somebody died. One of us." "...Oh, man," said Mitch, still breathless. "What happened?" asked Kelsey. "I dunno," she said, feeling a bit helpless. Hailey sounded so awful¡­ I was angry at her, but now this¡­? "I bet it was that big fight on Friday," said Tyler excitedly. "You know, where they blew up a neighborhood." "Dude!" snapped Kelsey, punching him in the arm. "What?" "One of her friends just died." "...Sorry," said Tyler, glancing at Natalie uncomfortably. "Are you okay?" asked Mitch. Natalie nodded. She''d really only met her twice¡ªonce before the big Summit meeting, where she''d had stopped to say hi (well¡­ in her way, at least). She''d been someone Gwen actually liked at first glance. Gwen didn''t like anyone near Natalie. The second time was that night, when they''d all driven out of town, but Natalie had been sleeping in the back of Jackie''s car most of the way and didn''t really talk to her. She''d been so exhausted from riding around on Gwen all day, she''d just wanted to stop moving for forever¡ªbut it just all kept coming. Stuff about her dad and what he''d done. Rachel and Will disappeared without a word. School was scarier than she''d expected. Seattle. And now¡­ One of them was dead. Maybe it''s time. No. I said December. I''m staying with my friends. You''re being held back by them. You need to focus. "I''m gonna be gone tomorrow," she said aloud. "There''s¡­ a funeral." They all looked so sympathetic that Natalie wanted to tear her hair out. This was why she hadn''t wanted to tell them. They just didn''t get how dangerous this was. But at the same time, Natalie never wanted to be without them again. If she''d been alone when she found out this kind of news, she''d probably have ended up in the same kind of terrifying sprint through the streets like when she''d been locked out of the Laushire house. "We''ll cover for you," said Quinn, and Steven nodded right along with him, though both of them looked very concerned. The group left, wandering back to the blacktop. As soon as they thought they were out of earshot, Natalie heard Tyler start talking about the battle out in Lakewood again. Quinn stayed behind. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly. Natalie nodded. "...I didn''t really know her that well." "Do you think you''re in danger?" She shook her head. "We''ll be okay. Nobody knows where I am. Not even Lily." Quinn smirked slightly. "''We''?" Natalie blushed, glancing away. "Yeah. Me and you. Duh." He smiled. "Yeah. Me and you." He glanced back toward the school. "You need anything, we''re all here for you, you know? We''re a team." Natalie felt a little glow fill up her chest, right near the crackling fire of magic that sat close to her heart. She reached out with her hand, slowly, while Quinn was still turned away. The black clouds drove her back. Shouted at her, cursed her, forced her away, reminded her of all the horrible things that could happen. No. You are stronger than that. The voice returned, fierce and powerful. It was like a ray of sunlight through the darkness, helping her. Natalie felt her resolve redouble. She reached forward again. Quinn looked around. His eyes widened slightly behind his glasses. The clouds returned, and suddenly she couldn''t stand it anymore. For a moment she''d felt real connection, but the memories were too strong. Natalie ripped her hand away, as if Quinn were on fire. She hurried back toward the school, before he could see her eyes well up once more.
Jeremy rolled up to the sidewalk in a brand new rental car. He hadn''t even bothered to ask the Bureau for another vehicle, after both his and Lani''s had now been trashed by golems, and with Aderholt still out for his head. This car, nicely modern with all the conveniences technology could bring, was bought and paid for by the political arm of the family¡ªboth of whom stood waiting at the curb. "Didn''t think she''d be comin''," muttered Jeremy. Maddie glanced over her shoulder, where Courtney was still on the phone with some corporate bigwig. "She was there when we got the call. And Rachel sure isn''t coming, so she volunteered herself as a representative." "Don''t you count?" "That''s what I said," she grumbled. "One of my constituents died to domestic terrorism under my watch," said Courtney, who''d apparently heard every word. "It''s my duty to offer my condolences to the family." "And score some PR points," snapped Maddie. "This is a private funeral. There won''t be any press." He shrugged. "The press always finds Hailey anyway." "Oh, are you on first name terms with her now?" asked Courtney. "I''d love an introduction, if you don''t mind." "Yeah, I''ll do that," Jeremy deadpanned. Maddie rolled her eyes behind Courtney''s back, smirking. Courtney turned back and finished up her phone call. Something about a major business deal, Jeremy didn''t catch the specifics. He leaned over to Maddie, so Courtney didn''t hear. "Keep her the fuck away from Hailey. She doesn''t need that shit today." Maddie nodded. "You got it." Courtney pocketed her phone. "So, are we leaving?" Maddie rolled her eyes even wider, but to his relief, she didn''t take another shot at Courtney for the whole drive. They piled in, and Jeremy pulled out onto the street. It was going to be a long drive from Seattle back down to Tacoma in current traffic. Plenty of time to try and think of something to say to Hailey. Jeremy didn''t have a clue. He''d given the talk to so many families, so many grieving people, but he didn''t know any of them. Through his whole career, Jeremy had never actually lost anyone. The closest he''d come was when Maddie had nearly been killed, when Jackie had risked her life to save his sister. This was different. Hailey had lost someone like a soul-mate. Jeremy was pretty close with his sister, but not like that girl. She and Hailey were utterly inseparable. What do you say to someone who lost that?
"Well, we''re here," said Damian, peering out down the street. There was an isolated church at the end, a beautiful little building with flowers scattered everywhere. The sky was cloudy, with patches of blue, and rain was coming in little drips all over the place. They didn''t see a single person around. "Are you sure this is the place?" he asked, glancing over. Natalie nodded. She''d triple-checked the address, and checked it again when they got there. They were at the right place. It might not look like much from a distance, but appearances didn''t mean much to people like her. She knew what Cinza could do. "You want me to stick around, Jenny?" "That''s okay. Thank you, Mr. Kincaid." Natalie pulled her jacket on a bit tighter, trying to block out the cold. The heating in his car was broken. She wanted to use magic to warm up, but couldn''t while he was still there. "I''ll call you if I need a ride back." "Uh uh. I''ll be in town. You call right when you''re ready, and I''ll be here." "You don''t have to do¡ª" "I''m happy to, Jenny." He glanced around again, slightly confused. Still not a soul to be seen. She nodded. Truth be told, she definitely didn''t want anyone else to give her a ride, in case they got an idea where she was living now. Quinn''s family was still safe. She needed them to stay safe. As Natalie opened the door to the car, he spoke up again. "I''m sorry about your friend." "Thank you." Natalie waited until he''d driven away, back down the street and around the corner, then immediately murmured a spell, focusing on the pockets of air under her coat. She sighed in relief as her shirt warmed up like a heated blanket. She rubbed her hands together a couple times, then stuck them in her pockets and started walking toward the empty church. Every step, she felt more nervous. Who was going to be there? Who would she see? The only people from home she''d even spoken to since May were Hailey, Kendra, and Lily. And none of them knew what she looked like now. Who she''d become. She stopped walking. I can''t do this. She couldn''t face them, all alone. No matter how much she wanted to go in, these were people from the past, the memories she''d been trying to bury. Hailey... A screech from on high. Natalie glanced up, surprised. She knew that sound. she called out. From over the woods past the church, Percy shot out of the sky, fluttering over the sidewalk and landing neatly on Natalie''s shoulder. He rubbed his head against her temple, flapping his wing against the side of her head affectionately. She stroked his head a couple times, while he took a few awkward steps on her thick green coat, finding a better position. Natalie turned back to the church again. She brushed her hair away from her face and steeled herself. She could do this. As she''d expected, the church shimmered slightly as she approached. It was so subtle, she doubted anyone would have noticed unless they were really looking for it¡ªand had eyes like hers. Even she could barely tell something was off. Percy shifted talons nervously as they approached the wall. The path seemed to curve away as they walked forward, and Natalie could feel her brain trying to tell her to keep going, that she''d run into something she couldn''t see if she walked forward. Natalie plunged through without a second thought. The entire world seemed to shift in place. Things emerged as she passed through¡ªthe cars parked in the small lot in front of the church, the flowers laid around the front doors. Percy ruffled his feathers in panic as they walked in, but as soon as the world righted itself, he settled down. she asked, a bit annoyed. He was such a scaredy-cat. "Natalie?" That''s my name. Even though Quinn knew it, she heard it aloud so rarely that it was still a shock. Natalie glanced up from Percy to see Josh Miller dressed in a thick black overcoat, peering back at her from the top step of the church. He was the only one outside, sitting on the railing and staring out at the sky with a worried look. "Hi," she called back. She crossed the parking lot quickly and hurried up to join him. She''d never exactly liked Josh¡ªhe was always the Councilor most likely to treat her like a little kid and ignore anything she had to say¡ªbut today? Seeing someone from home, whom she didn''t have to hide anything from or explain anything to? His eyes flicked over to her ears. Okay, maybe I have to explain a couple things. "I like them," she said, before he could say anything. Josh shrugged. "If you say so." He looked around. "Anybody else with you?" She shook her head. "Well, I guess that''s probably everyone then." Josh leaned back against one of the support columns, taking a long breath. "How the fuck did we get here?" He gulped and glanced back at her. "Err, sorry." Natalie rolled her eyes. "You can cuss around me, Josh. I''m not a little kid anymore." He glanced over her again, lingering on her scar, her eyes, everything. "...No kidding." "Who''s here?" Percy made a half-cry, almost like a loud squawk, and Josh jumped. "Shit." Percy made another noise of protest, but she could tell he''d do what she asked. He thought she''d leave him again if he didn''t. She definitely wouldn''t, but if the idea kept him from interrupting the service, then it worked for her. "...Was that you talking to it?" She nodded. "Percy won''t do that again. Don''t worry." Josh''s face twisted into that bemused smile she was so familiar with from the old Council meetings, where he clearly didn''t understand what was going on but had decided to just go with the flow, like he always did. "Well, to answer your question, a bunch of people: Hailey''s parents, the Silverdales, Cinza and a few other Greycloaks who came with me, and some more I don''t know. I was taking a break out here, waiting for Hailey." "She''s not here?" Natalie asked, looking around confused. "Not yet." Josh frowned. "She called everyone together though. I''m sure she''ll be here." "And what about¡ª" "Nope. Nothing from Rachel." He sighed. Natalie didn''t even feel disappointed anymore. She knew Rachel wouldn''t be here. "Why''d you come separate from Kendra though?" he continued. "Thought you guys were living together." Natalie shook her head. "Not anymore." "Then¡­" Josh trailed off. "Whatever. As long as you''re good. Are you good?" Natalie nodded, though she knew it was a lie. She doubted Josh could tell though. She''d gotten really good at lying lately, as much as she hated it. "Yeah, I''m good." "Okay." Josh frowned. The entire conversation felt awkward and uncomfortable for them both, clearly. Natalie didn''t know what to say, and from his pauses and frequent glances away, Josh clearly didn''t either. "Shit." "What?" "I don''t know how to do funerals. I''ve never been to one." Natalie nodded. "I have." A dark cloud passed over his expression. "Oh, damn¡­ Jenny''s memorial, right." "Memorial?" Josh sighed. "''Cause there wasn''t a¡­ a body. That made it a memorial." He winced. "Sorry, I forgot." She shook her head. "It''s okay." Natalie glanced inside. "Do I gotta go by Jenny, or is everyone here okay?" "Well, Hailey''s parents are here, and a few other new people, but I don''t think it really matters." Josh shrugged. "It''s up to you." I want to be me. At least for today, I want to just be me again. "Natalie." He nodded. "Good to see you again, Natalie."
The doors swung open again. Jeremy looked up from his spot in the front corner, but it wasn''t Hailey. Just Josh Miller again, accompanied by a teenage girl with a hawk perched on her shoulder, stunning purple eyes, and a deceptive amount of muscle filling out her small frame. She wore a thick, military-style green overcoat, tight dark jeans, and¡ªif Jeremy wasn''t seeing things¡ªhad actual pointy elf-ears just barely peeking out through her brown hair. "Who the fuck are these people?" whispered Maddie, also watching the girl wander in. The hawk took a few fluttering steps, and seemed to glare straight at Jeremy for a second, but the girl made a beeline for the Silverdale parents toward the other end of the room and the hawk soon lost interest. "Thought she explained everything to you," Jeremy murmured, referring to Rachel. They''d agreed not to mention her name once they were at the funeral. Rachel refused to attend, for one reason or another she declined to share, and had made it quite clear she wanted to stay in the shadows. "Not about the goddamn elf-girl with the pet hawk. And that cult seemed way nicer in her description," she added, nodding toward Cinza and her three companions, who were talking to Rika Nishimura and Ryan Walker, recovering well from the injuries he''d sustained. Malton''s men had been as gentle as a kidnapping could be, since he was wanted as a lab specimen, so Walker was going to be just fine¡ªscared and jumpy, but fine. Small fuckin'' mercies¡­ "You talk to them yet?" "Shit, Jere-bear, I''m still workin'' up to talk to the damn billionaire in the room," she said quietly, stealing a quick glance toward the front. "Least she seems normal." Kendra Laushire was seated in the front row of benches, tapping away at her phone as if she were sitting at home, paying little mind to anyone else in the room. Her fiery hair was pulled up tight, partly concealed under a wide-brimmed black hat, and she wore an elegant black dress that matched it perfectly. Everybody''s wearing black except those cloak freaks and the teenager¡­ Whose idea was it to make funerals all about wearing black? Make a depressin'' day even more fuckin'' miserable. "I''m gonna¡ª" Jeremy started. Maddie waved him away. "Go, I''ll keep Courtney from pissing anyone off." Jeremy wandered away. He didn''t really have anything particular in mind, since he had no clue where Hailey was, so he just hovered past the different clusters in the room¡ªlistening in, hearing their conversations, waiting to see if he could pick up any more information about magic, and Rachel, and everything else going on. He''d passed on all the information about Brian and his location, as well as his ties to Felix Wieczorek, to the FBI, but they still came up with nothing. Aderholt was getting everything he asked for after the devastation of the neighborhood in Lakewood, but they had no idea what they were really looking for. Two men they couldn''t find and unsupported accusations against a multi-billionaire across the Atlantic didn''t really lead to results. On top of which, Aderholt still refused to let Jeremy back into the Bureau. Spiteful motherfucker. "...seriously, Joe''s alive?" Jeremy stopped a few meters away from the cluster of Greycloaks, where a black-suited and bruised Ryan was looking flabbergasted. Nice suit, though¡­ The shortest of the group nodded, the shining gems and charms that adorned her neckline catching the light as she did. Her voice echoed in an unnatural way with every word. "He''s one of us now." "No shit. Cloak and everything?" So that''s Cinza¡­ Pretty much what I expected. The crimson-haired girl beside her chimed in. "Joe understands what''s important." "My love, Ryan intended no offense." Ryan shrugged. "Wouldn''t have called that in a million years, that''s all." He glanced around. "Stayed home though?" "He''s helping Makoto maintain the Greywood''s barriers," Cinza explained. "Keeping sanctuary." "Could use some fucking sanctuary about now," Ryan muttered. "You''re alive," snapped Rika. Ryan looked like he were about to match venom for venom¡ªbut one look back up front, a reminder of why they were gathered, and his voice never made it past his throat. He fell silent. "We''ve made great strides in protection magic," said Cinza, filling the silence. "Our home has not yet been found by a single unwelcome soul. All who wish to stay there are welcome." "Might take you up on that." Ryan frowned. "But if you guys gotta power it all the time, there''s a serious fucking hole in your defense, isn''t there?" "We''re working on it," said Nikki. Her eyes were red and puffy, and she dabbed at them a few times with a handkerchief before speaking. Last time I saw her was on a hospital camera¡­ She looks like she''s aged ten fuckin'' years since then. "Nikki had a theory," explained Cinza. "Using the energy of less complex entities to fuel the spell." "Well, shit, that''s easy," said Ryan. Everyone in the group looked at him, dumbstruck. Even Rika, whom Jeremy had concluded saw every single person in the room as dirt compared to herself. "...Do tell," said Cinza dryly. "I did somethin'' similar with lizard eggs. Self-sustaining enchantment until the egg runs dry." Nikki frowned. "But¡­ what was the spell?" "Set off a bunch of fire in every direction when it got stepped on." Ryan shrugged. "Never used it outside the science lab, but it worked." He grinned. "Freaked Josh the fuck out." Ryan looked over toward Josh, sitting near the Silverdale parents and Natalie, and winced. "...I should probably apologize or something." Nikki spoke up impatiently as soon as he finished, sniffling slightly. "But that''s such a simple enchantment. We''re trying to power a complex mechanism here. Dozens of layers and components. You can''t just use a single egg like that." "What about a whole dozen?" asked Rika sarcastically. "That''s not really¡ª" "Hmm," Cinza cut in thoughtfully. "That''s actually not a bad idea." "The fuck?" "Not eggs, of course, but if we used many power sources, we could power each component of the spell individually. In fact, if we use something that can actually produce its own power¡­" "The trees?" asked Ruby, her eyes sparkling. Cinza looked over at her with a smile. "Yes, exactly. The trees themselves can protect us." "Until somebody awakened comes by and notices your massive fucking spell tugging on every tree for a mile across," said Rika darkly. "The awakened aren''t who we''re worried about," said Ruby. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. "...She''s right though," sighed Cinza. "We need to be ready for anything now, magical or mundane." Jesus¡­ Jeremy really felt for them. They all seemed more on edge than he''d ever felt in his life, and they could do magic. "What do you think, Mr. Ashe?" she asked, looking past Rika to where he stood. Fuck. "Sorry," he said, walking up to join them. "Didn''t mean to eavesdrop." "I welcome your input," Cinza went on. "You''ve been a great ally to us, as Hailey tells it." "Saved my fuckin'' life, man," added Ryan, clapping him on the back as Jeremy joined the circle. Jeremy shrugged. "Stebbins and Hailey did that, I just got in the way." "I saw you in Tacoma," said Ruby. "You saved people there." Jetemy raised an eyebrow. "You were there?" he asked. Ruby smiled. A second later, she vanished into thin air. Jeremy took an involuntary step back, seriously unsettled, and she reappeared again. Nobody else had even moved. Cinza rolled her eyes. "So that''s how Hailey got away," he muttered. "Despite our abilities," said Cinza, shooting Ruby a look, "we still aren''t exactly safe. We''d love your advice and experience, Mr. Ashe, so that something like this doesn''t ever happen again." Jeremy nodded. "Whatever I can do."
Natalie approached cautiously, still unsure what to say, Josh a few steps behind. Mr. and Mrs. Silverdale sat on the little staircase that lead up to the front, where a casket waited on the table behind them. Natalie avoided looking at it. It made her skin tingle uncomfortably, knowing what was inside. Beth looked up from the ground, still clutching her husband''s hand, as they approached. Her eyes widened. "Is that¡­ Natalie?" She nodded. "Hi, Mrs. S." "Natalie¡­" Beth trailed off. Her eyes welled up again, even though she looked like she''d been crying for days, and she looked away. "We''re so sorry for your loss," said Josh weakly. "She was¡­" "Thank you," said Malcolm, after Josh failed to come up with anything. "She was really nice," said Natalie. "She helped save a bunch of people back home. She was a good person." Beth looked up, face still streaked with tears, and nodded. Natalie offered her a weak smile. "She was a hero." Not like me. I wish I were as good as her. "Thank you," choked Beth. Her husband wrapped his arm back around her shoulder, and they hugged close. Natalie took that as her cue to walk away. She had no clue what else to say, and this was even worse than with Jenny''s mom. At least then, Natalie could give them a hug and hold their hand, do the things that words couldn''t express. Now, when Natalie tried to push herself forward, give them a hug that she knew they needed, she couldn''t move an inch. Her body wouldn''t let her. Josh put a hand toward her shoulder, intending to steer her back toward the crowd, and Natalie flinched away. He took a step back, confused. "Uhh, sorry." Natalie just brushed it off like it hadn''t happened, though in truth, she was worried about how many times that would happen today. Every single touch was like a shock to her system, and she couldn''t be thinking about that right now. She needed to be there for Hailey, not dealing with her own mess. "Where''s Hailey?" she asked. "Dunno¡­" Josh glanced around. "Her parents are here." Natalie looked over. The blonde woman she''d seen on TV was in another corner, along with a man who could only be Hailey''s father, talking quietly. Natalie could just make out who they were talking about, with Hailey''s mom telling some story about eggs. "You want to go talk to them?" Well¡­ it''s them or Kendra. At least, I think that''s Kendra¡­ Or¡­ wait, who is that? And why''s she coming over here? A brown-haired girl in a simple black dress who didn''t look much older than Natalie was walking toward them. Specifically toward Josh, though she took a long curious glance at Natalie as she approached. "Hi." "Uhh, hi?" said Josh. Natalie didn''t answer at all, just stared. She felt suspicious, especially since something about the girl seemed weirdly familiar. "I don''t really know anybody here, so I figured I should start with the coolest people I saw." ...What? She''s thinking about that at a time like this? Josh raised his eyebrows, annoyed, which made Natalie feel a whole lot better. If Josh didn''t like her, Natalie didn''t have to try to like her either. "And who the fuck are you?" Josh asked. "I''m Meg." She stuck out her hand. Natalie looked at it like she was covered in spiders. "...Oookay, or not." Meg looked around uncomfortably. "Sorry. I''ll leave you two alone then." The girl wandered away. Josh glanced at Natalie, brow furrowed as if to say, What was that? Natalie shrugged. "I''ve never seen her before." She frowned. "I''ve been kinda¡­" She trailed off, not wanting to say ''on my own.'' It sounded too weak, too simple. Josh caught on anyway. "Shit, Natalie. I didn''t even ask. How''s school going?" Hey, something actually okay in my life. Kind of. Anything to not think about why we''re here. Natalie smiled. "It''s good."
Jeremy got away from the intense group before too long, making an excuse and slipping away, back across the room to Maddie. "Jesus, they''re into some serious shit," he murmured. "What?" "Let''s just say nobody better try to break into Cinza''s house again." He shuddered. "What''re you up to?" "Your turn to keep Courtney on a damn leash," said Maddie. Their sister was just outside the side door to the small building, visible through the window. She was talking on the phone to someone. "I''ve gotta figure out what''s up with Laushire while I got the chance." "I''ll keep her off you." Maddie grinned and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks, bro." "Would you hurry up already? Damn." She scurried away, her face falling as soon as she passed out of the corner and into the main area of the church. Just like everyone, the moment the dark wooden casket at the front came into view, she remembered why they were there. Jeremy took a spot just at the edge of the wall where it turned in before the stage, where he could keep an eye on Courtney and still hear what Maddie was saying. "Miss Laushire?" she asked. Kendra looked up from her phone, vaguely irritated. On seeing Maddie, she got to her feet in an instant, her phone dropped into her purse. "Senator Ashe. I hadn''t expected to see you here today." Maddie nodded. "I''m with my brother." "Ah, of course." Kendra glanced over at him, and Jeremy let his eyes drift away, as if he were just watching the room in general and not them in particular. "Please give Agent Ashe my regards." "Miss Laushire, if I may¡ª" "I am not prepared to return to the world of the living quite yet, madam senator." Maddie paused for a moment. Jeremy hid his grin. She wasn''t used to being treated so politely. Most of her constituents, when she did take meetings, were a lot more outspoken. "Actually, I was going to ask, what are you doing?" Kendra''s eyes flashed slightly. "Working." Maddie nodded. "As Lily Wilmore." That got Kendra''s attention. Her posture shifted just slightly. Defensive. Her eyes narrowed. "Madam senator, I''m not precisely certain to what you refer." "You''re doing a lot of business in my state, and my colleagues from Oregon were able to supply me with similar information." Jeremy couldn''t see Maddie''s face from his angle, but he could imagine the slight smirk on her face. "So, Lady Wilmore, let''s skip the bullshit and get to the point, all right?" Kendra frowned. Her eyes flicked over to Jeremy, who didn''t pretend to be looking anywhere else this time. He wasn''t sure what Maddie was up to, but he trusted she had a plan. Meanwhile, with Courtney still out of the building, they didn''t have to worry about interference. "You''re building an empire," Maddie stated. The woman''s mouth twitched slightly¡ªthe most emotion Jeremy had seen out of her all day. "It''s an unfortunate habit of my homeland." "But you''re a Laushire. You''re already the richest fuck in the whole world." Kendra raised her eyebrows. "I believe you refer to my father." "So what?" "I''m quite certain I won''t be receiving much of an inheritance." "What''d you do, piss in his breakfast?" Kendra frowned. "I don''t think that''s necessary." "Well, people always said I had the worst mouth they''d ever heard on a member of Congress. No idea what the fuck they were smoking to miss the other ninety-nine assholes, but it never slowed me down." "Are we finished?" Maddie shook her head. "What''s your endgame? You''ve pulled together a shit-ton of capital in four months, and nothing''s come out of it yet. You''ve been upending major power brokers. Even the multinationals are getting into it. You know your father is looking into an acquisition?" Kendra smirked again, but unlike before, it was actually quite visible. "I may have seen a memo." "I''m on your side here. I can be your voice in Congress. But you gotta tell me what I''m doing out there. I want to help this go smoothly. Without any more car chases or collapsing houses or exploding towns. Work with me." "...What are you proposing?" "You need fast-tracked approval for your company mergers and acquisitions, you need the FTC off your back, you need more room to maneuver. You need influence you can''t get from the shadows. I got that in spades. I don''t sit on the committee, but I can lean on whoever you need leaned on." "From a second-term senator with the lowest campaign fundraising in state history?" Maddie nodded. "I''m not tied to a single damn lobbyist. I actually believe in the system, screwed up as it is." "But you want to tie yourself¡­ to me." "Not a fuckin'' chance." Kendra raised an eyebrow, waiting patiently. "I want to work with you. Said it before, say it again. So tell me what you''re tryin'' to do. I''m guessing it''s something to help these people, help your people. And if it helps the rest of the world in the process, all the better. So tell me. If I''m right, then I''m on board." "You are not incorrect." She hesitated. "And this past week has raised obstacles. I¡­ might be amenable." Maddie nodded again. "All I''m askin''." She dug a business card out of her bag and handed it over. "Give me a call. Let''s have lunch sometime." Kendra took it with a nod and a slight smile. She didn''t say another word though, taking her seat again, while Maddie hurried back to join Jeremy. "Jesus, it''s like talking to a brick wall," she muttered. "That bad?" "Fuckin'' British people." Maddie sighed. "I was sure bringin'' up her secret identity would set off some alarm bells." "But she agreed to lunch, didn''t she?" "Fuck if I know. Oh, God, not now." Courtney had returned, pocketing her phone. She looked relieved. Can''t be good, if Courtney''s happy about it. "That was the Tacoma chief of police. I''ve got them to send our would-be bank-robber into our custody pending further investigation." Hey, some good fuckin'' news. "Thank God," he muttered. "What?" asked Maddie. "The awakened guy who tried to blow up a bank vault Monday before last. Courtney''s been making sure he doesn''t end up on the news." "Shit, I forgot about him¡­" Maddie groaned. "Way too much to deal with. I need a drink." "Get me one too," Jeremy called after her. As she left, Jeremy noticed someone he hadn''t earlier. He rubbed at his eyes. Is that¡­ Meg fuckin'' Bensen? What the fuck?
The groups of people had rotated around as time went on, everyone still waiting, not sure what to do next. Cinza''s group stuck together, while Meg and the FBI guy ended up in another corner. The Silverdales were still sitting up front, and Josh had ended up with them, just listening. Natalie couldn''t have handled that. She was impressed he could stay strong around them. Instead, Natalie found herself sitting alone in the very last row of benches, staring out into the field past the tall window, wishing she could be out there. Percy seemed to feel the same, ruffling his feathers a bit and nudging her forward. "So that''s still a thing, huh?" Natalie looked up to see Rika standing at the end of the row. Rika didn''t have the blue streak in her hair anymore, but she seemed just as annoyed as she always did. The tattoo of entwined flowers on her hand stood out a lot more than it used to, or maybe that was just Natalie''s new eyes. Either way, she found it fascinating now. "What''s that flower?" she asked, pointing at Rika''s right hand. Rika looked surprised. She took a seat in the row ahead, right in front of her, and dangled her hands over the back. After a second''s hesitation, she took off her jacket, showing the full length of the tattoo all the way up her forearm. "This is a sakura blossom," she explained, pointing out the light pink flower on the back of her wrist. "Means life and renewal. And then this is a black rose," she added, indicating the thorny flower, "which¡­ you get the idea." Natalie nodded. "Don''t you hate it though?" "Hate what?" "Everybody seeing those. The first thing they notice, before they really know you." Rika shrugged. "Just means they''re shitty people, if that''s all they think about." Natalie realized something¡ªRika hadn''t even glanced at her scar. Maybe she''d missed it, but the older girl definitely hadn''t lingered on it like everyone else. "Besides," Rika went on, "I picked these out. All of these are reminders to myself of what''s important." Natalie''s eyes traveled up her arm to the rough Japanese letters on her shoulder, and the bluebird against the sky backdrop on her other arm. "Did they hurt?" "Not as much as that probably did." Natalie winced. So she had noticed. "Did you get the fuckers who did it?" She nodded slowly, not daring to voice it aloud. Rika didn''t smile, didn''t really show any emotion at all. She just nodded back. She didn''t try to take Natalie''s hand, or hug her, or do anything like that. Just a nod. Understanding. "Good." Maybe you misjudged her. "This is Percy," she added, not sure what else to say. Rika glanced at the hawk. "Thanks for saving my life back in Rallsburg, Percy." "He did?" she asked, surprised. She hadn''t known about that. She looked at Percy. Percy shifted his talons slightly, trying to come up with an answer. The question was a bit too abstract for him, and he couldn''t exactly explain it. Thankfully, Rika didn''t leave her hanging. "When we were bailing. That hawk came outta nowhere and distracted¡­ uhh¡­" She trailed off. "Distracted the guy trying to get us." Natalie frowned. "I know." "...Know what?" "I know it was my dad." Natalie didn''t even have trouble saying it anymore, which scared her a little. "I know he was helping Omega." Rika hesitated. "You do?" "Dad made the golems. I saw him." Natalie shook her head. "I dunno why. But someday I''m gonna go find him and figure it out." She smiled. "Damn, Natalie¡­" Natalie wasn''t used to warmth from Rika. Every time they''d ever spoken, going all the way back to the early days of the Council when she got into fights with Rachel, Natalie was usually the annoying kid they all tolerated at best¡ªRika least of all. "Huh?" "Well." She reached into her jacket pocket on the bench and pulled out a little bottle of something. She offered it forward. Natalie took it, uncertain. "From one girl chasing down her dad to another, good hunting." Rika waved her hand upward, prompting her. Natalie took a sip. It tasted awful, and burned her throat as it went down. She coughed and quickly handed it back. "Ugh. Was that¡ª" "Straight whiskey," said Rika, grinning. "And no, you can''t have more. Not til you''re older." "I don''t want more," said Natalie. She spat out the rest into her sleeve, trying to clear the taste out of her mouth. "Trust me, you will." Rika took a deep gulp with a sigh. "Worth every drop. Kanpai." She took another drink, then settled back onto the bench. "So, men are the fucking worst, right?" Natalie shivered, pulling her coat on tighter and renewing the warming spell she''d left off earlier. The church was colder than she''d expected. "What do you mean?" "Your dad. My dad. Viper, Omega, the shit I''ve heard about Kendra''s dad. Sensing a pattern yet, Jane of the Jungle?" "I don''t¡­" Rika shrugged, and took another sip of her drink. "What I''m saying is, guys are the worst. Pretty simple." "Not all guys," she said, thinking about Quinn. She smiled a little, just remembering the last time they hung out. Rika caught it. "Oh shit, is that¡­" She leaned forward a little, smirking. "Natalie, don''t tell me you''ve got a crush." "No," Natalie shot back, with a touch of pride. "I have a boyfriend." Rika''s mouth fell open. A few seconds later, she burst into laughter. "It''s not a joke," Natalie added indignantly. "Oh, I know," said Rika, even while a few of the Greycloaks glanced over in annoyance. She calmed down, remembering where she was. "Can''t live with ''em, can''t live without ''em." She took another swig of the drink. "Fuck, I''d swear off all guys if I could. But I''m an addict." "An addict of what?" She smirked. "A conversation for when you''re older." Natalie frowned. "Is this about¡­ sex?" Rika gaped at her again. "Oookay, well then. Look, Nat, you¡ª" "Natalie." She paused. "Okay, Natalie. You''re what, thirteen now?" Natalie nodded. "Right. So here''s the thing: guys are a bit behind at your age, but when they catch up, they catch up. And you''re gonna start looking at them different. They''re gonna start looking at you different." "I know," she said, uncomfortable. But still, she''d never really gotten a good explanation for all of this. Her dad had gone over the basics, but he never really explained a lot. Maybe he would have when she was older, but¡­ well, they never got that far. The talk with Cinza and Crystal in Seattle had only confused her even more, especially since she was barely able to focus on anything at the time. May as well be Rika, right¡­? At least I know her. "So when you''re looking at a guy¡ªor especially girls if you''re like me at fourteen¡ªand you start to feel like you want them? Like you need them? You shut that shit down." "Huh?" "Fucking hell, what is it with funerals and sex¡­" Rika muttered under her breath. She nodded. "Trust me. Nothing good comes out of sex that young. You don''t have a clue what you''re doing, neither do they, and you''re just gonna fuck up any good relationships you have." "Is that what you did?" She choked on her drink, spluttering a bit. "Shit, right for the jugular Natalie." "...Sorry." Rika shrugged. "Well, you''re right. That''s what I did. A lot. And I fucked up every single good friendship I had, from fourteen to twenty one." She leaned forward again, realizing how loud she''d been talking. "I''m not gonna lie. I had fun at the time. It seemed like everything was gonna go great. But that''s the trap." After another swig of her drink, Rika leaned forward again. "Gotta say, you look fucking intense. How''d you pull off all this?" Rika waved lazily to¡­ well, all of her. Natalie hesitated. "...I did some rituals." To her relief, though not really a surprise, Rika didn''t seem to care. Mostly, she was just curious. "Huh. Guess they don''t set off my allergies then. What a relief." She grinned. "Looks damn good though, whatever the hell you were aiming for." Rika reached out, her rose-entwined hand coming toward Natalie''s shoulder. Natalie flinched away. "...You okay?" "I''m fine," she said¡ªtoo quickly. Rika was smarter than that. "What happened?" "I can''t," she whispered. Natalie got to her feet and started walking away, Rika staring after her. "Natalie, what happened?" Rika asked again, but Natalie ignored her. Memories had been slowly coming back throughout the conversation, things she''d tried to avoid thinking about for so long. She''d been asking Rika all those questions to try and understand, without ever getting right to the heart of the problem. She wanted to know why, but Rika was a good person at heart. Natalie couldn''t imagine Rika ever doing what he did. What he almost did. I¡­ You got away. You stopped him. It didn''t help. The voice couldn''t get her out of that particular hole. Natalie fled back out the front door as calmly as she could. As soon as she was outside again, with the rain swallowing up the noise of the city in the distance, she found a small space at the end of the front deck. She wedged herself in between the bench and the flower bed, pulled her hood up and hugged herself tight. Percy fluttered out to the railing and took watch, understanding what she needed before she even asked. Natalie held very still, hands clasped around her legs, trying to force away the memories of that night. She thought of Quinn, and her friends, and her new home¡ªbut the black clouds kept coming, forcing him back into her mind, mixed in with images of lost friends, and her dad, and the gang members in the warehouse, and everything else that had gone so horribly wrong in her world.
"What are you doing here?" Jeremy asked, after he finally got her alone for a bit. "Oh, like I wasn''t friends with her?" snapped Meg, rubbing her wrist. "You didn''t have to pull me over here." "Thought you weren''t getting involved." "For your information," she said haughtily, "Hailey invited me. They used to come over to our place all the time. And do you know how hard it was to convince my parents that I had to skip school and come out to the city on a Thursday?" "Go home. You shouldn''t be here." "Why not?" Because everybody here is at serious risk of gettin'' murdered lately¡­ "You''re too young." "Oh, puh-leeze." Meg pointed over at the elf-girl with the hawk, talking with Rika in the last row of pews. "She''s like twelve. I''m sixteen." "She''s awakened. She doesn''t got a choice." "Yeah, and I''m choosing stay." Meg took a step back from him. "Look, Mr. Agent Ashe, I''m here because my brother isn''t. He went out with them every night for months and he''s not around to say goodbye, so I gotta do it. Okay? So deal with it." Well¡­ fuck. Jeremy shook his head, dismayed. "On your own fuckin'' head." "Yeah, no shit," she grumbled, walking away. Jeremy turned around, meaning to go back to his sister, maybe figure out what was taking so long¡ªand found himself face-to-face with Stephanie Winscombe. "Uhh¡­" he started. "Mr. Ashe?" "Mrs. Winscombe." She nodded. "This is my ex-husband, Chris." Jeremy shook the offered hands, feeling a bit of whiplash in the shift of conversation. From a fuckin'' high schooler to Hailey''s upper-class mom. Shit, I''m probably gonna be talkin'' to the twelve-year-old here in a minute. "I understand you''re friends with my daughter now." "Somethin'' like that, yeah." Jeremy shrugged. "We''ve helped each other out of a few tight spots." "Don''t be so modest, Mr. Ashe. You two fought together. You saved her life in October, unless I''m mistaken." He blinked a few times. "She told you about that?" Stephanie nodded. "I wanted you to know: if you need anything, please call. I can''t ever thank you enough." "Really," added Chris. "Hailey''s very precious to us both. If she¡­" He choked up slightly. Stephanie rubbed his shoulder, glancing back at Jeremy. "As I said. Anything." Jeremy nodded. "Thanks." He glanced around. "Honestly, I''m just wonderin'' where the hell she is now¡­" Stephanie glanced up, toward the ceiling. "I think she''s still trying to figure out what to say." Her voice softened, which was very different from the Stephanie Winscombe Jeremy had dealt with for months. "I can''t imagine what she''s going through right now¡­" Chris put an arm around her shoulder. "None of us can, Steph." Jeremy looked up too, at the empty ceiling above them. "Is she¡ª" "She''ll come down when she''s ready," said Stephanie.
Hailey was watching the clouds go by. She wore a dark blue dress¡ªone of her favorites, which she''d picked out for Hailey back in Seattle. The rain was coming down in sheets now, but none of it landed on her. Hailey was projecting a small wall of air above her, like an invisible umbrella, and the rain simply slid off and landed around her in a ragged circle. Her dress stayed perfectly dry. The wind was moving really fast. Hailey could sense it, even from this far down. She couldn''t see it, since the clouds were practically a solid grey sheet, but they were really moving. The rain probably wouldn''t last too long. Hailey wanted the rain to last. How many times had they done exactly this? Especially in the summer, they''d lay there, on a rooftop, bask in the sun and just watch the clouds go by. She might make up a little tune, and Hailey would listen. Or Hailey would just talk about anything that came to mind, and she''d listen, even though she couldn''t understand a word. Or sometimes they''d just be silent, and enjoy the sun, the rain, whatever came by, until Hailey took them up into the sky again. The clouds kept rushing by, and Hailey wanted nothing more than to leap off the roof, heedless of the rain, and let the wind carry her where it would. "...Hailey?" She didn''t look over. She knew exactly who it was. "Hi, Beverly." "They''re all waiting for you." Hailey nodded, but she didn''t get up from her spot. She was on a narrow flat space on top of the building, barely large enough for two people to lay comfortably. She was on one side, and there was just enough space on the other half¡ªexcept nobody was there. Beverly was standing at the far end, where the roof dropped down a bit to the large main portion. "I''m so sorry." Hailey shook her head. "It''s not your fault." "Maybe I could have¡­" "You couldn''t. Nobody could." Hailey forced the words out through her teeth. Voicing it aloud didn''t make her feel any better. "She wasn''t going to¡­ no matter what anyone did." Beverly nodded, hands in her pockets. The rain didn''t land on her either, although it wasn''t as obvious as Hailey''s invisible umbrella. For her, as skilled and powerful as she was, the rain simply passed through her as if she weren''t there at all. For all Hailey knew, she wasn''t¡ªHailey wouldn''t put it past her to be able to just project herself anywhere she liked by now. If I could do what Beverly can, would she¡­ Hailey shook her head forcefully. She couldn''t think like that. Except she couldn''t stop herself thinking like that. Every day, every hour since it happened, Hailey had been trying to figure out what she could have done to stop it. What she could have done to save her. "I can''t stay long," said Beverly, after Hailey didn''t speak for a few minutes. "Go," she whispered. "I''ll be fine." Beverly vanished, but Hailey couldn''t keep her face straight any longer. As soon as she was gone, Hailey felt tears trickling down the sides of her face again. They pooled up in her eyes as she stared up into the sky, raindrops sliding away in midair just like the tears on her face. It''s my fault. Hailey heard sniffling, and it wasn''t her own. She leaned up slightly. It wasn''t inside the church, either. She got up, moving the shield with her, and walked to the edge of the roof. A few floating steps and a beat of her wings, and she landed on the deck with a whisper of sound, letting go of her shield as the roof covered them both. In the corner of the deck was Natalie, wrapped up tight in her jacket, scarred face, like a broken doll someone had tossed there to be forgotten. She looked so cold, and her bright purple eyes were reddened and puffy, full of the pain and loss Hailey felt flooding her own body. Hailey didn''t say anything to her. She was shocked by her appearance, but it just seemed to fit everything else that was wrong with the world by now. In silence, Hailey offered her a hand. Natalie slowly reached out and took it. Her fingers trembled in Hailey''s grip, and as soon as she was on her feet, the hand slipped away¡ªbut for Hailey it was enough. It reminded her what she was supposed to do. Be who she always thought I was. Together, they walked back into the church.
Everyone converged on Hailey as she walked in. Natalie slipped away, her hawk perching on her shoulder again as she fled into one of the corners. Hailey walked straight forward, ignoring everyone, heading straight for the front, where Beth and Malcolm were waiting. Hailey walked right up to the casket. It was a simple handsome lined wooden box, which Cinza had provided. No hands or tools had carved it; it was made by magic, which was perfect for her. Slowly, Hailey lifted open the top. Jessica was inside, wearing a nicer dress than she''d ever worn in her whole life. Her face was so calm, so peaceful¡­ so pale. They''d put her hands up on her chest, clasping a flower. Hailey smiled slightly. Jessica had never really liked flowers. She would have protested the little white lilies, but Hailey thought they looked nice. She reached down and stroked Jessica''s hair, then planted a kiss on her forehead. She turned back to the group, who had all taken seats in the pews. She knew they''d all been talking until only moments before, but the social atmosphere was gone. She''d arrived, and she''d brought sadness with her. "...Hi," Hailey said aloud. Her voice carried far in the near-silence of the room. She scanned through everyone there, grateful that they''d all come to see her. Come to see Jessica. "She would have been happy you all came today." Hailey glanced back at the casket again, where Jessica''s face was just barely visible. "She was¡­ she always liked people coming together. I know most of you never got to talk to her, but she would have really liked this." Except she really wouldn''t¡­ Oh god, look at us. Beth and Malcolm Silverdale in the first row, both quietly sobbing, huddled together like they were in the midst of a storm. Jeremy and his sisters, all solemn-faced. Rika and Ryan, united and not even arguing for the first time Hailey had ever known¡ªbut Rika was hard-faced and as angry as ever, while Ryan was still jumping at the slightest noises. Cinza, Ruby, Nikki and Yusuf, a tight quartet with their hoods down. Ruby was crying on Cinza''s shoulder. Yusuf had his hands together, like he was praying. Nikki was sniffling, eyes red. Hailey hadn''t even realized she''d known Jessica that well. Kendra, sitting alone, upright and proper, not a single person within a dozen feet. Hailey''s mom, crying near the back, and her dad a few feet away, looking equally melancholic. Meg, all joy and mirth long-gone, angry and miserable, totally out of place in the group. Josh, watching the ground in front of his feet near the front, still as stone. Natalie, all the way against the wall in the back, scarred and haunted, staring at Hailey like they barely knew each other anymore. I can''t do this. "I''m sorry," Hailey choked out. "I screwed up." The crying stopped. Nobody had expected her to say that. Hailey hadn''t meant to say it. But she couldn''t stop herself. "Jessic¡ª" Hailey stopped again, her throat refusing to let breath out. She felt like she might throw up. "I wasn''t paying attention. I wasn''t there when she needed me. She¡­" Oh god, Jessica. I''m so sorry. I need you back. I can''t do this alone. "She was murdered," said Josh, standing up. The room itself seemed to turn to face him. Everybody shifted in their seats, the rustling and the rain filling the little church. "Jessica was murdered. It wasn''t self-defense, it wasn''t fair. It was awful. She deserved better." Hailey nodded, as the tears started to fall down her cheeks again, but she felt the sadness ebbing away. She was still in pain¡ªshe was in so much pain she felt like she might crack and shatter into a million tiny pieces¡ªbut the despair was dissipating. "She was taken far too soon," said Cinza, also rising to her feet, Ruby still clutching her hand. "Jessica was one of the best of us. I admired her. I admit I envied her some days. She was a wonderful, loving soul, and every precious minute we spent together is a memory I won''t soon forget." "She was really nice," said Meg, getting up too. "Jessica and I used to pull pranks on Hailey sometimes when she came over. She knew how to have fun." Their words overwhelmed her. Hailey took a step back, nearly falling over. She could feel her heart beating up into her throat. Along with it came a few embers¡ªjust kindling at the moment, but a single spark could erupt into a roaring fire. It''s not fair. She shouldn''t be gone. Kendra stood up, and for the first time Hailey could remember, she saw some real emotions on her old professor''s face. "Jessica saved my life. When Jackson came for our heads, she cast the first spell to drive him back. I would have died that day if not for her." Rika got up, and her hard voice carried far. "Jessica Silverdale was the best fucking person in Rallsburg, and they murdered her in the street. None of this is fair. She deserved better." They murdered her. Hailey straightened up, and the flames roared in her chest. "They murdered her." She cleared her throat, speaking louder. "Viper murdered her. And I''m not gonna let that stand." Everyone fell silent. Jeremy took a step forward. "...Hailey¡­" he started. They murdered her. Kendra spoke up. "Hailey, what do you intend?" They murdered Jessica! "I''m going to find him," she growled. The windows all burst open simultaneously. Wind howled through the room, blowing the curtains in a wild display of rage. A torrent of rain from outside began to splatter against the floors. Hailey opened her wings wide, and a huge gust carried her into the air, blowing through the church like a tornado. Kendra''s hat flew into the air. Percy huddled against Natalie''s head as she shielded him, blocking Hailey''s wind with her own magic. Hailey didn''t care. She summoned her bag from where she''d set it down next to the casket. Another huge burst of wind from her wings, and Hailey shot out through the front double-doors of the church. Her dress fluttered wildly in the sky as she rose high into the air, soaked by the rain in an instant. She was freezing, but the pain sustained her. They murdered Jessica Silverdale. She didn''t care. She knew exactly where she was heading. Against the clouds rushing past her on every side, Hailey swung out wide and turned toward the east. It would be a long, difficult flight, but she had a pile of gemstones in her bag, along with her phone, food, and all the supplies she could need. She''d find him, and his employer. She''d hunt them down, one way or another, and she''d tear apart everything they held dear, brick by brick. Hailey Winscombe was going to London. [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] Interlude IX — Magnanimity of the Modern Man Interlude IX ¡ª Magnanimity of the Modern Man "What the fuck just happened?" he shouted over the pulsing helicopter blades. The city rushed past underneath, a blur of light cutting through the darkness. "Unexpected resistance, sir." "Unexpected¡ª" Viper cut off as the helicopter made a hard turn, tilting nearly halfway over as it swung north. "...It was two goddamn college kids in a hotel room! What kind of unexpected fucking resistance was there?" "The girl caught us off guard. Couldn''t attempt the original exfil safely. Had to take a detour." "I noticed," he snapped. "You blew up a neighborhood. Civilians, asshole." "Collateral damage." Viper glanced over his shoulder, leaning out of the co-pilot seat to look at his men in the rear compartment¡ªten in all, out of the fourteen he''d originally arrived in the country with. Three dead, while Rook was long gone doing God-knew-what. They all had basic medical training, and were busy patching each other up from the scrapes and cuts caused by one of the collapsing buildings. Another had taken a hunting rifle bullet straight through the shoulder. "Syke, Piller and Mauer?" he asked, just to be absolutely sure. "Dead." "Everyone else clear?" "Yes, sir. Stukov took one in the shoulder but it''s clean. Entry and exit. Minor casualties otherwise. No disabled." He took a headcount. "Son of a bitch," Viper growled. "You didn''t even get Walker?" "No." "Turn us back around," he said, turning back to the pilot. "We ain''t done¡ª" "Sir, we got something." "Got what?" His second in command¡ªtechnically his third, but his second had just gotten pulverized by a golem out on the pavement, so a field promotion was in order¡ªdug into his side pack and pulled out a tiny crumpled piece of paper. Not even a plain piece of paper as he expected, but ragged, ancient parchment, covered in writing he couldn''t make out in the dark helicopter interior. "Is that¡ª" "It''s legitimate," the man added proudly. "Checked it myself. I saw her." Viper smiled, while relief washed over him like the howling wind blasting through the chopper doors. He settled back into the co-pilot seat, and actually started to enjoy the ride for once. "Guess this wasn''t a waste after all." He rubbed at his arm, finally freed of the sling after so long. It still felt strange, being able to use it again, but it was a gift he wasn''t about to resent any time soon. "Take us home."
It was a long, disjointed ride back to London. They landed over the border in B.C. at a private airstrip, where they boarded a cargo plane that was waiting on the tarmac. It flew them straight across the Canadian wilderness, staying well out of sight of towns and low enough to avoid tripping any flags, which meant they had to go a bit slower. Most of Viper''s men stayed behind in Quebec, while Viper and Napowsky¡ªhis new second-in-command¡ªboarded a smaller, lightning-fast private jet belonging to their benefactor. Viper took the opportunity to sleep. It was a life lesson he''d taken to heart while serving with Rook: every opportunity he got for some downtime, he took it. Never could be too sure when the next one was coming around, and after so many long, exhausting days out in the deserts and the jungles, he''d learned to sleep pretty much anywhere, anytime. Napowsky wasn''t so lucky. Every time Viper woke up to check, the man was pacing, more nervous than Viper had ever seen in his career. Granted, they''d only been working together for about a year, but still; his recruits were usually more stable than this. "Get some R&R while you can," he grumbled, turning over in his chair. "You know the boss is gonna keep you up all night with testing now that you''re one of the gang." "But sir¡ª" He clearly wouldn''t just take a hint. Viper opened his eyes and sat up. "What?" Napowsky scratched his chin, where a wicked scar ran from the bottom straight up the side of his face, all the way into his hair. An old war wound. Napowsky always told people he''d gotten it in a knife fight with a guerilla, but Viper knew it was bullshit. He''d watched firsthand as Napowsky tripped over a body and landed right on a spike of broken glass from a shattered window pane. "You saw her too, right?" He shrugged. "''Course I did. Everybody does." "Who is she?" "How should I fuckin'' know?" Napowsky shook his head. "She isn''t human. Do you think¡­" He trailed off. Viper rolled his eyes, leaning back in his chair again. At least the chairs were nice. Malton didn''t skimp on his private jets. Best rides Viper ever got across the Atlantic, without a doubt. "Spit it out, so I can get back to sleep." "She''s a witch. She''s testing us." He snorted. "Ain''t witches supposed to be evil?" "No. She''s a guardian. Like¡­ watching us and waiting to see what we do. And if we choose wrong, she''ll punish us." "That ain''t no witch," Viper said dismissively. "I dunno what the fuck she is, but she''s not gonna punish anyone. She''ll stay out of it. Trust me." Napowsky didn''t exactly look convinced, but Viper didn''t care enough to continue the conversation. Since the man clearly wasn''t gonna let it go and get some sleep, he decided to distract him with some more bog-standard grunt work, anything to shift his train of thought. "Give me a post-op." As he''d hoped, Napowsky snapped right back into his old professionalism. He even stood at attention, though Viper never required that kind of bullshit in his squads. They''d all gone through basic, they didn''t need every discipline practice anymore. Didn''t even care if the men called him ''sir'', though many still did. It was a tough habit to break. "We staked out Walker''s hotel room as ordered, sir. The Nishimura girl was there until around 1700. She vacated the AO at approximately 1704, at which point Piller ordered Bravo to breach. Bravo dropped from the roof to the balcony, and entered the room via the balcony door. Walker was on the bed. Stukov incapacitated him using the stun-gun, as ordered." "So what the fuck went wrong?" "Nishimura came back faster than expected. She forgot her keys." "Son of a bitch¡­" Viper muttered. "Since we had strict orders not to engage her¡ª" "You got a problem with that?" Napowsky cleared his throat, realizing what he''d implied. "Sorry, sir. As I was saying, we couldn''t engage Nishimura, so I ordered Bravo to retreat immediately. Nishimura used magic to seal the back door and electrify it, so we couldn''t exfiltrate on our intended route. I had to force our exit through the front. She gave chase." Me and my fucking deals. Rook would give me so much shit if she was here. This is bigger than me. Should''ve ordered them to just take her too, and ditch her again later before Corny found out. "You couldn''t evade a single female pursuer?" "Sir, she had magic. We didn''t. Getting into any vehicle was a tall order. Piller hotwired a truck, and we tried a bait-and-switch. We loaded Walker in and we kept moving on foot, while Piller, Mauer and Syke drove off with the target. Nishimura didn''t fall for it." "Which lead to a car chase on every news station in the goddamn world," Viper concluded. "Yes, sir." "How did you get the Scrap?" "The what, sir?" "The parchment. The piece of the book." He pulled it out of his pocket and waved it around. "This." "Walker was holding it when we came in. Not sure why. I assumed it might be useful, so I kept it." Viper chuckled. "Good fuckin'' call. So what, you read it while you were in pursuit?" "Yes." "Wait¡­" He was still building his mental image of the whole chase in his head, piece by piece. Debriefing was an important part of being a part of the team, so that even if he couldn''t be on the ground, he could still understand what his men had gone through. Every detail mattered if he wanted them to think he was on their side¡ªone of the boys, as opposed to their billionaire employer who couldn''t care less. Not that Malton fit the stereotype at all, but they''d never believe it unless they really got to know him like Viper did. The idea that Napowsky had read the Scrap while in a helicopter chase was just one step too far. He laughed. "So what, she teleported into the bird with you guys?" "Right in front of me. I swear to God. I think Stukov probably would have shot her if he could, but all of our guns just stopped working. He couldn''t pull the trigger. Jammed, from what he said." "T-shirt and jacket, jeans, brown hair, so on?" "Yes." Viper shook his head, still amused. "That girl in the middle of a pile of you chucklefucks, and not one of you can move a muscle. That''s gold." "It was fucking terrifying, sir." "Don''t remind me." He didn''t let it show, but Viper was just as terrified of that black void he''d felt when he awakened. Viper needed to be in control, and that empty horror was his worst nightmare. He hadn''t been in control. He''d been dropped out of the world, beyond help, while Rook''s shouting got faint and murky. Lost in the black, Viper was wholly convinced he''d just gone to hell, until she appeared. He owed Grey-eyes for saving his life, for sure. Just like he owed Rook, just like he owed Malton. "Well, hand it over," he added, extending his hand. Napowsky, with some reluctance, fished out the Scrap and passed it to his boss. Viper peered at it, and as he did, the words drew him in yet again. He''d done this before, more than once, and every time it got a little easier. Like he was acclimating to magic. Adapting. Viper had always prided himself on his adaptability. When he was in the service, he''d never had a problem going to the worst of environments. Stick him in a desert, with little water and food for weeks on end and just Rook for company, and he did just fine. Strand him in a jungle and he''d come back out like he''d just been on vacation. It was dealing with people that really bothered him¡ªcivilians most of all. Whiny, entitled civilians that didn''t understand how hard he worked to keep them safe at night. They were so exhausting. As he lurched back into the world and set the Scrap aside, Viper smiled. He was adapting to yet another new environment, one that the world was just now waking up to, and he was already ahead of the game.
When Viper got to Malton''s office, he was stopped just outside the door by Malton''s personal assistant. He''d never been stopped going into Malton''s office before. The diminutive woman¡ªwith thick spectacles and a pen always stuck in her hair¡ªactually stood right in his way. She was probably less than half his weight, and he had a good six inches on her at least, but she didn''t budge an inch. "Mr. Malton is on a very important phone call right now." "Lady, do you know who I am?" he growled. He was feeling really impatient, given the news developments while they''d been in-flight. "He''s gonna want to see me." "He was quite specific, sir. No interruptions." "I''m not a damn interruption." Still, the woman refused to let him by, and the doors were tightly sealed unless she pressed the button to allow him through. Viper could have just leaned over and pressed it himself, but it became moot a second later as the doors swung wide. Three suits left the office, none of whom Viper recognized. One shot him a curious look, which wasn''t too surprising. Viper never did fit into boardrooms whenever Malton dragged him to one. It was rare, but sometimes Malton had to account for some of the larger expenditures required by the Malton Solutions private contract service. Bringing Viper into the boardroom to silently intimidate the more obstinate board members was just the easiest way out. She said he was on a phone call though. Who the fuck were those guys? "You may go in now," the assistant added, way too smug for her own good. Viper resisted the urge to flip her off as he went in. Cornelius Ferdinand Anastasia Malton stood behind his desk, scribbling something on a piece of paper. He always stood. His desk didn''t have a single chair behind it, and the only one in the whole room was stuffed in the corner, as a courtesy for guests who didn''t have the constitution to stay standing for longer meetings. It was all part of his image¡ªthe youthful, athletic CEO that exuded health and competence. He''d deliberately sold himself as the opposite of Thomas Laushire in many ways. Laushire was nearly twice his age, at fifty-six to Malton''s thirty-one. Malton was an active, aggressive executive that forced himself into the public eye time and again (partly to ensure the board could never truly get rid of him if they wanted to), while Laushire preferred to act the aloof master above such trivial concerns. Even down to appearance, they were starkly different¡ªLaushire was a bit overweight, sporting the iconic mop of fiery red hair that he shared with his daughter, while Malton was in his prime in every form, and kept his dark brown hair trimmed so close he might as well have been bald. When Malton looked up, Viper felt unsettled. Not that he thought the man could ever beat him in a fight¡ªeven without magic, Viper had nearly a decade of real combat experience, while the closest Malton had ever been to a fight was a bar when they''d both just turned twenty-one. No, Malton was intimidating because Viper knew what he was capable of. While Viper kept to a code, one drummed into him in the military which he''d adapted to fit his new life, Malton was unpredictable. It was a quality that helped him dominate the business market, as his seemingly risky ventures became goldmines of profit. At the same time, it meant he could be utterly ruthless when the time came, and Viper could never tell when that time was coming. Without Rook at his side, he felt distinctly unsettled. It hadn''t always been that way. Once upon a time, Malton and Viper¡ªCorny and Stefen, as they were known in every pub from Southampton to Edinburgh¡ªwere closer than brothers. Those days were long gone by. "So." Malton said, setting down his phone on the desk. The room was uncomfortably silent, another common tactic he used to unsettle negotiations. "Who were the suits?" Viper asked, trying to get ahold of the conversation before they really got into it. "Lawyers. It seems Thomas has decided to lodge an inquiry into my international dealings in the colonies. Something about trade agreements and tariffs." Malton shook his head. "It''s all rubbish, but Thomas is grasping at every straw he can find. It won''t slow us in the slightest." "Why, though? Ain''t he Europe-based?" "An excellent question," Malton said, digging through a stack of papers. He pulled out a sheet and set it on top, and Viper leaned in to read it. Something about permit regulations and failure to follow procedure¡ªbureaucratic shit that reminded Viper why he''d never get anywhere in business. "Thomas doesn''t have a single quid in the entire region. I had Research check it three times, and our other sources concur. Nor is he angling to make any investments in the area. He''s up to something." "Like what?" "This Wilmore person. If they even exist." Malton started pacing behind his desk. Normally, he was able to stand stock-still as long as he needed to, with infinite patience to wear down stubborn opponents, but he''d never bothered around Viper. He let his true feelings show. It was one of the main reasons Viper still trusted his old friend. "They''ve been gobbling up capital and firms left and right in the West, particularly around the Pacific Northwest region. Almost like they knew what we did." Viper paused. "You still don''t have a clue who Wilmore is?" "Whoever they are, they''re smart. Playing businesses off each other and striking killer deals, and all without showing their face once. I''m impressed. They''re a shadow without any sort of history behind them." "And now they''re workin'' with Laushire?" "Not on paper. Not even in rumor. I''d stake my company on it though." "''Course you would, you''re insane." Malton smiled. "Thomas is making a play to control magic, and I''ve already got it in my pocket." "Speakin'' of which¡­" Viper glanced over his shoulder, even though they were alone in one of the most secure private offices in the country. "Got something for the lab." Malton''s smile grew wider, and Viper still wasn''t sure if that was a good thing or not. Fuckin'' hell, Tess¡­ Where are you when I need you?
Malton''s primary thaumaturgy lab¡ªas he''d named it, though Viper just rolled his eyes¡ªwas buried underneath an unassuming shop a few streets away from the Culver-Malton building. Malton was a known frequenter of the shop, which sold books and other curios, so to see him enter in the middle of the day wasn''t unheard of. The old man running the place gave them both a knowing wink as they headed straight into the back room. Straight into the back, around the corner, through a rotating bookcase, past a retina scanner, a voice imprint, a handprint, down a steel elevator and another two floors, and finally into a wide box of a room stuffed in between all the old London sewers and undercity. Viper had no clue how Malton had managed to build it in the middle of the city without being noticed, but Malton often said there wasn''t anything one couldn''t do with enough money. Viper had long-since accepted it as fact. Nothing, that was, until they''d discovered magic. The secret might be out, but Malton still wanted to maintain a hold over his research as long as he could. Given their perfect and total infiltration of Laushire''s system, he''d gone to great lengths to ensure absolute privacy for their own operation. Only three people had ever entered this room after it was initially sealed. Now, it was about to become five. Viper smirked at Napowsky. The man was gaping at the sheer layers of verification and security as they descended into the antiseptic, evenly lit white lab space. "Isn''t this overkill, sir?" "Can''t be too careful," said Malton over his shoulder as they walked down the steel staircase set into the wall. "Kleiner, as I instructed." "Yes, sir." The other member of their party was one of Malton''s research scientists, a man with doctorates in both theoretical and applied physics, plus a great many other educational achievements that Viper couldn''t be bothered to remember. All he cared about was that the mousey-looking man with the nervous tic had cleared his background checks. Kleiner didn''t have a speck of dirt on him, and Malton trusted him, so Viper let him into the circle. Kleiner hurried down to the instrument panel set into the wall, checking the sensors. He''d brought several boxes of equipment as well, which Viper and Napowsky were lugging down the stairs. Kleiner instructed them to set up the sensors in a small circle around an open space near the center. Little towers of what looked like tiny satellite dishes, black boxes with revolving tops, antennae, and numerous other dark plastic and metal objects Viper couldn''t begin to describe. While he was setting up, Malton took them aside. "I retrieved your men." Viper raised an eyebrow. "Thought Tacoma cops claimed the bodies." Malton shrugged. "A well-placed bribe or two. They''re on their way back to London now. My assistant will arrange discreet burials." "They didn''t have any family," said Viper. "Of course," Malton nodded. "Nonetheless, they deserve a proper burial. They did their jobs." Napowsky looked on with approval, even admiration. "Thanks, boss." Right, that''s why he''s the guy in charge. Viper settled back, focusing on the future again. "They link us to the fight?" "The Battle of Lakewood, as the talking heads coined it," said Malton, with a faint smirk. "No. Your men got away clean. The blame has been placed squarely on the mysterious golem-summoner." "Hendricks." "Yes, though the general public isn''t aware of his identity yet." Malton scratched his chin. "I''ve been trying to come up with a plausible way I might have obtained that information. A quiet leak is still risky, and may not be believed even through the proper channels." "Do we care, sir?" asked Napowsky. They both looked at him, surprised. "''Course we care," said Viper. "The guy''s a psycho. Blew up the whole damn neighborhood. Our explosives weren''t anywhere near the structures." "But I thought we wanted people distracted from what we''re doing." Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. "Distracted is one thing," said Malton, while simultaneously launching a monitoring program on the bank of computer monitors. "We don''t want them outright hostile to the idea of magic though. Public opinion is on this being a fight between awakened, and not the witch hunt it really is. If it continues, we won''t be able to implement our own strategies for magic-fueled economies." "So that''s the end-goal, sir?" Malton stopped typing. He glanced at Viper, slightly amused. "Your men don''t actually know, and they still follow every instruction to the letter? I''m impressed, Stefen." "Didn'' need to know." "Know what?" asked Napowsky, obviously confused. He looked between his two bosses, waiting for answers. "We''re in the business of energy, Napowsky," said Malton, and both of them were surprised he even knew the man''s name. "At the end of the day, every industry boils down to energy." "Every science, in fact," added Kleiner, rejoining them. "Indeed." Malton nodded an acknowledgement. "Magic is just the manipulation of that energy in its rawest form, in a far more direct manner than we''ve ever believed possible. I want to harness that. I want to understand it and control it. I want to know everything there is to know about this new technology." "And do what, sir?" "Save the world," he said with a steely grin.
They stood out at the edges of the room, to avoid any possible interference. Malton stood alone in the center, wearing a sterilized lab coat. Kleiner was hunched over his console, watching a dozen graphs and meters, while Viper and Napowsky watched and waited. Malton picked up the piece of parchment, took a deep breath, and lowered his eyes to the page. For a few moments, nothing happened. Kleiner glanced over, but all they saw was Malton saying something, his eyes slowly tracing over the Scrap. The monitors showed no unusual activity, except for one. They could hear him, in the otherwise-quiet room, but the computers could not. "There''s no sound," Kleiner murmured to Viper. "Huh?" "Look," he added, pointing at the decibel readout. "It''s increasing consistently with his breathing, nothing else. But I can hear him speaking from here. It should be registering something." He picked up the headphones and put them on. Viper pointed at his own ear, raising his eyebrows. Kleiner shook his head and set it aside. "Just white noise. Nothing." Malton''s voice cut off. The lines on the graphs turned into mountains all at once. "Heart-rate just doubled. Shit." Kleiner was dancing across the keys. Malton had given them strict instructions not to cross the line, to get every measurement they could. Viper could reassure himself that this was normal, that everyone went through the same awakening process¡ªbut seeing his friend start to choke, watching him fall to the ground and twitch, he could barely restrain himself. "Show up, damn you¡­" he murmured. Where was she? Shit, what if she can''t teleport this far? Every awakening has been in Washington state until now. She is human, ain''t she? "Brain activity is through the roof. His prefrontal cortex looks like it''s on fire." Kleiner''s voice had a note of panic now. "Calm down, doc," said Viper, though he was having trouble keeping his own voice steady. A loud beeping sound. "I lost him!" Kleiner shouted, whipping around¡ªbut he needn''t have worried. She''d appeared, as she always did. Viper let out a huge sigh of relief. He sat back against the console desk, wiping the sweat from his forehead. Grey-eyes was kneeling on the hard surface next to Malton, holding his head up off the ground while she read the rest of the Scrap to him. "Amazing¡­" gasped Napowsky. "...Who is she?" asked Kleiner. "If you figure that out Doc, you''ll be the richest man in the world," said Viper. As Malton started to sit up, she vanished again, with only the faintest hint of a breeze. The air was so still, though, that they all felt it even across the length of the room. He rubbed at his eyes, blinking rapidly and shaking off the feeling of the void. Viper took a step forward, but Kleiner held him back by the shoulder. "I''m still collecting data. Wait." Malton stood back up and stretched out his limbs. He rolled his head around his neck, going through a quick muscle relaxing routine. A ball of purest fire burst into life right in front of him. Viper''s mouth fell open. He''d been awakened for ten seconds, and he could already do that? Tess¡­ I hope to god you ain''t right about him.
Kleiner was practically jumping up and down as Malton finally rejoined them after a grueling demonstration of magic, dancing about like an excited puppy. "All right, Napowsky, your turn. Get in there." Napowsky finally strapped on the last couple sensors and made his way into the center, trading places with the boss. Malton had just finished going through a series of different spells, as called out by Viper from outside the ring of instruments. He had to explain a few of them in great detail before Malton could pull them off, and he didn''t quite master everything on the first try, but it was still intimidating to say the least. Next, Napowsky was going to perform the same series, while Malton and Kleiner compared the data. "See, look at this! It''s amazing," Kleiner gushed, while Malton and Viper leaned over the monitor. A readout of Napowsky''s brain showed parts lighting up as he cast the first spell, the same fireball that Malton had summoned¡ªthough considerably weaker and dimmer. "Precisely the same areas of the brain." "That''s not really surprising," said Viper. "No, but look! The exact same area. And now¡ª" he looked over to Napowsky. "Next, please!" The man let go of the fireball and started levitating a clipboard they''d left nearby. As he did, the monitor shifted in color, and a different portion of the brain lit up. "Again, exactly the same!" "So?" "So it means," said Malton, nodding along in that irritating knowing tone, "that magic is consistent between individuals. It means we can target it." "Do what now?" "Enhance it," said Kleiner, rubbing his hands together. "Next, please!" he shouted at Napowsky. The clipboard clattered to the ground, and Napowsky started pushing it across the floor. Kleiner had a document open on another monitor and was furiously typing in notes while they spoke. "There are seven affinities, correct?" asked Malton. "Far as I know," said Viper uneasily. "Movement, Elemental, Nature, and Creation, then there''s Self, Mental, and Knowledge. Mental''s useless as fuck though. That trick I just taught you is the only spell I know in that whole branch." Which, gettin'' rid of a headache ain''t the worst thing in the world, but it''s not that impressive compared to most of this shit. "And we''ve measured seven rough areas of the brain where these activities align," Malton continued. "And within them, even further specification based on what kind of spell is being used. For example, see Napowsky''s data with levitating the object as opposed to pushing it. Both fall into the septant we''d label Movement, but still in different, overlapping regions." "The seven don''t cover the whole brain though," said Kleiner. "Nor are they equal. I wonder if there are other affinities yet to be discovered?" "Fuck if I know," said Viper. "The Council seemed pretty damn certain though, and they had both the Knowledge affinity players in their pocket." "Regardless if there are more, we have them isolated now," said Malton. "Kleiner, how are you with neuroscience?" "I''ve dabbled," he said, looking up from his notes. "I wouldn''t presume to call myself an expert." "Do you think a medical treatment could potentially enhance performance in these areas?" "Perhaps." Kleiner started pulling up information on one of the screens, though they were limited to what the local network had available. Viper wasn''t about to let this place get hooked up to the wider internet. "Stimulants are an obvious first step. Mr. Gearhardt, you''ve said that you felt your abilities grow stronger linked to releases of adrenaline, correct?" "Yeah," said Viper. Fuckin'' saved my life once, too. "So naturally, we can assume any similar effect to increase brain processing and cognitive function may have similar effects." Kleiner glanced over at Napowsky, still pushing the clipboard around. "Next, please!" "Start looking into those tonight," said Malton. "Absolutely. Nootropics could also be a good source," said Kleiner, trailing off into his own tangent. "Any over-the-counter cognitive enhancer might be too weak though¡­" Viper took Malton a few steps away, while they continued to watch Napowsky work through the list of spells. He was getting concerned about his friend. Malton looked exhausted, for one, but more importantly, his eyes were lit up with an unsettling sense of glee. Viper didn''t like it one bit. "Look, we''ve been down here for two days now. You gotta get back up into the real world for a bit." "We have beds and living quarters down here," said Malton dismissively. "There''s so much to explore we haven''t even touched on yet." "You''re dead on your feet, man." Viper pushed him gently, and he nearly toppled over. Malton put his hand on the desk, steadying himself. "There''s more to do. Think about everything we could accomplish." "...Like what?" "We''re talking about pure energy in its raw form." Malton frowned. "If you''d managed to learn any spells manipulating electricity, this would be so much simpler. We know how to store that in a usable form. But even so¡ª" he added quickly, as Viper opened his mouth in an angry retort, "¡ªeven so, this is all excellent. We can generate real power, and by our measurement we''ve exceeded one hundred percent efficiency. This is breaking the known laws of physics, Stefen." "Fuck physics," he growled. "If you die tryin'', it''s not worth a damn." Malton sighed. His eyes suddenly focused up again. It was rare Viper ever raised his voice around Malton. He saved it for the rare occasions when he knew his friend was about to do something incredibly stupid and reckless. "...You''re right. Of course you''re right." "Sometimes I''m the smart one. Don''t you forget it." "How could I?" Malton said with a smile. "You saved my life." "You saved my fuckin'' life. Those snakes were goin'' for me." "Because you leapt in front of me and distracted them." Viper shook his head. "Remember it however you want, man." "Kleiner?" Malton called out. Kleiner looked up, glasses slightly askew. Though Viper and Napowsky had both taken a break and gone up for food more than once, the other two hadn''t left the room since Sunday, when they''d first entered. "We''re done for today. I''m taking you out for dinner, and then we''re resuming tomorrow morning." "But sir¡ª" "Was I unclear?" Kleiner gulped. "No, sir." Malton turned back to Viper. "Join us? I think I owe you dinner from the last mission." "Damn right you do."
All through dinner, as Malton''s personal chef brought out dish after dish, Viper kept a close eye on the two newly awakened. Napowsky seemed to be taking it seriously, at least. He didn''t do anything frivolously, and his magical aura¡ªfor lack of a better term¡ªwas reluctant and withdrawn. Viper didn''t need to worry about him. The aura was something he''d begun to sense back in Rallsburg. As he spent more time around other awakened, particularly in the Council meetings, Viper noticed that every awakened generated a sort of aura. It was unconscious, and he couldn''t sense his own, though he had no doubt it must be there. He likened it to the smell of a person¡ªhe was so used to his own scent, he could never notice it until it changed significantly. For his aura, that meant when he started casting particularly difficult spells. In the same vein, he started to become very aware of other auras, particularly the most powerful ones. It was a technique that could be taught, too, as he''d done for Piller. His second had gone down with the other two, as the only other awakened in the group. He''d gotten ahold of one of the so-called "second-gen" copies which were starting to filter out into the community. They only worked once, but Piller hadn''t seemed any weaker than usual. Now, he was the only one still missing from the strike force. Syke and Mauer both came back with shattered skulls¡ªone by a .357 round, and the other through sheer blunt-force trauma. Viper assumed one of the golems had gotten him. Piller was nowhere to be found though, not even a body. Viper had no idea where he might be. He had to assume, after four days now, that the man had been captured. By whom, he hadn''t a clue. Back in the present, Kleiner and Malton were excitedly discussing the potential applications of magic on the energy market. Viper could follow along with the basics, but they were delving right into the math before too long, as Malton started getting into the business end of things¡ªhow he could drop operating costs dramatically and undercut competitors while still serving up the cheapest electricity Britain had ever seen. It sounded all well and good, but when Viper felt Malton''s aura, his bones chilled. Malton had an impossibly strong aura for someone so young in magic. It wasn''t anywhere near the level of the true giants, like Hector Peraza or Kendra Laushire, but it sure as hell felt stronger than the average Joe. Viper didn''t have a whole lot to compare to anymore, of course, but this felt way beyond the likes of the Council, or any of the other morons in the group. His phone buzzed. Viper welcomed the opportunity to get away from the table for a bit. Something about Malton was seriously unsettling him. They''d been friends for so long, Viper always felt like he knew exactly what the man was thinking¡ªbut today, though the words sounded the same, something had changed in the intent. Like Rook said, it wasn''t about the greater good anymore. It was about power, and Malton had found a real source, of pure unbridled power unlike anything money could ever offer him. Speak of the fuckin'' devil¡­ Viper hurried out to the hallway and lifted the phone to his ear. "Kaikki kunnossa." "Kiitt?m?tt?myys on maailman palkka." "...The fuck does that mean?" "Something I remind myself daily to keep myself strong." Rook''s voice crackled. She had a bad connection, no doubt, wherever the hell she was. "Where the hell are you?" "Working." "No shit." Viper glanced over his shoulder, making sure no one had followed him into the hall. As expected, the rest of the group were still inside. Napowsky had gotten drunk and was regaling Kleiner and Malton with a story, to uproarious laughter. Viper hadn''t taken a single sip, wanting to keep his mind sharp. "How long?" "As long as necessary." "I already picked up a target, with a bonus." Viper paused, lowering his voice again even with the reassurance that no one could hear him. "You don''t need to stay out there." "I have not yet succeeded." "Look¡ª" Viper took another few steps away. "Remember what we talked about, right before we left?" "My?nt?v?." She paused. Viper could hear her breath on the microphone. Wherever she was, Rook was trying to be as quiet as him, with her secure sat-phone pressed right up to her mouth. "Is it too far?" "I don''t know yet." Despite triple-checking their network, and paying for the whole thing using his own funds, Viper didn''t trust their phones. "Puolitiess?." Rook didn''t respond for a full minute. The breathing went away, too. Viper wasn''t sure if she were gone or not, and didn''t dare make a sound for fear of alerting anyone nearby to her presence. He didn''t hang up, either. They''d done this before, more than once, and he''d keep the line on and muted as long as it took. She''d give him an all-clear, or she''d send an alert. They had a protocol. To his relief, she spoke again. "I will hurry." "Are you good?" he asked. "Yes." She paused again. "I will contact you again soon." "Okay." She hung up without another word. Viper wasn''t exactly reassured, but at least he knew she was still operating. He pocketed his phone again and headed back into the room, but stopped before they saw him. He wanted to listen in for a while, see if Malton was drunk enough to give anything away without Viper sitting across the table. "...so we need to control the process," said Kleiner, suppressing a hiccup. "Exactly!" said Malton, and Viper heard the sound of a chair scraping. Malton had probably stood up in his enthusiasm. "If we get a real level of control, we''ll be able to direct magic itself. Push it wherever we need to." "It''s all about control," added Kleiner, now audibly slurring his words. "Control it and you control the real source of power. Of all the energy." "Yes. We control the energy and we can put it to whatever use we deem fit." Viper shook his head and rejoined the group, to a raucous greeting from Napowsky and Kleiner. They were drunk and spouting off the same theories they''d been shouting while sober. Nothing new to be learned. He''d enjoy the night, and when the two big heads in the room had finally gotten some sleep, they might actually start getting back to the point, and doing some actual good in the world. Viper had visited far too many shithole places in the world, and Malton was aiming to turn them all into paradises, one by one. That was a man he could get behind.
Friday morning, November the 23rd, Viper woke up immediately sensing something was off. He couldn''t put his finger on it. He got up, got dressed, enjoyed the view outside his luxurious apartment that Malton provided. It was way too nice for his tastes, but at least the view was good. He never ended up sleeping in the bed though. Can''t get a wink in somethin'' that fuckin'' soft. But he trusted his instincts. They rarely steered him wrong. He trusted Rook''s instincts even more, and hers were saying that Malton couldn''t be trusted. Viper wasn''t quite to that point yet, but he could tell there was something coming. He entered the little bookstore, ignoring the cheerful greeting of the shopkeep, and descended down into the lab. The other three were already there, and the day''s work had already begun. They were measuring Napowsky''s specific range of magical reach, as close as they could get, and Kleiner was also tracking the air between Napowsky''s brain and the object he was trying to move. Every single inch with every sensor he could get his hand on, just to see if they could sense magic itself in the air. Nothing had worked so far. "What''s the end-game on this one, Cor?" Viper asked quietly while Kleiner shouted impatiently at Napowsky. "Artificial generation," murmured Malton, while he stared at a tablet he''d hooked in wirelessly to the main console. He liked to keep moving while he watched the stats come in. Kept his mind active, as he said. "Like¡­ doing magic from a computer?" "In a sense, yes." Malton scrolled through his tablet to a different screen, showing a diagram that Viper couldn''t make heads or tails of. "I want to be able to create a self-generating system that will be able to use magic in the same way we awakened can. Our main concern right now is the human limitation. If we lose concentration, the spell breaks or worse, it backfires. A computer doesn''t lose concentration. I want to remove the human factor." "Makes sense," said Viper. He winced as Napowsky dropped the cup he was supposed to be levitating, and it shattered on the ground. "Why''re you usin'' a mug?" "Consequence." Malton glanced up for a moment at the sound of the mug shattering on the ground, then shrugged and returned to his tablet. "If there''s no consequence, Napowsky doesn''t seem to put in his full effort. I''m not about to descend to medieval era encouragement, of course, but having something of Kleiner''s on the line does seem to be motivating them both quite well." Viper smirked. "Does he know you''ve got whole fuckin'' pallets of those damn mugs?" "Evidently not." Malton smiled. "Regardless, that''s not the primary goal of today. This was just a warmup while we waited for you to arrive." "Oh?" "Kleiner!" Malton called, setting down the tablet. "Let''s move on, shall we?" Kleiner, who looked like he was about to start beating Napowsky with his clipboard¡ªwhich would have ended with Kleiner getting a broken nose, or much worse, if Viper knew his men¡ªfaltered, glancing over at Malton. "Are you sure, sir? I think we almost had something that time." "I don''t want to delay any longer. This is far more important." "What''s more important?" asked Viper, while Kleiner and Napowsky started clearing away a space in the center. Still surrounded by sensors as usual, but not a single other object beside. "Control, as I said," said Malton. He went back into the corner of the room, near the exit to the living quarters, and tapped at the wall safe. It was triple-locked, again with voice, retina and palm-print, in addition to a passcode. Viper felt the unease in his system, like little strings in his chest suddenly pulled taut. "...What do you need that for?" The safe made a loud beep three times before it opened. Malton reached inside and pulled out the metal vacuum-sealed tube, and uncorked it. Inside was the Scrap, sealed away after he''d awakened. He pulled it out reverently¡ªas reverently as Viper had ever seen Malton with any object, at least. The man wasn''t one for ceremony in most situations. "Kleiner, are you prepared?" he called. Kleiner was back in the center of the room, tapping his foot anxiously. "So we''re awakening him now too?" Viper asked, still feeling left out of the loop. "What''s going on, Cor?" "Just be ready," said Malton. He handed the Scrap to Napowsky and took his spot back by the console¡ªbehind the line of blast-proof shielding. Viper joined him, while his nerves screamed at him in unison to act. Something was wrong, but he wasn''t sure what yet. He couldn''t act if he didn''t know what the threat was. Especially if he believed the threat to be the man in total control of the place. "Napowsky, clear the circle." Viper''s man retreated to the opposite side. Kleiner took a deep breath, then sat down and picked up the Scrap. He started to read, murmuring yet again. The instruments were recording. Viper saw the graphs begin to spit out data¡ªbut Malton wasn''t watching them. This wasn''t about another awakening. "Cor¡­" he started. Viper squinted at Kleiner, cross-legged in the center of the room. He finished the content of the Scrap and fell back, twitching, the same as every other awakening. Something was in his lap. Something dark. "Cor¡ª" Grey-eyes appeared at Kleiner''s side. She was kneeling, bent over him, whispering hurriedly in his ear. She began to read to him, to pull him back from the void. Viper started to move forward, but Malton grabbed his shoulder. "Hold, Stefen." "Cor, what the fuck is going on?" he hissed. Kleiner''s eyes fluttered open. He took Grey-eyes'' offered hand, and pulled himself back up to a sitting position. His other hand fell to his lap, so neatly and innocuously that even Viper believed for a second it was genuine. As Grey-eyes started into her usual speech, Kleiner moved. His hand shot upward. Electricity flashed. The crackling sound filled the room, deafening in the tense silence. Viper bolted forward, breaking free of Malton''s grip. The stun-gun latched onto Grey-eyes'' arm. She shuddered, twitching. Viper froze. Holy shit. Did we just¡ª Grey-eyes stood up. The stun-gun fell away. Kleiner''s eyes widened in terror. She turned around, and her eyes locked onto Viper''s. Not Kleiner''s, not Malton''s¡ªhis. She knew him better than the others. He''d been around the longest. He''d witnessed the fight between the other two Gods. He should have known better. "Godammit, Cor..." Viper muttered. Her mouth opened. "You have two minutes." Her voice seemed to echo from every surface in the room. It was soft, but there was no doubt they''d all heard her. Viper didn''t need to be told twice. "Wait¡ª" called Malton, stepping out from behind the shield. Viper ignored him. He grabbed up his friend around the waist and bodily carried him up the staircase. Napowsky was only a few steps behind, following the lead of his commander. Kleiner was still dumbstruck on the floor. "Move, you idiot!" Viper bellowed, taking the stairs two at a time. He didn''t bother with the elevator, barging through the emergency door next to it. An alarm sounded, but it just fit the scene all the better. He took one last look before he left, down at the girl in the center of the room. Grey-eyes was staring right back at him. Her gaze was normally soft¡ªcomforting, even. She was the key to magic itself, and she took that role as seriously as anyone Viper had ever met. He wouldn''t dare mess with her. He would have warned Malton against this, if he''d known it was coming. Today, her eyes were full of disappointment¡ªas if he''d betrayed her, though he didn''t know her name, nor she his. "I''m sorry," he mouthed, while Malton continued to struggle against his grip. Napowsky was already halfway up the staircase to the surface, and Kleiner was stumbling past him. Her head tilted just slightly, but he saw it. Viper turned and ran, fast as he could, dragging Malton away. A huge rumble finally shut his friend up, like a distant explosion. Every monitor, every instrument in the room shattered simultaneously. The sound of millions of shards of glass hitting the floor echoed up the staircase after them. Another rumble, and a huge explosion. The stairwell heated up by a dozen degrees, and then twice that. Viper saw the walls light up with orange, but he didn''t dare look behind him. He kept climbing, and suddenly Malton was ahead of him, climbing even faster. And Malton was laughing. He ran with a full-bodied laugh of pure glee as he dove through the upper door and landed in the bookstore. The entire building rumbled. Dust fell from the ceiling. Viper didn''t stop at the door like the other three, but continued straight out into the street. They followed, and the shopkeeper seemed to realize what was about to happen. Fire spat out of every window. Glass shattered outward, though by some miracle¡ªor magic¡ªnot a single person outside was injured. The building visibly shuddered. People backed away, across the streets, as it began to collapse inward. No debris fell away, and not a soul was at risk for a moment. The building was caving in on itself. Right in the center of London, a huge dust cloud plumed into the sky. They could already hear the sirens approaching. People were gathering to look at the wreckage. Malton kept laughing, while their painstakingly constructed lab¡ªand every piece of data they''d collected over the past week¡ªcrumbled into dust. They''d lost everything, but still Malton laughed. Kleiner edged away, and Napowsky looked like he''d had enough of the whole insane venture. Viper cautiously put his hand on his friend''s shoulder. "Cor?" "I''m fine," Malton said, calming down remarkably fast. "But I believe we''ll need a new approach." "Let''s get the fuck out of here," said Viper, glancing around at the crowd. The police were already on their way, and there were far too many eyes on them to feel comfortable. Malton nodded, and they hurried to his car parked around the corner. The four of them piled in¡ªViper had no idea what had happened to the shopkeep, and didn''t much care¡ªand soon they were pulling away into the city streets, far away from the building that they no longer had any connection to. In his rearview mirror as they drove away from the wreckage and the ensuing spectacle, Viper could have sworn he saw a person fly out of the sky, straight into the cloud of dust. As he turned the corner, though, he lost sight of them. Viper put it out of his head. He had more important things on his mind, like the insane man in his passenger seat with a smile plastered on his face¡ªone of the richest men in the world, who now had access to magic itself, and with apparently no reservations on the rules he might break to achieve his goals. Tess, you better get back here soon. This is over the line. Way the fuck over the line. [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] B2: Chapter 31 — Across the Pond Chapter 31 ¡ª Across the Pond "Grief is a curious thing: a single overwhelming sensation that can drive some to utter despair, yet act as the most powerful motivator for others. Never have I known a more versatile emotion, and never have I wanted more desperately to avoid the same. Though grief has pushed me to achieve great things, I would trade them all away in an instant if I could get back that which I lost. John, I''d take it all back, if only you could have come home." ~Cinza, the Rallsburg Diaries Hailey saw the giant pillar of dust rising into the sky. Without a second thought, she dove for it. When she arrived in London¡ªafter a long, painful flight across the Atlantic¡ªHailey realized she hadn''t a clue where Cornelius Malton might be, or even anything related to him. She''d been flying for so long, with her mind so singularly focused, that she''d completely forgotten to actually have a plan. So when she flew into London proper, with Big Ben and the giant ferris wheel and everything else she recognized from TV, Hailey just circled it for a while¡ªtaking in the sights, trying to think of what to do next. She tried her phone, but didn''t get a signal, so she couldn''t look up anything either. But then a building imploded, and Hailey''s instincts kicked in. She''d want me to help. So Hailey swooped in, and found herself in the wreckage of yet another building. This time, at least, she remembered to keep the dust away from her, projecting a sort-of shield around herself composed of swirling wind. It interfered with her wings a bit, but at least she could breathe properly. To her surprise, though, there didn''t seem to be a single person in the whole building. She flung pieces of debris out of her way, digging through the rubble, but the whole place looked deserted. Full of (now incredibly dusty) books and collapsed shelving, but devoid of human life. Far less devoid of humanity was the street outside, visible through the gaps in the half-wrecked exterior. As Hailey emerged from the rubble, she found herself facing down yet another crowd of gaping onlookers. Rescue crews and police pushed their way to the front, surrounding Hailey in a very wide semicircle. No one seemed willing to approach her. Hailey reached down instinctively to brush dust away from her clothes, but she realized she didn''t have a single speck on her. Her shield had worked perfectly. Less exciting was her choice of outfit, as she was still wearing Jessica''s favorite blue dress from the funeral. Hailey had only stopped once to rest on the whole flight from Tacoma, landing on a shipping barge somewhere in the middle of the ocean, and her mind hadn''t settled once. She''d been so single-minded in her rage, she hadn''t paid a single bit of attention to her appearance. At least it''s a good-looking dress¡­ Hailey clambered out of the wreckage into the center of the street, slipping on the cobblestone a little as she steadied herself. She murmured a spell and sent a wave of air down across the folds of the dress, neatly blowing away the dust around her. Maybe it was because she''d shown some form of weakness¡ªof being human¡ªbut the crowd lost their reluctance and mobbed forward. They still gave her a few inches of space, but soon enough she had microphones shoved into her face, questions shouted at her haphazard from the BBC reporters and police alike. Hailey didn''t want any of it. She hadn''t come here to land in the middle of a crowd again. As much as she enjoyed it normally, she couldn''t find any joy today. She had to find a ruthless billionaire, and to do that, she needed some time to actually sit down and think, without the attention of the masses. A huge gust of wind buffeted the crowd and sent them stumbling back as Hailey shot into the air again. She flapped hard and swooped out of sight, while the reporters piled back into vans to try and chase her. Hailey stuck low to the roofs and soon lost them entirely. She found a nice nook sequestered between two arched rooftops to set down again, and pulled out her phone from her bag. To her relief, though she still couldn''t get any signal, there was an open wi-fi point nearby¡ªprobably a restaurant or a shop or something. As soon as she connected, her inbox started piling up with new messages, and not just the usual spam. She had a lot of pending mail in her private box: Cinza, Jeremy, Jeremy''s sister the senator, Hailey''s mom, Josh, Rupert, Weston¡­ the list went on and on, as everybody tried to text her, didn''t get anything through, and resorted to old-school email. They all wanted to know what was going on, where she''d gone to. Well, if they don''t already know, they will soon. Hailey didn''t have time for everyone back across the Atlantic. She swapped apps and started trying to find who she was really looking for. She needed to find Cornelius Ferdinand Anastasia Malton¡ªor just someone high enough on his corporate ladder she could use to get to him. Anything else was just a distraction. Culver-Malton Group''s London offices were only a mile and a half away. Hailey brushed herself off as she stood up, slinging her bag over her shoulder again and shielding her eyes from the sun. Despite everything she''d heard about London weather, it was actually a nice and sunny day out. Perfect for flying around the city, if she didn''t have more important business. Hailey took off again, and within moments heard the cries of alarm from below. Oh right¡­ I can''t turn invisible anymore. Because she''s¡ª she''s not¡ª She shook it off, narrowing her eyes and throwing more energy into every wingbeat. Malton''s offices loomed ahead, a glassy tower catching the sunlight just so, a stark contrast to the more traditional buildings on every side. Hailey strongly considered just diving straight through an upper floor window, and if she''d seen Malton in any of them, she might have done it. Instead, she dropped to the street level and landed right in front of the automatic doors, amid startled cries of nearby pedestrians. Hailey ignored them and walked straight in, feeling an intense sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu at bursting into an upper class business to find someone. This time, she held no reservations, and she knew she was in precisely the right place. She''d find him. Breathing heavily, Hailey marched straight up to the receptionist. "I''m looking for Cornelius Malton." To her surprise, the receptionist didn''t seem put-off in the slightest. He straightened his glasses and frowned. "Mr. Malton is in meetings all day today. May I take a message?" Hailey rolled her eyes. She held up a hand, palm-up, and let loose a little fire¡ªnot enough to set off any sprinklers or fire alarms, but more than enough to intimidate the little man. "Trust me, he''ll want to meet me." The guy faltered, fire dancing in his dark pupils as he stared dumbfounded. It took him a long time to gather his wits again. "Miss Winscombe, I''m afraid I quite honestly have no way to reach Mr. Malton today. I''m sorry, but there''s nothing I can do for you." Hailey took a step forward, and she knew for sure he could feel the heat coming off the flames still dancing in her palm. They were very real, just as hot as the rage still boiling in her chest. "Try again. I''m not leaving until I see him." "I really must ask you to leave." The flame in Hailey''s hand doubled in size, ballooning out. It crackled a little as it caught a few scraps in its wake. With her left, Hailey reached across the desk and lifted the receptionist up by his shirt. She held the fire in his face, inches away so he could really feel the heat. "Malton." The doors behind her slid open again, followed by the sound of a dozen boots on the smooth floor. Hailey turned around to see a half-dozen uniformed officers, looking very uncertain but ready to move in an instant. The most important-looking of the group stepped forward. As nervous as he looked, his voice was quite steady. "Hailey Winscombe?" "Yes," she answered. She released the receptionist and let the flame wither out in a puff of warm air. Hailey was quickly realizing how little she could actually accomplish here, no matter how angry she might feel. The officer took another step forward. "Miss Winscombe, I have to place you under arrest." Do what now? "...Why?" He started to lift his arm, but hesitated, obviously thinking very carefully about what to do next. "Will you come with us down to the station?" "Why am I under arrest?" She hesitated. I''ve never been to England¡­ I don''t know how things work over here. "You guys have to tell me that, right?" "You''ve entered the country illegally, for starters." Oh¡­ yeah, I guess I did. Hailey nodded. I have no idea how long I''m gonna be here, and I can''t have the police chasing me all over¡­ "Okay. I''ll come with you." "Thank you." The man reached for his handcuffs momentarily, then seemed to think better of it. He placed a hand on Hailey''s shoulder and steered her toward the exit, while the receptionist sagged in relief. "Hailey Winscombe, you do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence. These rights are extended to you as a courtesy by Her Majesty to a guest of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Do you understand these rights as I have read them to you?" "Yeah." The policeman breathed a sigh of relief. "Right. Let''s get on with it." He nodded to one of his subordinates, who hurried out to bring a car around. Hailey got into the back seat, amidst a cloud of cameras flashing in her face and shouted questions from onlookers, undoubtedly wondering the exact same question as the London police and everyone else in the world¡ªwhat the hell was Hailey Winscombe, the magic flying girl, doing in Great Britain?
In fact, it was the very first question asked of Hailey when she finally sat down in the interrogation room at the London Metro Police station, opposite a gravelly-voiced rough older woman who appeared to be the chief of police. "I''m looking for something," Hailey replied, with a pointed glance at the recording box seated on the carved wooden table. Everything about the room was much nicer than the American equivalents she''d been in, even the one in the FBI offices a few weeks prior. It was all so pleasant, which just made her feel even more frustrated. She shouldn''t be stuck in a police station; she had real work to be doing, work the police should be helping her with. The chief and her second¡ªa tall bald man who looked like he''d been puttering around the place since World War II¡ªglanced at each other, before the chief spoke again. "And it''s got something to do with Mr. Malton, does it?" Hailey shrugged. "Come off it. You banged into the man''s office," said the tall man. Lieutenant? Hailey wondered. She had no idea what ranks the police used, on either side of the ocean. She hated not knowing things, even the little details like that. "Let''s not play the fool now." "Aren''t I supposed to get a lawyer or something?" Hailey asked, glancing around. "I thought that was still a thing over here." "Would you like us to summon legal counsel?" asked the chief, and she too glanced at the recording device. Hailey decided to take the hint, hoping she was right. "...I''d like to waive whatever right I have to this being recorded, and getting a lawyer and all that. I just want to talk off the record, if that''s okay." The chief breathed a sigh of relief as she reached forward. "This interview with Hailey Winscombe was concluded at twelve fifty-five in the afternoon on November the twenty-third, two thousand eighteen." She switched off the recording device. Immediately, Hailey leaned forward again, and the intensity returned to her voice. "Okay. Now some real answers. I need to find Malton." "Hold the phone," said the lieutenant. He scratched his head as he spoke. "You''re still here illegally, you know. We need you to answer for that." "Why do you want to find Mr. Malton?" asked the chief, putting a hand on her lieutenant''s arm to forestall him. Hailey hesitated. How much do I tell them¡­? It''s not like I can prove anything. "Did you see the videos of Lakewood? Of what happened there?" "Miss Winscombe, I don''t believe there''s a soul in Her Majesty''s realm that hasn''t seen it." Good. So everybody knows what he''s capable of. "Malton caused that. It was his men that started everything." "Oh, honestly," cried the lieutenant, standing up. "Are you really suggesting that Mr. Malton has some secret force of¡­ what''s the word again?" "Awakened," supplied the chief, still watching Hailey skeptically. "A secret force of awakened that he sent out to America to do¡­ what, exactly?" "Kill a whole lot of innocent people," Hailey growled. Both of them winced at her tone. The chief looked about to say something, but Hailey was fed up. I don''t have time for this. I need to get out there. He already knows I''m in town. I have to find him, and I have to make him answer for this. She stood up. "What are you¡ª" "I''m leaving now," Hailey announced. "I''ve got things to do. Are you going to try and stop me?" "I can''t just let you leave," said the chief, also rising to her feet. "You really don''t want to get in my way right now." Hailey wasn''t trying to sound so harsh, but it came across that way. The lieutenant recoiled at her gaze, but the chief stood resolute. "I''m not a citizen of the U.K., right? So just let me go. I''ll be out of the country as soon as I''m done." "That¡­ You can''t just¡ª" spluttered the lieutenant. His boss raised her hand again to shut him up. "You flew here all on your own, didn''t you?" she asked. Hailey nodded. "I can do a lot more than that." "I''ve no doubt. As I said, we''ve seen the video." The chief frowned. "I''m also quite aware you aren''t so invincible as you wish to project. I distinctly recall watching you struggle out of a collapsing structure several times over." "That was¡­" Hailey trailed off. It was true¡­ If she hadn''t seen that cross-beam in time, she could''ve been a goner. It fell within inches of her head. But if they think I''m weak, they''ll actually try to hold me down. I don''t want to hurt them. "Look. Do you see this?" She held up a little ball of flame again. "That''s not impressing anyone anymore," sniffed the lieutenant in a haughty tone. "Not impressed?" Hailey snapped. She flung her hand out toward the door, unlocking the handle she''d seen coming in. With a snap of her fingers, the door slammed open like a crack of lightning. "You don''t know anything." "...Uhh, marm?" came a quivering voice from the door. An officer stood just behind the suddenly quite-open door to the interrogation room, hand up as if to knock. Her knees buckled together as she froze in place, barely managing to string together a sentence. "Marm, Miss Winscombe''s legal counsel has arrived." Jefferson? Hailey raised her eyebrows, before realizing it was ridiculous. There''s no way he could get here that fast. Maybe somebody from his firm, or a recommendation¡­ but I didn''t call anyone. What''s going on? "Also, you''ve a call from the foreign secretary''s office." "Thank you," said the chief, giving the hapless officer a curt nod. The young woman fled the room, passing a sharply-dressed man with a briefcase. "Good to see you again, chief," he greeted warmly. The chief offered him the same curt nod she''d just given her own officer, and he smiled all the wider. "Miss Winscombe. A pleasure." Hailey just nodded, trying to play along, though she had no clue who the man was. "You can''t expect us to believe you''re her lawyer," said the lieutenant hotly. "All guests of the esteemed Met are entitled to legal counsel, as I''m sure you''d agree," he replied, cheerful as ever. "It seems you have some powerful friends," said the chief, glancing at Hailey. "May we have the room, please?" The chief turned to Hailey in full, narrowing her eyes. "Is this your legal counsel, Miss Winscombe?" Hailey nodded, though she still had no clue where the man might have come from. No matter who he was, she wasn''t about to turn down the mysterious assist. She had enough friends in high places, as the chief said, that he could have come from anyone. I must be on the right track. As soon as they were alone, the lawyer sat down across from her. He didn''t bother to open his briefcase, merely pulled out a business card and handed it over. Hailey scanned it and immediately did a double take. Her mouth fell open. "Sir Thomas Laushire is eager to make your acquaintance," added the lawyer. "If it is amenable to you, we''d like to arrange a meeting at your earliest convenience. Say, perhaps, in ten minutes?"
Compared to her brief ride in the back of a London police cruiser, the drive out to the Laushire estate felt like an eternity. Hailey could have flown it in no time at all, but she waited patiently in the back of the stately car Laushire had sent for her, trying to keep calm and remind herself that she needed more direction if she was ever going to find Malton. Who better than his biggest rival? The lawyer Laushire had sent got her out without too much trouble, to the shock of every officer in the station. Technically, Hailey was still in the country illegally, but he managed to talk her way out of the station and into the personal custody of the Laushire residence in mere minutes. Some loopholes of the law she couldn''t begin to understand, plus what she assumed was a bit of bribery, and she was well on her way out into the city. She probably would have loved this part¡­ Hailey sighed as she watched the landscape go by. They were still within the London sprawl, but there was a charm to the place she''d never felt in the Seattle area. Laushire''s mansion had rolling gardens and a stately path leading up to the huge structure, with a wide portal leading inside. It was all so¡­ familiar. Hailey had seen it before, and so had Jessica. In fact, the design wasn''t all that different from Kendra''s home back in Rallsburg. Kendra must have paid for the design and construction to imitate her childhood home. Hailey was surprised¡ªshe''d assumed her old professor would have wanted nothing to do with her father or her home. Things weren''t exactly adding up, and she really wasn''t in the mood to puzzle them out. As the car rumbled to a halt, the driver leapt out and opened the door for Hailey, offering his hand. She ignored it, heading straight through the huge double-doors without a moment to spare. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. A servant waited just inside, wearing a set of finery and with the most pompous voice Hailey had ever heard outside of TV. "May I present his lordship, Sir Thomas Laushire." Thomas Laushire was just inside, exactly the same as every picture Hailey had ever seen. She''d studied the man in one of her business classes, and he was even more imposing in life than in a staged photograph. Thomas stood at the top of the winged staircase, along with his wife, both sharply dressed in business attire. His short red hair, the same as his wife and daughter, lit up in the sunbeam that shone through the tall window overlooking the main foyer. It was an impressive sight¡ªand Hailey was having none of it. "Welcome, Miss Winscombe," Thomas called out. Hailey shook her head. "I''m sorry, but I don''t have time for all that. I need to find him." "You''re looking for Cornelius, I presume?" She nodded. "He''s got a lot to answer for." "I don''t disagree." Thomas glanced up at the elderly man who''d driven and escorted Hailey inside. "Thank you, Collins. You may go." Hailey glanced over her shoulder at the bowing man, who quickly retreated from the foyer along with the pompous servant. "...Collins? Like the guy in Rallsburg?" "The McCreary family has been with us for many generations," said Mary. "We were devastated to hear of their son''s fate in May." Sure doesn''t sound like it¡­ "He seemed like a good guy," Hailey offered awkwardly. Truth be told, she hadn''t really known him, except the rare occasion he popped by class to bring something to Kendra¡ªand the day he''d died while Hailey was trying to fly people away from the golems to safety. She shuddered. "You were a student of Kendra''s, correct?" asked Thomas. "Yeah." "Is she¡­" Thomas trailed off. His mouth seemed to be having severe difficulty staying open. His wife filled in the rest. "Is she all right?" Hailey nodded. "I just saw her yesterday. She seemed fine." The memory brought back Hailey''s sense of purpose. She wasn''t here to give Kendra''s parents an update on their estranged daughters¡ªshe was here to find a murderer. "I need to find Malton." "Why?" asked Mary, without a moment''s hesitation. "Because men he hired are responsible for everything that happened last week." Thomas frowned. "Can you prove that?" "I don''t have to," said Hailey. "I just need to find him." "And do what?" asked Mary. "You''re talking about one of the most powerful men in the world, and someone who brings a substantial amount of money into the country." "I wish nothing but plagues upon the man," said Thomas, "but legally my hands are tied. He''s broken no laws." "He murdered my best friend!" Hailey snapped. Her blood was boiling again. Why can''t they just give me what I want? She didn''t care if Malton was legally in the right. Nobody could possibly think he was innocent. She''d drag him into the center of London and show everyone what he''d done. Mary''s eyes softened, showing the first real emotion Hailey had seen. "...I''m so sorry, dear." "If I could help you, I would," said Thomas. "I don''t have any power over him. Even economically, I''m ashamed to admit I''m flummoxed. Cornelius has had me at every turn." "Just tell me where I can find him," Hailey said. "I don''t need you to do anything else." "I have no idea," said Thomas simply. "So use your people. Do something." "I have been, as a matter of fact. My chief of security had the man followed for a month now, trying to determine how he''s getting inside information from my company. Cornelius vanished without a trace seven days ago, and Bastian hasn''t been able to locate him since." "...The same day as the Battle of Lakewood," said Mary thoughtfully. Thomas glanced at her. "Indeed. I hadn''t made that connection." Hailey couldn''t stand still. She started pacing around the bottom floor of the mansion, while the Laushires looked on from above curiously. She needed to be doing something. She even started levitating objects at random, while the curtains swayed from her wings brushing them as she walked by. "Astounding¡­" murmured Mary. Hailey snapped around to look at her, startling the older woman. "I''m sorry, Miss Winscombe. I did not mean to offend." "You didn''t," said Hailey. "I''m just¡­" She trailed off, not sure what to say. She knew they were right, though she couldn''t bring herself to voice it. Even if she found Malton, what was she really going to do with him? She had no proof. All they had was the guy Jeremy and Stebbins had caught, and she doubted they could link him to Malton in any way. "You are in mourning," said Thomas, nodding slightly. No, I''m in anger. "I need him to pay," she snapped. "I''m doing the best I can." He sighed audibly. "I''ve been working with a new partner from the colonies. Someone from your neck of the woods, in fact. He''s quite the sharp mind, whomever he is, but we''re only moving so fast. Malton will catch on sooner or later, and we''ll be in another arms race to the top." "Why the Pacific Northwest?" asked Hailey, finally coming to a halt. "I thought Laushire mostly did energy and European goods." "We needed a market Malton didn''t have his claws in, and we saw an opportunity to work with a major new player," said Thomas. "Cornelius'' greatest flaw is his pride," added Mary. "He''s made it to the top, and stopped bothering to watch for the peasants at his feet." Wow, no mincing words here¡­ "And you can''t work in Europe anymore because he''s sniping all your negotiations?" "Precisely. Our operations in the Northwest have been conducted entirely through the third party." Thomas frowned. "I''m not comfortable with handing off my money to someone I''ve never even met and letting them make all the decisions, but it''s working. We''re seeing returns." Okay, Mom. I''m actually going to make a deal. Aren''t you proud? Hailey smiled, though it felt as bitter as the worst coffee she''d ever tasted. "I can tell you how Malton''s getting his information." Thomas'' eyebrows disappeared into his hair. "...You¡­ how?" And I''m going to use Kendra''s lessons to negotiate with her own father. Who saw this coming? "Just trust me. I know. But I need you to give me something in return." "...We really don''t know where the man is," said Mary. Hailey shook her head. "That''s not it. I believe you. I need you to help me pay for as many lawyers as it takes to bring him down, after I bring him in." I''ll do this right for you, Jessica. "He''s a billionaire, I''m nothing compared to that. No matter how stupid-famous I am now, I gotta have money on my side, right?" Thomas inclined his head. "Too true. You have my word, Miss Winscombe. No matter the cost, I''ll make sure Cornelius pays the price for his sins." Hailey turned to leave. She got what she needed out of him, and she had a job to do now¡ªbut before she could open the doors, Mary called out to her. "Miss Winscombe, before you go¡ªwould you stay for some tea?" Hailey hesitated. "I¡­" "You aren''t going to find him today. Please¡­" She trailed off. Hailey turned around. Mary had taken hold of her husband''s hand. "We haven''t heard a word about Kendra in years. Not from someone who truly knew her." "...I dunno if I really did," said Hailey dubiously. I mean, she had a whole secret twin sister¡­ but I guess nobody knew about Lily. They still haven''t even mentioned her. This secret sure runs deep. Hailey did feel some kinship to Kendra though, as one of the other natural awakened, even if Kendra always seemed apart from the rest of the eight. While she shared the traits that caused them all to be treated differently by many forms of magic, as well as their habit of voicing spells aloud, Kendra never could muster the same level of power as the rest of the group. Hailey had noticed it first in the ritual, when they''d all joined together to hit Omega with everything they had. Hector, Jessica and Hailey had all pushed out the same rough amount of energy for Cinza to use, but Kendra''s paled in comparison. It wasn''t the best measurement¡ªHailey could only barely feel her essence from across the circle, totally overwhelmed by Jessica''s pure magic and Hector''s raw power¡ªbut the fiery-haired professor never seemed to match them in magical ability. And yet¡­ she could do vast spells which exceeded everything Hailey could even conceive of. She had no idea how Kendra''s portals and pocket dimensions worked. Even with the bag she always wore at her belt, to which she fed a constant tiny stream of energy, was a complete mystery. Hailey knew it was Creation magic in some form, and she knew too that it took far less energy than might be expected simply based on the strength of the aura, but beyond that? Kendra was a genius. Hailey wished she could come up with so many useful and creative applications of her own affinity. Kendra intimidated her, Hailey had to admit it. She didn''t think raw power would ever beat a truly creative, innovative mind, and Kendra far outstripped her in those qualities. If Lily were able to match her sister, they''d be unstoppable. Good thing she''s on our side¡­ At least I don''t have to worry she might have another full page like mine. I wonder why Lily didn''t awaken off the same page as her sister. Maybe she just wasn''t in town yet. "She was the best teacher in our school," said Hailey finally. "She invented whole new kinds of magic I still don''t understand. Wherever she is, Kendra''s doing just fine." Somewhere in Seattle, I think¡­ They never let anyone into their house except Natalie. Her stomach rumbled, and Hailey finally remembered she hadn''t eaten a bite since landing on the freighter halfway to London. "...Do you guys have anything to eat?" Mary smiled warmly. "Our personal chef is the finest outside the Palace."
I think their dining room is, too¡­ The intimidation must have shown through on Hailey''s face, because Mary immediately waved them out of the huge hall. "We''ll dine in the sitting room, Collins." "Of course, marm." Soon enough, Hailey was wolfing down the best lunch she''d ever tasted, grilled chicken with an array of steamed vegetables and a baked potato filling out the plate. The Laushires watched in alarm as Hailey swallowed down two huge pieces of chicken both before either had even made it halfway through one. Hailey cleared her throat, face red with embarrassment. "I haven''t eaten in almost a day," she explained. "And flying really takes it out of you." Mary smiled. "That must be marvelous, soaring through the clouds." "It really is," said Hailey, feeling a lot more calmed down now that she''d gotten something to eat. "It''s also really, really wet." "Is that something Kendra could do, too? Fly?" asked Thomas. "No. Just me," said Hailey. "Though she might be able to figure it out someday. She''s way smarter than I am, I wouldn''t be surprised." "In the bits we were able to read, the author went into great detail about this ''astral market''," said Thomas. "Wasn''t Kendra''s name for it," said Hailey quickly, seeing his skeptical expression. "But yeah. She basically made her own giant bubble of space and created a market from nothing. You should be really proud of what she accomplished." "I am," said Thomas. Mary put a hand on his, before he got indignant. "Not just that, though," said Hailey, buttering her potato before she dug into it. "She was an amazing teacher. I mean, my mom''s in business so I had an advantage, but she really got into it with the other students. I don''t think a single person failed her class, and she didn''t take it easy on us. She just understood everything perfectly, and in that way where you can actually explain it to other people. That''s really rare, even with teachers." "She''s always been that way," said Mary. "Honestly, I don''t know where she gets it." "From you, dear," said Thomas, toasting his wife with his glass. "She always got it from you. She''s absolutely your daughter, in every way." "Not every way," said Mary with a sigh. Hailey glanced between them. The tone had gotten personal very quickly, and Hailey felt like she wasn''t supposed to be in the room. She decided to try and shift the topic a bit, but she still wanted to stay on Kendra. Hailey wanted to know more about the other natural awakened, and who better than Kendra''s own parents? "She definitely got your beauty," said Hailey, nodding at Mary. "You look great, Mrs. Laushire." "Mary, please." Mary shook her head. "And honestly, I wish she hadn''t. It might have made things a lot easier." "Dear," said Thomas, "that''s not true, and you''re well aware of it." "...Did she have a lot of trouble with guys or something?" asked Hailey. "Quite," said Thomas. "Particularly with those whom she couldn''t determine if they were genuine, or if their interests were borne of greed." "Not that either would''ve done any good," said Mary, rolling her eyes. "No man would''ve ever drawn our Kenni''s eye." Kenni? Hailey wondered, suppressing a giggle. To hear prim and proper Professor Laushire called ''Kenni'' just sounded so strange. Mary appeared to realize the same a moment later, putting a hand to her mouth. "Goodness, I''ve become so familiar. I do apologize." "It''s okay," said Hailey. "I¡­ well, I felt pretty close to your daughter. I was her student for four years, and I fought alongside her in May." I felt her essence, too, when we did the ritual. Never known anything like it¡­ Even if it was faint. "She fought?" asked Thomas sharply. "...Kinda." Hailey shrugged. "She was never injured. Shook up a bit, but she made it out just fine." "Oh, thank goodness," said Mary, letting out a breath. "They were a lot of help though," Hailey went on. "We would have lost some really good people without Kendra''s market." Hailey paused, thinking back a moment. "I''m sorry, I just¡­ tell me if this is too personal, but you said Kendra wasn''t interested in men?" Mary rolled her eyes. "Yes, and if I''d''ve known sooner, she probably wouldn''t hate me so much. I sent so many potential suitors to meet her." "So she''s¡ª" "Asexual," said Mary, "as I understand it." "She explained to us, in no uncertain terms, that she held no interest in a courtship and to kindly stop trying to find her a partner, as she was quite content on her own," said Thomas, smiling slightly. "I''ve never heard such a polite request to bugger off in my life." "Thomas!" Hailey smiled. "That''s the most Kendra thing I''ve ever heard." "It took us a while to comprehend what she meant, but I believe we got there in the end." Thomas'' expression darkened. "If only I''d been so understanding with her professional life¡­" "She''s alive, dear," Mary reminded him. "Hailey''s seen her." "Spoken to her, too," added Hailey. And her parents seem like such good people. They don''t deserve this, no matter what went down in the past. "I can get a message to her." "You can?" asked Thomas, hope blooming on his face like the sun had just come out from behind the heavy clouds hanging over London. Hailey nodded. "I won''t tell you where she is, because that''s her choice¡ª" "Of course," Thomas interrupted quickly. "I wouldn''t dream of it." "But¡­ yeah. Whatever you want to say, I''ll make sure she hears it when I can." Thomas looked like he might actually leap up and hug her. He didn''t, of course, but for a man of his standing and stature, Hailey knew it was a huge gesture. She liked them¡ªboth of them, really¡ªand she didn''t really want to treat them like the rest of the cold and cutthroat business world she''d grown up around, or the harsh distrusting world she''d come to know. "It''s the software," Hailey added, cleaning her face with the softest cloth napkin she''d ever felt. "The way Malton''s getting into your company." "...Pardon me?" asked Thomas. Hailey stood up. "I still want your help, whenever I find him, and I''ll bring you everything I can get. But you should probably cut him off while you can." She stretched out her shoulders, flaring her wings a bit as well. Even if they didn''t really exist, for whatever reason stretching them felt just as satisfying. The sudden wind current fluttered the curtains behind her. "Your company uses some kind of software from a Japanese company, right? Nishimura, I think?" "Yes. We acquired them about nine years ago." Thomas frowned. "There''s no way Kazuo would do this. I know that man. It''s simply not in his character." "Well, you might be right. But it is in his daughter''s." Hailey pulled on her jacket, which she''d refused to allow Collins to take. "Rika Nishimura made a deal with one of Malton''s men to give him access to your stuff¡ªin exchange for her life," Hailey added, not wanting to throw Rika totally under the bus. She couldn''t exactly blame the girl for playing the only card she had, at a time they were all expecting to die in horrible, horrible ways. "You need to patch that hole, whatever it is." "Little Rika?" asked Mary, creasing her eyebrows. "I can''t believe it." "It''s true, believe me." Alden saw it happen, after all. Thanks, man. Couldn''t''ve pulled this off without you. Next time I see you, I''m gonna owe you way more than just that one drink. "Thank you," said Thomas, quickly getting to his feet. He extended his hand, and Hailey shook it firmly. "As I said, anything you need, don''t hesitate to phone." "Hailey dear, you don''t have anywhere to stay yet, do you?" asked Mary. Hailey hesitated, blushing a little. "I¡­ hadn''t really thought that far ahead." "This sounds like it will take longer than just a day. Stay here in our home." Thomas nodded in agreement. "I daresay we''ve more than enough space." "...Thanks," said Hailey. "That''s really generous of you. I''m grateful." She turned to leave. "I''ll get in touch with your daughters as soon as I can." "...Daughters?" Mary''s tone stopped Hailey dead. She whipped back around, and saw two totally blank expressions. Oh no¡­ "Yeah. Kendra and Lily." "Who is Lily?" asked Thomas. "Your¡­ I¡­" Hailey paused. What if Beverly¡­ what if it hit them too? I don''t¡­ how am I supposed to explain this? "Hailey?" said Mary, rising to her husband''s side and taking his arm. "Is something wrong, dear?" I need to figure this out first. "I''m so sorry." She shook her head. "I was thinking of someone else. I must be more tired that I thought." Mary nodded sympathetically. "I can''t imagine how difficult it must be to fly yourself across the ocean. Please, I insist you take one of the guest rooms. Collins!" Instantly upon her summons, Collins appeared at the door. "Show Miss Winscombe to the guest wing, and let her have her choice of room." "Very good, marm." Collins turned to Hailey. "By your leave, miss." Hailey hurried out of room and followed Collins up the winged staircase and into the guest wing. The rooms were as nice as everything else in the house, if a bit smaller, but Hailey didn''t have the presence of mind to really enjoy the sights. The moment she dismissed Collins, Hailey shut the door and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Beverly?" she whispered to the empty room. There was no response. Hailey pressed her hands to her forehead, trying to think. Of course there wouldn''t be a response. Beverly wasn''t omniscient. She only knew when awakenings were happening, and that was incredibly complex magic on its own. Hailey had to get in touch with her in a different way¡ªbut the girl had no phone number, no email, no identity whatsoever. How was Hailey supposed to talk to her? Use a spell. Beverly could sense magic being used. More importantly, she could sense when someone like Hailey was casting a spell. Hailey just had to get her attention. She started casting an array of random spells, whatever came to mind. Her hair changed colors in a kaleidoscope of hues. She drew a picture on the notepad by the bed with her mind. She flew around the room¡ªuntil she nearly plowed into the wall, and stopped before she broke something irreplaceable. Still nothing. Hailey fell onto the bed, exhausted. Next time I see her, she''s not getting away without a cell phone number. As Hailey laid back atop the sheets, she felt a wave of pain wash through her. Not just pain, but loneliness too. She felt so empty and cold, even though the Laushire house was quite warm and sealed off from the pre-winter chill outside. No, this was something much deeper, something no beautiful house, crackling fireplace or impossibly soft bed could ward away. Hailey had naturally laid down with a space open under her arm. There should have been someone curled up next to her, filling that spot. There should have been another weight on the bed, another body, another person. I can''t sleep. Not yet. I have to find him. Find him. How could she have missed it? Hailey sat up so fast that blood rushed into her skull and dimmed her vision for a moment. She flung her hand out, catching her phone out of midair as it zoomed across the room from her bag. "...Hello?" "Nikki, I need your help." Nikki gasped. "Hailey? But¡­ what¡ª" "Nikki, I need you to explain it again. Exactly how you do that spell." "Hailey, what are you doing? Everyone''s really worried about you¡ª" Hailey cleared her throat, trying not to shout at Nikki, forcing her impatience away. "Nikki, seriously. I need to know how to find people." "But¡­ nobody can do it, unless you''re my affinity. It nearly killed Josh just trying." "I know. He told me." Hailey paused. "Look, you know that I''m different. I''m a lot more powerful than you guys. I think I''ll be okay. I only have to find one person, and he''s not far away." "I don''t think distance really affects it¡­" "Nikki, please?" She hesitated. "I think you should talk to Cinza first." "I don''t have time for that," said Hailey. "This is really important." "...Okay." Nikki took a deep breath, like she were psyching herself up. "Don''t forget I warned you. This shit is painful, even for me. So¡­ it''s like this huge ball of thread¡­" It took three repeats before Hailey really felt like she understood it. She tested the beginning of the spell there in the room and felt the impossibly huge wall, just as Nikki described. It was painful even to try and comprehend it, but Hailey felt like she could do it. She''d need help¡ªshe''d need a lot of help¡ªbut it could be done. It sounds so much like what Jess used to talk about¡­ "How''s London?" Nikki asked, while Hailey caught her breath, recovering from her second test that went a bit too far. "...Not bad¡­" Hailey cleared her throat again, coughing a few times. "I''m not really here to sight see though." "No kidding¡­" Nikki trailed off as Hailey coughed again. "Seriously, are you sure about this?" "I am." "Like I said, distance apparently doesn''t matter for Knowledge magic. I could probably do it from here." "You never met him though, not since you awakened." "...Oh." Nikki paused. "You''re going after Viper, then." "Yeah." "I''d be there if I could, Hales." "I know." Hailey smiled, even though Nikki couldn''t see it, half a world away. "Thanks, Nikki." "Use a shit-ton of amethyst, or so help me, I''ll fly out there and choke you myself." "Will do." "Bye." Hailey hung up. Though fatigue was really setting in now, and Hailey could barely lift her arms, she couldn''t sleep yet. She would soon, very soon, but she needed one last thing first. She hurried downstairs, straight to the sitting room where she could hear the Laushires still talking. Hailey knocked on the door before she burst in, to startled jumps from the both of them. "Actually, there is something you can do for me," she announced, before either could speak. "I need amethyst. As much as you can get me by tomorrow." Tomorrow, Viper. I''m coming for you. You, Malton, and everybody else who''s responsible for her death. I''ll find you, and I''ll make you pay for what you did. You''re going down. [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] B2: Chapter 32 — Paranoia Chapter 32 ¡ª Paranoia "Of the natural awakened, I rate one as the most powerful. Not Hector, though many would assume it so. Hector is the obvious choice, based simply on past events and not his true power. While I do not refute his abilities, I absolutely deny his alacrity of execution. Hector is a coward at heart, and even when surrounded by comrades at the turn of the storm, he would not stand his ground. No, the true strength lies in conviction. ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€, though ¨€¨€¨€ might appear weaker than any among us, possesses great power equal to the rest of the natural awakened¡ªand the conviction to use that power when pressed. See how ¨€¨€¨€ cleansed the fires of the riot, how ¨€¨€¨€ claimed a wolf as a mere mount! ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€ is the strongest and bravest of us all, and fie those who would speak otherwise. I know no other who, at any ¨€¨€¨€, could command angry mobs to a standstill simply by walking forward with head held high. ¨€¨€¨€ puts us all to shame." ~Cinza, the Rallsburg Diaries Natalie kicked the snow off her shoes before opening the door, trying to get as much as possible off. It didn''t help much though. She''d gotten completely soaked, especially after the second or third time sprinting through slush to get away from an imaginary threat chasing her down the street. She glanced around, and¡ªseeing nobody¡ªmurmured a quick spell. Snow melted off in a burst of steam. Her shoes were suddenly perfectly dry. Natalie grinned to herself, then pulled open the door and went inside. "I''m home," she called out, as Annette had asked her to do. They preferred it, and while Natalie really didn''t like shouting to the world exactly where she was, she''d do it for them. Anything to keep living here. I can''t even walk to the store and back without jumping at every shadow¡­ I would''ve let Quinn come with me, but then he''d ask questions about the other thing I had to buy. "Welcome back," said Damian, emerging from the kitchen with a stirring bowl tucked into his arm. "Get what we needed?" Natalie held up the plastic bag and pulled out the carton of eggs, praying Damian wouldn''t look too closely at the box underneath. "All here." "Excellent. Thanks, Jenny." Natalie heard a tiny squeak from inside the bag, but Damian had already walked away to start cracking the eggs. She hurried out before he heard anything more. Annette was in the living room watching the news, and Quinn was laid out on the couch reading a book. Natalie waved to him as she hurried past, heading for her room, but the news report caught her ears. "The President of the United States announced plans to form a special Department of Thaumaturgical Affairs, which will be the principal agent for the government in handling all incidents and policy involving the so-called ''awakened'', or persons with magical abilities. This act comes just one week after the events in Lakewood, Washington, where twenty-six people lost their lives to supernatural conflict between unknown parties. President Stafford has appointed Wesley Gatiss as the first Secretary of Thaumaturgical Affairs in recess¡ªciting the War Powers Act as justification for creation of the new department¡ªpending approval by the Senate next week when they reconvene." "What does thaumaturgical mean?" asked Quinn, glancing up from his book. "Magic stuff," said Natalie, who''d learned it from one of the Council meetings back home, nearly a year ago. Quinn glanced over at her pointedly, but she slowly shook her head. His parents were still nearby, after all. "The FBI also announced independent plans for a special task force to investigate crimes by awakened, which have been temporarily classified as federal in all cases. A challenge in the Supreme Court is expected." This affects you. You need to figure out if it''s a threat. I don''t know anything about the government¡­ I need somebody to explain this to me. "What does it mean if a crime is federal?" she asked, trying to sound as casual as Quinn. Annette set aside the shirt she was folding¡ªone of Natalie''s, as it turned out. "It means that it''s handled by the whole country, instead of by the state it occurred in." "Is that bad?" "It depends." Annette sighed. "It''s dreadful either way. Somebody discovers something new, and what''s the first thing they do with it? Hurt each other." That''s not what we did though¡­ We made a council. I made friends. Cinza made pretty lights. Hailey learned to fly. Nobody died until people started trying to hurt us. They will never understand you. "In related news, Hailey Winscombe has been spotted over the Atlantic Ocean, flying toward the United Kingdom. At this time, her intentions are unknown, and attempts to contact her have been unsuccessful." A grainy video taken from a boat appeared on screen. Natalie squinted, and could just barely make out the dot in the sky she guessed was supposed to be Hailey. It sped past the camera like a rocket, briefly in focus long enough to make out her face, and the guy filming it could barely keep up before she disappeared again. Hailey, what are you doing? Natalie and the others had been shocked to say the least when Hailey blasted her way out of the church after the funeral that morning. Hailey''s own parents sprinted fruitlessly after her, and her FBI friend was on his phone in an instant, but none of it really did anything. Natalie felt like she understood. She knew Hailey was in a lot of pain, and needed to find who was responsible. She''d been there. The difference is, everybody who''s responsible for me is dead¡­ Not everyone. My dad''s different. I don''t know what he was doing. I have to talk to him. Not your father. The other one. Natalie shook her head, drawing another confused glance from Quinn. Nobody had said anything, after all¡ªnot out loud. She grabbed up the pile of clothes that Annette had finished folding and hurried back to her room, sealing the door behind her. She wasn''t going to think about him, or the park. Every time she did, she felt like she was falling into a black pit, deeper every time, and she was never entirely sure she could make it back out again. She couldn''t think about him. She had to keep herself together. Every day, she was walking a tightrope just to stay sane. And I''m not even sane. You''re in my head. The voice didn''t answer, which only made her feel worse. She dug into the plastic bag and pulled out the tiny box with holes poked in it. Natalie had considered just putting it into her purse, but she wasn''t sure if the mice would survive in there when she closed it up. She popped it open and slid aside the door to the closet. Percy fluttered off the coat rack she''d stuffed inside, landing on the bed. He''d been as lousy at hunting as he always was¡ªand now that they were in the city, she couldn''t give him the time and space he needed to actually find a kill. She''d gone out to the nearest pet store to get some mice for him, and picked up a few groceries for the Kincaids as well. I hope Damian didn''t notice I put the money back in his wallet¡­ You should have used it. You may need your money later. I have over eight hundred thousand dollars in my purse¡­ That was twenty bucks. How much more could I ever need? It''s going to get worse. You need to be ready. Natalie lifted out the first mouse and set it on the bed. Percy snatched it up, tearing the little thing to pieces. To her surprise, it didn''t bother her. It was just who he was. She didn''t need to be ashamed of a hawk eating its dinner. Since Percy had been flying around for a whole day before finding her at the funeral, and since it was so cold out, Natalie fed him another mouse. She closed the little box and sat down on the edge of her bed next to him, watching him eat. She shivered. To save money, the Kincaids didn''t turn on the heating very often. Another murmured spell took care of her, though Natalie had to be careful not to let it past her body into the house, or someone might come looking for a fire. she asked. He swivelled his head around, swallowing down a chunk of mouse as he did. The little eye twitched, and he turned back to his meal, finishing off the rest in another bite. As soon as he finished, Percy fluttered back up to her shoulder, which was always his favorite place. Natalie stroked his head. She really was; feeling his weight and warmth made her feel so much calmer. Even with all the stress of the funeral and school and the huge battle and everything, having one of her friends back where he belonged meant a lot. Not that Percy was exactly warm¡ªhe was still a hawk. Who she really wanted was Gwen, giving her a space to curl up, with Scrappy tucked in next to them. She''d known Scrappy since the day she awakened, and Gwen not too long after that. The two of them were the closest thing she''d ever felt to having a real family outside of her dad, even if none of them could really talk to her. Natalie needed them more than she needed talking though. Talking hadn''t done her any good. When I try to talk my way out, I just get hurt more¡­ A knock at the door startled her out of her thoughts. "Jenny? Dinner in twenty minutes, okay?" "Okay!" Natalie stroked Percy''s head again. She wasn''t too worried about them finding him; so far, none of the Kincaids had broken their promise and stepped foot in her room, even when she wasn''t around. Using one of the little tricks posted online by some guy named Jonathan, Natalie had set a spell on the door handle every time she left. If the handle moved, the little trace of magic would get pushed out of the way. She just had to focus and feel out that little bit of aura floating in the air. Another knock. "Jenny," said Damian, a bit quieter. "May I come in?" she whispered. Percy, no stranger to her tone, fluttered across the room and landed neatly on the coat peg. Natalie flicked her fingers at the closet door to slide it closed. "Yeah," she called back. Damian pushed at the door, but it didn''t budge. Oh, oops. I sealed it. Natalie rushed over, muttering the spell to shrink the door as she did, trying to keep it as quiet as possible. She could hear the wood warp as it shrunk thanks to her ears, but Damian happened to speak at the same time and covered it up. "Jenny?" Natalie pulled it open. "Sorry! Something was in the way." To her relief, Damian didn''t look around for the barricade that wasn''t actually there. Natalie stood by the door awkwardly as he sat down on the corner of the bed. "Is everything okay?" "...I guess so." That sounded bad... "I mean, yeah. Everything''s okay." Damian frowned. "That thing this morning..." Natalie winced. She''d been hoping he wouldn''t ask. "Thanks for taking me, Mr. Kincaid." He nodded, but the frown didn''t go away. "What was it about?" Just the details are dangerous. It''s okay to say this. I hope. "...It was a funeral," she said quietly. His frown went away, his eyes softened. Natalie leaned back against the wall, staring at a spot somewhere between Damian and the bed, not quite meeting his eyes. "Was it a friend?" "Yeah. She was my friend." "I''m so sorry¡­" Natalie shook her head. "It''s not your fault." Damian smiled. "You''re a really brave kid, you know that?" No I''m not. I''m hiding in your house because I''m too afraid to go confront my dad. You are brave. You are building a bond and creating a home to come back to. That makes me sound like I''m just using them¡­ "Thanks," she said aloud, though she still didn''t believe it, no matter what the voice might say. "How did it happen?" "I don''t really know," she said after a pause. It was true¡­ mostly. Natalie was pretty sure she could piece it together from the news and what they''d said at the funeral, but nobody had actually told her the specifics. Damian smiled softly. "Tell me about her." I uhh¡­ how do I even talk about Jessica without explaining magic? Why is he even asking me this? "She was really nice," said Natalie finally. "We grew up in the same place." Okay, yeah, she was ten years older than me and her family wasn''t on my dad''s okay list, but it''s still true. "I¡­" "It''s okay, Jenny." He shook his head. "You don''t have to say anything. Just letting you know you can talk to me, if you want." Natalie nodded. I really can''t, but¡­ thanks. "Okay." "You still like living here?" That one I can say for real. She smiled. "Yes, I really do. Thank you, Mr. Kincaid." Damian smirked, throwing her a wink. "Q really likes you living here too." Natalie blushed and looked away. He cackled. "You know you''re way too cool for him, right?" I''m not cool¡­ He''s got me all wrong. "Quinn''s way cooler than me." "Oh?" Damian shrugged. "Guess I don''t gotta disown him after all!" Natalie giggled. "You wouldn''t do that, would you?" "If he loses a few more games I might." Damian grinned. "But seriously, Jenny¡­ you''re welcome to stay here as long as you want. Don''t worry about it." "But what about your¡ª" Natalie cut herself off just in time. She''d gotten too comfortable, let something slip she shouldn''t have. Something she wasn''t supposed to know. Damian raised an eyebrow. "About our what?" "Nothing," she murmured. Her eyes fell to the carpet, avoiding his gaze. "About our money problems?" How did he know ¡­? Natalie looked back up, very nervous. Did he find out I was spying on them? But how? Damian didn''t seem to be bothered at all. "I noticed you never took the money for the groceries. I also noticed that time we bought you some school supplies, or how every time we order pizza, my wallet mysteriously has more cash in it." Natalie gulped. "I just wanted to pay for myself." Damian sighed. "Jenny, we''re happy to help you out. You save your money, okay?" "But you have hospital bills and heating bills and you gotta pay for Quinn and¡ª" "We''re just fine." But I have so much money, and you need it more than I do¡­ What if I just told him? Where the money came from, what I can do, everything? I could make their heating bill go away, for one. That''s super easy. And I could cover Quinn''s medical bills since they''re my fault¡­ They shouldn''t have to pay for those. It isn''t safe. You know what happens when you tell people. But¡­ telling Quinn led me here. Telling my friends made my life at school easier. I think maybe Rachel was wrong. "There is something you can do for me though," Damian added, interrupting her conversation. "Huh?" "When you go out, be careful, okay?" He glanced at the window. "There''s a lot of bad stuff happening out there right now, and all of it''s happening around here." "You mean all the magic stuff?" Because that''s really not the part I''m worried about¡­ "Yes." Damian sighed, in much the same way as his wife. "Lakewood really scared a lot of people. One of my friends at work mentioned that people were getting attacked by that flying girl too. All over Seattle, beating people up with magic for weeks now. And there was that thing in Tacoma¡­ It''s all bad with these ''awakened'' people. I''m worried about what''s going to happen." But I''m one of ''these awakened people''¡­ You cannot tell him. He will turn you in, or worse. But, Quinn¡ª Quinn is on our side, but his parents don''t understand. You can''t trust them with your true self. Natalie''s hope of telling the Kincaids deflated like one of the sad, punctured balloon at her birthday party in the Laushire house. "I''m not saying don''t go out," said Damian. "Just, if you see something that feels weird? Anything going wrong? Run. Don''t stop. Don''t call nine-one-one until you feel safe again. Nobody knows who these people are yet. I really hope I''m wrong, but I feel like they''re bad news." "Dinner!" shouted Quinn from down the hall. Damian hopped off the bed. "Sorry about that, Jenny. Didn''t mean to scare you." "It''s okay. You didn''t." Just¡­ just made life a little bit worse in a way you can''t understand¡­ He grinned. "Like I said, you''re a really cool kid. Come on, let''s eat." Natalie followed him to the table, back to Quinn and Annette, back into hiding once again.
Natalie only had time to leave a single mouse out for Percy before she rushed out the door the next day. Her lunch nearly fell out of her hands as she ran after Quinn. They were late for the bus, and it was mostly her fault. She''d been trying to calm Percy down, who really didn''t enjoy being cooped up inside a tiny closet all day. Natalie had let him out at night, but come morning, she couldn''t take the chance that the Kincaids find him. They caught the bus just in time. Natalie hurried past the driver¡ªwho still hadn''t stopped giving her the scar-stare¡ªand made her way to the back of the bus as usual. To her surprise, the rear two seats weren''t unoccupied. A few kids she didn''t know had taken one side, playing some game on their phones. Natalie sat down across from them at the window in her usual spot, but it meant Quinn wouldn''t be sitting across from her. Nor would Quinn be able to sit anywhere near, she realized with a shock. The next five rows were already full. Apparently, the back of the bus was suddenly way more popular than she''d remembered. Quinn glanced around, trying to figure out where to sit, but none of the other kids noticed. "Sit here," said Natalie finally, tapping the seat next to her. "You sure?" he asked, glancing at her. No, but I''d rather have you close than way up there. She nodded quickly, not meeting his eyes. Quinn sat down, as close to the edge as he could, but between their bags and everything else, it wasn''t that far away. Their driver was a real stickler for legs in the aisle and staying in his seat, and Natalie didn''t want to draw any more attention to them. "Closer," she murmured. "You''re sticking out." Quinn scooted closer, and Natalie felt a shiver travel up through her spine. The darkness was back, slithering into her vision, her heart pounding harder than before. She bunched herself against the wall of the bus, putting her backpack between the two of them. I just want to sit next to him! she shouted inside her skull. Why can''t I just have that? You must never let anyone near. I hate you, she cried¡ªand in fact, she did feel a tear in her eye. Natalie blinked furiously, trying to get rid of it without using her hand, so Quinn wouldn''t notice. She stared pointedly out the window, away from him. I want to go back. Just let me go back. "Natalie?" Quinn whispered, so quiet that she wouldn''t have heard him without magic. Hearing her name calmed her down, much more than he''d ever know. Natalie took a deep breath, and then another. She turned to Quinn and nodded. She knew who she was. She was here, with her boyfriend, on the bus to school, and she was going to be okay. Someday. Right on cue, the bus grinded to a halt, and Blake Sinclair got on board. Natalie didn''t pay her much attention at first. After all, she usually sat toward the front, even though she was an eighth grader. She never came this far into the bus. Except today was different. Natalie knew it even before Blake had made it halfway back. Today was not going to be okay. "Jenny!" she called, still a few rows out. Natalie jerked around from staring out the window, locking eyes with her. "Hi, Blake." "We were so worried about you." Fat chance. "Why?" Blake smirked, though to the rest of the bus it probably looked like an honest smile. "When you missed school yesterday, I thought you might have, you know, tried again." What? What does that even mean? Natalie glanced away, not at all sure what Blake meant. "I had a family thing," she said, giving the excuse they''d all agreed on. "I was excused." "Well, I''m glad you''re back. I bet Quinn is too," she added, glancing at him. "You two are such a cute couple, you know?" Quinn glanced up from his book. "What?" "I was just saying, I don''t think I''ve ever seen a couple like you. Quinn, you must be the nicest guy ever, with how close you two are." Natalie flinched. She wondered if Quinn knew what Blake meant. She glanced over at him. It was only for a second, just a flash, but Natalie saw him wince. He got it¡­ Against every instinct in her body, with her brain screaming at her to stop, Natalie reached out and took Quinn''s hand. She wrapped her fingers in between his, each one like it was scorching her skin, but she held on. She held on tight, and glared at Blake straight in the eyes, trying to express every ounce of hatred she felt churning in her stomach. "Thanks." Blake''s eyebrows narrowed, but she didn''t say another word. She turned in a huff and marched back down the bus to join her friend Lydia. Natalie turned back to the window, watching the sidewalk roll by, still clutching Quinn''s hand as tight as she could. He felt warm and soft, but anything she might have liked was overwhelmed by the trembling, agonizing pain of being so close to another person. Let go. You''re only hurting yourself. No. You''re hurting him, too. I''m not letting go. Natalie kept her grip, and Quinn didn''t say a word. All the way to school, right up until the bus thumped to a halt at the student exit, Natalie held on tight. Only once they stood up did she finally let go. She didn''t look at Quinn once the whole way inside. He murmured a question, but Natalie didn''t hear it. Her ears were filled with a rushing sound, like a raging waterfall that wouldn''t stop flowing, and her stomach churned like a whirlpool. The moment she was inside, Natalie bolted for her bathroom. She locked the door and clambered into her stall, heaving. Breakfast erupted from her mouth, barely landing in the toilet. Her heart was still racing, and every inch of her skin buzzed with energy. Her mouth tasted like acid. Natalie fell back onto the tiled floor, coughing hard. She wiped her face with a scrap of toilet paper, then curled up against the stall door, head on her knees, and rocked back and forth, hands pressed to her face. She''d done it. She''d held Quinn''s hand, all the way to school. It hurt¡ªit hurt so much more than she imagined it could¡ªbut she''d gotten through it.
Natalie made it back to class before the bell rang. She took her seat next to Quinn, trembling all gone. She was calm again. Quinn looked about to ask her a question, but the teacher started talking almost immediately, and he had to save it for later. She couldn''t avoid it forever though. Quinn was in all her classes until gym in fourth period. As soon as they split up for group work, which left Natalie and Quinn alone as usual, she took the initiative and cut him off before he could even open his mouth to speak. "Uhh¡­ sorry." "For what?" For being me. For you being with me. For being so broken and screwed up that we can''t even hold hands properly. "If I grabbed your hand too tight." Quinn shook his head. "It was fine. But¡ª" "I can''t." She couldn''t bring herself to explain it further, but she knew he''d get the wrong idea, so she forced herself to get a few more details. "It''s not a magic thing, it''s¡­ I¡­" "It''s okay, Jenny," he murmured, as another kid walked by passing out the assignment. "You don''t have to sa¡ª" "I really like you, Quinn." The kid snickered. "Jenny''s got a boyfriend," he smirked, handing her a paper. "Yeah, I do," Natalie snapped, glaring at him. "So what?" He took an involuntary step back, cowering just from her cold gaze. "...Sorry," he mumbled. He thrust the paper at Quinn and hurried away. "...Boyfriend?" Quinn asked, glancing at her. Why''s he asking me that? "...Yeah. I mean, isn''t that what we are?" she mumbled, feeling her face grow red. Quinn blushed too. "I guess so." "Huh?" Natalie''s embarrassment fell away, replaced with confusion. "But, didn''t you call me that? Your parents¡ª" "My parents called you my girlfriend?" When I was spying on them¡­ "Yeah." Natalie shrugged. "Do you¡­ you know. Do you want to be that?" He smiled. "Yeah, I''ll be your girlfriend," he said, without an ounce of sarcasm. Natalie giggled. A wave of relief finally washed through her, cleaning out all the awful feelings from the morning. She didn''t exactly feel great, but she felt a whole lot better than a few minutes ago. "Thanks, Quinn." He smiled again, but the teacher came by a moment later, and they quickly buried themselves in the assignment before they got in trouble. Natalie had missed so many classes that she couldn''t afford to fall behind another day, even with Quinn helping her out. Through English and then study hall in the next period, they sat close together, heads down, and worked non-stop. After study hall, Social Studies was pretty much the same, except that they didn''t have a chance to talk at all as the teacher was giving a lecture the whole period. Finally, gym rolled around. Natalie had to wave goodbye to Quinn as he headed off for tech class. To her relief, as soon as she walked into the locker room, Kelsey was right there waiting for her. "Hey girlfriend," she said, smirking. Natalie rolled her eyes. "You''re just jealous." "Of you? As if." Kelsey sighed dreamily. "I''m going for someone way cooler than Quinn." Nobody''s cooler than Quinn. She''s hopeless. You''re happy. Yeah, I kinda am. Natalie hurried back to the corner of the locker room with Kelsey, who stood in the way while she changed clothes. Kelsey had started doing it without being asked, after noticing just how much Natalie shook even taking off her shirt in front of the rest of the girls. It still wasn''t great¡ªand Natalie hated herself a little more every time she remembered how it never used to bother her¡ªbut having a friend nearby helped a lot. After the first few times, she didn''t even need Kelsey to be facing away, so they could actually hold a normal conversation while she changed. It didn''t stop the voices, though. "She did?" asked Lydia in an exaggerated whisper. Blake replied in just as loud a whisper. "Totally! I swear she was going to, like, tear his hand off or something. It was crazy." Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. "She''s crazy." I''m not crazy. "Talking about you?" asked Kelsey, obviously seeing something in Natalie''s expression. Natalie nodded. She pulled on her shirt and tucked her clothes back in her bag¡ªno way was she going to trust a locker today, with how Blake was going on. Kelsey looked about to turn around and confront them, but Natalie just shook her head. She hurried out into the gym, but Kelsey couldn''t resist snapping one of Blake''s bra straps as she walked past, bolting out of the room before Blake could retaliate. "Did you really have to¡ª" "Yes," said Kelsey. "She''s a bitch." "It''s just words." She''s right though. Blake really is that. Just words, as you said. You don''t need to concern yourself with just words. Right. Natalie took a seat on the bleachers. The teacher came out after a couple minutes, just as the last couple stragglers from the lockers appeared. Blake and Lydia were still shooting her dirty looks, but they were quickly distracted by a chorus of groans. The usual Friday Field Day was cancelled¡ªit was snowing again¡ªso they had to stay inside. Natalie groaned right along with the rest of the kids. She''d been looking forward to the fresh air and a chance to really get out and run. The teacher tried to play it off with a joke and a smile, but they all knew how much it sucked¡­ until he rolled out a huge cage of rubber balls. Natalie''s eyes widened. "I thought it was banned," she whispered to Kelsey. "It is." Kelsey shrugged. "Maybe they''re for something else." "All right," the teacher called out. "Today, we''re going to be playing Spatial Awareness." "What''s that?" shouted a kid up in the back row. "Well, it''s simple. Everybody will split up until teams of six and take one of the courts. You''ll have six balls in the center of the court, and when I blow the whistle, you grab a ball and try to tag out someone on the other side. You aren''t allowed to cross the line, and if you get tagged, you''re out. If somebody catches a ball you threw, you''re out and one of their team is back in. Last team standing wins." He glanced around. "Any questions?" Nobody spoke for a full minute. One kid giggled. Finally, one quivering hand went up, very slowly¡ªLydia Jennings'' hand, in fact. Her voice trembled as she spoke. "But, isn''t that just dodg¡ª" "No, Jennings. This is Spatial Awareness." He gave them all a very serious look. "Does everybody understand how to play?" Natalie and Kelsey looked at each other, dumbfounded. Kelsey¡¯s face twisted into a wicked grin. She was practically bouncing up and down in her seat. "Thinking what I''m thinking?"
Natalie and Kelsey, along with four other girls, faced off against Blake and her hand-picked five. Lydia had somehow managed to persuade the teacher to let her sit out, but everyone else was in it, and eager. Natalie wasn''t so sure¡ªthe only dodgeball she''d ever seen was on TV, or a couple games with Rallsburg college kids that got really intense. She wasn''t allowed to ever join in those games¡­ and after watching one, she didn''t want to. This is my age though. It''ll be fine. Don''t get hit. Thanks for the obvious¡­ She tensed up at the far end of the line, hands planted on the wood gym floor. Her eyes were locked onto nearest ball. Blake was facing off against Kelsey at the other end. They were all waiting for the teacher to blow the whistle, but he was busy helping out some other kid way on the opposite end of the gym. "Hey Jenny," Blake called from clear across the court, just loud enough for Natalie to hear. "I heard you''re in trouble with the principal. Guess the school finally figured out you don''t belong here." "They let you in," said Kelsey. "Shows how shitty this place is." "Nobody asked you, lesbian!" "Me?" said Kelsey in a mocking tone. "That''s so kind! But I''m not nearly cool enough." "That was an insult, you idiot," said one of Blake''s teammates. Kelsey laughed. "In what stupid universe?" Just ignore them. I can get them to shut up with a ball. As soon as that whistle blows¡­ "Besides, if anyone around here''s got a crush, I mean¡­" Kelsey glanced between the two of them. "Blake, are you sure you aren''t in love with Jenny?" "Shut up,¡± said Blake. "You just seem so obsessed with her!" Huh¡­ maybe that''s it. I have no idea why she hates me so much¡­ That isn''t love. You shouldn''t concern yourself with her feelings. Yeah, but maybe I just don''t understa¡ª "Shut up!" Blake screeched. She bolted forward toward their ball. Kelsey reacted a split-second later, sprinting just as fast. The whistle hadn''t blown yet, but nobody cared. Natalie blitzed for her own ball, and the rest of her team followed. Blake''s side was a bit slower, but they were in the game. Kelsey dove, skidding across the floor. Blake did the same. A loud smack echoed through the gym. "Screw you, bitch," Kelsey grunted. She rolled off the court. Blake glared at Kelsey''s every step, no triumph in her eyes¡ªonly hatred. Natalie snatched up her own ball. She flung it sideways at Blake, but the girl was too smart for that. She''d already backed away, and Natalie''s ball bounced harmlessly off of the wall. Natalie hurried back to the edge of the court, ducking a couple throws from Blake''s team. They were really in it now. The teacher was shouting something, but nobody on their court cared anymore. Natalie snatched a ball up and twisted around in place. She chucked it and got a satisfying thunk as it slammed into the nearest girl, sending her off the court. A split-second later, Natalie had to dive to the ground, just underneath the next throw. Her enhanced reflexes and senses helped her see it coming, and move right out of the way¡ªand into the path of the next throw. Blake was ready for her. Natalie hit the floor¡ªand as soon as she looked up, Blake pelted a red rubber ball at her face. Deflect it! Without thinking, Natalie slammed the ball straight down using a burst of magic. It hit the floor a few inches from her head and bounced right over, sailing off into the wall behind them. Blake cursed, barely ducking the next throw. Natalie scrambled back to her feet, just in time to catch a ball thrown too late, by a girl trying to copy Blake''s strategy. "Aww yeah!" Kelsey shouted, rushing back onto the court. The moment she did, another ball sailed in, and Kelsey caught it easily. "Double kill, suckers!" Three of Blake''s team were down, and Natalie had all six. She grinned, picking up a ball. This is actually fun. The gym teacher seemed to have given up on getting them to stop and just stood to the side, watching the game. As long as it didn''t get ugly, Natalie doubted he''d step in. The rest of the class was playing now too, after seeing their court explode into action. Blake wasn''t going down easy though. She dodged a throw from Kelsey, and a second one right after. In return, she pegged one girl in the chest. Blake had real fire in her eyes now. Natalie was actually a little impressed. She''d always assumed Blake was all talk, but the girl on the court right now was genuinely frightening. I''ve seen people that crazy before¡­ Don''t get hit. You know¡­ sometimes you really aren''t that helpful. "Jenny!" Kelsey called out. "Do a curveball!" Does she mean magic? I guess¡­ I can''t be too obvious though. Natalie threw her ball straight at the girl to Blake''s right, but as soon as it crossed the line, she spun it with her mind. It twisted in midair, but ended up going between the two of them, missing both. "Weak throw and a weak girlfriend," Blake taunted. "How''s it feel knowing you''re never even gonna get¡ª" Blake cut off as Kelsey nearly got her, jumping over a ball aimed at her knees. "Do you ever shut up?" said Kelsey. "After you, bitch." Blake punctuated the word with her own curveball, and hers hit the mark. Kelsey had jumped to the side, but the ball still caught her in the hip, glancing off and hitting another one of Natalie''s players. They both trudged off the court, leaving Natalie suddenly even with Blake, three on three. Suddenly, it was two on two¡ªone girl on each side had smacked the other in the face. Groaning, one clutching her glasses, they walked off. Natalie tried to catch Blake''s next throw, but it slipped past just outside her fingers. Well, it didn''t hit me at least. "Melanie," Blake called. "Go!" The other girl on Blake''s team rushed forward, straight at Natalie. She waited, watching to see where Melanie would plant her feet¡ªbut something was wrong. She''s not going for you! The voice was a split-second too late. Melanie had already twisted on the spot. The ball sailed across the gym and struck Natalie''s teammate in the stomach. She fell down, groaning from the pain. Well, it''s no wonder this was banned¡­ Natalie didn''t have time to think about it more, as Blake tried to hit her while she was distracted. Natalie dodged it, but she was suddenly alone, with only two balls on her side and two girls facing her down. Melanie smirked, tossing a ball up and down in her hand. Blake glared at Natalie. "Go back to where you came from, freak." I want to. Natalie didn''t answer aloud. She took a step toward the nearest ball, making them both flinch. Natalie took another step, still carefully watching them both. Melanie wound up to throw. Natalie tensed up. Her muscles were like strings pulled tight. Natalie dove, just as the ball flew at her. She landed in a somersault, grabbing up a ball and twisting around on the floor to launch it away at Blake. Natalie felt real triumph in her veins¡ªthere was no way Blake could move out of the way in time. She was committed. Another body dove into the throw. Melanie took it right in the chest, saving her friend. She gave Blake a high five as she walked off, leaving Blake to face off with Natalie alone. "You got this, Jenny!" shouted Kelsey. Other words of encouragement for both sides filled the room. Even kids sitting out in other games were cheering one or the other on. Natalie heard a few more voices for her, but far more supporting Blake. Blake was saying something. The shouting filled the room, but Natalie could still just barely hear her. She doubted anyone else could¡ªnot without ears like hers. "Can''t even hold hands. You''re never going to be kissed, freak. You don''t even know how. You''re just trash that got into our school. Get out. Get out of my school." Don''t listen to her. Remember, they are words. You don''t need to concern yourself with words. Blake heaved another ball with all her strength. It whistled past her ear as Natalie dodged it, too worried to risk a catch. By the time she''d recovered, Blake already had another ball. Natalie threw her own, but Blake used hers like a shield to deflect it aside. "Get her in the face!" someone shouted. Natalie wasn''t sure who the instruction was aimed at, but Blake seemed to take it to heart. The next throw went sailing right for Natalie''s head. She ducked it easily, but she hadn''t had time to grab up another ball. "No, hit her in the boobs!" "She doesn''t have those!" "All girls have boobs!" "Maybe Jenny''s not really a girl!" Okay, this got stupid really fast¡­ Blake smirked, still glaring at Natalie. "How about it freak?" she muttered. "Are you even really a girl? Or are you just too crazy to know what you''re supposed to be?" Natalie threw, and Blake dodged. Blake threw, and Natalie dodged. Neither of them seemed able to get an advantage, and the crowd around their court was growing fast¡­ and still arguing about whether or not Natalie was really a girl. This isn''t fun anymore. So end it. "Would you just die already?" Blake shouted, punctuating it with her hardest throw yet. It missed Natalie by millimeters. She could feel it brush past her, but it wasn''t close enough to count. Blake''s voice rose to a fever pitch. "You insane psycho bitch!" End her. Natalie didn''t throw her ball¡ªshe launched it. Every ounce of strength, and a burst of magic beside, went into the rubber grip that slid out of her hand. The ball shot across the gym like it was fired from a cannon. Blake didn''t have time to react. The ball slammed into her face with a dry slap that echoed through the abruptly silent gym. She was hurled off her feet, plummeting to the gym floor with a thud. ¡­Oh god. The gym teacher rushed to her side. Nobody else in the whole gym moved. Everyone was staring¡ªnot at the fallen Blake and the teacher, but at Natalie. She could feel every single eye, every held breath like they were all pressing down on her. They were waiting to see what she''d do next. Natalie just waited. She needed to see if Blake was okay, but she didn''t dare cross the line. The teacher was examining the back of her head, but she was awake at least. Blake''s face was leaking blood: dark, red, and thick. Natalie took a deep breath, trying to keep herself calm, but it didn''t help much. Worse, Blake was glaring at her, even more hateful than before if that were possible. The bell rang. Natalie let out the breath. She turned and walked away, back to the locker room. Kelsey hurried to follow her, but not a single other kid joined them. They changed clothes in silence. Kelsey watched Natalie with a worried look, but she felt surprisingly calm now that she''d left the gym. Dressed in her normal clothes again, she felt like she was moving on. "Jenny¡­" Kelsey started. "Yeah?" She paused. Natalie waited, and the worry returned. She didn''t care what the rest of the class thought, but she definitely cared what Kelsey thought. If Kelsey thought she was crazy, if Kelsey had finally realized just how dangerous Natalie was¡­ What kind of person Natalie really was. A murderer. That''s what I am. You aren''t. You do not set out to kill. I''m a killer, then. That''s not much better. "...Nice throw," said Kelsey weakly. She tried to flash her usual grin, but Natalie could see the reluctance. She''d scared her friend, and that hurt more than any word or dodgeball that Blake could ever hurl at her.
Natalie didn''t eat lunch in the cafeteria. She couldn''t bear it, no matter how much Kelsey insisted they were totally fine. She hurried in just to say hi to Quinn and tell him she''d see him in fifth period. He looked surprised, but didn''t ask any questions, reminding Natalie just why she liked him so much. Quinn loved asking questions, but he was really catching on to when Natalie didn''t want to¡ªor couldn''t¡ªanswer. Instead, Natalie retreated back to her bathroom, yet again. She locked the door, she closed the window, and she took her stall, as usual. If any other girls wanted to use it, they''d have to go down to the next hall. She was going to be alone for the period. You are hiding again. No duh I''m hiding! she shouted in her head. You see everything I do, so why do you tell me that all the time? Because you shouldn''t be hiding. You''ve done nothing wrong. I think I broke her nose. That''s wrong. You were provoked. You were still within the rules of the game. You aren''t at risk of discovery. That doesn''t make it okay! Natalie pulled out her lunch and started eating, trying to ignore the voice as it continued to reassure her. She didn''t want to be reassured. She didn''t want to think this was okay. As awful as Blake was, Natalie didn''t want to just hurt people and walk away like it was nothing. You didn''t feel anything when you killed those gang members in the warehouse. She bit into her sandwich. Natalie didn''t want to think about them. Natalie just wanted to eat, and go back to her friends, go home. Home. Rallsburg, not Quinn''s house. She wanted Gwen, she wanted the forest, she wanted her little castle in the woods where nobody would hurt her. Where she''d wait out the storm. She''d come back out one day and there would be her dad, waiting for her. You didn''t feel anything when you fought the monsters. They were monsters, Natalie shot back, finally giving in. They weren''t people. You killed twenty five people in Rallsburg and you got past it. Had she gotten past it? Natalie realized it with a shock: she couldn''t remember their faces anymore. Not a single face from the street in Rallsburg came to her mind. She could still remember the six gang members in the warehouse¡ªthe boss, Tattoo-face, his companion, Stutter, Door-guy, and Weasel-face¡ªbut the mob that faced her down in Rallsburg? Where Rachel had ordered her to kill, again and again? Not a single one. They were gone, lost to whatever deep black pit that memories vanished into. Natalie could remember everything else from that terrible day, worst of all the sight of her father ordering golems forward into the forest, but the faces of the townspeople were gone. What did you do? she asked, horrified. I did nothing. You needed to forget, so you did. Natalie shook her head, but no more words came out¡ªor rather, no imagined words. She continued eating in silence, without any more interruptions from the voice. As she ate, she calmed down a bit more. It still bothered her that she couldn''t remember the people she''d¡­ she''d killed, but what was she supposed to do about it? They were long gone. She''d never forget what she did, but¡­ maybe the voice was right. Maybe forgetting the people was better for her in the long run. She couldn''t hold them all forever. I''m sorry. You do not ever need to apologize to me. I am here for you. ...Thanks, I guess. A clicking noise. Natalie froze, still seated cross-legged atop the toilet. She waited. The click happened again, and then the door swung open. But I locked it¡­ Footsteps. The door swung shut, and the person locked it again. So they''ve got a key¡­ A janitor? The faucet turned on. She could hear splashing, and a faint sniffling sound. More footsteps, and then the stall door next to Natalie''s swung open. Natalie saw a pair of shoes step-step inside and close the stall. Sniffling again, louder this time. It was definitely young, so it was another student. Another girl. Is she¡­ crying? Natalie held very still, but something about it made her want to reach out. She''d come in here for much the same reason¡­ maybe she could help this other girl. "Hello?" she said aloud. The other girl slammed against the door, as if she''d jumped away from Natalie''s voice. "Oh god, sorry," said Natalie, wincing. "I didn''t¡­ I just¡ª are you okay?" "No thanks to you," snarled a nasally voice. It was Blake¡­ but her voice was all funny. Her nose must have been plugged up. "I''m sorry," said Natalie again. I don''t care what you think. Hitting her like that was wrong. "I didn''t mean to throw it that hard." "Whatever." Natalie took a sip of water, more to give Blake time to say something else than because she was thirsty. She had no idea what to say to the girl. Natalie had a lot of questions for her, but now probably wasn''t the best time for most of them. "Where''d you come from, freak?" said Blake, after a few more sniffles. "It''s not on any maps," said Natalie. Which was true¡­ until this year, at least. "I moved here with Lily in July." "You know it''s super weird to call your mom by her name, right?" "She''s not my mom." Blake laughed, a harsh self-satisfied sound that Natalie didn''t enjoy very much. "Wait, you really are adopted? I thought I just made that up!" "I''m not. I just¡­ live with Lily." Or I did, anyway. "So what else am I right about? Are you really a hick town freak that talks to animals?" Yes? "...Why do you hate me?" Natalie asked. "You ruined my life," Blake snapped. "What?" "Nothing." The stall door swung open again. Blake walked back across to the sinks, where the water was still running, and presumably started washing her hands. "I never did anything to you," Natalie protested. "I''m just trying to be normal." Without warning, Natalie''s stall door slammed open. Blake stood there, bandages stuffed in her nose and her mouth still caked with dried blood. Her dark brown eyes were lit up with fury. "Listen to me, you psycho freak. You will never be normal. You''re crazy and you don''t belong here. Go back to where you came from. Leave Quinn, leave my school, leave this whole city. Got it?" Natalie shook her head. "I can''t." "Then find another way." Her eyes flicked over to the scar on Natalie''s face. "You already tried it once, didn''t you? Just get out your knife and start cutting, freak." She¡­ I¡­ what? "I didn''t¡ª" "Oh, don''t even." Blake rolled her eyes. "Everybody knows that''s what psychos end up doing. Either you''re gonna cut your way out, or you''re gonna come back to school and really hurt somebody. So do the right thing and just finish the job. Don''t screw it up like last time either." I''m not crazy. I''m not a psycho. I''m not a freak. "I won''t hurt anybody," Natalie said, but it sounded weak to her own ears. Blake didn''t let it stand for a second. She took a step toward Natalie, jabbing her fingers at her stuffed-up nose. "You already did, bitch!" she shouted. "Are you as dumb as you are crazy?" "I''m not crazy." "Get it through your skull, psycho bitch! You''re crazy, your parents were probably crazy, and you''re gonna hurt somebody, so do us all a favor and make it you!" "I''m not crazy!" Natalie shouted. She leapt to her feet. Every stall door slammed open in unison. The window in the corner shattered in a hail of broken glass, and the bathroom door shuddered in its frame. Blake''s eyes went wide. She took a step back, stunned into silence. You must commit. You''ve revealed yourself. Do not hold back. I can''t just¡ª Do not let her leave unless you are certain she will never tell. "You''re¡ª" Blake finally choked out. "You''re one of¡ª" What do I do? Scare her. Make sure she knows exactly who she''s dealing with. Natalie summoned up a wall of fire on both sides of Blake, hemming her in. The girl fell back onto the ground, scrambling to the space underneath the sinks. Natalie walked forward, right into the center of the room. The fire hissed and spat, but Natalie was holding the warmth down so it didn''t set off the alarm. It only flowed inward¡ªshowering Blake in sheer oppressive heat. The girl was already starting to sweat, pinned underneath the wide sinks. Natalie lifted up a pool of water from the sink, floating it down in front of Blake. She knelt down behind it, right in front of the terrified girl, and let the water spin around her hand in a pattern like she''d once seen Rika do with fire. A moment later, she added a few buzzing streaks of lightning to it, just to complete the Rika effect¡ªthough Natalie''s electricity was purple instead of Rika''s blue. "Don''t talk to me," said Natalie. "Ever again. Don''t talk to my friends. Leave all of us alone, and I''ll leave you alone." Blake nodded frantically, clutching onto the water pipe under the sink for dear life. Natalie stood back up, letting the fire disappear again, though she still held the mix of water and lightning spinning in her hand. "Say it." "I''ll leave you alone," Blake whimpered. Natalie nodded. She turned away, picked up her bag, and walked to the door. Blake watched her in terror with every step, still trembling underneath the sink. Natalie clicked the lock open without even looking at it, and let the door open itself. She took one last look toward Blake, a vicious snake reduced to a quivering mouse, and felt guilt worm its way into her heart. You didn''t hurt her, and there''s no way she can prove anything. But she''s¡­ You had no choice. It worked. Take comfort in that. Natalie walked away and headed to class, uncomfortably satisfied with herself.
To Natalie''s surprise¡ªand relief¡ªnothing else happened the rest of the day. Natalie wasn''t even called into the principal''s office, after waiting all day for a P.A. announcement or a phone call. On the bus home, Natalie asked Quinn to sit next to her again. It didn''t feel any better than the last time, and she still kept their bags between them, but Natalie didn''t want him any further away either. She was afraid of what might happen if she were alone around other people¡­ as if Quinn could somehow keep her from hurting someone. "What happened?" he finally asked, as soon as they''d stepped off the bus into the slush coating the sidewalk. The bus rumbled away, and Natalie started trudging through the icy-cold winter air toward the house. For a brief moment, she was annoyed he''d even asked, but it was quickly surpassed by an overwhelming desire to spill every secret to Quinn. She wanted to unleash a flood of emotion, let go of everything and finally reveal the monster he''d called his girlfriend. "I hurt Blake," she said quietly. To her relief, Quinn didn''t react like the rest of the gang would¡ªwell, except maybe for Steven. He nodded, but he didn''t look happy about it. "That thing in gym? Kelsey mentioned something, but she didn''t get specific." "We were playing dodgeball. She was saying things, and I threw it too hard. I think I broke her nose." Quinn shook his head. "You didn''t. It was bleeding, but she''s okay." Natalie''s eyes welled up. "She''s not." "What do you mean?" "I ran into her at lunch. I¡­ she was saying something and I¡­" Natalie stopped walking. She dabbed at her eyes with a cloth from her bag. "Natalie," said Quinn. He took a step closer, but she couldn''t¡ªas much as she desperately wanted to be hugged, she still couldn''t let him that close. "She looked fine at the end of the day," he continued quietly. "You didn''t do anything permanent." "I scared her. I showed her what I can do." Natalie looked up at Quinn, tears gone. She needed to be serious now, to tell Quinn everything so they could figure out what to do next. "She knows." Quinn glanced up at the sky thoughtfully. "...Okay. Well, there''s no scary helicopters coming yet, so¡­" Natalie laughed, a painful sound that barely made it out of her throat. "I don''t think they''d use helicopters." "Well, it doesn''t matter," he said. "Nobody knows you live here, remember? Not the school, not the government, and definitely not Blake." Quinn held out his hand. "Come on. Let''s go home." I can do this. I need to do this. You can. Natalie reached forward, pressing through the dark clouds, pressing through pain that swarmed over her like a host of angry insects, and took Quinn''s hand. She wrapped his palm in hers, and for a moment, she didn''t feel any pain. She savored the cold chill of his fingers, the way their fingers interlocked, the way he gripped her just the right amount. "...Your hand''s really warm," he murmured, and it didn''t break the moment. It helped. She giggled. "Magic," she reminded him with a small smile. A siren started blaring somewhere, a few streets away. It was faint, but it was enough. The moment was broken, and the clouds surged back into her mind. Natalie fell away, her hand sliding out of his. Quinn tried to hold on for just a second longer, but Natalie couldn''t do it. You will. Eventually. I hate this. I hate everything about this. I just want to¡­ What if she was right? They started walking back, Quinn staying a few steps away from her as usual. He didn''t make any move toward her, even though she expected him to try again. Natalie wasn''t sure if she wanted him to try, but she knew she couldn''t if he did. What if I can''t ever actually hold his hand? Or you know¡­ anything, with him? What if I''m broken? You are broken. I¡ª What is broken can still be fixed. Natalie nodded. "Okay," she murmured. Quinn glanced at her, but she didn''t say anything else, so he turned back to unlocking the door. Before he could open it, Natalie reached down and waved a hand over their shoes. Again, the burst of steam, and their shoes were perfectly warm once again. "...Wow." He grinned. "Magic," she said again, smiling. Quinn opened the door. "We''re home!" he called out. "Jenny?" called Damian. Natalie''s brief good mood petered out, like a light bulb flickering to black. He sounded concerned, and a concerned parent was always a bad sign in her book. "...Yes?" she called back. "I¡­ well, just come here, please?" Natalie shot a look at Quinn, who seemed as confused as she was. They hurried inside toward Damian''s voice. Her heart sank even more as soon as she saw him¡ªstanding in front of her door. "I heard a scratching sound," he said slowly. There was a bandage on his face, which boded even worse for Natalie. "I wanted to make sure nothing was in there, and, well¡­" Damian nodded at the door. Natalie winced. "I can explain," she started. "Yeah," said Damian firmly. "I think that would be good." Quinn glanced at her. "Do you want me to stick around?" he whispered. Natalie didn''t bother to answer Quinn. Of course she wanted him to stick around. She just launched into it. "That''s Percy. He''s¡­ well, he''s my pet hawk." Quinn gaped at her. "You have a pet hawk?" Damian laughed. "That makes two of us." "I''m sorry he hurt you, Mr. Kincaid. He probably got scared when it wasn''t me." He frowned. "This hawk¡ª" "Percy." "Percy." Damian nodded. "He hasn''t been living here the whole time, right? I''m not that blind, am I?" Natalie giggled. "No. I brought him home yesterday. He found me at the funeral." "He¡­ found you?" Damian whistled. "Pretty good pet." "Yeah." Natalie pushed open the door. Percy was fluttering around the room, hopping mad¡ªbut as soon as he saw Natalie, he fluttered right to her shoulder. Percy rubbed his head into her cheek, and his beak tickled a bit. She giggled again, stroking his head. "He won''t hurt you again." "Right¡­" Damian glanced at the open front door, and Quinn hurried to close it. "Well, our block isn''t allowed to have pets¡­ I mean, I don''t think they listed hawks in it, but even so." Natalie nodded. "I''ll make sure he isn''t noticed." "Well, since you''re both here now¡­" Damian lead them back into the living room. Quinn and Natalie sat down on the couch, and Damian took the patched lounge chair nearby. He pressed his hands to his face and cleared his throat a few times before he started speaking. His half-jovial tone was long-gone. "I wanted to talk to you two about a few things." "Like what?" asked Quinn. "Well, this whole magic thing," Damian went on. He still said it like it was unbelievable, but every time the topic came up, Natalie felt stiff and uneasy. She hated lying to them, but after what Damian had said that morning, how could she possibly tell him the truth? "Apparently, there''s a lot more of them around than we thought. All over Washington. It''s getting worse, too." "Okay?" Quinn shrugged, playing it off as cool as always. Natalie let him do the talking, since she was too worried she might let something slip. Especially today, of all days, she didn''t trust herself to keep control. "Doesn''t really affect us though, right?" "It might." Damian sighed. "Quinn, I want you to promise me you won''t go anywhere after school anymore. You come straight home on the bus, got it? Same goes for you, Jenny." "But¡­ what about game night? The Glasses Gang?" Quinn protested. "We can still hang out, right?" "Not for now," said Damian. "Tyler''s parents and Steven''s parents are telling them the same thing. You guys can still hang out at school," he added, as if that made it any better. "Just¡­ just until this blows over." "When''s that going to be?" asked Quinn angrily, while Natalie sunk even deeper into the couch. This is my fault too¡­ Somehow, I know it is. Damian shook his head. "We don''t know." "But¡ª" "Look, that flying girl, Hailey Winscombe?" said Damian, cutting him off. "She just blew up a building in London." Natalie sat up straight, shocked. Hailey did what? "What do you mean, Mr. Kincaid?" she asked desperately. "What happened?" "I don''t know. She flew out there, and some building blew up." Damian shook his head. "The news is saying she''s committing a ton of crimes, and this is the fourth building to blow up with her in the area. She''s just one of these awakened people." "But¡ª" said Quinn again. "I don''t want you getting hurt again, Q!" Damian snapped, glaring at his son. "That was the scariest moment of our lives, do you know that? My phone lights up, says it''s the hospital, and the first words they say after they get my name are ''your son.''" Damian shook his head. "I had no idea where you were or what happened to you. What if it was something worse? What if you hadn''t been found by a good Samaritan? You were out there all alone, doing God-knew-what, and you got hurt." Quinn didn''t say anything. He was staring at the floor, unable to look his father in the eye. Natalie looked between them, feeling torn apart¡ªbetween the truth and her own safety, between Quinn and keeping her new home intact. One look at Quinn''s pained face, one look at the friend Natalie knew would never betray her in a million years, even while his father berated him for something he didn''t do, and Natalie knew she couldn''t sit by. "Mr. Kincaid," she spoke up. "Quinn wasn''t there alone." "What?" "It''s my fault," said Natalie. She took a deep breath, looking Damian in the eyes as she spoke, her voice surprisingly calm. It was nice living here, at least for a little while¡­ "I was there with him. I''m the reason Quinn got hurt and had to go to the hospital." "You¡­" Damian faltered, opening and closing his mouth a few times. "Jenny, what do you mean?" "I mean that I shoved him, and I knocked him out, and the back of his head started bleeding. It''s my fault." Natalie stood up. Percy fluttered back to her shoulder from where he''d perched on the back of one of the dining room chairs. "I didn''t mean to. I''m sorry. I''ll go pack my things." "Now hang on¡ª" said Damian, but Quinn leapt to his feet first. "No, Jenny, you can''t go." "...What?" she said. She wasn''t exactly surprised Quinn leapt to her defense¡ªof course he would, that''s why she liked him¡ªbut ''can''t'' wasn''t the word she expected. "Dad, she doesn''t have anywhere else to live," said Quinn, turning back to Damian. "If you kick her out, she''s gonna be on the street all alone. You can''t." Damian hesitated. "I wasn''t going to kick her out." Natalie didn''t dare to hope, but she stopped moving. Waiting, just waiting. Finally, Damian spoke up again. "Jenny, we''ll talk about this more tonight when Annette gets home, all right?" She nodded, very slowly. "...I''ll be in my room," she said quietly. Damian nodded. "Okay." Quinn walked Natalie to her bedroom door, looking desperate. "It''ll be okay," he muttered. "They''re just scared. They''ll let you stay. Don''t worry." Natalie smiled at him, but she already knew she probably wasn''t going to be living there much longer. No matter what Quinn might say, Natalie knew exactly how far a dad would go to protect his kid. If Damian saw her as a threat¡ªand he should, if today was anything to go by¡ªshe wasn''t going to be welcome in his house. Not for one more second. "See you at dinner, Quinn," Natalie murmured. She held out her hand, and he took it. She squeezed his fingers, forcing herself through the pain in case she never got the opportunity again. The door swung shut, and Percy fluttered over to the bed. Natalie laid down and pulled out her phone, scrolling through the news to see what was going on¡ªto see what Hailey had done in Jessica''s memory, and to see how the rest of the world saw her. She needed to see how they felt about all the awakened, a number that included Natalie among them. Yes. I''m one of them. Whether I want to be or not. I can''t get away from it, even when I try. Do you want to? Natalie shook her head. She held up her hand into the air, finger extended, and Percy fluttered over to perch. The old Natalie wasn''t strong enough to hold him up on just a single finger, but her new body didn''t have a problem with it. She stroked his little head, wishing both that she could be far away from it all, and that she could stay with Quinn and his parents. I''m one of them. I''m awakened. I can''t change that, and I don''t want to. Good. [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] B2: Chapter 33 — Self-Made Chapter 33 ¡ª Self-Made "There is a famous quote about magic: that it could merely be technology so sufficiently advanced we cannot distinguish the two. I do not hold with this belief. Magic may obey rules, and it may abide by certain consistencies akin to the laws of nature, but I have seen things so impossible that they defy all traditional definitions of science. Show me the man who can truly explain magic. Show me the woman who can tell me without a shadow of a doubt that magic could have been invented by any civilization, human or otherwise. We may treat it as science to satisfy our need for logic and patterns, but that is our greatest folly¡ªto assume we could predict the next great development in the arcane arts. I take comfort in the notion that magic will continue to produce phenomena which defy human logic, and I find true joy in the discovery of miracles." ~Cinza, the Rallsburg Diaries Jeremy didn''t get much sleep on Wednesday night, and it was threatening to become a habit. After Hailey blew out of the church in the middle of her eulogy, the rest of the funeral party went their separate ways in pretty short order. Cinza and her group disappeared before Jeremy could get a single word in with the strange silver-haired girl¡ªand after they left, nobody else wanted to stick around in a building that was suddenly quite exposed to the outside world. He ended up giving the Silverdale parents a ride back to their home. Beth Silverdale thanked him again, but it felt so hollow and empty that Jeremy just felt worse. Jesus Christ¡­ He knew exactly where Hailey was headed, and he couldn''t do a thing for her. Stebbins hadn''t gotten anything out of the last guy they''d picked off the street. Todd Piller, former Army Ranger, without a shred of evidence linking him to anything of note. Discharged honorably, no less. It made Jeremy sick, thinking a guy like that had come out of his own country''s training. After stonewalling them for a few hours, Piller had been turned over to the FBI, hand-delivered by Jeremy to Aderholt''s office. He''d been hoping at the very least to get reinstated, maybe some actual clearance to start helping out Maddie and Rachel in earnest, but his old boss was still just as pissed as always. Aderholt practically shouted him out of the building, telling him to stay out of it and leave the work to the "agents who actually deserve motherfucking badges." As a result¡ªthanks to his continued suspension and distrust from the department¡ªJeremy couldn''t even get a ticket to London for himself. Aderholt, reinforcing his true nature as the asshole of all assholes, had Jeremy on every no-fly list in the continent and beyond. Jeremy was grounded for the time being, even more restricted than he had been before Hailey left. He could even hear them shouting about her. They were worried about their cooperation, since she was suddenly violating international law and travelling around the world, but damned if the FBI was going to use their best connected agent for the situation. No Hailey, no Lani, no Grey-eyes. Fuck. What''s my job now? Just stick around Rachel? "I''m all right here," Rachel replied, once he''d arrived at the hotel and asked that very question. "How was the funeral?" "Depressing," said Maddie, unloading her bags. "The sooner we get this rolling, the better." "How long until you announce?" Jeremy asked. "And more importantly, the fuck are you announcing?" He was a bit tired of being kept in the dark. It wasn''t malicious in any way, what with Jeremy darting all around town trying to keep up with people like Hailey and Jonathan Hudson¡ªbut Grey-eyes'' warning about Rachel still rang through his skull like a stubborn tune. "We savin'' the world yet?" "Not exactly," said Rachel, frowning. "Just the first initiative of cooperation between Washington and the Awakened. We still need to coordinate with Cinza though." "She still thinks you''re in the wind, doesn''t she?" "Yes." She sighed. "I''m working my way up to it." Jeremy rolled his eyes. "Just call the damn hippie already." Maddie elbowed him in the side. "...Sorry." But she is a fuckin'' hippie if ever I knew one. New-age as hell, but still. Maddie and Rachel got to work soon after, leaving Jeremy impatient again. They were planning something huge, he could tell, but the timing wasn''t right. They couldn''t launch while Hailey was still dominating the headlines. People were afraid of her, and all the things that kept happening around her. Someone had to rein her in¡ªif anybody even could. It wasn''t going to be Jeremy though. He had a different job to do, one that decided to phone right that moment. "...Well, that was fast." Maddie nodded along with the faint voice through her phone speaker. "Uh huh. Yeah. I''ll send him over first thing in the morning." "...What am I gettin'' volunteered for?" Jeremy groaned, sitting up and putting aside his laptop. He''d just gotten the basketball game stream to work, too. "And how many guns am I gonna need?" "None, hopefully," said Maddie, pocketing her phone. "That was Kendra Laushire." He gaped at her. "No shit." "You have Kendra''s personal number?" asked Rachel, raising her eyebrows. Maddie shrugged. "You get to meet tons of interesting people in my line of work." She glanced over at Jeremy. "Kendra wants you to meet her at her Seattle office tomorrow morning, eight sharp." "Fuck m¡ª" "And it''s a private office," she added. "She''s under a fake name, don''t forget." "Yeah, yeah," Jeremy grumbled, getting to his feet. "Didn''t happen to say why, did she?" "Not a word," said Maddie, though as soon as Rachel looked away, Maddie gave him a significant look. Expect trouble, she was saying. Jeremy took a deep breath as he left the room. He needed to get some real sleep, if he was going to be babysitting a British billionaire all morning from who-knew-what. As soon as he got home, Jeremy was out like a light.
Thursday night wasn''t any better, as Jeremy once again only got a few hours of sleep. Sure, he''d fallen asleep right away, but that didn''t help much when he kept waking up in the middle of the night, hand clutching his pistol, half-expecting someone to have teleported into his room with intent to kill. Motherfucking magic¡­ Grumpy and exhausted, Jeremy sipped his coffee as he rode the bus across Seattle to meet with Kendra. Public transit was as crowded as ever, with the steady growth of incoming pilgrims¡ªas Cinza called them, and as someone in the media apparently agreed with¡ªlooking to awaken. They stood out by their attitude alone, and the bus divided itself quite evenly between the excited magic-seekers and the usual nine-to-five crowd. No one crossed the line or said anything, but there was such an obvious undercurrent of hostility that Jeremy half-expected it to erupt into a gang war somehow. It didn''t, of course, but he could feel the tension in the air. Something had to give sooner or later. The public wasn''t really involved yet, despite all appearances. Every little skirmish was just Hailey and Brian''s men, or Hailey and Malton''s. Sure, a few bystanders got caught up, but the public didn''t have a clue what was really going on. Maddie, you''d better hurry up and figure out if Rachel''s legit or not¡­ I don''t know how much longer we can keep this up. Lines are already gettin'' drawn. Jeremy stepped off the bus and found, to his surprise, an unassuming little office stuck right in between a coffee shop and a supermarket. It was so far removed from the extravagance he expected, he laughed aloud. He tossed his coffee into the trash can by the door and strode past the little sign on the wall advertising Wilmore Ventures. As soon as he took a step inside, the scent of his coffee vanished, along with the sounds of the city. "Mr. Ashe, Miss Wilmore is expecting you," said the receptionist, before Jeremy could even open his mouth. The young man pointed him through the back into a rear office, where Kendra Laushire herself was busy typing away on her laptop. She glanced up at the clock, brushing her curly red hair out of her eyes. "You''re early, Mr. Ashe." "Figured you didn''t want to be kept waitin''," said Jeremy, taking the nearest chair. It was comfortable, if a bit plain, and he relaxed his legs gratefully. "It''s only seven fifty-five." "Indeed." Kendra tapped a few more keys and spun her laptop around, showing Jeremy the screen. "This is why I called." Jeremy leaned in close. It was security camera footage of the building''s entrance, dated from the night before. Two men walked right up to the door and tried to break in. The picture was crystal-clear, and as one of the men turned away in futility, Jeremy caught a glimpse of his face. "Son of a bitch," he muttered. "I assumed you''d recognize him," said Kendra, nodding with satisfaction. "The unfortunate incident in Tacoma, correct?" "How the hell did you know him?" asked Jeremy. "They wouldn''t accept my testimony, let the motherfucker walk. He dropped off the radar." He glared at the face frozen on the monitor¡ªa face he''d last seen holding a gun to the old man''s head in a bar, the day he''d met Hailey. "The video published on the night of the interview contained two frames in which a partial badge number was identifiable, after a reconstructive algorithm was applied," said Kendra. "Not enough to convict, mind you, but I was convinced after I heard he''d taken a leave of absence from the Tacoma Police Department." "And now he''s tryin'' to break into your office." Jeremy put his hands to his forehead. "Shit." Kendra nodded. "Quite." She closed the laptop lid and folded her hands on top. "It seems Mr. Hendricks has discovered my place of business." "Can you move?" "Not easily." Kendra glanced over his shoulder at the window next to the door. It was empty, but even so, she lowered her voice a little. "I suspect you may have felt a shift in the air quality as you entered the building?" Jeremy nodded slowly. "...And?" "We aren''t presently in Seattle," she explained. Of course we fuckin'' aren''t. Motherfucking magic. "This was the best security I could procure, given the circumstances." "Except it ain''t, if you''re callin'' me," Jeremy pointed out. "Yes." Kendra picked up her laptop and dropped it into her bag. She got to her feet with a regal, precise air. "I fear I am no longer safe here, regardless of any otherworldly devices I might employ. I wish to depart at once." Jeremy scrambled up as well. He hadn''t expected to be moving again so soon. His joints groaned in protest, but he couldn''t exactly just stay there. Especially if the place wasn''t¡­ well, real wasn''t the right word, but it definitely wasn''t going to be a good place to stick around once the boss left. "Where are we goin''?" he asked, pulling his coat back on. "For the time being, I''m accepting a long-belated invitation to the Greywood," said Kendra, who picked up a thick dark winter coat from the rack by the door and slid it on. She murmured something under her breath, and her hair shifted color into a drab brown, straightening out as it went. Kendra tied it up into a bun before she opened the door. "I trust you can make the arrangements? We shouldn''t linger." Gonna have to call in a favor¡­ "I''ll see what I can do." "Good." Kendra swept out of the office, Jeremy hurrying to keep up in her wake. She called down the hallway to her receptionist, letting the whole place know they were done early for the weekend and to enjoy their holiday break. As soon as the place emptied, they stepped back into the cold November chill, and Kendra locked up the door behind her. "It''s just an empty buildin'', right?" Jeremy asked as she did. "Why bother lockin'' it?" "Appearances," she replied. She dropped the keys into her bag and pulled on a pair of thick, warm gloves. Jeremy rubbed his own hands together, wishing he had the same¡ªand to his surprise, she produced another pair, though they could not possibly have fit in such a small bag. A pair of scarves came with it, one for her and one for himself, of a rich dark cloth that matched perfectly. "...Thanks." He pulled out his phone, and the gloves were even the capacitive type that could still use touch screens. Quickly, he dialed up his friend in dispatch¡ªwell, Lani''s friend in dispatch, but Jeremy felt like he was owed a few favors too. "Ben, I need a car. Somethin'' discreet." "We''re tied up to hell and back," he replied. "Goddamn magic-hunting tourists. Gonna be at least thirty minutes." "Fuck." Jeremy glanced at Kendra, who was watching down the street with an uneasy look. "Send it out. We''ll be waiting at¡­" He rattled off the name of a coffee shop two blocks over, just in case. "You got it." They set off, Jeremy just a few steps ahead. To his surprise, Kendra took his hand a moment later. He glanced over, and she gave a smile that read entirely fake to him. In her heels, Kendra was actually several inches taller than him, but she was walking with a slight stoop to mask the difference. "We''re a couple," she said, and her accent was gone, replaced with a passable imitation of a Pacific Northwest accent. Jeremy could still tell she was upper-class English, but he doubted anyone else would be around long enough to notice. "We''re merely out for breakfast before your day at work." He shrugged. "Sure, why not." The sooner we get out of here, the better. They hadn''t made it halfway down the block before someone recognized them. "Hey, that''s Agent Ashe!" Son of a bitch¡­ Jeremy kept walking, as if he hadn''t heard the man, but a small crowd was already starting to form. The streets were so crowded already, and half of the people didn''t belong¡ªtourists and pilgrims alike flocking to the city. "Who''s that he''s with?" "You think it''s one of them?" Kendra squeezed his hand. "We should find somewhere more discreet," she murmured. Jeremy nodded. They sped up their walk, not so much that the crowd might think they were trying to run, but more than enough to outpace them. "She''s probably awakened!" "Hey, how do we do it?" "Tell us!" Just keep walkin''... Jeremy took every opportunity he could to glance at the crowd¡ªin shop windows, on corner mirrors, even in the windshield of an oncoming car. As long as he didn''t turn around. To his dismay, none of them seemed to have lost interest. If anything, the crowd was growing. Worse, it was splitting in two. Shouts from each half began to overlap, as the people called out to the both of them. "You''re taking her away, right? Lock her up!" "How do I do magic? Tell me!" "They''re dangerous! Lock them all up!" Jeremy sped up a little more. "Coulda stayed in your damn office¡­" he muttered. "That might have been wise," Kendra agreed. She stumbled a little as her heel caught on a sidewalk grating, but she recovered quickly enough and didn''t lose an ounce of momentum for it. "It''s too late now." "Got any more tricks in that bag?" he asked, speaking louder to be heard over the growing shouts. "Not precisely," she said. She began murmuring under her breath, eyes half-closed, while Jeremy guided her down the street. He had no idea what was about to happen, but he couldn''t imagine Kendra wanted to hurt any of them, so he trusted the woman. Besides, she''d asked him to keep her safe, and that was his damn job. No matter what happened, Jeremy was going to make sure Kendra Laushire made it out of the city in one piece. But, of course, Kendra ended up being the one to get him out in one piece. Just as the mob seemed about to surround them, Kendra yanked Jeremy into an alley. They were only out of sight for an instant, but it was enough. As soon as they vanished into the shadows, Kendra pulled him straight up against the wall and placed a finger on her lips. Jeremy didn''t dare to breathe. The crowd spilled into the alley, hurrying down and across to the next street over. Kendra had put them up against a dumpster where no one was likely to walk, but even so, Jeremy felt a few people brush against his coat. No one noticed them, even though he stood only a few inches away. Soon enough, the people broke into a run, chasing nothing down the next block and out of sight. "...Nice trick," Jeremy sighed. Kendra shrugged, stepping away and brushing dust off of her jacket with a cloth. "Please inform me¡ª" She broke into a fit of coughs, almost doubling over. Jeremy started forward in alarm, but she waved him off. It only took a minute for her to recover and straighten up. "When our vehicle arrives," she finished, patting the cloth to her mouth. "Fuckin'' hell, are you okay?" "Quite fine, thank you." Kendra seemed about to lean against the wall, but took one look at the dirty exterior of the building and changed her mind. Jeremy shook his head and headed out to the street, where their ride had already shown up in front of the coffeeshop, just half a block away. He waved Ben over, and the man pulled up right to the curb and hopped out. Jeremy offered her a gloved hand, which she took gratefully. "Let''s get the fuck out of here." Kendra nodded. The corner of her lip twitched, curling upward. "Let''s."
"Pull off here," said Kendra, interrupting him. "What?" He took them to the curb, stopping neatly behind the empty pickup that was the only other sign of life on the whole block. "Did I say somethin'' wrong? I didn''t really mean that. Not every awakened is a pain in the ass, I''m just havin'' a rough week here." "I wasn''t listening." Kendra got out of the car and held up her hand. A red light flashed out of nowhere, emitting from her palm. Another red light lit up the nearest alley. Jeremy stared dumbfounded as Kendra emerged from the shadows. Except¡­ Kendra was still standing next to the car, one foot in the passenger door. "What the fu¡ª" The other Kendra hurried in and took the back seat. Kendra closed the door. "We can go," she added, nodding to Jeremy. "...You got it," he muttered. He glanced up into the rear-view mirror, where the other Kendra was brushing flakes of snow off her shoulders. Jeremy realized it was snowing, and turned on the wipers before it built up too much. "So¡­" "This is my sister, Lily," said Kendra. "Your what now?" Jeremy nearly pounded on the brakes, but managed to stop himself. He pulled out onto the highway and sped up, wanting nothing more than to get the pair out to the Greywood and be done with the whole mess. "I investigated your family. You don''t have a sister." "Quite," said Lily. She turned to Kendra. "Kenni, did the Mettis deal finalize?" "Yes," said Kendra. "We''ll be acquiring their subsidiaries as of the close of business today." "Excellent." "...Lily Wilmore," muttered Jeremy, remembering the name Maddie had used at the funeral. "So it was actually your sister this whole damn time?" "In a manner of speaking," said Kendra. "We take turns," Lily explained, "or if need be, we can be in two places at once." Jeremy shook his head. "I''ll never understand you people." "Awakened?" "Nah," said Jeremy, pulling off onto the Tacoma exit. "Rich people." Most of the ride from Tacoma all through Olympia was spent in silence. Both Lily and Kendra were on their phones almost immediately, tapping away at who-knew-what. Jeremy didn''t mind. He didn''t understand them anyway, and he had enough on his mind. There was one topic, though, that they might be uniquely suited to help him with. As they exited Olympia, he finally brought it up. "Hailey''s in your home town," he prompted, as he pulled off onto the roads leading out to the forest. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. "She''s a foolish girl," said Kendra dismissively. "Her best friend just died," Jeremy shot back. He wasn''t gonna let Hailey take that kind of abuse, even if he did agree she was acting a bit crazy. "An event which might have brought us together," said Lily, glancing up. "Hailey''s gone and mucked it up. Now she''s wanted by your government and ours. I''m sure you saw the report of the building collapse?" "Yeah," said Jeremy. He''d seen the alert pop up as they waited at a light, and cursed under his breath. "Bad publicity undermines us all," said Kendra. "Our business isn''t so affected, divorced from magic as it is," said Lily, "but I fear for the greater impact her actions will cause." "Cinza must take a stand," added Kendra. "...You think she''s gotta go public?" asked Jeremy. It wasn''t a surprise¡ªboth Maddie and Rachel had voiced much the same idea. While Hailey was rapidly squandering any goodwill she might have found from her exciting and dramatic reveal, Cinza had yet to take the stage. Her book was still the stuff of legends, the unpublished bible of the new age. She could be incredibly influential on the world at large. And she''ll probably hate the whole fame thing. I know I sure as hell do. "I intend to discuss the idea when we arrive," said Kendra. "So that''s why we''re goin'' to the damn Greywood," said Jeremy, tapping his forehead. "Figures it was somethin'' like that." "Honestly, I hadn''t considered the idea until now," said Lily. "The threat was quite real, I assure you," added Kendra. "And I fear I cannot protect myself or my employees." "But you can make your own fuckin'' dimensions," said Jeremy. "How''s a guy like Brian Hendricks gonna break into that?" Kendra frowned. "If you know about that particular talent, were you also informed of the many times those dimensions were breached?" "...One or two," he admitted grudgingly. Whenever Rachel wasn''t trying to dodge the topic. "Until we can be sure our design is perfect, we can''t risk it," Lily said. "I''d prefer we take shelter in the one home we know to be truly protected." "I heard Omega broke in," Jeremy pointed out. And then got shot dead by Rachel, in the one part of her story I completely believe¡­ The look on her face when she said it. Jesus. "Jackson Smith held power far beyond what we comprehend," said Kendra. "He is gone. Since that day, despite living in the same forest as our foe and a huge contingent of fortune-seekers, the Greycloaks have never seen a single unwelcome incursion upon their land. Not even a close call. I cannot say the same for my own work." "...Fair enough," said Jeremy.
The car slid to a halt, deep in the forest to the east of Rallsburg. Jeremy had no clue where they were, but the Laushires seemed to know where to go. After the third or fourth mixup, he threw up his hands and hopped out of the front seat. Lily took the wheel, and they proceeded much more swiftly through the rest of the thick forest, in a path seemingly at random. Seemingly, my ass. It didn''t surprise him in the slightest when a pair of cloaked figures appeared in front of them, emerging from behind the trees. Jeremy recognized the crimson-haired Ruby from the funeral¡ªand from the many news stories still circulating about her, as Hannah Newman, calling for her return home and an investigation into her original disappearance. Jeremy didn''t know what to think about it yet, but he doubted the girl was worse off without her father, based on what he''d read. Ruby was accompanied by a tall Japanese boy who stood just behind her at all times, watching the group carefully with his hands deep in the pockets of his robes. Jeremy couldn''t see a gun¡ªbut the Greycloaks didn''t need guns to be dangerous. "Welcome!" Ruby called as they got out of the car. "I''m glad you got here okay." "You called ahead?" Jeremy said, glancing at Kendra. She nodded. "A courtesy to a generous host." "For one of the empowered eight?" said Ruby, blue eyes wide and sparkling. "We''d do anything." "Please," said Lily, glancing up into the snow filtering through the canopy. "Can we get out of this? I''m a right popsicle out here." "Of course," said Ruby. She glanced at Jeremy. "Are you coming too, Mr. Ashe?" Jeremy shrugged. "Figured I should see it sooner or later, right?" She smiled. "The whole world should. Come on." Ruby lead them back through the trees, in a twisting route that had Jeremy''s head spinning in minutes. He knew he was helplessly lost, and stopped bothering to try and figure out the path after the second switchback. Something about the confusion felt oddly familiar though. He couldn''t quite place it, until he smelled a hint of a fire ahead and remembered his last time stumbling through the forest. Same shit that Julian used to protect his little gambling circle. Bet I can''t just trip into this place though. They rounded the final copse of trees and found a perfect archway of tree branches and vines forming an entry into the wide clearing. Ruby gestured for them to proceed, a wide grin plastered on her face. "Welcome to the Greywood," she said, beaming. Okay, this shit is pretty cool, Jeremy had to admit. The wide clearing with the cabins was covered in a thin layer of snow, but the creek bubbled through the center heedless of the season. Next to the water, the garden still grew, as if it were the middle of spring, and a cloaked silhouette picked out crops ready to harvest. The farmer waved to the group as they walked in. Ruby lead them across the stone pathway and over the perfect wooden bridge growing out of the ground. Well, nobody else seems surprised that there''s two Kendras. Guess this is another damn thing Rachel left out. Jeremy kept a close eye on Ruby as she sauntered up through the carved wooden doors into the wide meeting hall, where their host awaited. Cinza smiled from her chair at the head of the room as they walked in¡ªand smiled even wider as Kendra''s hair and general appearance returned to their normal state. "Welcome back, Kendra. I hope your flight from the city wasn''t too taxing." "Thank you," she said tersely. "Though I daresay I''ve never had the pleasure of a visit." "Of course. I do apologize for any lack of hospitality in the past. I''m glad we can accommodate now, when you''re in such dire need," said Cinza. Jesus, they''re worse than the fuckin'' politicians. Jeremy spoke up before the veiled insults started cutting past the surface. "Nice place." "Thanks," said Cinza. "And welcome to you too, Lily." Lily shrugged. "We wouldn''t be here if we had any other option." "I''ll choose to take that as a compliment," said Cinza, though Jeremy could feel Ruby bristling from across the room. "Honestly, I''m quite happy to help for as long as I can. Ruby, would you fetch Nikki please? I feel like we''ll be wanting her assistance here shortly." Ruby left, though not without another dirty look at the Laushires. "We''ll need our own cabin with a good connection," said Kendra, unperturbed. "A substantial transfer was wired into your account this morning. I trust it will more than cover any living costs we might accrue." Cinza nodded. "We''re incredibly grateful for the support." "We oughta use this as a base of operations," said Jeremy, glancing around. "Start trackin'' down Hendricks for real." Both the Laushires and Cinza glared at him. Cinza was the first to speak, her strange voice echoing far too much around the wide hall. "Do you think we haven''t been trying?" "The man poses a great threat," said Kendra. "Both to our lives and our reputation. We cannot get the world to accept magic while they still assume us responsible for the golem attacks." "Why haven''t you told everyone about him yet?" asked Cinza. Jeremy narrowed his eyes. I did. Nobody fuckin'' believed me. And now I''m tied up in too many goddamn conspiracies that I don''t know where to start on who''s tellin'' the truth. "...I''m workin'' on it." "Cinza, Ruby said you¡ª" Nikki cut off with a huge sneeze, accompanying a gust of cold wind through the open door. Ruby hurried in after her, a scarf pulled tight around her neck, followed by a similarly bundled up brown-haired woman with a camera dangling in front of her. Behind them¡­ "Lani?" Jeremy gaped at him. Lani nodded back with a sheepish smile. He was wearing the same grey robes as the rest of them¡ªminus the young woman with the camera¡ªand looked way more comfortable than Jeremy ever remembered him being, even back in the office. "Hey." "Your partner came to us three weeks ago," said Cinza, and she sounded a bit too smug for her own good. "He''s helping build a better place, for the good of us all." "For the good of us all," Ruby echoed quietly, somewhere behind Jeremy. Fuckin'' hell. I''ve seen cults, and this sure as shit is one of them. At least they ain''t proposin'' to burn me alive¡­ yet. Wait, if Lani''s wearin'' the robes¡­ "Lani, you''re¡ª" "Awakened, Jeremy." Lani held up his hand, and a little flame burst into life in his palm. He grinned. "You think they''ll give me a promotion if I''m the first agent who can use magic?" "I think they''ll fuckin'' suspend you right along with me for going AWOL," Jeremy muttered. He walked over to his partner and gave him a bear hug. "Jesus, Lani. Don''t ever pull that shit again." Lani hugged him back. "You got it." He let go, gesturing to the brown-haired woman. "Jeremy, this is Riley." "Riley Emick¡ª er, Riley Emlick." She coughed, face glowing red. "Emrick. God, what is wrong with me today?" Riley stuck out a hand, and Jeremy shook it. Shit, that''s a firm handshake. "I''ve heard a lot about you, Mr. Ashe." "You and the rest of the world," he grumbled. Lani laughed. "I really dodged a bullet, huh?" "Lani, you not dodgin'' the bullet is what lead to this clusterfuck." He laughed even harder, which left Jeremy feeling warmer than the fire crackling in the stone chimney could hope to achieve. Good to have you back, man. "Come on, there''s a lot you gotta see. This place is amazing." "Mr. Ashe," called Cinza, before Lani could drag him away. Nikki sneezed again, and excused herself into one of the back rooms. Cinza shot a curious look at the Laushires before she continued. "Will you be staying with us tonight? I''d like to draw up one of the guest rooms and plan out dinner accordingly." Jeremy shrugged. "I''ll take the dinner, but I should probably get back soon. It''s gonna be morning in London in three hours." "London?" asked Lani, surprised. "Hailey," he said simply, as if it explained everything. Lani didn''t seem to follow, but Cinza sighed. "Of course. If you need anything on that front, don''t hesitate to ask. We all want the same thing." Still ain''t sure of that¡­ but I fuckin'' hope so. Jeremy nodded. "Thanks."
Jeremy scrambled back off his chair as the little blue spirit floated toward him, with a vague outline of a face, like a kid''s drawing. His drink crashed to the floor of the cabin. "Jesus fuckin'' Christ, Lani!" Lani and Riley laughed in unison at his reaction. "It won''t hurt you, man." "You don''t know that." "I made it, Jeremy," he pointed out. Lani closed his palm with a flutter of his fingers, and the spirit vanished with a puff of blue smoke. "There, all gone." Jeremy clambered back onto the chair, straightening his jacket. "So what do they do?" "Honestly? Not a whole lot. But who cares?" Lani smiled, in that same annoyingly smug and contented look that every other Greycloak seemed to produce without hesitation. "It''s magic." Riley smiled too, but Jeremy could see doubt in her eyes. She sure wasn''t there for magic, but Jeremy couldn''t quite read her. He dismissed the thought though, as Lani put his arm around her. Well, there it is. "So what else you got?" After a showing of Lani''s repertoire, which was surprisingly wide given how long he''d been awakened (though it paled compared to Hailey''s sheer power or the breadth of Jonathan Hudson''s bag of tricks), they retired to the fire to warm up as night fell. "So what''s going on with Hailey?" Lani asked, leaning against Riley on the wide chair opposite him. God, they make a cute couple. "Something about London?" Jeremy sighed. "...You heard about the shit that went down in Lakewood, right?" "Yeah." Lani shuddered. Riley nudged him slightly and put her arm around him. "That looked so awful. I was reading all the reports that came in." "Bureau doesn''t know shit," Jeremy muttered. He explained what happened, and where Hailey blew off to. "So now we got one of the¡­ fuck, what did she call them?" "Empowered eight," said Lani. "Or the Ogdoad. Ruby keeps trying to push that one. Cinza prefers ''true awakened'', but everybody else went for the EE, so it stuck." "Right." "Who are they?" asked Riley sleepily. "The eight, I mean." "Well, there''s Hailey, Hector Peraza, Kendra Laushire, Grey-eyes, and Alpha," said Lani, counting them off. "Then there''s Jessica Silverdale and Jackson Smith, both deceased, and last the one that Cinza won''t tell us." Can''t be hard to figure it out though¡­ The quiet purple-eyed elf-girl with the pet hawk seems like a pretty good pick. "Kendra Laushire who just showed up tonight with her sister?" "Yeah, about that," said Lani, with a sidelong look at Jeremy. "Since when do the Laushires have two daughters?" "You tell me," Jeremy said, rolling his eyes. "Fuck rich people, man." Lani grinned. "I''m really curious who the last one is, though. I''m pretty sure most people around here know. Everybody who was here back in May, at least." "They won''t tell you?" "We got bits and pieces, but nothing solid." Riley smirked. "They will when we''re ready." Lani tapped her on the head. "They will," he agreed, without the sarcasm. "Until then, we help out where we can." "Shit," said Jeremy, glancing at the clock. It was already well past ten, which meant it was nearly seven in the morning in London. "I gotta find out what''s happening over there." He stood up, but the alcohol was settling into his brain and he stumbled. "No way are you driving back tonight," said Lani. "You can fly out to London tomorrow. Cinza set aside a bed for you already, so just take it." "Can''t fly out to London," Jeremy grumbled. "Fuckin'' Aderholt no-fly''d me." "Of course he did," said Lani, rolling his eyes. "I''m really glad I''m not working under him right now." "Wait¡­" Jeremy fell back into his chair, staring at Lani like he''d just seen him for the first time. "Lani, you could go." "Huh?" "Shit, you''re even awakened now. You''ve got the cred, you''ve got magic, and you ain''t grounded." Jeremy nodded emphatically. "You should go to London." "I¡­" Lani glanced at Riley. She shook her head. "Nuh-uh. Don''t you decide based on me. I''ll be here either way. I''m still figuring this whole place out." "After three damn weeks?" Jeremy asked, raising an eyebrow. "It could be three damn years before I really feel like I understand magic," she shot back, not missing a beat. Jeremy grinned. You and me both, sister. "What would I even do when I got there?" Lani asked, turning back to Jeremy. "I''ll call her every ten minutes if I have to," said Jeremy. "I''ll make sure she knows you''re comin'', and even if she doesn''t, you''ve got authority now. Hailey crossed state lines and national borders. Everything ''til now was stuck in Washington, so things got tied up between state and federal, remember?" "No kidding." "Now you''re goin'' to London as the official representative of the Bureau''s Thaumaturgical Division, commissioned by the Senate Judiciary Committee." Lani raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Is that even a real thing?" "Mostly." Jeremy shrugged. "Paperwork''s in place and the Bureau''s ready to go. Maddie''s still workin'' on bribin'' the right senators to back her up. Doesn''t matter either way. The U.K. already sent a request for assistance from our branch a few hours ago. Didn''t you get the alert?" "Yeah." Lani glanced at his phone, sitting on the table next to the fire. The charging cable trailing away looked bizarrely out of place in this structure so clearly built without a single human tool. "So by the time it matters, you''ll have the title, and you''ve got your ass covered up til then." Jeremy grinned. "There''s no way they''ll pass up having the first awakened agent for the new shit. You''ve already got it in the bag." Lani nodded. "It''ll be good to get back into the field." "So what are you waitin'' for?" Jeremy plucked his keys out of his jacket pocket and tossed them to Lani. He missed the catch with his hands, but still grabbed them from mid-air before they hit the floor. The keys floated right back into his hands again. "Take my car and get goin''. If you move it, you could probably still land in London tomorrow." "Right now?" asked Riley. "Yeah," said Lani. "There''s really no time to waste with something like this." Jeremy nodded. "Hailey''s in way over her head and dealin'' with a shit-ton of grief. She''s also one of the most powerful people in the whole fuckin'' world. That''s not a fun combination." Lani leaned in and kissed Riley, to Jeremy''s surprise. Well, that confidence problem is long-gone. Good for Lani. He got up again, a bit steadier than the last time now that he was expecting it, and walked Lani out to the edge of the clearing. As they reached the end, Makoto was waiting for them. "Mr. Ashe, Mr. Makaio." He nodded at them both. "Hi, Makoto. I need to get back into town." Lani held up the keys. "Flying to London tonight, apparently." Makoto nodded. Lani turned to Jeremy. "Send me everything you have about Hailey for the flight over. I need to know what I''m going into." "You got it." Jeremy paused. He glanced over his shoulder at Lani''s cabin, where the fire was still glowing faint behind the outline of Riley, watching them from afar. "Riley, huh?" Lani smiled. "A perfect storm of coincidence. Your worst nightmare." Jeremy grinned, and hugged his partner again. "Get out of here, man. Call me as soon as you land." "You got it." Lani disappeared into the forest with Makoto. Jeremy watched until he couldn''t see them anymore. He trudged back through the snow to Lani''s little cabin and began compiling everything he had. Every note he''d taken, every memory about Hailey he had. He didn''t want to betray Hailey''s trust, but somebody had to do something, and he couldn''t be there to do it. Riley brought him a cup of tea while he worked, sitting next to the fire with a laptop Cinza provided. Jeremy trusted Lani with his own life a dozen times over; he could trust the man with Hailey''s life, too. Besides, Lani would do a lot better dealing with the British than Jeremy ever could. It almost felt like fate, in a way. Fuck that. Jeremy didn''t believe in fate. It was all a string of coincidence¡ªstupid fuckin'' coincidence that keeps puttin'' me in boilin'' water again and again. Maybe I need a new job.
Sunlight streamed through the cabin windows by the front door. Jeremy had nodded off in the chair, the laptop still sprawled on his chest. He mumbled himself awake, dragging his feet across the cabin to the small kitchen area and putting a pot of coffee on. Lani didn''t have any black, to his disappointment, but Jeremy could live with anything so long as it warmed him up and got rid of the loginess. He didn''t need either. Shouting from outside the front door. Jeremy snapped awake with a rush of adrenaline. Of course somethin'' was gonna happen here the day I showed up. God-fuckin''-damnit. He grabbed his coat and double-checked his sidearm, then burst out the front door into the cold morning air. Kendra Laushire was sprinting across the field of snow in a dressing gown. Jeremy gaped at her¡ªas did half of the other Greycloaks, in various states of dress. Cinza finally emerged from her own cabin with a bleary-eyed Ruby hanging over her shoulder. It was early, very early, and no one had really been awake yet. Jeremy, simply by merit of failing to actually make it to a bed, was the only one who looked dressed for the day. He rushed across the packed snowfield to meet Kendra and Cinza at the center bridge, just above the water. The woman was frantic, far beyond anything Jeremy could have imagined from an upper-class Englishwoman like her. She still stood higher than the whole group, even without the heels, but in her present state, even Cinza cut a far more imposing figure. As Kendra spluttered, Cinza finally stepped forward, stood high and slapped her across the face. "Focus!" she said, in an imperative tone. "She''s gone!" Kendra bellowed in her face. "Who?" "Lily!" "What?" Cinza looked around at Jeremy. "What happened?" How the fuck should I know? Jeremy turned to Kendra. "Are you sure? Maybe she just went¡ª" "She''s gone! I have to find her. Immediately!" "Where''s Riley?" asked Brittany, glancing over Jeremy''s shoulder. Jeremy looked around. "I dunno. I didn''t see her this morning." "Did anyone?" asked Cinza sharply. The rest of the Greycloaks had converged, a mass of faces Jeremy didn''t have time to learn. No one seemed to have an answer. Makoto was a ways apart, checking the ground. "There''s tracks. Here." He pointed at the ground. "Here, and here. She knew where she was going." "Where?" asked Kendra. "To her jeep, then south." Makoto pointed out of the clearing. "That way." "How long ago?" asked Cinza. "Minutes." Makoto started into a jog, but it didn''t matter¡ªthe loud drumbeat of a helicopter answered their questions in an instant. A black chopper lifted into the sky, taking off straight to the north. Jeremy was on his phone in an instant, calling his branch operations center. "I need tracking on a chopper lifting out of the Olympic Forest right now. Heading ten degrees, bound for Canadian airspace. Scramble an intercept, too." "What''s goin¡ª" "Right the fuck now, damnit!" Jeremy heard muffled orders shouted through the earpiece. He''d startled the operator so much, the man hadn''t let go of the transmit key. "You''re not going to catch them," said Cinza. "Where are they going?" asked Kendra. "London, I''d guess," said Jeremy. Cinza glanced at him, surprised. "How did you come to that conclusion?" "Military operation in this neck of the damn woods? That''s gotta be Malton''s men. Pickin'' up another damn guinea pig." Jeremy shook his head. "Fucking monster." "But¡ª" Kendra started, rounding on him. Jeremy grabbed her by the shoulders, trying to calm her down. "Lani''s already halfway to London, and I scrambled an intercept. Either we catch ''em here, or we get them at the other end. They aren''t gonna hold onto her for long." "You don''t understand," Kendra shouted, turning to watch the helicopter fly away. "I have to follow them right now!" Cinza put a hand on her arm. "We''ll get her back, Kendra. Lily will be perfectly safe." Tell that to Jessica Silverdale¡­ Kendra struggled out of Jeremy''s arms, taking a few futile steps toward the departing chopper. "She''s never gone this far away before," Kendra cried, her voice thick with pain. Her hands clutched to her chest, as if she were about to have a heart attack. ...The fuck does that mean? "The fuck does that mean?" asked Nikki, echoing him perfectly. Ruby gasped. Cinza looked strangely satisfied. "I thought so." "What the fuck is going on?" asked Jeremy, really frustrated with the whole cryptic situation. Cinza turned to him. "We need to get Kendra to follow them, as physically close as we can get her." "Wha''s this abou''?" asked Rufus, looking just as confused as Jeremy felt. "Lily isn''t real," said Ruby, as if that explained everything. What the¡­ oh. Oh, shit. "What?" asked Nikki, looking between the three of them who had finally caught on. "She''s real," Cinza snapped, and Ruby looked suitably ashamed of herself. Kendra wailed in pain. "Makoto, get the car. Right now." Makoto nodded and sprinted away. "Lily wasn''t born like the rest of us. Kendra truly is an only child." "Wait, Lily¡ª" "¡ªwas created with magic," said Cinza firmly. "Nikki, you''ve been allergic to Lily. She is a perfect clone of Kendra Laushire in every form, whom Kendra has been maintaining every day since Lily was born. They are one and the same." "We aren''t," said Kendra, brushing away tears. "She is my sister." "She is," Cinza agreed, correcting herself, "and we will do everything in our power to make sure she stays that way." Cinza waved Makoto forward. He''d returned in a heavy-duty four wheeler that would breeze through the woods without any trouble. Cinza climbed in, followed by Kendra and Jeremy. "Ruby, keep the Greywood secure. We''ll be back as soon as we can." Ruby nodded. She gave Cinza a kiss, then hurried away with Rufus. "Nikki, I''ll need updates as often as possible on Riley''s whereabouts." "Every thirty minutes if I can do it," said Nikki, though she didn''t look confident. Josh clapped her on the shoulder. "We got this." "Good. Makoto, let''s go." Makoto gunned the engine without a moment''s hesitation. They shot off into the forest. Jeremy clutched onto the roll cage for stability, his seat belt cutting into his shoulder. He whipped out his phone, dialing up the closest air base for more support. I ain''t lettin'' that fuckin'' chopper get away. Cinza turned to Kendra and clasped her hand, bouncing up and down in the jeep. "Kendra Laushire, I swear to you upon my life, we will bring your sister home. Lily will be safe. I swear it." [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] B2: Chapter 34 — Rook Takes Knight Chapter 34 ¡ª Rook Takes Knight "The decision makers are always a layer above. No matter how high you might climb in the ladder, there is always another level to reach. The world has been structured for a long time, and the rungs exist to keep us in our place. Any attempt at independence will inevitably be crushed¡ªnot by active effort, but by the simple truth that none can truly break a system when they''ve never known anything beyond it, when nature itself prods civilization toward certain outcomes. The only way out is through total systemic change¡ªthe kind which republics and tyrants alike fear, that which shakes democracies and oligarchies to their core. Such change has never existed in history, for such change requires a fundamental shift in the laws of the universe, else the universe will perpetually drive society back to the same basic structures again and again, simply out of convenience. That shift has come. We are the change." ~Cinza, the Rallsburg Diaries The jeep burst out of the trees onto the open road, skidding across the pavement. Makoto scrambled on the wheel, trying to correct it¡ªin the wrong direction. They slid even further, wheels skipping across the frosty asphalt. Goddammit. "Turn into the skid!" Jeremy shouted, covering his phone speaker for a second. Makoto did so, and soon the jeep had steadied out. They shot down the road, travelling away from the chopper far to the north, quickly becoming a distant speck in the sky. "Standby for connection, Agent Ashe." "Hurry the fuck up," he growled. "And have that chopper ready to meet us!" Jeremy glanced over his shoulder to the back seat. Kendra Laushire was taking deep breaths, her hand right on top of her lungs as if she were having difficulty breathing. Cinza leaned over her, making a gesture with her hands. "What are you doing?" "Helping oxygen move into her lungs," Cinza replied, her echoey voice audible even over the roaring engine and the chirps in Jeremy''s ear. "Ashe, you''re live with tactical." A radio click, and then Jeremy was suddenly hearing the traffic net for the Washington Air Traffic Control. "Say again, unidentified helicopter. You are ordered to divert immediately to SeaTac and disembark all passengers. Please respond." Kendra coughed behind him. "What''s happening?" she asked, her voice ragged. Jeremy muted the microphone on his end. "ATC''s ordering the chopper to land at SeaTac." He glanced at Makoto. "Speed it up." Makoto nodded, gunning the engine. Jeremy unmuted his phone. "This is Ashe. I''m in a black jeep heading south on Highway 101. Need immediate pickup and dust-off for four persons at¡­" He glanced at a passing road sign. "Brockdale. Right fuckin'' now." "Affirmative, Agent Ashe." A different voice cut in, much deeper and with a much higher-quality sound¡ªlike a whole room instead of the traffic controller. "This is Washington. Please advise on current situation." ...Holy shit. This escalated fast. "...Say again, Washington? You know the fuckin'' situation." Another voice¡ªone instantly familiar to Jeremy. "Ashe, this is President Stafford. I''ve heard a lot about you in the last couple months." At the sound of the President''s voice, Jeremy found his composure. As much as he hated his own department, he respected the man at the head of the show. "...Sir, with all due respect¡ª" "Why am I scrambling two F-16s out of JBLM right now?" Jeremy took a breath and cleared his throat, trying to steady himself. He''d never spoken to anyone more than a single level above Aderholt before. This was way outside his pay-grade. "Mr. President, I have reason to believe that helicopter has a high value hostage on board and is attempting to flee the country." "The president?" asked Cinza sharply, looking up. Jeremy nodded. "Who''s the hostage?" Well¡­ shit. "I''m not at liberty to say, sir." A harsher feminine voice cut in¡ªJeremy wasn''t quite sure, but he believed it to be the National Security Advisor. "Agent Ashe, you''re in a region that''s experienced multiple terrorist attacks in the last thirty days. Now you''ve got a high-profile abduction. Tell us what the hell is going on." "...Standby, Washington." Jeremy muted the microphone, glancing back. They were still a few minutes out from Brockdale, and Jeremy could see a helicopter rushing to meet them in the distance, while their target got even further away. "Cinza." "They want to know who''s in the helicopter," she concluded. The jeep rumbled as she spoke, as if adding its own angry growl to her narrowed eyes. Kendra didn''t respond, but her own expression was desperate, as she gazed out toward her departing sister¡ªor clone, or whatever the hell she is. "Pretty much." He frowned. "Look, you want to talk to them or me? Because I can try to shield you a bit longe¡ª" Cinza shook her head, cutting him off. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "...It''s time." Jeremy nodded. He grabbed the cord for the jeep stereo and plugged it into his phone, cranking the speakers up to hear them more clearly. "Mr. President." "Still here, Ashe. The jets are in the air. Tell me what they''re doing." Cinza cut in before Jeremy could say another word. "This is Cinza. The helicopter has one of my people on board. I need them back." The fuck is she doing? Why not just tell them it''s Kendra? Everybody knows Kendra''s alive, and government always leaps to protect the mega-rich¡­ except it''s Lily on board. So Cinza''s protectin'' her by stickin'' out her own neck, even though they''ve only been there one day. Damn. No wonder she''s got a cult. A pause. Brockdale was now in sight, and their helicopter had put down on the ground. They were coming up fast. "...Did you say Cinza?" "In exchange for your assistance, I will meet with a representative of your choosing and open relations between myself and your government." Jesus Christ, what the hell''s she doing? "Sir¡ª" Jeremy started, but the president cut him off. "Done. How do I get in touch with you?" "Mr. Ashe can act as liaison, if that''s acceptable." Oh, fuck me¡­ I''m never gettin'' back to a normal life... "The F-16s are coming alongside the chopper now. We''ll patch you in on the transmission. Phil?" Another radio crackle. Jeremy winced as Cinza glanced over at him. He nodded, and she nodded in return. Kendra looked like she''d barely heard a word they''d said. The low, bored voice of the fighter pilot drones out of the jeep''s speakers. "Unidentified chopper, descend to one thousand feet and divert immediately to SeaTac. I have missile lock and am prepared to fire if you do not comply." Cinza''s eyes widened. She spoke up again, before Jeremy could stop her. "They must not shoot down that helicopter." They aren''t going to! Jeremy shook his head frantically, trying to stop her¡ªbut to his relief, the president spoke up again in a calming tone. "We''re just trying to scare them. Nobody''s getting shot down." "These people are professional mercenaries in the employ of a multi-billionaire," said Cinza, disgust plain in her voice. "You won''t scare them." "Employees of who?" cut in the National Security Advisor. Kimberly Young, Jeremy finally remembered. That''s her name. Gave us that whole boring-ass speech on readiness. "Cornelius Malton," said Cinza. We don''t have any proof of that¡­ "...The energy tycoon?" The President cut back in again. "Status on the helicopter?" "Heading zero degrees, elevation eight thousand feet. No response." "Jack, talk to me. What do we have to bring them down safely?" Fuck-all¡­ You can''t force down a chopper with a goddamn fighter jet. The jeep skidded to a halt on the pavement as they finally reached the waiting helicopter. The rotors were still spinning as they leapt out. Jeremy held the phone to his ear as they boarded, Makoto helping Kendra on board. Cinza, to Jeremy''s surprise, clambered up without any help at all¡ªdespite her short stature, Jeremy felt like he had more trouble getting onto the deck than she did. As soon as they were on, the helicopter took off, jerking them up into the sky. Kendra clutched at her seat, still breathing heavily. Cinza looked distinctly uncomfortable off the ground as well, while Makoto was an unreadable mask as usual. Jeremy gestured at the headsets hanging off racks near their seats, and the trio hurriedly put them on. The headsets were already patched into the same channel he''d just been speaking on. "...Sidewinder air-to-air missiles with heat seeking capability. There''s no armament on the F-16 or any other platform that can force a helicopter to land without risking the health of the passengers, sir." "So what can we do?" "Wait for them to run out of fuel." "Get me close to it," said Cinza. Her hair whipped around from the open helicopter door, bright silver and glowing in the morning sunlight. She took Makoto''s hand, and met his eyes for a moment. They nodded in unison. "We can force it down." Young cut in, her voice skeptical¡ªif not downright annoyed. "I appreciate the offer, Miss¡­" "Cinza." "...Cinza, but what the hell are you going to do that the Washington Air National Guard can''t do?" "Magic," she replied simply, as if that could explain everything. Jeremy slapped a hand to his forehead. Jesus fuckin'' Christ¡­ "Are you kidding m¡ª" President Stafford cut her off again. "Do it. Ashe, you''re cleared to approach. We''ll wave off the F-16s to clear your space." "Yes, sir," said Jeremy. He leaned forward to the chopper pilot and tapped the man on the shoulder. "Can you outrun that bird?" "We''re about to find out," replied the pilot, as cool as any Air Force man under pressure. He leaned into his controls. The helicopter pitched forward. Jeremy''s stomach sucked up into his chest as they accelerated. He fell back into his seat, double-checking his seatbelt. The forest whipped by below them, interspersed with streets and houses every so often, until they suddenly shot out over the water. The rapid change in scenery made him even more nauseous. I fuckin'' hate flying¡­ Cinza didn''t look much better off. Kendra was practically heaving, her mouth covered by a handkerchief she''d somehow produced from the dressing gown she still wore. Only Makoto looked well-adjusted to the bumpy ride¡ªin fact, he was leaning out of the open side door, completely unbuckled, his robe whipping around in the wind. "Coming up fast!" he shouted. Everyone in the helicopter winced in unison, as his shouts echoed through their headsets. To Jeremy''s relief, nobody in D.C. reacted¡ªMakoto had clicked off the transmission on his helmet. As Jeremy twisted around to look forward, the target was, in fact, getting larger by the second. The two F-16s blew past the black military chopper, peeling off in either direction in another show of force. They''d circle back around and be ready for another pass if they were needed¡ªfor all the good that''ll fuckin'' do¡­ "What are you gonna do?" Jeremy asked, glancing back to Cinza. Cinza leaned over in her seat, straining to look out while still strapped in. Unlike her lieutenant, she apparently didn''t feel quite so secure riding around in an open helicopter without a seatbelt. She frowned. "We need to get closer." "And then what?" "Helicopters need an engine to power the rotation, right?" "...Yeah." Cinza nodded. "So I disable the engine. They''ll lose power." Jeremy gaped at her. "And fall out of the fuckin'' sky!" "Not likely, sir," their pilot chimed in, even as he pressed them into a steeper angle of attack. "That bird can autorotate just fine. It''ll lose altitude fast, though. They''ll be forced to put down around here." They were catching up, though they were losing some altitude on their target. "How close do you need?" "As close as you can get." Cinza unstrapped herself and clambered down to the opposite side of the helicopter. Makoto grabbed her around the waist and swung her around, holding her just outside of the helicopter. Her silver hair and robes fluttered wildly in the open wind that blasted her whole body. "Don''t let go." Is she making a fuckin'' joke? Right now? "Ruby would kill me," said Makoto. "She still might," said Cinza¡ªand suddenly, Jeremy could hear the quiver in her voice. Goddamn, she''s actually scared¡ªand she''s still out there. "Just tell her already." "I¡­" "Makoto, we''re on the phone with the President of the United States, in the middle of a helicopter chase a mile up in the air, flying to rescue the kidnapped daughter of a billionaire," Cinza deadpanned. "And you''re not wearing a seatbelt. How are you still afraid to tell her?" "This isn''t the time," said Makoto, squeezing his arms tighter around her as she tried to lean out into the open a bit further. Cinza shook her head, nearly tangling the headset cord that trailed back into the helicopter. "If I die doing this, I want to know Ruby has someone." Another set of helicopter blades chopped the air nearby. They''d come up on the target, an ugly dark blot on the pale blue sky. "You''re not going to die," he said, and Jeremy heard real emotion in his voice¡ªMakoto was afraid, too. "I won''t let you." "You might not have a¡­ choice!" Cinza blurted the last word as she thrust a hand forward, then slammed it down. Nothing seemed to happen. "Missed!" "Do you need more?" asked Makoto. "As much as you can give me," Cinza replied. "I''m using too much just on distance. Pilot! Get us closer!" "You got it¡ª what the hell?" Jeremy whipped around, suddenly grateful for the seatbelts as the chopper tilted sideways. Cinza fell in, Makoto hooking an arm around the metal bar to keep them both inside. Jeremy strained his eyes through the cockpit canopy, only to see¡­ nothing. "Where''d they go?" A new voice crackled onto the headset¡ªif Jeremy had to guess, he assumed it was the other F-16 pilot, based on the callsign and the tone. "Oracle, Wolf-1 has lost the target. Please advise." "Wolf-1, repeat last. Tango is still on our scope." "Negative, Oracle. Target is missing." "Where the fuck did they go?" Jeremy asked, looking around. The sky was totally empty in every direction. "They didn''t go down, did they?" "Negative," reported the pilot. "They were there¡­ and then they weren''t." "Ill...illusion," Cinza coughed, getting back upright again. She strapped herself back in, hand clutching her stomach. "It''s a trick of photons. Use radar and get us closer. I can break it if we can find them." "This bird doesn''t have local radar." The pilot flipped a couple switches, then turned on his radio. "Oracle, this is Whiskey-delta-four-zero." "Oracle reads, Whiskey-delta. Send traffic." "Oracle, I can confirm Tango has engaged active visual camouflage, break." He paused while he wrestled control back from a particularly choppy patch of air. The helicopter bucked and groaned as it righted itself. "Need coordinates via infrared or radar, over." "Oracle copies all, standby." Jeremy twisted back to face Cinza. "We''re lookin''. Hang in there." She nodded, closing her eyes again. "Makoto, give me more. I''ll find it if they can''t." Jeremy raised an eyebrow. "How?" "They''re using my spell," Cinza snapped, rage seeping into her echoing voice. "A spell she stole and gave away like it was nothing. I will break them." "Ashe," said President Stafford, startling Jeremy. He''d totally forgotten D.C. was still listening in. "What''s going on?" "The target used magic to turn their helicopter invisible, sir," Jeremy reported. "We''re trying a countermeasure." "Jesus Christ," murmured someone else whom Jeremy couldn''t identify. Jesus Christ yourself, asshole. This is hard enough to coordinate already. Get off the damn line. "Whiskey-delta, Oracle has Tango locked. Adjust to zero-two-zero degrees, two-six minutes, and raise altitude by eight hundred feet, over." "Roger, Oracle," said their pilot. Their helicopter immediately started to lift up and turn to the right, chasing their invisible prey. "Whiskey-delta, increase speed by four-zero, over." "Roger." Cinza coughed again. Her eyes squeezed together tight, and her bare knuckles whitened. A gemstone attached to a bracelet on her wrist evaporated into nothing. "I¡­ can''t reach," she coughed. "Pilot, get me closer!" "I''m trying!" he shot back, professionalism waning in the face of such a bizarre chase. "I can''t follow what I can''t damn well see!" "Whiskey-delta, Oracle. New heading. Adjust zero-three-zero, oh-nine minutes, over." "Roger, Oracle." The helicopter swung to the right yet again. "No!" Cinza cried, her dark eyes flying open. "That''s the wrong way!" The pilot shook his head, but keyed his radio up again. "Oracle, check heading again, please." Jeremy craned his neck in every direction, trying to see any hint of the helicopter¡ªstrange winds, trees bending from the downdraft, birds flying out of the way. If he could just spot it¡­ "...Whiskey-delta, Oracle has lost Tango." Kendra coughed hard, gasping for air. She looked like she was going to vomit¡ªand Jeremy''s prediction proved true a moment later, as she doubled over. "Oracle, repeat last," said the pilot. "Oracle has lost the target. Negative signature reading." "Look again!" Cinza shouted, twisting around in her seat. The loose belts barely held her small frame in place, even while Jeremy''s felt like it was cutting into his shoulders. "They have to be here!" "Girl, if there''s no signature, we''re blind," the pilot shot back. "The thing''s gone." "Magnetics! EM! Anything!" He shook his head. "We know what we''re doing. There''s nothing on God''s green earth that can detect them if Oracle can''t." "We''ve fought a god," Cinza snapped. "We won." She dug into the folds of her robe and withdrew a phone, dialing fast. "...Nikki." ...The Rallsburg girl from Cinza''s cult? The fuck''s she gonna do? Jeremy glanced at Makoto, hoping for an answer, but the quiet young man simply leaned back out of his door again, still hoping desperately to spot the helicopter in the sky. "Nikki," said Cinza again, surprisingly calm after the outbursts to the pilot. The phone was tucked into the ear of her headset, so she could still hear Jeremy over the chopper noise. "I need that location, as precise as you can manage." "They''ve gotta be nearby, right?" asked Jeremy, glancing up to the pilot. "What was the range on that model?" "Depends," said the pilot. "Can they get to London?" "Hell no." "What''s in London?" asked President Stafford. "Hailey Winscombe," said Kimberly. "Cornelius Malton," Cinza corrected, moving her phone away from her mouth for a moment. "The man responsible for Lakewood, for the murder of Jessica Silverdale, and now for an abduction." "Can you prove any of that?" "I will." Cinza paused, listening to her phone. She muttered something under her breath, then hung up and pocketed the phone before speaking again. "They''re going to London in a private jet. We won''t catch them in this." "How can you be sure?" asked the President. "Magic." "Oh, for fu¡ª" Jeremy spoke up, cutting Kimberly off. "She''s not lying, sir. This is a sensitive abduction and we need to beat the target there, if possible." "Kimberly, what sort of transport do we have available for our friend Cinza? Any jets on standby?" Oh, she''s a friend now? Huh. A different, male voice replied, "Nothing that can seat four plus a pilot, sir." "I have¡­ a plane," Kendra interjected¡ªthe first words she''d spoken since leaving the Greywood. "Who was that?" Jeremy clicked a button on his headset to cut off their transmission, and gestured at Kendra to do the same. The chopper continued to circle the area, and Makoto was still looking left and right, but they''d obviously stopped expecting to find anything. "Kendra, they can''t hear us anymore. What d''you mean you''ve got a plane?" She tapped at her chest, taking a few more shallow breaths before speaking again. "Waiting¡­ in Tacoma. A Gulfstream sent by my father for¡­ Mr. Wilmore." The corner of her mouth twitched upward in a weak smile. "It would be rude¡­ to keep him waiting¡­ any longer." Jeremy clicked his radio back on. "I need ATC clearance for a Gulfstream registered to Laushire Enterprises at SeaTac. Emergency takeoff. Clear the runway." He glanced back at Kendra, who was once again heaving, her eyes downcast and her hand trembling. "Get me an EMT team too. One that doesn''t mind takin'' a day trip." "Destination?" "London."
Their helicopter put down less than a hundred feet away from the sharp-angled private jet. In the distance, Jeremy saw a line of passenger planes waiting to taxi, but the runway was totally clear¡ªan order from the President of the United States was more than enough to halt all traffic. As requested, a duo of EMTs stationed at the airport were waiting right outside for them. Kendra was taken off the helicopter and helped up into the jet, while Cinza, Jeremy, and Makoto followed just behind. If anyone recognized Kendra, they gave no sign¡ªJeremy wasn''t sure if they''d told the pilot his passenger had arrived, or simply commandeered it in the name of national security. Regardless, within a couple minutes, they''d taxied out onto the runway. The jet wound up, and¡ªwith a burst of acceleration that had Jeremy''s stomach threatening to burst out of his throat¡ªthey were in the air. "Flight time is approximately five point five hours to London," said the pilot over the intercom system. "Please don''t hesitate to inform the crew if you require anything." "Thanks," Jeremy grunted, before flicking it back off. The EMTs sat Kendra down on the couch with an oxygen mask. She took it off every few seconds to speak, though her brisk tone hadn''t changed in the slightest despite the obvious difficulty. "I will probably fall unconscious soon," she reported, with such nonchalance that Jeremy''s mouth fell open. "What the fuck is going on?" he asked. Kendra held up a hand before he could continue. She turned to the paramedics. "Could we have the room, please?" They glanced at each other, bewildered, before the senior of the two spoke. "Ma''am, we''re doing our best to keep you breathing, but I''m not sure how we can help if you won''t tell us what the problem is." "I''m sorry to say that you couldn''t help even if I did," she replied. She forced a smile. "I appreciate your efforts despite all the confusion." They didn''t exactly look happy about it¡ªand Jeremy couldn''t blame them, they were just trying to do their jobs¡ªbut the paramedics left to the forward cabin, leaving the four of them alone. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Kendra took another deep breath from the oxygen mask before continuing. "I expect we''ll encounter my father upon landing." "I can take care of him," said Jeremy. She smiled. "Not likely. I watched your exchange." She coughed hard, doubling over. Cinza rushed to her side, helping her back to an upright position. Cinza put her hand onto the mask to help stabilize it. After another brief coughing fit, Kendra managed to speak again. "You must not get distracted. Once I lose consciousness, I will be expending all of my energy simply to maintain myself and my sister." "How?" asked Makoto. Kendra looked at him oddly. "Magic, of course." "No, I meant¡­" Makoto trailed off. Kendra''s eyes had fluttered closed. Cinza pressed a hand to her neck. "She''s still there." She raised her voice. "Come back in, please!" The paramedics returned. Cinza directed them to set up an IV drip and oxygen, which they supplemented with emergency supplies stowed away on the jet. They tried to make Kendra more comfortable, laying her out on the couch and covering her up with a blanket, but there was only so much they could do. After the EMTs gave them a shrug and a curt dismissal, the trio retreated to the front cabin. As soon as they were alone, Jeremy rounded on Cinza. "So she''s got a cloned twin sister?" "Yes," said Cinza. "...Why the fuck..." Jeremy trailed off, not even sure what he was asking. Why? How? When? ...Why? "I couldn''t tell you why." Cinza glanced back toward the closed door to the rear, concern creasing her brow. "Kenda Laushire and I never had the strongest relationship. I''d go so far as to think she hated me. We are polar opposites in many ways." "...But you''re still here." "Indeed I am." Cinza took a seat in one of the cushy armchairs, pulling her feet up and sitting back. She''s fuckin'' tiny¡­ and creepy as hell. "And I meant what I said. On my life, I''ll rescue Lily." "''Cause she knows where you live?" Jeremy asked, thinking he''d finally struck on the real reason. Cinza shook her head. "Because I took her into my protection, and I keep my promises." She glanced over at her lieutenant. "Get some sleep, if you can. No telling when we''re going to get another chance." Makoto shook his head. "I slept enough." "In that case, see if there''s any food." Cinza yawned, stretching her arms out. "Ruby and I hadn''t yet sat down for breakfast." Makoto got up, wandering around between the cabinets in the walls and rifling through them at random. Jeremy turned back to Cinza, eyes narrowed. "Why''d she get knocked out?" Cinza looked at him oddly. "I assumed you understood by now." Jeremy shrugged. "You people keep a lot of fuckin'' secrets." She nodded. "Fair enough. Thank you, Makoto," she added, accepting a box of cereal he''d found. She opened it and began to eat the cereal dry, straight out of the bag, and mixing it with olives Makoto had found in another cabinet. Jeremy winced, but she didn''t notice. After a minute, she cleared her throat and went on. "Magic takes energy to enact. If a spell holds a continuous effect, like the one protecting my home, it must be fed to keep it functioning." "So Lily Laushire''s made of magic?" Cinza nodded. "I wasn''t even aware she was a creation until this morning, keep in mind. This is all speculation. However, I would assume that Lily was born by magic, as a result of Kendra attempting to create a copy of herself. For what purpose, I can''t fathom, but it''s no question that she succeeded." "No shit," said Jeremy. "What did she mean by ''she''s never been this far'', though?" "Well, since Lily''s creation, I''d assume neither have left the Pacific Northwest, or even strayed more than a few dozen miles apart at the absolute. The energy to cast a spell increases by many factors¡ªstrength, complexity, and most importantly right now: distance." "So the further she gets away¡ª" "The more it takes out of Kendra," Cinza finished, with a dark look in her eyes. She set the cereal aside on the end table, swallowing down a glass of milk. "I''m shocked it hasn''t killed her outright." "...Jesus fuck, you can do that?" Jeremy gasped. No wonder everybody''s scared of this shit. Cinza nodded. "There aren''t any safeguards for yourself; only other people are protected from your ambitions. If it were anyone besides Kendra, they''d undoubtedly have perished by now." "''cept Kendra''s one of your special eight," said Jeremy, filling in the gaps. She raised an eyebrow. "You know about that?" Jeremy rolled his eyes. "First you assume I know everythin'', now you''re surprised I know things? Make up your damn mind." "I''m sorry." Cinza sighed, refilling her glass with water. She stared at the windows for a moment, watching the clouds speed by in a pale blur beneath them. "...I''m afraid you and I aren''t going to get along, Agent Ashe." The fuck? "Why''s that?" "I''ve never had the best relationship with law enforcement. It''s not personal, but I''ve no intention of repairing that bridge today." She continued to stare out the window away from him. "I''m working with you out of respect for your assistance rendered to Hailey Winscombe, and out of strict necessity. Beyond that, I''ve no intention to subject myself to the authority of the American government again." Jesus Christ, now she''s a revolutionary. "The government you live under," he pointed out. "One that''s never done much for me," she replied. A phone buzzed. Makoto shifted in his seat and pulled it out, taking the call. "Cinza," he said after a moment. "Nikki says they''re in a plane, and she could see the ocean underneath." He paused, listening further. "She says Lily was bound up, but fully conscious and responsive. Riley was nearby, along with a few people she couldn''t identify." "Good." Cinza nodded. "Thank her for me, please." "Thanks, Nikki." Makoto nodded again. "I will." He hung up and pocketed it. "Ruby wants to remind you that you''re still weak, and¡­" He trailed off, looking embarrassed. "...And?" asked Cinza, a hint of a smirk curling her lips. "And if you ever want to¡­ sleep with her again, you have to come back in one piece." "As strong an incentive as any," said Cinza. She leaned back in her armchair, closing her eyes. "Well, if you aren''t going to get any sleep, I believe I''ll try." One eye popped back open, eyeing Jeremy. "You should attempt to contact Hailey again. She might be able to help." "Hasn''t worked the last dozen times," Jeremy grumbled. Nonetheless, he pulled out his own phone and dialed her up. After ten rings without an answer, he dashed off a text: they were heading to London, and Malton had abducted one of Cinza''s people. He didn''t trust Hailey''s phone to be secure, so he refrained from mentioning Kendra or Lily. I don''t understand what the fuck Lily is, and it ain''t my place to tell the world about it. Jeremy also called (and sent the same message, after he failed to pick up) his partner. Once they landed, he''d finally get to work with Lani again¡ªso there was something to look forward to in London, at least. With nothing better to do (and Makoto proving an entirely silent flight partner), Jeremy fell into old habits, heading into the bathroom for some privacy. He called his sister. "...Jeremy?" "Hey, Maddie." Maddie sounded like she was just waking up¡ªwhich, since it was Saturday, was entirely possible. "Why are you callin'' me in the middle of the damn morning?" "Secure line?" "As it always fuckin'' is," she grumbled, still half-asleep. "Well, I''m flyin'' to London with Cinza and Kendra to rescue her secret magic clone sister, who just got kidnapped this morning by a spy in Cinza''s camp who''s been there for weeks, sent by Cornelius fuckin'' Malton. How was your damn Friday?" A choking sound, followed by the phone clattering onto the floor. Maddie picked it back up in a hurry. "The fuck?" "Right what says on the can, Maddie." Jeremy shrugged. "Every time I think my life ain''t gettin'' more weird¡­" "Should I get Rachel on the phone?" "Fuck that." Jeremy leaned back against the wall, staring at the ceiling. "I don''t need more complications. You know Hailey''s gonna get involved when we get there. Somehow." "...Run me back to ''secret magic clone sister''," said Maddie slowly. "Apparently, Kendra Laushire''s got a twin sister named Lily." "...No, she doesn''t." "No, she doesn''t," agreed Jeremy. Okay, I''m being an asshole right now, but it''s better than going insane overthinking all this shit. "Jere-bear, I swear to God¡ª" "Lily Laushire is made out of fuckin'' magic. She''s a clone." Maddie paused, breathing into the phone mic. Jeremy grinned in spite of himself¡ªfinally, someone else who didn''t just take all this in stride. "...You''re fuckin'' with me." "Swear to Christ, Maddie. Kendra Laushire made herself a twin sister." "Well, what the fuck am I supposed to do with that?" "You tell me." Jeremy shook his head, slouching even further down onto the floor. "Anyway. Seems that if Kendra and Lily get too far apart, Kendra might die, and take Lily with her. So we''re bookin'' it to London to try and keep ''em together." "They''re actually two people?" asked Maddie. "Not just Kendra controlling her or something?" "As far as I know, yeah. Two different people." Jeremy shrugged. "Hard to get a straight answer though. Kendra''s out cold and Cinza hates authority figures, ''specially cops." "Well, shit." "Liked the President though," Jeremy added, grinning like mad. He wished he could see Maddie''s reaction in that moment. "...How the fu¡ª" Maddie''s voice dropped, though Jeremy could hear a stream of curses echoing through the room. "You two spoke to the goddamn President of the United States?" "Durin'' the helicopter chase." Maddie coughed a few times, as if choking back something she''d swallowed wrong. "Jere-bear, I swear to God if you''re making this up¡­" "Have I ever lied to you?" "Yes, you fucker," Maddie growled, "so don''t give me any shit right now." Jeremy sighed. "Every single word, Maddie. I''m dead tired but too hopped up on adrenaline to sleep, and as soon as I land we''re gonna be rolling through town tryin'' to find the motherfucker who kidnapped Lily. I''m still hopin'' this is some batshit dream I''m stuck in." "No shit¡­" Maddie trailed off thoughtfully. "So¡­ Kendra made a human clone. With magic." "Yeah." Jeremy frowned. "The fuck does that mean, exactly? Not, literally, but, you know." "Well, in politics, cloning''s a fuckin'' minefield, I can tell you that." Maddie sighed. "That''s more to do with selective breeding and baby boutique shit though. There''s arguments to be made for weeding out birth defects, autism, shit like that¡ªbut man, do I not want to go there." "Okay, but Lily ain''t been born. She just popped into existence at thirty-two." Maddie hesitated. "Who knows? Legally, I can tell you she probably qualifies as a citizen of the United States." "Even though Kendra ain''t?" "Yup. If Lily was¡­ well, ''born'' here, she''s a natural born citizen, same as you and me. I guess Kendra would be her legal mother." "And sister." Jeremy pressed a hand to his temple in exasperation. "This is too fuckin'' strange for me." "Ethics professors are gonna have a goddamn field day with this one." Maddie chuckled. "Wait, if Kendra''s knocked out, how''s Lily still¡­ you know, alive?" "I guess it still works while she''s out," said Jeremy, shrugging. "She had to keep her sister alive while she sleeps this whole time, right? Or d''you think she''s just popping in and out of existence every time she goes to bed?" "I sure fuckin'' hope not," said Maddie fearfully. "That sounds brutal." "Jesus¡­ How do you keep that up, every day, non-stop?" Jeremy asked, gazing back up at the ceiling lamp. It flickered ominously. "What the hell does she get out of it?" "She gets a sister, ass-hat," said Maddie. "Not that I understand why she wants one." "Well, I do." "...You''re sweet, Jere-bear, but say that again in company and I''ll smack ya." Maddie laughed. "How long ''til you land?" "I got time."
Jeremy and Maddie talked and talked, to the point that he plugged in his phone just to make sure it wouldn''t run dry in the middle of London. He went over everything he''d been through since leaving to pick up Kendra¡ªfrom the angry crowds in Seattle to the sudden appearance of Lily, from the newly awakened Lani to Cinza''s Greywood camp. Talking to his sister helped him steady himself, helped him focus. Jeremy needed focus if he was about to go into who-knew-what in the middle of the United Kingdom. "So, any tips on dealin'' with the Brits?" he asked. "Fuck if I know," said Maddie. "I''ve never been on foreign relations or anything close to it. You''re on your own." "Great help, Maddie." "Anytime, little bro." He groaned. "I''m taller than you." "You''ll always be my little bro," she laughed. Jeremy sighed. "Maddie, I feel like a goddamn chess piece." Her tone fell, mirth instantly gone. She switched back to the caring sister in an instant. "What do you mean?" "My partner gets caught up in Rallsburg, and I happen to land the case. Then everybody from Grey-eyes to fuckin'' Margaret Bensen picks me up and throws me wherever they damn well please. You remember how I got on this fuckin'' plane, right?" "...I told you Kendra wanted your help with something," said Maddie slowly. "Bingo." "Jeremy, you aren''t a chess piece." "No shit," said Jeremy, "but it''d be nice to feel like I''m not just gettin'' used by everybody." "You aren''t, and here''s why: you chose to go after this case. You spotted Jackie''s car in that video, you hunted down Rachel. You tracked Boris Morozov down in the middle of the damn forest in Canada." "So what you''re sayin'' is¡ª" "You brought this on yourself," said Maddie cheerfully. "Suck it up and don''t fuck it up." "Thanks." "This is the captain. We''ve been cleared to descend and begin our approach to London City Airport at this time. Please take your seats." "...Right into the thick of it, huh?" said Maddie. Jeremy sighed. "I''ll call you later." "You must be in a rich people plane, if your phone worked all the way across the damn Atlantic." "It''s got heated seats, beds and a full kitchen," said Jeremy. "And I spent most of it in the goddamn bathroom talkin'' to you." "Eat anything good, at least?" Jeremy grinned. "Cinza ate some dry cereal straight out of the box mixed with olives from the damn mini-bar." "...Who the fuck is that girl?" "I''ll tell you when I find out for myself." Jeremy got to his feet, stretching out. His shoulders and back were sore from sitting in such an awkwardly small space for so long. The bathroom on the jet was roomy, but even so. "Jesus, this was a bad idea." "I told you to move." "Can''t get any damn privacy in a plane this tiny." Maddie laughed. "Get to work, Jere-bear. Call me later." "You got it." Jeremy went back into the main cabin. Cinza was fast asleep, curled up in her chair with her head on the armrest. Her hair was dark brown now, instead of the shining silver-grey Jeremy was used to. Makoto leaned against the far wall, watching out the window intently as they approached the London skyline. Jeremy nodded at her, but Makoto shook his head. "When it''s time," he said quietly. "Who are you?" Jeremy asked, walking over to join the young Japanese lieutenant. He hesitated, still watching out the window. "Nobody who matters." "You''re the right hand guy to a girl who just announced to the President of the United States that she''s forming her own goddamn country inside their borders," said Jeremy. "I think you''re gonna find you fuckin'' matter now." Makoto shook his head. "We don''t want that." "Pretty sure she does," said Jeremy, nodding at the sleeping Cinza again. "Why do you think that?" "''Cause she fuckin'' did it." Jeremy shook his head in exasperation. "What else do you figure she meant by ''open relations with your government''?" "She knows what she''s doing," he said firmly. Jeremy raised an eyebrow. "Sounds to me like she''s makin'' up the whole damn thing as she goes." "If she is, I trust her to find the right path." Fuckin'' cults. The plane started to pitch forward. Jeremy and Makoto took the nearest seats and strapped themselves in. Cinza stirred after a particularly rough bump in the air. As she woke, her hair shifted back to silver once more, matching the robes she was currently using as a blanket. Her eyes blinked rapidly, finding Makoto''s in no time. "Call Nikki," she said without hesitation. Jesus, I wish I could wake up that fast. Makoto nodded, pulling out his phone. "...They touched down as well. She says they''re in London. She saw license plates and the river out the windows." Cinza nodded. "How long until we land?" The plane bumped onto the tarmac, as if to answer her question. A huge rushing sound of wind coupled with the skidding of tires filled the cabin as the jet screeched to a halt on the short London runway. Finally, they jerked to a halt. Cinza unstrapped herself before the pilot could get onto the intercom. "Ladies and gentlemen, we''ve touched down at London City Airport. I''ve been asked to inform you that Sir Thomas Laushire is awaiting your debarkation on the tarmac." Jeremy glanced at Cinza. "...Well, now what?" Cinza shrugged. "We need someone to take care of Kendra while we track down her sister. Who better?" Makes sense¡­ but you ain''t gotta sound so fuckin'' cold about it. Jeremy took a deep breath, getting to his feet. "Well¡­ let''s get this over with."
Jeremy had no clue what they''d told the man. Sure, they''d arrived in the plane he sent across the world, but who was he expecting to see coming out of it? Certainly not the ragged band that emerged onto the stairwell. He took the lead, stomping down the stairs two at a time. Behind him, Cinza followed in boots, while Makoto was only a few steps behind. Thomas Laushire''s eyes narrowed as he saw Jeremy¡ªthey''d parted on less-than-amicable terms, after all. Jeremy had been fairly close to punching the man in the face out of sheer irritation (and boredom). "Mr. Ashe," he said curtly. "I wasn''t aware you were acquainted with Mr. Wilmore." Thomas frowned. "May I ask why you were on board my jet?" Jeremy''s mouth fell open. He doesn''t even know¡­ the fuck? Well, no wonder his wife ain''t here¡­ "Look, Mr. Laushire¡­" he started, but Cinza cut in, stepping in front of him. "Thomas Laushire, correct?" she said, extending a hand. After a brief, confused moment, he shook it. "My name is Cinza." Thomas'' eyes widened with recognition¡ªbetween the name and the robes, it wasn''t hard to put two-and-two together, after the media circus caused by Hailey and the Diaries. "I''m sorry, but we don''t have a lot of time, so you''ll need to accept certain facts as I explain them to you without question. Do you understand?" "...Excuse me?" He sounded affronted. "I beg your pard¡ª" "You have it," Cinza interrupted. "And I beg yours for what I''m about to tell you." She glanced over her shoulder, where the EMTs were emerging, carrying a stretcher. "Thomas, those men are carrying your daughter. She''s alive," Cinza added quickly, as Thomas'' mouth fell open. "She''s currently fighting to keep someone very dear to her alive as well. We''ve come to rescue that person¡ªbut to do this, we need to be sure Kendra is safe and cared for." "Oh my God¡­" Thomas murmured, as Kendra''s face came into view. She still had an oxygen mask strapped to her face, and the EMTs had wrapped her in a blanket to help preserve some dignity as they carried her down¡ªor to shield her from the goddamn winter. Jesus, it''s cold out. "What¡­ What happened to her?" "I don''t have time to explain," said Cinza firmly. "You need to protect her at all costs, Thomas. Give us a car and a driver, and take her somewhere she will be safe and cared for. These men will accompany you¡ª" She gestured to the two EMTs, who looked like they were sincerely regretting volunteering for this little excursion. "¡ªwhile we track down the people responsible for this." "...Who?" Thomas asked, his voice weak and shaking. He picked up his daughter''s limp hand, holding it tight to his chest. "Who did this?" "Cornelius Malton," said Cinza. Jeremy winced, but he couldn''t exactly refute her¡ªhe was just as sure Malton was responsible. Talk about throwin'' lighter fluid on the damn bonfire, though¡­ Thomas'' eyes widened. "Cornelius¡­? But¡­ why¡ª" "Thomas!" Cinza snapped. "A car and a driver!" "Jeremy! Cinza!" shouted a new voice. Jeremy turned around to see Lani waving from across the tarmac. Oh thank God, he got my message. "I''ve got a car! Let''s go!" Cinza promptly turned back to Thomas. "On second thought, focus on your daughter." She nodded to Makoto, who sprinted away toward Lani. Cinza started hurrying away as well without another word, but Jeremy hesitated just a moment. "...Sorry about before," he muttered. Thomas looked around surprised, as if he''d forgotten Jeremy was even there. "I''m sorry?" "I was an asshole," Jeremy said more firmly. "I''m gonna make sure your daughter comes out of this. You keep her safe." Both of ''em. Or the same one twice. Fuck, I don''t know. Whatever you want to call ''em. "...Thank you," said Thomas. Jeremy nodded, then sprinted away to join the others. As he ran, Thomas shouted one final question at him, one desperate cry from a confused father. "But which one of you is Wilmore?" "She is!" Jeremy shouted back, pointing at Kendra. He got one last glimpse of Thomas'' dumbstruck face before he turned to follow Cinza. Cinza looked at Jeremy curiously as he caught up, but said nothing. Lani pulled up in a nice-looking car¡ª''cause Lani always has to have the nicest wheels around...¡ªwith Makoto already in the passenger seat. Jeremy eyed him, and Makoto got the message right away. He scrambled to the back, and Jeremy sat down next to his partner. As soon as Cinza was on board, they shot off onto the narrow London streets. Jeremy sighed as Lani took them smoothly around corners and weaved through traffic like a professional. About time I had a real driver again. Makes me appreciate Jackie even more. I wonder what she''s up to right now¡­ Bet she''s in even more shit than I am. "Two hours after I landed," said Lani, grinning. Jeremy rolled his eyes, but he had to admit he felt better already. "You missed me that much?" "You know the bullshit I''ve been through since you left?" Jeremy groaned. "Yeah, Makoto filled me in." "Everything happens when you ain''t around, Lani," he sighed. "I''m never lettin'' you out of my sight again." "I got shot with you," he pointed out. "Better you than me!" Lani laughed. "Where are we headed?" "I''m getting a location right now," Cinza reported, phone to her ear. "Nikki''s casting the spell again." Jeremy frowned, gripping the armrest as the car darted around another corner. Lani was taking them out to a main street, where they could get to any part of the city without too much maneuvering around traffic. "So if distance matters so much with Kendra, how''s a girl way back in Rallsburg gettin'' locations for someone in fuckin'' England?" "Knowledge magic doesn''t seem to follow that rule," said Lani, twirling the steering wheel beneath his fingers. As motion sick as Jeremy got in helicopters and planes, he didn''t feel a thing when Lani drove, for whatever reason. It was strangely comforting to be tossed around by someone he trusted¡ªeven if drivin'' on the left is fuckin'' bizarre. "Nobody knows why." "I don''t know anythin''," Jeremy grumbled. Cinza tapped Makoto on the shoulder, who pulled out his own phone. She rattled off an address, and he soon had navigation open on an app. "Turn left up here," she said. Lani took them around the curve easily. "So¡­ we''re goin'' after Malton," he said. ...He''s way too fuckin'' cheerful. Did Makoto not tell him¡­? "Kidnapped Lily Laushire," said Jeremy. "Wow¡­" Lani shook his head. "How''s Kendra doing?" "Blacked out on the plane. We dropped her off with her dad." Lani grinned. "You dropped her off personally?" "I apologized." He glanced over at Jeremy. "No way." Jeremy rolled his eyes. "Shut up and drive." "Left again up here," said Cinza. They sped through the streets, Cinza reading off the directions and Lani taking them in turn. After twenty minutes or so, they got another location update from Nikki to confirm their target hadn''t changed. Apparently the girl was getting exhausted from the magic, so they couldn''t get too many more, but she was sticking it out as long as she could. Jeremy pulled out his pistol, double-checking the load just in case. "Lani, you good?" he asked. "Took mine at the gate, as usual," he sighed. Jeremy shook his head in disgust. He reached into his jacket and pulled out the spare he''d packed¡ªway back when he''d set out to visit Kendra at her office. He handed the gun over. Lani stuck it into his holster. "Thanks." "We''re two blocks away," Cinza reported. "Pull off here," said Jeremy. Lani did, and they got out. Jeremy shivered again in the winter chill, ducking into an alley and peering out around the corner of the building. The rest of the group piled up behind him, waiting for his next move. "It''s that building?" he asked, pointing at a fairly unremarkable grey office building ahead. "You sure?" "Nikki saw that exact fa?ade, and the street number," Cinza confirmed. "Lily should be inside, basement level. Two guards plus Riley." "Plus¡­ what?" asked Lani, looking around. "They took Riley too?" Jeremy shook his head. Jesus¡­ Lani, I''m so sorry¡­ "No, man¡­ Riley took her." "Riley¡­ what?" Lani''s eyes narrowed. He looked seriously pissed¡ªmore than Jeremy had ever seen in their whole partnership. "You''re wrong." "I really wish I was." "You saw her?" Makoto put a hand on Lani''s shoulder. "Her tracks, her jeep. Straight to the helicopter, and Nikki saw her on the plane." "...Maybe Nikki got it wrong," said Lani desperately. "She''s never wrong," said Cinza softly. "Lani," said Jeremy forcefully. Lani glared at him, but didn''t say a word. "Riley works for Malton. She took Lily. She lied to you, and lied to all of us too. She''s in that buildin'' right now. We''re about to breach. Are you good?" Lani took a deep breath, though his glare didn''t subside in the slightest. "...Yeah, I''m good," he said finally. Cinza looked at Jeremy, seeking confirmation. Like hell I''m going in there without my partner. Jeremy nodded, and she turned away, satisfied. Jeremy tapped Lani on the shoulder, leaning down next to him. "I''m with you," he murmured. "I got your back, no matter what." "...You know I hated being your partner this year?" said Lani quietly. "What?" "Got assigned to the most famous agent in our whole station, only to find out he''s famous for being an asshole who never gets anything done." Lani glanced at him, a weak smile on his face. "Gotta say, they were totally wrong on the second half." Jeremy grinned. "That''s Special Agent Asshole, motherfucker." He clapped Lani on the back, standing up straight again. "Let''s do this."
They went in quietly¡ªwith a small team of four, there was no reason to risk anything drastic. Cinza kept them invisible, and Makoto picked the lock. Jeremy still wasn''t sure how they were invisible, since to his eyes they looked totally normal, but given the security guard staring right at them from across the lobby, he wasn''t about to question it. Another door, another lock and they were heading down into the basement. Suddenly, it wasn''t a plain office building anymore¡ªit was a high-tech fortress, sporting heavy steel doors locked down by multiple layers of security. They passed through a corridor of the things, heading to the exact spot Nikki had specified. Not a single guard to be seen, to Jeremy''s surprise, as they passed through the basement. When they reached the door in question and examined it more closely, he realized why¡ªnothing short of shaped blasting charges were getting through that door. "...Now what?" Jeremy asked, glancing at Cinza. She smiled. "Now, we show the limits of technology." Cinza held out her hands. Makoto took one, and Lani took the other. Jeremy stepped back, his skin already crawling. He checked the magazine on his pistol again, just to reassure himself. Cinza closed her eyes. "Begin," she murmured. Nothing seemed to happen. Jeremy glanced around, nervous that someone might walk up on them, but the corridor remained empty. Cinza was frowning, her eyelids pressing down tight. Suddenly, he could feel something¡ªenergy building up in the air, like electricity before a storm. He took another step back, as if the paltry distance could protect him from whatever Cinza was about to do. "Now!" Cinza shouted, and flung her hands forward. An ear-splitting sound of tearing metal echoed through the basement corridors. The door in front of them buckled inward for an instant, before tearing off its hinges and flying across the chamber inside. As it slammed against the far wall with a huge bang, Jeremy saw the crumpled bodies of the two guards behind it. They fell to the ground, and the door fell on top of them. They twitched, groaning underneath the heavy door. Jeremy was fairly certain they were both stuck, completely removed from the equation. Good thing, too, he realized as he rushed in, weapon drawn¡ªbecause the other occupant of the chamber hadn''t wasted a second. Riley was inside, crouched behind a bound and gagged Lily Laushire¡ªand with a pistol aimed at the side of her head. Her pale blue eyes flashed with surprise underneath her short brown hair, but her face was hard and set¡ªpractically emotionless, a stark contrast from the friendly photographer Jeremy had met only the day before. Lani took a step forward. "...Why?" Riley didn''t answer, staring at Cinza with an expression cold and sharp as ice. Jesus Christ, those are the eyes of a killer. How the hell did I not see her? "What happens now?" she asked, her tone frostier than a frozen river. "You give us Lily," said Cinza, her voice ragged. She was leaning on Makoto for support. "You tell us where Cornelius is, and you get to live." "Hang on," said Jeremy. "Nobody''s killin'' anybody here." "I might," said Lani¡ªand with how hurt he sounded, Jeremy actually believed him. "Nobody''s killin''," he repeated firmly. "We turn this over to the authorities. She goes to jail for a long-ass time." "Assuming your authorities can hold her," said Cinza. "So we''ll figure the damn thing out!" Jeremy snapped. "We''re workin'' on it! That doesn''t mean we should become fuckin'' murderers!" "Is it murder to protect your family?" Jeremy glanced at her, though he kept a careful eye on Riley out of the corner of his eye¡ªand his gun trained squarely on her. "Since when is Lily fuckin'' Laushire your family?" "Since May fifteenth, two thousand eighteen," said Cinza firmly. Since the day Rallsburg died¡­ Jesus Christ... Cinza took a step forward, and Riley pressed the gun harder into Lily''s temple. Lily''s eyes widened, frantic, and they could hear her desperately trying to speak through the gag. "Riley," said Makoto from the back of the room. His own hands were up now, and he looked deadly calm. "You know what we can do. This won''t hold us back." "No," she agreed, to Jeremy''s surprise¡ªthough she still didn''t move a muscle. "I have insurance." Cinza stopped moving¡ªas did Makoto. Lani still looked like he might shoot, but Jeremy trusted him to never pull the trigger, even in circumstances as insane as these. Since no one else spoke, he gave in and asked the question they were all wondering. "What fuckin'' insurance?" "Filed with a law firm. If I don''t report in, they will go public." Riley glanced at Cinza. "Information about Lily Laushire, a woman who should not exist. The location of your home and the means to penetrate its defenses. Your entire library of spells." Cinza shook her head. "Information that will become public sooner or later. We can deal with the consequences." Riley''s eyes narrowed. "Information about a certain middle school child." Who the fu¡­ oh¡­ Shit. Cinza''s eyes widened. Her voice trembled slightly, echoing through the cold chamber. "You don''t know who that is. We made sure of it." Riley''s expression didn''t waver in the slightest. "I know she attends middle school in Seattle. How long do you think it will take the public to deduce her identity? Particularly if she''s one of the empowered eight?" She practically spat the last couple words¡ªso strong was her disgust. Who the fuck is this woman? "Riley¡­" Lani said, his voice weak. "Why?" Riley''s eyes flicked over to Lani, though she didn''t move a muscle otherwise. Her voice shifted into the warm tone of the woman they''d met¡ªthe woman Lani had fallen for. "Lani, I gotta do what I gotta do. I''m sorry." "Fuck you," Jeremy growled. Lani trembled in place, unable to speak. Riley''s voice switched back to cold yet again. "So¡­ have you decided?" Makoto glanced at Cinza, clearly unsure. Jeremy pointedly looked up at the ceiling. "London Police are on their way. You''ll be surrounded sooner or later." "And unless you want this information made public, you will ensure my safe and quiet departure," said Riley. "Ain''t gonn¡ª" "Don''t lie," she added. "My team reports no police inbound." Shit¡­ who''s she wired into? We could ge¡ª Jeremy''s thought was interrupted as Riley looked down suddenly¡ªthe first moment she''d broken her perfect stance holding onto Lily. Jeremy was about to move in, attempt to take the opening, but the opportunity was lost a moment later. Riley looked over her shoulder, eyes wide¡ªand dove out of the way. The fuck? Jeremy had a split-second to move¡ªrush her and try to get Lily out of the line of fire, or get out of there before whatever could scare Riley got him, too. He went with the safe option, falling back. An instant later, he knew he''d made the right call. The solid stone wall exploded, chunks of rock utterly annihilated in a massive burst. Dust filled the room¡ªonly to be sucked away by a rushing wind. Jeremy struggled back to his feet, still clutching his pistol tight, and the rest of the room followed suit. Riley still clutched Lily tight, gun to her head, as the whole room seemed to rotate to face the new doorway that had just been blasted into it¡ªand the figure standing in the middle of the dust cloud. "...What the hell is going on in here?" asked Hailey. [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] B2: Chapter 35 — The Court of Public Opinion Chapter 35 ¡ª The Court of Public Opinion "The mundane will never coexist with the awakened. I do not mean to sound the pessimist, but the non-magical people simply cannot comprehend the paradigm shift that took place in the shadows of their world. They will adapt and awaken, or they will perish. There is no middle ground. Let me be clear: I advocate for no violent uprising, no revolution. The dawn of the world need not be bloody. I would welcome anyone who seeks to awaken. No, I trust that the bloodshed will make itself plain as soon as we emerge. There will always be those who resist change, and resistance will always increase with the rate of such change. We represent a complete overthrow of all human understanding, the beginning of a new world order, so I wonder¡ªhow many will survive the transition?" ~Cinza, the Rallsburg Diaries Riley twisted around, pistol rising¡ªbut Hailey flung her hand out, and the gun ripped itself out of Riley''s hand. Hailey caught it out of mid-air, her hair fluttering behind her as she glared down into the room from atop the rubble of her makeshift entrance. Disarmed, Riley took a few steps back, raising her hands. "I have insurance," she repeated, but suddenly her tone wasn''t quite so confident. "You cannot ha¡ª" Hailey burst into motion. She launched off of the little plinth of broken concrete straight through the small room, a gust of wind accompanying her short flight. Her foot slammed into Riley''s chest, knocking her to the floor in a gasping heap. "That''s from Alden," Hailey growled. "The fuck?" said Jeremy. Seeing the opening, Cinza hurried forward to untie Lily, while Riley lay heaving on the stone floor. "Hailey, what the hell are you doing here?" "Trying to find her," said Hailey, nodding at Riley. "I''ve never met Malton, and her essence was easier to track than Viper''s." "Nikki taught you¡­ of course she did," said Cinza, shaking her head in dismay. She helped Lily to her feet, both shaking a little. Makoto quickly moved to support the pair, since the height disparity between the two made Cinza''s efforts mostly useless. Lani finally snapped out of his stupor and rushed over to Riley, holding his own gun to her head. "Who are you, Riley?" he asked, his voice cracking with emotion. Jeremy winced. He''d never heard someone sound so defeated. Riley stared back up at him without a word. Hailey shook her head. "Her name''s not Riley. It''s not ''Rook'', either, but that''s a codename she goes by. Her name is Tessa." "...Tessa?" asked Lani, glancing back down at her. Riley shook her head. "Another given name." "So what the fuck should we call you?" asked Jeremy. "Rook will do." "Sounds good." Jeremy cleared his throat. "Rook, I swear to God, you''re gonna be locked up so deep they won''t discover you for a hundred thousand fuckin'' years." "And you will put your friends in danger," Rook shot back, unperturbed. Hailey glanced up at Jeremy. "What does she mean?" "She has blackmail with a lawyer," said Cinza. "Details about the Greywood¡­ and about our youngest friend." "...You wouldn''t," said Hailey, whipping back around to Rook. "She''s thirteen! She''s just a kid!" "Wait," said Jeremy. "I thought she didn''¡ª" "She was in Rallsburg," said Hailey. "She knows everybody who was there, and if she doesn''t, Viper knew them." "Shit¡­" Cinza''s eyes narrowed. Her voice echoed with suppressed rage of her own. "We will end you," she snarled. "You wrestle with forces beyond your comprehension." "I don''t fear you," said Rook. "You are a child playing at power." Lily finally stood, stumbling a little as Makoto helped her forward. "I trust my sister arrived?" she asked, eyes not leaving Rook for a moment. She sounded surprisingly calm for someone who''d just been kidnapped and taken halfway across the world. Jeremy nodded. "With your dad." "Ah." Lily''s lip twitched slightly, the barest hint of a smile creasing her cheeks. "That should be¡­ interesting." "Lily, are you all right?" asked Cinza. "Quite fine, thank you," said Lily, brushing dust off herself. Rook''s eyes narrowed. "...You are the sister?" A real smile finally broke on Lily''s face. "Indeed. Even if you''d escaped, you took the wrong one." To be fair, they''re literally the same fuckin'' person¡­ Jeremy grinned in spite of himself. It was about time they got some kind of good news. "What was the plan?" he asked. "Grab the Brit and pick her apart for how this shit works?" Rook ignored him. She looked at Cinza. "What happens now?" she asked again, though now without her hostage or her weapon. "You cannot kill me, unless you want your secrets exposed." "My secrets have been exposed before," Cinza shot back. "I''ve survived." "But will your family?" The air in the room seemed to sharpen as Rook brought up her threat again. "Will she?" "Last I checked, that girl had a fuckin'' pet hawk, and way more magic than everybody in this damn room," said Jeremy. "...''cept maybe Hailey." Hailey shrugged. "Nah, I think she''s more powerful than me." She glared at Rook. "Forget that though. Where the hell is Malton?" Rook shook her head. "I don''t know." "Wrong answer." Before any of them could move, Hailey''s fist plowed into the wall next to Rook''s head. Concrete shattered and flecks of dust filled the air. She withdrew her hand in perfect health, though a huge gap remained in the wall. "Where the hell is your boss?" Rook''s eyes flicked over to the hole in the wall. She looked seriously unsettled, and she wasn''t the only one. Even Cinza seemed taken aback. Hailey couldn''t do that before¡­ Jesus Christ. The fuck is she doing¡­? "Hailey," said Jeremy. She rounded on him. "Jeremy, seriously¡­ Don''t." Fucking hell. Jeremy shook his head. "She''s gone. You ain''t. Don''t take this too far." "They took it too far," Hailey shot back. "They blew up a neighborhood. They kidnapped Ryan and Lily." Lily opened her mouth to speak, but Hailey plowed on uninterrupted. "They killed Jessica." She turned back to Rook, who seemed¡­ confused? Jeremy couldn''t quite parse her. "Your men. His plan. They killed Jessica Silverdale. He''s going to answer for it." "By doing what?" Jeremy shot back. Against every instinct in his gut, Jeremy stepped in between Rook¡ªbruised and seated against the wall, still eyeing the giant hole in the concrete next to her¡ªand the fuming Hailey, whose hair was still fluttering around from the slight wind in the air. "Hailey, forget the blackmail, we''ve got her cold on kidnappin'', assault, a whole shitload of other crimes. She ain''t goin'' free." "She has to," said Makoto. The room seemed to shift at his words. Cinza looked around to her lieutenant, surprised. "Makoto?" "She knows how the Greywood functions. I¡­ I explained it to her." He looked embarrassed, glancing away from them. "If her information goes free, we''ll be defenseless. Brian''s men have gotten near our border before. We''d have to devise new methods, fast, and I don''t know how effective they''d be." Cinza shook her head. "I can do it." "Can you?" Makoto frowned. "It took a lot out of you when we first designed the system. In your current condition¡ª" "Then Ruby will support me, and Yusuf, and everyone else!" Cinza roared. "I will not allow this monster to harm a single member of my family." She glared at Rook, and spat on the ground at her feet. "Loose your filth, wretch. Play your cards. See what they accomplish. I would see you hang." Rook looked around to Hailey. "You want Malton?" she asked¡ªand her voice quivered just slightly. Shit, is that panic? "For what?" Jeremy asked, before anyone else could cut in. "For Viper." Oh, shit. That''s a card to play. "We don''t have him," said Hailey, not understanding. Rook shook her head. "For his safety. You guarantee Viper and I safety and anonymity, you can have Malton." Cinza shook her head. "We will have him anyway." "With his attorneys? His fortune? His fame?" Rook smiled. "You will never be able to defeat him in the world''s arena, but if I am protected, I can give him to you." She turned to Jeremy. "You are the only one who can negotiate this outcome. I speak to you." Jeremy shrugged. "Fuck-all is what I can do. I ain''t even supposed to be here." Story of my damn life¡­ "I can," said Lani, voice still shaking. His gun lowered to the ground. Rook didn''t move, of course¡ªHailey was still standing within inches of her, and with far more power than a gun in her hands¡ªbut she visibly relaxed a hair. "Riley, I can get you protection." ...Fuckin'' hell, Lani¡­ Rook turned to him, and her voice shifted up a notch again. Jesus, she can do that fast. That''s fuckin'' terrifying. "Lani, you''re a great guy, but this is business, you know?" "Yeah." He frowned. "Business. I''m making that deal." "I''m still standing here," growled Hailey. "I didn''t take any deal." "Nor did I," said Cinza. Lily spoke up, interrupting the parade of angry voices. "Before we proceed, what precisely does ''giving us Malton'' entail?" Good damn point. Jeremy looked back to Rook expectantly. She cleared her throat, still coughing out dust occasionally from Hailey''s explosive entrance. "I give you Malton." "Meanin'' what?" asked Jeremy. "Evidence on the motherfucker?" "I didn''t come all this way just to get a story," said Hailey. Rook shook her head. "He is too dangerous. He should not be in a jail. I will provide his location, to the millimeter, and let you do what you want with him." That ain''t what I signed up for. Jeremy couldn''t let this go any further¡ªbut Hailey spoke first, before Jeremy could get a word in. "And in return," she said slowly, "you leave, and you take Viper with you, and we never hear from you again?" "Yes." "And your blackmail remains dormant," added Lily. "All forms of it." "I have no interest in your affairs," said Rook. "This is my protection." She glanced at Hailey, her eyes softening ever so slightly. "I would never have ordered a kill. Nor would Viper." Hailey shook her head. "Just tell me where Malton is. I don''t want to hear anything else." "Let me go, and I send it to you." "Like hell¡ª" Rook held up a hand. "Your magic allows you to find me, no matter where I am, yes? I ask for a symbolic gesture. I cannot escape so long as you have power." Hailey hesitated. Jeremy jumped in. "Hailey, this ain''t a good idea¡­" "She cannot be allowed to leave," agreed Cinza. Finally, me and the damn witch are on the same page. "She must answer for this. If it must be their government, then it must, but we cannot allow this to stand." "There''s bigger fish," said Hailey. "I don''t care about her. She wasn''t even there." "Yeah, because she was infiltratin'' your fuckin'' friends!" Jeremy shot back. "How''s that any better?" "The fish rots from the head," said Lani, nodding slightly. "Riley wants to help us take him down." Rook smiled at him, a glimpse of the old Riley buried somewhere inside her. ...Fuck you, bitch. Fuck. You. Hailey turned to the group. "I''m letting her go." Jeremy took a step toward her. "Hailey¡ª" "I''m letting her go," Hailey repeated, and a burst of wind whirled through the room like a mini-tornado. It only lasted a second, but it visibly buffeted everyone. Jeremy flinched, and Hailey kept talking. "Lani, you''ve got my number, right?" Lani nodded. "Okay. Take her out of here. As soon as you''re gone, she gives you the location, you text it to me. You stay with her and she keeps giving me info until I have him." Hailey glanced back to Rook. "Agreed?" Rook nodded, ice-blue eyes flashing, a fitting match for the chilly stone room they were all still stuck in. Jeremy shook his head in dismay, but he couldn''t think of anything that could dissuade Hailey¡ªand he sure as hell couldn''t use force on her. "Don''t do this," Jeremy repeated. Hailey looked at him, and there was so much fury filling her clear blue eyes. Her eyebrows sunk low on her face, halfway between pain and anger. She radiated so much sheer emotion that Jeremy couldn''t look her eye-to-eye. His face fell. "He killed Jessica," Hailey repeated, rage dripping from every syllable. "His men, his plan. I have to." "It ain''t your job." "Who''s going to do it?" "The people selected their authority," said Cinza. "You''re walking a dangerous path, Hailey." "They aren''t my people." Hailey nodded to Lani. He picked Rook up by the arm, helping her to her feet. The pair left in a hurry, with Hailey standing in front of the door to prevent anyone following them. After a few minutes, she looked back to Jeremy. "I''m flying out now. Don''t try to stop me." "Hailey¡ª" said Jeremy, but she was true to her word. A huge gust of wind filled the room, and Hailey lifted up into the air. A shift in the breeze and she swooped forward, straight back through the hole she''d created in the wall and out of sight. Jeremy sighed. "Well¡­ fuck." Cinza shook her head. "She is on the precipice. We cannot allow her to fall." "No shit," Jeremy muttered. "I''m surprised you''re sayin'' it, though," he added, glancing at Cinza. "You were all for dishin'' your own brand of justice before Hailey showed up." Silver-grey hair shimmered in the dim light of the chamber as Cinza shook her head. "This is no longer justice for an assassin who took one of our own. This is murder in broad daylight on a man tangentially responsible. Hailey must not harm Cornelius Malton." "Or what?" asked Makoto. "She is the most visible awakened in the world," said Lily. "If she does this, it will be a setback." "Understatement of the fuckin'' year," said Jeremy. "''The awakened are comin'' to kill us and overthrow the whole damn world.'' Worse, there''s no way to tell who''s what. It''ll be chaos." "You really think Hailey would kill somebody?" asked Makoto. Cinza hesitated, but Jeremy answered in her place. "She already did." When they looked to him for further explanation, he sighed. "One of Malton''s guys, back in Lakewood. Put her fist through his damn face, smashed his skull like a cracker. I don''t think she realized it, but she''ll kill if she''s pushed over the edge¡ªand that was after Jessica just got hurt." Cinza turned to Lily, fresh urgency in her tone. "Call your father. Get us a car, and a way to track Malton or Hailey. We must not lose her." Lily winced. "That¡­ might be more difficult than you hope." Cinza shook her head. "You''re his daughter." "He''s never met me." "Trust me," said Jeremy, "he ain''t gonna be disappointed." He held out his phone. "I''m guessin'' you know the number, bein'' literally Kendra and all?" Lily shook her head. "I''m only Kendra from the moment I was born." "Which was when, exactly?" asked Cinza. "If you don''t mind. I''m quite curious." "December the 28th." Lily smiled slightly. "I turn one next month." Jeremy rolled his eyes. "No, you turned thirty-two in May, for Christ''s sake. Now make the damn call, we''re wastin'' time." Lily nodded. She took the phone and dialed, her fingers shaking. "...Yes, Collins? Please¡­ yes, it''s me. Yes, I know. Please, I need to speak to my father, it''s urgent." She sighed. "Yes, I''m aware you''re looking at me right now. Where is my father?" In spite of everything, Jeremy grinned. Nice to not be on the confused end of a bizarre fuckin'' conversation for once. "Come on," he added. "Let''s get back up top." They hurried out. The building was totally deserted as they went¡ªRook having ordered her men to depart without incident. Lily kept talking as they climbed the stairs back to the surface, where Lani''s car was long gone. "Yes¡­ Yes, father, it''s me. It''s¡­ Look, it''s difficult to explain. Please¡­ Please! Oh, hell¡ª" she cut off, emotion creaking in her voice. Jeremy glanced back over his shoulder to see her dabbing at her eyes with a small cloth, produced from somewhere inside her dressing gown. "Hello, mother. It''s¡­ good to hear from you again. Listen, I¡ªyes, this is really your daughter." Lily rolled her eyes, smiling again. "It''s a long story and I haven''t the time. I need your help." "...Fuckin'' hell," Jeremy muttered.
Hailey cruised over London, shielding her eyes from the sunset while a stream of pings bounced through her phone. Her other hand clutched a handful of gemstones¡ªa variety pack, with all the colors of the rainbow that she could pick up from the Laushire estate. Thomas and Mary had let her take everything they had, down to their favorite jewelry. Really nice people, at the end of the day¡­ Kendra was never that nice a teacher. A good teacher, but man, she was strict. I had to get so much help from Jessic¡ª She dropped a few feet in midair as her eyes clouded over. Hailey shook her head, hair flying wildly in the rushing wind as she straightened herself out with a few hard flaps of her wings. She wouldn''t let anything hold her back. She wouldn''t stop until he was brought to justice. Her phone pinged again. Hailey glanced down¡ªand there it was, finally. Not another message from Josh, Nikki, Rupert, Weston, or any of the other innumerable friends desperately trying to get in touch with her. It was from Lani, and it had an address attached, with coordinates¡ªan estate outside London. Lani had included a note, presumably from Rook, that the place was likely heavily guarded and well-armed. Yeah, but can they beat magic? Hailey clipped her phone back on her belt and shifted her wings, tilting around to the north. A tip forward and she shot into a steady dive, gaining speed fast as she glided above the streets of London. Sirens pursued her¡ªa small cavalry of flashing blue lights trailing her from below. I don''t want them to get hurt¡­ She climbed back up into the sky with a hard bank to the left, flapping hard to gain enough altitude to dip into the low cloud layer. A shield of swirling wind in front of her caught most of the water before it struck her, but she still felt a mist on her face as she burst through the first few clouds. Still, as Hailey looked down again, the police seemed to have scattered in the entirely wrong direction. Hailey turned back to the north again, straight on target for Malton''s estate, where she''d do¡­ what, exactly? What am I gonna do when I get there? If he''s got tons of armed guards, can I take that on? I can pull their guns, but¡­ what if I get shot? Even Omega couldn''t just block bullets... ...except he could. Hailey suddenly remembered a conversation between Josh and Nikki, from the funeral three days earlier. They''d been discussing defensive options for dealing with firearms, particularly from a range where telekinesis and other similar spells were of no use. Magnetics could be used to pull bullets off course, but Hailey couldn''t that due to her diffinity for Nature magic. She couldn''t hope to melt the bullets in mid-air either¡ªwith some math and the internet, Josh landed the required temperature well above the surface of the sun for the period of time between a bullet firing and hitting its target. She was stuck with two options: either try to push the bullets aside with the strongest wind she could muster, or make herself so solid, so dense that she could just brush away the impacts like nothing, just like Omega''s golems and¡ªpresumably¡ªhimself. Hailey went for both. She couldn''t make herself invisible, and there wasn''t really a way to sneak into the place anyway, so she didn''t bother trying. She needed Malton, and he was right there. His mansion had wide, tall windows¡ªexactly the sort of modern, fully exposed aesthetic she might have expected from a high-power CEO with absurd piles of cash available to him. Malton stood in the wide living room that overlooked the rolling hills out to the north, a phone to his ear. He was no doubt hearing about Rook''s betrayal already. Hailey didn''t have a second to waste. She dove. Armed guards were posted on the corners of the roofs. They were quick, spotting Hailey flying out of the cloud layer in mere moments. Man, Alden, I wish you''d figured out how to explain lightning to me¡­ Hailey grabbed at her favorite tourmaline stone, the very same one with which she''d first discovered gemstone power¡ªwhen Jess helped me figure out how to double jump, and then how to fly¡­ With a shout of exertion which echoed through the hills, Hailey summoned the fiercest wind she''d ever created in her life. A sound like metal tearing apart shrieked across the whole Malton estate, deafeningly loud. Half of his guards doubled over, clutching their ears and ducking for cover. Hailey hadn''t expected that, but she wasn''t about to waste the opening. Except¡­ she didn''t have a choice. Gunshots rang out. Malton''s men had opened fire. Here we go. Hailey diverted the wind just slightly, though she didn''t let up on the relentless assault. Malton''s soldiers propped themselves against vents, pipes, walls¡ªanything they could to stabilize themselves. One hapless man tumbled off the roof in the hurricane preceding her dive, thrown away by the wind and falling out of sight. Bullets shrieked past. Most were off-target, and the few that came close were pushed just aside by the split gale of sheer wind Hailey threw at them. If anyone gets a really straight shot, though¡­ She grabbed at another gem in her hand, a malachite, while Malton''s house rushed up to meet her. Oh god, this is gonna hurt. The gem evaporated between her fingers as Hailey forced energy into her jacket, altering its structure just enough¡ªthickening the leather, layering it tighter and pushing it together to form a solid mass in front of her chest. The increased weight buckled her flight, and Hailey had to flap twice as hard to maintain the altitude of her dive or crash head-first into the walls of the mansion. She was only a couple hundred feet away when it happened. One of Malton''s men finally got a straight shot¡ªjust before she was in range to take their guns. It felt like somebody had taken a hammer and chisel directly to her chest and slammed it in as hard as they could. Hailey''s entire body flung backward, and she dropped twenty feet from the sky in an instant before her wings took hold and found the air again. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. She was dazed and her vision blurry, but as Hailey looked down, there wasn''t a hole to be found. The makeshift bulletproof vest she''d turned her jacket into had held¡ªjust barely. There was a huge dent in the fake leather, and Hailey didn''t doubt for a second that she''d have a wicked bruise¡ªmaybe a broken rib or two, with how much it suddenly hurt to breathe¡ªbut she was alive. Jessica got shot, more than once, by these people. She didn''t have anything to protect her. Coughing, with blood filling her mouth from the chunk of her tongue she''d accidentally bitten off, Hailey swung in close to the roof. She was half-blind from pain, and working purely on instinct and the senses magic had given her. Malton''s men looked scared, but they were aiming for her. She had to do something. Hailey shouted. It wasn''t anything specific. A pure expression of rage, of pain, of hatred. She wanted to hurt these people for what they''d done¡ªand she could. Her tourmaline stone cracked, its face turning to pitch as Hailey''s hurricane winds doubled over in force. The nearest of Malton''s men didn''t simply stumble and fall¡ªthey were hurled from the wide flat roof of the mansion. As Hailey landed on the surface, the others were blown away, unable to aim a weapon in her direction, or even look her way. Hailey held out a hand and pulled. The guns flew to her, landing in a neat pile on the stone roof. She sent a burst of magic into her hand, strengthening it just as she had in the chamber with Rook, and punched straight down. The stack of pistols and rifles twisted underneath her, crushed into a useless heap, and the ceiling went along with it. A huge piece of the roof collapsed inward. Hailey fell through, but her wings kept her straight and aloft with ease. The twisted pile of destroyed weapons landed amid the cloud of dust and debris on the handsome wooden landing just beneath. A few of the house staff that had been cowering in the hallway scrambled away from the sudden hole she''d created. Another guard¡ªone clearly less well-trained than the professionals on the roof¡ªraised a quivering pistol. He was shaking so much, Hailey doubted he could hit her even without the gale of wind that had begun to swirl into the hall along with her. She shook her head, and with another quick pull, grabbed the pistol from his grip before he could do anything. Time to use that huge voice I bothered learning. Hailey switched out the stone in her hand for a simple agate. It wasn''t really the right gem, but she had no idea what was best for making her voice twenty times louder than usual, so she made do. The little grey-brown stone cracked and shattered in her palm as she lifted her voice, punching the air over her vocal cords to a deafening degree. Hailey''s throat shuddered and her ribs ached with pain as her voice echoed through the whole building, like a massive loudspeaker was pointed at the structure from every direction. "Everybody who isn''t Cornelius Malton, get out of here. Right now."
Jeremy tossed his phone back into his pocket as their car swung around the next curve. Makoto was keeping the thing under much better control. Apparently, he''d taken pointers from a few driving experts online during the flight from Tacoma, and was doing far better as a chase driver¡ªeven if he still managed to end up on the wrong side of the road every few turns. "Left side, dammit!" Jeremy shouted as they careened through the empty streets. A police escort a few blocks ahead was clearing up roads as fast as they could, but Jeremy didn''t want to find out how bad their luck could get if Makoto took them down the wrong road. "Doesn''t Japan drive on the left?" "I''ve only been there twice," Makoto shot back, actually annoyed for once. Cinza spoke up from the back seat, looking winded. "Have we confirmed it?" "Yeah," said Jeremy, "she went to Malton''s private estate. Motherfucker went there too. Guess he assumed we didn''t know he owned the place." Jeremy frowned. "Why the fuck''s he in hidin'', anyway? Did he know Hailey was comin'' for him?" "Maybe Rook warned him before we got to her," said Cinza, frowning. "She didn''t know Hailey was comin'' either!" "I don''t know!" cried Cinza. "Does it matter? We have to stop her!" Jeremy nodded, forcing his temper back under control with the breathing exercises they''d drummed into him. "...Okay." He nodded. "So how the fuck do we stop her? You got anythin'' in your bag of tricks?" "I''m too weak for strong magic," said Cinza, "and she''s more powerful than all of us combined. We cannot hold her back." "So we just talk her down?" asked Jeremy. "Fuck-all that did." "I¡ª" Jeremy''s phone rang. He snatched it up and answered without even blinking. "Talk to me." Maddie, of all people, was on the other end. "Hand the phone to Cinza, right now." Without a second thought, Jeremy passed it over. Give me a fuckin'' miracle, Maddie. Cinza took the phone, surprised. "Who is this?" she asked, a slight quiver in her echoey voice. The engine whined as they sped up, while Cinza listened to whatever Maddie had to say. Jeremy wished he''d just put the damn thing on speaker, but Maddie hadn''t asked for that. Whatever was going on, he just had to hope his sisters back home had something good up their sleeves, because he was completely out of ideas. He just knew they had to get to Hailey, whatever it took. "...The situation''s being broadcast live worldwide," Cinza reported. She pointed up out of the window, where they could just barely see several helicopters flying in the same direction they were driving. "Oh, fuck me," Jeremy muttered. The fuck kind of miracle is that, Maddie? "Your sister is in contact with President Stafford and¡­ illuminated him on her contacts within the Awakened," said Cinza slowly, a growing suspicion plain on her face. Oh shit¡­ Did Maddie just tell her about Rachel? No, no way. This is somethin'' else. "She''s been asked to inform us that Hailey has been issued an international warrant for her arrest and extradition back to the United States." "Do they got any bright fuckin'' ideas on how to arrest her?" Jeremy asked, grabbing ahold of the handle above the door as Makoto took another sharp turn. Malton''s estate was visible in the distance, up a long and winding driveway. The gate blocking the entrance had been blown off its hinges, and a small cadre of house staff and bodyguards were streaming away in every direction. Makoto had to slow down, else he''d plow through a half-dozen people fleeing in terror. Smoke and dust rose from the building in the distance, and Jeremy could just barely hear the sound of shattering glass and pops of gunfire. Holy shit, Hailey... Cinza smiled grimly. "The government has approved any action you might take to retrieve her, as a reinstated special agent of the Thaumaturgical division, and the British have granted you permission to act within their borders under official authority." "About fuckin'' time," Jeremy growled. "Tell Maddie thanks for me." Cinza nodded, but her expression fell as she listened to the next few sentences. "...No," she said finally. "What?" asked Jeremy. Cinza held up a hand to forestall him. Makoto was weaving through people on the driveway, blaring the horn to get them to clear the narrow road. "I will advise her as I see fit, and I will not disown her." Cinza shook her head. "Don''t play politics with my family." Jesus Christ! Jeremy leaned back and snatched the phone from Cinza''s fingers. He only managed to catch a few words from Maddie, but it was plenty chilling. "...creating a negative image for everyone. It''s best if she''s treated as an outlier and an outcast. Make it clear that you want nothing to do with her, and you''re bringing her in for public safety." "Fuck you, Maddie!" Jeremy snapped. "Jeremy?" "Hailey''s my fucking friend too," he growled¡ªsurprising himself with the indignation in his voice. How the fuck can you think like this, Maddie? "I''m not leavin'' her out for the damn wolves!" "Jeremy, you don''t understand. The public''s terrified. A lot of people just got hurt in that house. If we show support for a girl who thinks she can fly around the world and do whatever the hell she¡ª" He dropped the phone, practically shoving his finger through the screen to end the call. Cinza looked up at him, and Jeremy nodded. "We''re gettin'' her back," he said shortly. Cinza nodded. "Yes." A huge bang. Her head pitched forward into the back of his seat, hard. Makoto had spun the wheel and slammed on the brakes. The car squealed in protest as it skidded across the pavement. Jeremy spun around in his seat, squinting at the house¡ªonly to see a sleek black sedan speed past them. In the driver''s seat, a man with premature grey hair and a perpetual scowl, and seated next to him¡ª "That was Malton," said Cinza, turning to watch the car speed off. "Makoto, follow that car." "But¡ª" Makoto started, glancing up at the house. No fuckin'' way Hailey''s stayin'' there when her prey just left. Jeremy''s fear was proven true an instant later, as the front of the house exploded outward. A vague figure shot out through the dust, swooping over their car and chasing after Malton. "Follow that car," Jeremy repeated.
Hailey slammed the bodyguard against the nearest wall with one hand. He crumpled, and didn''t try to get up a second time. She heard the engine start up somewhere beneath her, and heard it speed away a few seconds later. He''s getting away! She didn''t hesitate. Ignoring the other guard that had rushed into the room, Hailey ran for the front of the mansion. The front door was locked, but Hailey couldn''t be held back by something so small. She hurled a raw wall of force outward, and the door burst open¡ªalong with the frame. Another shower of dust, and the building shuddered in response. I hope everybody listened and got out¡­ Hailey didn''t have time to check, as the black sedan streaked down the road, passing a halted SUV in the long driveway as it did. The SUV turned to follow a few seconds later. More guards? How many does this guy have? Hailey took off, ignoring the groans behind her. She shot down the driveway over the heads of the fleeing staff, following the car as fast as she could¡ªbut it was a powerful car, and she couldn''t keep up. Her only hope was to get some altitude, and cut it off at the corners in the city. She started flapping, shattering another tourmaline in her hand to get up faster. The stone around her neck was charred black now, with cracks running all over its surface, and Hailey didn''t expect it to last much longer. She was burning through gemstones at a frightening rate, and she still didn''t have Malton in her grasp. The supply she''d taken from the Laushires and her own stash weren''t going to last forever, no matter how deep Kendra''s bag might be. I can''t let him go. I can''t just let him get away with this. Hailey felt her heart racing, the adrenaline still surging through her as she plummeted back into the streets of London, swinging around corners to keep up with Malton''s vehicle. The streets were oddly clear, with police blockades set up at regular intervals for reasons passing Hailey''s understanding. Malton''s car gained distance after every turn, while Hailey lost ground and the SUV behind her gained on her. He''s going to get away, and they''re helping him do it. Of course they are. He''s rich, he''s powerful, he can do whatever he wants. The system will just bail him out, like it always does. In desperation, Hailey threw a burst of fire at the vehicle, just as Rika had tried. It looked on-target¡ªright until it dissipated into nothing in mid-air. Hailey tried again, with a full stream of fire powered by a ruby from her bag, and she felt it. Somebody was deflecting the flames. The reach of her magic was just far enough that she could feel another aura pressing back, choking out the fire she threw. Hailey switched to air, trying to cut at the tires as she had in Lakewood¡ªand her wind ran into an invisible wall of force. He''s got Viper in there. Malton might even be awakened himself. Viper probably got the Scrap Ryan lost back in Redmond. I''m up against other awakened this time, not just humans with guns. Now it''s guys with magic and guns. And he''s got more guys behind me. How am I supposed to win? Hailey felt despair creeping into her. She kept beating her wings, kept flying and kept pace with Malton''s car, but a feeling of failure had started to build up in her heart. Malton was going to get away with it. He had the police on his side, he had some awakened on his side, he had the public on his side. Nobody knew who Jessica was, but everybody knew him. Malton could pay off whoever he liked, and he wasn''t anywhere near the guys who actually carried out his plans. He''d never get blamed. He was a billionaire. Hailey was just¡­ some girl from Seattle. Not just some girl. I''m Hailey Aurora Elizabeth Winscombe. I''m the Goddess of Kent. I''m friends with the most powerful person in the world. I''m one of the most powerful people in the world¡­ and he killed my best friend. Hailey shouted in rage again, as a fresh surge of adrenaline burst through her veins, blocking out the pain in her ribs. She wasn''t going to let him get away, no matter what it took, but her current approach wasn''t working. She flapped hard and got altitude again. If I can''t catch him, I''m going to make him come to me. She kept flying forward, but as Hailey rose above the skyline, she scanned the roads ahead. Malton only had a few paths he could take, and only one that was cleared out by the police barricades as traffic built up around the other routes. The route twisted around enough that Hailey could beat him to the end, if she hurried. Keeping the car in her sights, Hailey flew up and out. She crossed over onlooking crowds and people flooded the streets, phones raised in a sea of cameras tracking her every movement. Hailey didn''t care anymore. She wanted everybody to see this¡ªto see what happened when somebody came after one of her friends. She landed near the last turn, a short two-block space where Malton''s driver would have the shortest time to react. Hailey didn''t have any gemstones for what she wanted to do¡ªshe wasn''t even sure exactly what branch of magic it fell under¡ªbut she knew she had to stop the car. With the memory of golems bursting out of the pavement in her mind, Hailey opened her palms and began to lift, pulling straight up from the ground itself, creating new substance by taking the existing earth and stretching it outward. Pipes and wiring tore as Hailey pulled straight up, new earth and solid rock forming out of the existing street in a dark imitation of the real thing. A huge wall emerged, four feet tall and spanning the whole length of the road from wall to wall. Hailey felt it pulling at her chest, harder than any magic she ever remembered. She was totally unfamiliar with this¡­ It felt like elemental magic, but it was so much different from the air and fire she usually played with. She stumbled. Pain from the gunshot impact spiked in her ribs. Hailey was losing concentration¡ªand suddenly the spell was loose. A section of the wall burst outward, chunks flying out at the speed of bullets and striking the walls all around. Hailey felt the magic slipping from her grasp, and desperately tried to cling on as the spell broke free of her control. The earth itself was threatening to swallow her up, the street grabbing at her ankles as it grew around her. Oh god. I can''t get trapped. I can''t be stuck on the ground. I¡­ No! Hailey plunged her hand into her bag, grabbing at every gemstone she could find. She hurled her mind back into the spell, forcing it to calm, shattering rock after rock as she wrestled the flailing energy back into her mind where it belonged. She finished the wall, as she intended it, and shattered the pillar of stone that had begun growing over her feet. Breathing heavily, clutching at her aching side, she turned back to the street¡ªjust in time to see her prey fall right into her clutches. As Malton''s car tore around the corner, Hailey greeted it with a grim smile. The street was curved up into a vertical slope, smashed together and impossible to traverse. She knew it, and the guy behind the wheel knew it too. The car slowed to a halt, only a block away. Hailey stepped over her makeshift barrier and walked forward, a ball of flame bursting to life in her hand almost subconsciously as she did. The SUV pulled in behind them. Let his guards come. I got this. They can''t take me. Malton got out of the car, and Viper got out of the driver seat. Perfect. "Hey," she called out. Malton glanced over at her, eyes narrowed. He was a pretty good looking guy, all things considered, but Hailey didn''t really notice. All she cared about was that she finally had him. The SUV''s doors popped open. Jeremy got out, along with Cinza and Makoto. Hailey hesitated for just a moment, but her stride didn''t waver. If anything, this was a good thing for her. Malton seemed to recognize it too, as he turned to see himself completely trapped. There was nowhere to go. Viper moved. His arm flew out, a massive burst of fire accompanying it. Hailey rolled her eyes. Attacking me with my own affinity? Seriously? The aura of the inferno preceded it, like a familiar warmth Hailey knew so intimately it might as well be her own. She caught the flames with her mind, and didn''t even bother to dissipate them. She simply spun them back around, letting them join and double-up the strength of the orb still churning in her own palm. The heat on her skin grew tenfold, and sweat began to bead on her arms, but Hailey took it all in. She wanted to feel that pain. She wanted to feel it, take it in, and give it to them. "You''re Cornelius Malton, right?" Hailey shouted, though of course she knew exactly who he was. He nodded slowly. "I don''t know you," he called back. Viper was still standing next to the SUV. He had a gun at his hip, and seemed to be debating going for it. Hailey decided to solve the dilemma for him. Still maintaining the growing orb of fire in her hand, she flung out her mind at the pistol¡ªonly to find his own mental grip holding it steady. Hailey tugged, but to her surprise, Viper held firm. He couldn''t get it out either, but neither of them could lay a real claim to it. Hailey glanced at him, surprised. "Huh." Viper shrugged. "Makes two of us. Who the fuck are you?" Her eyes narrowed. He doesn''t know? I mean, I didn''t think Malton would¡­ but even the guy running the mission doesn''t know me? "Hailey Winscombe," said Malton. "I didn''t think you''d be working for her." ...Do what now? "...For who?" Malton frowned. "You aren''t here for her? To finish me off?" "I''m here for Jessica Silverdale," said Hailey, finally coming within only a few steps of the pair. She held the ball of flame up to the hood of Malton''s car, letting them watch the metal melt from proximity alone. "The girl you murdered in Lakewood." "I don''t even know who that¡ª" Malton started, but Hailey cut him off. "My best friend," she snapped. Before Malton could get in another word, she slammed him with a gust of wind, knocking him off his feet. Viper lunged forward, but Hailey held up the churning ball of flame¡ªso superheated now it was like holding a ball of white lava¡ªand the sheer heat drove him back. Only Hailey''s shielding of the fire kept her from bursting into flames herself, and in the meantime she was still holding Viper''s gun in its holster, and launching another gust of wind at Malton. I can''t hold onto all of this¡­ Something''s going to break. "Hailey!" shouted Cinza. The girl cautiously approached the scene, swathed in her shimmering grey cloak, lit by the setting sun. Hailey looked up at her, with still Malton on the ground at her feet. Somehow, even down, the man still looked dignified. Hailey hated him a little more for that¡ªshe wanted him to be humiliated, to cower, feel the weight of what he''d done and show remorse. "Hailey, back the fuck off!" shouted Jeremy, only a couple steps behind the girl. Makoto was back by the car, watching from a distance¡ªand far behind, Hailey finally noticed the gathering crowd. Cameras, people, helicopters, the works. Everybody was watching. Everyone saw. She could tell the world. "No," she replied. "...No?" asked Jeremy, raising an eyebrow. "Hailey, this isn''t the right call. You gotta back down." "He killed her." "I don''t even know who that is," shouted Malton, surprisingly calm even with his back almost flat on the ground and his clothing fluttering wildly in the gust. "Hailey¡­ you''re expending too much energy," said Cinza. Hailey realized the girl''s aura was probing her spells¡ªa light touch at the edge of the fire, the flurry of wind still pressing Malton to the ground, even the ongoing mental war between herself and Viper. "This is moving beyond your control." "I can take two guys," Hailey shot back. "That fire you''re holding," said Cinza, nodding at her hand. "Why are you still holding it?" "I¡­" Hailey trailed off. Why was she still holding it? She didn''t exactly need it to intimidate them¡­ but she couldn''t let go of it. It was too much, too hot. The sheer amount of energy gathered there was beyond anything she''d ever conceived¡­ and she didn''t have control anymore. It was growing beyond her. She still fed it energy, but only to keep from losing control. It was an inferno threatening to explode with the force of a supernova. "...I can''t," she whispered. "...The fuck?" asked Jeremy, glancing at Cinza with a worried expression. "Hailey pushed too much power into it, got distracted and lost the original spell," said Cinza. "She doesn''t have control. She''s holding it together by the thinnest of nets. If she loses concentration, it will explode." "And do what?" "Kill us all, I imagine, and probably everyone within a few blocks," said Cinza, "if not much further. I''ve no idea how strong it is. My own senses were overwhelmed just looking at it." She tried to sound calm, but even Hailey¡ªas suddenly overwhelmed as she felt¡ªdidn''t miss the quaver in her echoing voice. Cinza was terrified. Of her. "But what about the rule?" asked Jeremy. "Whatever-the-fuck¡­ Mason. Mason''s Law. She can''t hurt us." Cinza shook her head. "It''s no longer her spell. It''s raw energy, and far more than should be contained in such a space." She took a step forward, around Malton and toward Hailey. "Hailey¡­" she said softly. Oh god¡­ what am I doing? I¡­ I need to¡­ focus. I need to take him down. Hailey''s eyes locked back on Malton, still stuck on the ground beneath her. He didn''t seem so self-assured anymore. "You ordered a mission, right?" she growled. "W-what?" Malton''s eyes drifted to the swirling ball of energy now pulsating in Hailey''s hand. It seemed to be getting hotter, if anything, and Hailey was doing everything in her power to keep it under control. She let go of the gust of wind on Malton to conserve some energy, though she still held Viper in check with her other spell. Hailey raised her voice, so that the whole world could hear her. "Redmond, Washington. You ordered this man¡ª" Hailey jerked her head sideways at Viper, who stood stock-still, glaring at her. "¡ªto try and kidnap an Awakened and bring them back here. To cut them open. Just like you did in Rallsburg." A faint gasp from the crowd. Hailey had their attention. "Nonsense," said Malton. "This is ridiculous." "Hailey, this is a bad idea," said Cinza. "You need to calm down." She took another step forward. Hailey snapped her head up to meet Cinza''s eyes¡ªsmall, dark brown, with that guarded air that Hailey had never quite liked. "I''m calm," Hailey shot back. "I''m telling the world what he did, so they know why he deserves exactly what''s coming to him." "That''s what the fuckin'' courts are for," said Jeremy, taking a step forward himself. "Let the motherfucker stand trial." "And get off easy?" Hailey cried. "You know he won''t get linked to a single thing. The courts haven''t been worth anything in decades. It''ll be a scandal for just a few weeks, and everybody will forget. He''ll go back to his normal life as one of the richest people on the whole planet." "You don''t know that," said Jeremy. "Yeah, I do," said Hailey bitterly. Mom said it, we''re in a post-scandal world. Nobody''s gonna care. Nobody will remember what he did. Jessica''s¡­ oh god. The ball of fire pulsed dangerously in her hand. Everyone winced, but Hailey quickly got it under control. "You know what they told me?" she asked. "...No?" Jeremy shook his head. "Hailey, what the fuck is going on?" "They told me to go make a difference," said Hailey. And I screwed it up, but I''m going to make up for it. I''ve got the real guy here now. "This is the difference. I''m not going to leave it up to the courts to handle crimes they don''t understand yet." "She was shot," Jeremy shouted, anger rising in his own voice. "We know how to fuckin'' handle that." He shook his head. "What are you gonna do, Hailey? Kill him? What''s that gonna help?" He nodded at the crowd. "The whole world is watchin'', girl. You''re Hailey-goddamn-Winscombe. If you kill him, that''s the game. He wins." Hailey could hear sirens. The London Police were surrounding the area. She glanced up at the line of onlookers, as the officers and tactical teams fought their way to the front past the sea of cameras. Cinza turned around, and her voice amplified by an order of magnitude. "Stay back!" The entire crowd halted in its tracks. Every officer froze in place. A few in the rear turned and ran. ...I''m scaring them. "...I can''t just let him go," said Hailey finally, looking at Jeremy. "He killed her." Jeremy nodded. "We ain''t gonna. I promise you that." "Hailey," said Cinza, her voice returned to normal volume, "you''ve gone too far. You''ve endangered this entire city. Let me help you." Hailey coughed. Her throat was beginning to seize up from the strain. Her muscles and bones ached. She nodded slowly. "...Please," she gasped. Cinza walked forward. Jeremy drew his pistol, training his aim right on Malton''s head. Malton looked around. "I haven''t done anything," he protested. "Fuck off," Jeremy growled. He put a foot onto Malton''s shoulder and forced him back to the ground, holding him steady. His gun switched to Viper in an instant, before the mercenary could voice a word of protest. "Move a muscle and you''re fucked, asshole." The flames in Hailey''s hand were bubbling over, like boiling water trapped and about to burst. She could feel the sheer amount of power packed inside, from her own efforts and the energy she''d taken from Viper''s attacks. Visions of backfiring spells flooded her mind: Jenny Wilson and Alex Nelson in the R.V., bisected. Cinza herself, only barely avoiding catastrophe from the magnetic ritual to kill Omega. Jessica. Hailey felt real fear now, a quiver through her spine and moisture in her eyes. She held out her left hand, and took Cinza''s firmly. The smaller girl''s hand was tiny in her own, but Hailey could feel Cinza''s essence flooding through the surface of her skin, ready to break free in an instant if only it could find a place to flow. "Help me," Hailey whispered. Because I couldn''t help her. Please. Cinza nodded. Hailey reached out, and Cinza''s aura met her. She let all the energy she could release flow forth, and Cinza took it in. Her eyes closed tight, and her concentration shifted. The aura shifted around, and Hailey felt herself pulled back toward the churning energy. Together, she and Cinza grasped at the edges of it. Little by little, they drained it away. Hailey couldn''t tell where it was going, but Cinza seemed to have a plan, and Hailey simply let her take charge. The heat dissipated, and the orb dimmed, until finally¡ªafter several minutes of painstaking work¡ªthe flames hissed and sputtered into nothingness. Jeremy let out a huge sigh of relief. "Fuckin'' magic," he muttered. Cinza smiled, opening her eyes again. "Thank you." "...For what?" Hailey whispered, while her brain threatened to collapse in on itself. She felt like she''d just run a marathon. Every bone ached, her lungs hurt, her head spun. Her wings refused to do more than tired stretching, not even a flutter. Her magic felt so far away, when only minutes before she was at the height of her power. Wait¡­ "Did you¡­ take it somehow?" Cinza shook her head. "I don''t think that''s possible. No, I wanted to thank you for letting me in." She bowed slightly. "It''s a true privilege to experience magic such as yours." To Hailey''s relief, she could feel it beginning to recover already¡ªthe swirling wind that would grow back into a tornado, little by little. She nodded. "Thanks." As one, the three of them glared back down at Malton. Hailey was the first to speak. "You''re going to confess." "To what?" he asked. "Kidnappin'', conspiracy, murder, whatever fuckin'' charges I like," said Jeremy. "Unless you want to get dragged through a trial for the next couple years, which I guar-fuckin''-tee you''ll lose." Malton shook his head. "You can''t. I have rights, and I''m the victim here. How do you think it''s going to look? Three foreigners¡ª" He paused, eyeing Cinza''s silver-grey robes with a raised eyebrow "¡ªassaulting and dragging away one of Her Majesty''s subjects in broad daylight? You assaulted my staff and destroyed my home. They won''t let this stand. You''re mad." "Three foreigners?" Cinza laughed. "Trust me, Cornelius, every single one of us is more famous and powerful than you are." Jeremy shook his head. "Fuck no I ain''t." "...More famous, then," Cinza amended. Jeremy shrugged. Cinza continued, her voice dripping with disgust for the man sprawled on the ground beneath them. "Let me demonstrate for you." She nodded to Hailey. "Would you mind?" Hailey bent down, and with only a little bit of magic to assist her, pulled Malton to his feet. She pushed him along, limping after Cinza toward the wide array of news crews and police watching from the sidelines. Jeremy called Makoto over to keep an eye on Viper after disarming him, then followed the other two in a hurry. He rejoined them just as they reached the line. Cinza raised her hands for silence. Her ethereal voice could be heard loud and clear across the entire crowd. "My name is Cinza." With those four words, Cinza had their absolute attention. The whole crowd fell completely silent, hanging onto every word. "I am the author of the so-called Diaries, which were taken from me by Nathaniel Price and sold to the highest bidder. Every word in them is by my hand, but I would have you speak to me rather than hear stolen thoughts borne of greed and betrayal." She turned, gesturing in a wide stance to Malton, whom Hailey still held tight next to her. "This man, Cornelius Malton, is responsible for the events in Lakewood, Washington. His subordinates carried out orders on his behalf to abduct one of our own, and in doing so, provoked a response from the real threat lurking among us." Cinza cleared her throat, and nodded at Hailey to step aside while she took the center. Hailey did so, her mind numb, still reeling from what she''d almost done. She couldn''t think, couldn''t focus. The whole world might as well have been a vague blur around her, except for Cinza''s piercing, echoey voice. "There is a man in the forests near Rallsburg. His name is Brian Hendricks. He has called would-be crusaders to his side in an attempt to slaughter us, to a child. The golems of Tacoma were his. The golems of Lakewood were his. The responsibility for this mess lies with Brian Hendricks, and with Cornelius Malton. I present them to you." Jeremy was itching forward now, muttering under his breath. "...Cinza, we were goin'' to put them on trial," he hissed. "This ain''t right." She turned to him, and her voice didn''t drop a single decibel. "This is their trial. These people are the court. I present the facts, and the world may do as they see fit." Cinza turned back to the cameras, but even Hailey felt some misgivings now. This is insane¡­ I mean, I want Malton to be punished but¡­ this is like, mob rule. "I didn''t come here to talk to you today. I came here from the Greywood because my sister in magic, Hailey Winscombe, was in pain and needed my help. Her best friend in the whole world was murdered: a young woman named Jessica Silverdale." Hailey winced at Jessica''s name. Cinza¡­ what are you doing? "Jessica Silverdale," Cinza repeated firmly, while a dozen reporters took notes, cameras flashed, and the whole world waited with baited breath. "Remember her name. Cornelius Malton''s men shot her dead in the streets in Lakewood, for the crime of trying to save someone''s life. She never harmed a soul, and yet she was murdered in cold blood by ruthless men looking to control magic for their own profit." Cinza spat the final word on the ground, her ire tangible. "Jessica Silverdale. Remember that name, for she was a true hero. "There is evil in this world, and we will not stand by while thieves in the night and cowards of fortune seek to erase our very existence. Men like Cornelius Malton, men like Brian Hendricks, and any soul who would join the genocidal crusade against my people: take heed. You have seen what we can do. Even a man at the top of your world cannot escape justice if we seek it. If you come, we will defend ourselves." Cinza turned to the nearest police officer. "Take him," she said, nodding to Malton. "The Greywood relinquishes any claim on his fate. Do what you will with him." Nobody moved. The officer Cinza had chosen took a nervous step forward. Cinza turned, cloak sweeping wide behind her, and walked away without looking back. Hailey, after some reluctance, let go of Malton and limped after her, while her adrenaline faded and the pain of the gunshot really started to set in. Jeremy caught up a few moments later, Makoto right behind him. A low murmur filled the crowd, but Hailey couldn''t tell at all what the reaction was like. Yet again, in front of the cameras and crowds, Hailey felt like she''d been completely blindsided¡ªonly this time, it had come from the girl standing next to her, someone she''d considered a friend. "Cinza, what the fuck was that?" Jeremy hissed, quietly enough that no one would overhear. Cinza smiled grimly. "A declaration of war." [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] Transitions III Part VI All the World''s a Stage Transitions III LIVE: BBC1: "AWAKENED" HAILEY WINSCOMBE ATTACKS MALTON ESTATE LIVE: justagirlinlondon: HOLY SHIT MAGIC FLYING GIRL CAR CHASE - GROUND VIEW LIVE: RebelJournalism: THE REVOLUTION STARTS HERE: Hailey Winscombe Takes Down Corrupt Billionaire LIVE: MikeMasters: BBC RESTREAM: AWAKENED UNCHECKED - EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TO OUR DEMOCRACY LIVE: JimThePirate: BBC RESTREAM: gaming on pause, this shit is crazy. get the popcorn They watched the whole chase on a laptop in a safehouse, several streets away from the basement where Riley had taken Lily Laushire. Lani kept one hand on his holstered pistol at all times. He couldn''t let Riley out of his sight. He still couldn''t quite believe what he''d seen¡ªor the woman she''d been hiding underneath all along. He still didn''t, really. Every movement, every tiny reaction didn''t match up with the "Rook" he''d met in that basement. As Viper emerged from the car and tried to draw his gun, Riley leaned forward anxiously. "Hailey won''t do anything," said Lani confidently. He felt a need to reassure her, try to comfort her, despite everything he''d learned. Riley shook her head. "She''ll defend herself if she has to." "She promised he''d be okay." Lani frowned. "It might be hard to keep him anonymous after this, though." She nodded. "I''ll take care of that." "How?" Riley glanced over her shoulder, throwing him a wink. "I''ve got my ways." Lani''s eyes narrowed, and his grip on the gun tightened. "...Don''t." The half-playful tone vanished, chilled to ice in an instant. "I can handle it." Who is she? What is she? Lani got distracted a moment later, as Cinza emerged and gave her speech¡ªdeclaring their independence. Their autonomy. "She cannot succeed," said Riley. Lani frowned. "She''s got a lot on her side, you know. She could pull this off." "Form a new nation in the midst of America? After taking part in an assault on one of the wealthiest men in the world in broad daylight?" "Being wealthy just helps her," said Lani, leaning back in his chair, feeling like he''d just gone through the same windstorm that suddenly swept through the crowd as Hailey took off again, straight into the clouds and out of sight. "Everybody resents the rich these days. She''s set us up as the victims¡ªwhich we are, you know." "You," Riley reminded him. "I am not one of you." Malton was approaching the cameras now, though Viper continued to hang back in the shadows. The news crews didn''t quite let him out of their sight¡ªand based on what Lani knew, he doubted Viper would leave without the big boss anyway. As soon as Malton reached the ragged line of press and police, a dozen microphones and cameras shoved into his face, each begging for his personal attention. "I have been viciously attacked and slandered today. That¡ªthat girl and her associates came into my home unprovoked and accused me of a crime I did not commit." "Bullshit," muttered Lani, channeling Jeremy a bit. A pang of guilt accompanied the feeling, remembering that he''d just ditched his partner in the field for the sake of a woman he couldn''t entirely trust. "We''ve got one of your guys in custody." "That man will never talk," said Riley. "With what he has hanging over his head?" asked Lani. "Homicide, domestic terrorism, and whatever else Aderholt wants to pin to his chest. He''s not ever coming back." Riley shrugged. "He knew what he signed up for. He understands loyalty." "And you?" Lani turned away from the screen, where Malton was simply repeating his claims of innocence until Viper finally dragged him away into the car. "You turned on your boss. Where''s your loyalty?" "I never worked for Malton," said Riley quietly. Her eyes flicked over to the screen. Viper bodily pushed a reporter away from the car before climbing into the driver''s seat once more. "He is unbridled ambition and cannot be trusted." "So¡­ your partner." Lani sighed. Riley nodded. Her voice shifted back again¡ªback to the woman he''d fallen in love with over the past two weeks. "Haven''t you ever had somebody like that, Lani? Somebody so important, that you''d do anything for them, no matter what? Without question, in perfect trust?" "...Yeah," said Lani. You, up until about six hours ago. He knew he was falling right into the same trap he always did¡ªsomething Jeremy had called him out on, in fact. He got too easily attached. Lani was young and inexperienced, and he knew it. First it was a girl back home in Hawaii, who''d flat-out rejected him. Next, Jeremy''s sister of all people¡ªwho''d done the world for his self-esteem by letting him down easy. Maddie was the reason he''d pulled himself back together, after all. Except¡­ Riley had turned on Malton. She obviously didn''t hold much love for the man. Even before Hailey had shown up, she''d already been trying to get away. Maybe she wasn''t lying. Riley smiled. "Stefen''s that guy, you know? Not¡­ not like that. He''s like my brother." Lani couldn''t help feeling a bit of relief at that word. "Even though he''s done some horrible things?" "So have I," she reminded him. "I didn''t enjoy it. I was helping him, because he''d helped me. It never really crossed my mind until much later what I was doing, and by then¡­" Riley shook her head. How much of this is just her screwing with me? Trying to get on my good side? Lani''s hand still hadn''t ever left his gun, and he knew for certain Riley was unarmed. They were seated far enough apart that he could draw and fire in time. Yet¡­ some part of him believed every word. "You probably think I''m just fucking with you," said Riley, coughing slightly. Lani winced. "No, I¡ª" "Seriously," said Riley. She turned away, posture shifting from the casual slump of Riley to the hard knife-edge of Rook. "I can switch it on and off whenever I want because I had to. That is how you survive. If you''re in the middle of a combat zone, that is how you stay sane. You make jokes and have fun one minute, and then you''ve gotta be a cold-blooded killer the next. Stay too long on either side and you''re dead." She sighed. "I learned how to use it, and I abused it as much as I could. When I returned home, that skill came with me. I made a career out of it." "Riley," said Lani firmly. She glanced up at him. "My name''s not Riley, you know. Or Rook, or Tessa, or anything even Viper knows. I just pick whatever works at the time." Lani shook his head. "You''re Riley." Riley smiled. "You''re a nice guy, Lani. I know you probably won''t believe it, but I really did like you." "I love you." Riley rolled her eyes. "Lani, didn''t you just hear a word I said?" He shook his head. "I don''t care." "...What?" "So you used to be all those things. I used to be an FBI agent, and a crappy surfer, and a bad son." Lani shrugged. "You know what this whole awakening thing means?" "That the world''s probably going to end?" Lani nodded. "That this world''s probably gonna end. I''m on the other side now though, and I get to be whatever I want to be over here." He took his hand off his pistol and held it out between them. Riley stared at him, ice-blue eyes unreadable. Lani could never really tell what she was thinking, even before he''d understood who she really was underneath. "You know what I''ve done, right?" she asked. Lani shook his head. "As far as I''m concerned, that was some other person named Rook. All Riley''s done is spent a couple weeks in the Greywood, still deciding whether magic''s really for her or not." Riley looked back to the TV. They''d finally switched off the street coverage. Still photos of Malton and Viper across from Hailey and Cinza filled the screen. Riley shook her head. "I''ve made threats and I''ve hurt people. I can''t just walk away from that." "Why not?" "Don''t be naive, Lani," said Riley, a hint of Rook biting through each word. "You heard Cinza. She''d kill me if she could." "Make it up to her," he said abruptly, speaking as fast as the idea blossomed in his head. "Cinza''s a fair leader. She listens. I''ll vouch for you." "You''ll¡­" Riley shook her head. "You''ve been there as long as I have. Why would they listen to you?" Lani grinned. "Because we''re going to give them Malton." "...How?" "You''ll have to be Rook a little bit longer." Lani got out his phone, tapping through his notes. "If you flip on the biggest target the Bureau''s ever had, they''ll leap at it. You''ll get an immunity deal in seconds. That clears you legally. As for Rallsburg¡­ well, you never actually did anything there, did you?" "...Nothing that involved the Greycloaks," said Riley, nodding. Lani shook his head. "If we''re going to pull this off, you need to tell me everything. I''m bringing you in as a witness here, essentially." "You really think this will work?" she asked, a surprising amount of vulnerability in her voice. "You sure you don''t just want to run away somewhere? Me and you, a good view, nobody else around?" Lani shook his head. "The world''s too small. There''s nowhere you can just run away to anymore." Riley sighed. "Not with magic in the game, I guess¡­" She grabbed Lani''s hand and squeezed it. "I''m done running. I never wanted to work for him anyway. As long as Stefen is unharmed, I''m in." "And I don''t really want to be an FBI agent anymore," said Lani, grinning. "Let''s both start over." Riley leaned in and kissed him. "I think it''ll take a lot more convincing for everybody else¡­ They never trusted me." "Well, yeah¡­ You didn''t really help that much by¡­" Lani trailed off. "That''s it. That''s what you need to do." "What?" "Cross over. Show them you''ve changed." Lani reached into his pocket, withdrawing the scrap of parchment he''d been carrying every single day since he found it. He''d never let it more than a few feet away. It seemed waterproof and practically indestructible, with not a single new bit of wear on it despite its appearance. Riley''s eyes widened as he withdrew it and held it up between them. "Start a new life." "But¡­" Riley shook her head. "Lani, I wasn''t lying about that." "I know." "I''m afraid of it." "I know." "You don''t," she said firmly. "I don''t do afraid. I haven''t been afraid of anything since I was fourteen." "What happened when you were fourteen?" Riley winced. She hesitated, seeming to struggle with every word. "...They took me away. Put me on a ship out of Helsinki. I never found out where..." She trailed off. "It''s not a good memory." "...I''m so sorry." She nodded, her expression hardening once more. "As you said. I am telling you everything." "Yeah." Lani lowered the Scrap, meaning to withdraw it, but Riley held him by the wrist. Her voice softened, back to the one Lani had fallen for. "You really think it''ll help?" He nodded. "I think it shows you''re willing to try." Trembling slightly, Riley picked the Scrap off of Lani''s open palm. She started to unroll it, but paused, glancing back to him. "Even though you know I could still just be fucking with you? That I''m just doing this to save my own skin?" "Are you?" Lani asked. Riley shook her head. "No." "Then that''s all I need to hear." Lani scooted his chair back, giving her a little space. "I trust you, Riley." She smiled. "You know, I actually really like the name Riley. I''m glad I picked that for my new life, wherever the hell we end up." Before Lani could say another word, Riley looked down at the Scrap and began to read. She didn''t need any instruction¡ªafter all, she must have seen more awakenings than Lani even knew about, between Viper, Malton''s men, and any she witnessed in Rallsburg. Lani was reminded just how much more Riley knew about the world he professed to be a member of, and she hadn''t even formally joined it until now. As Riley fell backward off the chair, Lani moved to catch her. She struggled through the process in his arms. Grey-eyes appeared next to them, as she always did. Her eyes widened briefly in surprise, but she got to work. As Grey-eyes whispered the life-giving words in Riley''s ears, the woman slowly came back to the world. Her ice-blue eyes fluttered open as she gasped through her first breaths of her new life. Grey-eyes sat back, watching the two of them carefully. Lani grinned down at Riley. "How was it?" "Awful," she spluttered¡ªbut she didn''t move her head from Lani''s lap. She still didn''t look exactly happy, but it was a start. Riley twisted over a little to look up at the girl sitting next to them. "That''s it, right?" Grey-eyes nodded. "You''re awakened now. You don''t need me to tell you what that means." "No kidding." Riley nodded. "So¡­ what happens now?" "You live your life." Grey-eyes shrugged. "I can''t tell you what to do." Lani put a hand on Riley''s cheek. She clutched at it, holding it close like a lifeline. "Our new lives," he amended. She kissed his hand. "Our new lives," she agreed. Grey-eyes stared at the two of them for a moment before disappearing. Lani helped Riley to her feet. "So what do we do first?" Riley glanced around nervously. "Well¡­ I guess I should probably learn how to actually use magic, if I''m one of you now." "Well, yeah," said Lani, "but I meant more big-picture. Should we go back to the Greywood? Get in touch with Stefen? Talk to the rest of the Bureau?" "I''m not sure." Riley shrugged. "I hadn''t planned further ahead than¡­" she winced. "What?" "Than abducting Kendra Laushire," she muttered. "That was such a reckless move," she added, shaking her head. "Yeah¡­ that was pretty insane," Lani agreed, grinning slightly. "How were you even going to get away with that?" "I didn''t," Riley pointed out. She grimaced. "...Should I apologize? Would that be too weird?" "Weird? Yes. But you still should¡­ when we can." Lani shrugged. "Before we go any further, we need to get you some protection¡ªsomething better than deadman switch blackmail," he added, frowning. Riley shook her head. "There never was any deadman switch. I was bluffing." "Oh." Lani raised an eyebrow. "That was¡­ pretty fast thinking." She nodded. "And without Malton, I have no protection. It''s just me." "So that''s our first step then. We''re going to the Bureau. My last case as an agent before I turn in my badge and gun." "You sure you want to do that?" asked Riley. Lani nodded. "Like I said, I''m done with this job. I found something else to do that''s way more important." "Don''t say me, or I''ll slap you," she smirked. He laughed. "No. I''m going back to work for Cinza. She''s going to need all the help she can get after that. Everybody in the whole world''s going to want a piece of her now. She needs people like us." Riley frowned. "...Yeah, she does." She glanced over at the wall, where her long bag sat¡ªwith her rifle, explosives, and so many other tools of her past life. "You know, she''s so much different than what Stefen told me. Do you think¡ª" Lani leaned down and kissed her before she could say another word. "Use them to protect somebody for once, right?" She nodded. "Exactly."
EXCLUSIVE PHOTO: Kendra Laushire private plane at LCY??? unconscious, accompanied by Cinza + A.Ashe + unknown. @SirThomasLaushire picked up daughter. Related to @CMGMalton attack? ¡ª Shared: 1.6m ... reply: Cinza just finished calling out Malton. Didn''t name Kendra as a victim. Maybe she''s been in a coma since Rallsburg? reply: Speculation is useless until somebody gets an interview with her and her dad. reply: If Cinza''s keeping it quiet, maybe it''s because they did it? reply: you think her coma''s caused by magic? reply: can''t rule anything out. she''s been off the radar for months. rumors and paparazzi photo from august were obviously fake. reply: why do you say "obviously"??? reply: yeah, definitely fakes. she must have been in a coma since Rallsburg blew up. jeez. reply: brutal reply: just another reason this shit can''t go on. need to get control of this. where''s our government when we need them? reply: They announced a bunch of new initiatives a couple days ago. obviously the U.S. didn''t know shit about magic, and if they didn''t know in their own backyard, the rest of the world is gonna be playing catch-up. reply: @SirThomasLaushire how about funding for investigating this shit? all these ''awakened''? since your daughter just got PUT INTO A COMA BECAUSE OF THEM!!! reply: dude, the guy thought his daughter was dead this whole time, don''t be a dick. reply: lol, like a billionaire''s gonna notice this guy with ten followers. reply: hope she gets well soon. she''s sexy af. #redheads reply: great job being an asshole. she''s in a coma. reply: ---DELETED--- reply: holy shit that was dark.
The show was over, but her heart raced even faster. She''d been using the ongoing broadcast as an excuse not to get out of the car¡ªto delay their meeting just a little bit longer. She sat in the roomy back surrounded by blacked-out windows, with a tinted shutter separating the driver from her. Not a soul could see or hear her, but that state could only last for so long. The string tied around her heart went slack for a few seconds, then pulled taut once again. Lily took a few deep breaths from the unexpected lack of oxygen. The gap in her life essence had stopped her breathing. Every time it happened, it was a stark, painful reminder of what she was¡ªand what she could never truly be. The gaps were rare. A steady river of energy flowed into her at all hours of the day, even while she slept. It kept her alive, but it was a tether. Lily was bound to that stream every waking instant of her life. She could never move too far away, lest the flow wither and parch her of her very existence. Lily took another deep breath, though she''d already cleared away the panic-filled breathless moment, and got out of the car, stepping out into the private garage of the Laushire mansion. Lily wished she could hate the string that held her, but how could she? Could a puppet truly hate its master, if nonexistence was the only alternative? As much as Lily might wish otherwise, she only lived because Kendra had created her. In that terrifying moment, Lily had been born¡ªa perfect copy in every single detail except one: Lily Laushire couldn''t survive on her own. With every step toward the house proper, Lily felt the river grow a little bit stronger, a little wider and steadier. In that way, she always knew roughly how far away her sister stood. They''d never been able to quantify it, despite many attempts, and it gave her no real sense of direction, but it still served as a makeshift tool to find one-another¡ªif only it worked in both directions. Kendra could never sense her. It only worked for Lily, for whatever reason. They''d theorized about it endlessly¡ªbut how useful could her input be, when she had the same brain and education as her original? Lily felt superfluous, since Kendra was the one who maintained her, and thus the one who had to trace back the origin of the flow. No doubt, though, Lily''s sister likely felt the same resentment¡ªthat her clone possessed a power she lacked. Kendra had never said anything, but Lily knew. The elder Collins McCreary stood by the door. As Lily emerged, his ever-professional fa?ade cracked. His eyes widened, his mouth opened slightly. Lily swept forward, unabashed. After all, this was her childhood home. No matter the arcane nature of her birth, she had every memory her sister did. "Good to see you again, Collins," she said as she strode up the wide staircase. "I believe my father is expecting me." "...Y-yes, marm," he spluttered. He quickly pulled open the door for her. "Welcome home, miss Kendra." Lily halted in the portal, glancing sidelong at the old man. "I presume you''re aware of the other?" "I¡­ I am, marm." She extended one gloved hand to Collins, who''d always been something of a co-conspirator to her as a child, and someone she trusted wholeheartedly. "My name is Lily." He knelt and kissed her hand, ever obsessed with protocol. "Miss Lily, it is an honor to meet you." Collins frowned. "But¡­ I don''t understand. How did I not know¡ª" Lily nudged her hand, prompting Collins back to his feet. She smiled. "In good time, Collins. We''ll catch up. My deepest condolences for your son. I wasn''t there, but I know that he fell helping others to escape certain death." Largely by acting as an involuntary distraction, if Hailey is to be believed. "Thank¡­ Thank you, marm." "Please inform my father I''ve arrived. I''ll be in the guest sitting room." This was not part of the usual protocol, and both Lily and Collins were well aware. The old man raised an eyebrow, but knew better than to question an order from a Laushire in their own home. He hurried away. Lily proceeded into the sitting room, where another servant was quick to bring her favorite tea. Even after a good seven years exiled across the world, the house staff hadn''t forgotten her. Not that Lily had ever actually been there, of course. The steady pulse of life flowing into her heart told her that Kendra was in the building somewhere, and close enough that they could coexist with little conscious effort. After the sheer trauma they''d both experienced during the Atlantic crossing, feeling her sister so close was a welcome relief. Lily had never known such gradual, all-encompassing pain as she had when Malton''s plane took off¡ªwhen she''d been pulled further away from Kendra than ever before. She assumed that Kendra had lost consciousness. Lily hadn''t¡ªshe''d endured every agonizing second as she struggled to breathe, brain operating on nearly nothing, kept functioning only by the faint stream of life cast across the ocean itself by her sister. Why did you keep me alive? A rumble of footsteps. Fine shoes on polished wood floors. Lily sipped her tea nonchalantly as her parents burst into the room, legs crossed and an airy expression on her face. If Lily had to go through this confrontation, she was at least going to enjoy it a little. Thomas stopped dead as he entered the room, eyes wide. Lily had never seen her father speechless in her life. Her mother wore a similar awestruck look, as if she''d seen a ghost. "Hello mother, father," said Lily, leaning back in the chair and setting aside her tea. She wished she''d at least had something else to wear than her dressing gown and a jacket from the plane, but her abductor hadn''t exactly given her time to dress appropriately. "It''s nice to finally meet." "...I don''t¡­" Mary started, trailing off yet again. She sat down in her usual armchair. The nearest servant¡ªHalestrom, as Lily recalled¡ªnervously provided another cup of tea, and one for Thomas. "Thank you, Halestrom," said Lily, and was rewarded with a flicker of recognition. She''d gotten the name right. "Please, give us the room?" Halestrom nodded, retreating with Collins and closing the doors behind them. As soon as the room was sealed, Thomas was back on his feet again. "What are you?" he snapped. "Your daughter," said Lily mildly, taking another sip of tea just to irritate him. "I daresay you''re familiar with the concept." "But Kenni''s upstairs¡­" Mary shook her head. "This can''t be happening." "Is this some magic thing?" asked Thomas. Lily nodded. "In a manner of speaking. I assure you, I am real, and I am your daughter. For the sake of clarity, you may call me Lily." Mary glanced up at the ceiling, where Kendra was presumably sequestered away. "But¡­ but¡ª" "Kenni created me," said Lily shortly. "She and I are linked. I assume she was quite ill when she arrived?" "Coma," whispered Thomas, steadying himself on the back of the nearest armchair. "She hasn''t woken up." "Ah." Lily nodded. "That would explain it." "Explain what?" he asked. "Why she didn''t return my calls." Lily got to her feet. "Take me to her." "Now wait just a minute," said Mary, rising to match her daughter. "I still don''t know who you are, or what you''re doing here." Lily sighed. "Mother, I''m here to make sure your daughter doesn''t die today. What proof do you require that I am who I say I am? Honestly, the name alone ought be enough." "...Excuse me?" Thomas gasped. "...Lily," he murmured. "Her imaginary friend." "You''re not saying¡ª" said Mary, frantically looking back to her pseudo-daughter. Lily smiled. "Nostalgia crossed with an ironic joke, nothing more." She glanced up in the vague direction she assumed Kendra must be. "If she''s here, you must have summoned Doctor Niabe?" she asked, referring to their family physician. "Yes," said Thomas, clearly past the trust barrier by now. "We were discussing whether to move her when you arrived." Lily nodded. "It would not have made a difference, but I appreciate the thought. Please, take me to her?" she added, more politely than before. Thomas hurried to open the door. Mary still looked suspicious of her, but Lily could hardly fault caution given the events of the day. They walked as a family up the wide staircase and straight to Kendra''s old room. With every step, Lily felt her life grow a little bit stronger, her connection to magic more powerful, her sense of Kendra steadier. By the time they opened the doors to her old room, Lily felt like she''d been brought back to life from the brink, rejuvenated and renewed. "Sir Laushire!" said Doctor Niabe, looking up from Kendra''s bed as the door swung wide. "I didn''t¡­" She trailed off as Lily swept into the room impatiently, moving to sit by her sister''s bed. "I''m sorry," she added. "I think I might be hallucinating." "Indeed," said Thomas weakly. Lily took her sister''s hand, squeezing it. Kendra was still unconscious, despite the steady flow of energy between the two of them. "Kenni," she murmured. "You''re giving me too much. You need to wake up." "...What?" asked Niabe. Lily glanced up at her. "Doctor, you have my gratitude for your care, but there isn''t any more you can do here. Please excuse us." Niabe nodded. "Sure." She retreated from the room, leaving the four Laushires alone. As soon as she was gone, Lily grasped Kendra''s hand with both of her own, and began her work. She opened the stream of magic once again, creating a loop. As soon as Kendra''s magic reached her, Lily sent it right back out to her sister, letting it build up between them. This has to work. She needs to wake up. "...Lily," asked Mary unsteadily, "what are you doing?" "Kenni lost herself trying to keep me alive," said Lily, gasping a little as she felt her life draining out of herself. Compared to Kendra or any of the other awakened, the effect of Lily''s magic on her own body was very direct and pronounced. As a being created by magic, she only survived by its constant input, so any drain was immediately¡ªand painfully¡ªfelt. Lily kept pushing, but it didn''t matter if Kendra never actually accepted what she offered. She squeezed Kendra''s hand tighter, trying to will her sister awake. A pull on the energy pooling between them. Kendra''s eyelashes fluttered. Her mouth moved. Her other arm snaked up to brush fiery-red hair out of her eyes. Lily smiled as Kendra''s eyes refocused and found her. "It''s about time," Lily muttered. Kendra coughed. "You might have mentioned your travel plans," she murmured, barely above a whisper. Lily smiled even wider. "I felt homesick." Kendra''s blue eyes flicked around the room, trying to figure out where she was¡ªwithout the contacts she should have been wearing. Lily grabbed the spare glasses from the bedside table drawer, where they''d sat unused for nearly a decade. She helped Kendra put them on, bringing the room into proper focus. "Home," Kendra murmured. She finally spotted her parents over Lily''s shoulder, still standing by the doorway. "I see." "We''ve introduced ourselves," said Lily. "To what degree?" "As your creation." Kendra nodded. She started to pull herself up to a sitting position, but coughing quickly overtook her. Lily forced her back down again, wrapping her in blankets and checking to make sure the IV drip was well-secured. "I apologize for the inconvenience," said Kendra. Lily wasn''t quite sure if she was speaking to her sister, or their parents. Neither, apparently, was Thomas, who answered first. "Kenni, I''m sorry." The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. "For what?" "For everything. For what I said, for¡ª" "Please," said Kendra. Lily smirked at her sister, since their parents couldn''t see her from their angle. Neither were particularly surprised by this turn of events¡ªand both found it rather tedious. Ancient history, which neither felt a particular need to revisit. "We have more important business to attend to." "Such¡­ such as?" asked Thomas, taken aback. "I trust you know the identity I''ve been operating under the past four months?" asked Kendra mildly. Lily wondered if she could appear so confident and well-spoken mere minutes after waking from a coma. "You invited me here." "What is she talking about, dear?" asked Mary, glancing at her husband. "...Wilmore. L Wilmore." Laushire glanced at Lily. "You''re Wilmore?" Lily glanced at her sister. "We both are." "Honestly, father, this will go much quicker if you simply presume us to be the same person, at least for the moment," said Kendra. "Lily is me, and I her." "So¡­ you''re not sisters?" asked Thomas, confused. "But, she¡ª" Lily sighed. "It''s difficult to explain." "Quite," said Mary dryly. "We both conduct business as Lily Wilmore," said Kendra. "That is all which matters for our discussion today." "Which is?" asked Thomas. "Well, you invited us," said Lily. "I presume you had a particular agenda in mind." "That is¡ª" Thomas spluttered. "I don''t¡ª I didn''t expect you to be my daughter!" "Daughters," corrected Kendra mildly. "Nor did you plan the negotiations to take place inside our childhood bedroom, I''d imagine." "It''s nice to be home, though," added Lily, glancing around. They haven''t moved a thing. Everything right as I left it¡­ or as she left it, I suppose. "I wish it were under better circumstances," said Kendra, "but sadly, events conspired against us." "Having two unrelated attempts on one''s life in two days puts a damper on the mood," said Lily. "Two?" asked Kendra, glancing at her sister in surprise. "I included the prowler from Mr. Hendricks," said Lily with a shrug. "I''ve no doubt he would have killed us given the opportunity. If Mr. Ashe hadn''t been there..." "Hendricks," Mary cut in. "He''s the one that girl just named on telly¡ªthe man responsible for everything that happened in that awful town, yes?" "It wasn''t awful," said Lily. Kendra nodded. "Awful things happened there, but the town was rather lovely, all things considered." "He wants to kill you?" asked Thomas, outraged. Lily sighed. "Not personally, I believe. It''s more of a general homicidal intent." "Genocidal, really," added Kendra. "How can you¡­ Kenni, please, how are you two so calm about this?" asked Mary weakly. "Months living in hiding," said Lily. Mary gasped. "The Winscombe girl," she said. Kendra and Lily exchanged a surprised look. "...What about her?" asked Lily. "She said daughters. Kendra and Lily," Mary added, glancing between them. "She knew. You were in hiding with her all along." Lily nodded. "Not together, but yes, Hailey Winscombe is an associate of ours." "A troublesome one, I take it," said Thomas. "A valued friend," Lily shot back. "She saved Kenni''s life, more than once." Thomas shook his head. "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to offend." He frowned. "She was here yesterday. We made a deal with her." "What sort of deal?" asked Kendra, sitting up slightly. She was recovering, to Lily''s relief. Lily leaned back to help fluff her pillows into their favorite arrangement, making sure she was comfortable before continuing. "Hailey Winscombe is now an international fugitive." "Financial assistance," said Thomas. "I promised to fund her upcoming legal battle with Cornelius Malton." "Ah," said Kendra. "A noble cause," Lily agreed. "If it will assist the case at all, I am willing to testify on her behalf, as the abductee in Malton''s recent venture." "But¡­" said Thomas, glancing at her with obvious concerns. Lily sighed. "My existence is bound to come to light sooner or later. The rumors have already begun to spread." "We''d appreciate your assistance in that regard," added Kendra, adjusting her position on the bed again. Lily leaned in and helped her move to a more comfortable position. "Lily will soon be impossible to conceal, but her nature must remain private. I intended to discuss this very topic with you over our negotiations, before we were so rudely interrupted." "Cornelius never did understand proper etiquette," said Mary with a faint smirk. Thomas nodded. "She is our daughter." "Of course I am," said Lily, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "But you''ll have to produce sufficient documentation to support that claim. I''d suggest some particular reason of concealing your twin daughters for so long¡ªperhaps at our request, to mitigate the scandal somewhat." "The public already assumes I hated Kendra," said Thomas. "Nonsense," snapped Kendra, sitting up straight against the headboard. "That was a family dispute. I''ve never felt anything amiss." "But¡ª" "I haven''t thought about it in years," said Kendra dismissively. She really hasn''t, mused Lily. Once we left England, we didn''t care at all about the family business anymore. "As soon as I''m ready to make public statements, we should put this gossip to rest. Agreed?" Thomas looked like he might cry. Mary spoke up as he turned away. "Yes. We''ll talk more later. Your father and I have something to attend to, don''t we dear?" "...Yes," said Thomas. The two of them hurried from the room. Lily shot a significant look at Kendra. Her sister smirked. "What?" "Laid on a little thick, didn''t you?" "Hush," said Kendra. "Besides, whatever happened to playing the part of the rebellious, outspoken twin?" "Honestly, my heart just wasn''t in it," said Lily with a sigh. "As fun as it was for a few months, it''s actually quite exhausting to carry on with." "You''re the expert," said Kendra mildly, twisting around. "Where''s my laptop?" "I don''t think anyone thought to bring it," said Lily. "I could fetch it¡ª" Kendra took her hand, holding her tight. "Stay, please?" "Of course." If I were her right now, I''d want someone to actually comfort me. It''s not undignified if it''s myself, in absolute privacy. Lily got into the bed, laying down next to her sister and hugging her. "Is this¡ª" "Yes," said Kendra. "You were out for nearly a day," said Lily quietly. "Why didn''t you¡ª" "I told you," said Kendra firmly. "It''s out of the question." "But¡ª" "Lily, please." "Kenni, if you''re going to die, I''ll die anyway," said Lily irritably. "What does it matter then? Just let go of me." "I won''t." "We were lucky. If something like this happens again¡­" "We''ll be smarter." Kendra shook her head. "Did you close the Mettis deal?" "You asked me that already," said Lily. "With Agent Ashe." "Ah." Kendra nodded. "Right." "Are you certain you''re well?" asked Lily, brushing her sister''s hair to get rid of the tangles from her hectic day. "You just woke up from a coma. That can''t be easy for a woman your age." "Watch it," said Kendra. Lily smirked just out of Kendra''s sight. "What do you think? We''re far outside Brian''s reach here. Should we stay in London for a while?" Kendra didn''t reply right away, so Lily kept thinking aloud. "It''ll be a little more difficult to coordinate our business in the Northwest, but with our father''s operation, we can start to work on other markets. His R&D division will be invaluable in exploring application of pocket dimensions." "Dangerous," murmured Kendra. "As all technology," Lily reminded her, their usual justification. "Better that we put it to proper use and control its growth appropriately." "I''m tired¡­" said Kendra. She closed her eyes, but Lily could tell she wasn''t actually trying to go to sleep yet. "Kenni, we should decide on this now, before I go back out there." "Remember when we decided to teach?" asked Kendra. "Of course I do," said Lily. "Because it was more fulfilling. Because we could shape fresh new minds and help build a better world." "Horribly optimistic." "We failed, didn''t we?" "Our prime student is world-famous," Lily pointed out. Kendra laughed as they both considered the paradox of Hailey Winscombe¡ªthe perfect student who''d practically vanished from their classes over the past year¡ªnow exploding onto the world stage. The reasons for Hailey''s current prominence sobered them. "I can''t help thinking we could have done more." "We planned to. Our goals were cut short by factors far beyond our control." Lily sighed. "You must stop this cycle. Magic couldn''t be predicted. You can''t blame yourself for failing to keep everything in line." "He was one of our students too," said Kendra. "He chose genocide. What does that say about us?" "Jackson was before my time," said Lily, taking the easy way out. Kendra sighed. "We failed him, we failed Hailey, and we failed Natalie." Lily winced. "...I agree with you on the latter." "I''m sorry," said Kendra. "We were so distracted," said Lily quietly. "Self-obsessed." "You saw her at the funeral," said Kendra. "She''s as strong as she ever was, and she still has the money and the bag you made her." Lily didn''t say anything. She still felt bad that their surrogate daughter had vanished right under their noses, so to speak. If anything, it was Lily''s fault. On the night that the Diaries had been announced, Lily had panicked. After seeing one of the excerpts contained their name, she''d locked down the house. At the same time, Kendra had enacted several spells to protect herself at the office, which they ended up maintaining. Between the two of them, they''d used so much magic in one burst that it left them drained and weak, barely able to move. Neither could answer Natalie''s fearful messages¡ªor the far more surprising message from Rachel. By the time they''d recovered, Kendra had little time to set lawyers in motion to prevent the publication of the Diaries, which also necessitated swift verification that they were, in fact, still alive. It was a hectic weekend, to say the least. "We''ll do what we''re best at," said Lily finally. Kendra nodded. "We shall." Lily brushed her hair a few more times, before finally getting up. "Go to sleep, Kenni. I''ll get to work." "...Lily?" said Kendra, just as she was about to leave. "Yes?" "I''m glad you''re here." Lily nodded. "Go to sleep, Kenni." Kendra''s eyes slid closed. Lily turned and left the room, closing the door and walking as swiftly as she could¡ªso that Kendra wouldn''t hear her begin to cry. The realization had been settling in slowly over time, as Lily realized just how much Kendra valued her. After all, their spells didn''t just stay up. Every dimensional rift, every pocket void had to be maintained. If both sisters were asleep, the voids collapsed. They constructed them in such a way that the interior could be rebuilt easily, but nothing was permanent. Even the bags they made had to be fed with energy constantly, but their latest innovation included a gold lining gave them a sort of battery which stored enough magic to stay intact through any typical night''s sleep, if the user was either too weak or unfocused to maintain it themselves, or simply unwilling to drain that much away each night. Yet Kendra¡ªevery single night while she slept, and even through a coma that threatened her life¡ªhad kept Lily alive and breathing. Every single beat of her heart, every breath, every blood cell rushing through her veins was thanks to her sister''s unfaltering dedication. Lily dabbed at her eyes with a cloth. She hurried to the nearest guest room and put on the clothes she''d retrieved. Finally, well-dressed and clean-faced, she emerged back into the house. For the rest of the day, she would be Kendra. She''d conduct their business and set in motion the plans the sisters had spent months preparing. It''s time to come out now, Lily.
FRONTPAGE: BBC BROADCAST OF CINZA, HAILEY WINSCOMBE, CORNELIUS MALTON ¡ª 12,642 COMMENTS ¡­ ¡­ reply: So, just to get a clear timeline here: --Thur. Nov. 8th: An unknown third party attempts to publish Cinza''s private diaries (update: Cinza blames Nate Price of Rallsburg) --Fri. Nov. 9th - morning: Hailey Winscombe appears in Redmond, WA, at the Luther, Renalds, and Portman law offices, tries to get the third party to reveal themselves. No dice. Hailey flies away ~20 minutes later. --Fri. Nov. 9th - evening: Hailey gets announced as a surprise guest for Russell Wallace on Monday night, along with the third party. Since Hailey never announces who it is, I think we can assume she signed some kind of NDA or got threatened with something pretty big. --Mon. Nov. 12th - morning: Hailey is sighted meeting with the FBI in Seattle. The FBI announces their ''Thaumaturgy Task Force'' that afternoon. --Mon Nov. 12th - evening: Hailey goes on the Evening Show, gets roasted by Wallace. Broadcast is shut down by legal injunction that also blocks the publication of the Diaries by PPP. Later revealed to be Kendra Laushire, who is suddenly alive? --Tue. Nov 13th¨CThur. Nov 16th: fuck-all happens?? Still sightings of vigilantism in Seattle though, so maybe Hailey went back to doing her thing in the quiet. --Fri. Nov 16th-evening pt. 1: Hailey flies down to Portland with A.Ashe, meets up with one of the Rallsburg families (Nelson¡ªson was the ''bisection victim''), comes out in tears. --Fri. Nov 16th-evening pt. 2: Hailey flies back up to Seattle in TWELVE MINUTES (720 MPH!) to stop/join in a high speed armed chase on I-405-S involving two still-unknown parties, one awakened (fireballs/lightning bolts from the chasing vehicle) (This is who Cinza claims worked for Malton? Or Brian Hendricks? unclear) --Fri. Nov 16th-evening pt. 3: More shaky footage in Lakewood of the ''golems'' last seen in Tacoma (see thread here from Oct. 26th). Helicopter has to break off due to incoming gunfire, camera feed lost. Picks back up with Hailey carrying injured/dead out of collapsed buildings in Lakewood. Hailey, A.Ashe and unknown companions get into an ambulance and aren''t seen again. --Sat. Nov 17th¨CWed. Nov 22nd: even more fuck-all happens. None of the major players are seen. I swear something had to happen in here though after what comes next. --Thur. Nov 22rd: Hailey solo-flies across America + Atlantic Ocean. --Fri. Nov 23rd - London: Building in downtown London collapses for unknown reasons. Hailey is first on the scene but doesn''t appear to be the cause. No apparent victims. I''m not sure how this fits in but it seems like it must be related. --Sat. Nov 24th - Seattle/Tacoma area: Reports of a helicopter chase in the early morning. Nobody reported on this, but immediately after, two different high-speed jets were on flight radar¡ªone out of B.C., one out of SeaTac. Both went straight to London. One was registered to Laushire Enterprises, the other unknown. --Sat. Nov 24th - London - evening: Everything that just happened. So here''s my question: what the fuck is going on? Who the hell is Jessica Silverdale, why did a whole bunch of shit just go down in London on the opposite end of the world from magic ground zero, and where the fuck did Cinza come from? reply: Good summary, thanks. Jessica Silverdale was a resident of Rallsburg, presumed dead. I wonder if this means Malton was involved in the initial Rallsburg incident, if her death is on him re: Cinza? reply--reply: no, Cinza said Malton''s men ''shot her dead in Lakewood''. She was alive until the 16th. reply: Automatic Conversion Bot: 720mph == 1158.73 km/h reply: Any ideas who the third party was? The person who was going to leak Cinza''s diaries in the first place reply--reply: Cinza said it herself. Nathaniel Price. Another presumed-dead from Rallsburg. What a little bitch.
Nate scrolled through the threads¡ªcomment by comment, page by page. He bounced between streams, each carrying Cinza and Hailey in screaming headlines. They were worldwide, even moreso than Hailey''s last few appearances. Every single time she went on screen, she drew a bigger crowd. Viewers flocked to her, and though there were some rumblings of discontent among the commentariat, most were more than happy to see her as a representative for the new age of magic¡ªat least until Cinza opened her mouth and gave an eloquent speech in her echoey, ethereal voice. "That was supposed to be me," he said aloud. "Well, she said your name at least," Linda sighed. "You''ll undoubtedly receive a call from the FBI soon enough." She was really tired of hearing Nate Price complain, and even more exhausted by the little apartment he''d been sequestered in for months. "If it means anything, Mr. Price, we''re making good progress on reclaiming your family''s assets. The state still has cards left to play, but I''m confident we''ll have it back in full." "I don''t care about that," snapped Nate. He spun in his chair to look at her¡ªa chair far nicer than he deserved. The firm had spent far too much money on him in exchange for the promised return on investment, and of course, Nate couldn''t deliver. "I was supposed to be the magic guy. The one at the top." "You''re well aware why this happened," Linda pointed out, leaning back against the cabinet. Nate wasn''t the worst client she''d ever had, but he definitely ranked high on the list for ''most frustrating''. "It was beyond our control." "Bullshit." Nate spun back to the computer. "Mr. Price, you chose not to speak to the press." "I wanted to do it in front of her," said Nate. "That was the whole point!" "I thought the point was to become famous?" asked Linda, furrowing her brow. "You don''t need Hailey Winscombe for that." "Your way wasn''t working!" Linda sighed. "Those interviews were the only ones we still could air after the injunction from Miss Laushire. No one wanted puff pieces about Rallsburg. Magic is the real story." "Why not?" Nate struck a ridiculous pose. Linda had long since mastered the art of ignoring the antics of her clients, or she would have delivered some choice withering sarcasm. "I''m a survivor, right? I can do magic too. Stuff about the book is off limits, but I''m not." "To be frank, Mr. Price?" "Just spit it out, Linda." One thing which never ceased to irritate her was Nate''s lack of professionalism. She was working for him for free, on the promise of an eventual payout that seemed likely never to deliver at this juncture. If he wasn''t going to treat her with respect, she wouldn''t offer hers any longer. "You''re a nobody. Hailey Winscombe was a far more sympathetic and relatable person for the public to latch on to. You saw yourself how many profiles they ran for her." "They ran some of me too!" "Only in relation to the town''s history," Linda pointed out. "Meanwhile, she got every part of her life examined. The media loved her, and when she finally showed herself? She delivered." You didn''t, she added mentally, and Nate¡ªto his credit¡ªpicked up on the unspoken addition. "I was forced not to," he protested. "Hailey jumps off buildings and flies around the world. She saves lives and acts out superhero fantasies in Seattle¡ªthough, of course, nobody can ever prove that. The media loves drama and intrigue, and she''s now wrapped up in a half-dozen conspiracies and tragedies. They could talk about her all day and night, and people will eat it up." "And I''m¡ª" "A former spoiled rich kid who threw away his shot," Linda snapped, surprising herself. Nate hesitated. His face fell. He looked suitably ashamed. She took a breath. "My apologies, Mr. Price." "...No, you''re right," said Nate. He shook his head. "I missed my shot." Linda sighed. "Mr. Wallace is as much to blame. We should have gotten airtime before the injunction was handed down. I''m still looking into our options on damages there." Her phone buzzed. Another client was waiting for her call-back, from which Nate had sidetracked her. "...Was there anything else, Mr. Price?" she asked. "Nah." Nate turned back to the computer. "I''ll figure this out. New plan." She suppressed another tired sigh. Working with Nate was an endless cycle of his ''plans'' and subsequent failures¡ªor failures to launch, really, as they rarely got off the ground in the first place. It seemed as good a dismissal as any, so Linda left before he could come up with another topic to complain about. She had other clients to work with¡ªnot many, but each were preferable to more time spent with Nate Price. Linda had worked pro bono cases before. It was right there in the job description for someone who worked with whistleblowers and asylum-seekers. She had the company fund to fall back on¡ªplus her usual salary and her own savings¡ªbut Nate''s case was proving to be an ongoing drain for the firm that couldn''t be ignored forever. They''d invested a lot of time and money into the interviews, secrecy agreements, publication process, and media blitz, only to have their sales cut short before they began. Retailers were already asking for refunds on their advances, with the book''s release in perpetual limbo. Kendra''s legal team was good. Very good. They''d tied up the publication in so much red tape and terrifying legal threats that not a single copy could even be retrieved. The advances they should have received were completely blacked out. No one dared touch the sealed cases across the country for fear of swift and brutal retribution. As Linda left the unassuming little condo where Nate lived and got into her car, she checked the number of the last caller. To her surprise, it was a client she hadn''t heard from in months¡ªa girl who''d hired their services back in September, on the very same day as Nate Price no less. Far more intriguing, they shared one important characteristic: they were both survivors of Rallsburg. She hadn''t contacted Linda once since that day in September. Two days after Jerry Hauserman died, and the world realized that there were survivors of the Rallsburg incident, Linda had been tasked with protecting the secrets of both. She wracked her brain to remember the girl''s name¡ªit had been so long, and she only spoke with her once, yet she''d given the girl her personal number. Linda gave up and called back. It''d come to her. "Linda speaking." "Hi." She sounded very on-edge. Every word felt like she were tiptoeing across a floor full of glass, risking a cut with every careful step. "I''m sorry to call your personal line, but I needed to be certain of something." "...Rachel, right?" Linda guessed. "Yes." "I only give out this line to particularly important clients who require a special degree of privacy," said Linda. "Your personal safety is my top priority." "I¡­ I appreciate that, thank you." Linda smiled. It was a huge relief to have a client who actually seemed to care. It didn''t affect how she treated them, of course¡ªshe was a professional, after all¡ªbut it was far more satisfying to help those who seemed like genuinely good people. "What can I help you with?" "The insurance I placed in your protection," said Rachel cautiously. "I need to know it''s still prepared to release, in the event of any of the conditions I set." Linda pulled out her other phone¡ªa dummy device with no networking, which she used solely to take notes and keep records too sensitive to ever be connected to the internet. Her eyes widened as she read through the conditions again. At the time, they''d been meaningless to her, but after everything she''d read in Cinza''s diaries and learned from Nate¡­ "If I may, miss," said Linda slowly. "Call me Rachel, please," said Rachel uncomfortably. "I''ve been privy to some information recently," she went on, fully aware just how close she was to toeing the line on attorney-client privilege, "about a certain entity known as Grey-eyes and your relationship with her." Rachel didn''t reply right away. Linda could hear her steady breathing from the other end of the line. "...I''m guessing you didn''t get that from my insurance," she said quietly. "No. As you requested, the documents you entrusted to our care are still sealed. As long as you continue to check in regularly via the method you specified, they''ll stay that way." Linda took a pause to drive home her point. "I think I''ve deduced their purpose to some degree, though. Not the contents, to be absolutely clear, but I thought you should know as my client that I''m aware." "Okay." Rachel hesitated again. "Will this change what I hired you to do?" "That depends," said Linda. "I don''t intend to commit any crimes, the information has no direct financial value or any relation to existing criminal activity, has not been named in any court orders, and does not involve any other parties other than the aforementioned," said Rachel. "None of the conditions under the Rules of Professional Conduct paragraph B apply. You have no obligation to disclose the information." Linda was taken aback, She''d been about to cite that very same paragraph to Rachel, and as far as she was aware, the girl had no background whatsoever in a legal profession. "Yes," she said finally. "Your insurance still stands to be released if any of the conditions you set are fulfilled. I just wanted to confirm whom you believe holds a threat against your life." "...More or less," said Rachel quietly. "Thank you." Linda smiled to herself. "I suppose there''s no point in going to the authorities, given her nature." Unlike Nate Price, who should have turned himself in months ago¡­ "None at all." "Miss Du¡ªRachel," Linda quickly corrected herself. "Since we''re moving well beyond legal precedent here, I think I should ask: is there anything we should do if she comes after us?" "I don''t think she will," said Rachel. "She''s not a violent person, and I think she''d understand you''re just doing your job." "But the same doesn''t apply to you." Rachel laughed bitterly. "No, I''m pretty sure she hates me." "Well¡­ I wish you the best of luck, then. Was there anything else?" "No. Thank you." "...Any time," said Linda.
MEMO LOG: FBI¡ªNSB EXTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS DESK: 2018-11-24 INCOMING::URGENT::RALLSBURG:: tip line call: summary: report of magical activity in tacoma area. claimed explosions set off in somebody''s yard. -- CROSS-REFERENCE TAC. PD CASE XX-2990661: gunfire at the same timestamp, within 1 mile. FLAG: NON-PERTINENT INCOMING::URGENT::RALLSBURG:: tip line call: summary: sudden rainstorm in olympia-west. ''came out of nowhere''. -- CROSS REFERENCE SAT. DATA - OLYMPIC REGION: no rain forecast, satellite data does not show clouds in the area. rain supernatural? FLAG: INVESTIGATE INCOMING::URGENT::RALLSBURG:: official complaint from wash. gov. office re: federal oversight of magical affairs taking place within washington state. requests jurisdiction, bureau to deliver all pertinent files and stand down. state matter, not federal. -- FORWARD TO DIRECTOR FLAG: POLITICS INCOMING::URGENT::RALLSBURG:: tip line call: summary: two persons self-identified as ''Beth/Malcolm Silverdale'', parents of ''Jessica Silverdale''. requesting witness protection. offering ''full disclosure''. -- NO EVIDENCE OF IDENTITIES GIVEN FLAG: INVESTIGATE INCOMING::URGENT::RALLSBURG:: tip line call: summary: ''evil warlock'' performing supernatural feats. fire from nothing, moving objects with mind, etc. claims subj. is an awakened and needs to be arrested for public safety. subj. is known awakened ''Jonathan Hudson'', 18 y/o in Tacoma area. -- MAGIC IS NOT ILLEGAL -- HUDSON LOGGED BY NSB_ASHE, POST-RALLSBURG AWAKENED FLAG: NON-PERTINENT INCOMING::URGENT::RALLSBURG:: press release: white house comm. director: "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: ''GREYCLOAK'' LEADER, ''DIARIES'' AUTHOR CINZA TO VISIT WHITE HOUSE, SPEAK WITH PRESIDENT STAFFORD"
  1. agt. ashe accompanying subj. ''cinza''
-- FORWARD TO DIRECTOR FLAG: URGENT
Ruby stood on the front porch of her cabin, shielding her eyes from the evening sunset. She scratched behind Scrappy''s ears for a moment, before the big cat slinked away to the warm interior. The morning snow was long-since melted, leaving the Greywood green and vibrant once more. Yusuf, Matthew, and Joe were outside working the field. Inside, the news was still on a loop on their TV, and every few minutes, her face popped onto the screen. Every single time, Ruby felt such a mixture of emotions she couldn''t begin to process it properly. Her beloved was on TV in front of the whole world, and she was excited. Cinza was about to visit the President and start the first steps toward global recognition; Ruby was thrilled for her! It was exactly what they wanted, if Cinza''s ideas held true. Sure, they always talked about how they didn''t need anyone to tell them they could live as they wished, but living would be a lot easier if they didn''t need to sneak around all the time. Yet¡­ Ruby couldn''t help but feel trepidation. Anxiety pulled a tight knot in her chest, in her throat. She''d watched the speech a dozen times, rewinding the stream over and over. Cinza spoke so well, so strong¡ªRuby doubted anybody else could see just how exhausted she was, how hard she struggled to stay upright after everything else she''d done that day. Cinza was still recovering, no matter how she might act. And she''d just announced the Greycloaks to the whole world. "Ruby?" asked Yusuf, setting down the small harvest he''d been carrying. She shook her head, brushing long crimson hair out of her eyes. "Sorry, Yusuf. Was it my turn?" "No, it is no trouble. I am the harvest for today," said Yusuf. "I wondered why you seemed upset." "You saw the news, right?" she asked, biting her lip nervously. She had no idea how the rest of the group felt about the big speech, or that their leader just been thrust into the forefront of the world stage. Yusuf smiled. "I thought she did very well. You should be proud. I am." Ruby shook her head. "It''s not that¡­ I dunno." "Are you afraid?" Yusuf sat down on the porch and patted the spot next to him. Ruby took it, leaning against him. As soon as she did, she felt warmth wrap them up to stave off the December chill. He was always so good at temperature spells, even better than Ruby was, despite it being under her affinity. "Tell me, if you want." Ruby shook her head. "I''m okay. I don''t need to talk about it." "It is your father, yes?" She leaned away to look at him directly, frowning. "Just said I didn''t want to talk about it, didn''t I?" Yusuf shook his head. "I apologize, Ruby. I did not meant to intrude." "No¡­" Ruby felt bad. He was just trying to help. "You''re right. I''m sorry." He put an arm around her and hugged her. She smiled. "You''re a better dad than he ever was, you know." Yusuf laughed. "That is very kind of you." "I just need to talk to her," said Ruby. "I didn''t¡­" She trailed off, not wanting to voice it aloud. I wish she''d told me she was going to do this. He nodded. "I am sure she will call soon." "Yeah¡­" The rumble of an engine startled them both. Yusuf looked up, curious, but Ruby sprang into action. Adrenaline surged through her. This couldn''t be a coincidence¡ªunexpected guests after everything else that happened? "We didn''t have anybody coming through today, right?" she asked, on her feet, her hand outstretched. The array of rubies and sapphire rings on every finger glittered in the sunset. "Not that I know," said Yusuf slowly. Ruby nodded. "Go." Yusuf rushed across the clearing toward the guest cabins. Ruby sent a small flare of light into the Wilkins cabin to notify Brittany. In an instant, she replied. Brittany''s traps were ready to go, able to loose at any moment with just another signal. Matthew and Joe left the harvest field, ducking behind the bridge to face the oncoming noise. Across the clearing, Ryan and Rika emerged, confused. Ryan looked like he might be having a panic attack, while lightning was already sparking off of Rika''s fingertips as she scanned for the apparent threat. That''s everybody, right? No¡­ Rufus is still out, plus there''s Nikki and¡ª To her relief, Nikki and Josh walked out from Nikki''s cabin the very next instant, in various states of undress. Ruby would have laughed if everything weren''t so tense¡ªshe never would have called those two, but apparently being cooped up together for so many months had just given way to the inevitable. Josh awkwardly pulled on his belt as they sprinted across the field to join Ruby¡ªher cabin was far more defensible, since Nikki''s was built to block outside noise entirely, while Cinza had included reinforced barriers around their entire porch as cover, in addition to caches of gemstones at strategic intervals to use for defensive spells. "What''s going on?" asked Josh, passing Nikki''s shirt back to her. "Engine," whispered Ruby. She handed a small set of gems to Josh. Nikki already had hers, plus her amethyst necklace she never took off. Ruby thought it looked tacky, but she couldn''t blame the other girl wanting to have her particular talent available at all times. "Nobody''s supposed to be coming in today." "Ah." "Is it Cinza coming home, maybe?" whispered Nikki. Ruby shook her head. "No way she''s back from London yet, even if Hailey flew her out." "What about Rufus?" "Rufus in a car?" asked Ruby sarcastically. Nikki shrugged. "Yeah, no, nevermind." The engine was getting louder, approaching the Greywood directly. Whoever it was knew where they were going. "How are they driving here?" asked Ruby. "I thought nobody could find us." Josh frowned. "We tested it, but it''s still fuckin'' magic, Ruby." "But what if¡ª" "Wait," said Nikki. She closed her eyes tight, clutching at her necklace with one hand. AsRuby watched, one amethyst on the chain got a little darker, clouding over. Her light hazel eyes snapped open an instant later. "Call it off," she said frantically. "What?" asked Josh. "Ruby, seriously, call it off. It''s Rufus." "In a car?" Ruby asked again skeptically. "Trust me," said Nikki, smiling. She got up and ran out into the open, heedless of the potential danger. Ruby, against her instincts, sent the all-clear signal to the other cabins. She felt the faint flicker of magic in the air as Brittany released the waiting traps, letting them sit back on taut mystical strings once more. Nikki waved off the others as she ran out into the open, just as the rugged jeep burst through the trees¡ªthe same jeep Makoto and the others had left at the airport after their insane chase the day before. In the front seat, Rufus waved and grinned his toothy grin. Next to him¡­ "Jackie?" called Ruby, standing up straight. "Hector?" Jackie Nossinger waved as the engine shut off, climbing out, Rufus and Hector along with her. Josh stood up too, cover abandoned, and together they hurried to join the gathering group in the center of the Greywood. Even Brittany came out to join them, taking one of the nearby benches. "Holy shit," said Josh. "Where the fuck have you been?" "Interestin'' place you got here," said Jackie, looking around curiously. "I like it." He grinned. "It''s about time you showed up." "Well, I got the call, figured you''d appreciate the backup," said Jackie. "And Canada''s cold as hell." Nikki looked about to say something, but Ruby talked over her before she could sidetrack them too hard. "It''s good you came home, sheriff. Welcome to the Greywood." Jackie raised an eyebrow. "You''re in charge, eh?" Ruby nodded. "Until Cinza returns from London. I''m guessing you''ve seen the news?" "Yeah, no shit," muttered Jackie. "''s the reason we came in today. Was gonna come back a couple weeks ago, but then all that shit with the Diaries, and Hailey¡­ welp, got our wires crossed, I guess." "We were afraid," murmured Hector. "I don''t blame you," said Josh. "We''re like a fucking army military here. You gotta call ahead next time Jackie. We just about blew your car to pieces." "You can do that?" asked Jackie, surprised. Ruby nodded. "I''m glad we didn''t. Nikki was able to sense Rufus in time." She turned to Rufus. "And why didn''t you call ahead?" Rufus grinned. "M'' phone died, miss. Sorry." Rika snorted, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, Ruby, you guys are drilled like a fucking army." Ruby whirled on her, raising her voice. "I don''t see you doing much to help, you freeloading¡ª" "We have all had a trying day," said Yusuf, placing a hand on Ruby''s shoulder. She calmed herself down. He nodded politely to Jackie. "I am glad to see you again, sheriff." "I ain''t the sheriff anymore, you know," said Jackie uneasily. "Can''t be sheriff of a town that don''t exist." "Speaking of which," said Josh, "where''s the rest of you? Dan and Boris, and the Bowmans?" "Boris doesn''t want to get involved," said Jackie, "and Dan decided he was happier with ''im than riskin'' life and limb again down in this muck. Preston and Neffie got themselves a nice little cabin on a lake." She shrugged. "I''m sure they don''t mean nothin'' by it. They just didn''t sign up for this, you know?" "Neither did you," Brittany pointed out. Jackie nodded. "Yeah, this is way beyond town sheriff, but hell, I don''t duck out of a fight in the second round. I''m here if you want me." "Great," muttered Rika, "we can all die together." "Nobody''s dyin'' out here," said Jackie firmly. "I don''t know if you missed it," Rika snapped, "but I came really close to dying a few times last week, and that was with guys who had strict orders not to hurt me." She slapped Ryan on the back, who winced. "This fucker got his ass handed to him, and let''s not forget¡ªJessica got murdered. So let''s not talk about who is or isn''t dying. We''re up against guys with way more training than we got. Oh, and they''ve got guns and more fucking golems, too. We''re all on the goddamn chopping block." Josh wheeled on Rika, enraged. "Would you stop being such a bitch for on¡ª" Ruby made a loud snapping noise with a spell, and Josh fell silent. Wow, I didn''t think that''d work. "I agree with her." "You do?" asked Josh. "You do?" asked Rika, just as surprised. Ruby nodded. She cleared her throat, stepping forward into the center of the impromptu circle and raising her voice a little. Cin, you should be the one doing this speech¡­ "We''re at war. Cinza just declared it. She never wanted violence, but she still trained us to protect each other. We developed spells and rituals to defend ourselves, and now we''re going to have to use them." She glared around the circle, drawing on every old war movie her dad used to watch, as much as she loathed the memories of being forced to watch along with him. "Every single day, we''re going to drill. We''re going to learn how to fight. Not just defense. We''ve got Jackie to teach us tactics, and we''ve got Rika to teach us to fight dirty." Rika shot her a dark look, but Ruby pressed on. "We can''t just sit back anymore. The Greywood can''t protect us forever. We must defend it with our souls, our very essence, and drive back the invaders." "Ruby¡ª" said Josh slowly, but Ruby kept speaking. "Cinza and I feared this day would come. Nobody''s dealt with Brian yet, and now we''ve got even more enemies than before¡ªbut we can beat them. We beat Jackson. Brian''s nothing compared to him, and who''s afraid of some dumb billionaire on the other side of the world? We''ve got magic. Who cares about money compared to all of this?" She pointed at her heart, bringing as much emphasis as she could into the moment. "She gave this to us. The goddess saved all our lives. She allowed us the gift of magic, of awakening to the real world around us. We wear these robes to remember her gifts, and we created this home in her honor. They''re gonna try to take it from us, but we have the goddess at our backs. They''ve got nothing." Ruby closed her eyes a moment, taking another deep breath. She opened them again, playing up the dramatic effect as much as she could. "It''s time for us to become her soldiers. They''ve gathered their forces, and we''ll gather ours. We''ll be an army for the goddess. They''ve tried to kill us off before. We''re not going to let them try it again. With Cinza to lead us, with the blessing of the goddess, with the power of magic itself, we''ll be invincible. For the good of us all." She brushed her hair back over her ears, and a flicker of fire erupted from her mouth to replace the pale cloudy breath in the chilly air. Ruby hadn''t planned the effect, but added it on the fly. Instinct told her to play up the theatricality. Ruby needed to lead them into the fight, since Cinza had become too weak. Ruby would have to take the frontlines, while her beloved played the general. Ruby would become her soldier, her warrior¡ªher dragon. "We''re going to war." [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] Interlude X — Necessary Evils Interlude X ¡ª Necessary Evils "...any soul who would join the genocidal crusade against my people: take heed. You have seen what we can do. Even a man at the top of your world cannot escape justice if we seek it. If you come, we will defend ourselves." Felix Wieczorek leapt to his feet, knocking his drink off the beaten old bar. "Holy shit," he gasped. "What?" asked Brian, staring at his own drink with a forlorn expression. The rest of the place was totally empty¡ªthe only person around for a mile or more was the owner of the little establishment, sleeping in his home behind the building. "They just¡­ holy shit." Felix had to take a few moments to compose himself. "That girl just appointed herself judge, jury, and executioner, along with everybody who follows her." "She is insane," said Brian. "I already went over this." "Yeah, but now she''s insane on a global scale." Felix took out his pocket notebook and pencil, scratching away as fast as he could. He needed to get ideas down fast, before he lost track of the story. Except¡­ this wasn''t just a story anymore, and he''d found himself at the center of it. Felix was a traditional journalist, with a degree from Columbia and years in the field as a reporter. He knew when to just tell the story, and when to intervene in it. Sure, Felix could play it safe, sell a ton of books and have his name plastered across every bookshelf across the country¡ªhell, a few continents if he played it right¡ªbut¡­ at what cost? This was the beginning of something huge. Felix hadn''t been an activist since graduating nearly seventeen years ago, but he could never quite shake the desire to rabble-rouse for the sake of a good cause. He''d spent the early years of college diving headfirst into every worthwhile cause he could find, from the most ill-advised conservationists to the crazed ultra-socialist political revolutionaries. Sure, after the fact, he''d realize just how many of their ideas were completely impractical¡ªbut he didn''t have the experience to make those calls back then. A decade and a half combing through the worst humanity had to offer¡ªplus a dozen shiny prizes hanging over his desk somewhere back in New York¡ªgave Felix the confidence he needed to finally take a step across the line. I can''t just report this anymore. They need to be stopped, and this guy''s the only one who''s been doing anything about it. He shook his head as Brian continued watching Cinza''s speech. "That girl just gave us exactly what we needed." "Us?" asked Brian, surprised. He swivelled on the bar stool to face Felix. They were alone in the bar this early on a Saturday, since most of Brian''s men and women were either at home¡ªor already on assigned tasks. Brian''s surprise wasn''t unwarranted. Until now, Felix had made it clear he was there to report the story and nothing more. He wanted to give Brian a voice, but not necessarily take his side, and Brian assented. Now, Felix couldn''t stand by. Cinza and Hailey had shown just how far they were willing to take things. "She named you and where you are in front of the whole world. We can capitalize on that." "How? They''ll be coming for me. She named me a murderer." "Well, you are, but that''s not the point." Felix shook his head again, stringy brown hair whipping himself in the face as he did. "There''s plenty of people out there who just saw what they did, and I''d bet all the cash in my pockets that she made a hell of a lot of enemies today." "Hmm," said Brian. Felix clapped his hands together as he finished off the next phrase in the speech he was putting together. "All you have to do is reach out to them. You already said that the only reason we haven''t moved yet is because we don''t have the support we need, right?" "Not exactly." Brian shook his head, voice as exhausted and degraded as ever. Felix had noticed the man seemed perpetually on the verge of collapse, though he slept and ate as normally as anyone. "We don''t know who we''re looking for, exactly. I know a few, but it keeps spreading." "But you''ve got the¡­" Felix snapped his fingers excitedly, trying to think of the right word. When he got amped up, he often had difficulty speaking¡ªone thing that had developed over the years, and the reason he usually let other people do all the talking while he just wrote it down. "The things." "The stones?" "Yes!" Felix cried. "The identifying stones. You''ve got a ton of them. If you combine that with the social crawling team I''ll put together and the grassroots support we''re going to get, we can track these monsters down. All of them." "Why would you help me?" asked Brian. "They just declared war on us," said Felix, shaking his head. "They think they''re better than we are, that we''re worthless. Just humans." "They do." "And they want to replace us." Felix got up and started pacing, working through his thoughts one by one. "Cinza''s writing practically called for violent revolution in the margins. She never wrote it down outright, but you can tell if you''re reading between the lines. She wants to form her own nation, but there''s nowhere left in the world to claim, so she''s going to do it right here." "In Washington?" "Yes, in Washington." Felix jotted down a few more notes¡ªmore ideas on what Brian could say. "You won''t be alone after this." "I haven''t been alone," Brian pointed out, though the words held no joy. If anything, the man was full of regret, and Felix couldn''t blame him. He clapped Brian on the back, trying to offer some comfort. It was the most human thing he could think of doing, just to further contrast them from the monsters they were up against. "You couldn''t have seen that coming, man. Nobody could." "Five dead," Brian murmured, taking a sip of his drink. "Five good men and women." "Another reason why we need better gun control," Felix joked. Brian didn''t react in the slightest. "...Look, whoever they were, at least they aren''t on the witch''s side, yeah?" "What do you mean?" asked Brian, glancing up surprised. "Well, they tried to kidnap one of ''em, and forced their hand. Not something you do to an ally." "No, what do you mean by ''whoever they were''?" Brian nodded up to the TV, where the commentary on Cinza''s speech continued unabated. Worthless talking heads¡­ Felix mused. Do something useful for once. "They worked for Malton." Felix raised his eyebrows. "You really believe her?" "Why would she lie? Her people were attacked. She''s the victim." Brian hesitated. "Unless¡­" Felix shook his head. "Nah, they were the victims for sure. I''m saying, they''re using this opportunity to capitalize. Whoever those guys were, that was some serious special-forces shit, operating on American soil. The real players aren''t gonna reveal themselves with the U.S. breathing down their necks." A slight smirk creased his lips. He couldn''t help but admire her ability to play the press. "Cinza''s playing this smart. She''s picked a target for the public to shift blame on." "Malton?" He snapped his fingers, pointing at Brian like he''d just won a prize on a game show. "Bingo, Cornelius Malton. He''s an established global figure, he''s already got a reputation for being a little crazy, and he''s a multi-billionaire. People hate the wealthy, and they especially hate the wealthy flaunting their ability to skirt by the law by writing a few checks." "So Cinza creates a villain, and makes herself into a victim of the rich and powerful," concluded Brian. "Exactly. It''s David versus Goliath," said Felix, picking a biblical reference to help sell Brian on the idea. Not that Felix doubted he was right for a second, but he needed Brian to get to that place a little bit faster. Every little bit helped. "Only, the world doesn''t realize that Cinza and her people are actually Goliath here, coming to stomp us all into the dust." Brian nodded. "That makes sense." "It''s exactly what I''d do, to be honest," said Felix, trying to keep the excitement out of his voice, "if I were trying to start a revolution." "You think her goals are that lofty?" "Based on her writing?" Felix nodded gravely. "There''s gonna be blood. We have to put a stop to it." "...How?" He grinned. "By starting our own."
Felix stood near the door with one of Brian''s earliest recruits. Initially, the plan was to screen every potential newcomer, every attendee to this first wide meeting. Until now, Brian had found his followers by simply going to bars and talking, convincing people one by one, and letting word spread on its own. He didn''t really have an eye for mass-marketing or new communication¡ªwhich was right where Felix fit in. Of course, Brian''s method did hold one advantage. He could trust all his recruits like a family. He knew each of them by name, knew their relatives, worked with them. They''d been through hell and back multiple times, between the battles in Tacoma and Lakewood, and the smaller fights in the Olympic forest¡ªpicking off newly awakened pilgrims and burying the bodies deep in the forest. They were a tight-knit group, and though Felix wouldn''t call them elite in any sense, they were certainly committed. These newcomers? Felix couldn''t hope to screen them. He''d severely underestimated just how fast his first forays into social media would spread. Though he''d kept it quiet, word had spread like wildfire: the guy whom Cinza had named on TV as her enemy was going to hold a speech in New London, Washington. Felix had chosen the place as a joke, but with the sheer number of vehicles pouring into the tiny village, he was starting to worry about not having enough space simply for the cars. Already, every road was packed to the brim, bumper to bumper, with tighter parallel parking than Felix had ever seen in his life. Yet, not a single argument to be heard. While he saw plenty of angry expressions, it remained remarkably quiet. They had a specific target for their outrage, one and all. They''d come because they heard the call¡ªand every single one wore the same determined gaze. "Any chance of a weapon?" he murmured. Brian''s man shook his head. "Like I can tell? And even if they ain''t got guns, there''s no way we can check this many for magic. The stones don''t work that fast." Felix sighed. "So we''re taking a risk." "We''re always takin'' a risk, man. That''s what we signed up for." He nodded. "You''re right. I''m still getting used to this, sorry." "Glad you''re off the fence," said the guy, clapping Felix on the back. Felix hurried out and circled around the rear of the building, dodging away from the crowd filtering into the huge barn. They''d originally planned to just use one of the houses, offered by a friend of one of Brian''s followers, but as soon as the first cars began to trundle in, packed to the brim, Felix quickly changed his plans. They''d just finished the makeshift stage as the crowd grew to triple-digits. Felix ordered the doors and windows of the barn thrown wide open. Thankfully, it was an unusually warm morning for November. As he walked around back, Felix pulled out his phone and ordered up a cheap public address system and a portable projector. If this was the first meeting, with the bare minimum of outreach effort he''d done¡­ Felix tried not to think about it too much. One step at a time. Land the first meeting. Sell the story. Spread the word. As he checked the wires, he saw an interesting update: Hailey Winscombe had been issued an international warrant for her arrest and extradition back to the United States. Presently, she was still in London, though no one was quite sure where. More importantly for Felix, neither Cornelius Malton nor Brian Hendricks were named in the story. A quieter story mentioned that Brian was sought for questioning, and Malton was hiding behind lawyers, but those were more passive. They didn''t catch social media attention like the immediacy of Hailey''s warrant. To the eyes of the public, that might as well be a signed notice of guilt. We can use it. Brian walked out of the forest just as Felix reached the rear of the barn. He was covered in pine needles, and his clothes were as shabby as they''d ever been. When he saw the gathering crowd, he winced. "How?" Felix shrugged. "Your name carries a lot of weight now, thanks to Cinza. That, and all these people are here for you to tell them how to deal with this crisis." "I''m not a leader." "You are," said Felix firmly. "You lead your followers in more than one battle, and you came back alive. They listen to you. It''s time to put that to use." Brian nodded. Felix led him to the rear doors of the barn, where two more of his followers stood as guards. They weren''t exactly expecting violence to break out, but given the speech and the overwhelming public support for Cinza, Felix and the rest of Brian''s companions were going to take every practical precaution. Not to mention we''re practically behind enemy lines¡­ Every single damn tree in the Olympic Forest feels like it might be hiding one of them. I swear I''ve seen greycloaks out in the forest before¡­ As Brian and Felix walked up onto the stage, the noise of the crowd slowly faded away. The doors were still thrown wide, and a faint breeze in the air sent a chill through the room, but the entire assembly waited for them to speak. With Brian hesitating, Felix stepped forward to the edge of the wooden platform. They had no microphone, no amplification whatsoever¡ªbut since the only noises were the faint chirps of birds in the distance and the rattle of the wind against the windows, Felix had no trouble making himself heard. "Welcome, everybody," he called out. The noise of the crowd faded completely, and the few distracted faces swivelled around to meet his eyes, a sea of curious eyes waiting for his words. I haven''t been in front of a crowd like this in years¡­ "My name is Felix. I want to thank you all for coming out today, especially on a Sunday morning. I know it was short notice, and I''m really astounded by just how many of you were able to make it. I''m hoping nobody got lost on the backroads out here," he added with a grin. Nobody laughed. Felix nodded. "I''m here, you''re here, everybody''s here because we need to figure out what to do about this¡­ problem, that''s cropped up right in our backyard." "Witches!" shouted a voice from the sea of faces. Felix couldn''t tell who it was, they''d spoken so fast, but a general reaction from the rear of the barn gave him an idea of where to look as he replied. "Not a bad word for it, but let''s remember everyone¡ªwe aren''t here to hunt down our neighbors without proof. We''re civilized." Before anyone could ask, Felix dug into his pocket and pulled out the little stone. Immediately, he could feel it pull on his soul, just as it had when Brian first gave it to him. It sickened him¡ªthat such a little, totally normal object could have such a destructive power imbued into it. "We have a way." The crowd seemed interested, so Felix kept talking. "These stones were given to us by the man who saw all this coming. He knew magic was out in the world, and he saw the danger. They can tell you, without a shadow of a doubt, if someone is one of the awakened." He played up his disgust at the final word, building the drama of the moment. "We''re in the middle of a war we didn''t even know was happening," Felix continued. "They have their weapons, and we have ours. They''re trying to replace us, and they''ve already shown just how little stock they put in our lives. Some of you were at Lakewood!" he cried, not sure in the slightest if his statement was true¡ªapart from Brian himself, Felix had no idea who actually went to Lakewood. It didn''t matter. All that mattered was the rhetoric. "You witnessed what these monsters are willing to do! There''s no such thing as an innocent bystander to them. We have to fight back!" A few murmurs of agreement, but Felix wasn''t winning the crowd over quite yet. He needed something better, something stronger. For whatever writing skills the academic world had given him, Felix was never particularly great at holding a mob together, getting them into his point of view. He could work wonders on the page with his keyboard, but actual oratory? He was practically sweating bullets underneath his thick coat, and it definitely wasn''t from heat. Lucky for him, he wasn''t the main act. Felix was just the opener, and the real deal was stepping in. Brian put a hand on his shoulder, steadying him. Felix hadn''t even realized he was starting to shake, and just Brian''s firm grip was enough to calm him. Felix stepped aside, letting Brian take the center of the stage. As soon as he did, the entire hall seemed to sharpen. They didn''t recognize him, of course¡ªnobody knew what Brian looked like. Despite the heavy press attention he''d suddenly received, the man never saw a single published photograph, or even a description. Somehow, even in the age of social media, Felix had never seen a single picture of Brian Hendricks across the whole internet. Despite his anonymity, Brian still commanded their attention. The moment he stepped up, Felix could feel it¡ªthe man exuded an air of grim portents. The scent of ashes from his burned home seemed to perpetually linger on him. Somehow, just by looking on his ominous expression, they knew it was momentous. Brian held the crowd in his palms, every single ear begging for his every word. "They destroyed my home," Brian said firmly, and though he didn''t raise his voice, Felix had no doubt even those packed into the door frame would hear him clearly. "They murdered. They burned. They desecrated bodies and mutilated children. They are monsters." He took a deep breath, as though he were dying of thirst and the air itself was an oasis in the desert. "They took my daughter from me." The words hung in the air. Felix had never heard Brian mention his daughter. He''d seen the name on the old lists, as a ''presumed-deceased'', but never dared to ask the man about her fate. He was a reporter, but there were some topics too painful to broach. From the way Brian spoke, Felix assumed the worst. She would''ve turned thirteen this summer, too¡­ Damn. Brian paused, while the air in the room seemed to sharpen. Finally, as the tension in the barn rose to a fever pitch, he spoke again to ease them once more. "We will stop them." He waited. Nobody seemed quite sure what to do next¡ªFelix among them. Was that it? Was he going to say anything else? How would they react? It wasn''t exactly the sort of speech to applaud. Nothing about this meeting was about applause, yet the crowd needed some way to react. They needed to know how to move forward from this. We need to make this into a rally. Give them a slogan or something. But¡­ shit, I should''ve come up with something. A cautious voice broke the silence¡ªa woman near the back, clear voice ringing across the packed barn. "I saw one of them." The crowd turned in place, necks strained to see the new contributor to the cause. "A guy who could make things explode. He tried to rob a bank in Tacoma. But nobody ever got charged." Brian nodded. "The government has shown they aren''t willing to take care of the problem." "What do we do?" she asked. "It''s like there''s more of them every day." "There are," said Brian. "But we don''t know they''re all dangerous," cut in a skeptical-looking man, far across the barn from the first woman. "What if some of them are just trying to live normal lives, like you and me?" "They chose this," said Brian. He took a step forward, toward the edge of the platform. "No one was born into this power. It did not even exist two years ago. Every single awakened chose their path, and they will face the consequences." "What''s to stop more of them showing up?" Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. "We must be thorough," said Brian. He was starting to build up some momentum, to Felix''s relief. "We must be vigilant. Magic is passed from one person to the next. We will find every single piece of the evil book that grants their power, and we will burn them all, so that no more awakened can be born." "And then?" asked the first woman to speak. "We hunt down the rest," said Brian coldly. This got a real reaction. The crowd burst into murmurs. Felix estimated a near-perfect split between those who approved of Brian''s call to action, and the rest still on the fence. To his surprise, not a single face seemed truly reluctant, merely cautious, but he supposed that was to be expected from a meeting like this. "Kill them?" asked an older man in the front row. Brian nodded. "I''m not happy about it. I''m sure you aren''t either. But if they can spread their knowledge, we aren''t safe. We must root it out, like weeds from the good crops, so the rest of the world survives." "What about you?" shouted someone Felix couldn''t see. "You use their magic, don''t you? What about the rock monsters?" Another burst of murmurs, and many more negative this time from Felix''s guess. He opened his mouth to counter, but Brian held up his hands for silence¡ªand he got it. Not even a whisper pierced the quiet once Brian had raised his arms. "It''s a fair question," he replied. "I am not awakened. If you doubt me, you''re welcome to use a stone to test me. These stones, and the tool I use to control the golems, were given to me by one of those who first discovered magic. Of the three, only one foresaw the danger. His name was Jackson, and he knew where this would lead. He told me the world was at stake¡­ and he was right." Brian cleared his throat, raising his voice to a thunderous pitch that startled the whole crowd. A few birds in the rafters flew away, fearful of the sudden danger in his harsh, deep voice. "They burned Rallsburg to the ground. Hundreds were murdered by their wicked power. Jackson tried to stop them. He tried to save the whole town, but they killed us in the streets by the dozens. People were electrocuted, burned alive, buried in their own homes. You''ve seen the videos." "But you can control it," someone pointed out. "Why can''t they?" "Because they are monsters," Brian shouted. "I''m still human. I''m one of you. They aren''t. They''ve given up their humanity, and they admit it. You saw the interview, didn''t you? She called us ''humans''." Brian shook his head. "She made a mistake, revealing what they really think of us. We''re dirt to them. We''re nothing to them. They want us to just get out of the way and die off." Brian started pacing from one end of the platform to the other. "They attacked us in Rallsburg. They fought us in Tacoma. They killed civilians in their homes in Lakewood. This is only the beginning. Every time they spread a little bit further. We can''t let this go any further." Someone shouted out another question, but Brian was really building up in his speech, and the lone voice was lost in the rumble of agreement rolling through the crowd. "They''re gathering their forces. They''re building alliances. The government''s on their side, but the public hasn''t made up its mind yet. Nobody''s opposed them in the open. It''s time that changed." Brian paused, right in the middle of the platform. Silence fell over the crowd. Felix gasped. He couldn''t have planned a better pregnant pause if he wrote the script himself. As far as he knew, Brian was improvising the whole speech, yet it flowed like he''d practiced it for weeks. "I made a mistake," he said quietly, and he could speak quietly, because the crowd was hanging onto every word with bated breath. The low voice carried a gravitas Felix couldn''t hope to match. "I stayed in the shadows, because I was afraid for my own life. I''d lost Jackson, and I''d lost my daughter. I feared I wouldn''t survive every night. I was a coward¡­ but no more!" The last two words echoed through the barn, a resounding cry that sent shivers down Felix''s spine. "Their leaders have shown themselves. It''s time I did the same. I''m here with you today, and I''m telling you no more." Brian began to stomp his foot with every new sentence, punctuating them with hard clunks against the wood. "No more will they burn down our homes. No more will they murder innocents in the streets. No more will they corrupt our children, infiltrate our world, destroy our way of living." A final, resounding thump of wood. "No more." At the final utterance, the crowd roared its approval. It wasn''t a cheer, exactly, but it was a positive result all the same. Even Felix, jaded as he was, felt like leaping to his feet and doing something. Except Brian hadn''t given them something to do. They needed a follow-up. Felix took a step forward¡ªbut once again, Brian was ahead of him. ...Who is this guy? Brian kept speaking, even while the crowd roared its blessing on every sentence. "We will hunt them in the cities. We will hunt them in the forests. We will track down every last awakened there is, and we won''t let a single one escape justice. They think they can just replace humanity, but they''ve forgotten where they came from. We won''t go easy. We''ll fight. We''ll win. And you, every single one of you, will be our victory."
By the time the last few cars left New London, Brian had more than a hundred new recruits at his back, including a few vital skills they''d been lacking. Up until that day, Brian had been communicating with his followers simply by cheap burner cell phones, but Felix knew that couldn''t last. As soon as they started showing real growth, they were bound to get noticed¡ªand with the political support he''d seen coming out of the Ashe family, plus Cinza''s upcoming meeting with the President, Felix knew they''d be vulnerable to wiretapping as much as any crime family. This was Washington, though, and even if they were way out in the middle of nowhere, they''d still managed to pick up a few tech-heads with the skills they needed. Brian would have an end-to-end encrypted messaging system by the end of the day, robust and effective enough to call support anywhere he needed from his growing army. "What''s next?" Brian asked Felix as they retreated to the quiet bar in Neilton once more. There were a few patrons this time, but all known regulars whom Brian had recruited long before Felix entered the picture. Brian didn''t seem giddy¡ªFelix doubted he''d ever see a truly positive emotion on the man''s face until they''d completed their mission¡ªbut there was an undercurrent of excitement. Felix felt it too. They''d pulled off something important that day. "We do it again tomorrow," said Felix. "I assumed grassroots meant word-of-mouth," said Brian, slightly confused. "Won''t they tell people, and they''ll tell more people?" "Yeah, but we need to give them reminders," said Felix. "People don''t just show up to one good speech and suddenly change their whole way of life. Well, some people do," he added with a smirk. Casey Alston, junior year at Columbia. That was a damn good speech. "For most, though, you need to build up momentum again. People attach themselves to a community. You gotta keep them coming back, over and over, until they really feel like they''re a part of the group." Brian nodded. "I can do that." "In the meantime," said Felix, popping open his laptop, "I''ll be getting that recording up and spreading." "...Recording?" He grinned. "Nothing spreads a message faster than a good video. That was a killer speech." Brian shrugged. "I just talked to them." "Whatever you did, it worked, and somebody got the whole thing on their cell. They were kind enough to let me copy it over." "What if they track us down?" asked Brian cautiously. Felix shook his head. "So they find out you were in New London for one day. Everybody knows you''re in this area, and they haven''t found you yet, thanks to our friend here," he added, nodding at the proprietor. The old man nodded back, polishing a glass. "And they never will. I don''t know a Brian Hendricks." Felix grinned. "We''ll be a lot more careful with every speech going forward. Can''t just give up your location like that more than once, especially now that Winscombe''s probably mouthing off to every single damn agency in the country. It was only gonna work while everyone was still recovering from the London shitshow." "Speakin'' of which," said the old man, reaching for the TV remote. He turned it on and unpaused the video. "...named a Brian Hendricks of Rallsburg as the culprit behind the so-called golem attacks in Tacoma and Lakewood. Brian Hendricks has been assumed deceased since the events in May, but with this accusation, the FBI has officially changed his status to ''missing, wanted for questioning''." "So they''re looking for me now, too," said Brian calmly. "They already were, I''ll bet," said Felix with a shrug. "No reason Hailey wouldn''t have told them when she met up with ''em couple weeks back. Now they''re going wide with it, since Cinza name-dropped you and screwed whatever clandestine action they might''ve been trying. Plus, we get even more recognition." He grinned. "They''re tripping all over themselves. It''s perfect." "You aren''t worried it''ll draw too much attention?" he asked. "Interfere with our own recruitment?" Felix glanced up at the ceiling. "You see any helicopters flying around today? The search teams? They gave up on this area a long time ago. They ain''t gonna find us." "What about informants? We''re trusting a lot of people when they show up to these meetings." Felix nodded. "We have to, but I''ve got plans for that too. Pick a few of your inner circle, and we''ll hold multiple meetings at once. On the others, we patch you in wirelessly. I''ve bought a couple decent cameras to use. We''ll stream you live to each one, and rotate where you show up randomly, so they can''t ever predict which one you''re going to be at." "It''s not foolproof," said Brian. He shrugged. "Nothing is, man. We''re in a war. It''s a shitty, cloak-and-dagger war where we''re never going to be sure who we can really trust, but that''s how it goes." Felix sighed. "Worst case, we just stream you to all of ''em, but I don''t like the optics on that. I think you''ve got real stage presence, and you lose a lot of that when you go video-only." "And if they aren''t sure which one I''ll be at, they''re more likely to keep coming back for a chance to find the real meeting," said Brian slowly, nodding along. Felix snapped his fingers. "Exactly. We''ll build up more engagement with the real followers." "You''re really not worried about infiltrators?" Brian asked. He shook his head again. "None of these will last that long. We''re still going to keep coordinating through the phones, and the app Dennis is setting up tonight. We''ll compartmentalize as much as we have to. Everybody knows as much as they need to, and we give out missions piecemeal. When we have a real target, we can call in support instantly. They''ll let us layer everything so we can run everybody we need from right here. No eavesdropping, totally secure. This will work." "Where did you learn all of this?" Felix grinned. "Reporting on third-world revolutions. New technologies can really help people rise up against corrupt governments when they''re used effectively. I think this is the first time I''ve been around a grassroots campaign to keep the status quo, though." "So what''s next?" Brian asked again, though he sounded far more confident than before. Felix clapped him on the back. "You leave that to me."
Monday morning, and Felix was feeling apprehensive. They''d done another speech the previous night, driving down to Aberdeen for an impromptu town hall gathering. It gained another groundswell of support, and another hundred or so joined the private app right as Dennis launched it. A few starting hiccups, but by Monday morning, they were communicating without problems. Still, they weren''t really fired up yet. They were in the opening stages, but to really get the ball rolling, Felix needed something to incite them to action. He needed drama, and he wasn''t sure he would get it. He was afraid of the slacktivism effect, where he''d get a ton of people signing up but without any real commitment to action. Sure, these people might be interested in the cause, agree with Brian''s words, but they''d never actually witnessed the danger. There was a real threat that had to be stopped, at all costs. Felix needed a story. It took him a fair amount of digging to find someone who could pull it off on such short notice. He felt like he might be rushing things a bit, but he couldn''t afford to wait too long. Cinza was meeting with the President that very afternoon, and the man had a sterling approval rating with the public. If he came out in favor of the awakened, they might lose a great deal of support. Felix needed to secure as many followers as he could get firmly in their camp before that happened. So long as they had enough people at their backs, Felix was confident they could still take out the awakened before it was too late¡ªbefore they spread too far. He didn''t like the idea that popped into his mind, but it was the best thing he could come up with in the time he had. It went against his principles as a journalist, but if it worked? He wouldn''t care. He''d be the guy who helped save the whole world from a terrible threat. Felix could live with that. They got into the tinted SUV, driven by the Tacoma cop Brian had recruited long before Felix joined them. Felix was curious how he''d managed to sway the officer, but neither told him much when asked. He doubted he''d ever get the full story, but it didn''t matter. The cop wasn''t the story. He wanted to remain anonymous, and Felix could give him that. He was doing important work. "Where are we going tonight?" asked Brian, in the back seat behind the other two. "A church in Satsop," said Felix. Perfect location, too. "You''ve got that fuckin'' stick, right?" asked the cop, merging out onto the highway and barrelling down the road south toward Aberdeen. Brian didn''t reply, his eyes closed as if meditating. "Never lets go of it anymore," confirmed Felix. "Wouldn''t even let me touch it." "That''s not new. Never lets anyone near it. Good riddance, too. Thing''s a fuckin'' nightmare." He glanced over his shoulder at Brian. "Better you than me." Brian nodded. "As soon as we can, I''ll destroy it. It is an abomination." "Useful, though," said Felix. "So is magic," said Brian. Felix raised an eyebrow. He glanced at the cop, surprised, but the officer didn''t seem surprised. Evidently, they''d discussed this topic before. "But¡­" Felix prompted. "Everything can be useful," said Brian. "What matters are the risks. Magic isn''t worth the risks." Felix nodded. "Makes sense." They were quiet all the way through Aberdeen, Brian laying low despite the dark tinting in the windows. He didn''t trust anything anymore, and Felix couldn''t blame him. Even if the world didn''t really know him, their enemies certainly did. For that matter, Felix wondered if he should be worried about getting called out. After all, Jeremy Ashe knew he was working with Brian. Felix didn''t think Ashe would turn him in though. The man hadn''t seemed totally certain, and that niggling doubt was likely to leave the reporter in place¡ªparticularly since, at the time, Felix hadn''t actually been helping Brian, just reporting on him. As they arrived at the little church in Satsop, the cop pulled them around to the rear. A couple of Brian''s inner circle were already at the entrance, watching out for any sign of trouble. They let everyone through without harassment, since Felix wanted to build a welcoming atmosphere for new recruits, but the moment they saw any sort of authority figure approach¡ªsheriff, police, or God-forbid the FBI¡ªthey''d sound the alarm, and Felix would get Brian out of there. They signaled an all-clear. Felix nodded as they drove past to the rear entrance. The officer got out first, checking the area yet again. Finally, Felix and Brian got out. Brian rolled his shoulders, trying to relieve some of the tension from the awkward way he''d ridden through town. Felix patted him on the back. "Just another one, you got this." Brian nodded. "You''re streaming it this time, right?" "Yeah, we should be set up for that." Felix wasn''t sure if it would actually get through, but he''d been reassured of the network''s quality. Worst case, he''d still have the recording to post online afterward¡ªor not, if everything goes to plan¡­ "Okay. Let''s go." Brian pushed through the rear double-doors into the church, heading straight for the main hall where people were still gathering. They hurried to follow. Brian waited while Felix gave a similar introduction as before, though he didn''t bother to try and rile up the crowd as he had the first time. He left that to the professional¡ªand indeed, they''d received a huge donation from a few of the well-off new recruits, so Brian was getting paid. Felix hadn''t informed him, since Brian scorned the idea of getting paid for the work they were doing. Still, Felix knew better than to turn down a resource as valuable as money. He invested some of it, unsure how long their crusade might end up being, and helped pay the bills of the man housing them back in Neilton, shoring up the edges of their operation. When Brian needed the money, as he inevitably would, Felix would be ready. I''m gonna have to switch up introducing him or not too, or else they''ll catch on as soon as I show my face somewhere. One or two rallies down the line, something like that. "...you''ve come here because you''re not sure about these ''awakened'' in your midst. You''re worried about what they''ll do next, and if you''re safe in your own home. You aren''t," Felix added, and was rewarded with a sharp intake of breath from the crowd. All right, so I''m not totally worthless at speeches. Good to know. "They''re a bigger danger than you realize. But I can''t tell you just how much. I haven''t witnessed what they can really do." At those words, Brian emerged from the side door to the little church stage, crossing out into the open. Felix gestured to him. "This man can. Brian Hendricks." No applause, of course¡ªFelix didn''t expect it anymore, and didn''t really want it either. He saw a few repeat faces in the crowd, but he wasn''t expecting many yet. They were deliberately trying to pull a wide audience, a variety to start the tendrils of the conversation in many communities all at once. The one face that really mattered was in the crowd, and Felix got an affirmative nod from the man as he left the stage. He was ready, on Felix''s signal. Brian launched into his speech¡ªa similar structure as before, but as off-the-cuff as the first had been. He started off calm and small, practically conversational with the crowd at large. He talked like he were just their neighbor, telling them what had happened, and it was the sort of story they instantly believed, because he sounded so sincere¡ªso broken. Felix marveled at his skill to draw the crowd in. Once they''d accepted his story, they had no trouble accepting his later rhetoric. Brian slowly built them up to a low furor, as each new sentence boiled the crowd into a frenzy. By the time he reached the peak, Felix would have sworn he could have started a riot with a single word, and yet he kept them all under control. Which meant it was about time for someone to try and disrupt that control. A blinding yellow-orange light seared into Felix''s eyes. Fire burst out of the crowd, an eruption of flames that flew forward toward Brian. Sheer heat rolled over the room in a wave. The ball missed Brian by inches, sailing overhead¡ªbut the damage was done. Someone had just tried to assassinate Brian Hendricks. With magic. The crowd roared with unabashed fury. Brian was on his feet again, scanning the sea of faces for the attacker, but the mob had already found him. Without hesitation, they piled in on the man who''d thrown the fireball. Fists thumped against skin and bone as he went down, crushed by bodies in a storm of rage brought on by the attack against their leader. Come on, I know you won''t let this stand, Felix prayed, watching Brian. Get in there. As he''d hoped, Brian didn''t. He grasped the golem rod from his jacket, his eyes narrowed in concentration. Without warning, a golem erupted into the pew where the mob had attacked the man, splintering wood everywhere. People were pushed aside by the swiftly-growing monster, forming a protective shield over their hapless victim. Can''t let them attack people without cause. We need an army, not a mob. You know what to do. "Stop!" Brian roared, his deep voice piercing the cacophony. He walked forward, and the crowd bubbled back into silence once more, parting like the Red Sea to let him stride forward. When he reached the beaten man, Brian leaned down and helped him to his feet. "Can any of you prove this man was responsible?" No response, of course. None of them had a stone to detect awakened. They were all new recruits. Brian nodded. "We don''t hurt the innocent. That''s what makes us different from these cowards, these monsters." He turned to the man, bleeding and bruised but mostly intact. "Tell me, are you awakened?" "No." "Liar!" shouted the next man in the pew, nursing bloody knuckles. "I saw him! He did something right before it happened!" "He tried to kill you!" cried a woman further down the row. "We stopped him!" "Magic can be misleading!" said Brian, cutting off further protest. "We have to be vigilant! We have tools for this!" Oh, shit¡­ what happens now? Brian''s gonna find out he isn''t awakened, and then¡­ go through the rest of the crowd, until he finds no one, because it wasn''t actually magic. That isn''t really the most satisfying conclusion. I didn''t plan this far enough. "Hold him steady," Brian said aloud, and the two strongest men nearby grabbed both of the man''s arms. He struggled slightly, but Brian shook his head. "Don''t worry. If you aren''t awakened, nothing will happen." The room was so silent, Felix could hear the faint buzz of the emergency exit sign all the way across the room. Brian was staring at the hapless victim, one hand in his pocket, concentrating. Every single person waited for his judgment, his direction on what to do next. If he''s innocent, we leave confused and fearful. If he''s guilty, we have a real villain, and Brian proves his abilities and his leadership. We give them a real look at what they''re fighting, and how they can be beaten. We''d be so much better off if he were guilty. Except¡­ he isn''t. Brian nodded slowly, removing his hand from his pocket. He raised his voice. "...He is one of them. He tried to kill me." He turned away, leaving the man behind. "You know what to do." The crowd descended on him. He''d tried to kill their leader, a man who had just riled them up into a frenzy. He was ''awakened'', inhuman. He represented everything they feared, everything they hated¡ªand with the sheer intensity of the rage Brian had built up, they were eager to take it out on the first thing they could find. The poor man didn''t stand a chance. Brian walked to the front of the church, still pointedly avoiding looking back at the crowd busy tearing apart the man who''d purportedly tried to kill him. Instead, he walked straight up to Felix, and the reporter had never felt so afraid in his entire life. Brian spoke in a low intensity that sent a shiver through his bones with every syllable. "He wasn''t." Felix gulped. "No." Brian stared him directly in the eye. Felix withered under his glare. He couldn''t match it, and he ended up looking down at the floor instead. "Don''t ever try to manipulate me like that again." Felix nodded. Brian walked back to the front of the church, calling his followers to attention once more. Felix didn''t hear another word he said, trembling in the back of the hall. He saw the officer supervise the disposal of the body, saw the people file out with grim excitement, saw his own crew deliver the recording of the night to his hands. Felix didn''t hear anything all the way back to the bar in Neilton. As Felix went to bed for the night, he finally reconciled it in his mind. They both knew what was at stake. Nothing could go wrong. They needed the support. Brian hadn''t wanted to do it; Felix hadn''t wanted to do it. They''d sacrificed an innocent. They''d probably sacrifice more before their crusade was over. Necessary evils, like the golems, like the identifying stones. Necessary evils. Isn''t that the phrase always used by dictators and fascists, right before they start killing off everyone they don''t like? This is different. These people chose this. They''re putting the world at risk. We''re just trying to survive. So are they, aren''t they? It''s a war now. If it''s us or them, I choose us. So the argument went in his head, all night until he finally fell asleep hours later. Felix Wieczorek wanted to believe he''d chosen the right side, wanted to believe he hadn''t paid a man to die just to prove a point. His dreams were just as troubled, but when he woke up in the morning and reviewed his footage, Felix remembered the other things he''d seen. He remembered Nate Price, nearly burning a whole room of reporters alive just to show off. He remembered Hailey Winscombe, destroying buildings in Tacoma and London wherever she went. He remembered Rallsburg, annihilated in the blink of an eye. Felix remembered, and knew he''d chosen the right side. It was necessary. Brian was necessary, along with his whole following. They had to stop magic before it was too late¡ªbefore the whole world ended up like that poor town, burned to ashes and scattered in the winds. [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] B2: Chapter 36 — Confessions Chapter 36 ¡ª Confessions Natalie spent the rest of Friday in her room, sitting with her back against the closed door, talking to Quinn on the other side. At first, Quinn reassured her over and over that everything was going to be just fine¡ªhis parents would get it, they just needed to talk it out first like they always did. Natalie didn''t have to leave. "Mom and Dad always make big decisions together," Quinn went on. "Dad just has to talk it over with her." "It''s okay," said Natalie quietly. "What?" She cleared her throat, raising her voice again so she could be heard through the door. Percy screeched with surprise, fluttering his wings a bit and cuffing her in the ear. She ignored him, and he fluttered back over to his perch indignantly. She slid the closet door closed behind him, annoyed. "It''s okay," she repeated. "I''ll be fine, Quinn." "But¡ª" Natalie smiled, glad that Quinn couldn''t see her in that moment. She didn''t want him to think she was happy about leaving¡ªshe really wasn''t. She was just happy he cared so much. "I''ve been on my own before." And it was the worst experience of my life¡­ but Quinn¡ª "Isn''t that how you got hurt?" he asked. Natalie choked up, her thoughts scattering away like birds scared out of the trees. "...Yeah," she replied. She didn''t speak for a while, twiddling her thumbs in an effort to keep the painful memories at bay¡ªkeep the black clouds from swallowing her up again. "...Don''t worry, Dad''s in the kitchen. He can''t hear us." That''s not¡­ Natalie shook her head. "Hey, Quinn?" "Yeah?" "Would you¡­" Natalie hesitated¡ªand in that moment, the voice cut through her thoughts like a knife. You cannot tell him. But I hate lying to him. Is it a lie to withhold information he doesn''t need to know? He wants to be with me, and he doesn''t know what I''ve done. He likes somebody that''s only a little part of me. Quinn let his dad yell at him rather than break my trust. I don''t want to hide anything from him. There is a difference between Quinn and this. Natalie shook her head again, trying to brush the voice from her thoughts. She raised her voice again, realizing Quinn still hadn''t said a word. "You still there?" "Yeah." He tapped the door a couple times. "Tyler texted me. Blake didn''t say a single word the rest of the day, apparently." Oh¡­ well¡­ Natalie winced. "I wish I hadn''t done that." "She''s been picking on you for months," Quinn pointed out. "And you didn''t mean to hurt her." "Quinn," said Natalie, blood rushing in her head as she let the words spill out of her mouth, "what if I did?" "What?" Stop this. You mustn''t. "What if I''ve hurt people before?" Natalie went on, voice shaking. "A lot worse than Blake." "I don''t understand. Are you talking about the libr¡ª" "No," Natalie interrupted. She wasn''t sure what he was going to say, but no matter what, she knew it wasn''t right. He couldn''t possibly know¡ªbut she needed to tell him, and she needed to see his face so she knew he understood. Natalie stood up and opened the door. Quinn was sitting against the doorjamb, phone at his side, eyes half-hidden behind the reflection in his glasses. She held out her hand, helping him to his feet. To her relief, that brief contact didn''t push her further than usual¡ªit still hurt, and she couldn''t stand to be close for too long, but she was beginning to find some level of comfort close to Quinn. She really needed that right now. "Come in," she said quietly. Quinn raised an eyebrow. He glanced down the hall at the kitchen, where his dad was starting to work on dinner. "But¡ª" "My room, my rules, right?" Natalie shook her head. "We''ll leave the door open. I just¡­ I can''t talk to you like that anymore, okay?" Quinn nodded. "Okay." Even though it was his home and he''d probably been in it a thousand times, Natalie still felt like it were something momentous and unprecedented¡ªas Quinn stepped across the threshold into her little space, her heart skipped a few beats. He glanced around curiously, taking everything in through his thin rimless glasses. Natalie had cleaned the place up the day before, thankfully. The books she''d taken out of her bag to read were stacked neatly on the bedside table, along with a small pile of gemstones, so she could grab them right out of bed in an emergency. She''d hung up all her nicer clothes in the closet, and her homework was stacked in neat piles against the far wall, since she didn''t have a desk or anything. The one thing really lacking were decorations¡ªdespite the Kincaids'' reassurances, Natalie didn''t want to stick anything on the walls quite yet. Maybe someday. If you don''t find yourself set adrift today with this foolish action. I trust Quinn, okay? If I can''t trust my boyfriend, I can''t trust anybody in the world. That seems accurate. "You''re the worst," Natalie muttered, draping her bag across the back of a folding chair next to her bed. She sat down on the edge, nervously twiddling her toes, waiting for Quinn to do something. She wanted to talk to him, tell him everything, but still¡ªhe was in her room, in her place, for the first time. Natalie just wanted to wait. Quinn glanced at the closet first. "...Percy, right?" he asked. "Yeah." He held up an arm. "Can I just¡­ call him?" Natalie giggled, in spite of herself. The tension in her stomach eased out a little¡ªof course Quinn would want to meet one of her pets first. If she were in his shoes, she''d want to do the same. "You don''t want to have him land on your bare arm, trust me." Quinn winced. "Oh, yeah. That makes sense." She quickly murmured the spell to make the whole room muffled to the outside, before Damian overheard her talking in her animal voice, while Quinn pulled on his windbreaker. Natalie double-checked the door, then gave a little wave at the closet, sliding the door open to reveal Percy''s little coat-rack perch. she said. Quinn glanced at her. "So can I learn how to talk to him too?" Natalie shook her head. "I still don''t really know how I do it. It just kinda¡­ comes out." Percy, meanwhile, was eyeing Quinn suspiciously. Natalie rolled her eyes. Percy screeched, and Natalie could have sworn he shook his head in return, glaring at her. A wave of his wing at Quinn, and another short screech. Natalie sighed. "Good thing I muffled us," she muttered. "What''s up?" asked Quinn. "I told him you were my boyfriend. I don''t think he likes that idea." Natalie sighed. She held up her own arm, and Percy immediately shot across the room to perch near her elbow. She brushed his head lightly before turning back to Quinn. "He''ll get used to it." Quinn grinned. "As long as he doesn''t peck out my eyes or anything." Natalie giggled. "If you think this is bad, I can''t wait til you meet Gwen." "Gwen''s the¡­ wolf, right?" She nodded. "She''s like¡­ twice your size, at least." "Jeez." Quinn shuddered. His arm started to go down, but Natalie took his hand to hold him steady. She looked Percy in the eye very seriously. Percy flapped a wing into her head in response. Meekly, Percy took a few hesitant steps forward along her arm, toward the point where her hand joined with Quinn''s. Quinn''s eyes went wide, watching the hawk amble toward him. Natalie grinned. "Be ready, he''s heavier than you think." As Percy stepped across and the weight lifted off Natalie''s arm, Quinn''s sagged a little. Percy wasn''t massive¡ªhe still only weighed a few pounds¡ªbut his talons caught her off guard the first few times. She expected the same from Quinn, and she wasn''t disappointed. As the sharp hooks clawed their way across Quinn''s windbreaker sleeve, he gasped a couple times¡ªbut he held steady. Natalie let go of Quinn''s hand, sitting back to give him some space. Percy glared up at Quinn, shuffling a little on his arm, but didn''t let go. For the first time ever, one of Natalie''s pets was trusting another person¡ªand it''s Quinn. Just like I wanted. She smiled, while Quinn slowly reached up to Percy''s head. "Is it cool if I¡­" Quinn asked. Percy didn''t move, but Natalie could tell he wouldn''t resist. She nodded to Quinn, and he stroked his head just like she always did. Natalie grinned. "Cool, right?" "Awesome," Quinn breathed. Glee washed through Natalie''s brain as Quinn smiled at the bird. She''d been worried that Quinn might not like any of her friends¡ªbut those worries were long gone, as Quinn continued to pet Percy. The hawk swiveled its head around to Natalie. He opened and closed his beak a couple times, eyeing her with an annoyed air. She winced. "Oh¡­ right. He''s probably hungry. I haven''t fed him since last night." "...What does he eat?" "Well, I can''t let him hunt around here." Natalie shrugged. "I give him mice from the pet store, mostly." "Mice?" Quinn asked, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah." "Does he, like¡ª" "Eats them live, yeah." Natalie pointed at the closet, lifting the box of mice out and floating it across to them. She picked one out and set it aside where Percy could get to it. Immediately, the hawk lit from Quinn''s arm and dove for the bed, snatching the mouse up and devouring it. Quinn turned away, looking a bit nauseated. Natalie smirked, quickly cleaning up after Percy''s meal with another couple spells she''d practiced¡ªincinerating the leftovers of the mouse, and sucking away any stains straight out of the sheets to leave them like new. "Still think he''s cool?" she asked, floating the box of mice away. "...Sure." Quinn grimaced. "I just..." Natalie laughed. "I won''t feed him around you anymore." "...Thanks." As Percy fluttered back to his perch, Natalie sat up on her bed, back to the wall. Quinn glanced back, expression serious again. "So¡­ what did you want to talk about?" She nodded, while the brief bit of happiness drained away again. It wasn''t replaced by despair, though¡ªNatalie felt more of a grim determination, like what she''d felt toward the end of Rallsburg. There was something unpleasant about to happen, she knew it, and she knew that only pushing herself through it would solve anything. Still don''t trust him? Your hawk doesn''t trust him. Percy''s really dumb though. You must decide for yourself. Has Quinn proven himself trustworthy? Has he ever betrayed any of your secrets? No, of course not. What about when he revealed you were in witness protection to his friends? He was on drugs, and that was my fault. And it turned out okay anyway. But he told his parents you were together, before either of you had decided such a thing. We said we wanted to be dating¡­ and I don''t think he told them. He seemed just as surprised. It was probably somebody else. Quinn is a barrier from your real goal. Your home. Quinn makes me feel like I''m home. "Natalie?" asked Quinn, and hearing her name¡ªher real name, the one which truly meant her¡ªwas enough to push her over the edge. Natalie needed him to know. "...I hurt people," she whispered. "A lot of people." His eyes softened¡ªthis close, Natalie could actually see the hazel-colored irises through his glasses, without any hard lights to reflect off the lenses. He had nice eyes. "What do you¡ª" "Back home. In Rallsburg." Natalie took a deep breath, her gaze falling to the floor. She forced her eyes back up to level with his. "The people who got¡­ got killed¡­ by lightning. And then again, in Seattle, when I got lost. I¡­ I killed people." There, it was all in the open. Natalie bit her lip, her hands folded in her lap. She stared at a point just past Quinn now, on the wall behind him¡ªclose enough to see his expression, but not so close that she felt like she were overwhelmed. She waited, terrified, but trusting him. Trusting he''d understand, or at the very least, he wouldn''t betray her. Finally, Quinn spoke, after what seemed like hours, but had only been a minute or two. "...Are you okay?" Tears burst from Natalie''s eyes, sudden and unbidden. She shook her head. "No, I''m really not," she whispered. Her hands flew to her face, covering herself. Her entire world went black. She couldn''t see a single speck of light between her fingers. "I didn''t want to do it, but they¡­ they just wouldn''t stop. They¡ª" Arms wrapped around her. Natalie''s hands were still pressed into her face. She hadn''t seen him coming. The clouds returned to her mind, and her arms and legs screamed at her to run, to break free. It''s Quinn! she shouted inside her skull. I want him to hug me! Her body felt like it was on fire, but her mind kept pulling back, like a tug of war between what Natalie needed and what she couldn''t have. Everything on the surface screamed at her to flee, to get away from the threat¡ªbut finally, finally, Natalie felt like she could fight it back. She didn''t move. She didn''t return the hug, but she didn''t break away either. It wasn''t pleasant, it wasn''t comforting, but compared to the month of pain and terror she''d been enduring, it may as well have been. Quinn hugged her, and Natalie felt, for the first time in so long, that she was finally getting better¡­ ...until it stopped. The black clouds surged forward, the pain pushed in, and Natalie couldn''t hold it anymore. She pushed¡ªand instantly, Quinn backed off. He went back to his chair, leaving Natalie alone on the bed once again. She shivered in place, pulling a blanket up to surround her. "I¡ª" Quinn started, but Natalie quickly shook her head. "...Thank you," she whispered, trying to tell him it wasn''t his fault, "but I still¡­ I can''t¡ª" Quinn nodded. He looked hurt¡ªand that only added to Natalie''s pain. She enveloped herself in the blanket, trying to hide from the world again. Percy, sensing her distress, flew back across the room again and landed next to her, spreading his wings wide at the presumed threat. Natalie waved him off before he attacked Quinn, but it became obvious that she wasn''t going to get what she wanted. She was still damaged and broken, and even telling Quinn the truth hadn''t helped. "Quinn?" called Damian, and it shattered the moment entirely. Quinn hurried to the door, since Natalie''s spell was still keeping any noise from escaping. "Yeah?" "Could you come here for a moment, please?" Quinn pulled back into the room, glancing at Natalie. "You can hear things from far away, right?" Not sure what he intended, Natalie nodded silently. She hadn''t ever told Quinn that, worried he might think she were spying on him and his family, but evidently he''d figured it out anyway. He nodded. "You should listen in. Just¡­ in case, you know. If you need to run, I get it." Natalie shook her head. "I won''t." "It''s okay." Quinn smiled awkwardly. "We''ve got phones. Just call me from wherever you go. I''ll come meet you there." With that, Quinn left the room, hurrying to talk to his father. Natalie brushed the last few tears from her eyes and sat up. She knew Quinn was right. As loathe as she was to listen into the Kincaids'' conversations, she couldn''t risk not knowing. If they were going to kick her out¡ªor worse, turn her in¡ªshe needed to know right away, so she could get moving. Where to, she wasn''t sure, but Natalie knew more than anything that she never wanted to be caught off guard again, like she had by Blake, or the Laushires, or by Meltyface¡­ or her father. A quick murmured spell, and Natalie could hear every word. "...sorry to ask this, but what were you two talking about?" "Just¡­ some stuff from before we met," said Quinn uncomfortably. He doesn''t like lying either¡­ Damian sighed. "Q, what happened between you two? How''d you end up getting hurt?" "I thought you wanted to get her side of the story." "Q, you already broke one rule tonight. Don''t dig this hole any deeper." "...I did?" "You weren''t supposed to ever go in her room." Natalie winced. Quinn got indignant. "She asked me to, Dad!" "Quinn," said Damian¡ªand Natalie felt a chill run down her spine at his tone. Whenever he called Quinn by his full name, it always meant something serious. "I know you and Jenny are close¡ª" "She''s my girlfriend, Dad," said Quinn, and Natalie felt a little burst of incongruous joy at those words, mixed in with all the other emotions stomping through her body like a horrible conga line. "That''s not the point. Something''s off about that girl." "What''s that supposed to mean?" "She doesn''t add up." Damian hesitated, while Natalie felt her world starting to crash down around her from far down the hall and through the open door. "We''ve heard a lot of strange things about her." "From who?" Quinn shot back. "If it''s Mrs. Sinclair again¡ª" "Mrs. Chau," said Damian, naming Steven''s mom. Not somebody we can just ignore¡­ Natalie winced. "And from a few other parents at school. We asked around." "Why would you do that? Why not just ask me?" Damian sighed. "We''re trying to figure out what happened to her, Q. I don''t want to make Jenny relive it if I don''t have to." He paused again. "Do you know the whole story?" Quinn still doesn''t¡­ and who could Damian ask to get it, anyway? Nobody knows the whole story but me. Even Rachel and Cinza only know a few parts¡­ "No," said Quinn firmly. The front door clicked open. Annette was home. Natalie heard rustling of bags, normal greetings as both father and son shifted gears. Natalie wondered if that was the end of the conversation¡ªbut of course, it wasn''t. The Kincaids weren''t a family that kept any secrets from each other. That sounds nice¡­ "What''s going on?" asked Annette, obviously clued in to the hanging tension in the whole building¡ªso thick, Natalie felt like she could choke on it. "We''ve got a lot to discuss," said Damian in an exhausted tone. They don''t keep secrets. I don''t want to keep secrets either. "I got your text," said Annette. "What''s this about?" Every time I tell Quinn something, it turns out okay. "Mom," Quinn started, "it''s¡ª" They treat me like family. "Wait," Natalie called out, halting their conversation in its tracks. She stepped out from her doorway¡ªleaving Percy behind, before she really went overboard¡ªand walked down the hall, feeling like every step was longer and harder than the last. The voice, fainter with every step, shouted at her to turn back, to flee, but Natalie''s mind was made up. "Jenny?" asked Damian, looking up. He and Annette were standing near the kitchen table, while Quinn sat at the far end in his usual spot. All three looked surprised at her approach. Natalie shot Quinn a sad smile before turning to his parents. She shook her head. Natalie took a deep breath. "My name''s not Jenny." Nobody spoke. Quinn''s eyebrows shot up so fast, Natalie half-expected them to fly right off his face. Silently, Natalie took her spot at the fourth seat around the table¡ªand following her cue, Quinn''s parents did likewise. They both stared at her as if they''d never seen her before, and Natalie couldn''t exactly blame them. She''d been living with them and lying to them for nearly two weeks. "I''m sorry¡­" she started, finally breaking the silence. "Natalie?" asked Quinn. His eyes went wide as dinner plates when he realized what he''d said. Both heads across the table snapped over to their son. Annette''s mouth fell open. "You knew?" she asked sharply, before Quinn could ask whatever he''d been about to ask. "Please," Natalie interjected. "I asked him not to tell." "...Why?" asked Annette. "It''s not safe," said Natalie. "For people find out who I am." "So you took a fake name?" asked Damian. "Damian," said Annette, placing a hand on his. "Let her speak." Natalie nodded. "My name''s Natalie. The stuff about not having anywhere to live was true. I was living with someone, but I got¡­ locked out, I guess." This is too hard to explain without talking about magic. I have to tell them. "I''ve been in hiding since May. Since¡­ since my home got burned down."
It all came pouring out, like a waterfall crashing through a dam, releasing the torrent that was her life over the last six months. Natalie didn''t quite tell them everything¡ªshe didn''t give them any names, since those people might not want to be known, just like her¡ªbut she was pretty thorough. From their flight out of Rallsburg in the dead of night, to Natalie''s days in the Laushire house, all the way up until the night she got locked out and found her way into the Kincaid home¡ªNatalie explained everything. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Except¡­ when it came to the reason Rallsburg burned down? She couldn''t bring herself to name her father. When she reached the story of her night in Seattle? She choked up. Though both Annette and Damian looked sympathetic, Natalie couldn''t bring herself to describe a single moment, and simply skimmed across it as if it hadn''t happened at all, letting them draw their own conclusions about her scar and the gang it represented. I''m lying again. You''re leaving out details you don''t understand. It isn''t wrong. Until you speak to your father, you do not wish to charge him with such a crime. But Seattle? You must not think about Seattle. Silently while she spoke, Natalie agreed with the voice. Even with Quinn, Natalie couldn''t say anything more about that night. She pushed it away. The Kincaids had enough to consider without more complications in the story. "...and then everything started happening," said Natalie finally. "There was that book, and I''m probably in it somewhere, so I had to run. But I got locked out. This was the only place I could think of, so I came here. Except then the book didn''t get published like it was supposed to, and now Hailey''s flying around doing stuff I don''t understand and I''m scared that everything''s just going to get worse." Natalie took a deep breath, about to continue, but Annette finally held up a hand to stop her. "That''s¡­ an incredible story, Natalie," she said. Somewhere in the back of her skull, buried underneath the anxiety and stress, Natalie breathed a sigh of relief that she could finally just use her real name around Quinn''s whole family. Annette hesitated, shooting a glance at her husband, and it drove the brief respite away from Natalie''s mind, replacing it with yet more dread and fear. "You guys aren''t scared of me, are you?" asked Natalie nervously. Damian frowned. "Why would we be scared?" "Because¡­ I''m one of them. You know¡­ awakened." "Oh, honey," said Annette. "We were¡­ That''s not really¡ª" Damian took his wife''s hand and squeezed it. "She''s right, Annie," said Damian. "We''ve got some real thinking to do about this." Damian turned to Natalie. "I''m sorry for what I said this morning. I didn''t¡­" He sighed. "There''s no good excuse for it, Natalie. I shouldn''t have said what I did. It was wrong." "It''s okay," said Natalie. Even if it scared me¡­ you were afraid of other people like me. I''m afraid of them too. Damian smiled, but there was something wrong about it. Natalie could still feel tension in the air, despite everything she''d explained. She felt vulnerable. The Kincaids kept shooting sidelong glances at each other, nervous looks belying their kind words. The memory of Damian''s voice from that morning sprung to mind¡ªtelling them to stay safe, to stay away from anything to do with magic, and here Natalie was bringing it right into their house. Except they called it my home too¡­ and I don''t want to leave. Natalie took another breath. "I really don''t have anywhere else to go." Damian seemed sympathetic, but Annette''s expression got harder, if anything. Natalie winced. Quinn noticed too, and spoke up before anyone else could. "She''s not dangerous, Mom. She''s just trying to be normal." That''s not really true, Quinn¡­ on either count anymore. I''m never gonna be normal, and I''m not so sure I''m not dangerous, either. Annette glanced at her son. "How long have you known about this?" "A month, I think?" Quinn shrugged. "I found out by accident." Oh no. Annette frowned, looking back to Natalie. "That''s the thing. So far, everything we''ve heard about this is dangerous. Buildings burning down, or towns blowing up, and always people getting hurt. I''m not saying you meant to do anything wrong, Natalie, but I have to look at the facts. This whole magic thing isn''t really under control, is it?" Natalie shook her head. "I can control it." Most of the time¡­ "But you put Q in the hospital," said Damian, jumping into the fray against her. Natalie shrunk back a little in her chair. "I''m guessing that wasn''t just bad luck." "No." Quinn sat up straight. He was getting angry. "I was the one that got hurt and I say it''s okay." "But what if it happens again?" asked Annette. "She has that kind of power, and I assume it doesn''t just go away." They think your magic can only be used for violence. Huh? Show them. Show you can be more. You''re helping me now? I am always here to help you. Before Quinn could reply, Natalie spoke up. "Can I show you something?" His parents were taken aback. After a few moments, Damian finally nodded. "Go ahead." Natalie looked past him to the other end of the room, where the keyboard sat against the wall. She held up one finger, and with just a little bit of energy, sent a bolt of lightning straight across the room to flick the power switch. She could have done it with just telekinesis, but she wanted to be a little flashy¡ªuse something she''d only ever used for violence as a different tool, as something nice for once. Every head swivelled to follow the little bolt of purple lightning as it flew. With their attention caught, Natalie began to play, tapping on the keys with her mind to go through one of her favorite songs. She stuck to the notes mostly, too nervous to do any improvisation. To her relief, she didn''t mess up a single time. The Kincaids stayed silent through the whole song, watching Natalie''s fingers play in mid-air from across the room. As soon as she finished the song, Natalie lifted her voice. A flutter of wings as Percy flapped out of her room, soaring down the hall to light on her shoulder. Natalie nuzzled with him for a second, before turning back to Quinn''s parents again. "It''s not dangerous," said Natalie. I''m not dangerous, she added in her head, but couldn''t bring herself to say aloud. Damian spoke first, with Annette still transfixed by the sudden appearance of a tame red-tailed hawk in her kitchen. "You understand why we''re afraid, right?" Natalie nodded. She didn''t feel hurt by the question¡ªafter all, she felt just as afraid as they did most of the time. "A lot of people have done some really bad things," she said. "But I''m not one of them. I just wanted to go to school." Annette spoke up finally, a weak smile breaking on her face. "That already makes you unusual, Natalie." Damian grinned, glancing at his son. "Yeah, Q hates going." "I don''t!" Quinn shot back indignantly. "Not¡­ not anymore." "Not since a certain someone?" Damian asked, raising an eyebrow. Quinn blushed and looked away. His dad smiled, but as he turned back to Natalie, Damian got serious again. "...I''m not going to pretend we''re totally okay with this, Natalie. I understand why you lied, but I wish you hadn''t. The world''s changing really fast right now and we''re all trying to keep up." Natalie opened her mouth to reply, but Damian kept talking before she could. "You''re still welcome to stay here¡ªyou and your friend," he added, glancing at Percy, "but Annette and I are going to have a lot more questions. I hope you know you can trust us." Natalie nodded. "I do," she said honestly. Way more than Cinza or the Laushires, anyway¡­ Damian glanced over at the clock. "Okay. Now I''ve gotta run, or I''m going to be late for work." He stood up, planting a kiss on his wife''s cheek before hurrying out to grab his coat. "See you tomorrow." Annette got out her beat-up laptop from her bag and started typing without another word. Quinn glanced uneasily at Natalie before standing up and retreating to his own room. Natalie stayed put, not sure what else to say. Why do I feel so bad right now? They did not accept you. They told me I could stay, though. He even said he was sorry for this morning! But they are afraid of you. Your friends weren''t afraid. You are still on thin ice. Natalie summoned her bag from her room, zooming it down the hall right into her hands. Annette didn''t seem to notice, eyes locked on the screen and whatever she was working on. Natalie dug into her bag and pulled out three stacks of bills¡ªenough, she hoped, for what they needed. She reached forward and set it next to Annette''s laptop. Her eyes widened at the wrapped pile of money, thirty thousand dollars in all. Natalie gulped. "I know you guys don''t want any of my money, but¡­ it''s my fault Quinn got hurt. Let me pay for that at least. Please." Annette glanced at her suspiciously. "Where did you get so much money, Natalie?" "The woman I was living with before," said Natalie. "She was really, really rich. She told me to take as much as I needed, and I didn''t really know how much that was, so I just took a whole bunch." Natalie shrugged. "My bag doesn''t really run out of space, so umm¡­" "So it''s real? It''s not¡­ made of magic, or something?" She shook her head. "They were rich before magic." On the other hand¡­ Kendra and Lily are both really good at creation magic, and we were in hiding. Maybe it is magic money? It worked before. If it helps them pay for Quinn, you need not feel guilt. I don''t feel guilty, I was just curious. Annette nodded. She left the stack of money where it was, rather than hand it back to Natalie as Damian had done. "For Quinn''s sake, we''ll use it. But we won''t take any more. You should keep your money, Natalie. You might need it." She is not wrong. "Okay," said Natalie, privately disagreeing both with Annette and the voice. "I''m¡­ gonna go back to my room now." "No dinner tonight," said Annette idly, focused back on her work once again. "It''s a leftovers night. Help yourself to anything you like." She usually still had a ton of casework to handle even once she got home every day. It had nothing to do with Natalie or the conversation they had earlier. Natalie got up, Percy still hanging onto her shoulder, and wandered back down the hall to her bedroom. Quinn was waiting in his doorway for her, right across the hall. He looked happy, which only made Natalie feel worse. "I knew they''d be okay with it," he said excitedly. They aren''t¡­ they''re still afraid of me. Natalie forced a smile on her face. "Guess so." "Want to play a game?" She didn''t, but at the same time, she really didn''t want to be alone. Being alone felt too much like defeat¡ªlike she was an exile inside their house. "You play. I''ll just watch, okay?" Quinn shrugged. He headed back into his room and woke his computer up. Natalie plopped down on his bed, wrapping her arms tight around one of his pillows and warming herself up with a wave of magic. Percy nestled in close, and Natalie actually felt safe again. Being there in Quinn''s room, even with everything else going on outside, was good enough. Between dodgeball, the confrontation with Blake, and the awkward conversations with Quinn''s parents, Natalie felt too exhausted to get up. Somehow, Quinn''s bed felt more comfortable and safe than hers across the hall ever had. After a while, she began to drift off to sleep, warm and comfortable near two of the few people (or hawks) she could really trust in the whole world.
Percy shifted on the pillow, rousing her from sleep¡ªthe longest, deepest sleep Natalie had felt in ages. Not a single nightmare had broken the whole night, though a few tried their hardest to scare her awake. Natalie shook her head, getting hair out of her eyes and trying to blink through her bleary vision. She was still in Quinn''s room, with morning sunlight streaming through the window. Quinn was asleep on the floor nearby, wrapped in a blanket with a couple spare pillows. Natalie stared down at him from where she''d ended up, laying across his bed with a light blanket she didn''t remember ever pulling on. A couple tiny holes at the tip gave it away¡ªPercy had managed to drag it over her with his talons. "Quinn?" she whispered. He didn''t budge. She didn''t want to wake him up, so she cast a much smaller version of the muffling spell around herself to make her movements totally silent. Natalie wasn''t sure if it actually worked¡ªthe usual one was about blocking out an area, while Natalie was trying for a girl-shaped wrapping pressed right up against her skin¡ªbut Quinn didn''t wake up as she left the room, Percy riding her shoulder out. As Natalie walked out into the hall, she nearly barged straight into Annette. "Oh!" Annette peered at her through reading glasses, which gave Natalie a better idea of the time of day. If she hadn''t put in contacts yet, it was really early¡ªeven before breakfast. Annette had her cracked old laptop tucked under one arm, a mug of fresh coffee in her hand, and an expression just as surprised as her own. Natalie''s cheeks flared up. She glanced over her shoulder quickly, both to hide her embarrassment and to emphasize her point. "I was just¡ª" Annette smiled. "It''s fine, dear. We figured you could use a good night''s sleep." Natalie nodded. "...Thanks." "You haven''t been sleeping well, I''m guessing." "...No." Quinn''s mom sighed. "Well, since we''re both up, how about some breakfast?" "Yes, please," said Natalie. Neither Damian nor Quinn joined them for breakfast¡ªDamian would have been out very late for the Friday crowd, and Natalie had no idea how late Quinn had stayed up playing games. She and Annette ate in silence, just cereal and milk with orange juice, but it tasted good. Just as Natalie was about to speak up, though, Annette nodded toward the TV. "So, can you control anything with that power?" she asked. Natalie smiled. She didn''t bother with the lightning this time, simply flicking the power button below the TV. It clicked on, right to the news channel Annette usually watched in the morning. "Well, losing the remote won''t be such a big deal anymore," she added, going back to her cereal. Natalie hesitated. "So¡­ you''re okay now?" Annette sighed, setting down her spoon and looking at Natalie very seriously. "I suppose we''ll have to set down a few more ground rules, but yes, I think we''re all ''okay'' with this." "Rules like what?" "Well, I doubt this will be a problem for you, but we''d rather not anyone else find out about your¡­ abilities." Annette paused, looking thoughtful. "Do the rest of the gang know what you can do?" "Yeah." She nodded. "So, if they''re over, that''s all right, but if we have anyone else here to visit, you can''t use magic at all. Even if you think nobody''s looking. All right?" "All right." If I have to defend myself though¡­ You will defend yourself. "And as for Quinn¡ª" "I didn''t mean to fall asleep in his room," said Natalie quickly, cheeks heating up as she did. She tried to force them to cool down with magic, but it didn''t help¡ªapparently, she couldn''t just keep herself from being embarrassed. Her next few words were accompanied by cloudy breath anyway. "It won''t happen again." Annette had a real adult-smirk on her face as she replied¡ªthe worst kind, when Natalie felt like she was missing out on a joke she couldn''t understand yet. "I was going to say, don''t do any magic that involves him. I know you wouldn''t ever mean to, but I don''t want any¡ª" Natalie interrupted her impatiently. "I can''t even if I wanted to. It''s Mason''s Law. Magic can''t be used on other people. Nobody can break that." "Oh!" Annette frowned. "Well, that''s¡­ that''s all right then¡­ who''s Mason?" "A guy from home." Natalie shrugged. "I didn''t really know him very well¡­ He taught me how to do some stuff though." And he was a real jerk about it, too. I think he only taught me how to do fire and temperature stuff because Rachel asked him to. "I want to hear more about that," said Annette, "if you''re all right with telling m¡­" She trailed off as the TV cut off the banal morning weather and traffic with a frightening siren sound. They both turned to watch as the breaking news story shoved through, like an intruder in their quiet morning. "...live footage from the BBC in London, local time 4PM. In the distance there, that''s the private estate of Cornelius Malton, the energy tycoon and chairman of the Culver-Malton Group." "Is that¡ª" "We can confirm that was Hailey Winscombe, the famous ''awakened'', who just entered the grounds. It looks like¡­ oh my God." Natalie watched in horror as a tiny speck flew down toward the building like a meteorite from space. As Hailey dove, people were hurled off of the building''s open flat roof, specks flying off in the distance as though she had an invisible shield in front of her¡ªor a whole lot of wind¡­ The camera cut away before they saw anything else. "We are now confirming that Hailey Winscombe seems to have attacked the Malton estate, for reasons unknown. Sources from the BBC tell us that Mr. Malton is currently in the building." "You know her, right?" asked Annette quietly, eyes locked on the TV. "Yeah¡­" Natalie winced. "I don''t know what she''s doing." "Why would she¡­" Annette trailed off, realizing Natalie didn''t have any answers. I wish I did though¡­ Hailey, why are you doing this? A moment later, the news switched back to a wide helicopter camera, watching the building again. A little black car zoomed out from the garage, followed by another from the street, and Hailey flying between the two of them. "...Can you fly?" asked Damian. Both Natalie and Annette jumped¡ªneither had heard him come in, glued to the TV as they were. "No," said Natalie, still transfixed by the image of Hailey gliding over London streets. "She''s the only one who knows how." They watched the whole chase on TV, from almost every angle. The news kept finding different people to watch from¡ªcameras on the ground, helicopters, drones, everything they could get their hands on. Finally, they heard the whole speech from Cinza, perfectly clear in her echoey voice, broadcast around the world. "...from the real threat lurking among us," said Cinza, standing before the crowd with the FBI agent and a totally-spent Hailey flanking her. Natalie gulped. She knew what was coming next, an instant before Cinza said it. "No¡­" she whispered, but of course, she couldn''t stop it. Natalie was a whole world away from Cinza. "There is a man in the forests near Rallsburg. His name is Brian Hendricks." Cinza laid out her father''s crimes bare for the world, one by one, even those Natalie didn''t know about. Every word pierced her heart a little more. She''d been hoping for so long that, despite everything she''d seen, she might be wrong about him. Cinza had just called him a mass-murderer in front of the whole world. There wasn''t any going back from that. Natalie knew it. "Natalie?" Annette asked, noticing her distress. She shook her head frantically, hands covering her mouth, afraid she might say anything to give it away¡ªthough they''d surely find out as soon as they did any research¡ªand afraid she might miss something just as important, since Cinza hadn''t finished speaking. "...Malton''s men shot her dead in the streets of Lakewood¡­ Jessica Silverdale. Remember that name." Tears sprung to Natalie''s eyes as Jessica''s face flashed through her mind. "Natalie?" Annette asked again. "It was her funeral," she whispered. "The one I went to on Thursday. Jessica. I didn''t know what happened." "...I''m so sorry," said Damian quietly. Natalie appreciated it, but any slight comfort was driven away by Cinza''s next words. "...You have seen what we can do. Even a man at the top of your world cannot escape justice if we seek it. If you come, we will defend ourselves." Cinza turned away, with the FBI agent and Hailey only a few steps behind. The news people didn''t seem to know what to say, leaving her last words punctuated with eerie silence. The camera lingered on her retreating robe, as they crossed over the wall in the street¡ªwhich subsequently sunk back into flat pavement¡ªand got into a car, driving away to who-knew-where, while Hailey flew off into the distance. The news turned to commentary for hours after that. Natalie was stuck to the couch, trying to make sense of it all. She couldn''t follow a lot of what the people were talking about, especially the politics and such, but she felt like if she didn''t try, she''d miss something that would affect her. She might be hidden at the Kincaid home for the time being, but Natalie couldn''t assume she''d be there for long anymore. He''s been called a murderer in front of the whole world now. The clock is ticking. I know. They know he is in the forest back home. You must find him first. I know. You cannot wait until December anymore. But¡ª You have hesitated long enough. It''s time to act. Natalie shook her head. What was she supposed to do¡ªget right off the couch and head out the door? She had no idea where he was, and the Olympic Forest was huge. She had a real home here. She felt safe, comfortable. Maybe it''s not worth it. You can''t just abandon your hunt. I never even started it. I''m actually kind of happy here. Why can''t I just stay with Quinn? "They just said they''re above the law," said Annette quietly, still back at the kitchen table with Damian. "She attacked that man in his home, without due process. Just flew right in and..." She trailed off fearfully. "It''ll blow over," said Damian, though he didn''t sound confident even to Natalie. "Let them figure it out." Natalie got up. She couldn''t stand watching it anymore. She hurried back to Quinn''s room, desperate for something to distract her. Quinn was awake, finally, and at his computer. As she walked in, he twisted around in his chair. "Natalie¡­" he started, and her heart fell even further. Oh no¡­ He doesn''t know about the stuff in London. This is something else. "What?" she asked fearfully. He pulled up a window on his computer. "Tyler found it this morning. He sent it over." Natalie leaned in, looking at the screen. It was a scan of a book, handwritten in a style she found vaguely familiar. As she deciphered the words, a darkness settled down on her chest. "...No, the true strength lies in conviction. ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€, though ¨€¨€¨€ might appear weaker than any among us, possesses great power equal to the rest of the natural awakened¡ªand the conviction to use that power when pressed. See how ¨€¨€¨€ cleansed the fires of the riot, how ¨€¨€¨€ claimed a wolf as a mere mount! ¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€¨€ is the strongest and bravest of us all, and fie those who would speak otherwise. I know no other who, at any ¨€¨€¨€, could command whole crowds to a standstill simply by walking forward with head held high..." "That''s me," whispered Natalie, pointing at the black box where her name was supposed to go. Quinn nodded. "We figured, after the stuff about animals. You said nobody else can do that, right?" "...Yeah." Natalie glanced at him. "How much is there?" "The whole book. It''s on a couple sites, but I don''t think it''s gotten very big yet. Tyler only found it because he''s always on these kinds of sites." Quinn shook his head. "At least your name''s not in there." "But what about..." Natalie trailed off. Cinza didn''t see it happen. She has no idea about the people in Rallsburg, and this book didn''t include anything from Seattle. Nothing about what I did. Quinn looked up. "What?" "Brian Hendricks," she said. Lucky for her, most people didn''t really obsess over the victim lists from Rallsburg. Quinn didn''t know her last name, and she wasn''t about to tell him. Not yet. Not until I find him. "Does it talk about what he did?" "Yeah," said Quinn. "She calls him the Traitor. Him and Robert Harrison, who''s the Spy. They sound like really bad people." Natalie winced, but didn''t contradict him. "Did you read the whole thing?" "Not yet. It''s really long." If Cinza talks about me and my dad in there¡­ he could probably figure it out. But Cinza doesn''t know what I did. Nobody else will either. Just me, Rachel, and Quinn. "There''s a lot of really big stuff going on right now," said Natalie, glancing back toward the living room, where she could still hear the commentary on the TV about Cinza and Hailey. They were talking about a warrant for Hailey''s arrest. She explained what she''d seen, and the briefest explanation of the Cinza she knew¡ªthe strange girl with the weird voice who always seemed to have some secret agenda Natalie didn''t understand. "I don''t know what''s going to happen next." Quinn frowned. "Do you think she''s trying to take over the world?" Natalie looked back at him with creased eyebrows. "No," she said, doing her best not to roll her eyes. As dumb as it sounded, it wasn''t totally crazy with how the world seemed to be changing. "I think she''s just trying to keep her people safe. The Greycloaks, I mean." "Are you one of her people?" "She said I was." Natalie shrugged. "I don''t have a grey cloak, if that''s what you''re wondering. She''d probably give me one if I asked, but I don''t really want to be." "Quinn? Natalie?" Damian had appeared at the bedroom door. He came in and sat down on the edge of Quinn''s bed. Natalie leaned back against the desk, while Quinn spun around to face his dad. Damian glanced at Natalie first. "This is going to sound strange, but¡­ Natalie, how strong are you?" Natalie winced. "...Really strong," she murmured. Quinn jumped in before his dad could say anything else. "She''s stronger than anybody. Even Hailey." I don''t know about that¡­ Hailey''s smarter than I am, and older, and bigger, prettier, everything-er. I don''t think I could beat her in a fight. Not that we''d ever fight. That''s horrible. Damian nodded. "Remember what I told you yesterday? About how dangerous it''s getting around here?" "Because of people like me," said Natalie quietly. Quinn''s dad shook his head forcefully. "No. Not people like you. Just¡­ people who can do things like you can." He sighed. "This isn''t really something I can say easily, but I need to. If something happens, Natalie, I need you to protect Quinn." "Huh?" asked Quinn. Of course I''d protect Quinn! Why is he even saying something like that? Natalie frowned. "Nothing''s going to happen, Mr. Kincaid." "I don''t know what''s going to happen," said Damian. "I''ve heard a lot of weird stories recently, at work and on the news, and all of them are around here." He sighed again. "If we could move out for a while, I''d be getting us far away right now, but we don''t have anywhere to go either." We''re not dangerous though¡­ It''s magic. It''s a good thing. There''s just some bad people around¡­ Damian looked back to Natalie with a firm, hard gaze. Natalie wilted slightly underneath it¡ªshe''d never seen him so intense. "No matter what, you keep him safe, okay?" "I promise," said Natalie. She reached out and took Quinn''s hand, holding it tight. In his room, Natalie actually felt safe, and the fear and pain stayed low. She still felt it, and the nausea still begged her to let go, but it wasn''t unbearable anymore. "I won''t let anything happen to Quinn." Quinn glanced up at her. "I can take care of myself, you know." Natalie rolled her eyes. Across the room, a pillow lifted up into the air. Without warning, it hurled itself at Quinn, smacking him in the face. The pillow bounced off right into Natalie''s waiting arms. Grimacing, Quinn nodded. "Yeah, okay." Damian laughed. "Thanks, Natalie." He left, and for a brief moment, Natalie actually felt relieved¡ªbut it vanished as soon as she turned back around and saw Cinza''s book still splayed across the screen, a passage about Natalie highlighted right in the center. "Everybody''s gonna find this soon," she said. Quinn nodded. "So what does that mean for you?" "Well, I''m not in the book," said Natalie with a shrug. "There''s no Natalie there. It''s just a black line. I''m dead like everybody else from Rallsburg." "So you''re not going to run?" Natalie shook her head. "I gotta stick around to protect you, remember?" Quinn rolled his eyes. "No, you don''t." I will, though. She giggled. "Come on, let''s play something." As Quinn got out the decks, Natalie leaned back in the folding chair, closing her eyes for a minute. She felt impossibly torn between what she''d been planning for months and the new path Quinn''s dad had just opened up for her. For five whole months¡ªfrom May until October¡ªNatalie''s entire life was just waiting until she felt like she was ready to go find her dad. Except¡­ now she had somebody else she cared about. Your father cannot wait forever. Quinn needs me too. Quinn was never in danger until you arrived. If you left, he''d be in no more danger than before. Except I can''t now. The whole school knows we''re together. People would figure it out. The specter of her father loomed in her mind, overlapping with Quinn sitting a few feet in front of her on the floor of his bedroom. The two people in the world she cared most about¡ªand the two who cared most about her, if she didn''t count Gwen¡ªand Natalie couldn''t be with both of them. Dad chose this. I''m done waiting for Rachel, I''m done worrying about Rallsburg. I''m done tying my life to his. You were made to hunt him. No, you were. I''m trying to have a normal life, and you''re the opposite of normal. "Your pick," said Quinn. Natalie leaned forward and picked up a forest, her go-to when she had no idea what she wanted to do. You know what you want to do. You want to go back home. Find Gwen, find your father, and ask him the question that''s been bothering you since he disappeared. I want to go to school and have friends. And yeah, I want Gwen back, but I don''t need my dad for that. I can figure it out. Quinn picked up two graveyards. Natalie frowned. She wasn''t sure what strategy that could lead to. Quinn didn''t usually play any undead in his games. Something was different. She looked back up at him¡ªand something about him was different. More¡­ pronounced¡ªor was that just Natalie, seeing him differently? I want to stay here with Quinn. You''re wasting your time with him. He''s normal. You are not. I''m okay with that. You shouldn¡ª Natalie set her cards down. "Hey, Quinn?" Quinn looked up from studying the piles, surprised. They usually went through the whole draft without a single word. Both enjoyed the quiet. Before he could answer her, Natalie had already leaned forward. She had no idea what she was doing, except that she knew she wanted to get the voice to shut up¡ªand she wanted to prove to herself that she could. Her instincts battled against her emotions in thunderous tidals waves. Natalie leaned in close. Electricity seemed to crackle in the air, setting her skin buzzing. The drummer in her heart began pounding as if she''d gone insane¡ªfitting, since Natalie was pretty sure she was crazy. Warmth radiated off his skin as she closed the last little gap between them. Her lips touched Quinn''s. For a moment, just for the briefest instant, they kissed. The fear and doubt rushed back in. Natalie fell back onto her legs, before it got too painful, before anxiety and memory swallowed her whole. The warmth didn''t go away, though, as she blushed bright red. She stared down at the piles of cards, trying to hold in the intense mixture of emotions swirling through her. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Quinn spoke. "...Your pick," he said¡ªand it was perfect, precisely what Natalie needed in that moment. A tiny smile creased her lips as Natalie picked up a village. The game continued, and neither of them said a word about it, though Natalie caught a faint embarrassed smile of Quinn''s own a few moments later when she finally looked back up. Seeing it caused her to smile wider, which bounced back to him, until soon enough they were both grinning like idiots while they played. They played through the whole game, Quinn winning the first, and another after that which Natalie won¡ªand while the voice came back, helping her as it always did, Natalie didn''t hear a single word more about Quinn. [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] B2: Chapter 37 — The Ripple Effect Chapter 37 ¡ª The Ripple Effect The flight back across the Atlantic was uncomfortably silent. Hailey could feel it in the still, processed air of the cabin. Everything felt unsettled, uncertain¡ªwrong. Jeremy was tapping away on his phone, pointedly not looking at anybody else. Makoto likewise stared out the window, lost in thought, but he seemed just as unsettled as Hailey. The two EMTs who''d flown across for Kendra were on board too, seated in the back looking exhausted and confused, taking up the spots of the people who should have been on the plane: Lani and the Laushire pair. Hailey couldn''t help but blame herself, and assumed they were all doing the same. Nobody looked at her, except for Cinza¡ªthe very last person Hailey wanted to interact with. Hailey had screwed it all up again. She''d gone after Malton without any kind of plan, just blind rage and the arrogance to think she could do it all on her own. Now, they were coming back with nothing. Lani was long-gone, along with Rook¡ªor Riley, or Tessa, or whatever the hell she was calling herself now. He''d called Hailey to let her know Riley was willing to testify against Malton, but it felt so hollow after she saw the look of betrayal and disgust on Jeremy''s face. They''d burned a bridge there, and for what? Hailey still doubted Riley was telling the whole truth. Giving up her boss'' location to save her own life? Sure¡­ but coming back into the open after the fact? Hailey doubted she''d ever see the woman again. The Laushires weren''t coming back either. Kendra was still bedridden, dealing with the aftermath of severe magically-induced trauma, as the family physician decided to call it. They had no idea how long it would take to recover, if she ever would. Cinza tried to offer some reassurance, given her own experiences, but it didn''t seem to take. Lily politely asked them to leave shortly after¡ªassuring them that the offer still stood to help pursue legal action against Malton, to some small consolation. As soon as they walked outside, though, Hailey was reminded just what that meant. Cameras and crowds followed their every step through London¡ªand indeed, they were walking or driving everywhere. She couldn''t bring herself to fly anymore, or use any magic at all. When she thought about what she''d almost done¡­ Oh god. Even in memory, it made her sick. Hailey scrambled for the plastic bag tucked under her seat, in case she needed to throw up. Nothing came out, but it was close¡ªway too close. She took a few long deep breaths, trying to steady herself. Jeremy glanced up at her distress¡­ and then looked away, out the window into the clouds beyond. I''m sorry¡­ She didn''t blame him. He''d been betrayed again and again in the past couple days. Hailey had heard what his sister had asked of him¡ªand even after Hailey ditched him in the basement to go do something stupid, he''d still refused to turn against her. Even after Lani, even after everything, Jeremy still came out to walk her off the ledge. Hailey wanted to talk to him, apologize, anything¡ªbut she knew it was only for her own sake. No matter how he''d supported her, there was real pain there, and she wouldn''t be doing him any good using him for her own comfort. Instead, it was Cinza who finally broke the silence, twisting around from her seat toward the front of the empty plane. "Hailey." Hailey glanced up, barely meeting Cinza''s eyes for a moment before looking down at the carpet again. She didn''t want to look at anyone for a while. She wanted to be lost. "They will try to arrest you when we land in D.C. You need to decide what to do next." "I don''t care," Hailey murmured. Cinza shook her head. "You don''t deserve such treatment. Fly away if you must, but don''t let them subject you to their misguided brand of justice." "Misguided?" snapped Jeremy, looking up. His eyes were bloodshot from sheer fatigue. "I ain''t sayin'' we''re perfect, but Hailey broke a hell of a lot of laws and put a ton of people in danger. She''s gotta stand for that." "They can''t possibly understand her motivations or her position," said Cinza. "She doesn''t deserve prison." "I ain''t sayin'' she needs to get locked up," said Jeremy, "I''m sayin'' she should go through the process. Restore confidence. Show people that it works and awakened ain''t exempt." "Will it work?" "It damn well better!" Cinza frowned. "You rejected the notion of arresting her before. Why now?" "I was tryin'' to save her life!" Jeremy growled. "I''m still on the fence about you. Tell me why I shouldn''t have left your ass in London for the Brits to deal with. I was the only one in that damn country legally." "This plane was sent for me," Cinza pointed out. "And you''re declarin'' open fuckin'' war in the Northwest." "Brian has thrived in the shadows," said Cinza. "His forces have grown, not dwindled, and we have been blamed for his assaults. I leveled the field." "I do deserve it," murmured Hailey, interrupting them just as Jeremy got to his feet. They both fell silent, watching her carefully¡ªcautiously. She hated that. Hated that her friends felt afraid of her. Hailey took a deep breath before she went on. "I could have hurt a lot of people. I did hurt a lot of people. That''s the sort of thing you go to jail for." "Hailey¡ª" Jeremy started, but Cinza cut him off. "This is foolish. What good does your incarceration serve?" "It''s where people like me are supposed to go," said Hailey, exhausted by every single word she spoke. She just wanted them all to stop talking. It was over, wasn''t it? She''d nearly blown up London, she''d punched her way through guards and servants alike to get to Malton. She''d been the cause of so many deaths, just like the news said. It''s my fault she died. If I wasn''t trying to be the hero, she never would have been there. Cinza looked like she was about to speak again, but Hailey was done. She got up and wandered out of the cabin into the rear section, sitting down alone. She wanted to wallow in grief, really feel what she''d done. Remind herself, over and over, replay the events in her head, make sure she never did anything like it again. Hailey didn''t want to make decisions anymore. Every time she did, somebody got hurt. After a few moments, the curtain brushed aside again as Jeremy came in, alone. "Go back," said Hailey. Jeremy ignored her. He took the seat across the aisle from her, reclining slightly. "Still fuckin'' hate flying," he muttered. Hailey didn''t respond. She closed her eyes, trying to shut out everything even more. "I think you''re doin'' the right thing," he added, to her surprise. "I don''t think you deserve to go to jail, but that''s what the court''s there to decide, right?" "I hurt people," said Hailey. "People who didn''t deserve it." Jeremy sighed. "You know I wish I could''ve done what you just did?" "What?" "I''ve had cases like this. Guys who seemed like they could just work the system and get off no matter what I stuck ''em with. I wanted more than anything to just roll into the motherfucker''s house, knock down his stupid-ass guards, and drag him out into the street. I can''t do that though. Not that I wouldn''t, I just can''t." "But¡­" Hailey finally opened her eyes, glancing at him. "Doesn''t that mean the system doesn''t work? Just like I said." Jeremy shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe I''m just really fuckin'' pissed off right now. But I''m just one cog. One little fuckin'' gear in the machine. I kick up too much dirt, make some smoke, maybe the machine grinds down a bit¡ªbut it won''t stop turnin''." He held up a finger. "But here''s the thing, right? I knock out that gum in the works, that asshole who makes everybody''s lives worse. Maybe I go down for it, but I can be replaced. He breaks the whole system by bein'' there. So maybe, just maybe, I find the right person, and I make enough of a difference. I might pay for it, but everybody else gets to live better lives as a result." Jeremy grinned. "Plus I''m a pretty shitty cog. They should''a replaced me years ago. I go down, they get somebody better to fill my spot." "But what about everybody in the way?" Hailey whispered. "What about¡­" She trailed off. She couldn''t voice her name. He put a hand on her shoulder. "That ain''t on you. Jessica wouldn''t want that." "It is," said Hailey. "She wouldn''t have been there if not for me. It''s my fault she''s dead." Jeremy shook his head. "It''s not." But no matter his reassurances, Hailey couldn''t agree with him. After another few tries without a response, Jeremy gave up. The rest of the flight went by in silence, and when the plane door opened, Hailey walked out into the piercing sunlight. She went right down the stairs, held out her arms, and let them place the handcuffs around her wrists, as a dozen cameras followed her every move, and millions upon millions watched her arrest around the world.
Jeremy wanted more than anything to go with Hailey, but he had orders. The wide authority he''d been granted from both the Bureau, the White House and the international community wasn''t something to take lightly, and Jeremy knew that holding onto his new position was way more important. Besides, he''d done all he could for Hailey, as much as it pained him to admit. She was practically comatose, walking around in a quiet daze as if she couldn''t hear half of what people said to her. At least her lawyer''s on his way. He sighed, drawing attention from the other occupants of the limo. "What are we gonna do¡ª" Jeremy started, but Cinza cut him off. "We should not keep the President waiting," she said shortly. She rose, able to nearly stand up straight inside the vehicle, and adjusted her robe just slightly. Her hair shifted from its natural brown to vaguely-glowing silver. Makoto reached forward to open the door, stoic as ever. Jeremy shook his head in dismay¡ªat Cinza''s abject dismissal of Hailey, at Makoto''s apparent unshakeability, at the sheer number of cameras and microphones lining the ropes down the stretch from the White House. Makoto stepped out into the blinding Monday morning sunlight, to a cacophony of camera clicks and a veritable strobe of flashes. He stepped aside, not offering his hand or any other gesture, merely moving out of the way. Cinza very carefully, very deliberately stepped out of the limo. Her necklace clattered, gemstones tapping on her chest, while the charms adorning her wrists accompanied like a chorus. The eight-pointed star tattoo on her neck blazed in the morning light, as if the sun were striking it directly. The clatter of camera noise increased tenfold. It was far worse than any press gaggle Jeremy had ever faced in his time at the FBI. So many questions, so many shouting reporters, while behind them loomed a legion of protestors and supporters alike. It had only been two days since the Saturday evening when Cinza revealed on camera to the world, yet Jeremy saw a turnout in D.C. unlike any he''d ever witnessed before. Not all of it was friendly. How do these fuckers come up with huge picket signs so damn fast? Cinza ignored the protestors, ignored the shouted calls for her arrest or worse. Likewise, she ignored the crazed fans, the supporters cheering her name. She strode directly up the center of the crowd, through the barricades of D.C. police and Secret Service, and up to the front of the building, where President Stafford, his wife, and choice members of his staff were waiting. Jeremy recognized Kimberly Young next to him, as well as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Jack Quayle, further down the row. To his surprise, his old boss Aderholt was there too, though the Director was nowhere to be found. Aderholt gave Jeremy a withering stare as he followed Cinza up the steps. Jeremy pointedly ignored him. Fuck you, I don''t work for you anymore. I''m here on direct orders from the President and the Director, asshole. You''re outranked. President Stafford stepped forward to greet Cinza. Unsurprisingly, he towered over her¡ªbut somehow, they still seemed equals. Cinza was fully in her element, hair practically shining in the morning sunlight and robes sparkling. "Welcome to the White House, Cinza." He spoke powerfully, in the famed presidential voice Jeremy had never actually witnessed in person. Even Makoto, still standing a few feet from Cinza as a bodyguard, looked a little taken aback. Damn. "Thank you, Mr. President," Cinza replied, and her voice was such a stark contrast that Jeremy suppressed the urge to laugh. Of course, none in attendance had heard her in person (and the effect was somewhat lost over TV or long-distance radio comms), so her echoing voice was equally surprising. The air felt impossibly heavy, a sensation of momentous occurrence. The White House loomed behind the President and his staff, huge monuments over the tiny Cinza and her lone bodyguard, while huge masses filled the streets behind them past the police barricades. Yet Cinza did not seem the less powerful by any measure¡ªif anything, the amount of respect and caution shown by the President and his security detail spoke volumes about her power. Shit''s gonna go down¡­ Jeremy winced as he glanced over his shoulder into the throng. There were angry faces. Too many. His hand twitched slightly, moving involuntarily toward his holstered pistol, but he suppressed it. To his relief, the President seemed to get the same impression. "Will you join me inside? I think we have a lot to talk about." Stafford looked as though about to offer his arm, but quickly thought better of the image it would create. Cinza certainly wasn''t giving off the impression of wanting help¡ªshe was bordering on the verge of hostility, for reasons Jeremy couldn''t quite place. Stafford turned, his staff following his lead, and walked back into the building. She followed, not a second glance back, and Jeremy hurried to keep up. They swept through the building quickly, random staffers watching their every move. Jeremy admired the sleek movements of the Secret Service as they beelined for the Oval Office. Once upon a time, he''d considered trying for their agency, before realizing how terrified Maddie would be¡­ and how much more training it required. Stafford took a chair, and Cinza settled opposite him. Kimberly, General Quayle, as well as the president''s chief of staff and a few more staffers Jeremy didn''t recognize settled into chairs or couches on Stafford''s side. Not a single one sat on Cinza''s side of the room. Makoto stood a few steps behind her chair, passively gazing at a spot on the wall behind everyone. Jeremy''s eyes narrowed. One among Stafford''s group had changed¡ªthe First Lady had vanished at some point during their walk, and in her place¡­ Maddie tilted her head just slightly from side to side, begging him to stay silent. ...Maddie, I''ll give you this one, but we''ve got a lot to fuckin'' discuss. "Well¡­" started Stafford, glancing around, "let''s just go around the room, shall we?" He nodded at the next face down the line. "This is my chief of staff, Ioannis Miklos. My National Security Advisor Dr. Kimberly Young, whose charming voice you heard on the phone the other day, and General Jack Quayle, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Next, our new Secretary of Thaumaturgical Affairs Wesley Gatiss, the junior senator from Washington state, and a whole bunch of other people who aren''t important right now." Stafford smiled, a charming smile that most certainly helped get him elected, and leaned forward in his chair. He extended a hand. "It is an honor to meet you, Cinza." Cinza nodded, but her own hand didn''t budge from her lap. "I felt no such honor today, Mr. President." The room sharpened audibly. Jeremy gulped. Here we go. Stafford''s smile didn''t budge an inch as he withdrew his hand. "I''m sorry to hear that." "I was subjected to political theatre outside. There is a process," said Cinza firmly, "for greeting visiting heads of state." The smile vanished. Kimberly opened her mouth, but Stafford waved her off. "We''re getting a little ahead of ourselves, I think." It was Cinza''s turn to smile, though hers lacked any of the charm Stafford emanated effortlessly. "Hardly. You speak for your people, and I speak for mine." "I''m curious," said General Quayle, "are you intending to declare independence from the United States?" "That would imply I was ever a citizen of your country." Stafford raised an eyebrow. "You were an immigrant?" Didn''t the fuckin'' accent give it away? Under that echo, it''s clearly Eastern European. Damn President doesn''t recognize that? "Not by choice," Cinza replied. "Nor by any record you might find. I was brought to my home, through events too impossible to believe." He cracked a slight smile. "I''d believe anything at this point." Cinza nodded. "So you would also believe that Hailey Winscombe is innocent of any wrongdoing beyond simple property damage." "The British Ambassador might disagree with that," shrugged Miklos, speaking up for the first time from the President''s side. He had a very soft voice, contrasting the many direct, uncompromising tones surrounding him. "She''s charged with a lot of assault cases." "Yet the London authority allowed her passage home in my care," Cinza shot back. "In his care," Kimberly corrected, nodding at Jeremy. He shifted in his seat, suddenly very uncomfortable. "The British agreed to give us custody on the basis that Agent Ashe is the most qualified expert in this field and had authority from both nations to pursue Winscombe." Aderholt rolled his eyes, fuming. Jeremy resisted the urge to smirk at him. Cinza shook her head. "We were able to bring her home. I do not deny that Hailey should stand some kind of trial, but your system of justice holds no precedent and understanding of what she has become. You cannot give her a trial by jury when you have no peers." "And you can?" asked Kimberly skeptically. "Do you even have a court?" Cinza opened her mouth, but the President spoke first. "In a court of law, a jury of one''s peers is broadly defined as a jury of human beings, those of sound mind and awareness. Race, gender, sex, economic status, or national origin do not necessarily preclude one from being a peer. We may be working without some precedent, but our country has laws." "But I don''t belong to your country," said Cinza. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. "You''re living on my property," Stafford replied, with a slight smile. "The Olympic Forest is federal land. May I have it back?" "You cannot prove I live there," Cinza replied, matching his smile. Christ, she''s catching up quick. She knew that wasn''t a real threat. I fuckin'' hate politics. "What do you want?" interjected Jeremy, tired of the run-around. "For a fair trial for Hailey and recognition of the Greycloaks?" Stafford nodded. "This all comes down to crime, sadly. I wish we could have met before any of this. We need to establish precedent, so the country and the world can have a model to follow. We''re in uncharted waters, facing two crimes that must be answered for, and I need your help to navigate past the rocks." Cinza frowned. "Two crimes?" "The first is Miss Winscombe, naturally. Her trial will be a media circus, and trust me, I''d love to tell Quayle to blow their heads off here and now." Stafford grinned. "Since they''re not going to give us any peace and quiet, and she can be fully charged under federal jurisdiction, I propose a grand jury to investigate her conduct, handled by my Department of Justice. We''ll get as much precedent out of the process as we can, so we make it clear how the country should handle cases involving the awakened or magic in general. The jury can be convened quietly, and make it as painless as possible for Miss Winscombe." Stafford winced, glancing at Jeremy. "Please convey my condolences, next time you see her. I would contact her myself, but I don''t believe she would want to hear from me." Jeremy shrugged. "Doubt she wants to see anyone right now, sir." "No matter how quiet the investigation," Cinza interjected, "it will blow up. This is the biggest story in the world right now. Everyone will want to hear about the first trial for a magical crime." "I agree wholeheartedly," Stafford replied, "which is why it won''t be the first trial." Cinza paused, seeming truly surprised for the first time, rather than simply following the motions of politics. "Explain." Stafford raised an eyebrow. "You know, I''ve never met with anyone in this room quite like you." He nodded to Maddie, who withdrew a folder from her briefcase. Stafford laid it on the table between them and opened it up. Photos of the lightning-scorched bodies in Rallsburg. Photos of more bodies in a warehouse which Jeremy didn''t recognize. A still from a video in Lakewood, where a girl was shooting lightning from her fingertips. Another video still, her face clearly visible, leaving the hospital in Olympia after Jessica had died, accompanied by Ryan Walker and Makoto. "Rika Nishimura," said Stafford. "I take it from your bodyguard here that you probably know where she is." Cinza didn''t respond, gazing down at the photos. Fucking hell¡­ Where did this come from? "Those bodies in Rallsburg don''t match the story we''ve heard. They weren''t beaten down by golems, burned by flames, crushed by rubble, or killed by gunfire. By Agent Ashe''s investigation, there was never any explanation of how they were electrocuted." Stafford moved the photo aside, indicating a page scan. "And by your own words, only one person in Rallsburg ever displayed the ability to use lightning magic." Shit¡­ That''s true, isn''t it? Jeremy controlled his face as best he could, but he felt the pressure closing on them. "We have questions that need answers and victims that need closure," said Stafford. "The American people still don''t understand what happened in Rallsburg, and the story seems to be getting more complex with every passing day. Some explanation would go a long way toward promoting peace and calm." "A criminal," said Makoto abruptly, the first word he''d spoken. Half of the room looked up. Well, bodyguards don''t fuckin'' speak in the Oval Office. I didn''t expect him to pipe up either. Damn. "You want a face to blame." Stafford sighed. "To investigate." "You''ve already drawn your conclusions," said Cinza, nodding carefully. She sat back in her chair once more. "You have your killer." "Do you deny what you wrote?" "No." "So Rika Nishimura is certainly a person of interest in these killings, at the very least." "Self-defense," said Makoto. Cinza nodded. She pointed at the scan. "This page is not from the excerpts released to the public. You''ve read the entire journal." Stafford nodded. "So you know what we were experiencing. Mobs were roaming the streets in between the killing golems. They wanted our heads. Rika was a victim." "She killed twenty five people in Rallsburg," Kimberly shot back. "All of them died from the electricity. And what the hell was she doing in that warehouse in Seattle?" "I don''t know." "That''s why we need to investigate," said Stafford. "We can''t get answers without asking her these questions." It''s not that fuckin'' unreasonable, Cinza¡­ Jeremy wasn''t sure why she was so obstinate about this. Was it just protecting her people, as always? It didn''t seem right. Something else was going on here. Cinza really wanted to avoid this line of interrogation. I could tell them where she is, he realized. He knew where the Greywood was. Cinza''s protections might keep them out, but how long could they last encircled by the military? It was federal land, after all. The President was certainly capable of ordering such an action. And fuck me, it sure seems like Rika might have done it. After what I''ve learned about her? Even at the damn funeral, she was a huge asshole. Doesn''t mean she''s a murderer, but still¡­ "Cinza, I understand your caution," said Stafford sympathetically. "She''s one of your people. If it were me, I''d be just as protective. But I hope you understand, we will give her a fair trial." "Were I even to agree, my writing and testimony would not be enough to convict." "We''ve got more than this," said Aderholt. "Corroborating testimony from a high-profile awakened stating Rika is the only one who can use electrical magic." "Who¡ª" started Cinza, but Jeremy cut in. "Hailey. You''ve got Hailey''s recorded testimony from when she cut a deal." Aderholt nodded. Cinza shook her head. "That is still not enough. This is a trial of crimes you can''t prove, committed with methods you don''t understand, by people you aren''t even sure were the perpetrators," replied Cinza. "And you forget the most important thing." "Enlighten me," said Stafford, an inch of frustration in his voice. "The federal courts are not the only place where she will be judged. For this to fulfill your desire for spectacle, you would need a very public trial." Cinza sighed. "I am not convinced in the slightest of her guilt or innocence, but Rika Nishimura is not a diplomatic person. She would be convicted by the public, no matter the conclusion of your own jury." "So you''re saying¡ª" "I''m saying I would not be surprised in the slightest if she were shot walking out of the courtroom after having been declared innocent," said Cinza. Miklos frowned. "That seems pretty premature¡ª" "You don''t know Rika like I do." Cinza sighed. "She''s rich, she''s entitled, and she is one of the most abrasive people I have ever met. People will hate her. Relatives of the families killed will despise her. Hatred from those who fear us will flow free. Rika has few redeeming qualities to persuade them otherwise, none which would come forth in the pressure of a court room." She shook her head. "I admire your optimism, but I have been down this road before. Those who hate us will find a way." "She''s not wrong," said Kimberly, to the surprise of the room. "We''ve been monitoring chatter in the Olympic region. There''s a movement that''s been growing fast all weekend. Spearheaded by your old friend Brian Hendricks, by all reports," she added, nodding to Cinza. Cinza spat on the carpet. "Do not ever describe that evil man as my friend." Stafford raised a placating hand. "The cleaning staff in this building is actually the most powerful group in America. Let''s not get them angry too if we can avoid it." He frowned, glancing to his side. "What are we doing about the anti-awakened movement?" "Monitoring, for now. We can''t move on any of them yet, and they''ve managed to keep Brian himself one step ahead of us." Kimberly looked to Cinza again, expression serious. "We can''t arrest him yet, you understand. We have no evidence beyond your word. At most, we can bring him in for questioning about Rallsburg, since he''s still on the list of missing and unaccounted for." "I understand," said Cinza, with only the slightest undercurrent of hostility. Jeremy leaned forward and picked up the Seattle incident report. Something here ain''t fuckin'' right. "Not all these deaths are from electricity," he noted aloud. "No," said Maddie. "Two gunshots to the chest here, one neck sliced open with a blade there." Jeremy frowned. "Why would she swap weapons like that?" "Something to ask her," said Kimberly. "All we want," Stafford reiterated, "is to give her a fair trial. Something she didn''t seem to get in the past," he added pointedly, looking down at the scan of Cinza''s diaries once again. "You said she was banished by her best friend for defending the recognized government." Cinza didn''t answer for a long while. She turned over each paper in the file, one by one, examining them very carefully. The entire room watched with bated breath. Jeremy had no idea what she might be thinking, or why the decision was so hard for her. There was more to the story. His investigative senses were on fire. He didn''t think anyone else in the room would realize it, since Cinza''s protectiveness was practically legendary¡ªbut this was Rika, someone who abandoned Rallsburg, who openly mocked her cult, and even then, she''d likely still get a fair trial and an acquittal. What are you really hidin'', girl? "What do you believe in?" Cinza asked quietly, not looking up. President Stafford looked taken aback. "I''m sorry?" Cinza looked up. Her robes seemed to pulse with light, ever so slightly. It wasn''t enough to provoke a reaction, a subtle effect that drew all eyes even closer to her. "You made a name for yourself during your campaign. You stood firm as a strong dividing line between religion and the government. But not once did you actually profess your own beliefs, even under pressure from all sides." Stafford nodded. "My own beliefs aren''t important. What''s important is that I serve every American citizen as best I can." "But how do you define best?" He smiled. "I do have beliefs, Cinza. I just choose not to parade them in front of crowds for easy political points." What a fuckin'' cop-out. Jeremy resisted the urge to roll his eyes, with so many watching him and his side, but Cinza didn''t seem to be as bothered. "I can respect that," said Cinza, "but it begs the question: what ideals do you follow when you govern?" "I think I make those public enough. Sixty-five million Americans seem to agree." "So I ask you, then¡ªpersonally, in front of this room of your close associates and a young man I recently trusted to dangle me mid-air from a helicopter¡ªwhat would your God think of our power?" "It doesn''t matter," Stafford replied. "The intention of the founders was to separate religion from the state, and that includes the courts." "But that''s impossible. Beliefs dictate the courts. However subtle, however you try to avoid it, what you believe will drive you to take action, or inaction." Cinza pressed on as Stafford opened his mouth to respond. "I ask you this because I do not believe your courts can bring themselves to acquit one who has killed dozens on separate occasions, no matter the justifications for their apparent crimes. Someone who appears less than fully responsible for their actions or the consequences, yet still holds incredible power at their fingertips¡ªpower which can never be taken away." "What¡ª" "Your prisons cannot hold us, unless we allow it," Cinza continued. "Those of us who have seen Grey-eyes, who have been given the gift of her mercy and compassion, will forever be seen as a threat and a terror. The world is unbalanced, Mr. President. Your country has a long history of the death penalty, one that still lives today. How fast do you imagine it might be employed against us, who cannot be kept locked safe and tight, far away from your terrified constituents?" "I think we''re jumping the gun a bit here¡ª" started Miklos. Cinza shook her head. "This is everything. You ask me to bring before you someone who has committed no crime as far as I am concerned. You need your scapegoat, your face for the less-savory portion of our world. I provided the world a true villain, but you cannot find him. I gave the world another, but you fear pursuing him because of your politics and your economy, so you launched yourselves at the lowest-hanging fruit." Jesus¡­ Nobody was smiling anymore. Stafford was staring at Cinza oddly, his brow creased with concern. Kimberly looked downright livid. The rest of the staff, while not exactly murmuring among themselves, was shifting uneasily and giving each other significant looks. Jeremy was distinctly aware of the Secret Service agents still lining the room, who normally would wait just outside in such a meeting. "...I require assurances," Cinza said finally. "I must know that Rika will be treated with the dignity and impartiality to which you all aspire. If I do this, I must not be throwing one of my own to the wolves." Stafford sighed. "I think, Cinza, if we had met under other circumstances, I might have liked you quite a lot." "Under any other circumstances, Mr. President, I would still be living on the streets, nameless to you and to the rest of the world." He nodded. "Agent Ashe will continue to be our liaison, if that''s acceptable?" Cinza nodded. "Ashe?" "Yes, sir?" Jeremy sat up straight. He''d been leaning forward, as if about to leap into action. "I am officially appointing you as our liaison to the Greycloaks until further notice¡ª" "Excuse me, sir," Aderholt interrupted. Every head snapped to him. Stafford stopped mid-sentence, his mouth slightly open in shock. "You¡­ you can''t do that. The FBI isn''t under your direct authority. Also, that position doesn''t¡­ err, exactly exist." "I can''t?" Stafford asked with mild confusion. It took Jeremy a moment to realize he was being sarcastic. Stafford turned back to Jeremy with a vague smirk. "Well, Agent Ashe, it would please me greatly if you would continue the excellent work you''ve been doing working with the Greycloaks. I''d also remind you that I have authority over your Director, and I''m quite fond of blackmailing him with it." Get fucked, chief. Aderholt looked down at the floor. Jeremy nearly broke out into laughter, until the photos on the table sobered him once again. People are dead, and more are gonna be. Are we doin'' the right thing, holding a trial for Rika? "In return," Cinza continued, "for releasing Rika into your custody, you need to do something for me." Maddie spoke up. "The DOJ will add awakened persons to the public definition of hate crimes, and vigorously pursue any cases involving such to their fullest extent. A senior-level advisor position within the Department of Thaumaturgical Affairs will be created, to be filled by an awakened person reporting directly to Secretary Gatiss, one step away from the President." Gatiss inclined his head solemnly. Maddie took a breath, obviously having rehearsed the offer. A few around her looked surprised, but Stafford and Miklos remained calmly in their seats. Maddie continued, just as confident and rehearsed as before. "The first appointee will be subject to your personal absolute veto. If you''ve got your own candidates to recommend, we''ll include them on the short list. The DTA will immediately begin drawing up legislation proposals and official policies on handling the remnants of the Grimoire that the government comes across, and begin building definitions for handling magical criminal acts. Our preliminary ideas are in these documents. We''ll also push for immediate recognition of the Greycloaks as a religious organization." "And I''ll be granting you official leave to continue living on my front lawn," added Stafford with a smile. "In concert with the state of Washington, of course." Maddie nodded. "I''ve cleared this with the governor''s office." "Give your sister my best." Jeremy rolled his eyes, but said nothing. Maddie set down a huge stack of papers in a neat-bound leather satchel. Cinza briefly read through the first few pages, then looked at Maddie curiously. "This is your offer?" "Yes." "Drafted by your own hand." Maddie hesitated. "A number of hands." Cinza smiled. "Tell her that it''s about time she remembered what it means." Maddie''s eyes flashed nervously. Stafford looked around, surprised. "Well, this might be the first time today I''ve felt completely out of the loop. Senator Ashe, would you mind telling the rest of the class who in God''s name you''re talking about?" "One who''d rather remain out of the spotlight," Cinza interjected, before Maddie could open her mouth. "I''ll respect her wishes." She gathered up the offer and set it next to her on her wide chair. Jeremy was used to her size by now, but many of the President''s staff still gazed at her with an air of confusion, like she didn''t belong. She doesn''t fuckin'' belong in their world, that''s for sure. But I''m not so sure their world''s worth keepin'' around anymore¡­ Fuck me, when did I switch sides? Was I ever on that fuckin'' side? The fuck are the sides? And how did Maddie get over there? "I will release Rika to you," said Cinza finally, rising to her feet. She extended her hand, and Stafford shook it firmly. Jeremy let out a huge breath he hadn''t realized he''d been holding in. To his relief, nobody noticed¡ªthe tension in the room had infected everyone. "Thank you," said Stafford. "Now that the ugly politics are out of the way, I''ve cleared my schedule for the whole afternoon. I would love to speak with you more about any topic you''d like, in a room less crowded with all these sycophants and busybodies." Cinza smiled. "Lead the way."
The room cleared out. President Stafford and his chief of staff Ioannis Miklos led Cinza and Makoto off into one of the smaller, more comfortable rooms in the west wing, while the rest of the group dispersed. Jeremy grabbed his sister''s arm as she headed out, pulling her into a quiet corner. "The fuck, Maddie?" he hissed. "What?" Jeremy shook his head. Nobody was nearby, so he didn''t feel reluctant to really let her have it. "You tried to use Hailey as a fucking pawn in this shit, when she was right at at the edge of the damn'' cliff." "I was trying to fix this shit," Maddie shot back. "Hailey''s going down either way at this rate. Least I could do was make somethin'' out of it. Get Cinza into the negotiating room." "I thought you were different," Jeremy said, and there was real pain thick in his voice. Maddie looked taken aback. Yeah, Maddie, get it yet? You fucked up here. You became one of them. "I''ve gotta play the game too, Jere-bear," she said quietly. "I''m tryin'' to fix shit, but you can''t really exist in this line of work without being a little bit of a monster." "Cinza got here anyway. You knew she would either way. Hailey was just cheap fuckin'' points, even in your damn line of work." Jeremy shook his head in disgust. "You shoulda been next to me there, not grouped in with those shits." "Just be fuckin'' grateful we''re still under Stafford''s administration and a friendly Congress," Maddie snapped. "Try to do this in two years when the other team''s got the damn majority and see how far you fuckin'' get." She looked genuinely upset, and Jeremy forced himself to calm down. This argument wasn''t really helping anything; they were just getting pissed at each other. "I didn''t see you jumpin'' in the way when Hailey got arrested this morning." "That was her choice," Jeremy sighed, the heat slowly draining out of his face. He leaned back against the nearest wall. "Didn''t fuckin'' matter in the end. At least it was her, though, not us throwin'' her to the damn mob." Maddie shrugged. "Does it really make a huge difference?" "Does a fuckin'' trial make a difference?" Jeremy sighed again. "It''s just gonna be a huge goddamn spectacle either way. Piss off the rich and powerful one way, piss off the masses the other. You know she''s becomin'' a folk hero or somethin'', right?" "Going after the ultra-capitalist pigs above the law, yeah," said Maddie. "Pretty sure it was your friend in there who started that whole narrative." She sighed too. "I don''t know if it''s gonna calm everybody down or just kick up more flames." She looked toward the nearest wall, where a TV was still playing a split-screen loop of Cinza''s arrival at the White House next to Hailey stepping into a police cruiser handcuffed. "Throwin'' a fuckin'' boulder into a river without knowin'' where it''s gonna splash," said Jeremy. Maddie snorted. "You''re still on that?" "How the fuck did you even get it to the side of the cliff?" "You''re an FBI agent," smirked Maddie, "you tell me. You''ve had thirty years to figure it out." Their levity faded again as the loop replayed on the screen, thankfully muted so Jeremy didn''t have to hear the talking heads spew their own uneducated opinions about what to do with Hailey. "I''m really worried about her, Maddie." His sister pulled him into a one-armed hug. "And I''m still fuckin'' mad at you." "I¡ª" "I had three goddamn people in the world I could trust," said Jeremy, breaking away. "Just three. One of them stabbed me in the back in London, the other''s been missin'' for months, and then you¡ª" Jeremy choked up, looking away. Maddie looked like she might cry. "I''m sorry, Jeremy. I know. I¡­" "I know why you did it," said Jeremy. "I get it. You made a call, and even if it was a shitty fuckin'' call, at least it was for the greater good. I don''t know what the fuck Lani was doing. He''s the one who''s supposed to be here, not me. The new awakened rep of the FBI and workin'' with Cinza to save the world or some shit. But he ain''t anywhere. I don''t know where he is. I¡­" "...Have you heard from him?" Maddie asked finally, after Jeremy didn''t continue. "Nothin''," Jeremy sighed. "He called Hailey, offered to testify against Malton whenever that trial happens¡ª" "Could be never," said Maddie dejectedly. "He''s connected and he''s rich enough, and there ain''t much evidence." "So yeah, I''m fuckin'' mad." "...I''m mad at me too," she said softly. "You''re right. I was over the damn line. And Hailey needs somebody in her corner. I''m glad you''ve got her back." She grinned. "Never thought you''d be such good friends with a rich blonde white girl. You switchin'' sides too?" "Fuck you," Jeremy snorted. "She and I fought together. I got her back, she''s got mine." Jeremy stood up straight again, glancing at the door the President and Cinza had disappeared through. "What do you think they''re talkin'' about in there?" "Probably your special goddess friend." Jeremy shivered. "Seriously, Maddie, I wish you''d met her. Never seen anythin'' like it. Still scares the shit out of me and it''s been weeks." "That''s the fuckin'' story of the year, Jere-bear. Everything scares me now." Maddie shuddered. "Hendricks is pickin'' up a real following back home. There''s hundreds at those rallies, and they keep getting bigger. And there was an assassination attempt. Cinza''s set a whole goddamn war in motion now. He''s a fuckin'' martyr and he ain''t even dead." It was Jeremy''s turn to give his sister a side-arm hug. "We''ll get the motherfucker, Maddie. Count on it." [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] Interlude XI — The Seven Thirty-Six Train to Seattle Interlude XI ¡ª The Seven Thirty-Six Train to Seattle On the Tuesday morning train from Redmond to Seattle, on November the twenty-seventh, two thousand eighteen, at the very rear of the final car, a heated discussion was brewing in hushed voices. "Did you hear? Another person from Lakewood died. Kaneesha Davis." "No¡­" "Never recovered from the roof falling on her spine. I heard she was in constant pain for the last two weeks." "God¡­ That''s horrible." "And they still haven''t arrested anyone responsible. It''s insane." "Nobody?" "No one." "What about that girl? Hailey Winscombe. They arrested her right off the plane in D.C. yesterday." "There was a whole army in Lakewood. She''s just a kid. This is way bigger." "Come on¡ªan army?" "Look at these pictures, man. Helicopters coming in, guys rappelling down to the ground. Look at the videos. That''s full-auto gunfire going up against these monsters." "So they''re the good guys, then, right?" "If they are, why haven''t they come forward? They''re probably just as responsible. Both sides are the same. We''re all just stuck in the middle." "I''m definitely not on the side that has those monsters¡­" "So you''re on the side that was blowing up houses? They found leftover explosives buried in some of those buildings. It wasn''t magic." "No¡­ I don''t know¡­" "I don''t either, but I''m not sitting around waiting to get killed because of the awakened." "You think it''s real? They can really do magic?" "Can or can''t, they''re still getting us normal people killed. I wish they''d all just¡ª" "Don''t say that!" "Why not?" "They''re still people¡­ aren''t they?" "Who says? We don''t know what they are. We know they blew up Rallsburg, and a bunch of people got killed. Hailey Winscombe keeps blowing up buildings wherever she goes. They''re dangerous." "...I''m scared." "You and me both." "What are we supposed to do about it though?" "I don''t know¡­ but I can''t just sit around and go to work every day like nothing''s wrong." "They ought to be locked up." "How? We don''t even know who they are." "Excuse me, but I couldn''t help overhearing your conversation. There is a way." "...Who are you?" "I''m Mike. I''m just as worried as you are, believe me. But like I said, there''s a way." "What way?" "You heard about that guy on TV, right? The one they said was the enemy. Brian Hendricks." "Yeah. I heard he''s a murderer." "Well, I don''t know about that, but I do know he''s the only one who''s making any sense right now." "...You know him?" "I wouldn''t say I know him. I''ve never talked to him. But I''ve listened to him speak." "You have?" "He''s going to be speaking again tonight. There''s an old church on the west side of Olympia, on Jenkins Road. Near the school." "When?" "Hang on, you never said what way." "We can find them. There''s a way to test if someone is one of these awakened. Easy and harmless. I tested the both of you, actually, and you didn''t even notice." "You did?" "How?" Alden Bensen warily opened one eye, staring down to the end of the car. He tensed up, hand in his pocket, grasping the ruby and topaz gems stuffed inside. Alden didn''t recognize the two men or the woman holding the conversation. One man was leaning forward, his hand outstretched¡ªholding a small smooth stone with etchings on the surface. ...Oh, no. Very slowly, Alden began to shift his weight, putting more on to his feet. His legs were asleep¡ªhe''d been sleeping on the way into Seattle. Trains just did that to him. It was the only place he ever got any real sleep, in fact¡ªa month away from home, and he hadn''t gotten any better since leaving Meg behind on his insane quest to find Rika... and some answers. The train announced the next stop. Alden breathed a sigh of relief¡ªand they looked up at him. Don''t move. Act like nothing''s wrong. Don''t look away too quickly. Alden tried to remember everything he''d read by Boris on the website. He wasn''t even in hiding, really, but he''d still read every single piece of advice from the old spy. To his relief, after only a couple seconds, the group looked away again. The man pocketed the stone as the train glided to a halt. They busied themselves gathering up bags, still talking about the meeting that night. The other two sounded truly interested now. Alden debarked as quickly as he dared, not taking a single look back.
A month had passed since he left home, and Alden still felt awful every time he glanced at the news. Inevitably, it would be something about Hailey, or Cinza, or Jessica, or any combination of news about the awakened, the United States, London, and the confluence of events which had brought them into their current hurricane of insanity. An intense mixture of guilt and fear churned in his stomach, never quite going away. He hadn''t seen any of them in so long¡ªand, in fact, the news was marking that very timeline for him now. "I''d like to remind you of the events last month on Friday, October 26th, which we can now assume was Hailey Winscombe fighting with agents of Brian Hendricks, whom Cinza accused in London over the weekend." "What about it?" "Well, the police officers involved are certainly vindicated now, aren''t they? The same golems were caught on camera in the Battle of Lakewood, and nothing contradicts Cinza''s story thus far. That was an attack by Brian Hendricks, presumably aimed right at Hailey Winscombe and whomever was with her in the bar that night." "I''ll contradict it. I think Brian Hendricks is just a scapegoat. He''s currently driving an anti-magic campaign in the Pacific Northwest, but apparently nobody can find him. It doesn''t make any sense that he''d have magical aid. How would he keep his supporters in line if he''s openly hypocritical?" "Means to an end?" Alden had called Hailey. Not at first¡ªhe caught the first few updates, when she appeared in front of the law firm, on the talk show, down in Portland. After the Battle of Lakewood, he''d been busy following what ended up as a dead-end¡ªa lead on a Japanese girl named Maria in Redmond. It took him a few days to link the car chase origin with Rika, and by that time, Hailey was already in London, while Alden had completely missed Jessica''s funeral. He checked in with Meg daily. It wasn''t much¡ªAlden would send her a text saying roughly where he was and that he was fine. Meg gave him space. She made it clear she didn''t have a clue why he was going through his "mid-early-post-high-school-life-crisis", but she still respected it. Alden didn''t know what alien had gone and replaced his annoying little sister, but he was glad for it nonetheless. When he''d heard about Jessica''s death¡­ he cried all night. He''d wanted to call Hailey, but she was already in London. He''d called Meg instead, not really knowing anyone else in their little community well enough. The only two people he''d ever held a longer conversation with were Rachel¡ªwho nobody seemed to have heard from her in ages¡ªand Ryan, who¡­ well, Alden just didn''t know Ryan that well. Meg cried right along with him. She told him about the funeral, about Hailey''s outburst and flight, about how the rest of them just left mostly in silence after she''d vanished. They both missed her. It was the first time Meg had asked Alden to come home. She was afraid, now that someone she actually knew had died. It was the first time she''d ever experienced loss. Except for some abstract feeling of abandonment by their long-lost and forgotten older sibling, they''d been lucky up until that year. The year of magic. The year of Rallsburg. The year of the awakened. Alden wondered what event the historians would pick to mark the year. So much had happened, and so much was continuing to happen. How much more crazy can the world get? At this rate, Alden wasn''t about to rule anything out. He started down the street, heading deeper into the downtown Seattle area. Alden was there to investigate, following up on a lead toward Rika. He''d promised Meg this was the last one. If this didn''t pan out, or if he got into any trouble, he was heading home. He had no idea what he was going to tell his parents, nor how Meg was possibly covering for him for so long. They had his number, but neither had reached out beyond unanswered well-wishes every week or so. Alden had to find her. It was an obsession at this point. He knew that somehow, his life had been completely shattered by magic. He had no friends, he had no connections outside his family. The only people he knew in the world were those he''d met that year. Rika had called it fate, and Rika had taught him everything he knew about magic. She''d have the answers he needed. He had to believe that. A police report was beginning to circulate online. Alden found it on a paranoid "awakened conspiracy" website. Until recently, he''d been using leads from the private site set up by Cinza, but that had gone mysteriously silent. All at once, everyone had stopped posting, without warning. They stopped visiting it entirely, by the activity log. Alden followed suit, fearing it might be suddenly insecure. A day later, it vanished off the internet. Cinza was the smartest person he knew with technology and the internet, through her connections to techie friends the world around. Alden doubted it was a technical fault. He was stuck reviewing public footage from the battle of Lakewood, seeing the vague glimpses of Hailey and the FBI agent, with Jessica clinging to Hailey at every turn. The later bits were much higher quality, but focused more on the two clashing armies of Brian''s ragtag group and what Alden assumed to be Malton and Viper''s men. No wonder Hailey blitzed off to London¡­ The police report he''d found on the conspiracy site listed an incident in an abandoned warehouse downtown. Multiple deaths from severe electrical burns, no apparent cause. It was a longshot, but Alden knew Rika had been in the area. She''d been living in Redmond under the name Maria for a while. It was close enough to be worth checking out. It would be another long, freezing walk through the city streets. The whole city felt deathly cold. Alden rubbed his hands together, concentrating on the molecules in the air around him. Gently, he began to push at them, mentally plucking them as if they were taut strings, setting them to vibrate. A wave of warmth flooded in, filling up his coat and gloves. He grinned. I''m getting better at this. It used to take him minutes to actually find the strings and vibrate them. Alden had gotten it down to only a couple seconds. The warehouse was at least ten blocks away, if not further. Alden didn''t want to pull his hands out of the warmth to check, but he remembered the cross streets. He figured he''d just wander slowly in the right direction until he found one of them. There wasn''t any rush. Alden doubted he''d find her, and as soon as he got there and saw nothing, he''d be heading home¡ªempty-handed. Alden didn''t want to go home. He didn''t want to face the empty room again. Some thirty minutes later, he was there. Nothing had happened. The city bustled on as usual, and Alden simply walked through it. He found the street he needed. An angry-looking house cat hissed at him from an open window, diving back inside as he passed. Alden stopped halfway down the street, where an alley pointed the way inward, to a fenced-off building surrounded by CONDEMNED signs. A heavy iron door was half-ajar, small indentations visible in the metal near the handle. The place was cordoned off. Officers were standing near every entrance, barriers in place, and they didn''t even look bored. They weren''t wearing Seattle uniforms, either. ...What''s going on here? Alden considered walking up to ask them, but there wasn''t a single other person in sight. They didn''t give him a second glance, and he decided to keep it that way. He kept moving, intending to circle around to the other side and pray that he might find some more answers there. Nothing, of course. The warehouse only had the one entrance. Alden fell back against the nearest wall, letting out a deep sigh. Guess that''s it, then. He pulled out his phone, glancing through his list of contacts. Every single one said "offline", since their server was still down, but he could pull up old messages. Alden wasn''t sure what he was looking for, but he needed something¡ªanything to give him a reason not to go home yet. Anything to show he hadn''t completely failed. There was a message from Lily Laushire. She''d sent a thank-you a few months earlier, recognizing him for helping stop Jackson and save their lives. Alden had deleted it, feeling too broken up at the time to even read it, but the server downloaded it again anyway. More importantly, the message included the address of their new office in Seattle, with an open invitation to visit if he ever needed anything. The office wasn''t that far away. Alden set off.
The Wilmore office wasn''t at all what Alden expected. He triple-checked the address to make sure he had it right. Sure enough, this dilapidated, empty box squeezed in between an apartment complex and a coin-op laundromat was the address Lily had given him. Alden pulled the door open, and a half-crumpled sheet of paper tumbled out. He picked it up, but it was just an advertisement for a rave held in the building years ago. The place was totally abandoned. He went inside anyway. To his disappointment, the interior was even more depressing than the fa?ade. Trash littered the floor¡ªsomeone had clearly been living in one of the back rooms¡ªand there wasn''t a sign of life to be found. Alden couldn''t imagine anyone working here, much less the prim-and-proper Laushire twins. Probably didn''t actually work here, Alden realized with a small smile. Who needs an actual building anyway when you''ve got portals? He turned to head back outside. The Wilmore office was a bust, but Alden was already feeling a little better. The exercise and the sunlight, probably, but he didn''t care. Anything to lift him out of his slump. A rock clicked against the door. Alden froze. Nobody else is in here. How did that rock move? I didn''t move it¡­ He crept toward the door, squinting through the dirty glass window. Someone seemed to be moving on the other side of the street, but he couldn''t be sure. There wasn''t any other way out. Isn''t this like, breaking a fire code or something? I thought there were supposed to be multiple exits. Alden put his hand on the door, tensing. The figure across the street wasn''t moving, but it was definitely human-sized. He opened the door. A man was across the street, dressed in rags, leaning on a shopping cart packed full of plastic bags. Alden let out a huge sigh of relief. Nothing. Just a tired old guy. The man looked directly at Alden. He was holding something in his fist. His mouth opened wide. Oh god. Alden bolted. The man shouted something unintelligible. Someone else popped out of an alley, just in front of Alden. Another man, built like a linebacker. Alden had too much momentum to slow down, and the guy shoulder-checked him. Alden tumbled to the street, wind blasted out of him. The world spun above him as Alden desperately tried to reach into his pocket for his gemstones. No wonder Cinza wears hers on a necklace¡­ "Where you goin''?" the huge man growled above him. Alden groaned, rolling over¡ªand getting into his pocket at the same time. The ruby settled into his hand. He tensed, waiting for the perfect moment, pulling as much energy as he could in the short time he had. The man reached down to grab him. Alden waited until the last possible second. A burst of fire erupted above him. Flames slammed into the man''s face. He staggered backward, shouting. His hair had caught fire. Alden scrambled to his feet. Another man had appeared at the opposite end of the street, emerging from another alley. They staked this place out¡­ they knew someone like me might come here. Crap. What do I do? He ran. A slapping sound echoed behind him, like a wet towel on skin. Alden chanced a quick look over his shoulder. The old lookout had beaten out the fire, and the third guy was pounding down the road toward him. Alden looked frantically for help, but this was¡ªprobably deliberately¡ªa pretty run-down and abandoned part of Seattle. If anyone was even around, odds are they wouldn''t want to get involved. Alden just had to hope he was faster than them. He turned into one alley, then the next. Curves flashed by, the gray city walls blurring together as he rushed through the streets, but the man was still right behind him. He needed something else. Concentrating hard again, Alden grabbed at his whole body with his mind, just as he''d learned all the way back in Rallsburg. As the next turn came up, Alden spotted a fire escape¡ªlow enough for him to reach, but just out of anyone else''s jump, if he was lucky. He leaped, releasing the magic as he did and hurling himself even higher at the apex. His hands caught the bottom of the escape ladder. It immediately began to slide downward. Oh, crap. Alden scrambled upward anyway. It was too late to change course, and he obviously wasn''t going to outrun this guy. He banged on the first window he reached, and the second, and the third, flinging himself up the steel structure while the guy had to slowly round the staircases. It gave Alden a bit of a lead, but not enough to really escape, and nobody seemed to be answering inside. What do I do? Alden reached the roof, scrambling onto the gravel. The guy was only a few stories behind him, and his friends had just arrived in the alley. Alden looked around, but he didn''t see any easy way off the roof. There was a door, chained shut. Alden threw a spell at it, a trick he''d learned off Jonathan Hudson, but it didn''t click open. The gravel shifted behind him. The guy had arrived. A groaning metallic sound had them both looking away. The fire escape leaned dangerously outward. The two in the alley way shouted in alarm, and Alden heard the loud slap of feet on concrete as they sprinted away. The stone wall tore open, chunks of rock flying outward as the metal broke away. The entire fire escape detached from the wall, crashing to the ground with a sickening tearing sound¡ªone that brought Alden immediately back to Rallsburg. Visions of buildings rising into the sky and tearing themselves to pieces. Fire and smoke filling the air and choking everyone for miles. Golems emerging from the darkness, ripping Collins and Christina Albrecht in half, flattening Mabel Walsh into the pavement. Focus. This guy''s gonna kill you if you don''t. "Give me a name," the man growled, advancing on him. "What?" Alden asked, surprised. He hadn''t expected the guy to speak. "Someone else who''s one of you. Give me a name, and you get to live." No way is that true. He''d just kill me after I told him. I need to get out of here¡­ somehow. What do I do? Wait¡­ is this how they knew¡­ oh God. Harold¡­ He didn''t know my real name, so he brought them there. Harold gave me up. Alden opened his mouth to speak¡ªnot to give him a name, just to stall somehow¡ªbut nothing came out. It worked anyway. The man stopped, waiting for him to speak. "We''re going to find them sooner or later," he said, with less of a growl than before. "You give me a name, you go on the list. We let you live." Was this guy in the bar that night? I don''t¡­ I can''t¡­ Memories were still flooding back to Alden. He remembered a few faces, but they were blurry, indistinct. They faded out behind images of a gun barrel, pushed into his face, seconds away from pulling the trigger. Until Hailey saved him. The guy started sprinting forward. Alden shouted, an indistinct word, a burst of rage and frustration. His mind reached forward, finding the area around the man, creating a corridor of space in front of him. Alden found the strings, found the tiny vibrations in the air, and threw energy into them. However, Alden didn''t weigh them down to slow them, as he usually did. There was another trick to play, where the strings could be set spinning wildly, throwing off all the typical rules of the area. The topaz in his hand shattered as Alden took one step to the side. The man sped up. Time itself fooled him into believing he could change directions, that Alden was still in his path. He shot forward, all the way across the roof straight past Alden. It was almost comical how he flung himself forward, tripping over the lip and into empty air. Comical, until Alden''s spell released. The man screamed all the way down to the ground. Oh my god¡­ Alden collapsed to the gravel, panting. He''d never used that spell on such a wide area before. He''d never used any time magic on someone since¡­ since¡­ Alden threw up.
It took a long time for Alden to pull himself together. Nobody else tried to get up to him, to his relief. The alley on the opposite side of the building seemed clear. It didn''t have a fire escape, though, so Alden was forced to take a leap and catch himself with magic. Terrifying, but it slowed his momentum enough to land with only a bit of pain in his limbs. He hurried away from the building. He didn''t want to think about what he''d just done, and what he''d done in the past. Alden glanced around, but he had no clue where he was at this point. Still in Seattle, sure, but he didn''t recognize any of the street names. He was south, that was the best he could determine¡ªand worse, his phone wasn''t working. The screen was badly cracked, and the power button didn''t seem to be working. He wasn''t sure if it needed battery or it was truly dead, and he didn''t have anywhere to plug in and check. A store. Maybe a coffee shop. Somewhere will have a public outlet. Not for the first time, Alden wished he''d gotten one of the Laushire bags. Kendra had promised to make him one, but they apparently took a great deal of energy and special materials to create, and they hadn''t had the opportunity with so much else going on. He didn''t blame them, but with the sorts of lives they now led, not having one was becoming a real burden for him. Alden was back to wandering again, though with far more caution than the morning. He stuck to the shadows, and every single time some random passerby glanced at him, he was ready to run. Even so, he doubted anything would happen in these neighborhoods. This was a nicer part of Seattle, something like halfway between suburbs and the city proper. People were actually out on the sidewalks, along with the occasional car, giving him a much stronger sense of security. Sure, he still got the odd glance, but it was more of a typical "get out of my way tourist, I''m too busy for you" sort of city look. He could deal with that. It was refreshing, even. Alden had never really liked cities much, but he certainly preferred the bustle of people to the painful silence of the empty streets. He finally stopped walking, taking shelter in a small shaded part of the wall near a coffee shop, which hadn''t had any outlets to his great disappointment. They recommended an electronics store nearby, but between the spells and the running, Alden was getting very winded. I''ve been training every day. I shouldn''t be this tired after those spells. Even with the Time magic, that wasn''t that much. It wasn''t just exhaustion though, and Alden knew it. It was fear and adrenaline and trauma, rolled up into a painful brick weighing down his whole body. He was physically okay, and if another fight came, Alden would be fine. But between those bursts of energy¡ªwhen survival was on the line and it was life-or-death¡ªhe was more crushed and hopeless than ever before. Something in the sky caught his eye. A bird, soaring high above. Alden watched it curiously. It didn''t look like a seagull. It dove lower, and Alden found himself missing Hailey more than ever. Flying with her had always picked up his spirits. Even on the last night he saw her, after Ruby got them away from the bar, Hailey''s flight home was where he finally started to pull himself together. Now she was in jail, somewhere on the other side of the country. What was Alden doing? Wasting his time chasing a girl he barely knew, who he hadn''t seen in months, on the vague idea that she could answer questions he already knew she couldn''t. The bird dropped lower. Alden squinted closer. That bird looked familiar¡ªtoo familiar. He''d seen it before¡­ somewhere. He got to his feet and ran. The bird kept circling. It seemed stuck to a particular spot, and he was pretty sure he could figure out where. Sure enough, as he crossed each street, it hadn''t moved in the slightest. He was getting closer. The buildings in the area weren''t tall enough to block his view, and he was closing in pretty quickly. I''m going insane. It''s just a bird. Meg is gonna get a real kick out of this one. I''ll never hear the end of it. The bird peeled off suddenly, diving for a nearby park surrounded by apartments. Alden hurried to catch up. The park seemed totally deserted at first. A swing swayed in the gentle breeze, the playground was totally empty. It didn''t seem forlorn, exactly¡ªthe grass looked healthy and the plants were well-kept¡ªbut there was still an eerie sense of danger hanging over everything. Alden crept forward cautiously, checking every direction. There was a small enclosed area toward the back, just around the corner. He could hear voices¡ªpretty young voices. One sounded familiar. "...she''s terrified of you, Jenny!" A boy laughed. "Yeah, you should have seen her face today." "You should do Lydia next!" "Dude, she''s not gonna go around scaring everybody for fun." "I know that!" "Can we just hang out without talking about school?" "You guys aren''t supposed to be out. We''re not supposed to be out, either." "It''s fine," said that voice, the one Alden knew he knew. "Percy''s been watching out. Nobody scary''s nearby." A brief squawk from the bird¡ªthe hawk. Alden froze. Percy. Squawking sounds. "What?" "Hang on," Another squawk. A girl suddenly appeared, staring Alden right in the eyes. It took him a few moments to realize it was, in fact, Natalie Hendricks looking at him. She''d changed so much, and there was a massive twisting scar marring her face, but it was the same girl he''d first seen in a candle-lit college room back in Rallsburg. His mouth fell open. Hers did the same. "...Hi," Alden finally choked out. "Jenny?" someone whispered. "Shh," Natalie hissed over her shoulder. "It''s okay." She beckoned Alden forward, into their little hideout. It wasn''t much to look at, in all honesty, but it had a few comfy folding chairs and a beaten-up old couch around a table with a card game Alden vaguely recognized. A cooler full of drinks and snacks sat nearby, along with a pile of boxes and some sports equipment. Four other kids around Natalie''s age were sitting around the table, all gaping up at their friend and Alden. He raised his hand slightly with an awkward grin. "Uhh¡­" he started. Natalie winced. "This is Zack. He''s¡­" She glanced at him oddly. "A friend?" "Yeah," said Alden. "Something like that." "Cool," said one of the boys, looking impatient. "Don''t you have a dumb game to finish? I thought we were gonna do you-know-what soon." "Shut up, Mitch," said the girl sitting near him. She slapped him on the back of the head. "This is the only time we can get together. Let them play." "It''s your turn, Jenny," said the boy leaning over the table. He started coughing violently and pulled out an inhaler. Natalie went back to sit down next to another boy on the couch, leaning forward over the game. "You wanna sit, Zack?" She pointed at the last empty chair. "Steven''s not here today, so we got an extra." "Sure." Alden took the seat, feeling distinctly out of place. Not that he didn''t like seeing Natalie again, but this whole meeting was feeling very weird, and he had no idea how much her friends might know. Then again¡­ Percy''s literally sitting on her shoulder. As if to accentuate the point, Natalie turned to him and spouted a full sentence in her strange animal language. Percy squawked in protest. Natalie giggled, then spoke another short burst at him. He flew away, and she settled back onto the couch¡ªvery pointedly a few inches away from the boy beside her, but Alden could instantly tell there was something between them. "So uhh¡­" Alden started. Natalie nodded. "Yeah, they know. It''s cool." Well¡­ she seems to be doing okay¡­ or not. How did she get that scar? What happened to her? "What did you say?" asked Mitch eagerly. "Told him off for not warning me about Zack coming." Natalie frowned. "He probably figured it was okay since they met way back." "Hawks can remember that long?" asked the girl. "Mine can," said Natalie idly, leaning forward to pluck a card out from one of the piles. "Linnethea reveals herself and ambushes your metal mine with her two bodyguards." "Tough break," her friend added, smirking at the cards revealed underneath. Natalie''s opponent looked frustrated, but didn''t say anything, staring as if he were willing the game to burst into flames. Are any of them¡­ Alden wondered, but he didn''t need to. Natalie answered his unspoken question right away. "Sorry, Zack. This is Quinn," she started, pointing at the boy next to her, "Tyler, Mitch and Kelsey. And none of them are awakened." "Not for lack of trying!" Mitch shot back. He turned to Alden quickly. "Are you?" Alden made a split-second decision, nodding. He flicked his hand just slightly, and a soda zoomed out of the cooler into his hand, right over the table in the middle. "Wow¡­" Kelsey rolled her eyes. "Dude, you''ve seen Jenny do that like a hundred times. She did that like ten minutes ago!" "You''re just jealous you can''t!" "No shit I am. You are too, moron." "Can you, you know," Mitch started, turning to Alden, "awaken people?" Alden shook his head. "Nope. Sorry." Although I know plenty of people who have Scraps nearby. Hailey and I came up here a few times for new awakened. I always wondered how she found out about people in Seattle though¡­ Maybe Natalie was telling her? "Aww¡­" Mitch crossed his arms. "I''m gonna find part of the book soon. Just you wait." "Didn''t the diary say they only came to people who believed in the goddess?" Kelsey smirked. "Better start praying." Alden raised his eyebrows. "You guys have read Cinza''s diary? How?" "Internet," said Mitch simply. "I found a torrent," said Tyler, still glaring at his cards like they''d betrayed him. If they''ve read the diary¡­ am I in it? How far did it go? Cinza posted on the site that it was everything through Jackson''s death, and I was there when he died. I don''t think Cinza knows I can use Time magic or that I trapped him¡­ but still. If she named me¡­ He shook his head. Cinza never knew his real name. Besides, there were so many more important people in those books than him. He was a blip, a tiny footnote in the Rallsburg tale. Tyler drew two cards from his deck, and let out a huge sigh of relief. Natalie frowned, as he laid them out on each of the castles near his side. "I summon Qazatakatlstimizilian using all my resources. He burns all your forests and farms in the first two rows on entering the field." Natalie sighed and leaned back. "You win again." "You''re not going to play it out?" he asked, sounding disappointed. "It''s already over. I know when to surrender." "You almost had me this time. You''ll win eventually." Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. She rolled her eyes. "Whatever." Her watch beeped. "...It''s time." "Time for what?" asked Alden. "To go home," said Tyler sadly, beginning to gather up the cards. "If we don''t want to get in trouble." "Yeah, we all snuck out," added Mitch. "Hey, I didn''t!" said Kelsey indignantly. Quinn smiled. "Your parents are cooler than ours." "Nah, they just don''t have a clue who you people are," said Kelsey, grinning. "Or that I''m hanging out with one of the awakened." She laid on so much emphasis and sarcasm that Alden laughed. "Okay, two awakened," she amended, grinning wider. "Would your moms care?" asked Natalie, suddenly nervous. Kelsey shrugged. "Probably not. I mean, Mitch''s mom doesn''t care either, right?" Mitch glanced at her. "You think I told her? Do I look that stupid?" "No, you look way stupider than that." "Hey!" "Nobody knows outside this group and Quinn''s parents," said Natalie, glancing back at Alden. "Plus Steven. He''s just not here ''cause it''s a lot harder for him to get away from his mom. She''s really scared." "Well yeah, after what happened with his brother¡ª" started Mitch. Kelsey smacked him on the back of the head again. "Stop that! You''re lucky I don''t hit girls." "''Cause you know we''d beat you up?" said Kelsey. "My mom taught me never to hit a girl." "My moms taught me never to hit anyone, but if they come after you, take ''em down." "Yeah," said Natalie, her tone far from jovial. "You gotta defend yourself." The rest of the group continued to joke and tease as they trooped out. Natalie calmly packed up the rest of her things into her bag¡ªanother Laushire bag, Alden noted with jealousy. As they set off into the streets, Natalie led the way with Quinn. Alden volunteered to bring up the rear, after Natalie explained how they were supposed to watch out for anything suspicious or dangerous. She said it a little casually, and the rest of the group obviously didn''t take it too seriously, but Natalie caught his eye. He nodded in return. They both knew exactly how serious she was.
Everyone got home in one piece. Alden was looking over his shoulder at every turn, but nobody else came after him. Quinn was the last one, and as they got nearer to his family''s apartment, Natalie fell back a little to walk near Alden. Percy fluttered onto Quinn''s shoulder, and rubbed his face affectionately. Natalie smiled at the sight, but dropped her voice low, obviously not wanting Quinn to hear anything. "Hey," she said softly. "Hi," said Alden. Her tone was uncomfortably militant. "What''s going on? Is something wrong?" He shook his head. "I ran into you by accident. I saw Percy and followed him." "Oh." Natalie frowned. "I guess that could be kinda bad." "Can you do invisibility?" "I tried, but I never really figured it out." She shrugged. "I''m staying out of everything though." "I saw the thing about Kendra on the news," said Alden. "Aren''t you¡ª" "No," said Natalie. "I''ve been living with Quinn all month. Since¡­ since the book thing and Hailey''s interview and everything." "Oh." Alden winced. "I was¡­ kinda out of the loop for a while." He glanced at her again. "You¡ª" "Yeah, I did a lot," Natalie said impatiently. "Are you okay?" "I don''t know." "...Me neither," said Alden honestly. To his relief, Natalie seemed to relax at that. "Why does everyone always ask that? I''m too many things. I can''t just say ''yeah I''m okay''. Okay what?" "No kidding," said Alden. "It''s so stupid. I don''t know if I''m okay. I don''t know anything. Everyone left me and now so many things are happening and I have no clue what''s going on." "You have no idea how much I feel like that right now, Nat¡ªerr, Jenny," said Alden hurriedly. Natalie shrugged. "It''s okay. Quinn knows everything." "...Everything?" asked Alden, surprised. "Well¡­ no," said Natalie reluctantly. "He doesn''t know¡­ about my¡­ my dad." She looked away so Alden couldn''t see her face. "But he knows I''m from Rallsburg and my real name and all that. We can trust him." "Okay." Natalie turned back, smiling a little. "...Thanks." Alden nodded. "How''d you end up living with him?" "I got¡­ locked out, I guess, on the night everybody found out about the book. The door to Kendra''s place just didn''t show up. So I ran away and I just kinda ended up at Quinn''s ''cause it was the only place I knew nearby." "And his parents just took you in?" Alden raised an eyebrow. "That''s really cool of them." "They''re really cool," said Natalie, smiling wider. "He is, too." Alden didn''t miss the undercurrent in her voice. He grinned. "You and him?" A blush seeped into her cheeks underneath the scar. "...Yeah." "I''m really happy for you, Natalie." "What about you?" she asked, obviously trying to change the subject. "Weren''t you trying to find Rika or something? I overheard your sister talking." "You met my sister?" Alden asked, surprised. "At the¡­" Natalie winced, mirth gone from her voice. "The funeral." "Oh." Alden nodded. "Yeah, I''m trying to find Rika." "...Do you think that''s a good idea?" she asked nervously. "Huh?" "I just¡­" Natalie took a breath, staring out into the bare courtyard below them. She fiddled with her hair¡ªmuch longer than Alden remembered, and worn so as to cover her face more. Hiding, as she had been ever since Rallsburg. "I dunno. I was waiting for Rachel all this time. She promised we were gonna go find my dad. I was just¡­ you know, sitting around. Doing nothing, being afraid all the time. And it really sucked." She turned back to Alden. "I decided to stop though. Now I feel a lot better. It still sucks, but I''m not waiting for Rachel. I dunno where she is, or what she''s doing, and I don''t really care anymore either. I''m here with Quinn and I''m happy. Mostly," she added, looking away again. "I still really miss Gwen, and Scrappy, and my dad¡­ I''ll find them someday. But I gotta figure out who I am first." I wish it were that easy. I wish I was as strong as you. "You''re way too smart for your age, you know that?" said Alden, smiling a little. "I don''t feel like I am," Natalie sighed. She glanced over thoughtfully. "Do you love her?" He shrugged. "I don''t really know. I just need to talk to her." "I knew, all the way back to Rallsburg," said Natalie sagely. "You definitely do. You gotta find her, then." I really don''t think I do, but I agree with you anyway. "Well, she''s not making it easy," Alden sighed. "I came here ''cause I heard about some people who got killed by electricity magic. I thought it might have been her. Still could be, I have no idea. I didn''t get any details." Natalie frowned. "Some people?" "Yeah, a warehouse, over on¡­" Alden pulled out his phone and dredged up the address. "It was some drug deal gone bad, apparently. I figured Rika kinda fit that. I mean, I doubt she was looking for drugs. Information or something." She slowly shook her head. "...Rika doesn''t seem like the sort of person who''d kill people." "Yeah, I agree. Self-defense, though, maybe." "Maybe." Natalie looked really uncomfortable suddenly. Alden decided to change the subject. "How''s school?" "It''s¡­ it''s fine." Natalie was obviously still stuck on the idea. Alden waited. Quinn had long-since gone inside the apartment with Percy, but they were still standing out on the cold walkway, the breeze chilling them even more. "I think Rika''s probably in the Greywood." "You do?" asked Alden, surprised. Was it really that easy? She nodded. "I saw her at the funeral. We talked a bit. She came in with Cinza''s people, and she left with them too. I think she''s been staying there ever since¡­ you know." Natalie trailed off, obviously not wanting to bring up Jessica again. She took a moment to compose herself. "I don''t know how to get to it anymore though. I haven''t been there since¡­ since we left." "I have, once," said Alden. But all the defenses were down at the time, and I was following Rachel¡­ "But I think they changed it, and now the website''s down." "It is?" asked Natalie, surprised. "Yeah." Alden shrugged. "I might know somebody else who knows." "Who''s that?" Alden grinned. "You wouldn''t like him."
Natalie offered him some dinner, but Alden declined. He didn''t want to complicate her life anymore if Quinn''s parents came home while he was there. They said goodbye, and Alden boarded the first bus he could find heading south. He hoped Natalie really was happier. It seemed like she was, but there was so much weight on every word she spoke. Something had happened to Natalie, and Alden had no clue what it might have been. He resolved to check in on her again, way sooner than six months this time. In the meantime, he had another long-lost acquaintance to find. Of course, this one wasn''t even trying to hide. Alden just used the official contact box on his website. "The first true magician?" Alden asked, rolling his eyes. Jonathan Hudson had just arrived back in the corner of a little diner in Tacoma. To Alden''s relief, he wore a far less conspicuous outfit than their first encounter. Even so, Jonathan was as theatrical as always, pulling out his chair with a flourish and landing with all the aplomb of an accomplished dancer. "What does the Greywood require of the Astounding Mr. Hudson?" "I thought it was ''Marvelous''," said Alden. Jonathan shrugged. "My show got popular and somebody got mad, said it was too similar to something on TV." "Well, funny you should ask," Alden sighed. "I''m actually trying to get to the Greywood." "I was going to ask you how to get there!" said Jonathan indignantly. "You don''t know?" "I''ve not been privy to such confidence as to be made aware of the¡ª" Alden rolled his eyes again, and Jonathan faltered. "...No." "I haven''t been there since Rallsburg fell," said Alden, "and they''ve changed the defenses since then. The website''s down, so I can''t get in touch with any of them." Jonathan nodded. "I do hope it comes back, I need more spells for my next act. I only had a backup through last week." "...You kept backups?" asked Alden, surprised. "Of course I did!" Jonathan grinned. "The Astounding Mr. Hudson is well-known for the variety and depth of his magical abilities!" Cinza would be so mad if she found out. "They left instructions after the book release, for anyone who needed to hide. Do you have that saved?" "Probably." Jonathan pulled out his phone, digging through the details. "Yes, right here. I can take you to the rendezvous." "No thanks, I can manage." "I insist!" said Jonathan, rising to his feet again. "The Greywood does not know me. If I am to be received, I would need your introduction, as one of the honored Ghosts." "I''m not one of them," said Alden uncomfortably. "I didn''t live there." "But you fought, did you not?" "...Yes." Alden sighed. "Well, come on then. My car''s around the block." Within minutes, they were on the road heading to Olympia. Jonathan gave him directions while managing to keep his personality to a minimum, to Alden''s relief. Under other circumstances, he didn''t really mind so much¡ªbut he was exhausted, he was scared, and the world seemed to be ending all around them. The traffic was thick all the way to Olympia, and Alden had a pretty good guess as to why. "Do people ask you how to awaken after your shows?" asked Alden. "I don''t stick around," said Jonathan cheerfully. "All part of the mystique, you know? I escape without a trail to be found." He winced. "Also because I was chased out once by a certain FBI agent we all know and love." "You met Agent Ashe?" "Yes. It turns out he''s actually a really nice guy, all in all. We''ve met a few times since then. Turn off here." Alden did so, hitting the road out of Olympia toward the huge forests ahead. As the trees loomed larger, his knuckles got tighter around the wheel. He hadn''t been this close since¡­ well, since he left. Jonathan kept talking, and Alden just vaguely nodded along whenever there was a pause, not really listening. He was entirely focused on making sure they didn''t crash, while flashbacks threatened to resurface in his brain. "Turn here," said Jonathan abruptly. Alden glanced over, surprised. They hadn''t really gone out of Olympia yet. Was the meeting place really this far away from the Greywood? "Pull into that parking lot there, by the church." Alden shaded his eyes from the sunlight, squinting at the church ahead. Other people were arriving too, but no one he recognized. "How many people are here?" he asked, following Jonathan forward. "No idea. Guess we''ll find out." "I didn''t think there''d be this many awakened already. There aren''t that many on the website." "Many what?" asked Jonathan, surprised. "Where do you think we are?" "...What did you do?" asked Alden fearfully. "Like I said. I wanted to check out this meeting. See what we''re up against." Alden froze. He looked around fearfully. Jenkins road. There was a school nearby. They were walking into an old church. He dropped his voice as low as he could. "This is one of Brian''s meetings?" "Don''t worry. I don''t look anything like my shows. And like you said, you weren''t actually there. Nobody''s looking for you." "They can scan us, you idiot!" Alden hissed, all politeness vanished in an instant. He started to turn back, but one of the guys by the church entrance was already staring at them. He didn''t look suspicious yet. Alden forced himself to stay calm. "Oh¡­ I forgot about those¡­ What do we do?" Jonathan asked, suddenly as fearful as Alden felt. "Keep going forward. It takes a while to scan people. They probably don''t do everyone at these meetings." Alden took one painful step forward, and then another. The guy at the entrance looked away. The crowd pressed forward¡ªdozens, hundreds maybe. People were coming together, all to hear him talk. Hear Natalie''s dad talk¡­ about how to kill them all.
They didn''t have to wait long. As soon as they sat down, near the side fire doors, two men were wheeling out a screen and a projector. Alden breathed a sigh of relief¡ªBrian wouldn''t be at this meeting. Natalie''s dad knew him. Alden couldn''t afford to get anywhere near Brian if he could help it. If he was ever seen¡­ The projector flicked on, and Brian Hendricks filled the screen, seated calmly on a bench somewhere in an empty room. Alden flinched instinctively¡ªthe last time he saw Brian, he''d been standing in the streets of a burning Rallsburg, while a golem dragged Mabel Walsh to the pavement. Stay calm. He''s not here. He''s hiding too. Nobody here will know me. "Hi," said Brian, weirdly casual. "I''m sorry to everyone watching this from another building. If I could speak to you in person, I would. They are everywhere, and they could be anyone, so for now, I have to keep moving. I can see you, and I know how afraid you are. I''ve lived that fear. "They destroyed my home. Now, they''ve destroyed more. The man Malton, as terrible as he might have been, was not given the due process we as human beings deserve. They aren''t human. They don''t respect basic rights like you and I do. They tore him from his home. They could have killed him. "The fact that they did not," Brian continued, sitting forward on the bench wherever he was. Alden got a brief glimpse of a crowd in the shot¡ªjust as enraptured as the people around him. Jonathan was fidgeting next to Alden, but the rest of the church was engaged, silent and attentive. "The fact they didn''t kill him was part of a larger goal. See how their leader is now in the White House, meeting with our president. They''ve gotten inside our government. They were invited in." Alden gulped. Everyone''s treating him like he doesn''t sound insane. And¡­ I don''t think he sounds insane either. His words are crazy, but the way he''s acting¡­ this is bad. Really bad. "Someone tried to kill me yesterday," Brian added, almost as an afterthought. The crowd gasped. "In a church in Satsop, one of the awakened¡ª" he spat the word with more vitriol than Alden would have believed possible, "¡ªinfiltrated our meeting. The good people there stopped him, but this is why we must not waver. We must be vigilant. They are among us." "Was that one of us?" Jonathan hissed. Don''t even whisper that in here! Alden cried out in his mind. He very slowly shook his head, though in truth, he had no idea. He wasn''t really aware of anyone else anymore. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a lens. There were cameras set up on both sides of the screen, looking out over the crowd. ...He was being literal. He can see us. This is really bad. If he remembers me... "We need to get out of here," Alden murmured. "Quietly. If I say go, can you turn us invisible?" "Not for very long," Jonathan whispered back. "I only got it down a couple weeks ago, and it''s not my affinity. I''m Elemental and Movement." "Smoke?" "Yeah. I''m really good at smoke." Alden tensed up. Brian was starting to build up in his speech now. He''d stood up, and his voice was rising a little. Alden only caught two words, repeated over and over at the end of every paragraph: no more. "They must be stopped," said Brian again. He took a pause, finally, picking up a water bottle and drinking deep. A woman stood up in the crowd¡ªtheir crowd, Alden realized, not the vague outlines on the screen. She looked around at the rest of the church, a pained expression on her face. "This isn''t right," she said loudly. "This hate isn''t Christian. I don''t believe this." A murmur rolled through the crowd. At least a few people were agreeing with her¡­ but more still sounded opposed. Another person stood up, and Alden didn''t bother to wait for any more. As soon as they started to argue, Alden tapped Jonathan. "Let''s go, right now. Stay low." Jonathan nodded. They started making their way down the row. Alden tried to keep his face away from the cameras. Brian hadn''t started talking again yet; his eyes were fixed on something just off-screen. Alden caught a flash of a screen reflected in his eyes. "Wait!" Brian suddenly cried out. He pointed at the screen, his eyes wide. "You," he snarled, and Alden knew without a doubt¡ªhe''d been seen. "Do it now!" he snapped at Jonathan. Smoke billowed outward, engulfing the pair of them. Brian''s men launched themselves forward. Alden grabbed Jonathan''s hand, dragging him toward the fire door. They slammed through. An alarm began to wail as the bright setting sunlight pierced their eyes. Alden blinked away the spots, trying desperately to find their car. "Keep moving!" he shouted. Jonathan had faltered, stumbling out of the smoke with a dazed look. Alden grabbed at him again, yanking him into the parking lot and away from the church doors. "They''re coming!" He spotted the car, a few hundred feet away from them. They could make it, though the mob behind them was growing steadily. Alden''s head was pounding, and visions of Rallsburg were flashing through his mind. And then, Alden''s true nightmare¡ªthe asphalt began to grow. "Where''s my daughter?" A guttural snarl¡ªimpossibly loud for a man without magic¡ªshook Alden''s bones. The golem was rising out of the parking lot, forming quickly. Behind it, clutching the spiked black rod, eyes wild, stood the man himself. Brian had been there all along. The projector was a ruse. "What''s going on?" Jonathan whimpered. Alden didn''t bother to answer. He didn''t even try for the car. If he did, he knew a golem would smash it to pieces¡ªand Brian didn''t know which car was theirs. "More smoke!" Jonathan managed it, and another wave of thick white fog erupted into the air. Immediately, Alden picked up the nearest heavy object¡ªa metal trash can¡ªand flung it backward toward Brian, burning through every gem in his pocket as he did. His legs nearly gave out from the sheer effort. Alden had never thrown something so heavy, but it worked. A loud thud echoed through the smoke. He ran, without looking back, Jonathan only a few steps behind. They reached the car. Jonathan dove into the passenger seat, while Alden sprinted around to the driver''s side. He struggled through his pocket for his keys, desperately hoping Brian hadn''t had time to recover. He didn''t believe for a second the trash can had actually knocked him out. The golem burst through the smoke, like a mountain cutting through clouds. "Drive!" Jonathan screamed at him. Brian emerged a few steps behind, charging like an angry bull. He was outpacing his own golem, and raising a pistol in one hand. "Where is my daughter?" he screamed, a raw agonizing sound that pierced through everything. What am I supposed to do? Alden cried. This was so far beyond him. Adrenaline was pumping through his veins, speeding up his thought process. He thought of using Time magic somehow, but he''d already burned all his gems, and only had a few topaz stones left in the glove compartment¡ªif he could even get to them in time. The golem was almost to his car. Jonathan was screaming in terror. Alden was fumbling to get the key into the ignition. A massive fist rose to punch through the glass. Brian''s hand was squeezing the trigger. The dark barrel hovered right at Alden''s head. He couldn''t move. Help. Anyone. Please. A massive wave of magical force rumbled through the air. The golem was shoved backward, evaporating into dust as it went. Alden''s car suddenly clicked on. The engine purred like a hungry cat. "Drive!" shouted a female voice, somewhere nearby. Alden couldn''t. He was still frozen, his mind overwhelmed. Brian tried desperately to pull the trigger, but his hand shook on the gun. A fresh golem pushed forward, and another behind that¡ªbut they all stopped at a single wall, a massive emanation of magic so strong that Alden could feel it without even trying. She appeared, back to the car, hands up in midair, holding them back. Alden''s mouth fell open. Grey-eyes? Brian''s eyes were widening too. He stared at her with such pure, abject hatred that Alden instinctively flinched away, even though Brian''s gaze wasn''t directed toward him at all. Grey-eyes glanced back over her shoulder. Her face was scrunched up with exertion¡­ and fear. "Zack, drive!" she shouted again. Something clicked in his head. Alden threw the car into drive and slammed the gas pedal. They shot out of the parking lot. The car drifted across the open road, swerved into the oncoming lane and nearly crashed headlong into another vehicle. Alden wrested it back onto the right side just in time. They sped into the sunset, away from the horrors unfolding behind them.
He dropped Jonathan off at a bus stop, heading back to Tacoma. Alden thought he should come to the Greywood too, but Jonathan insisted on going home. Even though he might have been identified, he still wanted to go home to his family. Alden couldn''t blame him for that. The real rendezvous was a makeshift camp south of Rallsburg. Jonathan said it had become a sort of way station for pilgrims, people seeking to awaken and flocking to the Olympic Forest en-masse. The town itself was still essentially quarantined, though not terribly well, and the pilgrims were trampling through the forests heedless of regulations. By now, the forestry service had all but given up on maintaining the region, lacking the manpower to really enforce park law. Alden pulled into the grassy lawn that served as a parking lot and finally turned the car off. Though his heart had long-since stopped racing and his breath was steady again, Alden still felt the terror creeping through the edges of his mind. He''d come so close¡­ again¡­ Now he was practically in sight of Rallsburg. The trees were too thick to actually make out any of the town, but he knew it was there, just around the bend. He couldn''t bring himself to move. Oh god¡­ He almost¡­ I almost¡­ oh god. Alden shoved the door open and threw up again, for the second time that day. He fumbled through his glove compartment for a paper towel, while a curious onlooker passed by with a sympathetic look. To Alden''s relief, they didn''t say anything, just continued on toward the camp. After a few minutes to try and calm himself down¡ªwhich didn''t really work¡ªAlden got out and started toward the tents. It reminded him of the Market, in a way. They weren''t in a black, perfectly-lit void, but the arrangement was the same¡ªeight points on a circle of tents and stands, with a larger half-built hut in the center, filling for the original Laushire mansion. People were selling food, drink, even magic lessons. Small flashes of light and smoke issued from one closed-off tent. No one was outright selling Scraps or anything, to Alden''s relief, but this was the most open, casual display of magic he''d ever seen before. It was such a stark contrast to where he''d just been that he laughed aloud. "What''s so funny?" asked someone walking past him. Alden shrugged, ignoring them. He wandered forward, no idea what he was supposed to do next. Jonathan hadn''t known either. Without any better ideas, and feeling a distinct sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu, Alden headed straight for the hut in the center. "I wouldn''t bother," the guy next to him added, nodding toward the hut, a half-built log cabin with tarps covering one side. "They never let anyone in." Alden shrugged. "I don''t have anywhere else to go." "Good luck, then," the guy said, wandering off toward the food and leaving Alden alone. Alden headed straight up to the hut''s heavy wooden door, laden with carvings and symbols that looked like pure gibberish to him, and calmly clicked the brass knocker three times. A curtain in the lone window shifted slightly. Someone was there. Alden waited, patiently. A minute later, the door opened¡ªand he found himself face to face with Julian Black. "...What?" said Alden blankly. "Could say the same of yourself," said Julian. "Get in here before everyone else starts gettin'' ideas." Alden stumbled inside. Julian quickly shut the door behind him. "The hell are you doin'' here, Zack?" "I¡­" Alden shrugged. "I was looking for anyone who could get me out to Cinza''s." "Shit, ain''t you heard?" Julian frowned. "Even I heard, and they don''t got a clue I''m in the country." "Heard what?" Julian gestured to a few comfy chairs over by an empty fireplace, where a fire immediately burst into life. One of the chairs still had a price tag attached. "Got the whole story from Joe. Some chick infiltrated them. Kidnapped Xerox Laushire and took her out to London. S''why Cinza was there." "So they''re¡ª" "Locked down tight as hell," said Julian, leaning back in a chair. "Want a beer?" "No thanks," said Alden uncomfortably. Julian shrugged, as one zipped out from a refrigerator and into his hand, the cap popping off all on its own. "Nobody gets in right now. Only people out are Ruby''s little supply trips. One of them''s coming today." "Who?" asked Alden impatiently. Julian smirked his toothy grin. "Lookin'' for your girlfriend, huh?" He shrugged. "No idea, they don''t give me advance warnin'' or nothin''. Unless Joe''s on the trip, I don''t even know when they''re comin''." As if on cue, his phone buzzed, and Joe''s face popped up. "Speak of the goddamn devil. On their way now." Alden nodded. "I''m trying to find Rika." "Well, last I saw, she came in with the group yesterday. Didn''t do much, stood around while everyone else did the work." Julian shook his head. "Girl''s got problems. Don''t she know we''re in a fuckin'' war?" "No kidding¡­" Alden murmured. "Shit, sounds like you''ve got a story to tell." He shook his head. "I can''t." "Fuckin'' secrets, man," said Julian, gulping down his beer. "Y''all need some damn perspective." It''s not a secret. If I start thinking about it, I feel like I might completely break down. I can''t do that right now. "How long til they get here?" "I mean, you went out to Cinza''s place. It ain''t far from here." He winced. "I don''t really remember it that well." Julian shrugged. "Thirty minutes, probably. Depends how many tourists they gotta dodge." He glanced out the window again, and Alden realized the curtains were completely transparent from the inside. "Makin'' good money out here lately. Could use the help, if you''re interested." Alden shook his head. Julian took another draw from his beer. "Suit yourself." "Who went to London?" he asked. If he had to wait, he might as well get caught up. "Well, Hailey obviously," said Julian, as a bag of chips flew over to join the beer. "Then that spy chick plus her cargo. Cinza, ''koto and the FBI guy took off after ''em, draggin'' along Original Flavor Laushire." "Agent Ashe was here too?" "Shit, where you been, kid?" "...Around," said Alden, a bit embarrassed. Even Julian Black was better informed than he was. Going off-grid was a terrible decision. It''s not like I could have known how insane the world was going to get¡­ "I actually met the guy," Julian added, leaning back again and popping out the footrest on his chair. "Pretty chill, for a fed. Played a round of cards with him." "Did you win?" asked Alden, vaguely remembering someone telling him that Julian was terrible at cards, a long time ago. "Fucker cheated," he grinned. "Bet me a ride home and won easy." "Magic?" "Nah, he ain''t one of us." Julian munched through a few chips loudly, crumbs spilling everywhere. He wiped his face on the back of his hand, then his hand on his pant leg. "Just quick on the draw, I guess." He stood up, downing the rest of his beer. "I gotta get back out there. You good?" "Yeah." Alden nodded. "Thanks." Julian shrugged. "You''re one of us, kid. Always here for vets of Rallsburg." He got up, and his appearance shifted into a completely different person¡ªwithout the crooked smile or greasy hair, just an average looking guy with a thick black overcoat. "Should be easy to see through the windows. Just lock the door on your way out," he added, nodding at the deadbolt. "It''s got spells that''re tied to the lock bein'' turned, so once it''s locked, don''t try to open it again without me. Got it?" "Yeah." "Cheers." Julian tossed the bottle into a box nearby, marked with a recycling symbol. Alden raised an eyebrow. "Shit, I can''t care about the planet too?" Alden laughed, a welcome bit of mirth to cut through his exhaustion and dread. Julian grinned. "Bout time you stopped looking so damn depressed." He opened the door and stepped out. "See you ''round, Zack."
Alden spluttered awake. He''d fallen asleep in the chair next to the fire, so exhausted from the day that he''d simply drifted off. He checked his phone, and to his relief, only an hour had gone by. They wouldn''t have gone back yet, most likely. He hurried outside, careful to lock the door behind him as Julian had asked. Outside, the place was even more bustling than before. As night descended, lights were flickering on¡ªsome magic, some not. Many seemed to be gravitating this way as the forest became more foreboding. Alden noticed a gathering of tents and RVs behind the parking lot he hadn''t seen when he came in. People were setting up camp for the night, anyone who wanted to band together rather than claim a spot out in the woods. The market area still thrived, and Alden hurried around, looking for familiar faces. It took him a few minutes, but eventually, he spotted someone¡ªa face right out of his memory, once seated next to Rachel at the head of the Council. He was now perched at a food cart, digging into a hot plate of Chinese food with a contented sigh. "Hey, Josh," Alden murmured, taking a seat next to him. "Holy shit." Josh Miller nearly dropped his food jumping in shock. "Where the hell did you come from?" "Long story," said Alden impatiently. "I have a lot to tell you guys, but I''m looking for Rika first." "Well, she''s here." Josh glanced around. "Probably went looking for a drink. We don''t have any alcohol back at camp. Or Chinese," he added, nodding at his chopsticks. "Got it." Alden got up, but Josh grabbed him by the sleeve. "Wait, dude. At least eat something first." "Later," said Alden, starting away. "Shit!" said Josh. He wolfed down the rest of his food as fast as he could, tossing the trash into a bin nearby. "All right, all right, I''m coming." "I can find her." Josh rolled his eyes. "She''s probably getting into a shitload of trouble. She was yesterday." "So why bring her again?" "''Cause nobody else wants to come out here. Me and Rika are the only two people who actually want to get out of the damn woods, and Joe comes along ''cause¡­ I dunno. Probably still mad about Nikki breaking up with him." He shrugged. "We sorta stopped caring about the risk of us being recognized. If anything, we''d probably get treated like damn celebrities just like Hailey." Alden gulped. "How''s she¡ª" "No idea," said Josh darkly. "Last I heard, they arrested her, and Cinza''s working on getting her back out again. That''s all I''ve got." "She met with the President today, didn''t she?" "Yesterday too." Josh glanced around, making sure they weren''t being overhead. Evidently, they weren''t quite as casual about their identities as he said. "No idea how well it''s going, but it''s still going, so that''s something. I wish I were out there with her." "I thought you hated this stuff," said Alden. Josh rolled his eyes. "I really do, but somebody''s gotta balance us out. It''s been my job since the Council, with Rachel. Now we''re playing on a way bigger stage, and Cinza''s way crazier than Rachel ever was. We can''t screw this up." A loud argument broke out ahead, and Josh sighed. "Goddammit¡­" Josh hurried forward, Alden on his heels. They both recognized the voice, even a little slurred. Alden felt a huge rush of anticipation, coupled with the fear and dread still lurking through his entire body. "...And if you don''t fucking back off, I''ll shove a goddamn lightning bolt so far up your¡ªthe fuck?" A small stone knocked into her back. Rika turned around, indignant. Electricity was already dancing along her fingers. She looked surprised. "What do you want?" "Time to go," said Josh firmly. "I still got ten fucking minutes. Don''t take this from me." "We''ve got shit to do. Let''s get out of here," he added, strangely urgent. I don''t remember him being so pushy¡­ Maybe something else is going on? "Rika," said Alden firmly. "Time to go." "Eh? Is that¡­ shit, Alzack, is that you?" Rika stumbled forward a little, drink spilling everywhere. "Alzack. All-zack. Hahss. Ever notished your name sounds like ballsack?" "That''s not even my name," said Alden, annoyed. Josh grabbed her by the arm, wincing at the electrical current under her skin. He dragged her out of the enclosed tent, far from the alcohol. Alden hurried behind them, while Rika streamed curses at whomever she''d pissed off that time. "Let go of me," said Rika impatiently, as soon as they were out of earshot. "Like hell," said Josh. "I''m not actually drunk, you idiot." Alden suddenly realized her words weren''t slurred at all anymore, and she was perfectly steady. "Josh, she''s telling the truth." "...What?" "I''m not so fucking stupid as to get drunk when we''re out here," said Rika. "I was playing them." "Why were¡­ fuck it, I don''t care." Josh shook his head. "We should head back." "Rika¡­" said Alden slowly. "Sup?" she said, casually glancing over at him. "I was¡ª" He cut short. He''d been thinking about this meeting for so long, and it wasn''t going at all how he expected. Not even the worst-case possibilities were anything like this. She seemed like she barely remembered him. Josh rolled his eyes. "I''m going to go find Joe. Stay here, all right? Don''t go anywhere." "Yeah, yeah," Rika snapped after him as Josh headed back toward the market. "What''s up, Alzack? Didn''t expect you in town." "I''ve been looking for you," he muttered. "...Shit," said Rika. The hostility fled from her face. Her body relaxed. "What the fuck happened to you, Alden?" she asked softly. With just that single note of sympathy, Alden collapsed. He fell against the nearest tree and to the ground, wrapping his legs up in his arms. Rika stared at him, utterly confused. After a few moments of silence, she sat down in front of him, cross-legged. She held out her hand and grasped one of his. The electricity shot through him, weak but invigorating. "Let it out, man." In a vague blur, Alden spilled everything¡ªhis night terrors starting the day he got home, the constant nightmares about Rallsburg and golems and Jackson, going out with Hailey and nearly getting killed, chasing after her for a month on his own with more than a few close calls, nearly getting killed again in Seattle, and finally the events of the day, running into Brian yet again. He held nothing back, not even his role in killing Jackson, his suspicions about his life, Meg''s role in everything. "...and I feel like it''s coming back because I was there," he finished. "I helped kill him. Me and Rachel did it." "...Yeah, I figured," said Rika finally. She was sitting next to him now against the tree, holding out a water bottle. He sipped at it gratefully. "Well shit. You''ve had about as crazy a fuckin'' time as I have." "All I want is to know why," Alden finally said, wiping water from his mouth with a napkin that had ended up in his pocket at some point. "Why was it me? My memories, my sibling, my life. I don''t know who I was supposed to be anymore, but somehow I''m still important. Even Grey-eyes is following me around and protecting me. It''s fate, just like you said, and I''m stuck in it, and I really, really hate it." "You and me both," said Rika. She sighed and leaned against him, staring up into the dark orange sky. "Every goddamn step I take toward my dad throws me further into this shit. You know I was the second car in the Lakewood chase?" "You?" Alden asked, surprised. "Viper came back, grabbed Ryan just like he tried to do to you. I went after them." She glanced off into the forest. "Ryan''s completely fucked up now. No idea what they did to him, but he''s terrified. Hasn''t left the Greywood since the funeral." "Oh¡­" Alden winced. Rika nodded. "It''s okay, man. You wouldn''t have wanted to be there anyway, trust me." "I would have wanted to be there for her." She sighed. "Yeah¡­ okay, nevermind. I wish you''d been there too." Rika smiled slightly. "Met your sister though. How come you aren''t cool as fuck like her, eh?" Alden laughed weakly. "Maybe I was." "Shit¡­" Rika put an arm around him. "Sorry." "I don''t know why I''m not mad at you," said Alden before thinking. "What?" He winced. "Nothing." "Mad at me for ditching you, right?" she asked, not letting go. Alden nodded. "Well, fuck, I''d be mad at me. You obviously made the right call. We won, didn''t we?" "I guess." "Well, I''m trying to make up for that now," said Rika. "I could''ve left any time, gone back to looking for my dad, but I''m still here. Still working for the good guys, or whoever the fuck we are." She sighed. "I still got a lot of shit to make up for. I said that back in Rallsburg, I know, and then I ditched again, so you probably don''t believe me." Alden shook his head. "I do." Rika smiled. "Well, maybe you do. Nobody else fucking does though. I''m doing my best. My best is pretty shitty, I guess, but I really hope it''s something. Cinza needs all the help she can get right now." "You sure she''s doing the right thing?" asked Alden nervously. "Not a clue. Honestly, I''m just hoping Rachel comes out from wherever the fuck she''s been hiding." Rika leaned against him, and more electricity began to dance through his skin. "Nice to have you back though, Alzack¡­ err, sorry, Alden. Zack. Whoever the fuck you are." "Whoever the fuck I am," Alden echoed. "...Shit, was that the first time you''ve cussed?" He rolled his eyes. "No." Rika grinned. "Well, guess it doesn''t count since you were just quoting me. Don''t worry, you''re safe." Alden smiled, and finally, he felt some kind of peace. There was still so much dread and fear underneath the surface, but for once, he thought he could actually fall asleep without anything going wrong. Maybe, just maybe, he could get better again. "...the fuck is that?" asked Rika, looking up. Something was moving toward them through the underbrush. "That''s not Joe¡­" she started slowly. Alden felt her body tense up next to his. Oh god. Not again. Floodlights flared from multiple directions. Rika sprang to her feet, electricity flashing wildly through her balled fists. Men in uniforms had surrounded them, pistols raised. Alden squinted into the light, trying to make out a logo or anything. It''s not Brian¡­ what''s going on? "Rika Nishimura!" "The fuck wants to know?" she shouted, head flicking from uniform to uniform, but not attacking yet. "Federal marshals! You are under arrest in connection with multiple homicides. Surrender now and relinquish your spell!" She didn''t¡­ did she? I don''t¡­ no way. "What the fuck?" Rika glared around the circle. "I''ve never killed anyone. Now I''m a fucking serial killer?" "Come with us quietly, and you won''t be harmed." "Like hell I won''t," Rika growled. "I''ve got important things to do here. They fucking need me. I don''t have time for this shit." "She''s not a killer," Alden added, stepping up next to her. "No way." "Got proof?" "You haven''t even told us who died yet, asshole!" Rika snapped. "D''angelo Cooper, Wallace Murphy, Mitchell Sobotka, Logan Chau, Daniel Bell, and Sherrod Perry," the marshal listed off. "Now, are you going to surrender quietly?" "Who the fuck are those people?" Alden knew. The six names from the warehouse killings. They were definitely here to pin this on Rika. He didn''t believe she''d done it, but they weren''t getting out of here one way or another. "Rika," he muttered. "They think you did it. We''re not getting out of here." "God-fucking-dammit," Rika groaned. The electricity dissipated, and she held up her hands in surrender. "Fuck it. Take me, assholes." The marshals moved in. Alden stepped up next to her. "Take me too. I''m involved." They paused. Rika opened her mouth, but Alden jabbed her in the back with a pinecone and a quick burst of magic. She fell silent. "Didn''t hear nothin'' about him," said one of the marshals. The apparent leader shrugged. "We''ve got room, and the kid''s volunteering. Just take him." "You got it." "Can I get a phone call?" asked Alden quickly. "Not til we''re in the air." "Where are we going?" asked Rika again, as the cuffs slammed onto her wrists. "Washington." "We''re in Washington, asshole." "D.C.," amended another marshal. They didn''t get anything else in. The marshals cuffed Alden and herded them back into their jeeps, driving back out to the nearest airfield. A jet was waiting to take them all the way to D.C., where everything seemed to be happening. When Alden finally got his phone back, he dialed up the only person he really had to call. "Hey, Alden," said Meg. "What''s going¡ª" "Meg, I just got arrested by federal marshals with Rika. We''re going to D.C. They''re charging her with all those warehouse murders I mentioned." "...What the fu¡ª" "Don''t swear," said Alden automatically. "I need you to get in touch with someone." "Who?" "Hailey''s mom. Tell her everything. We''re going to need a lawyer." [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] B2: Chapter 38 — The Very Long Night of Hailey Aurora Elizabeth Winscombe Chapter 38 ¡ª The Very Long Night of Hailey Aurora Elizabeth Winscombe "Winscombe, time to move." Hailey lifted her head. Everything felt so heavy. Even the air itself, which had always been her friend and companion, turned against her. She was totally, utterly alone once again¡ªand she welcomed it. She put her feet onto the floor of the office where they''d been keeping her. At first, they''d all stood a dozen feet away, hands on their guns, afraid she might make a move. Hailey didn''t blame them for that. If she were in their position, she''d be doing the same. I can''t be trusted not to get people killed. Wordlessly, Hailey followed the agent''s instructions. She was led through the corridors of the office building, past a dozen other agents who stopped everything to watch her pass by. Always the center of attention¡­ Why didn''t I ever realize how much this sucks? The agent leading her ignored everyone. Hailey realized there was a tailing duo of armored officers following them through the place, making sure she could be brought down. I don''t think they could, though. Just three guys isn''t enough. They need more. Hailey had been there for a day now. She''d walked off the plane before anyone else the day before and given herself up. It was the right thing to do. She''d committed crimes. It was all her fault. She deserved to be punished. That''s how the system was supposed to work. They''d treated her pretty well, all things considered. After the initial extreme caution wore off, and she''d shown them she''d be a model¡ªif mostly silent and disconnected¡ªprisoner, they brought her some food and water, gave her somewhere to lie down, even let her take a hot shower in their gym. For all intents and purposes, besides the handcuffs on her wrists, she might as well not even have been a prisoner. Hailey went through the motions without feeling any of it. The agents herded her into a conference room with tall, comfortable chairs and a wide window overlooking the city. They took the handcuffs off, and one of the agents started talking to her. It took a few tries before she finally started understanding what they were saying. "Miss Winscombe, you''re being charged with thirty-six counts of assault, fifteen counts of malicious destruction of property, ten¡­" He kept listing things. Hailey tuned him out. She didn''t care. Eventually, the agent had to get her attention again. "We''ve called your lawyer from the last meeting. He''ll be here in just a few minutes." "I waive my right to an attorney," said Hailey in a glum, indifferent voice. "...Talk to your guy," said the agent. "Seriously." "I don''t need to. I''m pleading guilty." He shook his head. "I didn''t hear that just now. Talk to your attorney, figure out what you''re going to do. He''ll be here in a few minutes. We''ll be just outside." The guy glanced at the window. "You aren''t gonna do anything stupid, right?" Hailey glared at him. No, I''m not going to do anything. What would I do? I voluntarily put myself here. I deserve to be here. I''m staying right here. He winced and nodded, retreating from the room¡ªleaving Hailey alone with her thoughts once more. A face swam through her mind¡ªthe old man in the bar back in Tacoma, his eyes pleading with her to be saved. She''d been so close, but she couldn''t do it. She''d saved him from the leader with the shotgun, but¡­ she''d rushed into the backroom. She hadn''t cleared the hallway. The guy at the door came back, and the old man died. One bullet in the face. That''s all it took. Hailey had never learned his name. She was too afraid. The door to the conference room swung open. "Miss Winscombe," said Jefferson Baux, ambling in with a full tray of four coffees and a bundle of papers tight to his chest. He awkwardly got everything onto the table, closing the conference room door tightly behind him. "We do seem to meet under the most extraordinary circumstances." "...Hi," said Hailey finally, after it became clear he wouldn''t continue until she said something. "I''ve been asked to pass along that your mother and two of your friends will arrive in town tonight," he added, sliding the coffee tray over. Somehow, he produced a fifth for himself and took a deep sip. "Pardon me, but I''ve just come straight from Seattle and the flight was a bit rough. I wasn''t sure how you took yours, so I picked up a wide range." Hailey shrugged. "I don''t want any." Jefferson hesitated, then nodded. "Have you spoken to anyone yet?" "...Not¡­ not really. They told me what I''m being charged with." "Right." Jefferson looked over the long list in his folder. "Well, I won''t make you suffer through that again. If it means anything, I passed quite a few protestors on my way into the building. You''ve got a lot of supporters out there," he added with a smile. "And a lot of people who hate me," Hailey replied bitterly. "Ah¡­ well, you can''t be famous without having those," Jefferson said conciliatorily. "You''ll be pleased to know that your previous agreement with the FBI holds firm, and they aren''t trying to charge you with anything prior to the last couple of days. This seems to be entirely based on crimes committed internationally, which gives us a lot of room to maneuver." "Who are the two friends?" "I''m sorry?" "With my mom," said Hailey. "You said two friends are coming." Jefferson opened his phone and checked something. "Mr¡­ Rupert Roche and Mr. Weston Davis." Both of them¡­ Huh. "You can tell them to stay home." "...Miss Winscombe, I think you may want to think about¡ª" "I''m pleading guilty." Jefferson opened and closed his mouth a few times, obviously shocked. Hailey turned to stare back out the window again, watching the cars go by in the street. "Miss Winscombe, you really aren''t guilty of most of this. At best, I''d agree you should probably pay some fines for property damage, but you shouldn''t be going to jail. Certainly not for as long as you might. There will be quite a lot of pressure to make an example of you as the first trial to involved an awakened individual, particularly one of your status and fame." "Sounds good to me." He frowned, and began to pull out more sheets of paper from his folders. "I haven''t had much time to do background research on your case, though my firm is working on it as fast as we can. It''s unlikely you''d be sentenced consecutively, so you aren''t looking at anything close to life. However, twenty to thirty years isn''t out of the picture either. This case could go a lot of ways, Miss Winscombe." Hailey nodded. "Twenty years is what I deserve." "It''s worth noting this is pretty preliminary too. There''s no specific attorney signed yet¡ªmany of these may be dropped as they decide what they think they can actually stick. I expect we''ll be able to waive a lot of this, under pretense of self-defense and your cooperation agreement with the FBI." He glanced down at a page. "We could swing the timeline to imply that you were intending to travel with Agent Makaio to London and work with him on a legitimate investigation, and events outside your control led to the illegal entry." "But¡ª" "Miss Winscombe, you have quite a few people on your side here. Agent Makaio is already in touch with us, and Special Agent Ashe has also volunteered to testify on your behalf. Even Special Agent Aderholt, as unpleasant as that man might be, is willing to pitch in." Jefferson flipped over another page, showing a long list of supporters. "You''ve got Sir Thomas Laushire for God''s sake. Everyone is in your court here. Nobody thinks you deserve to go to jail. Even the prosecution doesn''t think you do. This entire trial is a show." "I don''t¡ª" "They need to prove to people that the government''s still in control," said Jefferson. "That''s all this is. You go through the motions, you get accused, you get cleared. No jury is going to convict you. Not with your story, and with who you''re up against." "I deserve it," Hailey shouted, and a rumble echoed through the room. Her wings had involuntarily swung wide. Windows shuddered, chairs slid away. An agent appeared at the window, but after seeing no real danger, he stepped away again. Jefferson took a long time to respond, and when he did, his voice was far more subdued. "Is there no way I''m going to persuade you otherwise?" "No." He sighed. "They''re going to move you into DC Central Detention today. They want to show they''re treating you like anyone else." Gathering up his things, he left the coffee on the table. "I''ll be in town the rest of the week. My husband wants to do some sightseeing, and we''ve been meaning to come to D.C. for years anyway. I really hope you change your mind, but if you don''t, I recommend you retain the services of another law firm. I cannot in good conscience support your decision." "Thanks," said Hailey, as he started to leave. He paused, looking over his shoulder. "You were a really good lawyer." "One of the best, Miss Winscombe," said Jefferson. He gave her a respectful nod. "It''s been a pleasure. I''ll see you around."
Hailey never touched the coffee Jefferson brought her. She felt sick to her stomach¡ªnot in the immediate sense, but a gnawing, lingering form. Everything smelled rotten, everything tasted awful. Food was like ash in her mouth. She hadn''t eaten all day, and she barely forced herself to drink some water from the cooler in the room. They left her alone in there for hours and hours, nothing to do, just watching the cars go by on the street below. The cars¡­ and the people. There were so many people. They filled the street. News cameras had followed Hailey every step of the way from the plane to the FBI offices, and the crowds had followed. Hailey couldn''t really make out any of them from this high up. Many carried signs, and they were moving around like an ant colony, constantly active. If she wanted, she could have used a spell on her eyes, spied on them like a hawk. Just a little. Won''t hurt anyone. Just so you know what they''re doing, what they''re saying. Hailey sat back in the chair and turned away from the window. No magic, that was her decision. She couldn''t get rid of her wings, but she wasn''t going to use them either. They''d be the sole remaining link to her old life¡ªa gift from Jessica that she''d hold for the rest of time. Jess¡­ please. I can''t do this without you. A knock at the door. More agents, and the handcuffs were back. "Time to go," said one of them, looking sympathetic. Hailey got to her feet, a dull echo in her ears. "Where?" she asked. "DC Correctional Treatment Facility," said one agent. "We can''t hold you here in the offices anymore, so you''re being moved there." "My lawyer said the Detention place," said Hailey slowly. Are they putting me in a psych ward or something? "Same thing, but Detention is a male-only prison. The Correctional Treatment Facility is right next to it." The agent glanced at her curiously. "Does it matter?" She shrugged. "I guess not." They put the handcuffs around her wrists again, loose so as to keep from chafing her skin. Hailey appreciated that. She was led into the elevator and escorted back to the front of the building, where a veritable army of riot-geared officers waited to escort her. Hailey winced. I could do this for them. Just put up a wall of force on both sides, keep anybody from approaching. It''d be way safer and none of these guys would be putting their lives at risk for me. But she didn''t do anything. They surrounded her and walked her out into the shouting, screaming crowds. The lines were split very evenly. On one side, Hailey saw her supporters. Some were just fans¡ªscreaming about how unfair this was. Many were chanting some vague message of support for her taking down the rich and supporting the common people, or something like that. Hailey didn''t really catch much of it, because the other half held her whole attention. They hated her. So many people, screaming about the dead, the lost, the fallen. Pictures of victims¡ªfrom Rallsburg and from Lakewood¡ªwere plastered on huge picket signs. Hailey couldn''t tear her eyes away, even with the setting sun burning into her eyes. She hadn''t seen some of those faces from Rallsburg in so long. She saw Gordon Merrill, the old journalist. Both Mason Rhistler and his uncle Rowan, the mayor. More and more, faces upon faces, mixed in with her own memories. She''d last seen Rowan from above, running from the burning home of John Bell, a golem in pursuit. Hailey had tried to distract it, but she and Jessica were too exhausted by then. They''d flown by, keeping up their strength just to stay in the air and out of reach. He died behind them. Hailey hadn''t seen how. She hadn''t wanted to. I could have saved him. I had more gems in my pocket. I didn''t use them. She saw the old man from the bar in Tacoma. Hailey''s eyes teared up. He looked so happy in the photo, surrounded by his grandkids, standing on a beach somewhere. She had to look away. Her eyes fell to the ground, and finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she was at the armored convoy. They hurried her into the car, and the unintelligible howling of the crowd finally died away. The two agents in the rear with her looked sympathetic, but Hailey didn''t feel any of it. She was even further away now, lost in her own memories, trying to hide from herself, but all she could see were the faces of the dead.
They took away her phone, they took away her bag. After a great deal of confusion, Hailey had to briefly explain to them what it was and some idea of how it worked. With some consideration, they decided to keep it near her cell so it would remain intact. Freshly dressed in a scratchy orange uniform, she was marched through the many steel gates and into the cell block. I could break out of here so easily. To her vague surprise, there wasn''t much noise from the rest of the inmates on her arrival. At first, Hailey thought that they might not know who she was, but after a few minutes, it was obvious¡ªthey all knew exactly who she was, and they were either too scared or too uncertain of her to make any approach. It didn''t stop the staring though. Every eye was on her. Hailey couldn''t take a single step without the entire prison watching her, guards and inmates alike. She could feel it on every side, closing in, holding her down tight. Her wings flexed involuntarily again, brushing a few of the nearest inmates. They looked up with shock. Hailey kept her eyes straight ahead, trying to avoid any confrontation. The guard led her to her cell, where she set down the few things they''d given her. She closed the door, sat down on the bed, and stared at the wall¡ªhoping beyond hope that she could finally be alone. She couldn''t. Even without the faces of the victims to haunt her, even with the quiet, Hailey couldn''t escape her memories. Flashes returned to her, but now they were more personal. Instead of victims she couldn''t save, guilt produced a new monster for her. Hailey''s mind crashed backward into the worst possible memories, twisting what she loved most into horrible visions. A burning building, where Jessica was caught in the flames, howling in agony, trying to beg for help but without words to speak. A street in Rallsburg, Hailey dropping Jessica to the ground and watching her get torn apart by waiting faceless golems. Lakewood, in the arms of a man with a gun to her head, where Jessica''s body twitched from the shots before becoming far, far too still. Hailey curled up on the bed, trying to block out her own mind. She knew it wasn''t real, knew that they weren''t even memories anymore. Her mind was conjuring up new versions of events to torment her even further, driving herself away from the world, away from any hope and any joy and love she ever might have felt. Jessica, a part of her own heart, now represented the worst moments of her life, and Hailey couldn''t get away. Every step she took only brought more pain, to herself and to everyone around her. There was nowhere she could go without making things worse. Alone was the only path left, the only way she could stop from causing any more hurt. In that cold cell, alone and broken, Hailey Winscombe cried, but there was no one left to hear her.
"You''ve got a visitor," said the guard, tapping at her door. Hailey looked up. She hadn''t heard them come in, and nobody shared her cell. Someone intruding on this little space felt wrong. Hailey was supposed to be in here alone, tormented by her memories. Nobody else should be here. "Come on. First day visits aren''t usually allowed. Take it while you can, kid." Reluctantly, Hailey got to her feet. She had no idea who it would be. She had no idea how long she''d been there already. Had it been long enough that her mother would be in town yet? Hailey wasn''t prepared to face her. She felt like she might not ever be ready. As she walked through the jail once again, everyone stopped talking. They watched every step she took. Good. Keep an eye on me. I''m dangerous. I might hurt you. I don''t want to, but that hasn''t helped anyone else. Hailey was barely aware of them, though. She kept her eyes low, watching the floor, following the little stripe on the ground telling her where to go. She was led into a small, private room¡ªnot the wall of bulletproof glass boxes with phones, or even a general public visiting room she might have expected. The guard cuffed her to the table, then left her alone again. Hailey tried to mentally prepare herself for whoever might come through the opposite door. Jefferson again? Her mother? Weston and Rupert? Cinza, somehow? The door swung open. "...the fuck are you doing in here, Hailey?" Jeremy walked in, looking as tired as she felt. He fell into the steel chair on the other side of the table, rubbing at his brow. Hailey didn''t answer. Her eyes fell back to the table. "Look, I get it," said Jeremy, more aggressive than the last time they''d spoken. "You feel like you fucked up. I''ve been there. You know how many times I''ve fucked up?" "I did a lot more than that," Hailey whispered. "People got killed," said Jeremy, nodding slightly. "There was a case once with Jackie. It''s actually how she got all those fuckin'' holes on the back of her cruiser." Hailey looked up, despite herself. She liked Jackie Nossinger¡ªeverybody did. For a small-town sheriff, she was extremely laid back and genuine. Even when she''d come around to break up parties Hailey often hosted, it was practically in good fun¡ªgiving the party a feeling of rebellion and college-town action without any real threat or consequences. Hailey had always gotten on well with her. "That case. That fuckin'' case." Jeremy sighed. "See, Maddie was just gettin'' into politics. I hated the idea, and nobody liked a rebel politician who refused to play by the damn rules. But hey, she started getting big, so the fuck did I know? Only, she got too big too fast. Started thinking she was way better at it than she really was, and put herself into the middle of some crazy shit." He leaned back in his chair with a long sigh. "Really fucked up hostage situation one day. I won''t get into it, but they were holed up tight with a fuck-ton of guns and food. Could''ve stayed there for months, maybe years. Maddie decides she''s going to be the big hero, negotiate out of it. Runs right in with the police yellin'' at her to stop, gets herself tossed in with the rest of them." Jeremy grinned. "Stupid as it might be, I kinda love her for it. Stole her move for that shit back in Tacoma." He took a drink from the bottled water he''d brought in with him. "Anyway, point is, she got herself stuck, and Jackie and I happened to be nearby. They told me what was going on, I got involved. I was young too, and just as fuckin'' headstrong. I was a homicide detective, I had no business doin'' a hostage negotiation, but there I was. Shit got fucked up real quick. So Jackie decides to back up the car straight into the place. We take fire from behind, but those cruisers are thick in the back." Jeremy''s face fell. "I rolled out, got behind cover, started firing. I wasn''t thinking, and some of the hostages got shot. By my bullets. My bad move." Hailey winced. She knew where he was trying to go with this, and she was sympathetic, but it was completely different. "Jackie''s the reason we got Maddie out of there. I owe her everything, Maddie owes her everything. All I did was get some innocent people killed. That shit fucked us up. They cleared me to go back to work, but I couldn''t do it. Year later, neither of us were in Seattle anymore. I went to the FBI, Jackie bounced around a bit until ending up in Rallsburg." "I''m sorry," Hailey murmured. Jeremy shook his head. "It ain''t on you. That''s my point here. I''m not sayin'' you should keep doing what you were doing. God Almighty knows I couldn''t. I had to make a change, and you probably do too. But that doesn''t mean you''re to blame. You were doin'' the job, same as me. It fucks you up, and I can''t tell you it''s ever gonna feel much better. But you gotta get past it. You gotta keep going." The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "How many times?" asked Hailey. "What?" "You had that whole thing," she went on, feeling awful with every word. "But how many times did you screw up that bad?" Jeremy opened his mouth to answer, but she kept going. "Because I''ve screwed up more times than I can remember. I got people killed. People died because I couldn''t save them, because I made stupid mistakes. I could have done more, but I didn''t." "That''s not¡ª" "It''s my fault she died, Jeremy, in more ways than one." "It''s Malton''s fault, and Viper''s fault, and the fuckin'' asshole on the street who shot her. It ain''t on you." "Except she shouldn''t have been there." "She chose¡ª" "Not with us," said Hailey impatiently. "I mean out on the street, where she got grabbed. She went because she didn''t understand what I was trying to tell her. Because she couldn''t understand." Jeremy frowned. "I thought that was ''cause of somethin'' she did back when¡ª" "It was my fault," Hailey continued, tears forming in her eyes. "She ended up that way because of me. I was angry, and I was yelling at Weston, and she ran away to go do the ritual. If I hadn''t lost it, if Weston and I hadn''t been fighting, maybe her ritual doesn''t get interrupted, and she doesn''t¡ª" "Hailey, she was a grown-ass woman, same as you!" Jeremy shot back, visibly angry. "You''re talkin'' about her like she was a child and you were her mom or some shit!" "I was her best friend!" Hailey cried. "Her parents hated her! She was too scared to even leave the house! She had nowhere else to go in the whole world, and there I was, making her last safe place horrible!" The tears were flowing free now, and Hailey curled up on her chair as best she could, despite the handcuffs. "It''s my fault. It''s all my fault. I drove everyone away. All my friends, one by one, and the only one left was crippled because I can''t control myself." "Hailey¡ª" She shook her head. "I can''t, Jeremy. I just can''t. I''m sorry." Jeremy kept talking, but Hailey didn''t hear another word. The memories were back. Now it was Weston and Ian and Hugo, while Jessica stood in front of them, her mouth and her ears missing, a grotesque figure with tears in her eyes while the other three stared at her. Accusing her. Blaming her. Hating her. Hailey welcomed it.
The lights flickered off. It was night now. Hailey had been moved to a different cell, out in the receiving block, far away from the general population. They''d decided she was too much of a disruption to the main block, but the official reason was "processing". Hailey hadn''t been processed properly, and had to go through the official procedure. Right. Just procedure. They didn''t stick me out here in the completely empty block far away from everyone because I''m dangerous and unpredictable. No, they stuck me out here because they did the wrong paperwork. Obviously. At least there was a window here, across the hall from her cell through the bars. Hailey could see out into the sky, to the vaguest glimmer of a star off in the distance. Night was setting in full, and even though there was so much more light pollution here in the middle of the city compared to the Greywood or Rallsburg, it gave her a little bit of peace. She still loved the sky, even if she''d resolved never to fly again. Can I really do that? Give up flying? It would be so easy, if Hailey really wanted to. Even in the deepest part of the prison, Hailey had no doubt she could break out. She''d blasted her way through thick walls back in London, when she was going after Rook and Lily. I can''t. She could manipulate the very elements, move objects with her mind, make herself stronger than a runaway train, fly, change her appearance at will. The only limit was her own imagination, and the pile of gemstones in the bag sitting across from her cell. I can''t. All she had to do was summon it across the twenty-foot gap and between the bars. It was practically effortless. I won''t. There it was¡ªHailey admitted it to herself. She could break out. The only thing holding her back was her own will, a will that was weakening with every passing hour. If Hailey wanted to be free, wanted to feel the wind through her wings, the pure sun above the clouds on her face, the pure joy of diving through the open air, all she needed to do was try. I belong here. Hailey curled up in the corner of the cell. Not on the bed, not even on the chair, but far into the solid brick corner, where she could feel the cold wall on her face. "Hailey." A quiet, hesitant voice. Hailey thought she''d imagined it at first, until the voice repeated her name again. Slowly, she looked over, into the darkness of the empty cell, and saw a pair of pale, grey eyes staring back at her. "Hi," Hailey whispered. "What are you doing? Why are you in here?" asked Beverly. Hailey didn''t answer. She looked back out at the sky again, picking a star to focus on. She liked to do that when she flew, pick a star and fly toward it. Not because she had any notion she could actually reach it, but it gave her a sense of adventure. She''d miss that. "Hailey, you''re really scaring me." She almost laughed. You''re the most powerful person in the world, and I''m scaring you. That makes so much sense. I''m terrifying. I''m a monster. I hurt people. You don''t. You help everyone. You don''t ever ask questions. You never screw up, not even once. Hailey had actually asked her about that¡ªif Beverly ever missed an awakening. Not even once, apparently. Beverly had been there for the very first one after the book was destroyed, and realized how to save them (Josh Miller, of all people) in time. After that, she''d set up the rituals that allowed her to sense any awakening, anywhere in the world. Not even once. Beverly didn''t make mistakes. Not like Hailey. "Sorry," Hailey finally said blandly. She didn''t look away from the star in the sky, just kept watching it, thinking about flying toward it. Maybe I should just try to go into space. That''d be an adventure, and it''d keep me away from everyone. I''d probably break a satellite though, send it crashing back, hitting something or someone. Beverly sat down next to her on the floor. For a brief, happy moment in the darkness, Hailey felt like it were Jessica sitting there so close¡ªbut Beverly was cold. Jessica was never cold. The moment was gone, and Hailey burst into tears. "What?" Beverly asked in alarm. "Nothing," Hailey choked. Beverly disappeared¡ªoff to awaken someone else, most likely. Hailey couldn''t stop crying though, and still was by the time Beverly reappeared, in the exact same spot. There was no warmth, no embrace like she might have gotten from Jessica. Just cold. Just a void. "I''m sorry," Beverly whispered. "I think there''s gonna be a lot of them tonight. These new copies are making it really hard to keep up." Hailey winced. So many more awakened. So many things that can go wrong. "It''s okay." "You''re not okay, though," said Beverly. "I want to be here for you." "Nothing''s gonna make me okay." Beverly hesitated. She tentatively put an arm around Hailey''s shoulders, but Hailey shrugged it off. It wasn''t like Beverly, and Hailey didn''t want to feel like she was forcing herself. "Don''t, please," Hailey whispered. "I can''t." "Why are you in here?" Beverly asked again. "You didn''t do anything wrong." Hailey didn''t want to go over the whole thing again. Not after Jeremy. She could barely get the words out, while in her head, she was assailed endlessly by guilt-ridden visions of the people she''d hurt, the people she''d failed, the damage and tragedy she''d caused. "I¡­" Beverly trailed off. She vanished again. Hailey curled up tighter, pulling her legs to her chest. She didn''t want Beverly to come back, but she knew it was hopeless. Beverly was coming back. They were best friends, after all¡ªat least, in Beverly''s mind. She remembered a relationship that Hailey didn''t. Beverly had erased it. In that moment, Hailey felt like she should be mad at Beverly. After all, wasn''t it Beverly''s fault any of them awakened in the first place? She was the one who left the page of the book on her desk and disappeared that night. She was the one who''d let them discover magic, then erased herself from the picture and allowed them to experiment. Hailey couldn''t be mad at her. Beverly was too good, too noble. She had dedicated everything to saving people, and sacrificed any hope of having a life of her own in return. She made difficult choices to get there, and lost the man she loved in the process, but she still did it. She never gave up. I can''t do that. I gave up. I''m in here. I''m not like her. The only thing keeping me going was... "Bring her back," Hailey whispered, when Beverly next reappeared. "What?" Hailey could barely force the words through her lips, so terrified was she of the answer she already knew she''d receive. "Bring Jessica back. You can do anything. Find a way. Reverse it." "I¡­ I can¡ª" She grabbed Beverly''s hands, held them tight. Energy began to course down through every fingertip, rushing forward. Hailey put everything on offer. She threw her whole mystical being forward, desperate, pained, knowing what would happen if Beverly took it. "Take everything. Use me. Just bring Jess back. Please. I''ll do anything." Beverly''s eyes were glistening, even in the darkness of the cell. "It can''t be done. She''s¡ª" "Please," Hailey begged, voice thick, barely able to see. "She''s gone, Hailey." Grief overcame her completely. Hailey broke her vice grip on Beverly''s hands. She fell against the cell wall, weeping. Beverly stayed for a few more minutes, without speaking a word, but eventually she disappeared once again, not to return.
Hailey woke up a few hours later. It was still the middle of the night¡ªof course it was still the same night¡ªand they were waiting for her. In her cell, surrounding her where she could not escape, they had come. Hugo Rodriguez, eyes glowing with fear and betrayal, angry and terrified of what she''d become. Their friendship was long-forgotten. She barely remembered what had ever brought them together. All she knew was this man, this hateful figure who represented everything she had thrown away. Her past, before magic, when she was surrounded by joy and laughter and friendship. She replayed the moment in her mind, again and again¡ªvisiting Ian''s home. Seeing Hugo walk in, how loathing filled every inch of his face. The way his body tensed and prepared for a fight simply at the sight of her. Hugo would have killed her, and in her cell that night, all alone and stricken by grief, Hailey would have welcomed it openly. But Hugo was not there to kill her. Hugo was there to accuse her, and he was not alone. Aleida Nelson joined him. She was surrounded by vague ghosts of her children. Her eyes, thick with grief, accused Hailey for failing to protect her son. For failing to protect the people of Rallsburg. With all her power, with her abilities and her intelligence, Hailey had failed them. How many Aleidas were there, mourning their children who''d died when Hailey might have saved them? Aleida condemned her, again and again in her home, where Hailey did not belong. Where Hailey had intruded and brought fresh pain to a grieving mother, a woman whose son had died senselessly in a town besotted with magic and greed. Hailey was selfish, just like the rest of them. Hailey didn''t deserve the label of hero she''d so casually taken. She was culpable. Beside Aleida, Trevor Halliday. He stood beside Elissa, beside Russell Wallace, with a horde of faceless protestors behind them. His eyes, full of disgust, disappointed with the person she had failed to be. Hailey, who could have done great things, but was too self-centered, holding herself as the ultimate authority. She had the power and the potential, yet she had failed. He denounced her, again and again, in Elissa''s apartment as she refused to awaken them. Trevor called out her recklessness, her foolishness. He laid plain how she saw the world, how she refused to believe she could be at fault. Trevor decried her arrogance. Who was Hailey to believe herself above the world? To call them ''humans'' as though she were somehow better than them, different than them? Jessica''s parents. Beth and Malcolm Silverdale, in the old abandoned church they''d found for the funeral. They stood in front of the portrait of their daughter, with a casket wreathed in smoke behind them. Their eyes, laden with grief and anger. They blamed Hailey for the death of their daughter. They had put their trust in someone who could not be trusted. They had given over responsibility to Hailey, and she had failed them. They convicted her, again and again, in the church, blaming her openly for Jessica''s death. Beth was raging and screaming, Malcolm was weeping, and Hailey cowered before them. They showed the world how she had failed, how Hailey had let the most important person in their lives die due to her own carelessness and stupidity, her arrogance and recklessness, how Hailey was responsible for her condition in the first place, how Hailey had utterly destroyed a bright and beautiful soul. The specters of her guilt and her pain wrapped up around her, choking her, chilling her to the bone. Hailey curled up again and closed her eyes, trying to keep them away. In the dark of her mind, Hailey saw Jessica, on the street in Lakewood, eyes wide with fear¡ªbegging. Hailey eyes popped back open, and the ghosts were there again. She could not escape.
A thump down the hall. Hailey hadn''t slept a moment since Beverly left. Shuffling footsteps. She looked up, and in front of her, barely visible in the darkness as he moved into the next cell, was Alden Bensen. Hailey looked away. She didn''t need to see a vision of Alden in the bar, crushed and broken, moments from death. She''d had enough already. "Hailey?" Alden''s voice echoed around the corner of the cell wall, as soon as the guards had gone. "No¡­" Hailey groaned. Not this. I''m so hungry and cold, I''m actually hallucinating now. "Hailey, what¡ª" "Go away. I''ve had enough. Please." "...Hailey, what''s going on?" "You''re not real. Please. Leave me alone." A long pause. "...Hailey, I''m real. I''m actually here." Hailey shook her head, though of course he couldn''t see it from the other cell. "You''re just another one of them." "Of what?" "People I''ve failed. Stuff I''ve screwed up." "What?" Alden sounded genuinely confused. "...Hailey, you saved my life. More than once." "I just make everything worse." "I''m seriously here," said Alden. "And you don''t." "...You can''t be here," said Hailey, though doubt was beginning to edge into her mind. Maybe¡­ maybe he really is here? But how? Alden laughed a little. "It''s a crazy story, but yeah, I''m here. I got arrested with Rika. They brought us here. They''re holding everybody awakened here for now, until they figure it out." "Why?" "They think she killed some people, she didn''t. She''s awakened, so they''re making a big deal of it." Hailey frowned. "Oh¡­" "Hailey, I''m really here. What''s going on?" Well, real or not, he''s being a whole lot better than everything else my messed up head imagined. "I screwed up, Alden. A lot." "How?" "I nearly got a lot of people killed. I did get some people killed. I got¡­" Hailey choked up. "I got Jessica killed." Alden didn''t answer for a long time. Hailey finally uncurled from the floor and inched across to the bars. To her surprise, Alden wasn''t actually in the cell next to hers, but across and diagonally a bit. They could actually see each other. "I''m sorry," said Hailey quietly. "For what?" "The bar. You almost¡­ you almost died in there." "That''s not your fault," said Alden. "It is." "No," he said, more forcefully. "We got betrayed. Harold tipped them off. He thought they''d let him go." Pieces clicked into place in Hailey''s mind¡ªthe strange way Harold had slipped into the building without them noticing, how the men had moved toward him as if they already knew him before taking the place, Harold''s sigh of relief in the back room as the leader appeared to clear him. He''d been acting strangely that whole time. How had she missed it? Of course I missed it. I''m terrible at this. I should never have been trying to be a hero. I just screw everything up. "I still¡­" "You saved my life, and everything else you''ve done made my life better, Hailey," said Alden. He smiled. "I''m sure Jess would have said the same." Hailey shook her head, her hair flying wildly. "I got her killed." "I don''t know anything about that," said Alden. "But I do know that no matter what, Jess wouldn''t want this. You sitting in a cage blaming yourself for everything is the exact opposite of what Jess loved." "I don''t know why she loved me," whispered Hailey. "I didn''t deserve it." "Sure you did," said Alden. "Doesn''t matter though. Jess made her choices. Sometimes she chose right, sometimes she chose wrong, but she made them. I mean, you know she tricked you when she moved in, right?" "...What?" He grinned. "She told me the whole story that night you guys stayed over ''cause you were too tired to fly home. Took like an hour, but she figured out how. Anyway. She was kicked out of her house way before you two moved in. She''d been living with Ian the whole time, even though the dorm didn''t allow girls." "I don''t¡ª" "Jess was too ashamed to tell you," said Alden. "She wanted you to think she was worth loving. So she never did. She just started living with you, from zero to one hundred instantly. She said it was her ''Hailey'' moment." Hailey laughed weakly, the first time in what felt like forever. Alden grinned. "Brave, no hesitation, reaching for the stars. That''s what she loved about you. That''s what I like about you too, you know." "But I got people hurt that way," said Hailey, her brief moment of mirth deflating faster than a popped balloon. "I''ve screwed up really bad. I don''t know if I can get past that." Alden shook his head. "I don''t think you ever can." Hailey''s eyes widened a little. That wasn''t what she expected to hear. He smiled, much sadder than before, but in a mature, hard-earned way that Hailey had never seen from him. "I''m not saying it doesn''t get better. I''ve gotten better. But it still hurts more than anything, you know?" He sighed, relaxing against the bars of his cell. "It was insane, going off on my own. I still hadn''t slept a single night without Meg shaking me awake to stop the screaming. Probably stupid, but I learned something out there on my own." "What?" "You never get past anything." Alden''s smile faded. "It just becomes a part of you. Always will be. I''m still going to feel it every time I see a gun, or every time I''m anywhere near Rallsburg, or every time I see a golem. It''s still there. But¡­ I''m dealing with it, you know? I''m¡­ adjusting." "I don''t know how to do that," whispered Hailey. He shrugged. "I didn''t either. It took a long time, and a lot of talking." Alden smiled. "Natalie was actually the one who helped the most, I think, in a weird way. I ran into her yesterday with her friends." "How''s¡­ how''s she doing?" Hailey asked. She''d last seen the girl at the funeral, and Natalie had seemed even more broken than Hailey at the time. "A lot better. She''s been through hell, and she''s way too mature for her age, but she''s got friends and a place to live and people who look out for her." Alden grinned. "She''s even got a boyfriend." Hailey choked out another laugh. "We''ve been through some really insane stuff too," Alden went on. "You and me and Jess. Don''t forget that you''ve got hindsight and it''s really screwing with you. We did the best we could at the time. I don''t think Jess would regret any of it. I don''t, and I don''t think you should either." Hailey opened her mouth to speak, but Alden kept going. "Yeah, we could''ve done things better. We still screwed up. But we can''t think like that, or we wouldn''t have done any good. Things would be even worse than they are." "Would they?" asked Hailey. "If you and I hadn''t tried to do anything, we''d probably all be dead. We were up against so much." Alden sighed. "Me and Rachel got him, and I don''t think that happens if you hadn''t saved so many lives. You saved mine, don''t forget." Hailey winced. "But we still lost so many." "Better the few we saved than none at all, right?" Hailey swallowed. She took a deep breath, and looked up at the star through the window again. It was still so dark outside, but that star, that twinkling little star, reminded her of something. It looked a little like the twinkle of pure joy in Jessica''s eyes, the very first time she''d flown. "...Yeah," said Hailey. "It''s better." Alden nodded. "And you''re gonna get better too." "...Yeah. Okay." Hailey nodded. It didn''t feel better yet. She didn''t expect it to. But it didn''t feel quite so oppressive anymore. She could function, at least. She could do something. She wasn''t alone.
Alden spent the rest of the early hours catching her up on what he''d been doing. She smiled a few times, even laughed a little more at the ridiculous antics of Julian Black and Josh and Rika. It reminded her what she''d been missing out on, and what she''d be missing if she ended up staying in prison. The guards returned as the sky began to brighten in the window. Alden got to his feet, as did Hailey. Hailey held out her hands, expecting to be moved yet again, but to her surprise they walked right past. "You''re being released, Bensen," one guard said gruffly. "Huh?" "They''re letting you go. Nothin'' to hold you on." One guard shrugged. "Guess they don''t care about you." Alden nodded. He looked over at Hailey. "Can I have a minute?" "Only if you want to stay in here another night," said the guard, annoyed. "Come on, kid." "Go," said Hailey, smiling for real finally. It almost felt foreign on her face, but it was a good feeling nonetheless. She could feel a bit of warmth returning, and even if that was actually just the sunlight coming in, it still helped in more ways than she could describe. "I''ll be back to visit as soon as I can," Alden promised as they walked away. "Go chase your girl, Alden," Hailey called, now with a full grin on her face. "I''ll be okay. Good luck!" "You too!" he shouted back, right before they turned the corner and disappeared. She sat back in her cell and looked at the little mirror over the sink¡ªat her face and her hair, still utterly perfect and practically glowing thanks to the rituals she''d performed so long ago. All thanks to Jess. She figured this stuff out first. I was the one along for the ride. Hailey had one more vision that night as the dawn broke and the city emerged once again into the light. Jessica, standing next to her in the mirror, blue-brown hair ruffled and half-covering her face, with a vague smile and a contented look in her eyes. Hailey nodded to her, and she nodded in return. No words. Never any words. Just a simple, pure understanding. Hailey closed her eyes and concentrated. She focused on her hair again, picking out the spots she wanted. It had to be perfect. It had to be exactly what she would have wanted. She opened her eyes again, and her hair had a few new streaks of blue¡ªJessica''s favorite color, the deep blue open sky, the freedom and joy that they''d both craved so much their whole lives. I can''t stay here. Not in a prison. Not trapped in like this. Jess wouldn''t want that. And besides, I still owe Alden that drink. Hailey smiled. The guard came back through again a minute later, and Hailey was waiting at the cell bars for him. He raised an eyebrow at the sudden color change, but before he could say a word, Hailey was already talking. "I need to talk to my lawyer. Jefferson Baux of Hanford and Jenkins. He should still be in town." "...Yeah, sure," said the guard, a little dazed at her tone. Hailey realized she''d gone full-business, just like her mom. She smiled a little. Her mom was in town, and suddenly Hailey was actually looking forward to seeing her again. The guard hurried back the way came. Hailey gazed up into the sunlight, right as it began to stream in earnest through the window, and basked in the warm glow. A moment later, the feeling faded. I''m doing it again. That''s the old me. I''m not that person anymore. That''s the person who got Jessica hurt. I''ll do better, Jess, Hailey promised her, and herself. No more insane heroism. No more recklessness and stupid anger that doesn''t do anything for anyone. I''ll stay quiet, like Beverly. I''ll just¡­ help people. Charity work. Simple things. I''ll figure it out. Like Alden said, it wasn''t gone. Hailey still felt real, deep pain within her, and it wasn''t going to fade any time soon. She missed Jessica with every fiber of her being, and it hurt. But¡­ she took it in. Hailey accepted it. Made it a part of herself. Made Jess a part of herself, keeping her close. Even if she might be gone forever, Hailey would still hold her inside her heart. Thank you, Jess. I miss you, I love you, and I''ll do better. For you. [Discord] ¡ª [TWF] ¡ª [Rate] ¡ª [Follow] ¡ª [Patreon] B2: Chapter 39 — The Day They Learned Her Name Chapter 39 ¡ª The Day They Learned Her Name On Wednesday, when a student showed up in the classroom with a note for Natalie, she wasn''t shocked in the slightest. She took it from the nervous kid with barely a second glance, a summons by the principal as she expected. Natalie was surprised in one part, though¡ªthat it took three whole days to show up. Quinn squeezed her hand for luck, but Natalie wasn''t worried anymore. Over the last few days¡ªever since Friday, when she revealed her whole story to him, confessed to his parents, had her first kiss, and come out okay¡ªNatalie''s confidence seemed to have shot through the roof. Nothing scared her anymore. And nothing should. You are stronger than everyone. Cinza recognized it, Kendra and Lily recognized it. You can do anything. I don''t want to do anything though. I''m happy right here. Be prepared for when that is no longer true. Natalie got up and followed the student runner out the door. She''d been called to the principal''s office yet again. No doubt Quinn was worried, and Natalie was sympathetic, but she doubted anything was really going to come of this. Blake had finally made a move. Natalie had expected it sooner. It wouldn''t be public¡ªthat just wasn''t Blake''s style. She''d blindside, she''d go behind everyone''s backs, she''d spread snide rumors and cruel jokes, but she''d never come after Natalie head-on in the open. The dodgeball game was a fluke, outside circumstances that forced them into a confrontation. You came out on top. You won. Claim your victory. What am I supposed to claim? All I did was scare her off. This is your territory now. Own it. Show her that this sort of veiled attack has no place in your world. Natalie shook her head. I don''t own anything. It''s school. The adults are in charge. Do you truly believe that? Were they in charge during your fight? The teacher was only a dozen feet away, and he did nothing. He could not do anything. You were in control. She couldn''t deny it. The teacher had done nothing to interrupt their game, even as it spiraled out of control. They might still have been playing by the rules, but Natalie believed anyone with actual authority would have recognized the growing danger and intervened. Like Rachel, or Grey-eyes, or Cinza. People in charge were supposed to be proactive¡ªtry to stop problems before they happened, not after. I had to stop her. Nobody else. Yes. I was the one to punish her afterward. I didn''t want to, and I didn''t enjoy it, but it was my job. Yes. If I hadn''t, worse things would be happening now. She''d be doing something horrible probably. Precisely. You must take care of your queendom. This is your home, this is your world, and you have the power. Protect yourself, protect your friends, and don''t allow any risk of harm to come close. This is how you survive. Natalie nodded as the door to the principal''s office swung open. "Come in, Miss Heshire." She hopped off the chair and walked in, head high, eyes clear and open. The principal looked taken aback. Compared to every other time they''d met, Natalie wasn''t on the defensive anymore, elusive and hiding. That wasn''t her anymore. "Hi," she said, sitting in one of the chairs for students. "...Jenny," she started, "I''ve been hearing some things from students about you." "From Blake," Natalie filled in. After a few moments, the principal gave a reluctant nod. "From Miss Sinclair, and a few others." "Lydia, and probably the other girls who hang out with them, right?" "If you already know everything I''m about to tell you¡­" The principal trailed off, irritated. You are pushing too hard. Let her believe in her own authority. She still holds some power. "...Sorry," said Natalie uncomfortably. She sat back a little, waiting for the principal to continue. The old woman sighed, shaking her head. She looked distinctly exhausted¡ªa common theme lately amongst everyone Natalie seemed to meet who wasn''t under eighteen. Alden, Quinn''s parents, some teachers¡­ Everyone seemed tired and uneasy all the time. "Well, I guess we don''t have to dance around it anymore. It''s fairly obvious that the special case we''ve been talking about this whole time is that you''re one of the ''awakened'', and that you came from Rallsburg." The principal glanced down at her laptop screen. "I can''t imagine anything else that fits everything I''ve learned since I met you in September." She knows more about us than she should. This is dangerous. How does she know? I mean¡­ how hard can it be to guess now? Why else would I hide from the whole world? This is not safe. You should not admit your identity. I¡­ I trust her. I know you don''t get that, but she''s been nice to me. She''s helped out a lot. I think she''s okay. You cannot know how this will¡ª "...Yes," she replied, over the voice''s protests. "Nobody can know." The principal nodded. "I''m not going to tell. I can''t imagine how dangerous everything is for you." She sighed again, rubbing at her temples. "I know I promised that we could overlook a lot, but this was too much, Jenny. You attacked another student." "I didn''t!" Natalie didn''t mean to raise her voice, but it just came out, before she could stop herself. "It was dodgeball, and Blake was playing rough, and I just¡­ slipped, a little!" "I wasn''t talking about that," she replied, shaking her head. "Miss Sinclair informed us of the confrontation in the ladies'' room. You used magic to attack her." Natalie shook her head forcefully, her long hair flying everywhere. "I didn''t touch her. She was¡­ she was saying things. Horrible things. I was upset and I kinda scared her a little. I made doors open and I made some fire and lightning. But I didn''t touch her. She was totally fine." The principal frowned. "Well¡­ there weren''t any more signs of injury beyond the broken nose. I can''t imagine that Miss Sinclair''s account of your conversation was accurate. We talked to the other students in your gym class, and they overheard her saying some awful things." She paused. "Would you repeat what she said to you?" Natalie hesitated. Even though it came from Blake, it still hurt, a lot. She hated thinking about it, especially since she kept replaying it in Blake''s sneering voice over and over. "She¡­ she called me crazy, and she said my parents were probably both crazy too and that''s why I was." Natalie winced. And it might be true¡­ "And she said that my scar was ''cause I tried to¡­ tried to, you know¡­" Her voice caught, and she looked down at the floor. "Take your own life," supplied the principal gravely. "Yeah¡­" Natalie took a breath before continuing. "And then she said I should finish what I started. Said that if I didn''t, I was gonna come back to school and really hurt somebody. That it''d be my fault, so I should¡­ make sure it couldn''t happen." "Good God¡­" said the Principal, leaning back in her chair. "And that''s when I got upset," Natalie finished, very uncomfortable again. Her self-confidence, so strong and unwavering earlier, had faltered in the memory of that confrontation. "No one else witnessed this, correct?" Natalie shook her head. "...Well, I certainly believe you over her," said the principal. Natalie''s hopes rose for a split-second, before she recognized the principal''s tone. No¡­ "But I can''t really punish her. Not without arousing suspicion, or maybe provoking something even worse." "But¡­ you heard what she said. You believe me." "And her family gives a great deal of money to this school," said the principal, clearly as uncomfortable as Natalie. "The rest of the student body isn''t aware of your abilities, and I got the impression that Blake will not be informing anyone. Even her friend Lydia didn''t seem to be aware. This can just¡­ go away." "But¡ª" "Jenny," said the principal firmly, and Natalie''s protest died in her mouth. "I know you mean well, and I''ve enjoyed having you at my school. But I have to think of all the students, and a private war between yourself and Miss Sinclair could lead to a lot of pain for everyone, not just the two of you. I need this to be over." "She''s the one who won''t leave me alone," said Natalie, a bit of anger rising in her voice. "What am I supposed to do?" "Avoid her?" The principal sighed. "I know I''m not being much help, Jenny. I''m sorry. But I only have so much power." And we have more, Natalie. Much more. "I could say that you''re being punished," she offered. "I take it that your¡­ err, your guardian wouldn''t likely ever hear about it?" "I haven''t seen her in over a month," said Natalie. "Where are you staying?" The principal shook her head, before Natalie could answer¡ªnot that she ever would. "I''m sure you can take care of yourself. But I need to know: are you living in a real home?" "Yes." The principal sighed again. "I need to know where, Jenny. You''re only thirteen. I''m responsible for your wellbeing." Being thirteen sure feels like it means whatever anyone else wants it to mean¡­ She hesitated. "I don''t want them to get in trouble." "I''m keeping all of this out of the system, and it will stay that way as long as we can keep an understanding." "...I''m living with Quinn''s family. They let me use their extra room." "Oh! Okay. That''s fine then. And as I said, nobody will know but me. I won''t write it down." Natalie nodded. "Thank you." "So, since no one would be upset, I could give you non-permanent punishments. Things that won''t appear on your record. That way, Blake would see you''re not getting away with anything." She shook her head. "That''s not how Blake works. If she sees that, she knows she''s winning. She starts getting meaner." The principal nodded dejectedly. "I thought so. Do you have any ideas? Any suggestions?" "Nothing you''re gonna do," said Natalie bitterly. She looked truly taken aback. "Jenny, I''m sorry¡ª" "Is it okay if I go now? I don''t want to miss lunch." "Jenny¡­" The principal trailed off. She looked truly upset, but didn''t say anything else. After a few moments of awkward silence, with Natalie fidgeting in her chair, she eventually nodded. Natalie slid off the chair, feeling far worse than she had when she first walked in. I thought¡­ I thought that would go better. She is not your ally. She holds to the fading power of her own system. You have something new. Something none of them understand. You must protect yourself and your own. But she''s been nice to me. She''s helped me. Protected me. The only one you can truly rely on is you. And Quinn. The voice didn''t answer, and Natalie walked back into the cafeteria feeling a little better. At least she''d finally won that argument. Quinn was trustworthy. The voice no longer protested their bond. Natalie saw him across the room, in their usual spot at the far wall, and took her spot. Cheerful greetings all around, though Quinn shot her a questioning look. "Later," Natalie murmured. He nodded. Instantly, they were back to normal, as if nothing had happened. As if Natalie were just an ordinary girl, in an ordinary school in an ordinary world where nothing like magic had ever happened. Except¡­ Natalie now had something else to worry about. There was a much greater danger lurking just out of sight, one Alden had alerted her to without even knowing it.
When she got home to the Kincaids'', Natalie beelined for her room. She''d explained to Quinn how badly the meeting with the principal went. He promised to be on the lookout for Blake, but Natalie knew that another part of her world had just been put at risk. She needed to be ready. This time it''s not just magic. It''s me. It''s something I did. You cannot be blamed. That''s not how the world works. We just saw it at school. They''re all like the principal. I''ll get blamed anyway. So you must be prepared. Yes. Natalie and the voice were in agreement. It occasionally pushed back on some of her self-doubts, but this action was without question. The world would eventually find out that she had committed those crimes. She had¡­ she had killed. More than once. She didn''t mean to, but she knew that didn''t necessarily protect her from going to jail. She was terrified of jail. Everything she''d ever seen or heard said it was the worst place she could ever end up. In jail, she''d be trapped. In jail, she''d be cold and alone. She wouldn''t have Percy, she wouldn''t have her friends, she wouldn''t have Scrappy or Gwen. She wouldn''t have Quinn. She wouldn''t be free. I gotta be able to run again. But not to the city this time. Yeah¡­ Not to a city. I''ll be going back home. So I gotta be able to live in a forest. With Gwen and Scrappy. Like you do. Not like that. You are not an elf. You cannot live as an elf does. Well¡­ I can still live in a forest. So Natalie studied. She learned. She went online and found every wilderness survival guide she could. Tyler helped her over chat with getting some of the more hard-to-find books and videos, stuff that was behind paywalls and such since she didn''t have a credit card or anything to pay with. He had no idea what he was getting, but he never asked any questions. Lately, he''d been doing anything Natalie asked, immediately, happily. It''s kinda weird¡­ He wants to help you. Don''t feel guilty. He is your friend. I don''t feel guilty, but still¡­ Natalie accepted it nonetheless. Her life felt at risk every waking moment again, but not in the same way as when she fled the Laushires. This time, she had people at her back, and a place to stay for the time being. The Kincaids were her friends, even beyond just being Quinn''s parents. They liked her, and she really liked them. Their home was a safe place for her. But she knew it wouldn''t last. Nothing in her life ever lasted. Rallsburg had been just one more stop on the road, after they''d left Chicago. It was the longest step, but still just one more. Now she was with the Kincaids, and she was happier than she''d been since Rallsburg, but it still felt fleeting, ready to vanish at a moment''s notice. It wasn''t just normal human survival, either. Natalie had tried to open Cinza''s website on Quinn''s computer, thinking it would be easier to browse and learn from there, but of course it was still down. She''d forgotten Alden told her that already the day before. However, she did still have it open on her phone, a few tabs of hundreds buried deep in her browser. More importantly, some of those happened to be the spell-sharing board, where people posted instructions on casting new forms of magic. She found the spells to clean and purify water, to cleanse berries and other wild plants of poisons. She found methods to help her catch meat if she needed it, though Natalie had never been a huge fan of eating wild animals. She''d done it a couple times with Gwen, but it hadn''t tasted very good, and she''d felt a little sick afterward. Most importantly, Natalie still had the methods to hide herself and wherever she might make her home. The invisibility spell still gave her as much trouble as always, but Cinza had also posted the basics of creating misleading paths through the forest, illusions that made people wander in circles without ever actually going forward. They weren''t using those particular versions on the Greywood¡ªeven Cinza wasn''t so brazen as to post current defenses on their site for fear of leaks¡ªbut it was more than enough to keep out casual passers-by. Quinn came in a few times to see what she was doing. Natalie told him, though not in great detail. Quinn looked uncertain, nervous. Obviously, he wasn''t as enamored about living out in the wild as she was. Natalie didn''t really get his attitude, but she tried to make light of it for his sake. It''d probably never happen! Maybe they''d just go camping sometime! It''d be super fun! He''ll come around if he has to. Someday. You must be prepared if he does not. We may need to live on our own. Without any help. I''ll always have Gwen. Even you can''t complain about Gwen. To her surprise, the voice did not. Apparently it drew the line at humans. Natalie shrugged and went back to work. She nearly missed dinner entirely¡ªQuinn had to come back in and wave a hand in front of her face to get her attention, so focused was she on the spell she''d been trying to practice¡ªand was straight back into it afterward. The Kincaids asked a few concerned questions, but Natalie could tell they were still incredibly nervous around her. Neither wanted to broach the topic of magic or Rallsburg, if they could help it. They stayed out of it, and for the moment, Natalie was just grateful. She didn''t need more pressure. If the Kincaids started asking questions about things she''d done, Natalie wasn''t sure she could lie to them. Not again. She loved them, just like she loved Quinn. Finally, well past midnight, with Quinn fast asleep on her bed, Natalie felt too exhausted to continue. She''d learned a remarkable amount in such a short span, and mastered more than a few new spells. For the first time, she actually began to believe Cinza''s claims that she was the most powerful, if only a little. Natalie still doubted she was actually more powerful than the rest¡ªKendra could do incredible things, Hailey could fly, Hector had once beat Omega all on his own¡ªand she certainly had nothing on Grey-eyes or Alpha. But¡­ Natalie knew she was good at magic. Really good. And she was getting better every day. Learning more. Mastering more. Natalie let Quinn sleep in her bed. She pulled a loose pillow off onto the ground and wrapped up in a blanket. Natalie wanted to learn to sleep on hard ground. Cinza had done it, back in Seattle, and Natalie hadn''t. If she had to go out on her own again, Natalie needed to be able to sleep. Cinza said it never bothered her. Natalie couldn''t let it bother her either. She had to be able to survive on her own. She had to be able to protect the people she cared about, especially with how unpredictable the world was now. Magic was the answer, and Natalie was one of the strongest around.
The next morning, her phone rang. Natalie jerked awake. Her phone ringing was never anything good. The only person she''d ever expect to call these days was Quinn¡ªand he was still sleeping only a few feet away, up on the bed. Gingerly, Natalie summoned her phone off her nightstand and up over Quinn to land neatly in her hand, answering it as quickly as possible without even checking the number. To her relief, Quinn''s breathing didn''t change. "Hi?" she whispered. Bleary-eyed, she looked up at the clock on the wall. Normally, in the early-morning darkness, she wouldn''t be able to read the hands, but the rituals had improved her eyes drastically. It was five-thirty in the morning. Sunrise was still two hours away. "Natalie?" It was Ruby, of all people. Natalie and Ruby had barely ever interacted. They certainly weren''t friends. Natalie never really hung out with Cinza''s people, though she ran into them in the forest plenty of times, and she hadn''t even known Ruby''s name until the last days. Why is Ruby calling me? Did¡­ oh god, did Cinza tell her? No, she promised she never would. Not even Ruby. "Yes." "I''m sorry if I woke you up." "It''s okay." Ruby cleared her throat awkwardly. She sounded uncomfortable. It struck Natalie that Ruby was the youngest of the Rallsburg Ghosts besides herself, and the only other one under eighteen. They did have something in common there, at least. "Cinza wanted me to call. Things are happening." "I saw her on TV," Natalie whispered. "Are you¡­ sorry, are you safe right now?" "Yes. I''m just¡­ trying not to wake somebody up." "Oh!" Ruby paused. "Is it¡­ a boy?" "...Not like that," she whispered back, face heating up. "He''s just nearby. Also his parents." "Yeah. Sorry." Ruby paused again. "I''ll try to be fast. Someone betrayed the Greywood. She infiltrated us and took one of us. Cinza and our allies were able to follow them and stop anything from happening, but they learned too much. We had to shut down the site." "I saw that." "Sorry," Ruby apologized again. "The point is, this person knows who you are. Where you are, too. I''m so sorry, Natalie." "Do I¡­" Natalie hesitated, glancing up again at Quinn, but he was still fast asleep. Her sharp ears could tell his breathing hadn''t changed at all. "Do I need to run?" "No, I don''t think so. They aren''t inclined to use their blackmail, and we provided them a lot of incentive not to." Ruby paused, and it sounded like she was talking to someone else nearby. "Cinza wanted me to send someone out to protect you, though. If anything does happen." "I''m okay," said Natalie quickly. The last thing she wanted was someone from the Greywood coming and setting things off even more. Not now. Everything was so precarious already, and the Greycloaks seemed to make more drama everywhere they went. "Are you certain? There''s a lot going on¡ª" "I can take care of myself," said Natalie firmly, a little louder than she intended. She thought she heard Quinn shift and panicked, turning the volume on her phone down as far as it could go. After nothing happened, she inched it back up to audible again. "...can''t really spare anyone, to be honest. Rika''s gone now, and a few others have left after Riley betrayed us. They didn''t think it was safe anymore. It is safe," she added, a little indignant, "but their faith just wasn''t as strong as ours. I can''t leave either, since I''m the only one left with the Nature affinity required to hold our defenses secure. The Greycloaks will keep the Wood, though. If ever you need to come here, say the word." "I will," Natalie promised, fully intending never to do so. "Okay." Ruby paused again, with another muttered conversation Natalie couldn''t catch through the phone. "Sorry. I have to go. We have training." "Training for what?" "War," said Ruby, with an oddly excited voice that made Natalie uncomfortable. "Stay safe, Natalie." Ruby hung up. Natalie set her phone down, hand trembling a little. In the cold air of the early morning, she pulled a blanket around her and shivered, but it wasn''t because of the cold. Fear was creeping back in, sinister and subtle. War. They''re going to war. And the guy running the other side of the war¡­ is my dad. What am I supposed to do? You protect yourself. You prepare yourself. When the time is right¡­ you hunt. I¡­ I don''t think I can. You are a hunter. It is in your soul, and when the time comes, you will be ready. I just want to stay here. With Quinn, and my friends, and no fighting or war or any of that. If that were your destiny, you would not keep facing toward this horizon. You cannot escape the call. I''m not a fighter or a hunter or any of that. No one is, until the world creates a situation where they must become one. What do you mean? In a war, what happens? Natalie shook her head. She didn''t want to think about what the voice was forcing her to consider, but how could she avoid someone in her own mind? People¡­ people die. My dad. He might die. You must find him first, if you do not wish for that to happen. You saw the news. Someone has already tried to kill him. They said he was fine. This was just the first attempt. The war has not yet begun. Will you risk his death for this home? A home to which you do not belong, with guardians who still fear you? She couldn''t deny that. Ever since her confession, the Kincaids hadn''t looked at her the same. She still trusted them¡ªthey would never reveal her secret, she had no doubt of that. But¡­ they weren''t comfortable around her anymore. Hesitantly, Natalie finally pulled up a set of notes she''d made, ones she hadn''t looked at in ages¡ªdirections and plans for how to get back to Rallsburg. Just in case.
Natalie didn''t hear anything from Blake that day, or the principal. In fact, Natalie barely saw Blake, as she didn''t take the bus that morning and skipped gym. She knew the other girl was in the building somewhere from the whispers circulating the cafeteria and the girls'' bathroom, but Natalie believed that Blake might actually be avoiding her. It suited Natalie just fine. "Where''s Tyler?" asked Mitch, glancing around as they sat down for lunch. Quinn wasn''t there yet either, but he got out of tech class a little late sometimes, so none of them were concerned. "Steven, too," said Kelsey. "Getting a bit lonely here." "What, we''re not good enough?" "Jenny is, but you''re a negative so we''re back to zero again." Natalie smiled, but she didn''t feel much like laughing after the morning she''d had. Quinn seemed upset too, after she''d told him about the phone call and her backup plans in case something happened. She hoped he''d be willing to leave with her if it came to that, but Natalie couldn''t be sure. Not that she was ever sure of anything anymore. Quinn arrived finally with lunch in hand, taking his usual spot next to her. Natalie took his hand under the table and squeezed it, trying to give him some measure of support even though it sent little quivers of discomfort back up through her arm. Quinn smiled and squeezed her back, and she knew it was worth it. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. "Steven won''t be here. Home sick." "Really?" Mitch frowned. "Sounded totally good last night." "What do you mean?" "We were online last night, playing¡ª" "Don''t tell him," said Kelsey with a sigh. "I got a rep to keep here." "You won!" "Yeah, and I still hate myself for playing." "Oh come on¡ª" "Steven sounded okay?" asked Natalie, concerned. Mitch trailed off, still annoyed, while Kelsey answered instead. "Yeah. Totally fine, and we weren''t up that late either." Quinn shrugged. "Maybe he got sick overnight. Or he''s skipping a test in advanced math." "Whatever. You see the news this morning?" asked Mitch. "More stuff about the warehouse murders in Seattle. They''re calling it magic for sure. Got evidence and everything." Natalie flinched involuntarily, but neither Kelsey or Mitch saw it. Quinn wrapped his fingers between hers under the table. "Do they have a suspect yet?" asked Quinn casually. Natalie thanked him with a squeeze. She couldn''t have asked it herself with a straight face. "Nah." Mitch was trying to talk through a mouthful of fries while also pulling out the story on his phone. Kelsey snatched it away to muffled protests. "God, chew your food," she muttered. "Okay. Warehouse murders, possibly drug-related. Four deaths caused by severe electrical burns¡ªmagically inflicted¡ªone by gunshot, one by knife. Federal marshals were overheard in Seattle on Tuesday talking about magic and awakened people in connection with the case." She finally handed the phone back. "They''ve totally got a suspect." Natalie winced. They''re in town. Asking about people like me. What if¡­ You are already preparing. Continue. Make sure you''re ready, and have your allies close at hand. She stood up suddenly, letting go of Quinn. "Can we go outside?" "...It''s freezing outside," said Mitch slowly. "Why do you¡­" He trailed off, as the other three were already walking away. "Shit, fine, I''m coming!" Natalie hurried out, Kelsey right next to her with Quinn a few steps behind. As soon as they were out, Natalie turned the corner to the outer wall¡ªthe same secluded spot where she''d first met Tyler, first been asked to hang out with Quinn and his gang. She hadn''t really meant to come here, but it worked as well as anywhere. Concentrating, Natalie threw out her mind in a wide net, calling gently for her friend. A hawk cried out above them. Percy dove out of the sky like a bullet, coming in and landing neatly on her arm. "...Okay?" asked Mitch, panting as he caught up. "So we''re outside, now what?" "I just¡­ needed to be out here." Natalie sat down and went back to eating, with Percy perched on her shoulder. In her mind, though, her net was still cast, and she was searching. Hunting, for more allies. There was a technique, one she hadn''t used since the forests in Rallsburg, with Alden and Rika beside her. She could call out and an animal would answer her. Not just anything, though¡ªan intelligent animal blessed with life and strength. She still wasn''t sure how she did it. It was the spell Natalie had learned from the book, and the page had vanished by the time she''d returned to her castle out in the forest. She''d used it three times¡ªto find Scrappy, to find Gwen, and finally to find Percy. Now, she was starting that process again¡­ except, she had learned so much more about magic since then. After Scrappy, she had been stronger, and had managed to get a much more powerful and beautiful companion in Gwen. In the forests while the town burned, she sought out something that could help them find people, and Percy had answered her. Now, Natalie had much better control. She could start the process without actually following through. Her mind stayed open, listening for the animals around her, ready to call one if she needed it. It took some effort. She wouldn''t do it always, but now she knew she could. When she called, allies would come. Natalie would never be totally alone. she said, handing Percy a little bit of her lunch. He squawked, and she realized she''d given him something he couldn''t actually eat. She sighed and went back to her lunch. Percy needed something to hunt; she didn''t have anything like that in the cafeteria food. Percy rubbed against her head, and she stroked him gently. Her friends were getting used to this regular dialogue¡ªNatalie and her animal friends¡ªand didn''t pay much notice anymore. Natalie preferred that. She really hadn''t enjoyed the constant attention about her magic after a little while, and thankfully it had dropped off fast as the rest of the world came into focus. Suddenly, Natalie wasn''t so unique anymore, and she just went back to being their friend again. "It''s cool to have Percy here?" asked Kelsey uneasily. Quinn looked just as concerned, but Natalie waved it off. "It''s okay," she said firmly. They shrugged and went back to eating. Mitch and Kelsey immediately launched into a spirited argument over who did better in their game the night before, while Quinn sat next to Natalie against the wall. "What''s up?" he asked quietly. "Nothing," she murmured back. "I just really needed to see Percy." Natalie realized the rest of them were shivering, and quickly muttered a spell to warm up their corner. Mitch shot her a grateful look, but Kelsey got his attention again almost instantly and the two were back at it. Quinn and Natalie just sat back and enjoyed the sniping for a while¡ªso much so that none of them noticed Tyler suddenly join them. "And just ''cause you won the fifth round doesn''t mean you''re actually winni¡ªwhat''s wrong with you?" Mitch asked, switching in mid-stream as he saw Tyler''s face. Natalie looked up. She''d been stroking Percy after he came back from hunting down a mouse across the field. Tyler looked like he''d been crying, but he was desperate to hide it from them. He stared at his food, chewing mechanically, with a weak smile on his face despite his red eyes. "Tyler? What happened?" asked Quinn. "...Nothing¡­" he muttered. "Dude, that''s the least convincing nothing I''ve ever heard," said Kelsey. She put an arm around his shoulders. "We''ve got your back. What''s going on?" "Nothing!" Tyler insisted, shaking her loose. His face was getting red, and his eyes watering up again. Kelsey shot Quinn a helpless look¡ªQuinn was the one Tyler respected most, after all, and the leader of the group. But before Quinn could say anything, Natalie realized what had happened. This was her next move, and it was a brilliant one. Natalie hated her even more for it. "Did someone do this to you?" asked Quinn. "...Blake," whispered Tyler, so low that only Natalie could hear him. "What?" "Quinn, stop," Natalie quickly jumped in, before Tyler got even worse. She whispered to Percy, and the hawk flew over to land next to Tyler¡ªnot on him, Natalie knew better than to risk a clawing talon right now¡ªand rub up against him. Tyler had always loved her magic the most, and here was something she could do right now. On top of that, she extended the warmth in the area to wrap up Tyler most of all with another quick muttered spell. "What''s going on?" asked Mitch, annoyed at being left out again. Natalie shook her head. Kelsey looked just as confused, but knew better than to jump in. "Just drop it," said Quinn firmly. "Tyler, you need anything?" Tyler slowly shook his head. He started coughing and pulled out his inhaler. Mitch finally caught on, launching right back into their game discussion again, with a lot less hostility than before. Quinn joined in, even though he hadn''t that whole time, and Kelsey made sure she stayed interested and involved too. Natalie was the only one left watching Tyler. He looked better, little by little, but Natalie knew¡ªwhatever Blake had done, she''d gone right for the jugular, with the best weapons she had. If Blake could drive Natalie into throwing out the secrets she''d kept for so many months, there was no doubt in her mind that Blake could tear Tyler apart with only her words. He is the weakest among you. She chose her target well. Tyler''s not weak! They are all weak compared to you. So what am I supposed to do about that? I''m not going to cut out Tyler or anything. Tyler is one of your own. You protect your own. You must attack the source. Attack¡­ attack Blake? But¡ª Remind her what you can do. "No," Natalie murmured aloud. Quinn looked over briefly, but Natalie didn''t say anything else. He went back to their conversation soon after. Tyler was already looking much better, even joining in a little¡ªbut Natalie knew it wouldn''t last. Blake would go after him again.
Quinn and Natalie escorted Tyler all the way to his bus. She knew he realized what they were doing, but she didn''t care as long as he got home without any more from Blake. The girl wasn''t on their bus either, to Natalie''s surprise. Maybe her parents are giving her rides now or something. Perhaps you scared her more than you think. Nothing else big happened for the rest of the day, to Natalie''s relief. She used the time to continue studying, continue planning and preparing for the outdoors, which looked increasingly likely to come to pass¡ªjust as the voice had warned. I''m still not okay with this. I''m staying here. As long as you are ready. Sometimes, the voice got a little smug, and Natalie really hated it then. That night, though, they both had something to worry about, and so much more besides. Around five-thirty, just as Natalie was finishing up a ritual that could both keep an area dry and gather up any rainfall to use, Quinn popped his head into her room with a look that sent her heart sinking. "Something''s happening." Natalie dropped everything, rushing to join him, clutching her phone like it were a lifeline in case someone called. Both of Quinn''s parents were home, and the national news has just switched over to a special alert, with the new fancy title card they used if the story involved magic or the awakened in any way. Damian looked scared, Annette worried, and Quinn nervously glancing at Natalie every few seconds. "Breaking now from the capitol: the United States Marshal Service have announced the capture of a suspect related to the warehouse murders in Seattle." Natalie blindly found Quinn''s hand on the couch next to her, holding on tight. What? How? Who? I''m sitting right here. Did they¡­ did they capture Cinza? Are they blaming her? "The suspect is also being linked to the similar electrical deaths caused by magic from Rallsburg on May 15th of this year." Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no. "We''ve just gotten the official release now: they''ve taken in Rika Nishimura, daughter of the software engineer and billionaire founder of NishiSoft. Nishimura, age twenty-one, is a Canadian citizen born in Kyoto, Japan. She was last seen during the so-called Battle of Lakewood, accompanying Hailey Winscombe in the neighborhoods after the battle had concluded. Nishimura has been arrested on suspicion of thirty-one murders, twenty-nine using magical abilities, which is an unprecedented criminal charge." "That''s horrible¡­" murmured Damian. "Wasted her life," said Annette, shaking her head. "That girl could have done anything with that kind of money." "Her dad hated her," said Natalie quietly. "She didn''t really have that much money after her mom died." Everybody knew her story back then. She never really kept it hidden. Everyone looked at her, surprised. Annette spoke first, a little cautiously. "You knew her too?" "...Yeah. She was in Rallsburg a lot." Natalie didn''t want to say any more. Even confirming Rika had been there at the end could convince them she was the killer. She got up and left the room, letting the news play out behind her as they started talking about the case in-depth, even though they didn''t really know anything. Quinn followed her after a little bit, waiting to see if anything else happened. "I don''t know what to do," said Natalie, as soon as he''d walked in and she''d muffled the room. She sat down on the bed and pulled her knees up to her chin, curling up. "She''s being blamed for what I did." "You didn''t mean to do it." "But she didn''t do it. They give the death penalty for stuff like this." Natalie had looked it up once, after magic was revealed to the world. She needed to know what might happen to her. Now she wished she hadn''t. "I¡­ can''t just let her die." Quinn shook his head. "They won''t do that. They can''t really prove it, right?" "I don''t know." Natalie winced. Quinn sat down on the bed near her, though still the usual distance away. She cursed again the fact they couldn''t be any closer, cursed her own weakness and pain. "I think¡­ I don''t know. I learned how to do electric magic from the same page Rika did." "So¡­ they''ll see the magic is the same or something?" "I don''t know!" Natalie cried. "How does any of this work? I don''t know what to do." Quinn tried to answer, but he didn''t come up with anything. Percy, recognizing her distress, flew across the room from his perch and landed on her shoulder. She felt a little better thanks to him, but she was still trying to wrestle her mind around what had just happened. "I could tell them," she said slowly. "That it was me. That it was self-defense." "But¡­ you said nobody else was really there," said Quinn slowly. "So nobody can back up your story." Natalie shook her head. "...I didn''t tell you, ''cause I''m not supposed to say anything about anyone else." "It''s okay," Quinn hurriedly assured her. "There was someone there?" "Yeah. Both times. But¡­" Natalie winced. "One of them''s completely gone. Nobody''s seen from her since Rallsburg. And the other one¡­ did¡­ the other two at the warehouse." "So they probably don''t want to involve themselves either," said Quinn. "It''d just be me," whispered Natalie. "Me up against the whole country." "You wouldn''t be alone. I''ll be there," said Quinn, taking her hand. "And my mom''s a defense lawyer. She''d help, I''m sure." I don''t know about that¡­ Your parents still seem really scared of me. I feel like Damian asked me to protect you because he''s scared of me¡­ "I don''t know," Natalie whispered again. She couldn''t just let Rika take the blame. She is one of your own. Rika''s one of my own? There is more than one layer to a queendom. Rika is one of you. You protect her just as you protect any under your domain. I mean¡­ I want to. If she were getting attacked and I was nearby, I''d do something. But¡­ She is under attack right now. You have the power to save her. You must consider how to best wield that power. Do not let her be swallowed alive. Natalie didn''t end up deciding anything that night. There was too much. She was overwhelmed. They ate dinner, and Natalie went right back to her preparations¡ªwith even more urgency than before.
There were more whispers than usual on the bus the next morning. Natalie and Quinn were in their usual seats at the very back, but there were more rows between them and the rest of the kids than normal. Everyone kept shooting them surreptitious looks¡ªNatalie in particular. She tried to ignore it, but she knew Quinn had noticed too. By the time they got to school, it was really starting to bother her. Natalie marched right up to a girl, someone she vaguely remembered from the beginning of the year as a nice person. To her surprise, the girl squeaked and bolted away before Natalie could get a word in. "What''s going on¡­?" Natalie murmured to Quinn as they headed to first period English out in the portables. "I have no idea¡­" Quinn whispered back. He pulled out his phone, logging into the social media network most kids at Willford Jenkins used. "I don''t see anything, so we didn''t miss it. Blake?" "Blake, for sure," said Natalie with a sinking expression. What had her self-appointed nemesis done now? It wasn''t just the students, she realized. Their English teacher¡ªsomebody she''d liked since nearly the first day¡ªkept giving her the same half-curious, half-nervous glance whenever she walked nearby. Natalie was getting fed up, but she didn''t want to interrupt the class or cause a scene. As first period finally ended, Natalie had Quinn close and guard the door. "What''s going on?" she asked bluntly, walking up to her teacher. "I¡­ uhh," he stuttered, completely off balance. "Everybody keeps looking at me. I mean, I''m kinda used to that by now, but this is different. What are you all doing?" "Nothing, Nata¡ª" The teacher''s mouth clamped shut, but it was already out. Oh my god. Natalie whirled around to Quinn. He''d heard it too. His eyes were as wide as her own. There was no mistaking what the teacher had been about to say. They bolted out of the room. "How did she find out?" Quinn asked as they sprinted across the field to the school. "I don''t know!" Natalie intended to find out, though, and she was headed to her suspect''s office right away. Quinn once again stood guard outside, all thoughts of attending class long-gone from their heads. Natalie marched in, ignoring the assistant''s protests, and walked straight into the principal''s office in the middle of a phone call. "Yes, ma''am," said the principal, glancing up. She didn''t even look surprised by Natalie''s sudden appearance, gesturing at her to close the door behind her. Natalie did¡ªshe was going to anyway¡ªbut she didn''t sit down. She was way too angry to stay still. "Yes. Yes, I understand. I''m aware what''s going on. Yes, I saw the news last night. I know what happened. No, I don''t think she''s a danger to the other students." Talking about me¡­ "She''s a perfectly normal eighth grader, ma''am, and I''d really appreciate if you stopped¡ªyes, ma''am." The principal set the phone down with the most exhausted sigh Natalie had ever heard. "I''m on hold. They''re calling their lawyer." "...Who?" Natalie asked nervously. "The twelfth concerned parent this morning." She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes, head tilted up toward the ceiling. "I haven''t started hearing from my superiors yet. They''re probably getting calls too." "I''m sorry," said Natalie, as all suspicion evaporated from her mind. "...Thank you, by the way," said the principal unexpectedly. "Huh?" "For not thinking it was me." She smiled sadly. "I''ll help you find out who if I can, but I don''t think it really matters anymore." "We both know who it was," said Natalie quietly. "...Probably." "What happens now?" "Well, I''ve been worrying about this day ever since I put the pieces together myself." She opened a drawer and pulled out a thick file folder. "I''ve got a bunch of case precedent for ensuring you can continue to attend school here, even under the protection of the national guard if necessary. You are guaranteed an education at a school within your reasonable power to attend, and you certainly live in right district, so the law''s on our side." "So¡ª" "We''re going to fight, Natalie," she said. "...Sorry, is it all right that I use your real name?" Natalie smiled slightly. "Yes, please." The principal smiled too. "I''ll be getting the ACLU for sure, and¡­ oh, I''m sorry, I don''t want to bore you with legal details." "It''s okay." Natalie hesitated. "I think I''m going to need to know a lot of this soon." "I''m so sorry this is happening to you, Natalie," she sighed. "You don''t deserve it. You''ve been a perfectly wonderful presence and an excellent student in this school, even with¡­ well, everything," she ended abruptly, and Natalie saw her eyes do the tell-tale flick over to her scar. She nodded. "What do I do now?" "Well¡­" The principal hesitated, clearly uncertain. She glanced down at her phone again, but it was still playing tinny-sounding bad pop music. "You could go back to class, if you wanted, but I suppose that''s not going to be the easiest thing." Natalie shrugged. "It''s been like that since the first day, though. They always all talk about me. This is just a little more." "It''s more than that though," the principal said. "They''re¡­ well, there''s no easy way to say this," she said uncomfortably. "Your identity also means that people are connecting who you are with who your father is." "...Oh," said Natalie, as it dawned on her. No wonder her teacher had looked so afraid. "It''s still all rumor, of course. He''s never been seen. We only have the word of one person, and well¡­ Cinza isn''t exactly the most stable voice in the world." Natalie frowned. Cinza was her friend, she didn''t like hearing her insulted like that. "But it''s enough to scare the parents," she went on. "Some of them are calling because they believe you might be the daughter of a mass-murderer, and others are calling because they assume you''re awakened and they agree with him. Either way¡­" The principal hesitated, looking more grim than before. "Things are going to get ugly. Really ugly. I can''t protect you from that." "I can protect myself," said Natalie firmly. "It''s not that kind of protection." The principal glanced at the office door, where Quinn''s silhouette waited patiently. "I know your friends are all here, and I know you don''t have any other home to go to, so I want to say it again, to be perfectly clear: if you want to stay at this school, I will do everything in my power to make sure that happens. But¡­" "But you think I should leave," said Natalie, fighting hard to keep emotion from her voice. "...I located the phone number for your mother," said the principal carefully. The floor seemed to fall out from underneath Natalie. "...What?" "Lori Hendricks. She still lives in Chicago. It''s far enough away that you can disappear, if you so choose. You''d have to change how you look again¡­" She looked deeply uncomfortable. "I haven''t contacted her, and I won''t unless you tell me to. But I can." Mom¡­ We left her behind. She was so weird toward the end¡­ saying weird things, doing weird things. She seemed to be actually crazy. Except¡­ how much of that was dad? Dad''s the one doing¡­ everything now. So what if¡­ what if Mom''s actually okay? Your mother is not an option. You can''t just decide that. She''s my mom. She still loves me, doesn''t she? Love is not the issue. She is an unknown. She is not one of yours. You have responsibilities here. You belong here. Everyone and everything that matters is here. "Please don''t," Natalie said quietly, giving in and agreeing with the voice. "Don''t call her." The principal nodded. "Then everything else is up to you, Natalie. What do you want to do?" "I just want to go to school," she whispered. "So be it." The principal glanced at her phone again, checking the time. "In that case, Miss Hendricks, I believe you are severely late for second period. I''ll have to write you up if you stay any longer." Natalie managed to crack a smile. The principal did the same. "Thanks." "Go be a kid, Natalie. I''ll take care of the adult half." Natalie nodded, and quickly left, feeling both better and far worse than she ever had in that room.
When they walked into their second period study hall, every single person in the room froze. The teacher, who''d been grading assignments, openly stared at Natalie as she moved through the room, heading for her desk. The rest of the class was whispering, heads low, sneaking glances as her every few seconds. The instant Natalie looked at anyone, they ducked as if for cover. As if she were going to attack them. "Well," said Natalie quietly, "she was right." Quinn winced. "It''ll blow over." "Not when my dad''s in the news all the time. Not while he''s doing all this stuff." Natalie pulled out the make-up work they''d gotten from first period, after another uncomfortable encounter. She couldn''t focus on it though. Every few seconds, she could feel a prickling on her neck. People were watching her constantly. Not just the curious looks she''d always get before they got bored again and went back to their own lives. Now she couldn''t escape it at all. "¡ªRallsburg¡ª" someone was whispering a few tables away. Natalie could hear most of them thanks to her ears, but couldn''t focus on any one conversation long enough to really make out anything substantial. I can''t do this anymore. This is whispers. This is nothing. Ignore them. I don''t¡­ I don''t know what to do. You must endure. You have a goal. Remember your goal. They do not matter. I don''t anymore though. I''m not doing that. I''m staying with Quinn. That''s my only goal. That may no longer be an option. "¡ªBrian¡ª" Natalie''s head snapped toward the whisperer, all the way across the room. The boy''s eyes nearly fell out of their sockets. He scooted his chair back as if to run, but it caught on an uneven floor tile and tilted over. The boy crashed to the floor, silencing the room again. Everyone looked at Natalie. Not at the boy who''d just fallen to the ground. Nobody made fun of him. The teacher didn''t act exasperated and tell him to stay in his seat. No one helped him back to his chair. They stared at Natalie. They all stared at Natalie. "Let''s just go," said Natalie quietly. Quinn nodded. She took his hand and stood. Instantly, the room looked away again. As Natalie passed each table, the whispering fell silent¡ªas if she hadn''t just demonstrated she could hear all of them from any distance anyway. They left, and as soon as the door closed behind them, Natalie heard conversation erupt in earnest. The halls were totally empty. Natalie just wandered for a while, Quinn''s hand in hers, no aim in mind. She called Percy in from above, letting him perch on her shoulder. What did she care anymore? The simple censorship in the book meant nothing. There were only so many kids from Rallsburg, and only one survived. Everyone knew who she was. It wasn''t hard to put together. Somebody was bound to, sooner or later. "Hey!" shouted Kelsey. They turned around. Kelsey was jogging down the hall toward them. Someone stuck their head out of a classroom at the noise, saw the trio, and quickly withdrew again. "Well¡­ how''s your day going?" Kelsey asked, forcing a crooked grin. Natalie felt her head getting heavy and warm again, as tears started to form in her eyes. "Hi, Kelsey." "Hi, Natalie." She grinned. "I like your real name better anyway," she added. "Jenny¡­ Jenny was your best friend, right?" "...Yeah." Natalie gripped Quinn''s hand tighter. She wished, more than anything, that she could just collapse on him for a while, cry into his shoulder, let everything out. But she couldn''t. Even besides her own problems, Quinn wasn''t doing so well himself. She could feel it, though he tried to hide it. Her senses gave away so much more than he knew. She felt his heart racing through his grip, saw the sweat beading on his skin, saw the tiny quivers through his whole body, his eyes darting more than usual behind his glasses. He was scared. "So I''m gonna kill Blake," growled Kelsey. "Wanna come?" "Don''t¡­" said Natalie weakly. Kelsey stopped mid-turn. "What?" "It wouldn''t matter if you did. Everybody knows already." She took a breath. "The principal told me parents are calling in. Saying I can''t be here or they''ll get mad. Protest and try to shut down the school." "That''s bullshit. Don''t they want us in school?" "What should we do?" asked Quinn hesitantly. They both looked at him, surprised. Quinn usually deferred to Natalie on anything related to her secrets, but they still rarely heard him sound so confused. Quinn uncertain of what to do was¡­ unsettling. "Well, screw going back to class," said Kelsey slowly. "Not like it''s really happening right now anyway. I''m guessing yours was just as screwed up?" "We had study hall," said Natalie. "But¡­ yeah." "Everybody''s so stupid," Kelsey growled. "Just get over it already. Where the hell is Mitch?" On cue, Mitch appeared around the corner at the end of the hall. "It''s about time!" "I couldn''t find you guys," he shot back. "We''re standing in the middle of the hallway!" "Yeah, well, I was on the other side of the building." He glanced around. "Tyler?" Natalie winced. "Should we go find him?" "Yeah, definitely," said Kelsey uneasily. "If his class is anything like mine¡­ They would not shut up. And they all know we''re friends, so¡­" They all paused for a second, looking at each other. Natalie broke into a sprint toward Tyler''s classroom, and the other three followed. When Natalie burst through the door, the whole room looked up in shock. She scanned it quickly, but Tyler was nowhere to be found. The teacher opened his mouth to say something, but Natalie just shut the door again before anyone got a word out. "No Tyler?" Kelsey asked, just catching up to Natalie. Mitch and Quinn were well behind, both panting already. "Jeez, guys, get in shape." "I''m good," puffed Mitch. "Just can''t run as fast as you two freaks." Natalie winced. "...Sorry," Mitch said, seeing her face. "I didn''t mean it like that." Kelsey slapped him on the back of the head. "Asshole. Today of all days." "Bathroom," said Quinn. "He''ll be in the bathroom or he''ll be outside." It ended up being the former. They piled into the boy''s bathroom¡ªMitch standing watch this time, filling in for Kelsey from their last all-group bathroom meeting. Tyler was in the last stall, head in his hands, sobbing to himself. "Tyler?" Natalie asked, pushing the door open slightly¡ªjust enough to let him know they were there, but letting him open it when he was ready. "I''m s-sorry, Jenny," he said, a little muffled through his fingers. "I think it''s all m-my f-fault. They all f-f-found the b-book ''cause I did." Natalie shook her head, though of course he couldn''t see her yet. "They would''ve found it anyway, Tyler. You just found it first." "I got that link from somebody else like half an hour later," added Kelsey. "And no way they got it from you." "B-but now e-everybody knows who Jenny is." "It''s okay, Tyler," said Natalie quietly. "I can handle it." "I screwed up though." "You didn''t." He kept crying, unconsolable. Natalie looked at Quinn with a pleading look. It was Tyler, after all. Quinn was his hero. Quinn stepped forward, and his voice was admirably steady for how scared and uncomfortable he looked. "Tyler, it was always going to happen sooner or later. I mean, Blake knew she could do magic, and there''s only one kid from Rallsburg who survived." Natalie winced again, but she knew that Quinn was doing his best. "Everybody was gonna figure it out sooner or later. Blake just sped it up a bit." "She''s a bitch," added Kelsey. "Don''t let her screw with you like this. You didn''t do anything wrong." "We''ve got your back, man!" Mitch called from the doorway. "Tyler, can I open the door?" asked Natalie quietly. "...Y-yeah," he said, and they heard the distinctive puff of his inhaler. Natalie pushed it open. Tyler looked even more of a mess than they''d expected. His eyes were puffy and bright, and tear streaks covered his face, while the top of his shirt was practically soaked. "Dude, there''s tissues right there," said Kelsey uncomfortably. "I-I knew that," said Tyler. Quinn shot Kelsey a sharp look, and she recoiled. Too much, Kelsey, Natalie agreed. It was why they''d picked Mitch to stand guard. Tyler wasn''t the kind of guy who could bounce back from something like this through teasing. "Where''s Steven?" he asked finally through a thick voice. "Not here again," said Quinn. "He said he had to stay home for something. Didn''t say what." "Oh." Tyler looked up at Natalie finally, wiping his eyes with his shirt. Kelsey visibly restrained herself as she handed him a few tissues. "Hi, Jenny¡ªerr, Natalie." "Hi, Tyler," said Natalie, trying her best to smile. "Nice to meet you." That got through to him. Tyler choked out a little laugh. "Y-you girls are in the boys'' room." "You got to see ours," said Kelsey with a smirk. "Only fair we get to see yours." She glanced around. "I''m super disappointed too. What a surprise." Tyler smiled wider. He was feeling better already. "So now what?" asked Kelsey, turning to Natalie. "Gang''s all here. Class is screwed for the rest of the day anyway. Principal''s on our side, but nobody else in the whole building is. What''s next, captain?" "Me?" asked Natalie, surprised. Nobody looked surprised. "Yeah, of course you," said Mitch, who''d left his post at the door. "You''re the smartest one here and you know the most about what''s going on. That makes you captain." "Apparently not in certain games, though," said Kelsey, with a sideways glare at Mitch. "You said you''d never played before!" "Yeah, and I still knew more than you. What does that say about you?" "I think we should just leave," said Natalie, interrupting them. They all hesitated. "You sure?" asked Kelsey finally. "I mean, the rest of us got parents that''ll probably get mad if we just ditch." "They''re going to get mad over this anyway, right?" "Not my parents," Quinn pointed out with a small smile. "It''s not a surprise to them." Mitch shrugged. "My mom probably wouldn''t even think about you. She''d get way more mad about me ditching class. But there''s no class anymore today, so who cares?" "My parents wouldn''t," said Tyler with another sniffle. "They''d just be happy I''m hanging out with you guys." Everyone looked at Kelsey. "...I dunno about my moms," she said slowly. Natalie''s heart fell. Of all her friends, Kelsey was the one she hadn''t expected this from. "I mean, they''re usually pretty cool. But¡­ I dunno on this one." "Is it me?" asked Natalie. "...Kinda," said Kelsey, her face pinched with embarrassment. "They really don''t like magic in general, and also all the stuff with your dad. They¡­ they went to a meeting," she trailed off, looking away. "A meeting of what?" asked Mitch, not following. "People who want to kill everyone like me," said Natalie, feeling weight crushing back down on her again. "I don''t think they were very happy about it!" Kelsey added quickly. "But¡­ well, they didn''t say they weren''t going back. And they love activism and getting involved and all that. So¡­ I don''t know." She looked really upset, which made Natalie feel a little better, but it was so much worse than what she''d expected. "It''s okay, Kelsey," said Natalie. She hated seeing her friend so upset. "It''s not!" Kelsey snapped. "It''s not your fault! You didn''t do anything. You don''t deserve to get locked up or kicked out or hunted or whatever. This is so stupid. Everything''s so stupid. Why are people so stupid?" "Why are people so stupid?" echoed Mitch. For once, Kelsey didn''t take the easy bait. She just leaned back against the nearest sink, still visibly uncomfortable. "Quinn''s place," said Natalie finally. "Let''s all go there. Damian''s home, and everybody knows now, so it''s fine. Nothing''s going to happen at school all day with us here anyway. Even without me, you guys were still distracting the whole class, right?" "Yup," said Mitch, with a pointed glance at Kelsey, "but that''s pretty normal for me." Kelsey cracked a grin, but still didn''t say anything. "You''re not going to go away, right?" asked Tyler behind her. Natalie turned around. "I don''t want you to go away," he added quietly. Natalie shook her head. "I''m not going anywhere. I''m your captain now, right?" "You don''t have glasses," said Tyler, trying to crack a smile, "...but that''s okay." She grinned. "Come on, let''s get out of here." As they walked out of the school into the bright day, heading for Quinn''s home, Natalie felt the creeping guilt return. She''d promised Tyler, but could she really keep that promise? Kelsey''s words were echoing in her head, over and over, like a bell that wouldn''t stop chiming. "She didn''t do anything! She doesn''t deserve to get locked up!" Rika didn''t do anything either. I did those things. She doesn''t deserve to get locked up. You can''t protect her without failing to protect your own here. So I should just let her go through the trial? No. We must find the best course of action. We must find a way to set Rika free without also giving up our own freedom. How do we do that? Quinn''s mother is an attorney. Your principal was contacting legal organizations. Cinza may have resources, and you must contact her anyway about what she knows, and if she plans to reveal it. But what if that doesn''t work? What if I have to turn myself in? What if I get locked up forever? I don''t know if I can do that, even to save Rika. Only you can make that decision, Natalie. B2: Chapter 40 — Guilt Chapter 40 ¡ª Guilt Natalie led the way to the nearest bus stop. Quinn stayed close by her side, while Percy flew high above them, keeping watch. After a helpful tip from the voice, she''d realized that the rest of the world wouldn''t recognize her quite so readily, and keeping Percy close made them stand out far too much. Kelsey, Mitch and Tyler lagged behind just a little, which didn''t do much to soothe Natalie''s nerves¡ªor her feelings. She believed they were her friends, true and loyal, but this new revelation hadn''t had time to set in. Quinn had taken a minute to come around when she''d told him, and that was with her telling him. Who knew exactly what the others had heard? What might they be thinking about Natalie¡ªwho she was, who her father was, what had happened in Rallsburg? Natalie couldn''t just let it sit. She had to know for certain¡­ but she didn''t want to go through it more times than she absolutely needed to. Once was bad enough already. "Quinn¡­" she murmured. "Yeah?" "We should find Steven. If he''s not actually sick like Mitch said, and something else is going on, we gotta be there for him." He nodded, though there was an undercurrent of anxiety to every movement Quinn made now. Natalie couldn''t blame him¡ªher own skin was constantly crawling, begging her to flee, keeping her paranoia sky-high¡ªbut she wished he could be a stable rock, somewhere she could roost like Percy might, and take a breath. You will never be accepted by their world. Natalie couldn''t disagree. There might be a few exceptions, like Quinn¡ªand her principal, apparently¡ªbut the mundane world had shown its colors again and again. "Hey," said Quinn into his phone. He''d gotten ahold of Steven. His fingers clutched around hers even tighter as they spoke. "Listen, Steven, we ''ve got a code re¡ªwhat?" They stopped walking. Mitch nearly bowled into the suddenly stock-still Quinn, barely paying attention as he continued the latest heated debate with Kelsey. "What the heck, dude?" Quinn ignored him, and so did everybody else. "...This is really big, man," he murmured. Another pause. Sweat trickled down the back of Natalie''s neck. A brush of wind rustled her hair. She glanced around the street, certain they were being watched, but nothing stood out. Likewise, Percy¡ªwho, for all her insults, was actually quite good at spotting danger¡ªhad not called out any warning. "You¡­" Quinn''s eyes screwed up in confusion. He glanced at his phone. "...He hung up." "Well, that settles it," said Mitch confidently. "We gotta go get him." "We do?" asked Tyler. "He just texted me," said Quinn. "Said he''s gotta stay home all day, but nothing about being sick." "Sounds like an invitation to me," said Kelsey. Natalie nodded. "We''re going there." "But what about¡­" Quinn trailed off, looking at Natalie nervously. She shrugged. "If his mom''s there, I''ll talk to her. Or we run." "We run?" asked Tyler fearfully. "Yeah, we run, dude," said Kelsey. "Don''t worry. Natalie and I got your back." Natalie smiled. "Right." An engine rumbled by, shaking the ground and pressing in on Natalie''s sharp ears. The bus was pulling up to the stop¡ªand they needed to be on it. "Come on!" Kelsey cried, breaking into a run. Mitch tore after her, Tyler trying desperately to keep up. Natalie started to follow. Quinn hesitated. She glanced at him. "Quinn?" she asked quietly. "Nothing." He started to move. What''s going on? You do not have time to worry about it. Hurry! The voice was right. Natalie sped up, nearly dragging Quinn along behind her as she picked up speed. She slowed down, not wanting to let go of his hand. Natalie had to remember just how fast she could sprint. They made the bus just in time. Natalie and Quinn flashed their school bus passes on the scanner. As usual, Natalie got the stare from the driver, but to her relief, it was just the typical scar-stare. Nothing to do with her real identity. Quickly, she hurried to the rear seats snatched up by the others. "How many stops?" asked Natalie quietly. She hadn''t been paying much attention the last time they''d ridden out to Steven''s place, and it was a school bus before. "Not too many," said Quinn. "Here, Jenny," said Kelsey. Natalie took a split-second to realize why she''d used her old name, before remembering that it still wasn''t totally safe out in public. Better safe than sorry. Thanks, Kelsey. "Come sit back here in the corner on the side seat. So your scar''s facing away from everyone." Natalie nodded. "Good idea." Quinn couldn''t sit with her in that spot. Natalie squeezed his hand again before breaking away. The release sent a chill through her arm, but it coupled with an incongruent sense of relief that troubled her even more. I thought I was past that¡­ Every contact you allow puts you further at risk. Leave me and Quinn alone. I will never leave you, Natalie. Somehow, the voice made it sound equally comforting and ominous. Natalie shivered, both from the cold rush of air from the bus speeding up down a hill, and from the voice''s last words. Natalie knew she was crazy, at least to some degree. People weren''t supposed to hear voices, and definitely weren''t supposed to talk back to them. Sometimes, she chalked it up to magic¡ªafter all, people weren''t supposed to be able to talk to animals, or shoot lightning bolts, or fly, or whatever else people like her could do¡ªbut the voice felt different. It didn''t come from the fire inside her, the little crackling source of her power and energy. The voice was something else entirely. It scared her, and it protected her, and Natalie couldn''t decide if it was a bad thing. Every day that went by, she became more comfortable with it floating around in her mind. The voice held no distinct sound¡ªwhile Natalie liked to attribute it to Linnethea from the game, in truth, she couldn''t tell if it even had a gender of any kind, much less an identity. Natalie had no idea where it came from, why it had awoken, or why it wanted to help her so much. She''d grown to trust it, but that very fact scared her as well. The voice simply was, no matter how much Natalie might try to deny it. Far worse, she was afraid she''d come to accept it entirely. Am I going down the same path as Dad? You do not hold hate in your heart. You are untouched by rage. You act for the good of those you love. I get mad. I hate. Do you? What about¡­ Seattle? You could pursue him at any time and claim revenge. You have not. Your father would not have done the same. Hailey would not have done the same. They are avatars of hate and vengeance. You are different. But what about Blake? I got mad. I hurt her. You have only ever acted in your own defense. It was true, and Natalie was slowly coming around to the voice''s side in their ongoing argument. Despite her fears, despite all the weight she carried with her every day, Natalie felt comforted. The deep-seated terror she held, that she might become exactly what everyone feared, had been quashed by the voice. She still didn''t necessarily see herself as good, but she wasn''t going out and hunting people down. Thank you. Of course, Natalie. But¡­ we still might have to turn ourselves in. To protect Rika. We may, or we may find another path which still sets her free. Our options are not yet so limited. Right. "We''re here," Kelsey murmured to Natalie. She glanced up, and sure enough, the familiar outline of Steven''s apartment building was coming into view ahead. They clambered to their feet, while Quinn pulled the cord to signal for a stop. As they exited, Natalie lifted her eyes to the sky, where Percy still circled high above. She sent a tiny wave of magic up to him, a signal she''d worked out to tell him to perch nearby and watch out. They''d be forewarned if any cars approached the complex, particularly the one belonging to Steven''s mother. Natalie didn''t want to get surprised again.
Quinn knocked on the door. "Steven?" No answer. He glanced over at Natalie, worried. "Should we go in?" asked Kelsey nervously. "It''s locked, and their building has security." Natalie shrugged. "I could open it." "I don''t¡­" Quinn glanced around. The rest of them looked determined, and Natalie certainly wasn''t going to back down. Quinn nodded, and Natalie stepped forward. Her mind reached out, tracing the handle and lock on the other side. A few seconds later, they clicked open. She grinned. "Easy." They trooped in behind Natalie. It seemed an unspoken agreement now that Natalie lead the way into anywhere new. She didn''t mind¡ªshe was stronger than the rest of them combined, by far. If it meant she could protect them from something waiting around a corner someday, it was completely worth the bursts of fear she felt every time she walked into a room all alone. "Hello?" Natalie called out. "...Jenny?" Steven''s voice echoed out from his room. A moment later, he emerged¡ªand instantly, Natalie could tell something was wrong. Steven was seriously upset. He didn''t exactly show it, but the way he carried himself and his face gave it away. "Where you been, man?" asked Mitch, who obviously hadn''t noticed a thing. "You already heard?" asked Quinn, which surprised Natalie a little more. She assumed he''d have noticed, at least. This wasn''t anything to do with her. "Guys¡­" Natalie said slowly. "This is something else." "Huh?" Steven''s eyes widened a little. "What happened?" "Well¡­" Natalie took a breath. "Blake told. Everybody knows." "Oh¡­" To her surprise, the news didn''t seem to strike very hard. Maybe ''cause he wasn''t at school. He didn''t see how crazy it made everybody. He sounded¡­ underwhelmed. "That''s bad." "Yeah, no shit it''s bad," said Kelsey. "Stupid parents are trying to kick Jenny out of school." "Natalie," she murmured. "Right. Natalie," said Kelsey, looking embarrassed. "Sorry." "It''s okay." Steven looked at her, and he seemed to finally be distracted from whatever was really on his mind. "Natalie?" "That''s my real name." "Oh. Okay." He nodded. "So what happened?" As a group, they moved over to the living room area while they talked. Natalie took the chair at the end, which was just wide enough for her and Quinn to sit with a bit of space between them. Everyone else piled onto the couch, Mitch snagging a basket of chips as he went. He crunched through them as they spoke, taking turns spelling out the whole day for Steven. "...and we just left class, since everybody wouldn''t leave us alone anymore," Kelsey finished up, filling in the gaps Natalie hadn''t known. "Stupid questions about Jenny, over and over and over." She winced. "Sorry, Natalie." Natalie ignored the slip. She knew it would take a while for them to adjust her name in their heads. "What kind of questions?" "If your mom was a wolf, if you sleep out in the forest, if you drink blood and sacrifice babies or something. Seriously super weird," said Kelsey. "They asked me if your family worships the devil," said Mitch. "Huh?" "Apparently that''s what witches do." He shrugged. "I told ''em the devil wishes he could do what you can." Natalie frowned. That wasn''t exactly the sort of thing she''d want to hear¡­ "They¡­" Tyler sniffed, and had to use his inhaler before continuing. "They asked me if you''ve got magic, why you hadn''t¡­ you know¡­ for me¡­" He trailed off, but Natalie could fill in the gaps. "Assholes," muttered Kelsey. "Tyler, there''s nothing wrong with you." "Asthma''s wrong with me," said Tyler uncomfortably. "They still can''t figure out what kind of medications I''m supposed to take so I don''t need an inhaler anymore." "I couldn''t¡ª" Natalie started, but Tyler cut her off. "I know. Mason''s Law." She raised an eyebrow. How does he know about that? Oh¡­ right. The whole diary is out now¡­ which means Tyler has read everything about my dad too. We need to ask them. We must know what they are thinking. Yeah. She took Quinn''s hand, which didn''t really reassure her as much as she''d like, and looked at a vague spot off in the distance. Natalie couldn''t bring herself to see how they''d react. "You guys should know¡­ about my dad." "Brian Hendricks," said Tyler, nodding. Kelsey''s mouth fell open. "...Huh?" Mitch rounded on her. "You didn''t figure it out?" "Nobody mentioned anything about that! I didn''t know her last name." Natalie winced. She''d assumed they''d made that connection, at least. "He''s my dad, yeah." "Wait, so¡­ the meeting my moms went to¡­" Kelsey put a hand over her mouth. "Your dad is running the whole ''let''s kill everybody awakened'' thing?" She shook her head in disbelief. "But¡­ but that''s crazy! You''re awakened!" "He doesn''t know that," murmured Natalie. "I never told him." "Why not?" "...I was afraid he''d take it away. He got scared by everything back home." Natalie''s eyes fell to the ground. "We were there four years before Dad let me hang out with Jenny for real. He was just finally starting to feel like home in Rallsburg, and I was thinking I could introduce him to Gwen and Scrappy once Rachel said it was okay, but then¡­ he disappeared." "He disappeared?" asked Mitch. "You dad just ditched you?" "Dad thinks magic is too dangerous for anybody," said Natalie. "My best friend got killed and he was afraid I might be next." I think so, anyway. That''s the only thing that makes sense to me¡­ Mitch looked seriously offended. "My dad would never ditch me like that." "He was trying to protect me," said Natalie, suddenly angry. Her eyes shot up to meet Mitch, while her skin boiled slightly just under the surface. Heat was radiating outward in an instant. Natalie wasn''t sure why, but she felt like she still had to defend her father. "He had good reasons." "For trying to kill everybo¡ª" "It doesn''t matter," said Steven quietly. Everybody stopped, looking over at him. He hadn''t spoken since they first walked in. Natalie wasn''t even sure he''d been paying attention, though of course he had been. "He''s your family, right?" Steven asked, and there was a painful undercurrent to his words. All the defensiveness in Natalie evaporated. "He''s family," he repeated, more subdued. "Steven¡­?" Natalie asked nervously. He took a deep breath, staring at the papers scattered on the coffee table. Natalie hadn''t even glanced at them, but with Steven''s sudden focus, she decided to take a closer look. Death certificate¡­? Court papers? Some kind of¡­ I don''t know what these mean. But¡­ who died? Was it¡­ oh my god, Steven''s mom? No¡­ "Mom''s out doing paperwork," said Steven, instantly dispelling that fear. "She''s not gonna be home for a while, so you don''t need to worry." Natalie nodded. "Percy''s watching out too, just in case." She hesitated. "Steven¡­ who¡­ who died?" "What?" asked Mitch, head whipping around to face their friend. Steven straightened his glasses, which had gone askew at some point. He looked on the verge of breaking down, which was shocking to all of them. Steven was usually the stable, smart one of the Glasses Gang. If he was this upset¡­ "My brother Logan." Oh god. "Your¡­ that''s your big brother, right?" asked Kelsey. "The one who¡­" she trailed off, looking embarrassed. Steven nodded. "He got killed in a drug thing. They came to tell us on Monday. That''s why I was gone all week." ...Drug thing? "I''m so sorry, man," said Mitch, putting an arm around his shoulders. "That sucks." "But¡ª" Tyler started. Kelsey immediately kicked his foot to shut him up. Even if Logan screwed up really bad, Steven still loved him. They''re family, just like he said. "How do you do it?" Steven asked, looking to Natalie. "Huh?" "You''ve lost so much. How do you deal with this? How are you so strong?" I still don''t know. I don''t think I''m strong at all. You are strong. We''re strong together. That doesn''t help Steven though. And it''s not true for me either. You weren''t there when Jenny died, or when Rallsburg blew up. "I¡­ I had somebody to go after," said Natalie slowly, unsure if this was what Steven needed, but she didn''t want to lie to him. "I had people to protect, and the guy who killed Jenny was still out there." "...They already caught her though," said Steven. "That''s why they finally told us he died, since they''re supposed to tell the family before it all goes public. They arrested her on Tuesday." Wait¡­ Logan. Logan Chau. Where have I heard that before? The prickling on Natalie''s neck was back tenfold. Something was wrong. Really wrong. "Who?" asked Kelsey. "That awakened girl all over the news. Rika Nishimura." A hammer blow to Natalie''s skull. A feather could have pushed her over in that moment. The room was falling in on her from every direction. The others kept talking, but Natalie fell deadly silent, and Quinn right along with her. Her fingers were gripping Quinn''s so tight, she thought she might break his hand. Her skin was on fire, her heart roaring up through her throat. He was¡­ oh no. No no no no no no no no no. I¡­ Steven''s brother was¡­ he was there. He was with them. Their faces flashed through her mind. Drugs. Steven said his brother dealt drugs. And Steven knew that gang. Steven''s mom hated that gang especially, and kicked me out ''cause of the scar on my face. So I¡ª Stop, Natalie. I killed¡ª Stop, now. I killed Steven''s brother. You must not go down this path. It was me. I killed his brother. It''s my fault. You were defending yourself. I killed his brother. No matter what the voice said, the refrain repeated endlessly in Natalie''s mind. She shrunk back in the chair beside Quinn, and her hand finally left his as she pulled her legs up in front of her. Natalie wanted more than anything to sink away, to turn invisible as Cinza or Jessica could do, fly away like Hailey, make a portal as the Laushires could create, speed away like Omega. She needed to escape, but she had no way out. Not from herself.
An hour passed. The gang returned to relatively normal conversation. Hunger was getting to them. They''d left school before lunch. Steven and Kelsey started making frozen pizzas while Mitch and Tyler started a game of Conquest. Quinn, after realizing Natalie was deep in her own thoughts, sat down to join them. I have to tell them. That is a dangerous course of action. They''re going to find out anyway. Isn''t it more dangerous for them to find out from the news? Back and forth, Natalie and the voice argued. It seemed to think her friends could not be trusted, and Natalie couldn''t agree. Quinn most certainly could be, and she''d long-since grown to trust the rest of the Gang. Natalie believed in them. She''d been blindsided by this latest news, but it didn''t change her relationship with her friends. They have never been tested. You might be wrong. They got tested today. Any of them could''ve ditched me. They all left class on their own and came to find me. It is not the same. It''s good enough. Natalie pulled out her phone. She wouldn''t bring it up until after lunch. There was no point in ruining the pizzas with terrible news. In the meantime, she needed to check what was going on in the world¡ªif the news about her school had spread, or if there was an update about Rika, or something about her dad, or the Greycloaks, so on. She had so many things to watch for in the news these days. A video floated up into her feed, something shared by hundreds of thousands of people across the country. Rika was in the title. Natalie opened her bag and willed it to rotate around to the pockets related to her phone, snatching up her earbuds so she could listen to the video in private. "Thirty-one murders, and who knows what else besides? There could be more." "Murder''s a bit of a stretch, isn''t it? By all accounts, these sound like self-defense." "Maybe in one place, but this is a pattern. People don''t just keep getting into situations where they have to use lethal force to defend themselves. Either she''s incredibly unlucky and dangerously lethal defending herself, or she''s actively seeking these outcomes." "Nishimura''s a killer, no doubt about it. Look at her. That''s the face of a murderer." "Lock her up, I say." Natalie tensed up, watching the angry faces argue back and forth on her tiny phone screen. She didn''t want to be listening to this, but she knew it was too important. Her stomach tied knots around itself as they kept talking, revulsion mixed with fear in unpleasant rumblings throughout her body. "That''s no good. You heard their big speech in London. Our prisons mean nothing to them. Plus, if this girl''s anything like the Winscombe chick, what''s locking her up gonna do?" "I thought Winscombe is supposed to be a special case." "Like you''re gonna trust their word? We can''t just lock these people up. They''re too dangerous." "So what, then?" "Federal crime. The death penalty''s still around. Dangerous people who can''t be kept under control have to be removed from our society. She fits the bill." "If she''s convicted." "Oh, duh. Innocent until proven guilty. I''m just sayin'', if they prove it, they better move fast, because you know sure as hell the rest of these ''awakened'' are gonna try to do somethin'' about it." "So kill Nishimura before they can get to her." "Exactly. Don''t leave nothin'' to chance." Natalie ripped the earbuds out. She was panting like she''d just run the mile again, without her magic¡ªand in fact, her lungs burned and her chest ached as if she really had. Hearing them talk so bluntly, so openly about killing Rika¡­ Would they really do it? It has been done. It could be again. We can''t let that happen. Yeah¡­ "Jen¡ªer, Natalie?" asked Kelsey, just as she slid the first pizza onto the counter. Steven followed a moment later with the second one. "Let''s eat," she replied, getting to her feet unsteadily. Quinn rushed toward her, but Natalie quickly waved him off. In her current state, she definitely couldn''t let anyone nearby. They might overwhelm her completely. Two slices floated off the tray and onto a paper plate, flying in tandem with a can of soda across the room to Natalie. She fell back into her chair again, digging in, trying to distract herself from the rest of the room. The roof of her mouth burned from the hot cheese, and the soda taste barely registered on her tongue even as it fizzed down her throat, but Natalie didn''t care. Just so long as she could get enough time to compose herself. There''s not enough time anymore. I wanted more time. I just wanted to hang out with my friends. We must be gone soon. We can''t stay here any longer. Our time in their world is past. Natalie didn''t want to believe it. She refused to believe it. "Want to play another round after lunch?" she asked Tyler, between mouthfuls of pizza. He nodded eagerly. "You think you can beat me yet?" "...You can''t," said Steven from the end of the table. "Huh?" asked Natalie, genuinely confused. Steven usually was on her side in the long-running challenge for the best of the group. "No, I mean¡­ you guys can''t play a game. After you eat, I think you should leave." Another branch torn away from Natalie''s tree. She fell back into her chair, feeling more heartbroken than ever. "Why?" asked Kelsey, voicing the anger and confusion Natalie couldn''t muster. "My mom said she might come home after lunch¡­" Steven glanced at the clock. It was still before noon, but Natalie knew the risk before he even voiced it. "If she sees Jenny¡­ with that," he added apologetically, "I don''t know what she''ll do. Call the police for sure. Maybe worse." "That''s so not fair," Kelsey snapped. "Come on, man!" added Mitch, tossing his pizza down on the table dramatically. Natalie shook her head. She''d had enough. She couldn''t taste her food anymore anyway. It flew off into the open trash can with a soft thump. "It''s okay, Steven," she whispered. He looked like he might start crying. "I''m so sorry¡­" he murmured. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. She couldn''t face him. Natalie knew it wasn''t really his fault, but it didn''t matter. She hurried out of the room, and the rest of the group was quick to follow. Only Quinn lingered behind, finally emerging from the apartment a couple minutes later. None of them spoke a word as they boarded the first bus to arrive. Only a few blocks later did Natalie finally speak up again. "I want to go home," she murmured, and though she had spoken softly, all four of them heard her, huddled close in the rear of the bus. "Yeah," agreed Quinn. "Back to my place. We''ll go home." Natalie''s eyes welled up, and she quickly looked away, because Quinn hadn''t understood her in the slightest. For all the perceptiveness she credited him with, he''d said the exact opposite of what she needed to hear in that moment. Quinn''s home was not her home. Maybe it could have been, but his parents were afraid, just as everyone was afraid. She leaned back against the seat cushions, laying her head down as best she could. Natalie wanted nothing more than to close her eyes, shut out the world again, but she couldn''t do that. If something happened, her friends couldn''t protect her, or even themselves. She always had to be ready. That was her new life. That was the way of the world now.
As the bus neared the school, Natalie had a sudden thought. There was one person who''d stuck by her, one adult who persisted even with every new piece of horrible information spreading through the world like a virus. Natalie needed to know why. More importantly, she could do with some kind of comforting presence, some reassurance there were still good people in the world right now. She pulled the stop cord with a quick spell. "What was that?" Quinn asked. He hadn''t seen the cord move, but he saw her mutter a spell, and he''d heard enough of them now to know what she was doing. Natalie was getting good at casting spells with only the barest whisper of sound, but she still had to say something to pull it off. "I need something from the principal," Natalie said quickly, as the bus ground to a halt in front of the school. Natalie hurried off, and her friends barely made it out behind her. The bus doors slammed closed, and a gust of wind seemed to push her forward as it rolled away¡ªbut the school was no longer a welcoming place of learning. A steady stream of people washed in and out of the school like ocean waves, right in front of them. Parents went in, and came back out with their children a few minutes later. Natalie watched, dumbstruck, as they walked right past her without so much as a second glance. Her hair was helping to cover her scar, but still¡ªwasn''t she the reason they were taking their kids away? I''m right here! Aren''t they going to get mad at me? They do not fear you. They fear what you represent. They don''t know you. Natalie shook her head at the insanity of it all. She motioned for her friends to wait behind¡ªshe wouldn''t be long, and she wanted to talk to the principal in private. Natalie hurried into the school, past another few scurrying parents with their kids. Some looked excited to be leaving school early, while others shared the same fearful expressions as the adults. Natalie hurried past with her face low and posture forward, doing everything she could to hide her identity. Raised voices drew her into the principal''s office like a beacon. Natalie walked right up to the door, listening carefully. It didn''t sound like a parent¡ªin fact, it sounded more like the principal was talking to somebody above her. I thought she was in charge of the whole school. So this is like¡­ somebody from the city, I guess? "...and don''t cite Title IX to me! I ran on Title IX!" "We both know education board races are practically free." "Are you getting snippy with me?" "I''m twice your age, young woman. I''ll be as snippy as I damn well please. Natalie Hendricks is welcome in this school. There is no legal justification to remove her." "Being ''awakened'' isn''t covered by anti-discrimination law. She''s practically carrying weapons into the school." "I guess we''d better outlaw scissors then." "Watch i¡ª" "You should know that both the Title IX coordinator and the other directors of the Board agree with me." "You¡­ You..." The other woman in the room seemed flabbergasted, with an incredulous tone bordering on comical. Natalie wondered what expression was on her face. In another situation, she might have found it funny. "You went behind my back?" "I like to think I went beside it, personally." "But¡ª" "We''re practically on the border of the district. I contacted Zachary, and he passed it onto the rest of the Board without my knowledge." The principal was smug beyond her words, though Natalie had spoken to her enough now to recognize the stress and exhaustion lurking beneath. "They aren''t the ones dealing with angry voters right now." "I''m sure they will be soon enough." "This isn''t over." "I have no doubt." Footsteps toward the door. Natalie stepped to the side, but she wasn''t fast enough. It swung wide, and a harried young woman in a sharp business suit and skirt stared down at her. Her eyes went wide. "Are you¡ª" "Yes," said Natalie, before the principal could respond. The woman opened and closed her mouth a few times, lost for words. Finally, she hurried out of the room, with several nervous glances back toward Natalie as she left. "I''m sorry about that, Natalie," said the principal. "Please, come in." "Who was that?" asked Natalie, closing the door and sitting down in the chair. "The director for our school district. She''s not handling this very well." The principal sighed, leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes. "I''m sorry, Natalie. I wish I had better news for you right now." "I can''t come back," said Natalie, nodding slowly. The principal''s eyes snapped open. "No!" she practically shouted. "You are still a member of this school, and you are welcome to attend every class you want. That hasn''t changed." She shook her head. "I just meant¡­ well, everything else, I suppose. We''re still going to fight though." "...Why?" The principal looked taken aback. She didn''t answer, and Natalie realized she hadn''t been very clear. "Why are you fighting so hard for me?" The principal sighed again, and it was so drenched in exhaustion Natalie felt like collapsing under the sheer weight of her voice alone. "Because I didn''t last time." "Huh?" "I''ve been in the business of running schools for a very long time, Natalie. Forty years, actually, as of September. This isn''t the first time this sort of thing has happened." "...Oh," said Natalie. "But magic didn''t exist before." She smiled. "No, and I wish to God that these other children had been given such a gift as you hold. Instead, they were sick with something incurable, and parents were afraid their own might get sick too. It was impossible to get sick just sharing a school with what these kids had, but the parents were too afraid to listen to reason. Something quite similar to today started happening, students pulled out of schools and protests against the system." "And you had to fight then too?" The principal shook her head. "I wish I had. I let it happen. I didn''t protect those students. I caved into pressure. I was on the wrong side." "Oh¡­" Natalie felt like she should be mad, but the principal looked so ashamed and regretful, Natalie knew she didn''t deserve it. "Bright young kids who just wanted to go to school." The principal smiled weakly. "Just like you. I''m trying to do better, and that''s why I''m not going to give up. For their sake and for yours, I''m going to keep fighting." "I¡­" Natalie was truly touched, but it only added to the mounting guilt weighing about her shoulders. She''s doing so much for me, and I might not even come back. "Thank you." "Now," said the principal, setting aside her papers. "What can I do for you, Natalie?" Natalie opened her mouth, but nothing came out. There were things she could ask, like what to do about Rika, or Steven''s mom, or even just advice on where she should go next, but Natalie couldn''t say anything. The world had turned itself inside-out today, and Natalie was only barely hanging on as it was. The principal might be fighting for her, but Natalie wasn''t really like those other kids, as nice as the thought might be. They were sick, she had magic¡ªand worse, she had done things they couldn''t possibly have done. Would the principal think differently of Natalie if she knew the truth? She has a cause worth fighting for. No matter your feelings, the idea that awakened should be treated the same as the rest is noble. We should not take that from her. Yeah¡­ Let her continue the fight. Even if she finds out the truth eventually, she will have set the wheels in motion to protect others. Natalie finally shook her head. "I just¡­ we were on our way back to Quinn''s, and I wanted to come say thank you." The principal looked taken aback once again, overcome with emotion. She took out a handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes. Natalie felt uncomfortable¡ªadults crying always sent her back to Rallsburg again, or to Jessica''s funeral. "That''s¡­ that''s very kind of you, Natalie." "I think you''re a really good principal, Mrs¡­" Natalie trailed off. "I¡­ I don''t actually know your name," she added, embarrassed. The principal didn''t keep a nameplate on her desk, and Natalie had never learned her name over her few months at the school¡ªparticularly since everyone had always just used the ''evil queen'' nickname. "Sorry¡­" The principal barked out a laugh, and had to dab at her eyes again as she replied. "Well, I didn''t know yours until this week, so it''s only fair." She smiled. "Frieda Talbot." "Natalie Hendricks." Natalie smiled back. "I promise, I''ll come back to school someday." Principal Talbot nodded. "I''ll make sure it''s still here for you." She waved a hand in the air lazily. "Don''t you have friends waiting? Hurry up, now."
Another door, but this time, Natalie didn''t bother to knock. This was Quinn''s house, and even if Natalie knew she could never see it as a home, she still felt comfortable walking in unannounced. "Hello?" called Damian, leaning up from the couch. "Hi, Dad," said Quinn, sounding embarrassed. "...Q, what on earth¡­" Damian glanced over the whole group, trooping in behind Quinn and Natalie. "Did you start a rebellion?" "Natalie did," said Mitch from the back. "Uh¡­ huh." "Tons of parents were taking their kids out of school, Mr. Kincaid," said Kelsey. "Everybody''s freaking out because they think Natalie''s dangerous. Which she''s not," she added pointedly. Natalie winced. She wished nobody had even said the word dangerous. The Kincaids were already nervous around her¡ªthis certainly wasn''t going to improve their relationship. Still, Damian looked more confused than concerned as his son''s friends rolled into his home in the middle of the afternoon. "Nobody was gonna have a real class while we were there anyway," said Mitch, immediately heading into the kitchen and grabbing a bag of chips. "Too busy being obsessed over magic." "Oh, like you aren''t too," said Kelsey. "Yeah, but not in that way." "Natalie, can we talk, please?" said Damian quietly, as Quinn''s friends filtered through the apartment, taking up their usual hang-out spots. Natalie''s heart sank, but she tried to stay optimistic as she followed him back into Quinn''s room, Quinn right by her side. Damian sat down in the computer chair, while the pair of them took the bed. Damian nodded at the door, and Natalie swung it closed with her mind. Bad move, she realized, as Damian stared far too long before finally turning back to them. "I didn''t want to say it in front of your friends, Natalie, but I''ve been doing a lot of reading this morning." "Who cares who her dad is?" Quinn asked abruptly. "...Quinn, it matters," said Damian, and using his full name set them both back on their heels a little. "I''m not saying Natalie''s like her dad, but this is something you should have told us." "Why?" Quinn pressed, while Natalie wished he''d stay silent. "There''s a lot of stuff she shouldn''t be telling anybody. It''s not safe stuff to tell." "She lives here," said Damian. "This sort of information puts us all in danger." "How?" "Because people might come after me," said Natalie quietly. "Because my dad killed a lot of people and they''ll want revenge." Quinn faltered. Damian nodded gravely. "Yes." "Nobody knows I live here though," said Natalie desperately, even though she already knew it was likely futile. The world had shown her, piece by piece, that she wasn''t welcome. This place, like so many others, wasn''t for her. "It''s okay." "I''m not saying you have to leave, Natalie," said Damian, though that was the only thing Natalie really heard. "But¡­" Natalie nodded. Damian left the room without finishing his thought, leaving them even more uncomfortable than before. Quinn didn''t say a word, and Natalie couldn''t imagine what was going through his head. They went back out to join the rest of the Gang, an unspoken agreement between them not to say anything about what had just happened. Mitch and Kelsey were playing a video game, while Tyler immediately challenged Natalie to a round of Conquest. Natalie pulled Linnethea out of her bag and sat down, letting Quinn recover from his own shock. His parents are disappointing him. You know what he is going through. I¡­ I guess. I don''t really think it''s the same thing though. At least he gets to talk to them. I don''t even know where my dad is. "I''ll play Sir Tennenbaur," said Tyler excitedly, while he set up the territory decks for their draft. "Sure," said Natalie absent-mindedly, still watching Quinn watch the other two play their game. I hope he''s okay. "You gonna play Linnethea again?" "Yeah." Natalie leaned in, bringing her mind back into focus. The game would help. She didn''t have anything more to do right now. They weren''t going anywhere else, and Natalie needed some time to relax. She leaned forward and plucked up a forest. I''m going to win today. I need this right now. You prepared a strategy. Execute it well. Yeah. We''ve got this. "Same thing every time, huh?" said Tyler. He took a moment, then grabbed a wizard tower and a fort. "Look who''s talking," murmured Natalie, too quietly for Tyler to hear. She sent her signal out¡ªa gust of wind the hawk would recognize¡ªand Percy shot into the room a moment later through the window at the end of the hall. Natalie held up her arm, and he landed gently, much moreso than usual. Tyler looked suitably impressed and distracted, as she''d hoped. "Two castles." "...What?" This was way outside any strategy she''d ever used with Linnethea¡ªin fact, it didn''t make any sense with an elf draft. She was trying something new, something she hadn''t even read about. It was an idea she''d gotten from the voice. Natalie picked up the cards, staring Tyler down with a small smile. "Your pick." "I¡­" Tyler hesitated. He''s going to go for a fast deck. My castles are going to scare him into thinking I''m trying to play really slow. We can surprise him. Yeah. "A market and a metal mine," said Tyler finally, grabbing the respective cards. "Two more castles," said Natalie without hesitation. "What are you doing?" he asked nervously. Protecting my own. "Your pick." "Two metal mines," he said suspiciously. "Two forests," Natalie countered immediately. She didn''t actually care what he drafted, but if he went fast, it would likely be easier to pull off. He couldn''t actually burst through what she was planning, no matter how fast he went, and it would leave him vulnerable as soon as her strategy unfolded. "A farm and a village," said Tyler, diversifying a little. It slowed him down, but ensured he could play a few more valuable cards later in the game. Natalie wasn''t quite as secure, but she still believed in her strategy. "Two wizard towers," she ended, the blindside to her draft. She hadn''t picked up a single food-producing territory, or any upkeep whatsoever. Tyler had expected her to grab farms, or villages at the very least, in her final pick, but Natalie had opted for something entirely different. Tyler looked seriously concerned. "I don''t get it." "Your pick," Natalie said calmly. Mitch glanced over, as the round of their fighting game had just ended. "Whoah, what the hell? Natalie, what is that?" Quinn looked over too. Seeing her strategy, a bit of life returned to his face. He''d been around for when she first came up with the idea, but he didn''t know that she''d actually solved it. She smiled back, while Tyler finally picked up one last territory for himself¡ªa castle. Perfect. Castles are totally useless against this. Wasted final card. They began to arrange their territories. As expected, Tyler laid out his in a T, with the castle guarding the border while the metal mines waited far in the rear. Since Natalie appeared to have no real forward offense, he actually used the two middle squares as well, leaving only his front corners empty while removing his fort and his village. Natalie, in return, had played every single territory. Her front line was a wall of castles, while the three forests surrounded the spare castle in the center position. Finally, the wizard towers sat in the rear, twin pillars waiting to unleash their power. Magic. It''s all about magic. Even Damian stopped by to watch as their game began. Tyler spent his first few turns hunkering down, trying to start the gold-and-cards loop of his metal mines and his market. Still, without any real support due to his confused draft, the engine was slow to kick up. Meanwhile, Natalie had already begun her assault by the second turn. "Linnethea ambushes," she said, flipping the card over and including the two bodyguards that accompanied her. "She takes your farm." "But¡­ you have no army," said Tyler, even more confused than before. "What are you supposed to defend with now?" Natalie just smiled. Quinn broke out laughing up on the couch, which eased her heart to no end. She wasn''t sure he''d actually figured out her strategy, but at least he was cheering up. Kelsey and Mitch were back to their video game, but Mitch was clearly distracted, interested in their unusual duel. "I¡­" Tyler looked around the field, then down at his cards, then back up. "I don''t¡­ What are you doing?" "Attacking your farm," said Natalie innocently. "I''m done, by the way." Tyler threw down cards onto his central market. "I build four knights," he said nervously. "Sir Tennenbaur moves onto the castle." Natalie nodded. "Anything else?" "Uhh¡­" Tyler wasn''t used to this at all, and Natalie knew it. She was combining what she''d learned from Quinn''s bluffing, the confidence she''d gained over the last few weeks, the events in Rallsburg, and the advice the voice had given her, coupled with magic itself. This strategy wasn''t something any of them would ever come up with¡ªstrange combinations and effects that combined with terrifying potency, but could backfire disastrously. Just like rituals¡­ He finally shook his head. Natalie nodded. "I create one elf wizard on each forest." "Huh?" This set Tyler back yet again. Natalie should have been making troops¡ªthe knights were sure to attack as soon as they cleaned up the relatively weak Linnethea. "Linnethea stays on your farm and pillages it. I use the food on my wizard towers." Tyler nodded. Natalie turned the towers so they were active, then drew two more cards. "Your turn." "That''s¡­ that''s it?" Tyler asked, surprised. "Yeah." "Oh¡­ okay." He fumbled a little, glancing over the field again. "My¡­ my knights attack Linnethea." "I sacrifice a bodyguard to use her evade," said Natalie, moving Linnethea and the other bodyguard over to the wizard tower¡ªwhere, in theory, Tyler shouldn''t have been able to do anything anyway. After all, wizard towers this early were usually unmanned. Natalie just needed to make sure it stayed that way. "I build two more knights," he added, placing them on his front line. Natalie didn''t care¡ªher castles should delay them long enough even without any extra guards. "And I buy four more cards." Less cards to destroy. Cool. Just one more turn. Natalie drew her cards from her forests, and to her relief, she''d picked up more than enough to pull it off. "I play two more elf wizards and one elf harbinger." Tyler raised an eyebrow. The harbinger wasn''t a commonly used card¡ªit could sacrifice itself in a pinch to deal direct damage to a unit or player from any distance, but it was so weak that the effect generally only came into play for countering weak high-power magic users from a distance¡­ or to cast one particular Elven spell. "Your turn," Natalie added. "I attack Linnethea," said Tyler, moving his four knights again. "And everyone else attacks your front castle." Natalie shrugged. "She sacrifices her other bodyguard and evades again," she said, moving Linnethea immediately to the farm. Since Tyler''s army was too big and the farm was occupied, he couldn''t make any wizards himself. That shouldn''t matter since his army is already so big, but my strategy doesn''t care how big his army is. "I draw four cards, buy two more and end my turn," Tyler added. Natalie drew one card. It didn''t matter what it was, just so long as the math worked out. She grinned at Tyler, while Damian, Mitch, and Quinn watched from the sidelines. Kelsey, meanwhile, had wandered off into the kitchen again to find a snack. Anticipation was thick in the air, everyone waiting for Natalie to make her move. "I discard everything for Chant of Inspiration using my first wizard tower," said Natalie. Tyler frowned, as Natalie dropped her entire hand and drew the same number of cards. She didn''t bother looking at them. "I sacrifice one elf wizard and pillage the forest to cast Renewal," and picked up every card she''d discarded that turn¡ªwhich, of course, was all of them. His mouth fell open. He''d realized her trick. Natalie repeated the cycle twice more, drawing nearly her whole deck and leaving one spell left on the remaining wizard tower, without a single production territory left on the board. Tyler had no method to block her strike thanks to Linnethea¡ªno wizards of his own, elf or otherwise, no magic on Sir Tennenbaur. He was already doomed. "I discard my entire hand and sacrifice my wizard," said Natalie with a flourish, sending the cards fluttering into her pile neatly with magic for extra flair, "to cast Curse of Knowledge. You take one damage for every card I just dropped." And, since he was already drawing his deck faster because he played a fast build¡­ Natalie grinned. Tyler looked down at his deck, practically shell-shocked. In a single chained swoop, Natalie had just wiped out both their kingdoms¡ªbut Natalie''s still had a few spare cards remaining. Tyler''s was annihilated. She had won. Mitch whooped for her victory. Damian and Quinn applauded. Kelsey stuck her head back into the room, saw what had happened, and cheered Natalie on. She smiled, but in truth, she suddenly felt very empty. Sure, she''d finally beaten Tyler for the first time, but¡­ I had to sacrifice everything to do it. I basically lifted that strategy right out of the ritual from home, when we tried to kill Omega¡­ Is that what it''s gonna be like again? Us losing everything to take them down? You have learned from the past. You were not a part of those decisions. We can find a better way. But as Natalie looked around the room, seeing the expression on Damian''s face as Annette walked in the room, the silence that fell and the discomfort flooding through them, she wasn''t so sure anymore. "Damian, we need to talk," she whispered, and only Natalie could have heard her. The rest of the group slowly went back to normal conversation, but Quinn''s parents quickly retreated to their room. Reluctantly, while Tyler started raving about her clever strategy, Natalie used her magic to listen in once again, as she had so many times on the Kincaid family¡ªand only to be disappointed one more time. "I just got a call from Claire, and another from the Lincolns." "Who?" "Kelsey''s parents." "What about?" "About¡­ her." "Natalie?" "They say she attacked Blake Sinclair at school. She''s the daughter of that man, Brian Hendricks." "Oh¡­" Damian trailed off, and not in a way that spelled anything good for Natalie. "What are going to do, Damian?" "I¡­ I don''t know, Annie," he murmured. "She''s living with us." "Maybe she''s not like that." Natalie could hear the doubt in his voice though. She knew where this was going. "People are going to find out. Even if she doesn''t do anything else. She''s dangerous, and her father''s a mass-murderer. They''re already protesting to the school board. If they find out we''ve been harboring her¡ª" "We took in a homeless kid and gave her shelter," said Damian. "Nothing wrong with that." "What are they going to say?" "I don''t like this." "I don''t either, but we have to think about Q, and ourselves. I don''t think Natalie''s a bad kid, but she might not be fully in control either. And she''s got that mark." "What about it?" "You know what it means, right?" "Not¡­ not exactly. She said she got it that night in Seattle, right? When she got lost and ran into some gang." "The mark means she''s a member." "...No way." Please, don''t do this, Natalie begged silently, wishing beyond anything she could barge in and get them to stop. But¡­ she''d tried that already, more than once, and they''d still ended up here. If she revealed she''d been listening in, with magic, they''d never trust her again. "There''s only two gangs crazy enough to mark their members like that, and one of them is the same one Claire''s son joined up with. He''s dead now." "I can''t believe she''d join a gang." "Maybe they didn''t give her a choice. It doesn''t matter. She''s got the mark, she''s going to attract that kind of attention." "...This is getting more insane by the minute." "We''ve been saying that every day, Damian." "I just want it to all go away, you know?" "I know." A rustle of movement. "I love you." "I love you too, Annie." A tear dropped onto Natalie''s neck. Quinn noticed, but everyone else had gotten deep into Kelsey and Mitch''s latest round. She hurried to her room, and Quinn slipped in before she shut the door. Natalie wasn''t entirely sure whether or not she''d meant to shut him out too, but now she was glad he''d joined her. She dabbed at her face, remembering Principal Talbot doing the same that afternoon. "I''m gonna have to go, Quinn," she muttered through her tears. "I''m sorry." "What?" "Your parents are going to kick me out soon. I don''t know when, but I can''t wait for that to happen." "But¡­" Quinn glanced around. "This is your home too." She shook her head sadly. "It never was." "I thought¡ª" "My home''s way out there," said Natalie, gesturing vaguely to the west. "It''s time for me to go back." "...Right now?" asked Quinn. "I hadn''t decided," said Natalie, but in truth she had. She''d been preparing all week, and far longer if she was honest with herself. She was finally ready to leave. It was time. "I¡­" Quinn shook his head. "You can''t leave yet. You gotta say goodbye to everyone first, at least." Natalie hesitated. They will not kick you out tonight. You''re actually telling me to stay? Leave in the morning. It is safer, and you will be rested. It is the best choice. I¡­ I guess so. I didn''t expect that from you though. The voice didn''t answer. Natalie agreed with its logic though. She nodded to Quinn. "We can do that. Tell everybody to meet in here after dinner?" Quinn nodded. He left, and Natalie immediately set to gathering up her things. Magic made it easier¡ªher bag snapped open, and clothes began to fly off their hangers and neatly fold themselves into their new pockets. Her books followed from the end-table, and her favorite blanket went along with it. Natalie took one pillow too, whispering an apology to the Kincaids for taking it, but it would help to have a spare out on her own¡ªbesides the few she''d already gathered, along with the piles of camping supplies and tools buried within her bag. There was so much there, way more than she remembered putting in. The bag seemed endless. This really is the best gift I ever got, Lily¡­ I wish I''d gotten to know you two better. I wonder what happened to you. Natalie had never gotten a straight answer¡ªLily avoided her at the funeral (and it was Lily, though everyone else seemed to think it was Kendra), and they hadn''t messaged each other once since. She knew something must have happened to them¡ªand since Hailey flew off to London, where they were from, Natalie doubted it was anything good. I''ll find them again someday. After¡­ after I take care of everything else.
"What''s going on?" asked Kelsey, once they''d all walked in after dinner and Natalie sealed the room. Natalie took a deep breath. "I''m going home tomorrow." "No!" said Tyler, before anyone else even had time to react to her statement. Natalie''s anxiety splintered and broke apart at his outburst¡ªshe hadn''t expected anything quite so dramatic. "You can''t go now!" "I have to," she sighed. "It''s too dangerous for me to stay here." "Like it''s not gonna be dangerous there?" asked Kelsey skeptically. "Less dangerous for me," Natalie pointed out. "But¡­ you beat me!" said Tyler desperately. "And I thought the principal''s gonna fight for you! Plus you get to live with your boyfriend!" Natalie blushed. "That''s not¡­" she trailed off. Quinn shook his head, answering for her. "She''s not gonna be able to live here anymore." "...What?" "People are going to find out if they don''t already know, and because of her dad, she can''t live somewhere people know." Quinn was dancing around his parents'' involvement, and Natalie didn''t begrudge him that. After all, she had her own confused feelings surrounding her relationship with her father. "It''s not safe to stay here." "So¡­ back to Rallsburg then," said Kelsey. Natalie nodded. She grinned. "You''re going home to your real best friend, I got it." Gwen¡­ Natalie smiled. "You can''t compete with a wolf." "Oh just you wait," said Kelsey. She glanced at Tyler. "You still in?" "Huh?" Natalie glanced at Quinn, but he seemed just as surprised. Tyler nodded. "I gave Mitch everything, I think." "Hey, don''t drag me into this," said Mitch. "I still think you two are crazy." "What''s going on?" asked Natalie, growing concerned. "Well duh," said Kelsey, her grin doubling over, "we''re coming with you, Jenny!" "Natalie," Mitch hissed. "Dammit! Natalie!" Kelsey slapped herself in the face. "Ugh. I totally screwed that up." "Are you¡­" Natalie shook her head. Her heart might be swelling ten times over, but she couldn''t truly believe what they were saying. They were talking like it was some kind of adventure. Natalie was fleeing from getting kicked out of yet another home, being barred from school by angry parents, hunted down by her dad''s people, and possible mass murder charges. "This is going to be really dangerous." "No shit," said Kelsey. She clapped Mitch on the back. "Why do you think he''s not coming?" "Screw you," Mitch shot back. "I could totally come along." "Money where your mouth is, shorty!" "All right, I''m in!" Kelsey looked genuinely surprised. "Wait, you''re serious?" He smiled sheepishly. "I got all my stuff in too. Changed my mind." "Got what in?" Natalie frowned. "What''s going on?" "Oh¡­ well, Mitch figured it out," said Kelsey, uncharacteristically deferring to her arch-rival. Mitch looked embarrassed, shifting back and forth in his spot on the floor. "I¡­ kinda figured out how to open your bag." "What?" asked Natalie. "But you''re¡­ you''re not¡ª" "Nope." Mitch shrugged. "Guess you don''t gotta be awakened for that bag." I never did ask Lily about that¡­ and anyone can use their portals and things without being awakened¡­ so maybe? "What did you do?" "We all packed our stuff already." Mitch shrugged. "Quinn wasn''t involved, but we kinda¡­ well, we figured he''d tell you, and then you''d freak out before we got all set to go. Plus, there was no way we weren''t gonna set off from here, so we can just grab his stuff now." He glanced at Quinn. "We''ve got extras for camping stuff, so you don''t gotta worry about that." "We already asked your parents if we could stay the night," added Tyler. "They said it''s cool." Probably for my sake¡­ feeling guilty about making me leave tomorrow. Natalie glanced around, seeing determined faces on all three of them. She felt a weird burst of pride, as if she''d somehow helped them get to this position, though of course they''d done it all on their own. They will make fine companions. But¡­ it''s gonna be dangerous. They aren''t awakened. They must have prepared well, and they can keep secrets. It will be more dangerous if they stay. With us, they are safer. We protect our own. "It''s getting super late," added Kelsey. "We''ll see you in the morning, right Natalie?" "Yeah." Natalie smiled, making up her mind in that instant. "It''s a long way back to Rallsburg." Kelsey beamed at her. Tyler and Mitch grinned. The three of them rolled out, leaving Quinn behind. He started to get up from the bed, but Natalie touched him on the shoulder, turning him back around. "...You okay?" she asked quietly, sliding the door closed with her mind at the same time. "I''m really scared," he whispered. Natalie nodded. "Me too." "What if¡­" She shook her head. "Asking that never helps. Trust me." Quinn didn''t say anything for a while. Natalie reached forward and took his hand, holding him as close as her body would allow. She tried to smile in a way that might reassure him, though she had no idea what that really meant. How was she supposed to smile in a certain way, anyway? It seemed ridiculous¡ªand yet, the smile definitely helped him, in whatever way she managed. "You get to meet Gwen," said Natalie quietly. "And Cinza, and probably a whole lot of other people. It''s a really nice place. I can even show you my castle." "You have a castle?" She giggled. "Kinda. It''s a tree fort me and dad built out in the woods near our house." She hesitated. "That''s actually where I awakened." Quinn looked interested. Natalie laid back on the bed, staring at the ceiling, and Quinn laid down next to her while she retold the story. "...and I didn''t really get it until months later, who was shouting and fighting out there. I guess that was Alpha and Omega fighting, and Grey-eyes trying to stop them. But I never saw them, and I found the piece of the book sitting in my fort." "Wow¡­" "I know." Natalie sighed, leaning closer to Quinn¡ªand for once, the tremors in her skin didn''t feel quite as strong. They''d been laying next to each other for over an hour, and slowly, she was overcoming her reluctance and fear, bit by bit. "So I picked it up and read it, and I just felt everything. All the animals, all the trees and plants in the whole forest around me. It was so cool. And then that night, I met Scrappy." "Scrappy is the mountain lion?" "Yeah. He came right up to my window when I called. I was so scared my Dad might walk in," she added, giggling. "Can you tell me more stories?" "Yeah," said Natalie. She glanced up at the clock. "Getting kinda late though." "Oh¡­" Quinn started to move, but Natalie squeezed his hand. "...Do you want to sleep in here tonight?" she asked. "Huh?" "I don''t¡­" Natalie hesitated. "I don''t feel it." She did, but it had subsided so much after laying there for so long. She wasn''t sure exactly why, but she felt like if Quinn left, she might not find her way back to this place. If this was her only opportunity to feel close to someone again, Natalie didn''t want to waste it. "But¡ª" Quinn glanced toward his parents room with a nervous expression. "We''re leaving in the morning," Natalie pointed out. "What are they gonna do? Kick me out?" Quinn winced. Natalie sighed, and before she could stop herself, the emotions started pouring out again¡ªjust like they had the first day they met, on her first day of school, or any number of times after with Quinn. The dam burst forth, and her inner thoughts spilled out of her mouth one after another. "I''m really scared. My dad''s out there trying to convince people to kill everyone like me, and I''m going back to find him and I don''t even know what I''m going to do when I find him. Am I supposed to talk him down or make Gwen attack him or what? I''m just a kid. The whole world''s going crazy, and apparently I''m super powerful or something and one of only eight people in the world with this kind of power, except now there''s six because Jessica''s gone and Omega too, and I''m afraid about who''s gonna be next in that group. "I miss Gwen. I miss Scrappy. I miss Hector and Jackie and Neffie and Jenny and all the other people I used to hang out with. I even miss Rika. I don''t know what happened to Rachel or why she never tried to find me, and now I feel like I''m breaking my promise and going after him alone, but she never showed up and my dad''s doing horrible things, so I gotta break it." Natalie took a breath, trying to let the pressure release from her chest as she forced the words through her mouth. "Plus now there''s all this other stuff too, like how Rika''s getting blamed for things I did, and she''s in huge trouble when I''m supposed to be the one in trouble, and I don''t know whether or not telling everyone it was me will actually make things better or just make it worse, because every time I tell people things, the whole world seems to change and it scares me. I don''t like it." "Well¡­" said Quinn, as Natalie took another breath, panting from the torrent of confessed feelings. "I don''t know about any of that. But¡­" "It''s okay," said Natalie. She rolled up on her side, lifting up off the bed to look at Quinn. He tried to smile, but he looked just as scared as she felt¡ªand again, in that moment, it was exactly what she needed. She wanted to know she wasn''t crazy, that being scared was right and normal. If Quinn was scared, it was okay for Natalie to be scared too. She leaned in, scared beyond all reason, and kissed Quinn. "I really like you," she whispered as she pulled away. "I¡­ really like you too," he whispered back. Natalie smiled. She laid back down next to him¡ªand for the first time, actually next to him. There was no gap anymore, and though her body was still resistant to the idea, Natalie managed to ignore it. With a quick whispered spell, she summoned a thick blanket from her bag to ward off the chill, and sealed the door once again. The blanket wrapped itself snug around them, and Natalie could feel their bodies warming up the space already. "Good night, Quinn," she whispered. "Night, Natalie," he whispered back. She smiled, and with a final spell to click out the light and a wave to Percy, Natalie settled into bed¡­ where endless thoughts awaited her¡ªof Alpha and Omega, of Grey-eyes and magic, of Rika and prison, of angry parents and protest mobs, of her friends and the faceless men who would hunt them, of her dad and Gwen. Of home, and every impossibly complicated feeling that came with it. B2: Chapter 41 — Ghosts of the Past Chapter 41 ¡ª Ghosts of the Past "Ashe!" "I just fuckin'' woke up, Aderholt. What do you want?" "Need you to go pick up someone from DC Jail." "You know I outrank you now, right?" "This is from the director, asshat. I''m just the messenger." Despite his annoyance at being woken up early, Jeremy got a kick of pleasure from the frustration in Aderholt''s voice. Man might not have gotten demoted, but me bein'' above him is just as good. "They picked up a kid along with Nishimura. Alden Bensen. Turns out they don''t care about the little fuck, so they''re turning him loose. He''s awakened, so he''s your department. Get on it." "Fine. DC Jail, you said?" "They''re releasing him in twenty minutes." "And you''re just calling me now?" "Couldn''t get to a phone. I got work to do, Ashe." The phone clicked off before Jeremy could get another word in. Petty motherfucker¡­ Jeremy dragged himself to his feet. Rachel was awake in the next room over, and he could hear a faint TV and some scratching noises, while Maddie snoozed on the bed next to his. Quietly, he pulled on his suit, since he''d still have to get back for their White House meetings later that day, and left Maddie a note before he headed out to his car. Nice to be in the Bureau''s good book again. He sighed as he got in. They''d gotten him an even nicer car than they usually gave out, something showier since he''d been in the press plenty at Cinza''s side, playing the official liaison role as the government''s foremost expert on magic for the time being. Milk it while it lasts. It only took a few minutes to drive over to DC Jail. To his surprise, Bensen was already right there on the curb¡ªthey''d tossed him out straight away. Jeremy laughed aloud. Spent all that fuckin'' time searching for him, following clues, goin'' to the kid''s house, and here he is: waitin'' for me to pick him up from prison. This fuckin'' life. "Alden, huh?" he said as he rolled down the window. The kid nodded. "Hi again." "Well, hop in." Alden got into the front seat, to his surprise. Jeremy liked it¡ªhe wasn''t a damn chauffeur, and the kid wasn''t in any significant danger as far as Jeremy knew. No more than I am these days, anyway. Jeremy started driving, though in truth, he had no idea where they were going. Aderholt hadn''t told him where to take the kid, just to pick him up and put him somewhere safe for now. "Thanks, by the way," said Alden, again to Jeremy''s surprise. He hadn''t heard more than two words from the kid before, way back at the Tacoma bar. "For saving my life in Tacoma." Jeremy shrugged. "It''s my job." "I didn''t know it was gonna be you picking me up. I would have told Hailey." "You got shoved in with her?" "Yeah¡­ I guess they decided everybody awakened should go into one cell block together." Jeremy rolled his eyes. "Dumbasses." Alden smiled. "That''s what I thought too." "Well, you''ve ended up in the midle of every fuckin'' thing, haven''t you?" "It feels like it," he sighed. Jeremy grinned. "You and me both. So, where are we headed?" "Huh?" "Well, I''m supposed to put you somewhere safe. We can''t get you home yet ''cause all the flights to Washington are packed right now and they don''t want to spin up a jet just for you. I could take you to a safehouse, if you want." Jeremy scratched his head. "Not sure what we''ve got in the area, but I''m sure we got somethin'' decent." "Actually," said Alden, "could you take me to where Hailey''s mom is staying?" "...Sure, but you think that''s safe enough?" "I''ll be okay, I think." Alden glanced out the window. "I always end up coming out okay." Well, that''s some confidence. Wish I felt the same way. "You got it." Stephanie Winscombe was staying with Hailey''s two boyfriends in a hotel only a few blocks from the White House, and she''d been stirring up trouble already. The woman was as much a potential hurricane as her daughter, even without magic, and she''d riled up supporters in favor of Hailey''s release. Jeremy guessed a good chunk of the protestors showing up every day were likely thanks to her mother''s rabble rousing. With his reinstated badge and wide-reaching authority, Jeremy had no trouble getting them past the desk and straight to the batch of joined hotel suites. Alden was fidgeting more than usual, to Jeremy''s surprise. Where''d that confidence go? "You okay?" "Well, I''ve never met her mom." Jeremy raised an eyebrow. "Thought you two were like best friends or somethin''." "That was Jessica," said Alden with a sad smile. He sighed, nodding. "Still, figured you''d have met her mom." "Never had the chance. We were in hiding, remember?" "Right." Jeremy knocked on the door. A quick shuffle, and Stephanie was instantly at the door. "Mr. Ashe?" came her muffled voice. "Brought you a friend," said Jeremy. The door swung open. "...Who are you?" asked Stephanie suspiciously. Behind her stood Rupert and Weston, who Jeremy had briefly encountered back at the hospital in Tacoma¡­ while Jessica lay dying. "Alden Bensen," he answered, a little nervously. Jeremy couldn''t blame him. Stephanie Winscombe was an intimidating woman, especially up close and personal. "I was¡­ I am one of Hailey''s friends." "He just got released from the same prison they''re holdin'' your daughter," Jeremy added, eyeing Stephanie with a warning expression. He''d faced up against her enough to have gotten used to the strong-arm tactics, and Alden sure didn''t deserve to face this sort of suspicion. "They were friends back to Rallsburg." Stephanie''s face instantly softened. "You¡­ you were there?" she asked quietly. Alden nodded. Stephanie stepped back. "Come in, please. Both of you," she added, glaring at Jeremy, who''d begun to step away. "I insist you stay for breakfast, at least." "Gotta get back to the White House soon," Jeremy grumbled. "You''ve got time. I know your schedule." "You and the rest of the damn world," he sighed. "All right then." Jeremy nodded at Alden. "He''s gonna be stayin'' with you for the time bein''. You need cash to open up an extra suite, let me know and I''ll get it to you." "We don''t need your charity," said Stephanie brusquely. Jeremy rolled his eyes. "Suit yourself." As the others began to prepare a table for breakfast, Alden pulled Jeremy aside. "Hey¡­ how much are you involved in Rika''s trial?" he asked quietly. Jeremy shrugged. "Much as I can be, but it''s way outside my job description." "She''s innocent." He sighed. "Can you prove it? ''Cause the evidence is lookin'' pretty bad. Even Cinza ain''t sure she''s not guilty." "I can. I was there." Jeremy raised an eyebrow. "So who did it?" "I don''t know that. But I was with Rika. She left Rallsburg before all those people died. She flew out on a helicopter." Alden smiled in a way that made Jeremy feel he was missing out on a joke. "Ditched me in the middle of the woods." "...Don''t take offense, but you''re a shitty witness. For the last six months, you''ve been maintainin'' you never went to Rallsburg. Lyin'' to federal agents on record. Not exactly credible." "There''s more though. The helicopter was Viper''s. And Rook was there too. She''s a witness. Hailey said she was on our side now." Jeremy worked very hard to keep his face steady when Alden said her name. "We don''t know where she is. Unless she comes in to testify, it doesn''t mean anything. Doesn''t explain the Seattle deaths either." "But Rika was in Redmond working retail. That''s where the whole Lakewood chase started. She couldn''t have been in Seattle that night." He frowned. "...That''s a bit better. Why wouldn''t Rika put this information up, though?" Alden shrugged. "I don''t know. She''s¡­ I mean, have you met her?" "Only that night in Lakewood and the funeral, and we didn''t really talk much." Jeremy sighed again. "I''ll make sure the defense hears about your offer." "Thanks." Alden smiled. "You''re going back home soon, right?" "Back to the Northwest? Yeah." "Can you let my parents know I''m okay? Since¡­ you know, you went there and all." Jeremy rolled his eyes. "Your sister told you?" He grinned. "Meg had to brag about getting an FBI agent off my back." "Not even fuckin'' close." The smirk didn''t go away. "Thanks anyway." "You sure you don''t want to come back with me?" Alden hesitated. "I wanted to stay here and help out." "Honestly, unless you''ve got some huge fuckin'' connections I don''t know about, you''re not gonna do anythin'' here. Stephanie''s got real pull, but this is all politics now." "What about testifying?" "Trial won''t be for a while. If the defense wants you, they''ll come get you, don''t worry." Alden still looked uncertain, but Jeremy shook his head before the kid could answer. "I''ll call again when we''re gearing up to leave. You tell me there. But I think you''ll be better off back in Washington. That''s where everythin''s happening." The smell of something sweet wafted by¡ªfresh pancakes, eggs, bacon, and whatever else Stephanie had ordered on the room service cart. Jeremy stood up. "Come on, let''s eat."
One awkward breakfast later¡ªJeremy had no idea what to say to them, between a mother he''d repeatedly investigated back in the early days of the Rallsburg investigation, and the two boyfriends of Hailey who he''d never met and didn''t have a clue about¡ªhe was back in his car and on the road back to his hotel. They''d be picked up by the Secret Service soon for the next grueling day of negotiations and debates at the White House. Grey-eyes appeared in his passenger seat. "Jesus Christ!" Jeremy shouted, nearly twisting the wheel to the side¡ªonly to find it locked steady in place, as if it were suddenly made of solid steel. The car hummed along like normal despite his inadvertent attempt to crash. "Sorry¡­" she said quietly. "I didn''t think I''d have another chance to talk to you today." "Give me some damn warning first!" "I was just¡ª" Grey-eyes cut off. She suddenly popped out of the vehicle again as if she''d never been there. Jeremy''s only hint the girl was gone was a sudden light breeze across the car, tickling his cheek as he drove through the quieter early-morning streets. "What the fuck¡­" he muttered aloud. As soon as he rounded the next curve, a faint light appeared in his passenger seat. Well, guess that''s a fuckin'' warning. Sure enough, Grey-eyes popped back in again. "Thanks, I guess." She nodded. "I''m sorry. It''s spreading again. I have to do that more." "Do what?" "Go¡­ go awaken people." "...Right," Jeremy sighed. "''Cause if you don''t, whatever poor motherfucker''s readin'' one of those damn bits of paper will bite the dust. Yeah?" "...Yeah." "Don''t envy your job," he grumbled, turning the next corner. The hotel garage was in sight. "Thought you could slow down time or something too. Didn''t you do that last time we talked?" "Huh?" She sounded genuinely confused. "Back in the forest. At¡­ whoever the fuck. Julian. Julian Black''s bar-casino-thing." "Oh¡­" Grey-eyes glanced away, out the window as Jeremy pulled into the dark parking garage. He pulled into a corner space and turned off the engine, leaving them in near-silence. "I''m¡­ I don''t like risking that much energy anymore. It''s not easy to do, and if I''m not ready¡­ I might get caught." "Caught?" She looked back to him, and there was a cool confidence in her eyes, a sense of power which set Jeremy back on his heels. "People have tried." "...They still alive?" Grey-eyes looked offended, even genuinely hurt by his accusation. "I don''t hurt people," she said quietly. "I''m trying to help everybody." Jeremy shook his head. "So far I''m not sure it''s workin''." "It''s not people I awaken who are the problem," said Grey-eyes, fiddling with something in her pocket. "It''s how scared everybody is of them. I didn''t awaken Jackson, I didn''t awaken Brian Hendricks. The man who killed Jessica wasn''t awakened. The men in that bar in Tacoma weren''t awakened. They¡ª" She disappeared again. Fuckin'' hell¡­ If she''s disappearin'' every five minutes or so, and it''s this early here, it''s the middle of the damn night in Washington. So how fast is she goin'' at noon? Or five p.m.? How many more awakened per day? Jesus¡­ Jeremy was about to get up and leave when she finally reappeared again. This time, Jeremy could tell she was winded, from her breathing and a slight pinch to her muscles. Grey-eyes was tense, and that put Jeremy on edge. "What are we supposed to do?" asked Jeremy, after she''d caught her breath. "I don''t know," said Grey-eyes, to Jeremy''s frustration. "Isn''t figuring that out the job of everyone out there?" she added, nodding in the general direction of the White House. "Supposedly." Grey-eyes looked back to him. She pulled her jacket tighter around her shoulders, shivering from the cold. Ain''t she powerful as fuck? Just make the car warmer. Even Rachel can do that. Unless she''s blocked like Hailey? Diffinities or whatever? But¡­ invisibility''s supposed to be in the same thing as making the place warmer. So which is it? "Don''t take Rachel up there." "Huh?" "Don''t introduce her to the President. If she wants to work from the shadows and try to make things better, then maybe that''s a good thing, but don''t let her feel power again. I don''t think it''s a good idea." "Jesus," said Jeremy. "What the hell did that girl do?" "She was in charge when Rallsburg burned down," said Grey-eyes. "I don''t know if she could have prevented it, but I know she could have done things better." "Yeah, she said so herself. Didn''t get the impression it was ''cause she''s a shitty leader, though." "Just don''t bring her to the White House." "Good news for you, she doesn''t want to go there anyway." "She will." "And wouldn''t it be useful to have someone with experience governing this shit advising the next group?" Jeremy was getting seriously annoyed now, and didn''t much care anymore how intimidating Grey-eyes might be. He was pretty sure she wasn''t ever going to do anything to him at this point¡ªfor all her supposed power, Jeremy hadn''t actually seen much from her in terms of real action. Even Rachel seemed more willing to strike when the time came¡ªshe''d pulled a gun on him in seconds, after all, when she felt threatened back in Vancouver. "At some point, somebody''s gotta be in charge. This shit can''t just run wild." "So pick someone better." "We''re workin'' on it," Jeremy grumbled. "Would be helpful if you gave us some ideas, instead of just shootin'' down one of the best sources we''ve got." "Rachel DuValle can''t be trusted." "Seriously, what the fuck did she do to you?" Grey-eyes looked back at him again, and there was real fire in her eyes. Jeremy could feel hatred flowing off her, heating up the car and driving away the winter chill. "She blackmailed me into killing the man I loved, and she forced other people I care about to help her do it." ...My God. "What do you mean?" "I can''t tell you," Grey-eyes sighed, and for once, Jeremy didn''t feel annoyed anymore. "Part of the blackmail?" She nodded wearily. "I''m not going to pretend he didn''t deserve to be punished somehow. Jackson was out of control." Jesus Christ, she''s talking about Omega? "But¡­ she used innocent people as bait. She watched them die just to get a better shot. She forced me to lure him there into her trap. I''m probably already telling you too much, but someone should know. Nobody else does." Jeremy opened his mouth, but he was genuinely speechless. None of her words rang false. He was seeing Rachel in a new light, one far more uncomfortable than he''d known before. He''d heard the words of Grey-eyes and Julian Black, of Hailey and of Rachel''s parents, but they''d been tempered by the sheer praise heaped on her by Cinza and the rest of the awakened community. This was something else. Jeremy didn''t know what to think about it yet. Grey-eyes disappeared again, but Jeremy got the impression this time it was for good. He got out of the car and trudged up the stairs, wishing he had time to sit down and think for a while¡ªbut the Secret Service were already there at the door, waiting to rouse his sister and the guest of honor. He needed to clear his mind and focus on the rest of the day. Rachel would have to wait.
Five days in a row, Jeremy went to the White House in the morning with Cinza, Maddie, and Makoto. Five times, they had gone in a different entrance. Nothin''s ever consistent with politics, not even their damn buildings. Sure, he could recognize it as a security tactic by the Secret Service, but it didn''t annoy him any less to roll through different procedures every day. On Monday, they''d been in full pomp and circumstance mode, with Cinza arriving in full regalia down the carpet, official greeting and everything. Tuesday, they took the normal staff entrance, with the press still doggedly in pursuit, but far less protestors. Apparently, though, the public had caught on, and Wednesday entailed entering through the basement, ushered out of black SUVs and rushed into the building before anyone could spot Cinza''s trademark grey robes. Thursday, the same SUVs had taken them in, but with decoy groups to try and throw off the public while the main group slid around to yet another side of the building. "Is this really workin''?" grumbled Jeremy as they boarded Marine One on Friday morning¡ªapparently, a ground vehicle escort was no longer sufficient. Cinza smiled. "Is it really security they''re after?" "Well, you''ve been gettin'' more than enough death threats. What the fuck else would they be worried about?" Cinza''s smirk didn''t diminish as she clambered aboard, Makoto only a couple steps behind. Her lieutenant looked nervous to be aboard a helicopter again, but Cinza held such a veneer of calm as to make Jeremy jealous. Jeremy briefly wondered if she''d been on helicopters in her past, but everything he''d done to research the girl suggested otherwise¡ªand he''d done a lot of research ever since he''d been assigned as her official liaison. Cinza had a history, and Jeremy was determined to dig it out. He hadn''t made much progress yet, since he was still stuck in D.C. and unable to follow up on the leads he''d begun to uncover, but he did have leads. The girl was known, and her appearance on international news (and subsequently across major newspapers and social media the world over) began to draw the crazies out of the woodwork. Thanks to his newly inflated status, Jeremy had access to a great deal more FBI resources than he''d ever held, and most importantly, he no longer needed to wait for approval on most of them. The tip line had come in with some interesting tidbits. Most of it was obviously bogus, but Jeremy had a few choice picks laid out to move on, and a wider set of lesser pieces which he''d set other agents on. I''ve even got a damn staff now! About fuckin'' time. Jeremy spent the helicopter flight going over them, while Maddie occasionally grabbed at his shoulder whenever the chopper tilted unexpectedly. His old friend Jonathan Hudson popped up a few times, to his amused relief. Kid''s still kickin'' and still bein'' an idiot. Good for him. Another interesting possibility arose with the supposed parents of the now-infamous Jessica Silverdale, but with no positive ID, the tip line had marked it low priority. Jeremy ratcheted it up a few notches and assigned it to himself, but he hadn''t had time to go out personally¡ªand he certainly didn''t trust any other agents to handle it. Not that I''m better than them, but I''m the only motherfucker who''s actually been in this shit. They''ve gotta understand what they''re dealin'' with before I let ''em face up against two possibly awakened parents of a murdered girl who''s now headline news. Cinza, though¡­ Cinza was harder to track down, as expected. Her name¡ªobviously fake and too common to get easy answers¡ªgave Jeremy nothing he didn''t already know. The tip line was mostly useless, now that everybody and their mother wanted to say something about the young woman meeting on a regular basis with the President. Jeremy had sifted tip lines before, though, and he knew what he was looking for. She''s from the streets, said so herself and only in the President''s meetin''. Nobody in there is prone to leakin'' shit. Immigrant, too. Focus on the accent and where she''d have been in the last few years. Trace her back. So Jeremy traced. The most intriguing tip came from a woman who stood out from the crowd by virtue of complaining. Most of what Jeremy saw from the street-level was praise. Oh, she''s a saint, she helps the needy, she kept things quiet and clean, whatever. No fuckin'' way was this girl that clean. Jeremy practically grinned as he read the transcript between the woman and the FBI operator who''d picked up the call. "Would you be willing to state your name for us to get back in touch with you?" "I don''t got a phone." "We''ll find a way to get in touch." "Maria. Maria Cabazanos." "And you say you know Cinza?" "Cinza? Fuck no. Her name''s Misty. Misty-somethin'', I could never understand what the hell she said after that." "And how did you know her?" "Worked a corner with her, nights mostly. She wanted to get off the street and stop trickin'', and offered me cash money to teach her how to cam. I was doin'' it since I got me a lap¡­ wait, can I get in trouble for tellin'' you shit?" "If you''re confessing a theft, the statute of limitations on a stolen laptop is less than two years, so you couldn''t be arrested for it anyway." "Oh, sweet. So yeah, I stole some bitch''s laptop, started cammin'' ''cause it made easier money than spreadin'' my legs every damn night." The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. "And you''re saying Cinza¡ªexcuse me, Misty¡ªparticipated in this same activity?" "Sure as shit she did! Made five times what I made, pickin'' up perverts who like that kind of action. But somethin'' happened, she got messed up one night, so she wanted off the street, and yeah, I taught her how to make money camming." "And she owes you money for the lessons." "And givin'' her a place to live! Stayed at my place six months before she moved on. Bitch owes me last month''s rent and a cut of her income, like we agreed. Got it in writin'' and everything." "And you can prove this Misty was the same person?" "Don''t you assholes record everything we do? Go look up her old camming profile. And tell the bitch she still owes me. I know she makes stacks now bein'' famous and shit. Do your job and make her pay up." The conversation only got more rude, but Jeremy had enough to start. Maria Cabazanos had a listed address in their database, and was more than willing to open up now that she was no longer doing anything illegal. Meanwhile, Jeremy could find old listings and profiles for a camgirl named ''Misty'' on the sites Maria named and in the right time frame, but all the videos had been deleted. Until he could get ahold of archives¡ªand the FBI was already putting out feelers to the data hoarders of the internet as a possible workaround¡ªJeremy didn''t have much yet to go on. Besides the street angle, he''d also started getting vague results back from the foster care system of Seattle. Rachel had never outright stated it, but the tall young woman trying to rule the world wasn''t as careful as she thought she was. Enough clues slipped through the cracks for Jeremy to deduce where Cinza likely grew up. He had ordered records from every orphanage and foster system from Seattle to Olympia, and the court orders were starting to come through now. If this girl is gonna be stirrin'' up this much shit in the world, I''m gonna know exactly who she is and why she''s doin'' it. "Jeremy?" asked Maddie. "What?" "We''re here, bro." Sure enough, they''d already touched down on the White House lawn, far behind the police lines holding back the protestors. Cinza was already out on the walkway, heading for the waiting Secret Service line to take them back inside. "Tired of this already, huh?" she asked as Jeremy grumbled and climbed out of the helicopter. He shrugged. "Been tired of my job for ten damn years. Still gonna do it." "That''s the spirit." She clapped him on the back, and together they walked back up to the White House. Jeremy was glad they were getting along again, even if he couldn''t quite trust her in the same way he used to. She''d never do that to me¡­ right? Stab me in the damn back for political points? She didn''t know Hailey, but¡­ fuck, do I know anybody anymore? After Lani¡­ He shook his head and shoved away his fears. There wasn''t time for that. They had more negotiations to get through.
President Stafford settled comfortably into his chair in the center of the table, directly opposite Cinza. His chief of staff Ioannis Miklos sat next to him, while the DTA secretary Wesley Gatiss held the opposite. Cinza, in turn, had Makoto and Jeremy flanking her. The usual crowd surrounded the rest of the table, but now with the addition of Courtney. Jeremy and Maddie''s sister had flown in the night before, with the stated focus of requesting¡ªbegging¡ªfor more federal aid to handle the spiking influx of pilgrims, radicals, protestors, and every other magic-obsessed person flooding into the state. The press were completely barred from this portion of the building, giving them some peace¡ªand tryin'' to hide from more people recognizin'' her from past lives? Too late for that now, girl. Jeremy still felt a bit strange sitting on her side of the table, but it was his job¡ªdidn''t necessarily mean he held her views on anything. Least it means I get to watch Aderholt make an ass of himself every day from the best seat in the house. "I''d like to thank you, sir," said Cinza, cutting through the murmuring on both sides of the table and drawing the President''s attention, "for dedicating so much of your week to our meetings. I know your administration handles a great many responsibilities and you could not possibly have planned for something like this. Your generosity is gratefully accepted." Stafford smiled. "Well, I''ll be sure to try that line on my wife when I explain again why we had to cut our Thanksgiving break short." "What''s on the agenda today?" asked Ioannis, glancing at his deputy. "The Governor of Washington is here," the man explained, nodding to Courtney, "with a request for federal aid and to present her strategy on state-level handling of magical affairs." Rachel''s strategy, Jeremy silently corrected. Courtney pulled out a stack of papers with a pompous air, and Jeremy could actually feel the table quiver slightly as she straightened them with a few loud taps. "As you''re all aware," said Courtney, "the state of Washington has seen a significant upturn in tourism lately." The dry joke got a few appreciative chuckles, most importantly from the President himself. "We''ve called in our own national guard to help handle the situation, and every transportation agency is working practically around the clock to handle incoming traffic, but it''s not enough. We''ve got tourist camps springing up on roadsides. People are clogging up streets and neighborhoods. Worst of all, we''ve got untold numbers trespassing in the Olympic National Forest." "Pilgrims seeking their revelation," said Cinza, her magical voice more pronounced than usual. Jeremy believed she''d been subtly increasing the effect every day the negotiations continued, to ensure no one got used to the sound. The Greycloak leader wanted them to always feel on edge and off balance around her, and it certainly worked on some of the cabinet. "Can you truly punish such an action?" "Your right to your beliefs stops at the point you''re interfering with other people''s lives," the deputy chief of staff shot back. Cinza merely smiled, while Ioannis gestured for his deputy to step down. "This is your front lawn now," pointed out Wesley Gatiss, bringing a calmer voice to the proceeding. He and Cinza were beginning to build up a rapport, but Jeremy couldn''t be sure. Cinza seemed ill-inclined to bond with anyone on the other side of the table, even the head of the department she''d most likely be dealing with in the future. "Aren''t you worried they''ll trample through your home?" "They could not even if they tried," said Cinza with supreme confidence. "I''m more concerned," interjected Courtney, trying to regain control of the conversation, "with the growing number joining the radical movement which claims Brian Hendricks as their leader." "The domestic terrorist group," corrected Cinza icily. "Do not dance around with soft labels." "Whatever the term, a sizeable amount of the incoming population is certainly looking to join their ranks." Courtney opened her packet, and gave them all the page number to match. Jeremy glanced through the page, seeing a stack of numbers he couldn''t much care about¡ªit was a problem, certainly, but not his problem. "They''re being radicalized and encouraged into beliefs that will result in similar events as the Tacoma hostage situation and the conflict in Lakewood." The President glanced over at Kimberley Young, the National Security Advisor. "Do we have any ideas on how to find such individuals?" Kimberley sighed. "Most people coming in aren''t exactly radical. They become radicalized when they attend meetings. Hendricks must be a hell of a speaker. Point is, we can''t really screen for them." Cinza shook her head in an exaggerated motion of disappointment. "All the money, research, and invasions of privacy, and you cannot provide a single possible threat." "I can get you plenty of damn threats," Kimberley shot back. "Already arrested four crazies this week on roads bound for your neck of the woods armed to the goddamn teeth. Doesn''t help that much when we don''t have a clue who we''re tryin'' to protect." "This is as good a time as any," said Courtney, desperately trying to break in again, "to announce one of our programs. Washington will be providing a strictly voluntary registration program for awakened residents. Anyone who wishes can register their status with us, which will provide some demographic data and also significantly increase our ability to monitor legitimate potential threats." "And you will one day provide them a list of who to lynch," said Cinza. "Who protects this database? Who can access it?" "I''m assured of its confidentiality and security." Cinza smirked. "I''ve no doubt." "She''s not wrong," said Jeremy, to the surprise of many at the table. He generally stayed silent unless specifically called upon, which was just fine with him. This time, he knew he had to voice his concerns¡ªones he''d already raised to Courtney and Rachel without much success. "Hendricks has had active police officers in his ranks. We can''t be certain an ally of his wouldn''t get access to this database, and once they''ve got it, people are gonna get murdered in their homes. They don''t hold back." "We may have a solution," said Courtney, to Jeremy''s shock. He hadn''t heard this part. "It is our understanding that these hunters, for lack of a better term, will not strike without verifying their targets. They hold to a code. This verification process requires magic to perform, and it is not instantaneous." "Hang on," interrupted an aide Jeremy didn''t know. "They use magic to hunt people with magic? I thought their whole thing was anyone using magic had to die." "Terrorists are often hypocrites," said Cinza coldly. "You''re not wrong," said Ioannis, "but in this case, they aren''t¡­ not exactly. They aren''t hunting people with magic, they''re hunting awakened people. Brian Hendricks himself uses magic quite openly, as I understand it, but their targets are only people who have actually gone through the process." "How do they verify targets?" asked the President, silencing the growing debate. "A stone," said Jeremy, pulling out the one he''d been carrying ever since meeting Jonathan Hudson. "Looks like this, with the Korean word for ''truth'' carved in it. Jackson Smith made a ton of them back in Rallsburg, and Hendricks inherited ''em." "How does it work?" asked Kimberley. "Takes a few minutes and eyesight of the target," said Jeremy with a shrug. "I''ve never tried it, don''t really care to." "It is functionally harmless," said Cinza, though her eyes were locked onto the stone as if it might explode, "and you would not know it was used on you, so how do you intend to track it?" "I have been in contact with an individual who can track magic being used, down to specific locations and types of magic in use," said Courtney very carefully. Will Carbonell, still layin'' in a bed back in Vancouver with Rachel''s fuckin'' cadets¡­ They''re gonna rely on him to protect every damn awakened in the Northwest? "They can notify us immediately upon the activation of any of these stones." "And there''s no false positives?" asked Gatiss. Nice to know he''s lookin'' out. Jeremy shook his head. "Far as we know, I''ve got the only stone outside their possession. Unless anybody picked one up off the bodies of Hendricks'' guys in Lakewood, but I''m pretty sure they recovered all their own." Kimberley nodded. "Nothing like those stones was reported in our cleanup." "No one can manufacture more," added Cinza, still staring down at the stone on the table with a cold glare. Shit, she never saw one before, did she? "The magic required was far beyond any of us." "So it''s true, then?" asked Ioannis. "This whole¡­ God idea?" "Not all Gods are noble, but Jackson certainly held the power of one." Cinza refused to take her eyes away from the stone. "I recognize that we must keep it, but I would ask you remove that thing from my presence." Jeremy quickly withdrew it to his pocket again, and after a minute or so, Cinza finally returned to the meeting at large. The rest of the room had been utterly silent until she looked up again, without even the typical murmuring in the back row of aides surrounding the table. "So," said President Stafford finally, breaking the silence and turning to Courtney, "this individual would recognize one of these stones in use, notify law enforcement, who would move in to arrest them. Is that a correct understanding of the process you''re proposing?" "Yes." "They can recognize the specific type and from any distance?" asked Kimberley skeptically. "What about multiple users at once? How precise is the detection?" "It''s my understanding they will be able to handle any precision we require," said Courtney dismissively. But it''s all on Will. How the hell is he supposed to keep up with the whole damn region? I know he ain''t that strong, even if it''s his affinity or whatever. "Is this even legal?" asked Gatiss, straightening his glasses slightly. "It sounds like a significant invasion of privacy to be able to detect this from any distance and into any home, without due process or probable cause." "The possession of these stones is probable cause," said Cinza. "Their only purpose is to hunt us. They were created to help a monster perpetuate genocide." "We can''t arrest people for having a damn rock in their pocket," cut in Aderholt. "No matter what it can supposedly do." "We also can''t implement such an invasive strategy without a careful examination of the situation and the need," added the President, a great deal more tactfully. "I know your need is dire, Cinza, but I do not wish to sacrifice personal liberties for the hope of safety." Cinza nodded. "I can respect such an ideal." "But¡ª" started Courtney, but the President held up his hand, and she fell silent immediately. "I will certainly send additional aid to the region, Madam Governor. We''ll work out the numbers later today, no doubt, but I must also caution you that the scope will be fairly limited. There are certain issues we can''t move on immediately, because we aren''t certain of our jurisdiction." "Such as?" asked Cinza, before Courtney could even open her mouth. "Well, Mr. Hendricks himself, for one." "Explain." President Stafford shook his head, exasperated. "Cinza, as much as I hate to say it, the man has no criminal record, has broken no laws as far as we know, and is only accused by hearsay and rumor. There are supposedly videos of his speeches inciting violence, but we haven''t found a single one, nor have you unless I''m mistaken." Cinza nodded slowly, anger practically boiling under her skin. "There''s no evidence yet, merely your accusation." "Sir," said Jeremy carefully, "there is one thing." "Oh?" "Brian Hendricks is still listed as missing on the official Rallsburg investigation. Bringing him in for questioning is under the scope of that investigation, as with any Rallsburg refugees, and I''m still the lead investigator on that case." Aderholt looked livid, but the President seemed intrigued. "Not criminal charges, though." "We could charge him with contempt of court," said Maddie thoughtfully, "for avoiding the subpoena to answer questions about the Rallsburg Incident." "He could argue he never saw it," said Ioannis. "We''ve broadcast it every day since we knew there were survivors," said Courtney. "The man should have seen it by now." "Reasonable doubt," said Cinza coldly, with a disgusted look on her face. The air in the room seemed to drop several degrees when she spoke, so icy was her echoing voice. "Once again, you will refuse to pursue the true villain because you fear the consequences." "You said it yourself," said the deputy, "this is about civil liberties. Everybody''s got rights, even Brian Hendricks." "I''ll go after him," said Jeremy suddenly, before the room started getting into another debate¡ªone of their sessions the previous day had ended early after an aide took Cinza''s bait and went too far. The young man was no longer present in the room. "I''ve met him. He''s aware that he''s avoiding being questioned. I have the jurisdiction and authority to bring him in." "You''ve met him?" asked Ioannis in shock. The rest of the room echoed the sentiment. Jeremy had held that information in for a long time¡ªonly Maddie had known, after all. Even Cinza was staring at him with a mixture of gratitude and betrayal. Jeremy nodded. ''Bout time I decided the man was legitimately insane. I sure as fuck don''t trust Rachel anymore, so maybe he was right about something, but that man''s way more dangerous right now. "Man blindsided me with his golems, took me somewhere out in the woods. Just wanted to talk, sell me on his story. I''ll find him again." He''s crazy enough to invite me back, I''m sure. Just gotta get in contact with Felix. Aderholt looked like he might explode. "Why didn''t you report this?" he growled through gritted teeth. "Well, at the time, I was suspended without pay," Jeremy pointed out. And fuck if I''m doin'' that kind of paperwork for free, especially when it''s gonna do jack shit. "And since I''ve been reinstated, I''ve been pretty busy. Hadn''t had the opportunity." His old boss opened his mouth again, but the President spoke first. "Granted, Mr. Ashe. As soon as you can, find the man and bring him in. Use whatever it takes. You''ll be given a contact in the national guard for resources." "I will inform the Greywood," added Cinza, inclining her head to the President. "Let this be the first success shared between us." An aide off in the corner, clearly a fresh-faced newbie, started clapping. Every single head in the room swivelled in unison to stare at him. The President raised an eyebrow, obviously desperately holding in a chuckle. The aide slowed to a stop, face redder than a tomato. Jeremy leaned back in his chair, the weight of the task he''d just assigned himself settling into his stomach. Jesus¡­ now I''m up against the whole damn terrorist movement, and I gotta bring the damn leader in alive. Fuck me.
They took a break. Jeremy checked in with Stebbins, who''d become something of an agent for him ever since Lakewood. Stebbins was currently keeping an eye on Jonathan Hudson, but Jeremy figured the kid was probably fine for now. Brian had promised he was safe, and the man seemed to hold to his word for better or worse. Jeremy retasked Stebbins¡ªbuild up a force of trustworthy, reliable allies. They''d need manpower if they were going to go after Hendricks personally. Through Felix, through assistance from Will Carbonell, and with his own growing stable of allies in the awakened, Jeremy was confident he could track the man down. The real question was whether they could actually take him into custody once they did. Odds were, Jeremy was heading back to the Pacific Northwest that night, if he was reading the signs right. He dashed off a message to Alden, too¡ªif the kid wanted to go home and help, Jeremy was happy to get anyone who he could absolutely trust not to be a follower of Hendricks. Alden might have frozen up once, but Jeremy could see the kid had changed, and he''d heard a few stories from Hailey about him. There was something about Bensen, and Jeremy wanted the good luck charm around if he could get it. If nothing else, Jeremy could at least get him home, and pay Meg Bensen back while he did. Jeremy didn''t know why he felt competitive with a damn high schooler, but he was definitely going to figure out a way to one-up her. "We''re back on," said Maddie, sticking her head around the corner. Jeremy had just finished sending a message to Hailey¡ªvia her lawyer, but still, anything to encourage her. Alden had let him know she wasn''t doing well, and she could use the support. Jeremy trudged back into the huge room once more along with the rest of the crowd. Courtney wasn''t joining them, nor was the National Security Advisor. They''d split off into another meeting, more focused on the state and federal response to the general threats. This next session was purely legal and geopolitical, and sure enough, the British Ambassador had arrived to fill Kimberley''s seat. "Well, the good news for you lot first," said the British ambassador, a chipper older man with a cane he seemed not to need in the slightest. "Cornelius Malton''s estate was examined and found to hold several pieces of magical paraphernalia, corroborating some parts of Miss Winscombe and Miss Cinza''s story. We''ve also been in contact with Sir Laushire, who provided us with evidence that Malton directed a massive cyberattack against his company. Criminal proceedings are an inevitability." "And for the charge of murder?" asked Cinza. "Well, about that¡­" The ambassador touched his collar nervously. "With all respect, marm¡ª" "Your titles and formalities are entirely unwanted," said Cinza. "A name is enough to address me." "Well, Cinza, as I''m sure has been explained, your word is not enough. We''re investigating, but Cornelius'' lawyers are delaying discovery in every form, and our government simply isn''t certain the case holds enough weight." Cinza looked just as frustrated as before, but did not respond. The ambassador nodded. "Rest assured, we believe you, but we simply don''t have enough corroborating evidence to convict the man at this time." "What about the mercenary company?" asked President Stafford, to Jeremy'' shock. He didn''t think the President was even aware of Rook''s offer. Nor apparently was Cinza, equally surprised by the President jumping to her aid. "I''m told one of Malton''s direct lieutenants has evidence of his ordered killings, among other equally damning statements, and is willing to testify." "We¡­ err, haven''t been able to locate her," said the ambassador. "Her offer stands, and if she comes in to sit in Her Majesty''s Court, then I can assure you we are willing to pursue the fullest extent of justice against Cornelius Malton." Cinza nodded. "We will find her." The ambassador smiled. "If it is any consolation, Cinza, I''m told that the Culver-Malton Group has voted to strip Cornelius of all his privileges and powers. He can''t be forced to sell his shares, so he holds considerable personal wealth, but he no longer has any influence in his own company. Wendell Culver has broken his retirement to take over the company once more." "A start to the punishment he deserves," said Cinza, though she did look considerably more satisfied than before. "Of course, this also leaves the matter of Miss Winscombe," said the ambassador. He turned to the other newcomer in the room, the Attorney General. "My government requires assurances that Miss Winscombe will not be let off lightly for her own crimes." "For pursuit of justice?" said Cinza sharply. "For entering the country illegally, assaulting quite a few innocent servants, reckless endangerment of a significant portion of London, and significant destruction of property in multiple locations." The ambassador shook his head. "The Crown remains one of the very few states not pressing the United States for access to magic, but our show of support must be met with mutual cooperation. I sympathize with Miss Winscombe''s motivations, but this cannot put her above the law." Feel like I''ve heard this damn conversation before¡­ Jeremy leaned back in his chair, wishing he could close his eyes and just ignore the whole meeting, but the group was too important, the people involved too powerful and influential. Any missteps were amplified a thousandfold, any words spoken carried ten times the weight. "Hailey Winscombe''s trial is still in the early stages," said the Attorney General, whose name Jeremy couldn''t be bothered to remember. "Our focus today is on the trial of Rika Nishimura." "Twenty nine murders by magical ability, two with conventional weapons," said the Ambassador with a slight nod. "Voluntary manslaughter," amended the Attorney General. "There is no evidence that Nishimura had any premeditation or malice aforethought." But she does have a damn alibi, apparently¡­ Is this the place to bring it up? Jeremy wished he could talk to the girl and decide for himself if she was innocent. He was a second-hand source, so it wouldn''t hold much legal weight¡ªhearsay, really. Jeremy trusted his own judgment above all others, and he just didn''t know Alden well enough. He believed the kid meant well, but at the same time, Alden had thrown himself under arrest for the sake of this girl. Biased as hell. Of course, Jeremy had tried to visit her. His new authority should have granted him access. A series of bureaucratic blockades kept him away, and only by the last few did he get their source¡ªAderholt, using the last vestiges of authority he held over Jeremy purely out of spite. Asshole. "The evidence against her is still circumstantial," said Wesley Gatiss, opening his packet to the pages on Rika''s case. "We''ve never come up with motive or intent beyond self-defense, also just a guess. The primary reason she''s even a suspect is based entirely in coincidence and conjecture." "She decided Rika was guilty," said the deputy Chief of Staff, nodding at Cinza. Cinza shook her head. "I agreed there was enough to bring Rika in and ask her some questions. I have consistently stated my own belief of her innocence." "There''s new evidence," the deputy shot back. "This isn''t the first time she''s been accused of murder." The fuck? "What are you talking about?" Jeremy cut in, when Cinza didn''t reply. The Attorney General glanced over at an aide near the wall. "Can you hook up the recording?" A faint hiss and crackle through the speakers set into the table with the phones. Jeremy had no idea what to expect. In the back of his mind, he was racing through the implications¡ªnew evidence that hurts Rika. Related to the Seattle deaths? Or the Rallsburg massacre? Probably the latter, everything looked pretty thorough in Seattle and we never got everything we wanted in Rallsburg. If they''re revealing it now though, they''re way ahead of discovery in the case, aren''t they? Did this go by Nishimura''s lawyers? The aide finally got the system hooked up, and the speakers sprung into life. Everyone leaned forward slightly. The air seemed sharper in the room, the taste of adrenaline thick in Jeremy''s mouth. "I heard they burned alive. You''re trying to hide a nutjob among us." "Is that true, Mayor? The victims were set on fire?" Voices echoed through the room, some long dead, some simply missing¡ªand several of which Jeremy knew very well. Jesus¡­ that''s Jackie. "If you want to get into it, Bob, yeah, they burned. Now who told your gossipy ass about it?" "Friend of a friend." "That''s crap, Robert. If you''ve got a source that knew about the murders before this meeting, you''ve got a responsibility to the town to own up." The recording paused. President Stafford had raised a hand, looking to his cabinet. "This is from Rallsburg?" he asked quietly. The room was silent as the grave. The Attorney General nodded. "The voices you''re hearing are Sheriff Jackie Nossinger, the town journalist Gordon Merrill who made this recording, Robert Harrison¡ª" Cinza spat on her sleeve at the name. "¡ªand the other notable members of the town. A transcript with names attached is on page 47 of your packet." "And when was this recording made?" "Saturday, May 12th. Three days before the town was destroyed." He nodded to the aide, and the recording resumed. How the fuck did we never find this? Jeremy was racking his brain, trying to figure out how neither he nor Lani, nor anyone in the FBI, had ever come across this recording. "So what if I have? We all oughta known sooner than this. From how he tells it, they died nearly a week ago. That''s right, folks. Our sheriff and our mayor knew we had a psycho in town, and didn''t say a goddamn word for a week! What if he''d come after you in your diner, Dan? Or your shop, Hector? What if he went for your sister, Preston?" "He''d get what''s coming to him." Both the recording in the past and the room in the present gave an appreciative chuckle. Out of the corner of Jeremy''s eye, Cinza had mouthed the words right along with Preston Bowman. "There''s something going on in this town, and we all know it. It''s been happening for months and we''ve all been plopped on our hands waiting for the next tree to keel over." "Please," said Cinza, "this part is not relevant. What you wish for us to hear is the end of the recording." "Hiding something?" asked Aderholt. "A false accusation," said Cinza, "and the identities of those who are deceased and deserve their dignified rest." The Attorney General agreed, to their surprise. The recording skipped ahead a few minutes. "Enough of this," said the long-dead voice of Rowan Rhistler, perfectly timed to agree with Cinza in the present. "Robert, Julian, you two will hold your tongues if you mean to accuse further, unless you can present solid, factual evidence about the group and not wild speculation." "Actually," and even in the past in this old recording, Jeremy could hear the trustworthy, everyman voice of Dan Rhodes. It was the sort of voice you wanted to believe. "They are witches." "Dan? You have something to add?" "I''ve seen it. People making fire from thin air, people with impossible things. Casting spells. You know, witchery." "Explain," said Jackie, and Jeremy knew that voice. Jackie believed him, and so Jeremy believed him too. "That girl who comes around every once and a while. She shoots lightning from her fingertips. And a few guys that came in, they threw fire at her. Just thought everyone should know." "That sounds ridiculous," and a collective gasp went up at the recognizable voice of Hailey Winscombe. They didn''t pause the recording again, but Jeremy saw more than a few eager questions quickly bit back. "People throwing fire and lightning? Are you on something?" "The girl, what''s her name?" "She goes by Rika, but I dunno if¡ª" "Hector, cut it." The recording fizzed and abruptly stopped. Jeremy glanced around, confused. Was that it? Rachel did something at the end there¡­ "What happened?" asked President Stafford, glancing at the Attorney General. "The connection to Gordon Merrill''s phone abruptly ends at that moment. We can''t determine why." "The phone was disabled," said Cinza. "We were protecting our privacy." "So you verify this recording is accurate?" asked the Attorney General. Cinza nodded. "Without the proper context, but yes, it sounds accurate to what I remember." "As I said." He turned to the President. "Rika has been accused of murder before. We have a police record from Rallsburg one day later, in which Mayor Rhistler names her as a possible suspect in the murders of Alexander Nelson, Jaysmith Miller, and Jennifer Wilson. Nishimura has not given any alibi for the time period a week before their death through to her arrival in Rallsburg on Friday, May 11th." "She was not accused of murder," said Cinza sharply, before the President could respond. "I''m sorry?" "Rika was wanted for questioning, yes. This is not the same as an accusation. This was a plot formed by Robert Harrison and Julian Black to throw suspicion on Rika, and by extension, her friend and Councilor Rachel DuValle. They were trying to destabilize the town." Cinza shook her head. "Julian''s motivations, I cannot say, but Robert Harrison''s were clear. He was working with Brian Hendricks and Jackson Smith. They were responsible for the deaths of everyone in Rallsburg." "As you''ve outlined before," said Wesley Gatiss. Cinza nodded. "This is prejudice. Nothing more." "Prejudice of what, exactly?" asked the Attorney General. "She''s awakened, therefore she''s guilty?" "Precisely." "That''s a bit of a stretch," said the deputy Chief of Staff skeptically. Like you would know. Jeremy shot him a pointed look. "Less of a stretch than you think." "She''s here now, she can defend herself," said the Attorney General. "Heaven knows she''s affluent enough to afford strong representation." "And you can afford to tie her to the stake for her abilities," said Cinza coldly. "I think that''s lunch, everyone," said the President, cutting off any countering remarks in their tracks. "We''ve been talking for hours and we''ve got a lot more to get through. We''ll meet back here at¡­ what?" He glanced over to his bodyman. "One thirty." The President stood, and everyone hurried to match him. He exited from the room with dignity, even as Cinza continued to glare at his side. Slowly, the rest of the room filtered out, awash with indistinct murmuring, until only Jeremy, Maddie, Cinza and Makoto remained. "I feel like we didn''t do anything," said Makoto quietly. Maddie burst out laughing. "Shit, that''s every day in this damn building." She patted Makoto on the back, who flinched a little. "You get used to it." "Fuck that," said Jeremy. "Gettin'' used to it is my nightmare. I''m out of here tonight for sure." "Back home?" "Signed myself up for the most dangerous case of my life." "I hope you accomplish your goal," said Cinza. She turned to Jeremy. "I''d like to apologize." Didn''t see that comin''... "What?" "I told you I could not get along with you, and that we would not become allies." She shook her head. "I''m pleased to say I was wrong. Even if we do not agree, you''ve proven more than once your integrity and dedication to duty." "Thanks," said Jeremy, not sure how insulted he should feel. Is this more political bullshit or is this genuine? "It''s genuine," said Maddie, reading his mind while she smirked out of Cinza''s sight. "She thinks you''re good at your job. So now I''m losin'' respect for her." Jeremy rolled his eyes. "Thanks, Maddie." "Love you too, Jere-bear." "I trust you''re in communication with Rachel, as your sister is?" Jeremy didn''t bother trying to deny it. "Yeah." "You might pass on the information about the recording we just heard. She won''t need the file itself. Her memory is perfect¡ª" "Yeah, we know," said Maddie with a groan. Cinza smiled. "She will want to know that she''s being entered into the evidence for this case, and therefore public record. Given how the recording ends, it will be obvious she is both awakened and in a position of authority." He nodded. "I''ll let her know." "Come on, let''s go eat," said Maddie. "You go," said Jeremy, as the other three rose to head to the cafeteria. "I gotta go meet someone." And fuck Aderholt, I''ll break into the damn place if I have to. I gotta get both sides of this fuckin'' story. "Who?" "Rika Nishimura." B2: Chapter 42 — Ghosts of the Present Chapter 42 ¡ª Ghosts of the Present Jeremy ate on the go. There was only an hour and a half from leaving the White House until he had to be back for the next session. He wolfed down a pair of sandwiches as he drove through the city¡ªright back to DC Jail once again. Of course my life is goin'' in damn circles. I''m in D.C. Nothin'' ever gets done here, just like Makoto said. He knew that wasn''t totally true, but it still made him feel better. Jeremy rolled up to DC Jail, waved his badge, and was immediately allowed through the gate. Simple and easy, checkpoint by checkpoint¡ªuntil suddenly it wasn''t anymore. "Sorry, you aren''t on the authorized list for that inmate." Jeremy sighed. "What does it take to be on the list?" "Approval from her attorney or the inmate herself, or a court order." "And supposin'' I ain''t got any of those?" The guard shrugged. "A miracle?" "Special Agent Ashe?" Jefferson Baux appeared around the corner, hands full of folders and a pair of coffees. He hurried up to the counter, joining Jeremy in front of the bored-looking guard. "Please, Mr. Ashe is my associate. He''s permitted to visit Miss Nishimura for counsel." "Is that true?" the guard asked Jeremy, voice a flat drone as before. Jeremy nodded. "We''re associates." The guard sighed and hit a button, buzzing them through the next gate. Jefferson led the way deeper inside, straight to one of the counsel rooms where inmates could meet with their lawyers to discuss their cases. Rika wasn''t there yet, but as soon as they were inside, Jefferson quickly set down his things and shut the door. "What can I do for you, Mr. Ashe?" Jeremy raised an eyebrow. "You''re representin'' Rika now too?" Jefferson nodded. "Miss Winscombe''s mother referred me, after hearing about Miss Nishimura''s arrest. Since I''m in town and Miss Winscombe''s case has been delayed, I decided I might as well act point for both of them until my firm can allocate more resources to this area." He smiled. "I can''t say any of us expected to work so many cases across the country on such short notice, but we''re more than willing to put in the effort for our clients." Lawyers, almost as bad as politicians¡­ Least he seems like one of the good ones. "I need to talk to her. In private, no offense." "Of course." Jefferson nodded again. "You''ve got an investigation, and it involves things I probably shouldn''t hear yet." He glanced at the door. "If it''s all right, I''ll only ask her a couple questions first, so I can get to work while you conduct your interview?" "Fine by me." "Thank you." A sharp bang on the far door. The guard swung it open, and Rika walked in¡ªheavily chained down, muzzled, hobbling on restrained feet, with two guards escorting her. Jefferson shot to his feet. "This is entirely inappropriate!" he started, and with real anger in his voice. Jeremy was surprised¡ªmost lawyers he knew never let emotion get in the way, unless it was carefully calculated for the judge or the jury. "Required additional security," grunted one of the guards. "She surrendered voluntarily, has not been convicted of any crimes yet, and has not fulfilled any of the qualifications for highly dangerous inmates." Jefferson glared at the two of them. "I insist you unchain and ungag her at once. Miss Nishimura deserves dignified treatment." "She set off every detector we''ve got," said the third guard, who Jeremy believed outranked the other two, based on her uniform. "Refused to explain why. ''Til we''re sure she ain''t got weapons on her, she stays chained up." "Of course she set them off!" said Jefferson exasperatedly. "It''s a condition. She can''t turn it off. Miss Nishimura is no threat to anyone in this room." I dunno about that¡­ but she sure as hell doesn''t deserve this shit. "I''m with him," said Jeremy, jerking a thumb at Jefferson. "And I outrank all you, I''m here on behalf of the President of the United States. Now take the damn chains off." "On your own heads," said the lead guard, and directed her two subordinates to release Rika. Jefferson mouthed something at her as soon as they reached for the muzzle, and to Jeremy''s relief, Rika didn''t say a word¡ªuntil the door closed again behind them. After that, she released such a colorful stream of curses in three different languages, Jeremy wasn''t sure he''d heard its equal during all his years in law enforcement. "Assholes," Rika finished, falling into the chair opposite them with an exhausted thump. "Long time, Mr. Special Agent. Where the fuck have you been?" "London," said Jeremy. "And then the White House." "Shit." Rika glanced between the two of them. "So is he here to take me to face the court or something?" "Not yet," said Jefferson. "Your trial date has not been set. Technically, you haven''t even been formally charged yet." "So why the hell am I in jail?" "Proceedings." Jefferson sighed. "I''m doing my best to get a bail hearing, but you''re considered a massive flight risk." "That''s the other chick." Jefferson smiled. "You know what I mean, though, yes?" "Yeah, yeah. I''m a foreign citizen, I''m rich, I can do magic tricks with my brain, I''ve got a history of changing my name and running around the country doing whatever the fuck I like." Rika sighed. "How''s Alden doing?" "He''s staying with Hailey''s mom right now," said Jeremy. "Took him there this morning myself." "So what are you doing at the White House?" "Mostly sittin'' next to Cinza and listenin'' to her piss off half the Cabinet." "Sounds fun." "If I may," interjected Jefferson. "I understand your reluctance, Miss Nishimura, but why didn''t you inform the prison of your condition? It could avoid all the extra conditions they placed on your captivity." "I did," said Rika, with a deadly glare over her shoulder toward the door. "Fuckers didn''t listen. Just threw that shit on me anyway." Jefferson sighed. "I''ll put in a formal complaint and do my best to stir up as much trouble as I can, but no guarantees. I''m sorry." "Yeah, yeah." "What condition?" asked Jeremy, uncomfortably out of the loop. Just like always¡­ Rika held out a hand with a vague smirk. "Take my hand." Reluctantly, Jeremy did¡ªand immediately felt a shock of electricity buzz through his fingertips. He snatched it back, wringing his hand in pain. "Jesus." She snickered. "Never gets old." "So what, you''re settin'' off metal detectors and shit with that?" "Yeah." Rika nodded to Jefferson. "Like he said, can''t turn it off. Ritual gone bad, so now my whole body''s lit up like a Christmas tree. I can force it down a bit, but I can''t get rid of it." "Ritual gone bad¡­ like what happened to Jessica?" A dark look crossed Rika''s face. "...Yeah," she said quietly. "Not nearly that bad, but yeah. Same basic idea." No one spoke for a minute. Jeremy knew Rika had just flashed back to the exact same night he had¡ªand as he did, Jeremy remembered how she''d acted, how she''d moved and spoken and fought. This girl ain''t no damn mass-murderer. Bit of an asshole, but she doesn''t deserve this. Jefferson finally cleared his throat, shuffling a few papers around in his hands. "Well, I''ll definitely work on your bail, and with Agent Ashe''s assistance and his associates, we might be able to get you more freedom in here at the very least." He glanced to Jeremy for affirmation. Jeremy nodded. "In the meantime, Miss Nishimura, I''m told that new charges are being filed against you." "What now?" asked Rika in a bored voice. "Did I hold all those people in Tacoma hostage too?'' "Several thousand instances of the Computer Misuse Act of 1990," said Jefferson, paging through to his other folder. "...The fuck?" "That''s not an American law," said Jeremy. "That''s¡­ London?" "The accusation comes from Sir Thomas Laushire, and is corroborated by multiple arrested individuals within the Culver-Malton Group, who admit using the hack you perpetuated to gain significant financial gain over their rival Laushire Industries." Jefferson pulled out another page. "They''re suing you for quite a bit of money." "...Goddammit," said Rika, sliding down in her chair as she read the huge list of charges. "...Fuck. Fuck! I¡­" She choked up a bit. "I gave it to them because I was gonna die," she murmured. "I bribed them to get me out of that fucking town. We were all gonna die. What was I supposed to do?" "You can claim duress by agents of Malton?" Rika shook her head. "It was Omega. Viper didn''t threaten me. I offered it, ''cause we''d just been ripped apart by fucking golems and I knew he had the only safe ride out of town." "Well¡­" Jefferson frowned. "If this Viper is willing to testify to that effect, we may be able to reduce the criminal charge. I''m not sure we can eliminate the monetary damages¡ªand please bear with me, I''m not very familiar with British law¡ªbut as long as we can lay most of the blame on CMG for actually using the hack and show that you were under extreme pressure, you might get off lightly. Lord knows they have far more assets to seize than you do." "You said it was Laushire suing me, right?" asked Rika. She turned to Jeremy. "You in touch with her?" Kendra''s still tied to a bed, but Lily''s handlin'' shit in the meantime. Jeremy nodded. "I can reach out." "Thanks, man." Rika smiled weakly. Jefferson glanced between them. "...I suppose this isn''t someone I need to know about." "Wouldn''t believe me if I told you," said Jeremy, smirking. "Right." Jefferson began to close up his folders again. "Well, if that''s everything¡ª" "Wait," said Jeremy. "You oughta know about this. I just heard a recording this morning that wasn''t entered into evidence yet." "Is this privileged?" asked Jefferson sharply. Jeremy shook his head. "Public domain and obtained legally. It was on a damn public cloud recording site. Apparently all I needed to do was have all the guy''s old television appearances and run them through some fancy software or shit." Rika nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, that''d work. As long as you had access to their API." "Yeah, okay, well anyway." Jeremy glanced back at her. "It''s a recording about you." "What about me?" "Meetin'' in Rallsburg. A town hall." "Fuck!" Rika leapt to her feet, slamming a fist onto the metal table. The guard looked in through the window, concerned, but since neither Jeremy nor Jefferson had moved, turned away again a moment later. "You''re fucking kidding me," said Rika, staring at Jeremy ashen-faced. A tear actually rolled down her cheek, startling him. "Nope." "Every single fucking time¡­" Rika stared up at the ceiling, muttering something under her breath that Jeremy couldn''t hear. "What is this recording?" asked Jefferson gently, when Rika didn''t respond. "Gordon Merrill had a cloud recordin'' of the town hall where magic first came out," said Jeremy. "Right before they actually get into that bit, they were talkin'' about the deaths of Alex Nelson, Jay Miller, and Jenny Wilson. Guy who owns the town diner, Dan Rhodes, throws out Rika''s name as a possible suspect." "Fuck me," Rika whispered to the ceiling. "The recording cuts off right after her name, when Rachel DuValle tells Hector Peraza to ''cut it'', whatever the hell that meant. Point is, the next day, the mayor issued an arrest warrant for Rika for questioning about the murders." "I didn''t do it," snapped Rika, her head shooting down to meet the two of them. "I don''t think you did," said Jeremy firmly. "Just relayin'' what happened this morning. In front of the President, the Attorney General, and a whole fuckload of other senior staff." "Well, I can definitely hit them for not informing defense of new evidence in a timely fashion," said Jefferson. "But this still hurts." "I got good news too," added Jeremy, though he knew it wasn''t nearly as strong. "Alden''s ready to testify for you. Says you''ve got solid alibis for both the sets of murders." Rika smiled. "Cool." "Got anyone else who could testify?" Jeremy went on, not wanting to mention how flimsy Alden''s testimony likely would be in court. "Walker, maybe?" "He could cover the Seattle ones," said Rika with a shrug. "Doesn''t help at all in Rallsburg, he ditched before I did." She frowned. "Only other people who''d know are Viper and Rook. I''m guessin'' you can''t get either of them to back my story?" she added with a crooked grin. Jeremy shook his head. "Not in a million fuckin'' years for Viper. He''s goin'' down with the ship for Malton, apparently. Motherfucker''s loyal if nothin'' else. Rook, though¡­" He swallowed hard before continuing. "It''s possible." "Who knows what side that bitch is on?" said Rika knowingly. Jeremy nodded. "Exactly." "Well, I can get started now, I think," said Jefferson. "Mr. Ashe wants to¡ª" "Nevermind," said Jeremy, getting to his feet. "I got what I need. You two keep goin''." "Are you certain?" asked Jefferson, surprised. "Yeah." Jeremy glanced at Rika as he walked to the door. "I''ll get her to testify." Rika smiled again, and this time there was a bit more confidence in it. "Thanks. I''m glad I met you, fucked up as it was." Jeremy grinned. "Best friends you ever meet are in completely fucked up situations." He opened the door. "Good luck, Rika."
Jeremy made it back just in time, sliding into his seat moments before the President strolled in. He didn''t have time to answer Maddie''s hissed question, but he gave them a reassuring glance before they all rose to greet the President¡ªexcept Cinza, of course. "Well," said President Stafford, "where were we?" "We''re shifting gears, sir," said Ioannis, "to address something that''s seen increasing pressure from the public." "Oh?" The President glanced across the table, but Cinza seemed equally surprised. "What do you wish to discuss?" she asked, and for once, she opened with something akin to a warm tone. Finally, we''re tryin'' to start on the right foot. Maybe this is what she meant earlier. Ioannis took a deep breath. "Hannah Newman." Cinza stood up from the table immediately. "I did not come here to discuss Ruby," she said, with considerable emphasis on the name. "That is off the table." "With respect, Cinza, it can''t be." Ioannis gestured to an aide, who quickly distributed a new sheet of information. "Washington State law is quite clear on runaways and minors. Hannah¡ªexcuse me," he added quickly, as the tangible disgust from Cinza flooded the whole room. Jeremy half-believed she was doing something with magic to create the effect, so thoroughly did it permeate the place. "Ruby still has several court orders in place for her incarceration due to fleeing home." "An abusive home where she was driven to attempt suicide," Cinza snarled, still on her feet. The effect was a bit diminished, since she was so short, but the venom in her voice was anything but. Accentuated by the echo in her voice, she held the whole room''s unblinking attention. "She was beaten by her scum of a father for being herself and daring to love whomever she loved." "None of that is on record," said Ioannis quietly. "Never reported, never claimed." "These are clearly extenuating circumstances," said President Stafford, glancing at Ioannis with a frown. "How old is she?" "Turned seventeen in September." Ioannis pointed to a part of the sheet he''d handed out. Cinza finally sat down to read it, examining the statistics and details carefully. "Washington State heavily favors short or moderate incarcerations to rehabilitate runaways, nearly three times as often as the next highest state, Kentucky. Over twenty-seven hundred cases in 2015 alone." "That actually happens?" asked the President, shifting his glare to Courtney. The governor nodded. "It''s an option for judges when dealing with status offenses. I''m not exactly in favor of it, but it''s a standard choice and often employed." "In a case where a minor ran away from home multiple times and joined a cult, missing school for more than a year and having no alternative education," said Ioannis, "I hope you can see the difficult position this puts everyone in." "Ain''t this just a state-level thing?" asked Maddie. "Why do we even need to bring this up here?" Tryin'' to keep it between us and Courtney. Smart. "Because Cinza and her people are no longer state-level," said Ioannis. "She''s an international figure, and she''s engaging in diplomacy on an international stage. Harboring such a scandal within her organization is¡­ troublesome." "Ruby saved my life," said Cinza. "I gave her a home and a family which actually cares for her and raises her. She is far more intelligent than most of the people in this room. Tell me how any of this could possibly deserve punishment." "None of us believe you do," said Ioannis firmly. "I''m just trying to explain the public perception." "It''s worse than that," added the deputy behind him. "I don''t mean to sound blunt here¡ª" "That certainly appears to be your job," said Cinza dryly, and quite a few people on the President''s staff laughed. Even the deputy grinned sheepishly. "Like I said. This is going to be blunt, but¡­ you''re being accused of statutory rape." Deadly silence for a beat¡ªand Cinza was on her feet again, Jeremy right along with her. "The hell?" Jeremy snapped, before even Cinza could get a word in. "Explain," said Cinza right afterward, and the glare she shot at the deputy could have killed the man all on its own. "Because she was only sixteen when she met you and the general estimate of your age is twenty-three," said the deputy. "Nobody can say it for sure, and the law requires proof of an abusive relationship since sixteen is the age of consent in Washington State, but¡ª" "Your estimate of my age is incorrect," said Cinza, not relinquishing her deadly glare. "Let''s lay off my deputy, please," said Ioannis firmly, matching Cinza''s stare. "He''s doing his job, not accusing you of anything." The room was more tense than it had been all week, and for once, Jeremy was entirely on Cinza''s side. This was an absurd line to take. No one truly believed Cinza guilty of any such crime, and the state certainly wasn''t going to pursue such a case¡ªCourtney, the governor of Washington, sat only a few seats away, and she looked as shocked as he felt. Jeremy wasn''t sitting down again until they backed off, and apologized on top of it. "Cinza," said President Stafford gently, in the typical charismatic tone he could summon in an instant, "it''s their job to be worried about how we look. They intend no offense." "You would stand there and accuse me of the most horrendous crimes," said Cinza slowly, every syllable edged in icy contempt, "and expect me not to react in kind?" "I¡ª" "Let''s take a break," said Maddie quickly, standing up next to Jeremy. "Mr. President, you said you had a security briefing this afternoon, right?" "Yes. Thank you, Senator Ashe." President Stafford got to his feet, and again, everyone else followed suit¡ªthough Cinza''s eyes still hadn''t moved an inch from the deputy''s face. "We''ll reconvene later this afternoon. Back to whatever the hell it is you people do around here." He tried for levity, but the room wasn''t ready to lighten up yet. They trooped out in silence, until finally, it was just the five of them¡ªCourtney stayed behind as well, joining the rest of the group who called Washington home. "I can assure you, Cinza," she said immediately as the last door closed, "there has not been an iota of such an idea in the state prosecutor''s office, and there never will be." Cinza nodded. "Thank you." She glanced over the rest of them. "I knew this would become an issue, but I did not expect them to pursue such a disgusting path." "I can''t even imagine why," said Maddie, slouching in her chair. "The fuck do they gain from pissing you off?" "I think they felt Cinza was too strong a negotiator," said Courtney, raising eyebrows from the rest of them. "What? I can''t recognize her talent?" "We''re just not used to you bein'' nice," said Jeremy. "Thought it must''ve just been on Dad''s side," added Maddie. "Ha-ha," said Courtney sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "I meant what I said. Cinza has held her own against an intimidating bench. She''s not what they''re used to, and it''s throwing them off balance. They must believe they''ve given up too much. I think they wanted to unsettle her, show her they still have power." "And did it work?" asked Makoto, glancing at Cinza. "Yes," she answered, and the contempt hadn''t diminished in her tone. "They will apologize, or they will hear no more negotiations." Jeremy sighed. "I can''t blame you, but this is gonna get ugly." "It already is." Cinza turned and walked out of the room, Makoto fast on her heels. The door swung closed behind them, an eerie snap echoing through the suddenly quite empty room. With only three of them left, the place felt so much more massive than it had before, huge paintings adorning the walls and doors in every direction. Jeremy dropped into a chair, matching Maddie''s slouch. "Jesus Christ¡­" he muttered. Courtney pulled out her phone. "This was quite a bit easier with Rachel," she said, almost to herself. Maddie chuckled. "Yeah, but we didn''t actually do anythin''. That was all just planning." "True." Courtney sighed. "Oh, God¡­" "What now?" asked Jeremy, scrambling to sit upright. Don''t be another fuckin'' attack. No more shit right now. "Nate Price." "...Shit, I was expecting something bad," said Jeremy. He leaned back again. "What''s the kid up to now?" "He won his case." Courtney was scrolling through an email. "The land belonging to the Price family and all remaining assets either on or seized from the properties are under his control once again." "Good luck gettin'' back anythin'' looted," said Jeremy, rolling his eyes. "That''s not the real problem." Courtney set the phone down again. She looked back to Jeremy and Maddie. "It includes significant portions of Rallsburg and the surrounding forest which were never properly ceded to the state and remain privately owned land¡­ including the Greywood." "...Fuck."
"How did that even happen?" asked the President, glancing between the three of them. Courtney had decided it was probably best to let the President know privately before they mentioned it to Cinza, since he''d already promised it to her. "Did nobody actually check to make sure it was actually my damn land?" "The country''s land, sir," Ioannis gently reminded him. "We still have options," said Courtney. "My people are working on it, sir. We can employ eminent domain, but it will be difficult, since we have already declared our intention to cede it back to private ownership." "So justifying its for public use doesn''t really work¡­" the President agreed, nodding along. "I don''t suppose we''ve got enough money to just buy the damn place off him? Does he even want it?" "He just spent months getting it back after losing it twice over," said Courtney. "I''m certain he wants it." "The estimated worth of the land is incalculable now," added Ioannis. "It''s the primary site of magic and the suspected location of the largest concentration of potential book pieces. Beyond that, Rallsburg itself is an important historical site, and the whole region will be a massive tourist location." "It already is," added Courtney. "I''d hazard to say it might be the most valuable undeveloped property in the country. Mr. Price could command a fortune for mere pieces of it." "It''s not even totally undeveloped," Jeremy pointed out. "Cinza spent years makin'' the Greywood into a magic utopia. And some of the Rallsburg infrastructure is good. There''s still train tracks most of the way there and back." "Anyone with half a brain could pull it together," said Maddie. Ioannis sighed. "And now that work has changed hands." "It''s my fault," said Courtney. "Reclaiming the land when we declared them dead back in June already raised eyebrows. We could have done that better." "Careful, Madam Governor," said President Stafford, a twinkle in his eye. "A career politician should know better than to ever accept blame." "Only among friends," she replied, matching his smile. "Who''s drawin'' the short straw, then?" said Jeremy. "What do you mean?" asked Ioannis. "Informing Cinza that she just lost her home to the man who stole her diaries," said President Stafford. He shook his head. "This will be a nightmare no matter how you slice it." "Yes." They turned around. Cinza stood in the doorway, Makoto hovering just behind her looking a bit winded. Secret Service just let her waltz through two rooms to reach the President? Unless¡­ Jesus, did she just¡ª "I''m guessing my bodyguards couldn''t see you," said the President, obviously curious. Cinza nodded. "I felt it prudent to know what was being said behind closed doors, especially after such a vicious attack on my person this afternoon." "Cinza¡ª" started Ioannis, but President Stafford talked over him. "Well, you heard then: Nate Price won his lawsuit and controls Rallsburg, plus the land formerly belonging to his family, which includes where we outlined the Greywood territory." "As if a piece of paper could give him power," said Cinza, a vague smirk curling at her lips. The President grinned. "Regardless, I intend to return home tonight. Our negotiations will resume at a later date." "I''m sure my deputy will apologi¡ª" "Greater men have said far worse to me, Ioannis," said Cinza, glancing briefly up at him. The star tattoo on her neck seemed to stand out again, as if emphasizing her history and her position. "I won''t pretend it didn''t offend, but I must return home. My family awaits while new challenges arise, and the crusaders continue to grow in numbers and strength. I''ve heard two awakened attended a meeting only three days ago and were nearly killed." "They just went to a meeting of people openly calling for genocide against them?" asked Ioannis, raising an eyebrow. Cinza shook her head. "Why they ended up there, I can''t explain. I only know that Brian Hendricks was supposedly present, and the golems returned once again. The goddess saved our people this time, but she cannot always be there. Her work is too important for us to rely on her constant protection. We must provide our own." "I can¡ª" started the President, but Cinza spoke over him. Ioannis drew a sharp breath as she did¡ªno one interrupted the President, particularly not in the west wing of the White House. "We''ve seen the results of police intervention in the past," Cinza said dismissively. "I''ve no faith in it now. If you want to pursue Brian on your own terms, by all means, pursue. I will neither trust in your protection nor grant you any access to my home. We have been betrayed before; we shall not be again." "Well, at the very least, allow me to give you a ride home?" said President Stafford, with a rare show of exasperation. Cinza paused¡ªshe had seemed about to leave the room. Slowly, she nodded. "We''d gratefully accept fast transport home." "Ioannis?" prompted the President, and his chief of staff immediately scurried off through the other door to set up the flight. Cinza followed him out. Stafford turned to Jeremy. "Special Agent Ashe, you''ll be accompanying her back, of course." If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Jeremy sighed. "Yeah, I figured that was comin'', sir." The President grinned. "Come on, you can''t possibly have been enjoying all the political bullshit." He shrugged. "...Beats getting shot at." Stafford laughed. Well, he''s still a damn politician, but he''s better than most. "Good luck out there. Any reports you have can either be passed up straight to the director or to Wesley and the DTA." "Will you be deploying more elements to the area, sir?" asked Jeremy. "What with them bein'' labeled a terrorist movement now." The President hesitated. Maddie jumped in to fill the silence. "Jeremy, they didn''t get labeled terrorists yet." "...Why the fuck not?" snapped Jeremy, completely forgetting who he was standing next to. "What more do they gotta do before we recognize the threat they are?" "Optics," said Courtney. "Brian''s followers look like ordinary American citizens, and he has too much grassroots support right now. The only visible attack which can be concretely attributed to him is the Lakewood battle, and the explosives there were used against him. As far as the public''s concerned, nobody''s proven anything. All we''ve got is Brian''s people getting attacked themselves, by shady paramilitary forces or by supposed awakened assassins." "Bullshit." "We know it''s bullshit," said Maddie exasperatedly, "but confidence in the government''s been rock-bottom ever since we spent four damn months comin'' up with jack shit to explain Rallsburg. All we''d do is provoke more damn protestors, drive even more people right to his side." "So what, then?" asked Jeremy, frustrated. "Do I wear a fuckin'' bodycam and just wait to get attacked again? How you think Cinza''s gonna feel about that?" "We''ve put through hate crime legislation," said Maddie. "It''s working through Congress as fast as we can, full bipartisan support. Even the other side of the bench is backin'' us right now, so let''s not waste that chip while we''ve got it." "And in local resources, I have committed every non-essential resource I can toward handling Brian," added Courtney. "We''re overwhelmed by the pilgrims and the crazies, but we''ve tripled patrols and authorized all the overtime they need. The national guard''s come in, and we''re rolling out staggered training for all our officers and enforcement on magic and awakened. The rainy day fund is digging deep here." "And we''re here to get more help," said Maddie. "So suck it up and don''t fuck it up, Jeremy. Get home, stay in touch, and try to keep Cinza from throwin'' away all our current goodwill for her own agenda." "Like Cinza would do that before you fucks," grumbled Jeremy. "Well," said President Stafford sharply, surprising the three of them. Somehow, Jeremy had completely forgotten he was even in the room. "That seemed like a productive family meeting. I''d love for you to have me over again sometime." "...Sorry, Mr. President," said Courtney sheepishly, and Maddie echoed her a half-second later. Stafford smiled. "I''ve got a security briefing now and a whole lot of other business today, so I think I''ll see myself out. Madam Governor, Senator Ashe, we''re back for the legislation strategy meeting at four?" "Yes, sir," said Courtney. "Excellent." Stafford glanced at Jeremy. "I believe you''ve got a flight to catch." Jeremy nodded. "Good luck, sir." Stafford left. Maddie glanced at Jeremy sideways, looking worried. "Jere-bear, you gonna be okay?" "Huntin'' terrorists is literally my job." He shrugged. "Besides, I''m Cinza''s liaison now, not an investigator or a detective. She ain''t a frontliner, neither am I." "I dunno, she seemed plenty gung-ho about runnin'' out into the field in London." "I''m gonna be fine, Maddie." Jeremy hugged her. To his surprise, another hug came in and enveloped them both. "...Thanks, Courtney." "We''re family," she said, and the uncharacteristically warm action was not reflected even slightly in her voice. "And since none of us seem to have any plans for children, we''re all the family we''re ever going to have. So Jeremy, as your eldest sister, I expressly forbid you from getting hurt. Understood?" "Shit, how am I supposed to hate you now?" said Maddie, her voice choking up slightly. "Give it an hour, I''m sure you''ll find a way."
Jeremy texted Alden as he was leaving the White House (this time through the basement again), and to his surprise, the kid accepted his offer. "She told me to," he said sheepishly, climbing into the back seat with Jeremy. The Secret Service agent took off as soon as the door snapped closed, headed for the airport. "Makes sense, I guess. Like you said, I''m kind of a useless witness for her, and I can do more good back home. I told her I''d be back in time for the trial." "Welcome aboard," said Jeremy. "Am I droppin'' you off at home, then?" "I guess. I want to go back to the Greywood first though. You''re going there, right?" "Yeah. I''m Cinza''s liaison." "Like¡­ her assistant?" "In her fuckin'' dreams," grumbled Jeremy. "Just a middleman between her and the White House." "So what do you do, then?" "Whatever they need me to. Mostly I plan on stayin'' the hell out of the way and just passin'' messages when they get too annoyed to talk to each other ''emselves." "Sounds like an assistant to me¡­" "Difference is, I don''t work for her," said Jeremy, while their car pulled up to the waiting jet on the tarmac. I''m really lovin'' not havin'' to go through the damn airport anymore. Perks of bein'' so damn important lately. "I''m there to spy on her, if anythin'', and she knows it." "And she''s okay with that?" Jeremy shrugged. "I think she knows I won''t say a fuckin'' word unless it''s serious. I don''t care about the little things, and it''s way too much paperwork to worry about." Alden grinned. "So you''re just lazy." "Damn right." The Secret Service agent popped the door open for him, and Jeremy climbed out. "Come on, kid. Time to go home." As they entered the mostly-empty cabin, Cinza glanced up with surprise. "Alden?" "Hi again," he said nervously. "I wasn''t aware you were even in town." "I got picked up with Rika." Cinza frowned. "Why on earth did they arrest you?" "...I told them to." Makoto looked like he might laugh aloud. Cinza visibly suppressed a smirk. "It''s good you''re back among us." "Thanks." Jeremy glanced up at the cockpit. "Can we get movin'' already?" On cue, the staircase pulled away and the door sealed up. Seatbelt signs flashed up as the plane began to rumble slightly, taxiing out onto the runway. Jeremy quickly took his seat, Alden plopping down across the aisle and pulling out a pair of earbuds from his pocket. Cinza leaned back and closed her eyes, perfectly relaxed and calm, while Makoto clutched the seatrests a little more tightly than before. He''s got the right fuckin'' idea¡­ Jeremy copied all three of them, closing his eyes and putting some music in his ears, all while holding on for dear life. Fake ground. It''s fake ground, just like I told Hailey. He felt far more nervous and uncomfortable than usual, though, and he wasn''t exactly sure why. Something about his day was bothering him too much to sit still and relax, even as the plane reached cruising altitude and leveled off, so he could forget he was in the air. An attack involvin'' golems two days ago¡­ Cinza mentioned awakened were there. How didn''t I hear about that? He took out his earbuds and sat up straight. "Cinza," said Jeremy. She opened her eyes and glanced over, curious. "Where was that meetin''? The one you said two awakened got attacked at." "West Olympia, I believe," said Cinza, frowning. "I only heard about it secondhand. Why do you ask?" "First meetin'' was in New London, tiny place west of the forest, by all the rumors. Then Aberdeen is the next one we heard about, and then the assassination attempt in Satsop. Now he''s in west Olympia. He''s movin'' east. Could be a pattern." "Hm." Cinza nodded. "Are we certain he was actually at this meeting, though? I was informed golems were there, but Brian could have given the summoning rod to a trusted subordinate." Jeremy shook his head. "Man wouldn''t let go of the damn thing when I met him. No way he''d let anyone touch it, even his own mother." Cinza shrugged. "We''ve never been certain of the range he can utilize it, either. After all, he was nowhere to be seen back in October when he attacked the bar in Tacoma." "He was there," said Alden quietly, joining the conversation. His expression was dark and clearly unsettled. "In Tacoma?" "No, in Olympia. The meeting was in an old church on Jenkins Road. Me and Jonathan Hudson were the two who got attacked." Cinza frowned, not saying a word. Her eyes were darting slightly back and forth, focused on some distant point in the sky, as if deep in thought. "The hell did you go there for?" asked Jeremy, raising an eyebrow. "Didn''t mean to," mumbled Alden. "Jonathan was driving and I was half-asleep¡­" Jeremy sighed. "...''Course he went there. Fuckin'' moron¡­" He leaned back in his chair again. "You both okay, though?" "Yeah. We got out okay. I don''t know why, but¡­ well, we just got lucky, I guess." He looked uncomfortable again, and looked back toward his window, out into the wide blue expanse. "If Hailey had been there, maybe we could have¡­" Jeremy didn''t answer. Cinza said somethin'' earlier¡­ She said the goddess helped them escape. I thought she was bein'' metaphorical or some shit. But¡­ how the fuck else would this kid get away? Jonathan ain''t got anythin'' besides tricks, and Alden fell apart the last time he ran into those golems. "How many were there?" asked Makoto, looking back over his shoulder at them. "A few hundred?" Alden guessed. "I couldn''t really count, I was trying to stay quiet and get out as soon as I could. The place was pretty full though." "Odds are most of ''em are slacktivists at best though," said Jeremy, trying to reassure the worried looks on both of their faces. Cinza was still deep in thought and ignoring them entirely. "They won''t come out to an actual fight, or they''ll bail at the first sign of real trouble. Hendricks is used to the guys he found, tough shits with real hate in their guts. These are lots of middle-class assholes who''ve never seen a real brawl in their lives. They won''t be ready for shit." Makoto frowned. "You might be surprised." Alden nodded, shivering slightly as he spoke. "...Everybody in Rallsburg was ready to kill when they were pushed too far." "Nah," said Jeremy, shaking his head. "Difference is, they were pushed up against a damn wall. Defense, not offense. It''s fight or flight, and Jackson took away their flight. All they had left was fight, they just got pushed toward the wrong people." "I hope you''re right." Me too, kid. Me too. Jeremy nodded. "There''s still gonna be the hardcores, and we''ll deal with ''em. But the masses ain''t gonna rise up." He leaned back in his chair, put his earbuds in and tried to relax again. The masses ain''t gonna rise up¡­ but then again, witches and shit are one of the better ways to rile ''em up. God, I hope we ain''t that stupid anymore¡­ We''re probably fucked.
The plane landed at SeaTac around five o''clock in the evening. Jeremy called up Stebbins for a ride, while Makoto and Alden stretched from sleeping on the ride. Cinza hadn''t slept the whole way, though she did mumble to herself a few times inaudibly, only the whispery echo of her strange altered voice reaching Jeremy''s ears. Two SUVs pulled up¡ªthe first driven by Stebbins, the second by the lieutenant from the Tacoma standoff, of all people. Jeremy glanced at him pointedly as Stebbins hopped out. "He''s good, sir." The lieutenant walked over to join them, while the other men expertly secured the perimeter¡ªeven at SeaTac on a private runway cleared personally for them, Jeremy appreciated their vigilance. No clue when they might decide to jump us, or a golem might grow out of the damn tarmac. Fuckin'' magic. The lieutenant surprised Jeremy by throwing a sharp salute. "Special Agent Ashe, Alexander Malich. I''d like to formally apologize for my conduct in our previous operation, and I am hereby granting you full authority over myself and my men. Use us however you need to, sir." "...You don''t have to salute me, kid," said Jeremy uneasily. "I''m not in the damn chain of command." "Yes, sir." Malich dropped the salute. Stebbins was grinning behind him. "You here for revenge, Malich?" "No, sir. Here to do the job." Jeremy nodded. "Good." Don''t need a fuckin'' hothead tryin'' to fix his wounded pride. "Well, let''s get out of here. We''ve still got a long drive back to Rallsburg." "Yes, sir." They split up¡ªCinza and Jeremy in the lead car, Makoto and Alden in the tail. Jeremy raised an eyebrow at Cinza''s choice, but she quickly shook him off before he could say anything. Once they were inside and moving, she turned back and answered before he could even ask. "If one of us is hit, the other can report back and make sure the Greywood does as it needs to. Besides, Makoto is an excellent source of calm, and Alden looks as though he''s still completely in over his head. I thought it best they stay together for the time being." Damn. "Smart thinkin''." Cinza glanced at the heavy tint in the windows. "Are there any tools that will allow them to see through this?" Jeremy shrugged. "I wouldn''t know. Never had anythin'' when I was on the force. Maybe some military shit." She leaned forward to speak to Stebbins in the driver''s seat. "Take us on the normal road to Rallsburg, please." "Thought we wanted to go north and come in from the east, offroad," said Jeremy. "Avoid potential ambush." "We flew on a non-government jet and did not enter the public airport," said Cinza calmly, leaning back in her seat again and brushing her hair out of her eyes. "I do not believe anyone will think we''ve returned yet, particularly since we weren''t expected home until Saturday evening at the earliest." "Still takin'' a risk." "Every day is a risk," said Cinza. "I wish to see the pilgrimage for my own eyes." "The what now?" "There is a camp near the town ruins where pilgrims of magic have been gathering. They trade food and supplies, and teach each other magic. They''ve formed a community. My people have visited them a few times in secret." "And now you''re thinkin'' it''s time for a grand entrance?" Cinza smiled. "Nothing so bold yet. I will be invisible while we explore. It will be a good opportunity to practice my abilities." "You''re pretty weak lately, aren''t you," Jeremy commented. She raised an eyebrow. "You noticed?" Still assumin'' I don''t know shit. Catch up, girl. I''ve been doin'' this shit a long time. I can figure out some things for my own damn self. "Guess so." He shrugged. "I know everyone''s a bit different, but you get tired faster than I''d expect. Way worse than how she described you." "She meaning our mutual tall friend, I presume," said Cinza with a knowing smile. "...Yeah." "I''m glad she found herself again, even if it is not what I would have hoped for." Cinza sighed. "You''re correct. She was not aware how much the ritual to kill Jackson had taken from me, nor how long it required to recover. I am recovering, but it has taken months of hard work. You might think of it as therapy of a sort, though magical rather than physical or mental." "And you''re gettin'' your strength back." "Precisely. In the first month, I could barely cast a simple spell. I hid this from Rachel¡ªthat first night, the magic was entirely cast through the efforts of my family, with only the smallest guidance and shaping through my own skill." "So you can just share magic?" "In a sense, yes. It is difficult to describe unless you have felt it, but in essence, Ruby or another of my family would grant me their energy, and I take it into myself to shape as I desire into whatever magic I wish." "But doesn''t that break¡­" Jeremy paused. "Mason''s Law. The whole fuckin'' no-magic-on-other-people shit." My favorite part of this whole damn adventure. If someone could just snap their fingers and break my neck, I''d be on the other side of the planet right now. "The magic never enters me. If I do not use it, it would dissipate. They could not give me energy to sustain my life, for example, unless I found a way to heal myself using it." Cinza frowned. "That would be useful, actually. We should be researching that. I''ll ask Brittany and Josh to start when we get to the Greywood." "You never thought to include healing in your damn spellbook?" asked Jeremy, raising an eyebrow. "We assumed it would be impossible, or impractical at best," said Cinza. "Since the person injured would be the one who needs to cast the spell. The laws of energy still apply to a degree, so any energy expended to heal would likely counteract the life regained as a result. Beyond this, there are so many things that can go wrong. Imagine self-surgery with the capability to reach any part of your body at any time. Brain damage or permanent disability are certainly possible. But if in dire need, and we combine it with sharing¡­" "Could''ve saved some lives," said Jeremy quietly. "More than once." Cinza nodded, her eyes softening. Neither of them wanted to say her name, but both knew exactly to whom he was referring. "You''re right. I don''t know why we didn''t think of it. No one has invented consistent healing methods, but we can start the research." Self-obsessed, every last one of you, that''s why. Even with all your damn rhetoric, you''re hung up on your own image. It just happens to coincide with helpin'' your family most of the time. Jeremy was getting a clearer picture of Cinza every day, and while he liked parts of what he saw, he definitely wasn''t sold on the whole package yet. "What''s our next step?" he asked. More than anything, Jeremy wanted to get an impression of what Cinza''s real plans were. He fully expected something vague, or at least misleading, but he was confident he could read between the lines. "Precisely what I said in London," Cinza replied. She turned to Jeremy with a steely glint in her eyes. "Prepare for war. Brian heard my declaration and has responded in kind. We must do the same." "So what does preparin'' for war look like in your book?" "If you had attempted to enter the Greywood without one of us, you would have witnessed the breadth of our power." Jeremy frowned. "So you''re settin'' traps." "In a manner of speaking." Cinza glanced up front. "Your man is trustworthy?" "Only damn person I trust still in the state, unless Jackie''s around somewhere." "The sheriff is actually in the Greywood," said Cinza. "She arrived earlier this week." "...Well shit." Jeremy settled back into his chair. "Now I''m actually lookin'' forward to this trip."
Cinza explained the basics, but to Jeremy, it still just sounded like traps¡ªlandmines that could easily blow up any poor innocent bystander who happened to wander in the wrong direction too far. Cinza assured him it was virtually impossible unless they were deliberately hunting for the Greywood, but "virtually" didn''t sit well with him. The rest of the defense plan went way over his head, as Cinza delved into descriptions of magical interconnectivity and networks of relayed spells tied to trees somehow. The gist Jeremy got was: they were certainly ready to react to anything. Whether or not that reaction could actually accomplish something was still up in the air. The SUVs rolled down the road, past the remains of the landslide which had once blocked the route to Rallsburg. Jeremy could still tell it was there, but after so many months and rains, the land was smoothing out again. There was a clear line of plants missing and fresh growth, but the blend back into the forest proper had begun in earnest. The place is healin''. Let''s keep it that way. As they cruised into sight of the town, a rough gravel road curved off to the right. The barricades around the town proper were still in place, and¡ªas promised¡ªthe guard in the town had doubled. Jeremy wasn''t sure the effort was worth it anymore, since the FBI cleaned out the place so well, but it was better than having it crawling with tourists and pilgrims. Rallsburg had been preserved, every ruin intact, every broken street where a golem had ripped through the pavement in the same place as six months prior. Stebbins pulled them off the road well before the faint lights of the camp in the distance. The clock in the dash said seven-thirty, and the darkness outside reflected that all too well. Jeremy squinted forward, but he couldn''t make out anything past the lanterns and the brief flashes of light, coupled with smoke of various colors. Jeremy sniffed the air experimentally, but couldn''t pick up anything¡ªjust the smell of petrichor from the recent rainfall, mixing with the thick scent of the forest. Magic smoke don''t have a smell, unless they want it to. No real temperature difference either. Weird shit. Cinza smiled at the sight of the camp while Makoto and Alden moved up to join them. "Beautiful." Jeremy rolled his eyes, but didn''t say anything. Together, they trooped forward, while Stebbins and his men moved the SUVs into more discreet parking. Cinza gestured to Jeremy, offering her hand. "Do you wish to stay hidden?" He shrugged. "Someone should probably stay visible, just in case." "As you prefer." Alden shook his head at the offer too, to Jeremy''s relief. He was worried he''d have to pretend to talk to himself the whole time. Cinza took Makoto''s hand. A moment later, they vanished, as if they had never been there. So that''s what it looked like when Kendra did that to me. Huh. "Shall we?" asked Cinza''s disembodied voice, the ethereal echo even more appropriate. "This place is a lot like the old market," said Alden as they started walking. They got a few odd glances, more than enough to make Jeremy uncomfortable, but nothing that seemed like an active threat. If anything, the place gave off the same vibe he got from Julian Black''s makeshift hidden casino out in the forest. "The what?" asked Jeremy. "Kendra Laushire''s Market," replied Cinza from somewhere on his left. "This exists in our world, of course, but I do see the resemblance." She paused. "You''ve been here before, Zack?" "Alden''s fine," he said uneasily. "And yeah. I was here on Tuesday when they grabbed Rika. That''s how I ended up in D.C." Cinza didn''t reply, and Alden seemed to think she was accusing him. "It''s probably my fault. We were going to head back, but I wanted to talk, so we went off on our own without Josh." He sighed. "I mean, they''d probably get her sooner or later, but still¡­ we could''ve had time to figure out a plan." "She will be free," said Cinza. ...Shit, doesn''t sound like he knows Cinza okayed it, and told ''em exactly where she''d be. Jeremy didn''t say anything¡ªhe worked for her now, after a sense, and he wasn''t about to ruin that relationship only a few days in. He kept his eyes straight ahead. "Makoto said you called a few people to meet us?" "I did," said Cinza. "They should be here soon." "Anyone special?" asked Jeremy. "Perhaps." He could practically hear Cinza smirk. Shaking his head, Jeremy beelined for the Chinese food cart¡ªdamn the magic everywhere, he wanted some good cheap normal food. To his relief, the friendly couple running the thing weren''t trying to nickel and dime the market. They sold him a full meal at a pretty good price, considering how hard it probably was to get resupplied this far out from civilization. Alden wandered away, murmuring something about wanting to meet up with a friend he''d met previously. Jeremy stuck to his meal, and to his surprise, Cinza had stayed nearby the whole time. "Would you mind ordering another and setting it aside here?" she murmured. Cash appeared just under the countertop, which Jeremy quickly snagged out from midair. He did as asked, and the food disappeared in quite the same manner. "So how''s that work, anyway?" "I create an area where photons do not follow the usual rules," she replied. "What you normally see is merely what reflects back to you, but those photons which would have touched me simply pass through unhindered. Thus, you see what would be behind this space, no matter what that is. Anything inside follows this rule." "And that affects other people?" "Yes, because it is the space, and not the person inside." Jeremy finished off the rice before speaking again, quickly grabbing up a couple napkins from the box nearby to clean his face. "So what stops this sort of area shit from bein'' able to hurt people directly?" "Nothing, except that it would be impossible to force someone to stay within the area." She paused. Jeremy assumed she was eating as well. "We considered using such a method against Jackson, in fact. Hailey would have created a region without air surrounding him to choke him. However, without a way to hold him in place for long, it would not have accomplished much." "So you went with the magnetic thing." "Exactly. Similar idea, but we created a region of hyper-attuned magnetic force, all pulling in one direction and focused as tight as possible on the target. It would have pulled out all the blood in his body in an instant." "But that didn''t work." "Not because it wouldn''t accomplish that result," said Cinza quietly. "We used it on another the day before." "...So that''s how Paul Wilson died." "I assumed she had told you." "Think she wanted to try and keep you seemin'' innocent," said Jeremy with a shrug. The food cart vendor shot him an odd look. He''d spoken too loud. Jeremy waved him away and dropped his voice lower, trying to move his lips less. "We didn''t cover specifics for the riot. I saw the video though." "Ah." Cinza paused. "Is that stream still available?" "FBI''s got it, so yeah. Lani buried it after we met up with her, once we realized what was goin'' on, but it''s still attached to the case files. Can''t delete that. They might bring it up someday." "I would like a copy when you get the chance." Jeremy nodded. "Anything else you want to do here while we''re waitin'' for your people?" "Waitin'' for who now?" He froze. Son of a bitch¡­ Jackie Nossinger plopped onto the stool next to him, the widest grin on her face. "You look like shit," she said cheerfully. "Must be all the politicians," grumbled Jeremy. He glanced over at the cart vendor. "Another one of what I just ordered for the lady." "Lady?" said Jackie with a raised eyebrow. "Has it been that long? I ain''t no lady. Get your head out of that high society crap, Ashe." "Blame my companion," he muttered. "Oh, we got a guest?" Jackie glanced around. "Guessin'' it''s the one and only, then." "On the money." "Hello, sheriff," said Cinza, her voice now issuing from between the two of them. "Nice to hear you too, dear," said Jackie. "Josh should be along in a minute, I think he got sidetracked by somethin''." A minute later, her food slid out onto the counter. "Well, at least you got my order down." "Easy when it''s the same as mine. I got you to like Chinese in the first place." She grinned. "And I got you to like every other damn thing. Call it even?" Jeremy threw an arm around her shoulders, pulling her for a side-arm hug. "You have no fuckin'' idea how long I been lookin'' for you, Jackie." "And over here I forgot you even existed." "Don''t you fuckin'' start," said Jeremy. "You''ve been through hell and I''ve been tryin'' to pick up the damn pieces." "I saw." Jackie stopped eating and turned to him. "You have no idea how much I wanted to reach out, Ashe. I heard about your partner from Dan and Boris. He pulled through, right?" "...Yeah, he did." Jeremy didn''t want to elaborate for the moment, too overjoyed to see Jackie to delve back into that particular swirling pit of emotions. "Full recovery." "Good shit." Jackie dug back in. "I was up in Vancouver this whole time, to answer that burnin'' question in your thick head. Keepin'' my head down and keepin'' my people safe. Doin'' my job as their sheriff." "Best one I''ve ever known, Jackie." "Uh-huh," she snorted. "You found a man yet?" "Found plenty of men." "Get on it, Ashe," said Jackie, starting in on her noodles. "I got a bet to win." "...You took a damn bet on when I''d get married?" "Yeah, and Maddie''s gonna lose." Jeremy grinned. "Maybe I''ll do it just to win for you." "Nuh-uh. Marriage gotta last." "Jesus, this is complicated. The hell did you bet?" "Doesn''t matter, so long as I get to rub it in." Jackie finished off her food and took a long drink of water. "Good shit." "Yeah. Thanks again," he added, leaving a tip for the cart vendor as they left. The couple waved after them gratefully as they wandered back into the camp proper. "Glorious leader still nearby?" There was no response from Cinza, just the bustle of the people in the camp. Jeremy was starting to build up an estimate¡ªprobably a couple hundred people in the whole area, includin'' the RV section out there. Three, if we wanna push it. "Three hundred," said Jackie with a nod, following his train of thought without asking. "You already knew?" "Nah, but I know the area. Used to drop by that RV park every couple weeks to check in." Her face got dark. "Original residents are all dead. You don''t want to know what happened to ''em." "...Just heard your voice this mornin'', actually, talkin'' about it," said Jeremy. "There was a recordin'' of a town hall where you were talkin'' about the murders out there." "Weren''t murders, but yeah," said Jackie. "Those poor kids got ''emselves killed, and then the rest got killed by Omega, since they were outside the protection of the town and whatever deal he made with his counterpart." "Jesus Christ¡­" Jeremy shook his head in dismay. "Good to have you on board," said Jackie, and though there was warmth and truth to her statement, Jeremy didn''t miss the dark undertone, nor the grim expression on her face. This shit ain''t over. We both know it. One threat''s gone, more popped up. "Tell me about Hendricks." Jackie stopped walking. They were next to a tent where a young woman with endless necklaces and bracelets sold charms, gemstones, cheap jewelry and other accessories. Jackie took a few steps away into the makeshift alley between that and a tent where the occasional burst of smoke filtered through the tears in the roof. "Brian Hendricks was a good man," she said quietly. "...Didn''t expect to hear that," said Jeremy honestly. She shook her head. "I don''t know how he ended up like this. Maybe Omega did somethin'' to him, maybe he just went mad. All I know is, Brian Hendricks came to my town four years after I became sheriff, back in twenty-twelve. He was runnin'' from an insane wife and circumstances way beyond his control back in Chicago, and he had a little kid in tow." "Natalie," said Jeremy, more to confirm than anything. "I love that girl like she were my own. Wanted to take her up to Vancouver with me, but we decided it would be easier to get her to school with Kendra backin'' her in Seattle. Missed her every day. Made the town feel alive," said Jackie wistfully. "Brian brought her at seven, and she acted like she was just along for the ride, but you could tell. She understood what was up with her mom, she knew why they had to run. It was my job to keep ''em safe." She sighed, and from her jacket she produced a hip flask. Jackie only drinks when shit''s real¡­ "I did, too, you know? When Lori Hendricks tried to come to Rallsburg, I kept her out. Natalie never had to meet her mom again. I could tell from one look she was trouble, and the courts agreed. I had the law on my side, so I had no reservations about givin'' her the boot." Jackie took another swig. "Brian and I got along. Wouldn''t call us friends¡ªman only had a few of those. Robert, Neffie, Reverend Smith for sure. Boris, probably. Never saw ''em together, but Boris was friends with every damn person in the town. And the Wilson family. All thanks to Natalie." "She got him to make friends?" "Way I heard it, she introduced him to Robert, and the Wilsons, and after that, he actually got to talkin'' to Neffie rather than just workin'' her as an assistant. Neffie Bowman was like a therapist to the man after a while." Jackie smiled. "Therapist to a lot of us, to be honest. Kept me sane up in Vancouver, that''s for damn sure." "Sounds like a hell of a woman." "You''d hate her," snorted Jackie. She took another drink. "Brian kept to ''imself. Ran his apartments, called me up when one of the college kids was actin'' up, raised his daughter. Only kid in town to be homeschooled. We didn''t have a whole lot, to be fair, but the rest got proper schoolin'', usin'' spare classrooms in the university. Natalie got taught at home. All proper, Brian cleared it with the state and everythin'', but still. He didn''t want to connect with people." "Classic anti-social, then?" asked Jeremy, thinking back to a few of their old cases. "Not really. Just¡­ paranoid, y''know?" She shook her head. "Man saw enough already in his life, and that little girl was everythin'' to him. I don''t know what set him off to joining Omega in the end, but I got a pretty good guess." "...The kid who died." Jackie shuddered. "Jenny Wilson. Natalie''s best friend. You heard the recordin'', you know what happened to her." Jeremy nodded. "Man sees that, done to a girl the same age as his own, her best friend even, and he''s already had a paranoid-as-hell life. Omega comes in, wrong time wrong place, convinces him to start this insanity together." Jackie shrugged. "That''s my workin'' theory, anyway. One of ''em''s dead and the other''s tryin'' to kill us all, so can''t hardly prove it anymore." "Sounds about right to me." "Missed workin'' with you, Ashe," smiled Jackie, taking another sip. "Don''t miss the city or the murders, but I missed you for sure. How''s the big government job?" "Which one? The Federal Idiot Bureau or this political bullshit?" She grinned. "Well, that about sums it up, doesn''t it?" An explosion echoed through the lines of tents. A vague cheer followed it. Someone started laughing. Jeremy twisted around, but Jackie put a hand on his arm. "We''re good. There''s someone who teaches that. Costs a hell of a lot and it''s hard to do, but it''s there." "...You aren''t¡ª" "Nah," said Jackie. "You?" "Nope. My partner was, though." "...Was?" asked Jackie, frowning. "Thought you said he pulled through." Jeremy winced. Shit¡­ wrong word. I can''t lie to Jackie. "He did¡­ but he ain''t my partner anymore." "How come?" He held out his hand, and Jackie passed over the flask. Jeremy took a huge swallow before speaking again. He coughed¡ªhe''d forgotten how strong Jackie liked her whiskey. "Stabbed us all in the damn back in London." "Oh hell," said Jackie. "Take the rest of that, you need it. Got it out of Rika''s old stash. I figure I can replace it before she gets back." She glanced over as another explosion echoed through the camp¡ªwithout an accompanying laugh and cheer this time. "Usually aren''t two in a row¡­" The radio at Jeremy''s belt squawked. "Boss, come in." Jackie glanced down. "You still wear one of those?" "Beats cell phones, and we got upgrades from the DOD. They shouldn''t be able to jam these." Jeremy clicked the tiny headset in his ear. "Go ahead, Stebbins." "Got movement on the perimeter. I thought it was just tourists, but Malich ain''t sure. West and him are moving closer. Over." "Copy that, Stebbins. Make sure they update you ever couple minutes. Stay in contact. Over." "Roger. Out." Jackie grinned. "Glad you still remember how to use a damn radio correctly." Jeremy rolled his eyes. "After the number of times you beat it into me? Fuck me if I''m ever usin'' ''over and out'' again in my whole damn life." "Got a spare one of¡ª" Jackie cut off, as Jeremy was already fishing one out of his side bag. "Damn, Ashe, you know how to treat a girl." "Four of us on the net, plus Makoto''s listenin'' in too." "Sounds good. Standard signals?" Jackie asked while she wrapped up the radio in her ear and clicked the button four times. "Got me?" Jeremy nodded as the clicks echoed in his ear. He clicked on his own transmitter. "Team update. We got a fifth, Jackie Nossinger. Over." No clicks returned, but that was fine. It didn''t need a response, and the click system wasn''t really complex enough for anything like that. Four clicks meant a radio check, and not to respond. One click was a silent acknowledgment, if they couldn''t respond aloud, while two was a silent negative. Three was a call for help, and anything more than four¡­ well, at that point, Jeremy just assumed they were either in serious trouble or a woodpecker got ahold of the button. Speak of the devil. Three clicks echoed in his ear. Jeremy immediately grabbed his own transmitter. "Ashe clear." "Stebbins clear." "Malich clear." Jackie waited, every second more tense than the last, her finger twitching just above the transmit button. She was the newest member of the net, so she would identify fifth in any call out. Makoto wouldn''t acknowledge unless specifically called. They were still waiting for West to check in. After a minute of no response, Jackie finally closed off the loop. "Nossinger clear," she said gravely. Jeremy tried again. "West, this is Ashe, come in." No response. Jackie shot him a worried look. "I don''t know him very well," said Jeremy. "Stebbins vouched for him, and I trust Stebbins with my damn life at this point." "Then so do I," said Jackie. She clicked her radio on. "Stebbins, Nossinger. Give me the last known location of West, over." "...This is Stebbins. Good to meet you, sheriff. West should have been moving southeast, fifty meters south of Malich''s position. Over." "This is Malich," cut in the young lieutenant. Jeremy sighed. He''d jumped into the middle of an open communication, when Jackie should have been the next response, and cut her off. It wasn''t the worst mistake, but it still created confusion on the net. "I''m moving south now." A beat passed before he hurriedly added, "Over." Jackie smirked at Jeremy while they walked fast through the camp, passing tourists and pilgrims alike¡ªthe difference was clear simply in how they looked at the tents which taught magic. Jeremy wanted to respond in kind, but something felt off. Jackie hadn''t been in the middle of a fight in ages. Jeremy knew she was usually sharp, but her senses had to be a bit dulled from months in hiding, and years beyond as the sheriff of a quiet town in the middle of nowhere. Josh Miller appeared out of nowhere at their side as they crossed the camp. "Jackie, Makoto said something was up." "Hello to you too," Jeremy grumbled. "We aren''t sure yet," said Jackie. "One of Ashe''s guys didn''t call back on the net. Could be nothin'', could be somethin''." "Should we get ready?" "Yes," said Jeremy, before Jackie could respond. After a brief hesitation, she nodded. "Find Cinza and Makoto, right now, and do whatever you gotta do." Josh hurried off, and Jeremy clicked his radio again. "West, status." Nothing. "Malich, status." "Malich. No sign of him. Over." "Stebbins, status." "Stebbins. Still on the north side. Nothing here. Over." Jeremy got to the edge of the camp, and the forest loomed in front of him. The scent of petrichor was still heavy in the air, and the rain was picking up again. The crickets chirped, and a chorus of frogs echoed in the distance. Spice still lingered on Jeremy''s tongue from the Chinese food, mixed with the whiskey from Jackie''s flask. A wolf howled in the distance. A half-lit moon hung above the treeline, lighting up the world in an eerie glow. Jeremy squinted through the dim trees, desperately looking for any signs of trouble, but nothing came back. Beside him, Jackie''s hand hovered near her holster, watching every other direction. Jeremy cranked his radio volume up high and increased the gain, hoping for a garbled weak signal, or a whisper of life¡ªanything. "West, status," Jeremy called a third time, but the radio only returned painful, empty static. B2: Chapter 43 — Ghosts of the Future Chapter 43 ¡ª Ghosts of the Future Natalie''s eyes were still closed. She knew it was Friday morning¡ªthe most important morning of her life, if the butterflies in her stomach were any sign¡ªbut she didn''t want to move. The blanket was thick and warm, and all along her arm, she could feel a weight. It shifted every couple seconds, as the owner''s chest rose and fell with each breath. Natalie could hear him so clearly. Every breath, every heartbeat, even the twitch of his limbs in his sleep. And the darkness, the void which had consumed her whenever she got close to another human being, lurked on the edge of her mind, never far from her memory¡ªbut it had no place in this room. Not in her bed, not in her room, not with her boyfriend. Natalie refused to let it come near, and though it refused, though it protested and every minute was a struggle to keep it back, she had won the battle. The war would continue, and Natalie wasn''t sure if it would ever cease for her entire life, but for now? She was happy. Quinn shifted slightly, and Natalie smiled. He''d leaned closer to her. She couldn''t bring herself to move toward him¡ªthat was too far, even now¡ªbut she felt more weight on her arm, a hint of his shoulder touching her own. I wonder if I''m supposed to do something else now¡­ I don''t know. I''m just happy like this. I don''t want to move today. You cannot delay any further. I can delay for a few minutes. The voice didn''t answer. Natalie suppressed a giggle, not wanting to wake Quinn by accident. She felt like she''d just put it on a snooze button. Still, her eyes fluttered open, and found the expected semi-darkness of the early morning. The clock on the wall read six-twenty-seven. Natalie liked being able to see it even in the dark. She doubted Quinn or anybody else could read it in this light. You will make good use of it in the forests of your home. Can''t you just be asleep too? Natalie asked. She glanced over at the closet, where Percy was resting. Even Percy''s asleep. Everybody in the house is. You should be too. Let me be the only one here. There is a long journey ahead of us, and it would be wise to get there before nightfall. Well, yeah, but we can''t leave before Quinn''s parents do. Otherwise they''ll try to stop us. There is no telling when Damian will leave. You may not have that option. Even Annette may not leave for work today. You really think so? Today is not like any other day. This is the beginning of your future. Natalie shook her head slightly. Luckily, Quinn was on a different pillow, or she might have worried about waking him up. I''m still me either way. I''m going home, but I''m not a different person. You are a different person every single day, Natalie. Natalie didn''t answer. The voice tried to convince her a few more times, but Natalie''s eyes were drooping closed again. It grew softer and softer, little by little, and Natalie slipped back away into sleep once more, away from the quiet hum of the rest of the city waking up for the last day of the week, the last day of November¡­ the last day Natalie Hendricks would spend in her boyfriend''s home.
Someone touched her shoulder. Natalie jerked awake. Instantly, she pulled away, while a strengthened hand shot up and knocked away the attacker. She scrambled backwards. The fire roared in her chest as magic surged into her arms and legs¡ªready to fight or flee at a moment''s notice. A squawk nearby told her Percy had noticed the danger and was ready to match her in kind, whatever she chose. Quinn clambered to his feet on the other side of the bed, looking winded. Natalie let out a deep breath. The adrenaline ebbed out of her. She released the spell on her body, and waved Percy down before he decided to swoop at Quinn. "...Sorry," said Quinn, rubbing his hand slightly. Natalie shook her head. "It''s not your fault." "Are you¡ª" "I really liked this," said Natalie, while blood flowed free into her face, hot and tingly. "I just¡­ got scared a little." Quinn nodded. "I was gonna ask if you were ready for breakfast," he said sheepishly. "Oh." Natalie looked away at the wall, trying to hide her confused smile. "I''m gonna take a shower first. I''ll meet you out there?" She was still wearing her clothes from the day before, since she''d never changed into her pajamas, and she wanted to get in a hot shower while she still could. I mean, I can probably heat up water out there, and Cinza''s probably got theirs working by now, but still¡­ "Sure." Quinn left. Natalie gave him a minute''s head start, stroking Percy as she did and calming him down. After she felt like she could actually run into someone without feeling embarrassed beyond all reason, she hurried out of the room and straight into the bathroom. "Hey!" said Kelsey, right as Natalie barged in. "Oh!" Natalie looked away. Kelsey had just climbed out of the shower¡­ and she hadn''t locked the door for some reason. "I¡­ uhh¡­ sorry!" "I guess you guys actually lock your doors¡­" Kelsey sounded just as embarrassed as Natalie felt. "Mom prefers we leave everything unlocked, just in case. Mama said something happened once with a shower and a locked door. I''m good now." Natalie glanced up. Kelsey had wrapped up in a towel and was just about to start brushing her teeth. "Sorry," she repeated, still feeling a bit awkward. "Hey, it''s cool. I was just surprised." Kelsey smirked. "Unless you''re crushing on me now too." "...Nothing like that," Natalie murmured, leaning down to grab a fresh towel out from under the sink. "Probably a good thing," said Kelsey between brushes. "I think Quinn''s probably the jealous type. And now that you two are sleeping together, I dunno how he''d feel about us making out behind his back." "What?" asked Natalie. She''d only been half-paying attention, and caught the words "sleeping together" and "us making out." Kelsey smirked even wider than before. "Natalie, someday, you and I gotta talk dating for real." "I don''t think I''m dating. I just have a boyfriend." "Same thing!" "I dunno." Natalie sat down against the wall. She put her hands to her forehead like she always saw Principal Talbot doing. It didn''t really help as much as she expected, but at least it covered up how confused she knew she must look. "I don''t have time to figure all that stuff out." "Oh¡­ yeah." Kelsey rinsed out her mouth in a rush. She set her toothbrush aside and sat down next to Natalie¡ªa few feet away, as usual. "You still thinking today''s the day?" Natalie nodded. "I kinda¡­ always knew it was gonna be today." "Why''s that?" "I promised myself a long time ago. If¡­ something didn''t happen, if a certain person never called me, then I''d go back by December. And¡­ well¡­" "Tomorrow''s December," Kelsey filled in. "I''m scared though." "Well, duh. Of course you are. We are too." "But¡ª" "We''re still coming with you," she added with a wink. "But who wouldn''t be scared? You''d be crazy not to be super scared." But I am crazy¡­ That''s part of the problem. "Look," said Kelsey. "You''ve got magic. You''re going back to meet Gwen. We''re your backup. Simple as that, right?" "No." She shrugged. "Okay, yeah, probably not. But who cares?" I don''t want any of you to get hurt. As long as you are careful and certain of your actions, they will be fine. I don''t understand. I thought you hated my friends. Why have you been telling me to take them along now? You are stronger with them. Alone, you were uncertain and confused. You were lost. You nearly died. Then, you found me, and you found your friends. We are stronger together. But I''m the only one with magic. I''m the strong one. I''m supposed to protect everyone all on my own? You are more powerful than anyone in the world, Natalie. Not her. Not Grey-eyes. Probably not Alpha either, wherever he is. You cannot be certain of that. Perhaps you are. You have never tested your strength against theirs. I wasn''t stronger than Jackson¡­ Weren''t you? Natalie hesitated. Kelsey was brushing her hair, still talking about dating, and some girl she''d liked before she got a crush on the guy she was still hung up on now. Natalie wanted to just listen to her, but the voice had posed a question she couldn''t ignore. What do you mean? You fought Jackson only once. Who was the victor? I¡­ I fought him more times. Didn''t I? Rachel kept you away from him after that. You beat golems, those summoned by both Jackson and your father, you put out fires, you held back the mob. But in that fight, who ran away? Jackson did¡­ And when you first got there, who held the advantage? Jackson. He didn''t have a scratch. Lily tried to stop a golem, but she didn''t really do much. Gwen and Scrappy attacked, and he knocked them away. Scrappy got hurt and now his leg is still weird, and Gwen didn''t have time to get him again. But then he summoned a bunch of golems, and I could barely hold them back. Yet you did. You held them back until you found the way to destroy them. Once you had it, you annihilated every last one. Jackson fled. You won the fight. "Nat?" Natalie looked up. Kelsey was on her feet in front of the bathroom mirror, staring down at her. She looked concerned, and Natalie realized she hadn''t heard a word Kelsey said in minutes. "What?" "You good?" asked Kelsey uneasily. "I¡­ I was just remembering something," she answered honestly. Her mind was still lost on the dark streets of Rallsburg, on that night in May when she''d fought against one of the Gods¡­ and she''d won. The voice was right. In the only time she had actually fought Jackson, she had brought him to a standstill. Gwen hurt him, and she''d held back the golems long enough for Rachel to get the electricity scrap to her. If they''d fought again, Natalie probably could have won. So why didn''t Rachel want me to fight him again¡­? Rachel fears you. That''s¡­ that''s not true. She sent you away. You could have gone to Canada like the rest of them. There are schools there. You might have been safer there. I wanted to come to Seattle though. Kendra and Lily took you in, because they were the strongest among those that could. Hector is too weak, and Hailey is too unreliable. Jessica could not speak nor hear. Don''t say that. She''s¡­ she''s gone. The voice didn''t say any more, but Natalie felt uncomfortable. It was saying things, and she couldn''t disagree with them. It didn''t feel right, but it seemed close enough to spread niggling doubts in her mind. Kelsey left, looking a little worried. Natalie eagerly stepped into the shower. The hot water and steam filled her senses, driving away the doubts and fears currently swirling in her mind. She focused on the spray washing over her skin, and let herself fade out into the rush of crashing water.
Breakfast was a muted affair. The Kincaids talked a little, but Annette was already hurrying to get to work, and Damian kept stealing glances at Natalie whenever he thought she wasn''t looking. Mitch and Kelsey were arguing as usual, but there was an undercurrent of excitement in the air they couldn''t suppress. Tyler was silent, but his eyes were bright and he smiled a lot at the sniping between the other two. Quinn was silent too¡­ but his was a lot more uncomfortable. He was staring at his cereal, only taking a bite every minute or so. "Well, I''m off," said Annette finally. She kissed Damian on the check, and Quinn right after. Mitch looked about to make fun of him, but Kelsey kicked him under the table, and he fell silent. "I know none of you plan to attend school today, but I expect you to get your homework done anyway, for the sake of your parents." "Have a good day, Annie," said Damian as she headed out. As soon as she was gone, he glanced at Natalie. "Got a minute, Natalie?" She nodded. She always ate fast, so her bowl was practically empty. While everyone else finished their breakfast, the two of them walked down into Quinn''s parents'' room and shut the door. "I noticed you hadn''t sealed your door last night," said Damian quietly. Natalie winced. She had sealed her door every night since she got there¡ªat first because she was afraid of them, and then because she was worried they''d realize why she was doing it in the first place. Damian shook his head. "You''re not in trouble. I glanced in though, and I saw you two." "I¡ª" "Natalie, am I wrong in thinking you can hear us from anywhere in the house?" She hesitated, before giving a very small nod. He sighed. "I''m sorry." "It''s okay," Natalie whispered. "It''s not. But¡ª" "I''m leaving today." Damian stopped short. His mouth opened and closed a few times, and Natalie knew he''d been about to say something like "you don''t have to" or "that''s not what I was going to say"... but it was. She knew it was, he knew it was. He was about to tell her to leave, because the fear had won out. Natalie was no longer welcome in their home. "Have you told Quinn?" he finally asked. Natalie nodded again. She didn''t want to lie, but she knew he couldn''t possibly handle knowing that his son was going with her, so she settled on the half-truth. "...I''ll be gone today," said Damian finally. "I have errands to run, and I''ll stay out. You and your friends will have the place to yourself. Take as much time as you need, and text me when you''ve¡­" He looked like he might cry. Natalie wanted to cry too, but her tears didn''t come. She didn''t want him to see her cry. "I''m so sorry, Natalie." I''m sorry too. I put you in danger. I''m still putting you in danger just by standing here. I''ll stop that now. It is his fault. They chose to reject you. Natalie turned away and went back to her friends¡ªto the one group of people she felt like she could trust in the whole world.
True to his word, Damian left not long after. As soon as he was gone, they set to preparing. Natalie and Quinn gathered up his things, as much as he felt like he''d need. They''d included a bunch of camping supplies, but Natalie expected them to stay in the Greywood. She might not, but they probably wouldn''t want to live in the forest. Kelsey might, but she couldn''t imagine Tyler or Mitch lasting out there very long. She hoped Quinn would, but she wasn''t going to fool herself into believing it yet. Prepare for anything, and only rely on myself. Right? Yes. Natalie nodded to herself. They left a note on the table, explaining to Quinn''s parents. Natalie wrote it, seeing Quinn''s continuing reluctance. She wrote how she''d keep them safe, how they were going out to find answers and hopefully find a safe place for her to live. Natalie was uncomfortably aware how much they''d object¡ªshe was taking their son toward the danger they''d asked her to avoid. The danger keeps coming back at me anyway. If I stay, it''ll be worse, since I won''t have any help here. Back home, I have Gwen, and Scrappy, and all the other awakened who stayed. You do not need to justify yourself to me, Natalie. It helps me think, okay? Natalie led them down to the bus station. They boarded the first one heading toward Olympia, and settled into the back seats for the three-hour ride. Quinn and Natalie hugged the back corner, with Natalie''s head resting comfortably on his shoulder. Kelsey, Mitch, and Tyler took over the seats across and in front. The bus was packed, but her friends had arranged for them to sit together without anyone else nearby. They do it and I didn''t even ask. You''re right, they''re really good companions. Am I doing the wrong thing letting them come along? Everyone knows them at your school. They would have no peace there. With you, they will be safer. Yeah¡­ you''re right. Natalie kept asking it the same questions over and over, and the voice reassured her every time. She was just nervous. She was making the right choice. They''d be better off. They wanted to come. She hadn''t asked, they chose. They were her friends, and she was finally moving again. She was going home. Natalie fell asleep again on Quinn''s shoulder, and missed most of the ride. When her eyes fluttered open, Kelsey was beaming at her again. Quinn was looking out the window, but Kelsey just grinned and gave her a thumbs up. Natalie rolled her eyes, but didn''t move an inch. On the other side of the aisle, Mitch and Tyler were playing a game on their phones. Natalie watched them for a while, able to make out everything even from so far away, but soon enough, they heard their stop announced over the tinny bus speakers. "I can''t," whispered Quinn. Natalie''s blood froze. Suddenly, the shoulder she still lay on was a block of ice. The warmth was all gone. Mitch and Tyler were already halfway down the aisle, eager to start moving as the rest of the bus flooded out. They hadn''t noticed a thing. Kelsey had just stood up, but stopped at Quinn''s voice. "Huh?" "I can''t go with you," he said, even quieter than before. "What?" asked Kelsey, her voice rising. Natalie quickly shook her head. She''d been fooling herself this whole time, but she knew it was coming. It hurt so much more than she''d expected¡ªbut she had expected it. Quinn was too afraid, too reluctant. He''d never left Seattle. His parents were everything to him, and unlike the rest of Natalie''s friends, they''d actually known this whole time. He knew exactly how they felt¡­ and they weren''t okay with her. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. Quinn couldn''t look at her. He stared out the window instead. Natalie got up and walked away, a dumbstruck Kelsey following her in a daze. Quinn stayed, in that seat all the way in the back of the bus, staring out the corner window. Natalie gave him one last look as she reached the front, and Quinn returned it. He was crying. "I''m sorry," he mouthed. Natalie slowly nodded. She tried to smile, but her mouth just wouldn''t quite make the shape. After a few awkward moments, she turned and got off the bus. The bus doors creaked closed. The engine spat and churned, drowning out the confused questions from Mitch and Tyler. Natalie ignored them, turning and setting off toward the forest ahead. The bus had taken them close to the spot everyone wanted to go, but apparently all the drivers refused to go closer. The curves of the road, so familiar to Natalie from checking and re-checking maps for their trip, twisted and rolled up into the hills. Natalie would follow them all the way back to the town which lay at the end, another hour or two of walking. She was almost home. The trees formed thick, dark shadows in every direction. Her friends shrunk away from them, scared, but Natalie eagerly pressed forward. This was her forest. She''d been here before, and not just on the last drive out. She knew exactly where she was, and not just thanks to the maps. A car trundled by, packed with people who shot them concerned looks. Natalie glanced back to her friends. "We should get off the street." "You think?" asked Mitch, eyeing the thick woods with an uneasy grimace. "Come on, don''t be a wimp," said Kelsey¡ªbut she didn''t look too pleased herself at the prospect. Natalie was about to answer them, but something else had caught her attention. A tug, deep in her heart, stoking the fire. Something was coming. Someone was coming. Natalie hurried off the road, her panicked friends in pursuit. She ran forward. Her bag bounced merrily on her shoulder, and she practically danced over the tree roots and fallen branches that tried to bar her way. She could feel the rush of pounding feet in her mind, an emotion thrown across miles of forest. A howl pierced the afternoon sky. Natalie''s heart soared. With a quiet thud, huge feet landed into the small clearing in front of her. A flash of grey fur blurred her eyes, and Natalie realized she was crying again. Gwen sat in front of her, fierce yellow eyes studying her. She stayed very still, letting Gwen get used to the new Natalie. Gwen would need to understand what she had done before she accepted Natalie as a leader once again. "Natal¡ª" started Tyler, before Kelsey slapped a hand over his mouth. Gwen''s eyes shot up toward them, but Natalie shook her head at Gwen. she said calmly. Gwen''s gaze shot back to Natalie, still studying, still waiting for Natalie to make the first move. Natalie took one step forward. That was all it took. Gwen bounded forward. Kelsey let out a brief cry of alarm, but Gwen had only buried Natalie in her own equivalent to a hug. Natalie burst into laughter as Gwen''s warm, thick fur completely engulfed her. They rolled over on the ground. Gwen licked her face, and Natalie grinned. Percy, who''d been following them the whole time, finally swooped down and landed on a nearby branch. He squawked indignantly, as if annoyed he hadn''t been welcomed back too. Gwen glanced up at him with a dismissive air, and he squawked even louder. Natalie only laughed. "So¡­ uhh¡­" started Kelsey. "Are we¡­ okay?" Natalie turned back to her friends as Gwen got back to her feet. The wolf issued a low, soft growl, distinctly welcoming and friendly¡ªbut of course, Natalie''s friends couldn''t know that. They all took an involuntary step back. Gwen looked up at Natalie. She grinned. "Guys, this is Gwen. My best friend."
Gwen''s not smaller¡­ I''m just bigger. Natalie was on top of Gwen and riding comfortably, but it wasn''t a huge ocean of grey fur like it used to seem. She''d offered to let one of her friends ride instead, but Gwen wouldn''t allow anyone else on her back. They all insisted she keep riding¡ªKelsey seemed offended that Natalie considered walking when this was an option¡ªbut Natalie still felt a little guilty nonetheless. It wasn''t a short walk up to Rallsburg, after all. "Is that where we''re going, then?" asked Kelsey. "I thought you wanted to get to the Greywood." "Well¡­" Natalie hesitated. "I do, but I want to see home too. Plus¡­ I''m not sure how to get there, exactly." "You don''t know where we''re going?" asked Mitch. "I do!" said Natalie. "I''ve been out in these woods all the time. Rallsburg is that way¡ª" she said, pointing it out, "¡ªand the Greywood used to be that way." "Used to be?" said Tyler excitedly. "I¡­ I don''t think she can move it or anything, but Cinza told me at the funeral that they were adding more stuff to protect it. So I don''t think I can get in the same way I used to." "Oh." He actually sounded disappointed. Maybe Kendra could move it though¡­ there''s so many things you could do with those pocket dimensions¡­ "Can we find it in the dark?" asked Kelsey, glancing around. The sun had long-since set, and the clock on Natalie''s phone said seven now. They''d already been walking for over an hour. Natalie was keeping their group lit with a constant spell¡ªa warm fairy light that bobbed above them like a lantern on an invisible pole. It didn''t actually need to, but Natalie did it anyway. She really liked how it looked, how the shadows of the trees and branches danced around them, mingled with the strong fierce shadow cast by Gwen. "Yeah. It''ll be really obvious." "Will we be there soon?" asked Tyler, shivering. He was bundled up in three layers. Natalie had been warming up their path as they walked, but she had to keep paying attention to it and keep the light going and watch out for anyone coming up on them and keep her balance on Gwen''s back and¡­ well, Natalie was more than a little distracted, and she let the warmth slip every now and then. She nodded. "Really soon." They went back to talking about a game. Natalie strained her ears, listening to the sounds of the forest¡ªthe wind, the crickets, the frogs, the owls. Animals in every direction, and the shuffle of footsteps in the distance. Footsteps? We aren''t close enough to Rallsburg yet. And nobody''s supposed to be there anymore anyway, right? It was closed off or something. Quarantined. Not everyone follows such rules. Oh yeah¡­ that one kid said his brother went there. But still¡­ we aren''t there yet. Be on guard, Natalie. There could be many others in this forest. You heard the Kincaids speak of people trying to find magic. They may be all around you. Natalie called for a break. Her friends were getting hungry anyway, and Natalie wanted to figure out the source of the sound. She wasn''t really hungry yet¡ªever since she''d changed herself, her body didn''t seem to need as much food, though she still usually ate as much as anyone else to hide that fact¡ªso Natalie lit a fire for them to warm up hot-dogs while she scouted the area nearby. said Natalie. She nuzzled her wolf''s face briefly before setting off. Percy perched on her shoulder, talons gently digging into the thick material of her coat. Gwen padded back over to the group, taking a seat next to Kelsey, and Natalie quickly lost sight of them as she delved into the forest. More footsteps nearby. Natalie tried to figure out where they were coming from. Branches and leaves were brushing in ways that weren''t normal. She knew what the normal sounds of the forest were, and with her new ears, she could hear all of them perfectly. This sound wasn''t one of them, but it was so quiet. Somebody was out there who didn''t want to be found. They''re not very far away. They are no threat to us yet. Do not provoke an enemy we haven''t made. Let them pass unaware of our presence. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Natalie did, though it went against her instincts. If these were normal people, looking for magic or for something else, they wouldn''t be sneaking. This seemed like something else. Still, with the scent of cooking food wafting through the air and the fire crackling behind her, Natalie couldn''t stray too far. Her friends needed her more than whomever might be slipping through the trees. "I''ve never been out here before," said Tyler, looking around at the forest. To him, it was obviously foreboding, no matter how Natalie might feel. "Is it always this dark?" Natalie shrugged. "Pretty much. It depends on the moon, and what time of year, but yeah." "It never gets this dark at home, even in the park." "That''s ''cause of the city," said Mitch. "Light pollution or something." "We didn''t have that at home," said Natalie. "You didn''t have lights?" "No, I mean, everybody turned off all the lights at night. It made everything darker, but it made it way easier to see the stars at night." Natalie glanced up, and sure enough, the stars filled the sky once more in a huge curtain of dancing lights. She smiled. "I like this way more." "It''s really pretty," Tyler agreed. "There''s a light over there though," said Kelsey, pointing. Natalie looked up. She definitely hadn''t seen a light before, but Kelsey''s eyes were sharp too. There was a faint flicker of light, barely visible through the trees to the west¡ªat least, Natalie was pretty sure it was west. She''d been trying to get better at knowing which direction was which at all times, since it seemed really useful. The light wasn''t anything distinct yet though¡ªnot fire, definitely artificial, but beyond that, Natalie couldn''t tell. It was moving toward them. Immediately, she smothered their fire with her mind. Light fled into the shadows, not to return. "Wha¡ª" said Mitch, before Kelsey kicked him. "Hey!" "Shut up!" she hissed. Natalie stood up. Gwen paced back and forth behind her, and a low growl echoed from her jaws. Gwen''s eyes narrowed. It was someone she knew, but Natalie couldn''t exactly get a name out of her wolf. She also couldn''t tell if this was a hostile reaction or not. Gwen was suspicious, but not exactly ready to attack. Natalie prepared herself anyway, readying a lightning bolt in her fingers. Tiny flecks of pink electricity buzzed around her fingers, not quite crackling, but ready to leap at an instant if she needed it. Her hawk flew into the canopy. A brief screech echoed around them. Percy had spotted the sneaking pair. They were still moving toward her. Natalie waved at her friends, motioning for them to stay still and low. She bounded forward and leapt fifteen feet up into the nearest tree, silently climbing high in an instant thanks to another burst of magic. There! But¡­ who is that? Gwen seems to know them, but I don''t¡­ Be on your guard. Trust no one. Ruby said there were traitors in the Greywood. Two people were approaching, a man and a woman. The man carried a small electric lantern and a huge backpack, the woman another large pack and a rifle slung over her shoulder. Beside them floated¡­ something. What is that? It is not natural, whatever it may be. They must be awakened. Do not let it near you. I''m not just gonna attack them. With any luck, they will pass by. Natalie wished that were the case, but as she leaned forward to get a better look at the strange blue shape near them, her foot slipped. The branch below it snapped. A crack echoed through the whole area, and the branch tumbled to the ground. The woman''s ice-blue eyes snapped onto Natalie''s tree. Oh my god¡­ I do know her. That''s¡­ the sniper woman. The one who hung out with Viper. And Viper tried to kidnap Alden, so she''s probably no good either. But¡­ who''s the guy? "Lani," she murmured, pointing Natalie''s way. The man¡ªLani, I guess?¡ªstarted walking forward, and the little blue shape followed him, floating nearby like a ghost. Actually¡­ it kinda does look like a ghost. It has a face and everything. What does it do? They are approaching us. We must choose a course of action. Run? Can your friends outrun a mercenary such as she? This is Viper''s companion. She is probably military. So we stall them while my friends run. Into the woods alone, and with many other potential threats nearby? ...What should we do? Protect your own. said Natalie over her shoulder, before the pair was close enough to hear. Gwen immediately tilted her head to the sky and howled again, loud and long. Natalie, in unison, summoned a huge wall of fire between herself and the pair¡ªstrong, hot and fierce, crackling and spitting out licks of flame. It wouldn''t actually catch any of the trees, she was controlling it too well to let that happen, but it stopped the pair in their tracks. In fact, they both stepped back at the sudden conflagration. "What the hell?" said the woman, in a voice quite different than the woman Natalie was familiar with. "...Magic, right?" "Yeah," said Lani, "but¡­ this is crazy. There''s so much." Above, Percy shrieked, a hunting cry right above their heads. "I think we''re not wanted here¡­" said the woman, though her hand was tight to her rifle. If she took it off her back, Natalie was ready to rip it to shreds right in her grip. They were still pretty far away, but with the gemstones she''d gotten out of her bag, Natalie was pretty sure she could manage it. The wall of fire continued to burn, growing in intensity. She''d have to let go soon, or some lick of flame was bound to break free and start bringing the whole forest down. "Let''s go," said Lani, taking her hand. They turned and fled the other direction, slipping through the trees as quietly as they''d come. Natalie extinguished the fire with a relieved sigh. She watched them go, and jealousy flared up in her stomach. They were close, holding hands, watching each other''s backs, trusting each other and sticking together. Meanwhile¡­ She shook her head, and slipped out of her own tree to rejoin her relieved friends. Gwen wrapped up around her as Natalie sat down and dug into the hot dogs and soda. She leaned back into her best friend''s fur and closed her eyes, a sense of loss trickling into her mind from the empty space next to her.
"Another light," Kelsey reported. Natalie had already seen it, but she was still grateful someone else was keeping an eye out. She couldn''t watch every direction at once. This light was much different, though¡ªand as she peered closer, she realized it was many lights. There was a whole sea of them, quickly expanding as the group passed more trees and they came into view. "It''s like a camp or something," said Natalie. Percy lit off of Gwen''s back, swooping out into the trees without his usual squawk of protest. She''d finally managed to impress on him the need for stealth, and to her relief, he was keeping it up. Gwen, meanwhile, was used to the role of a silent hunter, and needed no reminders. If anything, her stern looks were keeping both Percy and the rest of Natalie''s friends in line. "If it''s a camp, do you think they''ll have somewhere to lay down?" said Tyler, gasping a little. "I''m really tired." "We got tents and air mattresses in the bag," Mitch reminded him. "Or a bathroom," Tyler went on, ignoring him. "We can go look at it," said Natalie. "If it looks okay, we''ll go there." This is an unnecessary risk. We need to reach the Greywood. We don''t know how to get to the Greywood. Maybe we can find one of Cinza''s people here. Natalie pressed Gwen forward, her friends close behind. Mitch helped Tyler keep going, while Kelsey continued to act as a second pair of eyes. Natalie was surprised they''d gone so long before anyone complained¡ªshe loved her friends, but she hadn''t expected them to last this long before realizing what they were in for. She was used to long treks alone in the woods, but they were all city kids. And yet, they''d gone nearly all day without complaint. Natalie was helping, of course, keeping them warm and navigating them through the easier parts of the forest, but still. The camp was growing in size in front of them, a wide swathe of tents, RVs, food carts, even a ramshackle cabin. To Natalie''s relief, it seemed nothing like the homeless camp she''d previously visited in Seattle, but it ebbed away a moment later as she realized where she actually was. The RV park outside Rallsburg¡­ the one where Jenny died. He''s gone. They killed him. We don''t have to be afraid of him anymore. Your friends will be safe with you. More shuffling in the trees. Natalie flashed a red light at her friends, the new signal for them to fall silent and stay low. Someone had just started moving, very close to them. They weren''t trying to be stealthy, so Natalie wasn''t too afraid, but she caught something else. A radio crackle. She focused, and tried to draw in every sound from that direction with a wave of magic. The sound of the radio, a tiny quiet thing, finally reached her ears. "...but Malich ain''t sure. West and him are moving closer. Over." Natalie waited. The shuffling seemed to be moving away, but she wasn''t sure. Now she was hearing it from two directions. Was it her magic on the area, messing up the way the sound bounced around? She released the spell, and the faint radio chatter faded away, replaced with the general sounds of the forest once more. It''s two people. Someone else is there. "Natalie?" whispered Kelsey, crouching close to Gwen''s side. Natalie waved her off, still trying to listen for all the movement around them. "Somebody''s nearby." "Can we ask them for directions?" asked Tyler earnestly, thankfully in a whisper. "You moron, what if they''re evil?" hissed Mitch. "Shh," hushed Natalie. The shuffling had changed. The two sounds merged into one, and got more pronounced. A faint grunt, followed by a thump on the ground, and then¡­ a sickening sound, one Natalie had only heard once before, but could never forget in a million years. A blade slicing open flesh, and a choked gurgle as someone breathed their last breath. "Ashe clear." "Stebbins clear." The radio kept echoing, but the shuffling had stopped. Natalie hesitated. Do I go forward? Try to save whoever that was? I''m probably too late¡­ oh god. What if¡­ what if they come this way? Natalie quickly tuned back into the area, reviving her spell¡ªjust in time to catch a voice she certainly didn''t expect echoing out of the radio. "Stebbins, Nossinger. Give me the last known location of West, over." Jackie''s on the radio? But the radio didn''t move, and the person who''s still alive is moving¡­ which means they just killed one of Jackie''s friends. They''re not on my side. That sound is not an approach. They are moving away. They''re moving toward the camp, and they just killed somebody. What if¡­ oh god, what if this is like Lakewood? They''re going to¡ª This is a choice, Natalie. Your friends are here, and a camp of awakened waits ahead. Between them lies an unknown enemy. What will we do? I¡­ I don''t¡­ Jackie and the others on the radio do not know of the threat. Only we do. We can track it. We can stop it. We can''t leave my friends here though. They can''t take on one of those guys. Keep them close, then. "There''s something about to happen," said Natalie. She slid off Gwen''s back and landed in the middle of her three friends. They gathered close, and she dropped to a whisper. "Someone just got attacked nearby, and they were on our side. Whoever attacked is going toward the camp now. I gotta stop them before they get there." "Is it one of¡­ you know, your dad''s guys?" asked Mitch reluctantly. Natalie hesitated. "...I don''t know." "What do we do?" asked Tyler. "Stay close to me." Natalie looked around, and to her relief, they still seemed to be totally alone. Kelsey looked confident, while both Mitch and Tyler were practically shaking. Natalie tried to send another wave of warmth at them, but it didn''t help in the slightest. "Gwen will probably have to split up with us, that''s how she works best, and I won''t make much light anymore. We gotta make sure we aren''t seen." "But we''ll be totally blind out here," said Mitch. "I can see in the dark." "Oh wow," said Tyler, his eyes widening. "Just stay near me, okay?" Three nods. The shuffling had ended as well, but Natalie had a pretty good idea of the direction where they''d stopped moving¡ªand she had Gwen to track the rest of the way. Gwen sniffed the air. Her huge head nuzzled Natalie''s hand, before she started off. Natalie waved to her friends, and they followed close behind. Natalie''s eyes let her see the whole forest like a faint outline, as if everything were just a little bit glow-in-the-dark. Her friends had to struggle over roots and branches, and Natalie wished she could make things easier for them, but she had to focus ahead. A killer waited, only a few hundred feet away. The forest loomed around her, but the forest was Natalie''s friend, not theirs. She reached out with her mind, opening as she had learned to do, and the animals were waiting for her. Slowly, she gained a sense of what they felt, what they saw. It wasn''t clear¡ªshe couldn''t see anything or feel anything through them¡ªbut the impression still made it through, and they permeated the entire forest nearby. Everywhere¡­ except for one hole, the one where Gwen was leading them. Natalie grabbed up the gemstones again from her bag, a pair of rubies and topaz. She wouldn''t kill anyone, nor would she even hurt anyone if she could avoid it, but Natalie would be ready to fight. She knew how the world worked. She''d been up against people like this before. A shift in the underbrush. Gwen tensed up. She started moving to the side. Natalie crept forward, fists raised, her friends a few steps behind. A pair of legs stuck out from underneath ferns, clad in heavy boots, watching the camp with a rifle on the ground nearby. Disarm her! Natalie didn''t need to be told twice. She grabbed at the rifle and flung it backwards, high in the air above her friends. As it flew, Natalie twisted the barrel in half. It took a lot more strength than she expected, but she knew the rifle was useless now. Instantly, the woman¡ªfor it was a woman, as Natalie discovered¡ªtwisted around. Her dark eyes filled with fear and hatred. Natalie summoned a wall of fire again, blinding the woman before they could be seen. "Get out of here!" she shouted. "Witch!" the woman screamed back. A gunshot echoed in the distance. Natalie flinched. Her wall of fire dissipated, but to her relief, the woman held no gun. The shot had been far away¡ªbut the damage was done nonetheless. The woman could see her, and her friends crouching behind. The moonlight was dim, and the fire had completely ruined their night vision, but the woman''s eyes widened. "You''re just a kid!" Natalie shook her head. "I''m not anymore." Her eyes narrowed. Natalie hesitated, still hoping she''d just give up and leave. "Your gun''s ruined, and you can''t fight me. Just go away. Leave us alone." To the side, hidden in the trees, Gwen growled¡ªloud and harsh, one of her worst growls. The woman''s legs shook slightly, but she didn''t waver. There was a knife at her belt, and her hand inched toward it. Natalie shook her head. The knife leapt out and flew away, just like the gun had. It landed right in Natalie''s hand. She dropped it as soon as she noticed it was still covered in blood. "Now you don''t have anything," said Natalie. The woman smiled wickedly. There was a gunshot! She''s not alone! Natalie whipped around. Percy screeched and dove¡­ behind Natalie''s friends. Gwen leapt at the woman, pinning her to the forest floor. Behind them in the forest, a man, small and full of rage, had gotten close¡ªtoo close. He had a pistol. Natalie hadn''t had time to react. Her friends hadn''t even realized he was there. Kelsey, Tyler, and Mitch were still watching Natalie confront the woman who''d been setting up to attack the camp. The man had them all¡­ easy targets. He squeezed the trigger.
At the second gunshot, people weren''t shrugging it off anymore. The explosions in the nearby tent stopped. Someone screamed to the north¡ªbut the second gunshot had been from the southeast. Where West disappeared. Shit. "Let''s move," snapped Jackie. Jeremy didn''t need to be told twice¡­ but another gunshot from the north stopped them in their tracks, followed by another and another. Pistol and rifle rounds mixed together, if Jeremy heard right. "Fuck," he growled. "Stebbins, what do you got?" "Multiple shooters," said Stebbins. "At least two north. Possible contact southeast. No eyes. Over." "We''re in the southeast," said Makoto, suddenly cutting into the traffic. "Go north." Gotta teach that kid radio ops¡­ "Roger, moving north. Out." Jeremy glanced at Jackie. "Here we go." She sighed. "Goddammit¡­" Jackie pulled her pistol and checked the rounds. "Hope you''ve got some tricks up your sleeve." "Sir, we''ve got golems north, over!" called Malich, who apparently had never made it over to West''s position. Jeremy couldn''t blame him though, with the shit blowing up around them. People were screaming in earnest now, and the camp was scattering in every direction¡ªto his dismay. If these people would get together and form a defensive position, we could actually protect them. Fuck me. "Brian''s to the north, then," said Jeremy as they ran. He clicked his radio back on. "Makoto, I''m gonna need backup. We ain''t got shit against golems, over." "Got it. We''re sending someone. Over." Well, he picked up on something at least. "Hope he sends someone good¡­" muttered Jeremy. They ran, dodging fleeing pilgrims, awakened and vendors alike. A tent overturned as someone tripped on the stake poles. Holes appeared in the side as a rifle burst fired off. Glasses exploded on the makeshift bar to his right. Someone with an excellent marksman''s eye was clearly showing off, but for what? "Ashe, Stebbins. Ain''t seen nobody hit yet. The fuck is going on? Over." Jeremy agreed. Nobody seemed to have been hit yet, but he couldn''t imagine that would last long with the number of targets available. So long as they stick to their code of verifyin'' people, we''ve got a chance¡­ but they''re gonna hit someone sooner or later. Are they just tryin'' to scare the camp and break it up? Herd us somewhere? The golems were just destroying tents and food carts at random, ignoring the people entirely. "Find me some shooters, Stebbins. They''re terrorizing, not killing, and I want to stop ''em before we get that far. Over." "Roger, sir. I''ve got muzzle flashes out of two spots north, and they ain''t moving between shots. Could definitely flank them while I cover, sir. Over." "Copy that. I see the flash. Moving around east to fuck ''em from the side, over." Jeremy and his partner rushed through the camp, straight out the eastside to circle around the shooters, and hopefully link up with Malich. Brian may have found an excellent shooter, but whoever was behind the trigger didn''t know how to actually operate in the field. They''d stuck to the same spot after multiple shots instead of moving to new positions, and Stebbins sighted them easily. "Stebbins, keep ''em locked. If they start killin'', take the shot. Over." "Roger." "Welcome to my life now," Jeremy muttered as they ran. Jackie laughed bitterly. "Shit, Ashe, I was gonna say the same to you." "Well, fuck us both then." They''d reached the edge of the camp. A golem seemed to turn and spot them. Jeremy dove aside as it took a huge, slow swipe through the air, barely missing his arm. "Fuck!" "Agent Ashe!" came a shout in the distance. Jeremy scrambled to his feet, and sure enough, Brian Hendricks stood in the distance, flanked by two more golems. Five total, then. Jesus. How does this guy handle so much? "Mr. Hendricks!" Jackie shouted back. "Stand down!" "Sheriff, I always respected you, but you chose the wrong side," Brian called out. "Abandon these people! You don''t have to join my cause, but you must not aid theirs!" "Brian, you know what?" said Jackie. She raised a hand, middle finger lifted high. "Fuck you!" He snarled something unintelligible, and the golem started moving toward them again. Jackie raised her sidearm and opened fire, but Brian was already behind the impenetrable wall of stone and moss. Her bullets plinked harmlessly off the golem''s hard shell, ricocheting into the darkness. Jackie cursed and sprinted after Jeremy. "Makoto!" Jeremy called into his radio. "The motherfucker''s over here! Get us some backup, over!" "On it, Agent Ashe. Hector and Ruby are on their way." "...the hell are those two gonna do?" gasped Jeremy as they kept running, golems pursuing them to the edge of the camp. More gunfire echoed far away, along with shattering glass and continued screams. A man in a bright blue jacket sprinted past them, throwing fire over his shoulder as he went. "Don''t show them you''re awakened!" Jeremy shouted at him, but it was too late. Instantly, as soon as the man had cast a spell, gunshots echoed towards them. Puffs in the dirt raked across the field between the treeline and the camp, tracing the way up to the man. He dove, and that only made him an easier target¡ªthey were downhill, south from Rallsburg, and Brian''s men had come from the north. Death poured out of the dead town, and the unfortunate soul in front of Jeremy was the next to fall. The man bled out behind them, riddled with holes. Jeremy cursed and kept running, hoping desperately that Brian''s men were still instructed not to harm them. In the meantime, he had his phone out, dialing the emergency line for the National Guard. "This is Agent Ashe. I''m in the pilgrim camp south of Rallsburg. Brian Hendricks is here with multiple gunmen. They''re killing people. Send the motherfucking cavalry."
Natalie closed her eyes and tried with all her might to grab the pistol¡­ but he never got the shot off. An ear splitting crack echoed through the forest. The man''s head snapped to the side. His pistol fell unfired from his hand. He tumbled to the ground, painfully still. Kelsey screamed and dropped to the ground, expecting gunfire all around them¡ªbut there wasn''t any more nearby. Instead, shots started echoing to the north, across the camp from where they currently sat. "Turvallinen," called the harsh voice of Viper''s companion. The woman behind Natalie screamed and struggled, but Gwen held her tightly in place. Natalie looked around again, but saw nothing¡ªuntil the little blue ghost floated into the space in front of her. "We''re on your side," Lani called out. Natalie summoned up twin balls of fire in her hands, pulsing hot flames ready to launch in an instant. She tried to figure out where their voices had come from, but they echoed strangely in a way not unlike Cinza''s. The woman behind them struggled and grunted in pain, but Gwen kept her firmly pinned. "Come out!" Natalie called. Immediately, Lani walked into the clearing, hands up and open. Natalie still didn''t release her flames, but she did relax a little. He had a kind face. She wasn''t about to trust him, but she didn''t feel threatened either. Besides¡­ she had enough enemies to worry about right now already. "Natalie?" whispered Kelsey behind her. "It''s okay," said Natalie, slowly lowering her hands. "We''re on the same side, I think." Lani nodded. "I think you''ve got one of Brian''s men under your wolf there." Natalie nodded. "They¡­ they killed somebody. The people on the radio were looking for him." "People on the radio?" asked Lani. He glanced over his shoulder into the forest. "Riley, can you try to find their signal?" "I will try," she replied, still in the same ice-cold tone. "They said¡­ they said other people were north," said Natalie. "And that''s where all the gunshots are coming from." "We''re trying to stop them," said Lani, nodding. "But¡­ what are you doing out here?" "I was¡­ trying to find the Greywood," said Natalie, making a split-second decision to trust them again. This is not a man you know, and he travels with a woman you know you should not trust. We''re taking a dangerous course here. We gotta trust someone, and there''s people with guns everywhere. If my dad''s here too, we might see golems. He seems okay to me. More gunshots echoed from the north, and this time accompanied by something rapid and loud. Natalie winced, and her friends instinctively ducked to the ground. Lani watched them all with a wary eye. The woman under Gwen finally struggled free, as Gwen got distracted by the gunshots, and sprinted for the deeper forest. Natalie was about to send Gwen after her, but another shot rang out¡­ and she collapsed. Natalie winced again. I didn''t want to hurt them¡­ Lani noticed. His voice softened. "Maybe you should get out of here." Natalie shook her head. "If there''s golems, you''re gonna need me. You can''t beat them." "...You can?" She nodded reluctantly. "I''ve done it before." Lani raised an eyebrow. "...Who are you?" "Linnethea," said Natalie. Wait¡­ why did I say that? You don''t trust him, and you know that your father''s men are nearby. Your name may not be safe, and Jenny is also known to him. If you must be called something, it cannot be a name your father is familiar with. So we''re using your name? For now. ¡­Thanks. "What about your friends?" asked Lani, glancing at the rest of the group. "We stay with her," said Kelsey bravely, but it was plain on her face¡ªseeing a man shot only feet away had rattled her. I''m so sorry¡­ I didn''t think we''d end up here. Like this. "I will watch them," said Riley, suddenly emerging from the forest. Her rifle was back over her shoulder, and she wore thick forest camouflage. Compared to the rest of them, she might as well have been invisible. "Lani, you go ahead. I will cover you and keep them safe." "Okay." Lani kissed her, to Natalie''s surprise. "I''m going ahead first. Riley, tune me in on their radio as soon as you''ve got it?" "Yes." Lani led the way north, and Natalie''s friends huddled together in the middle with Gwen at their side. Riley and Natalie held up the rear, where they could watch everyone and react to any threat. Natalie was actually the one to suggest it¡ªshe wanted the two strongest people at the front and rear, and Lani certainly seemed the next-strongest after herself. They deferred to her, again to her surprise. You are sharper than you think. We have fought before. Yeah, but¡­ she''s military. She is one who takes orders, not one who issues them. "I do not know why you gave him a false name," said Riley quietly, startling Natalie, "but I will not reveal you. I know you must think things of me from our days in Rallsburg. I am a different person now. I hope you can forgive me." "...Okay," said Natalie uncomfortably. "You didn''t really do anything to me." Riley shook her head. "I did, but you may not be aware. Please know I deeply regret it." "It''s okay. Whatever it was¡­ I''m sure you had a reason." She looked oddly at Natalie. "You are not as I remember." "I''m a different person now, too." Riley didn''t say anything more. Natalie turned back forward, sending Percy up high again to watch for anyone ahead. Riley was fiddling with a black box on her belt. It looked like a super-fancy walkie talkie to Natalie¡ªa military radio, if she had to guess. After a couple minutes of fiddling while they walked, pausing at every nearby sound or faraway gunshot to take a perimeter check, Riley finally clicked into something. "...Ashe. Hector and Ruby are on their way." Lani jerked his head around. "You heard that?" he asked. Natalie nodded, before realizing he''d actually asked Riley. "Your partner is here," Riley replied. "...All right," said Lani, turning back again. He seemed even more tense than before, to Natalie''s eyes. She didn''t ask, but Riley had turned to her again. "Your hearing is strong. You heard every word of my receiver." "Yeah." "Magic?" Natalie nodded. She brushed back the hair around her ears, revealing the sharp points. "I changed how my ears work." Riley looked distinctly uncomfortable, but didn''t comment. Instead, her eyes locked to the side, somewhere just past Natalie. "Down!" she shouted. Lani fell to the ground, Natalie a split-second later. Natalie''s friends hesitated, huddled together in fear. Gwen circled around in front of them, shielding them with her body against the threat Riley had spotted. Two men with rifles, both crouched behind an overturned log and aimed right at their group. Neither had fired yet¡­ what are they waiting for? Do not give them the chance to fire. "Who are you¡ª" started Lani, but Natalie had already moved. Her mind hurled out two lines like fishing rods, snagging the guns. One of the men managed to pull the trigger as she snatched it away, but the shot went high into the air, missing all of them. The guns flew back to their group, where Natalie once again twisted them into useless bits of metal and plastic. "Fucking monsters!" one of them shouted, drawing a pistol¡ªwhich Natalie immediately snatched away as well, before he even had a chance to fire. She reached out to the trees and branches nearby, using a technique Cinza had posted online, and called them to wrap up the two men in roots and branches. Wood shifted and groaned as it erupted around the two, binding them tight. They were effectively trapped. "Leave those kids alone!" called the other, struggling against his sudden bonds. Huh¡­ I guess they don''t know it''s me. Riley had her rifle up and ready, but she hadn''t taken a shot yet. "Linnethea," she murmured. "You don''t want to kill." "No," said Natalie. "This is a battle. People will die. They have attacked us. You may not have that choice." "They''re unarmed though, right? I broke their guns. They can''t hurt anyone." "There are far more ways to hurt someone than guns. These people are willing to kill innocents. If we let them go, they may rejoin the battle." Natalie hesitated. Lani didn''t say a word, his own gun drawn while he scanned the other direction. "What''s going on?" asked Kelsey, finally looking up at Natalie. "Why is all of this happening?" "They''re attacking us because we have magic," said Natalie grimly. "And if I let these people go, they might come back and hurt more of us. Maybe kill us." As if to punctuate her, another rattle of gunfire echoed through the trees from the north. "I leave it to you," said Riley quietly. "I do not think we should let them live, but I will not kill ones you have spared." These are my dad''s people¡­ they''re crazy though. They want to kill us. My dad sent them out to kill us. Riley is correct. We must kill them. It''s the only safe action. No. It only makes things worse. People get killed and everyone gets more angry. Then more people want to kill us. Just like in Rallsburg. It was only some of the town, and then somebody killed the Reverend, and then the mob started. Then Cinza killed Mr. Wilson, and suddenly the whole town was trying to kill me and Rachel. You are leaving out a lot of important details, Natalie. It''s still true. "They''re trapped," she said aloud. "We can come back for them when it''s over. They can''t fight anymore." "Someone may free them," Riley pointed out. "Well, then¡­ they get free," said Natalie, frustrated. "But no more killing unless we have to." Riley nodded. She glanced back ahead to the north, their intended path. "We should keep moving." Move, they did. Lani set a faster pace, hurrying toward the sound of gunfire against Natalie''s screaming instincts. Her mind won out though, with the support of the voice. She knew they couldn''t just abandon all the people in the camp, and they couldn''t know where more of her dad''s people might be waiting in ambush in the forest. The gunfire might be scary, but it was also easy to find, and the most likely to have allies willing to fight nearby. "Ashe, Malich!" "Go ahead, Malich." "They''re shooting at me now, sir. Stopped thinking I was on their side. I''m pinned down northeast of town, need backup. Over." "Cavalry''s on the way, Malich, but I can''t get to you. Surrounded by fuckin'' golems here. Hold out as long as you can, national guard''s on their way. Over." "Copy all, Malich out." Lani glanced back over his shoulder. "National guard¡­ what would they have?" "As much as they need," said Riley. "They will be far better equipped than Brian''s men, and they will arrive in helicopters. As soon as they arrive, this is over." Natalie winced at her father''s name, and Lani noticed. He frowned, but didn''t say anything. They kept going. With the call out for help and a pinned man on the radio, Lani seemed desperate to get in a position to help. Natalie was more than willing, of course, but she knew it would once again put her friends in terrible danger. They reached a wide expanse of open ground. Across the field, gunfire echoed out, little flashes popping in the darkness accompanied by whizzing bullets flying into the encampment. "Riley," said Natalie, right as they reached the edge of the thick trees. "Stay here with my friends. You can uhh¡­ cover us from here, right?" Riley nodded. "How will you cross?" Natalie glanced around and found a log big enough. She reached for it and lifted it up, ripping it out of the ground. Dirt and dust sprayed everywhere, filling her lungs and making her cough. She shook her head, hair flying wildly, and cleared her throat. As she did, the log flew over in front of them. Natalie went back to Cinza''s shaping spell, shifting the log into a wide, round shield that would cover them from three sides. "Incredible," said Lani, a faint note of awe in his voice. Riley frowned. Without warning, she pulled a pistol from her belt and fired a single shot straight into the wood. They all ducked instinctively, but with the continuing gunfire across the field, it was lost in the general cacophony. Still, Natalie''s ears rang at the gunshot so close by. The bullet had embedded into the wood, still visible and not deep at all. Riley nodded with satisfaction. "That will work." Natalie glanced at Lani. "Call the guy and ask where he is?" Lani hesitated. He had lifted his hand slightly, but something held him back. Riley looked at him. "This is not the time," she said firmly. He nodded and grabbed the cord trailing from his ear. "Malich, Makaio. We''re near your position. What do you need? Over." "...Who? Fuck. I''m in some rocks at the east end of a huge clearing, just north of the town. Rocks look like a tiny version of the shit from the Lion King. Over." Natalie had a sudden urge to giggle, completely at odds with the situation around her. She peered out into the field to the east and quickly spotted the rock formation¡ªand it did, in fact, have the familiar raised pillar with a single long flat rock jutting forward. She couldn''t see a person there, but plenty of little dust clouds were popping all around it as gunfire flew in. "Copy that, spotted the rocks, Mufasa. We''re on our way. Over," said Lani. "Malich, asshole. Out." "Riley, you''ve got the shooters across the way?" Lani asked. Riley crouched down and found a high root perfect to balance her rifle on. She leaned in and looked down the sight. "Yes." "Okay then. You ready, Linnethea?" Natalie nodded. She quickly hugged Kelsey¡ªwhich didn''t set her off at all, to her surprise¡ªand followed Lani out into the clearing, rushing east as fast as they could. Gwen stayed behind, protecting her friends. Natalie kept the wooden shield up around them, surrounding them from every direction. A few bullets flew their way, plinking into the wood and knocking Natalie a little off balance, but for the most part, they seemed to be ignored. Until they weren''t. A golem erupted from the ground, straight into the front of their shield. Natalie lost her grip as it burst out of the grass floor, covered in moss and dirt. She fell backward, and lightning flared in her hands. Lani was shouting something, but the golem didn''t hear anything of course. Its hand swung forward, right for Lani''s head¡ªand stopped. The golem froze in place. Natalie had been about to blast it into pieces. She held back. Something was happening¡­ something she''d seen before, back when Lily had tried to hold one in place in front of Boris'' shop, months ago in Rallsburg. Natalie glanced back at the camp, and there he was¡ªher old friend Hector, holding Ruby''s hand while she controlled the golems. A golem of her own protected them from gunfire. The one above Natalie had just moved, shifting to block the gunfire now peppering them. A third golem was crossing the field, moving toward the shooters¡ªand a familiar figure back within the trees, holding a spiked black rod and shouting with such an air of pure, deep hatred as could kill people where they stood. Her dad. Natalie was only a hundred feet away from him. He looked the same as he always did. A little more of a beard, but he was in good shape, and he was wearing one of his favorite coats. On his wrist, a little blue-pink woven band¡­ a bracelet she''d made him for his birthday, years ago. Natalie choked up. Lani grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet. She struggled to run, her eyes still locked on him in the distance. In the clearing ahead of him, golems were now fighting each other. Gunfire suddenly rang out from Natalie''s side, as both the camp and Riley started firing on the far line, and her dad''s people had to duck for cover. He didn''t duck though. He stood tall and resolute, his eyes never wavering from the battle, shouting orders and commanding his golems forward. Her dad was right there. She could hear his voice. Her heart tugged at her chest, begging her to go to him. She wanted more than anything to run to his side. An army of golems and guns stood between them, a constant battle only increasing in scale and terror, and one hundred feet may as well have been a million miles. B2: Chapter 44 — Ghosts of Rallsburg Chapter 44 ¡ª Ghosts of Rallsburg The guns shouted death, a war cry echoing through the forest. Brian''s people were raining chaos through the camp of so-called "awakened", but it wasn''t enough. He''d shown they weren''t wanted, how they brought terrible tragedy to good people, but still they insisted on their self-destructive ways. It was¡­ disgusting. Brian couldn''t focus on the many running scared, though he surely dreaded their escape. Like rats, they''d burrow into the crevices of the land, biding their time until they emerged once again lesson unlearned. His people, brave crusaders picked from his most dedicated followers, would stop as many as they could, but the forest truly was chaos that night. Bodies. Bodies everywhere, dead and alive. In the shadowy moonlight, Brian could only see shapes. They were outlines of people, fleeing and tripping over detritus scattered through the huge clearing, yet it seemed fitting. These were not truly people, so why should they have such human things as faces? Some of his people were still reluctant to go for the kill on those who looked so outwardly normal¡ªBrian was grateful that nature itself seemed to be aiding their cause that night. Of all places, of course this clearing is where they made their camp of decadence. Brian knew this place, far too well. The abandoned RVs still stood¡ªsome co-opted by vendors, others slowly reclaimed by nature¡ªand toward the far end, the most fateful of all quietly lay. In that small, ruined home, Brian had first seen the truth. In there, Jackson had shown him the folly of magic, the inevitable fate for those who dabbled with powers far beyond their understanding. In that place, Jenny Wilson had died, and with her, the town of Rallsburg. It should have been destroyed. "They''re getting away," snapped one of Brian''s lieutenants. Brian couldn''t respond right away. He''d been concentrating on his golems, commanding them to tear down structures and smash the RVs flat. These were once good people''s homes¡ªhe would not allow the awakened to steal them. He simply grunted in response, his mind sharp and focused on the monsters he controlled. "We should just shoot ''em all," added a man nearby, prone with his rifle propped on a tree root. "Either they''re goddamn witches or they''re helping the fuckers. All of ''em are guilty." "No," said Brian firmly. "But¡ª" "If one innocent person dies, we''ve failed." Brian held the golems in place for a moment, shooting a cold glare at the hapless man. "You will be sure of your target or you will not fire. Use a stone or see them use magic, but don''t kill anyone who might yet be saved. We''re not murderers." "You heard the man," added the lieutenant, frustration gone from his voice. Brian''s commanders were well-chosen¡ªthey might be inexperienced in combat, but they understood his cause and they were beyond motivated. Brian himself had no professional experience, but he had waged a one-man war before, and he could do so again. They will never have my home. Brian''s control over the golems was suddenly broken. He snapped his attention back to the camp. The faceless monster wasn''t gone¡ªit was frozen in place. Slowly, without Brian''s ordering, it turned around and faced him, its blank face accusing him as it had so many of the hated awakened. For a split-second, Brian thought it might have finally come for him, having used their power for so long at the cost of his own soul. But they were not to judge him. No, he was using his power for the betterment of humanity. This golem had been corrupted by evil magic. As Brian turned to look, he saw a familiar face, a ghost from his past¡ªHector Peraza, holding the hand of the young red-headed grey cultist. "Shoot them!" Brian shouted, pointing at the pair. A rifle quickly turned¡ªwhose, Brian couldn''t tell, and didn''t care¡ªand opened fire, but the shots went wide. His men were motivated and armed, but they were not professionals, and landing a shot in the dark chaotic forest was no easy feat. Worse, as Hector and the girl realized they''d been targeted, a second golem from Brian''s control was converted away and moved into place as a shield. Brian knew full well they could not be pierced by bullets. He needed another strategy. How many can they withstand? He diverted every other golem he had created. Some had chased the strange moving wooden barrier, a construction of torn-apart trees as a makeshift shield, but Brian pulled them all back in. If Hector and his little friend thought they could handle the monsters of Omega himself, then let them test their mettle. The golems converged toward Hector and Ruby. Brian couldn''t see them any more, but he imagined their terrified faces. Once, Brian had been friends with the timid shopkeeper, but the man had chosen his side. Brian regretted his fate, but resigned himself to the task. He would end Hector''s life as swiftly and painlessly as he could. But he could not get past Hector''s control. Brian was a master of the golems. He''d controlled the monsters through dozens of conflicts, and each time, he found it easier. He could summon more, control them from further away, could send them on several tasks at once. Defeating two awakened should have been easy, particularly when they''d never shown any ability to summon or control golems themselves. Yet this high school girl and a grocery store owner from Mexico were keeping Jackson''s monsters at bay. He roared in frustration, startling his subordinates. One of Brian''s lieutenants looked back with concern, but Brian ignored him. He''d realized a trick, something they wouldn''t expect¡ªBrian was still the source of the golem at its root, and he could simply cut it off. The golem shielding the pair began to disintegrate. "Get ready to shoot them," Brian grunted through gritted teeth. Movement behind the crumbling golem as they ran. A hail of bullets followed, but Brian saw no satisfying puff of blood, no indication they''d been taken down. He sighed, but it didn''t matter¡ªthe threat to his weapon was gone. He took a breath to steady himself, then began to summon his army once more. They burst from the ground, one by one like the undead, and Brian sent them out into the encampment once more to wreak havoc. He turned his attention back to the wooden shield, which had just been tossed away. Behind it, a young man and a girl, fleeing for rocks piled at the end of the clearing. For a split-second, Brian panicked¡ªhe thought he''d seen his daughter in that girl, but it was all wrong. The proportions, the clothing, even the way she moved seemed nothing like Natalie. From a distance, Brian couldn''t be sure, and he dismissed it as a mirage. When I am done, Natalie, I will find you, and I will apologize for leaving you every hour until I die.
Natalie reached the rocks and ducked for cover. Lani, a few steps behind, dove to the ground right beside her, while a couple bullets cracked off the rocks above them, chips flying off and nearly hitting her in the face. "What the hell¡ª" gasped the man hiding there, who they''d been sent to rescue. "Are you Malich?" asked Natalie. Lani was breathing a little heavy from sprinting across the field, but she felt totally fine. I guess this whole body ritual thing was a good idea after all¡­ "...Yeah." He shook his head in disbelief. "Guess you''re my backup, then?" "I guess so." "What are we doing?" asked Lani. "Flanking harder or getting out?" "Well, those fuckers don''t seem to be leaving," grunted Malich, nodding toward the line of flashing guns where Natalie''s father was. "I''d feel bad if I left first." Lani grinned. "Jeremy said you were an asshole. Not seeing it, personally." Malich coughed out a laugh. "Ashe is the real asshole, but I deserved that. I learned a fuckton since then." He glanced around. "You seen my man? I was out here looking for him." "I''m not su¡ª" "He''s dead¡­" said Natalie quietly. "I heard it happen." "You¡­ heard it," muttered Malich. "You sure?" "He had one of your radios. Somebody cut his neck open." She winced. "I''m sorry¡­" Malich took a long, deep breath. "...Fuck¡­" Lani patted him on the shoulder. "Nothing you could''ve done, man." "Yeah." Malich didn''t look convinced at all, but he shook his head again and turned back to face toward the gunfire. "So what''s the plan?" Lani turned to Natalie. She hesitated. Why do they keep thinking I''m in charge? Because we are the most powerful, and you are a leader. They are not leaders. Take command, as we were meant to. But I have no idea what I''m doing! I''ve never been in a fight like this. ...Can we really do this? We can. We must. We will. "Okay," murmured Natalie. "Huh?" "Lani, can you get him and my friends out of here?" asked Natalie. We can''t protect everyone at once, and it will be easier if my friends are safe with Lani and Riley. "I''m gonna keep going. If I can get close to them, I can take their guns." "You can do what now?" Malich looked at her like she was insane. "Girl, how old are you?" Natalie ignored him. "Lani, if you go kinda that way," she said, pointing roughly toward the town, though in a way that wouldn''t take them anywhere the guys with guns, "you''ll find a tree fort. Can you keep them safe there until I come back?" "What about you?" asked Lani. "I''ll be okay," said Natalie, trying to force a smile on her face, but it didn''t quite make it. "I''ll meet you there." Lani nodded. "I''ll get them there, but we''re going to need cover getting out of this clearing. They''re still on the other side." "Yeah¡­" Natalie got on her knees and moved up to the rock, next to where Malich still lay. Golems were once again pushing into the town, flashes of gunfire popping out from both sides and the non-stop banging still pressing on her ears. "I can do that." "Just tell me when." Okay¡­ how do I distract them? The only way I know how to beat golems is lightning¡­ but if I use lightning, then everybody''s gonna know it was me. They''ll arrest me and take me away. Ruby and Hector were able to take control of them¡­ what if we can do that? I gotta get Ruby to show me how to do it, so that doesn''t help right now. As long as I don''t show myself and take out the golems, I should be okay. So¡­ I gotta make sure nobody sees me. But this means Lani''s gonna know¡­ well, I think he''s a good guy. We must act soon. Our side is losing. The voice was right. Golems were pressing into the camp once more, and the gunfire from there had significantly decreased. Ruby and Hector seemed to be gone, and though Natalie saw a few more bursts of magic, she couldn''t tell if anyone was even fighting back anymore. Worse, people seemed to be running toward the guns now, so Natalie assumed someone must be attacking them from the other side now. "I''m going up in the trees," said Natalie. "You''ll know when it''s time to go." "Never stay in one spot too long," said Lani as she stood up. "They''ll shoot you if you do. Keep moving." She nodded, and he smiled weakly. "Good luck." Natalie jumped up into the nearest tree, a wide-eyed Malich watching her go. She leapt forward, branch by branch, using bursts of Movement magic on her flight to make sure she landed exactly where she meant to. Her balance was perfect after learning to modify that part of her brain. I''m like a monkey up here¡­ this is amazing! We have a fight to win. Be careful, Natalie. I know. I''m just¡­ this is really cool. Natalie slowed and stopped, landing at a tree much closer to the battle, where she could see the golems clearly. Far into the camp, she saw people huddling behind cover, while more golems slowly pressed in from the opposite end. They were trapped, and the jaws were closing ever tighter. Time to change that. The fire in her heart roared to an inferno. Natalie gathered up her energy and sent it crackling into her arms. She threw out one hand, and from it, a massive burst of pink lightning snapped forward. It crackled and danced through the air¡­ and jackknifed to the side, melting a steel pole and completely missing the golem she''d been trying to take out. ...I forgot about that¡­ Natalie rubbed at her eyes from the bright flash of light. She quickly jumped three trees down, remembering Lani''s advice, and found another golem¡ªthis time one not near anything metallic. Another crackling pink bolt zig-zagged through the air. The upper half of the golem disintegrated, and a tiny fire kicked up in the grass behind it. Natalie could just barely reach it from her spot. She smothered it, then jumped away to her next tree. The gunfire nearby had slowed. She heard shouting and confusion, and suppressed a strange urge to giggle. They were so confused¡ªthe lightning was coming from above them! Natalie settled into another tree and decided to try something new. She snapped both hands forward, fingers splayed out wide, and fired a new bolt, trying to shape it in mid-air. Pink electricity arced over the entire camp, a thick and dangerous bolt of crackling energy that forked through the air and struck three golems on the far side. They vaporized, the remaining material breaking down and crumbling to dust where they stood. Perfect. People started running out the newly opened escape path. Nearer to her, with Brian''s men no longer firing, Lani and Malich were sprinting back to Riley''s position. Natalie smiled¡ªher plan was working. A helicopter blade beat the air, sending a burst of fear into her heart. Natalie looked up. The only time she''d ever heard a helicopter so close was the night of the riot, back in Rallsburg. She stayed hidden in the tree she''d leapt to after the forked lightning. More helicopters were emerging now, dark green things with men hanging out of them. Are these dad''s guys too? It can''t be¡­ Maybe they work for that Malton guy? They have flags on their vehicles. These are soldiers. So¡­ these are the good guys? The same who have blamed Rika for murders she did not commit and would arrest us if they found us. Engines were rumbling in the distance. Boxy-looking trucks were rolling into the camp now, with more soldiers hopping out, and a tank trundled in behind them. Natalie watched from her little nook, while below, she could hear her dad''s men panicking. They were scared and running away. Natalie couldn''t blame them¡ªshe wanted to run away too. Lani and her friends had gotten back to Malich''s rocks. To her relief, every one of them looked okay. They ran back into the forest. She turned and hopped out into the trees, calling Percy down to her from the sky. She''d meet them at her castle back home, returning to memories she''d left far behind, returning to where everything began.
Lightning crashed through the woods. The trees lit up, outlined in white. Somewhere, Natalie heard the rush of wind and a shout of anger, a voice she knew all too well by now. "Why was it out here?" She knew it was those two fighting again, though who they were, she had no idea. She just wanted to get to her fort, because Scrappy said something was wrong. He couldn''t tell her anything more specific¡ªthey couldn''t really talk, no matter what Natalie tried¡ªbut he''d seemed afraid, and that was more than enough to get Natalie moving. The young man shouted something less intelligible, something about recklessness and irresponsibility which Natalie couldn''t understand. Another lightning bolt. Something was crackling. Natalie felt heat rising all around her, even in the cool May air. She pulled her pink raincoat tighter, and stumbled over the tree roots as she tried to keep up with Scrappy. He kept stopping and looking back at her. She felt his distress as clearly as her own fear. Her skin crawled with the sense of discomfort, like something was horribly wrong. Around the next tree, Natalie''s heart burst. Her castle was on fire. Immediately, she ran forward, throwing her magic into the inferno. She''d learned how to fight fire after accidentally setting one herself. Memories of the stern Sheriff Jackie flashed through her head. With nearly a year of magic now, she''d learned a lot, and fire was easy for her now. She didn''t like using it, but she wasn''t afraid of it anymore. Piece by piece, Natalie smothered it down. The fire diminished, and to her relief, her little place was mostly intact. The place had black smudges everywhere now, and she might have to replace a couple of the smaller pieces of wood, plus the door was completely shattered, but her castle remained strong. She breathed a sigh of relief. In the distance, another lightning bolt echoed, much further away than before. They were going away. She could relax. Natalie wondered if they''d ever stop fighting. She''d first heard them fight in July the previous year, when she''d first found the little page of magic in her castle, but she hadn''t known what it was at the time. This was the fourth time they''d fought now, the two young men, and every time, Natalie grew a little more fearful. What if they burn the whole forest down? Jackie always said that was possible. I like the forest. It''s where Scrappy lives, and all my other friends. It''s where I found magic. She hurried into her castle, Scrappy on her heels. Her heart sank. The piece of paper, the most precious thing out here, had been burned to a cinder. Only a tiny blackened piece of ash remained. Natalie sat down next to it on her folding chair, miraculously untouched by the fire. She picked up the little crumbling paper, which broke apart in her palm, and began to cry. Scrappy pawed over and nudged his head against her shoulder, and Natalie collapsed onto him. He mewled and squirmed a little, but Natalie refused to move, and he gave up. What if¡­ what if I can''t learn any more magic? I wanted to keep reading it. Maybe there was something I missed. Now I''ll¡­ I''ll never know. Natalie asked, coughing through tears. Scrappy rubbed his head against her, as much an answer as she could want. Natalie felt herself coming back together. She''d lost the piece of paper, and maybe the ability for Jenny or her dad to use magic, but she still had it. It wasn''t going anywhere. She''d still have Scrappy and her other friends. "...Hello?" She spun around, hands up and ready to throw fire. Scrappy growled. He dropped into a hunting stance, ready to pounce. Someone was outside. "Is someone in there?" Who is that? I don''t recognize their voice. Maybe they''ll just go away if I stay quiet¡­ "Are you okay? I heard crying..." "...I''m okay," said Natalie finally, giving up. Scrappy still looked ready to fight, but Natalie lowered her hands. "Can I come in?" "Yeah." Someone walked in front of the half-demolished door. Natalie squinted and rubbed the leftover moisture out of her eyes, but it wasn''t just her. The young woman outside was too tall to be seen¡ªher head was higher than the doorway. So that means it''s¡­ uhh¡­ Rachel. Sure enough, Rachel''s face appeared a moment later, ducking into the fort. The inside was tall enough for Rachel, but the door had been made by Natalie''s dad to fit his daughter, not other people. Rachel looked around and took a seat on the spare chair in the corner, the one Natalie had always meant for Jenny someday. "Hi¡­ umm¡­" Rachel trailed off, looking uncomfortable. "...Natalie," she filled in, though she knew she''d told Rachel her name more than once before. "Yeah." Rachel winced. She glanced around, and seemed to suddenly notice the huge cat still glaring at her from Natalie''s side. "Natalie, that''s a mountain lion!" "His name is Scrappy," said Natalie indignantly. "He''s my friend." "They''re really dangerous. Are you sure he''s¡ª" "He''d never hurt anyone." "Oh." Rachel looked at the burned up paper in Natalie''s hands. "Wait¡­ did you¡­ are you able to do magic?" Natalie''s eyes widened. "You can too?" Rachel nodded. She held up a hand, and a tiny candlelight flickered above her palm. "I found mine back in February. How about you?" "...Last July," said Natalie, feeling guilty for some reason. Something about Rachel having magic¡ªthe Rachel everybody made fun of, airhead Rachel, forgetful Rachel¡ªseemed great to Natalie, like she''d finally be able to get them all to shut up. Maybe I should have let her read it too, after Jenny and Dad. Guess I don''t have to now. Not that I could anymore¡­ "And you can control animals now. That''s incredible." "I don''t control them!" said Natalie. "They''re my friends." "Oh. Okay." Rachel nodded. "Sorry. I didn''t think that through. You''re right." "This is my castle," Natalie added, looking at the stairs up to the second floor and the table nearby. "It''s where I practice." "I was out here practicing too," said Rachel. "But then¡­ those people started fighting. And now¡­ well¡­ I''m lost." "You''re lost?" asked Natalie, not surprised in the slightest. Rachel nodded, looking miserable. "I know the way back. I was gonna go home soon anyway." Since my castle''s okay and the page is already destroyed¡­ I wish I''d taken it home. I was so scared of anybody finding it, and now I can never share it. "Want me to show you the way?" Rachel nodded again. Natalie gathered up her things and said goodbye to Scrappy. She was confident of the way, and she didn''t want Scrappy to get noticed, or for Rachel to ask more questions about him. Natalie led the way with Rachel close behind, still stumbling over tree roots and getting her dress caught on branches. "You know, a dress isn''t very good for the forest," Natalie pointed out. "You should wear jeans. They''re more comfortable anyway." "When I wear jeans, people act as if I''m a stupid girl from the country," said Rachel with a hint of frustration. "I try to wear nicer clothes so they treat me with some respect." "Does that really work?" "...No, not really," she sighed. "All the other college girls I''ve met wear jeans," said Natalie doubtfully. "I don''t think it has to do with clothes." "You might be right." "I like your dress," Natalie added truthfully. She felt like she was being mean, and she didn''t want to be mean to Rachel. "I think it''s really pretty." "Thanks, Natalie." Rachel squinted forward, where the town was slowly coming into view. "You know, there''s actually a meeting coming up tomorrow for people who can do magic. We''re trying to figure out the best way to handle everything, and stop people from fighting over things. We started doing them in March, and this is our fifth one now. You should come." "I dunno¡­" said Natalie doubtfully. I kinda liked the idea of it being just me and my friends, plus Dad¡­ but I guess that was never really gonna happen since those two guys keep fighting out here. "Is it all college kids?" "Not all. There''s a few of us, like Josh and Rika, but there''s also¡­ uhh¡­" Rachel screwed up her eyes, struggling to remember. "Mabel Walsh¡ª" "I don''t like her. She yelled at me when I took an apple from one of her trees." "And Hector. The grocery store owner." "Hector''s gonna be there?" Natalie asked, suddenly excited. Hector was one of her few close friends, along with Jenny and Scrappy. They''d formed a fast bond. His store was probably her second most frequent hangout after her castle. "Okay. I''ll go." "I bring cookies every week too," Rachel added. "You can have first pick." Natalie smiled. Maybe it wouldn''t be so bad after all.
Return fire blasted from the camp, much more organized and dedicated than before. Above them, helicopters swooped with spotlights blazing, men hanging out and ready to engage. Brian''s men were increasingly outnumbered, and many were already fleeing. "Time to go, sir," said his lieutenant. Brian nodded. They couldn''t fight the national guard. Beyond being obviously outmatched, these men weren''t awakened. They were following orders, and Brian couldn''t entirely fault them for it. The blame lay with the corrupt officials at the head of the government, with their Governor and their President who openly welcomed the awakened into their lives. "Pull back everyone we can," said Brian firmly. "Use the hideout map I gave you." "And you?" "I''ve got somewhere else to go. Watch for messages and we''ll regroup soon. Go." Brian turned and left, with his oldest and most trusted men at his back. Further into the forest, Felix scrambled to his feet. He''d been taking pictures and recording as much footage as he could for later propaganda. Brian didn''t bother trying to pretend otherwise¡ªthey were making propaganda, using techniques from the most terrible regimes of human history, but their message was too important. He could stomach using the tools of evil to further his message of good, just as he did with the golem rod. The hideouts were another such tool¡ªplaces established by Jackson in the forest, nearly impossible to find unless one knew where to look. They''d used those places many times, to hide from unwanted eyes while preparing to destroy the town, and now Brian would use them to further the crusade. A few of his men would undoubtedly be caught. If they were, Brian had instructed them to surrender and cooperate peacefully. The national guard was not their enemy. Showing a measure of peace and reasonable cooperation would go a long way toward convincing the greater government of the truth to their mission. They trooped through the woods, while helicopters continued to swoop past overhead. The spotlights crossed them a few times, but none stopped to track them. The forest was thick and dark, and Brian''s men were well-trained at avoiding being spotted. Felix, from a year embedded with an insurgency on the other side of the world, had learned many techniques to avoid the very same American forces they now fled, and he''d proved an invaluable asset once more. Brian thanked God every day for sending Felix to assist them. "Did we do enough, though?" asked Felix as they hurried through the woods toward their own chosen hiding ground, one Brian had not shared with his lieutenants. "Did we disrupt enough for one night''s mission?" "Every strike we survive is enough," said Brian. "We keep fear in their minds and hope in the hearts of the rest of the world. We can''t hope to win yet. Our movement is not strong enough." "And this will make it grow?" "The government played their hand, and now the military''s involved here. They''ll try to control magic. Cinza won''t accept it. She''s a revolutionary. They''ll build up their own conflict, and we''ll have the time we need to gather our strength and convince more people of the danger." Felix smiled. "You''re much more forward-thinking than I ever expected, my friend." Brian didn''t respond. Felix''s phrasing reminded him of another man, a spectre out of the dark pit of his memories. I wasn''t always, Felix... Once, I made an irrational, reckless decision about someone I considered a friend, and set in motion events far beyond my control. I regret that death every day. As they ran, north to the wreckage of Rallsburg, where the guards who had been posted there were now missing¡ªpulled away to help with the carnage in the encampment¡ªBrian thought back to the clearing nearby, where he''d made a terrible mistake, and condemned an innocent man to death.
Natalie wasn''t home yet. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Brian paced back and forth in the kitchen. It was well past time for dinner. He''d told Natalie to go to the store while he prepared the sauce, buy the spaghetti and garlic, and come straight back home. The sauce was ready to go on the stove, but Natalie still wasn''t home, and he was getting worried. Maybe she stopped by the apartments to grab my hat like I mentioned before, even though I didn''t ask her to. That would be just like her. He pulled out his phone and dialed his assistant. "Neffie?" "Hi, Mr. Hendricks. What''s up?" "Is my daughter there?" "No¡­?" "I sent her to get some food from Hector''s an hour ago and she still isn''t back." "Maybe she got distracted," said Neffie with perfect patience. "I''m nearly done with the paperwork for tonight. Want me to go out and look?" "No. I''ll do it." Brian hung up before Neffie could say another word. He hurried to grab his coat, since it was still exceptionally chilly for May. The sauce would keep for a while. Brian needed to find Natalie right away. He dialed her phone, but the signal was spotty, and her phone gave him an "out of service area" message and an offer to leave a voicemail. "Hey, turtle. Just checking in. The sauce is all ready to go, but it needs some spaghetti or it''s going to get lonely. Call me back when you get this, okay?" Brian pocketed his phone and started down the street. He waved to Robert with a touch of disappointment as he went by. Robert would have been his next phone call, but if his friend was home, he wouldn''t have seen Natalie anywhere either. Brian would have to find his daughter, one way or another. He beelined through the town for Hector''s grocery, glancing in every direction as he went with an increasingly frantic air. Every step without spotting Natalie brought a slightly greater note of panic to his ears, like a gently rising wave pounding at his skull. When he reached the grocery, Brian''s fears doubled over. It was closed. Where is she¡­? Brian dialed the sheriff, now truly worried. "Sheriff?" "Mr. Hendricks? What can I help ya with?" "My daughter''s missing." "Again?" Jackie couldn''t hide the note of skepticism in her voice. "Brian, I know you''re worried, but your girl seems to be missin'' every damn week or two now, and every time she turns up just fine. I can send out the search party if you want, but¡ª" "I sent her to Hector''s for some food, but the grocery is closed. She''s been gone an hour now." Jackie sighed. "So maybe she went to his house to get him. I swear, Natalie knows the town better than I do sometimes. I''ll keep an eye out and send her straight home if you like, but for now, I''m thinkin'' we just wait, okay?" "...Fine," said Brian. "Okay." "If I see her, I''ll tell her to call you." "Thanks sheriff." Brian hung up. He knew she was probably right, but he''d keep looking. He couldn''t stop worrying about her, no matter the reassurances he always got from the rest of the town. They all seemed to think it was totally okay for an eleven-year-old to have the run of the town. Everyone said she was an independent and self-reliant girl with plenty of common sense on her shoulders, but Brian couldn''t stop remembering the day she''d gotten past Lori for only an instant¡ªthe day she''d nearly died, the day Brian knew they needed to get far away from his dangerous, addled ex-wife. Halfway home, a voice called out. "Ho, friend! What devil pursues you?" He slowed to a halt. A tall man with strong arms to rival Robert''s and blazing red hair had shouted at Brian from across the road. The man smiled a friendly disarming smile, straightening up from the flowers he''d been weeding, and waved Brian closer. "Come now, what alarms you? Speak quickly, that we might vanquish such a demon." "...Who are you?" "Who am I?" asked the man, seeming genuinely upset. "I am the doctor Smith! Henry, they call me, and a terrible day indeed it is when one of my flock does not even know my name!" He laughed, a booming laugh which echoed down the street to the trees beyond. Brian frowned. "I didn''t know we had a doctor." "And I didn''t know we had you!" Henry winked. "Let''s put that aside for now, though, friend. What has you so distressed?" "My daughter is missing. I need to find her." "Your daughter¡­" Henry''s eyes lit up. "Pray tell, you wouldn''t be the man Hendricks I''ve heard so much about?" Brian was taken aback. This man was nothing like what he expected, and certainly not someone he''d thought to meet in a town like Rallsburg. Henry seemed completely out of place, and maybe even out of time. "...Yes." "Well, I must say man, you''ve raised an incredible daughter. Natalie is one of the strongest and most independent young women I''ve ever had the honor to meet." "She''s met you?" "Only in passing at Hector''s, once or twice," said Henry. "Smart beyond her years, that one. She is a joy to our little community." He frowned. "You say she''s missing?" "I sent her to get some food from Hector''s for dinner, about an hour and a half ago now, and she didn''t come home. She''s not answering my phone calls either." "I see." Henry put a hand on Brian''s shoulder. "Where might she go, between the grocery and your home?" Brian took a moment to consider. "...Her best friend''s place is nearby. The Wilsons'' home. She could''ve gone there." "Then let us be off!" Henry turned and marched down the road toward the Wilson home. Brian hesitated, feeling windswept, before hurrying to catch up. "You said I was part of your flock," he asked as they walked. "Are you a preacher?" "In a manner of speaking. I dabble in medicine for the body and the soul," said Henry. "I consider myself a man of God, but the church and I have something of a¡­ complicated relationship." He laughed. "This town accepted me with all my faults, as it has many others with nowhere else left to turn." "It accepted me," said Brian quietly. "Ah, a fellow outcast," said Henry sagely. "Well, let us just say that the church did not like the way I preached, nor I the machinations and greed behind their supposed faith. I was expelled like the lepers, but more fool them, for the Lord knows that us outcasts were those who truly loved and followed Him above all." He glanced at Brian. "Apologies, if you are not a man of faith. I do not mean to press you." "I am. I haven''t been to a church in a while¡ª" "The world is our church, friend!" Henry proclaimed. "They trap themselves inside their stuffy buildings, but we have the whole planet, given to us by our generous God to nurture, cultivate, and protect, just as it nourishes us in return." Brian smiled. "...Do you hold a service here? I think I''d attend." Henry grinned. "So my sales pitch worked. But let''s not get ahead of ourselves. I don''t even know your name yet!" "Brian." "Well, Brian of the clan Hendricks, we''ve yet to find your lost little sheep. The flock can wait!" Henry marched up to the door of the Wilson house and rapped his knuckles on the strong wood. "Mr. Wilson! Open the door, an emergency is afoot!" Something thumped to the ground inside the house. Panicked movements echoed through the whole structure. Brian winced¡ªthey didn''t need to cause quite that much of a ruckus. "Coming!" called Paul Wilson. A few hurried steps later, the door flew inward. "What''s happened, Reverend?" "Well, my friend Brian here seems to have lost his daugh¡ªah!" Natalie had just emerged from behind Paul, holding a bag under her arm with a pack of spaghetti sticking out. "Dad?" she asked, thoroughly confused. "Natalie!" Brian rushed in, nearly knocking Paul out of the way as he ran to his daughter. Natalie''s eyes went wide, and she dropped the bag in her shock as he gathered her up into a tight hug. "Are you okay?" "...Yeah, dad. What''s going on?" "I was worried!" "Well, Hector had to close early, and I didn''t have the spaghetti, and I knew that Jenny''s mom made her some last night so I thought they might have some, and so I came here." Natalie tapped him on the shoulder. "Dad, you''re hurting me." "Sorry!" He let her back down to the ground. She picked up her bag again, and turned to grab her pink coat from the rack near the stairs. "Well, that looks like spaghetti to me," said Henry with a laugh. "I''d say mission accomplished, young woman." Natalie smiled. "Thanks, Mr. Smith." "Please, child, it''s just Henry! Mr. Smith was my great uncle twice-removed!" She giggled. Jenny emerged from the kitchen along with her mom, looking for the source of the commotion. Brian was still feeling the ecstasy of sheer relief at finding his daughter alive and well once again. No matter how many times it happened, he never felt any less panicked. "Henry," said Brian, turning to the man. "Come over for dinner." "Oh, I couldn''t possibly do that," said Henry. "Trust me, I''m terrible dinner company." "Please. You must." "I got some garlic bread too, dad," said Natalie. "They didn''t have any garlic, but I thought that would work, right?" "Well¡­" Brian hesitated. Obviously, garlic bread wouldn''t exactly spice up the sauce like he''d intended, but he didn''t want Natalie to feel bad for not getting what they needed. Henry jumped in to his rescue. "Absolutely! And as a matter of fact, garlic bread is my favorite food, so I suppose I simply must attend your dinner after all." He winked at Brian over Natalie''s head. "Lead the way, child!" Natalie waved goodbye to Jenny and bounded out into the street, ponytail bouncing merrily and her bag swinging under her shoulder with every skip. Brian and Henry followed, saying a quick goodbye to the bemused Wilson family. "Not too fast, turtle!" Brian called after her, and Natalie thankfully slowed down a little to stay in sight. "Turtles aren''t that fast, you know!" added Henry in his booming voice. "They are if they''re in the water!" Natalie shot back. "They can swim up to thirty five miles an hour in the water!" Brian smiled. Henry laughed even harder than before. Natalie turned back and kept skipping down the road, darting back and forth in a zig-zag so she could still go fast without losing sight of them. "As I said, Mr. Hendricks, smart beyond her years." "Thank you, Henry." "Oh, I didn''t do anything," said the reverend, or was it the doctor? Brian wasn''t sure which, and it didn''t matter anyway. Like the reverend said, he dealt in medicine for the body and the soul. Henry clapped a hand on Brian''s back. "You knew where she went, and I just gave you a little push to keep moving. Natalie got her strength from somewhere, after all." "From God," said Brian, but Henry didn''t smile and nod like he''d expected. "Certainly, but God only set His plan in motion. It''s our job to follow through. You did the rest of the work raising your daughter." Henry grinned. "Give yourself some more credit, my friend. You''re stronger than you think. God has a plan for you too, but don''t forget, it''s up to you to actually carry it out."
It''s our job to follow through. Brian entered the little hideaway first, though he was certain it was safe. Among the many they used for hunting awakened through the vast forests, this was one of the most important, and thus one only Brian and his most trusted lieutenants were permitted to know. Inside lay equipment and supplies, boxes and boxes painstakingly transported in the dead of night. They had computers, antennas, communication equipment, food¡­ and weapons. A forward operating base, Felix called it. "I''ll start editing right away," said Felix, plugging his camera into one of the laptops. They were all powered by a generator which charged off discreetly placed solar panels every day, dumping into cutting-edge battery banks donated by some tech entrepreneur who''d come to believe in their cause, and who now provided the servers for their private communications. "We can probably get another four or five videos out of this at least. Maybe more, and the military footage at the end will really spice things up." Brian let Felix talk, not really paying attention to his rambling. Felix was a talker, he worked through his ideas out loud. If it helped him to believe Brian was actually listening, then he could talk. In the meantime, Brian was still recovering mentally from the battle¡ªthe strain of commanding the golems, the pain of hearing his men die, the frustration and anger boiling in his chest as he failed once again to catch all the awakened in his trap. His other followers were also getting on laptops, except for the few assigned to guard the entrance. Brian sat in the corner and tilted his head back, closing his eyes. In any other room in the world, he''d feel vulnerable, but among these people, the most trusted men and women, those he knew were devoted without question to the cause of eradicating the awakened, Brian felt no shred of danger. "The President''s declared a state of emergency now too," said one woman with a hooked nose¡ªa stone cold killer, but also a terrible shot. Her son had been a pilgrim, and died in the forest near Rallsburg¡ªby what, they might never know. She was utterly dedicated now, even more than he was. She never left their little bases, never went home, and poured every last cent she had into their cause. I can''t blame her. If I lost Natalie¡­ "Does that really change anything?" asked another man, one who''d been with Brian nearly since the beginning. They''d met in the forests not long after the town burned. He was a conservationist investigating the cause of the fires, and when Brian had shown him the truth of the destruction, the man had become their first real financial backer, a lifetime of trading stocks turning into a windfall for the crusade. "They already sent the army at us." "The Washington state national guard," corrected Felix, looking up. "Under the command of the governor. They can''t send the Army, it''s not allowed to engage in police actions on United States soil. The President can federalize the National Guard from Oregon though, and throw more bodies at us. It''s not gonna matter though. More bodies doesn''t really beat an insurgency, not when you can''t damage the land and you don''t really know who you''re hunting." "An insurgency?" asked one of the guards, sounding offended. She was a career soldier, discharged honorably after losing an arm, but she was still a fighter at heart. Rejected from the police and every other form of serving the public she tried, the woman eventually ended up finding Brian in a bar west of the forest, and soon enough her rifle fired again for the public good. "Callin'' us fuckin'' terrorists?" "They sure are," snorted the other guard. "Fuck that. I''m not a goddamn terrorist." "They''re just trying to paint us as the bad guys. That''s how this always goes." The two guards continued to argue while Brian closed his eyes again. He never learned their names. He didn''t want to, and if he were ever caught, he could never give them up. The only names he knew were by accident or due to fame, like Felix. They didn''t need to bond. They had a common cause. When it was over, they''d go their separate ways. Nobody needed to know each other¡­ but there was one name everyone knew¡ªhis own. Everyone knew Brian''s name. "Oh, shit!" His eyes flew open. The voice was one of those doing research, checking the fallout from their latest action. They monitored every news site, every analyst and political commentator from both sides. Felix would gather as much information as he could, analyze the general public''s opinion and reach out to his contacts, and plan their next move. An exclamation like that meant they''d found something important. Normally, his team barely got excited anymore by the analysis process. It was usually grunt work, just writing up summaries to give to Felix later. This was different. Felix hurried over, and his eyes widened. A moment later, they shot up to meet Brian''s. "...Brian¡­" he started, caution flooding into his voice. Brian laboriously got to his feet, feeling the burden of his responsibility more than ever before. He shuffled over to the laptop and leaned in, while his followers stepped respectfully aside to let him read. DAUGHTER OF "THE TRAITOR": MISSING RALLSBURG GIRL A SECRET STUDENT IN SOUTH SEATTLE MIDDLE SCHOOL Rumors fly in the recent upheaval surrounding Willford Jenkins Middle School, a public school located in south Seattle. Over the past forty-eight hours, parents have begun pulling their children out of school, fearing for their safety and claiming the administrators have allowed a dangerous pupil in their midst. More than a third of the 1100 students at Willford Jenkins missed school today, and officials expect that number to continue to rise. Their worries stem from a single child¡ªNatalie Hendricks, daughter of Brian Hendricks, leader of the anti-Awakened movement and "Traitor of Rallsburg", according to the Rallsburg Diaries. "Her father''s a mass-murderer," said Megan Sinclair, whose daughter was a classmate of Natalie. "She was at school under a fake name, hiding from the police and the FBI, and she terrorized my daughter. She''s just as bad as he is." In response to growing protests, principal Frieda Talbot has declared Natalie''s continued right to attend, citing the school board''s decision and laws protecting students'' rights. "Though she registered under a fake name, this was clearly an extenuating circumstance. Natalie has every right to attend school, and Willford Jenkins is fully prepared to defend her rights. She has been an exemplary student since the day she arrived." Natalie''s official record at the school, exclusively obtained for this report, reflects this sterling claim. However, other students dispute her reputation. "Jenny''s crazy. There was a dodgeball fight and she broke Blake''s nose. She nearly broke a kid''s neck on her first day. And she''s so weird," said Lydia Jennings, another classmate of Natalie''s, who was attending under the name Jenny Heshire. Rumors also persist that Natalie is one of the awakened¡ªthose with the ability to use magic. Though many concerned parents cite this as the reason for removing their children from school, we could not confirm this claim, and it was not supported by any students contacted for this report. Whether or not she holds magical ability, Natalie Hendricks is certainly the cause of the chaos engulfing Willford Jenkins this week. Felix was still watching Brian as he finally stood up straight again. "...Brian?" "She''s still alive," he breathed. Until that moment, he''d believed, but the fear always remained. He hadn''t received a single sign, not a single hint of his daughter until this story. "Yeah, but¡ª" "Of course they''d say she''s awakened," he said dismissively. "Of course they''d persecute her. It means nothing." "I found something else," added a woman on the opposite side of his laptop, pointing at her screen. "You''ll want to see this." "What is it?" Brian asked, unsure what he was looking at on her screen. "This is a¡­ blog?" "Yeah, with an interview of another student. Blake Sinclair. Looks like they were friends." She scrolled to a photo¡ªand there she was. His daughter. Natalie looked so much older than the last time he''d seen her. Her face hadn''t changed much, and her hair was just a bit longer than before¡­ but it was in her eyes and her expression. Natalie looked guarded and afraid¡­ hurt. She was surrounded by other girls, smiling into the camera, but Natalie clearly didn''t fit in with them¡­ and she wasn''t smiling. His heart ached. He wished he could jump through the screen to be with her. "It goes on for a bit, and this girl claims she''s awakened too, but there''s no proof or anything. Kinda reads like she''s jealous of Natalie with a boy she liked," she added, rolling her eyes. She scrolled down further, and another photo appeared. Brian''s whole world stopped. "Oh my God¡­" Felix gasped behind him. It was Natalie again, and she looked even more withdrawn and damaged than before, but now¡­ her face had changed to match. A scar spiraled around her cheek, starting at her ear and spinning out onto her face. Her hair was worn lower and thick to hide as much as she could, but it was obvious. Her eyes were purple¡ªcontacts, maybe? I don''t understand...¡ªand she held herself in a defensive pose, as if she were about to be attacked, though she was just sitting in the back of a school bus. A boy sat next to her, holding her hand. He looked nice enough, though his eyes were hidden behind glare off his glasses. Natalie didn''t seem particularly warm toward him, or toward anyone nearby. She just looked¡­ broken. Brian fell to his knees. Tears burst from his eyes. "...Natalie¡­" he murmured, over and over again. His people watched, all clearly aching for him, but what could they do? Who knew where she was, or what they could do to help her? "If she''s got a boyfriend¡­" started Felix carefully. Brian turned to him, frantic. "She might be living with him. If he isn''t, he''ll know where to find her. Figure out who he is and where they are. Do whatever you have to." Felix nodded. He glanced up at the police officer, one of Brian''s oldest lieutenants and veteran of more than one battle. Brian had sent him after Natalie before, but it was obvious now why he couldn''t find her¡ªfrom this photo, she looked completely different now. It''s like she isn''t even my daughter anymore¡­ His people set everything in motion, while Brian remained stuck kneeling, gazing at the photo shining off the laptop in front of him. Natalie was frozen in time in that photo¡ªhis strong and brave daughter, damaged and broken, while he''d been away fighting against the whole world for her. I should have found her. I left her out there all alone, and look what happened. What was I¡ª "Don''t do that," said the woman on the laptop, setting a hand on his shoulder. "Don''t blame yourself. You''ve been through hell. We tried to find her. We tried everything." "It wasn''t enough," whispered Brian. "It wasn''t enough."
Natalie knocked her knees together impatiently, playing with a strand of her hair while the Council droned on about procedure and something else she didn''t understand. Rachel put a hand on her shoulder to try and calm her, but Natalie shrugged it off. She just wanted them to start talking about magic, not all this boring stuff about staying secret and being organized. She glanced around the sitting room in Mabel Walsh''s huge house. Natalie was curious who else could do magic¡ªwas awakened, she reminded herself. Apparently, that''s what they were supposed to call it. Rachel said it like it was a bad word, but everybody else seemed okay with it. Hector sat in the corner, fiddling with his phone and barely paying attention. Natalie had considered sitting next to him, but she''d ended up following Rachel to sit by the empty fireplace near her friend Rika, the loud angry girl with the blue hair who nobody else seemed to like. Josh Miller sat on the other side of Rika, occasionally leaning on her. Natalie knew they were dating, but most of the town didn''t yet. She''d heard it during one of the college capture the flag games. Apparently it wasn''t a secret here in the little group of awakened. Natalie felt a little excited by that. This was a secret club. She loved the idea of secret clubs. She and Jenny had one too. Maybe I can invite Jenny to this one day too. That would be so cool. On the other side of the room sat one of the professors from the college, the one with the bright red hair. Natalie couldn''t remember her name, but she had a funny accent and always let Natalie hang out near her mansion, even though her groundskeeper Collins tried to shoo her away. Next was Ryan Walker, one of the college guys who always wanted her on his team, and he was super handsome. She had a huge secret crush on him. Finally, there were two whose names Natalie didn''t know¡ªthe delivery guy who brought her stuff she ordered online, and a quiet, pale girl with brown hair and a strange accent. The really interesting people were up front though: Mabel Walsh and Alex Nelson, two of the three Councilors¡ªHector was the third, apparently, though he didn''t seem like one to Natalie¡ªalong with the three "gods", by far the most powerful of them all. Alpha, who always looked like an outline of light instead of a person and spoke with a deep commanding voice, sat on the left, while Omega say on the right. Beverly huddled up in the middle, wrapped up in a scarf and a hooded sweatshirt. She rarely spoke, but everyone shut up whenever she opened her mouth. Natalie wasn''t really sure why, but it was her first meeting, so maybe there was something special about Beverly she just didn''t know yet. She''d have to ask Rachel later. Natalie stayed quiet and patiently listened, just like her dad always asked whenever they had to go to the doctor or something else important in the city. "It''s time to start expanding," said Alpha, his deep voice rolling over the small group. "There''s only ten awakened part of the Council, but we know there must be more. The Scraps are spreading." Omega made a derisive noise. Beverly looked at him, and he seemed to back down. After a moment''s hesitation, Alex spoke up from the council seats. "What does expanding mean?" "Two things. We use what we have to find anyone who''s awakened and invite them to join us¡ª" "Gonna need a bigger room," joked the deliveryman, glancing around. Mabel glared at him, but the professor spoke up before any argument could begin. "I believe I can supply one of the college classrooms after hours. It should be sufficient for up to sixty if necessary, and more if we squeeze in. Once we reach those numbers, we will undoubtedly be at a point where we might approach the mayor and transition into the town hall." Alpha nodded. "Thanks, Kendra." "And the second part?" asked Alex. "We begin a sponsorship program¡ª" "No," interrupted Omega. Beverly sighed and seemed to withdraw into her chair, closing her grey eyes. Alpha''s head swiveled around¡ªa curious motion, since Natalie couldn''t really make out his neck or his eyes, but the outline of his nose in profile showed where he now faced, eyeing Omega from across their table. "It''s safer than letting people awaken at random." "I''m trying to stop that, you know." "And we appreciate your efforts tracking down the lost pieces of the book¡ªwhich you destroyed, in case you forgo¡ª" Beverely made a noise, somewhere halfway between a click of her tongue and an exasperated sigh. Alpha faltered mid-sentence. "We haven''t seen any of these lost pieces," said Mabel carefully from the front. "Because he''s burning them," said Rika. "He doesn''t want anyone to awaken, remember? Thinks this shit is too dangerous." "That wasn''t the deal," said Alex. "We wanted to collect them so we could learn how to use it properly. If you''re destroying them¡ª" "There is no ''properly''," said Omega. "It should have been destroyed completely. Instead, we now have children getting involved in our council. Are you saying we should awaken her?" Natalie got to her feet, annoyed. "What''s wrong with that?" she asked indignantly. "I''m good at magic!" Beverly''s eyes snapped open and found Natalie''s. She had a strange, confused look on her face, but it was quickly forgotten as the rest of the group reacted in shock. "You''re awakened?" asked Mabel in a concerned voice. Natalie shrunk a little, feeling like she''d done something wrong. She looked over to Rachel, but the tall girl seemed nervous herself, and the sudden glare from Alex up at the Council table didn''t help much either. "Rachel, did you¡ª" he asked. She shook her head. "I ran into her in the woods. She was already awakened." "Yeah, I read from the book and all that," said Natalie. "And I can do cool things. I know it''s dangerous, but I can control it, so it''s okay." "How are we supposed to keep this a secret?" asked Mabel. "A child¡ª" "I''m eleven," Natalie interrupted, "and I know how to keep a secret. I''ve been awakened for months and months and my dad doesn''t know. Nobody did until Rachel yesterday." Nobody answered her. Mabel seemed taken aback, as did Alpha and Omega. Everyone was acting uncomfortable. Beverly still watched Natalie with a cautious expression she didn''t understand. Natalie fidgeted in place, not sure what else to say. Suddenly, Rika burst out laughing. "Well, shit, Natalie''s better at keeping secrets than we are. The fuck are we complaining about?" "No need to be rude," murmured Kendra. "Rachel awakened me and we''re still fine. Josh awakened Ryan¡ª" "Biggest mistake of my life," said Josh with a laugh. Ryan grinned at him. "¡ªand I''m sure Julian''s awakened one of his guys by now." Julian looked offended. "Hey, I don''t break the rules of this place. Don''t go puttin'' that on me." "Okay, whatever, so maybe he didn''t." Rika shrugged. "Point is, it''s gone okay. Hell, you''re gonna get way better new members than me and Ryan if you start expanding. Only thing I hate is this sponsorship shit. Who put us in charge?" "They did," said Josh, nodding at the three gods. Rika snorted. "Mr. Light and Mr. Dark, plus Beverly who wants nothing to do with us, eh?" "That''s not true¡­" said Beverly quietly¡ªand as always, everyone stopped when she spoke, even Rika. She leaned forward a little. "I''ll awaken anyone who ever reads part of the Grimoire. Whether or not you give them out is up to you guys. That doesn''t mean I don''t want to help, I just don''t think I should be in charge." "Thanks, Beverly," said Alex, giving her a smile. "I think that''s enough for one meeting. We''ve been here for two hours already, and we got a lot done earlier. Who can host next week?" "My house will suffice, I suppose," said Kendra. "I''ll send Collins on an errand in Olympia." "Great." Alex glanced at the two gods, who were still bristling at each other across the table. "Are we good?" "Yeah," said Omega. "We''re good." Alpha nodded in response, and the room seemed to relax a little. The council broke, and one by one, they exited out various doors from Mabel''s home. Rachel and Natalie went out one of the sides, back into the forest for a while until they eventually looped back into the street. Natalie turned to head back into the woods, but Rachel stopped her. "You should probably go home, Natalie." "Huh?" "It''s late, and your dad''s gonna be worried." Natalie shook her head. "It''s okay. I''m just going back to my castle." "Everyone knows how worried he gets. If he starts looking for you when you''re in a council meeting with us, it could turn out really badly." "Oh¡­" Natalie hesitated. She''d wanted to go back out into the woods and find Scrappy, maybe try to find some other friends while she was out there. Every time she used her magic, she could feel the whole forest around her, and all the animals within it. If she could find such a perfect companion as her mountain lion, who knew what else might be out there for her? But¡­ Rachel was right. Her dad would always get worried, no matter how many times she showed him she was totally fine. He always got worried, ever since Chicago, ever since the time she got hurt. She should go home, for his sake. "Okay," she said finally. "Want me to walk you there?" Do you even know the way¡­? "Nah, I got it." Natalie glanced up at her. "It''s the same time next week at Kendra''s house, right?" "Yes. I''ll see you then, Natalie." Rachel started away, back to the college. She had to pull out her phone to check which way to go after only one block. Natalie considered going after her, but didn''t after a moment''s hesitation. Her dad would be worried. Natalie hurried down the street to her home, with the moon lighting her every step and skip home. Despite how boring most of it was, Natalie felt giddy¡ªshe was part of the secret club now, the special group of people who could do magic. This was better than anything she''d imagined, and best of all, she''d been able to speak up and hold her own. Rika didn''t treat her like a little kid, and she was sure the others wouldn''t either for long. "I''m home!" she called as she walked in, kicking her shoes off. She leapt onto the sofa, where her dad was reading the paper, and snuggled in close under the blanket she''d left there that morning. "Hey, turtle," he said, surprisingly calm for how late she''d been out. "Had a good day?" "Yeah." "Me too," he said, brushing her hair while he went back to reading. Natalie pulled out her phone and relaxed, diving back into her book. Everything seemed great to her now. Maybe she wouldn''t be able to tell her dad or Jenny for a while, because of the council rules, but she could wait. In the meantime, she had a whole bunch of new friends to make, she had Scrappy and her other friends in the woods, and she had magic. Her dad was happy, she was happy, and the world looked a little bit brighter than the day before.
"Lani?" Natalie called out nervously. She stood on an upper branch across the clearing from her castle, but she couldn''t see anyone inside, or nearby. The castle door was pressed closed, surrounded by scorch marks from the fires long-past. Her reading chair with the folded umbrella still sat on top of the second floor, and every wall seemed strong and intact. Everything looked exactly how she''d left it, on the night she''d spotted her dad, and ran to tell Lily and Kendra. I should''ve just gone after him that night. Maybe I could have¡ª Jackson might have killed you. You did not have Gwen or Scrappy with you, and you had not yet learned electricity magic. Be grateful you stayed away. Maybe he wouldn''t have. He knew me, and my dad was there. What if¡ª You did not know it was Jackson. You couldn''t see him clearly. Wondering what might have been will lead you nowhere. You must focus on the present. ...I know. I just wish¡­ I wish I could talk to him again. We will. Someday. Perhaps soon. Yeah. "Lani?" Natalie called, a little louder than before. "We are here," said Riley. Her head appeared at the edge of the stairs, barely peeking above the threshold. "Is it clear?" "Yeah." Natalie leapt down and landed neatly on the ground. She brushed the dirt and tree sap off her hands with a spell and hurried into the castle, before she was seen. "The military came in and everybody ran. I didn''t really see where." "The military?" asked Lani. "Are you sure?" "The national guard, probably," said Riley. Her voice was warming up, far different than the ice-cold killer Natalie remembered from Rallsburg. "The army''s not allowed to operate on U.S. soil, so it''d have to be the state militia." She glanced at Natalie. "You got out okay?" "I''m fine." Natalie glanced around, and to her relief, everyone was still there, even the police officer Malich they''d picked up. "That was crazy!" said Kelsey, clearly torn halfway between excitement and terror. Mitch half-nodded, but he looked far less certain than before. Tyler, to her surprise, looked strangely calm. "What do we do now, Linnethea?" "I¡­" Natalie frowned. "I guess we go to the Greywood, right?" "Sounds like a good plan to me," said Riley. "That''s where everyone will probably regroup, since it''s the safest, and it avoids the government forces." "I dunno how to get there though," she added uncomfortably. "I was hoping to find somebody in the camp." "We do," said Lani nervously, glancing at Riley, "but they probably wouldn''t let either of us in again." "Why?" "Long story," said Riley. "We don''t have time for it now. We''ll get you there, Linnethea. Past that, you''re on your own, but we''ll be around." While the others broke out some food from the bag and began to eat, Riley took Natalie up to the roof where they could be alone for a moment. She sat down at the edge, polishing something on her rifle, and looked up at Natalie with cautious warmth. It reminded her of when she''d first met Gwen, and the wolf wasn''t quite sure yet of their new bond. "Repeat this for me," said Riley suddenly. "Auta minua." "Huh?" "It means ''help me''," she explained patiently. "Try it." Natalie repeated it a couple times until she felt right on the pronunciation. After that, they did a few more: turvallinen, for when things were safe, and vaara for danger or caution. Riley explained when to use those words: if she was in danger and either Lani or Riley were around, she could speak in Finnish without enemies understanding her, but they would know. Riley offered to teach her more one day, when they had time. "...Thanks," said Natalie, after she was sure she''d memorized them. "Are you okay?" Riley asked, her ice-blue eyes still hard even if her voice was soft now. Natalie hesitated. Memories of her father were still tumbling through her head, each one chilling her and warming her equally in a confusing and mixed morass of emotions. She''d been able to focus on the battle, but now that it was over, the sight of her dad commanding troops in the woods¡ªshouting at them to kill¡ªwas stuck in her mind. It hurt, especially when it melded into memories from not so long ago, when he''d seemed to finally come out of his shell. "What''s the word for turtle?" she asked quietly. "What?" "Turtle. Like the animal." "...Kilpikonna," said Riley, still obviously confused. "Why do you ask?" "Nothing," said Natalie. "We should probably get going, right?" Riley caught her by the arm before Natalie could get downstairs. Pain and fear flared through her like an exploding firework. Instantly, Natalie shoved her away¡ªnearly off the edge of the castle. She stepped back, hands crossed tight to her chest, and shook her head. "Don''t touch me," she whispered. Riley got up from where she''d fallen, picking her rifle up and slinging it back over her shoulder. She nodded, with more understanding than anyone Natalie had ever known. She didn''t approach Natalie, but something in the older woman''s expression spoke volumes. It wasn''t just sympathy; Riley seemed to know exactly what Natalie was feeling. Natalie suddenly wanted to talk, to spill everything about her past to this woman, but she knew it was neither the time nor the place. Below them, her friends waited, and only a few miles away, the remnants of a battle still smoldered. They had somewhere to be, and Natalie might need to fight again. She nodded, pulling her bag tight to her shoulder and summoning Percy down to join her. Gwen bounded forward out of the forest, returning from her patrol around the edges. Natalie stroked Percy''s head before looking back to Riley, determined to be brave. "Let''s get going." B2: Chapter 45 — Suolaa Maaper??n Chapter 45 ¡ª Suolaa Maaper??n The forest didn''t flow right. It was the best way Natalie could come up with to describe her feelings. As they walked, the trees weren''t in the places they should have been, the ferns and moss growing unnaturally. Wind tickled her cheeks, but it didn''t come from where it should have. The bird chirps weren''t echoing from the birds themselves, but bouncing away in a strange pattern. The whole region was still beautiful and familiar, reminding her more than ever of her home only a few miles away, but she could tell when it was wrong¡ªand this whole arrangement was wrong. Yet¡­ when Natalie dipped into her magic and let her mind fly out into the trees, she felt raw energy thick in the air. A huge spell thrummed in the sky¡ªa low murmur passed from trunk to trunk, held aloft by thousands upon thousands of branches into the cold night air. Magic itself permeated this land, twisting and shaping it into something new and exciting and unrecognizable. Every step took them deeper into the tall dark woods, where the most pure expressions of magic dwelt. "Do you feel that?" whispered Riley. Her face was pale and ghostly, eyes lifted to the heavens with fear. "Huh?" asked Kelsey, glancing around. Natalie could instantly tell from the looks on their faces¡ªthey had no idea what force now enveloped them. The policeman Malich similarly held a confused expression, but Lani wore one rapturous and full of wonder. While Riley might be afraid and Natalie excited, Lani was awestruck. "Magic," she replied quietly for her friends'' sakes. "There''s a lot of magic all around us. So much that we can feel it. Normally you gotta try to do that." "Whoah¡­" murmured Mitch. "What''s it doing?" "It''s trying to keep us out," said Riley. Natalie nodded, answering the questioning looks of her friends. "Cinza''s place has tons of spells to keep it safe." "Can''t they tell you''re a friend though?" asked Tyler. "I don''t think so." "It''s okay," said Lani. "We used to live there before. We know the way in." They kept walking, their path lit by Lani''s little spirits. Natalie could have produced more light with some fire, but they didn''t want to be seen from too far away¡ªand she felt like there had been too much fire in this forest already. The hazy blue light only added to the effect, sending excited chills down Natalie''s spine. A friendly owl hooted as she passed, like it were welcoming her home. She was finally back in the world of magic and nature she''d been longing for. Why did I ever think living in the city could be good? This is where I belong. You had never known the difference. Now you do. So I couldn''t know it was better here ''til I saw how worse it was there? Yes. Now, we are truly home. Natalie leaned down on Gwen and closed her eyes, burying her face in the thick soft fur of Gwen''s back. The wolf practically purred as she did, loping along easily behind the group. The interplay of Gwen''s thick muscles made Natalie feel like she were moving over a set of rolling hills, but she didn''t mind. After such a long, intense, emotional day, she was ready for a break. We did good today, right? We saved Malich, we probably saved a lot of people in the camp, and we didn''t get exposed or anything. Dad probably didn''t see us. None of my friends got hurt. We did well. But the fight is not yet won. Do not let your guard down. Yeah¡­ I never will again. She meant it, too¡ªeven though her face might be buried in Gwen''s back, grey fur pressed against every inch of her face, Natalie was still actively reaching out with her magic. In every direction, she could feel the way the forest was alive and buzzing. It wasn''t just the typical animals, either¡­ something else, something tied to the magic, was at play. ...The trees are powering the spell, she realized. The forest keeps them safe in more ways than one. But how can trees cast a spell? They aren''t awakened, right? How does that work? We must ask when we find Cinza. Something is at play we must understand. Yeah¡­ if this is some new kind of magic, we don''t want to get surprised by¡ª A sharp burst of energy coiled up directly in front of their group, like a viper coiling to strike. Natalie''s eyes flew open. She sat up straight and raised her voice as loud as she could. "Stop!" Riley froze, Lani an instant later. Malich ran right into the pair of them, and Natalie''s friends tripped over each other in their haste to stop moving. Natalie rode past the whole group, inching forward into the trees little by little "Linnethea?" asked Lani quietly. Natalie hesitated, patting Gwen to stop moving. There was something just ahead of them, but what, she couldn''t be sure. She wasn''t about to risk Gwen or Percy to find out, and obviously none of her friends either. But we can''t keep going forward¡­ "This is the way, right?" she asked over her shoulder. Lani nodded. "I''m sure. Makoto was really thorough." We need a scout. But we can''t use any of us, not somewhere this dangerous. What makes the best scouts when your resources are limited? Disposable things, stuff we don''t care about losing. Like¡­ summonable things. "Lani, can you send a spirit forward in front of me?" Lani looked confused, but he did as she asked. The little spirit floated forward, its blue veil drifting back as if caught in the wind. As its ghostly form crossed the threshold into the deeper forest, Natalie noticed a pale silver-grey mark on a line of trees it was approaching. The spirit passed through them. A gout of fire erupted between the trees, engulfing the little blue spirit in an inferno of whirling blue and white flames. Boulders launched themselves out of the darkness, striking the same spot with resounding thuds. Natalie''s bones quivered from the impacts on the forest floor. As the fire cleared, the forest looked exactly as it always had, and only the sudden appearance of a pile of rocks below the fearful little hovering spirit gave any indication something had happened. "Jesus Christ," murmured Malich, taking a step back. "How did you know?" asked Riley. "It felt different than everywhere else. The forest wanted us to turn back." Natalie pointed at the grey marks on the trees, diamond shapes melded perfectly into the bark of the trunks. "It''s the Greywood for sure." "But we can''t get in this way," said Lani. "It''s my fault," said Riley quietly. Lani took her hand. "It''s okay." She shook her head, before looking back to Natalie, voice chilling once more. "They have changed their defenses and redoubled them. We will not be able to get in. Past the forest labyrinth is as far as we can take you." Natalie''s spirits fell. Even if she felt overjoyed to be in her forest again, with Gwen and her friends, she couldn''t just leave them out here. As enthusiastic as they might be, Natalie knew they wouldn''t really stand camping out in the forest for so long, particularly Tyler and Mitch. They needed real places to stay, and the Greywood seemed a perfect compromise¡­ and it still would be. "We gotta go back," said Natalie. Gwen turned and padded back past the confused group, with Lani and Riley in particular looking distinctly uncomfortable. "Back to where everybody''s fighting?" asked Mitch, when nobody else spoke up. "Are you crazy, Jenny?" "Na¡ªLinnethea," hissed Kelsey, barely correcting herself in time. Natalie nodded. "We still gotta get to the Greywood. I saw Ruby back at the camp, and if Ruby''s there, Cinza''s probably there too. Plus we heard Jackie and Makoto on the radio. It''s the best option." "Lead the way," said Riley, though she still looked uncertain, which left Natalie feeling a little unsure herself. It is the best choice. Riley and Lani have something else they are concerned about. Keep it in mind, but do not let it dissuade us. Yeah. Better than getting stuck out here where we might run into more of Dad''s guys or another trap like that one. So they turned, and went back through the woods in the way they''d come. They passed Natalie''s castle once more, they passed the spot where Natalie had saved Malich, and soon enough, the camp came into view. If anything, it looked even more chaotic and active than it had during the battle. Soldiers swarmed through the area. Helicopters were still swinging by overhead, huge spotlights tracking through the woods. People, awakened or otherwise, were slowly returning, picking up the shattered remains of their makeshift homes and shops. A few surviving tents near a larger clearing had been taken over by the military''s medics, and the injured were hobbling in and out. As Natalie''s group began to approach, a few were rushed out on stretchers into a waiting helicopter. As it lifted into the sky, obscuring the moon, Natalie''s mind flashed back to the night in May, where she''d watched Nikki and Morton Pollock board a similar helicopter bound for Olympia. She''d been riding Gwen just as she was now¡­ and Morton hadn''t survived his flight. She wondered if these people would. We did what we could. I know. I just¡­ We did what we could.
Natalie thought better than to ride Gwen straight into camp. She remembered from Rallsburg how people tended to react to a huge wolf, and there were way too many people around with guns to risk it. Gwen would stick to the outskirts, patrolling wide and avoiding people until Natalie needed her. Percy likewise went with her, needing to find some food after a long day staying with Natalie without hunting. Instead, Malich led the way, as someone known to the defenders and still in some kind of uniform. His special operations outfit was a bit ragged and muddy after the fights, but he still cut a pretty strong figure in front of what could pass for an odd camping family¡­ kind of. I mean, not that any of us look even a little bit related. Mitch and Kelsey maybe, but even that''s a long stretch. It does not matter. So long as we do not appear threatening, we can find who we need. Despite her hopes, they got stopped just as soon as they reached the border of the camp. The soldiers were taking no chances with anyone, it seemed. "Come on, man," said Malich impatiently. "Names?" "I''m Alexander Malich, lieutenant, Tacoma P.D. I''m on Special Agent Jeremy Ashe''s personal team." "Uh-huh," said the soldier, looking up and down Malich skeptically. "Look, just call him or let us in, okay?" "Don''t got his number." They want to be sure we are not with your father. Oh. Well¡­ "Excuse me," said Natalie, feeling nervous in front of so many men with guns. She stepped forward and held up her hand, summoning a little ball of flame. Seeing her example, Lani did the same, and Riley did as well after a few moments reluctance. "...All right then," said the soldier, taken aback. The guards stepped aside. Malich looked a bit annoyed, but the rest of them walked past him. A military truck¡ªa humvee, if Natalie remembered right from TV¡ªrumbled past right in front of them, packed with more soldiers heading north. People sat in front of their tents in the dirt, shellshocked, scared. Natalie knew those looks, knew exactly how they were feeling. It''s Rallsburg all over again¡­ A couple soldiers emerged from the next tent, carrying bodies on a wide stretcher. They walked right past Natalie''s little group. The stench nearly overwhelmed them. Mitch swore loudly. Kelsey made a painful, wounded sound. Tyler looked away, his face pinched up. Natalie felt for all of them, but she knew there was probably more to come. "Come on," she murmured. "Don''t look, just follow me." "But¡­" said Kelsey uncomfortably, still staring at the stretchers. "Just keep moving." Riley nodded behind her. "There is nothing we can do for them. They have left this world." "Oh my god¡­" said Kelsey. She pulled her arms in close and tucked them inside her sleeves, hugging herself as she walked. "This is insane." They shouldn''t have come with me. What was I thinking? You need them more than you know. Think about what you have done so far. You had the confidence to act and you recovered where before you might have broken. Your friends are the support you need. But they''re in so much danger. We will protect them. "Jenny?" Natalie looked around. It wasn''t one of her friends¡­ well, not the one she expected, anyway. Alden Bensen had just walked out of the medical tent, a bandage on his arm. Natalie rushed forward. "Did you get shot?" she asked breathlessly. He shook his head. "Just a cut. I tripped and landed in some glass." "Oh." "Hi again," he added, glancing at Natalie''s friends¡­ until he spotted Riley. He took several steps back. "...No." Riley didn''t move a muscle. Lani glanced at her, confused. "Alden¡­" said Natalie slowly. "She''s been helping us." Alden shook his head. "I know what she''s been doing. I know what she''s done, too." "It was unforgivable," said Riley shortly. "If you want me to leave, I will." "Yeah, that sounds like a start." "No," said Natalie. She stepped between the two of them¡ªboth much taller than her, but still, Natalie threw herself in the middle. "I want her to stay." Alden hesitated. "...I don''t like it, but if you say so, she can stay." "What the heck is going on?" whispered Kelsey behind her. "What did she do?" Natalie shook her head. "It doesn''t matter anymore." And neither does what I did¡­ Both of us just want a fresh start out here. Why can''t we have it? She took a breath before continuing. "We''re trying to find Ruby. I saw her with Hector earlier." "Yeah, Cinza''s here somewhere too," said Alden. He glanced around. "I dunno where they went though. I was with¡ª hey, Jackie!" Natalie''s heart leapt. Sheriff Jackie had just walked out of a tent, accompanying her old friend Hector. She wanted to run to both of them, hug Hector like she always used to, steal Jackie''s hat, everything¡­ but of course, she couldn''t anymore. All she offered was a little wave, a shadow of her old self. Jackie''s jaw fell open. "My God¡­" she muttered, too low for anyone but Natalie to catch. They hurried over. Hector moved as if to hug her, but Natalie took a step back. "Hi¡­" "It is you¡­ right?" asked Hector uncomfortably. "What¡­ what happened?" "A lot." Natalie winced as their eyes did the usual scan of her scar. She changed the subject before they could start asking questions she didn''t want to answer. "We''re trying to find Cinza. Do you know where she is?" "...Yeah," said Jackie, sounding a bit winded. She glanced around, as if trying to avoid looking at Natalie. "She and the guys went off to talk with the commander of the Guard here, plan out what to do next¡ªJesus Christ, is that Julian goddamn Black?" Sure enough, Julian¡ªcovered in ash and sporting his own set of bandages¡ªwas stumbling toward their group, his trademark toothy grin slapped on his face. "Evenin'', all," he said, with an attempt at cheerfulness. "Where the hell have you been?" "Runnin'' this here camp, of course." He sighed. "Figures the moment I try to go legit, I get all kinds of hell on me." "You were supposed to be up in B.C.!" "Yeah, well¡­" He shrugged. "Too cold for me." "It''s the same damn climate!" "Let''s go," murmured Hector to Natalie, as Jackie and Julian got into an argument. "I know where they went." The group trooped away. Natalie walked a bit ahead so she could talk to Hector in private, while her friends followed with Lani and Riley. Malich had wandered off to who-knew-where. They weaved through collapsed tents and bullet-ridden carts, past the temporary structures destroyed by golems and abandoned piles of goods waiting to be sold. Natalie saw a cache of gems she could certainly have used, but thought better of taking them. I''m not a thief. Hector seemed more jumpy than usual to Natalie. He''d always been a bit nervous and uncomfortable around most people, but this was a step way beyond the usual. After all, he used to run a grocery store, and interacted with most of the town on a regular basis. This was¡­ something else. Natalie wondered if he''d been through something as awful as she had. "When did you come back?" she asked. Hector glanced down at her, looking a little bit sad. "Sunday. I was going to tell you, but¡­ so much happened." "Yeah, and the site went down." "Where have you been, reinita? I heard you stopped living with the Laushires." "I¡­" Natalie hesitated, but she quickly thought better of it. This was Hector, probably the adult she trusted most after her own father¡­ and maybe not even him anymore¡­ "I was living with my boyfriend''s family. But then¡­ they got scared of magic, and¡­ and of me¡­ and they told me I had to leave. So I decided to come home." "Oh, mi pobre ni?a..." Hector looked like he might cry. Natalie tentatively reached out and took his hand. She felt the same reluctance she had with everyone else, but still, the look of relief on his face was worth the strain and discomfort. "I''m so sorry." "It''s okay," said Natalie, though she knew it really wasn''t. "I needed to come home." "I know how you feel¡­" Hector sighed. "I couldn''t find another home either. This is the only place I''ve ever felt like I belonged since my Leticia passed on." She wanted to ask what happened to him up north, but at the same time, Natalie knew she wouldn''t want to answer the same question herself. Instead, she just squeezed his hand, and he squeezed hers back. Together, they walked forward through the ravaged camp toward the dark green military tents ahead, where awaited the leaders of their home.
The soldiers wouldn''t let them in, of course. They weren''t even allowed near the tent, with more than a hundred feet cordoned off in a wide circle. After a brief argument between Lani and the guard, balking at the group of children accompanying their odd group, Natalie finally had enough. she shouted into the sky. The hawk dove, coming down in a sharp arc and fluttering onto her shoulder. Natalie quickly sent him into the tent, above the confused soldiers. He flew a short circle inside before gliding back out again to perch on her once again. A familiar echoing, ethereal voice called from within the tent. "Send her in!" The soldiers, dumbfounded, let Natalie by¡ªbut only Natalie. She was about to argue more, but none of her friends moved to follow, while Hector, Riley, and Lani seemed equally reluctant. Natalie went in with only Percy on her shoulder to accompany her, bag strapped tight to keep it from bouncing and her jacket pulled in close to ward off the chill. She recast her warmth spell once again before walking in. The tent seemed even larger on the inside than it had looked, so much so that Natalie actually felt out with magic to make sure it wasn''t a pocket dimension or some other spell she wasn''t familiar with. A row of computers with a man on a headset was set against the far wall, and the center was dominated by an illuminated screen table showing a map of their area. Two important-looking men with lots of medals on their camouflage uniforms were there, standing across from the silver-grey robes of Cinza and Ruby. Between the two, Josh and the FBI agent¡ªAshe, if Natalie remembered right¡ªboth looked like they were exhausted and really didn''t want to be there. Of course, the moment Natalie walked in, every single head snapped around to watch her. One of the military guys, a bald man with a really ugly mustache, spoke first. "...What the fuck is tha¡ª" "I would not finish your sentence, if I were you," said Cinza coldly. "...Hi," said Natalie nervously. She took the empty side of the square table, standing alone across from Josh and Agent Ashe. "Who are you?" asked the other man, clean-shaven and much nicer looking. "Linnethea," said Natalie quickly, before anyone else could answer. "I''m¡­ uhh, I''m awakened." "She knows this forest better than anyone in the world," added Cinza, immediately jumping to support her. "Her assistance will be invaluable." "What are you even doing here?" asked Josh, still shocked¡ªthough thankfully, not by her appearance. Neither was Agent Ashe nor Ruby, since she had seen them all back at the funeral.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. "I''m here to fight," said Natalie simply. Nobody spoke for a full minute after her proclamation. Percy shuffled back and forth a little on her shoulder, his wings popping in and out to steady himself. Natalie reached up and stroked his head a few times to calm him down. Cinza looked oddly proud of her, while Ruby merely excited. Josh, on the other hand, seemed horrified, while Agent Ashe was mostly unreadable to her. The two guys from the military, though¡­ simply looked skeptical. "...You know we''re in the middle of a battlefield, right?" asked Clean-shaven guy finally. "Do you know what that means?" "I''ve been in battles before," said Natalie quietly, trying to force back the memories which came flooding in at the mere mention. "I''ve fought golems, too." "She is the only one who can destroy them," said Cinza. "Well, shit," said Moustache-guy. "So that was you with the lightning, then? We saw it comin'' in." Natalie nodded. "Thought this magic shit still took real energy and effort. How''s a kid like you able to pull off something that strong?" "If we could answer that, we wouldn''t ever need your help," said Ruby, a little bit smug. "Captain," interjected Cinza, before either of them could respond, "with the assistance of Linnethea, I believe your plan might be more viable. She can track them back to their hideouts." "We''re more than capable of tracking a few men back to a hole in the woods," said Moustache-guy. "Like hell we can," snorted Agent Ashe. "Couldn''t do it for the last six months. The fuck do you think we can do now? Girl''s got magic and a goddamn wolf, from what I hear. You two ain''t got shit." "She was speaking to me," said Clean-shaven guy with a frustrated glance at his side, "and if what I hear is true, she may be right." "So we hit one of their hideouts, capture a few, hope to find shit on the rest of them, right?" asked Josh. "Not just one," said Cinza. "Huh?" "If you only hit one," said Natalie, "the rest can get away, ''cause they''ll all hear about it." She looked down nervously, not sure if she was supposed to speak up. "...That''s right," said Clean-shaven guy, vaguely impressed. "We think we have a solid lock on two of them now, but we''d like to find more. If¡­ Linnethea here has the capabilities you say, combined with our manpower, we can target a far greater number simultaneously." "We''d have to attack soon though," said Moustache-guy. "Before these fuckers all find their way out of the forest entirely and back into civilization." "Why would that be a problem?" asked Ruby. "Ain''t cleared to operate in civilian territory," grunted Moustache-guy. Clean-shaven guy nodded. "Our AO is the Olympic Forest, nothing more. Governor doesn''t want to cause a further panic by having firefights in the suburbs." "Yeah, we already did that once," said Agent Ashe, rolling his eyes. "Wouldn''t want to upset the locals." "That shit was on your girl, Ashe," said Moustache-guy. Immediately, Agent Ashe was in the man''s face. "Say that again, asshole. I fuckin'' dare you." "Jeremy..." said Josh. "Don''t even start. He takes that back or I''m puttin'' him on the ground, right now." "Try me, faggot." A dry thud filled the tent. Jeremy''s fist slammed into Moustache-guy''s face, so fast even Natalie only had a split-second to see it. The man tumbled to the ground. He looked truly shocked. Cinza and Ruby both stepped forward, while Josh''s hand flew into his pockets, obviously grabbing for gemstones. "I need two men in here, right now!" shouted Clean-shaven guy. Moustache-guy was only just getting to his feet as a pair of soldiers hurried inside. He looked ready to fight more¡ªand Jeremy certainly seemed eager to respond¡ªbut Clean-shaven guy did something none of them expected. He held out his hand, and spoke with a clear, firm voice. "Lieutenant Arnold, your sidearm." "The fuck?" "You provoked the agent and disrupted battlefield command. You are endangering this operation." He raised his hand a little higher. "Give me your sidearm and leave with the MPs, before I have to make this official." "Do as the man says, asshole," growled Jeremy. Moustache-guy looked around, but he saw no support from the room. Everyone else seemed just as hostile, to Natalie''s vague confusion. She knew the man had said something horrible, but she didn''t understand what it meant¡ªand wasn''t really sure she wanted to, either. With great reluctance, he took his pistol out of its holster and handed it to Clean-shaven guy, before being marched out of the tent by the two soldiers. Clean-shaven guy set the pistol down on the desk behind him, next to the dumbstruck radio operator, before returning to the table with the rest of the group. "My sincerest apologies for the conduct of my lieutenant." "Honestly?" said Jeremy, raising his eyebrows. He looked oddly impressed. "You''re the first boss I''ve ever seen actually do something. You deserve a goddamn medal for that." "I''ve gotten too many I didn''t deserve¡­ but thank you." Clean-shaven guy looked back at the map. "Let''s move on?" "Yes," said Cinza. "And by that, I mean I wish to move to my home." "...This operation should be carried out as soon as possible," he said cautiously. "It shall be. The Greywood is not far, and we have people we need to move there. In the meantime, Linnethea can help your men track down more locations to strike." "How many do we need, though?" asked Josh, rubbing his chin as he stared down at the table. The map only had two marked on the big screen, while little icons continued to sweep back and forth. Natalie guessed the fast ones were helicopters, and the slow ones were people on the ground. "To really hurt him." "As long as we hit multiple at once, it should intimidate his followers," said Cinza. "If we find Brian, all the better, but his following grows too strong and too confident." "Capture them and show the world it''s a bad idea to join up," said Clean-shaven guy, nodding. "So no killing, right?" asked Natalie cautiously. "...Right," said Clean-shaven guy, looking at her oddly. "We''re just trying to arrest them, more or less, but we''re bringing enough firepower to make them think fighting back is useless." Thank god¡­ if they found my dad¡­ We will find him first. "Okay."
Jeremy walked out of the tent, feeling exhausted just from that single conversation. The girl Natalie¡ªor Linnethea now, apparently¡ªwas still inside with Josh and Captain Hoskins, discussing how to start finding more of Brian''s hideouts. Cinza had the impression they might be magically concealed by more of Omega''s lingering magic, based on their previous inability to find him back in the Rallsburg days. "Motherfucker just keeps screwin'' us over long after he''s dead, doesn''t he?" Jeremy grumbled to Cinza as they walked back into the camp proper. He was still working through the frustration he''d felt inside¡ªno matter how many times it happened, it still hurt, every single time. Ruby was on her phone, texting everyone they''d brought down to meet up at the crumbling house in the center of town. Cinza nodded. "A god, no matter his later cruelties." "Shit, every god I ever heard of was cruel in some way or another." She smiled. "True enough, Agent Ashe." "Ain''t we been through enough to be on first names by now?" "I suppose I''m always on a first name basis with everyone, aren''t I?" "...Was that a goddamn joke?" Cinza sighed. "An attempt. It''s been a difficult day." "No shit." Jeremy rolled his shoulders, trying to clear the aches from his joints. He was in far better shape than he had been back at the beginning of the investigation, but years of desk jobs in the Bureau had left him far less well-equipped for such an intense burst of field work. "Would you prefer Jeremy?" "Thought you were the one who hated titles and whatnot. Guy in the White House called you ''ma''am'' and you shut him down hard." "There is a difference," said Cinza. "Ma''am sounds as though they''re subservient to me in some way. I''m not above or below anyone. I''m just another human being making my way in the world. People happen to listen to me, but I do not control them." "But not me, huh?" "You earned your title through hard, honest work. Forgive me if I''m mistaken, but it sounds like something you''re quite proud of." Jeremy nodded. "Big fuckin'' deal when I made Special Agent status, for sure." Cinza smiled. "So I use your earned title, because I respect you as a person. I didn''t do anything to earn ''ma''am'' other than happening to have been born female." "And formin'' the largest magic organization in the world," Jeremy pointed out. She shrugged. "If we had formal titles, I''d ask you to use one. We don''t. My name is enough." "Call me what you like, then," said Jeremy with another shrug. "Don''t matter to me." "As you wish, Agent Ashe." Cinza stopped as they reached the door to the half-destroyed building. "Hm." "What?" "This was once the home of Julian Black." "No fuckin'' way." Jeremy glanced across the half-wrecked little home. "Records said he lived in an R.V." "They must have been outdated. This whole area was formerly a park for recreational vehicles though," she added, looking around. "We stopped briefly to gather some of his belongings when we left Rallsburg originally, though most of his home was destroyed by the ritual." She hesitated, squinting at the doorknob. "There is a trap on the door." "What?" "One of Joe''s designs, actually. It''s not one of Makoto''s. I think, if I just¡­" Her eyes narrowed, and one of her hands seemed to be fiddling at invisible strings. A moment later, the lock clicked open. Jeremy reached forward, but Cinza put her arm in front of his. "Ahh¡­ he changed it." "Huh?" "Watch." Cinza flicked in midair. A jet of flame shot out of the doorknob, blisteringly hot, but it evaporated in seconds. She smiled. "Clever. A trap within a trap." "Aww, shit," grumbled a voice behind them. "You know how long that took to set up?" They turned to see the man himself behind them. Julian stood at an odd angle, holding his bandage to his arm. He was accompanied by Hector Peraza, Jackie, Alden Bensen and a trio of middle-school kids. Jeremy raised an eyebrow. "Uhh¡­" "Friends of Linnethea," said Jackie with a shrug. He sighed. "Right." "Is that everyone, Ruby?" asked Cinza. "Makoto says he''s still looking for the two guys who came with Agent Ashe," the crimson-haired girl reported, finally pocketing her phone. "They''re in the medical tent," said Alden. "I think they found one of their friends¡­" "Shit¡­" muttered Jeremy. "West, right?" "Yeah." "Tell Makoto to meet up with us on the usual route," Cinza told Ruby. "We''ll be heading out momentarily." "Got it." Ruby hesitated. A moment later, she lunged at Cinza, planting a huge kiss on her lips. She broke away again, a little red-faced. "You forgot to do that earlier." Cinza looked speechless. Ruby smirked at her. She hurried away, dialing up Makoto as she went. Jeremy wanted to laugh at the spectacle, but as he turned back around to the camp, he saw them. Lani and Rook. Standing right in front of him. Rook had her rifle, Lani had his pistol, and neither looked particularly happy ¡ª serves them right. "Ashe?" asked Jackie. "That''s my old partner," Jeremy grunted. "...Shit." Jackie turned to face them, matching his own hostility instantly ¡ª like a real damn partner would. Lani shifted around uncomfortably on his feet. He couldn''t look Jeremy in the eye, and if Jeremy was being honest, he wasn''t sure what he might do if their eyes did meet. He was still on-edge, hopped up on adrenaline. It had only just begun to subside when he punched the lieutenant in the face, where his blood surged right back up to full again. Rook, meanwhile, was staring at Cinza ¡ª unblinking, her hand tight on her rifle strap, cold as ever. "I¡ª" Lani started. "Get the fuck out of here," said Jeremy. "What''s going on?" asked Hector nervously. "We''re here to help." "Like hell you are." Cinza stepped forward to join Jeremy and Jackie. "If this place had not already been so desecrated by violence today, I would strike you down where you stand. Know that, and be gone." "She''s awakened!" Lani pleaded, a tear dropping from his eye. "She''s one of us!" Jeremy snorted. "Another fuckin'' survival tactic. Open your eyes, Lani. She''s still playin'' you." "I watched her do it!" "''Cause if she didn''t, she''d be locked up right now!" "Hey!" shouted one of the kids behind the pair, suddenly stepping up to the plate. She had to be one of Natalie''s friends, Jeremy assumed. "She saved our lives! What the heck did she do to you?" "Betrayed all of us, kidnapped one of our own and nearly killed her sister, blackmailed your friend, and put us all at grave risk," said Cinza grimly. "But¡ª" "Kidnapped me too," added Alden, to Jeremy''s surprise, "for her boss to cut me open." He stepped forward as well. "Hailey''s the only reason I''m not dead right now ''cause of her. I''m not buying it either. Linnethea vouched for you, but¡­ well, you seem the same to me." "You heard me," said Lani, finally looking at Jeremy. "On the radio. We saved Malich''s life. We''re just here to help¡­ that''s all." "You want to help?" Jeremy growled. He pointed at Rook, stock-still with a sniper''s endless patience. "Arrest that bitch, take her to D.C., and get her to testify for Rika Nishimura. Tell everyone Rika was under duress for hackin'' Laushire, and that she wasn''t in town for the twenty-five." "They''ll put her away. You know they will." "No shit," he snapped. "That''s the damn point, Lani." "You have two choices," said Cinza firmly, also turned toward Rook. "Stay out of our lives forevermore, or help an innocent girl escape wrongful punishment for which you are partially guilty. Either way, you must leave. You are never again welcome in the Greywood." "The goddess saved her," said Lani, and this gave Cinza pause. Lani looked briefly hopeful at the vague disruption of Cinza''s cold expression. "She''s awakened. You can tell, I know you can. You said anyone awakened had the right to sanctuary within your borders." Cinza shook her head, and an icy chill to match Rook''s had returned in full. "She defiled that right. For her, there is no sanctuary. Grey-eyes'' mercy is infinite, but mine is not. Leave now." "But¡ª" Lani started, but Rook finally moved. Her hand took his sleeve, stopping him mid-sentence. Her eyes still hadn''t left Cinza for an instant through the whole conversation, though her mouth hadn''t opened once. Finally, she spoke, quietly and in a language none of them understood. "Yksin??st ei auta Jumalakaan." Cinza''s eyes narrowed slightly, while everyone else looked on in utter confusion. Rook sighed. "Niin makaa, kuin petaa." She looked down at Natalie''s friends still surrounding her. Her accent seemed thicker than usual as she spoke a few more quick words. "Stay with them. It will be safer." Before anyone could say more, Rook turned and left, pulling Lani along with her. They hurried away, Lani still shooting glances back over his shoulder every few steps, but Rook''s steps were sure and quick. In seconds, they had vanished completely. Cinza spat on the ground. "What happened?" asked Ruby, finally returning with Makoto on her heels. "Nothing worth mentioning," she said simply. "I thought you were still on the north side." Makoto shook his head. "Nothing to see up there." "Nothin'' to see here anymore either," said Jeremy roughly. "Let''s get the hell out of here already." "But what about Linnethea?" asked the girl indignantly. "First you kick out our new friends, and now we''re ditching our best friend?" "She''s busy." Jeremy realized it was pretty awful for him to speak like that to a kid, but at the same time, she''d been defending Rook. He wasn''t exactly feeling charitable. "Kelsey," said Alden quickly, before another argument started up, "she''s helping out the army with something right now. She''ll catch up to us." "But¡ª" "She''s got Gwen." He smiled. "We''re on foot. And hey, you get to see the Greywood. Not many people get to see it, especially when you''re not awakened." "...Fine," said Kelsey. Cinza nodded. "Rest assured, your friend is the most powerful person in the state, bar the goddess herself. She will be quite safe." She glanced around. "Unless there''s anything else, we should get going." There wasn''t, and soon enough, the odd group was headed out of the camp¡ªleaving behind friendships, relationships, heartbreak and ruin in their wake, lost among the bodies and wreckage of what had once been a thriving pilgrimage. It would rebuild, of course it would. Magic still existed, and Cinza''s resolve grew stronger with every step, if Jeremy was any judge. "Well, they''re definitely terrorists now," he murmured to Jackie as they walked through the thick woods, finally away from the stench and buzz of the camp. She coughed, somewhere half between a laugh and a confused grunt. "They weren''t before?" "Fuck no. Apparently, we couldn''t blame ''em for Lakewood, ''cause they were attacked. And everything else is just rumor and incident." Jeremy rolled his eyes. "Let''s see the politicians deny this shitshow though." "You know they''ll come up with somethin''." "Yeah." Jeremy sighed, but his voice caught. His arms trembled. Jackie threw an arm around his shoulders. "You good?" "No. Fuck no." He rolled his head back again along his shoulders, still trying to get the aches out¡ªbut it wasn''t his body that was aching. "Jackie, I¡­ dammit all¡­" "I get it, Ashe," said Jackie. She pulled him into a bear hug. "Trust me, I fuckin'' get it."
They took a much wider route through the forest than Jeremy expected. He still remembered roughly where the Greywood should be, even with the trickery which prevented people from stumbling upon it accidentally, but they were giving a wide berth to something while reaching the Greywood''s real location. After another turn away, Jeremy finally moved up to the front to ask Cinza about it. "We are being followed," she said simply. "The fuck?" He glanced around. "I don''t see anything." "Look up." Jeremy did, and sure enough, a helicopter was far above, steadily tracing their path through the woods. "...Goddammit." "They watch everything, and they are desperate to gain an advantage over what they do not understand." Cinza shrugged. "I almost pity them." "So what''s the plan?" "Lead them somewhere they cannot follow." "Why don''t you just turn us invisible or whatever?" Cinza shook her head. "I know they have not yet devised the ability to detect it, and I do not wish to give them more data, particularly when they are already watching us. In fact, I believe that''s what they expect, and exactly why they are following us so carefully." "So how do we get rid of ''em? Another spell?" "In a manner of speaking." Jeremy rolled his eyes, but didn''t say anything. He knew Cinza wouldn''t do anything too stupid, and he still needed to keep watch. After all, Brian''s people might have been repelled, but they were still in the area. The Guard was watching every direction they could out of the southern forest, while more helicopters and troops were on their way to start from the north and begin a pincer movement. Every unit of the Washington National Guard had been engaged¡­ except, of course, for their one helicopter still hovering far above Cinza''s group, flitting between the canopy of the treeline. "Alden?" asked Hector, a few steps ahead of Jeremy and Jackie. "Do you¡­ sorry, do you know anything about what happened to Natalie?" "Hector," said Cinza firmly, glancing back. "Remember, Brian''s people could be nearby. We must not use her name." "Oh¡­ sorry. Uhh¡­ Linnethea." Alden shook his head. "I don''t know what happened. She stopped talking to me, back in October. Right around¡­ the bar thing in Tacoma." "Me too¡­" "That''s when she got hurt," said Tyler. "Huh?" "Something happened to her that night," said Kelsey, slapping Tyler lightly on the back of the head. "But we''re not gonna tell you. It''s her secret." Cinza looked oddly pleased. "You are a loyal friend. I admire that." "I don''t admire you," Kelsey shot back in a loud voice. "I think you''re crazy and mean. Riley didn''t deserve that at all." "Trust me kid, she deserved every damn word and more," grunted Jeremy. "It''s over, isn''t it?" asked Hector. "Can we just not talk about it?" "It''s not over. Lani and Riley are out there all alone. What if they get killed? Just apologize to each other." "Listen¡ª" started Jeremy, but Cinza suddenly stopped walking. The whole group halted to match her. She spun around and strode right up to Kelsey. The younger girl was actually taller than her, but still, Cinza''s hard expression spoke volumes¡ªfar more intimidating than simple height or strength. Her voice, still echoing as always, was quiet and firm, with far more concern and sympathy than Jeremy expected. "Kelsey, you are a strong person. I wish I had been as smart or brave as you when I was your age. Your willingness to give everyone a chance is an ideal I wish I''d kept in my life. There are relationships which I have damaged almost to the point of breaking more than once in my life, and I would love to repair them. Friendship is one of the most powerful and important forces in the world, but there comes a point where it cannot be regrown." She pointed to the dirt below them. "Do you know what the phrase ''to salt the earth'' means?" "...No," said Kelsey, visibly a little uncomfortable. Alden looked about to intervene, but Makoto held him back. Jeremy waited, curious to see where Cinza was going with this, while Ruby and the others continued to watch the perimeter. "When armies of old would invade, they burned farms and villages. To prevent the locals from using the land, they would spread salt on the soil, believing it could prevent regrowth of crops and food." Cinza nodded toward Jeremy. "Lani was his partner, and the woman Rook¡ªwhom you know as Riley¡ªwas someone who lived among us in Rallsburg and in the Greywood. We took them into our trust, into our homes, made friends with them. When someone that close to you betrays you, it is beyond repair. The earth has been salted. Nothing more will grow." Cinza pointed forward, ahead of the group. Jeremy squinted, and in the semi-darkness cast by the lights Ruby maintained around them, he could barely make out a strange patch of ground ahead¡ªa perfect line cutting through the trees, clearly separating two parts of the vast forest. "Ahead of us lies such ground. There is a region of this forest which has been salted by a ritual too powerful to contain, and I am responsible for it. This place is damaged beyond repair, and it was by my hand. I come here to remind myself of the permanence of such actions. Some things cannot be taken back." Kelsey squinted ahead as well, as did the whole group. Cinza strode forward, taking Ruby''s hand as she walked. They followed in silence, Cinza''s last words still echoing in their heads. The last few trees passed by on either side. Jeremy felt a tingle under his skin, like a faint pull. Something was in the air all around them, though what, he couldn''t tell. The whole section of the forest was eerily quiet. There seemed to be far less wildlife around. The air got cooler, the crickets and frogs were further away, and even the wind seemed to flow in wrong directions. For a moment, Jeremy assumed they were in another maze like the one around the Greywood, but this place wasn''t misleading at all. If anything, it was too straightforward, too open. "This," said Cinza quietly, gesturing ahead. She took a few more steps forward, and suddenly, they were looking out over a dark rolling carpet of trees. A valley lay before them, and even in the dim moonlight, Jeremy could see the perfect, wide circle outlined on the land. It wasn''t dead, exactly, but something was still wrong about it. He couldn''t make out more details, but his brain stubbornly insisted something was off, something about it was unnatural. "When our ritual failed, I pushed it away. You cannot imagine how much power flowed through my body. This was the combined magical energy from four of the empowered eight. I wielded it as best I could, but in that final moment, I had to act." "I thought you said it wasn''t permanent," said Alden slowly. Cinza shook her head. "I hoped it wasn''t. The effects on the outskirts certainly weren''t. But the center¡­" "Holy shit¡­" muttered Jeremy. "Rallsburg''s nowhere near here. The thing was that big?" "Power you can''t imagine," Cinza echoed, her voice shaking a little. She took Ruby''s hand more firmly. "Do you feel it?" "So I''m not imagining that¡­" murmured Jackie. "Thought I recognized it¡­" "The very same." Cinza looked back out over the wide expanse of trees. "What you feel is the same magic which killed Rallsburg, and which nearly killed me. The land here, and the sky above it, is permanently marred by our conflict. Look," she added, pointing at the helicopter, which wobbled a little as it flew forward. After a moment''s hesitation, it turned aside, taking another path around the wide expanse. "...No fuckin'' way¡­" gasped Jeremy. "But, we searched this area. I know we did." "Would you have noticed?" Cinza shrugged. "The effect is quite subtle at such heights. Your helicopter likely assumed it was a choppy patch of wind. As for anyone on the ground¡­ well, who can say? None of my people knew this existed, and we travel the forest regularly. Only Ruby and Makoto ever accompanied me here." "There''s so much in the air," murmured Alden, lifting a hand as if feeling for raindrops. "It''s incredible." A faint smile creased Cinza''s lips. "Admirable, that you might find a positive here." "So¡­" Kelsey started, her voice far more subdued than before. The other two kids in Natalie''s little group were huddled together, like a herd protecting itself from predators. "What they did to you guys is¡­ like, as bad as this, but ten times over?" "To me? Yes," said Cinza. "Trust is the strongest, most valuable thing in the world. I trusted them and brought them into my home, and they betrayed it." She glanced back over their shoulders, toward the long-departed camp far behind them. "Think of your friend Linnethea. You trust her, and she you, with your lives and so much more. If she were to suddenly break that trust, to put your lives in harm''s way while she ran to save herself, could you ever bring her into your life again?" "She''d never," said Tyler fiercely. Mitch nodded. "I agree," said Cinza. "And Jeremy felt the same way about Lani. Yet¡­ here we stand, in the salted earth." Fuck me¡­ Jeremy shook his head. This whole damn metaphor has gone way too far. Lani stabbed me in the back for a girl, simple as that. Yet, Jeremy''s eyes had welled up nonetheless. Cinza had spoken the words he wanted to, except he wasn''t as eloquent as she could be, nor did he have the same dramatic imagery to pull out of nowhere. You''re right, Cinza, and fuck you, Lani, for makin'' me feel this way. Jackie noticed him shaking, and put an arm around him again. Kelsey stared out into the huge forest, shivering. Alden pulled off his coat and laid it on her shoulders, to which she clung gratefully. Kelsey''s voice shook as she spoke. "She''d never," she repeated, just as firmly as her friends, but in her eyes shone new understanding. Kelsey had finally gotten the weight of such a betrayal through her mind, and how it might never be repaid. "Hold tight to that friendship," said Cinza. "We''ll see her again soon." She turned, and steadily, with Ruby supporting her steps down the slope, made her way back to the east¡ªfinally turning toward the Greywood once more. The rest of the group followed, immersed in the tingling magic filling the air. It may have permanently damaged a huge swathe of forest, but the land wasn''t truly gone as Cinza described. There was still life, reduced and altered though it might be. It continued, in a different form, but never totally gone. Maybe she''s wrong. Maybe I can forgive him someday. Lani''s a kid compared to the rest of us. Fuck, Rook''s like ten years older than him if I got the right record out of the Marines. Assumin'' she didn''t lie about her age, anyway¡­ Fuck. No. They burned those bridges. Fuck them. "You''re stewin''," murmured Jackie, still walking close to him. "Remember when the most excitin'' fuckin'' thing in our lives was the day Maddie was stupid enough to walk into a hostage negotiation?" Jeremy sighed. "What the fuck are we doin'' here, Jackie?" "Our goddamn jobs," she replied. Jeremy nodded. "Fuck it. Right. We''re doin'' our goddamn jobs." "And fuck the rest," added Jackie. She pulled out her hip flask and handed it over. Jeremy drained the rest of the whiskey in one go. "So what now?" He cleared his throat. "Now I get back to what I was supposed to be doin''." "Which is?" Jeremy lowered his voice. They were already at the rear of the group, but still, he didn''t want the word leaking back to anyone else yet¡ªparticularly not a certain thirteen-year-old with godlike powers. "Trackin'' down the man himself." Jackie lowered her voice to match his own. "How the hell are you gonna pull that off?" "Well, two things, and I thought of the second half just now." Felix told me to give ''em a call when I was ready. I''m ready. Jeremy pulled out his phone and found the right contact. "Will?" "...Mr. Ashe?" "I''ve got a crazy fuckin'' idea, and I need your help to pull it off." "...What do you... need me to do?" "I''m gonna get Brian Hendricks to invite me back to his camp. When I do, I''ll use one of the stones exactly eight times in a row, and you''ll know exactly where the motherfucker is." "Ashe, the hell are you doing¡­" muttered Jackie, looking shocked. Jeremy barreled on, feeling reckless, crazed, desperate to act. "You call it in to Cinza, she nukes the whole fuckin'' place." Fuck the rest, Jackie. They just killed dozens, again. He''s only gettin'' stronger. He''s a goddamn terrorist, they''re all goddamn terrorists, and I''m fuckin'' done here. "What about¡ª" "You got it?" "...I got it." B2: Chapter 46 — Loyalty Chapter 46 ¡ª Loyalty When Natalie walked into the small clearing chosen as a staging area, she wasn''t surprised anymore by the shocked expressions on the soldiers'' faces. After all, they were about to go into the forest to hunt down armed men who''d just been killing innocent people¡ªshe was just a thirteen year old girl. "You lost, kid?" asked one finally¡ªthe sergeant, if Natalie had figured it out. She''d been trying to keep up with how rank patches on everybody''s shoulders worked, and people with his symbol were always called ''Sarge'' or some variation. He''s probably in charge. Everybody else here has a different patch than his and none of them are the nice kind. Respect him, but remember: you are the strongest, and they cannot do this without you. "No," said Natalie finally. "I''m here to¡­ they should have called you," she trailed off. Despite the voice''s reassurances, these were intimidating men. They all had uniforms, rifles, the works, and they were strong. She knew she was stronger, even if she didn''t look like it, but it didn''t change how she felt. "...You''re our secret weapon?" said one of the other men skeptically. Natalie tried to find ways to distinguish them in her head, but they all wore helmets, none of them had facial hair, and their voices all sounded pretty similar. "...Yeah." She shuffled anxiously in place. It was a lot different when she didn''t have Cinza and Josh to back her up. Now Natalie had to convince them herself she was worth having around. She could have just used magic, but she had no idea who might be watching. She didn''t sense anyone, and the animals nearby weren''t screaming any warnings, but she''d missed people before. "I''m here to help." "Uh-huh." "She is, and you''ll do whatever she asks you without question," said Captain Hoskins, emerging into their little clearing. He''d finally caught up after getting delayed by other pressing matters. The men immediately snapped to upright, attentive positions as soon as the captain appeared. "Her name is Linnethea. She''s one of the awakened, and stronger than all of you put together, so listen up." I¡­ I don''t know about that. Maybe¡­ I wouldn''t want to try though. You are, and with his authority, it will carry weight among them. Do not challenge it. "At ease," the captain added, and the men relaxed a little. "Hendricks'' forces have gone to ground throughout the forest. We''re doing regular chopper sweeps and we''ve got Oracle tasked to us all night, so you''ll have plenty of air support. Problem is, we believe the holes they''re snuggled into are concealed by magic." To Natalie''s surprise, nobody in the group of soldiers scoffed or made any sort of derisive noise. She was so used to normal people thinking magic was ridiculous or terrifying, this non-response confused her. The captain went on without acknowledging it, but to Natalie, it seemed like a big deal. "Our mission is to capture, not kill. You''re authorized to engage only in self-defense. Bring anything and anyone you grab back to our temporary FOB in the pilgrim camp. Linnethea will be navigating you toward potential targets. Your assigned zone is grid 006-010. Second squad will be covering the zone''s north border, and third has the west. Questions?" "Sir," said the sergeant. "Yes, Sergeant?" "Hendricks'' men have shown a complete willingness to engage, including on unarmed civilians. Are we to understand we are entering a hostile territory at red status?" "Correct." The captain raised a hand as brief looks of discontent crossed the faces of a few soldiers. "We have solid intel that they will not engage you either, except under similar rules. Unless any of you are awakened¡ªwhich, I remind you, failure to report your status to your commander is in violation of the new regs¡ªyou will not be engaged." "But she will be, sir." "Well, you can protect one VIP, can''t you?" The captain glanced at Natalie. "If you get engaged, Linnethea will be a significant asset, not a liability. She is the only one capable of destroying Hendricks'' golems, according to all current reports." The sergeant still looked skeptical, but didn''t ask any further questions. The rest of the men had barely moved the whole time, perfectly still and staring straight ahead¡ªnot even at the captain, just into empty space. Natalie didn''t really know what to think about it. Wasn''t it rude not to look at the person talking? This is a military briefing, not a conversation. Think about the television shows you''ve watched and the battles you''ve seen. But¡­ why would that matter? The men are just parts of the whole. Their job is not to think, but to act. That makes no sense¡­ they should be thinking just as much as they''re acting. If they''re not thinking, they''ll get beaten by somebody who is thinking. A battle is a dangerous place, and sometimes there is no time to think. You have seen this yourself. So I make time. I use magic to make distractions until I can come up with the best option. It''s better than rushing into stuff and getting hurt¡­ or¡­ worse. Every situation is different. Be prepared to use precisely what you need in the moment. We must be flexible and decisive if we are to reclaim this place. "Move out." Natalie looked up. Her eyes had fallen to the forest floor. The men were watching her, and the captain was already leaving the clearing. The next move was on Natalie. She needed to act, just like their job was to act, but she was stuck thinking. If someone had struck in that moment, she might not have noticed. Maybe you''re right. This is not the time, Natalie. "Okay." Natalie turned and started walking north, straight into the forest, toward the zone the captain had outlined on the map earlier. It was a region west of the town, on the opposite side from the Greywood, her castle, and the usual areas she used to roam with Gwen¡ªbut it was close to Robert Harrison''s old home. She knew this part of the woods well enough. Natalie wondered if it still stood. She kept her eyes straight ahead, not wanting the soldiers to think she was getting distracted again¡ªseveral of them in the back were already grumbling about following a little kid through the woods in the middle of the night¡ªbut with her mind, Natalie cast out wide for Gwen. The wolf loped along in the darkness alongside their group, while Percy followed from high above. Reassured by her allies close by, Natalie kept going, as the night got deeper and the moon began to sink. The forest, usually her friend, felt oppressive and ominous. In the shadows around every corner, anything could be lurking. Dad''s out here somewhere. What if¡­ what if I run into him? You may have to fight. Be prepared. I¡­ I can''t fight dad! That''s crazy! He may not give you the option. What am I supposed to do? If we find him, they might kill him! Natalie shivered again, her brief burst of confidence shattered. She considered calling Percy down to her shoulder, but decided against it. The soldiers already saw her as weak; she didn''t want to show them someone relying on animals friends to stay sane, no matter how much it felt true. They''d mutter even more, they''d question and doubt her. They are on your side. If you show them your strength, they will respect you. But¡ª Stay strong, Natalie. Focus on the mission. If we find your father, we will ensure he survives, even if we must fight against the whole world. You can do that. You have that power. Natalie nodded. She had to stay strong, she had to stay alert, and she needed them to watch her back. If they were caught off guard, even just for a moment, Natalie was dead.
The Greywood was still as impressive as ever. Cinza smiled at the gasps of wonder from Natalie''s friends, but their group hurried straight to the main hall. Jeremy winced as he remembered the last time he''d been inside¡ªreuniting with Lani, meeting Rook, and setting off on the path which brought him here, into a position of making a reckless and near-suicidal decision. Jackie was watching him with clear unease, but she hadn''t yet let slip his plan to anyone. Jeremy trusted her with his life and more; he knew she wouldn''t say a word. As they crossed the bridge, Cinza made a subtle signal with her hand. In an instant, Yusuf intercepted Natalie''s friends, and they began a tour of the whole compound. Jeremy wondered how she''d set that up¡ªhad she called ahead somehow? He didn''t see any cell phones or radios. His own had been dead quiet, with Malich and Stebbins back at camp getting debriefed, while Jackie sat right next to him inside the hall. "We should be attacking," said Ruby, the moment the huge wooden doors swung closed. Cinza shook her head. "It''s not the time." "But they''re on the run! We could strike real fear in their hearts! Let us show them we can''t just be kicked around like that." "Kicked around?" muttered Jackie. "That''s what you call the shitshow we just went through?" "How bad?" asked Brittany Wilkins, now in a wheelchair decorated with symbols and gemstones. At first glance, it seemed gaudy, but as Jeremy continued to stare, it actually made an incredible sight with how the light subtly shifted every time she moved. The chair didn''t actually seem ostentatious at all, and if he understood gemstones right, it was also a powerful tool in a pinch. "We don''t know yet," snapped Ruby, before Cinza could answer. "But I saw dozens of people go down. Good people who were just trying to live their new lives." "My love¡­" Cinza started quietly. "No," said Ruby, turning to face Cinza. They weren''t sharing their head chair for once¡ªRuby was still on her feet, while a tired-looking Cinza leaned back and rested. Ruby was practically radiating heat, matching the fire in her eyes and the red of her hair. Jeremy swore he saw actual flames spit from her mouth as she went on. "They attacked normal people. Not us, just regular people in the open. We don''t deserve it either, but this was totally unprovoked and awful. How can we call ourselves followers of the goddess when her people are gunned down in the forest without an answer?" "There''s an answer," said Makoto. "The military." Ruby shook her head. "''Koto, I love you, but sometimes you''re just so na?ve. The army''s not really on our side. They might have promised you guys a lot on the east coast, but back here, they''re saying our home isn''t ours anymore. The police said we weren''t getting attacked by golems. They never did a thing to track down Harold''s killers in Tacoma, or Jessica''s killers in Lakewood. Who have they gone after?" She held up her hand, three fingers extended. "First they arrest Hailey for trying to avenge Jessica. Next they arrest Rika, even though she obviously didn''t do anything, and they do it by coming into our safe place and practically kidnapping her. Neither of them actually got charged with anything yet either, they''re just holding them in secret prisons in D.C." "Preach, sister," said Julian. Who''s the third in this biased fuckin'' rant? wondered Jeremy. He wanted to speak up, but his own mind was stuck on the mission he''d made for himself¡ªone he''d need to coordinate with Cinza as soon as he could. He had no idea when Felix would call him back, but the journalist had said before the night was over. "And now we find out that they kicked Natalie out of a public school, just because they think she might be one of us." Ruby held up her phone, and Jeremy could just barely make out a headline about the ''missing daughter of the traitor found in Seattle''. "They are not on our side. Don''t believe their false promises for a second." "Enough," said Cinza. Ruby faltered. She turned around, facing Cinza. "Cin, you can''t really trust them¡­" she said, halfway between pleading and angry. "After everything we''ve been through¡ª" "That''s why we need them." Cinza shook her head. "I don''t need to trust an ally to work with them. Not a single soldier will ever enter the Greywood, nor any agent of the government whom I have not personally approved." Ruby shot a glance at Jeremy, who shrugged. Guess I passed her fuckin'' test. Makes sense, since I hate so much about the system myself. "We''ve got enough here," said Ruby. "The new awakened are ready, and the rest of us have fought before. We can protect ourselves, and with Hector and Natalie on our side, we can beat the golems. They''ve never come close to the Greywood. We can drive them out." "What about the rest of the world?" asked Alden, sitting up in his chair. "I mean, I like it here, but I''m not gonna live here. I need to go home. My family hasn''t seen me in over a month." "We''ll protect them too!" said Ruby forcefully, and once again, fire spat from her mouth. She''s gotta be doing that on purpose, right? That doesn''t just happen. "We have magic! Nikki can find them!" Nikki, who''d been sitting in a corner chair with her legs curled up in front of her, looked up at her name. Suddenly, everyone was looking at her. She winced. "I dunno," she muttered. "Hard to find people I''ve never met." "You said you found a way around that," said Ruby, with the hint of accusation laced through her syllables. "...Kinda. I dunno," Nikki replied with a vague nod, but it was so much less confident than Jeremy expected. He remembered Nikki as a somewhat loud-mouthed, forceful young woman who didn''t take crap from anyone. What happened? Had she been burned out by so many difficult spells, like Cinza? He glanced at Jackie for confirmation, and she looked just as concerned. Nikki, meanwhile, was withdrawing even further into her shell, wrapping up tight in a blanket near the fire and murmuring something to herself. Still¡­ if she can find Brian, maybe my plan doesn''t have to be so crazy after all. Gotta talk to her. "Ruby," said Cinza, and her voice was far more firm, echoing through the otherwise-still cabin hall. "An attack would hurt us. I do not disagree with your distrust of the government. If you had heard what was said this morning, you would be far more inflamed than you are now. Know that I share your sentiments, but this is not about the government. This is about the public." "...What do you mean?" "We have been the victims of a massacre," said Cinza, and a few around the room winced at the proclamation. "The public sympathy will be with us now. We have shown no aggression, and until now, Brian''s people could not be blamed for any direct actions against us, only tangential ones. Tonight, they''ve thrown that away. The government has no choice but to act, something you can see for yourself outside." As if to punctuate her words, a helicopter beat the air overhead as it flew north. Cinza nodded, grimly satisfied. "If we attack now, this is no longer a massacre, an assault on innocents. It becomes another battle in a private war, where the bystanders are the victims instead of the awakened." "We were attacked!" said Ruby angrily. "Why can''t we fight back?" "Because we engage in deception as a way of life," said Cinza. "The public will assume we provoked it somehow, in some secret way they do not understand. We must allow the United States to intervene on our behalf, and remove ourselves from the equation." "I¡ª" "Ruby, please!" said Cinza, and a burst of emotion filled her voice. "I can''t risk you," she whispered. Ruby faltered, her mouth still slightly open. The rest of the room was suddenly frozen. Jeremy felt a distinct tension filling the hall, a discomfort rising with the panic and fear on Cinza''s face. He''d never seen her so upset, and based on the reactions of her followers, they were all in the same boat. "...Yusuf and Matthew will assist the National Guard teams with finding Brian''s hideouts," said Cinza finally, while Ruby was still frozen in place. "Neither of them are publicly known." She turned to the two men, coincidentally standing near each other. Yusuf had returned at some point without Jeremy noticing, too caught up in the argument. "Do not wear your cloaks, nor anything else identifiable. Stay with them and feel out for magic as I taught you." They nodded, though Matthew seemed nervous. Cinza seemed to recognize this as well, as her voice softened once again. The desperate emotion was still present, and her face had not yet calmed, so the mix was nowhere near as comforting as she intended. "Natalie is already helping one group. Captain Hoskins is expecting more if we can spare any, and I wish to show our cooperation. Josh is waiting in the camp, and he can direct you further." Matthew glanced at his wife, seated next to him in her wheelchair. "I¡ª" "I''ll be fine," said Brittany, squeezing her husband''s hand. "I''ve got to keep the defenses here strong. Go." They both left, the wooden doors swinging closed behind them. The rest of the impromptu war council dispersed, discussing the news of Natalie''s school, the massacre at the camp, and generally de-stressing as best they could. Only Jeremy, Cinza and Ruby remained, with Ruby still staring down at Cinza. Nikki still sat in the far corner, but she kept up the mumbling without noticing anything, well out of earshot. "Agent Ashe," said Cinza gently. "I believe I need a moment alone with my love, if you could¡­" Jeremy shook his head. "Got somethin'' more important, and I think she''ll want to hear it too." Ruby finally turned, and Jeremy saw her face¡ªno longer the fierce and eager fighter. She was pinched and scared, her young age showing more fully in her expression. The red hair framing her face was no longer a curtain of flames, instead the identity she''d chosen to erase her past. She was just a kid¡ªfuck me, they''re all just kids. Ain''t a single fuckin'' one of the people in charge here over twenty six, unless Cinza is, and I sure as shit doubt that. How''d this happen? Where did we all fuck up so much they had to take charge? His phone buzzed. Jeremy pulled it out, and there it was: the message he''d been waiting for. UNKNOWN NUMBER: Call from 360-555-1611 in ten minutes to arrange pickup. Don''t bother trying to trace. About time you figured out the right side of the story. Time for me to play my part, I guess. "Go ahead," Cinza prompted. "I''m gonna get a call from Felix Wieczorek here soon." Cinza frowned. "I''m not familiar with this name." "Journalist who was part of the original story on your diaries, now works for Hendricks helpin'' him spread his message." "A monster, then," said Ruby quietly. "Like all the others." "Yeah, somethin'' like that," said Jeremy. "Point is, he thinks I''m still somebody they can recruit. I ain''t awakened, after all, and I''d be the most valuable fuckin'' spy they could get these days." "True enough." Cinza''s expression was finally returning to normal¡ªthe calculating and confident leader Jeremy was used to. It bolstered his own confidence, seeing this young woman whom he''d come to appreciate return to herself again. "What are you proposing?" "Well, they ain''t gonna let me see where they are," said Jeremy, and Cinza nodded again. "But we''ve got an ace in the hole they can''t know about." "William Carbonell," said Cinza with a satisfied smile. "You intend to lay a trap for them." "I don''t get it," said Ruby slowly. "What''s Will got to do with this? I thought he just found out affinities and stuff like that." "Will can also track the use of magic to a pinpoint degree of accuracy," said Cinza. "We can use this to locate Brian." "Why couldn''t we just have Nikki find Mr. Ashe?" "''Cause she can''t give you more than what''s around the fucker," said Jeremy. "Unless I''m mistaken." Cinza shook her head. "Even if she had met Brian after her awakening to recognize his essence, Nikki could only describe everything around him to the tiniest details, not the location itself. In this forest, her spells will not amount to much." "And Will can give us the actual location?" "Accordin'' to Rachel, yeah," said Jeremy with a shrug. Ruby gasped. "You''ve talked to her?" "I was going to mention it later," said Cinza quietly, smirking slightly. "So here''s the plan," said Jeremy, and he felt a huge weight settle onto his shoulders as he spoke. Am I insane? The fuck am I doin''? I''m gonna get myself killed. "I find Hendricks. He''s the one holdin'' this shit together. We take him out, all we''ve got are scattered crazies with rifles. No golems, no Omega-protected hideouts, no fuckin'' martyr syndome drivin'' sympathy." "How do we take him out?" asked Ruby, but Cinza had obviously already come to the same conclusion Jeremy had. "You want me to go through that again," she murmured. "After what I showed you today." "Exactly ''cause you showed it to me," said Jeremy. "We''ve never been able to get close to Hendricks. They''ve got jammers and golems and shit, so I''m never gonna be able to call out to the military, and they ain''t gonna do what needs to be done even if I could." Here we go, Hailey. I''m doin'' what I told you I always wanted to do, what I told you not to. I''m gonna break this cog, they''re gonna replace me, but fuck if I ain''t doin'' somethin'' important on the way out. "You would kill a man without due process?" asked Cinza, and Jeremy could feel her eyes judging him. "Ignore the justice system you have served for your whole career?" "We ain''t got laws yet for the shit he''s done." Jeremy shook his head. "Massacre by fuckin'' magic golems. I''ll give the fucker one last chance to surrender, and that''s it. He refuses, I signal Will, he passes the info to you, and we''re done." "...And you''re aware I may hit you as well?" Jeremy hesitated. He took a long, deep breath, then nodded without another word. Nothing more needed to be said. Cinza turned to Ruby. "Please, my love, fetch Hector for us. We''ll need his strength." "Cin¡ª" "There isn''t much time," Cinza said gently. She stood up and reached around Ruby''s head, pulling her gently down for a kiss. "Please. Come back to me swiftly." Ruby ran out of the room. Cinza glanced at Jeremy, who looked down at the clock on his phone. One minute left. It was just the two of them in the room now, except for the still mumbling Nikki in the far corner, well out of earshot. "You should know," said Jeremy quietly. "The FBI tip line got a call about you." "I''ve no doubt they''ve had many false calls." "From Maria Cabazanos, about a girl named Misty Hyl?tty she used to live with. Not that she had any fuckin'' clue how to pronounce that." Cinza hesitated. The fear returned once more, a deep terror borne out of her soul. Jeremy knew it too well, had seen it on too many faces to ever forget it. She finally forced her mouth open, voice quiet. "What will they do?" "Try to find her." Jeremy shrugged. "Nothin'' I can do to deflect it, it''s already in the system. Just thought you should know." Cinza took a deep breath. She nodded in a robotic way. "Thank you, Jeremy." He gave a weak grin, about to try and say something witty, but his phone rang an instant later. "This is Ashe."
One of the soldiers tripped over a tree root. The nearest of his squad laughed. One arm quickly pulled him back to his feet. This was the fifth time somebody had stumbled now, and after the first few, the sergeant had stopped reminding them to stay quiet. Natalie, a few steps ahead of the group, wished they would stay quiet. The forest was still full of danger¡ªshe could feel it around every corner. The animals were still quiet. They smelled the blood and violence in the air, same as her, and they knew the battle wasn''t really over. Natalie had to keep her focus, and this group of soldiers she led wasn''t making it easy. "...Kid patrol..." "...Goddamn joke¡­" Ignore them. They are not worth our time. But¡­ We need them. We can''t arrest people or anything like that. I''m just a kid. In this forest, we are the queen. We have more authority than anyone. So I should just ditch them? We will use them as we must, but do not concern yourself with their opinions. Focus on your task. Natalie nodded. She did another scan of the surrounding area¡ªas always, she''d been blanketing the whole area with her magic, feeling every animal scurrying through the night in the deep forest. She''d been trying every minute or so, but while the animals were certainly unsettled by the combat in their normally peaceful home, nothing stood out yet. "Yo, we lost?" asked a soldier, raising his voice. "Keep it down, Deeks," said the sergeant¡ªAlparad. "Cap''n sent us on a goddamn babysitting mission in the middle of a combat zone," Deeks muttered, assuming Natalie couldn''t hear him. "Kid looks like retarded street trash. I got called up for this shit?" His buddy snickered. Natalie opened her mouth to respond, starting to get angry, but a flicker of energy caught her attention. It was so subtle and faint, she might have missed it were she not blanketing the area so thoroughly. Natalie immediately turned toward it, startling the soldiers. "...The hell is she doin''..." Deeks muttered. "Probably followin'' a squirrel or somethin''." She was certain now as she got closer¡ªsomething was concealed ahead. The magic had a distinct feel to it, too. It wasn''t anything like the spells surrounding the Greywood, or Kendra and Lily''s own aura. Natalie had begun to notice some consistency in the sensation, something Nikki called a person''s essence. The magic she''d found felt like something¡­ angrier. Like the golems¡­ We might be near something important. They gotta be quiet. Agreed. Natalie cast a spell on her voice, spreading it across the whole group while remaining at a whisper¡ªthe first words she''d spoken to them since meeting back at the camp. "There''s something ahead." "...Jesus¡­" muttered one of the soldiers, tapping his ear in confusion. Deeks slapped him on the back wordlessly. The men gripped their rifles tight while Natalie crept forward. She saw nothing ahead, not even a clearing or anything like it. The forest was still thick, the floor strewn with fallen leaves. An owl hooted nearby¡ªa warning. Something''s definitely here. That owl is scared. Natalie hurriedly directed the men to surround the large tree located right where she felt the magic most concentrated. To her relief, they did as she ordered, though some needed a stern look from the sergeant. Natalie leapt up into the nearest tree, crawling forward on the branch until she could see the space clearly. The men had surrounded the old oak. Skeptical looks were stamped on the faces she could still see, but they were in position. All they needed was her instruction to move, but Natalie hadn''t shown them where to move yet. She needed to break down the protection first. Natalie took a short breath, then hurled her mind forward, like a sharp spear of mental force against the barrier of magic. It held. Natalie frowned, then hurled herself forward again, to no avail. It was like a solid wall, completely unbreakable. She''d put a lot of effort into her two strikes, but Omega''s magic hadn''t budged an inch. He''s dead. How can this still be so hard? What are we doing wrong? Is he using the tree to supply the spell, as Cinza''s people have begun to do? No, it doesn''t feel like that¡­ Natalie probed at the wall again, taking a more gentle approach than before. She pushed at it, pressed her mind against every inch little by little. Natalie didn''t really understand how permanent magic worked. The only spells she''d ever done in a persistent form were the alterations to her own body and mind, straightforward rituals modifying something which already existed. So how does somebody create magic in mid-air and make it stay? "How long ''til Sarge stops humorin'' the cap''n and gets us back on a real mission?" "Is that girl even around anymore? Don''t see her anywhere." It has to be powered by something. I just gotta trace it back¡­ connections! Rachel talked about connections. I saw them when I did my rituals. If I can just¡­ Natalie let her mind drift into that state again. Her eyes seemed to lose focus, even though everything stayed sharp. She was using a branch of magic she''d never touched before, but already she felt results. It felt different, but not exactly unfamiliar¡ªlike she were moving a limb she''d never known was there, buried deep inside her brain, but was suddenly as natural as her usual arms. Mental magic. Huh. So this is Rachel''s affinity. As her eyes shifted, hazy lines in the air appeared. Natalie saw the connections between the soldiers, camaraderie built up from the training and previous missions, little flowing rivers in the air forming a web of relationships. She saw a half-dozen lines from herself stretched off in every direction, and a thunderous stream which she could only conclude was her dad. It wasn''t clear where it was going, so she couldn''t get a direction from it¡ªbut she touched it with her mind nonetheless, hoping somehow her father would feel her presence and be comforted. Natalie focused back on the tree. There was a solid line of energy¡ªmany of them, in fact, webbed through the trunk. As Natalie sent her mind through the branches and into the trunk, she found the source. Omega had hidden dozens of gemstones within the tree, embedded inside and with the bark closed up again so it appeared totally natural. There was a deep well of power available inside, and it kept the concealing spell strong. She took another deep breath, then shot her mind forward like a slicing blade. The connections fell away. Instantly, like a curtain torn from a window, a small cave appeared within the huge roots of the tree. A half-dozen people were crouched inside, huddled around a small portable heater with food¡­ and with rifles. They didn''t even notice their protection was gone. "Son of a bitch," murmured Deeks. Natalie grinned to herself up in her tree out of sight, proud she''d beaten Omega''s trick. After a count of five, the sergeant and his men all emerged simultaneously from the underbrush. Their rifles each pointed at one of the suddenly-exposed group. It took a few seconds for anyone even to notice. They froze. One dropped his bowl of soup. It spilled all over the forest floor. "Hands in the air, motherfuckers," growled the sergeant. One of the men scrambled for his rifle. Natalie tore the whole stack of them away, sending them flying out to land next to Deeks in a neat pile. He jumped as the rifles lined themselves neatly right next to him. "Son of a bitch!" Deeks glanced up toward the trees, but of course, he had no idea where Natalie actually was. She sat back and watched while the men cuffed and organized the group, getting them ready to march back into the camp. Behind the group, the sergeant was examining a wooden box with a confused expression. Reluctantly, Natalie dropped down out of her tree¡ªnot coincidentally landing next to Deeks. "...Kid, you''re something else," he muttered, clearly impressed. Natalie ignored him, though she did feel another burst of pride. She hurried up to join the sergeant, looking down at the box they''d been guarding. It was full of stones. Small, smooth stones, each with a little carving in the surface.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. "You know what these are?" asked the sergeant, mystified. She slowly shook her head. "Why would they be protectin'' a bunch of damn rocks?" Natalie hesitated, then reached out again. She felt at each rock, and there was magic embedded in them, but for what, she couldn''t be sure. "We should take them back with us," she said, as confidently as she could manage. The sergeant nodded. "Yeah." He glanced over his shoulder. "Deeks! Harris! Get over here!" Deeks'' friend kept up his grumbling as they hurried back, but Deeks himself was still in vague awe of Natalie. She felt a little embarrassed, but her reluctance was cast aside an instant later. An owl hooted nearby¡ªa cry of alarm. They left an ambush! Natalie didn''t hesitate. She threw up a huge wall of force blocking that direction, as strong as she could manage. A rifle shot echoed through the forest, followed by a strange hollow thump. The bullet slammed into her wall of force and flattened, falling to the dirt with a tiny plink. Natalie immediately pushed the wall around to surround herself. A wolf howled. Gwen was moving fast. They heard a thump and a shriek. Natalie sprinted forward, still keeping up the thick wall of force to protect herself, though she was already having difficulty breathing. The bullet took a lot out of her. She found Gwen and the young man pinned underneath. Natalie threw his rifle back to the pile with the sergeant. "Holy shit," breathed Deeks, who''d rushed after her. "Guy had you fuckin'' dead, Linny. How''d you do that?" "Dumbass, it''s magic," said Harris, a few steps behind. He took one hesitant step toward Gwen, who''d bared her fangs and growled. "Easy, wolfy." "Her name is Gwen," said Natalie quietly. Gwen backed up a little, still keeping her forepaws on the young man''s shoulders. He cursed and struggled some more, but Gwen weighed more than enough to keep him firmly pressed into the dirt. As soon as there was an opening, Deeks rushed forward and pinned the guy''s arms while Harris produced another wire cuff to restrain him. "Did you call me Linny?" asked Natalie, while Harris roughly manhandled the guy back to the rest of the group. "Uhh¡­ yeah," said Deeks, scratching his head. He looked embarrassed. Natalie suddenly realized he wasn''t that old, probably just college age like the other guys she used to know in Rallsburg. "Sorry." Natalie tried to ignore it. She just wanted to get out of there already. Gwen padded back off into the trees, ready to follow them again. "We gotta get moving before more of them show up." The sergeant walked over to join them as she spoke, nodding his agreement. "Wait." Deeks was looking at her with some kind of awe. She really didn''t know how to feel about it. "How''d you know? That there was gonna be another guy in the woods?" Natalie shrugged. "It makes sense." "Huh?" "To leave a guy outside the main group. If we come in, find them and show ourselves, then they can ambush us." Natalie hesitated. She wasn''t sure if she should keep going. They should know I''m not invincible. We''re allies, I don''t want them to rely on something I can''t do. You should not reveal weaknesses to those you have only just met. I don''t trust them, but I gotta work with them. "I got lucky," Natalie added, against the voice''s protests. "There was an owl nearby who warned me where he was. I couldn''t have kept the shield up much longer. It''s really hard to stop bullets." "...Holy shit¡­" He winced. "Sorry." Natalie shrugged. "You can cuss, it''s okay. I''m not that little." "Kay. I''m still sorry though. I was a jerk earlier." Deeks smiled. "You need anything, you let me know." He started off, but he threw one last glance over his shoulder. "Thanks for savin'' my life, Linn."
In another part of the forest, Jeremy was about to be ambushed himself¡ªand he knew it full well. He''d gone to the spot the gruff voice on the phone asked him to. It wasn''t Felix. Somebody else answered his phone. In the background, Jeremy heard a serious commotion¡ªand the distinct sound of Brian Hendricks'' voice. If I hadn''t, no way in hell I''d be out here right now all fuckin'' alone. But he wasn''t alone, Jeremy reminded himself. There wasn''t anyone physically with him, since so few people even knew about his mission, but they did know, and they were ready to move on his signal. Cinza, Ruby, and Jackie back at the Greywood¡ªgive or take a Nikki, who Jeremy wasn''t sure was entirely there at the moment¡ªand Will all the way up in Vancouver, ready to strike. Jackie tried to talk him out of it, but her attempts were half-hearted at best. She knew exactly how he felt. It was the reason they''d both given up on city police work. He''d had the same conversation with Jackie a dozen times over the years. Every word he told Hailey was true¡ªif he could just take out the kingpin breaking the whole system, he probably would. This moment, this time was his real chance. Jeremy could make a real difference. He wasn''t just chasing leads around the Northwest, playing number two to Rachel or Maddie or Cinza or whomever the fuck Aderholt decided to throw him at. I''m not a goddamn chess piece. I''m the guy who flips the fuckin'' board. I was never supposed to be here anyway. Shouldn''t have been on this case, shouldn''t have stuck around, shouldn''t have thrown myself into the middle of all this shit. Hell, I shouldn''t even have joined the goddamn FBI. What was I thinking? Yeah, this shit''s illegal, and it should be. Ninety-nine out of a hundred cases, even the ones where Jackie and I were tearin'' our fuckin'' hair out, nobody deserves this kind of street justice. But Brian Hendricks is a terrorist, not a drug dealer or a corrupt politician or even a serial killer. Even Malton wasn''t killin'' indiscriminately. He''s tryin'' to commit fuckin'' genocide. I can''t just stand by and hope the system handles this shit. On and on, Jeremy stewed. Without Jackie to break him out of it, without Brian''s men arriving to take him away, all he could do was run things over and over in his mind. He remembered his own advice to Hailey about the system, about cogs in the machine, and tried to apply it to himself. Am I doin'' the right thing? Or am I just really fuckin'' pissed, and Lani woke it up again, and now I''m doin'' somethin'' crazy and suicidal on the off-chance it might help? Ain''t they still gonna need me after Brian''s gone? There''s so much other shit happening. Awakened ain''t just gonna be accepted by the world ''cause the one ringleader gets popped. "Might not be accepted, but at least they won''t be gettin'' gunned down in the streets and their goddamn homes¡­" Jeremy muttered aloud. It''s worth it. He''s got too much power and too many followers. What if I set off somethin'' worse though? One assassination attempt and he''s already got this many on his side, and a whole goddamn network of supplies to boot. ...He''s the only one who can use golems. He''s been runnin'' the show since long before that. Motherfucker''s as much responsible for Jessica''s death as Malton''s guys. Golem tore apart that car and would''ve killed us all if Hailey hadn''t held it off. His guy shot Lani up in B.C. when we met Boris and Dan. If his guy didn''t shoot Lani. If Lani was still with me instead of at home. Maybe he never meets Rook, maybe Rook never gets into the Greywood, maybe Lily doesn''t get kidnapped and Hailey doesn''t trash London looking for Malton. If he didn''t help Jackson, maybe the whole goddamn town of Rallsburg doesn''t blow up, and none of this ever happens. Fuck him. "Face down on the ground," grunted a voice just out of sight. Jeremy didn''t bother trying to resist. He dropped as instructed. They stuffed a black bag over his head, tied his wrists, and muscled him away. Jeremy expected to be loaded into a car again, but they were smarter than that¡ªnothing so loud that could be traced in the quiet nighttime forest. It seemed even more silent than usual after the pitched battle still echoing in his ears a couple hours later. The thick scent of blood seemed permanently fixed in his nostrils, never letting him get used to it. They walked¡ªfor how long, Jeremy wasn''t sure, but it couldn''t have been more than thirty minutes. He stumbled over a few tree roots, but to his relief, the two men escorting him weren''t going out of their way to make things difficult. They helped him where they could, and they made good progress through the forest despite the restraints. He did his best to keep his sense of direction, but after a few more strange turns, he recognized they were running him in a circle, and he got lost not long after. Finally, with his legs starting to really give out from the long day, Jeremy was pushed down so he could crouch into an enclosed space. From the dirt and moss above his head, he figured they were in a cave or something¡ªand as the bag was lifted away, his expectations were confirmed. They''d set up a small camp under a huge tree, with wide-open spaces giving clear sightlines in every direction. Jeremy gaped at the clear flaw until he remembered Cinza''s guess. "So y''all are protected by magic," he muttered. "Yes," said Brian, emerging from deeper within the cave-like space. Felix was a few steps behind him, buried in his phone. "You told Felix you''re ready." He hesitated, and Jeremy recognized the telltale sign of the man checking him once again with one of the stones. That''s one use. Seven more to signal. Jeremy tried to inch his hand toward the stone in his pocket, but couldn''t quite reach that far, and didn''t want to try with so many eyes on him. "My people say you were in the camp assisting the injured," Brian went on. "The injured awakened," he added with disgust. Jeremy never ceased to be amazed how much vitriol the man could put into a single word. "Hey, I can''t know what they are. It''s my job to help people, and I saw people gettin'' shot." Jeremy shrugged. "Then I saw them takin'' control of golems and shootin'' lightnin'' without any idea who it might hit. Their leader showed me a huge fuckin'' part of the forest where everything''s screwed up ''cause of what they did to Rallsburg. She confessed it was her that did Rallsburg in." "I''m glad you finally understand," said Brian. "They are too dangerous to let live." "Took me a while, but yeah." "You understand why I can''t trust you yet, right?" "Sure." Jeremy nodded. "Take my gun and whatever else you got to. I''ve got one of your stones though, swiped it off one of y''all way back. You cool if I keep that?" Brian nodded. "I hope you use it well." To Jeremy''s relief, Brian''s men only took his gun, his phone¡ªwhich wasn''t his, but a burner Cinza had given him as a dummy¡ªand his wallet. They left the stone, and even let him keep the hip flask half-full of Rika''s whiskey (which he''d refilled before setting out from the Greywood), though one of them checked it for a bug or a tracking device just in case. Jeremy rubbed his wrists to relieve the sores, before putting his hands back in his jacket pockets¡ªand hesitated. Holy shit¡­ I''m about to die. Felix hung up his phone and called to Brian. "You want to hear this." "What?" "They found her." Brian dropped the jerky he''d been eating. His face got pale. "Where?" "In the camp. She was here during the battle. Someone recognized her photo. They''re absolutely sure." Brian fell back against the nearest chair. "She was¡­ oh, God in heaven, please. Is she okay?" "Yeah, they saw her after. One of our guys who stuck around in the camp and pretended to be a victim. She was with some of her friends and your old sheriff." Felix smiled. "They checked her. She''s not awakened. None of ''em were. Rumors were bullshit." A huge sigh of relief. Brian visibly de-aged a dozen years right in front of Jeremy. "Where is she now?" "We aren''t sure. Probably still in the camp somewhere. He had to get out to call us." "She must¡­" Brian''s voice choked up. His eyes were glistening. Even from Jeremy''s distance, he could tell, the man was on the verge of tears. "She must be trying to find us. Going to places she thinks I''d be. Oh God¡­ what will she think of me?" "We''ll get to that when we get to it," said Felix, trying to be as gentle as he could, but he didn''t really have the voice for it. "Hold it together, man." They kept talking for a while, eventually making it back to other battle plans. Jeremy stayed seated where he was, seemingly forgotten by Brian after the news. He had no idea why they would''ve gotten the info about Natalie wrong, but it could only be a good thing¡ªafter Brian was gone, his men wouldn''t go after her, so long as she laid low. Start signalin''. It''s time. Suck it up and don''t fuck it up. Maddie will get it, sooner or later, once she pulls her head out of the shit and back into the real world. If not, Cinza and Jackie''ll explain it to her. Jeremy worked up the courage. He pressed his finger to the stone, focused just as Cinza had demonstrated, and picked a random spot on the ground. Each signal took a couple minutes to complete. Will couldn''t sense them until the spell actually finished, so Jeremy had to do the full thing. The magic activated¡ªthe first, and probably the last, time Jeremy would ever use magic in his life. Two¡­ three¡­ four¡­ five¡ª "Coming in!" His concentration broke. Jeremy looked up, against his better judgment¡­ and was confronted with the absolute last person he wanted to see in that moment. "Do you know who that is?" asked Felix, shocked. "''Course I do, or he''d be dead right now," grunted the burly man filling the entryway. "He''s awakened." "...Fuck." Felix took a step back. "You know they can still do shit while they''re bound and gagged, right?" The man grinned. "Shot him with a tranquilizer. He''s completely out. Figure we can use a high-value hostage, eh?" He glanced around. "Well fuck me silly, looks like we got a matching set!" He tossed his unconscious captive down on the floor. Jeremy tried to avoid looking, but sure enough, the dreadlocks were unmistakable. Lani. Of all the fuckin'' people in the world, they picked up Lani. How the fuck did this happen? Where the hell is Rook? "So what do we do with ''im?" asked the burly guy. "Kill him," said Brian shortly, turning away. "He''s awakened." "Now hold up a sec," said Felix quickly. "He''s not wrong, this is a valuable hostage. We could get a lot of mileage here. We gotta consider." He glanced at the burly guy. "How long will the tranq last?" He shrugged. "He''s pretty skinny. Could be hours at least, maybe longer. He moves a little, I''ve got more." They retreated further into the cave, deep in discussion¡ªJeremy somehow still forgotten. Guess the guy thought I was a captive. Brian and Felix are too caught up in their own shit to care. Looks like me not bein'' important is finally payin'' off. All I gotta do is¡­ signal. Jeremy''s hand still held the stone. He''d been ready to die only minutes earlier. He stabbed me in the fucking back. He betrayed me. Broke our partnership over a sociopathic killer who gave him a goddamn smile. He gripped the stone so tight in his fist, he thought it might break. His fingers dug deep into the skin of his palm. Next to him, Lani''s face was completely passive¡ªnot peaceful in the slightest. Dead, even, except for the gentle rise and fall of his chest. Just signal. Lani would get it too. "We''re headin'' out," Jeremy heard from somewhere deeper into the cave. The others nearby headed in. Jeremy glanced up and saw some kind of communication equipment back there. "What''s goin'' on?" "Someone found a way to break Jackson''s barriers," said Brian. "We''re no longer safe. We must escape with as much as we can. Break down everything." Felix began dealing out direction assignments¡ªnothing specific enough for Jeremy to use, but from the sound of it, they were definitely trying to get out of the forest entirely. "What about you, boss?" asked the burly guy. "My daughter is heading home. I''m going to meet her there." ...Fuck me. There was no way Jeremy had time to signal with how fast they were breaking everything down. The entire little cave was a flurry of activity¡ªeverywhere except for the entranceway, where Jeremy still sat mostly ignored. He got to his feet experimentally, and still, no one noticed him. Jeremy took one step toward the cave opening¡­ and stopped again. He turned around. In six quick steps across the cave, Jeremy had grabbed his things. Someone looked up, surprised, but Jeremy was already moving again. In one swift motion, he hoisted Lani up onto his shoulders. Thank God you''re so light, and that I''ve been workin'' out ever since you got shot. Jeremy thought he might have heard a shout of alarm, but he didn''t care at this point. He was sprinting away, hoping desperately their code of honor still held¡ªthat they would not shoot someone unawakened. No gunfire pursued him, nor any thumps of chasing footsteps through the carpet of leaves. He didn''t glance back, but if he had to guess, he believed they were more concerned with their equipment and supplies. The place was burned anyway. Jeremy hadn''t really learned anything valuable. Most likely, they''d assume he was there to save his partner¡ªmore fool them, assholes. Can''t trick ''em again, but I know where he''s goin'', and who he''s¡­ fuck. Who he''s meetin''. Jeremy grabbed the phone out of his pocket, desperately holding onto Lani with one hand as he stumbled through the forest in the vague direction of the pilgrim camp. He dialed the number he''d memorized just before leaving, just in case. Jackie had insisted, though Jeremy fully intended not to use it. Well, thanks, Jackie. Saved my ass once again. The phone picked up, but no one spoke on the other end, only a faint hiss of noise. "It''s Jeremy. I couldn''t do it. Somethin'' happened." "Explain," said Cinza, not unkindly. "It doesn''t matter. I know where he''s goin''." "Where?" asked Will, who was dialed in on the same line. "Rallsburg. He''s goin'' back home to look for his daughter."
One of their new captives tried to escape. A soldier tripped over a tree root, and the woman he''d been escorting made a break for it. She managed to get ten steps out of sight before shrieking with fear. Deeks and the sergeant were there in an instant, rifles raised¡ªbut they needn''t have bothered. Gwen was calmly seated atop the struggling woman, looking thoroughly pleased with herself. "So uhh¡­" said Deeks, taking a cautious step forward. Gwen eyed him like he was a rat she hadn''t quite decided if she was going to chase off yet. Natalie smiled. Gwen sighed, if wolves could sigh, and went through the same routine she had before. The woman was soon back in captivity. Deeks hurried up to Natalie''s side, since he wasn''t escorting a prisoner (or carrying the box of stones). "So¡­ how do you do all this magic stuff?" Natalie shrugged. "I just kinda learned it." "You''re incredible, you know." Deeks rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I got a little sister like you. She''s about eleven though. How old are you?" "...Thirteen," said Natalie. "And you''re out here doin'' this?" He shook his head. "Kid like you oughta be in school." "I was¡­" Natalie hesitated, not sure how much she should reveal. She had no idea how far the news might have spread about her, but she really wanted to vent, and Deeks seemed like an ally. Plus, he wasn''t connected to anyone she knew. "They kicked me out. For¡­ you know, being like this." "...That''s just wrong," Deeks muttered. "What does it matter who or what you are? Doesn''t mean you shouldn''t get an education." Natalie winced, but didn''t say anything. "Just wrong. That''s not what I''m fighting for out here." Deeks shook his head again. "Tell you what, Linny. After we''re all done here, you call me." He fished a card out of his pocket and scrawled a phone number on it. "I''ll personally come by in full uniform and make sure they let you in the building, Ruby Bridges style." "Who?" "Another brave girl who just wanted to go to school." "Watch it, Linn," said Harris, lugging the box of stones a little ways behind them. "Don''t let him get into his social justice shit again. Deeks never shuts the hell up about it." "Ignore him," said Deeks. "He''s an asshole who doesn''t get what''s important." "Yeah, yeah. Says the asshole." Deeks rolled his eyes. "So Linn, what do you like to do?" "...Huh?" "I dunno. Just makin'' conversation. My little sister loves horses. We got a few on our farm. She rides around all the time." Natalie hesitated, then raised her voice. "...I was gonna ask before, what language is that?" "I dunno," Natalie shrugged. "But Gwen understands it." A split-second later, Gwen burst out of the woods on their left, landing in front of Natalie and scattering leaves everywhere. Deeks jumped back in shock, while Harris dropped the box on his foot and swore. The rest of the group behind them started cursing, having to change their routes to keep security tight. Natalie rolled her eyes. Gwen simply walked up next to her and brushed against her side pointedly. Natalie smiled, and in one quick motion, pulled herself up onto Gwen''s back. Gwen immediately started walking forward at an easy pace, and Deeks hurried to match them. Natalie found herself looking down at him now from Gwen''s back, another reminder of how she was still growing. "All right, that beats a horse," he said, grinning. Natalie smiled, but her mirth was cut short as they reached the edge of the treeline¡ªand the wide expanse of the camp opened in front of them. She halted Gwen, confusing Deeks and the rest of the squad. "You guys go ahead," she said. "I''m staying out here." "Don''t like going in public, huh?" said Deeks knowingly. He stuck around while the rest of them marched forward, escorting their prisoners and poor Harris with the heavy box. Natalie took another look at Deeks, and realized the guy was actually pretty handsome. Not movie-star handsome or anything, but he was a step above the rest of the soldiers for sure. "So what are you gonna do now? Thought we were goin'' on more patrols with you." Natalie hesitated. "I need to figure out where my friends are first." Deeks nodded. "Well, you got my number. Good hunting. See you ''round, Linny." He started away, and Natalie felt a confusing sense of abandonment. I found someone actually kinda cool out here¡­ in the middle of all this craziness. Deeks may be a good ally to us in the future. We would do well to keep his number handy. Yeah¡­ I don''t know if we''re ever going back to school, but we might need help with other things. I don''t really like ''Linny'' though. Tell him not to call you that. I''m not going to worry about it right now. I gotta figure out where Kelsey, Mitch and Tyler are. Natalie pulled out her phone and dialed Josh, as she promised she would when they were all done with the first patrol. "I just saw the squad come back," he said, as soon as he picked up. "You figured out something then?" "Yeah¡­" Natalie quickly explained the gemstone trees and how the hideouts were concealed. "It actually wasn''t hard to break the spell. You just gotta know where to look or it seems super impossible." "Gotcha. I''ll pass it on." Josh paused. "You okay to go out with another group? They could use your help, and like you said, we can''t just hit one." "I guess I could¡­" said Natalie, stifling a yawn¡ªbut Josh heard it anyway. "Damn, I forgot. You''ve been going hard all day. Forget that, I''ll pass it on to Captain Hoskins and we''ll get volunteers from everyone still here. I''ll even go on one myself if I have to. You should go to the Greywood, meet up with your friends and get some sleep." Natalie had been holding it off for the longest time, but after the huge burst in the woods to stop the bullet, she really was getting tired. Gwen was practically holding her up at this point. I should''ve used some gemstones to power that¡­ instead of burning all my energy. What if I got caught off guard again? We will do better. You have a cache in your bag, but none were ready at the time. We should take after Cinza and prepare jewelry with gemstone inserts. Yeah. I gotta have them ready. "How do I get there?"
It wasn''t as hard as she expected. The labyrinth was navigated in the same way as Lani had shown her¡ªfollowing the telltale magic traces and ignoring her own sense of direction, though Lani hadn''t realized the path had reversed since they''d left. Natalie simply went the opposite direction whenever her magic seemed to indicate one turn, and soon enough, she found another set of trees with silver-grey marks on it. Natalie felt forward hesitantly, and to her relief, she found a sort of key-hole, just as Josh described. With the lock turned, the corridor of trees was safe. Gwen took her down the route, with branches and leaves curving overhead to form a dark green tunnel leading them inward. The lock slid back into place behind her, once again protecting the Greywood from intruders. When Natalie emerged into the clearing at large, she stopped, dumbfounded. It''s so much bigger¡­ and there''s so much of it. How is this possible? It wasn''t this big before. Cinza and her people have built themselves a magnificent home. We must learn how, so we can build our own someday. They''ve got so many cabins, and the bridge over the creek is so pretty¡­ and the flowers and butterflies everywhere. It''s December. There''s snow, but¡­ how is this all in one place at the same time? I want to know so much right now. Natalie suddenly felt awake, more than she had all day. She felt out with her magic, and the whole Greywood teemed with life and energy. It was incredible and fulfilling, a place she felt like she truly belonged. "Natalie!" shouted Kelsey, sprinting across the bridge to meet her. She was beaming wider than she ever had. "This place is amazing!" Natalie nodded, still overwhelmed herself. Tyler and Mitch followed, and in the distance, Natalie saw Scrappy, lounging by the heat spilling out from a fireplace. She almost called out to him, but he was asleep, and she didn''t want to wake him up. Besides¡­ she needed to find Cinza. We gotta talk about¡­ about Rika. Her friends were chattering around her like little birds as Natalie rode slowly through the Greywood. She nodded and smiled, barely paying any attention, while her own fears and worries resurfaced one by one. Natalie could barely name them all, as so many complicated emotions bubbled and swirled in her stomach, in her heart, in her head. Her whole body felt unsettled and disjointed. Between exhaustion and her ever-mounting stress, Natalie felt like she might throw up. "I gotta go talk to Cinza," she said finally, cutting off Kelsey and Mitch. They''d begun arguing about which affinity would be the best one to have¡ªKelsey was firmly attached to Elemental, while Mitch, to nobody''s surprise, favored Self. Natalie, of course, was anxious about any of them awakening. She didn''t necessarily hate the idea¡­ but at the same time, she didn''t think her friends really felt the weight of what it would mean. They don''t really get how the rest of the world''s gonna treat them. I''ve gotten used to it, and they''ve seen a bit of it, but it''s so much different when you''re the one everyone''s staring at¡­ when it''s people like you they''re all obsessed with. "Can we come?" asked Kelsey excitedly. "Cinza freaks me out," said Mitch. Kelsey slapped him on the back of the head. "Dude, she basically owns this whole place. Don''t be a jerk." "Would you stop hitting me?" "I think I''d want Nature," said Tyler finally, in his usual way of adding to an old topic long after the conversation had shifted. "Yours is Nature, right?" he added, glancing at Natalie. "...Yeah," said Natalie. "And¡­ no, I don''t think Cinza would be okay with that. I''m sorry." "Aww¡­" Kelsey sighed, but she didn''t actually look surprised or upset. "Makes sense. They won''t give us any Scraps either. We''re just guests or whatever." "That''s a good thing," said Mitch. "You getting awakened sounds crazy to me." "Uh huh, and you''re the sane one, huh?" They wandered away. Tyler smiled at Natalie again before hurrying off to follow them. Natalie hesitated, watching them go, wishing more than anything she could follow and forget about everything else going on. She slid off Gwen and let the wolf pad away too. Gwen, of course, went immediately over to join Scrappy near the fire. Percy fluttered down out of the sky, landing on Natalie''s shoulder. He''d recognized her stress and come to comfort her, in his own way. Natalie stroked his head a few times before finally turning around to Cinza''s door. Ruby had long-since finished the eight affinity carvings. Natalie traced over the Nature square with her fingers¡ªa wide oak tree, intricately detailed, with the eight-pointed star carved into its trunk. Curled up at the base, quite unmistakably, lay a wolf. Natalie smiled, but inside, she felt a little mixed. The Greycloaks seemed to hold her as some sort of paragon for the affinity. Cinza had written in her diary that she believed Natalie to be the strongest awakened in the world. So does that make me one of the Gods too? Or is it just ''cause that''s what they called themselves? Is it so bad to be thought of as the absolute best in your affinity? I dunno¡­ Natalie went over the other carvings. None of the others seemed to have such a clear tie to a single person. She wondered who they might even pick if they were to choose someone. Movement¡­ well, Viper and Alden were probably the strongest at it. Everybody knew Viper better though. Yusuf was also pretty good at it, and they like him more, so maybe¡­? I don''t know. Is this important? Maybe. It might be useful someday. Elemental would definitely be Hailey or Rika. Probably Hailey. Nature is me, I guess, but I feel like Cinza comes up with way more interesting and useful spells than me, and Kendra''s also part Nature. So why''d they pick me? You''re stalling, Natalie. Creation would definitely be Kendra, that''s probably why they wouldn''t pick her for Nature. I don''t think they even know she''s got Nature affinity, everybody just assumes she''s Creation. She''s one of those special dual affinities. I didn''t even know that was a thing, but apparently it is. I wonder if I have another one I don''t know about. Delaying will not keep us from having to confront this choice. Mental is Rachel, of course, since nobody else ever really uses it anyway. Self magic is¡­ uhh¡­ Ryan, I guess? Ryan and Mr. McGregor used it the most. But¡­ Mr. McGregor got killed by golems in the Greywood apparently¡­ when Rachel wouldn''t let me come help. She got him, so I guess she was right, but¡­ he probably died right over there. If he dies, does that make Ryan the best by default? The best is the best. So if I died, this carving wouldn''t make much sense anymore. ''Cause I wouldn''t be the best. I''d¡­ I''d be dead. We will not let that happen. You can''t just promise me I''m not gonna die. We''re fighting, and people are killing each other, and there''s guns and magic and everybody''s angry and scared. I could have died a couple hours ago when that guy tried to shoot me. I got lucky. You stopped him. No one else, no luck, just you. Natalie shook her head. She went back to the carvings, still stubbornly finishing the list. At the bottom, the two rarest affinities lay, side by side. On the left, an open book with a single candle flame above it, set into a backdrop of stars. Knowledge¡­ Who decides what''s best there? Nikki''s one, Jessica¡­ Jessica was one. Rachel''s boyfriend is one. Grey-eyes. Huh? She is aware, at all times, who is awakening and where. She knows every spell being cast. This must be Knowledge magic. Oh¡­ Yeah, I guess¡­ Natalie looked at the last panel. Nobody knew the final affinity. They''d never known anyone to have it¡ªor if that person was even aware they had it. Everyone guessed there must be eight, based on the star, but nobody had much more besides vague speculation¡ªexcept for Rika. Rika knows what it is. She and Omega could use it. Nobody else. That''s why Rachel needed her to try and kill him. Except¡­ Except Rika was not there when Omega died. So¡­ so someone else could use it. Rika must have taught it to Rachel. Except that Rachel is too weak to cast a spell strong enough to hold Omega, even for a second. ...Alden was there. Alden helped her. Rachel sent me away because he knew. Because they were going to the Greywood to trap him. Alden knows the eighth magic. The revelation hit Natalie like a thunderbolt¡ªfitting, as the final panel held a carving of a wide-forking bolt of lighting out of a cloudy sky, striking two points along a vague blurry road. It was easily the least detailed and beautiful of Ruby''s carvings. She''d done it so it could be covered up and changed one day without damaging the rest of the door. The door swung inward as Natalie finally straightened up, and she found herself face-to-face with Ruby. The girl was clad in her grey cloak, thick and elaborate as always, and her messy red hair was everywhere. Ruby''s eyes widened as Natalie took a reluctant half-step back. "Natalie?" "...Sorry," she muttered, all resolve flying from her at the sight of Ruby. She couldn''t talk to Cinza, not now, maybe not ever. If she walked away, maybe it would never come up. "No, please!" Ruby reached forward, and Natalie shrunk away even more. Of course, Ruby was the type to hug, and Natalie couldn''t do that anymore. "My love, give her space," said Cinza, walking forward through the curtain from the depths of their cabin. "She''s just been through a great deal, as have we all." "Oh¡­ yeah." Ruby shook her head. "I''m so sorry. I heard about what happened at your school." Natalie nodded. "I¡­ I need to talk to Cinza, okay?" Ruby turned and kissed Cinza on the cheek. "I''ll be with Nikki," she murmured. "Call me when it''s done, okay?" She hurried away. Cinza beckoned Natalie inside, and the door swung closed behind them. Cinza''s cabin, bisected as always by the huge starry curtain, was warm and inviting. Natalie saw the rumpled blankets on the bed and felt even more embarrassed. "...Were you guys¡ª" Cinza shook her head. "No. Ruby was just¡­ well, holding me." She sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. Natalie, after a few reluctant moments, took a seat next to her¡ªa couple feet away, but still. Cinza took a deep breath before continuing. "Someone took a terrible mission upon themselves tonight, and I''m afraid of what I may have set in motion. I still think I chose right, but I feel haunted. Ruby is my anchor, and when the hurricane blows, I hold tight to her to keep myself from being swept away." "Oh¡­" Cinza shook her head. "You don''t need to bear this burden. You have so many already." Natalie hesitated. She didn''t know where to start. "We haven''t seen each other since the morning in Seattle," said Cinza gently. Natalie realized that she''d dropped her voice enchantment¡ªsomething she never did, except, it seemed, around Natalie. "I received your messages, and I''m grateful for every single one." "I''m sorry I didn''t send more¡­" Cinza smiled. "You had your own life to live. Something you''ll learn as you grow older is that we rarely get time to spend with our friends as we age. Our responsibilities take over." "Like¡­ all this?" "Exactly." Cinza fell back onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling. She picked up a pillow and held it to her chest. It was so¡­ normal. Natalie laid back too, grabbing one of her own. Above them, another tapestry hung¡ªthe night sky in all its beauty. "I''m only twenty-one years old, and I''m in charge of everything now. Some days, I just want to lay down and talk to Ruby all day, or spend time with my family, or just take a walk in the forest. I can''t anymore. Every day brings new work and new challenges. Sometimes, I feel like I don''t even have time to eat!" "Me too," mumbled Natalie. Cinza turned over on her side, looking at Natalie from across the bed. Natalie mirrored her. This feels like sleepovers I had with Jenny. Except we''re not talking about silly things like bands or TV shows or games. Also¡­ I''ve got magic. To really drive her point home to herself, Natalie grabbed the nearest blanket with her mind and drifted it up to tuck herself in tight. "Very nice," said Cinza with a small smile. "I noticed you did end up telling your friends." Natalie nodded, her hair brushing against the bed. She pulled it out of the way so she could lay more comfortably. "Yeah. They''re really cool friends." "Incredibly loyal, too." Cinza''s eyes shone with pride. "I wish I''d had friends like that at your age." "Thanks." "But not Quinn," she added with a clear note of sympathy. Natalie''s eyes instantly welled up. Cinza sighed. She held out a hand, letting it sit halfway between them on the bed. After a moment, Natalie took it¡ªand to her relief, it didn''t cause her pain or discomfort. She didn''t get any closer, but that connection, with the only person in the world who truly knew what she''d gone through, gave her some real comfort. "I''m so sorry, Natalie," Cinza murmured. She cried. Cinza held her hand throughout, even summoning a box of tissues so Natalie didn''t need to feel guilty about getting tears all through their amazing blankets. "Honestly, it''s not the first time they''ve been covered in tears," said Cinza. "Don''t worry about it." Natalie laughed weakly, and it helped her come back to normal. She didn''t let go of Cinza''s hand, but she did manage to stop crying. "I can''t go back to school," Natalie went on. "I heard¡­" Cinza''s face darkened. "The school board and the city will be hearing from me, rest assured." "You don''t need to¡ª" "I do," said Cinza. "For one, you deserve to go to that school. Beyond what you deserve, though, this is a precedent. If they are allowed to run you out of school, others will feel like they can do the same. No child in your position will ever feel safe in a school again. They will be forced to hide who they are, suppress their goddess-granted gifts." "Are there¡­" Natalie trailed off. "Are there other kids like me?" She''d never actually heard of anyone else awakening so young. It made her even more nervous for her friends, since she was the only example¡ªand as she''d learned in the years since, she had not awakened in the typical way. "There will never be another kid like you," said Cinza, smiling again. "But no, there aren''t any other awakened children. Ruby remains the youngest besides yourself. I believe the youngest past her¡ªthat we know of, obviously¡ªis Jonathan Hudson, the magician." "He''s a magician?" "He uses real magic to pretend he''s doing fake magic." Cinza rolled her eyes. Natalie giggled. "Why would he do that?" "Because people are more afraid of the real thing. They always have been." Cinza sighed. "Which is why you''re here, I imagine¡­ because of Rika." Natalie tensed up. Her hand didn''t leave Cinza''s, but she found herself gripping more tightly. Cinza held firm. "I gave her to them," said Cinza abruptly. "...What?" said Natalie, more confused than ever. Her hand snapped back to her side. Cinza winced, and Natalie instantly felt bad. "Sorry¡­ I was just¡­ I don''t understand." Cinza withdrew her hand before Natalie could take it again. She looked troubled, and her voice wasn''t as confident as it usually was. Between that and the lack of echo, Natalie felt like she was almost a different person, like she had been in the streets of Seattle. She was clearly talking to herself as much as to Natalie. "Rika is a survivor. I don''t think she actually killed anyone, even the first set in Rallsburg I didn''t know about. If she did, it clearly had to be self-defense. They''ll drag her name through the mud, but she can take it. You can''t, and I can''t. We''re already fighting against so many other prejudices, between my history and your father. Rika is wealthy, from a wealthy family, and without the responsibilities we hold." "So¡­" said Natalie, interrupting her flow cautiously. "You think we should let Rika be blamed for what we did." Do I tell her it was me? Both of them? Cinza has already made her choice. Telling her would not change anything. "I think that the world cannot ever find justice for those deaths. They were committed by a genocidal god bent on destroying us and a man caught up in his insanity." Cinza looked into Natalie''s eyes. "Your father was in the battle tonight, Natalie." "I¡­ I saw him." She nodded. "We don''t know what happened to him. He might have gotten away, or he might not." Natalie didn''t answer, so she went on. "I don''t want him to be hurt, but we have to defend ourselves. You know that, right?" "He''s hurting us," said Natalie slowly. "Dad has to be stopped before he makes things worse." "Yes." Cinza summoned a plate of cookies from somewhere. They landed on the bed between the two of them. "Please. Eat as many as you like. I''m sure you''re as hungry as I am." Natalie still felt too upset to enjoy anything, but her stomach was complaining after the small dinner they''d had back at their castle. She''d expended so much energy since then, she needed to eat something. So she started downing cookies, one after another. They tasted incredible¡ªBrittany''s, she was sure. Brittany always used to have them whenever she visited the Greywood with Scrappy, and they''d only gotten better since. Cinza sat up. Her phone was buzzing. "I''ll be back later, Natalie. Stay as long as you need to. You are always welcome in my home." She hurried out of the room while Natalie ate. A few minutes went by while Cinza made some calls¡ªmostly getting updates on people still back at the camp, like Josh, or elsewhere in the world. The cookies were wonderful as always, and Natalie finally started to feel a bit calmer and back to normal again. As she settled, she realized how filthy her clothes were¡ªso much jumping between trees, crawling in the dirt, and the fighting had caked her in mud, sweat, and¡­ blood. Natalie started digging through her bag, taking outfit after outfit and laying them out. She wasn''t sure what to wear¡ªwho knew what she''d be doing next?¡ªbut anything was better than what she had on. Still, she couldn''t decide, and for the moment, she didn''t much care. She just wanted nothing more than to just stay in Cinza''s huge comfortable bed and stop moving for hours... but she couldn''t help overhearing. She could always hear, no matter how quiet people tried to speak. "It''s Jeremy. I couldn''t do it. Somethin'' happened." "Explain," said Cinza, as quietly as she could. "It doesn''t matter. I know where he''s goin''." "Where?" asked Will, a voice which sent Natalie''s head spinning. What''s Will doing talking to Cinza and the FBI guy? "Rallsburg. He''s goin'' back home to look for his daughter." "We have to¡­ try again." "I''ll get Ruby and Hector," murmured Cinza. "I''m on my way. No fuckin'' around this time. I''ll get eyes on and call it in. The moment I call, be ready to kill him." The phone clicked off. Natalie sat up straight in the bed. The cookies fell away, scattering across her clothes. Cinza was still outside, behind the thick and intricately carved wooden door. There was nobody in the room, no one but Natalie, but still it felt too small. The walls were closing in tight around her, and suddenly there weren''t enough blankets in the whole world to keep her warm. Her blood was frozen. Every part of her felt impossibly cold. Sound filled her ears, a rushing wind louder than any hurricane. Very slowly, very carefully, Natalie stood up from the bed. She¡­ they¡­ We do not have time. We must act. Now. Natalie didn''t argue. Without a moment to spare, Natalie flung open the rear window to Cinza''s cabin. She hurled herself out into the forest and sprinted down the tree corridor out of the Greywood. Scrappy and Gwen were already rushing to join her, feeling her distress. Percy dove off the roof of Cinza''s home to follow her. As soon as Gwen caught up, Natalie leapt onto her back. The trees became a blur as they rode out of the Greywood. Natalie only barely had time to turn the lock before they barreled out into the forest proper, closing behind her as they went. They ran straight out of the labyrinth, heading west. Heading to Rallsburg. Heading home. B2: Chapter 47 — Family (Part II) Chapter 47 ¡ª Family (Part II) The distance between the Greywood and Rallsburg wasn''t far. Natalie felt the clock ticking in her head with Gwen''s every bound forward. Every second brought them closer to Jeremy or Nikki figuring out where her dad was¡­ and to his death. What do we even do when we get there? Protect him. Cinza won''t listen to me. They''re too scared of him. And¡­ I get that. But we don''t have to kill him. There''s gotta be another way. We will protect him until we find that way. Natalie nodded, her face buried into Gwen''s back as she held on tight. Wind rushed through her ears and blew her hair back as they ran. She was listening hard for danger, and feeling out with her magic. The animals of the forest would warn her. They remembered her from her time in Rallsburg, to her relief. She had allies everywhere, even if none of them seemed to be human. Quinn, and Cinza too¡­ People won''t tell me what they''re really thinking. They just make decisions for me. Everyone keeps doing that, and it keeps getting worse. Perhaps it is time we stop allowing anyone to take charge of our life. But I''m still a kid. I''m thirteen. You can''t be in charge of yourself at thirteen. I looked it up. I gotta be sixteen at least. You haven''t been a member of their society for a long time. Abandon their rules. This is your queendom, and you''ve returned. Rule as you were always meant to. I''m not a ruler. I just want to save my dad. You are a queen. "No," said Natalie aloud. "I''m just me." A young doe skipped past her, fleeing some commotion ahead. Natalie slowed, listening carefully. Many voices, mixed, and one stray gunshot. Someone shouted in alarm. She caught the distinct sounds of the zip-ties, same as the ambush she''d carried out only a couple hours prior. Soldiers, ambushing another of Omega''s caches. Natalie inched forward, curious. If they were able to breach it, they must have someone awakened with them. We do not know who we can trust yet. Natalie stopped. The voice was right. Cinza was working with multiple people to coordinate the ritual, including Will somehow. Anyone could be involved, and few of them would likely take Natalie''s side. She wondered if Rachel was talking to Cinza¡­ and not to her. She is not your ally anymore. Her promise has been broken. I broke mine too. I''m here without her. "All good?" called Josh. Natalie started, before remembering he said he''d come out on some of the expeditions since she wasn''t. Probably picked this one ''cause it''s so close to the Greywood. "All set, Mr. Miller." "...Yeah, just Josh is cool." Josh was audibly embarrassed. A phone buzzed, and Natalie heard the click of a button. "I''m getting a call. Can you guys sweep up all that to bring back? Don''t want to leave it out for them to come back and grab." "You got it." Josh rustled away ¡ª toward Natalie, in fact, though she was certain he had no idea. She crouched in the branches of the tree nearby, with Gwen and Scrappy lurking in the shadows only a dozen feet away. He emerged, looking a little winded but otherwise the same as when she''d last seen him. He had a cell phone to his ear. "Hi. What''s up?" "Something has happened." Natalie tensed up. It was Cinza calling. About me? Did she notice I left? "There''s a fucking understatement." Josh sighed, rubbing his head and leaning back against a tree. "Remember when I said I wanted to go home and you guys all shot me down? I still hate you." "If you wish to leave, I don''t think anything remains to stop you. I''d still advise against going public, but you could probably call your parents." "I think they know by now anyway." Josh shrugged, though of course Cinza couldn''t see it. "We''re doing important work here. I''m miserable for the cause. Someone has to keep you from driving straight off the cliff." "...About that." "Oh, son of a bitch," Josh moaned. He stood back up straight, looking around for any potential eavesdroppers. Natalie instinctively shrunk back in her tree, but Josh never bothered to look up. "What are you doing?" "Walking along the edge." "Save the theatrics. I just got shot at dealing with this group. Can we be straight? Nobody''s listening in." "We''re going to use the magnetic ritual again, on a single target." Josh swore very loudly. He started pacing back and forth in place, face pinched. "Are you insane?" "There''s no Jackson to interrupt the ritual, and we''re safe inside the Greywood. We only have one target to strike, and Agent Ashe is moving in to give us that location. It will not fail." "That''s not why you''re calling," said Josh. "I''m not the battle strategy guy. That''s your deal, not me." "No." "Everybody barely understands how the magnet strikes work. I was reading up on some physicist''s analysis of the diaries and he basically concluded it''s impossible, and probably made up. We want them to believe that." Josh leaned back against the tree again, free hand pressed to his temple. He looked suddenly exhausted. "If everyone knows we can do it again. Kill anyone, from any distance, just like that¡­" "It''s not as simple as you describe, or as easy." "You think they''re gonna forgive us because of nuance?" Josh snorted. "People are idiots." "You give us too little credit." "Nah. A person is smart. People are panicky morons. Wisest words I ever got from the movies." Josh sighed. "Thing is, I agree with you." "...I was not expecting that." He closed his eyes. Natalie tensed up again. She knew what he was going to say, before he said it ¡ª the same justifications everyone was leaning on. "Brian''s the exception. The golems are practically unstoppable. Unless Grey-eyes steps in, he keeps killing. The military will get him eventually, but how many die in the meantime?" "So you think we should go forward." "Isn''t that why you called me?" said Josh bitterly. "I''m here to reassure you when you''re second-guessing yourself. Yes, Rika deserved to be arrested and tried. Yes, there was no way we''d ever get her out of here unless we got them to ambush her. And yes, Brian needs to die, even if we have to do terrible things to pull it off." He slid down the bark until he landed in the fallen leaves and underbrush, knees up in front of him. "You and I share the guilt, Cinza. I''m the dark half of this brave new council." "...I would never describe you as such." "Yeah," Josh snorted, "because you''d get called fucking racist." He sighed again. "Sounds like you''ve got it worked out?" "Yes. Thank you." "I''ll meet you in Hell someday." Josh closed his eyes again. "What about her?" "She''s in my room, exhausted. I think she''s sleeping. I don''t wish to disturb her." "Yeah¡­" He took a deep breath. "Who tells her?" "This was my decision. I will tell her¡­ after." "She''s going to hate you forever." "I will bear that burden. No one else." "See you on the other side." "Take care." Josh hung up. He stayed where he was on the ground, leaning against the tree, rubbing at his eyes, hiding his face from Natalie. Finally, as one of the soldiers called out looking for him, Josh finally stood up. He shouted back, hurrying to rejoin them. They set off. Natalie fell back against the tree trunk. She hadn''t realized she''d been leaning forward. She waited for the tension to ease out of her muscles, for her body to relax even a hair, but it never did. We must keep moving. They are, and they do not yet know you are gone. Yeah¡­ yes. You''re right. Natalie waited until the soldiers were a good distance away, then dropped out of the tree onto Gwen''s back. In a moment, they were off again, rushing through the forest with only the gentle moonlight lighting their path¡ªand only the tears in Natalie''s eyes giving a sign anything had occurred.
Jeremy took a break or two, but he managed to get Lani back to the pilgrim camp in pretty short order. He wasn''t about to take him back to the Greywood, obviously, but there wasn''t much else where he could safely deposit the man. Spending so much fuckin'' time and effort on him¡­ Brian''s still out there. Gotta get moving. The place was still buzzing as he emerged from the treeline ¡ª at the shortest distance between the trees and the first set of tents and carts, as he intended. He wanted to be in and out, no distractions, as fast as he could. Heaving Lani onto a more comfortable position on his back, Jeremy hustled into the camp. He flagged down the first soldiers he saw. "Hey." "...Yeah?" asked one warily. Not gonna get someone to hold him down without authority. "Captain Hoskins. Where is he?" "...Who are you, exactly?" Fuck me, someone who doesn''t watch the news. "Special Agent Jeremy Ashe, FBI NSB SeaTac. I need to find the captain." Jeremy awkwardly fished into his pocket for his badge and showed it. The soldier raised his eyebrows, and after a long second of inspection, finally nodded. "Right this way." The soldier led him through the camp ¡ª straight back to the command tent. Son of a bitch¡­ Could''ve just gone straight here. Jeremy didn''t waste any time when he found Hoskins. He explained briefly how Lani was a rogue FBI agent wanted for questioning, and to hold him for the time being. Lani was not to be released to anyone without Jeremy''s express permission. "And if you die out there?" asked Hoskins frankly. "What''s the chain of custody after you?" Jeremy shrugged. "DTA, I guess. He''s awakened, so keep that in mind while holding him." "DT¡­ Right. The new department." Hoskins nodded. "Got a contact I can reach?" "Yeah. Wesley Gatiss, Secretary. One step off the President. You can release Lani on his direction, mine, or Cinza''s." "...Cinza''s not in the United States government. Hell, I''m pretty sure she isn''t even a citizen." "Still her jurisdiction," said Jeremy firmly. "Last resort, then," said Hoskins. He held out his hand, and Jeremy shook it. "Good hunting, wherever you''re going." Jeremy hurried out again. He''d already lost time, and Rallsburg was still a good ways away. It was a small town tucked into the forests and hills, so concepts like ''neighbors'' were stretched a bit. The R.V. park wasn''t even technically inside the Rallsburg town limits (though, frustratingly enough, within the limits of the Price estate), but Jackie had always treated it like it was, to their benefit. Well¡­ it''s sure part of their world now, ain''t it? As Jeremy walked through the camp, he realized just how fast his heart was racing. Adrenaline was still pumping wildly through his body, and he wasn''t exactly young anymore at forty-two. Field work this strenuous was supposed to be in his past¡­ and yet here he was, doing fireman lifts, running through thick forest in the dead of night, on what seemed like the longest day of his entire life. Fuck me. We were in D.C¡­ fifteen hours ago? How is this goddamn day so long? Jeremy slowed down. He knew where Brian was going, and they couldn''t travel directly there. They had to be even more discreet than he did, and Brian wasn''t likely to move for a while once he got there. Jeremy had some time, and with the way his mind was stuck in loops all day, he knew he needed a moment to refocus. He needed something familiar to latch onto. Jeremy pulled out his phone. He had signal thanks to the tower set up by the camp, in addition to to the heavy-duty repeater brought in by the National Guard. He opened his contacts and picked the very top one, praying she was still awake. He needed her right now more than anything. She answered on the very first ring. "It''s about fucking time!" Maddie growled. "...Hi yourself." "You said you weren''t gonna be on the frontline!" "Fuck." Jeremy stopped, right on the edge of the camp before actually leaving. "I wasn''t trying to be." "Well, from the reports I''m gettin'', it sounds like you''re out there with the National Guard getting shot at." "Can''t help that Hendricks decided to go full terrorist tonight." Jeremy leaned against the nearest tree, taking deep breaths, trying to steady himself. He started digging into some of the soldiers'' rations he''d scooped up on the way out of camp, forcing them down. "People are dying, Maddie." "Yeah, we know. President''s been in the Situation Room all night. I''ve got a contact feeding me stuff too." Maddie took a breath. "Anyone¡­ anyone we know?" "Not for lack of tryin''." Jeremy sighed. "One of the guys who was with me. Police officer named West, came out of Tacoma to help out. They sliced his neck open." "Jesus¡­" Maddie whispered. "Golems too, right? I heard there were golems." "Yeah. Hendricks is here." Jeremy figured that was as good a segue as any. "Secure line?" "Always, Jere-bear." "We''re going to kill him." "...You what?" "You can''t tell anyone," Jeremy said quickly. "I''m going in, and we''re going to kill him." "You''re¡­ No, Jeremy, don''t¡ª" "Maddie, I''m going crazy out here," said Jeremy, his blood rising again. "After all the shit that''s happened¡­ After Lani and Rook, London, you, the number of times I''ve nearly died, Hailey, Jessica¡­ I already found him once." "Jeremy¡ª" Jeremy cleared his throat. He had to consciously keep his voice quiet, though he was certain no one was close enough to overhear. "I was ten feet away. Could have called in the strike any time. Cinza would have cast her spell, and Hendricks woulda died, along with most of his leadership. Right there. No more golems, no more massacres, no more goddamn crusade. There''d still be a fuckton of cleanup and crazies to deal with, but way more manageable." "And so would you!" Maddie practically screamed. "Goddammit Jeremy, you aren''t going to kill yourself for this!" "Someone''s gotta stop him," said Jeremy, keeping a remarkably even voice. "I ain''t gonna kill myself. I stopped to save Lani. He''s with the National Guard by the way. If I don''t make it back, tell Wesley to take custody and get him on the stand for Rika and Hailey. They''ll only release to me or him." "So what are you doing now?" "Going back to Rallsburg. He''s going there too. Looking for his daughter." "His¡­ you mean Natalie, right?" Maddie hesitated. "That little girl with the scars?" "She ain''t that little," said Jeremy, "and she ain''t to be fucked with either. I met her for real tonight." "Do you¡­ Jesus, Jeremy, do you have backup?" "Don''t need it." Jeremy shrugged. "I just gotta find Hendricks and call it in. The rest is on them. Don''t even gotta show myself." "This still sounds insane. You''re talking about killin'' the guy in cold blood." Yeah¡­ but it''s to save everyone else. Shit¡­ This was probably how Rachel felt, huh? "My blood ain''t been cold since Lakewood, Maddie," Jeremy growled. "Not since Vancouver, really. They shot Lani, they tried to kill me, they tried to kill so many people. This has gotta end." "I think this is a bad idea," said Maddie, "but I guess I ain''t stoppin'' you." "No." "Take some fuckin'' backup. Please." Maddie hesitated. "What about Jackie? You can trust her, right? Heard she was around from one of the reports." "She''s back at the Greywood," muttered Jeremy, still feeling some guilt over it. Jackie hadn''t wanted him to leave either. Besides, she ain''t got shit against golems, or guns, or anything else we''re goin'' up against. I need¡­ well, I need someone else. "I wish¡­ fuck me." "What?" "Wish Hailey were here," he sighed. Maddie matched him sigh-for-sigh. "Won''t be for a long time yet, little bro." "We can''t do shit to the golems without her or the kid," said Jeremy. "Even the other supposed strong man, Hector, barely held on against Hendricks. Hailey couldn''t beat them, but she sure as hell could hold ''em back. ''Top of that, she learned to deflect goddamn bullets in London. I could really use that right now." "I tried to visit her," said Maddie. "She doing better?" asked Jeremy. "Alden said she was lookin'' up a bit when he got released." "No idea. Couldn''t get in. Her lawyer says she''s cooperating with the grand jury as much as she can. They''re trying to keep it all under the table and stall a bit while the Nishimura proceedings create precedent." Maddie sighed. "Nishimura''s a nightmare. Hailey might not even get charged at this rate, but Rika''s gonna get herself held in contempt fifty fuckin'' times over before we even get to trial." "Jesus Christ¡­" Jeremy paused. "Maddie, Rook''s out here too. If I can get her to you, would her testimony get Rika cleared?" "It''d help." Maddie sighed again. "I''m tired as fuck and not gettin'' sleep tonight with how loud everything is out where you are. Get her, figure out what she''s actually got, and call Rika''s lawyer. Name''s¡­ uhh¡­" "Jefferson Baux." "Yeah." Maddie hesitated again. Jeremy could hear her faint breathing through the phone ¡ª which meant she must be seriously stressed on her end, if even the phone was picking it up. "Jere-bear?" "Yeah, Maddie?" "I know it''s crazy out there, and you might not have a choice¡­ but don''t you dare fuckin'' die on me, okay? Big sister''s orders." Jeremy shook his head, wishing Maddie were there so he could hug her ¡ª but also grateful his big sister was thousands of miles away from the insanity. Far away from soldiers and madmen, from golems and gunfire, from remnants of a genocidal young man-turned-budding-god and the devastated forest torn apart by his disciple. "I''ll be okay."
Natalie had to dodge two more soldier groups on her way toward the town. Neither had found a hideout, and they were accompanied by awakened whom she didn''t recognize. She hid from them or leapt through the trees above, while Gwen and Scrappy stalked around, silent as the still air hanging in the forest. There was no wind, no rain. The whole place felt eerily still, always reminding her that she wasn''t moving ¡ª that others were getting closer to her father while she waited. Patience. Do not make a tactical error by rushing our movements. I know. I can wait. I just¡­ We will find him. As Natalie got moving again, her other fears resurfaced ¡ª a long suppressed anxiety she''d been ignoring for months and months, as the possibility seemed so incredibly remote. Suddenly, she was faced with a possible reunion, the first time she would speak to her father since nearly a week before the fight against Omega, when Rallsburg had been torn apart. What do I even say? I¡­ I don''t know what he''s like anymore. The words will come. What if he¡­ when he realizes I''m awakened. Will he say no? He might tell me never to to use it, to not speak to Gwen or Scrappy or Percy, to be normal. He cannot command us. He''s my dad. He''s in charge. He''s always trying to do what''s best for me. What he believes to be the best may not truly be what is best for us. But¡ª Focus, Natalie. Save him first. Determine the rest later. Why does everyone want to kill him? Haven''t enough people died already? The voice did not answer, and Natalie knew why. She already knew the answer to that question, as much as she refused to admit it. She kept riding forward, a little slower now since Gwen was starting to get tired. It had been a long day, stretching into an even longer night. The moon still shone in the sky, and the forest continued to chirp and buzz around her, welcoming her back to her home. And she was home. These, more than any other forests she''d been in all night, were the most familiar to her. She was very close to Rallsburg now, very close to her old house. In fact¡­ if she turned the next corner¡ª "...inen." The briefest snatch of a word. Natalie froze, looking around. Someone had spoken, far away but still carried on the wind back to her pointed ears. She crept forward the voice as the voice spoke again. "It is secure." "...the number you usually use." "I had to leave it behind." "Along with everythin'' else." "Yes." Natalie''s eyes widened. The first voice was Riley, certainly, though her voice was as cold and rigid as ever, more Rook than she''d ever been. The second¡­ a voice she hadn''t heard since Rallsburg ¡ª Rook''s old partner. "Think you were right," said Viper through the phone. "I am sorry." "Fuck. I¡­ I trusted him." "Malton has shown us who he truly is. I recognized it long ago." "Yeah, I know. Tess, I wish I''d believed you." "You believed in your friend. I don''t blame you. You have not known me as long." "I believed in him. I trust you with my life. He''s a friend, you''re family. That''s a big fucking difference. I fucked up." "Stefen, you did nothing wrong." Riley''s tone stayed in its typical cold and terse style, but Natalie heard something else in it. "You stayed loyal and weathered the storm." Natalie knew she should keep moving, knew this was none of her business and didn''t affect her in the slightest¡­ but something about Riley''s voice, about what Natalie had just learned, kept her rooted to the spot. So Riley''s the reason Jeremy and Lani aren''t partners anymore, but she''s also a bystander in this other partnership between Viper and Malton. I guess¡­ she just breaks up everyone. That must be so depressing. These men all caused their own grief. The blame cannot be laid solely at her feet. I''m not saying that¡­ I just¡ª I wouldn''t want to be her. I think she''s just trying to get by, like me. "And now it''s all over. Malton fucked up way too far." "Do you mean the destruction of lab two?" "He tried to trap Grey-eyes." Riley didn''t speak right away. Even she seemed shocked. Natalie, for her part, was dumbfounded ¡ª somebody tried to hurt Grey-eyes? Were they insane? "Waited for her to awaken Kleiner, then tried to taze her, the idiot. That''s not¡­ that''s not the whole story though. It''s that, it''s tellin'' my men to kill the Silverdale girl against my orders, it''s everything he''s done. Corny''s just gone. I don''t know who he is anymore." "Suolaa maaper??n." "I''m too fuckin'' tired, Tess." "The earth is salted. Malton has cast us all aside for his ambitions and reached further than he ever should. Leave, Stefen." "Just like that?" "You have not asked me why I left." "Don''t need to. I trust you, like I said. If you had to leave, I''m not stoppin'' you." Riley smiled, and her voice changed ever so faintly to reflect it. "The world is changing, Stefen. You do not deserve to die amidst the dying embers of the old." "Funny, for someone so opposed to the new one." She hesitated, and Natalie saw real fear brush across her face, flashing across her ice-blue eyes. Finally, she opened her mouth, lips barely parted. "I''m awakened now," she whispered. "...Tess, I thought¡ª" "I am surviving." "Well¡­ I''m under house arrest in Corny''s mansion while they''re still investigatin''. Corny will probably get off though. We''re actually in guest house. The main buildin''s still ripped to shreds thanks to Winscombe. They''ve got more security on us than the goddamn Queen. Can''t move an inch without explaining it to the cops."If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. "Are you going to stay?" Viper didn''t answer for several seconds, with Riley still sitting patiently settled into a tree root with her rifle across her lap. Natalie could see her clearly now ¡ª she''d crept up, little by little, during their conversation. "Auta minua." "...I will come for you." Viper hung up. Riley set the phone down. Natalie took a step back, meaning to leave and get back to her original mission ¡ª and a tiny branch on the ground snapped. Shield us! Natalie didn''t hesitate ¡ª and the voice saved her life. Even as she threw up the shield she''d constructed before, Riley lifted her rifle and took aim. Less than a second from the branch snap passed before Riley pulled the trigger ¡ª with aim far superior to her father''s men. The bullet slammed into her wall with even more force than the previous one. Natalie hadn''t had time to grab any gemstones, either. It plinked off and landed on the ground, completely spent of energy. Natalie fell to the ground, suddenly drained. The bullet has taken a huge toll on her, especially since she hadn''t really recovered from the day yet. She coughed out two words, the only ones which came to mind in her sudden state. "Auta minua," she gasped. Riley''s aim wavered. Her voice warmed up a little. "...Linnethea?" she murmured. "...Yeah," Natalie coughed again. "I didn''t¡­ I''m sorry." The woman got to her feet and crept forward, rifle still in hand. She found Natalie behind the tree, struggling to get up again. "Are you all right?" Natalie coughed as Riley offered a hand. "Blocking bullets is¡­ really hard," she gasped. She pulled herself back up with Riley''s help, a little unsteady but mostly okay. Gwen padded over and rubbed against her, with a faint growl in Riley''s direction, but the woman ignore them. She was more fascinated by the flattened bullet on the ground. "That''s incredible," Riley murmured. "It didn''t even ricochet. Completely absorbed." "I saw¡­ saw Hailey doing it in London. I thought I might be able to, too." Natalie coughed again, but to her relief, it seemed to be subsiding. Riley was looking around them watching for threats, so Natalie dug into her bag and started pulling out gemstones ¡ª and realized with a shock, she''d forgotten all her clothes back at Cinza''s home. ...I can''t really go back for them now¡­ "Hailey used wind, I think," said Riley. "Strong enough wind to blow bullets off course." "Bullets get affected by wind?" "Yes. Over long distances with a strong gust, the wind can change where a shot lands by full meters. It is not perfect, and if Malton''s guards were properly trained, they probably could have adjusted to compensate." Riley spoke very dismissively. She obviously had a very low opinion of the guards. "Your method seems much more effective, although more costly. You should work on it." Natalie shook her head. "I don''t have time. They''re¡­" She trailed off. Can we trust her? Do you trust your instincts, or what others have told you? I''ve never seen her do anything bad. All I''ve seen is her helping people. Maybe she used to be worse, but¡­ people change, right? You changed. Perhaps she did as well. "They''re trying to kill my dad," Natalie whispered. "I gotta save him." Riley nodded. No questions, just quiet understanding. "How do you plan to do that?" "I don''t know," Natalie admitted, and the weight of those three words crashed down around her. She didn''t know. Natalie always felt like she didn''t know what was going on. Through awakening and Rallsburg, in the Laushire home and the Kincaid home, at school and around the world¡ªNatalie was always in the dark. There were so many secret things happening around her, sometimes in ways she didn''t even know were possible. Everyone talking and planning and plotting and deciding, and Natalie was just¡­ clinging on for dear life. Natalie coughed again, and to her relief, it felt like the burst of fatigue and pain was past. She asked, hesitantly, not sure what the answer would be, hoping Riley would understand. "Will you help me?" "Tottakai." Riley smiled. "Of course I will. You already asked me that." Natalie smiled back, though it was with far more reluctance. She turned, and Riley followed, and together, they hurried through the last few layers of trees before the outskirts of the town. As Natalie walked forward, Gwen padding along at her side, she saw the first cracked bits of pavement and gravel. It was the end of Price Road. If she followed it, she''d see the first couple houses just around the corner ¡ª or what was left of them. They''d arrived in Rallsburg.
Jeremy left camp, but didn''t get more than a minute into the forest before he got interrupted yet again. If it were any other voice, any other person in the entire world, he probably would have ignored them and kept going ¡ª but this was the one he couldn''t pass by. The one he''d hunted all year. "Ashe!" He slowed, coming to a halt at the next tree. Jackie clambered through the thick woods, brushing leaves and branches out of the way as she barreled toward him. "I changed my damn mind," she growled. "I''m not letting you go on a suicide mission, no matter how many lives it might save." "Jackie¡ª" Jackie shook her head, nearly throwing her sheriff cap off as she did. The vague Rallsburg shield set into the center glinted in the moonlight, another reminder of what was at stake. "Listen to me, Ashe, your life is worth more than those shits. Don''t go thinkin'' we won''t need you down the line. You''re the best shot we''ve got at keepin'' the peace between Cinza and the rest of the damn wor¡ª" "I''m not doing it anymore, Jackie," said Jeremy, cutting her off mid-stream. "You wh¡ª" Before Jackie could say another word, Jeremy had buried her in a hug, doing his best to emulate her own typical bear hugs. "Thanks," he muttered into shoulder. "...For what?" Jackie grumbled. "Apparently I didn''t need to sprint across the damn forest to save your sorry ass." "For doing it anyway." "Jesus, Ashe, you''re gettin'' sappy." Jackie grinned as they broke apart. "So what the hell are you doin''?" "Going after Hendricks." Her smile disappeared as quickly as it had shown up. "But¡ª" "Going after him smarter this time," said Jeremy. "We know where he''s going now. No need for cloak and dagger shit. Just gotta find him, call it in, and stand back." "...How d''you know?" "Got picked up by the motherfucker already." Jeremy shrugged, trying to sound as casual as he could. He started walking toward the town, hoping Jackie would follow his lead ¡ª and to his relief, she did. They fell in step together as easily as they''d always done, matching pace as they clambered through the uneven forest, over rocks and logs, past scurrying animals. Jeremy explained what happened as they went, catching Jackie up as quickly as he could. "Well, shit," muttered Jackie. "He''s going home?" "Yeah. So¡­ thanks for comin'' back too, ''cause I could use a guide." "Thought you and yours went over every spare inch of Rallsburg durin'' your investigation." "Forensics did," said Jeremy. "I just read the summaries. Fuck if I was gonna spend that long out here. Didn''t find a single useful thing, anyway, did we?" "Nothin'' left to find," said Jackie grimly. They moved in silence for a while, digesting the thought. Rallsburg was a ruin, no mistaking it, and Jeremy had only ever seen it in ashes. Jackie had lived there ten years, gotten to know the people, settled down. It was her home. He was just a visitor, a guest in their abandoned home. He''d never said anything to her. "Sorry," he murmured. "Wasn''t you. Wasn''t Jackson either, though I''m glad that young man is gone and buried. Wasn''t really Cinza, even if she mighta pulled the trigger." Jackie sighed. "All that shit because we couldn''t ever sit down and figure it out. I''ve been talkin'' to people. Rachel, Boris, Josh, Hector. People who were around all the way at the beginning. Those two, the ones who really caused it all, they just couldn''t see eye to eye, and nobody tried to shut ''em down proper til it was too late." "You think¡ª" "I don''t know. Hector got ''em to stop fightin'', but what was he supposed to do? Kill ''em?" Jackie paused while she climbed over a difficult tree root. "Not too far now. But yeah, things just snowballed. By the time I got looped into the picture, it was way too late. Rachel did her best, but¡­" "But you had to kill him," Jeremy finished. "Is that where we''re at now?" asked Jackie. "Killin'' Brian Hendricks?" "Has to be done." "Way I understand it, those golems come out of a stick he keeps with ''im at all times. Can''t we just take it?" Jeremy shook his head. "Nobody''s ever gotten close enough to try. People are dyin'', Jackie. We''ve gotta do something." "Goddammit¡­" Jackie sighed. "I''ve been in this conversation before." "So what convinced you last time?" "That''s cheatin'', Ashe." Jeremy rolled his eyes, but Jackie couldn''t see it in the darkness. Barely, if he squinted, he could start to make out the turrets of the library in the distance. Rallsburg was getting closer. "Gordon Merrill said it," murmured Jackie, her voice dark and grim. "Rachel set a precedent. Awakened don''t arrest and try people like them. It''s just death." "Huh?" "I betrayed my code already," she sighed. "Rachel convinced me. People like this, the world''s never dealt with anything like it. History doesn''t give us any answers. Policework''s based on history, ain''t it? We go on patterns, we go on precedent, we track down clues in the past to find the guy in the present. Only, there''s no precedent, no patterns. Nothin''s ever been like this." "Sure it has," said Jeremy, feeling frustrated. "Guy stands up in front of a crowd and tells ''em the other group deserves to die for who they are. Sound fuckin'' familiar?" "It ain''t like that and you know it." Jackie stopped, turning around to face him. Her expression was confused ¡ª half angry, half scared. "Awakened ain''t just another group of people. They picked that life, and they got power way beyond us. Sometimes beyond them." She pointed back toward the camp, far out of sight now. "Jenny Wilson died back there because of a spell gettin'' out of control. I don''t disagree with Jackson on that." "Not our job to worry about that," said Jeremy, though he felt uneasy doing it. "We''re enforcement, remember?" "It''s all I worry about, dammit," said Jackie. Her voice was thick with emotion. "I was supposed to keep my town safe. You saw what happened to it. Twenty two people, Ashe. That''s it. That''s all I could protect, out of the whole goddamn town." "So you''re¡ª" "I''m sayin'' I was responsible for Brian Hendricks, and I failed. I didn''t notice he went missin'', I didn''t watch out for his kid, and I sure as hell didn''t stop him when I had the chance." Jackie turned back and started walking forward. "So do it. Kill the bastard. I''ll help you find him, but don''t ever expect me to be okay with it. God knows if I''m ever gonna be able to look Natalie in the eye again." Jeremy followed. The town of Rallsburg emerged around them, like a ghost fading into existence. They stuck to the trees and the shadows, not wanting to be seen, but the town still loomed like a graveyard. The buildings were scrupulously untouched, exactly as Jeremy remembered them from the forensics pictures he''d gone over a thousand times. To his surprise, the FBI cordon seemed to be completely gone ¡ª every vestige vanished as if they''d never been there. Must''ve bailed. Probably pulled out to give the place to Cinza, and then the whole mess with Nate Price and tonight went up. "That''s my old house," Jackie murmured, pointing. Jeremy couldn''t see anything distinguishing about it ¡ª charred wood and stone framing was all that remained, the bits and pieces of what had once been a cabin. "Spent half my time in the sheriff''s station, but still, it was a good home." She pointed out more places as they continued ¡ª Dan Rhodes'' little diner, the Hendricks Apartments row for the college kids, the Kettle and Bones bar. Jackie didn''t offer any anecdotes, just a quiet identification. To Jeremy, it was as if their stories were lost along with the people who used to live inside. Even those who might have made it out, Jackie didn''t seem to want to elaborate. "Kathy Nichols, she used to teach out of that one¡­" On they walked, Jackie remembering each piece of the town while Jeremy kept his eyes peeled and his ears open. The place was uncomfortably quiet, only the crickets and frogs, plus the howl of a wolf in the distance ¡ª Natalie, no doubt ¡ª breaking the night air. "Ashe," said Jackie abruptly, pointing. Jeremy had been looking backward. He''d heard some movement nearby, and his hand was already on his holster, but there didn''t seem to be anyone near. Slowly, Jeremy turned away and checked where Jackie was pointing ¡ª the only intact structure in the town, one every forensic tech swore was haunted, one Lani had refused to set foot in. "The library?" Jackie nodded. "He''s in there." "How do you know?" "Last place we''d ever look. Only place still intact. Plenty of places to hide, and the thing''s invincible." Jackie shuddered. "Never liked that damn building myself." "Know anythin'' about it? We couldn''t turn anything up in our background checks." She shook her head. "Even Robert and the Prices were stumped. Boris didn''t find anythin'' either. It''s just always been there. Town mighta been built around it, far as we know. Nobody recorded nothin'' weird about it, just mentioned it in passin''." "And you''re sure Hendricks would be hiding in there." Jackie nodded. "I know what I sound like. Goin'' on a hunch like this. That''s not how this should work. But this time, I''m sure. Bet my life on it." Jeremy found a spot where he could watch the whole structure, a clean rock with plenty of tree cover in all directions. "Well, place clearly ain''t gonna care if we hit it again. If you say he''s there, he''s there. Moment we get anything, we call it in." He settled in, preparing for a long stakeout. Jackie took a seat next to him, watching the opposite direction, and pulled out a snack. "Ashe, Stebbins." Jeremy practically jumped off his seat. "...This is Ashe. Go ahead." "I''m at the other end of the street, holed up nice and tight. You two are looking for Hendricks, right? Over." He glanced at Jackie, who looked just as surprised and confused as he was. "...Affirmative." "I figured I wasn''t doing anything useful back at camp, so I headed out. Tracked him here, sir, over." "So where is the bastard? We were thinkin'' the big stone library. Over." "Bang on target, sir. He''s inside. Do what you gotta do. Out."
She knew it was coming. She''d seen it before, on that night. Jackie had made it their only stop on the way out of Rallsburg, against the silent protests of the others. They tried to hide it from her, but Natalie noticed anyway. She didn''t say anything, because she wanted to take something with her¡­ but in the end, there was only so much intact after the fires. "That''s my house," she murmured to Riley, though nothing there resembled a home anymore. They were getting further into the town with every passing minute. Riley led the way, showing Natalie how to move between places of cover and concealment without exposing herself too much. They flitted between shadows, two ghosts prowling the dead streets of the town. Riley didn''t say anything, just a silent nod of acknowledgment. Natalie was okay with that. She didn''t need anything else, just someone recognizing her. They took a short break when they reached the university campus. The wall was pockmarked with holes where the iron fence bars had pulled free, ripping chunks of brick away. Little piles of rubble surrounded the place. Nobody had cleaned it up. Natalie felt oddly annoyed by that ¡ª Rallsburg was a clean place. Everybody picked up after each other. Except¡­ nobody did anymore, because nobody lived there anymore. "Where would he be?" asked Riley, eating a small package crackers. She offered one to Natalie, who took it gratefully ¡ª she was surviving on just the cookies from Cinza''s, plus leftover jerky she usually fed to Gwen. There had been food in her bag, but she''d unloaded a lot of it in the Greywood for her friends. "If your home is gone, but he''s still going somewhere you''d know." "...My castle?" said Natalie, shrugging. "Except that''s not in Rallsburg, and Mr. Ashe said dad was going to Rallsburg." "Specifically?" "Huh?" "Did he say ''Rallsburg''? Or something else?" Natalie nodded confidently. "He did." Riley frowned. She glanced around, peering into the darkness. An overturned streetlamp, broken into pieces, lay across the road in front of them. Even if it were upright, though, it was the middle of the night. Rallsburg never turned its lights on at night, so it wouldn''t have helped Riley see. Natalie could still see though. "He''ll be here somewhere," said Natalie. "Somewhere I''d want to go." Riley dug into her backpack. She wore a fair-sized pack in addition to the rifle strapped over her shoulder. Natalie didn''t like looking at it, but she trusted Riley, and knew the gun might be necessary. She did her best to ignore it. After a moment or two, Riley came back with an odd-looking pair of binoculars with a head-strap. They had four lenses instead of the usual two, and there was a faint green light inside as Riley flicked a switch on the edge. "What are those?" "Night vision goggles," said Riley. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail, keeping everything out of her face, then strapped the goggles on. "I''m sorry, I only have one pair." "That''s okay." Natalie shrugged. "I can see in the dark. I did¡­ a ritual on my eyes." Riley shivered. Natalie assumed it was the cold at first ¡ª it was the dead of night in December, after all ¡ª but she was plenty bundled up. She''s afraid. But what would she be afraid of? I feel like Rook was never afraid of anything. I only met her a couple times, but still¡­ The fear didn''t go away, either. Natalie could tell, from the way she''d tensed up, the way her movements were a little more precise and rigid. Is it me? Something I said? She is right to be afraid of us. I don''t want people afraid of me. That''s awful. If they fear us, they will listen to us. No. That''s not okay. They''ll listen to us because we''re trying to help, or because we know what''s going on, or ''cause hopefully we have the right answer. People being afraid is what made¡­ all this. It''s the reason my dad''s gone. "Are you scared of me?" she asked tentatively. "No," said Riley, still peering out into the darkness, though with obviously much less effort than before the goggles. "I am afraid, but not because of you, child." "What, then?" Riley hesitated. She lifted the goggles off her face again, blinking rapidly as they adjusted from the green light back to the darkness. Natalie was grateful her own night vision didn''t suffer such a transition. "I am afraid of magic." "...Why?" "Because I do not understand it. Because I cannot control it. I will not resist anymore, but that does not lessen my fear." Riley pulled the goggles back on. "We should keep moving. He may be elsewhere, and we have nothing more to see here." "...Fear," said Natalie suddenly. Riley looked down at her in surprise. "Dad does things because of fear. He''d go somewhere nobody would expect. Somewhere he''s always been afraid of." "And that is?" "The old library." Natalie sprang to her feet. "Come on." Riley hurried to keep up, as Natalie darted through the streets. She still stuck to the shadows and alleys between the half-shattered buildings of the town, but she knew exactly where she needed to go ¡ª and the half caved-in turrets outlined against the night sky pointed the way, like a lighthouse without a flame, drawing them in. "We should not go directly there," said Riley, as they got closer. "If we get close, he may discover us, or one of his associates." "...Right," said Natalie, though in her mind, that wasn''t necessarily a bad thing. Focus on saving him first. The reunion shall wait until after we have prevented his death. I know. I just¡­ I know he''s there. He''s so close, and it''s not the middle of a battle this time. If I could just¡ª His men might kill you. They''d never! Your father would never, but you do not know his men. You cannot be certain. "There," said Natalie, pointing at the wreckage of Boris'' bookstore. To her surprise, it was actually relatively intact, compared to most of the other buildings. The hand-painted Books by Boris sign was in near-perfect condition, thrown out into the street and avoiding much of the fire damage. In fact, Natalie was pretty sure she''d actually put out the fire at Boris'', while she was riding through town trying to get people into the Market. Riley glanced around the street thoughtfully ¡ª as least, as best Natalie could tell through the goofy-looking four-eyed goggles. A faint green ring shown from each one, barely visible to Natalie, but she knew night vision could do amazing things. Finally, she nodded. "This looks good," she replied, and to Natalie''s relief, she was tilting back toward her ''Riley'' voice. Natalie had begun to mentally file the two as different sides of the woman, and she certainly preferred Riley to Rook any day. People with multiple personalities are supposed to be crazy, right? Like, mentally ill? It may just be her way of coping with stress. You have your own ways. Yeah¡­ I talk to you. It is not the same thing. Natalie shook her head. Riley didn''t notice. They headed into Boris'' shop, sneaking past the rubble piled on the outside. Riley stepped through the shattered door frame, her thick boots crunching on the shards of glass scattered across the floor. Natalie winced as she followed, and Riley noticed this time. "You need better shoes," she murmured. "Those tennis shoes aren''t going to last long out here." "I know¡­" Natalie glanced at her bag, embarrassed. "I had some boots but¡­ I took them out back at Cinza''s house. I didn''t have time to dress right." "I noticed." Natalie blushed, remembering how filthy her clothes were at this point. She wondered if she still had anything good to wear inside, but considering how dirty she was, Natalie didn''t want to put something new on without taking a good shower or a bath. "Let''s go upstairs," said Riley, nodding to the half-broken staircase. "It''ll be easier to watch the library from here." Natalie followed. Upstairs, they found the remains of a bedroom. Natalie glanced inside the closet, and for a moment, her eyes lit up at a whole rack of girls'' clothes which looked like they might fit¡ªuntil she pulled one off. A pile of ash and dust flew out, filling her lungs. She coughed, hard, trying to clear her throat, and dropped the plain yellow dress to the ground. Or, more accurately, half of a dress, as the rest had burned away. Riley looked up in alarm. She''d been setting up a place to rest her rifle, a little alcove set into the remaining half of the outer wall. There was a huge chunk missing where the window had once been, and the night breeze flowed inside, carrying away the ash and dust kicked up by Natalie''s brief exploration. Outside, the whole library was plainly visible, lit by the sinking moonlight. Percy fluttered inside through the gap, recognizing they were stopping for a while. Natalie called down to Gwen and Scrappy, letting them know to stay quiet and hidden downstairs while they waited. They''d keep watch and keep them safe. "This is a great forward position," murmured Riley. She leaned over her scope, the goggles lifted back up onto her forehead. "Clear lines down every street and a full surround of the library, including every known entrance. You picked well." "...Thanks," said Natalie, a little uncomfortable again. I don''t know if I want to be good at stuff like this. "We will know if anyone approaches. Can you confirm your father is inside?" "I¡­ I''m not sure," said Natalie. "I''ll try." Carefully, she started to reach out with her magic. She wasn''t quite as cavalier as she had been in the forest with the military patrols, since she was hiding from both awakened and normal people now. Inching her willpower across the gap toward the library was slow going, since she was making stops to watch for any other presence, any essence as Cinza called it, in the Rallsburg air. "Why does Boris have a bunch of girls'' clothes?" asked Natalie quietly as she kept it moving. Riley shrugged. She was laying flat on the bed, after having cleared it of a layer of ash, soot, and shattered glass. Her rifle was propped up on a plastic drying rack, and Riley was still leaning into it with one eye closed, so her shrug was a tiny motion. "I didn''t know much about Boris. You probably knew him better. Was he of that persuasion?" "Of¡­ what?" "Think of it like¡­" Riley paused, considering. "A secret life. I can''t say if this applied to Boris at all, but sometimes, people are very different in private." "I don''t think so¡­" "Then perhaps he had a young relative who came to stay with him." She shrugged again. "There could be any number of explanations. We may never know." "He''s still alive, you know," said Natalie. Riley smiled. "Then you should ask him sometime." Natalie''s aura finally reached the library. To her surprise, she found something. It wasn''t another presence, not exactly¡­ but it was magic. The whole library teemed with it. Every stone, every turret¡­ the place was brimming with some kind of power. She felt more closely, thinking it to be some kind of trick. Maybe it was like Omega''s tree hideouts, where there was a secret source of power hiding inside the rocks. Or maybe it was like the Greywood, pulling its energy from the land. Natalie couldn''t find anything like that though. So far as she could tell, it was the library itself which gave off the energy. Curious, Natalie tried to pull at it, just like she did with gemstones, but nothing happened. Maybe if I was closer¡­ Someone spoke, not too far away from them. Natalie instinctively ducked. Her aura fled back into her body with a faint rushing sensation, like a stream of water underneath her skin. Riley hadn''t reacted, so it was something only Natalie could hear. She strained her ears, listening carefully. "...Affirmative." "I figured I wasn''t doing anything useful back at camp, so I headed out. Tracked him here, sir, over." "So where is the bastard? We were thinkin'' the big stone library. Over." "Bang on target, sir. He''s inside. Do what you gotta do. Out." Natalie winced. She knew one of those voices pretty well by now, and she knew exactly what he was doing here. "They''re here," she murmured. "I heard," said Riley. "I assume this means Stebbins is close to us?" "Huh?" Riley pointed at her ear, and sure enough, there was an earpiece still clamped on. "Stebbins was the other speaker. You must have heard him and his radio. Which direction?" Natalie pointed at the wall, down the street from them. "He''s on our side of the street¡­ but I dunno how close." "Good enough." Riley nodded slightly, her eye never leaving the library. "Your friends are downstairs to keep us safe?" "Yes." "Then I suggest you prepare for whatever attack they might send." Riley''s voice was quickly shifting back to Rook. Natalie''s fear doubled over. She felt like she might be sick, but she knew she couldn''t afford any weakness. Anything might happen. Josh said they were going to do the magnetic ritual again. If it''s Hector, Ruby and Cinza¡­ can I block it? Am I strong enough? We are. How do we even block it? I''ve never done anything like that. I''ve blocked simple spells, and I used to mess with people all the time during council meetings¡­ but this is so much more than that. Use the resources at our disposal. "Stebbins, Ashe." "Go ahead, Ashe." "Got a guest on the line. Need your sightline to confirm. Over." "...Hi¡­ can you tell me¡­ which part¡­ he''s in?" asked Will''s halting voice, crackling through the radio. "Whatever you are going to do," Riley murmured next to her, "be prepared to do it." Her own finger hovered just outside the trigger guard of her rifle, while her eye gently traveled from side to side, scanning the area. Natalie, in a panic, opened every gem pouch in her bag and upturned it. A huge cache spilled out. Brightly colored stones rattled over the floorboards. A few of the smallest pieces fell through, landing on the floor below. Natalie plunged her hands into the cold pile, pulling on the energy of dozens at a time. Sheer magic power surged through her body. Natalie had never felt so much. She cast her aura out into the air, and suddenly it was like a huge net. Instead of feeling in a space, Natalie was suddenly everywhere at once, in a way she could barely comprehend. Her mind was racing. So much sensation, so many little tingles of magical energy, and all she could do was hold on. "We got it," said Cinza. Natalie panicked¡ªshe''d missed part of the conversation in her rush. "Stand by." "It''s about to happen," said Natalie. Riley tensed up, but it was nothing compared to the sheer anxiety rolling through Natalie''s body in waves. She was having trouble breathing. Every muscle was on fire. Her lungs were trying to pump air in and out at an impossible rate. Her eyes watered up. She couldn''t stop blinking. Every finger was twitching at random angles, completely independently of one another, brushing gems around in the pile. Natalie felt it. A huge spear of magical energy hurtled through the sky from the Greywood. Natalie''s massive net braced, as she hurled her own essence forward. A gasp escaped her lips, followed by a cry of pain. The spear landed. Natalie felt like a white hot knife had jabbed into her skull. She cried out¡ªand suddenly, Riley was on top of her. A hand went over her mouth, holding her down. Natalie''s body protested, tried to wriggle free involuntarily, but Riley was too strong, and Natalie''s mind was too busy dealing with the huge wave of pressure still emanating from the Greywood. The magic was beginning to coalesce into the familiar pattern, one she had witnessed before. It was gathering into a tight cloud, centered on one of the turrets in the library. As Natalie threw her essence out, fueled by the gemstone pile surrounding her fingers, she felt something¡­ familiar. She recognized the spell''s aura¡ªand in a sudden burst of fear, Natalie was recognized in turn. The magic abruptly vanished. Natalie stopped struggling. Her essence reeled back in like a fishing line, rushed back into her body. Riley collapsed and rolled off her, both breathing heavily. Natalie closed her eyes, too exhausted to move. Within moments, she had fallen unconscious. Outside, across the street, the library sat undisturbed¡ªand for anyone else watching that night in Rallsburg, they would have thought nothing in all the world was amiss.
When Natalie awoke, Riley was back where she''d began¡ªlaid out on the bed, watching the street with a careful eye. However, something had changed. Natalie''s gemstones were neatly piled in the closet, and a bedroll had appeared, on which Natalie now lay. "...What happened?" Natalie murmured. "Nothing," said Riley. "Nothing at all, apparently." "...Oh." Natalie frowned. "That''s¡­ that''s good, I guess?" "Cinza called after you passed out. She said Brian was being protected by ''something'', and that it might have been given to him by Jackson." Riley paused. "She was talking about you though, right? You stopped whatever they did?" "...I think so." Natalie started to get up, but a massive headache kept her down. "Everything hurts." "Here," said Riley, handing her a water bottle and a pill. "Water and a painkiller. It should help." "Does it work on¡­ you know, magic?" She shrugged. "Always worked for Stefen." "Stefen''s¡­ Viper, right?" "Yes." Riley settled back into her watchful position. "From the sound of it, they aren''t going to try again. They were already reluctant, and this apparent protection was enough to convince them it''s not a good idea. Your father should be safe tonight." Natalie forced herself to sit up, taking a full minute to adjust as her vision blacked out immediately. She drank the water slowly, swallowing the pill after half of it was already gone. Finally, as some sensation returned to her limbs, Natalie opened her eyes again. "Cinza knew it was me," she murmured. "How?" "I¡­ can''t really explain it," said Natalie. There was no way she could come up with a way to explain essences and auras and everything she''d just experienced to Riley, especially with her still-pounding headache. "But I could tell it was her spell too. So¡­ she knows I''m out here now." "Does that change anything?" "...My friends are still there," she murmured, leaning back on the bedroll again. "I''m sure they''ll be fine." "Yeah¡­ I just¡­" Natalie pulled one of the blankets up and wrapped up tight. She didn''t use magic like she normally would¡ªeven reaching for the fire inside her chest hurt now. Natalie wondered if this was how Cinza felt after the original ritual. No wonder she couldn''t do magic for so long¡­ if it hurts this much after I was just blocking her spell, using tons of gemstones, and on such a smaller scale¡­ How did she even survive? There was no answer, to Natalie''s surprise. Hello? Again, no answer. Natalie was curious, and a little hurt, but didn''t have enough left in her brain to really focus on the new mystery. She felt around for a pillow, but with how hard it was to see, she had no luck¡ªuntil one was placed gently into her hands. "Thanks¡­" "No problem," said Riley. Natalie heard her shuffle back into position again on the bed. Natalie tossed and turned for a while, but the headache proved too much distraction to fall asleep easily. On top of the pain, she was still worried about her father, no doubt sleeping only a few hundred feet away in the library, unaware how close he''d come to death that night. "Where''s Lani?" she asked finally, as she gave up on sleeping. Riley didn''t answer right away. Natalie peeked one eye open, and Riley was still awake, still scanning the street without budging an inch. Natalie let her eye slide closed again. Finally, after a few long minutes, just as Natalie was thinking of asking something else, Riley finally answered. "I told him to go back to our camp," said Riley finally. "...Was it so you could call Viper?" "No." Riley hesitated again. "It was to keep him safe." "Oh." Natalie cracked an eye open again, but Riley still hadn''t shifted an inch. "What were you doing?" "Keeping him safe." Riley''s voice cracked, ever so slightly¡ªbut still, not a single movement beyond her usual scan. "I was going to¡­ I don''t know, exactly. Turn myself in, I suppose." "Huh?" "It''s complicated. I can answer their questions." Riley sighed. "I was on my way when Stefen called." "Are you guys partners?" "In a sense, yes." Riley shrugged. "It''d be more accurate to call him my brother. We''re not related, but¡­ he might as well be, you know?" "No¡­ I never had any brothers or sisters." "No one even slightly similar?" Natalie started to shake her head, but it flared up her headache again, so she stayed still. "There wasn''t anybody my age in Rallsburg, really. Just Jenny, and she was my best friend. Everybody else was¡­ I dunno. Too old." "You might still find one. I didn''t meet Stefen until I was much older than you." "And now you gotta go save him, right?" "That can wait," said Riley gently. "Stefen is trapped, but he is not in immediate danger. This is more urgent." "...Why are you helping me?" "Many reasons." Riley adjusted her position just slightly, brushing a hair out of her face which had strayed. "I know where you have been, and I know where your path currently leads." This sounds a lot like Cinza¡­ and that didn''t end well¡­ Again, no response. Natalie was feeling oddly lonely without the voice to consider her ideas in her head. "So you think I should¡­ stop?" "I don''t know." Riley shrugged slightly. "I know my own decisions weren''t good. I don''t trust myself to make new ones right now. I wasn''t smart, and I chose poor allies. I paid for it." "Do you mean Malton?" "Niin mets? vastaa, kuin sinne huudetaan." It took Natalie a second to figure out if she''d misheard Riley due to the headache and her exhaustion, or if Riley was actually speaking another language. "Was that more Finnish?" "Yes. It means ''the forest answers in the same way one shouts at it''. I thought it fitting," she added, nodding slightly toward the rolling hills of thick woods visible past the silhouette of the library. "Basically the same as the English saying ''what goes around, comes around''." "Oh¡­" A yawn quickly overtook Natalie. Her eyes slid closed again. "Do you have people to go back to? Family?" "I don''t," said Riley quietly, as Natalie began to drift off. "I cut off the old world so I could find myself again. I gave up everything because I wasn''t ready yet." "What does that mean?" she murmured. "It means I will protect you, Natalie," whispered Riley. "Go to sleep now." "...Okay¡­" "Hyv?? y?t?," Riley murmured, and as Natalie fell asleep, she swore a hand was tucking in the blanket around her tight, trapping in warmth. She wondered, again, what Riley meant¡ªbut with her brain gratefully shutting down, she had no thoughts left to spare. She slid into a quiet, dreamless sleep, surrounded by those three friends closest to her and one silent woman with a rifle, to whom she had never spoken until that day. The day Natalie saved her father''s life. Interlude XII — Seven Decembers Interlude XII ¡ª Seven Decembers December, nineteen ninety-four, in Helsinki. White flakes fell in thick sheets, thrown around by the harsh wind. The other kids whined and complained, because their clothes were getting soaked and they could barely see, but she didn''t. Aulikki H?yh? loved the snow. When it wasn''t snowing so much, she had to watch her steps, careful to follow existing footprints. Her own feet fit neatly into the large pits made by adults, stuffed into shoes too small for her. Her toes were always sore all scrunched together, but it was still better than her feet freezing and falling off. That''s what happened if you let your feet get too cold. Everybody on the street knew that. "Likki!" shouted another kid down the block. "Seuraa minua!" Follow me! Likki shook her head. She was still going to be careful. Nobody could track her. Forget that all the other kids gave away the spot all the time, they didn''t understand how important it was to stay out of sight. She was one of the oldest in the group, twelve while most of them were only eight or nine. She had to protect them. "Likki! Kiirehdi!" came another shout. Hurry! It was much fainter this time. Likki could barely hear him anymore. The blizzard was coming down thick now. Still, Likki stubbornly kept to her pattern¡ªstep into this hole, then into that one, make sure they couldn''t follow her little footsteps. It wasn''t the police they worried about. Everybody knew the police didn''t hate them, but weren''t really on their side either. Finland was supposedly dealing with the homeless "problem". Everybody said the new laws were going to make it better. Likki wasn''t so sure, but she wasn''t very good at understanding how laws worked anyway. She never expected anybody to give her anything. Nobody ever had. A third shout, but Likki couldn''t even tell it was her name anymore. She looked up again, and realized she was lost. The blizzard had gotten so thick, she couldn''t even see the edges of the street anymore. Flakes of snow pounded into her jacket from the wind, sticking in her ripped scarf and plastering her hair. She had to hold her teeth still to keep them from chattering. She turned. There was no way she was making it home in this¡ªif their sad excuse for a home even survived the blizzard. Likki made her way into the space between the nearest buildings, crunching through the snow. The spot was covered by rooftops, so Likki wasn''t about to get a pile dumped on her head. The cold wouldn''t leave. It pressed into her bones, seeping into her blood. Likki was usually good with cold, but this seemed worse. Every limb felt stiff and raw, like it really had frozen. She had to force herself to move. Every step hurt a little bit more. She didn''t love the snowfall so much anymore in that moment. In the dark night, with sheets of snow filling the air, Likki huddled up, waiting for the ghosts to come. She was already expecting them to, even though they never had. The ghosts and spirits haunted every street, every dark shadow. She''d heard all about them. Other kids told her she was probably born to them, if she kept seeing them everywhere. It made more sense than her parents just not existing, like she believed. Spirits and ghosts were her real parents, according to all the other street kids. Likki never saw any, but she acted like she had anyway. If she didn''t, they might think she was pretending they didn''t exist. Everyone knew if you pretended they didn''t exist, that''s when they really got angry. And now, she was sure, the ghosts were watching her again. Painfully, Likki struggled back to her feet. She walked forward, and each step was a little easier. The movement started to warm her up, get blood flowing again. A vague memory of a speech from some adult flashed through her mind, about how staying still was the worst thing to do. She could get covered up by flurries or drifts, or just freeze from the cold. Likki had to keep moving and find real shelter, not an alley in the middle of the streets. She wondered if this was the sort of thing you learned in school. Likki had gone to school for a little while, but then the teachers started wondering who she was and where she came from. She didn''t stick around for them to ask questions she couldn''t answer. She learned enough, and soon after, she was back on the streets again. Of course kids in schools wouldn''t learn stuff like this, she told herself. Kids in schools got to live in real homes, not makeshift mazes of boxes and crates in back alleys downtown. If they were in a blizzard, they''d just get in their cars and go home, or they could go into a restaurant or a bank or something. People would let them in, with their nice clean clothes and clean faces. Likki brushed her messy, frozen hair out of her face as best she could. She started marching quicker, even managing to dart between gaps in the alleys and stay out of the blizzard as much as possible. But she was moving out of the city, not further into it. There were more homes and less places to hide this way. She knew the city¡ªshe didn''t know this area at all. Except¡­ further into the city meant further into the blizzard. The storm was moving away from her. If Likki kept going, she''d get out. She''d be in an unfamiliar, possibly dangerous place, but at least she''d be away from the immediate threat. She kept going. As she''d hoped, the blizzard died down little by little. Soon enough, she wasn''t getting blown around whenever she had to leave the cover of the walls. She kept going though¡ªpartly because she was afraid to stop moving, where the ghosts might come for her, but also because she wanted to see what else was out there. She''d never been this far out of the city before. Normally, Likki probably would''ve been chased off by now, or maybe picked up by the police. She was afraid of that more than anything. What if they took her away from her home? What would they do with her? Nothing good, she was sure. Everybody knew the police couldn''t be trusted. A vague scent wafted through the air. Likki smelled something delicious. It reminded her of the soup kitchen downtown, where some kids lined up in the mornings to get food from the nice ladies with silly Santa hats. Likki never did. She didn''t want their food. She could get her own. Sometimes, though, she had to make do with what was around. Likki made her way toward the scent. Someone had made fresh bread, or something along those lines. She wasn''t quite sure¡ªin her state, anything fresh smelled good¡ªbut she was drawn to it like a flame. Likki had no idea how long she''d been out in the snow at this point, but she knew one thing for sure. She needed to eat. The house had a car in the garage. Likki wasn''t sure if they might see her coming or not, so she stole down the other side of their fence. With more than a little pain, she heaved herself over the top. One of her shoes got caught on the wooden post, but Likki managed to tap it before she fell down on the other side, landing in a pile of snow. Her shoe fell down onto her face with a soft thump. Likki brushed the snow off, trying to ignore the aches in her joints, and put her shoe back on. Her foot was wet now. She''d have to find a way to dry it off before it froze up. She crouched low and walked toward the house, careful to tip-toe through the little footprints in their backyard. Likki guessed it was a dog, or some other large animal she didn''t know. Maybe they were from haltija who hadn''t gone to help Joulupukki prepare presents this year. The other kids teased her and told her there were no such things, but she knew better. Little creatures like that knew how to hide, just like she''d learned. They just wanted to be left alone. Besides, the other were dumb for believing in things like peikko. No huge rock men were taking them away from their parents. Their parents abandoned them. Likki knew that. Everybody knew that. They were just too stupid to believe it. Likki got to the porch, and found one a window that was low enough for her to reach. She pulled out a flat sharp piece of glass, remarkably strong for how brittle it looked, and slid it between the cracks, flipping the lock open. As quietly as she could, Likki crept inside, closing the window before it let out too much heat and woke anyone up. A TV was quietly droning in the other room. Likki didn''t understand the language they were speaking. Did the people who lived here not come from Finland? One of those other countries people talked about, way far away? She was curious, but she didn''t want to waste any more time thinking about it, because there was a beautiful half-eaten loaf of Christmas bread lying in front of her on the kitchen counter. She could tell even from a distance, the ruislimppu bread was still warm, and she could smell molasses and cinnamon wafting through the house too. With the heat now trickling through her clothes and the aroma filling her nose, Likki felt like she''d broken into heaven. Carefully taking off her shoes so they wouldn''t squeak, and to let her feet dry off a bit while she still could, Likki started slicing off pieces of bread. She stuffed as much as she could into her jacket, as well as any other loose bits still lying around the kitchen, and a sharp knife she could definitely use. Once she''d grabbed as much as she could, Likki turned back to the bread and sliced off a fresh piece, and bit down. Her eyes practically rolled back inside her head. Her lashes fluttered involuntarily. She had to stop herself from trembling. It was incredible. Likki ate practically half of the loaf before she could stop herself. Nobody came in the room while she dug in, to her relief. The TV kept on droning in the other room. With a half-eaten slice still clamped to her teeth, she crept through the doorway. She needed to know if she could risk resting any longer, or if she needed to be prepared to run. Not that she wasn''t prepared to run. Likki was always ready to run. Except for the TV and the crackle of a fire, the house was quiet. As Likki took another few careful, quiet steps, her shoes in her outer jacket pockets so she wouldn''t lose them, she came around to the front side of the couch facing the TV. A woman was at the end of the couch, a book open on her lap. She leaned on one hand, elbow propped up by the couch cushion. Her other hand was buried in the thick brown hair of her daughter, whose head lay on her mother''s lap. Both were fast asleep, wrapped in blankets and seated near the still-crackling fire. Likki just stared at them for a moment. She wondered what they were watching. The TV looked like it was on the news, but she wasn''t quite sure. They were still talking in another language. If she had to guess, it sounded like English, but Likki didn''t know it very well. "...Mexican Peso depreciated by another significant margin today, as President Zedillo allowed the currency''s exchange rate to float. Investors are abandoning local markets for foreign ones, particularly after claims by the Zedillo government to not devalue the peso were abandoned two days ago on the twentieth. Experts suggest a continuing downward trend in the value¡­" She stopped trying to pay attention. There were graphs and charts and things, but Likki hadn''t really been in school enough to understand what was going on. She knew how numbers worked, and she was pretty good at math, but it didn''t really matter to her. What good was math when she''d never actually have any money? Likki finished the last piece of bread. She was considering walking behind the couch and sitting closer to the fire, but something about the duo had her stuck in place. Likki felt something, deep inside her, a longing desire to be just like her. Not like the little girl. Likki didn''t have parents, and she didn''t want them anymore. It had been too long. She wouldn''t accept them even if they did show up. But¡­ watching the woman, seeing a girl curled up next to her, fully trusting in her to keep them both safe and warm and fed¡­ She wanted that. The little girl''s eyes fluttered open. Likki tensed up. If that little girl opened her mouth, Likki would run, as fast as she could. She wasn''t going to disturb this scene, this family. The little girl didn''t open her mouth. She slowly lifted one hand, and gave Likki a little wave. Likki very slowly, with dull pain still tracing the joints of her arm, lifted her own hand and waved back. The girl smiled. She opened her mouth. Likki bolted. She wasn''t about to wait around for anything the girl might say. She ran for the back window, heedless of the pain, shoving each shoe back onto her feet as she went. The woman had woken up with a start, and Likki heard another voice calling after her, but she was already gone. She burst out through the window, back into the yard, across the snow¡ªfor once, she didn''t bother to follow the existing footsteps¡ªand over the fence. Likki ran back into the city, back to the streets and alleys she knew best. Finally, just as she was starting to get exhausted again, she slowed down. There was a joulukuusi in a warm-looking corner, sitting in front of a store already closed for the night. It was sheltered from the wind, and nobody else was in sight. Likki could disappear there, since somebody would have to walk between the tree and the wall just to see her. She''d found a perfect place to set up for the night. Likki took up a spot just behind the tree, out of sight from the street proper, and pulled out another slice of bread. She wasn''t very hungry, but it was still warm, and she wanted as much as she could while it was fresh. As she ate, Likki looked up at the tree. This was her tree, she decided. She''d get presents under it this year, one way or another. Or maybe, she realized, she''d already gotten them. She''d gotten a new knife, food, and a warm place to sleep that night. It wasn''t what she wanted though, as Likki wrapped up for the night. She looked up at the sky, where the clouds were drifting away, and found her favorite star. Likki closed her eyes and made a wish, just like she did every year in December. Normally, she wished for simple things, like a better place to sleep or better food. She used to wish for a real home, but she''d stopped expecting that to ever happen. I want to be like that woman on the couch, wished Aulikki that night, as she opened her eyes again and found the star. I want to have a daughter. I''d keep her safe and warm and full, and I''d never make her sleep on the street. I''d take care of her. I want to be a mother someday, she wished, as her mind drifted away and she fell asleep, safe in her little spot behind the tree on the streets of Helsinki.
December, nineteen ninety-eight, somewhere in Europe. They were coming. She wanted to break free, but she knew it wouldn''t do any good. They''d bring her right back again. Aulikki''s friends had been disappearing one by one¡ªfriends might have been too strong a word, actually. She''d call them associates, living companions at best. They watched each other''s backs, but other than that, there was no warmth, only fear. They lived together, and naturally built up some kind of group bond, but it was purely for self-protection. Every girl in there was afraid when they''d come, and today, they were coming for her. Likki wasn''t sure how she knew it was her turn, but she did. Likki cursed herself every day for getting taken. She knew she was getting older, knew they''d be keeping an eye out for her. She was exactly the type they always wanted, the best they could sell. In some weird way, she felt pride at that¡ªshe was wanted, even if only by some sick men with horrible perversions. But she''d messed up. She''d been heading home, carefully tracing her steps as always, but she hadn''t checked every street. They were waiting for her. Likki was certain someone else on her street had given her up. There was no way they could have found the entrance to her newest living space. She was so careful, so meticulous about making sure nobody ever followed her. Only the few other people on her street, normally all trustworthy, could even hint as to where it was hidden. They''d caught her just outside, preparing for the jumps and gaps it took just to get in. She wondered if anyone would ever find it, on a tiny ledge stuffed between two buildings, high in the air, warmed by the outflow of a building''s ventilation. It even had power. She''d managed to gather a nice collection over the last few years, ever since she''d fled from her original home on the other end of Helsinki. She even had a miniature refrigerator and a cooking stove, leeching off an outlet in the side of the building from a carefully concealed extension cord she''d taken out of a hardware store. It was the perfect little home for her, high above the world where she could watch everyone. Likki wondered if she should have gone back across the city. It would have been painful, but¡­ maybe she wouldn''t have been taken. The door banged open. Men walked in, masked in black. The other girls in the room shrank back, but they zeroed in on Likki¡­ exactly as she expected. She tensed up. They could try, but they weren''t going to take her without a fight. In her hands behind her back, Likki held the rusty nails she''d pried out of the wall. She clutched them between her knuckles, waiting. The men walked across the room, which suddenly seemed impossibly long and narrow. They kept coming, as a wall filling the whole space, and every step took an eternity. Likki waited, and waited¡­ and waited. The first man was close enough. She leapt forward, not a sound escaping her lips, and plunged her fist into his chest. The nails pierced his clothes and sunk deep into his skin. "Kurat!" Shit! He tried to shove her away, but she was already moving. Likki withdrew her hand, and to her relief, the nail heads were strong enough that she could pull them out easily. Blood dripped from the ends, but her grip was still tight. To her surprise, the other men simply laughed. The one she''d stabbed was raging, still making swings at her as if drunk, but the rest simply seemed amused. Likki didn''t really understand, but she didn''t care. As long as none of them got near her, they could laugh all they wanted. The first man shouted some long string of Estonian she couldn''t quite understand. Something about his companions and being a bunch of assholes, but his accent was too thick for her. The rest of them calmed down, though they obviously weren''t taking their friend seriously. The largest of the group¡ªand therefore the leader, by the usual standards of brutes like them¡ªpointed at Likki. "Tule meile. N¨¹¨¹d." Follow us. Now. Likki shook her head. She wouldn''t speak aloud to them either. Her hands were still at the ready, nails extended like claws. If anyone came close, she''d take them down. The first man growled incomprehensibly and rushed her again. Likki ducked under his wild punch and struck again, right in his stomach. The nails raked lines of blood across his skin. He grunted in pain and backed away. The other men weren''t laughing anymore. They were watching. The man took another swing at Likki, which she dodged yet again. He was a terrible fighter, relying only on strength. Likki could take down a man that stupid any day of the week without breaking a sweat. The nails found their way into his arm this time, as he desperately tried to block. She lost one of them, but still had more than enough nails to spare and keep him at bay. "Lopettaa." Stop. Something about his tone made Likki look up. The leader had drawn a gun, and was pointing it at one of the cowering girls in the corner. He stared Likki in the eyes. The girl was too afraid to move or fight back, and they both knew it. He didn''t need to say anything. Everybody understood what he was threatening. But he made one mistake. Likki wasn''t friends with any of these girls. The man in front of her was still distracted. Likki stepped forward and slammed her knee into his groin. As he dropped low, her fist slammed into his face. He crumpled, right at the same time the leader fired his gun. Everyone in the room winced at the burst of pressure on their ears. A few of the other girls shrieked. The cowering girl collapsed, one bullet square in her brain. Likki didn''t budge a muscle. She didn''t know these other girls. She wasn''t part of this group. She''d only lived on that side of town for a year, and never made any friends, or even anything close to friends. These weren''t her people¡ªif she even had people. The leader looked surprised at her lack of reaction. He hesitated, then lowered the gun. The other two men from the original group of four were watching the one on the ground bleed out. One of them made a sick joke, and the other made a face. The leader shrugged, and fired the gun again. The man on the ground stopped groaning. "Sa v?itled h?sti," said the leader, with a vaguely impressed look on his face. You fight well. She wasn''t sure what he was trying to say. The leader gestured his two men away, and asked her to follow. Likki did, cautiously, with the nails still in her hands. They didn''t seem to be taking her anymore, not like they did the other girls. She still had her weapons, for one. It might be a trap, but anything was better than the dark room, with its pale green walls and the fresh corpse on the carpet. Likki wondered if they were going to clean it up. They went into another room in the building, much better lit, and with comfortable chairs and blankets. Likki was offered coffee, which she declined, and then hot chocolate, which she cautiously accepted. She drank it one-handed, still on her feet in the corner with the nails held tight in her other. The leader sat down at a small table and began to explain. They were members of an Estonian organization born out of the collapse of the Soviet Union, now looking to expand their operations further west. She''d been picked up and sold to them straight out of Helsinki by the Russians, and she was to be moved out today and put on the market. Likki shook her head. "Kukaan ei omista minua." Nobody owns me. The man nodded. He agreed with her. In fact, he wanted her to be an enforcer for them, rather than working a bed or getting sold to a high-profile client. After seeing her able to take out a much larger man with ease, he was impressed. She hesitated. She told him she wouldn''t do anything like what the Russians had done to her. No kidnapping girls off the streets. He agreed, again to her surprise. They would use her to protect shipments, retrieve lost items, whatever else needed doing. He felt she''d be far more valuable to them out there, especially since she seemed "cold as the ice on the street outside". Likki didn''t agree with him. She knew he thought that because she hadn''t stopped him from killing the other girl, but it wasn''t because she didn''t care. Likki hadn''t protected her because she knew the other girl was dead already. They would have killed her, or she would have been sold off and killed later. Likki had a chance, but the other girl didn''t. Stopping for her sake would simply get them both killed. If that made her cold, so be it. She finished her hot chocolate before answering, just in case they were going to take it away. After she agreed, the man escorted her¡ªwithout touching her, nor letting any of the other men near her¡ªdown to an armory. He told her to pick out a weapon, and they''d teach her to use it. Anything that caught her eye was hers, if she worked for them. Likki browsed, but nothing stuck out. There were pistols, knives, even a sword stuck in a corner. But, at the end of the row, Likki found a wooden rifle. The brown stock reminded her of the tree, the one she''d slept under back home. Carefully, she picked it up off the rack and examined it. For a moment, she wondered if it was armed, but the man quickly explained it wasn''t. If she wanted to kill him, she''d have to use her nails again. Likki didn''t react, so he continued to explain. The rifle was actually from Finland, which made her feel a little bit better¡ªFinland, in her mind, was far better than Estonia or Russia, or anywhere else they were going to take her. It was called an M/28-30, and it was a little old-fashioned, but it still did its job¡ªit killed people. She took it off the rack and held it up, like she''d seen in an American show once in an electronics store window. It felt right, pressing into her shoulder, with her eye tracing the lines of the rifle all the way down to the tip of the metal barrel. "T?m? on minun," she said, the first words she''d spoken since agreeing to the work, back in the other room. This is mine. The man raised his eyebrows, but Likki ignored him. No matter what he, or anyone else said, that rifle was hers, and would be forever from that day. She''d take care of it, she''d keep it safe, and she''d use it well. She''d protect it, and in return, it would protect her. They left shortly after, and got into a truck that pulled away from the compound into the deep snow. Night was already falling, since it was so late in the year. Glancing around, she didn''t see any street signs, or really any sign of where they were in the world. All she knew was that they weren''t in Finland anymore, according to the man driving the truck. Likki looked up out of the window, the rifle across her lap in the back seat, and gazed into the sky. She found her star, and wished for her, just as she had last year and the year before¡ªthat this December would be better than the one before it.
December, two thousand, in Afghanistan. Their leader was shouting again. Likki ignored him for the most part. She couldn''t understand him anyway. He was speaking whatever language they spoke here¡ªsomething like Pas-doh, or Pushtu, she hadn''t really been paying much attention to that part of their instructions¡ªranting about something she didn''t care for. It didn''t matter. Likki was here to do her job, like she always did. That''s what they paid her for. Only, this time, for whatever reason, she''d been loaned out, along with a few others, to come help the Taliban in Afghanistan. She had no idea what they were doing there, or why the Taliban could possibly need help from a few random enforcers, but it didn''t matter. As long as she could go home eventually. It was too dry here. She missed the snow. Finally, they climbed into trucks and set off. They bounced along rough roads, or sometimes no roads at all. One of the trucks at the front of the convoy had a gun mounted in the bed. Hers was toward the back of the small convoy, with the other three members of her team and a translator driving. Likki was the only girl in the whole group of twenty or so, but she was pretty sure nobody knew she was a girl. Her clothes were loose enough to hide her appearance, and she wore her hair short lately, after a fight where long hair became a serious liability. Between that, the thick clothes, and the face concealment to shield out the dusty wind, Likki didn''t really look any different from her companions. So long as she never spoke, of course. Not that Likki ever needed to speak on a job. Her rifle spoke plenty. A village was coming up ahead. Their trucks were starting to spread out, kicking up huge clouds of dust as they encircled the place. Likki was starting to get suspicious. What were they doing out here? This didn''t seem even remotely related to their typical work. She had a vague idea of how the Taliban operated, but how was that even remotely related to her? Likki leaned forward in her truck bed, dropping her voice so it wouldn''t be overheard by their translator. "What are we doing here?" she asked. It was standard procedure to avoid using Finnish, Estonian, Russian, or anything that could link back to them while out of their territory. They didn''t do so well with accents, but the leadership insisted, so Likki went along with it. She was picking up languages fast anyway¡ªFinnish and Estonian weren''t very different, and Russian she picked up very quickly after realizing how much she''d need to use it. English was her latest acquisition, and she felt like she already had a pretty good grip on it. In some small part of her mind, she''d wanted to learn English because she wanted to go to America someday. She''d heard all about America from some of the older members of the organization¡ªhow the mighty empire had won and toppled their Union, how everyone there ate like kings and lived in massive homes. She didn''t really believe them, but she still wanted to see it for herself someday, one way or the other. Her associate shrugged. "We do what he say," he replied, nodding at the translator. "Orders of boss." "He''s not one of us," said Likki carefully. The man shrugged again and looked forward, clutching his AK-47 between his legs. Likki leaned back, since she wasn''t going to get a real answer, and examined her rifle. It was getting dusty from all the wind, but cleaning it would be futile in their rush toward the village. The place had been fully encircled now, and two of the trucks¡ªthe one with the machine gun and another¡ªwere driving into the center now. Her truck followed them in. "Everyone!" their translator supplied as the apparent leader of the Taliban group stood atop his truck. "Out of your homes right now!" Two of the men in the lead truck fired their rifles into the sky. Likki winced at the waste of ammunition and the carelessness. Still, she couldn''t deny it was effective. From every door in the village, people streamed out. Men holding their children, women wrapped up tight, everyone practically stumbling over each other as they hurried out into the open. They all knew there was no point in running or hiding. The little village was surrounded. Trucks were still circling the place, engines roaring and echoing off the hills at the edge of their land. Goats bleated from a pen nearby, terrified. The Taliban leader grabbed five men, seemingly picking them out of the crowd, but Likki was almost certain he''d chosen at random. They were shoved down onto their knees in front of the well around which the village had been built. Two of them raised their eyes to the sky, murmuring prayers under their breath. "We are in charge," said the translator, as the leader of their group began a rant. "We have come to bring together all the peoples of Afghanistan, but you refuse us? The world is against us! Afghans must unite!" Likki got out of the truck. She leaned against the warm body, gazing at nothing in particular. She felt bored. This was pointless. The villagers weren''t about to start attacking them, and the Taliban were more than well-armed. What was she doing there? What were any of them doing there? Why did they even care about this little village in the middle of nowhere? "...so they pay the price!" said the translator. Likki looked up, just as two of the Taliban soldiers executed the five men in front of the well. She winced. The crowd fell on their knees, pleading. People were crying. It all seemed so¡­ so meaningless. "Have you learned your lesson?" Likki looked back up at the sky again. One of her team glanced at her, curious, but this was a common thing for her. Everyone knew that the quiet Finnish teenager with the rifle was always obsessed with the stars. It was the middle of the day, of course, so they couldn''t see them yet, but everybody knew she was still looking. None of them ever knew why, of course, nor that it wasn''t the stars¡ªjust one in particular. No matter where she ended up in the world, Likki always made sure she could find her star, and knew there was still hope. Something else was happening, but Likki didn''t feel like looking down. There would be more ranting, maybe a little more killing, and then it''d be over. They''d leave, she''d ask again if she could get out of the country and go back north, and invariably one of them would say no. It had been over a month now, the longest job they''d ever been sent on. "...and now we have allies from afar!" "Likki," murmured the closest of her companions. She looked down. The translator was looking at her expectantly¡­ as was the speaker in the center of town. She walked forward, rifle in hand, unsure what was about to happen. The man beckoned her forward, looking excited, almost friendly. She resisted the urge to recoil from him. The man spouted a sentence in Pashto, pointing at the head of the kneeling pair in front of him. Likki had no idea what he''d said, but the meaning was more than clear. She was to kill this one. The rifle came up. Likki''s finger curled out over the trigger guard, just outside, ready to strike. She looked down the sight, checking her aim, even though the target was less than a meter away. As her eyes adjusted, Likki caught¡ªonly for a moment¡ªthe faces of who she was meant to kill. A young girl, clinging to her mother''s breast, and a sobbing woman''s eyes pleading for her life. Likki knew it was insane, but for an instant, she saw the face of the girl back in Helsinki, on the couch in her home just before Christmas. She hesitated, her finger hovering over the trigger, and knew they were already suspicious. Likki was the ice-cold killer. This was why they''d wanted her, why they''d sent her in and chosen her to kill this woman. Under any other circumstances, Likki would kill anyone, without hesitation, without a single emotion crossing her face even as she buried her true feelings deep in her heart. She killed, simple as that, and this should have been no different. She couldn''t do it. The man repeated whatever he''d said, a little more urgently. Likki''s finger curled forward again, but she''d already made up her mind. This was just a show now, just a play she was acting out while she plotted her next move. No matter what happened, she was going to make sure that little girl survived. The man asked a third time, and took a step forward¡ªand Likki struck. She slammed the butt of her rifle into his groin, too fast for him to react. He crumpled. Before anyone else realized what was happening, Likki had turned and fired a round into the gunner on the back of the technical, knocking him out out of the picture as well. She ran for cover, just as the quickest of the Taliban soldiers were lifting their rifles to retaliate. Gunfire erupted through the village. People scattered in every direction. Likki dove into the nearest home with a window, rolling across the floor while glass shattered above her. She crawled over the rug and past a water jug. As soon as she''d turned the corner into the kitchen and stood up, a bullet slammed into it. The jug burst. Water splashed out all over the floor, soaking into the rug, covering her boots. Likki winced, remembering her frozen shoes that night, and twisted around. Her rifle found an easy target¡ªone of the soldiers had rushed into the house after her. A single pop. He died just as quickly. Wailing filled the village now, along with so many confused shouts in Pashto, English, and even a little Russian. Likki ran up the staircase onto the second floor of the little home. She knew the soldiers didn''t have grenades. As long as she could keep anyone off the mounted machine gun, they didn''t have anything to flush her out. She found a perfect alcove, where she could see both the bottom of the staircase and the gun on the technical. A Taliban soldier was just climbing up. She dropped him dead, right on top of the first body still lying in the truck bed. Engines roared back into the village as the other trucks returned. Likki twisted around and placed another shot into the windshield, but she missed the driver. It still worked, as the driver panicked and twisted the wheel. The truck slammed into a wall, disabled, and with a static target, Likki easily put another two bullets into the men crawling out of crushed cabin. AK fire peppered her building. Likki''s spot was deep enough that the bullets weren''t penetrating every layer, but the rattle on the wall below was distracting. She had to focus, as she took out another soldier rushing her building. That made six, out of the twenty who''d come to the village. Or should she count for twenty-three? Were her companions coming to kill her as well? She couldn''t be sure. It didn''t matter, she realized. Likki was never going back now. If she even made it out of this alive, she was stuck here. They needed the Taliban to transport and guide them. None of her group had a clue where they were. Likki killed another soldier, someone who thought himself clever by finding a position opposite her in another building on the second floor. The moment he emerged, she put a bullet through his neck. A third soldier tried to get on the technical''s mounted gun, and she dropped him as well. The engines started to fade. She didn''t hear any more gunfire. Likki waited, holding her position. She didn''t believe them yet, and she knew she''d already found the best spot to defend herself. The village was so bare, and there wasn''t much foliage in the surrounding landscape, just wide rolling hills. Moving would be suicide. Likki waited. After twenty minutes of quiet, with only the continued wailing of the villagers, someone finally dared to approach her building. Likki took aim, but kept her finger well away from the trigger. It was the woman she''d been asked to kill. She took one cautious step forward, gingerly walking over the body sprawled on the floor. Likki wondered if this was her home, by sheer coincidence. The woman took another step, and then another, until she could see Likki''s spot up on the staircase.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. The woman said something she couldn''t understand. "Bezopasnyy?" asked Likki in Russian. Safe? The woman cocked her head slightly. She tried again in Finnish, and the variant in Estonian just in case. "Turvallinen? Turvaline?" Still, the woman didn''t understand. She looked afraid, but¡ªshe hoped¡ªnot of Likki. Likki lowered the gun a little, but not so much she couldn''t still shoot if there was a Taliban soldier waiting just out of sight. "Safe?" she finally tried in English. The woman''s eyes lit up slightly. She nodded. "Safe," she replied. "You speak English?" "A little," she said. "Americans came once. They speak English. I wanted to learn. I go to school and learn English." "You speak it good." "Well," she corrected, smiling slightly, but something was wrong. Likki could see it in her eyes. She lowered her rifle. "Where is she?" The woman shook her head. "No. Don''t ask. Please." "Where?" The woman led her back out of the building. The men were picking up the guns, piling them in a corner of the village near the crashed truck. Likki saw her three companions being carried away¡ªevidently, the Taliban had expected them to turn as well. A few of their own had died, and every corpse was treated with the utmost care. The girl was among them. The woman saw the body and started wailing again. Likki immediately recognized her voice as the one who''d been crying throughout the firefight. She felt pain, an emotional pain she hadn''t recognized in years, and one she''d never wanted to feel again. A man walked over to Likki cautiously. "You not Russian," he muttered. "Not them either," he added, jerking his head at one of the bodies being carried from Likki''s chosen building. "No." "They come back. They not give up." "No," she agreed. Likki looked at the pile of rifles they were stacking up thoughtfully. She glanced back at the man, but he was already shaking his head. "Not fighters," he said, gesturing at the village. Likki nodded. She was already putting together a plan, positions to set up, places where she could entrench herself. She glanced up at the sky, where night was already starting to fall. Her star was still up there. She sighed. She wasn''t getting out of Afghanistan anytime soon after all. As Likki got to work, collecting all the weapons and ammunition she could gather, directing some of the villagers to help her get the technical out of sight, and preparing for the inevitable. Likki found her star, and wished for her again, the same one she made every year now. She wished that this December would be better than the one before it.
December, two thousand-one, in an unnamed village in Afghanistan. They''d taken it from her, after a long and grueling war of attrition. Likki was still alive, to her credit, but she was so low on ammunition and supplies that she didn''t have any hope anymore. Her little camp in the hills near her village was a shell of its former self. The villagers didn''t want much to do with her anymore either. After all, she made their life difficult. Some of them remembered what she''d tried to do, and encouraged her. The woman had died, though, as had the man she''d spoken to that day. The Taliban came back, more than once, and after the third or fourth try, they finally decided to start killing villagers again. That was when Likki started using the technical against them. They never managed to figure out where she''d concealed it. Likki had found a spot which reminded her a great deal of the little nook tucked between buildings back in Helsinki¡ªa gap in the hills where the ground dipped down sharply, almost unnaturally so. She drove the technical up there, and covered it up with netting she''d painted herself to camouflage perfectly into the hills. When the heavy gun opened up, only the muzzle flashes could give it away, and the Taliban were too busy ducking for cover to spot her. But it ran out of ammo eventually. She''d been protecting the village for eight months when it went dry. After that, she had to get closer, using her huge supply of AK-47s (and the ammo the Taliban so courteously left behind every time they tried again) and the various trenches and dugouts she''d built. Likki had a lot of time on her hands. The villagers provided her food and water, and a couple even talked to her occasionally, but for the most part, she was a ghost. To Likki, it was deeply ironic¡ªshe''d become one of those she''d always feared, a specter looming out of the shadows and the secret places, striking where one least expected. She never gave anyone in the village her name. Likki feared that if her name started spreading, the Ob?t?ak might come back for her. They''d always considered her valuable, sending her on some of their most difficult tasks¡ªand worse, she knew things. Likki had intimate knowledge of their inner workings, gained painstakingly over the years. She knew they''d want her back. Likki was never going back. By October, she was running low on everything, and the villagers weren''t very happy with her either. The Taliban, recognizing how hard it was to take her little village, had opted just to cut the whole place off. None of the kids were going to school anymore, they weren''t trading with anyone. The whole place was isolated and lonely. She wondered why that was a problem. They certainly seemed self-sufficient. It didn''t matter. Around the end of the month, the Taliban came back. Likki wasn''t caught off-guard, but she just didn''t have enough left to use. She was down to the last few magazines for the AKs, along with a couple hundred shots for her own rifle. Likki dreaded when she had to switch to those. She''d always been planning to save her rifle for an escape, possibly across the border. The technical still had gas, since she hadn''t moved it in months. If she could get the engine started, she could run. But she''d promised the girl and her mother. Even though they were both dead, she was going to protect this village. Her old clothes had started to fall apart. One of the villagers graciously gave her a black outfit, long and flowing. They''d long-since realized she was a woman, despite her initial appearance, and it seemed to set a few of them on-edge. Likki didn''t care, as long as she could keep protecting them. But she couldn''t. The village was claimed, and the Taliban added it to their collection. Likki was forced to stay in hiding, and though a few of the villagers managed to sneak her food every week, Likki knew it couldn''t last. December began, and Likki was on the verge of giving up. She barely had anything left. Rifle and an AK strapped to her back underneath the black outfit and ammunition in her pack, Likki went down to the village. She intended to get as much food as she could before setting off, avoiding the Taliban patrols and the police as much as possible. It didn''t work out as she intended. She''d made it into the village when the engines started to roar. Likki looked around, expecting to see the usual complement of Taliban trucks¡ªuntil she remembered they were already in the village. These weren''t pickup engines either, these were louder. A loud thump echoed off the hillside. Canisters landed at the edge of the village, billowing white smoke. Taliban soldiers turned to engage, but they were shredded down by precise rifle fire. As Likki ran inside the nearest building and up the stairs, the engines started to get louder. She reached the top and found a perch, a set of wooden poles extending out over the side of the building with a blanket draped over time. Likki laid down on top, rifle within arm''s reach but still concealed, watching the soldiers roll in. As she watched their movements¡ªorganized, efficient, brutally effective¡ªLikki mentally revised her assessment of the Taliban men she''d always been fighting. Those weren''t soldiers. These were soldiers. They wore tan uniforms, rolling in on humvees, with teams working in tandem to quickly clear buildings. A few were shouting in Pashto, instructing the locals to take cover. Likki hadn''t learned much Pashto yet, but she recognized that phrase. The soldiers swept through the village. Likki kept her rifle out of sight, afraid they might shoot if she seemed to be armed. She didn''t look like any of the Taliban soldiers¡ªof course she didn''t, she was female¡ªbut she still knew how trigger-happy people could get under pressure. Better to stay low on her little perch, black clothes against the black sheet she''d laid down on, and wait for the sweep to finish, for the soldiers to leave her village again. Someone shouted an order in English. Likki hesitated. If they were speaking English¡­ were these Americans? Another shout in English. Her ears were ringing from the gunfire¡ªshe''d forgotten her earplugs, and hadn''t thought to put them in while she was still crouched out of sight. She couldn''t understand them yet, but it was definitely English. The wailing started up again, just as it had every time a firefight broke out in the village. They hated it. They just wanted to live in peace. Likki knew some of them blamed her staying around as the reason they weren''t left alone. She also knew that if she left, they''d be bothered more, and besides¡ªshe didn''t have anywhere else to go. She waited. The gunfire began to die down. American soldiers were shouting more orders¡ªand she was sure they were American now, they kept saying it over and over¡ªtelling Taliban soldiers to surrender, asking the locals to help, taking control. Likki listened close, trying to pick out a leader, gather any information she might need. The door to her building banged open. Likki was up above the second floor. She peered through the cracks of her perch, watching the soldiers clear the home. They moved up through the stairs smoothly, clearing the left, right, everything. One of them looked up. Likki made a split-second decision and didn''t move. She let her rifle sit out of sight. She didn''t grab it. It saved her life. The soldier shouted at her in Pashto¡ªeither to get down or to hide, she wasn''t sure. "I speak¡ª" Likki said, then immediately coughed. A huge cloud of dust had wafted past, filling her throat. She cleared it and tried again. "English." The soldier hesitated. "What''s your name?" She hesitated. If her name got out¡­ He lowered his rifle a little. "You ain''t Afghani, are ya?" "No. I''m not." "Huh." He let his rifle swing on its strap, raising his hands in a peaceful gesture. "How''d you get all the way out here?" "It''s a long story." She glanced around. "Is the village secure?" "Yeah, all green." He shrugged, a weird grin on his face. "You know what you look like?" "What?" "A rook. You look like a rook perched up there." "...I don''t know that word." He screwed up his face a bit, like he was thinking hard. "It''s a bird. Black bird with a pale white face stickin'' out. Just like your pale-ass face." The soldier shrugged again. "Fuck it, I''m no goddamn poet. You comin'' down or what?" "...I have a rifle." "What?" "If I come down, I will be armed. Please tell your men not to shoot." "...Ain''t my men." He frowned. "I gotta take any weapons I find. Nobody armed while we''re here." "I will not surrender my weapon to anyone. I am not a threat to you." The soldier shook his head. "This is above my damn pay-grade. I''m gonna call an officer, okay? He''ll make the call." He twisted one of his shoulders forward and clicked a button on his radio. "Yo, LT. Buildin'' six, got a non-local who won''t come out. Can you get in here? Over." "I copy, Corporal. On my way." They waited in silence, Likki''s hand still prepared to snatch her rifle up in an instant. The soldier was glancing around the room uneasily, his hand clenching around the grip of his own rifle every few seconds. He was still coming down off the adrenaline rush. Likki recognized it from her old days of working with men like him. This man was more professional, but he was the same as the rest. A heated warrior, a fighter, a passionate killer. He would become enraged, infuriated, frustrated, distracted, and any number of other emotions. This man was just like all the others. The lieutenant arrived, in the same uniform, but with a few extra radio antennae and other equipment. "What''s going on?" "Got a woman up there. She ain''t local, speaks English better ''n you LT. She says she''s armed and won''t give it up." His commanding officer looked up. His eyes were soft blue¡ªalmost baby-like. Likki remembered them distinctly for many years later. He did not seem like a soldier, even though she saw him fight and kill as viciously as any of the others many times. "Hello¡­" He trailed off, glancing at his man. "Rook," the corporal supplied with a shrug. "...Rook," said the lieutenant, looking back up at her. "Where are you from?" "Finland," Likki replied honestly. She believed it a safer choice, in case they quizzed her, and it wasn''t so unique as to trail back to her old employers very easily. After all, they weren''t from Finland. "Finland?" blurted the corporal. The lieutenant shot him a look to shut him up. "And what are you doing out here?" "Protecting this village." "...Uh-huh." "Sir," said another voice. A third man had just walked in, with even more radio equipment stacked on his shoulders. "Talked to one of the locals. We found out why this village held out so long. Wasn''t rebels or nothing. They said they had a ghost protecting them." The lieutenant stared at him, dumbfounded¡ªthen, in unison, all three looked up at her. Likki nodded. "You held off the Taliban, solo, for ten months?" asked the lieutenant. "I did." "Why?" She hesitated. She didn''t want to answer, of course, and there was no chance she was about to tell them the truth¡­ but if she said nothing, she wouldn''t get to leave. And that was the goal, now. Likki wanted them to take her with them. This village was either going to be held by the Taliban or the Americans. It would never be peaceful again, and even if it were, Likki didn''t belong here. She longed for the cold, for snow, for home. The Americans were her best chance to get there. "I''m trying to go home," she answered, a truth she could share. They glanced at each other, obviously dumbfounded. "This is the weirdest fuckin'' hearts and minds mission I ever been on," muttered the radio man. "Well, she''s technically the mission, ain''t she?" said the corporal. "We wanted to know why this fuckin'' place of all places held out so long. She''s it. Can''t we pay her back for all that?" "I have to call this in," said the lieutenant. "Jameson, with me." The two left, leaving Likki with just the corporal again. He leaned against the wall and pulled out a cigarette, lighting up. After taking a drag, he offered it to Likki. She shook her head¡ªshe''d tried cigarettes once, a few years ago, but they only made her feel sick. The corporal shrugged and leaned back again, taking another deep drag. "So, Rook," he asked casually. "How the fuck do you hold a village on your own for ten months agains the whole goddamn Taliban?" "Patience." He chuckled. "Damn straight. But seriously?" Likki hesitated. She genuinely considered telling him¡ªbut an instant later, she saw something. A woman was sprinting down the road into the village, completely covered up. Likki knew everyone in her village. This woman wasn''t one of them. The Americans had started moving toward her. The villagers knew better, and started to shout warnings, but the Americans didn''t understand them. Likki had to act. She grabbed her rifle. The corporal started to react, but Likki had already taken the shot. The bullet struck right in the running woman''s chest. An instant later, she exploded. Americans dove for cover. The corporal ducked inside their building, though he was quite safe. Shrapnel peppered the walls near the explosion, but to Likki''s relief, no one had gotten significantly wounded¡ªAmerican or villager. She''d protected them all, once last time. She carefully set her rifle back down again, hoping she hadn''t just ruined her chances to leave. "Report!" "The runner was a suicide bomber, LT. Not sure who took the shot, over." The corporal glanced up at her. Likki nodded. He grabbed his radio. "LT, come in." "Go ahead, corporal." "Rook got her." "..Say again, Corporal Gearhardt?" The corporal grinned. "Tell my sergeant we got one more in our humvee tonight. No fuckin'' way are we leavin'' without her." He glanced up at Likki, now¡ªas she would be known for years to come¡ªRook. "Come on down. Bring that rifle and whatever else you got." Likki started to move, cautiously at first, but the corporal seemed genuine. He smiled again, offering an arm to help her down from the perch with rifle still in hand. "You''re with us now." For an instant, Likki believed him. As she climbed down, casting aside the thick black clothes for her old garments and following the young corporal back into his humvee, Likki looked to the sky again. It was getting darker now, and the stars were just barely beginning to shine in the sky. She found her star once again, and wished for her, just as she had the previous year. She wished that this December would be better than the one before it.
December, two thousand-ten, somewhere in Afghanistan. She leaned in on the rifle, watching down the polished wooden rail and the metal barrel, waiting. They''d been waiting for hours, but Rook could keep going even longer. This was their specialty. Viper was right next to her, as he had been through nearly her whole time in Afghanistan. After the first painful year, they''d happened upon each other in that nameless village. Pure chance brought them together. The village didn''t exist anymore. It had vanished sometime in the last eight years. Rook wondered occasionally what had happened, but that sort of intelligence never made it down to their rank. She adjusted her position just slightly, freeing up a cramp that had begun to form. "Movement," Viper murmured. "Three-fifty-two, thirteen minutes. Seven hundred meters." She adjusted. There was a faint speck all the way out there in the hills, barely visible to the naked eye. Rook''s eyes were far better than normal, according to the doctor back at the FOB. She saw things without a scope some soldiers had trouble seeing with every electronic enhancement in the bag. Between her uncanny eye and her deadly aim, she''d cleared the marksman''s exam with one of the highest scores ever seen¡ªand all with a non-standard rifle. They let her keep the old M/28-30, the very same rifle she''d once pulled out of an Ob?t?ak armory when she was sixteen, though she did have to modify it to allow for long range and other specialized sights as needed. She hadn''t known her old employers were called that at the time¡ªin fact, she wasn''t sure they were called that at the time¡ªbut it had been so long now. Rook wondered if they still remembered her. She doubted any of them were still looking for her, at any rate. Many times, over the years, she''d considered telling Viper her real name. She knew his, obviously¡ªshe''d learned it the day she met him. But Viper just called her Rook, or Tess in private. Everyone did. When she''d finally gotten cleared to join the Marines, after a long painstaking process spearheaded by Viper and his lieutenant, she''d put down the name ''Tessa Hunter'', taking the first name from the cover of a magazine nearby. Even the officer taking her paperwork rolled his eyes, but it didn''t matter. Nobody cared, because everybody knew who she was, and everyone knew she was worth having on their side. "Firing." Rook pulled the trigger. Her rifle cracked. Viper called it a second later. "Adjust down one." "Firing," said Rook again. She dropped her aim a notch and pulled the trigger. "On target. He''s done." Rook let out her breath and relaxed slightly. Viper rolled over and began to pack up. She glanced over at him. "Are we leaving?" "Yeah." He shrugged. "Well, five minutes anyway. They''re dropping this post. Everyone out." She raised an eyebrow. "We just took this position a week ago." Viper rolled his eyes. "And now brass thinks we gotta go somewhere else. You know how this shit goes." Rook sighed. "? lintu varrai laulaa, sen sy?v?t kissat." "And what''s that one mean?" "Impatience will get us all killed." She started packing up nonetheless. She might be an official soldier now, but she wasn''t technically a citizen of the United States. She existed in a strange half-state, belonging to no one beyond her squad, and perhaps Finland in some long-lost way. If they chose to leave her, Rook would certainly be abandoned again, left in the Afghan wilderness to fend for herself once more. She wasn''t going through that again. "No shit." Viper rubbed at his arm, scratching an itch inside the sling. Still, they''d held the position, and scared off any attempt at a Taliban approach for days at this rate. "You good?" "I am ready." They climbed out from their perch in the rocks, down the steep rear slope and out of sight of any Taliban-occupied territory. Down below, Rook could already see soldiers taking down the OP. They looked frustrated, even from this far away. As she''d said, they''d only just taken this position, and already, they were abandoning it. No one understood why. She hated it, they hated it, everyone hated it. It was beginning to feel like she was trapped again, even though she enjoyed more freedom than she had in nearly sixteen years, when she was still a girl on the streets in Helsinki. She still had to take orders from men she did not respect, whose intelligence and expertise she doubted, and whose professionalism was lacking at best. Her fellow soldiers were far better, but they too were trapped by the chain of command, stuck at the end of nowhere. Rook''s only relief was that she''d been assigned to an independent position¡ªa scout-sniper pair with Viper, where they could operate in peace, without direct orders passed on by frustrated lieutenants and sergeants as much in the dark as they were. Well, not without any orders, but far less than she used to receive. When Aulikki had first followed Corporal Stefen Gearhardt and the rest of the Americans back to their forward operating base, she was first greeted with outright suspicion. They wouldn''t let her in the base until a very long and angry meeting between the lieutenant and the base commander finally gave her access. She walked forward, and was asked for her rifle¡ªprompting another long debate. Finally, they gave her a place to stay in the corner of one tent section. Viper came to visit her often¡ªthough he hadn''t chosen his own callsign yet at the time¡ªkeeping her up to date with what was going on, as well as any news on a ride out of the country. None ever came. After a full year stuck at the FOB, Likki saw the writing on the walls. She went to the lieutenant and asked if she could join them on their next mission. After all, she still had her rifle, and she still practiced every day at their range, scrounging spare ammo where she could. She was a better shot than anyone in the entire base. The lieutenant accepted¡ªall of his men had heard the story of the village ghost, the rook who''d fought off the Taliban all on her own for nearly a year. She rode out on their very next mission. Two years later, she joined the Marines, in that same unit. The lieutenant had been promoted away, but the rest were still good men, and Corporal Gearhardt was still right there alongside her, through every single mission. She wasn''t sure why they''d bonded. Perhaps it was pure chance. She didn''t believe in fate. Nonetheless, she and Stefen became a tight-bonded duo, inseparable. They weren''t close by anyone else''s standards, but both of them understood how unique their friendship was¡ªand how far they would go to protect one another. It wasn''t the same as how she felt about the girl, or the village, or back in Helsinki. Rook didn''t feel as though she was responsible for Viper. They were partners, equals. He protected her as much as she did him. Even with his dead arm, lost to shrapnel a few years back, she would trust no one else with her life. They''d saved each other more times than she could count over the past eight years. "I dunno about you," muttered Viper as he climbed into the passenger seat of their scout car. He always rode and operated the radio, while Rook drove. Their vehicle was smaller than most of the humvees around them, built specially to get around faster and over much rougher terrain. "But I''m gettin'' pretty sick of this damn country." "I have been wanting to leave since the day I arrived," Rook reminded him, a touch annoyed. She had infinite patience in the field, but when conversing with Viper in their own vehicle, she did draw a few lines. "And I have been here longer than you have." "So why the fuck are we stickin'' around?" "I am still waiting for you to answer that question." Viper snorted. "Fair enough. Here''s my answer: I got a ticket out of this shitshow." Rook didn''t respond right away. She wasn''t sure if she believed him. She''d now spent nearly half of her life in this country, and most of it fighting amongst American soldiers. Memories of her home were a distant dream, the vague desire for America a fleeting fantasy. Did she dare let such hopes resurface from the depths she''d buried them? "Well say somethin'', Tess." Rook slowly shook her head, being careful to keep them on the road following the next cloud of dust ahead¡ªthe next humvee in their convoy, which she noted with relief had its gunner properly aligned to cover his sector. She glanced at him, and saw it in his face. He was serious. "Yes," she said finally. "What?" "My answer is yes." "I didn'' ask you anythin'' yet." "You were about to." Viper grinned. "Want to get out of here?" "As I said. Yes." Rook kept them on track following the vehicle in front. For all the world to see, she hadn''t reacted in the slightest. This was her greatest skill in the field¡ªshe never faltered in the moment. When she needed to turn her emotions off, they were off. Inside, she was elated. "When?" she asked, not taking her eyes off the road. "Soon as we set up at the next FOB, I got us an exit. Remember Lieutenant Wynn?" "Your first commander," she replied. He raised an eyebrow. "Yours too, you know." She didn''t answer. Of course he had not been her first commander, but Viper would never learn her history. "Anyway, Wynn got you a ticket out. You''re on a flight leavin'' tomorrow, and I''m along for the ride. Guess they want me to escort you," he added with a roll of his eyes. "You would not survive a day escorting me." "Fuck, I probably wouldn''t survive ten minutes." "...An hour, perhaps." Viper snorted. "Anyway. We''re flying out west." Rook hesitated. She wasn''t sure if she wanted to ask. Viper wasn''t aware of her long-standing desire to visit America, but at the same time, he had to know she never wanted to stay in Afghanistan. As the FOB finally came into view, she couldn''t wait any longer. "...America?" she asked, breaking her patience for one of the first times in her life. "Huh?" Viper shook his head. "Nah. Close, though. We''re goin'' to the U.K. I got a friend there. He''ll hook us up with a place to stay, cash, whatever we need." Viper shrugged. "He''s a rich motherfucker, but he''s one of the good ones." "I see." "....That cool?" asked Viper uneasily. "I mean, I know you''re from Finland. We could try to get you back there, if you got family or somethin'' you''re tryin'' to fin¡ª" "I will come with you." "...You good, Tess?" "Mett? antaa, mit? mett?l on," she replied. The forest gives what the forest has. "...And that one means¡­" Rook didn''t answer him. After a few minutes, Viper turned back to face the road. A radio call came in for a check-in anyway, and he answered it. They rode in silence the rest of the way into the FOB. All the while, Rook reminded herself not to expect anything more than what she had found for herself. America would be the same as all the others, she knew. She had been disappointed in every new place she went. The U.K. would follow the pattern, but at least she was traveling with someone she trusted¡ªeven enjoyed, to a degree. Every December had not been better. Some had been worse, some had been much worse, but none had ever truly improved. Rook took to it as she did everything else: she endured. This was another year since the first, fourteen years ago¡ªthe year she had stopped being a child, the year her life had come crashing to a halt. Every year, she looked up to her star and wished for a better December, and this was no different. Every year, the most significant events of her life happened in December, and every year, she feared her memories. She focused on the future, on the next one, always looking forward¡ªbecause to look back was a fate worse than death itself. Likki looked up to the sky, as she sat outside their tent in the FOB and watched the stars above. She found her star, and she made a wish for her¡ªthat this December would be better than the previous one.
December, nineteen ninety-six, in Helsinki. Aulikki H?yh? stumbled down the street, barely able to keep the bundle in her arms. She was following the gaps in the snow, though of course, she had no idea if it even mattered anymore. What more could happen to her, what worse things could be done? She''d made it, little by little, painstakingly sneaking through the streets in the dead of night. Who knew what monsters lurked in the shadows¡ªor worse, in the daylight? Likki didn''t just fear the ghosts and the spirits anymore, she feared everything. There were monsters among men, just as there were amongst the dead. Likki had known them all year now, and she had feared them. She fled from them. Fear pulsed in her heart with every step. She knew what she was doing ran against every instinct in her body, but how could she possibly turn back? She couldn''t live like this. Not¡­ not with her. Likki kept moving, forcing her legs forward, though her body struggled against her. Her mind had to overcome every nerve, every muscle, forcefully taking control like a puppeteer fighting the tangled strings of their puppets. Likki took another step, and then another. The snow crunched under her feet. She realized she hadn''t stepped in the footprints like she was supposed to. Another burst of fear shot through her. Likki looked over her shoulder, half-expected to see someone behind her¡­ anyone. Nobody was there. She found a new burst of energy and ran¡ªsprinted through the snow. It seemed like another blizzard might be coming, or maybe that was just how Likki felt. Her cheeks were frozen solid, and she''d lost her scarf somewhere in her rush to get away. A clock showed eleven thirty-five. It was almost New Year''s. Almost January. Almost a full week since it happened. She couldn''t go into the new year like this. Likki couldn''t stand it. She didn''t know what she was thinking. How could anyone in her state, in her condition, in the life she led and the world she belonged to¡ªhow could anyone do something like this? The building was only a few steps further ahead. Her teeth chattered inside her skull. Chills ran up and down every inch of her fingers, but Likki only wrapped them more tightly around the bundle held tight in her arms. She could make it. She had to make it. Even if she died tomorrow, if she never accomplished anything else in her life, this would be enough. She couldn''t move her hands up high enough to press the bell. They were too frozen. She had to tap it with her forehead. Ice chipped off and stuck to her forehead, dripping down into her eyes. She had to blink it away just to see clearly. Someone was moving inside. Likki felt the urge to bolt. Her body screamed at her not to do it. She couldn''t. She mustn''t. This was a mistake. Her mind fought back, and in the end, the conflict forced her hand. Light flooded the street, blinding Likki. She stumbled backward, and nearly fell over. Only a last-minute adjustment saved her, and saved the bundle in her arms from spilling out into the slush on the sidewalk. Likki pressed forward, into the arms of the angel outlined in the warm light. "En ymm?rr?." I don''t understand. Likki shook her head. She pressed forward again, holding the bundle up into the light, pressing it into the woman''s arms. "Ota se," she whispered. Take it. "Mit??" "Ota h?net," said Likki, a little bit louder. "Ota h?net!" The woman started to unwrap the bundle. Her eyes widened. A faint cry filled the space between them. The snow absorbed the sound, so it didn''t echo very far. No one else would know what was happening. No one else would know what Aulikki H?yh? had done. No one except herself. Likki''s heart was ripped out of her as she let go of the bundle. The woman lurched slightly at the sudden weight. Her eyes were welling up, and the tears felt like they might freeze right off her face. Everything hurt, and not just physically. Likki had never known such pain, not in all the fourteen years she''d been alive. And now there was a new life, one she''d given birth to¡ªnot by choice, but there she was all the same. A girl, someone she''d brought into the world, and who she was abandoning only seven days later. If she ever looked at the girl''s face again, Likki knew she wouldn''t be able to walk away. Likki turned and started to flee. The woman called after her, and Likki almost made it¡­ but she hesitated. The woman hadn''t asked for her to stop, or to turn around, or anything like that. All she''d asked was a simple question, the easiest question in the world. "Mik? h?nen nimens? on?" What is her name? Likki looked up at the sky, and found the star¡ªthe one she''d been watching as she gave birth seven days ago on Christmas Day, alone, afraid, waiting for the ghosts to come, or the men, or anyone who might hurt her and her daughter. That star had gotten her through the night. "Esteri," she murmured, just loud enough for the woman to hear. "H?nen nimens? on Esteri." The woman started to say something else, but Likki couldn''t stay any longer. She needed to leave, as fast as she could on her frozen legs and frail body. The cold and dark streets were where she belonged. Her daughter would be better off without her, in the warmth, in the light. She''d grow strong, she''d have a good life, and Likki would stay far away. As Likki considered going home, she realized she couldn''t go back. That place wasn''t hers anymore. Nowhere was hers. She had to keep moving, had to get out of this half of the city, maybe even the city entirely. She would always be afraid here¡ªafraid of the men, afraid of the ghosts, afraid of her daughter. Somehow, against every protesting joint in her body, Likki ran. She fled across the city in the dead of night, as the new year ticked over and December ended. Likki decided right then, as the new year began, she would never be afraid again. Something clicked in her mind, some mechanism she had never felt before. Her whole body seemed to get colder in that moment, her mind frozen solid as she kept moving. Fear evaporated away, like steam from snow when it was dropped onto a fire. Likki found a new burst of life, something inside herself to ward away the cold. It wasn''t warmth, exactly. It was control. It was a power she hadn''t known before. Likki took a more confident step, and another one after that. She looked back up at the star. Likki couldn''t ever look at her daughter''s face, but¡­ that star would be enough. That was her star. Esteri''s star. She made a new wish that year. Aulikki H?yh? would make that same wish every single year, even as she crossed continents and ended up in the strangest of situations and most dangerous of circumstances. Always, on a night in that coldest of months when her memories surged back the strongest, Likki would gaze up at the sky, and wish for her daughter''s sake. Every December, Likki looked up at the sky, found her daughter''s star, and made a wish for her¡ªthat Esteri''s December would be better than the one before.
December, two thousand eighteen, in Rallsburg. Natalie had been asleep for at least an hour now. Riley¡ªor was it Rook, or Tessa, or Likki, or one of a half-dozen names she''d used while working for Malton¡ªleaned against the wall, polishing her rifle in silence. She didn''t expect any more movement that night. The attack had been repelled, and Brian Hendricks was likely sleeping inside the library, still waiting for his daughter to appear. His men were scattered to the winds, and even the National Guard had given up their search for the night, though they were still casting a net wide around the entire region to catch anyone they could. The Olympic Forest was finally quiet. Riley watched Natalie carefully, and she wondered. The girl was thirteen as of this year¡­ Riley remembered all too well what her life had been like at thirteen. If their fates took the same path, Natalie would have the worst experience of her life soon, and everything would change forever, even more than the young girl already believed. Her life could become far more painful and broken than it was. She wouldn''t let that happen. Riley already saw too much of herself in the girl. There would not be another Aulikki H?yh?. Natalie was asleep, well covered, and out of sight from the surrounding region. The walls were thick enough to prevent any sudden attacks of the natural variety. As for magic¡­ Riley still didn''t want to use it if she could avoid it. Besides, if Natalie''s exertion was anything to go by, there wasn''t a chance Riley could repel any mystical assault that might come their way. She got up and climbed back down the half-burned staircase into the bookshop. Scattered pages still fluttered around occasionally as wind drifted into the room. The wolf lifted its head as Riley entered, eyeing her suspiciously. Riley waited, stock still, and eventually the wolf laid back down again, ignoring her. Riley walked into the back room. She''d noticed a secret room she''d never been aware of before, though of course, she hadn''t exactly had the chance to examine Boris'' shop during her original reconnaissance of the town. The wiley old man had kept a close eye on her in both personas she''d adopted, and she was certain he''d known it was her in disguise. Riley wasn''t easily spotted by most, but Boris was an expert, as the whole world had learned. His back room had supplies. Not much, after the fires and the magnetic storm, and some were damaged beyond repair, but there was still a good supply. She started to gather what she might need, mostly medical supplies, a few surgical tools. "What are you doing?" Riley spun around, rifle in her hands immediately. There wasn''t anyone there. The voice spoke a second time, somehow behind her again. "This isn''t yours." Riley shook her head, lowering her rifle. She turned, much more slowly, and found Grey-eyes leaning against the far cabinet. The witch wore a scarf and a thicker jacket than usual, and she''d changed her t-shirt to something else, but other than that, it was the same casual look she always adopted. "Hello, harmaa noita," she murmured. Hello, grey witch. Grey-eyes frowned. "Do you really want to call me that?" "Is it not what you are?" "I mean¡­" Grey-eyes shuffled uneasily. "Your boss is the one who attacked me, and now you''re acting like there''s nothing wrong here." Riley shook her head. "He was never my boss." "He wasn''t?" "Kukaan ei omista minua." Nobody owns me. Grey-eyes took a second, cocking her head to the side just slightly. Riley guessed she was casting a spell, some sort of magic which let her understand and speak any language. She fully expected the witch to be able to understand her, no matter what language she spoke, so she used the language of her heart¡ªthat which she found the most strength in, the most control. "So if nobody owns you¡­" she asked quietly, "why did you do all those things for him?" "I did not do them for him." "For Stefen, then?" Riley was a little surprised to hear her call him by his name¡ªit wasn''t unknown, but most of Rallsburg had always referred to him by his callsign anyway, as he preferred. Still, she shook her head. "For someone else." "...I can tell when you''re lying, you know," she said, frowning a little. "You''re not totally lying, but it''s still¡­ I don''t know." "Why must you know?" "Because I¡­" Grey-eyes trailed off. She fidgeted a little, and Riley was reminded of just how young and inexperienced this woman with unimaginable power probably was. Now that they all understood the Gods weren''t truly otherworldly, merely humans who''d awakened like the rest of them, Grey-eyes seemed like an overwhelmed child. "I did it for no one," said Riley finally. "I did it for myself." "...Why?" "To stay alive," she answered honestly. "Because I''m not brave enough yet." Grey-eyes hesitated again, even more confused. Riley knew she understood just fine, and whatever magic Grey-eyes wielded confirmed the truth of her words, but still, Riley had only introduced more questions. Finally, just as Riley was thinking to start collecting again, Grey-eyes spoke up. "Who are you?" Riley shook her head. "I will not lie to you, grey witch, but neither will I offer up my life to you. Do as you will, but know this¡ªI will protect them, even if it means facing against you." "Who''s ''them''?" Riley didn''t answer, but in her head, their faces flashed through her mind. Viper. Natalie. The faceless daughter I left behind. Esteri. Grey-eyes disappeared a moment later. Riley assumed she was off to awaken another individual, probably someone who had waited until the night''s activity died down. She briefly wondered what Grey-eyes did during times like this, when no one was being awakened and everyone was focused on some major event. Perhaps she talks to people like me. Broken people. Maybe she intends to fix them. Riley knew no one else could fix her. Even a goddess had her limits, and magic was no tool to fix what was broken inside Riley¡ªinside Aulikki H?yh?. When she was done with Boris'' store room, Riley examined the rest of the small store. Satisfied, she went back upstairs, where Natalie was still fast asleep. Her mountain lion had come up to join her, taking up a guard while Riley had been away. As she returned, he shot her a look, and Riley got the distinct impression he was annoyed she''d left her alone. Riley carefully shook her head, and the mountain lion relented. He curled back up next to the girl, lending his warmth to her, keeping her company through the night. Maybe that''s her escape. She has others. She has her friends, she has her pets. She will not break as I broke. She laid back down in her position, set her rifle back into its spot, and settled in. The vibrating alarm on her watch was set for an hour and a half. She would take short naps, checking for an update every so often, while she relied upon the wolf, the cat, and the hawk to keep them safe. A wolf and a cat were far better at sensing an intruder, even above her. Likki gazed up at the stars one more time before she went to sleep. They were more vivid this December than she had seen in years¡ªtoo many years spent in the thick lights of military bases, or the city illumination of London. The last time the stars shone so clearly, Likki had been back in her village in Afghanistan, preparing to protect a whole group of people from an invading force who believed they were in the right, who had the force of God on their side and were coming to right their wrongs, by any means necessary. Tonight, she protected a single girl, but Likki would not fail this time. Esteri''s star shone in the sky. Likki made her wish, the earliest she had ever made it¡ªonly fifty minutes into the month of December, but still, it seemed fitting. She closed her eyes and went to sleep, in the quiet whispering Olympic Forest, further away from her home than she''d ever been. She wished, as she had done every year since she''d abandoned Esteri on the doorstep of an orphanage in Helsinki twenty-two years ago, that her daughter would have a better December than the previous one. B2: Chapter 48 — Convictions Chapter 48 ¡ª Convictions A week in prison hadn''t made it any easier on Hailey. She may have accepted her new fate, but Hailey still longed to fly. Every day was a grueling test of her willpower, stuck in a row of empty cells with the bright blue sky visible through the bars set high on the walls. The guards chased away a bird trying to build a nest at one point, and it felt so perfectly fitting to her emotional state, Hailey nearly burst into tears right on the spot. Every time, she remembered Jessica, and every time, she managed to steel herself. By Friday, Hailey''s only transgression was a half-bent bar in her cell, twisted away in a moment of weakness on the second night after deciding to endure. The guards didn''t mention it, to her relief, but Hailey still felt awful about it. It stood as a reminder, right in her face every waking moment, that she had almost broken again. She''d damaged something around her out of rage and frustration, just like everywhere else, because she felt so disconnected from the world. Jefferson was her lifeline. "Winscombe!" called the guard on her block. "Lawyer''s here!" Hailey swung her legs off the metal bed and got to her feet. She still never needed to clean herself up, thanks to the rituals she and Jessica did in the offices of LRP nearly a month prior, but something about the routine of splashing water on her face and brushing her hair like she used to gave her some comfort. It felt like returning to normal¡ªand normal was the goal. The guard held out the cuffs, though everybody knew they were largely ceremonial, and Hailey dutifully allowed herself to be chained up. They didn''t subject her to the full treatment, just simple handcuffs, but there were cameras everywhere. No one wanted to give the impression she was getting easy treatment, least of all Hailey herself. "Why''s every other cell still empty?" asked Hailey. The guard looked over her shoulder, shocked. Hailey never spoke to the guards, except for when she''d asked them to contact Jefferson on Tuesday. She shrugged. "Nobody else to hold yet. This block''s only for people who got magic." Hailey was curious now, and the guard seemed friendly enough. "Did they give you special training or something to handle it?" "Nope." "Oh." Hailey was a little surprised, but she supposed there hadn''t really been enough time to develop a training course or implement it to the guards. After all, everybody else only found about magic¡­ a month ago. It''s only been a month. Tomorrow, it''ll be two weeks since¡­ since she died. It still hurt. Every single moment of the day, it hurt, and Hailey didn''t think it was ever going away. She clutched at the blue streak in her hair, remembering Jessica, her voice, her face, everything. It helped her focus again, kept her calm, kept her strong. The guard led her into the meeting room and closed the door. A moment later, the cameras clicked off, as usual, and Jefferson hurried in. He was usually here before Hailey, but today, he seemed a little rushed and off-balance¡ªvery different from the professional young man she was used to. "Everything okay?" she asked nervously. Jefferson set a stack of papers down on the desk, along with the two coffees he''d brought¡ªone for himself, one for her. Hailey sipped it gratefully, still curious how he managed to get them into the prison. As far as she knew, that wasn''t allowed, but Jefferson still got around it somehow. She hoped that was an indication of a great lawyer, or at least, somebody who knew how to work the system. "Yes, I''m fine," said Jefferson. He took a seat, though he was clearly still distracted. "I have your pre-trial interview transcript. It looks great, Hailey. You¡­ I''m sorry, it was right here¡­" He dug through his papers, looking a little lost. "...Seriously, Jefferson," said Hailey uncomfortably. "What''s going on?" Jefferson looked up. "I''m sorry?" "You just called me Hailey, and you look totally lost. I think we''re friends by this point, aren''t we?" "As much as I can be with a client," said Jefferson. He sighed and stopped shuffling through papers. "I''m sorry. I''ve taken on a much larger caseload than usual while my firm is allocating more resources out here, and coordinating with other practices. Your case is complicated enough, and we''ve picked up another in the meantime." "You have?" "I can''t give you any more details than what''s available to the general public, but yes. We''re now representing Rika Nishimura. I believe she''s a friend of yours?" "Oh!" Hailey nodded. "Yes. So Alden must''ve given her your number?" "I believe so. I''ve just come from a meeting with her and Special Agent Ashe." "That''s great!" Hailey smiled. "I''m glad you''re working for her too. She needs it." "...Right," said Jefferson with a knowing look. "I sincerely apologize for the lack of professionalism here though. Your case is my top priority, as your lawyer. I''m merely acting point for Miss Nishimura until my firm can get more personnel out here." "Makes sense." Hailey grinned. "Guess you''re not leaving D.C. anytime soon. How''s the husband feel about that?" Jefferson coughed politely into a handkerchief. "Well, he''s enjoying the museums for now. We''ll see how long that lasts." He opened the folders again and shuffled through with much greater purpose than before. "Ah, here we are. Your pre-trial interview. As I said, excellent. I think this will play very well in front of the judge." "And this is part of the bail hearing, right?" "Precisely. We''ll be going to the courtroom later today. Are you prepared for that?" Hailey nodded, not even slightly trying to hide her trepidation. She wanted to follow the rules, but if she had any chance of getting out until the trial date, she was going for it. Jefferson handed over another set of papers to Hailey. "You can take these back with you. I want you to review them as many times as you can until I come back later. The hearing is set for four-fifteen." She glanced down the list. It included the statements she''d worked out with Jefferson previously, an accounting of the crimes she was suspected or accused of, general court etiquette, and a list of support in favor of her temporary release until the arraignment and trial. As Hailey looked down the list, her eyes watered up, as a huge wave of emotion pressed up into her chest and throat. It was a list of people who had sent in official support or otherwise declared her a responsible and good-hearted individual. Her mother topped the list, followed by her father, Jeremy, Alden, Weston and Rupert, Cinza, Sheriff Jackie, Josh, and a whole long list of names she didn''t recognize, stretching on and on down the page and onto the back. Jefferson spoke softly as a tear dropped off Hailey''s face. "Residents from the building fire who owe you their lives, a few of those you rescued in the Tacoma hostage incident, and some residents of Seattle whom you saved on the streets." He gently lifted the paper up and showed a handwritten letter underneath. "This is from the young man you pulled from a collapsing house in Lakewood. He sent it to your mother, who passed it along to me." Hailey tried to read it, but her vision was so blurry, she couldn''t make out a single word. "Thank you," she choked out. "And you don''t even need to fix your makeup for the trial," added Jefferson with a smile. Hailey choked out a chuckle between the tears, too overcome with emotion to properly laugh. "I think you''re ready. We''ll be leaving here at four o''clock. Be ready, okay?" "Nowhere else to be," said Hailey with another pained laugh. Jefferson nodded. "See you later, Miss Winscombe."
They brought her some clothes her mother had sent over. Hailey knew they must be restricting all visitors besides her lawyer, because there was no earthly way her mother would have settled without trying at least six different outfits for the most professional, neutral outfit to wear in front of the court. Dressed in a simple pencil skirt, blouse and cardigan, Hailey barely felt like herself in the mirror. She was always more of a jeans-and-jacket girl, but she knew this was all about appearances. An outfit like this spoke professionalism and calm¡ªand Hailey was trying to convince them she wasn''t the unhinged timebomb the opposition painted her as. The guard returned, and once again, Hailey was cuffed and escorted, this time out of the building entirely. They walked out of the gates, down to a surprisingly comfortable car, and were whisked away to the court building. To her surprise, there wasn''t a single protestor on the route. Guess they managed to keep it secret I was getting my hearing today. As they pulled up to the court, though, Hailey saw her folly¡ªthey were waiting for her. It looked like a Hollywood premiere. Ropelines with police officers at regular intervals made a pseudo-red carpet up the court steps. Protestors filled each side, once again in equal numbers loving or hating her. Hailey didn''t want either group. She just wanted to go back, but the guard prodded her forward. Hailey started the long walk, as her ears were full of incomprehensible shouting. Why did I ever want this? People screaming at me from every direction. I liked being in the center, but not¡­ not like this. As soon as they got inside, Hailey breathed a sigh of relief. "You and me both," muttered the guard. She took the cuffs off Hailey, now that they were out of sight of the cameras. "Straight through that door," she added, nodding toward a side door near the main court. "Lawyer''s waitin'' in there." "Thank you," said Hailey, trying to smile. The guard nodded, then took a seat on a bench near the door and grabbed a nearby newspaper. Hailey hurried in to the room, where Jefferson waited, now with a proper briefcase instead of the simple paper folders he was allowed to bring into the prison. He glanced at his watch and smiled. "Right on time, for once." "Huh?" "Oh, not you, Miss Winscombe." He smiled. "Whenever I''ve had the police escort someone to the court, they are always late. It actually works to my advantage sometimes." He glanced toward the side door, leading into the proper courtroom. "Are you ready?" "...Yes," said Hailey, after a moment of deep breathing. Jefferson led her into the courtroom. It was huge, with a full balcony level above the main gallery, and it was packed. Reporters lined the upper floor in every direction. Hailey breathed a sigh of relief that they weren''t allowed cameras or recording devices¡ªshe''d had enough of being on camera all the time for a while. As her eyes fell down to the main level, she felt another huge wave of emotion crash through her. Her mother sat right in the front row, her father next to her. Rupert and Weston both sat one seat down. Hailey hadn''t seen any of them since¡­ She choked up again. She nearly broke into a run, but managed to restrain herself as soon as she spotted the court officers lining the room. Walking past the sea of faces she didn''t recognize, Hailey beelined for her mother. Stephanie had no such reservations. She practically leapt out of the bench and ran to meet Hailey, burying her in a hug. "Hi, Mom," said Hailey, feeling a distinct sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. "Oh, honey¡­" Stephanie whispered into her hair. "Are you okay? Are they treating you well?" "Yes." She hugged her back. "I gotta go, Mom. I love you." Hailey stepped away, very conscious of how long she''d been simply standing in the aisle. They only had so long before the judge arrived, and she needed to be in position first. She waved to the rest of her family on the row, before following Jefferson through the little gate and into the front of the courtroom¡ªright on time, as the judge arrived through the chamber doors. "All rise!" called the bailiff. "The Honorable Judge Holden Whitney presiding!" They all stood up as the robed man walked in. "Okay," said Judge Whitney, settling down in his seat on the bench, and the rest of the room mirrored him. He glanced at the bailiff. "Are we all ready?" The jury box was empty, of course, since they weren''t in a real trial yet, but Hailey did get her first look at the federal prosecution¡ªand despite everything she could do, she felt intimidated. The prosecutor was a sharp-dressed, charismatic-looking man who practically exuded confidence and strength. More importantly, he seemed hostile to her from the moment she walked in, and Agent Aderholt sat next to him with an equally unfriendly expression. "Criminal action 18-196, the United States of America versus Hailey Winscombe. Will counsel please rise and identify themselves for the record?" The prosecutor stood first, as had been outlined in Hailey''s etiquette guide. "Good afternoon, Your Honor. Anthony Goldstein of the Department of Justice representing the United States. With me is FBI Special Agent Michael Aderholt." "Good afternoon to you both," said the judge. Jefferson stood up and straightened his tie slightly. "Good afternoon, Your Honor. Jefferson Baux on behalf of Miss Winscombe." "Good afternoon," said the judge. He glanced down at his notes, before looking up at the defense table¡ªdirectly at Hailey. "Would the defendant please rise and identify herself to the court?" Hailey got to her feet, suddenly feeling unsteady and off-balance. She flexed her wings, barely brushing the back of Jefferson''s head, and cleared her throat. "Good afternoon, your honor. Hailey Aurora Elizabeth Winscombe." "Thank you, Miss Winscombe." Whitney smiled down at her, and managed to make it feel friendly without being condescending. He looked sympathetic, in fact. "It''s all right. This is all just procedure." "Thank you, sir." Hailey took a seat again while the judge returned to his notes. "As I understand it, both parties have prepared evidence for their arguments regarding release, including documentation, video recordings, and witness testimony. Is this correct?" "Yes, Your Honor," said Goldstein, and Jefferson echoed him a moment later. Hailey frowned. Who''d they be calling to testify against me getting released? Aderholt? Brian Hendricks? Judge Whitney matched her own frown as he glanced over the list of documentation. "I''d like to remind both parties that this is not yet a criminal trial, and all arguments made today should be solely concerned with Miss Winscombe''s potential as a flight risk or otherwise avoiding the responsibilities of the court." She felt a sinking feeling as the judge spoke. Jefferson had warned her of the possibility that a great deal of their assembled support might be thrown out, since it was made by those who couldn''t properly speak to either of those traits¡ªand in fact, they''d taken a few out themselves, since Hailey had failed to stick around for emergency personnel and fled the scene. "With that in mind, Mr. Goldstein," said the judge, turning to the prosecution, "please open the state''s position." "Thank you, Your Honor," said the prosecutor. He got to his feet. "Miss Winscombe was a model citizen. Perfect grades, perfect attendance, perfect record. However, something changed this year. By now, we''re all aware what took place in Rallsburg and the new discoveries made there. We''re also aware of the ''awakening'' process, and how it changes an individual forever." "Objection, relevance," said Jefferson. "Overruled." To Hailey''s surprise, nobody seemed particularly upset by this sudden interjection. The judge seemed to have expected it, and Jefferson likewise had barely reacted to his objection being thrown out. "Awakening is a permanent and irreversible process by which an individual gains access to magic, and changes them physically and mentally in ways we don''t yet understand. Since awakening, the defendant''s life has shifted in every aspect." No kidding. "With this in mind, the prosecution motions that, given the clear segmentation of the defendant''s life around this single event and the significant change which may have permanently altered her mental state, all evidence and testimony prior to her awakening is irrelevant to determining her release eligibility and should be barred." Wait¡­ what? "Objection, hearsay," said Jefferson, a little more urgently this time. The judge didn''t react immediately this time. He straightened his glasses, looking down at the prosecution. "Is this the purpose of your first exhibit, Mr. Goldstein?" "Yes, Your Honor. May we approach the bench?" Jefferson got to his feet, and the two lawyers hurried up to the judge''s side. Hailey forced herself not to fidget, since the judge was still occasionally glancing over at her during their conversation. She was tempted to listen in using magic, but thought better of it. Follow the rules, Hailey. That''s the whole point of being here. Judge Whitney was flipping through some pages on his desk, and Goldstein was pointing and talking rapidly. Jefferson didn''t look happy. Hailey felt anxiety rising in her chest. She glanced over her shoulder at her mother, but Stephanie nodded back to the front pointedly. Hailey turned back around just as Jefferson was leaving the bench again¡ªand he looked even worse than before. "After reviewing the expert witness testimony, I''m inclined to agree with the prosecution," said Judge Whitney. "All witnesses and evidence prior to the defendant''s stated awakening date of January twenty eighteen is not permitted in this hearing. You may re-submit this testimony at the arraignment, Mr. Baux." "I''d like to enter my strong objection for hearsay into the record, Your Honor," said Jefferson. "The expert testimony is from the employee of an individual with significant cause to hate the defendant." "Overruled, Mr. Baux. I sympathize, but the argument is compelling and immediately relevant, and comes from a respected member of the scientific community." The judge glanced back at the prosecutor. "You may continue." Hailey''s heart sank. Her mother, Weston, and any other support she''d pulled together from old friends and teachers was useless. Apparently, awakening was being treated like some disease, making her unstable. She wondered who the expert witness was, and why he''d have reason to hate her. Jefferson had the information, but he must not have expected it to be taken seriously, and hadn''t highlighted it to her for review. She dug through the papers on their desk while the prosecutor outlined Hailey''s crimes to the judge, giving a blow-by-blow recounting for everything she''d been accused of. In Jefferson''s neatly outlined case notes, she found it¡ªa new paper about magic''s effects on the brain, written by Dr. Wilson Kleiner. Hailey had never heard of him, but Jefferson had helpfully notated the important piece for her: Dr. Kleiner was an employee of Culver-Malton Group. Hailey suppressed a sigh. Of course Malton wasn''t going to let her get off easy. He was in plenty of hot water on the other side of the Atlantic, but rich people were always petty, and they''d expected some kind of interference. This was probably just the start. "...indirectly responsible for the death of Jessica Silverdale." Her face shot up to look at the prosecutor. She didn''t disagree, but she hadn''t expected them to bring it up. "Is the state prepared to call its first witness?" asked the judge. "Yes, Your Honor." Goldstein cleared his throat. "The state calls Beth Silverdale to the stand." Hailey''s heart froze. She''d seen the Silverdales'' names on the long, long list of potential witnesses, but she and Jefferson agreed it was incredibly unlikely either Silverdale would make an appearance¡ªand if they did, it would have been in her favor. Yet¡­ here Beth was, walking down the aisle to the front of the courtroom, called by the opposition. "Please state your name for the record," said the bailiff. "Bethany Silverdale," said Beth, her eyes never straying near Hailey at the defense table. "Do you solemnly affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, under the pains and penalties of perjury?" "I do." "You may be seated." "Miss Silverdale, I''d like to remind you that this hearing is solely concerned with the assessment of flight risk for the defendant, and as previously stated, all testimony prior to January of this year is non-admissible. This goes for everyone in the court," he added, glancing at the two lawyers. "Keep it on point, gentlemen. We aren''t on trial yet." He nodded at Goldstein. "Go ahead, Mr. Goldstein." "Miss Silverdale," said the prosecutor, walking out into the middle of the court, "would you please state for the court your place of residence?" "I don''t have one," she replied¡ªand Hailey could hear the undercurrent of rage in every syllable, of sheer hatred suppressed to tiny inflections on every word she spoke. "What do you mean?" "I''m homeless. I currently live somewhere provided to me." "And why are you homeless?" "Objection," said Jefferson, though both he and Hailey knew it was pointless. "Relevance." "Overruled," said Judge Whitney, sounding bored. "Because my home burned down," said Beth. "Where did you previously live?" asked the prosecutor. "Rallsburg." "And it burned down?" "On May fifteenth of this year, all because of her friends." "Objection, hearsay," said Jefferson. "Sustained," said Judge Whitney. "Miss Silverdale, can you confirm firsthand that the defendant or anyone she directly associates with was responsible for your home being destroyed?" "No, Your Honor." "Please keep your testimony strictly to that which you personally witnessed and can confirm." Whitney turned back to the prosecutor. "Mr. Goldstein?" "After your home was destroyed, where did you live?" "A house in Tacoma, provided to us by a rich friend." "And who lived there?" "Me, my husband Malcolm, my daughter Jessica and her best friend, Hailey." "By Hailey, are you referring to the defendant?" "Yes." Beth raised a hand and pointed at her, though her eyes still didn''t quite reach Hailey''s. If they actually looked at one another, Haily wasn''t sure how she''d react. Beth¡­ what are you doing? Do you hate me that much? "That''s her." "Let the record show Miss Silverdale has identified the defendant Hailey Winscombe."This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. "So noted," said the judge. "How long did you live with the defendant?" "From May 16th until Thursday, November 22nd." "The 22nd is the same day Hailey flew across the ocean and illegally entered London, correct?" "Objection," said Jefferson. "Leading the witness." "Sustained," said Judge Whitney. He glanced at Goldstein and straightened his glasses. "Mr. Goldstein, please rephrase the question." "Miss Silverdale, what happened on the 22nd that you stopped living with the defendant?" "We had a funeral for my daughter," said Beth, and now there was real venom in her voice. "Hailey flew out of the funeral and by the next day, she was in London. She hasn''t returned since." "So you lived with her for over six months?" "Yes." "And would you say she acted responsibly in that time?" "It depends on what you mean." Beth shrugged. "She left and came home at insane hours of the night, she dragged my crippled daughter across the state through mid-air, and she put them in more physical danger than most people witness in their lives." "Objection, hearsay," said Jefferson quickly. "Overruled," said Judge Whitney. Goldstein already looked satisfied, but he knew he had the room on the edge of its seat. Every single person in the audience was dead silent listening to Beth speak. Hailey clutched the edges of her chair, her fingers digging into the fabric unconsciously, terrified of every word. And this is just the bail hearing! "Miss Silverdale, are you aware of the typical conditions for a pre-trial release?" "No." "Well, the first major concern is the defendant''s criminal history and presence of violent crimes in particular. Given the previously outlined charges, I won''t go over this again. Second, the nature and circumstances of these crimes¡ªwhether or not they have relevance to being a flight risk." "Objection, relevance," said Jefferson. "This has nothing to do with the witness." "...Overruled," said Judge Whitney, a bit less certain than usual. "Continue, Mr. Goldstein, but make sure you''re still on target here." "Yes, Your Honor. Miss Silverdale," said Goldstein, turning to her again, "one of the defendant''s accused crimes, which you mentioned earlier, is her illegal entry into London. How did she accomplish that?" "Objection," said Jefferson. "Sustained," said Judge Whitney, before Jefferson could even explain his reasoning. "Mr. Goldstein, unless you''re suggesting the witness also managed the same unprecedented feat, she most certainly could not have been present for the accused crime. Rephrase your question." "Miss Silverdale," said Goldstein again, "could you please tell us the story of Hailey''s departure on November the twenty-second?" "We were at my daughter''s funeral," said Beth¡ªand again, the sheer pain in those three words struck Hailey''s core like snapping a taut cord. "Hailey was late, everybody else had already arrived. We found out she was up on the roof. She finally came in after we''d been waiting probably thirty minutes, and we started the service. Except Hailey, after only six minutes or so, decided she couldn''t stay. Using magic, she made every single window and door in the church slam open, then flew out of the building. As far as I know, she flew straight from there to London." "Thank you, Miss Silverdale." The prosecutor turned to the judge. "Late to important functions, leaving in fits of rage, and ignoring world boundaries and procedures, while holding extreme physical power and the ability to transport herself across countries and oceans without any assistance. The defendant poses an extreme flight risk." "And she killed my daughter," Beth snapped. A gasp rolled through the whole audience. "Objec¡ª" Jefferson started, but the judge cut him off. "Miss Silverdale, you will restrain yourself to only answering the questions asked by the prosecutor or the defense. Is that understood?" "Yes, your honor," said Beth¡ªbut then she turned to look Hailey in the eye, and as the judge looked away, her mouth twitched into a vindictive smile, eyes burning with sheer hatred for the girl sitting across the courtroom. Hailey leapt to her feet before she could stop herself. "Take that back," she growled. "Miss Winscombe!" said the judge sternly. "You will be seated." "Hailey," hissed Jefferson, gently grasping her arm. Hailey allowed herself to be lowered back to her chair, though her eyes hadn''t left Beth''s for a moment. Only a strand of blue hair, which had fallen just far enough to be in front of her eyes, held Hailey back from flying across the room and shoving Beth up against a wall. I''m sorry. I let her get into that situation, and I wasn''t fast enough to save her. But I didn''t kill her. Never that. "My client would like to apologize for the outburst," said Jefferson politely. "Is that true?" asked the judge, looking pointedly at Hailey. Don''t let her get to you. Remember Jessica. Remember your promise. Hailey tore her eyes away from Beth and looked up at the judge. "Yes, your honor. I apologize for speaking out of turn." "Thank you." The judge glanced at the bailiff. "Miss Silverdale, any other comments like that and you will be removed from this courtroom. I will not allow you to provoke the defendant." He turned to Goldstein. "Proceed." "No further questions, Your Honor," said Goldstein, a touch smug, but still with the typical courtroom professionalism. Judge Whitney nodded. "Your witness, Mr. Baux." "A moment, your Honor?" asked Jefferson. The judge nodded. Jefferson leaned in to Hailey, covering up the microphone on their table, and dropped his voice to a whisper. "Hailey, I''m sorry." "For what?" asked Hailey, and realized a half-second later he''d called her by her first name again. "You''re not getting bail." "But¡ª" "We can''t win here. He''s going to line up every condition in order, and you can''t beat a single one. You have a huge list of criminal charges, you can fly, you have no permanent residence, no job, you''re not in school, and you have a history of impulsive actions they can back up." "...So what do I do?" asked Hailey, her stomach sinking more with every single word. "We skip the rest of this. The judge is already annoyed with Goldstein, while we''ve played by the rules. If we keep going, we''re just dragging out the inevitable, and we''ve got a whole trial that hasn''t even started yet. I think we should start appealing to the judge and getting him on our side, and one way to do that is cooperating with the basic procedures." "I accept jail without any more protest, he likes me more because I didn''t waste his day?" "Yes." Hailey winced. "That''s¡­" "I know." Jefferson shrugged. "That''s how it works. It''s my best advice for you." She glanced briefly at her mother, doing her best not to start crying again. After a few seconds, Hailey finally nodded. "Okay." Jefferson turned to the judge. "Your Honor, the defense rests." To Hailey''s satisfaction, they seemed to have caught Goldstein off guard¡ªand Judge Whitney as well. Beth was dismissed from the stand and hurried out of the room by the bailiff. "Mr. Goldstein, you may call¡ª" "Your Honor," interrupted Jefferson. "My apologies, but may we approach the bench?" "...Approach," said Judge Whitney, now visibly curious. Hailey sat back in her chair, while Jefferson negotiated accepting continued imprisonment for her. She closed her eyes and tried to memorize every single bit of what she felt in that moment¡ªthe air, the clothes, the chair, the feeling of the place. It would be the last time she''d have that sort of freedom for a long, long time, if she understood anything about how trials worked. Just like that, it was over. The judge briefly explained that he''d decided Hailey was, indeed, a flight risk, and could not be released to anyone''s custody, least of all her own. After all, nobody could possibly ensure she would visit court, since she could not be restrained. He went over every condition Jefferson had mentioned again, but Hailey was already tuning him out. The cuffs went back on. Hailey gave her mother one last look, trying to smile confidently, but it was all for nothing. Stephanie was crying, her father was hugging her mother, Weston and Rupert looked like they''d been struck dumb. Hailey walked from the courtroom, back into the sea of cameras, back into the prison van, back into her captivity.
She didn''t return to her cell right away. Instead, she was granted an additional session with Jefferson, discussing their next steps. It was now getting pretty late, and the windows were completely dark¡ªfitting, that the sky vanished along with Hailey''s hopes of flying again any time soon. Jefferson left after explaining the next parts of the trial process¡ªshe''d be arraigned, where they''d formally charge her with everything and set the real trial date. Usually, the arraignment and bail hearing happened at the same time, but they wanted to go through all the pomp and circumstance for her, take every single step one at a time, with the media circus surrounding the whole affair. I thought mine was supposed to be the low-key one. Wasn''t Rika the big deal? I mean, I don''t want her to be treated like this either, but¡­ ugh. I just want to go through this without feeling like the whole world is watching. Hailey nearly laughed at the self-contradiction. Here she was, the party girl, the one everybody called a social queen, friends with everyone, always the center of attention¡ªand she didn''t want anyone to see her. Because it hurts so much. Because I''m on trial for the worst days of my life. Jefferson left shortly afterward. He had a meeting with the prosecution, where they''d start discussing plea bargains. Hailey wasn''t necessarily going to get one¡ªagain, pomp and circumstance¡ªbut if Jefferson could reach a reasonable agreement, she definitely might take it. After so much chaos, Hailey just wanted to have her life settle down again. Remember when it was just me and you living alone, Jess? Nobody else in our whole world for months and months. I hated it, but you probably loved it so much. Why couldn''t I see how nice that was? Oh. Right. Because I was blaming myself for your ritual going wrong. Because we were in hiding, and we turned out to be right, ''cause he ended up burning down the whole town. Hailey wanted to go back to that home now. She knew it was impossible¡ªthe building had been ripped apart by the magnetic ritual¡ªbut still. She''d give anything to be in her old bed, Jessica wrapped up next to her, with nothing to worry about besides work and school and trying to find a solution to Jessica''s ritual. The guard took her back to her cell and left her alone again. Hailey felt exhausted. Something about prison messed with her body, made her more tired than usual. She spent more time sleeping every day. When the guard left, Hailey fell onto the bed and was asleep in minutes, back to the nightmares she still faced every night¡ªof chains and quicksand and any number of other traps which might forever ground her. Hours later, she was awakened by a rapping sound on her bars. The lights suddenly snapped on, flooding the cell block with light. "Winscombe," said the guard. "Lawyer''s back." Bleary-eyed, Hailey glanced around. Her clock said it was past eleven. "Huh?" "Special exemption ''cause his schedule is insane. Take it while you can, trust me. Come on, up and at ''em." They did the whole routine again¡ªcuffs, the walk, the cameras, the interview room. Jefferson didn''t arrive right away, leaving Hailey alone in the interview room for a while. She paced back and forth, grateful for the larger space to move around in, but it still wasn''t much. Finally, after many minutes, just as Hailey considered calling the guard back in, Jefferson arrived. "I''m so sorry for the delay, Miss Winscombe," said Jefferson, folders packed between his arms. "What happened?" asked Hailey, now seriously worried. If Jefferson was this harried, something huge had to have happened. So far, every time she''d worked with him, he hadn''t been phased in the slightest. Did someone die? Another one of us picked up for a trial? Is he working with Cinza now? "Hm?" Jefferson looked confused. "Oh, I''m sorry. No, nothing happened. However, I think it''s important I keep you in the loop on the plea negotiations. We haven''t really had time to go over how pleas work, and what expectations we should set here." "...Okay." Hailey hesitated, glancing at the clock on the wall. "You''re just here so late, and they said it was a special exception." "Well, it is for the prison procedure." Jefferson shrugged. "I''ve worked stranger hours before on a case, and I assumed you''d welcome the distraction." "So this is just you being really busy?" "More or less." He smiled. "If you''re worried about my health, I''ve got colleagues arriving tomorrow to start taking over Rika''s case." "Are they as good as you?" asked Hailey. "Because she needs it more than me." "They are." Jefferson looked a little taken aback. He quickly shuffled through his papers before looking up again. "So far, the prosecutor is being obstinate about your charges, but I''m fairly certain the state will drop nearly all of them. Goldstein will be a problem, but I''ve been in contact with other members of the DOJ, and I''m told they want to end this quietly without any significant punishment for you." "So what''s wrong with Goldstein?" "He''s not one to let go easily." Jefferson sighed. "I''ve only heard of him by reputation, but I know he doesn''t like pleas, even though that''s practically our entire justice system these years. It''s the only way we can still function, really." He shuffled around another paper with an outline on Goldstein, sliding it over to Hailey. "It''s why they chose him." "What do you mean?" asked Hailey, while she started skimming the profile. "They wanted someone beyond reproach, so the public won''t think they''re giving you an easy trial. Goldstein is who they came up with, and make no mistake, he''s going to put you through the ringer." Hailey winced. By all the accounts Jefferson''s firm dug up, it seemed true. Goldstein was going to want to put her through a whole trial, no pleading out early. She could be in prison for months during the trial process, since she''d already been denied bail. It''s what needs to happen. I can get through it. "...Okay," she said finally. "I''ll be working on the plea bargains though. We might be able to get something through quickly, especially since bail was denied. That helps fulfill the image you''re being treated seriously. You''ll spend more time in prison now to get out sooner, all right?" "Okay." "We should discuss what timeframes sound acceptable to you. I''ve outlined similar cases here, to give us some ideas for what this sort of charge can plead out to, but obviously, there''s no such thing as true precedent here¡­" Jefferson kept speaking, but Hailey had gotten distracted. She''d been practicing enhancing her hearing while in the prison, since she was so isolated and wanted any kind of stimulation or distraction while stuck in her cell. It became a habit, and now she did it during conversations simply to keep an ear out for possible danger while talking. Something caught her attention. The guard in the next room was watching something on TV, and they''d just mentioned a few words in the same sentence which set her heart pumping. "Olympic Forest¡­ awakened¡­ golems¡­ massacre¡­" "Stop," said Hailey suddenly, cutting Jefferson off mid-sentence. "I know it sounds rough, but¡ª" She waved him silent, squinting at the doorway. She couldn''t see through, of course, but something about the motion helped her focus on the sounds wafting through the door. The cold metal chair, a stark contrast to the soft fabric of the courtroom, only added to the shivers running up her skin as the news report continued. "Governor Ashe deployed the National Guard to the region, under the command of Captain Hoskins. Working with Cinza and the awakened, the Guard were able to drive back the assault and save the lives of dozens still present in the camp. CNN brings you now exclusive footage from a reporter who happened to be on-scene during the attack." Hailey leapt to her feet and ran to the door, pressing her face against the window. Only half of the screen was visible, but thanks to her magic, she could make it out perfectly. It was a video of the pilgrim camp in full swing, as the amateur reporter CNN had bought the footage from tried¡ªand failed¡ªto find Cinza after stalking her home from D.C. "What?" asked Jefferson, sounding fearful. "Brian Hendricks just attacked somebody. They said something about a massacre." "Oh God¡­" he murmured. "What are you doing now?" "There''s a TV I can see from here." Hailey went quiet again as the video abruptly shifted in tone. A gunshot, and then another, and suddenly the massacre was in full swing. The guard leaned forward, as if watching an exciting movie. Hailey felt sick, but tried to ignore it. She watched the golems, she watched as the reporter desperately tried to catch the action on his phone, even though people were dying all around him. "They''re killing everyone out there¡­" Hailey murmured. "How bad?" asked Jefferson. "I don''t know¡­" She saw Cinza and Makoto sprint past. Ruby was visible a few moments later with Hector, both absolutely terrified. People she knew, ducking bullets, throwing fire and objects, making shields and barriers, doing anything to hide from the hail of gunfire shredding the camp. It was utter chaos. If any of them¡­ if they die out there while I''m stuck here¡­ A wolf howled, and a girl darted across the screen accompanied by a huge chunk of wood. The camera tried to follow her for a moment, but it couldn''t keep up, and there was no way anyone could identify her¡ªanyone who didn''t know her already. Even Natalie''s there¡­ and so''s her dad if the golems are there. Oh my god¡­ Eventually, the National Guard soldiers started showing up. The reporter kept trying to film them, but soldiers waved him off while they set up a perimeter and fired back at Brian''s line. Finally, someone managed to scare him off, and the reporter signed off under the cover of a half-collapsed tent, returning it back to the CNN talking heads. I can''t stay here. Hailey was halfway to the skylight window before Jefferson spoke up. "You can''t go." "But¡ª" "If you leave," said Jefferson slowly, "and you break out of custody here, you will never be free. They won''t give you any kind of leniency the second time around, and nobody will be looking to cooperate anymore. You''ll most certainly be in prison for decades, if not life." "They''re dying," said Hailey, her voice cracking. "I just watched people get shot and killed. Massacred." "And it''s a terrible tragedy," said Jefferson, shaking his head. He really did look sincerely in pain, which calmed Hailey down somewhat. "I''ve no doubt if you joined them, you could save some lives, but you''ve fought Mr. Hendricks and his forces before. You couldn''t beat him. What''s different now?" "I¡­" What''s different is that Jessica''s gone¡­ so he''s right. I''m even worse off now than I was. "Stay here. You''re still doing good. You''re setting precedent. We''re creating a whole new legal system to handle the awakened and magic. It needs to be done right, and you''re the perfect person to start with. Everything you did was with good intention and just motivations, and at the end of the day, you never seriously hurt anyone." "...I came really close," murmured Hailey. She took a step away from the skylight, and then another. Jefferson nodded. "Show them you''ve changed. Stay here." Hailey took a deep breath. She took one final step and sat back down in the chair. Jefferson sighed, and Hailey did right along with him. Neither of them spoke another word about it, getting back into the case, into Hailey''s future trial, and all the challenges she''d face in the days to come.
Hailey went to sleep with the full expectation of tossing and turning all night, worried about what might have happened in Washington, if anyone she knew had died. When she finally did drift off, she didn''t sleep well, but for two entirely different reasons. The first was Beth Silverdale''s face, leering at her from the witness box, vindictive and victorious, finally getting her own form of justice for all of Hailey''s transgressions. She treated her own daughter horribly¡­ Jessica moved in with me because they kicked her out. She''d gone over that with Jefferson, and pointed out that Weston could testify to that effect, as could¡ªand she mentioned him with great reluctance¡ªIan Wong, whom Jessica had lived with until turning to Hailey. Jefferson thought it might be useful, but discrediting one character witness when they had so much more to deal with wasn''t something worth focusing on. Hailey privately disagreed, but he was the legal expert. She was out of her depth. She studied business in college. I wonder if I''ll ever work a desk job in my life. Probably not. People like me don''t really end up in normal offices. Sorry, Mom. Guess I''m not following in your footsteps after all. The second reason for Hailey''s lack of sleep wasn''t in her head at all. It was another unexpected visitor to her cell in the morning, well after the sun had risen. "Hailey," whispered a voice nearby. Hailey''s eyes slid open. She wondered why she''d managed to awaken so peacefully, despite the apparent presence of someone in her cell. Yet, the moment she heard that voice, she knew she was safe. With that voice, Hailey was safer than she''d ever been in her life¡ªbecause despite how much she hated her own power, Beverly Bensen was that powerful. "Hi, Beverly," said Hailey. She pulled herself to a sitting position against the hard brick wall, and glanced down at her plain and scratchy prison clothes. "Like my new outfit?" "...I wanted to come see you sooner." "You''re busy and I''m not exactly the nicest person to talk to lately," said Hailey. "I get it, seriously." "Okay." Beverly shuffled slightly in place, seeming to shrink again. Hailey patted the seat next to her on the bed, and Beverly took it. Hailey put an arm around her, just as she might have done for Jessica, and Beverly leaned in. "Thanks." "You okay?" "...Yes. I''m just¡­ last night was exhausting." "What do you mean?" "Keeping them alive," murmured Beverly. Hailey raised an eyebrow. "Them? I thought¡ª" "My brother and sister are there." "Alden and Meg are there?" asked Hailey, shocked. "Yes. I don''t know why. I¡­ wait, you know?" "I listened in on a TV in the guard room last night." Hailey shook her head. "Don''t worry about me. You protected them all night?" "Yes¡­ Alden nearly got shot so many times¡­ Meg too¡­ Neither of them know the other one''s there. I''m really worried about them." "Why don''t you tell them?" asked Hailey finally, breaking a months-long embargo. She''d been dying to ask that question for so long, but held back because she wasn''t sure where she stood with Beverly yet. Now, though, she felt like Beverly was being foolish. Her siblings deserved to know the truth. "What if they¡ª" "They''ll get it. Alden will get it," said Hailey impatiently. "After everything we''ve been through? Your brother''s a smart guy, Beverly." "I don''t want to put them in danger." Hailey snorted. "''Cause that''s worked out really well so far." "They''re like I was¡­" said Beverly quietly. She leaned against Hailey slightly. It reminded her so much of Jessica, Hailey''s throat choked up¡ªbut as always, Jessica was a source of warmth, while Beverly was always cold, always distant, even if she sat only a few inches away. "I was so curious. I read the book without a second thought. Same as Alden. When I saw him¡­ when I saw the page in his hand¡­" "You did it though." "What was I supposed to do?" asked Beverly. "it was either let him die or let him go through the same nightmare I did." "It''s not a nightmare," said Hailey firmly. "...It''s not," agreed Beverly finally. "But¡­" "I get it, you''re afraid. But you can''t keep this up forever. Scraps are going to keep spreading, you''re gonna get even busier. Nobody else can awaken people, since nobody else knows the book like you do," said Hailey. "Yeah." ¡±They¡¯ll be okay,¡± said Hailey, and hugged her a little tighter. ¡°Meg¡¯s tough, she¡¯ll be fine.¡± "I hope so," said Beverly, but Hailey could see her vague smile in the mirror above her sink. "So you were there last night," prompted Hailey. "Did¡­" she trailed off, too afraid to ask. "People died¡­" said Beverly quietly. "But¡­ nobody you know, I think. I wasn''t able to keep it all in my head at once, but I tried." "What do you mean, keep it all in your head?" "I¡­" Beverly hesitated. "That''s a kind of magic I don''t think I should share. I''m sorry." Hailey shook her head. "If it''s dangerous, I''m the last person you should share it with. Don''t worry about it." She glanced out of the cell. "I''m kinda surprised though. Nobody''s awakened or anything since you got here?" "I¡­ I did another time bubble." Beverly leaned up again, shrugging Hailey''s arm off. "I wasn''t just here to say hi. I was¡­" She grimaced, and a current of rage wash through her eyes. She hadn''t ever seen that before, and it terrified her. "I was sent here." "What?" Hailey glanced around, as if expecting somebody else to appear in the cell, but of course no one did. "By who?" "Rachel," said Beverly, with an odd bitterness to her words. She stood up. "She''s called another meeting." "Huh?" "Just like last time." Beverly shook her head. "She''s calling everyone back together to figure out what to do." Just like when we decided to kill Jackson, Hailey mentally filled in, realizing Beverly''s reluctance. "...I can''t leave," said Hailey firmly. "I''m in prison." "Well," said Beverly, gesturing to the cell bars. "They can''t see inside anymore¡­ and in a way, you aren''t leaving your cell." "What?" "I did something to make it look like you''ll still be here sleeping. You shouldn''t be gone that long anyway¡­ I hope¡­" "No, what do you mean I''m not leaving my cell?" "Oh, well¡­" Beverly hesitated, then seemed to let out a breath. Suddenly, though Hailey hadn''t noticed they were gone, she realized the birds outside had started chirping again and the engines were rumbling on the streets outside. Hailey looked around her small cell, expecting something to happen, but all she saw were the same grey-bricked walls she was used to. There was a wooden door in her wall. A plain wooden door with a brass doorknob. As far as she could tell, it had always been there¡ªthough of course, Hailey had never seen it before in her life. "...How?" asked Hailey breathlessly. "I don''t know," said Beverly uncomfortably. "And that scares me. Remember when I said there wasn''t any magic I didn''t know, except your wings?" "...Yeah?" "That''s not true anymore. People are inventing new magic¡­ it''s not just what''s in the book anymore. I helped her do it, and I still don''t know how it works. I''m exhausted, and I''m scared." Beverly shivered. "I''m worried what might be next." "So¡­ I''m just supposed to¡­ go in?" "Yes." Beverly hesitated. "I have to go now. Will you go in? I was told you needed to be there." "...For you," said Hailey firmly. Not for me. Not because I wanted to leave anyway. I''ll do it because Beverly agreed to ask me, so she must think it''s important, even though she doesn''t like Rachel. She got to her feet, glancing down at her clothes uncomfortably. "Wish I had something better to wear¡­" Beverly gave a small smile. "I thought¡­ I thought you might say that." She gestured to the bed, and one of Hailey''s old favorite outfits was there¡ªher usual flight outfit, no less, and exactly what she''d want to be wearing going into something unfamiliar. "I won''t be there¡­ Good luck." Hailey nodded. "Thank you." Beverly disappeared. Hailey quickly changed, summoned her bag from across the hall, then took a deep breath and opened the door. Behind it, a black veil, exactly as she''d once seen in a portal behind the Kettle and Bones, back in Rallsburg over six months ago. Hailey steeled herself and stepped through, closing the door behind her¡­ only to find exactly the same void she remembered. The cobblestone path stretched out in an eight point circle. In the center, a very different building than the one she''d previously seen, but the doors at the points of the circle still remained. None of the tents or structures had returned save one¡ªthe very same portable classroom they''d met in. Hailey took another breath, very conscious of the sudden change in air quality. She started walking, and as she got halfway around the circle, another door opened¡ªand out stepped Rika Nishimura. She wore an orange prison outfit very similar to the one Hailey had just taken off, and looked far worse for wear. "...Well, fuck me, why didn''t I get that kind of service?" grumbled Rika, eyeing Hailey up and down. Hailey burst out laughing. "You too, huh?" "Door in my fucking cell wall. Figured it was worth stepping through." Rika shrugged. "Looks like we''re in for round two, eh?" Digging into her bag, Hailey quickly found a set of clothes Rika could throw on. It wasn''t great¡ªHailey was a good three inches taller, with a larger bust and wider hips¡ªbut still, it was something. "I feel like I''m getting swallowed by your clothes," Rika muttered. "Don''t you have anything smaller?" "No¡­ sorry," said Hailey, apologetically. "Well, still better than goddamn bright orange," she sighed. "On that note¡­ that blue in your hair?" "...Yeah?" "Nice," said Rika, with a small smile. "Exactly the same color as hers." Hailey smiled. Neither of them said another word as they finished the circuit of the cobblestone, finally arriving at the portable classroom. As soon as they walked up, the door swung open. Hailey glanced at Rika, who shrugged and started forward. Just to help. For Beverly, for Jessica, and then back to my cell. I''m not doing anything else. Even as she took her first step forward, Hailey could feel the tingle again¡ªthe rush, the excitement. Hailey had always been searching for an adventure her whole life. She ran away from home, she crossed the country to meet her boyfriend, she traveled the world. She chose a remote and mysterious college. She''d been the first to read the page in Beverly''s room, before the girl erased herself. And it led to everything else. Keep her in mind, Hailey. Keep it steady. Torn between two desires, Hailey walked into the room, with Rika only a few steps behind. B2: Chapter 49 — The Third Summit of the End of the World Chapter 49 ¡ª The Third Summit of the End of the World She''d even put out a fresh-baked plate of chocolate chip cookies, like always. Without knowing any better, they could have traveled back in time, and this meeting could be taking place a year before¡­ back before everyone''s lives fell apart. Rachel sighed. "Will they come?" "Of course they will, love," said Lily from her chair in the corner. She leaned against the nearby wall with a tired expression. A yawn overtook her, and Lily quickly brought a handkerchief to her mouth to cover it. As she did, the room seemed to warp ever so slightly, but it quickly became stable once Lily opened her eyes again. Rachel wasn''t quite sure why, but Lily seemed far more tired than usual. She still wasn''t sure how to differentiate Lily from her sister¡ªeven with a perfect memory, they seemed utterly identical to a ludicrous degree¡ªbut she was incredibly grateful for their help. This summit wouldn''t be possible without the Laushires, in more than a few ways. Kendra had responded almost immediately when Rachel reached out, and they''d been able to arrange this meeting¡ªeven rushed it after seeing the events of Friday night. "How did you do it?" asked Rachel. "Hm?" "The portal." She hesitated, remembering how their world usually functioned. "Unless you don''t want to say¡­" "Well, Kenni and I decided we needed a better way to cross the world than unexpected flights," said Lily, blinking as though trying to get something out of her eyes. "It took some assistance, and the knowledge of a few people I won''t name, but¡­ well, you''ve seen the results yourself." Indeed Rachel had. She stepped through the wooden door in her hotel room, just as she might have back in Rallsburg so long ago, and found herself inside Kendra''s void. It was exactly the same as she remembered. "Were you always able to open the doors anywhere you wanted?" "No." Lily coughed slightly. "I''m sorry, love. It''s difficult enough to hold this together already. We''re both quite drained." "But¡­" said Rachel, confused. "She isn''t here. Are you both powering the spell somehow even though you''re not next to each other?" Lily laughed, a quiet reserved sound Rachel hadn''t heard in a long time. "I''m so sorry, Rachel. I''ve forgotten to properly introduce myself." She leaned forward and held out a hand. Rachel took it, and found Lily seemed far weaker physically than normal as well as magically. "I''m Kendra''s creation." "...You''re what?" So Lily explained, and Rachel was even more confused. "How did I never notice?" "Well, if you had, we''d have been doing our jobs poorly, wouldn''t we?" Lily sat back again and pulled a coat over her shoulders, tapping her foot impatiently on the floor. "Don''t fret, love. I''m the same person you''ve known all along, just¡­ a little different now." "...Okay," said Rachel. She glanced at the door. "Did you start bringing them in?" "Kenni''s doing it right now," said Lily. "I''m just holding this void open." "How can you tell?" She clenched her teeth a little, and Rachel could hear the sudden strain in her voice. "I can always tell when Kenni''s doing something big," she murmured. Rachel tensed up. She''d tried to plan it all out, as fast as she could. They''d actually been planning a gathering for several days now. The world was getting crazier by the minute, and the awakened were scattered. They were broken up, confused, and stepping on each others'' toes. Nobody was cooperating. Rachel wanted to bring everyone together, try to get the community in order again. She was incredibly nervous. It had been so long¡­ would any of them even answer her call anymore? She''d left them, after all. The whole town was destroyed, and though Rachel stopped Jackson¡­ she''d still broken. Will was crippled physically, and she mentally, and neither of them could keep going. So Rachel fled, went north with her parents into hiding. She spoke to no one, she interacted with no one. Jackie was her only company for so long. But¡­ Rachel still watched the news. She still visited the website every day. She saw the regular messages from Natalie, from Cinza, from Alden and Hailey and everyone else. Rachel heard their cries for help, their confusion, and her heart tugged back in that direction. Back south, where the rest of the world awaited. Cinza was right. Rachel was a leader, through and through, and her people were lost. The ritual had finally tipped her hand. When Will told Rachel he was helping direct another magnetic attack, this time on Brian Hendricks, Rachel was apprehensive, but she''d let them decide. But when Rachel heard that it had been deflected by a force even more powerful¡ªby Natalie herself¡ªshe knew it was time. I promised that little girl I''d come back. I didn''t keep that promise, and I abandoned everyone. Now they''re fighting each other and casting so much magic they might tear apart the whole forest. We can''t let that happen. If another huge explosion of magic occurred in Rallsburg, if the world kept tipping toward fear and hatred of magic, then no amount of political maneuvering by Rachel in D.C. would save them. The first person walked in the door. Rachel had chosen the order very carefully, and she knew she wanted him to be first. It wouldn''t be right without the two of them coordinating. "Hi, Josh," she said, rising from her chair at the council table. Josh stopped in the doorway to the portable classroom, with a black void filling the whole space behind him. As soon as he spotted Rachel, he shook his head in dismay. "Figures." Rachel deflated a little. She''d been excited to see him, but all the casual, cool-headed attitude she''d wanted to balance her out was gone. Josh was anxious, venomous, harsh¡­ and so much more focused than he used to be, back when they held council together. "So what''s this about?" he asked. He pointedly took a seat against the wall, instead of up at the council table as she''d intended. Rachel tried to deflect as quickly as she could, though disappointment was already pooling in her stomach like a heavy weight. "It''s about making sure we don''t get each other killed, and getting us back on track toward making the world a better place." "Uh-huh." Josh crossed his legs, a dark look filling his eyes. "Hey, Lily. Glad you''re all right." "Thank you," said Lily, her eyes still closed. "Kenni doing better?" "Much better. She is creating the portals." "Cool shit." Josh leaned back as well and closed his eyes. "...Are you okay?" asked Rachel nervously. Josh shook his head, still not opening his eyes. "Hell no. I was just in a warzone, Rachel. I fucking walked back into it, too. Me and Natalie were hunting down her dad''s guys. Guess Jackson left all sorts of shit in the forest, and they''re using it to hide out. So yeah, I''m tired as fuck, and I''ve been shot at way too much in the last twenty-four hours." Rachel briefly thought about offering him a cookie, but realized how obtuse she''d seem. Josh didn''t want a cookie, he wanted a week of sleep. "I checked your parents," she said, trying to offer some good news. "They''re¡ª" "They''re fine, and they haven''t been fucked by the press yet," said Josh, in the same even, exhausted tone, with his eyes still closed. "I check on them every day, Rachel. Every day." She winced, realizing what he really meant. "Did you ever reach out?" "Nope." "...I''m sorry," she said quietly. "Yeah, whatever." Josh finally opened his eyes, glancing at the door. "Who all''s coming?" "Only who needs to," said Rachel. "We need to get everyone on the same page. Whether that''s killing Brian or not, I don''t know, but we can''t keep doing this." "Well, I''m with you there." Josh shut his eyes again. "Wake me up when it''s time. I didn''t sleep at all last night." "...Okay," said Rachel. She hesitated again, already feeling her whole plan slipping away again. "I missed you," she murmured, too low for Josh to hear. Lily seemed to realize it was time, because the next person arrived only a minute later¡ªor rather, a pair of them. "Still hate this damn place," Jackie muttered as she walked in, Jeremy only a few steps behind. "Hey, Rachel." She took a seat without much fanfare. Rachel wanted them next¡ªboth had seen her far more recently, after all, and Jackie was always on her side, even through her months in hiding. "The fuck did you call this again?" asked Jeremy. She shrugged. "Ask the Brit, I don''t know what to call this thing." "A pocket dimension," said Lily from the corner. She opened her eyes. "Hello again, Agent Ashe." "Hi yourself," said Jeremy. He took a seat with Jackie¡ªpointedly ignoring Rachel entirely. Why would he be¡­ does he know I suggested to Maddie that we give up on Hailey? Did Cinza tell him? I know they were friends, but Jeremy ought to be¡­ I''ve screwed up again. Boris and Neffie Bowman arrived next. They greeted Rachel much more warmly, but there wasn''t time for small talk anymore. Rachel wanted to get as many in as possible before they actually opened conversation. If anyone left, they''d lose the sense of unity and community she needed to build if they were ever going to stick together. "Welcome back," said a familiar echoing voice. Rachel turned to the door. Cinza, in full silvery-grey regalia, smiled up at her. She, too, looked exhausted, but nonetheless pleased to be there. Makoto and Ruby flanked her, Ruby seeming in awe of Rachel, and Hector followed them in with his usual nervous tics. "Thank you," said Rachel, though she saw Josh roll his eyes out of her peripheral vision. She had her power base now. Everyone in the room so far were people she considered to be strong allies. Josh and Jeremy were a bit less warm than usual, but she could count on support from everyone else. Neffie had always looked up to her, while Boris had stayed loyal through international manhunts. Cinza and her followers admired her, and though Rachel didn''t like the idea of abusing their trust, she knew she could count on them through nearly anything. It was time for the other, more volatile elements of the summit. Rika walked in, wearing clothes clearly not meant for her. She winked at Rachel. "About damn time," she snorted. She immediately walked over and gave Rachel a hug, sending shocks buzzing through her skin. Rachel was taken aback¡ªshe hadn''t expected affection from Rika of all people. "How''s Andrea?" "...Good," said Rachel, still winded recovering from the sudden burst of electricity through her whole body. "Mom misses you. She texts me every single time there''s an update about your case." "Huh." Rika glanced over her shoulder, where Hailey was just walking in. "Well, thanks for getting us a day pass out of prison. Coulda gotten me some clothes too, you know." "I didn''t get her those," said Rachel, a little confused herself. "...Must be the damn superhero thing," Rika muttered. "So what''s the plan?" "Get everyone to stop being stupid," Rachel said, quietly enough that no one would overhear. The rest of the room was talking now, albeit in low voices. Josh and Lily both seemed to be asleep, though Rachel knew she obviously wasn''t, or they''d have been crushed by the collapsing void. "Uh-huh." Rika grabbed up a few of her cookies and tossed one in her mouth whole. "I still make better cookies than you," she added, licking her lips. "I know." "So long as you don''t forget," said Rika with a smirk. She walked over and took a seat next to Hailey. "Convict row here, eh?" Hailey shook her head. "Neither of us are going to be convicted." "You might get off," said Rika. "I''m not holding my breath." The room suddenly got very quiet. Rachel turned, though she already knew why¡ªbut even so, she couldn''t help but gasp at the sight. Natalie walked in. Her face was scarred, eyes vivid purple, ears pointing through a curtain of dark hair, with Percy on her shoulder. She wore a simple, elegant black dress, which had been torn in several places. Rachel recognized it immediately. Lily let out a quiet gasp from the corner¡ªit was the dress they''d given her, which she''d worn to Jenny''s memorial, and ended up wearing throughout the fall of Rallsburg. Natalie looked¡­ intense. She took a seat alone, right at the back of the room against the back wall, where she could see everyone easily. Percy glared at everyone with a hawk''s terrifying eye, making it very clear nobody should approach her. She hadn''t said a word to Rachel, hadn''t even given her a second glance. Neffie looked just as shocked, but no one else in the room seemed even surprised. This wasn''t a new development. How had Rachel not heard about her? She''d noticed Natalie stopped sending her messages, and heard she''d been in some trouble, but¡­ this? Rachel had to talk to her afterwards, if she could. Something was very wrong¡­ but she didn''t have time. The next group was already arriving, as Maddie and Courtney Ashe came in. This caused a stir. After all, everyone else had been part of the last Summit. They''d all faced Jackson together, except for Jeremy, but he had been so integrated into every circle, he felt like part of their disjointed family. His siblings¡­ not so much. Rachel needed someone from the wider political world though. The group needed perspective. Rachel had considered inviting Wesley Gatiss, maybe even the President himself, but the Ashe siblings seemed a reasonable compromise. They introduced themselves nervously. Both seemed unsteady on their feet. Jeremy leapt up and hurried to help his sisters to seats, Jackie right behind him. The whole void wobbled as they did, sending another wave of panic through the two officers of the law. Rachel glanced at Lily. She shook her head. "It''s fine, love. Just a bit of strain. Kenni lost her support for a moment." "Her support?" asked Rachel. "Someone is helping her cast the portals?" "...A certain someone who has other frequent duties." Beverly, Rachel concluded. She''s helping create the portals, and taught them the long-range casting technique. There''s no way Kendra could manage these, and definitely not on her own while also supporting Lily and this void. ...How strong are the Laushires? Alden and Ryan came in next, and Rachel half-expected to see Beverly appear from nowhere to keep her brother away. She''d invited him as a good-luck charm, in a way. After all, he''d been the reason they''d stopped Jackson, in more ways than one. Without him, she''d never have managed it. Rachel hoped he''d still be on her side through anything, as he had been that day. Worst case, she could still use him as blackmail. Ryan, meanwhile, swaggered around like usual¡ªbut there was something more reserved to his movements. He seemed thrown off balance, like so many of the others. Something had changed in everyone¡­ Rachel included. She took a deep breath. It was time for the most risky invites. "Hello everyone," she said, rising to her feet and towering over the whole room. "Before we get started, there''s two more people coming. I want to ask you¡­ please¡­ to keep this a neutral place." "...The fuck does that mean?" asked Jeremy suspiciously. "It means she''s invited somebody you''d probably want to kill," said Rika. "So don''t fucking kill him." Rika glanced at Rachel knowingly. "Viper, right?" Rachel nodded. "Incredible," murmured Cinza, though her companions didn''t seem nearly as excited. "The portals can cross oceans?" "Why the fuck didn''t we use one?" asked Jeremy. "I only invented them yesterday," said Lily, finally opening her eyes again. "And this is not easy to maintain, so please, let''s remain civil." "I''ll remain civil," snapped Ryan, suddenly on his feet and staring at the doorway. "After I fucking kill that bastard." The whole group turned as one. Viper stood in the doorway¡ªwith two good arms now, though still as rough and gravelly as he''d always been. "We need him," said Rachel. "...Why?" asked Hailey incredulously, on her feet now as well. "You know¡­ you know what he did, right?" "A whole fuckton of stupid shit," said Viper, before anyone else could answer. "And I done a whole fuckton before I met any of you. That ain''t why I took this invite." "So why are you here?" asked Neffie, jumping in before anyone could respond. "''Cause my boss fucked some of you over and I''m tryin'' to undo it." Viper shrugged. "I''m probably goin'' to jail rest of my life, but if I can do some fuckin'' good before I get there, might as well try." Rachel scanned the room. Hailey seemed taken aback by his frank admission, but both Rika and Ryan practically radiated hostility. The rest of the room was either angry or completely confused¡ªafter all, the Ashe siblings hadn''t a clue who Viper was. Natalie, meanwhile, seemed oddly sympathetic, but who knew what the girl was thinking anymore? No one was leaving yet. As long as they stayed, Rachel could deal with some open hostility for a while. The next, and final person, to walk in would be the hardest test. She had lined him up last to deflect from Viper, since he was more familiar, and hopefully more sympathetic. As soon as Nate walked in, Rachel wondered if she had been too optimistic. The door slammed open into the wall behind him. Cinza was on her feet, Ruby and Makoto a split-second behind. "Leave now, or I will kill you," said Cinza very calmly, her voice echoing through the frozen room. Fire erupted in Ruby''s hand, and even her eyes seemed aflame with sheer rage. "She invited me," said Nate, his voice very small. He pointed a shaking finger at Rachel. Cinza didn''t respond, eyes still locked on his every movement. "Isn''t she still the leader?" "Good question," muttered Josh from the side of the room. "Didn''t you all elect her?" asked Courtney. "That''s how I understood it. She''s the last Councilor before the town fell." "The two of us, and her term''s over, Governor." Josh sighed. "Good to meet you, by the way. I''m the only real member of the Council left." "The Council broke up," said Ryan. "Far as I''m concerned, Rachel''s still up top." Thank you, Ryan. Could have been timed better, so it didn''t sound like you were arguing with Josh again, but¡­ thanks. "Did you invite him?" Cinza asked, turning to Rachel. She nodded. "He''s here so we can talk about the lawsuit, and everything else he''s done." After a full minute, Cinza finally¡ªwith great reluctance and a death-glare locked on Nate¡ªdropped into her seat. Makoto followed suit immediately, and Ruby after a few more seconds of radiating disgust so tangible Rachel felt a little ill. Nate reluctantly took the seat nearest the door. "Is there anyone else?" asked Boris. Rachel shook her head. She sat back down at the front table, smoothing out her dress, and took a deep breath. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw one of the chairs move just slightly, and knew Beverly must be there as well. Rachel half-expected her waspy voice to whisper again, just as she had back in May. "Let''s get started."
"So is Hector gonna read the articles or something?" asked Ryan sarcastically, after nobody spoke for a few moments. Rachel shook her head. "You were right, the Council is done. Those were rules given to us, not those we set ourselves. We modified them, but the Gods were always influencing us. We need to establish how our world works. The new world." "And who''s in your new fuckin'' world?" asked Jeremy. "Not Hailey, I guess." "...Huh?" asked Hailey, glancing around confused. "Not the time, Jere-bear," said Maddie, with an uncomfortable glance at her brother. "Fuck that," Jeremy muttered. He settled back again, but there was definitely a new level of hostility between him and Rachel. "We''re all fighting over things we could work out together," Rachel went on, a bit less confident than before. "No one is communicating anymore. The website is down¡ª" "Because a spy infiltrated our home and abducted Lily," said Ruby hotly. She glared at Viper. "Who''s going to answer for that?" "I am," said Viper in a flat tone. "I''m gonna get Cornelius put away for the rest of his life, God fuckin'' forgive me." "Oh, I''m so sorry you''ve gotta put your billionaire friend behind bars for what you two did," snarled Rika. "Why the fuck is he here, Rachel?" "Because he''s gonna get you out of prison," said Jeremy, "so back off a moment, all right?" Rika deflated a little. Rachel leapt back in at the opportunity, the gap in the argument, to try and steer them back to a more productive topic. "The trials for Rika and Hailey are all about perception. Right now, I have Courtney and Maddie''s pollsters running stats on public opinion of us, of the awakened in general, and of Brian''s following. We''re not in the positive yet." "What does that mean?" asked Neffie. "Means people are fucking scared of us," said Ryan. "It means," said Rachel, "we''re not in a comfortable position yet where Rika and Hailey would be cleared, or that we can fully rely on national support." "President Stafford seems pretty damn cozy with Cinza," said Jackie. "Ain''t that a point in our corner?" "Stafford respects me," said Cinza. "That does not mean he is on our side." "She''s right," said Maddie. "Stafford''s only with us so long as he thinks it''s politically valuable. The moment we''re no longer sympathetic, he''ll be against us." "As with any politician." "Jeez, let''s not be too nice to our government," said Ryan. "I''d remind you, Cinza," said Courtney with admirable restraint, "that I am on your side." "Didn''t stop him from stealing our home," said Ruby, glaring at Nate. A tiny gout of flame spat from her mouth at the emphasized word. Nate winced. "It''s my home," he shot back. "I was born there. You weren''t." "You weren''t born in the Greywood!" "My grandparents owned all that!" Nate pointed at Courtney. "They took it from us illegally!" "And if you step foot there, I promise you a swift death," said Cinza. "Who the fuck cares who owns what?" said Rika. "They''re living there, let them have it." "Spoken like a rich girl," muttered Ryan. "The fuck does that mean? I just said the money doesn''t matter." "It''s my home. I''m not giving it up," said Nate. "What if you just kept¡ª" started Rachel, but Nate cut her off. "Not one inch. It belongs to me." "And did my journals belong to you as well?" asked Cinza, her tone deadly. Nate faltered. He raised a hand as if to ward her off, or maybe try to make another point. Regardless, he didn''t speak another word, as the whole room seemed either suddenly very hostile to him¡ªor not paying him one bit of attention. "Like it''s gonna matter anyway," said Josh finally, "if we don''t stop getting killed out here." "How many died?" asked Rachel. "Seventy nine, last I heard." He took a deep breath, and finally seemed to be a bit more awake and alert, back to his usual self. "And I know for a fact at least five of those weren''t awakened. Probably more. They don''t have a fucking code at all." "Like we can prove that," muttered Jeremy. "Do the stones even work on you if you''re dead?" "Doubt it," said Josh with a shrug. "It doesn''t matter," said Maddie. "Everybody knows that''s his rhetoric. A few bad apples aren''t gonna sway them, unless you can really put solid proof on it, or show Brian approved it somehow." "Nobody''s even seen him on TV yet," Courtney pointed out. "He''s a legendary figure right now. If we can push him into the open, we could start discrediting him." "Or we could just fucking kill him," said Rika. "Thought that was the plan, from what I heard." No¡­ "...Are we really doing this again?" asked Neffie. "Excuse me, where have you been for six months?" "In hiding, same as you," said Alden quietly from the seat next to her. "...Right," said Rika. She visibly deflated. "Sorry." Neffie looked taken aback, but the space was quickly filled by another, as Jeremy spoke up. "I''m with her, and that was the fuckin'' plan." He glanced around the room to Neffie. "Don''t know who you are, but trust me, Hendricks had gotta die. I''ve seen him up close. He''s insane." They must not be allowed to continue on this path. What am I supposed to do? They''re the adults. I''m just a kid. You have not been a kid for a long time, Natalie. We must act. ¡­I''m glad you''re back. She took a breath and sat up in her chair. "No," she said, as clearly as she could. The whole room froze. Jeremy had been about to say something else, but he turned back to look at her. Rachel, too, seemed shocked, but Natalie didn''t want to look at her. She didn''t really want to look at any of them. They''d all left her, betrayed her, or abandoned her in some way or another. Natalie didn''t hate them¡­ but she didn''t trust any of them. More importantly, she had no idea which of them were involved in the ritual beyond Cinza. "Natalie¡­" said Rachel hesitantly. She shook her head. "You won''t hurt him." "We want to arrest him, but he''s not gonna come clean," said Jeremy. "It''s the only way." "Then I''ll stop you," she said simply. "Some people just gotta die, kid," said Viper with a shrug. Hailey shot another glare at him, but he didn''t back down. "My old man was a son of a bitch, and everyone in the world''s better off with him not in it." "I don''t care." I''m not gonna let anyone hurt him. Maybe he''s done bad things. I''ve done bad things too. I got put in terrible places and had to kill people, and I don''t think anybody here besides Cinza would understand. Maybe Dad has a good reason too. I can''t know until I talk to him. We will protect him. "So what do you think we should do?" asked Josh, looking at her directly. Natalie hesitated. "...I don''t know. But nobody touches my dad." She glanced at Cinza. "If I have to, I''ll stop you again." "...What?" asked Hailey, glancing between the two of them. "Nothing," said Josh. "Like fuck it''s nothing," snapped Rika. "What did you idiots do?" "They did the magnet thing again," said Natalie. "The ritual. They tried to kill dad." "We stopped," said Cinza. Only because we blocked it, Natalie pointed out, but she didn''t want to say it aloud. She wasn''t actually sure she could do it again¡ªespecially if they had more magic behind it¡ªbut if she acted like it wasn''t a big deal, they''d think it was easy. Cinza already thinks I''m the most powerful¡­ Use this to our advantage. Percy screeched on her shoulder as if in agreement, though of course, he couldn''t hear the voice. Still, Natalie nodded as if he''d said something useful, while everyone winced at the loud hawk call in a tiny enclosed space. "It''s her dad¡­" said Hailey uncomfortably. "Can''t we¡­" She trailed off, and the silence that followed matched her own discomfort. "Let''s go back to beating up Nate," said Ryan. "That was more fun." "The law''s on my side," said Nate pathetically. Ryan rolled his eyes. "Natey, you missed the last summit, so I''ll let you in on a little secret: we don''t give a fuck about the rule of law in here." "Some of us do," said Courtney pointedly. "Convenient for the one writing the damn laws." "That''s the legislature. I carry them out." "Thanks for the civics lesson," said Josh, "but we still need to figure out what we''re going to do." He turned to Natalie, and she felt a sinking in her stomach. She''d always liked Josh, but¡­ she knew he was going to ask, and she shook her head before he could even get the words out. "No." "...Natalie," he started anyway. "He''s killing all of us. When he finds out you''re awakened, there''s no guarantee he won''t kill you too." She shook her head. "He won''t." "You don''t know that." "I don''t think this is the best course of action," said Boris, and for the briefest moment, Natalie thought someone was really on her side¡ªuntil he went on. "Killing Mr. Hendricks will only create a martyr. A movement is more than one person, and he has created a true wave of insurrection. It will take much more than a simple swipe at the head." Even Boris thinks dad should die¡­ he just doesn''t think it''ll help. Natalie stood up, and the whole room fell silent again. "Nobody hurts my dad," she repeated. No one answered, but Natalie didn''t need an answer. She was going right back to the wreckage of Boris'' shop in Rallsburg, where Riley was still watching the library. If anything, magical or mundane, approached the structure before she was ready, Natalie would stop it. Even if I have to kill them¡­ I don''t want to, but¡­ We will do what we must. Nobody spoke as Natalie left¡ªbut when she stepped back down onto the cobblestone path, she heard the door swing open and closed behind her. She assumed it was Rachel at first, and didn''t want to look back. Instead, she was surprised to hear the clipped, precise tones of Lily Laushire. "Where do you want to go?" she asked quietly. Natalie stopped. She didn''t turn around yet, but she was sorely tempted. Lily had been a friend¡­ until that night, until the Laushires became busy with their own lives and Natalie was left by the wayside. Until Natalie was cut off. Until yet another person abandoned her. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. "I want to go home," said Natalie. "Where''s home?" "I don''t know." Natalie turned back to face Lily. She looked upset¡ªNatalie couldn''t remember the last time she saw either of the Laushires upset. Suddenly, Natalie felt uncomfortable. Seeing an adult crying or emotional was always weird for her. They were supposed to be the stable ones. Except¡­ Natalie had seen too many paranoid or emotional or simply distracted adults in the last few months. There were the rare exceptions, but Natalie didn''t trust them anymore. I don''t trust anyone anymore. It is for the best. All we can trust is ourselves. "I''m sorry," said Lily. Natalie didn''t answer. Talking to Lily felt like more weakness now, and Natalie couldn''t afford any weakness. Lily was one of the last people Natalie had ever relied on, after Rachel and her dad and so many others. When she''d been cut loose, she''d never been able to fully trust someone again. Even Quinn, whom she''d grown closer to than anyone else, she''d never been able to completely open up to. When Quinn left her, Natalie hadn''t broken. Maybe she owed Lily for that ability, in some strange way. One betrayal allowed her to survive another. "My friends are in the Greywood," said Natalie quietly. "Can you make sure they''re all right?" Lily hesitated. Natalie hated seeing her upset, but¡­ they''d abandoned her too. Just like everyone else had. "...I''ll make sure," she said finally. "How do I go back?" A door swung open, three exits away from where Natalie currently stood. With only a few reassuring words to Percy, who still didn''t like going through the Laushire portals, Natalie walked back out again. She emerged right into the back room of Boris'' little shop. Gwen gave her a look, as full of compassion as a wolf''s face could get. Natalie fell right into her fur, burying her face. Above, she heard Riley ask for their password, and hurriedly called a response. But Natalie didn''t move. She had a few minutes where she knew no one would be going after her dad¡­ and all she wanted to do was run to him. Except they were right. He might kill her. Natalie wasn''t even sure of that herself. She pressed in tight to Gwen''s warm fur, wanting nothing more than to stay there, but knowing she didn''t have long. We''ll find out. We''ll go to him, and if he tries, we stop him, but we''re not going to let anyone else hurt him.
When Natalie left the room, Hailey noticed a significant shift in attitude throughout the rest of the summit. People took sides almost instantly, and totally non-verbally. Alden and Hector in particular looked upset, Neffie shocked, and Jeremy''s sisters weren''t happy either. The rest of the group still seemed on board with killing Brian, leaving Hailey as the sole undecided vote in the room. "Is she gone?" asked Rachel, as Lily returned to the room. Lily nodded. "I won''t say where." "We just want to help her," said Josh, though he didn''t sound confident. "I betrayed her once," said Lily. "I will not do it again." "This is life and death," said Viper roughly. "The fuck are you gonna do? Girl''s just as insane as her father." "You would be wise to hold your tongue," said Cinza. Hailey felt the same. She was holding herself back, trying to keep her rage suppressed and stay calm, but every single syllable, every breath by Viper was another needle stabbed into her heart. This was the man who ordered Ryan and Alden''s abductions, who sent men into Seattle to hunt magic for a billionaire¡­ the man responsible for Jessica''s death. No more bloodshed. I''m just here to listen and stay in the loop, but I''m not fighting anymore. "She''s always been weird," added Nate, finding himself allied with the other fringe member of the impromptu council. "This isn''t new. She''s just way more dangerous now." "Weird isn''t dangerous, asshole," snapped Rika. "She did magic nobody else could do and had some weird views of the world, but so what?" "No mom, no school, dad ran across the country to get her away from something, and she can talk to animals," said Nate. "She''s weird. And if her dad''s insane, who''s to say she''s not too? What if she goes nuts? How many people could die, as powerful as she is?" ...He''s not wrong, thought Hailey, and felt disgusted with herself doing so. Nate was simply echoing her own fears though¡ªabout herself, but still. When someone with power like they had got unstable, far more people were at risk. She knew that firsthand. And Natalie''s been through as much as me. Probably more. How''s she still holding it together? "They''re already dying," said Josh. "We don''t really have time to waste on a hypothetical future. We need to handle the here and now." "If we don''t do this right, we''ll be worrying about nothing but the future," said Courtney. "I can''t get our legislative agenda passed without public support." "Everybody keeps saying we gotta do this right," said Ryan. "The fuck is right, anyway?" "We don''t kill people just because they''re committing crimes," said Neffie. "That''s how America is supposed to work, right?" "Speak for yourself," muttered Josh. "We capture him," said Rachel suddenly. She turned to Lily. "How many portals can you open at once?" "...I''m not certain," said Lily slowly. "Kendra and I would have to test it." "You''re not Kendra?" asked Courtney, raising an eyebrow. Lily glanced at Jeremy, and Courtney quickly followed. He shrugged, rolling his eyes. "Forgot to mention it. Sorry." "My name is Lily," said Lily politely. "I am Kenni''s twin sister." "Kendra Laushire''s got a sister?" asked Courtney, turning back to her with shock. "I wasn''t aware you kept track of me." "I like to know all the major players in my state. When you moved to Rallsburg, it crossed my desk." "For future campaign contributions," muttered Maddie. "You were all gung-ho on killing Omega," said Ryan¡ªand half of the room winced. Nobody told him we don''t use that name anymore¡­ "What''s with the flip-flop on Natalie''s dad?" "Because he''s not awakened," said Rachel simply. "...I want to say that''s a double-standard, but fuck me if it isn''t a weirdly positive one right now," said Jeremy. Hailey nodded, speaking up before anyone else could. "She''s right. Jackson couldn''t be held down. He was more powerful than most of us combined. Brian isn''t. He can be arrested just like any other normal person." "Or you, apparently," said Josh. She shrugged. "Just because I can break out whenever I want doesn''t mean I''m going to. D''you think Jackson would''ve followed the rules like that?" "Nice to hear you''re back to following the rules like us ''humans''," said Neffie snidely. Hailey winced¡ªboth from the memory, and from the source of the comment. Neffie wasn''t usually the type to snipe, but¡­ she''d deserved that, and so much more. "So if we''re gonna arrest him¡­" said Alden uncomfortably, "how are we supposed to do that? The only person who can really beat the golems is the one protecting him." "...Natalie''s the one who threw that lightnin''?" asked Jeremy, raising an eyebrow. "...Hang on," said Rika, rounding on Rachel. "Natalie can use electricity magic?" "Yes?" "Fuck me," she groaned, falling back in her chair. Hailey wondered what Rika was suddenly upset about, but Cinza spoke up before she could spend much time thinking about it. "We must blindside him." "Already tried that," Jeremy pointed out. "He''s in Rallsburg right now, isn''t he?" asked Ruby, glancing at Cinza next to her. "Why don''t we just surround the place? We can hold back the golems long enough for somebody to get close and grab the thing." "Tried that too," said Josh. "Hector tried to grab it, but it''s immune to magic or something, I don''t know. Jackson did something to it. That''s why I sent him to you." "Lure him in," said Viper. Hailey once again suppressed a wave of hatred, avoiding the man''s eyes. "Gotta get him to come to you, drop him in a pit or somethin''. Golems or no, you lay a good trap, he''s not climbin'' out." "...Might work," said Jeremy grudgingly. "Could just make a golem to give him enough height." "Doesn''t need to literally be a pit." Viper shrugged. "Any kind of trap. If he''s alone right now, this is the best time." "There''s only one thing that could lure him," said Josh grimly. The room fell utterly silent. No one moved, no one spoke. "...Don''t you dare," snapped Neffie. Josh turned to her, and he really did look uncomfortable, but he didn''t back down. "She won''t even know she''s doing it." "I can''t do this," said Hector suddenly, standing up. "I''m¡­ I''m done." "Hector," said Cinza, rising as well, but he waved her off. "I already hate myself for helping you the first time. Do¡­ do what you all need to do, but I can''t be a part of it. I''m¡­ I''m going back." He started for the door. Jackie held out a hand. Hector briefly stopped to take it, offering her a sad smile, but he looked too anxious and afraid to stick around. After a few moments, he hurried out, and the door closed behind him. To Hailey''s surprise, Lily didn''t follow him out as she did Natalie. Guess she doesn''t need to be there to actually get people ho¡ª oh. Right. She followed Natalie out because they abandoned her too. Hailey genuinely wanted to support them. She still liked Rachel, even with how everyone else seemed to be against her now. Hailey wasn''t sure why¡ªRachel just wanted to have a quiet life. Who could blame her, after everything they''d been through? After what she''d been through? Will is still crippled, from what I heard¡­ Rachel''s been dealing with that, and keeping her parents safe and in hiding for so long¡­ Except¡­ Rachel had done something to upset Hailey too. She''d invited Viper and Nate. Hailey couldn''t see any reason they should be in the room right now. Cinza seemed to arrive at the same conclusion. "Nathaniel," she started, somehow with a hard edge on every echoing, ethereal syllable, "you will leave, and you will never come near the town of Rallsburg or the Greywood. I granted you a home, I brought you into our family, I helped bring you into our world and meet the Goddess herself. You spurned us." Nate got to his feet, whiney voice sounding pitiful against Cinza''s sheer power. "But¡ª" Cinza talked right over him. "You committed personal crimes against me. For those, I might kill you myself, but I grant you this reprieve, on one condition. Leave now. If I see you in the world, I shall ignore you, so long as you do not encroach upon my land. And¡ª" she glared at him with such fury Hailey expected Nate to simply melt on the spot, "¡ªyou shall return every single one of my diaries." He looked around the room, pleading, but not a single sympathetic eye came back. Nate Price had burned every bridge he once built in the awakened community. Even the few with little reason to hate him, like Neffie or Boris, refused to give him an inch. No one was on his side. "If you''re gonna get mad at me for stabbing people in the back," said Nate, "at least make it equal!" To Hailey''s surprise, Neffie Bowman practically jumped in her chair, and cast an odd glance at Rachel¡ªbut Nate whirled around to Cinza. "She''s a traitor too!" he cried, desperate. "Uh-huh," said Jeremy, crossing his arms. "That''s a losin'' argument if ever I heard one, kid." "Leave now, Nate," said Cinza, in the same even tone. "This is your last warning." "She turned Rika in! Told them where to find her! I heard all about it!" "...The fuck?" asked Rika, but her words were lost in a sudden burst of action, as Jackie suddenly got to her feet and backed Nate up against the door without so much as lifting a finger. Nate cowered in front of her. Jackie still has authority over him. He''s Rallsburg, born and raised, and she''s the sheriff. "Time to go, Nate," she said calmly. "You pick how it is. Cuffs or not." Just like how she broke up my parties¡­ gave us the option to leave quietly so nobody got arrested. Nate nodded. He turned and hurried out the door. Jackie watched him, all the way to his exit, before closing the classroom off again and returning to her seat next to Jeremy. I''m glad he finally found her¡­ At least somebody got what they were looking for. Rika still seemed confused by something. Hailey was to about to ask what, but Rachel spoke first, obviously trying to get the meeting back onto whatever agenda she''d started with. "Brian isn''t the only thing we need to focus on here," said Rachel, with an admirable attempt at calm. "He''s the most immediate, yes, but we''re still a chaotic mess here. New awakened are everywhere, and nobody''s trying to coordinate them. Washington State and the United States government are being pulled in ten different directions, and international attention is growing fast. If we don''t stand united, we won''t get the sort of protections we need." "Could''ve used you months ago," said Josh bitterly. "...I know," said Rachel uncomfortably. "She''s here now," said Hailey. "Can we just leave it at that?" "...Yeah," said Josh finally. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and opened them again. "All right, Rachel. What''s the plan?" "Well, we¡ª" "...How the fuck did they know where I was?" asked Rika suddenly, interrupting Rachel with her harsh, piercing voice. She looked at Josh, then at Cinza. "I was in the middle of fucking nowhere, and nobody there knew who I was. Shit, there wasn''t even a wanted notice out on me. Unless you''re suggesting Alzack gave me up?" "Rika¡ª" Cinza started, but Josh cut her off. "Yeah, I told the marshals where to find you," he snapped. "So what?" "So what?" said Rika incredulously. "I might go to jail for the rest of my fucking life, so what! They''re accusing me of like fifty fucking homicides, you asshole!" "Thirty-one," Jeremy murmured to Jackie, but nobody else heard him. "It''s about time," said Josh. Rika snarled. "Don''t you dare fucking say this is about me cheating on you. Aren''t we past this shit by now?" "I sure am," muttered Ryan. "So what if it was?" "It wasn''t," said Cinza, just as Rika started to move toward Josh. She stopped halfway there. "I made the call, Rika. If you must hate someone, hate me, but know this is for the good of us all." "For the good of us all," murmured Ruby beside her. Hailey winced¡ªit really wasn''t the best time for their favorite slogan. "Uh-huh," said Rika. "''Cause I''m big bad fucking Rika, can''t keep it in her pants Rika. Gotta keep me off the streets. After all, I''ve killed¡­ oh yeah, zero people. I''m such a monster." She snorted. "Pretty sure I''ve got a lower bodycount than half this fucking room." Hailey winced¡­ but she was pretty sure Rika was right. Jeremy and Jackie from their career, Viper from the military, Rachel killed Jackson, Cinza and Ruby killed Paul Wilson, Boris probably had to kill some people in his line of work¡­ "Rika," said Rachel quietly. Rika whipped around to face her. "I swear to god, Rachel, if you were¡ª" "I wasn''t," said Rachel. To Hailey''s surprise, Rika seemed to believe her without question. "I think this was a terrible thing, but it''s too late to change it now. You still have to go through with it." "...Don''t fuck me over here," said Rika quietly. "You''re like a sister to me, and you''ve already done it once. You''re the only one who gets a second chance." "I think she''s right," said Alden. Rika turned to him, even more surprised. "You gotta finish it. They aren''t gonna convict you. They can''t really prove it''s you, since you weren''t there. We''ve got actual witnesses now," he added, nodding at Viper. Viper shrugged. "I can confirm I pulled you out. Gonna be tied up in the fuckin'' courts anyway. Might as well get a free trip home while I''m at it. I''m from Maryland in the first place." "And for the second half, you were too busy straddling me in Redmond to kill anybody," added Ryan. "Thanks for that image," muttered Neffie. Ryan grinned. "So we''ve got two actual alibis, plus your punch cards to show you definitely couldn''t have been there in October for the gang killings," added Alden. "And my father''s company will be dropping the Computer Misuse charges soon," said Lily. "There''s shareholders to talk off the ledge, but your court date should not be affected." "See?" said Alden. "You''re gonna be fine." Rika sighed. "Fuck all of this." "Yeah," said Alden. "But once it''s over, you''re free and clear, and you go back to using your real name. No more hiding." "Thank god." She smiled at Alden. "Okay. We''re good. I''ll live the prison life a bit longer until you guys get me off." "Do you have to turn everything into an innuendo?" asked Neffie. "Hey, that was an accident, I swear." "As I was saying..." said Rachel, but Rika spun around to face Cinza and Josh again, and Rachel trailed off. "I am still not okay with you two assholes," she growled. "And if I gotta go back to prison, that means I''m out of the fight anyway. Do whatever you gotta do, take the motherfucker out, but when I''m free?" She matched Cinza''s glare from earlier with equal intensity. "I''ve got business with my dad, and I''m not taking shit from anyone anymore. Stay the fuck out of my way." Rika left, before anyone could say another word. Hailey considered following her. After all, she needed to go back to prison too, for many of the same reasons¡ªbut with legitimate fault on her own shoulders. More importantly, she too wasn''t in this fight. She couldn''t be. If Hailey went back¡­ she''d be falling right into the trap Jefferson warned her about. I''d be a fugitive forever. Unlike Rika, I''m supposed to be in prison. People wouldn''t blame her for breaking out if she could. She''d be escaping injustice, I''d be fleeing actual justice. "Speaking of people who should be in prison," said Josh, "where the hell is Rook?" Viper looked up. "I wanted to know that myself. Last I heard, she was in this neck of the woods." He scratched his head, glancing at the ceiling. "Actually, where the fuck are we? Is this place in Rallsburg or London?" He glanced at Lily, who shrugged. "It''s nowhere." Viper rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say." "She''s off screwing somebody else over," said Jeremy. "Ditched Lani in the fucking forest for Brian''s men to pick up." "No shit?" asked Josh. "Like hell she did," snapped Viper. "She actually awakened for that clown." "Watch how you talk about him, asshole," Jeremy shot back. "Anyone want to talk about how this guy tried to kidnap me?" murmured Ryan. "I mean, just saying." "...Yeah," muttered Viper. "I did. I fuckin'' regret it too." Ryan looked surprised, even weirdly sympathetic. Viper sounded sincere. It was too much for Hailey. He doesn''t deserve to feel forgiven. She leapt to her feet, and before anyone could stop her, she''d plowed right into Viper. In an instant, he was up against the wall, a foot off the ground in Hailey''s strong grip. "And Jessica?" she snarled. "What about her?" Viper didn''t answer, just looked at Hailey with empty eyes¡ªthose which had seen too much death over decades of war and fighting. He was old school. A single death didn''t mean that much to him, not anymore. "Hailey," started Rachel. Hailey shook her head. "I wasn''t exactly on board with everything here, Rachel, but I was gonna hear you out. Not on this." She pushed Viper even higher up the wall. Images of Jess flashed through her brain, one after another¡ªhalf of her on the ground in the streets of Lakewood, the other a pleading version of her as she once was, begging Hailey to stay calm, to stay grounded. I was never meant to be grounded though, Jess. I was born to fly. You taught me to fly. You gave me these wings. On cue, her wings flexed out wide, sending a huge gust through the room. Jackie''s hat blew off her head. "I would never have given that order," said Viper. "Didn''t do us any good. We wanted you alive, not dead." "So you could torture her at home?" asked Hailey incredulously. She threw him to the ground, utterly disgusted. He crashed against one of the chairs and stayed down. She didn''t feel an ounce of sympathy. That was supposed to be an apology? Hailey turned back to Rachel. "I''m out, Rachel." "Hales¡ª" said Josh, but Hailey shook her head. "I''m still going back to prison. I''ll go through the trial and everything. That''s what I deserve. But screw this. He doesn''t deserve a second of your time." Hailey glanced around the room, at some of the people she hadn''t seen in a long time, and tried to give them a significant look. "Don''t take this too far." Hailey turned and left. As soon as she exited that small room, she felt refreshed. It still hurt, and she wished she could have done more to him, but¡­ she''d done what she needed to. Hailey had said what she needed to say, and she hadn''t hurt anyone. She''d stayed in control. She wondered which door she was supposed to take to get back to her cell. They were all identical to her eyes, and she had no clue which one had been hers¡ªif it even mattered. To her relief, one popped open at the far end. "Wait!" Hailey hesitated. Alden had just left the room and was jogging out to meet her. "I can''t go back in there, Alden," she murmured. "I don''t think you should." "...You know," said Hailey, turning around to face him, "you''re really good at throwing me completely off." Alden shrugged. "I''ve had a crazy life." You don''t know the half of it¡­ "What do you mean, though?" "I think nothing''s gonna get done in there anyway." He shook his head. "Rachel invited Viper and Nate, which was already insane¡ª" "She never did pick up my party planning skills," said Hailey with a half-hearted attempt at a smile. Alden grinned. "¡ªshe thought she could persuade Natalie to go against her own dad, she didn''t have a clear plan for what to do about Brian anyway¡­ She''s too out of touch. That whole meeting was going to be a mess from the start." "So why''d you agree to come?" Hailey asked. "I did ''cause I was stuck in a jail cell anyway. Any fresh air was nice. Plus, you know¡ª" She launched into the air without warning, blowing Alden''s hair around wildly as she did. Hailey did a circuit of the void before coming back to land next to Alden, feeling incredibly refreshed even by that brief spin through the windless dimension. "¡ªcan''t do that in prison," she finished with a smile, hovering in the air in front of him with gentle wing flaps and a bit of magic. "You''d better get out soon," said Alden. "I miss flying." "You do?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Most people didn''t enjoy flying with her. It even took Jess a long time to get used to it, and Alden had never seemed totally on board. "Seriously." Hailey smiled even wider. "I''m glad you''re doing okay." "I mean¡­ why wouldn''t I be?" He shrugged. "You just¡­" Hailey hesitated. "You were just in a huge battle, and I hear you got attacked on the way there too. I thought¡­" "Oh." Alden nodded slowly. "Yeah¡­ I guess¡­ I dunno. I just don''t feel that scared anymore." He tilted his head to the side a little. "When he put a gun in my face, I froze up, just like last time. But¡­ nothing happened. I got away. I got away from his guys in Seattle, I got away from him in Tacoma, I didn''t even get a graze in the pilgrim camp. I''m either stupidly lucky, or¡­" "...Or what?" "Or it''s fate," he finished, shrugging again. Or it''s a protective older sister with the power of a goddess¡­ Beverly, just tell him already! Hailey nearly did tell Alden right then. She wanted to tell him he couldn''t be reckless. He was only surviving so long as Beverly kept a constant eye on him, in between every awakening. Alden was going to be in danger all the time anyway¡ªthe risk of telling him, no matter what relationship magic Beverly might be afraid of, was surely outweighed by the benefits of knowing he wasn''t invincible. It''s not my place. That''s old, reckless Hailey. I don''t know what the consequences of that would be. I can''t tell him. I can''t say anything at all. Instead, Hailey landed and buried Alden in a hug. "I''m glad you''re okay." "...Thanks," said Alden. He returned the hug. "What about you? Are you okay?" She pulled back, brushing hair out of her face. She hadn''t pinned it in place for her flight, and now it had blown everywhere. "Yeah. Just, you know¡­ getting myself mentally prepped to go back into a tight cell again." "Yeah¡­" Alden winced. "I''ll come visit when I can, okay?" "Please don''t," said Hailey quickly. "It''s all the way across the country. They need you home." "What do they need me for?" asked Alden, raising an eyebrow. They need Beverly to not split her attention so much¡­ and on that note¡­ "Your sister''s in the camp," said Hailey. "...What?" "Meg''s in the pilgrim camp." Hailey shook her head. "I don''t know why, don''t ask me that. It''s probably obvious though." "She wants to awaken," said Alden with a sigh. "I should''ve known this was gonna happen as soon as she heard about it." "You gotta find her." Alden nodded. To Hailey''s relief, he didn''t ask how she knew. There''s a perk of magic¡ªa lot less questions on how people know things. In all fairness, I do know Nikki''s scrying spell now. I totally could find her¡­ not much point though, when Beverly already told me exactly where she is. Hailey hugged him again. "I''ll be fine. Go make sure everybody else is." "Yeah." "I still owe you a drink," she added as she started away toward her open door, where she could already see the plain empty walls of her cell. "Don''t forget!" "I''ll be waiting!" Alden shouted back. Hailey grinned, then hurried back to her cell. It was still covered in an illusion, as Beverly promised. Hailey changed back into her prison clothes, stored her outfit in her bag, and levitated it across the hall back where it belonged. Finally, as the wooden door disappeared, Hailey felt around with magic and found the source of the illusion¡ªa spell Beverly attached to a gemstone she''d left under Hailey''s bed. She broke the connection. Her vision shifted just slightly, as if the light level had suddenly changed. Hailey laid back on her hard metal bed and let out a deep breath. People are dying¡­ A lot of people. I could be helping them, but¡­ if I stay here, am I helping them more? Everything we talked about, making sure the awakened aren''t scary, that we aren''t given special treatment, all that¡­ isn''t it better I stay? She genuinely wasn''t sure anymore. She''d been sure, but now¡­ everything seemed to be happening at home. She could have done so much to help. If she''d been there, she could have summoned a huge wind to help deflect bullets. Or maybe she could have flown over the canopy and simply grabbed their guns away. Hailey could have fought back golems, she could have hunted down Brian''s men in their hideouts. She could have protected people, helped get them to safety. Hailey was powerful, but her power was all locked away right now in her little jail cell. Or I could''ve just gotten everybody killed. Hailey closed her eyes again. She waited for the guard to come by with breakfast, and through the rest of the morning in her cell all alone¡­ still without an answer.
"She ain''t wrong," growled Jeremy, glaring at Viper. The man glanced at a nearby chair, but it was clear by now he had no friends in this room. "Motherfucker owes us some lives." Viper shrugged. He got to his feet. "Do whatever the hell you want. I''m out. I''ll testify. Promised Nishimura I wasn''t gonna fuck with her, and it''s my fault she got fucked with anyway, so I owe her. I owe Rook too. Past that, if y''all need my help, you know how to find me." He glanced around the room¡ªnot at the people, but at the walls, incredulous, and at Lily in the corner. "Fuckin'' hell¡­" he muttered. "Portals." He left. About damn time. Jeremy shook his head. "Asshole," he muttered. "That guy used to be on your council?" "We didn''t exclude anyone," said Rachel. "Maybe you damn well should have." "Excluded me," added Jackie. "Kinda wish I''d been in on this shit a lot sooner." "You told me you were happy ignoring it as long as we weren''t a problem," said Rachel quietly. "Right before we went to the RV park." "Changed my damn mind." Jackie sighed. "I''m still in your corner, girl. I''m just sayin''... wish I would''ve known." "You and me both," said Jeremy. "What''s next?" asked Josh. "Anyone else want to let us know how they stabbed somebody here in the back?" said Ryan, rolling his eyes. "I figure we''ve got at least two more to go through, right?" "Why are you here?" asked Courtney, eyeing him with frustration. Ryan shrugged. "''Cause Rachel thinks I''m hilarious," he replied, dead-serious. "He''s here," said Rachel, shooting him a frustrated look, "because he''s actually very smart and good in a fight, when he''s not trying to be the biggest asshole in the room." "Uh oh. Rachel''s swearing, guys," Ryan whispered. "We''re in real trouble now." "We ought to discuss the next movements for the National Guard," said Courtney, a touch of irritation still coloring her voice. "They''re awaiting my next command right now." "They are?" asked Ryan, raising an eyebrow. "Who are you?" "The Governor of Washington," said Josh irritably. "Keep up, man." "Thought you said he was smart," muttered Jeremy. "Hey," said Ryan, and his voice was suddenly dead-serious again. "I''ve been busy getting nearly killed by every fucking thing out there. I just wanted to keep my head down. But what do you know, I decide to finally poke my head out again, go to the market, and what the fuck should happen but a goddamn firing squad massacre?" Ryan got to his feet, jacket over his shoulder. For a brief moment, Jeremy could see the preppy college kid he''d always expected to find. He headed to the door, but stopped for just a moment to turn back to Rachel. "I''m out too. Rachel, kill him, and let me know when it''s done. I''ll be in the Greywood curled up in a tiny ball and praying to every god I can think of to protect me." ...Well that''s a fuckin'' exit¡­ Jeremy glanced at his siblings. Courtney seemed taken aback by Ryan''s sudden candor. Maddie looked uncomfortable, and ended up being the next voice in the increasingly-empty room. "So what are we going to do?" she asked quietly. "Kill him," said Ruby. "Ryan said it best." "I can''t agree to that." Ruby rolled her eyes. "You and every other elected official." "We''re the ones protecting you right now," Maddie shot back. "You know they''re trying to take you away, right?" Cinza shook her head. "You will not shock us with news of the government''s foul accusations. Ruby knows, and both of us find it despicable. She is never leaving my side, nor I hers." "You know," said Maddie, "shit like that is exactly why people are worried about you." "Let them worry." Cinza turned back to Rachel. "Brian must die. You understood this with Jackson, and you should understand it now. The justification is the same." "It isn''t," Jackie shot back. "We ain''t trapped, and Brian ain''t awakened. He can be arrested. We already agreed to that." "It is not a risk we should take." Cinza frowned. "I know you care for Natalie¡ª" "It''s not just her, and you know it," said the sheriff. "Killing him is too risky," said Boris suddenly. "It will only provoke more hate. He will be a martyr." "I thought we already agreed killing him was a bad idea," said Neffie uncomfortably. "When did it become okay again?" When everybody remembered he''s a fucking mass-murdering genocidal maniac, Jeremy fumed, but he didn''t know the woman well enough to feel comfortable leaping on her like that. "She''s right," said Rachel. "We should lure him into a trap, as Viper suggested." "And then what?" asked Cinza. "Throw him to the authorities, to deal with?" "Didn''t have a problem with that in London," said Neffie. "I was there for Hailey, and to find Rook. I had no feud with Cornelius Malton, scum that he is." Cinza shook her head. "Brian betrayed us. His own town. He is the reason you''re homeless." "That was Omega." "I assure you, without Brian''s help, Jackson would never have accomplished what he did." Cinza paused, and a dark look crossed her face before she went on. "If he hadn''t¡­ Morton might be alive. Brittany might still have both of her legs. Aaron might be alive. These are crimes I can never forgive." Again, Neffie shot a brief glance at Rachel. Jeremy had noticed it the first time, and now again the second, but he wasn''t sure what to make of it. Cinza got up, and her trio matched her movement. "If you manage to capture him, I applaud you. For now, I''ll wait until Natalie makes a move. If there''s an opportunity, I will kill Brian Hendricks." She glanced at Josh. He shook his head, and Cinza didn''t react in the slightest. She walked out of the room, Makoto and Ruby right on her heels. The door clicked closed behind them. "Don''t let him die, Rachel," said Neffie, glaring at her. "Don''t you dare put that on Natalie too." Neffie got up and left too. Boris followed her silently, but handed a small piece of paper to Rachel as he passed by. Jeremy doubted anybody else had noticed, but he sat at the perfect angle, and his eyes only barely caught the quick slip. Boris was very good. Huh. Former spook. Guess he''s still got it. Jeremy glanced around, and realized that¡ªwith the lone exception of Josh Miller¡ªthe room had shrunk just to the people he actually knew, not anyone connected to the Greywood. His sisters still sat next to him, of course, and Rachel remained alone at the head of the room. Lily still sat in the corner, eyes closed and taking the occasional deep breath. The only remaining link between the groups sat on his other side¡ªand she wasn''t happy. Jackie didn''t say anything, but Jeremy could feel it. He''d known her too long ever to miss the telltale signs. She was seriously upset. He got to his feet¡ªand coincidentally, both Maddie and Courtney had stood at the same time. "You''re leaving too?" Rachel asked, and Jeremy noted the faint trace of desperation in her tone. "Gotta get back to D.C.," said Maddie uneasily. "Got the President, Secretary Gatiss, and my whole staff waiting on me." "The National Guard needs my next orders," said Courtney. "I''ll have them start coordinating search and rescue efforts for anyone who fled the massacre and may be stranded in the forest. Beyond that¡­" Courtney shook her head. "I''ve got to start tallying the dead and contacting their next-of-kin," she murmured. Rachel nodded. "Well¡­ good luck." "We''re headin'' back too," added Jeremy, including Jackie though she hadn''t stood up yet. She took the cue, to his relief, and hurriedly joined him. "Gotta keep an eye on Hendricks. We can''t touch him while Natalie''s guardin'' him, sure, but we can make sure he doesn''t go anywhere else." "Okay." Rachel forced a smile. "Thank you both." "Stay safe," said Jackie. As soon as all four of them left the room, Maddie practically leapt on Jeremy, burying him in a hug. "You stay safe, you idiot," she growled into his shoulder. "Yeah, yeah," said Jeremy. "I''ll be fine. Get goin''. Isn''t it past lunch in D.C.?" "Yeah." Maddie turned to her sister. "Get those reports to me as soon as you can? We''ll want them." Courtney nodded. "I''ll be in touch." She smirked. "Never thought I''d be happy to hear that." Courtney rolled her eyes. Jeremy grinned. Maddie glanced around the empty black void again, her eyes wide. "Where the fuck are we¡­" she muttered. Jeremy shrugged. "I stopped botherin'' to ask questions like that, Maddie." "Same," murmured Jackie. "This crap never stops bein'' weird." Jeremy''s sisters left after one last brief hug, heading out different doors, different directions, leaving Jeremy and Jackie alone. "...I think I''ve lost it, Ashe," Jackie muttered as they reached their door¡ªand the Rallsburg ruins beyond. "What?" "Agreein'' to killin'' people without due process, twice. Agreein'' to kill Natalie''s father before she can ever talk to him again." Jackie shook her head. "Ain''t right." Jeremy nodded. "None of it''s right. Whole system''s fucked. Hendricks is the block in the damn machine." "Don''t go on about the stupid machine again," said Jackie. "I wish I''d never agreed to kill him." "...Which one?" "Both of ''em," she sighed. "Not sayin'' it wasn''t necessarily for the best, but¡­" She looked away, back into the street beyond the door. "I just don''t know anymore." He''s gotta die¡­ except now Jeremy was having his own doubts. Jackie was his partner, no matter the situation. He trusted her more than he did himself. If she had misgivings, he did too. "I agree with you," Jeremy said finally. Jackie visibly sagged with relief. "Thank god." "It''s not a good idea, like Rachel said, and Boris and whoever the fuck else." "Neffie." "Right." Jeremy scratched his head. "I don''t remember a Neffie in Rallsburg." "Her legal name''s Nefertiti," said Jackie. "After some pretty Egyptian queen." "Huh." Jeremy shrugged. "We''ll just go back to where we were." "So that meeting was useless as hell," said Jackie, grinning slightly. Jeremy laughed. "Yup. Exactly like every other fuckin'' meeting we ever went to." "Glad to have you back, Ashe." "Glad to be back."
Back in the classroom, Rachel felt very differently about how useless the summit had been. Only Josh and Lily remained with her¡ªthe same three she''d always made decisions with, since long before Rallsburg fell apart. Only now¡­ none of them were really in positions to make any decisions. Everything was up to other people with more power, more influence, more authority. They were just¡­ the leftovers. "Don''t beat yourself up, love," said Lily, seemingly reading her mind. She opened her eyes again. "It wasn''t your fault." "Really wasn''t," added Josh, pulling a chair up to join the two of them at the front. He didn''t sit next to Rachel like he used to, but it was still much closer than he''d been all morning. It was something. "You couldn''t know the powder kegs waiting to blow there." "I should have," said Rachel bitterly. "I mean, Nate was always going to be risky. And Viper?" "Hell, I didn''t know Viper was actually the one who kidnapped Ryan," said Josh with a shrug. "I figured it was Malton''s guys and he wasn''t involved. Nobody ever mentioned him." "He never seemed so underhanded in Rallsburg," added Lily. "So I''m dying to know," said Josh, turning to her. "How often was it you in our meetings like this?" "Very rarely," said Lily. "Kenni and I split our lives by tasks. She would handle the Council business, as there was less risk I might be discovered by probing spells, while I tended to handle the teaching and university affairs. We only switched under special circumstances." "Ah." He nodded. "Makes sense." "I adored your cooking," added Lily with a small smile. "Kenni brought home so many excellent leftover meals." Josh chuckled. "I was wondering why the hell she took such huge portions and never ate half of it." "It outdid our personal chef in Westminster." "Okay, now you''re just messing with me." Josh turned to Rachel, missing Lily''s shake of the head. "So what now?" Rachel shrugged. "You tell me. You''re the one who stayed in power." "Ironic," added Lily. Rachel smiled. "What, ''cause I hated this job and kept getting elected anyway without even trying?" Josh rolled his eyes. "Still hate it, you know." "I gave up my power," said Rachel. "Guess it stayed there." "Don''t underestimate yourself," said Josh. "You think anybody else in the whole goddamn world could have gotten this group together? Especially on a morning like this. Hell, even Natalie showed up. She walked away from protecting her dad for you." "They still listen to you," agreed Lily. "There is less unity than ever before, and perhaps you have lost some influence, but you have power. Wield it well." Rachel nodded. "Thank you. I don''t know what I can do with this, but I''ll try." "Well¡­ we all gotta try a bit more," said Josh with a shrug. "We''re going downhill and we have been ever since magic went public." "It could have been handled better," said Rachel. Josh shook his head. "Can''t help Nate being an idiot of gargantuan proportions. You got the ear of the governor in no time. We''re in the White House now, aren''t we?" "More or less." "So start saving the world. Get out those plans you used to lecture me about," said Josh. "You had one for this, didn''t you?" "I didn''t think you were listening," said Rachel, taken aback. "I''m always listening," said Josh with a shrug. "I just don''t care most of the time." Rachel glanced around the empty room¡ªone she''d been in so many times, and now one of the very few surviving places of their past lives. "Was this meeting worth it?" Josh nodded. "It feels like we got nothing done, but trust me, this did a lot. Everybody saw everybody else." "They understand what is at stake now," added Lily. "Their consequences were laid bare." "So now we¡­ what, we wait?" asked Rachel uncomfortably. "Hell no," said Josh. "We triage. Pick the most urgent problem, address that first, and start working down the list. Just like the old days." "...So that''s Natalie, then," said Rachel. None of them spoke for a full minute, each considering the plight of the girl from Rallsburg¡ªsomeone each of them felt they had failed. "What do we do, Rachel?" asked Josh, and Lily matched his questioning expression. Rachel opened her mouth to answer¡­ but nothing came out. Every plan she''d made, every contingency and new law and new world order she''d tried to account for¡­ none of them considered the possibility of fighting Natalie in order to stop her father from killing them all. Rachel couldn''t come up with an answer. She didn''t have one. B2: Chapter 50 — The Breaking Point Chapter 50 ¡ª The Breaking Point "Did anything happen?" asked Natalie. She''d just climbed the half-destroyed staircase in Boris'' shop. Riley still lay prone behind the window with her rifle, watching the library down the street. "It''s been quiet," said Riley. She seemed to have adopted a mix of Riley''s speech, but coupled with the old Rook voice Natalie knew better. It wasn''t quite Rook, but it wasn''t quite Riley either. "What happened in the Summit?" Riley had turned down the invitation offered to Natalie, relayed to them over the radio by Makoto. Natalie went alone, while Riley stayed behind to keep an eye on everything¡ªand, Natalie was pretty sure, to avoid seeing any of the people in that room. Natalie went alone, wearing the only clean clothes she had left: the dress she''d worn to Jenny''s funeral. She feels guilty just like I do. You are not responsible for what has happened in your life, Natalie. I am though. I didn''t need to kill those people. I could''ve gotten away some other way. They were trying to kill you. You had every right to protect yourself. Natalie had held this argument with the voice before, and she didn''t think they''d ever agree. "They¡­ they want to kill him," said Natalie. Riley nodded, still not taking her eyes off the library. "We won''t let them." They didn''t talk for a while. Natalie sat in a relatively-intact chair near the window, watching the library, while Rook did the same. Percy came to perch on her shoulder after a few minutes, trying to comfort her. All of her friends knew she was worried and stressed out. She could feel it in them, and that stressed them out. Why do we delay? They are still at the Summit. This may be our best opportunity to speak to him. I¡­ I''m afraid to. He is your father. That''s why I''m afraid¡­ If I go out there and he sees me¡­ if he finds out I''m awakened and he''s not okay with it¡­ that''s it, isn''t it? It may not be so simple. It is though. If he does, then I''m really alone. All of this will be pointless. It''s not like I can not be awakened. And¡­ even if I could, I wouldn''t go back. I''d lose Gwen, and Percy, and Scrappy, and I''d lose all of this. It''s made me happy. I just want to stay happy. I think he''d be okay with that¡­ You will never know until you talk to him. She couldn''t stay still. Natalie got up and started pacing, going around in circles with the voice in her head even as her feet walked the same through the bedroom. Every time she voiced doubt, every time she hesitated, it pushed her to act¡ªand the conflict was tearing at her mind. She needed to do something, but apart from protecting her father, Natalie had no clue what that was. "Distract yourself," said Riley, her quiet voice mixing with the birdsong of the morning forest around Rallsburg. Natalie stopped walking and looked over at her. She still hadn''t budged an inch¡ªhow could someone be so still, in a place this crazy? Natalie wished she had that kind of patience and self-control. Anything that could keep her from going into a blind panic and ending up in an even worse situation than before would be a massive improvement. "What do you mean?" "You''re doing the same thing Stefen used to do. He was impatient too. When we were out in the field, he''d always need to have something to distract himself. He learned patience the hard way." She hesitated, then spoke in a lower tone. "That''s how he lost the use of his arm." "...I forgot about that," Natalie murmured. "His arm looked okay at the Summit." Riley actually looked over at Natalie now. "Stefen was there?" "Yes." She looked a little surprised¡ªand a little upset. "And you said he looked all right?" "Yeah," said Natalie. She nodded, trying to emphasize it. "He said he was sorry, and that he was gonna help Rika and everything. So¡­ I think he''s doing okay. It kinda surprised me." "That''s¡­ that''s good." A strange look crossed Riley''s face, and she turned back to watch out the window again. "So¡­" said Natalie after a long pause. "How am I supposed to distract myself?" "We talked," said Riley. "Stefen would make up competitions. Throwing knives at tree stumps or rocks, playing cards, anything to pass the time while still maintaining our post. We didn''t have much else out in the desert." "Where were you?" "Afghanistan." She must have seen the blank look on Natalie''s face, because she went on. "It''s a country in Asia, and it is not all desert, but we often ended up in the driest parts of the country. We weren''t wanted there." "Why were you there?" "That¡­ is a very long and complicated story," said Riley. "I didn''t want to be there, but I was sent there." She shook her head slightly, though her eyes remained locked forward. "It''s not a story I like to revisit." "Okay," said Natalie. She could definitely understand that feeling. Riley wasn''t exactly the best person for Natalie to talk to though¡­ as nice as she had been, in stark contrast to the attitude everyone else seemed to have for her, Natalie needed someone who wasn''t tied up in everything around her. Talking to Riley didn''t take her mind off what was happening. I need someone who makes me happy. She pulled out her phone and went downstairs. To her surprise, she actually had a signal¡ªa connection, faint but still intact, all the way from the Greywood. Natalie could even get to the internet. She hurriedly pulled up the news, desperate for any more information she could glean from the world outside Rallsburg. It¡­ wasn''t very reassuring. EIGHTY-TWO DECEASED, FORTY-SEVEN INJURED IN GUNFIGHT SOUTH OF RALLSBURG OVER A HUNDRED CASUALTIES AS AWAKENED WAR CONTINUES IN WASHINGTON NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYED TO KEEP THE PEACE IN OLYMPIC FOREST AS GUNFIRE ERUPTS FRIDAY NIGHT The headlines kept coming, and Natalie didn''t miss the implication¡ªeveryone called it a fight. Nobody seemed to understand they''d been attacked. They''d only fought back once it started. Until Natalie ran across the police officer getting killed, the camp had been pretty lively and normal, but all the world seemed to think it was a two-way thing. What are we supposed to do? Not fight back? Let them hurt us? Cinza suggested this was wise. She is wrong. She was just saying to let the National Guard lead, right? That we''d let the real soldiers do the fighting for us. They were not there for the awakened when they were needed. They cannot be relied upon. Most people can''t beat guns though. Even grabbing guns away isn''t easy for most people. It is for me, and for Hailey and Hector and Lily and Kendra, but¡­ what are normal people people supposed to do? Not everyone can fight. It is up to us to protect them. So now they''re my own too? Whomever you decide to include in your queendom is your own, Natalie. I don''t have a queendom. Natalie didn''t want to talk to the voice anymore either. It wanted her to fight, to move, to do something. She couldn''t though¡ªif she left, something might happen to her dad. She needed to be around to protect him. She went back online, trying to distract herself again, only to find even worse headlines. DAUGHTER OF "THE TRAITOR": MISSING RALLSBURG GIRL A SECRET STUDENT IN SOUTH SEATTLE MIDDLE SCHOOL NATALIE HENDRICKS: THE TERROR OF MILLFORD JENKINS MIDDLE SCHOOL She scrolled through story after story, feeling her heart sink deeper with every paragraph. She saw the quotes from Blake Sinclair and Lydia Jenkins, the pictures, the threats. She saw the principal''s brave stance to protect her, but so much of the world still seemed to be against her. Nobody wanted Natalie at that school. She was too dangerous. Natalie fell back against Gwen''s thick fur. She shuffled slightly and gave a low growl, and Natalie suddenly realized she hadn''t been awake. Gwen brushed Natalie''s leg with her nose. Natalie sat down and pulled her legs up, and Gwen curled around her to keep her warm. Her tail landed right on Natalie''s feet. With the black dress and her coat, Natalie wasn''t in the best clothes for the chilly December forest, but she had magic, and she had her wolf, so she wasn''t too worried about getting sick or anything. But¡­ looking at all the stories about her¡­ her blood was hot and rushing fast. She felt¡­ angry. I¡­ I''m not like that. I didn''t¡­ They will never understand why. All they see is what they want to see, and they want to be afraid. They want their world to come back, when it is already long-gone. They''re saying horrible things about me. And this isn''t just Blake being mean at school, this is¡­ newspapers. They''re putting it in public. It''s all¡­ it''s everywhere. Could Natalie go anywhere now? Her face was all over the internet, both before and after the scar. Unless she did something drastic to change herself, even more than Hailey had when she was in disguise, Natalie would be recognized. With the number of new headlines cropping up, she felt like she was almost as well-known as Cinza now. ...Who would ever want to be famous? I hate this. I hate everything about this. It does not matter. You are already home. Let them think whatever they want. You need not travel further. You are already in your queendom. The voice was no help at all, repeating the same idea over and over¡ªthat Natalie was already where she needed to be, and didn''t need anyone in order to take control. Natalie wasn''t sure she wanted to take control, but letting her life lead wherever it ended up hadn''t worked out at all either. She needed something in the middle, somewhere she could be herself. Her friends back at the Greywood were her best hope, but Natalie wasn''t sure if she could get in touch with them. After all, she couldn''t leave her spot, not without risking her father''s life¡ªand the occupants of the Greywood were the very threat she defended against. She didn''t worry for Kelsey, Mitch or Tyler''s lives, but¡­ what could they do? Tyler would ask her what to do. Kelsey would say something about how stupid it was that everyone hated each other, and why was Natalie forced to make all these decisions, but it wouldn''t be very helpful in the end. Mitch would probably just get into some argument with Kelsey, even though he wholly sympathized with Natalie at the end of the day. She knew them. She liked spending time with them, but¡­ they''d never been in situations like hers. Worse, they didn''t even know the whole story¡ªall the twists and turns of Natalie''s life, what she''d been forced to do, what had been done to her. Only one person really knew her anymore. ...I have a phone, and I have signal. I don''t have to go anywhere to talk to someone. In the photos, Natalie had seen him. Her heart lurched in her chest. She wanted to talk to him. She needed to talk to him¡ªsomeone outside of this insanity, someone who might be able to understand her. Natalie couldn''t blame him for wanting to stay away. It hadn''t been because of her. She knew that completely. It was the rest of the world that was insane. If anything, he was smart for wanting to stay away. Natalie needed smart right now. She tapped the contact, the only one still listed in the favorites on her phone. He answered after just one ring. "Hello?" Natalie took a deep breath before speaking. "...Hi, Quinn."
When Alden stepped out of the portal, he found himself not back in the Greywood, but emerging behind the command tent back in the pilgrim camp. Lily or Kendra had seen fit to send him there, apparently. Alden wasn''t about to question it¡ªhe wanted to come here. Meg, what are you doing out here? Alden walked around the tent and nearly ran right into a soldier standing guard next to it. "What the hell?" He spun around, rifle at the ready. Alden threw up his hands in surrender. "I got turned around," said Alden quickly. "I''m just trying to find my sister." The guard''s rifle lowered by an inch. "...How''d you get behind me?" Alden glanced over his shoulder, debating whether or not to tell the truth. He doubted anybody would be able to get back into the Laushire void, but¡­ Jackson managed it once. Sure, he was one of the Gods and knew more about magic than almost anyone in the world, but still¡­ there were a lot of people in there who probably didn''t want to risk any kind of exposure. Had to put me back in the middle of the military part of the camp¡­ "Magic, I guess," said Alden uncomfortably, knowing how lame an answer it was. The guard, to his surprise, simply took this at face value. "Fuckin'' magic," he grumbled, in a way reminiscent of Viper, whom Alden had just left behind. "Well, get out of here. Don''t end up near the tents again, got it?" "Yes, sir." "And don''t call me sir," added the soldier as Alden started away. "I ain''t no officer. I work for a living." Alden wandered back into the camp, wondering where on earth he should start looking for his sister. According to Hailey, Meg was here somewhere. He didn''t doubt her for a second, though he was curious how Hailey knew. Probably magic. Explains everything else weird lately. He''d stopped asking questions like that, past an idle curiosity. After all, Alden had just stepped through a portal in the Greywood, ended up in a black void, exited through the same door to an entirely different place, and in the meantime, spoken with people who could fly, turn invisible, create fire from their bare hands, and do all other manner of impossible feats. Somebody knowing something unusual? Barely even on his radar anymore. The camp was beginning to pull itself back to normal again, bit by bit. With the constant presence of the National Guard troops, nobody seemed particularly afraid anymore. The place was still a mess, but people were picking up the pieces. From what Alden understood, they''d sent out instructions to families not to come to the site, fearing a rush of panicked family members and protestors. While a few did trickle in as they slipped by the Guard roadblocks, it remained mostly those who''d stuck around. They were already back at it, too. As soon as a vendor put their tent or stall back together, it was business as usual. As Alden walked by, he already saw people buying and selling gemstones, paying for magic lessons, buying trinkets and jewelry¡ªone enterprising soul had already produced a line of pendants modeled on the eight-pointed star, taken out of Cinza''s diary scans¡ªor the other, more mundane purchases. Even the Guard were in on it. A few of the food carts were packed with soldiers off-shift mixed in with the pilgrims, selling as fast as they could. Alden doubted they''d last through the day with the sudden influx of population. The Guard had brought their own rations and relief supplies, but they were plain and unappetizing compared to the food vendors. People were getting killed here only twelve hours ago¡­ Alden marveled at the change. Signs of the massacre were everywhere¡ªbullet holes in tents and structures, bloodstains, the continuing sounds of pain from those who hadn''t been borne away by helicopters yet¡ªbut people were carrying on like normal, practically in defiance of the attack. They don''t want to let Brian win, I guess. It took him nearly half an hour to scour the camp, but finally, Alden found her¡ªor more accurately, heard her. "So tell me where I can find one!" "Nobody sells Scraps, kid. Too risky." "Uh-huh. As if. You just don''t want to sell me one ''cause you''re too afraid, asshole." Alden rounded the corner and saw her. Immediately, he raised his voice. "Don''t swear." Meg froze. Her head twisted around in a jerking motion, as if she were imitating an old-fashioned robot or a puppet. She spotted him, and her mouth twisted into a painful-looking smile. "...Shit," she muttered. Alden buried her in a hug before she could move. "Okay, jeez, Alden," said Meg, pushing him away. "Lay off." He didn''t bother to ask what she was doing here. It was obvious. "Come on," he said. "This way." "Hang on, I think I can get this guy¡ªhey!" Alden had grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away. Meg protested, but went along willingly as Alden pulled her in between the rows of tents, somewhere with less people immediately nearby. "It''s really not safe here," he hissed. "Duh," she shot back. "So what are you doing here?" "Something good, I guess," said Alden with a shrug. Meg rolled her eyes. "Okay, Mr. Hero." "I''m not safe anywhere though. I''m awakened, you aren''t." "Not for long, I''m not." "Meg!" said Alden, a little more urgently. "People just got killed over this last night!" "And I''m not gonna let some stupid terrorists run by an old guy in the woods stop me from learning magic, Alden," snapped Meg. "You''re not safe, I''m not safe. You''re the guy who lied to the FBI and got agents to come to our house over and over, you know. Plus, I mean, think about it, right?" She gestured around them. "There''s soldiers everywhere and they''re all protecting us. If there''s anywhere to be safe right now besides like, the Greywood or something, it''s here, right?" Alden shook his head. "You should be back home." "So should you," said Meg pointedly. "You know Mom and Dad are super worried now, right?" "...They are?" "Dude, you were on the news!" said Meg. "They saw you here. They''ve been texting me all day, asking where I am and if I''m okay." "And where are you?" She shrugged. "Kelly''s house, obviously." "...And where''s Kelly?" "Kelly''s house," said Meg without missing a beat. "She''s covering for me all weekend, and I''m covering for you. So text them and tell them you''re okay, seriously. Or, you know, call them. Mom would probably chill if she heard your voice." Alden nodded. He pulled out his phone and dialed right away, relieved he still had signal. "...Mom?" "Oh, honey!" His mother''s voice was tinny and breaking up, but it was still audible. "Are you all right?" "Yeah, Mom, I''m fine." Alden glanced at Meg, who rolled her eyes. "I didn''t get hurt." "What are you doing out there?" "I''m¡­" Alden hesitated. Meg nodded, mouthing ''tell them''. "I''m awakened. I''m out here to make sure my friends are all right." "You''re¡­ you''re what?" "I can do magic, Mom." "...You''re¡­ oh¡­ oh I don''t know about this," said his mom, sounding very uncomfortable. "I¡­ are you sure?" "...Yes, Mom, I''m sure," said Alden. Meg stifled a laugh, rolling her eyes again. "I¡­ well, are you all right?" she asked again, still audibly upset. "I''m okay." Alden sighed. "Look, Mom, I gotta go. I just wanted to¡­ to hear your voice." It was true, too, after Alden thought about it for a moment. He and his parents hadn''t had the strongest relationship, but they were his parents. "I''ll call you again soon." "...Okay. Be safe." "I will be." Alden hung up. Meg nodded. "So yeah, like I said. They''re going crazy." "And you want to make it even crazier by being out here too?" asked Alden, pocketing his phone. She shrugged. "They don''t know, right?" "I don''t think telling them just now was the best idea," said Alden, suddenly regretting his impulsive decision. "Mom sounded really confused." "Nah, this is better," said Meg sagely. "Gives ''em time to get used to it before you get home. Better they know before they see you. You know how Dad does stupid stuff when he''s surprised." "I still think you should go home," said Alden. "Nope." Meg shook her head. "I''m here to protect you. That''s my job as your sister, remember?" "...I''m the older one," he pointed out. "Like that''s ever mattered." She rolled her eyes. "Hailey''s locked up, and so''s your girlfriend, so I''m the only one you got left. I''m here to be your guardian, bro." "...No," said Alden, coming to a sudden decision. Not guardian. But¡­ I don''t want to send her away, either. "Look¡ª" "Partners," said Alden. Meg faltered, and the silence was filled with the vague buzz of conversation around them, while birds chirped from the trees in every direction. A cool wind blew through, ruffling her hair. "We lost someone in our family," said Alden. "We don''t have a clue who that is, but¡­ I think it''s better we stick together now. I didn''t do so well on my own." "I remember," said Meg, a lot more subdued than before. "Running around alone always gets me into even worse trouble. I''m done doing that now. You and me, then," said Alden. "I can teach you what I know, at least. It''s not much, but¡­ it''s better than nothing, right?" "And you''re not gonna say something stupid about how I shouldn''t awaken because it''s too dangerous?" He shook his head. "You''d just do it anyway. I think I know better by now." "Damn right." "So I figure it''s smarter I stick around and help you out." "Hey, you are getting better, from what I saw," said Meg, and it raised his spirits a bit. "When I can do magic, we''ll both get better real fast. It''s all about sharing, right?" "...Yeah." "Who''s gonna share magic better than us?" said Meg. "Nobody on earth has as weird a relationship as we do." "No kidding." Meg punched him in the arm. Alden winced, but laughed anyway. "Come on," he said, turning back toward the camp at large. "Let''s go find a Scrap." She hesitated just slightly. "...Does it hurt?" she asked. Alden laughed aloud as the memory burst into his brain, right along with Rika''s mocking expression. "Huh?" "That was exactly what I asked Rika," he said as they walked back into the camp. "When she offered to awaken me." "...And what did she say?" Alden smirked. "She said, ''do you care?''" Meg thought for a second, then grinned. "Nope."
"Hi, Natalie," said Quinn. His voice was muffled, as if he were talking through something else before it actually got to the phone. The cold glass of the screen felt great against her cheek, still hot with all the stress and panic that refused to subside after what felt like hours of never-ending fear. But in one instant, hearing Quinn''s voice, Natalie felt it diminish. It wasn''t gone, and she was still terrified and angry and confused and had no idea what to do next¡­ but at least she had someone she could talk to. She relaxed against Gwen''s soft fur, watching Scrappy''s tail twitch left and right as he watched the front door, and tried to forget everything going on. "How are you?" she asked, not sure what else to say. "I''m¡­ I''m okay. I''ve just been at home. Can''t really leave. After I¡­" He trailed off, obviously not wanting to say it. "I got back before my parents did. I tore off the part at the bottom of the note where you said I was¡­" "...It''s okay," said Natalie. "I understand." "I''m so¡ª" "Don''t," said Natalie quickly. I don''t want to hear that¡­ Quinn hesitated, and she went on. "Don''t¡­ don''t apologize. Just¡­ talk to me, okay?" "Okay." Quinn seemed to be moving around now, whatever he was doing. She heard typing. He''s on his computer, doing something. "What are you doing?" "I''m reading all the stuff online about us," said Quinn. "Guess we''re famous now¡­" "Yeah¡­" She winced. He''s probably seeing all the awful stuff too¡­ and he''s going back to school on Monday¡­ Natalie tried to lighten the mood. "I saw one where they said you were a good-looking boyfriend." "Do you¡­" Quinn trailed off again. I miss the old Quinn¡­ he was never so afraid to talk before¡­ That was me. What happened? Oh, right. I happened. I screwed up his life too, just by being around. "I still really like you," said Natalie firmly. "And¡­ if someday, when all this is over¡­" She glanced at her signal bar. It looked strong enough¡­ she hoped. "Hey, can I¡­ can I call you on video?"Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "Okay." Natalie quickly tapped over to the video button. The sound of Quinn''s breathing vanished for a few moments, then came back¡ªalong with his face. He''d been crying recently. Natalie couldn''t blame him. Behind him, she saw his room, his bed, all the stuff she expected to see. He was talking through his computer, rather than his phone, so the camera was mounted up on top. "I wish I were there right now," said Natalie aloud, before she could stop herself. Quinn blushed. "You do?" "...Yeah." She brushed her hair out of her face, trying to smile¡ªtrying to ignore everything for a while, just like Riley said. Natalie wasn''t in the middle of the forest after a huge battle and protecting her father from the whole world¡­ she was just a kid on the phone with her boyfriend. "I really like your room. It''s nice." "Where are you?" Natalie held the phone out as far as she could, and tilted it to the side to show Gwen''s face. Gwen peered into the screen and growled, though to Natalie''s ears, it sounded less like suspicion and more like a bemused indifference. "Whoah¡­" said Quinn. "That''s¡­ that''s her, isn''t it?" "Yeah." She smiled. "She growled. She doesn''t like me, does she?" "No, not that¡­ she mostly just doesn''t get phones." Natalie turned to Gwen. "I heard my name in there¡­ what did you just say?" "I told her to be nice," said Natalie. A thought came to mind. Gwen growled. Percy, up in the corner of the room, squawked indignantly. Gwen turned up her nose at him and huffed disapprovingly, before turning back to look at the little screen with Quinn''s face. She bared her teeth just slightly, in what usually amounted to a smile for her. "See, she likes you." Natalie nodded. "If you were here, she''d probably give you a hug right now." "...How does a wolf give a hug?" "Kinda like she''s doing for me right now," said Natalie. Gwen''s tail was still wrapped up around her along with most of her body. Natalie did her best to show it all with the little phone camera. She didn''t want to move, with how comfortable and warm the whole setup was. "She seems really cool," said Quinn, smiling. "She is." Natalie settled back into her fur. She smiled back up at Quinn''s face as she held the phone way above her head. "You''ll meet her someday." "I''m glad you found her again." "Me too." Natalie hesitated. She hadn''t wanted to ask earlier, but she felt a lot more comfortable now. "How are your parents doing?" Quinn shook his head¡ªbut to her relief, there wasn''t any hesitation anymore. They were back to talking like normal, and Quinn was back to his fast-thinking self. Natalie loved hearing that voice again. "They''re still really afraid, but since I didn''t leave, I thought they''d be mostly okay. They asked about you a couple times, but I didn''t say where you went." He shrugged. "I got them to leave it alone at first, but now everybody else''s parents are calling them asking where they are. So between Mitch''s mom, Kelsey''s moms and Tyler''s parents, it''s kinda intense." "Yeah¡­" Natalie winced. "I dunno if they should have come with me." "I''m glad they did," said Quinn. "Kelsey would have beaten herself up for weeks if she didn''t, you know." "...Yeah, probably." "And Mitch had to go if Kelsey went, and Tyler¡­" Quinn shrugged. "Well, I think he just really wants you to actually be Linnethea." "Oh!" Natalie laughed aloud. She''d nearly forgotten all about that detail. "I am Linnethea." "Huh?" "I was¡­" She giggled, realizing just how ridiculous it sounded that she''d been in charge of a military patrol at thirteen years old. "I was helping out the soldiers with something and we wanted to use a codename. So nobody would know who I was. I just ended up saying Linnethea." She winced. "A couple of them called me Linny." "That sounds so dumb." "Yeah¡­ I got him to shorten it to Linn. That was okay." Natalie shrugged. "He was pretty cool actually." "So now you''re riding around the forest on a wolf and leading soldiers into battle?" Quinn grinned. "Guess you really are her." "Yeah¡­" The mood fell again, after she''d just been feeling good about herself. Natalie shook her head. "It was really scary." Quinn looked a bit crestfallen, realizing how he''d brought up something uncomfortable. Natalie wanted to change the subject, keep them talking before they lost the conversation entirely and she was back to feeling uncomfortable and alone, but something else happened. A loud thump echoed on Quinn''s side, followed by a muffled shout she couldn''t understand. He glanced up at the wall toward the front door. "...What was that?" asked Natalie. Quinn looked even more uncomfortable than before. He shifted in his chair, adjusting his glasses and obviously trying to delay saying something. "I didn''t¡­ I didn''t want to tell you." Natalie hesitated. On the one hand, she wasn''t sure she wanted to know. She had enough stressing her out already just in the forest around her. But¡­ it was Quinn. There were only two people in the world Natalie cared more about than him, and both of them were already with her, even if she couldn''t decide whether or not to go talk to her dad yet. She needed to know. "Tell me everything, please?" she said softly. "It''s okay." Quinn nodded. "...There''s people outside our house. A couple of news crews and some others. They¡­ after it got out you''d been living with us, they came here." "...How do people know I was living with¡ª Blake," said Natalie suddenly, interrupting her own question. He nodded again. "So everything my parents were afraid of came true anyway. Now I think they''re regretting asking you to leave." "Are you guys okay?" asked Natalie. Her mind raced with ideas¡ªwas there anything she could do to help them? She couldn''t leave Rallsburg, of course, but maybe one of her¡­ do we even have friends anymore? We do. But we just told everybody we weren''t on their side anymore. I left the Summit. They are not the only friends we still keep. "I think so," said Quinn, though Natalie was only half-paying attention at this point. "It''s kinda scary though¡­ and Dad says he''s not going to work tonight. Saturday''s one of the best days for tips, so he''s worried about that too." It''s not like Kelsey and Mitch could do anything either¡­ Think harder, Natalie. Huh? Not everyone at the Summit agreed with Cinza and Agent Ashe. ...Hailey. Yes. Hailey didn''t know about the ritual. She was surprised when they brought it up. She couldn''t be involved either, she was in jail way across the country. She can protect Quinn''s family. Quinn already knows her as well. But she''s in prison¡­ How am I supposed to call her? Lawyers are able to talk to people in prison. I don''t know her lawyer. You know a lawyer. "Quinn," said Natalie suddenly, interrupting him. She''d completely lost track of what he was saying, and it didn''t matter anyway. She needed to do this for him¡ªfor them. "Yeah?" "Is your mom home?" "...Yeah. Why?" he asked, confused. Not suspicious, to her relief¡ªQuinn trusted her without a doubt. He just hadn''t followed her train of thought of all. How could he? "I need to talk to her¡­ please?" "...Okay." Quinn got up from the computer and walked over to his bedroom door. Natalie felt a tingle up her spine as he called out and Annette answered. A minute later, she''d come into his room. "What''s going on¡­ oh." Annette''s face fell at the sight of Natalie on the screen, or however else Quinn had been talking to her. Natalie''s heart sank, but she forced herself to speak against the disappointment welling up in her throat. "Hi¡­" "...Hi, Natalie." "I need your help." Annette hesitated. She glanced at her son. Quinn was right behind her, practically pleading even though he remained dead silent¡ªletting Natalie take control. Finally, Annette looked back at the screen again. "You know what''s happening here, right?" "Yes." Natalie nodded. "I''m sorry. I didn''t mean for¡­ I shouldn''t have stayed there." "No," said Annette firmly. "This isn''t your fault. It''s just¡­" "...complicated," finished Natalie, knowing that word all too well by now. Annette looked upset, but Natalie didn''t want to get trapped in another guilt competition. She had more important things to worry about. "I need to get in touch with a lawyer. I was hoping you could help." "Well¡­ we don''t exactly all know each other, but I might be able to," said Annette. She pulled out her phone. "Do you have their name?" "No¡­" "...A firm, at least?" Natalie shook her head. "It''s whoever''s¡­ representing," she finally landed on the right word, "Hailey Winscombe in Washington D.C." "Oh!" Annette nodded. "Jefferson Baux. I do know him, actually. Only in passing, but I know his firm. I can get a message to him." She hesitated. "What''s the message?" Natalie shook her head. "I need to talk to Hailey. Can you¡­ can I get his number?" "...All right." Annette tapped a few buttons on her phone. A text message appeared on Natalie''s screen with Jefferson''s phone number. "There''s no guarantee he can get a phone call to Hailey, though. They sometimes confiscate our phones before letting us see the defendant." "I''ll figure something out," said Natalie. She smiled. "Thanks." Annette tried to smile, but it just came out as uncomfortable. "...Be safe, Natalie," she finally offered, before leaving the two of them alone again and shutting the door behind her. "What was that about?" asked Quinn, sitting down again in front of the computer. Natalie hesitated, but she had decided they shouldn''t lie to each other. It would be wrong for her to turn around and not explain to Quinn what she was planning to do, particularly when it involved him. "I''m gonna get Hailey to come keep you guys safe." "...Oh wow," said Quinn, his eyes widening. "Is that¡­ are you sure?" Natalie nodded. "She''s going to be cleared anyway, and she already knows you," she reminded with a small grin. Quinn matched it. "Plus, I¡­ I think it''ll be good. Hailey likes helping people, and she''s¡­ she''s the only one I can trust right now." "...What?" "They want to kill my dad," Natalie said abruptly. "They already tried, and I stopped them. Now I gotta stay here and make sure they don''t do it." "Oh¡­ oh man," said Quinn. "That''s¡­ that''s insane." "Yeah¡­" Natalie winced. "I haven''t talked to him yet. I don''t know if¡­ if I can. But I gotta keep him safe." "Yeah." Quinn shook his head. "That''s horrible." A sharp prickle on the side of her neck got her attention. Natalie glanced out the window. She thought she heard something, but Scrappy hadn''t reacted, nor had Riley called out anything from above. Still, it reminded Natalie she couldn''t just talk the whole day. The Summit would end sooner or later, and if they were planning to try again, she was sure they wouldn''t waste time. "I gotta go¡­" she said quietly. "Okay," said Quinn. "I want to call you again. Will you be¡ª" "I''ll be home all day, and tomorrow too," said Quinn. "We''re not going to church either." Before Natalie could start to feel guilty about that, Quinn shook his head. "I think we''re kinda happy about that though. We all wanted a weekend of doing nothing anyway. So now we''re getting that." "...Okay," said Natalie. "Thank you, Quinn." "I''ll see you again soon," he said, smiling. Natalie nodded. "Bye." "Bye." As soon as she hung up, Gwen flicked her tail into Natalie''s face. asked Natalie, glancing at her. Gwen seemed to roll her eyes, as if skeptical. Natalie wasn''t sure what she meant, but felt like it had something to do with Quinn. She shook her head just slightly, huge yellow eyes fixed on Natalie. <...You do like him?> A nod. Gwen growled again, a low soft growl that almost sounded sad. Natalie finally understood¡ªGwen wanted her to be with Quinn, even if she didn''t quite approve of sharing her. Natalie rolled her eyes, but hugged up tight to Gwen anyway. She took a deep breath before pulling the phone out again and making her next call. "Jefferson Baux." "Hi¡­" "...To whom am I speaking?" "Natalie Hendricks."
"You don''t have one?" asked Meg as they skirted a muddy patch in the thoroughfare. The camp was divided into a grid, almost, with clear throughways for traffic. There weren''t many cars to speak of¡ªhardly any, in fact, besides some overgrown abandoned R.V.s, plus the humvees which were still around from the National Guard. It wasn''t easy to get a car over to this park, between the Jackson-caused landside and the roadblocks, so most of the pilgrims and vendors had trekked out on foot, parking on the road up into the hills. "No?" said Alden with a shrug. "Rika awakened me off a copy of the first page." "Scraps can be copied?" asked Meg with a shock, startling a nearby Mexican food vendor. He grumbled something about teenagers as they wandered past. Alden wasn''t sure what he was looking for yet, but he figured he''d know when he saw it. "Yeah?" Alden glanced around again, and spotted a tent teaching magic. It seemed as good a place to start as any. "So?" "Kinda¡­ I dunno, ruins it?" "Well, they''re worse, I guess," said Alden. "You don''t get anything from the copies like you do from actual Scraps, you just awaken." "And Scraps teach you whatever magic''s on ''em, right?" "Right," said Alden. "What about all the people you and Hailey were running around finding?" asked Meg, a little too loud for comfort. "Shh," said Alden. "Huh?" "Hailey''s in prison, remember? And I was ''never'' around her," said Alden pointedly. "Oh¡­ right," said Meg. She sighed. "That''s so stupid. When''s she gonna get out anyway?" "No idea," said Alden glumly. "They gotta make an example of it, and show she''s being treated fairly. No special privileges so nobody can complain." "Ugh. She doesn''t deserve that." They''d reached the tent now. A huge sign on top read AMATEUR MAGIC LESSONS in crude black paint on a bedsheet, stretched between two wooden poles embedded in the earth. There was a bullet hole through the top, but otherwise, the place looked pretty intact. Underneath the title, a second line read AWAKENED ONLY, PLEASE. It was the "please" which really drew Alden in. Every other tent was practically screaming at them to come buy their wares, but this one was different. He liked the polite air about it. Problem was¡­ as soon as they walked in, it was obvious they weren''t going to find what they wanted. "Can''t do it," said the vendor in a bored voice. He rolled his eyes. "Look, kids, you saw the sign. I don''t got anything. Nobody does. I can''t help you." "But¡ª" said Alden, but Meg cut him off. "Like hell you don''t," she growled. "I watched people walk in here totally normal and came out chuckin'' fireballs like they were born doing it only minutes later." "Because I''m a good teacher, so what?" "So nobody gets that good, that fast," said Meg. "Trust me, I''ve studied this crap all day every day since before the rest of the world even found out. So you''re tellin'' me you don''t got a Scrap that teaches you exactly how to do Elemental fire magic like riding a bike?" "Sure don''t." "Well, look who it is," said a voice behind them. The tent flap drifted open, and another figure stepped inside. As soon as the bright light dimmed away, Alden recognized the toothy grin of Julian Black, even through the cheap disguise. "Ease up, Randy. They''re friends." "Really," said Randy, raising an eyebrow. "These two kids?" "That there''s a veteran of this damn town, so show some respect," said Julian sharply. Alden winced, but there wasn''t anyone else in the tent, and Julian had spoken low enough that nobody outside would hear. "So whatever he and his girlfriend want, show ''em the stock, got it?" "Sister," Alden mumbled, while Meg''s mouth fell open. "...Oh, shit," said Julian, wincing. "Y''all don''t look anything like each other, you know that?" He shrugged, trying to move past it. Meg was torn between laughter and indignation. To Alden''s relief, she didn''t land on either. Instead, she spun back to the vendor, obviously just trying to get past the moment and back to their real goal. "So what d''you got, Mr. Randy?" she asked pointedly. Randy sighed, and pulled out a small metal box. He wiggled his fingers above it, his eyes closed while he worked. Alden briefly reached out with his own magic and could feel a complex spell on top of the box, layers all linked to a power source inside. A moment later, it popped open. Inside was a pile of gemstones, weighing down four different Scraps. Randy pointed at them one by one as he spoke. "Elemental fire, telekinesis, hydrogen creation, and¡­ hell if I know what to call it. It makes stuff dry." "It makes stuff dry?" asked Alden dubiously. "Like¡­ an area, or what?" He shrugged. "Basically, yeah. Sucks moisture out of the air. So uhh¡­" "A dehumidifier?" Meg smirked. "Sure, whatever." Randy rolled his eyes. "They aren''t interesting, but who the hell cares? You''re still getting awakened. Anybody can use pretty much any magic, and it doesn''t affect your affinity, so don''t think about it too much." "Okay, cool," said Meg. She reached forward, and Randy immediately slammed the box shut. "Uh-uh." He shook his head. "Payment first." "How much?" "And keepin'' in mind," added Julian from behind them, "special discounts and all that." Randy nodded. "For a second-gen copy¡­ six hundred." "Six hundred dollars?" asked Meg, raising an eyebrow. "Hey, I gotta make a damn living here, you know." He shrugged. "Take it or leave it, that''s way less than most people pay around here." "Done," said Meg. She dug into her purse and pulled out a stack of bills. Alden raised an eyebrow. "Where''d you get all that?" "Saved up for years, bro," said Meg. She counted out the price in loose bills and passed it over. "Gimme the fire one, I want to be way better at it than you." He rolled his eyes. "That won''t just make you better." "Watch and learn." Meg paused as Randy started digging through another box, almost like a file folder. "What d''you mean by second-gen copy?" "One of Kyle''s¡­ err," Randy trailed off as Julian made a coughing sound. "It''s a copy of the Scrap, only works once." "Only once?" said Meg, obviously disappointed. "What, you had a friend you wanna awaken or somethin''?" "...Maybe," said Meg. Alden wondered¡­ did she mean Kelly? He wasn''t sure that was a good idea yet. Meg, sure¡ªhe trusted her, and she''d become a way different person over the last couple years, but with how much the two of them fought¡­ he definitely wasn''t sure about that. "Here," said Randy. He handed it over¡ªa perfect copy of the Scrap in shape and size, but washed out and modern, as though it were printed on a modern sheet of paper rather than the ancient parchment Alden remembered. "Do me a favor and don''t read it here, all right? Unsettles the customers." "Can do," said Meg. She slipped it into her purse. "Come on, bro. Let''s get out of here." To Alden''s surprise, Julian followed them out of the tent and back into the crowds. The morning had started in earnest now, and the market was definitely thriving again. People were back in droves, despite the events of the night before. In a way, Alden was comforted by it¡ªeven with all that insanity, people were still willing to come here for a chance to awaken. "Capitalism, ain''t it somethin''," said Julian. "Got you a great deal, young woman." "No shit," said Meg, smirking. "Six hundred for magic? How much do these usually go for?" "Hell, if you used to be at my old casino, they ran for a thousand minimum. Now, though?" Julian grinned. "It''s not unheard of to get fifteen or twenty thousand, if you can call the high rollers out." "Nice." "Don''t swear," said Alden again, but Meg just rolled her eyes. "So you''re ''bout to meet miss Grey herself," said Julian, walking up alongside Meg as they started wandering the camp. "How''re you feelin''?" "What''s she like?" asked Meg. "Alden never talked about her." Julian glanced at him curiously. Alden shrugged. Didn''t really seem like she wanted to be talked about¡­ "Well," said Julian, "honestly, you ain''t gonna learn much about her. She pops in, does her thing, asks if you''re okay. Apparently if you''re all alone, she says a couple other things too, like what you just went through, and tells you to be careful." He scratched his head. "She added that last bit after¡­ well, you know what happened, right?" "Yeah, he told me everything," said Meg, nodding. Not everything, mused Alden, but I don''t think I understand everything myself. "So yeah, ever since then, she started tellin'' people to be more careful. Makes sense." He shrugged. "After that, she''s gone. Never says another word, not once¡ªand believe me, I''ve seen a ton of ''wakenins. It''s always the same. Grey-eyes doesn''t talk to anybody. Most I ever heard out of her was the meetin'' we had in the library after it was all over, but that was a special case. ''Sides, she only spoke one damn sentence, so¡­ yeah." "Crazy," said Meg, obviously in awe. She¡­ she talked to me though. With Meg''s awakening so near, Alden was remembering his own, back in Rika''s apartment in May. Grey-eyes appeared, and she was¡­ confused? He wasn''t sure how to describe it. But she''d talked to him. She''d asked him if he was okay, just like Julian said, but¡­ there was so much more. Grey-eyes talked to Rachel too, plenty of times. I heard her. So maybe Julian just never saw it. "So what do you think?" asked Alden, though his mind was still processing this new bit of information. Raindrops were starting to land on them, one by one, as thicker clouds rolled in far above. "Should we go back to the Greyw¡ª Meg!" His sister had already pulled the Scrap out of her purse, and without warning, she''d put it in front of her eyes. Apparently, she couldn''t wait any longer. Alden panicked, but their guide was already there. Julian caught her gracefully enough before she landed in the mud. With Alden''s help, they managed to get her over to a nearby blanket. People were staring, watching her mutter the words over and over on the page. To Alden''s surprise, she hadn''t failed on the first sentence like everybody else¡ªshe''d barreled right through without blinking an eye. Meg was reading the Scrap, and in moments, she''d be awakened¡ªone of them.
Jefferson promised to get the message to Hailey. All Natalie could do now was¡­ go back to what she''d been doing before. Her dad was still only just down the street. If Natalie shouted loud enough, he might even be able to hear her. She could certainly do it with magic, if she wanted to¡ªbut she couldn''t bring herself to risk it. He''s killed people. I know that. I saw him do it, back in Rallsburg. He killed someone just for being awakened. They weren''t doing anything to him¡­ Is this a bad idea? You are more powerful than him. He won''t be able to hurt you. I can''t hurt him either! I could never hurt Dad¡­ Natalie went back upstairs, before she could get trapped in another circle with the voice. As she carefully walked up the stairs, Riley shifted again ever so slightly. "Did you hear me?" asked Natalie, suddenly uncomfortable. "I''ve been listening to this," said Riley, pointing at the radio in her ear. "The National Guard is conducting another sweep through the forest. They want to find any caches they might have missed during the night. Amateurs," she added with a tiny flick of her head. "Oh¡­ okay." Natalie hesitated, then decided¡ªshe might as well ask Riley. If nothing else, it was a different conversation than the one she couldn''t escape in her own head. "Do you think I should go talk to him?" Riley didn''t answer for a few seconds. Natalie was about to change her mind, say something else to get off the topic again, but she did finally speak up¡ªand her voice wasn''t Rook, nor was it Riley. There was more of an accent than she''d ever heard from Riley before, and more emotion. All of a sudden, she was a completely different person yet again, one Natalie had never met. Who is she¡­? "I don''t know," she said. She didn''t turn, keeping her eyes focused straight ahead, but Natalie could tell something was suddenly off about the sniper laying on the bed, still watching the library down the sight of her rifle. "I''ve been avoiding the only member of my family for twenty-one years." "But¡­ I thought¡ª" She shook her head slightly. "Stefen isn''t my family. I¡­ I have a daughter." Natalie''s eyes widened. "You do?" She nodded. "I have not seen her since one week after she was born, twenty-one years ago. I¡­ left her. My Esteri. She will be twenty-two soon. Just three weeks from now¡­" She shook her head again, and Natalie spotted an actual tear slipping down her cheek. "I''ve never told anyone this before. Not even Stefen." Natalie didn''t know what to say. She took one step across the room, and then another, but suddenly, the woman''s head turned to look straight at her. "I can''t answer your question, Natalie. I''ve been avoiding my daughter because I''m terrified by what she''ll think of me. Every year, I pray for her, and I hope that I will finally break and run to her." "...Where is she?" asked Natalie. She shook her head again. "I know where she began, and I know the trail to follow, but I was too afraid to walk it. I don''t know if I''ll ever be brave enough. How could she love someone like¡­ like this?" Natalie shook her head. "I don''t think you''re a bad person." She glanced away, since the woman had started to cry, though she did it so silently Natalie probably wouldn''t have noticed without her enhanced eyes. "What''s Esteri mean?" "Star," said the woman quietly. "She is the star, bright and shining, forever out of my grasp and watching every move I make from afar. Judging me." "I don''t know what else you''ve done," said Natalie, "but¡­ I think she might understand. If she''s a smart person, she''d get it. Sometimes¡­ sometimes life makes you do bad things." The woman smiled. "I hope she would be like you, Natalie." Natalie blushed. "...Thanks, I guess." "Aulikki," she said suddenly. "...Huh?" "My name," said the woman, and she finally turned back to watch forward once again. "Aulikki H?yh?. No one has known that name in many years. I had nearly lost it in my time with the military. I want you to know it." Natalie didn''t know what to say, so she didn''t say anything at all. A raindrop fell onto the half-shattered window, and then another. The clouds were rolling in. Aulikki cleared her throat, and her voice returned to the old Riley who Natalie was more familiar with, but¡­ she wouldn''t ever forget. "Whatever you want to do, Natalie," said Aulikki. "I''m with you." "...Thanks." Natalie nodded, and suddenly, she felt a new wave of confidence. "I¡­ I want to see him." Aulikki nodded. "Then we will find a way." She pointed at the radio on her ear. "The other marksman is still in Rallsburg. Stebbins. We''ll have to deal with him first." "Deal with him?" asked Natalie nervously. She shook her head. "We don''t need to hurt him. But we do need to make sure he''s not going to shoot your father, or you." "So how do we do that?" "I can think of several ways." Aulikki glanced at Natalie again briefly, before turning back to watch the library. The rain was starting to come down harder now, but enough of Boris'' roof remained that they were both reasonably covered. So long as the wind didn''t shift, they weren''t getting wet. "We can ask him, of course, but that will also tip our hand on what we''re doing. They might exploit his distraction to kill him while you speak." They would do that? That''s¡­ that''s horrible! It is exactly as we strategized. Distract your foe so they do not see the real threat lurking just out of sight. You would be the unwitting version, but the result would be quite the same. "That might not go well..." said Natalie aloud. Aulikki nodded. "I could also draw him away, threaten his zone and force him to retreat. He would not be harmed, but I would lose sight of the library. You''d have to protect your father from any other threats." "...Okay. What else?" "You simply go in and trust Stebbins not to fire, and not risk leaving his own post for fear of my bullet." Aulikki retained a little of her arrogance as she went on. "I''m certain he has no idea where we''ve made our nest. I can still cover you, but you''ll be on your own inside, and I don''t believe your father went there alone." None of these sound good¡­ "And another one?" "We lure your father out ourselves," said Aulikki with a shrug. "You''d have to stop every bullet from striking him as he approaches us. I don''t like this approach, but if you think you can manage it, it may work." Natalie shook her head. "I barely stopped just one of yours," she said, wincing simply from the memory of that painful experience. "So going to him is our best option," Aulikki concluded. The rain was now a downpour. Sheets of water dropped from the sky and drenching the whole town of Rallsburg. Natalie ducked back a little as some of the rain shifted and fell their way, but Aulikki was under enough cover to avoid it. "I think if we¡­" She trailed off. Something was coming through on the radio. Natalie focused, and she could barely make out the sound with how low Aulikki kept the volume. "...Civilian casualties, requesting emergency airlift from FOB Pilgrim. I repeat, emergency medical airlift¡­" Aulikki''s eyes snapped up to meet Natalie''s. Her heart seemed to sink into her stomach. They could both feel it in the air. The rain seemed to be a perfect reflection of the sudden mood permeating their entire world. A wall of water, with fog beginning to roll in beneath, turned the town and forest surrounding into a cold, foreboding landscape¡ªbut it was all just a sign. Something terrible had just happened.
Meg was covered up under a tent awning. To Alden''s relief, it wasn''t really raining¡ªjust a few drops for now. The clouds certainly looked ominous, but he figured they''d be done before a real storm kicked up. There were onlookers everywhere, as soldiers and passersby alike stopped to watch the girl awaken. Everyone wanted a glimpse of Grey-eyes. Everybody wanted to see the goddess. Alden could hear them whispering, waiting, anticipating. If he was being honest, he was excited to see her again too. She''d saved his life more than once, and he wanted the chance to thank her. The Scrap in Meg''s hand disintegrated completely. She choked up. Her eyes fluttered open in panic. Alden took her hand and squeezed tight. "Not long now," he murmured. Julian nodded, bored. Alden figured he''d seen so many awakenings by now, this was just another on the pile. Alden had watched a couple himself, but¡­ this was his little sister. No matter what, he was still going to feel nervous. The process wasn''t pleasant, especially when she took longer to show up. Meg made an awful gasping sound, and then Grey-eyes appeared, right next to them, exactly as Alden expected. She seemed incredibly tired, her eyes practically closed, hair messier than usual, clothes unkempt, but she still started to move as soon as she arrived¡­ until she saw who had read the Scrap. She stumbled backward. "No¡­" she gasped. "What?" asked Alden, utterly confused. Julian dropped the flask he''d just taken out. It fell into the mud with a soft slap of sound, completely incongruous with everything happening in front of them. The crowd nearby froze. Everything was suddenly silent. Only the sound of raindrops as they picked up speed, the gasping of Meg on the ground, and Grey-eyes'' confused voice. "No," said Grey-eyes again. "No, no, no." She shook her head, thick brown hair flying wildly. "Please, no." Meg''s hand tightened on Alden''s arm. He dove for Grey-eyes and grabbed her hand. "Help her!" he cried. "I didn''t want this!" said Grey-eyes, wrenching free of his grasp. "I didn''t want any of this!" "What the fuck¡­" murmured Julian, taking a step back, squelching through the mud as the rain picked up. "What are you talking about?" asked Alden. Meg was getting worse by the second, and the only person who could save her was¡­ backing away. Grey-eyes didn''t answer. She just kept repeating the same word, over and over under her breath, tears filling her eyes. "Somebody help!" Alden cried, his voice wrenched from his throat involuntarily. A man in uniform with a medic bag burst through the crowd and rushed to Meg''s side, but she was still choking and gasping. He dropped to the ground and started performing CPR, and that finally seemed to snap Grey-eyes out of her stupor. "No!" she cried, rushing forward. "That won''t do anything!" The medic tried to push her away, obviously not understanding who she was. Rage flashed in her eyes, and they turned bright red. She took a single step forward, and one arm slammed outward. Grey-eyes shoved him¡ªhard. People in the crowd scattered as the medic flew fifteen feet into the air and over the top of the next tent over. Grey-eyes ignored the sudden commotion. She fell to Meg''s side and began murmuring as fast as she could, but something was wrong. Something was very wrong. Meg''s mouth murmured the words, just as Alden expected, but her eyes never opened. Grey-eyes seemed to be repeating phrases, if he could hear it correctly. It should have been over by now, but it wasn''t, and her voice was getting more panicked with every passing second. "...Meg?" said Grey-eyes finally, her voice thick with emotion. "Meg?" repeated Alden, choking up. "No, no, no¡­" Alden turned around, looking for the medic. He''d made it back, muddy by unharmed, and rushed to Meg''s side again. In an instant, he was on his radio, as the rain began to pour down in earnest now. "This is Stevens. Prep medical for asphyxiation. We''re coming in right now." He grabbed the edges of the sheet Meg lay on. "Grab the other half, right now." Julian did, when both Alden and Grey-eyes seemed stock-still and unable to move. Together, Julian and the medic rushed Meg across the camp to the medical tents, where a team was already waiting with oxygen masks. Alden followed, and at his side, he could feel a rushing movement, and saw footprints appearing in the mud as they ran¡ªGrey-eyes was there, invisible, following their every movement. Off in the distance, while Alden and Grey-eyes watched Meg strapped in and the medics working to restore oxygen to her brain, another person had just started to read from their own copy of a Scrap¡ªanother piece of the Grimoire which had just nearly claimed the life of Margaret Bensen.
"Somebody just called it in," said Felix, setting down his phone. "They''re dying." "Huh?" asked the one-armed woman, glancing up from her rifle, a burst of dust accompanying the movement. The library was full of dust, caked in it, smothered by it. "People trying to awaken. They read from whatever piece of that damned book they''ve got and they just die. Grey-eyes isn''t coming to save them anymore." "When did that happen?" asked the other guard in their small group of four. Felix shrugged. "Within the last thirty minutes. We''ve already heard about three¡ªtwo in the camp and one way out in Portland." He glanced across the room to their leader, who was seated on a wooden bench and gazing up at the rain through the upper turret windows. "You hear that?" Brian nodded. "I heard." "What do you think?" He didn''t answer. In his mind, the only thing that mattered was Natalie. She was out there somewhere, in the rain-swept forest, coming back to meet him. He could feel it. She''d know exactly where to go. She''d come to find him, and they could share in the victory together. Grey-eyes had given up on them, and so magic would stop spreading. All that remained was to clean up the rest. For the first time in a very, very long time¡­ Brian smiled. B2: Chapter 51 — Best Laid Plans Chapter 51 ¡ª Best Laid Plans Julian and the Guard medic rushed Meg to a table in the medical tent. The medic grabbed something and strapped it onto Meg''s face, covering up her mouth and nose. The faint hissing sound of oxygen rushed through the room, as onlookers watched from every direction and the rain continued to pound the tent canvas above them. Alden stood stock-still, torn between trying to get to Meg''s side, and knowing it wouldn''t be any good. Meanwhile, a few steps away, Grey-eyes seemed to be doing the same. Why¡­ why? Alden, with nothing else to do, turned to her. "Why?" he echoed his own mind, desperate for an answer. She shook her head, bushy brown hair flying wildly. Her face was buried behind her hands, grey eyes peeking through the cracks, utterly terrified. "Help her," Alden pleaded, as the medic continued to work on Meg. Julian slipped out the side of the tent, obviously feeling he couldn''t do anything more. Alden didn''t blame him¡ªhe only blamed one person, and she was the most powerful awakened in the whole world. He didn''t care. He grabbed her by the shoulder. "Help her!" "I can''t," Grey-eyes whispered. "I already tried. She''s¡­ Unless I¡­ but I can''t¡­" Her voice trailed off, a pained whimper as she stared at Meg. "You''re supposed to¡ª" "I didn''t want this!" Grey-eyes shot back, her voice suddenly harsh. The medic looked up, while another soldier in the tent rushed across the room for something out of the boxes at the end. "Everyone just¡­ assumed I could handle it! I''m just a nobody. I''m a dropout. I can''t do this!" "You''re her," said Alden desperately. "I don''t know what I am," she whispered. Alden turned back to Meg, who was still making horrible gasping sounds through the oxygen mask. One of the soldiers had started calling in a helicopter to airlift Meg out¡ªthey didn''t believe they could do anything more with their limited resources. "She''s still breathing, but it''s rough," the medic finally reported to Alden, wiping the sweat off his brow. "We gotta get her to the clearing so the helicopter can pick her up. Can you help?" Alden started to nod, though his arms felt dead tired, but Grey-eyes spoke up. "Tell me where." The medic raised an eyebrow. "...North clearing. Take a left going out." Grey-eyes nodded. She walked forward and put her arms under Meg, lifting her as easily as if she were made of air. The medic held the mask in place, and Alden carried the tank. Together, they walked out of the tent and back into the ongoing downpour. More gasps as they emerged¡ªas Grey-eyes emerged, Alden reminded himself. Somebody in the medical tent isn''t anything new right now¡­ this isn''t even the only medical tent, either. The helicopter was already bearing down on them. The medic briefly explained they''d had life flights on standby all night and morning, and airlifted more than a few gunshot victims out to nearby hospitals. They''d be going to the nearest one over in Shelton, a little northwest of Olympia. They hurried to get to the helicopter, but the camp wasn''t exactly clean of the aftermath from the battle the night before, and they were sloshing through puddles of rain quickly forming into a muddy bog. As they rushed, Grey-eyes'' foot caught on an exposed metal pole from a collapsed tent. She stumbled in the mud. Meg started to fall away. Without thinking, Alden threw magic forward¡ªtime magic. Meg slowed down in mid-air, a block of slow-motion in the middle of them. He could see her starting to gasp already, but Grey-eyes reached in to catch her before she''d fallen even a few centimeters. As her hands reached in, Alden felt a strange sensation. She was affected by his magic, but she managed to push herself through anyway, her skin in what felt like a cocoon of protection. As Grey-eyes withdrew, Alden let the spell go, gasping a little himself as he did it. "...Shit," muttered the medic. "Stick with her, kid. They could use a trick like that at the hospital." Alden nodded, catching his breath. The helicopter was down on the grass. Wind buffeted them as they approached. The whole field was flattened by the constant pressure of the sweeping blades. The medic helped Grey-eyes strap Meg down on a stretcher lashed to the bed of the helicopter, while one of the EMTs showed Alden how to belt himself in. Moments later, the medic waved them off, before turning to rush back to his own duties. In the distance, Alden saw a fresh commotion brewing in the pilgrim camp, but he couldn''t think about it anymore¡ªbecause Meg was still half-choking at his feet. The EMT put a fresh mask on her, fed directly from tanks built into the cabin. A huge jerk pulled up at Alden''s navel as the helicopter lifted into the sky. They lifted up above the canopy, trees bending away as the blades cleared the highest branches. The helicopter tilted forward, and they sped off to the west, diving through the rain toward the city in the distance. "Meg," Alden said again, grasping her hand. "Wake up." "Call¡­ call your parents," said Grey-eyes, her voice caught in her throat. "Tell them where we''re going." A shock of panic shot through Alden''s entire body. His eyes widened. "She''s not going to¡ª" "I don''t know." Alden scrambled for his pockets and dug out his phone. Trembling, terrified he might drop it out of the open helicopter window, he scrolled desperately through his contacts for his mother. He tapped the icon, and it started ringing. One ring. Two rings. Three. Four. Five. "Mom¡­" Alden whispered, hand clutching Meg''s tight. They were just passing over the thickest part of the forest now, Shelton already in sight in the distance. "Come on¡­" After ten agonizing rings, someone answered¡ªsomeone definitely not his parents. "Hello?" "...Kelly?" said Alden, his mind landing on the right name after a few moments hesitation. Meg''s best friend¡­ Oh god¡­ "Yeah, what''s up?" "Why do you have my mom''s phone?" "Oh, is this Alden?" Kelly sounded annoyed, almost. "You know, you really had Meg super worried the last couple months. I don''t know how many times I saw her stressing out about you. Not that she told me, obviously, because she''s a way better person than y¡ª" "Kelly, give the phone to my mom, right now." "She''s not here." "What?" "Yeah, I came over to ''grab some things'' while Meg''s off doing whatever." Kelly''s voice got faint, as if she''d walked away from the phone a bit. "Since, you know, Meg''s ''staying over at my house''." "Kelly!" Alden practically screamed into the phone. "What?" She walked back to the phone. "You know, you sound like you''re in a wind tunnel. Your phone sucks." "I''m on a helicopter being flown to¡­" Alden glanced at the EMT. "Mason General." "Mason General Hospital in Shelton," Alden repeated for Kelly''s benefit. "Meg is¡­ she might be¡­" He choked up. He couldn''t bring himself to say it. The helicopter banked suddenly, and Alden nearly dropped the phone. "...Holy shit," gasped Kelly. "What the¡­" "Kelly, please," Alden begged, while Grey-eyes watched him with pain and fear filling her eyes, exactly as Alden imagined Kelly must be feeling right then. "Find my parents. Right now." "I''m on it." The phone clicked off. Alden dropped it back into his jacket pocket, just as the helicopter came in over the city to a spot near the hospital. Mason General didn''t have any kind of helipad, but it looked like they''d cleared out a space in the parking lot for the time being. The helicopter landed with a soft thump on the pavement. A team from the hospital was already on their way out, wheeling a gurney across the smooth asphalt. Grey-eyes helped lift Meg out of the helicopter and onto the gurney. One of the nurses recognized her, eyes wide¡ªbut still, professionalism overtook him, and the nurse jumped back into action right away. They rushed Meg back into the hospital and straight to the emergency room. Alden followed as close as he could, his mind spinning, barely hearing any words around him. Grey-eyes was right next to him every step, looking just as afraid, but she barely registered to him. Nothing was getting through to Alden anymore. All he could think about was Meg. Every moment she''d spent on the floor of his bedroom all summer. Every time he''d woken up screaming, and she''d grabbed him and helped him calm down. All the times he''d shown her magic, told her it was dangerous, but still exciting and fun. Hanging out with Hailey and Jessica late at night, Meg barging in, forcing her way into their little club¡ªand them laughing it off afterward. Alden ran into the ER, catching up with the disappearing group. He saw gunshot victims from the night before, those who had made it out of surgery or had been triaged to the back of the group. One of the nurses from Meg''s group walked back toward Alden, startling him. She had a clipboard in hand. "That''s your sister, right?" she asked. "Y-yes," said Alden quickly. "Does she have any allergies?" "I don''t¡­" I don''t know. Why don''t I know that? That feels like it''s important. "No," said Grey-eyes suddenly, her voice cracking slightly. She still looked upset. Alden wasn''t sure what to make of it, now that he was finally calming down a little. They were in an emergency room. There wasn''t much more for him to do now¡ªand apparently the goddess herself was taking over from here. The nurse turned to Grey-eyes. "And you are?" "I''m¡­" She trailed off, obviously unsure how to answer. "She''s our sister," said Alden quickly, not wanting to delay any further. Grey-eyes somehow knew his name, her name, and so many other things besides. He didn''t doubt she could know anyone''s medical history instantly. She was the most powerful person in the world. "Okay." The nurse nodded. "Family history of medical problems?" "Dad has sleep apnea, mom''s side has a history of high blood pressure," Grey-eyes rattled off without blinking an eye. "She''s currently on birth control and she takes a vitamin D supplement, but nothing else." "Our parents are on the way," Alden added, desperate to feel useful. Why didn''t I know any of that? Meg could die. They need to know everything they can so they might save her. The nurse nodded again. "Okay. Thank you. You can wait in there," she added, pointing at a room nearby. "But¡ª" started Alden, desperate to keep Meg in sight. "You want him nearby," said Grey-eyes, nodding at Alden. "He''s awakened. He can slow down time for the patient. It may help if something serious happens." "You can what?" asked the nurse, raising an eyebrow. Alden nodded. "Just tell me when. I can try to slow things down if she''s¡­" He stopped, still terrified to voice it aloud, as if that would somehow make it come true. "...Okay. Can you do anything else?" "Nothing that would help," said Alden. "Other magic can''t be used directly on people." "Right." The nurse nodded. "Come on then. Stay to the side and don''t touch anything unless directed, okay?" "Okay." As Alden walked forward with the nurse, Grey-eyes vanished. Nobody else seemed to have noticed, but he felt something brush against his side. She was still with him, just invisible. They both went inside the curtained area where a team was working on Meg, getting her stabilized¡ªkeeping her alive.
Hailey had expected to spend the day in her cell. She''d been given books from the prison library, at least¡ªdoing research on flight and physics, which only raised a few eyebrows with the prison staff¡ªbut she was seriously bored. After the excitement of that morning, between the portals, the Summit, seeing everyone again¡­ coming back was a huge let down. When the guard came by after lunch to let her know Jefferson had suddenly arrived, she was practically on her knees, incredibly grateful for the break. How am I gonna spend months¡­ or years in here? Hailey knew she belonged in prison, at least for now, and she wasn''t going anywhere. Guilt still kept the chains around her legs¡ªmetaphorically, anyway. They hadn''t bothered with anything while she was still inside, since the only people who ever saw her were guards, Jeremy, and Jefferson. There wasn''t anyone to sell the image to, and all the guards knew by now that Hailey was a model citizen. Anything beyond handcuffs was just extra hassle for them to put on and take off. She followed the guard through the now-familiar maze of halls back to the meeting room, where Jefferson waited. As soon as the cameras shut off, Hailey let out a huge sigh. "Something wrong?" asked Jefferson. Hailey shrugged. "It''s been an interesting morning." "...You already know?" He raised his eyebrows. "...No?" A sinking feeling hit Hailey''s stomach. "Why, what are you talking about?" "A favor that will only make your time spent here more painful," said Jefferson with a sigh. "What about you?" "If I''ve already broken the agreement and tell you, that doesn''t mean you have to report it, right?" said Hailey. "Hypothetically speaking, of course." Jefferson nodded. "Only if you intend to commit a new crime." "Well, technically I don''t think I even did that. I never left my cell, physically speaking." She explained briefly about the portals and the meeting, though she left the membership and the details a complete blank. Hailey wasn''t about to out anyone. "So yeah¡­ interesting." "...Well, those would certainly make my life easier," said Jefferson, scratching his chin. "I feel like I''m torn between two sides of the country right now." "You and me both," said Hailey, leaning back in her chair with a sigh. "So what''s up? I didn''t think we were meeting til tonight." "I got an¡­ interesting phone call this morning," said Jefferson. "From a girl currently known to be somewhere near Rallsburg¡­ whose father is possibly the most wanted man in the world." Hailey nearly fell out of her chair. The metal feet scraped against the concrete as she struggled to balance herself again. "Natalie called you?" "Just as shocking to me, I can assure you," said Jefferson. "She wanted to get a message to you. Actually, she wanted to talk to you herself, but¡­" "We¡­ we saw each other this morning," said Hailey slowly. "You did?" Jefferson frowned. "I wonder why she didn''t tell you herself, then." "Maybe¡­ there were a lot of people there besides the two of us." Hailey winced. "And most of them weren''t on her side. We didn''t get a chance to talk." "Ah." Jefferson nodded. "This is certainly a favor of a more personal nature." "...What''s going on?" "She asked me to let you know that her boyfriend''s family is being harrassed. She''s worried for their safety." Jefferson frowned. "She said it as if trying to hide their identity, but it''s quickly becoming common knowledge. I assume you know the Kincaids?" "Kinda. I met Quinn once," said Hailey, nodding. "They''re being harrassed? What for?" "For harboring the awakened daughter of a mass-murderer," said Jefferson. "She''s famous, and so, by extension, is her boyfriend." "Oh god¡­" Hailey put her hands on her forehead. "They''re on the news, aren''t they? I thought I heard something this morning, but I kinda brushed it off." "Yes." Jefferson sighed. "I told Natalie I''d give you the message, but I warned her you had no plans to leave prison before your sentence was up. I''ll be contacting the local police to try and get protection for the Kincaids, and my firm has already reached out to Mrs. Kincaid to start on keeping the vultures at bay. We''ve worked with her in the past." "That''s¡­ that''s good. Thanks, Jefferson." He smiled. "Of course." "Is that it, then?" asked Hailey. She grinned weakly. "Because I''ve got a cell to clean, you know." "Are you doing all right?" asked Jefferson, sounding slightly concerned. "I''m okay. Just¡­ just bored." Hailey sighed. "The Summit this morning didn''t help either. I mean, I really want to know what''s going on, but¡­ I can''t do anything about it, so¡­" "So now you aren''t sure whether you should have gone." Jefferson nodded. "I suppose Rika attended this summit as well." "Yeah," said Hailey. "So be prepared for that when you see her." "I daresay I''m immensely curious myself now," said Jefferson. "I can''t blame you for attending, though of course, as your lawyer I have to advise against leaving your cell in the future¡ª" "Didn''t leave it," said Hailey with a wink. "...I''ll be sure to mention pocket dimensions at your sentencing," said Jefferson exasperatedly. Hailey laughed. "There isn''t much else for us right now. I''ve got another meeting with the prosecution between now and our appointment this evening. There''s a few minutes though before I need to go meet with Rika. Do you want¡­" Hailey held up a hand to cut him off, as weight in her stomach suddenly became an anvil. Just like the night before, she could hear the television through the door and in the other room. She''d been listening idly, just in case¡­ and it had just switched to a breaking news report from Washington State. They always call it Washington State here¡­ I mean yeah, they were first, but still¡­ D.C. sounds better anyway. "What is it?" asked Jefferson, color draining from his face. He knew exactly what Hailey''s expression meant by now. "Hang on¡­" she murmured. "They''re still explaining." "...Reports of an ''awakening'' gone wrong this morning. Our reporter is live in the so-called pilgrim camp. Tiffany?" "Thanks Greg. It was a nightmare here last night, and it only seems to be getting worse in the morning hours. It''s nine AM, and just when everybody thought it was safe, the helicopters started flying in again." Sounds of rustling. Hailey bolted to the door window, straining to see the television set. She could make out the camp, along with an overly-excited reporter shoving microphones in peoples'' faces who obviously just wanted to be left alone. She wasn''t there last night either¡­ this is just disgusting. "Can you tell us what happened this morning?" "Somebody was¡­ you know, reading from a Scrap, and they¡ª" "You mean awakening, right?" "Yeah, duh." Hailey rolled her eyes. "Anyway, she started choking. That part''s kinda normal, but then when Grey-eyes showed up, she didn''t¡­ I dunno how to explain it. But everybody started freaking out." "Can you tell us anything else?" "I dunno? The girl''s brother kept freaking out, you know, shouting ''Meg, Meg, don''t die'' or something like that. Grey-eyes looked scared too. I''ve never seen her like that, and I''ve seen a ton of awakenings." "Grey-eyes is the person who helps¡­" The reporter started launching into a generic¡ªand incorrect¡ªexplanation of magic from there, but Hailey had already stopped listening. Her heart was pounding so hard, she expected it to explode out of her chest then and there. Horrifying memories flashed through her brain, one after the other, each overlaid with Meg''s face. There was no doubt. It had to be Meg Bensen. All three of them had been there, and Beverly had¡­ what? Messed up? What happened? Hailey turned to Jefferson. "I have to go." "...What?" She shook her head. "I''m sorry. I know what you said." "They''ll¡ª" Jefferson started, about to launch into the same concerned speech he''d given the night before, but Hailey only smiled. It caught him off guard. He cut himself off. "What happened?" "Grey-eyes is in trouble. I have to help her." "I thought no one knew her¡­" Jefferson trailed off, realizing he was way out of his depth. Hailey nodded. "She''s only got two friends in the whole world. I''m one of them, and she''s in serious trouble. If I don''t help her¡­ a lot of people could die." Besides¡­ Natalie asked me to come help anyway, and she barely has any friends either¡­ after how everybody treated her at the Summit, Natalie really needs someone in her corner right now. She cleared her throat. "I might be making a huge mistake, I know. But there''s just too much going on. People are dying, my friends are fighting themselves, and I honestly might be the only person in the world who knows what to do." Shake Beverly silly until she finally tells her siblings who she is, and finish awakening Meg with my page if Beverly won''t do it herself. I just¡­ oh god, am I gonna get there in time? "Well¡­" Jefferson sighed. "That sounds like a far better justification to break out, I suppose." "...Thanks?" "May I ask one favor?" "Anything," said Hailey sincerely. "You deserve way more than that." Jefferson smiled. "I''m going to regret this, but¡­ would you please make it appear I wasn''t your accomplice in any way? Maybe take me hostage, I suppose." "Uhh¡­ okay?" "I want to be certain this does not affect Rika''s case. Yours will likely be tried in absentia, since I assume you don''t plan to return¡­" "I don''t know," said Hailey with a shrug. "Someday, I guess." "Well, I fully expect you to be sentenced to a significant prison sentence." Jefferson shrugged. "I might be able to persuade them to hold off, since you won''t be present for the technical start of the trial, but we''re in a grey area." She nodded. "Lawyers and grey areas, huh?" "Something like that." Jefferson glanced at the door. "I''m ready if you are." Hailey nodded. She stood up and took a deep breath, then felt out wide with her magic for her bag¡ªmore than a hundred feet away, but still barely within reach. Hailey walked over to the door back to the cells and wrenched it open, tearing the lock out with a single pull. The door swung wide, and her bag zoomed right into her hands before any of the guards had a second to react. "Help!" shouted Jefferson, leaping to his feet. Hailey turned and grabbed him, as gently as she could. She grabbed out a small gemstone from her bag and hurled it at the thick glass window. It shattered. Hailey rushed forward and ripped the bars free. The guards rushed into the room as she hurled herself through, Jefferson held tight to her chest. They drew stun-guns, trying to get a clear shot, but Hailey was holding Jefferson in front of her like a shield. "Sorry," she muttered, as she felt him heave from the hard yanking motions she''d been putting him through. It''s not like I even need a shield¡­ I could just block the little taser darts myself. It didn''t matter though. Hailey was already into the yard. She was surrounded by high fences in every direction¡­ but what did that matter? Hailey could fly. "See you around, Mr. Baux," said Hailey. She let go of him and spread her wings wide, loving the feeling of stretching out muscles she''d barely been able to use for over a week. Warm light filled her face, and her golden-blonde hair shimmered in the bright afternoon sun. Hailey opened her eyes, while shouts and alarms went off in every direction. Sirens filled the whole city block. Hailey grinned. Jess, this is insane. She pulled out her lucky tourmaline stone and put it around her neck. Hailey wished she had time to change out of her prison outfit, but this would have to be enough for now. With a huge swoop of her wings and a burst of air, Hailey leapt into the sky. Another burst, and she shot up toward the stratosphere. As Hailey rose, she dug into her bag for every tourmaline stone she could find. She''d have to go fast¡ªfaster than she ever had before. Faster than the flight across the Atlantic, faster even than the flight up to Lakewood. Hailey dredged up everything she''d ever learned about physics and air resistance and friction and flight theory.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Forming a perfect wedge in front of her and blocking as much as she could, Hailey propelled herself forward. She flew, away from the alarms, away from the White House in the distance, away from the life she was supposed to lead, with the wind roaring behind her and the sun sparkling above, while birds swooped out of the way as Hailey shot past, back in the wide blue skies once more. Back where she belonged¡ªbut this time, Hailey was off to help the people who needed her most.
Alden stood off to the side in the ER, near the curtain while the nurses and the doctor worked on Meg. They seemed to have her stable, but Alden had no idea what stable was supposed to look like. All he knew was that Meg hadn''t woken up yet. Grey-eyes was still nearby too, standing next to him totally invisible. He brushed against her occasionally as he swayed in place, too upset to stay still. They''re experts, right? They know what to do. She''s choking. That''s a normal thing. They can get her breathing again. Except¡­ Meg was dying due to magic. Who knew what normal medicine could do to help that? "Isn''t there anything you can do?" Alden murmured, low enough that none of the nurses would hear him, but he knew Grey-eyes definitely could. "This has never happened," she whispered. "Nobody''s ever gotten stuck halfway¡­ I did everything right, I just¡ª" "Did it too late," Alden filled in. "I''m such an idiot," Grey-eyes whispered. Alden could feel the pain and regret in her voice. "Meg is¡ª" "Don''t say it," said Alden firmly. A nurse heard him and looked over, but Alden shook his head. He went back to work, confused, but professional enough to ignore it. They were still trying to find a cause, even though Alden had already explained the exact reason Meg could barely breathe. "But¡ª" "Don''t," he hissed. "She''s gonna be fine." Alden''s phone rang. None of the staff looked up, but Alden nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden buzz in his pocket. He grabbed it out without even looking at the screen. "Mom?" "...No?" "Hailey?" "What''s going on?" "...How are you calling me right now?" he asked, confused. "Where are you?" "Somewhere over Ohio?" Alden turned away from the bed slightly. The doctor and most of the nurses were leaving now, since Meg appeared to be stabilized and they were needed elsewhere, leaving only one to keep Meg''s breathing steady. He lowered his voice even further. "You''re flying?" "Yeah." "But it''s so quiet." "I''m blocking all the air around me to reduce drag. I think I''m going faster than the speed of sound¡­" "How are you calling me then?" The call dropped a second later, as if Hailey''s phone heard Alden''s question and decided to obey physics again. Alden stared at the screen for a moment, dumbfounded. It lit up again with Hailey''s face. He answered. "I think I''m jumping between towers really fast," said Hailey quickly. "Where are you right now?" "Mason General Hospital in Shelton." "Okay. I''m on my way." She paused. "Is Grey-eyes there?" "...Yes. How did you¡ª" "Give her the phone." Alden held it out to the empty space next to him without a second thought¡­ but nothing happened. "Grey-eyes?" he hissed. No response. "I think she''s gone¡­" "...Dammit," said Hailey. "Can you¡ª" The call dropped again. Alden waited for the next ring, and answered as soon as it came in. "You''re with Meg, right?" "I called my parents. I''ll be here. I''m¡­" Alden hesitated, lowering his voice again. "I''m using time magic to slow her down if anything bad happens, so they can help her before she¡ª" "Good," said Hailey. "If Grey-eyes shows up again, tell her to call me. Right away. Don''t take no for an answer, got it?" "...Okay." Her voice softened. "Hey Alden?" Alden coughed, his voice catching in his throat as emotion suddenly overwhelmed him. He''d remembered the last time Hailey had been rushing to a hospital¡­ and what had happened there. They hadn''t been able to help in the end¡­ what if¡­ "She''s gonna be okay. Keep her alive until I get there, all right?" He nodded, but of course, Hailey couldn''t see him¡ªand he was barely able to see himself, with how his eyes were filled with tears. Somehow, it already felt like his little sister was going to die¡­ but Hailey sounded so confident. She sounded¡­ like herself again, months ago, before everything happened. "Okay," said Alden. "I''m on my¡ª" Her voice cut off again as the call dropped. Alden waited, but she didn''t call again. It was okay now though. He could hold it together. Alden sat down on the stool next to Meg and took her hand. It was warm, much warmer than his own, but not so much that she felt sick or anything. The nurse glanced at him, and Alden realized it was the same one they''d explained he could use time magic to. "Did you tell anyone else?" Alden asked quietly. She looked startled. "Huh?" "What we told you before. What I can do. Did you tell anyone?" "...Not sure I believe it myself, to be honest," she said, taking a seat on the other stool, and adjusting something with Meg''s oxygen supply. "If it''s true¡ª" "It is," said Alden. "Then¡­ well, we''re already taking overflow from Olympia here due to last night," said the nurse uncomfortably. "Can you slow things down if any of these alarms go off?" she added, pointing at the sensors now attached all over Meg''s skin, tracking her vital signs. "So we can get here in time." Alden nodded. "Go help whoever you need to. I''ll be with her." "...You''re a good brother," said the nurse, getting to her feet. "If you need anything, just shout. Someone''s nearby." "Thanks." The nurse left, and Alden settled in. The machines beeped a reassuring steady beat around Meg. Carts bustled past as nurses wheeled sensors and machines between curtained beds throughout the emergency room. Alden felt a faint breeze on the back of his neck, though he wasn''t sure where from. It made him think of Hailey, now hurtling through the sky across the country to reach them. Meg would be so happy¡­ her hero''s coming to save her¡­ Alden squeezed her hand tighter, as if he could will her to wake up. He tried to press magic into her, but it was blocked, just like everything was¡ªeverything besides time magic, it seemed. Why just that? Why can''t I heal her, or do anything else useful? All I can do is slow down her dying¡­ He realized suddenly how Hailey planned to save her. She had the full page¡ªthe other way to awaken. If it worked¡­ Meg would be as powerful as her, and the rest of the eight. Or the seven¡­ Since Lily isn''t one, and Hugo never awakened. Maybe it was always supposed to be Meg. Fate again. Alden wondered how Rika was doing. He''d considered going after her when she left the Summit, but he hadn''t wanted to leave before Hailey did. Still, his thoughts were dominated by her¡ªand now, with Hailey blitzing across the country, there would be even more focus on Rika as the sole awakened on trial back in D.C. All Alden could focus on was Meg. His parents were probably still about an hour away at best, if they''d left right away. Hailey was even further¡ªhe had no idea how fast she could fly when really pressed. The internet calculated her at over seven hundred miles per hour when she''d flown from Portland to Lakewood. He tried to do the math in his head, but¡­ he couldn''t think straight, and he didn''t want to take his eyes off his sister for a second. Oxygen was pumped into Meg''s lungs every couple of seconds by a machine. Her eyes were closed, and he didn''t see any movement there. She could be asleep for all he knew¡­ and she looked peaceful enough. All he could do was watch and wait¡­ and pray, every moment, that Meg would wake up. My turn to stay by her bed til she gets better, I guess. Alden settled in. No matter what, he wasn''t moving from that stool until Meg woke up.
"Shouldn''t you be¡­ doing something?" asked Andrea. They were all curled up on the couch at Rachel''s house in Vancouver. Rachel sat next to her mother, while her father sat in the easy chair nearby. Solveig was over at the table, breaking and fixing a glass over and over again with magic. It made a crinkly, unpleasant noise as the glass broke and reformed, over and over again. Rachel''s father glanced at her. "Would you stop that, please?" Solveig shrugged. "Gotta practice." "Solveig, please?" asked Rachel. The girl sighed, but stopped messing with the glass, to Rachel''s relief. She''d had enough stress after the failed Summit. Solveig flipped her dreadlocks out of her face and leaned back, switching to fire magic instead. The circling balls of fire and gentle wave of heat across the room still raised Eric''s eyebrows, but Rachel could live with that¡ªat least it wasn''t making an awful shattering sound every ten seconds. Besides, it was freezing. The fire felt nice. She was curled up sharing a blanket with her mother, while Will watched from the bed they''d wheeled out into the living room nearby. They were all gathered around the TV, which was still showing images of the aftermath from the massacre in the pilgrim camp. Rachel had two different laptops open next to her on the coffee table. She periodically checked the headlines, as well as her private messages and drop sites for other contacts she had. She was hoping for a response from Courtney or Maddie soon, or anyone who could give her more insight on what was happening back home in Rallsburg. Back home¡­ I never really thought of it as home, did I? I lived there¡­ I even spent the summer there, but it wasn''t home. "Rachel?" Andrea prompted. Rachel shook her head. "They''ve got it under control. Courtney responded fast enough with the National Guard, and they''ve got the eyes of the whole world on them now. I don''t expect Brian to do anything so foolish as attack again." "Oh¡­" Andrea trailed off. She glanced at Eric, and they shared the latest of hundreds of confused looks with each other. Her parents didn''t understand her anymore. Rachel had learned to live with it, but it still stung. She loved them dearly, but with Will as he was, she didn''t have anyone else to converse with regularly at home. Solveig was the closest, but she was¡­ well, I guess Mom''s pretty used to a presence like that, what with Rika, but Solveig''s definitely something else. "You said you saw Rika this morning right?" asked Andrea. Rachel nodded. "She''s doing okay. Better¡­ better than she was, anyway." Except for the part where she''s basically against everyone now, and isn''t exactly happy with me either, since I had to persuade her to go back to prison¡­ "She stayed in D.C. though. She''s still in prison for now." "I always said¡ª" started her father, but cut himself off. Rachel frowned. "You can say it, Dad. You never liked Rika." "That''s not what I meant¡ª" "Honestly, Eric," sighed Andrea. "You''d already moved out by the time she was living with us." The two of them were at it again. Rachel was torn between wanting to break them up, and weirdly grateful that they were arguing about something normal. No insane genocidal mass-murderers, no high politics, no helicopter chases or gunfights or explosions or people dying. Just another debate between her parents about whether or not letting Rachel''s best friend from middle school live with her was all right. An alert popped up on Rachel''s laptop¡ªsilent, so it didn''t interrupt them, but Rachel felt the gravitas of the moment nonetheless. From only the first few words, she knew¡­ everything was about to change. "Solveig," said Rachel, and her tone silenced everyone in the room in an instant. "Yeah boss?" asked Solveig uneasily. "Call the twins." If ever there was a time where I''m vulnerable¡­ Beverly''s out of the picture, and I''m at home with my family, not anywhere I can be useful. Without her, I can''t get another portal, either. "They got class¡­" "Call them right now." Rachel was already pulling out her own phone. Solveig dialed as she walked out, calling Landon and Logan. Her parents looked afraid, but Rachel needed to get moving¡ªbeyond her own safety, there was a greater concern. If Beverly''s missed one, and it''s her own sister¡­ What was I thinking? We thought of everything, accounted for everything¡­ We could have handled Brian, could have handled a dozen Brians eventually¡­ but we never expected Beverly to stop awakening people. There was always one point of failure, but I completely overlooked it. She pressed call. "...Twice in one day, Rachel," echoed Cinza''s ethereal voice from the speaker. "To what do I owe the honor?" "Where are you right now?" "In the forest. I don''t suppose you''ve decided to take our side?" "Forget about that," said Rachel. "Something is happening." "I cannot believe anything is more important than this right now." "I wish that were true," she murmured, while her mother and father watched her on the phone with worry filling their own expressions as a surrogate for Cinza''s, thousands of miles away. "Grey-eyes failed to awaken someone." "...That is not possible." "It was Alden''s little sister Meg. I have no doubt more will follow," she added, as an image of Beverly, totally overwhelmed and fleeing from everyone, filled her mind. Beverly wasn''t the sort of person who could bounce back from such a trauma, especially after everything she''d just been through. I forced her to perform so much difficult magic this morning¡­ I''m partially responsible. "We need to warn the world." "Warn them of what?" "No one can awaken. If they try, they will fail." "...I can''t send such a message." Rachel took a breath, trying to force anger out of her voice at Cinza''s obstinance. "Cinza, people are going to die." She didn''t respond right away. Rachel''s mom gasped, her hands flying to cover her mouth. Her father looked about to say something. Will was struggling to look at her, still trapped in his bed¡ªafter his own exertions the night before helping to launch the ritual, he was worse off than before. Rachel wished he hadn''t¡­ but the opportunity was too good to pass up. "If I tell people even once that magic is not safe, I lose power." An idea burst into Rachel''s mind. She couldn''t accomplish it herself, but¡­ she''d built up plenty of contacts who might. It needed to be widespread though¡­ as strong a message as she could possibly send. Only one person could get a message out so fast and so widespread¡ªand they didn''t need any magic to do it. It was the perfect way. "A presidential alert." "...That may work." "You have a way to contact him, right?" "I do, but¡­ I can''t right now. I''m not in a position to make that sort of call." Rachel shook her head. "We don''t have time for this." "Call him, Rachel." Cinza rattled off a phone number without preamble, knowing Rachel''s perfect memory would catch every digit. "That will get as close as any phone number can. Get the word out. Save them." "...Thank you." Cinza disconnected. Rachel took another deep breath, taking Will''s outstretched hand for strength. She had an important call to make, and though she felt like she''d been building up to a moment like this her whole life¡ªand even had several test runs reaching out to Maddie and Courtney¡ªthis was different. "Rachel?" asked Andrea, holding Eric''s hand tight just as Rachel held Will''s. "What''s going on?" "I''m trying to save everyone, Mom," said Rachel, feeling more exhausted than she ever had. She''d gotten her two hours of sleep the night before, but even so¡­ the whole world seemed to be on her shoulders again. It was a feeling she''d tried to escape, fleeing up here to Vancouver with her family, but Agent Ashe had sought her out¡­ and Rachel was back in the thick of it once again. She dialed the number Cinza had given her. "Hello?" It wasn''t him, but someone else. She placed the voice from a podcast he''d once been interviewed on¡ªthe president''s body man, Geoffrey Downs. "Mr. Downs, I need to speak with President Stafford immediately. It''s an emergency." At the name, Rachel''s mother gasped again. "The president?" she whispered. "Badass," said Solveig, who''d come back into the room at some point during Rachel''s last phone call. "...Who is this?" asked Geoffrey. "My name is Rachel DuValle," said Rachel, ignoring the living room around her. The fire crackled by the television, waves of heat washing over her, but it felt like a gentle breeze compared to the sheer pressure of the conversation she was about to have. "I''m a personal friend of Cinza''s." "The Rachel DuValle?" he asked dubiously. Oh¡­ right. Thanks to Cinza''s journals¡­ I''m famous too. She wrote an awful lot about me¡­ "Yes." "...One moment." Rachel waited, tapping her fingers impatiently on the back of her phone. She could hear Geoffrey making his way through the White House to find the President, wherever he might be. Images of people choking to death kept flickering in Rachel''s mind. Faster¡­ please, she willed Geoffrey, though she knew any shrill panic would likely end the call before she got what she needed. "This is the President. To whom am I speaking?" Rachel cleared her throat. "Mr. President, my name is Rachel DuValle." "...I''ve heard a lot about you." "I''m sure, but we don''t have time right now, sir. I need you to issue an emergency presidential alert." "...FEMA issues¡ª" "I''m aware FEMA issues those alerts, but they do still take direction from you, sir," said Rachel impatiently, "and your word vastly exceeds my own." "In certain circles." The President hesitated. "What''s happening that I need to issue an alert?" "If anyone attempts to awaken right now, they will die. You need to tell the world right away, if they have access to any Scraps, not to read them. Not to even glance at them." "...Forgive me, but isn''t that what Grey-eyes¡ª" "She''s incapacitated." Stafford took a breath. "...Oh, God," he said finally, as the gravity of what Rachel was telling him sunk in. "How long ago?" "I don''t know, sir. Please get the word out, Mr. President. There''s no time to waste." "I will. Thank you, Miss DuValle." Rachel hung up. She glanced at her parents, still clutching hands, terrified. Rachel slowly shook her head. "You two don''t need to be afraid," she murmured. "We don''t?" "You''re both awakened," said Rachel with a sigh. "We all are. She already saved us." Her phone started to play a shrill alert noise, right at the same time Will''s phone did, as did Eric''s. Solveig glanced at her own¡ªwhich started to go off about thirty seconds later. "Emergency alert issued by the United States¡­" she read aloud, "...under no circumstances¡­ do not awaken." Solveig glanced back up at Rachel. "Shit," she murmured. Rachel glanced down at her own phone, which carried a similar message. A moment later, their TV¡ªwhich had been on the news, but muted¡ªflickered over to an emergency alert. The word was going out. All Rachel could do now was hope they''d been fast enough¡­ before anyone else died.
High in the sky, having long-since broken the sound barrier, Hailey''s own phone lit up with the alert. It was surprisingly quiet now as she flew, since she was shaping all the air in front of her to fly around rather than come near. It was the only way to maintain her speed, since friction and air resistance would have dragged her back too hard. It wasn''t nearly as fun as normal flight¡ªshe didn''t get the sensation of wind blowing through her hair, or the rush of air in her ears and her face¡ªbut she was travelling much, much faster than normal. Her phone GPS didn''t give her anything, though. It capped out at nine hundred ninety-nine miles per hour. Hailey''s lucky tourmaline stone was almost half-black now, after having stuck with her for so many months. She''d switched, finally, to using others in her bag, burning through cheaper ones to keep hers intact, but the black spot was all right. It was doing something useful¡ªsomething good. It was just a stone. She was trying to save everyone. The presidential alert only confirmed that. Hailey read it, nodded to herself, and secured her phone back on her belt again. She''d actually changed in mid-air, somewhere over Illinois, taking her clothes out of her bag and using telekinesis to make sure nothing fell to the earth miles below. She took a breath¡ªwhich necessitated using magic to gather up fresh air and get it into her lungs¡ªand sent another huge burst of magic into the wind propelling her forward. Faster, ever faster. Hailey needed to get there on time, before¡­ She shook her head. Meg was going to be fine. She was already in the hospital, from the brief phone call she''d managed with Alden, despite it dropping every time she moved out of range of one of the more powerful towers. Hailey just needed to get there, force Beverly to finish the job, or do it herself. If that''s even gonna wor¡ª Hailey shook her head again, more fiercely this time. She brushed a few loose strands of hair out of her eyes. She''d been flying for over an hour now, going over the same thoughts in her head, the same fears, the same memories. In the distance, so far away, Hailey began to see landscapes she recognized. She was already almost there. If I crossed the country in only an hour and a half, and the country''s about twenty-eight hundred miles across¡­ Hailey did the quick math in her head. Oh god¡­ I''m going really fast¡­ Jess, if you were here right now¡­ She was nearly out of gemstones, too¡ªjust two rubies left, besides the half-used lucky tourmaline around her neck. Hailey had long-since burned through every other stone, with only the off-color rubies remaining. They were already running out fast, since they weren''t great for air magic to begin with, but¡­ anything helped when she was burning so much magic in such a short amount of time. I wonder if we''ll find out burning magic like this causes horrible things to happen too, just like climate change. Hailey couldn''t think about that. She could see Seattle way in the distance, and Olympia, and Tacoma¡­ home. Her phone buzzed. Hailey pulled it out and checked the messages. There were a few¡ªone from Alden, only a few minutes ago, reporting no change, except that Beverly had vanished (not that he knew her name, of course¡­). Several from her mother, from Weston, and from Rupert¡ªall worried after hearing about her escape from prison. An alert from the phone company that her service was going to be shut off¡ªfigures. One from Josh. Welcome back. Cinza''s taken a hunting party out to Rallsburg. Brian''s in the library and Natalie''s out there too. Get there as fast as you can and make sure they don''t fucking kill each other. P.S. You''re freaking out the air radar people. Nice. Hailey was torn between laughing and crying. Everything was already falling apart, and she wasn''t even home yet. She was so close¡­ Where was she supposed to go? If she didn''t go to Alden at the hospital¡­ Meg might die. But¡­ Natalie was all alone, against everyone. Hailey felt like someone in Rallsburg was going to die, somehow. She could either maintain her speed and overshoot Olympia and Shelton, heading straight for Rallsburg¡­ or she could slow down, go to the Bensen siblings, hope to find Beverly and confront her, and maybe save Meg¡­ assuming the plan with her own page even worked. Hailey''s eyes drifted away from the small town of Shelton, out of the edges of the forest. She sped up, driving ever faster toward the thick blanket of clouds covering the forest. Rain began to splat against her shield as Hailey blew into the region, braking hard as she crossed into the heavy shower. With her eyes, Hailey was able to spot the distinct turrets of the library, half-destroyed amongst the still-devastated, decaying town. She folded her wings and went into a dive.
Natalie hadn''t left Boris'' shop yet. She still sat on the upper floor with Aulikki, hiding in the unknown girl''s bedroom, watching the library for any signs of movement. Rain continued to pour down. After the radio message, they''d waited for a few minutes for any further warning of activity, but nothing came. Eventually, Natalie assumed she had to be wrong, that nothing terrible had happened¡ªor at least, nothing new. Just more people hurt from last night¡­ because of Dad. We will talk to him. We will determine the best course of action. "I don''t know," murmured Natalie, as much to answer the voice as to Aulikki''s unspoken question from earlier. Aulikki didn''t budge from her own perch, still sheltered from the ongoing downpour. The wind did blow the occasional drop their way, but it mostly just hit the floor, or Natalie. None of it managed to land on the woman. Her left eye twitched over in Natalie''s direction. "Whatever you decide, I am with you." "...Thanks." Natalie''s phone suddenly began to buzz. She scrambled for it in a panic, worried someone might hear. Likewise, she heard faint ringing sounds way down the street¡­ inside the library. A moment later, they fell silent as well, just as she grabbed her phone and tapped a button to get it to stop. PRESIDENTIAL ALERT ''Awakening'', or the process of reading from a piece of paper to gain access to magic, is now deadly as of approximately twenty minutes ago. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES ATTEMPT TO AWAKEN. If you find a strange piece of paper with words you can''t understand, DO NOT READ IT. YOU WILL DIE. More details to follow. "Oh god¡­" Natalie murmured. "What?" asked Aulikki. "I think¡­ I think something happened to Grey-eyes." Aulikki turned to look at Natalie. "What do you mean?" "She''s not awakening anyone. I think¡­ that radio message we heard¡­ I think somebody just died because they tried to awaken and she didn''t help them." Natalie looked back out down the street into the rain. "This is really bad¡­" "Many may die," agreed Aulikki, shifting back to watch the library. "There''s nothing we can do about it though." "How can you¡­" said Natalie uncomfortably. "How can you just say something like that?" Aulikki hesitated. She glanced back at Natalie again, and a look of concern crossed her face. Rain continued to pound on the half-caved-in roof above their heads, dripping onto the floor at the edge of the room and running off onto the street below. She frowned. "I can only keep those closest to me safe, and at the moment, that list is very, very small. All of them are awakened, as far as I am aware, except for my daughter. She is on the other side of the world. I don''t wish for anyone to die, but I also don''t have any way to save them either. Do you?" "...I don''t," said Natalie. "I can''t do what Grey-eyes does." "And the best possible method to warn them has already been employed," Aulikki added, nodding at Natalie''s phone. "There''s nothing more that can be done." She is right. I guess so¡­ Aulikki makes a valuable ally, and she is wise. We can only protect our own, just as she does, and we must not extend your resources so far that we no longer control our territory. So what do we do? Focus on our objectives. We need to reach your father, we need to protect him, and we need to create a home for ourselves and our own. Everything else can wait. Right. Natalie cleared her throat. "So¡­ How do we¡ª" "Stebbins, tell me you just got that, over." "I got it, sir. Weren''t planning on awakening anyway, over." "No shit. But things are gonna heat up again fast. We might want to make a move, over." "Ashe, this is Cinza," cut in Makoto''s voice suddenly on the net. Natalie glanced at Aulikki''s headset, sure she must have misheard him, but Aulikki didn''t look confused at all. "...Go ahead, Cinza." A shuffle through the headset, and suddenly Cinza was speaking over the radio, her echoing voice diminished but not completely suppressed by the crackling noises of the transmission. "...That alert would have gone to everyone, including Hendricks. They will know we are weak right now." "...They''re weak too, Cinza. We gave ''em a serious beatin'' last night, and the Guard hunted them for hours afterward, over," said Jeremy, but he didn''t sound convinced, even to Natalie. "So there is no better time to attack." "Dammit, Cinza," cut in the sheriff. Natalie had a confused mix of emotions flood through her at Jackie''s voice, unsure whether or not the sheriff was on her side. "What about that little girl? We all agreed to protect her. Don''t you forget about that, over." "You should go, now," murmured Aulikki, as Cinza launched into an argument about her dad being a traitor. "What?" "I think they''ve forgotten we can hear them. While they''re still arguing, they''re distracted. This may be your only chance. I don''t believe anyone will shoot you, and you must not wait for them to take a foothold." Natalie hesitated. "Are you coming with me?" "I will make sure they do not follow." She nodded. "I''ll leave¡ª" "Take your friends. You will need them." Aulikki looked at Natalie and smiled, a sad smile Natalie wished she didn''t understand. "I''ll be okay, Natalie. I''ll see you again." Natalie turned and ran down the stairs, Percy fluttering to her shoulder as she went. Gwen got to her feet just as the tip of Natalie''s toes touched the dust-covered floor of Boris'' shop. Natalie pulled herself on top of the wolf, wrapping her coat tighter around the black funeral dress she still wore. she murmured. Gwen roared, a huge growl that rumbled through every bone in Natalie''s body. Scrappy yowled at the sudden noise, but Gwen was already bounding out into the street. The rain slammed into them as they rode out. Natalie clutched onto Gwen''s back as she bounded down the slick streets, leaping over the upturned street light, the trash cans which still rolled around the sidewalks, the trashed car near Dan''s diner. Water splattered her back, soaking Gwen''s fur, but Natalie held on tight. A gunshot rang out, and mud spurted out of the ground a dozen feet in front of them. Gwen swerved, but didn''t slow down. They shot at us! Do not stop! Natalie couldn''t turn back. She kept riding, while another gunshot pierced the downpour, this time without the accompanying crack of the first one. Instead, she heard a burst of rubble behind her, and whipped her head around to see chunks of a building burst out and land in the street. Aulikki shot at them? I think¡­ I don''t know. It does not matter! She didn''t need to know, because the library was only a few dozen feet away. Gwen kept running, even though the doors were boarded up. She was trusting Natalie to clear a path. Natalie murmured a quick spell, throwing out a lance of magic into the boards. They shattered, wood chips flying in every direction. Gwen dove inside, practically skidding on her claws as she landed in the dusty old library. Scrappy was only a few steps behind, while Percy fluttered in shortly after¡ªall three dripping wet from their wild run across Rallsburg. Out of the gathering storm, the library seemed eerily quiet. Someone was talking, just down the hallway. Natalie pressed Gwen forward, step by step. She could hear something else¡­ the slide of a gun. They were armed¡­ four of them, if Natalie''s senses were right. She felt more confident than usual¡­ ever since the rituals in Quinn''s house, nearly a month ago, Natalie was really good at telling what was around her. Four people¡­ but none of them are talking¡­ is one of them Dad? I¡­ I think so. Wait until we are sure. "Definitely a shot," whispered someone, just inside the next doorway, which had heavy old wooden planks criss-crossing the entrance to provide a makeshift barrier. Natalie put a hand on Gwen''s neck, bringing her to a halt. "Two shots," said another voice, much more confident¡ªand much harsher. "We didn''t get any reports," murmured a third voice. None of them sounded like Natalie''s father. "And none of our people should be anywhere near here. They''re all supposed to be out of the forest by now, if they could manage it." "Amateurs," snorted the harsh voice¡ªa feminine voice, now that it was longer longer whispering. "Fucking amateurs, all of ''em." "Crusaders," said a fourth voice, and Natalie''s heart threatened to explode into her throat. She lurched forward involuntarily, nearly falling off Gwen''s back. The wolf had to take a few light steps to keep her upright. "They carry out our cause. Don''t be so quick to judge." "I know," said the harsh voice. "But damn, we need better discipline." "I heard something," muttered the first voice, just inside the doorway. A faint knock echoed down the hallway, filling the space below the rain pounding against the rooftop. Someone had just grabbed at the planks blocking the doorway. We''ve been found out. We must act! A shrill burst of panic up Natalie''s spine. Every muscle tensed in unison. Gwen growled as Natalie''s knees tightened around her back. "The fu¡ª" She threw magic into the room. The planks fell away. Natalie felt for the guns and plucked them out of their hands all at once. The bundle flew out into the hallway and crumpled into a ball, useless. "What the¡ª" Natalie turned the corner, right on top of Gwen. A one-armed woman was just inside, along with a heavyset man who looked like he couldn''t believe his eyes. On the far wall, a rat-faced man with his mouth open wide, missing several teeth. By some chance or fate, Natalie didn''t know, but they were gathered in the very same room she''d been in only six months prior¡ªwith the high turreted ceiling above, empty shelves in every direction, and a bench on one side. Her father sat on that bench, in almost exactly the same spot Rachel had been six months ago. His eyes were wide, and he looked tired¡ªso incredibly tired. Gwen took another step forward, and then another. Natalie emerged fully into the room. She opened her mouth, and her voice caught in her throat. "Is that¡­" started the rat-faced man in the back, but he trailed off as Gwen growled, her yellow eyes turning to glare at him. Next to the wolf, Scrappy prowled in, purring menacingly, while Percy fluttered on her shoulder and glared at the one-armed woman next to them. Natalie ignored all of them, though. She ignored her friends, ignored the three bodyguards, ignored the rain on the rooftop and the gunfight possibly happening outside and the attack which might come any moment. She ignored everything, because after seven long months¡ªafter begging the council over and over, after her home was destroyed, after living with the Laushires and the Kincaids, after so much time alone, in fear, in terror, learning to rely on herself and trusting no one else¡ªshe''d found him. Natalie had found her father. B2: Chapter 52 — A Place of Her Own Chapter 52 ¡ª A Place of Her Own Thunder rolled in the distance, low and rumbling. Rain still pounded on the turret roof high above their heads, but inside the library, everything was quiet. They could barely hear shouting and the piercing crack of gunfire out in the town beyond, but for the moment, all Natalie could see, all she could hear, every sense in her body was focused on her father. What do we say? How are we supposed to talk to him after¡­ after all this? We are here to protect him. Let nothing else distract us. Another gunshot outside punctured the silence as a pointed reminder of what she''d left behind. Aulikki still fought to keep everyone else away. Natalie had no idea how many people Cinza may have brought with her, nor how long a single woman with a rifle could hold them off. She didn''t have time to waste. "She''s¡­" murmured the rat-faced man in the back, but he trailed off again. Natalie didn''t look at him, but her father did, for the briefest of moments. He broke their stare, and that, finally, pressed Natalie to act. "Dad, we need to leave," she said, as calmly as she could. "...What?" he asked, dazed. "There''s people outside who want to kill you. We gotta go." "No¡­" he murmured¡ªand it tore at Natalie, but she held on. She told herself he just didn''t want to leave, which was plenty reasonable. There was gunfire outside, and an approaching thunderstorm. The library was solid and safe. Comfortable, even. Do not delude yourself. Leave me alone. You saw the look in his eyes. You know what he thinks. This is not the time. It''ll never be the time. "Dad¡­" He cleared his throat, and for a moment, he didn''t look exhausted anymore. He looked¡­ like her dad again. "Natalie," he said, and hearing her name in his voice felt so comforting, so welcome after all her months alone. "I can''t go." "You have to." Natalie looked away, finally, toward the outside wall, where another gunshot pierced the heavy rain. "They''re going to kill you, Dad." He winced. His hands shook, still gripping the spikey golem rod tight, but he simply shook his head. "They won''t. They don''t have the conviction." "The what?" I thought that word had to do with trials, like Hailey talking about getting convicted. Her father smiled, in a strange and terribly sad way. "It means belief. They don''t believe in their actions. They have never tried to kill me before." Natalie shook her head. "You''re wrong. They already tried. It was last night." "...What?" "I stopped them, Dad, but I dunno if I can keep doing that. They''re outside right now." Another gunshot, and everyone in the room winced, though the previous gunfire hadn''t bothered them. "That''s my friend keeping them away." "...You have a friend with a rifle?" Something about his tone¡­ how normal, how it leapt out of her past and into this insane situation, nearly brought her to tears. He was still her father, still caring about who she hung out with, getting in her business. If it wasn''t such a horrible time¡­ Natalie steeled herself, focusing on what really mattered¡ªsaving his life. She nodded, though her patience was wearing very thin. "She''s¡­ she''s a good person." "Who is this person?" Too much. "Dad, stop!" she cried. "We don''t have time!" Gwen growled, and that suddenly snapped her father out of his old tone. He was back to the cold, angry man, the one she''d heard shouting in the forests in Rallsburg seven months ago, and at the pilgrim camp only the night before. "Why did you do this?" he asked, and his voice was wracked with suppressed rage and pain. "Why are you¡­" "That doesn''t matter right now," said Natalie, glancing nervously over her shoulder. Aulikki couldn''t hold them off forever, no matter how good she was. "Just come with me, okay?" "I can''t." "Yes, you can," she snapped. "I''m trying to save your life, Dad! Just listen to me for once!" "He''s not going anywhere with you, witch," snarled the one-armed woman nearby. She took a step forward. Instantly, Scrappy tackled her. The huge bronze-colored cat pounced, and his weight was more than enough to take the woman down. She screamed and thrashed, but Scrappy''s claws were out, and she was unarmed. He''d win, if Natalie let it keep going. Natalie shouted. Scrappy leapt off, licking a wound she''d managed to scratch in his own face. The woman stayed on the ground, panting, her face and arms covered in claw marks, but she''d be okay. Scrappy prowled around between her and Gwen, where Natalie still sat. The wolf growled, reinforcing the threat posed by Natalie''s friends. "You can control them?" asked the rat-faced man. "No," said Natalie. "They''re my friends." "Because you force them to be." "No!" Natalie shook her head. She turned back to her dad. "Who are these people?" "...Believers," said her father. "Warriors." "Something like that," added Rat-face. "Quiet," her dad snapped, and Natalie was grateful. Rat-face seemed like an awful person. She couldn''t figure out why her dad was with him¡­ but then again, she couldn''t figure out why he was doing all of this in the first place. "Summon a golem," muttered the one-armed woman, painfully getting to her feet again. "Deal with her already." "She''s his daughter," said the heavyset guy. "Give him a minute." He wouldn''t. We do not know that. Be on your guard. Or just¡­ disarm him. Natalie reached out with her mind, grabbing for the golem rod¡ªonly to find it completely blocked. It felt like the same wall she''d run into with Omega''s hideouts in the forest, but this couldn''t be the same thing. There was no way it could be tied to a cache of gemstones, when her dad moved around so much. Her dad''s eyes narrowed. "What are you doing?" He noticed? But how? He''s not awakened. Guard yourself. He may retaliate. "Can you put that down?" she asked. He shook his head. "I can''t, Natalie." Again, that burst of warmth and familiarity, but it was tied to so much pain now¡­ both for him and for herself. "Dad, you don''t need it anymore. We''re leaving, okay?" "Why did you¡ª" "We don''t have time," said Natalie again, for the third time. She half-expected someone to burst in right as she did, because that was her luck and her life, but no one did. The rain continued to pound on the turret high above, another gunshot cracked in the town outside, and another roll of thunder¡ªbut still they waited. Three of her dad''s people, herself, her three friends, and¡­ her father. I just wanted to find him. I never¡­ Focus, Natalie. "Does it matter?" her dad asked. "You said it yourself. They''re willing to kill me. Will running escape their evil magic?" "...Evil?" she asked, her voice catching a little. Her dad frowned. "Yes, Natalie. It''s evil." Natalie shook her head. "Don''t say that." "Look, kid¡ª" started Rat-face, but both Natalie and her father shot him a look. He fell silent immediately, cowed. "I can protect you." "How? Against the whole world?" "If I have to," she said, her voice rising a little. "I''m really strong, dad. Everybody thinks I''m the strongest besides Grey-eyes herself." She said it with a touch of pride, hoping her dad would feel the same. Hoping he could take some measure of satisfaction that his daughter was doing well, that she could take care of herself. If anything, it only horrified him. His eyes widened, and the rest of his face twisted into something ugly. Something painful. Something¡­ afraid. He''s afraid of me. He will under¡ª My dad''s afraid of me. "Dad¡­ please," she whispered. Slowly, he shook his head, shaggy unkempt hair brushing against his eyes. Every movement was another painful blow to her heart. "I can''t go with you." "I miss you," Natalie blurted out, caution thrown to the winds, her voice on the verge of tears with every passing word. "I looked for you every day after you disappeared. I had Gwen and Scrappy searching all over. Me and Lily too, we went all over the forest. I never gave up." "Nat¡ª" "And then when we had to leave, I told Rachel I''d come back to find you. I waited for months. I went to school, I made friends, I lived in a bunch of places, I got hurt, I got in fights, but I made it," she choked out. "I made it ''cause I knew I was gonna find you eventually. That we could go back home. You know, go back to¡ªto normal." "You''re one of them," said her dad, his own voice raspy and broken. Another burst of thunder, with a flash of light accompanying in the window high above. "You can do magic." "Yeah, Dad, I am. And that''s okay," said Natalie, nearly on the verge of shouting. Her hands clutched Gwen''s fur so tight, she might have torn it out. The wolf pawed uncomfortably beneath her, but Natalie couldn''t let go. "It saved my life so many times¡­ It saved your life, too." "It kills many more," her dad shot back. "It destroyed our home. It killed your best friend!" A dagger to Natalie''s heart, but she didn''t back down. She''d expected her dad to bring it up. "It was an accident, Dad. Jenny could have died with or without magic. She was hanging out with college kids doing stupid things. I¡­" Her voice caught again, feeling awful for what she was saying about her best friend, but she''d gone over the words so many times in her head leading to this day. "I miss her too, but¡­ she wouldn''t want this. What you''re doing is wrong." "No!" shouted her father, and Natalie recoiled. Her dad never shouted at her, not when they were so close to each other. She''d never seen him so angry. Even when she broke the rules, like when she invited Jenny over, he was always so calm. This was¡­ so much worse. "You can''t be this. You can''t be one of them. Don''t do this." She felt like she could barely breathe. Natalie''s throat tightened up, raw and painful. She tried to open her mouth, mostly to breathe rather than anything else, but her dad took it as attempting to speak. "I said no, Natalie!" "You left me!" Natalie screamed, tears streaming down her face. "I was alone for days! You didn''t tell me why! If I hadn''t met Kendra and Lily ''cause of magic, I would have been all alone!" "Stop¡ª" "No, Dad!" she cried. "I haven''t seen you in seven months! I got beat up. I got attacked. People cut me, people hurt me, people shot at me. They did even worse things to me. None of them were awakened. What makes your world so much better?" "I¡ª" "Just stop, Dad," said Natalie, trembling, tears dropping onto the black funeral dress, already soaked by the rainstorm she''d plunged through to get to him. Natalie would be freezing right now¡­ except for magic. "Please, just stop. Just come with me. Nobody has to hurt us anymore. Not normal people, not awakened people, not Mom or Omega or Tom or Cinza or the rest of the world. I can protect us." She trembled again, as another huge roll of thunder rumbled into the library. Gwen was uncomfortable, and Scrappy still prowled around her, while Percy shifted and kept looking up at the bursts of lightning far above. Natalie couldn''t think about any of that though. She barely even remembered what was going on outside. All Natalie could see was her father''s face¡­ and that he was terrified of her.
"We gotta get in there," said Jeremy, raising his voice to be heard over the thunder and rain. They were taking shelter under cover of a half-collapsed building at the edge of Rallsburg proper, still in sight of the library. A huge open space lay between them, and every time they tried to get closer, a rifle round slammed into the pavement, forcing them back. "How?" asked Jackie. "That bitch ain''t gonna let us within a hundred yards. You think she''d give a single shit about putting one through our heads?" "Fuck no, but we got our own backup." He cued his radio. "Ashe, Stebbins." "This is Stebbins, send it." "Switch channel to the same net we used in Tacoma, over." "Copy, changing net, over." "...The hell are you doin'', Ashe?" asked Jackie, as Jeremy quickly swapped radio channels. "Gimme your radio," he said. She handed it over, and he quickly twisted her onto the right frequency. "Gotta get off that net. Lani knew it, and probably gave it to her, and now we gotta worry about Cinza and her fuckin'' people too." He clicked the button. "Radio check." "Five by five, over." "We gotta get in there, Stebbins. Can you keep Rook off us while we rush it? Over." "...Think I got an idea of where she''s holed up, sir, but what about you? You''re goin'' up against golems, over." "The kid''s in there. She won''t let him kill anybody. Only chance we''re gonna get, over." "Roger that, sir. What about the other gang? Over." "Soon as we''re in, you go back to cover. Hell, radio it to Rook if you want, keep everybody else the fuck away. Just give us time to bring him in. Over." "Copy that. Timeline? Over." "Right fuckin'' now. Out." Jeremy tensed, even though he wouldn''t be moving until Stebbins'' next call out. The marksman would be shifting position inside the town, trying to get an angle on Rook''s building¡ªwherever the fuck she is. The storm and the buildings weren''t giving Jeremy any sense of where her shots were coming from, apart from a general sense of "further into the town". Jackie clapped him on the shoulder, trying to reassure him. "We got this, Ashe." "Been hunting this motherfucker for a long damn time," muttered Jeremy. "Ever since I saw those bodies in May, I needed two things: find you, and put him in jail for the rest of his fuckin'' life." "One down," said Jackie grimly. A faint whistling sound in the air, high above. Jeremy looked up, squinting through the pouring rain. A flash of lightning lit up the sky¡ªand his eyes went wide. Someone¡ªand it really could only be one person¡ªwas flying right out of the storm, bearing down on them all. Where the fuck did she come from? "Heads up!" he shouted into his radio. A huge gust of wind slammed into the town, bending trees back in every direction. She slowed as she approached, but whatever she''d been doing made a huge entrance. Jeremy almost felt like grinning, if everything else didn''t feel so dire already. Hailey turned in mid-air near the center of town, hovering near the top of a building. A gunshot cracked out, exploding a burst of concrete near her head. Hailey didn''t wince, but twisted around toward a building nearby. She threw out her hand, shouting as she did. A huge burst of fire exploded outward, flooding toward one of the structures. Steam hissed off as the rain poured in. Hailey kept it going for a moment, then swooped out of sight. "Moving while she''s distracted, over," said Stebbins. "We should do the fuckin'' same," said Jeremy. He got to his feet and bolted across the street, Jackie only a few steps behind. They only made it two doors down before another bit of asphalt blew out nearby. Rook''s rifle cracked again¡ªand it was far closer than the previous shots. Bitch is going for a kill now! "Fuck, fuck, fuck," Jeremy panted as he got into cover again. He leaned against the wall, panting. Jackie did the same, heaving. She was in far worse shape than him, thanks to the workout schedule he''d resumed after Lani got shot, but he wasn''t doing that much better. "Need to get in touch with Hailey." At that moment, they heard another shout, and another huge gout of hissing flames rolled down the street. "Jesus," muttered Jeremy as a wave of heat washed over them, completely at odds with the near-freezing temperature outside. Another huge crack of lightning, followed by a roll of thunder. The whole fuckin'' world''s blowin'' up right now¡­ A ringing noise. "...the fuck is that?" Jackie tapped him on the shoulder. "It''s your phone." Jeremy grabbed it up and answered, without even looking. "What?" The other end of the line sounded like it was inside a wind tunnel. "I just saw you," said Hailey. "If I can get you inside, what happens?" "Me and Jackie arrest him. I ain''t gonna kill anyone. We bring him in." "...Okay." Hailey paused, and Jeremy heard another hissing gout of fire crash through the town. "I still don''t know where those shots are coming from. I''m just firing at stuff at random here." "Stebbins is in there somewhere," said Jeremy. "He was tryin'' to get to a spot where he could keep her head down." "So it''s Rook, then, right?" "Yeah." "All right¡ªoh crap!" "What?" "Cinza," said Hailey, and suddenly the phone cut off. Jeremy ran for the end of the alleyway, peeking around and down the street. Far in the distance, he could see a group of greycloaks, Ruby''s fiery curls and Cinza''s silver-grey hair distinct even in the midst of the storm. They seemed to have had the same idea as him, and were moving closer to the town while Hailey distracted Rook. Two gunshots rang out from separate places. Both Stebbins and Rook had fired at the group. A puff of mud exploded on either side. Cinza''s group dove for cover behind the nearest building. "Figured you''d want them kept out of the loop too, sir. Over." "Thanks. Workin'' with Hailey to get you some cover. Over." Jeremy glanced at Jackie. She was clutching her pistol, watching the rain pour in over her devastated town, breathing heavily. "You with me?" She nodded. "Every damn step of the way, Ashe."
Natalie slid off of Gwen''s back. Her father flinched as the wolf growled a little, but Gwen took no notice of him. Natalie took a few steps forward, toward her dad¡ªand with every step, she could see him grow a little more afraid. "Dad¡ª" she started, but he spoke first. "Just stop," he murmured, echoing her own request from a minute earlier. "Please stop, Natalie. Go back." "...Go back to what?" she asked. "To you. Go back to being you." "That''s¡­" Natalie shook her head, her voice still painful and raw. "That''s not how it works." "You really want to be¡­ this?" he asked, with so much disgust in his voice, Natalie felt like throwing up. She hurt in more ways than she could imagine. "I want to be me, Dad," said Natalie. "No." "It''s not evil. Some¡­" and Natalie realized she was about to echo Cinza''s words, but even so, she agreed with the sentiment. It made sense, even if she hated Cinza for betraying her¡­ like everyone else had. "Some people do evil things with it, but it''s not always bad. That''s how everything works." "You don''t understand, turtle," said her dad, and Natalie felt a thousand times worse hearing her old nickname. She''d been desperate for it for so long, but now, in this moment, it couldn''t have pierced her more. "You haven''t had time to learn how the world really works yet." "I know how the world works," said Natalie. "I hate it." "And you want to let them have this kind of power?" he asked. "Where people are ripped apart by cruel magic they can''t control, where innocent bystanders are killed?" "I¡ª" "Jenny wasn''t the first," said her dad. His voice was dark and full of rage. Natalie quivered¡ªshe''d never heard him talk like this before. His eyes were narrow, burning with some inner fire she didn''t recognize. "I''ve seen it happen. I''ve seen men who thought they could control magic, and it burned them. Tortured them from the inside out. So many have died, and it''ll keep spreading. It''ll get even worse." "We can control it¡ª" "Do you know why so many people follow me, turtle?" he asked. "It''s not just my story. It''s every other story that follows. Their children, their loved ones, their friends and family¡ªthey''re all victims. People are dying because of magic." Natalie shook her head. "It''s¡­ it''s just another thing. People would die ''cause of guns, or knives, or drugs or whatever." "They would," her dad agreed, confusing her for a moment. "But it would be less. Magic is too much. Every time we discover something new, some new way to kill people, more die. We''re at the beginning of another horrible new tool, and we can stop it."The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "We already did," added Rat-face, unable to help himself. "You''re wrong," Natalie shot back, glaring at him. "She''ll come back." "Doesn''t matter. Nobody''s gonna awaken now that there''s a huge risk, and we got time to clean up the rest." "What about me?" asked Natalie, turning back to face her dad. "I''m one of them," she added, with all the disgust she could muster. "What happens to me?" Her dad didn''t answer. Natalie waited, watching him, all thought of the ongoing battle outside gone from her mind. She needed to know, now, what his choice was¡ªwhat he really thought about his daughter. Dad¡­ please¡­
Hailey swooped down the street past the alley where Jeremy and Jackie crouched. They leaned out again, and another crack and shatter of concrete as a gunshot slammed into the wall where Hailey had been only an instant earlier. "She''s gonna get her head blown off," muttered Jackie. "So let''s not waste our fuckin'' shot," said Jeremy. He darted out of the alley. Hailey spotted him from the opposite end of the street. She threw out both of her hands, shouting once more. A huge wave of fog erupted, the same as in the Tacoma bar months ago. The street was suddenly a white haze, so thick Jeremy could only make out a few steps in front of him. He grabbed Jackie''s hand and pulled her forward, out into the open, making for the library he could no longer see. Why didn''t we think of that before? Shit. Nice one, Hailey. Another gunshot crack, but it was obvious Rook was firing blind now. It didn''t land anywhere near them. Jeremy ran, Jackie only a few steps behind. The rain continued to pound them from above, soaking into their jackets. A flash of lightning lit up the fog bank, and a roll of thunder followed soon after. Storm''s fuckin'' close¡­ "I lost you, sir!" "We''re going in," Jeremy called back, panting as he ran. "Soon as the damn fog clears, you keep every fucking thing with a pulse away from that building, got it? Over." "Copy that. Good luck. Out." Suddenly, the fog ended. Jeremy and Jackie were in the open, in the field between the library and the rest of the town, with the twisted and broken metal fences scattered everywhere around the huge stone structure. Jeremy slowed for a half-second, glancing over his shoulder¡ªand it saved his life. A huge wall of water burst out of the fog, flooding toward them. Jeremy grabbed Jackie and pulled her down to the ground, sloshing into the muddy grass. The water rushed overhead, slamming into the fence wall with enough force to break off more pieces. "Holy shit," he gasped. Jackie was already back on her feet. She grabbed him and pulled him toward the fence. Together, they desperately clambered over, a wall which Natalie had cleared easily on her wolf. Hailey flew out of nowhere a moment later, landing next to the two of them. "Sorry," she gasped, almost completely out of breath. "''koto tried¡­ hit me¡­ they''re not far." Jackie turned and crouched in cover. She faced back toward the street where they''d come, pistol in hand. "Get in there. Ain''t gonna get a second chance," she muttered. "What?" "Cinza won''t touch me. She owes me. Can''t say the same for you." She shook her head. "I got you covered, Ashe. You two get in there and arrest him." Hailey, breathless and panting, turned to him for confirmation. Jeremy nodded. It wasn''t time to argue. He bolted for the entrance, just as Jackie''s pistol opened fire¡ªat what, he couldn''t be certain. He trusted her more than he did anyone else, even his own brain. No matter what, she had his back. He ran toward the library, toward the man he''d been hunting for months¡ªa pursuit that had him cross continents and nations, broke every relationship he had and put them back together again, and upended his entire world several times over.
Inside the library, they heard more sounds they couldn''t quite describe, as the battle raged around them¡ªa battle none of them understood, nor could name the sides of, but feared nonetheless. Natalie wondered who was using so much magic outside. She could barely feel it at the edge of her senses, as if dulled by the library somehow, but there was definitely something huge going on. We are out of time. Take him, and figure it out later. But¡­ we can''t just take him! We are stronger than everyone here. Of course we can. I don''t want to hurt him. We may not have a choice. "Dad, we have to go," she said again, her voice barely above a whisper¡ªdesperate, pleading. "I just want to keep you safe." "It''ll never be safe around you." Natalie could feel every tear as it streaked down her face. She''d heard those words before. They echoed right out of her memory¡­ from years and years ago. He thought she was dangerous, just like her mother. Her dad was afraid of her. "I''m not¡ª" she started, but then it was truly too late. A man burst around the corner of the entrance, pistol raised. He stopped dead as every face turned to look at him¡ªeight in all, including a hawk, a wolf, and a cougar. His gun-arm trembled slightly, but he soon found his target. "Brian Hendricks," said Jeremy Ashe, "you''re under arrest." Immediately, Natalie took a step, and put herself between Jeremy and her father¡ªfacing away from him. Putting him at her back, because even with what he''d just said¡ªeven with how much her heart ached and her throat was raw and her eyes burned from crying¡ªhe was still her dad. "No," she said firmly, throwing her arms out wide. Hailey emerged a moment later, coughing and panting. She too stopped at the gathering, but her eyes were locked on Natalie, while Jeremy continued to train his gun on her dad. "Jesus Christ¡­" murmured Rat-face in the corner. "Nobody hurts him," Natalie repeated. "I told you." "Ain''t gonna hurt him," said Jeremy. "Just gonna arrest him." "Put the gun away then." "Soon as he and his drop all their fuckin'' weapons." "I already took them away," said Natalie impatiently. "Their guns are all broken now." "You know what that fucking thing does, right?" Jeremy asked, nodding slightly toward her dad, who still held the golem rod. "...Yes," said Natalie uncomfortably. "You know how many people he''s killed, personally?" Jeremy went on. "Your dad''s a murderer. A dozen times over, probably way more." "So am I!" Natalie shot back, her voice rising. She didn''t care anymore. She just wanted everyone to leave. Hailey gasped, her eyes wide. Jeremy''s pistol lowered just slightly. His eyes dipped away from Brian, looking at her, at the little girl standing between him and his prey. He''s a hunter too¡­ he''s not gonna let go of this. We can beat him. All he has are human weapons. We are stronger. If we''re fast enough¡­ "What do you mean?" he asked cautiously. "I''ve killed people¡­" said Natalie, her voice thick with pain. She hated the memories, hated everything rising to the surface of her brain, but if it got them to understand¡ªif it meant they''d let her take her dad away from everything¡­ it was worth it. "I killed a lot of people." "Natalie¡­" said Hailey, a hand pressed to her mouth. "What are you talking about?" "Everything you guys said Rika did," said Natalie. "It was me. In Rallsburg and in Seattle. I killed them." "No," said Hailey, shaking her head, obviously stuck in disbelief. "That''s not¡­ you couldn''t¡­" "Nobody else knows lightning magic." said Natalie. "Rachel and Cinza were there. Ask them. I did it." I''m a murderer¡­ just like him. Is that why I''m the only one standing on this side of the room? He did not kill in self-defense. It is not the same thing. He''s scared of me though¡­ just like everybody''s scared of him. It''s the same thing now¡­ Jeremy was staring at her, eyes wide himself. He seemed scared of her now too, which was just fitting in the end. Everybody should be scared of her. She deserved it, after all. A crack of lightning flashed above. It struck the lightning rod atop the turret. Blinding light illuminated the room for a brief moment. Thunder roared around them, a huge rumble that threw dust into the air. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something. The ground was rising behind the one-armed woman in the corner, out of sight from everyone else. Only she and her dad could possibly see it. He was trying to summon a golem. "No!" Natalie shouted, and threw a hand out. Another crack of lightning¡ªpink as the old rain jacket she wore¡ªand a huge flash through the room. The half-form golem disintegrated. Everyone in the room flinched. Jeremy''s pistol was up again, quivering in midair, trained on her father. Hailey had shifted too, into a more aggressive posture, ready to leap forward. "Nobody hurts my dad," said Natalie again firmly, glaring at him. "He''s not evil. He''s just¡­" "He is a monster," said an echoing voice from nowhere. Natalie felt out with magic, and there she was¡ªa wall of Nature magic moving forward, keeping Cinza invisible. Natalie threw a burst of sheer energy at them, easily overpowering the pair. Ruby gasped, as if Natalie had just punched her in the gut. The two of them appeared, just to the side of Jeremy. Cinza was staring at Natalie with a mix of sympathy and guilt. She spoke again, quietly, barely audible under the storm crashing against the walls of the library. "He is a monster, and you are not," said Cinza again¡­ but to Natalie, it was all meaningless. The Greycloak leader had betrayed her, as so many others had before. Every word they spoke was just¡­ nothing.
When the golem disintegrated, Brian felt like he''d just been ripped apart. It wasn''t that he felt pain from the loss¡ªthe golems were tools, and if anything, the early destruction meant less of his own energy expended¡ªbut¡­ seeing her do it was overwhelming. It was her voice, and she spoke words he recognized¡­ but it wasn''t Natalie. This person in front of him wasn''t his turtle. He didn''t recognize her anymore. She was¡­ awakened. She was one of them. The words, even in his own head, scalded his soul. Brian had fought for so long, worked so hard, done terrible things all in the name of his crusade¡ªbut this was too far. My own daughter¡­ How could it be possible? They''d checked her. His men had scanned her. He''d even done it himself, back in Rallsburg. She wasn''t awakened¡­ and yet, with the way she talked, how she acted, the sheer power she held in her fingertips, it was inconceivable she''d taken the witch''s bargain recently. My own daughter. "He betrayed us," said the cult leader, her tiny stature not diminishing her strength amongst all those who towered above. Brian''s eyes narrowed, but he didn''t say anything. Why bother defending myself? They''ve decided my fate. History will prove them wrong in the end. "Killed plenty of people who didn''t deserve it," added Agent Ashe. Brian sighed inwardly. He''d hoped Jeremy would have finally seen the light, but they''d even convinced him, the man who had understood all the horrors Brian had seen. "Nobody deserves it," said Natalie. "He won''t ever stop," said Cinza, and for once, Brian agreed with her. I will never stop. While they yet live, we aren''t safe. They keep getting stronger, and the whole world is at risk. I have to stop this¡­ For¡­ For my daughter? Brian felt despair creeping into his soul. The world was getting darker with every passing second. His body was so incredibly exhausted, but he''d fought it off for months. He''d kept his word to Jackson. He''d pursued their crusade¡­ but now, what was it all for? My own daughter! What was she? Natalie was lost to him forever. There was no turning back. She''d chosen this. Brian loved her with all his heart¡­ but what could he do? I will always love you, Natalie. But you cannot be this. I''ve lost you forever. Jeremy and Cinza were listing off every horrible crime he''d committed in his pursuit of justice. Brian took a deep breath, and he knew it was time. His crusade was at an end. Others would carry on the torch, and he''d gotten the message out. His people had scattered to the winds. They''d know what to do. Felix had left instructions, and if all went according to plan, the journalist would be out soon enough. Awakenings have stopped. We already won. It''s over. Brian threw the golem rod down at Natalie''s feet. He turned to Jeremy. "I surrender."
Nobody moved. Hailey had already tried a half-dozen times to grab the golem rod, but she''d found it somehow impossible to affect. Even on the ground, divorced from Brian''s grasp, she couldn''t touch it. None of them knew what to do. "Dad¡ª" said Natalie, but her voice choked up, and it cut at Hailey''s heart. She wanted so badly to help the girl, but she had no idea how to do it. Letting her leave with her dad seemed like a horrible idea, and killing him was obviously worse¡­ but was arresting him really the right choice? Depriving Natalie again of her parents, when every other family had already failed her? Jeremy took a step forward, but Natalie lifted a hand. Gwen growled, her yellow eyes glaring at the three of them. Hailey was pretty sure she could take on a wolf if she had to, but fighting it on top of the cougar, the hawk, and Natalie herself? No way. "I surrender," said Brian again, and took a step forward himself. Natalie whipped around, and a wall of air pushed him against the wall, holding him back. Jeremy took another step forward, but Gwen growled again. Percy screeched a warning. Jeremy fell back, uncertain. Cinza hadn''t spoken in a while either, but her eyes were locked on Brian, full of more hatred than Hailey had ever seen in her life. She knew that feeling, and knew Cinza would never get past it¡ªnot here, not in this room. If something wasn''t done soon, someone in the library was bound to die. "Hey, Natalie," said Hailey, still feeling a little out of breath. Natalie turned to her. She looked so upset, Hailey wanted to cry herself. There were tear streaks all down Natalie''s face, and her eyes were puffy and red. Her voice sounded hoarse and pained, every syllable a struggle to voice. "Hi, Hailey." "I''m sorry." "For what?" "For everything," said Hailey. "For all the people who ditched you. For everything you''ve had to go through. For not seeing your messages and not knowing you were hurting. I screwed up." "That''s¡­ that''s not¡­" Natalie seemed confused, and that was something. Hailey meant every word, of course, but she was trying to de-escalate the room as much as she could. Jeremy still had a gun in his hands, and Cinza certainly looked ready to kill someone herself. There was still the occasional gunshot outside too, reminding them all how hard it was just to get here. Hailey shook her head. "We all screwed up. You shouldn''t have had to take all of this on yourself." "I did it though," said Natalie. "I survived." To Hailey''s relief, Cinza and Ruby were silent, letting her take the lead. Hailey wasn''t sure exactly where she was going, but she knew she had to keep Natalie talking¡ªanything to bring her back to them. "Yeah. But now we gotta go back, okay? We gotta take him in." Hailey nodded, trying to smile, though her heart ached for Natalie and what she had to go through. "Just like me, right? I''ve gotta go to jail for all the stuff I did." "But¡­" said Natalie slowly. "I came all this way. I found him. I can''t just¡­" "I know," said Hailey. "You''ll still see him again." "No," said Brian, and the whole room turned to ice. Natalie froze, as though someone had just struck her very hard. Hailey''s eyes widened, shocked. What? Did he just¡­ what did he just say? "Arrest me," said Brian, and held up his hands for Jeremy. "Take me as far as you can from this place. Do not let that person near me ever again." Natalie trembled, silent. Her eyes were full of tears¡ªbut still she held her place between them. "...the fuck¡­" muttered Jeremy. "You¡­" said Hailey, stammering. "You¡­ you asshole!" "I wouldn''t expect you to understand," snapped Brian. "You''re all¡­ like her." "She''s your daughter!" Hailey shouted. "What the hell is wrong with you?" "She''s something else now. Something evil." "I will kill you for that alone," snarled Cinza. She took a step forward¡ªand Natalie reacted.
She screamed. Natalie had never made such a sound in her life, and doubted she ever could again. It was a heartrending, horrible sound born in her throat and tearing at her lungs. She threw out her arms along with a massive push of magic, shoving the air itself in every direction. In one motion, she''d slammed everyone in the room against the nearest wall. They crumpled. Only Hailey still stood, facing Natalie and her three friends, with her dad collapsed on the ground behind her. Natalie grabbed him, and he felt so light with her strengthened arms. She pulled him on top of Gwen. The wolf barely held at the weight, but she didn''t protest. Thank you, Gwen. The rest of the room was struggling back to their feet. Natalie hit them again, and they fell to the ground. She could feel an attempt at a spell by Cinza, and she threw magic at it, a terrible spear just like the one Cinza had once thrown at her father. Cinza''s magic shattered. The girl let out a huge gasp, coughing as if Natalie had just kicked her in the stomach. "Natalie," said Hailey, breathing hard. She''d stood against Natalie''s onslaught, but only barely. Natalie knew she could beat Hailey if she needed to¡­ but she didn''t want to. "This won''t end well." "Please," she whispered. "Just let us go." "...I''m so sorry," said Hailey¡ªand she stepped aside. Natalie didn''t hesitate. Jeremy was already getting back up again, and he still had a gun. she shouted. Gwen bolted, with her dazed father only barely clinging to her back. Natalie followed her out. Ruby tried to reach for her, but she leapt past. Percy flew like a dart to her shoulder, easily clinging on as they sprinted away. As they left, Natalie pulled at the wooden boards surrounding the exit door. She walled it off, trapping them all in together. Hailey can still open it. I know¡­ but it gives us a bit of time, and Hailey wanted me to leave. She won''t let them follow. They were in the main hall of the library now. Rain poured through holes in the shattered roof. Her father slid off of Gwen''s back and tried to stand upright, though his legs shook. He opened his mouth to say something. "I''m sorry," said Natalie, and she threw another burst of magic. He crumpled again, the wind completely knocked out of him. Natalie dragged him into Gwen''s back again. She tied him on with a rope from her bag, then went back to searching frantically for another exit. Did this place ever have another exit? I never went in here¡­ why didn''t I ever come in here? We may need to leave by the front. But that''s where everybody else came from. There''s no way they were alone¡­ and there''s still people shooting. They are only guns. We can defeat guns. Yeah¡­ we can. Natalie turned to her friends. She frowned. Where do I go? Home. My home burned down though. We have another. said Natalie, nodding. Gwen roared and took off, Brian bouncing on her back. Natalie''s knots held firm. She sprinted after the wolf, back to the entrance of the library, back out into the storm. The lightning flashed as they emerged, and thunder shook every building left in Rallsburg. Natalie squinted through the curtains of rain and the huge cloud of fog that filled the town, obviously created by magic. In front of her, Sheriff Jackie was crouched by the fence, holding a pistol and aiming back down the street. For a split-second, Natalie wanted to go to her. The sheriff had always been kind to her¡­ but she''d also come here with a gun, with everybody else. Natalie couldn''t trust her anymore. She couldn''t trust anyone anymore, except for the three friends at her side. Not even my dad¡­ He said¡­ Do not think about it. He called me¡­ Do not think about it. I''m¡ª Run, Natalie! Gwen took off toward the other side of the fence boundary, heading east out of the library. Jackie never turned around. She never saw Natalie and her friends, with her dad in tow, fleeing from the storm gathering upon the broken town of Rallsburg.
Natalie didn''t stop running until she saw the castle. She didn''t want to stop then either, but she was getting tired, and Gwen even moreso. The wolf really wasn''t strong enough to carry a full-grown man on her back for such a long distance, but she put up with it for Natalie. said Natalie quietly. "Let me go," said her father. "Please." Natalie didn''t answer. She walked toward the castle, Gwen at her side. Percy fluttered forward, seeking shelter from the neverending storm. Scrappy did likewise, and soon it was just the three of them¡ªNatalie, her father, and her wolf. "We built this," said Natalie quietly. She stopped at the moat, which had formed from all the storm water flooding down into the forest. Beyond, the castle stood strong¡ªburnt several times over, once from a forest fire, once from a fight between Alpha and Omega¡ªand resolute, without a single piece out of place even with the lightning and thunder all around them. "Please." "Dad, don''t you remember?" asked Natalie, her voice high-pitched and trembling. "Me and you. We spent all summer on it. It was my birthday present." "Just let me go." "I just wanted to find you," she went on, heedless of his words, while the tears started to drop from her eyes once more. "That''s all I wanted. I''ve barely thought about anything else." Her dad didn''t say anything. Natalie took a short leap over the moat, landing on the harder stone they''d laid outside the front door to keep water from flowing inside. Gwen followed. "I went to school," said Natalie. "A girl made me her nemesis. I still don''t really get why. I made friends. I learned how to play a really fun game, and I met someone really great. I''ve got a boyfriend, dad." She untied her dad and helped him down off Gwen''s back. He didn''t run, to her relief, but he didn''t seem to want to talk either. He took the chair near the staircase and sat down. "You know, I found it right here," Natalie went on, glancing at the ceiling, up at the second floor where a cat had once drawn her attention to a yellowish piece of parchment paper. "I found a page, and I learned magic all on my own." She sat down next to her father, on the ground, wrapped up tight in the pink raincoat he''d gotten her while they worked on the castle. The pink strand on his bracelet matched it in color perfectly. She was cold, and she felt him shivering too, so she started to cast the spell to warm them up. "No¡­" said her dad, obviously terrified. Natalie stopped right away. "...It''s not going to hurt you," she said. "I just wanted to make it warmer." "Please, just let me go," he said again. I just want you to be my dad again! cried Natalie in her head. I miss you so much! "My boyfriend''s name is Quinn," she said, trying to stave off the tears by talking. She didn''t want her dad to see her crying anymore¡ªNatalie wanted to be confident and brave, wanted him to see who she could be. See how her life had gotten better, even though it hadn''t. Even though she''d been abandoned, beaten, broken, torn apart¡­ and now, at the end of it all, she''d lost the person most important to her in the whole world. "He''s super nice, and really smart. His parents'' names are Annette and Damian. His mom''s a public defender. I didn''t even know they had those. She''s so cool." Natalie glanced at her dad. He was crying now, and that hurt her even more, but she forced herself to keep talking. The thunder rolled through again, rumbling her little castle, shaking the foundations. "His dad''s a bartender, and he''s the coolest guy ever." Her dad was trembling in his seat now. A tear fell on top of Natalie''s head, soaking into her hair. The rain continued to pour outside. Percy was perched on the little table across the room, and Scrappy curled up beneath next to Gwen. All three watched the door, knowing Natalie didn''t need anyone watching her right now. "Quinn and I never really went on a real date though. I didn''t¡­ didn''t really have time. But we''ve been boyfriend and girlfriend a whole month now." Natalie glanced up at her dad. "I think you''d like him. He knows what to take seriously, and he really cares about me." Still, he said nothing. "I also have a bunch of new friends," Natalie went on, forcing her voice steady, though it kept threatening to break into a horrible mess of sobbing. "There''s Kelsey, who''s a¡­ she''d call herself a badass," she added with a wince, but also hoping it would get a reaction out of him, get anything from him. Nothing. "She loves sports," said Natalie. "But she also loves video games, ''cause she says there''s no reason people can''t love both. Then there''s Mitch, her archenemy. Except I think they totally have a secret crush on each other. They''re always fighting about everything, but they spend so much time together, they play all the same games now, and they made secret plans to help me." Natalie picked up the neck of her dress and dabbed her eyes with it, lacking anything better. The tears were coming again, as much as she''d tried to fight them off. "I had a really bad time, Dad," Natalie murmured, giving up on her plan. Her dad wasn''t reacting at all to the positives, so she had to try something else. Anything else. He''d withdrawn inside himself. She''d give anything for him to be mad at her, to be frantic, to do anything like he used to whenever she upset him. "They tried to kick me out of school. People told horrible stories about me online¡­ and all the stories about magic too¡­" Natalie trailed off. She knew she wasn''t going to get to him with stories about magic¡­ even if they were awful. It just made everything so much worse¡­ All the rumors, people being scared of us because we could do magic, all the videos and headlines. It made everything so much worse. "I got hurt¡­ I went downtown on my own, because¡­ well, because of stupid reasons now." If I''d just told Quinn in the first place¡­ instead of trying to hide it and running because I was terrified of him finding out¡­ "People still tried to help me, but¡­ I ended up in places I shouldn''t have been. I met¡­ I met people dad, and they¡­" She took a deep breath. "There was a guy¡­ and he¡­ He grabbed me and¡­" Her dad took a sudden breath, a gasp. She looked up, and his eyes were wide, panicked. Natalie nodded. "I didn''t know what to do. I was so scared." "Natalie¡ª" he said, and his voice got stuck in his throat. "I¡­" Natalie trailed off, her own caught as well. More tears dropped from her eyes, so much that she was getting lightheaded. Dehydrated. I need water. She dug into her bag for a bottle and drank deep. Her dad twitched, as if to move forward. His arms lifted just slightly. He rose out of his chair just a little. For a moment, Natalie thought he might finally do something, might hug her, might say something, might show that he still cared, that he still loved her. Then, his eyes spotted the wolf at the other end of the room. He fell back into the chair again, and he didn''t move. Natalie broke down. She fell against the stairs leading up to the second floor, and she sobbed openly. Dad, please! I''m still your daughter! Your turtle! Say something! He didn''t say anything. Natalie got up and ran outside. She couldn''t be in that room anymore. Gwen would watch him. Natalie plunged back into the rain, into the storm, into the horrible world that she''d been forced into, that her father had abandoned her to. She''d lost the person most important to her in the whole world, and at that point, what good was the world anymore? "Natalie?" asked a voice. She turned, and she saw¡­ Hector. Hector Peraza, one of her oldest friends, the grocery store owner¡­ or at least, the former grocery store owner. He had a huge overcoat on, which protected him far better from the storm than her simple coat and dress, but even so¡­ he looked as miserable as she felt. In any other situation, she''d have been overjoyed to see him¡ªbut not today. "Hi," she finally managed, barely forcing a word between the sobs. "I didn''t want to be around them anymore," said Hector. "Everyone¡­" he trailed off. Natalie nodded, too overcome to speak. Hector walked forward and took one of her hands, and his hands were soft and warm. He stood over her, sheltering her from the rain a little. Everybody wants something we can''t do for them. "So you came here?" she choked out. "Nowhere left for me to go¡­" Me too¡­ we can''t go anywhere anymore. This is all we have left. "I don''t know what to do now," said Hector. Make it ours. Natalie glanced back at her castle. "I asked Dad to build this for me ''cause of you. Did you know?" Hector can help us protect it from the world. "No, reinita." Hector sounded confused. "It was after you told me you owned your store," she went on. Natalie put a hand on the solid wooden beam, slick with rain. "I wanted a place for myself." "Oh¡­" Hector nodded. "It''s a good place. But we can''t live here. It''s not enough. You''d need more than that." The world is the problem. We don''t need it anymore. "It''s not enough," agreed Natalie. She looked back to Hector. "I don''t ever want to go back." "To the city?" "Anywhere," she said. "I want to live here." "But¡ª" Hector has the answer. "We''ll make it bigger," said Natalie. She held out a hand to Hector. "We''ll make our own place." "Natalie, I don''t know if¡ª" "Help me? Please?" Hector looked around in the pouring rain. There was nobody in sight, and given the storm, she doubted anyone would show up. All she knew was that she wanted to leave the world behind forever. Hector''s magic¡ªa spell he''d invented and then perfected¡ªwas the key. Create it as it should be. As we wish it to be. In her memory, Natalie saw Rallsburg at night, as it was in her dreams¡ªpeaceful, quiet, sky full of stars and not a single thing in sight. She wandered the streets and the woods with Gwen and Scrappy, under a blanket of moonlight, never worrying about anything. Natalie Hendricks would create a home, away from the roaring cities and angry people. Away from the hate which spread like a virus, infecting her father, infecting her school and everyone around her. She''d be free with her friends at her side. She could build it, a home flowing with magic just like Cinza had¡ªand better, because Natalie Hendricks was one of the most powerful people in the world. Her world. B2: Chapter 53 — The New World Chapter 53 ¡ª The New World With Natalie and her father gone, nobody was quite sure what to do next. Hailey stood in the doorway, making it plain nobody was going to chase them down. She wasn''t entirely sure they wouldn''t try, even though she could easily overpower anyone in the room. Maybe not all of them, but¡­ these aren''t exactly people who''re gonna work together anyway. To her relief, Jeremy didn''t seem about to try. He looked incredibly frustrated, and Hailey couldn''t blame him¡ªhe''d been chasing Brian for months. Still¡­ as Jeremy''s eyes met Hailey''s, a look of understanding passed between them. I couldn''t let it happen. Not in front of her. I''m sorry. Jeremy nodded. He''d gotten the message. Pistol still in hand, he turned to Cinza. "I''m takin'' the rest of these assholes. Are you good with that?" Cinza glanced at the trio of Felix and the two trusted soldiers of Brian Hendricks. Her brow narrowed, eyes still blazing with fury, but her voice was quiet. "They deserve far worse." "That isn''t how we do things now," said Hailey. "Once was bad enough. No more." "...No more," she agreed. Cinza lifted her head up as if breaking the surface of water, taking a deep breath like she''d been drowning. The storm continued to pound the roof overhead, but no more lightning struck the town. It seemed to be moving on, finally giving them a respite. "You may take them. See to it they face the harshest justice your world can muster." "You got it," said Jeremy. He turned to glare at Felix, half-cowering in the corner. "...Come on, asshole. Ain''t you a fuckin'' wartime reporter? Thought you traveled the damn world. This shit shouldn''t scare you." "This is different," said Felix, his voice trembling a little. "That was the whole point. Everything''s different. We can''t¡ª" "Would you shut up already?" Jeremy walked over and roughly shoved him around to face the wall. He took a set of plastic ties from his pocket, straight from Captain Hoskins'' supply. Jeremy pressed Felix up against the stone¡ªdefinitely with more force than necessary¡ªand yanked his arms behind him. The one-armed woman snarled. She moved toward Jeremy as if to fight. Hailey stepped in front of her. The woman tried to strike, but Hailey simply shoved her backward. She stumbled away, shocked¡ªafter all, Hailey didn''t have anything like her muscle or weight. She shouldn''t be able to push away a soldier like that so easily. "...Dear God in heaven¡­" murmured the heavyset man. He kept muttering, too. Hailey''s keen ears caught the words¡ªa constant stream of prayers. She shook her head. You guys aren''t following any kind of god. No one''s gonna save you. "Don''t do anythin'' stupid," said Jeremy. He pulled another plastic tie and started to take the heavyset man into custody. The one-armed woman still seemed ready to throw down, but Hailey just stood, patiently waiting for her to make a move. Finally, after a full minute of staring each other down, the woman relented. Haily let out a breath¡ªnot that she doubted she could take the woman, but she simply didn''t want to fight. Not now. There''s still so much going on. Meg might be dying. Natalie''s gone off with her dad somewhere. Beverly''s missing. And¡­ I don''t fight anymore. That''s not me. Not the new me, anyway. "Are you gonna come quietly?" asked Hailey softly. After another moment''s hesitation, the one-armed woman nodded. She held out her hand, smirking slightly. Hailey ignored her. She glanced at Jeremy. "What about¡­ that?" She nodded down at the golem rod, still on the floor between them. Cinza frowned. "It should be destroyed." "I don''t know if I can," said Hailey uncomfortably. "I can''t even grab it with magic." "Don''t want to touch the fuckin'' thing," muttered Jeremy. "All you, Hales." "Are you sure?" He shrugged. "You''re the strongest. Keep it safe ''til you figure it out. We''ll say it was destroyed." "What about them?" she asked, jerking her head at Brian''s followers. Jeremy glanced over. "They sure don''t seem to be hearin'' us right now¡­ Figured that was you." Hailey raised an eyebrow. She felt out with her magic, and sure enough, there was a spell keeping their conversation private¡­ but she couldn''t determine the source. It took her a moment to realize who it must be¡ªand who had suddenly vanished from the room. "Okay." Hailey walked over to the center of the room and¡ªvery gingerly, as if it might explode¡ªpicked up the golem rod. To her relief, it didn''t really feel like anything¡ªmade of solid rock or obsidian, if she had to describe it. She sighed with relief, and tucked it into the inner pocket of her flight jacket. "All good." She glanced at Jeremy. "What now?" Jeremy keyed his radio. "Stebbins, got us an exit? Over." "All clear, sir. Looks like Rook decided we were done after wolf-girl took off. Not a sound since. Over." Hailey''s eyes widened slightly. "Ask him where she went?" Jeremy nodded. "Get a look at where she''s headin''? Over." "Negative. Couldn''t track her, sir. Over." "...Got it," said Jeremy with a sigh. "We''ll be movin'' out soon. Cover us back to camp, we''ve got three prisoners in tow. Jackie, I''m gonna need you in here. Over." "Solid copy, sir. Over." Jeremy turned back to the prisoners¡ªand Cinza had vanished. He looked around, confused. Hailey shook her head again. "She''s gone." Felt her magic moving away¡­ probably could''ve stopped her, but why? She didn''t do anything wrong. She was going to, but we persuaded her against it. It''s okay. "Think she''s goin'' after the kid?" "I don''t know¡­ I don''t think so." Hailey frowned. "Natalie could feel them coming anyway, by magic or by the wolf and the cat. They aren''t gonna sneak up on her." Jeremy nodded. Jackie walked in a moment later, a little breathless. "What''s up?" "Hendricks'' inner circle," said Jeremy, jerking his head at Felix and the two bodyguards. Felix snorted. "Hardly." "Whatever the fuck you say, asshole," said Jeremy. "Already got you twice over with Hendricks, workin'' together, and this is lucky number three. You''re goin'' to jail for a long-ass time." "For what?" "Terrorism, motherfucker." Jeremy grabbed him by the shoulders and manhandled him out of the room. Jackie took the heavyset man, just as rough, leaving Hailey with the one-armed woman. Hailey simply nodded her forward. The woman walked stiffly out of the room, silently resistant but still moving forward. They emerged back into Rallsburg, where the rain was starting to let up¡ªthe earlier storm reduced to a mere drizzle. Hailey pulled her hood up and tightened her scarf. The woman had no such protection, but Hailey didn''t have anything to offer her either¡­ unless¡­ A shield of wind above them, where the rain simply drifted to the sides. Hailey smiled, trying to offer some level of comfort¡ªbut of course, it came off completely wrong. The woman''s eyes narrowed. "Witch," she muttered. Hailey sighed. She kept the shield up anyway. They weren''t as well-bundled as her, nor did they have magic to keep themselves warm. She couldn''t warm up areas without making fire¡ªstupid Nature diffinity...¡ªbut she could at least keep them dry. Jackie, at least, threw her a grateful smile. They made an odd troupe of six, marching down out of Rallsburg and back to the pilgrim camp. After a little ways, a man emerged out of an alleyway, a rifle slung over his shoulder. "Nice to finally meet you." It was Stebbins. Hailey suddenly realized that, like the man said, they''d never actually met in person. "Same," she replied, offering another smile. He grinned and shook her hand. "Thanks for the assists." "Any ti¡ªget down!" Hailey felt it coming, a split-second before it hit. She threw herself to the ground. The rest of the group followed, even the trio of prisoners. She didn''t know if it was her voice, or if they too felt the huge wave of incoming magic¡ªnone of them were awakened, but it was so much¡­ She''d never felt this much, not since¡­ Since the ritual. The one we did. It passed them by, seemingly with no effect. Hailey clambered to her feet, looking around. She was confused¡ªher companions even moreso. "...Hales?" muttered Jeremy. "The fuck are we doin''?" "Something huge just happened," said Hailey. "I''m not¡­ I''m not sure what." Jeremy clicked his radio. Nothing happened. Hailey pulled out her phone. It was dead. "...What the hell¡­" murmured Jackie, staring at her own dead phone. "Was that an EMP?" asked Stebbins, glancing at the sky. "A what?" "Electromagnetic pulse," said Felix, also staring at the sky. "Knocks out electronics in a wide radius. The military uses targeted EMPs in the field against terrorist installations¡­ or as a side effect of a nuclear strike." "Well, lucky us, you''re a fuckin'' terrorist and we got hit with one transportin'' your ass," muttered Jeremy. "Come on, let''s keep movin''." Hailey followed the group at a distance¡ªStebbins had taken over escorting the one-armed woman, though Hailey was ready to intervene if she made a break for it. She was still staring at the sky herself. The air tingled, and not with electrostatic energy or anything else man-made. That was magic. That was definitely magic. Something''s happening¡­ The pilgrim camp came into view a few minutes later, with Hailey still lost in thought. There seemed to be some kind of commotion going on, and it reminded Hailey what had happened there only an hour or so earlier. People were dying from awakenings, and she needed to do something about it. Can''t call him again either, or Beverly¡­ I gotta go. As the rest of the group emerged into the open, Hailey stopped. Jeremy glanced back. "Hailey?" "Keep going without me." "What''s up?" She shook her head. "I can''t go out there." "Why the fuck not?" Hailey smiled sadly. "I''m an internationally wanted fugitive now, Jeremy. Also, I gotta go save the rest of the world." "...What?" "Good luck." She hugged him, which widened his eyes even more. Without waiting for an answer, Hailey took off. She launched herself into the sky with a huge burst of magic, hurtling into the sky. She braced herself and formed another shield as she burst into the lower cloud layer, breaking into the heart of the rainstorm. Hailey twisted around to the east. She flew, hard and fast, making for Shelton, and the hospital at its north edge.
Alden still hadn''t moved an inch. The emergency room bustled around him, but he stayed stock-still, holding Meg''s hand, watching the monitors tick by. He had his phone out, but he couldn''t focus on it. There were more news stories popping up, about failed awakenings and warning everyone not to try. He was glad they''d gotten the word out, whether it was Rachel or Cinza or whoever. Nobody else should go through that¡­ She''d made such a terrible noise. Alden didn''t think it''d ever leave his head. Every few seconds, his mind drifted back to it¡ªto the look on her face, the terror in her eyes, her vice grip on his arm. He''d give anything for Meg to try and tear his arm off like that again. Alden hadn''t heard any other asphysxiation patients come in, either¡ªat least, what he could make out through the curtain into the main bustle of the hospital. Everything else was still gunshot victims, people cut by broken glass, other scrapes and wounds taken during the massacre. "Meg!" He looked up. Alden''s parents burst through the curtain. His mother fell on her knees on Meg''s other side, clutching her hand. Alden''s father, meanwhile, looked pale as a sheet. He ambled over to Alden, like a blind man lost in the forest. "...What happened?" he finally managed. "Meg¡­" Alden trailed off, working up to the words. "She tried to awaken. It¡­ it didn''t work." "Tried to¡­ my baby tried to what?" asked his mother. She stared at him across the bed. "I¡­ I don''t under¡ª" Alden whipped around. He felt something coming¡ªsomething massive. There was a huge wave of magic, so powerful, so all-encompassing, spreading outward from somewhere far away. The lights in the hospital went out. "What''s going¡­" started his father¡ªbut Alden couldn''t see him anymore. There weren''t any windows in the emergency room. The whole place was suddenly pitch black. Alden vaguely recognized the sensation. He pulled out his phone from his pocket. Dead. Hector''s electricity-disabling field. But¡­ here? Why? "I need some help!" A nurse was calling from the next curtain over. Adrenaline spiked in his blood. Everything seemed to speed up and slow down at the exact same moment¡ªall the machines were dead, and they wouldn''t be coming back. The life-saving machines. Alden plunged his hands into his jacket pockets, grabbing every gemstone he''d saved up. He squinted through the semi-darkness outside the curtain. A little light was spilling out from the midday sun through the front doors. More nurses were calling out. Alden rushed into the main throughway and summoned a light¡ªnot fire, but a simple light, calling photons to him as Cinza once explained online. The emergency room lit back up. It wasn''t as clearly lit as before, and there was only one source, a pale white light hovering above him, but it was enough to give a sense of where everything was. A nurse stopped in front of him. It was the same one as before, the one who knew he could do time magic. "Do you know what''s going on?" she asked, still surprisingly calm. Alden nodded. "All electricity''s gone." "...But we have backup genera¡ª" "Those are gone too," he said hurriedly. "Nothing''s gonna work, but it only affects a certain range. If they need machines to survive, we need to get them out of here. Right now." "Any idea how far?" Alden shook his head. The nurse nodded. She turned toward the ER in general, where any nurse and doctor who wasn''t otherwise occupied had started to gather around the magical light Alden emitted. "We need to get everyone out of here. Triage by anyone who needs life support ASAP. No electricity will function." A soldier who happened to be nearby was digging through his pockets. He pulled out a pack of what looked like white glow sticks. The soldier passed them out, and nurses began breaking them, filling the ER with bright light. Alden gratefully released the light spell as soon as they had enough lit up. Another soldier ran in from the front doors, and behind him, Alden spotted Meg''s best friend Kelly, looking just as terrified as he felt. "Electricity''s still working about two blocks away," the soldier reported. "Over on 13th street." "Start calling ambulances," said the nurse. "Get as much transport as you can find. We''re going to have to move a lot of patients very quickly." She turned back to Alden. "You''re with me." His parents were in a daze by Meg''s bed. A nurse grabbed them and started instructing them how to manually pump air into Meg''s lungs to keep her breathing. Alden tore his gaze away and followed the nurse, who he quickly learned was the "charge nurse" of the emergency room. The next few minutes were a whirlwind of activity. Alden helped slow time and manage transport of patients on gurneys out of the hospital, one by one, doing whatever the nurses and doctors told him to do. He burned through stone after gemstone, desperately keeping up with the steady flow as the charge nurse directed each team of transporters. Outside, the now-grounded soldiers were shoving inanimate humvees out of the way. They cleared a straight path down the street to the border of the zone, where the street lights were still on. At the edge, several were on radios, calling for support as fast as they could. Ambulances began arriving in minutes, and patients were whisked away¡ªmost to St. Peter in Olympia or to other, closer facilities if available. There was a line of hospital administration staff on phones right at the border, shouting down the street to pass messages. Alden might have been impressed by how quickly they pulled back together, if he weren''t so busy trying to help. One after another, they rushed patients out. His head was spinning, but somehow, Alden kept pressing on. He ran out of gemstones, but he persisted. They needed him. Sometime later, Alden realized Meg had vanished¡ªthey''d already moved her out as well. High above, he saw a plane gliding by overhead, utterly silent. As soon as it crossed the threshold, they heard the engines trying to restart. It took a terrifying few minutes, but soon enough, the jets roared back to life, and the plane was moving again. He tore his eyes away and rushed back inside. The charge nurse was calling for help again, and they needed every hand they could get.
"Hey!" shouted Jeremy at one of the soldiers as he got into the camp. "The fuck is goin'' on?" Everyone seemed to be in a panic¡ªor rather, the civilians were in a panic, while the soldiers were simply very active. The man he''d shouted at skidded to a halt in the mud, recognizing Jeremy from the last time he''d been in camp. He even saluted, which was definitely a first. "EMP, sir. Or something like it. Even knocked out our shielded gear." "I need escorts for these three prisoners," said Jeremy, pushing Felix forward roughly. Mud kicked up as Felix stumbled a little, but Jeremy definitely did not care. "High-value prisoners. The motherfucker''s inner circle." "Yes, sir." The soldier glanced around and started shouting at a few of his squad for assistance. So many of them were already tied up, trying to get the humvees moving, taking apart and rebuilding radios, anything they could do to get power again. "Anything else?" "Yeah. Where''s Captain Hoskins?" "Command tent. We''ll be taking the prisoners that way, sir." "Let''s go, then," growled Jeremy. Within moments, the soldier had a team assembled, and they were moving. Stebbins and Jackie stuck to Jeremy while they stomped through the mud. The rain was actually letting up in earnest now, to his relief. Unlike Hailey, he couldn''t make a magic shield to keep himself dry. Coulda given us somethin'' to stay dry after all that¡­ Hope she''s doin'' okay. Fuck¡­ She knows exactly what she''s losin'' by ditchin'' the trial, and she''s still out here. They found Hoskins¡ªnot in the command tent, as expected, but just outside. A humvee had been rolled nearby, and a team of mechanics were digging through the engine block. As Jeremy walked up, Hoskins whistled, and the entire crew stopped. "Agent Ashe?" "VIP prisoners," said Jeremy with some relish. "Brian Hendricks'' inner fuckin'' sanctum. This asshole," he added, shoving Felix forward again, "is the goddamn mastermind behind his publicity. Award-winnin'' journalist turned terrorist." "In the tent near mine," said Hoskins to the soldier escort. "Don''t put them with the main group." The soldier escort saluted and hurried off. Jackie went with them, muttering something about not leaving things unfinished, and Stebbins followed¡ªleaving just Jeremy and the Captain. "This is magic, right?" asked Hoskins, watching as the team started ripping out the spark plugs. "You''re the expert." Jeremy snorted. "Fuck if I am." "We''re supposed to be shielded against anything short of a serious nuclear blast¡­ at which point we''d all be dead anyway." Hoskins frowned. "Besides, the electronics aren''t fried. They just¡­ don''t work." He shrugged, and turned to Jeremy in earnest. "You find him?" "Yeah." "Got away?" "...More or less," said Jeremy. "Meaning?" "His daughter helped him escape." "His¡­" Hoskins scratched his head, confused. "Thought his daughter was just a little kid." "She is." Jeremy sighed. "You met her." "I met¡­ oh," said Hoskins, as realization dawned on him. "Linnethea is his daughter?" "And the most powerful fuckin'' awakened on the planet short of Grey-eyes herself." Jeremy shook his head. "Couldn''t stop her if we wanted to." Not that Hailey wanted to¡­ Fuck. I don''t blame her, but we shouldn''t''ve let Brian go. Man''s gotta answer for all the shit he''s done. And what if he gets loose? He''s still way too influential. "Well¡­" said Hoskins. "Yeah." "You got one, at least." "...More than one," Jeremy pointed out. "No, I meant one of the two people you were sent after." Hoskins glanced at the command tent. "Lani Makaio''s inside." Jeremy glanced at it. "In the command tent?" He shrugged. "There''s nothing really valuable in there anyway, and he''s restrained. We were going to transport him out today with some of the troops, but¡­ well¡­" Hoskins glared at the humvee, as if it had personally insulted his mother. "Now this." "What''s the plan here?" "I have a couple runners making for Olympia," said Hoskins. "Besides that¡­ the humvees are diesel engines. In theory, we could get them working again. It''ll be even worse than usual to drive, but it''s something." "And the guns?" "Still good," said Hoskins. "Most of our sights don''t use batteries. Radios are dead, but we''ll make do." Don''t expect another attack anyway¡­ since the two biggest leadership pieces of the whole damn group are out of commission. Jeremy glanced around at the bustling camp. Though the failed awakenings and the lack of electronics were certainly noticed, it wasn''t actually that big a deal to these people. After all, they had magic, and most of them were expecting to be off the grid anyway. Business carried on, and those who had awakened still wanted to dive into their new abilities. The magical world survived. "He''s awake, if that''s what you''re wondering," said Hoskins, obviously mistaking Jeremy''s curiosity about the camp for Lani. "Go see him, if you want." Fuck it. Why not? I''ve got nothin'' better to do, and I''m sure as hell not goin'' anywhere til they fix one of these heaps of metal. Hoskins had already turned back to the humvee, rejoining his mechanic crew. Jeremy went into the command tent, and there he was: Lani Makaio, his erstwhile partner, sitting on the tent floor in one of the corners with his hands folded in front of him. As soon as Jeremy walked in, Lani looked up¡ªand immediately away in shame. Yeah. That''s right. Jeremy didn''t say a word. He just walked over, took one of the folding chairs, and sat it down in front of Lani. "She''s still out there," Jeremy said shortly, surprising even himself. Am I sayin'' that to comfort him, or to rub it in since she ditched? Hell, I''m not even sure¡­ "Riley?" "Whoever the fuck she is." He shrugged. "Last I saw, she was attachin'' herself to Natalie." "...Oh," said Lani quietly. "That''s good." "So what happens now?" "...What do you mean?" "Lani," said Jeremy exasperatedly, "you turned your back on the Bureau. You think Aderholt was mad at me? He''s gonna have your head on a goddamn stick." "I was trying to help¡­" "You were head-over-fuckin''-heels," said Jeremy. "''Least have the balls to admit it." Lani took a deep breath. His dreadlocks were caked in mud, between the rough treatment from Brian''s people and the night spent in the embattled camp. He let it out, and finally looked Jeremy in the eye. "I was." Jeremy nodded. "About damn time." "I''m so sorry." He shrugged. "It''s over, Lani. You''re caught, you know how this goes." "Yeah¡­" Lani looked down again. "How''s Maddie?" "In D.C.," said Jeremy with a shrug. "Bein'' a goddamn politician." "Are you two¡ª" "No, we ain''t fine. She''s got her own shit to answer for, too," said Jeremy. "Everyone''s done a whole lot of goddamn stupid shit this last month. Fuckin'' exhausting." "You found Jackie," said Lani. "She found me," said Jeremy. "Always was the better half of our partnership." The implication hung in the air, and Lani took it hard. He fell completely silent, staring at the ground. Jeremy was torn between relishing in long-awaited justice, and not wanting to beat a man while he was already down. Mercy won out¡ªhe''s just a kid, in the end. Only twenty-six. I was that stupid at his age, I just didn''t have anything near as huge worth pursuin'', or as much pressure on my thick skull. "Look," said Jeremy. "You''re an idiot, but you ain''t bad. I''m not lettin'' you face all this shit without backup." Lani looked up, confused. "But I stabbed you in the back." "And don''t you ever fuckin'' forget it," Jeremy growled. "I''m still your partner on paper, and I''m supposed to mentor you or some shit, so here''s some goddamn mentoring: face the fuckin'' music, and I''ll make sure you don''t go down hard." "...Why?" "''Cause we don''t turn our backs on each other when we''re down, no matter how stupid we get along the way," said Jeremy. He held out a hand. "Sound good?" After a great deal of hesitation, Lani shook it. He smiled, ever so slightly. "Thanks." "The fuck was I gonna do? Leave you to Hendricks?"Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Lani sighed. "I''m such an idiot." "How the hell did you get picked up?" "Riley left me at our camp, said she had to go do something." Lani shook his head. "And I was stupid enough to try and follow her. Ran into an ambush." How long til you realize that bitch is the cause of every damn problem you''ve got? "Well, you made it out." "''Cause of you," said Lani. "...Thanks." "Don''t mention it." Jeremy shook his head. "Don''t mention any of it. That whole mission was a terrible fuckin'' idea. I was so obsessed¡­" "Where is he now?" asked Lani. "Hell if we know. With Natalie somewhere. She broke him out of there." "...Maybe¡­" A thrill of excitement in Jeremy''s veins. "What?" Lani glanced at the tent entrance, making sure nobody was near, and lowered his voice. "She''s got a castle."
Hailey''s fears were confirmed as soon as she started passing over Shelton¡ªthe rain-soaked, unlit Shelton. It wasn''t just them. She could see a perfect round line from above. It cut through the town, a huge circle where electricity simply stopped functioning. ...Natalie? Was this you? Down in front of the hospital, she spotted the ongoing operation to move patients out¡ªand the young man decidedly not wearing hospital scrubs rushing alongside every larger group huddled around a gurney. Hailey dove, and as she crossed into the hospital''s airspace, people were already pointing and shouting. Always gotta make an entrance, even when I''m not meaning to¡­ She swooped in, flaring her wings as best she could to not blow anything around as she came in for a landing. "Alden!" He looked up, returning from the latest patient rushed out to an ambulance. A moment later, he''d broken into a run, and wrapped her in a hug. Hailey was taken aback¡ªusually she''d be the one to hug him, not the other way around. Alden was more laid back than that, and especially after Rallsburg, more than a little twitchy about unexpected personal contact. "Missed you too," said Hailey with a laugh. "It''s only been like four hours, dude." "How did you get here?" asked Alden, breaking away. "Flew really, really fast." Hailey looked over at the hospital. "Anything I can do?" "Make the electricity come back?" She shook her head. "It''s permanent, I think. I don''t feel an ongoing spell. Probably a ritual." "...Wow." Alden looked up at the sky, as if he could somehow see the aura around them preventing electrical devices from functioning. "Feels like more should''ve happened though," said Hailey doubtfully. "I mean, we need electricity to work too¡­" Alden shook his head. "Mason''s Law." "Right," said Hailey. She shook her head, trying to get rid of the bleary feeling stuck in her brain. "Sorry. I''m really tired." "You flew across the country this morning," said Alden. He glanced at the hospital. "We''re pretty much done here anyway, to be honest. Most of the critical patients are out, and the rest are just waiting on finding a place to deliver them. They don''t need me anymore, either." "What were you doing?" He glanced around nervously. "...Slowing things down when something went wrong." "...Right." Hailey paused. "...And Meg?" "At St. Peter. I haven''t heard anything since. All the phones we have are being used for evacuating," said Alden. He nodded at the line of people near the edge of the field. A couple kids were standing right on the end, sticking their phones inside and watching them turn off with fascinated looks. When they pulled the phones back, they had to turn them back on, but they recovered remarkably quickly. It was nowhere near the long restore time mentioned in the old Council meetings. "Any change?" "She''s still in a coma," said Alden¡ªand the pain in his voice nearly crushed her. Hailey almost told him¡­ but she held back. She still couldn''t be sure what the consequences were. It was too reckless, and that was exactly what she was trying to change. Instead, she patted the bag at her side. "Maybe we could try¡­" Alden''s eyes widened. "...Seriously?" "If it works," said Hailey, "she''s gonna be like me. Whatever this might mean." "Huh?" Hailey shook her head. "I don''t really know. But look at us. Hector got shoved between countries and harrassed everywhere he went. Kendra and Lily nearly died more than once too. Jess¡­" Hailey shook her head. "Then there''s Natalie and me. Being one of us seems like sentencing her to an insane life." "But she''ll be alive," said Alden. She nodded. "I just wanted to bring it up before we do this." "It''s the only way, isn''t it?" There was anger in his voice now, something Hailey didn''t really recognize. She''d never heard Alden get mad. "Grey-eyes is gone. She screwed up. Meg''s gonna die because she didn''t do anything. She just¡­ ran away." Hailey didn''t say anything. She just pulled Alden back into another hug. "People are dying, aren''t they?" asked Alden. His voice was muffled, speaking right into her flight jacket. Hailey nodded. "What are we supposed to do? She could be anywhere." Yeah¡­ she could be. And¡­ Hailey suddenly broke away. "What?" "I¡­" Her mind was going a mile a minute. She''d just remembered a spell, something she''d learned not all that long ago, across the ocean in London. There hadn''t been a reason to use it again until now. But now¡­ "I can find her." "...How?" Hailey smiled. "Magic. Duh." She hugged him again. "Go be with Meg. I''ll be there soon, okay?" "What are you going to do?" I have no idea. Hailey didn''t answer him. She broke away, turned, and with a huge sweep of her wings, launched back into the air. The gust blew back everything nearby, and sent Alden stumbling a little. Even the nurses and doctors stopped for just a moment to watch Hailey''s sudden ascent. She launched into the air, behind a cloud, and closed her eyes. Casting it in mid-air would be dangerous, but Hailey couldn''t risk staying still on the ground for so long, unless she wanted to head back into the forests to find some peace and quiet. She had no idea who might be out looking for her, how far the story of her escape and flight across the country might have spread¡­ how many cops and three letter agencies were on her trail. Concentrating hard, Hailey cast the spell, exactly as Nikki Parsons had described it. She clutched the amethyst gems in her bag¡ªthe only stones she had left, besides her half-burnt lucky tourmaline¡ªand dove into the huge wall of twisting threads. Hailey was searching for one thing, and one thing only, as fast as she could. Beverly Bensen.
It wasn''t much of a castle. Jeremy watched it from behind a huge tree root, scanning every direction for a possible ambush. Stebbins was on the other side of the clearing while Jackie made a neat triangle, but besides the two of them, Jeremy hadn''t told anyone. This was just Natalie and her father. Jeremy knew it didn''t matter how many soldiers they brought, and Brian didn''t have the golems anymore. He called out, and the other two answered¡ªall clear. Not reaching anywhere near his pistol, Jeremy walked out into the open. For all he knew, the wolf and the cat had already smelled him coming. Wolves were great at smelling, as far as he remembered, and who knew how good a mountain lion was at sensing approaching threats? Girl can talk to animals. Every single fuckin'' bird might as well be one of her eyes. Except, as Jeremy approached, stepping over the little moat leftover from the rainfall, he didn''t hear anything. He saw no one. The forest was quiet, especially with the rain finally reduced to only a few drops, as the leftovers dripped off the canopy to the floor below. His footsteps squelched in the mud, and the air even seemed to be warming up a little. "Hello?" called Jeremy cautiously. No response. He walked toward the little half-broken door. It was tall enough for him. Jeremy pushed it open, squinting into the half-lit interior. He saw a chair, a table, a staircase leading up to the second floor¡­ and Brian Hendricks himself seated across the room. "She''s gone," said Brian quietly. Jeremy walked in and took the other seat. "Where to?" "I don''t know." "Did she do all this?" "Do what?" Brian glanced around. "We did it together." He mean the castle, or everything goin'' on outside? ...Fuck it, doesn''t matter. "She left you out here alone?" Brian''s eyes were reddened from many shed tears. He nodded. "You gonna come quietly?" "I don''t have anywhere else to go." Jeremy got up and walked over to him. He lifted Brian by one of his shoulders, and fastened the plastic tie around his wrists. "Brian Hendricks, you''re under arrest," said Jeremy for the second time that day. "And I swear to God, you''re going to jail for the rest of your goddamn life." Brian nodded. "That''s what I deserve." Fuck¡­ really takes the damn satisfaction out of it¡­ Jeremy pushed him forward, and Brian went willingly. The two of them exited the castle. After a few confused seconds, Jackie and Stebbins came forward. Jackie looked around, confused. "That''s it?" "Nobody''s here," said Jeremy with a shrug. "Just him." "Where''s Natalie?" asked Jackie, glaring at Brian. He shook his head. "Gone. Forever." Asshole. "Somehow I doubt that," she muttered. Jeremy jerked his head at Stebbins. The man grabbed Brian by the shoulders and started pushing him forward¡ªback toward the camp. Jeremy and Jackie followed just behind. "God¡­" Jackie muttered, watching Brian just ahead. They spoke in low voices, and with the birds beginning to sing once more as the storm broke into sunlight, they wouldn''t be overheard. "That''s really Brian Hendricks. I¡­ shit¡­" She shook her head. "After all these years, I still can''t believe¡­" "No way you could''ve known," said Jeremy. "It was my job to know." "Nah. It was your job to protect ''em. You did the best goddamn job you could," said Jeremy. "And look at you," said Jackie, changing the subject. "You did it. Caught the motherfucker, caught Lani, solved the crime, even found me. That''s four for four. Got anythin'' else on your bucket list for the year?" Jeremy shook his head. "After this shit?" He sighed. "After Aderholt fucking me over so many times¡­ I''m done, Jackie." "So what''s next?" Jackie raised an eyebrow. "You ain''t retirin'', Ashe?" "That such a bad idea?" "Hell yes it is." Jeremy was a bit taken aback at how forcefully she said it. "World needs assholes like you. People who do the right damn thing and don''t give up." "I almost did." "On the hardest case of the damn century," Jackie pointed out. She sneezed, and focused on walking for a few moments, as they dodged around the worse mud pits in the forest floor and stuck to the drier patches. "Don''t hold a brief crazy idea against yourself too much. They run in the family, don''t you forget." Jeremy grinned. "Guess so." "So no retiring. That''s a goddamn order." "I wasn''t going to," said Jeremy. "...Then why the hell did I just say all that?" He shrugged. "You brought it up." Jackie snorted. "Screw you, Ashe." "I''m not done," Jeremy went on. "But¡­ I ain''t workin'' for anyone anymore. Not Cinza, not Rachel, and damn sure not the fuckin'' FBI. I can''t be part of that system again." "Don''t you start¡ª" "I''m not." He rolled his eyes. "I''m sayin'' it''s time to go back to the damn basics." "And that is?" "Copyin'' you," he grinned. "Honest goddamn policin'', right here." "In Rallsburg?" Jackie glanced around pointedly. "Who the hell are you policin''?" "Well," said Jeremy, looking ahead¡ªthe pilgrim camp was just coming back in view. "You and me are probably the two officers of the damn law with the most experience dealin'' with awakened. These people sure as hell ain''t goin'' anywhere, and we''ve both got some seriously inflated reputations to uphold here." "...So it''s back to bein'' sheriff," said Jackie. She smiled. "Gotta get my hat from the Greywood." "Somethin'' like that," said Jeremy. "...Wait, we only got one sheriff position here." "Yup." Jackie smirked. "Welcome aboard, Deputy Ashe." ...Fuck me.
Back into the world of electricity again, Hailey turned on her phone and pulled open a maps app. She''d seen a park sign near Beverly, wherever she was, and it''d be enough to track her down. Hailey just had to hope she''d be there long enough. Can''t beat teleporting, no matter how fast I can fly¡­ She flew over the cities below, passing Olympia by on her way to the morass of streets and highways that marked Tacoma. Then, Lakewood passed underneath, and Hailey felt a jolt right in her heart. She was heading home¡­ well, not home, but it had been a place for her and Jessica. They''d spent months together here. I wonder what you''d do, Jess. You were better at coming up with solutions than me. You could use magic to learn magic¡­ you''d figure out how to save Meg in a heartbeat. Maybe even find another way to awaken people. Does it even actually need language to work? Hailey flew on, past the streets where they''d fought the golems, fought Viper''s men, chased cars down the highways with Rika¡­ so much had happened here. As she entered Tacoma, she even spotted the bar, where Harold betrayed them and set up an ambush¡­ where Alden nearly died, where Harold did die¡ªwhere she met Jeremy. Well¡­ at least I got one good friend out of all that. I think you and Jeremy really would''ve become good friends. You didn''t really have time¡­ he only met you the once. And Mom¡­ oh man, Mom would have loved you so much. She wasn''t crying anymore. Thinking about Jessica was sad, but¡­ Hailey could bear it, finally. It''d never go away, and she''d always wish Jess were back with her again, but Hailey felt like she''d found a way to move forward. Hailey picked at the blue strand in her hair, smiling to herself. You''ll always be right here, for the rest of my life, Jess. Right next to me, where you belonged. The park was in sight. Hailey dove¡­ and swerved at the last minute, falling out of sight behind the trees. Beverly was still there¡ªbut she wasn''t alone. Hailey tried to shape the air around her, make it as quiet as possible, and land further away. She knew Beverly could sense magic being used, but it was harder to sense any natural awakened like Hailey. If she could get on the ground and stop using magic for a little bit, Beverly might not notice her nearby¡­ and Hailey definitely wanted to know who the other person was. It''s not Boris¡­ he''s way up north with Dan now. It''s not me, either¡­ so who''s she talking to? She landed with nary a whisper, to her relief, only the faintest gust on the nearest bushes. Hailey ducked low, and did her absolute best to keep her wings still. She clutched the tourmaline stone in her palm for luck as she scooted forward, walking at an awkward crouch ever closer in the thankfully-dry grass. The park was mostly deserted, only the engine noise filling the air, and as Hailey got close enough¡­ she could hear Beverly arguing. "...and it''s too much! I can''t do this!" "What changed?" A guy voice, for sure¡­ but I don''t recognize it¡­ do I? "What do you mean, what changed? The world found out." Beverly shook her head. Hailey couldn''t see who she was talking to, and she didn''t dare risk moving any closer¡ªnot with the most powerful person in the world only a few dozen feet away. "It was always going to happen eventually." "And what am I supposed to do? I can''t just be everywhere." "They''ll have to figure it out. You wanted to do this." "That''s¡­" Beverly looked like she might slap him. "I wanted to keep people from dying. You guys tore apart the Grimoire." "I don''t know what you want from me." "Help me," she snapped. "We agreed. You were there. I can''t just help. If I do, everything''s on the table again. We''d be crossing lines we all agreed not to cross." "So we just let people die?" "You can save them." Beverly shook her head. "I can''t do it anymore." "So magic''s gone, since its gatekeeper has disappeared." "Think about it," she said, and her voice hovered between calm and furious, never quite settling on either side of the fence. "If I start awakening people again, even one person, they start thinking it''s okay. It gets big again, too big. I can''t be everywhere. They''ll start dying." Beverly sat down on the bench and put her face in her hands. "I screwed up, really bad, but¡­ maybe it''s for the best." "What do you mean?" "If everyone stops awakening. It was never sustainable. Not when it''s just me." "You hold incredible power¡­" he murmured. "It doesn''t have to be just me," Beverly added, shooting a glare. Hailey wished desperately she could see him, but still, she wouldn''t risk it. That''s Alpha. It has to be. "I can''t." "You won''t," she snapped. "Don''t screw around with me. It''s just you and me here. Jack''s gone. Don''t make these stupid dramatic statements and hold to higher principles or whatever. Talk to me like a person again." "It''s against the rules." "You made up the rules!" said Beverly exasperatedly. "Just¡ª just break them!" "If I do, I''m a tyrant." He sounded a little frustrated himself now. Hailey guessed this was an argument they''d held before, and which Beverly obviously lost, since Alpha had never once shown himself past the early Council meetings¡­ and the fights Hailey had witnessed. "If I cross that line¡­" "You could save so many lives. Make the world a better place. Do something." "You know, Boris and I talked about it once," said Alpha thoughtfully¡ªwhich only seemed to annoy Beverly more, at least based on her expression. "He didn''t know who I am, obviously, but¡­ we were talking about Nietszche and Berdyaev. I don''t want to be an ¨¹bermensch. I''m not an ideal for everyone to follow. People should be able to craft their own destinies and determine their own lives, without me getting in the way." "You don''t have to get in the way," said Beverly. "Just help them." "If we do anything, we have influence. Look at you," said Alpha, and Beverly winced slightly. "You''ve got a whole cult formed around you, and you''ve never done anything more for them than anyone else. I mean, you even erased some of their memories and they still worship you. Imagine if I started showing myself." "Because you''d be so popular," she said, dripping with bitter sarcasm. "I can''t teleport, BB, and I can''t track everything like you do either. People would have to come to me. I could extend my influence, sure, but I''d have to claim some kind of home. It just¡­ doesn''t work." "So find another way." "...We''ve been working on that." "And?" Alpha sighed. "He''s still mad at me." "Oh, come on," cried Beverly. "You can''t¡ª" "We agreed!" he snapped, and it was his turn to get angry. "We make decisions together. The last time I did something on my own¡­ you know exactly how that went. That''s practically why we''re all in this mess." "This is just stupid," said Beverly, frustrated. "He''s holding you back because he''s angry you, what, did nothing while your home burned down? What does he have to be mad about?" "He''s mad," said Alpha, "because I keep arguing with him about changing the rules. Because I want to change them." "So do it already!" "...This is getting nowhere," Alpha sighed. "I''m sorry about what happened to your sister, but I¡ª" He stopped talking suddenly. Hailey wasn''t sure if she''d been noticed or not, and she wasn''t about to wait around to find out either. Time to be reckless, Jess. Just this once. Hailey leapt forward, crashing through the bushes, using a flap of her wings to help propel herself across. She saw Beverly just for the briefest second¡ªand then she vanished. Across from her, a young man with shoulder length hair, facing away from her. Hailey lunged forward. He turned into an outline of light as he spun around. Alpha threw out a hand, and suddenly, Hailey had stopped in mid-air. I¡­ what? How? She was being held aloft¡ªby what, she couldn''t say. It had to be magic¡­ but it was something she''d never experienced. Hailey felt out with her own magic, and found Alpha''s essence pressing against her, holding her tight. Hailey felt her head getting light. Her heart was beating hard and fast, as adrenaline coursed through her. Is he gonna kill me? "Don''t do that again," said Alpha¡ªand now his voice was almost like Cinza''s, but turned up to eleven. She couldn''t hear a single similarity to his real voice. "I''m letting you go because you and BB are friends, but if you ever scry me, if you ever track me, if you do anything that threatens me¡­" He let the threat hang in the air. Hailey nodded briefly, panting, still suspended in midair in a vice grip she couldn''t possibly break, no matter how many gemstones she might ever hold. Alpha nodded. "I''m going to let go, and you''re going to fly away. It doesn''t matter where, but I''ll know if you aren''t gone, or if you try to follow me." He paused, and leaned forward, though it was difficult to tell when Hailey could only see a glowing bright silhouette of a person. "I don''t exist. I''m just a memory." She nodded again. Suddenly, the grip released, and Hailey was let go. She landed heavily on the grass, coughing. "Sorry," said Alpha¡ªand it was so bizarre, after the deadly threat and sheer terror from only a moment before, to get an apology¡­ Hailey couldn''t help it. She laughed. "...Are you okay?" Hailey didn''t answer. She struggled to her feet, pointedly looking away from the man who still utterly terrified her, and took a deep breath. A moment later, with her wings spread wide, Hailey leapt into the sky once more. She had no idea what to think of the scene she''d just witnessed¡­ but she knew she wasn''t going to find Beverly again any time soon. She knows I''m looking for her now. She''ll come find me. That''s the best I''m going to get. After that conversation¡­ I don''t think I can persuade her to awaken people again anyway. She seems set on it¡­ unless something changes. Hailey shook her head. She needed to focus. There was still someone who needed her¡ªmore than a few people, really, if she remembered Quinn Kincaid''s family too, as well as every other potential danger still looming on the horizon. Something caught her eye. A person¡ªa teenager, in fact¡ªhanging out near an apartment block. He had something in his hand¡­ and as soon as she realized what it was, her heart nearly stopped. Hailey dove straight at him, as fast as she could. He was starting to look down at it. "Stop!" she shouted. The guy looked up. Oh, thank god. Hailey landed right in front of him, and the gust from her wings blew his hood back off his head. He stumbled back, utterly windswept. She reached forward and snatched the Scrap out of his hands. "...What are you doing?" she asked, breathless. "Don''t you know what''s going on?" "...Huh?" "If you read that, it''ll kill you." Hailey raised an eyebrow. "Didn''t you read the alert?" He shrugged. "Somebody told me that was a hoax. Wasn''t real." Hailey shook her head. "It''s very real. Whoever told you that is screwing with you. Or worse. You were about to die, dude." His eyes widened. "Oh, shit¡­ you''re that girl. Hailey-something." "Yeah, I am," said Hailey. "So trust me, I know what I''m talking about. Don''t look at the pages of the book, and tell everybody else you know not to either. You will die." Until I can catch up with Beverly again. Until I persuade her that magic''s still worth having around. That the world really can be a better place. We might need to change some stuff about how we do things, but¡­ she should be working with us. Not like this. The guy was trembling. His hands shook. "Jesus¡­" he muttered. "I¡­ I just¡­" Hailey tried to give him a comforting smile. "Hey. It''s okay." "But, I coulda¡ª" "You''re all right." Hailey took the Scrap and stuffed it into her bag. "Remember. Don''t let anyone try it, if you can. There''s no half-measure here. It''s either don''t read it, or die." "...You saved my life." She shrugged. "I was just in the neighborhood." "You''re a goddess," he breathed. Hailey smiled again, about to correct him¡ªand the chirp of a police siren blared in her ears. She whipped around. A Tacoma P.D. officer was standing behind his car door, gun raised. "Hailey Winscombe!" he shouted. "Get down on the ground, now!" The poor officer looked terrified. Hailey just shook her head. I guess this is my life now, Jessica¡­ well, at least I get to fly again. I''m okay with that. A moment later, she launched herself into the sky, with the eyes of the officer and the shocked teenager following her flight. Hailey twisted around in midair, and with another huge flap, turned to the southwest. Toward Olympia.
They were done. It was just Alden, two soldiers, and the charge nurse who clambered into the humvee they''d pushed across the dividing line. The soldiers took the two front seats, while Alden and the nurse climbed into the back. The charge nurse fell against her seat and closed her eyes, utterly exhausted. "...the fuck is going on¡­" muttered one of the soldiers. He clicked his radio, but still got nothing, even though the vehicle had started. "Now what¡­" "Drive us to Olympia. St. Peter Hospital," said Alden. He was too tired to worry about whether or not the soldiers would listen to him¡ªand so far, they''d been taking his every order without question, after noticing how the nurses were treating him with respect. "You got it, kid." "Hey, what''s your name, anyway?" asked the guy in the passenger seat, twisting around to look at him as they rumbled away. "...Alden Bensen," he answered. I''m too tired to come up with a lie¡­ and why bother? Meg was checked in under her real name. They''d be able to find out sooner or later. "Hell of a good job today, Alden," said the soldier. "Probably saved a lot of lives." "Thanks." Alden decided to emulate the charge nurse. He leaned back in his own seat and closed his eyes. The humvee wasn''t exactly a comfortable ride, but with how tired he was¡ªhaving cast so many spells on top of rushing back and forth out of the hospital a few dozen times¡ªAlden could sleep anywhere. "Wake me up when we get there, please," he murmured as he drifted off. In what seemed like an instant, the soldier was gently shaking him awake. "Already?" he spluttered. "It''s not that long a drive, kid," said the soldier, rolling his eyes. "Come on." He stepped aside, helping Alden out. "Thanks¡­" "What''s here, anyway?" "My sister." "Shit¡­" The soldier looked taken aback. "Your sister was in that mess and you still stuck around?" He whistled. "Damn." "I gotta go." Alden started toward the hospital, and the guy followed him in. The driver shouted a farewell, but Alden was already walking straight into the emergency room. One of the nurses at the desk started to try and stop him, but Alden just walked past¡­ and kept walking. A security guard reached him, but the soldier at Alden''s side fobbed him off. Soon enough, Alden found her. Meg had been moved into a private room. Kelly was there, half-asleep in a chair next to the bed. She spluttered awake as Alden walked in, a soldier in full gear right behind him. "I wasn''t¡ª the hell?" "Where are my parents?" asked Alden, not bothering to explain anything. Kelly took a minute to tear her eyes off Alden''s escort. Finally, she shrugged. "They went to get something to eat in the cafeteria. I''m sure they''ll be back soon." Alden nodded. "Okay." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something¡ªa speck out of the sky, approaching fast. "Kelly, can you leave for a bit?" "Huh?" "Leave me and Meg alone, please." "...Okay." She looked confused, but shrugged it off and left. The soldier hesitated. He seemed to have attached himself to Alden like a bodyguard. Alden waved him off. "You sure, kid?" "I''ll be fine. Thanks for helping." He nodded and left. Alden closed the door, then walked across the room and opened the window. Hailey dove in a few seconds later. Alden shut the window behind her. "Hey," he sighed. He collapsed into the nearest chair, still exhausted even with the nap in the humvee. "How''d it go?" Hailey shook her head. "I didn''t¡­ it didn''t work." Alden nodded. "Well¡­ that''s that, I guess." "We can still try¡­" Hailey reached into her bag for a moment, digging around. Alden wondered again what it was like to have a bag like that. He''d have to ask Kendra or Lily about getting one sometime. "There we go." She pulled it out. It was exactly the same ancient yellow parchment as every single Scrap, but without the frayed edges, the burned portions¡­ pristine. A full page of the book, something that could grant incredible power¡ªso long as one wasn''t already awakened. Alden had read it once, months ago in Rallsburg. It hadn''t done anything for him¡ªit hadn''t even taught him any new magic, since it was just the introduction page to the book, nothing more. But¡­ it was now the only way to awaken, if Grey-eyes was truly gone. "Please," he whispered. Hailey nodded. She got up and walked over to Meg''s bed, taking the seat next to it where Kelly had just been sitting. Hailey sat, leaned forward, and hesitated. "Can you help?" she asked. Alden got up and walked to the other side. He took the page. Hailey forced Meg''s eyes open¡­ and they were lifeless, empty things. Alden felt his throat thick and raw just from the sight, but¡­ they had a chance. Any chance, no matter how slim¡­ he had to take it. He held up the page in front of her eyes. Nothing happened. He held it slightly closer. Meg''s eyes didn''t react in the slightest. They held that position for minutes, but a sudden noise from the hallway spooked him. Alden shoved the page under the covers¡­ but it was nothing. Just noise. As he sat up, Alden saw the wet spots covering the sheets¡ªand they weren''t from his parents. He touched a hand to his face, and he felt the tears rolling down his cheeks. "...Meg," he whispered. "Maybe¡­" said Hailey. "Maybe there''s another¡­" Alden shook his head. "It''s not working." Hailey sighed. "I''m so sorry, Alden." "I¡­ I really thought this would¡ª" He cut off. "I think it''s the same thing as the rest of magic," said Hailey quietly. "You have to want to do something. It can''t be forced on anyone. You gotta intend it. Josh talked about it a lot. Meg can''t intend to read the page like we all did, because she''s¡­ she''s not there right now." Alden choked up even more. He felt like he couldn''t breathe. Hailey rushed around to his side of the bed and grabbed hold of him. Alden fell against her, sobbing, weeping openly. She held him, rocking him back and forth slightly, whispering into his hair, endless sympathetic words to soothe his pain. Finally, Alden nudged her slightly, and Hailey let go. "There''ll be something else," said Hailey softly. "She''s not gone. We''ll find a way." "...Yeah," said Alden, though he didn''t feel anything like the same confidence she obviously did. "What about¡­ what about you?" "Don''t worry about me," said Hailey, smiling slightly. "We''re on you right now." Alden shook his head. "You broke out of jail and flew away. Doesn''t that mean¡ª" "I''ll be okay," she said¡ªand it was so serene, so full of acceptance, Alden didn''t bother asking her again. Hailey was¡­ content. At peace. "What will you do now?" She shrugged. "Travel the world? I dunno, really. I can''t stay still too long, I think, and there''s no way I''m going back to prison." "And then what?" "Help people," Hailey said simply. Before Alden could ask, she went on. "I''m not doing what we used to. I''m doing what Jessica actually wanted to do. Not fighting, just¡­ you know, helping. I''ll go somewhere out of the way, and I''ll do what I can. And I can do a lot," she added with a grin. "Might have to invent a few new spells to do it, but¡­ it''s something, right?" "The goddess of Kent," said Alden with a grin. She rolled her eyes. "Not that again. A guy just called me that¡­" "Better than the one we had," said Alden bitterly. Hailey looked suddenly uncomfortable. Alden spoke quickly, before it got worse. "It sounds like a good plan. They need you. Stay in touch, though?" "Oh!" She winced. "Yeah, uhh¡­ they shut off my phone. I guess international fugitives can''t have phone plans." A brief, tiny burst of air made it through Alden''s nostrils. It wasn''t exactly a laugh, but even that bit of mirth was a huge improvement from how awful and hopeless he''d been feeling. "Yeah," said Hailey, grinning again. "So uhh¡­ can I get you to buy me a phone?" "Me?" asked Alden, surprised. "Well¡­ I don''t think Cinza''s very happy with me right now, and I don''t want to get Jeremy in trouble by contacting him," said Hailey slowly. "Then there''s all the Laushires, who are tied up in a bunch of lawsuits about my case, so yeah, same idea. You aren''t really connected to me in any public way," she added with a shrug. "Since you left before we went public, and we weren''t friends yet before Cinza wrote her diaries." "And I didn''t even make your witness list," Alden added with a faint smile. Hailey grinned. "Serves you right for lying to the FBI. How could you?" she added in mock outrage. "But yeah¡­ the only people who really know we''re close are people who wouldn''t ever rat us out. It works." Alden shrugged. "Sure, why not. I''ll be your cover." "Thanks," said Hailey. "On that note¡­" She glanced nervously at the hospital door. "Go," said Alden. "I''ll be okay." "You sure?" Alden grinned. "My turn to tell you to get out of here." Hailey smirked. "Oh, now look who''s showing off?" She got to her feet and pulled the window open. "I still owe you that drink." "Isn''t it like a whole bar''s worth of drinks by now?" She laughed, and to Alden, it was more comforting than any sound he could ever remember. "Go save the world, Hailey." Hailey nodded. She pulled her scarf tight, adjusted her fight jacket just a touch, and then¡ªwithout so much as a word of warning¡ªhurled herself out the window. A moment later, Alden watched as she soared up high, soon a speck against the deep blue sky, dancing among the huge puffy white clouds, right where she belonged.
Here. We want to build it here? Why not? There are plenty of materials ready made, and foundations waiting to be constructed upon. It''s gonna take a lot of work¡­ We have time, and we have magic. At the ruined town of Rallsburg, with the sniper and the grocer at her side, the young woman began to work. With magic drawn from the trees and from deep within her, she shifted stone and brick, shaped wood and clay. The buildings were cleared away, one by one, until only one remained¡ªthe great stone library. She left it as it was, a monument to the past¡ªa gravestone to the town she''d once called home. In place of Rallsburg, a new home began to grow. What took engineers of old months or years was completed in mere days¡ªyet her design had none of their craft, their goals and their vision. Her additions were haphazard, placed where her sensibility told her rather than by any architectural logic. She raised new structures, one after another, linking them, drawing them together, building a whole web of stone and wood buildings. In time, the world began to notice what she''d done. Though no aircraft would ever cross her home, nor any vehicle come within many miles, they had other ways. She heard about it from the whispers of her sniper, who traveled out into the world in absolute secrecy with the grocer to gather supplies for her new world. In the town formerly known as Rallsburg, deep within the Olympic Forest, the castle began to rise. The wolf howled at her side, the hawk screeched upon her shoulder, the cat purred at her feet, and the queen sat upon her throne for the first time. Queen Linnethea of Castle Hendricks. Transitions IV Transitions IV Lily took a deep breath. She faced the wooden door in front of her, wide open, with the rustic cabin beyond which Cinza had built for them, and she tried to take a step forward. But she couldn''t. What if it doesn''t work? A tug at her heart, perfectly coincided with the cough from behind her. Kendra was straining to hold the portal open. Lily needed to walk through. Thousands of miles in a single step. If we''re wrong¡­ I could die. Or Kendra could die. Or both of us. "We tested this," said Kendra firmly. "Over short distances," she retorted. "I might have overlooked the sensation." "You stated there was no increase in our collective drain so long as the portal remained open." "I could have missed it," said Lily. "It''s been a trying week." "Lily¡ª" "Kenni, I swear," she said wearily, "I have absolute faith in you. But it''s both our lives on the line here." "We will never know until we make an attempt." "Yes, but¡ª" "You wanted to do this for Natalie," said Kendra quietly. "To make up for the mistakes we made." Lily turned around. Kendra was seated in her easy chair, laptop on her legs, wearing simple clothes and with her hand in a bowl of mixed gemstones¡ªamethyst and citrine, primarily. They were inside one of their dimensions, tied to their home back in London. Between the research done by Nikki and the unexpected assistance of Grey-eyes, the sisters had developed a method to open portals at any length of space. It required a significant amount of energy and required great concentration by either of them, but it was possible. They''d blown open the boundaries between spaces, found where the universe curved and warped, and traveled outside those pathways. Lily never doubted the magnitude of their accomplishment¡­ but now she needed to actually use it. "The Summit was successful," said Kendra. "...For our part, at least." "There''s a difference, and you''re well aware of it," said Lily stubbornly. "I never left the pocket." "And now we''re simply reversing our positions," said Kendra. "With no anchor." "You''re the anchor, Lily." Lily shook her head. She turned back around, facing the doorway once more, and took a deep breath. "If this doesn''t work¡­" "We won''t be around long enough to appreciate that eventuality," said Kendra. "If the worst occurs, we''ve long since tended to our affairs." "What do you think will happen to me?" asked Lily. "Who''s to know?" Kendra sighed. "Is this really the time for existential ponderance? We have an appointment to keep." "I suppose not." Without further ado, Lily took a step forward. Fresh air filled her lungs, as she moved out from the manufactured stillness of their dimension into the depths of the Olympic Forest. She breathed deep, taking in the smells and sounds of the forest just outside the little cabin, and smiled. I''m not dead. A minute or so later, Kendra followed, and the door disappeared. It was then they noticed the decorative frame around the space where they''d placed the door¡ªan elaborate series of cursive lines and engravings in the handsome wood, inlaid with what appeared to be silver, though on closer inspection it merely gave the impression rather than truly consisting of the rare metal. "Ruby''s, no doubt," said Kendra. Lily nodded. "Well¡­" "No need to make a big to-do of it," her sister replied. "I''ll be with Cinza. Join us whenever you''re done?" "Yes." They embraced. Kendra set off right away, but Lily took a moment to compose herself. In some ways, Kendra''s meeting that day was far more difficult¡ªthey needed to discuss what to do now that awakenings had ceased, Cinza''s role as leader, Kendra''s support in funding, plans for expansion, and new ways to communicate now that electronics were wiped out entirely in the Greywood and beyond. Lily would much rather have gone to that meeting. We''re perfectly identical from my birth¡­ so why do I seem to be far more invested in Natalie and her fate than she does? Of the two, Lily had always been more involved with looking after Natalie. Kendra did her part, but it was always reluctant, always with hesitation. Neither of them had any particular inclinations toward parenting, but when Natalie found herself suddenly without any family, Lily had taken it to heart. As soon as Rachel asked for a volunteer to watch the girl, she''d stepped up immediately. Kendra hadn''t been happy about it, but given Natalie''s plight and her importance to the community, she''d accepted it without comment. By the time Rallsburg fell, Kendra was fully on board with the goal of educating and protecting Natalie. Except¡­ they''d failed. Lily had failed. She''d gotten distracted, she''d made mistakes, she''d doubled-down on those mistakes until it was far too late. How much of that is me, and how much is because I am Kendra? She insists otherwise, but¡­ perhaps despite my inclination, I simply don''t have the capacity to be a mother. Whatever the reason, Lily wished to make it up to Natalie. For that reason, she''d wanted to come to the Greywood with Kendra, rather than stay inside the pocket and keep their retreat ready. They did not fear the Greycloaks, but¡­ given their last visit, a healthy paranoia seemed a reasonable precaution. Now all Lily needed to do was locate her. "Nobody knows," said Josh, as soon as Lily caught up with him, sitting just outside Nikki''s cabin with a blanket and a cup of steaming coffee. She faltered. "Nobody?" He shrugged. "Agent Ashe picked up her dad at her old tree fort and arrested him. Brian Hendricks will be taken to Olympia for trial, as soon as they can figure out how to transport him out of here. Natalie wasn''t there." Josh glanced around. "Wish I did know where she was, so I could get her to turn this shit off." Lily glanced up. "Turn what off?" "Remember Hector''s old no-electricity spell?" Josh sighed. "It''s covering the whole fucking Olympic Forest now. No idea how far. Hailey says it went out at least to Shelton. I haven''t had any word about Natalie yet, and it''s been days. Captain Hoskins and his crew finally got a humvee moving somehow, but we had to prioritize the wounded who still needed to be moved out and hadn''t been triaged for a helicopter. It hasn''t come back." "I''d heard about it, but I hadn''t realized how wide an area it covered," said Lily. Experimentally, she reached out with magic to feel the area around her¡­ but besides the expected auras from the various spells fueling the Greywood, she didn''t sense anything particularly new. "A ritual?" "Yeah. Nobody''s powering it anymore. It''s permanent." Josh shrugged. "And since Hector never told a single goddamn person how to do it¡­ it''s gonna be tough to reverse this." "He told Natalie," said Lily. "...Right." Josh glanced at the sky, where a heavy sheet of grey clouds drifted slowly across the wide expanse. "We don''t have a clue where he is either. Maybe they''re together." "What about her friends?" "They''re all in Brittany''s cabin," said Josh, jerking his head across the clearing. Lily started to turn away, but Josh spoke up again. "Hey¡­ before you go." "Yes?" "This whole portal thing¡­" Josh started slowly, "how much does it take to use?" "It is not trivial." He shifted in his chair uncomfortably. "Yeah¡­ but¡ª" Lily caught on. "Is there somewhere you would like to go?" Josh sighed. "...I shouldn''t. If I do, odds are I won''t come back, and I think things''ll go even more to shit if I''m not around." "Where?" "...My parents in Norwalk." Lily nodded. "Call me when¡ª" Josh snorted. "How?" "...Kendra will be working out a method today," said Lily patiently. "I''m not certain how yet. But¡­ if you ever need to visit them, we will make it happen." After a few moments, Josh smiled. He leaned back in his chair and sipped at his coffee. "Thanks." She nodded. "Was there anything else?" "Nah." Josh sighed and got to his feet. "I gotta get going anyway. Captain Hoskins is waiting on my update from Cinza, and I hope to fucking God he''s got a proper coffeemaker working again. This shit is awful. I really should''ve learned to brew it myself." "It was good to see you, Josh." "Take care of yourself, Lily." Lily crossed the Greywood, marveling once more at the flow of magic woven into every building. The trees themselves powered the faint sparkling aura coating the bridge, a mixture of natural material and polished wood rising over the merrily bubbling creek. Lily briefly wondered if they might be better served having the trees power a more useful spell, but she quickly reminded herself this was not her home, and it was not her place to decide how others chose to use their magic. It seems such a waste, though¡­ we might be able to multiply and manipulate energy, but entropy is still a concern. We ought not to be so frivolous with our power. She shook it off. Lily was the last person to be judging anyone on their responsibility these days. She had plenty to make up for herself. As she approached the Wilkins'' cabin, she reminded herself of that again, and exactly why she''d come to the Greywood¡ªbecause she''d promised Natalie. "Brittany?" called Lily, knocking on the door. "Come in!" Lily swung the door wide¡ªand just inside, gathered around a roaring fire, were three middle-school children, with Brittany seated on her chair just behind. Lily closed the door to keep out the winter chill. "Everyone, this is Kendra Laushire." "Hi," said one of the children, an athletic young girl with long black hair up in a ponytail. The other two¡ªa pale boy with wide-rimmed glasses and a stocky boy with thin black glasses¡ªboth waved, but didn''t speak up. They seemed to be letting the girl speak for them. "Lily, actually," she corrected patiently. "It''s good to see you again, Brittany. How are you?" "Oh you know," said Brittany airily, "the usual. Got pretty good at using magic to wheel myself around." "May I speak with the children alone, please?" "Sure. I needed to go get something from the garden anyway." Brittany''s chair began to roll through the cabin of its own accord, without so much as a hint of effort from the woman seated on it. The door swung open for her, and a few moments later, they heard her rolling away on the grass, shouting something at Joe McKinney across the way. Lily took a seat near the fire, just above the three children sitting on the rug near it. "Hello," she started. "You''re Lily?" blurted the stocky child suddenly. "Like, the Lily Natalie always talked about?" "...I wasn''t aware she ever mentioned me," said Lily, a little taken aback. "Yeah," said the girl, "she mentioned you a bunch. You''re her fake mom, right?" "I suppose. I can''t say I did a great job as a mother." "No kidding." "Hey, leave her alone," said the pale child indignantly. "She probably had good reasons. They''re all awakened." "That''s no excuse," said Lily firmly. "What''s your name?" "Tyler," he replied, "and that''s Kelsey and Mitch." Lily nodded. "As I said, Tyler, that''s not an excuse. I wasn''t a good parent to Natalie. I''m trying to do better now, but¡­ something else happened." "You mean the whole no-electricity thing?" said Mitch. "We kinda noticed." "Right. More importantly, your parents are worried sick." "...Oh." "My moms were being stupid anyway," said Kelsey indignantly. "They went to one of her dad''s meetings." "Her father has been arrested, and his monsters are gone. His crusade is over, and a terrifying chapter of our lives closed." Lily glanced around at the three of them. "However, the three of you are still here." "Of course we are!" said Mitch. "She''s our friend!" "Except many now believe she kidnapped you." "What?" snapped Kelsey. "That''s ridiculous!" "Yeah, she didn''t even know we were coming!" added Mitch. "I admire all of you," said Lily, "but you need to go home. You cannot stay out here." "But we¡ª" "You''ll be helping her if you do," she went on. "If you return home and explain what happened, we can clear Natalie of the charges. Her name is already laden with suspicion due to her father, and many are willing to believe the worst because of it. Go home and be there for Natalie until she decides to return." Lily smiled faintly. "We all know she can take care of herself." "...We don''t even know where she is anyway," said Kelsey finally, glancing at the other two. "We''re not really doing anything out here." "I don''t want to go back," said Tyler. "What''s the point if she''s not coming with us?" "We didn''t even get to awaken," said Mitch. "Is that all you care about?" asked Kelsey heatedly. "No! I was here for Natalie too!" "Tell her story," said Lily, cutting in before they got into an argument. The three children fell silent, watching her above them with curious expressions. "Remind everyone she is a good person who deserves a place in this world. Do not let them spread lies about her. Make a place that will welcome her home, once she is ready to return." They sat in silence for a minute, with only the crackling of the fire filling the space. Lily waited for them to come to terms with leaving their friend behind, though of course, there was little point in staying. "...My mom''s gonna be so mad I ditched without saying anything," said Mitch. "You didn''t say anything?" asked Tyler. "I left a note!" "I left a note too," said Kelsey uneasily. "Figured if my moms knew, they wouldn''t let me go. They texted me a bunch, asking me to come back¡­ I''m gonna be in so much trouble." "I''ve already spoken to each of your parents," said Lily, "and they''re eager to see you again." It was certainly an interesting phone call¡­ Not many expect to get a call from Kendra Laushire out of the blue. "I can take you home today, if you like." Their eyes widened. "How?" asked Kelsey. "Magic," said Lily simply. Kenni''s mad at me for this too¡­ I agree that we must keep our new ability limited to only the most important tasks and strictest security. It is too powerful to become widely known. But¡­ this is important. "Can you, like¡­ teleport us or something?" asked Mitch. "In a manner of speaking." Lily glanced between each of them. "This is a one-way trip, though. A special occasion." "So¡­ we can''t come back," said Tyler, crestfallen. "You might one day," said Lily, and he perked up immediately. "But you need to go home now. This isn''t the place for you yet." A faint pulse of magic, and then a second one. Kendra was signalling her already¡ªthat was so much quicker than I expected¡­ "Will she be okay?" asked Kelsey. Lily started to nod¡­ but stopped. "I hope so," she said quietly. Kendra knocked on the door a moment later. The children gathered their things, and Kendra summoned a portal back into their pocket, and then again to their office in Seattle. A driver was waiting for them, and soon enough, the children were on their way back to their parents. "Are you feeling better?" asked Kendra, not unkindly. Lily shook her head. "Not yet." Kendra frowned. "I wonder¡­" "What?" "If we truly are identical." Lily gazed down the street, watching the last car turn the corner and disappear. "I don''t know. You made me. Do you recall deciding anything should be different?" "I don''t." "Why not?" asked Lily, turning to her sister¡ªher creator. "Are we so vain as to believe nothing could be improved? Are we flawless, and the world is better off with two of us roaming about?" "Lily¡ª" "I''m tired, Kenni." Lily walked back through the portal to their home. "Let''s just go, please." Kendra looked troubled, but didn''t reply. She followed, and soon enough, the sisters were back in London, back to their home and their bewildered parents, who still didn''t quite understand who Lily was¡ªnot that she even knew herself. All she knew was that she forever remained tethered, a life tangled up in another, and though she loved her sister dearly¡­ sometimes, it hurt more than she could bear. Lily took a deep breath and steeled herself. Those thoughts did no one any good. She could no more change the circumstances of her existence than alter the fundamental forces of the universe. Unless¡­
"...Do you want to go to school today?" asked Annette. Quinn shook his head. "Not¡­ not yet. It''s¡­" He trailed off. His mother nodded. "Your father and I were thinking about taking a vacation. Getting out of this part of the world for a while¡­ How does that sound?" "But¡­" Quinn glanced out the window in his bedroom, which just happened to face southwest¡ªtoward Natalie, the girl he''d fallen completely in love with. And abandoned. "You don''t have to decide right now," said Annette. "Just think about it." "Okay." "Have you¡­" His mother hesitated, and Quinn knew she was about to ask about Natalie in some way. She always got the same uncomfortable, pained look on her face when she did. It hurt just to see it. It made him angry. She never did anything wrong¡­ I did, her dad did, a whole lot of people did. Not Natalie though. "Have you heard from her?" Annette finally managed, avoiding saying Natalie''s name, of course. "Not since the blackout," said Quinn. "I know she was trying to figure out if she wanted to go after her dad or not. I¡­ I think she probably did." "Oh." Annette frowned. "He got arrested that day, didn''t he?" "Yeah. So¡­ maybe she turned him in." Quinn shrugged. "I''ll ask her." "Okay." A huge roar of shouting and camera noises from outside told them both Damian had just gotten home. No doubt, he was dodging the press as best he could. Jefferson Baux had promised them some assistance keeping the hungry vultures and protestors at bay, but the police were already overworked simply handling the sheer amount of chaos created by the blackout near Olympia, and nobody had ever come to help them out. Damian walked in, a bit of snow coating his face and a huge flat box in his hands. "Got some dinner," he grinned. "Who''s up for pizza?" "Dear, you didn''t need to do¡ª" "Pizza sounds great, Dad," said Quinn. He wanted them to get back to normal. Normal meant something without all the insanity and danger and fear. Normal meant school and friends and a stable life again. Normal meant Natalie coming back. Of course, the world wasn''t ever going back to normal, and Quinn knew it. Case in point, Damian promptly dropped the pizza as a sudden tapping sound came at their window. The pizza froze in mid-air. "Can I come in?" asked the girl, her voice muffled through the window pane. She wore a faux-leather jacket, thick scarf, and her golden-blonde hair spilled out of an aviator cap on her head, with a prominent streak of sky-blue fluttering in her face. Every moment or two, she moved up and down in mid-air, as if flapping invisible wings. Hailey Winscombe. Quinn hurried to the window, ignoring the gaping mouths on his parents'' faces. He flung the window open, and Hailey swooped in. A faint gust fluttered the papers on his desk, but for the most part, she didn''t really disrupt anything as she landed. The window slid shut behind her, neatly latching itself. "Hi, Hailey." "Hey, Quinn. I''m glad you remember me," she said, grinning. Quinn nodded. "Kinda hard to forget."If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "You''ve¡­ you''ve met Hailey Winscombe?" asked Annette, raising her eyebrows. He shrugged. "Yeah, once." "It was a weird day," added Hailey. "You must be Damian and Annette, right?" "Yes," said Damian, breathless. He looked oddly star-struck, which surprised Quinn. His dad was usually pretty calm around anybody, no matter who they were. "Welcome. Would you¡ª" He coughed, trying to catch his breath. "¡ªlike some pizza?" "I wouldn''t want to impo¡ª" "It''s fine," said Annette hurriedly. "We''ve got extra, and¡­ well, it''s being paid for by your friend Kendra anyway." "It is?" asked Hailey, raising her eyebrows. "Yes. She contacted us out of the blue yesterday, and told us we had an account set up to handle all our expenses. As¡­ as thanks for taking care of Natalie." Annette winced. "We weren''t going to use it, but¡­ well, I''m sure you saw what''s going on outside." "Yeah¡­" Hailey sighed. "Being famous kinda sucks. I''m really sorry you guys got caught up in all this." "It''s worth it," said Quinn firmly. Hailey smiled at him, before hovering the pizza over to herself and grabbing a slice. "Thanks. It''s super annoying to get food right now." "We saw the news," said Damian. "What''s it like being internationally wanted?" "Well," said Hailey, taking a huge bite, "it''s kinda how I always figured I''d end up, you know?" She laughed. "Most people I meet are pretty cool about it. But the cops gotta try to arrest me, and¡­ I''m still trying to save the world here. I can''t go back until I do that." "You''re¡­ I''m sorry, what?" Hailey shrugged. "I can''t really explain. Sorry." "You don''t have to," said Quinn. He wanted Hailey to be comfortable. His parents seemed confused by Hailey''s sudden appearance, but to Quinn, it was a relief¡ªif anything, he was overjoyed to see her. It meant he was still a part of their world¡ªher world. "Forgive me if this sounds rude, but," said Annette carefully, "why are you here?" "Well," said Hailey, finishing off her slice with gusto. "Natalie asked me to look out for you guys." Hearing that alone, Quinn''s entire body seemed to light up with relief and joy. "I guess Kendra''s doing that too. Thank goodness, ''cause I''m broke and on the run. Still, given the whole angry mob outside¡­ I figured I might be able to help." "Help how?" asked Damian. "Not sure," she added with a shrug. "Got anything to drink?" The whole conversation moved to the kitchen table, Hailey sitting with the three Kincaids. Quinn felt happier with every word she spoke¡ªHailey just had that kind of personality. He could see why Natalie said she was the center of the town for a while. Hailey was magnetic. Everybody wanted to be closer to her. "Well, scaring ''em off isn''t gonna do much," said Hailey. "Trust me, they''ll come back every single day, and if I stick around to scare ''em again, we''ll have even more trouble." "So what do we do?" asked Annette. "...I''m kinda trying to avoid telling people what to do," she said quietly. Her voice was calm, but Quinn sensed a pain underneath, something very similar to what Natalie used to sound like. "I want to know what you guys want." "Well," said Damian, "we were thinking about leaving for a while, but we weren''t sure how to get out of here without people following us." "Oh!" Hailey brightened up. "Yeah, I can help you with that." "You can?" "Yeah, we can turn you invisible, or fly you out, or all sorts of things." Hailey grinned. "Magic, you know?" Damian nodded. "Magic." "The cause of, and solution to, all of life''s problems," added Annette quietly. "I thought that was beer," said Hailey. "Not anymore¡­" "Bit of an exaggeration, dear," said Damian. "Not for everyone," said Quinn. He glanced at Hailey, trying to keep from sounding too eager in front of Natalie''s coolest friend. "Did you see her?" Hailey shook her head sadly. "I couldn''t find her." "You couldn''t?" "Nah, and trust me, I tried everything. Even magic, but she blocked it somehow. We know she''s in Rallsburg somewhere, and we see stuff she''s doing out there¡ª" "What''s she doing?" asked Quinn breathlessly. "Nobody on the news has reported anything yet." "Building something," said Hailey. "I don''t know yet, but she''s taking all the burned up buildings and turning them into something else. It''s actually really cool, whenever I fly over it, but if I start to get close, something pushes me back. It''s like she''s keeping everybody out ''til she''s ready." "Ready for what?" murmured Annette. Hailey shrugged again. "Your guess is as good as mine. Natalie''s my friend, but¡­ to be honest, I haven''t even spent as much time with her as you guys in the last year." "Not what you''re doing though," said Damian. "Saving the world, or whatever?" She shook her head. "No." "Can you¡ª" said Quinn, and before he could even finish speaking, Hailey nodded. "As soon as I can talk to her, I''ll tell her to call you." She smiled in an awkward, uncomfortable way. "We kinda need you, Quinn." She might as well have just told him he was a millionaire. Quinn didn''t know how to respond, but he felt elated, overwhelmed, excited, and just a little bit terrified by the sheer pressure she''d just put on him. "You need Q?" asked Damian. "For what?" "Natalie''s probably the second or third most powerful person in the world," said Hailey. She glanced out the window at the end of the hall wistfully. "I''m still trying to get in touch with the other ones, but for now, Natalie''s definitely the most visible of that group. There''s no telling what she could pull off¡­ and because of a really complicated long list of reasons, she hates a lot of us right now." "Us meaning the awakened," said Quinn, at his parents'' confused looks. "All I''m saying is that¡­ if she ever reaches out, be ready, you know?" He nodded. "I''ll be ready." "Cool," said Hailey. She smiled again, and pulled out a piece of paper and a pen from her bag, scribbling something on it. "This is my number. Caller ID will probably say I''m Stephanie Johnson, though. Don''t worry about it. If you ever need anything, if you''re in trouble and it''s not normal-cops-can-handle-it trouble, or you decide you want to leave, call me. Doesn''t matter what time, okay?" "Okay," said Quinn. "Should we be expecting trouble?" asked Annette cautiously. "Well, beyond the obvious," said Hailey with a jerk of her head toward the door, "probably not? But¡­ better safe than sorry, you know?" She stood up. "I gotta go, and I have no idea where I''ll be, but if I''m in the area, I''ll stop by. When I can." "Thanks," said Quinn. Unexpectedly, Hailey reached out and hugged him. After a moment''s confusion, he hugged her back. His parents eyes went even wider, barely visible around the side of Hailey''s head. "Take care of yourself, Quinn," said Hailey. "You too, Hailey." Hailey turned and walked briskly down to the end of the hall. The window popped open for her, and as she got closer, she broke into a run¡ªand then a straight dive through the opening. Quinn ran after her, and just managed to catch a glimpse of her shooting off into the sky like a bullet. He smiled. Hailey was a part of Natalie''s world¡ªof the girl he''d met as Jenny, a nervous and reluctant friendship formed over the last few months until it grew and spread throughout his school. Quinn had made mistakes along the way, and in the end he''d broken, but Natalie forgave him. She still cared about him. She''d asked Hailey to come watch out for him and his family. She''d called him, and they''d still been close. They''d be together again, sooner or later. Quinn could wait, if that''s what she needed. I''ll meet her again. When she''s ready.
How did I end up in this fucking mess? The thought crossed Josh''s mind more than once as he made the trek from the Greywood to the pilgrim camp. It wasn''t a particularly long journey, but it was a lot more tiresome without being able to listen to the news or his podcasts. A year ago I was minding my own shit and wasting my business scholarship screwing around with Ryan. How I am a National Guard liaison now? It had been three days since the blackout. They''d gotten a messenger going by now, which meant a guy riding his bike all the way out to the edge of the zone and back. Based on rough satellite guesses¡ªthankfully, the zone didn''t extend that high above the forest, though it was high enough to affect aircraft passing overhead and the FAA was now routing everything around it just in case¡ªthe zone encompassed a twenty two point three two mile radius around the city of Rallsburg. Why that number, anyway? Was it just random? Did Natalie pick it? It had to be Natalie, right? Josh didn''t like not knowing what was going on. He prided himself on keeping up with everything. Listening to news and podcasts whenever he took walks or relaxed was just one way of staying on top of things. At his cabin, he maintained a half-dozen news feeds. Cinza loved looking like she had the whole world figured out, but in truth, Josh probably knew more than anybody else about what was really happening. Until Saturday. Until Natalie decided to knock out everything in the Olympic Forest, because¡­ Because what? The hell does she got against the internet? She''s a kid, shouldn''t she love shit like that? Josh laughed aloud. He barely considered himself an adult until the last couple months¡ªuntil he''d suddenly taken on so much responsibility, so much work, throwing himself into warzones at the drop of a hat¡­ fuck it. If I''m not an adult, nobody in the world is. "What?" asked Joe McKinney. Josh shrugged. "Remember when the biggest thing to us was whether you supported the Blazers or the Lakers?" "Yeah, and you''re still wrong. The Blazers are gonna crush ''em this season." He''s so out of touch¡­ "How do you do it?" "Do what?" Josh shook his head. "Nevermind." "...Uhh," said Joe, confused. Josh just kept moving¡ªthe pilgrim camp was in sight now, and he didn''t really feel like talking anyway. Joe was only with him because he didn''t feel safe on his own anymore. Otherwise, he always took these walks alone, enjoying the solitude. Crazy how a phone was the only reason I did feel safe. Just because I had a dozen people I could call, both military and awakened, to come save me? The hell was that gonna do if I got ambushed? "You want me to go back to being pissed off?" asked Joe. "Because I''m still pissed off at you." Josh sighed. "Dude, just¡­ get over it." "Like you got over Rika?" He shrugged. "Okay, yeah, it took a while. But I''m not your best friend, and I didn''t go behind¡­ fuck it, why am I bothering? It''s Nikki''s damn choice." "Whatever, dude. Just goes to show it''s true what they say." Okay, redneck asshole. Josh kept moving, not rising to the bait. Shouldn''t have slept with her. We''re too tight-knit. It''s causing social unrest, and since my stupid black ass decided I had to stick around and keep Cinza on track, I''ve gotta actually stay diplomatic here. But¡­ damn is Nikki good in the sack. Fun out of the bed, too. Joe missed out there. "Is she doing okay?" Joe asked suddenly, his voice much softer than before. Josh was taken aback. He hadn''t expected honest concern from Joe here. He slowed down a little, turning to face his companion. "Yeah, why?" "I dunno¡­ last time I saw her with Cinza, she was all confused and shit, like she didn''t really know what was going on." He frowned. "When was that?" "Couple days ago?" "She''d just done some more big spells," said Josh with a shrug. "Sometimes it throws her head out. She always comes back though." "What if¡­ what if she doesn''t one day? Like¡­ you know¡­" Joe winced. "Like Jessica," finished Josh. "Yeah." Josh shrugged. "She knows what she''s doing." They had to stop talking then, as one of the soldiers was rushing over to meet them. Joe pulled his grey robes on tighter¡ªno way does he actually believe what the rest of them do, he just got that to impress Nikki¡ªwarding off the cold. Josh raised a hand in greeting. "Mr. Miller, sir. Captain Hoskins has requested you in the command tent at your earliest convenience." "Thanks, Davies," said Josh, and the man looked slightly impressed by his recognition¡ªhis uniform carried no visible name from the front. Pays to be good at faces. Rachel''s not the only one with a good memory. "Joe, go do whatever." "Dude, you aren''t in char..." Josh walked away before Joe finished his sentence, grinning slightly. Davies led him through the camp, which was recovering well from the attack on Friday night. People were still trying to organize an effective way to get home if they needed to, and the food carts were dwindling, but the MREs and other supplies were sustenance enough to get them through the winter if need be. Fuck me if I''m spending the winter eating that shit though. At least the Greywood has fresh food and good cooking supplies. "Josh!" Captain Hoskins emerged from his tent, crisp and clean as always. Josh was impressed¡ªhe had magic for an easy hot shower and staying clean. The captain was managing it all old-school. They shook hands. "Anything happen?" "A long walk," said Josh with a shrug. "Nothing new. Just keeping the lines of communication open." "We''re about to get the last run of wounded out today," said Hoskins. "I hate to lose another humvee, but at least we know the first one made it out." "How''d you get it running?" He shrugged. "We didn''t. It''s a downhill run." "...Damn," said Josh, grinning. "Well, we confirmed it got out. Guess they started it as soon as they hit the border." "How far¡ª" "Thirty-six kilometers." Hoskins whistled. "If I''m understanding magic right, that''s a huge area to cover with a single spell." "Biggest we''ve ever heard of," said Josh with a nod. "Whatever that girl did, she did it well." "Why, though?" "If you find out, you tell me." "Why don''t we find out together?" Josh raised an eyebrow. "Meaning what?" Hoskins glanced up the hill to the north, where the treeline¡ªwhich a few days ago had been lit up with rifles as far as the eye could see¡ªloomed like a foreboding wall, denying them entry. "Rallsburg''s not that far away." "Sir," spoke up a soldier nearby. They both looked around, surprised. "...Private Deeks?" "Sir, requesting permission to accompany you to Rallsburg." "You were with Natalie''s squad, weren''t you?" asked Josh. Deeks nodded. "Yes, sir." Josh resisted rolling his eyes¡ªfeels dumb as hell to have all the soldiers calling me ''sir'', but whatever. "We hadn''t even decided we were going yet, private," said Hoskins. "Nah," said Josh. "We should. Better us than some half-cocked idiot stumbling in and setting off something worse, right?" "So what does that make us?" asked Hoskins, smiling slightly. "Full-cocked idiots," said Josh. He grinned. "Let''s go." Deeks led the way, Josh and Hoskins only a short distance behind. They didn''t take anyone else¡ªnone of them wanted to scare Natalie with the appearance of an invading army. Hoskins left the camp with his best lieutenants in charge. The three of them trekked through the forest, approaching Rallsburg in a straight line, not trying to conceal themselves in the slightest. As they emerged through the trees, Josh expected to see the burned, collapsed buildings. Instead, he found¡­ open air. Even the foundations were gone, and grass already filled the space where they once stood. It was as if the buildings simply never existed. "What the hell¡­" he murmured. A gunshot rang out. Dirt exploded from the ground in front of them. A wolf growled from not-so-far away. "Turn back." "Fuck," Josh snapped. "Rook!" he called out to the forest around them. "Put the fucking gun down! We''re just here to talk!" "None may enter." Gwen growled again, somewhere not so far away, but none of them could tell precisely where the wolf might be, or the sniper who seemed to be everywhere at once. Josh didn''t think it was magic, especially given what he''d heard about Rook, but still¡­ "Enter where?" called Hoskins. "What are the boundaries? All of Rallsburg?" "Rallsburg is dead. There is no Rallsburg." "What the fuck¡­" muttered Josh. "Hey," called Deeks. "We''re just lookin'' to help the kid, all right?" "Turn back," called Rook again. "You will be not warned further." "Let''s get out of here," said Josh urgently under his breath. Before I get shot doing something idiotic here. "We''re not getting anything from her." Hoskins nodded. "We''ll call this in," he muttered. "As soon as we get back." The soldiers turned to leave, heading back to the camp again, but Josh hesitated. He squinted into the town, through the light fog hanging over the expanse, peering through the trees which vaguely outlined the roads that used to outline the town. In the distance, opposite the shrouded visage of the old library, he could barely make out a silhouette of something new. Something massive. "Josh!" hissed Hoskins. "Come on!" Josh turned and walked away, his mind lost in wonder. What the hell is Natalie doing?
"Are you ready?" asked Rachel. Solveig tossed her dreadlocks out of her face, grinning. "I''m with you, boss." Rachel sighed. "I''d prefer you didn''t call me that." "Yeah, you said." Solveig shrugged. "It''s fun to say, though." "You know where we''re about to go, yes?" "And I know you''re scared shitless of something you still won''t tell me about," said Solveig. "That''s why I''m here, isn''t it?" "Not really," said Rachel. "You can''t protect me at all from that." "...So why am I here?" "For everything else." Solveig shrugged. "Whatever you say, boss." Rachel sighed again. She stood up, and nearly bumped into the overhead bins. Solveig reached up and pulled out her bags, even though Rachel could probably reach them more easily. That''s what a bodyguard does, right? Everything they need. I''m doin'' my job right. Solveig never really questioned how she''d ended up here¡ªa nobody college kid from Canada following a willowy giant of a young woman through Reagan International Airport while men in black suits shadowed them from afar. Those are totally Secret Service agents, right? Of course they are. We''re in D.C. on our way to the White House. "How''d you end up talking to the President, anyway?" asked Solveig. "It''s a long story," said Rachel in a tired voice. She always sounded exhausted these days. "You know, I''m pretty sure only sleeping three hours a night is bad for you," she commented aloud. "I did a ritu¡ª" "Yeah, I know. You''re famous for it." Solveig shrugged. "You still seem super tired to me." Rachel sighed. "I might have done it wrong. Kendra thought the same thing." "Well, if you fall asleep, I''m pretty sure I can carry you." "Thank you, Solveig." She grinned. "Not ''Sol-vague''?" she jabbed, referencing Rachel''s original mangled pronunciation of her name. "I''d never dream of calling you vague." Solveig laughed. "So what are we doing in D.C. anyway, besides showing off how you can talk to the President whenever you feel like it?" "He invited me, I didn''t just pick a time." "Uh-huh." "We''re here to discuss the new Department of Thaumaturgical Affairs," said Rachel, confidently strolling through the building without glancing at a single sign. Solveig trusted her completely to know where they were heading¡ªno doubt Rachel had memorized every single map of the area and the building. "And the area of Rallsburg Natalie claimed for herself, awakenings, so on." "And to get your new shiny hat." "My what?" Solveig snickered. "Didn''t they tell you when you get a cabinet position, you get a shiny hat?" "It''s not a cabinet position," said Rachel patiently. They were heading down to the street level now, where a car waited right on the curb in a cordoned area for them. Solveig never ceased to be amazed at how much privilege was afforded to important people in America. "If it were, I''d have to be nominated and confirmed by the Senate. I''m just an advisor." "So you don''t get paid?" "Kendra has given me more money than I''ll ever need in my life." Rachel got into the car, smoothing out her dress and straightening her clothes as best she could. Solveig took the seat next to her. Rachel glanced over her, disappointed. "Couldn''t you have dressed a little nicer?" Solveig rolled her eyes. "Like they''re gonna care." "You don''t show up to meet the President in jeans and a hoodie." "You don''t. I do whatever the hell I want." Rachel shook her head. "You''ll come to a bad end that way." "Why do you even like having me around?" asked Solveig pointedly as the car rolled out from the airport. "You get annoyed by half of what I say. It''s not like Landon and Logan are bad at magic, and they''re way prettier arm-candy. I''m ugly as fuck and I know it." "Call it nostalgia," said Rachel in a tired voice, watching the city pass by outside the window. They crossed the Potomac in short order, despite the afternoon traffic. Solveig stayed quiet for a while, wondering what Rachel might mean by her statement. Rachel continued to stare out the window, briefly turning around to check her phone for messages or whatever other updates continually buzzed in on their silence. Probably memorizing the whole damn city. The hell does that mean, nostalgia? Do I remind her of something? Whatever, fuck it. Doesn''t mean I can''t still do my job. She''s paying me a shit-ton of cash for this, and end of the day, this is something worth doing. Rachel''s important, and she''s not a money-grubbing asshole making the world a more corrupt and worthless place. She might actually save the world. That''s worth helping out. "So what is your title gonna be?" asked Solveig finally. "Senior Advisor to the President for the Awakened," said Rachel. "Not thaumaturgy?" She shook her head. "They''re making a distinction. I''m advising him on our group and the Northwest awakened in general, but I''m also there to help out with the DTA. I''m really both, but labels matter. Also, I think Cinza really leaned on them to use ''awakened'' instead of ''thaumaturgy''. She thinks it sounds too scientific." Solveig snorted. "The hell does that matter?" "Some people don''t like mixing magic and science," said Rachel. "Cinza wants to preserve the mysticism because it gives her power, not because of prejudice, but some people really are hostile to the idea that magic isn''t¡­ you know, magical." "That''s idiotic." Rachel shrugged. "Some like the consistency and reliability of science, others hate the idea that there isn''t more to the world." "And the rest of us don''t give a shit and just pay attention to whatever''s in front of us." Solveig shook her head. "You think too much." "Probably." Rachel glanced out the window again. The White House was coming into view now. "You''ll try to be more civil when we''re meeting with the President, right?" "Something like that," said Solveig wickedly. "Please¡ª" "I''ll keep my mouth shut, sheesh." Solveig gave an exaggerated sigh, mimicking Rachel''s from earlier. "You''re way too serious, boss. We can do magic." "We still have to worry about the rest of the world beyond just magic," said Rachel quietly. "Just don''t forget what''s out there." "Never."
"I''m heading out!" She looked up from the kitchen counter, where she''d been spreading peanut-butter as evenly as she could. "Have a good day at work!" Her fianc¨¦ shut the door. She went back to finishing lunch, carefully spreading, making sure it was even on every single edge. Can''t miss a single one. It has to be perfect. Once she''d made sure it was as even as possible, she got out the jelly¡ªgrape, the best jelly. She wouldn''t ever accept anything else on a sandwich, and she knew for sure her son wouldn''t either. "The latest news from the Northwest," blared the TV. She started to pick up the remote to change it¡ªher fianc¨¦ had left it on the news, but she didn''t enjoy watching the news anymore. It was all fearmongering and alarmist nonsense, and it set her off like nothing else. Except this time, she couldn''t turn it off. Something had caught her eye. "Today, officials finally received word that Brian Hendricks, the notorious leader behind the anti-magic movement, has been arrested. Hendricks is currently being held inside the blackout zone at the National Guard forward operating base, and will be transferred out to Olympia for trial at the earliest opportunity. We aren''t able to show a photo yet due to difficulties getting reporters on the scene, but witnesses describe him as a man in his late thirties. One described him as ''terrifying'', and the sentiment seems common around the camp." She shook her head. It was all rotten. "Mom!" The boy rushed out of his room, backpack already on, struggling to put on his socks. "It''s almost ready, Nick," she said as patiently as she could. "But I''m gonna be laaate!" "Just a few more minutes." A knock at their apartment door. She nearly dropped the knife, but caught it at just the last moment. "Just a minute!" "Moooom!" Nicholas tugged on her pant sleeve. She felt the emotions rushing up to her, and she couldn''t hold them back¡ªthere was just too much, it overwhelmed her. "Nick!" she snapped. She turned, knife in hand, to stare down at him. "You will be patient." Her son was suddenly very quiet. She glared at him for a few more seconds, before finally turning back to her work. Two final even swipes and the jelly was perfectly spread as well. She took the two slices of bread and placed them together, and as she squeezed down, it merged into one perfect sandwich. She put it in the lunchbox, zipped it up, and finally handed it to Nick. "Where''s your coat?" "...I forgot it," said Nick quietly. "It''s at school." She sighed. "All right. Make sure you keep warm all the way there, okay?" "Yes, Mom." Another knock at the door. "Coming!" She hurried over and swung the door open wide. "I''m so sorry to keep you waiting." "It''s all right, Mrs. Alderson," said the kind young woman standing there, a gaggle of elementary-school kids around her. "We were playing a game. Hi, Nick!" "Hi, Kimmy!" said Nick. "You know her?" she asked her son, surprised. Kimmy wasn''t the normal person to walk their apartment block''s kids to school, but she had the badge and everything. To hear her son recognize the girl was a bit of a relief. "Yeah! She comes to our class sometimes." Nick rushed past the kids. "Come on!" The whole group hurried off to the next door, leaving Kimmy in the dust. She laughed as they ran off. Neither of them were concerned¡ªthe kids were just chasing each other up and down the walkway. They all knew better than to leave Kimmy behind once they actually set off for school. "It''s nice to meet you, Kimmy." "I''m pretty new to the walking program, Mrs. Alderson," added Kimmy. "I''m so sorry we haven''t met before. It''s just been a little hectic lately." "That''s all right. And it''s Miss Alderson, actually." "Oh, I thought¡ª" "I haven''t remarried yet," she said. "Okay. No worries." Kimmy winced as one of the kids tripped on the ground, but they were up and running again in no time. "I''d better get going. See you tomorrow, Miss Alderson!" She smiled as the kids set off for school, before turning and walking back inside. The news was still playing, still droning on and on about Brian Hendricks¡ªuntil something else happened. "And what about this so-called ''blackout zone''?" "Created by his daughter, apparently." Her fingers tightened on the edges of the kitchen table. She stared at the TV, not daring to believe. "Natalie, right?" She gasped. The story played on as she stood transfixed, struck dumb, utterly unable to move a muscle. "Lori?" called a voice from the front door. It was her fianc¨¦. She hadn''t heard the door open, and still, she couldn''t turn to look at him. "I had to come back for my¡­ are you all right?" Lori Alderson couldn''t answer him. She couldn''t say anything at all, because once upon a time, Lori Alderson had been Lori Hendricks, and there on the television screen was her long-lost daughter, one who she''d believed forever taken from her. She gripped the table even tighter, as though she might break it into pieces. My turtle... Book III — Dissension (Table of Contents) ¡û Book II Book IV ¡ú This is book three of The Last Science series. A table of contents is below, filled in as each chapter is released, or feel free to continue on immediately to the prologue. Prologue ¡ª A New Story Part VII ¡ª The Girl Who Would Be Queen Chapter 1 ¡ª Of Melody and Magic This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.Chapter 2 ¡ª Responsibility Chapter 3 ¡ª Setting the Stage Chapter 4 ¡ª The Pledge Chapter 5 ¡ª A Quiet and Lonely Castle Interlude XIII ¡ª Until the End of Eternity Chapter 6 ¡ª Behind the Scenes Chapter 7 ¡ª A Tale of Four Boxes Chapter 8 ¡ª Around the World in Eighty Minutes ¡û Book II Book IV ¡ú B3: Prologue — A New Story Prologue ¡ª A New Story "All rise!" The crowd¡ªincluding an utterly packed gallery, dozens of cameras, microphones everywhere, soldiers lining the walls, and so much more¡ªdrew a collective breath as they got to their feet. Felix grinned. He''d never seen so many people at a bail hearing. Guess I''m really newsworthy now. Judge Hawlstead clambered onto his seat. He was an old man, pushing his seventies, and physically he let it show. When the man started speaking, though, Felix would''ve believed he was a spry young twenty year old. Hawlstead straightened his half-moon spectacles and peered down at the documents on his desk. "You may be seated," said Hawlstead. The crowd, except for the media lining the upper gallery, slowly settled back in. "Defendant, please rise?" Felix got to his feet, with his lawyer right at his side. He twitched involuntarily¡ªFelix had never been able to control his twitches, no matter how much he tried. It didn''t help much in the court, when he was trying to prove he wasn''t a flight risk and could go home. Please, God, let me go home. I''ve been stuck in disgusting cages for four weeks now¡­ Even before that, he''d spent too many days hiding out with Brian Hendricks. After so long away, Felix really wanted the comfort of his own bed, his warm fire, his blankets, his home. I could really use a drink, too. "Felix Wieczorek. After reviewing the evidence, I have decided to impose the following restrictions on you pending full trial. First, you adhere to the agreement that your communications be monitored and your internet access restricted." Gasps through the crowd. Felix resisted the urge to turn and gloat over his shoulder, where he knew a contingent of grey-cloaked individuals stood up in the gallery directly behind him. If he''s opening with a lifestyle restriction, that means I''m going home. Everybody''s starting to get it. He shivered¡ªFelix was fairly certain someone was making him colder with magic, since nobody else seemed to be freezing. "Second, you may not leave the state under any circumstances. Third¡­" The restrictions kept coming, but Felix didn''t care. He could live without all of that. All the arrangements were already in place. All he needed was to go home and relax. The rest would handle itself. He and Brian had seen to that. "Bailiff, please release the defendant." The officer of the court walked over and uncuffed him. Felix rubbed at his wrists, smiling. Only then did he turn to face the crowd¡ªand as expected, he saw Cinza, sans her underage kidnapped lover Hannah Newman, staring daggers at him from the gallery directly above. Felix winked. Instantly, the air around him dropped by another five or ten degrees. He grinned even wider. Fuck you, witch. You''re not gonna provoke me. I can play this game all day. A police escort was already waiting to take him from the huge room. Jeremy Ashe, no longer with the FBI, glared from one direction, while Governor Milton stood with her sister Maddie on the opposite side. So many faces, so many angry expressions¡ªhe drank them in with the same smile. We won. We broke them. Nobody''s awakening anymore, and people who have magic are too scared to practice openly. It''s only a matter of time now. He could take their abuse, could endure the courts and the bad press. If anything, Felix might even twist the press back around to his side. He was more than capable of spinning the story into something favorable. It''d be a very hard sell to get the public on Brian''s side, but once Felix was free, he could pull something off. Felix Wieczorek was a Pulitzer winner. He''d spent time in warzones, he''d won dozens of awards and met with fascinating people the world over. More than once, he''d changed the world''s opinion on someone and pushed everyone in a better direction¡ªwho was to say he couldn''t do it again? It''d have to be a new story. Brian Hendricks'' tale was too complicated now. With his daughter as the poster-child for abused and neglected children, not to mention the most powerful visible awakened in the world, the man from Rallsburg wasn''t the right face for them anymore. Felix would still fight for the man, but¡­ it was time for a change. The right person would come. Brian would understand. All he needed to do was be patient, and be ready. Felix strode out of the courtroom doors after processing with his head high, facing the harsh winter sun, daring anyone to take a shot at him. He was on top of the world. As the officers cleared the way down to a waiting car, he took in the crowd, taking measure of the voices on each side¡ªand to his satisfaction, there was still a vocal contingent of support. The car door swung open. By the time Felix reached the end of the staircase, his heart was pounding. His hands trembled. Sure, he doubted anyone would actually take a shot at him, but being in the center of a crowd cursing his name wasn''t exactly pleasant. On top of that, seeing families of those who died in the attack¡­ It''s not their fault. Their children, their siblings, their parents decided to awaken. Nobody can be forced into magic, just like Cinza always says. Thank God. Felix felt for them. They''d lost loved ones. He could sympathize, even though he''d never really had loved ones of his own. Certainly not his own family. The car pulled away from the courthouse, and soon after, he was on the way back to his little place in Seattle. He was getting a police escort all the way home in an unmarked car, since he didn''t own one himself. Felix leaned back and watched the streetlights go by above him¡­ and soon enough, he found himself dozing off. It''d been a very long day. To his disappointment, he never did quite drift off. Memories kept stubbornly pushing back against his fatigue¡ªof gunfights, of monsters in the forest, of deadly magic cast all around him. Brian''s struggle, his triumph in that turret of the old library¡­ and the sheer horror on the man''s face as his daughter walked into the room. Of all people, the legendary girl, the one whom Cinza called the strongest outside the Gods¡ªof course she would be his missing daughter. Felix sighed aloud, which prompted a word from the driver. He gave a noncommittal grunt, and the driver returned to the road. They were almost home, cruising along the highway back to the city, back to civilization. If nothing else, it''ll be nice to finally be back in the real world. God I hated living out there. Not as bad as some of the shit I''ve endured for a story, but still¡­ The car rolled up to his little condo. Felix wasn''t well-off¡ªproper journalism didn''t really pay well, even to the award winners¡ªbut he made enough for a comfortable, quiet living. He didn''t even have to share a wall with anyone, and it had an amazing rear view of a park, which he liked to stare out over while working on his stories. "Thanks," he murmured, opening the door. "You need anything?" Felix was a little taken aback. Most cops or police-affiliated people didn''t like him very much. Between being a journalist and being affiliated with a major fugitive, plus all the stories he''d written about police malfeasance, corruption, or just simple incompetence over the years¡­ well, Felix wasn''t exactly surprised when he didn''t get equal treatment. "Not right now, thank you." The cop nodded. He leaned back and handed Felix his card, which also had a handwritten phone number on the back. "Twenty-four hours, man. You call, I''m there." Felix nodded. Must have been part of Brian''s network. I never did meet everyone, partly by design. "I''ll be in touch." The car rumbled away into the city. Felix took a deep breath, eyes closed, taking in the sounds of the city. He''d missed proper civilization, and just the sheer emotion of being free. There wasn''t anything like being trapped in a cell for a month and finally emerging into the open air. Felix might have danced all the way up to his doorstep¡ªif he wasn''t so exhausted. Instead, he trudged up the walk, nearly slipped on the icy steps, and fumbled his keys into the lock. The door clicked open, he went inside, and it shut behind him. Already, Felix felt like collapsing. Problem was, he knew it wasn''t going to be any better than in the car, and now he knew why. The memories weren''t just trauma from the last couple weeks¡ªthey were a story waiting to be told. He needed to write everything down, while it was still fresh in his memory. I was firsthand to some of the most important events in modern history. People will need my perspective, as unbiased and detailed as I can provide. He went straight to his refrigerator and pulled out his favorite wine. Next, with a box of crackers, some Boursin cheese, and laptop under his arm, Felix beelined for his desk. The snack tasted like manna from heaven, the wine pure delight on his tongue. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Felix sighed again. I needed this. The laptop needed charging, of course. He plugged it in and turned on the TV while he waited, flipping between news channels until he found a reporter he could actually stand and a story that seemed worth watching instead of reading. "And how were these images taken?" "Analog cameras still work in the zone." Felix snorted aloud. Some reporters¡­ "One of the Greycloaks provided us with illumination for a better picture. We tried to take video as well, but it didn''t develop very cleanly." "It looks like the pilgrim camp has entirely recovered from the attacks at the end of November." "Yes. As you can see here, the National Guard has left elements in place¡ªthese humvees were stripped of parts and abandoned simply because they were too inconvenient to move, and they now make a sheltered home for a couple families." "And they''re self-sustaining, you said?" "The Greywood supplies them with fresh-grown fruits and vegetables every day, enough to feed the whole community. At first, they were still relying on supplies from the Guard, but the Greycloaks have taken over all those duties since¡ªand they''ve got a few new members as well." "You sound very impressed with them." "Well, it''s really admirable what they''ve managed to achieve in the face of such a horrible attack on their lives." "We were trying to save the world," muttered Felix as he started to type. "Still are." "And did you get any photographs of Rallsburg?" "Well, apparently it''s not called that anymore." "Oh?" "That''s all we know right now. If you try to get close, you''ll be sent away. She''s protecting it really well." "She being the famed Natalie Hendricks, right?" "Right. I''m sure you''ve all seen the satellite photos from when Google updated their maps, and then the leaked military versions last week¡­ but from what I saw up close, they barely show anything." Felix paused. He''d heard about the so-called reconstruction of Rallsburg while in his cell, but without any internet or television access, he''d never gotten a view. If there were leaked military photographs¡­ He started digging through his usual sources. Sure enough, a set of photos taken a week ago. Based on the notations, he assumed they were updating daily, and had tasked a dedicated geosynchronous satellite over the region to keep an eye on her. Once they had the height of the zone mapped, they''d start using drones with cameras for more angled, up-close views. He''d be able to keep an eye on Brian''s daughter along with the rest of the world, thanks to his own contacts in military intelligence. She was definitely building something. Huge structures were emerging, some three times as tall as the former tallest structures in Rallsburg¡ªexcept for the cell tower and the old library. The cell tower was long-destroyed, and its metal reclaimed by Natalie for whatever project she was working on, but the library still stood. It didn''t look like she''d changed a single stone. The same parts were still broken. What are you doing, girl? Felix was torn in two. If there was a way to reverse the awakening process, then Brian might have a chance to get his daughter back¡­ but every single person they''d killed would be someone they could have saved. If there wasn''t, then father would be forced to kill daughter, sooner or later. Both options would utterly and permanently destroy Brian''s soul. Felix shook his head in dismay. There wasn''t any way out for the poor man. He changed the channel, looking for news away from Natalie and the horrible events which ended Brian''s crusade for the time being. He landed on a panel of talking heads discussing proceedings in Washington D.C., a comfortable remove from the Washington he called home. "¡ªRika Nishimura was denied bail herself last week, citing Hailey Winscombe as precedent, plus her history of illegal entry and exit into the country. Are you guys on board with the double-standards here? I mean, Felix Wieczorek directly participated in the massacre of the awakened camp and helped form a recognized terrorist organization. Yet now because we''ve got one scientific paper on the awakened and it''s being held up as gospel, Nishimura''s now liable to be insane?" "I mean, there''s considerable evidence now for people''s lives taking significant changes in direction after being awakened. The idea that prior evidence isn''t admissible isn''t crazy." "Of course they take significant changes! They just learned how to use magic! Are you saying you''d be totally the same after awakening yourself?" "Maybe not, but¡ª" "The guy who published that paper was seriously biased. He works for Cornelius Malton, who''s being accused of attacking multiple awakened himself and might be partly responsible for the disappearance of Grey-eyes. He tried to capture her, you know." "Allegedly." "Alleged by his personal bodyguard and childhood best friend. What more do you want?" "A bodyguard who''s being tried in the U.K. for multiple homicides, abductions, and more." This was something Felix could definitely get behind. Malton, Viper, Kleiner, Rika, Cinza¡­ all of them were awakened, and they were fighting amongst themselves. He was more than happy for them to try and murder each other, legally or literally. "One of the key witnesses is an internationally-wanted fugitive herself, you know." "Oh, like Hailey Winscombe is really a criminal." "She certainly is on paper. Every police department and sheriff''s office in the country has her on a wanted poster." "It''s for show. They love her. She''s out saving lives and being a hero. They just can''t officially support that sort of thing. You really think they couldn''t get her to come in if they wanted to?" "She broke out once¡­" "Yeah, because of everything happening in Washington State. You know, they say she probably knows Grey-eyes personally. Like, they''re friends." "So she''s one of the so-called Three Gods?" Felix grunted. They were no gods. They were devils and monsters, one and all. He finished off the last cracker and took another sip of wine, before turning back to his notes once again. "Well, there''s only two now. One of ''em died in Rallsburg. That''s why it got blown up." "No, there''s three again. There''s also the one nobody knows. Alpha." "Huh. So that''s the three Cinza''s always talking about. Makes sense." Felix rolled his eyes. These talking heads didn''t know anything. He hated the awakened, but he at least had his facts straight. Hailey wasn''t one of the "three Gods"¡ªnobody had even known she was awakened at the time, based on Brian''s story and corroborated by Cinza''s diaries. She was one of the "true awakened"¡ªor "natural awakened", as even Cinza was occasionally inconsistent with terminology¡ªwhich gave her similar power, but not nearly as much breadth of spellcasting. Know your enemy, right Mr. Tzu? Two Gods¡ªAlpha and Grey-eyes. Five "true awakened"¡ªNatalie Hendricks, Hector Peraza, Kendra or Lily Laushire, Hailey Winscombe, and the deceased Jessica Silverdale. Estimates of anywhere from several hundred to several thousand awakened, based on guesswork and magic scan sampling done by their men in the days leading up to the attack in the Olympic Forest. And no more. Felix stopped typing and leaned back. He took another sip of wine, savoring every sweet drop as it swished down his throat. They could do it, eventually. The first major, terrifying battle was over. Awakenings had stopped, their goddess had abandoned them. It''d just take a new story. A faint hissing sound. His eyes went wide. Are they¡ª Fog was beginning to fill the room from every direction. Felix took a deep breath and held it. He locked his account and snapped the laptop shut. Pure white fog drifted in, blanketing his home, blocking out all light, all detail¡ªeverything. Before it became opaque, Felix scrambled across the room for a kitchen knife. He grabbed it at the last second, just before he lost sight completely. He backed into a corner, knife held aloft. "Stay back!" he warned, and took a few random swipes for emphasis. "I can still hear you!" Of course he couldn''t. He couldn''t hear anything apart from the faint hissing sound which hadn''t relented since the first moment fog started to seep in. Something brushed at his side, and he slashed, but it was just the pantry door. It slammed back into place and clicked shut. Felix took another swipe with the knife, just in case. It went on like that for many minutes. He''d imagine something moving near him and slash at empty air, over and over. Felix had no idea how long it went on, only that he was completely untouched throughout¡ªand totally blind. Only when the hissing sound faded did he finally begin to let his guard down. The fog began to ebb away, little by little. Felix blinked repeatedly, as if trying to clear something out of his eyes, though he actually felt quite untouched by the magic¡ªand it was magic. He knew that kind of fog, he''d seen it before. Twenty minutes had gone by. As he blinked, Felix started to notice the differences. His room was still there, but¡­ things had moved around. More things were missing, including the laptop he''d just been working on. At least I locked my computer. Still¡­ if they manage to break in¡­ He should have known they''d retaliate. Felix just hadn''t expected it to be so fast. His bail hearing could have stretched into the next week. He began to take inventory. The cash was all gone¡ªand now he paid for not trusting banks. He''d lost a lot of money from his safe, which was wide open. His other valuables were all gone too, and his backup laptop. They knew exactly what to go for, and how to get in¡­ As Felix trudged into his bedroom, he found the final piece of work, and once again he was torn in two. On the one hand, he admired the symbolism, the sheer audacity, and the dedication to presentation it must have taken. They''d selected him, and they''d personalized it. On the other hand, they''d gone after what he was most proud of, and it cut deep. Atop his bedside table normally sat every award for journalism he''d ever received. Now, they''d been scattered across the room. His Pulitzer was crushed into a hundred pieces, while other statues were melted and burned or simply sliced apart. His papers were shredded. The entire record of his life''s work was torn apart and left to dust in his bedroom¡ªwith only a single intact piece of paper on his bed, folded into a neat triangle, with two words emblazoned in huge silver letters. OUR TURN B3: Chapter 1 — Of Melody and Magic Part VII The Girl Who Would Be Queen Chapter 01 ¡ª Of Melody and Magic In a living room somewhere near Tacoma next to a roaring fire, a god and his lover were having a fight. "I told her no!" "But you still want to." "Is it a bad thing now, to want to save people''s lives? Even with the alert, even with the news media on our side and everything, people are still idiots. They''re trying to awaken." "And you can''t persuade Beverly to change her mind?" "She''s fixed on the idea that it''s better if she doesn''t give them false hope. I don''t know if it''s true or not, but what she wanted isn''t happening. Like I said, they''re still trying, and it''s not just because they''re stupid. There''s bad actors out there, people convincing them it''s actually okay. It just takes one rumor, one meme, one convincing comment on the internet, and we''ve got another body in the dirt." "So what do you propose?" "That we get out there! If we make it clear there''s a proper way, the rumors lose power. Right now, everybody''s in a lurch, since they''ve never been totally clear on how to awaken anyway. The closest anyone''s gotten to a full explanation was the leaked version of Cinza''s diaries floating around on torrents." "A lurch?" "Are you serious right now? You''re going to criticize my diction?" "I was¡ª" "You two are both being insane. Yes, I told her exactly what we always believed, but I can''t believe that''s really best anymore. Can''t there be a way to help people without making myself out to be some sort of god? Hailey''s doing it." "Hailey is being treated like a goddess anyway, despite her words." "Sure, but she''s not acting like one. So why can''t I do the same? We''re letting the world slide into chaos, and I might be able to do something about it." "You wanted to stay out. What changed?" "People are dying, that''s what changed! It''s not just internal anymore, either. This isn''t just Omega attacking the other awakened, Cinza trying to overthrow the council, or any of the other squabbles. We had a terrorist group of mundane people trying to commit genocide." "And¡ª" "And that creates feuds. Blood feuds, the kind that people never back down from. We saw it at home, too. The Harrisons and the Prices. You can''t ever take back or forgive death. Cinza''s preaching peace, but it''s not going to stick." "...So what do you propose to do to stop it?" "Haven''t you been listening? I should already be out doing something right now! I''ve got authority, I have influence, and I can awaken people. We can save them. We can help restart the new world." "Or we can stay back and let them handle it. The new world is already in motion. Natalie saw to it." "You''d let a thirteen year old girl carry that kind of weight?" "Haven''t we already?" "I''m trying to say I''m not okay with this anymore. Why can''t you hear me?" "So do something about it. You''re an adult. Why do you need my approval?" "Because I¡­ I still love you. We''re in this together. Aren''t we?" "Right." "...That''s it? You''re just going to¡­ brush me off?" "I think you''re being irrational and failing to see the bigger picture. We forecasted this. You knew it was a possibility. Perhaps not at this scale, but after you and Omega destroyed the book, Beverly was always going to be the final point of failure. Nothing''s changed." "How can you say that?" "How can you be so foolish?" "I¡­ I can''t do this anymore." "So leave, then." A door slammed. The fire crackled away, but in that room in Tacoma, everything was suddenly much colder and darker than only a few minutes before.
On December thirty-first, two thousand eighteen¡ªthe same day as Felix Wieczorek''s bail hearing, though none in the camp would hear of it until the next round of mail came in¡ªZo? Portman felt love for the first time. At least, she assumed it was love. Zo? was twenty-one years old, and despite several relationships since fourteen, none of them had ever quite clicked. There was some unnameable quality, some immutable trait which defined a close loving relationship, and Zo? had just never recognized it with any of her partners. As the New Year approached, there was a tingle in the air. It wasn''t just the aura of magic, either. Zo? was very familiar with the aura by now¡ªeverybody awakened in the Olympic Forest could tell instantly when they''d entered the blackout zone, as the public was now calling it. Zo? preferred the "Hendricks Zone", though. The forest wasn''t blacked out, not even slightly. It was alive, more alive than it had ever been, with magical power filling every stone, every branch, every twig and leaf, butterfly and squirrel. No, the tingle in the air wasn''t just magic. It was excitement. This was the first New Year celebration, and everyone knew the Greycloaks were coming to celebrate it. "Come on!" shouted one person, rushing past Zo? in their haste to the north end of the camp, where a wide open area stood. Zo? briefly reminded herself to come up with a better name for their home than simply "the camp", though of course, that was what they''d stuck to. "We gotta get a good spot!" Since the Ritual¡ªagain, Zo? couldn''t bring herself to call it a blackout¡ªthe Greycloaks had begun to show themselves more frequently in the camp. First, it was Cinza herself, accompanied by her two lieutenants as always. She mostly came to see the National Guard commander, rarely joined by the non-Greycloak Josh Miller. Zo? liked him a lot, that Captain Hoskins. He''d put a lot of work into improving their home, well past his original mandate to root out Brian Hendricks'' group. As the weeks went by, more of the Greycloaks filtered through, usually just to spend time with the pilgrims. Zo? always meant to get their names¡­ but she''d never dared to approach any of them. Normally, Zo? didn''t have a problem with social situations¡ªher current fling could attest to that¡ªbut something about the Greycloaks kept her at bay. Maybe it was because she didn''t consider herself a pilgrim. After all, Zo? had already awakened before she came to the camp. Hell, she hadn''t even wanted to come. When the guns started firing, she''d had a few words to say about that. Nah, she decided. It''s because they''re still really creepy. Zo? was a skeptic, through and through. She hadn''t believed in magic for a single moment all year, no matter the rumors. The videos of Hailey Winscombe? Obviously fakes. Lakewood? There were explosives found, and nobody actually recorded Hailey flying there. Cinza''s leaked diaries? Who wasn''t trying to push their own conspiracy theory about what happened to Rallsburg? And then, quite suddenly toward the end of November, Zo? Portman was a very firm believer in magic. "Hey," she said aloud, poking the other occupant of her tent. "Sleepy-bones." "Nngh." "Didn''t you want to go to the thing?" "What thing?" "The show. The Greycloaks are gonna do a New Years thing." "I''m sleeping." "It''s the first ever Magic New Years," said Zo?, grinning slightly. "You wanna miss that?" "Oh, okay," she said finally. Her voice was floaty and soft, and it wasn''t just because she was so tired. "...Where''s my bra?" Zo? rolled her eyes. "Come on, just go without. It''s not gonna be that long." "But I¡ª" "You''ll be under a blanket anyway!" She twisted around under the sheet to look up at Zo?. Her long eyelashes fluttered, dark brown eyes alight with mischievous excitement. "Will you be under it with me?" Zo?''s face heated up. "Yeah, I will." "Okay, okay." The other girl started to move, gathering up her clothes one by one¡ªbut still far too slow for Zo?''s liking. "Come on," she said impatiently. "Nobody knows when they''re going to start." "Could use some incentive..." said the girl pointedly. Zo? winced. "Okay, umm¡­" She thought for a few moments as the girl very slowly, very carefully pulled on a t-shirt. She''s gonna make me do something crazy if I don''t pick fast. "If we leave in the next thirty seconds, I''ll¡­ I''ll be naked under the blanket with you." In an instant, she''d thrown on the shirt and jeans. Her belt was already around her waist before Zo? could even blink. By the time she''d caught up to what was happening, the other girl was the one dragging Zo? out of the tent by her arm, thick camping blanket already in hand. She grinned. "No take backs!" Zo? laughed. She didn''t really mind. In her years at college, Zo? had done crazier things. There was just something¡­ different about the camp. Ever since they''d arrived, most of her exhibitionist qualities¡ªthough they paled in comparison to her companion¡ªhad completely died off. Maybe it''s ''cause they call themselves ''pilgrims''. Makes this place feel kinda religious. I hear they used to have a preacher who lived near here, way back. Wonder if he was Presbyterian. She''d never been actively religious, but Zo? did believe in God. It was one of the few things she had in common with her companion. Sometimes, it made her laugh¡ªone of the few connections they''d made had been over the one thing everybody assumed would keep them apart. Old religious precepts died hard, after all. God knew better though. Zo? was grateful she''d met her. "So what do you think it''s gonna be?" asked her companion, as they neared the gathering crowd to the north. Zoe looked up at the clocktower¡ªa hastily constructed heap of stone and metal, atop which a clock in magically illuminated digits displayed the current time, based on some of the purely mechanical watches owned by the camp. It was getting toward midnight, but not there just yet. They slowed down, and her companion made a beeline for an open space toward one side backed up against an overgrown RV, where they could have at least a little privacy. Zo? shrugged. "No idea." "Didn''t they tell you anything?" "I just heard it from somebody else." Zo? glanced over her shoulder at one of the tents they''d just passed. "While I was out¡­ you know." "Chatting up the bar?" "Learning." Magic, she added mentally, though she knew better than to say it aloud. "Learning about a handsome guy?" Zo? sighed. "I told you I''m not bi anymore." She laughed, and it was a sweet laugh which sent little bursts of warmth straight through to Zo?''s toes. "Have I corrupted you that much?" "Says the one who didn''t like girls." Her face lit up with a pure, innocent smile. "Well, we hadn''t met yet!" "You weren''t the first girl I dated, you know." "Ooh, do tell." "Back when I was in a band¡ª" She dropped the blanket dramatically¡ªthough in truth, they''d really just reached the spot she''d picked out. Her hands slapped to her cheeks. "You were in a band?" "Yes?" "What did you play?" "The hurdy-gurdy." She froze. "...What?" "The drums, duh," said Zo?, rolling her eyes. "I don''t have any talent. At all." "Don''t say that," she said as Zo? sat down next to her and huddled close. It was deep December, after all, and while the camp was unusually warmer than had been forecast, it was winter. Her companion''s voice had gotten softer, more serious. "You have talent. It takes skill to play drums, too." "Eh." It was just¡­ boring. "Well, what about your art?" "I was gonna drop my major anyway." "What? But I thought you were doing really well!" Zo? sighed. "I dunno. It just¡­ doesn''t feel like me anymore." Her companion put an arm around her shoulders. "Don''t worry. You''ll figure it out. I believe in you." "Pull the blanket tighter," said Zo?, trying to change the subject. "So I can make it warm." "Huh?" "It''s really hard to do," she said patiently. Her companion couldn''t really understand it, of course. "So if the blanket''s tight and we don''t let air escape, we can trap the warmth in and I don''t have to keep the spell going." "Oh. So, physics." "Yeah, exactly." "Don''t you have something to do first?" she pointed out, smirking. Zo? sighed exaggeratedly. She slid under the blanket, then¡ªas best she could¡ªstripped off every piece of clothing she was wearing, down to nothing but skin. Next to her, she could feel her companion doing the same. They took the two piles and set them against the base of the RV, to use as makeshift pillows. "Now will you pull the blanket in?" asked Zo?, trying to suppress a giggle. Between the chilly air and the fact they were both naked behind the crowd of people, she felt an odd giddiness to the whole thing. She was having trouble taking anything seriously. "I could just make you warm myself," said her companion. A finger traced its way across Zo?''s chest, weaving circles before descending down her stomach. "The thing''s starting," said Zo? frantically, before she made a more¡­ involuntarily sound. To her relief, it wasn''t a lie, either. Something was happening. "Later," she breathed into Zo?''s ear, promising all sorts of pleasant feelings that night after the festivities. As she settled down, her voice returned to normal. "Thank you." "For what?" "For being you!" she said cheerfully, and suddenly, her whole body was pressed into Zo?''s grasp. Zo? was quite a bit taller than her companion, and she fit perfectly into the space made by the curve of Zo?''s body. "I wouldn''t want to be here with anyone else in the whole world." She didn''t answer aloud. I wish I felt the same. But, of course, Zo? hadn''t ever felt love. Not yet, anyway. Her companion was certainly the closest she''d ever felt to someone, but there was still some enigmatic quality yet to be found. Instead, Zo? wrapped her arms around her companion tight, and together under the blanket, they watched as a faint light began to appear from within the trees. It was just a single light at first, plain and unremarkable, except that it had no source. It wasn''t fire, and it obviously couldn''t be electric, so the only answer was something chemical or otherwise produced in nature. But, of course, this was nothing natural. Like Cinza always said, magic wasn''t natural, and there was no reason to want it to be. The light grew, moment by moment, sliding forward through the trees. As the crowd noise died away from the hundred or so people gathered across the field, they heard a faint noise drifting through the trees. A flute sang alone, played with masterful skill, though none of them recognized the tune. It was joined by another, and then another. The light danced in tandem with each note, getting brighter and larger as the music hit a crescendo. A crash of a cymbal somewhere. Strings joined the flute. It might have been a violin, or maybe a cello, she wasn''t sure. The light burst, becoming hundreds of tiny individual specks. They shifted in color, a kaleidoscope in the air, filling the field. Fog rolled through the illuminated space, white despite the many colors of the lights surrounding it. As the music swelled, the fog began to take shape, flowing as if a faint wind blew through the space, though the air was quite still all around them. A huge stage formed above them, with smokey curtains over a wide open floor. Every single light converged on the stage, filling the borders with twinkling spots of color, while the center became brilliantly illuminated. In time with another crash of the cymbals, the curtains pulled open wide¡ªand behind them, a huge image appeared, like a movie projected into the sky itself, though of course, this was no movie. How the hell are they managing to do this? Zo? wondered to herself. Nobody in the Greycloaks is a true awakened. Last we heard, Hailey was on the other side of the country, so it''s not her either. This is incredible. Wrapped in her arms, Zo?''s companion was thoroughly enjoying the show. She squirmed pleasantly around, twisting her head to try and catch the whole dazzling spectacle above them. Zo? might have enjoyed it quite a lot, if her head wasn''t stubbornly caught on trying to solve the mystery of how it was cast in the first place. She considered sending out her own essence to test the spell, but she''d just learned that technique only a day before. If she screwed it up somehow, interfered in the big show¡­ yeah, that''d really suck. The stage performance was underway. It wasn''t a movie after all¡ªthis was a full three-dimensional performance. Actors, outlines wreathed in smoke, spun and danced across the stage, while the backdrop displayed incredible pieces of artwork. It took a minute for Zo? to understand the story, for there weren''t any words, just the ongoing orchestra medley swelled to fill the whole space, though she knew there weren''t possibly enough Greycloaks to surround the whole camp. "It''s Rallsburg," Zo? murmured. "Huh?" She went on, since her companion hadn''t really done much research on the history of the place. Zo? had¡ªmostly with the intention to disprove the whole conspiracy as a farce¡ªand now it paid off, as she could explain the story Cinza was obviously trying to convey. "Back when they were first discovering magic. Those three are the original Three Gods." "Alpha, Omega, and Grey-eyes," said her companion, nodding slightly. Her chin tapped against Zo?''s arms with each movement. "Right. They''re fighting over the Grimoire." As Zo? murmured the story, the figures of fog up on the stage moved in perfect time to her words, as if Cinza could hear her and was enacting the very scenes she described. A huge burst of fire shot through the sky, projected from the outstretched hand of Alpha. It took a brief moment for the heat wave to crash down into the crowd below. The fight continued, though the electricity strikes Zo? expected weren''t recreated perfectly, just approximations by a flash of light and a jagged line through the air. On the opposite side, Omega created his golems¡ªand more than a few people gasped. It may have been a month prior, but the memories were still fresh in their minds. Several had lost loved ones to Brian Hendricks, after all. "This is the Council of the Awakened," continued Zo? in her companion''s ear, hugging her close. "That''s Rachel DuValle, and Natalie Hendricks is there in the corner." "And there''s Cinza and Josh," added her companion, pointing. Zo? squinted. "Doesn''t really look like him." She giggled. "It''s smoke, Zo?. Give them a break. It''s close enough." "Fine. For you," said Zo?, and kissed the top of her head. The play continued, through the entire story of Rallsburg as told by Cinza. Zo? had heard some of the Greycloak leader''s recollections weren''t accurate, or were missing important bits of information, but she had to admit, the cultist-in-chief was an excellent storyteller, and a master of the dramatic presentation. As the town¡ªrepresented in the sky by a dozen boxy buildings surrounding the recognizable town hall and old library¡ªsuddenly lifted from the stage, the lights surrounding the whole stage shifted to an eerie dark red. Zo? tensed, expecting something truly spectacular, and she wasn''t disappointed. As the music played on, the stage burst into a huge firework explosion¡ªand to her shock, it was a real firework. The play had gone without sound, beyond the musical accompaniment, so the sudden loud boom rippled through the crowd. More followed, until finally, as the crescendo of music and explosions reached its peak¡­ everything froze. A single beam of light shone down onto the field, where a platform had been erected. Must have done it while we were all looking up, Zo? mused, impressed. Another light appeared, and then another, until the figure on the wooden stage was made clear. Cinza pulled back the hood on her head, lifted her eyes to the crowd, and raised her voice. Magic amplified it a dozen times over, echoing in her typical ethereal style, perfectly audible yet totally unnatural.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. "Welcome to two thousand nineteen," she proclaimed. Nobody was quite sure how to respond. After all, the Rallsburg story hadn''t ended with the victory, but with the destruction of the town, the lowest point where everything started to truly fall apart and all hope seemed lost, before Rachel DuValle killed Omega. "I chose to share this story not to entertain, but to remind. Our memories are often weak, our recollections faulty. The story of Rallsburg was one of chaos and confusion, of schisms which wrought betrayal and wreaked havoc in a once quiet community. We survived, but only through unity." Cinza gestured to the trees behind her. The lights illuminated the treeline beyond, and one by one, the Greycloaks emerged¡ªsome holding their instruments, others simply wreathed in their cloaks, sentinels for the forest beyond. "Our community has grown. We welcomed all of you into our forest. I do not regret that decision. Any who wish to stay in this camp are free to do so, and so long as it remains within my power, you will be cared for. If you believe as we believe, you may find a more permanent home in the Greywood, living among those who follow her and await her return." She cleared her throat. "Do not think this means you are any less for not taking our cloaks. Each of you is equally important to our world, Greycloak or not, awakened or otherwise. Everything that has ever happened to us, every death and tragedy, was brought about by the hate of division, the fear of the unknown, and the cruelty of prejudice." Cinza raised her hands out in front of her, as if to grasp someone else''s, though she stood quite alone. "Let''s change the story. It''s a new year and a new world. Let''s build a new world. A better world. Together." She smiled. "Thank you all for being here. Happy New Year." Someone began to clap. Another joined them. Soon, a dozen people were on their feet, and more joining them every moment. Even the soldiers were starting to cheer and holler, though they''d usually expressed skepticism about Cinza and her people. "Kinda wish we weren''t naked right now," muttered Zo?. "Sorry," murmured her companion. "Here. Let me make it up to you." She twisted around in Zo?''s arms. As another firework burst above them and the huge clock towering over the camp read midnight precisely, Melody pressed her lips against Zo?''s. In absolute secret, Zo? was a hopeless romantic. She was secretly a sucker for the big gesture, the sappy ending, the huge waves of emotions crashing in after endless buildup. In that moment, with Melody kissing her after a huge spectacle, after the relief of a nightmarish year finally come to an end, pressed against her skin as literal fireworks burst above them mixed in with displays of real magic¡­ Zo? finally felt it. She kissed Melody back, and for the first time in her life, Zo? Portman was in love.
When she woke up, Zo? was pleasantly aware of the warm body draped over half of her skin. Even more than that, her mind was full of very distinct memories from the night before. After the display was over, Melody had practically dragged her back to the tent. Sometimes, her girlfriend was completely insatiable. Last night, Zo? was sure the neighbors must have heard them. "Awake?" asked Melody, her soft, sweet voice a perfect companion to the faint chirping of birds outside. "Depends," murmured Zo?. A hand tiptoed up her skin. "Mmmm." "Welcome to the new year," said Melody, and her lips planted a kiss on the back of Zo?''s neck. As her eyes fluttered open, Zo? noticed Melody''s head was pointed away, looking across the tent toward their small pile of belongings¡ªand more specifically, at the object half-visible near the bottom, a plain-looking wooden box. It would seem totally ordinary, except that it was nearly impossible to open unless one knew the exact sequence of spells to cast. Inside, it contained something more precious to Melody than all the world, no matter how worthless it had suddenly become. "You okay?" asked Zo? quietly. "Huh?" Melody started. Her head instantly shifted around to look at Zo?. Though she tried to hide it, Zo? could see the faint melancholy which hid just behind her pupils. ...God, I must really be in love now, huh. Her pain hurts me more than my own. "It''s me and you. What are you thinking?" "That you''re really good at sex," said Melody with a faint smile. "You''ve only been with one person. You don''t know, I could be terrible." "I can''t imagine anybody making me happier." "Same," said Zo?, and to her surprise, she found it to be true. Melody smiled wide. "See, there you go! You can be romantic!" "Shut up," she muttered. Zo? sat up and pulled on a t-shirt. Melody didn''t bother¡ªthe portable heater they''d been supplied by the Greycloaks kept their tent nice and warm all night, so long as Zo? fed it enough magic before they went to sleep. Zo? leaned back, and Melody''s strong arms held her steady. Wrapped in her grip¡ªher totally naked grip¡­ God, now she''s got me stuck on sex too¡ªZo? reached forward with her essence. Magic filled the little space in front of her. "What are you going to make?" asked Melody. "Not sure yet." Zo? frowned. "Any ideas?" "What about the project you were working on?" "...Which project?" "Back at Linfield. Your assignment from October." Zo? laughed. "The one that''s way overdue now?" "It had 3D stuff in it. Make one of those." She shrugged¡ªand her shoulders brushed against Melody''s long black hair. Zo? focused, pushing energy out into the open space, shaping it. It felt like she were pushing, but there wasn''t actually anything to push¡ªor rather, what she was pushing didn''t exist yet. Slowly, the little doll emerged. It was smooth and plain, a simple doll that almost seemed to be made of porcelain. The material definitely wasn''t porcelain though. It wasn''t anything Zo? could really properly describe¡­ except that it matched the material which the golems had been made from. For that reason, only Melody knew what Zo? could cast. They didn''t want to set off a panic outside in the camp at large. "That looks way better!" said Melody excitedly. Zo? was already starting to feel the strain, but it wasn''t too bad yet. Steadily, she formed the doll completely. It quivered in place for a few seconds, as she steadied the creation and made sure the interior was actually physically complete. It was easier to hold together something that made physical sense and could support some of its own weight. Once she had the little doll solid, she made it dance. "Oh!" Melody leaned forward, and the sudden movement behind her nearly threw off Zo?''s concentration. "That''s amazing!" Zo? grinned as she kept the dance going, trying to remember a routine from her childhood ballet class. She''d hated ballet, despite the awards she''d won. It was too rigid, too structured. Zo? just wanted to do nothing most of the time. She''d coasted through college¡ªand most of her life¡ªlike that, avoiding things that took real effort. Not that most things took much effort. Magic was the hardest yet, but in just a single month, she was already managing spells she''d never heard of. Sure, it was in her affinity¡ªand how hard it had been to try and figure that out, with the sensations she''d felt while awakening¡ªbut Zo? really hadn''t been doing this for very long. It was on Sunday, November the twenty-fifth. Only the day before, Hailey Winscombe had attacked Cornelius Malton''s estate and nearly blown up the city of London in the aftermath, with a display of magic even Zo? the eternal skeptic couldn''t totally deny. After such a show, she''d finally agreed to go with Melody to find one of the so-called "Scraps". They hadn''t wanted to go to the pilgrim camp originally though. Zo? had a bad feeling about it. Instead, two days later, they found someone willing to sell one, communicated through one of Zo?''s old friends back in the Tacoma area. Melody drove them up, Zo? paid for it¡ªshe came from a rich family of lawyers, after all¡ªand together, they read from the Scrap. Well¡­ not exactly. Zo?''s concentration slipped at the painful memory. The doll faltered. "Zo??" asked Melody, tapping her on the hand. "You need a break?" "Nah," she replied, redoubling her efforts. "I haven''t finished the routine yet." Even as Zo? forced the doll to keep moving by sheer effort, the memory of that Tuesday in Tacoma barreled back into her brain. Melody had been nervous, in the end. Melody, the endless sunshine ray of support and confidence, had been ever so hesitant to even look at it. She''d insisted Zo? go first. Zo? was still skeptical, despite all the evidence, and so she took the little ratty piece of white paper, and she started to read. And she didn''t stop. She couldn''t stop, of course. That''s how the process worked. Sure, it was her choice¡­ but there was no going back. Zo? felt the world building up around her, tiny pieces of nothing which somehow coalesced to form solid matter. She didn''t understand it at the time, of course, but she''d been feeling her affinity. According to Cinza''s published work, the Creation affinity was a particularly rare one. Only four were known: Julian Black, the entrepreneur and founder of the pilgrim camp; Kendra Thomas Laushire (and possibly her twin sister Lily, though none were certain), multi-billionaire and one of the true awakened; and, of course Omega himself. She''d heard rumors of a fifth¡ªthat the disgraced FBI Agent Makaio, currently on trial for treason, was also her affinity. Zo? didn''t know for sure, and wasn''t sure it mattered anyway. What did matter was the girl who''d appeared, the girl with grey eyes who seemed barely older than either of them, but carried so much melancholy and pain that Melody nearly burst into tears at the sight of her. Grey-eyes had saved Zo?, just like she always did. She''d explained what had just happened, then turned to Melody¡­ only to find that the Scrap they''d purchased was dust. A so-called "second-generation" copy, which only worked once. To call Melody heartbroken was seriously underselling it. From that moment forward, Zo? knew what to do. Melody needed to awaken. Magic was wasted on a lazy girl like Zo?. Melody was the real magic of the world, and a power like this belonged in her hands. Problem was, by the time they reached the pilgrim camp, they only had a single day before the guns started to fire. Zo? finished her routine. The doll took a short bow, then crumbled into dust. She let out a huge breath, feeling like she''d just run a marathon. Melody burst into applause. "That was incredible!" "...Thanks," Zo? coughed. "You''re getting so good at that!" "What time is it?" she asked, feeling around for her phone. It took her a second to remember how stupid that was¡ªeven four weeks after the Ritual, sometimes she totally forgot electricity didn''t work anymore. Melody, in her kind nature, didn''t comment. "I think it''s almost eight?" "When''s group?" "Nine." She glanced out the tent flap. "Guess I should check again." "You probably want to get dressed first," said Zo?, smirking. "Aww¡­ do I have to?" asked Melody playfully. Zo?, with great reluctance, pushed her back. "We can''t miss group." "Yeah¡­ I know." Melody started to get dressed. Zo? gathered up their valuables¡ªdespite Cinza''s calls for unity and the general in-it-against-the-world attitude held by most of the camp, she didn''t trust anyone quite yet. Her bag held the Scrap for Melody (acquired for much cheaper than usual a few weeks after the Ritual, when it became clear Grey-eyes wasn''t going to start awakenings again any time soon), their gemstone collection, Melody''s photographs of her family, Zo?''s sketchbook, their IDs, dead phones, plus a few other odds and ends. It was everything they truly needed. Nobody had ever stolen from them, but Zo? wasn''t about to let that stop her paranoia. "Ready to go?" she asked, as Melody tightened her gloves. "I could use a scarf¡­" Melody peered into the mirror and adjusted the tip of her hat. They''d run out of makeup, and fresh supplies were a hard commodity to come by way out in the camp, but Zo? liked how she looked anyway. Still, Melody was obsessed with her appearance. Well, she can''t be totally perfect¡­ "Ready!" Together, they emerged from the tent into the morning sunlight. The camp was already bustling, with the sun peeking over the horizon. A small crowd was exiting the covered area where they''d just served breakfast¡ªMelody and Zo? had eaten alone in their tent, munching through leftovers from the night before. Arm-in-arm, they joined the tail of the group, which was headed for the structure in the center of the camp. Originally, it had been a run-down, half-built log cabin owned by Julian Black. As the camp coalesced into a real community following Brian''s attack, it was built out into a real structure¡ªone of the few proper buildings in the whole camp. Its construction was conducted by magic, and it showed in the foundations and supports, perfectly merged wood that simply wasn''t possible with normal tools. Julian had generously¡ªor so he claimed¡ªdonated the building to act as a gathering place for the camp. It could hold up to a hundred or so now in its expanded state, which didn''t cover the whole population, but was enough to get the word out on anything important. For the rest of the camp, there were the overgrown RVs, which some had cleaned out and moved into, as well as the medical and command tents from the National Guard. Captain Hoskins stayed with a squad of twenty or so, including two medics. The Guard had left behind a skeleton crew of volunteers to keep watch, but most of the detachment had long since vacated the area, leaving them to govern themselves. And govern they did, more or less. Zo? and Melody were on their way to "group", which could really be called more of a town hall, if they were being honest. Originally, it had been a support group for survivors of the attack. Melody had needed it, and if Zo? was being honest, she''d needed it even worse. Being shot at wasn''t on either of their bucket lists. As the weeks passed, though, and more people showed up, it became a place to hear the news as well as vent and get support. Finally, it made the full transition, and while new support groups were set up for those who still needed it without any distractions, "group" was the common term for the News and Mail meeting held every morning. It still had a support role, but they''d merged the two completely. "Hey, cuties," said Ryan Walker as they walked into the building. There weren''t too many people at group that morning, but Ryan was always there pretty early. Melody waved back, the picture of innocence. "Hi, Ryan!" "You two looked like you were enjoying the show last night." Zo? rolled her eyes. "Could''ve used more pizazz. Why weren''t you up there dancing?" He snorted. "Good to see you too." "Don''t mind Zo?, she''s grumpy from waking up early," said Melody. "We''re not late, are we?" "Right on time, actually," said Ryan with a shrug. They took their seats. Ryan glanced at the window, which was conveniently placed so they could see the clocktower, which read nine fifty-nine. "So where the hell is everybody else?" "Probably sleeping in," said Zo? irritably. "Did we get any mail?" asked Melody excitedly, ignoring her girlfriend. "Hasn''t come in yet. Sheriff''s still out there." Ryan leaned forward in his chair, glancing around the gathered circle of people. Since it was a smaller group than usual, he seemed to be running it as an actual group again instead of a town hall meeting. "Anybody want to start?" "I will," said Melody. She sat up straight, hand clasped tight with Zo?''s. "Hi everyone. My name is Melody Alana Rogelia Savana." "Hi Melody," echoed the group, even Zo?. She''d dismissed the practice initially, but Melody had explained it to her¡ªhow even though Zo? might not care, it meant everyone else would feel a little less inclined to participate. By showing she was involved, she encouraged people who needed it more to feel welcome and safe. It mattered, since a lot of the camp still didn''t know each other''s names, and a name was the first step toward proper connection. "It''s been¡­ umm, well, about two days since my last nightmare," said Melody. "I''m sleeping a lot better lately, most of the time, but it''s still there." "What was your last nightmare about?" asked Ryan. "I was¡­ I was running through the forest, and one of the¡ª" Melody took a breath. Zo? held up her water bottle, and Melody took a grateful sip. "One of the golems was chasing me. It was so fast. I couldn''t¡­ I couldn''t get away. It grabbed me and started to pull, and then I woke up." Screaming, Zo? completed in her head. A few others in the group had winced at every mention of the word ''golem''. Melody was quiet again. Her hand trembled in Zo?''s. Ryan nodded thoughtfully, his hands loose at his sides. "Thanks for sharing, Melody." Ryan leaned forward a little. "Everybody in this room was there. We''ve all encountered a golem in the past. They''re fucking scary, for sure. I''ve got two good pieces of news, though: one, they aren''t that fast." He smiled. "Even a kid could probably outrun them. Every time I ran into a golem, I was able to get away by just going faster. They''re like zombies from the movies." "Older movies," put in Zo?. "Hey, there are some good modern slow-zombie flicks," Ryan shot back. "Still, point is, golems aren''t fast. Second, and even more important: they''re gone. When they arrested Brian Hendricks, he lost the golem stick thing. Cinza and Hailey and Jeremy were able to destroy it." "Just the first two," grumbled Deputy Jeremy Ashe as he wandered into the room, a heavy bag over his shoulder. "I didn''t do shit." "Sorry we''re late," added Sheriff Jackie Nossinger, a step behind him with an equally heavy bag. "The mail cart had a flat tire." She glanced around. "Where''s Neffie at?" "Out with Preston doing the rounds," said Ryan. "She figured most people would skip today ''cause of the party last night. I didn''t." He shrugged. "Guess I owe her a date now." "You bet her a date?" asked Jeremy, raising an eyebrow. "Ain''t she like twice your age?" "For your edification, Mr. I''ve-got-a-country-accent-now," said Ryan, "Neffie''s a very attractive woman, no matter her age. Also, she''s twenty eight, asshole." "I always talked like this." "No, you didn''t," said Jackie. "You pick up on whatever you''re around. S''why they loved you for infiltrating those druggies." She took a seat next to Ryan, visibly winded. "Your turn to pass it out, I''m beat." "All right," grumbled Jeremy, picking out the first package from the bag. "Got one for¡­ fuck, Pril? Pill?" "It''s Phil," muttered a young man on the opposite side of the circle. Melody suppressed a giggle. Jeremy passed out the rest of the mail to the group¡ªa minor incentive to attend, since they were the first to receive their mail, straight from the hands of the sheriff or one of her deputies. Not that she''s elected anymore. I mean, we''d probably elect her, but all of this is totally unofficial. Even Cinza isn''t legally in charge, since all this land supposedly belongs to Nate Price. If anybody''s got real authority out here, it''s Captain Hoskins. "Ooh!" squealed Melody as Jeremy handed them a package. It was addressed to her in neat, flowing script, with a return address of her parents. She hugged it like it were a pillow, rather than a hard-edged cardboard box straight off the internet. "Thank you, Mr. Ashe." "And you, Portman," added Jeremy, handing Zo? a plain envelope. From Dad. Huh. Probably a legal summons to come home or forfeit my college tuition. Mom''ll talk him down. "That''s everybody in here." A few faces fell¡ªnot getting mail was a real impact, since they all lived in the dark ages again. They might have some modern comforts thanks to medicine deliveries, magical equivalents to electric tools, and a better understanding of physics¡­ but communication with the outside world wasn''t one of them. If someone didn''t get mail, they''d only find out the news by listening to people at the bar or the food court. "Also, just a heads up, but we''ve got some space on the wagon heading back," added Jeremy. "They said the horses can pull some more weight, so if anybody wants a ride home, it''s first-come-first serve." Nobody raised their hand, and clearly, Jeremy hadn''t expected them to. If they wanted to leave, they would have by now. Everybody still in the camp was in it for the long haul. He nodded. "All right. I''m out. Jackie, you comin''?" "Nah." She shook her head. "Rest my legs for a bit." "Well, here''s the one piece of news for everybody," said Jeremy darkly. "Felix Wieczorek made bail. Motherfucker''s going home." "Of course he is," snorted Ryan. "That''s the way the fucked up world works. Isn''t that why you left?" "Guess I forgot," said Jeremy with a shrug. He turned to leave. "Happy New Year, everyone."
The rest of the meeting wasn''t as interesting to Zo?. She didn''t choose to share¡ªshe had once, at Melody''s insistence, and while she had gotten something from it, the real benefit came from being there. At first, Zo?''s disdain wasn''t just for the procedure. She felt the whole process was a waste of time. What good would come of diving in even deeper to the terror and stress she was feeling? She was trying to get away from it, not barrel into it head-on. Still, as she attended more meetings¡ªand with not much else to do in the camp¡ªZo? realized just how much she needed the group, maybe even more than Melody. Finally, Jackie closed the group with a final update of news. "The last experiment we ran was a bust," she reported in a subdued voice. "You mean¡ª" started Ryan. "Josh and Nikki tried to reverse a small section of the town and restore electricity," said Jackie, nodding slightly. "Didn''t do a damn thing except make Nikki''s nose bleed. Girl''s gotta pace herself." "Knowledge magic," murmured someone else in the circle reverently. Zo? rolled her eyes. Yeah, it was incredibly rare¡ªeven more than her Creation affinity¡ªbut it didn''t mean Nikki Parsons was someone to be worshipped. She was still just one of them, not even one of the true awakened. Ordinary. "Well, that''s it then," said Ryan, brushing dust off his jeans. "Thanks for coming, everybody. I''ll stick around for a bit if you want to talk in private. Otherwise, I''ll see you¡­ Thursday." "Gotta add a calendar to that damn clock," added Jackie. Wouldn''t be a bad idea¡­ I wonder who''s maintaining it, anyway? It''s not really a secret as far as I know. Might as well try to find out. "Who''s actually running it?" she asked aloud. Jackie frowned. She glanced at Ryan¡­ who was equally puzzled. "Thought you knew." "Fuck me, I figured you were behind it," said Ryan. "I don''t run shit around here." "You run the group," said Melody sweetly. "That''s really important." Ryan looked taken aback. "I mean¡­ yeah, sure, I do that. But not stuff like the clock." "Well, I got a deputy to track down," said Jackie. She started out, and the group took it as their cue to break. Zo? and Melody left quickly, Melody eagerly clutching the package she''d received. They headed out into the camp, in the vague direction of food or their own tent, Zo? wasn''t quite sure which. "Ooh, this could be something really good," she whispered, as if she might wake it up. "I bet this has our Christmas presents." "Did your parents really get me a Christmas present?" asked Zo?, embarrassed. "I thought they hated me." "Don''t be ridiculous!" Melody looked honestly offended. "My parents loved you!" "I don''t know a thing about your culture, I barely speak a word of Spanish, and I''m a¡­ let''s call it a lapsed Christian?" Zo? shrugged. "I''m like your parents worst nightmare. I can''t even have kids." "Hush," scolded Melody. "You just read the signals wrong. It happens. They loved you." Nah, they seemed pretty hostile. I don''t think I''m getting invited back for Thanksgiving next year. Still, Zo? loved how optimistic Melody was. It was her favorite part about the girl, if she had to pick a favorite. Melody never gave up, never quit, never let things get her down for too long. She was unstoppable. She was also incredibly hard to pin down, sometimes. When Melody was on, she was really on. Whether it was being excited, scared, horny, whatever, Melody was from zero to a hundred in an instant, and would turn on a dime heedless of anything around her. Case in point¡­ Melody had stopped. Her eyes bulged out. She nearly dropped the package, which only a moment before had been the most precious thing in the world. "Zo?¡­" "What?" "That''s¡­" She opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to speak. "Words, Mel," said Zo?. "Speak the words." "Disculpe¡­ Creo que es H¨¦ctor Peraza," she murmured, and suddenly, her accent was back in full. Another thing she switches on a dime. You''d never know she was raised in Venezuela until she starts speaking Spanish. Zo? squinted at the man she assumed Melody was looking at. "...That guy in the grey coat?" "No, behind him. Between the tents." Melody started to lift her hand, but Zo? blocked it. "If it''s really Hector, don''t draw his attention," she hissed. "He''s supposed to be missing!" "What do we do?" Zo? shook her head. "What do you mean, what do we do? Nothing!" "But¡ª" "You want to get involved with whatever''s happening in Rallsburg?" Zo? started to turn away. "Let''s go, Mel." "No." "...Huh?" Melody shook her head fiercely. Her long black hair whipped around wildly, nearly catching Zo? in the face. "If Hector''s here, then something''s going on. I want to know what. Maybe¡­ maybe there''s another way to magic." "It''s impossible," said Zo? patiently. "This is the first thing to really happen since the Ritual!" said Melody. "He''s going to get away. Come on!" Without another word, Melody took off. Zo? didn''t hesitate¡ªshe tore after her girlfriend. They were sprinting through the grass, heedless of the alarmed looks from passersby. To Zo?''s relief, though, Melody was famous enough in the camp now that this was pretty much accepted behavior. Most of the turned heads in their wake were already disinterested. Good thing too. If that''s really Hector, and we spook him, he''s one of the true awakened. He could take us down without breaking a sweat. Melody rounded the corner behind the tent, and Zo? just barely caught up to her. I''m taller and she''s carrying that package. I should be faster. "Mel, slow down!" "He''s getting away!" she shot back. They were headed out of the camp, straight north. It was already obvious to Zo? where this would lead, but Melody wouldn''t relent. She pressed on, package in hand, and Zo? stayed hot on her heels. Together, they crashed into the forest, and suddenly, Zo? realized¡ªif we''re running this fast, and Mel''s still chasing Hector, he''s going even faster. So what''s he running from? "Mel, this could be seriously dangerous!" she cried out. Finally, Zo? seemed to have gotten through to her. Melody slowed, then came to a stop. She turned to face Zo?, panting, hair wildly scattered across her face. Zo? had to brush her own, shorter brown hair out of her green eyes, just to see the girl clearly. "What?" "Hector''s running from something, and I''m pretty sure it isn''t us," said Zo? between heated breaths. They were way out in the forest now, far from the heated areas which kept the camp relatively comfortable in the deep winter. She started to cast a spell to warm them up again¡­ only to be stopped, as another spell enveloped them. It''s¡­ a warmth spell too? "What are you doing out here?" asked a cold voice, seemingly from nowhere. Zo? froze. The voice wasn''t one she recognized, but it was so harsh, so stark and direct, with the hint of an accent¡­ they both knew immediately who it must be. "Nothing," said Zo? very carefully. "We were just heading back." "Come," she replied. Zo? blinked. She slowly turned her head, and sure enough, Rook stood only a few dozen feet away. She had her rifle, but it wasn''t pointed at them, and she wasn''t in hiding. What''s going on? "Come," Rook repeated. "It''s time." "Time for what?" asked Melody. Her hand found Zo?''s, and though it wasn''t cold anymore, they were both shivering. "The coronation." Without another word, Rook turned and walked back into the forest, toward Rallsburg. Zo? looked at Melody. She was staring after Rook with a look that spelled out her deep desire to follow. "Mel?" she asked quietly. Melody''s voice came out as a whisper. "Yeah?" "You want to go after her, don''t you." "I have to." Melody turned to look at her, brown eyes sparkling with excitement. "This is it. I can feel it." Melody wanted to awaken, and she might have found the way. The path forward seemed more foreboding than ever. Gunshots rang in Zo?''s memories, all-too-recent acts of terrible violence which had nearly killed them both¡ªand they were about to run into the forest without any idea what they might be going into. It wasn''t an exaggeration to say Zo? wanted nothing more than to turn away, to go back to their safe, warm tent in the camp. "Zo??" asked Melody, and Zo?''s conviction shattered entirely. Just her name, spoken by that voice she''d so recently fallen for, was enough. "Lead the way," she said, gesturing forward with a lazy wave of her hand. Melody''s face lit up. She practically dragged Zo? forward, into the trees, into the town which was no longer a town, a place where ghosts and monsters walked the streets. Zo?''s trepidation never diminished, but she didn''t waver from her decision for a moment. After all, Zo? Alaina Portman was in love. What better reason to brave a dangerous world than for the one she loved? B3: Chapter 2 — Responsibility Chapter 02 ¡ª Responsibility It was Christmas Day, and Josh Miller didn''t want to spend another second in the Greywood. He''d enjoyed parts of Cinza''s birthday celebration that morning, but her family would never be his crowd. Josh wasn''t even sure he really liked Cinza. They interacted constantly, and he respected her, but he wouldn''t exactly want to hang out with her. Joe wasn''t great company either, or the few newcomers to the Greycloaks. It pretty much just left him, Nikki and Ryan as a trio¡ªand after a while, Ryan''s constant complaining really got on his nerves. But Josh had to stay. It wasn''t like the world was getting any safer for people with magic, and he''d never fully trust Cinza not to go completely into the deep end without him. Josh was the longest-serving person in a position of authority among their whole community, all the way back to the earlier days of the Council before Rachel joined up, and the nagging sense of responsibility never let him rest. One day won''t kill them. Well, shit, it might, but what the hell would I do in that case? I''m not a fighter. I''ve never stayed for a fight in my life. Now, though, Josh did feel like he was gearing up for battle. His weapons were Christmas presents, his armor guilt and self-shame. "You''ll be fine," said Nikki, rolling her eyes¡ªshe was the only one who even knew he was leaving. "Just get it over with." Easy for you to say, Josh muttered, but not aloud. It''d be far too cruel to say aloud. He''d already contacted Kendra and Lily through their connection string¡ªspecial thanks to Rachel and Will for helping them establish rudimentary long-distance communication. It was instantaneous, too, which broke all sorts of physics that worried him even more for the future, but Josh wasn''t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Another pull on the string. Seconds later, a neat wooden doorway wedged itself into the wall next to their bed. He pulled it open, and there the void awaited, cobblestone paths and web of eight doors surrounding the Laushire''s home. "Still freaks me out," said Nikki. "You get used to it," said Josh with a shrug. "The Market wasn''t as crazy, but yeah, being able to walk across the world like this is insane." "I meant that black void," she muttered, gesturing toward it. "How do you not just feel like you''re gonna fall off all the time?" "You''ve never been inside?" asked Josh, glancing at her. "It doesn''t give me any vertigo at all. I figured you must''ve visited the Market at least once." "Never." She shrugged. "And you guys never invited me to any of your special Summits." "Want to come?" "Nah," said Nikki. She lay back on the bed and closed her eyes. "Bad day." Josh was torn. On the one hand, the door awaited, a special favor to him from the Laushires, taking untold amounts of magical power and skill to create and maintain. On the other, his girlfriend, suffering side effects or strain or something from her own magical abilities, overstretched for the sake of their community. "Fucking go," said Nikki, waving at him. "I can feel you brooding from here. You need this way more than I need you." "You sure?" "I''ll be fine. I''ve got my meds," she added, waving a bottle of high-strength ibuprofen at him which sat perpetually by their bedside. "Get going." "Okay." Josh turned and left without another word¡ªhe knew anything more would just irritate her. If she was having a bad head day, even sound was setting her headache off. Shit, she seemed fine through Cinza''s whole party¡­ I don''t think I could keep that up. Josh stepped inside. Normally, Kendra or Lily would be there to greet him, but it seemed today whomever wasn''t controlling the portal was busy elsewhere. Another door was already open, and Josh hurried toward it. Every step took him further from the chilly air of the Greywood in deep winter. The void itself was a completely calm sixty-seven or so, forever, but as he got near the other open door, the air of his hometown started to filter in. He walked through the door and stepped out into an alley behind a 7-Eleven in Norwalk. Even more than the change in the air, Josh was struck by the noise. The Greywood was so quiet now, since even airplanes couldn''t come near it anymore. Suddenly, he was surrounded by engines, stores, industry. The world kept churning, even without them. It was overwhelming. He felt dizzy before he even saw any of it. ...Well, I haven''t been out of the forest since May, and Rallsburg wasn''t exactly a loud place before, either. That''s a long-ass time to stay out of the world. Josh clutched the packages tight to his side as he walked out to the sidewalk and sat down on a bench, waiting for the bus. Every second, he got a little more anxious. The bus ride went without incident¡ªhe climbed on, swiped his long-neglected card for the fare, and remembered every stop along the way¡ªbut it didn''t lessen the pressure building in his chest, the tightening of his throat. The bus let him off only a block away. He had to force his legs forward with every step. Why am I doing this? Why didn''t I just call? Oh, right, because I''m trying not to be a coward or some shit like that. Their car was in the driveway. His anxiety redoubled. Just turn around. Go hang out at the park or something, shoot some hoops, go back to the Greywood. Nobody even knows I left besides Nikki. I don''t have to do this. Music was playing inside. Josh could barely hear the familiar sounds of Nat King Cole. He set down the packages and knocked. A friendly shouting match ensued over who had to answer the door. She ended it, of course, stating she''d answer it since everyone else was just being rude. He tensed up. The door swung open. "Hi, Mom," Josh choked out. His mother froze in the doorway, steaming mug of hot chocolate in hand. It started to tip and fall. Might as well get it out of the way now. Josh reached out and caught it with magic, holding it in mid-air just a few inches below her open hand. Her eyes widened even further as he gently hovered it back to the end table near the door. "B-Brandon!" she called out. "Lunch is getting cold, Violet!" his father shouted back. "Tell them it''s Christmas and they should go home!" ...Well isn''t that just perfect. Josh''s face cracked into a grin. To his relief, his mother''s did the same. The tension broke. They both burst into laughter¡ªrelieved, tearful laughter. His mother lunged forward, arms open wide, and buried him in a hug. "I''ve been so worried," she whispered, wrapping him even tighter. "Why didn''t you call?" "I should have. I''m sorry," Josh choked. There it is. Own it. Be the responsible one everybody says I am. "I brought presents," he added, gesturing as best he could to the small pile next to him. "My baby," his mother said, finally backing off. "What''s going on out here?" asked his father, finally coming to investigate. To Josh''s relief, he wasn''t holding any hot liquids, or anything for that matter¡ªJosh wasn''t sure he was in a state to catch anything else. "...Joshua?" "Hey Dad." He brushed tears out of his eyes. "Merry Christmas." His dad didn''t rush him. Instead, he looked over his shoulder, back the way he''d come, and shouted as loud as Josh always remembered he could. "Mark! Luke! Get out here!" "But Dad, it''s getting cold!" cried Luke, the younger of Josh''s two brothers. "Right now, young men!" Josh winced involuntarily¡ªthat voice was one he remembered. A scramble of soft footsteps as the two slid past each other, socks on smooth wood floors proving a challenge in their haste to obey. Within seconds, Luke came into view. His jaw dropped. He slid straight into the staircase, completely taken aback. A moment later, the familiar dreadlocks of the middle child, Mark, appeared¡ªand here, finally, Josh got the reaction he expected. "Where the hell have you been?" his brother snapped, obviously annoyed. "Long-ass story," said Josh. "Language, boys," scolded Violet. "Let''s get out of the doorway and let your brother inside already." They let him in, his father helping with a few of the packages. Luke''s excitement was already threatening to bubble over. "I knew you were alive!" he shouted, practically dancing in place. "You''re awakened right? Can you do magic?" "He already did," said Violet, gesturing at her still-steaming mug, which she seemed reluctant to touch. Josh grabbed it and handed it back to her. She smiled. "Wow," said Mark, and the venom in his tone wasn''t missed by anyone. Even Luke''s face fell. "You''re so cool." "Mark," said Brandon in a warning tone, "keep a civil tongue." Mark fell silent, but Josh could still see it, better than ever before¡ªand damn, he looks like such a little kid now, trying to play at being threatening. He doesn''t have a clue what a real dangerous asshole looks like. Wonder why Mom and Dad are still letting this go on. "We just sat down for lunch," said Violet, brushing the last few tears out of her eyes. "Come in, please." Yeah, I tried to time it for that, we always have lunch at the same time. Means we''ve got something to focus on besides me. Josh followed her in to find a veritable feast¡ªand a place already set for him at the table. He froze again, overcome with emotion. "I know it''s not as good as last year," said Violet apologetically, not understanding Josh''s sudden freeze. Everyone else had moved past already to take their seats. "I''m never as good without you." Yeah you are, you''re a professional and I learned my shit from you. Josh shook his head and took his seat at the table. "It looks amazing, Mom." It was, too¡ªChristmas ham centering a spread of all their favorites. Luke was already trying to pepper him with questions, but Brandon kept him occupied, letting Josh enjoy their mother''s cooking. After a while, though, it became pretty obvious they all wanted to ask him about where he''d been and what he''d been up to¡ªall except for Mark, anyway. "Mostly keeping my head down," said Josh with a shrug. "I stayed in the Greywood almost the entire time. Had my own little cabin there. I just wanted to stay out of everything." "We read those diaries so many times," said Violet. "Luke found them and saw your name," she added, as Josh raised an eyebrow. Neither of his parents were very technologically-inclined. "He had a lot of explaining to do about the site he found them on," added Brandon sternly. Luke''s burst of pride diminished visibly. "Everybody knows what''s been going on in my world," said Josh wearily. "I''ve been living without electricity for almost four weeks, totally cut off. Tell me what''s going on out here." "Well," said Violet with a shrug, "honestly, there''s not much to tell. I''m trying to find a new client." "I thought your schedule was really full already," said Josh. "We lost the Rutherfords," said Brandon with a sigh. "Last month, in fact." Shit, that was her best client¡­ "What about¡ª" "Please, let''s not talk about work today," said Violet, passing around the dessert¡ªchocolate mousse cake. "It''s Christmas. Let''s just be together as a family." "Yes," said Brandon, smiling as he took his wife''s hand. "We''re glad you''re back home, Josh." "Thanks," said Josh, infected by the warmth around him. His family had taken him back in, and except for a few speed bumps, it looked like a totally smooth road from there on. Why the hell didn''t I come home sooner? The rest of the day sailed by in peace and joy, just like the good lord intended. Even Mark cheered up once the subject got away from Josh and where he''d been all year. Christmas went so well, in fact, that Josh ended up spending the night. He told Nikki it might happen, so she wouldn''t be surprised if he wasn''t back that night. Of course, by the next morning, it became clear¡ªhis parents were expecting him home for good. "You don''t have a school to go back to," said Violet, folding clothes in his room while Josh lounged in his desk chair, wrapped in a warm blanket and enjoying finally having access to his music collection again. From Josh''s impression, she''d taken to folding clothes in his room as a habit now, and wasn''t about to break it just because he was back. "What else is there for you?" A white girlfriend I haven''t mentioned yet, a cult leader who considers me one of her best advisors, and the last vestiges of a job I never wanted but can''t stop doing. Josh shrugged. "I''ve still got friends there, Mom, and I''ve got a home, too." "Nonsense," she scolded. "This is your home. You always come home to your mother." "I was never going to stay here forever, Mom," said Josh, rolling his eyes. "You will if I have anything to say about it," she shot back, smiling. "Why don''t you go outside? Luke''s been waiting to play ball with you for seven months now." "Waiting to lose for seven months," he shot back. "You be careful, he''s getting good." Violet waved him away. "Don''t go easy on him!" Josh wandered downstairs. His father was out in the backyard, working on a project already¡ªhe could never let anything go, same as Josh, and it looked like he''d started on a new addition to the shed only a few days ago. Couldn''t''ve waited til after Christmas, obviously. Mark, meanwhile, was on the living room couch with earbuds in, and Josh could hear the pounding beat of the music from all the way across the room. He shot a glare at Josh, before turning back to his phone screen, volume audibly inching higher. Idiot. Josh flicked his hand, throwing a spell across the room¡ªunplugging his earbuds, and holding down the volume button as he did. His brother''s eyes widened. "What the fuck, Josh?" Josh didn''t say anything, just walked out of the room suppressing a grin. Mark would plug them right back in, obviously, but he''d probably let the volume sit where it was without realizing Josh had turned it down. Just saving your hearing. You''ll thank me when you''re older. Or not, since you already hate my guts. He went outside, where his youngest brother was already dribbling around¡ªand like his mother said, playing with skill. This wasn''t the fifteen year old Josh remembered. Luke had put real effort in. "Ready to lose?" asked Josh casually, trying to exude confidence. Luke grinned and tossed him the ball. "No magic allowed." "Like I need magic to stomp your ass." As it turned out, Josh nearly did. The game was close¡ªway too close¡ªbut he narrowly picked up an early two basket lead and kept it there. He never managed to expand it though, as Luke kept pace with him every step of the way. They were both heaving for breath by the end, which made the sudden phone ringing by the base of the hoop even more startling. Nice to have phones again. Josh drained his water bottle and picked it up. Kendra. Shit. I forgot to tell them. "Hey," he answered, while Luke recovered on the curb next to him. "What''s up?" "This is Lily," she said, answering his unspoken question right off the bat. "I wished to check in, and ask if you were going to want transport back soon." Josh glanced at his brother, and reluctance filled his every rushing blood vessel. I can''t go back now¡­ but¡­ if they need me, if Cinza starts going over the edge¡­ "Will I be able to later, if I need to?" "You wish to stay in Norwalk?" "Yeah, I''m staying," said Josh. Luke''s face lit up, and Josh knew right away he''d made the right choice. He shoved his brother good-naturedly. "I''ve got¡­" Josh trailed off awkwardly, but to his relief, Lily got it. "Kendra and I have elected to remain in London. Our family needs us, and I suspect you have much the same reasons for choosing not to return. I understand." "So you can still do it, if you need to?" asked Josh, while Luke looked on with more curiosity than ever. "If you require a way back to the Greywood, all you need is to ask." "Thanks, Lily." "Thank you, Josh." She hung up. "Who''s Lily?" asked Luke, grinning. "She your girl?" "Nope," said Josh. Just a woman in London who doesn''t exist. He grabbed the ball and stood up. "Come on. Best of three." Luke was on his feet in an instant. Shit¡­ he''s not tired at all. It''s gonna be harder this time. "You''re on."
Of course, it was only a single day later that Josh''s unwanted responsibilities reared their head once more. He was in his room, listening to music, catching up on the world online, and just generally getting back into his old flow. The world hadn''t stopped turning during the blackout, after all¡ªthe courts were preparing to handle Brian Hendricks, Felix Wieczorek, and all the others captured back at the beginning of December. Beyond public information, he still had lines of contact to the sources he''d established before the blackout, including the Governor of Washington''s office, Senator Ashe in D.C., and of course the Laushires in London. Josh had all the sources he needed to stay informed. Even if Josh was staying home, he still planned to stay involved. His position had never exactly required him to be on the front lines anyway, but after the last few months¡ªand the speech Cinza had given him back in September¡ªJosh had trained his magic every day, as part of his workout routine. It was just another piece, like cardio or strength. Just in case. His involvement was supposed to stay in the background though, at his pace. Not like this, with yet another phone call. He was already to two calls in the two days since Christmas. "Josh?" This time, Josh wasn''t sitting next to any of his family members. He swung the door shut with a spell before answering though, just in case. "So what''s it like working with the President?" "I''ve only spoken to him a few times so far. Most of the time, I''m working with Wesley Gatiss or Ioannis Miklos." "So, just one step away from the President. Still," said Josh, "I think we can say you made it, Rachel." "...Thank you, I guess." "How''d you even know to call me?" "Kendra let me know you were back on the grid." "Ah." "I assumed you still wanted to stay in touch¡­" "Yeah, Rachel, I''m still in this," said Josh with a sigh. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. "Easier to stay global outside the Greywood anyway." "Are you working for Cinza?" "Hell no. I''m not working for anyone." "Okay." Rachel sounded oddly relieved. Josh frowned. Well, that''s something. Cinza practically worshipped Rachel. Guess it''s not mutual¡­ or something else is lurking in their relationship. Gotta keep an eye on that. "So what''s up?" "It''s been four weeks. I think we can assume Grey-eyes isn''t coming back." "Yeah." Josh leaned forward and grabbed a handful of chips from the bag on his desk, munching away happily. There''s something I''ve been missing. Cinza''s garden was nice and all, but man, junk food is something special. "Guess that solves my fears." "I''m sorry?" "Old arguments. They don''t matter anymore if nobody''s getting awakened." Josh sat forward again. "Are you thinking we need a change of policy then?" "Well, a lot of our original strategy centered around a growing population of awakened in the Northwest which would spread across the country. The legislation was all written with projected statistics modeled after the best growth estimates we had available. Obviously, all of those are useless now." "Obviously." Josh scrolled down one of the pages on his screen, suddenly wishing he had the multi-monitor setup Cinza had provided him back in his cabin. Makes comparing stories and tracing sources a hell of a lot easier. "Does the DTA have an estimated awakened population yet?" "...Somewhere between three and five thousand. It''s hard to say, since only Grey-eyes would know for sure, and nobody has the first clue how to get in touch with her, but those are our best estimates based on sampling and magical surveying." Two hundred days between Rallsburg and December 1st¡­ He did the math on his computer while Rachel spoke. "At least fifteen a day since Rallsburg." Josh leaned back again. "And who knows how much effort that takes?" "I have no idea." "Probably wasn''t nice and even, either," muttered Josh. "No wonder she looked fucking exhausted." He hesitated. "How''d you survey, anyway?" "The stones." Josh sat straight up in his chair, nearly knocking over his drink. "...Goddammit, Rachel," he snapped. "You realize how much that''s gonna blow up if it gets out?" "They''re just tools." "Tools created by one mass-murdering genocidal psychopath which fueled another mass-murdering genocidal psychopath''s insane crusade." Josh shook his head, though of course, Rachel was on the other side of the country and couldn''t see him. "Study them if you have to, but don''t use them." "We took the necessary precautions to ensure their security and return. They''re in the first DTA lab in Seattle now." "This is the same as Courtney''s registry," said Josh wearily. "If you guys create a database, it''s going to get out." "After consideration, we canceled that project." "Because Cinza and I shot you down," he pointed out. "And Jeremy, and I heard the President wasn''t exactly happy either." "This was just to get a sampling. Statistics. No identification. Not even demographics." "There were better ways." Josh sighed. "Fuck it, you already did it anyway. Let''s move on. What did you actually call me about?" "We think the new year is the perfect time to start turning public opinion our way. The sympathetic victim angle''s gone thanks to the chaos Natalie created, but there''s something else we can still try." "Yeah, forcing thousands of people to leave their homes or live without electricity wasn''t exactly the best PR move for magic." Josh snorted. "So what''s the new plan?" "The original plan. Show people what magic can offer to the world." "So what, put on a show for the audience?" Josh heard the garage door open downstairs, and movement in the house. People were home. He didn''t exactly want to spend his whole day on the phone with Rachel, not when he had brothers and parents to reconnect with, friends to hang out with, a life to get back to. "Sounds pretty lackluster." "Not exactly, though I guess Cinza plans on doing something for New Year''s in the Greywood." "Yeah, I''ve seen them rehearsing." "Well, we''re going to announce new blue-ribbon panels starting next week to begin applying magic to existing projects. Energy, climate, pollution, recycling. Things where we could really jumpstart the world and recover lost ground." "Be careful about that," said Josh. "What do you mean?" "Giving the awakened a savior complex. It''s bad enough already with Hailey, no matter how much good she''s doing." He closed his eyes, trying to organize his thoughts properly. "We''re not superheroes, we''re still just normal people." "Not exactly." "Yes, exactly," said Josh irritably. "The same flaws and faults, the same dreams and drives. Yeah, we lucked across something cool as fuck, but we''re all human, no matter what stupid Hailey soundbite they throw at us. If the world''s going to benefit, we need the space same as any other new discovery, to research and develop it properly, understand how it works, and then apply it successfully to real-world problems. It''s not a panacea." "So what we''re already doing¡­ but slower." "Something like that," said Josh, feeling distinct d¨¦j¨¤ vu from a conversation he''d had with Cinza not too long ago. "Just don''t make us out to be the heroes. That''ll just break us apart even further. We need to create unity, not impress them with how amazing and useful we are." "...I see." Time to change the subject. She''s got everything she needs from that conversation, and it''s not like I need to belabor the point with Rachel. Her memory means she''s going to go over every single word a dozen times by the end of the day. "How''s D.C., anyway?" he asked.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "Very cold. Norwalk?" "After that damn forest? It''s summer here." Rachel laughed. "Your family?" "Well, after freaking them out a bit, they''re just happy I''m home. So am I." "Me too. I''m glad you went home." He snorted. "So you could finally call me again, right?" "I''m not going to deny that was part of it." "Kendra''s gotta find a better way to communicate than your relationship trick." "We''re working on it." Rachel paused. "About Rika¡­" Another voice piped up in the background, a harsh feminine voice he didn''t recognize. "Hey Rachel, the men in black are here." Rachel sighed. "I''ve got to go. Let''s talk again soon." "Sure." Josh hung up, cleared out his screen, and turned on some highlight reels of the season. He needed to empty his mind, relax, refresh, recharge. Sure, he''d gotten a normal amount of sleep most nights¡ªnightmares notwithstanding¡ªbut there was a general sense of exhaustion that finally surfaced once he got home. Now that he wasn''t in the thick of it, an immense weariness had settled on him, like a heavy blanket he couldn''t quite shrug off. He could still move, do pretty much anything he wanted, but it kept pressing him down, encouraging him to just stop trying and stop, be comfortable, let the rest of the world keep going around him. Except, sitting on the couch the next morning with his family, watching the news¡ªhis little brothers nowhere to be found, of course¡ªJosh was reminded yet again why he wouldn''t stop. There was an addicting feeling to influence, to seeing his effect on the world stage from the sidelines, and the news gave him yet another dose of endorphins that very next day. "...pleased to announce the development of a new Thaumaturgical Research Center in Seattle. This center will be the focus of magical research and development in the coming months and years to come. "The world has been graced with a new kind of power, and though many of us might never experience it firsthand, we are nonetheless poised to benefit from its potency. We will be working with the awakened population here in Washington State to understand how magic works and apply it successfully to real world problems." Stafford paused, and his smile vanished as his tone dropped. "However, I want to remind the nation that the awakened are human, just like me and you. Magic is not the panacea we might have imagined, but it does carry the potential for greatness. In America, our greatest accomplishments have come about when we fostered an environment for ideas to grow and flourish, for new technologies to be explored and developed, and for science to work its magic." The President smiled. "I''d like to thank Secretary Gatiss and Rachel DuValle for their hard work establishing this new initiative, and I think I express the hopes of all Americans and many more around the globe for your success in this great mission." Applause rumbled through the crowd, and the handshakes began. Josh nearly laughed aloud at Rachel on the screen, towering over both the President and Secretary Gatiss, shaking their hands, filling the screen on international television as the new face of the magical science movement¡ªa group facing its own growing discontentment among Cinza''s followers. If Cinza doesn''t stamp that out soon¡­ we''re gonna start fighting with each other again. We lost our enemy, and people are still angry. They''re going to want a new one. "You know her, don''t you?" asked Violet, glancing at her son. Josh shrugged. "Yeah." His parents exchanged a look, but neither spoke another word. Josh sighed. "This is gonna get really awkward if you don''t just ask me what''s up." "...I overheard you yesterday on the phone," said Violet slowly. "I was putting away Luke''s laundry. I didn''t mean to eavesdrop, but I didn''t think it was private¡­" She glanced at the TV again. "Stafford''s speech sounded just like what you said yesterday." He nodded. "Yeah." "Son, that''s the President of the United States," said Brandon, as if Josh somehow didn''t know. "That''s¡­" "I think I''m gonna try to sign up for classes," said Josh, desperate to change the subject. "I got into Whittier." "...How?" asked Violet. "Weren''t you¡­ umm¡­" "Considered dead until like a month ago, yeah." Josh shrugged. "Their due date for applications was a couple weeks ago. I got it through in time." He stood up, stretching his arms and trying to slow down his pounding heart¡ªa useful skill he''d picked up over the years, helping him stay calm when his body was in full flight mode. "I''m gonna go get some breakfast." His parents didn''t say a word as he left. Josh was relieved¡ªif he was being honest, the idea that the President had just echoed his words back at him from an internationally-viewed broadcast was both thrilling and seriously unsettling. He hadn''t expected Rachel to be on screen, nor that she already seemed to have such significant influence within the political sphere. Well¡­ that could end badly.
On New Year''s Eve, three days later, Josh was once again lounging in his chair at home. He really loved his desk chair¡ªif he ever did go back to the Greywood, it was absolutely coming with him. On the screen was his account with Whittier College, still picking classes to take again. He still hadn''t decided if he wanted to enter as a transfer student or not. If he did¡­ well, it wasn''t like his status as one of the awakened was totally unknown. He didn''t exactly get a flattering profile from Cinza in the book¡ªCinza didn''t make much of his contributions, and Josh didn''t blame her. Until Rallsburg fell, his role on the council was behind the scenes by design. He''d never wanted the attention anyway. Still, he was in it, and a Councilor to boot. A Joshua Miller from Norwalk wasn''t particularly notable, but a Joshua Miller who had attended Rallsburg University until May 2018¡­ that was a goddamn celebrity. Lose three years of credits toward my bachelor''s in business, or announce to the school staff I''m awakened and a veteran of all that crap. Why the hell did I want to go back to school, anyway? He knew why. Josh wanted the legitimacy of it, the normalcy. He needed a balance¡ªhe sure as hell wasn''t giving up magic, but at the same time, Josh wanted to bring back the normal parts of his life again. They''d been gone for so long, lost in a sea of cult politics and life-or-death situations. Besides, I already asked Kendra and Lily for the tuition money, and they both seemed so happy I was continuing my education. I''d feel like such an asshole if I didn''t go through with it. So Josh had picked Whittier, a school close enough for him to stay home with his parents, and small enough to fit the small-school style he''d preferred¡ªone of the reasons he''d ended up at Rallsburg in the first place. It wasn''t exactly the best school for his degree, but it was something. Reluctantly, Josh closed the transfer form. He''d start over, work toward an Economics degree instead of Business. If he really wanted, he could always get his credits later. For now, even the faculty knowing his history was too much. Josh wanted to go unnoticed again, just another guy in the school, nothing special about him. That they know of. He pulled out his phone¡ªit was time to exercise one of those precious connections he''d built up over the years. "Lily?" "Hello, Josh. Are you prepared?" "Just for the night. Then I''m coming back." He paused. "Thanks again for doing this." "It''s not a problem." "It''s gotta be exhausting, isn''t it?" "It is far worse without Grey-eyes'' assistance. If we do not attempt it often, the strain is manageable. This is why it must remain secret." Lily paused. "Have you informed your parents?" "Not exactly. Just that I''d be out of town for New Years." "I see." Josh picked up his backpack and strapped it on. "All right. I''m good." A wooden door was in his bedroom wall. Josh walked through¡ªand now, with Nikki''s words vaguely ringing in his ears, he did feel some vertigo at the black void around the cobblestone path. Nothing had changed, but there it was. Thanks Nikki. Lily was inside this time, standing near another open door. "Does the door you pick matter?" asked Josh, curious. "Yes, but in another sense, no," said Lily with a shrug. "I do not wish to explain it further than absolutely necessary." There''s that Rallsburg paranoia. Josh nodded. "It''s cool, I was just curious." He glanced out the door, where his cabin waited. "Are you coming as well?" "We want to see the ceremony, and perhaps see if I can find news on Natalie." Lily gestured for him to continue. "I assume you''d rather we not both emerge from your cabin." He snorted. "Now that would get people talking." Lily smiled. "Where did you tell them you would be?" "Took Hoskins'' offer to go into town for Christmas. He and Nikki are the only two who know where I really went." She nodded. "Well, I will see you later." "Take care, Lily." Josh stepped through, and the door disappeared behind him. Inside, he found Nikki lying in their bed, half-covered and half-clothed. The warmth from the little box in the corner slowly diminished every few minutes. Josh reached out with magic and refilled it, making sure their cabin would be nice and cozy that night. He sat down on the edge of the bed and ran a hand along Nikki''s arm. She mumbled in her sleep, twisting toward him. "Hey, Nikki," said Josh. Her eyes fluttered open. "Hey you," she mumbled. "Is it New Years already?" "Eve, yeah," said Josh. "How are you doing?" "Good day," she said, smiling. Her hand grabbed at his arm and pulled him down. "Get over here." Some time later, the two of them emerged from the cabin, wrapped up in jackets and scarves. The Greywood never reached freezing like the rest of the forest could, but especially coming from California, Josh felt like he might as well have stepped into a block of ice. "How was it?" asked Nikki, sticking close to him as they headed for Cinza''s cabin. "I got everything you wanted," said Josh. She rolled her eyes. "Thanks, but I meant your family." "They''re good." Josh hesitated. "Let''s talk about it tomorrow, okay?" Nikki nodded. "Sure." Cinza''s door loomed before them. Ruby''s engravings were complete, but the girl never stopped adding to the design of the whole structure. With the door complete, she had begun adding flourishes everywhere else, even learning to shape metal to add new textures to their windows. They''d added a new room as well, a loft above the main area with a retractable step ladder that released by a simple trigger¡ªno hanging pull-strings needed when one could flick a switch with magic from a distance. Josh knocked on the door. "Come in!" called Cinza''s echoing voice. A crackling fire greeted them¡ªburning forever on the same pile of logs, through another trick of nature magic which replenished the wood fibers even as they combusted. It took energy to maintain, but not as much as one might expect. The ever-burning fires had been Cinza''s first idea for a permanent solution to heating after the blackout, but Makoto and Rufus had come up with the portable heat boxes as a more practical solution a few days later. More controllable, and no risk of setting off forest fires everywhere. Since then, they''d distributed a few dozen to the camp, to replace the now-useless space heaters most had brought. Can''t believe Kendra and Lily finally gave up their monopoly on enchanting objects. Still not to Jackson-levels of anybody-can-use-it, but it''s a huge advancement. "Hello, Josh," said Cinza warmly. She and Ruby were curled up in a blanket near the fire, while Makoto sat a few paces away on the rug. "Welcome home. Your absence was felt." ...Well, shit. I definitely have to tell them. Tomorrow, though. "Couldn''t miss your big show," said Josh. They each took one of the comfy armchairs across from the pair in their single wide one¡ªCinza and Ruby had improved them as well, and the chairs were both remarkably supportive and incredibly soft. Scratch my chair at home, I want one of these. "Did you get to read the speech on Friday?" "Someone brought me a transcript," said Cinza. "I''m told Rachel was there?" "Yeah." Josh shrugged. "Moving up in the world." She nodded. "As she should. Their initiative will hopefully do us all a great service." Huh, guess they''re still on the same side after all. "You said Stafford couldn''t be trusted." Cinza shook her head. "I said Stafford was not to be trusted with our affairs. An important distinction." "Well, we''ve got to do something now that Grey-eyes is gone." Immediately, Ruby stiffened. Makoto''s eyes flashed. The whole cabin seemed to get a few degrees hotter. Cinza frowned. "Why do you say that?" "It''s been four weeks. We''ve heard of at least nine deaths now, and I''m sure there''s more we don''t know about." Josh shook his head. "I know you don''t want to accept it, but if Grey-eyes were coming back, she''d have done it already. We have to start working from that assumption." "I couldn''t find her," murmured Nikki. Everyone in the room turned to her, sitting next to Josh with her eyes closed. "Nikki, you good?" he asked. She nodded. "Yeah, no headache today. I was just¡­" Her eyes opened. Nikki was obviously a little upset. "I tried to scry her. I didn''t get anything." "If Grey-eyes doesn''t wish to be found, I have no doubt she knows many ways to defeat scrying," said Cinza dismissively. "Yeah, but she never used them ''til now." "You scried her before?" asked Josh. Nikki nodded again. "I wanted to see if it''d work. She came to ask me why I did the first time I tried, and I just said I was experimenting, learning how to use it properly. She said that was okay, then left again. Sometimes, I felt her in the craziest places, too." "Which you should not reveal," said Cinza pointedly. "Never," said Nikki firmly. "Since Natalie''s ritual, though, I haven''t felt her once. I can find her essence, so it''s not gone, but¡­ I can''t find her." "Essences don''t disappear when you''re dead though," Josh pointed out. "I found Morton''s essence just fine." And nearly died trying. Never doing that again. Another sharp reaction from Cinza''s companions. "She''s not dead," snapped Ruby. Cinza laid a hand on her partner. "No, my love, and I don''t believe that''s what Josh intended." Josh nodded. "I''m sure she''s just fine. But we have to assume she''s not awakening anybody anymore. The last death report was yesterday." Her eyes softened. "Who was it?" asked Cinza gently, her tone full of sympathy. "Seventeen year old kid in Montana. Somebody had a Scrap way out there, in safekeeping until they heard she was back," said Josh, dredging up the details from the story he''d read that morning. "A bunch of kids broke into the safe, passed it around, dared him to read it, and¡­" Josh snapped his fingers. "He was gone." Cinza shook her head. "A terrible tragedy." "A preventable tragedy," Josh shot back, his temper rising a bit. "If she''s still around, she could have stopped it." "I do not pretend to know the thought processes of deities," said Cinza. "I owe her my life, as do you and everyone in this forest. Without her, I would be nothing. I would be less than nothing. If she has decided humanity has reached its limit of awakened, I accept and will trust in that decision." Sometimes I really hate talking to her. Josh might have kept going, except that Nikki touched his hand. He glanced at her. "You okay?" "Yeah," said Nikki. "I just¡­" She glanced at the door. "Yusuf''s coming." In the last month or so, Nikki had started to become more aware of everyone in the Greycloaks, plus Josh. She knew where most of them were at any given time. It had started after the attack by Brian''s people, wanting to keep track of everybody she cared about, and had shifted into a frequent practice, until Nikki had developed it to a constant perception. I still haven''t decided if it''s invasive or endearing. We all told her it was fine, though, so I guess I''ll go with endearing. Sure enough, Yusuf knocked on the door a moment later. "Come in, Yusuf!" Cinza called. The door swung wide, and Yusuf''s surprised face greeted them. As soon as he saw Nikki, he smiled. "Ah. I was not to understand you were meeting now." Cinza smiled. "Your presence is always welcome. Would you like to join us?" "Actually," said Yusuf, "I was asked to deliver the messages to you. Captain Hoskins wants to have talked with one or both of you." Cinza glanced at Josh. "I''ve still many preparations for tonight. Are you able¡ª" Josh sighed. "Yeah, I can do it." "Are you certain? I''d be happy to hear whatever the Captain needs." "Nah, I want to see him. I''m going to miss Xavier, he''s a good guy." The whole room seemed to take a breath. Josh realized what he''d just said. Shit. "...Josh?" asked Nikki, grasping his hand. "...Are we to understand you''re not planning to stay?" asked Cinza tentatively. Josh sighed. Fuck it, might as well get it over with. Nikki''s gonna hate me. "I don''t think so. I can do a lot for us from the outside, with internet access and phones and shit. Plus, I just¡­ I really need to get out of here." Cinza nodded. "This isn''t your place." "Well damn," said Josh, rolling his eyes, "don''t hold back, Cinza." She smiled. "You are always welcome, and we will maintain your cabin as long as you desire in honor of your contributions, but we''ve all known this day would come sooner or later. You aren''t a member of our family, and it''s always grated at you." "Well¡­ yeah," said Josh, nodding. Nikki was uncomfortably quiet, but she hadn''t let go of his hand yet, which he took as a good sign. Damn, when did I get so attached to her? I mean, I do like her, but¡­ huh. Is this something more than a good friend and great sex? "I''m sure you''ll see me again." "I suspect you''ll be one of the very first we communicate with, once we design a new method." Josh grinned. "Looking forward to it." "Now I think you had better leave," she added, nodding at Nikki. "You two have a lot to discuss." "...Right. See you tonight, then." Josh stood up, and Nikki stood as well, following him out in a half-daze. Yusuf sat down in the chair he''d vacated, and Cinza had soon struck up a fresh conversation about preparations for that night. As Nikki and Josh crossed the field, he realized she was leading him toward the exit from the Greywood, not back toward their cabin. "You''re coming?" he asked, surprised. As far as he knew, Nikki hadn''t left the Greywood since¡­ well, since they came back in May, after the rest of the Rallsburg remnant scattered to the winds. "I mean, if you want¡ª" "I''m coming," said Nikki determinedly. They walked out in silence, Josh carefully opening and closing the locks as they went, making sure the Greywood remained secure. They hadn''t yet had to deal with any sort of magical assault, of course¡­ but there was no telling what might come next. Cinza wasn''t about to leave her home to chance. It wasn''t until they''d gotten almost halfway to the pilgrim camp¡ªJosh gently warming the air nearby as they hiked through the forest¡ªthat Nikki finally spoke up. "You asshole!" she snapped. Josh sighed. "I was going to talk to you first." "So you bring it up in front of Cinza and Ruby and Makoto first, huh?" "That was an accident," he said, shrugging. "You already decided!" snapped Nikki. "So what, were you even gonna tell your girlfriend you were moving out?" "I hadn''t¡ª" "Bullshit!" Nikki stopped walking, leaning against a nearby tree to catch her breath. "You know I can tell when you''re lying, right?" A ping of concern danced through his head. Nikki did know how to cast that spell¡ªshe''d worked it out with help from Rachel now that they were in contact again, who could remember the sensations of magic in the air from when Mabel used to cast the same spell. Josh frowned. "Thought you said¡ª" "No, I''m not using magic on you, asshole. I told you I wouldn''t. I''ve just been sleeping with you for the last few months." He sighed again. "I''m sorry. I really didn''t mean to spring it on you. It just¡­ came out." Nikki started to calm down again. "...Yeah, I know. I''m sorry too." "I wanted to talk to you tomorrow, after the big show." "This is gonna throw me off so much tonight." "You''re doing it?" he asked, trying to lift the mood a bit. "Yeah," said Nikki, smiling slightly. "I''ve been practicing with them. It''s not a big part, but I''m gonna be in it." "Congrats." "Yeah, you''d fucking hate it, I know." Josh shook his head. "No shit I would, but this is your family. It''s a big deal." "...Thanks," said Nikki. Her expression softened. "And it''s yours, too. Back in California." "Yeah." Josh sighed. "If you want¡­" She was already shaking her head before he voiced the thought. "Maybe to visit, but this is my home. I''m staying." Neither of them spoke for a while, letting the sounds of the winter forest around them fill the air, the birds of winter chirping away as the wind whistled through the leaves. If Josh were being honest, he would miss this¡ªthe peaceful quiet of the forest, where his mind could really just settle down and think. At the same time, though, he missed the rush of the world, the crowds, the excitement. As long as he wasn''t a part of the excitement, obviously. "So do we¡­" Josh started, but trailed off. Nikki shook her head. "Not yet. It''s just me and you, and after the show tonight, you''d damn well better be in my bed." Josh put a hand on the small of her back and pulled her close. "You know it." A twig snapped nearby. They both jumped, breaking the mood in an instant. "Err¡­" started a voice nearby. "I don''t mean to intrude¡­" Josh whipped around, alert on his feet in an instant. Nikki, too, seemed ready to fight at a moment''s notice. To their relief, though, it was just Captain Hoskins, unaccompanied, carrying a portable heater someone must have powered for him. "You were gonna wait until we started fucking right here, weren''t you?" asked Josh. Hoskins coughed politely. "I would have said something long before then." "You wanted to see him," said Nikki, brushing hair out of her face and desperately trying to catch her breath. "Here he is." "I can see that," said Hoskins pointedly. "How was California?" "Nice and warm," said Josh, smirking. "Looks like you solved that problem though. Nice toy." "Yes, Private Deeks managed to win this off someone in a game of cards." Hoskins shrugged. "Naturally, I had to confiscate it, since our regs currently state no soldier is permitted to have unauthorized magical artifacts in their possession." "Bet that stung." "Anyway," said Hoskins, clearing his throat. "I wanted to inform you and Cinza that the Guard plans to significantly diminish our presence here." Josh sighed. He stepped away from Nikki. This was going to be a serious conversation and not a friendly chat after all. "What''s the timeline?" "Once the winter clears up. We''ve already moved most of our nonessential equipment, and those with Christmas plans already left on the 14th, but the Governor authorized the rest of us to stay on through the winter to ensure the camp''s stability during the harshest months." "It doesn''t get that cold here," said Nikki. "And we''ve got magic." Hoskins shrugged. "They''re working off models that don''t include magic, for obvious reasons. All of the men still stationed here don''t have any particular desire to leave anyway, but we do need to go home sooner or later." "Well, it was always gonna happen eventually," said Josh with a shrug. "We''ve appreciated everything you''ve done for us, Captain," he said formally. Hoskins nodded. "Thank you. Don''t worry though, I''ve no plans to leave quite yet. You''ll be notified well in advance whenever we do." Nikki shot Josh a pointed look. He sighed. "...About that."
"Fuck," gasped Josh as he fell back against the bed. Nikki lay down next to him, panting, with a wide smirk on her face. She danced her fingers up his chest to the stubble on his face. "Yeah." He turned in the bed, looking for the clocktower that stood in the center of the Greywood¡ªa replica of the one down in the pilgrim camp. Ruby had constructed both, and with a little help from Yusuf and Rufus, created the timekeeping enchantment which now kept perfect time for both of the magical encampments in the forest. "Jesus, it''s five in the morning?" he muttered. Nikki giggled. "I really missed you." They''d been at the New Years party after the show for a couple hours. It was all great fun, but as soon as Josh and Nikki noticed Zo? Portman and Melody Savana practically dragging each other back to their tent, they knew it was time to do the same. It was all Josh could do to actually make it back to the Greywood. "So¡­" said Nikki, still tracing circles on his skin, wrapped up pleasantly against his side. "What are you thinking about?" "I don''t have any brain cells left for thinking," muttered Josh. "Uh-huh." Nikki giggled again. "But seriously?" That I really don''t want to kill the mood, but I hate lying to you. "That I still need to go home." "...Yeah, I know," said Nikki quietly. She snuggled up tighter around his body. "I''m okay with that now." "You are?" "It''s not like you''re going away forever. Besides, we''ve got a secret portal." "It''s not that simple, you know," Josh pointed out. "Making those isn''t easy." "You''ll be back. I just gave you a great reason to come back." Nikki giggled again, obviously still high on the rush of endorphins. "And once Kendra works out how we can talk to each other, it''ll get easier. In the meantime¡­ hey, write a letter or two." "A letter?" snorted Josh. "Am I in a fucking chick flick now?" "I''d watch it." Nikki smirked. "Write me once a week. It won''t kill you." Fuck, I don''t want to leave her yet. She''s gotta get out of here for once, and hey, I''ve got a way out. "...You want to come visit?" asked Josh, throwing caution to the winds. "Nothing''s gonna happen for a while, and I won''t be starting school for a week." "Shit, you''re actually going back to school?" Nikki laughed. "The hell do we need school for anymore?" "I''ve still got a degree to finish," Josh shot back. "It matters." "Okay, okay," said Nikki, still grinning. "You sure, though?" Not even a little bit. My parents are gonna have some words about me and you. "That thing''s gonna run out today anyway," he added, glancing at the portable heater, "and fuck if I''m awake enough to refill it." "So we just call up Kendra for a ride in the middle of the night, huh?" "It''s one PM in London," said Josh. "Perfect time." He concentrated, and soon enough, he found the connection with Lily. A quick tug, and within a minute, there was a door in the wall of their bedroom. Without warning, it swung open. Nikki promptly sneezed. She giggled. Lily had immediately averted her eyes at the sight of them. Without Nikki''s allergy, he wouldn''t have had a clue which she was¡ªthey were perfectly identical, as their magic had created. "...Sorry," muttered Josh. "Please open the door whenever you are ready," said Lily, still pointedly looking away. She retreated inside and closed the door again, but it remained in place rather than disappearing as it usually did. "Won''t Cinza wonder where we are?" asked Nikki as she put on her bra. "I told her we''d be busy the next few days," said Josh, grinning. "Didn''t say with what, though." Nikki giggled. "I''ll bet she got the message." They dressed. Nikki packed a bag with a few things, and soon enough, they both walked in. Nikki stared uneasily at the edges of the cobblestone path, but she didn''t seem to have any of the vertigo she feared. Nonetheless, she clung to Josh''s hand as they walked through. "Back to your room, I suppose?" asked Lily, standing a fair distance away from the sniffling Nikki. "Yes," said Josh. "Thank you for this." Lily shot him a look¡ªwhich Nikki missed, to his relief, as she was starting to fall asleep on his arm¡ªwhich was a clear reminder not to use their power frivolously. He nodded, and her disapproving glare relented. She led them to the correct door, and it swung open as they approached. Soon enough, Josh and Nikki collapsed into his bed, and the door in his wall was gone. "You''ve got a nice bed," she murmured, stretching out under the covers. "I''m sure we''ll make good¡­ use of¡­" Nikki had already drifted off. Josh might have done the same, except that his phone had a missed call from an unknown number, and from only a few minutes prior. Nobody can call this number. Nobody knows this number. We''ve got Cinza''s blocking shit from Tezofarl. Their code is supposed to be foolproof, and I''ve never gotten a single call I didn''t want. So who the fuck is this? Quietly¡ªso as not to wake his parents or his brothers, he had no doubts Nikki would sleep through anything at this point¡ªhe called back. "Hello?" "...Josh, right?" Josh was wide awake immediately. He sighed with relief. "Hailey?" Her voice was a bit scratchy from the bad connection, but it was still audibly her. "Yeah. Sorry I haven''t called, I didn''t have your number on my new phone. Finally got it from Alden, who got it from¡­ well, that''s a long story." "Where are you, anyway?" "Georgia." "...Georgia?" "Yeah." A loud whistling sound in the background. "They just announced new weather predictions. You probably didn''t see them yet¡­ wait, why are you up so early anyway?" "You called me like twenty minutes ago." "Well yeah, but then I remembered you were probably out late last night, so I hung up right away." Hailey laughed. "Guess I was wrong?" "...I haven''t gone to sleep yet." "...Holy crap. What kind of parties were you at?" Josh laughed, and hurriedly stifled himself. "What are you doing in Georgia?" "There''s a huge winter storm coming. They keep thinking it''s gonna get worse like every hour. I figure this is probably the best place for me right now." "...Huh. Makes sense, I guess." He glanced at the screen, as if the story he''d read the day before would still be there. It jogged his memory either way. "I heard about that building fire you put out. Felt like old times, huh?" "Something like that," said Hailey. "Oh god¡­ I''m sorry," said Josh. "I didn''t mean to¡ª" "It''s fine," she said, and her patient tone made it clear she was telling the truth. "Jessica wouldn''t want me to mope about it. Don''t feel like you have to tiptoe around anything around me. It was a pretty rough fire though. Barely got everybody out okay." "They got a photo of you, too," said Josh. "Still looking great, Hales." "Thanks," said Hailey, and Josh could practically hear her smile through the phone. "Kinda sucks that the cops still gotta try to arrest me though. They look the other way til I''m done, then tell me to leave if there''s no cameras around, or make a big show of it if there are. I mean, I knew it''d be like that, but¡­ ugh." "We''re still working on that," said Josh. "I got in touch with Jefferson Baux by email a couple days ago. He''s hopeful." "Cool." A huge gust of wind blasted the phone microphone. Josh pulled it away from his ear until it subsided. "Sorry, had to take a weird dive. You still there?" "Still here." Josh glanced at Nikki, asleep on the bed beside him, and felt his own exhaustion mounting. "So you''re good, then?" "...Yeah," said Hailey, and Josh felt every little bit of contentment in her voice as she did. "I''m good. I''m doing what I always wanted to do, and now I''m doing it right. I''m okay." I''m jealous as all hell. Wish I had my life figured out like that. "Glad to hear it." "Wow, what am I doing? You''ve been awake since last night. Go to sleep!" Josh laughed. "Okay, fine." He started to take off his clothes, but kept the phone to his ear. "Listen, I''m gonna be out of the ritual zone for a while. Call me anytime." "...Got it," said Hailey. Josh was taken aback by how few questions she asked. He was so used to everyone being curious, everyone wanting all the answers¡ªHailey simply took him at face value without another word. "Now go to sleep!" "Night, Hales. Good luck out there." Josh plugged in his phone and finished undressing. He pulled the covers tight around himself and Nikki, only briefly wondering if his family would break the age-old family taboo against opening anyone''s bedroom door before they''d walked out in the morning. None of those worries stuck around long. Instead, Josh''s brain was stuck on a single thought¡ªhow the hell can I be like her? He wanted the sort of peace Hailey Winscombe had found. She''d been through hell¡ªa worse hell than Josh had ever known¡ªbut she''d ended up one of the most calm and put-together people he knew. She seemed genuinely happy these days, even if she was an internationally wanted fugitive always on the move with no real home to go back to. As Josh drifted off to sleep, wrapped up tight in bed with his girlfriend, visions of the world flashed through his mind. He''d tried to imagine so many ways the magical community might develop, but forecasting wasn''t his strong suit¡ªironic for a business major, to his bitter amusement. Still, at the end of the day, he''d found himself in one of the most influential positions in the world, with the ear of nearly every major player on the board, either directly or only a few steps away. And I''m just a black kid in Norwalk who''s worried about his parents finding out about the white girl in his bed. How the fuck did I end up here? He hated the job, but nobody else could do it. It fell to him. No matter how he had landed his position, Joshua Miller made up his mind in the early hours of twenty-nineteen: he''d do his best to help the world to a better place¡­ so long as he stayed as far away from the spotlight as he could get. B3: Chapter 3 — Setting the Stage Chapter 03 ¡ª Setting the Stage The lights shone bright on his eyes, but with a few clever spells, he''d altered how the photons struck him so he could remain fully illuminated without actually blind. In his line of work, being able to read everybody around him was critical to success. Adjustments were always necessary, no matter how perfect his performance¡ªafter all, every show was dependent on how well the audience reacted. "And now, if you''d be so kind," said Jonathan Hudson with a wide grin. He gestured¡ªmaking sure his cape flew out wide as he did¡ªto an ordinary chair sitting on the stage. The young woman giggled and started forward. As loathe as Jonathan felt toward the idea, it held true that everybody in the audience tended to prefer when a cute girl ended up his volunteer. He was a showman, through and through, and if that''s what it took to put on the best show¡­ so be it. At least he didn''t make them out to be fools like some other magicians he''d seen. As the young woman sat down, the chair suddenly lifted into midair. "Oh!" Jonathan smiled, lifting his hands in unison with the chair¡ªand inwardly buckling from the strain a little. She''s heavier than I expected¡­ That''s the other reason to use cute girls, I guess. "Hold on tight!" The chair flew out above the audience, trailing sparks and fog as it did. The fog was actually created by tiny canisters concealed inside the legs, to save Jonathan a bit of energy. He''d learned to mix practical effects and legitimate magic over the last few weeks to give his shows that extra level of excitement without additional drain. As soon as I learn how to enchant objects¡­ this is going to a whole new level. I hear they''re developing it in the Greywood right now. As the young woman swung out over the small theater, people gasped and clapped. The sparks were totally harmless, of course¡ªthey weren''t even real, just photons of light generated by Jonathan¡ªwhile the fog dissipated before it reached eye-level. The chair did two circuits before bringing the young woman back to the stage, flustered but excited. Jonathan held out a hand and helped her up. She shook on unsteady legs, but her eyes were wide with excitement. "Can I go again?" she asked breathlessly. He grinned. "My dear, you can only ask so much of magic!" As he did, the chair suddenly shattered into a hundred pieces behind them¡ªright on cue, of course. "Ah¡­" Jonathan scratched his head, playing up the confusion, while the audience leaned forward with bated breath. Murmuring under his breath¡ªwhich wasn''t required for magic at all, but thanks to Hailey, many assumed it was¡ªJonathan began to assemble the chair in his mind piece by piece, making sure every component of the spell was just right. He''d practiced it a thousand times, if not more, but to do it in a single smooth motion was the real trick. He had to press the wood shards back together, fuse the fibers again, smooth the edges, and make it look seamless. It had to be perfect. "And voila!" he cried, throwing forward his hands. The chair snapped back together. Jonathan had executed it perfectly. The young woman next to him burst into applause, while the audience¡ªonly a hundred and fifty or so, but still, he''d filled the theater¡ªburst into applause yet again. Jonathan turned around and took a sweeping bow, basking in the praise, the glory, his accomplishments come to light. The rest of the show went well. Jonathan didn''t slip once, and more importantly, neither did his disguise. When he was done, the fog let him escape backstage with a clap of thunder and a series of dancing lights, as had become his signature. He knew better than to let anyone follow him again. Even the theater staff had no idea where he went, and he never interacted with them beyond the absolute necessities. Still, he drew enough of a crowd to be worth signing, again and again. Jonathan had worried that magic becoming public would put a dent in his career, but if anything, it was the opposite. Particularly in the weeks since awakenings stopped, Jonathan found interest in his show doubled up, if not even more. People were eager to see magic, and he was all too happy to oblige. Still¡­ everything else that happened certainly put fear in his steps. As Jonathan left the building through the emergency side door, he used a tiny spell to hold the emergency alarm lever in place, so it wouldn''t trigger. Outside, back in his street clothes once more with his cape hidden underneath a plain dark blue hoodie, dress pants underneath his jeans, Jonathan just looked like a kid wearing bulky clothes. It was Thursday, December the twenty seventh. Four weeks had passed since the attack on the awakened camp near Rallsburg, the capture of Brian Hendricks and his associates, the blackout zone, and a general quiet fell over the world. Somehow, it seemed like after the most insane November anyone could remember, the Northwest decided it was time for a break. Jonathan couldn''t be happier with that. His whole bus ride home consisted of nervous glances in every direction, praying none of Brian''s followers remembered what he looked like, or still had one of those stones. There had been a few suspicious deaths in the area, but since nobody could prove the victims were awakened¡ªthe identifying stones didn''t work after death¡ªthey''d been ruled accidents. He didn''t believe it. He knew both of them were awakened, though to out them would be to out himself. Neither of them were suicidal or clumsy. The war wasn''t over¡­ it just went quiet. The bus driver called out his stop from the front. Jonathan pulled the cord and got to his feet, stumbling a little as the bus braked unexpectedly. His heartrate quickened¡ªis this something? Do I need to run? What''s going on? Except¡­ nothing. It was only another car, a bad driver cutting off the bus. Jonathan heaved a sigh of relief. Remember what Julie taught you. Deep breaths. Don''t assume the worst. Hold to my strengths. "Thanks," said Jonathan as he got off. The bus driver waved to him cheerfully¡ªJonathan had always made sure to keep a good relationship with the man who drove his regular route. For one, he was just a really nice guy and worth talking to, but beyond that, Jonathan wanted to trust everybody on his path back home¡ªback to safety. I hope it''s safe, anyway¡­ He trudged through the evening rain in the dark, one block this way, one block that, until he finally reached the little custom mailbox. His mom decorated it with all her favorite things¡ªmostly fish, he never really got her obsession with fish¡ªand painted in bright colors was their last name. Waldstein Wonder if Hailey and Alden ever found out I gave them a fake last name¡­ Even built a whole fake profile. It was for my career. I meant to tell them the truth, but¡­ guess neither of them are gonna see me again. Hailey, of course, was traveling the country and beyond, helping people wherever she went, playing the hero. Jonathan was honestly a little jealous. If he could, he''d do the same, but he didn''t have anything like her power. The fact they''d even met was one of his most treasured memories. Alden, meanwhile, had moved down to Olympia to be with his sister, who''d been left in a coma. Though somehow the media still hadn''t learned it, most of the awakened knew Meg Bensen was the last person to try to awaken. It filtered through the camp and managed to reach one of the private awakened social groups online before the blackout struck. Since then, Jonathan had sent his condolences to Alden, and received a grateful reply, but otherwise they''d not really conversed. It wasn''t that big a deal¡ªthey''d really only met a few times¡ªbut Jonathan felt bad for the guy. They were the same age, they were both relatively new to magic, and it had struck his sister in the worst possible way. He couldn''t imagine how Alden''s family was dealing with it. "Hey Mom," called Jonathan as he walked in the front door and rubbed his shoes on the welcome mat, "hey Da¡ª" He cut off. His mother Abigail¡ªor Abby, to friends and family¡ªcame around the corner with a fresh load of laundry in her arms. At Jonathan''s slip, her eyes softened just a little. She forced a smile. "Welcome home. How was your gaming night?" "Pretty good," said Jonathan. I should tell her... Julie thought I should. I just¡­ I can''t. Not while we''re still dealing with¡­ everything else. "What''s dinner?" "Well, I''m not really hungry yet. You in the mood for anything?" "I think I''ll just have leftovers." "Let me make you something," said Abby, setting the laundry down on the bench nearby. "Take that coat off and hang it to dry, all right?" "Okay, okay," said Jonathan. He took the drenched coat off as soon as she walked away, hung it to dry, then rushed upstairs to his room to remove the rest of his theater outfit. By the time he''d come back to the kitchen, Abby was already well into making him a sandwich using some of the challah she''d made a few days prior. She waved at him as he walked in, half-obscured by the wispy menorah candles, gesturing toward the table. "So," she started, finally speaking more seriously as Jonathan began to dig in. It was delicious, as expected. "You''re halfway through senior year. Isn''t it time to start thinking about next steps?" Jonathan shrugged noncommittally. "I''m already thinking about them." "So what''s the idea?" That my career''s already started. "I''m looking at a couple schools." "Still sticking to theater, or do you want to branch out?" "I dunno." Abby sighed goodnaturedly. "Honestly, why is it so hard to get a straight answer out of this generation?" "Well, I thought I had an idea, but the world keeps changing on me," said Jonathan. "Clear your mouth before you speak." He did, and took a sip of water before he went on. "I''m still figuring it out. I don''t know exactly what I want to do yet." "College is a great place to start doing that, you know." "Not really," said Jonathan with another shrug. "If I really want to do theater, that''s kind of a specialty thing. I can''t just go to a tech school but want to do theater. I gotta know something first." "Sometimes we can''t know everything in advance," said Abby¡ªand Jonathan really felt the undercurrent of tension in her words. He''d tensed up too, though he suspected for a very different reason. "Life''s always going to throw curveballs at you, Jonathan. You can''t wait for an easy pitch that might never come." "I know," he said glumly, finishing off the sandwich. "I just..." They both trailed off. An awkward, uncomfortable silence fell over the room. Abby was staring into space, her eyes twitching slightly as she tried to process her emotions. Jonathan knew what she was going through, even as he dealt with his problems in his own head. "Think on it, okay?" Abby gave him a hug from behind, which did do a lot for his mental state. "If you need to, you can always just attend community college for a year before committing to anything. We''ll support you." "...Thanks, mom." "Are you coming to shul tomorrow?" she asked as she stood up. "I''ve got my support group on Fridays, remember?" "...Oh, right." He stood up. "I''m gonna go upstairs now." Abby nodded. Jonathan gave his mother a kiss on the cheek, cleaned up his plate and went upstairs. He needed some time to think, especially after the uncomfortable pauses and silence of that conversation. Jonathan loved her without question, unconditionally, but¡­ sometimes they just weren''t quite on the same wavelength. As soon as he was in his room with the door shut, Jonathan flipped open his laptop and laid back on his bed. He needed space, but Jonathan wasn''t really the type to be alone. People were always better than no people¡ªexcept when they were trying to kill him, of course. To his relief, she was online. He pressed call. "Hey you." Jonathan smiled as soon as her face popped onscreen. "Hey you," said Nell. She was distracted by something clearly, and as she leaned back, he saw a controller in her hands. "What are you playing?" "Something you hate," she smirked. "What''s going on?" "Just got home." "How was the show?" Jonathan sighed. "Went perfectly. Didn''t even get tired this time. No fatigue at all." "So you''re getting better." Nell slammed a few buttons harder than she needed to, violently jerking her controller. She was one of those, but even so, she still played better than he did. "Got him." "Still scary though," Jonathan muttered. Nell immediately paused the game and turned to him. Her expression softened. "Dude, if you''re scared, that''s normal. You nearly died like three times." "Yeah¡­" "Do you want to stop?" Jonathan shook his head. "I don''t know what else I''d do." "...That''s not exactly the best reason to keep going," said Nell, rolling her eyes. "I''m on your side, man, but you better be committed to this. If magic''s not what you really want to do with your life, is it worth risking your life for it? Maybe it''s time to give it a break." "That''s easy for you to say," said Jonathan, his temper rising. "You can''t even do magic." Nell sighed. "You''re in a bad place, so I''m not gonna hold that against you, but not cool, Jonathan." "I''m sorry," he said, though he couldn''t put enough sincerity into it. "Look, you''ve had a rough summer, a crazy fall, and now it''s been a painful winter on top of it," said Nell. "I still like you, but you''ve gotta find a way to deal with all this buildup." "Yeah¡­" "Are you still seeing Julie?" Jonathan shook his head. "I stopped after¡­" He trailed off. Nell didn''t need him to explain; she knew everything about his life, even down to his encounters with Hailey, with Alden, with Jeremy and all the others. It helped that she didn''t even live in the same state as him. Nell nodded slowly. "I think it''s worth more sessions. I''ll help pay for them, if you still don''t want your parents to know." "I can afford it." Jonathan smiled slightly. "I''m getting bigger advances and ticket royalties now." "Oh, Mr. Moneybags with the theater cash?" Nell grinned. "Congrats, dude." "I''ll¡­ I''ll start seeing her again," said Jonathan slowly. "I just gotta find a time to put it in my schedule." She''s only available Monday to Friday, and I''ve still got school after break ends, plus my evening shows, plus the support group on Fridays, and I still want time to talk to Nell, plus there''s my friends¡­ it''s just too much. "You awake over there?" asked Nell, peeking at the screen. Jonathan realized he''d zone out, and at some point his new laptop went to sleep¡ªhe''d left the default idle setting on way too low. "Yeah." Jonathan changed the settings and grabbed his own controller. "Can we just play something for a while?" "Sure," said Nell, and to Jonathan''s relief, they didn''t say another word about his family or magic the rest of the night.
Jonathan fidgeted on the couch. He was still unused to a setting like this, and he hated the feeling of being exposed. Theater was one thing, but it was his choice, and he was usually portraying a character¡ªnot himself, not like this. Worse, he knew he needed to talk to someone about what was happening, since he couldn''t speak to anyone close. Not yet. Not even Nell. "It''s our ninth session, Jonathan," said Julie Mendosza patiently. She had a clipboard in front of her, but Jonathan could see even from a distance the top page was totally blank. Julie was giving him her full attention, without any distractions. He appreciated that. "Do you know that nearly thirty-five percent of people don''t come back after their first?" "I didn''t." "It takes a lot of courage to admit you need help the first time, but the second time is still difficult," she said. "You said something huge occurred unrelated to your parents, and that you need a new session because you''re worried about what might happen next. Particularly when you''re already going through such a massive change in your life, it''s important to have a space where you can express your feelings without any risk of judgment. " Jonathan shook his head. "I don''t think there''s risk." Julie frowned. "What do you mean?" "Well¡­ they''d never kick me out. No matter what I said or did. They love me. We''re just not that kind of family." "I don''t mean a physical risk," said Julie. "Whether or not it comes to mind, you may have a lot of emotional risk." "It''s not like they''re going to shout at me or anything," said Jonathan with a shrug. "Even if I told them what''s really going on. If we got through this summer, we can get through anything." "It can be more subtle than that." Julie glanced down at a note she''d taken on their previous visits. "You expressed a lot of similar thoughts back when your parent came out to you, and I think you''re still processing that change in your life." "I mean¡­ would you be over it?" Jonathan shook his head. "I just didn''t get it. I still don''t." "Well, speaking as one cisgender person to another, I don''t think we can," said Julie. "It''s something you can''t truly understand unless you''re actually experiencing it yourself." She took a sip from her water before continuing. "One of your parents went through a huge change, and the other''s still figuring out what it means, exactly." "...Yeah. We''re both as typical as it comes, straight white people. Well, Jewish, but still¡­" said Jonathan. "She still hasn''t told anybody on her side of the family. I think she''s afraid of how they''ll react." "Were they particularly attached to Victor?" He shrugged. "I dunno. But¡­ I think¡ªI mean I''m not totally sure, Mom''s the only one who''s really Jewish in our family¡ªI think they aren''t the kind who are okay with that sort of thing." "And she''s afraid of getting ostracized herself by her community, because of the person she married," said Julie, nodding. "What about your friends?" "I told them," said Jonathan with a shrug. "I kinda had to, since they come over often enough. They''re all pretty cool about it. Way more than I was." "Do you think you reacted poorly?"This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. "I mean¡­ I refused to call her mom for a long time¡­" Jonathan sighed. "I still mess up a lot, and sometimes I worry that it''s on purpose, but like, not that I know it is. I know her name''s really Annabelle, and that Mom''s weirded out that her name is so similar, and that they aren''t on good terms yet, but¡­ yeah, I just have a lot of trouble seeing her as¡­ you know, her." "You still see your father," said Julie. "Yeah." Jonathan shrugged. "I''m trying. I don''t want to hurt him¡ªerr, her, and I know she''s got it really bad from Mom. I just feel like I should be doing something." "It''s not your responsibility to fix the situation," said Julie. "Your mother has to figure out their new relationship in the same way that you do. All you can do is support and love them both, and if they decide to reconcile or they decide they have to remain separated, you might have to accept that decision." "I just hate all of it," said Jonathan. "Is that selfish?" "It''s not selfish to want your life to be a bit easier," said Julie. "I think you''re handling this better than many families, and that means a lot. I''m sure Annabelle appreciates it too. She''s going through one of the most difficult experiences in her life, and something she''s probably been suppressing for a long time." "Thanks¡­ That''s¡­ that''s not really why I came here today though." Julie nodded. "It''s still good to explore anything giving you anxiety, even if it''s not on your agenda. If it comes to the surface, it was clearly bothering you to some degree." "Right." Jonathan glanced at the door nervously, then at the window. He''d already built up the anticipation and tension to this moment so many times in his head that it was almost a letdown by now. Still, there was enough fear trickling through his body to prompt yet another paranoid check of his surroundings. "My office is soundproofed," said Julie, "and nobody else is in this building. You can say whatever you want." "...Well, in a few seconds, you''re gonna realize why those might mean nothing," said Jonathan. "Do you believe you''re in danger, Jonathan?" asked Julie seriously. She leaned forward slightly. Jonathan shook his head. "Nah. It''s more¡­ I should just show you. The rest kinda explains itself." "...What do you mean?" He held up his hand, and in his palm, a tiny flame burst into life. "Well¡­ I can do magic. For real."
Jonathan''s memory of that session was a little hazy, but the image of Julie''s shocked reaction to his reveal had stuck forever in his brain. He hadn''t exactly been trying for drama, but that sort of genuine reaction became his goal forever after in his theater career. The couple of games turned into hours of games with Nell. In fact, Jonathan fell asleep with the video call still open, his controller resting on top of his palm. It was the middle of winter break, so he didn''t need to worry about school the next day, but even so, Jonathan still liked to stick to some kind of typical schedule. It helped him stay focused and alert¡ªand he really needed to stay focused and alert. "What time is it¡­" muttered Nell as she struggled to wake up. "...Oh crap." She glanced at the clock, somewhere off-screen. "I was supposed to be at my brother''s thing. Are you good?" "Yeah, go," said Jonathan. "I''m just practicing and staying in today until group." "Call me after?" "Of course." Jonathan gave her a little wave. "Bye." Nell took off without even a goodbye, but Jonathan didn''t mind. She was already late for sure. He''d meant to set an alarm after she''d mentioned it, but they''d both gotten too distracted. Jonathan did exactly as he''d told Nell¡ªas soon as the house was empty, he practiced his act. Jonathan put on his full outfit and used the family room in the back, as the largest space. He imagined a crowd past the couch, playing to the nonexistent back row, casting every spell he could in that tiny space. It wasn''t as easy as it used to be. Sure, Jonathan was getting better, and he was still inventing new spells, but the really flashy stuff wasn''t easy to pull off without the old website. Sadly, sometime in late November, just after Hailey took off for London, the whole secret awakened forum had gone down. Jonathan had managed to get back in touch with a few people, but for the most part, the greater community connection was gone. Losing that had seriously hurt his act. Jonathan relied on always having something new and exciting to show off. With magic being virtually infinite in possibility, he''d figured that could last him a very long time. He''d made good money, too, selling out one of the larger theaters nearby and promising things they had never seen. The forum supplied him with that magic. It wasn''t as easy as it sounded¡ªJonathan still had to take their ideas, master them, and integrate them into his show¡ªbut the spells gave him a place to start at the very least. The reconstructed object he''d used only the night before was one from a girl named Solveig. He sent her a thanks after seeing the post, but before she could reply, the site was gone. Now, Jonathan relied on his own wits, Nell''s ideas, and whatever magic he heard about coming out of the Olympic Forest. It took a lot longer every day to figure out exactly how the spells worked and how to use them, but he''d always been good at figure out puzzles. To Jonathan, magic was the most complicated puzzle in the world, and he was just putting it together little by little. Since mastering the reconstruction spell, his next goal was more transformative magic. Jonathan was currently working on shrinking and growing objects. It wasn''t as easy as he''d hoped¡ªsure, he could make something larger, but he was really just stretching it. In order to properly grow it, Jonathan had to create actual material, and Creation magic was a good deal harder than most. Shrinking was a little easier. Jonathan could do it as a pure illusion, obviously, with photon manipulation hiding the true object¡ªbut that wouldn''t stand up to closer scrutiny. These days, with real magic everywhere and Cinza''s light tricks practically common knowledge, Jonathan had to assume a more skeptical, knowledgeable audience. His solution was to combine the three pieces into one. Jonathan removed material from the object as evenly as possible, hiding the removal with photon manipulation, all while making sure the object fused together correctly as it shrank. There were a ton of moving pieces to the spell, but he was confident in his theory. Jonathan started with the simplest object he could think of¡ªa plain white piece of paper. After days of attempts, he managed to shrink it intact, without bothering to add on the invisibility yet. Next, Jonathan made his first attempts at regrowth¡ªtaking the material he''d removed and basically stitching it back into the paper again at a molecular level. It took another few days, but he finally pulled it off. A piece of paper, shrunk to a quarter of its size and back again. When Jonathan handed it to his mom that night for a grocery list, she hadn''t given it a second glance. He''d moved on to more complex objects next¡ªsomething wooden, then a pencil. Graphite proved more difficult to recombine properly, but still, Jonathan managed it. As he went, he slowly integrated the invisibility element. It wasn''t anywhere near impressive or smooth enough for the stage yet, but¡­ he really felt like he was onto something. Practice took him all the way up until group that evening. Jonathan took his mom''s car and drove out of Tacoma down to the church in Olympia where they met every other Friday. He pulled into the back parking lot and parked as far away from the building as he could. As far as a cursory scan went, Jonathan''s car looked like it was just one of the typical people who used the church as overflow parking for the stripmall next door¡ªwhich was packed as usual for a Friday evening, especially in the winter. Wrapped up in a coat and scarf, Jonathan hurried across the windy parking lot, pushing through the chilly December air. "Jonathan!" said Drew Jacobs, waving to him from the circle as he walked in. It looked like everybody else was already here. Traffic had been worse than expected, and Jonathan lost track of time while practicing. He waved back, smiling slightly. Drew was about the same age as him, an electrician apprentice who''d been through a very similar experience¡ªfinding a Scrap on his own and shortly thereafter getting a visit from Alden and Hailey. Likewise, Katie Nelson¡ªalso giving him a wave¡ªhad done much the same, though she was a mother of three boys rather than fresh out of high school. "Welcome. Good to see you," said Rupert Roche. Rupert had been the one to organize these meetings after the sudden loss of the website. Between his natural ability to network and his authority as Hailey''s boyfriend¡ªthough many assumed they''d separated given that Hailey was never seen near him anymore¡ªRupert became the natural leader for many of the scattered awakened across the Tacoma-Olympia region. Plus that accent really doesn''t hurt. I wish I had a natural voice like that. Gotta use some magic to modify mine for the show every night. Jonathan took a seat next to Drew, scooting his chair in close. "How''s it going?" "I think I''ve almost figured it out," said Drew quietly. Though nobody else in the group knew it, Drew had been developing electricity magic on his own. There wasn''t exactly a taboo against it, but given the drama surrounding electricity-magic users ever since it was used as evidence against Rika¡ªplus the people killed by it¡ªmost seemed a little adverse to try and learn it. "Awesome." He clapped Drew on the back. "Remind me to show you shrinking later. I''m getting seriously good at it lately." "We good to start?" asked Trevor Halliday, glancing at Rupert. Rupert looked around the group. "Do we know if anyone else is coming?" Elissa Piao spoke up from next to Trevor. "Nobody we know." Katie and Jonathan both shook their heads as well, while Drew just shrugged. Above them, the wind rattled the high windows of the church, as if prompting them to get on with it. "Right," said Rupert, glancing at the guy next to him. "Wes, if you''d be so kind?" Weston Davis nodded. He murmured something under his breath¡ªsomething Jonathan had always found a little odd about him, that he spoke when he cast spells¡ªand the familiar muffling sensation enveloped them. The whole church room had been muted, so that no sound would escape during their meeting. Likewise, the door locks clicked in every direction. "Hey, there''s exactly eight of us." said Drew aloud. "Funny, huh?" Jonathan grinned slightly, and a faint smile twitched on Katie''s face, but nobody else seemed to like the joke. The three of them had always felt a connection, as the ones who Hailey and Alden had found out of the group. Apparently the rest of the group were also connected to Hailey in some way or another, though Jonathan didn''t see how that applied to Elissa, Trevor, or Kyle. Not that this was a "Hailey Winscombe" group or anything¡ªthis was for staying in touch with other awakened, and keeping each other safe in a world that hated and feared them. "Does anybody have anything they need to get off their chest?" asked Rupert. "Anything goes here, remember." Nobody spoke for a few moments. Everybody was glancing between each other¡ªthey''d gotten a little close over the last couple months, but not exactly on the greatest terms. Finally, Kyle shrugged and broke the silence. "It''s been really fucking quiet for weeks," he said aloud. "Kinda freaks me out." "You want something to happen?" asked Katie uncomfortably. "Nah," said Kyle quickly. "Quiet''s not bad. I just wish we knew when things were getting back to normal." "It''s magic," said Drew. "Is there such a thing as normal?" "Hey man, I had a legit business. I''m still coasting, but eventually I gotta figure out a new line of work." Jonathan shrugged. "You would''ve needed it sooner or later though. Eventually you''d run out of people to buy second-gen Scraps, or somebody else would''ve figured out your technique." "Yeah¡­" Kyle sighed. "Good while it lasted though. Got a lot of money out of mundies looking for magic." Out of the corner of his eye, Jonathan noticed both Drew and Katie looking far less than sympathetic toward Kyle. Everyone in the room had awakened from a proper Scrap¡ªand most still had theirs, as far as Jonathan knew¡ªand there was a certain resentment toward the wave of second-gen awakenings created by Kyle''s invention. It hadn''t been around long enough before the blackout to really know the extent of new awakened Kyle might have birthed, though. Jonathan didn''t really care how somebody might have awakened¡ªso long as they took it seriously and didn''t out anybody, he was fine with however people got there. It was the rest of the world that worried him. "You guys see the news this morning?" asked Trevor. A few nods in reply. "No," said Jonathan. "I think I slept through it." "Rika Nishimura got denied bail." Immediately, every head swiveled to watch Weston''s reaction. Though it wasn''t public knowledge he was awakened, everyone knew he''d lived in Rallsburg for a very long time while dating Hailey Winscombe, and certainly would have known Rika. Weston sighed. "Yeah, I heard." "What for?" asked Jonathan. "The same reasoning as Hailey received," said Rupert, "with the added weight of Rika''s previous illegal entries and exits from the country, as recorded in Cinza''s diaries." "Such bullshit," muttered Elissa. "I can''t believe they''re still citing that Kleiner paper." "Nobody can prove it was written with prejudice," said Weston wearily. "Especially since he revealed he was awakened too. He''s still under investigation for the accusations related to Cornelius Malton and Stefen Gearhardt, but right now he''s a free man." "And now people are citing it just at random," said Drew. He sat up slightly. "I''ve had customers bring it up to my face, people on the street even. It''s like ''hey, this dude in England with a science background wrote a paper saying you''re an unstable explosion waiting to happen, so can you please go away now''?" "How''s your boss feel about that?" asked Katie gently. Drew sighed. "He''s still on my side. Even kicked out a long-time customer who made threats at me. But still¡­ I know he''s taking a hit to his business for this. People who support awakened aren''t willing to come in and make up for the lost cash." "That really sucks, man," said Jonathan, patting him on the shoulder. "Thanks." He smiled, but Jonathan was more than ready to pick up the outrage slack he''d dropped. "Everybody thinks they''re an expert from what they just read online," he said, sitting up straight. "It''s ridiculous. Magic''s only been around a couple months, and only really been around a couple years before that. How''s anybody supposed to know what it does yet?" "It''s not like we agree with him, Jonathan," said Trevor. "But when he''s the only source of information¡ª" "We''ve got Hailey, we''ve got Kendra Laushire, we''ve got the FBI guy and Cinza and the whole U.S. government on our side," said Jonathan, his blood pumping a little harder. He knew it was starting to boil over, but he didn''t care¡ªthis had been on his mind ever since Hailey''s bail hearing, and now with a repeat performance, Jonathan needed to let it out. "Why can''t they just take a hint?" "What are they meant to learn?" asked Rupert gently. "Magic isn''t the most precise or definable concept. We barely understand it ourselves. Caution isn''t the most unreasonable reaction, particularly given the events of this year." "Acceptance takes time," added Weston. "We''ve thrown a huge new concept into the world, and we''re forcing everybody to accept it without question. Worse, it''s already shown a chaotic shift in practically no time at all. We went from ''magic is real and anybody can have it'' to ''nobody can awaken and if you try, you die'' in three short weeks." Above, another gust of wind rattled the church. Jonathan was breathing a little heavier as he went on¡ªhe hadn''t yet said his piece, and Jonathan really needed to speak his mind. "Stuff changes fast. They just gotta keep up. It didn''t take the mundies three weeks to start murdering us." "The danger''s past though," said Rupert. "Brian Hendricks was captured, and his people have scattered to the winds. Hate and discrimination are horrible things and may never truly be stamped out, but we can overcome them." "It''s not past," said Jonathan, back upright in an instant. "You really think it''s gone now?" He shook his head. "People are still gonna track us down. Why do you think we meet in secret here in a church where nobody can get in or hear us?" "Because Katie volunteers here and has access to it?" supplied Elissa, clearly trying to defuse tension. "We''ve gotta protect ourselves. Make sure we can fight when we have to. Show them we''re not to be screwed with. Maybe it''s time to replace defense with offense, too." "That''s what the authorities are for," said Rupert. Jonathan snorted. "Yeah, because they did so much in Lakewood." The room got very quiet as everybody winced. Weston''s eyes softened. "You don''t need to remind us, Jonathan," he said softly. Jonathan fell back in his chair. "I''m¡­ I''m sorry." "I get you''re upset," he went on. "I am too. I''ve lost some of my closest friends to the fighting, and I''ve no doubt they''d be with us now if we didn''t have to deal with so much prejudice and hate." Weston looked around the group. Everyone tended to give him a much greater breadth of respect¡ªpartly because of his true awakened status, though that wasn''t known outside this circle, but mostly due to his history in Rallsburg and his close friendship with both Hailey and Jessica Silverdale. "This will always be a safe space for us. The world may never be truly safe, but with time, it''ll get better. It won''t be easy, and it''ll take work from all of us, but I believe it''s worth doing. I like to think of it this way," he added with a small smile. "Even with everything I''ve seen and done, would I ever want to give up magic? Jessica went through far worse than I ever did, but she never once told us she regretted awakening. I''m never going to either." Weston sat back again. "Let''s change the subject for a little while, if that''s okay?" After a few moments to cool off, focusing on the breathing technique Julie taught him, Jonathan nodded.
"Jonathan," said Julie patiently, while he paced around her small office, flexing his fists and trying to keep calm, "would you like to tell me what happened?" "A lot happened," he muttered. "The last time we spoke, you were telling me how excited you were about your next show, and the new magic you''d invented for it," said Julie. "I''ve seen the news. Is this about what happened at the camp three days ago?" Jonathan nodded. "...Were you there?" He nodded again. Julie set aside her clipboard and leaned forward. "Tell me what happened." "It''s more than that," said Jonathan. He still couldn''t sit down, but at least he could stop pacing. He decided to just lean against the wall near one window, playing out his restlessness in his arm and hand. "I met Alden Bensen again last Tuesday." "You haven''t heard from him since October," said Julie, nodding slightly. "What changed?" "He called me. Alden needed help getting to the Greywood, and I was just happy to hear from one of them again. And I thought he could introduce me to Cinza, I''ve always wanted to meet her. So I said yes, and he picked me up in Tacoma." Jonathan shook his head. "It was my fault, kinda. I decided we should go see one of the meetings." "The meetings¡­ you mean the ones held by Brian Hendricks'' followers?" asked Julie. Jonathan nodded. "I thought it would be good to see the enemy. Figure out what we were up against. I didn''t¡­ I didn''t expect him to actually be there." "You saw Brian yourself?" "Yeah. Golems and everything." Jonathan shivered. "I could''ve died. I should''ve died. Alden got me out of there." "I''m glad you made it out okay," said Julie. "That sounds terrifying. What happened next?" "Alden dropped me off at a bus stop. I went home, but then¡­ well, I heard about a group heading up to the camp the next day, right? And I thought, well where''s safer for awakened people than the heart of magic?" Jonathan shook his head. "I''m such an idiot." "So you were in the camp at the time of the attack," said Julie. "Were you injured?" "As soon as the shooting started, I got inside a food cart," said Jonathan. "I just¡­ hid in there. I didn''t do anything. Didn''t fight back, didn''t try to help. I didn''t even come out til the next day. No idea that the other guns and the helicopters were the National Guard." "That seems like a reasonable thing to do," said Julie. "You''re a civilian. It''s not your job to fight. Taking cover probably saved your life." Jonathan shook his head. "But so many people did die. People like me." "It''s a terrible tragedy," said Julie. She closed her eyes for a moment and opened them again, taking a few seconds of silence. "How did you get home?" "The next morning. I took the first chance I got," said Jonathan bitterly. "Made it out before the blackout hit." Julie nodded. "Are you wishing you''d done something else?" "No¡­ I think. I don''t know," said Jonathan. He stretched out his neck. Everything felt tight, tense, painful. He was overburdened by stress in every inch of his body. "I hate feeling like this." "Like what?" "I don''t want to die." Julie nodded. "Nobody wants to die. Jonathan, one thing I have noticed, however, is that you tend to put yourself in situations where danger finds you." She gestured to the couch, and Jonathan reluctantly took a seat. "Your magic show attracted Brian''s men to you. You just told me you decided to go to one of the meetings yourself, and then the next day, you decided to go to a place where people practice magic openly, only a day after witnessing their hate firsthand." "So I''m an idiot," said Jonathan. "I knew that." She shook her head. "I think you''re someone who doesn''t want to restrict his life based on other people''s whims. I can certainly empathize with that." "But I have to," said Jonathan, rising to his feet again. He was angry, and in this space, with his therapist, he couldn''t really keep a lid on it. "I''m one of the smallest minorities in the world. Mundies outnumber us almost two million to one. I''m at risk every time I walk out the door. Awakened people lose their jobs, get attacked, get murdered, and it can come from anywhere. Anyone on the street might be somebody who''d kill me for what I am, if they find out." Julie nodded, but Jonathan wasn''t done yet. He kept going, venting his frustrations, his fears, his anger. By the time he''d finished, falling back on the couch again, she''d settled back into her own chair. "I''m going to ask you something, and I don''t want you to answer right away," said Julie finally. Jonathan hesitated, but nodded. "Don''t you think almost everything you''ve just said applies exactly the same to Annabelle?" He opened his mouth, but Julie held up a hand. Jonathan reluctantly shut it once again. "I''ve taken down a lot of what you''ve researched and what we''ve discussed in the past regarding her transition, and nearly all of these were on your old list when we worked on empathizing with her fears. This isn''t necessarily true, nor do I think you''re doing it consciously even if you are, but there''s a lot of parallels here. I think you may be projecting some of your anxiety and frustrations from Annabelle''s transition onto your own life." "That''s not¡ª" said Jonathan, but cut off. He took a second to phrase his thoughts properly before continuing. "Yeah, Da¡ª, er, Annabelle has to deal with a lot of that too. But it''s not the same." "You''re both exploring huge changes in your life which make you reexamine who you are, what options you have lying before you, how the world will treat you and the new prejudices and fears you now face," said Julie. "I think you share a lot more in common than you might think, with one important distinction." "Huh?" "You got to choose," said Julie simply. "For Annabelle, there wasn''t ever really a choice, except whether or not to reveal it. For you, awakening was a choice. I''m not saying it was the wrong one, but I think it''s important to remember. You didn''t bring any of this on yourself, and you don''t deserve the hate and prejudice you''ve seen, but I think you might be able to recognize some of what she experiences. It wasn''t the best way to empathize, but maybe some good can come out of your horrible experience last week." Jonathan was still clenching and unclenching his fist, clearly unsettled. Julie glanced at the clock. "We still have time, but I wanted to bring up something for you now. You selected me because I specialize in family counseling and transgender care, but I''m sorry to say I don''t have a whole lot of experience with trauma therapy. Jonathan, you''ve been through something seriously traumatic, and I think you may want to see one of my colleagues about what''s happened to you this week." "I don''t want to," said Jonathan. "I trust you." She smiled. "I''m glad, and I''ll keep these sessions as long as you want. I''m just letting you know the option''s open, and I know several excellent specialists in that field. They won''t know anything from our sessions unless you wish it, and they can be trusted with any of the secrets you''ve shared with me." "I¡­" Jonathan trailed off. He wasn''t sure. All he knew was rage, fear, anxiety, frustration¡­ raw emotions, bundled up, pressing him to do something, to act. His instincts were for the big moment, the performance, the show. Right now, Jonathan needed that big moment, but he wasn''t sure how to find it. All he could do was put on a magic act¡ªand if he were being honest, not a particularly good one, either. He was just¡­ angry.
When the group came to a close, Jonathan headed back to his car at the end of the parking lot. It was starting to get late, but the whole place was lit well enough. Still, Jonathan kept a firm hand in his jacket clutching a small pile of gemstones. If someone came at him, he was ready to fight. To his surprise, though, somebody was already waiting near his car. "Hey," said Drew. Jonathan stopped, a little suspicious. He liked Drew, and trusted him more than most in the group¡­ but he''d still never told anyone his real name. Jonathan liked to keep his two worlds as separate as possible. "I just wanted to say I completely agree," Drew continued. He gestured vaguely out in the distance. "There''s a couple other people who feel the same way, especially now that Grey-eyes is gone. Other awakened." "...Okay?" asked Jonathan, still not taking a step forward. "We''re meeting tonight. We usually meet after the group here. I thought you might be interested." Drew shrugged. "If not, then I''ll just see you next time." Putting myself in dangerous situations¡­ The thought echoed in Jonathan''s mind. Nell was waiting for his call tonight, and he really need to schedule a session with Julie¡­ but at the same time, wasn''t this the opposite? He wasn''t putting himself in danger¡ªhe was about to take a step toward preventing it. Jonathan opened the door to his car and gestured inside. "Where to?" B3: Chapter 4 — The Pledge Chapter 04 ¡ª The Pledge Drew climbed into his passenger seat. Jonathan felt a tingle of anticipation and anxiety¡ªhe had no idea what he might have just agreed to, but no matter where they went, he was already excited. No more hiding. "Where to?" he asked again. "It''s a club on the east side," said Drew. "The Box." "''The Box''," repeated Jonathan dubiously. "Seriously? Who came up with that?" Drew shrugged. "Ask him about it yourself if you want. He just bought it and renamed it like a month ago. He still gets a good crowd every night." They set off. Drew directed him through the dark streets¡ªnight had set in early, as usual for the end of December. Jonathan''s foot tapped impatiently on the floor of the car, playing out the extra energy building up in his body. He just wanted to get there already, but unless he could fly like Hailey, they were already going as fast as he could safely travel. "Here," said Drew, taking them back off the highway. "It''ll be on the right, and you want to drive around back when we get there." "So he owns this whole place?" asked Jonathan. "Are we safe here?" "Of course. Totally safe." Drew grinned. "Don''t forget man, we can do magic." "Doesn''t always save you," Jonathan muttered. He winced. "...Yeah. But that''s why this group exists. We''re not just gonna hold each other''s hands and hope for the world to step in anymore. It''s time for us to start doing something." Jonathan nodded. "Sounds good to me." "There it is," said Drew, pointing ahead. Sure enough, a squat building was approaching fast. Jonathan didn''t see any kind of sign on the outside, but based on the people already gathering for the Friday night club scene, Drew was right¡ªthe place was doing just fine, dumb name or not. Jonathan pulled in and drove around the building to the back, finding seemingly the last parking space available for a block or more. "This way," said Drew as they climbed out. Jonathan followed, anticipation growing with every step. They were walking toward the dumpsters in the back, which stood in a small cutout of the square building, behind a padlocked fence. "You want to do the honors?" he added, gesturing at the padlock. Jonathan grinned. Reaching out with his essence, Jonathan felt for the tumblers inside, pushing each one until he felt them slide into place. A quick twist and pull, and the shackle sprung open. Jonathan flourished his hand, gesturing Drew forward. "How do you do that so fast?" he asked, relocking the gate behind them. A lot of practice at home. He smiled. "Did you forget I''m a magician?" "Ha ha." Drew rolled his eyes. "Come on." Jonathan glanced around at the blank walls surrounding them. He knew better than to assume there wasn''t some kind of trick. Reaching out with his essence again, a spell pulsed against one wall, though he dared not probe further in case he interfered with it somehow¡ªor worse, set off a trap. Drew walked forward without hesitation and reached out for the apparently blank wall. His hand vanished as it crossed the line of the spell, and suddenly a door swung open right in front of them. Drew walked in, and Jonathan hurried to follow, pulling it shut behind them. Immediately, he felt the pulse of the club beyond. The bass thump practically ignored the thin walls inside the building, and the backroom was no exception. Another doorway awaited, with another invisibility spell layered on it. Jonathan glanced behind him and saw the first was lined with gemstones¡ªself powered. Gotta figure out how to do that¡­ Drew waited a few seconds before walking through to the next area. There was no actual door this time, and as Jonathan passed through the opaque illusion blocking the entry, he finally saw the group Drew had been talking about. To his surprise, he already knew one of them. "About time," said Kyle Galverson, waving lazily at them. Two others sat nearby, both on their phones. The guy glanced up at them and nodded¡ªbut not an inch more response than that. Across from him on the couch, a girl with her arm in a sling, manipulating her phone with her other hand. She didn''t acknowledge them in the slightest. Both seemed about their age, as Kyle was. Jonathan pegged the whole group as early twenties, without much variation. "Is he here yet?" asked the girl, not taking her eyes off the screen. Her voice had a perpetual exhausted quality to it. "No, and stop asking that," said Kyle. "I''m starting to fall asleep over here," she muttered. "Already?" He glanced at the clock. "It''s only ten. Didn''t you sleep til noon?" "New drugs." "It''s worse?" asked the other guy, setting his phone down. She nodded, eyes still locked to her own. "My doctor''s trying something different. Hoping it''ll stabilize me." "Something happen to her? Bad ritual?" Jonathan whispered to Drew. Unfortunately, the pulse of the club wasn''t as overwhelming as he thought¡ªor she had really good hearing. "Nope, just bipolar," she sighed. "Speaking of magic though, shouldn''t you be doing something, Kyle?" "Oh, duh." Kyle turned to Jonathan. "This is gonna sound dumb, but since I actually haven''t ever seen you do magic, I gotta scan you." "What?" He dug into his jacket and pulled out a plain grey stone, etched with a symbol on the top. Jonathan recoiled¡ªhe hadn''t seen an identifying stone since Jeremy pickpocketed one off the guy who''d been tracking him. These days, everyone knew what they were. The cache of captured stones from Rallsburg had been reported as part of the preliminary hearings for Brian Hendricks and his people, prior to their full trial. "Everybody here has to be awakened, no exceptions," said Kyle. "Can''t trust a mundy here. But we don''t scan people without permission. So¡­ yes or no?" "Yes, obviously," said Jonathan with a shrug. "What would happen if I said no?" "We''d fuck you up," said the girl, but despite the attempt, it came off as tired and weak. "You''d have to leave," corrected the guy on the other couch. "Nina exaggerates." "Ya ikh ub''yu," said Nina. Jonathan recognized it as Russian, but he didn''t have a clue what she''d actually said. Something rude, probably, based on what she''s like so far. "Yeah, all good," said Kyle finally. He pocketed the stone again. "Anyway, that''s Nina, and the other guy is Corbin. All that''s left is the guy who owns the place." "Who?" asked Jonathan curiously. "Not yet," said Corbin. "Yeah, he''ll want to make his big entrance for you," said Nina. She sighed. "Better be here soon, before I pass out." "I didn''t think that was a side effect of bipolar meds," said Kyle. "It isn''t," said Nina. "But it''s pushing me way more to the other side and that''s making me just want to go to sleep. I gotta get this adjusted." "Why not just take less?" asked Jonathan. "Because I don''t have a medical license," Nina shot back. "I don''t know how this stuff works, and technically some of it is basically poison." Drew had taken a seat by now on the open couch. There were four set around a round table in the center of the room. Nina completely dominated one, while Corbin was wedged into the far corner of the couch opposite, like he was trying to take up as little space as possible. Kyle was in the far couch, now with his own phone out, so Jonathan had to pick someone to sit with, or just stay standing all night. Feeling like he was making a commitment somehow, Jonathan took a seat next to Drew. Despite being the most obvious choice, it still felt like a huge moment. Of course, the moment he sat down, the whole room was just back to an uncomfortable silence, as the other three sat on their phones. He felt antsy again, waiting for something to happen, all that buildup for nothing yet. "So what''s actually going on here, anyway?" asked Jonathan, glancing at his friend. "Do you guys just come here after group every week?" "It''s a nice place to hang out," said Drew with a shrug. "Safe, anyway. Thanks to Kyle, nothing is getting in here without our okay." "Plus, y''know," said Kyle, jerking his head toward the pounding music. "Tons of hot girls right through there. All of us are allowed in there, even if you''re not over twenty one like Corbin." "Clubbing''s not my scene," said the other guy. I''m not twenty-one either¡­ Drew is, though. "Aren''t we going to¡­ you know, do something?" asked Jonathan impatiently. "I thought that''s why you invited me here." "Like what?" asked Kyle. "...Drew said this was a group for people who thought sitting back and doing nothing wasn''t going to work. So¡­ what now?" "We''re still waiting on him," said Corbin. "Who?" asked Jonathan, now getting really irritated. "Me, ''course." A man strolled in through the door leading back into the club, brushing long brown hair out of his face. Under his arm was a huge roll of white paper. He flashed a crooked grin across the room, shrugging off his long overcoat and hanging it up before he went on. "See you finally brought the new guy, Drew," he went on, a faint drawl to his words. Jonathan felt like he should know the man, but couldn''t quite place him. "Welcome to our little home-away-from-home here." "...Thanks," said Jonathan. "Well, I''m guessin'' by your expression, you''re gettin'' a bit impatient sittin'' around waitin'', huh?" He nodded. Finally, somebody who gets right to the point. "I''m here to actually do something." The guy grinned again, toothy and crooked¡ªthe sort of smile that screamed something shifty and unscrupulous just under the surface. "Came to the right place, sure as sure. Lucky for you, we''re recruitin'', too." "Recruiting for what?" "Julian, just get on with the pledge already," murmured Nina. Jonathan glanced over, and her eyes were drooping heavily. Every few seconds, she shook herself back awake. He turned back to Julian. "The pledge?" "Pledge, promise, as you like it," said Julian with a shrug. "You gotta swear loyalty." "Swear loyalty to what?" "To us," said Corbin. Julian nodded. "Either you''re in or you''re out. If you''re in, you''re with this group. Total loyalty, absolute secrecy. You seen¡­ what do you call it? Fight Club." "Don''t talk about it?" said Jonathan. "Right! Don''t talk about it. We ain''t a fight club or any shit like that, but you damn well better not talk about us." Julian grinned. "Asides, we got magic on our side. You talk, we''ll figure it out, and you can bet your mother''s best china we''ll find you afterward." "What do you need me to do?" "Do your thing, Kyle," said Julian with a lazy wave of his hand. Kyle got to his feet, and almost immediately, Jonathan sensed a spell being cast. He couldn''t quite tell what it was, but he knew Kyle was doing something, and the magic centered on him. Jonathan wasn''t exactly afraid¡ªhe was confident that Mason''s Law would protect him¡ªbut a shiver of fear ran up his spine nonetheless. "Go ahead," said Kyle. "Aight. Is your name Jonathan Hudson?" asked Julian. "Yes," said Jonathan¡ªan instant before realizing that was a mistake. "Lie," said Kyle, glancing at Julian. The whole room perked up at that¡ªboth Nina and Corbin stared at Jonathan with newfound suspicion, while Drew simply looked confused. Jonathan winced. "...Well now," said Julian, rubbing his hand on his chin. "What''s your real name, kid?" "It''s my stage name," said Jonathan reluctantly. "My real name''s Jonathan Waldstein." "True," said Kyle. "We''ll let that one slide, I guess," said Julian. "Lord knows I''ve had to hide my name more than once with all this shit. Movin'' along¡­" His voice became more pompous, as if announcing something, and dropped his accent almost entirely. "Do you plan any hostile action toward this group or any member of it?" "No." "Do you plan to tell anyone outside this group about anything we do here?" "No." "Have you ever worked with or for, knowingly or unknowingly, Brian Hendricks or any other awakened hate group?" "No." The questions went on like that for a while¡ªJulian asking every variation he could, Jonathan answering clearly and honestly. Kyle never spoke again, to his relief, even on the answers where he wasn''t as confident. After all, he didn''t plan to tell anyone outside the group, but he did have a new session with his therapist¡­ and depending on how the night went, it could definitely come up. "Do you want to strike back at them?" asked Julian. "Yes," said Jonathan firmly. "It''s time." "...All true," said Kyle finally. "Well, then. Final question," said Julian, his accent finally back. "Round here, we''ve been takin'' a pledge. Repeat it after me, mmkay?" As Julian spoke each phrase, Jonathan repeated it. With each word, he felt a growing sense of importance¡ªof purpose. This was what he''d been searching for. No more hiding in fear or running off to the few openly magical places in the world. Now, he had real allies, instead of a support group too complacent to act. No more waiting for the enemy to strike before doing anything about it. Now it''s our turn. "I pledge to the assembled here that I will work toward a better world for all awakened, no matter the cost. I will protect our fellow awakened and defend against those who want to do us harm. If I must, I will fight, steal, lie, and kill to further our cause. I will carry out the actions of this assembly to the best of my ability. Most of all, I will never reveal the identities or secrets of my fellow members, no matter the circumstances. I pledge all this in the name of Grey-eyes and of magic itself." "...And done," said Julian, sloppy grin on his face once more. "Too long," murmured Nina. "You wrote it," Kyle shot back. "Dunno what I was thinking¡­" "Welcome, Jonathan," said Corbin. Drew clapped him on the shoulder excitedly. Jonathan nodded, but his eyes were still locked on Julian. "Now what?" Julian dropped onto the couch next to Kyle, and finally unrolled the huge piece of paper he''d brought in with him. It looked like building blueprints, though Jonathan wasn''t exactly familiar with them. Everyone leaned forward, even Nina, who finally seemed to perk up a little now that something new was happening. "Now, we get plannin''."
Three days later, New Year''s Eve, Jonathan picked up Drew at a convenience store. He didn''t know where Drew lived, and vice versa. They just hadn''t ever told each other, but now it felt like a good security measure to keep. It was the night, the first part of what they''d been planning all weekend. Jonathan told his mother he''d met a new group of friends, but hadn''t specified what, exactly. His mother hadn''t been happy, but she''d let it go. She asked if he''d come to shul on Saturday after missing the day before, but Jonathan was already planning to go back to the club to keep planning. They wanted to get this done fast, especially since they knew what was likely going to happen on Monday. Timing was everything. "You ready?" Jonathan asked as Drew climbed in again. Drew''s hands were shaking, but he nodded. "Yeah, I''m ready." Jonathan expected to be just as nervous, but to his relief, it wasn''t there. If anything, he was impatient, excited¡­ and angry. He always felt angry now, whether in little bits or in huge bursts. They got onto the highway. It''d be a decent drive up to Seattle, where their target lived. Drew fiddled with the radio and got a music station¡ªsome kind of hip-hop. It wasn''t Jonathan''s thing at all, but the beat got him pumped at least. He had to control his excitement. If he got pulled over, in a car owned by who-knew, with what they had in the glove compartment? Just a few months ago, nobody would have bat an eye at a box of gemstones¡­ but now, and next to a pair of loaded guns? Nina had given them both a pistol, with two magazines of ammunition. They were only for self-defense, of course, but having them gave Jonathan an incredible boost in confidence. Before, he''d never liked guns¡ªbut now that he knew what it was like to be on the other side of a gun¡­ Jonathan would use anything he had in a fight. Not that they planned to get in a fight. Tonight was something else. It took a little under an hour to get there. They left late enough to avoid the rush hour traffic, which would be more important on their way out. If all went to plan, of course, they wouldn''t be followed¡ªbut to Jonathan''s relief, Nina and Corbin accounted for a lot of the smaller details. He''d gotten a better read on his new compatriots now, after a couple days cooped up planning with them. Every so often when they took a break, Jonathan managed to get one of them on their own and have a personal conversation. Once he was sworn in, they both warmed up to him. Corbin''s full name was Corbin Ancell, son of Spencer Ancell. He said it like the name would mean something to Jonathan¡ªwhich it didn''t. "Who''s that?" asked Jonathan. Corbin winced. "...He died fighting Brian. In Rallsburg." "...Oh." Jonathan''s memory flashed back to a brief snippet from Cinza''s journal. He''d only read the whole thing once, but he did remember a Spencer Ancell now. "And your dad knew Julian, I guess?" "Yeah. Julian was his boss. When¡­ when it happened, Julian came out to tell me." Corbin took a deep breath. "He said my dad wanted me to have magic someday, and just hadn''t figured out when to tell me yet. Then¡­ then he never got the chance." Jonathan didn''t know what to say, and to his relief, he was saved by Julian calling them back to continue planning. He''d meant to go back to Corbin, but the guy vanished as soon as they were done for the night, following Julian straight out of the building to who-knew-where.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Instead, he ended up talking to Nina, who was a mystery and a half to him. It didn''t help that she barely wanted to talk, no matter how much she said otherwise. "Keep talking," Nina muttered, her voice low and slow. "I need this." "Because of your¡ª" "Yes," she sighed. "I can''t be on a depressive episode right now though. I need to talk to my people." Nina was their contact for getting resources they might need¡ªgemstones, cars, blueprints, guns, whatever. She had friends in some kind of places. Jonathan couldn''t say if they were high or low, but they were definitely places. Beyond that, she also had an incredibly strong essence, in the few times she actually did cast a spell. Most of the time, though, Nina just stayed on the couch, often with a blanket pulled over her face. However, any time Jonathan asked about her, she pushed back immediately. "I''m not telling you where I''m from, or anything else about me," said Nina tersely. "...How about this, then," said Jonathan. "Why are you here?" "...Why wouldn''t I be?" "We''ve all got a pretty specific reason," said Jonathan, gesturing around. "Drew''s been a victim of anti-awakened discrimination. Corbin lost his dad to these people. I was in the camp when it got attacked. Julian''s whole hometown was blown up." He hesitated. "I dunno why Kyle''s here, but I''m sure he''s got a reason." "Money," said Nina with a shrug. "...That''s your reason?" "No. Kyle''s." Nina shook her head. "You aren''t allowed to know my reason yet." "I did the pledge," said Jonathan irritably. "Not good enough for me." Nina pulled the blanket back over her face. "...I need to sleep now¡­" Thus did all three of his attempts at conversation with Nina end. She''d inevitably withdraw into her blanket, blocking out the world. Jonathan couldn''t deny why she was there¡ªthe blueprints for the condo block, the guns, the gemstones, the car he was driving right now, even the timetable for their target''s day and transport was all through her. Jonathan shook it off. They were almost there. The four of them were meeting up¡ªtwo per car¡ªtwo blocks away from the target. As Jonathan pulled in, he saw another nondescript four-door sedan, very similar to their own, parked and waiting. They''d arrived much earlier, and would also depart much later, just in case of security cameras¡ªwhich Nina insisted weren''t present, but Julian decided was "better safe ''n sorry". "All good?" asked Corbin as they got out. Jonathan nodded. "...So you guys''ve done this before, yeah?" Kyle nodded. "First time the target''s ever been home at the time, but he''s just a mundy. No big deal, right?" "Yeah." Jonathan rubbed his hands together excitedly. "Let''s do this." Corbin raised an eyebrow. Beside him, Drew winced. Kyle snorted. "Are you serious, man?" Jonathan''s face lit up red. "Just¡­ just go already." "Uh-huh. See you there." Kyle headed off. He''d be in position to cover their retreat, whether that was by invisibility, misdirection illusions, or another spell out of his own bag of tricks. Kyle learned a lot running Julian''s secret marketplace, and Jonathan was seriously jealous. He had always taken a point of pride in being one of the most frequent posters on Cinza''s website in the spell theorycrafting area. More than a few awakened had taken his advice on their own spells, or left him thanks for the ones he shared freely. Jonathan really missed that instant feedback when the site vanished. He''d loved getting each and every single thank you message, and hadn''t realized how much he missed them til they were gone. Now, Jonathan had met someone who seemed to far outstrip him in creativity and spellcrafting. Kyle was almost single handedly responsible for the second-generation Scrap copies, by all accounts, and he''d reverse-engineered Cinza''s original Greywood spells to protect a location from unwanted entry. My turn for something big. As they approached the condo, Jonathan threw caution to the winds and voiced his idea aloud. "Let''s do more." The other two looked at him¡ªCorbin with his usual silent raise-of-the-eyebrow, Drew with a bit more concern as his friend. "...What does that mean?" asked Drew. "Just stealing from him isn''t enough," said Jonathan. "We need to send a message." "We''re using magic to do it," said Corbin. "That''s a message." "No, we need to make it more¡­ personal," said Jonathan. "This isn''t just another lackey. This is Felix Wieczorek. He was Brian''s number two. We need to make this more important. Get the message out, make sure everybody sees it." "Lackey?" repeated Drew, smirking slightly. "You know what I mean." "I do," he said quickly, nodding. "And I agree with you. We should do more." "...Like what?" asked Corbin, now sounding more interested. "I''ll think of something," said Jonathan confidently. "I''ve improvised shows in less time than this." Corbin looked doubtful, but Drew clapped him on the back. "You got this, man." Jonathan smiled, though truthfully, his heart was pounding in his chest. The pistol at the small of his back felt suddenly far more prominent. If he messed anything up¡­ if he overstepped or revealed himself or anything¡­ he might need to use it. "Phones off," said Corbin as they started to get close. Jonathan and Drew both double-checked theirs. Jonathan saw a text from his mother right as he turned it off, but he didn''t catch the contents. It''ll be fine, whatever it is. I''ll see her tonight. They crept forward amid the sound of crickets everywhere. The whole block was relatively dark¡ªonly one street lamp stood near the particular condo they wanted. As they moved in, Drew cast a spell to make it flicker out. It wasn''t a sudden black, so it would seem to anyone watching as if it were just an electrical fault. Gotta ask him how to do electricity spells at some point¡­ There was a light on in one window. A faint glow of colors told them the TV was probably on. Perfect. Jonathan walked forward, the other two right at his heels. As they walked past the condo, a wave of magic overtook them¡ªKyle had just laid down the invisibility. Immediately, all three of them turned and headed straight for the building. For the next few minutes, they couldn''t be seen. The condo wouldn''t visibly change to the outside. Inside¡­ anything could happen. He felt inside the door lock, found the tumblers, and gently clicked them into place. Next, the deadbolt above, and finally, the kill-switch on the alarm panel down the hall. As soon as he''d got everything, Jonathan nodded to Corbin. A hissing sound began to fill the whole house as Corbin cast his spell. Likewise, Jonathan and Drew filled the space with a white fog. It was thickest in the area around Felix, but they left everywhere else thin enough to see clearly. As long as Drew held it steady on Felix, the whole place might as well be blanketed. Not like the hissing is actually doing anything either¡­ but I''m sure it scares the hell out of him. None of them dared to get near Felix¡ªa good move, as he almost immediately went for a knife and began swiping at random. Instead, they moved for where the valuables were¡ªJonathan to the safe in Felix''s bedroom, Corbin everywhere else, while Drew kept Felix too scared to move. Jonathan knelt in front of the safe and pulled the small blueprint out of his pocket. It wasn''t an uncommon safe, and after only a few minutes work, he managed to get it open. He gathered up all the valuables inside¡­ and saw something else. Felix''s degree in journalism from Columbia University. He doesn''t deserve that. He''s not a journalist¡ªhe''s lying to the whole country about us. Jonathan pulled it out, and before he could stop himself, ripped it in half. As the scraps of the diploma floated to the carpet, he noticed the awards pinned up on the wall, articles Felix had written, covers he''d been on. His successes. Doesn''t deserve those, either. Doesn''t deserve any of this. He began to tear them apart, one by one. Jonathan summoned fire to melt down the trophies, being careful to contain the heat and smoke so the fire alarm wouldn''t go off. Piece by piece, he destroyed all of Felix''s pride, the record of his life''s work, everything. He took the Pulitzer and shattered it with his mind, throwing the pieces to the floor. Finally, Jonathan grabbed a piece of paper from Felix''s desk, along with a silver marker, and scrawled out a message. Just two words, but it said everything he wanted to say. Sometimes, brevity made more impact than all the longest and most impressive speeches. When he was done, Jonathan gathered up the valuables and left. He found Corbin and Drew waiting in the hall, confused he''d taken so long. Jonathan gestured out, and they left. Kyle covered their escape all the way down the block, while the fog slowly dissipated behind them, leaving a confused and terrified Felix alone in his condo, totally unharmed. As they walked down the street, backpacks slung over their shoulders like totally innocent college students, Jonathan burst into laughter. He was just so¡­ elated. "What?" asked Corbin. "We did it," said Jonathan, grinning stupidly. Drew tapped him on the back. "Yeah, we did. Nice job in there." "Way easier with four of us," said Corbin, nodding. "We got what we wanted. We sent a message. We struck back," said Jonathan excitedly. "It''s about time." Kyle jogged up to join them as they arrived at the cars. The crickets still chirped, the city still hummed all around them, and for all intents and purposes¡­ nobody seemed to have noticed a thing. "All good?" he asked. Jonathan nodded, still grinning from ear to ear. "He didn''t see a thing," added Drew. Kyle held out his hand expectantly. "I''ll get it back to Julian." Jonathan hesitated, only for a moment. I mean¡­ we were the ones in there. Kyle just hid outside. But¡­ without Kyle and Julian and Nina, they never would have had all the information and cover they needed to pull it off anyway. His resentment faded away, overwhelmed by the rush of success. Drew looked just as excited, while even the stone-faced Corbin was grinning. He handed over the loot. Kyle nodded, got in the other car and drove off. They watched and waited as the engine hum died away, melting into the greater noise of the city. Soon, the area was quiet again, only the crickets filling their ears. Jonathan glanced at the other two. "Don''t you just feel like¡­" "Like what?" asked Drew. "Like we should do something," said Jonathan excitedly. "We just did," said Corbin. Jonathan shook his head. "I mean for us. Let''s celebrate! Toast the start of something bigger than us!" "I''m down," said Drew. Corbin shrugged. "Sure." Slightly disappointed in the underwhelming response, Jonathan nonetheless turned and got into the car. The other two piled in, and soon enough, they were off¡ªback to the club, at Corbin''s suggestion. Jonathan had to remind himself more than once to drive at a normal speed. Even if they''d gotten out clean, and Kyle had all the guns, it still wasn''t worth risking getting pulled over. The whole way back, he and Drew chatted excitedly about what they''d just done. Drew bragged, Jonathan boasted in return¡ªgood-natured ribbing about who''d done more for the cause that night. Somewhere in the back of Jonathan''s mind, he knew this was just the start, a tiny piece which could quickly cascade into a huge movement, just like Brian''s had. All it took was a spark. Tonight, he might have provided that spark. To his relief, they got back to the club in one piece, without a single sign of danger. Jonathan pulled into the back, they got out and headed straight inside. As soon as they passed through the magic field, the pulsing thump of the club reached their ears¡ªand for the first time in his life, Jonathan wanted to join in. If only I wasn''t eighteen. Julian said he couldn''t risk anyone finding underage kids in there. Instead, he was determined to explore the space behind the club. Julian had given them free reign over the space, besides his personal office. If Jonathan or Drew ever needed to get away, it was an open space for the group. Given his life lately, Jonathan really appreciated the generosity. "We''re gonna change everything," said Jonathan excitedly as he walked in, the others at his heels. Nina looked up from her book, way back in the corner chair. "They won''t hunt us anymore, now that they know we''re ready to strike back." "Optimism," she muttered, looking down at her book again. "You really think so?" asked Drew. "I mean, that won''t stop people from just being assholes, like with my boss." Jonathan shook his head. "People are assholes because they know they can get away with it. That part ends now." "Sounds like a plan," said Corbin. "I''m gonna get some sleep¡­ Night." "Get some sleep?" asked Jonathan, looking around. "Here?" "...Yeah. I¡­ live here." He shrugged. "For now, until we got enough that I can buy my dad''s old place back." "Well, there''s no way you''re sleeping through that," said Jonathan, nodding toward the club. "Besides, it''s time to celebrate! Pull out some drinks, or let''s play some games, or do something!" Nina groaned and turned even further toward the wall, but Jonathan ignored her. He knew it wasn''t her choice¡ªor maybe it was, but either way, he wasn''t going to let her drag him down. Tonight was their night.
It was very late by the time Jonathan gave Drew a ride back. Drew was on the verge of passing out from sheer exhaustion. They hadn''t ended up drinking¡ªCorbin simply declined, while Drew reminded Jonathan they both had to get home that night. Still, they stayed up late, playing games, celebrating, speculating what might come next. Jonathan was the loudest of the three, naturally, but the others seemed totally on board. Eventually, as the club wound down, Julian came in. Kyle was nowhere to be seen, but Julian congratulated them on their success, toasting the future of their little group. Except¡­ something did seem a little off. When Jonathan told him about what they''d done, how they''d increased the drama of the theft and made their move more powerful, Julian didn''t seem quite so celebratory anymore. He still congratulated them, told them their earnings¡ªwhich they''d receive in a few days after Nina''s people laundered it¡ªand reiterated their freedom to use the club back rooms as much as they wanted. Probably just uncomfortable I changed the plan without asking anyone. It was pretty reasonable. Changing plans like that could get people killed. Jonathan resolved to make sure he ran his plans by the group in advance next time, as much as he could. He couldn''t help coming up with it spur-of-the-moment like that, but still¡­ It was my first time. We''ll get better. If we even can¡ªwe did it perfectly on my first time out. "How many times have you guys done this?" asked Jonathan as they pulled in to the convenience store where he''d first picked Drew up. "Only twice for me¡­ I think the others have done more. Nina definitely." Drew shrugged. "It''s going well so far, though." "Yeah." Jonathan leaned over and gave him a side-armed hug. "Hey, you''re gonna have enough from this to make up for what you lost at work." Drew nodded. "Still figuring out how to get that to my boss without any suspicion. Nina''s working on it." He hugged Jonathan back, then got out of the car. "See you Friday." Jonathan drove away, satisfied. They''d accomplished what they''d set out to do, Drew''s life was looking better, and he''d be making some extra money on the side. He could move out sooner than his original plan, based on the money he was pulling in from his shows. It''d make paying for Julie''s sessions easier, tickets down to see Nell in Oregon, everything. By the time Jonathan dropped the car off and took the bus home, it was past midnight¡­ and the lights were still on. Oh no. He turned on his phone, and as expected, he had half a dozen texts from his mom, and a missed call. Mom: Wasn''t sure if you were going to be home for dinner, so I made extra. Mom: It''s wrapped up in the refrigerator whenever you get home. I put your name on it. Mom: Did I forget about something you were doing tonight? Mom: Are you okay? Mom: Text me please. Mom: I''m really worried. Please let me know you''re all right. Jonathan rushed inside. He had told her he''d be out late, but¡­ not this late. Besides that, she''d clearly forgotten it anyway¡ªhis mom was just more distracted and off lately than she used to be. It wasn''t a good time at home, after all, and the thick emotions flooding the house tended to seep into every other part of their lives, or so Julie described it. "Mom?" "Jonathan!" she shouted from somewhere upstairs. "Where have you been?" "I''m okay. I was out and my phone died." He hurried up to find her in his room, of all places, sitting on his bed. She burst up as he walked in, burying him in a hug. "I was so worried!" "I''m okay," he repeated, over and over. "Don''t do that! Keep your phone on!" "I''m sorry," Jonathan muttered. "I was calling everyone. I called Nell, I called your therapist, I called the rabbi, I called your fath¡ª" She cut off. Her eyes fell to the ground, just slightly. Jonathan just stood there, unsure what to do. Do I hug her? Tell her off for getting it wrong, even though I do it all the time too? Sympathize because we''re both confused and it feels like he''s gone forever? Just say nothing? ...This night was going so well. Eventually, Jonathan settled on the first option, after more than a minute of standing awkwardly in the hallway. He walked forward and put his arms around his mother, and she hugged him back, but he could tell it wasn''t really making her feel better. In all honesty, it didn''t do much for him, either¡ªit was less like they were comforting each other and more that they were holding on for dear life. Finally, he broke away. His mother choked out another brief reminder about keeping his phone on, but hurried away to the dishes back in the kitchen. Jonathan finished taking off his coat and headed upstairs. Safely ensconced in his bedroom with the door locked¡ªtwice over, between the physical lock and a magical one he''d invented¡ªhe immediately got on his computer and called Nell. He really needed a friendly voice disconnected from everything in that moment. Nell popped up on screen a minute later. She was in her kitchen, in the middle of making a snack. "Yo." Jonathan sighed, leaning back on his bed with his laptop. "Hey you." "How was your night?" "...Insane." At his tone, she stopped. Nell set down the knife and walked over to her laptop. "Nobody''s awake," she said, glancing around. "What''s up?" Jonathan hesitated. He''d pledged never to reveal the group to anyone¡­ but this was Nell. Besides, so long as he kept names and methods out, he wasn''t really breaking the pledge. If he couldn''t talk to her, he''d go insane. "That new group I got invited to?" "Bunch of freaks?" said Nell, grinning. "Nah. But¡­ well, we did something tonight." She frowned. "Okay, dancing around the details here. Just spit it out, dude." "We did something big." Nell''s face started to twist with annoyance as Jonathan turned away to cast a quick spell, muffling his door to prevent noise getting out. Without warning, he launched into the whole story¡ªgetting invited after his support group, meeting the other three, planning the strike, and the sheer rush of pulling it off. Nell listened through the whole thing, eyes lighting up at times, frowning at others. Jonathan couldn''t quite figure out how she''d react, but he knew he needed to tell her. "...Wow," said Nell finally. "Yeah," said Jonathan excitedly. "Everybody will know by tomorrow, I''m sure. This is how we get our message out." "Uh-huh." He paused. She didn''t seem as excited as him. Thoughtful, mostly. "What?" Jonathan hesitated again, suddenly worried. "You think it was a terrible idea? That we screwed up doing this?" "Well, I know you seem happier than I''ve seen you in months," said Nell, "and that''s awesome. And that Felix guy sure as hell deserves to lose his stuff. But¡­ you know I''m still worried about you, right?" "There''s no way he saw anything." "It''s not like there are that many awakened," Nell pointed out, "and even less who can do magic like that." "None of us live in the area," said Jonathan. "And nobody even knows my real name in public." She nodded. "Yeah, you''ll probably be fine. I dunno if you''ll actually get the results you want, though." "What do you mean?" "Well, do you really think he''s gonna just play right into your hands here?" Nell shrugged. "He''s from big media, right? He''ll know as good as anybody that what you want is publicity. Is he just gonna hand it to you?" "That''s¡­" Jonathan sighed. "Yeah, okay, good point." "Just saying, don''t be surprised if you don''t hear a word tomorrow." Nell shrugged. "But seriously man, I''m happy for you. Just¡­ be careful. Promise?" Jonathan nodded. "I promise." "Cool." Nell glanced at the clock. "Now get some sleep, dude. You look exhausted."
Nell turned out to be wrong, in more than one way. He didn''t go to sleep¡ªthey stayed up late just hanging out while Nell finished her snack, then watched a movie together before Jonathan finally turned in. The rest of the night passed without another mention of the subjects dominating his thoughts¡ªmagic, the new group¡­ his parents. He appreciated that. Instead, it was the morning which really sent his thoughts spinning back to the night before, and everything they''d done. Jonathan turned on the news for what felt like the first time in a decade¡ªhe''d never really watched the news live on TV, and of course these days, it was just easier to get everything on the internet. Today, he wanted to see if anyone was reacting. It didn''t take long. "From Seattle: Felix Wieczorek¡ªPulitzer prize winning journalist currently on trial for domestic terrorism¡ªwas attacked in his home last night. The journalist reported a break-in to the police at ten-seventeen, claiming that awakened assailants stormed his home, stole significant quantities of cash, and destroyed his belongings. Police are investigating but have not made any official statements yet. We go live to Nancy Wheld downtown." "Thank you, Ted. I''ve just been informed that Rachel DuValle is here at the Westin, on her way to meet with the President and Secretary Gatiss. Miss DuValle!" They were surrounding a car at the curb. Jonathan had never met her, of course, but he''d heard Rachel''s name mentioned plenty of times¡ªbetween Cinza''s diaries, the support group, and beyond, she was obviously one of the people in charge. The reporter rushed the tinted vehicle, along with a half-dozen others who''d been waiting in the area, plus one hapless hotel valet. "Miss DuValle, what''s your response to the attack on Felix Wieczorek last night?" Rachel was just emerging from a car on the curb. A pale girl with dirty blonde dreadlocks and a birthmark marring her face had moved to block the reporters, but Rachel put a hand on her shoulder. She stepped forward, right into the mess of cameras and microphones shoved into her face. "The attack on Felix last night was clearly motivated by the despicable acts he helped perpetrate as a member of Brian Hendricks'' organization. The motivations of the assailants is more than understandable, but their actions are extrajudicial." "Do you support¡ª" "I condemn this act, and I would ask that the perpetrators turn themselves in immediately. We understand why they felt the need to take some measure of revenge, and thankfully, they chose a method which can be reversed. If the attackers come forward now, I can promise that I will do everything in my power to ensure the lightest possible sentence." "So you''ll protect awakened who attack people, no matter what?" shouted another reporter. Rachel shook her head. "I will protect those who struck out in anger over horrific crimes, as long as they are willing to show remorse and undo the damage they caused. Our country has long been troubled by how a simple decision in the heat of the moment can forever ruin one''s life. We have the chance for a new start¡ªlet''s begin by offering one to those victims who fought back, however inadvisable their choice. But, they must turn themselves in. This was a crime." Reporters continued to shout questions, but Rachel simply gave a slight bow, thanked everyone for their time, and hurried inside. The dreadlock girl blocked the way. One reporter tried to press forward, but she held him back with only a single raised arm¡ªobviously effortless, despite being half the man''s size. Jonathan realized he hadn''t taken a bite of his cereal since she started talking. After all, Rachel had been speaking to him. He was the attacker she referred to. ...Did I really screw up? If I turn myself in now, that''s it¡­ but she said she''d protect us. Maybe¡­ maybe I should. His brief moment of conflict vanished an instant later, as the TV reminded him what had happened. They''d started recapping Felix''s crimes, but Jonathan didn''t hear their words¡ªhe saw it as memories, forcing their way back into his head. Men following him from his shows, tracking him, until Jeremy Ashe finally got him out. The meeting of Brian''s people, the level of hatred they showed toward awakened, and the desperate escape with Alden. Hiding inside a food cart in the pilgrim camp, while gunfire slammed into the outside, rocking the whole thing as glass shattered above him and golems roamed outside, killing at random. We''re doing the right thing. These people need to pay. It''s our turn. Jonathan pulled out his phone, excitement and anger and triumph rising in his chest. He knew Rachel was doing her best for them, and he admired her own convictions to defend the awakened¡­ but she didn''t know what they were doing, how much they could do. Jonathan had seen it himself, and this reaction by Felix, pushing their story far and wide, only proved it. They''d show everyone in the world that the awakened weren''t victims. Kyle picked up the phone after a few rings. "Yeah?" "What''s next?" B3: Chapter 5 — A Quiet and Lonely Castle Chapter 05 ¡ª A Quiet and Lonely Castle Rook didn''t make it hard for them to follow, but she didn''t exactly make it easy, either. The woman moved through the forest at a brisk pace, never stumbling or slowing even for the most difficult patches of trees and brambles. Melody and Zo? had to scramble and even run to keep up, as the rifle slung over Rook''s shoulder served as a flag to follow, a glint of steel shining from the morning sunlight poking through the canopy. Every step forward, Zo? felt a little more trepidation. If we''d come this way last week, we''d have been sent away by a gunshot. If we came here a month ago, we''d probably be dead. What are we doing now? This isn''t a good idea. Mel''s face was enough to restore her confidence. Her eyes were set, her expression determined, and her footing sure. Zo? stumbled far more often, and Melody was the one to keep her going. They didn''t give up, they didn''t turn back even for a second. Every step forward brought Zo? a little more sense of magic, of spells wrought with power far beyond what she could imagine. It scared her, but it was a little bit exciting, too. I''m going to be the first to see what''s changed. See the new Rallsburg, the new Natalie. I didn''t know the old Natalie, but still¡­ this is something really big. Zo? didn''t necessarily want to be at the center of anything big. She liked to read about huge happenings from afar. The Hailey Winscombe tales were a delight in armchair adventuring, living vicariously through a girl flying around the world like a real superhero. Once Zo? actually believed them, she''d enjoyed reading back through everything, getting to feel the same sense of wonder that Melody always had. Doesn''t mean I want to be in those stories¡­ they usually have a lot of tragedy to go along with them. Oh god¡­ Without warning, she reached forward and grabbed Melody''s hand. The other girl looked up, startled. Zo? winced. "Just needed a hand," she murmured. Melody smiled. "Anytime." They saw a wide open space ahead, and structures they couldn''t make out behind the tree cover. Rook had emerged into the bright morning sunlight. Melody clutched Zo?''s hand tighter as they approached the edge¡ªher turn to be anxious, as their goal neared. Together, they walked out of the treeline, shielding their eyes from the sun. A castle stood before them. It wasn''t like any castle Zo? had ever seen, but to be fair, she hadn''t seen a great many castles in her life. The structure was made of smooth stone, rising several stories into the air. The place was triangular, two turrets at the front flanking the gate and one taller tower at the opposite point. Within the walls, a wide open lawn surrounded the main castle structure, and bridges crossed between the walls and the second story on all three sides. Tall windows dotted the walls, seemingly at random, and many with glass of varying colors. Zo? saw bright pink, deep blue, green, purple, gold¡­ it was as if the designer couldn''t settle on a particular style. Most weren''t even of the same shape. Likewise, one turret was pointed with windows, the other flat-topped and open, and the rear was flat with a raised cloth covering. "Oh, wow¡­" breathed Melody, who''d stopped in unison with Zo?, taking in the huge structure. "It''s incredible." Zo?''s attention was already elsewhere, looking at the rest of the town¡ªor more accurately, the empty space where the town had once stood. It looked like Natalie had cleared out the rubble, and only the plots where houses once stood remained, surrounded by dirt and paved roads. On the opposite side of the town from the castle stood the only remaining structure¡ªthe old library, half caved-in, the last vestige of the old Rallsburg. The castle''s exactly where her house was¡­ Zo? realized with a start. She''d studied the map of Rallsburg once out of idle curiosity, and it popped back into her head as she looked across its remnants. Natalie built her new home atop the ruins of her old. "Come," said Rook again. Their eyes snapped back to her, gesturing for them to keep moving. Melody started forward as if a zombie, walking across the tall grass, her hair blown around by a sudden wind. The trees whistled and bent around them, only adding to the foreboding sense of danger. An eerie unease crept through Zo?''s body, seeping into her skin. The whole town was empty and deadly silent. As they passed through the huge gate, a portcullis hanging above their heads waiting to crash down, Zo? didn''t see a single person inside the castle grounds either. All that stood to greet them was an enormous golden mountain lion, casually prowling the space within the walls. Zo? tensed as the cat approached, muscles visible in its powerful stride. It walked in front of the castle doors and stopped, eyeing Zo? with a fierce gaze. "Yst?v?t," said Rook calmly. After a few moments, the cat nodded. It stepped aside. Behind it, the castle doors waited¡ªa pair of handsome brown wooden panels, each as tall as Melody''s house, with a simple outline of a wolf carved into the surface. The whole place didn''t seem foreboding, exactly. As castles went, it actually seemed relatively open and inviting. Still, she couldn''t bring herself to just walk in. "Mel¡­" murmured Zo?. Wandering through an empty ghost town was one thing, but once they entered the castle, who was to say they could ever get out? "I don''t like this." "I want to go in," said Melody, as Rook began to walk toward the door, hand outstretched. "What if¡ª" "You may leave at any time," said Rook abruptly, interrupting their conversation. She pulled open the door. Inside, a flicker of firelight promised warmth and comfort, out of the chilly winter air. "There is nothing and no one that will hold you against your will." Melody turned to Zo?, excitement glimmering in her eyes. "Will you come with me? Please?" "Yes," said Zo?, before she could stop herself. "''Course I will." Her girlfriend''s face lit up, and Zo?''s reluctance melted away. She still had more than enough anxiety and caution for the two of them, and she resolved to keep a good getaway path in her head at all times, but if this might lead to Melody''s awakening, then Zo? was in it for the long haul. Inside the castle, the stone hallways had long, plain rugs lining the floors, and torches stood in stone sconces which seemed to be shaped into the walls themselves. As Zo? passed one, she realized the fire was self-powering. In much the same way as Cinza''s fires, the wood fibers repaired themselves, using energy drawn from somewhere Zo? couldn''t figure out. She built all of this herself, in only a month¡­ It must be true then, that she''s one of the special ones like Hailey. Wonder if she can fly too. Rook led them through a small maze of hallways until they reached another set of double doors, with an engraving matching the wolf from the front. "The throne room," she said, gesturing forward. "Enter when you are ready." Without another word, Rook turned and walked away. Zo? stared after her, watching the rifle bob on her shoulder until she turned the corner and vanished. "What are we doing, Mel¡­" murmured Zo?. Melody had been about to reach for the door handle, but she hesitated. "What do you mean?" "We already nearly died once out here. You open that door, we''re part of their world again." "You''re already awakened," said Melody. She tried to say it with a smile, but Zo? could hear the painful melancholy behind her syllables. "You''ll always be a part of that world." "There''s a big difference between being awakened and walking into Natalie Hendricks'' castle." "We''re already inside the castle." "You know what I mean, Mel." Melody nodded. "I know. I''m scared too. But this could really be it. Everybody says if awakenings are ever gonna come back, it''ll be because of one of the Eight. Natalie''s one of them." "''Everybody'' tends to be wrong about a lot of things," said Zo?, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "What do you want to do?" Zo? hesitated. She hadn''t expected that question¡ªbut of course Mel''s always gonna ask me straight, instead of trying to guilt trip me or anything else. "I want you to awaken. I don''t know how that''s gonna happen. I guess¡­" She sighed. "I guess this is as good an idea as any." "Thanks," said Melody. She leaned forward and kissed Zo? on the cheek. "I''m really glad you decided to come talk to me in the computer lab." "...You mean when you flat out rejected me and didn''t talk to me for six months?" said Zo?, smirking. "Six more months I could''ve had with my Zo?," murmured Melody dreamily. "I''ll have to make up for that sometime." "I''m just glad you decided to actually give me a chance." "Let''s go," said Melody, holding out her hand. Zo? took it, savoring the warmth of her skin, and together, they opened the throne room doors. ...This is a throne room? If anything, it looked like a living room. There was a fireplace set into one wall, with couches and chairs surrounding it. Zo? guessed they must have been the most intact pieces of furniture left in Rallsburg, repaired by Natalie or Rook. Across the room, a table with more chairs and a huge rug covering the floor. A window peeked out onto the rear lawn, facing the turret at the far end from the gate. A huge grey wolf sat curled next to a chair close by the fire. In the chair sat a girl with purple eyes, a spiral scar filling the side of her face, and pointed ears poking through the curtain of brown hair now reaching down past her shoulders. She was the daughter of the Traitor of Rallsburg, the most powerful awakened outside the Three Gods¡ªperhaps even more powerful than the new one, Hailey, if the rumors were true¡ªand as they entered, Zo? had the most startlingly obvious revelation. She''s just a kid. Natalie Hendricks looked up as they entered, one hand on the neck of her wolf. She looked as nervous as Melody, but given how she had built every stone, every scrap surrounding them, Zo? felt she needn''t worry a moment. Natalie practically radiated power, so much that Zo? sensed it from across the room. "Hi," said Natalie. She gestured for them to come forward to the other chairs near the fire. "This is Gwen," she added, gesturing at the wolf. "She won''t hurt you." The wolf growled, giving the exact opposite impression Natalie suggested. "You built all this, Natalie?" asked Melody. She shook her head. "I did, but I''m not Natalie." The girl scratched the wolf''s back, eliciting a faint purr, before turning back to face the two of them. She gestured toward the other mismatched chairs. "My name is Linnethea."
Uhh¡­ what? Zo? and Melody took seats across the fireplace from Natalie. Melody looked totally still, but Zo? could tell she was desperately restraining herself from asking the question burning in her heart. Probably for the best, too¡ªwe have no idea what we''re going into here. Especially if she''s¡­ not Natalie? I still don''t really know what to do with that. Natalie settled back into her chair, once again driving home how young she was. Her demeanour screamed older, but by any other measure, she was just thirteen. She wore a pair of simple pants and a shirt, enveloped by a dark green jacket. Like the room''s decorations, it seemed totally at odds with the medieval feel of the castle. Besides which, if Zo? had to put it into words, it felt like a kid''s impression of an old castle. The place wasn''t exactly built for a siege, or in any strictly logical sense. She doesn''t seem crazy¡­ Mostly, anyway. "Rook invited us to come out here," said Zo? finally. Natalie nodded. "I built all this stuff, but¡­ there''s nobody here yet. I finally figured out how to live on my own, but that''s¡­ kinda lonely," she added reluctantly. There''s the teenager I expected. Meanwhile, at Zo?''s side, Melody looked like she might burst into tears. Zo? had to take the lead, at least for this conversation. "And you wanted us to¡­" she prompted. "Be here, I guess," said Natalie. She seemed as uncomfortable as Zo? felt. "I''m the queen here, but I can''t really have a queendom with just six people. I thought, you know¡­ if you were out here this whole time in the camp, maybe you would want to come and live up here. I already figured out how to build stuff, how to get food, keep warm, everything." Six people¡­? Zo? glanced at Melody, whose expression was etched with sympathy. "It''ll be nice to have more people," Natalie went on. "I¡­ I only really ever lived with adults, and mostly on my own. I want¡­" "You want friends," said Melody finally, nodding. "...Yeah," said Natalie. "You live out here all alone?" asked Zo?. Might as well try to get my own answers here. I''m still really unsure about this, but better to get as much information as I can while I can. "Not alone," said Natalie, gesturing to the wolf. "I''ve got Gwen, Percy, Scrappy, Rook, and Hector here." "Where is Hector, anyway?" asked Melody, glancing around as if she could have missed him in the empty throne room. "We followed him out of town." "He''s starting to make lunch," said Natalie. "We''re having a feast today. Because¡­ you know, it''s a big day." The coronation. Whatever the hell that means. This is so weird. When did we leave the real world? If Natalie didn''t have totally normal clothes on, I''d think I went back in time or something. "Are you going to stay?" asked Natalie, just as Melody opened her mouth to say something else. "Oh¡­ sorry. I haven''t talked to anyone in a while. Besides Gwen, of course." "It''s true, then?" asked Zo?. "You can talk to animals?" Natalie smiled. She turned to the wolf and spoke something¡ªan incomprehensible stream of words in a sing-song lilt. The wolf flicked its head toward Natalie in response, before settling back down again. Natalie frowned and sat something else, and the wolf gave a faint growl. Finally, it stood and walked out of the room. "That was incredible!" said Melody excitedly. "Oh, I hope I can do that someday!" "I dunno how I do it," said Natalie, "so I don''t think I could teach you." She shrugged. "I''m not awakened yet anyway." "...Isn''t that all over now?" asked Natalie, glancing between them. "That''s what Rook told me¡­" "Yeah," said Zo?. "There haven''t been any since¡­" She trailed off. Since your dad was arrested. Since you knocked out electricity for all of us. Since you started building this thing. I wonder if she knows some people blame her for this. They''ve got their timelines wrong, but some people think her ritual is what stopped Grey-eyes from awakening people. And they already didn''t like her ''cause of her father¡­ "Will you stay?" asked Natalie again. She glanced out the window, across the lawn to the castle walls. "There''s plenty of room. I made a lot of rooms in the castle, and Hector''s cooking for a bunch. We were going to invite more, but¡­" "I don''t know," said Zo?, before Melody could commit them to something they didn''t really understand yet. "We don''t know what this really means yet." Wait¡­ is a kid really gonna understand what I meant there? I should rephrase that¡­ Except, Natalie did seem to understand it. After a pause, during which Natalie seemed almost like she was arguing with herself, she gave Zo? a solemn nod. "There''s already a room for you. Hector can show you where it is, and then you guys can decide together. Nobody should have to live somewhere they don''t want to. If you want to go back, I can make sure you get there safe." "Thank you, Linnethea," said Melody politely. She stood up, hand in hand with Zo?. "What''s for lunch?" "A bunch of things," said Natalie. "I''ll see you then." She turned back to look at the fire, and out of the corner of her eye, Zo? saw her fiddling with something, though she should quite make out what it was. They took their cue. Zo? and Melody turned to find Hector Peraza waiting by the door. Without a word, he led them back into the castle corridors, and only once they were several hall-lengths away did he finally speak. "I''m glad you came." He sounded a little upset, and a lot nervous. Zo? felt like laughing¡ªhere they were, two college kids suddenly under the umbrella of two of the most powerful people in the world, not to mention a special forces operative or whatever the hell Rook was, and they seemed like the scared party. "We were following you, actually," said Melody. "I mean, I think we were¡­ Were you in the camp earlier?" "I was. I needed to get some cheese, since we can''t exactly grow it here," said Hector. He smiled slightly. "A lot of her favorite foods have cheese." Okay, now that we''re talking to an actual adult here¡­ "So what''s going on here?" asked Zo?. "Natalie''s changed her name and is like¡­ building a new home or something?" "A queendom," said Hector. "I don''t¡­ I don''t pretend to understand it, but I don''t really have anywhere else to go. The rest of this continent already made it clear they don''t want me around¡­" "Where are you from?" asked Melody gently. "M¨¦xico," said Hector. "But my parents immigrated when I was twelve. The same age as when she lost everything," he added, looking vaguely over his shoulder back the direction they''d come. They kept moving through the long castle corridors. Zo? wondered if it was a trick of the many identical hallways or some other magic which made the castle seem much larger from inside than it should have been. She tried to feel out for a spell¡ªas she''d done to see the forest maze when Melody wanted to try and find the Greywood¡ªbut there was just so much magic around them, Zo? couldn''t really land on anything in particular. Not while they were walking, at least. "I was twelve too, when we moved from Venezuela," said Melody. She put a hand on Hector''s arm. "Yo estaba muy asustada. Pero al final encontr¨¦ un hogar." "Gracias," said Hector, smiling. "I found a home too. It was right over there," he added, pointing out one of the windows, where they could see the empty space of the town through the open gate. Zo? realized they''d somehow moved to the second floor, though she hadn''t felt even the slightest incline of the floor. "Rallsburg was the first place where I really felt at home. It was the longest I''d ever stayed in one place." "Lo siento mucho," said Melody, sympathy thick in her voice. "That must have been so painful." "It''s funny," said Hector¡ªand Zo? didn''t have a clue what he could find funny about all of that. "Rallsburg actually was different. I lost my store, I lost my home, but¡­ I still had my friends. The town didn''t hate me, didn''t hate I was from M¨¦xico, they just hated magic. So, in a way, it was a huge improvement. It''s why I wanted to come back." "And now you''re back," said Melody, smiling. "You had a grocery store, right?" "Ah, mi amiga," said Hector. "The best supermercado in el Bosque de Ol¨ªmpico!" Was there a single other grocery store in the Olympic Forest? wondered Zo?, but Melody spoke before the words made it to her mouth, to her relief. She responded in Spanish, and Hector in turn, and soon Zo? had lost track of the conversation entirely. Probably for the best, too¡ªHector had lost a lot in his life, and she wasn''t exactly great at handling that. Zo? didn''t want to be mean to anyone, but sometimes, her brain tried to be clever ahead of the empathy she''d only recently discovered. It was one of the reasons she''d never really connected with people properly. For a very long time, Zo? hadn''t really had friends herself. She''d had acquaintances, people she liked to hang out with, even people she spent days and days with. Zo? even called them friends, but in truth, she hadn''t really known what friendship was like until Melody came along. Melody was Zo?''s first real friend, though their relationship didn''t start out that way. More importantly, Melody taught her what friendship really meant. A friend wasn''t just someone Zo? spent time with¡ªa friend was someone she could trust, someone she could say anything to. She could be vulnerable around friends, a concept which took a long time to really sink in. Suddenly, when Zo? had a bad night, when she was lying awake in the dead hours, going through an emotional breakdown¡­ she had support. She''d gone so long without, between her emotionally distant parents and the many "friends" she feared she''d lose if they saw her as anything less than the badass tough Zo? she put on as a front¡­ The first time Zo? called Melody at two in the morning bonded them for life. Zo? hadn''t known it then, or even a couple months later, but that night sealed the deal. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. She had a best friend. Didn''t expect my best friend to turn into my first love though¡­ that''s definitely not on the friend agenda. Zo? finally emerged from her cocoon of reminiscing as the conversation shifted back to English. Melody had noticed they''d unconsciously swapped languages, and gently maneuvered them back into a language Zo? could actually understand. "And what was the name of this fabulous place?" she asked, smiling. "Just Hector''s," said Hector with a shrug. "I couldn''t afford a sign at first, and by the time I could, everyone already knew it. Neffie helped me make a sign with some fruit and bread on it, and we hung that over the entrance instead. I liked that more." "Since it could be for any language, English or Spanish," said Melody, nodding. "Or Turkish," said Zo?, finally reentering the conversation. "Or Turkish!" Meldy agreed without missing a beat. "I''m sure they have bananas in Turkey, right?" Zo? shrugged, but Hector answered, to her surprise. "They do! They shouldn''t, since it''s outside the normal climate bananas grow well, but when have we ever let climate stop us, hm?" He laughed. "Anyway, this is your room. Lunch will be in a few hours. We don''t have clocks anymore, but one of us will come find you when it''s time." Hector hesitated, glancing back the way they came. "If you want to leave, you can follow the strings to the front door." "The¡­ strings?" asked Melody, looking around. There wasn''t anything visible in the halls, beyond the rugs and the torches of course, as well as the doors lining the hallway they''d stopped in. "Am I missing something?" Zo? didn''t see anything either, but she did have one advantage. Closing her eyes, she felt out with her essence¡­ and there it was. A string of energy hung in midair, from which each torch drew its own power. If Zo? traced it back, she could tell it got stronger as it moved deeper into the castle, and weaker toward the exit. "Got it," said Zo?. Hector smiled. "You know, it took Rook more than a week to find the string. I''m impressed." Melody glanced between them, realization finally dawning on her. "Oh, is this a magic thing?" "Yeah, Mel." Zo? patted her arm. "Magic thing." "Oh¡­ okay." Hector turned to leave. "If you need anything, follow the string to the other end. That''s the kitchen!" he called over his shoulder as he receded into the distance, turning a corner and vanishing from sight. To Zo?''s surprise, there was barely even a hint of an echo¡ªbet this place would be deafening if they didn''t have rugs everywhere. She turned to the room they''d been offered, but Melody seemed uncomfortable again, perhaps even upset. Zo? frowned. "You okay?" Melody perked up immediately. Her face lit up like usual. "Yeah! Come on!" Not hesitating a moment more, Melody pulled open the door, her other hand grasped tight to Zo?''s. Inside, a wide double bed waited, with a window looking out over the empty courtyard. Torches flickered on the castle side wall, but as Zo? reached out to them, she found she could extinguish and relight them with only a tiny flick of her mind. The room was totally sparse otherwise, but with plenty of space they might use¡­ if they chose to stay. Melody closed the door behind them as Zo? sat down on the bed. She turned, brushing her brown hair out of her face, eyes wide. "What just happened?" she breathed. Zo? burst out laughing. "What?" "This is all insane," said Zo?. "Look at where we are!" "In a castle," said Melody simply. "In a castle," repeated Zo?. "A full-on, legit medieval castle built by a thirteen-year-old girl in a month, with magic torches and some crazy hallways and I don''t know what else. And all she wants is for us to be her friends." She shook her head. "What are we doing here, Mel?" "We''re on an adventure." Melody crossed the room and sat down next to Zo?. Her head nestled into the space on Zo?''s shoulder¡ªZo? was forever grateful Melody was shorter than her, so that it was actually comfortable for them both¡ªand finally relaxed. "Isn''t it all just so exciting?" "We just watched the magic theater production of how-this-whole-place-exploded last night," said Zo?. "I don''t know how excited I can be about us going to the place where everything died, with the daughter of the guy who''s largely responsible for it." "You don''t think¡­" Melody glanced at the door. "Really?" "I don''t know, Mel," said Zo?. She laid back on the bed, and Melody followed. After kicking off their socks and shoes, they wrapped up in each other''s arms, like they usually did¡ªthe happiest and safest place for Zo?, no matter where she might be in the world. "I''ve heard a lot and I''ve read a lot about her." "What do you believe, though?" asked Melody. "What does your heart tell you?" My heart''s only concerned with you, Mel. The rest of the world can go away. "I think she''s the most powerful person in the world that''s not got a ''god'' title next to her name, and she''s also a scared little kid who''s had the worst childhood I''ve ever heard of." "She seems really lonely to me." Melody ran her fingers through Zo?''s hair, idly twirling it as she spoke. "I think she just needs a chance to be herself. Maybe she''s never really had that." "How are we supposed to do that for her?" asked Zo?. "That girl needs professional help. She''s changed her name, she''s living alone, she''s got a mass-murdering psychopathic father, and she''s dealt with more in a year than most people in their entire lives. This is psychiatrist territory. You''re gonna be a teacher someday, maybe you can help, but I''m just an art-school dropout." "You haven''t dropped out!" said Melody, poking her in the back. "You''re just on a break." "You know people are saying she''s killed before, right? That she''s got a bodycount too?" "I don''t believe it," said Melody firmly. Zo? sighed. "She''s got his genes and she was raised by him. Odds are she''s willing to kill too. Maybe, maybe not, I dunno. Nobody really had a specific story, just that they''re pretty sure she''s done it." "This is horrible," said Melody, shivering. "Please stop." Zo? hugged Mel close. "Sorry." They stayed quiet for a while, holding each other close on the bed, while the sunlight in the window crept closer with every passing minute. It began to tickle Zo?''s toes as it lit them up, a fresh new warmth to complement the torch fire from the other side of the room. "I know you''re just trying to keep us safe," said Melody finally. "But it''s not like we can force Natalie to do anything. If she needs help, she needs it, but it''s never going to happen unless somebody steps up. Why not us?" "Why us?" countered Zo?. "What makes us special? Of all the people in the camp, why are we the ones who ended up here, who got invited by Rook?" "I don''t know," said Melody. "But I can''t just¡­ let it go." She wants magic. This is about awakening. Melody''s convinced Natalie might have a way to awaken that doesn''t need Grey-eyes. But that doesn''t change anything. We''re not the right people for this. She didn''t voice it aloud, because she didn''t want to be mean, but it didn''t matter. Melody knew. "It''s not just about awakening," said Melody. "How do you always know what I''m thinking?" asked Zo?. "Porque yo te amo, mi Zo?." She kissed Zo? on the cheek again. "I think we need a break." "Yeah," said Zo?. They had a long-standing agreement that either could call a break on an argument, if it didn''t need to be resolved immediately. There were still a few hours before the big lunch, and even then, Natalie hadn''t asked for a decision right away. "Let''s just be here for a little while." "Oh!" Melody got up and grabbed her backpack, in which she''d stored the present from her parents after Rook slowed down back in the forest. She returned to the bed before the warmth had a chance to fly away, settling back against Zo? before she began to unwrap it. "I got your letter, too," she added, handing it over. Zo? sighed. "Let''s do yours first." "I''m sure it''s a Merry Christmas. Your parents care about you too," said Melody. She pulled off the lid, and out spilled a bag of chocolates. "Ooh!" "Your favorites," said Zo?, nabbing them before Melody could manage it. "We should share them with everybody at lunch. I bet they haven''t had chocolate in forever." Melody set aside the chocolates and pulled out something else¡ªsomething soft and long, with many different bright colors interwoven. "A scarf! Oh, this is just what I needed!" That''ll look really good on her¡­ Zo? smiled as Melody admired it, though she personally couldn''t pull it off in a thousand years. "This is definitely my abuela''s work," said Melody confidently. "And it''s got your name on it," added Zo?, smirking out of sight. She pointed, and sure enough, Melody was stitched into one end. "Hey, hang on¡­ there''s another one." She dug in, and sure enough, another scarf came out¡ªin plain gray with simple white lines marking it, of the same material, and even with a little Zo? stitched into the end. "Oh, abuela," murmured Melody. "Remind me to write her thank you. These are so nice!" "She really shouldn''t''ve made me one¡­" muttered Zo?, though she honestly felt a little overwhelmed that Melody''s grandmother had thought of her at all. "I already have a scarf. Looks almost the same as that, too." "Well, that''s probably on purpose! I bet she saw it in one of our pictures and thought you''d like a hand-made one." Melody wrapped the grey scarf around her neck. "It''s really nice, too. Yours was getting kinda old." "My turn, I guess," said Zo?, trying to change the subject and get her bearings back. A letter from Dad''ll bring me right back down again. She used one of the few nails she actually let grow out to gently slice open the letter¡ªgrowing up in a high-power lawyer family meant all documentation had to be treated with care¡ªand pulled out the note inside. As expected, it was straight from her father''s letterhead cardstock, as if he were sending a memo. From the desk of Daryl Portman Luther, Renalds, and Portman, Redmond, WA, 98052 Zo? Alaina Portman, Your college tuition has been set aside in a trust under your name. It can be accessed via the attached account numbers when you elect to return to your studies. I trust you will not do anything too reckless during your sabbatical. Daryl Portman, Esq. "What''s it say?" asked Melody, leaning over. Zo? shook her head. She dropped the note. "Says my dad is terrible at being nice." "This is really kind of him!" Melody took the letter and held it up again. "He''s telling you that he''s okay with this!" I know. It''s freaking me out. "It''s a start." "Just wait, he''ll be forgiving you and begging you to come home in no time," said Melody. "Uh-huh." "And in the meantime¡­" Melody twisted around, the multi-color scarf in hand. She wrapped it around Zo?''s neck, layering it just right against her jacket. "This is for you." "...Uhh, isn''t this one yours?" "No, silly." Melody smiled¡ªand despite Zo?''s trepidation about everything outside the room, her smile was still enough to make all the fear and doubt fade away. She waved the end of the grey scarf, where Zo?''s name was stitched. "Now I can always have you to keep me warm." And I''ve got her. Zo? pulled the scarf a little tighter. Wow, I love this girl. I didn''t see this coming at all. An urge struck her, and before she could stop herself, before she could think twice about it or have any doubts or make a cynical joke to break the mood¡ªZo? kissed her. Melody''s eyes fluttered with surprise. A moment later, they closed, and she kissed Zo? back.
A while later, a knock on the door interrupted them. Zo? quickly let the doll she''d been creating fall into dust. She had no idea how Natalie and Hector might react to it, but given Natalie''s father, she wasn''t about to take that chance any time soon. Melody hurried to the door, behind which Rook waited. "Lunch," said Rook. She turned and walked away without another word. "...Thank you!" called Melody finally, after a moment''s confused hesitation. Not often I see Melody totally speechless¡­ "What''s up with her?" wondered Zo? aloud. "What do you mean?" "Must be the cold-mercenary-sniper thing." She shrugged. "Assuming everybody in the camp is right." "Cinza said she was a spy and a traitor," murmured Melody. "I don''t really see it though." "Mel, if you can read anything off that block of ice, I''d be shocked," said Zo?. "You want to go to lunch?" "Yes." Melody looked at her. "Are we staying?" "I don''t know yet," said Zo?. "I still think we''re way out of our league here." "I want to help her," said Melody. "Even if I didn''t think she might be able to help me. She needs someone in her corner. Somebody who isn''t Hector or Rook." "I''m not saying I don''t want to help her," said Zo?, "but¡­ what are we supposed to do?" "We''ll know when it comes," said Melody. "Just like everything in life." "Everything?" "Everything," said Melody. She grinned. "I knew when I met you." "And which part told you to ask me to go away and then not speak to me for six months?" asked Zo?, smirking. "The dumb part." Melody rolled her eyes. "I think I made up for it though." Zo? held up the end of the multicolor scarf still wrapped around her neck. "This scarf''s a good start." "Come on already!" Melody grabbed her and pulled her out of the room. The two of them emerged into the hallway of torches, where suddenly Zo? realized she had no idea where to go. After all, the ''throne room'' hadn''t really seemed like an eating place. She wondered if they should just go into the kitchen, following the source of magical energy, but something else happened instead. One of the torches suddenly changed from orange flames to green. "...Well, all right then," muttered Zo?. Melody, on the other hand, clapped her hands together with excitement. "Oh, this is so neat!" She darted forward, following the torches as they switched colors, seemingly all on their own. Zo? couldn''t sense a spell anywhere telling them to change, beyond vague fluctuations in the main line of magical energy flowing through the hall. She followed Melody through the halls, which seemed more quiet and empty than before somehow with their footsteps as the only sound. "Why a castle?" she wondered aloud. "Didn''t you ever want a castle when you were little?" asked Melody. "...No?" "I wanted to be a princess with my own castle." She slowed back down to a walk, taking Zo?''s hand as they passed a wide teal-glass window overlooking the forest nearest Natalie''s new home. "It was a big, safe place for all my family and friends to live in, away from everything going on around us I didn''t really understand yet. Plus, you know, I''d get to wear pretty dresses and a crown and order everybody around," she added with a giggle. "Okay, now I''m interested," said Zo?. "In which part?" said Melody suggestively, her eyes flashing mischievously. Zo? was saved from answering as a hawk cry echoed from just around the next corner. They followed the green torchlight to a wide open room, where four long tables sat, covered with silverware and plates for dozens of people. A fifth sat perpendicular to the rest, and huge chandeliers hung from the ceiling with more torches set in them. The room was totally empty, of course, except for Natalie and Hector at the head table, setting out the last few dishes. Hang on¡­ I actually recognize this place. She got this out of a movie and just¡­ rebuilt it for herself. This whole castle is probably like that. Things Natalie knows that she was able to put back together. I bet if I really researched, I''d find others. The only thing missing is¡­ well, all the people. "This is such a nice hall!" called out Melody as they walked down the aisles to join the other two. Rook was nowhere to be seen. Her head twisted left and right, looking at the huge glass windows dotting the ceiling, sunlight streaming through from the east. "You did really amazing work, Linnethea!" "Thanks," said Natalie as they sat down across from the others. "And this is my favorite food!" she added¡ªand she wasn''t lying. Zo? knew for a fact her favorite food sat on one of the many dishes they''d prepared. Hector smiled. He gestured. "?Coma, por favor!" "Gracias," said Melody, and Zo? echoed her a moment later. They both bowed their heads briefly to pray. As they opened their eyes, Zo? was certain Natalie had briefly looked unsettled by the action. It passed, and soon enough, they were all digging into the food with gusto. Zo? filed it into the back of her mind nonetheless¡­ just in case. Her dad probably used religion as part of his whole spiel¡­ gotta be careful on that one. "H¨¦ctor, this was magnificent," said Melody, setting aside her plate. "Actually, mi reinita made that," said Hector, glancing at Natalie. She blushed, glancing away from them. "It''s delicious. Thank you," said Melody. "Will you stay?" asked Natalie, still looking away, not meeting their eyes. The mood in the room instantly chilled. Melody hesitated, her hand still on her spoon. She glanced at Zo?. ...Okay, time to actually confront this I guess. "...We might," said Zo? finally. "I think we''re both a little unsure what that means though." "Umm¡­" Natalie looked around, at the wide room, the ceiling above, everywhere. A hawk cried again, and from a perch in the rafters, it fluttered down to land on her shoulder. She rubbed its head briefly before turning back to Zo?. "I guess it just means living here. You can leave whenever you want, like I said. But, I figured¡­ you two don''t really have a home, right?" "We''ve got a tent," said Zo? with a shrug. She knew Melody wanted this more than anything, but was letting Zo? speak her piece first¡ªanother reason I love her. "The camp isn''t that bad." "What''s the coronation?" asked Melody. "Oh¡­ well," said Natalie, glancing at Hector. "We just wanted to tell people this place isn''t off-limits anymore. New queens in castles have coronations. So I thought I should have one. We wanted to hold it on New Year''s Day, but then¡­ well, a coronation doesn''t mean much if nobody comes to see it." "Queen Linnethea of¡­" prompted Melody. "Queen Linnethea of Castle Hendricks," said Natalie with a shrug. "I didn''t come up with anything else yet. We can name my queendom when it actually exists." "And we''d be part of your queendom?" asked Zo?. "Only if you want to be," said Natalie. "I promise to protect anybody in my borders. You can come and go if you want, and you just have to be a good person. That''s all." Well isn''t that the most vague criteria for citizenship I''ve ever heard. Should propose that to D.C. "Well, it''s definitely nicer than our tent," said Zo? finally. This seems really low commitment. It''s a risk, but¡­ it''ll make Mel happy, and I''d love to get out off the ground for once. "We''ll think about it. Stay the night, maybe." "Okay," said Natalie. Hector began to clear the plates, setting aside the dishes which could be preserved as leftovers. Even with magic and an apparently easy supply of food¡ªminus the cheese, of course¡ªthey still cared about waste. Natalie was talking to her hawk, still perched on her shoulder, while Zo? leaned back and stared up at the ceiling. "I wanted you guys to come," she added. "Hector and Rook said you seemed all right. She said you seemed ''worth knowing''." Mel''s gonna want to stay. I''m still worried about all this, and Dad''s right, I can''t be too reckless. I''m only twenty-one, I''ve got a whole life ahead of me, and somebody I actually want to spend it with. I feel bad for Natalie, but¡­ I just met her. This isn''t my fight. I didn''t even have a fight. Now I''m¡­ what, signing up to be a soldier in her queendom? "I wanted to¡ª" started Melody abruptly, before clamping down on her mouth with a squeak. Uh oh. "Huh?" asked Natalie, looking up. "Do you¡­" Melody cleared her throat, voice practically quivering with excitement. "Do you know if there''s a way to awaken?" "...Well, you just read from a Scrap, like everybody," said Natalie. She shrugged. "But you''d die," said Zo?, as Melody deflated next to her. "Without Grey-eyes, you''d just die." "I dunno. I didn''t meet her til like¡­ months after I awakened," said Natalie doubtfully. Wait¡­ what? Zo? fell back against her chair, dumbfounded. "You just¡­ awakened, on your own?" "Yeah." She shrugged. "I guess that''s not normal, though." Okay, so¡­ Natalie just threw out one of the biggest things we knew about magic. Some people can awaken without Grey-eyes. That''s¡­ that''s huge. But why? "What was different?" asked Melody breathlessly. Natalie frowned. "I dunno? I just¡­ read a piece of the book. Just like everybody else. I don''t have it anymore though," she added, as Melody opened her mouth. "Jackson burned it up." "If I read it¡­ do you think¡ª" "No way, Mel," said Zo?. "We''re not taking that risk. We know you could die." She glanced at Natalie. "And we don''t know why Nat¡ª err, Linnethea''s was any different." Natalie nodded. "You shouldn''t try. I want you guys to stay around. You seem really cool." Melody smiled. "Thanks. I think all of this is really cool, though," she added, looking around the hall with awe, her burst of depression fast-fading. She''s not given up yet, Zo? mused. She''ll figure out why Natalie''s was different. "What do you guys like to do?" asked Natalie, and it sounded strange¡­ in that it didn''t sound strange. Natalie had been on such an off-kilter tone since they met, Zo? hadn''t been sure how to handle the girl sounding normal. On the other hand, Melody launched into the conversation as if they hadn''t just been talking to a girl who claimed to be the magic queen of her recently destroyed hometown. "Well, Zo?''s an artist¡ª" "Lapsed artist," said Zo?, latching onto an easy way to center herself with a quick self-deprecating joke. "¡ªand she''s always trying to create things. I like to sing and write, and someday I want to be a teacher, but I haven''t really settled on it yet." "I think my mom was a teacher once," said Natalie. "What did she teach?" "I¡­ don''t really remember." "I''d want to teach art," said Melody. "Or maybe humanities. Maybe both!" "What''s humanities?" "Social studies and English," said Zo?. "Oh," said Natalie. "I wasn''t very good at those." "What are you good at?" asked Melody. "Math. And I got pretty good at computers, thanks to Cinza and Quinn," she added, smiling a little. Who''s Qui¡­ oh, right. Her boyfriend in Seattle, the one people started harassing. Assholes. "I don''t know what I''d want to do though." "That''s okay!" said Melody, her smile wide and comforting as always. Even Natalie seemed swept up in it, to Zo?''s relief, and all the awkwardness from their earlier conversation had faded away. "You''ve got plenty of time to figure that out." Annnnnd it''s gone. Every torch in the room seemed to flicker. Natalie''s face fell. The cheerfulness was gone, replaced by a hard edge, a steel not unlike the icy Rook. "You don''t know that." "You''re still youn¡ª" started Melody, trying to recover, but she''d already lost Natalie, and Zo? knew it. "People die all the time. It doesn''t matter how old they are," she said quietly. "That''s why I''m building this place. To make that stop happening." She stood up. "Come with me?" Natalie didn''t wait for an answer. She walked out of the room, the hawk on her shoulder. As she exited into the hall, Rook appeared again, as did the wolf. Melody glanced at Zo?, and after a brief silent conference, they agreed to follow. Together, hand in hand, they followed Natalie all the way out of the castle, past the torches now returned to their usual orange glow, back out across the wide lawn of the courtyard, and out the gates into the town of Rallsburg once again. The whole place remained as empty as it had been, with only the two huge stone structures of the castle and the library facing one another across a vast, emptiness, gentle hills and a few trees dotting where the town once stood. Only the roads remained, paved streets outlining the building plots. "This is what I want to do," said Natalie, rubbing the neck of her wolf as she stared out into the empty space. "I want to build something here. This is my home. It got blown up, but it can come back, and this time it''ll be better. Magic will be allowed, and people can come and go whenever they want on the train or by car or whatever." "What about electricity?" asked Zo?. "Most of that needs electricity you know." Natalie shook her head. "We''ll do it with magic. Technology just made everything worse. I don''t want it anymore." Kind of a harsh reaction¡­ I can''t totally blame her, but that''s some serious reductionism. Wait, what am I thinking? She''s a kid! This is all insane! She''s going to just¡­ build her own town? From scratch, with magic? Who''d actually live here? Visit, yeah, but¡­ seriously? Zo? couldn''t believe what she was hearing, but¡­ Natalie kept talking, and slowly but surely, she began to see something else emerge¡ªsomething deeper and more meaningful, something which pulled at even Zo?''s skeptical heartstrings. "I wanted a place of my own, but I was a kid. I lived with the Laushires, then Quinn, and now I live here. Hector and Rook, too," Natalie said, watching the wind blow through the trees, bending the grass in its wake. "None of us had a place of our own. Rallsburg gave Hector a place, but it was dying. Now we can bring it back, and we make it better. We actually have a place now, one we got to choose. We built it ourselves." Natalie turned to face them. "Cinza and Ruby have that too. They built their place from nothing, just a clearing in the woods. They''re the happiest people I know. That doesn''t mean they don''t get angry or get hurt or anything else, but¡­ they''re happy. I want that too. I think I can have it here." She gestured back across the town. "There''s all this space now, where people can live. I want them to, I just don''t know how to do this. Will you help me?" Melody was already nodding, eager to accept, to join Natalie and build a new place of magic, but Zo? hesitated. She still found all of it absurd, but something in Natalie''s speech struck her, hit a chord that truly resonated somewhere deep inside her heart, in a space normally reserved only for Melody and herself. ...I''ve bounced between so many places myself. I never liked home, I never liked college, and I never liked that camp, either. The only reason I wanted to stay was because of Melody, and because of magic. If this place can be whatever we want it to be? With more magic than anywhere in the world, and with the best chance Melody ever has to awaken? How can I say no? Zo? didn''t answer Natalie directly. Instead, she turned to Melody, and the glint in her eye told Melody instantly everything she needed to know. "So¡­" said Zo? casually, a nervous grin peeking onto her face. "Which spot is ours?" Interlude XIII — Until the End of Eternity Interlude XIII ¡ª Until the End of Eternity "Thank you all for being here. Happy New Year." The cheers echoed across the vast meadow. It seemed like every single person in the camp, awakened or mundane, had erupted into applause. Cinza took a short bow. On her mark, Ruby threw everything she had left into one final burst. As the firework shot into the sky, she added lights and trails to its wake, creating an effect unseen by any pyrotechnician before or since. She held tight to the fuse at an inch away from the pouch of gunpowder, watching the clock tower Rufus maintained every day. The moment it struck midnight, Ruby lit off the firework. Perfect. Panting from the exertion of the entire show, she hurried forward to join her love in the center of the meadow. Cinza was just stepping off the platform when Ruby barreled into her, throwing her arms tight around the shorter girl and twirling her around the meadow. "It was perfect, every moment," said Ruby, still dancing Cinza through the meadow as the rest of the camp transitioned into a party. The other Greycloaks were filtering into the camp, except for Makoto, who hung back by the treeline watching from afar. "You were brilliant." "I did nothing," murmured Cinza, though her arms didn''t loose for a moment around Ruby''s sides, clinging to her back as Ruby practically carried her through the soft grass. "You and the others made the show. I only played my small part at the end. This was your triumph." "You directed us," said Ruby. She kissed Cinza on the forehead. "Take your well-deserved credit. You earned this." "I get all the credit when you deserve the lion''s share," Cinza sighed. She hugged Ruby tighter as they slowed to a stop, a secluded part of the meadow where they could no longer be seen by the camp. "You''re reward enough for me." Ruby giggled. "Come on, we should go. Everybody''s celebrating." "Must we?" murmured Cinza. She nodded. "Everyone just heard your message. Now you have to actually go meet them. The world knows you from afar. Let them begin to know the true face behind the movement." "No one knows my true face," said Cinza. Ruby smiled. "Then let them see the face I know, because it''s already perfect." She grabbed Cinza''s hand and pulled her back across the meadow. Cinza followed reluctantly, but by the time they''d gotten halfway to the camp, she''d lifted her head high. Her stride was confident and sure, her expression benevolent and wise. Cinza put on the face they knew, the noble leader of the new world. Ruby fell back a little as Cinza walked into the camp. She wanted to watch and let Cinza enjoy the praise of her people. The other Greycloaks stood out in the crowd by merit of their namesake, but they weren''t treated as particularly special anymore by the pilgrims. They mingled as one with the rest of the new world, as Cinza had wanted. However, no matter how much she secretly wished otherwise, Cinza could never melt into a crowd. Within moments, she was surrounded by a clamoring mob, each scrambling over the other to ask her questions, offer praise and thanks, or simply to be in her presence. Ruby couldn''t fault them on the last one. Being near Cinza was intoxicating. She gave off a vibe of true power, where simply by standing nearby, one might somehow be blessed by her spirit. Ruby often wondered if Cinza had found some measure of the power their goddess held, with how they both seemed to project the same air of cool competence and selfless compassion. And even more similarities than that, Ruby sighed. Cinza also held much of the same melancholy as the goddess, though she kept it as secret as she could from the public. Ruby''s love was not fond of her position or the sacrifices it required of her. Cinza''s only goal was to protect her family, and to welcome the new world with open arms. No matter what the world thought, Cinza stood ready to shield them from the onslaught, regardless of the cost. Ruby loved her even more for it. Though she hated how Cinza had suffered, Ruby admired her absolute willingness for self-sacrifice. She only wished she had such a capability. I want to be like her. I don''t know how to be, but she''s who I want to be like. Ruby knew she was younger than everyone, possibly every awakened in the world besides Natalie. A taboo had circled through all the Scrap-sellers about awakening someone under eighteen, given the permanence of the choice and how little science understood of its potential side effects. Given how publicly cruel life had been for the two underage awakened so far, the more superstitious chalked it up to fate. Ruby didn''t believe in fate, but many of the awakened did. Legends sprang up about the curse of the Knowledge affinity, or that those with Creation magic were forever marked as dangerous and unstable. Further still were the legends about the Olympic forest, which at least kept most from wandering the woods at random in the winter. Then, of course, the many superstitions and rumors about the Three Gods and the Eight. Ludicrous, of course, all of it. It wasn''t because Ruby and Natalie were under eighteen that terrible things happened to them, it was the fathers they happened to be born from. Ruby related to the younger girl in so many ways. She wished they''d been able to talk more. She might have seen Natalie like a little sister, had events unfolded differently. Their last conversation, a quiet morning phone call with Natalie whispering while her boyfriend slept only a few feet away, had been stuck in Ruby''s mind for a month. Could I have done something more? Could Cinza? She''d left Natalie with Cinza. By the time she came back with Nikki, Natalie had fled the Greywood. Ruby had no idea what happened. Cinza wouldn''t speak a word, of course, and Ruby loved that she would keep absolute privacy for the girl, but¡­ still Ruby wondered. As the night wound down and more groups returned to their tents, it was time for the Greycloaks to take their leave. Cinza found Ruby''s hand, and though she did her best to hide it, she needed to lean on Ruby all the way back to the Greywood. She''s so stubborn. Never letting anyone see weakness. I wish I could be as strong as her. The other Greycloaks moved ahead, leaving only Makoto behind to trail the couple. Everyone knew that Cinza and Ruby liked to walk together, and afforded them their privacy. The pair were both quite capable at magic if they happened to be attacked. Cinza was far stronger these days, and with Ruby at her side, the two rarely felt in any danger. Makoto always remained close enough to call reinforcements if truly needed. Remembering their new method of communication, Ruby pushed her mind into that second-sight Rachel had taught them. The relationship web was a truly miraculous thing to her, and even more than its effects, she delighted in the sheer overwhelming strength of the bond between herself and her love. They''d never required a visual confirmation of their mutual devotion¡­ but to see that the universe itself agreed with their feelings was a powerful effect nonetheless. When Ruby strummed on those strings like a guitar, it sent a shiver through Cinza''s body, one equally as powerful as any physical touch might produce. "Yes?" murmured Cinza, glancing up at her. Ruby smiled. "I just wanted to make sure you''re awake." "I''m thinking." "What about?" "Where we came from, where we are going, and how long it will take to get there." "...Literally or figuratively?" asked Ruby. She giggled. "Because I think the Greywood''s only like¡­ five minutes away now. Ish." Cinza smiled. "Do you think they will take the message to heart?" "I don''t know," said Ruby simply. If it were anyone else, she''d claim total confidence in Cinza''s message, but she knew her love would appreciate direct honesty. "I pray for their safety," said Cinza softly. "Too many of us have died." Ruby nodded. "Everybody in the camp is still hurting. It''s been a month and it''s not getting easier for most of them." Cinza shook her head. "A month cannot equate to everlasting death itself. They will never truly be past their pain, only learn to accommodate it." Her voice dropped to a fierce tone. "The crimes committed deserve the utmost punishment." "But we gave him up. Natalie left him. We could have claimed him," said Ruby. "After the blackout, we were basically in control. You told us not to." "I must balance many plates," said Cinza. "We are a small community, and the world is a large place. We have only been dealing with one government, and though it represents one of the most powerful countries in the world, there are many more which clamor for our power. Brian Hendricks is of their world, and must be tried by their rules. We have no authority of sovereignty." "Yet," said Ruby pointedly. Cinza smiled. "Yet indeed. Though I must say I think Natalie has claimed sovereignty far faster than we might ever have dreamed." "She wanted a home," said Ruby with a shrug. "Hm?" "I can relate to that so much." She nodded forward, where the Greywood was just coming into view. They were so used to the forest maze that they could navigate it unconsciously, following the tingles of magic left in the air by sense alone¡ªthough it had become more difficult with Natalie''s magic hanging over the whole forest. "It''s what I always wanted." "A desire universal," murmured Cinza. "I always wanted a home too." "And then you made your own," said Ruby, grinning. "With my help, of course." Cinza shook her head. "My home is with you, wherever you may be." Ruby''s heart fluttered, as it did every time Cinza spoke romantically. It never got old, no matter how many times they told each other of their love. They crossed the Greywood, arm-in-arm, returning to their cabin as the other cloaks vanished into theirs. Within minutes, they''d disrobed, climbed into bed, and wrapped themselves in warm blankets with the roaring fire¡­ but nothing more. Her body longed for her to reach out and kiss Cinza, but Ruby could see it in her eyes and her expression¡ªCinza had too much on her mind. She waited, arms wrapped around her love, ready to listen as soon as Cinza was ready to speak. Hope she does it soon though¡­ I was already super tired from the performance. Nikki didn''t end up helping nearly as much as she thought she could, I had to pick up a lot of slack. "I''m worried," said Cinza finally, to Ruby''s relief. "About?" "What comes next." Cinza closed her eyes, placing her head underneath Ruby''s¡ªletting Ruby wrap her up and contain her. Sometimes, Cinza would enter this withdrawn posture, a relic of some part of her life Ruby would never know, a defensive curl that spoke of past dangers. "Do you mean the trial?" She shook her head slightly. "Those are the affairs of the mundane," said Cinza. "I fear the next stage of our world. We''ve faced threat after threat, from the fight of the Gods to the near-overthrow of the Council, the destruction of Rallsburg, the terrorism of Brian Hendricks. It''s been a month of quiet now, without a single sighting of our goddess. I fear what may come next." "You think she isn''t coming back?" asked Ruby, a question she would never utter outside their cabin. "She never left," said Cinza. "She decided the world is no longer worthy, and I will forever wonder why. I''ve no doubt she continues to watch over us, but something about Margaret Bensen''s awakening changed things." "Maybe not," said Ruby. "Sometimes it''s not the last thing that causes the end, right? It could be another event we don''t know about." "You''re right, of course," said Cinza. "It doesn''t matter. Whatever the goddess decides is our fate. Until then, we press on with what we have and what we know." "And now you''re afraid of what comes next," said Ruby, nodding. Her chin brushed against Cinza''s thick brown hair. "What do you want to do about it?" "How can I prepare for that which I don''t know?" asked Cinza. Her voice echo made it slightly harder to tell she was asking genuinely, not out of sarcasm. Ruby would never tell her though¡ªshe loved the voice too much, and knew Cinza had long-since moved to unconsciously casting it. "All I wish is for us to all live in peace, free to follow our own way of life without persecution. Beyond that, I don''t know." "Is that why you never went out to meet with the President or Mr. Gatiss again?" Cinza shook her head. "I''ve no need to see them. We needed to meet when magic was a continually growing thing and I could do some good for the people who were not yet part of our community. Now that''s gone, the rest can be handled by the politicians. They actually enjoy that sort of thing; let them have at it." "I heard you were really good at it though." She backed away slightly to look at Ruby, raising an eyebrow. "...From whom?" "From Makoto, duh. Who else was with you the whole time?" "Mr. Ashe, but I digress." Cinza withdrew into Ruby''s arms once again. Ruby treasured every moment she could hold her like that, provide a space for Cinza to work out her thoughts and fears. "They argue and posture about things of which I have only a passing interest. Now they''ve gotten Nathaniel to agree to let us keep our land, I''ve little more desire to deal with them." Ruby growled involuntarily at his name. "That snake." "Someday, he will face a painful comeuppance," said Cinza. "But let''s not waste our lives worrying about a sniveling wretch scraping out wealth through technicalities." "Okay," said Ruby, smirking slightly. She enjoyed undercutting Cinza''s more flowery sentences with something plain and ordinary, and Cinza often returned the favor in kind when Ruby got theatrical. They lay in silence for a while, holding each other while the fire crackled and the wind whistled outside. Ruby couldn''t think of a thing she''d change about her current situation. Sure, there were plenty of things in the world she might want to change, but here? With Cinza, in their own cabin they built together, warmth generated by magic they invented and in a bed all their own? Nothing could make her happier. "I read something in a book once," said Ruby slowly. "Something about how the best leaders are the ones who don''t want to lead." "Hm." Cinza made the sound simply to show she was still awake and listening, prompting Ruby to continue her thought. "Because, like¡­" She frowned. "People who don''t want to lead are less likely to be dictators or corrupt. They''ll take the problems of the people seriously and then stop when they aren''t needed anymore." Cinza shook her head. "I don''t think that really works." "Why not?" "Any leader who doesn''t want to be a leader might also simply look for the quickest solutions to problems, rather than the right ones, in order to relinquish their leadership as soon as possible." Cinza sighed. "The world needs a leader who both wants to lead and wants no personal gain from doing so." "You used to be that person," said Ruby. "I wanted many things," said Cinza. "I wanted power, I wanted authority. I wanted control. I sought these things with the leadership I had been given and nearly lost everything truly valuable. You set me on the right path." "Which was?" "Family. Connection. Love." Cinza looked back up at Ruby. "I''m never truly afraid as long as you''re all by my side." "And in your bed?" smirked Ruby. "That position''s just for you," said Cinza. She wrapped her arms tighter around Ruby, and though she hadn''t done anything yet, shivers of anticipation and joy rushed through Ruby''s body. "Thank you, Ruby." "For what?" "Every minute, every hour, every day, every year, and every lifetime, from now until the end of eternity." Ruby giggled. "Just shut up and kiss me already." Cinza laughed. A moment later, she did just that¡­ and the fire burned all the brighter, both in the hearth and deep in Ruby''s heart, a perfect ending to a perfect night.
Cinza left early the next morning to meet with Rufus and Captain Hoskins down in the camp, with only a quick kiss goodbye to Ruby. She slept in for once, when normally she''d be out early practicing her magic, or helping tend the garden, or checking the spell perimeter, or any other of a hundred tasks she now had living in the Greywood. Today I''m just a kid again, sleeping in on a holiday. Except for all that stuff I did last night¡­ Ruby giggled aloud. She finally decided after many minutes lounging in their blankets that she''d work on her next art piece. It would be a good break from her usual chores, and she didn''t have anything assigned today. Plus, it would brighten up Cinza''s day when she came back. It''s the one thing I''m really good at¡­ I wish there were more things besides art. Cinza''s so good at everything. I don''t know how she does it. It''s like she''s lived ten lives instead of just one. Ruby got up and went outside. She''d mostly finished work on their own cabin, and had since moved on to decorating other parts of their home. Now, she was adding flourishes to the bridge which crossed the stream flowing through their clearing. The stream had been Aaron''s creation, and the bridge Yusuf''s. Their clearing did not originally have a stream, but Rufus had pointed them to a nearby creek, and Aaron dug out a path for the water to flow which wouldn''t disrupt the local ecosystem. Ruby had named it Aaron''s Creek in his memory. Yusuf had designed and built the bridge, a strong and sturdy structure that looked like a perfect meld between nature and human-lead construction. After he was done, Ruby set to work on it¡ªtiny slashes of magic to draw her designs permanently into the wood without diminishing its strength or vitality. Vitality. Because they''re alive. Like we all are. The bridge was alive. It wasn''t simply a meld with nature visually¡ªthe bridge was sustained with life by the forest beneath it, as if it had actually grown into that shape. This was Cinza''s innovation, developed based on Aaron''s theories. The bridge was alive, as many of the newer structures in their home were. Not our home though¡­ Cinza and I built that ourselves, before we invited the others to come live out here with us. "Excuse me." She''d been on a short break, watching the clouds go by while waiting for the next design to pop into her head. Ruby looked up, surprised. She knew the voice, obviously¡­ but his tone was far from anything she recognized. "...Hi," she said. Makoto shifted awkwardly on his feet. They were below one side of the bridge, so Ruby could take a bit of shelter from the sun. Ruby was aware of him approaching, but hadn''t thought anything of it. After all, beyond Cinza, she probably spent the most time with him of anyone in the Greywood. Totally normal, except that his demeanour screamed anything but. "Do you have a minute?" "Sure." Ruby patted the grass next to her, half-in and half-out of the winter sunlight. It wasn''t freezing in the Greywood, thanks to their magic, though it still certainly felt like winter. The sun helped a lot. "What''s up?" "I have been thinking a lot." He sat down in front of her, cross-legged on the grass. "Always a good thing," said Ruby, smirking. Makoto smiled. "A lot happened last year. Now it''s twenty-nineteen and a lot''s going to happen this year too." "Well yeah, it''s a whole year. A lot happens in a year." Ruby frowned. He''s being weird¡­ "You okay, Makoto?" "Yes." "Okay, that sounded more like you." She grinned. "Was there something you wanted to talk about?" "Yes. For a long time now, but I was¡­" He trailed off, clearly working up the courage to say something. It took her a moment to remember what that would be. Ruby tensed up. Oh¡­ oh no. Not this. Not¡­ not now. "I love you, Ruby." Against her wishes, against the compassion and sympathy screaming at her to do otherwise, Ruby''s instincts won out. She winced. Makoto deflated in an instant. His perfect posture vanished. He looked like Ruby had just kicked him in the gut. In a way, she felt like she had. "I''m so sorr¡ª" he started. Ruby leapt forward and grabbed his hand. His eyes widened with confusion. "Don''t you dare be sorry," she snapped. "What?" "Just¡­ just don''t." Ruby didn''t know what she wanted to say. She''d forgotten that this was probably coming someday. She always knew Makoto had a crush on her, one she didn''t think she could reciprocate. She just¡­ didn''t see him like that. Now, after a perfect day, with a whole year ahead and Cinza already so worried about the future¡­ Ruby just couldn''t handle another huge shakeup in her life. Makoto was still watching her, waiting, his eyes plaintive and hopeful and confused. "I¡­" "Don''t," she said again, standing up. Makoto mirrored her, but after a few moments of trying, Ruby couldn''t figure out what else to say. She didn''t know how to handle a situation like this¡ªshe''d never had a guy ask her out, ever¡ªand worse, this was somebody in her family. Everything about it confused her. With what she hoped was an apologetic look, Ruby fled. Makoto stayed where he was, stuck under the bridge like a doll who''d been abandoned in the yard. She ran across the meadow and plunged into the trees on the opposite side. She wanted to lose Makoto''s gaze, then circle around and find someone who she could talk to, someone who might actually understand her confusion. It couldn''t be Cinza. Ruby already knew exactly how she''d react, and she loved Cinza for it, but it wasn''t what she needed in that moment. She needed someone who could relate to what she was feeling. For lack of better options, she needed the next youngest member of their home¡ªNikki Parsons. Unfortunately, she didn''t seem to be home. She wasn''t in her own cabin, nor was she in Josh''s. Ruby searched, and felt out with magic, tried to trace her relationship¡ªthough of course, the connections didn''t really work like that and couldn''t be used to locate people¡ªand Nikki was just¡­ nowhere to be found. Where could she be? She never leaves the Greywood. The first time she ever left was last night, and just for the performance! "Ruby!" Yusuf was calling out to her, half-panicked. She practically skidded to a halt, realizing just how insane she looked. He hurried over to her, dropping the bundle of supplies in his arms¡ªhe''d just been down to the camp, and she''d run into him on his way back. "Nothing''s wrong," she said quickly. Yusuf paused for a moment, glancing around. "Something is clearly wrong, my friend. Can you tell it to me?" "I¡­" Ruby winced. "I think I might''ve screwed something up." "What are you meaning?" It started to spill out, words flowing from Ruby''s mouth almost without effort. Yusuf was just someone so kind, someone she trusted implicitly, and also someone who she felt would never judge her for what she said. Of everyone in their family beyond Cinza, Yusuf was the one she felt the most secure with. "Makoto told me he loved me and I just like¡­ completely rejected him." Ruby shook her head, crimson hair flying everywhere. Her voice and her affectations slipped away completely. Suddenly, she felt like a girl again, like a teenager without a clue who didn''t spend every night in the bed of the leader of the new world. "I knew he had a crush on me but I was hoping it would just¡­ go away. I didn''t know what to do about it. I really like him, but I''ve never like, liked guys. I don''t know if I ever could. Besides, I love Cinza. I mean, that doesn''t mean I can''t love somebody else, but I don''t know¡­ I just don''t know," she trailed off. By now, she and Yusuf were sitting on a comfortable overturned tree, right next to each other. Yusuf put an arm around her shoulders, a gentle side-arm hug that was just enough affection to bring her back to earth again. "If I tell him I like him too, then it becomes a whole thing," said Ruby, reasoning it out with Yusuf as a sounding board. He hadn''t said anything yet, and Ruby wasn''t even looking at him to see his reactions, but it made her feel better. "If I tell him no, then it makes everything more complicated when we go out. He''s gotta be there to protect Cinza when she goes into the old world, and now he''s gonna be thinking about this and what if it screws him up and¡­ what if I screwed everything up?" "Hd''e, tfly," said Yusuf softly. Ruby had no idea what he''d said, of course¡ªand even in her current state, reminded herself to ask Nikki about a spell to translate languages sometime¡ªbut his tone helped her calm down again. "Be still. You are with family." "I never really, you know¡­" Ruby trailed off again. "I never dated anybody. I couldn''t¡­ ''cause of my dad." She winced, but of course, everybody knew about her dad now, thanks to Nate Price and the theft of Cinza''s books. The world wasn''t sure what to believe yet, but among her family, Ruby had seen nothing but support¡ªwhich she''d always been split on, between gratitude for their love, and pain at the memories which resurfaced, a shame she''d wanted to stay buried. "The only girls I ever, you know¡­" Ruby shivered slightly¡ªthey were outside the Greywood proper, and the enchantments to keep it warm didn''t quite extend out this far. Beyond that, she was suddenly uncomfortable to talk about this with Yusuf, somehow. "The only girls I ever kissed," she whispered the last few words, "were in secret¡­ or you know, they were supposed to be." "But now you live as an adult and you no longer concern these things," said Yusuf. "...Yeah." Ruby nodded. "Now I''m worried about¡­ well, everything else." Yusuf smiled. "It is good you think of us all. But of this I think you may worry too much. Makoto is not a weak man as your father or others in this world. He can understand being rejection." "Are you sure?" "I would let him be still for some while," said Yusuf, the perpetual peaceful smile filling his expression, "but yes, I do think he will be contented. He has a great inner peace." "So do you," said Ruby, a touch of jealousy in her voice. "I wish I could be so calm and smart and kind." "Ah, but then we would all be quiet and speak only when we were spoken to!" cried Yusuf, his eyes sparkling with mirth. "We need young women like you to make sure we are not to stick in the ground and never do anything! Live! Be joyful! Fill your life with love!" Ruby giggled. "That sounds kinda crazy." Yusuf nodded. "You are in a place where crazy is normal. If you were one of my daughters in my old home, I might speak different." She leaned against him, liking the nice solid warmth of his body. It gave her a sense of protection very different than what she felt with Cinza, but still comforting. "...Did you ever talk about things like this with them?" Yusuf gently shook his head. "Ah, but they were too young to have started such things. I would hope they might turn out like you." "...Like me?" asked Ruby, surprised. "Even though I¡­ you know¡­ I''m not normal?" "What is normal?" asked Yusuf pointedly. "Are you confident in that what you love? If yes, then let Allah and ''iilhat alramadi determine the rest. They decide what is the normal, not us who do not to understand the life mystery." His eyes twinkled. "You know, my Nadia was very convinced she would once have a castle to herself, and drew this castle many times. It always showed two princesses in the throne room." Ruby giggled. "What did you say?" "I said I looked forward to the meeting of them!" roared Yusuf with a laugh. Ruby nearly jumped, but it turned into a laugh afterwards, as Yusuf''s attitude was just so infectious. "Amelia was confused, but Nadia was not. She was confident it would have the two princesses. This is what I am most proud of. My daughter was most confident. I think that is what you are too, and what you need now." "What I need is¡­ confidence?" "You have always been the most confidence of anyone I know," said Yusuf firmly. "Now it has slipped. You must determine what it is you want, and proceed with that confidence you trust." The wind blew through the trees around them. In the distance, she could hear the frogs in the creek, faint through the thick underbrush of the forest. Ruby nodded. "Okay." "So what have you decided?" asked Yusuf. "Wait¡­ already?" She shook her head. "I hadn''t thought about it yet." "Confidence, abnty!" Yusuf rocked back and forth with her on the log, his huge arm still draped across her shoulders. "What is in your heart about this boy?" "He''s a friend," said Ruby firmly, the first thing that popped into her mind. He nodded. "That is not a strong reaction." "So¡­" "I would say that you have an answer to your question." Yusuf hugged her tight for a moment, then let go. "Stick to your confidence. It does serve you well. Makoto will understand." Ruby got to her feet, turned, and hugged Yusuf full-on. For some reason she couldn''t quite understand, she felt like crying. It wasn''t a sad sort of crying either¡ªif anything, it was joyous and relieved. It didn''t feel related to Makoto, though she was relieved she''d found some advice from someone she trusted. No¡­ it was something else. Something about Yusuf. "Thank you," she murmured, her head laid against his shoulder. He patted her on the back. "I hope you do find that peace you want." Together, they began the trek back into the Greywood, Yusuf''s supplies slung over his back. Their conversation turned far more banal after that, a catching-up from the goings-on in the camp and beyond. Yusuf was one of those who traveled regularly, though he never showed the slightest inclination to leave like Josh always grumbled about. As she returned to the clearing, she saw Makoto¡ªand to her relief, he wasn''t under the bridge anymore. He''d moved into the garden and was working alongside Matthew Wilkins to grow a fresh batch. They supplied the entire camp now, after all, and they''d had to develop more efficient and higher-yield designs for their spells. Makoto had actually ended up contributing the most to that project, as his college studies in mathematics and engineering had developed a great analytical mind. Seeing him working on it again right after their earlier encounter was a huge weight off her shoulders. She''d go tell him more firmly, apologize, figure out where they stood from here. Confusion and strife could get them hurt in a battle someday¡ªand Ruby had no doubt more battles would come. She took a few steps forward¡­ ...and stopped, because Cinza had just rushed through the trees, her eyes blazing. "Makoto!" she called. He snapped upright at the echoing voice, amplified to reach him easily across the clearing. Ruby froze, Yusuf right alongside her, confused. Cinza started toward her, and Makoto reached them at almost the same time. "We need to go," said Cinza abruptly. "Where?" asked Makoto, while Ruby began to summon their travel things out of their cabin¡ªjust barely within reach. They rushed across the open meadow to land in her waiting palms, except for her scarf, which she made wrap itself around her neck. Cinza''s voice was low, laced with suppressed anger and frustration. "To speak with Rachel DuValle."
From the Greywood to the pilgrim camp only took them twenty minutes or so. Cinza, despite her height, moved faster than the both of them. She looked furious, but had yet to explain why to Makoto or to Ruby. They shot each other confused glances every few minutes, wondering what might have happened. Cinza''s always been so¡­ enamored with Rachel. No, in awe, that''s a better word. She admires her so much. What could have happened? To Ruby, Rachel had been a curiosity for a long time, nothing more. There was a brief span where, thanks to Cinza''s increasingly high praise, Ruby had started to see her in a new light¡ªand in the heat of the season, Ruby had decided she might try to seduce the willowy giant. After all, Cinza wanted to be closer to this girl; why not invite her into their home for the night? She might have tried to seduce a brick wall for all the response Rachel gave. Ruby might have laughed at the memory, if Cinza weren''t so furious in the moment. She quickly realized they were not going to the camp, as she''d expected, but instead were headed directly south¡ªto the road, and the vehicle they''d stashed nearby. "Where is Rachel?" asked Ruby finally. "Seattle," said Cinza shortly. This, finally, was enough to push Ruby to question her. All the way to Seattle? I thought Rachel might be in the camp, or maybe in Olympia¡­ what''s going on? As they reached the vehicle and Makoto began clearing away the carefully arranged debris which kept it hidden, she took her beloved''s hands in her own, grasping tight. "What happened?" she asked softly. Cinza shook her head. "Rachel has made a mistake. I intend to correct it." "Cin¡­" Ruby shook her head. "Let the mundane world figure itself out. Your people are here." "My people are everywhere," said Cinza. "You taught me that." "I meant that you were our leader," said Ruby. "Our home, our people, our place in the world. You have to deal with them to protect us¡­ but is this really part of that?" "If we are not proactive," said Cinza, as Makoto cleared off the last of the debris and pushed the vehicle out onto the road, "we risk even the home we live in. The awakened everywhere are our people, even moreso now that we are so few and do not grow. Rachel has chosen not to support them, to throw her lot in with those who oppose us." "What happened?" "A man who deserves all the world''s fury received his just reward, and Rachel has condemned those who chose to deliver it." Cinza climbed into the vehicle with a hand from Makoto, who then stooped to help Ruby up as well. She winced slightly, remembering their abrupt and awkward conversation only an hour or two earlier, but shook it off. "Details, Cin," said Ruby wearily. Cinza was in her righteous fury mood, which was exhilarating to experience, but often left Ruby more confused as she tended to avoid the topic while delivering her rhetoric. "Felix Wieczorek was visited last night by one or more awakened," said Cinza. "They did not hurt him, nor touch him in any way, but they exacted a punishment. It was a fitting blow I could not admire more. He spurned all his journalistic credibility with his lies and propaganda against us, and thus did they destroy all his awards and treasures, those accolades which gave him the platform to harm us." "And Rachel spoke out against them?" asked Ruby. "She commanded they turn themselves in, and condemned any such acts." Cinza looked to Makoto. "We must hurry. I do not know how long they will remain in Seattle." Makoto nodded. He closed his eyes and began to cast the spell, relying upon the cache of gemstones they kept near the gear system. Ruby settled back into the soft chair and drew closed the curtains around their vehicle. If nothing else, she was excited to finally use it. The design was a group effort. Makoto had acted as the engineer, designing an engine fueled by gemstones and magic which could be easily powered by a single person. He''d worked with Brittany and Matthew to handle the rest of the mechanical design, making it ride comfortably even over the rough roads that went back into the mundane world. Cinza, ever practical, made sure the whole thing was well-insulated and self-warming for the winter months, and contained easily activated defensive measures like a strengthening spell for the cloth covering and a version of her invisibility field which could cover them while moving. Rufus and Yusuf provided the materials to build the whole thing, including parts and tires reclaimed and repaired from some of the cars still left abandoned in Rallsburg. Ruby was the last piece, creating a carriage worthy to carry Cinza. The wood became beautiful flourishes, the cloth emblazoned with the eight-pointed star. Every corner of the thing sparkled, but in a subtle way, so that it did not look gaudy or overbearing. It was the perfect balance of subtle and bold, a strong reflection of their leader. They settled back in the rear seats, within the closed canvas covering. Makoto sat out on the front seat, which could be opened or closed as they preferred. Ruby laid her head on Cinza''s shoulder, but her love was still fired up, angry at something she did not yet understand¡ªthough if anything, she felt even more enraged that Rachel might be turning against them than her love. "What did Rachel say exactly?" she asked, as the car slid out onto the road and began burning its way down out of the forests. Cinza shook her head. "I received this secondhand from a pilgrim listening to a radio up until the edge of the zone. There was no transcript. I intend to ask Rachel that myself once we find her." "I can''t believe she''d do this," growled Ruby. "After everything, she''s going to turn on us?" "We don''t know that for sure," said Cinza. "I will find out." Ruby shook her head. "It''s just like the Summit. Rachel''s not really on our side. Brian was killing us and she called for mercy." "It is not such a bad thing to be merciful¡­" Cinza sighed. "I was not entirely settled on killing the man myself. I do not wish to commit murder, though if the time comes, I will defend us at any cost." "We will defend us," said Ruby, and Cinza smiled. "Rachel is still our greatest ally in their world. She has landed herself in influential positions time and again. I would not burn such a relationship without knowing the full story, though right now, I am very close to doing so." Ruby didn''t answer. She knew Cinza had something about Rachel, some kind of worship she didn''t really understand. It was an unpleasant sticking point between the two of them, that Cinza trusted Rachel so much, but she let it slide. She trusted Cinza wholeheartedly, and that was all that mattered. "So where are we going?" she asked finally. "She should be staying at the Westin, by all reports." Cinza gazed out the window as a worried look crossed her expression. "...I haven''t been there in years." "You stayed in the Westin once?" asked Ruby, raising an eyebrow. "More than once¡­ in a manner of speaking." Cinza didn''t elaborate, and Ruby knew not to ask further. Her past was something just like Ruby''s, one she did not like to delve into. For Cinza, though, it didn''t feel like shame. The past simply¡­ existed. I wish I could do that. Just¡­ set it in the past and keep going. I can''t ever stop thinking about him though, or¡­ everything. I haven''t seen or heard from him in years but I still can''t get away. Instead, Ruby simply stayed close to her, riding in silence all the way back into the mundane world once more. She''d trust in Cinza, no matter what came next.
In Seattle, as on the roads through Olympia and Tacoma before it, their vehicle practically stopped traffic wherever it went. No one had seen it until this day. Ruby watched them through the gap in the curtains, which only appeared one way, and reveled in their reactions. "They''re all watching us!" she said, peering around excitedly. "Look how excited everyone is!" "Excitement can lead to many things," murmured Cinza, her eyes closed. She''d taken a nap during the highway stretch, while Ruby watched the cars go by. "We should not linger." Makoto nodded from the front seat. They''d opened the curtain between the two after their initial conversation¡ªand to Ruby''s relief, he seemed totally back to his usual self. Any awkwardness had completely vanished. Maybe it was the potentially hostile environment, but Ruby hoped he''d already gotten over that morning. Please, please be over it already¡­ I need to go back to us being friends. We spend almost all our time together¡­This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. As a crowd chased them down sidewalks, cameras flashing, and a newschopper circled overhead, Makoto took them directly to the front steps of the building. The whole carriage thumped as they drove straight onto the sidewalk, scattering the crowd in front of them. He brought them to a smooth halt. The staircase embedded in the side extended down to the ground. Cinza took a moment to prepare herself, shifting her hair back to the bright silvery-grey, before opening the curtain. A gasp echoed through the crowd. Ruby fought the urge to giggle. Well duh, who did you expect in something like this? She followed her love out, only a few steps behind. A confused valet stepped forward, hand outstretched. Ruby smirked and shook her head, while Cinza continued forward into the building, head high, ignoring the shouts and camera flashes around them. As soon as the two of them entered the lobby, they were surrounded by Secret Service agents, black-suited and radios one and all. "I''m here to see the President and Miss DuValle," said Cinza abruptly. "Take me to them." The two agents who seemed to be in charge glanced at each other. Finally, one stepped away, talking briefly into her headset. Cinza waited, perfectly still. Ruby felt like fidgeting, but she resisted, wanting to put up the some implacable front as her leader. After a minute or so, the agent returned, looking vaguely confused. "Come with us." They were led deeper into the hotel, past various rooms and corridors into the conference suites. As they got closer, more agents appeared, like an entire army concealed within the building. A sense of giddiness threatened to overwhelm her with every passing step. Agents were all over, they were deep inside a super-nice four-star hotel, and Cinza had been ordering them around like it was nothing. I''m actually going to meet the President. Like¡­ I knew she had, and saw it on TV even, but¡­ I''m actually here. This is amazing. Sure enough, they approached a final set of double doors, with fully-equipped marines flanking it. A wave of nervous energy rocked through her. Ruby nearly tripped over her cloak. She grasped Cinza''s hand to steady herself. Cinza looked over at her and smiled. "It''s okay," she murmured, and from the faint tingle of magic in the air, Ruby knew only she could hear. "We''re in control here, not them. They will not harm us." Ruby nodded. She tightened her grip for just a moment, then let go, so that Cinza could walk slightly ahead, fulfill the leadership role she was meant for. The doors swung wide to admit them. Ruby gasped. Besides the people, the room itself was richer than any she''d ever seen. From the handsome mahogany table to the beautiful chandeliers, the place certainly lived up to the pricey hotel outside. She spotted more than a few designs to remember for decorating their own meeting hall when they returned to the Greywood. Seated around the conference table inside was Rachel DuValle herself, along with a dreadlocked blonde girl Ruby didn''t know. Nearby, the state governor and her sister who were at the Summit, the President, and a few other people she didn''t recognize. They wore a wide range of expressions¡ªsome annoyed, some curious, and most just confused. The marines shut the doors behind them, and suddenly, the room was conspicuously silent. "This is an unexpected honor," said the President finally. He smiled, that winning grin which didn''t seem at all like a fake politician''s smile. That''s why I would''ve voted for him¡­ if I could. He seems like a real guy. I''ll be eighteen next year. Maybe I''ll vote for him¡­ assuming the world still does that in a year and a half. "Welcome, Cinza." Cinza frowned. "As before, we do not meet under a banner of honor, Mr. President." Before anyone could respond, her head snapped around to face Rachel. "Words have been spoken which must be accounted for." Rachel, to her credit, didn''t recoil an inch. "I stand by them. The perpetrators committed a crime and must turn themselves in." "They''re awakened," snapped Ruby. Cinza took her hand, but didn''t let up, nor contradict her. "They are, and they struck out in revenge after a miscarriage of justice by your government. They did not hurt him, nor touch him in any way, merely destroyed that which was wrongfully earned. Can such a thing truly be condemned?" "It''s vigilantism," said the governor. Courtney, I think. Ruby had only met her the once, and hadn''t paid much attention to state politics even when she did still live in their world. "We already went through this with Hailey Winscombe. It can''t happen." She shook her head. "That is another atrocity of your legal system. Hailey Winscombe is a hero and should not have been subjected to such humiliations. Using Bethany Silverdale against her was despicable." "The woman volunteered for that," said a handsome guy near the President. He stood up to emphasize his enthusiastic defense. "We didn''t even go looking for her. She hates Hailey." "And you as a responsible government decided to let a clearly biased and distraught woman fling emotional abuse at a captive audience in your custody," Cinza shot back. "I have not forgiven you for that." "Cinza," said Stafford patiently, gesturing at his staff to sit down. "If it''s any consolation, I instructed my Attorney General to forego such tactics in the future. While Hailey''s trial is now being carried out in absentia, of course, we will ensure nothing of the sort occurs with Miss Nishimura''s." Like Rika wouldn''t just throw it right back at them. Ruby smiled slightly. Those tactics wouldn''t work on her in the slightest. "To the more immediate matter," continued the President, "I agree that Rachel''s statement was hastily given. It wasn''t cleared by my communications department and should not be considered the official position of the government at this time." "So you agree this was a just act by persecuted individuals, and should be left to its own devices." Stafford frowned. "In all honesty, despite being off-the-cuff, I felt Rachel gave a fair assessment of our expected position. We sympathize with these individuals and would offer them the lightest possible sentence, but we can''t simply ignore the rule of law, Cinza." "Some in your position would do exactly that, and quite gleefully," said Cinza coldly. "And he''s not one of them," the staffer next to him shot back. "If I may," said another nearby quietly, straightening his glasses. "Wesley?" asked Stafford, silencing the other man momentarily. "Cinza, I would be happy to offer these people sanctuary and clemency," said Wesley, "but the fact is, this may not be an isolated incident." "Explain," said Cinza, not nearly as harshly as before. "We''ve been tracking several similar incidents across the Pacific Northwest, both in Oregon and Washington. This was the most dramatic and the highest profile target, but there''s an increase in thefts on suspected or known former members of Brian Hendricks'' organization. There may be a vigilante awakened group forming in the region." "One instance of revenge against the ringleader is something," added Courtney. "A pattern of thefts and terror-like acts is another. We can''t let one terrorist group fall only for another to rise in return." Cinza frowned. "You would equate us?" "Of course not," said Rachel, finally jumping back in. "But it still qualifies as terrorism. Whoever they are, they''re using magic to spread fear and push their message. We want to stop this before it gets bigger." "And you did so much to stop Mr. Hendricks," snapped Ruby before she could stop herself. Stafford nodded gravely. "You''re right. We failed. We underestimated the threat and your people paid the price. I wish I had acted sooner. But if I can''t learn from my mistakes, I''m not the leader my people elected. I''ll do better: for you, for the awakened, and for the American people. None of us should have to live in fear." After a long pause, in which everyone watched for Cinza''s reaction. That sounded really good¡­ but it also sounded a lot like a politician. Cinza''s talked to him a lot, I haven''t. She''d know if he was being for real or not. Finally, Cinza nodded. She took a seat at the table, in one corner where no one sat nearby. "What do you plan?" "Well," said Maddie, "first we gotta figure out who they are." She frowned. "Actually, we were plannin'' to get somebody out to ask you if you had any idea." "I do not." And we probably wouldn''t tell you if we did¡­ added Ruby in her head. "What''s our last estimate on the population?" asked the President, glancing at Wesley. "Four thousand?" "Somewhere in there," said Wesley with a nod. "Not a huge group to search," said the other staffer. "Unless they aren''t all awakened," pointed out Rachel. "They might have allies." "How did you come to that number?" asked Cinza, glancing between them. Rachel fell uncomfortably silent, but someone else was there to fill the gap. "We''ve been surveying demographics," said the staffer. "Making scans, calculating statistics, and trying to account for your population." As he said the word, the room got ice-cold. Cinza''s eyes were blazing in an instant. "And how," she started, her voice thick with suppressed fury, "did you scan them?" The staffer faltered. Rachel suddenly jumped back in, her voice confident and assured once more. "We have the stones." Cinza''s gaze whipped around to meet hers. "You used them." "Yes. They''re a valuable tool and we have no idea how to recreate the magic yet. The DTA lab will begin studying them soon to try and break down the effect." It made some sense, of course, that they wanted to figure it out. Nobody knows how to enchant things with permanent spells¡­ Just Kendra, Lily and Jackson. Then Lily taught us how to do it after Kendra kept it for so long. It really helped us take care of the whole pilgrim camp¡­ I wonder if that''s why she taught us. "You used his tools," Cinza said, her voice still low and furious. "Objects created for the purpose of committing hateful genocide, and you used them on unsuspecting awakened to track them." "We''re taking a census," shot back the staffer. "Something we''re compelled to do by the law, in fact. These demographics are useful." "He''s not wrong," added Wesley, his quiet voice a massive contrast from the enthusiastic staffer. "Knowing the scale of our awakened population is incredibly valuable, especially if it begins to grow again." "It hasn''t even been a full month," said Cinza, "and the monsters who murdered us walk free, while our erstwhile allies use their implements of terror on us without our consent." "Cinza¡ª" started Courtney, but Rachel talked over her. "It was my call," she said firmly, facing Cinza. "You''ve trusted in my decisions before. Trust in this one, too. These are useful tools despite their origin, and allowed us to build a population estimate painlessly. Nuclear science came from terrible weapons. We could learn great things. I admit using them as a census tool might have been a misstep, but what do you want from us? To destroy them?" "Yes," Cinza said simply. "We can''t just destroy them," said Maddie. "You aren''t awakened," snapped Ruby. The room stiffened. Ruby faltered, unsure if she''d gone too far. Cinza didn''t exactly support Ruby''s statement as she went on, but neither did she contradict her. "I was led to believe the stones would be kept solely for research and to track down the remaining members of Brian''s terrorist cells," said Cinza in a very controlled, even tone. "This is completely different, and absolutely unacceptable." "But they don''t even affect you¡ª" started the staffer, but Stafford raised a hand to stop him. "I''m sorry," said Stafford. "We made a mistake in not consulting you." "So you will destroy them?" asked Cinza without missing a beat. "Every stone will remain within the DTA''s research lab for study. If they are ever to be used again, we will consult with you first, except in cases of extreme emergency." Stafford tried to offer a smile again, but this time, Ruby could tell it was forced. "Is that amenable?" Cinza shook her head. "You have already broken our trust once. I cannot yet grant it a second time." She stood up from the table. Rachel and Stafford did the same, and the rest of the room followed shortly afterward. Without another word, Cinza turned and swept out of the room, Ruby only a few steps behind. The same agents who''d escorted them from the lobby were waiting just outside. They scrambled to their feet as Cinza emerged. "We are leaving," she said abruptly, striding past them without another word. The agents hurried to catch up¡ªwhich really wasn''t hard, given how short Cinza''s legs were¡ªand soon enough, they were more than halfway out of the hotel. "I can''t believe them," murmured Ruby. "Why won''t they destroy the awful things? Haven''t they done enough?" "They believe some good can come out of such evil," said Cinza. She sighed. "In most cases, I might believe the same. I''ve known many people to turn from terrible lives to wonderful ones, and make mistakes along the way. But these are not people, these are objects. Their creator was irredeemable, and their purpose in creation was the same." "So you think they''re all wrong." "I think they are all na?ve and will make the same foolish mistakes again, to all our detriment." Cinza picked up the pace slightly. "I wish to go home. I''ve had enough of their world already." "Same," muttered Ruby¡ªthough, in truth, she had enjoyed the rest of the trip. It had been a long time since she came out into the mundane world. The last time was for Jessica''s funeral, and before that, to help rescue Hailey and Alden from the bar in Tacoma. She liked seeing it again, though she absolutely would never live out here. The Greywood remained, and forever would be, her home. Ruby would always want to return there. Except, as they reached the hotel and saw the waiting officers, she realized something far worse¡ªshe might not get the chance. The officers were normal police, two of them plus a plain-clothed individual, and as soon as Ruby walked in, they were looking at her. Not at Cinza, as with the rest of the crowd, but at Ruby. She knew it instantly. They were there for her. "Cin¡­" she whispered. "Hm?" Cinza looked around, and immediately spotted the approaching officers. In a second, she''d placed herself between them and Ruby. Makoto was outside the glass doors, watching with a worried expression¡ªand Ruby wished he were there with them, the grounding pillar of their trio, their firm shield against the outside world. But he was outside, surrounded by a mob, and they were not. "Miss Cinza," said the lead officer politely, "may we speak with your companion?" "Go right ahead," said Cinza, in no uncertain terms. The two officers glanced at each other for a moment. One of them looked like he was considered kneeling down, as if to speak to a child. If he did that, Cinza would walk away right now. "We''d like to speak to her alone, please," said the other officer. "About what?" "Well¡­" The officer glanced at the third person in the group again, then back to Cinza. "To be frank, there''s a warrant out for her arrest."
Ruby shivered. They''d taken her to a security office in the hotel. Despite Ruby''s obvious fear, Cinza had finally reluctantly allowed them to speak with her alone¡ªon the condition Ruby remain in the hotel, and Cinza less than a single room away. Every few moments, Ruby shifted her vision and found the relationship tether between them. If she needed Cinza, she would strum their string, and Cinza would feel their connection. She wasn''t truly alone. She''d never be truly alone again. One of the officers had stayed outside with Cinza, leaving only the female officer¡ªwho looked like a nice lady, all things considered¡ªand the plainclothes man. They sat down opposite her, in two chairs while Ruby sat on a soft, wide couch across a coffee table. "Thank you for agreeing to speak with us," said the plainclothes guy. "My name is Jeff, and this is Officer Daniels." Daniels nodded. "We wanted to speak with you about your life. Is that all right?" "What about it?" asked Ruby, a little nervously. "Well, it''s not¡­" Daniels glanced at Jeff. "Ruby," he started, and paused. "Do you prefer Ruby?" "That''s my name," said Ruby firmly. "I didn''t get to choose the other one." "Ruby," Jeff went on, and he had a very pleasant, comforting voice. Ruby could see why they''d chosen him to speak with her. "We''re concerned for your wellbeing." She couldn''t help it¡ªshe laughed. "Is this about running away from home?" "Well, yes," said Officer Daniels. Figures¡­ it''s the first time I showed myself since Cinza''s diaries came out. Of course they were gonna come find me. "I''m happier and safer than I''ve ever been living with the Greycloaks." "Ruby, you never finished your education," said Daniels. "Like high school''s worth anything," Ruby shot back. She was getting heated, and she knew it wasn''t helping her case, but she couldn''t stop herself. "I''m happy now. Isn''t that enough?" "We''re hoping you''ll give the world a chance again," said Jeff. "We know it wasn''t an easy life, and the Greycloaks offered you an escape. But things are different now." "Uh huh," said Ruby. "You guys know where I live. Why didn''t anybody ever come looking, if you''re so concerned?" "Well, to be honest, we didn''t feel it was safe to do so," said Jeff. "Not because of the awakened, of course," he added. "But at the time, your region was being¡­ well, terrorized." "Yeah. I lived through it." Ruby shook her head. "This feels a little too late, you know. I''m the damsel in distress now, except my hero already rescued me years ago, and she''s right out there." She pointed at the door, where she knew Cinza must only be a few dozen feet away. "You weren''t there." "We weren''t, and neither was your father," said Jeff, and there it was. Bile seemed to jump into her throat, simply at the mention of her father. "...Yeah," said Ruby. "...He wasn''t." "You left to get away from him, right?" "Yeah." Memories were surfacing in her mind, one by one¡ªbut unlike the other times she fell into that place, she wasn''t afraid. It wasn''t like she was braving the depths, as with Cinza, but more¡­ examining them. Analyzing them. Jeff nodded. "It must have been terrible. If I may, and you don''t need to answer, but is the reason you never reported anything because you were afraid of him?" "...Yes," said Ruby in a very small voice. "It''s good you removed yourself from the danger," said Daniels, nodding slightly. "We wouldn''t ever want you to be in that situation." "So if it''s a good thing," said Ruby, feeling confused, "why am I still in trouble?" "Because it''s still the law," said Daniels. "You''re still underage and in the state of Washington. We need to make sure you''re being cared for and educated." "I got that already," said Ruby firmly. "With a group that regularly puts you in extremely dangerous situations," said Daniels. "And saved my life," she shot back. Jeff shook his head. "We''re not saying they haven''t done great things for you, Ruby, but you have to admit¡ªeven with your father, it''s not likely you would have been shot at, fighting battles with magic, surviving the destruction of Rallsburg, or any of the other incredible things which have happened." "So?" Ruby frowned. "What am I supposed to do, then?" "...Your father''s changed," said Jeff finally. "It took a long time, but after you left, he started going to counseling. He joined Alcoholics Anonymous, did you know that?" "...No," said Ruby quietly. "Since then, he''s been a model citizen. Ashley''s been volunteering for schools and orphanages. Not only that," said Jeff, smiling slightly, "he''s been volunteering at awakened-supporting charities. First it was the Rallsburg Families Fund, and now the Magical Law Association, which is a charity to provide assistance for awakened people who can''t afford legal services." Ruby took it in without a word. It all sounded great, as they continued to describe other ways in which her father had changed. She didn''t believe a word of it, but then¡­ they brought out the pictures, and there he was. Smiling, in a way she''d never seen, working a charity line, helping out in the community, being a human being. That''s not my dad. I don''t know that guy. He looks like dad, but¡­ there''s no way. That can''t be him. "He wants to see you," said Jeff finally, leaving the last picture on the table. "If you want, you can be accompanied or alone, whichever you prefer. You''ll have a sit-down, and we''ll see if your home is somewhere you can return to." "Never," said Ruby instantly. She''d been starting to see a possibility of a reunion, a faint glimmer amidst all the past pain, but those words brought her back again. "The Greywood''s my home." The two of them glanced at each other. Jeff looked more concerned than before as he spoke again. "Ruby, that''s a cabin in a national park, far away from hospitals, schools, everything. We can''t clear that as an acceptable living space for you, legally speaking." "That''s her place though," said Ruby, drawing on something else deep within her to give her strength. It wasn''t Cinza this time¡ªinstead, the attitude of her friend Yusuf back home, who had such confidence and conviction. "Cinza''s?" "The goddess," said Ruby firmly. "Grey-eyes. It''s hers. That''s where I belong." "The¡­" Daniels shook her head, obviously confused by the sudden shift in the conversation. Ruby simply smiled at them. Obviously, they couldn''t understand what she meant, or the sudden calm which had come over her. "It''s okay," she said. "You can''t really know what that''s like, until she saves you. That''s how it works." "Ruby¡­" started Jeff, but she talked over him. "If he''s getting better, great. That''s one less awful person, and the world becomes a little brighter," said Ruby. As she continued, her voice came back, stronger than in a very long time. "I''ve no desire to return to that life, and may he forever remain removed from my new home. We''ll both be far better off if our ships pass quietly in the night." "That''s not¡ª" "I am of the Greywood, a follower of Grey-eyes and servant of magic, and I will never be anything else," said Ruby finally, flourishing her hand slightly. Daniels frowned. "That''s all fine, but that doesn''t excuse you from the state. Not yet, anyway. You haven''t been emancipated, and right now by all official records, you don''t even have grounds to run away from home. We believe you, but we don''t have any proof that can hold up with a judge." "All we want," said Jeff, shooting an annoyed look at the officer, "is for you to speak with your father. Come see Ash with us. Is that all right?" "No," said Ruby, channeling her love''s favorite short, simple answers. "We can arrest you," said Daniels, looking a bit annoyed herself now. "Like I said before, there''s a warrant for you." Ruby smiled, a hard-edged smile learned in the midst of battle, against foes far more fearsome and powerful than a simple police officer and a hapless social worker. She knew their threat, even if completely intended, was useless. They could never force her to do anything against her will. She had magic on her side. "I dare you to try."
The door crashed open. Ruby had shoved it out, after they refused to let her go again. It was a security door, hard metal and deadbolted¡ªbut what were such simple materials against magic? With that in mind, Ruby bent the metal back behind her, fusing it in place. It''d give her a good head start to escape the hotel, which had shifted from a wonder of riches into a gilded cage waiting to entrap her. She fled the room, as shouts followed her away. Cinza reappeared from wherever she''d been waiting, at Ruby''s side in an instant. "What happened?" asked Cinza as they ran. "They wanted to take me away," said Ruby. "I didn''t go." Halfway to the lobby, Ruby suddenly stopped. The other officer would be waiting. Ruby didn''t know what would happen when they got there, and suddenly, fear mixed in with the excitement of their flight. She needed strength¡­ and next to her was the love of her life, the other half of her soul. She turned, took Cinza''s hands in her own, and pressed her up against the nearest wall. Before Cinza could say a word, Ruby kissed her¡ªhard, passionately, and without restraint. Cinza stiffened with shock, but only for a moment¡­ and soon she was kissing Ruby back. They kissed, again and again, holding each other tight as if in the midst of a storm. To Ruby, it surely felt like one, as the thump of heavy feet sounded behind them. They had no idea what might happen next, how many people they were up against, or if they could possibly get out without losing each other. We''ll never lose each other. No matter what. "Until the end of eternity," whispered Ruby, breaking away. Cinza''s eyes were wide. She was panting heavily, though of course, they hadn''t run very far. Their blood was pumping from the adrenaline and the rush of abrupt passion. "Forever," Cinza whispered back. Hand in hand, they fled down the corridor, just as Officer Daniels and members of the hotel security staff appeared. They shouted, but Ruby couldn''t hear it over the rush of emotions pounding through her skull. All she wanted was to escape. They rounded the last corner. As expected, the other officer was there, along with more hotel security. They raised their hands, as if they could stop the duo. Cinza''s voice grew to deafening volumes, though she directed it in such a way that Ruby''s ears were not so impacted. "Stand aside or be forced aside," she called. The security hesitated, but the officer stood firm. "Stop!" he shouted back. Cinza shook her head. Ruby''s hand tight in her own, they barrelled down the hallway. The officer braced for some kind of impact¡ªbut of course, neither Ruby nor Cinza had any intention of hurting the man. Halfway to him, Cinza threw out the spell she''d been preparing, drawing energy to support it from Ruby''s pool of magic. In an instant, they''d disappeared from view. The officer blinked furiously, utterly confused. Cinza led Ruby past him, slipping between the gaps in the men trying to keep them from leaving. Except we have magic. Nothing can ever hold us, or keep us apart. A huge thump of wind slammed into them. As they passed the officer, it ran headlong into Ruby. She lost her grip on Cinza''s hand and tumbled, head over heels, onto the carpet. Cinza stumbled, but didn''t quite lose her footing. Unfortunately for them both, the fall broke her concentration. The pair reappeared, in the middle of a hotel lobby full of confused guests, Secret Service agents, hotel security, and police officers. The room erupted into chaos, as guests fled fearing some kind of attack, while the uniforms everywhere sprang into action. More importantly, they''d been torn apart. "Cin!" cried Ruby, as the officer closed on her. She balled her fists, gathering magic to fight off the officer closing on her. She didn''t think she could create more invisibility in the time they needed¡ªCinza was always much better at that spell than her, and cast it whenever they went out together. No matter what, Ruby wasn''t going to let them take her. "What the hell is going on down here?" From another direction, President Stafford had just emerged, the entire retinue in tow. Secret Service agents scrambled to surround him against the possible threat, but he strode up to the pair of them, heedless of caution. Everyone froze. Ruby was still watching the officer in front of her, ready to throw down if need be. Cinza had been facing off against the hotel security, and her hand stayed near her belt¡ªright where her black-taped knife was always sheathed. They were all ready to fight in a moment, but with the President there, none dared to set off the powder-keg waiting to blow. One of the agents leaned in and began whispering in his ear. The President''s eyes widened. He rounded on Courtney. "Your officers just tried to arrest this girl?" The governor shook her head. "I had no idea this was taking place." "Mr. President, sir," said Jeff, returning the room almost completely out of breath. "I can explain." "Do so quickly. My trigger finger''s getting itchy," said the President impatiently. "Ruby Dahl, otherwise known as Ha¡ª" "Her name is Ruby until she decides otherwise," snapped the President, "and I''ll hear no more of that, thanks." "Yes sir," said Jeff quickly, while Ruby felt an incongruous burst of appreciation and pride toward the President whom she''d wanted to vote for. "The fact is, she''s underage, and her father''s a model citizen. By law, we have to make an effort to reunite them, or find some other acceptable guardian for the girl." "For Heaven''s sake," said the President, glancing at Courtney. "Madam Governor, I thought we''d buried this." "Mr. President," said Courtney, with an uneasy glance toward the many press near the hotel doors, "I had directed the law enforcement agencies to focus their efforts on other fronts, but I can''t just completely ignore the law." "Wide-ranging executive powers," growled the President. "Figure it out, Courtney." "Yes, sir." Stafford looked around at the hotel security and the police officers. "Are you all going to stand down, or do we need to demonstrate the competence of my own security detail?" Reluctantly, their opponents relaxed and stepped away. In an instant, Cinza had returned to Ruby''s side. She clutched Cinza''s arm like she were trapped in a storm once more, but instead of a moment of furious passion, now they were truly facing the terrifying forces arrayed against them. No matter what the President said, everyone in the room still felt like their enemy, in one way or another. Cinza seemed to feel the same. "This doesn''t change anything," she said firmly, looking to Stafford. "I appreciate this gesture and accept the kindness, but trust cannot be repaired so easily." Stafford nodded, and didn''t speak another word. Cinza led Ruby by the hand through the still-frozen hotel lobby, past the eyes of Rachel and the others in the President''s retinue, past the officers and security personnel, past the dumbstruck hotel staff and guests. They walked out into the bright sunlight, through an ocean of reporters and onlookers. A straight and narrow pathway existed from the doors to their carriage, lined by more agents of the President. Cinza did not give any of them a single glance as she led Ruby through the parted seas. Makoto extended the small staircase, they climbed inside, and within moments, they''d returned to the road. Ruby didn''t speak another word until they were out of Seattle. She curled up on the wide seat in the back, her head in Cinza''s lap, trembling as her love brushed her fingers through her hair, keeping her from falling apart in a world that seemed determined to hate them at every turn.
It wasn''t until the highway signs started to read Tacoma that Ruby finally spoke up. She didn''t move, as her head in Cinza''s lap was the most comforting and safe place she could imagine. Instead, she watched the street signs high above through the faux-windows in their carriage. They didn''t allow wind through, with the way they''d designed the spells, so it actually reminded her a great deal of riding in a car. She''d never gotten to drive, of course, since she''d run away before she could get her license¡ªif her father would ever let her, anyway. "They wanted to take me away," she murmured. "I assumed as much," said Cinza softly, still brushing Ruby''s hair with her fingers. "They could never take you from me." I''d never let them. Aloud, though, Ruby couldn''t bring herself to be quite so fierce. She was too shaken by the experience, by the sheer threat she''d felt, the overwhelming sense that they might have been ripped apart. "I was so scared." "I wanted to come to you, every second," said Cinza. "I''m so sorry that I didn''t." "No¡­" she murmured. "It''s okay. I agreed to talk to them. You were there when I needed you." Cinza continued to brush her hair in silence, while Ruby relived the moments again. She wondered if they''d even been telling the truth about how much he''d changed. Obviously there were photos of him, but¡­ what good was a photo? They all knew about how Natalie''s story had been twisted and confused, and how the photos of her didn''t tell the whole story. Photos of me wouldn''t show anything either. He never hit me in places that would show¡­ Is he really different now? After all that? "Do you¡ª" she started, but cut herself off. It needed another moment to properly fit into her mind. "Do you think people can really change?" "What do you mean?" "That''s one of the things they talked about," said Ruby. She closed her eyes, doing her best to relax in Cinza''s presence. "That my dad''s¡­ changed. They said he went to counseling, volunteers at schools and charities, even like¡­ awakened charities. That he''s totally different now." Cinza didn''t respond immediately. Ruby peeked one eye open to see her clearly contemplating the question, lost in thought. She closed her eyes again. "Yes," said Cinza finally. "I cannot speak for your father, but I believe anyone can change. I''ve changed in more ways than I can imagine, more than once in my life even. My whole identity was broken down and renewed time and again. Sometimes, I felt like there wasn''t a true core to my being until you came along and found it. "You''ve changed too," she added. "The Ruby I know is very different from the girl I met two years ago. You were broken, and I was broken, but together, we healed one another. We both changed for the better." "So you think¡­" Ruby trailed off, unwilling to voice it. Cinza gave her a few moments to finish the thought, but when it became clear she couldn''t, her love filled in the space for her. "I can''t say if he''s changed. That''s something we''d have to see for ourselves. One thing I can say is that¡­ despite everything, he is your father and shares your genes, and he raised you. By some measure, he is an influence on your life, and I could not be more in love with the end result." Ruby smiled slightly, but it had brought up a new thought, one she couldn''t stop herself from voicing. "Same for your parents." Cinza nodded. "Whomever they might be." She hesitated, but she had to ask, and she hoped it wouldn''t feel too intrusive. "Do you wish you had parents?" "I did, for a time," said Cinza. Ruby''s eyes widened. She hadn''t expected much of a response, and certainly not that, based on what she knew of Cinza''s past lives. "It was a very patchwork relationship, abruptly gained and abruptly lost, but I might call them my parents if anyone ever really filled that role for me." "Did you get along with them?" "We did not believe in the same things," said Cinza. "But they were good people, and they cared for me and sheltered me for several years. We were total opposites in faith and ideology, but we still managed some kind of relationship. It didn''t last, but¡­ they taught me many valuable things. From them, I learned tolerance. I learned acceptance for the world, of the infinite variations in people. We were close for a time, but¡­ we were driven apart." She trailed off in a melancholy tone, obviously not wanting to speak of it further. Ruby was shocked how much she had revealed, and in a way, wish she hadn''t. The memories obviously pained Cinza, returning to a past life she''d long-since buried. "I don''t know what I learned from my dad," said Ruby quietly. She took Cinza''s hand and held it. "But¡­ I used to like him. We were close. Then stuff with my step-mom happened, and then dad found out about¡­ about me. I don''t know why it was so much to him." "We may never know what those around us believe in their hearts," said Cinza. "Some keep it locked up tight, so deep they don''t even know themselves. Some are in denial about what they believe, and throw up walls of self-deception that must be broken down until the truth emerges." "...Do you think that''s him?" asked Ruby, opening her eyes again. "Maybe¡­ I don''t know. I''m¡­" "You should try," said Makoto, startling them both. While he could usually hear them whenever they traveled, he''d never jumped into their conversations before. Cinza trusted him without reserve, and after a while, Ruby had done the same. Still, into one of their personal conversations¡­ Ruby felt like it was an intrusion somehow. On the other hand, he was always there for her. No matter what happened, Makoto was supportive. She couldn''t deny how much he meant to her, and if he had something to offer, she ought to listen. "You think so?" she asked. "Give him one chance," said Makoto. "Only one. We will both be there. No matter what happens, it''s your choice." "But what if he¡­" Ruby trailed off, too afraid to voice it again. "We won''t let him," he said simply. Cinza nodded. "Nothing," she reminded Ruby. "Neither man nor magic, no force will keep us apart." Ruby nodded. "...Okay."
They pulled into Ruby''s neighborhood. She''d decided, since they were already near Tacoma, she might as well take a look at his house. Ruby wanted to see it to decide if she could really go through with it. With her help, Cinza managed a spell to lose all the news crews tailing them, creating a brief illusion to throw them off track while the invisible carriage left the highway and headed out into Ruby''s old world. Hannah''s world. Not mine. Well¡­ it is mine. I''ve never really separated the two like Cinza. If Cinza even has two. She always seems like there''s so many more than that. They drove through the streets she''d grown up on, one by one. Ruby tensed a little, but so far, it wasn''t too bad. Her fingers never broke their interlocking grip with Cinza''s, but she could handle it. If anything, returning to her home was surreal, rather than scary. "It looks exactly the same," she murmured. "The suburbs always do," said Cinza with a faint smile. "No, I mean¡­ everything. It''s all right where I left it." She turned left and right, looking out their carriage. Nothing had changed at all. The whole place was quiet and still, a static painting broken only by birds and the occasional car, or children hanging out in a front yard. As her house came into view, Ruby froze up. It was exactly as she''d left it. Hadn''t changed an inch. There wasn''t a single person outside, either. She''d expected the press, or even just someone from the neighborhood¡­ but it was empty. The house didn''t look dead¡ªthe lights were on inside¡ªbut the whole idea seemed more foreboding. If the outside hadn''t changed¡­ "He''s home," she whispered, pointing at his car in the driveway. Cinza nodded. "And no one is here. We may not get another opportunity such as this, if they''re all looking for us elsewhere." Ruby nodded, though her skin crawled with anxiety and pent-up emotions she could barely describe. She needed this, but at the same time, she was terrified to go inside. They stepped out into the street. Makoto stayed with the vehicle again, as before¡ªshe had decided it was better he make sure they were covered. As long as I have Cin with me in there, I''ll be okay. They approached the door, and every step felt longer than the last. She rounded the fence, passed the tree she used to climb, spotted the creepy garden gnome statue she''d hidden under a bush and her father had never found. Memories flooded in, one after another, some good¡­ most not. Through that door was everything she''d faced, everything she''d fled. "Cin, I¡­" Cinza took her hand and kissed it gently. "We can leave. It''s up to you." "No." Hearing her voice was enough to steel Ruby''s resolve. She brushed her crimson hair out of her face and stood up straight. "I need to do this." Except¡­ she couldn''t bring herself to knock, or ring the bell. She stared at it for minutes, the clock in her head ticking away every passing second. A car rumbled by far in the distance, and a fire engine siren kicked on. The world kept turning while Ruby stood, totally still on her front porch, desperate to knock on her father''s front door. "Can you¡­" she whispered. Cinza nodded. She reached up and gently pressed the doorbell. It echoed through the house, in a way vaguely reminiscent of Cinza''s voice. The idea strengthened Ruby again¡ªthat somehow Cinza might have influence even in this place, though of course the connection was absurd. She heard the sound of movement inside. Every muscle tensed up. Ruby stared straight forward, eyes tracing the woodgrains in the door. It had recently been painted. She wondered if their neighbor did it. He was a painter. The door swung open. "...Hannah?" Ashley Newman, known to most of the world as Ash, stood before them. To Ruby''s shock, as her eyes finally broke away from their dead-eyed forward lock, he did look different. The beer gut was gone, his shirt looked clean, his jeans didn''t have holes in them. He hadn''t shaved, but it still looked better than the unkempt stubble he used to wear. He''d changed. So have I, Ruby reminded herself, taking Cinza''s hand firmly in her own. She couldn''t yet muster up a word in response, and Cinza took her grip as a cue to speak. "Ruby came to speak with you," said Cinza, without a hint of hostility on Ruby''s name. "As requested." "...Yeah," said Ash finally, blinking as if he''d just woken up. He glanced around. "Just the two of you?" "Yes and no." "Well¡­" Ash glanced back at Ruby. She nearly winced under his gaze, but managed to stay firm, her eyes locked on a spot near¡ªbut not quite at¡ªhis head. "It''s good to see you again. I¡­" He trailed off, clearly trying to come up with something to say. Eventually, he turned back to Cinza. "Can I talk to my girl alone?" Ruby tensed up again, and her love noticed. Cinza squeezed Ruby''s hand briefly before she replied. "I will be blunt with you, Mr. Newman, because I don''t yet respect you enough to be polite. I don''t trust you. Ruby has told me about her entire life, from beginning to end, in every painful and heartbreaking detail. If we had not been visited by the police today, I doubt we would ever have come within many miles of this house. Ruby has elected to give you a second chance, because she is a person full of love and compassion, but I am too protective of her to allow even the slightest chance of her coming to harm." Ashley''s eyes screwed up as Cinza talked. He''s never been that smart, really¡­ and he isn''t used to how Cinza speaks. Finally, after a full minute or so, he finally responded. "Okay. Do you both want to come inside?" "That would be best, I think." Cinza stepped in as Ash cleared the way, leading Ruby gently by the hand. They walked into the living room, where Ruby sat down in her favorite chair. A memory flashed through her brain as she did¡ªthe first time she''d brought home another girl, making out in that chair¡­ and her dad coming home without them noticing, shouting, punching Ruby while the other girl ran away, hurting her. Cinza''s with me. I''ll be okay. In fact, Cinza was sitting in the same chair as her now¡ªthey were both small enough to share it easily, and Ruby absolutely did not want her anywhere further than that. "Wendy isn''t home," Ash said abruptly, referring to Ruby''s step-mother. "Do you want anything to drink?" he added, clearly uncomfortable with the radiant Cinza sharing a chair with his daughter. Her hair had returned to its bright silvery-grey before they came in, while her tattoos and jewelry seemed to shine even though they weren''t anywhere near a direct light. "Water would be nice, thank you," said Cinza politely. Once he''d returned with three glasses of water, ice and everything, Ruby had finally built up enough confidence to say something. "Hi Dad." "...Hi Hannah," said Ashley. No. "That''s not my name," said Ruby firmly, shaking her head. "Not anymore." "Your¡­" Ashley nodded. "Sorry. I just¡­ you know why we named you that, right?" "No," said Ruby, surprised. She''d never heard him talk about the past, except for drunk ramblings about her mother, the one she''d never known. "Why?" "That was your mom''s sister''s name. She¡­ got the same thing your mom did," said Ashley. He took a sip of water before continuing. "Your mother wanted to name someone after her sister, and you happened to be born a day after she¡­ after she passed." "Oh." Ruby faltered. She felt genuinely touched. Cinza squeezed her hand again, giving her the strength to speak. "Okay¡­ that''s¡­ yeah. But it''s still¡­" "It''s not your name," said Ashley, nodding slightly. "If you wanna be called Ruby, then you can be called Ruby. It''ll be a bit before I get there though, okay kiddo?" "Okay," said Ruby, in a very small voice. He''s being so¡­ so understanding. Even with me and Cinza practically in each other''s laps here, forcing him to learn a new name, all of this¡­ I don''t understand what''s happening. Did I misjudge him? Thankfully¡ªor perhaps not, in retrospect¡ªher father gave her a reason to doubt again. "I see you''re still¡­" Ash trailed off again, glancing awkwardly at Cinza. "Yes," said Ruby firmly, centering herself on her father''s shortcomings. "I''m still gay." "That''s¡­" Ashley trailed off. The whole conversation seemed to be awkward pauses and painful communication between them, with only Cinza able to speak in full sentences. "Your daughter and I are in love," said Cinza gently, obviously trying to be diplomatic. "She saved my life, and I have never felt closer to another human being in all the world." "And she''s really been all over the world," added Ruby, seizing on something she really could handle. "Not true," said Cinza with a sigh. "Parts, but I''ve yet to experience so many cultures and places I would love to visit. But my life has taken me to very interesting places, no doubt." "Where would you go if you could, right now?" "Not counting the Greywood?" asked Cinza with a twinkle in her eye. "I''ve always wanted to visit Korea, actually. I''ve a friend there whom I''ve never truly met, and I would love to finally connect with them." Them¡­ must be Tezofarl then. I''ve never heard her mention any other non-binary friends. I didn''t know they were in South Korea. "That sounds fun. Let''s make it an adventure someday." Ruby smiled, gesturing upward. "Perhaps we''ll have learned to fly by then, and we can soar across the oceans like the new goddess, wings asplendor." Cinza raised an eyebrow. "Have we elevated Hailey to such a state?" "Would you come home?" asked Ash, interrupting them. Ruby''s brief feelings of comfort faded, lost in the painful weight of her father''s question. She took a long time to answer, working up the courage once again under the weight of a threat she still felt under his gaze. "This isn''t home," she whispered. Her father''s eyes narrowed. "Can I¡­" Ash hesitated, setting aside his water and leaning forward. "Can I speak with Ruby alone, please?" Ruby tensed up again. She shook her head, too nervous to speak as the fears came flooding back inside. Cinza sighed. "Again, to be forward with you, that will not happen. Under no circumstances can I allow you to be alone with her today. Nor tomorrow. Maybe someday in the future, if we choose to trust you again, but it will be Ruby''s choice. Until we feel safe with you, Ruby will always have me by her side." "Who are you, anyway?" asked Ash, rounding on Cinza, the first time he''d really shown emotions in their whole conversation. "Why should I listen to you? Who are you to speak for my daughter?" "I am just another wayward girl in a terrifying world," said Cinza. "Ruby found me, brought me back to life, and together we built a home for all who shared our hopes and dreams. I have spoken to kings and presidents, and dined with the richest and poorest alike. I have seen cities crumble and castles raised, and I have fought against the gods themselves and won. I am that which you cannot bend to your will, and my heart belongs only to the girl who sits next to me, she whom you claim as your daughter, whose voice is bridled by no one except herself. "So tell me, Mr. Newman," finished Cinza, "who are you to speak for my beloved?" Ashley stood up suddenly, all pretense of politeness gone. "What the fuck is this?" Ruby leapt to her feet too. Cinza''s speech had moved her more than her love could possibly know. She had someone forever on her side, more powerful than anything they could ever face. Her dad was nothing compared to their bond. "This is me, Dad," said Ruby, with all the confidence and conviction she could muster, just like Yusuf taught her. "She''s my girlfriend, my love, my whole world. What more do you want?" "I want you to come home," he snapped. "Live with me like we used to. Like your mom would''ve wanted. Stop all of this and just come back." "Come back to what?" said Ruby, her voice rising in unison with his own. "Come back to you beating me every night you come home drunk? Come back to being called a dyke and a bitch? You scaring away my girlfriend in the middle of the night in the pouring rain? Telling me you were glad Mom never saw me turn out like that?" "I was trying to protect you," said Ash. "Yeah, I screwed up. I shouldn''t have hit you. But you need to stop acting like a child." "Who''s acting like a child?" said Ruby, tears in her eyes. "What''s wrong with you? Can''t you see I''m happy? Tell the cops to leave me alone!" "You think I like dealing with cops?" His voice increased in fury. "I had to. You''re in danger. I did it for you, Hannah." "My name is Ruby!" she cried out, and a gout of flame erupted in front of her. She hadn''t meant for it, but when she got emotional, she frequently dove into her spellcasting without meaning to. It burst forth, a wave of heat through the whole room. Ash stumbled backward, eyes wide. "I love you," he whispered. "I just want you to be home and safe." "I''m not safe here," said Ruby. "This isn''t home. This is hell." Without letting him respond, without another word, Ruby turned. She burst out of the house, tears streaming down her cheeks. One of the neighbor kids was outside, playing in his front yard. He stared at her, dressed in her immaculate cloak, makeup smeared and ruined, hair scattered across her face. The kid lifted a hand, pointing at her, mouth open. "What do you want?" she shouted. He jumped, terrified, and ran inside his house. Ruby cursed herself. Now she was shouting at kids, just like her dad. Prone to violence, summoning fire when she got upset. She stumbled forward to the carriage and fell inside, crawling up to the wide rear seat and curling up into a ball. She cried, so thick she felt like she might choke, sobbing as she hadn''t done since she met Cinza. Everything hurt, everything felt awful. She''d faced him, and it had brought everything back. Worse, in some ways. She just wanted to shut out the whole world, go back to her cabin, hide, be with her family and far away from the man who called himself that. A hand fell on her shoulder. Ruby grasped at it, only to find it wasn''t the small fingers she expected, but someone larger and more solid. "...''koto?" she mumbled, glancing up slightly. "Let it out," he said quietly. She didn''t bother to question him. Makoto wasn''t exactly someone to be questioned anyway, especially since he spoke so little. She kept crying, holding onto his hand, safe in the carriage she''d helped to build, with a guy who was practically a brother to her. ...And I treated him so badly this morning¡­ "I''m sorry," she mumbled, forcing it through the slowly diminishing sobs. "For what?" "Running away." It felt like lifetimes ago now, after what she''d just gone through. "I should''ve¡­ should''ve told you something. Not just done that." "It''s fine." "It''s not though," said Ruby. She didn''t move, except to adjust her head slightly on the cushions to something more comfortable, but she kept a firm grip on his hand. "You''re really important to me. You''re like family. I just¡­ blew you off." "I understand," he said, his voice gentle and calm as always. "But¡ª" "I know you don''t like guys," he went on, to her surprise. "I didn''t think it would go anywhere." "Then¡­ why did you tell me?" "Our life is full of people who lie," said Makoto. "We all trust each other. I didn''t want you to be in the dark anymore." "...Oh," said Ruby. "I mean¡­ I did kinda know already. I just¡­ wasn''t sure you would ever ask." "I wasn''t either," said Makoto. She could practically hear the smile in his tone. "Cinza told me to while we were in the helicopter chasing Lily, and I still didn''t." "So¡­ what now?" she asked. "Are we gonna be¡­ okay?" "Of course." Makoto squeezed her hand gently, and though it gave her nothing like what she felt with Cinza, it was still a sort of comfort¡ªsomething like Yusuf, or Matthew or Rufus or Aaron. "We''ll both be with Cinza until the day we die. That makes us family." "Yeah," said Ruby. She looked up at him, a smile finally crossing her face. "Family, for sure." She frowned. "Why are you with Cinza though? I mean¡­ the rest of the Greycloaks aren''t anything like me and you. I know why I am, but¡­" She winced. "If it''s not too personal." He shook his head. "Cinza saved my life too." Footsteps approaching made them both fall silent. Makoto glanced outside, making sure they were safe¡ªand they were, as it was only Cinza finally returning. She took a seat on the other side of Ruby, and immediately began to brush her hair as she did earlier. "I''m so sorry, Ruby." "It''s okay." "I see Makoto was here in my absence," she added, smiling at their companion. "Yeah. We worked some stuff out, too." Ruby sat up, wrapping her arms around Cinza. "Thank you." "I am always here for you," said Cinza gently, hugging her back. Ruby planted a kiss on her lips. "Not just that. It''s all gone. I''m not confused anymore." "Hmm?" "It doesn''t matter now," she went on. She took Makoto''s hand as well, holding on to them both. "We''ll face whatever comes. No matter what happens, us three, we''re together. He''s not worth thinking about anymore. I got to say what I needed to." "I don''t think it will be so easy," said Cinza. She glanced toward the house with a sigh. "He seems determined to cause us problems, and we may have only exacerbated that today." "And we''ll deal with it," said Ruby. She kissed Cinza again. "You showed me a world to believe in, one worth living in. You gave me my life, and the most perfect person in the world to share it with. I couldn''t imagine anything better." "There''s so much more left to do." "And we have all the time in the world to do it." Ruby smiled. "Don''t forget. It''s a new year, and we''re together, from now until the end of eternity." B3: Chapter 6 — Behind the Scenes Chapter 06 ¡ª Behind the Scenes Josh woke to the faint sound of keys tapping across the room. His eyes were blurry and unfocused, and his head hurt, but he was definitely awake. Something seemed wrong about the tapping sound, but he couldn''t quite figure out what. He rolled over and blinked, trying to see the time on his bedside clock. "Man, we slept all day¡­" he muttered. "Yup," said Nikki. "Worth it." There was still a sense of something amiss, but Josh couldn''t place it. He stretched his arms and sat up slightly, leaning against the corner of the wall to prop himself up more easily. Finally, as he glanced around the room, he finally realized what was wrong. "Hey¡­ how did you login to my computer?" Nikki was sitting in his desk chair, spun around and leaning over the back of it. She hadn''t bothered to put on a shirt, or anything really besides her underwear, and was lazily browsing a social network he didn''t recognize. At Josh''s question, she shot a smirk over her bare shoulder. "Cast a spell," she said, smug. "Took me like half an hour to figure out how to get your password." "You can get passwords?" asked Josh, torn between admiration and exasperation. "Shit, we''re really gonna get in trouble now." "Don''t worry, I only use my powers for good," said Nikki, waving him off. "It''s fine." Josh shrugged. He got up and trudged across the room, planting a kiss on her shoulder before leaning over it to see what she was up to. "Hey¡ª" started Nikki. "You''re gonna talk to me about privacy when you just lifted my password with magic and you''re on my account?" asked Josh, raising his eyebrows. "...Okay, fair." "It''s fine." Josh ran a hand through her hair affectionately before turning to pick up his clothes. "What are you doing, anyway?" "Just¡­ checking in." Nikki shrugged. "I do have friends outside Rallsburg, you know." "Do I count?" "Friend, sex slave, whatever." She grinned. "This was my whole world before the goddess." ...Shit, sometimes I forget she really does buy into Cinza''s religion. "What do you mean?" "I barely ever left home. Mom and Dad¡­" Nikki took a breath, as a dark look crossed her face. "They were always home, or if they weren''t, I was. Somebody had to watch the farm. Boring as hell. I wanted to move out, maybe go into the big city." "Seattle?" "Didn''t matter to me. Everything was a big city compared to Rallsburg." Nikki sighed. "I was never brave enough. Always wonder though¡­ if I had been, I wouldn''t have met Cinza. I might not have met Grey-eyes before she stopped awakening people." She shivered a little, and Josh could tell it wasn''t just because she was nearly naked. "Keeps me up at night." "I didn''t know," said Josh, trying to sound sympathetic. "''Course you didn''t, you sleep like a log," said Nikki. She laughed. "Let''s be real, I would''ve just ended up working the farm my whole fucking life. I was never actually gonna leave. I had to meet Cinza and Grey-eyes before I could learn how to be brave." "You''re brave as fuck." "Still never left," she pointed out. "Since I joined the Greycloaks, this is the very first time I''ve left Rallsburg." "What about when you rode a helicopter to Olympia?" Josh pointed out. "That doesn''t count." Pretty arbitrary, but whatever. "Well, welcome back to the rest of the world," said Josh, finally buckling his pants back on. "It''s not so bad out here." "Thanks," said Nikki, with a genuine smile on her face. "Now can we get something to eat?" She glanced around. "Where''s your family, anyway?" Josh shrugged. "No idea. They''d never come in here without permission though." "Ah. The forbidden zone," intoned Nikki ominously. "...Hey, what''s that noise?" His phone was beeping in his pocket. Josh picked it out, already dreading what he might see. That particular sound was urgent alerts related to the awakened on news feeds¡­ and sure enough, there was something going on. "Josh?" "Hang on." Josh hurried to the computer, clicking through to open the video stream. "Cinza''s in Seattle." "What?" Nikki leaned forward, eyebrows creased, practically radiating fear. "Why would she have left¡­ oh, fuck." Josh felt exactly the same, as they both watched Cinza and Ruby emerge from a corridor. Apparently, they''d already been inside for some time, and had been ushered upstairs by the Secret Service. Whatever meeting they''d had was long-done, and now¡­ they were about to throw down. "We can''t hear anything inside," shouted one reporter over the clamor of noise around the front doors to the hotel, "but it looks like the police are in a standoff with Cinza and her companions. Sources tell us they were sent here to rescue Hannah Newman, also called Ruby, and return her to her father." "Fuckers," muttered Nikki, practically spitting each word with sheer disgust. "Fucking journalists." More specifically, bad journalists¡­ shouldn''t generalize that, especially when we need ''em. They watched as the rest of the standoff played out, resolved by the President and Rachel in fairly short order. Cinza and Ruby exited the building to shouts of support and jeers alike. They got into a strange carriage-like vehicle with Cinza''s favorite star emblem emblazoned on the sides, which promptly merged back into traffic and sped off. As the news story wrapped up, the rage radiating off Nikki''s skin was practically tangible. "Just leave her alone already," she growled. "Why do they care so much? She''s already seventeen, she''ll be eighteen this year." "Optics," said Josh. "It''s the easiest thing to get people pissed off about that''s related to us and it builds resentment. If it wasn''t Ruby, it''d be something else. No huge difference to them. They''ll always find something." "So what, do nothing?" "Fuck no." He was already grabbing his phone from his bed. "Makes no difference to them, but it sure as hell makes a difference to Ruby." "Who are you calling?" "Rachel," said Josh, both to Nikki and to the click in his ear which told him she''d just picked up. Rachel sighed, her voice a little fuzzy through the phone. "I take it you were watching?" "Yup. They''re trying to tear Cinza apart right now." He gestured for Nikki to vacate his chair. She did and began pulling on her clothes, while he accessed articles and other resources he''d saved related to Ruby. "What was she doing there, anyway?" "Proving you right yet again." "What?" "It doesn''t matter." Rachel''s voice got muffled for a moment, talking to someone else nearby. "She was angry about our response to the attack on Felix." Take one fucking night off¡­ "The what?" "Felix Wieczorek was attacked in his home last night by one or more awakened assailants. They didn''t touch him, but they stole from him and destroyed his belongings." "...Shit," muttered Josh. "How bad?" "We''re working on it." Rachel sighed again. "It would be easier if we could improve public perception. We can''t exactly build sympathy when the public hears stories about terrifying home invasions and cults kidnapping children. Exaggerated, obviously, but¡­" "But we need better optics," said Josh, nodding. "Let''s start with Ruby then. That''s pretty unambiguous, right?" "Not exactly." "For fuck''s sake, Rachel. She was in an abusive home with a drunk father who beat her for being gay. What the hell more do you want?" "It''s not that simple," said Rachel, now a touch annoyed. "We''ve got no evidence. She never made any claims prior to running away from home or in the year afterward. The only scars left are on Ruby''s wrists, which were concluded by both an appointed psychologist and a school counselor as unlinked to parental abuse or neglect, self-inflicted due to other stressors. By all outward appearance, Ashley Newman is a reformed model citizen, and Ruby''s the depressed possibly-suicidal runaway underage member of a cult. He''s being a responsible adult, too, going to the authorities and asking for help instead of hunting her down solo." "So we can''t prove the guy''s a terrible parent. How about from Ruby''s side? Can we make it clear she''s better off?" "We either need to prove Ruby''s in a more stable home with proper guardians and education¡ª" He sighed. "Okay, you got me there." "¡ªor we need to have her emancipated, so that she''s no longer considered either Mr. Newman''s responsibility or a ward of the state." Josh frowned. "What does getting emancipated take?" "A petition and a hearing, where Ruby needs to prove the ability to manage her own financial affairs, as well as educational, social, and other affairs, and take responsibility for her own actions as such. If a parent opposes the petition¡ªand he certainly will¡ªwe need to prove there''s clear and convincing evidence that denying the petition would be detrimental to the minor." "And if we just try to wait it out? She turns eighteen in September." "That''s a long nine months, and if Ashley proves she''s being brainwashed or otherwise mentally unstable, he could extend his guardianship past eighteen against her wishes, if ordered by a court. The accusation of statutory rape against Cinza is still holding weight in some areas." "How friendly are the courts with us yet?" "Hasn''t been tested¡­" Rachel sighed. "Hawlstead, the judge who''s been picking up these cases, just released Felix on bail against the advice of a line of police officers from Lakewood and Tacoma, Captain Hoskins, Governor Milton, and myself." "Balance of fucking powers," muttered Josh. "I wouldn''t count on anything yet. We can''t reliably pick our judge either¡ªthere aren''t enough cases involving the awakened yet to claim we don''t have enough justices to provide a speedy trial. Every case might end up with Hawlstead." "So¡­ emancipation." Josh frowned at the form he''d searched up while Rachel spoke. "We could probably handle financial and social affairs, and definitely taking responsibility for her actions. But¡­" "Education," Rachel finished. "Ruby hasn''t been in school since April in twenty-seventeen, when she was fifteen. She''s years behind where she should be, and despite available education options in Rallsburg, she didn''t attend any kind of school. That''s a huge knock against her." "What if she did?" wondered Josh aloud. "What?" "What if the Greycloaks had a school? Every religion''s gotta have a school, right?" Nikki snorted nearby. She''d been listening in silently on the conversation. Josh grinned. "That''s actually not a bad idea," said Rachel. Josh raised his eyebrows. "I was joking." "I''m not. If Cinza intends to make the Greywood and the camp a more permanent settlement, and if anyone out there intends to have children anytime soon, they would want to start thinking about education." Nikki was nodding along with Rachel''s words, now obviously interested despite her initial reaction. Josh frowned. "You think Cinza can run something like that?" "If not her, then doubtless there''s at least a few teachers among the hundreds of people up there. They can put something together, and we could say one of them is tutoring Ruby." Rachel leaned away to talk to someone else again for a moment. "If nothing else, Ruby honestly could use it. She''s definitely got a few gaps to be filled in." "How do you plan to pull this off?" "Well," said Rachel, her voice getting a little more excited¡ªas it always did when she felt like she''d stumbled onto something new to develop and execute. God, she''s weird sometimes. "The President''s giving a speech on education tomorrow, in fact." "You''re kidding." "It''s nothing related to this. He''s prepping for his reelection run next year and education''s one of his primary platforms." "Him and every other president." "Well, it is important," said Rachel with a touch of annoyance. "Anyway, we have a lot of policy advisors and other important people in the education department around. I''ll see what we can dig up about making an accredited school in the Greywood." "You don''t already know?" "Josh, I don''t know everything," said Rachel, now definitely annoyed. Josh grinned at Nikki¡ªhe was just teasing her. "I''ve never had a reason to read about how schools get accredited in Washington State." "And now you''re saying ''state''," said Josh with a sigh. "Careful, Rachel, before they turn you into one of them." "Was there anything else?" "Nope. I''m starving, and Nikki looks like she might shrivel up from hunger here. We''re going out to dinner." Nikki''s eyes lit up¡ªobviously they hadn''t talked about anything like that, but Josh figured she could use something to eat after their¡­ strenuous night. "...Good night, Josh." "Bye."
Josh hung up. He looked Nikki up and down and sighed. "Why''d you have to get dressed? You look so much better without it." Nikki rolled her eyes. "You weren''t wrong, I''m starving. Let''s go already." He started toward the door, but hesitated. A moment later, he turned. With a quick burst of magic, he lifted open the window and popped out the screen. Nikki raised her eyebrows. "...What are you doing?" "We''re going out the window." Josh shrugged. "It''s an adventure or some shit, I don''t know." Nikki stared at him, dumbstruck. He hoped she wouldn''t ask any questions. After all, even if they had snuck into his house through a portal into his bedroom, it wasn''t as if he''d ever given her any sense she might not be welcome in his home. Sure as hell wish this didn''t make a difference¡­ To his relief, she didn''t say a word. Nikki climbed out onto the roof, and¡ªwith a little magic of her own¡ªmade an impossible leap from the edge of the roof across the fence and neatly onto the sidewalk outside. Josh grinned and followed her down, though his own leap wasn''t quite so graceful. As he landed, he heard a satisfying click behind them. Nikki had closed his window and replaced the screen. "So where to?" asked Josh. "Would you hate me if I said fast food?" He winced. "A little?" "I adore your cooking and our garden, but honestly¡­" Nikki shrugged. "I''m on vacation, and I haven''t had fast food in forever. Indulge your girlfriend." "In ''N Out, then?" "...What''s In ''N Out?" Josh grinned. "Okay, time to educate you on fast food." They started walking, enjoying the buzz of the town around them, the neverending sprawl of Los Angeles. Nikki was looking everywhere, taking in the sights, fascinated by just how busy and packed the whole place was. "How the fuck do you sleep here?" she muttered. "It''s so loud. Even Rallsburg wasn''t close to this." "You slept just fine yesterday." Nikki shoved him playfully. "No thanks to you." "Can''t exactly help that I snore, you know." "Hmm¡­ well, we do have magic," said Nikki. "Maybe we can come up with something." She frowned as they waited for the next light to change, watching the cars speed by, furious horns blaring. "So why did we leave out the window, exactly?" "Well¡­" Josh sighed. He didn''t want to lie to his girlfriend¡ªnotwithstanding a girlfriend who could both tell when he was lying and find out practically anything thanks to her unique magic. "Same reason I didn''t just cook for you at home¡­" "Your parents don''t have a clue about me, do they?" Nikki sighed. "You''ve been back a week Josh. Plenty of time to let them know you met somebody while you were out saving the world." "Fuck that. I didn''t tell them anything about what I''ve been doing," Josh shot back. "It''s more¡­" "Oh, don''t tell me they''re super-religious." Nikki sighed. The street light changed, and they started crossing, blasted by hot air from every car engine they passed. "Sorry. Should''ve known to marry you first." Josh frowned. He didn''t exactly see eye-to-eye with his parents on religion, but at the same time, he didn''t like this treatment from Nikki. "They wouldn''t like you." "As if. I''m great." "You''re goddamn perfect," said Josh. "But you''re white." Nikki stopped halfway across the street. Her eyes widened slightly. Josh grabbed her hand and pulled her across to the other side, just in time for the light to switch back. "The fuck?" "Look, my parents have a thing. About dating white girls." "Racist-as-fuck thing?" "It''s not racism," said Josh, annoyed. "Dude, you just said your parents hate white girls. That''s fucking racism." How do I explain this to a sheltered white girl from a tiny middle-of-nowhere town? Too many fucking layers to deal with¡­ "They don''t hate white people, or white girls. That''s not¡­ it''s more about history." "About history," drawled Nikki, looking skeptical. "There''s a lot more here than like, just hating white people. They don''t hate white people, it''s just¡­ complicated. It''s hard to explain," said Josh, feeling suddenly exhausted. "And again, this is their view, not mine. I fucking love you, so would you give me a second to get my words straight here?" Nikki gasped a little. She stopped walking again out of shock, but with a very different expression on her face. "What?" "...You love me?" she asked in a small voice. "Yes?" "You, uhh¡­" Nikki shook her head, confused. "Nothing." "...You okay?" asked Josh, now seriously concerned. She was acting weird, especially coming off the conversation they''d just had. "...never said¡­ before¡­" she muttered under her breath, not quite audible. "What?" "You never said that before!" Nikki snapped. "Caught me off guard, okay?" "...Oh." Josh shrugged. He hadn''t even been thinking about it, the words had just slipped out, but as he thought for a second¡ªyeah, it was true. "Well yeah. I love you." Her eyes blinked rapidly, trying to regain focus on him. "You know nobody''s ever said that to me before, right?" "No?" Josh frowned. "Nobody''s ever said that to me either. Except my parents." "Well¡­" Nikki sighed. "Thanks. I¡­" She seemed to be building up to something. Josh wondered if she were going to say it back, but it didn''t come. Eventually, she settled on something more mundane. "I hope your parents can deal with me being pale as fuck." "I''ll make them deal," Josh promised. "Now let''s get something to eat?" "God, yes, please." To Josh''s relief, their food was as good as he hoped. It still didn''t hold a candle to his own cooking, obviously, but Nikki was practically salivating over the burger and fries. He didn''t hold it against her¡ªvariety was the greatest of spices, and damned if Josh wasn''t going to take it as a challenge down the line. He''d show Nikki a real burger and fries, not fast food. "So¡­" said Nikki finally, as she started in on the second batch of fries¡ªthey''d plowed through the first and ordered a second in short order. "What does history mean, exactly?"The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "I¡­" Josh sighed. "Okay, like I said, it''s complicated, right? And also yes, it''s a bit racist, just not like¡­" His phone rang. Josh suppressed a shout of joy as he grabbed it and answered the call, without even looking. It was clearly too fast and Nikki could tell he was dodging the question, but in that moment, he sure didn''t care. A familiar echoing voice greeted him. "Joshua?" "Saw you on TV today." Cinza, he mouthed at Nikki, whose suspicious look immediately faded into worried lines of concern. "You guys okay?" "Not exactly." Cinza''s voice sounded incredibly tired. "We visited Ruby''s father after the incident downtown. He was¡­ unpleasant." "Not surprised." "We''re hoping you''ve already begun exploring options to solve this mess, legally speaking?" "You know me," said Josh. "Can''t leave well enough alone." "I appreciate it," said Cinza, and he could hear the warmth in her voice. "When might we expect to hear from you?" "Right now, actually. I called Rachel right after you guys left the hotel. We''re exploring options, but right now, we think our best bet is to get Ruby properly emancipated." "Which requires what?" "A few miracles, to be honest," he sighed. "Rachel will be in touch with more details. Ever thought about starting a school?" "I''m sorry?" "Nevermind," said Josh. He didn''t feel like diving into that quite yet, especially if it turned out to be excessive¡ªor impossible. "I know it sucks, but I''d keep Ruby lying low for now. Any time she goes out is asking for trouble." "That won''t be an issue. Neither of us has any desire to leave the Greywood again." "Like you wanted to head out today?" asked Josh, rolling his eyes. "Your desires and the world aren''t exactly on the same wavelength, Cinza." "A shame. It''d save us a great deal of time." "Can I talk to her?" asked Nikki suddenly. "Huh?" "Is that Nikki?" asked Cinza. "...Yeah. She''s with me." "Please," said Nikki. She held out her hand expectantly. Josh nodded. He handed the phone over to her, and started gathering up the trash from their meal. Nikki started off asking after Ruby, her voice dropping lower. He gave her some privacy, cleaning up the trash, using the restroom, and finally going outside to wait in the open air¡ªhe couldn''t exactly call it fresh after living in the Olympic Forest so long¡ªof Norwalk. Probably just Greycloak stuff¡­ Or it''s just friend stuff. Ruby''s her friend, and Cinza''s her¡­ something. I don''t know what the fuck to call that relationship. Mentor? Parental figure? Leader? Or just friends, I dunno. Nothing really fits. He watched the cars rush by, leaning against the wall near the front door. A guy lit up a cigarette nearby, far closer to the front doors than allowed. Josh considered asking the guy to move, before realizing¡ªhe''d been that guy. It wasn''t cigarettes, but still¡­ he''d done much the same. He wasn''t in any position to tell the guy off. And yet I''m advising people who can make decisions that affect the whole goddamn world¡­ No pressure or anything. I''m crazy under-qualified for this job. Crazy underpaid, too. "Josh?" Nikki was back. Josh opened his eyes¡ªhe hadn''t even realized he''d closed them, leaning against the wall with his hands in his jacket pockets. He took the phone from Nikki''s outstretched hand and put it away. "All good?" he asked. "Not really, but we''ll get there." She frowned. "I need you to get me a ride home." "...What?" "It''s not ''cause of your parents," she added quickly. "I mean, that''s still not great, but¡­ I gotta be with my family. Cinza asked me to come home." Josh sighed. "I figured she might." "They need me," said Nikki quietly. "I''m too valuable. I gotta go." "Okay." He nodded. "Just like that?" "The fuck am I gonna do, keep you here?" Josh rolled his eyes. "If you gotta go, you gotta go. Hell if I''m gonna get Cinza after me either." He pulled his phone back out again and scrolled down to the Ls in his contacts. "She''ll want you back ASAP, too." "Yeah¡­" Nikki hugged him, to Josh''s surprise. They weren''t exactly big on hugs, but in that moment, it felt pretty good. "...Love you," she whispered behind his ear, and it sent a tingle through his body. "Love you too." Josh kissed her through her hair before finally hitting dial. It took a few rings, but finally someone answered. "Joshua¡­ it''s quite late," said either Lily or Kendra, obviously annoyed. "Sorry, it''s sort of an emergency. I swear this is the last one for a while." He winced as he realized his mistake. "I kinda forgot it''s two in the morning there. Sorry if I woke you up." "You did not. I¡­" She paused. "I do not sleep in quite the same way Kenni does anymore." "...Well someday you''re gonna have to explain what that means." Josh hugged Nikki a little tighter. "I need you to make a portal back to the Greywood for Nikki. Cinza wanted her home as fast as possible." "...It will be difficult without my sister, but I should be able to. Where are you, precisely?" Josh looked around and rattled off the street address, as well as a spot in an alley nearby where he was certain they wouldn''t be noticed. Lily thanked him and hung up before he could say another word. As they walked into the alley, the doorway appeared in the wall. Nikki pulled it open, revealing the void pathway inside. "So¡­" said Josh. "Yeah." "I''ll write you," he added, grinning slightly. "You better, dammit," said Nikki. "And if you don''t sign every single one with ''I love you'', I''m coming back here to beat you up. Got it?" "Got it." She leaned up and kissed him, then hurried through the door, heading back home. It disappeared in moments, leaving only a plain brick wall behind¡ªtotally ordinary, where only an instant before, there had been a doorway leading to any number of places thousands of miles away, an impossibility of physics made manifest by a woman who was never born, sitting in a mansion all the way on the other side of the world. Josh stared at the plain red bricks for a very long time, before finally turning away and beginning the slow walk home.
He spent the rest of the evening picking classes. Since he''d slept all day with Nikki, Josh wasn''t about to fall asleep any time soon. Whittier''s website wasn''t exactly easy to navigate either¡ªhe found more results using a search engine rather than trying to browse their own system. Well¡­ International Economics seems like the most useful for the future. There''s already rumblings about other countries petitioning the United States for magical resources, even though the country doesn''t officially have any. All we''ve got are a few thousand independent people who can kinda-sorta do some tricks, plus a few gods roaming around. ...Wonder what Hailey''s up to right now. As it turned out, Hailey was still in Georgia, doing her thing. He sent off a text, but the news crews desperately following her like tornado chasers gave him a much better idea. The winter storm hadn''t hit yet, and seemed to be shifting north, but Hailey was still finding things to do, people to save, fires to quench¡ªthe usual. Wonder where she sleeps at night. Maybe she sleeps in mid-air. Who knows what she can do, the kind of power she''s got? Josh went back to his own life again, pushing away vague daydreams about flying. Whittier wouldn''t just let him sign up for classes, even after getting accepted¡ªhe was still way past the deadline for winter term, and if he wanted to take any of the classes starting next week, he''d have to get signed approval from his advisor. And that is¡­ they did assign somebody, right? Not seeing it in any of my emails¡­ ugh. He decided to just take a guess and picked the primary undergrad advisor for the Economics department, Jose Alvarado. The guy had open office hours as early as the next morning. Perfect. Josh wanted to get right back into it, as quickly as he could. Potential classes prepped and neatly organized, with a schedule arranged to provide him plenty of opportunity for¡­ extracurriculars, Josh switched gears again. Thinking of Hailey reminded him that technically, her trial wasn''t over yet. At the moment, she was being tried in absentia. From the details which made it out to the public, it was very mixed. Everybody knew her conviction was a foregone conclusion now that she''d abandoned the trial, but with a bitter taste given all the good work she was doing. However, Josh had someone with much better access to call on, a new relationship he''d just started building up in the last month. "Senator?" "Josh, we''ve been talking for fuckin'' weeks now. Maddie, all right?" Josh smiled. Maddie reminded him of Jeremy, someone else he''d befriended very quickly. "Just checking in. I wanted to know how Hailey''s trial is going." "Boring. Nothing special. The crazy shit''s in your neighborhood," said Maddie. "Felix gettin'' out, Ruby and Cinza barreling into our meeting today¡ª" "You were there?" asked Josh, surprised. "What, I didn''t make the news?" Maddie groaned. "Fuck, I had a great soundbite too. Assholes." "I wanted to take the temperature in D.C.," said Josh, pulling up his notes on screen. "How bad is this attack on Felix?" "Not great, but definitely recoverable. The worst you''re getting is more about continuing conflict in general, not straight on hate for the awakened. I swear to God some of the shits on the other side of the table are Hendricks-sympathizers or straight up fucking affiliated," she added with audible venom, even through the bad phone connection, "but you''re still coasting on a lot of sympathy. Thank whatever you worship that they didn''t lay a hand on him." "Any word from London?" asked Josh, skipping straight over the other trial happening in D.C. Maddie hesitated for a second before picking the conversation back up. "Fuck, Josh, how many ears you think I got? Only so many hours in the day, and I already spent a few trapped in a plane. I''m not Rachel. I still gotta do my job, you know. I''ve gotta worry about the rest of the country too." "Right, sorry." Josh sighed. "Just trying to catch up with everything I missed still." "Meanwhile I''d love to get off the damn grid for a while." Maddie matched his sigh. "I need to sleep. Early security briefing tomorrow, no idea what the fuck it''s about." "Anything to worry about?" "Nah, this shit happens all the time. I think they do it sometimes to remind us they can." He could practically hear her eyes rolling from across the country. "See you ''round. Tell my brother I love him next time you get out there." As soon as she hung up, Josh was already online. He wanted to get more info on the Malton trial, and particularly about how they were handling custody for Malton and Viper. Any precedent, even in London, would hold weight around the world. Malton was awakened, as was his favorite lackey¡ªor ex-favorite. Never would''ve called Viper turning on him. It had been a long, long time since Josh last saw Viper prior to the third Summit, way back in Rallsburg. He''d seemed the consummate soldier, the eternal professional mercenary. Betrayal just was not in his cards. I''d give a lot to know what turned him. Of course, without more word from the Laushires¡ªand there wasn''t a chance in hell Josh was going to wake one of them up again tonight¡ªall he could do was dive into internet speculation. Need a better way to communicate between us¡­ secure phones are great, but they''re too symmetric and limited. We need something like¡­ oh, I''m a fucking idiot. They''d had a method all year, until a traitor in the Greywood forced them to shut it down. The website would still have everyone''s registration, methods of contact, everything they needed to get a network running again. If the awakened population wasn''t increasing anymore, it would be easily sustainable and securable for those who used it. All Josh needed to do was get it online again. As luck would have it, Josh actually had a contact method for the person responsible, and even better, they were almost certainly awake right now, because they always seemed to be awake. For a while, Josh even wondered if it was Rachel somehow, but he''d eliminated that as a possibility a long time ago. 24fromdowntown: Hey. tezofarl: hello 24fromdowntown: I think we should put the site back up. 24fromdowntown: The spy''s gone, and honestly right now, we seriusly need more communication between everybody. 24fromdowntown: seriously* tezofarl: are you sure? cinza hadn''t reached out yet 24fromdowntown: You know about the blackout, right? tezofarl: of course tezofarl: but if she needed to reach me, she''d find a way 24fromdowntown: Yeah, no kidding. But she wanted me to start handling more things lately. 24fromdowntown: And this is my idea. Right now, we just had some awakened attack a guy, and I bet you they used spells they learned off our site. 24fromdowntown: So I want to make sure we can reach out to people like that, and in a way that doesn''t require the news media tezofarl: i _was_ surprised to get your first message tezofarl: cinza and i have known each other a long time tezofarl: since before she was cinza tezofarl: she must trust you a lot to give you this address 24fromdowntown: Can you do it? tezofarl: it''s already done tezofarl: i also got rid of a few bugs and a trojan that the spy planted before we took it down tezofarl: just needed to spin the server up and point the domain at it again tezofarl: i hope this helps 24fromdowntown: Thanks. And just to be clear, Cinza didn''t tell me anything about who you are or even where you are. 24fromdowntown: Just gave me the app and the email address to contact. 24fromdowntown: And I don''t need to know either, whatever you want tezofarl: i''m just a friend tezofarl: good luck josh A muffled voice from his bedroom door had Josh nearly jumping out of his chair. "Chatting up Lily?" "Luke," snapped Josh, a bit more angry than he intended. "Give me some warning, man." "Sorry¡­" Josh winced. His little brother sounded legitimately upset. He swung the door open with a spell, just as Luke had started to turn away. His eyes widened. "Wow." He shrugged casually, knowing that would only impress his brother even more. "What''s up?" "I''m just bored," said Luke, shrugging. "Wanna hang out?" In the past, Josh absolutely would have brushed off his little brother. It wasn''t that he didn''t like Luke, but he was just always wrapped up in his own crap and never made time for his family. Funny how much thinking you''ll never see them again changes things¡­ There was a game console plugged in next to his computer monitor. Josh levitated a controller up in the air. Luke''s eyes followed it up, wide as dinner plates. Without warning, he sent it spinning forward at his little brother, just slow enough to make sure Luke could catch it. He did easily enough, a grin sprouting on his face. "Think you can finally beat me?" asked Josh, smirking. As it turned out, Luke could, though not easily. After the third hard-fought one-on-one in a row, they finally turned over to a co-op mode, just for a little break. Unfortunately, that opened up Josh to get all sorts of questions from Luke, about anything and everything related to the last couple years. It was a wild trip down memory lane, as Josh related¡ªin redacted form, with a lot of hidden names and information just in case¡ªstories of Alpha and Omega, of his own awakening, and the early days of the Council¡­ which to his surprise, he could barely remember. There were huge gaps where things just seemed to be missing, though he was so certain of events around those meetings. And, of course, his own awakening. "What was it like?" asked Luke, breathless, though Josh couldn''t tell if it was due to the game they were playing or his excitement at hearing about magic. "Scary," said Josh. "Seriously. You feel like you''re gonna die. You ever run out of breath underwater?" "...Yeah, once," said Luke quietly. He paused the game. "It''s like that?" "Nah, worse, because you know there''s air all around you. It''s right there, but you can''t breathe it, and everything''s just disappearing on you." Josh shuddered. "Back then I didn''t have anybody to tell me, either. I was like¡­ the first person. Or at least, one of the first." "And then that girl shows up, right? Grey-eyes?" "Yup," said Josh. His memory of it was a little hazy and confused, but he remembered that Grey-eyes had been there. She hadn''t teleported, but it went the same¡ªshe walked him through the rest of his reading until he came back up again, returning to the real world. "Saved my life." "And then you became the most important guy in the whole city," said Luke excitedly. He snorted. "Not even close. It wasn''t a city, I wasn''t that important, and at the end of the day, nobody really knew much about me. Which is gonna stay the same, right?" Josh added pointedly. "Yeah¡­" "I''m serious, Luke. I''m just your brother, not somebody important and connected. The rest of the world shouldn''t know about me, okay?" "I mean¡­" Luke shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "We already held a memorial and everything for you. The whole church came." "...Well," said Josh, sighing. "I never really go to church anyway, so that shouldn''t be a big deal. I''m just gonna be going to college, mostly." "Why?" "...Huh?" "Why go to college?" Luke seemed honestly confused, which had Josh confused. Their parents had hammered into all three of them the idea that they must go to college, no exceptions. "You''re already successful, aren''t you?" "Not really," said Josh. He shrugged. "I don''t have a marketable skill, ''cept maybe cooking. Not sure what kind of job I could get without mentioning I''m awakened, and who knows how somebody would react to that, either? I never finished my degree, and I think that''s important. Important for you, too," he added, suddenly self-conscious of how much influence he probably had on Luke. "Yeah¡­" Luke glanced at his phone. "Oh, another one. My friends have been sending these lately. Saying that awakening''s coming back." "Really?" He frowned. "Can''t be true. Trust me, I would know way before the news." Hailey''s still trying to find Grey-eyes, for one. I get the feeling she''s not coming back ''til she figures out a way to fix Meg. "Can you send me that article?" Luke forwarded it, and Josh opened the article on his computer. He leaned forward and began to read¡ªand it became clear very quickly just how bogus the thing was. "Luke, you can''t fall for this shi¡ªstuff," said Josh wearily. "Look at this." "What? It looks like a news site to me¡­" "Nah. Check the by-line; that guy''s never written anything but clickbait nonsense. Follow the links too, they all just loop back in on themselves. Nobody''s actually got an original source, they''re all just pointing at each other." Josh sighed. "This is gonna get people killed, if it hasn''t already." "Oh man¡­" Luke looked upset again. "What if I¡ª" "Not your fault," said Josh firmly. "Just be careful before you share anything like this. If you want, run it by me first." "Okay." "And Luke?" said Josh, as seriously as he could. Luke looked scared¡ªJosh realized he''d never used that tone at home before. It was something he''d developed while on the council, just in case he ever needed to lay down the law. He hadn''t needed it much, but it came in handy when he did. "...Yeah?" "Do not, under any circumstances," he said, with as much weight under each word as he could manage, "try to awaken until I say it''s safe. Don''t even go near that stuff, and if you can, keep your friends away too. Got it?" "...Got it." Josh grinned. "Now pick the controller back up. Break''s over, and you''re not winning this time."
To Josh''s relief, nothing happened for the rest of the night. He was finally able to focus on his own life again, while all the gears across the rest of the world kept turning without anything breaking quite yet. Josh didn''t expect it to last¡­ but one morning wouldn''t kill ''em. ...God, I shouldn''t think like that. Too many people I know have died¡­ He shook it off as he walked onto the chilly¡ªfor L.A., anyway¡ªcollege campus. A spell could''ve warmed him up, but Josh was actually enjoying the cold for the moment. Armed with his course schedule plan and an appointment with his advisor, Josh wandered the quad for a bit, just taking in the sights, before finally heading in to find the guy''s office. It took longer than he expected¡ªshit, can''t even navigate a fucking college campus anymore¡ªbut he still made it with a couple minutes to spare. "Josh Miller?" A face peered out of the door¡ªJose Alvarado, or so Josh assumed. "Yeah." He got up and hurried inside, closing the door behind him. Josh took off his jacket, laying it on the back of his chair before sitting down. "Thanks for seeing me so fast." "Happy to help any of the students under my umbrella," said Jose, smiling. He was a guy in his mid-thirties, for sure, with an easy-going demeanour that screamed ''hey I''m young and cool too!''. Josh wondered how much people on the campus actually liked the guy. Long as he gets me into my classes, I don''t give a fuck. "What can I do for you?" "Well, I need some overrides to get into classes," said Josh. "Coming in late and everything." "Mmhm. Do you have the forms?" A few agonizing minutes passed while Jose looked over Josh''s paperwork. He considered pulling out his phone to check on the news, or Tezofarl, or anything, but he didn''t want to make a bad impression. Josh might have gotten accepted¡ªand had his tuition paid up in full¡ªbut the advisor in front of him was still the difference between taking classes in either a week or half a year. "Econ major, then?" "Yes." Jose nodded. "You''ve picked a perfect courseload, and all the full classes have a couple last-minute exception slots open. Clearly, you did your homework. However¡­" He frowned. "You''re not the only one who wants to get into these classes, and honestly, I''m not totally convinced yet." "Convinced of what?" "That you''re a good fit here." Jose set the paperwork down and leaned forward slightly. "You''re joining halfway through the year with no academic history, your high school GPA barely met our minimum, and honestly, you just don''t have any strong example that you can do the work required to succeed here." "I can," said Josh firmly. "I''ve got other students just as eager to take these classes with a much better track record," said Jose. "We don''t want to waste their time on someone who¡ªto be blunt¡ªmight just drop out in the middle of term." ...Okay, from the record they''ve got, that''s not unfair. I was a horrible student. Even if they had my Rallsburg record, it wasn''t exactly great. "So what are you looking for?" "I don''t know." He shrugged, leaning back in his chair slightly. "Impress me." The fuck? "I''m not sure what you mean." Jose smiled. "You seem like a smart guy, Josh. Tell me why you''re special. What makes you the sort of person who deserves an exception?" I dunno. Compensation for services rendered in the line of duty? Being a member of a tiny endangered minority of magic people? Hell, I could even play the goddamn black card if I want to¡­ but fuck all that. That''s not me, that''s just stuff about me. "I might not have been to college in a while," said Josh, "but for sure, I know what I''m doing. Those years off taught me a lot about being an adult and handling responsibilities." "Tell me about them." Well, fuck. Josh hesitated. "To be honest, it''s sort of¡­ private." Jose frowned. "Give me an overview, then? Tell me about what you were doing and what you learned, whatever you think will impress me the most." Fuck it. He wants to be impressed? I''ll impress the shit out of him. "Actually, can I show you instead?" Should be just about time, actually¡­ this meeting was at ten and the speech was scheduled for ten-thirty. "...Sure," said Jose, obviously confused. Josh grinned as he pulled out his phone and dialed. Rachel answered almost right away. "Yes?" "Hey, do me a favor?" "...What?" "I need him to mention something. It''ll be simple, don''t worry. Nothing you can''t clear in ten seconds with policy and strategy." She sighed. "Am I going to know what this is for?" "If I called it showing off¡­" "Josh," said Rachel, exasperated. "It''ll be a huge help to me, I promise. Just have him mention Whittier college. Doesn''t matter where. I''m sure you''re already namedropping a dozen anyway." "Something like that." Rachel sighed. "What makes you think I have the power to influence his speeches unrelated to magic?" "Because I know you," said Josh, grinning, while Jose looked suitably confused. "You guys are on in five minutes, right?" "More or less." Rachel took a breath. "I''ll get it in there." "Thanks. See you later." Josh hung up and leaned back in his chair just slightly, enough to seem casual without being ridiculous. It''d be a few awkward minutes while Jose wondered what the hell his phone call was about and the beginning of the speech. Just enough time to really build up suspense, or so Josh hoped. "So¡­" said Jose finally, as Josh kept an eye on the clock. "Pull up a browser on your laptop," said Josh, with one minute to spare. "Go to the official White House stream." "What?" "Just trust me," said Josh. "They''re doing a speech on education today, and you''re gonna want to see it." Jose did as he was asked, still obviously confused to no end. To Josh''s relief, the speech was on time. They waited while the President went through the usual spiel, talking about the need for higher teacher salaries, less students per classroom, better specialized education for special-needs kids¡ªeverything that would be fantastic to have but wouldn''t ever actually get past the deadlocked political grid. Finally, the moment landed, during a concession to successful private schools, and it was every bit as great as Josh hoped. "We applaud the great private universities across the nation, from Harvard to Stanford, Wesleyan to Whittier¡ª" "Jesus Chirst," muttered Jose, while Stafford went on to compare the benefits of private and public education sources. Huh, they managed some nice alliteration in just a couple minutes. Well done, speechwriters. "I figure somebody in your faculty will be happy about that," said Josh, grinning. Jose turned off the stream as he returned to his chair. "So¡­ impressed?" Ten minutes later, Josh walked out of the office with every class he''d wanted¡ªeven one he thought he couldn''t get. There''s definitely something to be said here about privilege and getting exceptions for friends in high places, but fuck if I''m not gonna abuse it. I didn''t have to reveal who I am, or that I''m awakened. All he knows is that I''m seriously connected, but who''d believe him? Yes, things were definitely looking up for Josh. He''d have the schedule he wanted, with enough space between all his classes to handle anything that came up, and more than enough time at home with his parents and his family. Sure, they might get irritating after a while, but for now, Josh was just happy to be home, be alive, and be unknown again. He could go back to enjoying life, enjoying magic, and doing what he could to help his world thrive. Speaking of¡­ holy shit, what was that? He stopped walking, standing near the edge of the quad. An essence had flared up with magical power nearby, the telltale sign of somebody casting a spell. It wasn''t something where Josh could tell exactly where it was, or how far away¡ªnot without a few more spells, at least. He didn''t recognize their essence, which wasn''t too surprising, but he realized two very important, very terrifying things simultaneously. Someone awakened was all the way out in Norwalk, and they were just as powerful¡ªif not more¡ªthan the eight. And Josh knew all of the eight, including their essences¡­ but he didn''t know this one. Fuck. B3: Chapter 7 — A Tale of Four Boxes Chapter 07 ¡ª A Tale of Four Boxes Jonathan stumbled into the pitch-black apartment. It was incredibly dark outside, since the street lamp above the block was broken. The faint glowing numbers on his wrist said it was past two in the morning on Friday, January 4th. On a normal night¡ªhell, even on one of Jonathan''s show nights when he stayed up late¡ªhe''d be in bed long before now. He wasn''t exactly a late-night guy. Tonight, Jonathan was wide awake. Seeing the time was a sobering reminder to try and stay quiet, despite his excitement. The apartment he was entering might have been a tomb, it was so utterly silent. Jonathan tried to close the door as softly as he could, but even so, the click audibly echoed through the entryway. A light flickered as it turned on down the hall. "Jonathan?" "...Hi," he called back, embarrassed. Annabelle shuffled into the hallway, clad in a soft white dressing gown. She rubbed at her eyes, obviously having just woken up. "Everything okay?" "Yeah." Jonathan glanced around. "Is it all right if I sleep here tonight?" "Does Abby know?" said Annabelle, frowning. "It''s not my weekend. I wouldn''t want¡ª" "I was nearby," he said, shifting on his feet a little, "and¡­ I was thinking about you. A friend of mine was talking about his¡­ err, his dad, and I missed you." It wasn''t exactly untrue, though the conversation had happened two days ago now. Jonathan really did miss her. He hated not having both his parents around. At least they hadn''t actually gotten divorced, and were just handling things themselves for now¡­ it felt like there was still a chance. Annabelle''s eyes softened. She walked forward and wrapped him in a hug. "Missed you too," she murmured. To his relief, it felt all right. Jonathan hugged her back, and it helped him wind down, little by little. He''d needed something to take him down a few notches, before he started shouting at the world. Jonathan wasn''t sure he could hold it in too much longer. He needed to talk to somebody, but¡­ Annabelle didn''t know. Maybe I should tell her¡­ She''d probably get it more than anybody, that I''m awakened now. But then I''d be telling her and not Mom¡­ I don''t want them to feel like I''m taking sides. I don''t want there to be sides¡­ I hate this. "Can I make you anything?" she asked, finally breaking away. "Midnight snack?" "Actually, I''m really tired," said Jonathan uncomfortably. "Not to, you know, just drop in and go right to sleep¡ª" "You''ve got a room here, always," said Annabelle firmly. "We can talk in the morning. Or not, whatever you need." "Thanks," said Jonathan, smiling slightly. "...Mom," he added, after a thought. Annabelle''s eyes widened just a little. Her whole face lit up as if somebody had just shone a light on it¡ªeyes, smile, her entire demeanor had improved by just one single word. Jonathan hadn''t expected anything like that, but seeing her reaction¡­ She coughed slightly. "I love you, Jonathan." After a moment herself, she continued, in a low voice that sounded much more like how she used to. "You don''t need to call me Mom if you''re uncomfortable. It''s okay." Well, it''s all sorts of confusing, but after that kind of reaction¡­ Jonathan shook his head. "It''s not me who''s uncomfortable." Instantly, he regretted it. He''d come too close to mentioning that which they''d silently agreed never to mention. Annabelle winced, but she nodded. "See you tomorrow." "Night." Of course, once Jonathan was in his little room¡ªwhich he''d only lightly decorated so far, since he wasn''t sure if Annabelle was going to keep this apartment or not¡ªhe was wide awake once more. The trembles of sheer anticipation and excitement were building back up again. It was the real paradox of his life: despite the many layers of secrets, between magic and being awakened and his family, Jonathan simply couldn''t wait to tell people things. He always wanted to share secrets, stories, tell tales, anything. He was a showman. It was all about the story, and the way it was told. Luckily for him, he had an outlet. Jonathan pulled his laptop out of his bag and plugged it in. After only a few minutes, it kicked on. To his relief, despite the hour, she was online. Jonathan: hey Nell: Yeah? Jonathan: can I call you? Nell: About to go to sleep¡­ Nell: School''s coming up, I gotta get back to a regular sleep schedule sometime soon Jonathan: really need to talk. big things just happened Nell: meh. Nell: Fuck it, I wasn''t really tired yet anyway Nell: Gimme a sec, I''m not wearing anything Jonathan: perfect Nell: Hah! You wish Jonathan: lol A few seconds later, he got a video call, and Nell popped up. She was clearly not about to go to sleep, despite the nightshirt and pajama pants, with her headset and controller still ready in hand and a pile of snacks around her. Jonathan once again thanked fate for Nell living in the same timezone as him. He didn''t know how he''d survive if they couldn''t talk regularly. "So it''s two in the morning," said Nell, idly pressing buttons on her controller without looking at the screen. "What''s the big thing?" Jonathan glanced at the door involuntarily. He doubted Annabelle would ever listen in on his conversations¡ªboth before and after the transition, she''d always been the less intrusive of his parents¡ªbut still, given what he''d just been doing¡­ Blocking out sound was easier than he''d first expected. Once he grasped enough physics to understand sound waves, it was just a matter of catching them and essentially stilling them. Sound was vibration, and Jonathan had learned to stop it from vibrating in a whole sphere. At first, this had the chilling effect of muting everything, which was terribly uncomfortable. Eventually, he figured out how to keep the sound within the sphere, only muting it once it reached the edges. This eliminated both any chance of being overheard and the painful echo from it bouncing around inside the sphere. Nell caught the telltale sign of him casting a spell¡ªand the change in sound on his laptop mic as he completed it. "Okay," she said, setting down her controller. She looked straight into the camera, all jovialities aside. "What happened?" "A lot," said Jonathan, shaking his head. "I had a crazy week." "I did notice you texting me a lot less," said Nell. "...Sorry." "It''s cool. I figure you''re gonna break my phone''s vibration motor at some point with how much you usually text," she added, smirking. "You okay?" "I don''t know." Nell raised an eyebrow. "Enough of the runaround, Jonathan. It''s me and you. What''s up?"
On Thursday night, Jonathan drove to the club. It seemed eerily quiet out. A fog lay thick over the town quenching out the mundane sounds of an unsuspecting city, one where magic lurked in every corner and hatred hiding in equal proportions, where a single wrong step could spell peril upon even the most seasoned and well-prepared magician¡ª Dude, you''re not good at this. What? You went to the club on Thursday and it was foggy out. Moving on¡­ He knew full well the risk of taking his mom''s car, but it was the only thing available. Nina couldn''t get them cars whenever. Since the car wasn''t going to the club all the time, he felt pretty safe about it. Besides, nobody knew it was his. Jonathan went inside, as instructed. He''d been called in. A new task needed doing, one last piece of the puzzle¡ªassuming there was a puzzle. Jonathan was still firmly attached to his theory that this was all busywork somehow. Except for that business with Nina, none of it seemed remotely interesting. Even including that adrenaline-fueled morning, he couldn''t figure out any kind of pattern. Okay, missing some important details here¡­ I''ll get to it. You do that. What''s that sound? I''m making some tea. If this is gonna be a long story, I need something to drink here. Hmm, I should¡ª Tell the damn story, Jonathan. Through the layers of locks, physical and magical, Jonathan emerged into the secret backrooms of the club. Kyle was waiting for him, messing with a phone and only half-heartedly paying attention. Jonathan had to loudly clear his throat just to be noticed. "Oh," said Kyle, glancing at the clock on the wall. "You''re early." "...Yeah," said Jonathan. "So what''s up?" "Got something for you to do. Come on." Kyle led him through one of the other doors. It opened into a dimly lit hall, which seemed longer than should''ve been possible given the club''s size. Jonathan thought it might be magic for a moment, but he couldn''t sense a spell beyond the protections he already knew about. After a while, he realized it was a trick of the light, carefully placed mirrors combined with the d¨¦cor. They emerged onto a small loading dock. A truck was pulled in with the rear hatch already open. Kyle hopped down onto the pavement and headed to a pile of sealed boxes in the corner. Jonathan followed reluctantly. After the week he''d been through, and particularly everything they''d done on Tuesday night, he wasn''t sure what he might be walking into. Jonathan shook it off. It wasn''t the place or the task which bothered him. He trusted Drew and Corbin and even Julian, so far. Nina was a bit of a wildcard, and he sure as hell wouldn''t ever mess with her now, but Kyle¡­ Kyle was just an obnoxious asshole, and Jonathan couldn''t really figure out why. What did I ever do to him? What, are you asking me? No, that''s what I was thinking at the time. At the time? I''m getting there! Okay, okay. This tea is really good, by the way. Send me some, I need better tea. Anyway¡­ "These boxes?" Kyle gestured around to the pile of crates. "Into the truck. Then we''re gonna go somewhere and unload ''em again. Got it? Or do I need to repeat that?" "I got it," muttered Jonathan. "Sorry, what?" "I got it," he said more clearly. "What are we doing?" "Moving some boxes," said Kyle, in a tone that made it perfectly clear he wasn''t going to explain. "Now come on." Jonathan sighed and picked one at random. They weren''t uniform, but most were at least half his size, if not larger. Hesitantly, he picked one up. To his surprise, it wasn''t nearly as heavy as he expected. If anything, it seemed a little too light. He wasn''t about to complain though, especially given how many they needed to move. Jonathan set it into the back of the truck, next to the one box already there, and turned around, nearly running straight into Kyle with the next crate. He raised an eyebrow, but Kyle ignored him. Jonathan hadn''t expected Kyle to help, but then again, the other guy probably just wanted to be done faster. It definitely wasn''t out of the kindness of his heart. One by one, they loaded the crates into the truck, filling it up to the brim. Jonathan pulled down the rear door and latched it shut. Kyle nodded with approval. "So where are we going?" Kyle shrugged. "Get in the passenger seat." "Look, this is crap," said Jonathan suddenly. "Tell me where we''re going. I''m not just jumping into a truck without knowing anything." Kyle sighed. He rattled off a street address¡ªsomewhere still in Tacoma, but nothing Jonathan recognized off-hand. "What?" "See, I didn''t bother ''cause I knew it didn''t mean shit to you," said Kyle, obviously frustrated. "We''re going there to unload these. I can do it alone, but it''d be faster if you''re there. So let''s go already. It''s getting late." Reluctantly, Jonathan climbed into the cab. Kyle kicked the truck a few times as it sputtered before finally turning on. They reversed out down the dock and out into the parking lot¡ªwhere Kyle nearly barreled straight into a car parked near the dock. "Watch it!" said Jonathan, craning his neck out the passenger window. "I got it, I got it," said Kyle stubbornly. After a few more awkward points of reverse and forward, Kyle finally got them out onto the road. Jonathan suppressed the urge to mock him. He wanted to bring Kyle down a few notches, but at the same time, he really didn''t want to jeopardize his position in this new group. Jonathan barely knew any of them¡ªNina even less after what happened on Wednesday¡ªbut it was clear from day one that Kyle was effectively the second in command, after the big guy. He''d done a lot more looking into Julian in his spare hours the last couple days, and what Jonathan found wasn''t exactly helpful. It was mostly rumors and conjecture, social network posts hinting at underground gambling, package skimming, and a colorful past in Rallsburg connected to most of the major players. Jonathan didn''t really like looking into people behind their backs, but his life had instilled a healthy paranoia. Who knew what might be lurking in the depths of men''s hearts? By all reports, Brian Hendricks had been a friendly¡ªif standoffish¡ªcontributing member of society, and was considered an excellent father. How the mighty have fallen¡­ You okay? What? You got a weird look talking about him. Just¡­ memories. Would anybody ever really call him mighty? Well, he did start a huge terrorist movement single-handedly¡­ that''s pretty impressive. Horrible, but¡­ yeah. Careful. I respect him. And I''m completely terrified of him. I don''t care what they say, he''s still a threat even if he''s locked up. That''s why I''m doing all this. Speaking of which¡­ back to the story? Oh, yeah, sorry. "How far?" asked Jonathan. "Like¡­ twenty minutes," said Kyle, shrugging. He made a gentle turn, cruising the quiet evening roads across Tacoma. They seemed to be avoiding the highways, but Jonathan couldn''t be totally sure. "Why, got a hot date?" "Nope." You don''t think I''m hot? I wouldn''t call this a date. Nice save. "Figures." "What about you?" asked Jonathan, determined to get something out of the guy. "Anybody in your life?" "Just the four of you," said Kyle. He smiled suggestively. "And the hot chicks who come into the club. They dig a guy who can do real magic." So where are all your hot chicks? Jonathan ignored the implied jab, focusing on the road for a while. Something was still bothering him though, especially given the job they were doing and the person they had doing it. He wasn''t the easiest to get ahold of, nor the one they trusted the most. So why¡­? "Why are we doing this?" he asked aloud. I''m wondering that too¡­ "''Cause we need to for the next part." Jonathan frowned. "We need to move some empty boxes around?" "They aren''t empty." "What, then? Why do we need to move these, why now? What are we doing?" "Look," said Kyle, drumming his fingers on the wheel idly. "Here''s the straight truth: we''re not happy with you." "What?" Jonathan whipped around, glaring at Kyle. "What the hell? I did great last time." "No, you changed the fucking plan," he shot back. Jonathan opened his mouth to argue back, but Kyle kept going before he could get another word in. "It''s goddamn rule number one: you stick to the plan. Everybody does their part and nobody asks questions once we''re in motion. Changes get people killed, you idiot." "That''s¡ª" "We weren''t ready for this kind of attention," said Kyle. "You blew things up way bigger than we intended and gave us an attitude. Now we''re gonna get more heat." "And more support," said Jonathan. "Don''t you want that?" "Sure, and we would''ve had it." Kyle shook his head. "Boss has got the plan. Your job''s to follow it to the fucking letter, got it?" The truck suddenly ground to a halt, nearly pitching Jonathan off his seat. He hadn''t put on his seatbelt. He hurriedly got back into a comfortable position, painfully aware of the smug eyes watching him from his left. "Rule number two, always wear your seatbelt," said Kyle, smirk plastered across his face. "So you''re mad¡ª" "Not just me, dude. Julian and Nina too." "And Nina?" "Okay, so she probably doesn''t give a shit." Kyle shrugs. "Who knows with that chick? Not like her opinion matters." What the hell? Hang on, that''s not what he meant. That sentence doesn''t really come across good no matter what he meant¡­ He was more talking about how she''s just the supplier for our group. He''s totally wrong, but I''ll get to that. Later. Isn''t this already like¡­ seven hours ago at this point? How much more later do you have to tell here? You have no idea. "So you guys are pissed off," said Jonathan. "Okay. I get it. I''m sorry." "Not that easy," said Kyle. "But you''re getting the idea. You screwed up. You gotta learn that this shit is dangerous, and you''ve gotta stick to the plan. Do what we say, when we say it, and that way nothing gets screwed up." "Got it." Inside, Jonathan was fuming a little, but he had to admit one thing: from everything he''d learned, Kyle wasn''t exactly wrong. On top of that, he''d screwed up more than once in the past in much the same way, changing a plan at the last minute on his own terms, nearly getting himself¡ªand in the most notable example, Alden Bensen¡ªkilled in the process. He could follow the plan. Of course, following the plan still meant he needed to know what the plan was¡­ and Kyle had yet to share that bit of detail with him. The truck hadn''t started moving again though, so Jonathan glanced around, trying to figure out what might be important nearby. All he saw was a set of warehouses ahead, unremarkable apart from the name Mettis emblazoned on the side. "Just one thing," started Jonathan, and Kyle groaned. "What?" "I get not changing the plan, but I still gotta know what we''re doing, right? So I don''t screw anything up." And maybe I can actually improve your plans, you idiot. Is he really an idiot though? I thought this was the guy who invented second-gen Scraps. That seems pretty genius. Honestly¡­ I still can''t tell. As their truck approached one of the open side gates, Kyle nodded forward. "See that guy loading the truck over there?" After Jonathan nodded, Kyle''s voice dropped lower, full of contempt. "One of Hendricks'' guys. Nearly fucking shot me back at the Olympic camp. And that woman? Drew spotted her scanning him with one of those stones." On Kyle went, calling out at least five others with some tie to Brian''s organization. Most weren''t as rock-solid as the first two, but Jonathan could see the logic¡ªafter all, if one of them was an anti-awakened terrorist, odds were they''d recruited others at the workplace. Nobody easier to recruit than a pissed off minimum-wage warehouse worker, right? Speaking from experience? Worst three months of my life. You probably would''ve grown into it. Yeah, well¡­ I got as much as I needed to start my show career. That''s what matters. To Jonathan''s surprise, Kyle drove them straight in, flashing a badge to go through the gate unhindered. They rolled up to one of the buildings not in active use¡ªwhich was most of them, as Jonathan glanced around. It was getting toward the end of the workday, and it looked like Mettis didn''t run his warehouses late unlike Jonathan''s old job. As most of the remaining employees began to filter out, Kyle and Jonathan hopped out and started unloading their truck. "We''re putting these in all three warehouses," said Kyle, nodding at their boxes. "Doesn''t really matter where, as long as they''re inside. Here," he added, tossing a spare badge to Jonathan. "Should work on the doors." "And why¡ª" "You don''t need to know that yet," said Kyle firmly. "But¡­" Jonathan nodded, as realization struck him. "Compartmentalization." "Huh?" See what I mean? No idea. "You''re making sure none of us know the whole plan, so if I get caught or something, I can''t give it away," said Jonathan. "Especially since we''ve got magic for lie detectors¡­ can''t exactly beat that." Kyle shrugged. "Give it time, I bet somebody will figure out how." He sighed. "Come on, we''ve got a lot of boxes and we don''t have all night. You''re still on for later with Drew." "Got it."
It was Wednesday afternoon¡ª Hold up, I thought it was Thursday evening. We''re jumping back a bit. What about the stuff with Kyle? ...You really want to hear how we loaded a bunch of boxes into warehouses and then drove home? Well when you put it like that, absolutely. I love a good warehouse logistics story. Annnyway¡­ It was Wednesday afternoon, and Jonathan was on his way to a pet store. As usual with this group, he wasn''t driving, and it was starting to get on his nerves. He liked Corbin¡ªdefinitely liked him a lot more than Kyle¡ªbut the guy just wasn''t a good driver. Corbin was nice, and smart whenever he finally decided to speak up, but more than once Jonathan found himself a bit white-knuckled as they rolled up the highway to Seattle. This was another piece of the compartmentalized plan, though Jonathan wasn''t yet aware of it at the time. He knew they were on the way to pick up something unusual though. Julian had made a very specific request, and since Corbin didn''t have work¡ªand Jonathan didn''t really have a schedule anyway¡ªthey were heading up together. Jonathan was glad though, in the end. Corbin seemed like a pretty cool guy, so Jonathan wanted to get to know him better. When better than a long drive up to Seattle and back on a weird errand? Or you could just go get coffee with the guy or something. Uhh, no? Typical guys. So what''s up with the pet store, anyway? Why there? Well, pet store is kind of an exaggeration. More like a guy who sells specialty pet stuff and would only deal in person. Your life is so weird. The pet store, which was basically out of the guy''s custom garage, wasn''t nearly as amateur as Jonathan had expected. In fact, with how much they''d transformed the place, Jonathan almost felt like he was in a real establishment, barring the house just a few dozen feet away. As Corbin pulled off to park on the sidewalk, Jonathan counted the money. "Eight thousand dollars," he muttered. "For salamander eggs." Corbin nodded. "Tiger salamanders." "And we need a lot of them, apparently." Jonathan sighed. "Wonder what spell Julian''s planning¡­" "These are for a spell?" Jonathan raised his eyebrows. "I assumed you knew." "I don''t know that much about magic, to be honest," said Corbin, a little uncomfortably. "Didn''t know it was a thing until¡­ you know." He took a long, slow breath, staring out the window of the silent car to the evergreens rustling in the wind nearby. "Until after Rallsburg blew up." "Your dad never told you?" "We¡­ we didn''t hang out much." Corbin looked uneasy. "Well," said Jonathan, trying to deflect from a conversation which had suddenly gotten very uncomfortable for them both, "yeah, the salamander eggs are for a spell. A guy named Ryan figured out way back that you could use other things as sources of magic energy besides just gemstones. They''re the easiest, but even stuff like animal eggs can be used." "Not live animals though, right?" asked Corbin, a note of concern tinging his voice. "No," said Jonathan, and Corbin breathed a sigh of relief. "Just stuff pre-birth like eggs. Or plants, it works with plants too. Nobody''s really nailed down an exact dividing line, but there''s also some kind of elemental attachment too. So like, feathers and bird eggs are better with Movement or Elemental magic based around wind, salamander eggs are good for fire, so on." "Does it use up the egg?" "Probably." Jonathan shrugged. "I''ve never done anything with them. Gemstones are the most I use for energy sources." "Oh." Corbin nodded, before turning to stare out the window. They waited in silence for a few minutes, both watching different spots outside Corbin''s car. Jonathan wasn''t sure what to say next. Corbin seemed to be waiting for something, but he wasn''t sure what. He still wanted to get to know the guy, but they didn''t exactly have a whole lot of common ground yet. "I''m sure your dad would''ve explained most of this," said Jonathan finally, trying to offer something of a conversation hook. "Yeah." Corbin took another long pause and a deep breath before finally speaking again. "Maybe. I didn''t really know him that well." "You didn''t?" "He and my mom split up a long time ago, but he still supported us. Sent me stuff for my birthday sometimes. And Julian said he was going to awaken me someday. Gave up a Scrap for the guarantee that I''d be welcomed into the Council." "Wow." "I went to Rallsburg a couple times, way back," added Corbin, as the trees rustled again. A bird shot out and darted across the lawn, catching the gust of wind and flitting to a branch across the yard. "It was nice. Really quiet." Seems to be a running theme here¡­ "Going out to visit your dad?" "Yeah. I was younger though." Corbin sighed. "I stopped going when I got older. Hated him more for leaving us. I built up this whole image of him, the guy I thought he was. Turns out I was totally wrong. Julian showed me old videos of them hanging out, and I read the entries on him from Cinza so many times¡­" He shook his head in dismay. "And Cinza didn''t give light praise," added Jonathan. He''d only read it once, of course, but even so, his relationship with many of the major players made him feel like he could speak with authority. Since meeting Corbin, he''d re-read those same passages about Spencer Ancell. "I bet he was a good guy." "Just wish I''d gotten to know him¡­" Corbin trailed off again wistfully. "Same with my¡­ mom," said Jonathan after a brief pause, thinking aloud of Annabelle. "I really never knew her until just¡­ a year or two ago. Now it''s like she''s a totally different person than who I knew growing up."Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. "Still around though?" asked Corbin, glancing over at him for the first time since they parked. "Yeah. She doesn''t live with us anymore though," he added, sidestepping any mention of the nature of Annabelle''s change. He wasn''t sure how Corbin would react, and didn''t want to alienate the guy right off the bat when they were just starting to bond. Hey¡­ Yeah, I know. You need to talk about it? I dunno¡­ It feels weird. Like, just trying to bring it up, I felt¡­ Ashamed? ...Yeah. Does that make me a terrible person? I don''t know. I think it makes you a confused kid in a situation that''s really uncommon, that''s for sure. I''m telling you all this with her sleeping like, twenty feet from me. I just don''t¡­ don''t get it. I don''t know. Me neither, dude. You''re not alone. But¡­ this guy Corbin''s right. Getting to know her''s probably the best way out, right? Better than never talking to her or something else drastic. Yeah. You''re right. I didn''t mean to bring this up, sorry. You can always talk to me, Jonathan. You know that. About your family, magic, whatever. ...Thanks. Now, wasn''t there something about a pet shop? Jonathan changed the subject, before things got even more awkward. His first attempt at bonding with Corbin hadn''t exactly gone great, but they had some common ground now. Really weird common ground, between a dead dad and a trans mom, but¡­ it''s something, right? "Ready to go in?" "Why this place, anyway?" asked Corbin. "I guess ordering online is too dangerous if we get traced somehow, but¡­ this seems a bit suspicious too." "Well, for one, I couldn''t find anywhere that sells eggs online," said Jonathan with a shrug. "Only live ones. And in person, I figured, as long as we pay cash, this seems less likely to get traced than a big-name pet store, right?" "Guess so." He unlocked the doors and opened his side, stepping out. Jonathan followed, and soon enough, they were in the shop. It took a little convincing, but Jonathan was able to persuade the proprietor that they really did want a hundred and sixty salamander eggs, just like they''d said on the phone. It wasn''t a prank or some weird college dare, and they did, in fact, have the eight thousand bucks to pay for it. The guy took a while to count the bills¡ªJulian hadn''t provided them with any specific denomination, so the eight thousand was a mess of varying amounts. Jonathan fidgeted the whole time, trying to keep from looking too suspicious. He wanted to appear a bored college student, someone unremarkable who was carrying out a task he didn''t care about. The less attention they drew, the better, and nobody cares about a bored twenty-something. Finally, the guy disappeared into the back and returned with a sealed translucent box. Inside, Jonathan could make out a pile of greenish orbs, presumably the eggs they were seeking. He had no idea if they''d survive the trip, but based on what he knew, it wouldn''t matter too much. As long as all the material was still there, they should be sufficient to serve as energy sources for a spell. Using living things as spells felt very strange to Jonathan, and he didn''t like doing it. He''d lied to Corbin, before, partly from a sense of guilt. To drain energy out of a thing was like taking life itself into his hands. It went beyond simple energy manipulation, the basics of magic he enjoyed so much. Jonathan would rather find shortcuts and improvements to his spells than try to rely on a source of magic which seemed like it could kill anything it touched. You never mentioned this stuff to me before¡­ Well, it freaked me out. It doesn''t work on people, if that helps. We''re still protected like always. Or any living animal, right? Yeah. I needed to bring it up though, ''cause I had to use it once. I didn''t have a choice. When? Well¡­ the next day, actually. The same day you went out with Kyle to those warehouses. Yeah, but that was in the evening. This was morning. Most insane morning of my life, and that''s saying something. Just get to it already, dude. I''m running out of tea here.
On Thursday, bright and early, Jonathan parked outside the club and headed in. He unlocked the door, like usual, and brushed through the invisible wall without flinching. Inside, the place was deserted¡ªnot many people going to a club at eight in the morning. Jonathan went inside and sat on the couch, wondering if he was early¡­ or late. He didn''t dare call out. If she was asleep and his shouting woke her¡ªwell, Jonathan really didn''t want to find out what she''d do. A nightclub was a strange place to be in the morning before it was actually open. Granted, Jonathan hadn''t exactly been into many nightclubs when they were open, but he''d gotten a decent impression so far. Now, the place was so quiet, it was unsettling. The club walls were supposed to be vibrating with heavy bass and pounding percussion, that was just normal. This utter silence was practically painful. To Jonathan''s relief, the silence was broken a few moments later. To his surprise, it was by a voice he didn''t recognize. "Hi Jonathan!" He twisted in his chair, shocked. With the paranoia filling his world lately, Jonathan instinctively grabbed for some magic and prepared a rudimentary shield. A gust of wind shoved forward in the space before him. It wouldn''t stop a bullet, but the thick pocket of resistant air would slow any rushing opponent long enough for Jonathan to react properly or dodge aside. Far across the room, Nina''s hair fluttered in the breeze he''d just created. "Nice to see you too," she replied. Jonathan honestly couldn''t tell if she was being sincere. "...Hi?" "You ready to go?" What are we doing, anyway¡­? He gulped. "Go where?" "We''re going out to pick up something we need for tomorrow night and bring it back here." Nina shrugged, patting at her arm in the sling. "I just need you to help carry it. It won''t take too long." "Oh," Jonathan nodded. "Okay, cool. I was expecting something way worse." "Did Kyle not tell you?" Nina sighed. "I''ll have to hurt him later." Again, Jonathan couldn''t tell if she was serious. "...Really?" Nina smiled. "I uzh on to vspomnit, pover''te mne. Now come on, we''ve got a box to fetch." To say the contrast was stark between the Nina he''d met a week ago and the one standing near him would seriously undersell the transformation he''d witnessed. This Nina was bright and energetic, and even down to her appearance, she almost looked like a different person entirely. He couldn''t quite put his finger on it, but he''d barely recognized her, and he couldn''t quite figure out why. Her bipolar switched phases and now she''s probably wearing makeup, genius. Well yeah, I figured that out eventually. Let me tell the story though, in the moment and all that. Sorry, sorry. Mind if I take a minute? This tea really went through me fast. Yeah, go for it. ¡­ Okay, all good. So tell me about Nina. She hot? Why, are you jealous? Oh, am I your girlfriend now? It''s about time, dude. Want to come over and make out? Err¡ª Hahaha, the look on your face. Sorry. Although, if you wanted¡­ Would you stop that, please? Just saying. Offer''s open. Can I just tell the story already? Your endless stories about boxes and driving to get them. Sorry if it''s boring. No! It''s not. I''m sorry. Honestly, I''m really interested. Please keep going. Unlike Corbin the day before¡ªand contrary to the plan previously outlined¡ªNina drove them. Jonathan spent most of the journey fascinated by the interior of the car¡ªas usual, Nina had the nicest vehicle he''d ever been in, and one he''d never seen her drive before. Every time she arrived at the club, it was in a different car. This time, they were driving a sleek sports car that seemed so utterly black, light itself was sucked into it. "It''s a custom ride," said Nina nonchalantly. "I just had to drive it. It''s such a beautiful car. Don''t you agree? It''s so smooth and fast. Absolutely perfect. I could outrun anything in this car. Not that I''d need to. I know better than that. But if it did happen, yeah, they''d be fucked." She was speaking rapidly, with a lot more enthusiasm than usual, and Jonathan was having trouble keeping up. "Oh, sorry," said Nina suddenly, glancing at him while her hand drummed the wheel. "This is what I was talking about. When I''m on, I am on, you know? Can''t help it. I''m taking medication for it because the kind of life I lead? You can''t be on and off like this. But the meds aren''t always reliable, so this is what happens. Don''t worry. I can handle it, on or off." Jonathan let her talk, since there wasn''t ever a gap to get a word in. Instead, he focused on the car¡ªshe was right, it was beautiful. The doors and center had handsome wood panelling, while the main console screen sat perfectly flush, rather than awkwardly protruding upward. It didn''t lack for comfort, either. Jonathan felt like he was melting into his seat. Most impressive, though, were the floating numbers Jonathan could see if he leaned over slightly, projected way out onto the road. If he looked more closely, he could tell it was a projector and a cleverly shaped piece of glass, but the illusion was convincing. Nina''s car had a virtual heads-up display, speed and fuel gauges along with other useful information gliding above the road far ahead. Jonathan wondered if he could use the effect somehow in his show¡ªit could make some very convincing acts for the crowd. He laughed aloud. Nina glanced over, curious. "Did I say something funny?" "No," said Jonathan, instantly deflated. "I was just remembering I don''t need fancy equipment to do a magic show when I have actual magic." "I loved magic shows," said Nina suddenly. Jonathan''s eyebrows raised slightly. Despite how much she''d been speaking, Jonathan was pretty sure that was the first real thing he''d learned about her. "You did?" he asked cautiously, hoping she''d open up a little more. Oh yeah, she''s gotta be hot. I can''t just want to make friends? Mmmmm¡­ Well, trust me, with what happens next, you''d think twice too. Nina kept talking non-stop, which suited Jonathan just fine. He hadn''t slept that well the night before¡­ nightmares again. He was content to let Nina handle both the driving and the conversation while they drove. Jonathan knew they were going north, but wasn''t sure quite where they were headed. Somewhere in Seattle, for sure, but nowhere near the usual touristy places, which he''d been to a few times with Nell. Instead, they were headed into seedier parts of town. It wasn''t that Jonathan knew the seedier parts off-hand or anything, but it was obvious from the street conditions alone. The roads were less well-kept, there was more trash on the sidewalks, more people lurking in the alleyways and less traffic on the whole. As they rolled past a warehouse, Jonathan caught a glimpse of a street sign that sounded familiar. "...Isn''t that where those people died? The gang members who got killed with electricity magic?" "Yeah, that''s the one." Nina nodded. "Crazy stuff. Seems kinda impractical to me though. Why not just use a gun? Or something less unique. Almost nobody knows electricity magic still, besides the obvious. Plus you and Drew. You and Drew are developing it right?" "Yeah." Jonathan was taken aback¡ªhe and Drew hadn''t told anyone, of course¡ªbut he didn''t dare lie to her. "How''d you know?" "Oh, I keep an eye on all of you. That''s one of the things I do for this group. And for other people." "...Other people," he repeatedly slowly. "People you don''t need to know about." Nina suddenly swerved the car around a corner, then into a tight alley that seemed barely wide enough for them to fit. They rumbled down over small piles of trash, finally coming to a stop in a wide open courtyard after turning a full circle to face the entrance again. The car''s quiet electric engine hum died away. Full of trepidation, Jonathan glanced around. The buildings seemed deserted, though there were a couple card tables across the way that seemed weirdly out of place. Temporary fences walled off every other entrance to the area. A broken fountain stood in the middle, testament to the run-down and broken feeling permeating the very stones. Behind the fountain, a circle of beaten up furniture¡ªcouches, chairs, torn pillows. It was intact, but certainly not anything he''d want to sleep on. Jonathan looked away before he stared too closely. He figured he knew exactly what this was for, and he didn''t want to know more. "So what are we doing here?" he asked again. Nina pointed at one of the buildings nearby, indistinguishable to Jonathan from its neighbors. "We''re going in there for our pick-up." She leaned forward and popped open the glove compartment in front of him. It was full of papers, but Nina turned her hand over and pressed a button Jonathan couldn''t see. After a brief mechanical whine, a second, hidden compartment dropped down. Four matte-black pistols sat inside. Oh, shit. Yeah. Nina pulled one out, popped the magazine and checked it, then slammed it back in. She dropped it into a holster inside her jacket Jonathan hadn''t noticed. "Ready?" He nodded. Nina got out and Jonathan followed, his heart pounding. With every step, though, it diminished. There didn''t seem to be anything here, and she hadn''t recommended he bring one. It was probably just a precaution. If there were danger, Nina surely would''ve told him. She''d been talking non-stop the whole drive. What if she had while he zoned out? What was he walking into? No, he was being paranoid, just like everybody from Rallsburg. This was Seattle, not the insanity of the Olympic Forest and everybody who came out of it. Nina wasn''t the best with magic, and with one of her arms in a sling, she wanted a bit more backing her up. The world was dangerous for people like them. Maybe I should own a gun. You''ve got pepper spray and magic. How much more deterrent do you need? I dunno¡­ I just get scared way easier than I used to¡­ Yeah¡­ me too. "Are we expecting anybody?" he murmured. The place was nearly silent, with the surrounding tall buildings blocking out most of the city sound. "No," said Nina. "Do you sense someone?" "Nah, just¡­ making sure I know what''s going on." "We''re here for a box that should be in that building, second floor, room three," said Nina. She pointed at a window. "I think it''s that one, but I can''t be sure. We go in, pick it up, bring it back. Easy." The instant the last syllable left her mouth, they both heard someone talking. Even worse, it was coming from behind the door they needed to walk through. Nina''s hand immediately went to the holster inside her jacket, while Jonathan started gathering magical energy. He reached forward with his essence, trying to feel them out. There wasn''t any magical aura, so he was pretty sure they weren''t awakened. It wasn''t foolproof, but most awakened people projected some kind of magic relatively frequently, and anything active was very easy to sense. Nina reached the door first, Jonathan slowing down to concentrate on his spell. She turned to him and held up the hand with the gun to her lips, shushing him. Jonathan nodded, holding up his own hand and summoning a fireball. She shook her head. He raised an eyebrow. She moved closer, so she could whisper in his ear. "We don''t want them to know we have magic under any circumstances. Have it ready, but only use it as a last resort. Got it?" Jonathan nodded. Nina turned around, took a breath, then pulled open the door, the gun just out of sight. The dialogue stopped instantly as the two people inside spun to face them. One was a man in his thirties, with a grubby face, thin beard shadow, and a slippery voice that screamed suspicious. "Well, well, whatchu wan'' in my here hotel, pretty girl?" He rubbed his chin. "Could make stacks of paper, baby. I''d run you myself if you wan''." "Enough, Harley," said his companion. The other man was heavily built, wearing a thick overcoat, with a perfectly trimmed moustache and an eastern European accent, but no less suspicious than Harley. Jonathan might have laughed aloud at the pair¡­ if he wasn''t terrified. "Man''s gotta make a livin'', friend! Cash flow problems, you know what it do. Still ''coverin'' from clients gettin'' attacked by ''wakened crazies in my own damn buildin''. Niddles lost his best girl! Why you think this prime real estate ain''t bouncin'' no more?" "Speak quickly," said the companion, ignoring Harley, "if you value your lives." "Mne skazali, chto my budem odni," said Nina. The man in the overcoat''s eyes widened. "Sedelnikova?" "Da." Yes. Nina glanced at Harley pointedly. The overcoat man sighed. "We were delayed." He raised an eyebrow. "You are not alone." Nina shrugged. She smiled slightly. "Besplatnyy rabochaya sila." He laughed. Shaking his head, he turned to Harley. "You should leave." "But, hey man, we ain'' figured out our nex'' steps!" Harley took a step toward the man, looking a little desperate. "Call this a business arrangement, well shit, my business gonna need one of them bail-outs. Where my stimulus at?" "Ty khochesh'' chto by ya yego ubila?" asked Nina, glancing between the two of them. The overcoat man sighed again. "No, he''s still valuable. Come, Harley. We''ll discuss elsewhere. Sedelnikova, your package is upstairs." "Spasiba." Thank you. I got that one too, thanks. You and I watched that whole show together. Also, what the hell did you get yourself into? Oh, it gets worse. As Harley grumbled his way out the door, the overcoat man whistled. Almost immediately, they heard thumping all around. Eight men emerged, from other rooms or upstairs¡ªeach one of them carrying a machine gun. Jonathan froze in place. Sweat instantly began to bead on his neck. A few of the men gave him snide glances, mocking his obvious terror. As they filed out, the overcoat man stayed for just a minute, glancing back to Nina with a stern expression. He nodded toward a room down the hall. "Ostav''te den''gi v korobke." Nina nodded. Without another word, the man disappeared. She watched the door silently for a few minutes, but Jonathan didn''t hear anything outside. There hadn''t been another car, as far as he''d seen, so it wasn''t like they''d hear if the men had left. Just as Jonathan was starting to relax, assuming they were fine, Nina shattered his hopes. "We might be fucked," she muttered. "What?" "They weren''t supposed to be here. You weren''t supposed to be here either. Harley is a witness. And we don''t actually have the money." "What?" Jonathan was racing to catch up, just as his heart raced to keep blood rushing through his adrenaline-soaked brain. "This is like¡­ the mafia, right?" Nina rolled her eyes. "Yes, but not my bratva. Viktor is Ukrainian. He''s with the Odessans. I am not. They think I''m supposed to pay them, or maybe they''re just trying to exhort me for more. We shouldn''t have needed anything though." "So¡­" started Jonathan, trying to skim past the brief burst of confusion at hearing Annabelle''s old name¡ªthe one he''d grown up with, the one that still meant ''dad'' in his head. "So somebody fucked us over." She shook her head. "No time to figure out who didn''t pay what. We need this for the job tonight. Pointless without it. If we don''t pay up, they might¡­" Nina suddenly rushed to the window. She glanced between the ratty curtains¡ªthey were ugly and dirty, but if nothing else, Jonathan could admit they did block light very well¡ªcraning her neck to spy from odd angles. She muttered something else under her breath, something Jonathan wouldn''t repeat. "They''re still outside. Fuck," Nina added, still under her breath. "Go get the box. Get it fast. It''s up on the second floor¡ª" "¡ªroom three," finished Jonathan. "Meet you back here?" Nina nodded, her hand tight on the grip of her pistol. Jonathan hurried to the stairs, nearly tripping on a riser as he darted up. He dashed down the hall and into the room with a crooked "3" nailed to the door. Inside, a wooden box¡ªa crate, really¡ªwaited on the pristine bed, both remarkably out of place in the dilapidated building. He tried not to think about it as he grabbed the heavy box and headed back downstairs. Nina hadn''t moved an inch, though the pistol in her hand was reassuringly steady and calm. She gestured him forward to the door. "They still haven''t left," murmured Nina. "But they''re trying to hide, waiting for a signal from Orlovich. I think they didn''t expect me to stay at the window. I''m supposed to go leave money down the hall, which they''d see me do through the other window, but obviously I haven''t done that. So if we make for the car, our lives are forfeit." "What?" asked Jonathan sharply, nearly dropping the box. A rattling noise filled the room, as if it were filled with rocks. It was heavy, but not that heavy, as far as he could tell. Maybe they were something else. He was tempted to look inside, but Nina''s last few words had blown every other thought from his mind. "What do we do?" "Do you see any other way out of here?" He glanced around. "...Not unless we jump out. The back door''s practically walled off." "Yeah¡­ purpose-built place Harley had here. Well, not built, they obviously modified it for their trafficking. Can''t have the merchandise running out the back." Nina leaned out again, but retracted her head almost instantly. "Shit¡­ I think he saw me." Jonathan hesitated. "...If I can get us to the car, can you get us out of here?" "Yeah. I didn''t expect any company. That car''s my personal one, it''s much more resilient than most of the cheap vehicles I''ve been picking up for you to use." "Thanks," said Jonathan, rolling his eyes. "That''s on purpose, you know," said Nina irritably. "The more expensive, the more likely it''s going to be noticed. We don''t want to be noticed." "Except today." "No, including today¡­" She sighed. "I was showing off. It just felt right to do. This is the danger with me and I know it. I''m a self-aware bipolar mess, I know exactly how reckless I''m being and I do it anyway. You''re lucky I haven''t tried to take out everybody solo yet." "I can get you to the car. No killing. We just get out," said Jonathan, even as his own anxiety and fears mounted even higher than before, something he wouldn''t have believed possible. What the hell am I doing? "Magic? We can''t let them know we''re awakened. That could completely mess up my relationship with them." "Do you have another option?" asked Jonathan. "We''ve got a job tonight. There''s no other way out of this building and they''ve got us surrounded." He grit his teeth, not believing he was about to say it. "I can get us to the car." Nina nodded. "Okay." She seemed impatient. Jonathan gathered up everything he had, thinking back to the illusion he''d just been watching in Nina''s car on the way in. A cloud of smoke wouldn''t be enough¡ªthey had machine guns and more than enough ammo to just spray the area, and Jonathan didn''t think they''d bother being discreet. Can I manage enough magic for this? I¡­ there''s no other option. I have to. Jonathan did a quick test inside, seeing if he could cast the spell at all. He could do lights¡ªhe did them every show, after all¡ªand decent illusion magic, but this needed to be so much more. If it wasn''t totally believable, animated perfectly, projected far enough away to fool them¡­ I can do this. I have to do this. "Stay right here. Don''t let them see you again," said Jonathan. Nina glanced at him. "What are you doing?" "Something crazy." Doing exactly what he''d told Corbin he''d never done, Jonathan grabbed at everything he could nearby. He felt energy draining out of the plants, the grass, even soil full of ants and worms below them. It wasn''t a blind process¡ªJonathan had to specifically target them, finding them with quick bursts of wind and feeling out the changes in airflow¡ªbut soon enough, he was amassing a huge flow of power. He flung the front door open, and as he did, Jonathan grabbed at every photon he could. It was so much, he could barely keep it in his mind. Cinza does way more than this on a regular basis¡­ Jessica was able to turn people invisible with almost no effort at all. This is insane. Jonathan was choking. Everything hurt. He struggled to force breath through his lungs, every gasp was agony. Still, the illusion held, as perfect as he could manage. A phantom Nina, pistol at the ready, frantically led a box-clad Jonathan down the steps. Their dopplegangers glanced at the car for a split-second, then sprinted for the nearest fenced-off alleyway. Gunfire rattled from several windows. Puffs of dirt exploded everywhere, tiny chunks of concrete from the building walls, even sparks off the chain-link fence. Grunting from sheer exertion, Jonathan made the phantoms flinch and duck. They hurled themselves at the fence. Nina bolted over the top, while phantom Jonathan¡ªwith more strength than the real Jonathan even at his best, but nothing unrealistic¡ªhurled the box over the fence. Phantom-Nina caught it with ease. His double followed as fast as he reasonably could. They were off. In an instant, the men had scrambled after them, bullets following in their wake. They too disappeared from sight, leaving only the deafening echoes of gunshots in their wake. Jonathan released the phantoms as they rounded the corner, vanishing just out of sight. Every blade of grass in front of the house was a withered husk¡ªa carpet of death back to their car. "There," he coughed. "They just¡­ think we ran. No¡­ no magic. They''re just¡­ bad shots," he added, trying to grin. Nina smiled. "Well played."
Late Thursday night, long after the deliveries with Kyle¡ª Okay, hold on. You and Nina went up against the Russian mob, dude. You can not just leave it like that. I know you never lie to me, but seriously, that''s insane. That''s it, to be honest. They didn''t come back. Nina and I got in the car like fifteen minutes later when she called it clear, we drove off. At one point she called somebody on the car phone and spoke in Russian for like ten minutes straight, I didn''t understand a word. I had to stay completely silent though. Are you okay? Are you in danger still? Is she? I have way too many questions. No, we should be fine. Nina said that her people would pay the Odessans and we''d be square. Orlovich would probably be¡­ taken care of, for the breach of protocol. Oh my God¡­ Jonathan, are you okay? No. ...Do you need to¡ª Yeah. That''s¡­ that''s why I called. Okay. What do you need? Just to talk. Please. Help me get my thoughts out. You got it. So¡­ did you find out what was in the box? Nope, no idea. I was going to, but then Kyle''s whole speech on compartmentalization, and I figured¡­ probably shouldn''t, right? I wouldn''t be able to resist. What are you doing with all these though? That''s what the last part of this story''s for. Telling me what all this was for? Yup. We''re now up to like¡­ six hours ago. Well¡­ seven now. Holy crap, it''s almost four. Okay, go on, let''s finish this up. Late Thursday night, Jonathan was driving again¡ª To deliver all these wonderful boxes? Jonathan was driving again¡ª Sorry, I''m just a bit freaked out still. Bad joke. ¡­Jonathan was driving again, with Drew in the passenger seat. He''d been a part of the whole job from start to finish, as the only person with nothing better to do, and he still wasn''t sure what they were doing. To his disappointment, neither did Drew. "We''re taking all these salamander eggs to the warehouses and setting them up," said Drew. "That''s all I got." "...These are bombs, though," said Jonathan hesitantly. "So we''re what, burning the place down?" "There''s no way they''re enough to burn all this down," said Drew confidently. "Kyle and I didn''t really put that much into them. I think they''re more a distraction. Or a warning. We''re sending a message, just like you did last time." "They got mad at me for that, though¡­" said Jonathan hesitantly. "They did?" Drew sounded genuinely surprised. "I didn''t hear about it." Jonathan pulled up to the parking lot nearest the warehouses, the same he''d been to earlier with Kyle. He was driving one of Nina''s cars¡ªnot the nice one, of course, but another generic cheap one she''d procured. It was reassuring in a way, since it meant she still had access to the resources they needed, even after the¡­ incident. The warehouse was quiet, since everybody had already been on the way out earlier. From what Julian had dug up, the place had a light security detail until ten o''clock, then only one lonely guardsman overnight. They shouldn''t be disturbed. More importantly for Jonathan''s sanity, the likelihood they''d hurt someone was nearly zero. He hadn''t been doing well since that morning. When he''d met up with Kyle, he''d still been running on adrenaline, plus a strong desire not to look weak in front of the guy. Now, at night, with his friend beside him, everything was finally laying in. Even the night seemed darker than usual. It was the closest he''d come to the massacre in the camp again. Nobody died¡ªthank God¡ªbut the hail of bullets in his general direction was uncomfortably familiar. Jonathan couldn''t think about it too much. They still had a job to do. The massacre had to remain a memory. If it had been anyone besides Drew that night, he might have broken. They waited in silence, since they''d arrived early. Once they saw the evening guard shift leave, they''d move in. For now, it was a silent vigil in a car so dark, Jonathan could barely make out his friend beside him. The parking lot''s lamps were out as well, so the only illumination came from the barely-visible moon. Its tiny crescent hung in the sky outside, while a field of stars surrounded them. It seemed¡­ tame, compared to the beautiful perfect constellations and galaxies he''d seen in the Olympic camp. The place had kept up the Rallsburg tradition of turning out all the lights at night, enjoying their stargazing far away from light pollution. Jonathan missed that, if nothing else. "Really nice night out," said Drew, gazing up at the same stars. "Yeah," said Jonathan. He smiled. "You should''ve seen it in the camp though. It was breathtaking." "I can imagine. I love stargazing," he added. "I could get lost in the sky for hours." "Same." "Oh!" Drew grinned, his dark skin just barely visible across the seats. "I think I finally got it." "You did?" "Yeah!" He held up his hands. "Ready?" Jonathan nodded, then realized Drew probably couldn''t see him. "Go for it." An instant later, a white flash lit them both up, accompanied by a crackling noise. The arc of electricity jumped between them, from Drew''s palm straight to Jonathan''s fingers. He flinched. Wringing his hand, he was about to retort when he saw the after-image of Drew''s face burned on his retina. Drew was so elated, so full of joy and excitement, Jonathan''s words died in his throat. He was happy for his friend, happy he could help, happy he could be there for the moment. "Awesome," said Jonathan eagerly. "That was legit lightning, man!" "Only a little," said Drew modestly, but the pride in his voice was obvious. "That''s the start. No more messing with static and trying to shock each other. You just shot lightning at me and it worked." "Oh¡­ I didn''t mean to¡ª" "Path of least resistance," said Jonathan, smirking. "Come on, Mr. Electrician. Don''t worry, it didn''t hurt. Much." "Did you imagine anything like this when you awakened?" asked Drew excitedly. "I can just make lightning! It''s almost effortless!" "I went straight to trying to make it into a show," said Jonathan, leaning back. He loved reminiscing. "Of course, then I met Hailey and Alden and everything changed." "Yeah, same¡­" Drew sighed. "You were the first guy they met with, right?" "Yeah," said Jonathan with a touch of pride. "And¡­ honestly, I kinda acted like an idiot. Really, really cringe in retrospect." "Haha, I''m sure they forgot." "Not even a little. Alden made a joke about it every time we met after that. I''m never living it down." In the pitch black, the lightning having completely broken their night vision, Drew laughed. Soon enough, Jonathan joined him. The laughter broke Jonathan''s hesitation, and soon enough, they were talking about anything and everything. Drew didn''t share a lot of interests with him, but it didn''t matter¡ªJonathan just took it as an opportunity to learn more about things he knew nothing about. Drew had lived in the Olympia area his whole life, after his parents moved from the D.C. area. He''d been fascinated with building and taking apart electronics since he was a kid, and it never went away. Toward the end of high school, he''d found odd jobs as an amateur electrician and decided to go into it full time. "And seriously, it makes bank," added Drew. "Way better than wasting years at college. Certification program and I''m in." "Who said I was going to college?" said Jonathan. "Oh, come on. You''re a college guy." He smirked. "I won''t hold it against you." "Who needs college? I''ve got magic." Jonathan expected some kind of admonishment¡ªafter all, most of the people he knew would probably think him crazy. Drew looked thoughtful, though. He took a few moments before speaking again. "Hey, if your show really gets big, yeah, it could go a long way. Even if people realize it''s real magic, you have the entertainment factor down. People always need entertainment, right?" "Yeah," said Jonathan. "Stage performance has been going strong for millennia. I''m feeling pretty secure in my career there." "I couldn''t ever do that," said Drew softly. "Be so open about it, throw myself out into the world like that. I''m terrified already just being open about it at work, and I''m not on a stage." "...It''s not really me, though," Jonathan pointed out. "It''s just a face. Not even my real name, and definitely not the real me." "Nah," said Drew confidently. "I don''t think that''s true. Your show is more you than the guy you act like outside. You always seem the most at home there, and you''re really good at it." "...You came to my show?" "Dude, I''ve come to the last like, ten of them." Drew grinned. "Figured you didn''t need any extra pressure." Jonathan was surprised. He''d told Drew about his magic show and where it was, but never formally invited him. To hear his friend had actually followed through and attended without needing an invitation¡­ it meant a lot. Unprompted opinions always felt more genuine than asking for them, but given Jonathan''s situation, he couldn''t exactly risk sitting down to listen to feedback from strangers. "Thanks," said Jonathan finally, embarrassed. "Looking forward to the next one," he added. Drew suddenly leaned forward in his seat, peering at the warehouses. "Okay, they''re gone. We''re up." Jonathan quickly laid down a spell to muffle sound around them so the car doors wouldn''t give them away. They got out and unloaded the box he''d picked up that morning. A few minutes later, he was re-enacting the very illusion he''d created before, hurling it over a tall fence before clambering over himself. From there, between magic and the pair of them, it was easy to get into the warehouse, through the locked doors, and to the place Kyle had directed them. Jonathan carefully lodged the box into a corner, out of sight. Given the location, in the center of the middle warehouse, Jonathan was figuring out the plan little by little¡ªand he was excited. Glad somebody''s got a clue here. I have no idea what you guys are doing. Just wait. As soon as it was planted, they hurried out the way they''d come in. Over the fence, back into the car, and bursting into giddy laughter. Jonathan couldn''t help it, and Drew was infected by the same joy. They''d just pulled it off, right under the nose of a billionaire''s guards. Warehouse guards, but still¡ªa success was a success, and they''d just put the last piece in place. The buildings would fall, another blow to their enemies and a warning to the rest. "Come on," said Jonathan, exuberant. "What?" "You and me are going out to party." Drew frowned, deflating his excitement. "...Cool with you if we just hang out the two of us? I''m not really big on the party scene." "Sure."
"And that was the last part," said Jonathan, taking a drink of water. His lips were dry from talking so much. Nell had interrupted every once in a while, but for the most part, it was all him. Now, though, she was ready to really dig in. "That''s it?" She shook her head. "So abrupt, dude. It just ends with you and Drew hanging out in a car somewhere?" "No, no, that was the last part of our job," said Jonathan. "We actually stayed there until everything went off. Probably a really bad idea, but nobody saw us. We parked far enough away." "Went off?" Nell raised her eyebrows. "What the hell were you doing, anyway?" "Well¡­" Jonathan glanced at the clock. It was already five, so the morning news shows would be turning on. It''d be even more dramatic to show her than just tell her. "Here''s what happened next," he added, pulling up a news feed onto his screen and sharing it over. "Last night, sometime around eleven thirty, several massive explosions occurred at a set of warehouses owned by Mettis Freight, a subsidiary of Metcon Capital. Minor injuries were sustained by the night watchmen on duty, but no serious casualties. Authorities are still trying to trace the cause of the explosions and subsequent fire, which appear to have occurred spontaneously." Nell shook her head. "You guys burned down a billionaire''s warehouses? I mean, I''m all for fighting capitalism, but this seems kinda¡­ extreme?" "Just wait," said Jonathan, confident the next part was coming. Kyle had assured him the place was a staging ground for anti-awakened fanatics¡ªthey were bound to find something. "I''m sure they''ll find something." After a few minutes with the fire marshal discussing possible accelerants and causes, the camera crew finally turned to following a few of the firefighters into the building, surveying the damage. Jonathan waited with baited breath as they searched, though the warehouses had been so thoroughly destroyed he could barely believe it. What on earth was in that box I got with Nina? Must have been some crazy explosives¡­ or whatever would help burn down three warehouses. As the camera swung around, a firefighter came out from one of the ash-black offices, carrying what looked like a small, smooth stone. "Bingo," Jonathan whispered. "Is that¡­" murmured Nell, rapt. "That''s one of the stones, right?" "Yeah. I dunno if they know what¡ª" Jonathan''s question was answered almost immediately, as the cameraman gasped. Staged, for sure. Wonder how Julian got the cameraman. Wish we could''ve stolen and destroyed those stones though¡­ "What?" asked the reporter, turning around to look at the camera directly. It was such an odd look for the morning news, with the reporter looking over the camera to the man behind it rather than directly into it. Just ever so slightly off, just like the rest of the world. "Jimmy?" There was a quiet mumble from off-screen, too far for the reporter''s microphone to pick up easily. The reporter''s eyes widened though. She pulled the microphone away from her mouth, talking to somebody over a headset mic¡ªprobably her studio, getting confirmation. A brief painstaking pause later, she resumed, voice shakier than before. "I''m being told," she said finally, "this stone, with this symbol and the purple veining, is a known tool of anti-magic extremists, specifically those who follow Brian Hendricks of Rallsburg. We''re not quite sure what this means yet or why it was found on the grounds of a Mettis Freight warehouse, but we''ll be closely following this story as it develops." Nell whistled. "Well, all right then." Jonathan had to stop himself from cheering as Nell continued in a subdued tone. He barely heard her the rest of the night. They''d done it. Julian, or Kyle, or somebody had made sure the reporters would know what they were looking at. Now everybody knew. They''d been harboring terrorists, and Jonathan''s group had just struck them a major blow. A hub had been exposed, and doubtless the stones would be swept up by Rachel and her DTA, never to be used again. Mettis funding terrorism would be brought to light. He''d be forced to answer uncomfortable questions, and their world would get just a little bit more difficult. Another step toward victory for Jonathan and all awakened. The caution and fear in Nell''s voice slid right past his ears, unnoticed. Jonathan didn''t have time for fear. His war was just getting started. B3: Chapter 8 — Around the World in Eighty Minutes Chapter 08 ¡ª Around the World in Eighty Minutes Still at the Whittier campus, Josh ducked into the hallway next to him. If he followed it, he''d end up right in the middle of the quad. With the sheer force of what he might be following, Josh didn''t exactly want to expose himself¡ªhe might be unknown to most of the world, but around the awakened, it was a different story. Every newcomer to the site, every new awakened they contacted dealt with Josh in some way or another as he grew his network. None of them should be in Norwalk, or Whittier. Was I followed out here? Is somebody trying to track me down? I mean, it''s not insane to think somebody else from my town awakened¡­ but it''s hella unlikely. From what we can tell, Scraps are barely starting to migrate out of the Pacific Northwest, however the hell they move. This is way too far south for any of them to drift. He glanced around, trying not to look too suspicious, relying on his training from Boris. Vague glances, nothing jerky, glazed eyes as if he were just distracted. No sudden moves when they didn''t make sense. The campus seemed totally mundane. What I wouldn''t give to have Nikki back right now¡­ Josh dug into his pocket. He might be nowhere near as adept as his girlfriend, but he could perform the spell. It felt like trying to shove his lungs out through his throat, and he''d never manage to pull even the slightest picture, but he hoped the scant traces he could conjure might be enough. Reaching into his Laushire-provided bag tied at his waist, Josh dug for the stash of amethyst he kept on-hand for Nikki. The massive wall awaited him as his mind slipped away from reality. Josh could already feel the overwhelming pressure beginning to crush him from the inside-out, but he only needed a few seconds. Focusing on the essence he''d just felt only a few minutes before, Josh hurtled just far enough to get a sense of their location. Come on, come on¡­ Got it. "Are you okay?" Josh''s mind snapped back into his head to find a very concerned coed watching him hacking away, coughing all over the brick wall holding up him. He nodded, still wheezing. "Just¡­ swallowed something wrong." "Need help?" "Nah, thanks." Josh forced a smile, desperately holding onto the fading sense of direction he''d gotten from the spell. Fucking knowledge magic... "All good." Despite the pain in his chest, Josh forced himself to start walking away¡ªdirectly toward the essence, as best he could manage. Problem was, the campus was crowded with people gearing up for the term on Monday, moving back into dorms and hanging out for the end of their winter break. A vague sense of direction didn''t exactly help much, and Josh didn''t want to risk actively trying to seek the essence. Who knows what they can do? If they feel me searching, might spook them¡­ or worse. I definitely can''t take them in a fight. Nikki could track them without being noticed though. We tested it with Hailey and Kendra, even they couldn''t feel it. Only Grey-eyes, apparently. Am I chasing down another god? He had to assume not. The Three Gods were only that way because they''d been able to read the whole book¡ªor at least, most of it. Meanwhile, the natural awakened obviously used something besides the Scraps the rest of them awakened from¡ªmaybe pages from the original book? He didn''t exactly want to pursue the theory further though. Last thing the world needs is more people with that kind of power. If they''ve still got their method, I hope to God nobody ever finds it. Sure would be nice right now though¡­ how the fuck am I supposed to find this person without Nikki? Knowledge magic just had to be so goddamn rare¡­ oh, duh. Seconds later, Josh''s private cell was in his hand¡ªthe encrypted one, rather than the new one for his normal mundane life. "Hey." "Hi¡­ Josh," crackled Will''s voice, far away in B.C., or wherever Rachel might have moved him to. "What can I help¡­ you with?" "I don''t just call to check in?" Josh winced. He didn''t want to just use the poor guy. "Shit man¡­ sorry." "It''s¡­ fine. With what happened, I''m not sur¡­ surprised." Josh sighed. "Anyway, yeah. I need help down here. You know where I am, right?" "Rachel filled¡­ me in. Norwalk, right?" "Close enough. Whittier College. And I just felt something massive." Will coughed before responding. "I felt it too. Really powerful magic." "So you already tried to track them?" asked Josh hopefully. "Yes¡­ but I couldn''t." Another pause and the telltale flat sound of the phone being muted. Will returned a few moments later. "They must be¡­ like Hailey and the Gods. I can¡­ feel their spells but not them." He never learned Nikki''s direct scrying method¡­ and it''s not my place to teach it. She wanted it kept private. Too powerful. "And we don''t have a clue who it is." "No." Will paused. "Want me to¡­ get Rachel?" He was calming down now after talking to Will, and getting confirmation he hadn''t mistaken what he''d felt. Josh shook his head, though of course, Will couldn''t see it. "Nah. I''ll keep an eye out, but if we''ve never heard of this person before, they''re obviously trying to lay low. No need to provoke anything." "Sounds¡­ good. Keep us in the loop?" "Of course. This is a two way street, you know that." Josh leaned against the nearest wall, still letting the aftereffects of the scrying attempt ebb away. "And if you feel any more big spells in this area, tell me ASAP. Whatever this person''s up to¡­" "You got it. I''ll try to¡­ narrow it down." Another mute, and then Will came back on. "I''m watching everybody right now. Just in case." "Everybody?" "All the awakened. Rachel and the President want to¡­ be aware of potential hotspots. It''s helping the DTA be proactive." Josh sighed. "Getting on the way to that police state again, dude. Don''t take it too far." "You sound like Ri¡ª" "Anything I should know about?" Josh interrupted. "...Well, I can tell you that warehouse fire didn''t¡­ set off my senses. Rachel thinks otherwise. We''re going to get a few DTA¡­ people down there." He frowned. "Does the DTA have awakened members, then?" "Of course. Wouldn''t be¡­ very good at handling our affairs if it¡­ didn''t, would it?" "...What warehouse fire?" asked Josh, realizing he actually didn''t have a clue what Will was talking about. Normally, when somebody brought something up and he wasn''t sure, Josh always waited a few seconds, assuming the needed information would float up from the recesses of his mind if he just kept talking a bit longer, picked up more clues, but Will was obviously talking about something recent. "Last¡­ night. Mettis Freight warehouses in Tacoma. The warehouses all¡­ burned down. They thought it was a gas leak at first, but it''s¡­ getting bigger because of what they found." "Why didn''t I hear about this?" Josh wanted to put Will on speaker so he could start scrolling through his feeds, but he couldn''t risk it in a public place. Will muted again for a few moments. "It was only local news until they¡­ found some of Omega''s stones there." Josh swore under his breath. "Fuck¡­ So they''re saying, what, Mettis was funding and sheltering some of Brian''s guys?" "Something like that. Investigation''s on¡­ going." "It''s bullshit." He started walking, heading off campus as fast as he could, back to his place. Josh needed to be connected, right away. The world was tilting off its axis again¡ªlike it always fucking is. Shit never ends¡­ "Mettis is on our side, at least a little. He''s been working with Maddie and Courtney, funding some of Courtney''s outreach programs for awakened. They''re giving him some beneficial treatment so it''s not altruism or anything, but still¡­ Mettis isn''t one of them." "Looking that... way right now. What do you¡ª" "Josh." Josh looked up, startled. A voice had just spoken from around the corner that absolutely should not be anywhere near California. Unless, of course, she decided to portal herself there, as only she could. He turned to find one of the Laushire twins standing just behind a fence, a wooden door sprouting out of the empty wall next to her. "Looks like I''m getting called in, Will," muttered Josh. "What?" "Hi¡­" said Josh aloud, trailing off¡ªhe was pretty sure it was Lily, though he couldn''t place exactly how he knew. He didn''t try to guess, to avoid being rude. "Lily," she confirmed. "We need your help."
As Josh stepped through the door into the void and back again, it wasn''t the change in temperature or humidity, the daylight or even the smell of the place which struck him most. Instead, it was the taste. There was a taste to the air in the Los Angeles area, even out in Norwalk, quite distinct from the Olympic Forest. London likewise had its own taste, and to Josh, it wasn''t exactly pleasant. Or it could be the goddamn heights¡­ holy shit. Emerging through the doorway, Josh found himself in a huge office. The most handsome desk he''d ever seen sat at one end, with an apparently asleep Kendra Laushire seated behind it. Tasteful wooden bookshelves lined the walls, a cart laden with whiskey sat at the ready, and comfortable chairs lay on a stunningly impressive rug. Portraits of the Laushire line filled the space between the bookshelves, though Josh noticed not a single one stood of either Thomas Laushire or his daughter. Of course, he didn''t notice any of it, as his eyes were transfixed on the practically invisible glass window behind the desk¡­ and the seven hundred foot fall to the ground. "Welcome to my London office," said Kendra, opening her eyes as he stepped in. Lily closed the door behind them, before moving around to sit at Kendra''s side. A chair simply materialized there as she did, nearly-identical to the one Kendra sat in. Josh walked over to the chair opposite them and sat down, keeping his eyes averted from the giant window. Thankfully, once he was seated, the perspective wasn''t quite so daunting anymore. Instead, it was actually rather pleasant, a view over the city beyond which he''d never normally get to enjoy. Sitting in their office, Josh had never been more aware of just how rich the Laushires really were. Sure, this was probably combined with their father''s wealth, but still¡­ Josh would probably never in his life make even a fraction of this extravagance. Since when did I care? Extravagance just gets you more noticed. I don''t want to be noticed. Neither does Lily¡­ wonder if that''s what this is about? I know they plan to reveal her soon, too many rumors from the kidnapping to stamp out. "Looking to hire a chef?" he asked, deadpan. "I hear I''m better than the locals." Kendra glanced at Lily, who only smiled. She sighed. "I wish it were the case. The events of last night have put a damper on our intentions." "Yeah, I just heard," said Josh. "You guys were investing in Mettis Freight, right?" "Not just investing," said Lily. "We intended to purchase it outright," added Kendra. "Howard Mettis plans to move his own capital to automated shipping startups. He likes to pick safe technology trends, and self-driving lorries certainly seem a sound investment." "So why buy his company?" asked Josh, raising an eyebrow. "I have a more immediate need for trucks and large shipments," said Lily. Josh didn''t miss the first-person distinction, but Kendra continued speaking without a moment''s hesitation, almost as if to cover up the indiscretion. "Given the deadzone Natalie created and the continued growth in the region, we expect a lot of short-term gains in shipping, particularly in that area. Mettis Freight already built up a chain of logistics, in addition to strong contracts with local delivery options, and were under their maximum shipping capacity regularly." "We were to utilize the extra capacity on each truck for supplies, to be delivered via manual courier out to the Olympic camp," concluded Lily. "Were," Josh noted. "Mettis broke off negotiations with L. Wilmore this morning," said Kendra. "He had already surmised our identity to some degree, most importantly our status as awakened and our ties to the awakened community," added Lily. "Given our¡­ aggressive intent to purchase, I believe he saw the attack as a tactic to devalue the company and acquire it for much less than our ask. After all, changing ownership and name of the company would deflect accusations of terrorist support." "We haven''t heard from him since," said Lily. "I¡ª" The door behind them opened. Josh held still, not wanting to show his face in case it were someone attentive and nosy¡ªwhich is everybody in a rich high-power business firm, right? With the virtually invisible window, he couldn''t make out their reflection either. Except there''s two Kendra Laushires in the room¡­ if it''s somebody not in the know, they''ll have something way more interesting to gossip about than the black American dude visiting. "Ah, sorry," said a male voice, a bit awkward. "I wasn''t aware you were in a meeting." "That''s quite all right," said Kendra gently. "We''ll be late to lunch. Please give mother our best." Josh was too curious to pass up the chance, particularly since the guy wasn''t surprised by the pair. He glanced around behind him to find Sir Thomas Laushire himself, in the flesh with the door half-ajar. Thomas stared for a few seconds, clearly perturbed. "Father, this is one of our friends from Rallsburg," said Lily patiently, with no words forthcoming anywhere else in the room. "Josh," he said finally, seeing no reason to delay introductions any further. He stood to shake the man''s hand, not wanting to seem rude. Thomas shook it, and the firm action seemed to breathe life back into the man once more. "Any friend of my daughters'' is most welcome. Apologies if I appear rude, I wasn''t expecting guests." "Especially not ones who got forty stories up without being noticed?" Josh grinned. "Don''t worry, sir. I''ll leave the same way I came in." "And how would that be¡­" Thomas trailed off. He shook his head, exasperated. "Perhaps it''s better I don''t know." Josh shrugged. He turned back to the Laushires. "If you guys got plans, there is somebody else in town I''ve been meaning to contact." "...A certain snake?" asked Lily, only the faintest trace of venom in her voice. "That''s the one." Kendra glanced up at their father. "We''ll be down shortly. Could you ask Collins to bring the car around? He''ll know where." Thomas left without another word. As the door clicked behind him, once again shutting out the rest of the world, Josh raised an eyebrow. He glanced between the two Laushires. "He seems way different from what I''ve seen on the news." Lily smiled slightly. "Our father would not normally act so deferent, but I believe he''s trying to atone for past slights¡­ and he hasn''t the slightest on how to understand me yet." "We''re probably enjoying it more than we ought," said Kendra in a tired voice, shooting her sister a look. "Back to business," said Lily, turning to Josh, "Mettis will likely blame the awakened for the attack. We''ll need a response¡ªideally one where we can produce a real culprit." "Do we know who set the fire?" asked Josh. "I literally just found out about it twenty minutes ago." "We do not," said Kendra. "But the fire has no apparent cause nor accelerants, as I understand it." "Signs point to magic." He sighed. "Got it. I''ll put out feelers." Tezofarl bringing the site back online on Tuesday will help a lot there. Most of the people I need to reach should still be active on it, except the ones stuck in the deadzone. But they probably didn''t set fire to Mettis'' warehouses anyway. I hope. "And your meeting with Viper?" "Do you know where he is?" asked Josh, standing up again. "In his cell, but likely to receive house arrest soon enough." "That bastard gets bail but not Hailey?" Josh shook his head. "No justice." Kendra frowned. "Viper seems truly repentant. Should we wish unfair judgment on him simply because our friend faced the same?" "I don''t believe him," said Josh simply. "Nor do I," added Lily quietly, surprising them both. Josh couldn''t remember the pair ever disagreeing, not over anything noteworthy at least. After all, they were the exact same person for over thirty years. Kendra stared at her for a few moments, but neither said a word. Finally, Lily got to her feet and murmured something. The door reappeared in a blank space on the wall, the very same spot Josh had originally walked through. He stood to leave, stretching out as if to run a marathon. "Josh," said Kendra suddenly¡ªin quite the exact same cadence as Lily had back at Whittier. "Yeah?" "If you''re reluctant, we know this seems like it''s purely about money and our own self-interest¡ª" Goddamn¡­ they think I''d turn my back just for that? I mean¡­ I guess I don''t have the best history here. Lily''s seen how brave I am in real danger. But fuck that, I''m not that guy anymore. "It''s way bigger than that," said Josh. Kendra faltered, and both of them looked at him with confusion. Josh shrugged. "It''s family. You two got screwed and I''m gonna find out why. You''re my family." Lily smiled, Kendra a half-second and a half less enthusiastic behind her. "Thank you," said Lily firmly. She nodded to the door behind him. "Shall we?"
As Lily led Josh around the cobblestone circle in the void, he glanced out into the endless empty black and sighed. "Couldn''t you put in, like, stars or something? Some people get serious vertigo in here." Nikki, for one. "There is no vertical space, so there are no heights to fear," said Lily. "The brain doesn''t agree." Josh looked back, where Lily had stopped in front of one of the doors. As far as he could tell, they were all practically identical, but of course the Laushires alone knew which led where. "Where''s this go to?" "Viper''s cell." Josh sighed. "Really think he''s going home soon?" "I would not be so certain." Lily smiled coldly. "His crimes were not so in dispute. There will be no leniency for Stefen Gearhardt." "Never gonna get used to that name," mumbled Josh. "Josh," said Lily suddenly. "Are you all right?" "Huh?" "Back in our office, you seemed upset," said Lily. She frowned. "Was it our summoning¡ª" "No," said Josh firmly. He shook his head. "I''m on board with you, seriously. This is major." "But¡ª" I''m a goddamn coward and I''m trying to make up for it. "I''m good, Lily." Lily''s face broke into a tiny smile. "Do you know¡­ almost no one ever calls me Lily aloud, apart from my sister?" "Really?" "Not even my parents. Everyone is too worried about offending us to use my name, and after identifying myself, no one feels the need to speak it anymore." Lily''s eyes glazed over a little. "Natalie could tell us apart, though I never knew how. Even Rachel was unable, despite her incredible mind. Do you know what it is like, to never hear one''s name?"If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "But," said Josh slowly, feeling on unsteady conversational ground, "wasn''t Kendra your name for decades first?" "...I won''t take offense," said Lily, an exhausted expression crossing her face and vanishing again an instant later, "but to imply such means Kendra and I truly are the same person. We might be born from the same genes, the same DNA, the same source of energy itself¡ªdoes that make me any less my own person than you, born from the same energy that once created your mother and father?" Josh raised an eyebrow. "That''s a lot deeper than I''ve ever thought about it, honestly." "I think about these things every day," said Lily with a sigh. "I don''t know the answer either, if it eases your mind. I act on my own, have my own thoughts, and believe myself an individual, but¡­ who can say? Descartes and I should sit for tea sometime." "So, what you''re saying is¡ª" "It''s nice to hear my own name, as rare as it occurs," said Lily. She glanced at the door between them. "I wonder how Viper feels about his own." "I''ll be sure to ask him," said Josh, resisting a smirk. Lily smiled. "Are you ready?" Josh nodded, and Lily opened the door. A veil hung in the portal, like a filter of thin black cloth, and a plain concrete cell sat beyond. Viper himself lay on the cot within¡ªback to the wall, glasses-clad and book in hand. Josh couldn''t make out the title, but Viper certainly seemed engrossed in it. Both arms were fully functional as he turned a page, seated in perfect solitude as he awaited a life in prison. If there''s any fucking justice in the world. "Viper," said Josh, taking a page out of the Laushire playbook. The man didn''t react in the slightest. Josh deflated a bit. After a few seconds, Viper turned the page, scratching his stubbled chin as he did. Josh glanced at Lily, who shrugged. He tried again. "Viper. We need to talk about what you''re doing next." Make sure you''re actually gonna follow through, and not slither out of helping Hailey and¡­ everybody else. "So talk," said the man, not lifting his eyes. "I went to your last damn meetin'', and fuck if it weren''t a waste of everybody''s time." "We saved lives." "Yeah? Way I hear it, awakenings are done, the entire damn Olympic Forest''s blacked out for good, the girl ain''t reunited with her dad, and there''s still a movement of people who''d love to burn all our bodies at the fuckin'' stake." Viper turned the page. "Feel much better in my cell, thanks." "A cage fit for a rat," said Lily, and her tone could have frozen lava. Viper shrugged. "Won''t disagree with you, Laushire. I fuckin'' deserve it. All of it." Josh was taken aback. Even at the Summit, Viper hadn''t seemed so¡­ beaten. His arm was finally fixed, but even newly-whole, Viper seemed like the last threat to worry about. "It''s my damn fault," said Viper finally. "What is?" "Magic. Well, I ain''t so self-centered to say it''s all my fault. But still, I fuckin'' contributed. You think Grey-eyes bailed cuz one awakening went bad?" Viper finally set his book down. "Nah, it was a whole pile of shit. And I''m one of them. My boss¡­ fuck it," he shrugged, sitting up to face them. "We tried to capture her." "You tried to¡­" Josh''s mouth fell open. "The hell?" "I didn''t know that was the plan, but damned if I didn''t ignore the obvious fuckin'' signs. Corny tried to taze the damn goddess of magic, catch her for study. If he had succeeded¡­" Viper smiled. "Can''t say that girl isn''t terrifyin'' when she wants to be. Tore the whole building apart with the flick of her pinkie." "Madness," murmured Lily. "Beyond madness. Man was cacklin'' like the devil when I carried him out of that lab," said Viper. He shook his head. "The moment he heard about magic¡­ that was it, you know? That was the moment he changed. Once, he pulled me out of ''ghanistan, practically smuggled Rook into the UK so she could come with me. We were a family. Every mission, every job, every fuckin'' thing we did together, I never doubted him. Then Rallsburg." Viper sighed. "You know we weren''t even there to hunt magic?" "I just assumed we''d slipped somewhere," said Josh with a shrug. "Nah." Viper grinned. "Boris fuckin'' Morozov. I was there to track the man down, get some of the intel he''d pulled out of the Soviets when he defected. Somethin'' caught Corny''s eye, I dunno what exactly. Rook and I searched the town up and down, never found a thing from the Soviets. Instead, we spotted a weird light in the forest, and¡­ you know the rest." "No kidding," said Josh, wincing. He''d been the one to meet Viper in the forest, after the man stumbled onto one of Cinza''s rituals. They''d cleared the area, but he hadn''t accounted for a special forces mercenary with that kind of training. "Corny knew better than us what we''d stumbled on, and it changed him forever. Man already owned the world, but¡­ greed, guess you could name it. Grade-A fucked up greed. If I just hadn''t made that call¡­" Viper shrugged. "Who knows where we''d be now?" "With one more Jessica Silverdale," said Josh. Viper nodded. "And I wouldn''t be in a goddamn cell in London, and Rook wouldn''t be¡­" He frowned. "Where the fuck is Rook, anyway?" "With Natalie." "Really¡­" Viper raised his eyebrows. "Huh." "She awakened, and she met up with Natalie somehow. No clue how that happened." Josh shrugged. "Ditched Lani, ditched everyone, and now she''s¡­ hell if I know. Natalie''s knight in her new queendom, I guess." "Fuck is a queendom?" "You''re in a queendom," Josh pointed out. Lily glanced at him sideways. "The United Kingdom is always thus, regardless of Her Majesty''s gender." "Well, isn''t that just a bit fucked up?" She shrugged. "We prefer our traditions. Besides, it would be rather tedious to switch the letter K out for a Q everywhere." Josh shrugged. "Anyway, point is, Natalie''s building something huge in the ruins of Rallsburg, and Rook''s her guardian angel. Them two, Hector Peraza, and whatever animals Natalie''s made friends with by now." He shook his head. "I don''t get it either." "You might not, but trust me," said Viper, leaning back with a satisfied expression, "makes a whole ton of sense for her. Rook''ll keep that town safe ''til the end of time, long as she''s got her guns." He smiled. "Thanks." "For what?" "Deliverin'' the news. I get real fuckin'' bored in here, and the library''s runnin'' thin." Viper glanced at him pointedly. "So what did you want? This ain''t a short commute, after all, even considerin''." "To take your temperature." Lily glanced sidelong at Josh, concerned, but Viper nodded. "I''m still lined up to testify against Corny here. Gonna be hell to pay when I do¡­ there''s a line you don''t cross as a merc, and I''m leapin'' it on international TV. Stabbing my best friend slash employer, a man who owns me and who saved my life, in the back. But I''m crossin'' it all the same." Face-to-face, from the mouth of the man himself, Josh believed him. In only a single short conversation, in a jail cell in London over five thousand miles away from where Josh had stood only an hour before, he finally trusted the man. He wouldn''t forgive Viper¡ªhell no¡ªbut trust? That one, Viper had earned. "Good," said Josh. "Thank you." "Gonna need some help though," said Viper suddenly, glancing up at him. "Need some evidence¡­ testimony." "What for?" "I wasn''t there when Malton gave the order. Didn''t witness it. You need Piller." "Who is Piller?" asked Lily, glancing sidelong at Josh. "Only one of my three guys on the ground who made it," said Viper. "The man who killed Jessica," added Josh darkly. Viper shrugged. "Can''t say for sure if it was him, who the fuck knows what happened on the ground that night?" "It was him, and even if it wasn''t, he''s gonna take the blame anyway with the other two dead. Hailey killed Sykes¡ª" "Put her fist through his damn face," agreed Viper with a grim expression. Josh nodded. "¡ªand Stebbins shot Mauer. Piller got arrested by Jeremy though. Last I heard, he was being held indefinitely by the FBI as a domestic terrorist. Buried as far as you could get, everybody pretty much assumes he''s long-dead." "Squares with what I heard." Viper shook his head. "Fuckin'' Napowsky, told me he was dead on the ground. I left a man behind." "Serves him right." "Fuck you," Viper snapped. "Man followed orders. Even if those orders turned out to be fucked up, he did his goddamn job in the middle of a warzone. You weren''t there." No excuse. You don''t follow orders you know are batshit evil. Josh shook his head. "So what do you want?" "You know people in the government, and I''m sure as shit you''re still in contact with DuValle. Get Piller in contact with me, at this number." Viper reached over to the little desk in his cell and scribbled out a London telephone number. "Only way a man like that ever testifies is if I order him to. You''ll need him if you want Corny to see a moment of jail time." Viper hesitated. "Might need to give him some incentives, too." Josh didn''t want to take the number. It went against every fiber of his body¡­ but his brain knew better. Malton was the real criminal, the real danger. Piller was just a soldier, like Viper said. A minor piece of the puzzle. After a few agonizing moments, Josh reached out and took the slip of paper, his hand briefly passing through the black veil. It felt like a curtain of frozen air as he passed through, a brief wave of terrifying chill that slid up and down his arm when he crossed the threshold. The chill wasn''t anywhere near as cold as the one filling his brain. Only one incentive a man like that is gonna want¡­ God help me if Hailey ever finds out I let Jessica''s killer free. "Thanks, Viper." The man nodded. "Oh, ''fore you go?" "What?" "In case you were thinkin'' I forgot, I''m still there to help out your girl Rika. Might need some help gettin'' to D.C., but I can give her the alibi she needs. Just say the word." Josh sighed. "...Yeah. We''ll let you know." He turned to Lily. "You good?" Lily stared at Viper, an expression Josh couldn''t read stamped across her beautiful features. "Good luck, Stefen," she said finally. "I hope you find some peace." Viper seemed seriously taken aback. He didn''t say another word, just gazing back at Lily with an odd expression of his own. Finally, Lily turned away, and the door slid shut of its own accord. The veil disappeared, leaving them back in the void once more with only the slip of paper clutched between Josh''s fingers. "Well¡­ that was something," said Josh slowly. Lily nodded. "Do you wish to join us for supper?" "Nah, thank you. I had an early lun¡­ hang on," said Josh slowly. Timezone confusion notwithstanding, something was off. As Lily walked him to the door back to Whittier, he remembered what he''d seen¡ªand what he hadn''t. "Something you two should know." "Yes?" said Lily, hesitating with her hand on the handsome brass knob. "There''s another one of you out there. Another true awakened." Her hand fell away from the door. She frowned. "That seems highly unlikely¡­ Hailey and Jessica were the last of the eight." "Isn''t it possible, though? I mean¡­" Josh shook his head. "I don''t know how any of it works. Maybe you do. Eight might be just a number, we don''t know if it''s really how many true awakened out there." Lily glanced away, toward the open door back to London. It had remained open¡ªand Lily inside the void¡ªto keep her connection with her sister alive. As Josh understood it, the void threshold counted as no space at all. As long as a door remained open, Lily and Kendra were no further apart than the nearest portal. In this case, Kendra back in her office. Josh wondered if they could go through two portals. He assumed so, but he''d never seen them try. Given the immediate, deadly consequences of such a magical strain, he couldn''t blame them for caution. Keeping Lily alive at a distance had already nearly killed Kendra once, and that was a gradual build-up¡­ to do it again willingly in a nebulous instant? I don''t think I could do that, even if I had their magic. How the hell do you just¡­ sustain somebody like that, day-in day-out? Gotta be careful never to go too far away twenty-four seven. It sounds brutal, always tied together like that. I need to be able to go anywhere. Be alone. "...There were eight," said Lily slowly. "Perhaps¡­ with two of the eight deceased, a new one has awakened?" "Must''ve been weeks ago, before Grey-eyes stopped awakening people," mused Josh aloud. "Some dude in south California who''s got no idea what kind of power they just stumbled on. Crazy." "Mmm." Lily nodded. "Thank you for letting us know. If you discover anything further¡ª" "You''ll be the second person I call," said Josh with a nod. "Second?" she asked, a vague smile touching her lips. "Gotta call our fearless leader first," he shot back, smirking. "You know how she feels about being left out." Lily''s smile broke out in full. "It is always good talking to you, Josh. You must come to our estate for dinner sometime." "Count on it."
When Josh walked back into his bedroom, his mother happened to open the door at the exact same moment. "What on earth¡ª" Violet cried out, dropping the bundle of sheets she''d been carrying. "...Bye," said Josh abruptly to Lily, who thankfully remained hidden behind the black veil. The door closed and vanished a moment later, leaving Josh with his very confused mother staring at a blank wall. Can''t lie¡­ magic is really fun sometimes. "What''s for dinner?" he asked, deadpanning as much as he could. "...Josh, where¡­ what just happened?" "I was visiting a friend. They gave me a ride home." He shrugged. "Not much more to it." "But there was a door there¡­ wasn''t there?" "Yeah, there was. It took me to their place and brought me back." Josh wanted to be honest with his parents, but revealing Kendra and Lily wasn''t quite kosher with him yet. Eventually. Even beyond the notion of awakened, his parents were both plenty aware of the financial world, and the identities of the Laushires long before their recent Cinza-related headlines. "Magic¡­ right?" "Yeah, Mom. Magic." It took her a few more moments to finally pull herself together. She sighed, gathering up the sheets. "Honestly, Josh, some heads up would be nice." "I couldn''t exactly call¡­" Josh smirked just slightly. He couldn''t resist. "I was in Europe a couple minutes ago, and I don''t have an international plan." Violet gaped at him. She looked about to drop the sheets again, but managed to hang on. After closing and opening her mouth a few more times, she finally managed a simple, "Dinner''s at seven." Josh walked forward and gave her a big hug, figuring it would do better than words. Sure enough, she returned it, and everything seemed normal again for a while. He helped her put the new sheets on his bed, talking about his trip to Whittier that morning and the classes he signed up for. "But you already took that in Rallsburg, and from a Laushire no less," said Violet tersely. "Why don''t you have the credit?" "Well, even if they could get the records from the school¡ªwhich, y''know, doesn''t exist anymore¡ªI''m trying to avoid telling anybody there I''m that Josh Miller." Josh shrugged. "Don''t need that kind of attention." "Can''t you just take a placement test or something?" "Not that kind of class, Mom." Josh checked his watch. He wanted to make a phone call, but he''d been waiting for her work day to end before he got in touch. Now seemed good enough. "Hey, I gotta make a phone call here, and I might have to take care of a few things too. Okay if I see you at dinner?" "If you insist," said Violet, putting the last pillow on his bed and gathering up the laundry basket. "Who are you calling¡­ or do I want to know?" "A senator," he replied. "She''s expecting me." His mother just sighed. "Where''d my little Joshua go, huh? When did my little boy turn into this big, well-connected man doing a job they don''t even have a name for?" She frowned. "What are you doing, anyway?" "Saving the world, I hope." Josh shrugged. "Or if not, the people I care about." "Sounds like a good set of priorities." She waved as she left the room, kicking the door closed behind her. "Let me know if there''s anything specific you want for dinner!" Love you, Mom¡­ I missed you so much. Josh smiled, then pulled out his phone and dialed Maddie. She picked up within just a couple rings, to his surprise. Sure, it was later in D.C.¡ªand Maddie was in D.C. now as far as he knew, but still¡­ didn''t she have anything better to be doing right now? Works for me, whatever it says about our damn government¡­ anyway. "Hey Maddie." "Bout time you said my name," shouted Maddie. Josh yanked the blaring phone from his ear. She sounded like she was in a wind tunnel. "Hang on, lemme pull over." "Driving with the top down or something? Isn''t it freezing in D.C. this time of year?" "Nah, riding." A whistle of wind, and suddenly it vanished as an engine growled down to a low purr. "Didn''t Jere-bear ever tell you? I''m the fuckin'' foul-mouthed liberal-shit biker-girl senator of Washington." "...Have I ever told you I wanted to vote for you? ''Cause I''d sure do it again for real." "Damn straight," said Maddie. "What''s up? How''s California?" "Funny story, I spent most of the day in London." Maddie laughed. "You know, with your travel plan, you oughta get out more. London''s fine, but you know there''s a whole fuckin'' world out there." She paused. "So, how much am I gonna hate what you''re about to say?" "Dunno. You ever heard of a guy named Piller?" "...Maybe," said Maddie, suddenly cagey. Josh heard the motorcycle engine flick off entirely. "What do you want with that motherfucker? Assuming I know who he is." "So you do know where he is." "I didn''t confirm that." Josh rolled his eyes, wishing Maddie could actually see it. "We need his testimony in London, and I''m almost certain he''s being held in some basement by the FBI where Jeremy stuffed him before he quit." "Testimony for what?" "To put Cornelius Malton away for life. Piller was the guy on the ground, Malton gave him the order." Josh paused. "The order to go hot, the reason Jessica''s dead." "Fuck¡­" Maddie hesitated. "I''ll see what I can do. Is this in exchange for Rika or something?" "Viper genuinely wants to put the guy away. He''s doing it for the greater good or something." Josh glanced out his window, staring at the clouds drifting by. "I didn''t see it coming either." "So we still get his testimony with Rika either way." "I''ve gotta go, Maddie," said Josh suddenly, standing up. "You''ll do what you can to get Viper and Piller where they need to be?" "...Yeah, will do. Take care, Josh." "Don''t tear up the streets too bad." "Fuck if they couldn''t use a bit of tearing up," Maddie shot back. "See ya." Josh set down his phone and closed his eyes. Suddenly, he felt exhausted. It was barely three in the afternoon, but then again, he''d spent the afternoon on another continent and ran around the college for a while before that. All he wanted to do now was¡­ sleep. His mother had just put fresh sheets and pillows on his bed, and it was neatly made. What better time? In moments, Josh was out like a light, concerns buried for the day. He''d spend the rest of the weekend with family. Too much of his life was already dominated by the awakened world for which he''d somehow become responsible. He could use a break. Josh managed his goal through the whole weekend. Of course, by Monday, Josh was right back at it. Through breakfast, his phone lit up more than once with a text message from Will or from Maddie. Each time he glanced at it, his mother took a tiny breath, as if worried it might explode. The rest of the family didn''t notice. The messages persisted through his first set of classes, and here, they were almost a joke to Josh rather than a source of tension. He sat in a standard micro-economics class surrounded by freshmen and sophomores, while his phone lit up with text messages from senators, senior presidential advisors¡ªhell, even a couple quick messages from the Secretary for Thaumaturgical Affairs himself. Josh hadn''t built up a strong relationship with Wesley yet, but Rachel had passed along his number. They all wanted his advice, kept him in the loop on important goings-on, used him as a go-between. Josh was the connecting thread between so many wayward strands, from the Greywood to the Laushires, from Rachel and Maddie to the patchwork community of awakened scattered across the Northwest¡ªeven a line to the Goddess of Kent herself flying all over the country. Josh was clued in on the movements within Mettis Freight, the investigation by the Governor''s office into the newly christened awakened vigilante group, and upcoming policy decisions being considered internally at the DTA. Guess since they can''t contact Cinza, I count as consulting her. Josh laughed aloud, drawing attention in his calculus class. He quickly buried his head in his textbook, though in truth he was reading the message on his phone. Wesley Gatiss had just sent him a snippet of language that speechwriters were considering for the president, and asking if the Greywood might have any objections. I''m a fucking college kid in California being consulted on presidential speeches about the biggest thing to happen to the world since, I dunno, goddamn electricity. What the fuck is my life? Case in point, he was sitting in class when his phone lit up¡ªwhat was he gonna do, ignore the call of a National Guard captain at ground zero for magic? Josh made a quick excuse and bolted from the room, just in time to catch it. "Hey, Captain." "Josh," said Hoskins. "How''s California?" "Y''know, everybody asks that. To be honest, I know way more about what''s going on in your neck of the woods, D.C.¡ªhell, I know more about what''s going on in the damn streets of Westminster than I do my home state." He laughed. "Good to hear from you." "From you, more like. What brings you outside the zone?" "Needed a good cup of coffee." Hoskins sighed. "Wish I hadn''t¡­ I heard about the fire." "Yeah," said Josh. "Culprits still laying low, best we can tell. We''re looking, but nothing yet." "So I gathered. We''ve got our own search ongoing, actually. Going on a week now." Josh frowned. "...Search for what?" "Who. Zo? Portman and Melody Savana. They went missing New Year''s, nobody''s seen them since. Ryan''s worried." "Ryan''s worried? Damn." "You''d be surprised," said Hoskins, and Josh could hear his smile through the phone. "He really took them under his wing in their support group. We don''t really have anybody disappear around here anymore." "Gone home maybe?" "One possibility, part of the reason I came out to check. I called Daryl Portman at his office, they haven''t heard from Zo? in months. Think I scared Melody''s family¡­" Hoskins sighed. "I''m not good at the family thing, to be honest. Only thing I ever learned was bringing them next-of-kin notifications." "Shit¡­ not the mood you wanna project there." "Right." Hoskins said something muffled that Josh couldn''t make out, then returned. "I doubt they''d leave the camp, but I can''t cover both sides of the fence here. Keep an ear out?" "Running out of ears," Josh laughed. "Yeah, will do." "Thanks, Josh." "Anytime, Captain." As Josh hung up, a cute girl sitting on a bench nearby stared at him with raised eyebrows. Damnit, gotta pick my phone call spots better... He shrugged. "Video game." "Uh-huh¡­" she muttered, going back to her textbook. Well, no shot with her¡­ should probably figure out what my relationship is with Nikki. Her curiosity did remind him of something¡­ a reason to keep an ear out at Whittier specifically. Josh had more to do here besides take classes. He''d been getting updates from Will on any major sources of magic, but nothing else had popped up in California lately¡ªexcept for the burst whenever the Laushires created a portal, of course. Nothing at all¡­ whoever this person is, they''ve gone quiet. On the one hand, Josh didn''t think that was so bad. He really didn''t feel like rolling the dice on a new true awakened. They''d been damn lucky only one of the eight had gone off¡ªand Alpha wasn''t exactly much better than his counterpart. If this person wanted to fade away and never use magic again, Josh would breathe easy. On the other¡­ he knew he hadn''t imagined it. Will had confirmed it moments later. There was somebody in this area with power rivaling the rest of the eight, maybe more. Josh couldn''t let such a possibility lay sleeping in wait. If there was going to be hell to pay, better he know up front. I tried sitting back last time, and nearly died. No fucking way I''m doing that again. Instead, with a free period ahead of him, Josh decided to put himself on the line. He drew in some energy of his own, summoning magic from his core, and cast a spell¡ªnothing special, just a brief burst of warmth to heat up his freezing hands. A tiny vent of steam appeared, but nothing that couldn''t be easily missed or ignored. Nothing alarming. Plenty of magical aura though, which was exactly what Josh wanted. Something only another awakened could recognize. Josh did it again, and again a few minutes after that. Come on¡­ come find me. As the clock ticked by, and his free period dwindled, Josh sighed. He''d been hopeful, but either the other person was far more cautious¡­ or wasn''t even here. Try again tomorrow, I guess¡ªholy shit. There it was. A pulse, strong and clear. It wasn''t strong-strong, not anything that''d set off Will¡­ but it was a clear pulse of magic nonetheless, and it was the same essence as Friday. Josh cast his own spell, waiting, breathless. Another spell in return. That way. Josh hurried forward, firing off another pulse himself. In turn, he got a pulse back. They circled each other, firing off tiny bursts of magic like echolocation. Josh twisted and turned through the campus, doing his best to not look like a freak as he jerked around several times. Tracking by magic wasn''t exactly a science¡ªhey, maybe someday¡ªand he kept getting turned in the wrong direction. Finally, one clear burst, straight in front of him. Josh put his hand on the classroom door¡­ and hesitated. Behind this door is somebody stronger than me and almost everybody I know put together. If I walk in blind, who knows what the fuck might happen? If I don''t go in¡­ will I ever find them again? The world sure seems to revolve around all the true awakened. Will they too get wrapped up in Brian''s movement, turn against us, and give them a fucking terrifying weapon to hunt us down? Cost-benefit analysis, pros and cons, opportunity cost, whatever. Fuck this. I take it all back, I don''t enjoy this shit anymore. Can I just go back to teleporting around the world, fucking Nikki, and spending Christmas with my family? Josh opened the door and walked inside. The classroom was totally empty, frozen cold, air totally still, A few rows of empty desks faced an empty whiteboard. Sitting atop one of the front desks, bag over his shoulder, was a young Asian guy¡ªChinese, if Josh had to guess. A faint smile cracked on his lips. "So¡­ you too, huh?" he asked. Josh shrugged. "Me too what?" "Awakened. Duh." "Yeah." Josh made a tiny flame appear in mid-air, what had become the typical greeting-and-verification method used by awakened in the ''mundane world'', as Cinza termed it. A second later, that same intense force burst through his aura. He had barely any technique, but there was raw power to rival anyone Josh had ever met. The flame leapt out of his control, tripled in size and spun around the guy, before puffing out. "Josh," he put in, after a beat. The guy sighed. He glanced at the door before answering. "I''m Ian. Nice to meet you, I guess."