September 20th, Thursday - Casey Silpetti
The next morning Casey gets ready for school quickly, trying to make sure she has time to check her webpage and email. But before she can, Aiden texts her that he’s outside waiting. She folds up the laptop, vowing to check it when she gets to school before her classes start.
Aiden’s waiting for her outside the front door, where he takes her bag from her and kisses her hello. “Morning beautiful. Sleep well?”
“Yeah, how about you?”
“Like a brick. Practice has me exhausted. But it’ll be worth it, we should kick their ass Friday.” He grins. “So how do you think Harmony’s coffee date is going?”
“Oh, you know Harm. She’s a force-of-nature. I almost feel bad for Chris.”
They pull into school, and head to the Student Center. Casey finds a table to sit at, and pulls out her laptop while Aiden heads over to get them some breakfast. She pulls up her webpage, and sees a whole bunch of the photos from last night are highlighted, meaning that Mors wants them.
She checks them out in detail. Most of the pictures of the crowd and the people are highlighted, the ones she took of the architecture and surroundings seem to be the ones he wasn’t interested in. He’s offered her $500 for all of them, allowing her to keep rights to them and use them as she wishes. She sends him the full res files for the ones he wanted and posts the rest in an album for Kale to view, sending him a link for it when she’s done. She zooms in on some of the crowd shots Mors chose to try and figure out what made him choose those photos.
Aiden sits across for her, and places a tray in between them. “So, what’s that look for?”
“Huh?”
“You look…enthralled, a little confused.”
“Oh, just trying to figure out what made Mr. Mors decide to buy the photos he did. They’re the boring ones for the paper from the conference last night. He wants most of the ones of the crowd and the individuals. There’s nothing really special about them…unless he just wants to see who all was there.”
“Does it matter, honey?”
“Not really. He paid for the ones he wants and let me keep the rights for them, so I can use them for the paper. Give me a minute and I’m all yours.” He nods and she quickly sets up a spreadsheet to track what she’s been paid by Mr. Mors, so she can keep track of their agreement. She closes her laptop, puts it away, and scoots her chair closer to Aiden, leaning her head against his shoulder. “Long night of practice again tonight?”
“Yup. Another big game tomorrow. You gonna’ hang out here and wait for me?”
“I was gonna go see Faust this weekend, but since the mayor saw me talking to him last night, I think sooner might be better than later. I’ll skip study hall and go visit him. I can meet you back here if you want, or just see you tomorrow.”
“How ‘bout you skip the bus ride and take my car to see him? I’ll feel better if you do Case.”
“I…I don’t know Aiden. What if I wreck your car? I’ll be fine on the bus.”
“I’m sure you will, but it will take longer. Think about it, let me know.” He kisses her on the forehead. “Now, eat up.”
Casey walks into Advanced Chem to find Veronica and Cadence deep in conversation. For some reason, Cadence has her mouth open, and Veronica’s face is squinched up. Casey sits down, “What did I miss?”
Cadence smiles and sticks her tongue out at Casey, who sees that it’s newly pierced. “I guess Harm didn’t tell you I decided to get this done last night while we were shopping?”
“No, she was a little too worked up about her outfit.”
“It doesn’t hurt?” Veronica asks.
Aiden sits next to Casey. “Does what hurt?”
Cadence sticks her tongue out again. “Whoa, hot.”
She makes a face at him, and turns back to Veronica. “Not really. I heal up pretty quick. Although it did suck last night when I gargled with the mouthwash, and forgot it was cut with Dr. Tichenor’s. That stuff is potent, and my mom wasn’t too enthused with the language I shouted when I made that mistake.”
The bell rings, and Prof Z gets the class’s attention. “Ok, I need you all to break up into your groups again. I have a few more problems for you to work out today.”
Aiden and Cadence move away to their station, and Casey and Veronica break out their books and start working on the problems that Prof Z hands out. They work quietly, neither really needing to talk it out with the other to figure out the problems. In fact, if it’s anything like yesterday – and so far all the problems are – the two of them will be finished long before the rest of the class is.
But all that comes to a screeching halt when the door slams open, and Faust comes barging into the classroom. Casey feels her jaw drop, and she glances around quickly to see the reaction of the class. Remarkably, not a single person has looked up besides Cadence. Even Prof Z is still looking down at the notes on his desk, completely ignoring the stranger in his class.
Casey looks back at Faust as he hurries to her station. “Casey, you have to come with me. Grab your bag.” He glances over at Veronica, and steps closer.
He leans down closer to her, seemingly entranced with her. She remains focused on her work, totally unaware of him. “So this is our little—”
“Get away from her!” Cadence steps forward, her hand filled with the dull gleam of her dagger.
Faust looks up, surprised and steps back. “Who the hell are you?”
“I should ask you the same thing! C, is this Faust?”
He looks back and forth between the two, a line forming between his eyebrows. He finally turns to Casey. “A friend of yours, I hope, since you told her about me?”
“Yes, she’s a friend. Cade, put your knife away.” Cadence glares at him a long moment, then glances back at Veronica who is still lost in her work. She sheaths the dagger and slides it back into her bag.
“Are you ready? We have to go, now.”
“I’m going with you.” They both turn to look at Cadence. Her face is set into a remarkably stubborn line, and even Faust seems to realize that to try and talk her out of it will take too long.
“Alright then, let’s go.”
Casey grabs her bag, and they all walk out. No one says a word to them as they leave. They stay silent until they reach Faust’s jeep, and then Casey finally asks, “What is this about? And what did you do back there?”
He pulls off with the screech of tires. “This is about keeping you alive, so let me concentrate.”
Cadence puts her hand on Casey’s shoulder from her spot in the back seat. They ride in silence to Faust’s place.
Once there, Faust rushes them inside, the whole time they walk his head twisting back and forth, trying to watch everywhere. Cadence picks up on his nervousness, and stands close at Casey’s back and side, her hand inside her back and surely on her dagger.
Once inside, Faust closes and locks the door, peering out the window for a long moment before sighing in relief.
A loud ‘caw!’ splits the air, and all three of them jump and turn. The large crow standing on the file cabinet has stepped forward, spreading its wings. Casey feels her heart stuttering, she had never seen the crow move much all of the previous times she had come here, and had all but forgotten about it.
Now it’s clearly agitated, and seems to be watching Cadence with its large, unblinking eyes. Faust looks between the two of them, clearly startled himself. Cadence ignores him, and steps closer to the crow. She reaches out and touches it, petting it almost as though it were a cat, and the crow responds as such, preening under her hand.
“Who are you?” His voice is filled with a quiet menace, and Casey can tell he means to have answers now.
Cadence turns towards him, the crow now eyeing him carefully from its vantage point. “I am Cadence Connor, and I’m a friend of Casey’s, and Veronica’s. This may be your home, and not my land, but do not test me, Malcolm Faust. You have opened your door to us, are you now ignoring the bonds of hospitality?” She speaks in that tone that Casey heard her use in the hospital, a strong, regal tone of voice.
His look chills a few more degrees, and Casey takes an involuntary step back. “You are right, of course, Ms. Connor. Please, have a seat. Can I get you anything, water perhaps? Casey?”
Cadence walks over to Casey, and pulls her down to sit next to her on the loveseat. “Nothing for me, thank you. Case?”
Case just shakes her head no, and Faust nods and sits across from them in his seat. The crow hops from the file cabinet to the desk, where it sits, watching silently.
Faust turns to Casey. “I’m sorry for interrupting your schooling, and pulling you out here like this. As far as what I did at your school, it was nothing much. It’s easy to turn the minds of those who are already focused on something else, you’ll be missed, but it won’t be until after that class has ended, and they won’t think much of it.
“It was necessary to come get you, because of what happened last night. When the mayor saw you talking with me and Alanna, he must have figured you were working with me. I don’t know what other kind of surveillance he has going on, surely some kind on Veronica, so that’s how he must have known about you. He might have had someone trail you, perhaps they saw you come here, I’m not sure.
“Anyway, since you aren’t awakened, and therefore not truly one of mine, he was planning on killing you today. I figured you might not want to die, so I came for you.”
“Awakened? Kill me? Wha… what am I going to do now?” She thinks of all the good things that have happened the past few months, all the new friends, and Aiden, and feels tears start to burn her eyes.
“Yes, remember when I told you that you had the same power that I do. That you can change things? Well, that power isn’t fully awakened in you yet.”
Cadence finally speaks up, “You mean, she’s —” The word she says is harsh and guttural, and completely foreign to Casey’s ears. She remembers hearing the same language, while hiding at the hospital and listening to the conversation between Cadence and Mr. Pleasant. Once again it causes a chill of unease to creep down her back.
Faust drops the pen he was playing with, nervously twirling in his hand, as his head spins to Cadence. “You?” His tone is soft, and slightly awed.
Casey can feel Cadence tense next to her. “Are we going to have a problem, Mr. Faust?”
“No, milady. I have no dealings with her, and certainly don’t wish to. Your secret is safe with me, your—” Cadence cuts him off with a sharp shake of her head.
“Thank you Mr. Faust, I’ll take your word as your bond, on the principles of the hospitality that you extended to us in your home?”
He sits silent for a long moment, and then nods. “My word is my bond, Ms. Connor, that your secret remains safe with me, and shall go no further.”
He turns back to Casey. “Sorry, but you only have two choices. One, you can run. Far away from this city, and never to return. He will not follow you once you leave the city. The other, is to allow me to rush that which was progressing slowly. I can awaken the spark you carry inside you, and open your power to full. Allow me that and work with me, and you will be under my protection.”
“He isn’t ready for full out war yet, so you’ll be safe if you do that. He would need Veronica’s power to feel safe enough for open warfare, and if it comes to that then we have already lost, have we not?”
Casey bites her lip and looks to Cadence for help. Cadence just gives her a look that says it’s her choice. “Ummm…will it hurt?”
He smiles a little humorlessly. “It might not be the most pleasant, but it won’t hurt for long.”
“I don’t know.” She puts her head in her hands, thinking. Faust and Cadence both sit there silently, waiting for her answer. “I…I want to stay…so um…go ahead I guess. Um, can I ask you some more questions after?”
“Oh, I’m sure we’ll have plenty to talk about afterwards. Relax, I have some things to finish preparing. I’ll be back in a moment.”
He walks out the back of the room, leaving the two of them alone. Cadence takes Casey’s hand. “You ok, Case?”
Casey gives her a watery smile. “Oh, just great, I think…”
Cadence pats her hand. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Faust walks back in. “I’m ready. This way, please.”
Cadence squeezes her hand, and they both follow Faust into the basement, where a circle is inscribed on the floor, various mystic marks etched surrounding it. The room is lit with torches and candles, and he has a table with various items on it behind him.
“Your first lesson. Rituals are important. No matter what they are, how detailed or how silly, rituals gain power because of our faith, and because we repeat them. There is a ritual to what we are going to do here today, and I can assure you that you probably won’t be completely comfortable with it, but unless we go through the motions, this won’t work right. And I only have enough power to do it once without going get more, and you don’t have time for that. So listen close, and do what I say. It’s very important that you do that, I won’t ask you to do anything you can’t, just one thing you might not be happy with. Ok?”
Casey nods nervously. If his little speech was supposed to make her feel better, it failed miserably.
He takes a large basin and places it in the circle. He fills it with water from a pitcher, and it seems to her that he pours out a lot more water than that pitcher should have held. He sprinkles some herbs and flower petals into the water, saying a few quiet words over it.
He steps back, and places candles at various points around the circle. Satisfied, he walks back to the table, and takes up one last candle that he hands to Casey.
“This is a ritual of rebirth, for in a way you will be born into a new, wider world today. Once inside the circle, you must not leave it for any reason until we are done. Agreed?” He waits until she nods to continue. “Good. Now strip, and enter the circle.”
She feels her face turn red. “St—strip?!”
He nods. “You don’t see too many children born fully clothed, do you? You must not bring anything from this world into the circle, other than that candle.”
Cadence shifts where she’s standing behind Casey. “Err… I can go wait upstairs if you want me to?”
Faust looks at her for a moment then turns his attention back to Casey. “Look, I’m not a perv trying for a cheap thrill. I’ve seen it all before, many times. If you have something I haven’t seen before, I’ll give you a hundred bucks.”
He leans close to her. “You’re about to be reborn into something completely different than what you are now, a goddess among men. Human boundaries, morals, and concerns won’t necessarily mean the same thing to you afterward as they do now, at least not as you grow in your power. So outta your skivvies, and into the circle.”
He turns and goes back to table, finishing his preparations. Cadence stands next to her silently, waiting for her decision. Casey bites her lip and looks at Cadence. “Stay, please,” she says, almost in a whisper. Cadence stays as per Casey’s wishes, giving her a quick hug for support.
Casey stands up straight. Hell if she’s leaving town, and she’s not going to just let the mayor think he can come along and take her out of the picture that easily either. Too many good things have happened in the past few months, and if a few minutes of naked embarrassment is all she has to put up with, then fine.
Feeling her cheeks burn, she silently slips out of her school uniform, letting it pool around her feet. She makes sure she removes everything, even her jewelry and any hairpins, etc before quietly padding into the center of the circle.
The stone floor is eerily warm against her feet, and the light from the candles surrounding her dance across her skin. He turns from the table, and regards her coolly.
“Hold the candle out in front of you, and close your eyes.” She does as he asks, steeling herself to not shift and try to cover herself. “See that candle, in your mind’s eye. See that candle lit, know that it is lit, see that there is no way it cannot be lit, for in your mind, in the world, you have willed it to be lit.”
She concentrates on what he’s saying, imagining with all her might that the candle in her hand is lit. She feels the faintest swirling of air about her, the briefest chill of goosebumps rippling up her skin as something begins to happen.
She can feel Faust, standing in front of her. He glows in her mind, and she can feel something streaming from him and to her, a thread linking them. She can feel Cadence, and then Aiden, and Harmony, Bianca, and shining bright in her mind Veronica. All of them are linked to her, in the thinnest of threads that seem to flow into her.
She feels the faintest of tremors flow through those threads and into her, and Faust’s voice cuts through the dark, “Open your eyes.”
She opens them, and looks down with no surprise to see that the candle in her hands is lit. Without prompting, she walks to the edge of the circle and places it in the only empty place left, leaving her circled in flickering light as she moves back to the center of the circle.
Faust starts calling out in Latin, his hands first raised up to the heavens, and then facing down to the earth. His voice washes over Casey, and she can feel the very air around her thicken and warm, as though she were encased in a fleshlike glove.
She can almost understand what he’s saying, as she goes to a dreamlike place similar to the one she went to thanks to Shelly’s power, but not the same. She realizes that she’s responding to him, calling out answers and counterpointing his chanting.
When he asks her to wash away the remains of her old life, her old being, she responds. She lifts the basin of water over her, and lets it pour down on her, the chill water literally washing away everything she once was, leaving her an open vessel for the power of the universe to rush into and fill.
Faust’s chanting starts to weave a tune, rising to a fever pitch as the power builds. She responds to it as well, calling out to the primal forces to waken her spirit, not sure if she’s answering in her mind or actually speaking.
There is suddenly the loud crack of thunder in the enclosed basement, and the flare of ecstasy/agony as fire washes over Casey. It feels for a moment as though she had bitten into a live wire, and was being electrocuted.
It passes quickly, and for a moment it’s as though she were floating high in the heavens, looking down on all of creation. And in that one moment, it’s as though she can see the entire big picture, the whole interlocking pattern of reality.
And then there is nothing.
She wakes sometime later, from the feel of it lying on Faust’s sofa. She can hear him and Cadence talking close by, but for the moment she just catalogs the aches and pains. She feels stretched, as though she’s thinner somehow, like butter spread over too much bread. Her body feels too small, or perhaps she’s too big, or something.
She opens her eyes, and looks up at his ceiling. Everything feels too real, as though she were suddenly living her life in HD. She sits up slowly, clutching the blanket to herself as she does. She doesn’t hurt, per se, but she feels vaguely uneasy.
“You’re up. Here, have some tea, trust me, it’ll help.”
Faust hands her a cup of steaming tea that smells frankly not her regular choice, but she sips it and finds that he wasn’t lying, it does make her feel better almost immediately.
Cadence sits next to her gently, and puts her arm around her shoulders. “How are you feeling, Case?” Casey looks at her, and is struck with a case of double vision. She sees her friend sitting there, looking concerned, but she sees something else as well. A vague, powerful something else. It fades quickly, leaving just Cadence, sitting there with worry in her eyes.
“I suspect now you’ll have some questions for me?” Faust asks. She bites her lip, unsure where to start as a million questions rush into her head. She sips her tea again, trying to decide what to ask first.
“Uh, how exactly does my talking to you warrant a hit from the mayor?”
“Laithe and I are old, old enemies. I’m guessing that he’s been keeping an eye on you because of your proximity to Veronica. Seeing you talking to me after the meeting the other night… Well, let’s face it. What possible reason could you even have to know me, other than to be working with me? Even if it was only a wild chance, I don’t think he would be able to risk it.”
“What does that word mean?” She tries to pronounce the guttural word Cadence said earlier. “You get the picture…the one Cade said about me.”
He looks over at Cadence before answering. “You remember I told you that there are Players, Pieces, and Pawns. That word was Cadence’s people’s word for Piece. Their word for Wizard, or Magician, I guess you could say, as it’s the same thing.” He stops there, glancing back at Cadence. Casey can figure that he doesn’t want to press his luck by saying too much.
“Why do I still feel so weird? It’s like…I don’t know…I don’t fit anymore, in my skin. And everything looks different. Not really weird or anything, just different, like more…like I can see more. Does that make sense?”
Here he gives her a genuine smile. “It makes perfect sense to me. Before you were just sleepwalking through the world, now you are awake to a much wider world than you could have imagined. You know have the ability to see the raw possibility of reality around you, and to influence it through your will. That’s a big change, but it will begin to feel more natural to you soon.”
“So, uh, what does all this mean for me? I can change things more or…what?”
He gets a little more serious. “Yes, it does. You can impose your will on the way that reality is, and change it. I would suggest being very careful about trying it, start small if you wish to practice. Remember also that power changes you; it’s like the Force in a way. Use it for dark purposes, and it will corrupt you. Use it for good purposes, light purposes, and it will uplift you. Every choice you make from this point on decides who you are, and what you will become. Every choice is important.
“I’ll teach you more, as both of our time permits. There are rules; ways that things work you will need to know. For now, remember what I told you. Promises must always be kept. Who you give loyalty too, becomes an extension of your power, and a source of it.”
Casey sits there a minute trying to decide what else to ask Faust and remembers why she wanted to see him in the first place. “I’m assuming since you know all about all the underworld-y stuff here that you know some girl named Shelly…vampire…hangs out at the Power Plant?”
He looks momentarily baffled. “Shel? Of course I know her, how do you?”
“We kinda had a run in the other night. Would she have a way to, um take over my mind, body, where I don’t remember…kinda like roofies, but more like roofies and puppetmaster together?”
He grins again. “Oh yes, she can have that effect on you. She’s a particularly strong vampire, though she is young. The blood that runs through her is very old, very strong. And she was always quite the hedonist even before she was blooded, from what I can tell.” He gets serious, “But usually her… ‘dates’ remember what happens, she has never taken over someone to the extent that you suggest by saying ‘puppetmastering.’”
He sits back and seems lost in thought for a moment. “She did look odd the other night when I saw her,” at Casey’s look, he explains. “She works at Legal Tender, that’s why it seems she hangs out at the Power Plant. You can trust her, which is something I would heartily not suggest when it comes to other vampires. But unless you get on her bad side, she’s quite a pleasant little girl. She’s friends with someone I… do business with sometimes.”
“But why would her doing that to me and my friend make her look odd?”
“She looked ‘odd’ as well? Using her abilities doesn’t affect her at all… Hmm, seems she might have been under the influence of something herself. There might be more to your story then we know, I’ll find out if you want?”
“Yeah, it looked like she was on something too…at least from the little I remember…and what I saw on the video. You can find out what happened?”
“Video?” One glance at Casey and Cadence’s faces, and he stops. “Yeah, I’ll find out what happened.”
Casey sits silently, thinking about everything that she’s learned and everything that happened today. “So what now? Do I just act like everything’s the same?”
“Well, that’s what I would suggest. I certainly wouldn’t go announcing anything to anyone, but I’m sure you’ll trust your own council. If there are those that you trust, then tell them. Just remember the power that gives them over you.”
“I want to know more about the mayor, but I don’t think my head can hold anything else right now.” Casey hears the muffled sound of her cell phone beeping in her bag telling her she has a message. She looks around for a clock, “What time is it? Where’s my watch? We should probably get back to school,” she rambles as she digs in her bag. She finds her phone and holds it in her hand, remembering one more question she had for Faust that had never been answered. “Oh, there is one more person I want to know about, and hope my head can handle, David Mors. I came by to ask you about him, but you weren’t here. Good, bad, indifferent? Good…I hope…”
She looks at the clock on her phone, and sees that it’s almost seven in the afternoon.
“We’ll have a lot to discuss about the Mayor, but later. As far as Mors, he has plans, but I don’t think they’re anything to worry about. He’s not a Player, yet, but he dabbles. I don’t think you have to worry, but again, we’ll talk about that later.”
“Now if you ladies don’t mind, I’m going take a nap. Don’t worry; the door will lock itself when you leave. Take care.”
He walks out, leaving the two of them sitting there. Cadence hands Casey her clothes, all folded nicely. She stands and takes a few steps away, keeping her back turned while Casey gets dressed.
She also checks her messages, one from Harm guessing that Aiden will be taking her home, and wanting to tell her how the coffee date went. There’s another from Aiden, asking if she’s going to be there when he gets off at 8, they can catch dinner.
They step outside into the lengthening shadows. A cab pulls up almost immediately, and Cadence holds the door open for Casey. “Where to, ladies?”
“Blake Holsey,” Cadence says. “How much will that be about?”
The cabbie just shakes his head and pulls out, not turning on the meter. “It’s already taken care of miss.” He turns the radio up a little, and whistles as he drives, clearly ignoring them.
“Excuse me,” Cadence says over the radio, “but who’s taking care of it?”
“Eh? I am. I owe Mr. Faust; he helped find my sister when she went missing. I didn’t have money to go to police, but he still help. So I give him cab rides for free when he needs them.”
“Oh. Thank you then. Case, your hair is still damp and all. I tried to dry it while you slept; maybe you should stop by my place and freshen up a bit before you go see Aiden? You’re welcome to.”
“Thanks Cade.” Casey looks out at the passing buildings until they get to the school. Cadence directs the driver to drop them off at her place, giving him a couple bucks for tip, even after he protests.
They go inside and Ms. Connor looks none too happy when she sees Cadence. She quickly pastes on a blank look when she sees Casey. “I’ll be right back down mom,” Cadence says as she quickly ushers Casey upstairs. She shows Casey to the bathroom, “Hairdryer’s here. Makeup’s here. Brush, comb. And, here’s a clean towel and washcloth. I’ll be back up in a few…need to go explain to mom.” She heads back downstairs, leaving Casey to clean herself up a bit. Casey quickly texts Aiden, “At Cadence’s. Call when you’re done with practice.”
Casey washes her face and blow dries her hair. She pulls her hair back into a ponytail and puts on a little bit of makeup. She can hear Cadence and her mom downstairs, unsure whether to go down or not. After a few minutes she decides to head down, hoping not to get in the middle of anything. She steps into the room, “Thanks Cadence. I’ll see you tomorrow. Bye Ms. Connor.” She heads toward the door.
“Casey, please sit.” Cadence’s mom points toward the space on the couch next to Cadence. Casey reluctantly sits there, biting her lip. “I need to know what you know about us.”
Casey looks from Cadence to her mom and back. Cadence gives her a “go ahead” look. “Well, um, I know you’re not from here, and apparently you have people who speak some weird language. Cadence can be like Rambo when she wants to be and kick some ass, but she can also pretty much blend into the woodwork. Um, oh yeah.” Casey digs in her bag and pulls out the crystal flower, handing it back to Cadence, “Thanks. She knows about vampires and other things. And, uh, Faust seemed pretty impressed, milady.” She pauses, thinking for a bit before shrugging, “I think that’s it.”
“Anything else? Anything at all?”
Casey looks at the floor, thinking. “Um, I don’t think…oh. Uh, you know the new groundskeeper, but I don’t know how or why that would matter. I really think that’s it. I’m assuming what I know about Cadence kinda goes for you too…you both have the same look to you.”
Casey’s phone rings and she checks the caller ID. “It’s Aiden, he’s done with practice.” She doesn’t answer yet, looking to them for an ok. Ms. Connor nods, and Casey answers, making plans to meet Aiden in the student lot. “I’ve gotta go.”
“Casey, all that you just told us, what do you think it means?”
“Well, Ms. Connor, I…I don’t really know. So far, it means Cadence can kick ass for her friends and knows about a lot of things. There’s something different about her and I’m sure there’s some reason for all of it, but I don’t have that part all put together yet. I kinda figured that if it really mattered, she’d tell me at some point, fill me in ya know. I also hope it means she’s my friend…I never had too many of those, and it’s nice to have one who’s life isn’t all fancy houses and getting everything they want.” She grabs her bag and starts toward the door, but turning back before leaving. “I know none of it is my business to tell and I haven’t…and I won’t. I promise. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She steps outside, but doesn’t make it far before she hears Ms. Connor call for her to stop. She turns, and Sarah closes the distance between them in a swift walk.
“Just a few things I didn’t want to say in front of my daughter. You’re right that my daughter is special. And thanks to that and her father, there are some very dangerous people looking for her. Normally we’d be packing up and leaving town, if someone even had a hint of anything about her, but she trusts you and this town is special. So we’re going to stay.”
She steps close to Casey, and gets that hard look that Casey has seen Cadence get on occasion. “I’m not like my daughter. I’m not even like you; I’m just a normal person who got swept up into a fairytale story. But I love my daughter, and I will do anything to protect her.” She pauses and looks into Casey’s eyes, letting it sink in. “Now go on, and be safe.” She turns to walk back inside, and Casey notices for the first time the pistol tucked into the back of her pants, and realizes just how close she came to having a really bad night.
Casey heads across campus toward the student lot, aware that she can see more around her in the fast-fading light than she could before. She makes it to Aiden’s car just as he’s finishing putting his school and gym bags in the back. “You guys all ready for the big game tomorrow?”
“Almost.” He gives her a long kiss. “OK, now I’m ready.”
Casey laughs and winks at Aiden, “You don’t expect me to go kiss every guy on the team do you?”
He half growls, “No way. They can find their own girlfriends to kiss.” He kisses her again. “You hungry?”
“Starving.”
“I missed you at lunch,” he says as he takes her bags and puts them in the back seat before opening her door. “Where were you?”
“Oh, well, Cade and I ditched out after Chem class.”
Aiden shuts her door after she gets in and heads around to get in the driver’s seat. Once he’s settled he continues, “What’d you go do?”
“Oh, just hung out for the most part. She went with me to see Faust.”
Aiden pulls out of the parking lot, heading toward a little family-style Italian restaurant. “How’d that go? Did you figure out what happened at the club the other night?”
“Um, it went ok. He answered a lot of questions, but it seems like every time he answers one, three more pop up. He knows Shelly, said she works at Legal Tender. He’s gonna find out what happened. Said it shouldn’t have affected her if it was coming from her.”
“That’s good. At least you’ll know what happened, then.” They ride in comfortable silence the rest of the way to the restaurant. Once there, they’re seated at an intimate table for two in the corner. They order dinner and chat about various things, eating when their food comes and enjoying each other’s company. They decide to split dessert, and as they’re waiting Aiden asks, “Staying at Harm’s tonight, sweetheart?”
“Yeah. I’m sure she’s impatiently watching out the window for me to get there so she can tell me, in great detail, all about her coffee date this morning.”
“You sound so excited to hear about it,” he jokes.
“Yeah, well, Harmony has this tendency to overshare, if ya hadn’t noticed. The good part is, that with the coffee date before school there probably wasn’t enough time for sex, so I should be spared those details at least.”
Dessert arrives, and they savor the decadent tiramisu before Aiden pays the bill and they head out.
Once at Harmony’s house, Casey turns toward Aiden. “So, um, you remember how Faust said I could change things, make things happen just by thinking about them?”
Aiden shuts off the car and turns toward Casey, sensing the need to hold her hands. “Yeah.”
“And, how he told us the mayor is basically evil?”
“Yeah…” he says a little warily.
“Well, um, the mayor saw me talking to Faust last night after the conference…”
“That’s what you said. Is this going somewhere Case?”
She nods yes. “Well, Faust came and got me at school today…during Chem.”
“I didn’t see him.”
“I know. He did something so that nobody noticed…except Cadence did. We went to his place. He said the mayor was going to have me killed because I wasn’t awakened yet.”
“What?!?”
“He said that he’s been fighting the mayor for years. I don’t really understand all of it, Aiden, just hear me out…please?” Aiden nods for her to continue. “He did some ritual to awaken me. It was either that or run away, leave town and never come back.” Casey feels the tears filling her eyes and she fights to hold them back. “I don’t want to leave. I have friends now…and you. I had a choice and I chose to stay. I don’t really know what all of this means, but I do know I see things different now…like everything’s more…real or more defined or something. He said he’ll teach me more, but that for now, I should be ok. I’m under his protection.”
Aiden sits there quietly for a while, just stroking her hands. “Casey, I don’t want you going back there without me.”
“Aiden, you have soccer. You can’t just ditch out on that.”
“Promise me you won’t go see him alone. Take me…or Cadence with you. Please, Casey.”
“I…I can’t promise that Aiden. I will do my best to have one of you with when I go see him…but I can’t guarantee.” She pulls her hands back and slips out of the car.
Aiden finally follows suit, walking around and grabbing her bags from the backseat.
He walks her to the door. “I want you to be careful, Casey.” He kisses her long and hard, possessively. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Night Aiden.” He watches until she gets inside before getting into his car and driving off.
Harmony rushes down the stairs to meet Casey, almost bowling her over. “You’re home! I’ve been waiting for you, come on!” She drags Casey upstairs to her bedroom and practically pushes her to sit on the bed.
“I take it the date went well?” Casey teases.
“OMG! It was awesome! You know, I think I was doing things wrong by going after the high school boys. It’s like; they were only after one thing.” At Casey’s look, she laughs, “Ok, so I was only after one thing too. But me and Chris actually just talked this morning! I mean, like about important stuff like politics and the world and stuff, and he was all interested in my opinions and all!
“Of course, I didn’t know half of what I was talking about, but like at lunch and all, I did some research on the internet, and there’s like a whole bunch of stuff happening out there, ya know?
“So I’ve been missing all this, cause you know I’ve just been doing the party thing. Well, I’m done with that. Say hello to the new Harmony. New and improved, just you wait and see! So I went out, and bought a whole new wardrobe. I know, clothes don’t make the person, but they help get you in the right mind!”
She shows off some of her purchases. Its stuff she’s bought before, but never worn quite as much. Full length gypsy skirts, peasant blouses, knit sweaters, really cute outfits that actually cover skin.
“So I moved a lot of my older stuff into this closet, so if you want anything, you’re welcome to it. I think this whole new me thing can really work out, don’t you? I think Chris is really into me, and like, for me, you know? I might not even have sex with him, at least for a little while!”
They both laugh, then Casey checks her watch and sees that it’s almost 10pm. “Hey Harm. I hate to cut this short, but I really have to get some homework done before I go to bed. You can fill me in on anything else I missed in the morning, kay?”
“Alright. Don’t stay up too late. Long day tomorrow with the big game and all. You must have your energy up to cheer on the team. Oh, don’t forget, no uniforms tomorrow! Whoohoo!”
Casey gives Harmony a hug and wishes her a good night before heading into her room to do homework. She stays up until just after midnight before crawling into bed.
