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I'm not sure what I was expecting when I opened the door but to see our classmate, Savannah, standing there with three large, hulking men carrying rifles and all of them dressed in black, was not it.
She stared back at me for a moment and neither one of us said a word. Behind me, I heard the creak of the wooden floors as Dante shifted from one foot to the other. I was wondering if he could tell if those were cinder bullets in their rifles.
"Well," I said.
I didn't know what else to say. There was no etiquette for greeting armed men at your door.
"We just want to talk," Savannah said.
"Really? Because the small army you brought with big guns gives a distinct impression otherwise," I said.
"You expect us to come to the home of a High Priestess without being armed?" It was the same man from the diner.
I focused on him. "So you think threatening to shoot my mom is going to make me feel better?" I asked.
This whole situation was unreal.
"We just want to come in, sit down, and have a nice talk. We want to settle this like civilized human beings," Savannah said and stepped closer to the door.
"No," I said calmly, even though I could already feel the rage building inside of me.
She cocked her head at me and looked surprised. "No? I thought we were friends, Lou. And I want to keep the casualties at a minimum. I know that you know the Ortegas, at least in passing. I know that Dante has been seen with Eli in the past few days. I just want the two of you to be safe and to be fully aware of what kind of people they are."
"People?" The man from the diner said and snorted.
"Who are you? If you are going to be stalking my best friend and me, I think that I deserve the courtesy of a name."
"Randall will stay outside," Savannah said.
"No, you'll all stay outside. None of you are coming in. I don't want to talk to you and neither does Dante. Trying to force your weird fanatical ideas on us is not going to work. I think you should get back in your trucks and leave," I said.
"Then tell us where the Ortegas live," Savannah bargained.
"I have no idea. Now leave."
"Please don't lie to me."
"Are you calling me a liar? You come to our town with the intent to police us and put on this act like you are just another college girl. Let's not be throwing around names here."
Savannah looked like she was going to still plead her case but then I heard the steps behind me. Her eyes widened when she saw all three of them and my mother.
"I see," she said quietly.
The three men that were with her, including Randall, raised their guns and pointed them at Celia and Eli and Artie. I grabbed Artie and pulled him behind me. Dante stepped in front of Celia, and Eli remained exposed, between the two of us.
"I would rethink shooting those guns at this house," my mom said and stepped forward.
I wondered how I had never seen the magic that she was clearly in control of. She wore it like it had been there her whole life, which it had been, I realized. Maybe that was why I didn't see it because it was such an intricate part of her. It was in the way she smiled and the way she moved and the way she talked. She stepped closer to the doorway until she was face to face with Savannah and put her hand on the door frame.
Under her hand, it lit up a silvery white. There were symbols carved into the wood that I hadn’t seen before and now they pulsed like a heartbeat.
"Would you like to see why I am the High Priestess and a Guardian?"
My mom stared Savannah down and Savannah finally broke her gaze and looked away, over my mom's shoulder, to those of us that were behind her. The house shook, just a little when Savannah met my eyes. The men outside stumbled a bit and I felt Artie put a hand on my back. I had no doubt that it was me that was moving the entire house.
"We don't take threats well," she said.
None of them have said a word.
“And you are here pointing guns at my stepmom. Are you really ready to step over that line?” Dante asked. I was so relieved to hear his voice. I wasn't sure if I could even articulate words at that moment. Whatever Artie was doing, it was pulling me back from the edge, but not far enough.
"There is no line to step over. If she threatens us or comes for us, there will be consequences," Savannah said.
"I shouldn’t have to say it, but you were the one that brought your guns to our home” Dante snapped.
"I don't know how to explain to you that these people you were hanging out with our monsters," Savannah argued.
"Really? The librarian who reads two kids every Tuesday and Thursday? Or, how about the carpenter? The one who donates more than half of his earnings to charities? Or, and I can't believe that I'm having to point this out to you, the sixteen-year-old child that is an honor student? They must be some terrible people. Mass murderers. Do they do human sacrifices too?" Dante asked, disdain dripping from every word.
I have never been so proud of my best friend.
"Everyone wears a mask. Theirs are just better than others," Savannah said.
I understood now what Dante was saying. She honestly wanted us to think that the Ortegas were murderers or drug dealers or something worse.
"Who warped your mind?" Dante asked.
I heard the back door open and for a brief second, I wondered if I was going to be caught in a gunfight. Then I wondered if it would really even be a gunfight if only one side had guns. I wondered if Celia and Eli were both shot if I could do again what I did that morning.
And when the man from the back stepped into the front hall, I knew that it was so much worse.
"I would really love an explanation and a license for every single gun that is pointed at my family, right now," Marcus said.
Marcus was Dante's older brother and it used to be that he was larger than Dante in every way. Broad shoulders, thick, dark hair, and eyes that never missed a single clue. He was good at his job and maybe that was what made him so hard and cold towards most people. The only time I had ever seen him affectionate or even soft was when he was dating Celia. The reason they broke up was long kept from both Dante and I. I had to wonder if it had something to do with everything that had happened lately.
He had his gun drawn and pointed at Savannah's head. He stepped forward and pulled my mom back, away from the door and took her place.
"Every single one of you, drop your weapons and drop your IDs on the ground now. This is the second time I tell you and there won't be a third," Marcus said, and that big booming voice that made people obey him without a second thought. Nonetheless, the Ascendancy hesitated for a moment before they did as they were told.
“Dante, get my phone. I want you to take pictures of all the license plates. And if one of you makes a move towards him, I will shoot her. Are we clear?"
“Yes," Savannah said. She did not seem bothered by the gun that was pointed at her head.
Dante unclipped Marcus's phone from his belt and pushed past the three that were in front of the door. He took pictures of their license plates and on Marcus's orders, picked up their IDs.
Marcus gestured to their vehicles with his gun. "Get out of here. I don't want to see you again and I recommend that you leave town, immediately."
"We are going to need our wallets back," Randall said.
"Get new IDs. Don't get pulled over. Problem solved," Marcus said.