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Kitty-Sue
“Good morning Clear Lake! Today’s going to be another sunny one, with some possible thunderstorms rolling in later in the evening. Now for more country music that keeps your toes tapping!” I look to the radio by my head. Clear Lake? Where the hell did that She-devil drop me? I look around noticing the very small and dingy convenience store. If it can even be called that...
“Rodrigues! Did you fall asleep on the clock again?” A scary, man voice sounds from near me. I can’t see around the cigarettes and cigars. Now I recognize that nasty smell... stale cigarettes and not a clean bathroom. I can feel my gag reflexes kicking in. Where am I? I look around for anything that can give me the name of where I am at least. My shirt, much like the mechanic ones Sebastian used to wear, has my name on one side and Cenex on the other. “Are you ignoring me? Hello? Earth to Rodrigues!” A bear of a man steps into my line of sight and I almost fall off the little stool I’m apparently perched on. His name tag reads Joe.
“S-sorry Joe. I...um... I guess I forgot my coffee this morning...?” I lie, not looking at the man, but still trying to figure out where the hell I am. I feel around myself for my wallet. Most girls use a purse, but I had always been one of those that used a wallet and shoved it into my pants. Success! I pull at the small chain connecting my wallet to my pants. Cyrana can take the girl out of the past, but can’t take the past out of the girl!
“Go home Rodrigues.” Joe says, yanking harshly on my arm. I look to the clock, wondering if the old thing works. The minute hand clicks, so I take that as a good sign. 9:00AM. “And if you fall asleep on your next shift I’m firing you.” Joe basically man handles me out the little door and I’m stuck in weirdly warm weather and a gas station. I reach into my pocket, feeling for a key to one of the cars parked. I’m in luck when I pull out a Chevy key... eww. I’m a Dodge girl, or Toyota if I’m in the mood, but the only Chevy I would ever drive would be a Corvette or my dream car; 1967 Impala... Neither of those cars is in this parking lot. In fact, the only Chevy is an old Lumina. Goddess this is my car? I’m going to kill that Demon bitch! I pull out my... fucking flip phone?! Are you kidding me?! I unlock the car, sitting in the driver’s seat, and pull out my license. South Dakota. What the fuck!? I’m going to shoot Cyrana in the head, or maybe torture her slowly first. Okay, okay... I need a plan. I need to find my parent’s house.
“NOPE, WRONG TURN...” I grumble for the sixth, or maybe seventh time in the last twenty minutes of searching for my parents’ house. Demon bitch could have at least given me the memories of this Kitty Sue so I could find my damn house. Clear Lake isn’t even a big town, but leave it to me to get lost without actually trying. “Finally!” I pull up to a small house, smaller than the one we had in New York. I don’t see any other vehicles, and check the mailbox to make sure I’m actually at the correct house. I am, if the bills in the mailbox aren’t lying. I search on my tiny key ring and figure the other key is for the house. I fucking hope so. I wouldn’t even know how to find a hide-a-key at this point.
“At work late, fend for yourself.” Great... thanks parents. I don’t even know where or what their work is, but I have a feeling that at 23, I shouldn’t still be living here with them. I need to get to my friends. I need to get to New York. I search around my very tiny room for money. I find a hidden stash of just over a grand. Apparently this future me was planning to get out of this tiny town too. Try saying that five times fast. I throw some clothes into a duffle along with whatever magic books I can find. Oddly, it’s not a lot. I also rummage through my parents room. I find an old GPS, and some more money. Not that I enjoy stealing from my parents, but if I’m stuck in some kind of fucked up future, hopefully I can fix this and put us back on our normal path where my parents still hate each other, but they hate each other in New York. I scribble a quick note telling them I have to go, and not to worry.
20 FUCKING HOURS! ACTUALLY, with stops to use the bathroom and eat, it’s close to 24 hours. The only thing fueling me at this point is some 5-hour energy and my anger at the hell-spawn bitch I can’t wait to put in the ground. With the time change, it’s just around 11:30AM when I roll into town, and I can already tell that I am no longer in the correct future. I remember the sky being overcast for most of that week I spent in the past, but these red tinted, black clouds are a lot more intimidating. I drive through my home town, not recognizing it at all. I have a feeling if Armageddon were to start, it would look like this. Most of the homes and buildings are rundown, and I can’t seem to find one person actually walking the streets. In fact, now that I think about it, Syracuse as a whole had looked different from the moment I saw the skyline from the highway. It’s another 10-minute drive away from the creepy city to the small town I grew up in. I pull into Salem and Trinity’s apartment complex, and I wish I had brought some kind of weapon with me. I had always been a little jealous of their apartment building. It was so posh and well kept. This fucked up future apartment building is the polar opposite. I knock on the door, hoping one of them is home.
“Who are you?” A creepy looking guy cracks the door. I can see the chain still linked to keep people from breaking in. I look at the apartment number again. Maybe Trin and Sal were sent somewhere different too. How the hell would I find them?
“Sorry, Wrong building.” I apologize, turning quickly and walking as fast as I can back to my car. I pull out my flip phone, dialing Trinity’s parents’ house. After constant rings, I hang up and try Salem’s parents. I pray to the Goddess that they still have the same number.
“Luck residence, Connor speaking.” I sigh, thanking whatever good fortune I have that her parents still have this number, and that I haven’t forgotten it over the years.
“Hi Mr. Luck, this is Salem’s friend Kitty Sue. I’m in town and wanted to catch up, but I don’t know her new address.” I say, grabbing a piece of trash to use as paper and a pen that fucked up future me apparently hoards.
“New address? What new address?” I look to my phone confused. “Salem Brandy Luck! Are you moving without telling me or your mother?” Mr. Luck is yelling on his end of the phone and I can feel my cheeks heat up from embarrassment. I hope I didn’t just get her in trouble. I hear someone yell back, but I can’t hear the words. “What did you say your name was again?” He sounds really angry. Crap...
Umm... I’m just an old friend. If it’s okay, I was going to stop out and say hi.” I speak, putting my car in drive. At least she’s somewhere I know how to find. Now to hunt down Trinity. “
“WHO THE HELL DO YOU think you are?” Is not the greeting I expected from my friend. In fact, the punch across the face isn’t expected either, and the stars twinkling in front of my eyes are not really appreciated. “You leave us for years, then have the gall to show up at my house out of the blue?” Salem goes to throw another punch, but I dodge it pretty well, almost falling onto the wet ground.
“Salem! Calm down!” I yell, backing away, watching her hands to make sure no more swings come my way. I’m actually amazed she doesn’t use her magic on me. “I’m sorry for whatever it is I did, but I don’t know what is going on, and I need your help!” That is apparently not the correct thing to say as Salem’s eyes seem to darken with her anger. What in the fuck did Cyrana do while I was thrown back and forth through time!? I use the air and wrap it around Salem as tight as I can without hurting her.
“Six years! You left us without a word for six years! And now you’re what? Back to help fix things? Well news flash! You can’t!” Salem is crying, and I have no idea why. I also have no idea what she is talking about. I really need Trinity. She will be able to help me with this mess. I let my magic go, hoping Sal won’t attack me again.
“I know this is going to sound crazy, but I honestly have no idea what is going on. I’ve been having a really... insane week.” I sigh, feeling my bruised cheek. Man Sal has a good right hook. I hold my hand out to her, hoping for at least a handshake. She ignores the gesture and walks back toward her house.
“You coming or not? It’s not safe outside.” She grumbles without turning around. I follow her into her parents' house. It looks the same as I remember. One story ranch style with a basement. Her room is down the hall straight back. She doesn’t even bother closing her door as she walks to what I remember to be her altar to the Goddess. Now it’s a dust filled shelf of books and old pictures. Maybe she doesn’t practice any more. “What happened to you?” She asks, not even bothering to look at me as she continues looking through book shelves.
“A demon threw me back in time, changed some stuff, then threw me to this present. I woke up yesterday in some Podunk town in South Dakota. What’s going on here? Where’s Trin? I tried her parents’ house, but didn’t get an answer.” Salem shivers, but doesn’t seem to either hear me or care about my explanation as she continues her search for whatever the hell she’s looking for. “Can I help you find something?”
“I tried to tell you that I believed you about the demon, but she must have sent you back to this fucked up timeline before I could. The you I told thought I was crazy, and ended up pushing me and the others away before dropping the bomb that you were moving. You didn’t even tell us where. We tried finding you for a couple years, but had to give up. Ah ha!” She pulls out some papers, and basically throws them at me. I look over my old notes on the Salem Witch Trials. I raise a brow at her.
“I’m glad y’all finally believed me, but what am I supposed to do with this?” I ask, folding the papers up and shoving them in my back pocket. And where the hell is Trinity?! “Shouldn’t we go get Trin?” I feel some weird red flag pop in my head when Salem shivers again. She turns back to the book shelves and grabs a book and her purse before heading back toward the front of the house.
“Come on. I’ll take you to see her.” I don’t hesitate to follow her. She holds her hand out for my car keys, and I hand those over. Whatever will get me to my best friend so we can get the coven back together to fix this shit.
“WHY HERE?” I CAN FEEL my anxiety and desperation crawling out of the pit of my stomach as Salem pulls to a stop by a Weeping Willow. A small stone by the tree is the only decoration, and I can feel straight dread spear through my body.
“Come on. You wanted to see her.” Salem says getting out of the car and walking toward the tree. I hesitantly follow, trying to keep my hands from shaking. The air is still, and I don’t know if the area is purposely that way, or if it’s because of me. “Hey girl! Sorry I haven’t been by in a while. Guess who showed up at my house?” Salem is talking to the stone, wiping stray leaves from it, and my heart just stops. It’s a headstone. We’re at a grave. Not just any grave... my best friends’ grave.
Trinity Star Silvers
Loving Friend, Beautiful Daughter, Brightest Star
Gone, but Never Forgotten
“How?! When?! What!?” Oh my Goddess! This can’t be real! She can’t be dead! This makes no sense. And according to the dates, it's been years. Salem had said earlier that they were looking for past me, but had to stop. It’s obvious now as to why they would stop. It would be hard to search for someone when your best friend dies.
“Few years ago, at her college.” Salem is talking, and it takes me a minute to realize she’s answering my question. “She went to Potsdam instead of Community with me. She met some guy who killed her.” Salem shrugs, but I can tell it's a practiced habit. Like she’s been explaining this to people for a while. Then it dawns on me the event Sal is talking about.
“Brian... Gods! He tricked her into a meeting and he stole her magic.” My hand hits my face, and I wince when the bruise from Salem’s punch screams at me. I feel nauseous. I had been the one to talk her out of meeting Brian in the original timeline. Without me around to talk her out of it, she obviously made a bad choice. There’s only one way to steal magic. Salem eyes me again.
“Yea. She didn’t tell me anything about the meeting. After you moved we all kind of drifted apart. Some of us stopped practicing, concentrated on other things. When Trin died, we all just gave up on everything.” Salem says, brushing away more leaves. “I haven’t seen Dominic or Sophie since the funeral. A lot has changed since you left.” Salem stands, wiping imaginary dirt from her pants as she heads back to my car.
“I’m so sorry Trin... I promise... I’m going to fix this! I’m going to get us back on the right timeline with you and Tobias and everyone back together. I just wish you were here to help me. I have no clue how I’m going to do this without you.” I say, feeling tears sting my eyes. I kiss my fingers, then place them to the stone. Goddess... The last time I saw my best friend I was telling her and the others to get out of my parents’ house. Before that I was jumping into a wormhole. What if I couldn’t fix this? What if this timeline is the real future and I was living in a fantasy? Goddess, I could really use your help!
“WHERE ARE WE NOW?” I ask as Salem stops in front of what looks to be an abandoned office building. Man, Cyrana sure did a number on my city. I should probably ask Salem about the demon, but honestly, I’m terrified of the answer.
“Dom’s place.” Salem says, getting out and locking the door, although by the look of the street, I have a feeling locks don’t really deter thieves. She takes me into the building, and I have a moment to wonder if I should have gotten a tetanus shot first. This place is gross and smells like garbage and cat pee. “Thompson! You here?” We’re on the third floor, and the smell is only getting worse. I’m also pretty sure there are some used needles littering the floor along with the garbage. Goddess... don’t let Dom be a druggy!
“Who’s asking? What’s the password?” wow... Dom sounds jittery. I frown. The druggy thing is starting to feel a little more possible.
“He’s a little paranoid. Just, be easy with him. Don’t talk about Trin. It usually sets him off.” Salem whispers before turning to face the door. “The password is Harley Quinn.” She says to the door, and I can almost see her rolling her eyes. Dominic has never really been a nerd, so this is the weirdest password for him to use. I was thinking something computer like hacker hack or something. Harley Quinn? Really?
“I thought you said you haven’t seen him since the funeral.” I whisper, hearing a series of clicks. Gods... Dom has a lot of locks. Salem looks back at me, glaring slightly. She really needs to stop that bull shit. We don’t have time.
“Not in person. I’ve video chatted with him a couple times, and we text sometimes... when he’s coherent.” A shiver goes down my spine... coherent? He is using drugs then isn’t he? Goddess this is so fucked up! I grab her arm, holding her closer. I need to know what to expect.
“Is he on drugs?” I am so worried about this answer... I can hear more clicking. How many locks does Dominic have on one little door?! Salem shrugs.
“Maybe. Last time I talked to him he was off, but he could be back on again.” My heart hurts. One of my best friends is a drug addict? And where was I? This present just keeps getting more and more fucked up. The door cracks open, and I can see a bloodshot-grey eye peeking out as if to make sure we’re alone. When his eye lands on me again, I can almost feel him freak out before it happens.
“What is she doing here?! How do you know it’s her? How do I know it’s you? Go away!” Dom tries to slam the door, but Salem is a little faster, and apparently a lot stronger. Dominic stumbles back as we quickly enter the apartment... if I can actually call it that. The place is a mess. Garbage everywhere, used needles like in the hallway, I squeak as a watch a rat scurry across the floor. Dominic doesn’t look any better than his sad excuse of an apartment. His brown hair is missing patches, and shaggy, about four inches long. He’s also skin and bones. I mean, in the normal present he has some muscle building thanks in part to a certain German Witch, but in this fucked up present, he is skinnier than is healthy for someone his height, or anyone in general. I can see ribs sticking out of his too pale skin, and his ratty shorts are barely hanging onto his hip bones. He’s not even wearing shoes. I wonder how often he steps on the broken glass I can see in the room.
“It’s her. Calm down. What are you on, or coming off of?” Salem asks, showing him both her hands in a sign of caution. I used to do it when I worked security and someone was being hostile. It’s to show them that you aren’t a threat. Dominic’s crazy eyes go from Salem to me, and then back again. He’s shaking either from the drugs or from the chill in the room.
“Not on. Withdrawal. Been locked in here for a week. Won’t leave. Want a fix. Don’t want a fix.” Well color me surprised. Good for him! “What do you want? Why are you here?” I have to say, this is the most incoherent Dominic I have ever in my life met, and I’ve seen him blackout wasted.
“Good. I need you sober.” Salem says, pulling out a pack of cigarettes from her purse. I wrinkle my nose. In my timeline she had quit a long, long time ago. Apparently that is not the case here. She hands one to Dom and they both light up. “Are you going to say hi to her?” It’s weird seeing Salem so motherly. That’s usually Trinity or Sophie’s job. My heart squeezes thinking of my buried friend. Goddess I need to fix this.
“Hi. Why are you here? Go away.” Dom is jittery as shit. It’s actually really creepy. I hesitate to answer, not knowing how much I should really divulge with Dom in this state.
“Hi Dom. I’ve... I’ve missed you.” I say, trying to talk as calmly as possible. Dominic’s eyes turn crazy again, and even Salem turns to glare.
“Don’t lie to me! Get out! Go away!” He’s partly flailing his arms, and I worry for a moment that his magic will kick in, but if he is coming off drugs, his magic is blocked. I lightly bring the breeze around him. I’ll restrain him if I have to. His eyes widen again, moving from me to Sal. “How do you still have magic? How does she have magic?!” He can’t be serious... Salem throws her butt on the ground, stomping it out. Unsanitary...
“She hasn’t been here. The barrier hasn’t affected her.” Salem answers, and I have a million questions racing through my head. What barrier?! “How long till you sober up? I’m going to need your help.”
“I don’t know. Few days. Week, month, tomorrow.” My poor poor friend. I blink back tears. I don’t think it would be safe to start crying in front of these two. Salem hands Dominic the book I had watched her grab earlier, but I still can’t make out what it is. “No! No, no, no, no. Find someone else.”
“There isn’t anyone else. Where’s your phone?” Salem asks, moving some of the garbage. I can see mold colonies on what I assume used to be pizza. “I should have brought you food.” Dominic hands her a small phone similar to the flip phone I carry. Salem punches something into it, then hands it back. “When that goes off I’ll be back. Do you know where Sophie is?” Dominic blinks a few times and sways. Shit... shouldn’t we lie him down or something?
“Umm... park I think? Old yacht club.” Dominic answers, catching himself using a small chair. Salem helps him lay down on a gross looking mattress that is stained with Gods knows what. “Is she real?” Dominic whispers, but I hear it. Salem’s soft smile makes me nervous. I rarely see a smile like that on her face.
“Yes, she’s real.” Salem brushes some of Dom’s hair out of his eyes, placing an equally gross blanket around him. “I’ll be back soon. I’ll have her lock the door.” She stands, and I wonder if I should say something. I look at Salem with a raised brow, and she only nods.
“I’ll see you again Dominic. Get better.” I say, not really knowing if he heard me. I follow Salem out of the apartment. “That was excruciating.” I can feel those tears again. Salem only nods.
“I need you to use your air magic to lock his door. He gets nervous if it’s not locked.” Salem says looking me up and down. I wave my hand, hearing locks click into place. I have no idea if I got them all, but I’m hoping that some is better than none. Salem looks at the door a bit longer before leading the way back to my car. I’m actually shocked that it’s still there.
“CAN I ASK YOU SOMETHING?” I finally build up the nerve to speak after what seems like forever. Salem has been driving out of the city for a bit, taking back roads as if she’s trying to avoid something. Now we’re heading toward Liverpool. I hadn’t understood Dom’s location for Sophie, but it’s obvious Salem had.
“Meth.” Sal says, checking her mirrors for the hundredth time. “At least, it’s probably what he’s coming off of now. Started with pot in college, moved to heroin around the time Trin died, and he’s been bouncing between that and meth for a few years. Sometimes he’ll mix in acid or some new drug.” Sal says slowing as we hit the old Onondaga Lake Parkway.
“Where’s he get the money for it?” I ask, figuring there is no way with how wasted he was that he actually holds a job. Salem shrugs.
“Not sure. I don’t ask.” That’s right... in this timeline no one is friends.
“I wish you would have warned me.” I grumble, looking out the window at the scary scenery. Even in the day time everything looks creepy. “What were you guys talking about barriers?”
“I’ll explain later when we aren’t so open.” Is the only answer I get as we turn into the park and head away from the main road. So Dominic had meant the Yacht Club on the parkway? Weird place to hang out. “Again, don’t bring up Trinity. I haven’t talked to Sophie in a really long time. I don’t even know if she’ll recognize me. Dominic keeps tabs for me. He’s the only one I really talk to. Last I heard she was drinking enough to be on the path to becoming an alcoholic.” Great... just great. Dom’s into drugs, Sophie drinks... I look over Salem wondering what her vise is.
“Should I bring a weapon or something?” I ask as we walk toward the building. I can hear the beat of music, but it doesn’t spill into the oddly empty park. Salem reaches into her purse and hands me a small little spray bottle... pepper spray?
“Only if you’re attacked. Just... let me handle the talking.” She says looking me up and down before opening the door. The smell of sweat, stale beer and cigarette smoke assaults my senses. It’s dark in the club, as if the windows are boarded up. Salem shifts around groups of people making out, doing drugs, or straight up having sex. Where the hell did she bring me? Why is Sophie here?
“Here for some fun ladies?” A creepy looking older guy asks as we continue our walk through the club. I have no clue where we are headed, but the farther into the club we go, the tighter I hold the pepper spray. Salem stops at a room that is, no kidding, being guarded by two more creepy old dudes. Salem just smiles.
“King in there?” She asks, and I think that’s the sugariest voice I have ever heard from her. The guy on the left nods, while I’m pretty sure the guy on the right is eye fucking the both of us. Creepy. We just walk in... well, Sal walks and I scurry quickly behind her. I think I need a shower just by being here. There’s a group of people on, I’m assuming it’s a mattress, but I can’t be sure. There are too many bodies, and from the smell of liquor and sweat, I’m pretty sure we just walking into an orgy. I wish I had Trinity’s aura reading power right about now, not that it would probably do any good. Like drugs, alcohol dulls magic. A skinny kid pulls his head up from I don’t even want to know where to look at us. His eyes are tinted red, and I can feel myself start to freak out.
“Sal! He’s a...a...” She puts her finger to her lips as I stutter in utter shock.
“A demon. Yes. I know. Don’t draw any more attention to yourself. Your magic does that enough on its own.” She whispers, making her way around the group, trying to look between bodies. It takes me a minute to realize that she’s looking for Sophie. “Sophie King! Take a break!” She yells into the group, but no one moves. Oh my Goddess... what has Soph gotten into. I mean, Dominic doing drugs is one thing, but having sex with demons? I place my hand over my mouth to stop from throwing up.
“Go away!” Another person says, not moving from the orgy. I don’t think I will ever be able to enjoy porn again after this. Salem rolls her eyes, grabbing the spray bottle from me. She aims it at the group, and pushes on the trigger. It comes out as a mist, and is accompanied by a bunch of hisses as the orgy of people crawl over each other to get out of the way. Salem holds the little bottle out as they run from the room, afraid she’ll release the mist again. What the fuck?
“Holy water.” She says, handing me back the bottle, turning to the only person in the room. Sophie is naked on the mattress, apparently having been the center of the orgy of demons. She’s bigger than I remember. Not huge, but not skinny. She is also sporting a pair of very large, fake boobs. “Come on King, time to get up.” Salem says, nudging Sophie with her foot. Sophie’s head kind of lulls as she turns to our direction. Her eyes aren’t tinted with red, but they are bloodshot, and not tracking worth a damn. She rolls over, crawling to a pile of clothes.
“The fuck you want?” She slurs. She pulls on a black lace thing; I think it’s supposed to be a dress, before she rolls back to a sitting position, somehow having grabbed a bottle of liquor on the way. “Who’s that?” She waves her bottle in my direction. I’m a little shocked that she doesn’t recognize me, or maybe she’s so drunk she can’t see.
“Don’t worry about it. Come on. It’s time to go.” Salem tries to move closer to Sophie, but Sophie doesn’t seem to want to leave. She swats at Salem’s hands, chugging on the bottle.
“I’m having fun. Not like you care. Go home.” Sophie slurs some more. It came out sounding more like: I’mmm hashing fun. Not like youuu care-sh. Go shome... Salem frowns, apparently she is not going to use her motherly tone like she had with Dom.
“I’m only going to tell you once more to get up. Don’t make me drag you. You aren’t exactly light weight.” Ouch. I wince at the insult to Sophie’s size. In high school she wasn’t super tiny, but average. In my timeline she has become slim from working out with me and the girls. Apparently in this fucked up timeline the only exercise she gets is sex. I’m sure those fake boobs don’t help either. I don’t even know how we would carry her out anyways. Not just her size, but the hordes of sexed up demons might draw attention.
“Fuck off.” Sophie responds, trying to chug more of the liquor, but stops, holding the now empty bottle upside down. I might quit drinking while I’m at it. Salem pulls a bottle out of her purse, and I can feel my eyebrow raise. For someone that didn’t keep tabs on her friends, she sure does know what to bring to get them to do what she wants. And when the hell did she grab that bottle? “Gimme!” Sophie reaches for it, falling onto her side and crawling off the bed.
“Come with me and you get this one and the other one I brought.” Salem bribes. She taunts Sophie with it, stepping slowly back toward the door we had come through. “Deal?” At least Sophie is on her feet, albeit not firmly. She’s swaying pretty good, stumbling back and forth. Again, I’m sure those boobs aren’t helping with the balance.
“Back door.” Sophie points to a door to my right. I open it, feeling the rush of midday musk. The light outside hurts my eyes, and I haven’t even been here that long. Salem continues to hold the bottle like one would while trying to get a child to follow you. I’m disappointed that it works so well on Sophie. She hesitates to step outside, and I don’t blame her. Being in the dark that long, the light is seriously going to fuck with her. She still reaches for the bottle, but uses one of her hands to try to block out the light. There’s no sun, just those red tinted clouds, but it's still brighter than that club.
“Unlock the car, and open the back door.” Salem says, throwing me the keys. I do as she asks as quickly as I can. Salem throws the bottle into the back seat, and my heart squeezes watching Sophie run after it like a dog would a toy. What has Cyrana done to my friends? Salem slams the back door before jumping into the driver's seat. I hand over the keys as I buckle up and she speeds off toward some unknown direction. “They won't be too happy once they realize we took their plaything.”
IT’S CLOSE TO SUNSET by the time Salem pulls off the road. During the two hour car ride she had zig zagged through the streets. At times driving in circles and back tracking just to make sure we weren’t being followed. We stop at some old farm close to Trinity’s parent’s house. The place is falling apart, and has not seen use in a long time. Salem pulls right up to the door and just waits. I am so confused.
“Do you need me to get out?” I ask, glancing to Sophie in the back. She passed out almost immediately after getting into the car, and if it wasn’t for slight babble every few minutes I would worry she died of alcohol poisoning. Salem shakes her head, almost glaring at the barn doors. I look to the doors as well, wondering for the thousandth time what I have gotten myself into. I jump slightly in my seat when the doors swing open and Sal pulls my car in, turning off the engine before the doors even close. Salem gets out, and I follow, feeling super uneasy.
“You bringing outsiders now?” A big black guy asks. I look from him to Salem. I have no idea who this person is. He looks like he could be the bouncer in a bar, or maybe a professional football player. They only thing that makes him look less threatening is the glasses he’s wearing.
“I needed a safe place for that one to sober up, and I could only think of here.” Salem shrugs, opening the back door. The big guy folds his huge arms, obviously expecting more. “You don’t want to know. I promise.” But ya know what? I want to know! I am so confused I feel like I’m in some crazy dream world instead of Cyrana’s weirdo timeline. Big guy lifts Sophie out of the car, and I’m impressed at the ease in which he does it. I’m also impressed with Sophie’s death grip on that bottle. Chick is not giving up her liquor. Big guy takes Sophie to some kind of makeshift bed and basically drops her onto it. I flinch a little wishing he was gentler with my friend.
“I’ll go get some supplies.” Big guy says before walking out the barn. Cool guy... fucking scary. Salem looks over toward Sophie, but doesn’t make a move to check on her. I don’t like this Salem. I miss my Sal.
“He may not want to know what is going on, but I do. And you are going to tell me.” I say, using my lawyer voice, crossing my arms. No lie... I’m scared shitless of my red-headed friend, but hopefully she won’t punch me again. Salem looks me over, her eyes glaring, but I can tell that she isn’t in attack mode. Whatever Cyrana has done to this timeline, Sal knows she needs my help to fix it.
“Short version? After you moved Amira started to plot... I guess that’s a way to put it. Trin, Sophie, Dom and I fought her off for a while at the same time looking for you. Amira or Cyrana now uses Syracuse as her play city. She put up a demonic barrier around the city so anyone on the outside wouldn’t be able to see it turning into ruins. Those of us who were stuck in the radius weren’t as lucky.” Salem starts, taking a seat on some hay stacks. “We were able to keep Cyrana mostly contained, at least we thought we had. The limit of the barrier didn’t make it to Trin’s college, so she was able to retain her magic and fight from the outside, well... until she died. Her death was the turning point. Since the Star was dead, it’s like the whole city lost hope.”
“That’s awful.” I whisper, sitting next to her, wondering if I should try to touch her. I don’t though. Salem simply shrugs.
“It wasn’t too bad at first. Mostly just the dark clouds constantly over the city, and a few demons showing up. As our magic died, things got worse. Cyrana caught some low level witches and killed them. Those of us that didn’t get caught by her didn’t need to worry. I mean, look at Sophie and Dom.” She gestures to Sophie who takes that moment to snort in her drunken slumber.
“Ok, so she started bringing in demons and killing people? How did the city become so... desolate?” I wonder aloud, still not fully understanding. This demon bitch is really pissing me off though.
“A lot of humans started rioting, not understanding that the demons were the reason for their anger and rage. There were a lot of killings. A lot of people fled the city after that. Moved out of state. Those of us who have stayed have found ways to cope.” Salem shrugs again, wiping at her cheeks.
“Why didn’t you and the others leave? Find some stronger witches? What about the council?” Our witch council is like our police force. They’re supposed to help protect us. Salem chuckles, but it sounds hollow.
“I couldn’t leave Trin here alone. The barrier keeps most magical beings out. Those that come in usually get caught immediately by Cyrana’s demons. As for the council... with Aria leading them, they aren’t really the good guys anymore.” My stomach flips at the sound of the witch who had tried to kill Trin in my timeline. It makes sense that in Cyrana’s fucked up ideal, Aria would succeed in other ways. “I’m surprised you made it through the barrier without getting caught.” I am too...
“So Cyrana has a demon army, has killed most witches in the city except those of you who have lost your magic? The humans here are pissed and angry most of the time? This is insane!” I can’t seem to wrap my mind around all this, but I still have a couple questions I need to know. One being most important. “Before I got thrown all over the space/time continuum, Cyrana was trying to get Sebastian. What happened to him?” Salem’s emerald eyes look at me in shocked confusion.
“Oh... right, I keep forgetting that you come from a different present.” Salem says, playing with a curl. I’m glad that nervous habit of hers is still there. Reminds me of my Salem. “He’s her consort... I guess that’s the word.” I can’t breathe. I shake my head, hard. I could not have heard her correctly. “He’s mostly demon himself at this point.” Goddess, I’m going to be sick.
“What?” I double over, tears falling down my face so fast I wonder if I might drown. Salem doesn’t notice, or doesn’t care.
“Yea. He kills people with her. She’s had him kill a few witches, and he’s gained some of their magic. I mean, he’s not full demon... but pretty close.” She says it so nonchalantly I’m wondering if she has any feelings. She glances at me, sighing in an overdramatic way. “Jeez. Chill out. It’s not like you and him were ever a thing. He’s just a stupid human that fell into her trap. If you want to beat her, you have to go through him.” I choke again. Sal has no idea how much of a thing he and I are...or were. Goddess... how am I going to get through this?
