Chapter 21

Lexi

My head buzzed like a mosquito on steroids.

“Where am I? We? Alexis, are you there?” No answer.

A flaccid, slanting light lit the space around me in a small enough diameter that I couldn’t make out anything other than a few shadowy shapes. Nothing moved; there were no sounds other than the rasp of my breathing and the lub-lub of my heartbeat.

“Hello! Is anybody there?” Louder now, I practically screamed into the uncanny silence.

“Shut up.” Alexis stepped into the light. “I’m here.”

Seeing her outside my body and in solid form, it struck me how tired she looked.

“Where are we? What’s the last thing you remember?” she asked.

The first question I had no answer for, but the second made me stop and think. “We were standing on the front porch. I was annoyed because you were the one who said we shouldn’t try and get back together with Kin and then, there we were, about to kiss him.”

Graceful, Alexis sank down to sit cross-legged on the…well, it wasn’t a floor, exactly, just a nondescript, gray surface. She yanked me down to join her, and I did, though with far less panache.

For half a minute, we simply stared at each other in silence.

“Do you think we’re dead? This could be purgatory.” I looked around at the dim nothingness.

Alexis took stock. “I don’t feel dead, but then I’ve never had the experience, so I can’t be certain. I’ve never heard of a witch version of purgatory though.” She pressed the tips of her fingers to her temple. “Besides, I have a headache. Dead people probably don’t get headaches, right?”

“Probably not.” Now that she’d brought it up, I realized my head wasn’t feeling so hot, either. The power of suggestion, maybe.

As if she heard my thought, Alexis huffed out a sigh. “When are you going to learn we’re the same person? If my head hurts, you’re going to have a headache. It’s not rocket science, Lexi.”

I hated the snide, condescending way she talked to me. “You’re a jerk, you know that? A cold, heartless robot with no sentiment whatsoever. Logic isn’t the answer to everything, you know. Sometimes you have to follow your heart. Let your feelings be your guide.”

“Oh really? And where did that get you, Lexi Balefire? Following your heart right down the tubes is where. Nothing about this is normal.”

“Pfft. Like I don’t know that. Normal took a hike around the time the Bow of Destiny dragged you into my life.” Since then, it had been one strange turn after another. Sure, there had been some good mixed in with the bad, like getting Gran back, and meeting Aunt Mag. Ending a years-long feud with Serena and getting to meet Kaine.

The throbbing in my temple went up a notch when Alexis stared at me for a full minute with her worst version of the you’re an idiot expression. I’d have slapped it off her if I wasn’t nearly certain I’d feel the blow.

Except I didn’t really want to hurt Alexis, and I knew she didn’t want to hurt me.

“This might not be the best time and place to have an existential crisis.” When she raised an eyebrow, I corrected myself. “Okay, it might not be the best place to try and solve an existing existential crisis. Let’s see if we can figure out where we are and how to get out of here first.” Without waiting to see if she agreed, I rose and strode out of the circle of light and into the darkness.

 

Sylvana

 

“Nothing is working. She's slipping away—can’t you feel it?” Just when I’d found my family again, it was being ripped apart. “Come on, baby. Fight. Please, you have to come back. Just come back.”

I’d hoped to see a change in her condition when we returned with the wand, but if anything, she’d gone deeper into stasis, and another day passed with no change

“Kin’s here.” I turned to him and noticed he looked about as miserable as I felt. He had bags under his eyes and they looked hollowed out over a two-day scruff of beard. In fact, none of us looked like we’d slept or eaten in a week. Aunt Mag had her skirt on inside out. Given the garish nature of the print, it almost looked better that way. “He’s waiting for you to wake up. We all are.”

Not a twitch or even a flicker under her eyelids to show she’d heard me.

“Kiss her.” Soleil’s command seemed a little too cheery for the somber tone in the room. “Go on, Kin. Kiss her like she’s Snow White and you’re Prince Charming.”

She glanced at the sea of raised eyebrows she’d caused and said, “What? It could work. What have we got to lose?”

“Besides my dignity?” Red-faced, Kin took a step back, then looked at Lexi and shrugged. “I wasn’t all that attached to it anyway.” Shoulders squared with purpose, he settled down next to her, leaned close, and laid his lips over hers.

Every other person in the room sucked in a breath.

“It’s not working.” Soleil stated the obvious.

“Then he must be doing it wrong. Go ahead, plant one on her, boy. Make it count. A great big smackeroo, and put some wax on it.” Mag rubbed her hands together.

Despite the somber atmosphere, Vaeta let out a little snort, and Mom kicked her sister in the ankle. Glowering, Mag subsided.

Kin looked like his fondest wish would be for the floor to open up and swallow him whole, but he bent his head and tried again.

 

Alexis

Silent, clinging to each other, eyes straining to see more than a few feet ahead, Lexi and I walked through the dismal twilight for about an hour that felt longer than forever.

“If we ever get out of this, I’m going to start carrying one of those little penlights in my pocket,” I said and then I jumped at the sound of Lexi’s hand slapping her forehead.

Witchlight dazzled my eyes when it flared to life in her palm. “Don’t say it. I already know I'm an idiot, you don’t have to tell me,” she said when I opened my mouth.

“I was going to say that was good thinking, but we can go with yours if you prefer.”

“Maybe you could just shut up and work with me for once.” Lexi griped.

I sighed, and turned to face her, “I have been working with you, you’ve just been too angry to notice. You’re the one who decided to fracture yourself, and now I’ve got to listen to you whine about it. And considering I’m just a part of you, all you’re doing is irritating yourself.”

Lexi narrowed her eyes and I thought, for a moment, that she had finally started to come to terms with the notion that we were one and the same.

“We’ve been here before. I recognize that shadow. We’re just going around in circles,” she wailed, ignoring me completely.

Maybe it really would be better if I took over operating our body. The witch was positively daft. “Of course we’ve been going in circles. That’s what we’ve been doing for months. Possibly even years.”

“That’s ridiculous. I didn’t even know you existed. I was supposed to be a witch—I didn’t ask to be part goddess. I didn’t ask for you at all.” And there was the rub.

“Suck it up, buttercup.” I retorted. “There’s nothing you can do about it. You are who you are. And all things considered, I think I’ve done a pretty good job of keeping you safe while you’ve been wallowing. What’s so wrong with being part goddess anyway? It’s more than insulting that you keep acting like I’m some redheaded stepchild.”

Lexi’s eyes widened. “That’s offensive to redheads, and unnecessary. I never said there was anything wrong with being a half goddess. But all I wanted was my powers—I never asked to be in charge of people’s fates. I don’t want that level of responsibility.”

I huffed a breath out through my nose. “So you’d rather just act like a spoiled brat and turn the other cheek? Guess what? You can’t get out of this, and deep down you don’t really want to. Otherwise, you would never have opened the door to me in the first place.”

Lexi

I stomped off into the darkness, hoping I could lose Alexis somewhere along the way. Go back to how things were before. But she followed at my heels like a little yappy dog you just want to kick.

“There’s no getting away from me, Lexi. And if you’d stop being so stubborn, maybe we could work together to find our way out of this mess. I do have useful skills, you know,” she snapped.

“Oh yeah, such as?” I popped my hands on my hips and stared Alexis down. “Because as far as I can tell, all the magic comes from my side of the family. Without Daddy’s little bow and arrow, you’ve got nothing.”

“Is that what you think? You think the ability to bring two hearts together means nothing? That weaving the threads of fate to make the world a better place doesn’t count as power? That’s all on me, sweetheart. Always has been.” Alexis had begun to pace while she ranted. “You wouldn’t even have FootSwept if it weren’t for me. I told you, I’ve always been there. This has always been your destiny. Maybe I can’t shoot witchfire out of my palm all by myself, but don’t you dare think for one second you’d enjoy the level of power at your disposal if it weren’t for me.”

Maybe she was right. Or I was right, whatever. But I still wasn’t ready to admit it. “Just stop talking. You’re making my headache worse.”

“Right back at ya.”

“Why don’t you put some of your special powers to good use, then, and help us find a way back home?” I demanded.

Alexis crossed her arms and stared at me, “I don’t think it’s going to work that way. We’re going to have to go together or not at all. That’s what my gut is telling me. And you know our gut is never wrong.”

She had a point. I’d always trusted my intuition, particularly when it came to making matches. The pull in my belly I’d always called my Love Positioning System had never led me astray. I’d just assumed it was part of my witchy powers, but standing there staring at the goddess half of myself, I realized I didn’t feel a thing. Alexis was right, I’d become so fractured I’d lost the one thing that had been a constant for as long as I could remember.

Maybe there was something to what she was saying. “Fine. Let’s work together then. What did you have in mind?”

“Give me your hand,” Alexis said, and grabbed it before I could comply. Our fingers entwined and we both closed our eyes and pooled our power. “Lexi, look.” My goddess whispered.

When I opened my eyes, it was to find a ball of swirling witchfire in my hand. Except, this time it wasn’t white or blue or even black—it was bright, shining hot pink—the same color of the symbols that floated above the heads of our potential matches.

“Holy Hecate!”

“Yeah, that’s new, isn’t it?” Alexis grinned like an idiot, and I returned the expression.

Our elation lasted for about thirty seconds, and when nothing happened, my good spirits deflated like a three-day-old party balloon. “Nothing’s happening.”

“Yes, it is. Look.” The pink fire trailed off into the distance, and up ahead I could see a gilded door. It looked like the proverbial gate to Heaven, and quite frankly scared the living daylights out of me.

“I don’t want to die yet.”

Alexis pulled me forward anyway. “It’s not that kind of door.” She jiggled the handle, which looked like one of those old-fashioned cut-glass numbers, but I suspected was actually diamond from the way it sparkled and shined. The door swung open, and I could see through to the other side.

Kin was kneeling next to me where I lay on the sofa in my parlor, his lips hovering just above mine. It looked like a scene from a fairytale. I shoved forward, and whacked my already-bruised head against an invisible barrier.

“I don’t think we can both go through.” Alexis said. “You go. It’s your life.”

I wanted what was on the other side more than I’d ever wanted anything in my life. “No. I won’t leave you. There’s another way. It’s time for this madness to end. Alexis, I love you. You’re part of me and I love you.” I repeated the words over and over, squeezing her hands in mine as I did, and the goddess returned the sentiment.

“I love you too, Lexi. Now, let’s go home.” When I walked through the door, I was finally in one piece.

 

 

Sylvana

 

“Are you keeping your lips firm and moist? No one likes rubber-lipped kisses.” After the second round failed to wake Lexi from her stupor, Evian jumped in with advice. “And no drooling. Shows a lack of control that could be a detriment in other areas, if you know what I mean.”

Kin stood, and despite being mortified, came back with a sharp retort. “I’ve never had any complaints.”

Their comments might have been amusing if my daughter wasn’t edging closer to death with every shallow breath. “This isn’t working. Now leave the poor man alone.” If I had to lose my daughter, she should go out with peace and respectful dignity, not with the faerie version of the three stooges putting on a skit in the background.

We all faced off, and I could feel the level of energy in the room rising to a crescendo. Tensions had been running high for days, and if we weren’t careful, we’d take the whole house down with us. Just as I was about to try to put the kibosh on things, a voice piped up from behind me.

“Hey, you guys. Want to take it down a notch?”

I spun around, and when my eyes lit on my daughter, awake and intact, my eyes filled with tears of joy. Kin stared at her with an unfathomable expression on his face, and suddenly it was as though the room wasn’t big enough to hold all of us.

There would be time for reunions later. Right now belonged to Lexi and Kin. I pulled the rest of the entourage out of the room to give them a bit of privacy and prayed to every god and goddess I could name. Please, give her a happy ending. And for once, there wasn’t an ounce of selfishness in my heart.