Chosen Chapter 8: The Trial of Billie Jenkins
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After a long meeting with the city council, Mayor Amanda Freeman returned to her office and sat down at her desk. She pressed a button on a remote, causing a TV screen to appear in front of the bookcase. She thanked her assistant as she brought her a cup of coffee and turned on the news.
"It has been two weeks since the freak storm that caused the lives of dozens of San Francisco residents." The newscaster reported. "Scientists are still baffled by the sudden appearance of the storm, and cannot explain how it prevented all communication with the city for nearly ten days."
"If only they knew." The mayor remarked.
She remembered everything the way it happened, the eternal night and the streets swarming with demons. As she had suspected, the forces of magic had erased all memories and invented this cover story about a freak storm. It was a decent cover and it would save her a lot of questions, but that still did not make it right. Dozens of her citizens had been killed because of magic and it needed to stop. She touched the ruby amulet around her neck and thanked God for it.
There was a knock on the door and her assistant popped her head in. "Sorry, ma'am, but your ten o'clock is here."
"Send him in." The mayor replied.
"Actually ma'am, it is a she." The assistant replied.
A woman, the mayor had not expected that, but she liked it. She waited until her assistant brought in this mysterious woman. She was young, tall and beautiful, dressed in a leather motor suit. She had sandy brown hair that reached her shoulders, though it was tied in a side tail. Her bright blue eyes seemed cold and determined and it was clear she was not a push-over. Just the type the mayor was looking for.
"Have a seat, can I get you a drink?" the mayor asked as she extended her hand.
"A water, please, it has been a long drive." The mystery woman replied as she sat down and unzipped her jacket. "I came straight over from Boston when I got the call."
"Of course." The mayor replied and she looked at her assistant, who quickly nodded and left. "So tell me your name."
"It is Makayla, though most people just call me Mac." The mystery woman said.
"No last name?" the mayor asked.
"I have one, but it's not relevant." Mac replied. "So why did you ask me here, Miss Mayor?"
"Did agent Murphy not inform you? He is the one who set up this meeting." The mayor said with a frown.
"I'd like to hear it from you." Mac replied. "Murphy is a nice guy, too nice for his line of work. I just want to make sure we're talking about the same thing."
There was another knock on the door and the assistant came in to deliver a bottle of water and a glass. "You can keep the glass." Mac said as she grabbed the bottle of water and took a large sip. The assistant frowned at her bad manners, but excused herself without saying a word. "So tell me why I'm here." Mac repeated.
"Alright. I have a witch problem and I want you to deal with it. Permanently." The mayor said.
"Witches? Are you sure that is your biggest problem? You just had a demonic invasion. And before you ask, no, they did not alter my memories. We got ways to protect ourselves from magic." Mac explained as she placed her hand on a necklace with a small green stone.
"The witches are the reason all these demons are drawn to this city." The mayor replied. "They are the root of my problems. They claim to be human, yet they can break every rule with the snap of a finger and a little rhyme. I want them gone, isn't that what you do?"
"It sure is." Mac replied. "Got the files?"
"Right here." The mayor replied as she opened a drawer and threw three files on her desk. She then hesitated and picked up a fourth file. "I also want you to look into this, an inspector here in the city. I believe he is involved with the witches."
Mac stood and picked up the files. She looked at the first three with a blank expression, but frowned at the fourth. She seemed to recognize him.
"Are you familiar with him?" the mayor asked.
"You could say that, yeah." Mac replied. "So let's talk prices."
"Name it." The mayor said boldly. "I want the witches gone."
"These are powerful witches, it won't be easy." Mac remarked as she studied the files. "Or cheap."
"Money is not an issue." The mayor replied. "Name your price and you will get it."
"Alright. I will need to stake out the witches first, establish the risks and determine the best course of action." Mac explained. "Once I have a plan ready, I will let you know and we will settle the price. You say go and the witches are dead."
"Fine, here is my personal number." The mayor replied as she grabbed a calling card.
"I will be in touch." Mac replied confidently as she accepted the card and headed out the door.
The mayor turned her chair to the window and waited. She knew she was doing the right thing. The witches were a risk. Even though they looked like innocent college students, they were nothing but trouble for this city. The mayor had taken an oath to serve this city, and that was exactly what she would do, no matter the cost.
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Across the city, Violet Morgan was sitting in a restaurant dressed in a soft green sweater and brown pants. Arthur was running a bit late, but she was happy to see him again after everything she had been through. He had really supported her as she tried to deal with Mikelle's death. She still missed her friend all the time, but Arthur made it bearable when he was with her. When Violet looked around the restaurant, she suddenly noticed a flashing blue light coming from under the men's restroom door. A moment later, the door opened and Arthur appeared in a grey vest and jeans, this time with a bright blue tie.
"I am so sorry I am late." Arthur said as he kissed her on the cheek before sitting down. "Class ran a little late due to a little pyrokinetic incident."
"What happened?" Violet asked.
"Well, a student was so nervous for a test he accidentally set it on fire. Along with his desk." Arthur explained. "Then another student, with weather powers, decided to put out the fire with rain, which flooded the classroom."
"Are you serious?" Violet asked with a smile.
"Afraid so." Arthur said. "At least teaching at Magic School is never boring."
A waiter came up to them and they both ordered breakfast. Violet had been craving blueberry pancakes all morning, while Arthur went for eggs.
"I am so glad we're able to meet like this." Arthur said. "When you were trapped inside that dome, I was so afraid you would get hurt. It may be selfish, but I feared I would never see you again… that I could never kiss you again."
"That is not selfish. I think it is sweet." Violet replied as she took his hand.
"So how are the others? How is Billie?" Arthur asked.
"I wish I knew. She is simply refusing to talk to us." Violet said saddened. "We are running out of ideas. She just keeps blaming herself for everything."
"She has been through a lot." Arthur said. "You all have, but it had to be even harder for her, losing her friend Taylor like that. She has lost so much already."
"You mean her family?" Violet asked. "I know. I just wish that she did not blame herself. She needs to realize that it is not her fault. She needs to know that her friends are still here for her. But how to we make her realize that? We can't force her."
"I know." Arthur replied.
"Can we talk about something else?" Violet asked tearfully. "All of this, I keep thinking about Mikelle, and I have been crying so much already. I need something to distract me."
"Of course." Arthur said. "There is actually something I wanted to discuss with you."
"Really? What?" Violet asked.
"Well, you know how I have been studying those ruins on the island and other ancient cities, right?" Arthur asked.
"Yeah, you thought they might be connected to the Wizards." Violet replied.
"Exactly. Well, I wrote a paper on it and presented it to the other faculty at the school." Arthur informed her. "Somehow, it ended with this famous anthropologist specializing in Wizard culture, and he wants to meet with me and discuss my research."
"Oh wow, that is amazing." Violet said excited. "I am so happy for you."
"He has been planning an expedition to one of the lost cities for a long time." Arthur said. "And if the meeting goes well, he might offer me a spot on his team."
"So you could go with him?" Violet asked.
"Yeah." Arthur said happily.
"For how long?" Violet asked a little concerned, not wanting him to go away.
"It will be three months." Arthur said. "I know it is a long time, which is why I wanted to discuss it with you first. This is a huge opportunity for me."
"Why do you want to discuss it with me?" Violet asked nervously.
"Well, you are my girlfriend, aren't you?" Arthur asked.
"What?!" Violet called out surprised, which caused several people in the restaurant to look at them. "Are you serious? I mean… we have been dating for a while, but we haven't really defined anything."
"I'm sorry. Maybe I was jumping to conclusions." Arthur said with a frown. "Don't you want to be my girlfriend?"
"Of course I do." Violet said with a smile, thinking about how sweet he was. "It's just, I have never done this before, and with everything going on with my friends, it is a little overwhelming."
"I get it." Arthur said. "But can I at least call you my girlfriend?"
"Oh, if you insist." Violet replied with a blush.
"Okay, so can I also kiss you right now?" Arthur asked with a smile.
"Definitely." Violet said.
Arthur smiled and leaned over the table to kiss her. Violet realized she definitely wanted to be his girlfriend, but she instantly felt guilty about being happy so shortly after her friend died. It felt disrespectful, but Arthur just made her feel this way. Their kiss was interrupted when the waiter cleared his throat. They looked up and saw him standing at their table with their breakfast. They quickly apologized and he handed them their food. When the waiter left, they smiled.
"Could you pass me the salt?" Arthur asked.
"Of course." Violet replied and handed him the salt mill.
As Arthur took the salt mill, a frown suddenly appeared on his face. Violet recognized it, as he got the same frown whenever he was deep in thought. She wondered what kind of inspiration the salt had given him, as his mind something had a weird way of working.
"Force her to see it." Arthur mumbled. "That's it!"
"What's it?" Violet asked confused.
"Billie." Arthur said. "I just got an idea how we can help Billie."
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In a fancy hotel suit on the Las Vegas strip, Duncan was sitting on the edge of a messy bed while buttoning up his shirt. There was an empty champagne bottle on the floor along with more scattered clothes. Duncan smiled when suddenly two hands were placed on his shoulders and someone started kissing his neck. He looked over his shoulder at Nathan, who had just gotten up and was still in just his boxers. As they kissed, Nathan moved his hands down to his chest and started unbuttoning his shirt again.
"Do you have to leave so soon?" Nathan asked disappointed. "You just got here."
"You know how this works, right?" Duncan replied as he removed his hands and resumed buttoning. "As much as I want to stay, I can't keep this up for much longer."
"That sucks." Nathan replied as she sighed and fell back down on the bed.
"I know, but for now, it all we can do." Duncan replied. "My friends need me, so I can't stay away for too long…"
"And I am still being hunted by Homeland Security, so I can't come to San Francisco, I know." Nathan finished his sentence with a sigh. "This sucks."
"Tell me about it." Duncan said. "I am just glad we're able to do this."
"Ah, so you're just using me, are you?" Nathan remarked as he rolled out of bed and put on his jeans while Duncan finished getting fully dressed.
"Not just… but I have to admit it is nice to get away for a while." Duncan admitted. "Being home, everything reminds me of Mikelle. Then there is the whole Billie thing."
"I can't even imagine." Nathan said. "The thought of losing someone close to me would drive me insane as well. Not that I have many friends…"
"You have friends." Duncan replied with a frown. "You have me, and I am sure my friends will like you once they get to know you better."
"So that is what we are, friends?" Nathan remarked with a smile as he sat down next to him. "Friends don't really do the stuff what we just did."
"Good point." Duncan replied as he kissed him. "So how are you doing, how is your brother?"
"We're both keeping busy. I am sure he is at the poker table as we speak." Nathan replied. "I told him to get lost for a while."
"Poker, huh?" Duncan asked skeptically.
"Hey, it is better than stealing, right?" Nathan replied with a shrug.
"Right." Duncan remarked.
"What? You don't believe we've stopped stealing?" Nathan suddenly asked as he stood up.
Duncan hesitated for a moment and instantly realized that was a mistake. Nathan sounded annoyed as he grabbed his shirt. Feeling bad, Duncan walked over and grabbed his arm. "I am sorry." He said. "I shouldn't have doubted you. I just figured some habits are hard to quit. You survived on stealing for years."
"I guess I can't blame you for being suspicious." Nathan said reluctantly.
"We will find a way to get you a clean slate." Duncan said. "We…" He continued, but suddenly stopped. He felt some kind of force pulling at him from a faraway place. "Oh crap." He remarked before disappearing in an orange glow.
With a gasp, Duncan returned to his physical body and found himself lying on his bed in his dorm room. Violet was standing next to the bed trying to wake him, thinking he was just sleeping. Duncan sighed at the sudden disruption of his astral projection. His friends could not know he had been meeting with Nathan like this, not yet.
"Sorry to wake you." Violet said. "Arthur may have found a way to help Billie."
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