So, I know it's been awhile since I updated. Don't kill me. I swear I haven't forgotten this story. Life's just been...ridiculous. Anyway, thanks to AngieT101 and MizzC for the reviews. Everyone else can SUCK IT. (I'm just kidding. :])
Disclaimer: The Boondocks still isn't mine.
Trust in Nothing
"Holy fucking shit!"
"Owen!" Huey shot his partner a look of disbelief, rolling his eyes. "Could you be any less considerate?"
To tell the truth, Huey didn't blame him too much. The woman who was standing in the doorway, her hand on her hip and a scowl etched into her face, was nothing like he'd expected Jazmine's roommate to appear as. She had short black hair with bright green streaks, dark makeup smudged around her eyes, and her clothes involved so many chains and metal that he was surprised she was able to stand upright. She blinked, her ice blue eyes narrowing, and popped her gum.
"What do you want?"
Ooh. And her manners were just amazing.
"December, right?"
"Who wants to know?"
"I do, obviously." Huey rolled his eyes. "Otherwise I wouldn't be asking."
The girl shrugged, continuing to smack on her gum. Geez. Jazmine's mom hadn't been lying when she said her roommate was "rough around the edges". "You a cop?"
He glanced towards Owen, who already looked to be over her attitude. Well, at least they were on the same page for once. "Something like that."
She shook her head, smacking her lips. "I don't talk to cops."
"Well, you're going to talk to us." Owen stepped forward, nearly shoving his badge in her face. "FBI. Now get out the way."
The girl's eyebrow rose. "What do you need with me? I ain't did nothing!"
"We didn't say you did." Huey tried to keep his voice even, although he had about as much patience as a two year old on Christmas morning in these types of situations. "We just want to ask you some questions." When she continued to look unconvinced that she wasn't in any trouble with the law he shrugged. "You were the roommate of Jazmine Dubois, right?"
Her eyes widened. Her hard features visibly softened. To both their surprise she stepped aside, pulling the door open wider and nodding.
"Yeah." Her voice was much softer, sadder. "I am."
The two partners exchanged surprised looks before shrugging, Owen going in first and Huey stepping in behind him. He glanced around the practically empty suite style apartment, boxes stacked everywhere and the blinds flipped open in the living room, bright sunlight streaming in.
"It's move out week," December explained, gesturing around. Huey's eyes fell on an odd symbol that hung from around her neck. "I'm kind of late, but I had a bit of leeway time since they're not going to be able to lease out this unit for the summer."
"How come?" Owen asked dumbly before considering it. He closed his mouth, cringing at his own question. December shoved her hands in the pockets of her black jeans.
"They're allowing Jazmine's stuff to stay. Until…well, you know." She shrugged, swallowing. "Until they get word whether she's…" She allowed her words to trail off, instead focusing on the window. Owen cleared his throat again.
"Well, my name's Owen Sheldon." He jabbed his thumb towards Huey. "That's Huey Freeman. We're trying to get all the information we can so that hopefully Ms. Dubois' will be coming to pick up her own things by the end of May."
December nodded. She gestured towards the couch in the center of the room.
"I guess you two can sit down. If you want…"
Both men walked over to the couch, flopping down. Owen broke out a pen and pad while Huey glanced towards the front door, which December had left open. Since she was one of the last students still in the building it was mostly quiet, subtract the occasional laughing in the hallway and the sounds of Bob Marley blasting from one of the rooms down the hall. He looked back at December as she sat on the coffee table, folding her arms over her chest.
"My parents are coming to get me soon, so I don't have too long." Her voice was a little stronger. Huey nodded.
"That's fine."
December's hands dropped in front of her and she clasped them, biting her lip nervously.
"Alright." Owen gestured to her. "So, what's your name again?"
"December." She shifted from side to side. "December Rain."
His eyebrow lifted. "That's your legal name?"
Her eyes cooled. "Yes. It's my real name. If you want to get technical it's December Marie Carmen Rain, but it's annoying to say and even more annoying to have to explain."
"We're not here to question her about her name, Owen," Huey said, sighing and shaking his head. "Alright, you were suite mates with Jazmine."
She nodded, her entire demeanor changing. It seemed to be a reoccurring pattern when it came to mentioning the missing woman.
"How would you say your relationship was with her?"
She snorted. "She was probably one of the only people I liked at the superficial shithole."
"Well, no offense, but this is Miami." Huey rolled his eyes. "If you didn't want superficial why would you come here?"
"Because my aunt works here," she replied with a shrug. "I got so much money that I'm probably the only person graduating with more funding than when I came in. I wasn't going to pass that up even if it meant dealing with fake ass Barbies."
Huey nodded.
"Anyways," December went on, her eyes falling to the floor. "Jazmine and I kind of ended up sharing the place on accident. She was originally the only one assigned to this room and I came in on accident. She…was nice." She snorted. "Everyone sees the way I dress and act and flip the fuck out. She took a look at me and just started talking. You know, like we'd know each other for years or something. And she knew she was the only one assigned to the suite but she just gave me a sprite and had a real conversation with me for a good half an hour. And when I got to my real suite, saw the bimbo I'd gotten placed with, and realized if I had to live there the entire year I'd be charged with homicide, I turned right back around and asked her if I could share her place. She said yes without a second thought."
Owen scribbled something down, his eyebrow rising. "So, no fights, no arguments…"
She shook her head. "Fighting with her is impossible. Even when she did something that would annoy the shit out of me if anyone else did it I just couldn't feel that way towards her. And the few times she did get angry, she never stayed that way."
"Huh." Owen asked. "Well, did she have any enemies you know of?"
December bit her lip, thinking. "Not that I know of. She doesn't bother anyone to make enemies."
Huey shook his head. Even he knew that sometimes a person didn't have to do anything for them to be targeted.
"When's the last time you saw Jazmine? Before she disappeared?"
December took a deep breath. "That day. A few hours before."
"And would you mind telling me what you did that day?"
December frowned. "I thought I wasn't in trouble."
"You're not. But I can't make any promises if you keep acting so defensive." Owen gave her a look. "Just answer the question."
The woman sighed, rolling her eyes. "Fine. I had an eight am final and another at eleven. I finished them both and went downtown to meet my friend for some margaritas, cause after those exams we needed that shit. I went and sold back my textbooks. I came back here, called my mom back in Rhode Island, watched a RuPaul's Drag Race marathon, and fell asleep on the couch. Jazmine got home around seven. Seven thirty, maybe. I ordered a pizza and we ate it. She left again and I started working on some packing. I fell asleep, woke up around one when I heard my phone, and answered it to hear her co-worker yelling and freaking out about her being missing." She exhaled through her nose. "I stayed up from then until the next morning to see if she'd come through the door. She never did."
The room fell into an uncomfortable silence. Owen frowned. Huey leaned forward.
"And did anything seem off when you saw her last?" She blinked in confusion. ""Was she acting unusual? Was she distant? Angry?"
December made a face, staring down at her knees. "Now that you mention it…" She glanced back up at him. "She was really quiet, and she seemed like she was spacing out a lot…like she was worrying about something." She shrugged. "I thought it was because of her finals and all, since she doesn't handle pressure the best. But when I think about it, she did seem upset."
"How could you tell?"
"I don't know…" She shrugged. "She was pacing. She paces a lot when she's worried." She rubbed the back of her neck. "I'd try to talk to her and she just seemed really lost. She barely ate anything. I kept asking her what was wrong but she wouldn't tell me. Which, I mean, is kind of normal for her. She'll share the good shit, but never the bad."
Huey snorted. He could see that.
"Do you know of anyone who she might have had a falling out with?" Owen asked. December rolled her eyes at him.
"What part of "It's impossible to fight with her" do you not understand?" She snorted. "No. I don't know of anyone."
Owen shrugged. "Was she with someone?" December looked confused. "Did she have a boyfriend?"
December paused. "Well, no…" When her voice trailed off Owen smirked.
"That doesn't seem like a real no to me."
"I mean, there was a guy." She shrugged again. "He was in her quantum physics class. He was really close to her and he really liked her. It was so obvious. I think he asked her out a few times but she always said no."
"Well." Owen leaned back, satisfied. "That's a motive."
"Not quite." Huey glanced at her. "What's this guy's name?"
"Um…" December snapped her fingers. "Cairo."
Huey's jaw nearly fell off his face. She had to be joking. The other two went on as if they didn't notice anything. Which, of course, they probably hadn't.
Then again, there was more than one Cairo in the world! It didn't necessarily have to be his ex best friend from his days back in Chicago! Right?
Right?
"Cairo…" Owen waved his hand, gesturing for her to continue. She pondered.
"Evans." She nodded. "Cairo Evans."
Huey mentally smacked himself in the head. Great. Not only was someone he knew depending on him for survival but now he had to question his ex best friend who he hadn't seen in over ten years! It was as if someone, somewhere in the universe was having a big ass laugh at his expense.
"You know where this guy is?" Owen asked. December nodded.
"Yeah, he's right in building two. He's not moving out until tomorrow, so-"
"I guess we've got another person to pay a visit to, then." Owen tapped his pen on his pad. Huey mentally groaned. Cairo was super lucky that he already knew what the killer looked like. Otherwise he'd be willing to lock this guy up so quick that-
"So, have you ever been to the shop that Jazmine worked at?" Owen asked, breaking his thoughts. December nodded.
"Yeah. She worked at this cool Wiccan store downtown." She made a face when Owen shook his head. "And what's that face for?"
"Nothing." Owen wrote down something on the pad. "Nothing at all."
They all fell quiet again, the occasional sounds of Owen's pen scratching against the paper breaking the silence. Finally, December opened her mouth again.
"Do you know anything?" When both men looked towards her she shrugged, her expression hopeful. "I mean…something?"
They both shook their heads. She sighed, nodding.
"That makes sense." She rubbed the side of her neck, causing Huey's attention to once again fall on her necklace. He straightened.
"What does your necklace mean?" Huey suddenly asked, gesturing to her neck. She blinked down at the gold triad symbol before shrugging, giving him a look.
"Does it matter?"
"Actually, it does." He sat back, eyeing her. She rubbed her arm, looking reluctant.
"It's just a charm."
"Doubt it." He ignored her dirty look. "What's it mean?"
"Maybe she doesn't know-" Owen started, but Huey shook his head.
"She knows."
"You know, that sort of looks like the symbol off that show my ex-wife used to watch." Owen tapped his chin with his finger. "What was it? Charmed-"
"No one cares about your ex wife, Owen." Huey rolled his eyes. Owen grinned.
"Heh. You right about that one."
"It is," December said, causing both of them to look back to her. "It's a protection symbol. My mom's Wiccan and I'm from Rhode Island, so she was paranoid about me being so far away for school and-"
"Okay." Huey nodded. "So that means you're familiar with that sort of thing."
"If by "that sort of thing" you mean "Wicca", then yes." She snorted. "Do I practice it? No."
"Okay." Huey rested his chin in his hand. "And you mentioned before Jazmine worked at a Wiccan store. Did she practice it?"
December faltered. "Well…"
"It's a yes or no question. It's really not that hard."
Owen stared between the both of them, his brow knotted in confusion. After a long pause, December nodded.
"Yeah. Well, she didn't practice it per say." She hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "More like…I don't even know."
Owen snorted. "You're gonna have to do better than that."
She threw up her hands. "I don't know! She could just do unusual shit, okay?"
"Such as…"
"I can't explain it." December shook her head. "But she had the weirdest intuition I've ever seen. She could warn you about something that hadn't even happened yet. And just…there was just something about her. I know the store she works at doesn't hire people who aren't practicing Wiccans or whatever so that's why I say she did, but she could've made it up just to get the job."
"But you don't think she made it up." Huey gave her a knowing look. She shook her head.
"Doubt it. I don't know." She shrugged. "She ain't never judge me. I wasn't going to do it to her."
"That would explain a lot," Owen said quietly, causing the other two to glance at him. "I mean, this whole thing seems so weird, but the guy's into this stuff-"
"It's not stuff," December said in an annoyed voice. "It's Wicca."
"Excuse me, Wicca." He rolled his eyes. "I don't understand in what he thinks he's accomplishing by taking others who practice it."
"I already told you-"
"I know what you told me, Freeman." Owen cut his eyes towards him. "But the truth is, there's no scientific evidence to support this type of thing so I'm going by what I know to be fact. And even if this girl had some type of powers, they'd most likely have a genetic basis. For him to try and "take" her powers would be impossible-"
"-Which is why, instead of gaining them and just letting the victim go, they die," Huey cut in, giving him a glare of his own. "Instead of being smart enough to analyze it like you do, he thinks if he keeps trying it's going to work one of these times. The truth is, it's not going to. He's just going to keep killing them."
A sudden choking sound made them both whip towards December, whose eyes had filled with tears at Huey's words.
"So…she's going to die?"
Huey smacked his palm against his forehead. "That's not what I meant-"
"Oh, my god." December pressed her lips together, shaking her head and burying her face in her hands. Owen gave Huey a dirty look while he stared at the woman, surprised.
"Way to go, moron."
"What the hell?" Huey snapped back at him. "I'm not here to baby people or whatever! I'm here to find out what's going on! It ain't my problem if-"
"She knew."
Both men slowly turned back towards the distressed woman, who had spoken through her hands. Owen blinked.
"What?"
"She knew." December lifted her head, her nose red and her eyes wet. "She knew this was going to happen."
Owen stared at her for a few seconds before snorting, shaking his head.
"Doubt it-"
"Owen, shut up." Huey gave her a look. "How do you know?"
"Alright." She straightened, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "I'm only telling you two this because I know you won't believe me, and that's exactly what I need. The thing is, I know Jazmine could do things that others can't do." She paused. "Because, I can, too."
They both stared at her.
"I had a dream about the guy," she said quietly. "I didn't see his face or whatever, but I could tell something was coming for her. It was the night before it happened. She'd-" She stopped, taking a deep breath before going on. "She'd been a bit on edge since spring break when some fortune teller told her this sort of thing was going to happen soon. So, I told her about it. She knew."
"Then if she knew," Owen said, smirking as if he thought the entire thing was a joke. "How come she didn't stop it?"
December gave him a cold look.
"Because." Her voice was like ice. "Jazmine has a horrible habit of putting everyone else before herself. She figured if she were to come here and her find her he might decide to take me instead. She didn't want to lead him to anyone else. She let herself stay in the open."
Owen let out a snort. Huey glared at him.
"If you can't control yourself, go outside."
"Okay, I'm sorry." He pointed his pen towards December, who looked like she was getting increasingly angry. "Do you actually believe this?"
Huey's eyes narrowed. He glared at him with such intensity that the smirk fell right off his face.
"Yeah, actually." He glanced back towards December, who looked shocked. "I kind of do."
"You said her stuff was still here?" Owen suddenly asked, making her nod in response. He was obviously trying to get off the subject ASAP. "Well, do you mind us looking around?" When December's eyes narrowed he shrugged, rising to his feet and stretching. "Hey. At least I bothered pretending that you have a choice."
She sighed, waving her hand. "Whatever. It's the second door on the left."
Owen nodded, disappearing down the hall. December glanced over to Huey, frowning.
"You're not gonna go, too?"
"What's the point?" He shrugged. "He's not going to find anything."
"I guess you're right." She drew her knees up to her chest, resting her chin in them. "I just thought you might, you know, want to. Since you knew her and all."
"Well, I didn't know her all that…wait a minute." He stared at her in shock. "How the hell did you know that? I never said it."
She shrugged, looking towards the window. "I said I didn't practice it." She paused. "I never said I wasn't different."
He shook his head. This was just too bizarre. "Okay…"
She nodded towards the hallway. "You should go. I have a feeling you'll find something that explains a lot."
Huey gave her a wary look. "I can't just go into people's apartments and take belongings. It's not exactly legal."
She glanced to her left, then her right, before blinking at him and rolling her eyes.
"Right. Because I really need her belongings." Her voice was dry. "And I'm sure they're of such use to her right now."
He stared at her for a moment before sucking his teeth, getting up and starting down the hall. "Man, whatever."
That girl was insane. He snorted to himself, shoving his hands in his pockets and stopping before he got to the doorway. He shook his head, taking a deep breath before stepping inside.
Jazmine's room was a lot like typical Jazmine; bright, more bright, and…it was just bright. It was slightly messy, with occasional clothing items tossed around and a pair of jeans hanging off a desk chair. Her bed was made, the fuchsia and orange (did those colors even go together?) bedspread giving him a headache. Her curtains were open so sunlight made the room that much brighter. Owen was standing by her dresser, examining a picture frame, an amused expression on his face.
"Where the hell was this?"
Huey stepped beside him, studying the picture. In it was Jazmine, Hiro, Caesar and Cindy, dressed up and making faces at the camera. At least, Hiro and Caesar were. Jazmine was laughing at them while Cindy was in the process of shoving Caesar. Huey snorted.
"I'm pretty sure that was their prom."
"I figured you'd know." Owen jabbed a thumb towards it. "Weren't you two in the same year?"
"I graduated early, remember?" Huey migrated towards the cracked closet door. "My old girlfriend…wife…whatever, begged me to take her to that, but I already had taken her to mine and wasn't going to waste my time going again even if they paid me."
Behind him Owen made a sympathetic noise, shaking his head.
"Did you ever have a childhood, Freeman?"
"Once, I believe." Huey's voice was filled with sarcasm. "Or so the rumors go."
Owen opened the top drawer, finding even more photos and papers, sorting through them all. Huey looked up in the closet, spotted a rather large box, and pulled it down. "Holy shit. She's in Engineering? I was a Mechanical Engineering major for like, ten days before I switched. I had a headache twenty four seven."
"Huh." Huey peeked in the box, pulling out and old book, his eyebrows lifting.
"She doesn't look like an engineering person." Owen studied another photo. "I see art. Maybe education."
"Maybe you're just a moron." Huey flipped the cover open, his eyes falling on the first page.
Property of Anya Elizabeth James.
Anya? As in the Anya who had nearly gotten him killed? His eyes widened and he quickly flipped the book shut, glancing over his shoulder to Owen, who had gotten oddly quiet. He was staring at another photo, his own expression one of surprise. After a few seconds he glanced towards Huey.
"I thought you said you two weren't that close."
He gave him a confused look of his own. "Yeah…because we weren't."
Owen shook his head, holding up a photo. He and Jazmine were sitting beside each other on what looked to be a set of bleachers. He looked like he was rolling his eyes at her and she was facing away from him, covering the side of her face in what seemed like embarrassment. "Then what's this?"
"Oh." Huey waved his hand. "It was at my best friend's soccer game. I didn't even know someone was taking a picture."
"Huh." Owen looked at it again, glancing back up to give Huey a look.
"So, I know I should mind my own business-"
"You really should."
He made a face. "But," he went on as if Huey hadn't even spoken. "I never do, so you shouldn't be too surprised. Anyway, you two look…well, you don't look like you weren't very close. In fact…" He shrugged, ignoring Huey's glare. "You look…really close. Closer than you and that-"
"Don't." Huey held up a hand. Owen threw up his hands.
"I'm just saying!"
"Well, stop saying." Huey opened the book again, glancing over one of the pages. "We weren't close. I don't know how many times I have to say that before you get it."
"I don't know." Owen tossed the photo down so that it landed face up on top the book, starting for the door. "Maybe when you finally get that you were a lot closer than you'd like to admit."
Huey's eyes shot up. Owen was already heading out the door, waving his hand.
"Hurry your ass up! We've got people to see, Freeman!" His footsteps disappeared down the hall. Huey sighed, shaking his head and glancing back down at the photo.
Stupid Owen. Stupid everyone. Why was everyone trying to link him to someone he didn't even know outside of school and school related activities? Jazmine was…nice. Yeah, that was the word. She was nice. And he did remember her having her moments where she was funny. And she was surprisingly easy to talk to.
But so were a lot of people. But everyone didn't go around trying to tell him how he felt about them.
Sighing, he tucked the photo into the book, starting to place it back into the box. Then, he stared at it, debating.
He couldn't just take it. He could get in serious shit for that sort of thing. Besides, it obviously had nothing to do with Jazmine's disappearance.
But…he sighed, tucking the book into his jacket and rising to his feet, heading for the door. It wasn't like he didn't grow up right across the street from her. When they found her he'd give it back…and if they didn't, he'd return it to her parents.
At the doorway he paused, turning around and giving the room one last glance.
Was December right? Had Jazmine really left this room knowing that there was a good chance she'd never see it again? He shook his head, sighing and closing the door.
Everyone may have been wrong about him having feelings for her…but he was definitely starting to feel something.
And it wasn't a good thing.
Twenty-three year old Cairo Evans was just taping up his last box when he heard someone knock on the door. Before he could get it, however, it was nearly flying open, and unfamiliar white man with red hair strutting in like he owned the place. He stopped once he spotted Cairo, giving him a look.
"You Cairo Evans?"
Cairo rolled his hazel eyes. "Who wants to know?"
"You know, there's a lot of that going around today." The man held out some black wallet looking thing, the flap flipping open and revealing a badge. "The FBI wants to know, that's who. So you can cut the smart guy act."
"I don't give a damn who you are." Cairo rose to his feet, annoyed. His week had sucked. Hell, the past few weeks had been straight out of hell. He really didn't need this right now. "You ain't gonna bust into my apartment like you own the place and try to tell me not to cop an attitude."
"Yeah…" Another person stepped into the room, looking as annoyed as the other guy. "You ain't the only one with an attitude. So, you can shut up now."
Cairo's eyes widened. It took everything he had to keep his jaw from hitting the ground.
"Huey?" He blinked, scrunching his face as he stared at him closer. "Huey Freeman?"
"He knows you?" the guy asked, giving Huey a surprised look. Huey sighed, looking annoyed.
"Sadly." He gestured towards Cairo, who scowled. "We used to be friends when I lived back in Chicago."
"Damn, Freeman." The guy gave him a look of disbelief. "You know everybody, don't you?"
"We were ten." Cairo snorted as they both looked at him. "That was nearly thirteen years ago. You don't know me."
Huey's eyes narrowed. "If you're anything like you used to be, I'm glad I don't."
Cairo glared.
"Look, we're not here to have some reunion." Huey gave the apartment a look of disgust. "We're here to see if you know anything that can help us find who we're looking for."
"And why would I want to help you?" Cairo sneered. Huey stared back.
"Because I'm sure you'd feel bad if your uncooperative ass cost Jazmine Dubois her life." Cairo felt his eyes widen. "So right now, I'm basically the only hope you've got."
Cairo set down his roll of tape, sighing and massaging the back of his neck. "Okay. Yeah. Whatever."
Huey nodded, folding his arms over his chest and leaning against the wall. His partner broke out his paper and pen again, looking around as well.
"So, you Cairo Evans, I presume?"
"Yeah." Cairo snorted, mumbling under his breath. "Duh. Who the hell are you?"
"You're just such a charming person." The man rolled his eyes. "Owen Sheldon. And now that that's out of the way, you mind telling me about how you met Ms. Dubois?"
"I guess not." Cairo sat on a box. "We had the same Calculus class four years ago. I couldn't get it for shit. She offered to help." Owen nodded. "She was cool. Real cool, considering most people around here don't care about shit other than tanning and looks and shit."
"So." Owen's eyebrows lifted. "You two were friends?"
Cairo shrugged. "Yep."
Huey snorted, shaking his head. Cairo's eyes whipped towards him and he glared.
"And what's so funny?"
"Oh, you know." Huey shrugged. "Your bullshit answers."
"What?" He started to protest but Huey glanced towards Owen, nodding.
"You're asking him the wrong questions. Let me ask."
Owen shrugged, waving both hands towards Cairo. "Take it away, Afro Samurai."
Huey gave him a bored look. "Don't call me that." He shook his head before turning towards Cairo, his bored look turning into a knowing one.
"So." His tone was casual. "How long have you liked her?"
Cairo's jaw dropped. He could feel his face turning red but decided to play stupid anyway. "What?"
"I'm pretty sure the question isn't very hard." He shrugged. "So, when did you realize you had feelings for her? First year? Second?"
Cairo paused. He couldn't lie. Well, he could…but what was the point? He sighed, his shoulders slumping.
"The middle of our second year."
Huey nodded. "Did you ever tell her?"
"I did. A few times." Cairo shook his head. "She doesn't date. If she was any other girl I would've just thought she was rejecting me but I knew her. I'd seen other guys ask her out. I saw her turn them down. I asked her why she didn't and she just said she was supposed to be alone. It's the only thing I never understood about her."
"And how did her rejecting you make you feel?" Huey stared at him intently. "Angry? Upset?"
"I don't know." Cairo shrugged. "At first I took it like a grain of salt, you know? Other fish in the sea, four to one ratio, that sort of thing. But we were good friends and we grew closer and…well, it just got harder. I asked her if there was something wrong with me and she said that it wasn't, that it was all her. But there's nothing wrong with her. She's perfect the way she is."
"And now that you've given me enough sappiness to induce vomiting," Huey mumbled, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. "You still didn't say how you felt. You had to have felt something."
"Tell you what." Cairo cut his eyes at him. "You think back to your most meaningful relationship and tell me how that made you feel."
Huey shrugged. "Fair enough. Mad, because I didn't see it coming and felt completely blindsided. Annoyed, because it was like I'd wasted years of my life investing into one person who just made it all not matter in a matter of minutes. I felt guilty, like I could have done something to keep it from happening. You happy now?"
"Well, that's how I felt." Cairo rolled his eyes. "I was mad because I thought she was being like other females and leading me on. I was annoyed because I knew she wasn't going to change her mind but I stuck around anyway, hoping that maybe one day she'd look up and realize that we belonged together. And guilty, because whenever I brought it up and said how it seemed like she enjoyed hurting me I wound up hurting her feelings."
"And did that anger at being constantly rejected make you want to do something drastic?" Huey shrugged. "Maybe like…get revenge?"
Cairo blinked at him. Then, he burst out laughing.
"Are you really trying to imply I had something to do with her disappearance?" He rolled his eyes. "That would work, I guess…if it weren't for the fact that she finally agreed to go out with me the day she disappeared."
He watched Huey frown. "She…was going to date…you."
"Yeah. She'd decided to give me a chance." Cairo snorted. "And the next thing I know, she's vanished. I was already a suspect, you know." Both men stared at him. "She was working when she disappeared. I went to her job to ask her and left fifteen minutes before it happened. They thought I had something to do with it but I was cleared."
"Well, if he was cleared, we really have no reason to stay." Huey seemed annoyed for some reason and looked like he were itching to get out of there. Owen held up a hand.
"Just a minute." He gave Cairo a suspicious look. "Did she seem a certain way to you when you talked to her? Sad or worried or-"
"She seemed really tired." Cairo shrugged. "She said she was just coming down with something."
"Did she say anything to you? Before you left." Owen was focused on him now. "Did she say anything that stuck out more than everything else? Other than the whole her-accepting-your-date thing."
Cairo blinked, finally snapping his fingers. "She did." He paused, his eyebrow knotting together. "Now that I think about it…"
"What?"
"She told me…" He shook his head. "She told me to take care of myself."
"And did you say anything?"
"Well, I kind of laughed. I was like "I'll see you tomorrow." And she just sort of stared at me and nodded, but she didn't say anything else." He watched Huey and Owen exchange looks. "Why? What does that mean?"
"Nothing." Owen stood up, pocketing his things. "Thanks. You really don't have too much to give us, so I guess we're finished here."
"Good." Cairo gave Huey a look. "Then you can leave."
Huey rolled his eyes. "And words cannot begin to describe how glad I am that is possible." He stepped past Owen, already heading out the door. "Have a nice life."
Cairo blinked towards Owen, who shrugged as he headed for the door himself. "Thanks for everything," he said, pausing in the doorway. "And…I'm sorry things didn't work out for you two."
Cairo nodded, waiting for him to disappear before sinking down on a box, burying his face in his hands.
"Me, too," he mumbled to himself.
It was weird, stepping into the Wiccan shop, because he'd felt like he had been there before. Then, he remembered that he had been.
This shit was weird. He'd be glad when it was over.
Arcadia's Closet, a nice sized shop covered in every surface with stuff, was slow since it was in the early afternoon and most people were still at work. Then again, for all Huey knew, the place was never crowded. Regardless he led the way through the store (Owen hanging back as if the place would give him cooties) and started for the back, only to be stopped by a voice.
"Ah! You must be Huey Freeman!" The loud, feminine voice caught him by surprise. He froze, glancing around.
"Um…"
"Sorry." An old woman with her gray hair in a bun stepped out of the back room. She was wearing a purple dress made of some flowing material, her wrists covered in bracelets that jingled when she moved them. A crystal hung from around her neck. "I guess I shouldn't do that. It can be very off-putting."
"Oh, my god." Huey glanced over his shoulder to Owen, who was shaking his head. "Man, can I go get a cigarette?"
"Smoking is disgusting." Huey rolled his eyes when Owen gave him an indifferent shrug in response. "Man, whatever. I'm not your mother. Do what you want."
Owen nodded gratefully, spinning on his heel and nearly flying out the front doors. Huey shook his head, turning back to the woman, whose eyes were filled with amusement.
"Exhibit A." She shook her head, holding out a hand. "I would be Lydia Kirkpatrick."
"Oh." He shook her hand, surprised by how strong of a grip she had. After all the woman had to be in her late seventies. Probably older. "Well, I'm…" He let his words trail off, shrugging. "You already know who I am, I guess."
"Of course." She let go of his hand, smirking as if she laughing at an inside joke. "Well, you had some questions for me?"
He nodded. She smiled, folding her hands.
"And would you like to sit down? Outside? In here?"
"It…really doesn't matter." It was weird, having people who were actually cooperating. How funny that the woman who worked in a "strange" Wiccan shop was the sanest person he'd dealt with that day. She nodded, straightening her skirt.
"So, Jazmine worked here? It's a stupid question, I know," he added when Lydia looked ready to laugh. She nodded.
"Yes." The woman nodded towards the center of the store. "I don't do much hiring. But it did take the load off, and she seemed to be eager to learn more about the Occult…"
Ha. If only she knew. "Did she ever display any…special abilities?"
The woman looked hesitant. Huey gave her a look. Finally she sighed, nodding.
"She did." She snorted. "It has been me and my daughter, Greta, running this store for over thirty years. One of the requirements I had was that the applicant had an extensive knowledge of Wicca. A person who practiced it wasn't necessary, but highly recommended."
"And…how did you decide she was the right person?"
Lydia smiled, reminiscing. "It was at the end of August. Three years ago, as a matter of fact." She adjusted her bracelets as she talked. "I knew she was the one we'd hire. I had a dream about her. That is how I know things, you see." She stared into his eyes, as if daring him to object. "They come to me in dreams."
He really didn't know what he was supposed to do with that information but he nodded regardless. "Well-"
"I saw you in a dream, believe it or not." Lydia gestured to him. His eyebrows lifted. "I knew you would come seeking answers. Only, I cannot give them to you."
He nearly gaped at her. "Excuse me?"
"I cannot give you the answers you think you need to know." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "However, I can give you the answers you will need to know."
He blinked before shaking his head.
"I'm not even going to pretend that I know what you're talking about."
She nodded towards him. "I see you got the book." She ignored the way Huey's jaw nearly dropped, instead nodding politely and smiling towards a customer who walked in. "That will give you more answers than I ever could."
"What, about where Jazmine is?"
"If you look into it enough, yes." She shrugged. "But I meant it would give you the answers you need for yourself."
Okay. Now he was really confused. He was starting to think he should take up smoking as a habit just so he could have an excuse to go and join Owen.
"I'm not looking for answers for myself." He tried to keep his voice even, despite the fact that he was growing annoyed. He did not fly all the way to Florida just to hear some old person ramble off about shit that had nothing to do with anything. Lydia sighed, easily reading his silence.
"It does sound…strange," she said quietly, her eyes serious. "But trust me. The more you know about yourself, the more you will know about her. And you cannot hope to reach her in time if you don't know yourself."
"Well, I already know myself, since I've grown up with me for a good twenty two years," he replied sarcastically. "And the last time I checked, I have nothing to do with who she is."
To his surprise Lydia snorted.
"Ah. You mortals." She shook her head. "So funny with how you pretend to know things you don't even understand."
Mortal? "Excuse me?"
She stared up at him.
"I would like you to tell me about the romantic relationship between you and Jazmine's."
He blinked at her. Then, his eyes narrowed.
"Non-existent."
She lifted an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"
His tone was dry. "I think I'd remember if there were one."
A slow smile spread across her face. "And once again…are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure." He nearly groaned. "What does this have to do with anything?"
Lydia inhaled deeply, her features soft. Unlike him, she had stayed cool through the entre conversation.
"The human memory," she said quietly, beginning to walk along the shelf. "Is very complex. It is hard to understand." She glanced towards him, her eyes narrowing. "And sometimes, it is your worst enemy."
He didn't even bother commenting.
"The fact is that there is nothing you can trust, and that is a terrible fact whether you like it or not," she said softly, studying an hourglass. "Psychologically there is nothing in the world you can put your faith, your trust, or your belief in. Neither your gods nor your science can save you or bring you psychological certainty-"
"-and you have to accept that you can trust in absolutely nothing," Huey finished, making her eyebrows raise. "Bombay J. Krishnamurti."
Lydia's gaze flickered towards him. "And do you believe that?"
He shrugged. "It's common sense."
She turned towards him. "You must read that book. It will give you more than I can. You just have to read between the lines. Something tells me you're good at that."
He didn't say anything. She sighed.
"And…you have to remember that. What you just said." She shook her head. "You can't trust in anything. Not even your own mind." She paused. "Especially not your memory. Your memory tells you nothing. It helps you in no way. It only hinders your progress."
"Why-"
"It's not my place to tell you." She shook her head again. "The only person's place would be Jazmine's. Unfortunately, she's unavailable right now." She brushed her hand against her dress. "You do not realize it. If this wouldn't have happened you might have never realized it. But you need that girl." She folded her arms over her chest, lifted her chin, and stared him dead in the eye. "You need her more than you think."
The door suddenly burst open, Owen flying in.
"Oh, my god. Huey." He jabbed his thumb towards outside. "I just saw the sexiest-"
Huey held up a hand, rolling his eyes. "Please stop talking." He ignored Owen's glare, turning back to the woman.
"Um, thanks. For…" He didn't finished, instead settling on shaking her hand again. She smiled.
"You will find her." She clasped his hand in both of hers, her palms soft and warm. Her skin was thin and wrinkly, like paper. "And when you do, you will see what I mean."
He nodded as she dropped his hand, turning around and shuffling back towards the office.
"And mind the gargoyle, won't you?" she shouted over her shoulder. Owen gave Huey a look as he shook his head, turning towards him.
"What the hell was that bat talking about?" Owen asked. Huey shook his head again, snorting and starting for the door.
"I don't even know, man." Owen turned around as well. "Just-"
Owen's arm bumped the edge of a shelf, causing a statue to fall and crash to the floor. Both men gaped at it, cringing and staring towards each other. Owen quickly crouched down in a futile attempt to reattach the pieces. Huey couldn't help but smirk.
"Gargoyle?"
"Shut up." Owen shook his head as he set the broken pieces back on the shelf. "I will never accept this shit."
"Of course you won't."
"So." Owen put on a pair of sunglasses as they walked back into the sunshine, starting down the sidewalk. "Did she give you any answers?"
Huey was more aware of the weight of the book in his jacket. He nodded.
"Yeah."
"Oh?" Owen glanced towards him. "Like what?"
Huey paused. He sighed, then shrugged.
"I'll let you know when I figure it out."
No long author's notes this time. I AM out of it. :/
Thanks for reading!
-Kelsey