"My Own Worst Enemy"
An Espionage Adventure starring W.i.t.c.h.
By: A J
Standard Disclaimer applies, please don't sue.
Chapter 7
The Astral brigade was walking from the Observatory towards their respective homes when they crossed paths with Cassidy. They were all passing the Heatherfield Mall when the Water-girl nearly plowed Mei and 'Mina down with her ancient Vespa. Only the pair of Altermeres' quick reflexes saved them.
"Heyyyy, what's the rush, Cass?" Mei yelped, rubbing her shin where she'd bopped it against a light pole while jumping out of the way.
"Huh? I thought I was meeting someone at home to get to … Can-can class," Cassidy blurted. She eyed the six magical duplicates before her.
"Subtle, Cassiedile," Carmen said, as she simultaneously heeded her inner Irma's reminder of the earlier warning, and rolled her eyes at the obvious code-phrase.
"Well ..?" Cass shrugged.
"Class got canceled. Did'ja read your note?" Carmen continued.
"Oh! Yeah," Cassidy replied, turning to give a sympathetic look to Mei. "Soooo, how bad is it?"
"That, we're still finding out," Rhea supplied. "Or at least, our other halves are, while we cover the home front … fronts."
"Oh! You're the Ast ..." 'Mina quickly clapped a hand over Cassidy's mouth.
"Yeah, and ixnay on the opdray, okay? I have no idea or desire to see if I can re-conjure them if something happens."
"Sorry …" Cass murmured under her hand.
"S'arriiiightt ..." Carmen drawled. 'Mina moved her hand while Jayne rolled her eyes.
"Let's get moving, gang. I've still got to get to skate practice, here." She wafted her hair back one-handed, just like Cornelia.
"Ooooh, that's right!" Mei sang.
"Hey, if we're still in time for Corny to get to practice, what're you doing out of work already?" Carmen asked Cass.
"Oh, I told my boss when I got there that my 'Grams' wasn't feeling well when I left for work, and he let me go early. It was slow tonight anyway. I didn't even have to wait for break to read the … class note"
"Then you know as much as we do," Matt Two said from 'Mina's side. "The others went to Elyon's to see what else they could find out, and we're … late, ladies. Let's get Janey … sorry, Jayne," he amended at the blonde girl's glare, "to practice, and go cover for our Guardians, okay?"
"Couldn't have said it better myself," 'Mina appended with a quick kiss to his cheek.
She turned back around too fast to see the sneer of disdain that overtook his features.
"Ooh, don't forget to call your folks to get home, Cornelia," Mei chirped.
"What? Why?" the blonde 'Drop demanded.
"Oh, that curfew tonight, right, Mei-mei?" Rhea countered.
"Uh-huh," the Air Altermere replied, nodding. She and the others looked pointedly at Carmen.
"Why's everybody looking at me?" Irma's double asked. Then more of her originator's memories bubbled to the surface, and she gulped. "Oh, right. A J, who looks like Irma … and me." Her voice squeaked at the end, and she made an obvious double-take of her watch. "Time to get home," she blurted, linking arms with Mei and Rhea and turning them all purposefully back towards downtown.
"Nuh-uh," 'Mina told them, grabbing hold of the back of Carmen's collar. "No splitting up. We get 'Cornelia' to practice, then we escort each other home."
"Er, how's that s'posed to work?" Cassidy asked her. "If you all go to each house, how're any of you actually getting home?"
"Strength in numbers," 'Mina said, echoing Eric's phrase from earlier. "We get each girl home, but glamour up likenesses of them at each stop like we're all getting together for a sleepover."
"In other words, your usual gathering trick, with a twist," Matt chuckled.
"We present a united front, even alone," Rhea said sagely, nodding along with 'Mina.
"Cool," Cassidy said, smiling. "Well, hey … my house is a block from the rink. How about we drop this thing off and I go for the walk with you?" she asked, indicating her scooter.
"NO!" All the 'Drops cried together. Cass practically fell off her Vespa from their vehemence.
"Jeez, alright, ya don't have ta bite my head off," Cassidy grumped. "What's the big deal, anyway?"
So they told her.
"Ohmigod, this … you think this creep is after Irma?" she gasped.
"I'd say the odds're better'n average," Carmen slurred, thinking back to the haunted look Tom Lair had given his daughter at the assembly.
"Hey, schedule to keep, here," Jayne told them, swishing her hair again.
"Alright, let's get 'Corny' to practice, and the rest of us home," Mei chirped, Hay Lin's normally 'up' nature shining through her duplicate. The other Astral Drops took it as a good sign, and headed towards the Heatherfield Rink.
At some point, Cassidy started singing a classic 'ear-worm', and the girls finished their marches home humming Willie Nelson's "On the Road Again."
Enemy
'Mina saw the Fire 'Drop home at last, called up a glamour of Taranee, and turned with her ghostly group of triplicates to go back to her own family's apartment. Less than a block later, she let the inane chatter she was maintaining between herself and the others to die away for a minute, listening intently.
She could have sworn she'd heard someone whistling softly nearby. It wasn't the dratted song Cass had gotten them stuck with, but it was familiar … 'Mina gasped. It was Wreck's "The Demon in Me"!
"Matt?" she called softly. 'Mina concentrated on the group of glamoured Guardians around her, having each one look in a different direction while she opened her consciousness to the surrounding area. "C'mon … frontman," she added telepathically. She grumbled to herself for a second. She really hadn't been 'out' much recently if it took her that long to remember what Will was calling her boyfriend this week. "If that's you, it's safe to come out ..." 'Mina and the others had dropped Matt Two off almost half an hour earlier, between their stops at Hay and Irma's.
The faint whistler changed tunes, and 'Mina recognised the theme song from 'True Blood'. Taranee had gotten the others all hooked when she found out that her favorite guilty-pleasure novels were going to TV-land. Now, 'Mina listened as her mystery whistler serenaded her with the chorus of Jace Everett's "Bad Things".
'Ah, jeez,' 'Mina sighed, unconsciously borrowing Irma's oft-used line. She blushed as well when the song's lyrics came to mind in time with the tune. "Matt, if that isn't you ..." she sent, leading her glamoured company around the corner into an alley, where she dispelled them.
"It is, and it isn't," a familiar voice said from right behind her.
"Matt!" 'Mina gasped, whirling. She could have sworn he wasn't there a second ago. "Hey … weren't you ..?" She pointed to where the whistling had been coming from. He grinned.
"Simple misdirection. Mei showed me once how to throw my voice." He waggled his eyebrows as he wrapped his arms around her and reeled her in for a kiss.
"Maammph!" she started, only to lose message and thought both under his insistent ministrations. With a burst of static shock, 'Mina got his questing tongue away from her mouth and breathing room between their bodies. "Matt!" she hissed. "What the #&][!"
"You have no idea how long he's wanted to do that," he chuckled.
"Matt Two," 'Mina uttered. "Why track me down now? You could have just stayed with us when we dropped off Mei."
"I had to deliver Kor's dinner," he replied. "And tell him where to meet the others."
'Then … what? You decided to come indulge your other half's more lecherous fantasies?"
"Something like that," Matt's 'Drop said with a disturbing grin. He pulled her back in for a slower, more thorough kiss, and 'Mina sighed guiltily against him.
"We really shouldn't ..." she began and swayed on her feet when he let her step away finally. "Whoa. I know kissing can make you light-headed, but ..." She reached out to steady herself against the nearest building, but Matt Two pulled her to him instead.
"Hang in there, Angel-mina. We're just getting started ..."
"S'how come I feel finished ..." she asked fuzzily, leaning harder against him. "Help me home?" 'Mina looked up into Matt's eyes, belatedly mad that the light was so bad in this alley. She could have sworn it was brighter here.
"No problem, 'Mina," he said with a condescending smirk. She was such a lightweight, he'd have to take his time with his plans, he realised. Wrapping his arms back around her, he teletransported them both to the hall outside her 'sister's apartment.
Knocking on the door, he propped her up while they waited. '… Now!' He spun and locked lips with a still-staggering 'Mina as the door opened to reveal Susan Vandom.
"What is it, Maa … WILL!" Sue cried.
"Mom?" 'Mina gasped, wrenching loose of Matt Two's arms unsteadily.
"Get some rest, sweetheart," Matt said with a wink. He took off down the hall and then the stairs before she or her mother could reply.
"What do you have to say for yourself, young lady?" Susan grilled as she practically yanked 'Mina into the Vandoms' apartment.
"Uh, he kinda caught me by surprise, out there ..."
"He did? Or I did?" Sue asked, crossing her arms.
"Matt did! Sheesh!" 'Mina threw her hands up, falling onto the couch. She landed harder than she intended to. "It's not like he warns me when he's gonna kiss me ..."
"Well, maybe he should start," Susan retorted, doing her best to hide the sudden smile she felt at her daughter's surliness. It reminded her of arguments she'd had with her own mother. "Did you all stop at the Silver Dragon for dinner?"
"Er, no … We just stopped long enough to get Mei-mei home," 'Mina grunted.
"Mei-mei?" Now Susan did smile. The girls were forever giving each other new nicknames.
"Yeah," 'Mina chuckled nervously. 'Don't panic!' "It's … 'little sister' in Chinese … and she is the youngest of us ..."
Susan chuckled as well. "It's cute. And slightly more dignified than Hay-hay, I think. Alright, come on, I expected you'd stopped somewhere, so I was just warming some leftovers. An extra serving isn't any trouble ..." She stopped halfway into the kitchenette, turning around to see that Will hadn't moved yet. At ALL. Any other day, and her always-hungry daughter would have beaten her through the door … "Will? What's the matter?"
"I'm just … tired, Mom. None of us had our bikes, and we all walked each other home, until it was just me … and Matt ..."
"Well, that explains why you're not getting home until nearly seven, at least," Sue sighed. "So why wasn't Matt tired?" she teased.
"Prob'ly 'cause he wasn't there for the whole trip," 'Mina grumped. She wasn't even sure why she was suddenly so upset. It wasn't like Matt was her boyfriend. "We dropped him and Hay off first, on the way to Corny's skate practice, and he caught back up with me at Taranee's and got me ho … ommmme," she yawned suddenly. "Just in time, 'parently ..." She grabbed hold of the couch arm with both hands to pull herself back to her feet. 'Why am I this tired?' she couldn't help wondering.
Susan leaped forward to catch 'Mina as she got nearly upright, then crumpled to the floor, dead asleep.
