Blaire woke with a jolt. She gasped for breath. The air didn't want to stay inside. She felt herself slipping away again.
"Blaire! Blaire! Calm down. Take deep breaths. Come on, I know you can do it."
It was Vicky, luring her back into a realm of sanity. She opened her eyes to see the sweet faced brunette wearing a worried look. Vicky passed her a steaming cup. Suddenly feeling parched, she slurped up the herbal remedy. Once the warm liquid seeped into her bones, she looked around. Vicky sat to her left, Tate to her right. Jymie sat with her legs curled at the end of the bed.
"What's happening?" Blaire coughed.
"Your body was fighting your powers," Vicky explained. "The struggle between the spiritual presence and the magic exploded. It knocked you out."
"How long was I sleeping?" Blaire questioned.
"Three days," Tate muttered.
Blaire's eyes grew wide, "What? What did you tell Ben and Viv? And the b-"
"It's brilliant, actually," Jymie said with a smile. "Your boyfriend stumbled into the store all crazy and panicked. Vicky and I closed up shop when he started talking about you. We threw a bunch of random things into a bag and came over here… practically haven't left since."
"But-"
"You're so eager. Calm down," Vicky trickled.
"I suggested we text Ben," Tate mumbled. "From your phone, of course, and tell him you decided to go San Francisco for a few days with friends. He'll text you from time to time to check in on you, and we text him back."
"I'm really confused," Blaire confessed.
"Us too," Jymie admitted.
"We did some research," Vicky followed. "A lot of research, actually."
"Witches and ghosts have existed since the beginning of time. That's a well-known fact. What is less known is that there is a rare form of witch-ghost hybrids that exist. When a witch dies before they acknowledge their powers, their ghost cannot ascend. The spirit will somehow find their way to their powers. For a while, they exist as both spirit and witch. Then… then there is a fight for dominance. Both are strong, and neither can overpower the other. The vessel collapses, and when it comes back, it is transformed into a being that is both ghost and witch."
"Isn't that what I am right now? I'm a ghost that is a witch."
"Not the same," Jymie said. "A ghost that is a witch and a ghost-witch hybrid are not the same. Before, you were a spirit that casted spells and made potions. Now you are a combination. You exist in both realms."
"I don't see what the difference is," Blaire shrugged.
"You won't," Vicky confessed. "For a while, at least."
"And then what?"
"Then," Jymie said. "Then get to experience The Ultimate. It is that place you go to when you drift, what humans call sleeping and dreams. It is a world where all the great hybrids go."
"I don't understand," Tate said. "She isn't leaving me, is she?"
He reached out and grabbed my hand.
"Oh!" Jymie exclaimed. "No. Not at all. The opposite. She will be a messenger. It's an honor."
"What if I don't want that?" Blaire asked. "I don't want to be some... some idol! I don't want to be a messenger. I want to be a ghost. That's all."
"Not possible," Jymie shrugged. "It's been done."
"You've been chosen," Vicky added.
Blaire looked at Tate with deep, sad eyes. She squeezed his hand tighter. He offered her a smile.
"You'll always come back to me," He muttered under his breath.
"Always," Blaire smiled.
"The worst part of the transformation is over," Jymie cut in. "But you will experience some mild episodes. You won't pass out for days on time, but you will feel some pain every now and then."
"I feel like I'm being diagnosed to death," Blaire said. "But I'm already dead."
"It's not supposed to be a bad thing, I think," Tate offered.
"Like I said, it's an honor," Jymie gave. "A blessing among both ghosts and witches."
Blaire was growing irritated with their remarks. She didn't feel like the goddess they were making her out to be. She was a ghost. She killed herself. She stole for years to provide for herself. She lied. She cheated. She murdered a man. And what? Now she was being honored for it all.
To get them to leave her alone, she put on a smile and pretended to accept the whole ordeal.
"Thanks for taking care of me," She said after a long second. "I really appreciate it. But I probably should um, get downstairs and tell everyone I'm back."
"We get the hint that it's our time to get out," Vicky laughed. "Don't stop coming to the shop because you are all powerful now. We'd miss seeing your face."
They both rose from their spots on the bed. Vicky disappeared into a corner where she began packing up a small tote. Jymie lingered for a few moments before coming close to Blaire. She leaned down close. Her hands moved quickly as she pressed a vile into Blaire's body.
"It was really hard for me to test this with Vicky around. Thankfully there are rats in this building. I've got it perfect. The remedy is inside along with a piece of piece of parchment with the spell. You'll need to read the spell before putting the potion in Vivian's food. She'll be sick for a few hours while the weak baby gets stronger, and then she'll go into labor."
Blaire smiled, "Thank you so much."
"Don't mention it. After all, you practically own my entire being now."
"Jymie, come on!" Vicky called out softly. "We need to leave before they see us."
"All right. Hold your suspenders."
She gave a smile and went to Vicky's side. They lowered and disappeared down the steps. Tate looked at me with a raised eyebrow.
"What did she say?"
"Nothing," Blaire rushed. "She was just congratulating me and stuff. The usual bullshit you get when you, as a ghost, become a witch, and then transform into some sort of creepy hybrid high goddess in another realm."
Tate laughed, then leaned over and kissed me, "Who would've ever guessed you and I would be like Price William and Kate Middleton?"
"I didn't know you read gossip rags," Blaire grinned.
"Well, I don't," Tate flushed. "Not usually. Sometimes they're just… there… and it gets boring."
Blaire cupped his face and kissed him softly before unfolding her legs and sliding off the bed. She kept the vile tight against her palm as she walked over to the closet. She set the vile on the windowsill ledge and pulled some clothes off hangers.
"So, did you do a good job of pretending to be me so the family didn't get suspicious?"
"Yeah," Tate nodded. "I think so."
She got dressed quickly and shoved the vile into her pocket. Emerging from the room, she went to the vanity where she pulled her hair into a tight bun. She strutted over to Tate and kissed him before saying,
"I'm going downstairs. Don't leave me, okay?"
"Why would you ever think something like that?" He breathed against her skin.
"I just like to hear you say you won't."
She stumbled down the stairs and followed the house's noises to the kitchen. There, Vivian busied herself over a stove. Ben sat at the island sipping a cup of wine. Violet sat next to him, busy texting on her phone.
"Hi!" Blaire grinned. "I'm back."
Viv turned with a smile, "Just in time for dinner! Sit, sit! Tell us all about your little trip."
Dinner already? Blaire hadn't had time to look over spell or look at the herbs. She didn't know how to deliver it to Vivian. She graced herself from the table.
"Can it wait like, 2 minutes? I really need to use the bathroom."
She disappeared into the hallway bathroom. She quickly looked at the mixture. It'd be easy enough to slip into whatever she made for dinner. The spell also was easy enough to memorize. She put it back into her pants pocket and flushed the toilet, then sauntered back into the kitchen.
"Sorry!" She apologized. "It was a long drive back."
"It's fine," Ben shrugged. "Nature calls, I guess."
"Here, Viv. Let me help you out."
"You just got back! You don't need to cook."
"I insist," Blaire smiled, linking herself to Vivian's side. "I love cooking. You've got a growing bump. Sit, sit."
She sighed and agreed, grabbing her mug of herbal tea as she went. Blaire swiftly took over and spoke fluently.
"San Francisco was great. If you haven't been there in a while, you defiantly need to go. It's beautiful and busy and just… great."
Blaire was no stranger to the area. She'd been there when she was younger and then after she died.
"Maybe we can go when they babies are born," Vivian suggested.
"For sure."
"This is almost finished," Blaire muttered over the plates. She opened up the vile.
"So what did you and your friends do?" Ben asked.
She coughed out a laugh, "It's kind of embarrassing. We went to a, um, a burlesque show."
Violet laughed, "Nice!"
"We went to the theater, too! It wasn't all… bad."
"Burlesque, wow," Ben chuckled.
"Ben and I went to one of those."
Vivian's recounting of her and Ben's wild night show was Blaire's perfect opportunity to dip into the vile. She added the herbs to a portion of mashed potatoes and muttered,
"Child born of vengeful sin, you are the stronger twin. Not for long will you survive, the other baby will now thrive. Your presence is not welcome, now leave thy mum."
She grabbed Viv's plate, as well as Ben's, and slid them onto the island. Then she grabbed the other two and sat down next to Violet. They began eating and Blaire said.
"I really didn't know you guys were into that kind of stuff."
"You're only young once," Vivian shrugged, spooning the potatoes into her mouth.
Blaire carried on the conversation, making sure Vivian ate every bit of her meal. She was mesmerized by the movement of the spoon. She hoped she was making the right decision.