Chapter One
3:43pm, Friday, April 20, 2003
Athena, Aimee, Echo and Morgaine sat around lazily, outside of the choir room. Chakira, M'Lila and Nasira were in the choir room, practicing with the rest of the Chorale. The other girls had been practicing since 3:10, and the four of them had been chatting idlely. Strains of Rio, Rio Chio were drifting from the room near them, as the Chorale prepared for the Greater New York Renaissance Festival, which began in June.
"How much longer?" Echo wondered aloud.
Aimee glanced at her watch. "Shouldn't be too much longer. This is over at 4:00."
The girls were waiting for M'Lila, Chakira and Nasira, because they couldn't start the meeting without them. If it were any other occasion, the girls would head off to Aimee's house, so they could do the meeting, with or without the three missing girls. However, Chakira, their High Priestess, was one of the Chorale members, and M'Lila had insisted upon coming along, because she had been having visions.
Suddenly, the Chorale burst out of the choir room, Chakira, M'Lila and Nasira in the lead. The three girls walked directly to their waiting covenmates, without conversing with each other, or anyone else. As they walked, Nasira straightened her burgundy beret and M'Lila pulled on her mini backpack.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Chakira asked the group. "Let's get going!"
4:23
"You have got to be kidding!" Aimee exclaimed. "Christine York can't be your neighbor!"
The coven was walking down the street toward Chakira's house and she had casually mentioned that she lived a couple of door down from Chris. Sarah-Chakira had forgotten what an uproar it would bring. But she could deal with it.
"She always has been, and she always will be." Chakira replied calmly.
"But that can't be!" M'Lila put in. "You would've told us about the three days running up till New Years."
"Not if I was in Las Vegas for a few weeks." Chakira answered. "By the time I got home, Jericho was dead, Christine was safe, Satan was gone and it was all out of the news. I didn't even know what happened, till the movie came out and I asked Christine what she thought about it."
"What'd she say?" Athena pressed.
"She said that it was a scary experience that she'd rather not repeat." Chakira shrugged. "I had to get her to tell me what she meant."
"Prove it!" Nasira insisted.
"Ok, I will."
Chakira pointed to the house she meant, and the coven headed over in that direction. The entire coven was talking in an excited whisper as they walked. Everyone except Chakira was excited to meet the real Christine York, and to hear her side of the story. It was all the same to Chakira. She knew the story just as well as Christine did, and felt like she had gone through it, instead of Christine. It hit too close to home.
The girls sat quietly around the living room. There was a complete silence, almost tense. Yes, Christine had invited them in, and yes, she was being nice. But it was almost as if she was searching for where to start in the story. As if, she said she'd tell, but she really didn't want to.
"Why don't you just start from the top, Chris?" Sarah urged gently.
Christine nodded, swallowed, and began. "It really all started when I was born 22 years ago. The planets were in just in such an alignment, and there was a bright star in the sky. A priest at the Vatican saw the star, pulled some scrolls out, and looked the star up. Apparently, it had been foretold that a baby would be born that would marry Satan and let him loose the gates of hell."
"Eeek!" Aimee said. "That doesn't sound good."
"Oh, it gets worse." Christine commented. "After I was born, I was taken downstairs to where I was baptized by a Satanist with rattlesnake blood."
"Gross!" Echo said.
"I was taken home and kept in seclusion for many years. After my mother died, my dad married my nanny, who took care of me even after he died. At least up to that point. My family didn't know it, but my nanny was a Satanist who planned to deliver me to her master when I turned 21."
"Odd." Athena murmured.
"Jericho got into it on December 29th. The Wall Street banker he was supposed to protect was taken over by Satan. About that time, everything began to go haywire. There were numerous tries on my life, and Satanist were running everywhere."
"Scary." Said Aimee.
"Finally, on the night of the 31st, my nanny tried to take me to her master. But it didn't work. Jericho caught her, just before we were going to leave. There was a big fight, and she died. The fire was caused by Satan himself, who was trying to get to me."
"Did he get you?" Echo asked.
"No. Jericho saved me. Satan destroyed a church in a show of his power, there was a large fight, and Satan took Jericho over. Jericho impaled himself on a sword to save himself from Satan controlling him to get to me. Unfortunately, there was so much crap going on, that Satan's body was destroyed. The innocent investment banker died."
"That's sad." Morgaine said.
"It is." Chakira added.
"Thank you for your time, Christine." M'Lila put in.
"We never would've believed Sarah otherwise." Nasira joked, punching Sarah in the arm.
6:30pm
Later on, the seven girls sat around Chakira's room, talking. The seven Witches were waiting for sunset, when they would do their Esbat, and, as usual, they were talking. All of them were friends with each other, having met some of the coveners through their existing friends, and otherwise.
"Shall we pass around the crystal ball, while we wait?" Aimee asked.
Athena and Nasira put heavy veils over the windows, Morgaine lit the candles and Echo took care of the incense. When everything was ready, M'Lila took out the ball. The girls smiled, seeing the candlelight make tiny stars in the ball.
The ball was passed from hand to hand, everyone taking a few moments to peer within its crystalline depths. If anyone saw anything, they did not mention it. That is, until the ball got to Nasira. She was the first to actually see anything.
"Three men...Dressed in black...They all hold something in common..."
"Mandy, Val and Gabriel. Known otherwise as Lucifer, Morgead and Satan." M'Lila said, unexpectedly.
No one questioned what M'Lila said. She was gifted with the Sight, and often had a way of knowing things that others did not. The question was, what did M'Lila know now?
"All Satanists...Missionaries, if you will." M'Lila murmured.
"What?!" Aimee exclaimed. "We don't believe in Satan!"
"Officially, Witches don't believe in Satan. However, these three are undeniable." Athena interjected. "Continue, M'Lila."
"They're all perfect targets, if you think about it. Mandy Francisco...Do any of you know him?"
"I think I saw him on Touched by an Angel." Morgaine offered.
"I think he's a folk singer, isn't he?" Aimee asked.
"You're both right." M'Lila replied.
"But how is Mandy a 'perfect target'?" Nasira questioned.
M'Lila answered by firing a question to Morgaine. "What did Mandy play on that show, Morgaine?"
"Satan." Was the answer.
"Ooh." Suddenly, Nasira understood.
"Next, we have Val Valentino. Once famous for his shows in Las Vegas, he destroyed his career by revealing the secrets of magic on TV."
"How does that make him a prime target?" Echo asked.
"He looks like familiar images of the human form of Satan, and he's corrupted."
"Ahh." Came the reply.
M'Lila paused to accept a glass of Sprite and to light a cigarette. Once everyone had their drinks and lit their cigarettes (if they wanted one), M'Lila continued with her thoughts.
"Finally, we have Gabriel Kiernan."
"What's wrong with Àngel?" asked Chakira. "I happen to be a fan! He is a great actor, the father of 2 cute kids, and he was born Catholic. I mean, he is the perfect example of an Irishman! Did I remember to add cute too?"
"He played Satan in End of Days, Chakira."
"Gabriel also played a priest that same year in Stigmata, M'Lila."
"Would you like to look in this crystal ball again?"
Obligingly, Chakira took the ball back from M'Lila. She peered inside for a few moments, before handing the crystal ball back to M'Lila. The High Priestess looked fairly disconcerted.
"Morgead must've offered him a pretty raw deal, then."
Suddenly, the group went off into discussion. They talked of the destruction they saw, as well as what to do about it. Some of the girls weren't too happy about the idea of war, but, if worse came to worse, they were all for it. Chakira didn't say much, being lost in the caverns of her own mind (running through the ritual, I'll bet). The conversation went on around her, no one noticing that the High Priestess wasn't saying anything. Finally, she decided the discussion had to be stopped.
"I regret to inform you that this little party has to be broken up. If you'll lift the veils, you'll see that the sun has set, and we still have an Esbat and Triple Goddess Ceremony to do." Chakira said suddenly.
One of the girls lifted the corner of one of the veils and peeked out the window. Sure enough, the sun had set, and it was dark outside. At the formal announcement of dark, the veils were taken from the windows, the candles blown out and the incense doused. The overhead light went on, and all seven girls began to change into their ritual robes at the same time. The closet doors were thrown open, as everyone tried to get their ritual robes from the back. A mass exit ensued.
3:43pm, Friday, April 20, 2003
Athena, Aimee, Echo and Morgaine sat around lazily, outside of the choir room. Chakira, M'Lila and Nasira were in the choir room, practicing with the rest of the Chorale. The other girls had been practicing since 3:10, and the four of them had been chatting idlely. Strains of Rio, Rio Chio were drifting from the room near them, as the Chorale prepared for the Greater New York Renaissance Festival, which began in June.
"How much longer?" Echo wondered aloud.
Aimee glanced at her watch. "Shouldn't be too much longer. This is over at 4:00."
The girls were waiting for M'Lila, Chakira and Nasira, because they couldn't start the meeting without them. If it were any other occasion, the girls would head off to Aimee's house, so they could do the meeting, with or without the three missing girls. However, Chakira, their High Priestess, was one of the Chorale members, and M'Lila had insisted upon coming along, because she had been having visions.
Suddenly, the Chorale burst out of the choir room, Chakira, M'Lila and Nasira in the lead. The three girls walked directly to their waiting covenmates, without conversing with each other, or anyone else. As they walked, Nasira straightened her burgundy beret and M'Lila pulled on her mini backpack.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Chakira asked the group. "Let's get going!"
4:23
"You have got to be kidding!" Aimee exclaimed. "Christine York can't be your neighbor!"
The coven was walking down the street toward Chakira's house and she had casually mentioned that she lived a couple of door down from Chris. Sarah-Chakira had forgotten what an uproar it would bring. But she could deal with it.
"She always has been, and she always will be." Chakira replied calmly.
"But that can't be!" M'Lila put in. "You would've told us about the three days running up till New Years."
"Not if I was in Las Vegas for a few weeks." Chakira answered. "By the time I got home, Jericho was dead, Christine was safe, Satan was gone and it was all out of the news. I didn't even know what happened, till the movie came out and I asked Christine what she thought about it."
"What'd she say?" Athena pressed.
"She said that it was a scary experience that she'd rather not repeat." Chakira shrugged. "I had to get her to tell me what she meant."
"Prove it!" Nasira insisted.
"Ok, I will."
Chakira pointed to the house she meant, and the coven headed over in that direction. The entire coven was talking in an excited whisper as they walked. Everyone except Chakira was excited to meet the real Christine York, and to hear her side of the story. It was all the same to Chakira. She knew the story just as well as Christine did, and felt like she had gone through it, instead of Christine. It hit too close to home.
The girls sat quietly around the living room. There was a complete silence, almost tense. Yes, Christine had invited them in, and yes, she was being nice. But it was almost as if she was searching for where to start in the story. As if, she said she'd tell, but she really didn't want to.
"Why don't you just start from the top, Chris?" Sarah urged gently.
Christine nodded, swallowed, and began. "It really all started when I was born 22 years ago. The planets were in just in such an alignment, and there was a bright star in the sky. A priest at the Vatican saw the star, pulled some scrolls out, and looked the star up. Apparently, it had been foretold that a baby would be born that would marry Satan and let him loose the gates of hell."
"Eeek!" Aimee said. "That doesn't sound good."
"Oh, it gets worse." Christine commented. "After I was born, I was taken downstairs to where I was baptized by a Satanist with rattlesnake blood."
"Gross!" Echo said.
"I was taken home and kept in seclusion for many years. After my mother died, my dad married my nanny, who took care of me even after he died. At least up to that point. My family didn't know it, but my nanny was a Satanist who planned to deliver me to her master when I turned 21."
"Odd." Athena murmured.
"Jericho got into it on December 29th. The Wall Street banker he was supposed to protect was taken over by Satan. About that time, everything began to go haywire. There were numerous tries on my life, and Satanist were running everywhere."
"Scary." Said Aimee.
"Finally, on the night of the 31st, my nanny tried to take me to her master. But it didn't work. Jericho caught her, just before we were going to leave. There was a big fight, and she died. The fire was caused by Satan himself, who was trying to get to me."
"Did he get you?" Echo asked.
"No. Jericho saved me. Satan destroyed a church in a show of his power, there was a large fight, and Satan took Jericho over. Jericho impaled himself on a sword to save himself from Satan controlling him to get to me. Unfortunately, there was so much crap going on, that Satan's body was destroyed. The innocent investment banker died."
"That's sad." Morgaine said.
"It is." Chakira added.
"Thank you for your time, Christine." M'Lila put in.
"We never would've believed Sarah otherwise." Nasira joked, punching Sarah in the arm.
6:30pm
Later on, the seven girls sat around Chakira's room, talking. The seven Witches were waiting for sunset, when they would do their Esbat, and, as usual, they were talking. All of them were friends with each other, having met some of the coveners through their existing friends, and otherwise.
"Shall we pass around the crystal ball, while we wait?" Aimee asked.
Athena and Nasira put heavy veils over the windows, Morgaine lit the candles and Echo took care of the incense. When everything was ready, M'Lila took out the ball. The girls smiled, seeing the candlelight make tiny stars in the ball.
The ball was passed from hand to hand, everyone taking a few moments to peer within its crystalline depths. If anyone saw anything, they did not mention it. That is, until the ball got to Nasira. She was the first to actually see anything.
"Three men...Dressed in black...They all hold something in common..."
"Mandy, Val and Gabriel. Known otherwise as Lucifer, Morgead and Satan." M'Lila said, unexpectedly.
No one questioned what M'Lila said. She was gifted with the Sight, and often had a way of knowing things that others did not. The question was, what did M'Lila know now?
"All Satanists...Missionaries, if you will." M'Lila murmured.
"What?!" Aimee exclaimed. "We don't believe in Satan!"
"Officially, Witches don't believe in Satan. However, these three are undeniable." Athena interjected. "Continue, M'Lila."
"They're all perfect targets, if you think about it. Mandy Francisco...Do any of you know him?"
"I think I saw him on Touched by an Angel." Morgaine offered.
"I think he's a folk singer, isn't he?" Aimee asked.
"You're both right." M'Lila replied.
"But how is Mandy a 'perfect target'?" Nasira questioned.
M'Lila answered by firing a question to Morgaine. "What did Mandy play on that show, Morgaine?"
"Satan." Was the answer.
"Ooh." Suddenly, Nasira understood.
"Next, we have Val Valentino. Once famous for his shows in Las Vegas, he destroyed his career by revealing the secrets of magic on TV."
"How does that make him a prime target?" Echo asked.
"He looks like familiar images of the human form of Satan, and he's corrupted."
"Ahh." Came the reply.
M'Lila paused to accept a glass of Sprite and to light a cigarette. Once everyone had their drinks and lit their cigarettes (if they wanted one), M'Lila continued with her thoughts.
"Finally, we have Gabriel Kiernan."
"What's wrong with Àngel?" asked Chakira. "I happen to be a fan! He is a great actor, the father of 2 cute kids, and he was born Catholic. I mean, he is the perfect example of an Irishman! Did I remember to add cute too?"
"He played Satan in End of Days, Chakira."
"Gabriel also played a priest that same year in Stigmata, M'Lila."
"Would you like to look in this crystal ball again?"
Obligingly, Chakira took the ball back from M'Lila. She peered inside for a few moments, before handing the crystal ball back to M'Lila. The High Priestess looked fairly disconcerted.
"Morgead must've offered him a pretty raw deal, then."
Suddenly, the group went off into discussion. They talked of the destruction they saw, as well as what to do about it. Some of the girls weren't too happy about the idea of war, but, if worse came to worse, they were all for it. Chakira didn't say much, being lost in the caverns of her own mind (running through the ritual, I'll bet). The conversation went on around her, no one noticing that the High Priestess wasn't saying anything. Finally, she decided the discussion had to be stopped.
"I regret to inform you that this little party has to be broken up. If you'll lift the veils, you'll see that the sun has set, and we still have an Esbat and Triple Goddess Ceremony to do." Chakira said suddenly.
One of the girls lifted the corner of one of the veils and peeked out the window. Sure enough, the sun had set, and it was dark outside. At the formal announcement of dark, the veils were taken from the windows, the candles blown out and the incense doused. The overhead light went on, and all seven girls began to change into their ritual robes at the same time. The closet doors were thrown open, as everyone tried to get their ritual robes from the back. A mass exit ensued.