Chapter Five

The Forest's Desert

Athena woke up the next morning, secretly wishing the past day had all been a dream. Maybe she'd been slipped a hallucinogenic drug without her knowledge. Or got a concussion in the fight with the Phantom.

Are you going to do this to yourself every morning? How long will it be until you accept the consequences of your actions?

But of course, it wasn't to be. His words had tormented her all last night, leaving her in no mood to deal with his commentary. Turns out, a common after-effect of demonic possession was headache. Who knew?

"I'm visiting a friend outside of town today, okay? There's nothing for you to do. I thought it was part of my deal that you wouldn't invade my personal life."

No, actually. The deal was that I would never possess you during your personal life. If you really want to be a lawyer, you should learn to distinguish differences such as these.

"Should I really be taking advice from someone whose career ended in their early thirties? I'm not sure that will work out for me in the long term." She snapped back, sinking to his level. "There's a reason you need me, you know. And whose fault is that?"

With accepting my evil came accepting my failures. In death, they torment me no longer.

It wasn't as though she believed that, but it was enough to get them off topic. "If you really want to be here to observe me, I need you to be as quiet as possible. I'm going to enjoy my time with Junie, and I'm not goint to have you ruin it."

I will keep quiet. You won't even know I'm here.

"Good."

Athena got out of bed, showering and dressing herself and praying that Gavin wasn't with her in the bathroom. He never said anything, and she hoped he never did. The embarrassment would probably kill her.

Athena didn't don her work outfit this time, opting for a T-shirt and jeans. The shirt was her shade of yellow, and had the words "Don't Worry Be Happy" etched on the front. It'd been an impulse purchase, but she'd ended up liking it. Athena smiled at herself in the mirror, then flipped the power switch on Widget.

"Good morning, Athena!"

"Good morning, Widget!" she chirped, beaming. She silently waited for snark from the resident demon, and exhaled when she heard nothing. Maybe he was going to keep his promise today. That would be pleasant. Maybe she could even forget about him.

Athena had slept in too late for jogging, so she downed a glass of water, grabbed a protein bar, and burst out the door. Buying bus fare went without incident, and the bus was right on time. The closest stop to Junie's house was still a half hour away from the real place, so Athena brought a bottle of water with her for the walk.

When Athena was younger, she had loved her trips up to Junie's house. The relative lack of people was easier for her ears to process, and made her feel less overwhelmed than the city did. Now that she was used to the constant noise, the wilderness made her feel empty. Lonely.

But Athena knew Junie preferred the mountains for health reasons, and she didn't mind going out of her way to see her. It was especially nice after they'd reconnected, even if this would be her first time at Juniper's house in years.

Should she have brought a coat? Athena vaguely remembered it being colder in the mountains, but she didn't have anything very thick. She'd gotten rid of all her snow gear upon moving to America. It didn't snow in LA, right?

She pulled up a game of Solitaire on Widget to keep herself occupied, one ear out to listen for her stop. It was the last stop on an hours-long route, so it shouldn't be hard to miss. The heater wasn't very good, and she shivered as they got further out of town. What was she thinking?

When she got out, she ran down the road at top speed, wishing she'd worn something warmer. It was eight degrees Celsius at best. She remembered Juniper's house being fairly close to the bus stop, but the route wasn't exactly direct. Lots of twists and turns, and only the occasional neighbor out here. But Juniper had a nice big garden in the front of her home, so it was easy to tell which was hers.

Athena grinned when she saw it, panting as she knocked on the door. A tall old lady with gigantic glasses and a wool sweater answered the door, smiling when she saw Athena.

"Athena, sweetheart! Juniper told me you were coming by. So good to see you!"

"Thank you, Ms. Woods." Athena always loved Junie's grandma. She was so warm, and the voice of her heart was eternally clear. Her presence was soothing for someone like her, especially at a younger age. "May I come in?"

"Sure, dearie. And please, call me Grammie. You always did when you were younger, no reason to be so formal now." She handed Athena a warm cup of herbal tea. It must have been brewing before Athena showed up.

"Oh Grammie, you're so good to me."

"You're welcome, dearie. Juniper is in her room. She might be listening to music, so you'll have to let her know you're here. Do you have any Christmas plans, Athena?"

"I do. My boss and his family are putting together a Christmas party at the office. I was going to invite Juniper while I'm here. Did you want to come, Grammie?"

She shook her head. "I don't go into the city much anymore. Mostly for doctor visits and Juniper these days."

"Doctor visits?" Athena was concerned. "Are you sick, Grammie?"

"No, dear. Nothing like that." For the first time in living memory, Athena caught a bit of discord in Grammie's voice. "Go on and see Juniper. Tell her I have tea in the kitchen."

"No problemo." Athena meant to put more enthusiasm behind her voice, but she was distracted. What was wrong with Grammie?

Still, it didn't sound like she was going to talk about it to Athena. Maybe Juniper knew something about it.

She knocked on Juniper's door. Sure enough, Gavinners' music was blasting through the wood. "Junie?"

The music turned off, replaced by the sound of running feet. The door flew open. "Thena! Did you wear that outside?"

"Yeah..." Athena slumped, wiping her forehead. "It's warmer in the city."

"Thena, you need to warm up." Juniper sifted through her closet, handing her an orange trench coat that clashed with her hair. Athena threw it on, sipping her tea.

"Thanks, Junie."

Juniper noticed the tea. "Did Grandma make that?"

Athena nodded mid-sip, causing herself to cough. "She wanted me to tell you she had a cup ready in the kitchen if you wanted any."

"She probably made it for you. Grandma knows how you are."

"Gee thanks." Athena didn't miss the implication. "It's cold up here."

"It's always colder up here. You know that."

"Yeah, yeah. I don't know what I was thinking."

Juniper examined her friend cuddled up on her bed, finishing off the tea and dropping the mug on her nightstand. "Don't worry, Thena. You can borrow a sweater while you're here. I was hoping you would garden with me."

Athena perked up instantly at the thought. She never kept plants in her apartment, but Juniper was magic with them. Juniper had a green thumb that bordered on witchcraft. Her vegetables always grew up to be bountiful, and everything in the garden was one hundred percent organic. Athena and Juniper always had so much fun growing radishes and carrots as children. They were the only plants Athena didn't seem to destroy.

"Sure, Junie! You know I love helping you out there." She looked down at her outfit. "Sorry I didn't come prepared."

Juniper laughed. "It's okay, Thena. You know I don't mind letting you borrow things. Here," she pulled an old sweater out of her closet, laying it at Athena's feet, "wear this over your clothes. I'm going to go tell Grandma. We can head down to the shed when you're ready."

"Sure thing!" Athena pulled her sweater over her head the second the door was closed. She found it tight on her breasts to the point of being uncomfortable, but tried to make a big deal out of it. It wasn't itchy, and it wasn't like Athena had any right to complain. At least she'd worn her sneakers over.

Right as she was about to leave the room, she heard Juniper's grandmother coughing in the kitchen.

Something must be wrong with her. Athena was sure of it.

But when she stepped into the kitchen, both Juniper and her grandmother acted like nothing had happened. Juniper finished off her cup of tea and smiled at Athena. "You ready, Thena?"

"You bet. Let's do this!"

"You two be careful out there. Stick together, you hear?"

"Yes, Grandma," Juniper replied, the happiness disappearing from her voice. "We won't go any further than the garden."

"Good girls. Don't let Athena forget to come back in before the evening bus. We can eat an early dinner together. I'll prepare it."

"That sounds wonderful!" Athena loved the woman's cooking. It'd been years since they ate dinner together. "Don't worry, this won't take that long."

"Come on, Thena." Juniper ushered her out the door. On the walk to the shed, she turned to her friend. "Sorry about that. Grandma was protective of Robin and Hugh as well."

"Why?"

Juniper didn't face Athena when she answered. "It's nothing. One of our neighbors must have forgotten to tell somebody when she went out of town. No one's heard from Ms. Singh in days, and Grandma thinks the worst."

"Someone is missing?" Athena stopped in her tracks. "How awful!"

"Well, she is older than Grandma. Most of us just think she took the bus to the city and forgot to tell anyone. It's only been two days." Juniper pulled Athena by the arm. "The shed is this way. I have the key."

Athena followed Juniper to the shed, waiting as she unlocked the place. There was no heating in the shed, so it was almost as cold as outside. "Junie, is Grammie doing okay? She mentioned going to the doctor, and I heard her coughing."

Juniper stopped gathering tools, looking up at Athena. She wasn't smiling anymore. "The doctors don't know what's going on with her. She's been going and getting all these tests done, but they still don't have a diagnosis. She's struggling, but she won't slow down for anything. She doesn't want me talking about it. Not even Robin and Hugh know. I'm... only telling you because you'll find out anyway." Athena assumed Juniper was referring to her ears.

"Oh my gosh... Junie," Athena stuttered. "You shouldn't keep this a secret. Let me know if there's anything I can do, okay?"

"Just don't say anything to Grandma. If she asks, I didn't tell you, and don't ask. She doesn't want to hear it."

Athena was still concerned, but she didn't press on, simply gathering the necessary planting tools. The soil would be hard this time of year, and they would have to plant the crops closer together to prevent erosion. It was all coming back to Athena now.

When she knelt down in the dirt with Juniper, Athena felt a wave of boredom wash over her. Sure, she didn't enjoy gardening as much as Juniper, but it wasn't that bad. What was going on with her?

Must be Gavin.

"So what did you do with Robin and Hugh yesterday? Other than talk about the trial, I mean?"

"We didn't do much. Played cards. Hugh didn't want to stop studying, so we had to drag him."

"Does he have any construction work this time of year?"

"I don't think so. He still doesn't talk about that side of him very much."

"Well, he kept it a secret for so long. I'm really not surprised."

"But he must know he can trust us! We're his friends," Juniper argued, distressed. With everything in the girl's life right now, Athena could hardly blame her. She'd been on trial for murder less than a week ago, her grandmother was sick with an unknown illness, she was entering her last semester at Themis, and to top it all off, one of her neighbors was missing! Junie might be soft spoken, but she was stronger than most gave her credit for. But behind every strong person was an equally powerful breaking point, and when it was crossed, all hell would break loose. Athena knew it.

And so Athena stood by her, spicing up the repetitive task of planting carrots with long, personal chats. Athena might not be the closest person in Juniper's life anymore, but she would always be one of Athena's best friends. Time hadn't changed that.

They'd lost track of time by the time the police officer showed up. His sudden appearance startled the girls.

"Excuse me, Miss. I'd like to ask you a few questions."

"Me?" Athena asked, looking up. The man was likely in his late forties, with greying hair and a salt and pepper beard. "I don't live here. My friend Junie does."

"Junie?" The officer looked around, spotting Juniper for the first time. "Oh, Miss Woods! Nice to meet you. I saw your name in the news last week."

"Y-Yes, Officer... Oldaugh." Juniper read off his nametag, blushing furiously at the mention of the bombing trial. "What's going on, if I may ask?"

"We've received a missing person's report for one Ms. Gonma Singh. Her visiting granddaughter called it in when she arrived this morning. Problem is, I'm not too familiar with this part of the county. Can you point me in the direction of her residence?"

"Yes, Officer," Juniper abandoned her task to lead the officer down the dirt road, Athena following close behind. "I... didn't know Ms. Singh had family."

"She lived alone? At her age?"

"Sometimes my grandmother visited to help her out. Ms. Singh can be very forgetful. I thought she might have gone to the city and forgotten to tell us."

"Excuse me, Officer?" Athena piped up. "Can you tell me more about this case?"

He looked at her, confused. "Not much to tell ya yet, Missy. Just a few hours ago, a young woman claiming to be Ms. Singh's granddaughter arrived in town with her brother, saying they couldn't find Ms. Singh anywhere and wanted to file a report. We instructed them to try contacting the woman, and nothing. They claim they called ahead and went to the agreed meeting place, but she was nowhere to be found. Then they said they already visited her house, but it's procedure that the police check as well. Miss Woods-" Junie perked up, "-how long has this woman been missing to your knowledge?"

"About two days. Grandma said she would call you tonight if we didn't hear anything."

"Two days?!" His gray eyes blasted open. "Every hour you wait, the missing person is more likely to be dead! Why the heavens did you wait so long?"

"You don't understand." Juniper flailed, using her hat to hide her eyes. "Wandering off like this isn't unusual for Ms. Singh. She's gone to the city for as long as three days before remembering to call my grandmother. She keeps promising to be better, but... it's like I said." Juniper coughed. "She's very forgetful."

"You don't think Ms. Singh is dead, right Officer?" The sound of Juniper's fear was rubbing off on Athena. "Surely she just forgot her grandkids were coming."

"I can't know that, and my boss promised we'd look for Ms. Singh until she was found. Are we close to her house yet?"

Juniper stopped in front of the one with a broken window. The yard was covered in yellow sand flecked with blades of grass. "It's this one. The window has been broken since Thanksgiving."

Oldaugh tipped his hat at the two women. "Thank you very much, Miss Woods. You two go back to your gardening now."

"Yes, sir." Juniper nodded, nearly running from the scene. Athena followed her, but reluctantly. Unbidden, a sense of thrill ran through her.

She whispered to the demon. "Really? Missing old ladies are exciting to you?"

Most exciting thing to happen all day, at least. Maybe she'll turn up dead and I'll have a case on my hands.

"Don't think like that!" Athena cried out, catching Juniper's attention.

"Are you okay, Thena?"

"Nothing... I was just thinking about Ms. Singh. What if she fell down and hurt herself somewhere? It's all wilderness out here!"

"I don't know. I've never seen the police come out here before." Juniper coughed. She was usually better out here, too. Must be the nerves. "Not many people live in this area. Everything's pretty quiet."

"Not like the city, I guess."

"Not at all." As the two approached Juniper's house, they saw Juniper's grandmother waiting on the doorstep, fists on her hips.

"Girls! I thought you said you were only going to be in the garden! I was worried sick when you two weren't there. Leaving the shovels out like that! I thought you might have been kidnapped."

"Sorry, Grammie," Athena apologized. "This police officer came by looking for Ms. Singh's house. Juniper led the way to her place. I didn't think we'd be gone so long."

"Someone called the police for the woman, then?" The elderly lady unfurled her fists, laying her arms at her sides. "I was just thinking about doing that myself. I do hope Gonma isn't in any trouble. Why, I visited her house yesterday, and nothing. Could have sworn I heard noises, but- Come in, dearies. I put your things away, and have dinner on the table."

"You didn't have to clean up for us, Grandma." Juniper hung her head, hat nearly sliding off. "We could have done it ourselves."

"Never mind that now. Get inside, girls. Dinner won't be hot forever."

"Grammie, you said you went to visit Ms. Singh yesterday?" Athena asked, unconsciously going into interrogation mode. "What did you see?"

"Nothing, dearie. Ms. Singh didn't answer her door, and I didn't go inside. Aside from the fact that her grass was overgrown, I didn't see anything worthy of my attention."

"Her grass? That's odd. When Junie and I were over there, her yard was covered in sand."

"Really? How strange." The woman didn't seem to think it was strange at all. Athena couldn't detect a hint of confusion in her voice. "Now eat up!"

It was a little earlier then Athena was used to eating, but considering she hadn't had any lunch, sitting down with the Woods family was the perfect way to end her visit. Athena was having such a good time, she almost forgot she had a bus to catch in less than an hour.

"Call me when they find Ms. Singh, okay Junie?"

"I will. Bye, Thena!"

"No, walk Athena to the bus stop. You two have no business going anywhere by yourselves." Juniper's grandmother insisted. Athena thought about pointing out that Juniper would be walking home by herself, but decided against it.

And so they made their way on foot. Athena had given Juniper her clothes back, but Juniper insisted she wear a coat home. Juniper was going to have to remind Athena to return it. Knowing Athena, she would probably forget.

"I wonder if the police are still there," Athena attempted to make conversation.

Juniper frowned. "Thena. You're on vacation. I'm sure the police will find Ms. Singh soon."

"I know, it's just... I can't help it." Athena clenched her fist. "Officer Oldaugh is right, you know. The longer a person is missing, the lower the chance they're still alive. What if Ms. Singh is lying in the woods somewhere, just-"

"Thena!" Juniper pulled at her braids. "Don't do that. You know I can't stand things like this!"

Athena went quiet, but her thoughts rambled on. If Juniper wanted to be a judge someday, she was going to have to get used to the thought of dead bodies.

Personally, I find the sudden arrival of the woman's grandchildren to be most suspicious. Two people no one knew existed just happen to show up days after someone disappears? Quite the stretch for a coincidence.

On the way back to the bus stop, Athena and Juniper passed Ms. Singh's house. Much to their dismay, the police were still there.

And there were more of them.

"Officer Oldaugh!" Athena took off without thinking. What were they doing digging in the sand? Why was that dog barking? "What's going on here?"

"You two again!" Oldaugh looked up from his report. "Go on now! This sight isn't for children."

"What sight?" Athena asked.

"It's none of your business, little girl! This area is under police investigation." The officer pulled a walkie talkie out of his belt. "Someone get a hold of a prosecutor. Over."

What? A prosecutor? But that means...

Just then, Athena caught onto the sadness in everyone's murmurs. She looked down at the sand where the last ray of sunlight fell, and screamed. Juniper lost it behind her.

The hair splayed out, the bony arms cradled around herself...

Oh, that poor old lady.

A/N's: Got this chapter out relatively quickly. I also increased my word count goal to 24K, so I need to get started on the next chapter ASAP. But at least we're out of the set up stage.

Well gang, it looks like we've got a mystery on our hands. Who's going to lead the charge, I wonder? Would you all rather have Athena, Kristoph, or a mix thereof?

Fun fact: Kristoph's reply "I will keep quiet. You won't even know I'm here." is the first line in a song that partially inspired this fic. Appropriately, the song is titled "The Devil Within" by Digital Daggers. I especially recommend listening to the piano version while reading.

Thanks for reading, please leave your thoughts below, and I'll see you on the far side!