THE SOUND OF A CELLPHONE PINGING FROM ACROSS the room grabbed Madison's attention. She sat on the edge of the large bed with her feet tucked underneath her, her head turned downward, observing the other witch across the room from the corner of her eye. She fidgeted with the hem of her shirt as she watched Corey shuffling through shelves, trying to reorganize her books and records; a way to make the otherwise prison-feeling bedroom more comfortable. The redhead sighed as she reached up and grabbed her phone from one of the shelves above her.
"Anything interesting?" Madison asked, growing bored of solely remaining within the confines of the academy. Her bottom lip slipped between her teeth, her brows arching upward in anticipation. Corey placed her phone face down on the floor next to her, a hum emitting from her lips as her fingertips skimmed the spines of the books directly in front of her face.
"Fiction or poetry?" She kept her attention on the shelves as she picked up another book from the pile to her right and continued to organize alphabetically. "Classic or Modern?" Her tongue jutted out of the side of her mouth, a sign that she was focused on the task at hand. Madison rolled her eyes, a quiet huff escaping her nostrils as she laid back against the comforter.
"I meant on the phone, Cor," the blonde sighed, turning her head to continue to watch the other girl work. "Any interesting news? An invitation somewhere? Something fun to distract from eternal damnation in this witch prison?" She groaned at the chuckle that left Corey's lips. The redhead craned her neck to look at the other girl, a smirk and a shake of her head accompanying the spark in her green eyes as they locked with Madison's gold ones.
"Just some frat party out in town," she knew that saying the words was a mistake with how quickly the blonde's face lit up. "Nothing all that exciting." Madison scoffed, turning her attention to the ceiling above her. The pink and orange hues of the sun setting caught the decorative molding in a way that made the flower patterns more appealing from her place on the mattress.
"What's more exciting than a party after you've spent months unable to leave the world's most boring reform school," Madison picked at the hem of her shirt once more, her cheek finding its way in between her teeth as she struggled to come up with the words to say. Corey knew the motions well, her shoulders slouching as she tilted her head at the other girl.
"Maddie, you know I can't go with you," she sighed, a slight shake of her head as she used her palms to pivot so that she was fully facing the other girl. She used a hand to toss her hair slightly before looking down at the ground in front of her. Corey knew that Madison needed some time to get away from the academy and unwind. She also knew that there wasn't anyone around that she trusted to keep an eye on the blonde, especially when word would travel quickly that there was a celebrity at a local frat party without the girl known publicly as her 'best friend'. "I promised Cordelia—"
"Yeah, I get it," the blonde groaned, rolling her jaw as she scrunched her nose, trying to keep herself from sniffling. She knew that the redhead wouldn't do anything to keep her from being able to go out on her own, but it hurt her to know that she wouldn't set her plans aside to forget about the coven and their rules for a while. "Cordelia and the coven come first." Corey's gaze locked onto the other girl. Her brow furrowed slightly as she tilted her head.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" She placed a hand on the book in her lap, her fingers curling around the spine tightly as she sat up taller. She shimmied slightly, an attempt to get a better look at the other girl's face and body language. Madison's hands dropped to her sides as she rolled her eyes.
"Oh, please," her head turned to look at Corey once again, her nose twitching slightly as she tried to keep her lip from pulling up in a snarl. She was sure she was overreacting, but she couldn't let it show in her features. "I see the way she looks at you." She ran her tongue against her front teeth, trying to keep the words from lurching out into the atmosphere. "And the way that you defend her," she swallowed hard, her attempt at keeping her feelings to herself remaining unsuccessful.
"Maddie," Corey's furrowed brow relaxed, her lips tugging downward in a frown. "It's not like that, really." Her fingers relaxed as she placed the book against the light colored wood panels of the floor, pushing up to stand and move the short distance across the room to her bed. "Cordelia's a family friend, and my superior," she spoke softly, pulling the other girl into her lap as she sat down, "but there is nothing going on between the two of us. She's married, and I—"
I only want you; I wouldn't do that to you; I am in love with you.
The redhead swallowed hard, her head shaking slightly as the corners of her lips tugged upwards for a fraction of a second. "And I'm just trying to help her get some work done. There's more to my job than teaching classes and looking pretty." Madison's hand moved to cover her mouth from the smirk that broke out, but she couldn't hide the light laugh that managed to bubble up from her chest and escape through the paper thin opening between her lips.
Corey stood over the wooden table in the greenhouse, using a mortar and pestle to crush herbs. Assisting Cordelia was a daunting task but she couldn't complain; it kept her mind occupied on the nights she didn't have a trio of young witches to teach. She looked up at the older witch who worked with her back turned to her. Taking inventory of the items that surrounded them, Corey couldn't help but put the pieces together on her own.
"A fertility potion?" She asked. She hadn't meant to, but her lips started moving before she could stop them. Cordelia froze, straightening her back as she stood taller. The blonde cleared her throat, tilting her head slightly before replying.
"Hank and I have been having some," Cordelia paused, sighing as she used one hand to brush a loose hair out of her face. "Unforeseen issues while trying to conceive." Corey placed the pestle down gently, her features softening as she observed Cordelia's defensive form.
"And you're sure this is the right solution?" Corey was carful with her tone, not wanting to come off as condescending. Cordelia sighed, her head dropping to look down at her hands.
"I'm not sure, but I seem to be running out of options." The blonde finally turned to look at Corey, the corner of her lip slipping between her teeth anxiously. The redhead nodded, her palms flat against the table in front of her.
"Understood," she spoke softly, her eyes locking with Cordelia's. "I just don't like meddling with fate if it can be avoided, you know that." Before Cordelia could attempt to respond, Corey felt a pain shoot through her right hand. She let out a hiss, unable to pull her palm from the table. She lifted her left hand up, pressing her the knuckles of her fist against the sharp edge of her teeth as her nose scrunched.
"Ow, fuck, that hurts," she looked down at the back of her opposite hand, watching as four faint red marks appeared in the center. Cordelia moved to the girl's side quickly, unsure of what was happening. "Fucking hell, Madison," Corey spat, stomping her foot down. Cordelia's shoulders slumped as she stopped, tilting her head as she rolled her eyes.
"Corinna, you can't keep tethering yourself to that girl. It's going to get you killed," Cordelia warned. She shook her head, immediately returning to her work.
"Yeah, I'm starting to get that," the redhead hissed, talking through her teeth. She shook her hand out, finally able to pull her palm from the table. Flexing her fingers, she massaged her hand gently. She wondered if she should head back inside to check on Madison but, as quickly as she was able to remove her hand from the table, the pain subsided. "I'll remove the tether tonight," she groaned. "The longer she's here the more trouble she's getting into."
"And she'll only continue to get into trouble with her attitude," Cordelia replied. She lit a match at her alchemy table.
"I get it, Delia," Corey groaned. She wiped a hand across her forehead as she looked down at her feet. "Madison just oozes chaos. We don't need to constantly be having these talks about it, really." The sarcasm dripped from her lips as she took a step away from the table, needing to catch a breath of fresh air.
"I'll be back," she mumbled, looking up to notice Cordelia nod as she hummed in response. Corey stepped out of the greenhouse and pulled a cigarette from its home in her pack, a small flame flickering at its end as she brought the black stick to her lips. Before she could enjoy her moment of peace and quiet, she heard a glass shatter from inside the greenhouse behind her.
"Ooh! You dropped your cocktail," Fiona whispered, a sickening grin on her lips. Corey turned around, catching a glimpse of the Supreme sauntering away from the other witch. She watched the two interact through the window, her brow furrowed in confusion as she tried to figure out why Fiona was back in New Orleans in the first place.
"I thought you were in Switzerland," Cordelia turned to look at her mother, frustrated that all her work for the night had gone to waste.
"L.A.," Fiona replied, letting out a slight chuckle. "It's tragic. The glamour's gone." She took a few steps forward, noticing Corey watching from the window. Cordelia looked back at her table in front of her, feeling defeated. "They put a shopping mall on Sunset and Vine."
"I don't have a broom." Cordelia closed her eyes, jumping back into the conversation before Fiona could ramble about Los Angeles for hours.
"That's ironic," the Supreme let out a dry laugh, fiddling with the lighter in her hand.
"Los Angeles?" Corey asked. She leaned her head through the open door of the greenhouse when she noticed Fiona was still watching her. "Then why do you look so jet-lagged?" She tilted her head, a cocky smirk gracing her features. Cordelia pursed her lips, holding in a laugh she knew she shouldn't let out. She quickly kneeled down to clean up the broken glass at her feet, distracting herself for the time being.
"I happen to look wonderful," Fiona groaned. She rolled her eyes, playing with her hair.
"Let me make you something," Cordelia looked up at her mother from her spot on the floor as she spoke. "I've been working on a restorative that I've been experimenting with. This will fix you right up." She leaned over the waste bin, dumping the shards of glass into it.
"Delia, with her potions and powders." Fiona sighed as Cordelia grabbed a beaker full of a dark liquid, pouring it into a small glass. "You know, one of my greatest disappointments in life is that you never fully realized the extent of your power."
"I've done pretty well," the younger witch's bottom lip found its way between her teeth again, smirking to herself as she continued to mix things together.
"You are the only child of the Supreme. You have royal blood running in your veins. You could be ruling the world." Cordelia stood taller as Fiona spoke, immediately stiffening into a defensive form. Corey tossed her cigarette butt into a metal pail just outside the door as she moved back into the greenhouse.
"I like my little kingdom here, thank you," Cordelia retorted, her smile falling from her face as she glared at her mother.
"Yeah, well, your little kingdom is a mess," Fiona took the small beaker from Cordelia, the liquid in it foaming quickly. She took one sniff of the steam that emitted from it before letting out a sound of disgust. She leaned down, dumping it into the silver water bowl that sat on the floor. Ophelia, Corey's small black cat, charged towards the bowl, determined to have whatever it was that Fiona refused to drink.
"Shit, Ophelia, no!" Corey charged after her. She wasn't sure what Cordelia had mixed together but she knew that whatever it was couldn't be safe for the curious critter to consume.
"No! Oh..." Cordelia leaned down. She grabbed the bowl before the cat could get to it. "You bitch. It wouldn't have killed you." She handed the bowl to Corey, nodding towards the sink.
"Just put me in a coma for a couple days?" Fiona asked, taking a seat as she reached into her pocket and pulled out her cigarette case.
"Or weeks. Look, why don't you just go away?" Cordelia paused, locking eyes with her mother as she looked up at her with sad eyes. "I don't want you here. How else do you want me to say it?" Corey took this as the right time for her to step away for a moment and moved to the greenhouse sink, rinsing the cat's bowl out thoroughly.
"You're still angry. I can tell," Fiona spoke smugly, pulling the cigarette up to her lips.
"My God, you are the Supreme," Cordelia shook her head, the sarcasm in her voice palpable as Fiona lit her cigarette.
"I was just on this wonderful spiritual retreat with Shirley MacLaine in Sedona. It was all about forgiveness." Corey rolled her eyes, drying the metal bowl as Cordelia and Fiona bickered back and forth.
"You dumped me here," the blonde spat, putting away the herbs that lay scattered around the room.
"You were sent to an elite boarding school. Boo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo." Fiona rolled her eyes, leaning backwards slightly. "You know, I've often thought that my big mistake with you was waiting so long before sending you away."
"Enough," Cordelia stopped, standing tall as she looked at her mother directly. Corey moved to put the bowl back in its place as she held in the groan she so badly wanted to vocalize. She didn't know why she hadn't expected it; there was rarely ever a time that Cordelia and Fiona were in a room together and they didn't get into an argument. "Show yourself out."
"No. I'm not going. I'm staying. I'm here to help you." Corey rolled her eyes as Fiona spoke. The last thing she needed was for the Supreme to be back, pretending that she cared. Cordelia tapped her knuckles against the table in front of her in frustration. "Do you know that not 50 miles from here a young woman was burned at the stake? It's Salem all over again. There is a storm coming. And you are leaving these poor girls under your charge completely unprepared for it."
"Do you think we don't know what's happening?" Corey asked, her brow furrowed as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Cordelia's entire teaching philosophy..."
"Has been an abject failure," Fiona cut her off, talking with her hands. Cordelia tilted her head at her mother as she raised a brow. "You teach them to cower. And to hide in the shadows. Well there are no shadows, not anymore. Do you really think, with Twitter and Facebook, that a witch does anything at all she won't be videotaped and turned into some viral freak show like a dog who says I love you?"
Corey scoffed, shaking her head. She knew better than anyone about the fears of witches in the modern age. She had spent every waking moment helping the PR team ensure that the clip of Madison using her telekinesis to drop a PAR can stage light on her director would never see the light of day.
"No, no, no. This is my life. You can't come in here and piss all over it. I will call the council." Cordelia leaned closer to Fiona in an attempt to be more intimidating.
"Do. Call the council," Fiona let out a laugh, looking down at the floor between them. Before opening her mouth again, she quickly looked up at her daughter. "And then you can explain to them why you think it's a bad idea for the Supreme to teach them."
"When are you gonna die and stop ruining my life?" Cordelia looked away, returning to her previous task. Fiona swallowed hard, looking down at her feet. There was something she wasn't telling the girls, Corey was sure of it. She kept her comments to herself, not needing to be dragged in the middle of a long-running family feud. The Supreme took a deep breath, collecting herself, before she opened her mouth once more.
"I'm here. I'm staying." She licked her lips, holding back her tears. "So why don't we make the best of it?"