COREY SAT ON THE FLOOR AT THE FOOT OF HER BED, the metal ornaments on the wooden trunk cold against her back through the loose fabric of her tank top. She held her phone up to her ear, a shaky breath leaving her lips as the trill of the other line rang out into the otherwise quiet room, the only other sound being Madison's shallow sleeping breath. She sighed, looking up at the ceiling for a moment to collect her thoughts. Madison knew more about her assault than she had let on; that much was obvious from what Corey was able to unintentionally gather over the previous nights she had spent with the other girl.
The phone pressed up against her cheek continued to ring and she silently hoped her mother hadn't fallen asleep or that her math was off on the time difference between Santa Monica and New Orleans. Just as she was about to check the time, the line on the other end clicked and Stevie's slightly raspy yet soothing voice danced through the receiver. Corey's shoulders relaxed, the tension she didn't realize she had been holding in immediately leaving at the sound of her mother's familiar voice.
"Let me guess," Corey could hear the smile in her mother's voice, the light chuckle that left Stevie's lips causing a smile to crack over the redhead's lips as well. "Can't sleep? There's no other reason why you'd be giving me a call at two in the morning." Madison groaned softly as she adjusted her sleeping position and Corey stifled the laugh that tried to leave her lips. She cleared her throat as quietly as she could and swallowed hard before she let out a whisper.
"You know me too well," she shifted downward until the back of her head was resting against the lid of the ornate trunk behind her. She took in a breath, a slight hesitation in the middle of her inhale— the only sign that she was on the verge of tears. "Maddie's been asleep for hours, but something's been on my mind that I can't seem to wrap my head around."
The redhead wouldn't tell her mother what happened with Madison; it wasn't her place to do so, nor was it something that she should have known in the first place. Instead, she played with the hem on the leg of her silk shorts, her bottom lip slipping between her teeth anxiously. She chewed at her lip, attempting to level her wavering breath.
Corey's mind continued to wander, focusing on what Madison had gone through. She blamed herself for the position that her girlfriend had ended up in. She thought that if she had just gone to the party with Madison that things would be completely different, and they would have been. Madison could be naïve and quick to trust others.
Corey was always the one to have to redirect the other girl, making sure she was safe and taken care of. However, on that specific night, that wasn't her job; Zoe was supposed to be the one to take care of her. That night, her job was to help Cordelia, and even that had been interrupted when Fiona returned to the Academy with no notice.
"Well then let me hear it, Little Bird," Stevie's concern seeped into her voice, though she wouldn't ask questions. Corey cleared her throat as quietly as she could, the last thing she wanted being to wake Madison up after the exhausting few days she'd had. Swallowing hard, she spoke again.
"Fiona's back," she sighed, her eyes squeezing shut as she took a moment to gather her thoughts. "She looks like shit," Stevie let out a light chuckle as Corey tried to hold in her laugh. "Delia threatened to call the council but there are no grounds for Fiona to be removed, she hasn't done anything... yet." Both witches knew that the Supreme would do anything to remain in power and, from the way the woman had looked recently, Corey was sure that the time for a new Supreme to rise was vastly approaching.
"She broke into my office last night and read through all of our files." Corey finally got to her point. Stevie held her breath for a moment. "She knows about me and Madison. About our powers and our connection." The redhead could hear her mother groan on the other end of the line, the audible frustration from her friend's behavior causing the girl to let out a full-fledged laugh. "Is there a specific reason she's sticking her nose where she shouldn't be?" This time, it was Stevie's turn to laugh.
"Corinna, I think you can put two and two together here, dear." Madison stirred in the bed behind her, mumbling something incoherent as she attempted to get more comfortable. "You're smarter than you give yourself credit for." Stevie swallowed hard as she prepared to continue, gathering her thoughts for a moment; she knew this day would come. She had hoped that it would be when the girls had more time to understand their powers and learn from one another, not when they all refused to properly educate themselves on their heritage and the powers they held as a group.
"Self-preservation is the most primal instinct of the human psyche. Fiona will do anything to survive, and that includes cutting down a blossoming witch like yourself." Corey swallowed hard as her mother's voice seeped through the phone. "You can't let her get to you. The moment she finds out that any one of you have gained control over your powers, she'll find a way to snuff out your light. It's how she rose to power in the first place." It was time; the next Supreme was beginning to show signs of their power and Fiona wouldn't be able to know who the next witch to take the throne would be. Corey nodded silently, her breath wavering for a moment as she tried to figure out the words to say.
"What do you suggest then?" She pulled her knees into her chest as she exhaled slowly through her nose, her jaw rolling to the side as she pursed her lips. "How can I guarantee that the girls will be safe?" She listened to the covers shuffle behind her, the blonde's change in her breathing a signal to the redhead that she had woke up. The fabric of the sheets crinkled as Madison crawled across the length of the bed, her hand dropping down to caress the side of Corey's face. The redhead reached up, her hand gently brushing against the blonde's to show the other girl she was aware of her presence.
"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, Little Bird. It's the only thing that keeps us alive, especially with Fiona looming around every corner." The trunk at the edge of the bed creaked as Madison climbed on top of it, her arms draping over Corey's shoulders as the concern etched into her face could be seen more clearly. Her lips pressed against the taller girl's forehead as she leaned back into the smaller witch, a slight sad smile slowly creeping across her lips.
"Thanks, mom," she sighed, her free hand rubbing small circles into Madison's forearm as she inhaled the other girl's scent. The concern left Madison's face as she realized who was on the other end of the phone call. She understood how difficult it was for Corey to get the chance to talk to her mother, between the time difference and finding enough time in the day to step aside from her tasks and be alone for a moment. She turned her head, resting her cheek against the top of the other girl's copper locks.
"Maddie's up," she laughed lightly, her green eyes flicking upwards to look at the other girl for a moment. "I should go before she forces me to get back into bed." She felt the blonde's giggle bubbling up from her chest before she heard it, causing her smile to grow slightly larger. "It was nice to be able to hear your voice." Her shoulders slumped slightly as the blonde held her slightly tighter.
"Yours too, sweet girl," she could hear the smile in her mother's voice. The content sigh that followed her words caused Corey to relax more. "Make sure you girls get some sleep."
Corey sat on the end of her bed, flipping through a paperback copy of L.M. Alcott's Little Women as Madison sat in her underwear next to her, using a stethoscope and a blood pressure cuff to monitor her heart murmur. Corey tilted her book away from her face, the curl of a cat's paw pressed against her wrist. Her brows raised as she heard the repeated rapping of knuckles against doors in the hallway. Corey nudged Madison and the blonde pulled the stethoscope from her ears. She hummed in question, but very quickly received her answer.
"Rise and shine, ladies," Cordelia called out, moving from one door to the next as she knocked. Madison quickly pulled the blood pressure cuff from her arm, placing it down on the bed beside her. As the sound of Cordelia's heels neared Corey's door, Madison made her way across the room. The redhead rolled her eyes, knowing full well that the blonde would do just about anything to get a rise out of Cordelia.
"It's time for morning gathering," the headmistress called, this time much louder on the opposite side of the instructor's door. Madison stood in front of Corey's door, ready and willing to open it as soon as Cordelia knocked. Madison turned to her girlfriend with a smirk as she ripped the door open, looking back to a shocked Headmistress as she let the door swing open. Cordelia looked the blonde up and down, leaning against the wall with an open palm. Her jaw dropped open slightly as she realized her predicament. Corey watched from across the room with a smirk and a shake of her head, blocking half of her face with the book she had been reading previously. Cordelia closed her mouth quickly, swallowing as she nodded.
"I expect you both downstairs in five minutes," Cordelia spoke softly, her eyes locking with Corey's as she tilted her head. She shifted her weight, clasping her hands together in front of her.
"Shall I come in this?" Madison quipped, dropping an arm to her side with a raised brow. Cordelia nodded once as she ran her tongue over her upper lip, not wanting to argue with the blonde first thing in the morning. She turned to walk away and Madison watched her defeated demeanor with a smirk. As Cordelia hurried back down the hall, Madison swung the door shut. She sighed as she made her way back to the foot of Corey's bed.
"Do you really need to torment her every chance you get?" Corey sighed, running her thumb across her tongue before flipping to the next page of her book. Madison hummed in thought as she neared the redhead, draping her lanky arms over the girl's shoulders as she climbed back onto the bed.
"I'd like to say yes," She tilted her head. The blonde leaned her weight slightly in an attempt to take them both down onto the bed below them. Ophelia leapt off the bed with a huff. She found a spot of sunlight on the floor and plopped down with an audible thud.
"Maddie, we really don't have the time to play around right now," Corey sighed, dog-earing her page before closing her book and placing it on the bed next to her. The rapping of knuckles against doors echoed through the halls once more.
"Fiona? I know you're home," Cordelia called out, causing Corey to raise her brows at the blonde who clung to her.
"If we're not downstairs in time for morning gathering she's going to come right back up here," Corey groaned. She pulled her leg underneath her as she turned to face Madison. The blonde wasted no time in moving to climb into her lap, Corey's hands instinctively moving to the other girl's hips. "And you know the next time she comes up here she won't be knocking." A playful glimmer flashed in Madison's eyes, a lopsided grin quickly accompanying it.
"Then let's give her a show," the blonde teased, shaking her head as she leaned in closer. Her eyes moved to Corey's lips, watching as the redhead matched her own smirk. She could feel the girls breath on her neck as she arched her back slightly, craning her neck upwards to look at the blonde leaning over her.
"Open the door, Mother," Cordelia called out, growing impatient. Madison's bottom lip slipped in between her lips as Corey used one hand to pull one of her legs around her waist. She used the other to support herself as she quickly moved them both so that Madison's back was pressed against the white comforter on the neatly made mattress below her.
A playful squeal left the blonde's lips as the hand quickly found its way to her thigh, slowly moving toward Madison's hip. Corey heard one final knock against Fiona's door down the hall followed by the squeak of the door's hinges. With a smirk she leaned down, her lips mere centimeters away from Madison's. She watched as the blonde's eyes fluttered closed, her breath hitching slightly in anticipation.
"If only we had the time," the redhead whispered, quickly letting go of the blonde and jumping off the bed. She brushed the wrinkles from her black jeans as she moved to grab a pair of shoes, opting for a comfortable pair of combat boots after previously having to walk around in heels for a full day. Madison gasped at the loss of contact, shooting upright as she balled her fists at her sides.
"You're such a tease," Madison groaned, quickly slamming her fists against the bed in frustration. Corey laughed, slipping her feet into her boots. She grabbed the blonde's heart monitoring equipment, along with her book, and made her way to the nightstand on her side of the bed. Opening the drawer, she spoke again.
"Get dressed, Montgomery," she laughed, shaking her head. She pulled some of Madison's clothes from the drawer, tossing them into the girl's lap. With a reluctant huff, the blonde pulled the black t-shirt dress over her head.
"How come you get to be cute and I have to wear this?" Madison whined, her bottom lip jutting out in a pout. Corey rolled her eyes, pushing the drawer of the nightstand closed.
"Because," she sighed, turning to face the girl with a hand on her hip. "You decided not to bring clothes from your own room last night." Corey made her way towards her bedroom door, not meaning to remind Madison of her breakdown in the bathtub.
"And that means I have to look like a hobo while you get to look... sophisticated... like you care about your appearance?" Madison teased, her eyes narrowing at the redhead as she got up to slip on a pair of knee high boots. "You're an evil witch." Corey couldn't hold in her laugh as she turned to look at the blonde once more.
"So are you," the redhead teased, pulling her bedroom door open. Again, Madison's bottom lip slipped between her teeth as she watched Corey walk out of the room. The redhead rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she continued down the hall. The click of Madison's heels followed not too far behind her. The girls gathered with the rest of the witches, Cordelia mouthing a silent thank you to Corey as she took a seat.
"Fiona, we're starting!" The headmistress called up the stairs, crossing her arms over her chest in frustration. Corey watched as Madison sat down with a smirk, folding her hands in her lap. She narrowed her eyes at the blonde, running her tongue over her teeth as she let out a dry laugh.
"That's my jacket," she cleared her throat, nodding at the actress across from her as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"It looks better on me," Madison shrugged, earning an eye roll from the redhead. Corey sat down in the open seat between Cordelia and Madison, leaving the open chair across from the headmistress open for the Supreme.
"So," Cordelia started, folding her hand in her lap and sitting up straight. "We're going to start this morning meeting off by going around the circle and talking about what brought you all here." The blonde looked around the circle with a smile, using her right hand to point to Queenie next to her.
"Queenie, why don't you start and we'll move around the circle counter-clockwise." Queenie looked at Cordelia with an expression that could only be described as do you really want to try me right now? Reluctantly, Queenie nodded and told her story.
"Did they send you to jail?" Nan raised her brow quizzically as she leaned forward, tucking her feet underneath her in her spot on the couch.
"No. There were lots of witnesses, and none of them had actually seen me throw the oil. But it made the local newspaper, and that's how Miss Cordelia found me." Queenie looked up at the ceiling as she spoke, turning to look at Cordelia as she finished her sentence.
"You didn't want to join us at first." The headmistress said with a smile, tilting her head at the witch as she shared her story.
"I grew up on white girl shit like Charmed and Sabrina the Teenage Cracker." Madison rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she slouched in her seat slightly. "I didn't know that there even were black witches. But, as it turns out, I'm an heir to Tituba." Zoe narrowed her eyes at the other witch, trying to understand the words she was saying. The brunette was still new to all of these names and terms and she tried not to get too overwhelmed. After all, it was only her third day at the Academy. "She was a house slave in Salem. She was the first to be accused of witchcraft. So, technically, I'm part of your tribe." Nan looked to Queenie with a smile as the girl finished her sentence with a reluctant sigh.
"Is this where we all sing Kum-Bah-Yah?" Madison asked with a cocky smirk and a tilt of her head. She wanted nothing more than for what she called a 'witchy circle-jerk' to come to an end so she could go on with her day.
"Watch it, Madison," Corey groaned, standing from her seat as she watched Queenie launch up in the blonde's direction. Cordelia's words replayed in her head.
Protecting Madison is going to get you killed.
"Bitch, I will eat you!" Queenie lunged forward, immediately blocked by Corey's form. She tried to move around the redhead only to be met with Cordelia's hands on her shoulder holding her back gently. Madison crossed her arms over her chest, looking up at Queenie from the safety of her chair with a smug smirk.
"Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!" Corey crossed her arms over her chest, shifting her weight slightly as her hip jutted to the side. "You guys have got to start taking care of each other. We have enough enemies on the outside." Cordelia spoke softly, looking between the three girls with soft eyes. She hated scolding them, but Madison knew exactly how to push everyone's buttons.
"I can only reel her in so much, Dee, you know that." Corey sighed, dropping one arm to her side with a shake of her head. As they spoke, Spalding entered with two men in suits. Corey, who was facing the double doors, grabbed Cordelia's attention with a nod. Cordelia looked at the men with a furrowed brow as Corey stepped back, placing a hand on the headmistress' shoulder. Spalding used a finger to point to the men who entered the room as Queenie sat back down.
"Ms. Foxx? Ms. Luna?" One of the detectives asked, looking at the two women with a blank expression, trying not to convey emotion.
"Yes?" Cordelia asked, looking to Corey with a furrowed brow before looking back to the man who spoke previously.
"Detective Sanchez, NOPD Homicide." He opened his jacket to flash his badge at the girls, not leaving his spot in the doorway. Corey's hand fell from Cordelia's shoulder as she crossed her arms over her chest. She could see Madison and Zoe sharing a quick look from the corner of her eye as she swallowed hard. "My partner Detective Stiles." Detective Sanchez spoke quickly, using his hand to point to the man that stood behind him.
"What's this about?" Corey asked, tilting her head as she shifted her weight uncomfortably. She knew the answer without the detective having to say another word; Zoe and Madison weren't the best at being discrete with their shared glances.
"We'd like to have a word with two of your girls." Zoe's eyes darted between Cordelia and the detectives as she leaned away uncomfortably. Madison, on the other hand, swallowed hard as she looked up at the redhead next to her.