i'm afraid of all i am / my mind feels like a foreign land / sirens ringing inside my head
arcade - duncan laurence
Crow Tavern - May 17th, 2014
Portland, Oregon
The bar was dark and dingy, and Kai was sure that there were at least a dozen diseases roaming the dirty floor, but walking into the wildly unkempt space was oddly freeing, and he felt like a weight had been lifted from his chest. The Clash's 'Should I Stay or Should I Go' was blasting loudly from the speakers and Kai smiled—he remembered when the song had come out; it had been his favorite.
Waiting for him in one of the corner booths was a familiar-looking dark haired man, nursing a glass of what appeared to be tequila. Kai hadn't seen Azriel in what amounted to almost two decades, but even if he had aged terribly, (which he really hadn't, in fact, far from it), Kai would've recognized him from demeanor alone. He looked ridiculously relaxed, splayed out over his seat as if he was lounging on a throne, and while his face looked bored, his eyes held the promise of mischief yet to come. He had grown some scruff on his jaw, much like Kai himself, and with the leather jacket he was wearing, he looked like one of those old-timey movie stars that Kai remembered girls raving about in school.
Darling, you've got to let me know.
"Well, would you look who it is?" Azriel said, grinning broadly as he got up to greet him. "Mr. Malachai Parker himself—the great Gemini Coven Ruler."
Kai grimaced. "Just Kai is fine, I think."
"Of course it is, Ruler." he teased.
"Az!" Kai reprimanded.
Should I stay or should I go?
"Alright, alright fine. But come on, you worked hard to get to this point!"
He raised an eyebrow. "I murdered half my family to get to this point."
"Details." Azriel dismissed, pulling him into a hug, and Kai almost felt like laughing. Az truly would be the only person on God's green earth to not hold any of his past against him.
Kai had missed him more than he'd realized—he needed Azriel, and he hadn't made it very far without him in the past—barely even a year before he snapped and something within him fundamentally changed, resulting in the murder of most of his siblings. Maybe that had been the point—his dad loved isolation tactics, and unfortunately for Kai, they had always been highly effective on him.
If you say that you are mine, I'll be here 'till the end of time.
"Tequila? Rum?" his friend offered.
"I hate rum, and you do not want to see me on tequila." Kai told him, sitting down in the booth across from him.
Azriel waved a waiter over. "A tequila please. Neat. And a batch of curly fries."
She nodded, writing it down in a notepad before disappearing into the backroom.
"Don't say I didn't warn you."
You're happy when I'm on my knees.
Azriel winked. "It'll be just like old times—curly fries and bad alcohol."
"Is the alcohol here bad?" Kai asked, wrinkling his nose.
"Oh, it's terrible—the worst I've ever had, actually." he said off-handedly. "But I like this bar anyways."
Kai smiled softly. "It's the one I promised to meet you at."
One day it's fine and next it's black.
"But instead, you got yourself shipped off to a goddamned prison world, and I was here alone for two hours." he shrugged. "The fries aren't half bad, though."
Kai chuckled. "At least there's that. How have you been?"
"Bored." Azriel told him flatly. "Never leave again, because the last eighteen years have been incredibly bland without you."
"You're terrible." he declared with a laugh. "I got sent away for familicide and you're complaining that life was boring?"
"It was!" Azriel defended.
So if you want me off your back.
"And how are Reyna and your parents?"
"My parents are still a pain in the ass." his friend grumbled. "But Reyna's become tolerable—I may even love the little brat."
Reyna was Azriel's little sister, and the two siblings hadn't always had the best relationship, so Kai was glad to hear that they were mending their burnt bridges, much like he was attempting to do with his own family.
If I go, there will be trouble.
"We bonded over our mutual distaste for our power-hungry parents." Azriel elaborated with a cheerful smirk. "But old Geoff finally handed over the family seat—so that must mean something, right?"
Kai rolled his eyes. "Your father would have handed you the family seat twenty years ago if you had asked for it—he thinks you're brilliant."
"Parents are so blind." he summarized, tilting his glass in Kai's direction in a mock toast.
And if I stay it will be double.
The waiter set down the curly fries and Kai's tequila, winking at him as she did so and Azriel started laughing loudly.
"Ladies man, huh?"
Kai shifted uncomfortably. "Not exactly."
"Now what does that mean?"
So you gotta let me know.
"I'm not a virgin or anything crazy like that," Kai explained, sinking deeper into his seat as he started to relax. "But I mean, I was a sociopath who then got sent into isolation for eighteen years—let's just say I'm not a chick magnet."
"Well, that waitress and every other girl in this bar seem to think otherwise." his friend said
"Pretty sure they're not looking at me." Kai drawled, sending him a pointed look.
Should I stay or should I go?
Azriel smirked. "Ignoring the fact that most of them are, in fact, looking at you, say you're right—very unlikely, of course—well then, those ladies would be out of luck, considering I play for the other team."
Kai grinned, slapping the table. "I knew it! Jo owes me twenty bucks."
"Glad my sexuality is good betting material." he grumbled.
Kai took a sip of his tequila and then forced himself to keep as close to a neutral face as he could manage as he struggled to swallow it. "Ugh. You were right—the alcohol's bloody terrible."
Azriel nudged the fries closer to him. "Try these—they help."
This indecision's bugging me.
"I don't think anything can help this tragedy masquerading as liquor." he complained, grabbing a handful of fries anyways.
"What about your family?" Azriel asked, looking highly amused by Kai's antics. "How are they doing?"
"Well, Jo's married."
He rolled his eyes. "Yes, I knew that."
If you don't want me, set me free.
"And Liv's back in Portland."
"I knew that too."
Exactly whom I'm supposed to be.
"And my father is still the same astronomical jerk he always was."
"Shocking development." Azriel remarked sarcastically.
Don't you know which clothes even fit me?
"Truly groundbreaking." Kai agreed with a smirk.
So come on and let me know.
Azriel tipped his glass in a mock toast. "A revelation from the skies, I'm sure."
Should I cool it or should I blow?
"Completely new information." he added.
And come on and let me know.
"And the Council?" his friend inquired.
Should I stay or should I go?
The song ended, shattering the casualness of their conversation just as effectively as Azriel's words.
Kai sighed heavily, setting his glass down to run a weary hand through his already messy hair. "I don't know what to do about them." he admitted.
Azriel adopted a thoughtful look. "Well, do you have your appointed advisors picked out yet?"
"Jo thinks I should give one of the seats to my father."
He shrugged. "As terrible as I'm sure that would feel, it's not a half-bad idea. Joshua's experienced and well-respected—his support might go a long way with the rest of the Council."
"Yeah, if I can get it." Kai muttered, grabbing another handful of fries and starting to chew on them mechanically, as if to work out all of his frustration on the innocent baked potatoes.
Azriel pointed a singular fry at him. "That is the hard part, yes. But high risk, high reward…" he trailed off.
"And you don't get to win unless you're playing the game." Kai finished.
He grinned. "Atta boy."
"As for the second seat, well, I just don't know." he sighed. "I'm so lost that even a magic map couldn't save me now. I wish I could just give you the seat and be done with it."
"You might not be able to give me the seat," Azriel mused. "But there's always the second best thing."
"And what would that be?"
His friend shrugged, grinning a little wickedly. "Time for the younger siblings to start earning their keep—or else what are they good for?"
Apartment 231B - June 11th, 2014
Portland, Oregon
Jo hadn't been sure what to expect—for Kai to be skipping around his apartment humming happily, or curled up in bed, huddled under the covers like a scared puppy—but she knew she hadn't expected him to be sitting at his desk, working. It was a weird thing to be doing, considering that he had been attacked and almost killed at his swearing-in ceremony yesterday.
"Have you slept at all?" she demanded, setting the cup of coffee she had gotten him on the corner of the table.
He sent her a tired look. "Does it look like I have?"
"No, you look terrible." she assured dryly. "It was more of a rhetorical question."
"Fantastic." he murmured, turning his attention back to the documents in front of him.
Jo sighed. "What are you working on?"
"Paperwork." he answered without looking up.
"Obviously."
"Obviously." Kai repeated, still focused on his task.
"What kind of paperwork?"
"The kind involving paper."
"And what's written on the paper?"
"Words."
She let out a frustrated breath. Fine—if he wanted to be stubborn, she could show him that it ran in the family.
"How are you?" she asked.
"Me? I'm fine. Always fine."
She sent him a skeptical look. "I wouldn't call chronic insomnia fine."
"I don't have chronic insomnia." he told her irritatedly.
"Oh? What else do you call a repeating pattern of decreased sleep, if any at all?"
"Leave it, Jo." he warned.
"No, Kai. You're not doing well, and I-"
His pencil snapped. "Damn it, Jo!" he yelled, standing up briskly. "I said leave it!"
"No!" she yelled back, following him as he backed up against the wall. "You are unwell, and bottling it up isn't going to help anything."
"I'm fine!"
"You really don't look it." she said, surveying him cooly. He was still in his suit from the day before, which was in tatters from the attack, and his hair was even messier than normal, but the most alarming were the huge dark circles under his eyes.
Jo moved to trace them with her fingertips, but Kai grabbed her arm harshly before her fingers could touch his face. She wasn't proud of it, but some deep unconscious part of her brain reacted to his touch, expecting to be siphoned, (despite the fact that she had no magic to be siphoned anyways), and she flinched. He immediately dropped her arm and backed away, his face a stony mask, but Jo knew it had hurt—deeply.
"Kai-" she started, but he held up his hand and she fell silent.
"I have a press conference in an hour."
"I know." she answered evenly. "You should get ready."
"I will." he said, moving aside papers so that he could sit on top of his desk, grabbing the coffee she had brought him.
"Any time this year, you think?" she asked mildly, and he didn't bother to answer.
Her phone rang loudly.
"Your phone is ringing." Kai informed her helpfully.
She rolled her eyes, but checked it nonetheless. "Liv?" she said, recognizing the number.
"Finally." her sister grumbled. "I've been trying to get a hold of one of you for the last fifteen minutes, but no one's been picking up?"
"A hold of who?"
"Are you with Kai?" she demanded, ignoring Jo's question.
"Yes."
"Put me on speaker."
Jo did as Liv asked, sending Kai a confused look, but he just shrugged.
"We have a problem." Liv said.
"What's wrong?" Kai asked, sighing as he set down his coffee.
"Those witches that you-" she cut herself off, hesitating.
"Killed?" he filled in blankly, his face void of any emotion.
"Well, they're not just random people from off the street—they're from our Coven." Liv paused, as if debating what to say next.
"What, Liv?" Kai demanded hollowly.
"Jake and Lorelai are among the bodies."
Jake was Representative Ginny Argent's cousin—he had been attending university at Portland State, majoring in marine biology—and Lorelai Blackwood was the daughter of the speaker for the elected seats. Liv had gone to high school with her.
"I'm sorry, Liv." Jo said softly. She had been hoping that they would be extremists from another Coven, that it wouldn't be anyone she knew—she should've known better than to hope for anything other than the worst.
"She was a traitor." her sister answered stiffly. "She knew what she was getting into. She knew what it might cost her."
"That doesn't make it easier."
Kai had yet to say a word, but Jo could see that he was white-knuckling the edges of his desk.
She sighed. "Liv, Kai has a press conference in an hour. Can you make sure everything in the briefing room is set up?"
"Sure." she answered.
"Thanks, we'll see you soon." she said, hanging up.
Her brother hadn't moved.
"Kai?" she called gently.
She couldn't even discern the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed.
"Are you okay?"
The previously empty fireplace roared to life in response, fierce flames lapping at the brick, but still he did not move.
"Kai?" she tried again, and this time he looked up—Jo almost wished he hadn't.
He looked shattered. His blue-grey eyes were haunted, his face gaunt, and the bags under his eyes made even more pronounced by the rays of early morning sun coming in through the window. His posture was defeated, and when he finally spoke, his voice was weak and hoarse.
"I killed them." he said numbly, staring down into his now cold coffee.
"Not all of them."
"I killed them." Kai repeated. "Witches from my own Coven."
"They were attacking you," she reminded him softly. "It was treason—you killed them in self-defense."
"I'm their Ruler—I shouldn't be killing any of them, self-defense or not."
"It wasn't your fault."
"Yes, it was!" he yelled, pushing off from the table to lean against the wall. "God, I am so sick and tired of people telling me what is and isn't my fault. This was on me—mea culpa."
Jo sighed. "But why? Why do this and risk killing you, and therefore themselves? This attack was foolhardy in nature, if not in principle."
"It wasn't an attack—no, no, it was a warning."
"A warning?" she repeated.
"They knew how this would end," he continued fiercely, running a hand through his hair. "And they knew exactly how this would look—the new Gemini Ruler, a sociopathic siphoner who murders his own." he chuckled harshly. "I really should've seen this coming."
"It's not so crazy to hope that your people wouldn't want to murder you on your first day in power." Jo said gently.
"At the very least, I had hoped they would wait until my second day." he admitted gruffly. "Out of common courtesy."
She smiled slightly. "Common courtesy is heavily lacking in this day and age, I'm afraid—if it ever truly existed."
It was his turn to sigh. "Is this really how I want my reign to start?"
"I don't think you have much of a choice in the matter, Kai."
"Of course not." his face contorted into a bitter smile, and he crossed his arms, leaning back against the wall. "I never do, do I?"
Jo stifled another sigh—she was doing that often now. "Go change. You have a press conference in forty minutes."
He checked his watch. "Thirty-seven, actually."
"Better not dawdle, then."
"Don't you have better things to do than be my keeper?" he demanded.
Jo sent him an unimpressed look. "Change. Now." she ordered, and he rolled his eyes.
"Fine." he said, pushing off the wall and walking towards his room.
"And wear the suit I got you—the navy one." she added.
"Yes, mother!" he called back from behind his closed door.
Kai didn't think he would ever get used to being in a suit all the time, as being the Gemini Ruler required of him—but he could admit that it brought him a certain level of composure that he normally found himself lacking in. The sharp, clean-cut edges of his tux helped to keep the uglier parts of him contained and hidden from those unwilling to look any further than skin deep—and that he could appreciate.
He would need all his masks, he had realized last night—to pull off this charade and avoid exposing himself as the fraud he truly was. And if one of those masks required him ditching his band t-shirts, skinny jeans, and vintage friendship bracelets in favor of something more dignified, so be it—the 70s had sucked for him anyways; he wouldn't weep as he left them behind. Still, it was weird to shed the clothes he had literally spent most of his life in—he thought he might even miss the rainbow shirt he had murdered half his family in.
"Can you do this?" Liv asked.
No, his brain thought.
"Yes." he lied, and although she shot him a skeptical look, she didn't call him out on it.
They were in his office, waiting for the clock to strike 9:00 a.m.—it's when they would find out if he would turn into a pumpkin or not, Cinderella-style. Journalists from numerous Covens would be present at the press conference, and this moment would make or break him as the Ruler of the most powerful Coven West of Virginia—but no pressure.
Liv checked her watch. "Five minutes."
Five minutes until the entire magical community's eyes would be on him, waiting to watch him fail—he hoped he would disappoint.
He sighed, noticing that his sister was watching him like one might a ticking time bomb. "Just ask what you so clearly want to, Liv."
She crossed her arms, still studying him closely. "Are we ever going to talk about what your magic did yesterday?"
"I'd really rather not."
"Funny you would think I care what you want." Liv said flatly. "And besides, you can be sure that if I'm asking, the rest of the Coven will as well. What are you going to tell them? 'I don't feel like it'? " she snorted. "I'm sure that'll go over well."
"What do you want from me, Liv?" he asked heavily.
"An answer."
"Well, I don't have one for you." he snapped.
"Then you better come up with one within the next-" she checked her watch again. "Three and a half minutes."
"Helpful as ever, I see." Kai remarked.
"Good thing I'm your lieutenant and not your yes-man, then." she quipped, looking thoroughly unamused.
"You most certainly are not." he muttered.
"So?"
"So what?"
"What's your answer?" she asked impatiently.
Kai groaned. "Can't I blame a gas leak?"
She raised a questioning eyebrow. "For the wave of pure power that left your body like a nuclear bomb?"
"Probably not, then."
She sighed. "This is good, Kai. You need, not only this Coven, but other Covens as well to think you're strong. Those attacking witches could just as easily have been from another Coven, trying to test our defenses while in transition to a new Ruler. Your little power trip might be of some use, after all."
"It wasn't a power trip!" he protested. "I told you, I don't know what happened—how am I supposed to explain something I don't understand?"
"Welcome to leadership." Liv told him flatly. "Come up with something. Those sharks out there will go into a frenzy if they smell blood. That's why you never let them-"
"See you bleed." he finished. "Going back to dad's old adages, I see?"
She shrugged. "They have some merit."
"They certainly do." Kai admitted, fidgeting nervously with his silver cufflinks. "They taught me much more than he ever did."
"Kai, I-" she started, but was interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Come in." he ordered, and the door swung open.
"It's time." Tristian Mallor said gravely, joining them where they were gathered around the desk. "Are you ready?"
"Always." Kai told him with a cocky smile—God, he felt nauseous—but Tristian must have bought his false bravado, because he sent him a slightly relieved look.
"Good to hear, because I'm not."
As skilled and at ease as Tristian was on the council floor, it wasn't hard to forget that he was only a freshman council member—still serving his first term. He had yet to become comfortable with Gemini politics, much like Kai himself.
He clapped him on the back, and was pleasantly surprised when the other man didn't flinch away from his touch. Progress. "Chin up, you'll be fine. I doubt they'll even ask you to speak."
"Fingers crossed." Tristian muttered, moving to walk back through the doorway.
"And Tristian?" he called.
"Yes, Praetor?"
"Thank you for your support yesterday." he said, a small smile playing on his lips. "And you can call me Kai."
Tristian grinned. "No problem, Kai."
"We'll get that werewolf diplomacy motion passed soon enough, don't you worry."
"I look forward to it." he said, bowing his head slightly before walking out.
"Well, at least we don't have to worry about coaching you through that." Liv commented ruefully.
"Coaching me through what?"
"Surprisingly, you're a natural with people, despite being a reformed sociopath."
Kai blinked. "Well, I was an extrovert long before I was ever a sociopath."
"Thankfully so." she muttered. "Alright, let's go face the music."
"Right." he said, buttoning his blazer. "It'll be fine."
It was not fine. In fact, that line of thinking only lasted the half a minute walk to the briefing room and then was utterly shattered by shouting reporters.
"Praetor, what should we make of your- Malachai! What consequences do you think you'll face for- Mr. Parker, do you have any further information regarding- legal retribution- blast of light- the murder of- power demonstration- witches from your own Coven- is your magic regulated- your history of- are the families aware of- cancel the solstice festival- have any idea where you intend to- your siphoning's effect on-"
The voices were all fusing together, incoherent and incomprehensible, and all they did was serve to intensify his rapidly mounting anxiety. He did his best to ignore them, Liv gripping his arm as she steered him towards the podium at the front of the room, which was surrounded by a semicircle of chairs, where the rest of the council sat, not including his appointed advisors.
"Remember," she muttered through gritted teeth. "Come up with something."
"That easy, huh?" he whispered back.
"You'll be fine." she squeezed his arm before letting it go. "Power and strength."
Power and strength, his mind repeated. The Gemini's unofficial motto—which Kai had grown up hating. It was such a stupid thing, to try and claim those two things through words when they so clearly needed to be taken—or so he had thought. He had recently learned that words carried more power than he had ever considered; today proved that. If he didn't say exactly the right thing, his brother and the Vossens might stage a coup, and if not them, then another Coven might perceive them as weak and try to invade them. There was too much on the line—too much to lose if he said the wrong adverb.
He cleared his throat, and the clamoring lessened. "Thank you for coming today." he said, trying to appear relaxed, yet respectable—a hard task for him, considering he had been stuck as a twenty-two-year-old for eighteen years, and still looked it. "The tragedy that took place yesterday was devastating, but the Gemini Coven is strong—we will persevere and rebuild. We always have, and we always will."
"And the dead Gemini witches?" a reporter asked loudly.
"A terrible misunderstanding." Kai said smoothly. "I would never have killed them in such fashion otherwise, traitors or not."
"Do you have names to release to the press?" another asked.
"No, we will be respecting the privacy of the families."
It wasn't a request, it was an order—from the Gemini Ruler himself. No one would dare dig deeper and disturb the devastated mourners—some of which, unsettlingly enough, were sitting behind him, surrounded by their fellow council members. But either Gerard Blackwood was an incredible actor, or he wasn't all that torn up about the death of his youngest daughter. Ginny Argent, on the other hand, looked like she was half a second away from bursting out in tears.
Kai shifted uncomfortably as he surveyed them. Something seemed off—more so than usual. There was a tingling sensation making its way up his spine that refused to recede—a warning.
"Is the Solstice Festival canceled?" a reporter inquired.
"Of course not." he answered. The annual Gemini Summer Solstice Festival was in a little over a week, and while hosting it after recent events might come off as a little tone-deaf, Kai was determined to not break tradition. He had enough problems without people tearing his throat out for not following Gemini customs to a T, much less over a party. "The festivities will continue as planned. Those who wish my Coven harm did not succeed, and we will not give them the satisfaction of a victory—life goes on."
"And what about the blast of power?" a reporter standing in the front asked. He looked extremely nervous—queasy, even—but it was obvious that everyone had been wondering the same thing, and they all went quiet. It would've been possible to hear a pin drop as everyone anxiously waited for his answer.
"I'm a powerful witch," he said easily, ignoring the erratic pounding of his heart. It overpowered everything in him, every other noise, until all he could hear was that frantic beating. "Is it so hard to believe I am capable of powerful acts?"
"It's just that-" the reporter stuttered. "We've never seen anything quite like it."
"Well, you've never seen anything quite like me either." Kai told him, raising an eyebrow. "I suppose it lines up nicely when you really think about it, doesn't it?"
He swallowed audibly. "I suppose so."
Kai smiled wolfishly, and the reporter shrunk back into the crowd. "Anyone else?" he asked, his demeanor easy-going even though he felt far from it.
Silence had never sounded so loud.
"Very good." he clapped his hands together, stepping back from the podium as he yielded it to the speaker of the inherited seats. "Then Representative Vossen will take the floor now."
Once he had made it to the side of the room, where he would watch the rest of the press conference, Liv sidled up to him. "That wasn't so bad." she whispered.
"It wasn't." he admitted, shrugging. "The bad part is yet to come." he discreetly jerked his head in the direction of Athena Vossen, who was just beginning her speech.
"I wish you were wrong." his sister sighed.
He smirked wryly, crossing his arms and leaning his shoulder against the wall. "Trust me, I do too."
"After the events of yesterday, I think it best we tighten our security at council gatherings and other such formal occasions." Athena was saying, and murmurs of agreement filled the room. "In my capacity as speaker, I will be working closely with my counterpart, Representative Blackwood, to ensure these changes are made." Blackwood grimly nodded his agreement from his seat. "I cannot say, however, that I am assured in any way-"
"Here it comes." Kai muttured.
Liv snorted. "Gotta face the music eventually, right?"
"-by the Praetor's demonstration of his power." Athena continued. "It is highly surprising, and while the Gemini Ruler has traditionally been a very powerful witch, Malachai seems to be in a class of his own. I am sure my Coven will take the necessary steps to investigate and insure everyone's safety. Thank you for your time." She stepped back from the podium, and her gaze met his, both of them grappling for the upper hand without having yet touched or spoken to each other. Was this what he had to look forward to for the rest of his tenure as Ruler? If so, it was going to get real old, real fast.
Kai was done listening to their bullshit, and he slipped out of the room, Liv following close behind.
"Shocking twist of events." she commented dryly.
He chuckled humorlessly. "I know, who could've imagined Athena turning on me?"
"This isn't the last of it." she warned.
Kai looked back at the open door of the briefing room, where Tristian had been asked to speak after all.
"Don't I know it." he murmured.
Maritime Museum - June 17th, 2014
New York, New York
Bonnie sighed heavily. "Normally I love the city."
"And what's spoiling the experience for you, darling?" Enzo asked, sounding bored.
"Well, I believe that would be you." she said, arching an eyebrow.
He flashed her a disarming smile. "Sounds about right."
That was the thing with Enzo, she had realized—beneath the charming accent, brilliant smile, and quick wit, he was, in fact, just as screwed up as the rest of them. Not that his facade should come as any particular surprise to her, considering she knew Damon so well, and he tended to employ the same methods of deflection. They were best friends, she supposed, it was entirely possible that they had learned it from each other, and thus, logically, it would make sense for them to both utilize the same defense mechanisms.
"Liv said the Phoenix Stone was somewhere in this museum, put here by her great-great-grandmother decades ago." she told him. "I vote we split up, search the place faster. That way we can leave."
He crossed his arms. "That sounds like a lovely plan, but unfortunately, I don't trust you to not abscond with the stone if you were to find it alone. Therefore, you're stuck with me."
"Wonderful." she muttered.
"Do try to contain your bubbling enthusiasm, love."
"I'll certainly do my best." Bonnie said dryly.
Enzo smirked, and she resisted the urge to sock him in the jaw. "Ah, how I love your sense of humor."
"I wish I was joking."
"Did your Gemini friend give you a more specific location than 'somewhere in the New York Maritime Museum', or are we supposed to just wander around like a pair of vagabonds until we stumble across the Phoenix Stone?"
Bonnie sent him a withering glare. "Liv gave me the information without the Ruler knowing, and since she's not on the council, she couldn't access the specifics herself. So yes, it looks like we're going to have to find the exhibit ourselves." She didn't mention that she hadn't asked her friend to dig deeper—Liv was stressed out enough over some traditional festival later this week that she was helping her brother plan, and hadn't seemed like she had time to help out any further, despite the fact that Bonnie knew she would have agreed to without a second thought.
"Fantastic." he murmured absent-mindedly, scanning the area around them before declaring, "It's not here."
"Then onto the next exhibit we go."
"Is it weird that I feel like Alice when she stumbles through the looking glass?" Enzo asked, catching up to her and matching her swift pace.
"For a hundred-year-old vampire? Yes, that's a weird comparison."
Bonnie walked along the length of the round room, inspecting the exhibits carefully. In truth, she didn't even know what the Phoenix Stone was supposed to look like, but she figured she would know it when she saw it—like Bilbo with the Arkenstone; there was only one Phoenix Stone, and it would be unmistakable.
Enzo continued chattering as they looked for the stone, going off on long tangents about such dull subjects that Bonnie seriously considered giving him an aneurism for his trouble. Did he ever shut up? The answer, apparently, was no. It reminded her strangely of Kai, who never stopped talking. At least he had the excuse of sixteen years of isolation to explain talking to himself—Enzo just did it to piss her off, and it was working.
He realized her irritation somewhere around the fourth exhibit. "Why are you glaring at me?"
She smiled sweetly. "I'm hoping you'll spontaneously combust."
Enzo hummed his understanding, sounding only mildly concerned, and then went back to his monologue. Bonnie stifled a groan and turned back to the marine exhibit she had been staring at. It was Atlantic Ocean themed, detailing everything from the different sealife to treasures that had been found there throughout the last few decades.
"You think it'll be in with the fishes?" Enzo questioned sardonically, sideling up to her.
Bonnie shrugged, her fingers tracing the glass casing. "You never know with the Gemini."
"Bothersome, unpredictable bastards, the lot of them."
"Well, I can't really disagree with that." she murmured, still scanning the exhibit. Mother of pearl shells and pieces of coral lined the bottom of it, surrounded by brightly colored pebbles. There was even a tiny, rusted treasure chest tucked against one of the walls, a plastic scuba diver beside it. Bonnie resisted the urge to snort—who placed a plastic diver in a museum exhibit? It seemed ridiculous.
She was about to move on when something familiar-looking caught her eye—the lock on the treasure box. It was a round crystal, surrounded by two metal circles, one of which had twisting points coming out of it like a vine—the same as the inner design of the Ascendant; Gemini made.
Her breath caught in her throat. This was it, she knew it. "Vados." she whispered, and the glass exploded.
"Subtle." Enzo commented, raising an eyebrow as he walked over, avoiding the shards of glass on the floor.
"Oh, save it." she grumbled, climbing into the exhibit and grabbing the chest.
"Looks expensive." He reached out to touch it and she swatted his hand away, irritated.
"Freeze!" a security officer yelled, running into the room.
Bonnie rolled her eyes, still focused on the chest. "Enzo, can you take care of that idiot please?"
He snorted derisively but grabbed the officer anyway. "Nothing's wrong, it was just a ringtone, go back to your post."
The officer nodded, his eyes glassy, and now it was Bonnie's turn to snort. "A ringtone, really?"
Enzo shrugged, sitting down leisurely on the nearby bench. "It worked, didn't it?"
"Phasmatos siprum, emnis abortum, fasila quisa exilum san." she murmured, hovering her hand above the Ascendant-reminiscent lock. Nothing happened. "Huh. That's odd—that usually works."
Enzo yawned. "Add your blood." She sent him a weird look, and he rolled his eyes. "Isn't that one of the loopholes of witchcraft? Bennett blood fixes everything."
"That's oversimplified, but I suppose it has merit." she said slowly. In fact, the more she thought about it, the more sense it made—not to mention that the Gemini were overfond of blood sacrifices. "You got a knife?"
He smirked, pulling a blade out of his sleeve and handing it to her. "Darling, I always come prepared."
"Well aren't you just a boy scout?" she remarked dryly.
"I aim to please."
Bonnie drew the knife across her palm, making a shallow cut before balling her hand into a fist and squeezing. The blood trickled down, splattering onto the Gemini lock. "Phasmatos siprum, emnis abortum, fasila quisa exilum san." she chanted again. "Phasmatos siprum, emnis abortum, fasila quisa exilum san."
The chest sprung open, and sitting in the middle of it was a perfectly round, red-orange stone. The Phoenix Stone. It was incredibly beautiful, but if Lily wanted it, Bonnie knew it must also be incredibly dangerous. In the wrong hands, who knew the damage it could do. She needed to find a way to destroy it, and quickly.
Enzo released a sharp breath as he stared wordlessly down at the red stone, as if in a trance. Truthfully, Bonnie wouldn't have been surprised to learn that it was capable of that.
She snatched it out of the box, slipping it into her pocket in a smooth motion and placing the chest carefully back into the exhibit, avoiding the broken glass. Ah yes, the broken glass—she should probably fix that.
She flipped her hand, letting her fingers draw out her power wordlessly, and the glass shards started to float, mending themselves piece by piece, as if putting together a puzzle. "Ready?" she asked, sending Enzo a pointed look. He nodded distantly—unusual, since he normally always seemed to have a retort for everything. She knew his mind must still be lingering on the stone—which now felt like it was burning a hole in her pocket—and it made her nervous beyond belief. She wanted it locked away approximately two minutes ago.
But Bonnie rarely got what she wanted.
Apartment 231B - June 19th, 2014
Portland, Oregon
Kai sighed heavily, finally setting aside the papers in frustration and taking his head in his hands. This was going to be the death of him. He wasn't cut out for this job, no matter how much he tried to convince himself otherwise—he simply didn't have the patience. It was a wonder that he hadn't murdered anyone yet—well, purposefully murdered anyone. The deaths of the attacking witches rested heavily on his conscience, and it made him so uncomfortable that he almost longed to be a sociopath again, if only to avoid all of these nasty, messy feelings. Having emotions felt like being permanently tangled up in three yards of unbreakable wool and tripping over yourself every few seconds—he wasn't a huge fan.
Tristan had done an admirable job of smoothing over the situation with the press after Athena's rather aggressive speech, and Kai had to admire his tact and perceptiveness. Apparently he was making friends with the right sort after all—who would've thought he was capable of it? Certainly not him.
God, he had so much on his plate. The Solstice Festival was tomorrow, and he had only just confirmed the final details with his family and the planning committee a few hours ago—cutting it a little too close for his liking, but it couldn't be helped. Not to mention that there were factions forming within the council far too quickly for comfort. Tristan had even unintentionally dubbed their side during his speech: the Praetorians. Maybe the Solstice Festival was more well-timed than he had previously thought; they could all use a little unity.
He needed to sleep, he thought tiredly. He hadn't had a proper night's rest in an unfathomable amount of time—since he had regained his emotions, in fact. He was fairly certain that didn't look it, though—using his magic seemed to rejuvenate him, the power of his Coven coursing through him draining away the dark circles under his eyes and making his skin glow, as if there was sunlight leaking out of him. Not today, of course—just his luck, really. But the power he held was like nothing he had ever experienced, and it scared him. In another lifetime he would have reveled in it, but since killing those witches, it terrified him in a way he wasn't sure he could reconcile with his conscience. His conscience, which kept him awake at night, tossing and turning.
He groaned. It was an endless cycle for him—one with no end and respite, not that he deserved any. No, this misery was one of the few things in his life that he had earned fairly. Searching for a way out of it felt just as wrong as committing the acts that had gotten him here in the first place. His curse was to live with himself—and he would never forget it.
Still, guilty conscience or not, he needed to at least try to sleep—his body would shut down otherwise, and he was no use to anyone dead. With that thought in mind, he put his papers away neatly, grumbling to himself all the while, before turning off his desk lamp and trudging into his room, closing the door firmly behind him. His whole house was well warded, with only Jo, Liv, Azriel, and Alaric, (much to his own surprise at his optimism), being allowed to enter without his verbal consent. Still, with or without wards, he liked to lock his door at night, and he preferred to close his bedroom door as well—some remnant of living in a hostile house with his father for twenty-two years he assumed. He had always wondered if his father might come and strangle him in the dead of the night one day, just to be rid of him. It had always seemed possible in the darkness, but when the morning came and the thought was still tenable, he knew he was in trouble. Lucky that he had been a suicidal sociopath who hadn't given a fuck.
Kai sighed. Why couldn't he ever think happy thoughts? Unicorns, rainbows, sunshine, and ice cream. Hogwarts houses and which greek god might be his parent and normal stuff. Ah, yes. He had been enjoying catching up on all of the popular literature that had popped up since his imprisonment. He related to Percy a little too much on some levels; the wit and the almost permanent feeling of cluelessness, but mostly the chronic pissed off attitude—the hero complex he could do without. His Hogwarts house wasn't difficult, he figured that his ambitions and his ruthlessness to do what needed to be done landed him solidly in Slytherin—fine, not a problem; he had played the villain for far longer than anyone would expect. He was used to it—found comfort in it, even. Needless to say, his conscience did not agree with his reasoning.
He stripped out of his suit—grey today—and threw on one of his old band T-shirts. It was ironic, to be living in Portland, where everyone dressed like they were on a permanent, Nike-sponsored camping trip, but be wearing a suit everyday. Made him feel like one of those rich jerks from Wall Street—his neighbors must have thought it too, because they always regarded him warily, as if he was half a second away from trying to draw them into a pyramid scheme. If only they knew that he was capable of much more than that—was responsible for much more than that. Mortals were a funny bunch, to be scared of things that weren't truly dangerous.
Sleep came easier than he had expected, but that had never been the problem—the dreams were. Those never left him in peace, and he had taken to avoiding sleep as to escape the unfortunate symptom of nightmares. That was why Jo was wrong about the chronic insomnia—if he wanted to sleep, he could do so without problem, he just had no desire to. Not with what awaited him in the dark. Today he had no choice, though. He needed sleep, and he needed it desperately. He would suffer through his nightmares for the sake of his battered body—for even if his mind couldn't rest, at least he would mend physically.
That didn't make it anymore enjoyable.
He was in a dark forest, the eclipse above him, and he recognized the setting immediately—it always started like this. He was holding hands with Jo, chanting the merge incantation, but his hands were stained with blood—Hylla, Nate, and Cali's blood. His hair was wet from his foray into the pool to drown Joey—he had done that successfully in the dream, of course. One minute they were chanting, perfectly in sync with each other, and then he was yelling as unimaginable pain coursed through him. His father was standing before him with the Ascendant, Athena Vossen and Sheila Bennett flanking him as the rest of the Coven lent their strength to their leader. This was it—he was going to go back into isolation. Because, in truth, no nightmare was worse than what had already happened.
Then Cali was in front of him and his hands were around her neck, her shiny blonde hair stained by blood. He dragged her up the staircase and slipped a noose around her neck and—no, no, no, no. Nate was next, and he looked so similar to Kai that it felt like he was murdering a younger version of himself—how therapeutic and ironically appropriate. He was metaphorically killing his old self and forging a new person, made of blood—his siblings' blood.
As he continued brutally dismembering his family, a voice cackled in the background, thoroughly amused by his actions. It made him want to puke. The scene changed and he was now in the Gemini council chambers, the bodies of witches spread all around him—all the witches.
He had killed everyone, he realized in horror, now breathing heavily. Liv and Azriel's bodies were twisted at an odd, unnatural angle, and Jo and Alaric lay a few feet away, covered in rubble. Jo was bleeding, and Kai knew without a doubt that her injury had caused a miscarriage. She would die soon too.
Something wicked this way comes, the voice whispered, now laughing maniacally.
He turned, desperately trying to find the speaker.
Or maybe it's already here.
His breathing became even more erratic.
Or maybe it's you.
He woke up screaming.
Author's Notes:
→ I'm going to be honest, I don't like this chapter very much, it took me so long to finish. It feels very much like a filler chapter, (which I HATE), but it's unfortunately necessary.
→ also the reference to Bilbo and the Arkenstone is from Tolkien's The Hobbit, if you're an uncultured swine who didn't know HAHA