"Whose shirt is that?" Hua asked Koemi as the girl finished buttoning mentioned garment. It was several sizes too big and the sleeves hung down over her hands.
"Kazumi's?" The brunette shrugged, holding her long sleeves up.
Hua considered protesting, but then remembered what Oliver was wearing last night. It was the same black button up dress shirt as Koemi was wearing right now. With a mischievous grin, she nodded. "You're probably right."
"Stop smiling like that," Koemi scowled, pulling her shoes on. "It creeps me out."
"Have fun!" Hua waved her off.
Koemi rolled her eyes as she padded outside and looked around London. For today, she was meant to meet up with the Davis twins. It wasn't like she wanted to. Anyways, sticking around the house for too long always ended up with a complete makeover from Hua. Terrifying.
The clouds were scarce and white. It was always exciting when the sun was out. It made Koemi feel blind, though. As she pondered the blue sky, the teen headed for the bus stop.
Paying the ticket fee, she stood and sleepily held onto a pole as the bus rolled into motion.
In no time, she was walking up the stairs to the Davis household. "Hello?" She knocked anxiously on the door.
Eugene, or at least she assumed by the way his face lit up, opened the door. "Koemi-chan! How are you?"
"I'm well," she beamed back at him. Eugene's warm smile was contagious. It almost pissed her off.
His expression slipped into confusion. "Is that my brother's shirt?"
"No, it's my brother's."
Unconvinced, the medium stepped towards her and sniffed the black fabric. "It is his shirt."
"Why do you say that?" She inquired, bringing the sleeve to her nose and inhaling deeply. To her surprise, it didn't smell like anything Kazumi or Hua used. It smelled distinctly of...of… "Fetus shirt!" she wailed, flailing her arms uselessly. "Why was this in my house?"
"I was wondering whether I'd get that back," Oliver padded down the stairs and regarded her. "It looks good on you."
"I feel so violated," she sobbed, throwing herself at the ground and writhing.
"Stop being so over dramatic." Oliver disappeared into the kitchen. "It's unattractive."
"I'm…" she looked fearfully up at Eugene. "Melting. I'm melting! Nooo!" she curled up and became eerily still.
"I think you killed her." Eugene called.
"She'll be fine. If it bothers her this much, she could always just take it off. We've all seen her shirtless before anyways. Plus, you won't hear me protesting." His voice came from buried in the fridge.
"I am not a whore." She said each word carefully and slowly, holding the note out for emphasis.
"Whores are in the eye of the beholder." Oliver passed the two as he walked back to his room.
Koemi dragged herself to her feet and trudged to the couch. "This is the worst thing that's ever happened to me."
"You must live a pretty sheltered life." The door closed with a click as Oliver denied a response.
"Why did you have his shirt, anyways?" Eugene asked innocently, seating himself on the couch.
Koemi thought about it. "Ask your brother. Your devious, evil, fetus-like brother."
He shrugged. "If you say so."
"So I say," she said solemnly. "Yes, so I say."
"So, today we'll…" Eugene began.
"Par-tay." She cut him off. "Let's do something fuuun. Your lessons are boring. I say we should go…well I didn't plan that far ahead."
"What I was going to say was I have to go to an exorcism, so my brother will be conducting your meditation."
She frowned. "He went to his bedroom."
Eugene shrugged again. "He's in charge."
"Why can't you take me with you?" She whined. "I'm a priestess!"
"Ex." He corrected gently. "Maybe next time, but this time you need to stay back and control your anger."
"So…you plan to make me do that by locking me away with your man whore, fetus brother."
"That sentence…" He sighed.
Koemi's chin trembled. "Why do I have to stay with hiiiim?"
She hadn't noticed the click of the door opening, nor the footsteps approaching her. Suddenly, Oliver's hand closed around her wrist and dragged her across the hardwood floor. "Because I'm the better teacher for this."
"Have fun!" Eugene called, standing and leaving the room.
Oliver closed the door behind them and locked it before turning to the girl laying in the middle of his floor. "First, put yourself into a meditative state." He directed.
She closed her eyes.
"Sit up." He sighed. "Haven't you seen yoga before?"
Koemi cracked an eye at him but obliged, sitting up and crossing her legs. "Ohhhmmmmmm." She hummed. "Ohhhhhhmmmmm."
"Stop that."
"Stop whaaaaaaaaaaaaat?" She droned.
Oliver sighed again. "Stop making noise. You need to be completely still. Silent. Become aware of the power you have and control it."
"Ohmmm." She hissed.
Oliver knelt beside her and held his hand over her mouth. "Shut up."
"Mmmm." She replied hotly.
"Loosen your shoulders," he suggested. "Become one with the air. Become one with your thoughts."
"Pizza…" She murmured. "Become one with the pizza."
Oliver barely contained his face palm before he sat down completely. "Breathe in slowly."
She followed his request, closing her eyes and drooping.
Oliver traced her face with his eyes. "And out."
"You make a good yoga conductor instructor, Liver." Koemi said as she sighed out.
"In," he ignored her slur towards his name.
"Out," she replied.
He chuckled. "Relax. Feel the buzz of the paranormal in your veins."
"Power," she parroted, swaying from side to side.
Several loud beeps filled the air.
"Ooo!" Koemi's eyes snapped open and she dug her phone out. "Hello, this is Koemi Walker of Wicca Tradition."
Oliver watched as she stood, nodding enthusiastically. "I see. Well, I'll get there as soon as I can. Okay. Okay. Uh-huh. Yes. Got it. I promise I can get the job done. Uh huh. Yes." Frustration grew more and more apparent on her face. "Yes. I'll get there soon. No. No. I have to get ready. Okay. Okay. Okay." She glared at the ground. "Bye."
Oliver snickered as she slammed her phone shut and chucked it at his bed. "I hate humanity."
"Where are you going?" He inquired as she headed towards the door.
"Work." She replied, glancing at him over her shoulder with a grin. "You should tag along. See how I work the ropes."
"Sounds hot." He smirked, moving towards her.
"Control yourself, fetus face. I'm not a pedophile." She stepped out of the room. "Right now, I'm heading over to the site to see what I should be expecting." She padded out of the house. "It's right down the street, actually. So, peace." She thumped her fist to her chest and left.
Oliver followed her, grasping her shoulder as they went. "You aren't wearing a jacket."
She looked up. "It was sunny outside when I got here like ten minutes ago…"
"Welcome to London." He stated.
"Well, whatever. Your shirt has long sleeves anyways, so it doesn't actually matter."
"Your brother would have me killed if I let you get sick." He drew her under his arm.
"Stop man-handling me," she groaned, wiggling to get away.
Oliver buried his face in her somewhat curly hair, though it was tied up, and breathed deeply.
Koemi tensed before wriggling uncomfortably. "Cut that out!"
"Will you go out with me? Tonight?" He murmured against her neck.
"N-no way." She stuttered, chills rising on her skin.
His lips brushed against her neck as he spoke again. "Come to my house. Gene shouldn't be home until later tonight, and my dad won't care."
Koemi nodded slowly. "Okay…"
Oliver smiled against her and straightened. "Okay."
Koemi peered at him as he continued strolling down the street, frown slowly turning to a scowl. "Oi! That wasn't fair!"
"No take backs." He called over his shoulder.
She jogged to stay in front of him. "You don't even know where you're going."
"But I know I like getting there," he exaggeratedly raked her body with his eyes.
"Rape!" Koemi shouted, hugging herself protectively. "Stop it!"
Oliver grinned at her.
She shuddered and walked up the steps to a house nearly completely identical to the Davis house. Her knuckles rapped across the plain door.
Gently, it opened. A small figure stood in the crack, peering up fearfully. "Are you the witch?"
Koemi blinked. "Yes. Are you…Mr. Taylor?"
The door opened further, revealing a small male child. "My name is Brandon." He blinked owlishly at them.
"Is your mom or dad home?" She asked, bending to match his height.
He shook his head. "I called you."
"But your voice?" She began.
"I used a website." He answered, grabbing her by two fingers and bringing her inside. "Who is he?"
"My friend." Koemi said.
"Her teacher." Oliver corrected.
"Friend." Koemi glanced at him as she was led into the dark living room.
"He's okay then." The boy closed the door once Oliver got through. All the lights in the house were off. The natural gray-ish light seeped through the multiple closed curtains.
"So, why am I here, sweetie?" Koemi asked, her voice sweet and easy to listen to. She glanced down the hall, uncomfortable.
"The monsters in my room." He whispered, cupping his hands around his mouth so that his room wouldn't hear.
Koemi glanced at Oliver, who had his head tilted as if he could feel it too. The darkness was stifling.
"What are the monsters like, Brandon?" Koemi asked carefully.
"They talk to me." He hissed. "They tell me that they're going to kill my mommy, and that if I don't pay attention to them, they'll kill me."
"Have you ever seen them?" Koemi inquired.
"One of them is tall." He nodded. "With black eyes and wrinkly skin. His brother has white eye and his skin is smooth."
"Mind if I go take a look?" She asked, gently prying his hand from hers.
"Be careful!" Brandon wailed quietly.
Oliver padded after her into the strange presence. Koemi flinched and backed into Oliver.
"What is it?" He asked.
"There's evil in this room." She hummed. "Oliver, go home and research previous owners of this house, and see if anyone died. I need to begin gathering materials."
He nodded, understanding.
"Come on Brandon," Koemi held the boy's hand. He couldn't be more than five years old. "You're right, honey. I don't think it's safe for you to stay here."
"Why?" He asked fearfully.
"Because the bad guys might get made now that I'm here," she answered. "Come on. You'll come to my home for a while. Is that okay?"
He nodded. "But…they told me to bring you."
"When will your parents be home?"
He looked at his feet. "My mommy stays out for as long as she wants."
Koemi frowned. "What does your mommy do for a living?"
"She told me she warms up beds for grown men because they're cold." He blinked up at her.
"You know what, I'm going to pack up some things for you then." She said. "Is that okay?"
He nodded, and she went back to the bedroom. Alone, she pulled open a drawer and began pulling out whatever clothes her fingers touched.
"Lucia." A deep voice growled behind her, it's tone warbling through dimensions.
Koemi ignored it, feeling her throat clench with fear. A hand brushed her hair off her back, and a cold finger ran down her spine. The ex-priestess dropped to her knees and gathered underwear and socks from the bottom drawer. "Row…row…row your boat…gently down the stream." She hummed quietly.
Something held her down when she moved to straighten. She felt a gentle tugging at her hair, and it was suddenly freed and fell in a cascade down her back. "Merrily…merrily…" slowly, she turned around. In front of her were two long legs, pale and as smooth as porcelain. Hesitantly, she looked up. Two, beady white eyes stared down at her. A sadistic smile stretched across the sharp face. "Life is but a dream." She finished. She closed her mouth to swallow before speaking, but found she couldn't reopen it. "Mmm."
"Lucia," it hissed to her.
She shook her head slowly, not able to break eye contact with it.
It blinked one eye at a time at her, placing a clammy hand on top of her head, feeling her face as if it were a long lost friend. Though, long lost friends don't touch each others faces... Koemi shook her head sharply.
The icy nail traced along her neck. To her surprise, the warm mortal liquid dribbled down to her chest. Ice felt like it was spreading through her veins. "YAMERO!" She screamed in her head, thrashing. When she was free, and could speak, she chanted. "Divine Goddess, Goddess Divine, Divine God, God Divine. Evil dwells within this place. Please make it leave my space."
Nothing happened. She wasn't prepared to exorcise yet. She didn't have any herbs, or candles. She had left her purse in the other room.
The door behind her had been closed. With a creak, it slammed open. Three white streaks pierced the pale monster, causing it to disappear with a high-pitched scream.
Koemi whipped her head to the side to stare at the figure in the doorway. She didn't recognize him. He was tall, with black hair that covered his right eye. The streaks circled him before disappearing.
Koemi's eyes widened appreciatively. "Familiars," she breathed.
The man looked down at her with disgust. "What do you think you were doing?"
Koemi sensed his hostility and recoiled. "Are you the boy's father?"
"No. His name is Lin Koujo." Oliver pushed through the door and widened his eyes at the sight of blood. "Brandon said you needed help."
Koemi wouldn't hear of it. "So, who are you?"
"My teacher," Oliver answered for the grown man. "Lin, this is Koemi. We will call her 'Miss Walker'." Naru introduced her.
Lin turned to look at her. "Japanese." He commented.
"Eh?" She said, her eyes narrowing. She had meant to comment on that 'Miss Walker' part, but he distracted her. "So?"
"You're country and mine don't get along," he turned back to the computer screen.
"Didn't." She corrected him. "Our countries are fine now."
"I don't care to associate myself with Japanese." He replied coldly.
"You're an idiot." She stated simply. "Don't hate me because I'm Japanese. What are you, six?"
"What do you mean?"
"Holding a grudge against my race because of something in the past. That's ridiculous. I wasn't even alive during the opium war. You shouldn't blame me for my ancestors actions." She crossed her arms and raised her head indignantly. "That's closed-minded and arrogant."
He smiled slightly. Very, very slightly. "So it is."
She bared her teeth at Oliver as he helped her to her feet.
"What the hell were you doing?" Oliver demanded once she was at her full height, standing close to her.
"I am not letting Brandon stay here." She answered. "I'm gathering some things for him, and now I'm leaving."
"You could have been killed." Oliver growled, holding her still and wiping at the shallow wound on her throat.
"I'm almost killed every day." She glared at him, attempting to suppress her joy that he was concerned about her. She was more than just a little aware of his warm fingers on her neck and the gentle slope of her shoulder.
"Only because you welcome it," he returned the glare. "You should have waited for me."
"I hate you." She snarled, pushing past him and storming into the living room.
"The feeling is mutual." He snapped. "I won't forgive you if you die."
Koemi peered over at him. "I don't die."
"Yes you do." Oliver scowled and walked straight out the door.
"Where are you going?" Koemi called, holding Brandon's hand and peeking her head out the front door.
Oliver ignored her as he left. Lin followed, not looking back.
She wrung her hands anxiously, feeling a flutter in her chest as she watched him leave. "I hope he's not too mad at me."
Brandon grasped her hand. "Let's go now." He begged. "I don't want to stay."
"Okay." She flashed an assuring smile at him. "We can leave now." As they left the house, Koemi found herself glancing back. "Time to bring out the big guns."