Author's Note:
In honor of Election Day (and the fact that I'm WAY behind on this story) I'm dropping this.
Hopefully, if you're stuck in line, like I was, this can give you some entertainment.
As usual, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Happy Reading!
Thanks to my mystery guest-reviewer and Juey!
Happy Reading!
Chapter Five
"It's not a game, it's goin' down."
- Drag-On
It had taken hours for her parents and Mr. Freeman to show up. But now that they had, Jazmine was starting to realize she was much safer in a jail cell.
"What the hell is wrong with you two?" Mr. Freeman fussed, glaring at them from the other side of the locked cell. "Are you crazy?! Burning down buildings and tampering with federal documents? You two have lost your goddamn minds!"
"Don't forget they were on camera." Riley waltzed in from around the corner, snickering at Jazmine and his brother. "How you gon' commit a crime and get caught?"
Her dad glared at Riley, shaking his head.
"They shouldn't have been committing crimes at all!" He snapped, studying Jazmine as the guards chuckled, clearly excited to release them to their pissed off parents.
They unlocked the door, watching as her mom shoved her way inside.
"You are not driving that car ever again, Jazmine!" Her mom pointed furiously, so angry Jazmine found herself backing into a corner to avoid getting attacked as she made her way into the jail cell. "And as far as this summer's concerned, you can forget about it! No friends, no parties, no boys!" She narrowed her eyes at her neighbor, seeming extra upset with him. "Especially not boys like Huey!"
"Mom!" Jazmine's jaw dropped. "We didn't-"
"Be quiet!" Sarah narrowed her eyes. "What you did tonight is beyond reprehension!" She turned to Huey, just as angry with him as she was with Jazmine. "And you!" She pointed angrily at him. "What were you thinking Huey? Jazmine wanted to burn down a building, and you of all people went along with it?"
"That's not what happened." Huey shook his head. "I'm telling you-"
"I told you." Tom let out an angry laugh as he glanced at Sarah, throwing both of his hands towards Huey. "I told you he couldn't be trusted. He's just as much of a liar as Jazmine is at this point. Who knows how long they've been sneaking around behind our backs?"
"Daddy, stop!" Jazmine couldn't understand why he was so angry. "We didn't burn it down, okay? Why can't you believe us?"
Mr. Freeman sighed, pulling up a video on his phone and flipping it around to face them. "This is why."
Huey and Jazmine stared, watching whoever was on the screen act and look exactly like them….
Which was weird enough.
But then, out of the blue, whatever was on screen cosplaying as them started kissing wildly, like they wanted to tear the tonsils out of each other's throats.
It was disgusting.
"We didn't even do that!" Jazmine objected. "That never happened!"
Huey and Jazmine blinked when the audio played, the worst possible statement cutting in right after her piss poor defense.
"I can't believe this is finally gonna happen." The fake Jazmine kissed the fake Huey again, smiling at him with loving eyes. "We're gonna make my dad regret the day he ever messed with me."
"By any means necessary." The fake Huey nodded, kissing her one last time before dousing the entry way with some kerosene. "Got the matches?"
The Jazmine in the video nodded, pulling a large box of them out of her front pocket.
"You've got it, boyfriend!" She grinned, straight up making out with him at the entryway, tugging down her large sweatshirt once she pulled away. "Let's burn this hellhole."
"That doesn't even sound like me!" Jazmine jumped to her feet, snatching the phone out of Mr. Freeman's hand. "We're not wearing the same clothes! And besides, wouldn't both of us smell like kerosene? Wouldn't we have that invisible ink on our hands?"
As if it heard her, the video's droned on, with the fake Huey speaking up.
"Watch this." He pulled out his toolset, tinkering with something near the door. "See? No ink this way. You just twist to the right and….there. Nothing to it."
All the adults blinked, glaring at them.
"Forget it, Jazmine." Huey looked straight ahead. "They won't believe us. Just let it go."
"Um, hello?!" Jazmine sighed in frustration. "AI is obviously the culprit! I can't believe they-"
"That's it!" Tom yelled, snatching Jazmine so hard all the adults gasped in surprise. "You are bringing your narrow ass home this instant, young lady!"
"Damnnnn." Riley smirked, frowning at his camera lens. "Aye, Mr. Dubois! You mind saying that one more time? I think my phone just died."
"Let's go." Her dad ordered, already turning to head towards his car.
"But Dad-"
"I don't wanna hear it, Jazmine!" Her father's voice roared over hers, so loud that even Huey looked scared of him. "Let's go! Now!"
Jazmine turned to face Huey, her eyes watering.
"I'm so sorry, Huey." She shook her head, glancing back at her angry parents. "I'll fix this, I promise."
"You needa be fixin your ass over to your parents!" Mr. Freeman shot her an incredulous look, pointing towards the exit. "That's how I know they weren't beatin' your little spoiled ass enough at home. Because your dumbass is still talking, making shit worst!"
The man grumbled, shaking his head.
"Ohhhh noooooo." He clicked his tongue. "I don't like this." He said. "You two need to sit your fast asses down somewhere. Sneakin' around. Talkin' back. It just ain't right!"
Huey looked from Jazmine to his granddad and groaned, obviously wanting to say something but clearly deciding it was better not to.
Which was totally not helping at the moment.
"So until I can trust you?" Mr. Freeman continued his rant, not even paying any attention to the fact that Jazmine was still standing there. "No soccer practice, no reading, and no-"
Mr. Freeman paused, scratching his chin as Huey stared at him with a blank look again.
"Well, hell. What do you like?" He thought to himself, snapping. "No CNN, no conspiracies, and no more of that nasty, expensive ass vegan food yo ass asks for all the damn time!" The man bellowed. "From now on, you'll be eating pork-flavored broccoli just like the rest of us!"
"Hell yeah!" Riley cheered. "Get em', G!"
"Granddad, nobody should be eating pork-flavored broccoli." Huey folded his arms, glaring at his grandfather. "Including you."
"Boy! What have I told you about embarrassing me? " Granddad grabbed his belt, staring back at Jazmine. "And you! You'd better head out there before-"
Her father rushed in, doing exactly what Mr. Freeman had just tried to warn her about.
"Jazmine Marie Dubois, I am not playing with you right now!" Tom rushed back inside, even angrier than he was before. "Get in the car, now!"
Jazmine turned, wide-eyed as she opened her mouth and tried to speak, only to burst into tears once she saw the look on his face.
She'd never been in this kind of trouble before tonight.
And worst of all, she hadn't even done anything wrong.
She lifted her head, trying to open her mouth, to plead with her father so he would believe her.
But she could tell that there was no way to get out of it.
Not with that stupid video lying around.
So she dragged herself into the backseat, crying as her parents berated her.
Unfortunately, freezing couldn't get her out of this one.
Not this time.
"Maybe I should bring her with me in the fall." She heard her mom say, speaking with her father downstairs. "I can keep an eye in her in New York. And she'd be far away from Huey and their volatile relationship. It could work. Just think about it."
"There's nothing to think about, Sarah." She heard her dad say after a moment. "Jazmine is staying with me and away from Huey. That's final."
"It's not." Her mother said quietly. "Did you see how intense they were on that video? If you think we can keep them apart, you're being naïve, Tom. They're only going to get sneakier. Especially if Jazmine refuses to acknowledge she's done anything wrong."
"So that's it?" Her dad's voice seemed to break at the thought of her leaving, making her feel even worst. "She's going with you and there's nothing I can do about it?"
"It's just a suggestion." Her mother replied. "We don't have to do anything rash for now. But if something doesn't change, I don't see another option. She's coming to live with me, end of story."
Jazmine felt her eyes prickle all over again, completely thrown off by the situation.
She'd been attacked, nearly killed by two demons and their demon entourage, and now she was being forced to move for a make out she hadn't even had, with a guy she didn't even like!
"I hate magic." She grumbled, frowning to herself. "I wish I never got my powers in the first place."
"Take it back." A voice whispered.
Jazmine's head snapped up immediately, staring around the room.
"Who's there?" She frowned, wiping the tears away.
"Take it back." The voice repeated itself.
"Fine." She shrugged. "I take it back. It's just…how did this even happen?"
Jazmine sighed when she felt a whoosh zip past her and out of the window, a clear sign that the spirit had made its exit.
"Well." She laid down, feeling herself begin to cry all over again. "At least someone is getting out tonight."
Thankfully, Riley had done so much that him burning a building down didn't seem to shock Granddad much.
That and he didn't get up early enough to know he was at the 4:00 am practice he'd called.
It really paid to be feared, sometimes.
"Huey!" Brooklyn grinned, waving at him from her spot on the field, prepping for track practice. "The soccer team looks amazing out there. You've really whipped them into shape, captain."
"Let's not use the word 'whip'." He rolled his eyes, unable to resist the urge to check his ex out.
Brooklyn still looked good, like a living, breathing doll, and for a moment, he was beginning to wonder why he'd broken up with her in the first place.
"So…" She stepped forward. "About the party."
Oh, yeah.
This was why.
"It's so unfair." Brooklyn sighed dramatically. "I'm gorgeous, I'm popular, and I'm super nice to everyone-"
"Nice is definitely not a word I'd use to describe you." Huey shot her a look. "And just so we're clear, since we're not together anymore, I really could care less about your petty high school drama."
Brooklyn leaned onto the fence, her infamous poker face front and center, a clear sign that she was about to leverage something against him, something big.
"I bet you'd use that word to describe Jazmine though." She smirked.
"What does she have to do with anything?" Huey furrowed a brow, confused. "Cindy banned you from that party. Not her."
"She has to do with a lot." She folded her arms behind her back, walking around him in a circle, her voice pointed as she made things crystal clear. "You were chasing her through the woods, riding with her in that car." She pointed to where his car was sitting in the parking lot. "I know you two were pretty cozy in the courthouse yesterday, making the lights flicker with all that magical shit in the air."
Huey kept his face straight. "I don't know what you're talking about, Brooklyn."
"That's great, Huey." She nodded, taunting him. "Because if I don't have access to every party Cindy's throwing and get a formal apology from her and Caesar, Jazmine will be the one to suffer."
"Whatever, Brooklyn." He shrugged, still convinced she was bluffing. "Do what you want."
"Even if Jazmine's powers are exposed in the process?" Brooklyn's face was smug. "Her parents are already threatening to ship her off to boarding school in New York. I seriously doubt you want that for your new girlfriend."
Huey blinked when a ghost stood behind her, a young teenager in a soldier's uniform, appearing to be from around the 1800s. "She's telling the truth. Her parents are not very happy."
"But you can change all that Huey." She smiled sweetly, happily gesturing towards Caesar. "So pal to pal, ex to ex, do we have a deal?"
Huey sighed, nodding. "I'll see what I can do."
Brooklyn lifted her phone in the air, revealing a video of Jazmine blasting Erin back. "Just make sure the answer is yes, captain!" She smirked, holding her phone tight. "I'd hate to be the one to release this. You know how the government can be." She sighed, her triumphant face aggravating. "They'd probably just….lock Jazzy away and throw away the key."
She smiled, waving at Caesar, who was staring back at Huey as if to say 'Why the hell is she waving at me?'
"Now run along!" Brooklyn shooed him. "Those invites won't write themselves!"
The girl beamed brightly, watching as Huey scowled, muttering under his breath.
He couldn't believe he'd ever liked that girl.
The only thing worst than being grounded was being stuck listening to spirits in her room.
All day they'd been talking to her about things she didn't care about, and Jazmine was just about sick of it.
"Girl, your hair! Love it!"
"I'm walking on sunshinnnneee. Ohhhhh whooooaaa. I'm walking on sunshineeee oh whoooaaaa ohhhhhh-"
"You're a bad singer!"
"Florida water."
"K."
Jazmine glared up at the ceiling, annoyed.
"Can you please stop?" She hissed. "I'm already being shipped off to military school! Can we not get me sent to the local asylum at least?"
"Ohhhhhh asylums!"
"Soooo much fun!"
"They have wheelchairs and toys!"
"And crazyyyy people."
"Crazy! Crazy! Crazy!"
"Is this all you guys can do?" Jazmine snorted. "Tell me useless dumb shit all day?"
Jazmine's mom gaped at her in horror.
"Oh, you're going." She pointed at Jazmine, grabbing her suitcase and filling it with stuff. "You're going come hell or high water! I don't even know this version of you"
"Mom, come on, stop!" Jazmine snatched the suitcase back, darting backwards. "I wasn't talking to you!"
Her mom was still furious and even more disappointed, yanking things out of her closet until they fell to the floor.
"Mom, stop!"
"No, Jazmine!" Her mom shook her head. "I've seen enough! First thing in the morning, you're out of here! Your dad can ship you the rest in the morning."
She'd heard enough.
"I'm sorry." She mumbled, lifting her hands, relieved when she and the rest of the house had frozen into place.
Going into her mother's purse to snatch her confiscated phone and her new car keys, she walked past her frozen father and out of the door, slowly realizing that the cars on her street weren't moving.
Nothing was.
Which meant her freezing had gotten stronger.
"Whoa." She looked around.
The sprinkler down the street was still in mid-spurt, Riley was half-hanging out of his bedroom window, apparently doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing.
Mrs. Von-Housen was glaring at something down the street, still standing with her arm straight up, not moving an inch. And then there were the birds, floating frozen in the air, not even a peep or a movement from them.
Just silence as they hung overhead.
For some reason, she wasn't surprised when her phone rang.
Honestly, Jazmine was relieved to see Huey's name flashing across her screen again.
"Hello?" She answered it in a hurry before rushing into the car and pulling off.
"Please say you're the reason the entire town is frozen." Huey's voice was almost amused, as if he found this mess exhilarating.
"Long story." She answered him. "Where are you?"
"Still at the soccer field." He replied. "Why?"
She frowned. "Because something weird is going on, Huey." She shook her head, speeding down the road. "I swear. It's almost like someone is trying to set me up."
He paused for a moment, seeming to think.
"You might not be far off from that theory." He said after a moment. "Maybe you can just orb yourself and your car here. You think you can try that real quick?"
"What if I orb out and crash my car?!" Jazmine's eyes nearly bucked out of her head. "Huey, I don't think it works like that! Someone could seriously get hurt!"
"Would you rather try to freeze the entire town again in thirty minutes?" Huey asked, scoffing on the other end. "I mean, hey. As long as you know exactly how many miles your powers can reach and exactly how long they'll stay frozen, we should be fine. You know, as long as you're exactly as angry and focused as you were before. And as long as your powers are as consistent as they usually are, because they definitely don't backfire at the worst possible times. Nope. They always work perfectly. Every time."
"Fine." Jazmine muttered. "I'll try to orb myself and the car."
Jazmine rolled her eyes, finding it pretty easy to envision her and her car on the parking lot near the soccer field, occupying an empty space.
She barely even felt the orbs brush against her before she was face to face with Huey, standing right outside of her car.
"Nicely done." He smirked. "A bit of a light show though. Maybe drive back home for good measure like a regular person."
"Whatever." She grumbled. "So, outside of whatever you're about to tell me….Is there anything else that I missed?"
"Actually." He shrugged, pointing over at Brooklyn. "She's kind of using your powers to blackmail me." He held up the pink phone he'd apparently taken from her. "But don't worry. She won't have that proof much longer. Just need to erase it from her iCloud. Consider it handled."
Jazmine felt like she was about to fall over.
This couldn't be happening. Not to her.
"How'd she even get it in the first place, Huey?" She wheezed. "All this stuff…these videos, me having to move, us getting arrested?! It's all a bunch of-"
"Chaos." He finished her sentence.
"Well, yeah…" She nodded, stopping to stare at him. "How'd you know what I was going to say?"
"Because the Goddess of Chaos is Eris." Huey shrugged, starting to think about it. "So by that logic…."
"Erin isn't dead." Jazmine realized. "But how? We both saw me kill her, right?"
Huey nodded, just as lost as she was for a moment.
"I guess Devyn wasn't lying when he said to make sure." He sighed. "We'll have to go back to your place. Get the book."
But Jazmine had a better idea, one she wished she'd thought of sooner.
Because who better to help the current chosen one, than the former?
Jazmine had a way of taking ten steps forward and five thousand back.
"You're still not explaining why we're in the woods." Huey frowned, unhappy with the lack of light. "Didn't something bad happen the last time you came out here?"
"We could always stay on the soccer field so your ex can film me again." Jazmine shot him a look, mirroring his signature sarcasm perfectly. "Besides, whatever Erin is causing is amplifying things in my personal life. Outside of the annoying ghosts, nothing major is happening in the spiritual realm." She lowered her head. "At least, for now it isn't, besides Erin."
Huey fought the urge to tell her that a demon spreading chaos wasn't exactly minor.
Instead, he tried to stay patient and get her to focus on doing something reasonable.
"So what are you going to do exactly?" Huey shot her a look. "Track her?"
"I wish." Jazmine frowned, cupping her hands over her mouth before yelling directly above her. "Leilani! Leilani! I know you can hear me! Bring Katherine here, too!"
"Katherine?" Huey looked at the sky and then at Jazmine. "You brought us up here to yell at the sky about someone named Leilani and Katherine? "
He'd had enough.
Huey was pacing back and forth with his hands in his pockets, feeling the urge to take over more and more every minute.
"Who the hell is Katherine?" He rolled his eyes. "And who the hell is Leilani? Your imaginary-"
"Friend?" Leilani grinned, waving at both of them. "I'm Leilani. Ghost, bad-ass, and the original chosen one, the most powerful witch of all time, who ended up murdered by a man I was in love with. Nice to meet you." She nodded at Huey, waving her hands over herself. "Sorry about the transparent, thing. It's because I'm dead. The only way we gain solidity again is if someone brings us back somehow."
Huey softened instantly, his eyes planted on Leilani like he couldn't even help it.
"That's whassup." He smirked, his head bobbing up and down like he hadn't heard a word of what she'd said. "I respect it."
Huey still didn't take his eyes off her.
Instead, he calmly leaned a bit closer, not enough to look desperate, but enough for both girls to pick up on the fact that he was interested in the spirt.
Jazmine snorted.
"Thanks." Leilani tossed her hair back, laughing at Jazmine's reaction. "And you. Don't be jealous. It'll happen for you soon enough." Leilani shrugged. "It's a natural reaction to our power, even in death."
Jazmine's eyes widened, taking in what she was saying. Was there a chance men would look at her like Huey was looking at her all their life?
Because she wasn't too sure if she liked the thought of that.
"Most mortals aren't used to so much energy in one person." Leilani explained. "If I were alive, it'd be much worst. Especially in the beginning."
Jazmine couldn't imagine that.
"Sounds dangerous." She frowned.
Huey nodded.
"Especially for someone like Leilani." He frowned. "Being powerful and black always makes you a threat. And statistically speaking, the chances were much higher for her to be murdered with little to no tracking. Different century, same story."
Jazmine just shook her head, shrugging at Leilani.
"That's just his weird way of saying he likes you." She chuckled, trying not to focus on Huey's hilarious lovestruck expression for long. "Moving on, I tried to kill a demon named Erin who tried to kill us first." She stepped forward, thinking back to what Huey had said. "Back when Huey had a brain, he said she might be the demon of chaos." She looked at Leilani, who seemed to be thinking on what she was saying. "Is he right?"
"Sounds likely since the names are similar." Leilani nodded. "Did you get something from her before saying the spell? A body part? Blood?"
Jazmine felt like she was going to be sick.
"I didn't know I had to do stuff like that." She admitted. "Outside of spells and a few fuzzy memories, I'm kind of playing this whole thing by ear."
Katherine appeared next to her, flashes of gold sprinkling around her as she hugged Jazmine, her warmth bringing her back to Earth.
"It's a must that you get your hands on it." Katherine nodded at both girls. "Certain demons will require vanquishing potions with something from their physical body, preferably blood, since it's the most powerful binding tool there is."
Jazmine raised a brow. "They don't have them in bulk? Like on Amazon or a witch's grocer?"
"If only." Leilani rolled her eyes. "Almost five centuries and they still haven't created a more convenient way to vanquish. It's criminal."
Jazmine sighed.
"I'll show you how to do it the old-fashioned way." Katherine smiled, gesturing all around them. "Luckily, your gifts are even stronger under the new moon, at the time when the night is darkest."
"That makes me sound evil." Jazmine frowned, watching Huey casually flex his muscles before staring at Leilani with a smirk.
She snorted.
"So, my powers thrive in the dark?"
"You are the light in the dark." Katherine smiled. "That's why you are the chosen one."
"And the golden one at that." Leilani nodded, her presence as reaffirming as Katherine's full of love and support.
"Just be careful." Katherine lowered her voice. "Your cousin Rain vanquished out of turn, ended up trying to possess you in your sleep. After that, she disappeared without a trace. Not even The Regime could find her."
Jazmine nodded, beginning to feel a whole lot of pressure to get this right.
"Where do I start?"
"You'll have to summon her through a portal first." Leilani answered her, tracing a pattern with her hand. "The easiest way to create one is to imagine her coming through the light, and then you'll draw a big circle with your hand." She frowned, the blue beam around her growing brighter. "Just make sure you focus on holding it once you start." Leilani said. "Otherwise, other beings can come through….and trust me, you don't want that."
Jazmine nodded, glancing over at Huey.
"What about him?" She asked. "Shouldn't I shield him or something?"
"He'll be fine." Leilani waved her translucent hand, not concerned with Huey or his crush. "He'll snap out if it in a minute or two. You just focus on creating that portal. We'll protect him if things go left."
Jazmine did as she was told, focusing on Erin walking through the light, gasping as a huge circle appeared out of nowhere, without her even having to ask.
It was gigantic and bright, with brilliant light emitting from the center, the wind pulling them back and forth like a vacuum, trying to suck her and everyone near it inside.
Jazmine tried to pull it back, to control it, but the portal was too big and too strong.
Fighting against the wind, she looked back at Leilani, struggling to hang on as the portal yanked her to the ground with heavy force, causing her to cling to the dirt as they all flew forward.
"Leilani, Katherine!"
Katherine and Leilani were struggling themselves, trying to hold tight to a tree as Jazmine continued to slide forward, into the light.
Huey was just as bad, if not worst, still too enamored with Leilani to be useful to anyone.
Which meant she was on her own, which clearly wasn't good….
For any of them.
"Leilani, help!" She tried dragging herself back again, relieved when she finally scrambled in the opposite direction on her hands and knees.
But Leilani was distracted, focused on someone emerging from the portal.
Someone tall and incredibly handsome.
"Bartholomew." Leilani snarled. "Go to hell."
"I must say." The man smirked, just as transparent as she was, the same bright blue glow outlining his body. "Your dialect is not as it was before."
Jazmine felt herself fly forward, her feet dragging towards the wall of light, so close she could hear the screams of lost spirits, trapped on the other side.
"Leilani!" She tried again, waving her hands in front of her.
"I've waited five centuries to get my revenge." Leilani stalked forward angrily, jolting Huey out of his trance. "Bring it on!"
"That won't be happening, I'm afraid." Bartholomew grinned, staring back at Jazmine with a smirk. "Besides, I have other plans to concern myself with."
Still translucent, he opened his palm, emitting a red beam of light that caused the portal to open wider.
Erin stuck her head out and gasped, staring at all of them on the other side before popping back inside and backing away.
Jazmine rushed forward, determined to attack, but with a flick of Erin's hand, it closed instantly, causing Jazmine to fall back, just in time for Huey to reach her.
"You shouldn't be able to do that." Leilani glared at Bartholomew, who looked please with his powers still working in death. "How are you able to do that, Bartholomew?"
He just smirked, glaring at all of them before disappearing, especially Huey and Jazmine.
"As their generation would say…" He snapped, appearing on the outer edge of the woods, zapping Katherine, who froze behind them. "I got with the winning team."
To their surprise, Leilani followed after him, frowning at them both.
"Tell my mom I'll be back." She frowned. "And that she'll have to step in as your guide." Leilani took off, floating faster, her voice fading away. "I have to settle this Jazmine. Once and for all."
Jazmine watched as she flew to the other side, the forest thick with power as went at each other, attacking with everything they had.
Leilani reached Bartholomew, her shriek of fury loud and then quiet, a loud bang signaling something was terribly wrong.
Turning to Katherine, Jazmine snapped her fingers, shocked when she actually jolted forward, searching both of them for any bruises.
"What happened?" The ghost murmured, gripping her head like someone had whacked it. "Are you two hurt?"
"No." Jazmine frowned. "But…Leilani. She's gone. The guy who killed her came back, and…. It's all my fault. I'm sorry."
Katherine sighed, taking a huge ghostly breath before floating high into the air.
"It's not your fault." Jazmine could hear Katherine speaking despite the distance from her spot above the tress in the forest. "Bartholomew is and was a complex, power-hungry man. He took advantage of Leilani when she was only sixteen. He was twenty-one, engaged to be married. But he saw Leilani's power-"
"And eliminated it." Huey frowned, staring over at Jazmine as if he was thinking what she was thinking.
That one day, someone she loved would end up doing that to her too.
"Exactly." Katherine came back down. "That's why it's important for Jazmine to be careful despite The Regime's new instructions. I'm not telling you to live in fear, Jazmine."
She sighed, her frustration so thick Jazmine could feel it hurtling through the air like a sticky balm.
"But I am telling you to be careful." Katherine sighed, giving her a sad, defeated smile. "In Leilani's absence, I will be your guide. But rest assured, I'll do everything in my power to find her, just as I'll do everything I can to help. You have my word."
Jazmine nodded, trying not to take on Katherine's worry, her fear that this wouldn't work out.
"Then let's get started." Her eyes hardened. "How do I find Erin?"
She turned to Katherine, her eyes blazing.
"Because I'm ready to take that bitch down."
It was fascinating to watch Jazmine like this, pissed as hell and focused on scrying for Erin….
Or whatever the witch GPS thing was called.
"That's it." Katherine nodded, watching as Jazmine focused on the direction of the necklace circling over the map. "Now wait for it to land. You'll know when it's ready."
Jazmine nodded, staring down at it, focused.
"It's not working." She glared at Katherine. "Why isn't it working?"
Katherine shrugged, just as lost as she was. "It takes time, Jazmine. We'll get her. Just keep scrying until it lands."
Luckily, Jazmine had frozen the store and everyone it before she slammed her hand down on the floor.
The pocketknife and the vial she'd purchased clattered onto the tile, while Huey stepped back, still a little unsure of how well she could contain her strengthening powers.
"THIS SUCKS!" She shouted at the necklace, glaring at it. "FIND HER ALREADY! WHAT THE HELL IS TAKING SO LONG?!"
Huey raised a brow, staring at her, his voice gentle enough to bring her out of the outburst. "You good?"
"I'd be better if this worked." Jazmine frowned, letting out an angry grunt as the necklace continued to spin. "I need to take this bitch down already, and it's not, it's just not fucking working!"
Katherine paused as well, staring at Jazmine.
"Little one…" She extended a translucent hand. "What's the matter? This isn't you."
"I'm just…." Jazmine shook her head, her voice quiet. "Forget it. I'm killing that demon once and for all. Bitch won't know what hit her."
"It's the chaos." Huey realized, watching as Jazmine's eyes grew darker and darker. "It's taking everything over, including her."
"He's right." Katherine stepped forward, nodding at him. "We need to move fast, get Jazmine to open the portal before it takes us too. Then we can-"
The necklace slammed down with a thunk, causing all of them to turn and stare at it.
"Found her." Jazmine glared at the courthouse on the map, extending her hand towards Huey. "Let's go."
"Jazmine…" He shook his head. "I know it doesn't feel like it, but you are not yourself right now. It's not a good idea to-"
His eyes widened at the electricity he felt just from touching her hand.
Before he could even say a word, she orbed.
Just as she'd done several times before.
But something about this time was different.
Special.
The balls of light floated around them, brightening before Katherine could object.
And soon, they were floating with them, free as birds in the air.
But only for a moment.
Because the landing was hard.
As hell.
"Ahhhh!" Jazmine grabbed her knee, hissing out in pain.
Huey got into stance, watching as Erin blipped over to them, an evil smirk on her face as they realized they were back in the courthouse, interacting with her like she'd never left, like she hadn't died last night.
"Sobering, isn't it?" She leaned back, watching as Jazmine reverted to her former self, meek, shy, nervous. "Not so bad now that the chaos has drained, are we?"
Jazmine tried to stand, screaming out in pain as her left leg gave out beneath her.
"Well… drained where it counts." Erin quickly flicked her hand as Huey rushed forward, sending him crashing back into the wall behind them. "But not to worry. I promise to make this quick."
Jazmine began to cry, watching as Erin blipped slightly closer, hovering over her with her hand extended.
She leaned forward, laughing as Jazmine began to desperately cling to her leg, not even noticing when she took the pocketknife and stabbed it, the smirk visible on her face.
"Thanks for keeping your word." Jazmine smirked, rolling away from her.
"YOU BRAT!" Erin gasped, the blood shooting out of her leg as Jazmine closed the vial. "COME BACK HERE!"
But Jazmine was already running.
She quickly orbed over to him, ushering him towards a spot in the back.
"C'mon." She hissed. "We've gotta go!"
"YOU IDIOT!" Erin roared. "GET BACK HERE!"
"Jazmine…" He coughed, wincing as he lifted to his feet, watching Erin blip faster and faster with an alarming amount of strength. "She's-"
"I know." Jazmine nodded. "Just trust me."
She extended her hand, her gaze fixed on him.
"Can you do that?" She gazed into his eyes, the flicker in them taking his breath away. "I did it for you. Now I need you to do it for me. Please."
It sure as hell beat staying here.
Nodding, he gripped her hand tight and she orbed.
Out of the courthouse and into the morgue, her nose wrinkling as she stared at the items from their fake crime scene, which included the actual items they'd been wearing the other day.
"Hey, kid!" One of the security guards pointed at her, narrowing his eyes. "What the hell? Get outta here!"
She froze him, scoffing before she rushed over to the mortuary cooler and flinging it open.
"Can you please tell me what you're doing?" Huey stared at her, his eyes widening when an actual body flew out. "Jazmine!"
"It's all a false reality, right?" She turned to face him, talking so fast he barely heard her. "It's like you said when we were kids."
"Distinguish the reality from the illusions people make from us…." He nodded, realizing what she was getting at. "So, the Erin in the courthouse…."
"She's not real, not like we are." Jazmine's eyes narrowed. "But if I take something from her corpse, she will be. I just have to do it before that Erin get out and finds her form…"
"And then she's dead." Huey nodded.
"And then she's dead." Jazmine repeated, nearly vomiting as she looked at yet another body. "Exactly."
She yanked out another corpse, staring down at it.
"Is that her?" Huey walked closer to see for himself, surprised by how gruesome the body actually looked.
The other two corpses looked peaceful, asleep, but Erin's body looked traumatized, burnt and bloodied from what Jazmine had done to her.
And somehow, that made it real.
Especially when Jazmine threw up, chunks of whatever she'd eaten spilled out on the floor near her feet as she slightly hyperventilated, trying to catch her breath.
"I'll take that as a yes." He rolled his eyes, reaching over her. "Allow me."
"No." Jazmine held out her free hand, reaching over with her pocket knife. "I got it."
He watched, transfixed as she quickly cut off the demon's finger, holding it over the vial of blood with widened eyes.
"I think I saw a kitchen back there." She nodded. "Let's go."
"You're bossy for someone who just threw up." Huey shot her a look, turning into the break room with her and looking around, muttering. "They have this expensive ass shit in here? The morgues back in Chicago barely even have a microwave. Hell, they barely even have a coroner."
"Later, Huey." Jazmine turned the burner up on the stove. "One problem at a time, please."
He fell silent, nodding as she grabbed some stuff from the cabinet. "So, what's all this?"
"The stuff I need for my first potion." She said, wincing as she emptied the vial of blood into a pot. "I have to mix it for a few more seconds ,and then it'll turn pink and smoke when it's ready."
Huey just stared at her, blinking. "How do you know that without Katherine having to tell you?"
"I'm not sure." Jazmine shrugged. "I just…do. Maybe it's intuition. Or maybe I'm way off kilter." She grabbed something else and dumped it inside. "We'll see in a second."
Sure. Because that was reassuring.
"Stand back." She ordered, doing the same before the concoction exploded and puffed out a huge cloud of smoke.
"Perfect." She smiled, pouring it into a large vial. "Now-"
She blinked, staring at someone behind him.
"Who's that?"
Huey turned, his face quickly contorting into an angry scowl when they saw a tall, handsome boy with grey eyes and long dreads, leaning onto the door frame.
His leather outfit was striking, intriguing to him for some reason.
And the same went for Jazmine.
Obviously.
"My name's Dominic." He batted his long lashes, staring at Jazmine with a smile. "I believe I was summoned."
Huey kicked him with the base of his foot, hovering over him when he stared up, rubbing his dreads with a groan.
"Hey!" Jazmine glared at him, turning back to smile at Dominic. "He's hot!" She clamped her hands over her mouth. "I mean…I want him to kiss me." She shut her mouth again. "I mean…"
"She means leave." Huey glared at him, pointing towards the door. "She's not interested."
Dominic didn't even lift a hand, but Huey slid out of the door past him regardless, just enough to peer at Jazmine from the door frame.
It felt like Huey's legs were tied together with rope that was slicing hard into his skin.
Huey growled, pushing forward.
"You." He grinned at Jazmine. "Look much better in person." Dominic kissed her cheek, nodding when she giggled at him. "I almost wanna use the repression spell on us two so we can have some real fun."
He snorted, flicking his hand back so that Huey slid back even further.
"But I think I can do you one better." He nodded, snapping his fingers as Huey tried to rush towards her.
"See you soon, beautiful." He kissed Jazmine again, smirking when Huey struggled to fight against his spell work. "When your powers settle, I'll be back. And then we can finish this out with a kiss or two. Maybe even more."
Jazmine grinned, leaning forward as well.
He was too delicious to resist, too perfect to say no to, and she found herself leaning forward, smiling back at him.
"Nigga, get away from her!" Huey rushed forward, surprised that his legs had fully regained their strength.
Dominic easily flicked him backwards again, smirking at him as he faded out slow, pointing at him with a smirk.
"Peace!"
Without thinking, Jazmine whipped around, facing Huey who was rubbing his head.
"Did I just-"
"Yes." Huey nodded. "You did."
To his surprise, Jazmine laughed, making a face at him.
"Doesn't feel so good when the shoes on the other foot, does it?" She paused, reenacting his smirk at Leilani from earlier in the woods.
"Whatever." He rolled his eyes. "Can you just fix this shit, please? The next thing you know we'll be seeing clowns or something. All this mess is starting to work my nerves, now."
"Awwwwwwww." Jazmine teased, shooting him a sideways glance. "You scared?"
"No." Erin slowly walked inside, the lights blinking on and off until they were submerged into darkness. "But I am."
The lights popped on and Jazmine raced forward, flicking her hands back as quickly as she could.
Huey opened the drawers, tossing whatever he could down that wasn't sharp enough to be thrown back at them, including a large jar of water, watching as Erin flew back with a gasp.
But that didn't work for long.
Erin raised both her hands, to flick them away again, sending them crashing into the table grabbing their heads, struggling to hop to their feet.
"Enough games." Erin smirked. "This ends now."
Jazmine stood to her feet, smirking back.
"It does." She murmured, revealing the potion in her hands.
It only took one second for Jazmine to throw it and another second for it to make contact with Erin's skin.
The body lifted out of the cold cabinet and floated next to "Erin", both items howling aloud as Jazmine spoke, her eyes hard as they began to burn, the flames already settling into their flesh.
"In this time, and in this hour….I call upon my darkest power. Turn them both from blood and bone, into dust and send them home."
Both Erin's wailed louder, their screams chilling as they began clinging to one another, reeling from all the walked forward unbothered, determined to finish the task at hand. "Return these souls back to hell. Keep them in eternal cells. They must stay, they shall not go. So says, this Arceneaux!"
The demon screamed, her howls loud enough for Jazmine and Huey to cover their ears and cling to one other, watching in horror as Erin took small blips, wriggling in pain as the flames consumed her and her body, defeating her and her clone for good.
"This isn't over!" Erin pointed with a trembling finger. "This doesn't end with me!"
But before she could say any more she fell forward, her ashes falling onto the ground and then sinking out of sight without a trace.
"Well…" Jazmine looked around, raising a brow when they were back in her dad's office, like they had been the night before. "I guess she's gone. But how will we know if it worked?"
Huey just smirked, staring at her.
"Your phone's ringing." He said, already feeling the boring lure of Woodcrest in the air again. Her dad's photo was on the lock screen, his annoying smile a slight relief. "I think it's for you."
Jazmine hesitated, but she still picked it up, cautiously holding the phone away from her ear. "Dad?"
There was some talking on the other end, and then something else, something that made Jazmine's head drop to the ground.
"Yeah, sure." She frowned. "I get it. Have fun. I'll see you when you get back."
She shrugged when Huey stared at her, nodding like Tom could see her.
"Yeah." She rolled her eyes. "Okay. Bye."
"Well?" Huey looked at her. "What's the verdict?"
"He's out of town again." Jazmine trembled, the adrenaline wearing off. "He told me to enjoy my car, that it's still in the driveway."
Huey blinked in response, as fascinated by the situation as Jazmine was distraught.
"How…." She trailed off. "How can did that even happen? How is everything back to normal?"
"False realities." Huey shrugged. "I'm guessing we merged back."
"Something like that." Jazmine's guide Katherine appeared again, smiling at them both. "I knew you two could do it?"
"Wait." Jazmine frowned. "You knew how to fix it the whole time?"
"Just like you." Katherine gave her knowing smirk, chuckling when Jazmine shook her head, clearly proud of herself for figuring it out.
"So now what?" Jazmine asked, staring up at Katherine. "Do we go after Dominic next, or Bartholomew?"
But Katherine was just as confused as Jazmine.
"Who's Dominic?" She asked. "Did I miss something about a Dominic?"
Huey just shrugged his shoulders, shaking his head.
"My guess?" He told her, making his way to his car and opening the door for Jazmine. "He was just another part of the chaos. A distraction that Erin made up." He suggested If she was changing your mood and bringing out Bartholomew, then she could probably bring out other stuff to distract you too."
Jazmine nodded, seeming to buy it. "I didn't know demons could have decoys."
"It is rare." Katherine frowned. "But honestly, I've never seen it before. Not when Leilani and I were alive. It'd take a strong demon to pull off something like that, one even more powerful than Bartholomew."
"Oh." Jazmine frowned, her eyes on the mat of his car.
Katherine leaned forward and hugged her, her translucent eyes beaming as she looked down at Jazmine.
"But it takes an even stronger witch to vanquish one." She smiled, pointing up at the sky. "If you need me, I'm here. I'm only a holler away." She whisked away, a calm, gentle breeze tickling their chins.
"For the record…" Katherine's voice could be heard inside of his car. "I always knew you were special."
With that, they were alone again.
"Hey." He nudged Jazmine, studying the crestfallen expression on her face. "You good?"
"I'm not sure." Jazmine confessed, her hands trembling. "I just killed someone again, Huey. I cut off a demon's freakin' body parts!"
"But you had to make that choice." He told her, frowning at the electrical currents forming around her hands again. "Look." He said, pointedly. "What's done is done, and it'll have to happen again. There's no changing it."
"I know."
"So there's no use crying about it. You did what you had to do, and you'll keep doing what you have to do. End of story."
"I know."
He sighed, his tone softening again.
"Are you sure something else isn't bothering you?" He asked, his eyes trailing up to her face. "Because we've been chased around Woodcrest all day and those bolts are just now returning."
She sighed, wringing her hands together.
"I guess I'm scared, okay?" Jazmine shot him a look, crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't want to be attacked in my sleep, and my dad won't be home tonight." She took a breath, her voice quieting. "I can't…I can't be there without thinking someone's coming. And eventually, I'm gonna be right."
He nodded, his eyes on hers.
"I'll park my car at home and head to your place tonight, then." He told her, pulling off. "I ain't sleeping in your room or anything like that, but I can keep an eye out, maybe figure out how to fight their asses with some research." He said. "Or you can tough it out at your place alone. Your call."
"I'll take door number one, thanks." Jazmine answered, her eyes still on the sky, a longing look in them. "Do you really think that Dominic was fake, that Erin just conjured him up?"
Huey thought about it, frowning.
"I'm not sure."
They both sat there for a moment, thinking.
And then without another word, Huey drove them home.