Several beats of silence passed with no one moving or acknowledging Levi's question.
"What are you investigating?" Levi asked, his eyes still on Gen's. "Why do you have weapons? What's this about witches and warriors and things? What the
hell is going on?"
"Well done," Michael said.
Genevieve swung her head back to look at him. "Excuse me?"
"Does the word 'secret' not mean anything to you?"
"I didn't invite him!" She stalked a few feet forward, Levi forgotten for a moment. "And shall I remind you that it was
your friend who threatened to take information about us to The Brethren?"
"Gen, ix-nay on the ethren-bray?" Sage said in a low voice, her gaze flickering Levi's way pointedly.
Ah, shit.
Gen took a deep breath and turned to Levi once more. "Hey there, Lev. So...I don't suppose you just accidentally happened to find me here?"
"No, I followed you. I've followed you here a few times."
That confession threw her for a loop. Following her? Levi? Shit, since when did he do that kind of thing? True, she hadn't been around him as much as she used to...they'd drifted apart over the past few months. But to have him resort to following her? That didn't seem right.
"Why the hell would you follow me?"
"Since you and Merri took off in a car--the one parked outside--one day a few months ago and I knew you were hiding something."
When we went to see Shaw...dammit. "And all this time, you never said anything?"
Colour rose in his cheeks and she realized it wouldn't be easy to talk her way out of this one. "So what the fuck are you involved in?"
"Can't we just tell him?" Sage asked.
"No," Michael said immediately.
"Why not?" Gen and Sage asked in unison.
"Thad knows," Merri pointed out. "He's okay with it. It doesn't have to be a secret with everyone."
"No," Michael said again.
"Will someone answer my question?" Levi asked. He gestured to Michael. "Isn't he supposed to be your stalker?"
"No," Gen said quickly, then she rethought that answer. "Well, sorta, he was, but not in a bad way. Kinda."
"He attacked you and threatened you! I was there!"
"It was kinda just a misunderstanding. He's one of the good guys. Sorta..." Gen sighed heavily and walked to the couch, throwing her hands up in the air. "You know, I'm not going to be very convincing on the Michael front, so someone else can take over now." She flopped down onto the sofa.
"We're...sorta special," Sage took over. "And Michael helps us. He was trying to help Gen when you first saw him."
"You are
not telling the kid this!" Michael said.
"But he knows something is up," Merri said. "The truth is probably better at this point."
"Looks like we outvoted you," Gen said with a smirk.
"This isn't a fucking democracy," Michael said.
"Well maybe it should be--"
"Someone explain to me what is going on!" Levi shouted and the others went silent.
"There are some things you don't know about Gen, Sage, and me," Merri started in a calm voice. "Things we can do."
"Is this...like a gang or something?"
Genevieve burst out laughing. Her mirth ceased as she realized no one else found it too amusing.
"I...just went to a funny visual place involving motorcycles," she said, dropping her gaze in embarrassment. "Continue."
"It's not a gang," Merri said. "It's...kind of hard to describe."
"You remember the night after your game, when you followed me through the creek and I was attacked?" Sage asked. "And I beat those men so easily?"
Levi nodded.
"It wasn't a coincidence that they came after me. They were trying to kill me because of what I am."
"Well, technically, they were testing you for their boss," Gen pointed out.
"How about we don't make this anymore complicated than it is?" Merri said.
"So what the hell are you?" Levi asked.
Sage shrugged. "The Warrior."
"And what the fuck is that?"
"Here's where it gets weird," Merri said.
"Oh, now it gets weird?"
"There's a witch, a warrior, and a seer," Gen said. "Well, and an immortal, but she's not around. So we're like the Chosen One, only there are four of us, and no vampires. At least I don't think." She glanced at Michael. "Are there vampires?"
"Not to my knowledge."
"Good." She turned back to Levi. "And we're like a sign or something that the end of the world is nigh. I've always wanted to use that word in a sentence."
"And Michael helps us," Merri said.
"
Usually, " Gen added.
"Any questions?" Sage asked.
Levi looked at each of them in turn. "You're all fucking nuts."
And Sage was so easy to tell, Gen thought. And people like Thad and David Shaw already knew--Gen forgot how insane it all sounded to a newbie.
A newbie like I once was.
"Maybe I could do a spell or something to prove it to you," Gen offered.
Levi rolled his eyes. "Oh, so you're a witch now?"
"A relatively incompetent one, but yeah."
"Like Izzy Marx?"
"No, a real one. I'm not a poser. Though I'm not as powerful as Krysta, so maybe--"
"Who the hell is Krysta?" Levi asked.
"Michael's girlfriend," Gen said.
"She's
not my girlfriend," Michael said.
"Okay..." Gen raised her hands and made air quotes when she spoke. "His 'special friend' then. She's not a witch with a capital W. She
is a skank, though, with a capital S. She even beats Kourtnee in that department."
"So Krysta isn't a witch?" Levi asked.
"No, she's a witch, just not
the witch," Merri said.
"So who's
the witch?"
Gen raised her hand. "That would be me."
Levi's eyes went to Merri. "And you would be?"
"I'm a seer."
He gestured to Michael. "And he's...?"
"A burden on the chicks with super powers," Gen said.
"And what, exactly, do all of these bizarre fantasies have to do with my brother?"
Tension enveloped the room and no one dared speak for several long moments.
"I know she," he gestured to Sage, "had something to do with it. I know it's because of what she was involved in. Now what does this have to do with my brother?"
"The people who attacked him were the same ones you saw go after Sage," Merri said. "They went after all of us."
"And Hayden?" Tears that he didn't shed brought a slight shimmer to his eyes.
"They did it to get to me," Sage said in a low voice. Gen glanced back at the other girl to see her head bowed and eyes closed. "You were right--it was because of me."
"And you couldn't tell the police about this?" Levi said. "You couldn't tell them when those guys first went after you? He would still be alive--"
"The police weren't prepared to handle it," Gen said. "What were we supposed to say? That there were four well-trained assassin guys that behaved like robots and were focused on killing the three of us because of our role in the apocalypse? I didn't even believe it at the time--there was no way the police would go for it."
Levi's cool gaze locked on hers. "You knew."
Oh...fuck.
"How long?" he asked.
"Lev--"
"How long!"
Gen sighed. "Since September."
"Back when it happened?"
She nodded.
"How the fuck could you not tell me?"
"Okay, think for a moment about what your opinion is of all this," Gen said. "You don't believe me now and you certainly wouldn't have believed me then."
"You
knew who killed him and you didn't go to the police--"
"I just told you they--"
"You didn't even tell
me! My brother's killers are still running around out there and all this time you knew--"
"Actually, they're not," Merri said.
"They're dead," Sage said.
Levi's gaze darted back and forth between them. "What?"
"Like she said," Gen said. "They
aren't running around anywhere. They're gone now."
"So what, you kill people now?" He looked at Sage. "Is this what you meant when you told me you'd take care of it?"
"I killed one that attacked us here
before they went after Hayden," Merri said. "After the attack, a few hours before he died, we tracked them down and...took care of it."
"Meaning you murdered them."
Though Gen wasn't one hundred percent certain what exactly she had done to two of them when she cast that spell, she refrained from pointing that out. "They were trying to kill us, Lev."
"It was self-defense," Merri said. "Tell him, Michael."
Michael put up his hands. "I'm having
no part in this. It's your," he gestured to Gen, "mess, so you can clean it up."
This must be so hard for him to hear, Gen thought as she gazed sadly at her friend. She rose from the couch and approached him. "Lev--"
Levi threw his hands up in the air. "I can't listen to this anymore. I don't even know you people." He started for the door.
"Lev--"
"Fuck off, Genevieve," he called over his shoulder as he left.
Gen started as he slammed the door behind him. "Okay, that didn't go well."
"How could you let yourself be followed?" Michael asked immediately.
"Like I had any idea!"
"We should have told him sooner," Sage said quietly.
"You shouldn't be telling anyone anything," Michael said.
"He deserved to know what really happened to Hayden."
"Regular people can't handle the world the three of you live in," he said. "And it's not about 'deserving'--it's about
safety. The fewer people that know, the better for everyone."
But it's not like Levi is Finn. Levi was mad at her now, sure, but he wouldn't go to their enemies about anything. And it seemed like the only way to truly keep everyone safe would be to totally cut herself off from people. That hardly seemed worth it.
Sage was right before...it should be up to Levi--like she wanted to leave it up to Hayden--to decide if he wants anything to do with us.
"It's understandable that he's upset," Merri said, quick to jump in as the voice of reason. "If we give him some time, he'll come to terms with it. In the meantime, I suggest we go back to what Gen was saying."
Nothing like some serial killings to get my mind off hurting my best friend.
"I'm still leaning towards 'get armed and investigate,'" Sage said.
"I'm partial to 'stay in and figure out what we're facing' myself," Gen said.
"How about the three of you forget about it," Michael said.
"I'm with Gen," Merri said. "Meaning you're outvoted again."
"Oooh, we need a big eraser board or something!" Gen said. "Like on House, except instead of disease symptoms, we can write down a serial killer profile. And can I go undercover and interview witnesses?"
"Okay, if we're doing this, we're doing this
right," Michael said, an edge of annoyance to his voice. "I'll speak to my contacts at the police station and the hospital about viewing copies of the autopsy reports and that. The three of you can go online and reread everything the papers said about the crimes." He reached for his car keys on the kitchen counter and started for the door.
"And you'll pick up a dry erase board?" Gen added. "With different coloured markers?"
"We'll see."
*~*~*
Gen was pleased when Michael
did return home a few hours later with a large dry erase board. While he mounted it on the far wall, Merri went through the notes he'd taken at the police station and hospital. Gen was the first to jump up and start jotting down notes on the board, highlighting any important details from both the official reports on the murders, as well as things from Merri's visions and what she and Finn had learned.
Sage sat at the back of the kitchen at the breakfast bar, glass of water in hand, watching the others with disinterest. She was all in favour of stopping a serial killer, sure, regardless of whether or not he was of supernatural origin, but...
Still, she couldn't get into the discussion. Her mind kept trailing back to Levi's arrival at the house a few hours ago.
Feelings of guilt stirred in her once more. They were never really gone for long, but seeing Levi again, watching him digest the truth about Hayden's death...it all made the hurt fresh once more.
God, what would he say if he knew
everything? If he knew she'd had the chance to have Hayden back for good, but been forced to give him up?
They should have told him sooner, despite what Michael said. Granted, she had no idea
how to even start that kind of conversation, but Levi still should have known the truth months ago. If she'd been in his position, she would have wanted to know.
Sage glanced up as she heard footsteps approach and saw Michael nearing her.
"A dry erase board, and yet you aren't interested," he muttered with sarcasm.
She glanced to where Gen stood across the room, drawing big circles around different words in various colours. "Some are more easily amused than others."
"Come on, she's about to crack the case." Michael nodded toward the board. "With details like, 'music', 'killings', 'water', and a whole lot of questions marks, we should have the list of suspects narrowed down any day now."
"At least she's enthusiastic."
"Which would be helpful if enthusiasm solved crimes."
"So you really don't believe them?" She met his eyes. "You just think it's a 'normal' serial killer, whatever that means?"
"No."
Sage snapped to attention and sat straighter in her chair. "What?"
"The police reports said the victims drowned."
"Well...they're kinda near the lake, so that's not exactly strange."
"Except the bodies weren't actually
found by the water. In the case of the victim from last weekend--the one Finn and Gen stumbled upon--he had only been dead a half hour or so when he was found. There weren't any signs that he had been dumped there after being killed in another location, his clothes weren't wet, and he showed no signs of drowning
except that his lungs were full of water."
Sage looked at the board again and studied what little Gen had written thus far, the wheels turning in her head. "Exactly how supernatural does 'supernatural' mean, in this context?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that I don't know what else is out there. There are all these people in the world--me, Gen, and Merri included--who can do things, right? Perform things like magic and that?"
"Yeah."
"So what else? What is real that we think isn't? I know it was just a joke earlier when Gen asked if there are vampires, but...but
what else is there? What other...creatures or something could we be dealing with? Are there demons? Monsters? We're supposed to have an apocalypse coming at some point--doesn't all that seem possible?"
She half expected him to tell her she was as stupid sounding as Gen, but instead she found his gaze fixed on the board. A frown slowly came over his face.
"Shit," he muttered.
Uh oh... When Michael looked worried about something, Sage figured there had to be cause for it. "Michael--"
"New plan," he called to the others as he walked toward them with Sage at his heels. Merri gazed up from the notebook in her hands and even Gen stopped writing on the board. "You," he gestured to Merri, "need to go to my computer to start looking up books. Not everything is catalogued there, however, so the two of you," he looked to Gen and Sage in turn, "can start going through the boxes of books in the other room."
"Uh, I helped you move those the other day," Gen said. "There are a hell of a lot of books--"
"Then I suggest you start
now. Sage and I will bring out the boxes, you can pull out the books." He moved toward the spare room without any further explanation.
"But what are we even looking for?" Sage asked.
Michael glanced back at them. "Tales of mythical creatures that could have basis in fact. Specifically, I'm thinking of sirens."
*~*~*
"I don't know..." Gen yawned. "...why we're doing this." As her gaze travelled over the book in front of her, the words seemed to blur and she felt another yawn coming on.
The open book lay on the coffee table with a dozen others while she sat on the floor. Merri had a stack of her own to go through where she sat on the couch. Sage and Michael were seated at the breakfast bar with yet more books. Midnight neared and they were no closer to answers than they had been hours ago.
Of course, he's got like a bazillion books to go over--no wonder we're so slow.
Gen rested her head on her book and yawned again. "I already know who did it," she continued when no one comment on her previous remark.
"And that would be...?" Merri said without looking up.
"Uh, I can think of one evil succubus in town: it's gotta be Krysta."
"It's not Krysta," Michael said, also without looking up from his book.
Gen lifted her head to look his way. "You don't know that. I
told you that woman was a demon or Satanist or something when we first met her. She had that doll thing in her bathroom cabinet with candles and stuff. I bet it was some kind of succubus spell."
"We aren't looking for a succubus--we're looking for a siren."
"Same thing."
"If you think that, then you'd better start reading more closely."
"How do we know it's not her, though? You still haven't given me a reason. I think we should probably just cut her head off anyway. Better safe than sorry."
"It wouldn't hurt to double check," Sage said. "Maybe make sure she has an alibi?"
"Yeah," Gen said. "I'll call her and ask where she was last Saturday--"
"She was in her apartment, with me," Michael said, still without looking up at any of them. "End of discussion."
"Oh." Gen slumped down again. Great, Michael just
had to alibi their only suspect. He wasn't much of a team player.
"It's going to take us forever to get through all of these," Merri said with a sigh. "Your last assistant did a shitty job trying to catalogue things."
"She had a system, I just never did figure out what it was."
"This stuff goes so much faster on T.V.," Gen said. "But I don't sense a montage coming on, so we should get more help."
"Help as in...?" Michael glanced her way and raised a skeptical brow.
"Well, maybe Levi--"
"He's not going to want to come back here," Sage said.
"How about Thad, then?"
Merri paused her reading to meet Gen's eyes. "That's not a bad idea."
"This isn't a fucking party," Michael said.
Gen closed her book and tossed it on the floor. It landed on the hardwood with a
thud. "I think we should start doing more than reading. We don't have all weekend for this--I have a date tomorrow night that I am
not missing. You," she pointed at Michael, "should be out there shaking down all your contacts. Including Krysta, if you really don't think she's the one we're looking for. Merri can get Thad over to help us. I'll drop an email Shaw's way, just in case he knows anything about this stuff. How's
that for a plan, Mr. Anti-Giles?"
"Tolerable, I suppose," Michael said as he rose. "Though I could simply be inclined to agree with you because I'm tired of sitting here."
While Michael disappeared upstairs to make a few phone calls, Merri went to her room to call Thad and invite him over for a "study date." Gen pulled out Merri's laptop and sent David Shaw an email, requesting any help he could provide.
"You think Levi's going to be okay with all this?" Sage asked in a low voice as she joined Gen in the living room. She sank down on the couch where Merri had been sitting.
"I don't know. He's never stayed mad at me for long, but that was before this year. It's not like it used to be."
"Nothing's like it used to be."
No, it isn't.
"Thad will be by tomorrow morning," Merri said as she returned. "He said he has a friend who may be able to help, so he's bringing him as well."
Gen glanced toward the loft.
I sure as hell hope Michael didn't hear that. They already had a full house.
*~*~*
A hand shaking her shoulder awoke Gen from a dreamless sleep.
Stretched out on the cot in Merri's room, she yawned and turned over to see Meredith standing over her.
"Ooooh...I don't want it to be morning." Gen rolled over once more and drew the sheet over her head.
"Thad and his friend are on their way over," Merri said. "And Michael's already been up for hours."
Gen grumbled under her breath as she tore the blanket off and sat up in bed.
Stupid lousy supernatural monsters interrupting my life, she thought. She missed her own bed, too, but Michael wouldn't let them go home the night before, deciding instead that it would be much better for everyone to stay under one roof so they could get back to researching in the morning. And Gen had been too tired to argue, so she crashed on the cot in Merri's room.
Which was easily the stupidest thing I've done in awhile...now I have to work.
Sage had insisted on taking the couch in the living room rather than Merri's bed, but when she was nowhere to be seen when Gen got out there. Pots and pans banged in the kitchen, and a glance in that direction revealed Michael cooking breakfast.
So I really am the last one up... At least Michael hadn't come barging in the room to dump a glass of water on her head or something--that seemed like something he'd do.
"Where's Sage?" Gen asked as she wandered toward the kitchen.
"Went for a jog," Merri replied.
"I don't suppose she plans to pick up toothbrushes? 'Cause I could probably use--"
Michael grabbed a plastic bag from the counter and tossed it over his shoulder onto the breakfast bar without taking his eyes from the pancake cooking on the stove.
Gen peered into the bag and withdrew one of a few packaged toothbrushes. "Cool. Maybe
Chez Michael's isn't so bad after all. I don't suppose you also thought to get deodorant or anything?"
"You can use anything of mine you find in the bathroom," Merri said. "Don't worry about--"
The front door opened and Sage returned. Two guys trailed her; Thad and another whom she didn't recognize. The other young man looked to be about Thad's age, and Gen figured he was the friend from school Merri had said would be coming over.
"They just got here," Sage said as she slid off her jacket and shoes. She walked up to the breakfast bar and took a seat.
"This is the last fucking time we do this," Michael muttered under his breath.
"He doesn't like guests," Merri whispered to Gen.
"No, he doesn't like
anyone," Gen whispered back.
"We did bring donuts," Thad said as he walked over and set the box on the counter. He went to Merri next, wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and pressed his lips to her forehead in greeting.
"You also brought an uninvited guest," Michael said without looking Thad's way.
"Oh..." Merri's eyes widened innocently. "Did I forget to tell you that?"
"A
useful uninvited guest," Thad said. He nodded to his friend. "In case one witch isn't enough."
"Yay! Less work for me." Gen took a closer look at Thad's friend. The top of his head of short, black hair barely came up to her nose, and his dark brown eyes were fixed on hers. "So what do we call a boy-witch?"
"We don't," Michael said. "We ignore him until he goes away."
"I think 'warlock' is the common phrase," Thad's friend said. "But I think that sounds cheesy so I don't usually refer to myself as anything but my name."
"Which would be?"
"Raji." His easy smile extended to his eyes. He reached toward her and she accepted his hand for a quick shake.
"Nice to meet you..." He held her hand for a beat longer, so she wiggled her fingers out of his grasp and backed away from the group. "I'm headed to get cleaned up now--save me some pancakes."
*~*~*
Merri noticed the gaze of Thad's friend, Raji, trail after Gen as she left.
Oh, great.
"You're not her type," she said in a low voice as she started toward the breakfast bar. She glanced over her shoulder to see him still starring in the direction Gen had taken. "Seriously."
With a sigh, Raji turned and followed. "Too short?"
"Too boy-ish."
"She's...?"
Merri nodded.
"He does have a thing for tall blondes," Thad said as he slapped his friend on his shoulder. "Probably should have said something, but I thought this would be funnier--"
A plate struck the counter loudly, startling everyone. Michael's glare was turned their way.
"This
isn't a social visit," he said. "You people insisted on looking into these killings, so that's what we're doing, but if you're not going to take it seriously, you can leave."
"Oh, that reminds me..." Thad dug through his pocket for a moment and pulled out a slip of white paper, which he handed to Michael. "I guess Gen emailed Shaw last night. He called me this morning and when I said I was coming over here, he gave me a list of books that might help us. The ones with stars next to them are texts available online, if you don't have a copy. He doesn't know if it'll help, but it's the best lead he has."
Michael glanced over the list, then left for the loft without a word.
"Did you just make that up?" Merri whispered, but Thad shook his head.
"I was saving it for when he started yelling, though. Maybe I should have saved it for when things get worse."
And they'll definitely get worse, Merri thought.
And things
did get worse.
Michael spent the afternoon yelling at everyone about everything, from the disorganized way people returned books to the boxes, to the noise of Gen yawning from time to time. When afternoon rolled around, nearly everyone seemed ready to call it quits.
Perhaps we're not so successful as a group after all, Merri thought as she closed yet another book on mythological creatures. She was starting to lean towards Sage's plan of, "get armed and go after the monster."
"I think I found something," Raji said from where he sat on the floor, back against the side of the couch.
Gen glanced up from her open book on the coffee table and raised a brow skeptically. "That's what you said half an hour ago. And an hour before that. You should probably stop going through books with weird languages when you can't translate them. It just makes Michael madder when he has to read it for you."
"This is different." Raji slid across the floor and set the book next to Gen's. He pointed to a particular passage.
Gen scanned the text, then grabbed the book and turned it over to look at the cover. "Lake monsters? We're not looking for Nessie."
"We've been focusing on mythology and old stories about sirens, but even if they're based on actual accounts, they're still stories, no? So I thought we should look at mystical theories surrounding what is commonly known as cryptozoology."
"Please tell me this has a point," Michael said.
"'Water is a natural conduit for energy,'" Raji quoted the text. "'Therefore dimensional portals are often found near oceans, lakes, and Rajines. If sightings of mythical beasts near large water sources are to be believed, it seems highly probable that such creatures are the result of dimensional tears.' That would explain how it got here."
"So we open the dimension again and send it back?" Gen guessed.
"I'm much more interested in killing it," Michael said.
Gen looked at him in horror. "Why do you have to kill everything? We can just send it home--"
"This
isn't E.T.--this is a monster that has killed several people."
"Still," Raji said. "It would be a good idea to ensure whatever portals might be around there are definitely closed. You don't want a second creature appearing."
"So Raji and I can start researching portal stuff," Gen said. "Like how to make sure the one around here is sealed up tight. Where should we start?"
"Two of the murders so far have occurred at that club," Michael said. "The first one and the latest. We should focus on that area--if there is a tear in dimensions around the lake, it'll probably be there. If we don't find the siren, we check the other locations."
"So how are we going to find it?" Gen asked. "I didn't see anything the night Finn and I looked around. What if we
can't see it? What if it runs from us?"
"We need bait." Both Raji and Thad opened their mouths to speak, but Michael stopped them by raising in hand. "
I will act as the bait, if need be."
"And how are we dealing with the siren?" Thad asked. "I don't know about you guys, but I'd rather not drown, if I can help it."
"I wouldn't mind you drowning," Michael said dryly. "But yes, this isn't so simple that we can just waltz up and kill it."
Merri shifted in her seat and glanced up at the board. "Gen, you said that Finn said he heard something, but you didn't. He heard music."
"Yeah..."
"So us girls should be fine around it--it's the guys we have to worry about."
"Another spell?" Gen suggested, but Michael shook his head.
"Focus on the portal one first. In the event we can't kill the siren, sending it back should be priority."
"Uh..." Thad raised his hand. "But I really like the idea of
not drowning."
"Then tonight, you can stay out of our way."
*~*~*
In the few times Genevieve had been at
On the Map, she'd never seen it as busy as it was that night she went to meet Janine. Being the site of local murders didn't seem to matter to anyone--in fact, it seemed to attract patrons. Serial killer groupies and curious residents were among the usual crowd at the club.
At least I'm not the only freak around here, Gen thought as she rounded the dance floor with a pair of virgin cocktails in hand. Hell, for a lesbian witch, she was starting to feel downright normal.
Her gaze settled on Janine. Gen had seen her walk inside the club from where she stood on the upper level, and decided to pick up a drink for both of them. Now she found the other girl was seated at a table by herself, watching the crowd.
So she didn't bring any friends. That meant it wasn't a group outing, but an actual date, right? Gen still hadn't heard anything about Janine's long time girlfriend, or if they continued to be involved. She had been hoping to slip the question into conversation that night, because she wasn't eager to jump into another relationship where she was the secret girlfriend.
"Hey," Gen said as she took the seat across from Janine. She set the cocktails on the table and pushed one Janine's way. Her stomach fluttered when Janine smiled.
"Thanks," she said as she accepted the drink. "Didn't know you were here yet."
Gen gestured over her shoulder to the upper level around the club. "Up there. Was me. Where I was, I mean. Uh...yeah." She grasped her drink and took a long sip before she could say anything else stupid.
"I can't believe how busy the place is," Janine said.
"Yeah--I don't think I know half of the people in here."
"I'm kinda glad of it, actually."
Gen's eyes froze on Janine's. What the hell did that mean? Was she embarrassed to be seen with her or something?
Janine must have noticed something was amiss in Gen's expression, for she was quick to correct herself. "Trish. My ex. I've stayed in the past few weeks because I didn't want to run into her--ugly break up."
"I hadn't heard about that."
Janine shrugged. "Didn't want to make a big production out of it. Know what I mean?"
"Not really--I couldn't have made a production out of my break-up with Peyton if I wanted to."
"You two were--"
Probably shouldn't have said anything... But then who the hell cared? Gen had handled the break-up remarkably well, so Peyton could shove it if she didn't like her mentioning it to Janine. "Yeah. For a few months--broke up on Valentine's Day."
"Ouch. That's gotta hurt."
"I did the breaking, so I guess it's okay."
After taking a long sip of her drink, Janine seemed to mull things over for a bit. "I'm pretty sure she's in my History class. Had no idea she was into girls."
Genevieve rolled her eyes. "Hence the breaking-up part."
"Ah." Janine nodded. "Gotcha. Oh, did you bring Levi?"
Gen set her drink down. "Huh?"
Janine nodded in Genevieve's direction, her gaze fixed at something over the other girl's shoulder. "He's over there."
Oh...great. Gen sighed when she spotted him in the crowd several metres away. His gaze was fixed on her, though he made no move to join them at the table. She'd asked him to the club, sure, but since he was mad at her, she hadn't expected him to show up, and certainly not to stand there and glare at her.
"You can invite him to sit down," Janine said. "I don't mind."
"I think
he would."
God, I wish this drink wasn't a virgin. The whole situation was giving her a headache.
"You two are always together," Janine said. "I can't remember a time I haven't seen you side by side since we started school."
Her friend troubles momentarily forgotten, Gen let Janine's words sink in.
She noticed me? All this time, she actually did know who I was?
"For the longest time, I actually thought the two of you were dating."
Gen nearly spit out her drink. "Oh, God no. I mean, he's nice and everything and I think he'd had a crush on me since we were eight, but...I'm not into that."
"Does he still have that crush? 'Cause he looks kind of mad."
Another glance over her shoulder and she saw Janine was right. His stare had definitely settled into "glare" territory.
"No, it's not about you and me sitting here. Other stuff."
"Like...?" Janine's face flushed a little. "It's probably none of my busine--"
"It's okay. I just..." She stirred her drink absently, gaze falling to the bright pink depths. "Levi found out I'm not the person he thought I was. And he's disappointed."
"Oooh, secret identity? That's hot." Janine pressed the straw between her dark red lips and took a sip of her drink.
Gen's cell phone rang. She pulled it from her pocket and checked the number.
"Oh yeah, really hot," she mumbled. She flashed Janine a quick smile. "Hold on, I gotta answer this real quick." Gen pressed the phone to her ear. "What!"
"We'll be at the club in about an hour," Michael said. "Meet us out back."
"You know police are milling around the place--"
"I checked, and no, they won't be. My source at the station says the cops believe there's a pattern to the killings, and they're focused on a different location. People will be patrolling, but I'll take care of them."
I really don't want to know what he means by that. She glanced at her watch and cursed under her breath. An hour would make it nearly ten o'clock--way too early to leave. Christ, she basically just got there. What the hell kind of date ended in an hour?
"But--"
"This was your idea," he reminded her. "
You wanted to go forward with this."
Bastard. Of course he had to throw that back up in her face. "Fine. I'll see you then." She hung up the phone before he could reply.
"Another date?" Janine asked as Gen turned off her phone.
She said "date"! "No. Stupid guy from work needs help with something. Again. I'll have to duck out in an hour or so."
"Oh. That's too bad."
Yeah. Better make the most of it. "Wanna dance?"
Janine smiled. "I'd love to."
*~*~*
The field behind the club was pitch black.
"I miss Gen's light spell," Sage said with a sigh as the group walked.
Merri had to agree. Michael carried a small flashlight, sure, but had refused to bring it out until absolutely necessary, as they didn't want to be noticed out there.
It's really seeming necessary, though, Merri thought as she stumbled on the uneven ground.
The wind picked up. In the distance, Merri heard waves slapping the lakeshore, and she shivered. Her visions played fresh in her mind again--it all seemed so familiar. Disturbingly so, and no matter how she tried to distance herself, the fear clung to her.
Part of her wished Thad was with them, but then she'd probably just worry. He kept watch in the busy parking lot with Raji. The men waited on either side so they could see the sides of the building and would know if anyone approached.
Michael had parked his car off road about a quarter mile from the club, then led Merri and Sage through the field. Their plan seemed simple enough: Merri would keep herself open in the hopes of seeing the dimensional tears around the lake, then Gen would cast a spell to close it again. Raji was on hand to help if need be. Once that was done, they'd find the siren.
Which is easier said than done when we can't see a fucking thing. Michael seemed to hope that Merri's abilities as a seer would give her a certain advantage over the creature, but she wasn't so sure. And then they would wait. Michael was still willing to act as bait, not the least bit worried about his own safety. Truthfully Merri didn't worry either, but that didn't change the fact that the plan seemed a little...flawed.
"You know, we're still relying on the idea that the siren chick is hanging around this area," Merri continued. "But this is a busy place, and therefore not the best feeding spot. There's no guarantee--"
"There
is a guarantee," Sage said. "The other spots--the hotel, the beach--are places where food would be scarce. But
On the Map is regularly busy. This seems like the best bet."
Maybe she's right, Merri thought. Maybe her doubt came from not liking the idea of facing this thing when they still didn't know much about it.
They neared the bright lights that ran along the back of the club.
And we're here...
Michael stopped at the fence and peered through the chain link. "I don't see her."
"She's probably just--" Merri began to defend her, but Michael waved her off.
"She's probably just late. Jesus-fucking-Christ..." He pulled out his cell phone, the LCD screen bright in the darkness, and dialled her number. A few minutes later, he hung up. "She's not answering."
"She
is on a date," Merri said. "I'm sure she's just--"
"We can send Thad in to get her," Sage suggested.
"No," Michael said. "He needs to watch the building."
"I'll go," Merri offered. "You two should to stay out here and in case you need to kill something."
Michael stepped forward and pulled out heavy-duty wire cutters from the bag he carried. He snipped through the fence until he could pull back a chunk of it for Merri to climb through.
"Hey," he said as she stepped through.
Merri turned back to glance at him. "I'll be careful--"
"Don't be careful--be fast."
Oh yeah, 'cause I frequently run a hundred metres.
Merri jogged--or walked quickly, as necessary--the way to the club without incident. As she reached the front of the building, she caught Raji's eye and gave him a nod. Michael had no doubt called him and Thad to let them know Gen hadn't shown up yet.
Inside the club, Merri glanced around for Gen. Truth be told, she was about to kill the girl herself. They really didn't have time for this...
She caught sight of Genevieve near the edge of the dance floor with Janine. The girls danced hand in hand to the music, laughing. Merri felt a twinge of guilt for having to separate them.
Still, we've got work to do. Merri wove through the dancers until she reached Gen and Janine. Gen's smile faded as her gaze settled on her friend. The glance they exchanged said everything.
"Oh...dammit." Gen turned to Janine. "I have to run. I'm sorry..."
Disappointment filled Janine's dark eyes, but she nodded. "Okay." She gave her a wan smile, and then began to back off the dance floor. "See you Monday."
"Yeah."
"Gen, I'm sorry," Merri said over the music as they started toward the door and in the opposite direction of Janine. "But we--"
"I know, I should have been out there..." Gen stopped suddenly, eyes fixed on the floor as she pondered something.
"Gen--"
"One sec." Genevieve turned suddenly and ran back toward Janine. She took the brunette by the arm, and Janine spun to face her. Gen stopped her mid-sentence when she leaned forward and kissed her suddenly. "I'll see you on Monday," she called over her shoulder.
Merri couldn't help but grin as Gen returned absolutely glowing.
"Sorry, I just had to do that. I'm grinning like an idiot, aren't I?"
"You're grinning like someone who's in love."
Gen sighed. "I love this feeling so much. It's like my favourite part. My stomach has all these butterflies and I can't stop smiling and I think I just sighed like a total school girl in love."
"You
are a school girl in love."
Genevieve's smile widened further. "I'm so happy."
"I'll tell Michael you got caught in a line at the bathroom," Merri said. "Rather than smooching with a cute girl."
"Even he can't ruin this moment."
No, but maybe a siren can.
The two girls walked swiftly outside and around the building. Once they hit the dark, Gen conjured up a glow around them and they hunted for the break in the fence where Michael and Sage waited. The glow around Gen illuminated Michael's annoyed expression.
"Where the hell--"
"You said 'about an hour,'" Gen pointed out. "You didn't say--"
"We were ten minutes late."
"Then I guess you shouldn't be pissed at
my lateness, hmm?"
"Let's just find this portal," Sage said. "I don't like it out here."
Gen and Merri climbed through the hole in the fence to follow Sage and Michael toward the lake. Merri shivered as a cool wind blew off the water and wished she'd worn a jacket.
"What do we do if it's in the middle of the lake?" Gen asked. "I'm a little unclear about the range of this spell--we may need a boat."
"Do you see anything yet?" Michael asked Merri, ignoring Gen.
So far nothing seems out of the ordinary, Merri thought. And Gen was right--the tear could be anywhere. The beach stretched for miles, and if they had to search the entire lake, Michael might just be investing a boat after all.
The four of them paused at the water's edge while Merri looked around.
"From what I saw in that book of Raji's, time isn't a guaranteed constant," she said, feeling a little dismayed. "If it moves differently in this other dimension, then the tear doesn't always exist in our time. Or something like that. Honestly, it's all really fucking confusing." Merri continued to sweep her gaze over the water, hoping to find something that would help them.
A sliver of light a dozen metres away caught her attention.
At first she took it for a trick of light. When the clouds moved over the moon, the sky reflected on the water and threw off her vision. But then she saw it again and moved forward.
"There," she gestured to the light. "There's something off about the space right there."
Gen followed her and gazed at the spot. "Should I be seeing something? Because I don't."
"Trust me, there's something there. I don't exactly run into a lot of dimensional portals, but I'm pretty sure that's what I'm looking at."
"Well...one way to find out." Gen dug into her jacket pocket and pulled out a small velvet sack. Dipping one hand into the bag, she pulled out a scoop of dust. Muttering a few words of a spell that she and Raji had practiced earlier, she tossed the dust into the air.
Glittery particles stuck to the thin tear in space.
Gen gasped. "Um...okay, I see it."
"We should hurry," Sage said. "Like Merri said, these things come and go. You should seal it now."
"Oh yeah, seal up a portal--I do this every day." With a sigh, Gen dropped down to a sitting position on the ground in front of the dimensional tear and pulled out a folded piece of paper from her pocket, photocopied from a spell book. "Just don't stand in my light, guys."
Merri and Sage stepped back to let Gen do her thing. Michael's cell phone rang and he moved a few feet away to answer it.
"This seemed a little too easy," Sage said in a low voice. "I keep expecting something to jump out at us."
"You know, you probably just jinxed us," Merri said.
As Gen spoke the final words of her spell, the tear shimmered and closed. A low rumble, similar to thunder, sounded, and then there was silence.
Genevieve stood slowly, her hand going to her stomach. "I don't feel so good."
"Are you okay?" Merri asked immediately. "Did something--"
Gen shook her head. "Same thing happened that time at the farmhouse, which makes me guess that whatever I did to those guys involved dimensional stuff."
"Who was at the club with you," Michael said as he returned from his phone call and fixed his gaze on Genevieve.
Her brows furrowed in confusion. "Just a girl from school. Why?"
"Raji called and said some guy followed you outside. Thad's watching the other side of the building and didn't see him, but Raji's sure of it."
"Who would have..." Her eyes widened. "Oh god." Long blonde hair swished around her as she looked back at the rear of the building. "Levi."
