CHAPTER 7 - FRIENDS, KNOW THINE ENEMY

TAYLOR MANSION LOUNGE- FRIDAY EVENING

VIC

They look around in slight confusion. “How you feeling, Des?” I ask gently, and she frowns.

“Like I’ve been sucking on a dirty jockstrap.” She grumbles back, sitting up and looking around. “Where are we?”

“Basement of the Thomas Mansion. It is a protected space, so you couldn’t be sensed while you were recovering. That protection now extends to the entire house, so we can go upstairs. You need to go and shower then join us in the lounge. Eas capere (take them there)!”

“Wow!” Elvis gasps as they disappear. “Can I do that?”

“With training. Now come all!”

KITCHEN

DI

I look across at Elvis and laugh as he tries and fails to find out from Vic what else he can do. I am keeping an eye on Byron and Jules while keeping them apart… it is not time yet. While Byron is fairly relaxed about it, Jules is getting more than a little frustrated and has stomped his feet more than once as I blocked him from the bathroom that Byron is in. And if that little devil thinks he can mentally block me, he better think again.

“Jules, go and put some clothes on or I shall put you back in the basement!” I yell up.

“Mean lady!” He yells back.

“Not time yet! And put your tongue back in your mouth. Again, it’s not time for that yet either!” I bellow back, but chuckle soon afterwards. He’s such a determined little imp!

Forty minutes later, they are all downstairs. “Now everyone eat and then I will explain what has and will happen.” Vic orders.

BYRON

We wait for Di to finish in the kitchen and join us in the lounge.

“Now.” Vic clears his throat. “Your futures have all been mapped out. Between us, Di and I have been carefully steering each of you in the direction you needed to be. Unfortunately, we can’t control people with whom we are not connected. For that Halo, I am sorry. If I had realised that she was just trying out her magic, then I would’ve tried to stop her. By the time I realised it, her spell was in hand, although I made sure they didn’t suffer. I owed you that much.”

“Thank you. But I still…”

“No, you can’t, son. As much as you want to, you can’t. She is much too powerful for you.”

“But I can block her.”

“Yes, you can block evil because… uhm. Well, because of how you are at the moment. But the moment you are not that way, she will be able to push through.”

“You are talking in riddles!” Elvis grumps before widening his eyes. “Oh, I see!”

Halo goes slightly pink and looks at his feet.

“And that’s why Jules, you and Byron need to stay away from each other until the 14th.” Vic tells him. “Until she is no longer fertile.”

“Who is she?” Des demands.

“Ice-Tina, the Snow Queen, or as she’s known in her human form recently, Calista.”

“Calista? As in my ex?!” Faye demands.

“Exes.” Vic corrects and she looks astonished. “All the long-term partners you’ve had have been her, in one form or another.”

“What on earth for? What does she want… wait! Is it Byron?” She questions and he nods as I frown. “Why does she want Byron so badly?”

“Because he is two things. One, he’s the only son of two fire magis. Normally they don’t survive birth, and he’s pure.” Vic replies.

“I am not!” I vociferously object, much to everyone’s amusement.

“Sorry Byron, but you are… pure of heart, that is. And any child that she would have with you would eventually turn your soul to darkness because of your need to protect it. So she would control the coldness and you would control the darkness under her edict.”

“Why is that so important?”

“As the temperature goes down at night, imagine what will happen if the sun never shines again. She would make you keep it dark and she would keep it cold, which would cause her to grow stronger and stronger. Her hold on you would be absolute since she would also be able to hold any offspring you have with her over your head. Again, since you are pure of heart, you love and hate in equal measure. Only the type of emotion you feel for the person differs, but it’s still done with your whole heart; there’s no middle ground. Since you’re a passionate person, as much as you hate her, you would love your child, thus giving her the power over you that she craves.”

“Would she…” I let the question hang in the air.

“Yes. If it took that to show you her seriousness, she would kill the child, but she banks on you being biddable enough not to test her. She knows you would do anything to keep those you care for out of harm’s way. Calista has been watching you for a long time, Byron. She didn’t just wake up and settle on you. This was calculated long ago, and now she’s down to her last contingency plan.”

“What a…”

“Don’t finish that statement, Byron! We all know what she is, but think of Faye in all this. She is really the wounded party here.” Vic advises me.

“I’m okay… or I will be, given time.” Faye assures us. “But Byron has his own situation regarding this Bailey character that Mika is so keen on getting him fixed up with. That certainly can’t be good.”

“That’s Calista, too.” Vic tell us, and Jules looks smug.

“You knew, didn’t you Jules? That’s why you warned me. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It wasn’t that I completely knew, just that I had a vision of a Gemini holding a succubus in the palm of his hand when I looked at Bailey’s picture on your phone.” He tells me.

“Gemini?” Des looks confused.

“Twin spirit.” Di answers, and although Des nods, I’m not sure she understands.

“Calista and Bailey are one and the same, but in order for her to be able to return to her true self, she can’t totally transform… so the succubus is that part that is her true self.” Di explains further. “As long as that is attached to whatever she’s transformed herself into, she can return to her beauty.” Di scoffs the last part. “If only she knew how ugly her true self really is!”

“Oh she knows, and now we all do, too. There were times I questioned what I was doing with her, especially when she suggested that I invite Byron over for drinks every time her ‘cycle’ ended. She probably never had a cycle to begin with, the lying sack of succubus! We had a major argument the last time she tried, it’s when I refused to ask Byron over and we broke up. Now I know why. Fuck! That bitch is truly diabolical! That was her plan all along! She was going to take my powers, using my anger at Byron fucking her to make me what? A plaything, a nothing?! And now she grows a dick at will to entice Byron?! She should’ve fucked herself and saved me the trouble!” Faye explodes.

“That is exactly what she intended. Despite your understanding of Byron, that he is unapologetically what he is, your jealousy of him shone through where your girlfriends are concerned. Keep that anger in check, dear one. I know you’re angry, but unleashing it…” Vic warns.

“I know!” The wind is taken immediately out of her sails, the sparks in her eyes slowly fade away. “Not until absolutely necessary.”

“Yeah, your swords are not only involving your sharp tongue. So let’s keep a lid on it for now, okay?” Faye nods, but it’s Jules creased brow that catches my attention.

“What is it?” I ask him.

“What about Mika? What about his powers?” Jules questions.

“He doesn’t have any. That’s just him!” Elvis snipes, and again flaps his hand at the glass.

“What exactly are you doing?” Faye frowns.

“Trying to move the glass with my mind.” He flaps his hand again.

“Then use your mind not your hand. Just an idea!” Faye laughs.

“Oh okay Miss Thang, you do it!” Elvis bitches and casts his eye at the glass, and it flies across the room. “Oooh!” He squeals.

“DON’T BREAK IT!” Jules cries out. “It was one of my mom’s favourites!” The glass goes still and hovers in mid air. Everyone is quiet. “Can you just put it back on the table, please?”

Elvis frowns before he takes a deep breath. “Reditus!” He orders and the glass returns to the table.

“Very good Elvis, very good.” Vic smiles. “Now, as well as Ice-Tina, there are her merry band of fuckwits, as I believe you called them Jules. You need to be aware of...  JULES! That is entirely inappropriate at this time!” He looks scandalised. “And almost physically impossible!”

Jules goes almost puce with embarrassment.

“Oh, I don’t know. I’m sure if we melded then we could…”

“Byron!” Di admonishes sternly. “He doesn’t need to know about melding yet!”

“FOCUS!” Vic barks. “This is serious! When she realises that she has to wait for the next moon, she is going to be furious!”

“When’s the next moon?” Jules asks, smirking at me as I feel him searching my mind, trying to find out what melding is.

“In 100 years, and she will kill Byron. And then you.”

That gets our attention!

“What? Why?” Jules stammers.

“Because she hates to lose, and lose she will, if what I feel between you is right. She heightened Cylo’s powers to seek you out.”

“Heightened?”

“This will be explained in due time. But back to the most important thing. Ice-Tina knows that there is another pure of heart in Gayopolis, and someone whose bloodline is also pure like Byron’s, but she doesn’t know who it is. But she knows that a fire magi and an air magi who are both pure, need to be kept apart, which is why she’s been concentrating on air magis.” He pauses. “She sends her minions out to have their fun, but she’s taken her focus off of Cylo in her quest for you, Byron. She doesn’t yet know what he has done. And you, Jules, have been kept hidden from her by…”

“My mother.” Jules breathes, his eyes filling with tears. “That’s why she supported me in what I wanted to do. Is she…”

Suddenly the room is bathed in light and slowly, a blonde haired woman materialises, coming to rest in front of Jules. “There’s my smart boy.”

“Mom…” He sniffs. “Did you suffer?”

“No. I sensed my death so I was ready for it. Mildred didn’t suffer either, but your father felt a tiny pinch!” She smiles. “Now I want you to listen to Vic and do as he tells you. And he is right, you need to focus when he speaks!”

“I love you, Mom.”

His tears spill over, glistening like tiny diamonds on his skin. We all watch in amazement as she catches one on her fingertip. The room is once again awash with light, almost blinding in its intensity, as mother and son communicate silently. Where it was only surrounding her before, now it surrounds both of them, constantly growing and creating a bubble around the pair of them. Jules’ hair looks platinum, as does hers. When the light fades marginally, she speaks again.

“I love you too, Jules.” She then turns to me. “Be gentle.”

“I promise.” I whisper, sincerely. As soon as I say that, she smiles and blows the tear into my face and winks. The room returns to normal as she fades away.

“So, Cylo!” Des gets up and starts to pace.

“He wanted Jules. He’s in denial about who he is. But you’re a half fire, half air, and very protective of Jules.” Vic turns to look at Jules. “But when he heard you talking about Byron, Des and then you sassed him, he lost it and stabbed you twice. Jules protected you and Halo got you both out of there. At the moment, we hold the power, in that we control what they are seeing. They are, in effect, within a faux-reality bubble. They are still walking around like nothing has changed with the exception that you, Jules, and Halo have gone to ground. They are still seeking you out as if it were any other day.  But when Ice-Tina returns, that bubble will burst and their true selves will be revealed to them. As will yours.”

“True selves?” Jules repeats, and I can feel he is focused and listening.

“Yes. Cylo’s true self is Slitherer; Igor, his obsequious friend, is Gaol- pronounced Jell. You’ll need to know that for future reference, which I will explain as we progress further. Cody is Mandible, and then there is Mika… We need to contain him, Di. You know this...”

“I know, but is there…”

“NO. And, again, you know this!”

“What is going to happen to him? By the way, what are you, Di?” Jules asks.

“Part air and part water.” She turns to Vic. “So the containment of…”

“He’s at the loft...” Jules suddenly says. “...and he’s breaking in.”

“You have got to be fucking kidding me?!” I yell.

“He thinks that this will force you to come back. Oh shit, where are Fizz and Pop?!”

“Fizz and Pop, salutem!” Halo states, and they appear in front of me, looking somewhat bewildered as only cats can do.

“Ut ingressum ad signatum! (keep the entry sealed).” Halo continues.

“Good boy, Halo. Di? You need to see this for yourself, sis.” Vic prompts, and I can feel his anger… and his turmoil.

“Ostende mihi (show me) Mika!” She resignedly but firmly intones, and the room is filled with the image of my loft.

Mika is in there now, tossing everything around. One would think he’s angry, but looking at him, he looks… joyous! That fucker is smiling widely as he comes to Fizz and Pops bowls and smashes them to smithereens, then empties their litter tray all over the loft. Laughing manically, he heads to the bedroom, and it’s then we see the flash of the knife. He proceeds to the wardrobes and starts to slash my clothing, before taking out his glee on the bed and my toys. My heart breaks as he methodically destroys everything and smashes the bowl of condoms, stabbing each and every one. And the fucking asshole wonders why he never received another key to my life?! But even I have to admit surprise at how maliciously destructive he is. He then heads into the bathroom, and we hear the shattering of glass and crash of the porcelain and marble fixtures being broken.  

“Holy fuck!” Fagin breathes. “He’s insane!”

“No, he’s jealous and frustrated, even though he’s smiling through it all. In his warped mind, doing this will bring Byron back to his side, where he supposedly belongs. And that’s what he’s gleeful about. The little shit never could handle not being the first priority!” Vic sighs.

Mika goes to the desk and starts to rifle through my papers, and I am relieved that there is nothing that he can find there. Well, at least I hope not.

“So that’s where YOU live, is it?!” He hisses. “Well perhaps I should also pay you a visit, Jules! Maybe then you will learn not to fuck or interfere with what’s mine!” He spits out as he leaves the loft, slamming the heavy door behind him. As he looks into the security camera, he blows a kiss before saying “Welcome home, Byron!” Then manages to pull it off the wall and we watch him pick up a bat and smash the camera to pieces. “Hmmm. I may take this to go see Jules, too. I was never much into sports but I’d be willing to change that just this once.” He giggles as he walks away, carrying the bat. He then takes the elevator to the ground floor.

“Tabula rasa!” Cynthia calls out. When we all look at her with questions in our eyes, she shrugs. “Mika obtained the address for here. It just felt right to say.”

“Blank slate… good! His goldfish memory is about to serve us all very well,” Di comments.

“But why take the address away and not the bat?” Elvis asks.

“You’ll see…” Cynthia utters. Focusing on Mika again as he exits the elevator, she says, “scandali et fragosus in porta ipsum … (trip and crash yourself into the door).”

We all watch in amazement as the Super of my building comes running at the sound. Mika rights himself, just before the man arrives and looks down at the bat in his hands. The look of fear on Mica’s face is priceless. He tosses the bat away and puts his hands innocently behind his back, but not before the Super notices the action.

“What the hell?! What was the meaning of hitting a bat against the fucking door?! You’re going to have to pay for that!” He snaps, assessing the damage.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t have a damn bat! In fact, I’m going to sue the owner of this building for damages. I could have broken my leg, since the floor is so slick and I fell against the door!”

“Just try it; I know who you are. I also know that you are trespassing on private property. We’ve had several complaints from other tenants about the stalker of one of our residents being camped outside across the street at all hours, or accosting others to gain entry into the building. Now you have two options: either we go to the bank now and you pay for the damage from your bat with a cashier’s check to fix this door or…”

“Or? There is no ‘or’! This is not my fault!”

“Or, let’s see if the police feel the same way you do.”

“You can’t prove I did anything!” He blusters. “So let’s go to the police!”

“Wrong again, pal. See, there’s a wonderful invention called a security camera. These are luxury apartments, which by the look of you, you’re unused to. There is a camera on every floor and at every door. And well you see Mika… it is Mika, right? You don’t have a key to this building, and the first question they will ask is how you got in to discover the slick floor in the first place.” He reaches behind Mika, holding the bat by the strapping. “And I fully intend to take this with us, as I’m sure they will find your fingerprints on it. So again, either a trip to the bank now or pay with County time in lock-up later. Your choice.”

A fine sheen of ‘oh shit’ sweat drenches his face and finally his shoulders slump. “Can I have that back?”

“Not until you pay for the damages. Now after you!” He snaps.    

“Labor (fade away).” Di incants before turning to Vic. “The one thing I ask is that you don’t kill him.”

“Agreed. But he, like her minions, will be transformed upon her arrival.”

“Thank you.”

“So Des, did you enjoy that?” Vic laughs.

“Yeah!” She snickers.

“Des?” I ask.

“Yes. One of her powers is to protect… so if she senses danger from one of Calista’s minions or Mika, who we now know is one of hers also, she takes the place of the person that is threatened and… well as you saw!”

“Aliquando revertetur ad eam quae erat in apartment, non qualis sit. Et non erit (Return the apartment into what it once was, not what it is. And not what it will be)! That is the end of it for now.” Vic states, as we all watch in amazement. “Now back to business…”