****

Alison lay in the dark staring at her ceiling. She kept thinking about how it seemed everyone was against her. Angela was mad at her, Jax thought she was out of control and now Stephanie was joining in. No one understood her. They never really had. All her life, people treated her like she was a joke. She was the one that people either felt sorry for or made fun of. When she got interested in magic, she thought it would make her more remarkable. And for awhile, maybe it did. But now it seemed that it was only causing the people she cared about to turn on her.

At first, it seemed that witchcraft had opened her eyes to a whole new world. She even met new people. She had met Jax when she entered his store to buy supplies. Stephanie had told her about the place. She was excited that she no longer had to order everything off the internet or drive to the big city to get what she needed. She’d taken to him and soaked up all the advice and instruction he had to offer her. Jax was a mentor to her for several years. Until she felt that she had surpassed her need for him. He was a teacher. Someone very knowledgeable, but he didn’t practice what he taught. He didn’t know anything about what it meant to have a power like hers. He knew only what he read in books.

Angela had been a much better hands on instructor. But they were never really close and Alison didn’t feel she could confide anything to her. Alison suspected that from the first moment they met, Angela saw something in her. Power the likes that she’d never seen and couldn’t compete with. She figured it made her jealous. And that point seemed to be proven the other night at Jason’s house. She certainly hadn’t been receptive to Alison’s intrusion. She didn’t like being upstaged, Alison thought. But it was something she’d just have to learn to live with. Alison wasn’t going to hide away her abilities. She was going to use them at every opportunity. Why not? That’s what they were there for. She did know that she’d overstepped a little with her spells on James. And Logan was a whole other story altogether. That had been a mistake. One she was trying hard to forget. But there was no harm in using her power to make life easier or to help people. She just didn’t understand why everyone couldn’t see that.

As she rolled over in her bed, she suddenly felt a shiver rush over her body. She sat bolt upright and hugged her arms to her chest. There was something in her room. She could sense it.

“Who’s there?” She called out into the darkness. Getting no response she tossed the covers off of her and climbed out of bed. “Lights!” She commanded and the lamp at her bedside sprung to life. She was not prepared for what she saw. A misty figure of a man stood before her.

“Hey baby. How’s it going?” Logan asked her with an evil grin.

“Oh my God…you’re dead,” she remarked with fear in her voice.

“Yeah, I remember that. Thanks for reminding me though.” He started walking closer to her.

“Get back. I’m warning you, stay away from me,” she said firmly.

“Why? You gonna use your little hocus pocus parlor tricks to toss me out the window? Go ahead. You can’t hurt me now.”

“This isn’t happening,” she closed her eyes and muttered to herself.

“No, sweetie, it is happening. Something wonderful is about to happen. All because of you,” he smiled at her.

“What are you talking about? If you think haunting me is going to scare me, you’re wrong. I don’t scare easily,” she informed him with more bravery than she really felt.

“I’m not here to scare you. Although, if I am, that’s pretty cool too,” he chuckled. “No, I’m just here to thank you. Because of you, we will rise again. And then, things are going to get real interesting.”

Alison just shut her eyes and began chanting to herself the way a small child might, to ward away the Boogeyman.

“You’re not real. You’re not real…”

“I am real. Soon you’ll see what I mean,” he told her sinisterly.

And with that, he was gone. Alison slumped down on her bed, and hugged her knees to her chest. This couldn’t be real. She’d tried so hard to put Logan Winters out of her mind, and now he was back. She realized that she was responsible for his death, but she never expected this. Everyone was haunted by their past, but most of the time it wasn’t literal. Why was he doing this to her? Well, she knew the answer to that, but she would just have to do something about it. She couldn’t let him do this. She wouldn’t let him get to her. He deserved to die. End of story. She wasn’t going to let him win.

The guilt was beginning to creep in and she couldn’t stand it. There must be a spell to fix that too…she thought. If there was, she was going to find it.

****

Jax had been working on the prophecy all day. He’d barely taken a break even to eat. He was making some progress, but it was very slow going. He wished that he was more skilled in reading hieroglyphics. It wasn’t something he’d needed to do since he studied dead languages in college.

He was just getting ready to pack things up and head home for the evening. He gathered his notes and the ancient text and put them into his briefcase, while Angela bustled around him closing up the shop.

“You know, these crystal amulets are really selling well. I think we should order more. Maybe in different colors,” she said, going through the sales log.

“Whatever you’d like,” he responded, preoccupied with putting his items away.

“Are you going home now?” She asked with some disappointment in her voice.

“I was planning to, yes. I need to finish this, and I’ll probably be up all night. It’s best I just go home now,” he said, picking up his briefcase and looking at her.

“Oh…well, I thought maybe you’d want to work on it here. You know, so I can help,” she said with a small smile.

“Do you really want to help?”

“Yeah. And I thought you’d want the company. You know, my company?” She said hopefully.

Neither one of them had spoken of the awkward situation in the office a few days ago. Jax had tried to put it out of his mind, realizing it likely meant nothing. But since then, he’d seen her looking at him. And she’d caught him staring at her more than once. It was all left unspoken, but he felt it. Something had changed. An innocent brushing of hands or a small touch suddenly meant something. Jax just wasn’t quite sure what it was.

He looked at her for a moment then lowered his head.

“Angela, I’m not sure if we should be doing this,” he said softly.

“Doing what? Working on the book together?” She was confused.

“No, I meant this. Whatever this is between us,” he tried to explain.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He sighed, “something’s changed, hasn’t it? Between us.”

She shook her head. “No. Nothing’s changed,” she assured him. “Why do you think something’s changed? Because of that stupid comment I made?”

“Well, I admit, I have been thinking about it,” he looked down embarrassed.

“Well, don’t. I-I mean, I just said something stupid. It doesn’t mean anything,” she stated firmly.

He visibly deflated. His ego was shattered just a little bit at her assertion. “Oh. Of course.” He tried to play it cool. “That’s good.”

“I-I mean you are cute. Handsome. Cute sounds so fifth grade. I mean, you’re a man. Not a boy. I like that,” she nervously rambled.

He smiled at her, “handsome?”

“Yes.” She couldn’t help herself but to be honest.

He put his briefcase down and walked closer to her. “You’re quite remarkable yourself,” he told her quietly. “Beautiful.”

“I am?”

“Yes.”

Suddenly the air around them became charged with energy. They looked at each other expectantly, wondering who might make that first move. As it turned out, neither of them got the chance. The earth suddenly began rumbling beneath their feet.

“What is that?” Angela cried out with worry.

“Earthquake!”

He grabbed her arm and pulled her to him. He spirited them both underneath a nearby table, as debris began raining down around them. Items fell from shelves, and they could hear the sound of glass breaking.

“Our store! It’s being destroyed!” Angela was upset.

“Yes, well, that’s what insurance is for,” he told her uneasily over the loud rumbling.

Then as suddenly as it started, everything became still and quiet. They looked at each other, relieved that neither of them had been hurt.

“Are you alright?” Jax asked her, just to be sure.

“Yes. You?”

He nodded. Their faces were inches apart and he was just about to throw caution to the wind. He leaned in, and she suddenly moved away from him and crawled out from under the table. The moment was gone.

“Look at this mess!” She exclaimed, surveying the damage.

Jax crawled out from under the table himself and stood up. “It’s not as bad as it could have been,” he surmised.

There were items on the ground and broken glass from a display case. But otherwise, everything seemed fairly intact. Angela rushed over to the broken case and started picking things off the ground.

“Oh thank God! Only the cheap stuff broke!” She exclaimed with relief as she picked up a broken candlestick. “These weren’t selling anyway.”

Jax rubbed his temples and sat down in a chair. He looked faintly ill and Angela noticed. She rushed over to him.

“Are you alright? Are you sick?” She asked.

“No, I’m not sick,” he shook his head. “I’m worried.”

“Worried? About the earthquake?” She asked. “I think it’s over now.”

“That’s not what worries me.”

“Is it the damage? You said yourself that’s what insurance is for.”

He shook his head again, “no, that’s not what I’m talking about. Earthquakes can be portents.”

“Portents of what?”

He looked at her gravely. “Something far worse.”

It took her a moment, but she realized what he was talking about. “The end of the world?”

“Let’s hope not.”

****

Alison had gone out to a secluded spot in the woods near her apartment. It was a cloudy night and pitch dark. The conditions were ideal for the ritual she was planning to carry out. She was trying to banish Logan Winter’s spirit from doing her harm. The earthquake was an unanticipated side effect of the powerful spell she had performed. Nothing like that had ever happened before. She had called upon the Guardian of Death. It was risky, she knew. But the Guardian of Death oversaw every spirit who traveled the netherworld. He controlled who came in and out of the ether.

She pleaded with the Guardian to unlock the gates between dimensions and take Logan Winters back into his fold. Trap him there for all eternity. The only answer she had received had been the quaking of the earth under her feet. She assumed that meant her request was granted. She was pleased with herself as she gathered up her supplies and began to head out of the woods.

That was when she heard a loud humming coming from somewhere deep in the forest. At first she thought it must be some sort of animal. She kept walking. Suddenly she saw something bright shining in the trees just in front of where she now stood motionless. Large red globes of light hovered among the branches and leaves. They swirled around in a dizzying pattern. Alison stood mesmerized for several moments. All at once the lights stopped their dance and began to descend upon her. The humming grew intense, to the point it sounded like someone screaming in her ears.

She started to run, but they were on top of her now. Buzzing her ears and blinding her with their bright luminescence. She tripped over a tree stump and fell to the ground. Her bag full of magical supplies scattered around her. She screamed at the lights and tried to banish them with magic.

“Cease! Away!” She waved her hand at them.

But they didn’t disappear. She scrambled to her feet and began running again. She didn’t look back until she realized the humming had stopped. She glanced over her shoulder and saw nothing, just as she ran smack into a person standing on the path.

“Hey sweetie,” Logan smiled at her.

She screamed loudly and tried to run around him. He materialized again in front of her.

“What? Not happy to see me?” He asked her as he grabbed her arms.

“Let me go!”

She kicked at him and he released her. She ran away but didn’t get very far. She tripped over a rock and landed roughly on her stomach. Logan appeared above her once again.

“You look so cute when you’re scared,” he grinned.

“You’re not supposed to be here. I got rid of you,” she told him.

She was so sure the spell had worked. She couldn’t understand why he was here. And now he wasn’t a misty apparition. He was corporeal.

“Ah, yeah. That spell you did. Interesting,” he said thoughtfully. “See, that Guardian dude? He doesn’t like to be bothered by silly little bitches like you. You pissed him off. Didn’t you feel that little earthquake?” He asked.

“I felt it.”

“That was him telling you to fuck off,” he smirked. “But it wasn’t a total loss. You opened the gates for me. I appreciate that. I really do.”

“I didn’t open them for you. I wanted them to swallow you up,” she clarified.

“Doesn’t matter what your intent was. They opened. I walked out. And here I am. Whole again. Thanks to you.”

She closed her eyes and tried to wish the entire thing away. Nothing had gone as she had planned it. Nothing. Logan was supposed to be gone forever and now here he was in front of her. Ridiculing her. Making her feel weak and afraid. She wasn’t going to stand for it. She pulled herself off the ground and stood to face him. She raised her arms in the air and shot a blue energy ball directly at him.

“Vanquish!” She cried.

The energy ball hit Logan in the chest and he stumbled back. Unaffected, he smoothed his shirt down and smiled at her.

“That tickled a bit,” he taunted her.

She was surprised that her energy ball seemed to have no effect on him and it showed. He noticed this.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Was that supposed to kill me?” He asked. “That’s cute. But I’m already dead, baby. Remember?”

“That was supposed to send you back to Hell where you came from.”

“You think that’s going to be enough to stop us?” He questioned.

“Us?”

He pointed to the trees. Alison glanced over and saw that the lights hovering in the trees again. This time they seemed to take on form, like thousands of eyes watching her—judging her. She looked back over at Logan questioningly.

“Soon, baby. Soon.”

Before she had a chance to ask him what he meant, he disappeared. The lights began swirling again, this time fiercely. They formed a funnel cloud of red light before being sucked into the ground. Alison stood frozen in her spot. She couldn’t move. She realized now that she had done something terrible. She had tried to fix things and somehow had opened up a floodgate. Logan was supposed to be locked away in Hell and now she had somehow given him form and a free pass to walk the Earth again. There had to be some way to fix this, she thought. She had to do something. And fast.

****

Jason sat in his bedroom, huddled in the corner. He felt like a complete girly man. It had merely been a small earthquake and here he was trying to hide away like a four year old. He panicked for a moment and thought for sure that this was it. This was the end. If Stephanie could see him now she’d probably die of laughter. On the exterior, he always tried to project the image he was tough as nails. Nothing and no one could touch him. It was part of the whole ‘bad boy’ persona he tried to pull off. But inside, he was far from tough. Inside he was still that insecure fourteen year old boy with the Magnum PI mustache. No one had ever bothered to try and see what was behind the façade of the bad boy rocker. But part of that was his fault. He’d never met anyone who he wished to let in. Until he met Stephanie, that is.

He wanted her to see him for who he really was. He knew she didn’t trust him and wasn’t impressed by his image. So he tried to let little bits of the real him show for her. But then he only came off looking like an idiot. It was a no win situation. But he was pretty sure that freaking out and hiding whenever something remotely scary happened wasn’t going to earn him any points. He had to pull himself together. He was tougher than this. He was cooler than this. It was just an earthquake, not the end of the world. Yet, anyway.

He pulled himself up and cautiously walked out of his room. He ventured down the hall to the living room, just to make sure nothing was too damaged. A few broken picture frames lay in a heap in the corner. But they were from the other night as a result of the crazy séance. It didn’t seem that anything new had broken. With relief he sat down on the couch and stared at the ceiling. He knew bad things were going to happen. They’d already started happening. And if he was going to survive this, he’d better start preparing himself and stop freaking out.

He wondered then how Stephanie was doing. He hoped that she hadn’t been hurt or anything. He thought about calling her, but decided against it. She’d only get mad at him for bothering her. And after that stupid bit he told her about how much he liked her, he wouldn’t be surprised if she never wanted to see him again. Not that she ever wanted to see him in the first place. But he’d taken a chance. He put away his tough guy image and told her something completely heartfelt and true. And she had responded by staring at him wordlessly. That was never a good sign. He wasn’t sure why he was torturing himself like this over her.

But he was worried. He decided to grab his keys and drive over to her house. He wouldn’t stop or anything. He would just drive by and make sure the place was still standing. Just like he always did. Often he would cruise by just on the off chance she might be outside. But she never was. He didn’t expect her to be hanging out on her front lawn right now either. But he’d feel better if he could see that everything was okay.

He went outside and started up his motorcycle. He took off down the street towards her house. When he arrived on her street, he could see a few people outside milling about. Neighbors talking about the earthquake, making small talk, checking for damage. Stephanie’s house was at the end of the street and he could see that it was well lit. She was home. But she it didn’t appear she was outside joining in the impromptu block party. He continued on towards her house, prepared to cruise by and head home again. When he approached the house he saw someone sitting on the porch. The blond hair shone under the porch light and his heart beat a little more quickly at the anticipation of seeing her. Knowing that once she saw him, he’d stop and say hi. It would be rude not to.

As he pulled up he noticed it wasn’t Stephanie. It was her sister. It was an easy mistake to make. Especially from a distance at night. She looked up at him and smiled. Then she waved at him. He didn’t know what else to do except wave back. He’d been spotted and couldn’t very well turn around and drive off without some kind of acknowledgment.

“Jason!” Melissa called out.

He stopped his bike and shut it off so he could hear her.

“Hey,” he nodded at her. “Is Stephanie here?”

Melissa stood up and walked closer to the railing of the porch.

“No. She’s out.”

“Out? With a guy?” He asked tentatively.

“Uh, yeah. Actually—.”

“She’s with a guy?” He interrupted. Even though he had no right, it upset him to think she was out gallivanting around town with some other loser that wasn’t him.

Melissa noted his jealousy, and hurried to put him at ease. “Not a real guy or anything! She’s with Kyle,” Melissa clarified.

He sighed with relief and looked at her. “Oh. Okay,” he relaxed. “You alright then? Nothing hurt or broken?” He asked as he stepped off his ride and walked closer to her.

“Yeah, everything’s fine. Mom’s porcelain doll collection took a hit, but I think they can be fixed,” she told him.

“Good. Glad to hear you’re alright. That was a little freaky, wasn’t it?”

She nodded, “yeah. I’ve never been in an earthquake before. It was scary, but also pretty cool,” she smiled.

“Cool?” He’d been hiding in a corner and a sixteen year old girl had thought it was cool. He was such a wuss.

“Yeah, it was really weird. Everything started shaking. I was watching TV and at first I didn’t know what to do. Then I remembered hearing something about hiding under a bed or something. But I couldn’t get that far so I just huddled under the coffee table.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re alright,” he said sincerely. “Have you talked to Steph?”

“Yeah. She called me right away. Said she and Kyle were at the coffee house. She said she’s coming home though. She just has to drop Kyle off first,” she explained. “You can wait if you want,” she offered.

He shook his head, “no, that’s okay. I should get going.”

“Are you sure? She should be back any minute.”

“Really, I’m sure. I don’t think your sister would be pleased to see me.”

She frowned, “why not?”

“She doesn’t like me.”

“Then why’d you come by if you didn’t want to see her?”

“I do want to see her. She just doesn’t want to see me,” he told her. “Besides, I was just driving by to make sure the house was still standing.”

“Oh. Well, it is.”

“Good.” He started up his motorcycle again. “See ya!” He called out to her with a small wave.

Melissa then ran down the steps towards him. “Wait!” She called as she made her way over to him.

“What?”

“I-I just wanted to say that Stephanie is sort of a pain.”

He laughed, “yeah? I noticed.”

“I just mean, I think she does like you. She’s just stubborn,” she clarified.

“That she is,” he agreed.

“Just don’t give up on her okay? She’ll come around,” she assured him.

He smiled at her. “Thanks for the advice.”

“Anytime,” she grinned.

He then put his motorcycle in gear and sped off down the street.

“He is so hot!” She squealed to herself. She couldn’t wait to tell all of her friends that she and Jason Stark actually had a conversation. Sure, it was mostly lame and about Stephanie. But it was a conversation none the less. They were going to die of jealousy! She ran inside and went straight to the phone.

****

Alison sat in her bedroom staring at the wall. She had to find a way to fix this mess she had caused. She just wasn’t sure what to do. She’d said herself that there were spells for everything, so why couldn’t she come up with one for this? She moved over to the stack of books she had on her floor. She picked up one of them and hurriedly thumbed through it. Her mind was not focused and she couldn’t concentrate. All she could think about was the way Logan had looked at her. He was so smug, thanking her, as if bringing him back from the dead was her plan all along. It made her sick.

Frustrated, she pick up all her books and threw them across the room. They smashed against the wall and scattered. From out of nowhere, she heard someone clapping. She turned her head and saw Logan standing in the corner of her room. He was applauding her.

“Very nice,” he said with a smirk. “All that anger…It’s a beautiful thing.”

“Get away from me!” She screamed at him. “Why are you doing this?”

He began laughing. “Why? Oh, come on. That’s a good one.” He then walked over closer to her and got in her face. “Why do you think, princess? You fucking killed me. Remember?”

“I remember. But usually when you kill someone they stay dead. Why aren’t you one of them?” She asked pointedly.

“Because. You brought me back.”

“Bullshit!”

He grabbed her arms and shook her. “Wrong! You did!”

“How?” She asked imploringly.

He shoved her back and she fell onto the bed.

“Every time you did a spell for vengeance, they were listening. I was listening. Every time you called on the dark forces to help you with your magic, you were noticed.”

“Noticed? Noticed for what?”

“Your power. They’ve been waiting for someone like you. And now here you are. You were chosen.”

“Chosen?”

“Yeah. Chosen. And I’m here to make you an offer you can’t refuse.”

“An offer of what?”

“Power,” he said simply. “You seemed to enjoy throwing me off that roof, didn’t you? Made you feel all important and scary. I get that. Power like that? It feels good.”

“What would you know about it? You have none. You never did. Forcing yourself on girls and calling them names when they refuse you, doesn’t make you powerful. It just makes you an asshole.”

“Yeah? Well now I’m asshole with more power than you can comprehend. Do you think they just send anyone back here from Hell? No. I was chosen too. I was given this gift. And I’m here to share it with you. If you want it that is,” he said coolly.

“The only thing I want from you is for you to go back to Hell where you came from, and stay there.”

He laughed at her. “You don’t even feel the tiniest bit bad about what you did to me, do you?”

“No. I don’t,” she admitted.

“That’s good. That will serve us well.”

“Get out of here!” She shouted as she moved her hand and a lamp went flying off her dresser. Logan ducked and it smashed against the wall.

He marched over to her and grabbed her hand. She tried to wrench it free, but she couldn’t. It felt like electricity coursing through her veins. His touch was full of energy and power. So much power. He wasn’t lying about that part. The feeling of it was so intense that it made her dizzy, almost high. He released her hand and she fell backwards onto the bed. He walked over and stared down at her.

“There’s more where that came from. Just say the word,” he told her.

“Say what word? Why are you doing this to me?” She whispered, her head still spinning.

“When you killed me, they saw the future. They saw the power you possessed. It was the sign they’d been waiting for. Thousands of years they’ve been looking for the one, and you’re it baby. You’re the one.”

“The one for what?”

“The one who’s gonna save us. Set us all free. With your help, it can happen.” He leaned down and brushed his lips against her cheek softly. The energy was so intense, she felt sparks crackling between them. “Tell me you want it,” he whispered.

And she did want it. She didn’t understand what she was agreeing to, but she knew she wanted it. All the pain and heartache she’d been feeling melted away with just one touch of his lips. Nothing mattered anymore but the feelings he gave her. It was overwhelming.

“No. Please, just stop,” she muttered softly.

“Tell me you want it,” he said again more firmly.

Her defenses were too weak. He made her feel invincible. More power coursed through her veins than ever before. He leaned down and whispered in her ear.

“Come with me. Join us. This is just the beginning.”

She closed her eyes as she felt his tongue snake out and lick across her ear. It should have revolted her, but it didn’t. It thrilled her. Tiny sparks crackled along the line his tongue had traced against her skin. He was infecting her with his poison. Tainting her soul with his every touch. She wanted to deny him, but she was weak.

“I want it,” she whispered hungrily. “I want it.”

He pulled her into a deadly embrace, kissing her roughly. Consuming her. The power that he possessed swirled around them both. Melding together, creating a bond between the two of them. In essence, he was killing her. He was robbing her of everything that made her Alison. But she didn’t care. She would have the power now, and no one could stop her. No one could question her. They pulled out of their deadly kiss and she stared at him with a look of contentment.

“I want you to show me the world,” she said dreamily.

“I can promise you, it looks a whole lot different when you’re on this side,” he assured her.

“And what side is that? The dark side?” She asked.

“The winning side.”

She smiled at him and pulled herself off the bed. She looked over in his direction.

“Where do we start? And this better be good,” she told him.

“How about ending the world? Is that good enough?” He asked with a sinister smile.

“It’ll do for a start,” she said wickedly.

Alison was gone now. Tainted by death and darkness. Her heart still beat and blood coursed through her veins, but it was no longer hers. It was filled with the hatred and venom of a billion tortured souls, just like Logan. She was part of him now. Part of them. And at this moment, she knew there was no stopping what was to come.

****

When Stephanie arrived home she ran into the house calling for her sister.

“Melissa! Are you here?”

Melissa stuck her head out of the kitchen. “Duh, of course I’m here. Where else would I be?”

Stephanie ran over to her. “Are you okay?” She asked worriedly.

“I’m fine. I already told you that on the phone.”

Stephanie pulled her into a hug that quickly grew stifling. “Actually, I’m not okay,” Melissa squeaked. “You’re squishing me!”

Stephanie released her. “Sorry. I was just worried something happened. I never should have left you here alone.”

“You leave me here alone all the time. I’m not nine, Steph.”

“I know. But now things are different. Things are happening,” she said uncomfortably.

“Things? Like what things?”

Stephanie didn’t want to worry Melissa. Not yet anyway. Not until she really understood what was happening herself. She sighed and sat down in a chair.

“Nothing. I’m just overreacting,” she waved her hand dismissively. “I just meant that an earthquake could be serious and I wasn’t here to protect you.”

“It wasn’t that big of a deal,” Melissa assured her. “Besides, if you were here, what would you have done? Used your superhuman strength to hold the house up if it started to fall?” She laughed.

“No. But if something happened at least I’d be here with you.”

“So we could die a horrible death together instead of separately?” She joked.

Stephanie stood up and glared at her. “That’s not funny! Don’t say things like that.”

“What is your problem? Jeez! You’re acting like a crazy person. I was just joking,” Melissa glared back.

“You know what? Forget it. I’m just really tired and I’m saying stupid stuff,” she heaved a sigh.

Melissa sat down across from her. “It’s fine.” Then she got excited again. “Jason stopped by earlier,” she told her.

Stephanie looked at her. “He did? Why?”

“Why else? To catch a glimpse of your radiant beauty,” she teased. “But since you weren’t here, he had to settle for mine.”

“Why does he keep doing this?” Stephanie asked to no one in particular.

“Because he’s in love…”

“Shut up! He’s not in love. It’s called lust. Infatuation. Not love. He doesn’t even know me,” she protested strongly.

“Well whatever it is he got really pissed when I said you were out with another guy.”

“You told him I was with another guy?” Stephanie asked horrified. Then she had to stop a minute and wonder why it would matter. It would be a good thing if he thought she was seeing someone else. Not a bad thing. She shook her head to straighten her thoughts. “Not that I care or anything,” she added unconvincingly.

“Relax, I explained it was just Kyle and therefore non-threatening,” she said. “He seemed super relieved.”

“Well, whatever. You could have told him I was off getting married for all I care,” she said flippantly. “Maybe then he’d leave me alone.”

“You are so transparent,” Melissa said pointedly.

“What?”

“You totally like him. It’s obvious. Why are you acting like you don’t? Is that some kind of wacky love game I’ll learn once I turn twenty?”

“Wacky love game? No. It’s not a game. I really don’t like him,” she stated firmly.

“Liar.”

Stephanie finally gave in. “Fine. I like him a little. Does that make you happy? He’s not as bad as I thought he was. But that doesn’t mean I want to be with him. There’s a difference between thinking someone is okay and wanting to make out with them.”

“But who wouldn’t want to make out with him? He’s got very kissable lips,” Melissa noted.

“No he doesn’t.”

“Oh yeah. He does. When he was talking to me tonight I couldn’t stop staring at them,” she said dreamily.

“You need a hobby,” Stephanie said sarcastically.

“And you need to give Jason a chance.”

“And you need to give it a rest.”

Stephanie stood up again and headed for the stairs. “Did Alison call?” She asked over her shoulder.

Melissa shook her head, “no. Was she supposed to?”

“No. I just wondered if she might have called. I couldn’t get a hold of her after the earthquake.”

“Maybe she’s out?”

“Probably.”

Stephanie wasn’t sure why, but she had a sinking feeling every time she thought of Alison. She didn’t like it. Her intuition was telling her something wasn’t right. And it was more than just the fact that they had argued earlier. This seemed bigger and much more dangerous than a few wayward spells. But she wasn’t able to put her finger on what it was. She just hoped that wherever she was, she was safe.

****

Alison walked along the deserted streets with only a dead man as her companion. He had convinced her that he had something amazing to offer her. Freedom from pain, heartbreak, worry. He could offer her power and a place in the apocalypse where she would one day be a queen, and he the king. He was a person she despised, a person she had killed with her bare hands, so to speak. And yet here she was with him. It made no logical sense, but he had clouded her mind. Whatever he had done to her in that bedroom had confused her and excited her. She wasn’t thinking clearly.

“Do you see this place?” He asked her as they walked slowly past old warehouses. Rats scurried in and out of dumpsters. And a homeless man groaned in his sleep under a pile of garbage.

“I see this place all the time. So what?” She asked without interest.

“This is our palace.”

“This is our palace? Looks more like a garbage heap to me.”

“Doesn’t have to be. We can make it a palace.” He shrugged.

“How?”

“We’ll just put one up.”

“Put one up? What are you, Amish?” She asked wryly.

“No. You can do anything you want. You have that power within you. With me by your side, anything is possible. You just have to want it,” he whispered into her ear.

“B-but I don’t know how to do that,” she shook her head, starting to feel uneasy about what she was getting herself into.

He grabbed her hand and she felt the electricity coursing through her veins again. She closed her eyes and smiled at the warmth and comfort the feeling brought her.

“This is our palace,” he whispered to her again. “Make it real.”

They stood there in the darkened alley, red energy swirling around them. The homeless man awoke from his drunken slumber to see two people totally engulfed in red light, wind swirling garbage at their feet. Terrified, he scrambled to his feet and ran off, swearing under his breath that he would never drink again. The rats squealed and ran in circles before they just disappeared along with the dumpster they’d been feeding from. Before their eyes, the abandoned warehouse transformed into a castle, just like the one in all the fairytales Alison used to read as a child.

“See that? See what you did there?” Logan asked her excitedly.

“It’s just like I always dreamed about.”

“Exactly. Anything you want? It’s yours, baby. Anything.”

She smiled slightly to herself and looked at him. “Then I want you gone.”

“Ah, yeah, no can do, sweetheart,” he shook his head. “See, this here is a package deal. If you want the power, you need me. That’s how it works.”

“Bullshit. I had plenty of power before you came along. I killed you, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, you did. But you won’t be able to do it again. Something big is coming. Something you can’t even imagine. If you play with me, you’ll win. If you don’t? Well, let’s just say the outcome won’t be to your liking. You had a little bit of power before. But with me? You’re invincible. We’re invincible. It’s your choice.”

Alison listened to what he was saying and wasn’t sure what she should do. Every time he touched her, her mind became foggy. All normal reason and logic seemed to disappear. It was as if his power was a drug and she was now the junkie. Every time she’d start to come down and get her mind back, he’d touch her again, and she’d forget everything else but how he made her feel. Intoxicated, invincible, just as he said.

“Let’s go inside,” she told him, silently making her choice. The only choice she felt she had at this point. He smiled with satisfaction at how easy she was to convince.

As they stepped through the large wooden door of the castle, inside they found a large fountain made of gold. Expensive furnishings adorned the place. Everything fit for royalty as they now felt they were.

“This place is bad ass. Seriously. You’ve got good taste.” He ran his hand down the golden fountain and smiled.

“Won’t people tend to notice a big old castle that sprung up overnight in the middle of town?” She asked, suddenly seeing a flaw in their handiwork.

“No worries, my love. It’s just a glamour. To everyone else, this place is still a dumpy, rat infested warehouse. But to us? A palace,” he assured her.

“Nice. I like that,” she agreed coolly. “But stop calling me your love. Love has nothing to do with this.”

“That’s what you say now. But soon…” He went to her and ran his finger up her arm, sending chills throughout her body.

“I’m never going to love you.” She closed her eyes and tried to fight the tingly feeling in her body.

“We’ll see,” he smirked as he kissed her lightly on the neck.

“Get away from me.” She shrugged him off and walked across the room, examining her creation appreciatively.

He walked over to where a large purple sofa sat, adorned with golden pillows. He ran his hand along it and looked over at her.

“This is nice.” He plopped down and sank into the plush cushions. “Why don’t you come over here? There’s plenty of room for two. We could have a little fun,” he said suggestively.

She shot him a nasty look. “You must be crazy to think I’d touch you like that.”

“Hey now. Be nice. I just shared something really special with you,” he said heatedly.

“And now you expect me to share something ‘special’ with you? Forget it,” she told him curtly.

He stood up quickly and marched over to her. He grabbed her arm.

“I just gave you immortality. A chance at eternal life. And more power than you could ever imagine. And you’re not even going to give me anything?” He asked incredulously.

“And what would I give you?” She asked, wrenching her arm free. “You expect me to sleep with you? Is that it?”

“I expect you to fucking love me, is what I expect. I just gave you everything you ever wanted. I gave you what no one else could ever give you,” he said with a fiery look.

“You’re insane,” she laughed at him.

“Yeah, well I kind of already knew that, sweetheart. I’m a fucking demon from Hell now. Sanity doesn’t play much of a part.” He was exasperated at her unwillingness to oblige his wishes.

“Poor Logan. All you ever wanted was someone to love you, isn’t it? All those girls you tormented and raped. They didn’t give you what you wanted, did they? That’s why you hurt them,” she taunted him.

“I didn’t rape them. They wanted it,” he protested.

“No, they didn’t. Why do you think you were stewing in Hell instead playing a harp on some peaceful cloud?”

“They had a good time. Those girls were all asking for it,” he insisted.

“Yeah, I’m sure they were,” she mocked him. “You just wanted them to love you and when you realized that they weren’t going to love you, you forced them to,” she said to him. “Only you can’t force someone to love you, can you? No. So you did the next best thing. You raped them, pretending to yourself that they wanted it. That they wanted you. You’re a joke. A sick, pathetic joke,” she hissed.

He grabbed her arms roughly and threw her onto the couch.

“Shut up! Shut the fuck up! I’m sick of you pretending you’re better than me! You’re a murderer! A fucking psychotic bitch! And you’re telling me that I’m sick and pathetic?” He screamed at her.

At first she was stunned at his outburst. But then it only served to amuse her. She began laughing at him.

“What the hell is so funny?” He asked angrily.

“You. I really got under your skin, didn’t I? Got a little too close to that painful truth? Did I hurt your feelings?” She mocked him with a pout.

“You’d better watch it, sweetheart. Because I’m not liking the way you’re treating me.”

“Too bad.” She stood up and got into his face. “It’s been real fun but I’m leaving now.”

He grabbed her arm and whirled her around. “You can’t leave. I already told you. You leave, the power leaves,” he reminded her.

“Yeah? Well, maybe I changed my mind. Maybe I don’t want it anymore.”

“Bullshit.”

Alison stood and stared at him despairingly. She was lying. They both knew it. But the concept of sharing anything with Logan Winters sickened her. He may have tainted her soul, but he hadn’t stolen her mind. And her mind still knew how wrong this was. How crazy the entire situation was. Part of her was still waiting to wake up. The other part was greedy with anticipation at the power he promised her. She was in a constant battle with herself and it was tiring.

He picked up on her weariness. She was losing strength. Their fighting was only making them weaker. He ran his hand up her arm.

“You’re draining already,” he said softly, with something that almost passed for kindness. “All this fighting isn’t good for us. We have to be strong. And we can only be strong together.”

“I know.”

“Maybe a little recharge will help get your mind back in order and you can stop talking crazy shit. Like leaving. We both know you’re not going anywhere.”

She was too tired to argue with him. Too many conflicting emotions battled inside of her. She had to shut them off and just go with what felt the best. Not necessarily what was right. She wasn’t sure she actually knew right from wrong anymore. It was all becoming jumbled together.

“I’m tired,” she said softly.

He came up behind her and put his arms around her, pulling her to him. He whispered to her, “I can fix it.”

He turned her around to face him, as he smoothed a strand of hair out of her face.

“It’s hard. Letting go of all that pesky humanity shit. I know. I was there once,” he told her. “But it gets easier. Trust me. And then none of this will matter. In the end, we’ll be in charge of everything. We’re going to rule this world. You’ll see.”

He leaned down and kissed her lips softly. The way a lover might. And he made Alison feel things she didn’t want to feel for him. Passion, lust, need. Overwhelming need. She returned his kiss with a fervor she didn’t even know existed. The fatigue she’d been feeling melted away completely. In it’s place a sense of belonging and purpose. And above all else—power. That’s what it was all about, wasn’t it? It wasn’t about him. It was about what he could give her. And apparently it was an awful lot.

She pulled back from him and shoved him to the ground. Startled, he looked up at her. She only smiled at him wickedly.

“Thanks, baby.”

And with that, she turned on her heel and headed up the stairs. She might not be able to leave, but she certainly didn’t have to be in the same room with him.

****

Stephanie slept fitfully. At first she slipped into a nice dreamless sleep. Peaceful and calm. But around 4am, the dreams started again. They were just like before at first. Everything was hard and bright and violent. There were fires all around her, and the same mysterious woman was always the centerpiece. But her identity remained cloaked in the shadows. Stephanie couldn’t see faces. The woman always wore a long hooded robe over her clothes, concealing her features.

Stephanie kept trying to call out to the woman and ask her what was happening, but she was ignored or unheard. At one point Stephanie was standing on a mountain top, looking at the city below. She could see Pinewood Lake engulfed in fire, and the ocean just beyond had turned red and was churning violently. Stephanie thought at first she was only person still alive. But to her right, she sensed someone else there. She turned to look and saw two shadows beside her. They had no form or faces.

She looked back down over the desolate place that once was where she lived. She felt tears running down her face. Then she heard a voice behind her.

“You’re not just going to let this happen are you?”

She whirled around, “Mom?” She asked. She had recognized the voice, even though there wasn’t anyone there. “Mom? Is that you?”

“You can’t let this happen,” her mother’s voice echoed in her ears.

“Mom, I can’t see you. Where are you?”

“I’m here. Just as I always am.”

“Why can’t I see you?” She was crying harder now. “I need you Mom. I don’t know what to do.”

“Yes you do. You’re strong, Stephanie. Much stronger than I ever knew. You can help us,” her mother reassured her.

“No, I can’t. I don’t know how to stop this.”

“You will.”

“I can’t do this by myself.”

“You won’t have to.”

At that point, Stephanie woke from her sleep with a start. Her heart was pounding loudly in her chest, and her sheets were soaked with sweat. She wiped at her eyes and realized she had actual tears streaming down her face. This dream was different. Much different. Her mother had spoken to her. It was something she’d been longing for ever since she’d been gone. And now she was there. She hadn’t seen her, but she had definitely heard her. And she had somehow understood what she was trying to tell her.

Stephanie had to fix this in some way. She just didn’t know how. Her mother said she would, but she didn’t. She had this overwhelming sense that the entire world was somehow resting on her shoulders now. This was her responsibility. The dreams were sent to her for a reason. She was supposed to stop this from becoming a reality. But she was lost as to how she’d accomplish that task.

She pulled the covers off of herself and got out of bed. She looked out the window at the street below. She was hoping that she wouldn’t see a rain of fire and demons running down the street. Her wish was granted. Everything was calm and quiet and dark. It was only 5:30am, and the sun hadn’t risen yet. Most of the neighborhood was still peacefully asleep, oblivious to the danger that lurked just around the corner. No one knew what was to come except her. She was the only one to see it firsthand. And it wasn’t appealing. It was terrifying. And also inevitable, unless she figured out what to do.

****

Later that morning, after the rest of the world had woken up, Stephanie decided to head over to Alison’s apartment. She’d never gotten a hold her last night. She’d left messages on the machine and tried her cell phone repeatedly. There was never any response, and Stephanie was starting to worry about her. Plus, she wanted to try and make nice again so that Alison might help her figure out what to do about the apocalypse. Alison said she would figure something out, and right about now, Stephanie could use all the help she could get. She thought that maybe Alison might just be mad at her and not returning her calls. It was easier to just go over there than to plead with her answering machine.

As soon as Stephanie pulled up in front of the apartment building, she got that sinking feeling again. The one where her gut told her something wasn’t right and that Alison was in some kind of trouble. For a second she worried that maybe she had gotten hurt in the earthquake. It had been relatively minor, but what if a bookshelf fell on her head and she was lying there unconscious for all this time? She walked quickly to the staircase that led up to her apartment.

The closer she got to the door, the stronger the feeling of doom overcame her. This felt like something much worse than a concussion. She felt that Alison was in grave danger. She knocked on the door sharply and waited impatiently. There was no answer. Stephanie tried to peer into the window by the door, but all she could see was the empty kitchen.

“Alison? Are you in there? It’s me. Are you okay?” She called out as she knocked again. “Open up!”

Stephanie’s heart was beating fast in her chest. Something was very wrong here. Could someone have hurt Alison? Or more likely, could Alison have hurt herself? Panicked, she searched the plant next to the welcome mat for the extra key she knew she had hidden there. Finding it, she wiped the dirt off of it and inserted it into the lock with shaking hands. As soon as the door was open she felt a wave of nausea hit her. She clutched the threshold to steady herself. Something very bad had happened here. She could feel it.

She stepped inside and called out, “Alison?” She prayed she would not stumble upon her friend hanging from the rafters or lying in a pool of blood.

The hairs on her neck stood on end as she entered the bedroom. All at once, images rushed through her mind. Alison laying on the bed, a man hovering over her. She could feel fear and terror, but also something else. Longing and lust. The man leaned over and kissed Alison on the mouth. Stephanie felt a jolt of electricity course through her body. She felt dizzy and leaned onto the dresser for support.

“Come with me,” she heard a male voice echo in her head. “Come with me.”

“Steph?” Another male voice called out, startling her.

“Ah!” She screamed, her nerves completely shot. “Kyle? What are you doing here?” She asked as she realized that particular voice had not come from her head, but from behind her.

“I came to check on Alison. I was worried when she didn’t call me back last night. The door was open, so I—what’s wrong? Where is she?” He asked, realizing the place was empty and Steph looked like she’d seen another ghost.

“She’s not here. She’s gone,” Stephanie whispered softly as she sat herself down on the bed. She was out of breath and jittery. The energy of the room was unsettling and almost painful for her. She rubbed her temples. “Something bad happened, Kyle. Something really, really bad.”

“What? Did someone hurt her? Kidnap her? What the hell is going on?” Kyle was becoming frantic now.

“She wasn’t kidnapped. But she is gone. And not just physically. She’s gone, gone. I don’t think Alison is herself anymore.”

“What?”

“I can’t explain it, but something happened in this room. Something evil. Something dangerous.” Tears were running down her face, but she was too numbed to feel them. “I-I have to get out of here.” She stood up and rushed past Kyle. He followed after her. Once outside he grabbed her arm to stop her fleeing.

“Steph, what did you see in there?”

“I saw Alison with a man, only he wasn’t really a man. He was evil. And not really alive,” she tried to explain.

“He was a ghost? Like the one at Jason’s place?”

“No, not a ghost. Something else. He took Alison with him, Kyle. He took her.”

“Well, we’ll just get her back. We’ll get Jax and Angela and we’ll—“

“She went with him willingly. I don’t think she wants us to get her back. She went willingly.” Stephanie began to cry now; the emotional toll of the experience was too much for her. Sometimes her abilities felt like a curse. Not only could she see things no one else could, she could feel them too. And feel them intensely. All the fear and longing and evil that was in that room, was now coursing through her veins. It was now inside her, and she wanted it out.

Kyle didn’t understand what was happening, but he could feel Stephanie’s body trembling as he held her. She cried hard, pressing her face against his chest. He smoothed her hair down over her back. He wanted to whisper to her that it was going to be alright, that everyone would be okay, but he didn’t know if that was true. He didn’t understand any of this anymore. There were ghosts and prophecies and apocalyptic dreams. Now there was some evil guy who had taken their best friend. Nothing made sense anymore. Nothing at all.

He wished he had something more to offer than just his shoulder to cry on. He wished he had some kind of magical superpowers too. Something that might help fix whatever this mess was that they’d gotten themselves into. Right now, all he knew was that both of his friends needed him. Alison was gone, but Stephanie was here. At this point his shoulder would have to be enough.

****

Kyle put Stephanie in his car and he drove them towards The Secret Garden. She was in no shape to drive herself there, so he had offered her a lift. They drove in silence for most of the way, neither one of them sure what appropriate conversation would be. Finally Stephanie looked over at him.

“Don’t you have to go to work?” She asked softly.

“Yeah, but I don’t have to be there until ten. I’ve got time,” he assured her as he made a left hand turn onto the main road.

“It’s already 9:45.”

Kyle glanced at the clock, completely surprised by how late it had gotten already. “Shit. I guess I should call Manny and tell him I’m gonna be late.”

He fished in his jacket pocket for his cell phone. He worked on a loading dock at the Pinewood Marina. Pinewood Lake was situated on the California coast, way up north near the Oregon border. It was a small town that consisted mostly of fisherman, loggers and dock workers. Pinewood Lake was one of the main shipping ports serving the California coastline. Kyle loaded lumber onto the ships. It was a thankless, tiring job, but his father had done it. And his grandfather before him. It seemed only natural that Kyle would follow suit. He made a decent living, but his dream was to leave Pinewood Lake someday and maybe head east. He’d always wanted to see New York and had fantasies of being of a famous stage director or playwright. Of course, he’d never actually written a play before, but he wanted to. Someday. The closest he’d come to his dream was directing the Pinewood High School production of Grease. It wasn’t Broadway, but it was a start.

The only reason he hadn’t left Pinewood Lake already was Stephanie and Alison. They were like family to him. He was an only child and he had never gotten along with his parents. They’d kicked him out of their house when he turned eighteen. He’d lived in various crappy apartments and crashed on Stephanie’s couch a few times. He was a man without a real home. When he met Angela, that all changed. At least for awhile.

Once they started dating, he moved in with her. They had been planning to get married. She was four years older than him, which wasn’t much of an age difference on the surface. But when he was twenty-two and she was twenty-six, he found that they were just in two different places in their lives. She was ready to settle down and start a family. At first he’d shared her dream. Having a real family and a place to call his own was something he’d always wanted. But when Angela told him she was pregnant, he’d suddenly freaked out. She said it wasn’t a big deal, they’d just move the wedding up a few months. The pregnancy was an accident, but instead of being upset by it, she was excited. That’s when he realized he might be making a mistake. He wasn’t ready to grow up quite that fast. The dream suddenly felt like a nightmare to him.

In the end, it turned out to be a false alarm. She wasn’t pregnant at all. Somehow she’d just messed the test up and it gave her a positive reading. When she’d come back from the doctor’s office in tears, Kyle had tried to comfort her. Saying they could always try again later. Much later. Years later. She then accused him of being happy that she wasn’t pregnant saying that he never wanted the baby at all. He wanted to tell her she was wrong, but she wasn’t. He was happy. He was beyond relieved that the test had been wrong. He told her that maybe they were moving too fast and should postpone the wedding. She said that meant that he didn’t love her anymore, and no amount of reassurance had convinced her otherwise.

They’d called the wedding off and he moved out the next day. Now he was living in a crappy little room that he rented from some old lady who smoked too much and drank vodka for breakfast. He wasn’t sure how she was even still alive, but somehow she kept on ticking. All she asked of him was that he pay the rent on time and not bring women home for sex. That hadn’t been a problem, because after he and Angela broke up, there hadn’t been anyone else. It had been eight months, and he hadn’t even so much as had a date. And the way things were going, it looked like there might not be anyone else ever. Assuming that the world was ending or whatever it was that was happening.

They pulled up in front of the shop and Stephanie got out of the car.

“Do you want me to come in with you?” He asked.

She shook her head, “you don’t have to. You should get to work. There’s nothing you can do anyway.”

Her words cut into him. “Right. It’s not like I can help. I’m just a guy. A worthless guy.”

“Hey, that’s not what I meant,” she assured him.

“Well, it’s true. I can’t do anything. Alison’s gone and the world is ending. What can I do? I don’t have a special gift like you.”

“Kyle, there isn’t anything that any of us can do. Gifted or not. In fact, sometimes I’d give anything not to have this thing inside me. Just because I can see stuff doesn’t mean I can fix it.”

Kyle sighed and ran his fingers through his hair roughly. “I’m sorry, Steph. I’m just freaking out here. I don’t know what to do or think anymore.”

“Neither do I.”

“Call me if there’s any news or if I can do something, okay?”

“I will. Now get to work before Manny freaks out,” she tried to smile.

He nodded his head and watched as she shut the car door and headed inside the shop. He drove off hoping that Jax or Angela could somehow shed some light on whatever it was that had happened to Alison. He was powerless, but maybe they weren’t.

When Stephanie walked into the shop Angela gave her an annoyed look.

“You’re late,” she chided her.

“Something came up,” she remarked absently.

“Something always comes up. I realize that we’re friends, but as the manager of this shop, I’m afraid I’m going to have to dock your pay for this.” Angela made a notation in her notebook. “I know that things are a little weird right now, but I still have a business to run.”

“Do whatever you want. I don’t care.”

“What’s wrong with you? Are you still shaken up about last night and the earthquake?” Angela asked, showing some concern.

“No. Well, yeah, I am. But this is something else. Alison is missing.”

“Missing? What do you mean?”

“She’s gone. I-I need to talk to Jax. Is he here?”

“He’s in the office looking over that book. He’s still trying to work on translating it.”

Stephanie walked past her and headed into the back of the store. Angela followed after her.

“What do you mean Alison is missing? Where did she go?” She asked.

“I don’t know. If I knew, she wouldn’t be missing then, would she?” Stephanie snapped at her sarcastically.

Stephanie opened the door to the office and Jax looked up from the book.

“I’m glad you’re here. I think I’ve found something,” he said excitedly. Then he noticed the glum look on her face. “Is something wrong?”

“Alison is missing,” Angela piped up from behind her.

“Missing? What happened?” He stood up and walked over to her.

“Well, if you guys would just let me explain, I’d tell you.”

Jax motioned for her to sit down and she did. Angela started to sit down, but then ran back out into the shop.

“Let me just put the closed sign up! Don’t start without me!” She called over her shoulder.

Once she came back, Stephanie explained to them what she had seen and felt inside Alison’s apartment. At the end of it all, she had to wipe the tears from her face, recalling the emotions overwhelmed her again.

“Who do you think this person is?” Jax asked after absorbing the information.

“I don’t know. I really couldn’t see his face. The images in my head were all blurry and jumbled up. But I could hear him. I heard him tell her to come with him. And I could feel his power. So much power, all of it evil. He was definitely not human. At least not anymore.”

Jax shut his eyes and leaned back into his chair. “I knew Alison was in trouble. I just never dreamed it’d go this far.”

“Well, we all knew she was hurting. She hasn’t been the same since James left. And then Logan Winters…I tried to get her to talk to—”

“No, I mean, I knew she was in trouble with her magic. She was using it for the wrong reasons. I knew and I didn’t do enough to stop her. And now she invited this into her life. I should have seen this coming.” He berated himself for not doing more when he had the chance.

“What are you talking about? You mean that thing with the waiter and the séance?” Stephanie was confused.

“There was more to it than that. Alison was using her magic to do harm. I found out that she had performed some spells on James. Vengeance spells. Spells to ruin his life and make him hurt for leaving her,” he explained.

“No, she wouldn’t do that. She may have been hurt and angry but she wouldn’t have done that. She knew better than that.” Stephanie refused to believe.

“I caught her doing it. After that, I also checked some of her receipts, and the kinds of things she was purchasing we’re troublesome. Items used in spells for personal gain, vengeance. Things of that nature. I didn’t realize at the time what she’d be using them for. I’m afraid what you saw at the restaurant and at Jason’s house, might have only been a small glimpse at the kinds of things she was doing. I confronted her about James and she swore she’d never do it again. I explained to her the consequences and I thought she understood. But I don’t think she did.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this? Why didn’t you tell me that she was in trouble like that? Maybe I could have talked to her. Why would you keep this from me?” Stephanie was angry now.

“Alison asked me not to tell you. I didn’t want to betray her confidence when I thought I’d gotten through to her. She said she would change and I gave her the benefit of the doubt.”

“I still don’t get it. So you’re saying just because she did a few bad spells that somehow she invited this evil thing into her life?”

Angela spoke up, “Alison was very powerful. More powerful than any other witch I’ve seen. Including myself, which I’d rather not admit. But that’s beside the point. If she used that power to do harm, it didn’t go unnoticed.”

“That’s correct. Someone or something noticed, and now they’ve come to claim that power as their own,” Jax added.

Stephanie shook her head, “it doesn’t make sense. A few little spells and suddenly Mr. Big Evil comes to town looking to recruit her? What sort of spells are we talking about? She didn’t hurt James or anything, did she? Or do I even want to know?”

“I’m not certain,” Jax shook his head.

“It’s not like he’s dead or anything, right?” Stephanie wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer to that.

“No, but Logan Winters is,” Angela reminded them.

“Logan Winters attacked her. He fell off the roof. That wasn’t her fault.” Stephanie was not happy with where Angela’s train of thought was going.

“Do we really know that for sure?” She questioned.

Stephanie stood up and began pacing. “I can’t even believe you’re suggesting Alison killed that guy for no reason. That’s insane! Alison is a good person. I don’t care if she did a few bad spells. Maybe she’s not a perfect witch, but she is not a murderer.” She looked pleadingly at Jax. “Tell me you’re not actually thinking the same thing.”

“I’m not saying I think she’s a murderer, but I am concerned that maybe we don’t know the whole story as to what happened that night on the roof. To gain attention from something as powerful and evil as you said this person was, she’d have to have done something pretty big. We can’t rule out anything at this point.”

“You’re both nuts. I’ve known Alison since I was sixteen. Yeah, she’s a little quirky and maybe she has bad judgment sometimes, but she is not evil,” Stephanie asserted.

“Stephanie, please calm down. I know you don’t want to hear this, but—”

“You’re right, I don’t want to hear this. It’s not true. There has to be another explanation. And I intend to find out what it is.” She stormed out of the room and Jax and Angela followed after her.

“Where are you going?” Angela asked.

“I’m taking the day off.” She grabbed her purse from the counter and headed for the door.

“Wait! I have something else to tell you!” Jax called out after her, but she was already gone.

“Dammit!” Jax cursed under his breath.

Angela looked over at him, “Do you really think Alison has gone evil?”

“I hope not.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you knew she was dabbling in dark magic?” She scolded him. “I thought that spell the other night was the worst of it.”

“I didn’t tell you, because I thought I took care of it,” he sighed. “This is all my fault.”

Angela put her hand on his shoulder, “no it’s not. This was going to happen no matter what you did.”

He closed his eyes and tried to dispel the guilt he was feeling. He knew Angela was right. There was nothing any of them could have done to stop this. The translation he’d wanted to tell Stephanie about had revealed that much. All of this was prophesized long ago. He just hadn’t realized at the time Alison might be the Dark Priestess he’d just finished reading about. The one to bring Hell on Earth.

****

Stephanie hadn’t really thought things through when she’d stormed out of the shop. She’d momentarily forgotten that her car was still at Alison’s place. But once she’d made her dramatic exit, going back in and asking for a ride somewhere ruined the entire spectacle of said exit. So she had decided to walk. It was six blocks to where she was heading and she figured she could use the exercise anyway. Maybe it would clear her head.

Once she got there, she entered the stairwell and made her way up onto the roof. The same roof Logan Winters had fallen from three months before. She moved towards the ledge where she assumed he’d met his end, desperate to learn what really happened that night. She felt fairly certain that she already knew, but Jax and Angela had placed doubts in her head. She was merely here to prove their theories wrong.

Almost instantly she began to pick up a vibration. She turned sharply and saw someone watching her.

“Jason? What the hell are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing.” He tossed his cigarette to the ground carelessly and crushed it out.

“You know, there’s a fine line between being kind of annoying, and being just plain creepy. I’ve got to say, the following me around? It’s getting pretty creepy.”

“I wasn’t following you,” he protested. Seeing her unconvinced look he relented, “okay, so technically, I was following you. But it’s not like that.”

“Then how is it like?”

“I was coming by the shop, and then I saw you run out. You seemed upset. So I thought maybe I’d see if I could help,” he explained.

She sighed and shook her head, “well, you can’t. So you might as well just be on your way to wherever it is you go,” she waved her hand dismissively.

He turned around and considered doing as she asked, but then he changed his mind.

“Why are you here?” He asked her again.

Realizing that he was not likely to go away any time soon unless she did, she told him. “I’m here to find out what really happened the night Logan Winters died.”

He looked perplexed for a moment, “I thought he attacked your friend and he fell off and went splat?”

“He did. I think,” she shook her head, “It’s really complicated, but Alison might be evil.”

“What? Evil? Alison?” He scratched his head. “We are talking about the same Alison, right? Your best friend?”

She sat down on the ledge and told him the entire story. Alison was gone, something evil was afoot, and Jax and Angela had turned all traitor and claimed Alison might be to blame for the whole thing. It didn’t sit well with Jason.

“I realize that I didn’t know her very well, but she never struck me as the evil type. A little weird, maybe too cocky—but not evil. Logan Winters on the other hand was a real fucked up shit head.” He lit another cigarette absently and inhaled deeply.

“You knew him?” This was news to her.

He shook his head, and blew smoke rings into the air. “Nah, not really. He used to hang at The Maraschino a lot. He was well known there. He’d find a girl, the weaker and more vulnerable the better. He’d mess her around, fuck up her head a little, and then humiliate her. It was like a game or something.” He walked over to where Stephanie was sitting and looked out over the edge, trying to imagine what it might have been like to plunge over it. “I say the fucker got what he deserved, either way.”

“No one deserves to die like that,” she said firmly, not sure which one of them she was trying to convince.

“I don’t know what happened here, Steph. I’m just saying that there’s a reason why no one dug too deeply into it. Alison wasn’t the only girl he’d hurt. I’d wager there were hundreds just like her. At least she left here with her dignity still intact somewhat.”

For several minutes, neither of them said anything more. Jason tossed his cigarette over the edge and watched it fall, imagining it were Logan. Swirling and swaying in the wind before connecting sharply with the pavement below. Bits of red ember splintered off, as the discarded butt rolled into the gutter. Maybe Steph was right, that was a pretty messed up way to die. He looked over at her. She seemed miles away, so when he spoke her name, she jumped.

“Sorry,” he apologized. “You okay?”

“I was just trying to see it…feel what went on here. There was a lot of anger and fear,” she informed him.

When he realized he’d interrupted her psychic mojo, he apologized and asked if he should leave her to it. Suddenly, she drew in a sharp breath and clutched her hand to her heart. He went to her side and put his hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it away. She was too deep into the events of that night. He backed away from her.

“Oh God…now I know what she was hiding,” Stephanie whispered as the moment passed from her mind.

“What happened? What did you see?”

“He attacked her. He was cruel and mean…he made her feel powerless. She was scared, but then she just got angry. So much anger and not all of it was for him.” She tried to piece together everything she had seen. She looked up at Jason. “She threw him off the roof. He didn’t fall. She threw him. With magic.”

“Shit,” he uttered softly, not able to think of anything else to say. There were no other words.

As they walked back down the stairs onto the street in silence, Jason wished he had something to say that would offer comfort or answers or anything just to break the unbearable silence that had settled over them.

“Do you want a ride somewhere? The shop?” He offered finally.

“I don’t think so,” she shook her head as she spied his motorcycle parked across the street.

“Why not? You don’t like motorcycles?”

“They’re dangerous. And also noisy.”

“And also fun. You should try it.”

“Don’t I need a helmet or something?” She asked curiously.

“You can use mine. We’re not going that far.”

He took her hand and pulled her across the street with him. Both of them were a little surprised that she’d let him. He tossed her his helmet and told her to put it on.

“It’s too big,” she complained.

He went over and adjusted the chin strap, pulling it tighter to her head. “It’ll do. Hop on,” he instructed her as he climbed aboard and started the engine.

Reluctantly she lifted herself into place behind him. She was shaking and he told her to relax and hold on to him. She slipped her arms around his waist and he smiled. The warmth of her body pressed against his felt nice. Comfortable. Like she belonged there. He released the kickstand and sped off down the street.

For a few short minutes, Stephanie almost forgot everything. Jason was right, the motorcycle was fun. The wind whipped over her body, and the speed made her dizzy. But it wasn’t the kind of dizzy that made you sick, but the kind of dizzy that made you feel drunk and happy. She clung to him tightly and rested her head against his muscular back. She didn’t understand why he was pursuing her so relentlessly and insinuating himself into her life. They barely knew each other and what they did know, she hadn’t thought was the basis for anything remotely like a relationship.

It seemed the more she protested, the harder he chased her. When Steph hadn’t fallen at his feet, he’d seem annoyed by it. Maybe that’s why he couldn’t let her go? She was a challenge. The first woman he’d met who hadn’t tried to impress him or feign interest in his life. Maybe that was the draw? She just didn’t know. But for these few minutes, on the back of his motorcycle, speeding through the streets of Pinewood Lake, she didn’t care why they were together. She had just found out her best friend had murdered someone and apparently the world might be ending to boot. Anything to escape from the reality of that was a good thing.

All too quickly, it seemed they had pulled up in front of The Secret Garden. Jason waited for her to say something or get off, but she did neither.

“This is your stop,” he informed her over the loud roar of the engine.

“I can’t go back in there yet,” she shook her head.

“Why not?”

“I-I don’t want to face them. I don’t know how to tell them about Alison.”

“You’re gonna have to tell them sooner or later,” he reminded her.

“I vote for the later. Take me someplace.”

“Someplace like where?”

“Anywhere but here.”

Jason thought about it for a moment, and then he told her, “hang on.” He sped off again, leaving The Secret Garden and all of Stephanie’s problems behind. For the time being, anyway.

****

Alison and Logan lounged on the couch at their secret palace listening to music they had conjured up for their listening pleasure.

“So is there a plan or something? You still haven’t told me what you want me to do,” Alison wondered.

“There’s a plan, alright,” he assured her. “Big things are happening.”

“Right. Big things. You keep saying that, but I haven’t seen anything remotely big. Seems like you’re all talk.”

He moved closer to her and grabbed her firmly by the shoulders. He leaned in so his face was only inches from hers. “The end of the world as we know it. Is that big enough for you?”

“Isn’t that an REM song?” She was unfazed by his attempt at dramatization.

He pushed her away from him with annoyance. “You like to make jokes, huh? This is amusing to you? This isn’t a game, sweetheart. The powers that be chose us for this task. Don’t disrespect them that way. Don’t make light of this.”

“Well, maybe I wouldn’t crack jokes and make light of it, if you’d tell me why the hell I’m here. End of the world? Great. Awesome. I hate this world. Nothing here but pain, so I’m all about ending it. But how? Why? What is our task other than to sit on our asses in this fake palace and listen to this horrible music?” She waved her hand in the air and shut off the music abruptly as she began pacing.

“We’re the ones who are gonna end it, baby. When the time is right, we’re gonna do it ourselves.”

“When is the time going to be right?”

“Soon. That’s all I can tell you.”

“That’s all you can tell me? You don’t actually know yourself, do you?” She crossed her arms and challenged him.

He shifted uncomfortably, “no, I don’t know exactly when yet. I haven’t been given those orders. But I will be. And then—”

“Why me?”

“You sure have a lot of questions, don’t you?”

“Why me?” She repeated forcefully, ignoring his line of inquiry.

He sighed, “because you have great power. Even greater power when we’re together.”

“Who are you in this? You had no power the last time I saw you. You were nothing.”

“They needed you on their side, and since my humble little death was what sent you over to the dark side, they picked me as the one to come back here. The Dark Ones imbued me with their power in order to pass it along to you. It’s the only way you’d have enough strength to do what needed to be done.”

“So then you’re really just a vessel, aren’t you? Just a candy coated shell with borrowed power inside? Kind of like an evil M&M?”

“Don’t mock this,” he hissed, getting even more irritated with her by her each second.

“What makes you think that I can’t kill you—again, and steal that power?” This time it was she who got into his face and pushed him against the wall.

He shoved her back and she fell to the ground. “Nice try. But I’m protected by the Dark Ones. You can’t kill me. You can’t get rid of me. So you’d better learn to live with that. It’ll make things a whole lot easier.”

She sighed, “whatever.”

“You’re really starting to piss me off,” he said maddened by her difficulty.

“I just don’t understand why you won’t tell me what the plan is. And I don’t want to hear any more cryptic promises and ‘just wait and see’ crap. Tell me what I’m supposed to do. I was chosen, right? So tell me what I was chosen to do.”

“Fine. You wanna know? I’ll tell you,” he said hastily. “We’ve already established you were chosen for your power. Now that we’re here, we’re supposed to free them.”

“Free who?”

“The Dark Ones. And everyone else that’s in Hell.”

“How am I supposed to do that?” She wondered.

“You freed me, didn’t you?”

“Not on purpose.”

“Well, that doesn’t matter. Your spells started breaking down the barriers between this world and that world. The Dark Ones feed on hate and rage. Every little spell you did weakened those walls just a little bit more. Then when you called for the gates to open, well, that was a great start. Things started slipping out. That’s how I got out. But they want more. They want you to finish what you started. Free them all from their eternal prison.”

“If that’s all it is, then why can’t I just do that now? If I did it before, I’ll just do it again,” she said simply.

“No, it’s more complicated than that. What you did weakened the barriers. It didn’t take them down completely. As soon as we get the orders, we’ll carry them out. But it can’t be before then. The timing has to be right.”

She smiled at him, “I’m starting to get into this now.”

He came up behind her and put his arms around her.

“That’s my girl. See, it’s all going to be perfect. Easy as pie.”

“Easy as pie? I never understood that. What’s easy about pie?” She questioned.

“How the fuck am I supposed to know. It’s just a saying.”

“Well, it’s a stupid one.”

“When we rule the world, we’ll banish that saying from existence, okay?” He offered with a sly grin.

“Good,” she grinned.

He turned her around and pulled her to him. Sparks crackled where their bodies touched. She couldn’t think about who he was right now, or the fact that she hated him. All she could think of was the incredible surge his power gave her. She gazed into his dark eyes.

“When we free them all from Hell, they’ll make me their king,” he told her happily.

“Do I get to be queen?” She asked, mesmerized by his gaze.

“You bet you do, sweetheart. You and me.”

He kissed her roughly and instead of tossing him away from her this time, she let him kiss her. The energy swirled and crackled around them, solidifying what they shared. She pulled back from him and stared at him through hazy eyes.

“We’re perfect together,” he told her.

“We’re unstoppable,” she whispered back.

****

Angela and Jax tended to their customers at the shop with only half hearted interest. Their minds were elsewhere. Jax had tried calling Stephanie several times, but couldn’t reach her. Angela said she had seen Jason pull up out front earlier, with Stephanie on the back of his motorcycle. But by the time he had rushed out front to see her, they had sped off again. He was worried about her and second guessing his choice of mentioning his suspicions about Alison. He might have been wrong about her. He should have done more research before he told Stephanie what he thought. But the more he read the prophecy book, the more he knew in his gut that he wasn’t wrong. He knew he needed to share with her his findings. But that was impossible to do when she was avoiding him.

The shop was empty now and Angela spied Jax sitting at a reading table in the corner. He had the prophecy book spread out before him, but wasn’t looking at it now. He seemed lost in thought. She came over and sat across from him. She noted to herself again how handsome Jax was. He was tall and muscular. She knew he went jogging every morning and had even joined him once or twice before work. She knew he was much older than her, but she was into that. After the debacle in her life that was Kyle, she was looking for what she would term a ‘real man’. Someone more mature who knew what he wanted out of life. Not a scared little boy. She didn’t care if Jax’s hair was turning gray or that the little lines next to his eyes showed his true age. They gave him character, she thought.

Sometimes she would accidentally brush up against him, or touch his hand and she’d feel that electricity between them. A few months ago, she’d honestly considered giving up on the idea of men totally. Kyle had hurt her so badly that she didn’t think she’d ever recover. But one day, she looked at Jax and suddenly knew. Everything she’d always wanted was sitting right in front of her nose. It always had been.

She had been one of his students back in the day. At the time, she thought he was an interesting man with a lot of knowledge that was being wasted in the bureaucracy of the university. His teachings were unconventional and brilliant, she thought. On the surface he was a bit stuffy. He had even spent two years at Oxford University in his youth. Some of the British mannerisms still shone through in his personality. But Angela could see beyond all that. She saw a man inside who was aching to let loose. He was lonely, just as she was. And sometimes she saw the way he’d look at Stephanie, with a longing that said how desperately he wished she actually was his child. He wanted a real family. He was mature and unafraid, unlike how Kyle had been. This served to make Angela find him desperately appealing.

That was why she had accidentally let it slip that she found him attractive. At first, she wished that she hadn’t. But since then, she often caught him staring at her. When he was noticed, he’d just blush and look away. It was adorable, she thought. Now it was his turn to catch her staring.

“Did you need something?” He asked her curiously.

“What? No.” She shook her head and looked away from him. She tried to think of something to say. “I’m sure Stephanie will come back. Eventually anyway,” she assured him.

“She will. The question is will she stay once I tell her what I have to tell her?”

“I don’t know. It’s pretty scary stuff.”

“That it is.”

An awkward silence drifted over them, which was very unusual. Normally Angela had plenty to say, but for some reason she was left with nothing at the moment. Her trademark was to be frank and honest. She was the one who always said what she was thinking. But right now she was holding back. She knew that if she spoke her thoughts, she’d be embarking on uncharted territory. It would open up doors, she wasn’t sure she wanted to open. But in the end, she couldn’t hold herself back. There was a sense of urgency in the air. There could be no more waiting. She finally decided to end the silence.

“Do you like me, Jax?” She asked pointedly.

“What?” He coughed a little and looked nervously at her. “What?” He repeated.

“Do you like me?”

“Of course I like you.”

She shook her head, “no, I don’t mean that. I mean do you have sexy feelings about me?”

He stood up and began his nervous pacing. “Sexy feelings?”

“Yes. I know I said you were handsome and then you said I was beautiful. Now I see you looking at me…I just wondered.”

“Well, I do think you are a very beautiful person—.”

“But? I feel a ‘but’ coming on,” she interrupted.

He didn’t know what to say. He’d been wanting this conversation to take place, and fearing it at the same time. She was nearly young enough to be his daughter, plus she was an employee and a former student. He didn’t want to muddy up the waters.

“Angela…”

She stood up and started to walk away from him. She could feel a rejection coming on and that wasn’t something she dealt with well. She’d had too much of it lately and wasn’t eager to go through it again.

“Never mind. It was really stupid of me to ask such a dumb question. Just forget about it,” she waved her hand dismissively.

“I’m flattered that you would think…I mean that you would have such thoughts of me,” he stammered like a school boy.

“I never said I had sexy thoughts of you. I just asked if you had them about me. I just said I thought you looked good before. But that’s only because I have eyes. Not because I think about you like that,” she protested.

“Right. Silly me. I must have misunderstood you,” he shook his head confusedly.

“Yes, you did. Because I don’t feel that way about you.” She crossed her arms protectively, as if shielding her heart from breakage.

“And I certainly don’t feel that way about you.”

“Good.”

“Yes, quite good actually. Now that we’ve cleared up that little misunderstanding…”

Suddenly she sprinted across the room directly into his arms. Before either of them knew what had hit them, they were kissing. Hands were in new places, lips crushed together.

“Oh Jax…if the world is going to end, I didn’t want it to end without this,” she told him breathlessly through their heated kisses.

“This isn’t right, Angela,” he whispered.

“It feels right.”

“Yes, it does, doesn’t it?” He smiled in spite of his reservations.

“Just shut up and keep kissing me,” she muttered, planting her lips on his once again.

****

Jason hadn’t been exactly sure where to take Stephanie, so they had ended up at the park. By now the place was filled with little children. Mom’s pushing them on swings or power walking with cruising strollers. They managed to find a quiet spot near the creek that ran through the middle of the wooded area. They sat down on a rock next to each other.

“Why do you like me Jason?” She asked with curiosity. She felt she had nothing to lose by asking at this point.

“What’s not to like?”

“Pretty much everything,” she sighed. “I’m not particularly nice to you and we have nothing in common.”

“That’s not true,” he disagreed. “Or at least the part about us having nothing in common. It is true that you aren’t very nice to me.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. Maybe I should be the one asking you why you don’t like me.”

“I just don’t think I’m the right girl for you, Jason. My life is complicated.”

“Everyone’s life is complicated.”

“No, I mean, my life is really complicated. I’m basically a single mom to my little sister. I’m a psychic freak. My friends are all nuts. One gets end of the world prophecies delivered to his doorstep and the other one is a really powerful witch who apparently went psycho, killed a guy and is now on the lam with something evil. So tell me again why you’d want to be with me.”

“Steph, I don’t care about all that. I think it’s really cool you take care of your little sis. And the psychic thing? Intriguing as hell. I was floored when you told me about the first time. I was in awe.”

“I only told you that so you’d think I was a nutcase and go away,” she admitted.

“Didn’t work. Only made me like you more,” he informed her. “I liked that you weren’t afraid to tell me.”

“Well, you weren’t supposed to like it,” she pouted.

“Well, I did.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette. He lit it up and tried to make sure the smoke didn’t go in her face. “Aren’t you going to tell me how these things will kill me?” He teased.

“What’s the point? We’re all going to die soon anyway. Smoke up,” she said pitifully. “In fact, give me one. I wanna live dangerously.” She tried to snatch one out of his pocket.

“Hey now! You don’t smoke.” He swatted her hand away.

“Well, maybe I want to.”

He shrugged and fished another one out of his pocket. He handed it to her and lit it for her. She inhaled deeply and immediately began choking on the smoke.

“Oh my god! That’s horrible!” She coughed. “This is supposed to be fun?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Maybe I’m not doing it right.” She took another drag, that produced the same disastrous results. She tossed it to the ground and stomped it out. “Okay, that sucked. Why are you not coughing like that?”

“Because I’m a bad ass,” he joked with her.

“Well apparently I’m a lame ass,” she grinned.

“I don’t know about that,” he eyed her seductively. “Your ass doesn’t look lame at all. In fact it looks—”

“Shut up. Don’t be looking at my ass,” she smacked his arm.

“I can’t help myself.”

“Well try. Otherwise the only thing of my ass you’ll see is it walking away from you.”

He laughed and shook his head, “see, this is why I like you.”

“What?”

“This. You’re funny. Beautiful and funny.”

“I wasn’t trying to be funny. I was trying to be rude,” she protested.

“Well, you’re even cuter when you’re being rude.” He flicked his cigarette into the water and watched the current carry it downstream. “Besides, I know you don’t mean it.”

“Why would you think that?”

“Because I can feel it.”

“You can feel it? I’m the psychic one remember? Shouldn’t I be the one who’s feeling it?”

“You will,” he smirked at her.

“You’re very arrogant. And that’s what I don’t like about you.” She gave him a hard look.

“Have you ever been in love before, Steph?” He asked pointedly.

“What?”

“I’m asking if you’ve ever been in love.”

“Not that it’s any business of yours, but yes. I have.”

“He must have messed you up pretty good,” he commented as he turned away from her and began throwing small pebbles into the creek.

“What makes you think he messed me up? I could have dumped him you know,” she protested defensively.

“Did you? Dump him?”

“It was mutual,” she said softly.

“Mutual, eh? Alright.”

“What? You don’t believe me?”

He turned and looked at her seriously. “Nothing is ever mutual. Someone’s heart is always gonna get broken. That’s just how it is.”

“Well mine didn’t get broken,” she asserted. Then softly, “it was just bruised a little.”

“What happened?” He asked curiously.

“He left for college in Oklahoma. Some football thing. We mutually decided it was best that we not try to keep up the long distance thing.”

“But you always expected he’d change his mind and come back to you. Isn’t that right?”

She hated that he was so perceptive. That was her job. She was the one who saw past people’s defenses and into their true hearts. She was the intuitive, not him. But whenever she was with him, he was always reading her and she was too confused and jumbled up inside to be able to read him at all. When it came to helping other people and seeing into their futures, she was a pro. But with her own life, she tended to be blindsided. Jax had told her it was a common thing for people with the gift. They spent all their energies on other people leaving nothing left for themselves. She had tried to change that, but it was a lot easier said then done. And Jason was complicating everything.

“Maybe,” she admitted finally. “Bryan came back for a visit a few months after he left. At first, I expected things to be just like they always were. But when I hugged him, I knew he’d changed. I felt it. He met someone else.”

“That must have really been upsetting.”

“It was,” she admitted. “But it was a long time ago. I’m over it.”

“Are you?”

“Yes. He left four years ago. It’s not like I’m still pining. I think he’s actually married or something now.”

He saw the sadness in her eyes, despite her protests. “You always thought it’d be you, didn’t you?”

“What?”

“You thought he’d marry you one day.”

She looked away from him, “yeah…” Then she sighed, “but I was just a kid. It was a fantasy. Every girl dreams that they’ll marry their first love. But it usually doesn’t happen that way.”

“No, it doesn’t,” he admitted. “So have there been other loves?” He asked cautiously, wanting to know more about what made this girl tick.

“Loves? Not really,” she shook her head, “dates, yeah. But nothing serious.”

“Why is that?”

“Because. I just don’t have time for that. I’m usually busy with work or Melissa. It’s just not a priority,” she said dismissively.

“It should be.”

“Look Jason, I really don’t want to talk about this,” she told him.

“Just because you lost the person who you thought was the one, doesn’t mean you should give up forever.”

“The one? I’m starting think there isn’t such a thing,” she sighed.

“A psychic who doesn’t believe in destiny?” He asked with mock horror.

“I believe in destiny. I just don’t believe in love. Not anymore.”

Her feelings weren’t just motivated by her own fractured heart. Everywhere around her, people were hurting each other. Breaking engagements, cheating, dying. It seemed that people only brought pain to each other. She wasn’t willing to risk that pain. She put up a shield over her own heart a long time ago, determined not to fall victim again. She had her friends, and she had Melissa. That was all she needed.

She grew increasingly uncomfortable with where this conversation was heading, so she quickly changed the subject. “I think I should get back to the shop now.”

Jason wanted to stay here and talk with her more, but he knew the more he pressed, the farther she’d distance herself from him. It had been a lot of work just to get her to open up at all. He didn’t want to ruin it. As pushy as he could be, he knew when to back off.

They rode silently back to the shop and once in front he asked her if it was alright he came in with her. She wanted to protest, but she supposed he was already part of this. Whatever this was. They walked into the shop and found the place empty. Just as she was getting ready to call out for someone, she heard a muffled sound in the corner behind the stacks of books. Then she heard something tumble to the ground.

“Jax?”

Just then, a rumpled looking Jax stepped out from behind the stacks. His hair was a bit mussed and his shirt was half un-tucked.

“Stephanie, you’re back.” He tried to smooth his hair down.

“Is everything okay? You look—” Stephanie then noticed Angela appear behind him. She was smoothing down her skirt and looking at her feet. “What’s going on here?”

“Nothing. We were just looking at…just looking for,” he held up a book “this! We were looking for this! There’s some very important information in here relating to the prophecy,” he informed her.

“That’s a dictionary, Jax,” Stephanie raised her eyebrow at him.

“Dictionary?” Jax silently cursed himself for picking up the only useless book in their collection. “Yes, it is a dictionary. But if you don’t know what words mean, you can’t very well translate the prophecy, now can you?”

“He’s right. We just, um, needed to look up a word. A very important word,” Angela backed him up.

Stephanie looked at both of them incredulously. You didn’t need to be psychic to know what was going on here. She looked over her shoulder at Jason. He was trying not to laugh. Stephanie rolled her eyes and turned to look at the two caught with their hands in the cookie jar, so to speak. She decided to just let it go for now. They had other issues to discuss. But she was going to have a serious talk with them later, she mentally noted.

“I have something to tell you guys.”

Jax and Angela looked visibly relieved that Stephanie was not going to question them further.

“We have something to tell you as well. You ran off so fast this morning,” Jax said with concern.

“Me first, okay?”

“Okay,” Jax motioned for her to continue.

Stephanie walked over towards the table and sat down. Jason hovered nearby knowing this was hard for her to tell them.

“After what you said about Alison, I decided to go back to the roof. I wanted to see for myself what happened that night,” she informed him.

“And what did you see?”

“You were right. He didn’t fall. She threw him over. She used magic and tossed him over the edge,” she explained tearfully. “She didn’t feel bad about it either, Jax. It was like she was a stranger. Not herself. It wasn’t the Alison I knew.”

Jax rubbed his eyes and sat down on the edge of the table. He pushed the open prophecy book towards her.

“I’m afraid there’s more. In this passage here,” he pointed to a spot on the page, “it states that a powerful Dark Priestess will perform a sacred ritual to open the gates of Hell.”

“And you think this Dark Priestess is Alison?” Stephanie was aghast.

Jax nodded, “I’m afraid so.”

“Oh my God…it was her,” Stephanie suddenly realized.

“Who was her?” Jason asked.

“Alison. She was the person in my dreams. The woman that I thought I knew, but then she was the one doing it all. She was the one who started the apocalypse,” she shook her head miserably.

“Why would she do that?” Jason piped up.

“We don’t know that part yet. But something dark has taken a hold of her. Right now, she’s not thinking clearly. Stephanie ascertained that much from what went on in her apartment and on that roof. She doesn’t have full control over her actions. Once there is darkness in your heart, everything becomes clouded.”

“Who’s the guy she’s with?” Stephanie asked.

“A disciple of the Dark Ones, possibly. Someone sent here to make sure she carries out their wishes.”

“So what do we do now?” Jason asked.

They all looked at him curiously for a moment. Apparently Jason was including himself in this endeavor.

“That’s a good question. I don’t know yet,” Jax shook his head.

“You think the answers are in this book?” Jason asked.

“Yes. Possibly.”

“Then let’s get back to work. Can I help?” Jason asked, throwing his hat into the ring.

“Do you read ancient Egyptian?” Angela asked.

“No,” he admitted, “but I can learn.”

“It’s not exactly something you just learn,” Jax enlightened him. “It takes years of study to understand the hieroglyphic symbols. I studied dead languages for ten years and even I’m having some difficulty.”

“Let me see the book again. Maybe I can get something more,” Stephanie offered.

She took the book off the table and put it across her lap. She placed her hands onto the pages and closed her eyes. Instantly she saw dark images pass through her mind. Souls crying out in torment, demons rising from the Earth, and one person right in the middle of it all. This time she saw her face. It was Alison kneeling in front of a gaping hole in the ground. There was no mistaking the long black hair, and dark brown eyes. Stephanie forced herself to stay in the moment and see all that she could. She was directly in front of Alison now and she could see blood smeared across her cheeks. To her left was the man she’d seen in Alison’s apartment. His face was still out of focus and he wore a black cape with a hood, that concealed his identity further.

All at once Stephanie was transported away from this scene and into another. A graveyard where headstones had been overturned and smashed. People were milling about, crying and screaming. She assumed at first it was people crying over lost loved ones, but then she saw her. Stephanie’s mother was among the group. These people weren’t crying for lost loved ones. They were the lost loved ones and now they had no where to go. They’d been displaced. Expelled from Heaven.

Stephanie wanted to reach out to her mother, but she was taken elsewhere. She saw three figures standing on a hill, cloaked in shadows. She could not make out whether they were men or women, or even human. But she felt a sense of hope there. And power. Lots of power, but this time she sensed it was not evil. Trinity. The word jumped into her mind and kept repeating. She covered her ears as the chanting got louder and louder. Suddenly she felt dizzy and nauseous. The book slipped off her lap as she plunged swiftly into darkness.

When she awoke she saw Jax, Angela, and Jason standing over her.

“What happened?” She whispered softly, her head still pounding.

“You passed out. You’ve been down for almost an hour. We were getting ready to call an ambulance,” Jax informed her with much worry.

“I passed out?” She tried to sit up, but felt too weak.

“Lay back down.” Jason gently nudged her onto the couch again.

“I’m fine,” she protested, forcing herself upright again. “Wow. That was really…intense.”

“What did you see? Did you find any answers? What’s going to happen to us? Are we going to die? Tell us!” Angela bombarded her with questions.

“Relax, woman,” Jax scolded her. “If you’d let her get a word in edgewise she might do just that.”

“Maybe she should rest a little bit more? Then I’ll take her home,” Jason offered.

“Guys, I’m okay,” Stephanie assured them all. “Blinding migraine, but okay.”

“You need something then? A glass of water?” Jason offered.

“No, thanks.”

“How about a beer?” He asked, and then added, “I know I could use one.”

“No, no beer. Thanks,” she declined with a shake of her head. “Let me just get my thoughts together.”

They all stood expectantly waiting for her to begin speaking. They realized she must have seen some pretty powerful stuff to knock her out cold like that. Whatever it was had completely drained all the energy from her body. After a minute she looked up at them and let out a deep breath.

“Okay, first the bad news,” she began.

“Wait, does this mean there’s also good news?” Angela interrupted.

“Well, not really. I-I’m not sure yet. Maybe.” Stephanie tried to focus again, “but the definite bad news is that Alison is behind this. No mistake. I saw her clearly this time. She was doing some sort of ritual with fire all around her. She wasn’t alone though. Someone else was there. I know it was the guy from her apartment, but I still didn’t see his face. Then I saw a graveyard with lost souls roaming around. They felt like they had no where left to go.”

Tears started streaming down her face now, but she didn’t wipe them away. She let them fall as she continued. “I saw my mother there. She looked right at me. I could feel that somehow the peace she’d come to know, in Heaven or wherever, was in jeopardy. It was like she’d been kicked out. She wasn’t at peace anymore. No one was.”

“So what’s the ‘sort of’ good news you saw?” Angela prodded.

Stephanie looked up at her, “the last thing I remember is seeing three figures, standing on a hill. It was the only time I saw or felt anything remotely like hope. Like maybe they were there to help or something?”

“Who were they? Did you see their faces?” Jax asked.

She shook her head, “no. But this word kept repeating in my head. Trinity. Over and over, that word pounded in my head. Then the next thing I know you guys are staring down at me saying I passed out.”

“Trinity? Could be the Holy Trinity,” Jax offered.

“I don’t know, but that’s definitely the word that was used,” Stephanie reiterated.

“So should we be trying to find this Trinity or something?” Jason asked.

“How do you propose we do that?” Stephanie wanted to know.

“I don’t know.”

“Wait! We could take an ad out in the personals. I can see it now: ‘In search of three powerful people to help save world from destruction. Non-smoker’s a plus. Please respond!’,” Stephanie joked sarcastically.

“Well, it might work,” he made a face at her.

“Or we could hand out flyers, ‘Want to save the world? Call us!’,” Angela laughed.

“Okay, that’s enough you two. I have to actually agree with Jason, here. We need to figure out who or what they are,” Jax interrupted their laughter. “And before you suggest we go to door to door asking if anyone there wants to stop the apocalypse, we should work on deciphering more of the actual prophecy text.”

“Well, count me out. I’m not touching that book again. Not for a long time,” Stephanie shook her head vigorously.

“I wasn’t suggesting that. I’m going to see what else I can come up with. If I can find anything in there about this Trinity.”

Just then, the little bell over the front door jingled signally someone had entered the shop.

“Customers,” Angela grumbled as she got up and peered through the office doorway to see who was out there. “Oh, it’s you,” she said with disinterest at whoever it was.

“Wonderful to see you too, Angie,” Kyle remarked as he made his way into the office. “Whoa. Everyone’s here. Even Jason. What’s up? Did I miss something? Are we having a meeting?” He asked feeling slighted that he hadn’t been included in the powwow, but apparently Jason had.

“Just more end of the world garbage,” Stephanie sighed.

“Lovely. Sorry I missed it.”

“Are you here to take me back to my car?”

“Yes, ma’am, your chariot has arrived,” he said gallantly. “Are you feeling better than this morning?”

“Not really. But I’ll tell you all the gory details in the car.”

She went out front to get her purse and Kyle looked at all the glum faces in the room.

“I’m wagering a guess here that nothing you guys were talking about was good news?”

“Alison is evil and is going to bring Hell on Earth,” Angela informed him bluntly.

“Oh. Is that all?” He asked shakily, trying keep on joking despite what he was really feeling, which was utter shock.

“That pretty much sum’s it up,” Jason confirmed and Jax nodded reluctantly in agreement.

****

In the car on the way to Alison’s apartment, Stephanie gave Kyle a few more details than Angela had offered him. He was still in denial.

“I really think you have to be wrong about Alison’s part in all this. She’s a little kooky, granted. But evil? Bringing forth Hell on Earth? She’s just not like that,” he shook his head and smacked his hand angrily on the steering wheel.

“Kyle, I saw her. It’s true.”

“So maybe your vision was defective? Remember that time you told me you saw Mr. Fisher’s classroom blow up because of some faulty science experiment? So I skipped class that day, and nothing happened. Except for me getting detention.”

“That was different. That might have just been a regular dream and I got confused. It’s confusing to have all this junk in your head!” She protested. “You try sorting it out, sometime. But this wasn’t a dream. I held the book and I saw her.”

“But you said it was just like your dream. And dreams can be wrong.”

“Then where is Alison? Tell me that.”

He sighed and shook his head, “I don’t know. I wish I did know. Maybe we should call the police? Or at least her dad.”

“We definitely can’t call her dad,” Stephanie shook her head vehemently. “Hi! Mr. Biggs! Alison is evil and is going to end the world. Just thought you should know.”

“He’s so drunk most of the time he probably wouldn’t even remember if we did tell him,” Kyle remarked. “But I just thought maybe we’d let him know that something might have happened to her.”

“We can’t. Kyle, this isn’t a normal disappearance. That’s why we can’t involve the police either. She went willingly. She’s a grown woman who can come and go as she pleases.”

They pulled up in front of Alison’s apartment building. Both of them glanced upwards to the window, hoping a light might be on, and she’d be there. But it was dark. Stephanie looked over at Kyle as she opened her door.

“Thanks for the ride. I need to get home. I promised Mel I’d be there for dinner tonight.”

“We’ll talk about this later?”

“Yeah. Later. Right now we can’t do much except wait until Jax can get more information.”

“We’ll find her right? Before it’s too late?” He was hopeful.

“We’re certainly going to try.”

Once she arrived home, Stephanie walked up the steps to her house. The lights were all on and she could hear loud music playing from the outside. A definite sign that her sister was home. She opened the door and called out for her. Getting no response, she went to the stereo and switched it off.

“Mel?” She called again.

“In here!”

She followed her sister’s voice into the kitchen, where she found her eating a bowl of Cheerios and leafing through a fashion magazine.

“You’re eating? I thought we were going to have dinner together? I made it home on time and everything.” Stephanie was disappointed.

“Well, I was hungry. And since I had no idea if you’d remember to come home or not, I decided not to chance starvation.”

“I’m a terrible sister, huh?”

Melissa looked at her sincerely, “no, you’re a good sister. It’s not your fault that you have to take care of me. I know you have stuff to do. Life stuff.”

Stephanie sat down at the table across from her and took her hands.

“Mel, listen to me. Nothing and no one is as important to me as you are. Things have just been a little weird lately. But I don’t want you to think that I’m upset I have to take care of you. I chose to do this. It’s what Mom would have wanted and it’s what I wanted.”

“But I know you wish things were different.”

Stephanie released her hands and slumped back in her chair. “Of course I do. I wish Mom was still here. Every day I wish she’d walk through that door again. But she’s not going to.”

“Do you ever see her?” Melissa asked softly. “You know, does she visit you?”

“Not really.” It was something Stephanie had practically begged her mother to do. She just wanted to see her again and for her to let them know that she was okay. But it never happened. Not until last night in her dream. If that was in fact her mother and not just a figment of her imagination.

“Why do you think she hasn’t?”

“I’d like to think it’s because she’s at peace now and she knows we’re okay. She doesn’t feel the need to come back.”

“Doesn’t she miss us?”

“Of course she does.”

“Then why can’t she just come back and tell you that?”

Stephanie shook her head, “I can’t answer that.”

“I just don’t understand why she had to die. If that stupid jerk hadn’t of been playing with his radio and talking on his cell phone, he never would have hit her. She’d still be here.” Melissa suddenly turned angry, a lot of her bottled up emotions spilling out.

“It was an accident.”

“I don’t care. It’s just not fair that she’s dead and nothing even happened to him.”

“You’re right. It’s not fair. But Mel, we have to let it go. Being pissed about it isn’t going to bring her back. Plus, if she’s at peace with what happened, then we have to be too. When it’s your time to go, it’s your time to go.”

“I just wish you’d had one of your stupid visions and you could have warned her or something.” Melissa crossed her arms and pushed herself away from the table with her feet.

“Do you know how many times I’ve said that to myself? How many times I wondered if I had been too wrapped up in my own life to even pay attention if I had gotten a warning. Everyone seems to think that I have this magic crystal ball inside my head. But the truth is, I only see what they want me to see. Whoever they are. I don’t get to pick and choose what’s shown to me. I wish I did.”

Suddenly Stephanie felt as if Melissa was blaming her. Then she realized that maybe she was the one blaming herself. She hadn’t seen her mother’s death coming; she didn’t see Alison’s decent into darkness either. There was a lot she wasn’t seeing, and it made her question why she had this gift at all. It was helping no one.

They sat in silence for several minutes until Stephanie finally spoke again.

“Are you okay? We can talk more if you want,” she offered, silently hoping she didn’t. Stephanie wasn’t sure she could handle much more tonight.

“No, I’m fine. I just freaked out for a minute.” Melissa tried to shrug it off. “I do that sometimes. That’s why I try not to think too much about all this junk.”

“Me too,” she agreed.

“Thanks for coming home for dinner, even if I sort of ruined it with my cereal and Mom talk.”

“It’s okay. I wasn’t really hungry anyway.”

“Well, since I barfed up all my nasty feelings, anything you want to share with me? Bad day?” Melissa offered as she took her half eaten bowl of cereal and poured it down the drain.

“There was definite badness today.”

“Share?”

“I’m not sure you really wanna know.”

“Of course I wanna know.” She grabbed a soda from the fridge and sat down again.

“Well, then I’m not sure I wanna tell.”

“Is this about Jason’s ghost?”

“No.”

“Okay, then is it about Jason’s ass?” She teased her.

“Shut up. What is your obsession with his ass?”

“You’ve seen it” she said plainly.

Stephanie groaned, “the badness of my day had nothing to do with Jason or his ass. It was just bad on so many levels I don’t even know where to start.”

“Try the beginning. That works for me.”

At first Stephanie wasn’t sure she should tell Melissa about this. She was only sixteen after all. Plus she was relatively normal. At least as normal as a person gets when they have a dead mom, a deadbeat father and a psychic sister. But overall she was untouched by the world Stephanie lived in. She didn’t talk to or see dead people. She didn’t get visions. She knew nothing of witches and magic or ghosts and apocalypses. The latter was something Stephanie wasn’t versed in either and frankly she preferred to keep it that way. But either way, she didn’t want to frighten her sister. But on the other hand, it was something she needed to know about. She decided to tell her as gently as she could.

[Part Five]