The next morning Stephanie marched into The Secret Garden, filled with a new sense of purpose. There would be no more sitting around on her ass making googly eyes at Jason, pretending the world was safe. There would be no more whining and crying about not being able to do anything. She was going to do something, damn it. Even if it killed her. Which it probably would.

Jason and Melissa entered the shop behind her, eager to see what she had in mind. She had been vague about her ideas, intentionally so. She wanted to call a meeting and get everyone involved. It was time they stopped messing around and started getting serious.

“Jax? Angela?” She called out. “Get your butt’s out here!”

Initially there was no response, so she decided to head into the office. The store was still closed to the public, but she knew that they were there. She opened up the office door and saw Jax and Angela huddled close together over the desk.

“Stephanie,” Jax was startled. “What are you doing here? You’re not on until ten.”

“Sorry. I didn’t interrupt anything…gross, did I?” She looked at the couple with moderate distaste.

“No. We were just working on the prophecy,” Jax sighed.

“I think we’re on to something. It seems like all of this goes down on the night of the—”

“Blood moon? Yeah, I know,” Stephanie interrupted Angela.

“How did you know that?” Angela asked in amazement.

“Long story.” She waved the question away dismissively. “Listen, where is that crystal? You know the one you used for me to practice my concentration?” She asked Jax.

“The thinking crystal?”

“Yeah. I need it.”

“What for?”

“I’m gonna find Alison. I didn’t get anything at her apartment other than she had left. I need to know where she went. And I also need to know for sure that she went willingly. I thought the crystal would help me focus and maybe lead me to her current location.”

“That crystal is very powerful, but I’m not sure that it will help,” Jax scratched his head.

“I don’t care. I need to try. You told me yourself that the crystal helps to focus energies. Remember when it helped me find my lost keys? Well, this is just like that, only this time I’m not looking for keys. I’m looking for Alison.”

Jax stood up and nodded his head.

“Alright. I’ll go get it.”

“I called Kyle, okay?” Stephanie told them. “So, please. No kissing or other gross displays of affection when he gets here, alright?”

“You know about me and Jax?” Angela wasn’t aware of that.

“Yes, I know. And even though you and Kyle are over, I don’t think he needs to see you and Jax together,” Stephanie told her. Then she mumbled under her breath, “none of us do.”

“Steph, I wanted to tell you,” Angela told her softly.

“Yeah, well, I figured it out. Jax confirmed it.”

“Are you upset?”

Stephanie sighed and sat down on the edge of the desk. “No, I’m not upset. How can I be upset? Two people I care about have found each other. Icky as that may be…”

“What’s so icky about it? Jax is a very attractive man,” Angela pointed out.

“Yeah, I guess. But he’s old. And he’s…Jax. That’s just weird. Isn’t it weird to you?” She asked.

“Not really.”

“I thought you didn’t need a man?”

“I don’t,” Angela told her. “But I wanted one.”

“Did it have to be Jax?” Stephanie asked softly.

“I-I really like him, Steph. He’s not like any other man I’ve ever known. He gets me. He understands that I’m a complex creature and yet he still wants me. Plus, he’s sexy,” she smiled.

“Eww.”

“He is! Really I mean you should see him—”

“Please don’t go there. I just ate breakfast,” Stephanie made a face.

“You know, I’ve noticed that I’m not the only one who’s changed her mind about men,” Angela alluded to Jason. “Certain men. Named Jason.”

Stephanie couldn’t help but smile a little, but she tried to play it cool. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Oh shut up. You’re sleeping with him, aren’t you?” Angela asked excitedly.

“No! I am not,” Stephanie protested. Then added quietly, “not yet anyway.”

Angela grinned broadly, “I knew it! I knew I felt the spark of true love the instant you two laid eyes on each other.”

“True love? I-I wouldn’t go that far,” she shook her head.

“But you do feel something?”

“There’s definite sparkage,” she admitted with a sly smile. “When I first met him though, I got this weird feeling. Dizziness, a little nausea.”

“Well, you were really drunk,” Angela pointed out.

Stephanie shook her head, “no it wasn’t that. He scared me.”

“Scared you?”

“I can’t really describe it, but I got this really strong feeling that he was going to change my life. I-I wasn’t really ready for that.”

“But now you are?”

Stephanie stood up and shrugged, “well, everything in my life already changed. And most of it’s bad. Jason is the only good thing I have right now. He makes me feel happy and silly and sometimes when we’re together I forget that the world is falling apart around us.”

Stephanie realized that the night she and Jason met, everything was already changing. Things were in motion that none of them could have anticipated or prevented. He was part of it. Denying it and denying him wasn’t making anything go away. She realized that. She had just decided to stop fighting it. Maybe he would change her life, but that didn’t have to be a bad thing. Maybe certain things in her life needed changing. She understood that now.

Twenty minutes later Kyle arrived and everyone assembled in the shop. Angela had drawn the window shades so no one passing by could peek in at them.

“Do you really think this will work?” Jason asked.

“Maybe. I hope so.”

“I think that you’re gonna see Alison being held captive, is what I think. No way is she doing this willingly,” Kyle assured them, still convinced of her innocence.

“I hope you’re right, Kyle.”

Jax walked over with a small wooden box. Inside, the magical crystal rested on a pillow of purple velvet. He reached in and placed it in front of Stephanie.

“Everyone will need to step back and let her concentrate. It could take quite a long time for her to see anything, if it works at all,” Jax instructed everyone.

Stephanie placed her hands on the crystal and focused her gaze. The crystal seemed to take on a glow, which proved that it was working. Energy was passing into it and she could feel her hands warm around the cold stone.

“Just breathe deeply,” Jax instructed her, but she was already miles away. His voice echoed in her head, “it may take some time before you can see—”

“I see her,” Stephanie interrupted.

“What? You do? Already?” He was shocked.

“What do you see?” Angela asked excitedly.

“Shush! Let her concentrate,” Kyle glared at her.

“I-I see a room. No, it’s not a room. It’s a closet,” Stephanie squinted as if it would help her see more clearly.

“A closet? She’s locked in a closet? Is she hurt?” Kyle asked.

Stephanie didn’t answer him. She just kept her mind focused on what she was seeing. “She’s crying…”

“Crying? I knew it! I knew she was being held captive!” Kyle shouted with relief and vindication.

“Wait. No, she’s…laughing. Not crying, laughing,” Stephanie clarified.

“Laughing?” Kyle was confused.

“Yes, she’s laughing. Someone is there with her. They’re both laughing.”

“Who is it? The guy from her apartment?” Jason asked.

“Yes. I think.” She still couldn’t see his face and it was frustrating her to no end. Just then, the man turned in her direction. “Holy shit!” She exclaimed.

“What? What is it?” Kyle and Jason asked in unison.

“It’s Logan Winters.”

“What? But he’s dead.” Kyle was dumbfounded.

Stephanie shook her head, “not anymore, he’s not.”

“Are you sure it’s him?” Jax asked.

“Positive. I recognize his face from the paper. It’s definitely him.”

“What’s he doing to her? Is he hurting her?” Kyle asked.

Stephanie kept staring into the crystal, her mind assaulted with so many images all at once. “He’s grabbing her wrists.”

“That fucker! I’m going to kill him! Again!” Kyle was irate.

“He’s saying something to her. Now he’s…Oh. Eww. He’s kissing her,” Stephanie informed them.

“Kissing?” Kyle asked with disgust. “He’s probably trying force himself on her again. That bastard!”

“She’s kissing him back.”

“That can’t be right.” Kyle shook his head. “For starters, the guy is dead. And second, he’s a creep and third—you know what? There’s a really long list here. Are you sure you’re seeing this correctly?”

Stephanie continued to watch the scene unfold before her. She herself was dumbfounded by what she was seeing. This didn’t seem like the Alison she knew. But she already knew that Alison was gone. This just confirmed what she already feared. Alison had gone willingly, and wherever she was now, she seemed to be enjoying herself.

Just then, Alison and Logan stopped kissing and turned their heads in Stephanie’s direction. They were standing cheek to cheek and she could see red energy sparking in between them. It felt like their eyes were boring holes right into Stephanie. It seemed they were looking directly at her. And they were.

“It’s not nice to stare,” Alison said plainly to Stephanie.

Stephanie gasped and her body tensed up. But before she could say or do anything, Alison and Logan raised their arms in the air, their fingers intertwined. A red bolt of electricity shot from their fingertips and blasted Stephanie out of her chair. She connected sharply with a glass display case and it shattered around her. The vision was gone and she now lay in a heap on the floor, covered in broken glass.

Everyone rushed to her side, and Jason tried to lift her up.

“Are you okay?” He asked with concern.

“Yeah, I’m okay.” She wasn’t sure if that was the truth or not yet. She was too numb to feel anything. But she did feel something warm rolling down her back.

Jason touched her there and his fingers came away stained with blood. “You’re bleeding.”

“It’s just a scratch. I think.” She rubbed her head.

“Should I call an ambulance?” Angela asked as she held the phone.

“No. Please, I’m fine. I’m not the one you guys need to be worrying about.” She pulled herself to her feet.

“What the hell happened there?” Kyle asked with concern and amazement.

“I have no idea.” Stephanie shook her head. “But they could see me.”

“See you? How is that possible?” Jax didn’t understand.

“You tell me. I-I’ve had thousands of visions, but this one was different. Not only could I see them, but they apparently could see me too. They shot some kind of lightning bolt at me.”

“They must have sensed an intruder,” Angela offered.

“What?”

“Well, it sounds like they could tell someone was tapping into their energies. Spying on them. They could see you, just as you were seeing them. It’s pretty advanced. I’ve heard about powers like that, but I’ve never known anyone who could actually do it,” she explained.

“Alison?” Kyle shook his head.

“I’m sorry, Kyle. I don’t think she’s Alison anymore. Not the Alison we knew anyway. She belongs to Logan now,” Stephanie told him sadly. “It’s like they had this weird connection or something. Red energy. Sparks would fly whenever they touched. It was really odd.”

“I’m not getting any of this. Dead people aren’t really dead. Alison has lightning bolts. My sister is bleeding. The world is ending. None of this makes sense!” Melissa was angry and confused. “Someone tell me how any of this makes sense.”

“Mel, I wish I could tell you, but I can’t. It doesn’t make sense. But it is happening.”

“I hate this.” Melissa wiped a tear away from her eyes.

“I hate it too. We all do,” Stephanie assured her.

“Did you at least find out where she was?” Melissa wondered.

“No. Not really. It’s close by. And it’s some place with a closet,” Stephanie shook her head.

“Well, that’s real helpful,” Angela said wryly.

“I’m sorry, but I got a little distracted from the mission when I saw my best friend kissing an evil dead guy while they shot lightning at me,” Stephanie was irritated.

“I wasn’t blaming you.” Angela held up her hands. “I was just saying it’s not real helpful information. She could be in any house in this town.”

“It’s not a house. I know that much. In fact, I don’t even think the place is real,” Stephanie informed them.

“What do you mean it’s not real?” Kyle asked.

“I’m not sure, but I got a sense that the place was cloaked. I felt magic everywhere. Like some kind of spell was either protecting the place, or the place itself was a spell. Or both. I can’t explain it.” Stephanie tried to gather her thoughts. “But I do know that they don’t want to be found.”

“So we’re really back to square one, aren’t we?” Kyle was frustrated.

“Yup,” Stephanie admitted. “I’m sorry guys. I really thought that this was going to work. I thought I could find her and talk to her or something. But I’m not sure talking is going to fix this. It was so dark where she was. And I don’t mean the lighting was bad. It was evil. And Logan may have been a real asshole in life. But I’m sensing in death, he’s way worse. Both of them are being controlled by something bigger. Much bigger,” she told them gravely.

****

Alison paced back in forth in front of the closet where Stephanie had intruded upon them.

“Why did she have to do that? Why couldn’t she just leave well enough alone?” She posed her question to no one in particular.

“She’s trying to save you, baby,” Logan told her. “She just didn’t realize you’ve already been saved.”

He came up and put his arms around her and kissed her neck. She shrugged him off and turned around.

“I didn’t want to hurt her,” she admitted.

“Oh, come on. Don’t grow a conscience on me now. She’s not one of us. She’s one of them. She’s meaningless now.”

“She’s my best friend.” Pieces of the old Alison were hanging on, refusing to surrender completely to darkness.

“Correction. She was your best friend. People like us don’t have friends. We have each other and that’s enough,” he reminded her.

She knew he was right. She had to let go of her old life if she was going to be able to move on with her new one. But there was still a small doubt as to what she was getting herself into.

“You can’t think about those people now. They’re beneath you. They’re the enemy.” He pulled her to him and whispered into her ear. “They’re going to die just like all the others. Remember that.”

“I know.”

“Let go. Remorse has no place here. Maybe you just need a little reminding.” He licked her ear and ran his hand down her arm suggestively. “You’re mine now. You gave yourself to me and the Dark Ones. You wanted this.” He kissed her softly.

She felt his dark energy engulf her, making her dizzy with desire. She had been confused, but with every touch from him, things became clearer. All her life she’d felt powerless. When her mother had died, she’d sat with her lifeless body for hours before her drunken father had come home from the bar and discovered them. She had been helpless to save her and helpless to stop her father from drinking himself into a stupor every night. Powerless against the people at school who had whispered about her and made fun. Powerless to stop James from leaving her, and Logan from attacking her. She was done being weak and preyed upon. Now it was her turn. She didn’t want anyone to feel sorry for her or think she needed saving. Logan was right. She’d already been saved.

Here she found a place where she belonged and could control things. Everything was under her thumb. The entire world would soon know her name and would fear her. There would be no more pity for the poor, helpless girl with the fucked up family life and the even worse personal life. She was going to be a queen soon. Where there had once been sympathy, there would now be worship. Instead of friends, she’d have loyal subjects and servants. She smiled at that notion.

Logan looked at her. “You’re seeing it now, aren’t you?” He asked. “What it will be like. It’s amazing, isn’t it?”

“It is. It will be,” she agreed with him.

“So you’re over this ‘I feel bad’ crap?”

“Completely over it,” she assured him. “You were right. I don’t need them. I never did.”

“That’s the spirit,” he cheered her on. “Maybe we should do something to celebrate.” He kissed her neck.

Deep down she wished that his touch revolted her the way it should, but it was no use. She was hooked. And not on him, but the way he made her feel. When she looked at him now, she didn’t see her attacker or the man she’d killed mercilessly. She saw her future. In some twisted way she saw happiness with him. It wasn’t any kind of happiness she’d ever known, which made her wonder if she’d ever been happy before. She thought she had been with James. But he didn’t believe in her. He’d tried to control her, she realized now. Maybe he never even loved her at all? He thought her magic was cute. Like she was Samantha from Bewitched. Like she’d wiggle her nose and suddenly the house would be vacuumed. That’s all he thought it was good for. He’d never really understood her power. But he was about to. They all were.

Alison pushed Logan onto the bed and straddled him.

“What’re you doing, princess?” He asked with a sly grin.

“Celebrating.”

She kissed him fiercely, this time pinning his hands above his head. He tried to wrestle them free, but she was strong. Finally, she released him and he immediately flipped her over onto her back. His hands caressed her breasts through her shirt, and then they worked their way underneath. She smiled and let out a contented sigh. His touch never ceased to thrill her. So when his hands dipped underneath her skirt, she was in ecstasy. He remembered what she liked this time, and went straight to it. Somehow if it seemed like his idea instead of a command from her, he felt a little bit more in control of the situation. It didn’t take long for her to reach that peak. She lay back gasping for air as he crawled back up to her face.

He kissed her hard and this time pinned her arms above her head. He’d captured her in a moment of weakness, too spent to fight back. He took that opportunity to cease total control. Swiftly and wordlessly he undid his pants and slipped himself inside of her. She cried out and grabbed his shoulders. He’d taken her completely off guard.

“What the hell are you doing?” She screamed. “Get off of me!”

“What are you talking about? This is what you want.” He pushed himself deeper into her, relishing how warm and soft she felt surrounding him. Every nerve in his body was pulsing.

“I never said you could do this. Not now,” she protested.

“What? Just because it was my idea this time? Is that it?” He asked her without breaking his rhythm.

“Get off me,” she told him, without much force in her voice. Her body was betraying her.

“You don’t always get to be the one in control, you know. Now it’s my turn,” he growled.

“You think I don’t have control? I could get you off of me, easily,” she assured him breathlessly.

“Then why don’t you?”

She didn’t answer him. She couldn’t. Her body had taken complete control, proving that neither of them was really driving this bus. It was something much bigger than that. Something primal had taken over her body and she couldn’t stop it. It was depraved and disgusting, but felt so perfect. She closed her eyes and focused on nothing but the sensations of his touch. Utter and complete bliss. He noticed her eyes were shut tightly and he knew that meant she was trying to shut him out. To pretend that he wasn’t the one doing this to her.

“Open your eyes,” he commanded her.

Slowly her dark eyes opened and looked at him.

“Say my name,” he urged her forcefully.

She merely stared at him, too focused on the passion to hear his words or respond to them.

“Say it!”

“No.” She shook her head and closed her eyes again.

“Open your eyes and say my name,” he insisted.

Both of them were nearing that peak, but he wasn’t going to be satisfied until she acknowledged him. He wanted her to see him. He wanted to be assured that she knew who she was with. That she fully understood who it was she was wanting so badly. He stopped moving inside of her, and she gasped out as the sensations came to a halt.

“Don’t stop!” She gasped. “Keep going!”

“Not until you say it.” He was firm with her.

She squeezed her eyes shut and wished for all of this to be a dream. Some horrible nightmare that she could wake up from. But it wasn’t. All of it was really happening and she just didn’t understand why. All she knew was that at this moment, she had to do what he asked.

“Logan,” she said softly, without any enthusiasm.

He pinned her arms above her head and glared down at her. “Say it like you mean it.”

“Like I mean what?”

“Like you want to be with me.”

She just stared up at him wondering what it was he was really after. Her body was still burning and she desperately needed him to finish what he started. He moved slightly, rubbing her in just the right spot. She gasped out his name unconsciously.

He smiled and pushed himself into her again. Her utterance was good enough, and he picked up the pace again. Almost instantly, they both crashed over the edge as the floor rumbled beneath them. He lay on top of her, and they both gasped for air. The intensity of their coupling was still something that held them in awe. He lifted his head and looked at her.

“God, you're so fucking perfect. I'm crazy about you,” he told her breathlessly.

She looked up at him with anger in her eyes. She was furious that he had gotten his way with her. In a moment of weakness, she had relinquished her total control over the situation. She pushed him off of her, and he landed on the floor roughly.

“What? What did I say?” He asked confused at her reaction.

“Don't ever do that again,” she hissed, as she pulled her skirt over her legs and sat up.

“Don't ever do what?” He asked as he tucked himself back into his pants and stood up.

She looked at him for a moment and shook her head.

“Why do you care if I want to be with you or not?” She wondered.

He was taken off-guard by her question. He shook his head.

“I don't.”

“Then why did you make me say your name? What the hell was that all about?”

“I just wanted to hear it, okay? I wanted to make sure you knew who you were with,” he snapped at her.

“Why? What is it you want from me?” She questioned him.

He stared at her and shook his head.

“You want to know what I want? I want it all. I want the power. I want people to sit up and take notice of me. Fear me. Respect me. I want to rule the world. Same as you. And I want the girl of my dreams at my side when I do it,” he said honestly.

“I'm the girl of your dreams? Are you that suicidal? I killed you. Badly and without remorse,” she pointed out to him.

“Yeah, but you’re here with me now, aren’t you?”

“Not by my choice,” she protested.

“Bullshit. It was your choice. You know that.”

He walked over and stood in front of her.

“Look, we're stuck with each other for eternity here. That's how this works. If you want to hate me? Fine. But I thought you said you wanted to be my queen,” he pointed out to her.

She was silent and looked away from him. She contemplated what he was saying to her. To her, he was a means to an end. She wanted the control and the power. And he was the one giving it to her. But to him, it was some kind of twisted romance. She suddenly realized how deep into this she was. She could get up and run out now. Maybe there would still be a chance to save herself. But she wasn’t moving.

He reached out and pulled her off the bed and into his arms. His touch made her quiver, despite the revulsion she felt for him. He kissed her lips softly, and if she didn't know first hand how heartless he was, she might have believed he actually cared for her.

“You're going to be with me forever,” he whispered to her.

She felt his energies coursing through her veins. In the deep crevices of her brain, she wanted to fight this. She wanted to leave him and never look back. But she couldn't. The pull of their bond was too strong. He was seducing her with his promises of power and devotion. It was everything she had ever wanted to hear, regardless of who was telling it.

“Why me?” She asked him curiously.

“Because you're special,” he told her.

A small smile crept across her face.

“Special?”

“Very special. And together, we're gonna have it all. The power, the respect...the whole dream. That is, if you still want it?” He asked, hoping against all hope that she would say yes.

He was so close to living his fantasy, he didn't want to consider losing it now.

“I want it,” she told him.

He smiled at her.

“It'll be perfect. You'll see,” he assured her.

And somehow, she believed him.

****

Kyle and Stephanie sat together on a bench at the park. After the drama that morning at the shop, they’d decided they needed some air. Just the two of them. They were the ones having the hardest time coming to terms with what had happened to Alison. They were the ones who had known her best and were feeling the loss the hardest.

“Do you really think Alison is gone?” Kyle asked her.

“Yes. But maybe we can get her back? Part of her must still be in there somewhere.”

“How did any of this even happen? I mean, a week ago everything was normal. I was sitting in my crappy room watching Spongebob and eating Fruit Loops. Life was good,” Kyle remembered. “Then suddenly the world is ending and my best friend is the one doing it. Someone tell me I’m gonna wake up soon.”

“I should have seen it coming,” Stephanie berated herself.

“None of could have seen this coming. I mean who sees this coming?”

“I do! At least I’m supposed to. I-I mean what good is being psychic if couldn’t see this?” She complained. “Or worse yet, what kind of friend am I that I thought Alison was okay? The last time we talked she didn’t mention anything about doing evil spells or wishing the world would end.”

“I guess she didn’t want us to know how bad she was hurting. She’s always been like that. When something bothered her, she just bottled it up. She wasn’t the sharing type. I always thought it made her so much stronger than the rest of us. That she didn’t feel this need to whine and cry about everything.”

“Sometimes whining and crying are good things,” Stephanie pointed out.

“She always used to tell me it was like showing your weakness. When someone at school would pick on her, she said if she let them see her cry, they’d win,” he recalled.

“I remember when James dumped her. She was beyond upset. She was crying hysterically. It was something I’d never seen her do. Ever. But after we talked things out, she calmed down. And the next day, it was like nothing had happened. She said she was fine. I believed her.”

“I believed her too.”

“Do you think that if I’d done something differently, like made her tell me what she was really feeling, that this wouldn’t be happening?” She wondered.

“How could you make her tell you that? Hold her down and scream ‘Cry dammit! Cry!’ Steph, you can’t make someone open up if they don’t want to.”

“I guess you’re right. I guess I can’t blame myself for this.” But she wanted to. She wanted someone to blame. Someone other than Alison.

“What are we going to do, Steph? I mean, we keep saying we’ll stop this. But how? Do we have any ideas?” Kyle asked.

“No. This morning I was all ‘pro-active’ girl. I was gonna stop this single handedly by finding Alison and giving her a big hug thus saving the world in the process. But now I’m sort of back to being regular confused me,” she sighed. “I guess I just felt like I was doing something today. But now, I don’t really know what it is I’m supposed to be doing. There isn’t a handbook for this kind of stuff.”

“Well, after all this is over and we miraculously save this world, maybe we can write one?” He offered with a grin.

****

The next morning, Jax and Angela were sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast. They had worked for most of the night on the prophecy, and Angela was a little cranky about it.

“Tonight, we should do something fun,” she told him.

“So, I take it I’m starting to bore you?” He said, as he looked up at her over his newspaper.

“Yes. I mean, no. Not all the time. This morning was fun,” she said as she looked at him suggestively.

He smiled at her and reached for her hand over the table. He kissed it and looked at her.

“This prophecy is very important, Angela. I realize it’s not terribly interesting for you, but we’re very close to getting somewhere,” he explained to her.

“I wish it would hurry up. My eyes hurt from looking at all those symbols and codes and drawings. Last night, I actually had a dream that a bunch of hieroglyphics were chasing me,” she told him with a pout.

He chuckled at that and shook his head.

“I actually think I may understand some of what we uncovered last night. I can’t be sure yet, but I was thinking about it all night,” he said thoughtfully.

“But not when we were having sex, right?” She asked him bluntly.

He nearly spit out his coffee and looked at her.

“Pardon?”

“I just mean, you weren’t thinking about dusty books and prophecies while we were having sex, right?”

“No, it was the furthest thing from my mind. Believe me,” he reassured her.

He had to remember that Angela was not known for her subtleties. It was going to take a little getting used to. Just then there was a knock at his door. It was only 8am on a Saturday He wasn’t expecting any visitors. When he opened the door, he found Stephanie waiting for him.

“Hey Jax,” she smiled. “I brought donuts.” She held up a bag for him.

“Donuts?” He scratched his head. “Did we have a meeting scheduled?” He was confused by why she was there.

“No. I just had something I wanted to talk about. And thought maybe we could do it over donuts.” She then spied Angela sitting at the breakfast table wearing nothing but one of Jax’s shirts. “Oh. Gross. I didn’t realize you had company,” she crinkled her nose with distaste.

Jax sighed. “Must you always look like you just stepped in something nasty whenever you see us together?”

“Sorry. It’s just weird for me. But I’m trying. Honest,” she told him. “Should I come back later?”

He shook his head, “no it’s alright. Come in. I actually had something I wanted to talk to you about as well.”

“Hey Angela,” Stephanie forced a smile.

“Hey,” she grinned as she stood up from the table. “I’m going to get dressed so you guys can talk. I’m sure this conversation would bore me anyway.”

“Right,” Jax chuckled at her bluntness as she leaned up and gave him a kiss. She disappeared into the bedroom, leaving Jax smiling in that direction.

“Hello? Jax?” Stephanie snapped her fingers to gain his attention.

“Yes? What? Oh, right. Where were we?” He asked momentarily flummoxed.

“Well, I said I had something to tell you and you said you had something to tell me. Who goes first?”

“I will,” he said. He motioned for her to sit down at the table. “I was reading up on the Trinity. Trying to figure out who and what they are in order to be able to track them down.”

“Okay. So did you come up with anything?”

“One passage refers to them as a Trinity of warriors.”

“Warriors?”

“Yes, apparently these three individuals were chosen to fight the forces of darkness. And the interesting thing is that it mentions Pinewood Lake.”

“It does? This ancient prophecy mentions Pinewood Lake? How is that possible? This place isn’t that old,” she shook her head.

“Yes, I realize that. It doesn’t mention it by name, but it describes an idyllic existence among the lakes and pines. Deep in the forest there is a hole in the ground where evil spirits are thought to live.”

“Devil’s Lake?” Stephanie asked, recalling a favorite haunt of her earlier years.

It was a secret spot in the woods, that wasn’t so secret anymore. All the teenagers would hang out there and drink beer and party. It was a small lake that had sprung from a natural hot spring. The water was always warm, even in the dead of winter. The locals nicknamed it Devil’s Lake because folklore had always said it was warmed by the spirits of Hell. There was always a running contest going to see who had the nerve to jump in the water. Stephanie never had. Why tempt fate, she always said. But she never knew that there was any real truth to the legend.

“I believe that’s exactly what this prophecy is referring to,” Jax informed her.

“But I thought that was just some stupid story that people told. The lake is really evil?”

“At this point, anything seems possible. But I definitely think that it’s a hot spot. A place of interest, according to this prophecy.”

“Okay…so back to the Trinity. How do we find them?”

“From what I understand they are sent here to guard town from the impending apocalypse,” he explained.

“So we have warriors coming to town? Should I make up the guest room?” She joked.

He shook his head, “no, I believe they’re already here.”

“They are? So who are they?”

He scratched his head. “That’s where I come up cold. I don’t know. It still mentions the fact that the three should not exist, yet they do. I really can’t figure out what that means.”

“Do you think Alison is at the lake?” Stephanie asked suddenly.

“I don’t know.”

“Well, if it’s like an evil hot spot, maybe that’s where she went?” She offered. “We could try looking out there.”

“Yes, but what happens if we find her?”

She deflated slightly, “I don’t know. We talk to her?”

“Do you really think after what she did to you the other day, she’d be willing to sit and talk to you?” He asked. “Besides, I don’t think they’re accessible. Even if they’re there, we wouldn’t see them. They’re using magic to hide, remember?”

“Right. I guess so,” she admitted. “That was actually why I came here. I wanted to ask you if it was possible to do some kind of locator spell. You know, to find out where they were? I know Alison said she’d done something like that once.”

“A locator spell?” He sighed and leaned back in his chair. “I suppose we could try, but again, what would we do if we found them?”

She stood up and began pacing. “I don’t know. Tie her up? Bind her powers?” She suggested. “All I know is that we’re not getting anywhere with what we’re doing. We just keep sitting around talking about all this, and doing nothing. If we find them, it’s possible we can stop this. I don’t know how exactly, but it’s a start.”

“You know, you may be onto something here,” he said with interest.

“I am?”

“Yes, you mentioned binding her powers. We might be able to do that.” He stood up and called Angela back into the room.

She emerged with her makeup half done, wearing nothing but a bra and a pair of jeans. Her red hair was still wrapped tightly in a towel. “What is it? I’m kind of in the middle of something,” she complained at their interruption.

“We were wondering what you thought of binding Alison’s powers?” Jax proposed the question to her.

“Binding her powers? Nah, it’d never work,” she said dismissively.

“Why not?” Stephanie wanted to know.

“Because. Alison is too powerful. And we don’t understand what this connection is between her and Logan. You said there were sparks and red energy. Sounds like some kind of binding spell already. Only it’s not stopping their power, it’s binding it together,” she explained. “Essentially, we’d be talking about binding two powers at once. Two powers that are already ten times what I have to offer. They’d swat my magic away like it was a fly.”

“What about if we found someone else to do it? Someone stronger,” Stephanie asked.

“Like who? Not to be smug or anything, but aside from Alison, I’m as powerful as it gets in this town,” Angela informed her.

“Can’t you at least try?”

“Stephanie, if she says she can’t do it, then she can’t do it.” Jax tried to calm her down.

“Look, I want to help out. Really, I do. I just don’t think I have enough power to pull it off. But if you want me to try, I will. It might kill me, but hey, we’re all going to die soon anyway, right? Might as well give it a shot,” Angela relented.

Jax touched her arm with concern. “I don’t think you should do this. Not if it’ll put you in harms way.”

“We’re all in harms way, aren’t we?” Angela said.

None of them responded because they all knew it was true. People with nothing left to lose sometimes did desperate and foolish things. This might be one of them. But it was also the only chance they had at this point to put and end to all this madness.

****

Alison and Logan lay on the floor of their new home. They were staring up at the ceiling, where they had fashioned an entire solar system of actual stars for their viewing pleasure. Complete with random meteorites that Alison had zapped in to make things interesting.

"This is just like visiting the planetarium. Only better,” she remarked, pleased with her own magical handiwork.

"It's great, baby," he smiled as he draped his arm across her stomach.

They lay there for a few more minutes and he looked over at her curiously.

"What's your favorite color?" He asked her.

She turned her head and looked at him strangely.

"What?"

"What's your favorite color? It's a simple question."

"Why?"

"Because I wanna know."

She sighed, “purple.”

"Mine's blue," he offered.

She stared at him, unsure of why he was asking this.

"What's your favorite food?" He asked again.

"What is this? Twenty questions?" She wondered.

"I’m just curious. I mean, we are talking eternity here. Maybe we should know something about each other?" He explained.

She continued staring at him in the darkened room.

"Come on. Just tell me. It'll give us something to talk about,” he pleaded with her. "Besides, I can read your mind if I want to. But it's more fun if you just tell me,” he pointed out.

She sighed again, "fine. I like pizza."

"Me too. What kind?"

"Anything except anchovies. Or green peppers. Or pineapple. Fruit does not belong on a pizza,” she told him.

"I agree. When we're in charge of the world, we'll banish that,” he smiled.

She laughed slightly and shook her head.

"What's your favorite movie?" He asked.

"Um...I don't know. There's too many to choose from. What's yours?"

"Well, there is a lot to choose from, but Star Wars is always a classic. Gotta go with that,” he told her.

"What is it with guys and that movie?" She asked. “Guys always pick Star Wars.”

"Probably because it's a masterpiece,” he pointed out.

"Which one of them is your favorite?"

"The originals. Not that new crap. And normally I'd say Empire is the best. But Return of the Jedi gets a few bonus points for—”

"Princess Leia in the gold bikini,” she finished for him with a small grin.

He looked over at her in amazement. Could it be that a girl actually understood that? He grinned at her.

"Exactly."

"She was really hot in that outfit,” Alison agreed.

“Wait? You like chicks too?” He asked, suddenly growing excited.

“Put your tongue away, Logan. It’s not like that. It’s just I can appreciate when a woman is attractive. And she definitely looked awesome in that outfit,” she explained.

He sighed dreamily, "I so wanted her." Then he sat up and looked down at her. "We should get her! We could zap her here and totally have a slave Princess Leia all our own,” he said excitedly.

This time she laughed out loud.

"Oh please! Carrie Fisher is like ancient now. Somehow I don't think the bikini would look as good."

"Well then we could get someone younger and hotter to wear it."

"Like who?"

“I don’t know. Your friend Stephanie is pretty hot. From what I could tell anyway. We could zap her here and make her dance for us. It could be fun,” he told her animatedly.

“Yuck. No, it can’t be her,” she shook her head.

“Yuck? What? She’s not hot to you?”

“No, that’s not it. It’s just she is—was—my friend. It would just feel wrong,” she explained.

“But that’s part of the excitement.”

“No, I vote for someone else. How about Angelina Jolie? Now she’s hot.”

“I like the way you think. We could totally get her here. She might even be into it. She is all freaky and shit.” His wheels were spinning now.

“Isn’t she like a saint now? I think she’s less freaky and more charitable now,” she reminded him.

“Well, maybe that’s what she wants you to think. But once a freak, always a freak, if you know what I’m saying.”

She sighed and turned away from him. “I think it’s a stupid idea.”

“You liked it a minute ago,” he pointed out.

“I was just talking. I didn’t think you were serious.”

“You jealous? Is that it?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Jealous? No. Why should I be jealous? I hate you.”

“No you don’t.”

“Yes I do. The only reason I’m even here is because of the power,” she told him.

“You’re just trying to piss me off.”

“Is it working?”

“Yes. So shut up,” he snapped at her.

“Make me,” she prodded him.

He grabbed her into a kiss. His tongue battled with hers, filled with venom, hatred and a mix of the twisted love he couldn't help but feel for her. She returned his fervor as they rolled across the floor together, a tangled mess of limbs and crackling energy.

All at once, their senses picked up a disturbance in their protective lair. Alison sat up straight and held him away from her.

"What is that?" She asked quickly.

"Someone's tapping in again."

They looked around to see if they could spot anyone the way they’d spotted Stephanie before. They didn’t see anything.

“Do you think it’s Stephanie again?” He asked her. “You think she would have learned the first time she tried that.”

“No, this is different. It’s a locator spell. Someone’s trying to find us,” Alison said as she could feel the intrusive magic threatening their sanctuary.

“Well, we have the barrier. No one is gonna find us,” he assured her.

“They're trying to break through it. I can feel it slipping away."

She grabbed his hand and they shot a wall of energy into their fabricated night sky. It enveloped the ceiling and spread down over the walls of the room. Effectively placing them into a protective bubble that nothing could penetrate.

“I’m getting a little irritated with the constant intrusions,” Alison said angrily. “Maybe we should just show ourselves? Save them the trouble of trying to find us.”

“It’s not time yet, baby. We don’t want to risk the mission,” he reminded her.

“We won’t risk anything. They can’t stop us. Which is why it’s so amusing that they’re trying to find us,” she laughed slightly. “I’m tired of being cooped up in here all the time. If they’re so eager to find us, why not give them what they want?”

“We will. When the time comes, we’ll show them exactly what we’re made of.”

“I want to do it now,” she pouted.

He leaned over and kissed her cheek, “soon, baby. I promise.”

****

“So, did it work?” Stephanie asked Angela.

“It started to, but then it just stopped. I think they knew we were trying to break down their barrier.”

They had attempted the locator spell that Stephanie had asked about. They had been hopeful they could do it and then go about trying to bind Alison’s powers. But now they were back where they started from. Almost, anyway.

“Did we get anything? A ballpark estimate about where they might be?” Kyle asked.

“Somewhere on the east side of town. That was where the spell left off,” Angela told him.

“But that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s where they are. Just where they caught on to us, and put and end to it,” Jax clarified.

“He’s right. It might not mean anything,” Angela agreed.

“This is so frustrating! Damn!” Stephanie grumbled.

“We could at least start looking for her there. Even if it’s not dead on, it could be close,” Kyle pointed out.

“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt,” Jax pondered.

“I don’t know. East side of town is pretty vague. That could be anywhere,” Stephanie shook her head.

“The marina is on the east side of town. I could check out a few places,” Kyle offered.

“Steph and I could look around over where the railroad tracks are,” Jason said. “There are some crappy apartments down there.”

“You think they’re camped out on the railroad tracks or in a crack house?” Kyle scoffed.

“As opposed to them being on a yacht in the Pinewood Marina?” He shot back.

“I never said they were on a yacht.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Did you mean they were on a freighter? Or In a row boat?”

“Will you just shut up? Why are you even here?” Kyle asked tersely.

“Both of you shut up. I don’t think they’re in either place.” Stephanie stood between them. “And even if they were, we won’t see them.”

“So what are we supposed to do?” Kyle asked.

“I don’t know.” She threw her hands up in the air. “I have no idea.”

“I think at this point we need be armed with more knowledge before we can do anything,” Jax intervened. “We aren’t certain Angela will be able to bind Alison’s powers anyway. And even if she did, that still leaves Logan. At this point we aren’t even certain what he is, much less what type of power he might possess.”

“Maybe instead of looking for Alison, we should find this stupid Trinity or whatever they’re called. If we don’t, we might as well just give up now,” Kyle said with frustration.

Everyone stood there silently, taking notice of that realization. They were like sitting ducks; completely powerless to stop Alison from destroying herself and the world in the process. No one wanted to point out the obvious; that they were completely doomed. But they all felt it. And some of them felt guiltier about that fact than others. Namely Stephanie. Her mother had reiterated what she’d already heard from others like her. She was the one who could stop this. Everyone seemed to be very sure about that, except her.

At first, she took it to mean that she could stop Alison. Find her and talk her out of this mess. But it was becoming quite clear, that wasn’t going to happen. Chit-chat and a hug weren’t going to be enough to stop her. So now Stephanie believed that her role in this was to find this Trinity. It had to be. No one else knew who they were. She had seen them. Sort of. And maybe it was her job to find them? It made sense in a roundabout way.

“We’ll find the Trinity. I’m not sure how yet, but we will. I will,” Stephanie spoke up reluctantly. Then she looked at the clock. “But right now, I have to pick Melissa up from her friend’s house.”

“So that’s it? We just give up now?” Kyle asked disappointed they hadn’t made any progress.

“I’m not giving up, Kyle. But life does go on. For the time being anyway…I can’t be late picking her up.”

Kyle sighed and slumped down in his chair. It felt like giving up to him. But he knew everyone’s hands were tied. It wasn’t Stephanie’s fault. It wasn’t anybody’s fault. Except maybe Alison. He still wasn’t sure how his friend could be behind all this. He knew she was, but he still didn’t understand how.

Jason followed behind Stephanie as she grabbed her purse and headed to the door. She looked over her shoulder at him.

“You could stay here if you want,” she offered.

“Nah, that’s okay. I’d rather be with you,” he smiled.

“I’m probably not much fun to be around at the moment.”

“More fun than being here. I don’t think your friend Kyle likes me much,” he noted.

“Kyle doesn’t like anyone at the moment. He’s just frustrated.”

“We all are.”

She nodded and didn’t protest his coming along. Once they got out to the car, Jason turned to her.

“Give me the keys. I’ll drive,” he offered.

“Why?”

“Because. You’re upset. You need to relax a little.”

“How can I relax when the world is ending?”

“Just let me drive, okay?”

She threw him the keys. “Fine.”

They got in and began driving. He turned to her. “Where are we going?”

“Oh, sorry. I forgot you can’t read my mind,” she smiled slightly. “Majestic Pines Avenue. It’s not too far.”

“Right. I’ve been there. Shooter’s cousin lives in that neighborhood.” He made a left hand turn onto the main road.

They drove in silence for most of the way. Stephanie was lost in thought, and actually grateful Jason offered to drive. She was too distracted right now.

“So, you’re really going to find this Trinity?” He asked curiously.

“Yup.”

“You know how yet?”

“Nope.”

“Good then. At least you have a plan,” he joked.

“I do. I have lots of plans. It’s just that none of them ever seem to lead to anything. That’s the problem,” she complained. Then she sat forward in her seat and pointed. “It’s the house over there. The brown one.”

Jason pulled up out front and put the car into park. Melissa must have been watching at the window, because moments later, the front door opened and she came running out. She jumped into the back seat.

“Oh my God, you’ll never believe what just happened!” She squealed as she shut the door.

“What?” Stephanie asked, only half interested.

“Tammy saw a ghost!”

“What? A ghost?” Stephanie turned around to face her.

Melissa nodded, “yeah, we were in her room talking and stuff. Then we hear this noise in her closet. So she opens the door and some little boy is standing there! She screamed, then I screamed because she was screaming, and then he was just gone. It was so freaky!”

“It’s spreading,” Stephanie muttered unhappily.

“What’s spreading?” Melissa asked.

“The sightings. Once those walls come all the way down, everyone is going to start seeing ghosts. It’s inevitable.”

“Did the little boy say anything?” Jason asked interestedly.

Melissa shook her head, “no. He looked scared. Tammy was so upset she swore she’d never go into her closet again. I tried to explain that not all ghosts are scary, but she wasn’t convinced.”

“Did you tell her about any of this other stuff? Alison, the apocalypse, etcetera?” Stephanie inquired.

“As if! Do you know how quickly I’d become a pariah if I started spouting off about the end of the world?” She shook her head vehemently. “I’m not gonna be labeled a freak-a-zoid.”

“Good. Because we wouldn’t want your remaining days on Earth to be lived as a pariah,” Stephanie said dryly.

“Stop talking like that, okay? You said the world wasn’t going to end,” Melissa reminded her.

“I’m sorry. You’re right. I did say that, didn’t I?” Stephanie shook her head. “Maybe if I say it enough, I’ll start to believe it myself,” she muttered.

Melissa stared at her unhappily and Jason looked at both of them as he drove along towards their house. He jostled Stephanie’s arm.

“Will you shut up about this already? You’re freaking your sister out.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Am I supposed to lie?” She asked them both.

“You don’t have to lie, but you don’t have to be so pessimistic,” Jason said.

“How else can I be? Do you guys want me to keep telling you it’s going to be alright, even though it’s not? I’m not being pessimistic. I’m being realistic,” she argued.

“Frankly, I prefer the lying rather than the truth,” Melissa admitted.

“So you’re just saying that we should roll over and give up?” Jason asked heatedly, ignoring Melissa’s comment.

“I’m not saying that. I’m saying—”

Stephanie suddenly stopped speaking. She clutched her head as a powerful vision engulfed her. She saw herself arguing with Jason, Melissa was covering her ears. They were still driving in the car. Suddenly bright lights flooded the interior and a loud crashing sound deafened her. Broken glass was everywhere, the horn was honking incessantly. She looked over and saw Jason covered in blood, slumped over the steering wheel. Melissa lay on the backseat of the car bloody and motionless as well. Then she saw herself. Strapped into the passenger seat, she was crushed by the door. Her body broken and completely lifeless.

She screamed loudly, startling Jason and Melissa.

“Steph! What’s wrong?” Jason asked worriedly.

It took Stephanie a moment to realize that she was back in reality. Jason and Melissa were staring at her. Melissa was covering her ears, to ward off her loud scream. Stephanie panicked.

“Stop the car! Stop the car!” She shrieked.

“What? Why?” Jason was confused.

“Stop it!”

“Stephanie, you’re scaring me,” Melissa whimpered from the backseat.

“Stop the fucking car now!”

She screamed so loudly that Jason was compelled to listen this time. He slammed on the brakes and the car went skidding along the pavement. After a moment, the car came to a screeching halt just before the intersection.

“What the hell is wrong with—”

Jason never finished his sentence as they watched a semi truck come careening through the intersection on a red light. If their car had been where it was supposed to be, they’d of been hit full force.

“Holy shit! That fucker totally ran that light!” Jason yelled.

“Oh my God…” Melissa muttered, still shaken up about the entire event.

Stephanie didn’t say anything. She was breathless and stunned silent. Jason turned to her.

“Did you see that? We could have been killed.”

She nodded. “Yeah, I saw it. And we were,” she admitted softly.

“What?” It took Jason a moment to realize that when she admitted to seeing it, she meant she saw it before it happened. As the realization set in, “holy shit. You mean you saw that?”

She looked at him seriously. “Yes, I did. Why do you think I was screaming for you to stop?”

“How the hell should I know? You freaked me out.”

“We were supposed to die?” Melissa asked nervously.

Stephanie nodded. But before she could answer, someone behind them started honking their horn. Everyone jumped and Melissa let out a startled squeal.

“We’re blocking the intersection,” Stephanie informed Jason softly.

He looked in the rearview mirror and gave a half hearted wave to the guy swearing loudly behind them. He pulled away from the intersection and into the parking lot of the gas station. He was still too shaken up to continue driving at this point. He turned to Stephanie again with amazement and gratitude.

“You saved our lives.” He was in awe.

“You totally did,” Melissa agreed.

“It was nothing,” Stephanie shrugged uneasily. She didn’t really know what else to say. There were no words for what had just happened.

“Bullshit, it was nothing! We should be dead right now. Fucking dead! And we’re not. That’s pretty damn amazing!” Jason said jubilantly.

Stephanie listened to what he was saying. He was right. They should be dead right now. All of them. All three of them—dead. Yet they weren’t. They still roamed this Earth.

“Oh no,” she said unhappily. “Oh no! No! That can’t be right!” She exclaimed.

“What? What can’t be right? You’d rather be dead?” Jason asked astonished.

“No, of course not! But…Oh God.” She had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

“What? What’s wrong with you, Steph?” Jason was confused.

“You’re acting weird. Are you having a nervous breakdown?” Melissa asked. “Jenny Freeman’s mom had a nervous breakdown. And she—”

“I’m not having a nervous breakdown,” Stephanie insisted. “It’s worse than that.”

“Worse?”

“We should be dead. The three of us should be dead!” She proclaimed loudly.

“Uh, yeah. And we’re not. Yet that upsets you in some way?” Jason questioned incredulously.

“Will you listen to what I’m saying?” She said exasperatedly. “There are three of us. And we shouldn’t be here. But we are.”

“Yeah? And—Oh. Oh! No…that can’t be right.” Jason shook his head as he began to see what Stephanie was so freaked out about.

“What the hell are you guys talking about?” Melissa demanded to know.

“The Trinity,” Jason muttered.

“The what?”

“The Trinity. The ones who are supposed to guard Pinewood Lake and the whole freaking world from the apocalypse,” Stephanie explained hastily.

“What about them?”

“We are them,” Jason informed her.

“What? B-but they’re warriors or something. That’s what you told me. We aren’t warriors!” Melissa protested.

“She’s right. We aren’t warriors,” Jason agreed.

“Are you sure about that?” Stephanie asked.

“Uh, pretty sure. ‘Warrior’ wasn’t on my resume the last time I checked.”

“You don’t even have a resume,” Stephanie groaned.

“Well, if I did have one, warrior wouldn’t be on it!”

“Steph, you’re wrong about this. You have to be. It doesn’t make any sense,” Melissa told her.

“I know it doesn’t make sense in any logical way. But it makes perfect sense otherwise. There are three of us and we are supposed to be dead right now. But we aren’t. The Trinity is three people who should not exist, yet they do. You do the math.”

The three of them sat in the car pondering what she had said. The pieces were starting to fit together, but they were making a picture that none of them were comfortable with.

“I said I’d find the Trinity, didn’t I?” Stephanie spoke up, trying to find something hopeful in the whole mess.

“Yeah, you did. Yay you!” Jason said sarcastically.

“If you think I’m wrong, then give me a better explanation.” Stephanie crossed her arms and glared at him, then turned her glare onto Melissa as well.

They remained silent. Neither of them had any better ideas or explanation. But they also weren’t ready to accept that any of this was true.

Stephanie took their silence to mean they agreed with her.

“Fine. Then I guess we’re it,” Stephanie sighed loudly.

“If we’re it, then I fear for the world,” Jason muttered.

“Me too,” Stephanie admitted. “Me too.”

****

After they managed to compose themselves, instead of heading back to Stephanie and Melissa’s house, they turned around and headed back to The Secret Garden. Stephanie wanted answers. They all did. She hoped that maybe Jax could shed some light on this or prove her theories wrong at least. That was what she was hoping for anyway.

Jason walked in first, and saw Jax and Angela sitting at a table. They were holding hands over the prophecy book, and quickly released them.

“Jason? What are you doing here?” Jax then noticed he wasn’t alone. “Stephanie?” He noted the glum look on her face. “Is something the matter?”

“Oh no. We’re cool. We found the Trinity,” Jason announced.

Jax and Angela stood up and rushed towards them. “What? You found them? Where?” Angela asked excitedly.

“You’re looking at ‘em,” Jason informed them.

“Come again?” Jax scratched his head.

“I said you’re looking at them. Meet your Trinity.” He presented Melissa and Stephanie with a flourish.

“You guys?” Angela laughed incredulously. “What? You guys just decided this?”

“Yeah. We figured we were tired of looking, so we’d just tell everyone it was us. Think anyone will notice?” Jason mocked.

Stephanie stepped forward and nudged Jason away. “Shut up, Jason.”

“What is he talking about?” Jax questioned her.

“Go on! Tell him,” Jason laughed bitterly.

Stephanie glared at him. “You’re acting like this is my fault. I’m the one who saved our asses.”

“Yeah, you did. But at what cost?”

“What? So now you’re preferring that we did die? What happened to ‘That was amazing! Thank you, Steph!’”

“I’m not saying I prefer—”

“Okay, both of you shut up.” Angela stepped between them. “Just tell us what happened.”

“You almost died?” Jax asked.

“Yes,” Stephanie nodded.

“But we didn’t,” Jason interjected.

“No, we didn’t. I had a vision.”

“A vision?”

“A vision that told you that you were the Trinity?”

“No. Not exactly.”

“Then start from the beginning, because I’m totally lost,” Angela told them.

“Long story short—there was a vision, a truck, we were supposed to die, we didn’t. And now here we are. The three of us. Still alive, even though we shouldn’t be.”

Jax sat down on the edge of the table and looked towards the sky. He shook his head as if to question the gods somehow. He was in disbelief.

“Tell me I’m wrong, Jax,” Stephanie pleaded.

“Oh dear lord…” He muttered.

“I take that as a no.”

“She has to be wrong. I mean, we aren’t warriors. We’re just people,” Jason protested.

“I have no idea if she’s wrong or not. But the description does seem to fit,” Jax reluctantly pointed out.

“Okay, so if we’re the Trinity, what next? We still don’t know what to do. The answers didn’t magically come to us,” Jason said realistically.

“He’s right. I-I don’t feel any different,” Melissa finally spoke. Until now she hadn’t known what to say or think so she kept quiet.

“Should we have felt different?” Stephanie asked.

Jax began pacing around the room. He was flabbergasted. He was expecting the end of the world, but not this. He knew they were looking to him for guidance he couldn’t possibly give them. He knew as much as they did at this point. He had to work harder on deciphering the prophecy. He had been stuck on a certain passage that he was having difficulty with. But it was time to move past it if need be, and on to something he could decipher. Everyone wanted answers, and there wasn’t any more time to wait for them.

Jax looked at them all, “I can’t be certain that any of this has real meaning, but it fits. Perhaps there is more to this that I’m not seeing yet. I’ll skip ahead a bit and see if I can find out what the Trinity actually does. Maybe it will give us some insight. That’s the best I can offer at this point.”

“So what do we do in the mean time? Polish up our warrior skills?” Jason asked sarcastically.

“It wouldn’t hurt,” Jax mumbled.

“What?”

He cleared his throat, “I said that maybe you three should go home and rest. I’ll work on it.”

“Work on it. Like you’ve been working on it?” Stephanie raised her eyebrow.

“Cut me a little slack, will you? It’s very hard work. I’m doing the best I can,” Jax uttered in frustration.

Stephanie lowered her head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make it sound like you haven’t done anything. It’s just I’m nervous. And freaked out. And confused.”

“I know. Believe me, I know. But right now, the best thing you can do is go home. I’ll call you if I find out anything okay?”

“Fine,” Stephanie sighed.

She turned around and walked over to Melissa. She put her arm around her and they headed towards the door. Jason turned around and followed them. Angela turned to Jax with a worried look on her face.

“Please tell me that they aren’t the last hope for this world,” She pleaded.

“I don’t know.”

“I mean, the Three Stooges could probably do a better job,” She scoffed.

“The Three Stooges?”

“Yes. It was a TV show. Slapstick comedy? They were always throwing pies or poking each other’s eyes out,” She explained.

“Yes, Angela, I know who the Three Stooges are. I meant, why are you calling them that?”

“Well, let’s face it. None of them are equipped to handle this. Stephanie has ability, but no power. What can she do except see their horrible demise before it happens?” She asked. “And Jason? He’s eye candy for sure, but I don’t think that’s going to help much. And unless belting out an Aerosmith tune somehow puts the enemies into a trance, he isn’t good at anything else. And Melissa is just a child. We might as well stock up on marshmallows to roast in Hell.”

Jax just shook his head. Angela was being fatalistic, but she might not be far off. That was what worried him the most.

****

Once they arrived at home, Melissa went straight up to her room. She said she didn’t want to talk about what had just happened. She only wanted to sleep, possibly forever. Stephanie had tried to talk to her in the car, but she was having none of it. She wasn’t sure what else she could do at this point.

Jason had tagged along, and Stephanie hadn’t objected. She didn’t really feel like being alone tonight. And right now it seemed Jason was all she had. They sat outside on her back porch, silently looking at the stars. Neither had said much since they’d left The Secret Garden. Jason was still reeling.

“I can’t believe this,” He muttered unhappily. “This sucks. Have I told you how much this sucks?” He turned to her.

“Yeah, like a million times.”

“Well, that’s because I can’t stop thinking about this. You’re crazy to think we are this infamous Trinity,” He shook his head.

“I’m not crazy. And stop acting like you’re pissed off at me about this. I didn’t make it happen.”

He softened his tone and looked over at her. “I’m sorry. I’m not pissed at you. I’m just petrified. I can’t be a warrior,” he protested. “Do you know what I was doing the other night when the earthquake hit? Hiding in the corner like a scared little girl. Over an earthquake! How the hell am I supposed to face off against your magical evil friend and her dead lover?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “But I bet Magnum PI wouldn’t be scared,” she attempted humor.

He looked at her and laughed slightly. “Fuck Magnum PI. He’d be cowering in the corner with the rest of us.”

“Yeah, he probably would,” she chuckled.

“Man, this is nuts. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a complete coward. I’ve been in fights before. I faced off with a New York City mugger once for crap’s sake.”

“You did?”

“Yeah. Some jerk tried to take my wallet, so I kicked his ass.”

“Did you win?”

“Damn right. He wasn’t getting my last ten dollars,” he grinned.

“Ten dollars? You risked your life for ten dollars?” She asked incredulously.

“Yeah. It wasn’t about the money. It was the principle. I wasn’t going to let him win.”

“Well, then keep that attitude. Pretend Alison and Logan have just stolen your last ten bucks. Should be a piece of cake,” she shrugged.

“Yeah, except the mugger couldn’t shoot lightning bolts at me or threaten to open up the gates of Hell,” he pointed out. “How do you compete with that? I mean give me a regular person to fight and I’m good to go. This is different.”

“It is. It’s really, really different. And it’s even more different when it’s your best friend you have to fight.”

Jason hadn’t really allowed himself to think about what Stephanie must be feeling about all this. He didn’t know Alison well. He’d only met her a few times. Stephanie had a history with her. That made it even harder to comprehend.

He sighed, “suddenly I’m wishing I’d been a complete geek in high school.”

“What? Why?”

“Because then instead of skipping school and hanging with my friends, I would have been in my basement playing Dungeons and Dragons. Then maybe I’d know how to fight a Hell witch.”

She laughed at that and shook her head, “God, what are we going to do Jason?” She asked miserably. “And I don’t just mean, how are we going to win. I mean, what do we do? Kill her? I-I don’t know if I can do that.”

Jason thought about that for a moment. “Well, she’s going to try and kill us. What else can you do? It’s kill or be killed, Steph. Shitty as it is, that’s what this boils down to.”

“Well, I wish it’d boil down to something else. Something involving hugs and puppies,” she pouted.

She leaned over and put her head on his shoulder. He smiled slightly and put his arm around her. Since the night of their date, they hadn’t really had any time to explore their relationship further. If there even was a relationship. Jason wasn’t sure at this point. The timing was certainly off. But in the face of this reality, there might not be a better time. Or any time at all for that matter.

He leaned down and kissed the top of her head.

“Maybe we should talk about something else?” He suggested.

“Like what?”

“Um, I don’t know…us?” He ventured.

She looked at him, “us? What do you mean?”

“Well, for starters, is there an ‘us’?”

She looked away from him again. “I don’t know.”

“It’s a simple question. I mean, we had fun the other night. Things were getting…interesting. With the kissing and…well, mostly just the kissing. The dead woman kind of ruined the rest of the night.”

“Yeah, that didn’t really help set the mood. Neither did my sister lying on the couch watching us.”

“She’s not here now,” he whispered to her, as he gave her a soft kiss next to her ear.

“No, she’s not.”

“And I don’t see any dead people either, do you?” He turned her face around to his and planted a small kiss on her lips.

“Hmm…not yet,” she smiled. “But you never know.”

“Well, close your eyes and you won’t be able to see them.” He kissed her again, this time pulling her closer to him.

She knew it was probably wrong to feel so good at a time like this, but she couldn’t help herself. His kisses had a way of melting all the bad stuff away and replacing it with nothing but the taste of his lips. She felt his hands tangling in her hair and she positioned herself so that her legs were draped across his lap. They leaned back onto the steps, lost in their moment.

Finally Jason pulled back slightly and rested his head on hers, looking into her eyes.

“We almost died tonight, Steph,” he whispered with awe.

“I know. It was awful. I saw you…and Melissa. It scared me.”

“Scared me too.”

“All I could think was that everything I cared about was in that car. The only things I have left. And I was going to lose it.”

He looked at her curiously. “Does that mean I’m something you care about?”

“Maybe,” she smiled.

He kissed her again hoping to silence any doubts she had left about him. His hands began to roam, exploring her body. He couldn’t help himself. She was so beautiful and he’d waited so long for this moment with her. He wanted her so badly. But she stopped him. She grabbed his hands.

“Stop,” she whispered.

“Why? Is there someone watching again?”

“No. Not yet. But we can’t exactly do this out here,” she told him rationally.

“Why not?”

“Well, for one, it’s getting cold. And two, it’s my backyard! Live people might actually see us this time,” she pointed out. “And three…I have a bedroom, you know,” she added slyly.

“A bedroom?”

“Yeah, you know that place where you sleep and do other things that you can’t do in your backyard?” She teased.

“Are you serious?” He had hoped things would eventually lead this way, but he wasn’t quite expecting it to be now.

“I think I am,” she told him. “But you’d better hurry up before I change my mind.”

He scrambled to his feet and grabbed her hand.

“Let’s go then.”

He pulled her along into the house. She started laughing at his hastiness.

“Slow down! You don’t have to run,” she giggled.

“I’m not running. I’m moving swiftly,” he clarified.

“Do you really think I’m going to change my mind?” She wondered.

He stopped and looked at her. “I don’t know. Are you?”

She shook her head, “no.”

He leaned over and kissed her, “good. Now let’s go.”

He took her hand again and pulled her along to the stairs. In his rush, he tripped on the step and made a loud thump against the wall.

“Shh! Remember Melissa is up there!” She reminded him. “We have to be quiet.”

“I won’t make a sound,” he promised.

She grinned at him suggestively, “well, you can make some sounds. Just quiet ones.”

He laughed at that and continued to pull her along up the stairs. Once they made it to her room, they shut the door behind them. Jason turned to her and pounced like a cat onto a mouse. She returned his enthusiasm by jumping up and wrapping her legs around his waist. He lost his balance and they went tumbling towards the bed. They bounced slightly, knocking Jason’s head against the wall.

“Ow! You’re gonna kill me, you realize. Every time I’m with you I get a concussion,” he joked as she straddled his legs and ran her hands down his chest.

“I’m sorry.” She leaned down and kissed the top of his head. “Maybe we shouldn’t do this?” She offered.

“Oh, hell no. If I’m going to die, this is exactly how I’d like it happen,” he assured her as he began undoing the buttons on her blouse.

“I’ll try not to kill you,” she whispered.

He smiled at her and pulled her down to meet his lips again. Her blouse was open now, and he began caressing her skin, relishing the feel of her soft body. He’d waited so long to have her like this. He felt a sense of urgency, like he was afraid he might wake up and it would all be a dream. He needed to have her now. And by the way she was pulling at his shirt, he sensed she felt it too.

He grabbed her tightly and rolled them over. His hands fumbled with the zipper on her jeans, as she undid his and reached her hand down to caress him. The only way to describe what he was feeling was utter bliss. Frantically, they disposed of their restricting garments, desperate need had taken over them. They couldn’t wait any longer to be together. They made love recklessly, drinking each other in, relishing in the pleasure they could bring to each other, as everything fell apart around them. Tonight in this room, nothing mattered but the two of them.

Afterwards, they lay there breathlessly, trying to recover. He looked over at her and touched her face gently.

“That was amazing.”

“Very,” she agreed. Then she smiled at him, “and you managed to survive. Which is a plus.”

He grinned and laid his head down on the pillow next to her. He draped his arm over her stomach and kissed her shoulder.

“Aren’t you glad you finally admitted there was something between us?” He asked.

“I never admitted that.”

“Well, you’re here aren’t you?”

“Yeah…I guess that means you’re not as horrible as I once thought,” she teased.

He propped his head up on his hand and looked at her. “Why did you think I was so horrible? Honestly now. Tell me.”

She looked away from him, uncomfortable at this line of questioning.

“I don’t know.”

“Yes, you do. What is it?”

She sighed, “I didn’t trust you.”

“Didn’t trust me? With what?”

“With me. I-I didn’t want to be just another girl you conquered,” she admitted.

“Conquered? You make me sound like Napoleon.”

“You know what I mean,” she said seriously. “I didn’t want to be just another girl you did and then moved on. I was afraid I’d end up like all the others.”

“All the others? How many others do you think there were?” He asked with irritation.

“I don’t know. Lots.” She turned to him. “How many were there?”

He rolled over and groaned, “oh no, we’re not going there. You can’t ask me questions like that,” he complained.

“Yes, I can. I-I want to know. How many?”

“Steph, this is such a loaded question. If I tell you a number and it’s too high, suddenly I’m a creep. If it’s too low, then I must be some kind of sexual freak who can’t get laid. There is no right answer.”

“That’s not true.”

“Yes it is!”

“I just want to know. It’s not that big of a deal. Unless you say it’s like two hundred, then I will have to barf and disinfect myself.”

“Two hundred? Who do you think I am? Charlie Sheen?”

“I don’t know who you are. That’s the problem,” she groaned.

“I can’t believe this.” He shook his head. “Five minutes ago we were floating on a cloud, and now we’re fighting again.”

“We aren’t fighting. We’re discussing. There’s a difference.”

“With you there isn’t. You’re starting to drive me crazy.”

“Well, you’ve already driven me crazy. Case in point, me lying here naked with you.” She hugged the covers to her chest and rolled away from him. “Maybe you should just go.”

“Steph…”

“Just go. You’re bugging me.”

“I’m bugging you?”

“Yes! It was just a simple question and you’re acting like it’s the Inquisition.”

“Fine, I’ll leave. If that’s what you want, I’ll leave.” He threw the covers back and got up to find his pants.

He stood there in the dark fumbling with the zipper on his jeans. He looked over at her pouting at the wall. He just didn’t understand why she was always giving him such a hard time. He thought he’d finally gotten through to her. He thought she was feeling just as enamored as he was. And now she was picking another fight. He didn’t feel like he could win. He wanted to turn around and walk out of the room, just as she’d ordered him to do, but he couldn’t. He sighed loudly and shook his head.

“Six,” he reluctantly admitted to her.

“What?”

“Six,” he repeated. “You wanted a number, and there it is. Six. Happy now?”

She sat up, clutching the covers tightly around her.

“Six? Six girls?”

“No, six boys. Didn’t I mention I’m gay?” He asked bitterly. “Of course six girls. What else?”

“You’ve only been with six girls? In your whole life?” She was shocked.

“Yes. Is that so appalling?” He asked.

“No. Not at all. It’s…it’s just surprising.”

“Why is that so surprising? How many did you really think there were?”

“I don’t know. Twenty? Fifty?”

“Fifty? That’s what you think of me then? You think I’m a drug addicted man-whore?”

“No, you’re a rock star. Or what passes for one in this town. I-I know how many girls throw themselves at you. My sister even thinks you’re hot!”

“Melissa thinks I’m hot?”

“Don’t go getting any ideas!” She scolded him.

“Right, cause that’s where my mind was.” He shook his head, “just because chicks throw themselves at me, doesn’t mean I sleep with them.”

“But you’re a guy. That’s what guys do.”

“Not all guys.”

She studied the sincerity on his face. It stunned her. Maybe he wasn’t the jerk she always thought he was? Every time she was with him, she learned something new. He was always surprising her. He didn’t seem like the same guy she’d met in that bar who couldn’t stop talking himself and how amazing he was. All that swagger was just an act. Inside, Jason wasn’t all that different from her.

“You’ve really only been with six other girls?” She asked softly.

“Five. I was counting you,” he admitted.

“Five?”

“Yes,” he sighed. “I know I don’t look it, but I’m kind of old fashioned. If I’m going to sleep with a girl, I want it to mean something. I want it to be for love.”

She gaped at him. “Love?”

“Right, I sound like a chick. Go ahead and call me an idiot. I know you’re thinking it,” he grumbled bitterly.

“I-I don’t think you’re an idiot. I just think…well, I never expected to hear you say that,” she shook her head.

“It’s not like I’m saving myself for marriage. Obviously. This isn’t 1950 and I’m not Catholic. But what’s the point of having sex when you don’t care about the other person? I’m not into empty, meaningless things,” he explained.

“So this meant something to you? Other than a good time?”

He sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at her seriously.

“Didn’t it mean anything to you?”

Stephanie wasn’t sure how to answer that question. She wasn’t sure what it meant. Normally she wouldn’t have fallen into bed so quickly. Three dates was hardly commitment time, and only one of those dates had been decent. But life wasn’t normal right now. She felt something for him that she wanted to explore before she died. They didn’t have the luxury of time to wait and see what might develop. So she had gone for it without thinking too closely about it. She assumed it had been the same for him. But now it seemed she was wrong.

“It meant something,” she assured him. “But I don’t know what exactly.”

“Of course you don’t,” he sighed. “Getting any emotion out of you except sarcasm or anger is almost impossible,” he complained.

“Well, I’m sorry I’m so damaged,” she said angrily. “But I hate talking about feelings. It makes me uncomfortable.”

“Why? Because you had your heart broken once and now you’ll never let another person get close to you again?”

“Is that so wrong? Is it so wrong to want to protect myself?”

“Yes! You can’t protect yourself from everything. That’s not how life works,” he told her. “You want to protect yourself from Alison and the apocalypse? Fine. That’s scary shit. But love? That’s not scary.”

“It is to me,” she declared softly.

He softened his tone, “why?”

“Because. It never lasts. People change. They get bored or restless or evil, in Alison’s case. What’s the point of investing yourself so much in another person just so they can turn around and take it all away when they’re done needing you?”

“It doesn’t always have to end that way.”

“Yes it does. Every love story ends in a tragedy. It’s a proven fact. The other person either leaves you or dies.”

He lowered his head, “that’s really how you look at things? It’s better to be alone because then nobody leaves you?”

“Maybe.” She had to admit that the whole thing made a lot more sense inside her head, than it did being spoken aloud.

“That’s sad, Steph. Really sad.” He stood up again and pulled his shirt on.

“You’re really going? I just tell you how afraid I am of people leaving me, and now you’re leaving?” She asked incredulously.

“You don’t care about me, so why would it matter, right?”

“I never said I didn’t care.”

“Yeah, you did.”

“Jason…”

“What?”

“Don’t leave,” she pleaded. “Prove me wrong.”

He studied her face in the dark. She was hard to read most of the time, but he thought he saw her eyes glistening with tears. The last thing he wanted to do was make her cry. He could handle pissing her off, because he was doing that all the time. But he never wanted to make her sad.

“What do you want from me, Steph? I tell you that I care about you, and then you tell me that none of this means anything to you. You tell me to leave and now you want me to stay.” He rubbed his temples. “Make up your mind.”

“I’m trying to.”

She lifted the covers in invitation for him to crawl back into bed. He wished he could turn and leave her there, but he couldn’t. He didn’t want to go any more than she wanted him to.

“Do I get to stay all night or should I expect you to nudge me awake at 3am to boot my ass out when you’ve changed your mind again?” He questioned her.

“I’m not going to boot you out. Unless you snore,” she joked. Then seriously, “you don’t, do you? I’m a light sleeper.”

“No, I don’t,” he smiled at her.

“So get back here.” She patted the bed. “I swear I won’t kick you out this time.”

He ripped his shirt back over his head and undid his pants. He crawled in beside her and she covered them up, snuggling closer to him. He put his arm around her and she laid her head on his chest. They were silent for several minutes as she listened to him breathing while she traced small circles along his chest.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“About what? Being an indecisive pain in the ass?” He said jokingly. “I’m getting used to it.”

She slapped his chest playfully. “Shut up. Am I really that bad?”

“Yes. You really are,” he nodded. “But I’m still crazy about you…Or just plain crazy. I haven’t decided which.”

She looked up at him and laughed. “You’re mean.”

“I’m honest! How many men would have put up with all this crap?”

She smacked him in jest and laid her head back down again.

After a few moments, “you’ve never had your heart broken, have you?” She asked.

“Me? Of course I have.”

She glanced up at him. “When?”

“Lots of times. But the worst was when my girlfriend Natalie and I broke up. We were together for three years,” he told her.

“What happened?”

“She decided to see other people,” he said. Then added, “without telling me first, of course. I walked in on her and my best friend in our bed.”

“Oh my God…that’s awful!” She exclaimed sympathetically. “In your bed?”

“Yeah. It was pretty rough. Needless to say I lost my girl and my best friend. Life sucked,” he remembered.

“See, that’s what I don’t get. That’s a horrible story. Two of the people you cared most about completely destroyed you. And yet here you are still willing to let it happen again.”

“I’m not willing to let it happen again,” he told her. “Unless you’re planning on jumping into the sack with Shooter. Cause if you are, tell me now. I’m sure he’d be thrilled,” he joked.

“Eww. No thanks.” She scrunched up her nose. “I just meant that it could theoretically happen again. With someone else, in some other way.”

“But see, that’s the difference between you and me. I don’t think about the horrible possibilities of everything ending. I only think about how amazing the person makes me feel right now. I can’t worry what might happen someday. That’s like never eating again because you’re afraid you might get food poisoning.”

She knew he was right. Her shield of armor wasn’t protecting her from anything. It was only serving to make her life a lonely place. But she had the best intentions. Bryan had torn her to pieces when he left. She had agreed with him that they were too young and with him away at college, it made sense to break up and see what else life had to offer. Logically she had agreed. But Jason had been right the first time. Nothing is ever really mutual. Someone is always going to be disappointed. And she had been the one.

In her heart, Bryan was going to come back to her. He’d realize how much he missed and loved her, and he’d come back. But he hadn’t. He partied up a storm, met lots of other girls, and fell in love with someone else. She, on the other hand, had sat around pining for him. Counting the days until he’d come back to see her. When it finally happened, she expected them to run into each other’s arms and profess undying love. Instead, he’d hugged her awkwardly, and she felt instantly that everything had changed. He hadn’t been missing her. Or thinking of her much at all. He’d moved on. And she hadn’t. She felt like the biggest fool and swore from that moment on that love was not worth the pain it could bring. In her mind, men always left. Her father had done it, Bryan had done it, and James had done it to Alison. She saw it happen far too many times and didn’t want to open herself up to that heartbreak.

But now Jason had entered the picture. He was everything she never wanted in a man, and yet he was a perfect match for her. It made little sense. Being with him felt comfortable and safe. She didn’t have to worry that he’d leave her if she said or did something wrong. She’d done nothing but since the day they met. And yet he was still here. She didn’t have to be perfect for him, because he was imperfect. He made her feel special and normal for the first time in her life. She didn’t have to hide anything from him, the way she’d hidden things from Bryan.

He’d never known about her psychic ability. She’d tried to tell him a few times, but he thought she was just being goofy. Joking around. She realized he was never going to understand the complexities of it or take it seriously. So she’d decided to keep it all to herself. She’d never realized what a burden that had put on their relationship until now. With Jason, she could share it all and he didn’t even bat an eye. And now they were locked in this life or death battle, where they may or may not be major players. They had the weight of the world on their shoulders right now, and no one else was ever going to understand that. They didn’t even understand it yet. But it bonded them together in ways that were staggering.

They weren’t just two screwed up people floundering along in relationship hell. They had a purpose—a destiny, that no one else could ever comprehend. Maybe there were such things as destiny after all? Maybe love was something you couldn’t stop, no matter how hard you tried? It was going to find you, even if you were hiding from it. She wanted to stop hiding.

[Part Seven]