Lucy
It was in the air, that same feeling from her dreams. The building up of something insatiable, something inevitable. Death was there in the store with them that night, and Lucy wasn’t sure there was anything she could do about it.
“Hey, Kat, I’m gonna stay late tonight. Without Daisy, that only makes sense.”
Eyes moving away from a half-finished pizza order, Kat turned to meet Lucy’s apprehensive gaze.
“It’s fine; this is the last order of the night. I’ll be shutting down the Stack after,” Kat said, turning back to her work, before adding. “Thanks, though.”
Lucy rubbed her tired eyes. It would be so much easier to just go home. The last bus was in half an hour anyway; any later and she’d have to call her parents to pick her up. They didn’t mind, but still…
“I’ve been thinking, since you sent me that picture…”
It had been so out of the blue, such a random gesture. But it also meant Kat was going down a similar road to her, and without some guardrails…
“I’m worried you might be digging into something…” Lucy continued, “something you should be doing alone.”
“I’m not alone, Lucy,” Kat said without looking at her. “You don’t have to worry about me.”
“I mean, I do when you’re dealing with something this potent. And with such an incomplete grasp of these forces. You could get yourself into serious danger without a more experienced guide.”
You overestimate your worth.
The atmosphere was liquid power, a swirl of energy that Lucy could practically tap into. A vortex of intent that was causing reality to bend. The moments lingered, the phosphorescent lights flickering, as frequencies lost to untold spaces.
Kat laughed as she lifted the large pizza.
“Do you want to start a coven or something?”
Lucy nodded, even if Kat couldn’t see her.
“That’s usually how it works.”
Not that you’ve ever been in one.
Kat sighed as she slid the pizza into the sweltering oven.
“Then what, we chat together in the dark, drink tea and tell each other’s fortunes.”
“No, it’s more about women having each other’s backs. There’s a tradition to this, a sisterhood. We can meet with a few other people…we can protect each other.”
“Oh, I see. You want to drag me out in front of your friends. Scare me, make fun of me again,” Kat said, slamming the oven closed.
Lucy took a step back. The heat was so intense, and she wasn’t sure it was coming from the oven anymore.
“It’s not like that, Kat. I told you, I’ve been a bitch, and I didn’t mean to scare you…”
“Save it, I’ve known what you were up to all along. I can’t believe I was stupid enough to trust you. I should have just listened.”
Listened?
“Kat, I know I can’t apologise enough, but I’m really worried about you. When you sent me that picture, I thought—”
“That was a mistake,” Kat interrupted. “I should have known that given the chance you’d try to weasel back in.”
“I thought you were…”
“Forgiving you?” Kat asked, eyes full of fury. “No, I just needed information. And here you are using the little scrap to pull another one of your childish little pranks. How far is it going to go, Lucy? You gonna dump pig’s blood on me next?”
“It’s not like that,” Lucy said, defiance bubbling up. “I know more about this stuff, and you should just listen.”
“Right, like this has anything to do with ghosts or magic or some shit like that. You’ve been painfully obvious from day one.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
I love it when you play dense. It’s so natural for you.
“Tom! It’s always been about Tom.”
Lucy shook her head, but couldn’t hide her flushed cheeks.
“Everyone sees it,” Kat continued, her fire causing the air around them to waver. “You follow him around like a lost puppy. It’s pathetic.”
“Fuck you,” Lucy whispered.
“Why can’t you take a hint?” Kat asked. “He doesn’t like you.”
It was too much: the heat, the venom…
The truth of it all.
Lucy turned; she couldn’t let her see it.
She walked away, grabbed her stuff and left.
When the chilly night air hit her face, she let it all go. Let the tears stream down her aching face.
There in the cold dark, she let herself crumple. The pain was almost comforting.
Letting go of her pride and her strength…it was almost a relief.
But somewhere out there, she knew, her relief was shared by another.
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