by Noree Cosper
She leaned back and made a snorting laugh. "So, you're a descendant of Pandora? I thought she was the first woman."
"She was, but humanity is actually descended from stones."
"What?"
I raised my hand. "Gods' honest. So, her daughter Pyrrha and Pyrrha's husband Deukalion are the only ones to survive this big flood Zeus created, because, well, he's a douche. They asked this Titaness of prophecy how they can repopulate the earth."
"Why not Apollo?"
"Because humanity was made by Titans, at least Prometheus and Epimetheus. They favored us more than the gods did. The gods only loved us as long as we worshipped them."
She blinked. "Okay..."
"Anyway, she tells them to pretty much toss stones over their shoulders, except in the cryptic prophet way they all talk. When they did, the stones became the first men and women."
Serenity crossed her arms with a raised eyebrow. "That's..."
I shrugged. "Hey, science says we come from the water. Who says there wasn't a bit of earth mixed in?"
"We... So are you human, or something else?"
"I'm a kind of witch actually. There are other witches and warlocks from Pyrrha's and Deukalion, but I guess at some point their ancestors stopped hunting gods and daimons." I leaned forward and caught her gaze. "My family has continued the duty forever. Like I said, we're not meant to be friends."
She rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on. When have either of us listened to what our families said?"
She had a point. We'd spent the last three years avoiding our familial bonds to the point of damn near pretending we were orphans. With my mother gone, I guessed I was, but I never felt without family when I was with Serenity. I held out my closed fist, and she bumped it with hers.
"All right," I said. "Then maybe you can help me out on Mercer."
She sighed and looked to the floor. "I was wondering when you would ask. Look, I can't tell you. He won't let me."
"What happened to the rebellion of thirty seconds ago?"
"No, seriously. The words won't leave my mouth." She opened her lips and closed them several times. "See? I just tried to tell you."
I shook my head with a snort. "You're right. He's a jackass."
"And you still slept with him."
I stared down at my closed laptop as my chest tightened. Jackass or not, just the memory of his smile could turn my legs to jelly. This soft spot in my heart needed to harden to stone.
"You won't be upset if I kill him?" I asked softly.
Serenity choked. "What?"
"It's what we do. Mostly to the spirits, but if a god gets out of hand, them, too."
She held her hand up. "Don't get me wrong. He's an ass, but I don't know if he deserves that."
"Why not? You know some of the stories, right? They've caused humans so much suffering just for their own selfishness."
"Humans have done that to each other for centuries after the gods left," Serenity said. "You going to start judging them, too?"
"Policing humans isn't what my bloodline is supposed to do."
"Weren't you the one who said he wanted to change?" She threw her hands up. "I can't believe I'm actually defending him now."
"If he's helping whatever killed James, then I need to deal with him, too."
She twisted her fingers in her lap. "He had nothing to gain from killing James. It only set his pet project back."
"He was pretty pissed when James was blaming you," I said.
"Trust me, there were so many ways he could have handled that. Killing James was too drastic."
I leaned back and tapped my armchair. "This is really weird. So many of you in one place."
She shook her head. "I've spent most of my life avoiding it."
"So, back to who he is. What can you tell me?"
Her eyes darted away from me. "I don't know."
"Twenty questions it is." I rubbed my chin with my up pointed index finger. "Can you tell me who you are?"
She blinked at me and tilted her head. "Hi, I'm Serenity Vargoss. Nice to meet you."
"Okay, I walked into that one. How about what you are? Are you a god like Mercer?"
Her lips moved, but no words came out, and she started looking like a gaping fish.
I slouched back in my chair and tapped my fingers on my chin. "This is fucking annoying. I don't know where to start."
"Mercer is a good start."
"His persona? What about it? Is it really some poor guy he's possessing, or did he invent it?"
"He's not possessing anyone." She blinked. "Whoa. I guess he didn't think that was important."
"Or he wanted to intimidate me with the information."
It would be a fight like my mother faced and lost. I swallowed the bile rising in my throat and took a deep breath. I pressed my thumb into my tattoo. The tingling seemed to have abated the longer I spent with Serenity.
"Okay," I said. "So he created Mercer. That's a big lie for as famous as Mercer is."
"Isn't it?" Serenity said.
"Someone would have gone digging. They didn't find anything off with his background?"
"If they did, they were silenced," Serenity said.
"Silenced like?" I made a slitting motion across my throat.
She chuckled. "Not that bad. He probably just talked to them."
"So he has a way with words," I said.
"That's an understatement," she muttered.
"Good with technology, he invented a big social media site and made a lot of money, loved expensive things, and women."
She nudged me with her foot and grinned. "The last two won't be helpful. I mean, look at the Greek gods."
I opened my mouth for my next question when the door jingled. The slight tingle of my tattoo disappeared as a burning sensation flared across it. I gasped and doubled over, grabbing my wrist.
Sheridan stumbled through the door and into the closet seat. The right side of her hair had come out of the twist she'd had it in and hung over her ear and face. Mascara mixed with her tears ran down her cheeks. The left strap of her pink dress was torn and dangled down. She held her arms wrapped around herself and rocked as her sobs drowned out the soft guitar music playing in the background.
19
I jumped to my feet and grabbed my laptop at the last minute before it hit the ground. Serenity turned to glance behind her and stood with a gasp when she saw Sheridan. I pushed past her and made it to Sheridan a few seconds after Katy. Serenity was at my heels. I kneeled down and put a hand on Sheridan's wrist. She jumped and snatched her hand from me with her wide eyes going to my face.
"It's Cassi," I said in a gentle voice.
"Cassi?" she asked, her voice hoarse.
I nodded. "Can you tell me what happened?"
She gave a choking sob and flung her arms around me. I teetered back but caught my balance with the help of a chair behind me. The burning in my tattoo faded as she soaked my shirt with her tears. Whatever it was had left in a hurry.
Katy looked at us with furrowed brows. "Should I call the police?"
"No." Sheridan pulled away from me, rubbing her nose. "I'm fine."
"You don't look fine," I said.
She straightened up and pulled her strap back into its rightful place only for it to fall again. "I just needed somewhere with light."
"Hey," Serenity said. "How about you come back to our apartment and we can get you cleaned up?"
Sheridan blinked at her and smiled. "Thanks."
Serenity guided Sheridan into the backseat of my car and sat beside her as I started it up. I turned the radio on low for the way home. The music was interrupted every now and then by a squeaky sob from Sheridan followed by a soothing murmur from Serenity. I glanced in the rearview mirror. Sheridan had laid her head back with her body turned away from Serenity. I gripped the steering wheel and pressed my lips together. I'd felt the burn before she'd entered. Unlike the electric charge Mercer had given me, this had felt like my arm was on fire. A daimon had been
nearby and possibly responsible for the attack on Sheridan.
At our apartment, Serenity sat Sheridan on the couch while I ruffled through the cabinets in search of tea. In the back of one of the top shelves, I found a small box of chamomile. It would have to do. I stuck a mug of hot water in the microwave and moved to the doorway, leaning against it with my arms closed.
Sheridan hunched over her knees with her arms wrapped around her. Her lower lip trembled as she stared at our coffee table with watery eyes. Serenity emerged from the bathroom with a box of tissues and held it out. Sheridan slowly raised her hand and pulled one from the box with a trembling hand. The microwave beeped, and I returned to the two of them with a steaming mug of tea.
"Can you tell us what happened?" I asked.
She cleared her throat and wrapped her hands around the mug. "Everything seemed to be going great. I mean the movie was a bust, but it was laughable enough. I should have known, though, since he was more interested in getting me alone."
I lowered myself to the couch and placed my hands close to her, careful not to touch. Her head hung low, but her shoulders held a tightness, as if she would bolt for the door at the slightest graze.
"He kept pushing." She whimpered. "I swear, he'd never acted like that before. He'd always seemed like a nice guy. Why do they turn out to be the assholes?"
I pulled the mug from her hands before she dropped it. The tea sloshed on the floor and table as I set it down.
"Were you with Mercer?" I leaned closer to her as my heart sped up at my question.
Serenity stiffened and crossed her arms.
Sheridan looked up at me with a confused look. "No. Why would you think that?"
"The two of you seem to have gotten close this last week."
She gave a harsh laugh. "You're seeing things. As much as I've tried, Mercer's never shown any interest beyond talking about plans for the project."
I let out a long breath I'd been holding, and my shoulders sagged as the knot in the pit of my stomach loosened. Not that this made any difference. He was still a god, and my bloodline stood against them. Serenity raised an eyebrow at me before returning her focus back to Sheridan.
"Then who did do this to you?" she asked.
Her bottom lip trembled. "His name is Marcus. He's a business major. We, uh, share a marketing class."
I stood and pulled my phone from my pocket and unlocked it with the slide of my thumb. Whoever this Marcus was, he needed to pay.
Sheridan glanced up at me with wide eyes. "What are you doing?"
"Calling the police," I said. "You need to report this."
She slapped the phone from my hand, and it hit the carpet with a soft thud before sliding under the couch. I dropped to my knees and ran my hand under the couch with a small glare at her. Luckily, it remained unblemished. She stared at me with narrowed eyes and clenched fists.
"No," she said.
"You can't just let him get away with this," I said.
"He deserves so much more than that," Serenity said with a hard voice.
"And be called a slut?" Sheridan crossed her arms over her chest. "It'll be his word against mine, and we all know how well that goes, especially since this started out as a date."
"You have a better chance if you report it now," I said.
She shook her head and rose. "I just want to forget the whole night. Can someone take me home?"
"At least let us drive you to the hospital so you can get checked out."
"I'm fine," she said. "It wasn't anything less than I deserve for being so stupid."
I grabbed her shoulders and held her gaze. "Don't ever think that. This wasn't your fault."
Her face crumpled, and she wobbled on her feet. I pulled her in a hug as the sobs broke free from her again. She pressed her head on my shoulder and cried until there was nothing left but the occasional sniveling breath.
"How about you stay here tonight?" I asked. "You can take a hot bath and borrow my bed."
She looked up at me with her chin trembling. "I don't know."
"Please?" I asked. "It would make me feel better."
She swallowed and nodded. "All right."
Fifteen minutes later, I sat on the couch with Serenity, listening to the shower run. I rubbed my wrist as I chewed my bottom lip. My whole plan had been tossed out the window, though thanks to Serenity, I had a better grasp in figuring out Mercer. For now, I had much bigger issues.
"You sure this is a good idea?" Serenity asked. "Shouldn't we push for the hospital?"
"I think she might leave if we do. And I don't want her being alone."
She needed to be somewhere I could watch her. In those last few moments, she had a ghost of a look I'd seen on James's face the day before he killed himself.
20
Sheridan stared at the cup of coffee in front of her with blank eyes and hugged my oversized t-shirt around her. I sat down across the table and pushed a bagel in her direction. She pressed her lips together and shook her head.
"You need to eat something," I said.
"I've never been much of a breakfast person," she murmured.
Serenity flipped her chair around, rested one arm on the back, and grabbed half of the bagel. "Morning."
I cut my eyes at her before returning my gaze to Sheridan. "Do you want to go to the doctor today?"
"I'm fine."
I sighed. "Well, you should probably take the day off. Maybe we could relax, go to a spa?"
"No." She stood. "It's no use. I just need to get on with my life. I have too much work to do right now."
"Sheridan." Serenity touched the sleeve of her shirt. "If you want to talk, we're here."
"I said I'm fine." She snapped a glare at Serenity before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "Look I really appreciate last night, but I'm not a child."
She headed into my room and shut the door behind her. I rested my chin on my hands and pressed my lips together. No matter what she said, that look from last night still lingered in her eyes. Weaker, but still existing.
"This isn't good," Serenity said.
"It's worse," I said. "Whatever had James has its claws in her."
Serenity stood, knocking her chair over. "We shouldn't leave her alone."
"She's not there yet." I slammed my fist on the table. "Damnit. I need to figure this thing out, and fast. You're sure it's not Mercer?"
"Positive," she said. "What reason does he have to hurt Sheridan?"
"Who knows what gods think?" I glanced at her and frowned. "Sorry. All right. We'll need to go a different route with this."
"Will this involve a fight?"
"Eventually. First I need to talk to Marty to see what he learned about Tessa's death. Can you watch over Sheridan?"
She stared at the door with a grimace and nodded. "She's going to hate it, but I can be her shadow."
"Okay." I rose to my feet and stopped after taking two steps to my room. "Right. She's using my bed. I guess I'll get a shower."
An hour later, I walked into the university newspaper office fresh, dressed, and ready to poke my nose where it belonged for once. The newspaper had gone paperless a few years back like everywhere else, but that didn't stop the stacks from piling up on the six desks that sat in the room. A round conference table with six chairs stood in the back. A low buzz of chatter and clacking on keyboards filled the air. Marty squinted at his computer from behind his horn-rimmed glasses. A small beat blasted from the oversized headphones over his ears. I tapped his shoulder, and he jumped.
"Oh, hey, Cassi," he said. "Long time no see."
"Yeah, I've been pretty busy covering the Proprius Project."
"How's that coming?"
I shrugged. "A few problems."
He nodded, and his voice grew softer. "Because of James?"
I stiffened as my stomach tightened. "Among other things."
"Hey, I've been meaning to talk to you about that." He cleared his throat and pushed his glasses up his nose. "We'd thought yo
u'd be the one to cover James since you're on Proprius and, well, you were on the roof, but you haven't."
"Oh, shit. I'm sorry." I ran my hand through my hair. "I didn't even think of that."
"Well, you haven't been to class in the last few days."
It was funny how the minute daimons and gods came back into my life, I seemed to throw my journalistic dream out the window. I needed to eliminate this threat so I could get back to my normal life. I sighed. Who was I kidding? This all had been something for me to play at. In truth, I would never escape my family, nor the entities they were tied to.
He leaned forward and caught my gaze. "I was wondering if I could take the story if you weren't interested."
"I'll write up the article tonight." No way was I going to sit here and answer his curiosity about what happened on that roof. "Actually, the reason I came was because I had some questions about Tessa."
He stiffened. "What about her?"
"You interviewed her roommate and friends. Did any of them mention seeing signs of depression?"
He shrugged and turned back to his computer. "Her roommate said she’d been down after she'd had a big fight with her boyfriend. You know. Usual college stuff."
"Except most of us don't commit suicide," I muttered.
"Yeah, well is two a coincidence?"
"I don't plan on waiting for number three," I said.
He wrinkled his nose. "Kids kill themselves all over the country all the time. How do you plan on finding the next person?"
I shrugged. "Maybe my article will help reach those who need to know they do have a way out. That they aren't doomed."
James's words rang in the back of my head and tickled at my thoughts. Hadn't there been a daimon of doom? My power wasn't the only thing to become rusty while away from my family. I needed to check my books again when I had a chance.
"So now you plan on writing an inspirational piece?" He sneered. "What happened to reporting the truth?"
Like anyone knew what that was anymore. "It can be both. We don't need to report all horror without giving a little hope."
I snorted. Another insidious evil that was released from the Pandora's jar, maybe the worst of all. Hope pushed man past his limits. It allowed him to toil and suffer with some misguided belief that things would get better. But, because of hope, we endured this long.
