CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Three more bodies had washed up. Dylan had been called to the scene, but Jade was nowhere to be found.

"Should we be worried?" Shooter asked.

"It's not like Jade to ignore a call from the Unit," Dylan replied. "I'm pretty concerned."

"Maybe we should send someone to search for her," Skip suggested.

"Don't bother," Jesse said as he came running over. "Beth called Alex. According to her, Joey says Jade's in Mirror, but her energy is off and we can't bring her back yet. He thinks she's okay, though."

"Wait... Jade's in Mirror?" Dylan demanded. "We can't just leave her there, Jesse!"

"We don't have a choice. Until she's stable, we can't switch them back."

"What does he mean by her energy's off?" Shooter asked. "Maybe I can help."

"Mirror You apparently has a thing for draining people's energy," Jesse explained. "He's probably the one who messed her up."

Shooter sighed. "It figures... Well, I guess you're joining us on this case, Jesse..."

"What do we know?" Jesse asked.

"The bodies washed up at the same time, but judging from the state of them, they died at least a few hours apart," Skip replied.

"Were they locals?" Dylan asked.

"One was a fisherman from Boston. The other two were tourists," Shooter said. "Apparently, the siren doesn't care that killing tourists is bad for our economy."

"She's escalating," Dylan said. "She's killing more often."

"We have to figure out a way to stop this," Skip mumbled.

"According to Aideen, I can help, but I have no idea what I'm supposed to do," Shooter admitted. "Cora won't hurt me... I'm apparently her descendant, which is still pretty bizarre to me... I just don't know how I'm supposed to break the curse on her. That's not my area of expertise."

"Don't you have any magickal training besides in the energy manipulation?" Dylan asked.

"I did when I was a kid. Erin Eckerd taught me the basics of spell work and all of that, but I haven't done any of that in well over a decade."

"I think it's time you revisit your training, Shooter. Maybe Annabella and Johnny can help."

"I don't think they cover breaking hexes in Wicca 101, Dylan."

"Maybe not, but they can help you understand how a hex like that works. Your power is all about working with energy. All you need to do is understand the energy you're trying to change."

"He's right, Shooter," Skip said. "You can do this. You just need a little bit of help."

Suddenly, Dylan heard the sound of screaming inside of his mind. He found himself not at Pickering Wharf, but at the inn where Serpent's Kiss had stayed while in Salem.

As he relived the moment Vynn sacrificed herself to save him, he started to scream right along with the banshee.

"Dylan! Dylan, snap out of it!" Jesse shouted. Dylan realized he was shaking him.

"Vynn..." Dylan whispered as tears streamed down his cheeks.

"It's the banshee," Shooter said. He surrounded Dylan with soothing energy. It helped calm his nerves slightly. That was when he realized what must be happening.

"If I'm hearing the banshee, then..." Dylan's eyes widened in horror. "Logan!" He said.

"Go," Skip replied immediately. "Jesse, go with him. Call us if anything happens."

Dylan had never run so fast in his life. He knew that Logan was out with Emma Julien, his second-in-command in the rat pack. They'd been planning to go out to dinner to discuss pack business.

He heard the gunshots and understood the threat immediately. "Logan!" Dylan shouted.

"Hunters," Jesse growled. With the moon being full constantly, more and more lycanthrope hunters had been making their way to Salem.

Dylan spotted Logan and Emma fleeing from the gunshots. Neither had been hit, causing Dylan to sigh with relief.

Jesse attacked the first hunter he spotted, tackling him and getting his gun away from him quickly. There was another, however, and he fired off a shot at Logan.

Emma dove in front of Logan, a loyal lieutenant to the very end. As the bullet pierced her skull, Logan let out a scream of both grief and rage.

He pulled Emma into his arms and gently closed her eyes before laying her down carefully on the ground. Logan then focused his attention on the man who'd killed her. He attacked him with a ferocity Dylan had never seen before. The hunter was no match for the rat king, and Dylan was pretty sure it was all over. Then, he heard the banshee's scream again.

He looked behind Logan and spotted a third hunter. This one was ready to shoot at him. Dylan immediately sprang into action, knocking the hunter unconscious and taking his gun from him.

The banshee stopped screaming. Certain the threat was gone, Dylan raced to Logan's side. "Lo," he said. "Logan, stop. He's dead."

Logan slowly stopped beating the hunter with his fists. He looked into Dylan's eyes and his rage vanished. "Dyl..." He said softly as tears formed in his eyes.

"I'm here," Dylan said soothingly. "I'm sorry about Emma, Logan... But I'm right here, okay?"

Logan nodded slowly. Jesse came toward them. "Are you okay?" He asked. Then, he spotted Emma. "Damnit," he mumbled.

"She saved me," Logan said numbly.

"You're the rat king," Jesse replied stoically. "That was her job. She died with honor."

"That doesn't make this easier."

"I know." Jesse sighed. "I'll call Skip." He walked away.

Logan gently stroked Emma's hair. "She's been my best friend since we were toddlers," he said. "Everyone assumed we'd get married, but she knew I was gay... She never judged me. She just played her role as my second without complaint. She always protected me... And now, that cost her her life."

"What do you need, Lo?" Dylan asked.

"I don't know," he admitted. "Just don't leave me."

"Never," Dylan promised. He wrapped Logan in his arms, grateful the banshee had warned him that his boyfriend was in danger, but devastated that he couldn't save him from the trauma of losing yet another piece of himself.

~*~

"Damn that meddling banshee," Judas cursed. "I intended to make Dylan suffer today. She's going to be a problem if she keeps interfering."

"Why target Dylan?" Rikki asked curiously.

"He's a very positive person. Even when I set things in motion so his first love would die in his arms, he continued to thrive. He took that pain and used it to make himself stronger. Dylan must be broken. He has the ability to pull others from the depths of despair when nothing else can. He heals his friends with his mere existence."

"Why not just kill him?"

"It is not so simple to change the time of a member of the Silver Society. There are repercussions. I must be cautious, Rikki, and I've chosen to interfere in someone else's fate today."

"Why did you call me here, Judas?" She asked curiously.

"I need to talk to you... Your actions of late have me concerned. You are wasting time with that boy, and you took in the girl."

"Addison needed help," Rikki replied firmly. "In protecting her, I have gained a powerful young ally. She'll make a fine addition to my followers."

"And the boy?"

"I told you, that's none of your business. I enjoy our time together. Can't you allow me that bit of peace?"

"You do not have time for peace, Rikki. He is nothing but a distraction."

"You can't tell me who to spend time with. You've become my guide, Judas, but I'm still the one in charge here."

Judas hesitated. "Of course, Rikki. My apologies. I'm just trying to look out for you."

"I know. I appreciate the thought, but I can take care of myself, Judas."

Judas began pacing. "Bartholomew is nearly free," he said. "He is a great ally to your bloodline. We must ensure that he is successfully liberated from his prison."

"What more do you need me to do?" Rikki asked.

"Capture Jacob, Annabella, or Gill. If you sacrifice any of them to him, the spell will shatter."

"I'll work on setting a trap for each of them,"
Rikki promised. "Bartholomew will have what he needs."

"Good," Judas replied. "I need to return now. I'll be needed here soon in my true form... Remain focused, Rikki. This part is almost over."

~*~

Randy was patrolling the Salem Willows. Everything seemed peaceful at first, until he heard humming coming from the water.

Soon, the humming became singing. Randy was instantly enchanted by the words.

"All who're lost, come to me... Journey now into the sea... Join me now inside a dream... Sing the song of a silent scream..."

He found himself walking toward the water. As the siren continued singing, Randy was powerless to resist her call.

He felt his body crash against the water and panicked as he regained control of himself. The siren swam toward him rapidly. She grabbed onto him, and Randy froze.

"Let him go!" A voice cried.

Randy felt the Siren release him as she was flung backward, but nothing touched her.

Telekinesis, he thought. Did I misfire and do that?

He struggled to fight against the current as it tried to pull him out to sea. Suddenly, a powerful wave wrapped around him and gently placed him back on dry land.

Randy focused on catching his breath for a moment before he spotted a girl with long red hair standing nearby. She looked terrified as she watched him.

"You saved me," he said.

She took a step backward as he moved toward her. "I won't hurt you," he promised quickly.

"I shouldn't be here," the girl replied frantically.

"What's your name?" Randy asked.

"Faith," she replied, still sounding nervous.

"Faith. That's a really pretty name. I'm Randy."

"I know who you are... I have to go." She looked like she might cry at any moment. She turned to walk away, but Randy couldn't let her leave in such a frenzied state.

"Wait! Why are you so freaked out? What's wrong?"

"I knew what the siren was going to do. I also knew that it wasn't your time, but someone interfered, and I could only save one of you."

"One of me?" Randy repeated. "I'm confused."

"He's my father, but you're a good person, and he's a monster, and I couldn't let you die... I just... I had to choose, so I chose you."

"Faith, slow down. You lost me. What happened to your father?"

"He drowned," Faith replied. "The siren got to him." She shook her head. "I'm going to be in so much trouble! This is why people don't want us to exist, because we can upset the balance, like I just did, and-"

"Faith... Breathe, okay? Just breathe." He reached toward her cautiously, not wanting to scare her. Gently, he moved some of her hair out of her face. As she looked into his eyes, she started to cry.

"I messed up," she said. "I saved you, but I can't be in two places at once, so I couldn't save your Mirror self."

Randy's eyes widened in surprise. "Mirror Me is dead?" He asked.

"Yes... He's gone forever now."

"Mirror Me was a complete jerk anyway. He deserved it."

"He was my father," Faith said softly, and Randy suddenly realized he'd failed to make that connection as she rambled to him.

"Wait... You're my kid? But... You look like you're my age. I don't understand."

"I'm not supposed to be telling you any of this. My mother will be upset."

"Who is your mom?" Randy asked nervously. He was terrified that his Mirror self had forced Faith's conception. He was all too aware of what that monster had been capable of. "Did he... Did he hurt her?"

"Relax, Hotness," a new voice said. Randy turned around and spotted Kit. "It was consensual."

"Kit? Wait, do you mean that I...? That we...? Um..." Randy began.

"We didn't do anything. It was Mirror You. Faith isn't your responsibility," Kit replied.

"Mom..." Faith said softly. She ran into Kit's arms. "I messed up!"

Seeing fresh tears in Faith's eyes, all Randy wanted to do was comfort her. "It'll be okay, Faith," he promised. "I don't know how yet, but it will."

"What did you do, munchkin?" Kit asked as she held Faith tightly.

"I interfered... It's not his time, but the siren tried to kill him... I had to choose, Mom... And I saved Valley Randy," Faith explained.

"That's no loss. Your father was one of the many toxic guys I've been drawn to. His death is not a tragedy, trust me."

"But Valley Randy's alive. I threw off the balance. They'll kill me!"

"Like hell they will," Kit replied firmly. "I fought too hard to give you a chance to survive. You are not dying now."

"I'll help," Randy said. "I can protect you, Faith."

Kit and Faith both looked at him in surprise. "She's not actually your kid, Jocky McJockerstein," Kit said. "I thought I explained that already, but maybe you took a football to the head today and didn't understand. Let's try again... You're not my baby daddy. You're free and clear. You don't have to help her."

"She's a girl in trouble," Randy replied stubbornly. "I won't sit back and do nothing. Besides, she may have come from Mirror Me, but she's still sort of mine... As weird as that is. Why is she our age, Kit?"

"I wanted her to be able to protect herself," Kit replied. "And I wanted to tell her that I cared about her, even if we couldn't be together, which an infant wouldn't have understood. I aged her with magick."

Suddenly, a portal opened up. The man who stepped out looked furious. "You're coming with me," he said to Faith.

"Nathaniel, wait!" Randy said.

"This abomination further damaged the balance between the dimensions when it's already falling apart. It's bad enough that Beth's Mirror self likes to destroy people who aren't meant to die, but now we've got these brats interfering!" Nathaniel said in frustration.

"Who are you calling a brat, Pencil Pusher?" Kit demanded as she stepped protectively in front of Faith.

"You created an abomination and allowed it to live," Nathaniel said harshly. "If I were permitted to, I'd punish you as well, Kitten McPherson!"

"Nathaniel, there is no need to be uncivilized," Jonathan said as he joined him. James, Lou Anne, and Carolyn were right behind him.

"Uncivilized? Irresponsible people like this vile warlock girl are-"

"Vile? I'll show you vile!" Kit snapped. "And it's vile Wiccan girl, for the record! I'm only a warlock by birth!" She charged at him, but Randy gently stopped her before she could attack the Powers That Be.

"Everyone, calm down," James said sharply, ending Nathaniel's rant. "Come with us, Child. We will not harm you, but we must return you to where you belong."

"No!" Kit said. "You're not taking her anywhere!"

The water began to rise. A tidal wave swept James out to sea. Nathaniel barely dodged the water as it tried to grab him, too.

Carolyn started laughing. "Poor James," she said. "He was having such a good hair day, too."

That was enough to make Lou Anne start howling with laughter as well. Even Jonathan smiled slightly before putting a stoic expression back on his face.

"This isn't funny," Nathaniel protested. "This child must stay in the In-Between or the balance will be destroyed!"

"You're such a drama queen, Nathaniel," Carolyn said. "A few minutes won't cause the apocalypse. Let the kid spend a little time with her mother. If we allowed people like her that kindness, maybe they wouldn't keep causing trouble."

"Carolyn's right," Lou Anne agreed. "A girl needs her mama. Go on, pumpkin. Take your daughter for a walk... Randy, stay here for a minute."

Kit quickly left with Faith. "Am I in trouble?" Randy asked.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Sugar," Lou Anne replied. "Don't you worry about that... The thing is, your Mirror self is dead. In order to protect you and the balance, someone will have to die in Valley."

"What are you saying?"

Lightning suddenly struck. Someone screamed, and it wasn't the banshee. Lou Anne sighed. "Well, that was quick," she mumbled.

Randy ran toward the screams. He spotted a teenage girl screaming as she looked at the dead body of a boy who had probably been about Randy's age. His heart sank as the girl began to sob over her boyfriend, begging him to wake up.

Randy immediately began doing CPR, but it didn't matter. The boy was beyond the point of resuscitation. Still, Randy couldn't bring himself to stop trying.

"Randy... He's gone," Carolyn said.

"No! I have to try... I can do this," Randy insisted.

"It's too late," Nathaniel said. "The lightning struck his heart. He can't be saved."

Randy ignored him and continued his futile attempts to save the boy who'd died instead of him.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he felt arms wrap around him.

"Beth..." He whispered as he recognized the embrace.

"You have to let him go now, Randy," Beth said gently.

He felt tears in his eyes, but he quickly brushed them away. Beth kissed him softly as he released the dead teenager.

"How did you know I was here?" He asked.

"I heard the banshee... Unfortunately, the grief she radiates almost killed me because of my empathy, but I came as soon as I could," Beth explained.

"Are you okay?"

"Joey snapped me out of it. I'll be fine. Right now, I'm just worried about you."

"It was supposed to be me," he replied numbly.

Beth shook her head. "No... It wasn't supposed to be you or Mirror You."

"You know that he's dead?" Randy asked in surprise.

Beth looked nervous then. "I can feel Mirror Me... She's furious. I think she's ready to blow up her entire dimension. I've never felt that much rage before..."

"She loved him."

"I don't think she can love anyone, but I do think she was extremely attached to him."

"It's not good that you can feel her," Jonathan said with a frown. "That means the barrier is weaker than we even realized."

"Beth is a super empath and her Mirror self is exceptionally powerful," Carolyn replied. "It's not that odd that she'd feel her counterpart when she's so enraged."

As the girl continued crying over the boy, Lou Anne sighed. "I can't just leave her like that, y'all," she said.

"Lou Anne, we cannot interact with the incarnated!" Nathaniel said firmly. "It's bad enough we've been interacting directly with the Silver Society."

"You know what? Take your rules and stick 'em where the sun don't shine, Nathaniel!" She snapped. "That girl's in pain and I'm going to comfort her!" She marched over to the girl as Carolyn physically blocked Nathaniel from stopping her.

"Oh, sweetheart..." Lou Anne said sadly as she wrapped the sobbing teenager in her arms. "Let it out, Sugar... Cry your tears today, because tomorrow, this will make you stronger, but today, you don't have to be a warrior."

As Shooter and Skip arrived at the scene, Randy looked at the girl and said, "I'm sorry..."

He stepped back with Beth, where the girl wouldn't hear him. "It was supposed to be me," he whispered again. He knew that nothing would ever make that fact any easier to live with.