CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Aideen had not expected to be asked to accompany Jacob to a meeting, but she had decided not to refuse. She sat beside him as Annabella, Johnny, Belinda, and Gill entered the room. It would have made more sense for Jacob to bring another undead vampire or at least a Uanie, but as a Reaper, Aideen did technically outrank them all.

"Thank you all for coming," Jacob began.

"Of course," Johnny replied. "The situation is becoming urgent."

"Yesterday, the remaining spirits were freed from Bishop High School," Aideen explained. "Bryce was able to absorb two of them, and his astral form is so powerful now he nearly killed Jesse Rodriguez and Tommi West."

"Has the Vitti descendant made any progress with reversing her spell?" Jacob asked.

"Cierra's working very hard to undo it, but so far, nothing has worked," Aideen replied.

"Is it possible she's not trying?"

"Jacob, of course she's trying."

"She is the descendant of the most powerful, evil warlock line in Salem's history. Maria Vitti is the one who enabled Bryce's eventual return. And do not get me started on Erica. I have lived through many generations of Vittis, Aideen. They are all the same."

"Cierra's not a warlock."

"She is always training with the flamboyant warlock boy. Her magick is based in that of the warlocks. She is not a witch, Aideen. I know she is your friend, however-"

"Look, I'll sit quiet and let you say a lot of things, Jacob, but I won't let you talk trash about Cierra. That girl has been to hell and back, and time and time again, she's proven where her loyalties are. She's not evil, and she's not a traitor."

"That's what people believed about Lewis Ashford."

Aideen was furious as she realized that Jacob knew exactly what her relationship with Lewis had been. The look in his eyes said it all. He'd intentionally made the point that would hurt her the most. Aideen and Jacob hadn't always gotten along, but she had never been so tempted to smite him before. She felt a small flame forming in her hand.

"Jacob, I'm certain Cierra is trying," Johnny said quickly as he realized that Aideen was about to lose control of herself. "She has made every effort to reverse the spell. I believe something is working against her."

Breathe, Deenie, he thought.

He's a bastard, she replied.

I don't disagree, but this isn't the place for a battle to break out.

Aideen forced herself to take a deep breath. The flame went out.

"We should be focusing on Bryce, not Cierra," Belinda said. "Gill and Annabella both descend from the original people who imprisoned him. Jacob was actually there. If we work together, we can stop him."

"Barty's going to escape," Annabella replied. "We can't stop that, but once he does, we must work together to prevent him from destroying Salem."

"So... Bryce is trying to destroy Salem," Aideen began ticking off facts on her fingers. "Rikki is also trying to destroy Salem. The Sun Gods are still on strike. The banshee is giving me a headache. The siren is trying to drown every man she meets, except for Shooter, for some reason..."

"Of course she won't harm Shooter," Annabella replied as if that should be obvious.

"Why not?" Aideen asked.

"He's her descendant." Annabella looked at the others in confusion. "Did no one else pick up on that?"

"I'm sorry... What?" Aideen demanded.

"She had one child with her lover, Anthony, but the boy was human like his father. Knowing he'd be in danger if anyone learned his true heritage, Anthony claimed he found the boy abandoned. He was raised by a Puritan family, and he went on to have other descendants."

"Bella... Have you known that this entire time?" Johnny asked.

"I figured it out when Shooter was twelve, the last time the siren was here. Agatha's journal spoke of Anthony's powers, and of her suspicions that he and the siren were lovers... I'm afraid my ancestor loved to gossip, but that's actually been very useful to me. I know things about Salem's history that no one else does because Aggie wrote it all down. Anyway, I considered the facts and realized that Shooter must be Anthony's descendant, which probably meant that he was also the siren's."

"So Shooter has siren blood in him?"

"It's dormant, just like his ancestor's was. He doesn't have siren powers."

"I should hope not," Johnny said with a slight laugh. "Shooter can't sing to save his life."

"I do believe his bloodline will one day produce someone with siren powers."

"Shooter doesn't have any kids and he's an only child," Aideen said. "The bloodline won't continue."

"He's immortal," Belinda reminded her. "He could have kids anytime he wants to."

Annabella smiled knowingly. Aideen wondered what she knew, but she decided not to push for answers. That wasn't why they were there.

"Back on point," Aideen began, "we need a strategy for when Bryce gets loose. I don't think it will be long now."

"Nor do I," Jacob replied.

"I started dreaming about him," Gill admitted. "It's like he was reaching out to me and trying to draw me to him."

"He needs to kill one of us to break the spell that bound him," Annabella replied.

"So if you three stay away from Bishop, does that solve the problem?" Aideen asked.

"It will not be that easy, Aideen," Jacob replied. "Even if we consciously refrain from going to the school, someone can force one of us to go to the property."

"Even if he doesn't get one of us, he can break the spell," Gill said. "He has descendants. Killing one of them and absorbing their life force will give him the power to break the spell."

"Camelot..." Aideen said. "He's a student at the school. It would be easy for Bryce to get to him."

"The boy must be protected," Jacob decided. "He should stay home until this is over."

"He's a senior. There are only two weeks left until graduation. Camelot's not going to just stay home and hide," Aideen replied.

"We can't ask him to," Annabella agreed. "Perhaps we can assign others to watch over him."

"The slayers can't do it. They're spread too thin as it is."

"We have daywalkers in the school. I don't normally ask my people to watch over warlocks, but in this case, it is a necessity," Jacob said.

"I can have some of the witches keep an eye on him as well," Annabella added.

"I'm reluctant to involve the wolves," Belinda said. "The constant full moon plus raging teenage hormones makes for unstable bodyguards."

"That's a wise decision," Johnny agreed.

"I'll ask Melissa, Jade, Beth, and Randy to help out, too," Aideen decided. "They're all still enrolled in Bishop." She didn't mention the fact that Melissa was a lycanthrope. It didn't matter. Melissa was handling the constant full moon better than the other lycanthropes were. If anything, it just seemed to be giving her more energy than she already had, but she hadn't become more irritable or aggressive.

"Hopefully, that will be enough to keep the kid safe," Gill said.

"Alright," Aideen said. "Let's talk about what happens when Bryce escapes."

~*~

Rikki was sitting by herself on the waterfront when someone joined her. She looked up and was relieved to see that it was Camelot. He smiled at her warmly and said, "You looked lost in thought. I figured you might like some company."

"I wouldn't mind," she admitted. "You baffle me, Cam... Everyone I meet needs something from me, or expects me to do things for them, but you just seem to enjoy keeping me company."

"Everyone needs a friend, Rikki," he replied.

"I've never really had any of those."

"Not even when you were a kid?"

"I had the kids at the group home, but we weren't really friends... We were just kids stuck in a bad situation who became each other's family out of necessity. I tried to protect them, but I couldn't even protect myself... I didn't know about my magick yet."

An unwelcome flashback hit her then. Rikki lost herself in the memory. She didn't snap out of it until Camelot pulled her into a tight hug. The shock of his embrace snapped her out of it. No one ever really hugged her.

"Where did you go?" Camelot asked softly.

"Rita," Rikki replied in a whisper.

"Who's Rita?"

"She was the youngest girl in my room at the group home. She was three years younger than me. One of the counselors had a thing for hurting her in certain ways. One morning, I woke up and found her with her wrists slit. She was ten... A baby. And I couldn't save her."

"Rikki, I'm so sorry," Camelot said. His horror was clear on his face.

"I couldn't stand it anymore... The abuse, the pain, being helpless to do anything for the others... I finally ran away, and that ultimately led me to discovering my true heritage."

"Being a warlock saved you," Camelot realized.

"And it gave me the power to help others, too."

Camelot leaned closer to her. Rikki was confused as his lips met hers. She liked the way it felt. She'd been kissed before, but only by people who wanted to hurt her. No one had ever kissed her so gently.

She cautiously kissed him back. She could feel his magick flowing around her. Rikki relaxed in his arms, feeling at peace.

She pulled away as she realized that. You can't trust him, her mind warned her. He's just going to use you, too.

No, Rikki thought. He won't. Camelot is the one person in the world who doesn't want anything from me.

"Are you okay?" Camelot asked softly.

"Yes," Rikki replied. She paused before asking, "Are you trying to secure your position ruling at my side?"

"I have no interest in ruling the warlocks, Rikki... But I wouldn't mind the being by your side part."

Rikki smiled at him. "That's the right answer," she said. This time, she was the one who initiated the kiss.

Do not lose focus, Rikki, Judas telepathically scolded her. You're so close to fulfilling your destiny. Don't let some teenager derail your plans.

I'll still take over, Rikki replied. I'm going to rule the warlocks. I'm going to destroy Chad and my traitor of a sister. I'm going to do everything I'm meant to do, but Camelot isn't part of that. He's the one choice I'm making for myself.

Judas didn't reply. Rikki didn't care if he approved. She was pleased to finally have one thing in her life that was just hers.

~*~

Joey knew that something was wrong. He ran toward the source of what he was feeling and found his mother lying on the ground. She was bloody and beaten. She was also wearing pink.

"Mama!" Joey cried as he ran to Mirror Jade. It didn't matter that this wasn't his mother from that realm. Either way, he loved her and had to help her.

He knew he couldn't take her back to Mirror for help. He didn't know who'd attacked her, so he didn't know who could be trusted. People in Valley might not be willing to help her, although Mirror Jade wasn't evil... She was simply timid and not as strong as Valley Jade.

He decided to go to someone he knew he could trust. He wrapped his arms around Mirror Jade before opening a door. "Lina, I need help!" He said as he and Mirror Jade appeared in her bedroom.

Angelina's eyes widened as she spotted them. She was Joey's closest friend, and despite her young age, her healing ability was incredibly strong. "Who hurt her?" She asked.

"Dunno... Found her like this. This Mirror Mama," Joey explained.

"Is she bad?" Angelina asked nervously, but she continued healing her despite whatever the answer might be.

"No. Mama good in both worlds. She just weaker."

Mirror Jade's injuries began to disappear. She slowly opened her eyes.

"Joey? Angelina... How did I get here?" She asked.

"You hurt. I find. Lina fix," Joey explained.

"Thank you, sweetheart," Jade said to Angelina. She hugged her before pulling Joey into her arms. He took comfort in the familiar, safe embrace.

"Mama, this Valley. What happen?" Joey asked.

"It was Cassandra," Jade replied. "Her emotions are running high because of the moon and the pregnancy, and she lost control of her temper and attacked me. I didn't want to hurt her... She's carrying an innocent baby. She knocked me into a mirror, and I guess I crossed into Valley."

"Did she make you a kitty?" Joey asked.

"I don't think so. She mostly hit me. She didn't bite me, and she didn't scratch me anywhere that would infect me." She paused. "Joey, you have to get me back home. Valley Me isn't safe in Mirror."

Joey knew that was true, but he also sensed it wouldn't be as easy as bringing Mirror Jade home to switch them back. Someone had already found his mother, and their hold on her was strong enough to keep Mirror Jade in Valley.

~*~

After Jade inexplicably fell through a mirror, she'd known exactly where she was. She'd cursed and struggled to make sense of things. She was pretty cut up from the shards of glass caused by the mirror shattering. She didn't know what was going on, but it couldn't be good.

A wereleopard had run off through the open front door as soon as she'd arrived. She was pretty sure it was Mirror Cassandra.

Jade slowly got to her feet and began walking around. She was in Alex's house, but no one else was there. She knew that Mirror Alex was dead. Mirror Beth had split his atoms. She'd apparently also done the same to Mirror Spencer. Still, Jade had expected Mirror Jesse or Mirror Melissa to be home. She'd been hoping Mirror Jesse was around because he'd probably be willing to help her get back to Valley.

Jade knew she had two options. She could call on Joey, but she didn't want to scare him, especially since she was injured. The other choice was finding Mirror Lewis, who had proven time and again he would help any of them who accidentally ended up in the wrong dimension. Deciding this was the best choice, Jade began to head to the law firm.

She encountered trouble before she could make it that far. "Nice outfit, Jade," a voice said behind her. "Did you lose a bet?"

Jade spun around. Mirror Shooter smirked at her. The cold, dead look in his eyes immediately told her that he was nothing like the Shooter she knew.

"Hi, Shooter," she said in a tone she hoped sounded timid enough to convince him that she was the Jade from his world.

"You can drop the act, Jade," he replied. "Energy is my specialty, remember? I know you're from Valley. I do like the look, though. Pink's not your color."

"No kidding."

"You're strong... The energy of your magick is intoxicating... Do you mind if I have a taste?" He grabbed onto her before she could run.

Jade struggled to free herself as Mirror Shooter drained a large amount of her energy. He radiated with power. She cried out in pain as it felt like her head was going to explode.

"Oops... I took too much too fast," Mirror Shooter said with a laugh. "I guess I got greedy."

Jade forced herself to focus. Just as he was about to drain more of her energy, she kicked him in the shin. He was startled enough by this that he released her. She started running despite how weak she felt.

"So you can fight in Valley," he said with a laugh. He ran after her, easily catching up to her. He pinned her against his body, moving his lips closer until they touched her neck. "That's kind of hot, Jade," he informed her.

"You're not my type," Jade replied, elbowing him as hard as she could in his side. She broke free again, but as she ran, she realized that he'd drained more of her energy. She stumbled and fell, and she couldn't get back up.

Suddenly, someone attacked Mirror Shooter with a ritual blade. All of Jade's energy flowed out of him and slammed back into her. Jade needed a moment to adjust to that.

The girl who'd saved her was familiar somehow, but Jade didn't know who she was. It was clear by the way she moved that she was a slayer.

Mirror Shooter glared at her. "I'll zap you into oblivion, Rebecca Shaw!" He told her.

"You'll have to get your energy back up first," she replied with a smirk.

Rebecca Shaw, Jade thought. This is Becca! This is Corey's twin sister...

Mirror Shooter dusted himself off and fled. Jade tensed, not sure what to expect. Mirror Becca had saved her, but that didn't mean she was trustworthy.

"You're welcome," Mirror Becca said as she grinned at Jade. It was uncanny how much she reminded Jade of Corey in that moment.

"Thanks," Jade mumbled as Mirror Becca helped her get back on her feet.

The girl studied her for a moment before laughing. "Nice outfit," she said. "You're not my Jade, are you?"

Something about her eyes made Jade trust her. "I'm from Valley," she admitted.

"Then I guess it's a good thing I didn't kiss you." Mirror Becca laughed again.

"Are we... Are we a couple or something?" Jade asked.

"Not officially. You're terrified that Beth will kill anyone who gets too close to you. She's kind of insanely possessive of you... But we're close, and you're bi, and I'm strictly a girls only kind of gal, so sometimes, we make out."

"This is weird," Jade admitted.

"Why? Are you straight in Valley?"

"No, but I'm dating your brother."

Mirror Becca paled. "Corey's alive?" She asked.

Jade suddenly wished that she hadn't spoken. "Oh no..." She said softly. "Corey's the one who died in Mirror?"

Mirror Becca's eyes widened in realization. "I died in Valley?" She asked.

"Yeah... Corey doesn't talk about it. He only told me recently, after the banshee showed up."

"Deirdre must be trying to protect him like she protects me."

"What do you mean?"

"She's our ancestor. She turned into a banshee after the siren killed her husband. He was the siren's first victim. Their fates are connected... Didn't Corey figure that out?"

"I don't think he did."

Mirror Becca rolled her eyes. "Boys are dumb. All it took was a little research on my part to find out Deirdre's past, and from there, I just did the math."

"I have to tell him about this... He doesn't understand why she's attached to him."

"Tell him he should trust her. She's on our side."

"Becca... I appreciate your help."

"It's no problem. We should get you back home, though. Trust me, you do not want to meet the Gold Society."

"I agree, but is there anything else about the siren and the banshee that I should know?"

"The siren was cursed into being evil. Shooter could probably break the curse, but he won't because he's too greedy for power to spare any energy."

"My Shooter isn't like that. He's a really good person."

"Then maybe he can help her. The only other option is for a Vitti descendant to get involved."

"Cierra would do it if she knew how. Rikki probably won't, though."

"Our Cierra knows how, but she needs to be persuaded. She sort of straddles the line between good and evil, but she's mostly evil. She was dark before, but it got worse after Beth killed Alex." She paused. "Sorry. I know that's a sensitive subject for you."

"Alex is still alive in Valley," Jade explained. "Beth isn't evil there."

"That must be nice." Mirror Becca paused. "Jade... Can you do something for me?"

"Of course."

"Tell Corey that I said it's not his fault... It's what I need to hear, so I'm sure he needs to hear it, too."

"I will," Jade promised. "And for the record, I'm sure it's not your fault, either."

Mirror Becca nodded sadly. "Thanks," she said. "Let's get you healed so you can go home."