I gave Jessica and Louis a small smile as I walked over to them. Jessica gave me a curious look since the last few days I have been ignoring them and Louis closed his book in his hands, crossing his arms over his chest. I felt bad for ignoring them, but I had to detox and I would just end up saying hurtful things. Even though I’m not completely healed from the darkness, I’m well enough to go back to school and a little makeup helped to make me look back to normal. I missed my best friends though, it feels like forever. They were the only things I had close to normal now and I just needed old fashion human normal.

“Hey.” I said cheerfully at them. “I’ve missed you both.”

“So she does know how to use that organ in her mouth.” Louis said.

I gave him a look of whatever before grinning, “You both know I love you. I’ve just been dealing with some things lately.”

“Oh, being secretive again?” Jessica asked. “You haven’t been this distant since after you turned fourteen for a couple of weeks.”

“I know, I know.” I said, sighing heavily. “There has been some family stuff and I—I’ve been doing some things I shouldn’t. I’m fine though! Before you start freaking out.”

“Doing things?” Louis asked. He took in a sharp breath, “Have you been doing drugs?”

“No, no…I uh, well—yes, been busy paranoid with school stuff and I’ve been taking Adderall. I know, stupid of me. I’m not anymore though, I’ve learn to control myself.” I said.

“Really?” Jessica asked. “Because the way you seemed before, it seemed so much worse than Adderall. It—I’m sorry to say this but you may not have looked like it, but you seemed like you were on heroin on something. I was so worried, Jaycee.”

Well, I might have been since black magic is serious stuff. It can be addicting as realize now. I almost lost Hermes because of it and I should never want to pick something over my mate. Thank God it didn’t get any worse, I might have lost everything. I have to be careful and that means so does Hermes because if he does magic in front of me, it’ll be like a trigger and I’ll end up doing something. Being around my family though, it was like their strength helped me get through it.

“Guys, I’m sorry.” I said. “I know I’ve been a crappy friend lately and I know I’ve been spending more time with Hermes,” they both snorted when I mentioned him. I knew they were a little upset I’ve been hanging out with him more. I felt bad, but I can’t help it. “But I want to spend more time with each other. I still love you both very much. You two are still my best friends, you know.”

“So pretty boy hasn’t stolen you away completely?” Louis asked and I shook my head. “Well, who will be the third musketeer if you weren’t in?”

I smiled and hugged him tightly, “You’re so awesome.”

“Well one of us had to have such a soft heart.” Jessica said when we pulled apart. “You can get a hug to if you promise to come over this weekend to watch the shows you’ve been missing on.” I smiled at her and nodding, hugging her tightly.

“Both of you guys are awesome.” I said. I felt their love coming from them and I was so glad to have such awesome friends. I felt like a crappy friend since everything with the witches been coming up, but I haven’t seen or heard from Carmina in two weeks. I know we just didn’t get rid of her, she’s still around. I just have to wait for her to come and—I don’t know really. I have a feeling talking to her isn’t going to work.

I looked down the hall as I hugged Jessica to see Hermes at his locker. He turned his head to look my way and I smiled at him. He grinned back, knowing I was making peace with the people I loved.

*

Hermes put his arms around me from the desk behind and kissed behind my ear. I tried hard not to giggling and not draw attention to us from the whole class but it was hard not to giggle like a girl. I wanted so badly to turn and kiss him, but I stayed where I was. Some of the students looked around and gave us Get-A-Room-Look which I found more amusing. Before I would have been one of them, but I think it was cute of Hermes.

He started tickling me and I burst into giggles, cutting Mr. Jameson off as Hermes pulled away. I blushed hard, embarrassingly looking around.

“Anything to share Ms. Russo?” Mr. Jameson asked.

I shook my head, “No, of course not. I’m real sorry, please go back to reading from Hamlet.”

I felt Hermes lean back towards me and wrap his arms around me, groaning as he placed his forehead on my shoulder. He was obviously bored and it was hard for me to pay attention with him holding me. I leaned my head back to lay on his shoulders, sighing heavily. We stayed like that until pretty much the end of class.

Hermes pulled me into a kiss, “I have to go use the bathroom. I’ll see you after school.”

I pouted, “I don’t wanna wait.”

He chuckled, “I don’t need to see into that head to know you wanna ditch. I need your dad good points.”

“He does like you though.” I said. I sighed heavily, “But fine, it’s one more class.”

He leaned down and pecked me once more before we had to go separate ways.

(Hermes)

After using the bathroom, I walked over to the sink and turned on the water. I put some soup on my hands and scrubbed them. I rinsed them but as I rinsed them I realized something. My eyebrows furrowed when I noticed the water was going down the drain. I touched the drain, seeing if there was anything maybe clogging it but there wasn’t.

I turned off the water but the water was just there, filling the sink mostly all the way. I paid close attention to the water, feeling something in my bones. A large lump filled my throat as the water moved and I swallowed the hard lump. I placed my hands on each side of the sink and said a spell to see what it was trying to show me.

A picture started to play out and I saw a barn. It was on fire, making my eyes widen. The picture moved inside of the barn and I saw the jeans I was wearing. My feet were moving backwards as the flames behind me grew.

I heard a scream then, making me step back. I didn’t know that scream, it was unfamiliar. I knew I should have felt calm knowing it was Jaycee’s but it made my blood turn cold. I hesitated, but I stepped back towards the sink and looked down at it. Nothing was there, the water was going down the drain.

I quickly turned away and walked out of the bathroom quickly. I looked down the hallway, but I felt someone looking at me from the opposite way. I turned my head the other way and saw Carmina down the hallway. I straighten my back and lifted my chin a little as I looked at her.

She smiled at me, those red lips of hers curving real nicely on her cat like face. Her long light blonde straighten all the way down towards her waist and her golden tan skin was a little less glowy than it usually is. Actually, the more I look at her the older she seemed than the last time where she looked almost like a teenager. Now, she looked like she’s in her late twenties.

She raised her hand and waved her index finger at me before she turned and walked down the hallway. I hesitated, but I followed her since I knew I had to see why she was here. The halls were empty now, everyone mostly in class now. Carmina walked ahead of me a good dozen feet away and I decided to wait until we were outside speak to her.

“Why you come looking for me first?” I asked her as we walked towards the parking lot.

“Choice, choices dear Hermes.” she said as she walked over to a white dodge charger. She turned to face me, “You could get in the car on your on will or I’ll make you get in. You can’t fight my magic, so it’s best just to get in.”

“Why?” I asked.

She grinned, “I just want to chat.”

I stared at her for a moment before turning around and looked at the school building. Jaycee—I just knew I shouldn’t leave her here. What I just saw in the bathroom, it just made me even more paranoid as I turned and got into Carmina car.

She quickly speeded out of the parking lot. I stood straight in my seat, looking out the front window as she drove out of the town into the woods. I felt every kind of magic in this car, most coming from Carmina.

“You know, Jaycee is pretty strong.” Carmina said. “She’s been able to block me from her mind this long. I’m quite proud of her. It’s too bad she had to rebel against me.”

“You’re such a good actress.” I said. “But I guess being such a high Generationer as you are, you can easily disguise the darkness in you.”

She shrugged and giggled, “Seriously, you little innocent Witches and Warlocks are such babies. Darkness isn’t as bad as you think, but I guess if you were as powerful as I you would understand but you’re way down there.”

“At least my children will be strong.” I said. “Do you have children, Carmina? Or have the appearance spell come with side effects and having children was taken from you? Was it worth it?”

She shrugged her right shoulders, “I never liked children. They spell and they always ruin our bodies. I rather have an amazing wonderful body than annoying children.”

“Children are gifts.” I said and she snorted. “You’re appearance is changing now. What I don’t understand is why you came looking for me. Since you’re aging to your true hag age, I think you might have looked for Jaycee.”

She quickly turned and I roughly hit the passenger door. I breathed heavily out my nose as I grabbed my arm, glaring at her. She chuckled, “It seems like there was one thing I missed when I learned of the spell. Jaycee beauty can quickly make me beautiful, but the only way it can last is if I suck it all out of her. Since I’ve been doing it slowly and you convinced her I was no good, the spell is going away.”

“So…you’re using me as bait.” I said, making her grin wide. I looked down at the dashboard, “Why are you doing this?”

She looked up at the mirror, checking her face, “Because I can.”

My heart started to race in my chest and I knew she knew that even though I stayed calm on the outside. I quickly grabbed the door handle, but it wouldn’t open. I looked at her, biting my lower lip. I put a protection around my hand and slammed my fists against my window, but it wouldn’t smash.

She quickly came to a halt and I flew forward, hitting roughly into the dashboard. My nose stung painfully, groaning as I moved back. My hand flew up to my nose and blood came out. I put my hands on the dashboard, trying to make the windows smash but they didn’t. I cursed, since it was because of her. I saw something in front of me a little and when I looked up, my blonde went ice cold as I saw the barn I saw in the bathroom.

“Killing me isn’t going to do anything.” I said.

She chuckled, “Oh don’t be dramatic, Hermes. I just need to get Jaycee here, you can go on your marry way and go pray to the spirits all you want then.”

I slowly looked at her, “Please Carmina, don’t hurt Jaycee. I’ll do anything.”

She smiled innocently, a smile that fool anyone, “She’s just one wolf.” she said. “After she’s gone, you are free to be yourself. You two haven’t been together for so long.”

“We’ve been together since we were children.” I said.

She scoffed, “Oh come on! You were such a dog before you met Lucinda and we know how that ended. It took you after she turned fourteen to actually feel that bond. Now, it’ll hurt a little in the beginning but you’ll move on.”

“I won’t let you.” I said.

She grinned, “Cute thinking you can actually stop me, but I’m not Lucinda.”

She got out the car and when she started walking over towards the passenger door, I crawled onto the driver side to get away when she opened the passenger door. I shook my head, screaming at her no when she reached over and grabbed my ankle, pulling me out of the car and I slammed on my back onto the cold damp ground.

Already working on the next chapter.