CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Echo did not want to go to school. Her father was broken. Joey had run away. She was grieving. She couldn't imagine sitting through class and trying to focus on the material while everything in her universe was falling apart.

She diligently left the house with her backpack, but she had no intention of going to class. Instead, Echo headed to Pickering Wharf. She tried to take comfort in being there, but instead, all she could think about was her mother.

The waves grew choppy. Water began to shoot upward in angry bursts. Echo looked up and spotted Killian and Kit standing a few feet away.

Kit was the source of the chaos. She glared at the water, and every few seconds, the water reacted to her obvious fury. Killian stood at her side trying to calm her down.

"Mom, just breathe," he said soothingly.

"Jade's dead! Breathing exercises won't change that!" Kit snapped. She called more water out of the sea and slammed it against a fishing boat. It crashed down hard, sending splinters of wood everywhere as she destroyed the vessel.

"Throwing a temper tantrum won't change it either," Killian pointed out patiently. As Kit sent an angry blast of water at him, he took control of it and flung it back at her. Kit was drenched from head to toe, and she suddenly snapped out of her blind rage.

"Damnit!" She screamed at nothing in particular before she began shaking off the water. "Sorry, Killie... I just..." She sighed as the sea became calmer.

"I know, Mom. I get it," Killian replied. "Are you okay now?"

"As much as I can be, I guess." She shook her head. "Our coven hasn't lost a member since Serena, and I didn't exactly grieve her. This is... Different."

"Go see your Craft sisters, Mom. You'll feel better if you all process this together."

"I should tell your dad what happened first."

"He knows... Genie and Lydia had visions. Dad had to talk them both down, but he eventually figured out what happened."

"Is he okay?"

"He put his fist through the wall, but I think so."

Kit sighed. "I'll go see the girls... Arthur probably needs a little bit of time to deal with this. He was already on edge with Donnie missing." She kissed the top of Killian's head and added, "Thanks for stopping me from causing a tsunami."

"No problem."

"Get to school, kiddo." Kit walked away.

Killian noticed Echo then. He walked toward her with a charming smile on his face. "Hey, Echo," he said. "What are you doing here?"

"Cutting school," Echo replied with a shrug.

"Rough night?"

"Extremely... By the way, our leader's MIA. He has, quite understandably, locked himself in his world."

"He'll come back."

"Probably, but I hate knowing we can't help him. Joey's like my big brother. He's always been there for me."

"Are you holding up okay?"

Echo wanted to lie, but Killian's connection to Water made that hard. "Not so great," she replied. "I can't stop thinking..."

"I get it."

"No you don't," she snapped, suddenly angry. "You can't possibly get it, Killian!"

"Whoa... What did I do wrong?" Killian asked in confusion.

"Your parents don't have ticking time bombs hanging over their heads!"

Killian softened. "Echo-"

"It stopped... For six years, it stopped... And I allowed myself to sort of forget about it."

"What do you mean?"

"Alex died, and it was horrible. I was pretty young, but I remember the way it broke everyone... But they were used to it. Cassandra went three years after Spencer. Two years later, Cierra died. Two years after that, my mom died. Aunt Deenie died less than a year after that. Evan left soon after, and he died, but we didn't know that. Jesse died the following year... And two years after that, Alex died... But then, for six years, none of them died, and I just... I stopped thinking about the fact that the Silver Society reincarnates every forty years or so, which means that they all die young."

Killian paused. "You're worried about your dad," he realized.

"There are only four of them left now, Killian... Randy, Beth, Dylan, and my dad... And, best case scenario, they might have another five or six years left before all of them die, too... No matter what, my dad won't last another decade. I lost my mom when I was four. It was hard, but I have my dad, and I'm okay. He's all I need... But I'm going to lose him, too... And not in half a century or so, but sometime soon... Like, he won't live to see me graduate college. He might not even live to see me graduate high school. And I'm freaking out because it's starting to sink in that I can't do anything to change it."

Killian hesitated before saying, "You can't focus on that, Echo. My parents might not be part of the Silver Society, but either of them could be kidnapped by Judas and slaughtered any second now. Tomorrow isn't guaranteed for anyone, but you can't let that stop you from living."

She looked at him for a moment before saying, "I guess I'd better just live in the moment then, right?"

"Right," he replied.

She tackled Killian to the ground and kissed him deeply. As she kept him pinned on his back, her hair shifted into a rainbow of colors, one after the other, before finally returning to red as she released him.

Killian stared at her from the ground and mumbled, "Wow... What was that for?"

"I was living in the moment," Echo replied casually. She offered him her hand and helped him get back to his feet.

Everything sucks, she thought, but Killian's a heck of a kisser. She smiled to herself as she realized how much of her mother's impulsive wild side lived on inside of her.

~*~

One night later, Arnie called a meeting of the Silver Society. They didn't really hold official ones anymore. After Alex's death, it just didn't feel right. They hung out all the time, but never in an actual "meeting." Still, this was urgent.

They gathered in Arnie's living room. He'd sent Echo, Roxy, and Izzy to Courtney's house. He didn't want to risk the kids hearing what he had to say.

Dylan sat on the floor strumming his guitar. Arnie smiled sadly, relieved that some things never changed. Randy sat beside Beth on the couch, which highlighted the fact that others things did change. Arnie paced around nervously, wondering how he could possibly play the role of Alex that night. Those shoes were too big to fill, but someone had to step up, and Aideen was no longer around to do it.

Don't think about Deenie, he scolded himself. With her and Alex gone, you're the one who's been doing this the longest. You should have picked up the slack and started holding meetings after Alex died.

He listened closely to Dylan's instrumental song. It was full of grief and passion, and Arnie understood. "Is it about Jade?" He asked softly.

"Yeah," Dylan replied. "I've written a bunch of songs these last couple of days, but none have lyrics... I'm still trying to write one that does. It's helping me process my grief, but... It's hard to put it into words. I'm trying to have one ready by the funeral."

"It's beautiful, Dyl," Arnie told him honestly.

"So... Why did you call this meeting, Arnie?" Randy asked nervously.

"There's something I need to tell you guys, but at the same time, I don't want to," Arnie began.

"What's going on, Arnie?" Beth asked.

"Jade wanted me to tell you, but... I'm scared," Arnie admitted. "For sixteen years, the only person I told was Tommi."

Dylan whistled. "That's a long time, Man... I think you should fill us in now."

"Jade thought so, too... I only told her because Lou Anne was attacked, and it sort of became necessary..."

"Lou Anne was attacked?" Randy repeated in shock.

"Yes... It was really bad. We had to use some of Joey's energy to fix her." Arnie hesitated, taking a deep breath. "I never told anyone, not even Deenie, about this conspiracy theory because I was afraid it would put a target on everyone's heads. It seems like I was right... Lou Anne and I told Jade the truth, and within a couple of days, Jade was murdered... And I don't think that's a coincidence."

"You're saying-" Dylan began.

"I'm saying that this knowledge probably got Jade killed."

"But... It was Luigi, Arnie," Randy protested, trying to be gentle considering Arnie's connection to Luigi.

"He had help," Arnie replied. "The man pretending to be Skip was a Power That Be."

"Wait... As in our bosses?" Dylan asked in surprise.

"He's a traitor. He shapeshifts, so no one knows who he really is... But yes, one of our bosses is actually evil. He's the reason our lives have been so messed up." He pulled out a list and started ticking off the many things he and Tommi had suspected the traitor was responsible for.

"I hate to admit it, but your logic makes sense," Dylan said softly.

"Tommi came to me recently," Randy admitted. "She told me about this, to some degree... And years ago, my soul's mother did, too... I just didn't understand... But Hel said that someone we all trusted would betray us..." He sighed. "How is it possible that no one's suspected the truth until now?"

"He's really good at what he does," Arnie replied.

"He's incredibly powerful," Beth said softly. "He kicked me out of Warrior Mode and kept me that way without any real effort. I was basically a sitting duck..."

"I didn't want to tell you guys," Arnie said. "I'm terrified that knowing this will get everyone killed... But Jade was right. You guys need to know. I've kept this to myself for too long. We're facing a threat we probably can't handle alone, but if you don't know, then you're all sitting ducks. I can't risk that. Not now... Not with Jade gone..."

His voice cracked on the last sentence. Arnie had held his emotions back for too long. He sank onto his knees and started to cry.

Beth immediately pulled him into a hug. Arnie finally allowed himself to release everything he'd been holding in since being forced to watch yet another person he loved die too young.

"If I hadn't told her, she might still be here," he whispered as Beth held him and Dylan began playing a soothing melody on his guitar.

"Arnie, it's not your fault," Beth said firmly. "Just like it's not mine, even if I feel like it is."

"The only ones at fault are Luigi and the traitor," Randy added. "We'll find him and stop him."

"I've been trying, guys," Arnie replied. "It's not Lou Anne or Carolyn... But it could be any of the others. For sixteen years, I've been paying attention to what they each do and don't do, and I can't clear any of them completely. I also can't say for sure that any of them are guilty. Whoever he is, he's been playing this game for millennia, and he's better at it than I am." He sighed.

"Tommi's been gone for fifteen years, which means you were doing it alone for all this time," Dylan replied. "You've got us now. We'll figure this out, Arnie... Together."

"Together," Arnie repeated, but part of him was terrified that he'd just signed all of their death warrants by telling them the truth.

~*~

Austin Collins was pacing back and forth outside of the hotel, refusing to get in his car. His wife, Raine, stopped him to fix his tie.

"We're going to be late, Austin," she said softly.

"I changed my mind... Let's go back to New York," he said.

"You won't forgive yourself if you skip the funeral, honey. You need the closure... And you need to see our nephew."

"I don't even know if Joey's going to be there. Beth said he went into hiding."

"He won't miss this. It's too important."

"I don't think I can do this, Raine."

"Dad, it's okay," Storm chimed in from the car. "Mom and I are with you."

Austin sighed. If his ten-year-old son could suck it up and face this, so could he. "Alright," he said. "Let's just go already."

They were soon parked by Gallows Hill Park. It seemed only natural to hold the funeral service in one of Jade's favorite places. An army of people had already arrived.

The few remaining Silver Society remembers stood together. Their children were with them, as was Logan. Corey stood beside them looking stoic and strong, but Austin could tell how broken he was.

Jade's coven sisters and the last of the rebel warlocks except for Donnie stood together, sticking close to Beth. The Salem witches had come together, and they stood with Annabella and Johnny.

Danny had elected to stay close to Shooter for the day. Most of the Unit had gathered toward the back of the crowd. Susie clung to Skip. Tammy kept her hand at the base of Shooter's back, doing her best to keep him grounded.

Austin noticed that Alex's family had come from their respective homes in New York and California. Jodi and Lynn Epstein, and Hillary Paxton stood beside Bobbi Paxton and the twins. Austin could hardly believe that Jack and Jill were technically adults now. Austin visited Bobbi and the twins every so often since he spent a lot of his time in Manhattan. He waved hello to them.

Suddenly, his attention was drawn elsewhere. Standing in the shadows was someone Austin wasn't entirely surprised to see. "Alestair," he said cautiously. "We could have carpooled."

Jebediah and Balthos stood beside the Ultimate Darkness. "We decided we owed it to Jade to be present today," Alestair explained. "Jebediah came as a sign of respect. I asked Balthos to accompany me."

"Is there any particular reason for that?" Austin asked.

"Yes," Alestair replied. He did not choose to elaborate.

Austin was suddenly very nervous. He walked toward Beth, bringing his wife and son with him. "How are you holding up, Empathabeth?" He asked gently.

"Austin!" Beth cried in surprise as she pulled him into a tight hug. "You made it... I was worried you wouldn't come."

"I almost didn't," he admitted. "This is rough."

"Hi, Raine," Beth said, hugging her before turning toward Storm. "Oh my goodness, Storm, you've gotten so big!" She declared before pulling him into her arms, too.

"He had a growth spurt last month," Raine confirmed.

"Is Annabella leading the service?" Austin asked.

Beth tensed as she was reminded why they were there. "No," she replied. "Deanna is."

"Can she handle that? I thought her husband was missing."

"He is, but Dee has been our High Priestess since we were in high school. She insisted that this is her duty."

"Beth... It's time," Maya said gently.

"Right," Beth replied. She took a deep breath and followed the other members of the coven to the center of the circle. Austin took his place beside Raine, close to the front of the crowd.

Corey pulled Austin into a hug. "Hey, Half Breed," he said with a sad smile. "I'm glad you made it. She'd appreciate it."

"Where's my nephew?" Austin asked as he realized he still hadn't seen Joey.

"He'll be here," Corey replied.

"They're about to start..."

"He'll be here," Corey insisted. "I know it."

"He doesn't have much time."

Corey took a deep breath. "They'll wait... Deanna won't do this without Joey."

"Are you okay, Corey?"

"Are you?" Corey countered.

"Touche..."

Just as it seemed that they were ready to begin, a door opened up in the middle of the circle. Austin smiled in relief as Joey said, "Hey, Uncle Half Breed..."

~*~

Joey didn't want to open the door. He wasn't ready... He'd never be ready to return to Valley knowing that his mother was no longer there. The worst part was that he had to open two doors...

"Are you sure you want to go to Mirror?" Chris asked gently.

"She's gone there, too," Joey replied. "I'm a body splitter, and I should be at both funerals. In either dimension, she's my mom."

"I wish I could go with you there, too."

"You have a Mirror self," Joey pointed out.

"Am I evil?" Chris asked nervously.

"A little bit, but you're not so bad... Your dad is really evil... Mirror Shooter scares the hell out of me." He shuddered. "I avoid him when I can."

"Will you be safe there, Joey?"

"I'll be fine. For every bad person there is in Mirror, there are also good ones. If nothing else, Mirror Chad will help me if I get into trouble."

"Willingly?"

"Definitely. Mirror Chad is a witch... He's still Chad, though." He laughed softly. "Dramatic, over-the-top, and sporting body glitter."

"Can anyone else be there for you?"

"The Silver Society won't hurt me, but there aren't many of them left. It's just Arnie and Dylan now."

"What about Beth and Randy?"

"Mirror Randy died fifteen years ago. His daughter, Killian's sister Faith, had to make a choice... And she saved our Randy."

"She betrayed her father?"

"It wasn't really a betrayal. Faith didn't have time to save both of them. Our Randy's a good person... Mirror Randy was one of the worst."

"And Beth?"

"Mirror Beth was extremely evil."

"I can't picture that."

"She split people's atoms for entertainment... She killed Alex... And she sort of killed my mom, too."

"Wait, what?"

"That's how Aunt Beth learned to reverse the atom splitting process. She split her Mirror self's atoms, fixed my mom, and then decided to fix Mirror Alex. He ultimately died when it was actually his time."

"Wow, that's crazy..."

Joey sighed. "It's time," he said.

Chris took his hand. "I'm with you," he promised.

"I know," Joey replied. "Thank you."

He opened the door to Mirror first and sent a body through. Then, he opened the door to Valley. Still holding Chris's hand, he stepped through.

He immediately spotted his uncle and his father. "Hey, Uncle Half Breed," he said softly.

Austin smiled as he pulled Joey into a hug. "Hey, kiddo... Glad to see you made it."

"Sorry I'm late, Dad," Joey said to Corey.

"You're here," Corey replied, also hugging him. "That's all that matters."

Deanna offered Joey an encouraging smile as Beth ran over and hugged him. "I'm so sorry, sweetie," Beth said. "Are you okay?"

"I'm trying to be," he replied a bit numbly.

Beth nodded and took her proper place in the circle. Joey watched the coven as they officially cast the circle. As usual, Maya represented Earth, Aurora was Air, Ro was Fire, and Kit was Water. Beth represented physical matter, something she'd started doing when they were still in high school. Finally, in addition to being the High Priestess, Deanna represented Spirit.

That had always been Jade's role in rituals. Joey felt his chest tighten with fresh grief. Chris clung to his hand, keeping him grounded and sending soothing energy into him as the ritual began.

As always, Deanna ran things with dignity and poise. Joey tried to focus, but it was hard. The ritual was simple, because that's what Jade would have wanted. It cleansed her spirit of the suffering she'd endured in her life and blessed her with healing. It also sent healing and comfort to everyone who'd loved her. Joey struggled to get through it without breaking down. Corey kept an arm wrapped around his shoulder while Chris continued to hold his hand.

After the ritual was over and the circle was closed, a feast was served while people took turns telling stories about Jade. Many of them blurred together, a soundtrack of white noise for Joey, but he focused as Aurora stood up at the podium.

"Jade was the first friend I made in Salem," she said. "I'll keep this brief, because she would want me to, but I just want to thank her... If I hadn't met Jade, my life here would have been completely different. She welcomed me with open arms, and she became my Craft sister. I'm grateful that I knew her. Jade, give Elijah a hug for me, and Serena and Ellyn, and all of our other friends... I'll see you again one day."

Aurora wasn't one to cry in public, but Joey noticed she had to wipe away a few tears. Ro hugged her tightly as Aurora composed herself.

Joey tried to focus as Skip gave a beautiful eulogy on behalf of the entire Unit. The parts Joey managed to catch made him cry. Corey held him tightly, trying to soothe him as Chris rubbed his back gently.

Shooter kept his words extremely brief. "So long, Goth Chick," he said softly as Tammy clung to his hand. "I'll miss you."

Tears streamed down his cheeks, but he said no more. Chris watched Shooter with concern but didn't leave Joey's side.

Dylan stood up with his guitar. He took a deep breath and began to play a song that hooked Joey immediately. Like Dylan, Joey found comfort in music. He listened carefully as Dylan began to sing.

"My heart is broken, words left unspoken... They can only be sung, but I'm the only one," Dylan sang. "The first blow came when we lost our brain. I never expected that pain, like a night of endless rain. Then we lost our jester, who always made us laugh. I never saw that path. It filled me with wrath. When we lost our fire, I nearly lost my desire. There was no Muse for hire as things turned dire... But you pulled me back from despair's edge, didn't let me jump off of that ledge into that dark abyss of pain. You helped me find a new refrain..." He held the last note, strumming his guitar furiously before starting to sing again.

"But now, even you are gone, and everything feels so wrong. I've forgotten how to find my song. It's been too long... You were Four Chicks, I'm just Dylan. The last one left, I'm just Dylan. I've lost you all, and I am falling down... I'm just Dylan, and I need you around...  Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh... I'm just Dylan, and I need you around..."

He ended the song and wiped the tears from his eyes. Lyric quickly ran up and hugged him. He shifted his guitar onto his back so he could pull his daughter into his arms. Jagger and Logan soon joined the embrace until Dylan found the strength to walk back to his seat. Finally, someone Joey hadn't noticed joined Dylan and his family.

"Adam!" Joey cried in surprise. He ran toward the former drummer of Serpent's Kiss and hugged him. "I didn't think you'd be here."

"One, Dylan needs me," Adam Geller replied. "Two, your mom was a friend. I wouldn't miss this."

"Neither would we," a new voice said. This one was sadistic. Joey spun around to see several menacing-looking people standing in front of the mourners.

Dylan pulled Joey behind him protectively. Logan did the same with Lyric and Jagger.

"I guess it's just not a proper Salem event without party crashers," Adam said. "Are you up for this, Dyl?"

"Let's rock and roll," Dylan replied.

Solstice and Kurt moved to the front of the crowd. "The slayers have issued a temporary ceasefire order, which everyone agreed to," Solstice said sharply. "Jade Collins was the wife of the Number Three slayer in Salem. She was also a respected witch, and her soul is the younger sister of the Mistress of the Wolves and a Fae royal. As a show of respect, no one is to cause trouble until after the funeral."

"We aren't bound by your ceasefire," one of the men said with a laugh.

"The non-corrupt and corrupt slayers, warlocks, witches, lycanthropes, vampires, and even the nearby devil worshipper chapters have agreed to this order," Kurt said.

"Not all of the warlocks agreed to your ceasefire," a woman with a thick Southern drawl said.

"Who the hell are you?" Chad demanded, stepping into view.

"Chad... You came," Joey said softly.

"It's what Cierra would have wanted," Chad replied with a shrug. He turned back toward the warlocks. "I asked you a question."

"Scarlet Blackrain," the woman replied, offering Chad her hand with the wrist bent upward as if she expected him to take it and kiss it.

Chad ignored her hand. "You don't speak for the warlocks," he said. "At least not up North."

Kit moved closer to Chad. "We don't like Blackrains in Salem," she said firmly. "Get lost."

Arthur stood beside her. So did Ronnie. Genie and Killian joined Arthur.

"What a cute little resistance," Scarlet taunted them.

Suddenly, Annabella and Johnny led the witches toward them. The vampires followed suit. Belinda growled as she stood in front of an army of lycanthropes. Gigi looked ready to unleash every Fae attack she knew. Shooter held a ball of electricity in his hands. The Slayers and the Unit surrounded the others. Everyone was visibly ready for battle.

"Is it still cute, Lady?" Roxy asked with a smirk.

"Adorable," Scarlet replied. "My friends... It's time!"

The invading warlocks began flinging spells around wildly. Everyone else reacted. Shadow creatures arrived and swiftly flew into action.

Joey froze as he watched the scene in horror for a moment, unable to process that his mother's funeral had been crashed by warlocks from the South who seemed to think it was a great opportunity to start a territory war.

To Joey's surprise, Bev Charleston joined the intruders. She'd always been fairly neutral and had never caused much trouble for the good guys. Chad frowned as he looked at her.

"You might look the part, but you could never pull off Bev's charisma and unique style," Chad said firmly. "Hello, Judas."

Judas laughed softly. "You are very sharp, Chad," he replied. "Just not sharp enough to realize how much danger your friend Bev is in."

"What did you do to her, you fiend?" Chad demanded.

"Did he really just use fiend in a verbal confrontation?" Kit asked.

"It's Chad," Arthur pointed out. "He wouldn't miss an opportunity for such a dramatic moment."

"Bev is alive, Chad... For now." Judas turned toward his group of warlocks. "Finish this," he said.

The warlocks began a fresh assault. Joey looked at the Salem Shadows, suddenly remembering that he was supposed to be their leader. What would Alex do? He thought.

Fight, Kid, Alex whispered in his mind. You've got this.

Guys! Joey projected into the minds of his team. Focus on the shadow creatures. Work together and free as many as you can. Stay close to me.

Everyone set to work. As the Salem Shadows focused on the creatures, everyone else focused on the warlocks. Joey noticed Chester and Faith battling nearby. Merrick stood a few feet away with his wife, Nyxie Ashford. Kevin and Katie were battling beside the witches. Everyone Joey cared about was there, fighting beside him, and he realized that they were all in horrible danger.

"Enough!" A voice bellowed.

"Alestair..." Joey said softly.

"I expected there might be an issue today," Alestair replied. "Balthos... Handle the problem."

"Yes, Master," Balthos replied. He immediately opened fire, shooting every single threat in under a minute but somehow not hitting any of the actual funeral guests. Jill watched this with delight, eyeing Balthos with the same appreciation that had horrified Bobbi when she was a toddler and probably still did.

When Balthos was finished, the only crasher who remained standing was Judas. He'd somehow managed to hide from the gunfire.

"Balthos," Judas said softly. "How unexpected."

"Have we met?" Balthos asked.

"You might say that... This was interesting. Goodbye for now, everyone." Judas vanished before anyone could stop him.

"Coward!" Merrick shouted, raising his sword.

"You brought a sword to a funeral?" Chester asked.

"You didn't?" Merrick countered.

"I brought a dagger," Chester replied. "It's far more practical."

"Joey... Are you okay?" Faith asked gently.

"No," Joey admitted, "but thanks for coming today."

"Of course. You're hurting and so are my parents... Besides, we're all here for you, Joey."

He nodded before moving closer to Alestair. "I'm sorry for how I reacted that night," Joey said.

"There is no need to apologize, Joey," Alestair reassured him.

"Thank you for being here... And for bringing Balthos." He paused before adding, "And even Jebediah. Mom would have appreciated the show of respect."

"Now that the chaos is over, we can leave if you prefer," Jebediah said.

"No," Joey replied softly. "Stay. The crashers declared war and lost, but we're here to honor my mom... And we're going to continue to do that."

"Do you want to speak, Buddy?" Corey asked.

"I can't," Joey replied. "I know I should, but-"

"Sweetie, no one expects you to do anything," Beth reassured him. "However you handle this, it's okay. We love you, and we're all here for you."

"Will you speak?" Joey asked softly.

Beth nodded. "Yes, I'm going to... But I'm saving mine for last."

"I guess it's my turn," Corey said. He walked up to the podium. "Jade was the love of my life. It's cliche, but true... I loved her even when she did nothing but insult me and push me away. That was just her love language." He laughed, and several others joined him. "I could ramble on for hours about how much she meant to me, but you guys know all of that. Instead, I'm just going to say this... Jade Collins, you were one of a kind, and I am grateful to have shared so much of my life with you. Thank you for putting up with me. And, like I said that night, I'll take care of our son for you. I love you..."

He stepped down. Austin took a deep breath and took his place. "I'm a smooth talker, but not at places like this," he admitted. "I just want to say that my sister is my hero and always will be... And I miss her already. I'd promise to stay out of trouble for you, but you'd laugh at me and call me a liar, so I'll just go with, thanks, Sis. And goodbye for now." He quickly left the podium.

When no one else stepped up, Beth moved forward. "Jade started out as my reluctant friend, then my protector, then my best friend, and ultimately, my sister... Blood related or not, she was absolutely my sister... So this hurts, a lot. And I'm struggling... But I'll be strong, because she helped me realize that's what I am. I'm going to make sure that everyone gets through this, because that's what empaths do... And I'm going to make sure that we stop the ones responsible for this, because that's what warriors do. I'm going to be brave, but it's not going to be easy... Because I can't picture this world without her."

Beth started to cry. AJ and Randy ran up to her, but she didn't let them lead her away. "Thank you for everything," she continued. "I'll keep the store going, and I'll keep an eye on Joey and Bastet, and I'll think of you every time I wake up and before I go to sleep. I know you're still with me, even if it's different now. I am eternally grateful to you..." She closed her eyes and opened her hands. A glowing parade of atoms appeared in the air. As they came together, they formed a pentagram made of black rose petals. Once it was completely solid, Beth took it and placed it on a tree, pushing the atoms gently until they were deep in the bark, an eternal tribute to Jade.

Kit created a small magickal waterfall beside the tree. Aurora cleansed the tree with a smudge stick and enchanted it to keep the smoke flowing around the tree. Ro created an eternal flame in a jar and set it on the other side of the tree from the waterfall. Maya grew a small garden in front of the tree within seconds. Deanna placed a silver altar pentagram in the center of the garden.

Joey started to cry as he looked at the memorial his mother's coven had created. He walked over to them and whispered, "Thank you... She'd love this."

He paused before adding, "I miss you, Mama... But I'm a medium, so come see me... Please. When you can."

Suddenly, Joey looked up and spotted his mother. He knew she was only showing herself to him.

I love you, Baby, she whispered in his mind.

I love you, too, Mama, he replied. Forever.