CHAPTER NINE

Beth awoke the next morning in Kevin's arms. Freeing herself from her sleeping brother's embrace, Beth walked into the bathroom. She studied her reflection in the mirror for a moment, feeling lost.

"Happy birthday, Bethany," she whispered. Wiping fresh tears from her eyes, Beth sighed. She walked into her bedroom and began to get dressed. She was careful to be quiet, as Jade was sleeping in her usual spot, with Bastet curled up at her feet and Joey asleep in her arms.

Beth selected a pair of sweatpants and a comfortable t-shirt. She pulled her hair into a ponytail. She walked downstairs, still careful not to wake Jade or Joey up.

Kevin was awake now, and he was doing his morning workout in the kitchen while he made coffee. He didn't hear Beth come in. To his shock, as he put out his arm in one of hid favorite Martial Arts moves, Beth countered with the exact reaction a professional would have had. She did it again as he tried a different move.

Confused but fascinated, Kevin did not stop practicing. He had never sparred with Beth, who normally couldn't throw a punch to save her life, and he was very surprised by this new talent of hers. When they finally stopped, Kevin was gasping for breath. Jade had woken up at some point, and she stood staring at the two of them.

"Wow, Beth!" Kevin said. "Where did you learn to spar?"

"I don't know..." Beth replied. "It just sort of came to me. It was almost like second nature, but I've never done anything like that before."

The paperboy threw a newspaper through the window. Beth caught it in her right hand without looking up. She gasped and dropped it. "What's happening to me?" She asked.

"I think we need to go see Alex," Jade suggested.

"Happy birthday, by the way," Kevin said awkwardly.

"Yeah... From me, too," Jade added in a soft, somber tone. The mood in the house was anything but happy, but it seemed wrong not to acknowledge Beth's birthday.

"Thanks," Beth replied sadly. "Guys, this is really freaking me out..."

"Look, I'm sure there's a logical explanation for your new skills," Jade said. "We'll figure it out."

"Happy birthday, Aunt Beth," Joey said as he joined them. He smiled at her and put his arms out, indicating he wanted her to pick him up. Beth knelt down and scooped Joey up into her arms. He wrapped his arms around her neck and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"You sad," Joey said after a moment. It was strange for him to see Beth so full of sorrow.

"I'm okay, Joey," Beth replied.

He kissed her cheek again and said, "Love you."

"I love you, too, sweetie." Beth sighed. "I can't go to school today. I really can't."

"Of course not," Jade replied. "You just lost your parents, Beth. No one will expect you to be there."

"I don't even know what I'm supposed to do... I need to plan a funeral, right? And notify people? That's how this works, right?"

"I'll handle all of that," Kevin said. "I'm the older one. Besides, it's complicated with deaths like this."

"We can't cover it up," Beth said in horror. "I mean, we just can't... Please, Kevin, promise you won't have them erased?"

"Oh, Gods, no. I couldn't do that even if I wanted to. They were too important to the community. It would take way too much work. It would be easier to say they died in some kind of car accident or something, and that mom's body was burned to ashes in the crash..." He paused, took a deep breath, and tried not to flash back on his mother burning to death.

"What happens now? Where will I go?" Beth asked.

"You can live with me," Kevin offered.

"Kev, you know I love you, and I miss you," Beth began. "You're the greatest, but I don't want to ruin your life by being a burden you have to take care of. You're in college. You plan on going back to school, where you should have a chance to be normal. I can't let you be responsible for me."

"You're not a burden, Beth. You're my baby sister, and I'd do anything for you."

"I know that, but I won't let you do this."

Kevin sighed. "Look, Mom and Dad had a will. I'm sure they specified a guardian in case anything happened to them."

"It's probably Uncle Mark... I don't want to burden him, either. He's going to be so crushed that they're gone... And they're only gone because of me. I can't live with him. I'd feel too guilty."

"Beth, this isn't your fault," Jade said. "You didn't ask for your parents to be warlocks."

"Warlocks... God, it feels so strange to think of them like that. They were so... normal." Beth paused. "Does Uncle Mark even know yet?"

"Well, last night, I called the Unit to get some help with cleaning up," Jade replied. "Skip said he'd pass the news along to Johnny and Danny, but I don't know if anyone told Mark."

The telephone rang. Kevin picked it up. "Hello?" He answered.

"Is that Kevin? What are you doing home?" The voice on the other line asked. "It's Annette Fiorio... You remember me, right?"

"Oh, hey Annette," Kevin said. "Yes, I remember you. I took some time off from school."

"Listen, dear, I'm calling because I heard about your parents. The whole magickal community is stunned, naturally. None of us ever suspected that... Well, I'm sure you know what I'm trying to say. How are you and your sister doing?"

"We're okay, I guess."

"That's good, dear. I just wanted to extend my sympathies and see if you needed anything... And I was wondering if you wanted to talk about it?"

"We're fine. We don't have anything to say right now, Annette." Kevin tried to keep his tone even, but inside, he was furious.

Annette seemed to take the hint. "Well, I'll let you go then. Call if you need anything. I mean that."

"Thanks, Annette." Kevin hung up and shook his head. "The entire magickal community already knows what happened, apparently."

"The Upstanding, Honorable, Oh-So-Picture-Perfect Ashfords are actually warlocks," Beth replied bitterly. "Of course everyone knows. It's big news, right? We're a freak show."

"Hey, we're not all warlocks," Kevin said. "Mom and Dad's choices don't make us warlocks, Beth. Warlocks are traitors. You and I aren't."

"Who's Annette?" Jade asked.

"She's the editor of The Salem Spell, this trashy occult newspaper that reads like the tabloids of the supernatural world. Dad's firm represented her, so she mingled with Dad a lot. Danny's her lawyer, though, not Dad. Since he was supposed to not know about this stuff, it wouldn't have made sense for him to represent her." Kevin shook his head again. "I think she wanted an exclusive or something."

"Wow, and I thought New Yorkers were insensitive... I mean, it just happened. She has no right to harass you guys," Jade said.

"Yeah, well, maybe I should talk to Aideen. I heard she put fear in Annette's heart after her father died and Annette tried to harass her... I'd better not, though. Aideen might go too far and actually smite her. Annette's annoying, but she's fairly harmless, and she's definitely not worth Deenie's time or energy."

The phone rang again. Kevin sighed before he picked it up. "Hello?" He asked cautiously.

"Kevin? It's Johnny," the voice on the other line said.

"Hey Johnny," Kevin replied in relief.

"I'm just checking on you and Beth... Are you guys alright?"

"Not really," Kevin admitted.

"I figured as much. Look, if you need anything, you know I'll help. Danny and I are here for you and your sister."

"Johnny, did anyone talk to my uncle yet?" Kevin asked.

"No... We weren't sure what the official story was going to be, so we haven't talked to anyone who wasn't supernaturally inclined," Johnny admitted.

"We're going with it being a car accident. Mom's body was incinerated, Dad's will be buried... But I can't be the one to tell Uncle Mark, Johnny. I don't think I can handle that." Kevin, who was usually so composed, was visibly breaking at the thought of having to tell his uncle that his parents were gone.

Johnny sighed. "Okay," he said. "Danny and I will talk to Mark. Don't worry about that. Kevin, I know this isn't the best time, but it's important... Did you want to take custody of Beth? Because I handled your parents' will, and if she doesn't go to you, Mark will take her in."

"We figured that was the way it was set up... Beth doesn't want to stay with me or our uncle. Give us some time to figure that out, okay?"

"Of course... Do you need help setting things up?"

"I could use some help, actually. I don't really know how to organize a funeral."

"I'll handle that, okay? I'll come over later and we can discuss any details you want covered."

"Thanks, Johnny. I appreciate it."

"It's not a problem. I'm very sorry this happened, Kevin. I've known your parents for a couple of decades, and even I didn't suspect this... It's terrible. I'll see you guys later, okay?"

"Okay..." Kevin hung up. "Johnny's coming over later to help us out," he said.

"He won't make me go to Uncle Mark, will he?" Beth asked.

"He said he'd give us time to think about our options," Kevin replied.

"I don't want to live with him. I don't want to stay with you because you deserve to have your own life... I can't do this. I don't have any other options," Beth said in frustration.

"Yes you do," Jade replied.

"Like what?" Beth demanded.

"You can stay with me. I'm emancipated now, Beth. I could be your guardian for a while, and you could get emancipated, too."

"I can't support myself," Beth pointed out. "I mean, my family has money, but..." She sighed.

"I'll support you until you can support yourself," Jade replied. "The Unit pays well enough. I can afford it."

"You'd do that for me?" Beth asked in surprise.

"I can't believe you're even asking me that. Haven't you figured out by now that I'll do anything for you, Bethany?" Jade asked.

"But this is huge... Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure. I've stuck with you through all of this so far, Beth. Why would I turn my back on you now, when you need me more than ever?"

Beth hugged her. "I want to stay with Jade," she told Kevin.

"I'll talk to Johnny about it," Kevin promised. "Normally, an emancipated minor getting custody of someone who's only a year younger than her wouldn't be possible, but, well... This situation is anything but normal."

The doorbell rang. Jade answered it. Alex stood on the other side. "I wanted to see if I could help," he said gently. "Are you okay, Kid? I heard you were in bad shape last night."

"I'm fine," Jade replied. "Who told you?"

"Arnie. He got empathically pulled to what was going on, but by the time Melissa pulled him out of it, you guys were already okay. I would have come over sooner, but it took forever to ground Arnie. He not only took on injuries, but had everyone's emotions hitting him all night, too."

"Is he okay?" Jade asked in concern.

"He's fine now," Alex reassured her. "I put him in my bed and told him to try to sleep. He'll feel better after he's rested."

"Come on in, Alex. Beth needs to talk to you, anyway." Jade led him into the kitchen, where Kevin and Beth were still sitting.

"Hey," Alex said. "Are you guys okay?"

"You!" Beth suddenly shouted. She stood up and lunged at Alex, to the shock of everyone. "You're supposed to know everything! Why the hell didn't you know that my parents were warlocks? That's kind of a big thing to miss, Alex!" She clawed at him, drawing blood from his arms and face. Alex was so stunned that he didn't react.

"Beth! Stop it!" Kevin said in horror. He pulled Beth off of Alex. She freed herself and immediately attacked Alex again. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Kevin demanded as she flung him away from her.

Alex tried to shield his eyes from Beth's nails as she attempted to tear them out of their sockets. He couldn't bring himself to hit Beth, but he knew he needed to protect himself to keep her from doing real damage.

"Beth, stop!" Jade shouted. She tried to push herself into Beth's mind to calm her, but Beth's blocks shot up and knocked Jade out of her mind with such force that Jade nearly blacked out. She fell onto the floor from the impact. She stared at Beth, completely stunned.

Since when does Beth have blocks? Jade wondered.

Joey was the one that finally got through to Beth. He stared at her and softly asked, "Aunt Beth?" She saw the fear in his eyes and she suddenly became aware of what she was doing. Her body went limp. She began crying hysterically in Alex's arms.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I don't know what made me do that. I don't know what's happening to me. Besides, this isn't your fault; it's mine."

Alex struggled to catch his breath as he said, "It's okay, Beth. And it's not your fault, either." His arms were bleeding and his cheeks were scratched up, but it seemed like no serious damage had been done. "I'll be alright. Don't worry, Kid. It could have been worse."

"I'm not violent, Alex. I can't even throw a punch, but this morning, I sparred with Kevin and kept up with him easily, and now, I attacked you. I don't understand what's happening to me..."

"We'll figure it out, honey." Alex winced as he shifted his position. "Jade, would you mind calling Dylan over?"

"Oh God, I really hurt you, didn't I? I'm so sorry, Alex..." Beth sobbed.

"Yeah, I'll call him," Jade replied. She picked up the phone rather than using telepathy, since her mind was still aching from the force of hitting Beth's block.

"It's okay, Kid, really," Alex said to Beth. "I'm alright. I just want to get my injuries healed before they become an issue."

"Dylan's on his way," Jade said.

"Good," Alex replied. "We'll get through this, alright, Beth? We just need to take it one step at a time."

"Oh no," Beth said. "I just thought about something."

"What is it?" Jade asked.

"I was supposed to have my party tonight... I can't handle calling all of those people and telling them why I can't have it after all... It's not important, but... I just don't want to deal with them right now."

"It is important, Beth. Your feelings are very important," Kevin said firmly. "We'll think of something."

"I already called the school," Johnny said, appearing in the back doorway. "They'll make an announcement about the official story. Anyone with common sense will know not to come tonight."

Beth ran into Johnny's arms and hugged him. She was suddenly overwhelmed with emotions she could not even identify. Johnny held her and stroked her hair, trying to comfort her.

"I'm so sorry, Beth," Johnny said. "I know this must be extremely difficult for you."

"Make it stop," Beth begged.

"What do you mean, sweetheart?"

"Make everything stop," she said, not explaining further.

"I wish that I could, Beth," Johnny said softly. He looked at the others and studied Alex for a moment. "Yikes. What happened to you?" He asked.

"I did," Beth replied. She started crying harder. "I'm turning into some kind of freak..."

"It's going to be okay, sweetheart. Really." Johnny wished that he could believe his own words.

~*~

The lion pride had gathered in the woods for Timmy's memorial. Other than the pride, only the local lycanthrope leaders had been invited to attend. Each group had sent a representative. Kwame Washington, the wolf Alpha, stood stoic and strong. Jesse stood beside him, because he was the person he knew the best. Logan James stood nearby, representing the rat pack along with his parents and younger brother, Lenny. The leaders of the ravens, leopards, bears, coyotes, and jaguars were also present.

Tracy, Tina, and Thea stood in front of the pride, with Ted standing behind them protectively. Members of Boston's pride had come to mourn the fallen lion prince as well. Jesse watched as the lions formed a circle around one of Timmy's old hoodies. With no body to bury, that was all they had to represent him. The other lycanthropes kept a respectful distance from the pride.

The sense of grief hanging thick in the air was painful to experience. As the lions roared in grief, Jesse swore he felt Sekhmet watching over them, trying to comfort her children.

Logan inched closer to Jesse as the formal part of the memorial ended. They knew each other both from school and from slaying.

"This sucks," Logan said softly. "Timmy was a good guy."

"Did you know him well?" Jesse asked.

"No, but I saw him around a lot. He's younger than I am, you know? I mean, sure, my rat wasn't fond of him meowing all the time, but he was a really nice kid. It just isn't right... How could anyone murder him?"

"It was Lewis Ashford," Jesse said softly. "His spirit confessed to Jade Collins. I'm going to have to tell the Lyconi sisters... And Ted, I guess."

"Why would Lewis kill Timmy?" Logan asked in surprise. "I heard he was a warlock, but he took Timmy in off the street without hesitating. He seemed to care about him. He even got him a lawyer... I don't get it. Why bother with all of that if he just planned on killing him?"

"Timmy was Beth's soul's guardian, just like Jade is. I guess Lewis decided he needed to be out of the way. I still can't figure out how he knew to use silver, though."

"Maybe he heard him meowing?"

"That's not enough to make someone assume he was an actual lycanthrope. Somehow, Lewis knew. And we need to find out who told him."

"I still can't believe he and Doctor Ashford were evil... When Lenny was born, he had some serious issues with his heart. Doc Ashford was the one who kept him alive and ultimately helped him get healthy."

"How's he handling the news?"

"Our parents haven't told him the truth yet. He's still just a kid. They don't want to upset him... My mom just told him they were killed in a car wreck. He's upset, but he's taking it as well as he can."

Jesse noticed a lion with short blue hair standing next to Thea. She put a comforting hand on her shoulder. It surprised Jesse that she allowed it. Ted was trying to comfort Tina and Tracy while they accepted condolences from everyone else.

"I'm about ready to get out of here," Jesse admitted. "I'm supposed to meet up with some friends at Beth's house."

"So you're going from one depressing place to another?" Logan asked.

"Unfortunately," Jesse mumbled.

"Send my condolences. Beth's probably thoroughly broken right now. She's such a sweet girl. I hate to think of how much pain she must be in."

"She'll get through it. She's got a lot of support. That's the only way to get through something like this." Jesse briefly flashed on the image of his father beating his mother to death, but pushed it out of his head.

"Are you okay, Jesse?" Logan asked gently.

"Yeah," Jesse replied. "I just wish I could help Beth. I lost my parents, too, but it's different. My dad's alive and rotting in jail, and I always knew he was a monster. Beth not only lost her parents, but she found out that she never really knew them to begin with. How is she supposed to deal with that?"

"Maybe she'll surprise you. Beth's probably stronger than anyone realizes. Unfortunately, sometimes it takes a big trauma to bring out that strength."

"Well, she's certainly had that," Jesse mumbled. "I'm going to say my goodbyes. I'll see you around, Logan."

"Later, Jesse," Logan replied before returning to his family.

Jesse moved toward the triplets and Ted. "Thank you for coming, Jesse," Tracy said.

"Of course I came," Jesse replied. He hesitated before adding, "It was Lewis, guys... He killed Timmy."

Thea roared in anger. Her blue-haired companion tried to soothe her by rubbing her back. "What? He was supposed to be his guardian! I'm going to slaughter him!" Thea shouted.

"You can't kill the dead," Jesse reminded her gently.

"At least he can't hurt anyone else," Tina said softly.

"I'm sure his soul is paying for what he did," Ted added.

Thea lunged at him. "That's not good enough!" She shouted as Tracy pulled her off of Ted.

"Minnie, would you please take Thea and go for a run?" Tracy asked. 

"I don't need to run, Tracy! I need to kill!" Thea shouted.

"Thea, come on," Minnie said softly. "You need to release your rage."

"Warlocks assassinated my brother, Minerva! I am entitled to my rage!" Thea protested.

"You are, but it's not going to help you right now. Come on, we'll run together. You'll feel better afterward." She pulled her close in a way that seemed possessive to Jesse, and he vaguely wondered if they were a couple or if Minnie just wished that they were. Either way, Thea sighed.

"Fine. We'll run," she said. "This gathering is too depressing anyway." She looked at her siblings and added, "You guys should run, too. I'm not the only one who's upset here."

Thea shifted into a lion and ran off with Minnie's lion by her side. Ted sighed and said, "She's really struggling."

"We all loved Timmy, but I think he was the closest to Thea," Tracy replied.

"I've got to head out, guys," Jesse said. "If you need anything, call me."

"You've done more than enough," Tina replied. She hugged him. Tracy joined in the hug.

Ted finally wrapped all of them in his arms and said, "Thanks for being here, Jesse. We appreciate you."

Maybe it was the fact that Ted was basically a stranger, but Jesse felt awkward hugging the guy. He broke free and said, "I'll see you soon."

Jesse nodded his head respectfully at Kwame. The Alpha nodded back, and Jesse took off quickly, ready to make his way to the Ashford house.

~*~

The rest of the members of the Silver Society had gathered at the Ashford house to see how Beth and Jade were doing. Johnny was still at the house, and Danny had joined them as well. Josh had insisted on joining Cassandra at the Ashford house to see if he could help. Clarissa and Courtney had come over, too. Others had come by to pay their respects, but none of them stayed for long. Everyone in the house was fairly quiet. Randy kept trying to get Beth to lean on him, but she found excuses every time he made an attempt.

The doorbell rang and Jade hurried to answer it. Everyone was sitting in the dining room trying to keep the conversation going even though no one knew what to say. When Jade opened the front door and saw the most popular freshmen girls in Bishop High School standing outside, she nearly closed it in their faces.

"We're here to see Beth," the redheaded leader, whose name was Shelly McGreggor, said. Shelly was one of those girls who could wrap the entire world around her finger with her dazzling smile and a few fake words. Jade was one of the few people in the school who did not give in to Shelly's every whim.

"Beth's not really up for visitors," Jade replied.

"Whatever! We're her friends, Freak," Sabrina Morris, the brown-haired freshman who was known for dating a new handsome boy every week, said.

"I'll be sure to tell her you stopped by," Jade replied. She tried to push the door shut, but Shelly's foot was in the way.

"What's the matter, Collins? Wake up on the wrong side of the coffin this morning?" Elsie Kingston asked. She tossed her head of brown curls and laughed at her own joke.

"Oh, she probably just needs a snack. Watch your necks, Girls," Shelly replied.

The other girls laughed. Helen Epstein giggled for a second too long and Jade strongly suspected that she didn't get the joke. Helen usually didn't. Known for her blonde hair and Heidi braids, Helen was the token ditz of the popular crowd.

Beth appeared in the doorway. "It's okay, Jade," she said. She didn't want to leave Jade dealing with the popular girls knowing how much she hated them. "I'll talk to them. Come on in, guys."

"Beth, we heard about your parents," Elsie said as they sat down in the living room. She bowed her head and lowered her voice as she spoke. Elsie was supposed to be the funny one among the popular girls, but there was no humor in her tone as she spoke to Beth. "We're so sorry... Are you okay?"

Beth shrugged. "I guess," she replied. "It's still sort of sinking in."

"It's really awful," Sabrina said. "They were such nice people."

"Yeah, it's such a tragedy!" Helen added. As usual, Helen sounded cheerful, even when talking about something like death. "So, like, are you still having your birthday party tonight?"

"Helen!" Shelly scolded her. "Beth just lost her parents. I think a party is the last thing on her mind... Oh, honey, is there anything we can do to help?"

"I don't think so," Beth replied.

"Well, you know we're here for you. Just tell us what you need."

"Right, thanks... Anyway, guys, I sort of need to just be with my family right now."

"Of course. We understand. Come on, girls, let's leave..." Shelly started to walk away and the others followed. She looked back when she reached the front of the driveway. "Aren't you leaving, Collins?"

"Jade lives here, remember?" Beth asked.

"Yeah, but I mean, you're closer to us than her... If any of us were 'family' to you, it wouldn't be her."

Jade had to bite back a nasty response as she glared at Shelly.

"Look, Shell, I can't do this right now," Beth said. "Jade is important to me. She lives here, and she's not going anywhere. I don't want to fight about this. I need you to respect my choice."

"Alright... Sorry, Beth," Shelly forced herself to say. "I'll see you later, I guess?"

"Yeah... Bye, guys." Beth ushered the popular girls away.

"Wow, Jade, I can see that they love you," Dylan said as Jade and Beth returned to the dining room.

Jade shrugged. "They're just a bunch of stupid teenybopper airheads," she replied. "They don't bother me. I'm used to it."

"Does that mean I don't get to smite them?" Aideen asked. "Damn. I was looking forward to it."

"Go for it," Arnie said. "Airhead flambé! It's, like, a delicacy!" He mimicked the valley girl laugher Helen was famous for.

Aideen started laughing so hard she nearly choked on the soda she had attempted to drink. She slapped Arnie playfully. "Don't make me laugh when I'm drinking something, you goon! Or I'll make Arnie flambé."

Arnie gulped. "Sorry," he replied quickly.

"I thought you'd see my point," Aideen said with a grin. The pain was still lurking in her eyes, but she covered it well as she focused on her friends.

Spencer wrapped his arms protectively around Jade. She relaxed in his embrace.

Are you really okay? He asked telepathically.

About the airheads? Absolutely, Jade replied. About everything else? Not so much.

What can I do to help?

I don't know... Just be here, Spencer. That's all I need.

Always, he promised.

"Beth, can we talk?" Randy asked suddenly.

"Um... Sure," Beth replied reluctantly, clearly having run out of excuses.

Randy led Beth aside. "Honey, I wish you'd talk to me," he said. "I'm your boyfriend. I'm supposed to help you."

"You are helping. You're here," Beth replied.

"You've barely said two words to me all day."

"I'm sorry, Randy. I just can't deal with things right now."

"What do you mean?"

"My parents tried to kill me last night, and I watched them die because of it. They were warlocks, Randy. It's kind of a shock."

"I know, but-"

"Look, I'm just not okay, alright? I need time."

"I understand, Beth... But I'm here for you."

"Maybe you should just go, Randy," Beth said sharply.

"What?" He asked in confusion. "Why? Did I upset you?"

"You're obviously feeling helpless, and I don't want to make you feel that way. Just go. I'm fine."

"Beth, I'm not going to leave you right now. You need me."

"I need my parents, Randy, and that's not going to happen because they turned out to be total strangers to me!" Beth snapped.

Randy sighed. "I'm sorry, Beth. I know you're not okay. I just really want to help."

"You can help by leaving me alone for a while. I need time to figure all of this out on my own."

"Fine," he reluctantly agreed. "I'll back off."

"Good." Beth walked away, not giving him a chance to say anything else.

Randy shook his head. She has every right to be freaking out, he told himself. Just give her time, like she asked. Randy couldn't help but wonder just how much time it would take.