“I think I should go check on him,” Amber says, getting up from the couch.
“You’re going to fly to Phoenix to see him?” Lupe asks, discouraged by Amber’s overreaction.
“If I have to, I will,” Amber responds as she heads to the bedroom. “Just call Elliott. He lives closer to Victor,” Lupe suggests.
Victor tries to speak to them, but they still can’t hear him.“Guys, I’m right here. I’m standing right in front of you.”
“Elliott is on back-to-back trips right now,” Amber mentions from the bedroom. “He won’t be home until Thursday.”
“Then ask Frank to go,” Lupe offers. “Doesn’t he live in Phoenix too?”
Suddenly, Victor is back in his hotel room. Leo is holding Victor by the arms; his face filled with worry. “Victor, are you okay?”
Victor shakes his head out of his trance. He notices the maid is gone, and it’s just the two of them. “Y-Yeah. At least, I think I’m okay.”
“You looked like you were a million miles away,” Leo says with concern.
Victor still feels a little dizzy. He walks over to the wet bar and grabs a bottle of water. “For a moment, I was looking at Amber and Lupe. I think I was in their home.”
Leo perks up. “You were visiting your friends?”
“I guess, but they couldn’t hear me,” Victor responds.
“Victor, you just had your first astral projecting experience,” Leo smiles widely.
Victor looks at Leo with a perplexed expression. “What? I was astral projecting? I thought I was imagining things.”
Leo grabs Victor’s arms and squeezes with excitement. “No, you were there with them. How was it? Did you feel your body tingle all over?”
“No, I didn’t feel anything. But I could hear them,” Victor explains.
“Wow! That’s not easy to accomplish on the first time,” Leo exclaims.
Victor walks over to his phone and feels depressed. “I guess I’m just missing my friends. They are really worried about me. This is the longest I’ve ever been apart from them.” Victor starts reading over the text messages, feeling lonely, even though Leo is there with him. He wants to respond, giving them some relief and not to call for a wellness check, but he doesn’t know how to respond. Victor can’t tell his friends he’s a warlock, can he? Deep down, he knows he can’t, but his friends are like his family. He doesn’t like keeping secrets from them.
Leo walks up behind Victor and places a hand on Victor’s shoulder. “I think you should start thinking about cutting ties with them. The sooner you do it, the easier it is to move on.”
Victor shrugs Leo’s hand off his shoulder and turns to look at Leo. “I’ve known these guys for a while. Elliott and I became flight attendants together almost 10 years ago. I’ve known Lucas since high school. How am I supposed to throw away all these years of friendship?”
Leo takes a seat on the couch and sighs. “The mundane won’t understand, and it’s natural for them to fear us. Need I remind you that we age slower than them? By the time you’re in your 70s, you will still appear to be in your 30s. You will see your friends pass away before you.”
Victor sits on the other side of the couch while Leo continues. “Do you know how old Superior Charles is? He’s 147, but he looks in his late 50s, which is surprising, considering how much he smokes and drinks. Madame Jeanette is just over 100. She’s lived in Louisiana her entire life. And she tends to keep to herself because that’s the only way she can detach herself from society. Her ability makes it difficult for her to make friends, including with people of magic.”
Victor looks down at his phone, seeing all his friends’ social media posts. “When are we leaving?”
Leo sees that Victor is depressed and sighs deeply. “We don’t need to go to your next lesson for another week. Tell you what, why don’t we take a break? You go home and see your friends.”
Victor lights up at Leo’s offer. “Really? I can go home for a while?”
“Yes, but I’m coming with you. I need to watch out for you in case something happens,” Leo explains.
Victor slumps his shoulders like a pouty teenage girl. “Aw, come on. Really?”
Leo stands up and buttons his jacket. “Yes, really. Make sure you get everything ready. I’ll make arrangements for us to go to Phoenix.”
Leo walks back to his room and closes the connecting door behind him. He is startled when he sees someone sitting at the dining table. “Damn it, Derek! What did I tell you about sneaking up on me?”
Derek is a cleanly shaved man with thick brown hair and green eyes. He is wearing a grey windowpane suit, a light pink shirt, and a dark pink tie. He looks at Leo as though he suspects something.
