Frank perks up. “Madame Jeanette is a witch?I knew it.”
Victor gives Frank a pointed look before he continues. “These guys are my family. I trust each of them. I love each of them in my own way. How could you ask me to give all that up?”
Superior Charles taps his foot while he thinks. He walks over to his bar and pulls out a bottle from a hidden compartment. “This life is difficult to be a part of. You see, mundane.” He turnsto look at Victor’s friends. “No offense . . . one thing you don’t understand is Victor will no longer age with any of you.”
Superior Charles pours himself a shot, then downs it. “As Victor continues to use magic, his aging process will slow down. By the time you turn 70, he may still look as he does now.” He pours himself another drink. “Look at me. I’m over 147 years old. But I look like I’m in my mid-50s. Are you saying it’s okay for him to watch all of you die while he continues to live on?”
“Why should any of that matter?” Elliott asks.
Superior Charles looks over at Elliott. “Did you not see what happened at the restaurant? Your attachment to him put you in danger.”
“But we weren’t seriously hurt,” Elliott responds. “He even protected us.”
“And what about his eyes?” Superior Jackie mentions as she walks forward.
“What about them?” Frank asks.
“Did that not startle you?” Superior Jackie responds. “Seeing his eyes change colors or even become completely blacked out?”
Victor’s friends look at each other and then over to Victor.
“You see, you all had to stop and think about what you just witnessed. Heliterallyhad to murder two witches to protect himself and each of you. Do you think you can continue to witness something like that as you stay friends?” Superior Jackie asks Victor’s friends.
“It was self-defense,” Lupe remarks. “I might have done the same if my life had been threatened. It’s a ‘mundane’ instinct to fight or flight.”
“May I interject?” Leo asks as he stands up. “Victor’s friends do care about him. And although I mostly agree that we should not mingle with the mundane, his friends are . . . special.” Leo looks over at Victor as he continues. “When Victor was out cold after the attack at Otsu, I responded to all their texts as if Iwere Victor. I knew if I didn’t, someone would be breaking down Victor’s door to make sure he was still alive.My bet would be on Amber.”
“I would also bet on Amber,” Elliott adds, trying to lighten the mood.
“Oh, my money is definitely on Amber,” Lupe comments.
Leo rolls his eyes before he returns his attention to everyone in the room. “What we are asking him to do is not as easy for him as it would be for any of us. Look at them now. Yes, they are shocked about what happened tonight, but they trusted Victor enough to walk through a mirror to an unknown location. They could have run when they got the chance. But they stayed, knowing they were in danger, all because they care for Victor.”
Superior Charles looks at Elliott and Frank. “Want some from my personal distillery?” Elliott and Frank look at one another, unsure about the request. Superior Charles chuckles as he opens a second hidden compartment. “Don’t worry, it’s available in stores at $150 a bottle.”
“Is that a peace offering?” Victor inquires.
“In a way,” Superior Charles responds as he pours two glasses.
Akisha finally speaks up as she walks further into the room. “You know, Superiors, the mundane are right. We are asking a lot from Victor. He has lived among them his entire life.” She looks over to Victor’s friends. “You four understand that Victor’s life will always be in danger? Will you be a support system for him as he learns how powerful he can be? These aren’t parlor tricks; this isrealmagic. You saw it with your own eyes tonight. Witches and warlocks are real. We remain in hiding because of the mundane’s fear towards us.”
Superior Charles turns to Akisha. “Have you forgotten how dangerous the mundane are? Or how many were lost during several riots worldwide that were used to cover up the witch hunts?”
“Excuse me, may I come in?” Everyone turns around and sees an older woman standing in the doorway.
“Elder Maggie,” Superior Charles says as he stands up straight. “Yes, please come in.”
Elder Maggie slowly enters the room while smiling at everyone. “I don’t mean to eavesdrop, but I could hear you all the way in my study. I’m sure by now that the entire coven knows we have non-magic folk here.”
“I’m sorry, Elder Maggie, we didn’t mean to disturb you,” Superior Charles remarks.
“It’s alright, dear.” Elder Maggie keeps walking towards Victor. She studies him for a moment before she speaks. “I don’t know how we lost our ways. If you remember, Charles, I too lived with the mundane. On more than one occasion, I had relationships with mundane men.”
Superior Jackie walks closer to the older woman. “Elder Maggie, you know we had to protect ourselves from the religious. Especially after the Salem Trials.”
“I remember, dear,” Elder Maggie comments. “I was there during those trials.”
“Excuse me, Elder Maggie,” Lupe interrupts. “How old are you?”
