I doomscrolled through social media apps as I waited, glancing down the hallway every few seconds to be sure Vada hadn’t woken up in search of me. I still wasn’t sure why I was so concerned about it, other than not wanting to have that awkward morning-after conversation. This town wasn’t that big, and I’d have to face her eventually.
Maren’s door closing disrupted my thoughts, and she handed me the bottle. I nodded at her gratefully, popped the cap, and slammed the whole drink in one go. It tasted like ass, and I cringed, but the room started to stabilize. I let out a sigh of relief. It wouldn’t completely fix the hangover, but the brain fog lifting already helped me function better. Italmostrivaled biscuits and gravy as a hangover cure. Not quite, but close enough.
“I hope you have a better day than I’m already having, Maren. You’re a godsend,” I said gratefully as I tossed the empty bottle into my bag to throw away later.
“It’s no bother. I’ve been as hungover as you are today many times. The perks of being a witch is that I always have a little something on hand,” she smirked.
“Our local drug dealer,” I smiled back at the joke we’d been telling Maren for years. “I mean, how many St. Paddy’s Day celebrations have I gone to at this point? I don’t think I’ve ever been that drunk,” I laughed, pulling my unruly red hair out of my face and tucking it behind my pointed ears.
“Well, there’s a time for everything. I’ll catch you later?” Maren said, waving at me.
“Sure. I’ll let you know when I’ve had the chance to meet with Hecate. Bye, Maren,” I replied.
Sephy:
Bitch, you okay? I haven’t heard from you yet today.
Your car wasn’t in front of your house this morning.
Poe:
Yeah, for real. You’re always home . Did you finally get laid?
Daedalus:
Y’all. It’s too early for this shit.
Daela, let these twats know when you get home. I need to go sleep for a decade.
Me:
Shit, sorry guys. I just woke up in someone else’s bed ? I’m in The Grove, but I’m on my way back.I’ll be home in 20.
I hopped into my car seat, not paying a damned bit of attention to anything around me. Adjusting myself in the seat, I let out a relieved sigh that my old ass didn’t drive my car home last night. I started to put my seatbelt on, but leaned back against the car seat and just took a few breaths instead, trying to remember what happened last night.
My house was my happy place. It was the one place in all the universes where I could tear my mask off and be myself without the weight of responsibilities on my shoulders. I spent as much of my free time here as I could, which admittedly wasn’t a lot. I wasn’t always a people person. I much preferred to lay around my house in the solitude I’d built for myself over the years.
Nestled in a tiny village just outside of the city, it was the unofficial land of theCatervae Pax. Everyone who lived in the neighborhood was part of the leadership of thePax’s factions at one point. Much like the rest of the city, each house was brick with red clay tile roofing. The homes appeared as if they were built from the forest. It reminded me of home—a place I was no longer able to go back to without repercussions. We called it The Sanctuary.
Maniacal laughter coming from my neighbor and best friend Poe’s house changed my course. It was still too early for her to be awake. She was sitting on her front porch with a coffee in hand, wrangling her son Michael into a headlock. Somehow, she never even spilled a drop. Laughing, I shouted over, “What are you two doing?”
Poe huffed while struggling to keep Michael pinned underher arm. “This little turd decided that today was the day he would try flying for the first time. His wings haven’t come in yet, so color me surprised when I woke up to a vision of my son—” she stared pointedly at the twelve-year-old “—on the roof as if he could fall and find his wings.”
Michael’s face reddened, sheepish. He was growing like a weed. “I was just trying to understand aerodynamics. I wasn’t actually going to jump,” he complained.
I snorted, “Sure, dude. I believe in you. Let’s be a little more careful for now, yeah?”
Michael nodded before meandering off. Turning back to Poe, I pursed my lips, “He’s growing like a weed.”
Poe replied with a quiet, “Yeah.”
She was continually surprised by her wild child. Michael was a good kid, if not a little bit mischievous, and he was always testing everything with a curiosity that rivaled a cat. She definitely had her hands full with that one.
Atropos hadn’t even known why she was the one to birth him, the reincarnated Archangel. Likely because it was by her hand that he left before his time. Poe was short for Atropos. She was one third of the Moirai, or the Fates. Michael and Poe weren’t even part of the same pantheon. The Great War was hard on us all, but the punishments Fate dealt to Atropos had been astronomical. She loved Michael with her entire being, though. I figured that was what Fate had been trying to do—find the heart inside someone whose sole responsibility was to cut the strings of life when it was time.
We sat quietly for a few moments, both lost in our thoughts. Slapping her knees to stand up, Poe nodded back toward my house. She was practically vibrating at the chance to corner me about last night. I rolled my eyes and beckoned her over to my place.
“I know you already have coffee, but if you’d like somemore, I can make you a latte,” I said as we made our way onto my porch.
