“Sit back down before I tase your asshole next,” said Jolie.
He sat.
“He’s right, Jo, we can’t do anything about it. He took…” Ophelia counted the statues quietly. “Eleven women’s souls. Likely raped or molested each one to do it too, and we can’t do a thing about it.”
“I’ll stop, I swear. I know it’s wrong,” said Mateo desperately.
“Ophelia, I have a brilliant idea,” said Jolie as if she were just coming up with it. “What if fuckface over here is turned into a statue? A little taste of his own medicine.”
Mateo got up swiftly and ran toward the exit. He wouldn’t get far though. Jolie had popped the tires of his car while Ophelia was inside, plus Jolie was a fast runner. Even faster than Ophelia. Jo caught up with him within a second, and as soon as she grabbed his shoulder, he turned to stone.
Ophelia couldn’t believe her eyes, and neither could Jolie. This was their plan all along, but Ophelia had never seen Jolie turn something, and Jolie had never turned a living being before.
“I guess it works,” Jolie said in wonder.
CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR
“Holy shit,” said Ophelia. “Jo, are you okay?”
“Yeah,” breathed Jolie, unclasping her hand from Mateo’s now-marble shoulder. “Are you?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
“God, it stinks in here,” said Jolie.
“Ya think? Open the door, will ya?” asked Ophelia. Jolie walked around stone-cold Mateo and pushed the door open, letting the cool fall air in.
They both breathed in the fresh air. Then their eyes snapped to each other, that inexplicable sisterly pull. Thousands of thoughts passed between them. They didn’t need to say it. Perhaps they’d discuss it later or deal with it on their own. But they had just killed someone, and they both knew now was not the time to think about what that meant for them as morally conscious humans.
Jolie broke the silence.
“Ready to destroy the statues?” asked Jolie.
Ophelia contemplated the question. “I think…I think I can free them, Jo. I don’t know for sure, but I’m worried if we destroy them, their souls will be destroyed too.”
Ophelia walked over to the curvy woman with curly hair. She centered herself again and placed both hands on the woman’sshoulders and began. Her mind and heart dove into the statue, searching for a way to pull out the soul. She could feel it alive within the statue. It was gravely wounded and small, but there. She tried to coax the soul out, but it wouldn’t move.
“It’s not working,” she said, frustrated.
“Try again,” encouraged Jolie. Ophelia took a deep breath and placed her hands on the woman again. Ophelia recentered herself to find her peace and openness. Instead of pulling the soul out, she wondered if the soul would come to her. She waited and waited for what felt like hours. Finally, the soul became curious, and she felt the soul’s presence come to the surface. The stone around her hands glowed, and she gently pulled them away from the statue, bringing the energy with her. The soul formed a ball in her hand, shining and shimmering an iridescent blue. On instinct, Ophelia lifted her hands and the energy floated into the air and dissolved into a million pieces.
The sisters stood in stunned silence.
“One down, ten more to go,” said Jolie.
We’ll be here all night at this rate. How long was I working on her?”
“Fifteen-ish minutes.”
“Shit. This is going to take a while, and I’m already wiped,” admitted Ophelia.
“We can come back tomorrow,” Jolie offered.
“Absolutely not. I never want to come here again. We do this tonight.” Ophelia pulled her phone out and called Etienne.
“Who are you calling?” Jolie asked, but Ophelia ignored her.
“Hello,” Etienne answered.
