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Authors: Mia Marshall
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the cool garage attached to the main house. I had nothing.
Sera’s fire was absolutely useless in close proximity to gunpowder. I could fill the gun barrel with water, but as my entire knowledge of firearms came from 80s action films, I had no idea what that would achieve. For the moment, I had to trust that a couple of fit, carefully made-up suburban wives would explore tidier options before resorting to homicide.
“Who sent you?” Sera’s head jerked toward the woman asking the questions. She was a bronzed Amazon goddess, her body seeming to consist of nothing but long red hair, lean muscles, and spray tan, her beauty as carefully constructed as Carmen’s was wild and natural. Carmen stood behind this unfamiliar woman with her arms crossed. The remainder of the book club had been asked to wait inside, which might be a bad sign. When people started removing potential witnesses, there was reason to be nervous.
Sera, of course, refused to answer, leaving a gaping silence I rushed to fill. “You know, it seems like the first question a harmless book club would ask might be ‘who are you,’ or perhaps ‘why the hell were you on my roof’?” I barely had time to appreciate my own retort before my head snapped back and pain shot through my jaw.
Fire came instantly to attention, hissing and crackling, demanding release. It shot upwards along my spine, warming my flesh and bone with its touch and coiling tightly around my mind. My vision narrowed until I only saw a woman standing before me, begging to be set alight. My palms tingled, and heat worked its way into my fingers, seeking release. For a moment, I vanished completely, and the other self took over. I felt fire’s grin spread across my face, its sharp gaze peer through my eyes.
It was pure, joyous power, and it was terrifying.
The woman standing before me took a small step backwards, and Carmen tensed. No one ever seemed to fear my water side, but the first glimpse of fire brought these women to attention, even if they didn’t understand why.
The pain in my jaw subsided to a dull throb, and I began to remember myself. I could almost hear Vivian’s voice, whispering that I needed to find balance. With great concentration, I forced the seething mass into submission before my fingers could start sparking and give me away. It resisted, whimpering and demanding freedom, and I took several slow breaths before it reluctantly quieted. The fire withdrew slowly, whispering promises for our future the whole way.
I knew I should worry about this, but at the moment I had a good reason for avoidance. I figured I’d deal with the shotgun and current crazy bitch first, dual magics and future crazy bitch second.
“That wasn’t necessary.” I rubbed my still-sore jaw and suspected I’d need to spend some time in the water to avoid an impressive bruise.
She spoke carefully, watching me the whole time. “You were trespassing on my property. I had every right to shoot you. Be grateful I’m a reasonable woman.”
“Let me have a moment, Diane.” Carmen’s voice was quiet, not intended for our ears, but it was also calm and altogether lacking any hint of menace. “I don’t believe they’re here for you.” Diane met her eyes, and a long, silent conversation passed between the two women.
Diane stepped back, the gun still trained on us. Carmen turned another metal chair and straddled it backwards, folding her arms across the top. It was a strange juxtaposition, her tidy sweater set and chinos against the informal pose. “Alone,” she clarified. “They’re two young women, Diane. What do you think they could do to me?” She placed a tiny emphasis on that last word.
Again, that look passed between them. Carmen appeared confident and certain, while Diane looked almost bitter. I didn’t understand it, but I didn’t expect to feel much empathy for the woman who punched me in the mouth. She left the garage slowly, walking backwards the entire way, daring us to
Sera’s fire was absolutely useless in close proximity to gunpowder. I could fill the gun barrel with water, but as my entire knowledge of firearms came from 80s action films, I had no idea what that would achieve. For the moment, I had to trust that a couple of fit, carefully made-up suburban wives would explore tidier options before resorting to homicide.
“Who sent you?” Sera’s head jerked toward the woman asking the questions. She was a bronzed Amazon goddess, her body seeming to consist of nothing but long red hair, lean muscles, and spray tan, her beauty as carefully constructed as Carmen’s was wild and natural. Carmen stood behind this unfamiliar woman with her arms crossed. The remainder of the book club had been asked to wait inside, which might be a bad sign. When people started removing potential witnesses, there was reason to be nervous.
Sera, of course, refused to answer, leaving a gaping silence I rushed to fill. “You know, it seems like the first question a harmless book club would ask might be ‘who are you,’ or perhaps ‘why the hell were you on my roof’?” I barely had time to appreciate my own retort before my head snapped back and pain shot through my jaw.
Fire came instantly to attention, hissing and crackling, demanding release. It shot upwards along my spine, warming my flesh and bone with its touch and coiling tightly around my mind. My vision narrowed until I only saw a woman standing before me, begging to be set alight. My palms tingled, and heat worked its way into my fingers, seeking release. For a moment, I vanished completely, and the other self took over. I felt fire’s grin spread across my face, its sharp gaze peer through my eyes.
It was pure, joyous power, and it was terrifying.
The woman standing before me took a small step backwards, and Carmen tensed. No one ever seemed to fear my water side, but the first glimpse of fire brought these women to attention, even if they didn’t understand why.
The pain in my jaw subsided to a dull throb, and I began to remember myself. I could almost hear Vivian’s voice, whispering that I needed to find balance. With great concentration, I forced the seething mass into submission before my fingers could start sparking and give me away. It resisted, whimpering and demanding freedom, and I took several slow breaths before it reluctantly quieted. The fire withdrew slowly, whispering promises for our future the whole way.
I knew I should worry about this, but at the moment I had a good reason for avoidance. I figured I’d deal with the shotgun and current crazy bitch first, dual magics and future crazy bitch second.
“That wasn’t necessary.” I rubbed my still-sore jaw and suspected I’d need to spend some time in the water to avoid an impressive bruise.
She spoke carefully, watching me the whole time. “You were trespassing on my property. I had every right to shoot you. Be grateful I’m a reasonable woman.”
“Let me have a moment, Diane.” Carmen’s voice was quiet, not intended for our ears, but it was also calm and altogether lacking any hint of menace. “I don’t believe they’re here for you.” Diane met her eyes, and a long, silent conversation passed between the two women.
Diane stepped back, the gun still trained on us. Carmen turned another metal chair and straddled it backwards, folding her arms across the top. It was a strange juxtaposition, her tidy sweater set and chinos against the informal pose. “Alone,” she clarified. “They’re two young women, Diane. What do you think they could do to me?” She placed a tiny emphasis on that last word.
Again, that look passed between them. Carmen appeared confident and certain, while Diane looked almost bitter. I didn’t understand it, but I didn’t expect to feel much empathy for the woman who punched me in the mouth. She left the garage slowly, walking backwards the entire way, daring us to
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