Part Eighteen of The Stitched AU
A JSE Fanfic
[This is part of a completed fanfic series of mine with 24 total chapters. I started this October of 2018 and finished it May of 2021. It appears the boys' magical activities have attracted some unwanted attention.]
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It was 6:45 am, and Chase had been awake for three hours. He’d been staring up at the ceiling the whole time, listening to the sound of JJ’s slight snores as he tried to get his mind to shut off. Of course, eventually, it was a lost cause, and sat up, looking around the dark room.
He’d been sharing the guest bedroom with JJ and Jack, usually spending the night on the spare air mattress with a sleeping bag. Though it appeared he’d fallen asleep on the actual bed this time. JJ had fallen asleep on the mattress instead, and Jack was nowhere to be seen. Chase couldn’t help but feel guilt curl in his stomach. Standing up, he grabbed his cap, adjusted his bandanna, which he’d apparently fallen asleep in, and quietly slipped out.
Stacy was in the kitchen (also dark, perhaps there was an issue with the power,) shoving the last dregs of cereal into her mouth. She paused for a moment, glancing towards Chase as he entered, then continued. “Uh…hey,” Chase muttered.
“Hey,” Stacy replied. She was wearing her work uniform, the simple skirt and apron that designated her as a waitress at the Dish and Glass diner. “So I have to leave literally right now.”
“Okay.”
“You remember how you promised we’d talk about everything going on with you once I got home, right?”
“Yeah.”
“And also the power’s gone out. I think it must be a problem with the city grid, cause I looked at the fuse box and it seems alright.”
“Okay.”
“…okay, then.” Stacy finished off the cereal, dropping the spoon with a clatter. She stood up, grabbing her purse and jacket from the nearby chair. Chase followed her as she went into the living room and opened the front door. Before she left, Stacy hesitated, and looked back. “You’re not…thinking about doing anything…?” She trailed off.
“Anything what?” Chase asked.
Stacy shrugged. The motion, usually so blunt and casual, seemed more hesitant than usual. “I don’t know. Just…” She sighed. “I hate to bring up old wounds, you know, but…after everything happened, with us, you just sort of…and then…never mind. Just don’t do anything…you shouldn’t.”
Chase nodded slowly. There was a small ache in his chest. “I’m not…being serious about doing anything…I shouldn’t.”
“Um…good.” Stacy nodded. “I’ll see you this afternoon.”
“See you.”
After Stacy left, Chase walked over to the nearest armchair and sat down hard. A few minutes passed. And suddenly, he laughed. “Perfect, now I’m staring at the living room ceiling instead of the bedroom ceiling. Fucking awesome. The patterns here are so much more interesting.”
“Well you do not need to rub it in.”
“Aaak—!” Chase jumped, flailing for a bit before looking over at the sofa. Schneep was laying on it, mostly covered by a blanket. If Chase didn’t know any better, he’d think that Schneep was also staring at the ceiling. “Jesus, man, I’m sorry, didn’t see you there.”
Schneep waved away his comment. “Is fine. I did not say anything.” He fell silent for a moment. “So. I could not help but overhear you two talking.”
“Oh, uh, did we wake you up? Sorry.”
“Not you, Stacy did. She was getting ready.” Schneep turned his head towards Chase. “This is not the point. Are you…Chase, are you okay?”
“I…yeah, I’m fine. Relatively, I mean.” Chase swallowed a lump in his throat.
“Hmm.” Schneep narrowed his eyes. “You said ‘I am not being serious about doing anything I shouldn’t.’”
“Well, I’m not,” Chase protested. “I just…sometimes things happen.”
Schneep didn’t answer for a moment. The silence weighed heavy in the early morning light. “Sometimes they are just thoughts, Chase,” he finally said, almost too quiet to be heard.
Chase sighed quietly and didn’t say anything. It just felt like everything was crushing him right now. Slowly. “I said something awful to Jay before you showed up,” he said quietly.
“Really?” Schneep answered in the same quiet tone.
“I didn’t mean it. It was just…things were getting heated. A-and now I don’t…don’t know what to say to fix it. I tried to apologize. It…came out wrong.”
Schneep paused. “Perhaps you just need more time?”
Chase shook his head. “I don’t think so.”
“Then you just need to find the right words.”
“I don’t know how,” Chase breathed.
“Well…then it is a good thing you have other friends, yes?” Schneep asked. “If you need an impartial…judge is not the correct word, but anyway, I was not there. I could—”
The doorbell rang.
Chase jumped again, then couldn’t help but chuckle. “Oh my god, the worst timing.” Sighing, he leaned back into chairs. “Probably sales people or something.”
“Ach.” Schneep scowled. “Ignore them. Always trying to sell you things.”
A smile pulled at the corner of Chase’s mouth. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s what sales people do.”
Another ring, followed by a few knocks. “Persistent, whoever they are,” Schneep commented.
“Yeah.” Chase stood up. He was pretty sure that sales people waited at least a few minutes before ringing the doorbell again. He was pretty sure that most people did. “I’ll check it out.” Sighing, he walked up to the door and cracked it open.
An older woman in a neat navy-blue suit was standing at the door, dark hair swept to the back in a braid. She looked very out of place in the family-oriented suburb Stacy’s house was located in. “Hello, my name is Delyth Mae, I’m from the Department of Safety on the local City Council,” she said smoothly.
Chase blinked. “Uh…hi.”
Delyth nodded. “I’m out here with a team. It seems there have been some unusual radiation readings in this neighborhood.”
“…uh-huh.” Chase didn’t know what else to say. He was well aware that most people would’ve been at least a little concerned, but he’d been through worse. At least radiation wasn’t going to kill you right away. Or make you kill other people. Or—
“Ah, well.” Delyth seemed a bit…uncomfortable with Chase’s odd reaction. No, it wasn’t quite uncomfortable. Concerned? Maybe. Interested? Yes, in some way. “Anyway, we’ve traced these readings to this house. May my team and I come inside to see what the problem is?”
“Um…” Chase caught movement in the corner of his eye. He glanced over to see Schneep, now standing up, eyes narrowed and facing the door. “One second,” Chase said, closing the door before Delyth could protest. “What’s wrong?” He asked Schneep.
“I…she feels…different,” Schneep said slowly.
Chase blinked. “‘Feels different’ in the way that you couldn’t feel Jackie or Marvin and they turned out to be…?”
“I suppose.” Schneep folded her arms. “Well, I can feel her, but it is different. It is…spicy.”
Chase stifled a laugh, turning it into an awkward snort. “Spicy?”
“It is the best I can do, okay?” Schneep snapped. “Is…scharf, it verbrennt deine Nase.”
“Why are you talking about noses?”
“Look, do not let her in, okay?” Schneep headed to the hall. “I will wake up the others, I think they must know.”
“Uh, okay.” Chase opened the door again. Delyth Mae was standing there, looking over her shoulder. It was then that Chase noticed the unfamiliar gray van parked on the side of the street. There was a logo on it that read “Department of Safety,” but for some reason, that didn’t reassure him. He’d never heard of the Department of Safety before. “So…” he said, and Delyth immediately turned back to look at him. “This is, uh…actually my ex’s house. And I just remembered, she left for work a few minutes ago. I don’t really want to let anyone inside without her here, you know?”
“That’s very understandable, sir,” Delyth nodded. “But this will only take a few moments, and it really is in the best interest of her, and you.”
“Yeah, uh…can you come back this afternoon? She’ll be back after three.”
Delyth went silent, eyes darting around Chase to try and catch a glimpse of the inside of the house. Then she smiled. “Very well, sir. But if I may ask, may one of my team members take reading from this threshold?”
“You mean, like, on the step?” Chase considered this briefly. That couldn’t really do anything, could it? “Sure, I guess.”
“Excellent.” Delyth turned and waved at the van. Its passenger side door opened, and a younger man, dressed neatly but not as formally as a suit, stepped out and rushed up to the doorway.
“Hi,” Chase said idly. “I’m just gonna, uh, stand here while you…” he trailed off. The young man’s eyes were yellow. No, they weren’t just yellow, they were glowing. How were they glowing? That was odd, but it was…oddly pretty…
The effect was almost instant. Chase found himself relaxing, almost falling over. It was like being wrapped in a warm, familiar blanket.
“Man, that was easy. Barely did anything.”
“Yes yes, can we go inside now?”
“Hey. Let us in.”
Chase stood aside, pushing the door open. A moment later, Delyth walked inside, followed by the man with the glowing yellow eyes and, a few minutes later, another young lady who looked quite similar to the other man. Chase blinked. What…just hap—
He screamed.
The three strangers stopped in their tracks, spinning around to look at him. “What—?” Delyth couldn’t even finish the question, watching in disbelief as Chase suddenly sank to the floor, pressing his hands to his neck and hyperventilating.
“Oh my god, Tavish, what did you do?!” The young woman said.
“I don’t know! Nobody’s ever reacted like that before!” The young man protested.
“Enough!” Delyth snapped. “You two, go search the place! I’ll deal with this.” The other two nodded, and disappeared further into the house while Delyth kneeled next to Chase. “Sir, I understand this is probably overwhelming, but—”
Chase’s hand suddenly shot out and grabbed her jacket, yanking her close. “What the fuck are you?!” He shouted, blinking back sudden tears. “Why are you here? Can’t we have one fucking place that’s safe?!”
“Sir.” Delyth remained remarkably calm, carefully pulling her suit fabric out of Chase’s fist. “It’s okay, we mean no harm. We’re magicians.”
Everything froze for a moment, Chase’s whirling thoughts grinding to a sudden halt. Then he started to laugh. “Ohhh of fucking course! Of course of course of course—” Any recognizable words disappeared into hysterical gasping.
“I understand it’s a lot to take in,” Delyth said evenly. “And I do apologize for making Monroe put you under suggestion. But this is an urgent matter. We’ve been tracking an unusual—sir, please remember to breathe. Evenly. Count the seconds if you must.” She reached out to put her hands on Chase’s shoulder, and he slapped her arms away. “Alright, then. Even breaths, sir.”
Chase ducked his head, pulling up his knees so he could hide his face. His shoulders shook with the effort to control his breathing. It was just—magicians. How did none of them ever think of magicians? Of course if Marvin and Jackie could do magic, then other people would be able to, as well. They weren’t special. JJ had tons of magic books, too. Where else would he have gotten them except from magicians? After a few more seconds, Chase looked up at Delyth, who was waiting patiently. “What,” he hissed, “do you want?”
“We’ve been tracking an unusual magical signature for the past two weeks or so,” Delyth explained. “It has been wandering around, but we did a more in-depth scan last night and found that it’s now stopped here.”
“An unusual…?” Chase repeated, mumbling. Well, he could think of at least six things that could be referring to.
A loud THUD! came from down the hall.
Delyth’s head snapped towards the sound. She immediately stood up and ran towards it. Chase sat, puzzled for a moment, until it hit him like a bucket of cold water: the others. He scrambled to his feet and ran after her.
The door to the guest bedroom was flung open wide, a blue glow emitting from the doorway. Chase and Delyth ran inside, both stopping soon after. The two young magicians were facing Jack, Schneep, and JJ, who were pressed against the wall. The magicians’ eyes were glowing, and the woman had her hand extended, holding a long, white…wand, that was the only word for it. Flakes of ice blue magic drifted around it. A bright blue circle was shielding the other three, curving around them. JJ had his hands extended as well, clearly holding the shield in place. His mask was missing and his hair and clothes were a mess, but he wasn’t faltering. Schneep stood next to him, holding his scissors like he was ready to stab with them at any moment, his scleras strangely black. Jack was behind the two of them, and the first to notice when Chase and Delyth entering. “Chase!” he yelled. “What’s going on?!”
“Uhh I wish I knew,” Chase said. “These guys are like…magicians.”
“Yes, we are magicians,” Delyth repeated absentmindedly. “Nairne, what happened? I heard a noise.”
The young woman—Nairne, apparently—gestured with her head towards the bed. The nightstand had been knocked over and thrown a foot away. Pale blue magic was spreading like frost along the wall and floor. “We heard talking in here, and when we came to check it out, this crazy guy attacked us!”
“Excuse me, you threw that magic at us BEFORE I pushed you!” Schneep spoke up, protesting.
The young man—Tavish—scoffed. “Oh hell no, we just walked in and you flipped out!”
“I did not make it physical!”
“Everyone calm down!” Delyth shouted. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Tavish, can you run the seek again?”
Tavish nodded, eyes flashing yellow once before he closed them, muttering words under his breath. After a moment, he pointed at Schneep. “It’s coming from him.” He then moved a bit to point at Jack. “He kind of has a signature, too, but it’s a lot different, and weaker.”
“Wait, what?” Jack said. “Signature?”
Delyth nodded, like she was expecting this. “You two give off distinct magical signatures. We’ve been trying to pin down this one for a while.”
Jack laughed. “Oh yeah, we have magic fingerprints, not the guy holding up the shield, that makes sense.” He glanced at JJ, who shrugged.
“No, the warlock has one, too,” Tavish said. “But it’s not what we were looking for.”
“Hey, uh, don’t take this the wrong way,” Chase jumped in. “But I really don’t like having this discussion while that lady is pointing her magic wand at my friends.”
Nairne shot Chase a nasty glare. “Well I don’t like putting my wand down while your friend is trying to stab me with scissors.”
“I was not going to stab you!” Schneep protested. “Not unless I had to!”
“Alright, look.” Delyth’s eyes flashed purple, and she stomped her foot. The ground shook, and Nairne and Schneep dropped their things. “There. We’re all even, can we discuss this civilly?”
JJ nodded, and lowered the shield. He looked around at his friends. 'I think this has been a misunderstanding,' he said. 'They might work for the ABIM. I’ve never met anyone from them, but I know they mean well.'
“Um…” Tavish coughed awkwardly. “Sorry, are you deaf?”
“I think the signing has something to do with the…situation going on with his mouth,” Nairne muttered.
“Ah yes, the…stitch-uation,” Tavish chuckled.
Everyone else winced. JJ glared at him. 'Of course, that doesn’t stop them from being insensitive pricks.' He finished off the statement with a gesture that you didn’t need to know sign to grasp the meaning of.
“Hey!” Tavish protested.
“Bit of a dick move there, dick,” Nairne said.
“Completely unprofessional,” Delyth said, leveling Tavish with a glare. “Do you want another citation?”
“No!” Tavish rushed to say. “No, not—” He turned to Jameson. “I-I’m sorry.”
JJ didn’t say anything, just folded his arms.
“Ummm anyway,” Jack said, walking around to stand beside JJ instead of behind him. “What was that you were saying? Those letters…ABIM?”
“The Association of British and Irish Magicians,” Delyth said coolly. “Yes, we represent them. For the past two weeks, we’ve been tracking down a strange magical signature.”
“She said that earlier,” Chase said, edging around the magicians to go stand with the other three.
“This investigation was spurred because someone teleported into the midst of our library, which is warded strongly, and should prevent any teleportation.” Delyth’s eyes ran over the group of four. “I was there. I saw someone appear, then almost immediately disappear. Though I did not get a good look, I do think it was one of you.”
“It was me,” Schneep said, raising his hand. “Thank you, now I know that that really happened. Was my back to you? Otherwise I am sure you would remember the scars.”
“Yes, it was just the back, but I recognize your hair. Vaguely.” Delyth clasped her hands together. “Tavish here, though his attitude is something to be said, is one of our best trackers. We’ve been following your signature for a long time.”
“Look.” Schneep stepped forward, in front of the other three. “If I did something wrong, I did not know that I did. I…was still getting used to my abilities. They were going hay-wired. I apologize if I troubled you, but do not bring the others into this.”
Delyth said nothing. Tavish and Nairne stared at her, waiting for a response. Then, slowly, she nodded. “I see. So you don’t know.”
Schneep paused. “Know what?”
“There is an…oddly high amount of soul magic in the city,” Delyth stated.
There was another small pause. “Okay…?” Jack said. “Is that a problem?”
“It is…strange.” Delyth said slowly. “There is only one soul magician in Mirygale, and she has nothing to do with this.”
JJ’s eyes widened. He turned to the others. 'Soul magic is very rare. It’s a talent you either have to be born with, or have accumulated throughout years of practice. So if there is a strangely high amount of rare soul magic in one given place, it may be cause for concern.'
“Um…” Nairne shifted on her feet. “Can we…can someone…?”
“JJ just explained that soul magic is rare,” Chase summarized.
“It is,” Delyth agreed. “And you two—” She pointed at Schneep and Jack. “—are giving off soul-based magical signatures.”
“How can something be soul-based?” Jack asked. “Doesn’t everyone have a soul?”
“Yeah, but not everyone has the right kind of magic that can mess with souls,” Tavish said. “It’s very distinct.”
“So you can understand why we’d want to figure out what’s going on,” Delyth said. “But it seems none of you know anything.”
Chase, Jack, and Schneep muttered in agreement, but JJ looked thoughtful. 'Jack, can you translate this question?' He asked. 'Can you ask them if a transference spell is soul-based?'
“Oh, uh, sure,” Jack said. “JJ just asked if a transference spell is soul-based.”
The three magicians went very still. “How do you know about that?” Delyth asked in a low voice.
“Uh…it’s a long story,” Jack said. “Why, is it…bad?”
“That is very dark magic,” Nairne muttered, glancing back at the other two.
“Something’s off about them,” Tavish said. “We should take them in!”
Suddenly Schneep was holding his scissors again. “Go ahead and try.”
“Hey, let’s not fight, how about?” Chase said, raising his voice. “I wasn’t lying about this being my ex’s house, and she won’t be happy to come back to it trashed. And the girls are still asleep—”
“Are there children in this house?!” Delyth suddenly asked, looking around.
“Yeah, two of them,” Chase said. “I’m assuming they’re still asleep, I might be wrong.”
While Delyth and Chase were talking, Nairne and Tavish exchanged a look. Tavish raised an eyebrow, and Nairne nodded. Nobody else noticed except for JJ, whose eyes narrowed in suspicion.
Nairne suddenly flung her hand outward, sending a spray of white-blue magic outward. JJ was already moving, conjuring up his shield a second time. The magic bounced off it, attaching itself to the walls on either side and and spreading.
“Hey!” Schneep’s head whipped toward Nairne. “That is cheating!”
“Guess you won’t like this either, then,” Tavish muttered, and made a throwing motion at the shield. A ball of yellow light attached itself to the bright blue glow. JJ barely had time to glance at it before the ball suddenly exploded outwards, shattering the shield and sending the four flying.
“What are you doing?!” Delyth’s composure snapped as she yelled at the other magicians.
Nairne bent over and scooped up her wand. “They’re suspicious as fuck, so we’re taking them in! That’s part of the regulations, Mae.”
Schneep suddenly appeared behind Nairne, scissors open wide and held very close to her throat. “You have shitty regulations, then.”
Tavish glanced over at Nairne, then elected to throw another ball of magic towards Jack and Chase. JJ intercepted it, catching the ball in a net of blue magic, which wrapped around it in a sphere and absorbed the explosion. Chase looked away from the flash of yellow, and notices that in the commotion, something fell out of the nightstand drawer. He lunged forward and grabbed the gun by the handle. “Can we all just calm down?!” Jack shouted.
Nairne pointed her wand over her shoulder, a bolt of icy magic shooting out from it and hitting Schneep in the face. He gasped and stumbled backwards, wiping the magic away. Tavish chuckled, and threw another ball over at Nairne and Schneep. Nairne dived away, but Schneep got caught in the blast. He flew through the air and hit the wall hard.
“Enough!” Delyth shouted, eyes starting to glow purple.
Schneep got to his feet. “Yes, enough!” His eyes flashed turquoise, and the world shifted.
The ground seemed to tilt, the air wavering and warping, blurring the surroundings. Chase, in the middle of standing up, fell back to his knees and covered his hand with his mouth. JJ staggered, arms pinwheeling. Jack squeezed his eyes shut.
And suddenly, the four of them weren’t in the house anymore. Instead, they found themselves in the living room of an apartment, one that was familiar to all of them, even though the room was dim, lit only by morning sunlight coming through the windows. Jack opened his eyes. “Schneep…did you somehow take us to your place?”
“Yes,” Schneep said plainly. He was unaffected by the journey.
JJ leaned against the back of the nearest sofa, looking around. 'Seems not much has changed,' he said.
Schneep nodded. “I try to keep it in order.”
Chase scrambled to his feet. “What the fuck, dude?! My kids are still there! With the crazy magicians!”
“I…ah.” Schneep coughed. “I did not think of that.”
“Chase, it’s okay,” Jack said, standing up. “You saw the way that…leader lady reacted to hearing the kids were in the house. She won’t involve them.”
“It’s not so much her that I’m worried about as the two other assholes,” Chase snapped.
'They were remarkably rude,' JJ signed, frowning.
“Ah…does anyone want something to eat?” Schneep hurriedly said. “I have been stocking the kitchen cabinets.”
Chase sighed, and collapsed on the room’s armchair. “Yeah…fine. I just…” He rubbed his face. “God, Stacy’s gonna be so pissed when she gets back.”
'Can she call you?' JJ asked. 'Do you have your phone?'
“Uh…” Chase checked his jean pockets, then his hoodie pocket. “Oh, yeah.” He pulled out his phone, turning on the screen. “It’s kinda low, though. I never got around to charging it last night.”
“Your phone?” Schneep asked.
“Fuck, I mean, yeah, Doc,” Chase said. “JJ asked me if I had my phone.”
Schneep nodded. “I am now assuming that any pause you have is JJ speaking.”
“That’s fair.”
“Hey, can we talk about what just happened?” Jack piped up. “Some magicians showed up, telling us that wow, not only is magic real, but there’s a whole magic community with apparently some sort of fucking…I don’t know, government, then they call JJ a warlock, tell us Schneep and I have unique fucking signatures or something, and attack us?”
“I think they were trying to, like, arrest us,” Chase said. “That guy, he had…mind…” He paused, distress flashing across his face for less than a second. “I mean, uh, mines. Like, magic mines. Maybe it was a knockout…thing.”
Jack gave Chase a peculiar, but sympathetic, look, then moved on. “Maybe. Apparently we were suspicious, I dunno.”
“I think the suspicious part was that we knew what this…transference is,” Schneep muttered. He walked over to the edge of the room just so he could lean against the wall.
'They said it was very dark magic,' JJ said. 'Which does check out with what we know about it.'
Jack quickly translated the signs for Schneep, then added, “Okay, but that’s no reason to immediately attack.”
“There is also a high amount of soul magic in the city,” Schneep recalled. “Which is unusual, yes? Perhaps they thought we were behind it?”
Chase sighed. “We’re not. But…maybe we know who is.”
Silence fell over the group, echoing with memories. “But…Anti is…gone now,” Jack said hesitantly. “So maybe the soul magic will…I don’t know, fade back to normal levels. And they’ll leave us alone.”
“Maybe,” Schneep muttered. He straightened. “Well, my offer of food still stands. Who will come to the kitchen with me?”
“Let’s just all go,” Jack said.
'That sounds good,' JJ agreed.
Chase looked down at his phone again. “You guys go ahead. I think I’ll…I might call Stacy, try to explain what just happened.”
“Alright. We’ll get you chips or something,” Jack said.
The three of them disappeared through a side door, leaving Chase sitting there. He opened up his contacts, then hesitated. Yeah…he should tell her. He should. Just in case.
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Stacy was taking her first fifteen-minute break in the back room of the diner when her phone started ringing. She huffed quietly. The ringing had interrupted the mindless scrolling through Instagram that she’d been using to try to relax. She didn’t recognize the number, so she hung up. And then it called again. And once she hung up again, it called. Sighing quietly, she picked up the call, figuring the person was going to keep trying. “Hello?”
“Hi, um, I’m looking for Chase?” An unfamiliar man’s voice asked.
“You have the wrong number,” Stacy said coolly.
“What? Really?” The man said, surprised. “That’s…weird. Uh, do you know Chase Brody?”
“He’s my ex.”
“Oh fuck. Sorry.”
“It’s fine.” Stacy was starting to relax a bit. A spam call probably wouldn’t use such casual language. “Uh, if you want I can tell him you called.”
“Well, he doesn’t know me,” the man said. “I’m a friend of a friend.”
And Stacy was once again suspicious. “How’d you get this number?”
“Through that friend,” the man explained. “I asked him to give me Chase’s number so I could call him for him, but I guess he just remembered yours. That’s…a bit weird.”
“Very weird,” Stacy agreed. “What friend wanted you to call him?”
“What friend wanted me to call Chase?”
“Yeah.”
There was a slight pause, then a sigh. “This is going to sound insane,” the man said. “Anyway, I thought the friend was dead, we kinda all did, but apparently he’s here, and he really, REALLY wants to find Chase but can’t remember his address, or apparently his phone number.” He paused. “The friend’s name is Jackie.”
Stacy was frozen for a moment. Jackie? The Jackie that they’d gone to the funeral of, where Chase has cried the whole time? “Is this a fucking prank?!” She suddenly snapped. “Cause it’s not funny to make—”
“No no no, I promise, it’s not a prank, I have just as much idea what’s going on as you do,” the man hurried to say. “I thought Jackie was dead, but no, he’s…he’s RIGHT HERE. I’m literally staring at him. And he wants to meet up with Chase.”
Stacy sighed deeply. This was going to be more of that bullshit Chase and his friends were getting caught up in, huh? The bullshit that they still wouldn’t tell her about? “Okay, I’ll tell Chase you called, tell him to…check on you or something, I dunno.”
“That would be great,” the man said. “Oh, uh, my name’s Malcolm. Malcolm Akela, you should be able to find my address online or in a phone book or something. Just in case you need something.”
“Uh-huh.” Stacy glanced at the clock. Her break was almost up. “Well, look, I gotta go, but I’ll tell Chase…all this.”
“Thanks.”
The call ended. Immediately, her phone started ringing again, this time with a familiar number. Stacy sighed, then picked up. “What is it, Chase?”
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Halfway across the city, in a small apartment above a shop, a magician was looking for a flashlight in a dark bedroom. Yvonne silently cursed the strange power outage. She’d use her magic to light up her surroundings, but she needed to save it. After a bit of fumbling in a drawer, she found it. “Aha! Torch!” She flicked it on. “Let there be light.” Chuckling, she left the room and headed into the living room.
Marvin was sitting on her sofa. It wasn’t a sight she ever expected to see again, but here he was. He looked a bit distant, and had bandages wrapped around the cut on his throat, but was otherwise alright…and alive.
“Alright, here we are.” Yvonne shined the flashlight around the room, briefly flicking a nearby lamp switch to see if anything had changed. Nope. The power was still out. “How are you doing, Marv?”
“Hmm?” Marvin looked up at her.
“How are you doing?” Yvonne repeated. “Like…good, bad, whatever. You know? How do you feel?”
Marvin blinked. “I feel…we’re…not…where’s the other one?”
“Still don’t know what you’re talking about,” Yvonne muttered. “But look, I found something for you.” She crossed the room, making sure she didn’t trip over anything in the dark, until she was standing in front of Marvin. “Look! This thing!” She held up the object she’d found in her closet.
Marvin’s reaction was delayed a bit, but once it registered, he gasped. “Oh!” He reached out and took the mask from Yvonne. It was white, a few designs painted on the surface, most notably the four card suits arranged in a diamond on the forehead. He traced the outline of it, running his fingers over the ceramic. “This…this is mine. Just mine.”
“Yeah, it’s yours.” Yvonne cleared her throat awkwardly. “I’m uh…sorry I could never give it back.”
“Back…?” Marvin turned the mask over, now playing with the black ribbons that would hold the mask on his face. “I…gave it to you. You wanted…to copy it?”
“No, not exactly. I just…well you know, magically-enhanced ceramic, hard to come by. I always said it was an accident waiting to happen, if a spell backfired it could do some serious damage to your face, but you were so confident in the spell, that I just…had to see…” Yvonne trailed off. “Of course, while you were here dropping it off, I…did you…copy a spell from one of my books?”
“Mmm…” Marvin’s eyes clouded over, losing focus. “Spell, spell…spell on loose paper…spells in type…lots of spells…”
Yvonne sighed. “Never mind. Let’s just get this started.” She backed up, rounding around a coffee table, putting the flashlight down on its surface. There was a peculiar looking instrument on the table. It was mainly a giant lens, its diameter larger than a basketball. “Stay still, okay?” Yvonne said, positioning the lens so it was facing Marvin.
He nodded vaguely, still running his hands over the mask, holding it to his chest. “Just mine…” he said, voice barely audible. “Not the other one…not the…”
“It’s your mask, yes,” Yvonne said absentmindedly. She ran her hands along the edge of the lens, the silver frame holding it becoming alight with blue and hints of yellow. As she did so, she stifled a yawn. She’d been up all night, trying to figure out what the deal was with Marvin. The Soul Lens had only occurred to her a few minutes ago. She began chanting some words, causing the Soul Lens to start glowing with white light. Trails of blue and yellow magic dripped over the glass, swirling iridescently like the surface of a bubble. Until it suddenly cleared. Yvonne bent over, peering through the Lens.
Through the Lens, everything had lost its color, being seen in shades of gray. The room was still dark, except for a light coming from Marvin. She stared intently at it, eyes wide. After a few silent moments, the Lens powered down, and she straightened, shaking her head. “Marvin…” she said in a hushed tone. “I was right. Your soul is broken.” That was the only word she could think to describe the fragmented way the light had appeared. Also, the Lens couldn’t show it, but she’d detected something…foreign…when she’d first sensed his soul. “What the fuck were you doing?”
Marvin didn’t answer, closing his eyes and leaning back against the sofa.
“Jesus…” Yvonne shook her head in disbelief. This was way, way beyond her knowledge. What was she supposed to do next? She couldn’t go to ABIM, they didn’t trust her and she didn’t trust them. Was it possible there was something in her storage that could help?
She was so lost in thought that it took her a moment to realize there was something glowing outside her window.
Marvin noticed it first, sitting up straight and twisting his head to the side to look at it. He gasped, and started to laugh.
“Marvin, what—WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!” Yvonne ran over to the window. For a second, her first insane thought was that magic worms were trying to get inside. But no, as she got closer she realized it was string. Green glowing string, cut into various sizes, none longer than her forearm. They were wiggling as if alive, trying to squirm their way through the window seam. “No! No, out!” Yvonne double-checked the lock on the window, looking back at Marvin. “Is this your fault?! What is this?!”
Marvin grinned. “It’s me! Us? All. Shards, missing missing, put together, held together.”
“What the actual criss-cross applesauce HELL does that mean?!” Yvonne looked back at the window. The green glowing strings were bunching together. As she watched, some of them formed into…a hand. “No!” She slammed her hands down on the windowsill, eyes flaring sky blue. A shockwave of blue and yellow magic burst outward, sending the green strings flying into the distance. They disappeared into the sky, and Yvonne took a moment to catch her breath. “Impressive Sending there,” she muttered. “Must’ve pushed them at least a few blocks away…”
Marvin seemed to slump a bit, somehow disappointed. He closed his eyes again. “It’s nothing, nothing…I-I…we need…it’s not…fair…”
Yvonne sighed, running a hand through her colored hair. “Well, life’s not fair.” She turned back around. “What do you need, Marv? What do you want? What can…what can I do?”
“Need…” Marvin opened his eyes. They flickered green. “Need…the other one. Want? Want…the…t̢̧h͠e͢m.”
There was something odd about the way he’d said that. “Who’s them…?” Yvonne asked hesitantly.
Marvin grinned. “The puppets.”
.............................................................................................
“I’ll text you the number, okay? For now, it seems like I really need to get home, since apparently you left the kids home alone with some strangers.”
“Sorry,” Chase muttered. God, he couldn’t do anything right, could he?
Stacy’s voice softened. “I’ll call you later.” And without further ado, she hung up.
Chase sighed, setting the phone down. This day had been a lot to process. And it was barely eight o’clock.
Jack reappeared in the living room. He smiled at Chase. “Hey, dude. I brought you some chips.” The smile quickly faded. “What’s wrong?”
Chase looked over at him. “Get everyone else in here. There have been some…complications.”