“It’s just that it’s a lot. I hear you and I totally get it. And I’m really glad you’re back. You had me worried.”
Z’s voice was comforting. She was always there when Aphrodite woke from a vision and, along with Darius, she’d become her lifeline back to the real world.
“Where am I?”
“In your room.”
“Shit!” Aphrodite grimaced and took a few deep breaths to combat the pounding pain in her head. “Fuck me, ouch! Remind me not to cuss emphatically until I’m better. Wait? Did Darius carry me all the way back here?”
“I did not, my beauty.” Darius’s deep, familiar voice was more balm to her ragged nerves. “I did not even catch you when you fell. Kevin beat me to it.”
“Aww,” Aphrodite said. “That’s sweet. Kev? Are you here?”
“No, he’s still at Woodward Park. Darius, Kacie, Stevie Rae, and I are here with you.”
“Who carried me back here?”
“Marx brought all of us here in his truck,” said Stevie Rae. “So, you can’t ever complain again about big trucks only bein’ extensions of inadequate men’s penises.”
“Sure I can, because ninety-nine percent of the time it’s true,” said Aphrodite. “When did Marx get to the park?”
“Right after you collapsed. He’d come from the crime scene at the apartments down the street. That monstrous truck of his pays zero attention to ice, so he gave us a ride here.” Z’s voice sounded like she was in the kitchenette, and Aphrodite desperately hoped she was putting together a cocktail that would knock her out—or at least knock out her headache. “Everyone else is still at Woodward Park, helping the TPD secure the crime scene and put up tarps. The ice has turned to rain, which is busily washing away any evidence that might be left.”
“Doesn’t matter,” said Aphrodite. “They’re gone.”
“They?” Zoey asked.
Aphrodite nodded and then paused to grit her teeth against the pain.
From the kitchenette Z said, “Hang on. Don’t say anything more. I’m brewing you some lavender CBD tea with a heavy dose of honey.”
“Lavender and CBD?” Stevie Rae asked.
“It’s medicinal and super relaxing—and also anti-inflammatory,” said Zoey. “Grandma told me about it.”
“You should get her some CBD bath salts to soak in,” Kacie spoke up from over by Aphrodite’s fireplace. “They help with aches and pains.”
“Good idea, Ice Cream Shoes,” said Aphrodite.
“Um, also, I have another idea,” said Kacie hesitantly. “Or, I had one. At the park.”
“Go ahead,” Stevie Rae encouraged. “You can tell us. Don’t worry ’bout getting everthin’ right or soundin’ perfect. Just speak your truth. You’re part of our circle. We’ll listen to you.”
Kacie swallowed audibly. “Other Neferet and that woman with her—”
“Other Lynette,” Stevie Rae said.
“Right. Other Lynette—she and Other Neferet didn’t go back to their world because anyone was hurt. They went back because they were scared. Really, really scared.”
“How do you know that?” Zoey asked, her voice getting closer to Aphrodite. While Kacie answered, Zoey helped Aphrodite guide the mug of tea to her lips and didn’t let go until Aphrodite’s hands stopped shaking and she could hold it herself.
“This is gonna sound crazy,” said Kacie.
“Crazier than me passing out with a vision and bleeding from my eyes?” said Aphrodite between sips of tea.
“I’m not sure. But, here goes—I picked up leftover emotions while I was standing there—right there where we felt the Old Magick residue. I’m pretty sure it was because of the ice and rain.”
“Explain that,” said Zoey.
“I’ll try. I was thinking about Old Magick and wondering what the hell went down at the park, and I was soaked with rain and standing in ice water—and all of a sudden, I felt terrified. It wasn’t my fear. And I don’t think it was the human woman’s fear either. I don’t think a human’s fear would have been strong enough for me to pick up on, and I’m not saying that because I’m being all ‘we’re better than them,’ or anything stupid like that. But Other Neferet is a powerful High Priestess, and I think that’s why I sensed what she felt. Her fear was so strong, water carried it to me.”
“That’s bad. Really bad,” said Zoey. “Other Neferet is powerful—so powerful that the fall from the press box at TU didn’t kill her. So powerful that she managed to cross over to this world and release our Neferet from a tomb sealed by an immortal. It’s hard to imagine what could terrify her like that.”
“Batshit Neferet is that terrifying. I saw her in my vision,” said Aphrodite. She blindly leaned forward and Zoey was there, taking the mug from her.
“More?” Zoey asked.
“Maybe in a little while, if I don’t fall asleep first. It’s times like this that I almost wish I was still into mixing Xanax and booze. But anyway, Other Neferet and Other Lynette aren’t here anymore. That’s for sure. And after what Ice Cream Shoes just said, we know it’s because Other Neferet was so damn afraid that she ran the hell away. Also for sure is the fact that our Neferet—let’s just call her Batshit to save confusion—is going to follow them if she hasn’t already.”
“You saw all three of them over there in your vision?” Z asked.
“Yeah, but more than that. In the vision, I was Other Neferet and I was with her friend, Other Lynette.”
Zoey scoffed. “Friend? Don’t you mean minion?”
“Actually, no. Something’s going on with Other Neferet. I couldn’t tell a lot of things from the vision because, as usual, all hell was breaking loose and it was chaotic, but two of the things I know for sure are that she’s not in this world anymore, and that she cares about that Lynette. Like, they’re for-real friends.”
“Okay, okay, go back,” Zoey said. “Describe the vision and we’ll figure it out from there.”
“Well, it was weird,” said Aphrodite. “I mean, they all are. But this one especially. Apparently, I was out for a while.”
“Yes, my beauty. As Zoey said,
