FENIX

I woke up again with a dry mouth and that uncomfortable sensation of dizziness. I'm sure that so many blackouts can't be good for my growth. I looked around, I was in the backseat of an old jeep. Rosemary was next to me looking through the window while Atticus and Lucas were in the front.

My relationship with Lucas could be summarized as friendly nods when we meet in the hallway. And Atticus, I think we had spoken about twice, but I was trying so hard not to appear appetizing that I seriously doubt that he remembers me as anything more than ‘that freaky guy’.

Then I remembered the shadow, something had crossed the veil thanks to the fucking Rosemary’s ritual. I looked at my body, I didn't see or feel anything strange, but I had never seen a possession and didn't know how it looked.

My only references were movies, well, more like the general plot of famous movies. I don’t like horror movies. To find monsters I could go for a stroll in my neighborhood. There is a group of nereids living in the river which is behind my house, they are always bitching about other people's appearances, usually mine.

I was missing the point with my typical overthinking. I analyzed myself. I didn’t feel different in any way and technically, I didn't know if that thing was a demon or what it was. But, the entrance of an extra-dimensional being didn’t look good. I needed to go home and secure the house. If the city was going to turn into a bloodbath, I had to make sure my parents were safe.

"Hey, guys. I had a very strange dream. I appreciate the road but you can drop me home," I said playing the forgetful guy.

Everyone looked at me at the same time —a pity look from Lucas through the rearview mirror, a frown from Atticus, and a cold glance from Rosemary—. I was pretty sure no one believed me for a second. Mr.Gomez was right about my acting skills for my misfortune.

"Atticus," Rosemary said.

"Not, please. I only wanna go..."

"Shut up and listen," Atticus said, making me obey immediately. I could see a soft red light filling the car with each of his words making it all pretty asphyxiating. "You are calm. You won't move if I don't order it."

It was my first time being dominated. I expected worse. My mind said that I would be in a panic like the situation demanded it. But my body didn't agree. My heart beating was normal and my breathing was deep and calm. Just like Atticus had demanded.

I tried to calm my accelerated brain, which was freaking out because my heart wasn’t willing to liberate the adrenalin that it demands. I knew what happened to me. It was only a limited mind control magic. It wasn’t a big deal. Besides, a strong feeling contrary to the goal of domination would be enough to protect myself. The real question was I didn’t think about that before. But, who knows, people usually wait one or two minutes of basic conversation before they decide that I was better quiet.

The rest of the trip was in silence, making a short route incredibly slow and uncomfortable. If they were going to be in silence, they could let me speak. I don't know, talk about the weather or the new Zelda, whatever so my mind would have a distraction to help me not to freak out.

I could see the colonial-style mansion at the end of the street. The most beautiful and ancient building of Santo Hills, built with red brick and white wood and crowned with a small clock tower. Bigger and more important than the city hall. Santo Hills Library was one of my favorite places for more than one reason.

It was better for me not to say this aloud, bullies already have enough ammunition without me being a bookworm. But, what can I say? Finding books with reliable information about magic and creatures wasn’t easy. And who cares, public libraries are super cool.

Lucas parked the jeep just in front of the column porch. There was nobody around, only some cars parked in front of the city hall on the other side of the street.

Atticus looked at me and said, "Get out of the car and follow us." I obeyed but this time I felt more free. The red light was weaker than the first time. The bloody prince didn’t have perfect control over me. I couldn’t help but smile, a timid and prudent smile. A stupid smile if you think in the tight spot I was in.

We entered the library. The hallways created by the books shelves were narrower than you expected when looking at the size of the building. But the collection of books was huge, the most part of that was stored on the second and third floors close to the general public.

Only half of the lights were on, creating a chilly sensation around. After all, it was a very old building with a lot of dark hallways and hiding corners. We walked down the main hallway towards the reference desk. The place looked like a dessert, the only person inside was Dorotea; the librarian. A short black woman with long curly hair, who always dresses in natural prints. Ohh, and she was some type of fairy creature, I guess. I didn't figure out what kind or what her abilities were.

A look of surprise crossed her face when she noticed us. I mean, it was Friday night and no respectable teenagers go to the library on Friday night, not even me.

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"Nights, how can I help you?" she said with his sweet voice.

Rosemary approached her. "We need the foundation's room key and if you could call my mother I would appreciate it. There was an accident that implies cleaning,” she said and pointed at me with his gaze. I started to understand the reason for the library's 24-hour service. The teenagers need one place to hide their kidnappings.

Dorotea nodded and gave a card key to Rose. We went to a block wood door just right next to the desk. The modern system of security was out of place with that classical door with carvings representing the world tree. Rosemary brought the key to the electronic panel and the door unlocked.

The prestigious Santo Hills Library Friends Foundation, the most exclusive club in the city —and the Santo Hills County shadow government— was just some inches to me. We entered one after another in the dark room.

I didn't expect what I saw inside. I was really shocked, I had seen weird things in my life but that place was on a completely new level.

A long hallway with a red carpet and a large number of doors perfectly spaced, expensive furniture and decorations on both sides, but the walls weren't walls at all. They were like an infinite night sky, covered with stars, nebulae, and comets. It was impossibly beautiful and just impossibly. Because it wasn't an illusion spell, there was a magic barrier but behind everything was real.

I heard the sound of heels on the other side of the long hallway. The black clothes with red heels were Elizabeth Booth’s distinguishing mark. The mayor —and Rosemary's mother— couldn’t go unnoticed and the black with a bit of red were her colors in every election.

When she approached more, I could see the magic scars that the beautiful spells left on her face; every witch with more than twenty who I had known in my life had some of these. Although I couldn’t criticize the result, she was like the hottest person in town. I had my crush on her when I was fourteen, like every person who likes women in the town.

She made a face hard to read, not happy, not angry. Would she be used to this kind of disaster? Lucas, Atticus, and Rosemary made a line as if a general would have yelled file while she approached. She stopped in front of us and looked at me cautiously.

"Mother..." Rosemary said hesitantly.

"Don't even try, dear." She put her left hand on my head and cast a spell. I could see green waves up and down my body. She took her hand off and the corners of his lips made something similar to a smile. "Someone should control his sugar intake young man,” she said and looked up, directly to Rose. “But, fortunately, as fit as a fiddle. Atticus if you do me the favor take this little gentleman into the X room," she said without taking his eyes off her daughter.

Atticus took my arm and we walked to the X room. A disappointing basic police interrogation room. I mean who was the genius that called an interrogating room and x room?

“Give me whatever you have in your pockets,” he said. There was something weird in his words. I took my phone and my headphones from my pocket and gave them to him. They were determined to leave me alone with my thinking without basic entertainment.

"Sit down!" He said and I finally noticed, his domination wasn’t working. I sat down obeying his word carefully, trying to seem a very obedient brainless slave. I didn’t want him to try again. I was in a complicated situation and I had to be more intelligent than them if I wanted to survive. Maybe, say survival was too much. They weren’t going to kill, were they?

ATTICUS

I looked at Fenix carefully, before I left the room. The domination wouldn’t last long once I was gone. Nothing particularly unique in his possessions. A cheap phone with thirty dollars hidden in the case and Bluetooth headphones.

I left Fenix’s things on the nearest table outside of the x-room and came back with the rest. The voices of Rosemary and Elisabeth were raised while I approached, not enough to call them yells but enough to know they were arguing.

Lucas was on the side of the hallway with his eyes glazing at his phone, trying to get away from the intense argument between mother and daughter. Elizabeth was a tough woman. I have known her since childhood and she isn't bad but she has a cold and calculating attitude. If she cannot win, I don’t think that not winning is a possibility for her, to be sincere.

I approached them. "Ms. Booth, Fenix is in the X room now," I said.

She turned her grim face into a big smile. "Thank you, lovely. It's a pleasure to know that some young people are trustworthy." That was more a criticism of Rose than praise to me.

"Mother, I'm talking seriously," Rose said, keeping his chin and eyes up, looking directly into her mother’s eyes.

If you look at Rose’s eyes you could think that she was in her best moment, determined and confident of herself. But I know her better, she was hurt by her mother’s attitude. She always felt that she had to be the toughest of the toughest, and she wanted to be it in big part for herself. But I knew that there was a small part of how she was based on her mother's wishes.

Was she going to say it to his mother? Of course not. The Booth are too proud to admit someone —even one of them— could have an influence on how they are, or someone that could hurt them.

"Let’s summarize, dear. I human kid modified a complicated ritual with a few iron bars, a ritual which would be hard to balance for a witch with years of training and knowledge. By the way, it was not your case."

"I'm your daughter. I don't need years of training to do it and I'm sure about what I said about what happened," Rose said with a cocky smile.

Normal parents would hate this arrogant attitude in their children but Elizabeth was so different from normal parents. She smiled, a big proud smile.

"I have to call Atticus' father and someone from the police's office who I can trust. I want this accident to stay in petit comité." She looked at Lucas who nodded compulsively with an expression of fear. She walked away and stopped in the middle of the hallway, "I will need half an hour to make the arrangement ." She turned her head and looked at her daughter. “Time enough to prove your point!"

Rose grinned and started to walk. "Both of you, c'mon!" she said dictatorially.

I couldn’t deny that I love when she is commanding. Lucas rolled his eyes and sighed. I patted his shoulder so that he felt a little more accompanied. He had run out of his Friday night because of me after all.