After school I went to play tennis with Lou. We try to do this once a week or so at a park near my house. I had time to kill and wanted to feel productive and get the blood flowing so I could stay on my toes when I went to Adram’s house today.

I was excited to see inside his house and wasn’t sure what to expect. He was currently buying supplies, whatever that entails, with Vera and her father, a chemist. This only intrigued me because chemistry seemed like the opposite occultism. Maybe it had something to do with the flower we got from the void.

I backhanded the tennis ball and watched as Lou deftly sprang in the opposite direction she’d been running to return my volley.

I managed to get a good hit as I had the leverage on my side. Lou’s longer legs and arms helped her to reach the wide shots. I purposefully aimed for opposite sides to make her run back and forth, knowing the constant turning and back and forth would tire her out faster. It rarely worked because we’ve been playing constantly for the last couple years so Lou’s developed the muscle for my play style.

For Lou’s game, she mainly tries to drive her hits with as much power as possible. She also has a habit of aiming directly for her opponent so I’ve learned to always be on my feet, ready to reposition.

What I enjoyed about playing the same opponent over and over again is how the challenge becomes against yourself. If you don’t willfully improve, your rival will play at your pace. If both of us decide to be extra competitive, it evolves our game. Some days we just passively go through the motions and let our frustrations out or spend time thinking.

Lou seemed to be in a mood, progressively hitting the ball harder with each swing. I didn’t really feel like working up too much of a sweat as I didn’t want to be exhausted for this afternoon, but I also knew if I agreed to play I should commit to actually trying.

Lou sent the ball flying just past my face. It barely missed but gave me a startle as I was lost in thought.

Fine, Lou. Game on.

I flashed her a stare. Lou did not look sorry, only provocative. She was really going to get in it.

I was the better trained athlete and more skilled at the game. Lou’s advantage lay in superior strength and height. I’d been expected to play tennis as a kid. Lou probably picked it up in middle school. I had a decade of experience over her. Her competitiveness probably far outshone mine. It was an exercise to me. Lou liked to win.

I knew tricks like adding spin or spiking the serve that Lou hadn’t quite mastered yet. I could catch her off guard with a soft hit or a curveball. Lou hated dealing with those as she’d have to sprint to the front and lose the momentum of her power hit just to save the volley.

After she returned a curveball, I’d launch it far to the back, forcing her to sprint back again.

Lou would then aim directly for me in retaliation. I’d only ever been hit a couple times that hurt. I usually predicted her aim and kept myself from being an easy target.

I remember hating her play style when we first started but it was actually fun. Being in the crossfire made me a better player than the average tennis opponent. Lou played wild and moody. She let her emotions alter her swings on a volley to volley basis. She was unpredictable which turned me into a diverse player.

I won the first two sets. We agreed first to win 7 sets takes the game.

The third set, Lou kept it in a deuce for a long time but I eventually won it after a cheap tap over the fence that bounced twice before Lou could reach it.

The next game Lou went really aggressive, trying to wear me down without focusing on scoring as much. She was playing for the late game.

I took the fourth game as well after another deuce.

The whole time I just kept thinking about the void. Those branches twisting up and around a greyish atmosphere…

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Lou got a good volley in and took the victory after an advantage.

I refocused and took the next game in a few short, intense back and forths with Lou.

Five to one.

I lost my initial edge of competitiveness, growing bored with the outcome. I know Lou will hate me for a day if I just throw the next few rounds and let her win. I wanted to be done and get ready.

I decided to be relentless. The fastest way to be done was to win the last two games.

I think Lou perceived this as I saw realization in her eyes at my change of attitude. I think it pissed her off seeing me go from just playing to going for the win, especially since I was already winning.

Sorry Lou.

It was her serve going into the sixth game. She made a perfect spike which slipped by my racket. I hadn’t expected a serve like that.

Lou wound up and delivered another good spike. I returned this one and Lou replied with another heavy swing. I grunted knocking it back as I had to use my off-hand extended at full reach. I think I pulled a muscle because it was immediately sore. It was not worth it because the swing was slow and Lou ran up to the ball and knocked it way beyond where I could hit it.

Lou took that game shortly after. I wasn’t about to complain about my arm. The competition was on for real.

Lou struggled to keep up the next game but made some impressive saves with her ridiculous speed. We were locked in yet another tied game that lasted a good fifteen minutes before someone capitalized on an advantage. It was Lou.

The game was 5 to 3, I was still up.

The next didn’t go so well for Lou as she hit the ball out of bounds on two occasions. I won and was on my game point. One more victory and I’d take the series.

Lou was determined to make my life miserable. She pulled out another drawn out close victory and then hit her second wind the following game. I don’t know where she got this energy from because I was breathing hard and ready to be done.

At 6 to 5 I took a deep breath and decided to pull out my most annoying moves. I had a strategy for aiming right at the out of bounds line in the back of the court, forcing Lou to decide if she wanted to risk returning a ball that could be a free point or lose the point without hitting it. Either way Lou had to make a decision on an awkward hit because she wouldn’t have a lot of time to swing if she let it bounce first. Of course if she stayed behind the out of bounds I just wouldn’t hit it so far.

It was a trap and it threw Lou off her comeback. She returned most of those hits but I got a couple points that way and ended up winning the series.

Lou managed to make me lose an hour so maybe she won in the end.

“Good game, Jienne.” I returned the exchange of sportsmanship. She seemed over her bout of anger. Lou was smiling as she went over the game with me while we downed some cold water.

“Lou, I’d love to stay and chat, but I really need to get going. I still have to shower.”

Lou rolled her eyes, “I’m being replaced!” She was being purposefully melodramatic.

I said I’d keep her updated and hurried home.

After a cold shower I was still hot so I wore a nice pencil skirt and sleeveless blouse.

My hair was half-wet so I just added a nice hat to hide the fact I wasn’t going to mess with it.

I was an hour late already so it would do. I left and got to his house in another quarter hour.

I saw his house. An older one like Ms. Gallahan’s, a block or so away. There were some garland flowers, a small black fence and an old tree growing in the center of his front porch. Little brown mushrooms grew around the tree and moss and lichen covered the old elm. The house was hidden behind all this foliage in an ominous and darkly arranged template, reminiscent of a wizard’s arcanum only modern and in a city. Adram and his family had their little world tucked in this house.

I felt chills going through me as I approached the door and knocked on it.

A minute passed before I heard footsteps. The door opened and Adram beckoned me inside. He wore gloves and a coat.

“Come this way, I’ve almost started.”

He didn’t care that I was late or that this was my first time at his house. I didn’t even have a moment to take in the decor of the house. It was all too strange for my brain to process in the second of entering and being led downstairs.

I realized we weren’t going to his room but rather a basement floor where Adram had a storage space and a workbench.

The floor was carpeted in parts. Not under the workbench though, that was all stone. On that workbench was a mix of glass beakers and jars and tubes running from one to another.

“What are you doing?” I asked. I should have been able to guess his response by now, but I was too overwhelmed by the new environment of things I’d never seen before, shapes and items and oddities close to normal things but with that strange difference that suggested some alternate and sacrilegious use and understanding.

Adram looked at me so proudly and excitedly, his eyes full of adventure into the unknown. “Alchemy.”