by Cathy Gaitan
Mercy’s watching everything with interest. She opens her palm and a box of Nerds appears. I smile to myself. That Zombie is catching on.
Hildie, Australian Witch and I work together in silence. I grab some items from Hildie’s bottomless trunk. A jar of fireflies, a pinch of crickets, a handful of robins feathers. On and on it goes. DaniElle drops in ingredients then Hildie. I mix the pot of bubbling liquid pleased with how it’s coming together. A drop of this, a pinch of that until I’m satisfied the seasoning is just right.
“How will you know when it’s ready,” asks Mercy, still watching. She grabs a jar of sliced mango out of thin air and hands it to Pinkerton. He takes it from her wordlessly and cracks it open.
There’s a knock at the door and Titus stands to answer it. I sigh to myself and pretend Julia’s not in the room. That’s the way it should be in a perfect world.
Boom Hildie shoves me away from the cauldron. “We don’t need your envy tainting the magic. Go play with your Warlock.”
Oh, Oz is here. I wonder what he wants.
“Why do you never invite me to your parties,” he asks sulkily. He really needs to work on that. It’s not attractive.
“I didn’t invite them. They pretty much invited themselves,” I reply. Not that I need to explain myself. What does it matter to him anyway?
When he hears it wasn’t a planned gathering he cheers up. “What are you up to,” Oz looks at Hildie and the Aussie working over the cauldron. “Another potion? Is that a hex to send the Dragon Lady back to the dead zone?
“Nope. We’ve decided to infect the Zombies with magic,” I inform him. “Don’t tell anyone.” Luckily he’s not on speaking terms with the Warlocks.
He looks at me in bafflement. “You’re actually going to let them color the world crazy?”
I laugh. “The world is already crazy. Where have you been?” He can be a snob about magic.
“You do know, at some point, you’re going to regret this,” Oz mutters.
“That’s where you’re wrong,” I tell him with more confidence than I feel. “I only have two regrets. One is leaving a loophole for that grisly ghoul to flip off death and the other is letting her get the edge on me.
When Titus laughs at something Julia says I admit to myself I have one more regret. I’m not sure if it’s not finding Titus first or not killing Queen Z when I had the chance. Whatever. It amounts to the same thing.
“Okay, the brew is ready. Step on up Zombies. Come get your cup of magic,” Boom Hildie declares. The Zombies look a little apprehensive. What? Do they think we’d poison them? Only Queen Z would really need to worry about that.
Pinkerton shoves Titus forward. I told you he was smart. He knows I wouldn’t think of hurting the twisted one. Titus grabs his cup and chugs it down wiping his mouth clean and checking to see that he didn’t spill on his beard.
“You better take a seat,” advises Australian Witch. “The nerd checked out a little after she had hers.”
Julia joins him after she finishers her drink. Carmony does the same.
Pinkerton eyes his cup in distaste then pops a slice of mango in his mouth and downs the concoction. Hildie and I look at each other. He essentially added another ingredient to the drink. She shrugs. We’re just going to have to see how it affects his magic. No sense borrowing trouble. We’ll worry about that later.
I hand Mercy a cup so she can attempt a transfer to Kailani but before I can give her instructions she tosses down the remainder of her Nerds and gulps the liquid.
These Zombies really try my patience.
Chapter Seven
The difference between a Witch and a Warlock:
Witches have magic.
Warlocks are magic.
-from Zephyr Ozgood’s Facebook page
Mercy Mayhem
Into the fire again
Apparently I wasn’t supposed to drink another magic inducing potion. Bibidee Bea really should have mentioned that before she handed me the cup. That is not an accusation. It’s just me keeping it real.
The Witches are all watching me like they’re waiting for my head to spin around. The good thing is I didn’t have any adverse side effects this time around. While everyone else was in a vegetative state on the couch I was dancing. Literally. I could not keep still. It’s like they gave me a ‘D’ battery when I normally only run on ‘AAA’. I was juiced!
Luckily it’s starting to wind down now. Boom Hildie suggested we wait until I settled down to try transporting the potion. I guess I’m almost there. I’ve stopped dancing and am now only pacing. I like it. It gives me an opportunity to think. Except my thoughts are going so fast I’m not really able to pin them down. I just get fleeting images. Pinkerton, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, City Hunter, Rocky, and on and on.
“The Zombie nerd is making me dizzy,” complains Australian Witch. “Can’t you do something about her?”
“Like what,” asks Bibidee Bea. “There’s no way we can shove her under the bed in this state.”
“Just zap her in the head,” suggests Boom Hildie rudely. “She’s the one who needs the zap,” I think just as she drops to the floor in convulsions.
I stop my pacing and watch as her body continues to twitch. Holy hell, Batman! Did I do that? The other Witches are standing over her trying to figure out what just occurred. After a moment, Bibidee Bea looks over at me in suspicion. “Was that you?”
‘Yes, I’m pretty sure it was,” I say in my head only. Outwardly I go into default mode. I huff out a denial, “No! Of course not.”
She doesn’t believe me because I’m guilty as hell. So what! If it was up to Hildie I’d be the one twitching on the ground right now. As far as I’m concerned this is a giant bowl of better you than me. She can chew and swallow because that was her own special recipe.
Geez. I touch my forehead to see if I’m running a fever because who am I right now? Is it possible to be infected by a Witch? Because I’m pretty sure I’m exhibiting all the symptoms of Bibidee Bea syndrome.
Bea looks at me with a narrowed gaze. “You didn’t zap her for suggesting I do that to you,” she asks, watching me closely for any signs of guilt.
I lift my pointer finger like a gun and just manage to resist the urge to blow on it. Instead I touch it to my cheek and say, “No zaps from this finger. It’s not even a little warm.” Because I don’t need my stinking finger to deliver a blow! All I need is my mind. HA!
“I think you’re lying to me,” she calls my bluff.
I grab a Twizzler stick from thin air and chew on the end. “Prove it,” I dare her. I think I may have lost my mind in a cup of Boom Hildie’s magic inducing brew.
The Australian sidles up close to Bibidee Bea and loud whispers, “I think that Zombie’s cracked her cauldron.”
It’s more or less what I had just been thinking so I don’t take offense. Lucky for her because I’m pretty sure it would have hurt if I had. I’m not acting like myself and I’m afraid I might be starting to like it.
“Apparently a double dose of magic makes Zombie nerds brave,” Bibidee Bea chortles.
“Or stupid,” mumbles Australian Witch under her breath. Just like that she falls on her ass next to Boom Hildie’s no longer twitching body.
“Ah-hah! Guilty,” exclaims Bibidee Bea smugly ignoring DaniElle’s shocked shriek.
I widen my eyes in fake innocence. “It’s not my fault your Witches are so clumsy.”
I think that potion must have picked up a whole lot of Bibidee Bea’s essence because I am feeling super confident right now. I don’t know if this is a temporary side effect or a permanent bi-product of the magic. If it’s permanent I gotta say I ain’t mad at it.
“I sure as hell hope sassy Mercy doesn’t fade because this will make the Happyville rescue a whole lot of fun,” Bibidee Bea grins.
There’s a ball of excitement in my stomach instead of the nausea I usually feel thinking about the rescue. “I can’t wait.” I actually mean it! I kind of want to get sta
rted right now.
Boom Hildie sits up gingerly and looks at Australian Witch sitting beside her. “Is it my imagination or did nerd Zombie try to sizzle me?”
Bibidee waves off her outrage. “You had it coming.” That’s the truth.
“I gave her power,” protests Hildie. “Twice!” That’s the truth too.
“Thank you,” I say but for some reason it comes out sounding sarcastic. I didn’t mean it that way or maybe I did.
“Awesome,” DaniElle says drolly. “Bibidee Bea Jr.” She stands and helps Hildie up off the floor.
They turn and stare at Julia, Titus and Carmony still laid out on the couch. “Do you think the others will experience this kind of side effect,” ask Boom Hildie.
“I hope not,” sighs Australian Witch as Bibidee Bea says, “Hopefully.”
Boom Hildie starts laughing. “You only like it because she’s acting like you.”
“What’s not to like,” asks Witchy Bea. “She’s feisty and has the goods to back it up. Sounds like a win-win to me.”
“Let me try to send the potion to Kailani while I’m feeling self-confident,” I tell them.
“Good idea,” praises Boom Hildie. “Let me just transfer it to a large bucket.”
“You don’t want me to see if I can just send the entire cauldron,” I ask. It makes sense to me but they suck in a shocked breath.
“A Witch’s cauldron is very personal,” instructs Boom Hildie with a sniff of arrogance. “It does not leave my side. Ever.”
“Okay.” It’s really not worth arguing as far as I’m concerned. I wait for her to empty the contents into two separate buckets. It takes more than a few tries but eventually I manage to send the potion to Happyville. I make sure to warn Kailani about the temporary vegetative state and advise them to stagger the distribution of the brew to ensure they’re not all in a weakened condition at the same time.
By the time I’m finished with the transfer Titus and Pinkerton have recovered from the effects of the potion. Julia and Carmony take a little longer regain their mobility.
“How do you feel,” I ask Pinkerton while Bibidee Bea is busy coddling Titus.
“Like I was buried alive,” he replies. “It was the weirdest feeling to be conscious but immobile. I could hear everything you and the Witches said but you couldn’t hear my part of the conversation.”
I grin because I remember that feeling all too well. “What part was that?”
“When I shouted ‘the nerd zapped you wicked ass! In your face Boom Hildie! That will teach you to disrespect a ninja nerd that way.’ It’s too bad you missed it. It was good.”
I’m laughing by the time he finishes speaking. “Did you really try to say that?” It’s kind of sweet in a Pink sort of way.
“I didn’t just try. I SHOUTED it,” he insisted. “You just couldn’t hear me because I had the vocal range of an ant.”
“Well, thanks for sticking up for me.”
He grins proudly. “No problem, but from what I heard you didn’t need it.” He gives me an impressed look. “Apparently,” he points at me, “this Ninja nerd has ‘mad skills’.”
“You better believe it,” I boast.
Titus walks over to me and puts his arm around my shoulder. “They say this Zombie nerd turned into a badass while we were incapacitated.”
Pink shoves Titus’ arm off my shoulder. “She was always a badass,” he retorts. “You just didn’t have the foresight to see it.”
“Oh, and you did,” asks Titus sarcastically.
“Yeah, I did. I’m gifted like that,” he replies. “I could always see her potential. It glows like the sun.”
Titus winks at me and grins like the twisted Zombie he is. “He’s a great ‘friend’ isn’t he?” He uses air quotes around the word ‘friend’.
“The best,” Pinkerton answers for me. He slides his own arm over my shoulders and tells Titus, “Go check on your woman and leave us alone.”
After Titus leaves it occurs to me that even though he was annoying the hell out of me it never once occurred to me to use my power against him. Weird, huh?
“How do you feel,” I hear Titus ask Julia.
“Like I was run over by a Mack truck,” she responds.
“I think the same truck ran over me twice,” Carmony rasps. “It felt like I was laying there forever and yet I still feel so exhausted. Isn’t that strange,” she asks.
“It’s just a side effect of the potion,” says Hildie unconcerned. “Nothing to be worried about.”
Carmony waves her off. “I’m not worried. “I’m just really tired.” She gets up and slowly makes her way to the door. “I think I’m going to go take a nap.”
“Let me know what powers, if any, you experience,” calls Bibidee Bea before the door closes behind the Zombie. Carmony doesn’t bother saying anything. She just waves her hand to acknowledge she heard the Witch.
I make a mental note to check on her before I go to bed. I don’t remember being that tired the first time around.
“What about you,” I ask Pinkerton sliding out from under his arm. “Do you want to try and grab something with your power?”
“Not here,” he murmurs with a distrustful glance in the Witch’s direction. It’s not really surprising. Pink doesn’t trust anyone enough to risk failing in front of them. “Later,” he promises.”
Julia was as resistant as Pinkerton to experiment in front of the Witches. She and Titus left presumably to practice in private.
Oz comes over and sits on the couch next to me. “Bibidee Bea says you’ve got some impressive potential,” he tells me. The weird thing is he’s not speaking out loud. I just hear his voice in my head.
“I can handle myself,” I tell him. I don’t try to reciprocate with the mind speak. I don’t really want to be in his head. It feels too intimate for someone I hardly know.
Oz grins as though he knows what I’m thinking. Let’s face it. He probably does.
“You fried Hildie’s mind. I think you do better than handle yourself,” he says inside my head. Again.
I don’t know how to keep him out of my mind. And he knows it. I try to visualize my mental space but I don’t really know what I’m doing. “Stay out of my head,” I order. He’s not at all respectful of personal space. I feel Pinkerton stiffen beside me.
Oz smiles and whispers in my head, “What do you mean?”
That damn visual picture is a blank space. I don’t know how to shut the door. When a pink curtain slides down I give Pinkerton a surprised glance. He’s not looking at me. He’s glaring hard at Oz. “You need to back the hell off.”
Oz gives Pink an assessing glance. “You know how to block,” he muses. “That’s unusual for someone not born to magic.”
Pinkerton doesn’t say anything or at least I didn’t think he did until Oz’s eyes widen in surprise. “I thought you just got your magic. How do you already know how to telepath?”
Pink gives him a predatory smile. “Never underestimate the power of instinct,” he rumbles. “I always follow mine. It never fails me. There is nobody that I trust more than myself.”
When Oz lifts his hand my own instinct kicks in. He’s twitching before I even realize I’d activated my power. Oh, well. That’s what he gets for messing with my mind.
“Wow, Mercy. It’s kind of handy having you around,” he tells me.
“Consider that payback for helping me block that asshole from tapping my mind,” I reply. I’m not joking. Having Oz in my mind was really uncomfortable. “How did you know to do that?”
Pink shrugs. “I didn’t. It’s like I told him. Instinct kicked in.”
“Well, I’m glad your instincts are so sharp. I need to work on my own,” I mutter to myself. I get off the couch. “Let’s get out of here.”
We leave Oz on the couch and head for the door. “We’ll talk to you tomorrow, Witches,” Pinkerton shouts before he shuts the door behind us.
“What happened to Oz,” I hear Australian Witch say.
/>
“I think he insulted the nerd.”
In the hallway Pinkerton and I part ways. He’s off to find more recruits for his army. I think he’s really enjoying the recruitment process. He was actually excited about it. That’s what I need. Something that lights me up from the inside out. I feel like I get closer to it every day.
When I open my hotel room door I remember I wanted to check in on Carmony. I lock my door again and backtrack down the hall. Carmony answers the door after the third knock.
“How are you feeling,” I ask her. She looks a mess. Her clothes are rumpled and her hair is sticking up in every direction. There’s a pillow crease down the left side of her face.
“I have to say, I’ve been better,” she mumbles hoarsely. “I think I might be getting a cold.”
“Tough break,” I say walking past her to take a seat on the edge of her bed.
“Did you know Oz can talk inside your mind,” I tell her as I munch on a bag of popcorn. This power of mine is a blessing and a curse. I’m munching, like, all the time because I can. I know, I know. I need to cut this habit now. Maybe tomorrow.
Carmony crawls back into her bed yanking the blankets out from under me. “Mercy, I love you but I need you to get out.”
I creep up the bed and sit next to her head with my back against the headboard. “No, I want to talk.”
“But I’m sick,” she complains.
“You’re a Zombie. You’ll live,” I assure her. Is it rude of me? Probably but it’s also the truth. Zombies, literally, cannot die.
“Like I was saying, Oz does this creepy mind talk thing. The cool thing is Pink knows how to block him.”
When she doesn’t respond I shake her by the shoulder. “Did you hear me?” Seriously, this girl needs to pay attention.
“I heard you but I don’t care,” is Carmony’s bad tempered response.
“I thought you liked Oz,” I say. Personally I don’t see the attraction.
She waves me off. “That was before he told me he hated Frodo Baggins.”