Stir Until Petrified

by Theda Vallee

  “I’m sorry. A man attacked me in the parking lot a few weeks ago. My magic, it just happened. I couldn't stop it. He’s not dead, he was just banged up. I was protecting myself. I’m so sorry.” Tears streamed down my cheeks as I realized I was in deep shit.

  “We can be sorry later. Go. Run to Albert’s. We will handle them here,” Nonna said her tiny body moving to usher me into action.

  “How? I’m not leaving you to deal with my mess. Helping me is guilt by association. They’ll take you all.”

  “You will do this thing, Etta. NOW! GO!” Nonna’s bellowed.

  I dropped the bread basket onto the counter and ran to the hallway to grab my purse. Nonna’s commanding tone propelled my legs into motion. I could hear my aunt sobbing in the kitchen, finally able to breathe normally after delivering her message. My hand reached for my purse, but I couldn't pick it up. What was my life going to be like on the run? I had no plan. If I ran, I may never see my family again. The only option was to let the Osservatori take me and hope they believed the truth. If nothing else, I’d ensure my family stayed free, and they’d find Carina somday. She’d at least know I’d never stopped loving her or looking for her.

  I took a deep breath preparing myself for what I had to do. For one of the few times in my life, I was going to disobey my grandmother. Staying was the only choice. I wasn't sure what was going to be worse though, standing up to Nonna or waiting for the Osservatori to show up.

  “It’s too late. They’re here!” Nerina turned to me as I walked into the kitchen, her bottom lip trembling. Guess I wasn't going to find out which would be worse.

  I watched out the window as a hauntingly beautiful woman strode up to the back door. Agents fanned out across our backyard behind her, ensuring there were no exits. Nerina moved to stand next to me. She took my hand and squeezed it tightly. “I’m not leaving your side. I don’t care what you say.”

  I expected the door to explode open in a haze of tear gas. Instead there was a polite knock. Everything I’d heard about the Osservatori told me they didn't usually knock. Maybe they weren't here to arrest me after all? With the number of people in our backyard that was probably wishful thinking.

  Gia helped Aunt Sophia to a seat behind me, before turning to answer the door. I stood, holding Nerina’s hand, shielding Aunt Sophia from view as much as possible. Nonna placed herself directly in front of me her posture like a mother bear with her cubs. I choked back tears at the ferocity of my family. We were about to open the door to face the boogeyman, and they weren't flinching. Please don’t let this not be the last time I ever see them, I prayed.

  “Can I help you?” Gia nonchalantly asked to the stunning redhead at the door. I’m not sure what I was expecting the Osservatori to look like, but a Victoria's Secret model had not been my first thought. To go with her majestic head of auburn locks, she had the fabled peaches and cream complexion. She was taller than me, but lithe and lean. I had a feeling she was probably an actual size zero. I bet there were a lot of people who were happy when they were frisked by her.

  “You must be Gianna? I’m Leontyne Davida. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. May I come in?” Her name sounded as fancy as she looked. The woman plastered a smile on her face, doing her best to look non-threatening. Most people would take one look at her and assume she wasn’t capable of harming a fly. Her beauty didn't stop me from noticing the predatory gleam in her eye when she caught a glimpse of me. She was very dangerous.

  “I’m sorry, we’re about to sit down to Easter dinner. Perhaps you could come back another time?” Gia smiled placidly, not letting any fear show.

  “I’m afraid that won’t be possible. I don’t want to cause more commotion than needed but I do need you to step aside. I’m not here for you, and I’m sure you’d like to keep it that way.” With a wave of her hand, she pushed Gia aside. The control she had over her magic was impressive.

  She strutted into the kitchen with a walk fit for the runaway. Agents we hadn’t seen filed in behind her, filling up our cozy space. They didn't carry weapons, but none of them needed to. Not all of them were strega, but they all possessed some sort of magic. I could feel it radiating from them, the vibrations bouncing off the walls in the confined space. Did they always come out in such force? This was a hell of a lot of people for someone who’d banged up an asshole in a parking lot.

  “Violetta Massoni, I presume?” Her serene face held my gaze, daring me to say otherwise.

  “You cannot come into my home, bringing all your people like this without reason. We have rights that you must abide by,” Nonna barked at the intruder before I could answer. She stood commanding, waiting for the woman to dare to touch me.

  “Those rights were negated as soon as your precious granddaughter decided to go rogue. Clearly, you're aware she’s the one we’re here for, which might look like collusion to some. However, I’m willing to overlook that if we can get this done without incidence.” Leontyne looked at each of us in turn, obviously hoping we’d comply with ease. “Ladies, I can see you’re going to be a tough sell. You want to protect Violetta. I get that. She’s your family. Here’s the thing though; none of you, aside from Violetta here, have any actual magic. Your little parlor tricks with herbs, oils, and chants are nothing compared to the combined power of the people surrounding you. I suggest you park those ideas of rebellion and let us do our job. Because, if you don’t, I’m authorized to use excessive force.”

  Her joyful sneer said she clearly enjoyed having the upper hand. The venomous undertone to her little speech made my skin crawl. They knew what they were doing when they hired her to be an Osservatori.

  “What are the charges?” I demanded. “I protected myself. This seems a little excessive for the crime.”

  “You protected yourself? The fifteen people lying in a coma were all a threat to you? I doubt that dear.” Leontyne chuckled as if she found herself highly amusing.

  “Fifteen people? What are you talking about?” I gasped. “I beat up one guy. There was no one else around that could’ve possibly been impacted by my magic.”

  An agent sidled up to Leontyne, whispering something in her ear before she could answer. Fifteen people? They had the wrong person, that was obvious. Maybe there was a light at the end of the tunnel. If they had any sort of due process they’d quickly see I wasn't the strega they were looking for. I’d spent the last month baking bread. There was no way they could think I was some serial coma-inducer.

  “Etta,” Nerina hissed at me through clenched teeth. “Look out the window!”

  My eyes drifted over to watch in horror as Luc walked down the garden path towards our back door. I could see a look of confusion on his face as he walked past the yard full of agents. Of all the days he could’ve shown up, why the hell did it have to be the day I was getting arrested? I was never going to get to drive that damn car.

  Luc strode through the open back door and stood there for a moment with his hands on his hips, surveying the scene. “Leontyne, I thought I advised you that this was not a full force operation? This is a direct subversion of my orders.”

  The collective gasp my family and I emitted could probably be heard a mile away. Mister too-good-to-be-true, hottest guy I’d ever seen, was a fucking Osservatori! Nerina’s hand trembled in mine with unmitigated rage. Thankfully she knew what to feel, because I had no clue how to process this new bit of information.

  “She’d been warned by someone and was a flight risk. I was following protocol, sir,” Leontyne said her tone adding a layer of contempt to every word.

  “The protocol is you follow my orders first and foremost. Those orders were to wait for me. You weren’t authorized to use full force.” His mouth was a thin angry line as he glared at her.

  “Hey! Asshole! You wanna explain to us what the hell is going on? You go from making out with my sister to busting down our door accusing her of a crime?! I think we all deserve an explanation,” Nerina demanded.

  He looked at me, a col
dness in his eyes that hadn’t been there the night of our date. He clearly thought I was guilty of whatever crime he was here to arrest me for. I felt a lump form in my throat. Stupid, stupid girl. It’d been stupid to pin so much hope on him after one date, but damn it, it’d been a phenomenal date with an epic kiss. He kissed me! Did he know he was going to arrest me when he’d tried to lip sex me? Despite all the anger, and pain I was feeling, something in me still wanted to kiss him again. My body sparked to life just looking at him. Now, I really hated him.

  “Your friend Liontime was just explaining to me I’m being accused of hurting fifteen people? Would you care to give us some further details? I think we both know I had nothing to do with this.” I stared at him my eyes shooting daggers of rage.

  “My name is Leontyne,” she said grinding her teeth.

  “Nobody cares,” Nerina said flippantly.

  “We have fifteen people in a coma right now, trapped in their dreams. Only a strega can slip into dreams to paralyze people. Only a very powerful strega could keep fifteen people trapped. You’re one of the most powerful stregas I’ve ever encountered.” he said.

  “Wait, so I’m guilty because I’m powerful? What the hell kind of shoddy investigative work is that? I can’t imagine that the most powerful magical organization in the world, is going to arrest someone because they seem like they’re powerful enough to do it.” I could feel my magic rising to the surface as my anger flared. “That’s literally one of the craziest theories I’ve ever heard. I had you pegged so wrong! Not only are you a deceitful prick but you're also stupid. And how can you tell how powerful I am? I don’t recall taking a test.”

  “Don’t you know anything about fae power?” Leontyne butted in. She looked pleased I was so ill-informed. “A fae can taste magic.”

  Taste magic, what the hell did that even mean? I could feel the magic rolling off the people around me. I knew there was a modicum of strength in their magic because the vibrations were strong, but I couldn't tell for certain how powerful any of them were.

  “Cazzo!” Gia shouted the profanity at Luc as something clicked in her brain. “The kiss! You kissed her to taste her magic. You set all of this up to get a kiss. How could you be so cruel? And you’re barking up the wrong tree buddy. She doesn't use her magic. She doesn't even know how! Being powerful is not the same as being guilty.”

  “I met one of her victims first hand. He looked like she had a pretty good handle on her magic. I don’t have to justify my methodology to you or anyone. Our job is to protect people. There are victims here, people suffering.” He closed his eyes for a moment, haunted by the thought of the victims. “People that will die if we don’t put a stop to it. If Etta’s innocent, she has no reason to worry. We’ll clear this up and send her back home.”

  “What I did to Bob was an accident. My magic acted in self-defense. If I’m as powerful as you say, and so freaking evil, do you honestly think I’d have let him walk away? And you expect me to believe you’ll just drop me back home when this is done?” Panic was slowly replacing my anger. He really believed I might have something to do with this. “We don’t hear good things about what happens to people once the Osservatori steps in. What’s the process? How do I know that if I come with you, I’ll be free to go once you figure out I’m innocent?”

  “This isn’t like the human police. We don’t have to give you a reason. We don’t have to read you Miranda rights, you’re not guaranteed a trial, we don’t have to promise anything. We have full authority to incarcerate anyone, for any reason, with or without cause, as long as it’s in the best interest of everyone in the magical community.” Leontyne sneered at me as she relayed this bit of information. I was really starting to dislike her.

  There was no way I was getting out of this. I was going to Osservatori jail, whatever that entailed. How would I prove my innocence if being a powerful strega was evidence enough to arrest me? The least they could’ve done was wait for me to eat my Easter meal. That was perfectly good wedding soup that I was going to miss now. We only made it twice a year!

  “I will not move from this spot, until you can give me some guarantee my granddaughter will be released once you realize you are idiots.” Nonna stood her ground in front of me, daring them to come for her. I loved her for it, but I was also terrified that they’d call her bluff.

  “Etta, you need to tell your family to cooperate,” Luc demanded.

  I’m not sure what made him think I had any control over them. As much as I wanted to spit in his face and let my grandmother claw his eyes out, I had to try. I didn’t want them getting hurt.

  “Nonna, let me go with them. I’ll get this cleared up and be back in a jiff. Save me some wedding soup though, OK?” I tried my best to sound like I believed what I was saying. I smiled reassuringly at each of them. Everything in me knew this would not end well. The best outcome I could hope for was my family made it out unscathed. It was time to be brave and walk into the fire.

  As I feared none of them moved. Instead, Gia came and stood on the other side of me. I now had Nerina on my left, Gia on my right, Nonna in front of me and Aunt Sophia sobbing at my back. What did they think they could do? Leontyne had outlined our situation clearly. We were outnumbered, out magicked, and had no tricks up our sleeve. If we made a move, we were toast.

  “I’m asking you one last time. Stand down. Let us take Etta. I promise nothing will happen to her if she’s innocent.” Luc commanded. I wiggled my hand out of Nerina’s preparing myself to push Nonna aside. She was going to be livid, but I wasn’t going to stand here and allow them to put themselves in danger.

  “As if we can trust the word of a cazzo like you!” Nonna spat out the profanity. I saw Luc flinch at the pure hatred in her voice.

  “Fine. Just remember I tried to be fair. Take them all.” Luc’s voice commanded the room into action.

  “You bastard. Stop this now!! I’m going to come with you! Please, stop it!” I screamed at his back as he walked out the door, leaving Leontyne to oversee the job.

  The agents that had been standing on the parameter of the kitchen moved in towards the huddled mass of my family. I looked over to see tears streaming down my sister's face. I could feel Aunt Sophia trembling against my back. I looked to the only other person in the room who could stop this. The last thing on earth I wanted to do was beg that woman for help.

  “Wait, stop. Please don’t do this. They had nothing to do with any of this.” I finally broke free from my family and moved towards Leontyne hoping she had some shred of decency in her. “They’re stubborn, but they aren’t any threat. You said so yourself. Please. I’ll come with you, no questions asked. Just leave my family alone.”

  Her face was a mask of cold indifference. It didn't matter to her that she was going to hurt innocent people. All the rumors were true. The Osservatori were the stuff of nightmares. Their verdict was absolute. Within a matter of minutes, my family wouldn't exist anymore. We’d be shuttled off to some secret holding cell, God knows where. From the stories we’d been told, no one would see us again. We’d become another cautionary tale. The family that everyone whispered about in dread when they warned their children to follow the rules. This was not justice.

  I heard Nonna cry out behind me. I turned to watch as two agents wrestled her to the floor. There was a small sense of pride that a third agent might be needed to bring a tiny old woman down, however that feeling was outweighed by the horror of seeing them manhandle my Nonna. Nerina lay sprawled on the ground, a knee planted firmly in her back. My petite sister was dwarfed by the giant woman that held her down. Gia and Aunt Sophia were pressed against the wall in the process of being handcuffed.

  I turned back to Leontyne, who was surveying the scene with a smile on her face. My body shook from the adrenaline swirling inside of me. I felt my veins groan, stretching to accommodate the flood of hormones surging into my system. Rage pumped the well of magic inside of me into an unstoppable torrent. That magic would not be held at bay. I was
a conduit for it to live and breathe on its own. The well of electricity shot up through my muscles sending a sizzle into the air. Magic spread like warm syrup up my body. A slow roar began in my head, like the swell of waves pounding on the shore. That roar grew until it was a tsunami. Without warning it could no longer be contained, it began to seep out of my pores filling the space around me. They should have arrested me first.

  “Son of a bitch!” A cry of panicked voices was the last thing I heard before I blacked out.

  Chapter

  7

  I woke up on a narrow bed. Blinking in the darkness I tried to make sense of my surroundings. Where the hell was I? My eyes struggled to focus in the dimly lit room. The throbbing in my head didn’t help. A thin sheet covered my naked body. The material was rough as it shifted against my skin like a cheese grater. A spasm racked my body. Helplessly, I waited for my muscles to stop their demented seizing. Finally, the fit passed, leaving in its wake a fresh wave of pain. I needed water. My tongue felt swollen and cracked like I’d been lost in the desert for days. I struggled to slowly push myself into a sitting a position. The need for water pushing me to move even though my body was telegraphing that I should stay put. I should’ve listened. Every movement sent spikes of pain rippling through me.

  I managed to partially sit upright. My stomach rolled with a violent wave of nausea. I flailed my hand out desperately looking for something to vomit in. A plastic tub was placed in my hands from out of the shadows. I emptied the contents of my stomach into the tub with a series of violent heaves. I felt like I’d spent a week at Mardi Gras, and then was run over by a truck. What the hell happened to me?

  “You probably shouldn't move much. Let your body adjust to being awake.” Luc’s melodic voice materialized from somewhere in the darkened room.